Kangas World

Inês Lopes Bridges launches her new book on Amazon

2011-07-05T14:32:00.000+10:00

Inês Lopes Bridges is an excellent writer. She was born in Setúbal, Portugal, which is also hometown of Manuel Barbosa du Bocage, one of the greatest Portuguese writers who is also one of her favourite. Inês grew up in Setúbal and in her late teens she moved to London, where she finished her Degree in Creative Writing and a Masters in Publishing.

Inês has always had a great passion for writing. She started at a very young age. When she was only 13, she started writing poetry in English. She says she wanted to keep her work secret, so she decided to write it in a foreign language.

In 2008 Inês wrote her second romance in Portuguese. The book is called “Isabel”. It’s the story of a French teacher divided between his duties as a father and a love story from the past. The whole story will develop around this man, that love and a book that is the way he lives his dreams. This way the writer almost created two books in one playing with the story she was telling and the story told in that other book.

Unfortunately, publishing a book is not easy, and get to a publisher it is very hard. So Inês decided to publish it on a blog. Everyday she would publish a bit of the book. Her aim was not only to show her work to the public but also to receive some feedback from her readers and know their opinion about her work. Everyday there was new comments and her book was causing all sorts of emotions in her readers.

But now Inês has some more news for us. She has taken a step further and is now launching a digital version of “Isabel” on Amazon Kindle Shop”. Her aim is to raise enough money to invest on publishing the physical version of this great book.

The book is already available on Amazon. All you have to do is click here and you can buy it. The book is not expensive at all (9.99USD) and it can be paid with your credit card. For those who don’t have a Kindle or any other similar device, you don’t have to worry. You can still buy and read “Isabel”, you just have to download Amazon’s free application Kindle for PC.

70% of the proceedings will be for Inês and she will use it in the publishing of her book.

For her English readers she is also preparing a long narrative poem called “Until the end of the world” that she will make available in Amazon Kindle Shop very soon.

Think about it ...

2011-05-23T15:17:00.000+10:00

Everything happens on Facebook these days. People set up gatherings, share photos, share comments ... well they basically do everything on Facebook. I'm not a fan I must say, I use it but I don't share any type of personal information on it and I don't share all my life with the world there. However there are things that I don't mind to share and in fact I'm quite happy to share and create awareness about them. This is one of those things ...

A couple of weeks one of my relatives posted a message on her Facebook page. I read it and I thought I should share it with everyone I know, because it is a quite powerful and important message. I translated it to English and then I posted it on my own Facebook page and I also wrote an article about it on my private Newsletter. Now I'm sharing it with all of you.

“That girl you’re calling fat, spends days without food to loose weight.

The boy you call dumb, might have learning difficulties.

The girl you have just called ugly, spends hours dressing up so people like you can accept her.

The boy you tease and make fun of at school, may be victim of abuse at home, and you’re just contributing for his lack of self esteem.

If you are against BULLYING, please share this!”

Bullying is a very serious problem. And for those who think it only happens in schools, let me tell you, you're wrong! Unfortunately, bullying happens everywhere from your own home to your workplace. It is a very serious issue that can even lead to suicide!

People still under mind bullying saying that's just kids being kids for the school cases. It is not, and that "kids being kids" situation might end up in your kids committing suicide because they can't stand it anymore. We have to do something about this, ignore it or pretend it is not a problem is only going to make it worse.

First of all it is important that the victims speak out and expose the bullies. It doesn't matter if it's a family member, a teacher, a boss, school colleague or work colleague if they are bullying you they have to be accountable for their acts.

In my prospective, and I was bullied a lot when I was a child and even on my early adulthood, people bully other people not because that person is inferior or less capable. I believe the bullies are the ones who have no self esteem or they simply envy some quality in their victim, make them believe they are nothing and try to destroy them is their way to feel better ... somehow superior! THEY ARE NOT!

Don't let yourself go with stupid comments. Think that they are just that ... stupid comments ...

The person who is saying it to you is not better or worse than you, they just trying to make you feel bad. If you understand that you will realise it is not worth it to suffer over something someone like that said. Tell your parents, friends, boss, whatever. That person needs to be reported and made accountable for what they doing to you.

Parents should be vigilant and if your child is bullied or a bully don't ignore it. Help them overcome that situation and stop this ridiculous behaviour for once and for all.

SAY NO TO BULLYING!

Just me and my city ...

2011-05-20T15:50:00.000+10:00

Yesterday I had a quite nice day. What started as being another boring, busy day ended up being a great day for me. I had to go to the city to resolve some issues, so I had to leave really early in the morning, which is not a very nice thing for me as I'm not a morning person. I had breakfast and off I went ...

After solving those issues I had to deal with, I got out of the building making my way back home. But I didn't feel like just going back to the train station and get the train back home. I was up to something different ...

I was in Clarence St., which is right next to Wynyard Station but instead of heading to my right and going to the train station, I headed left and started walking up Clearance St. Then I crossed to Grosvenor St and then crossed George St to Bridge St., heading to Circular Quay.

While I was walking I was looking at the buildings and the people and it was just a beautiful moment. It was just me and my city, the city that I love more than any other place in the world. When I reached Circular Quay, I saw the beautiful Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, the places I spent years and years dreaming about. It was a bit magic I must say.

The people, most of them office workers, were walking frantically from one place to another, some with a cup of coffee in their hands, others with a newspaper. There were some tourists, and we do have plenty of them. A different type of body language and a different facial expression. For them the city was a brand new place and they were just discovering it for the very first time. Unlike the office workers that were so busy that they didn't even had time to appreciate the great city they're working at.

I was walking and feeling the smells of my city, smell of fresh coffee coming from the cups in the office workers' hands, the doughnuts in the hands of a happy tourist, the sea, the city, the cars, people's perfumes. Some where good, others not so good but together they're part of my city, so I loved every single bit of it, from the annoying bus fumes, to the lady on Channel N5.

After having a delicious coffee with my uncle, I crossed next to AMP Tower, on Bridge St. and I got a bit lost in the building's garden area. It is like an oasis right in the heart of the city. But it was time to go home. The office workers were now getting out of their offices to get some lunch and the city was getting a bit busier.

I went down Phillip St, to Circular Quay where I got my train home. On the way back I was in the train and I was still feeling my city in all its plenitude. I love Sydney, it might be busy, it might be a very expensive city to live but it's still my city and I love every bit of it.

I haven't done this in a long time and I tell you what, it felt like recharging my batteries. I'm always so busy with my life that I never take a minute to do what I love the most. I guess I learnt my lesson now, from now on I will do it more often. It feels so great to go and just walk around the city.

