Us and our brain

The brain is quite an interesting organ, I think everybody agrees. The fact that we only use around 10% of it constitutes a mystery that we seem to fail to decipher. Neuroscience is an intriguing field and on which our best scientists employ their intelligent time.

I was watching the news tonight and, among all of them, the one that was retained by my bored self was the one mentioning an experiment with elephants in the New York Zoo. The researchers placed a mirror on the wall of the elephants' area and filmed their reactions to it. It was clear that they had a self-conscience (as it was called), for they recognised themselves on the mirror. An example is that a X was marked in an elephant's head and as soon as she saw it on the mirror she tried to remove it no less than 47 times. She was trying to get rid of that white X mark on her own head, by staring at herself at the mirror. Really amazing! The only 2 species that passed this exam so far were the monkeys and the beautiful dolphins. This experiment shows these animals have a sense of self and are conscious of how they look.

Intrigued by the brain, this time human, I found out this page which is ultra interesting and where we can learn a big deal about ourselves and our bodies. It even allows you to take part in real-life experiments, like this test: do you know which one is your dominant eye, hand, ear?

You can also try to improve your memory skills (very useful for me, I'm the last person to rely for remembering names, streets, phone numbers, even situations!), find out what smells make you irresistible or trick your brain with optical illusions. It's a real cool page for those who have a little time and enough curiosity.

I will leave this blog now and do the sensitivity test to find out my most sensitive areas with the highest number of pressure sensors :)

I'll also leave you with the 11 steps for a better brain, who's your friend, hey?

PS - Talking of which, just found out I need a friend to do the sensitivity test. Doesn't it sound weird and kinky?

Thank you, sweeties!

Hugs, in chinese

How could I not write about China again? It's just so peculiar, I can't resist passing on the news...
The latest offbeat piece of info is that there is a 'free hug' campaign going on in China, where participants are ready to open up their arms to hug passers-by in a Westernised attempt to embrace a new cultural gesture. Cards with the sayings 'free hugs', 'refuse to be apathetic' and 'care from strangers' were shown on the streets of Beijing and other major cities. Pedro, now you know what it is going on, in case you are caught by a maniac offering his/her open arms!

Fond memories

Old friends

Isn't it cool when you find old time friends and start talking as if no time has passed?
Recently it's been happening a lot...I love it!

Love in the air

Love was in the air all last week, I suppose...

It was a fantastic week, full of new things, new emotions, new feelings, new whispers. It was overdue, it was 3 years overdue, so there was a lot of bills to pay. The truth is that seeing him made me overcome my many doubts that have been with me all this time and that have stopped me from fully dedicate myself to others. And I'm really lucky to be feeling the way I do, but also to have someone feeling the same. It's so difficult nowadays to find a suitable soul, really.
And timing is the key, many times, as someone told me.

Anyway, the sun is shining today, a new phase is about to start... Didn't I tell you that October was that month of renewal for me?

In touch

I have 2 friends, Ana and Joana, who I met in Prague and with whom I had sooo much fun over there. The reason I mention them is because, and to cut things short, I met a guy through Ana by whom I had a thing, a non-spoken attraction. Nobody knew it, I guess not even I recognised it as such. I thought he was just a very nice guy who I loved to be with. Anyways, life gives a few turns and we ended sort of together and today I told my friend Ana (it was her who introduced us in the first place on her birthday party in Prague, as seen above, the 4 of us are there!) that he is here with me and we are discovering each other not as friends anymore, but as something else.
She was so funny on her reaction! She picked some emails from those days, back in Nov. 2003 and she forwarded them to me and Joana as well, as they are emails where we mentioned him. On one of those, we can read me saying that he looks good and he's so nice... But we then were joking that he and Ana, my friend, should be together.

Anyways, and all in all, life is funny and full of nice surprises. This is one of them!

Portugal Today

Got this presentation about the real and unknown value of Portugal; quite interesting to find that we are actually leaders in many areas, namely technology and banking. It is a presentation by ICEP, our Public Relations boys :) It shows we aren't only about good beaches and football!

WELCOME TO PORTUGAL!
This is about a country that you don't know. It's about facts that will surprise you. It's about brands that are all over the world, often on your doorstep, but you do not realise where they come from.

Do you know what NASA and ESA (European Space Agency) do to avoid critical situations arising in their computer systems? And what does London Underground or the railway networks of the Netherlands, Norway, Finland and Denmark do when they need rail management software? They go to Portuguese companies.

