Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday to you, dear Daddy!
Happy birthday to you!
It's just a pity that for the first time in my life you are so far from us on this day! I know you are doing it because you love and care about us, so good luck and I love you a lot!
Well once again no news for so long, however I have a good reason for it. My Daddy has gone to Angola for about a week and took my laptop. So here am I in a library in the middle of a garden in Santarém writing some lines.
Lately I’ve been to 2 concerts: Devendra Banhart and Sigur Ros. So I still have to drop some lines about these amazing concerts. For those who have missed them, you can’t imagine what you lost, but here goes a suggestion for tonight: Rodrigo Leão in Aula Magna. I would love to be one of the lucky ones, but I’ve got Spanish classes and besides that, 2 concerts in a month are already too much for my parents (you know the saving speech).
This Sunday I’m going to have a get together with friends from University so expect some photos to lighten up this blog.
Here goes some pics from my third favorite cat, if we don’t consider tigers cats (Ginja and Mitsy will be always above this one):
Pensando cada dia, cada hora
Pensando en ti
Caminando, mi sesta llena de moras
Son para ti
Temprano por la tarde y por la noche
Sueño de ti
Lalalala
Comiendo pera
En santa maria de la feira
Que placer ir
La gente buena
Solo gozan nunca hay pena
Pa' que sufrir
Jugando en el mar, en la arena
Viviendo haci
Lalalala
Ventana blanca
Hay que venga la mañana
Hay que venga otra vez
Esperando
Asi es como yo paso mi tiempo
Esperando a Inaniel
Y rezando por su calor, por su aliento
Sobre mi piel
Te digo todo aqui va bien
Conmigo de no dormir
Amigo, te lo suplico, te lo pido
Que me ayudes a mi, a mi
Buscando
Con mi ancla en la marea
Nadando en ti
Yo voy andando
Oyeme, te estoy llamando
Te amo a ti
Por el valle me encontré un rio escondido
Me recuerdo, hacía calor pero tenia frio
Me iba a morir
Bianca
Ay Paloma, ay Angelina
Por fin te vi
Por fin te vi
Por fin te vi
The Other Side of the Coin - ©2005, Ekin Caglar
I must warn you it's rather shocking... For how much longer will this have to go on, how much pain can half of humanity keep on enduring... Unfortunately I've already seen a toddler with no hope in her eyes, no smile on her lips after seeing her mother and father dying and only having in the whole world her gradma already in her bed also waiting to die... A 2 year old child with no hope in her eyes, an image that cuts one's heart into pieces...
Better saying the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to the present... Some I have never had the chance to read, some have lingered deep inside of me and I hope I will still live long enough to read many more that will mean so much and that can actually change you and touch you deeply...
EVERYBODY'S GOTTA LEARN SOMETIME
Change your heart, look around you
Change your heart, it will astound you
I need your loving like the sunshine
And everybody's gotta learn sometime
Everybody's gotta learn sometime
Everybody's gotta learn sometime
Change your heart, look around you
Change your heart, it will astound you
I need your loving like the sunshine
And everybody's gotta learn sometime
Everybody's gotta learn sometime
Everybody's gotta learn sometime
Everybody's gotta learn sometime
Nothin’ Hurts
Nothing hurts you like the pain
From someone you love
There ain't nothing you can gain
To prepare you enough
Come on baby stop your crying
I Didn't Mean to Hurt You
I love you
Like I love the sunrise in the morning
I miss you
Like I miss the water when I'm burning
I didn't mean to hurt you, dear
The words just came out wrong
Now I'm broken down and lonely
And I'm so cold at night...
This is a movie I saw by chance Saturday night while I was updating my father’s database (ya, I missed some images of the movie as it’s impossible to write on your laptop and see a movie at the same time), but at least I heard all the movie and I’m pretty sure I saw a lot of it.
Sometimes you are lucky to see these fantastic movies that you have never heard about, that haven’t even reached Portugal’s independent circuit and this was one of those movies. So this fluke was one of those that will stay in my memory for a while. It’s really a pity most people don’t have the opportunity to see movies that unlike most in the mainstream, actually make you think and are amaze you at how much a character may touch so of you inner thoughts and feelings! This is one of those movies and I highly recommend it, even if most of you have passed already you difficult 18’s, some have decided to start to work and some study and are now starting to work, I really don’t know when does a person really begin to enter his/her young adult life, I suppose it all has to do with how soon you have to face some problems and how soon life disappoints you and your dreams of changing the world start to be slowly crushed…
Anyway it has a great blues song, I know a lot of people will classify it as vintage jazz, but I think it has a blue’s soul and after all most people confuse the two types, although I find them different and I really prefer blues and rock n’ roll.
This one is the best one in the movie:
Devil Got My Woman (Skip James)
Ah! It has a young Scarlet Johanssen and an actor that is gradually going up in my great actor’s list ;)
I've been helping my father and I've been uptating a database for him, so I'm pretty busy on my spare time and I really want to finish it. Anyway maybe, I will get some time tomorrow... Specially as I need to send some emails, otherwise people will start thinking I'm negleting them...
This little wonder has brought some happiness to my mother, she was able to speak with one of her best and dearest friends in South Africa at a very low cost. But then seeing her eyes sparkling and her smile after more than an hour at a microfone speaking with her friend is worth whatever cost! However the best part is that calling Europe, including Portugal, and the USA to landlines is free and that is amazing for all the Portuguese all around the world who are homesick!
In other words, time of lifting sails ;)
From what I've heard and read these guys seem pretty well centered in a pretty odd way ;) Introducing caos into order seems always a fantastic way of composing and playing music! Anyway the word is that their new album is a must, so if you are curious it's "Feels" and these guys
call themselves Animal Collective (http://www.paw-tracks.com/artists.htm)
Well the sailing bit is because they are going to play in Lisbon in a rather original place, at least, from the point of view of Portugal's reality: they are going to play in one of the ferries that cross Lisbon's river... Unfortunately, the problem of now living once again in my hometown is that going to Lisbon on a weekday and returning means about 15 or more euros just in gas and highway fares, that adding to the fact that my parents will already freak out when they get to know that I'm going to 2 concerts next month in Lisbon on a weekday...
I wished that at least all the sacrifice was well worth it, but I'm waisting loads of money on gas just on trips from my hometown to Santarém and then on top of all I've to eat in coffees every lunch to be a sports and as normally the kitchen where I'm working is being used for training and is so small with no space to eat... So my sacrifice is concerts, CD's and so many other things and all for a job I hate...
The funny thing of having lunch with co-workers is that they all say they hate their jobs, because they are doing tedious work or there is too much pressure to sell at any cost plus tedious work and I've had already a vice-manager of one of the bank branches I worked at saying that I should keep my job until I find something better because the Portuguese economy sucks and will suck in the next years and it will became worse...
