Xkcd - com esta fui convertida

Only for fans of the Lord of the Rings (the book!)....

Feeling way too swiss

Este fds comprei bilhetes para o concerto da Katie Melua na Arena de Genebra, que só vai acontecer em..... Novembro!
Ora, pelas minhas contas isto são praticamente nove meses de avanço!!!
O surpreendente é que.... já nao havia assim muito por onde escolher... o que significa que ele há pessoas muito mais precavidas do que eu!

Smells like swiss spirit!

From Jordan with Love...

She was crying... Don't know why... but she was looking at the city and crying.... photo by: cdgabinete, Amman, March 2010

Listening something new every day....

Para a Matilde....

"If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it.
The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience…I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded. But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked….You’re not as fat as you imagine.

Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday. Do one thing everyday that scares you. Sing. Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours. Floss!

Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself. Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements. Stretch! Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life…the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t. Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.

Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children,maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary…what ever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either – your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s. Enjoy your body, use it every way you can…don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own..

Dance…even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.

Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them. Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly. Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel. Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders. Respect your elders.

Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out. Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth. But trust me on the sunscreen…"

Baz Luhrmann Lyrics; "Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young" written by Mary Schmichand published in the Chicago Tribune as a column in 1997

TNR factor

Why do i always overpay/ overtip taxi drivers when I'm visiting new cities?
It's the TNR factor: thanks for not raping nor robbing me!
At the end of the journey, I'm just really grateful that these random strangers took me around enabling me to run my errands, waited for me and if they bring me back to my hotel safe and sound... I'm happy to show my gratitude with a bit more than the usual payment!

Jordan times.... ainda os arabes

De regresso a casa (enquanto aproveitava o pequeno almoço executivo na Royal Jordanian e digeria os ultimos 5 dias), passei os olhos por uma noticia que dizia que um pai tinha sido condenado a 5 anos de prisão de por ter espancado a filha até à morte... Foram 5 anos porque a intenção dele, não era mata-la... era apenas educá-la.... porque ela estava a usar maquilhagem e não estava no sitio onde disse que ía estar.... e o mentecapto, o atrasado mental, o javardo, o animal, agarra numa mangueira e mata-a?!?!!??!?!? Ele e os outros dois filhos!!!!!!
Puta que os pariu... 5 anos para o pai e é tudo????? Ele mata uma adolescente à pancada e é tudo?!?!?!??!?
Animais!

Adenda...

Acabei de testar e a melhor resposta à segunda pergunta é mesmo:
-Yeap, I'm married and two children. Two beautiful boys!

ahahahahhaha

2 primeiras perguntas dos árabes para a visitante...

1) Where are you from? ou Are you american? (wtf!!! eu americana?!?!?!)
2) Are you married?

Tenho para mim que as minhas respostas a estas duas perguntas definem toda a conversa subsequente!

Já tentei quase todas as combinações e as respostas que parecem funcionar melhor são:
1) Portugal. Nope, not american.
2) yes I'm married. No, no children so far, but yes... of course I want to have children! Who doesn't?!?! Yes, yes, yes, yes I love children (wtfffffff ?!?!??! shame on me!)

Mas para quê incomodá-los com a verdade?? Tenho para mim que na realidade, eles só se vão lembrar que eu era a loira que não usava lencinho!

Eu fácil de comprar me confesso....

Começo a gostar destes árabes! Isto é boa comida, ninguém me deixa pagar nada (falaffel e humus à borla - so far so good!) e são elogios por todo o lado... a maior parte das conversas têm pelo meio algo do género "Ah... but you are so beautiful!" ou "Ah, but you are thin!" ou "Yes, yes, and you are smart!" ou "But of course, you are so nice" (e nunca nenhuma destas frases tem que ver com o topico da conversa! são elogios gratuitos, metidos a forceps em conversas relacionadas com actividade fisica e promoção de alimentação saudável)

Ora, linda, magra, simpática e esperta... em apenas 4 dias convenceram-me que sou a Miss Arábia e que valho pelo menos dois ou três centos de camelos!

Há o pequeno pormenor da minha falta de fé e da minha história de vida em pecado.... mas nada que uns bons ensinamentos e umas quantas rezinhas não resolvam!

yallah yallah yallah!

Conversas por email

Confucius says,
"If you are in a book store and cannot find
the book for which you search, you are obviously in the....
(recebido por email.... não sei a autoria!)

1st duty travel of the year...

Oh pah... estive a ver o Spa do hotel em que vou ficar na Jordânia, e temo não ter absolutamente nenhum incentivo para sair de la e ir render para a reunião!!!

Está tudo perdido...

O chefe decidiu que me ía ressuscitar a orquídea!

Listening to something new every day!

Beautiful Arianna Savall...

Oooops....

Eu disse minetes?!?! Enganei-me outra vez....
MINARETES.... os suíços votaram contra os minaretes
Either way.... é coisa de infiel na mesma!

Ah....e também

Não nos esqueçamos que os suíços votaram contra os minetes... Isso é claramente coisa de infiel!