Is it normal for people to stagnate during holidays? I don’t understand, we spend a whole year complaining, saying we work to much, that we have no free time, no time to live, but when we have a whole month of holidays, (or 15 days.. depends) there is a majority of people that take one week to go on a trip to a foreign country, were everything is pre-establish and were there is no freedom. The other 3 weeks are spent watching TV, eating large quantities of everything, and going sometimes to the beach, preferably during the hot hours, the same hours witch doctors say are dangerous… At least this is how Portuguese people spend their holidays… They don’t practice any sport, (until watching TV is declared sport) they are one of the most over-weight population in Europe, they don’t go to museums, to theatres, to cinema, they just know their way to the beach and to the couch, this is the Portuguese holidays.

Portuguese people are one of the most over-weight populations in Europe. They have a hilarious excuse for that… lack of money, because for the typical Portuguese, sport can only be practice in a gymnasium, preferably one that has models, actors and politicians… they think that they’ll become famous if they know famous people, they don’t want to think about the possibility of running on the street, to make push ups in their house, etc… No, they don’t have time (there’s too much on TV).

PS: This is only my opinion, nothing more, nothing less.

Our world is to serious, most people are more worried with efficiency and productivity then with comfort and happiness… These two things are only achievable if everybody starts to think more human like and less computer like… In this society most people have goals to achieve, things like best car of the family, best decoration in neighbourhood, best looking wife, best job, best kids, but few of them have goals like, be happy… We’re thinking like machines… and that’s a stupid thing to do… behave like we’re something that we aren’t…
In school we don’t teach children how to play, we teach them how to be good students, and school begins earlier, in these days it’s normal if a 3 year old kid, spends half of his day in school, trying to learn numbers and write down his name… I really think that’s unnatural. If there’s a time to play is when we are kids, and we should play a lot so we don’t forget how to play when we became grownups. I believe I still know how to play… and when somebody calls me kid with the intention of saying I’m immature, I thank that person because for me that’s a complement.
Everyone has a child in them, but some people have forgotten how to play…

Today I received and email, with something I could not believe… The email said that on the 27th of August, Mars will be the size of the moon. I just wouldn’t believe, so I began my research, and I didn’t need much time to understand that the email was very exaggerated, what will happen is that Mars will be the closest to earth in the last 5000 years, but will not have the size of earth. The experts say we should find a Telescope to see the red planet, and at least in Portugal that’s easy to do. If you find nothing, all you’ll see is a very big star with the red colour on.

Sometimes we see in TV the most terrible things and take them as the most natural… Yesterday the UN headquarters in Baghdad was attacked, and we all saw it in TV, it almost felt like natural… But then we received the notice that Vieira de Mello had died in this attack… (He was very cherished by Portuguese people because of Timor), and we felt a little of this attack. Yesterday, I read Raed’s Blog and felt a little more of this attack… I invite you to read it too…

Note: This blog has been offline

It wasn’t enough having one of the worst health services in the world… The government has reduced the money available for Portuguese health… I ask, isn’t there anybody in Europe with powers to stop this?
When I compare Portugal to other countries in Europe, everything looks worst, in no subject we can say… Hey we’re the best, but we find it rewarding if we can say, Hey we are not the last (sometimes Greece can be worst).
Would somebody explain what is the great difference between Portugal and Italy or Austria, because I don’t understand why is Portugal so backward in comparison with these counties…
I once thought maybe it’s because of there natural recourses, that are best then ours… I discovered that Portugal has best natural recourses than Italy, then I thought Maybe it’s because of the fishing maybe Italy has a economy based on industrial fishing, but I discovered that Portugal has the biggest EEZ in the UE, that means that until now Portugal had more space for fishing that any other country in the UE, and more, Italy hasn’t there economy based in fishing.
In the last years I’ve been trying to find the reason, then I read an article of a famous economist that won a Nobel prize, he said that I the last 20 years Portugal has been a good example of what should be done to lead a country to bankrupt… and I tend to believe him…
Many people are afraid the UE will take away the national identity, that all the counties in the end will form just one, that the local traditions will vanish… I don’t believe in that, but I’m just anxious that local governments start to be checked by the UE so that they can’t take measures like the one I referred above. But what I would really like to see in Portugal is a competent government… A government that would make the life of the Portuguese people more comfortable…

I'm starting to change my priorities, it's a long and slow change, but I feel I need it. I've stop thinking of what other people think of me, a very long time ago. But I still prefer the last model of mobile phone to spending a weekend with my friends or my family, I'm still to materialistic, and I still do not give all the importance that little things in life deserve. But unfortunately I'm not the worst case, in fact, in these subject I'm one of the best. There are people in these society that simply prefer the status and the appearance to the sentimental comfort, these is, going to bed at night and feeling good with them self’s.
These society is giving to much importance to money, if we want something we have to have money, that's what society says (I disagree). When somebody is felling good with their life, it appears some product that we desire and we start to feel miserable because we can't afford it. I believe I'm happy with my life...
In Portugal there's a saying that goes like these: The happiness is of the fools. If this is true (I believe otherwise) then let me be fool. :)

At these time and after reading all these post some of my friends may be surprised, some will think I've change my politic area (I don't have one but some of them just won't believe it) others will think I've became strange and will avoid me, others will think I'm crazy and will laugh with all of these, but to all of them I can only say, that these is my point of view, hope you can deal with it comfortably.

With no doubt August as been the best month of this summer. It was the first without school or exams, it was the one that had (is having) more beach, more sun, and of course more ice creams, but also more fun...

The day is half gone but I know that today is one of those days when nothing can go wrong. I don't know why (or maybe I do) but I know that nothing can bother me, that nothing can change my mood. I also know I have to thank "Minimal" our conversation really helped these mood :) .

On the other hand if my mood is great my country and its politicians just won't do... The temperature is high again, and the fires started (again) and what the Portuguese people had forgotten in just a few days, came back. Portugal doesn't have the means or the professionals to fight fires. More than 100.000 Hectares have burned since January and 16 people died because of the fires. But as soon as the temperature is low again, Portuguese people will forget the means that are necessary, the professional formation that the fireman need, and the politician will have one less headache and will be able to buy some more Mercedes, because the ones that they have are almost a year old. This is Portugal. Unfortunately.

Just a short note: I know my writing sucks, and one of the main reasons that made me start these Blog, was these aspect, I really believe that I can became a reasonable writer if I practice, and these is one way of doing it.
Thanks for reading my Blog.

Today was one of those days that I hope to repeat many times. I went to my grandparents, and spent the day with them. It's nice to go there from time to time, and talk to them, but mostly listen to them. They had a rich life with lots of stories, and I like to hear them, those stories give me pleasure while listening to them, and a subject to think about when they end, their stories are full of experience and usually you can take one or two good advices from that stories.
I think that in our days we ignore old people very much, we put them 'on a corner' and wait until their dead, so we can cry their lose, and I also believe that these behaviour has to change. Old people may not be able to work as a young person, but they have ideas and points of view that must be taken in account. They've been in this world much to time to be ignored and put aside, we must use their experience to improve our society, which in these days needs lots of improvements so it can reach a medium level.
Another factor that should lead us to starting respecting old people is that they are also human beings, which need attention as any other human being. You should see the smiles on there faces when they have someone to spend time with, it's great to see you've helped someone to feel a little better, just with your presence, just with your ability of knowing how to hear.
I really hope my grand parents will stay alive for many and many years, and I believe that to make my hope come true, I must make them feel good with themselves, with happiness, so they do want to live, and so that they do feel needed, because there's a majority of old people that feel useless, and that takes away from them the desire of staying alive