Beach Day

So there are beaches in the UK. Not sand but small rocks, but it was a glorious day we got. 40 minutes by train (5 pounds) to south you reach Brighton, a lovely coastal city with some impressive buildings on it. The architecture is Indian influenced which makes it even more special, and there is also a Fair just at the end of the pier. It looks amazing a roller coaster just by the sea. We went with a couple of friends we made here in London, Sara and Diego which I met in the Hospital. They are now returning to Lisbon unfortunately, where they live and work. Diego is from Buenos Aires so we may even meet again during our trip. Here are some nice shots from the day:

English always lying in the grass

The four with the amazing Indian Pavillion behind

The Fair in the Pier

Lovely Weather

It could be Algarve

A Couple of Saras

Mother I'm on TV

The other day we found a way to show up on TV. We got tickets to be audience of a new show in the UK TV. It was a kind of talk show with comedians with questions and answers. Very funny night and it was great to see a studio inside. For some seconds we were broadcasted....

Album foto(loving)grafico

After some time of absence (laziness has been queen over this last period...), I feel that it's time to gather some great photos taken with friends when we shared with them small, yet wonderful moments of happiness. Some of them crossed the sea just to be with us (and also to visit the wonders of London, of course)! Others, came to build a new life with better perspectives. A thank you to them and hopefully we will have the chance to do like Portuguese say: "matar saudades mais vezes!"

We took Raquel and Joao to the Blues Kitchen. Here we are listening to some blues and trying to speak over the loud music. Wich reminds me the night before, I was asleep, too tired after work, and I got their visit in the middle of the night, I was still in my pijamas! A very good surprise. :)

From left to right: Rahul, Joao's friend from Sweden; Hugo, the one that you can't see; Carolina, the smiling girl; Dulce, looking at me. My two girlfriends payed us a visit last month before traveling to Amsterdam. I missed them so much! It was really good times...

In Ricardo's birthday, we had the visit of Miguel and his girlfriend Ines (the couple in the back). I hope they've enjoyed London and may they come here more often:)

Yes, it's Princess Diana in the back but this is a landmark in every tourist visiting London: Harrod's. So we brought our friend Fernando! It was a quick visit but still we enjoyed our friend's company. Hope to see you again, now in a new destination :)

Last but no least, our friends Hugo and Andre! These are becoming permanent londoners, so we'll have the opportunity to have a lot of good moments. I wish them all the luck with their new life!

Leaving Home

So after all the good we did to the house and the bad behavior of our landlord he decides we are not the soft tenants he is used so he kicked us out. Predictable!!! We had 4 weeks to get a new home and we got one in 4 days. Always amazing London, you just have to know where to look. We are now moving to London Bridge and I will take 2 min and 45 seconds to walk to work. Yes, we'll live just by my Hospital. Better house, better location and hopefully better landlord. We'll live with an English doctor and an Italian couple where he is a aeronautic engineers and she's specialized in oriental languages. We can't wait!!!
The bad thing of moving is leaving nice people behind, and this pictures shows me and my house pals having a dinner and a champions league match watch.
Left side is Juan Carlos, from Ecuador living with is family here and middle is Mahmut my Turkish mate from Bartending course that is now living with us. Happy Days!!!

Philipines

This week I was invited by a head nurse in the hospital for a dinner at his home. It was a great evening that we spent with Dennis Paquiz and his friends. He is from Phillipines which is a huge health professionals community in the UK. From the 18 wards I manage 6 are managed by natural from those Islands, and I mean management, not ordinary nurses. His house is amazing, all white and with lights from the floor!! (humm it reminds me something...) and it has a great view from the city and also the hospital, he lives quite close to the Hospital.
Here we have a group picture and panoramic one.

February Monthly Report

So 2011 is definitively the positive year, we are already capitalizing and if I receive my Bar salary (last payment was December) then we would have reached break even. 

This means the 3rd and 4th month canceled the loss of the first couple of months. From March on is all profit and we forecast July/August as our target financial objective. 

It is taking longer than we expected and it may have some twists in our plan, but you'll know about that later.... :D

Expenses - Budget 1600 Pounds - Reality - 1800 Pounds
Income - Budget 2500 Pounds - Reality 2400 Pounds (my budget did not include my bar salary...)
Result - Budget +900 Pounds - Reality +600 Pounds

Status = -650 Pounds

Instantaneous Job

We've spoken many times of the miraculous job finder we used when we arrived. It is indeed miraculous, which proves that in this city only the ones that don't want to work don't work.
The place is Netos Agency, www.netosagency.com and is basically a one person company. It's possible to see him by clicking About.
Anybody available for 5 hours a day cleaning an hotel? He shouted when we were in the waiting line.
The jobs are precarious, the pay is not amazing but if someone wants to get a quick job to pay the bills, he is the man. Job in the hour....

