Of Basketball and other things

Well, after watching the Men's Quarter-finals and today the Semi-finals, I can say I am impressed.

Men's Basketball has evolved significantly since I started watching in 86/88 and today there are strong teams all round: Spain, Lithuania and Argentina at the fore-front, but solid teams such as Greece and Australia, and future hopes such as China. I am also sure that Croatia will re-emerge, as well as Serbia and Russia.

Did I forget a team? Oh yes, the USA... In my opinion - a biased one I might add - they are still at a different level and when they brought a tremendous team to this event, people thought it was a done deal. Others reminded us of past failures, namely in 2004 and 2006 when they had also brought "great teams". None was truly right. We haven't seen the "destruction" that we saw in Barcelona '92 with the first (and for me still the only true one) dream team, but they have been dominant nonetheless.

However, the interesting aspect of their dominance has, in my opinion, not been their individual superiority (which they definitely have) but their focus during the games. They have been very focused throughout the tournament and respectful of their adversaries. Today I saw one of the Americans almost get into a fight with one of the Argentineans and the amazing thing was to see the rest of the US team on the field (all 4 of them) taking him out of the mess straight away and telling him to calm down and keep his head. I had seen a similar scene against Australia. Today, Mike K kept is "A stars" much longer than usual, truly respecting their opponent. The Americans never looked too much at doing "show" for the audience, but always took Argentina seriously. They even came out with an uncharacteristic shooting games which added to an amazingly tight defense gave them a significant early lead.

What about Argentina? Great team who lost Ginobili very early in the encounter with the US, but to be honest, I don't think the US would have lost today as I don't think they will lose on Sunday. They are too strong and especially too focused.

Some doubts on what really happened to Argentina's number 5. He left on his own feet, but I did not see him back on the bench. V and I think he might have pulled a "Liu Xiang", but who knows. My hat off to Scola and to Delfino, who pushed the "Pumas" to within 8 points of the US at a certain point and to a closer and more exciting match than the final 20 point deficit really shows.

Finally, a special mention to the man, Mr. Bryant, and in particular, in spite of having scored only 12 points, having been such a fundamental piece in the US team tonight. He defended Ginobili in what promised to be a very tough night for Argentina's number 5, defended strongly against Delfino and pushed Nocioni around like "he didn't mean too much". His connection with James, the rest of the team and the fact that he has opted, not only tonight but throughout the tournament, for a more supporting role with strong defense, helping the team in offense when needed (what a show he put on against Australia) and even as a true leader, should potentially still allow him to be the tournament's MVP. On Wednesday, he stayed on with the coaching staff to watch Argentina versus Greece and one can only but wonder how important his leadership has been for the US team to glue so dramatically well.

Spain has a shot at the US, but although I don't feel it will be another 30+ point difference game, I do feel the US will win. The key to Spain's success will be in significantly slowing down the Americans and making them take their shots. The problem for Spain is that their own game style is very American with either "run and shoot" or "push to the inside man and dunk/make easy shot". We shall see what happens.

When the most exciting moment of the session is changing seats... something is wrong

What a boring session. The women's basketball quarter-finals 1st session with the matches between China and Byelorussia, and Australia and Czech Republic, were painfully boring. Granted that China is playing well and Australia has a great team - although today it really didn't impress me.

Please note that the comments that follow are in no way a criticism of a country, of its athletes in general or a person in particular for that matter. The criticism is on a specific women's basketball team, full stop.

The Czech Republic women's basketball team - and please note this is the second time I watch them - is the worst team I have seen live in any sports event: they lack skill, any stamina and, to top it all, will ... to do basically anything that involves them fighting for the ball, fighting for possession. I watched the match (did I say it was the second one I watched live?) in absolute disbelief. They even managed to - and accidently, I might add - injure one of Australia's top players. The Byelorussian team is just like the Czech Republic but with the positive difference that it fights and therefore provided more excitement.

Some will think I am too harsh and others will defend that the basis for the Olympic vision is precisely that Participation is what matters... BUT I would allege that participation can only materialize if accompanied by true will and if the Byelorussians had some, the Czechs didn't have much and were therefore an extremely poor representation for a truly great country. Some years ago, in my home country, a coach and the team captain in another sport apologized to fans and to their citizens for the lack of focus and will they had demonstrated in a match. I would respectfully propose that the Czech team should do the same.

If I look at Mali, this truly poor - and I mean materially poor - team from Africa that lacked any clear discipline or competitive edge, I saw the absolute manifestation of the Olympic ideal: the fighting even when there is not much more to fight for, the energy to keep going, the "living every moment". My hat off to them for they showed a thing or two to some teams who actually made it to the quarter-finals.

My new seat ...

after complaining. It's a security seat so fingers crossed on security letting me stay here.

The worst seat of my olympics

How can they call this a seat? It's in a passage way between sections and is not even a category c but is a b. Shame on whoever did this.

The two most interesting events I have attended so far

Going into the 2 week, it's important to recognize the two most interesting events I have been to. Specifically:
- Beach volley: the atmosphere, the fun you have as part of the audience is quite unique. Adding to that, the quality of the players and the quasi-individual battle of one against the other. I know it's teams but it's as close as it gets to 1+1 versus 1+1. V and I really enjoyed it.
- Women's Artistic Gymnastics: the overall competition, the drama of the American and Chinese performances, the beauty of the individual skills made it for me the most enjoyable sport thus far.

A special mention to football with the Men's quarter-final between Italy and Belgium. Not the best match of all time, but still very exciting from end-to-end. A good demonstration that having younger players at the Olympics might not necessarily be a bad thing.

10 predictions until end of the Games

- Nadal will not win Olympic gold.
- Phelps will get his 8 gold medals.
- US will win both Men's and Women's Basketball competitions.
- China will win all 4 gold medals in table tennis - the two in teams and the two in singles.
- China will be number 1 in gold medals and total medals.
- The Athletics 100 meters world record will be beaten.
- Liu Xiang will not win the 110 m hurdles.
- Rosenthal/Gibb will win a medal for the US in Men's beach volleyball.
- Brazil will not win gold in football - male or female.
- Shawn Johnson will win Women's individual all-round Artistic Gymnastics competition.

Federer is out

Federer was just beaten in 2 sets by Blake. Americans rejoice with their last shot at a medal in the Male competition and for the Swiss the remainder of the competition is in doubles.

What a bad year for this guy. Truly amazing how this amazing player went from clearly best to absolutely beatable. As Courier once said when asked "It's all in the mind".

End of Olympic blogging

Given a lower number of hits than I expect as well as no comments (yes, yes), I decided it would be more useful to spend the rest of the Olympics organizing photos and videos I take from the events than to spend much time on blogging.

I will be posting some stuff, but not as meticulously as before.

Some random updates

- In Beach Volleyball, men world champions Rogers/Dalhauser from the US made for a good come-back after losing their first match. They won the second comfortably agains Heyer/Heuscher from Switzerland. In women, the Chinese double Tian Jia/Wang are doing well, thank you very much, although they lost the first set agains the Belgium pair.

- In Tennis, Venus and Serena are through to the third round with comfortable wins. The Chinese lose one of their representatives in women as Peng Shuais is beaten by Alize Cornet. Daniela Hantuchova again makes a mess out of it and loses to the unseeded Caroline Wozniacki. Wunder-kind Agnieszka was shown the way out of the Olympics by unseeded Francesca Schiavone. Match of the day will oppose Lleyton Hewitt to Rafael Nadal.

-In Artistic Gymnastics, the Men's team final was very much dominated by China who took Gold, followed by Japan and a US team that hadn't had a promising start but delivered at the end for a Bronze medal and narrowly relegating the German team to the wooden spoon. Korea, Russia and Romania were very close in what could have been a very different bronze medal setting.

The US-China Basketball thing

Well, there was eager anticipation in knowing how China would fare against the US and at home in both the Women and Men's competitions. The answer was unequivocal: not well. In Men, the US won by 31 points (101-70). Amongst accusations of arrogance from the American team (arrogance ?!), Mike K - the American coach - replied that the Americans dunked so much because there was, amongst others, this 2.26 m guy called Yao Ming that is quite good at blocking.

