Category Archives: General

Song of a generation

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Last night I was at the local bar, with some friends. Random talk about a million subjects: work, life, politics, experiences, travelling, girls… past, present and future. We spent a huge part of the time complaining about the surf that has been pretty bad this winter. I must say we were pretty spoiled last winter with consistent swell and good surf conditions. While we were at this the song from Beck, Loser, started to play on the “jukebox” and we looking at each other and I think we all realized the same this was one of those songs we played in loop rewinding our chrome cassettes on our walkmans until the tape was busted. For me it is THE song of our generation, the lyrics don’t make much sense, but Beck is one of those music icons that are misunderstood, we were so to …

This youtube thing now has movies you can see and movies that are not allowed in your country kind of thing… who comes up with this stuff? Well instead of the original video clip I choosen the live performance made available by the Vintage revolution, Enjoy!

“Butane in my veins and I’m out to cut the junkie
With the plastic eyeballs, spray-paint the vegetables
Dog food stalls with the beefcake pantyhose”

Suit and tie …

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I’m always envied (yes they don’t criticize me, it is pure envy! And then maybe not) at meetings because I dress very casual, I’ve attended a number of high profiled meetings wearing me trainers and in the Caribbean I went in with flip-flops even!

This time however, things seem to be changing. I’ve been advised by more than one person to start taking all my “fancy clothes” out of the wardrobe an get them ready for FLAD and the PEW meeting. True  is I don’t really have many of them so it seems that I need to get someone (my friend Susana) to get me geared up for the gig. It will be funny!

Damn am I manning -up?  Wow!

Some new documents are now online:
Agenda of the meeting
Biographies of the invitees
List of experts

Bode “expiatório” …

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Em Kwara, um dos 36 estados da Nigéria, a polícia prendeu um bode sob acusação de “suspeita de roubo” à “mão armada”… e esta?

Os agentes da lei detiveram a besta, cuja característica é ser malhada de preto e branco, sob a alegação de que o bode não era um bode; era antes sim, um feiticeiro, um animago! Este tinha-se transformado a si mesmo na figura do praticamente inocente caprino [porque um bode sempre tem alguma culpa em algum cartório...]; enfim, foi uma tentativa sobrenatural de fugir do flagrante de roubo de carro, um modelo Mazda 323… Todavia, os policias e seguranças africanos, que são especialistas em magia negra, agoiros, macumba, engissos, mão olhado. encantamento, feitiçaria, despachos, vodoo, manginga e outras práticas, logo viram que ali tinha marginal em pêlo de mamífero…

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Naquele momento, vigilantes estavam em patrulha e viram elementos suspeitos cercando o veículo. Percebendo o fracasso da operação “puxa carro”, perseguidos, os meliantes puseram-se em fuga: um, escapou; o outro, transformou-se em bode! Foi o que informou o porta-voz da polícia do estado, Tunde Mohamemed em entrevista à reuters, por telefone! [Tem telefone! Claro, em África há telémovel e antena parabólica; não tem é comida, nem escola, nem hospital, nem polícia, terra sem lei, não tem casa de banho, esgoto e água canalizada...].

O oficial disse, ainda, que: “Nós não podemos, ainda, confirmar a identidade entre o bode e o gatuno mas este bode está sob custódia! Não, não temos nenhuma base para informar sobre aspectos místicos da questão. É uma coisa que tem de ser provada cientificamente, se um homem pode tornar-se um bode!” [Vê-se que é uma autoridade séria e capaz. Pergunto-me apenas onde é que o sacana escondeu a arma com que efectuou o crime...]

Logicamente, como se percebe a arregalados olhos vistos que a crença em feitiçarias é amplamente difundida na Nigéria, o país mais populoso do continente Africano. Os moradores da localidade onde se deu o caso do bicho ladrão estão em romaria ao posto da policia local para ver o bode, que tem sido fotografado e até manchete de jornal foi enquanto aguarda o resultado do inquérito confortavelmente refastelado em cima de um fardo de palha.

É o que se pode chamar um verdadeiro bode expiatório!

La mer …

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La mer n’apporte que des coups durs et, à l’occasion la chance de se sentir fort. Je ne connais pas beaucoup la mer, mais je sais que c’est comme ça ici. Et je sais aussi combien il est important dans la vie, pa nécessairement d’être fort, mais de se sentir fort, de se mesurer au mains une fois, de se trouver au mains une fois dans les conditions humaines antiques, seul face au rocher aveugle et sourd avec rien que ses main et sa tête pour s’aider…

An Ode to Mariana

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I think I told you this before…

Mariana, wherever you seen a cop beating a guy
Wherever a hungry newborn baby cries
Wherever there’s a fight against the blood and hatred in the air
Look for me miúda, I’ll be there
Wherever somebody’s struggling for a place to stand
For a decent job or a helping hand
Wherever somebody’s struggling to be free
Look in their eyes, Mariana…
You’ll see me

The beach is alive tonight
Nobody’s fooling nobody as to where it goes
I’m sittin’ down here in the campfire light
Trying to understand my ghosts and sending you this prayer

1/3 of life crisis

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In less than a month I’ll be 26 years old; and now I start thinking that maybe, just maybe I’ll not life forever.  People that are dear do me have died recently, I burry them, mutter their loss and kept trying to live my life on a good respectful and honorable way.
Before this things happened I would always feel (despise thinking differently) that; yes this stuff happen but it will never strike my core friends or family. Now I put my own end of life into perspective.  My Father was 68 years old when he died, I’ll be at that same age in about 42 years, seems quite a long time, but 26 have passed and I still don’t realize that now I’m a man (whatever that means), a adult, now I need to make my living, to build something, to keep a shelter, but something is missing.

