CheZ gUImaS _ la maison de mon rêve

Sayonara Paris!

2009-09-15T20:23:00.007+02:00

Most of you probably quitted checking my blog after such long hibernation.
Well, many things have changed in during this time...

I went to Japan to meet my other half and due to that I am about to leave it all behind!!
I am leaving my job next 30th Sept, leaving family, friends and Europe behind.
And for what? For true love... it really exists and I am delighted to be [again] a lucky bastard.
I have found it in a bizarre way, for fun and with intentions only to perhaps make friends to help me out planing my initially intended trip to Japan in November.
In the end, not only I visited Japan in July, I just received my flight confirmation to Japan for next 11th November with intentions to settle down [please do not inform the JP authorities!!]
I am quitting/leaving everything with nothing else but LOVE in my heart [and 1 bag with 20Kg in my hand].

I have no visa differently from any random tourist, no job, no language knowledge, empty pockets,..
I will face the most difficult "adventure" of my life. I will have to "integrate" one of the most complex societies in the world, a country where I will always be seen as gaijin [foreigner] and where gajin face daily harsh and bureaucratic complications, besides what it considered by some the most difficult country to find a job for any foreigner.
One big difference between me and most of the other gaijin who decided to get adventurous moving to Japan is that I am well aware of what I will find in the far far East country of the rising sun.. I love a good challenge^^

Paris? I had enough!! I was wrong, Paris does not suffice! It is not what I expected it to be, the quality of life is far from being good.
I used to like the metro system, a metro every 3/4 min. Now, I find the delays, stations with endless works, dirty, ugly, smelly.. no stinky, uncomfortable, unfriendly, damn hot,... I better stop, still need to eat dinner and get some sleep tonight!
I am not being critical just because I am about to leave. Ask other people and most will confirm the same, Paris is great as long as you do not stay long enough to hate it!

Next stop: Osaka, JAPAN ^^

PS: Wish me luck, I will need a F@#$%& LOT!!
New blog coming up next November... Sorry for the lack of updates on this one.

My beloved country: Portugal

2009-07-04T09:44:00.002+02:00

Some of you know already I will never live in Portugal again!
Following my return from 6 months studying in USA 4 years ago I felt like a foreigner in my own country. It all changed, I realised great, really great things about Portugal but there are others which make you wanna run away immediately..

This week, I was urging for a new passport otherwise I could not book my flight to Japan. Tuesday morning I arrived to the Portuguese Consulate here in Paris to get the new biometric one asap!
Everything seemed well organised there, and even reasonably fast too.
I order the fastest service possible.. Wednesday 3.30pm I was calling the Consulate and my new passport was already there!!! They took a bit more than 1 day to print and post it from Portugal to france.. WOW!! I was impressed.

Thursday morning I was there at 8.30am to pick it up. There was a small queue by the entrance..
I wait.. 5min ..and wait.. 15min ..and continue to wait.. 30min ..and start to get desperate .. 43min later, the lady announces the entrance ticket machine was facing problems and they could not let anyone in since all the service is computerised!!!
Less than 2min later the "technician" arrives to fix..
Guess what??! The technical problem was LACK OF PAPER and the lady did not know how to change it!!!! AAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!

This is a typical example of Portugal, it is capable of the best and the worst. The contrast between bright and intelligent people who develop create amazing things, and the illiteracy issues, lazyness and stiff hierarchic structures which allows older less educated people to relegate younger proactive pleople to the 'corner'. Fortunately it's getting better.

Here's another reason why I LOVE my country: read this article in the Wall Street Journal [Big-Time Barbecue]. It's about my favourite dish, tasty like no other.. There are really good things about our tradition I hope they will never change.

JAPAN

2009-06-29T22:57:00.002+02:00

Life changes faster than you can imagine..
I am no longer going to Japan next September!
I am going in less than 20 days ^^

On the other hand, I still need a new passport and a plane ticket!! lol

My watch collection is growing..

2009-06-27T16:36:00.005+02:00

My packages have arrived safely to the destination :)
The most wanted Russian Poljot Strela and German Aeromatic 1912.
Below upper left: the Russian brothers, the cheesy "Grandpa-look-alike" red Raketa, and Poljot Strela.
On the right: the German "Panzer" looking Aeromatic 1912
Below: my quite old Camel Active
Missing: my orange Beach Volley skin Swatch

Nihongo

2009-06-27T16:35:00.002+02:00

Lately in my life..

2009-06-27T16:25:00.003+02:00

will go to Japan around Set~Oct
work
has visits this weekend from London: Mr Carlos Veiga aka "Leitao", and Anita from Latvia
WORK..
Wedding in Germany [pics soon]
WORK
started learning Nihongo^^ [Japanese]
more work..
all my new watches have arrived, from Germany and Russia [pics soon]
a little bit more work!
found a really nice Japanese friend ^_^*
Overtime at work..
Still doesn't have proper internet at home :/
a lot of overtime at work!!
and other smaller or insignificant boring things.

Chez moi..

2009-06-14T15:13:00.000+02:00

Someone [Robert] decided for me when to do a welcome party at my place, since it wasn't really working out my planning and agenda. So, 2 days before I invited a few closer friends with whom I usually go out.

Afterwork Party

2009-06-14T15:00:00.005+02:00

Every Thursday after 7pm it is possible to find them scattered around Paris, 10~15Eur entrance and free champagne and snacks/pasta/salad until 9~10pm.
This time we have decided to go on board Le Quai, a boat on the Seine river.. and had a great time, lots of champagne, and later 2 bottles of vodka too!
The result was a bit catastrophic the next morning at work.. I was still drunk, due to the lack of food [dinner and breakfast].. but I survived :]

a fabulous long day..

2009-05-31T17:47:00.006+02:00

It all started yesterday, a sunny day.. it then continued all night long at Lolia's [Russian] place [even included F@%#ING expensive extremely rare black Russian caviar]...
..and continued this morning [after 2h sleep on her balcony] in Park du Luxembourg [un vrai park deLUXe] for 3h of intense sun.
Already at home and with my "lobster tan" on my face and arms I had a great chat with an Asian friend [yes, I am pretty sure I'll end up living there sooner than later :] instead of sleeping, and now I am ready to dive into my bed sheets [it's 6pm] and wake up tomorrow for a busy day at work [even though it is bank holiday in France!!].
A nice week to you all..
Btw, 70% Absinthe does burn.. both inside and outside!

PS: "The harvest and sale of black caviar have been banned in Russia since August 1, 2007." source: Wikipedia

Workaholic me..

2009-05-30T16:55:00.002+02:00

This week I think there was not a single day I didn't stay later than 8pm at the office!! Damn crisis, all companies are doing capital increases.. so many optional dividends.. they should all go bankrupt!! EHEHEH
So, after a busy week which finished leaving the office around 8pm and straight to a cafe/bar where i had 3 tasty Mojitos :D
Now, ready to go chillin out to Luxembourg park before heading to Lolia's place where there will be a party later tonight :D
See ya..

@net connections..

2009-05-30T16:54:00.002+02:00

there's Chemical in the air..

2009-05-24T15:52:00.002+02:00

After a boring day locked at home.. No I am not joking, I was really locked at home from inside!! I know how it all sounds weird [something that normally happens to blondes :], but I was locked inside my own flat!!
How? I lost my keys inside somewhere.. I only noticed when was about to go for a cocktail with Marina after dinner.
I found them this morning due to the noise, they were on top of my bed but when I went to bed Friday I did not noticed and they ended up being thrown between the duvet and the blanket to keep my feet warm :D
So, as I was saying, contrarily to yesterday it is a great sunny day today am I am about to leave for a kind of pic-nic by the Seine :D
Gonna finish some stuff whilst listening to Chemical Bros and leave. Actually this music brought up memories from UK, many were the times I listened ALL NIGHT LONG all the albuns and live concerts and typing my papers. A great company indeed.. :D

1st package has arrived :D

2009-05-22T12:48:00.002+02:00

My gorgeous Strela has arrived and looks even better than pics.
I even got a free pack of Russian sweets :D
One thing I did not know about my watch, besides the stopwatch and tachymeter also has a telemeter or something which is able to tell me how far is a thunderstorm!! LOL
The leather strap is black and seems to be ok [and made in Polska], but I am wondering how well it would look with a white leather strap..

Long weekend

2009-05-21T13:24:00.003+02:00

As many are aware off May is the month of the bank holidays in France.
I started my long weekend yesterday with Guillemette [FR], Nicolo' [IT] and Olga [RU] directly from the office to a nearby cafe for some beers and wine.
I then went to Julien's place [same I lived for over 2 wks] for some cocktails, try out his new XBox guitar and drums. He also got a new cocktail mini-bar, so there has been some changes since I left.
Today, I am hyperactive [used to be working at full power at this time], after cleaning the flat, I am now gonna get some groceries, cook lunch, hang the laundry clothes [should be ready by now], and finally a strawl in the park.
No further plans for the remaining except bureaucracy issues tomorrow, at least 4 that I recall, which should spread out throughout Friday's.
Ah! My lovely Russian watch has arrived to Paris. They wanted to leave the package in front of my door!!! NO WAY, come back Friday or Saturday lazy bastard :P
The other seem to be ready to be sent as well, the WWII German Panzer inspired' Aeromatic, and my very Russian Raketa.
There are 2/3 more I would like to get, the Russian Sturmanskie Gagarin is on the top of the list together with the Swiss Bell & Ross BR-01 92 Orange [probably the most gorgeous watch ever] but the latter costing close >4000 Eur!!

