ncmn

Exciting Summer!

2006-09-22T01:17:00.000+01:00

Hi all! I haven't been posting nothing for so long, I'm so so sorry!! :( But i have an excuse: i've just had an busy summer and i went along great experiences i wanna share with you!! Basically, this summer i did a little bit of everything. As classes ended, i went to ISCTE Summer School in Lisbon! There, i spent 3 full weeks with foreign people, helping them in whatever they wanted, attended classes together with them, made trips with them...just an exciting experience where i had the opportunity to communicate with such different cultures, persons and ways of life!! I made some good friends, specially from China, South Korea, Slovenia and Bulgaria! :) I keep in contact with all these persons!
In this summer school I had a subject of Strategy and Enterpreneuship and i was invited by the teacher to take part of a program in September in Poland called Coeur! I accepted that and i'll relate to you later this wonderfull experience! :D
When summer school ended i worked with some kids from a social instituition. I went with them to the swimming pool every morning and helped them in whatever they wanted and wish for! It was a touching experience! :)
When this last activity ended (about 11 august - it just took 10 days!) I went in really vacations! I travalled in the Eastern Part of Portugal, went a lot to beach and to the nightlife!! I hung out a lot with friends in places like Lisbon, Sesimbra, Costa da Caparica and some more great places of the portuguese nightlife! :)
As time went by, i was getting more and more exciting with Poland! I invited two big friends of mine to come with me and they accepted it: Ines Esteves and NN (yeah!the owner of this blog went to Poland with me =P). NN invited a friend of his own and so the so called Fantastic Four were constituted! :)
Our trip to Poland was just exciting! Before the day of departure, the portuguese team (constituted by us along with more 5 persons) made some dinners all together in Lisbon to discuss all the stuff related to Portuguese Evening there as well as the details of the travel and the way to go and back from there!
We all left Lisbon at 00:15 in a bus in direction of Porto, because our plane left from there! 4 hours of travel with stops in Leiria and Coimbra...we arrived Porto at 4:15 am and waited for the metro until 6am! Then, we got the subway to airport...the plane went from Porto to London and then from London to Wroclaw! After some big runs in London, we finally got in Wroclaw! It is such a nice nice city, although is not that well known by foreign! There we spent crazyyyy nights and met such nich people in the other teams (Scotland, France, Poland and Germany!) I made friends in all of them, but specially in Scottish one! :) In Poland we developed a teamwork and it was a nice experience, specially the contact, share of ideas and brainstorming with others from different countries and different cultures! We also spent some few days in the mountains, right close to Czech Republic..I just need to say this: it was such a gorgeous experience where i made friends for life and in just 1 week i establish a strong connection with some persons i'd never think of! I'm sure NN and the others fells the same of me!
My conclusion: take an international experience! It is such a big way to grow as a person and to take a different way of look into life! :)

Birthday

2006-08-22T12:53:00.000+01:00

Last sunday was my birthday. I was in Tomar and I received some friends around to a cultural tour through the city! Here are the highlights of a great day discovering some corners of this cozy place in the center of Portugal!

The party counted with the presence of João, Sónia, Hugo, PF, Filipa and Ercy (besides nn, of course!). This time there are no inicials because it's important for this post to reveal who's who! Anyway, we met in the morning after João, Sónia and Hugo arrived from Lisbon on João's dreamcar! Apparently, he drove really fast (up to 190 km/h) and Sónia, his girlfriend, was really upset with him. They offered me imediately a FHM magazine and a box of regional cookies from Tomar! Sick twisted people lol! Just kidding, they were ultra sweet!

After that we went for a walk and visited the jew sinagogue in the old part of town and wondered around the streets until we ended up in Praça da República, the most important spot of the city. Here we understood the secret about Gualdim Pais, the founder of the city. The truth is he was crazy about girls and, when his statue was put toghether, there was a wedding going on the church just in front of him... Legend says it was the most beautiful bride Tomar has ever seen. Gualdim was a ladie's man, so the effects are easily understandable... No picture documentates this, but you can see it by yourselves if you ever visit Tomar!

After that we had lunch near Nabão River, in a very nice restaurante called Bela Vista. The meal was fantastic and the place was really cozy and confortable, which meant we only left the place at 4 o'clock in the afternoon!

From there we decided to drop by the castle of Tomar. This was the place where the Templar was founded and we visited the Convento de Cristo, a place were religion was built but with a million romantic spots to infatuate and delight a girl! We wonder around rooms, ruins and rebuilt corners for a couple of hours and then hit the road again to finish the day in a more XXI century style: bowling!

Bowling is a great game to share with friends! It's fun, it's cool, we jump and laugh and have a trully great time. It's even fun to be loosing!!! PF got a head-start but Hugo had a wonderful comeback and ended up winning the game. My poor body balance got me in the back of the group until the last two gameplays where I managed to strike once and come up from 7th to 4th! I'm still not sure if it was my develop skills or if the rest of the people just threw the ball out of the track in order to let me... not be in last! lol! Anyway, it was a marvelous end of afternoon!

But my birthday started way earlier than this... it was still August 19th (23h59m!) when my phone started ringing. It was my family :-D My mother, my father, my granny and my aunt were there to keep me talking for 1 minute and then congratulate me! After the phone call I saw the message from Mike! Thanks! Continuing with phone calls... I also got a couple of phone calls during the day... Nurio called me and congratulated me noisily which was wonderful, but made my heart feel very tiny, since I miss him so much... It's irritating how time goes by so quickly and 2 months easily pass and you haven't seen someone you love... Some phone calls from friends and family occured: Sara Cara Nova, Dalva, Doris, Tiago and Dário and a VERY DISTURBING phone call happened from the least person I was waiting to call me... I'm not going to get into details but after thanking the gesture my questions were: "how did you found out it was my birthday?" and "how did you get my phone number?".
There are always the latecommers too, Ricardo and Dina, that called me in the next morning, which also feels really nice, to speak the thruth!

Besides all those wonderful feelings, being 24 sucks... I now realized that the quick step from 18 to 24 (6 years) will be the quick step I'll take until I'm 30!!! Plus, there are only 16 years left until I have to take that prostate exam... I'm a bit confused about where to head with my life, which path to choose and that day makes me feel even more pressured about it... But the good news is that my friends and family made a wonderful job in getting me to release that tension for a day and just have a great time! Thanks!!!

BACK!!!

2006-08-02T23:52:00.000+01:00

Hello guys!!!I know I've been quite unactive, but I'm ready to fix it. Since this is a blog of thoughts, you must know my main toughts concern politics. And today Geology will be the matter I'll focus.
In my past posts I spoke about globalization, culture, social concerns...(And why is he speaking 'bout geology today???) As you may know the principal changes of the earth crust, are a result of natural factors...But there is a people who live in the mideast of the globe, that are trying to make that changes for themselves. Guess who??? The arabic guys at the mideast.
They deserve a medal, they are the third erosion factor. The whole world looks to the mideast as a socio-political conflict, it's just the birth of a new natural fenomenom.
And this is the reason why several pals want a cease fire, they want the two sides fighting with the same weapons: ROCKS!
Now, you must be thinking I'm crazy...I think I'm an excelent geology teacher, I'm the only Geo teacher who links geology to politics...

See you in the next lesson

X0k@p1K€

Bonita!!!

2006-06-21T01:00:00.000+01:00

Hi! I'm officially back on bloguing! After some incredibly busy weeks that even required me to skip some nights I now have some time to write some of my thoughts as I've done in the beggining of this year. I'll establish my "rentrée" telling you about one of the most breathtaking moments of my life: the Franz Ferdinand performance at Super Bock Super Rock XL summer festival, two weeks ago!

I wanted to write about it since the night I arrived at home at three in the morning jumping and singing their music over and over again. These four Scottish guys are one of the greatest bands of all times because of the engaging lyrics they present and because that sound with plenty of influences from those grey streets and windy corners of cloudy Glasgow. Attached to these pieces of art that most mortals call "cd tracks" this band is a set of outstanding phenomena on stage! They are that spark that grabs the last drop of oxigen and burns the crowd with a mixture of relief, happiness and euphoria...

Songs like Jacqueline, 40 Ft, Come on home, I'm your villan and Bang Bang roared through the waving crowd and hit Tagus River on the back of the concert facility, spreading vitality throughout it's flow, and shaking the reflection of a huge summer moon that overlooked the moment with a caring and confortable shine.

But there were four major highlights on the concert. After a first song with plenty of instrumental performance and some lyrics that probably no Franz Ferdinand's friend had heard before, they stopped playing and Alex Kapranos starts saying how wonderful it felt to be back to Portugal, how beautiful the night was and "in nights like these, you have to ask yourselves one question. And the question you have to ask yourselves in nights like these is... DO... YOU... WANT TO?" This triggered the highest jump of the crowd during the evening, celebrating the start of one of the greatest hits of the Scottish boys...

A few musics later (always connected to each other by a very funny "obrrigado"), they played "Walk Away", which brought a second huge leap from the crowd chanting "I cannot turn to see those eyes, As apologies may rise, I must be strong and stay an unbeliever, And love the sound of you walking away" without letting anyone realize if they were just singing along or actually cursing their boy/girlfriends!!!

The third huge moment was went the fire got out of control and Alex promissed to burn the city, to which the crowd answered following his steps and singing loud "This Fire":

There is a fire in me Fire that burns Fire that burns This fire is out of control I'm going to burn this city Burn this city

And the forth moment of the concert was when Alex tried his portuguese and pointed to the crowd said that all the ladies were... BONITA!!!

This is definitely one of the greatest bands on stage, that put up a marvelous show, and exciting performance that engages the entire crowd, despite being an enthusiast as me, an ocasional fan or not knowing them at all! What a great concert!!!

Symbology of the Portuguese Flag

2006-06-13T14:53:00.000+01:00

The flag was instituted in November 1910, just after the implantation of the Republic in Portugal (October, 5th, 1910).

Green: the green color in the positive and republican idealism (XIX and XX century) represents the nations that are guided by science. In the popular version it means hope in the future.

Red: red is the color of the democratic revolutions that since XVIII century ran through Europe, such as the Comuna of Paris (1871) or the republican revolution in Portugal in 1871. It represents the struggle of the people for greater ideals of equality, fraternity and freedom. In the popular version it representes the portuguese people´s sacrifices throughout the country's history.

