Friends coming and going...

I never thought I would make close friends anymore. I mean, usually the friends you have for life are the ones who you met when you were a teen, college years, and that's it. In the workplace you hardly make good friends, they're mostly acquaintances, sometimes they're people you've gotta put up with and be friendly just to make things bearable during the eight hours plus you work. But aparently I was wrong.

One really good friend I met here in London came back to Brazil about three weeks ago. We all miss Claudia at work. Even though we worked together just for a couple of hours every day we totally hit it off. Man, we had such good laughs!
Now, another friend is coming back to Brazil. I can't believe Fernanda is not going to be here for the Roger Waters' gig. She decided to come back in two weeks to sort things out with her troubled family. She promissed to come back and I do hope she keeps her promisse. This is a girl who really didn't deserve to go through things she has been lately. Everything was starting to look up for her: she was working in front, she was studying English, was already mastering the kitchen during the morning... But shit always happens, right?

Here's a pic on Claudia's last day at work. The girls together: Fe, Claudia and me.



On the other hand, friends are coming. First was Leti. She's been here for a couple of weeks, but I've been so busy at work that I can hardly see her. We've been out for a couple of times and hopefully, after my course, I'll have the chance to go out more. Gabriel is arriving tomorrow from Porto. He's going to Roger Waters' gig with Fe's ticket.
Now, I'm still waiting for Adri and Ro. I know it's not up to them, specially Adri. I just hope that later on in the future we all be laughing about this whole situation, sitting at the couter of All Bar One and drinking an Edelweiss.

Last one, I promisse...

"Down in amongst the streets tonight
Books will burn, people laugh and cry in their turmoil
(turmoil turns rejoiceful)
Shed your fears and lose your guilt
Tonight we burn responsibility in the fire
We'll watch the flames grow higher!
But if you get too burnt, you can't come back home

And as I was standing by the edge
I could see the faces of those led pissing theirselves laughing
(and the flames grew)
Their mad eyes buldged their flushed faces said
The weak get crushed as the strong grow stronger

We feast on flesh and drink on blood
Live by fear and dispise love in a crises
(what with today's high prices)
Bring some paper and bring some wood
Bring what's left of all your love for the fire
We'll watch the flames grow higher!
But if you get too burnt - you can't come back home

And as I was standing by the edge
I could see the faces of those led pissing theirselves laughing
(and the flames grew)
Their mad eyes buldged their flushed faces said
The weak get crushed as the strong grow stronger

In the funeral pyre
We'll watch the flames grow higher
But if you get too burnt - you can't come back home
(well I feel so old, when I feel so young
well I just can't grow up to meet the demands)"

(The Jam - Funeral Pyre)

I think you got the idea that The Jam is the sound...

Town called malice

"Better stop dreaming of the quiet life -
cos it's the one we'll never know
And quit running for that runaway bus -
cos those rosey days are few
And - stop apologising for the things you've never done,
Cos time is short and life is cruel -
but it's up to us to change
This town called malice

Rows and rows of disused milk floats
stand dying in the dairy yard
And a hundred lonely housewives clutch empty milk
bottles to their hearts
Hanging out their old love letters on the line to dry
It's enough to make you stop believing when tears come
fast and furious
In a town called malice(...)"

(The Jam - Town called malice)

I predict a riot/going underground

The title is Kaiser Chiefs, but the lyrics are The Jam:

"(...) Some people might get some pleasure out of hate
Me, I've enough already on my plate
People might need some tension to relax
Me, I'm too busy dodging between the flak

What you see is what you get
You've made your bed, you better lie in it
You choose your leaders and place your trust
As their lies wash you down and their promises rust
You'll see kidney machines replaced by rockets and guns

And the public wants what the public gets
But I don't get what this society wants
I'm going underground, (going underground)
Well the brass bands play and feet start to pound
Going underground, (going underground)
So let the boys all sing and the boys all shout for tomorrow

We talk and talk until my head explodes
I turn on the news and my body froze
The braying sheep on my TV screen
Make this boy shout, make this boy scream!

Going underground, I'm going underground!"

The band is from late 70's, early 80's...

