The "i'm not fit for this" post...

Oh well, you know the drill


I've been working hard.


But that part is not that fun, now is it?
So let's jump to the fun part.

I knew English were crazy, I just didn't know HOW crazy!


I've been out and about around town.


And some nights are easier than others.


Somehow, I keep finding myself going to Freak Shows.


And I celebrated Chinese New Year...


By buying a lucky cat...


And eating Mexican food.


And I tried organic Cola.


And last, but not least, one of my best friends came to visit.


My days here seem to fly and the world in motion is sometimes scary.
I must admit I thought "What did I do and what was I thinking?" a couple of times now.
But then, I slap myself in the face (metaphorically speaking) and I just look around, taking in this incredible opportunity.
I've been meeting recruiters and they seem to like me and my work, which is a good first step.
I miss home. I miss family and friends.
But I have a feeling I'll have to learn how to live with missing them, because I'm enjoying the new horizons way too much.

That's it, for now**

The I've been playing too much foosball post...

It's been hard to update because, as it turns out, I have much to say but little time to upload.

Here is why.

This is the incredible, almost Harry Porterian pub in Snodland. Yes, the one where i asked for an espresso (that will never get old!)

My favorite thing about living in the Country is to have this kind of neighbors.

I went to an indian restaurant, with some Portuguese friends, and our waiter was an Umpa Lumpa. I'm sure we has fired because we sang louder then the rest. We were nearly deaf when we left the place.

I had dinner with friends at a Vietnamese restaurant, a good one actually.

Later that night, we went to a Balkan gig, which was really a Communist party celebrating Stalingrad (or something like that, couldn't really understand what the angry man was saying) and i saw the Best Freak Show Ever, the Tran Siberian Marching Band. We ended up dancing like Tom Sawyer on acids for the better part of the night.

Still a bit shellshocked from the show, we went to a bar that had a foosball table. The fact that we thought war painting was necessary to play should tell you how competitive we were.

The next morning I had an English Breakfast and was sick to my stomach all day.

Then, monday, on a more serious note, i went to Google Campus. I did so because i had to work, but little did i know. They have a free foosball table there.

Let's just say i sat down long enough to take this picture, so i could have some prove that i did work.
Well, right about this time i was, actually, watching Beyonce's performance at the Superbowl, hence my concentrated face.

The "I have to work but i'm procrastinating" post...

Brought to you so I could share a picture from Snodland and steal a quote from Facebook that reads: Live like someone left the gate open.

Lost in Chinatown...

Yesterday i took the first steps towards working here.

I met a recruiter that told me this market was a very difficult one but also told me she liked my work. So, in the end, i left feeling pretty good about this decision of mine.

Before meeting her, i walked around Chinatown, where the street names are written in two languages. It caught my attention, i really have nothing more to say about it.

Chinatown... Nice place. Smells a bit funny, i might add, and i did find a Vintage American shop in the middle of it, which puzzled me. But i guess that's London!

The "wow-it-has-been-almost-a-week" post...

See, i am not suitable for commitments.
And the reason for that is i let the immediate take over.

I've been busy, but not super busy that i can't upload.
It's just that i can't committee...

Anyway, let's stick some pictures in this to make it sellable!

I went to an awful restaurant with the best chairs ever.

I nursed a gigantic pear cider (i know... i should have thought of including another object in this picture so you could appreciate the scale of this bottle)

This guy was actually a good surprise. He was Scottish and had the most-difficult-to-understand accent i ever heard in my life, but he played bagpipes for me and my friend, inside the pub, and he wrote our names in Calligraphy.

I played pathetic poker for some really strange pots. And i must say i won both games!

I had to stick my nose inside my snickers to prove a point.

I had brunch at the RoundHouse, with my brand new poker winning hat.

In short... I've been having fun!

The soup day...

Nothing terribly excited happen today except for the fact that i called the National Insurance "thingy" and i'm this close to finalizing my process of moving to this new country.

Oh, and i made soup.

The upss post..

I'm sick.

After a wonderful weekend of wonderful lunches and dinners and brunches and endless conversations about everything and nothing, if this is the price i have to pay, i'll pay it gladly.

Much has happened but my chest hurts from coughing and i'm sleepy.

So i'll take the easy way out. I'll just post a bunch of photos, like an art director would, and i'll go watch Parks and Recreation in bed.

Mr. Snowman. Tiny little fellow. Happy little fellow. Died seconds after this photo was taken.

Balkans' spirit. Dangerous. It's horrible and it doesn't cure the flu, contrary to popular belief.

I was strolling down Carnaby Street, minding my own business, turned my head and i saw it. I was close to tears.

Believe it or not, i just bought my first Vans!

A stunning white monochrome inspires a soft melancholy..

