On Monday I moved in to my new place. What a gruesome day... on the previous day I had arrived home from Portugal at 2am. After sleeping 4 hours I went to work so I could get out at 3pm. Because I spent the weekend at Portugal I didn't package anything nor did the dishes, so had to do it on that day. On my first and second trips I took my large trolley, my cabin trolley and my camping backpack. Caught the bus in front of my (old) flat, and then had to walk around 15min.. I left for my 3rd trip around midnight, feeling asleep and tired. This time I took my camping backpack, my ironing board and lot of bags. After I left the bus I experienced the generosity of a stranger. A nice Nigerian lady insisted in offering me a ride on her car to my new flat and saved me from walking with all that weight:)
Thank you Clara.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
My passport's special treatment
Tonight at Gatwick's passport control the officer put my passport through the scanner, looked at the screen, then flipped through the pages and made me a couple of questions that may explain my passport's special treatment in Austria:
"Do you have family in Angola?"
- Yes.
"But were you born in Portugal?"
- Yes.
"Thank you, bye"
They probably scanned my passport because I've been in Angola. They feared I was hired by an Angolan terrorist group (probably don't exist) and that I was going to make use of my Portuguese nationality to get inside their country and bomb them. Or maybe they feared something worse, that I would move in:-D
"Do you have family in Angola?"
- Yes.
"But were you born in Portugal?"
- Yes.
"Thank you, bye"
They probably scanned my passport because I've been in Angola. They feared I was hired by an Angolan terrorist group (probably don't exist) and that I was going to make use of my Portuguese nationality to get inside their country and bomb them. Or maybe they feared something worse, that I would move in:-D
Regresso a Londres
Cá estou eu junto à porta de embarque 23 do Aeroporto da portela à espera de entrar no avião para Londres. Por algum motivo que apenas posso especular como sendo uma incompatibilidade de protocolos entre a Easyjet e a ANA, todos os passageiros que tinham feito check-in online tiveram que trocar o seu cartão de embarque impresso em casa, por um
tradicional. Quando viajo low cost, sem marcação de lugares, sinto-me sempre como gado. Imensas pessoas num espaço confinado à espera em fila sedentos por conseguirem o melhor lugar possível a bordo do avião. Enfim... Pelo menos poupam-se uns trocos.
O fim-de-semana começou bem, com um jantar em Lisboa na companhia de amigos que já não via há demasiado tempo. Apesar do restaurante não se ter revelado o melhor, o convívio esteve em alta! Até tive direito a táxi para casa (obrigado André e desculpa)!
"Passageiros com Speedy Boarding e Special Assistance podem entrar".
O restaurante, Pizzeria Capricciosa Pq. Nações, de acordo com algumas fontes tinha as melhores pizzas de Lisboa, mas é uma grande mentira. Não conheço muitas pizzerias em Lisboa, mas até o restaurante Super-Chefe (que não é Pizzeria) faz melhores pizzas. Consigo imediatamente pensar em 3 pizzerias em Setúbal, que tem um décimo da dimensão de
Lisboa, que faz melhores pizzas: Anexo, Bocaccino e Pizzeria Bonfim. Infelizmente não eram só as pizzas que não eram fantásticas. A empregada que nos atendeu passou a noite de "trombas" e quando pedimos a 3a rodada de cervejas (o nosso menu dava-nos direito 3 bebida) questionou quantas bebidas cada um bebeu e contou os copos para garantir que
ninguém bebia mais que 3. Seria um crime se tivesse bebido uma 4a bebida pertencente à minha namorada... enfim, não me apanham lá nunca mais.
"Passageiros do grupo A podem embarcar" - cá vou eu!
Após comer fomos hidratar-nos para o Parque das Nações. Infelimente este tornou-se num infantário para crianças pubescentes... Uma boa noite de qualquer maneira.
Enquanto nos dirigimos para o avião atravessamos uma sala de embarque vazia. Obrigaram-nos a esperar num corredor abafado, com pouca ventilação e de pé quando tinham uma sala inteira vazia - sacanas!