Armillary sphere: It's the badge of King D. Manuel I(1469-1521) and since then is present in the Portuguese Flags. It representss the Universe and the universal vocation of the portuguese. In the popular version it represents the portuguese sea exploring era.

Shield: The shield of weapons is related to the foundation of Portugal. It represents the affirmation of western culture in the world, particularly it's Christian values. The castels and ranks on it evoque conquests, victories and legends connected to the Foundation of Portugal taken into action by D. Afonso Henriques (1109-1185).

Simbologia da Bandeira Portuguesa

2006-05-29T19:52:00.000+01:00

Bandeira instituída em Novembro de 1910, pouco depois da implantação da República em Portugal (5 de Outubro de 1910)

Verde: O verde no ideário positivista e republicano (séculos XIX e XX), simboliza as nações que são guiadas pela ciência. Na versão popular simboliza a esperança no futuro.

Vermelho rubro: O vermelho é a cor das revoluções democráticas desde o século XVIII percorreram a Europa, como a revoluções de 1848, a Comuna de Paris (1871) ou a revolução republicana em Portugal de 31 de Janeiro de 1891. Simboliza a luta dos povos pelos grandes ideais de Igualdade, Faternidade e Liberdade. Na versão popular simboliza os sacrifícios do povo português ao longo da sua história.

Esfera Armilar: Emblema do rei D. Manuel I (1469 -1521) e que desde então esteve sempre presente nas bandeiras de Portugal. Simboliza o Universo e a vocação universal dos portugueses. Na versão popular simboliza os descobrimentos portugueses.

Escudo: O Escudo de Armas remete para a fundação de Portugal. Simboliza a afirmação da cultura ocidental no mundo, e em particular dos seus valores cristãos.

Os castelos, quinas e os besantes evocam conquistas, vitórias e lendas ligadas à fundação de Portugal por D.Afonso Henriques (1109-1185).

The manager does things right. The leader, the right thing. The craftsmen do both.

2006-05-26T08:08:00.000+01:00

As you probably already heard me complain, I've been burning my eyebrows on my final thesis for quite a while now. I'm focusing on leadership, a subject that for me was very inviting, but I never had the closest idea of how huge the leadership world is! So I had to narrow my subject. Therefore, my thesis will be about the "Leader's characteristics upon the development of cooperation iniciatives". I reviewed all theories since 1923, understanding what was underlying beneath them and finally decided to approach my subject with an approach developed by Patricia Pitcher, in 1997, that basically questions all previous models and proposes her own, which suprisingly gives quite a credit for those ideas theorized upon 1923...

Starting almost 100 years ago, leadership was supposed to be a universal setting, based on leader's traits. The leader was tall, strong, had a rough voice and has an high social status. Some years later, new researches approached the subject saying that traits mean zero and all that really matters are behaviors. Leaders were supposed to have an universal set of behaviors that allowed him to be efective. This approach was severally beaten because of it's idea of the "one best-way" leadership, connected with the fact that leaders seem to be born with the required traits or skills and there was nothing we could do to train a new leader.

Around WWII a new path of investigation came along. Researchers rejected the supposed universal approach and said that all effective leadership was contingencial, that is, related to the situation's characteristics. Two different roads were taken by researches, some focusing on particular traits and other focusing on particular behaviors. The effective leader was now capable of adapting his behavior or using it's traits according to a situation. This new path seems a little more interesting at the first sight, but after some pertinent questions we understand that the leader could easily fall into huge mistakes by adapting to every situation, since the probability of being caught inside his own twists and turns is high, so he would easily be seen as unstable, un-trustworthy and machiavelic.

As always a new approach comes along saing "Forget about traits and behaviours; forget about universal or contingent; We need a new approach developed by different grounds!". This new approach has several names to explain the very same thing. Theories like transformational leadership, charismatic leadership and visionary leadership point out the exact same conclusions: leaders are vision driven, are concern with the long term, are good communicators and are risk-taking. They engage people, they are their role-model and are trusted by their followers. This seemed a nice approach since it was clear that it's true. This might seem a great approach but, and I love the fact that there is always a "but", aren't we just saying the obvious? This all paragraph looks like that chinese ancient saying: "If you don't change your path, you're probably end where you're heading at". That seems quite obvious (even though you might need a bright person to stick the obvious!).

Patricia Pitcher develop a new model that sums up a bit of all the other. She combines traits and behaviors in the leader profiles she defines. She gives no attention to universal vs. contingencial dicotomy. And she totally abolishes the idea of charisma and visionary leadership.
Her model determines that we have three pure type of leaders: the artist, the craftsman and the technocrat. These are pure types because they never exist perfectly. It is her conceptualization of leadership. On the field we find hybrids of these three models. For further information about diagnosing this I'd recommend you to take a glance at her book (click on the image to be redirect to www.amazon.co.uk).

The Artist is unpredictable, funny, imaginative, daring, intuitive, exciting, emotional, visionary, entrepreneurial and inspiring. He's an artist so he's often ahead or behing his time! He does the right thing. He's the leader (in common management language). Is this good? Imagine working with a person that has a new idea every five minutes, that changes your business every three months and that lives in a different paradigm every week. It would probably be tiring, insaning (a term I just invented to express the fact that it would drive us insane) and, most probably, unprofitable. Organizations would die if they were completely in the hands of an artist.

The Technocrat is cerebral, difficult, uncomprimising, stiff, intense, detail-oriented, determined, fastidious, hardheaded and no-nonsense. He lover order and predictability. He does things right, by the book. He complies with rules and procedures and is uncapable of understanding what is needed to be done. He's blind for new opportunities and solves problems using the same techniques as always. The status quo is their biggest arousal. They love to walk around the organization and they keep and eye on the bottom-line for one single reason: to feel greater than other people. Imagine if you were having a heart attack and the ambulance driver refused to speed up over the 50 km/h speed limit... And they will believe they are perfect for doing that!!!

The Craftsman is well-balanced, helpful, honest, sensible, responsible, trustworthy, realistic, reasonable and predictable. They are the ones that drive an organization to success. They understand the artist's lightspeed idea development and they make it profitable by working it as a business and not as a mood. They turn visionary and inspiring speeches into tangible goals and paths. They are the ones who are thrustworthy because they support the organization. They get the organization to make sense, to be profitable, to be perene, under the brainstorming artist's lifestyle and the rule-oriented and hardheaded lifeapproach of the technocrat.

"The manager [read: technocrat] does things right. The leader [read: artist], the right thing. The craftsman do both."

But (there is always a but, and I love the fact that there is always a but), this means that we are applying the term leadership in a completely wrong way. The leader is not the one who has a new idea every five minutes. Most of these new ideas are non-senses. Neither is he the one who controls the details and is uncapable of harvesting a new opportunity! I guess a leader is the one that drives an organization towards a goal. And that is what the craftsman does. Therefore, my "but" can be summarized with:

The technocrat does things right. The artist, the right thing. The leader [read: craftsman] does both.

TEMOS MULHERES. TEMOS EQUIPA - Kit de sobrevivência para o evento A Mais Bela Bandeira do Mundo

2006-05-11T22:43:00.001+01:00

O âmbito do que escrevo hoje faz-me deixar de lado o Inglês e o Dinamarquês e escrever apenas em português. O Banco Espírito Santo avançou com uma iniciativa original e muito engraçada (e bela) em torno do futebol e que irá decorrer no próximo dia 20 no Estádio do Jamor! Já devem ter reparado nos cartazes que dão vida às principais artérias de Lisboa. Trago-vos este assunto pois acredito profundamente que será um marco para o nosso país, para a nossa selecção e para as nossas vidas. Deste modo, conto com a vossa presença perto de mim...

Provavelmente receberam um convite meu por email para nos encontrarmos por lá e festejarmos juntos o início do Caminho para a Perdição... Não queremos Velhos do Restelo a dizerem que não acreditam e que não conseguimos e que não somos suficientemente bons... deixamos isso para os Lusíadas! Mas sempre que cantamos "contra os canhões marchar marchar", esquecemo-nos de o fazer em conjunto... E ignoramos o poder que podemos ter em conjunto, menosprezamos a influência que exercemos, não temos consciência da importância do nosso contributo... do nosso pequeno contributo... apenas um pé a encontrar o chão com um pouco mais vigor... Conto com os teus pés nesta marcha!!!

Passando agora à parte mais operacional do que se vai passar no dia 20, sugiro-vos que deêm uma leitura pelo site do evento, que é muito explicativo e onde sugiro que leiam com atenção as FAQs, pois têm resposta a todas as questões que poderão surgir sobre como chegar, como estar, o que levar, etc... www.amaisbelabandeiradomundo.com (abram numa nova janela, senão saem daqui do blog e nunca mais cá voltam... já sei como é que é...). Para aqueles ou aquelas que ainda estejam a babar por causa das meninas das imagens de cima, é lá que podem fazer download dos wallpapers.

Depois de ter dado uma vista de olhos no site, trago-vos então o manual de sobrevivência para que possam sobreviver ao evento:

1. Calças, calções ou saia (roupa fresca pois vai estar calor)
2. T-shirt official da selecção nacional ou, pelo menos, com uma das cores das quinas (porque não queremos fazer como os espanhóis e puxar pelo adversário, certo?)
3. Um enorme cachecol da Selecção (porque sim!)
4. Boné (por causa do sol na moleirinha)
5. Ténis ou sapatilhas (pois vamos andar bastante e estar muito tempo em pé)
6. Meias (para não magoarem as solas dos pés e para absorver a transpiração)
7. Elástico para o cabelo (para não sofrerem se estiver calor)
8. Telemóvel (para encontrar os amigos que se perderem pelo caminho)
9. Amigos(as), namorados(as), filhos(as), famílias, quem quer que seja! (para fazer uma grande festa!)
10. Mochila (para guardar tudo o que não tragas vestido e ficares com as mãos livres para bateres palmas ou segurares na cerveja)
11. Bebidas de pacote (porque as de lata são proibidas)
12. Água (porque vai estar à venda a preços exorbitantes e as filas vão ser chatas)
13. Sandochas de torresmos ou carne assada (para não morrer de fome, evitar os queijos e os fiambres porque estragam com o calor)
14. um chocolate ou um pacote de açúcar (não vão ter uma quebra de tensão e precisar de uma fonte de energia imediata)
15. Máquina fotográfica ou de vídeo (para ganhar o prémio Gettyimages)
16. Creme protector solar (não vale a pena apanhar uma insolação por causa da selecção! Vamos ter que sair à rua muitas vezes este Verão para puxar pelos tugas e festejar as vitórias!!)