So if anybody knows of a dream job in marketing, strategy, please do call me, otherwise I'll have to kill myself ;)
They have been marketing this movie has a movie about Kurt Cobain, but it's not, it's just a tribute to Kurt Cobain and a view of what might have happened if a rock star was in a situation similar to his. As in Elephant it's just a story of one of the infinite possibilities as only Kurt Cobain and the killers in Columbia really know why and how...
But from what I've seen from Gus Van Sant's movies I'm really looking forward to see this movie, unfortunately I know I'll have to see it alone and on top of all go to Lisbon on purpose as here in my hometown or the city I'm working don't have movie theaters or such alternative movies on...
... is always the last to die and the only one that keeps us alive, even when it doesn't bring the answers we so long desired...
Today Badly Drawn Boy is playing in Fundão, yet another fantastic concert I'm going to miss, I've only been able to see him once, introduced as a favourite of Beck (the man is a genious and on top of all has a fantastic taste), he played before Beck's concert in a summer festival 3 years ago and actually played with Beck one song... It's one of those concerts of a band/musician that we hardly know but after we see them/him/her perform we are totally stunned, just like in the same festival with Belle & Sebastian... How I love concerts and summer festivals, if only all of them had only fantastic concerts the whole time, because Him and many more disgraces I had to hear (unfortunately going as far as possible of the stage doesn't avoid the torture of hearing some bands playing)...
By the way here goes a topic of discussion I heard the other day between 2 teenagers (boys of course, as the girls that were with them seemed completely bored, although I was finding the discussion rather amusing): does love metal exist?
YES, otherwise Him would not exist, as Him exists there is love metal
NO, metal can never be love metal, there is no such thing as love metal or it is love metal or it isn't
For me the question is since when Him do music? How can anybody sane enough call that crap music, it's pure torture, the devil in person trying as hard as possible to torture our poor ears ;) So you may rest, all you metal dudes, there is no such thing as metal love, as what Him do is no more metal than it is music!
CGD has transfered me from Lisbon to Santarém, for all of you who still haven't heard the news. Well at least it means leaving Lisbon's Bronx neighbourghood but it has it's setbacks, personal setbacks not professional...
Don't hold on
Go get strong
or don't you know
there's no modern romance
Time, time is gone
it stops stops who it was
well i was wrong
it never lasts
there is no
this is no modern romance
in time, time is gone
never last stops who he was
well i was wrong
never lasts
this is no
there is no modern romance
there is no modern romance
this is no modern romance
there is no there is no
baby im afraid of a lot of things
but i aint scared of loving you
baby i know your afraid of a lot of things
but don't be scared of love
cause people will say all kinds of things
that don't mean a dam to me
cause all i see is what's in front of me
and thats you
well, ive been dragged all over the place
ive taken hits time just don't erase
and baby i can see you've been fucked with too
but that don't mean your loving days are through
cause people will say all kinds of things
that don't mean a dam to me
cause all i see is what's in front of me
and thats you
well i may be just a fool
but i know were just as cool
and cool kids they belong together
Yeah Yeah Yeahs just one of the best RnR bands in the world ;) and here goes another one...
"Maps"
Pack up
I'm straight
Enough
Oh, say say say
Oh, say say say
Oh, say say say
Oh, say say say
Oh, say say say
Wait, they don't love you like i love you
Wait, they don't love you like i love you
Ma-a-a-a-ps, wait!
They don't love you like i love you...
Made off
Don't stray
My kind's your kind
I'll stay the same
Pack up
Don't stray
Oh, say say say
Oh, say say say
Wait! they don't love you like i love you
Wait! they don't love you like i love you
Ma-a-a-aps, wait!
They don't love you like i love you...
Wait! they don't love you like i love you
Ma-a-a-aps, wait!
They don't love you like i love you...
Wait, they don't love you like i love you
Wait, they don't love you like i love you
Ma-a-a-a-ps, wait!
They don't love you like i love you...
Wait, they don't love you like i love you
Ma-a-a-a-ps, wait!
They don't love you like i love you...
Yesterday I heard this absolutely beautiful song on my favourite radio "talk-show". It's from Nada Surf's new album The Weight is a Gift, which as you can see in the review seems to be a great album.
To make a mountain of your life
Is just a choice
But I never learned enough
to listen to the voice that told me
Always love…hate will get you every time
Always love…Don’t wait till the finish line
Slow demands come 'round
Squeeze the air and keep the rest out
It helps to write it down
Even when you then cross it out
Always Love…hate will get you every time
Always Love…even when you ought to fight
Self-directed lives
I want to know what it’d be like to
Aim so high above
Any card that you get dealt, you...
Always Love…hate will get you every time
Always Love…hate will get you…
I've been held back by something
Yeah. You said to me quietly on the stairs.
I've been held back by something
Yeah. You said to me quietly on the stairs.
You said…
Hey, you could once.
Hey, you could once.
To make a mountain of your life
Is just a choice
But I never learned enough
To listen to the voice that told me
Always love…hate will get you every time
Always love…hate will get you…
I've been held back by something
Yeah. You said to me quietly on the stairs.
I've been held back by something
Yeah. You said to me quietly on the stairs
You said
Hey, you could once
Hey, you could once
Hey, you could once
I…
Yesterday a Polish I met in
This week I've been to two stages of a recruitment process for a Project called INOV Contact, I’ve passed both and next Tuesday in the afternoon I’ll have the last two stages: group dynamic (as they call it here in
But just the idea of staying apart for months or even years from those that I love destroys me, if only I could take them with me... Your home is not really a home if you don’t have those that you love close by. Life is so short, if you don’t grab the opportunity to live it with those that really matter what is it worth it? Living to work is no live at all, loving is the only thing that makes it worth while...
In CGD, I was yesterday called, at 11 AM, to do training at 3 PM in Lisbon in a place I didn’t know (yeah they like to give a really short notice, as nobody told me I was going to do training until yesterday in the middle of the morning). So there I go, after lunch, to the training location, to find out I was the only one who didn’t know about this project until that morning and I was one of the few that didn’t even have training last Wednesday (we where last resorts it seems, as we weren’t even from that regional direction). So the project is being in Universities’ campuses in the first week of school, to “sell” (give) debit cards to new students. All Universities have mandatory identification cards, which the banks take advantage of to make those cards also debit cards and get like this about 40 or 50 thousand new clients in just one week and of course, students with a high future potential.
As I’m a last minute resort it means that next week I’ll change of branch, for a week, and go to Alvalade (which is already within Lisbon and hopefully with a better type of clients) and stay there at hand and be called to which ever stand (created in each campus to “sell” the cards) that has already a queue waiting. Basically I will be running from campus to campus as a mad chicken ;) But it will be great to deal with youngsters and students instead of old people and angry people always moaning and calling us incompetent (yes we are the worse managed bank in Portugal, we are understaffed at the branches and most of the clients are unprofitable)...