Selfish Londoners

The problem with cities of country sizes is that you have everything inside it. Everything that is good and everything that is bad, so poor people, crazy people, weird people, sick people are everywhere. This can't be an excuse for anything, but in one of the biggest cities in the world you can sometimes feel that you are alone and maybe nobody will help you if you need.
Yesterday when I was walking to work, passing by the main entrance of the tube, I was shocked with what I saw. A man was lying in the floor, and a guy was over him doing CPR. I passed on the side and the man was with is eyes open and staring at the sky as if a lightning bolt stroked him. He was dead!!!! There was a guy trying to revive him as you can see in the images below. I stayed close in case anything was needed but everyone, I mean everyone was just passing by, not even looking. Simply ignoring that a help was needed. It is a very busy station, I can assure you that hundreds go out the door per minute.
And there I was staring to the attempt to save that man. The ambulance came 2 minutes after and they brought everything. I could not leave the place, I still remember the eyes of the man looking... to empty space!!
And 15 minutes... yes 15 minutes... after the first guy I saw started the CPR the man started to breath!!!
Even though I've been working in hospitals for some time, it is the first time I actually see a life saving... and that I see someone dead and then alive...
I was shocked with the selfish of this world but was overwhelmed with a life saving!!

Concert in Brixxxx.... tol!!!!

So Sara loves Gogol Bordello. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gogol_Bordello)
So I decided to offer her the opportunity to see them live in London. Bought tickets for the O2 Brixton Academy which is 10 min by bus from hour house. Very convenient and she was very happy.
Saturday I was looking at the tickets and I could not believe my eyes, I looked to the tickets and the concert was not in O2 Brixton Academy, but O2 Bristol Academy. Bristol is not 10 min by bus is 3 hours by train in the other side of the bloody UK island!!!! Damn!!!!
So we bought train tickets to arrive in Bristol around 19.00 the opening doors time but the latest train we had to come back home was at 21.22.... tight!!!
So to complete all the adventure, the concert was delayed, had an opening band (called Eureka Machines) and it was time to leave to the train station and no sight of Gogol Bordello. We were going back to London after just a train trip... not even to see Bristol city. Sara was almost crying!!! lol
But.... there is always a but... I found a later train 22.09 to London (to the other side of London.. but we would have to manage to get home)
So we saw a magnificent 30 minutes of Gogol Bordello concert. Really amazing atmosphere, a great band to see in live concert.
And a final promise, we'll see a full concert of them as soon as they come back to..... London!!!!!

House Problems

Not everything has been a bed of roses, specially when it comes to our rented room. Renting is a problem around the world, either because of the landlords or the tenants. In our case (considering that we are nice tenants) the landlord is a major problem. Has far as we understand he is a Pakistanese completely broke only focused in getting the rent.
It has been ok until the house started to have problems, for the last two weeks we don't have continuous hot water and now since Thursday no Internet connection. Despite our calls nobody has come to see it and regarding Internet I called the provider and is a payment issue.
So this weekend we all discussed and decided to take the matter in our hands. We called a maintenance company (charging 120 pounds per hour) that told us we had to buy a new heating system. (electrical based) And so we'll do that. We called an Internet provider with monthly contracts (yes, monthly renewed) and we'll install a new line.
Of course we're deducting all expenses in the rent, which means we are not paying rent for the next three weeks...
We also decided that if this does not work we will all move from the house.
The funny thing is that the incompetent landlord is already telling the other tenants that I'm managing the house. Could he be more ridiculous?
I'm thinking in charging a management service fee...


Posted in the 'Cloud'

Benfica for sale?

This morning while I was warming up with the lads for the weekly 11aside match I noticed a new guy wearing some Benfica official shorts. Well, I'm normally not very excited for spotting Portuguese people, but Benfica is Benfica so I went to him and said: Ahh Benfica!!! Strangely there was no answer. And again: Benfica!!! Bug it, no reply again not even a nod! Hey mate nice shorts you have there, great Portuguese team, been there?
Can you imagine the reply???
Benfica hey? Don't know them, these were the cheapest shorts I could find!!
Huuu that arse!!!! Had a special pleasure when unintentionally (really...) I hit is balls with a shot!!!!
Yes for a change Benfica lost today! We came from 0-2 to 3-2 powerful victory!!!