Conto convosco! Venham! Venham puxar pela selecção! Venham puxar pelo nosso país! Venham lutar contra o desemprego! Venham protestar contra a guerra! Venham estar com os amigos! Venham beber copos! Venham por a conversa em dia! Venham pelas gajas! Venham porque sim! Mas venham! Não percam, vai ser uma grande festa.

Por fim, e para irem treinando a garganta...

Ele é o número 10
Chuta com os dois pés
É melhor que o Pelé
É o Deco olé olé!

Ele é o número 1
Golos não entra nenhum
É melhor que os Higuitas
Oh! [nome do guarda-redes] tu é que apitas!

Ele é o número 7
Finta e até golos mete
Cristiano, puto, acelerador a fundo
És o melhor Ronaldo do Mundo!

Fico a aguardar mais cânticos para a nossa festa...

Feel the chill on your back when you press that finger with your button and the world seems upside down and you know you just got a great shot!

2006-04-23T22:34:00.000+01:00

Hi again! Long time no "blogging"! I bring to you a passion that developed in me about 3 years ago and is making me think about the possible paths I can take for my life. I've been totally and completely inlove with photography!!! The thrill of getting a good capture is a feeling I can never describe properly. There are so many variables to consider that, when you actually capture something, it must be art by itself, even if it might appear ackward or horrible to everybody else...

This is the reason why I think I'll never get a career in photography, despite the wonderful feeling of clicking the shot-button! I capture to my "self-delight" which may lead to having no single person to like my shots, since all of them can be easily mistaken by my way of thinking and seeing the world... As I have no clue on how can someone be pleased with a snapshot I have no (statistical) chance of having an acclaimed shot.

A few weeks ago I went to Oporto and had a couple of hours to shoot some spots (on the right you can find my begginer's partner to this "safari"). The experience of walking around, camera in-hand, eyes open to the tiny details, earing and breathing an unknown city with a miserable map I found online and a tourist guide I could never decode was breathtaking and passionate! It felt wonderful... That was the most fantastic thing about the captures I brought home with me. The peace I feel internally when capturing...

I guess this feeling is mainly because, in the end, when you're putting some effort on a picture, you're doing some hard work to turn a regular and common place into a special set of combined colours and shapes... In your own way, you're changing the world... making it better... or worst... Who will ever know who's right and wrong for real, right?

Anyway, I decided to transform my flickr account into a place where I store the most "adrenaline-pumping" shots I have ever taken... Hope you enjoy the gallery as much I as did uploading this little piece of me! Here's the link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nnunes/

A ironic (comunist) country

2006-04-23T20:52:00.000+01:00

Hi estimated readers!

I found it amusing when it comes to read the international news section on the newspaper every evening...
What would say Mao Tse Tung if he was alive? Certainly he would prefer to die, because ( just as a matter of example) if you go to china you will eat at the McDonalds, you will drink Pepsi or Coca-Cola, you will dress Nike products made in China...But China is a comunist country, or am I wrong?
It's kinda crazy to see in a comunist country capitalism tendences...
If you study economy you must know that the great depression was a consequence of the extra-production in the USA...and that prosperity lead people to a capitalist life. But China is extra-producting, and the comunist laws say that you just have to produce what you need for living... What an irony don't you think?

Hope you like

X0k@p1k€

We're gentlemans let Iran attack us first...crying not loud

2006-04-18T21:15:00.000+01:00

These days the Iran subject was a part of our routine...
It's so ironic...I remember that the USA gave money to Iran against the Iraq, then USA gave Iraq support against Iran and now they want to attack Iran because they are developing nuclear armory...
But aren't they just searching for new ways to get some heat? If it is heat that they want why do they use nuclear power, there so many ways to get heat dont you think?
But I praise the USA' s courage... They are the only ones that give terrorism a true fight, I believe the nuclear techlonogy developed in Iran will not be used just for heat it will be used to retalliate against the non-arabic countries. USA is the only country that doesn't fear the terrorists declarations, USA is always the first country tht fights terrorism in a direct way...
And this courage is like our protection for the terrorism...

And now I question you dear reader, do you agree with the USA's anti terrorism politics ? If they don't strike would terrorist stop with their attacks?

In god we trust (lol), and with this last question I farewell myself, dear reader

x0k@p1k€

Culture's new era...

2006-04-04T23:57:00.000+01:00

Our world is not just about politics as it seems by reading my posts, I said, in my first post I am related with an art, the music.
With the time everything changes it's a fact, however, there are things that never meet any changes...( this guy must be insane!).
I'm not insane, nowadays culture is, like everything in this epoch, always evoluting but in culture there is a thing that never changes( do not call the 911, I'm fine =D), that thing is the need of comunication that the artist always tries to input to his art.
No matter wich type of culture is considered this necessity by the artist...
And globalization is related not only with politics, economy or social life...Globalization is destroying some cultures is true but it is also taking the culture to the most remote sites on the world.
Will we become a global village?Wheter will it be good to be a global village?

The First One

2006-03-30T19:58:00.000+01:00

So...here it is! The first one, my first post! It took me a while to post this, but here it is!! First of all, I wanna thank NN for this opportunity and for his invitation, it's a great recognition for me to be a part of this blog, the one i read with the pleasure of a kid who's been giving an icecream... nice analogy, hem? lol
Well, let me introduce myself... who I am? Even if I think that this is a question without an obvious answer, I'll try to summarize... I'm an Animal City guy, who likes to do the ordinary things (read, cinema...you know, that stuff) ! I'm studying and i'm in love with voluntary things! Yeah, that's true! For the one who doesn't know, I'm a voluntary in various things, like preventing fire in florests, help older people, catch youth attention for the importance of certain values...this are some things i've done or that I pretend to do in a close future!!

Ok, I was wondering what to talk about in the first post! As I am a movie watcher freak, I decided to talk about the movie of my life until now!! Guess what it is? A clue: it's not an hollywood production!
Clue 2: talks about euthanasia...it's the brilliant Mar Adentro!! If you haven't seen it yet, you should!! It's the real-life story of Ramon Sampedro, who fought a 30 year campaign in favor of euthanasia and his own right to die...If you go to cinema to watch a movie to relax and not make you think about deep subjects...do not see this! But if you go to appreciate the depths of human-kind, the feelings of real people, to explore the characteriology of personalities, if you go to the cinema to absorb magnificent photography, then this is the movie of your life!
Everything's perfect about this movie in my opinion...the way the feelings of characters are focus, the gorgeous looks it gives you of Galizia, the music...for me it's more than just a movie, it deals so good with human feelings with a true story on its basis! Words cannot explain how good this movie is...it basically shows you how you can cry with a smile! It also shows that whatever or whoever you're and what's your phisical condition, you're always a open door to love! Okay, i'm not gonna extend more, just go to see it! lol

Hugs and Kisses ;)

Once upon a time...

2006-03-30T00:11:00.000+01:00

Hi there dear readers!!!

The school holidays are coming right there and I think this "posting desire" is an effect of that.

Once upon a time...Why did I choose this title??No I'm not crazy I just find this title appropriate to speak about the globalization fight.
Everiday I see students like me saying USA are the worst thing humanity has ever known or "let's put an end at the Macdonald's reign!!!" Is this fair???I think it's not, these youngsters defend a communist idea, but do they have right or knowledge to speak like this??
In Portugal( I say Portugal but is only an example, a true example...) the communists leader dresses well known fashion creator's clothes, he defends the erasing of social borders and to reforce this idea he has a big and nice home in a national park, aren't these acts capitalists??? here is the doubt.
The guys who praise things against the globalization are the same guys that you see in street wearing quality clothes...
Is the globalization good or bad??Can it be a element to implement a better competitiveness between the countries???I will not assume a position for or against the globalization till I know everything about this matter...I think I cannot assume any position without knowing what I'm talking about it's just unfair...

hope You like,

X0k@pIk€

my first post...

2006-03-28T23:08:00.000+01:00

I know you've been expecting this moment...but do not waste your tears (lol)
Talking more seriously, I wish to thank NN for the chance and the pleasure he gave me since he invited me to this blog.
Presenting myself, I'm a urban teen with some politcal and social ideas that, I think, aren't a age characteristic, I play spanish guitar and I fight a marcial art( don't bother me ...lol).

Nous voulons travailler!!! This must be the most heard phrase in France...
I think it's not right to fire someone without a reason...and the "age" factor is irrelevant. A worker must be fired with an acceptable reason, not because the company doesn't need him anymore, but because his underachieving.
The french students are right, the new Work Law in France is against the constitution, do they remember it??? Egalité, Fraternité et Liberté?? Basically this new law favours a "Age Discrimination".
Nowadays a work is a treasure and people need to start somewhere, where will the french students work ???Will they have to work having in their minds the idea that they can be fired??
I think this is one of the greatest mistakes the République has ever made related with the social organization and work.

And with this post , dear reader, I farewell myself

X0k@pikE

Post 24: a challenge, an invitation and an honour!

2006-03-27T22:52:00.000+01:00

Hi! As the title says, this is post number 24 of this blog! I've been typing my thoughts and life situations and I've collected your comments with pride in my little creation. After a while I realized that there were some people that was interested in sharing and comenting ideas more often than others. It's to these "heavy users" that I address tonight.

I've had a great time writing to you. It's good to know we have readers, it enhances our writing! Although time is not a surplus nowadays and I often have some difficulties on posting regularly, which means that sometimes my blog gets a little abandoned which probably led to a situation that I bet already happen which consisted in some of you logging in and seeing no changes on it. This is the most disrespectful situation you can set for your readers! When they go in search of some of your words and find nothing new is like having an uncorresponded love...

