Another one !

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SAMPA

Sao Paulo e a maior cidade brasileira e a terceira maior a nivel mundial . Centro economico do pais , e principal centro de negocios de toda a America Latina , Sao Paulo e uma metropole de 18 milhoes de habitantes , quase o dobro do total da populacao portuguesa . E uma cidade gigantesca , uma autentica selva de pedra ou melhor , de betao . Como todas as cidades grandes , Sao Paulo e uma cidade de extremos . Luxo e pobreza convivem lado a lado . Lojas dos mais variados e conceituados costureiros mundiais , entre eles Roberto Cavalli e a muito exclusiva , Louis Vuitton , sao frequentadas por multimilionarios , avidos por produtos de luxo , ao contrario daqueles a quem muitas vezes , falta um simples pedaco de pao . No entanto , e mesmo com todos aqueles tragicos incidentes que tiveram lugar na " Nova Iorque " brasileira , e mesmo , segundo datos lancados por organizacoes internacionais que indicam que Sao Paulo e , a par de Pequim , a cidade onde mais pessoas sao raptadas , devo dizer , e sendo eu um fanatico por cidades grandes , que a minha vontade em conhecer Sao Paulo ainda nao esmoreceu . Sim , e uma cidade perigosa , mas em tempos conturbados em que guerras preventivas sao iniciadas , despoletando assim varias faccoes terroristas , qual e o lugar do Mundo que pode ser considerado : seguro ? Na minha opiniao , Sao Paulo , assim como Londres , Nova Iorque e outras mega cidades , sao um espelho do Mundo actual : um Mundo conturbado ,onde vidas se ganham e se perdem . Sendo um centro multicultural por excelencia , Sao Paulo concentra em si , todo o Mundo . E se nem mesmo 10 milhoes de portugueses conseguem entender-se , como e que podemos esperar que numa cidade de 18 MILHOES DE HABITANTES , tudo corra na perfeicao , nao sendo isso desculpa para todas as assimetrias sociais la existentes , e claro . Sao Paulo deve ser uma experiencia unica . Cabe-nos a nos vencermos todos os nossos preconceitos e visitar-mos aquela que e a terceira maior cidade do Mundo . E so facto de ser a cidade do Mundo onde mais pessoas falam portugues , entre outros idiomas , ja serve de bonus !

ULTIMATO

Para alem de um insuportavel calor , de evitaveis e enfadonhos programas de televisao , o Verao traz consigo outro mal : os mosquitos . Os mosquitos estao em todo o lado . Nos nossos quartos , nas nossas salas , na casa de banho , ja para nao dizer , na rua . Infelizmente , a unica forma de acabar com esse mal que parece nao querer desaparecer , e o uso de uma boa lata de insecticida , pondo em risco o meio ambiente . Acho que so isso , faz com que muitas pessoas deixem de gostar do Verao , ou entao falo simplesmente por mim . Detesto esta epoca do ano . Detesto tudo aquilo que esta de uma certa forma relacionado com o Verao , para mim , a mais desnecessaria epoca do ano . Os indices de producao , ja baixos ao longo do ano , baixam ainda mais . As praias enchem-se de pessoas cuja palavra "civismo" parece nao constar no dicionario . Sao os farneis , as criancas insuportaveis que correm de um lado para o outro , acabando por cair e chorar ate nao poder mais . Verao significa centros comerciais ainda mais cheios , cheios de pessoas que nao teem dinheiro para gastar . Verao significa odores desagradaveis nos transportes e outros ambientes fechados . Eu detesto o Verao !

Summer .......didn't move on ! ( but A-Ha said it had moved on ! )

Ladies and gentlemen : summer has arrived . It means that , the time of the year when people stop having interestin conversations has begun . For me , the only thing positive about summer is the fact that most of those "no-brainer blockbusters " that usually come out of Hollywood , are released during this time of the year . As for the rest , as "the rest " I mean football , let's just say that I have made myself a promise : I won't turn on the television set , because if we still have 15 days to go until the beginning of the World Cup , and already there has been this media frenzy surrounding our national football team , I don't want to know/see how is it going to be like , when the World Cup starts - May God Have Mercy On Our Souls - we , a bunch of lazy people .

Poetry time !

The Rain

Pitter-potter raindrops

Falling from the sky.

Here is my umbrella.

To keep me safe and dry

When the rain is over

And the sun begins to glow

Little flowers start to bud

And grow and grow and grow .

The Adventures of D*ckless Man - Chapter II - The Return Of Momo

D*ckless Man was preparing to run when , suddenly , his trusty partner Momo showed up .

' Where the heck have you been , Momo ? I have been looking all over for you , but no sign of Momo . ' .

' So sorry , but I was stuck in traffic , you know , horrible thing the fact that one is not allowed to use his super powers in front of other people , wouldn't you say ? ' .

' Well , I don't want to know either you decided to use your super powers or not , but I would like your help . ' .