30p raise

Hey man, I've become part of society. Working my ass off for the money, studying for the upcoming test and earning pounds... now 30p more per hour. Hooray!

My manager is off on vacation and comes back next Friday, so Elina and I went up a notch in the cafe and Silvio told me today that next week I'll be receiving 30p more. Man, finally some "finacial recognition"...
Rafal came back from his vacation and he brought me a gift for Poland: beer, of course! Man, I never thought I would say this but I missed this guy, specially the past two weeks, when a bitter-sour woman was filling in for him. Her name is Marilene, Brazilian, and the best description of her is the title I gave her: bitter-sour. You know, she kinda reminded me of the motherfucker Dada from the hotel I used to work in. If there's a person whose mission is making your life miserable for the moment you set foot at work until you go home, man, that's gotta be her...
We had a row on the first day Rafal was off, because she thought she was the head-chef or something, and she told everybody the next day that she would fuck me big time. She talked to Silvio about me, because I yelled at her and stuff. Yes, I yelled at her. Yes, I was rude. But she was trying to change the whole working process and this just made me soooo mad..... I lost it, alright.
The interesting thing is that Silvio NEVER talked to me about her, as in calling me to his office and trying to sort things out, you know? Because for sure he knew who he was dealing with, so I guess he didn't even bother.
Bottom line is: she quit, or was "invited" to quit, I don't know, her leaving was kinda blurry and people involved didn't want to talk about it much.

Anyway, she's gone now, thank God, and things are pretty much good there. I mean, not everything. My good friend Fernanda is going back to Brazil because of family affairs. Family affairs.... they're the worst. Long story short: her husband who's not really her husband was denied entry in London and now she's kinda being blackmailed to come back to Brazil to give him the Portuguese passaport. To make matters worse, they have a 9-year-old son together and the kid really misses her. So she made up her mind, she's going right after Roger Waters' gig and hopefully she'll be back a month from her departure.

I met with Sa today! It was a really short get together, an hour or so because they were all going to a restaurant in Clapham, but it was totally worth it. She said I didn't change a bit since last time she saw me (which in a way is kinda good), and she looked the same as well, only not blond anymore. We had a few laughs and now next meeting will be in Paris (hopefully!!!!)
Leti was together with us and then Prizinha came afterwards for a while. They were talking about their trip to Germany on The World Cup's Final. Man, when I came to London the FIRST THING I HAD IN MIND to do for sure was to go to see the Final in Berlin, but now.... I can't simply say to Silvio 'Hey man, see you in four days'. It doesn't feel right. I can't do it. So now I'm thinking that I'm in this continent, with the World Cup going on just a few hours' flight form here and I won't be able to make it. That's soooo frustrating...

Adri called last night. We talked for about half hour. Man, I miss him sooo very much.... What those consulate bastards are doing is way out of line, I mean finacially and phycologically. They don't have the right to keep a person's passaport for almost 100 days. What if he received a job offer in Spain for next week? He's kind of a prisoner in his own country, that's outragious, unacceptable.

When will I get to have my dearest friends here with me???

My vision just got blurry....

Kinda scary but my vision just got blurry....


no, wait, it's fine again....

Booze and cigarettes

Man, that's what it's all about, innit?
I'm at home, didn't go to the pub today. It's been a shitty day, regarding weather, I mean. Raining a lot and windy and cold, so I guess that's why we decided to stay at home. Paula called it a night really eraly and Ethan and I stayed here talking about my future in this land and listening to some music. I chatted with Adri and Junior on MSN but now everybody is gone. Ethan went upstairs, Adri's gone for a while and Junior went to party on..... I don't blame him at all, my friends...
So now I'm here, in the kitchen, standing for officially 12 hours, listening to Guns N Roses' Appetite for Destruction, drinking my combo nbr 2.

Work's been hard. Hardworker all the way... Never disappointing the boss, tha's my moto... pretty sad, eh?
"you're one in a million, yeah that's what you are..."
man, I don't know if it's good or not, but I'be been listening to Guns sooooooooo much and every day more I keep saying to myself that's something's gotta change.....

Hey, bottom line is: SOMEBODY'S GOTTA MOVE!!!!!
And again, Axl knew it BEST.....