London

So my little vacations are over... but I loved them!!!

General Humberto Delgado

Every country has heroes, and there are two types of heroes; the ones that will be known in a hundred years and the ones that will be known in a thousand years.

In Portugal there are a lot of people in the last century that can aspire to the hero spot, from this big set of people a significant percentage can be considered a hero... but “hundred year hero”, only few enter in the thousand year category (if any).

In Portugal if I had to chose one person to enter the thousand year group, I would chose General Humberto Delgado.

Portugal was a dictatorship between 1926 and 1974. The most powerful man during that time (first as the finance minister, and then as the prime minister) was Oliveira Salazar. During those times there were lots of people facing the regime, from famous people that were exiled, to the normal average guy (like my grandfather) that help, that risked his job to help another hiding, to help a pamphlet hit the streets... but only one was capable of really scaring the regime, only one achieved power enough for the regime to think that they either stopped him, or the regime was over. That one was General Humberto Delgado.

Just a few moments ago there was on TV a little audio clip of a speech he gave in a coffee shop during the campaign... heard with today’s ears, there is nothing strange about it... but if one tries to understand that, taking in account that you could go to jail for saying something bad about the government, then that speech seems bold, and even inspiring.

Maybe I can only see him as the ultimate XX century Portuguese hero because he had a big group of people behind him supporting him, and also risking their necks... all of them risking the same thing for the same cause, all risking their life’s for a free Portugal, but the reality is that he was the chosen one to step up... and he wasn’t just a face... he was the man that faced the regime and won (well won on votes... at least until they wore counted...) he was the man that died because he wanted a free Portugal.

Goals

So I have a few goals I want to achieve. I’ve written them down and then marked dates for them. When I fulfil one of those goals within the timeline I just put a little correct sign next to it and when I don’t achieve one I put a cross in front of it.

I find that kind of visual impact, motivating to achieve more goals.

And on the other hand, we’re not talking about lots of goals, or life changing decisions. They are just little things I want to do (like buying the laptop or going to London for a weekend) and that are done in less time with this little motivation technique.

I think that including life changing goals, big projects, in this “little trick” would only serve one purpose, that is, to make it fail.

It is very difficult to motivate me into this kind of goals, and I don’t think I can be tricked into doing something big or important... I just have to do it, and that only happens when I really want to do it... How I get into that mood... well I haven’t figured it out yet.

Moving out

So the summer is finally here. I’m sitting in my veranda, with the window opened and felling the breeze. It’s not good for the beach, yet, but it’s hot enough for me to feel good.
I don’t really get it: How can someone, that likes this weather so much, be so sure that London is the right place for him?

I mean... the weather there is famous for being bad. It rains almost all year... and yet I’m positive that I’ll like it there when (if) I move there.

I’m starting to think that maybe it has to do with moving out. Don’t get me wrong, I like my parents, they’re excellent, but I feel I need my own space, my own house, and stop having to inform everybody where I’m going or when I’m I coming back home.

It’s not that I don’t have the freedom to go wherever I want whenever I want, but I do feel the obligation to warn if I’m staying the night out... and the part of not being able to stay home alone is really annoying. I like to spend time alone, seeing films, or reading books... or even writing... but I find it very difficult to have those “off” times, without upsetting my parents, because if I stay in my room they’ll think that something is wrong with me... I’m probably sad, or something... The reality is I’m not (well, most of the times I’m not).

And I think that the only true way of getting out of the house without insulting anyone is by moving to another country, because, if I move out to an apartment just a few kilometres from here... I fear that my parents will be insulted, and probably worried...

So I have to choose a city to live other than Lisbon... at least for a couple of years... because I do think I can buy my own apartment without leaving anyone sad, when I get back from abroad.

And of course, I also really want to live in London.... for me (and forgive me New Yorkers) the capital of the world. The city that breads culture, that’s inter everything...