Starting to be used to be invisible.

I've noticed in the past that I'm good at staying invisible, if I'm in a place with lots of people, as long as I maintain a low profile, I can be completely invisible. Take the example of the library I use to study. I've been using it to study for the last three years, although it's not my departments library it's the quietest in all university and, as me, almost all users are frequent users.

As this library I'm talking is small, it's normal for it's users to recognize each others, but strangely enough (or not) this year I had to talk with some of them. I knew who they were, but they hadn't the slightest idea of who I was.

I'm beginning to believe that this is an advantage: to have the ability to pass as an invisible person, to be unrecognizable, gives me a sensation of pleasure that I have a hard time explaining. I enjoy not being noticed, not being recognized. I love the unique felling of being alone in a room full of people… it gives me peace.

Holidays are over. Tomorrow it all starts again.

I have to admit that I was kind of bored this last days… because you can have only so much of this: beach, book, music, films, sleeping late, and all the rest… I liked this holidays but now I have to go back to my life!

I know there are people that think: uah!! I wish I could have that kind of life for the rest of my life… but I think nobody can spend much time not doing anything useful. It feels good for the first days but as the holidays come closer to the end you find yourself thinking: I'm getting bored, I'm getting curious about what's next… and for the last few days I've been like that!!!

PS: Last night the Emmys took place. Apart from all the expected awards one caught my eye. A film that I saw about a year ago and that almost passed unnoticed to almost everybody won I think two Emmys one for the best film made for TV and the other for the best actress in a film made for TV. The film I'm talking about is The Girl in the Café and I recommend the viewing of it.

This is the first tribute I'm paying to someone in this blog.

This week a important magazine published and interview with Jorge Sampaio, former President of Portugal, and may I say so, a great one to.

The ten years in witch he was president, wore the ten years when almost every Portuguese when asked who was the role model of politicians answered Jorge Sampaio. He had huge approval rates and even in though times (when he had to dissolve the parliament and ask for new elections) he overcame them with very high approval rates… even from people that supported the party that had the majority in parliament at that time.

After his presidency was over he got away from national politics (unlike other former presidents) and in the last few months has been working with the UN in order to make himself useful… he is working closely with the UN trying to fight tuberculosis. He is making all the contacts he has (that he made during his presidency) useful to push Europe forward in this fight… and he is starting to get the first results.

I would like that more politicians wore more like him: Independent, Committed and Competent.

PS: Well there it is, the book and the film list are available.

This summer I've taken a lot of time off to think. I really have thought a lot about everything… and ended up with some conclusions. There's nothing I want, that could be accomplish in the short term, that I already don't have. All my goals at this time of my life are strangely enough the long term ones… and although it sounds awful, it's not… in fact it's great, it gives me time to relax, to enjoy the ones that are near me, to think, to read, to write, to sleep, to talk… all that without having to think of what I should be doing, if I'm using my time wisely or if I'm wasting time… because my time at this point in my life is only to myself…without pressure, without stress… I guess that is what holidays are all about, and if they are: well then this is the first time I can remember I have such a great time in my holidays.

I've been completely disconnected with the world… at least with the world I'm usually involved. My cell is taking it's own vacations and my inbox is probably full by now… I'm finding out I enjoy being alone, silence and calm are the two main adjectives of my last fifteen days. Don't get me wrong I'm not, nor I'm I trying to become, a hermit. I could never be like this for a long time… but it feels good, especially after a stressful semester like the last one, to have some of the famous alone time.

PS1: About the four things I promised for the blog the first two are kind of not happening… I haven't have the money right now for the domain and the place where the blog is hosted isn't able to cope with comments (at least I think it isn't). The two lists are coming along fine. The film list is going to be just a link to IMDB and the book list will be available in the next week or so.

PS2: Well it looks that she thought it through and decided that someone with such a talent must indeed continue to write… good for us, alex is back.

As the final countdown for the last exam of the semester begins, I realize that what I wrote in the begging of the semester was in fact true. I never had a semester where I enjoyed so much the projects and where I approached the examination season with no stress and at the same time (and it really feels funny admitting it) with so much responsibility.

I enrolled myself in the beginning of the semester in more courses than I should have… but surprisingly I already know all my marks (except of tomorrow's exam) and their great… I've never done so much courses in one semester… and the average mark is higher than my general mark… so I must be happy for my academic progress… I really didn't though it would be so easy… all I changed was the way I faced school… until the beginning of this semester I faced it as almost an obligation… Now I face it as a challenge and a easy way of learning new things… I guess that's a healthier way of seeing the whole picture… and at the same time a much easier way of getting higher marks