In the Women's competition, the anticipation was even stronger since approximately a month ago, China beat the US in the final of a preparatory tournament in Beijing. The story now was different, with the US winning by 45 points (108-63). V said "I had to change channels. The women were playing even worst than the men". V always gets these right.

Tennis on August 11th

I watched three matches at the evening session - all of which at Centre Court.

Venus Williams looked confidant in beating Timea Bacsinszky 6-3, 6-2. There were some good exchanges but pretty much one-way traffic.

Robby Ginepri was not able to keep up with Novak Djokovic for long in a straight set loss 4-6, 4-6. Robby seemed at times to have enough game for Djokovic but then he somehow didn't seem to want it enough.

Finally, Chinese sweetheart Li Na unexpectedly won against Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-6(5), 6.4 in what was another highlight for the Chinese audience who saw three out of the four Chinese women progress throughout the day.

In other results, Federer won comfortably and Nadal had to go the distance (3 sets) with the Italian Potito Starace.

Final comments to the mess around security for the 5 pm session and the recurring I have that volunteers, in their effort to keep things under control, create even bigger issues. The one I have seen a couple of times is the "bottleneck" one both going in to venue spaces (not venues themselves) and out where there seems to be either only one way or one way out. Clearly they haven't seen what happens when a stampede takes place.

Another note - and also a negative one - for the Chinese crowds in tennis. This isn't news, but clearly they are yet to understand the principle of silence in a tennis match and yesterday repeatedly shouted "out", "uhhed" and "ahhed" during several of the points between Li Na and Kuznetsova. Really, really bad and I hope the crowds can learn how to behave in the next few days or at least get strong referees that push them to do so.

Live from tennis centre court

Getting into the Olympic event sites

Not too bad, although there are two clear security areas - one to do thorough checking and the other one just for tickets. Still some strange procedures that make them take away any liquids and in particular some pills (they took some medicinal pills that looked just the same as normal pills and let us kept some pain killers). The reason they gave us on the pill side was that you can only bring one dosage, but we were not convinced with that... neither with their understanding of one dosage is.

Overall, good spirit all-around with obviously a lot of Chinese supporters from very young and very old. Very beautiful to see.

Women's basketball: Latvia vs. Russia

This was supposed to be a tight affair and although the basketball quality varied quite dramatically throughout the game, it ended up leaving up to its expectations.

The game was actually the tale of two women - both Latvians - and a team - the Russian one.
- The Latvians have Anete Jekabsone-Zogota has their key star, who had just scored 34 points agains the Russians a couple of weeks back in a Latvian win. Anete had, what can only be considered, a non-game... she scored 7 points with her first field goal coming in the last minute of the game!!! She was 1 from 12 in field goals and even in free-throws with a poor 63%. She compensated with 6 assists, but was never there. Why did this happen? The Russians put tremendous pressure on her at the beginning of the game and then she just imploded by herself. I hope she will came back.

- Yet the game was close, so another Latvian took the baton. Her name is Liene Jansone who scored 24 points with 53% in field goals, 50% on 2 points and an amazing 57% on 3 points with 4 converted. The problem was Jansone missed the critical shots at the end, allowing the Russians to claw back from behind most of the late 2nd quarter, 3rd and even 4th quarter.

- The Russian team was truly amazing and fought throughout the game, and even more strongly in the last quarter, to show that Basketball is still a team sport (a bit like the Argentineans and the Spaniards have been showing the US dream team and others in male basketball). Ilona Korstin and Tatiana Shchegoleva both finished with 13 points, with the latter having gotten 12 rebounds. The "American" Becky Hammon did well with 11 points and some crucial 3 points (3 converted out of 5) throughout the game. That said, clearly not fully part of the team yet with some difficulties in connecting with her colleagues at times.

Well and the final result was 62-57.

Women's Basketball: USA vs. Czech Republic

I had warned V that the exciting match was coming later (Latvia vs. Russia) and unfortunately I was right.


The Czechs started well being in advance 10-2 and the 13-4, but then the Americans woke up. Initially led by a low scoring, yet strong presence Lisa Leslie (2 points, 10 rebounds in the match) and a "Jordan like" Diana Taurasi (17 points, 54% field goals and 100% free throws), the US came back and took over the game.

The Czechs imploded in what V could only characterize as "Very bad! Very bad" and allowed fora massive 27 turn-overs. Not all can be explained by the strong American defense who got 13 steals. The Czechs simply weren't trying as hard to go for the ball and were considerably outplayed in the 2nd quarter and then dully "buried" in the 3rd and 4th.

Another thing to highlight was the male dream team was in the house and created quite the chaos during the break and at the end since the eager Chinese fans wanted to take photos of them ... or just get up. Some obliged.

Further strong performance on the American side by Sylvia Fowles with 16 points and 14 rebounds and an overall great ensemble. Still need to see them under more pressure, since this ended up being quite easy. Only mention on the Czech side goes to Eva Viteckova with 12 points and was actually playing half-decently.

The final score was a whopping 97-57.

Beijing Olympic Basketball Gymnasium: first impressions

The newly built Basketball Gymnasium is beautiful from the outside although probably less eye-catching that its brothers the National Stadium ("Birds nest") and National Aquatics Center ("Water cube").

Inside there is a functional Basketball gym with displays at both ends - the classical ones with names of players, fouls, points, etc - and large screens in the middle of the Gym.

The court looks a bit worn out for the competition that is just beginning, but overall seems to be fine with the players.

Nice basketball gym. Look forward to be further down in category A tickets though.

It's funny...

That the Chinese Basketball team is sponsored by Nike while Spain is sponsored by ... Li-Ning.

Well, China just won the Female match by 67-64 and Torrens from Spain stood out with 20 points and an amazing performance. Shame for Spain that the rest of the team couldn't strongly follow suit.

Opening: the best ever?

In my humble opinion, the one to beat was Barcelona with the amazing artistically innovative acts, the unique lighting of the flame and great performances (the anticipation of the Caballe-Mercury duet did not realize itself given Mercury's death, but that song is still in our mind). Was this enough to beat it?

The acts were quite amazing and more accessible than in previous Olympics: the visuals were great, the messages clear and the pace quite good. The lighting of the Flame by Li Ning was also beautiful albeit a bit too long (and I still missed the unforgettable Deng Yaping in the last part of the torch bearing... how was she forgotten?). The performances were disappointing... no Mercury-Caballe here. I know it's not fair since we are comparing what happened with what was supposed to happen (a sort of virtual memory) but anyway...

All and all, not sure it beat Barcelona - or that it didn't for that matter - but Zhang Yimou prepared and amazing show that was quite enjoyable and did not seem too long at a bit more than 4 hours. My hat off.

The Opening... almost there

We are all waiting in deep anticipation for the Opening ceremony in just little more than 2 hours. Despite the rumors of security threats, the hassle of tremendous measures that literally will close out Beijing within the first 3 ring roads from the outside (in some parts even to the 4th ring road)... despite not being able to go to the places where we were going to meet friends to share this experience... despite all that, we wait for this ceremony. The one that will not only start the Games, but "re-open" China to the world and show that China has come of age.

Ironic, no?

Olympics start tomorrow... not really

Well, the opening ceremony is tomorrow, but the Olympics started yesterday with the Football competitions for Women (yesteday) and Men (today).

China has done ok with a good win over Sweden in Women's football and a last-minute draw with New Zealand in Men (thanks to CCTV I thought for a part of the match they were playing Australia). The big story is the American Women - one of the pre-tournament favorites - having been beaten 2-0 by Norway. Norway is obviously a strong team, but nonetheless a surprising result.

Le pre lenotre

Overall great experience albeit pricey. Service started bad but improved dramatically. Food is extremely good by beijing standards.

Finally got my fuwas

My firm was nice enough to give me these. It was worth the waiting.