I decided to share this beautiful moment with you because I think it was such a great moment in my life that I couldn't just keep it inside of my heart, I had to share it with you. Hope you like it.

Your best ally ...

2011-05-18T17:19:00.005+10:00

I believe we should all love ourselves for what we are. I guess yesterday's post is a live proof of it. I believe that any changes that you might do to your body should always be done in your best interest and for a health reason. I don't believe in plastic surgery except when is a case of accident or a serious health issue like cancer, serious burns or others.

I know that obesity is a problem in our society these days, and I also know that sometimes people actually try to lose weight and for some reason they just can't achieve their goals. It is already proven that your genes play a part on your weight and the probability of you becoming overweight. So let's not stereotype here and call everyone who's overweight lazy. Some fight hard against it ...

When you know someone who fights against obesity, the so called "tough love" doesn't help. If you're constantly telling them they are fat and they have to lose weight and that they look bad and unhealthy, you're only being a bully although you have really good intentions and you really want to help that loved one. Your comments might be having the opposite effect and that person is getting more and more ashamed of thyself and lowering more and more their self esteem. Instead, help them by reassuring them you're there for them and they can actually achieve their goal and it's OK if it takes time. Feeling loved and understood is the very best help you can give someone in any possible situation.

Overweight people tend to have low self esteem and to believe they're worthless and that they will never be able to lose those extra kilos. It is a cycle of depression and low self esteem. You have to break that cycle, and we all know it is not easy.

Shows like "The biggest loser" can be a great incentive for people to lose weight, but they can also feed this evil cycle. People see contestants losing 5 or 6kgs per week and start thinking "I will never be able to do that". That is only going to get your situation worse and you have to do something about it.

First of all, your mind is your best ally. If you believe something you can make it happen. So don't say you can't do it, instead think "I can do that ... I will do that". This way you will reverse your internal dialogue and instead of telling your brain you are a "worthless loser, who's fat and will never achieve your goals", you are actually telling your brain "yes I can, it takes time and a lot of effort but I can do it and I will do it."

Once you change this dialogue you're already losing weight. Not physically but mentally, as you're losing the weight of all negative thoughts of worthlessness and misery. It's a hard fight, no one denies that. If it's hard when you want to lose 3 or 4 kilos let alone when you need to lose 10kgs or more. It's not easy but it's achievable.

First of all I think you should set a plan for yourself. Go to your doctor and tell him about your plan to lose weight and ask him for help finding the best diet for you and the exercise plan that will suit you best. Please don't get into ridiculous diets, starving yourself to death because it's not going to work. The same with exercise, we should exercise but we should do it sensibly. Not all exercise plans suit everyone, some people have special needs and those certainly have to be considered. With your doctor's help you will have success guaranteed.

Don't get depressed if you can't achieve Biggest Loser results. Think that the contestants on the Biggest Loser are inside a house 24/7, with 4 personal trainers that set a diet and and full time exercise plan. You're not on Biggest Loser and you don't have Michele, Sharon, Commando or Tiffany with you. Plus you're living in the real world, where you have fast food outlets every 50m (if not less) and temptation is more than just a weekly challenge to win immunity. Even the Biggest Loser trainers know that and they don't hide it. They quite honest about it. Outside it's harder, takes longer but none of said it's impossible ... because it isn't!

When you have your diet and your plan set up with the help of your dietitian or doctor, start going step by step. This is a fight that you win day by day, kilo by kilo. Don't get upset because you only lost 3 kilos in a week, instead celebrate that you have less 3 kilos to worry about. See, it is the same thing we're talking about but only in a different prospective. It's all about your mindset ... your best ally...

From my own experience, not having a day when you can indulge and have the foods you love is not going to help you and it will only make you give up and go back to your old ways. Have a day for yourself, have a piece of cake or something else. The secret is portion control. If you have a bit of cake is not going to kill you but if you have the entire cake then you won't achieve your goal.

Avoid alcohol and stop smoking. That is really important too. Not only helps you losing weight but also prevents you from getting deadly cancers.

Before I go I would like to say that this post is not meant to be interpreted as medical advise since I'm not a doctor. Take it simply as a friend's advise ... and be a Biggest Loser yourself!

*This post is dedicated to a very special person in my life. I love you ... you know who you are.

Sweet poison ...

2011-05-18T15:09:00.001+10:00

I believe in having a healthy lifestyle and being healthy and fit. It is positive in every aspect you can imagine, you feel beautiful, you feel healthy and you keep away from serious problems. Can you think of a better thing? Well I don't ...

But unfortunately this healthy lifestyle is always being challenged by lots of unhealthy behaviours such imbalanced diet, alcohol, tobacco and lack of physical activity. It is a sad reality that has been increasing around the world.

We don't exercise anymore, we stay in from of a computer or TV playing games or going on Facebook. Some of us don't eat home cooked fresh meals everyday, we eat fast food, snacks and sweets. The truth is we're killing ourselves slowly.

Obesity is a reality. It is the result of an unregulated food industry, where fast food outlets open right next to our kids'schools, our work or our home. We are bombarded with ads about these fast food chains everywhere we go. People talk about tobacco but they should also look at fast food because it also kills a lot of people everyday and it starts with our own children!

The other day I was reading the news online and a pop-up window appeared with a survey. I don't usually bother to answer that type of thing, but I must have been in really good mood that day and took a few minutes of my time to read what they had to say. It was about a fast food chain and its products. I thought it was ridiculous, but just to let them know how strongly I feel about the rubbish they serve to people everyday, I responded every single question with my opinion.

In one of the questions they asked was what I though about their new "fancy" menu. I just had the opportunity to tell them exactly what I think about their "fancy" menu or any other menus they have available. I wrote "I think its is ridiculous that these people use such word to classify their food as if it was a gourmet meal! Appalling!"

Harsh?! Maybe ... but they were the ones who asked my opinion in the first place, so they have to accept my answer!

I don't think we should be bombarded with advertising for something we clearly know is killing us. The same way the disgusting tobacco smoke kills us and causes deadly cancers, fatty foods cause heart disease, high blood pressure, cholesterol, several cancers including the deadly bowel cancer, stroke and many more. So why only certain poisons are targeted?

I certainly don't think these outlets should be banned. That would be a very extremist thing to do. And lets be very honest here, you don't even need to leave your lounge to eat unhealthy food. So if you ban fast food then you would have to ban people from frying or cooking anything fatty in their own home. It is ridiculous and unfair. But I certainly think advertising should be banned and these outlets should be away from schools and places where they can target children. I also think having toys associated with this type of food is bad and that certainly should be banned. Is the same think as if you had a pack of cigarettes offering you a car! Sounds really bad doesn't it? ... well think about it ...