I tried for the first time author cuisine and I suppose we should have chosen the same dish as risotto with asparagus could never be as good as what I ate. In the end it was a great experience, intimate, the best company in the world and it serves you right for not having accepted my invitation to eat in a certain other place, with real and good Portuguese food ;) I really would love to put my hands on the recipe of what I ate… The rest is not your business ;p
I’m afraid I won’t even dare to attempt to translate this poem, but for does who don’t understand Portuguese I’m sure you can easily find poetry by Fernando Pessoa or one of his heteronyms. This is the last dated poem of Fernando Pessoa as his heteronym: Ricardo Reis and it has a lot to do with me, what could be better on my birthday ;)
Se penso ou sinto, ignoro
Quem é que pensa ou sente.
Sou somente o lugar
Onde se sente ou pensa.
Tenho mais almas que uma.
Há mais eus do que eu mesmo.
Existo todavia
Indiferente a todos.
Faço-os calar: eu falo.
Os impulsos cruzados
Do que sinto ou não sinto
Disputam em quem sou.
Ignoro-os. Nada ditam
A quem me sei: eu escrevo.
Nem rei nem lei, nem paz nem guerra,
Define com perfil e ser
Este fulgor baço da terra
Que é Portugal a entristecer -
Brilho sem luz e sem arder,
Como o que o fogo-fátuo encerra.
Ninguém sabe que coisa quere.
Ninguém conhece que alma tem,
Nem o que é mal nem o que é bem.
(Que ânsia distante perto chora?)
Tudo é incerto e derradeiro.
Tudo é disperso, nada é inteiro.
Ó Portugal, hoje és nevoeiro...
É a Hora!
by Fernado Pessoa
Now in English some other poems, all by Fernando Pessoa or his heteronyms:
The Tobacconist's
I'm nothing.
I'll allways be nothing.
I can't even wish to be something.
Aside from that, I've got all the world's dream inside me.
Windows of my room,
The room of just one of the millions in the world nobody
knows
(And what would they know, if they knew that?),
You open on the mystery of a street people are constantly
crossing,
A street blocked off to all though,
A street that's real, impossibly real, and right,
unconsciously right,
With the mystery of things lying under live beings and
stones,
With death spreading darkness on walls and white hair on
heads,
With fate driving the cart of everything down nothingness
road.
Today I'm bowled over, as though hit by the truth.
Today I'm clearheaded, as though I were going to die,
Having no more brotherly feeling for things
Than to say good-bye, turning this house and this side of
the street
Into a line of coaches in a long train with its whistle
shrieking good-bye
From inside my head,
And a nerve-wracking, bone-cracking jerk as it moves off.
Today I'm mixed up, like someone who thought
something and grasped it, then lost it.
Today I'm torn between the allegiance I owe
Something real outside me - The Tobacco Shop across
the street,
And something real inside me - the feeling that it's all a
dream.
I failed in everything.
Since I was up to nothing, maybe it was all really
nothing.
From learning and training for anything useful I escaped
By slipping off to the country with great plans,
By found only grass and threes there,
And when there were people, they were just like any
others.
I leave the window, sit down in a chair. What should I
think about?
"The Tobacco Shop", Álvaro de Campos,
Recalling who I was, I see somebody else.
In memory the past becomes the present.
Who I was is somebody I love,
Yet only in a dream.
The longing that torments me now
Is not from me nor by the past invoked,
But his who lives in me
Behind blind eyes.
Nothing knows me but the moment,
My own memory is nothing, and I feel
That who I am and who I was
Are two contrasting dreams.
(1930)
from «ODES» in «Poems of Fernando Pessoa»
I'm begining to know myself. I don't exist.
I'm the space between what I'd like to be and what others
made of me.
Or halfe that space, because there's life there too...
So that's what I finally am...
Turn off the light, close the door, stop shuffling your
slippers out there in the hall.
Just let me at ease and all by myself in my room.
It's a cheap world.
My glance is clear like a sunflower.
I usually take to the roads,
Looking to my right and to my left,
And now and then looking behind me...
And what I see each moment
Is something I'd never seen before,
And I'm good at noticing such things...
I know how to feel the same essential wonder
That an infant feels if, on being born,
He could note he'd really been born...
I feel that I am being born each moment
Into the eternal newness of the World...
I believe in the World as in a Daisy
Because I see it. But I don't think about it
Because thinking is not understanding...
The World was not made for us to think about
(To think is to be eye-sick)
But for us to look at and be in tune with...
I have no philosophy: I have senses...
If I speak of Nature, it's not because I know what
Nature is
But because I love it, and that's why I love it,
For a lover never knows what he loves,
Why he loves or what love is...
Loving is eternal innocence,
And the only innocence is not think...
from «The keeper of Sheep» by Alberto Caeiro
To be great, be whole
To be great, be whole; exclude
Nothing, exaggerate nothing that is you.
Be whole in everything. Put all you are
Into the smallest thing you do.
The whole moon gleams in every pool,
It rides so high.
(1933)
from «Ricardo Reis ODES» (Poems of Fernando Pessoa)
I can still remember the horror that strike me when I saw the second airplane and many images of that day and of all the other uncountable fatidic days of horror afterwards. Suddenly the world became smaller, it wasn’t no longer only something that would hit the poor and political unstable countries, it hit close to us, to our loved ones, nowadays we live in an environment where we feel unsafe and insecure, although we try to keep our heads high to show all the monsters that they shall not destroy us, that we are strong and we refuse to live in fear without reacting…
It seems a whole life as passed since then, many actions where took, much more words we spoken, some right, some wrong, but we keep on dreaming because as a late Mozambique journalist once said “I haven’t last my faith in Humanity, but I no longer believe in Men.” It seems Men have lost all their faith in Humanity, they are trying as hard as they can to destroy it in name of money, power and using all the means they have in their hands: ignorance and manipulation through religion, discrimination and nationalism…
I fear that everyday that passes we are closer to the end of the world, as long as we keep on destroying our world through hate, fanatics and extremism, in search of control, power and money… as long as we keep on forgetting love, compassion and solidarity…
As if it where not enough to destroy Humanity we are also continually trying to destroy our Mother Nature, planet Earth, our only and precious house…
I’ve met an Indian who lived most of his life in USA and NY, he once told us that USA brought this to them, as much as I respect his opinion, because he lived the horror and who better can say what he thinks of the 11th of September, I think there can’t be anything a country does that justifies killing innocent people. Yes
I agree with my NY friend, we need to promote the education of the poor, we need to eradicate hunger and poverty in the world, if only we could accept that that would mean we would have to have less (materialism) but earn so much more in love, loyalty, fraternity…
I’m a dreamer in a world far from a dream, most of the times I’ve to be cynical and down to earth, otherwise all the disappointments Men have brought me would have destroyed me a long time a go… I’m a dreamer and a pacifist who believes that most of the time one cannot dream and dialogue as that always means supporting monsters that kill, destroy, control poor innocent people and who through fear are now trying to control us… If only we could all rise and fight for a better world, to march all together against corruption, manipulation and extremism, without shedding not even one little drop of blood, but that is an utopia, there will always be monsters, inhuman who will only allow this when they are killed…
Eu nao vou ler mais...: Imagine As much as I can be a cynical this is one of the most inspiring texts I've read lately, courtesy of my best friend, I can only hope I'm proved wrong and our generation may be inspired to do a dramatic revolution, our world cannot wait any longer, nor can the poor and sufferring!