International demand for machinery made in Portugal (moulds, electronics, automotive components, pneumatic and hydraulic equipment, etc) continues to grow and assist the development of countries throughout the world. Do you know machinery is Portugal's nr 1 export?

Did you know Portugal is a state-of-the-art point of reference and reliability in the moulds industry? Samsonite, Nokia, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche are just some of the famous names that rely on Portuguese talent and engineering.

Did you know that 26 million Americans sleep on Portuguese sheets? And that Portugal leads Europe in home textiles and is the third largest exporter in the world? Our brands stand out because of their sheer innovation: intelligent fabrics, fabrics that are fire-retardant, anti-bacterial or have therapeutic and hydrating properties.

Did you know that leading celebrities prefer to wear Portuguese brands? The same is true of Fepsa, manufacturer of felt hats or Vicri, a brand of menswear chosen by such leading figures as Tony Blair, the King of Spain and Bill Clinton. It is also worn by celebrities like Hugh Grant, Ben Affleck and Figo. And the list goes on: Lanidor, Dielmar, Diniz e Cruz, Impetus, Salsa Jeans are some of the brands you will hear about.

Did you know that Portugal leads the world in footwear technology? That it is Europe's nr 3 exporter? That it invented bullet-proof shoes? Ninety million people in the world choose Portuguese shoes. Steven Spielberg is one of them - the brand Swear supplied the shoes for Star Wars. And Fly-London, Yucca and Aerosoles just keep growing.

Did you know that it was Portugal that invented pre-payment cards for mobile communications? And that in Portugal you can buy a cinema ticket and choose where you sit - by mobile phone? Mobycomp, Quadriga, Ydreams (creator of technological solutions for global customers such as Adidas, Vodafone or Nokia) and of course, Portugal Telecom, are the world's most innovative companies in this sector.
We invented a biometric payment system for the gas stations and a gas bottle that it's the lightest in the world and which won several international prizes.

Portugal is acknowledged as being the world's leading cork producer. But there are also some lesser known areas in which it leads. Did you know that Number Five has captured 75% of the world market for self-identification? And have you heard of Altitude (leading supplier of technology for call-centres and CRM), and what about Chipidea (worls leader in the design of analogue solutions that provide the interface between digital technology and the real world)?
We have one of the bets ATM systems in the world, on which we use transactions that are not available in Germany, the UK or the US. We also have 3 of our banks on the top 5 in the world. We developed a very efficient and practical system to pass the highway tolls too.

Did you know that the Portuguese company Vista Alegre/Atlantis is one of the 10 main porcelain producing groups in the world?
Other major brands as Spal, Topazio, Cutipol or Satira offer creativity and design for a happier home.

Did you know that Portugal is building Europe's largest solar power station? And that wind is the main target investment? Have you heard of SRE? This is a Portuguese company that researches and develops products based on the use of hydrogen. All of these are aimed at new forms of energy - economical, clean and peaceful.
We are also well ahead in the investigation of energy production through the sea waves.

Beating incurable diseases or preserving stem cells for regenerative medicine are the everyday concerns of companies such as Biotecnol, Alfama, Crioestaminal, Medinfar/Cytothera, Biocant and IBET. Others are developing new pharmaceutical solutions - companies as Bial and Cipan. We also have a company which investigates the DNA of plants and animals and sends the results for its clients all throughout Europe via computer languages. And did you know that we are launching an anti-epilepsy medicine world-wide? All these companies are working to achieve a better life - surely they deserve to be known?

From Asia to America, from Africa to Europe, for centuries Portugal construction skills have presented challenges, made their mark and endured. Do you know how? With Portuguese architects, engineers and materials. The airport on Madeira and the Ponte da Amizade on Macau are just recent examples. Or the high-quality hotel networks we build all over the world, by Grupo Pestana, Vila Gale, Porto Bay, BES Turismo or Amorim Turismo.

In a blind tasting carried out recently of the most renowned fine wines by international wine experts, of the ten wines chosen as being the best, four were Portuguese. In addition, there is port, olive oil, the best fish and shellfish in the world and all the advantages of a Mediterranean diet with an Atlantic flavour.

Shopping centres in Portugal are global experiences offering culture, entertainment and shopping. Sonae Sierra is a European leader in the creation and management of these consumer giants.

Nelo is one of the best-known kayak brands in the world. First in Sydney, and then more recently in Athens, its kayaks helped several teams and athletes to win medals at the Olympic Games. They are Portuguese in design and production and their technology revolutionised standards for top competition in this field.