Most of all, it should start by people seeing the real danger behind the fast food and make the right decisions for their life. Having fast food once a month is not going to kill you but if you have it everyday, you're just digging your grave!

I think the key is to be sensible about it ... it's not hard believe me.

When your low self esteem starts with your own mum ...

2011-05-17T15:58:00.000+10:00

We all know how obsessed with image people are these days. People want to look 10 years younger than they are, skinny, tanned, "beautiful" they say. Social magazines and gossip magazines and their "celebrity cult" doesn't help either, when you see someone who just had a baby a few weeks ago looking like a super model (that if the person in question is not a super model herself), you obviously feel bad that you still haven't lost your pregnancy weight.

But usually we see all these ridiculous things happening with adults. People that although they should have known better, they still go with stupid trends to be accepted by this self centered and shallow society. But when you hear someone talking about all those things referring to a child, then it goes from pure stupidity to outrageous abuse!

The story I'll bring you today is a story that made headlines all over the world and outraged people all over the world. It's a story about the famous beauty pageants in the United States.

Apparently a mother injected Butox on her 8-year-old daughter so she would be more competitive on beauty pageants. The images where appalling I must say. The little girl had to endure a painful procedure and some reports say that she was always checking for wrinkles so she could have more injections.

I couldn't believe what I was watching really! And by the way, what wrinkles could a 8-year-old possibly have in her face?????? Are these people for real?????

I don't agree with these women submitting themselves to the most horrible procedures to "look good", let alone when it's a 8-year-old child having to put up with such thing. It's just wrong!!!

First of all, in my opinion, you should love yourself for what you are. Of course there's nothing wrong with wanting to look good, having a good diet, doing exercise and live a healthy lifestyle to keep fit. That's is actually the right thing to do.

But when "looking good" means going under the knife or having painful injections done, then it is not YOU looking good, it is YOU becoming someone else because you hate yourself so much that you can't even see yourself in the mirror. It is not self improvement, it is self hatred.

But once you become a mother, then you have a great responsibility in your hands. You have the life of a truly beautiful little person in your hands and you should respect that little person and treasure her for all she is.

How do these people think their children feel about themselves when their own mother wants them to have Botox to remove their wrinkles? What do you expect this child to do when she is 18 .. 20 ... 30 ... 40?

I can't understand parents (especially mothers) who live their frustrations through their kids. And I certainly don't understand this stupid culture of beauty pageants. Why do they want to submit their kids to that?

The other day I heard these mothers defending this stupidity by saying it is fun for their daughters as they're just playing "dress ups". Are they? Really? I must confess that I used to play dress ups with my friends all the time and even steal my mum's stilettos (she would be fuming and take them away immediately), and I know it is mad fun. But I was playing in my home, with my friends and I wasn't getting a tone of make up, or plastic surgery to do so. Nor I was getting prises or competing with my friends. We would dress up and pretend we were business women, or doctors or anything that we would like to be when we grew up. This is certainly not playing dress ups, this is ABUSE!

Apparently this child was taken away from her mum by American Child Protective Services and she is now safe from the needles and the stupidity of these beauty pageants.

When children are growing up I believe we should teach them to be confident, honest, happy. We should tell them they should love themselves for what they are not for what the world believes they should be. Only this way we can stop this eating disorder and low self esteem culture we have today. Let kids be kids. Playing dress ups is funny and natural, having Botox when you're 8 its just wrong! It's outrageous and your mum should have known better.

I think it's wrong. What do you think?

Welcome Back

2011-05-09T12:19:00.001+10:00

Hi Everyone,

It's been a very long time since my last post. I've been very busy and I didn't really have much time to come here and share some thoughts with you.

But now I've got some news for you. I've made some changes to my blog and I decided to make a site where you can find lots of information about different issues.

Hope you like it. :)

A great writer and a great book ...

2009-07-13T11:50:00.004+10:00

Last year I introduced you to a very special friend of mine that is also a fantastic writer. Her name is Inês Lopes and she recently finished her great book called "Isabel".

Last week I had an interview with her for a private Newsletter I send regularly to my close friends. Because I believe Inês's work is so good and deserves nothing but the very best, I decided to ask her if I could also publish that interview here, so my reader could know a bit about her and also became her readers.

I'm sure you'll be amazed by her extraordinary work. Those who can't read Portuguese, unfortunately won't be able to read "Isabel" however you can always visit Inês Lopes personal website where you will find a lot of information about her and also her work in English.

Here is the interview for you:

Hi Inês once again thank you very much for being here tonight and talk to our readers about this fantastic book that you have just finished. Let me also congratulate you for the fantastic book you’ve created there.

K- After almost one year living the life of Vicente Vaz how do you feel now that it's finally over?

I – Sad. Relieved. Happy. Drained. It feels very rewarding when you finish something as time and mind consuming as writing a book but at the same time, it leaves you a bit lost and empty. There’s also a lot of insecurity. I keep thinking if there was something more I could have done. At the same time, it’s a relief not to analyse every single aspect of life through Vicente’s eyes.

K – I believe it must have been really hard for you to incarnate a character like Vicente. How was for you entering and exploring the mind of a man like Vicente Vaz?

I- Very, very hard. Vicente is very different from me. We share the passion for art and literature but I think the resemblance ends there. Vicente goes about life judging people far too much, he’s too self-righteous and childish. He wears his heart on his sleeve and I am a lot more rational. I think, for me, writing Vicente was about understanding the “other side of the story”. It ends up being a bit ironic because with Vicente being so judgemental, the book itself brings about the idea of tolerance and accepting that there are always two sides for every story. Vicente is a combination of various people I’ve met and their traits that irritated me the most. Why I would want to live inside the head of the person I would abhor the most is something I don’t know. I guess this was my way of understanding and forgiving the “Vicentes” in my life. To keep me grounded and more in touch with myself, I gave Vicente a profession I respect a lot and I made us have common interests. Admittedly, those were my solace when Vicente became too unbearable to me.

K- On your readers both Vicente and Helena created a bit of a love/hate relationship. Did that happen to you? Have you ever felt that way about them?

I- With Vicente most definitely. He is very unlikeable, especially in the beginning. He’s possessive and whiny and silly. However, every now and then he shows a glimpse of brilliance, shares a story from the past that makes you feel sorry for him and he’s back in your good books. At all times, even at the end, I never ceased to hate and love Vicente at the same time. I never really saw Helena that way, perhaps because she was, out of all the characters in the book, the one I knew the most about. I knew where she was headed, I knew how she was going to end. I never hated her but I never considered her a loveable character either. I was surprised at the lack of empathy of some readers towards her but that ended up making me feel stronger about her because I didn’t want her to be seen as a “woe is me” character either.