Happiness can come in the form of a CD although it's kind of ironic the album is called Takk... (thank you) and it will be on sale tomorrow when I become 25 years old ;)
And on the 20th of November, at least for some hours, it will be pure, divine music, the kind of music that makes you dream, cry, feel alive, overwhelmed...
Ooh! Get me away from here I'm dying
Play me a song to set me free
Nobody writes them like they used to
So it may as well be me
Here on my own now after hours
Here on my own now on a bus
Think of it this way
You could either be successful or be us
With our winning smiles, and us
With our catchy tunes and words
Now we're photogenic
You know, we don't stand a chance
Oh, I'll settle down with some old story
About a boy who's just like me
Thought there was love in everything and everyone
You're so naive!
They always reach a sorry ending
They always get it in the end
Still it was worth it as I turned the pages solemnly, and then
With a winning smile, the poor boy
With naivety succeeds
At the final moment, I cried
I always cry at endings
Oh, that wasn't what I meant to say at all
From where I'm sitting, rain
Falling against the lonely tenement
Has set my mind to wander
Into the windows of my lovers
They never know unless I write
This is no declaration, I just thought I'd let you know goodbye
Said the hero in the story
It is mightier than swords
I could kill you sure
But I could only make you cry with these words
It seems that P&G is opening again a position for Marketing Assistant, so there is still hope... Tomorrow I'm going to do tests for a government program called INOV Contacto by which our government sends us to a foreign country to do an internship in a company for 9 months. As I only know English and Portuguese that could mean USA, UK, South Africa, Australia, Brazil... Which would mean 9 months without seeing my friends or family, so I really don't know, I just know I becoming desperate to get out of my job...
Keirsey Temperament and Myers Briggs Types
All I can see is black and white
And white and pink with blades of blue
That lay between the words I think on a page
I was meaning to send to
You I couldn't tell if it'd bring my heart
The way I wanted when I started
Writing this letter to you
But if I could you know I would
Just hold your hand and you'd understand
I'm the man who loves you
All I can be is a busy sea
Of spinning wheels and hands that feel for
Stones to throw and feet that run but
Come back home
It made no difference
Ever known, it made no difference
Ever known to me
But if I could you know I would
Just hold your hand and you'd understand
I'm the man who loves you
All I can see is black and white
And white and pink with blades of blue
That lay between the words I think on a page
I was meaning to send to
You I couldn't tell if it'd bring my heart
The way I wanted when I started
Writing this letter to you
But if I could you know I would
Just hold your hand and you'd understand
If I could you know I would
Just hold your hand and you'd understand
If I could you know I would
Just hold your hand and you'd understand
I'm the man who loves you
I'm the man who loves you
I'm the man who loves you
I'm the man who loves you
Will you comfort me, in my time of need?
Can you take away the pain of a hurtful deeds?
Cause when we need it most, there's no rain at all
And the dust just settles right there on the feed
Will you say to me a little rains gonna come
When the sky can't offer none to me
Cause I will come for you
When my days are through
And I'll let your smile just off and carry me
Cause when the calm comes down
I take the truck on into town
And buy whatever we can't seem to grow
I work these hands to bleed cause I got mouths to feed
And I got 15 dollars hid above the stove
Will you say to me a little rains gonna come
When the sky can't offer none to me
Cause I will come for you
When my days are through
And I'll let your smile just off and carry me
Cause it ain't like it was on back in those days
When everyone would offer up a hand
These old bones are worn
I've grown tired some
And I know my time is surely gonna come
Will you comfort me in my time of need
Can you take away the pain of hurtful deeds
Cause I will comfort you when my days are through
And I'll let your smile just off and carry me
Lord we married young and stayed where we came from
And gave those children everything we had
Will you stay with me, in my time of need?
Though it seems we had such little time for us
Will you say to me a little rains gonna come
When the sky can't offer none to me
Cause I will come for you
When my days are through
And I'll let your smile just off and carry me
Ryan Adams – Heartbreaker
Thank God Rock n’ Roll exists, at least for some hours we may forget our tedious lives… Last year I missed Franz Ferdinand and this year I have the chance of seeing them and Mogwai for the first time, can anything could life be any better for a few hours this night? ;)
Auf Achse - Franz Ferdinand
You see her, you can't touch her
You hear her, you can't hold her
You want her, you can't have her
You want to, but she won't let you
You see her, you can't touch her
You hear her, you can't hold her
You want her, you can't have her
You want to, but she won't let you
She's not so special so look what you've done, boy
She's not so special so look what you've done, boy
She's not so special so look what you've done, boy
She's not so special so look what you've done
Now you wish she'd never come back here again
Oh, never come back here again
You see her, you can't touch her
You hear her, you can't hold her
You want her, you can't have her
You want to, but she won't let you
You see her, you can't touch her
You hear her, you can't hold her
You want her, you can't have her
You want to, but she won't let you
She's not so special so look what you've done, boy
She's not so special so look what you've done, boy
She's not so special so look what you've done, boy
She's not so special so look what you've done
Now I'm nailed above you
Gushing from my side
It's with your sins that you have killed me
Thinking of your sins I die
Thinking how you'd let them touch you
How you'd never realise
That I'm ripped and hang forsaken
Knowing never will I rise
AgainYou still see her
Oh, you hear her
You want her
Oh, you want to
You see her
You still hear her
You want her
You still want to
As much as I love to go to the movies, the truth is that I don’t really go too regularly. Rio Maior doesn’t have a movie theater and the closest ones have only very mainstream movies, most that are not worth the cost of gas and of the ticket. Then company isn’t something I’ve very often, I suppose it’s one of the few disadvantages of not having a boyfriend.
In Lisbon I face once again the problem of not having any company to go, but as soon as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory started showing in our movie theaters in Lisbon I went straight away to see the movie, all by myself (something I really loath). But after all it’s the 4th partnership between Tim Burton (one of my favorite directors) and Johnny Depp (my favorite actor ever since I saw Edward Scissorhands and I absolutely loved Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Sleepyhollow (for me one of Tim Burton’s masterpieces) and now Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
You will be astonished visually with all the magnificent sets of the movie; Johnny Depp is amazing, as usual, it’s impossible not to love Will Wonka, despite of the fact that he really doesn’t like people and doesn’t worry about what happens to the misbehaved children, although they deserve their punishments and they are quite hilarious ;) After all if it weren’t for those scenes we wouldn’t have the chance of seeing the little Oompas dancing and singing quite psycadelic songs.