Poljot Strela

2009-05-17T22:14:00.003+02:00

If you are expecting me to tell you all about this watch history you are wrong, Google it and don't be lazy :P

who to vote for?

2009-05-17T22:03:00.002+02:00

If you have no idea or if you prefer making sure you ideas do match the party you'll be voting for and not their misleading fancy campaigns, take this short test here for the EU elections:

http://www.euprofiler.eu

PS: You might get surprised with the answer :P

Hi 5

2009-05-17T21:50:00.002+02:00

As I mention before last night was free entrance night to museums around Paris. I chose the wrong one, Dali, it was closed.
On the way back I see a girl stretching her arm and with a cute smile on her face saying "hi5".
I ended up going back up the stairs with the 2 American tourists being a good guide showing them the area behind Sacre Cœur until Moulin Rouge.
Nevertheless I won't see them again [I only remember they were from Baltimore] I thank them for the good time when I least expected and was about to head home after a lonely evening.

1 month later..

2009-05-17T21:33:00.002+02:00

Heya everyone. Long time no see..
Yes, a lot have been happening lately, I moved to a new big flat [42m2], I became single, bought a PS3,.. to mention a few.
I lived in Julien's sofa-bed for over 2weeks until I found a flat in Les Lilas, hard.. damn hard to find anything in Paris especially for foreigners without a permanent contract.
I continue to enjoy my life in Paris as much as possible, sometimes hard with the high season at work :/
Indeed I am using women technique to avoid falling in post traumatic depression of becoming single, shopping! LOL
Yep, I bought a lovely PS3 but I still prefer to socialise with friends. Also bought not or even two watches EHHEHE
Those who know me already know which country the watches are coming from.. True, Russia but Germany as well.
Now, I just came back from a "Deja-vu"! Last night was the free Museum night until 1am. I arranged to meet Karolina at7pm on Place d'Italie and try out the BEST crepes in Paris.
Due to my laundry I got there 30min late!! She also forgot her mobile therefore we did not meet in the end.
Each of us had the same crepe at different times, both enjoyed it a lot. Then both went to museums in different places. In the end mine was closed, Salvador Dali in Montmartre.
Anyway, why deja-vu? Today I got another 30min late to the same place but this time we met and had another delicious crepe :D

Work accident

2009-04-18T11:51:00.002+02:00

It's a bit longer than a week since I twisted my ankle.
There I was late on my way to my French lessons, I decided to take the metro in order to be faster.
As I am running down the stairs 2 by 2 [as usual] it suddenly happens!
The stairs were wet and I was wearing my suit and the shoes are slicker than a F1 tyre..
My right foot slips and twists to the inside until the outside bone touches the ground!!
Oops! That hurt.. by I did manage to get my train :D
Next day, I could not walk or stand on that foot, result: a day off spent in Hospital doing x-rays.
That weekend the foot was almost fine. One good thing, BNP will be paying everything, including Hospital, Pharmacy and my day of work :P
Now, for some reason my right foot is losing the outside layer skin like a snake does!

Venezia _IT

2009-04-18T11:30:00.013+02:00

Milano _IT

2009-04-18T11:06:00.017+02:00

Pavia _IT

2009-04-18T10:47:00.007+02:00

2. Benito in his heart and a lot of Grappa to digest it! Joao aka 'il duce fascista'

Overtime

2009-04-18T10:42:00.002+02:00

This week has been hard, really tough. I've been waking up 2~5min before the alarm clock [7:15] and working nonstop for almost 12h every single day!
Why? Big corporate events and deadlines, and so that my backup can be "toasting" in Dominican Republic. I'm sure she's enjoying her time there..
My turn will come in a few months too :D

Officially Homeless

2009-04-18T10:21:00.003+02:00

Since I officially left my previous flat I became officially homeless, and living from charity of friends!
For now, I live in Julien's "canape-lit" and soon I will probably be moving to Marina's "canape-lit" and/or Claire's extra mattress.
This is mainly due to the lack of help from the HR department who cannot be my guarantor. If I would have a French guarantor I would certainly have found a flat already.
The flat search in Paris, as previously mentioned, is DAMN hard since there are only a few flats available and too many people interested.
To make matters worse, I need a furnished flat because for the moment my contract is just for 6months.
In short, without a French guarantor and a temporary contract searching for flats in Paris chances are very slim I will find one except through the only agency which accepts foreign guarantors, and this means they will be much more expensive.
Note that, by flats I mean a normal flat and not just a shithole with toilets outside the flat or with a fridge smaller than a microwave as the one I saw yesterday. lol
Hopping for better days..

Short notice

2009-03-26T22:14:00.002+01:00

I am a very busy guy!
Busy, tired and without time to breath almost..
Today, I still have...
...to pack to Milan+Venice for a loooong weekend
...to finish dinner
...to call my parents
...to speak with my gf
...to do French homework
...to sign my new contract
...to search for a new flat since in 12 days I'll be homeless
...to translate into English Karolina's new Portuguese contract
...to do online check in and check where the hell is my Hotel in Milan
...and... to sleep!
Yes, I am damn tired from waking up early as I had both my and Saskia's clients for half a day..
Tomorrow, early bird is going to work early again..
See you soon

1 YEAR AGO...

2009-03-10T09:00:00.004+01:00

This is a transcript of a close to death experience, very close, really close indeed!! So it happened like this:

"It was 10.05am today...
As I wake up in the morning my fabulous accurate nose actually saved my life!!!

I am NOT KIDDING!!!!!

Today, Death sneaked at me from downstairs... but I stood firmly and overlooked it from above, fortunately fast enough to save my life!

Everyone is normally aware that GAS has NO smell, the artificial smell is put for situations like today's... [sorry but I've actually tears falling as I write this post listening to the sad "Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man - Mysteries" song and realising how close I was from being turned into ashes!]
(...)

So, I wake up normally and quite early, mobile shows 10.05am, and I take the usual 5min to get up [actually is more like 15min!].
I get up and suddenly feel a strange smell. I wasn't able to recognise it immediately firstly, because I was still sleepy, and secondly since I started to get dizzy..
My nose was driving me after the source of the smell. I go down the stairs and dizziness dramatically increases as I barely avoid falling..
I get to the kitchen and notice the sun reflect on the stove seemed like something was burning... but it wasnt! Not anymore...
For some unknown reason the water boiling had disappeared and there was no flame anymore!!!!
Somehow I used the last bit of conciousness to turn it off, turn on the the air extractor above the stove, open the window... breath in... go to the front door, and using the keys that were on the table sit down at the front door for a while (in boxers and tshirt).
Then breath 'British fresh air' before going back in to open all the windows and doors...
Whilst doing that I realised one HUGE detail.. TURN OFF THE HEATING SYSTEM!!!
The heating system at their place has a timer, and yesterday I made it be off most of the time girls would be at work and not at home, only once in a while to keep the temperature more or less stable...
Guess what?!
The timer was off between +- 9am (time they start working) and 10.15am!!
For those not aware how it works, there is a device that uses gas to heat up water that flows through pipes around the house.
If the heating system would go on, there would certainly be a flame to light up the gas that heats the water...
...I think you can figure the result if that happens considering the massive amount of gas in the kitchen.
To make matters worse, houses in England are quite "economic", what I call "paper houses"!! Every wall is made of paper except the sides, which are brick!
I am absolutely sure the whole house would BLOW UP!! ...me included, and with a bit of "luck" the neighbour as well... maybe even the postman since he came around that time.

My dear friends, may I remind you to enjoy life..."

Are you in for a Kansas City Shuffle?

2009-03-08T20:01:00.004+01:00

Its a blindfold kick back type of a game
Called the Kansas City Shuffle
Whereas you look left and they fall right
Into the Kansas City Shuffle
Its a they-think you-think you don't know
Type of Kansas City hustle
Where you take your time
Wait your turn
And hang them up, and out to dry

(indistinct voice)

Its a shakedown switch arrive in town
Type of Kansas City Shuffle
Gotta' make both sides and let it ride
On the Kansas City Shuffle
Now the tables turned the lessons learned
You've gotta earn yourself some trouble
Revenge like this, never sweet-
You've got yourself a long ride home

(indistinct voice)

"It refers to an advanced form of confidence game employing misdirection, subterfuge, and playing on the "mark(s)" arrogance and/or self-loathing"

Suggested by Joao [aka roidinhas] I watched "Lucky Number Slevin" and enjoyed it :]
It's Ocean's 13 kind of movie but even better..
Also watched on this relaxing weekend: Water Saphire [Indian], Crank, Central do Brasil [Brazilian], and also coming up next Ondskan (aka Evil) [Swedish].