Remember "Thoughts"?

This was my website that started it all for me... the "digital storytelling days". You can now see it at http://web.archive.org/web/20010509190654/mega.ist.utl.pt/~njsgp/

Ok, poor web-design, Flash object that would make you cry (or laugh or both)... "How much more 'Mickey mouse' can you get?" - you are probably thinking.

Now people... it was the 90s so give me (and Miguel) some slack here.

Because I told you so...

I just went through another one of those "why do I have to travel so much?" episodes. While going through security at the KL International Airport on my way back to Beijing, I was stopped by security who told me "Sir, you cannot bring these liquids on board since you are going to Beijing".

I looked at him straight-faced and with early signs of rage.
"- Sorry?! These flasks are 100 ml or less. This is fine.
- Sir, the rules have changed, you cannot bring them on board since you are going to Beijing.
- That doesn't make any sense, I just flew FROM Beijing on Sunday and it was fine. Have the rules changed today?
- They changed (mumbled comments, not sure it was today, not today, etc)... You see it's the Olympics"

This threw me on a fit "The Olympics" - I thought. I am passionate about these Olympics and will attend a lot of events, but this is getting ridiculous.

I obviously followed up with: "I want to see the paper that says that or talk to your boss".

After 10 minutes of discussion with security and then with Malaysia Airlines, I was able to convince one of the Malaysian Airlines ground staff to help me and he finally got the boss to come.

At this stage, I was hoping for the worst, but the boss - clearly the boss as he was older and looked much wiser - was quite calm and nice. He did insist he could do nothing about it. That it was not, in effect, a decision made by Beijing but a decision made by the KLIA. I was obviously shocked and asked the fundamental question: "Why?"

He answered in the same tone: "Not sure Sir. It was a decision made by the superior".

I got confused and, for a second, thought God was somewhat involved in this. Maybe it was an act of Divine Intervention that I was losing my shaving cream, Tooth paste and perfume?!

I soon became grounded again and assured myself it had just been another idiotic decision by someone who clearly doesn't travel nearly as much as they should... just so they could observe the impact they have on people's lives with ... (you guessed it) their stupid decisions.

Anyway, the good news is that I'm now at home in Beijing and for the next 2.5 weeks. A motive for celebration.

Beijing weather revisited

In the past three days or so, Beijing weather has been quite amazing with blue skies and overall very sunny.

A good omen for the weeks to come... or so we all hope.

Mali is not that bad after all, until...

I was just watching the China-Mali game for the Diamond Ball Female Basketball tournament and was pleasantly surprised with how close Mali was keeping to the Chinese team as illustrated below.

But then... but then, the Chinese started playing real Basketball and the game ended 91-67.

Why am I interested? Well, I will be watching USA vs. Mali during the Olympics so just wanted to make sure it would be a bit more interesting... the conclusion is: probably not.

After the mess... order

Molly... Artistically

Disclaimer on my "coverage" of the Olympics
First of all, I am not going to cover anything. I will most likely have fun and in the process "blog" about it. I am not a journalist and have no aspirations of being one. That said, I will bring to those that read nein (not that many, are you?), my views on the Olympics, the events, the people, the nightlife, etc.

A couple of disclaimers so we are all aligned before we go for it:
1) I will post on my blog as soon as I can... it may not always be immediately the day of the event, but I will try to be disciplined.
2) I have strong team preferences in some cases:
-- Portugal overall... or what would I be otherwise? If there is a Portuguese athlete or team involved, I will always be skewed towards him/her/them.
-- U.S. in many events, but in particular in Basketball - male and female - Beach Volleyball, Volleyball, etc.
-- China in some events, such as Table Tennis - male and female. A total fan of Zhang Yining, Wang Nan and Wang Liqin.
-- Federer in Tennis... I am definitely not a Nadal fan.
-- There might be others, but one thing is for sure, I do appreciate a good fight and if the better man/woman/team wins and it's not mine, not a problem... definitely not a sore loser... or at least, I think.
3) I will also try to post some pictures of the events.
4) I want your comments in. For those who do read the page... that's a MUST!!! I also accept requests that are legal and not impossible to achieve.

Really looking forward to this.

Less than 1 week to go... the soft preview

Less than 1 week to go to the Olympics and here goes the list of events I will be attending:
- 9th: Basketball Female evening session (yes, US is in it)
- 10th: Beach Volleyball Male and Female preliminary sessions
- 11th: Tennis evening sessions
- 12th: Artistic Gymnastics - Male team finals
- 12th: Beach Volleyball Male and Female preliminary sessions
- 13th: Artistic Gymnastics - Female team finals
- 13th: Basketball Female evening session
- 14th: I rest :-)
- 15th: Athletics evening session
- 16th: Football quarter-finals
- 17th: Table Tennis Female Team Bronze medal match
- 17th: Table Tennis Female Team Gold medal match (yes, the one that China will win)
- 18th: Beach Volleyball Male Quarter-finals (2 morning matches)
- 18th: Table Tennis Male Team Gold medal match (yes, the one that China will most probably win)
- 19th: Basketball Female Quarter-finals (2 afternoon games)
- 20th: Table Tennis Male and Female preliminary rounds
- 20th: Basketball Male Quarter-finals (all games)
- 21st: Handball Female Semi-finals (all games)
- 22nd: Basketball Male Semi-finals (all games)
- 23rd: Taekwondo (several finals)
- 24th: Handball Male Final and classification matches

All and all, I hope to bring you some of my thoughts, but not necessarily in a very journalistic view.

Beijing today

- Weather is not good at all and there is smog all over town. Although we have had some good clear sky sunny days recently, recently the weather has been quite bad.
- Traffic is a bit improved but not dramatically (1). It may have to do with people like me and others renting two cars and thus having no real reduction in effective traffic.
- Traffic ... (2): Given the Olympic lanes in key avenues, we (not Olympic material) are also feeling left out and pushed to unnecessary queues. The fine for going on it is 200 RMB (equivalent of 20 Euro), but net net, there have been rumors that there may be other penalties apart from the cash.
- Airport: If leaving from Terminal 3, leave early... currently recommended to be at terminal 3 for a domestic flight 2.5 hours before time of departure and 3.5 hours for international !!! Terminal 2 is much more civilized and I recommend it heavily if you are booking your trip to or from Beijing.

The girls... all grown up


Kima, you already know. The other one is Molly.

My favourite restaurants and club in Beijing

Restaurants:
- Chinese - Da Dong or Duck de Chine for Peking Duck, depending on whether you want to go Beijing classic or high-end. I love Silk Route for Sichuan food... there's a couple more but don't remember the names ;-)
- Fusion - My Humble House for Asian fusion; Salt for ... fusion.
- American - Chef Too for good steaks (and food in general) and Grandma's Kitchen for memories of greasier times.
- Mediterranean / Latin - Mare for Spanish food, Alameda for some touches of Brazilian.
- Italian - the ones at the two Ritz Carltons - Cepe and Barolo. Cepe is my favourite restaurant in Beijing... full stop.
- Sunday Brunch - Chef Too, Orchard (although with ups and downs) or Monsoon at the Intercontinental... still to try the famous Westin Financial Street one.
- Middle Eastern - Rumi.
- Pizza - Kro's Nest or The Tree.

Bars & Clubs: Current favorite is ChinaDoll @ 3.3

The hassle that has begun... will continue

Well, these stories have been widely publicized so I won't go in detail into them... Basically, from making sure dogs are legal to more thorough Visa applications, we have seen it all in Beijing in the past few months.