Apesar de estar no grupo A consegui um lugar na fila de emergência - maravilha, pernas quase esticadas:)
"In case of an emergency you will have to open the door are you OK with that?" - Yes, respondi eu à hospedeira de bordo. Já viajei muitas vezes em filas de emergência e nunca me tinham dito isto. Ou a senhora era antiquada ou é um procedimento que a Easyjet ainda conserva (a TAP e a Ryan Air não o fazem).
Onde é que ia? Hum... Sábado, almocei um peixinho grelhado da mãmã, maravilha.
Esplanada desde as 17:30 até às 20:30 matar saudades do Sol, das Sagres e dos amigos que não se juntariam a mim à hora de jantar.
Jantar no Lés a Lés, Setúbal. Comemos uma simpática combinação de tapas com umas entradas brutais de folhados de queijo de cabra com compota de framboesa, um must. Não comam a tortilha de chouriço pois apenas irão obter uma tortilha de tortilha com salpicos de chouriço. Atendimento porreiro.
"Do you wish something to eat or drink, sir?"
- A Twix please.
"1£ please"
- 1,50€ right?
"Yes"
E lá entreguei o dinheiro à senhora simpática perdendo 25ctmos no câmbio. Maldita altura para me esquecer das moedas inglesas na mesinha de cabeceira portuguesa*! Belo do Twix para complementar o fantástico jantar de um cheeseburguer.
Mais um almoço em família, desta vez com umas tias, primos, mãe e os avós. Como é bom voltar a uma casa onde praticamente crescemos e na companhia daqueles que nos viram crescer (e nos trocaram fraldas). Além de umas sobremesas caseiras da matriarca da família comemos uns belos frangos da Crisbeta. Um sabor que me acompanhou desde criança e que é, na minha modesta opinião, o melhor frango de churrasco de Setúbal.
Belo fim-de-semana português que chegou ao seu inevitável fim. Em breve estarei em Gatwick e 1h depois casa.
*Quando esvaziei a mochila descobri que as moedas inglesas estavam lá, estúpido!
tradicional. Quando viajo low cost, sem marcação de lugares, sinto-me sempre como gado. Imensas pessoas num espaço confinado à espera em fila sedentos por conseguirem o melhor lugar possível a bordo do avião. Enfim... Pelo menos poupam-se uns trocos.
O fim-de-semana começou bem, com um jantar em Lisboa na companhia de amigos que já não via há demasiado tempo. Apesar do restaurante não se ter revelado o melhor, o convívio esteve em alta! Até tive direito a táxi para casa (obrigado André e desculpa)!
"Passageiros com Speedy Boarding e Special Assistance podem entrar".
O restaurante, Pizzeria Capricciosa Pq. Nações, de acordo com algumas fontes tinha as melhores pizzas de Lisboa, mas é uma grande mentira. Não conheço muitas pizzerias em Lisboa, mas até o restaurante Super-Chefe (que não é Pizzeria) faz melhores pizzas. Consigo imediatamente pensar em 3 pizzerias em Setúbal, que tem um décimo da dimensão de
Lisboa, que faz melhores pizzas: Anexo, Bocaccino e Pizzeria Bonfim. Infelizmente não eram só as pizzas que não eram fantásticas. A empregada que nos atendeu passou a noite de "trombas" e quando pedimos a 3a rodada de cervejas (o nosso menu dava-nos direito 3 bebida) questionou quantas bebidas cada um bebeu e contou os copos para garantir que
ninguém bebia mais que 3. Seria um crime se tivesse bebido uma 4a bebida pertencente à minha namorada... enfim, não me apanham lá nunca mais.
"Passageiros do grupo A podem embarcar" - cá vou eu!
Após comer fomos hidratar-nos para o Parque das Nações. Infelimente este tornou-se num infantário para crianças pubescentes... Uma boa noite de qualquer maneira.
