A big thank you to you all

Hello folks,

long no see... 3 weeks gone between last blog and now and 3 weeks that might change my life for good have gone without you knowing anything.

I have enjoyed greatly keeping this diary on a regular basis, well, more or less regularly, but now, it is time to take a break from it.

I have decided to stop writing at a weekly interval and stop keeping you informed about my life.

I am deleting my links from professional networks and I might do the same, at due time, with the social ones.

I think that I need more time to dedicate to myself, my well being, my life and my happiness and start keeping for me what I see and what I do.

I got the feeling that sharing is not always fulfilling, sometimes makes you feel naked in front of the entire world and, despite being very upfront and open, I do not think I can continue writing about my feelings as I go along without feeling naked and ashamed and, at the same time, I do not think is fair to be selective about the things I tell you, hiding things I go through.

As I said, this is a special period of my life and it is that time when you need to look forward and start again. One of those moments you feel you failed, you let someone down. This is much worse if the one let down is you!

So, my dear friends, I will take a break and I do not exclude I will be coming back to write about my life, my impressions and my experiences, but for the time being, this black out is necessary for me to get back my privacy and hide my nudity.

Happy 2009 and big big hugs to all of you, especially the few that have been there since the beginning of this diary.

Good by Me Ol' Chinas!

Last Blog for the year! Happy New year folks!

The world economy is in a mess… more and more we realise how bad the situation is. Thanks to the politics of the US, since Clinton, we have modeled a world based on Finance rather than on real economy. This is easy to understand if you ask yourself the most basic question: What do we need to live? I am sure that you would say… food! If this is true, it means that countries thar produce food should be the richest once… Well… it used to be, but since Maggie and Ronnie decided that the third sector of the economy counted more and dismissed everything related to food and industry favouring finance, the world has been growing faster based on paper.

The earning capability has increased for those making more money, even this money making is based on nothing, just on some digits on a screen and all the accounting methodologies, more or less fruit of fantasy, are the proof that there is not a clear way of saying, effectively, how much wealth we produce.

Another important factor that revolutionised our world is the fact that the capital has become the main factor of wealth and being preferred to work. Money doesn't get sick, doesn't take holidays and doesn't complain or strikes...

We have revolutionised the way nature should work and I am not talking about GMO or using a plane rather than walking. We have changed what we were meant to be: workers, farmers, hunters, soldiers and so on. People getting their hands dirty and get tired to earn a living.

Now, me, a clerical, someone that works with hot air, makes more money than any hardworker in a factory, in a farm or transporting goods around the world. I become obese, I have to undergo diets, cures and every sort of “actions” replacement gimmick to simulate one hour in the fields, while a farmer will be more and more looked down by those like me that still need him to eat but not that much, because if my local farmer stops producing I can still buy food in Africa for a spit in their hands and a kick in the ass and a kickback to the local politicians.

So we can live without food because there is plenty of it… But, 1 billion people starve! Fucking hilarious! The evolution has brought women to become men-like. They can do everything we do plus give birth and multitask. What can we men do that women cannot? Even what they cannot, with money they have now or even a smile, they can have it. In this type of society where men are less men, women are more men and less women, workers are neglected and rich people are richer, how on earth can anyone think that things can go well?

Think of Italy, but it is the same anywhere else. How come the profit produced by the capital is taxed less than the one produced by the work? Someone says that the capital has been taxed already before when produced. Bullshit! I am not saying that we should tax again the capital, we should tax the profit that the capital produces.

What if this capital has been produced on nothing… Exact like it has been happening since Clinton has been in power? I was one of those that had the illusion that this crisis would not have been a huge problem for the real economy but I was completely wrong having lost touch with the reality because I have not lost any money in this crisis. I forget that we have pensioners and housewives investing (betting) in sophisticated financial products. These people are the vehicles to deliver the crisis in the families.

As I have said a few times, the recession has been triggered by paper, it is due mainly because it was the finance pulling the economy up when effectively the economy itself has not produced anything good for a long time and if it were not for India and China we would have seen this tragedy happening 5 years ago or earlier.

How to come out of it? It is hard to say because unless we change completely the rules of the game we will be just burning money, whatever money can be worth these days. I think that to start with we need to admit that the neoliberism in place is not the liberism and that the State, at this point, cannot be excluded: social democratic societies are doing better than Liberal ones. So, more State observation and presence, not in the economy but in the directives. Secondly, protect the weakest categories and tax highly all the incomes coming from capital, unless this capital is invested in companies that produce something tangible and it is done directly, not via Stock Exchanges, unless the shares are kept for long long time. High tax for high earners and virtually no tax for those who earn little. Consumption tax higher on luxury goods. Tax highly those properties that do not produce any income because not rented and just kept by the owners as a sort of refuge investments, pushing prices up and making difficult for commoners to buy a property. Create a sort of solidariety tax where all people with exceptional incomes contribute and these funds to be used as reservoir in case of crisis like this or when unemployment reaches warning levels. Review, totally, the organisation of the State and try to reduce the dependency from politics. Reducing the “political” bodies and increase advice bureaus can make the citizen more appreciative of the State and feel it less distant. Redestribution of wealth can take place but not with lump sums as they have done in Italy in the past. There are many more things that can be done but, the big problem is that the world is in the hands of the rich and these do not give a shit about those who are starving. In a period like this they are getting richer and their money is increasing in value as goods are cheaper.

Another thing that should be reformed should see the participation of the State in the utilities companies and even in the Petrol companies. It is proved that the higher the price of petrol goes the bigger the profits these companies make, because the costs for extractions stay the same and the price is generally artificially moved by futures and options and not by the effective need of the market. Think of the petrol at 150 dollars and see it now at 40. Do you think that the consumption of oil has gone down by… 70%? It’s a joke! As it was a joke the petrol at 150 dollars a barrel.

Greedy bastards! States should buy them off now, that their price is low. Nationalise them, for God sake!

In Brazil the crisis we are seeing worldwide is not so strong because their economy is highly controlled by the State, from the exchange rate to the issue of an invoice to the interest rates and so on. The State is the one that makes sure that the economy doesn’t overheat. Is this right? Perhaps it will be right for us too in the future because Brazil has been through crisis before and the same for Argentina but the Argentinians haven’t learned, too Italian, while in Brazil they have preferred a gradual growth sheltered from big shocks. Of course the crisis will impact Brazil too, but not as bad as the “free economies”.

While I write, in my beloved country, there are the judges on a spree! Once again, politicians and entrepreneurs are being arrested for briberies and so on. Once Italian always Italian. As I always say, Bribesville is still there alive and kicking and, this time, most of the people involved are from the Democratic Party. The Party that was meant to be the clean one and the answer to the request of honesty from a small part of italians that now prefer, clearly, the party of former judge Antonio Di Pietro that has made of legality his personal battle and that lost the regional elections in Abruzzo to Berlusconi’s candidate but grew 5-fold his support, becoming the third party in that region.

The breakup between the Democratic Party, always more and more in crisis because unable to propose anything and to offer a valid alternative to the current rulers, and Di Pietro’s party has consumed in the aftermath of the elections. It is clear that Di Pietro is playing the requiem to his ally, rather than Berlusconi and there are a few people that see him as the possible candidate to run as leader of the centre-left coalition in 2013.

God bless the inhabitants of Abruzzo, 47% of them stayed at home and didn't vote! Well done! I won the elections! they were voting because the socialist President of the Region is accused of corruption charges. Better not to talk about this asshole...

I mentioned time ago the story of a lady, Manuela Englaro, being in a vegetative state for the last 17 years. The Supreme Court ruled that the machines supporting her can be stopped and let the poor thing die. Well… in Italy, when we do not like what the judges say, we propose reforms or we propose new laws. This is what is happening these days. The Democratic Party has agreed on a reform of the justice because some of their members are currently accused (it seems like they lost their preferential relationship with the justice, after they made sure that Di Pietro became a big guy that is a better referent to the judges than anyone else) and the health Minister has issued a law saying that nobody, no hospital or clinic, can refuse to feed artificially anyone in a hospital. Failing this: no more financing and fines… Wow! What a country! In the meantime the judges have ruled that Ms. Englaro can die, as previously ruled out.

Let’s hope the poor lady will find peace at last and so her father.

And it’s to him that my thoughts go in these couple of weeks when I will be off to some well deserved vacations. My thoughts go for him that this Xmas will have the present of seeing his daughter go at last, while I will celebrate my daughter’s birthday.

Life can really suck!

Happy Xmas to all of you guys, believers and not!

very very hot and I am not only referring to the 30+ degrees over here

This week we have seen the terrible events in Greece. I really wonder why on earth these youngsters have no other way to protest but being violent. Greece is a young democracy, but still a democracy, is not a country where rights are not guaranteed and despite the sorrow and the rage for the death of a young man I do not think that transforming a country in a battlefield should attract so much sympathy and, even worse, being used by political forces as a reason to ask for government resignation. I do not like Karamanlis at all but the leader of the opposition, Papandreou, could have saved his words: “A deep wound for the democracy”. For God sake, Mr. Papandreou, there are more things a politician should base his protests and thought on. And I am sure that Greece has many more than this. A policeman that kills someone is not the army shooting on all protesters! My sympathy to the poor Alexis’ family but these youngsters should understand that it is not destroying things around that you make justice and that they should find some different activities to make this world a better one. They aren’t any better than the policeman that shot, for sure not. And let’s not forget the scarce sense of responsibilities shown by the trade unions in not canceling a general strike proclaimed before the violence erupted… How disgusting!

1 billion people starving in the world. This is the true tragedy but nobody seems to bother about it. FAO published the data this week and despite a few articles on the paper and some TV reportage, all back looking at the ups and downs of the stock exchanges.