Portugal is a unique destination: no other country in Europe can offer so much diversity within such short distances. A destination with sunshine and the Atlantic Ocean, the history of all the continents concentrated in just one place, a people who speak everyone's language because they speak the universal language of emotion. Our visitors always want to return.

To be Portuguese is to be sociable, warm-hearted, imaginative, sentimental, open to the world. It is to be passionate about new things, new ideas. It is to be proud of one's heritage, without any trace of arrogance.
Above all, it is to make oneself available.

Our past is well-known: a nation of explorers and pioneers, forerunners in trade and international contact. Our present is not well-known, but hopefully better known after this brief presentation: a country with high-quality infrastructures, a leading niche provider of telecommunications, technology and services. But it's our common future that is important: think of us as a country that is nearby, always committed to new discoveries and innovation.
Your friendly and reliable global partner.

By now, the Portuguese community reading this post is drooling. But I'm all for showing off our good achievements, why only remember the bad statistics?

Smogy sticks

While my bosses are out at Monaco having meetings with colleagues from our own office (!) we are left here with all the rain and grey weather.

This weekend was quite busy and between my sister getting a job (in a week of search!), W. getting here, me still jet lagged (being totally sleepy at 6 pm) and meeting friends and watching the Madrid-Barcelona match, I got my moxa trial and must say I got the smoky and smelly sticks, not the ones I used to have in Prague. At the end, the whole house was all fog...couldn't see through! Quite funny!

Under pressure

Great Calvin!

The new 7 wonders

There is a Foundation which is trying to contribute to the repair and maintenance of the symbols that are the great references in our planet’s history. Unesco’s CEO has presided a committee of 7 specialists to select the 21 finalists (taken from a list of Unesco’s World Heritage monuments). These 7 architects chose amongst thousands of sites and came up with 21 wonders:

1 – Acropolis, Greece
2 – Alhambra, Spain
3 – Angkor Wat, Cambodia
4 – Chichen Itza, Mexico
5 – Christ Redeemer, Brazil
6 – Colosseum, Italy
7 – Easter Island Statues, Chile
8 – Eiffel Tower, France
9 – Great Wall, China
10 - Hagia Sophia, Turkey
11 – Kyomizu Temple, Japan
12 – Kremlin/St Basils, Russia
13 – Machu Pichu, Peru
14 – Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany
15 – Petra, Jordan
16 – Pyramids of Giza, Egipt
17 – Statue of Liberty, USA
18 – Stonehenge, UK
19 – Sydney Opera House, Australia
20 – Taj Mahal, India
21 – Timbuktu, Mali

These were chosen according to their monumentality and their social, cultural, historical and political impact. The new 7 Wonders of the World will be chosen by the Humanity on the biggest voting ever. 19 million people have already voted through Internet or sms, in fact, any person in the world can vote.
The official website is http://www.new7wonders.com/ and there you can cast your vote. You have 261 days left to vote.
The New 7 Wonders of the World will be announced on the 07.07.07 in Lisbon. The ceremony will be hosted by the great 007, Sean Connery, and Madonna, Peter Gabriel and Genesis form part of the invited performers. For each counted vote, a mini-mosaic will be put into a potential area of 200mx200m (=100 million votes), which can only be seen totally from the sky.
Let’s form part of the History and choose the new 7 wonders!

(note: I wasn’t paid for this, it’s just that I get all excited by this sort of grand-scale events, especially if they take place in my little country!)

Awakenings

My sister is visiting, she already sorted some of my pending issues, namely some electronic stuff I needed... No accommodation in Madrid is for free :)

Pedro is there in Shanghai, also full of work and missing me! ;) (He's gonna be bad to me now!!!)

Work is finally getting balanced, after 3 days back. Also the fact that my workload was redistributed more evenly amongst my colleagues helped a bit!

My fake Rolex is also still working, which makes me proud! Not being able to change the time on it doesn't matter, just had to wait until I caught it! My sister's Bulgari is fine.
The Samsonite cabin luggages are also fine, they survived the trip undamaged. Overall, I did great! Haven't tried the teas yet or my fantastic moxa, but that will come and when it does, I will love every little bit of it, because I simply cannot return it :)

Back home

Back home from holidays and it's raining.
Can you think of a more depressive post-vacation reality?...

Some more China stuff

Still about China, I found out that the richest woman in the world isn't Oprah or Madonna, but a Chinese. I guess Mao helped a few after all!