Enquanto nos dirigimos para o avião atravessamos uma sala de embarque vazia. Obrigaram-nos a esperar num corredor abafado, com pouca ventilação e de pé quando tinham uma sala inteira vazia - sacanas!
Apesar de estar no grupo A consegui um lugar na fila de emergência - maravilha, pernas quase esticadas:)
"In case of an emergency you will have to open the door are you OK with that?" - Yes, respondi eu à hospedeira de bordo. Já viajei muitas vezes em filas de emergência e nunca me tinham dito isto. Ou a senhora era antiquada ou é um procedimento que a Easyjet ainda conserva (a TAP e a Ryan Air não o fazem).
Onde é que ia? Hum... Sábado, almocei um peixinho grelhado da mãmã, maravilha.
Esplanada desde as 17:30 até às 20:30 matar saudades do Sol, das Sagres e dos amigos que não se juntariam a mim à hora de jantar.
Jantar no Lés a Lés, Setúbal. Comemos uma simpática combinação de tapas com umas entradas brutais de folhados de queijo de cabra com compota de framboesa, um must. Não comam a tortilha de chouriço pois apenas irão obter uma tortilha de tortilha com salpicos de chouriço. Atendimento porreiro.
"Do you wish something to eat or drink, sir?"
- A Twix please.
"1£ please"
- 1,50€ right?
"Yes"
E lá entreguei o dinheiro à senhora simpática perdendo 25ctmos no câmbio. Maldita altura para me esquecer das moedas inglesas na mesinha de cabeceira portuguesa*! Belo do Twix para complementar o fantástico jantar de um cheeseburguer.
Mais um almoço em família, desta vez com umas tias, primos, mãe e os avós. Como é bom voltar a uma casa onde praticamente crescemos e na companhia daqueles que nos viram crescer (e nos trocaram fraldas). Além de umas sobremesas caseiras da matriarca da família comemos uns belos frangos da Crisbeta. Um sabor que me acompanhou desde criança e que é, na minha modesta opinião, o melhor frango de churrasco de Setúbal.
Belo fim-de-semana português que chegou ao seu inevitável fim. Em breve estarei em Gatwick e 1h depois casa.
*Quando esvaziei a mochila descobri que as moedas inglesas estavam lá, estúpido!
Friday, October 24, 2008
A caminho de Portugal
Este post está a ser escrito a caminho de Portugal. Viva as novas
tecnologias e os telemóveis inteligentes com "Airplane mode" que a
Easyjet, explicitamente, permite:)
tecnologias e os telemóveis inteligentes com "Airplane mode" que a
Easyjet, explicitamente, permite:)
Parto com uma agenda cheia, 2 jantares e 2 almoços combinados com
família e amigos. Além de alguns cafés e visitas prometidas. A
antecipação de tudo isto (e, especialmente, de estar com a pessoa que
eu mais gosto) deixa-me extremamente feliz, apesar de não conseguir
ver todos os que gostava de ver... fica para a próxima!
Quanto mais tempo passo em Londres mais integrado e confortável me
sinto lá, mas mais saudades sinto de Portugal. Dois sentimentos
antagónicos que caminham em sentidos opostos.
Partir para Portugal com a situação do apartamento resolvida foi a
cereja em cima do bolo.
London Hotel got moved
If my return to work hasn't started well it surely ended well. Besides
my previous post. I've got an email canceling a viewing I was doing
that day to a well located room with ensuite bathroom...
my previous post. I've got an email canceling a viewing I was doing
that day to a well located room with ensuite bathroom...
But then my luck changed. Went to see an apartment North of Old
Street, around 25min walk from my work place. The rent looked good
(£700pcm including bills), though it didn't showed any photos (dodgy)
and the flat was on an odd alley. But... I immediatly got along with
the current tenant, an interesting Irish also working on Banking. The
room is slightly bigger than my current one with lots of storage
space. Everything looked nice and has an amazing extra: It comes with
a guests room! You read correctly, the landlady keeps a vacant room
for herself in the flat that she only uses 3/4 times per year and can
be used to accomodate visits.