Nobody is looking anymore at Iraqi people dying and Afghanistan ending up back in the hands of the Taliban. Cholera in Zimbabwe and God knows how many more tragedies happening.

So young people, if you want to do something for democracy try to change this world but not with fire and Molotov. That is the way this world was built and doesn’t seem to be so perfect…

Brazil… Sao Paulo won the football league for the 3rd year in a row making happy a small portion of population. Sao Paulo has got far too many teams (Corinthians, Sao Paulo, Palmeiras, Juventude, Nacional, Portuguesa and Santos) and the celebrations for the victory, except for some fireworks and a few people going around in circle in their cars, were really unseen.

Imagine you live in Italy in Via Giuseppe Verdi or in Paris in Rue Emile Zola, you would tend to call the street by the guy’s surname, Via Verdi or Rue Zola… Not here. Here is Giuseppe and Emile and it is written big big big while the rest of the name is in small characters. Sometimes is tough to go somewhere and taxi driver do not seem to realise that GPS is around and a nice Tom Tom would make their life and the passenger’s one easier. The same route has taken between 3 minutes and 20 minutes without traffic! Ranging from 12 Reais to 35… Annoying and frustrating!

Telephone calls… This is something pretty difficult here in Brazil. Let’s see where to start. Mobile phone providers. There are a few, TIM and Claro are the major ones. Only TIM allows you, though, to send sms abroad. Of course I have Claro because the colleague that bought it for me didn’t think that I could have needed a SIM card to send sms overseas, because he doesn’t. Same for receiving sms from overseas… It’s a bit of a lottery. Making calls locally is pretty easy, just dial the number, no need to insert a prefix or anything else. When you start calling or sending sms to people in other states, the problems starts. If you want to give your mobile number to someone you will say: “My landline number is 0xx11/12345678” where xx is the operator you decide to use to call that number from your state. This can be either 14 or 21. This is what I was told but this is not the whole truth: 014 (Brasil Telecom), 015 (Telefonica), 021 (Embratel), 023 (Intelig), 031 (Telemar) is more likely. Imagine all of us in Europe having our mobile phone number saved as +44 20 xxxxxxx… when you come over here you cannot call like that anymore because you have to embed in the number one of those operators’ codes too! If you use your original SIM card it’s ok but if you use a local one you have to change all the numbers accordingly.

Imagine going to the Louvre and see the Mona Lisa with her head chopped… This is the comparison that Vladimir Luxuria, transgender, politician and winner of the Italian reality show, L’isola dei famosi, has done when Brokeback Mountain has been broadcast on the Italian TV without the (gay) love scenes. Seems like it has been a terrible misunderstanding and the movie will be broadcast again with the love scenes where they were meant to be, in the movie itself. Of course, in perfect Italian style, this will create another big stink and everyone will be intervening from the government to the opposition to the trade unions to the Church to God–knows-who-else-has-a-bloody-say-in-it! What a country!

I read about this movie, long ago, that it was a drama about two men loving each other but victim of a society that didn’t accept the homosexuality as a fact. I have to be honest… The movie I saw was slightly different… I found that the two protagonists, actually one more than the other, could not accept the fact of being gay at all, while the other one was more prisoner of his own fear of prejudice. Gay people accepting their sexuality tend not to fear the society, especially if you are single as the two in the movies were, all the rest is bullshit, especially these days.

Back to Brazil but first a stop in Illinois.

Blagojevich, the democratic governor, has been arrested for starting an auction to assign the seat that Obama has left free at the Senate. If in Italy we should jail politicians that do these kind of things we should import politicians from other countries! You know what the Democrats’ comments have been? Embarrassment but “we do not interfere with the investigations.” Jeez, in Italy just last week there has been a stink out of possible investigations against the mayors of Naples and Florence.

Back to Brazil…

One of the things I love most in this country is the Valet service. You never have to bother about parking your car when you go to restaurants. There are always spaces or the Valet parking for you. In some places is free, in other cases the price ranges between 11 and 14 reais which is a bargain considering the time saved and how much would cost to park it in a faraway garage.

One of the things I hate most, on the other hand, is the way they serve pizzas here. They do not put the pizza in front of you. They come an put a slice at the time in your plate every time this is empty. The poor waiters are always running around between tables! Pizza is a big thing here with a selection that in Italy, but also in Britain or elsewhere, is unthinkable. The taste is generally good but far too much cheese on it! And no way to get less...

Let me tell you a story that shows how cold and heartless some politicians can be. A law from 1896 states clearly the characteristics for a dwell to be considered legally inhabitable. According to that law many Italian apartments should be shut down. But, nobody says anything. This law, however can be a problem if you are an immigrant in Italy and you want your family to join you. You have to produce all sort of documents including a certificate of dwelling certifying that the property you own or rent is ok for human beings. A Macedonian immigrant obtains the permit to bring over 2 family members but he has a wife and two daughters, 9 and 12 years old. He tries to leave his oldest daughter with her grandparents but the child doesn’t want to leave the parents and the man takes her illegally to Italy. Being a honest man, he goes to the police and reports the situation and, automatically, the justice starts all degrees of processes until the Supreme Court says that the child can stay in Italy with the family. All of Italy is happy except the Northern League’s politicians that see it as a dangerous previous case that would allow criminals and illegal immigrants to do the same. I never heard so much crap! If someone comes to Italy to smuggle drugs or comes to the country illegally, do you think they will go to register and ask to bring their families over? Bloody racist bunch they are! I hate them!

It reminds me of the story of Carmela Cimini, an illegal Italian immigrant to Switzerland, that remained locked in her “apartment” for two years and used to cook in the cupboard so that nobody would know that she was there... 2 years hiding from the civilised Swiss... Sod them! She said that in 1963, the day she left the room, was a Sunday, and she ate an ice-cream, the nicest she has ever had in her whole life. Sorry guys but there is no space for racist people in my life. I am still going through cuts amongst my acquaintances and will continue.

But another case really made me feel ashamed of being a human being. It’s the story of a young romi, less than 4 years old that was found in the streets of Rome in terrible conditions and that, according to the Italian laws has been sent back to Romania and by the authorities of that country sent back to the family that used to torture him to push him to beg. The law part of the agreement between Italy and Romania says that any Romanian minor found unaccompanied is sent back to Bucharest... Fantastic!

Berlusconi during the EU meeting about the Kyoto Protocol has declared that “When someone has got pneumonia, doesn’t go to the barber” meaning that during a period of economic crisis we shouldn’t really care about the environment. I feel relieved by such statement because it is in open contradiction to the general idea that Berlusconi will live forever, so he can not give a shit about the environment but as Italian and as earthling I find rather disgusting that Italy is one of the worst countries in the world in terms of Gas emission, especially if we consider the fact that we pollute for nothing because our growth is really modest or insignificant. Anyway an agreement has been reached, the usual compromise but, better than seeing an Italian and a Polish veto blocking everything. Sarkozy can take home a badge for his insignificant Presidency of the EU.

Talk next week guys.

A busy and useless week.

A very anonymous and quite week has gone and the weather is getting better. The usual afternoon tropical rain has been absent for a couple of days and the temperatures are sort of stabilising around mid twenties during the day and 12 17 in the night.

Very pleasant feeling in the morning, when going out of my place. The sun, the smell and the feeling is the typical one you get when you are in a Mediterranean place during Summer. Fantastic!

As I said this week I haven’t done much I even forgot to have dinner one day and I have been seeing nobody at all all week! How do I feel about it? Bloody marvelous!

I am counting days now! Dec 19th I will fly to Europe and back here 3 weeks later.

Work is being hectic but the days pass quicker and I am working less hours because too tired after the usual 8 hours business…

The period of crisis, financial one, is continuing with Central Banks cutting rates and governments trying to help the business and, just taking into account the main news appeared on my PC ticker, this week have been decided cuts for 250,000 jobs in the Financial sector around the world, 533000 Americans have lost their job in November, have been committed 1.2 trillion dollars to enhance economies, sold 40 to 60 percent less cars during last month or so and there have been a few more flooding and tragedies that hit always the poorest parts of the world. The Catholic Church is still progressing towards the past and in a couple of years we should restart the Holy Inquisition and I might be burned in Campo dei Fiori in Rome.

This week the church has shown the worst of itself as far as equal rights are concerned and they won a little battle in Italy. The current school reform that had attracted protests, strikes and violence all over Italy had cut out 130 million euro “support money” to private catholic schools, and after a little protest, a newspaper article, they are going to reintegrate… Brilliant! In less than one hour 120 of the 130 million euro have been given back… while the students can strike as much as they want they can just piss off…

Plus there is a big battle going on between the government and SKY broadcasting because of the increase of VAT on services, doubled to 20%. This is something that was required by the EU but it is seen as something that the media tycoon and prime minister of my Mickey Mouse country, Italy, is doing to put Sky in trouble. I am sure that the dwarf is pretty genuine about this but the fact that he is a media tycoon and round most of this country media with very few exceptions, sky and La7 TV, gives way to bad thoughts. The truth is that if Berlusconi did not exist as politician, we would even look like a normal country. From TV to sport, to food, to books to… you bloody name it, there is a conflict of interests in place. America could teach us a lot but our dwarf only learns from Dubya… I cannot understand Americans either. A blow job started an impeachment process towards Clinton; killing thousands of soldiers and civilians and divert billions of dollars that could have now been useful to face the crisis has cost Dubya nothing at all! Even after admitting it on the ABC that he was a jerk… Crimes against humanity go unpunished, denying a blow job can cost you the Presidency… Unbelievable.