Allied to this neglection I realized that there are a couple of you that have very interesting stories to share and have a very inviting way of writing. Why don't you also have a blog on your own? Maybe you don't want to feel attached to something and feel pressured to post on a regular basis. Or maybe it never even crossed your mind that you actually have interesting things to tell! Well, I bet you do...

Therefore my idea is to extend my blog to some new editors. It would mean that this blog is not about some isolated situations of my life anymore. It is now an actual place for idea sharing and commenting!!!

The writers panel will be composed by me, mike, bancarrota, mette and xokapike. I've decided to use your nicks to keep the privacy thing on. Each one of you might come forward and say whatever crosses your mind! That's why I'm adding you as editors! I have no intention of being some sort of responsible for the blog. With this I mean that just because I started the blog, it doesn't mean you have to get some sort of approval for what you write! The blog is yours since the moment you started commenting. Feel free to write whatever you like, whenever you like, wherever you like. I'll just ask you too maintain the blog structure intact and focus on producing new content. We'll call it our gentlemen's agreement!
Please feel free to post in whatever language it suits you better. The five of us have capabilities of posting in Portuguese, Spanish, French, English, Scottish, Danish, German, Chinese and Esperanto!!! This is a very rich package to keep silent!

You'll be receiving my invitation any time soon! Hope to hear from you soon!

Vil du gerne have min nummer?

2006-03-26T09:53:00.000+01:00

This is my final preparation for my first danish post. Until now my classes worked exclusively around creating dialogues and developing conversational skills. Since my last class we're starting to focus on writting texts.
On this post I'll blend english introductions to the situations with danish sentences that actually occured during class. It sounds really weard, but in the end it will all make sense... or not!!!

We've been working on two very important expressions: "Jeg vil gerne have/Vil du gerne have" and "Jeg kan godt lidt". Around these we've done several exercises such as constructing main sentences, using it with secondary sentences, repetition exercises and reading exercises. It all seems very weard when that is happening because for several times you just repeat the sounds and keep trying to figure out what that really means. Nevertheless it's wonderful to feel that you're starting to get it right and you're now capable of using it in day-by-day conversation (in case it happens, which I must admit, it's not very likely to happen!!)

Among simple expressions like "Vil du gerne have en is" and "Jeg vil gerne have en gave" there was this set of sentences that were really hard to say: "Vil du gerne have, at jeg giver dig din bog tilbage?" and "Jeg vil gerne have, at du giver mig min bog tilbage". For the not-danish-speakers readers remind me to say it to you when we meet and you'll see what I mean!

But the most difficult set to say was one that stroke me like a thunder...

"Jeg vil gerne have dit nummer"
"Vil du gerne have mit nummer?"
"Jeg vil gerne have, at du giver mig dit nummer"
"Vil du gerne have, at jeg giver mig mit nummer?"

My thoughts were: Skal jeg sige "Ja, selvfogelig" og "Nej, tak"? Og skal jeg nok sige "Det ved jeg ikke"? Na, jeg skal bare gentage!!!

Have you ever ridden your bicycles on the roof of your universities?

2006-03-25T09:44:00.000Z

As you know or may understand from some post's titles, I'm learning danish. Learning a new language sometimes creates some speaking disabilities that stay forever. That is often connected with some types of words we just can't get right until we live among native speakers.

This is why we sometimes hear people saying "Can you please leave my notebook in the table" instead of "...on the table" or "Eu vivo no Lisboa" instead of "...em Lisboa"!!! I was surprised with the fact that this situation hadn't happen yet in danish... finally it did!

I'm starting to make some "extremely difficult" (LOL) sentences like if clauses and sentences with two ideas. I'm also adventuring myself using the past and the future too and I'm building vocabulary around general day-by-day situations!! Bottom line is I'll be capable of posting in danish in a couple of weeks... Meanwhile this funny situation finally happened. During an exercise that we were supposed to create some sentences with determined verbs I had this idea of me riding my bicycle to my university:

"Jeg cykler på universiteted", I wrote...MD (the teacher, again the privacy filter working) smiled and said: "So... you cycle on top of your university!!! That's a challenge!!!". I know understand the hard time foreign people face to get some expressions right! And sometimes they don't EVER get it right...

Din forespørgsel er afsendt til Dyrup

2006-03-21T22:46:00.000Z

A couple of weeks ago I was chatting with a friend of mine about my second thoughts concerning my career in consultancy. Basically I was feeling tired of my never-ending-journeys for improving sales! She asked me what I like to do besides making companies sell more. The answer was clear to me and it came out right away: taking pictures and painting walls!

She asked me if I was willing to drop my current life and reborning as a wall painter. The truth is I can't quite do it. Although something inbetween developed in my mind: maybe I should try to improve some paint brand's sales!!! And there I was, googling for worldwide paint brands, when I got to this site from a company called Dyrup. For the ones who don't know Dyrup, this is a danish company that is very well established in Portugal with a huge factory and a marvelous distribution system and it sells paint for several situations: from painting a wall to painting an entire block!

I was astonished to see their wonderful website, with several functions and very interesting information on the psychology of color and on color sets and color combination schemes! Ten minutes later I decided to apply there. Nothing serious, just an unsolicited application and see what happens next. This was where I got my biggest surprise! The output I recevied on my screen just after I pushed the button saying "Enviar candidatura" (submit application) was the following:

"Din forespørgsel er afsendt til Dyrup"

So... is there anyone still capable of asking "Why in the hell are you learning danish?"? I understand perfectly what it says there. Do you? Any tips?

Addicted to construction yards

2006-03-20T19:55:00.000Z

I have never brought to you any sort of comments about my job. I'm doing it for one and a half years and most people don't know what I do. Let me clarify it for you: I'm a marketing consultant, which means that I approach the markets of my clients in order to develop to whom they can sell even more than what they're selling, to whom they can start (that had never sold before) and to whom they can sell more times in a row! But from this to a construction yard is just a small step...

The truth is I've worked for 4 clients in this year and a half which means that the average consultancy project time is about 4 months... At first I was dedicated to this study to a city hall, that basically was supposed to determine how big will the area be in 2011! The output was completely linked to the construction activity of that city so there I was finilly my value chain on a construction yard for the first time!

After finishing that I moved to this new client, a Shopping Center. The most exclusive and glamourous shopping center in Lisbon!!! I was really enthusiastic about this one because It would probably be a more "clean" task to deal with... Guess what? The owner of this shopping center is a family that is well known in Portugal for their... construction business!!! Once again, I was up in a yard to create a new strategy and develop sales.

Things were working out great so I was allocated to another client. This one is a business-to-business company that offers a virtual marketspace... on the construction business!!! I'm supposed to restructure their commercial and communicational strategy so basically there I am in the middle of construction sites having meetings with commercial consultants and construction managers!!!!

And now you must be thinking: "Ok, he said all this but his fourth client is a model agency or something like that!" In fact, no! My fourth client is a Do-it-yourself chain that works house-improvement, bricolage, construction and garden!

After this wonderful portfolio I now know amazing things like the use of "gabiões" and "tapumes"!!! Do you even imagine what this is? I afforded some minutes online searching for the uses of these two wonderful products. If you're curious enough to see it (and understand just a little portuguese) click on the links below:
Gabiões: http://www.smp.pt/Html/Gabioes/Gabioes1/gabioes1.htm
Tapumes: http://www.usina.com/solo/000054.html

Enjoy your (further) readings!!!

Portugal Rally Stage 1: Up North

2006-03-17T19:56:00.000Z

As you may noticed in my last post I've been traveling a lot through the country. This is due to a new client on the Do-it-Yourself market that holds 23 retail stores in Portugal and I had to visit every single one of them! It was a cool adventure and I faced some cool situations that I'd like to share with you. I hope you enjoy them.

The first place I had to go to was Vila Real, on the north of Portugal. It was amazing to see the mountains covered with snow (see the picture on the right side) and to see that nowadays it's really easy to get to these places due to the wonderful highways we now have!
Next stop on this first stage was Penafiel. It's a wonderful city with two main streets. And that is all! The view from the Hotel was quite nice, but my stupid camera can never take nightshots... Afterwards I stopped at Paços de Ferreira, near Oporto, and then went to Rio Tinto, just outside Oporto's border. My first big adventure happened here! After finishing what I had to do, I went straight to a security guy and asked him how could I leave the place heading to Lisbon, since I didn't knew the streets in there at all. I think i can more or less remake the dialogue:

- You want to leave heading for Lisbon? It's easy. Just take the road you took to get here! But on the other way!!! It will get you there!

After a 10 seconds silence because I wasn't really understanding what the hell he was saying he finally asked:

- Which road did you take to get here? - I came from Gondomar, I said. - Oh! That will do no good... Lisbon is not in that way! - So... how do I do to get that way? - It's easy! You go out of the parking, turn right, get the Road 253, turn right to Road 132 and 500 meters later you will see VCI! Then, just go straight and you'll find the bridge! The discription didn't help so I asked again:
- Could you please give me some more details? Because I really know nothing around here
- Hmm, ok! Out of the parking lot, turn right. Get the road 253, when you see the factory... You know where the factory is!
- No I told you. I'm not from here!
-Aaaaaaah! Everyone knows the factory! It's abandoned!!! When you see it on your left, turn right! Then 500 meters away you will turn to VCI and get the bridge!

I asked no more questions, left the parking lot, turned right, didn't saw any factory, got lost for about 45 minutes and finally I saw this sign saying VCI and a few minutes later I was getting signs saying Lisbon! I'm glad that guy helped me that much!!!

That night I went to sleep in Santa Maria da Feira, a city 30 km south of Oporto that is very popular for it's Medieval Festival every summer that I strongly recommend to all of you. I've been there twice in past years and I'm definitely going there again this year. I'll remember to save some words to present the event to you one of these days. The city is also very cozy and beautiful, a wonderful place to rest a bit, think about life, read a good book and explore some pieces of Portuguese history through the castle and the old city.

Next stops were in Carvalhos, Ovar, São João da Madeira and Figueira da Foz before comming back home after this first stage of the rally.