K - In the beginning of this wonderful book Helena looked like a submissive and abused woman to then develop into a very different character. Did you ever believe she was in fact a victim?

I- She was the victim just as much as Vicente. Both fell in love with the wrong person and had to suffer the consequences. Surely, Vicente was borderline psychologically abusive to her but I always knew Helena had it in her to fight him back.

K – Was ever in your mind to create a frail and weak Helena?

I- No, but she went through a very tough time. She had never heard of Isabel until after she gave birth to Vicente’s child. Finding out that the father of your child loves someone else and is willing to leave everything behind to be with that person is very hard. Helena suffered from post-natal depression and therefore became frail or weak, but as I said before, I always knew she would pull herself together.

K- The truth is that she develops into a very different woman and as long as we read, the story develops and we find out that there is a lot of factors affecting that couple and the way they interact with each other. Do you believe that any of them was a true villain?

I- No. Once again, the sort of moral of the story, there are always two sides. Vicente made mistakes, Helena made mistakes. However, Helena genuinely loved Vicente and had he been a bit less difficult, to put it mildly, they could have stayed together.

K – I can’t go past this question. Who was the villain in “Isabel”?

I- Nobody. As boring as it may sound, there is no villain. There’s not even a hero. I can’t see people calling Vicente a hero, he’s too conflicted and makes far too many mistakes to be a hero.

K- You also create a bit of controversy there with that relationship between Vicente and Ana Maria. What do you think about a relationship between a teacher and a student? Do you believe there’s no place for a friendship between these two people in our society?

I- Definitely not. We live at a time when children are raised to be afraid of paedophiles and every unknown adult is not a potential friend but a potential paedophile. I don’t think society would accept a friendship between an adult and a child/teenager unless they were family (and even so it would be scrutinised). With a teacher and a student the situation is even more complicated because their relationship should not transcend the classroom. I knew I was touching a nerve with that relationship but with it I wanted to make several points. I hope it never became creepy for the reader, though.

K – You brought very serious issues into this great book. One of them was divorce and the children's custody. Who do you believe should always be entitled to the custody of the children?

I – Nobody should always be entitled to a child’s custody, not even the biological parents. It is a matter of what is best for the child and who can provide the child with the love and the emotional and financial stability that a child needs.

K -In the case of Helena, she showed that she wasn't that fantastic as a mum. Do you believe Vicente was better prepared for that responsibility? What made you take this decision of letting Isabel live with her father?

I – Helena was a great mum until her own well-being got in the way, at which point I believe she did her best. Helena was extremely depressed after Vicente almost ran off and still, for a long time, she fulfilled all her duties as a mother. When the pain got in the way of her caring for her daughter, she left. Having read a bit into post-natal depression, I found her decision very mature. I know she’s a spoilt rich girl and she would reach out for the help of maids and nannies as much as she could but not out of disinterest per se. In my opinion, Vicente was in no way better prepared to raise his daughter. Had Helena not left, he would not have spent as much time with his daughter. If Vicente never had to choose between Isabel and the love of his life, he never would have done. At the end, they share custody, even though Isabel spends more time with Vicente. Ultimately, it is very hard to have a 100% fair shared custody and it puts a lot of pressure on the child. Helena also had a lot of self-development and healing to do before she could be a full-time mother again.

K – The entire story went around "Laudo Amorem" a book about a passionate love story between two young people. At the very end we have "Telas Brancas" ("White “Canvas"). You ended up creating 2 books inside of one. How did you create those stories inside of “Isabel”?

I – That was quite difficult! There were times when I though I had to go and write Laudo Amorem myself first. I created Laudo Amorem as the love fantasy of Vicente. Laudo Amorem is extremely effective in justifying him, all he wanted was the relationship of characters in the book, even if one of them dies at the end, he doesn’t care as long as he gets to feel that kind of love. Telas Brancas didn’t require as much thought because it only appears at the very end. Just as it represented a new start in the author’s life, it represents a new start for Vicente too.

K – Although some readers had already in their minds that Vicente would end up the way he did, none of us imagined it they way it actually happened. You always run away from the predictable and easy and you always create something different and with lots more beauty and complexity attached to it. How do you manage to create a surprise in every chapter?

I – By dodging predictability as much as possible without becoming far-fetched. It wasn’t a total surprise that the book ended the way it did but I tried to avoid the more clichéd endings. I like books that defy me, that keep me thinking and begging for more, it would be indulgent of me to do any less as a writer. This means I write what I want it to happen, I don’t write to please the readers. Sounds selfish, I know…

K – This was without a doubt a magnificent end for this story. It not only brings a bit of spice to the entire book but also creates a bit of suspense leaving the reader imagining “what happens next?” Was this the end you’ve always imagined for Vicente?

I – Oh God, I don’t even want to think about all the different scenarios I imagined for the end of the book. There were far too many. For a while I was obsessed that someone had to die. Not a major character but someone had to die. So I ran through the character list and found out that I couldn’t kill anyone. I didn’t want it to have a heavy ending and most of all, I didn’t want Vicente to have the “pleasure” of having such a fatal catalyst. I guess I didn’t want people feeling sorry for Vicente, I wanted him to become a respectful character off his own back. I think if Vicente was real he would have liked this ending, anything else could have been unfair or unrealistic.

K - Would those "White Canvas" be the motto for your next history?

I – New beginnings…Who knows?

K – Almeida de Andrade. You chose the surname of two great Portuguese writers (Almeida Garret and Eugénio de Andrade) for Isabel's pen name. Was that a kind of tribute to these two great names of Portuguese literature?

I – Yes, of course. I cannot put into words how much Almeida Garrett has influenced me. Such a talented and versatile writer: prose, poetry, drama. He is the Romantic of Portuguese literature. Eugénio de Andrade is such a gentle soul and his poetry has a certain naivety that seemed to go well with the whole book. When I started writing this book, he hadn’t died yet…

K - I'm sure that publishing this fantastic book is obviously in your plans. But I also know that it is very difficult to enter in this market. Why do you think it’s so hard for a good story like yours to get in the market when we see so many things without quality in the bookshelves?

I – “A good story” is a relative term. In Portugal there aren’t many readers. By readers, I mean people that read more than six books per year. Reading is still very much a holiday activity and with the growing portability of music, movies and the internet, it is losing even more ground. So when you are catering for an audience that is looking for a quick and light pastime can you expect them to read complex stories? You can’t and publishers know that. There are some good quality books out there, every now and then one becomes a best-seller but mostly, they are books that won’t touch anyone but won’t displease them either. In that sense, Isabel is nearly unpublishable and if it is published, I doubt it will be by a powerful publisher capable of making it a bestseller.