Portuguese all the way

2009-03-08T14:07:00.002+01:00

Yesterday I started my Saturday very actively cleaning all my room and living room, and doing some laundry simultaneously.. until a very open and sincere 2h41m46s phone conversation that nonetheless it went well it ruined the rest of the day :/
Following Aparna's [colleague from work] hint, yesterday afternoon I dragged Karolina [Polish flatmate who soon will most likely be living/working in Lisbon] searching for a Portuguese shop nearby.
We actually found it even though we thought we were going the opposite direction. There I was able to find most of the essential Portuguese products at a reasonable price. The shop also had a typical BBQ restaurant attached..
Me and Karolina then decided today we'd go get some tasty grilled Portuguese food to take away. And so we did.. Today I got some delicious pork ribs with spicy sauce and patatoes, whilst Karolina got some cod cakes and shrimp dumplings.
Once at home I added a bottle of Muralhas de Moncao [Portuguese green wine] I got yesterday in the same shop, and had a real Sunday lunch like I haven't had in the recent past.
Next Friday I will go to PT for my fathers Bday and get some homemade Portuguese food again :D
Now, stuffed with tasty food I am gonna relax and watch a movie..

wishes

2009-03-07T16:33:00.000+01:00

Quiero frituras de bacalao...

Fashion tendencies

2009-03-07T16:05:00.002+01:00

I have seen SUPERMEN last Thursday morning close to work.. he even had a briefcase! No kidding.

Curiosity: Why do League of Justice super heroes wear their panties over the fashionable costumes?
I must admit Superman and Batman's are indeed very sexy! .........NOT!

Desabafo...

2009-03-03T00:59:00.002+01:00

E como n tenho nd a esconder e me estou a borrifar para todos aqueles que se achem superiores ou c inveja, eis o email q enviei a um amigo e ao meu irmao:

25min 'a espera...
10min de conversa de treta de crise..
proposta: BNP apenas pode oferecer contrato a termo 6meses
tenho de dizer sim ou nao ate 4a de manha
Se sim dizem-me os detalhes, se nao adeus..
a gaja dos RH mal sabia o meu nome, e estava la pra despachar aquilo pq tinha de voltar pra conversa c a amiga do escritorio ao lado.
Salarios beneficios perguntei eu...
Resposta: precisa de verificar/enquadrar o meu perfil na tabela dependendo dos estudos (se o MSc equivale a BAC+4 ou BAC+5), experiencia prof, nivel de linguas estrangeiras (ingles portt), ...
Deve andar entre os 27 e 33K/ano brutos. No meu caso deve andar entre 29 e 32K penso.
E foi isto.. sem qq abreviacao.
No final fui ate ao gabinete e estive a falar c a manager em frente ao pessoal todo.
Ficou td admirado c os 6meses e ainda mais o facto de nem sequer dizer o nivel salarial (mto vago).
Fiquei tb a saber q o Italiano q veio do BNP italia veio c CDI (contrato permanente) embora ele ja tivesse um em Italia eles inicialmente proposeram-lhe CDD (a termo).
A manager tentou inclusivamente ligar-lhe e ela n estava mais no escritorio. lol
Visto isto q tenho a dizer: Tenho uma vontade do caralho de fazer as malas e bazar pra asia sem bilhete de regresso, mas vou ficar estes 6meses e comecar a enviar CVs pra n voltar a ser ingenuo.
Ah! No final dos 6meses ela n garante absolutamente NADA!
O q mais me lixou foi mesmo a atitude da gaja, a fazer-se de simpatica mas estava nitidamente a cagar-se..
Enfim, da-me mm vontade de lhe ligar amanha e dizer 1ano ou zarpo daqui pra fora.
No final ela continuaria a cagar-se e quem se lixa sou eu e a minha equipa.
Esta feito o desabafo, vou ver um filme.

Abraco

Party Weekend...

2009-03-01T23:23:00.003+01:00

What a lovely weekend.. so nice I only returned home to sleep on my bed tonight [since thursday night] :D
Party Friday night @ Claire's. Merci Claire..
Saturday night out in Oberkampf for some cocktails
Sunday: lunch with Rui, who came Friday from CH but I only managed to meet him a few hours before leaving to Switzerland again. Then, a cultural tour of about 3h up and down Pompidou. Remarkable view over Paris, notwithstanding the art collections.
Yes, it was my first time inside after... 5months in Paris!!

Squatter Pigeons are a CON!! :P

2009-02-28T18:02:00.009+01:00

This is the sort of thing you can do when you fell lazy and have no better things to do!

Unfortunately the best album ever is not from the Squatter Pigeons, could actually be if they only EXISTED!!! MUAHHAAH :P
Here's your Squatter Pigeons from the "Red list of the threatened species"

As I was saying, you are bored in front of your computer so what do you do?
(Mentioning only a few of the most broadly used websites)
You go watch videos on Youtube [or PornTube for others :P], or to Facebook/Hi5/Orkut/..., or you listen to some nice music on Last.fm, you explore things with Google, go on Wikipedia, and so on and so forth..
In my case, I tried to use as many as possible all together in one!
I was listening to Last.fm, got this idea while watching pictures on Facebook, and posted it on my Blogspot.

To do it I went on Flickr [http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days] and got a ramdom picture.
Meanwhile also went on Wikipedia [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random] and get the name for your band/movie/whatever from the title of the page.
Then, got the last few words from a ramdom quote here>> [http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3].
Finally you get your assemble all together with Photoshop and go fool some of your friends like I did! EHEHEHEH :P
Still think I was lucky it all fit together pretty well with the Squatter Pigeons?
Check these 2 I just did: EHEHHE Looks real doesn't it?! :)

Best album EVER!!

2009-02-26T22:27:00.003+01:00

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

2009-02-23T21:39:00.002+01:00

This weekend I went once again to NL, this time also to Utrecht but once again mainly in Amsterdam..
Pictures and details to come soon.

I will simply refer to a 5min BJJ practice I had with Joao aka Roidinhas [no longer a white belt, Congrats :] and was enough for me to realise my stamina is not what it used to be after 5months sitting behind a PC at work and doing no sports activities besides runing almost every morning 300m in a suit to make it on time for the train to work!

I have decided that as soon as I sign my new contract with BP2S I will go back to train BJJ.
Yes, some time this month I will be negotiating my future contract, so wish me luck!

Finally, just to say that Joao was not able to submit me at all :P
[Yes you can say it was the lack of space, bla bla bla... you'll need to improve a lot to get me in this position here because I will finish you off like this :P]

PS: Any time, any where [you must be really pissed right now MUAHAHAH]

FUR TV

2009-02-17T20:02:00.007+01:00

My latest amusement series which brings me a big laugh when I get back home.. A great cure for any depression...

Mrs Slaughter: "..my husband won't do this. He says it's... un... undignified.. ahh.."
Lapeño: "Only a fool would not dine in the finest restaurant in the world..."

It's MTV latest comedy show, even better than the famous Beavis and Butthead.
"Fur TV peeps into the lives of three dirty rotten puppets, Mervin, Lapeno and Fat Ed. Watch in awe as they indulge in beer drinking, puppet porn and dodgy money-making schemes."

Please find them here.

WARNING!

This show contains adult humour, disturbing images, random violence, lots of swearing, illegal firearms and also some very bad rapping. Not mentioning the weird sexual practices, reckless gambling, horrifying images of violence [and sex] involving both humans and puppets, disturbing images of a REALLY fat ass,...
But the worst is some extremely disturbing images of what is actually chocolate mousse!

For you to FIND THE UNDERLYING PROBLEM...

2009-02-16T19:22:00.003+01:00

She says: "I love Alfie and he took my virginity." [no it's not more of the same - virginity auctions]

and then: "We decided to start a physical relationship because we love each other. There has been no one else." [and there wasn't, but now there is...!]

Alfie insists: "I am the only boyfriend Chantelle’s had — and we’ve been together for two years."

But Tyler says: "It was routine for boys to stay over with Chantelle in her bed. But I only slept with her the once."

and Jake: "My brother’s sh***** Chantelle."

Meanwhile, Richard: "Chantelle and I had sex at least 3 times"

Until finally someone said "There is a baby stuck in the middle of all of this."!!!

So, putting all this soap opera together and adding the fact that Chantelle is a 15-years-old girl [not even teenager!!] and the supposed father Alfie "who looks only eight and was just 12 when Chantelle told him she was pregnant"!!!, and you'll get this:
F@#$&!! As you can easily find available online, this controversial paternity is simply one more teenage problem among British population, and it is not me picking on England's RUBBISH teenagers once again!

A better Portugal: Pulling ahead of the pack :]

2009-02-16T18:54:00.004+01:00

In order to strike back on the rising costs of crude Portugal is finally becoming a leader using its immense natural resources sources.
Nonetheless, we're still far from being an eco-friendly country but at least we're on the right track :D
Find here a report from a Canadian broadcast on the use of natural resources to generate eco-energy.
I wish there could be more of these initiatives... maybe I'll be back to Portugal some day with one, but for now I don't really see myself going back!

PS: See.. Now you can't accuse me from just bringing forward bad critics about my country. There are many things which make me proud of being Portuguese :D

Hi-Tech news

2009-02-15T14:43:00.005+01:00

The Indian 500Rupees ($10) laptop unveiled!!

After announcing the Tata Nano [cheapest production car in the world: $2000] India shocked the technology world earlier this month by revealing the intention to produce a laptop for students for $10 [actually $20].
This was a major cut on production costs comparing to the "$100 laptop" aka Children's Machine or XO, designed by MIT.
This super-cheap laptop "Sakshat" ('before your eyes') threatens to kill the PC industry! For this price I don't think I can even by a toaster!! LOL
Information about its 'specs' are still scarce but it will feature Wifi and ethernet connections, 2GB RAM, consumption of 2Watts of power, and that's all for now.
I secretly managed to get my hands on a spy photo of this wonder PC..

Bill Gates is about kill himself!