' What seems to be the problem ? '.

' Sh@g - A - Lot has just exposed my dark secret to everyone who's watching us ,just as we speak . Sooner or later , the entire world will now my secret , so ........... I could you use some help . ' .

' Which secret ? '

Momo's question sparked a series of laughters . Which secret ? Which secret ? Was Momo out of his mind ? He had been the only person in the world , D*ckless Man had ever told his story , and not it seemed that he had forgotten every single bit of the story , that since D*ck's birthday , had shadowed his life , like an eagle shadowing its prey.

' Let's just get on with this , shall we gentlemen ? ' asked Sh@g . ' I still have to attend a very important meeting , and it would be rude of me to arrive late . ' .

To Be Continued

The English Look

Day : Elisabeths birthday .

Place : Colombo Shopping Centre .

The moment had come for Ann Bloom to take a photo of Elisabeth and I . As always , I was preparing myself to look like a fool , once the photo was captured . At first , after seeing the picture , I did not think that there was something wrong with it , besides the fact that I looked horrible , but then , I started to look at that photo from a different perspective . I'll explain . When Ann showed me the picture , for the second time , she said that I had something that she described as being " the english look " . I have to say that at first I thought that Ann was pocking fun of me . Me ? Look like an englishman ? Only in my dreams . Most recently , a colleague/friend of mine say that I behaved as if I lived in London . Contrary to that previous situation , when the thought of being english really stroke my fancy , hearing him say that I thought that I lived in London , was something that displeased me . I shall not say that I don't fancy the english because if I said that , I would be telling a lie . But I do have to say that , I don't act as if I think that I live in London . Yes , sometimes it's really funny to speak in a way that british people have learned how to speak throughout the years , and has since become one of their trademarks - arrogant , cold , funny . But to think that I like to act "english " , basically diminishes the whole concept of " being english ", because we have created an image of the english that we just can't seem to let go , therefore , anyone who likes to speak in a different way , a way that probably displeases a large number of people , is not very well accepted .

The Adventures Of D**kless Man - Chapter I - A dark secret is revealed

D**kless Man had never thought that he would find himself in such a humiliating situation . His dark secret had been revealed by his nemesis : Sir Sh@g - A - Lot . He had exposed D**kless Man before his colleagues at the NoS*X University . The secret that he had tried to hide for as long as he could remember , was not familiar to everyone . People stared at him as if he was some sort of monster , just because he was a little bit different . He wanted to scream , but he knew that screaming would only worsten the situation . He had now become an easy target . Sh@g - A - Lot was the most famous guy at D*cks university . He knew every single girl who had to be known . Some said that he had been trained by an indian guru , who according to some , wrote the famous Ka*****ra. Sh@g was tall and his body resembled one of a body builders . As D*ck , well , he was also tall , but unlike Sh@g he was thin . Worst than that : he was too thin . He had never been famous , so his secret had been safe until that day . Of course , Sh@g a lot had to pay for what he had done , but no plan seemed to cross D*cks mind .

TO BE CONTINUED

P.S : You to have the chance to play an important role in telling the story of D***kless Man. It's simple : just leave a comment saying what could happen next . Best comments will make the final cut .

Thanks ........... or : No Thanks ?

Sometimes we regret the moment we decided to help someone . Wether we helped an old lady with her bags , and she didn't say " Thank you ! " or we gave our seat to someone on the subway and that person didn't even bothered looking at our face , sometimes we just wish we had not done anything at all . But when we don't help other people out , we tend to feel sorry for them , especially for old people , the same old people that sometimes find it extremely difficult to say " thanks " . The same thing happens when boys help other men . I don't know if that is a sign of male pride or not , but most men don't like to say that they are thankful , especially in southern european countries , where mentalities sometimes look as if they're still in the middle ages . If you happen to say "thank you " to someone who happens to be male , you're probably going to be misunderstood ( some people will acctually think that you're a fag or something like it ! ) . But going to back to the subject of education , aren't people rude sometimes ? Sometimes it's because they're lives are filled with problems , and we do act the same when things seem to be becoming a little shitty . Oh well , who said that we humans were simple beings , surely must have been drunk .

Time for music !

" No dia em que fui mais .....

eu vi um ....

se espelhar no seu olhar , ate sumir .

De la para ca nao sei ,

caminho ao longo do canal ,

faco longas cartas para ninguem ,

e o Inverno no L..... e quase glacial . "

Adriana Calcanhto , " iNVERNO " ( I THINK ! )

A Luz de Lix

A luz de Lisboa captivou todos aqueles que por aqui passaram , e todos aqueles que nos continuam a visitar ano apos ano . E uma luz que mostra a capital em todo o seu esplendor . E uma luz suave , inigualavel segundo muitos , por todo esse continente europeu . As ruas , os monumentos , as arvores , os parques , todos esses ilutres "habitantes" parecem ganhar uma nova vida , quando atingidos pelos primeiros raios de sol .