I was thinking, last night, while taking a shower that we are strange in Italy.
Berlusconi has had a Equal opportunities ministers two ladies, normally this is a lady position in Italy, so we can be politically correct, and the ladies have been Mara Carfagna, former showgirl, and Stefania Prestigiacomo, a very smart, sweet, beautiful and sexy lady.

I wonder… how can you have someone stunning running an equal opportunity department when it is well known that being beautiful and female gives you more opportunities than any other person? Why not give the department to someone bloody ugly, or a gay man or someone with disabilities to show clear commitment? And think of this sexy Minister, Carfagna, that says that “Gay people are constitutionally sterile” that they shouldn’t have the right of getting married or get any marriage related rights but then says “Gay Pride" marches were pointless as gays no longer suffer discrimination” well, this is the equal opportunities secretary we have in this country.

Now, I got nothing against the fact that a showgirl becomes a minister but, for God sake, this lady has been elected for the first time in the Italian Parliament and thanks to the reform called “porcellum”, to indicate something really dirty to stop the left wing coalition to win the elections, where the list of candidates is decided by the party leader and those voting cannot choose their candidates… and we talk about democracy and our dwarf gets offended if people, from his own party, talk about what Spaniards and Italians call Cesarismo or Bonapartismo!

Another sign of times changing are related to the polemic with the EU concerning the Co2 emission limits. Italy has started a battle to loosen the limits decided in the past due to the economic crisis while Britain is pushing for tightening them! I remember the days we were the paladins of the environment and Britain couldn’t care less. The environment minister in Italy is that Stefania Prestigiacomo I mentioned before, famous in Italy for her beauty and for he submission to the Boss, the Dwarf. She tried to let include a minimum number of women candidates in the locked lists I was mentioning above but she was defeated by the Parliament and she cried. Her boss told that she was childish and had to stop nagging… she is still with him… My wife would have divorced me for much less! This minister will be remembered, anyway, for her tears, her looks and her lost battles! I don’t think she ever managed to send a law through. Not bad for an equal opportunities minister ahahhaha

Another funny thing is that while Britain has to delete all DNA information stored in Scotland Yard Databases, the Italian minister of Interior has announced that by 2010 we will all be included in a Db. Britain has been ordered by the High Court of Justice that DNA Data bank is a human rights violation. Apparently Italians are not humans and have no rights.

do you know who Hanry Gustav Molaison is? Make a search and if you know the movie Memento you will understand that that movie had been inspired by a man that since 1955 had a memory span lasting 1 day. He died at 82 today. His brain will be kept for studies. Find his name on the net and you will find his story really interesting.

Brazil!!! Sometimes I forget I am in Brazil.

Nothing to report guys except that Brazilians enjoy, for breakfast, French bread (baguette style) with oil… Coffee is lovely and Feijoada is served, in Sao Paulo, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

That is it!

Kisses and hugs!

A few things... Italy, the church, Brazil and US...

I wasn't so wrong after all... I saw the signs and I was right, but, unfortunately where those in charge hiding the truth. Since the publication of December 2007 data I stated that the US were in recession... I thought I had misjudged but, after the official announcement today, I was right. Click on this link and look at the keywords aside and click on recession.

Italy...

A Neapolitan politician accused of instigating riots in Naples during the “rubbish crisis” has suicide. He could not bear anymore to be subject to such accusations. I do not really know if he was guilty or innocent and I am not writing here about it to talk about that. Giorgio Welby was a man that was turning himself into a vegetable due to a degenerative disease. He was used as symbol by the Radical Party and he managed to get his euthanasia in contrast to the current laws. A doctor offered to give him an injection. I do not want to talk either about the right people have to decided whether live paralised and be a problem and a weight to those he loved or else.

The thing I would like to understand is why, the politician has benefited of Church funerals and Welby has been refused the funerals… this is the Church… The same church that still orders Catholics in Africa to die and not to use condoms or the one that doesn’t support the French proposal to submit to the UN a petition where homosexuality should be no longer considered as a crime.

Sod the Church!

Ok guys,

Time to talk about Brazil.

This weekend I relaxed all day, I did virtually nothing and I had been thinking about the place I decided to live for a year.

Let’s see if I can put the things in prospective.

Brazil is a huge country, every single time I mention Brazil I mean the city where I am or the one I am referring to, unless I openly talk about Brazil.

Brazilians are the inhabitants of Brazil, Paulistanos, those of Sao Paulo, Paulistas those of the State of Sao Paulo, Cariocas the inhabitants of Rio de Janeiro.

As you can see I have been thinking a lot this weekend!

Food… My initial complaints about the food are still there but now I learned a few (expensive) restaurants and I know where to get decent meat and fish without feeling bloated. This thanks to my Paulistanos friends and colleagues that have literally adopted me, and take care of me the same way my Porteno friend took care of me 10 years ago in Argentina. Ah, portenos (the n is with the Spanish tilde, but I haven’t got it on my keyboard) are the inhabitants of Buenos Aires.

They are lovely, they do not leave me a lone one single day and I am lying to be left alone a couple of days per week…
Since I am here my habits have changed completely. In China the alarm was at 5:30-6:00 AM and first thing was the Gym, since I have been here the alarm is still at 6 but the first thing I do is deciding whether to go to the Gym or not and, most times the laziness wins. I have notices, though, that during the weekends I got no problem in finding the right motivations to get up and go so, I understood, that the main problem is the time. I must go to the gym in the afternoon. This would allow me to sleep longer in the morning and go to sleep earlier in the evening because I will be more tired. Cool! Let’s see if it works this way.

So, I was saying, food. Food is ok now and I even appreciate local stuff .Vegetables and fruits are really nice and all the tropical fruits we eat in Europe and are tasteless, over here are wonderful. Meat is great too and I enjoy the churrascaria more and more but I can only eat there at lunch during the weekends or I will not be able to sleep with so much food on the stomach… I found a very good fish restaurant that is owned by the same guy that owns my favourite Brazilian restaurant in Buenos Aires. A bit expensive but worth it. I am addicted to Tambaqui ribs… this fish is an Amazonian fish it tastes great like salt water ones and it can remind a pork rib really… Lovely! Another special thing you find over here is Cheese bread (pao de queijo), originating from the state of Mina Gerais, is now widespread in Brazil. Too tasty even to mention… My sugar level is going up just thinking of it. Another special cheese used a lot on everything you can think of is catupiry. This cheese comes from Minas Gerais too but was developed by an Italian immigrant in 1911, Mario Silvestrini. The name means Excellent and comes from an indigenous language. I do not think everyone can like that kind of soft cheese but Brazilians seem to love it. Me? It’s ok, I had better cheese. Coffee. I find Brazilian coffee generally nice and I love the Dulce de Leche Latte in Starbucks, fantastic!

Habits… Brazilians are bloody noisy! They are far worse than the Italians and restaurants with more than 15 tables require some ear plugs. They smoke like Turks and this despite the shock advertising campaign showing very crude pictures on the cigarette packets. I find rather disgusting those packets and, frankly, if I had not given up two years ago, this would have been the right time to do so. Take a look at this link to view the one that really shocked me. Be careful it can be really shocking!!! Link

Work wise Brazilians are very similar to Argentines, they are fairly relaxed and meeting at 9 doesn’t really mean meeting at 9, means that perhaps at 9 or 10 or during the day they will be in touch and postpone the meeting to another day… they great you with Tudo bem? But they really don’t care if you are fine or not, that is just a way to say hello like the American’s “how are you?” they cannot care less if you just found out to have 3 months of life left or you are in perfect health… It’s just hello!

Talking to women you realise that men here are pretty macho but, frankly, I do not get that impression while in Argentina was more visible, here it doesn’t seem so. Women, though, here are more forward than in Argentina or other parts of Europe, even eastern Europe. They do make sure you know they are interested in you and it’s up to you to pursue or keep off. A smile given to a lady looking at you is a sign of interest so, if you smile by mistake, make sure you turn your face immediately or you will have a lady chatting you up with the usual introduction questions used worldwide: How are you, where you from, do you like Brazil, how long will you be here and finally are you married? From the answer of the last question and answer depends your evening and perhaps the remaining part of your stay in Brazil. Ladies here seem to be more passionate than anywhere else and despite their openness, this ceases when you have been kissing for 3 or 4 hours the first night. They are really possessive and don’t even try to lie to them if you want to stay in the country. I heard of horror stories of women feeling teased and betrayed and you rather spend an evening with Glen Close in Fatal Attraction than with a Ana Paula or Beatrix in a disco…

Kissing is the national sport and means perfectly nothing! Kissing here is just an alternative to spend a lot of money on alcohol or a way to communicate with people who do not speak your language. Brazilians kiss for sport, they must have read that kissing burns calories and they do it even with more than one person during the same night. Looking at them kissing makes you realise that, effectively, the act of kissing came from feeding the children, a bit like the birds do, but it has evolved in the opposite direction: seems like they are trying to eat you! If they could they will bite your head off!

What else guys? Are they sexy? Yes they are. Are men sexy? They look sexy and according to Brazilian ladies they are the hottest lovers in the world. This has been confirmed by some non Brazilian friends of mine. How about women? Seems like they are excellent lovers too and they are pretty submissive more than dominant.

What do Brazilians do generally during the weekends is a bit of a mystery to know. When you ask how was the weekend to the married ones, the answer is “ok” to the single ones the answer is “good”. Have you done anything special? No, is the answer. I found out that a friend and his wife went to Iguazu to the waterfalls and he said that he did nothing special during the weekend… so I start thinking that their expectations are set quite high up…

The divorce rate in this country must be pretty high, nearly everyone i know has divorced at least once and has children. The laws protect divorcee mothers and, according to some friends, this is the reason why most women get pregnant young and then they leave their husbands with all sort of excuses or reasons. Failing to pay alimony here is like failing to pay tax in the US: prison is guaranteed! Funny enough, i was thinking to compare something so harsh and cohercitive in Italy but there is really nothing in my country that can be compared to anything harsh happening in other countries...