I’ve never had the chance of reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but it’s a most read in my list. From what I’ve read Tim Burton was very faithful to the original book, except that he added some background to Will Wonka so we could better understand the character. You can see that Tim Burton and Johnny Depp’s minds ran wild, they left their imagination guide them, with imagination as the limit. For me it’s a Oscar nominee film, unfortunately I think neither Johnny Depp neither Tim Burton will finally receive it, but then Hollywood never could see true talent and genius…
Johnny Depp, Hollywood's hottest eccentric, meets his match playing Willy Wonka in Tim Burton's 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.' How sweet is that?
By Sean Smith
Newsweek
July 4 issue - Playing Willy Wonka is not for the timid. It requires courage, imagination and flawless fashion sense. "I like these heels," Johnny Depp says, pulling up his pant cuff to reveal a sleek boot emblazoned with a swirly W. "I wanted Wonka to be this long, string-beany kind of figure, and give him these unbelievable cha-cha heels." It's late September, on a soundstage outside London, and Depp is taking a break in the inventing room of Wonka's factory. Nearby, director Tim Burton sets up for the scene in which gum-smacking Violet Beauregarde will meet a violet end. "This is our fourth movie together," Depp says. "I'm so honored that he asked me to play Wonka. I just hope I'm in the right arena here. My first concern is always, 'Jesus, I don't want to let Tim down'." Or the rest of the world, for that matter.
"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" is a movie that divides people even before they've seen it. Stand in any theater lobby near the film's poster—with Depp in his merlot velvet coat and top hat—and the passing comments soon take on a consistent rhythm. For every person who cheers "I can't wait!" another jeers "How dare they?" The 1971 film version of Roald Dahl's classic children's book, starring Gene Wilder, was not a box-office hit, but through television and video it has become a Gen-X fave. On the other hand, the Wilder movie was not quite faithful to Dahl's book, which has sold more than 13 million copies worldwide, and it was made on the cheap by a food company eager to use it as a tool to sell candy bars. "People want to pit the two movies against each other and turn this into 'Celebrity Deathmatch'," says an exasperated Burton. "Like we're wiping out three generations of childhood memories. It's not like we're burning DVDs of the old movie. Anybody who loves it can watch it."
Dahl himself, who died in 1990, did not love the old movie. There were changes to his screenplay that he didn't approve of, but mainly, says his widow, Liccy Dahl, "there was a falling-out over the casting. Roald was desperate for Wonka to be played by an English comedian named Spike Milligan. You may not be old enough to know who Spike Milligan was, but he was an amazing, incredible man." The filmmakers humored Dahl—"'lip service' I think you call it in L.A.," Liccy says—and auditioned Milligan, but cast Wilder instead. The author never quite forgave that slight. After Dahl's death, Liccy took over his estate, and has exercised exacting control over film adaptations of his work. When Warner Bros. first approached her eight or nine years ago about making a new film version of "Charlie," she turned them down. "I'm always a little bit worried about remakes," Liccy says. "I wasn't convinced it was the right thing to do." Armed with script, director and star approval, she put the studio through its paces for years.
For the uninitiated, "Charlie" is the story of Charlie Bucket—a boy with a loving family so poor that they live on cabbage soup—who, along with four other kids, wins a tour of a chocolate factory belonging to the famed, reclusive genius Willy Wonka. Inside is a wondrous new world, with a chocolate river and mysterious little people called Oompa-Loompas. That's not to say that life is sweet. The four other children—Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, Violet and Mike Teavee—are punished in thrillingly bizarre ways for (respectively) gluttony, greed, gum-chewing and obsessive TV-watching. Charlie, meanwhile, is not handsome or rich or smart, but simply honorable. "The whole point of Charlie is that he's not really that special," Burton says. "He's like most of us, who no one would remember from school."
Burton is a visionary in the plain, old dictionary definition of the word: he actually has a vision. His movies—"Batman," "Edward Scissorhands" and "Sleepy Hollow," among them—are utterly distinctive, not just because they're often paeans to eccentric, deeply sensitive loners, but because they're so visually rich and minutely imagined. When Burton took "Charlie" on, he wanted to remain as faithful to Dahl's book as possible (with a few tweaks, of course), and ordered up a new screenplay from John August, who'd just written his film "Big Fish." "I have always been obsessed by 'Charlie'," August says. "In the third grade I actually wrote a fan letter to Dahl, and I got a postcard back from him. I still have it."
Now all Team Charlie needed was a star. Depp had met Liccy Dahl years earlier at a fund-raising dinner held at the country home of British Prime Minister Tony Blair. (Depp had been invited at the last minute by a Warner Bros. executive. "We twisted some arms to get his security check done in two days," says Liccy. "Actually, I wasn't certain they would let him in. He had a slight reputation, you know.") Liccy had also been intrigued by the thought of casting Daniel Day-Lewis or Kevin Spacey. But Depp had a long history with Burton and, after years of being a critical darling but a box-office deadbeat, had suddenly become bankable after "Pirates of the Caribbean." "It was the first time I didn't have to talk a studio into him," Burton says. "It was like he'd landed on the planet for the first time! He's been doing f---ing great work for years, but ... whatever. I guess it's all box office for them." To offer Depp the part, Burton invited him to dinner without telling him why. "I think I let him finish half a sentence," Depp says, laughing, "and I just went, 'I'm in. I'm there.' I hadn't even seen a script."
Now for the tricky part: how was Depp going to play Wonka? No matter what one thinks of the 1971 film, Wilder played the candy man with an avuncular weirdness and a real warmth. Depp, never one to imitate, had to take a different path. First, he and Burton chose to give Wonka a backstory, making him the son of a dentist, who—because he never got to eat sweets—became estranged from his father and obsessed with candy. Over the years, Wonka has become not just reclusive, but almost autistic in his inability to connect with others. "He's not a father figure—he's a mess," Burton says. "There are lots of people who are geniuses in one area, but have complete deficiencies in other areas of their lives."
To build the character, Depp began thinking about the kind of folks who host game shows and children's TV programs. "Not like Captain Kangaroo, but like that guy on the local cable station in Podunk, Idaho," Depp says. "Wonka had sheltered himself from the outside world, and television would have been a good friend to him." Depp also decided to make Wonka a perfectionist and a germ-a-phobe. As for his look, that flawless pale skin, perfect pageboy and slightly feminine air have had some people wondering whether Depp found inspiration in Michael Jackson. "That never crossed my mind," he says. "I never thought about it once, honestly. But it's interesting, people's perceptions."
The trailers for "Charlie" have already given audiences a sense that Depp's Wonka may be a love-it-or-hate-it proposition. That should please Depp, an actor who's beloved precisely because he's a sworn enemy of the obvious and expected. But will audiences be able to warm to a character who, by design, doesn't really warm to anyone? "I remember getting notes on the script that said, 'We have to find a connection between Charlie and Willy Wonka'," Burton says. "No, that's the whole point. Willy Wonka doesn't like children or parents—or people." He laughs. "His journey is from disconnection to connection."
