Weekend

And I'm off, for a long weekend! Hoooray!

Tomorrow for a Christmas dinner with the Finnish companies and Embassadors and two more days to rest/clean/shop/cook and watch films on tv :)

It paid off...

Surfing through my favourite blogs, I came across this piece of information. Again, about China (Pedro, nothing personal!).

Ana, of Coisas da net e não só came across this in The Enquirer:

Fake Chinese electronics perform better than originals
Can’t even buy them out

CHINESE MANUFACTURING outfits are cloning fake goods which are proving better than those of the original companies.
According to IT Wire, the clones are being made and distributed in China so fast that by the time the real gear arrives it is being treated as if it was an expensive fake.
LG was so slow in getting its Chocolate phone released in China that the pirates put some excellent copies into the shops. When LG did release the phone, it failed because the discerning Chinese punters thought they were fakes copying the 'original' Chinese version.
Chinese pirates cloned the PSP fairly successfully and even chucked in a stack of pirated Nintendo games to go with it.
IT Wire reports that one clone outfit so impressed Samsung that they offered them a job and a chance to go legitimate. However, the pirates said no thanks as they made more money flogging pirated gear.

Didn't I tell you guys that it really is worth to go and set up a bargaining scene for the sake of a few fakes? Shame I didn't get the.... (get ready)... (H)ipod! For only 30€! Pedro.... :) Xmas is coming, my boy!!!

My colleagues at the office are going to ask (for the second time) for a whole new batch of fake watches from here. The first ones arrived and they looked so amazing, everyone wanted one!

Which one would you choose?

Borat's in trouble

I haven't gone to the cinema to see Borat's adventures in the US, but by the repercussion involving this new film, I guess it's worth to have a go.

Besides being beaten in NY by a man who didn't enjoy his film, Sasha Cohen is now at hands with a legal action by 2 Romanians who appear on the film as rapists and criminals and who ask fo 30€ million as compensation for 'moral damage'... They also said the gypsies casted a bad spell on him. Poor guy.

He is also persona non grata in Kazaquistan, thanks to this Borat character...

He really is funny and I think we should think we are in 2006 and not in the old Ages and that we live in democracy, therefore we should be allowed to have our say as long we don't hurt anyone's feelings. This is a film, a comedy and it should be seen like that, not as a serious thing!

Let us laugh (not on anyone's expense, though). This is not the case! This is fun!

Enneagram Personality Test

The Helper

The caring, interpersonal type. Twos are empathetic, sincere, and warm-hearted. They are friendly, generous, and self-sacrificing, but can also be sentimental, flattering, and people-pleasing. They are well-meaning and driven to be close to others, but can slip into doing things for others in order to be needed. They typically have problems with possessiveness and with acknowledging their own needs.

At their Best: unselfish and altruistic, they have unconditional love for others.

The Functions of Empathy and Altruism— the potential for other-directedness, thoughtfulness for others, genuine self-sacrifice, generosity, and nurturance. Negatively, the potential for intrusiveness, possessiveness, manipulation, and self-deception.

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

This test is considered by Time magazine one of the hottest Personality tests in the world.

You can do it and discover a little bit more about yourself (apparentely this one is a bit more credible than the ones I've posted some time ago, like 'what colour are you?'... :)

Friday feeling

Hooray, it's Friday! (...and the weather is still crap!)

Wonderslips

Apparentely this slip is a huge success in Australia where it was created to uplift the...hmmm...yes, THAT!

This time it will be us, girls, the ones to be deceived! Damn!

Some reflections

Ok, first things first:

- Lebanon: as many of you already deducted by the photo I posted before and by my recent life events and discoveries (hihihi), I'm going to Beirut for New Year's... The events that have been taking place recently do not help me visualise a perfect holiday over there, at that beautiful place. W., nonetheless, gives me his own experienced opinion that things will stir for a while, but then eventually will get back to normal (whatever normal means there), just like after Mr Hariri was killed last year. For my own peace of mind, I really hope so. Lebanon deserves peace... permanentely.

- 7 New Wonders: I read somewhere that the Coloseum is already on the 21 finalists to be elected as the new great 7... (I voted for it...Yesssss!) - Please refer to my post The New 7 Wonders on October the 19th if you want to know more about this amazing selection.