Lost near The Low Road

2006-03-16T20:58:00.000Z

"You’ll take The High Road
And I’ll take The Low Road
And I’ll be in Scotland
Before you

Because me and my true love
Will never meet again
On the bonnie bonnie bamks
Of Loch Lomond"

These are the lyrics of a Scottish song from the times of the war for freedom that "Braveheart" pictures so well. The Scottish hero dies defending his country (that's why he takes the low road) and his soul gets to Scotland faster that the English vilan...

Last Monday I ended the day in Covilhã, at the hospital, burning with fever and feeling like I was going to take the low road back home!!! The symptoms I felt are easy to describe: sore throat, headache, feeling completely frozen and yet totally sweat at the same time, my head exploding and my lips erupting with the equatorial temperature I was living… It's just fever! you may say, but this one managed to make me faint on the hospital!!

Fortunately the hospital has this system called "Manchester Selection" that enables the really urgent cases to be treated immediately and the less urgent ones to stay there waiting like hell. To see how bad I was feeling, it only took two minutes on a public hospital for me to fill the entrance form, be consulted by the doctor and receive a medicine to tackle my beautiful healthy status!!!

Basically they stoke a needle in my right arm and left me laying in a stretcher for about one hour waiting for the medicine to take effect on me and lower my body temperature. I had never been in such a situation, so it was all new to me to stare at the ceiling, bending my head and seeing nothing, feeling lost in the end of a corridor with almost no light and having a different nurse checking on me every five minutes. Lying there I had the chance to think a little bit about my life (situation that obviously is not happening often otherwise I would acknowledge easier the fact that I was ill and needed to rest for a few days!!

But more than that I was surprised with the sole thoughts that crossed my mind. "I miss kissing my girlfriend" was the first thing that crossed my mind. Then I realized that she would really be upset with me when she founded that I had let myself got into that state... Then the conversation I had the night before with my friend MF appeared and I realized how right she was!!! Thanks for your tips, MF, they're working fine!

Then I remembered some friends, like JC, MF, PF, bancarrota, SCN, HM and MS. Remembered them essencially because, just as I've been neglecting myself, I've been neglecting them too... Any tips to avoid doing this so often?

Sorry, we do not have recommendations for you

2006-03-12T00:50:00.000Z

Let me tell you about my newest hobby that is practically bankrupting me: www.amazon.co.uk! It is a completely new reality where you can find any book you need, available for sale and shipped in ten business days (or even less). I’m totally addicted to it and only the credit card limit I had established long ago saved me from living on streets!!!

As many of you know, I’m a great fan of books. If you don’t know this perhaps we should go out for a drink because you don’t know me too well… Books are entertaining, interesting, challenging and wonderful. As I told you some posts ago, a quiet night at home and a good book are the perfect ingredients for an astonishing and relaxing evening. A few months ago I realized that a book in amazon.co.uk would be about 30% cheaper than buying it translated through a regular bookstore. I’m a faithful customer of a Portuguese bookstore called Bertrand (www.bertrand.pt) and I strongly recommend it to you! But this Amazon.co.uk thing enlarges the offer of books by 5000%. So, if I could spend 2 hours inside a Bertrand store to decide where I should spend 15 euros, now I can stay nights and nights just shorlisting interesting books I might eventually never even buy!!! After a few nights I started to wonder what would be the future of Bertrand… Since I was so happy with amazon.co.uk, what was the purpose of keeping my previous shopping habits?

The answer appeared a few days later.As you know, amazon.co.uk is just an information system that interacts with you through previously defined standards. Therefore, it is not capable of reacting to unexpected situations and is very likely to set a dead end in one of these situations.I realized why Bertrand is so important to me when, a couple of days ago, when logging on to Amazon, I got a message on the screen saying: “Nuno, we have recommendations for you. Click here to see our recommendations”. My mind was delighted with the fact that this system had analyzed my behavior on the e-store and was now ready to recommend to me a good book about something, just as it usually happens in Bertrand!!! Even though, after clicking on the link, my delight was thrown to the ground with the second screen message: “Sorry, we do not have recommendations for you”.

It is clear to me that Amazon is a part of my life now. The fact of buying 6 books, shipping them from England and still keeping the budget below the 50 euros is for me a definite place to drop by once and a while! But Bertrand has its place too. There will never be an Amazon bookseller that asks me “Is this book a gift? Is it for your girlfriend?” with the same thrill as the one that answered me the last time I was there! It even seems a bit out of line to be asked this in a store, but it happened with so spontaneously that It made me feel proud of buying that gift in that store!

Jeg skal hjem Mette i dag

2006-03-09T22:56:00.000Z

As you know I'm having danish lessons for a while now. This strange language I'm learning is in fact a very interesting hobby and a great way to spend some time relaxed and doing something you enjoy! I'm not saying you should join Danish! Just find something you like to do and force yourself to do it often! It will hurt in the beggining but then it will feel great!

Today the exercise was repeating what MD was saying (MD is the teacher's initials - again the privacy thing). I was late for class as always and when I arrived the exercise was already ongoing... So when I arrived MD said to me: "Jeg skal hjem Mette i dag. Please repeat!"

Afterwards we did a regular class with listening exercises and writing exercises but we skipped the reading today. Each day I'm discovering a new pack of words that make me feel like I'm born again. I can now say this and that and... ten other stuff!!! It feels really good to start having autonomy to create sentences and expressing ideas! I have now a whole new world to explore which I didn't six months ago! The process is similar to a child exploring the world with one single difference: learning a completely new language is a very conscient process, so the thrill of developing is way bigger!!!

This was the sentence for today... maybe one day in a close future I can post in danish! For now "Jeg skal hjem Mette i dag". Can I? :-$

So, who’s my next victim?

2006-02-28T22:13:00.000Z

Does hard-work really count? Is education really important? Or are we all just hoping to “get lucky”? A friend of mine once said in a conference that “luck” happens when the opportunity to which we’ve been preparing ourselves for ages finally appears. Therefore, we’d better be prepared! Otherwise the opportunity would fade… and so would our luck. But is it really like this?

Woddy Allen’s most recent movie approaches this subject in a very charming way. The analogy with those seconds that the ball sort of plains on the hair during a tennis match just after it hits the end of the net and bounces high is simply perfect!

The question is “Do you really need to be good? Or do you just need a little luck?”

I disagree with the poetic point of view of my friend. I believe that if we’re prepared to what we’re facing that most probably won’t be a lucky moment! It’s just another incremental step towards something that we have already decided to pursue…

But this luck that is pictured in Matchpoint is that one that hits us like a toll bringing this new idea or opportunity that we never really imagined it was possible. And it requires us to react instinctively and make things happen quickly. That’s usually not taught in business schools or universities or training periods! Maybe being at the right place in the right time will get you that contract, job offer or promotion you’ve been dreaming for so long… And that “right place” and “right time” usually have nothing to do with you job…

This movie about the triangle established between control, luck and choice counts with another brilliant part from Scarlett Johansson that appears again fabulous and charming, finally showing the world to whom James Blunt has been singing for so long before jumping down the cliff. Playing an actress-want-to-be too blind and stubborn to change the path of her life, she gets involved with a lucky tennis teacher that has the world at his feet through his marriage.

The movie has delicious details (appart from Scarlett) such as the Minis going around the streets and the “Let me buy you brreakfast” between the Scottish policemen, an intriguing shooting style that puts us in the middle of the story, as if you’re watching from a close spot on the streets, and the colors of a beautiful and inviting London, a city filled with glamour and sensuality!

This is definitely one of the movies I enjoyed seeing the most and I strongly recommend it to all my friends! I hope you have enjoyed/will enjoy it as I did.

Ops...

2006-02-24T16:18:00.000Z

Dear friends

I received some feedback on my last post (through comments and msn) and maybe I didn't made myself clear... My text was meant to be a big joke! I wanted it to sound like an irony and basically to mock on the content available in those big websites that are always filling us up with advertising!!! One of you said to me I sounded upset. That's not the point at all!!!

I apologize for this misunderstanding and let me tell you that it's wonderful to log in and read your words!

I'll work harder on next jokes to avoid this...
Hope to hear from all of you again!

Zero Comments

2006-02-22T21:50:00.000Z

I've been waiting for this since the early days of my blog... At first I had the energy to keep reminding everybody to drop by... to comment... to stay in touch... But I knew that soon I'd finally have a post with no comments! Do you want to know how I feel about it? Keep on reading!

I feel fine about it! When this blog started I thought it would be the place to share some ideas with my friends (specially now that I'm working full time, having danish lessons at night and trying to finish the portuguese equivalent of a final thesis). But I was wrong! This blog is not about that! It's about taking a moment to think about what I'm living or feeling or thinking, writting it down and posting it. Then some times I have a couple of readers comming by and dropping their ideas to. Although I have to emphasize some exceptions... Some readers that have commented (or at least read and given me feedback through MSN) my stories often. They are MS, bancarrota and MF. To keep your privacy I've decided to use only initials since I don't want to brake your covers!!!

I think I understand that my friends don't come here often... Follow my thoughts:
I believe it's natural to drop by once and see this new feature of Nuno. I hope most of my friends did so... some even commented!!! That was a surprise!

But how can I hope that all of them create this new habbit of going there often? Several companies are trying to do that! And they offer a lot of stuff I don't: news, videos, movies, free mp3... Some even offer pornography, penis enlargement pills, extra-orgasm teas and girls and/or guys from you local area to have marvelous nights of love with you! I guess this is a very tough competition to fight against...

Priceless free experience #3

2006-02-16T16:22:00.000Z

A friend of mine asked me a couple of weeks ago if I had a list for everything. I think I don't! But I think I have a lot of "lists" when comparing to the regular person. I brought you my list about beer and now I bring you my top three priceless free experiences.

#3 is quite elaborate experience. It is actually free since you won't need to spend a since euro to live it. In fact it really consists in shutting up all the euros you have spent on your recent years.
I'm referring to the perfect feeling of arriving home in the evening, turning all computers, tvs and hi-fis off and just sit in you confortable sofa enjoying the silence and reading a good book.
Good books are like good friends. And they won't need any of this new animated society that we're bulleted all day long through a million different weapons.

This experience is fundamental for me to maintain mental health and to be allowed to get up to work and/or study for a few more days... Sometimes I even have to change the sofa for my confortable bed since the living room is so cold. Nevertheless the experience is rewarding.