Your London Hotel just got better conditions! Check the Calendar on
the bottom of this page to find an available date to visit us;)
Critical path to next release
My return to work from training couse wasn't the best one I could
imagine. After the standard question "how was the course?", I was
immediatly drawn to a meeting with part of the plan team (including my
manager's manager) to know what was my status on the issues I was
working on and to debrief me about the new issues assigned to me.
After that, when I've finally logged on I had an email from my
manager's manager stating I was the "critical path" to next release,
meaning my tasks are crucial to the release sign off. Went straight
from the relax feeling of a course to the stressful feeling of having
a deadline.
imagine. After the standard question "how was the course?", I was
immediatly drawn to a meeting with part of the plan team (including my
manager's manager) to know what was my status on the issues I was
working on and to debrief me about the new issues assigned to me.
After that, when I've finally logged on I had an email from my
manager's manager stating I was the "critical path" to next release,
meaning my tasks are crucial to the release sign off. Went straight
from the relax feeling of a course to the stressful feeling of having
a deadline.
To be completly honest it wasn't that stressful because of the good
team I'm in. No one pressured me and they pointed out to me who I
could ask for help in each issue. Besides, even with deadlines closing
by or even on production issues (bank loosing money) our managers
never act stressed allowing us to act with a cool mind and at our best
potential.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
As mulheres mimam-nos (e estragam-nos)
Até há duas semanas atrás estava um rapaz disciplinado, treinado. Cozinhava e lavava logo a loiça, maravilha. Depois vieram as mulheres... a minha linda e adorada namorada esteve cá por 10 dias, juntamente com uma amiga, e por 10 dias foi o paraíso. Comidinha feita ao chegar a casa, loiça lavada, enfim uma relação à antiga (bons tempos...). Mas isso já acabou, elas já voltaram para Portugal e agora onde encontrar vontade para cozinhar? Ou lavar a loiça? Após se irem embora deixei a loiça acumular até basicamente não ter mais...
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Mais uma viagem comprada
Supostamente com 25% de desconto, mas não me parece assim tão fantástico...
Lon->Lis->Lon: 06/03-08/03 - 98.97€ (£76.73) (135 dias antecedência)
Lon->Lis->Lon: 06/03-08/03 - 98.97€ (£76.73) (135 dias antecedência)
Formação no trabalho
Hoje tive o meu segundo curso de treino, desta vez um curso de 2 dias de Introdução aos Derivados pelo qual a minha empresa pagou a módica quantia de £900. O anterior foram £450. E em Novembro vou fazer um curso em C# de 4 dias no valor de £1400 que nem sequer faz parte da lista de cursos disponíveis aos empregados, foi-me sugerido pelo meu manager e aprovado pelas altas instâncias. Nesse aspecto tive sorte nas chefias que me saíram na rifa :-)
Em relação ao curso de hoje, está a ser muito bom, o leccionador é fantástico na entrega de conhecimento. Dinâmico, energético, divertido. Não perde tempo com os acetatos, contrói os seus próprios exemplos e apresenta as coisas de vários pontos de vista.
DERIVADOS = APOSTAS com melhor nome. 98% das trocas são cash settled, não envolvem acções/bens. Impressionante... Apesar de haver um lado giro de poderem ser usados para hedging, conceito semelhante ao de um seguro, na maioria dos casos não é assim...
Finalmente irei perceber a linguagem dos traders/marketers :D
Nota: Se quiserem fazer um seguro contra a vossa infelicidade num jogo de futebol, apostem contra a vossa própria equipa. Se ela ganhar ficam felizes por terem ganho, se perderem ganham o dinheiro da aposta;-)
Em relação ao curso de hoje, está a ser muito bom, o leccionador é fantástico na entrega de conhecimento. Dinâmico, energético, divertido. Não perde tempo com os acetatos, contrói os seus próprios exemplos e apresenta as coisas de vários pontos de vista.