How about foreigners here? They are really sought after by local women. They love foreigners. Not even in China i found so much love towards Westerners. Amazing. They really track them down and the older they are the better! Men over 50 are really the favourite prey of Brazilian ladies in the bracket 30-40 while younger girls prefer same age partners or sugar daddies (50+).

Sao Paulo doesn’t have a huge foreign population so we are rare beasts when we go out. Whether you are accompanied by a lady or by a group, this doesn’t stop girls from launching hungry (i should say horny) glances and drop you a mobile phone number. Nothing stops them. Women! If your husband or boyfriend loves Sao Paulo, there can be a reason or two but they are both of the female gender! Sao Paulo as city can be compared to Milan but with less snob population. Frankly, if you love Milan, you should go for a shrink therapy, same if you love Sao Paulo. Yes, the nightlife is wonderful but there are so many cons that offset the few pros and living here forever for me in unthinkable.

Delays... Traffic... seems like everything is delayed here. Traffic is much worse than Beijing one and same for pollution. No to mention an open air sew, called river Pinheiro, that produces tons of mosquitoes and a very bad smell. For a normal 20/30 minutes rides from North to South of the Capital it might take up to 2 hours during rush hours. This morning a colleague told me that it took her 150 minutes to reach the office... that is more than double the normal rush hour time and 5 times the normal off peak hour’s.

Bob Sinclar concert. On the ticket with the inevitable typo “Sinclair”, says 23:00. I thought to be there by 23:00 but a colleague’s son recommended us to be there by 22:00... so at 22:40 we, three of us, where the second group to arrive there. There was just a couple exercising for the evening marathon, the kissing one i mentioned before. By 23:30 we must have been 20 people and the gates still well closed. At 00:05 the gates opened and we must have been no more than a hundred people. At 00:30 we were inside and the disco opened around 1:00 and Bob sinclar started performing at 1:30... Great show, but started 3 hours after we arrived there and 2:30 minutes late. At 4:15 i couldn’t cope anymore with the heat, the music, the people, the noise... Off I go! Straight to bed! The oldest people in the group left with me and, once again, this was a sign of age. The youngsters left at 6:30 and probably just because they were thrown out.

What kind of people attended the disco, Pacha? Youngsters. Majority in their early 20’s and many Asians. More women than men, for sure and very attractive ones. I highly recommend this place to single guys.

The rest of the weekend i was destroyed! I managed to go out to a park, to go to the gym, eat twice out and for dinner, room service.

This week i will take it much much easier! Age is age.

Now, something sad to mention.

The State of Santa Catarina has suffered tremendous floods and the situation doesn’t seem to improve. 114 people were killed due, mainly, to Mudslide and tens of thousands do not have homes to go to. There are still some people missing and dozens of towns isolated and unreachable via land. 52 centimeters of rain have fallen in a few days, this is 4 times the average for this time of the year. 160K people are left without electricity and 1.5 million people have been affected by landslide! The bad news is that the rains are likely to continue and watching TV doesn’t give you the impression that things are getting better... nearly 1 billion dollar aids have been allocated by the Federal Government plus volunteers are campaigning to collect funds and anything that can be used to relief those affected by this tragedy.

Far too many tragedies i have seen this year. Between China and here.

Till next guys,

PS sorry about al the i's that should be I's but my spellchecker is crap!

Italian (dis)information...

Italy continues the ideological war waged against China and its “biased” media that the Far East giant presents. If you had read some of my blogs in the past, you certainly know that I have been contradicting, strongly and vehemently, what the Western media was saying about China, the media and the official government positions.

Some journalists are shameless and today I was watching a special report by RAI UNO, broadcast on RAI ITALIA, about Mumbai’s tragedy.

The journalist in the Rome office starts with a “We have Paolo Longo, our correspondent in China that will confirm that there has been no mention at all in China about the Mumbai events. Isn’t it Paolo?” Paolo Longo: “It’s not true. Newspapers and TV have all mentioned it and, yes, they have not given the same time and visibility we have done in Europe but nevertheless the media has reported the events and followed the situation”. The journalist in Rome wasn’t so happy: “But for sure the government hasn’t mentioned anything at all”. Longo: “officially there has been no communications but I do not think that this is due to any special reasons. India and China are competitors (…) in some cases but recently they are increasing cooperation (…) and China has got bigger problems to think about these days”. Journalist “What kind of problems?”. Longo: “Strong economic crisis that seems to be much worse than expected…” bla bla bla…

Ok, if you cannot take my word for it, take the one coming directly from India:

http://www.hindu.com/2008/11/28/stories/2008112860511700.htm

China: opposed to any form of terrorism
BEIJING: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Thursday sent a message of condolences to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh concerning the terrorist in Mumbai.
Mr. Wen said China condemned the attacks, noting that it is firmly opposed to terrorism of any form. On behalf of the Chinese government, Mr. Wen expressed deep grief for the victims and conveyed sincere condolences to the relatives of the victims and those wounded in the violence.
Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi also sent a condolences message to External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee. — Xinhua, PTI

FULL OF SHIT! Especially when it is well known that China is facing some religious related issues with Islamic groups looking for independence from Beijing, not to talk about the well-known Tibetan story.

Zai Jian wo de zhong guo peng you! Zhen xiang zong shou xian!
再见我的中国朋友! 真相总是首先

Dio e' morto! Viva Dio!

Folks,

I decided to stay here in Brazil. I decided to honour my contract and try to spend sort of split time between Europe and Brazil until the project is complete. I will be careful, I promise. I will try not to get into trouble and eat moderately and exercise. That’s it. This is the most important piece of news for this week.

This week has been, so far, full of events but the pain and the anger for what has happened in Mumbai doesn’t allow me to write in details. I feel too disgusted by the events so I will just write a few lines in a very synthetic way and talk about it in the next few blogs.

Let’s see if I am right.

On Sunday evening I have done nothing. Just ate a Brazilian Conja in my room.
Monday evening I have been out for dinner with my sister and my brother in law that were here on business trip.
Tuesday evening I have been to a local Auditorium with a friend to see the Italian movie, Il Padre di Giovanna, part of the Venezia Cinema in Brazil event.
Wednesday evening I have been to the annual dinner and dance of the bank I work for. Unforgettable, but not in a positive sense. Same day the Mumbai violence erupted.

God is dead! Long Live God!
If HE is still alive, it’s about time to acknowledge defeat and wipe us off!
Fed up of this world where people kill in name of some sort of entity that doesn’t show itself. A world were people die and kill every single day in his name. Where an hypocrite sitting in Rome decides whether Africans have to die for a screw because they cannot use the condoms, in name of some stupid rule dictated by a frustrated bunch of middle eastern guys who wrote a few lines in a book, generating, before their imminent death some ill-fated offspring. An ass hole wearing a dish dash hiding somewhere on the mountains decides who has to die and when. And you, if you really exist, are the omnipotent? Get lost! I spent most of my life searching for you and try to understand where the faith I felt was coming from, I wasted so much time thinking that you were the only way towards happiness and fairness but I found out to be happy and truly human only when I realised that your omnipresence is nothing. You, simply do not exist. And I curse each one of those that killed claiming to do it for you, in your name!

Where are you?

Show yourself to mankind. Let those who are suffering in your name tell you what they think about those that humiliate their siblings annihilating them and making a mince of their human dignity, every single day, because they know that they will go unpunished because human justice is by far different from the one your Books state should be.

“Oh Allah, destroy the Hindu and do it in the worst possible way”… these are your children… congratulations! Same congratulations for those Hindu killing Christians and those Christians who have been killing those accused of being sub humans or heretics… and we still talk about religions and brotherhood?

Of course, I am talking to myself here… you do not exist, you never did and you never will. We created you, not vice-versa and some people still need your mythological presence to justify their state and actions.

I want to resign from mankind, any way to do so?

Busy Busy Bee

Hello folks,

Let’s see what has caught my attention this week… I have to admit that one of the most shocking things has been something happened in Italy on Thursday. A man has killed his three young children and his wife and shot himself for no apparent reason. Wealthy family, no sign of depression or crisis. Just like that, something must have clicked. But what shocks more is the fact that according to some statistics, since 2006 7 murders out of 10 have happened between the “home sweet home” walls, meaning that there are more people killed by relatives than by the Mafia! It’s a bit like a couple of years ago there were all those news about Naples murders. Every single day someone was killed by the Camorra. At the end of the year it came out that there were more murders in Milan than in Naples and if we excluded the Camorra’s crimes Naples was far behind this sad rank…

What to say? Let’s abolish the families! Or, perhaps, let’s abolish the weapons detention at home. What’s wrong with the blooming Italians? What’s wrong in this society? Is it possible that the family is too much of a burden to bear for many? I don’t know but my opinion about the Italian families being a castrating element of that society, the most castrating one, stopping people from growing seems to find further confirmation looking at those terrible and chilling numbers. God, if exists one, bless those poor little kids souls…

On the same topic, Brazil has been declared the most violent country in the world when it comes to deaths provoked by fellow humans… Murders… 5% of the deaths are murders. The comparison has been done between 11 countries only so, I am sure that the numbers are not as accurate as one would expect but, nevertheless, it is worrisome to think that between 2002 and 2003 4.7% of the deaths have been provoked by other fellow humans. Just to give an idea of the drama of this number, think that second comes South Africa, with 2.8% and Germany, the safest one shows a 0.1%.