A recent contest awarded $13,000 to a few geeks who were able to boot XP on an Apple computer, they claim it takes about 1h to do so if you know you way around those machines.
I still remember the Strategy project during my MSc Finance where we recommended Apple to find a way to have pre-installed both the Mac OS and the Windows with the possibility to run both simultaneously, besides buying DELL :P
Now, Bill Gates’ head certainly exploded "in a tragic puff of smoke after reading that a Windows benchmarking study showed that the new Apple laptop with a dual core Intel processor was faster running Windows XP than, um, well, all the laptops designed for Windows."
Poor Bill! Eheheh

Man of the Year: Obama vs Sarkosy

2009-02-15T14:21:00.004+01:00

Ladies and gentlemen: place your bets...Versus

The other side of Paris

2009-02-15T13:28:00.014+01:00

Yesterday I covered one zone from Paris commonly unknown to a normal tourist.

The XIXeme is considered to be similar to a chinatown but you can also find nice things such as the Belleville and Buttes-Chaumont Parks, which also provide a great overview of Paris.
[Was it obvious that I am not really fond of dirty/messy Chinese?! lol Please note that I am REALLY fond of Asians in general, including Chinese, but not these who live like in a pigsty!]
Here's a mini collection of yesterday's pics:

St Valentine Day

2009-02-14T20:11:00.003+01:00

In case you feel depressed today, here's my suggestion:PS: I think I might need one of those too!!

It ain't over til MIKE dances the funky chicken!

2009-02-10T20:38:00.010+01:00

And here's another amazing story for your amusement...

Mike was a chicken, and as a normal chicken he died!
But wait. Mike had a longer life than most of the chicken because he wasn't just another chicken!

So, what the hell did Mike do??!
On 10th September 1945 Mike faced the deadliest axe with his head up high like a true chicken.. Well, actually he did not!! His head got chopped as any other chicken :[

Wait a second..
Mike did get his head chopped but he actually survived the clumsy decapitation of Mr Lloyd Olsen, a farmer from Fruita, Colorado :]

Curious is not the fact it actually survived the decapitation, it is actually quite common, but the fact that with Mr Olsen's help Mike survived beheaded for 18 months!!! That is impressive!
Mr Olsen became quite rich touring around with Mike all around. Mike reached so high he made it to the TIME [check it here] or Life magazines.

Mr Olson fed him through an eyedropper and from time to time used a syringe to avoid Mike to choke on its own mucus!

In the end Mike did have an enjoying life until it died choked in a motel room in Phoenix because Mr Olsen forgot the syringe! LOL
Contrarily to Mike, as he got more famous it generated a wave of chicken decapitations which led to much shorted life span of chicken mainly in USA.

To find out how Mike was able to survive along with other details check out his website here or on wikipedia here.

The millionaire VIRGINITY auction!

2009-02-08T20:59:00.010+01:00

With 21 years old brunette 'Nathalie Dylan' [not her real name], a student from San Diego [USA] is now selling her virginity online!!

If you are still wondering why, it is a easier way to pay her studies instead of a student loan.
No need to hurry, the auction will only finish in September.. but unfortunately for you the price might be a bit too high as it already reached the astonishing amount of $3.7millions!!! WOW (just imagining I already saved $7.2M at least.. LOL)

But HEY!! Wait a second.. She's saying the winner won't necessarily be the highest bidder! "I want someone with chemistry. We'll take bids until I find a suitor I'm happy with." That is romantic my friends, will she be doing try outs or something?! I am almost tempted to bid all the money I have with me at the moment.. Oh! Wait.. I don't have any... AH! There's 2 cents in the living room.. and I'm feeling lucky! :D

So, what does her family think about it? Here's her sister's comment: "Why lose it to some guy in the backseat of a Toyota when you can pay for your education?" (well done girl, I'm guessing you'll also be getting a promotion for putting your sister for sale at bunnyranch.com where you work right?! Now I wonder what you did to get that job! LOL)

To those reluctant about her virginity, she'll undergo a gynaecological examination and even take the lie detector test...

The "transaction" will take place in Nevada's Bunny Ranch brothel.. How's that ahh? Sounds really romantic for a first time, still better than that Toyota though! EHEHEHH

There are rumours that she and her sister got into this "deal" because their stepfather took their money from the student loan... Always the men's fault!

Btw, she holds a Bachelor's degree in Women's Studies from Sacramento State, and this January she started her master's work in "Marriage and Family Therapy" [I am already sure what will be the Master Thesis about.. :P]

Here's some comments I found on the net:
"Sadly, I lost my virginity three months ago.. and wasn't paid a damn cent.";
"The really pathetic thing about this story is all the men who will bid on her. For what? She doesn't even fuck as well as a prostitute";
"You are a pioneer You are my Hero You are breaking the barriers of our inhibited society. Education=Business Business=Education Set up the bar as high an you can! Go Baby, Go!"
"Well, she can do whatever she wants. I certainly don't care. But... having read this, will she auction her anal virginity too? Or is it part of the 'virginity package'?"
Ok, that's enough.. LOLOL

Now, I assume you are curious to see how she looks like... Ok, here's a provocative picture..
The question is: What will she give for auction when she goes for a MBA or PhD?!

PS: I have a theory that her sister actually lost her's in the backseat of a Toyota!

USA vs Cuba

2009-02-08T20:52:00.004+01:00

In case you ever need any medical assistance think twice between these two neighbour countries.
Not long ago both had dictators: on one side Fidel Castro and on the other Bush.. I let you pick the one you prefer..
Both countries now have different personalities leading the country, on one hand little has changed in Cuba, on the other let's hope a lot will change with Obama..
Now regarding the Health Care System, I am pretty sure after watching the following video you won't have much doubts which to choose from:

USA vs Cuba: The Heath Care System
by Michael Moore

HTC HD tuning

2009-02-08T18:57:00.003+01:00

After spending a great part of my weekend selecting and downloading files, zip, rar, cab.. I am ready to tune up my super mobile :D
Here's a list of programs and applications to be added, at least most of them:
. iGO8, NDrive, Route66 or TomTom7.9 (maybe more than one) [satellite navigation via GPS]
. SPB Finance, Traveller, Brain Evo, Insight, Online and Wireless Monitor
. Coreplayer 1.2.5 [watch movies in any format]
. GRemote [remote control of my laptop via Wifi]
. GSen or Gyrator [tilt to landscape mode every software/application, including sms :]
. HDTweak [further configuration of the HTC HD settings]
. NET.CF v3.5 [necessary stuff for some programs]
. GAlarm [a proper alarm, I confess having dificulties waking up with the weak standard alarm]
. Sprite Terminator [in case I lose my HD or it gets stolen, I will be able to track it via GPS and even lock it down and erase all its data, just before I brake the thief's arms and legs :]
. Nodata [avoid the mobile to use 3G when Wifi is not available to update apps or for @net browsing > very usefull to avoid spending unnecessary money (right Roidas)]
. Slide2Unlock2 [avoids me pressing the pick up call or hang out while I am taking the mobile from my pocket, by maintaining the screen locked until sliding a button > very usefull]
. a 14 language T9
. Skype [free calls when Wifi is available :]
. Help2Speak [translator]
. a skin for the WMPlayer
. a new Keyboard - black w/ landscape mode for faster sms :]
. Pocket GForce or GMeter v2.11 [make use of the 'acelerarometer' of the HD to mesure the aceleration and Gforces while driving, flying or even runing!!]
. Games still TBD (To Be Downloaded) [have to choose first]

Why is "French War Victories" the smallest book ever?!!

2009-02-06T22:24:00.005+01:00

Please note that I actually like French people and enjoy very much living in this country. Still, this issue deserves a deep reflection.. which I anticipate the final conclusion: How the hell do they still exist?! HEHEHE :P

Before getting into the Military History "laundry" let me remind you they also lost in many other fronts, for eg: the language itself or the imposition of the "minitel" as the future of computers and the AZERTY keyboard! :P

The following text was extracted from albinoblacksheep.com website, therefore I am not responsible for the lack of details and precision regarding the events, moreover eventual Wars lost and not even mentioned :P

The Complete Military History of France

- Gallic Wars
- Lost. In a war whose ending foreshadows the next 2000 years of French history, France is conquered by of all things, an Italian. [Or at ths time in history, a Roman -ed.]

- Hundred Years War
- Mostly lost, saved at last by female schizophrenic who inadvertently creates The First Rule of French Warfare; "France's armies are victorious only when not led by a Frenchman." Sainted.

- Italian Wars
- Lost. France becomes the first and only country to ever lose two wars when fighting Italians.

- Wars of Religion
- France goes 0-5-4 against the Huguenots

- Thirty Years War
- France is technically not a participant, but manages to get invaded anyway. Claims a tie on the basis that eventually the other participants started ignoring them.

- War of Revolution
- Tied. Frenchmen take to wearing red flowerpots as chapeaux.

- The Dutch War
- Tied

- War of the Augsburg League/King William's War/French and Indian War
- Lost, but claimed as a tie. Three ties in a row induces deluded Frogophiles the world over to label the period as the height of French military power.

- War of the Spanish Succession
- Lost. The War also gave the French their first taste of a Marlborough, which they have loved every since.

- American Revolution
- In a move that will become quite familiar to future Americans, France claims a win even though the English colonists saw far more action. This is later known as "de Gaulle Syndrome", and leads to The Second Rule of French Warfare; "France only wins when America does most of the fighting."