- Genes: The Independent has as front page the news of a new breakthrough discovery about the genetic differences between humans. To summarise it (for those lazy of you out there!), it seems that our genome (our commonly called 'book of life', which describes our recipe, the way we are) is different one to another. "They have found that each of us is more different genetically than we previously believed. Instead of being 99.9 per cent identical, it may turn out to be more like 99 per cent identical - enough of a difference to explain many variations in human traits. Instead of having just two copies of every gene - one from each parent - we have some genes that are multiplied several times. Furthermore these "multiple copy numbers" differ from one person to another, which could explain human physical and even mental variation".

The practical relevance of these findings is that it can help understand some of the most difficult and incurable diseases. "Scientists are predicting for instance that the knowledge could lead to new diagnostic tests for such diseases as cancer".

I find this very interesting and overdue. We are finally reaching through the most elaborate and complex sides of ourselves and hopefully this will keep going at a fast pace. There are too many people dying of diseases... If we can reach the Moon and Mars, why can't we reach our own depths?

Xmas is coming...

(third time that I try to write this damn post, Xmas magic is not working!!!)

Madrid is sparkling and we can already feel Xmas around the corner. The smell of roasted chestnuts, the little lights all over, angels and Santas everywhere, the shopping...yes, Xmas is coming and we need to start thinking about that inherent exhaustive duty of this season: the shopping spree!

For as much as I love shopping, this one is a forced task and that makes me and everyone shiver, just thinking about it! The mere fact it is compulsory makes me want to run... (n.b. - the words 'shopping' and 'run' together in a sentence usually have a very different meaning on my vocabulary, this is the only exception!).

But the looks on our loved one's faces will surely pay off for all the nagging in between :)

I want these...

They would match my new dress ... Perfect for New Year's Eve!

Havaianas

Check these Havaianas...

Aren't they the cutest?

They are mine!

Directly from Brazil... Just need the new golden bikini to match, as our friend said! Obrigada Ali, és o maior!

Ali also brought me a necklace made from Umbu seeds, which resemble hearts. Quite sweet!

The future of air travel

Monday feeling

Any words needed to show my feeling today? The sun was shining and everything, but honestly I wasn't much in the mood to leave bed this morning...

Also, my back hurts. And it's not an excuse, ok?

Wikipedia

Reading the papers, the news that Wikipedia was again blocked in China made me laugh. The ban was lifted for just a week, but the reason the site was censured again didn't come out to public yet. The police uses very sophisticated filters and even officers who monitor web traffic in search of sensitive word entries, like Tibet and Taiwan. When I went to Shanghai I actually needed to use Wikipedia, as I wanted to copy the Chinese symbol for moxa, my massage stuff. I knew the site had it, because I'd seen it here, before I went.

There was no way to actually access it until we found out that if somebody sent us the link with the result via chat or email, we could open the page and read it. So, that way we deceived the little officers in their small rooms looking for trouble! hihihihi Well, I've read it here.

This happens in many countries too, and with a wider spectrum of sites.

Freshly approved vacations and already a destination...

Guess where is this?

This is the place I'm going for New Year's Eve! The sea, the sea...!

(How I miss it!)

Mountain look

Tomorrow will be Timberland boot day!

There! No more funny looks around the office!

These are my boots, you like them? :) Very useful here in this mountain city! No, I bought them in Prague and I think I'll have them all throughout my life, they are so sturdy!

Miniskirt effect

Axe effect, you know this ad? Well, if you do, then you understand my feeling as I'm being observed today like a prey... It's all to do with the fact that I'm wearing a miniskirt dress, which I didn't realise was so short until I went outside!

What is it with miniskirts and men? I'm sure there is a perfectly reasonable explaination for the lost looks whenever a woman crosses their way wearing a short skirt or a generous V-neck.

I don't know about other women, but I feel unconfortable being stared at like that, in such a bold and machist way.

Well, whenever a guy wears a fitted shirt with one extra open button, obviously our stares go that way, but it's less compulsive and much more controlled. We don't talk with that chest, men do! We feel like saying: Hello? Look at me, not there!

...Men!

One of those questionnaires

Questionnaire... for you to know me even better (as if you don't by now!). And, please, don't fall asleep, I'm not THAT boring and predictable, ok? (The cat above did, but that's because he spent all day reading that damn book!)