It's snowing so much that i had to come to London today or else i might be snowed in, in Snodland, for the weekend.

Meet me under the tail of the giant dinosaur...

And who could say no to such invitation?

I entered one of my favorite places in London, this time only long enough to meet my friend and photograph the rear end of the huge dinosaur, the picture that illustrates this post.

We (me and my friend, not me and the dinosaur) took the bus, I got to see her flat and we headed to her boyfriend's college bar, a place more crowded than Bairro Alto on a Thursday evening. (for those of you who are not Portuguese, just imagine a very crowded place).

After a bit of catching up, we went on to spend the next 3 hours discussing religion and politics, which says to me we're clearly grownups. And mind you, i say this proudly!

As interesting as the conversation was, i still had to make my way back to the countryside, so we said our goodbyes and i headed home. Now i thought i was done for the day but a jammed train door thought otherwise.

I was unable to open said door and ended up, at 9 pm, on a train station midway to Nowhere. It was only one station, so i didn't freak out. I would just change platforms and sooner than later i'd be on my way to Snodland again.

The problem, i realized moments afterwards, was that the next train would take 23 minutes to arrive and everything was closed, given i was, as i said before, midway to Nowhere.

I was in good company, i had Hegarty's book, but enduring this kind of cold wasn't easy. My feet, hands and nose were numb and i was pretty sure i'd freeze to death. The only thought that kept me going was the make out session i was planning on having with the heater, as soon as i got home. Which happened, by the way, a very explicit one, but i'll spare you the details.

John Hegarty, i'm now ready to bump into you on the tube..

I admit the photo was not taken on the tube, but on the train station, because the tube was too crowded. And i'll also admit that i just bought the book, so there's no way i could be reading chapter 7 already. But, as of now, i'm ready to casually meet John Hegarty while reading his book.
Yes, i believe in fate but i also believe in being ready. ;)

Today i'm gonna go ahead and break yet another rule i set for this blog, by posting two photos instead of one. But, as i previously explained, my rules are mine to break.

I went to Covent Garden and watched a grownup man, shirtless in the blistering cold, dislocate his shoulders in order to pass his body through a tennis racket. Now, the inspirational part of it was that, in the middle of this elaborate contraption, he advised the kids there to go to school and to University. Because that's what he had done!

I don't know, maybe it was just a punch line but it got me thinking. Society, our parents and even ourselves are sometimes so sure that if we choose a path, or what's considerate to be the "right and normal" path, we'll eventually become normal, mainstream or whatever is expected of us that we almost never take into account that life may have other plans for us. Or that, at any given moment, we may choose to simply change our path...

If you think this is too corny and that i sound a bit like "The Secret" (which is entirely possible) just remember that i've been walking around exposed to terribly low temperatures. My brain just might have frozen.

"Practicalities" and something to remember..

Today i accomplished a lot.
And i met with a friend.
And i did walk by the M&Ms store, near Piccadilly Circus, which is possibly one of the 8 wonders of the Chocolate World.

But inspiration came on the road, with a realization in the form of a word play.

"Sometimes, in some places, the wrong side of the road is the right side of the road"

I locked myself inside the house...

It's not a joke, i really did.

Apparently, English doors are tricky and need a combination of turning the key and the handle before they open, a combination i clearly failed to master.

but you'll be pleased to know that, with a step-by-step instruction over the phone, i was able to leave the house, go to the supermarket and even embarrass myself as i asked for an espresso at a pub. The waiter looked at me and smiled kindly, and i knew i was lost in translation.

Because i've locked myself inside the house for the better part of my day, i feel i locked my inspiration with me. I went about doing practical stuff today and now i'm going to get started with dinner and watch some Big Bang Theory episodes.

The only truly inspiring (or should i say beautiful) moment today happened when i woke up and it was snowing. There's something about snow (when you come from a country where it doesn't snow that often) that really makes you believe that this basically frozen water is made of fairytale's dust.

And so it begins..

Already breaking the previously established rules.
But i made the rules, which unequivocally means i can break the rules.
I'll explain myself, anyhow.

I moved to London on the 10th of January and by my own rules, i should've posted a new entry since day one. But day one, two and three i've been with my mom, in a hotel, enjoying London exactly as i would had i been here on vacation.
So it didn't feel right to start this blog before today, the day my mom left and i came to stay with a friend, even if only temporarily.
(Or you can choose to believe the real reason: my internet connection sucked, my computer's battery was dead and i was too lazy to do something about it)

Either way, i'm here now, ready to start this experience of living abroad.
Some other post i'll introduce myself properly, should i feel like it, and hopefully i'll get on with this blog's intention: inspiring Adília.

For now, i'll leave you with a photo that inspires me, because it is where it all begins.