K - Before we go I would like to ask you one last question. When will we have a successor for "Isabel”?

I – I don’t know when, but there will be one. I need time to lay Isabel to rest, to cleanse myself of Vicente and to find a new theme and a new character or characters that are worth anyone’s time.

Thank you very much Inês for this wonderful interview. I wish you all the happiness and success in your future career.

I Hope you had as much pleasure reading this interview as I had doing it. It is very important for me to show Inês's work to the world for a lot of reasons. First because I believe that we should always support quality and Inês work is full of it, secondly because I see some many thing without interest being published and I think a great book like this should the available for the world to read. Last but not least because Inês is a great writer and a great friend who deserves all the recognition in this world, she is brilliant, she is a genious. Someone who writes poetry in a foreign language only at the age of 13 should be recognised don't you think?

For those who want to read the Portuguese translation of this interview visit "Isabel" official blog.

Hugs

Kangas

My Temple ...

2009-06-18T13:13:00.004+10:00

Hi folks,

Today I'm here to tell you about my new adventure. My Temple ... you want to learn about it?

About two years ago my hubby and I became distributors for a company called GNLD. We always like to have a healthy life and keeping a healthy diet. Fish oil is one of the supplements that we take daily and the reason why we became GNLD distributors.

When our usual supplier in the US stopped shipping for Australia, we had the need to find another supplier where we could buy good quality fish oil. That's when we came across GNLD. We bought the product and then we became distributors because then we could have a place where we could buy it.

But after a while we started thinking that we could also make business with it. The products are good and we believe them so it is quite easy for us to promote them. We decided to open a online shop called Health Temple.

Why Health Temple? Well we chose this name because we believe that our health is sacred and so the best place to take care of it is a Temple ... our Health Temple.

In the Temple you can find our products and also lots of GNLD official brochures and Newsletters. You can also visit our blog where you will find lots of healthy information that will help you keeping your healthy life.

If you want you can also contact us on our email.

Hope you liked our idea and visit the Temple. We are waiting for you there!

Hugs

Kangas

The most appaling thing I've ever seen!

2009-06-04T11:32:00.002+10:00

Hi folks,

Today I'm here to tell you something that disgusted me as well as a lot of Australians. I always considered myself a funny person and someone with a very good sense of humour but what ABC showed yesterday as a comic sketch was everything but ...

I'm talking about "The chaser, the war on everything". For a long time this show (they classify as comic) has made front pages by its bad taste stunts and way too provocative attitude. But since yesterday some Australians say: "enough is enough"!

In their show they made a sketch where they show children acting like terminal ill children and they make fun of an institution that has been helping terminal ill children and their families around Australia. The institute is called "Make a Wish Foundation" and the name of the bad taste stunt was "Make a More Realistic Wish Foundation". It is appalling that they even end the sketch saying: "they're going to die any way".

On ABC forum a father of one of this very ill children who was also a fan of the Chaser for a very long time has spoken out. He was outraged and he said he was going to do the best he could to bring them down!

He was said he was going to publish on his blog, and everywhere he could so he would pass the message and we all could have a say on this. As I'm also very upset, I also left my comment on ABC forum and I decided to help this father, by letting know my readers about this.

I think it is appalling that Australian tax payers money is being used for something like this. I think it is time for ABC to step out and be accountable for the damage this stupid boys have caused. I believe it is time for them to take this show out of air for good!

I took the information from SMH and I also leave you ABC message board, so you can read what their fans are saying and add your own oppinion if you want.

Kangas

Let's go shopping? ... Are you thinking of a boy or a girl?! ...

2009-04-04T19:28:00.003+11:00

Today I bring a very controversial issue that makes headlines everyday around the world. Some say it's right, most say it's wrong and no one seems to be quite sure of what's the reason behind this new trend.

These days celebrities seems to be obsessed by adopting kids from third world countries. It seems to be really "cool" to go to Malawi or any other country in the world and "rescue"a poor child from poverty and starvation and this and that. When I say it this way it even make you think: "What's wrong with it? Seems quite a noble idea!"

But looking at those celebrities and specially looking at their lives it makes me wonder, what's their real interest? Do they really want to save those children or instead they really want the huge publicity they get when they do it?

These days having a kid became the "cool think to do" .... if you have 50 kids you're a star! But what about those kids? Have anyone thought that they are human beings and that they do have the right of a happy life with love, care and attention from their parents?! For them getting a kid is like going shopping ... "hey what are we going to do today? ... hum let's go to some country and get some kids!"

Kids are treated like merchandise. You don't even need to adopt. Some pay to have 5, 6,7 ... oh I forgot, apparently to be famous you need to make a plastic surgery to look like a certain celebrity and have 8 kids ... 8 is the "famous" number! And the most pathetic in this case is that these greedy doctors receive the money and do it! Even though they know they don't have conditions to raise them!

I'm obviously not saying that having kids is wrong, or having more than one kid is wrong. What I do think it's wrong is collecting kids as if they were the Baby Born babies our parents used to give us on Xmas! A believe a child is a blessing. A child should be wanted, loved and respected as an individual. Having a baby without being able to give him the basics it's absurd and very cruel.

Regarding to the adoption of babies from poor countries and think that these celebrities would do better if they use their money to provide these children with schools, food and other facilities so they could grow in their own countries with their parents. Having an education they could help the development of their countries and who knows make them better places to live. Taking them from their parents just because they are poor is abusing them.

In my opinion these people are abusing the other people's conditions. It's like if they say: "Hey you are poor I've got the money to buy your kids and anything you have, so you are nothing that money can't buy!"

I think this madness should stop! If people have a lot of money and really want to help children from poor countries then help them to have a better life but in their environment, in their homes and their parents.

This is my opinion, now I'm waiting on yours. Hope you liked it.

Hugs

Kangas

A book that makes think ...

2009-02-27T13:45:00.002+11:00

G'day Folks,

I'm reading this fantastic book that has made me think about several aspects of life itself and also about my own life and my attitude towards life.

I've already introduced you to this great history but I believe it won't hurt if I do talk about it once again as I'm so fascinated by it. The name of the book is "Isabel" , and it's from a fantastic young writer called Inês Lopes.

The story is about this man who is divided between a teenage failed love and a failed marriage. It is absolutely incredible the way she created this character Vicente Vaz and the way his actions touched me so hard. I can go from extremes, one day I can hate him and the other day I can feel compassion for him. He's simply fascinating because he makes you think, through his actions he makes you think about your own actions and your own life.

That happened to me and some situations I read in this book I could relate to them from my own experience. For example Vicente has unsolved feelings for an ex girlfriend and those feelings affected tremendously his marriage. When I was reading that I couldn't put my own experience aside and not to think how a similar situation almost ruined my marriage.