Olhos? Eyes? Brown
Cabelos? Hair? Cinammon :)
Idade? Age? 31 years young
Altura? Height? 1,65 ?
Peso? Weight? 49 kg
Nacionalidade? Nacionality? Portuguese, pois claro!
Alcunhas de Infância? Nicknames? Aninhas
Irmãos e/ou Irmãs? Brothers / Sisters? Sister, Didi
Signo? Star Sign? Cancer, watch out the sides!
Ascendente? Ascendent? Scorpio, watch out the tweezers!
Sapatos que está a usar? Shoes you're wearing? My Turkish house shoes, made of leather and hand-embroidered on rich colours
Medo? Fear? Of not living it all
Objectivo que gostaria de alcançar? Objective you'd wish to accomplish? Basically, can't think of nothing as relevant for me as stay happy :)
Frase que mais uso no msn? Sentence I use the most in msn? Not a sentence, but a smiley :)
Melhor parte do corpo? Best body bit? Legs?...Don't know...
Pepsi ou Coca-Cola? Can I distinguish these 2??? Not a huge fan.
MacDonald’s ou Pizza Hut? The above reply applies here too.
Café ou capuccino? I can distinguish these 2, but still not a huge fan, I rather have tea.
Palavrões? Swear words? Hmm, sometimes ;)
Perfume? A few... DKNY, Organza First light, L'Air du Temps, etc etc...Looove perfumes!
Lado da cama? Side of the bed? Hmm, on the right side...
Canta? Do you sing? Not at all!!!And better not, really!
Toma banho todos os dias? Do you bathe everyday? What kind of question is this???
Gostava da escola? You liked school? I did, yes. But not so much primary, where a boy was always trying to make me eat poisonous berries!!!
Acredita em si mesmo? Do you believe in yourself? Oh yes, like that ad: If I don't, who will??
Dá-se bem com os seus pais? Do you get along with your parents? Perfectly! And proud of it too!
Gosta de tempestades? Do you like storms? I do, they are very powerful and as all powerful sensations, they are unforgettable
Desporto? Sports? Yes, my Curves gym...efficient to keep me on shape.
Passatempos e Hobbies? Not really...besides the normal ones like reading, cinema, drinking tea in the sofa wrapped up on a warm blanket.
Fobias e manias? A bit the fear of being followed, a bit paranoid about dark and lonely places...
Número de filhos? Number of children? Well, I'd like a few...

Como quer morrer? How do you want to die? Ooooh, this question is horrible...
Piercings? No
Tatuagens? Tattoos? No, but quite like to see one in a well-defined bod :)
Do que se arrepende de ter feito? What do you regret having done? Hard question, as I tend not to have to answer that, for always going for things - that way I have no regrets, right?
Cor favorita? Favourite colour? I'm difficult there, I like all, depending on my mood.
Um lugar onde nunca esteve e gostava de ir? A place you never were and would like to go? Some island, on a blue transparent sea...
Manhãs ou Noites? Mornings or Nights? More night girl, but mornings for important things...
O que tem nos bolsos? What do you have in your pockets? No pockets on my PJ's...
Em dez anos imagina-se…… In ten years you imagine yourself... With someone :)

Helloooo, awake? There, it's done, finished, finito, acabado, kaput, over and out!

So, besides knowing a bit more about yours truly, you now practised your English/Portuguese and are also willing to do the same and forward it to me, aren't you, my dears??? Yes, yes...

Not this week...

Well, I didn't win Euromillions.... this week!

Wishful thinking

That's me at work wishing my day to be calm, without phone calls or emails. As soon as I think about it, the phone rings and the emails pop up! I will win Euromillions this week, for sure!

I MUST!

Trapped

Ali's customers got me and trapped me! I'm that cat you see here, completely trapped and with another week and a half to go until my saviour comes and takes over his work and leaves me with my customers only! I love my customers, I really do! Compared to these, mine are sweethearts, they even help me when I make a mistake, not to make me feel bad or increase a cost... It's really different. It may not sound as glamorous as Publishing, but my Packaging department is fantastic! Apart from having the nicest colleagues (it's true, I'm not nagging!), it's got the highest turn-over and, at least in Portugal, has got the nicest clients! They are polite, to say the least.

Anyway, enough of work, today still was a crappy day, it will go on all week, as things are dragging. To top things up, tomorrow is a holiday in Madrid and Miss Ana here will have to go to work, all alone. Added that it will be my first time dealing with the office alarm, you can see how anxious I am!

But I'm going to the gym now, I'll have Barbara there to make me sweat all this tension away! Then, a nice bath, dinner and relax! No more duties today, pliz!

Rainy Days

All in a day's work!

Murphy's law is a bummer! While my colleague is out on vacations for what seems an eternity (hey Ali, enjoy, I'm not complaining!!!), I'm his backup which means I do all my work and all of his. For the first 2 days, I was also backing other colleague... I was selling packages, magazines and wallpaper all juggled at once! Crazy days!