The study has been done by Brazil authorities so, no political issues and so on.

Can crisis kill? Of course but here in Sao Paulo it has killed on the trading floor. Paulo Sergio Silva shot himself for unknown reasons.

Any good news? Jeez! I cannot believe that this week I have been reading only unhappy stuff… including earthquakes, recessions, weather issues and so on. The best financial news was the one saying that this slowdown could last up to 4 years while the worst claims a 20 years slow down…

Look guys, let me tell you something about my week over here.

I will start shocking you telling you that I had my birthday celebrations this weekend. My friends and colleagues over here arranged some special parties for my 41st birthday. It was really cool, Legal, as they say over here. The more I know these people and the more I like them but, sorry guys, still no love story with the city… Safety doesn’t come with the smiles and the kindness of the Paulistanos, unfortunately, they seem to be the front and the verso of the same medal. Where is the shock? I managed to reach 41 guys!!!

Food wise I have discovered, thanks to friends and colleagues, some more decent places and with a few extra Reais it is possible to eat properly. A bit on the pricey side but quality is tip top!

This week has marked a major change in my life over here: my two fellow gringos have left Brazil and gone back to the UK and they will be back here in January. I am still not sure I will be here as I had an interview and I might go back to Europe, Eastern Europe, if I do not reach a sort of agreement by the end of next week. It is not an easy agreement to reach because many parties seem to be involved and this can make things go awry any time.

China… Still out of the picture, those who were offering me positions have disappeared and all those jobs available seem not to be good enough for me so, for the time being I have cut out the possibility of moving over there until the end of this or the other contract which should be towards the end of 2009 or beginning of 2010.

I am still in touch with a few people in Beijing but those who were my solid certainties have become “Solidni Neijstota”, solid uncertainties, as they would say in Czech. Those people who seemed to be closer to me have completely disappeared and those I would not have bet a pence on are keeping in touch, regularly, and keep me informed about everything going on in the Northern Capital.

This 2008 is an incredible year for me. So many changes and so many events. It really feels like I have lived 10 years in one. Even Brazil seems like a place I have always known. It feels very strange to love the people so much and not being able to relate them to the place. I was telling my wife a couple of days ago. If I should tell anyone about Sao Paulo I would certainly describe a place where night life is like nowhere else in the world, food, if you got money to spend, is excellent, bars are great and vary, disco and bars cater for all tastes and there is no difference between Mondays and Fridays, people are top quality, even the strange weather can be acceptable if one cannot stand excessive heat or cold and like the tropical afternoon evening storms… on the other hand, all these positive things are offset by the impossibility of living a normal life, because of the crime rate. And the more you live life the more you risk to end up in trouble.

I am still trying to plan a weekend to Argentina, before I leave in December but seems like I might spend it somewhere here in Brazil instead as I have looked at the map and there are so many nice places worth visiting. From Santa Catarina to Bahia to Amazonia, I see so many gullible places. I might postpone the Argentina trip to next year, in autumn, if still here.

Back to Italy... my country is one of the oddest in the world and this is not only because of the Prime Minister and the pope ruling but also because it's one of the few countries considering themselves liberal and democratic where the Parliament, via a special Commission composed by a majority of government supporters, controls the State television. In a normal country it would be the TV to control the Government actions but, we are fucking Italians and this makes us different.

It has been long time since this special commission didn't have a President elected. The name that was proposed by the opposition, which normally takes the presidency to balance the majority of pro-government people was Mr Leoluca Orlando, an MP for the di Pietro's Italia dei Valori. No bloody way that this former mayor of Palermo would have ever been voted by the majority of the MP's, included those of the opposition that, in words, were supporting him.

The Majority voted, by surprise, for a little man called Villari. this guy was asked to resign as himself a senator for the opposition party, PD, was not even a candidate. However in a blitz, this guy was elected as president and, after an initial declaration that he would have stepped down once he had helped the commission to find a name that would be appreciated by both majority and opposition members, he decided to stay in charge and refuse to resign. Effectively the man has been elected and despite the name of a joint candidate has been found, this guy is now, officially, the President of the control body that has to oversee RAI...

What a country folks! the majority voting for an opposition member that should resign because he was not meant to be the opposition favourite candidate and this chap decides to stay in charge showing the middle finger to all politicians.

I think he has done bloody well not to resign even if I dislike the chap that, in the meantime, has been expelled by the PD (Democratic Party).

A sad news was published on the Italian papers. Sandro Curzi, a famous communist journalist and member of the board of RAI died. When a journalist is honest, no matter where his political location is, it's always a big loss for a country. Good bye Sandro!

This coming week will mark the busiest week since I have been here. If we start backwords I had my B'day party on Friday night, Saturday b'day lunch, I managed to skip dinner. Sunday b'day dinner with some colleagues, Monday dinner with my sister and her husband coming over to Sao Paulo, Tuesday cinema premiere for an Italian movie, Wednesday Xmas party, my clients' party, and either Saturday or Friday next, I cannot recall, there will be Bob Sinclar playing at a local place and we are all going to listen to him. and I am sure there will be some partying in the meantime... What can I say? I want to go hooooooooooooooomeeeeeeeeeee!

Ciao guys, catch you later!

A breakthrough week

Oh guys,

Let me tell you about the 40 years old man that preaches the end of the Chinese domination on Tibet but doesn’t think that the millions of Brazil living in favelas and sleeping under a bridge or fly-over are a problem. And you know why? Because it is better starving in a country without foreign ruler than have everything that can satisfy your basic needs and not to be able to vote under a foreign ruler.

Freedom… what a beautiful word. Let me tell you about me and my freedom.

I decided to get my freedom back and move from my current hotel to another one in a better area so that I will be able to walk to the office and enjoy a bit of life during the weekends. Where I currently stay, 600 steps from my office, there are no places I can eat on Sundays, for instance.

I found a couple of good hotel 2 kms away from the office, perfect! But my colleagues have been begging me not to move there because it is far too dangerous walking from my office to there in the evenings…

You will understand my frustration when someone local tells you that you work in a bad area and no matter where you go to live the issue is there. The only solution is to stick as close as possible to your office so that the risk of being mugged is sensibly reduced… How Bloody Nice!

This week Berlusconi has praised Barak Obama saying exactly the opposite of what Italian centre-right fans say. Berlusconi said that Barak Obama is a smart ass and that he will do well to America. But in a surprise move he even supported Moscow’s rejection of Uncle Sam’s proposal on the Missile shields saying that Russia has been provoked by the US with the missiles in Poland, Czechia, the recognition of Kosovo and the support to Georgia… So Putin and his proxy President are right to place missiles in Kaliningrad.

I would like to tell those who have accused me, and whoever criticised the Bush Administration, of being Anti American, to tell me now what on earth is going through the dwarf’s mind, bearing in mind that the dwarf is their idol. He is anti American too? I do not think so and I am sure that they are defending his thought and, most certainly, waiting for him to clarify that he never said what he said and he is victim of communist propaganda… ass hole…

My tolerance towards arrogant people has reached its top and I even have started severing contacts with those people that claim to be anthropologically superior and those who are racist. I have cut out of my life people I have been tolerating for years but now, I am tired and I have decided to become as intolerant and as arrogant and racist as they are, towards them.

Something special happened this week. A school friend of mine kept in touch with me via Facebook and she even published the pictures of the whole bunch in 1985 and 1986. It has been the first time I have seen some pictures of mine taken in the far past without feeling hungry at not being so young and good looking anymore... I wonder if I am wising up or I just gave up to improve!

All I know is that I found that young me very sweet and I quite liked him eh eh eh...

Back to Sao Paulo… how is the mood these days… well… I am still not into it yet and this week I have informed my client that I might leave due to all the reasons I have been writing so far. Sao Paulo is not a place for foreigners, it’s a bit like Naples, Italy: you must be born there to feel comfortable.

Saying that though, on Saturday I have been around with friends and they have shown me some beautiful areas of the city. Really beautiful hills, great mansions and houses and it is only few minutes away from where I am... but the problem is the usual one... it still remains a dangerous place.

I was told by someone with me at the bar that her boss was mugged, in the afternoon, gun pointed (2 guns) outside my office...

Seems like for Christmas I might move back to Europe or spend half my time between England and Brazil or, if nothing is agreed locally, I might go East again… I will keep you informed anyway.

I was thinking in how many places I have been this year and only if I think of Countries I have been in Italy (3 times), China, France, Britain (twice), Belgium, Germany, Brazil and before the end of the year I will be in Italy, again, Argentina and Danemark... Bloody hell! That is a lot!

Have a lovely week guys!

Back from Rio, back to...

Dear guys,

Rio de Janeiro takes your senses for a long ride and after Sao Paulo, feels like being in another country. Now I understand why people fall in love with Ipanema, Barra and Rio as a whole. The shanty towns are all over the hills surrounding the city and every road hides a potential danger. This doesn’t lower my appreciation for the beauty of the place. I was there on what was meant to be a business/leisure trip but the only business I saw were a couple of business cards I received from some of the participants. It was a fairly intense weekend during which I have done much more than in a month in Sao Paulo. Long walks by the seaside, visiting landmarks, seen a beautiful church, been at the Maracana football Stadium for a match, attended a fashion show, popped into a night club, eaten at a few spectacular restaurants. Most of this thanks to a colleague from Rio that has been chauffeuring us around and taken good care of us. I will go back to Rio, for sure and, this time, I will try to see more by myself and at my own pace. You will think I am mad but the most beautiful thing I saw was the Monastery of Saint Benedict (search on Google mosterio Sao Bento). Nothing special from the outside but inside… amazing beauty! Add to this that the monks sing Gregorian Chants and your heart gets kidnapped.