He also goes through several important aspects of modern society such as narrow minded ideas, jealousy, parenting, divorce, love ... you name it, it's there! And I believe that is exactly this aspect that gets me so interested in this story.

You see everything through Vicente's eyes, which is different from most of books where you have a narrator who is omnipresent and omniscient. You know Vicente and what he thinks about the world and the people around you but you don't know what the other characters think because you don't know nothing about them except what Vicente tells you.

In my opinion this is brilliant! Because it plays with your feelings and also with your imagination. It plays with your feelings because you may or you may not agree with Vicente however you don't have much information from the other characters to let you know what's really going on there, and there comes your imagination! You start thinking what could have caused him to do that or what may have caused that certain character to act in a certain way. Everyday I read a bit of this magnificent story and every single day it's a surprise.

Inês is brilliant in creating visual effects and surprises. So much so that reading "Isabel" is always like watching a movie. Most of the times I'm reading and it seems like I can see the characters interacting with each other, hear their voices and see their body language. It is like if all those characters where people ... neighbours, friends, whatever. I always leave a comment as if I was talking about someone I know. In fact I think I do know a bit of of them all and Inês brings me some more everyday.

It is amazing the way this book is touching me and making me analyse several aspects of life that maybe I would simply not think about them or maybe take them for granted. "Isabel" taught me that nothing is for granted in this life, not even the very simple thinks we think we all have!

It is a great story and you all can read it on the Blog "Isabel" that Inês has created specially for this great book. Leave your comments too so she knows how much her great work is touching us!

Hugs

Kangas

National Mourning Day

2009-02-26T09:00:00.003+11:00

Last Sunday we had a National Mourning Day and also a Memorial Service held at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne.

It was our way to pay tribute to all those who perished in those terrible bushfires in Victoria. It was beautiful. It was a true example of the Aussie Spirit. Everyone gathered and paid their tribute to those victims.

Princess Anne (Queen Elizabeth's daughter) came to the Memorial Service and she brought not only her own condolences but also the Queen's. She was noticeably disturbed by the path of death that terrible disaster left in our Country.

The Ceremony started with the sound of the didgeridoo, bells and a Funeral March . The perfect blend of indigenous and non-indigenous cultures. A truly Aussie moment. Whilst the music was playing the individualities started entering and placing a white flower in a big white flowers crown in front of the stage. The Premiere of Victoria, the Governor General, Princess Anne, the Prime Minister ... all of them came and started completing this huge floral crown.

Then there were the speeches. Each one of them expressed their grief and sadness for this horrible tragedy. Victoria's Premier, John Brumby, for example read a poem written by one of the fire fighter heroes he met in the disaster zone. Each one of them had something to add to the ceremony, but there was a common goal, a common sentence ... "We will rebuild!"

All communities from all religions were present and gave heir blessings as well. Although I have no religion I thought this was a very special moment as it showed exactly what religion should be about ... uniting people and creating peace! It was beautiful!

The day before the Arabic community held an event and raise money to help the victims themselves.

We had the National Anthem again with that wonderful sound of the didgeridoo in the background. The nation singing in memory of those who can no longer sing with us. It was a very deep moment of pride and sadness. Pride of being Australian and seeing our country together when dark days come. Sadness because the reason we were doing this was the tragic death of more than 200 people.

At the very end another remarkable moment. A song that has been a Anthem for us for ages. A song that shows exactly what Australia is about. "We are Australian" by Bruce Woodly. He came specially for this event and wrote different lyrics especially for this event and as a way of paying tribute to the bushfire victims. But to complete that tribute he called Merelyn and David Carter, two survivors from Kinglake to sing this wonderful song with him and his daughter.

He is the video:

It was such a fantastic moment. I was singing along and the tears were rolling down my face.

So this post is for all the victims and their families and also to those heroes who risked their lives to save lives!They shown the real Aussie Spirit! My heart goes out to them.

Hugs

Kangas

The unthinkable!

2009-02-19T09:35:00.002+11:00

Hi again ...

Another ridiculous and disgusting story today. This time from USA.

You all know that Victoria have been devastated by the worst bushfires in Australian history. This horrendous tragedy has chocked not only people in the country but people worldwide. And from all the corners of the world help has come. Some give money, others send firefighters.

Of course most of people in the US supported us and send their sincere condolences to the families. However there is this freak cult who just did the unthinkable!

They said Australia is doomed and that we deserved that tragedy. Saying they don't feel sorry for it at all and that what happen was just the wrath of God Who got us burning in Hell. How pathetic!

How can someone say such rubbish about such a tragedy! What did those children to these people to deserve such comments? What did those families to these people to deserve this comments? Ultimately what did Australia do to these freaks to have such abusive comments from them?

There were innocent children killed there, there entire families. This type of comments are stupid, disgusting and most of all cruel! Is this religion?

Well I thought religions should be about making peace not hatred! How can this people talk in the name of God saying such profanities. It's unbelievable! How can someone be happy about this? Really is too bad to be true! It is hard to believe that there is people like this in the world.

Nobody deserves to die in such a cruel way. Nobody! And in that tragedy there was 200 people (counted so far) who died in a brutal way, trees burned, animals killed, houses destroyed ... how can someone think this is fair and be happy about it?

I can only think that those are twisted minds!

If you want to watch the outrageous story go to: http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=248153&cl=12093401&ch=&src=y7news

Hugs

Kangas

Stealing from those who helped him!

2009-02-19T08:53:00.003+11:00

Hi Folks,

The story I bring you today is about something I saw yesterday in a show called "Today tonight" on Channel 7. It really disgusted me and that's why I decided to write about it.

The story is about this bloke who migrated to Australia as a refugee. He came here because this country gave him the chance of having a better life, but look how he thanked the country and the people of this country for the good life he received!

According to an investigation made by the TV show and the Australian authorities this man together with his wife and other mates got into stage accidents to them claim they were injured and claim compensation bonuses from the insurance companies. This is actually a crime and there was even people jailed for doing it!

When confronted with the truth the man played stupid saying he didn't know what they were talking about ... yeah right!

It is pathetic that these people come to this country supposedly to have a better life and (in this case) because this country and the people of this country gave them a second chance to have a better life and raise their kids with better conditions and their response to such generosity is theft! Disgusting!

Australia is a beautiful country of great people where a "fair go" for everyone is a rule, however there's some people who probably think they are smarter than the people of this country who use this fair go to profit on those who helped them. In my opinion and to be very honest this people should have their visas revoked and be forced to go back to the place where they come from. There is no excuse or apology for this type of behaviour. This people are criminal, they are not worth of Australians mercy!