DERIVADOS = APOSTAS com melhor nome. 98% das trocas são cash settled, não envolvem acções/bens. Impressionante... Apesar de haver um lado giro de poderem ser usados para hedging, conceito semelhante ao de um seguro, na maioria dos casos não é assim...
Finalmente irei perceber a linguagem dos traders/marketers :D
Nota: Se quiserem fazer um seguro contra a vossa infelicidade num jogo de futebol, apostem contra a vossa própria equipa. Se ela ganhar ficam felizes por terem ganho, se perderem ganham o dinheiro da aposta;-)
Monday, October 20, 2008
Mariza em Londres
É preciso vir a Londres para ver um concerto da nossa Mariza:D Os bilhetes já estão comprados, 2 dos últimos 3 bilhetes vendidos! Por pouco não ficava a ver navios... Agora já estão esgotados, por isso não se chateiem:P
É preciso apreciar o que escreveram na página:
Have you missed out? Members hear first!
Mariza's two evening concerts have now sold out. To hear first about similar events and enjoy priority booking periods for the very best contemporary music - join Barbican Membership from just £20 a year. Join today!
Mariza Family Concert on Sun 2 Nov at 2.30pm:
Mariza has added a special third concert on Sunday afternoon, intended for young people (age 7-14) and accompanying adults. She and her band will play some of their most famous numbers, and she will talk about her relationship to the Portuguese traditions of fado. Click here to book now.
About the evening concerts
Two special concerts by the queen of fado, the breathtakingly lyrical and melancholic music of Portugal.
Adored around the world for her heart breaking voice, compelling stage charisma and performances that are full of musical passion and drama , Mariza returns to London for her first UK concerts in two years to premiere material from her eagerly anticipated album Terra, out this autumn on EMI.
'When Mariza sings, time stands still. Every word is sung with intense concentration, every note hit flawlessly. When she pauses for dramatic effect, we are all with her.' Charlie Gillett, BBC Radio 3.
http://www.barbican.org.uk/music/event-detail.asp?ID=7476
£25 por bilhete, o que é barato pela perspectiva londrina... dia 2 lá estarei:D
É preciso apreciar o que escreveram na página:
Have you missed out? Members hear first!
Mariza's two evening concerts have now sold out. To hear first about similar events and enjoy priority booking periods for the very best contemporary music - join Barbican Membership from just £20 a year. Join today!
Mariza Family Concert on Sun 2 Nov at 2.30pm:
Mariza has added a special third concert on Sunday afternoon, intended for young people (age 7-14) and accompanying adults. She and her band will play some of their most famous numbers, and she will talk about her relationship to the Portuguese traditions of fado. Click here to book now.
About the evening concerts
Two special concerts by the queen of fado, the breathtakingly lyrical and melancholic music of Portugal.
Adored around the world for her heart breaking voice, compelling stage charisma and performances that are full of musical passion and drama , Mariza returns to London for her first UK concerts in two years to premiere material from her eagerly anticipated album Terra, out this autumn on EMI.
'When Mariza sings, time stands still. Every word is sung with intense concentration, every note hit flawlessly. When she pauses for dramatic effect, we are all with her.' Charlie Gillett, BBC Radio 3.
http://www.barbican.org.uk/music/event-detail.asp?ID=7476
£25 por bilhete, o que é barato pela perspectiva londrina... dia 2 lá estarei:D
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Internet powered by iPhone
When my flatmate left home he took the broad band internet connection with him and I was so grateful to those smart guys who created the applications Apple tries to ban, I'm referring to the apps which allow to use the iPhone as a 3G modem:) That's how I'm writing this post, from my laptop connect through WiFi to the iPhone which is using its 3G internet connection.
The speed is not fantastic, but is good enough for browsing and emailing. Sometimes I loose connectivity, I suspect it is the mobile carrier throttling me down because of the amount of data transferred which is significant considering it is supposed to be used by a mobile phone.
Even though I'm not making an astronomic data consumption, the fact that there is no limit makes me feel more comfortable.