Now, today one of the delivery trucks (Ali's paper!) had an accident or close to one and all the paper it was carrying to the printers got unbalanced on its pallets, which means a severe loss, as the client couldn't even grab the things, for gravity unbalances... Needless to say that the customer wanted the paper today and I had to turn the whole office and mill upside down trying to find a replacement for 18 tons of Allegro Gloss! Tomorrow I will still be on it, that's for sure!

Then, another of Ali's customers is all annoyed we are delivering a truck a day, as he instructed us to do. Couldn't stop another truck being delivered today and another tomorrow! I will have a 3 page email tomorrow, at the pace this is going with these guys!

In the midst of all this, there are my clients with their own existencial doubts! Enquiring, complaining, demanding, asking... In the space of 1 minute I had 2 phone calls asking for my fax number: that usually means either orders or complaints. Well, I had both.

All in all, it was a busy crappy monday... arrived home and relaxed by cooking some chicken and vegetables in the oven, the roasting smell made me forget my day :) And roasted also some chestnuts! Perfect working girl!

Food for weekend thought

Why when people ask you "what three things would you bring with you on a desert island?" no one ever replies, "A BOAT"?

Why are elderly people often called "old people" but children are never called "new people"?

Why is it called the People's Republic Of China when China's not a republic?

Why is it that people duck in the rain, do they really think the rain won't hit them?

Why is there no pine or apple in pineapple?

Why do "cool" and "hot" mean the same thing?

Why does triangularly cut bread taste better than square bread?

Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?

Why is it that when you're driving and looking for an address, you turn down the volume on the radio?

Why is it called 'after dark', when it is really after light?

Why is it called a "building" when it is already built?

Why do we say "bye bye" but not "hi hi"?

Roses at work

Girls, have you ever received flowers at work?
Although it's a bit embarracing, it can nonetheless be the cutest thing!
Thanks, Mr X!

What kind of Chocolate are you?

Found this blog with some girly tests like the one above (i'm a milk chocolate!):

'what colour bikini should you wear?',

'what goddess are you?',

'are you ready to get married?',

'do you go for brains or body?',

'are you a tease?'

...just perfect for a winter afternoon in.

I'm on to do the 'which foreign guy should I date?'....

.... (drums!)...

You Should Date An Italian!

You love for old fashioned romance, with an old fashioned guy An Italian guy is the perfect candidate to be your prince charming If your head doesn't spin enough, just down another espresso with him Invest in a motorcycle helmet - and some carb blocker for all that pasta!

Which Foreign Guy Should You Date?

Jumbled letters

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in what oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig.

Spanish:
Sgeun un etsduio de una uivenrsdiad ignlsea, no ipmotra el odren en el que las ltears etsan ersciats, la uicna csoa ipormtnate es que la pmrirea y la utlima ltera esten ecsritas en la psiocion cocrrtea. El rsteo peuden estar ttaolmntee mal y aun pordas lerelo sin pobrleams. Etso es pquore no lemeos cada ltera por si msima preo la paalbra es un tdoo.

Portuguese (Brazilian):
De aorcdo com uma pesqiusa de uma uinrvesriddae ignlsea, não ipomtra em qaul odrem as lrteas de uma plravaa etãso, a úncia csioa iprotmatne é que a piremria e útmlia lrteas etejasm no lgaur crteo. O rseto pdoe ser uma ttaol bçguana que vcoê pdoe anida ler sem pobrlmea. Itso é poqrue nós não lmeos cdaa lrtea isladoa, mas a plravaa cmoo um tdoo.

French:
Sleon une édtue de l'Uvinertisé de Cmabrigde, l'odrre des ltteers dnas un mtos n'a pas d'ipmrotncae, la suele coshe ipmrotnate est que la pmeirère et la drenèire soit à la bnnoe pclae. Le rsete peut êrte dnas un dsérorde ttoal et vuos puoevz tujoruos lrie snas porlblème. C'est prace que le creaveu hmauin ne lit pas chuaqe ltetre elle-mmêe, mias le mot cmome un tuot.

(No matter what language it is written and scrambled, we still can figure out what's being said, by the simple positioning of the first and last letter of each word. Nonetheless, psycholinguistics are not too sure about this easy explaination (aren't they shrinks in the first place? There's no easy solutions for them anyway!!), but the truth is that our brain seems only to acknowledge those 2 essential and determinant letters to figure out words...but, how does our brain then distinguishes between salt and slat?...)

Don't you just love these?

Here in Spain, lollypops are taken very seriously! Yummy!!!