I was absolutely disgusted when I saw this story, and what disgusted me the most is that he is a refugee, which means he was helped and saved by the Australians who brought them to their home. This is like you seeing a homeless person on the street and bring the person home to give him some food and clean clothes and that person assaulting you and robbing everything you own! It's unacceptable and disgusting!

I hope they get this thief in jail or they send him, his family and mates back to the place where they come from!

If you want to watch the story yourself, go to http://au.todaytonight.yahoo.com/latest and click on the link "smashed" to hear the story exactly as I heard it yesterday.

Bye folks

Kangas

A bit of justice for the Portuguese men ...

2009-01-31T18:44:00.002+11:00

Today I'm here to talk about something that made me believe that justice is possible in this world!

Sometimes good things come from where you least expect and that's definitely what happened in this situation. For a long time I've always said that the Family Law is unfair everywhere in the world as it gives too much protection for women and no rights for men! For example I know a case here in Australia of a hard working man who had to give 70k of his assets after a marriage of 3 years ended up!

Although I am a woman, I do recognise that women are in a win win situation on this one. It is also true that they are in a loose loose situation in many other affairs. Salaries for example! Apparently Barack Obama is changing that for the USA, hope the rest of the world follows them up.

But sometimes small countries where people believe nothing really important can come up from (definitely my case!), can create laws that make the difference. And Portugal did just that!

Today I was surfing the net and I just went to this Portuguese website. In the main page they have the main headlines in the country and I read that their President Cavaco Silva, had approved a new Family Law although he wasn't quite sure it is a good policy as according to him will create more poverty.

Well I must confess that I thought: "I got to find what this is all about! I bet it will be about the division of assets in case of divorce!" ... Bingo! It was exactly that!

Then I read that the Catholic Church was also against it and there was a lot of controversy around the new Law, I thought: "I can't believe they took all women's benefits in case of divorce! Such a narrow minded country having such a good idea it's really remarkable!"

But I had to make sure I was right because I wasn't quite sure it was as good as I thought it was. So I searched and I found the article with the Law. Folks I'm going to say something I've never thought I would be able to in my entire life but today I am very proud of Portugal! I am very proud that they are moving in a good direction, where people can have equal rights!

According to this New Law in case of divorce women are no longer entitled to half of the man's total assets as it was before. With this new Law they can only get half of all the assets that were purchased by both! Fair dinkum I should say!

Also according to this Law the children's custody seems to be more fair for both parts. And both give "child support". Women lose all benefits they were or may be entitled due to their married status.

I'm very happy with this Law that I truly believe should be ruled in every country of the world. When women ask for a fair go they should ask for it in every aspect of their lives, not only for the convenient ones!

"But how can she say that for God sake! She's a woman!" you may say. Well it's true, but just because I'm a woman doesn't mean I have to agree that women get more rights than men in a certain issue. I believe in equal rights, so I believe that women should have exactly the same rights as men. If they work 8 hours in the X company doing the Y job, they should get exactly the same money as a man who also works in the X company doing the same Y job. Being a man doesn't mean you should get better payment if you do exactly the same job! The same here, when you get married you take your vows to the person you get married with not to his/her assets, bank accounts or wallet! So if the relationship doesn't work you should divide what both got as a couple not what he had before even met you!

I believe when you get married it's a decision you make on your own, nobody forces you to get married and also nobody forces you to make any decisions regarding to your personal and professional life because of that! So why blame the other partner for the decisions you made? I don't think it's fair to blame my husband for being 3 years waiting for my exam and my final arrangements to start my career, when I agreed to move to Australia and get married with him I knew it was going to be like that!

I don't think it's fair that if I divorced from him now I would get half of his assets when he has been paying for my food and all my bills all this time! I should be grateful he did. The Portuguese President reckons this Law will create more poverty in the country because now there will be more poor women asking for help. Well I think I might be a bit controversial here but wasn't it creating some poor men before?! Men that spend their lives working hard to bring home the bacon and suddenly loose half of what they got for someone who didn't work or contribute monetarily to those assets, some of them prior to the relationship! It was unfair in my opinion.

This law will force women to think that men are men not a bank and also it will force them to value themselves and think they can have a successful career as well as men and they don't need to spend all their lives in a house cooking and cleaning!

I know childcare is expensive, but so is your mental health! I believe that if you have a career you will be a better wife and a better person, because you feel valued. You can't afford to deny yourself a life for anything in this world! If you don't do what you truly like you become a bitter person and may eventually end up with serious problems.

I know I might being a bit too harsh on this one as I do know that people from my mum's generation live in a different reality and might have different needs, however I do believe they also made their choices and they always have to put up with the consequences of those choices. It might not be quite fair to them however I believe it will be fair for everyone from now on!

My husband said when we read the story: "Bye bye Gold diggers!"... well I totally agree with him. Maybe Sir Paul McCartney had a fair go should this law be applicable in his country!

Hugs

Kangas

Carifying my last post ...

2009-01-30T20:54:00.002+11:00

Writing is a pleasure for me, it's also an escape, a way of expressing everything I feel inside. When I write I let myself go with the emotions I feel inside and my hand is just a tool to those feelings to come out and being told. But sometimes I just let myself go and write things that although are not meant to cause any trouble they can actually be misinterpreted and cause me trouble.

This was exactly what happened with my last post. Everybody who knows me for a long time knows how devoted I've always been to Australia and how this country means so much to me. So when I write about Australia I just let myself go and then ... well then I just say things like the ones I said yesterday.

My great friend Inês who knows me for a long time and knows exactly what I just said, read my previous post and gave me this wonderful feedback. As she said it is not racist to fly the flag of sing the Anthem but in fact when I said that "Australia is without a doubt the best country in the world" it could be misinterpreted and taken in a racist context.

So I decided to write this post to clarify the possible misunderstanding it may cause.

When I said Australia is the best country in the world I obviously wanted to express what I feel about the country and not having any demeaning attitude towards any other country of the world. I love this country and although I wasn't born here this is the only country I will ever call home. Because I love it because I feel this country in my veins. It's hard to explain but Australia is special for me, I feel this country, I love this country and its people and being here makes me so proud because I can work and help to make this country grow even bigger, even better.

My great friend Inês knows me well enough to know every single word I wrote here, but she also know that other people who have never known anything about me may have a wrong impression of my words and that's why she let me know about the situation.

Before I go I would like to thank Inês not only for the feedback the gave me on the last post but for all the very intelligent comments she gives in all my posts. This is exactly what I wanted when I created this blog, have feedback of my readers.

Hugs

Kangas

Australia Day

2009-01-29T12:41:00.003+11:00

This year although it was a very sad time for me because of grandmother's death, I had the most special Australia Day I've ever had.