Therefore I decided to create a new blog. It's name is book-blog-book and it's suposed to be a place where we can submit some thoughts about the good friends we've made through those printed pages we read. It's not supposed to be an every-day blog, but more of a book recommendation wall. I'm still the only editor of this blog but it's just because noone else knew about it. If you would like to join and post your book recommendations, please leave me your email on a comment and I'll add you!

Enjoy your readings and once you join in remeber to pass the word through the network of your friends!

A (good) laugh and a (great) challenge

2006-02-13T22:57:00.000Z

"Let your imagination release your imprisoned possibilities."

My words stand before you today with two different purposes. I'd like to present to you a funny situation I aknowledge through email and I'd like to deploy a challenge to my blog's very few (but marvelous) readers.

We have been complaining for several weeks that is really cold in here. It even snowed for about 2 hours a few weeks ago!!!
But why don't we stop complaining? Has any of us done anything to change this situation? Has any of us developed any innovative solution to tackle the weather? The answer is simple: No, we have not. And even if we have, nothing can really compare with this situation.

This guy, tired of freezing in his car during his morning rides decided to develop this new way of fighting the scandinavian weather style that Portugal is wearing this year. The pictures speak for them selves:

Is this a genious or what?

The challenge I want to present to you is related to this funny situation.

I usually find several interesting applications that the human brain develops (like this innovative heating system) and I'm sure all of you do to. Therefore, I would find it really interesting to deply a new blog with some of you that probably have some similarly ackward situations and that might be interested to publish them online. I'll be waiting for you feedback through here!

The most delicious danish blonde on earth

2006-01-31T14:50:00.001Z

"I've been a wild rover for almost a year
and I spent all my money on whiskey and beer!"

Last night after I puted into play a joke about a drunk guy, the beer subject came up. Me and a friend of mine were changing some insights about this thopic. I found interesting the fact that I have a different adjective for each beer I have tasted. These are not necessarily about the taste itself but mostly about the environment that I associate with each beer. After a few seconds the question always arises: which is your favorite? And after that? And after? And... I realized the need I was having to develop my formal Top 10 beer. That's what I bring today. My top 10 is (starting from number 10!):

#10: Budweiser - The king-want-to-be

A good beer to drink at a regular meal but it hardly suits an important moment. They say it's the king of beers, but it's just that american thing of doing something and saying its global and worldwide. But we must forgive them since this is actually a nice beer to handle.

#9: Stella Artois - The sunny beer

The first time I layed my hand on one was in Ireland last year. When we all arrived at the Burn House (near Aberdeen) the weather was incredibly sunny and there was almost no wind. Therefore, it tasted wonderful to sit in the wonden table on the green backyard (that was in fact a 4 sqkm "aroundyard") facing the sun and enjoying a beer. I recall it's a very easygoing and sweet beer.

#8: Pilsner Urquell - Mind the alcohol

This one I tryed out in a portuguese cafe called Cup&Cino. It's a Czech beer with a wonderful taste and very confortable for the stomach. It's one of those beers that you go on and on drinking it. Although be carefull because behing this wonderful fealing hides a strong and empowered beer. You hardly notice it's effect until you suddently have to turn around fast and you end up sitting in the ground or, at least, completely dizzy.

#7: Hasseröder - The beast

This is a very strong beer. It is from a German brewery that suits perfectly what a large german consumer wants: a tough, tasteful, highly-alcoholed beer! It's not very pretty in the beggining since it's taste isn't very friendly. Nevertheless is one of my favourites. I had the opportunity to taste it here in Portugal during a summer a long time ago, that I found it in a small store in Algarve. Ever since that time I was never able to taste it again in Lusitan ground... Does anyone know where I can find it?

#6: Amstel - The champion

The champions league beer! This dutch beer (Ams is for Amsterdam I believe) is a very fresh solution for hot summers. It was my companion at all meals while I was in Spain in the summer of 2005. Toghether with some nachos or some tapas it was a wonderful partner for the mini-skirt capital of the world: Barcelona!

#5: Heineken - Cold

When I lived in Tomar there was no beer variety available in bars. You could drink Super Bock or Sagres. But then this small cafe started selling Heineken. I don't know if the beer is in fact good, but after years and years of rough portuguese beer, this tender flavour created a big turnaround in my top ten back then, flying straight to first position. Afterwards it started going down with the appearence of more tasteful beers and more important moments where Heineken insisted on not showing up. It still maintains a wonderful fifth place!

#4: Kronenbourg - Hot

I guess I drank a total of ten litres of this brand in my life. All of that in Edinburgh last September! I call it a hot beer because the of the environment of bars, pubs and discos in this quiet scottish city... A great place to have a lot of fun and to drink more that you should, the Kronenbourg machines made their point in the balconies with an incredible glamour and sensuality. Just the look of those metal taps with the 1664 logo was enough to arouse you to get another round! It was this wonderful beer that I learned to carry three full-up half-a-litre glasses of beer with only two hands without spoiling a single piece of this wonderful liquid! And that stands no matter how many beers you already had!

#3: Sagres Boémia - Red haired

Finally in the third place you can find a portuguese beer. This is a totally innovative concept: a red beer! It challenges the establish hegemony of the blonde beer and is the last punch on the dizzy pugilist that the black beers have turned into... The marketing behind it was very strong but it's greatest skill was in fact the bitter flavour with the strong effect of the portuguese beer-style!

#2: Tennet's - PARTY!!!

Tennet's is for me the party beer. I can still remember H. (I'm using initials only since people might not want me to refer their names) walking into my room in Aberdeen with a box beers that had never actually seen a single piece of a fridge... Meaning: they were bloody hot!!! Guess what? It has a wonderful taste! Hot, with no bubbles, with no glass, with nothing else on my stomach... it was incredible!!! Strongly recommend you to taste it!

#1: Carlsberg - Statistics!

When they say probably the better beer in the world, they basically mean that, considering a confidence interval of 95% and a total error of 4,8% Carlsberg is the best beer in the world!
My friends, allow me to introduce to you the most delicious danish blonde on earth. It has the greatest taste a beer can have, it's good to celebrate when you win the Champions league, it's good to drink alone and think about life, it's good to drink in good company, it's good all the time - before a meal, during a meal, after a meal, during a night out, during a night in... as you wish! It's just no good to share... "Can I try a bit?" - That's what you don't want to hear when you're drinking your Carlsberg. It's some sort of private meeting with Mr. Carls and Mr. Berg, your best friend, and you don't want anyone to get in the way! You haven't been with Carls and Berg for a long time! You have a lot to catch up to! The answer should be: "NO!!!! GET YOUR OWN!!! THIS IS MIIIINE!!!". This danish blonde is definitely the biggest temptation of the history of mankind!

Are you ready to change the world?

2006-01-28T13:54:00.000Z

If you have checked often the updates of my blog you probably noticed the "Make Poverty History" stripe on the page. Maybe you already know what this is all about or maybe not... Either way I'm giving some words of attention to it.

Make Poverty History is a worldwide iniciative that is intended to establish a non-stopping pressure over the most powerful people of the world. It holds toghether the concerns about poverty, corruption and international aid that are shared by people from all around the globe! It's activities are very innovative, straightforward and accurate. They don't demand money or goods. All they ask is for us to have a voice, for us to be a part of this organization by subscribing the ideas that are already developed and by suggesting new ones.

I can only tell you about the iniciative I've been involved last Christmas, since it was the first I attended. The website had a special part with Christmas Cards that any one of us could write and sign, addressing it to Mr. Tony Blair (one of those powerful fellows I mentioned you before). In the end all those Christmas Cards were printed and delivered to Mr. Blair's doorstep. It took 2 minutes out of my 2005 and I didn't had to leave home, walk like hell, struggle in the streets, write big posters... nothing like that! It was simple, fast, rewarding and effective!

Another great movement that I've been close to is Live 8 Live. Bob Geldoff and a large group of celebrities have done a marvelous job fighting against poverty and making it heard throughout the world. It is now one of the items in the agenda of all world leaders. The last concert was a big success and people from all over the globe danced and partied listening to it. Now it's available on DVD and it's profits will all revert again into the great cause of fighting poverty.

World leaders now have the biggest social movement of mankind right on their tail! And I'm a part of it! It's not the a story of bravery or inteligence. It's a story of someone who bottered and that is proud about it.

Visit the two websites www.makepovertyhistory.org and www.live8live.org and understand what you can do to help improve this world. If you look at it carefully, you can really change the world, can't you? Take a carefull look at both websites (20 minutes will be enough to check them both) and the next time you're clicking your finger (or tapping your foot) when listening to your favourite movie, remember what is the message beneath that...

Mokita II - A saga continua

2006-01-26T17:55:00.000Z

Recebi poucos comentários ao meu desabafo sobre as presidenciais. Hoje vou continuar as minhas ideias tal como tinha prometido...
Apesar de todas as minhas preocupações relativas ao panorama político nacional se manterem, a grande razão da ausência da minha é ainda mais grave do que o facto destas eleições serem mais ou menos como a festa das miúdas gordas da escola... (sim daquelas mesmo balofas que até dão arrepios! Essas mesmo!).

Eu não acredito que a Democracia alguma vez seja um sucesso em Portugal. Por muito que se haja discursos carismáticos sobre a importância da nossa opinião e o papel da liberdade de expressão nas sociedades, eu continuo a achar que não resulta.

Democracia é hoje o eufemismo usado para legitimar as atrocidades que as pessoas dizem e fazem. É o "Abre-te Sésamo" das celas das cadeias que deviam estar apetrechadas de trafulhas e intrujas. É o conceito ao qual recorremos sempre que precisamos que a ilegalidade que estamos a cometer passe a ser uma prática comum (e louvável!). É o que nos está a destruir... Democracia só é um conceito possível e viável quando outros conceitos foram apreendidos e estão em prática na sociedade. Sem me preocupar com as definições literais de cada um deles, vou apresentar três conceitos que acho fundamentais para se aspirar a uma democracia:
1. Responsabilidade;
2. Respeito;
3. Tolerância.

Vêm algum deles disseminado nas ruas das nossas cidades? Pois... Também me pareceu...