- French Revolution
- Won!!!!, primarily due the fact that the opponent was also French.

- The Napoleonic Wars
- Lost. Temporary victories (remember the First Rule!) due to leadership of a Corsican, who ended up being no match for a British footwear designer.

- The Franco-Prussian War
- Lost. Germany first plays the role of drunk Frat boy to France's ugly girl home alone on a Saturday night.

- World War I
- Tied and on the way to losing, France is saved by the United States [Entering the war late -ed.]. Thousands of French women find out what it's like to not only sleep with a winner, but one who doesn't call her "Fraulein." Sadly, widespread use of condoms by American forces forestalls any improvement in the French bloodline.

- World War II
- Lost. Conquered French liberated by the United States and Britain just as they finish learning the Horst Wessel Song.

- War in Indochina
- Lost. French forces plead sickness; take to bed with the Dien Bien Flu

- Algerian Rebellion
- Lost. Loss marks the first defeat of a western army by a Non-Turkic Muslim force since the Crusades, and produces the First Rule of Muslim Warfare; "We can always beat the French." This rule is identical to the First Rules of the Italians, Russians, Germans, English, Dutch, Spanish, Vietnamese and Esquimaux.

- War on Terrorism
- France, keeping in mind its recent history, surrenders to Germans and Muslims just to be safe. Attempts to surrender to Vietnamese ambassador fail after he takes refuge in a McDonald's.

The question for any country silly enough to count on the French should not be "Can we count on the French?", but rather "How long until France collapses?"

"Going to war without France is like going deer hunting without an accordion. All you do is leave behind a lot of noisy baggage."

Or, better still, the quote from last week's Wall Street Journal: "They're there when they need you."

With only an hour and a half of research, !!! provided the following losses:

Norse invasions, 841-911.
After having their way with the French for 70 years, the Norse are bribed by a French King named Charles the Simple (really!) who gave them Normandy in return for peace. Normans proceed to become just about the only positive military bonus in France's [favour] for next 500 years.

!!!(French) posts this in response: [could have been possible a victory for once?! - read the following posts]

1066 A.D. William The Conquerer Duke and Ruler of France Launches the Largest Invasion in the history of the world no other was as large until the same trip was taken in reverse on June 6th 1944 William Fights Harold for the Throne of England Which old king Edward rightfully left to William but Harold Usurped the throne Will fights the Saxons (English) wins and the French Rule England for the Next 80 Years. then the French start the largest building and economic infrastructure since the fall of the Roman Empire the Norman Economy skyrockets and the Normans inadvertantly start England to become a major world Power. Vive La France-

!!! posts this in response to !!! above:

Oh dear. We seem to have overlooked some basic facts. Firstly, Philip the First (1060 - 1108) was King of France at the time of the Norman invasion of 1066 - William was Duke of Normandy and, incidentally, directly descended from the Vikings. William was, therefore, as alien to France as the experience of victory. Since Philip did not invade England, the victory at Hastings was Norman - not French. Normandy may be a part of France now but it most certainly wasn't in 1066. Therefore, William's coronation as King of England had nothing whatsoever to do with the French. As usual, they were nowhere near the place when the fighting was going on. The mistaken belief that 1066 was a French victory leads to the Third Rule of French Warfare; "When incapable of any victory whatsoever - claim someone else's".

Mexico, 1863-1864.
France attempts to take advantage of Mexico's weakness following its thorough thrashing by the U.S. 20 years earlier ("Halls of Montezuma"). Not surprisingly, the only unit to distinguish itself is the French Foreign Legion (consisting of, by definition, non-Frenchmen). Booted out of the country a little over a year after arrival.

Panama jungles 1881-1890.
No one but nature to fight, France still loses; canal is eventually built by the U.S. 1904-1914.

Napoleonic Wars.
Should be noted that the Grand Armee was largely (~%50) composed of non-Frenchmen after 1804 or so. Mainly disgruntled minorities and anti-monarchists. Not surprisingly, these performed better than the French on many occasions.

Haiti, 1791-1804.
French defeated by rebellion after sacrificing 4,000 Poles to yellow fever. Shows another rule of French warfare; when in doubt, send an ally.

India, 1673-1813.
British were far more charming than French, ended up victors. Therefore the British are well known for their tea, and the French for their whine (er, wine...). Ensures 200 years of bad teeth in England.

Barbary Wars, middle ages-1830.
Pirates in North Africa continually harass European shipping in Meditteranean. France's solution: "pay them to leave us alone". America's solution: kick their asses ("the Shores of Tripoli"). [America's] first overseas victories, won 1801-1815.

1798-1801, Quasi-War with U.S.
French privateers (semi-legal pirates) attack U.S. shipping. U.S. fights France at sea for 3 years; French eventually cave; sets precedent for next 200 years of Franco-American relations.

Moors in Spain, late 700s-early 800s.
Even with Charlemagne leading them against an enemy living in a hostile land, French are unable to make much progress. Hide behind Pyrennes until the modern day.

French-on-French losses (probably should be counted as victories too, just to be fair):

1208: Albigenses Crusade, French massacared by French.
When asked how to differentiate a heretic from the faithful, response was "Kill them all. God will know His own." Lesson: French are badasses when fighting unarmed men, women and children.

St. Bartholomew Day Massacre, August 24, 1572.
Once again, French-on-French slaughter.

Third Crusade.
Philip Augustus of France throws hissy-fit, leaves Crusade for Richard the Lion Heart to finish.

Seventh Crusade.
St. Louis of France leads Crusade to Egypt. Resoundingly crushed.

[Eighth] Crusade.
St. Louis back in action, this time in Tunis. See Seventh Crusade.

Also should be noted that France attempted to hide behind the Maginot line, sticking their head in the sand and pretending that the Germans would enter France that way. By doing so, the Germans would have been breaking with their traditional route of invading France, entering through Belgium (Napoleonic Wars, Franco-Prussian War, World War I, etc.). French ignored this though, and put all their effort into these defenses.

!!! has submitted this addition to me:

Seven year War 1756-1763
Lost: after getting hammered by Frederick the Great of Prussia (yep, the Germans again) at Rossbach, the French were held off for the remainder of the War by Frederick of Brunswick and a hodge-podge army including some Brits. War also saw France kicked out of Canada (Wolfe at Quebec) and India (Clive at Plassey).

!!!, an American in France wants to add the following:

The French consider the departure of the French from Algeria in 1962-63, after 130 years on colonialism, as a French victory and especially consider C. de Gaulle as a hero for 'leading' said victory over the unwilling French public who were very much against the departure. This ended their colonialism. About 2 million ungrateful Algerians lost their lives in this shoddy affair.

PS: By the way, the book in the post title does not exist simply because it would be empty!! I love being mean! MUHAHAHAHHA :D

F1 2009

2009-02-06T20:48:00.002+01:00

Let's hope it will be more fun to watch.. I lost interest long time ago.
I still remember those times I used to pick on my brother by saying I was for Nelson Piquet or Alain Prost just because he really liked Ayrton Senna :P

Check out the new changes here.

Paris 8am

2009-02-02T23:53:00.002+01:00

The first look in the morning reveals a lovely snow white Paris...

The Balmoral missile

2009-02-01T20:36:00.007+01:00

Nonetheless it missed the target [unfortunately], the prototype missiles developed and tested by Muntazer al-Zaidi on former US president Bush have now a statue [which has been removed, but I'll make sure it won't be forgotten :].

See the throw here, and test the missiles on Bush here EHEHEHH

New trends in Partying!!

2009-01-31T18:57:00.003+01:00

Last night I was feeling tired from a long week of work and cinema. I then decided to stay at home..
Whilst on my computer doing random useless browsing I got suddenly into a "wireless conference party" on skype, between me, my gf and Dounia.
We were all drinking and having a lot of fun updating our conversations and news.. In their case, they were getting ready to go out, in my case to go in.. in bed!

Today, I am going back to the "old school" partying, gonna get ready to meet some friends [Marina, Claire,...] for a Parisian night out :]
It's so much better to talk to someone else in person.

A mi me gusta mucho también =O)

2009-01-31T18:13:00.008+01:00

Quoting Matheus: "I am impressed..."

Parov Stelar

2009-01-31T16:08:00.003+01:00

For those who like electronic ambience jazz sounds you'll certainly like him..
"A night in Torino", "KissKiss" and "Spygame" just became part of my best of.

Other similar include:
Lemon Jelly, Nicola Conte, Boozoo Bajou, Hird, Nuspirit Helsinki, Royksopp, Gerardo Frisina, Sven van Hees, Weather Report, The Quantic Soul Orchestra, Telepopmusik, De-Phazz, The Dining Rooms, Gilles Peterson, Koop, Outlines, Rodney Hunter, Stephane Pompougnac, Butti 49, Bugz in the Attick, Den of Thieves, Future Sounds of Jazz, Giant Robot, Matthew Herbert, Jazzanova, Kid Loco, Kruder & Dorfmeister, Lemongrass, Lindstrom & Prins Thomas, Madrid de los Austrias, St Germain, Sofa Surfers, Suba, Thievery Corp, Tosca, Truby Trio, Blue Six, ...