Strolling on the pathway in Copacabana and Ipanema gives you a feeling of joy and joye de vivre that I had nearly lost over here and it does recharge the batteries!

The atmosphere at the Maracana for the match between locals Flamengo and Botafogo was incredible. The Torcideros (fans) of Flamengo had put up a show that was absolutely unique. Despite the fact that the Stadium was two thirds empty, the feeling they give and the noise they make is overwhelming. Never seen so many women and kids at the Stadium. A big big family party! All very hot blooded from 5 to 100 years old!

The airport in Sao Paulo, the city one, is in the middle of the city and, as you can see from the pictures on this Blog, you get some views of this huge city that can somehow be considered spooky. A true jungle populated by 16 million people. A Country in a State. This airport, Congonhas, is the one where the plane skidded out of the runaway and ended up in a building. When I was arriving to the airport by taxi, the impression I had about the runaway was the one you get seeing a ski jumping trampoline.

As soon as you land in Rio de Janeiro, you see the change of scenery. Palm trees all over loaded with coconuts. The drive starts from the local airport, Santos Dumont, passing through the “City” and going into Botafogo, Copacabana, Ipanema. A lovely 25 minutes journey to appreciate the seaside and the locals running, jogging, skating, biking. All sizes and shapes. Not like the usual images you get from the TV of all perfect bodies but much nicer to look at for those, like me, that are nothing special to and feel ashamed even of showing the legs!

Any drawbacks? Oh yes… they say that Rio is far more dangerous than Sao Paulo. Well, I cannot vouch for that but I think I trust those who say it because you get warned by hoteliers and taxi drivers and locals about the hidden dangers. We went by car on a side road leading to Copacabana seaside and, I can tell you, it was really spooky with some very rundown buildings and people that were certainly involved in some sort of illegal activities down this 100 meters street. Another thing I noticed about Cariocas is that they are not as friendly as Paulistanos. They even avoid eye contact, thing that is very typical here in Sao Paulo. It is not a defiant or a lusty exchange of glances I am talking about, just pure acknowledgement that someone has crossed your way, a sort of implicit hello. Nothing. I find this very odd considering that I am used to warmer location with warmer people. We have been for dinner in a restaurant bar music club to which we had access only thanks to one of our colleagues that is well known in Rio. Face selection is still practiced and I ended up in this place being amongst the ugliest people in there! Seemed like it was a restaurant populated by people coming straight out of cosmopolitan! I was not the worst dressed chap, but for sure if I were around looking for a wife, I would have been the last one to be selected by any of the ladies there. We were commenting with my other gringo colleagues that it was not possible not to comment about the people there, both males and females, were very good looking and, we discovered, all commoners.

I read around that Sao Paulo can be rather classist and the etiquette to access restaurants or clubs is pretty strict. Well, I have been out all the times with my training shoes and never had problems. On the contrary, in Rio, I have experienced the opposite. What was meant to be a more down to earth location has given us some problems with the dress code.

Add to this that our host was rather annoyed by the fact that we didn’t know much about Carioca etiquette in restaurants and, I tell you, I felt rather uncomfortable feeling under observation… Things like: take the spoon out of the plate, when you finished and put it on the side of the plate the other one is on; leave some food in the plate, do not eat it all; do not even think of asking for toothpicks (and I tell you that after eating a T-bone steak can be quite difficult to do without); do not order beer and wine at the same time, it is not something you normally do in Rio… and so on. Our host was fantastic, don’t take me wrong but it can be rather embarrassing to abide by some unwritten rules that apply in some restaurants rather than others, especially when the only thing that makes you realise you are in a posh place is the price of the items on the menu and the fact that your host tells you that “the guys going out are the richest people in Rio and in Brazil”.

One thing that I found rather annoying was the smell of hash impregnating the air. Unbearable!

But overall, it was a fantastic weekend and I came back to Sao Paulo with much more energies and with something to look forward to that is a new visit to Ipanema and, hopefully, to other locations in Brazil, amongst which Salvador da Bahia and Florianopolis in Santa Catarina.

Back to Sao Paulo… mosquitoes are just killing me, seems like they come through everything. They are just in any place you can possibly think of! On Monday the tap water was yellow. This was happening in more locations and I am starting thinking that the reason of my constant malaise over here could be due to the water used to wash the salad.

When I told people that I was coming to work in Sao Paulo, many of them made me notice that I would have had two Summers in a row… Well, I have to admit that it is true but seems like Summer in Sao Paulo is no different than Summer in Beijing… I am in a steamer! Feeling like a BaoZi! The weather is simply disgusting and the fog covers the whole city. Thick clouds and sudden heavy rain is very common. But it is hot!

I am thinking at the words of someone I cannot name, to avoid him to be in trouble with his wife: “If you are looking for culture, quality of life, quality of food, relaxing time, great performing arts, Sao Paulo is the city you will never want to leave”.

I must admit that I love everything that is culture, food, relax, arts but, funny enough, I think that Sao Paulo is good only for those who like nightlife, especially getting drunk in a club or a disco. I do not know if this person was on drugs when he was describing Sao Paulo or it is me that landed in a parallel universe in a place called Sao Paulo in a country called Brazil…

The more I look at the building and the settings and the more I realise that this city is one of the ugliest places I have ever been. Seems like it was built without any planning, just house on top of house, a high-rise in the favelas backyard and an airport in the garden.

As I said, it doesn’t reflect the people nicety. They are really lovely and friendly but, believe me, getting up in the morning is becoming harder and harder…

Even here my colleagues have been talking about my Prime Minister and about his comments about the tanned President. I told them that if they think he is an idiot they are treating him far too well. He is just someone that has not realise yet that doing spitting competition with friends at 10 is not the same as telling President Clinton to be careful and not impregnate his wife during the G8 in Naples. For him inviting Foreign Direct investment in Italy because of the secretaries being good looking is equivalent to crack a joke with his family. He just doesn’t have any sense of measure. However, to be perfectly honest, I am happy that this man is Prime Minister of my country and not of the US, Russia or any other country that can change the destiny of the world. He would have been very dangerous. I am afraid of walking around Sao Paulo in the night because those who carry the guns are kids. If they were adults I would not have been scared. Well, the dwarf is dangerous because he doesn’t realise what he says and how dangerous he can be so, better he is the PM of this country rather than a super power. Even if, I am more than sure, if he were in another country he would be in jail by now, rather than being elected by his fellow citizens. Sorry Mr. Obama, I am sure you are laughing at it but I cannot help in feeling ashamed of carrying his same passport and the one of some people I know that have in their DNA the certainty that they are smarter than the others and they pass over this to their children that can happily say, publicly, that “Obama is not even Christian, he is Muslim so he should not have been voted”. Congratulations! These people are generally ashamed of being Italian when the centre-left governments were there and proud when the dwarf rules, as if they were anthropologically different… sod off!

The church has already invited President Obama not to review the stam cell research block imposed by Bush and while in the UK a 13 years old terminal child, supported by his parents, gains the right to die, in Italy the Church still interferes on the case of Eluana, the girl that has been in coma for more than 16 years and the father has been fighting to let her die.

I am done with Italy, I am done with democracy and the Western world. Let me close this Blog with a beautiful extract from a song by Leonard Cohen:

Give me back the berlin wall

Give me stalin and st. paul

Give me christ

Or give me hiroshima

Destroy another fetus now

We don't like children anyhow

I've seen the future, baby

It is murder



Have a nice week guys!

Another week nearly gone, me ol' chinas...

Hello guys, this weekend I will be in Rio de Janeiro so I will not have access to internet or to my faithful Mac, so I have decided to anticipate, by a few days my diary.

I am writing in the aftermath of the sensational victory of Sen. Obama in the Presidential Elections and I can certainly declare myself very happy about the result. I have to be honest, my pleasure is linked not much to what he is going to do but for what he is, what he represents and for what America has done.

What is he? He is an afro-American son of immigrants with Muslim background… This already makes the event nearly miraculous, as far as I am concerned. He is not even a Kunta Kinte descendent. He is a first or second generation American, a bit like Sarkozy of France. In my country we still cannot accept people from overseas moving in, imagine if we were going to have a black Prime Minister.

What does he represent? He represents America, he represents the progressive people living on the most developed area and more open minded states of America. The traditional states have voted for McCain. Obama is a black man and colour is still a big issue in many parts of the States.

What has America done? America has decided to break a big taboo and show to the world that they can be democratic and not only preach democracy. I am not sure anything will change internally, but for sure, the perception of a change can heal America from the bad image that the world has of the last presidency. Those who were anti-Bush will no longer be considered anti-Americans. I will be one of those.

I have a fear… I fear that Obama will soon become an Icon. An icon for minorities, an Icon for poor people, an Icon for the GLBT community and so on… like any Icon he will be idolised and, eventually, demolished. I am really afraid for Obama’s safety. I hope he will not be a new Martin Luther King, I really hope that his presidency will show to the world that Alexis de Toqueville’s America is still possible.

But, I have to admit, I got really touched by McCain’s speech when he conceded presidency to his rival. A true gentleman! It has been the climax of the long election night. McCain has taught to the whole world what love for a country means. Hillary Clinton’s declarations at the time of conceding victory to Obama were nothing like that. You could see that McCain, if he had to vote for someone but not himself, he would have possibly voted for Obama as well.

While the world congratulates Obama the usual Italian politician, a well known asshole, Maurizio Gasparri, declared that with Obama victory, Al Qaeda (perhaps) will be happy.

I am tired of Mussolini’s grand children. A foot in the mouth every time they try to express a thought. Italian politicians have a lot to learn from their counterparts fro the States and, I believe, that we, Italians, should learn to be more selective about the people we send to represent us. However our PM has revealed his kind nature offering to help Obama and advise him seen his age and experience. I am sure that Obama will benefit of Silvio’s recommendations.