1. Sentido de responsabilidade não existe (nem vai existir) devido à total impunidade em que vivemos! Os tribunais demoram, os registos demoram, os correios demoram, os hospitais demoram... Tudo demora... É tudo para amanhã... Bem podiam fazer hoje... Ao que parece, agora até é possível entrar para a universidade sem saber ler nem escrever! (mas sobre isso vou falar outro dia...)
2. Respeito: é tão raro que, na próxima revisão da lingua portuguesa, estou convencido que passará de um conceito concreto a uma metáfora para a palavra miragem. Não há respeito por nada nem ninguém! No trânsito, nos transportes públicos, no atendimento público, no atendimento privado, nas famílias, nas escolas... Onde for! Não há! Todos falam como entendem! E o que mais me choca é que muitos nem se quer foram à escola tempo suficiente para saber falar! Falam do que querem, sem respeito pela existência de outros! Por vezes penso... Estas pessoas que vivem como se o mundo fosse todo delas, como se mais ninguém existisse ao cimo da Terra deviam acordar uma manhã e não haver mais nada nem ninguém! Olhar em redor e estar tudo fechado, abandonado, destruído! Para quem viu o Resident Evil, subir à superfície e, tal como na última cena do filme, estar tudo vazio! Vazio de conteúdo, vazio de vida, vazio de tudo!
Mas depois apercebi-me... Se isso acontecesse esse sítio não ficaria vazio... Haveria demasiada gente a acordar lá... Por cá ficariamos poucos... E sem propósito para viver! Que fazer agora que não é preciso mudar o mundo?!?!?
3. O dom da tolerância vem associado a vários outros: paciência, ponderação, capacidade de organização, empatia, assertividade... Somos intolerantes porque somos incapazes de ser tudo o resto.
Queremos que nos resolvam os problemas já! Para ontem! A.S.A.P.! Super-urgente... Pois... e porque adiámos durante tanto tempo a resolução deste assunto? Porquê para amanhã? "Bem podias fazer hoje..."
Como estamos pressionados e impacientes (por nossa própria culpa) não conseguimos ser ponderados. Pressionamos, esquecêmo-nos de beneficiar os outros com a simpatia e atenção que os fará ser mais atenciosos e dedicar mais atenção ao nosso problema. Por vezes esquecemos isto... É o NOSSO PROBLEMA! Por fim vem o mais granve de todos, a assertividade! Somos completamente desprovidos disso... Estamos pressionados, estamos atrasados, temos um problema, não fomos simpáticos com que nos poderia ajudar. Passo seguinte: gritar, ser arrogante, chamar incompetente a tudo e a todos e praguejar como o mundo não tem salvação! Tantos problemas podiam ser evitados se tivémos tratado disto ontem... quando dissémos... faço amanhã!
Entender estas 3 premissas é pouco, é necessário praticá-las! Todos entendemos tudo! Sempre! Não queremos parecer estúpidos ao dizer "Não percebi"! Mas depois por em prática... epah! Não me pagam para isso! Pagam-me para perceber! Não para por em prática...

Associado a estas três ausências sacramentais, agiganta-se um outro ingrediente ideal para tornar esta história da Democracia num pecado mortal:
Chegamos ao fim do dia estoirados! Passámos o dia rodeados de incompetentes, que conspiram em conjunto para tornar a nossa vida miserável! Tudo nos irritou! Vamos tentar agora informar-nos um pouco sobre... "Em quem devo eu votar?"
O facto de estarmos já com um conjunto de candidatos que, e permitam-me a metáfora, parece procurar as candidatas a miss playboy nas audiências do Natal dos Hospitais (se a metáfora não é suficientemente explicíta, imaginem a gorda ao lado toda descascada numa revista e vão perceber!!!)
Além deste facto, somos fuzilados por rios de informação completamente tendenciosa e inútil! Sem clareza, sem rigor, sem qualquer relevância e, essencialmente, sem qualquer possibilidade de informar seja quem for!!!

40% foi um grande resultado. Foi a denúncia de 40% de um país que se sente mal informado, desrespeitado, sem interesse em participar nos destinos da sua nação! 40% de um país que ficou completamente inerte a campanhas e a ideias estéreis... Um fenómeno designado na Psicologia como "desespero aprendido". Ao fim de duas horas, o cãozinho, cansado de se queixar dos choques eléctricos que sofria, resolveu deitar-se e viver o seu martírio... É neste estado que temos a nossa nação!

A única pergunta que eu gostaria de ouvir os candidatos responder (nesta ou em qualquer outra eleição) é a seguinte:

Quem é o responsável pelo facto de, depois de 8 milhões de Euros de campanha, de 40% da nação não ter decidido votar?

E a pergunta que eu gostava que os 11 milhões de portugueses perguntassem a si mesmos era a seguinte: Se estes senhores só recebessem o dinheiro investido se a abstenção fosse, no máximo, 15%, eles candidatar-se-iam novamente?

A Bancarrota perguntou "e se ninguém votasse?!" Estavamos salvos! Se 60% não votasse já havia força suficiente para fechar este Carnaval que vivemos! Estas são as razões para achar que a nação não está preparada para a Democracia... mas hoje já escrevi demais... a ideia que eu tomo como solução fica para outro dia. Fico à espera de comentários!

Nota de rodapé de blog: A exposição em demasia das retinas oculares à imagem acima apresentada pode criar sintomas vários de mau estar, náuseas, tonturas, vómitos, asia e até algumas alucinações. Em caso de persistência dos sintomas consulte o seu médico ou farmacêutico!

Mokita

2006-01-24T22:03:00.000Z

Pensei em não dedicar um único minuto a este assunto, mas vou fazê-lo. Já passaram dois dias das presidenciais. Eu não votei.

Não tive nenhum compromisso que me impedisse, não fui de viagem, não vivi nenhum contratempo. Simplesmente não quis ir votar. Sei que isto poderá chocar alguns de vós... sei que será por diversas razões... É uma obrigação, é o exercício da liberdade de expressão, é uma demonstração de democracia... há provavelmente 1000 razões para condenar a minha conduta!

Não votei porque acho toda esta história do acto eleitoral um casamento muito mal explicado...
Todos nos queixamos que isto está mau, Portugal vai de mal a pior, não temos destino, deviamos era entregar isto a Espanha, está tudo parado, não há dinheiro, não há emprego, não há escolha, temos que apertar o cinto... ufa, já estou cansado de tanta negatividade... Mas também repito vezes sem conta tudo o que atrás descrevi!!! Depois voto nos mesmos tipos de sempre! As mesmas personagens, com os mesmos discursos e com as mesmas ideias... Não estou com isto a tentar transmitir nenhuma mensagem subliminar bloquista, tipo vote-se Louçã... pelo contrário! Estou com isto a dizer que ir votar, para mim, seria aceitar esta miserável confecção que nos estão a servir todos os dias ao jantar... Já os Xutos diziam que "é difícil comer solas estufadas ao jantar!"

Mokita é um termo de uma tribo Guiniense que significa a verdade que todos sabem mas que ninguém é capaz de dizer.

Todos sabemos que o resultado desta eleição irá fazer zero alterações nos destinos deste país. O problema não é a inovação. O problema não é a escolaridade. O problema não é a produtividade. O problema não são as pessoas. O problema não são as políticas do governo!
O problema é a corrupção! Mas atenção ao que entendemos por corrupção! Já no antigo império romano a corrupção dominava. Não é invenção nenhuma da sociedade contemporânea nem de grupos estratégicos de malfeitores que dirigem este país como a televisão e os jornais tentam impinjir diariamente!

Se pesquisarem no Google "definição de corrupção" receberão como feedback "depravação; suborno; acto ou efeito de corromper(-se); apodrecimento; desmoralização". E é este último termo que explica o porquê de ser este o nosso problema. A corrupção que vivemos não é o resultado da depravação ou suborno de corruptos a corruptos. Consiste na DESMORALIZAÇÃO que uma população apresenta perante os corruptos!
Os corruptos que hoje estão no poder fomos todos nós que escolhemos! Aqueles que escolhemos no passado Domingo, estarão no poder amanhã! Corrupção para aqui, corrupção para ali... OS CORRUPTOS SOMOS NÓS!!!! O MEU VOTO!! Escolher participar na eleição dos podres! Dos candidatos menos maus! Aqueles que têm um país com dezenas de recursos importantes e estratégicos (passo a citar: localização geográfica, lingua, clima, costa, recursos naturais como água e vinho, clusters de exportação invejáveis como o vinho e a cortiça, os melhores do mundo em todos os domínios - Amália, António Damásio, José Saramago, Nuno Merino, José Mourinho, Amorim, Pestana, referência de exelência por todo o mundo: Comitée Paraolímpico nacional, Euro 2004, MTV European Awards) e que insistem em comportar-se como o rapaz da aldeia, que perante 6 raparigas horrorosas, não tem outra escolha senão tentar ficar com a menos feia... Também eu, por exclusão de partes saberia em quem devia votar... Patético!

Eu escolhi categoricamente não votar! Eu fui o grande vencedor da noite de Domingo. Enquanto ouvia na televisão comentários como "Cavaco de camisa e pull-over, ainda sem gravata veio à janela, falava ao telemóvel" e esperava ansiosamente por comentários como "Última hora, Francisco Louçã acaba de tirar um macaco da narina esquerda com o indicador" percebi que, tal como eu, muitos resolveram não participar neste Carnaval antecipado! 40% de abstenção foi a maior manifestação de poder de uma população. Ainda ninguém o admitiu. Ainda ninguém o referiu. Todos os candidatos lamentaram os não votantes e referiram como isto é inaceitável... Nenhum foi capaz de olhar para o seu umbigo e perguntar: "Porque é que eu não consegui que estas pessoas todas votassem em mim ou contra-mim?". Dúvido que alguma televisão se preocupe em apresentar estas ideias...

OS CORRUPTOS SOMOS NÓS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PS: perdão às raparigas horrorosas da aldeia pela metáfora em que comparo os candidatos à presidência a elas!

Concerns about Germany 2006

2006-01-22T21:51:00.000Z

Hi! I know that football is not the most interesting subject in the world but I'm approaching it in a completely different prespective...

I have no idea if any of you already know Goleo, the mascot of this year's world cup. I happen to have some... concerns about it. I'd like to share them with you.