I also suggest the Sonar Kollektiv albuns, Jet Society, Verve Remix, all from Zero 7/Federico Aubele/Gotan Project/Goldfrapp/Bertrand Burgalat/Air, Serge Gainsbourg [Electronicagainsbourg remix album], Om Lounge, Nordic Lounge, The Cocktail Shaker, Blast Lounge Deluxe Edition

As you can notice it's quite a lot of music, and I have a certain tendency for Latin, Nordic and Austrian sounds mainly..

Spiritualism: the truth!!

2009-01-31T01:21:00.009+01:00

Even though we drunk too much and too fast during this "Belgium Party" I was able to capture part of a priceless debate on Angels & Co!
You might think it was the beer/vodka speaking for him [one of the Belgium twins] but the reality is that he actually believes the bullshit he was saying, just check out his website here - "bodymindsoul". [when I tried the page was out, he's surely doing some meditation in Nepal]
I avoided as much as possible commenting what he was saying.. I didn't want him to wake up from his "dream" and face the crap he was saying. In the end I wouldn't want to be unpleasant for our visitors, especially when they brought us such large amount of tasty Belgium beer. And he was amusing me too :D
Enjoy and if you're interested I have his contact so you can get a "psycodynamic massage", whatever this means!!

My World Infamous Film Festival

2009-01-30T18:47:00.003+01:00

These late weekdays have been dedicated to a nonstop Film Festival.
I've been watching 2 movies per night in a bed close to me :]
The list includes from SHITE to high quality movies.
I admit liking to watch Hollywood nonsense comedies.
My late nights Film Festival:
Last weekend: "Madagascar Escape 2 Africa", "The Changeling" [old version]
Monday - the shity movie night: "Knocked Up", "Zack and Miri Make a Porno"
Tuesday: "Vicky Cristina Barcelona", "Wall-E"
Wednesday - Japanese night: "Battle Royale", "Battle Royale II"
Thursday - Brazilian night: "O Homem que Copiava", "Tropa de Elite"

Still to watch: "Central do Brasil", "The Green Mile", "Letters from Iwo Jima", "Flags of our Fathers", "Saw IV", "Saw V", "9th Company", "Amores Perros", "Apocalypto", "Babel", "Chunking Express" [Chinese], "Das Boot", "Dead Man Shoes", "Der Untergang", "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", "Hable con Ella", "I am Legend", "Life is a Miracle", "Man of the Year", "Mar Adentro", "No Country for Old Men", "Perfume", "PS I Love You", "Rocky Balboa", "RV", "Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi" [Japanese], "Silent Hill", "Silmido"[Korean], "Snakes on a Plane", "Sunshine", "Taegukgi - The Brotherhood of War" [Korean], "Taxi Driver", "Ten Commandments", "The Good Sheperd", "The Kingdom", "The Machinist", "The Man", The New World", "The Prestige", "The Queen", "The Tale of Two Sisters" [Korean], "The Count of Monte Cristo", "The Devil Wears Prada", "The Last Legion", "To Kill a Mockingbird", "Ultraviolet", "Underground", "United 93", "Water Saphire", "House of the Flying Daggers", "Reservoir Dogs", "The Butterfly Effect", "The Last Secret", "The Magician", "Three", "Touched", "Whirlygirl", "The Century of the Self" [Documentory], ... amongst many others...

バトル・ロワイアル aka Batoru Rowaiaru

2009-01-30T18:37:00.002+01:00

Yesterday there was a 'major' strike in the transports here in Paris.
It was supposed to get chaotic and originate a real blood bath, a Battle Royale for a place on the trains/metro..
Instead, most people got so afraid they simply took the day off and stayed at home! What a pity..
I had the most relaxing journey ever, it looked like it was Sunday morning, even the streets were empty as I was walking to my French lessons.
On the other hand, today was more like the opposite, lots of people everywhere as they skipped work yesterday and Sarkozy would probably have them killed if they didn't go to work today again!

Irresistivel... ainda estou a chorar!

2009-01-28T00:30:00.003+01:00

Facam-me um favor:
Vao ver este pequeno video no YouTube e verao que nao se arrependerao, o vosso dia vai passar a hilariante em menos de 6.4 segundinhos!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7oDeLDpBlA&NR=1

ou com a traducao real:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xI5HBF5xiDc

Qual deles o melhor/pior?!

This post is for those who can read Portuguese but I guess you'll also laugh even if you don't understand... they will be the same for you if you do not understand.

my Russian doll.. I mean Polish :]

2009-01-25T17:24:00.003+01:00

After another long period without seeing each other I had the pleasant visit of my gf and her friend Angela [DE].
She told me that British require citizens from "new" members of EU to register with the UK Home Office in order to allow them to work legally there. The 1st problem comes from the fact that employers do not alert employees most of the times, now she was told she has 1 month to get that permission or get might get fired!
Normally it would cause much problems except the UK Home Office requires something I truly believe it is not only illegal but also the most RIDICULOUS thing I ever heard!!
Just listen... They want her to fill up some paperwork as usual and also to POST HER ID!!!! NO NOT A COPY, THE ORIGINAL ID!!!
WTF!!! What a bunch of ... [I better not say it]
Result, for a period of about 2 months she'll be 'locked' in UK without any possibility to leave the country as she won't have any ID.
My question is:
If the police asks her for ID on the street, should she show her gas bill instead??!!!!

NL

2009-01-22T20:51:00.017+01:00

Since the work lacks, and I end up rereading stuff all over again, I went surfing the net and end up my day buying another TGV ticket to Netherlands :D
Even though the train destination is still Amsterdam, this time I am catching another and explore Utrecht.. [end of February, keeping my objective of a new place per month :]
By the way, Amsterdam's pics are on stand by, still waiting for Matheus' pics.
Here's some of them..

Pic 1: It is as good as it looks... (the only sunshine we got all weekend though!)
Pic 2: Matheus and some random tourists in the Red Light District doing "window shopping" LOL
Pic 3: Me trying out a Ducati 999R
Pic 4: creative kinky condoms [not for kids!!]

1st day on the job

2009-01-19T20:45:00.002+01:00

After a long period of training I finally started with my clients, unfortunately this is low season and there's not much to do.
I got one phone call and it was not even for me, but since I am the backup ended up being for me. It went well. We'll see how it goes from now on..

Geneva

2009-01-19T19:45:00.020+01:00

Pic 1: It gets up to 150m high, leaving the lake at around 200Km/h
Pic 2: Russian church
Pic 3: the tree covered with 32000 bells!
Pic 4: The amazing military power from CH, getting ready to conquer the world
Pic 5: If you haven't noticed: a bridge

Porsche at its best

2009-01-18T19:26:00.002+01:00

Just finished reading this article posted on Ivan Krstić blog, simply brilliant :]

A close shave

2009-01-18T18:10:00.003+01:00

Last Thursday after work, I was decided to finally get my damn long hair another shave.
For those who know me better it doesn't come to much surprise, to the others may be hard to believe I do cut my own hair without the help of anyone else and it does look like it was done by a pro [even in the back of the head]!!
So, I bought a machine in Darty, went home to cut my hair and pack to AMSTERDAM.
You'll be able to see my haircut in the following pics from Amsterdam.

Paris by night = BALADA :]

2009-01-12T21:04:00.003+01:00

Lately my tourism around Paris resumes to after dark, mainly during Xmas and New Year's parties.. especially during the visit of Rui [PT] and Matheus [BR] to Paris.
Obviously we had to go out, obviously we had to drink a lot, obviously we had to party a lot, obviously we had to return home only in the morning, obviously...
That's the true BALADA brasuca :]
Since it was their 1st time in Paris we also had to do some sightseeing but for an unknown reason we barely got to see the sun light.. but still we got some great pics...

French money collecting agency harassment!

2009-01-12T20:40:00.004+01:00

Yep, I've been living in this country for about 3 and a half months and already have an agency trying to collect money from me... Good luck to them :P
What has happened?
Easy, my landlady is so nice she open an internet+phone+TV connection with Orange/France Telecom for us using my personal and bank details!!!
Since I wanted a different operator [SFR], I simply cancel this one arguing I never open any account or signed any contract, they said it was fine after a week when I went back to check the following updates.
Two weeks ago I got my bank account charged by both Orange and France Telecom [almost 100Eur]. I rapidly cancelled the direct debits and asked SocGen to get my money back, which they did in less than a week :]
Now, I just got a letter from "Jean-Pierre Tristant & Guillaume Le Peillet" collecting agency regarding a "Mise en demeure sans frais et sans interets" of 89,68Eur.
I am now sending them the following email [in English of course]:

"Good evening,

I received today a letter from "Jean-Pierre Tristant & Guillaume Le Peillet" arguing I have a debt towards France Telecom SA.
In regards to this debt I will simply ask you to investigate first before bothering me with this issue again!
I NEVER signed any contract with France Telecom and as soon as I start getting annoying messages I went to investigate what was going on cancelling immediately everything, and also I found out someone used my bank details to open a contract with Orange and France Telecom WITHOUT my permission.
I also noticed France Telecom charged my bank account in the same amount mentioned in this letter, and as it is possible to see I demanded my bank account manager to cancel all direct debits and retrieve MY money.
Therefore, I suggest you STOP HARASSING me or I will be the first to go to the POLICE.

Thank you for understanding and have a nice day,

Luis Vieira"

Mon KDO de Noel pour moi!