And another interesting news, all about the 2008 Beijing Olympics, has to do with the fact that some translations from Chinese into English are simply a joke, especially on some street signs as Pedro actually had a chance to see himself and picture it. Chinglish is a way of living, we could almost say, as it's so widespread on current life. Funny, to say the least. Read more here. I only noticed this weird one at the metro station.


A fact over there in China is that Wikipedia is banned and therefore reaching it seems impossible. But somehow we got a leak and could access it by having people sending us the link by chat... Strange but true!

Final days

Hello, as I'm already back at Madrid and I'm glancing at the pictures taken at Shanghai, I'm becoming nostalgic already, for it was a great trip and I had a great host, Mr Pedro!

The picture above was of the Shanghai Acrobats show, which we had the chance to see on the spur of the moment, as we wanted to go and check the Shanghai Museum, but as everything in this city, was closing at 5 pm and we were already a bit on the late side.

So, we asked what was on the theater and the Acrobats sounded a great idea, especially as we really wanted to see them that evening, but I got the info that they weren't performing then. At the end, we had such a great time! The performers were aged between 6 and 17 and were doing all sorts of things with their bodies, contorcionists at the higher level, and we are talking about 7-year old kids! They were playing with plates on poles, while bending themselves into impossible positions, they were climbing 7 chairs and doing the acrobatics at the same time. They were all really great, indeed. We were astonished and speechless, it was incredible. The last performance involved that globe cage. The first biker went inside and raced up and down, around and crisscross. Then the second came, then the third and then the fourth biker inside that tiny place, all doing the same things...then the fifth came and everybody screamed, as it seemed impossible to have another bike inside that crammed globe. And the a sixth biker went in and we all stopped breathing, as they had absolutely no space. And still they were riding high speed, up and down, almost flying inside that ball. Incredible. We filmed the whole thing, we couldn't believe it!

After that we went to a typical Chinese, where we had great food again.

These were dumplings filled with spinach, pork, cabbage, etc. They were great food, but of course we had to rush, as the waiters kept waving the bill.

Overall, we had a great night, we finished it off with a dessert on an Italian ice cream place, as we weren't allowed to order more food at the restaurant (we were on the last order basis already at arrival!).

The next day, my final, we went to the fake market and I asked Pedro to come with me, as he's the king of bargaining and I needed a good negotiator to get a good deal on my watches' purchases. He did great, although being in a rush to go to class. He left me there to get easier stuff. But I still had a pending issue to deal with and I soon got out of that palace of fake temptations!

I still hadn't found what I was basically looking for all week and one of my first items on my To Buy list, my moxa sticks. After successfully asking for the correct words for that sort of thing from Pedro's Chinese tutor, I ventured into the city looking for a shop that would sell that. And I did find it, obviously only after a while asking non replied questions :)

I went inside a department store of several floors where the items being sold were pharmaceutical, both Chinese and Western (fake Aspirin and so on!). I knew a place as such would have a Tradicional Medicine counter, wasn't I in China where alternative medicine is the most commonly used. So there I found my counter and started the questions using Chinese words for massage and moxa. It took a while and 7 shop assistants staring blankly at me to get somewhere close. After many body movements and gestures, one finally got that idea lamp on top of her blessed head and came back with my beloved sticks. I was so grateful I only wanted to kiss them all. They were so happy too and kept repeating OK, OK smiling back at me, what an achievement we've managed together. Then I said I wanted 10 and they did all the counting for me in English, One, Two, Three...They were as happy as me and I helped them with number Five, as one got stuck on that tricky one. They gave me the bill to pay and as I was queuing I had a look at them and they were piling 10 boxes!! I rushed and said no, no, I couldn't take 100 sticks with me, which they didn't understand, so I said Two and the whole counting started all over again. I said Ok and they echoed me and smiled. Two boxes would be enough, thank you. (I had no more space on my luggage, and I was slightly worried the smell of these things would attract dogs at the airport and I would go to a Chinese prison and never be allowed to leave!).

That ended my final day at beautiful Shanghai.

I had a great flight back, with 2 seats for my only self which I duly used to sleep. I had no problem with that, except a bit of backache, but I was thankful I could sleep. Of course, I woke up 10 hours later for breakfast at the Continental hour of 4.30 am which meant 10.30 am for me, so I was quite glad! Arrived at Munich for a 6 hour wait for my connection back home, but somehow it went quickly as I finally had time to rummage all through those duty free shops!