Posted in the 'Cloud'

CouchSurfing

For those who are not familiar with this concept, CouchSurfing (www.couchsurfing.com) is a huge community (around 2 million already) of people around the world that offer something that has been among us since the beginning of human traveling: Hospitality. The idea is that you register yourself in the website giving the possibility of receiving people at your own house or simply be a guide in your own city. The payback is that you can also use that kind of offers in 2 millions places around the globe. (including the arctic)

This community has grown so much that know has thousands of activities and interest groups inside which result in gatherings for all tastes. Spontaneous gatherings for some drinks and chat, a ping pong tournament tonight, a salsa dance class, a pic nic in the park or simply visiting the city.

Last week we went to a gathering that takes place every Sunday night in a nice clube located in Leicester Square. Like all CS meetings it is the opportunity to meet travelers around the world. So it was, we met a brazilian living in Australia, an Indian guy that showed us a paradise in thr North of India and offered is brother's house to stay, a very weird Austrian guy, the nice and young organizer an au pair from Spain, and there it was, the globe travelers meeting randomly. The place has also a dancing floor, so everyone with its own style started to dance... the king of dance floor was the Indian with all his Bollywood funny style.

Ahh and we also have free food!!!! Nice!!!

Que Parva que eu Sou

Today was a Portuguese day. We went with some friends to see "Deolinda" in concert. Deolinda is a very curious band with folk and fado influence that has enjoyed rocket success in Portugal. They are great in concert specially due to the strong performance of main singer, Ana Bacalhau. The concert was in a nice jazz venue in the charismatic Camden Town. They are now even more famous due to a song were they criticize the hard times for youngsters to get a job in Portugal, it is called Que parva que sou (how silly I am) and you can see it here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8lo82tXbWU
It was a lovely evening of the London Portuguese community. :D

January Monthly Report

Finally a positive month, January. We earned all our wages (it should be normal... but it ain't), Sara had a new job and despite having some visits we are on track for most of our categories of spending. It also in January that we bought my Bartending Course that was 500 quids!!! Otherwise the month would have been much more positive.

Expenses - Budget 1600 Pounds - Reality - 1600 Pounds
Income - Budget 2200 Pounds - Reality 2700 Pounds
Result - Budget +600 Pounds - Reality +1100 Pounds

Status = -1250 Pounds


The course is not considered in calculations because it is not a need but a future investment. 

Winter 2nd Phase!

So while everyone at home (Portugal) is having a warmer weather, we the Londoners are going back to cold Winter!!! Everyone tells me, get used to the long Winter, it will be grey and rainy until late Easter.
It's bloody cold in the morning and in the evening so we are still using caps!!! And funny ones...

Happy Go Lucky!

I decided to deliver my CV in some community pharmacies in the area. I was prepared to ear a lot of No! answers because the job market in London in my area is full. But the luck knocked on my door! One of the Pharmacy managers got interested in my situation and offered himself to train me into the English system. I'm working as a volunteer in the pharmacy in exchange for knowledge while I'm waiting for the process of registration within the regulatory body to be concluded. This is a great opportunity to me because I get some experience as well as contacts within my area. At last, I'm feeling lucky... :)

Comic Relief

On the 18th of March the Comic Relief day is celebrated here in the UK. This concept started more than 20 years ago in a Sudan refuge camp. The idea was simple, to get a whole bunch of comedians to make public laugh while they raised money to help people in need. Then in 1988 this idea or red nose day started and they raise around 15m£ with it. So in that day we can see a lot of people using the funny red noses with different themes. Mine was the pirate nose, Sara got the geek one. :D
The site is http://www.comicrelief.com/ and in the pictures you can see us preparing the day as well as it all started in Sudan...

In 1988 in one of the biggest refuges camp! 

Always ready to help the others! :D

Movie: A morning at the Museum

The other day I decided to take advantage of my spare time and went to visit one of the most famous museums in London: The Natural History Museum of London (http://www.nhm.ac.uk/).

The collection is so large that one morning isn't enough to appreciate it. So, I chose the Red Zone, which is dedicated to the history of our Planet and our relation as Human beings with it. While visiting this part of the museum, I had the feeling I was in an interactive Sciences class, remembering the birth of our Solar System, the evolution of life, the geology of earthquakes and volcanoes (I used to had this wish of becoming a volcanologist...). The gallery also dedicates one part of the exposition to modern times and makes an interesting reflexion about the (over)exploration of the Earth's resources.