Now comes the really tough measure that we all knew was going to happen: limitation on cars circulating in town. For 2 months - from July 20th to September 20th - private cars can only circulate on even days if their license plate is even numbered or odd days if... you got it by now. Although taxis, buses, etc, are obviously immune to the rule, many "strange" things are already happenning:
- People getting two cars to serve them: starting with the rental agencies down to normal consumers, there is a strong search for ... cars with "odd numbered" license plates. Apparently the Chinese prefer even numbers and there is truly a shortage of odd-numbered license plates out there.
- Dramatic hiking of prices for rentals: even for 2-month rentals of one car, one license plate :-), the price reaches the thousands of RMB per day. This might not look a lot to a European or American (1 Euro is roughly 10 RMB and 1 USD is roughly 6.8 RMB), but given that normal monthly prices are around 7-15 k RMB depending on the car, you can see the dramatic increase that we are noticing.
- People leaving town: for those who are not sports fans, a nice Summer break back home is looking quite good. I have some friends who have very actively planned their vacation for this year around the Beijing Olympics.
- Businesses incentivizing people to take days off: either through "plain holiday" on the opening day or Olympic leaves that match the number of vacation you take - you take 3 days, we give you 3 days for "free" - and so on.

For those of us who are really looking forward to the Olympics, we can only wait and see how it goes. I expect fantastic events but maybe some trouble getting there :-)

Coverage of the Olympics... right here

I have plenty of tickets for the Beijing Olympics and will be attending many events from Basketball to Handball, Tennis, Football, Table tennis, Beach Volleyball, Athletics, etc. On top of that... I live in town :-)

I will try to post some observations during this period so check this space.

... and when departing

1. Find out what your terminal is! 16 or so airlines have moved to Terminal 3. One rule of thumb is that Skyteam (AirFrance, KLM, etc) is in Terminal 2, while Star Alliance (Air China, Thai, Singapore Air, etc) and Oneworld (BA, JAL, Cathay, etc) are in Terminal 3. While this rule might hold true, don't trust it! Always check.

Terminal 2
2. Check-in smartly! If traveling in Business or First, or having a card (Silver, Gold, whatever) that allows you to go to preferred desks, you can pretty much use any check-in counter for your airline. If traveling in Economy, while you typically cannot move around to other more "premium" counters, it there is "low traffic", try. Check-in is remarkably relaxed around these parts.

3. Get the departure paper! If you don't have it yet, ask for it when checking in. Some airlines don't have it around (Air China when at T2 used to be a notable example) and therefore pick it up when you get to the immigration hall. If the line is a normal one, you will most likely have time to fill it while on the queue. No need to stop to fill-in. When you have your paper, put it in the Visa page (I know, I know... but still it spares some seconds for the nice immigration officer to look for it).

4. All queues lead to Security! With the exception of the Olympic, Diplomatic and Group Visa lanes, all immigration lanes are both for National and Foreign citizens. Just choose the smallest, BUT be aware of the number of officers serving each queue. Although it's typically similar, it may prove an advantage/handicap or your queue.

5. Prepare for Security! While still in the immigration counter, get ready to get that laptop out as well as the liquid bag. Before you go into the Security ticket check, people will ask you if you need bag, etc, etc. Just show them yours and if it's good, you're fine. If it's not, they will give you one. The security check in itself is preceded by a ticket check. Although I've never understood the point of this, since you have just come from Immigration, it probably serves some purpose including control or number of people on the security check itself. Put your stuff into the machine and go.

6. Beg even when you are not right! If you have brought something that you shouldn't have, namely a bigger Perfume flask than the authorized capacity (100 ml) or somethings else, ask nicely and most of the times the Officer in charge will let you go. Don't give up straight away, as there is actually some stronger flexibility and common sense than you expect at these junctures.

7. Lounge ... safely! If you have access to one of the lounges, enjoy yourself... although with the exception of the BGS one, you are more likely than not to want to leave earlier and browse the nearby stores. Beware of your belongings. Although I don't think there is anything systemic going on, I have "lost" one my phones at the ex-Air China lounge after having my back to it for no more than 10 seconds. Never found, cameras were not on. Announcements at lounges are very vocal so you will only miss your flight if you really don't pay attention.

8. Go to the line! When boarding in Business or First class, don't worry too much. You typically have a lane for you and the other "premium" people. If in Economy, go for it as soon as you see they will start boarding. The boarding per row is a lot of times ineffective and you will regret not having gone to that queue earlier. That said, the ground staff is typically very aggressive on "early queuing" and will only let you queue 5 minutes or so before Boarding... Business and First is totally up to you.

9. Be smart when in the gates 1A, B, etc! If you fly in Business or First, you most likely have special gate to Board through (into the VIP Bus). Although this was an Air China thing (now in T3), take a look, it might still be around.

Terminal 3
1. through 5. Largely the same as for T2. On point 5., be patient with the Security officers. They are mostly very young, somewhat inexperienced (at least for now) and a bit too diligent. I recently found myself having to tell one of them that the object he had been looking at for 2 minutes was actually just a pen.

6. Doesn't work as well here, but still give it a try.

7. Lounging... but better! The new lounges at T3 are much better. If going to the Air China lounges and need to access the Internet, I believe the WiFi connection is still not working so kindly exchange your boarding pass for a LAN cable and go for it... for free.

8. Shop! Some good stores around, although I am not sure I understand why most of the best stores, restaurants, etc seem to be in 3C and not 3E (International).

9. Queuing! Similar to 8. in T2 although probably more space around you :-)

10. Beware of the gate numbers! Some of the gates - namely the ones for Bus access - are not sequentially distributed with the rest so you might jump from E20-something to E-60 something and then back to the normal "programme".

11. Everything is BIG so plan! From getting to the airport quite early - check-ins close 60 minutes before the flight - to going to the Gate early... everything here should be done (you guessed it) ... early. The airport is quite large and you will have to walk a lot.

A couple of things that might help when landing in Beijing Capital International airport... for those visiting during Olympics and others (international flights only)

Terminal 2 :
1. Have your paper(s) ready! The landing card is also stuck with the departing card these days. If you are just visiting for a few days, fill-in both while on the flight and make sure you got everything right. Keep your ticket stub with you just in case. The health paper is no longer in use and the customs one only needs to be filled-in if you have something to declare. Put the immigration paper(s) marking the page of the Visa on your passport... it does help the immigration Officer and you get through faster.

2. Run! Either from your gate or when left by the Bus, it is worthwhile to get to the immigration desks ahead of as many people as you can from your flight, since sometimes you get caught in what I call the "Perfect Storm", ie, several flights arrive at the same time.

3. Be nice and ask! When there are large queues, ask the officer(s) in front of the immigration desks (there is always at least one) if you can go to the National queues instead of the Foreigner ones. Most likely they will let you and my experience is that these lines - when there are a lot of people - are smaller than the Foreigner ones. You can use for instance "Ke yi ma?" pointing at the line you would like to join. Even if they say no, they will typically point you to another small National line.

4. Beware of the Russians! Sorry for the profiling (Russian people are in my experience typically very nice), but lines where there are Russian citizens in front of you tend to get larger as they progress... the issue is that more and more of their friends/family/acquaintances are getting in front of you. If you don't want to get into confrontations or the group is large anyway, I advise you to not go into those lines. Queuing is definitely not a Russian thing.

5. Pay attention to the closed queues/desks! Stay close to the closed Immigration desks. If the line is large, they typically tend to open so always pay attention to the 1 or 2 around your own line. When you see one open - and are still far from your objective - go for it even before they open the gate. Another trick is to stand in the first Foreigner queue after the National queues, because (1) if there is a closed one in-between, it will open at some point; (2) in case of low Chinese citizen traffic, sometimes the National one changes to Foreigner; (3) if you ask nicely, they probably will let you move to that queue if they haven't before.

6. Get a cart, your bags and go! If you need a cart and/or to pick up your bags, wait patiently or even assume they are already there. The handling is typically quite fast and more often than not, your bags will be our or coming out when you get to the baggage area. Go for the exit and don't stop unless you are asked by a customs officer to show your luggage.

7. Be smart! If there is someone waiting for you, tell him/her to wait outside the staff exit. It's the most direct exit without having to go through the whole sea of people trying to exit and also the ones trying to help them/pick them up. The officers are typically relaxed about you leaving through the staff exit and we thank them for that.