In conclusion, I LOVED my trip, it is a contrast city, old and extra modern. Lots of people, bicycles and taxis all over, smell of food on the old quarters, full of character. Shanghai knows its all that, an attractive city, with plenty to offer in many ways. People are friendly, they love to do business with you, smile and treat you like you are the most important person they've ever seen. The skyline is impressive and the neon lights are at their best. Shanghai is cool!

Food

I've been spending quite a few pics on the food here. This one is from that Jap restaurant, where I'm just posing for the picture, as I can't yet eat noodles in soup like that... My head gets really close to the bowl!

If you are Portuguese you know what these are (I actually posted already a pic about the real ones in Lisbon). Here, to our surprise, they are the main sweet cake. They sell them warm, 4 for 1€ and they call them Portuguese Happy Cakes, if I got it correctly. I still haven't had one, but today I will, apparentely these fakes are quite good, as any others!

Day 6 and some funnies

Yesterday I ventured into some real Chinese neighbourhoods, crowded with bikes (it takes a while for you to have guts to cross any street, as there are hordes of bikers, non stop, plus taxis and general drivers who you think are in a mission to run over anyone who dares crossing their way). My technique is a bit childish, but hey, I'm still here to tell the story! I just wait until somebody appears to be also thinking of crossing the street and I cross with that person, coincidently at the same time :)

But the houses are quite old, there's plenty of washing hanging on the streets, the ambient smell is unmistakable... Sometimes it stinks and makes you think you don't want Chinese food ever again, and some other times it really stinks of something else, even more pungent. Yesterday I was wandering around the veggie market on the old alleys and the smell just made me turn around, I was getting sick.

Another thing, is the spitting. It can be hard to ignore.

Other idiosyncrasy is how they speak, they seem to be shouting at you all the time, especially the taxi drivers. It really is difficult to understand their state of mind (are they angry, annoyed or merely trying to scare you off?). Maybe they just are making fun at the tourists.

Yet, another funny thing: the cosmetics here are totally focused on the contrary of in our countries, the face creams are all about whitening and not taning! Being white as porcelain is still considered a paradigm of beauty. So, all the big brands we know have special products here, things that would be a flop in Europe. It really is funny.

At the Japanese/Chinese restaurant they were constantly asking for us to pay the bill, even before having the food and when we asked for some napkins, they brought some nicely packed, but we had to pay extra for them! We just grabbed our tissues!!! And payed our 3,5€ each at the very end!

Along with the live turtles, the bullfrogs and other delicacies you find everywhere in the supermarket, there´s also the tea I bought which was all out of date! Do you think they'll understand me when I go back there and complain about it?

Flashback on Pedro's friends

These are those exchange students on Cotton's. Singapore, Mexico, Germany, France and Portugal seated at the same table. Reminds me my UK student years.


This is us (Natalia was with us) last night at the Chinese restaurant outdoors, on one of the main Shanghai wide streets.

Gotta run now, more pics on the way!

Day 5

So, THE massage finally took place. We almost cried in pain...

It's a massage based on a 1 500 year old Japanese Acupressure therapy, incorporating amongst others, Shiatsu techniques.
It's an ancient healing art that uses manipulative techniques, fingers, thumbs, elbows and sometimes heels, to enable deep pressure to be applied on key points on the surface of the skin. When these points are pressed they release muscular tension, promote circulation of blood and ultimately self healing. Because this works on deep tissue it is a most effective method for treating specific tension related ailments and to promote overall well being rather than a therapy for pleasure and/or relaxation (as we were soon going to find out!).
Its techniques involve gripping muscles and is therefore carried out without the use of oil. This type of massage is also a treatment for the shy as it is carried out whilst the client rests FULLY CLOTHED in a specially designed orthopaedic chair.

Let me set it up for you. We both were sent to a small room where we were supposed to change into a sort of kimono, sort of pyjama. We were then asked to lay on these 2 beds facing each other. The girls came and started to massage with their thumbs and finger tips with such a pressure I could only hear "softer, please" from Pedro's side... I was suffering there too, but didn't want to say anything, as if it's the way it's supposed to be done, let's go with it. So, they massaged and beat us while we were fully clothed. They then did the legs which was also painful as they grabbed the entire muscles! After that they finally told us we could remove our shirts and then started to rub some oils onto our backs. That was my favourite, as it didn't involve any pain! They both then covered us with towels and went to pick up the hot stones, which were not only hot but EXTRA hot. The poor girls had to pick them up from their basket and place them on our backs (still covered with the towel). They let us there to absorb the heat for a while and then removed the towels and the burning started! These stones were sssoooo hot, the poor girls were shivering whilst they grabbed them and massaged our backs with them. They rolled them and the hot feeling they provided our back with was a mix of pleasure and pain. They used them for 30 mins and by the time they finished, we were exhausted!
That was crazy! But I liked it :)

We then went for dinner at a typical Chinese restaurant, where our choices were not always what we thought we had chosen :) We ordered a plate that was a dessert for main dish and a normal dish for dessert! But we had fun and payed very little, it was a very nice place out on the street, red Chinese lamps everywhere ...