2009-01-11T18:01:00.002+01:00

The best mobile ever to come to the market is...
No, not the iPhone [that's just a toy which copied the design from LG, and that everyone buys because it is fashionable]
No, not the Blackberry Storm [Blackberries are for pseudo-businessmen who like to show off]
It is the just released (bought it more than 2months ago already) ultimate mean machine: The HTC Touch HD :]
For the curious here's the link to HTC webpage: HTC Touch HD

My 1st time in Paris

2009-01-11T17:58:00.001+01:00

It was in a crazy weekend in May '05 for the 1st of many UMSL Annual Meetings...

Fresh news... CONGRATS :D

2009-01-11T17:36:00.004+01:00

Wedding in Germany this Summer :D

Anna & Martin civil wedding in Mexico last Summer, it will now be time for the big party for the family and friends :]
Btw, they met in USA at UMSL...

Photos

2009-01-11T17:27:00.002+01:00

I know I still owe you some pics, even some SHOCKING videos from before and during Xmas & New Year's parties [following days too].. these will come asap [still collecting them]
Here's just one to open the appetite... LOL

A rather calm week.. or maybe not!

2009-01-11T16:41:00.003+01:00

All week went rather well..

. Except the freezing temperatures [Paris was covered in white all week long and still is]

. Except the fact that snow turned into ice, causing some unexpected slides. The only problematic one was after lunch at work. In few words, I got a shower of coffee and I got my suit, trousers, shirt, tie, face, hair and shoes with coffee [only underwear didn't get coffee]!!! I didn't fall down and I still kept half of my coffee, besides only Hakim saw. He then lend me his jumper and since my suit was brown again no one could notice anything :]

. Except the stupid problem printing my tickets to Amsterdam because French have no idea what is MBnet [virtual credit card based on a debit] and it was impossible to print the ticket without that card [even though I argued it was stolen!]. There was only 1 solution: buy a new one and get the refund of the original in 3/4 weeks [who says Portuguese are bureaucratic and complicated?!]

. Except the ridiculous situation where I almost ended up breaking some toes from my left foot! I have this weird habit to clean my shoes on the stairways in the Metro and Train accesses. Last Friday I was cleaning the left one when a girl in a hurry to catch her train bumps against my shoulder and I had to put the left foot down. As I do that it gets stuck between the stairs and the metal support of the stairways' brush. Since the front of the boot was all rubber it "glued" to the side and start twisting my left foot.
Fortunately I was wearing my heavy duty trekking Salomon boots which saved my foot from twisting more and perhaps braking some toes!
Friday and yesterday it was hurting quite a lot but today is fine, whilst the boot has merely a small scratch! lol

Heavy Duty

2009-01-06T21:51:00.005+01:00

After an extended crazy weekend I am still recovering, that includes my stomach after too much alcohol [mainly Vodka]...
More news probably before next weekend, need to do my French homework for tomorrow! :/

Happy New Year 2009

Btw, on the 16th I'll be heading for my 23th country on my list, and to celebrate I'll be eating CHOCOLATE CAKE in Amesterdam... Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee(d)!! :D

La vie à Paris

2008-12-26T21:07:00.003+01:00

Now I don't want to have any complains about lack of pics and updates of the blog, plenty for a while and more to come soon...
As you can notice I DO HAVE LIFE BEYOND WORK, this is something precious for me :D
Everything else, sometimes better other not really but overall I am very satisfied.
A+ mes amis..

Sorcha [IE] in Paris...

2008-12-26T21:05:00.001+01:00

Sofia aka Bia [PT] in Paris for a "girly" wkd and the intrudor [me]

2008-12-26T20:58:00.006+01:00

Le Restu Russe

2008-12-26T20:36:00.004+01:00

Again most of the team from work for a delicious Russian dinner, celebrating Olga's [RU] 1st year in the team.
Typically as in Russia we drunk Vodka for dinner [wine, coke, beer, water or juice are just for those driving].
One thing you might not be aware is how to drink vodka... Both Russians and Polish drink it properly by getting a glass with vodka pouring it quickly (without tasting the vodka in the mouth) down the throat letting it 'burning' on the way. Then, you eat a gherkin [has to be Polish or Russian, French taste too much to vinegar!], and you are ready for anything afterwards! LOL
The final result was shocking!!! Actually, considering the amount of Vodka we drunk and its quality [Stolichnaya - best vodka ever, but don't tell my Polish flatmates or my gf please!], as well as the great time we spent there singing and dancing too, 52Eur/each is ok...!
Pic: Nathalie [hands!], Saskia, Caitriona, Aparna, Samba, Caroline, Guillemette, Olga, Nadege, and Pierre [fingers!].

"O tascão tuga"

2008-12-26T19:54:00.005+01:00

Anywhere in the World there are things that never change, the typical Portuguese countryside 'pub' is one of those things...
In this kind of place you find ONLY men, drinking, playing cards or domino, watching and commenting the football game on TV, among many other things most of you cannot understand [like eating 'tremoços', the style of "wearing" the toothpick in the mouth or holding the cigarette on the ear, but above all having a real belly].
To cheer the Portuguese imigrants a bit I took Petra [CZ] and her bf Paul [UK], Karolina [PL] and her bf Bruno [PT], Robert [PL] and his gf Olga [PL], and finally Hakim [UK] too for some Portuguese beer SuperBook. Obviously the men there get into a state of transe seeing "foreigners" (especially women) in such place... After less than nothing we were already all great friends and ended up the night testing the Northern Irish [Paul] with some typical Portuguese highly alcoholic drinks [bagaço, macieira, amendoa amarga].
On the pic: random Portuguese [easy to distinguish right? :], Paul, Petra and a bit of Karolina's head.

Bar au Vin

2008-12-26T19:36:00.003+01:00

Yes, it is as good as it looks :]
French wine, cheese, salads, saucisson and a great team...
On the pics, both the Corp. Actions teams (Custodians and Brokers). From left: Saskia, Pierre, Amanda, Stephanie, Caitriona, Aparna; moi and Caroline.

Indian Restaurant

2008-12-26T19:25:00.002+01:00

My 1st dinner out with friends, actually I only knew Dayana (top left) before...
You probably don't remember her but you might recall the french who used to be my flatmate in UK Christophe (her bf). I also went for a Vietnamese dinner with them last Monday.

Corp. Actions CdC: Brokers 'Dream' Team

2008-12-26T19:17:00.004+01:00

From left to right: Moi [PT], Amanda [FR], Saskia [DE], Nathalie [FR], Nadege [FR], Samba [FR], Guillemette [FR], Olga [RU].

La chambre du Mestre.. et son Zoo privé!

2008-12-26T18:55:00.010+01:00

The variety of exotic animals is broad: a green massage spider, a chocolate bunny and deer, a plastic tiny replica of the GREAT Rudolf, an alien, a super turtle, "Ali" the gator, birds from different corners of the World, penguins, a dog and a mad cow disguised as a dog, a gay lion, and above all... ME!

I Mondial Auto

2008-12-26T18:46:00.007+01:00

Some of the best and the worst...

The blackout period...

2008-12-25T15:55:00.004+01:00

As you well noticed I was out for quite long period. The reasons behind that vary from a poor wifi connection in the place I temporarily lived [Nanterre], search of a new home, work, tiredness, lazyness, tourism,...
But I am back, and now I will quickly go over the past month and a half mentioning the most relevant.
The last post mentioned the difficulties of finding ANY place to live in Paris, we achieved the impossible in 2weeks [normally takes 2 months]. I am currently living in a big nice flat but unfortunately we had to get out of the city centre and move to Rosny. Normally I'd agree it is far from Paris [4km] but with a train station 3min away [<1min if I am late to catch the train to work]. So, I had to move all my stuff again, in 5 journeys crossing Paris from West to East, taking the big bag to work with me 3 days in a row!!
I've been to the I Mondial Automobile, even though that was a long time ago... (damn crowded) [pics soon]
I've done some tourism but not that much and not so comprehensive, loads of things still to do though. I've had two more visits, Bia [PT] and Sorcha [IE]. [pics soon]
I've also been out for dinners [including with my team from work], afterwork parties on Thusrdays, cocktail/Bday parties,... [pics soon]
I've bought a Xmas gift to my self that leaves all iPhone owners jealous of my "mean machine' HTC HD [pics soon]
I've been to Birmingham to visit my gf and to Geneva to meet up with Joao [pics soon].
I've done and experienced many other things/realities, but the thing I like the most in Paris is buying a fresh warm baguette and eat it as I walk along the streets :]
(Anything I might remember meanwhile I'll let you know)

HOHoHO..

2008-12-25T11:12:00.005+01:00

My best wishes of a Merry Xmas and a Great New Year in 2009.