8. Beware of the cabbies! I prefer traveling with pick-ups to and from airport organized ahead of time, but some people don't. If you are in this group, be careful with the cabbies and agree the cost or ask for the meter to be on. If you pay more than 200 RMB to get to the "center" of the city, you are probably over-paying. They will add some charges for the toll for instance... so don't complain, since that is normal practice.

Terminal 3:
1. - 5. The same as above. Although the situation in 5. is less probable to happen, no harm is paying attention.

6. Go to the front carriage of the "train"! Go to the front carriage of the "train" linking you to terminal 3C. Two advantages: (1) less people go to that one, in particular the last door; (2) you will be ahead of everyone when stopping on the other side.

7. If in need, ask for support! Not sure there are (a lot of) buggies around the airport, but the airport is indeed massive. If you can't move well, ask for support from the ground team. The distances are quite large.

8. Same as above.

9. Enjoy it! I know you have come a long way, but T3 is an impressive piece of architecture. Its dimension is unique.

Mei jia cai

When a concierge shows you the secret places in the city you live in, either you have found a great concierge service or you haven't spent enough time at home

Still gorgeous every time

The Singapore skyline

Up high in the sky...

...not as glamorous as one would think. 130 flights last year... A record not to beat.

The baby at home

There she is. Kima, the baby

Happiness

While happiness is at times elusive, it can also be perfect in its showing. We typically ignore it in those moments and sigh for happiness to come... Fools as we may be, it is there and it is ours to grab.

Re-evaluating life

So let's re-evaluate my life from where I was some months ago (when I decided to close the blog):

> - don't like the city I'm supposed to live in;
I like it much more now due to something that happened (see below). Have actually found myself thinking of Beijing more and more as my home ... albeit a strange one.

> - have metaphysical doubts about the work I do;
Well, the doubts remain.

> - have come closer to my parents and family albeit living several thousand miles
> apart;
Still very much true.

> - have probably fallen in... Liking for someone (she probably would not like the
> other l word)... she just needs to find out;
This is the biggest change. The person I felt "in Liking with" strangely became more distant and out of the blue... I fell in love with a girl. I call her "Tinker Bell"... and she calls me... a lot of things, although "Peter Pan" seems to be her appropriate favourite. I think we are truly in love and everything is moving very fast... albeit not too fast.

> - found that my life is in general quite good and I should just stop complaining
>(some higher meaning here, but will not go into it).
Life is indeed good and hope it will stay so for many years to come.

The comeback... no, it wasn't just hype

Well, you asked for it (at least one person did :-) ) and so I've decided that nein.blogspot which "no longer was", is now back again.

Truth be told, I missed writing on this blog. Granted that myotherfakeme.blogspot will continue, but it has a different "feel" and rhythm to it...

The last post

Well, this is the last one. I still have things I want to write about, but have decided to close this chapter ... Or small book.

No more appropriate time than Easter. Having participated in the Vigil yesterday in Singapore, I did feel as if was being reborn. Not in a "revolutionary" way, but steadily throughout the cerimony I felt different.

Maybe this is it... A new phase... One I will not count or name. One that will just take place and change my life yet again.

Status point of my life right now:
- don't like the city I'm supposed to live in;
- have metaphysical doubts about the work I do;
- have come closer to my parents and family albeit living several thousand miles apart;
- have probably fallen in... Liking for someone (she probably would not like the other l word)... she just needs to find out;
- found that my life is in general quite good and I should just stop complaining (some higher meaning here, but will not go into it).

See you around.

P.S.: will keep posting some stuff on myotherfakeme.

About someone else...

Although I write mostly about myself or always trying to come from my own perspective, I've normally found myself looking at others and trying to make sense of what they do, how they interact.

I call it "modern anthropology", but it's basically just spending time in restaurants, bars, clubs looking at other people... and, more often than not, looking at girls/women.

What still fascinates me are the differences: the different postures, the nature of the smiles, the reactions to events and words, and then obviously the nature of beauty. Not just external beauty, but also the internal beauty... what some call the aura, what I call (just to be different) the "light".

Recently though, I got stuck. Stuck in my view of this beautiful charming world of girl observation.

Stuck because for years I looked for sense in attitudes, in smiles and overall the hollistic view seemed to be whole rather than fragmented, ie, I found that beautiful girls would stay beautiful regardless of circumstances and nice girls would stay nice no matter what pressures they would get from the outside.

Now, I feel fooled by my initial instincts, by what I watched.

Is it possible that women have lost their composure, their apparent "purity", their "unclear" clarity of actions? or have they never had it in the first place and I was just fooled all these years?

I meditated tremendously on this over a couple of G&Ts and some genuinely good tunes at the bar of the hotel I'm staying at and... the conclusion is that I was most probably fooled from day one.

Yet something still doesn't feel right. Instead of being happy with this new insight and looking forward to putting it in practice, I just want to go back to my naive self.

I want to feel that things are simple, even if they really aren't.

I shall call this my "blissfully ignorant" phase.

Smile more!

I was in a reasonably intensive training last week and it was mostly focused on leadership. The key finding: I should smile more.

At this time, some of you will smile or even laugh thinking "One whole week of training and that was the key thing?"

Well, yes, but what an important thing it really is.

I have tried it after I left the training ... even in my own personal life and I've seen change... a major one, not only on how people interact with me and are nicer, but also on how I feel about myself: relaxed, re-invigorated, more patient.

Fantastic what a smile can do, isn't it?

Hummingbirds do fly

Oh yes, they do. Or so I've been told.

Ordinary People by John Legend

This song doesn't remind me of any situation in particular, but the music (the piano, oh the piano) with these lyrics just elevate me when I listen to it... over and over again.

----------------------------------

Girl im in love with you
This ain't the honeymoon
Past the infatuation phase
Right in the thick of love
At times we get sick of love
It seems like we argue everyday

I know i misbehaved
And you made your mistakes
And we both still got room left to grow
And though love sometimes hurts
I still put you first
And we'll make this thing work
But I think we should take it slow

We're just ordinary people
We don't know which way to go
Cuz we're ordinary people
Maybe we should take it slow (Take it slow oh oh ohh)
This time we'll take it slow (Take it slow oh oh ohh)
This time we'll take it slow

This ain't a movie no
No fairy tale conclusion ya'll
It gets more confusing everyday
Sometimes it's heaven sent
Then we head back to hell again
We kiss then we make up on the way

I hang up you call
We rise and we fall
And we feel like just walking away
As our love advances
We take second chances
Though it's not a fantasy
I Still want you to stay

We're just ordinary people
We don't know which way to go
Cuz we're ordinary people
Maybe we should take it slow (Take it slow oh oh ohh)
This time we'll take it slow (Take it slow oh oh ohh)
This time we'll take it slow

Take it slow
Maybe we'll live and learn
Maybe we'll crash and burn
Maybe you'll stay, maybe you'll leave,
maybe you'll return
Maybe another fight
Maybe we won't survive
But maybe we'll grow
We never know baby youuuu and I

We're just ordinary people
We don't know which way to go
Cuz we're ordinary people
Maybe we should take it slow (Heyyy)
We're just ordinary people
We don't know which way to go
Cuz we're ordinary people
Maybe we should take it slow (Take it slow oh oh ohh)
This time we'll take it slow (Take it slow oh oh ohh)
This time we'll take it slow

Almost on top of the world

And still thinking of...

Sleepy

Or is it jet-lagged? Humm, still pretty comfy

Series: 3rd Rock from the Sun

6 incredible series and we learnt what being human is all about. Oh, the stupidity of it all... yet, we found the comedy in our own very human actions and responsibilities. All of this through the eyes of 4 (sometimes more) aliens.

A classic in comedy. A fantastic criticism on what makes us all... human.

Series: Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

And Aaron Sorkin does it again.

After the incredible West Wing, he is back to do with the counter-power of media and television, what he previously did with politics.

Fantastic cast of actors and actresses: some that we know from the West Wing and others that we simply know... Matthew Perry (Matt) from Friends is the flagship example.