Today I still don't know what's in store for me, I'll go out now and meet Pedro on the way from school. Maybe I'll have him as a bargain setter, as he's quite good at that!

Ciao!

More photos (from previous posts)

This is the view from the Bar Rouge (2 posts behind!)

This is the view from the Jin Mao Tower and its 87th floor bar, Cloud 9.

Day 3 and 4

After a sleeping day on Sunday to finally recuperate from all dancing the night before at the bar previously commented, we went out for dinner with Mattias and his girlfriend Michelle.

We went out for dinner at a yummy restaurant called Simply Thai where we had gorgeous food and a great time. We talked about all the fakes, handmade clothes you can order, about massages (I'll have mine tomorrow!!!!) and other particularities of Shanghai. Apparentely if you are in a cab and it happens your driver runs over somebody, you shouldn't even stop. This is because, according to Mattias, you might end up in prison as you are the responsible for the accident. Ending up in a Chinese prison doesn't sound a good thing, especially for this kind of absurd reasons.

Today, we did the modern district and went here:


behind me you can see the Oriental Pearl Tower which is 468 metres high. It is the highest TV Tower in Asia and is the third highest one in the world. The designers magically set the eleven beautiful spheres of various sizes up from the green grassland to the blue sky with two giant spheres shining like two rubies. The whole design is rich in poetic and pictorial splendor., which gives the tourists the impression that pearls of various sizes are dropping onto the emerald plate. It really is something else (you can read more about it in Pedro's blog, he went there a few days ago).

To cross the river, we used the "Bund Tourist Tunnel" which consists of a psychadelic ride inside cabins. The joy ride includes all sorts of lasers, freaky lights and screens. It's a weird experience, it looks like the "Tunnel of Horrors" of your local Fun Fair... Strange, to say the least.

As we came out of the tunnel, I saw this stand where my name could be carved in some sort of stone and used as a stamp. I had to have one for the sheer pleasure of having my name carved somewhere :) The initial price was 98RMB, which is roughly 10€, which we immediatelly started bargaining. At the end we got 2 stamps carved with both our names as they are and in Chinese characters for 100€. I also got a nice wooden box and ink for an extra 30RMB (from 50RMB)...

Off we went towards the Jin Mao Tower to have a tea on the reputedly highest bar in the world on the 87the floor. I could try and post a picture here, but as usual, this thing is giving me a hard time, so maybe later I'll try again. But it really is amazing...and tall!

We had tea and a chestnut dessert to the sound of typical instruments being played live. In the toilets, I had this lady who turned the taps of hot and cold water for me to wash my hands at the right temperature, hold the soap dispenser for me and waited to give me a hand towel... That is style... In Pedro's toilet apparentely he had a fantastic view while...well, you know!

We then met some friends at a restaurant where we had a great time, as our nationalities ranged from Portuguese, German, French to Philippine and Japanese.

Tomorrow, I'll finally will go to the fake market and to the tailor who has a reputation behind him already, with so many reccomendations from everyone (it seems the suits he's making cost only around 60€ and are of excellent quality, both fabric and cut wise).

I'm also going to my first massage, 30 mins Japanese Acupressure and then another 30 mins of Hot Stone Body Massage for the modic price of 13€... As for the moxa stick, I still haven't got round to make myself explained in a effective way and nobody has a clue of what I'm saying, to my huge frustration.

Anyway, talk to you tomorrow!

Day 2

Hello, this is us on day 2 in this beautiful district of old town. Located to the south of the Bund, the old Chinese city was a walled fishing town when the British arrived in 1843. Modern Shanghai grew up around it. It used to be a maze of tiny alleys, but the streets have been widened in recent years and are crowded with tourists. At the center of the Old City are the Chenghuang Temple and the Yu Garden, in which stands the Huxining Teahouse, said to be the model for the design on the willow-pattern plates much loved by Europeans in another era. The Bridge of Nine Turns zigzags to make it difficult for evil spirits to get across (since, as is well known, evil spirits have problems with corners). The Yu Garden is a classical Chinese garden with over 30 pavilions linked by a maze of corridors and bridges over ponds. It literally means the Garden of Peace and Comfort.

