The best roads in Africa.... are in Portugal!!!

I’m not the owner of this little miserable country at the far end of Europe (some would say, on top of Africa)…

But if I was, I would sell it to any car maker, one looking for a good Car testing track. I'm sure the Americans from Hummer would love Portugal with our many kilometers of nice highways with bumps and holes, just what they need to test their All Terrain Vehicles (ATV).

But also Toyota, Jeep and others would love Portugal… also because our network of national roads. They are the best in terms of giving a hard time to any suspension… or car structure.

For example: I think Jeep would make better cars if they could use Portugal roads to test their chassis and springs. They would then realize that their cars are not that good… they were built for US roads only not for Portuguese or African countries…

As an idea to Portuguese Government, Portuguese roads could be a great way of making money… why this was not tried this before?
They could rent all country to car makers and have a great annual extra income to the usual politician’s pockets (oh sorry, for country safe pockets)… What are they waiting for?


Hellooooo…. Guys!!!!

Why do we “still” have Christmas?

This year, I just found myself wondering the same as last year: why do we still celebrate Christmas!?

I would understand if we were celebrating something else… like corrupt politicians victory on last elections, Shopping Center lobbies wins over government promises, Chinese toys invasion or the always interesting ways government finds to suck our pockets.

But Christmas? Why?

Nowadays we celebrate everything but Christmas: where we should see a family reunion to celebrate the birth of a small child who would save humanity with love and suffering has been replaced by a gathering where the main goal is to show how much we can buy and how much we spent.

When I was a child, Christmas was something we started preparing in the first days of December with some religious celebrations. Some preparations like the Christmas tree and lights were done a week before and sometimes only few days to the big event.

All family was there, happy, with a big and honest smile in their faces. Santa was the most wanted man on earth, but we all knew that Jesus was about to born and we attended midnight celebrations in the nearest church, even the ones who never believed in the God version.

We were kids, but we all know that Santa would have to travel all night to bring our gifts (ok… my mom only had to walk couple rooms to store all gifts under the tree at the middle of the night), so we tried to sleep the best possible.

Christmas day morning was always the best day of the year… waking up, running to the tree and grabbing my gift (usually only one). The longest 10 seconds on earth to open it and then… the smile in my face, the exclamation, the happiness… a long day to play and enjoy this new gift.

This was my Christmas for most of my life… now is different… way different.

I can’t feel the same, can’t even try to make it happen… the time has change… people, customs, places. Now is cold, it all resumes to opening hundreds of gifts by the smallest ones, quick, fast cause they have to go to bed… they are sleepy, they can’t wait until 25 morning… but!!! It’s confusing… they try to keep awake all day, they open gifts and then, then they have to sleep and suspend the joy and happiness until the next day!!!

I feel we celebrate the win of Marketing over our will, over our feelings. A fast 10 minutes and lots of garbage from paper, plastic and boxes… and that’s it….

PS: I saw Polar Express movie with my kid… and I realized… I can’t hear Santa’s bell anymore!!!

Orange Warnings... duh, not for EDP!

This week Portugal is being hit by the worst weather storms in decades… some will say.

Somehow is true… even I don’t recall such strong winds and continuously rain in… hum… in the last 5 years.

The true is, because I ride motorcycles for the last 15 years, I already felt in my “skin” some real bad weather, when most of the people is just sitting inside their comfortable cars with heating and music.

So, I was not surprised when in the last days Portugal started once more having the usual problems with weather… “the usual” because this happens since I learned how to walk (ages ago).

Portugal has one entity that is suppose to warn everyone when some catastrophe can happen… it is called “Proteção Civil” (Civil Protection department)… and they did their work announcing an Yellow status for all country and after raising to Orange.
So, who was really interested in that announcements tried to take measures, defensive, protection measures… but… one week later seems, NO ONE was listening… and now everyone is trying to find someone to blame… J

This is Portugal…

In the news we see some people without electricity for more than 1 week… and EDP (the electricity company) defends their inactivity with weather causes J Its funny when an Orange warning was raised and this monopoly company did nothing to create emergency measures or even to react to possible problems.

One thing they are good… very good… in Billing… you know… the monthly white and black nice invoice? They are very, very good… the best we have in our small, 3^rd world country – Billing.

They can bill everyone in a very modern and technological ways, with the prices they want, even if are the most expensive in Europe… even if they don’t provide the full service 24x7 as is supposed to be.

Now you know… in Portugal Orange warnings are just for fun, and EDP is just for Billing.

(for your info, this is the national electricity provider - the only one... and the smiley is just someone in the EDP board smilling about the huge incomings and about how good they are "billing".. )

Car vandalism or ...?

Portugal, 18.09.2009

Another night, another morning, another surprise....

Today, first in the morning I was once more called to the reality of my country.

Car vandalism... seems to be a way of human enhancement, assertion of power...

Basically just shows the selfishness, envy, frustration and amazing lack of values in which plunges the Portuguese people.

Far is the time where "good weather" was enough to consider this a "good country" :(