Tremendously sharp screenplays, break-neck speed dialogues and we know it's Sorkin... it could only be Sorkin.

Haven't finished watching the first season yet, but I have to say I utterly love it ... and it's actually funny.

Acrobat by U2

Don't believe what you hear
Don't believe what you see
If you just close your eyes
You can feel the enemy
When I first met you girl
You had fire in your soul
What happened your face
Of melting in snow
Now it looks like this

And you can swallow
Or you can spit
You can throw it up
Or choke on it
And you can dream
So dream out loud
You know that your time is coming 'round
So don't let the bastards grind you down

No, nothing makes sense
Nothing seems to fit
I know you'd hit out
If you only knew who to hit
And I'd join the movement
If there was one I could believe in
Yeah I'd break bread and wine
If there was a church I could receive in
'cause I need it now

To take a cup
To fill it up
To drink it slow
I can't let you go
I must be an acrobat
To talk like this
And act like that
And you can dream
So dream out loud
And don't let the bastards grind you down

Oh, it hurts baby
(What are we going to do now it's all been said)
(No new ideas in the house and every book has been read)

And I must be an acrobat
To talk like this
And act like that
And you can dream
So dream out loud
And you can find
Your own way out
You can build
And I can will
And you can call
I can't wait until
You can stash
And you can seize
In dreams begin
Responsibilities
And I can love
And I can love
And I know that the tide is turning 'round
So don't let the bastards grind you down

Faith by Czesław Miłosz

This poem was dedicated to me by my great friend Gorod.

I really like it.

New blog

Have decided to create a new blog... My other fake me.

Check it out.

A wii exercise

Well, I bought a Wii. I really couldn't resist it after peer pressure and also I found the whole thing let's say a bit ... goofy, which is good.

To convince myself, I kept saying that unlike the PS3 - my more serious game playing machine - this would become my exercise unit at home.

After a couple of issues (bought the Japanese version... stupid me), I did finally get it to work and played a bit of tennis. Today, I finally decided to test the Wii Sports suite to its most and play baseball, bowling and even do some boxing.

30 minutes later I can only say that although I did think I was sort of bullshitting when I tried to convince myself that it would be a good way of exercising... it actually IS a good way of exercising. I'm beat and re-invigorated and it was fun, surprisingly fun. I can do it alone, with friends and 30 minutes a day would not be bad exercise at all.

Anyway, buy a Wii if you want to exercise and are fed-up of trying gyms that you rarely go to.

Film: Babel

Inarritu does it again: a movie with inter-linked stories that come together in tragic yet meaningful ways.

So what's new?

Not much and that's the problem. Mind you, the movie is beautiful, some of the interpretations like that of the Morrocan peasant and his children are mesmerizing, the Japanese story is really well constructed - exceptional moments like the one in the disco with the deaf-mute girl, Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett are not bad at all, etc.

So what's wrong?

Well, it doesn't surprise us and take us to the next level of film-watching like Amores Perros. I also don't think it achieves to punch us in the stomach like 21 grams and that's about it. It is a really good movie, with some extremely well crafted interpretations, with a very sound screenplay, but it just fails to innovate. Better yet, it fails to reach the bar that Inarrity has put on himself with his previous movies.

Of love, being faithful and getting someone back in "The Last Kiss"

"I love her, Stephen. I realize now I love her more than I will ever love anybody else"
"Stop talking about love. Every asshole in the world says he loves somebody. It means nothing"
"But it's true"
"It still doesn't mean anything. What you feel only matters to you. It's what you do to the people you say you love, that's what matters. It's the only thing that counts. And you did do this thing, right?"
He nods and says: "I just saw the rest of my life, and there were no more surprises. This was it. I mean, it was great... But it was it"
"What makes you think this isn't gonna happen again?"
"I know it won't"
"Oh, right"
"Come on! Aren't we supposed to be able to learn from our mistakes? I did something horrible, but I learned from it. I met this little brunette and I faltered. Are you telling me that throughout your entire marriage you never faltered?"
Stephen stays quiet
"You haven't? Never?"
"Never"
"Oh, that makes me feel great"
"You think it's because I wasn't tempted? You think that this woman is the last brunette that's ever gonna let you know that she wants you? Look at me. I haven't met my last brunette"
"She's the last one I'm gonna kiss. I'm in love with your daughter, Stephen. And maybe that doesn't mean anything to you, but I'm standing here. You're her father. I'm looking you in the eyes and I'm telling you, I will do anything in the world to get your daughter back"
"Really? Anything?"
"I'll do anything"
"People say that. They don't mean it"
"But I mean it"
"Well, it's very simple. Just do whatever it takes"
"It's that simple?"
"Yes. You can't fail if you don't give up."

Film: The Queen

What an exquisite film.

First, very well defined story-line and characters that we can all relate to: a superbly tight story that has all the ingredients for a melo-drama/comedy.

Then, the interpretations, but one more than any other: Helen Mirren. What an astonishing performance. An Oscar-worthy one, I would dare say. Or at least one that will be reminded like Jodie Foster in Nell (what a robbery that was), Hilary Swank in Boys Don't Cry or Million Dollar Baby, Meryl Streep in so many of her movies, the intelectually brilliant Natalie Portman in Beautiful Girls, Leon or Closer, and the little (she was 4 at that time, wasn't she) Victoire Thivisol that interpreted Ponette in such a tremendously professional and exquisite way and that fully deserved the honor she received in Venice.

Watch it. You will enjoy it.

P.S.: I was once just behind Ms. Mirren boarding at LAX into a BA flight to London. I was extremely happy because I noticed she was in seat 60 something which is a sign she was flying Club World in the Upper Deck, which I was as well. I was then interrupted by the boarding agent who told me I had been... bumped to First class. But there was also a star flying in First class: Mr. Eric McCormack, also known as Will in Will & Grace. Those BA LA flights... jet-set I tell you. Jet-set.

Reverent hesitating gestures by Gorod

And he does it again ... My friend Gorod with this exquisite post.

"Looking in each other's eyes is touching"... hummm... now I feel semi-depressed. Don't know quite why though.

Signs you might be in love or on the verge of

* You say stupid things you weren't meant to say and you aren't even drunk.

* You try and create opportunities to talk / email / text her that are tremendously lame, in fact "Homer" lame.

* You fall a sleep with extreme difficulty and wake up at odd hours and can't go back to sleep again... all this and there isn't any more jet lag to blame.

* You write blog posts on it.

What I got on my "style of seduction" quiz

Disclaimer: I do not agree with the findings the very least... I am actually shocked.

------------

Public apology

Well, just wanted to publicly apologize to my great friend J. I missed his birthday on January 2nd and would just like to say happy birthday to him and apologize for having missed the date.

Film: The Good Shepherd

What a movie!

Fantastic cast: Matt Damon at an exceptional level and even Angelina Jolie (not a fan) behaving like a prime actress.

Tone and pace: light, slow. I have to confess I fell asleep yesterday while trying to watch it the first time, but I blame it on my jet lag. It all makes sense.

Direction: de Niro as a Director achieves great heights with this tale of espionage, betrayal and family... yes, it's all about family.

I really liked it. It's toned down and really works as a movie. Watch it!

Home ... -8 degress of it and of losing weight

Back home, everything - or almost - is white, -8 degress outside... 25 degrees or so inside and the clear notion of a new year with some good resolutions (they are always good aren't they?) and also some resolve to put them in practice.

Losing weight has been the first on the "project plan" and so far so good: strong drive, not feeling overly "lost" in my diet and to compensate for lack of physical exercise outside - no patience for gyms and the winter is definitely harsh around here - I have bought a Wii (ok, ok, you won, but not because it's better than the PS3).

It feels good to be home, although the next flight is just around the corner.

Modern anthropology

It's what i'm brutally good at: observing people, knowing their stories (bartenders, club managers, consumers and even 'bosses'), mix and match as i call it. Got several drinks for free tonight that prove it, attended a staff meeting at a club as well... The theme was me.Qed

Today I start!!!