The Yu Yuan Garden is over 400 years old and its owner spent all his savings and 20 years building it to please his parents. Over forty spots, divided by dragon walls, wound corridors and beautiful flowers, form an unique picture featuring “one step, one beauty; every step, every beauty.”

We then had jasmine tea in the Huxining Teahouse, the one with the zigzag bridge over the pond where thousands of Chinese tourists were eating their fast food - dumplings with chop sticks.

The teahouse is a very old pagoda and all its corners are used for romantic tables with a view to the pond all around the wooden building.

All around the garden there is this huge bazaar which is another maze of narrow shopping streets with tiny shops selling everything from sweet water pearls (I've seen this beautiful necklace priced at around 140 €, which in 2 secs would already be mine for half), silk dresses, jade, teas, traditional ornaments. One stand that made us stop was this one where what was being sold were cut-outs of red paper framed against a white background. These were the most exquisite cut outs I've ever seen, I wish we took a pic. The man was quickly cutting the paper and out of that a garden would appear, with all the details of trees, birds and all little things alike. If you only saw the tiny size of this, you'd understand me.

We just had time to come back home, slip into something nicer and off we went to have dinner at a Thai restaurant in a private compounds with a few buildings where a wedding reception was taking place in one of the many pavilions around. This restaurant, Lan Na Thai, is on the 2nd floor of this colonial house located in the heart of the city, behind bustling Mao Ming Road. It's a gorgeous old country house with a huge lawn that makes you feel like you're in some rural garden idyll. The old-world interior décor includes ancient South East Asian and Indian artefacts, arranged so tastefully you half feel you've stumbled into a Country Life magazine shoot. Offset this with handsome hardwood floors and the latest ambient/lounge tunes and you'll begin to sense a certain melding of eras, at Face bar. The owner was a British businessman, Mr. Morris who was a boss of the dog-racing course in the 1920’s (now the flower market).

After a gorgeous dinner, scrumptious indeed, we moved on to a very trendy club (Bar Rouge)where from the terrace we enjoy the city from the standpoint of an early 20th century citizen, mixed with views on all things modern that Shanghai is building. It's decadence at its best, with flaming buckets of Moet champagne and burning bars with real fire and Shanghai dolls looking for business among the hundreds of foreigners around.

I'll post the correspondent pictures later, the blog is against me! As usual...

Day one

Hiya folks,

Just a short post to show me in front of the Jing An Temple, where people were burning incense sticks, holding them with both hands and praying to the four directions... It was a Buddhist temple and all Budhas were symbolised there and given offers.

As I said, this is just a peek.




Tonight is the Mid-Moon Festival and everyone will be out on the streets eating their moon cakes which Pedro garanteed were not worth the trouble :)

(I have so much more to tell, but no time to say it all...When I'll be back at Madrid, I will update this properly!)

Kisses

cool

Stick people took over my pc!!

Shanghai baby!

Yes, yes, getting all ready for the big trip.

Everyone around is getting all fed up (by being envious!)...

Even my boss was daydreaming about it :)

Girls are crazy, so jealous of all the shopping they think they are missing! My sister is flying straight as I arrive (just for the goodies!!!)...

Anyway, October is a great month!!!

Wish me good trip (after all it's 3 hours + 11 hours non stop flight). I'll be thinking about you guys...

Etiquette for Girls (1)

There is a new book called "Etiquette for Girls" which deals with the kind of things any 18 to 35 year old woman might need advice on (we are talking mainly about casual sex). It's causing a stir :)
Some extracts...

Infidelity
Before getting involved, consider the risks and what is at stake. If you're still powerless to resist, keep the truth to yourself: gossip has wings, and observers will pour scorn on your transgressions. When cheating on a husband/partner, be sure to cover your tracks. Destroy receipts you cannot explain away, delete incriminating text messages as soon as they're received, and be wary of e-mail. No secret is ever totally watertight, but try not to make things difficult for yourself: avoid using elaborate lies, and be wary of using friends as alibis without their permission beforehand. If you are the "other woman" remember not to get too involved: a married man rarely leaves his wife, and even if he did, he could well do the same thing to you. In general, don't be reckless with other people's hearts, and don't put up with other people who are reckless with yours.