Another thing I would like Italians to learn from the US system is the way a citizen decides if he wants to be considered an elector or not. I am one of those who do not exercise the right to vote in Italy and I would love to be excluded from the electoral roll. In America you choose to be part of the electors, why do I have to be an elector in Italy? I do not want to be part of the 100% having right to vote, I want to be part of that 20% who wants the e right not to vote!

America… a black president is now no longer taboo while gay unions still are… Prop 8 has not attracted enough No’s and California, Arizona and Arkansas have voted against same sex marriage and extension of family rights based on some sort of morals…

America breaks taboo but for some, those between the bed sheets, some resistances are still there. How about a gay president? Or a lady president? Or, why not, a Lesbian President?

Well guys, Brazil… nothing to report. I am getting fatter and fatter, food is still very heavy, I feel like shit and I am tired of Sao Paulo. I made a bad choice and those who come over here and say that they love Sao Paulo are definitely those who love easy sex, getting drunk and endless nightlife. Not for me.

Take care folks and catch you next week.

Cheers!

Me ol' China - Zzzz zzzzzz zzzzzz

Another week is gone and I find extremely difficult to understand the reasons why some people I know loved living in Sao Paulo.

Frankly, I can easily admit that people are nice and friendly but on the other hand I cannot understand how can anyone coming from Europe live in Sao Paulo and appreciate its architecture, cuisine, lay out, landscapes and so on. I find Sao Paulo very big but so health unfriendly. Yes you can go to a gym but, can you burn 2000 Kcal in the gym without getting a heart attack? It's what I can define a lazy city. Couch potatoes would definitely be in their elements and if they like heavy food, loud music, packed pubs and bars and smokey places, your coronaries will certainly show their disagreement sooner or later.

It's not all bad, though in Sao Paulo, let's be honest. If you know your way around you can find some places where Brazilian show their conviviality. The quarter called Itaim Bibi bursts with bars and cafe's and some typical Brazilian Botecos where couples, group of friends and so on meet and drink beer or caipirinha or else while listening to Live music performed by local artists, playing mainly cheerful songs from all parts of Brazil. I have assisted, while having my dinner, to a quartet playing nice Bahia's music. It was really fantastic, pity for the food that sent me straight to bed and being sick all night... joking, I think it's a flu I caught and the weather and temperature drastic changes do not help. We are going from high 20s to low 10s during the same day and sunshine alternates to heavy rains.

Food is heavy, undeniable. Wherever I have been, food was heavy. I do not say it doesn't taste good but it's really heavy. Even salads are served with too much sauce, sorry, dressing. The typical food is unbelievably heavy. So, folks, after the healthy year in China, here I am going through the reverse: gaining weight and feel unfit. It's easy to understand why most people I see around have huge derrieres, it's food. I thought it was a sort of genetic stuff but it is obvious to me that food makes those asses swell. Even Asians are big so, there must be something true about my thoughts. Teeth... They have beautiful teeth over here. I have not seen a person with some bad teeth. This is really nice to look at.
So, this week has gone like the others, in the absolute boredom. more than 50 hours at work and the rest trying to avoid some heavy food and sleep with the occasional (funny) outings in the evenings.

Isn't it funny that I got nothing major to report from this end? Oh well, let's say that I am not curious about Brazil and this is due to the limited mobility I have over here.

Limited to what I see I can report that the hotel where I am staying has been flooded by the Ferrari fan from all over the region. It is strange for an Italian, being in Brazil and see all these red jerseys and gadgets. Of course most of the fans are here for Felipe Massa and not for Ferrari and this is an answer to what I keep asking and wondering: why do we Italians are supportive of a foreign pilot driving an Italian car while other people are for the pilots? Even my British colleagues and friends have always supported the local racers and not the car maker. Thinking of a parallel. How about Valentino Rossi? does it really matter if he is on a Ducati or a Yamaha? why do Italians are for the pilot in that case? Strange stuff...

Anyway guys, leave you now as I got to assist to the Grand Prix. And hope to feel better tomorrow as I cannot work in these conditions. cheers!

Me Ol' China , one month away from China...

A popular advert on BBC world or CNN used to say “We are living in… financial times”… Well, welcome to the Financial world! I can certainly say that I have never seen a mess like this. I can certainly say that without the States around we would be begging in the streets for a bullet in our heads or selling body parts to those few who have no problem in surviving crisis. I am sure that Scavengers are proliferating and that not all the money sent to help the banks is entering the system. Money should be focused. States entering the board of banks or just buying shares is a temporary solution but I believe that the long term solution is to help the system as a whole and replacing the banks where these are showing shortfalls.

Someone talks of World crisis, someone else about Western crisis because the Asians are not suffering. Bull crap! They are suffering and they started suffering before… I was in Beijing and the Shanghai index was falling constantly. Growth of 10% of China is like a recession in the States, probably this is not that clear. China is used to other levels of growth and at least 70% of their growth rate is systemic.

I remember the 1992 crisis but compared to this was a wind pain compared to the heart attack we are suffering. The comparison with other periods keep pissing me off and this time, I can really say, that there is no comparison and we are forgetting anything we created to behave properly and keep things under control. We are at pure madness and the “each one for oneself and God for all” is the motto.

Over here in Brazil, all of a sudden clouds are appearing and the Central Bank and the Government have intervened heavily. If Brazil had a free exchange and a less regulated market, I am sure we would have been in a serious dangerous position. True that the Brazilians are used to crisis but they are used to have someone who takes them out of trouble too and this time not many can help. When Latam crisis have taken place there was either Argentina or Brazil there to help, now seems like the situation is going to be very different.

The Fidel Group of countries are in trouble and so Argentina. Some say that the leftist policies have much to see with this but I do not think so, or, at least, not totally. It’s like saying that someone choked on a glass of water during a flooding… peculiarities that common sense can easily rule out.

So, what next? Someone has called for the IMF to intervene. I am afraid of 1984’s Orwell becoming true and even more afraid of what can derive from IMF policies implemented worldwide. Those who see it as a Breton Woods find me seeing it as a V for Vendetta begins…

I don’t know the feeling in Europe but here in Brazil we look at it as you watch a voyeur’s show… Expecting something to happen and getting used to the big numbers (negative of course) as if they were not big enough… “Wow, -10%” and a laugh goes… We are waiting for someone to take us out…

Anyway, let’s go back to this place I am in: Sao Paulo.

“do you like Brazil?” is the most common question you get and honest as I am I find hard to tell the truth to the kind people asking me. I must be honest, so far I do not like Sao Paulo, I do not like the lifestyle, food is heavy and the place it’s a bit too much for me. Everything is a bit too much.

Someone told me once that it is no fun in talking to me about places because I always say good things about any place. When I started talking bad about places like Australia, Ireland, Netherlands and now Brazil seemed like I was hurting everybody’s dreams. Sorry guys, I just do not like the places. What can I do?

I am counting the days to go home to Italy for a break and counting the months to the end of this contract to go back to China. I haven’t got a job there yet but the mind is set and this is more than enough for me.

My typical day here is. Alarm at 6am, gym, check emails and so on, work around 8.30, sandwich or fast food at 12.30 and leave the office between 7.30 and 8.30 in the evening. Dinner and during weekends pub and or music club. I am sure that to many of you it sounds ok. To me, it doesn’t. If you have followed my blog while I was in China you must have noticed the change of it. I had always something to tell about the people and the place… Over here the funniest thing I found was a sign by the elevator saying: Make sure the elevator is here before you step in or the one, it’s a law against discrimination in the elevators. You cannot ask anyone to get out of it (unless this person has infectious diseases). The nicest walk I have is a 500-565 steps between the gates of my hotel and the office... Soon I will start timing it to bit the record…

One evening I have been to a shopping mall and I was really wondering how many people can actually afford anything sold there. Life is normally expensive in Sao Paulo but in there prices were outrageous. Not even 200 meters away from this ostentation of wealth, here you go with Paraisopolis, the 80,000 people slum in the middle of a rich quarter. This is were you start really wondering about the meaning of life and if it is really fair that these countries tend to grow richer and richer without leaving anything behind to the poorest sectors of society.

People talk gladly about the good political class Brazil has been enjoying since the 90’s, honestly, I think that measuring the happiness with the GDP is an old way of seeing life and I rather prefer looking at the people faces and measure the extension of their smiles.

For sure I have seen less sad faces in Argentina during the hard days than here during the booming days.
Anyway folks, I start my weekend now and I wish you a good week ahead. Catch you later! TaTa!

Me Ol' China , the first week in Brazil

Guys,

I hope you had a nice weekend. Mine was exhausting and this was due to Brazilian people's warmth. In the Green Mile, Mr. Coffey claimed that love kills people everyday. Well, I can certainly say that too much courtesy can make you very tired!

I have been out nearly every day since I am here and I think that I will have to reduce it a bit. Despite the outings my health is ok and this is a positive note but I am really tired and the week has not even started yet!

Brazil… So different from the other Latin countries and I do not think that it’s the language that makes them different, even if there must be something that has triggered the creation of a strong sense of belonging to… themselves! While in Argentina you hear talking about all other Hispano-hablantes countries in the area, in Brazil seems like there is nothing else outside the country. This does not apply to sports that are broadcast constantly on TV’s and their attitude towards sport reminds me the one of the Brits: Sport, sport and sport! While in Italy everybody is crazy for football, and generally limited to first division, in Britain football means that all the way down to 4th division people have an opinion about it. Plus they really love every sport you can possibly think of and every sport presents a very good starting point to spend a whole evening in a pub. Brazil is very much alike. They love many sports, from Volley to Baseball to Soccer to F1 to beach volley.