Fiction: You smell good

'You smell good' 
'You taste good'
'Are you trying to get into my pants already?'
'I wouldn't say that'
'Is that because I'm wearing a skirt?'
'Probably'

Christmas. . . As it should be

Family together, tears of happiness and joy. . . And presents, of course.

...but nothing you can do about handling

Stopped. Simply stopped. Crossing fingers by now.

When all those hours at airports finally pay up

You must have heard of the mess at heathrow already: tents outside the terminals, you need to wait outside etc. Today my knowledge of heathrow paid up. Went in through the queens building between terminals 1 and 2, going to the business center and finally got to zone r for the ba executive club check-in. Felt proud at the end and my latin genes once again felt alive with such wits.

@ Fifty

The picture is not from fifty per se but anyway. Still my urban safari. Still this strange place where the club manager argues with me on which women are of negotiable affections and which are not. The place where you need to spend too much money to sit at a table at the club and maria just gets it to me for the price of a gin and tonic. Cool

Venting

I want to vent. I have now been in london for a couple of days and how i love this city. Why isn't my new home as nice? Why doesn't it have this glamour? Why can't girls be as nice (nice i said)? Why can't clubs be as fun and relaxed? Why can't i have fun when and how i want to as i do in london? Cognitive dissonance would say a friend of mine. Bastard, i would tell him.

Of pillows . . . again

Ok, they left me a couple of presents in true christmas style. The service is perfect, but the pillows: four of two different where all combinations do not work. With three it becomes too high and with two it becomes too low. Come on guys, just get it right so i can enjoy my jet-lag.

London again

Cold, foggy, but oh so "civilized"

Fiction: Through the corner of the eye and between the fingers

And he looked once again and wished this time it would be more than a 'meet and leave'. While watching her, he had lost all sense of self once again. Through the corner of his eye he saw her and between his fingers he tried not to lose her

Unfriendly

I have been slightly unfriendly in the last few days or rather reclusive: I don't make the effort to talk much to people around me; don't try being too nice.

Just today I had the office Christmas party and I wasn't down, sad or whatever, but just didn't care too much about the people around me. I did interact, but not strongly, not in a strong way. Yet, I had the feeling people wanted to interact more than it's usual with me... strange.

I will keep this half-unfriendly attitude for a couple more days (just until Christmas at home) and see how it goes... I think it's time to try something different.

First karaoke experience

There it is. I know the time would come

P.S.: This is my first "mobile blog" post, courtesy of Blogger and SonyEricsson with its K800i. Just from the different format of title you will know which is mobile and which is let's say "more" fixed :-)

A quote by James Thurber

"It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers."

That's basically what I need... less answers and more questions?

Short story: Non-fiction writing

"Romeo y Julieta. No. 1 de Luxe"
"Yes, sir"
"Oh and a Kaipirinha. Brazil-style, please"
"Sorry, sir?!"
"Forget it. You wouldn't understand"
He wouldn't.
I sat down and started writing something about the New Year and suddenly it hit me: why not write something fictional about this situation? why not write it in the first person.

I sipped the Kaipirinha.
"Not bad. Actually quite good"
"Thank you sir"
I lighted my cigar. Better yet, waited for it to be torched.
I looked at the girl in the mini-skirt walking around.
Looked back at the moleskine and started writing again.
"Wait a sec, this is not fiction" - he thought - "Let's start then"

I saw her through the corner of my eye.
There she was as I reminded her: doll-like face, "compact" body, very close to perfection... no, wait, or was it long hair, stretched face, beautiful eyes, "I don't care too much" pose, looking down on me with her own unique way.

"You're welcome!"
I was interrupted again - "one more Kapirinha" - I thought - "well, back to the story"

"So, where have you been?"
"You mean, apart from your dreams?"
"Yes. Well, you're here and all"
"Yes, not very surprising. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Why not indeed?"
"Will I be in your dreams tonight?"
"Not sure. You see..."
"Don't tell me, you're sharing me with someone else... in your dreams?!"
"Yes"
"You can't make your mind up"
"No, I can't. I don't think I need to. You see..."
"Yes, I do. So, you don't want to be with me any more"
"We were never really together, were we?"
"Indeed, we were not"
"Stop using indeed"
"You started"
"You continued"
"Well, who is she?
"She, who?"
"The dream 'mistress'"
"Not a mistress"
"So you keep telling me"
"What do you want from me?"
"Straight to the point... just the way I like it"
"No, you don't"
"What?"
"Like it. You don't like it when I'm upfront... Are you scared of me?"
"I am. You are ... too deep. You are too much"
"Fair, so you don't really like me?"
"I do. A lot. More than..."
"I'll ever know. I know"
"Trendy pen, what is it?"
"Porsche design, but you are changing conversation again"
"I am, ain't I?"
"You are. Stupid question: what will it take for me to seduce you?"
"Not much"
"What?"
"That you stop trying"
"Don't know how"
"Yeah, forget it. Intense little bugger, aren't you?"
"Big... bugger I do grant you"
"Well"

I reached and kissed her. No time for her to speak as she was just about to. I muffled her words, the sound of her voice, tasted her lips... thin... no, big, voluptuous, chubby, beautiful as lips can... sometimes be.
She slapped me, turned her back on me and left.
She came back.
"So, reconsidered?"
"You wish. Just came back for this"
And left again.
Not before turning back to me and smiling.
I put out my cigar.

In anticipation of a new year

In anticipation of the new year, here go my resolutions:

* Lose massive amount of weight by:
--- leading a healthy life
--- exercising ... at least once in a while
--- eating properly and stop pretending you are eating healthy

* Make new friends
--- stop whining about "London was it!". It was, but that's beyond the point
--- step out of your comfort zone

* Get closer to God
--- absolutely do the things you need to do
--- no compromising
--- get your act back together... yes, the one you used to have

* Don't forget your Family and old friends
--- say "hi" to them whenever you can
--- hope they say "hi" back

*Force yourself to do at least one thing against your will every weekend
--- let it be a good thing
--- enjoy it ... don't have high expectations
--- plan, but don't over-plan

* Stop thinking about your job and professional career in your spare time
--- it's going well enough, so stop complaining
--- it's called "spare time", isn't it?

* Have fun and stop writing these resolution texts

A new start

A re-invigorated start to everything. No more crying for small losses, no regrets for minor decisions in the past.

No tension, no ansiety, no far-fetched personal objectives.

One day at a time, a cliched "Carpe Diem".

No search for anyone, no wait for anyone, no sense of loss for what is not worthile.

The 100th post

I could tell you about the experience of running a blog since 2003 and actually after a failed start in the late 90s.

I could summarize my adventures in the last few years and how my life has changed.

I could tell you about my exceptional friends who have been patient enough to put up with me (quite an achievement, I might add).

But no... I have decided to tell you about the most important in my life: my Family.

My Family has been my true north: always there to remind me where I come from, to show me who I really am and to entice me to be the best I can be.

So, a special ode to them in no particular order:

- To my Grandfather: for showing me that focusing on the future of your family, while trying to keep it together, goes a long way.

- To my Father: for showing me the value of hard work; the value of strong ethics; for giving me my sense of justice; and not letting me be too lazy...which I would be otherwise. Finally, for together with my Mom, having given me freedom to choose my own path in life and always supporting me throughout it.

- To my Mother: for showing me that empathy is a key virtue; that helping others in need is an obligation, not a right; for showing me that easy answers typically are not good answers or the questions were wrong in the first place.

- To my Uncle: for showing me that my potential had to be met; for enticing a spirit of aspiration to become better; for his unconditional support under all circumstances (even teaching me how to love math).

- To my Aunt: for grounding my uncle; for helping him become a better person; for providing the family she adopted with an extreme sense of "calmness" that we would not see in others.

- To my Cousin and Godson: for not being afraid to tell me I'm fat; for being inteligent; for reminding me of how I used to be like.