Office romance and sleaze
Many a true love has been discovered at work, but it's a risky business. A bit like dropping a big boulder into a small pond, it will always create waves: you may end up being dumped in the office, and could even get fired. Only go public once your liaison has become regular reality. A well-timed newscast to colleagues may cause blushes, but it will also clear the air - presuming you've checked the small print to make sure an office affair isn't a sackable offence. If romance turns sour, be mature, keep a stiff upper lip and switch to auto-pilot. Give it time and hope to conquer the cringe phase. Should an unwanted suitor appear, act cool and be utterly unimpressed. If predatory behaviour persists, tell him calmly that you feel uncomfortable and (in extremis) be prepared to inform your superiors.

One-night stands
The one-night-stand (ONS) is a bit like fast food: tempting, but with nauseating afterthoughts. Make health and safety a priority. Always try to invite him back to yours, but if you insist on playing away, text a friend to inform them of your whereabouts. Avoid dark-alley gropery, and unladylike fumbling in the back of a cab. Once home, leave him to select a CD from your collection while you embark on a turbo-tidy. In the bedroom, forget about your normal night-time routine and leave pyjamas in their drawer. Discuss the necessaries to avoid planting any love children or disease, and you're away. If you're at his, the ONS isn't over until the following morning's "walk of shame" home in last night's outfit. Steel yourself and hold your head up high. At yours, offer him breakfast and (assuming you want no more of him) say that your mother is on her way round.

(You guys shocked? There's more...)

Etiquette for Girls (2)

Some more... I know you love it!

Sociable smoking

A few decades ago, no social occasion was complete without a cigarette box being regularly passed from host to guests, and back again. Today, smoking is a minority sport. Smokers are therefore advised to cushion their indelicacy with suitable manners and consideration for others. The host, and then those sitting near to the smoker, should be asked if they object to lighting-up. A furtive glance must then be cast around the room for children or pregnant women. Social smokers, who do not actually buy cigarettes, should rotate the suppliers of their freebies; if asked to donate, it is churlish (though tempting) to refuse. Always use a proper ashtray - never a wine bottle, flower plot, or used plate - and avoid allowing smoke to billow out of the nostrils. It is also inelegant to leave the cigarette unsupported in the mouth, or to exhale into someone's face.

Meeting celebrities

Planet celebrity is an alien world peopled by psycho fans and fame hags, so don't expect your idol to offer anything more than a glacial reception. With chance spottings - particularly when en famille - it's polite to ignore them. Permit yourself a brief smile if you must, but don't gawp, and if you must take a photo with the mobile phone, be discreet. When introduced, keep the chat pithy and pacy, and remember: there's no such thing as an original line, they've heard it all before. Feigning ignorance of their fame is a risky strategy: the wildly unfamiliar concept of anonymity may delight them, but these people have hefty egos, so you run a risk of incensing them and blowing it. Exploit their insecurities, butter them up, but keep it brief. And never ever remind them of previous meetings: they won't remember you.

Gossip, bitching, lies and excuses

The best gossip is always the most dangerous, but bear in mind that those who peddle gossip and bitch incessantly get a reputation. Rule number one is to watch your back. If you're overheard bad-mouthing someone, and are sure that umbrage was taken, apologise at once. If you're too spineless to do it in person, e-mail. Lies, on the other hand, can have a positive role (for instance to protect another's feelings), so it's worth learning how to tell a good 'un. The key is to keep it simple, involve no one else, and tell as few people as possible. If talking to a pathological liar, either ignore completely, or (in the case of a good friend) confront them with a well-timed "come off it!" Excuses are fundamentally the same as lies, so similar rules apply. False doctor's appointments can be useful, toothache is handy, but migraines and food poisoning are over-used and have lost all credibility.

The Independent

Olha que bonito! (para meninas!)

Encontra o homem que te chama gira, em vez de boa... Que te telefona de novo quando lhe desligas o telefone na cara... Que fica acordado só para te ver dormir...Espera pelo homem que beija a tua testa... Que fica de mãos dadas contigo a frente dos amigos... Espera pelo homem que te esta constantemente a lembrar o quanto significas para ele...e da sorte que ele tem em te ter... Espera por aquele que se vira para os amigos e diz..."É aquela..."

Because it's Monday...

...and I don't feel like writing.

Calvin always offers some good laughs. He's a good solution to non-inspirational days... :)

Love generation

Bob Sinclair - Love generation A small enhancement to your weekend and mind :) Love!