I get a little uncomfortable with the fact that this mascot is a lion. My first thought was: "É fofo!" (It's sweet, in portuguese). And since football is always considered the "king of all sports", it's a nice metaphor do develop. But giving it a second thought that might also seem that this world cup will be a total jungle. It might mean that the spirit is... natural, impulsive and irrational! Does this mean that the teams are ready to hunt down their opponents and eat them up in order to survive to the next hunting moment? Ops... I meant round!

I know, I may be exagerating a bit... Or maybe not! Take a small glance at this "little" lion's boots. Usually players use six screw stud boots... As far as I can count, Goleo has 7!!! Just on one side of his right shoe! It means that on the other side, you might easily find 7 more! 14 screw studs! So that's a total of 24 screw studs on both feet!!! Can any of you imagine how useful it can be when to have 14 drilling facilities in each feet when you're in a selvatic world cup as the one they're suggesting?

Another concern: the ball. You probably noticed that the ball has two eyes, one nose and one mouth, just like regular people. It also happens to be smiling! My question is: will that nice ball still be smiling when Goleo, the 300 kilograms beast, comes running like there was no tomorrow and applies a final shot, a 14 screw studs shot right between it's eyes, straight into the net? I don't think so... And... (just another thought)... the idea of kicking between the eyes of anything is probably a bad spirit to transmit to the fans...

I would also be very delighted to meet the guy that had the idea of putting a shirt on the lion. Because when you see a lion butt naked, you hardly notice, since it's natural! Lions don't dress up to appear! But putting a shirt on him, everyone will notice... THAT HE'S NOT WEARING SHORTS!!!! Or are we having some new format on the world cup this year that has escaped my attention during the news?

Final thought, again about the ball: why didn't anyone gave it a name? The 300 kilograms half naked lion, with raging drilling devices on his both feet is named Goleo (pretty gay, hein?) and the ball (that round thing that the game HAPPENS to be all about), which has eyes, nose, mouth and appearently, some manners (since it's politely smilling even though it's sad future) is not entitled to have a name?

To put it in the same gay style as the beast's name, I'd call it... "Lwittle bowl" (yes, "Little Ball" with that childish speaking disorder). I'll be waiting for some other suggestions!

Another small step

2006-01-18T22:25:00.000Z

Music has been a good partner since I was really young. I couldn't say a word of portuguese but I was already capable of singing the chorus of "I just called to say I love you"!!! It was always my first choise when I had several other like TV, Playstation or internet.

As you may have whitnessed I recently made a 7 day trip to Scotland. And as you probably heard before I loved every little piece of it. From it's cloudy skies and it's cold wheather to it's green fields and it's amazing environment!

But more than a paradise I discovered several traits of their culture that are actually astonishing. One of them are the music bands that emerge from live gigs and garages. Their sound is known through Franz Ferdinand, but I would surely recommend that you paid some atention to The X1's, Dogs Die in Hot Cars, My Legendary Girlfriend and Bloc Party.

You can google any of these bands (except Bloc Party) and find official online mp3 files available for download, since that's the way they do things. Some of them don't even edit CDs. They just promote their work in order to get new gigs and have a blast on them.

The following website is a neverending list of bands with links to their sites. Some of the links are not working anymore even though it's worth taking a glance at (and a bit of a ear, too).
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do:
http://www.glasgow-barrowland.com/links/scots_guns.html

"Amo-te Lídia Marina"

2006-01-17T22:29:00.000Z

Olá!

Desde há uns tempos para cá descobri um prazer que há muito era para mim uma incógnita. Ouvir rádio! Durante anos a fio acreditei que ouvir rádio não era mais do que cantar sonoramente a música que surpreendentemente aparece (em contraposição com o CD, em que escolhemos de forma absolutista o que nos apetece ouvir) e desejar com toda a nossa força que a próxima música seja aquela que, naquele momento, é a banda sonora da nossa vida.

Esta sensação morreu em mim graças a entidades como o iMesh, Kazaa, Emule e Warez. Hoje tenho a banda sonora da minha vida actualizada ao segundo, devidamente catalogada e arrumada nos vastos 50 gigas de mp3 que tenho em casa. Se a rádio não dá a música que quero... basta ligar o ficheiro mp3... de novo a tirania e o absolutismo...

No entanto, houve uma rádio que se reinventou! E que o fez da melhor forma possível. Estou a falar-vos da Antena 3.

Há anos atrás quando o meu avô contava que passava serões a ouvir a rádio (que passava imensas coisas, como notícias, radionovelas e a previsão do estado do tempo do dia de amanhã), eu pensava intrigado... porquê que alguém ouve rádio quando não dá música?! O meu avô chamava a essa altura os tempos aureos do mundo... Agora percebo-o... Graças à Antena 3!

O fenómeno que vos falo chama-se Prova Oral. Todos os fins-de-tarde, entre as 19h e as 20h, um novo tema é debatido pelo Fernando Alvim e pela Raquel Bulha, em conjunto com convidados e ouvintes que interagem via telefone, email, blog, sms, mensagens no hi5, etc, etc.

É com grande prazer que as viagens de regresso para casa, que usualmente eu tentava fazer o mais rápido possível, para ir trabalhar mais um bocadinho, hoje sejam viagens cheias de boa disposição e prazer... e que tenho pena que só durem uma hora!!! Frequentemente chego a casa e fico parado dentro do carro a acabar de ouvir as opiniões sobre um novo tema banal e ao, mesmo tempo, tão importante!

Hoje pergunto-me por que razão alguém ouve rádio sem ser para ouvir pessoas a falar... "Amo-te Lídia Marina" foi um dos fabulosos contributos que hoje, mais uma vez, me encheram de boa disposição. Experimentem Não vão salvar o Mundo, nem vão acabar com a fome, mas vão poder fazer algo precioso: ouvir e pensar! Sinto-me um sortudo por poder ouvir e pensar uma hora por dia...

Passem por http://provaoral.blogspot.com

Esta é uma das surpresas que vos reservo durante a transição que eu tanto tenho referido... veio um pouco mais cedo do que a anunciada quinta-feira!

Amanhã estarei cá novamente...
nuno.nunes@zmail.pt

2 comments!!!

2006-01-17T10:33:00.000Z

Dear friends!

This is a moment of celebration! I just realized that I have two comments on my posts! (plus one that bancarrota submited before the blog made disapear by itself... It seems to have it's own will).

Two comments is by far more than what I was expecting, I can tell you... and the fact that the person who commented is not ME is even more surprising!!! Thank you :-)

I know that the contents on the blog aren't quite rich yet, although I assure you that soon it will start developing. I am considering posting a forecast of the World Cup, some concerns about it's anthem, some thopics about the presidential election and a lot of things about the way I see Lisbon lifestyle...

Talking about lifestyle I owe you some details about those changes I've been refering again and again that will happen somewhere in January... Well, it's not a "Big Bang" kind of phenomena... it's more an incremental process... That's why I can't set a specific date and time for it to be finished... So next Thursday I'll start telling you what is really going on.

For now, I'd simply like to thank you for paying a little attention to my email and investing some minutes in my blog. You have no idea how I appreciate it.

Looking forward to receive your comments again
nuno.nunes@zmail.pt

Casual dressing style

2006-01-15T18:18:00.000Z

Last night I've been to Joana's birthday diner. Many of you know how she goes on and on saying "don't forget my birthday, don't forget my birthday!". She's lovely!!!

As it was a Saturday night, I decided to dress casual. So I put on that orange coat I mentioned to at least one of you and I decided to take my new super-fashion super-confortable brown leather shoes. I really wasn't expecting the surprised looks from my friends. They were surprised with my casual dressing style revealing a more calm and confortable lifestyle.

On my way home I gave a thought about it and realized how things have changed in these past two and a half months... (it had been a while since I last saw my friends!) I guess my dressing style turned me in... I admit. I'm guilty. Things will keep changing for some time. That's where that big January thing will come up... I hope. I know I'm being somewhat intriguing at the moment but I promiss it will all be revealed soon.

Thank you my patient friends for understanding :-)
NN

Benvindos - Welcome

2006-01-15T18:10:00.000Z

(english version at the end)
Caros amigos

Benvindos ao meu blog! Este é um momento de extrema importância para mim. Francamente, sinto que cresci um pouco. Além do telemóvel, uma verdadeira extensão do meu corpo ("estou a tocar!!!") e do e-mail, uma extensão da minha identidade ("Como te chamas? nuno.nunes@zmail.pt..."), eu agora tenho... O MEU BLOG! (ISTO É UMA EXTENSÃO DA MINHA VIDA!!!!)

Daí ter sido tão difícil criá-lo... Confesso que já pensava no assunto há vários meses. Mas não sabia se já teria maturidade suficiente para ter... o meu próprio Blog. Agora sei. Tenho.
Espero ter aqui os meus amigos para partilharem alguns pensamentos e ideias comigo e pelo menos saberem que ainda estou vivo e (ainda) não me mudei para Copenhaga.

Como tenho alguns amigos que não entendem português vão reparar que a maioria dos posts serão publicados em inglês, bastantes em português ou espanhol, uns poucos em dinamarquês também...

Fico a aguardar por vocês!

Grande abraço/abraço com pancada nas costas/beijo de deslizar face-com-face/beijo de verdade na bochecha (vê qual é que se aplica a ti)
NN

Dear friends

Welcome to my blog! This is a extremely important moment to me. Francly, I feel I have grown up a bit now. Besides thee cellphone - a true extension of my heart ("I'm ringing!") and the email - an extention of my identity ("What's your name? nuno.nunes@zmail.pt..."), I now have... MY OWN BLOG! (THIS IS AN EXTENSION OF MY LIFE!!!)

Maybe that's why it was so difficult to create it... I confess I was thinking about it for several months. But I wasn't sure if I already had enough maturity to have... my own blog. Now I'm sure. I do.

I hope I have my friends around to share some thoughts and ideas with me and at least to know I'm alive and I haven't moved (yet) to Copenhagen.

Since I have some friends that don't understant portuguese you will notice that all publish most of the posts in english, several in portuguese or spanish and some in danish too...

I'll be waiting for you!

Big hug/Hug with some back beats/face sliding kiss/real kiss on the cheek
(See which one suits you)
NN