The Portuguese Myth

An wold woman who refuses to be helped . A bus driver who shouts at passengers . A person who works in a store and doesn't say anything when we say : " good morning ! " . These three people are just three examples that the so-called "Portuguese hospitality " is nothing less than a myth . We love to see ourselves as being extremely friendly even towards people we've never met , something that its not entirely true . A typical portuguese certainly won't invite a person he doesn't knows well to his house , even if they had been friends for months ( trust me ! i'm one of those ! ) . A typical portuguese will probably suspect if you approach him with a smile on your face - he probably starts thinking that you're going to rob him . A typical portuguese says that he isn't racist , and all those other europeans are , especially the english and the germans , are . A typical portuguese welcomes foreigners who come to Portugal to spend money , but despises those of us , who just like him share the burden/bless of being portuguese , because we're poor .

I'm not trying to say we aren't friendly and welcoming , but I do have to say that nothing in Portugal is what you think it is , if you look at it briefly . We may be nice and giggly ( i don't know if such word exists ! ) but certainly , we're not as open minded and welcoming as we think we are . Sometimes we end up behaving just like to those who we like to criticize : the english . But we keep on smiling at them , because we know that they're willing to spend loads of money here .

Patria Mia

Since the WorldCup is approaching , millions of portuguese are preparing themselves to show how patriotic they are . Some , will put flags on their windows . Others , will sing the national anthem so loud , that they will shurely hope people in China will be able to hear it . But wait a minute ? Portuguese = patriotism ? Since when have we become patriotic ? Surely the French , the Brazilian , the Americans and others , are patriotic but , what about us ?

To say that a patriotic feeling is sweeping the nation sounds extremely far fetched . We , or at least most of us , don't really care about Portugal . Most of us ( and i'm not part of the group ) are just hoping that our national team's sucess will be so big , that it will serve as some kind of antydote . A much needed antydote , some might say , but as for me , I have to say that , football has practically engulfed this country in some kind of hysteria . An hysterya so big that people forget about what is really at risk , at this precise moment . Football will not solve our economical problems . The football players , who will probably try to give their best , if they don't manage to succeed , shall continue to be rich . As for us ? We shall be earning 385 euros per month . We shall be listening to promises that some of us really hope one day , will come true .

We are still the country that a few years ago had : DEUS , PATRIA E FAMILIA as its motto but.........wait , we have moved on : now we are the 3F's nation : Fado , Fatima and Football . None of those words slightly resembles the word change - a much needed antydote .

Karma ( Part 1 )

It seems to me that , the images that immediatly pop into a foreigner's mind when he thinks of Portugal are of beaches , football and fado . That really is a problem because , there is more to Portugal than that ( not much , but still...... ) . All those aspects combined with the world renowned Portuguese hospitality ( just for tourists ! ) .

And who is to be blamed for the fact that most tourists have a rather "short" idea of Portugal ? Well , the answer is simple and if we look ourselves in the mirror we will come face to face with it - US . Our relaxed lifestyle has managed to become famous worldwide . Why , when we think of Spain we can think about beaches and football , but we can also think about Picasso , Madrid , Barcelona and its museums , etc , etc. ? Because Spain sells its own culture and they are proud of it . The same thing happens when we think about Britain , France , Germany and The Netherlands . Although those people have become famous for not being the friendliest people on the face of the planet , something that is not entirely true ( TAKE IT FROM ME : NOT ALL PORTUGUESE ARE NICE PEOPLE INCLUDING THE PERSON WHO'S WRITING THIS POST ! ) , they are proud of their cultural heritage and they , like the spanish , are not afraid to show it .

As for us , as long as we keep dreaming about our national football's team performance in forthcoming World Championship , a place is instaured for us , in the an european context - the back seat of the bus !

Something to think about !

A couple of days ago , I went to see " Mission Impossible III " with my friend Nessa . I have to say that i liked the film . It was full of action , something that I already expected since .....it's " Mission Imposssible " . But after seeing the film , I just could not help of thinking about the extraordinary amount of money that film might have cost . Premiere Magazine says that the film cost 135 millions dolars ( and that amount wasn't the first one to be agreed by Paramount Pictures - 150 million dolars was how much the film would've cost , if Tom Cruise had not done a fool out of himself on Oprah ! ) . I know that for as long as we can remember , there have been loads and loads of films that costed much more to make than " MI:III" . But I just can't stop thinking that such values are obscene. People are dying , not only in Africa but also in some parts of Latin America , Europe and Asia , and Hollywood ( apparently ) does not care . However , we can argue that some movies were just too expensive to make , and that sometimes that money should had been more well spent , but we like big films . It's something that we have become accostumed to . Unfortunately .

P.S : I know that my english is basically a piece of crap , but my keyboard doesn't allowe me to write in portuguese .

Lisboa , Avenida da Liberdade