- To my little Cousin: for asking when I will get a "proper girlfriend"; for treating me at times like a teddy bear.

- To my Sister: for giving me faith in the human race and that there are still genuinely good people in this world, who can also be inteligent and demanding; for being probably the best person I know; for being humble while being effortlessly brilliant; for being herself and even after all that still counting on me.

Thank you all. Although I don't say it often, I love you all.

P.S.: I could not forget my two grandmothers who are gone from this Earth, but I fell are still close to me; my great grandmother who was my first "educator"; and my grandfather who I sadly don't remember.

Beautiful eyes?

I've let myself gain substantial weight over the years. In my stay in Paris and then back home several years I picked up 20 kilos and "never looked back". I can't really say I have ever done a proper diet because mostly (I thought) I never wanted to.

The last 3 years didn't help: various girlfriends, all very beautiful and for some time I have tried not to think too much about my weight (and health ... granted), except when reminded by good friends and family that it "was not good for me".

Recently and after a couple o months in Asia, I have noticed that several girls have told me I have beautiful eyes. Not sure why they did or if I do have beautiful eyes, but nobody had ever told me that. That led me to think about the way I "appear" to others... my body, in essence.

I have not made another bold decision followed by no implementation whatsoever, because I realized the problem is a bit more profound. It's as if I do not allow myself to look better... maybe even with a senseless masochistic logic, deep down.

So I ponder: how do I want to look like? What is really my goal on my physical appearance? How do I want it to set my relationships with people around me?

People might find this ridiculous but I do not. Go figure.

P.S.: The next post is the 100th. Will be posting something in the next few days.

Saturday after dinner and Sunday after brunch

Film: Quatre Etoiles

A great French comedy... one that I truly laughed to (with) in my latest flight. After "Le diner de cons" which is a truly superb comedy, this one follows in the same line: situational comedy at its best - French style; likeable characters and a hint of humanity that makes us all enjoy it.

The story is not that complex, but it works end-to-end. Isabelle Carré playing Franssou has a "je ne sais quoi" that just works in the comedy but also in the seduction front. Jose Garcia plays his part quite well and Francois Cluzet playing Rene makes comedy synonymous with laughing yourself out next to a group of not very understanding co-travelers.

I just hope that we don't get an adaptation of this to theatre like "Le diner de cons"... Although I quite like her, I just can't imagine Patsy Kensit playing Franssou :-)

Somewhere only we know by Keane

I walked across an empty land,
I knew the pathway like the back of my hand.
I felt the earth beneath my feet,
Sat by the river and it made me complete.
Oh, simple thing, where have you gone?
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on.
So tell me when you're gonna let me in,
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin.

I came across a fallen tree,
I felt the branches of it looking at me
Is this the place we used to love?
Is this the place that I've been dreaming of?
Oh, simple thing, where have you gone?
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on.
So tell me when you're gonna let me in,
I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin.

And if you have a minute why don't we go,
Talk about it somewhere only we know?
This could be the end of everything.
So why don't we go, somewhere only we know,Somewhere only we know.
Oh, simple thing, where have you gone?
I'm getting old and I need something to rely on.
So, tell me when you gonna let me in,I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin.
And if you have a minute why don't we go,
Talk about it somewhere only we know?
This could be the end of everything.
So why don't we go, so why don't we go,

Hmmm yea,

This could be the end of everything.
So why don't we go, somewhere only we know,
Somewhere only we know?Somewhere only we know.

--------------------------------------------

P.S.: Not sure I can say I like Keane without the risk of looking uncool or somehing, but I do.

Of prostitutes and punters

He looked around...

"What the hell is this?"

There were girls around him and he felt disgusted. He felt disgusted as part of human kind. For the people. That people that care.... No matter what.

The girls were moving as if there was something expected in return...

After 10 minutes...10 minutes too long. He went to his room. Alone. He felt as if he had been left alone and that these women were not it, not what anyone should be looking for.

He smiled while taking his clothes off. Alone.

He smiled.

Film: Slumming

What can I say to describe this movie?

A guy, well two guys who try to play God once in a while in the "slums" of Austria. The main one actually falls in love (I guess) and realizes what life is all about... in Indonesia (?).

She - the girlfriend - tries to save a homeless guy that does not need saving (?)

And that's it. I liked it. Don't know why, but liked it.

Business as usual

You leave the imposing Petronas Towers after your last meeting of the day at 11 pm.

You get in car headed to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport and your driver is almost falling asleep. You wake him up - or so it seems - twice.

You check-in, go to the lounge and then to the gate.

You try to sleep but they won't give you the immigration papers so you can take care of that and effectively relax and go asleep.

You again try to sleep - after the papers are finally handed-in and filled-in - but the apparently newlyweds in front of you order food after more food and whisper. The hostesses do the same.

You finally fall asleep and the air hostess wakes you up not once, but twice. You explain politely that you have a "do not disturb" sticker on your chair. She does not apologize.

You arrive at Shanghai Pu Dong airport and wait in line for 30 very painful minutes before you go through immigration and hear that the luggage delivery for your flight has been delayed. You smile, because you only have hand-luggage.

You are driven through intense traffic into your hotel.

You check-in and get upgraded to a suite. You show no signs of emotion.

You have a shower, get dressed and give your dirty laundry for cleaning.

You get driven to the office and a new day of back-to-back meetings starts.

You look down for a second or maybe two. You are not sure if you are tired, fed-up or both. Then you whisper to yourself: "business as usal" and you get on with it.

Irrationality Playstation style

Ok, ok, I've just received my Playstation 3 and this was a photo-finish. I tried to get it through several sites and finally got it almost out of desperation from YesAsia.

The thing is... I really didn't need to get it. I didn't need to overpay to get it now... but I wanted it, I really wanted it.

So this slight irrational behavior has led me to rethink my approach on consumerism (others and my own). It has led me to think that I'm just a (relatively old) spoiled kid who is just doing things for fun. Anyway, more to follow on this.

P.S.: The PS3 is truly an incredible gadget. Although the current games that are out still don't take advantage of its full potential and I do need to get a good HDTV (here I go again... damn it), it is a fantastic machine.

Ironic?

A suite upgrade at a hotel where you will only stay a couple of nights and couple of hours a night?

A special message for you but it's actually for somebody else (as well as the bottle of wine to go with it)?

A bottle of wine and no way to open it?

Is this what Alanis would call Ironic or is it just a strange mix of good and bad luck?

Previous notion of beauty: Found it

A couple of years ago I looked for this Cacharel ad on the Internet. I had seen it some years before in a bus stop and there was something about it. It was the blonde figure on the poster. It just seemed so close to perfection. So beautiful and earthly, yet so ethereal.

Today, I just googled it again. I hadn't tried it in years and ... I found it.

The strange thing is that it did not have the impact I thought it would have. Sure, the blonde girl is still gorgeous, but somehow the notion of beauty that she represented is not longer true. It's as if she is beautiful, but she does not represent perfection, because that notion has simply changed over the years.

No clues on my new notion of beauty. I will just share the poster any way (copyright Cacharel, in case I haven't been clear enough).

Fiction: The butterfly - now properly translated from the Portuguese original

Almada, March 27th 1999

I walked down the dirty streets of the city that had seen me born, grow and almost despair.

I looked at the grey walls that appeared to say almost everything, without ever having such ambition. The walls were the same as always and the screams that echoed in my head as well.

All of a sudden, something happened. The walls got filled with colour, several colours, many colours, I don't remember which.

The screams disappeared and I only heard beautiful laughter: sweet and pure.

Pure, immensely pure, simply pure. Laughter of those who don't expect anything in return, of those who know that we live, not because we expect everything, but because we expect something.

And what "something" was that? What something was now able to fulfil me?

I didn't know. I didn't want to know. I now accepted life with the same ingenuity with which the baby accepts the milk from his mother's breast.

I didn't want anything, but just "something".

I just wanted to be reborn.

And I was finally able to.

Can the butterfly fly?

Maybe, but even if it can't, it is certainly beautiful.