The speed is not fantastic, but is good enough for browsing and emailing. Sometimes I loose connectivity, I suspect it is the mobile carrier throttling me down because of the amount of data transferred which is significant considering it is supposed to be used by a mobile phone.
Even though I'm not making an astronomic data consumption, the fact that there is no limit makes me feel more comfortable.
Fantasma da Ópera
Após quase 3 meses cá, finalmente fui ver um musical. E tenho que admitir que fiquei muito bem impressionado:) Fomos ver o Fantasma da Ópera no Her Majesty's Theatre, onde está em cena há 22 anos! O meu primeiro comentário ao ver os actores a entrar em palco foi "parece que estou numa peça da escola", não por lhes faltar qualidade, mas por estar tão perto do palco. O teatro é relativamente pequeno, 1216 lugares distribuidos por 4 níveis. Nós estávamos numa das últimas filas do 2º nível (Royal Circle) e a vista era formidável! Era possível não só ver os mais pequenos gestos, mas também ver as expressões faciais dos artistas.
Não sou muito experiente em teatro e por isso a minha opinião vale o que vale, mas aqui fica... Adorei os cenários, acho que estavam muito bem elaborados e era interessante como em algumas cenas específicas tinham diferentes profundidades e várias coisas aconteciam em planos secundários. As vozes eram arrebatadoras, fiquei particularmente surpreendido pela actriz que fazia o papel de Christine que tinha uma voz doce e melodiosa e projectava a voz bem longe, de forma bem audível. O enredo em si também não é mau de todo.
Conclusão, recomenda-se!
A peça custou-me umas dolorosas £45 (58€), mas como é só uma vez na vida, valeu cada penny. A próxima deverá ser os Les Misérables.
Não sou muito experiente em teatro e por isso a minha opinião vale o que vale, mas aqui fica... Adorei os cenários, acho que estavam muito bem elaborados e era interessante como em algumas cenas específicas tinham diferentes profundidades e várias coisas aconteciam em planos secundários. As vozes eram arrebatadoras, fiquei particularmente surpreendido pela actriz que fazia o papel de Christine que tinha uma voz doce e melodiosa e projectava a voz bem longe, de forma bem audível. O enredo em si também não é mau de todo.
Conclusão, recomenda-se!
A peça custou-me umas dolorosas £45 (58€), mas como é só uma vez na vida, valeu cada penny. A próxima deverá ser os Les Misérables.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Bruxelas... Parte 2
No seguimento de "uma tragédia nunca vem só", surge mais um capítulo: perdi o alojamento em Bruxelas. Pior ficou o meu anfitrião que perdeu o emprego :-(
Maldita Crise do Crédito, ainda não parou de fazer estragos... e a culpa é dos americanos!
Maldita Crise do Crédito, ainda não parou de fazer estragos... e a culpa é dos americanos!
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Flatshares in London
If you're ever on the look for a flatshare in London I highly recommend you:
http://www.moveflat.co.uk
http://www.spareroom.co.uk
http://www.moveflat.co.uk
http://www.spareroom.co.uk
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Fring for iPhone 3G
One of the most interesting functionalities is finally available on the iPhone: Skype/SIP calls through WiFi/3G.
You won't find the 3G version on Apple Store as it is not allowed by Apple, but you can find it on websites like http://appulo.us. I've tried Skype over wifi and the quality was quite good, not very far from what you get on a computer. Tried SIP over 3G and the lag was very noticeable but the general quality of audio was acceptable so it was possible to have a conversation.
Fring is definitely approved! Unfortunately my bluetooth headset didn't work with it...
Full Review
http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2008/10/06/review-fring-voip-client-for-iphone-is-no-cell-replacement
You won't find the 3G version on Apple Store as it is not allowed by Apple, but you can find it on websites like http://appulo.us. I've tried Skype over wifi and the quality was quite good, not very far from what you get on a computer. Tried SIP over 3G and the lag was very noticeable but the general quality of audio was acceptable so it was possible to have a conversation.
Fring is definitely approved! Unfortunately my bluetooth headset didn't work with it...