This is not the only thing that they have in common with the Brits. Love for beer is another. They do drink a lot of beer and they tend to go out every night and spend endless time dancing. Nearly every pub has a live band and they go wild with American or English language music. From the U2 to the Erasure from Gloria Gaynor to Leonard Cohen to Abba, you hear them all and they know the lyrics by heart! They sing along all night and seems like the night is too short for them. Exactly the opposite for me… Days and nights seem to be endless since I arrived here…

The type of music they listen makes them very different from the one you hear in Argentina or Uruguay or Colombia. In those countries there is a sort of an Hispanic pride that makes them listen to songs in Castilian only. It is hard to hear anything different. When I was in this continent last time, it took months to go to a disco and hear a bit of English music. It was in Montevideo in a place called Ciudad Boliche. It felt great!

Brazilians, or probably I should stay Paulistanos (inhabitants of Sao Paulo, while the inhabitants of Sao Paulo State are called Paulistas), enjoy life but sometimes you wonder if this is not a cohercitive way of living. It seems like they push themselves to the extreme in their dancing, drinking and… kissing… As a friend of mine would say, they suck their faces for hours and hours and, in most cases they do not even know each other. I am sure that they do not go any further but it is rather funny to see that around the ticking of the new day the whole place starts kissing and you see both beauties and beasts kissing eagerly.

What about girls? I am sure that this thought has come to your mind… Frankly, I do not think that Paulistanas are the most beautiful set of girls I have seen in my round the world journey but, I think, that they certainly are sexy. I find them not that pretty and a bit on the chubby side. They tend to dress up sexy but not smart as Argentineans, they tend to be provocative and exchange glances constantly but, still, I do not think that they are as elegant and “tempting” as those from other countries around Latam.

If you remember, when I went to watch Brazil vs. Italy volley match in Beijing I reported of the Chinese crowd cheering for Brazil… How ignorant of me! They were certainly not Chinese but Japanese… The Japanese community here is really big and you see Japanese people and name everywhere. Italian-Japanese mix in people is very noticeable and those that I would have said are indios, effectively, they carry Japanese or Italian names…

I find rather odd to hear these Japanese people speaking Portuguese and seeing them being slightly different from those you see in other parts of the world. They are fully integrated and they dress, act and move like the other Brazilians. Even their size is bigger than the average Japanese person, sign that nearly 80 to 100 years of diets have taken their tolls on the waist line… they tend to be chubby…

I am investigating a bit more about this huge Japanese population here in SP but I got different versions so I will keep investigating more and will share it with you.

Work… Work is ok, more or less 50 weeks to go… It is nearly sure that in a year time I might be writing again from China. So, just something to look forward to while I keep an eye on this country.

Have a lovely week me ol’ chinas!

Me Ol' China, first week in SP, actually first 72 hours

Hello Me Ol' China!

My First week in Brazil and my first considerations, after 3 days, about this place, Sao Paulo. Let me start saying that if a year ago someone would have shown me some pictures of Beijing and Sao Paulo, I would have certainly said that those with the run down places, favelas and poverty would have been China... I always disliked Latin American poverty, compared to the Asian one. Poverty in Latin America steals the dignity from the individuals while in Asia seems more like an acceptance of the status. Of course there are differences and, i think, that they are more due to religious reasons rather than country wise. I am thinking of the Philippines where poverty is like the Latin American one, while the Indian or the Chinese one seem to preserve dignities.

In Beijing you see the Hutongs, sometimes behind walls, but still you do not see the sadness in those beautiful oval eyes, here in Sao Paulo skyscrapers and favelas are side by side and the impression you get is the one you get from nature documentaries when you see scavengers side by side with predators. The impression is that on one hand you got the poor benefiting from the leftovers of the rich ones while the rich benefits of the presence of the poor in terms of safety and waste disposal.

Even in terms of technology Brazil seems to be behind China. I am having serious difficulties in communicating via mobiles with the rest of the world and I am still condemned to use the Italian mobile card. Accommodations at parity of price are much more basic. Food is good but pricey. Still too early to comment about people. I will have time to do that too...

Safety... I never feel safe here, I have to admit. In the morning, Rede Globo transmit the war bulletin covering car accidents, murders and police raids. Frankly, at 6:30 in the morning it's not the best way to start the day but this is the reality and cannot be ignored, especially when you are in a hotel gym and there are the usual guys coming over putting the TV on regardless of the others...

I know it sounds like I have already decided that I do not like to be here but this is not entirely true. I always give my impressions as they come along and I am sure I will find many positive aspects with time.

Work wise seems to be ok. The job I am going to perform here is different from the one I did in Beijing: much less stress and no people to manage! This should allow me more time to think and even travel around at weekends. We have planned already a first Team Weekend for November 7th-10th, to Rio de Janeiro and, in December a weekend in Florianopolis, Santa Catarina.

(to be continued)

Me Ol' China! Vento do Brasil 2008, semana zero!

Me Ol’ China, I am typing while on board an Alitalia flight to Sao Paulo. It has been a bit of a tragic comedy this trip as I booked, initially, an Alitalia flight but, due to the company’s troubles I cancelled the booking (150 Euro cost, plus 20 euro for Expedia) and booked an economy flight with Aerolineas Argentinas (Rome – Buenos Aires – Sao Paulo) but considering the length of the flight and the fact that all of a sudden Business class seats were available, I opted for an upgrade (Fee 120 for the cancellation of the previous ticket, plus 20 Euro for Expedia). Only thanks to my dear young brother in Sydney I discovered that the flight was delayed by 4h30m and would have made my trip to Sao Paulo a 30 hours long journey… So, I cancelled (20 Euro for Expedia), and booked an Alitalia Business Class flight… So, I should land at 5 AM in Brazil and I hope the driver in Sao Paulo is aware of this change of programs… I will let you know next week.

However, I didn’t want to entertain you about my flights and cancellations but I wanted to explain why this Blog is now called “Vento do Brasil 1984-2008”.

Portuguese was the first language I studied when I was young. In 1984, I was a happy athlete, with a lovely (not really, but at the time seemed so) girlfriend and a fantastic holiday in Southern Italy to look forward to.

That Summer, my sister, met some guys from Brazil. I still remember the names of many of them. Gerson, Sergio, Miguel, Adriano and some other guys with some odd, at least they seemed so at the time, names.

They were happy and full of life and I enjoyed greatly being around them. They used to call me Gininho due to the fact that I was much younger than them and I showed great interested in learning Portuguese. I started taking a liking at Brazilian music and this pleasure is still there. 24 years later I still sing in Portuguese and I love my Escravo de Alegria’s and Voce Abusou, Aquarela and Aguas de Marco and so on...

Sorry guys, small break. Food is being served.

October 12th 11 AM, Sao Paulo Time.

So I had two breakfasts in the mean time, been to the gym, spoken to some friends on MSN, spoken to my wife and gone through a stressful morning because my contact here in Brazil has not informed the driver of the change of plans so I was stranded at the airport without cash, my mobile and laptop working and God knows what else! What a morning guys! Now I am relaxing and watching TV with a stinking headache that should go soon or I hit the wall with my big head!

The apartment hotel I am staying is really small but it is ok for a week or two or… fifty two… the weather is really crappy and the city looks a bit rundown.

The area I am staying, allegedly, is a good one but, to be honest, I wouldn’t be able to distinguish a good from a bad one unless someone points it out to me.

Brazil is going to be more mysterious than China for me and, I hope, equally interesting and fulfilling.

Oh sugar! I forgot! Let me go back to 1984…

Actually I loved Brazilian songs so much that I started singing only songs in Portuguese and even those in Italian started getting a sort of Portuguese accent… my girlfriend, at the time, hated me singing and she hated even more me singing in Portuguese. What a bitch she was!
1988, I was in Florence and guess who I met? My old friends… They were signing in a place called Be Bop in the centre of Florence and in another place called Paradise in Fiesole… They remembered I used to sing and they asked me if I could sing with them to replace a vocalist that was off sick… I loved the idea and I had no hesitation in accepting it.

It was a great success and Gininho, o piccolo, started being part of the band, until I went back to my usual business because there was plenty of fun but no money to collect…

Since then I lost touch with them and never heard from any of the guys. Why Vento do Brasil? Because a tape we recorded was called like that, Vento do Brasil 1984.

In 1988 I was back to Brazil for a few weeks for business and the dream of a place with carioca girls and paulistas was, instead, overshadowed by gamins, street boys, begging and committing crimes and people kicking them away as if they were stray dogs… sad, too sad to go back, ever…

Ever… in 1999 back again for s short time and refused the idea of moving here for the same reason: too much poverty… But now, here I am… In Sao Paulo and I hope everything will go well and that I will learn to get the hidden positive aspects of this place.

This blog has required a 24 hours effort… Between the take off from Rome and 25 hours later after a nice lunch in a churrascaria. Very nice food and good value for money if one eats like an Ogre.

I am now trying to cool off from the evening gym session. Twice per day, I must lose weight but it is hard to restart after a week of inactivity due to a fall occurred in Venice at a petrol station… anyway, me old China, I will keep you updated about Brazil and Sao Paulo. Take care and have a lovely week!

Cheers!

Farewell Me Ol' Blog!

this was the description of the Blog that kept me and you guys company for the last 10 months:

MY views and not those of political commentators about my home country, Italy, and the one currently hosting me: China. An Asian country projected towards the future and a European country looking with nostalgia at its glorious past. A country that is politically tolerated due to the economic power and benefits it brings and one that is struggling growing and seems too busy in cheap political games.

Next week the title will change to...

surprise!!!