A MEANING. I don’t know when it happened or how but in some ways I lost the will to live. Don’t know if it was the deceptions I took and gave, the easy life with all I could ask for, the disbelief in my own self, the incredulity, skepticism and mistrust on the world.  Something occurred that is beyond my understanding that led me to a inertia that is winning its way over me almost every day. I keep saying tomorrow it will change, tomorrow I’ll arise, and revolutionize all this, but it never happens.

Myself at a Fire Show in Carreiro de Joannes, Peniche, Portugal :: click by Diana Matoso

I also ask myself. What kind of meaning for my life am I searching for? A wife, a child, all my kindred and lifeline? When I’m not even sure of my ancestry and where I’m coming from. A mix of Celts, Arabs and Romans but I lack the strength of those long gone. Or do I need an aim, an objective that is higher than my own life, something I would be will to die for?

I’m not sure of many things… and I need to accept what I cannot change, and dare to change what I can, and have the courage and strength to surface from this puddle of mud I staked my head into and make a difference. And it will start today!

J’ai n’ai pas encore tout compris …

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“C’est l’histoire d’un homme qui tombe d’un immeuble de cinquante étages; le mec au faire la mesure de sa chute il se répète sans cesse pour se rassurer: jusqu’ici tout va bien, jusqu’ici tout va bien, jusqu’ici tout va bien… mais l’important, c’est pas la chute, c’est l’atterrissage.”

Primitive Reason, Some of Us, The Day Will Come

El despertar

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Señor, la jaula se ha vuelto pájaro y se ha volado, y mi corazón está loco, porque aúlla a la muerte y sonríe detrás del viento a mis delírios.

Pero que qué haré con el miedo, si que qué haré con el miedo?
El aire me castiga el ser, y detrás del aire hay monstruos que beben de mi sangre!

Es el desastre, es la hora del vacío no vacío, es el instante de poner cerrojo a los lábios, oír a los condenados gritar, contemplar a cada uno de mis nombres, ahorcados en la nada.

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¿Cómo no me suicido frente a un espejo, y desaparezco para reaparecer en el mar, donde un gran barco me esperaria con las luces encendidas?
¿Cómo no me extraigo las venas y hago con ellas una escala para huir al otro lado de la noche?

El principio ha dado a luz el final. Todo continuará igual; las sonrisas gastadas, el interés interessado, las preguntas de piedra en piedra, las gesticulaciones que remedan amor. Todo continuará igual!

Pero las flores siguen moriendo en mis manos.
Y los demónios de mi ser han devorado mis esperanzas
Y sin embargo mis brazos insisten en abrazar al mundo…

(Adaptado de Alejandra Pizarnik, “Las aventuras perdidas” 1958)

MMIX

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Entering a new year is always strange, maybe because nothing really weird happens, it is like one minute we are still here and suddenly we are there.
2008 was quite a challenge for me almost from the beginning, at all levels I tend to drive my living: Personal, Professional and Emotional.

Personally: My house was in construction most of the time; some of the plans were from my father some mine, some from my mum. Much work was needed and I was part of every task, which was quite fulfilling. Now the second phase of construction began and I’m quite enthusiastic about it.

Professionally: I had to get back to Sao Tome and Principe (STP) a small island on West Africa and ensure they didn’t join Japan at the International Whaling Commission (IWC), the international body that regulates whaling.  I was one of the lecturers at the Forum Biodiversity and Ecotourism, with the talk; Non-lethal use of Cetaceans a multidisciplinary perspective. I eventually accomplished the mission (with much help from various people) with success since STP didn’t show up at Chile for the 60th meeting of the IWC.

At the Chilean meeting I was representing the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) with whom I hold a contract until the next IWC meeting that will take place in Madeira, Portugal.
I also got into a business I never had the chance to really be, Surf Industry. I started working with Fatum Surfboards and now I’m in charge of their website (www.fatumsurfboards.com)

Emotionally: I got involved with a fine and very special girl but unfortunately before the end of the year we broke up. My wish is that we can still relate from now on a different dimension. Whoever, the task is not easy.

2009 is a very important year because much is expected of me until and during the IWC meeting in Madeira. My only hope is that I can perform at the level I’m expected to, accomplish much and get a place at this field of work. Some other plans are also on the cooking but nothing certain yet.

Song of the Whale docked at the Marina de Oeiras, Portugal

I hope this year may bring you happiness, laughter, health and prosperity!

During 2009 we will have the conjunction of Jupiter and Neptune, Jupiter 24′ south. First of three in a triple conjunction of Jupiter and Neptune (May 25th). . A total solar eclipse (on July 22nd). The longest lasting total solar eclipse of the 21st century; and sometime during November the retail sale of incandescent light bulbs will be banned in Australia. Just to mention 3 events.