Full Review
http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2008/10/06/review-fring-voip-client-for-iphone-is-no-cell-replacement
A tragedy never comes alone
While my flatmate was moving and I was buying cutlery, dishes, etc to replace what he was taking with him, two nice ladies with russian accent came to our flat and announced we had a new landlord. At the time it felt like good news as the previous one didn't care much about his tenants, but the possibility the rent might rise stood in the air... Spend two days wondering about my future, made some calculations to see how much I could afford, wondered how quickly would I find a new flatmate, some anxiety...
Today all doubts cleared. They came late (didn't help for the anxiety part) and immediately explain the landlord intended to remodel the entire property. At least we (much thanks to my ex-flatmate) were able to negotiate my stay for the maximum period of one month. So I lost the amazing deal I had, spacious flat for "cheap" price (£130pw) in central London, will have to pay for the full flat during this period here and have to quickly find a new place and new flatmate(s) with few chances of finding something affordable in Central London.
The only good part of this story is that I never actually paid rent for the 2,5 months I've stayed here. The flat needed repairs and the landlord didn't bothered, so we stop paying and he never complained:)
Time to move on...
Today all doubts cleared. They came late (didn't help for the anxiety part) and immediately explain the landlord intended to remodel the entire property. At least we (much thanks to my ex-flatmate) were able to negotiate my stay for the maximum period of one month. So I lost the amazing deal I had, spacious flat for "cheap" price (£130pw) in central London, will have to pay for the full flat during this period here and have to quickly find a new place and new flatmate(s) with few chances of finding something affordable in Central London.
The only good part of this story is that I never actually paid rent for the 2,5 months I've stayed here. The flat needed repairs and the landlord didn't bothered, so we stop paying and he never complained:)
Time to move on...
Credit Crunch, Lehman and the loss of a flatmate
When the Credit Crunch happened I thought the impact on my life would be minimal, I failed to foresee it would affect me in a big way one year later...
Lehman went down, my flatmate loss his job and I didn't even see the immediate consequences. He wouldn't have enough income to support our flat in Central London and now he moved to a cheaper place:(
Lehman went down, my flatmate loss his job and I didn't even see the immediate consequences. He wouldn't have enough income to support our flat in Central London and now he moved to a cheaper place:(
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Getting old...
Friday went to a university party in LSE and I felt an old man among kids. Not long ago 18 year old people seemed 18 year old people now they seem kids... :S
Austria, Hitler, pedophiles, fascists and arrogance...
My travelling experience through Austria, Salzburg to be specific, was one of the worst in my life. Never I felt so unwanted and in such a hurry to abandon a country. I'll start with the (only?) good part. The landscapes are staggering, they are exactly, excuse me, they are better than the images you see on pictures, television etc. Amazing green fields and white covered mountains. Your eyes will enjoy Austria. With that off the way let's move to the rest of my experience there, I'll start from the beginning.
After the plane landed we had to go through passport control. The procedure was basically passing the passport on the photo page through some sort of scanner. Everyone (including Austrians, English and Swiss) received this procedure, but for some strange reason (maybe someone can tell me) mine went through an additional check beneath the counter which I can only imagine as being photocopied as I could see the lady flipping the passport's pages. As I'm Portuguese and the darkest passenger aboard (basically not milky white) I probably need special security check. Or simply, some are more European than others...
I took a bus to get to the train station and when I asked the price the driver shouts TWO EUROS, almost in a military way. I felt like saluting him and answer YES SIR, but just paid him. Definitely a strange fellow. On the bus there were a couple of old women staring at me from the top of their high up noses during almost the whole trip. I could feel I was not welcomed there...
Finally caught the train and reach the friendly country of Germany. The difference is much noticeable. But I would need to return and after a very good OktoberFest it would feel even worse to cross Salzburg...
Round 2. This time I had grown accustomed to say Gutten Tag and Auf Wiedersehen and I was hopping to gain some sympathy from my effort, as native people usually enjoy foreigners' effort to use their language, but I was wrong...