I am spending my Xmas away from my family but anyway I am in good company, surrounded by Polish friends.
Dinner yesterday night was based on two grounds, Polish food [+Norwegian Salmon] and Portuguese wine.. After their first ever glass of Green wine Muralhas Xmas spirit was all around :D
And after the 3rd bottle and then another of Muscatel de Setubal they could almost see Rudolf flying around.. We then finished with some orange juice to clean the stomach but somehow the remaining of my beloved Croatian hot hot hot Medenica [for the PT, its similar to Bagaco but with honey flavour] came to live... and party was here to stay with the help of Serge Gainsbourg.
The pic reflects well Karolina's Xmas spirit... lol

PS: It's Karolina's Bday today too

Alive and kickin'

2008-12-21T15:17:00.002+01:00

Yes, I'm still around...
Just got a proper internet access during this week and now bit by bit I am starting to enjoy a normal life. Not only because of the internet, but also at work, at home, travelling now and then again, exploring Paris, and so on and so forth..
So, in the next weeks to come I'll update the blog, today I still have to watch some movies, iron some shirts, do the French homework and maybe read some things for work [if I don't find anything better to help me fall asleep :]
A+

Xmas gift

2008-11-09T23:14:00.004+01:00

..and for Xmas I want... a tent!
Not any tent of course, it must have central heating, king size bed, balcony over the Seine, big bathroom, large living room to have big dinners with friends, and of course internet connection.
As you can see I am not demanding any 5* Mansion in Paris..
For the central heating, putting the tent under a bridge and over the Metro ventilation solves the problem, with some cardboards under to avoid humidity. Regarding the bed I just need to "borrow" the mattress I use now. As for the balcony and bathroom, being just next to the river solves both problems instantly. Bridges are big and can accommodate lots of people under, so we can make some kind of circle with the tents and there we have a large living and dinning room.
The internet connection.. Since I don't have a wifi pen from an internet provider, I just need to find the perfect bridge which would be close to an open wifi that my laptop could reach. Anyway, it wouldn't be worse than the one I have now!!
Hmmm.. how about electricity?!... AH! Easy.. I'll just "borrow" from a post nearby like they do in 3rd world countries :)
Et voila, la maison de mon rêve. Merry Xmas to everyone, come visit me anytime, I have a free sleeping bag for you :]

Rien de tout!

2008-11-08T20:22:00.002+01:00

After waking up at 8h30am and walking and more walking, asking here and there in all the agencies we found.. In the end I think we [me, Karolina and Robert] asked in over 30 agencies if there was ANY flat to rent.
The answer was brutal: rien de tout.. Absolutely nothing in most of them, maybe 1 studio sometimes [less than 3~5 all day long]!!!
But, there is hope.. One of the agencies from Foncia asked us to call back next Wednesday because they MIGHT have a 2 bedroom appart coming up. We'll be calling Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, we'll even adapt the living room into another bedroom if necessary in case we don't find anything else [most likely].
It's been really frustrating today.. I never imagined it would be this hard to find anything.
I was told it is hard to find flats in Paris and you normally need at least 2 months to find something. Well, we have 2 weeks left!!!! Wish us luck, we really need it :/

American Boy

2008-11-05T23:50:00.000+01:00

Obama did win.. by FAR! :]
I'm not really a fanatic about politics, on the contrary... but anyway I do prefer Obama as president than another Republican. Maybe he'll keep up with what is expected from him, even though I am not seeing US changing that much from what it is now. Obama may well become a good president as Clinton was [nonetheless his male instincts towards Monica..]. One thing is certain, he won't as bad as J.W. Bush has been :P

Today, I realised in the morning I was most likely going to be noticed for my outfit! Why?
As Nathalie said, I was dressed up with the American flag colours... And so I noticed I was being noticed all day long :/ [please refer to my profile pic, taken in my 'huge' studio']

Intellectual thoughts!

2008-11-03T20:06:00.005+01:00

After a long Saturday night of mainly Portuguese alcohol, I need to compensate with an inspired intellectual thought...

VOTE OBAMA :]

PS: Today I had my French conversation and my current level of both grammar and speaking production stands at the intermediary level :))

Today's programme

2008-11-01T14:19:00.003+01:00

Last evening I went with Karolina [PL] to meet a Polish friend of her and went for a pint before I joined Day [FR] and her friends for an Indian dinner close to Opera.
Today...
It's lunch time now, on a bank holiday Saturday, meaning that most things are closed today.
So, I bought my hot baguette for breakfast which half already disappeared. Now shower, then lunch, then going for a walk with Karolina in the city centre, then a drink at Mad Vicky's Tea Gallery [Cocorosie] and then we'll meet Bruno [Karolina's Portuguese boyfriend].
I'm living in Paris, so I don't fell well if I stay all day at home even with this weather...
Dinner will be in Saint-Denis/Michel, the whole group of 5 from Coventry and 3 having the respective bf/gf [not me though].
A bientot mes amis

Leçons de Français

2008-11-01T14:11:00.002+01:00

This Monday morning I am having a conversation completely in French to assess my level of French. Yes, I am going to start French classes very soon.
Me and Hakim managed to convince the Int'l HR Coordinator of BNP to provide us with some French classes, so now all 5 will benefit from it :]

Even though it is not really necessary to know French to deal with clients at work as the main language used is English but still I really want to learn French since I am living here and I still use mainly English on daily life. I do understand most of the conversations and am already able to say a few complete sentences in French, it is far from being enough to have a complete conversation.
Soon, I'll be able to speak fluently my 4th language (besides Portuguese, English and Spanish) :]

Travelling: setting new goals

2008-11-01T13:49:00.003+01:00

It's no secret to anyone, except my father perhaps (!!!), that I've been in 4 continents, 21 countries, well over 200 cities and met hundreds of nice people from all over the world.
May not seem anything special to some and a lot to others...
One thing you probably don't know is that I only started in 2004 this crazy travelling, 4 years ago. Doing some rough calculations gives 1 continent, 5 countries and 40 cities per year on average (many before 2004).
My aim until now was 2 new countries per year and 5 new places per year. Now I am going to do an upgrade based on the fact that I am working and until May I won't have vacations [Xmas and New Year in Paris].
So, based on that my goal is now to have unlimited visits from friends [had 2 already and many more coming soon], reach 25 countries by the end of 2009 and about 5 to 10 new cities every year.
Travel plan until the end of the year: Birmingham [Nov '08] and Geneve [Dec '08] for now... (on weekends obviously).

1 month gone..

2008-11-01T12:19:00.003+01:00

Time does fly...
It seems I just arrived to Paris and started working yesterday, but it's been already a month.
Some early conclusions show a very high cost of living, extreme difficulty to find (any) flats, people find it hard to speak anything else but French (not at work and not my French friends). These are the main disadvantages.
On the other hand, people are very friendly, transportation is great [I don't remember waiting more than 5min for a train (RER) or metro, even at night], food is tasty, weather is quite good [except this week's rain, I like cold], among many other things...
I can confess that since my 1st visit to Paris my opinion about this city has been changing.. I liked Paris but I didn't find it anything special. And now, I find special things everywhere...
I can find myself living here for a long time. This may sound awkward to you but my list of cities where I can imagine myself living all my life resumes to San Francisco [US], Barcelona [ES], Sydney [AU] and now Paris...

French connections!

2008-10-27T23:10:00.002+01:00

How am I going to find a flat if I cannot use internet at home?!
This wifi connection is really a crap...
Last week I went to complain. I told the girl I needed internet to work and I was paying for a service I am not getting, and asked what was she going to do about it. She replied saying it is a problem with the provider.. bla bla bla..
I asked again what did she suggest me to do meanwhile?
"McDonalds has free wifi accross the street"!!! ...no comments!!!
I just told her I want a normal internet connection by the end of the month or I want the @net connection money back [even though it's not me who's paying for it :]

I need an appart.

2008-10-22T01:13:00.002+02:00

This is my 4th week in Paris, and this will be already the 2nd visit I'll have.
For now, the only room I have is the floor of my studio!!
Since I am expecting a considerable flow of people coming over I will need at least a sofa or a mattress.
Before that, I need to get a flat. I spoke with some people and agreed with Karolina to share an appart. inside Paris even if we pay more and get less space. I need to feel that i live in Paris and not some countryside neighbourhood...
Therefore, feel free to let me know if you hear about 2/3 room appart. :)
Cheers

Over 1 month later...

2008-10-19T23:07:00.003+02:00

I am back to Paris, after a short pit stop in PT obviously to visit my family, but also pick up some clothes, food, but mainly to collect my laptop.
Even though I've been using someone else's internet to check my email [it's blocked at work] I also need my laptop for listening to music, my music...
Last.fm has been providing a great help during this time, even gave me some tips on which albums I'll download soon [all legal stuff of course :].
So, I picked up where I left before: "A LUNATIC SINGS WITHIN ME" (translation from the Icelandic) by Sigur Ros...

La vie en rose...

2008-10-19T01:02:00.008+02:00

Life could hardly be better...
I found myself a great job in a great bank within a great team (in all aspects).
To make things even better, in a lovely city with tasty food.
Some of you are aware of the complicated route to Paris, from UK to PT, then to SK [BA and Kosice] (with a pit stop in a SPA in Gyor, HU) and finally crazy Prague for the 3rd fabulous UMSL Annual Meeting.
During this time I was struggling to write my final report for my MSc Finance which I barely managed thanks to the precious help of my supervisor Karl Shutes, Jana Corjakova and Radovan Ondas for lending me their laptops. In Rado's case he even let me take it to Prague...
And obviously to my dear Agnieszka Ostachowska who was flying like a crazy bee to print and bind before the deadline.
Once in Paris, I stayed in Dounia's parents place, a really nice family. Imagine her mother even iron my shirts!! And her father drove me and all my stuff across Paris at night and without a map.. in the end it was pretty easy :)
I also started working at BP2S...
Two weeks ago I missed my flight to PT, so I only came to pick up my laptop, food and clothes today, leaving tomorrow again.
Over the past week I got sick, under the "influenza" I even got the "fever" at work.

So, welcome newcomers and to the others who already know me and my blogs, hope you'll enjoy this one too. I'll do my best to make it last more than the usual... LOL