But the part that I enjoyed the most was the Orange Zone and it's Darwin investigation centre. It's just one of the most important collections of specimens and where scientist conduct a series of studies about evolutionary theories and discover new species. I even had the opportunity of listening to one of the scientist of the Darwin centre in a lecture about History's important figures for Science. This is located in a new arquitectural structure called "Cocoon" (look at the pictures).

The founder of the museum, a man called Hans Sloan (http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/science-of-natural-history/biographies/hans-sloane/index.html), was a remarkable collector and most of the things that you can find on this part of the museum are his legacy. He traveled to Jamaica where he collected the most strangest things, as well as delicious specimens that still today influence us. Yes, I'm talking about the cocoa plant! And yes, I'm a chocolate addict...

I still wish to explore more of the fantastic museum and, of course, take a picture with the famous T-Rex! But this will be a new chapter on the blog :)

Visits from Portugal...part II

In the last weekend of January we had the visit of my mum, aunt Sao and cousin Sandra. First, I went to Kings Cross to pick up my French family (they came via Eurostar) and it seems it was a lucky strike that they came to London! I'll explain: my aunt didn't took the correct documentation and when asked about her ID card, it had expired! But they smiled and the guy at the ticket office was pitty of them, so they managed to pass the French border. Uff! The worst part was when they arrived the English side... They weren't that nice but, in the end, they successfully "landed" their feet in Her Majesty's ground :) Though with one warning: never to travel again without correct documentation! It was quite a laugh when they told me their adventure!

Then, the next stop was to pick up the rest of the family: my mum! She was really concerned that we weren't waiting for her at the airport because she was traveling alone and she doesn't remember the last time she spoke English (Mami, say Maria Carrey!!!). So, there we were, waiting for her at Gatwick airport! All went well and she even got some hints about places to visit and cultural aspects from a guy that fancied my mother during the trip (so charming...!)

They spent the hole weekend visiting the most important monuments and places in London (some of them I haven't visited yet), such as the Big Ben, Tower of London, and of course the important department stores Harrods and the psico-fashion store Abercrombie. Women! :) Because I was working at the restaurant, I couldn't participate in their walk through London but the smiles on their faces were enough for me. And I got my mum's caresses! So good, I missed her so much! Now, I'm expecting the visit from the rest of the family (yes, dad, you need to loose your fear from flying...)! Siss, Bro, you need to come and experience the magical London with me!!!

Subtitles:

1st photo: Me, Joao and my Mum in Harrods, in front of Princess Diana's statue.

2nd photo: two "babes": my Mum on the left and my aunt. Look at their smile!

Back to School!!!!

Like my Bartending mentor used to say, in life focus on a few things and try to be the best!!! Much influenced by american spirit (and training, he lived there for many years) he is in some way right. I simply say, if you want to do something, then do it the right way. 

So, after some months having some bartending  experience I decided to go up the ladder which means for most of skills in life to go for studies. I decided to do the International Bartending Course from the School I was told to be the best around: Shaker UK. http://www.shaker-uk.com/  

Because I did no have holidays in Hospital I had a terrible week because half of the course is theory and studying. I had to know all the origins, fabrication methods, tastes of all spirits and bitter available. Spirits are basically 5: Tequila, Gin , Vodka, Brandy, Rum. Bitters are alcoholic drinks with lots of herbs infusions to "spice" up cocktails. The most famous one is Campari. Made of neutral spirit and infused with orange peels, created in Italy. 

Then we had a lot of practical stuff and the final examination which was tough. I kinda of freezed while preparing a Cosmopolitan. I messed a little on the quantities (50 mls instead of 25 ml for juice) and when doing the great flame my orange peel jumped from my hand to the jury. Well... it couldn't be worse... but in overall I may narrowly pass...(with theory exam) the result takes 3 weeks to come. 

You can see here one of the teachers and also jury doing a perfect Cosmpolitan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWxAlMP52xU

It was an awesome week, very intensive close to the best in the trade. Now I hope to quickly profit from this financial and personal investiment. We'll see...

Lovely different Breezes

During a class day! We had allways to try the drinks.. :D

Practicing the Cosmo Flame

The practical examination!

3 seconds after the peel was on the jury...fuck!!!