I got off the train station, freezing dawn and head to the bus station. Right there another old women looking down on me the whole time, almost felt pursued. I got in the bus and give a big Gutten Tag to the driver who didn't say a thing. I prepared to hand him the 2 Euros and the guy says something in German in a not a very friendly way and points to the tray, suggesting I should drop the money in the tray. I would aspect this from someone Japanese, as culturally they avoid physical contact but not from Austrian. Dropped the money, got my ticket and sat. Unfortunately, the arrogant, conceited eyes of the previous lady and some other people kept staring me. Probably thought that the not milky white guy posed some sort of danger to them or their country. During this trip I counted 3 sex-shops, that itself is not surprising but the fact that their windows had either gay and/or full latex outfits was kind of awkward. I suppose it's better to engage in such stuff than to lock your kids in a cellar...
Airport, tried the Gutten Tag again but didn't gain any warmth or smiles from that. Same old disdainful faces. I suppose it's their culture. I noticed in the train station, a family going on vacation and all of them had long faces. Usually people get happy when are travelling. Maybe they were already assuming that the vacation place would be worse than their mighty and marvellous country/city...
Slept a couple of hours near the gate, I was awaken by some Asutrian girl who sat quite heavily (even though she wasn't heavy) in the bench where I was lying. An then they started calling people for the plane. Of course they didn't bother to translate the calling, why would they? In a plane travelling London surely everyone speaks German, right? Some of us had to guess what was happening by the Austrians reaction and general knowledge of procedures, first priority ticket holders and then the rest. I couldn't help notice the amount of Austrian people who had priority tickets, it almost nulled the point of being priority. Usually you see few people with priority tickets but this time it was a quite queue full of them :-S
Almost there, but still one last discriminating moment to come. Passport control again, while everyone else (English and Austrian) only showed their passport, mine was scanned. Not really sure why...
Never felt so good to be aboard a plane heading London :)
The fact that the right wing got 30% of the votes in the last poll may explain the treatment I got during my short stay there. I bet a lot of those voting right wing parties were in Salzburg those days:-S I haven't travelled much in my life, not as much as I would like anyway, but never experienced anything even close to this before.
I bet Vienna is different as it is more multicultural, that's probably the only Austrian city I consider visiting in the near future. The other places I'll save for when I have the same operation Michael Jackson had :-D
d'Wiesn, the next day
Wake up around 10:30 with feeling a bit sick. My friend enters my room and says something like "I've been making some calculations and I bought 6 mugs of beer and you 5. With the beer spilled, beer offered, beer at lunch, etc each of us drank around 5L of beer!". I think I stared at him for while not wanting to believe, but we drank a lot of beer that afternoon/night...
He asked me if I wanted some breakfast but my stomach was turning so I passed on the offer. They had sausages, white sausages and all that stuff... I could only drink water:S After a while the cheeseburger decides to see daylight again, but not through the right way, if you know what I mean... At least I made it to the toilette. Some moments later had some tea and then another run to toilette... After that my stomach found peace.
We decided our previous day was so good that on Saturday we should just relax and take it easy. So on the afternoon we went to Bar 67 (or something similar), had some Latte Macchiatto and a very nice piadina. The bar was very welcoming and comfortable, the ideal place to chill out.
Then we entered tourist mode, went to the Olympic Village, went to the top of Olympiturm to see and amazing view over Munich and went to BMW World to see some nice cars. By then it was night, we head home and had a very nice Spaghetti Bolognese which my stomach enjoyed. Then we went to Bar 43 (or something similar) which had a very nice atmosphere. Then we head of to Kultfabrik and Optimolwerke, former industrial areas converted to host many different discos and pubs as it was near Ostbanhof train station where I would take my 3:45 train to Salzburg, Austria. If you ever go there I mostly recommend you the Kuhstall :-D
After that, a long journey home: train to Salzburg, bus to airport, 3h waiting for my flight, plane to Stansted, train to London and Bus to home... By 13:00 I was home.
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