Warner Bros. is betting about $150 million that that journey will connect with families. There's no doubt that the movie's got plenty of eye candy to keep everyone entertained—the first 30 minutes of the film alone are as gorgeous, pointedly funny and transporting as anything Burton's directed. Liccy Dahl is thrilled with the film and says her late husband "would have adored it." She's happy with Depp's performance, too, although she admits she doesn't quite understand the actor's sex appeal. "Women just adore him, don't they?" she says. "I have to be honest, I think he's a little too pretty. Terribly nice, but he's no Robert Mitchum."
In the end, kids will decide the film's fate. If Freddie Highmore, who plays Charlie, is any indication, they'll have no trouble selling tickets. "People say 'Do you like chocolate?' and I say 'It's fantastic!'" says the 13-year-old, who also starred with Depp in "Finding Neverland." "But I think Johnny's even more fantastic than chocolate."
© 2005 Newsweek, Inc.
© 2005 MSNBC.com
"Johnny holds forth on Wonka, Bugs Bunny and why being weird works."
SMITH: You've been in the Bahamas shooting two sequels to "Pirates of the Caribbean." How's that going?
DEPP: You know, quite a bit of traveling and a lot of swashbuckling. But it's good for a man to buckle his swash every now and then.
When you made the first "Pirates," your performance worried studio executives. That happened again when Warner Bros. first saw you as Willy Wonka. What gives?
At the beginning of the shoot we weren't getting phone calls from the studio that said, "We're freaked out." And that freaked me out. It's important to try something new each time out of the gate. So I'm kind of glad they were freaked out.
What was the hardest part about figuring out how you were going to play such an iconic character?
Early on, the hardest part was trying to erase any memory I had of the 1971 film with Gene Wilder. And then you go, "Christ, I can't erase it, so I'll just have to make a very, very sharp left turn."
You and director Tim Burton have made several movies together. Did you assume he'd ask you to play Wonka?
I was stunned. Tim and I have had this long relationship, and he's fought some brave and noble battles [to cast Depp in his movies], but I didn't think they would ever come to me for a project this size. I was ecstatic, man. I was doing Snoopy dances.
But after the success of "Pirates," why wouldn't the studio want you for this?
That didn't even cross my mind. I just don't think in those terms, you know? I'm so used to living the way I've been living—I do what I do, and people get it or they don't. All the little films I've done that were perceived by Hollywood as these obscure, weird things, I always thought could appeal to a larger audience. I mean, box office is such a mystery to me that I can't... you know... I have enough —trouble doing my own gig.
Still, it must have felt good to have your work seen and loved by so many people.
I had never experienced anything like that—where you meet a 75-year-old woman who had seen "Pirates" and somehow related to the character, and then five minutes later you meet a 6-year-old who says, "Oh, you're Captain Jack!" What a rush. What a gift. That's the challenge with Wonka, too—to be, in a sense, like Bugs Bunny. I find it magical that a 3-year-old can be mesmerized by Bugs, but so can a 40-year-old or an 80-year-old. It's a great challenge to see if you can appeal to that huge an age range.
Years ago, when you first became famous on the TV show "21 Jump Street," Hollywood wanted to make you into the next pretty-boy star, and you rebelled.
I was not a dummy. That show put me on the map, and I realized the opportunity that I had been given, but I couldn't... I just couldn't be what they wanted me to be. It ran against every cell in my body. It was killing me. I had to say, "F—- it. I'm going to go in this direction, and if I fail, I fail."
Since you and Tim have been friends for so many years, I'd imagine that the two of you must be able to complete each other's sentences.
Oh, yeah. Tim will say, "And then we went, and there was that, you know, whatever, so what could I do?" And I go, "Yeah, I know exactly what you mean." [Laughs]
When you're working together, do you ever think, "This is too weird, even for us"?
Definitely. Things get weirder and weirder, then one of you says, "Let's try that!" And then you look at each other and go, "I don't know, man, maybe not."
Did your kids come to the "Charlie" set?
They went crazy. They tried on the hat and the glasses and wanted to play with the candy cane. They loved seeing the giant chocolate waterfall. Every day it felt like walking onto the set of "The Wizard of Oz."
Has the studio talked to you about doing "Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator"?
No, but it should be done. There's a lot more fun stuff in there, and I'm certainly game.
© 2005 Newsweek, Inc.
© 2005 MSNBC.com
Once again Portugal is suffering the mistakes of year after year of neglect, not only by the owners of abandoned propreties but in a big part due to the incompetence of government after government! Our land is completely dry (we've hardly had rain since last August, the last time Portugal had sucha severe draught was about 60 years ago)!
and lives have been lost... It's just a pity that those who have set the fires didn't burn alive instead of poor innocent people who were just trying to save their lifes even when it was impossible to save their most precious belongings (even if your house is not worth your life, but seeing it burning down and not being able to do anything must feel like you are losing everything)...
The best summer festival this year in Portugal, just ended in the beautiful Paredes de Coura (http://www.paredesdecoura.com) if you don’t believe it just take a look at the bands that performed there:
Monday (15th August): Sons and Daughters, Trailer Trash, Zig Zag Warriors
Tuesday (16th August): MXPX, Death from Above 1979 (the newspapers said it was an excellent concert), !!! (considered the best of the night), Kaiser Chiefs (the vocalist did so much exercise ;) that he twisted an ankle and continued the rest of the concert dancing but full of pain), The Bravery and Foo Fighters
Wednesday (17th August): The Future Heads, Hot Hot Heat, The Arcade Fire (some considered it the best concert of the whole festival some were expecting another thing, because many times a single doesn’t resume a band), The Roots, QOTSA and Pixies (for many fans the concert of the festival)
Thursday (18th August): The National, Killing Joke, Juliette and the Licks, Vincent Gallo and the great Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (I suppose from what I’ve heard the best concert of the day)
And me? I had to work, so I missed some more great bands this year…
But next weekend I’m going to have Franz Ferdinand and Bunnyranch so let’s rock n’ roll!!! And on the 20th of November Sigur Rós and Jonh Cale on the 5th of October!
Last Thursday I was told I’ve to leave Amadora’s bank agency to go to Damaia’s one (2 train station stops before Amadora) for all I can guess, 1 month and some days… All would be fair and well if the part of Damaia I’m going to wasn’t worse than the area that I was in Amadora. I keep on saying that they just don’t send me to Cova da Moura (kind of a Bronx in NYC) because, naturally, there are no banks operating in that neighborhood…
Oh, well… The good news are that I’ve finally managed to find a room in Sete Rios, the area I really wanted to live, for reasons only I know ;) But it’s a great area, quiet, full of families, students and old people, hardly any insecurity, the train, subway and buses, less than a 5 minute walk away and in my favorite subway line (the blue one). I’m moving in on the 1st of September and I’m going to live with a teacher and a nurse.
So this week I can finally start to find some information on Spanish classes and swimming pools, although I think I’ll wait a while before enrolling either as hope is the last to die and I would rather prefer to live in Montijo or Oeiras and have there my classes ;) Well better saying I would really prefer to keep on living in Sete Rios, but if I get to work in Oeiras or Montijo gas would make that option impossible to afford…
Yeah, I know it’s been a long time and now I’ve hardly anytime to say all that has happened!
Last weekend I was in Sudoeste, the biggest summer festival in Portugal (although not with the best set line this year, as the fact that I saw nearly all the concerts in the secondary stage and not the main stage proves)! Well as I didn’t take any photos here goes the link to my favorite blog http://eunaovoulermais.blogspot.com
I was able to see some great concerts, but as they were mainly in the secondary stage I found them too short :( Anyway, LCD Soundsystem, Peaches, Josh Rouse, Devendra Bahart, Wraygunn, The Kills are all highly recommended so if you have a chance to see them don’t miss them! And Peaches is my kind of woman Hell to Man and their Pussy Sexuality that can’t Handle a True Woman and let’s Rock n’ Roll ;)
Now the down part of my life, I’ve just ended two months of training at CGD (the biggest retail bank in Portugal) and unfortunately the more I get to see how an agency works and how difficult it is to climb the institutional ladder the more depressed I get… At the bright side, at least I know I was right; the last place in earth I want to work in my field is in a bank! If you want a job that makes more stupid everyday, working in a bank agency is the right choice, for the next months I’ll have to endure 7 hours standing per day doing stupid, tedious tasks, where the most interesting part of the job is helping and listening to customers (mainly old people that don’t know how to do certain operations at the ATM’s or actualizing their extract little books – Portuguese know what I’m talking of). Then if I’m lucky I’ll start to open and close bank accounts and if I’m even unluckier I’ll do cashier work and pay from my own pocket every time I’m short of money at the end of the day…
What’s worse is that as I see the other tasks that the other people perform in the agency I fell more desperate as basically they only do prints of information they have available in the intranet, already prepared centrally, ready to print and send the customers prints with their current address and identification numbers so that the regions decide whether or not to approve a certain operation. Can you imagine 45 years of doing prints for the rest of your life, no effort made, specially intellectually, somebody has already thought and decided for you, so your main task is selling banking products to customers, for laughable rewards and on top of all I get to earn in the first 2 years some meager 800 euros per month while living in Lisbon and wasting at least 300 euros in accommodation (and that doesn’t include food and transportation, never mind entertainment or education or sports). So I won’t be able to do big savings, I’m doing the sacrifice of working for working for a job I despise…
I still don’t have a place to live in Lisbon, maybe only for October, and if I waited for my employer to tell me where I was going to stay, not even then I would know as the told me this week to basically fuck off and that they couldn’t see what was the problem of me not knowing where I was going to work in the next months, so that I could find a room in the area. Basically I found a room for October and if they send me too far I will tell them to fuck off as I’m a human being not a bloody number or piece of shit that they can trample. You know what’s worse they told me there were no vacancies close to my hometown and the following day I find out that there was at least one!
So please light up some candles and pray for me, so that I can land with a job in P&G or Diageo, otherwise… ;)
Although hardly only a few people appeared (shame on the people who say they are Paulo’s friends, because they proved just how much he means to them and it’s revolting after witnessing how much he supported and gave himself to those supposed friends), it was a magical night, at least for me!
Seeing him doing his DJ set with that little sparkle in his eyes and that certain smile in his lips is was well worth it! The music was extraordinary, but after all one of my dreams is opening a bar and having him as the resident DJ, finally I would start to enjoy music, in my favorite bar, with my favorite DJ playing! He has always had a fantastic taste in music and I know no other with so much passion for music and so much knowledge about it!
In that aspect he has always been my master, even if sometimes he doesn’t introduce me to some bands/music but we find out that a certain song we heard and enjoyed is enjoyed by both of us! Some people think I follow he’s tastes blindly, as if it was impossible that two friends could enjoy the same music, be moved by the same tune! The ones who criticize are the ones that don’t know the power of a great guitar players or songwriter or musician, they have never felt tears dropping of pure happiness or sadness when you hear some songs or how amazing is seeing some of your favorite bands playing for you, right in front of you and totally devoted to the music/performance that so much moves all the nerves of our body and ultimately, if they are really good our heart and passion…
It’s a passion we share, although his passion his much bigger and he at least tries to play a guitar (everyday better and better)! So it was a magical night listening to the music he choose, seeing him changing the CD’s and above all seeing him fulfilling a long time dream!
The night was only ruined by the lack of so called friends, although I know that those that showed up were much appreciated, but I’m still revolted that long time so called friends didn’t appear… And of course the other guy who was sharing the DJ set also ruined completely the show as he got drunk and didn’t give a dam to those that were watching their performance or even to the owner of the bar were they played!
Congratulations anyway, I hope you weren’t disappointed, I know I wasn’t!
"They are trying to use the slaughter of innocent people to cow us, to frighten us out of doing the things that we want to do"
Tony Blair
Unfortunately, al-Qaeda has strike again, once again my heart aches because the world isn’t able to destroy those that have destroyed so many lives and left behind so much pain! As much as I try I can’t understand why? Why kill innocent people? Why?
We and when I say We I mean all of us and not only the heads of all the governments in the world, must do something to destroy this monster… We cannot keep on feeding feelings of hatred and racism; we cannot keep on repelling those that have as their only wish to give a better quality of life of their families!
We must end with this stupid contradiction of wanting to end poverty in the world and at the same time wanting to have all foreigners expelled from our country or that, for example, our agriculture keeps on being protected from international products (harming millions of Africans and other people in developing countries)!
At the same time we cannot expect total forgiveness of the developing countries’ debt, because many, if not most of the African countries, have corrupt rulers who have used the money, with which they indebted their country, to enrich themselves, starving their population, killing them with AIDS (as none of that money was used to disseminate and protect their population) and by arming militias that protect them by killing innocent people in a very barbaric manner…
I want a better world to raise my children, I can’t understand evil, I can’t understand how a human being can be evil! Just the thought of harming another human being makes me highly nauseous… Sometimes I think that the method used in the Electrical Orange (at least that is the literal translation of the book’s name in Portuguese) would be the perfect solution, because maybe sometimes some people don’t deserve to have the freedom of will, if their nature is so evil, they don’t deserve to choose whether or not to kill and harm innocent people…
One thing I’m sure of nobody deserves what happened, no matter what your governments do, we are not our government and even if our government takes the course of goodness and justice, it will be worthless if the people, those that have elected those governments, don’t change their own minds, opinions and beliefs. We have the power to change the world, we have the power of our number and if we unite our governments will have to satisfy our demands for a better world, a world were I won’t have to live in fear of not seeing, once again, the face and the smile of those that I love most!
And for those who have never understood why I defend Blair and Bush sometimes, I once again say it’s who I’m, always trying to be fair, always trying to understand both sides and never be an extremist! Today, I’ll criticize Bush, because I have always loathed him although I think he took some good decisions. It was highly disgusting to see Bush speaking of freedom and fighting for human rights when everybody knows what USA has done at Guatanamo!
Yes, terrorist don’t deserve mercy when they can’t show any mercy for the loved ones we have lost, but one of the cores of our society, of our beliefs is that everybody is innocent until proven guilty, sometimes the proofs are there, unmistakably in front of our eyes, but when those proofs have been hidden and we must investigate to find them if they exist, we should not treat the suspect as a terrorist, we should respected human rights because maybe we are facing an innocent, not a guilty. Fighting terrorism doesn’t justify everything, even if it’s al-Qaeda.
For Londoners here goes my wish of strength and hope, specially for those who have lost loved ones, we must show our strength so al-Qaeda doesn’t win, we can’t succumb to their attempt of making us live with a permanent feeling of fear and terror, we must show them that we’re stronger than them! I know it’s so much easier when I live in a “corner of heaven” and I’ve lost none of my loved ones, but for me fighting for freedom and a better world for our children is worth it all…
It's kind of ironic that now that Blair and Bush were proposing to forgive the debt of the least corrupt developing countries, this happens, not even when they are doing something right al-Qaeda stops, what moral does it have to demand what it demands?
Ok, so for those who visit this blog regularly and I know they are very few, not even a certain person does so, and here is the latest news about me.
Well as you can read some posts below I started a job recruitment process on the 15th of June and after doing IQ tests and a job interview that day, I had to do another job interview the following day for the same company. The company was CGD, witch is the biggest bank in Portugal (it’s still public and all the public employees where forced, until some years ago, to open an account at CGD).
This all to say that on the 17th of June I answered a phone call in the morning which ended up being from CGD. They wanted to know if I wanted to sign a one-year contract with them and it was to start on the 20th of June that is 2 days after! And this all happened last week! As the job is being a cashier and who ever knows me well knows that (after my previous job experience at Caldas da Rainha, which only had my colleague as a very positive aspect) the worst thing I could ever possibly imagine me doing is being behind a balcony selling credit cards and insurance, specially to Portuguese who are already full of debt (they are using 117 or 115% of their salary). After all if it was selling stuff people actually needed…
On top of all I received an offer from Vodafone, but I had to refuse it although the internship was in the marketing department, but 600 euros, that would be only 470 or less euros per month after paying taxes and a highly unstable and fragile job position (no contract signed, it would be kind of a free lance job but with all the obligations of a employee and none of the benefits), would make it impossible for me to live in Lisbon and have money to eat at the end of the month.
I took the hardest decision of my life; I gave up all my dreams, because unless I can get a job soon in marketing it will be better to give up, as afterwards for all the marketing positions available in the future I will lack the most important job characteristic: marketing experience… I’ve given up my dream of working in development projects in Africa, now marketing, so goodbye professional realization, as another dream would be opening my own company but in Portugal that would mean bankruptcy at that takes all the fun of it…
On the bright side, I’m a women and, at least I think so, fertile, so if I can at least fulfill my dream of being a mother and I can feed my children then will have reached happiness!
Ok, now the job at CGD. Well I’ve started classes this Monday, just talking about the bank, how it works, what to do when the agency is robbed, which banking products and services exist, how the financial markets and the banking sector works (loads of the theoretical stuff are a revision from university, but then the bank procedures are not so I’ve to learn that). My colleagues are very nice, some more then others, and it has been tiring but fun, but only because of them and I’ll end up learning lot’s of stuff about banks, for example how they con and deceive us ;)
I’m still hoping I’ll be able to get into P&G as a marketing assistant, but only in a few weeks I’ll find out…
But I can say it's because of a job offer I accepted and because I don't have net at my cousin's house...
Sorry but I have 2 interviews, one tomorrow, the other on Friday, in Lisbon, so blogging will have to be left for the weekend, when I return from Lisbon (I think staying in Lisbon for the next 2 days will be cheaper for my dear car, poor thing it has worked a lot this week ;)
Tomorrow yet more IQ tests for yet another Job process (in this case the biggest bank in Portugal, but for a job as a cashier) and then helping my father so hopefully you’ll have some more news tomorrow/Thursday, I promise ;)
That’s it I passed to the second phase of yesterday’s job recruitment process! I kind of think, it is more a question of practice at so many job recruitment processes, as I had already done some of those exercises at other recruitment processes. Oh, well, that means I’ll get lost once again on Monday (if you ever drive in Porto you will understand why I’ll probably get lost twice ;)
The company is Lactogal and it's the leader in dairy products here in Portugal.
Yesterday guess where I went? Ya, you got it right: yet another job recruitment process. This time it was only IQ tests but this time it had a twist and I’m not talking of the sets of drawings in which you have to guess the picture that is missing ;)
The twist was that it was in Vila do Conde, Oporto and guess you got lost on the way! Me, of course, but until you drive in Porto without having any knowledge of the city nor having a map recorded in your brain you would easily do the same has I did. My father’s GPS didn’t work until I got to Porto, and that was only when I got to Porto for the second time, as Porto has no road signs pointing to Vila do Conde so I was looking for roads I remember seeing in Auto Route the previous day. As IC1 is a road that nearly crosses the whole country, it was not a good guiding point and on top of all I couldn’t find a sign pointing to the airport, so I ended up going to IC2 to get to IC1 (which I didn’t find) and suddenly I’m starting to see signs for A29 – Espinho (if you see the Portuguese map, you can see that first you have Espinho, then Porto and then Vila do Conde, so I was going backwards).
Of course, by this time I was panicking as I had lost already 40 minutes trying to make the GPS work during the way and I only had 20 minutes to get to Vila do Conde at time, I really wanted to phone a certain person, but I ended up getting calm and phoning my Daddy as he had Auto Route in his computer and he is an Ace in traffic orientation. With my father’s directions I got back to the motorway in direction to Porto (not without getting again into the motorway in direction to Espinho, not my fault, as write after the roundabout you had a curve and straight away 2 signs on a fork one pointing to Porto and the other to Espinho, so I had a 5o% chance of getting it right, but I didn’t and there was too much traffic even if I wanted to violate law – Portuguese know what I mean ;)
As soon as I get to Porto, for the second time, the GPS finally decides that I’m no longer at Rio Maior but at Porto and starts giving me directions to Vila do Conde. So never mind what my Daddy told me and just follow the lady’s directions ;)
Well the tests were hard and I didn’t manage to end them in such a short period of time (except the verbal one, which I always find rather easy), so I wasted a gas tank and money at the motorways’ entrances (there are hardly any ones free of charge in our country), but I visited my grandparents so it wasn’t a completely waste of time and money ;)
P.S. – I really must put some songs up and some photos, as this blog must be getting very boring for you, only job interviews and misadventures ;)
P.P.S. – But that will have to wait as I’m helping out my father to do a Access database for Treasury Management (that is my father has done the most and corrected some of the stuff I’ve been doing, as mainly I’ve been coping what he already has done to complete the database).