My hubby and I went to the park in front of our building, just in the other side of the river. There was music, snags and lots of attractions for everyone. My hubby couldn't stop taking photos of the Hummer Limo they had there while I was most interested in the great Aussie music they were playing on stage.

I was also trying to get a flag but when we got there it was a bit too late and they had all gone! Bad luck for me this time!

I stayed in front of the stage as the music was great. Around 3pm was time to pack up and go home, but not before a very special moment ... the full version of the National Anthem, instead of the usual first part we all know from sports events and stuff. I couldn't believe I was there listen to the Anthem. Of course I sang along with the people there and I felt so proud that I was singing our National Anthem in a public place, on Australia day with Aussie people. I was proud, I AM very proud! Proud of this great nation, proud of this great people that I will always call my people. Singing it with people who were born here, people that I admire and respect so much was an honour. An honour for being here with them, an honour for making part of this day with them. I had tears in my eyes and I was so happy and proud.

The day before my hubby and I went shopping and we could see cars with national flags everywhere. It was amazing. It was beautiful. We're so proud of our Oz. This is without a doubt the best country in the world. We feel proud of our nation and we are proud to show it!

How can people think or ever consider this pride racist? How can ever people consider this beautiful moment a racist act? I don't understand it, but for some reason people who came to this country, just as I did, believes that being patriotic and being proud of your country means being racist to people from other countries. Well maybe these people never felt proud of their countries!

I wasn't born in Australia but I'm devoted to this country since I was 5. I love this country and I love this people and this culture. I feel very happy for being here now, I've never planed it, it simply happened but it made me a very happy person.

Thank you Australia for being the best country in the world. Thank you Australians for having me and for letting me be a part of this great nation of ours.

AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE! OI OI OI!

Hugs

Kangas

Just blogging ...

2009-01-28T19:35:00.002+11:00

These days everyone seems to have a blog. Some write about themselves, some write about travel, or politics or anything they want to. There's nothing wrong with that and sometimes it may be a good way for one to express oneself, but what really annoys me is when people decide just blogging with nothing to say at all.

A couple of months ago I came across with this Portuguese blog, made by a group of people who are supposedly economists and people related to the political and financial area. Some of the posts they have there may have some interest and true on them but there's some that in my opinion show a total lack of knowledge of the Portuguese reality.

Most of these posts have the same author that I will PA. He describes Portugal and sometimes for someone who lived in that country for 30 years feels like he has absolutely no idea of what that country is all about. It looks like is just blogging saying a bunch of nonsense while some readers tell him exactly that!

He talks about the country in a way that sometimes makes you think he has no idea of what he's talking about and is just there to show off his writing skills!

One of those days he spoke about the Portuguese dictator who lead that country to years of poverty. But because this dictator manage to get the Country's GDP in a very good position and for doing so PA believes he is "the winner" as he says on the post tittle.

It is quite unbelievable that people of my generation who had not lived into those times to speak in such a way of something they don't know. I don't know either, I wasn't there! However and from what I've lived in that country and from what I've learned from that period at school that growth was based on very low salaries, extreme poverty and exploitation. How can such an ignorant call this good?

Because of that period that country is still years and years behind the rest of the world! How can this be good?

And most of all he should understand that if that man was still in power he wouldn't even be able to write the stupidity he writes on his blog, because it would censored.

I also find quite amazing that most of the blog's readers respond quite badly to his verbiage calling him all types of names.

I think having a blog, just like the one I got here, is a good way of communicating with people and expressing ourselves. However I believe that when people want to make a political, historical or whatever blog they should at least study the subject first and do it with enough knowledge.

I try to do this here, and in any occasion I wrote a post that I wasn't sure about. Apparently that guy doesn't feel the same ... not even his colleagues seem to put up with him quite well sometimes!

Hugs

Kangas

You die and they have their Caribbean holidays!

2009-01-28T10:47:00.002+11:00

Hi everyone,

Yesterday I told you about three disgusting situations that happened in Portugal with their National Health System and their doctors. But I think for my article to be complete I have to add some more information about the greed, corruption and stupidity mixed up with a pinch of incompetence, rudeness and intolerance that those hospitals and surgeries are filled with!

When you visit most of the doctors in Portugal you don't get out of their surgery without a prescription in your hands for some more drugs for you to take. For example in my last post I gave you the example of my friend's brother who was given a Valium with no other examination made. It's also true that for those people (most of them illiterate) if a doctor don't give them some drugs then is not a good doctor.

For example I remember my dad being prescribed the famous Vioxx (that was taken away worldwide for being dangerous) by his doctor. The doctor he had at his company. When he got home I read the brochure in the box and also did some research on that drug because I've never believed those doctors. And I found clearly written on that brochure: "Do NOT take Vioxx if you drive or operate any kind of machinery" ... did that guy understood that he was working for a bus company and my dad was a bus DRIVER???? What if he had a terrible accident, killed himself and 20 or more people inside the bus? Who's responsibility was this?

When my friend XionXxen mentioned he had to wait a long time to be seen by a doctor while the doctor was in his office with another one having a chat I remembered some years ago when I was still living in that country that I used to go for the regular check up with my doctor and I used to wait for hours and hours while she was inside with two or three guys carrying a big black suitcase! And it's exactly about these guys that I want to talk to you today!

The truth is while the patients who had their appointments booked (like me) had to wait one, two or whatever hours if one of these guys showed up! But who were these guys to be treated with such priority you may ask? ... They were the big Medical Manufacturers Representatives.

What was their job? What were they doing there talking to the doctors?

Well, these guys were paid to show up at the surgeries and talk to the doctors promoting the drugs their companies manufactured. Although it is a bit odd there's nothing apparently wrong about that until one day a guy decided to spill the beans and tell everything about the disgusting business there was behind all those visits!

They were there to show new products to the doctors and offer them nice Caribbean Holiday Packages if they prescribed a certain amount of their products. Some doctors had some sort of exclusivity "contact" that allowed them to prescribe ONLY products made by a certain company. No matter if the product was bad, or even if another company had a better one for a certain patient, they had to win their holidays if the patient dies ... well bad luck!

For example I remember my dad being prescribed the famous Vioxx (that was taken away worldwide for being dangerous) by his doctor. The doctor he had at his company. When he got home I read the brochure in the box and also did some research on that drug because I've never believed those doctors. And I found clearly written on that brochure: "Do NOT take Vioxx if you drive or operate any kind of machinery" ... did that guy understood that he was working for a bus company and my dad was a bus DRIVER???? What if he had a terrible accident, killed himself and 20 or more people inside the bus? Who's responsibility was this?

When this person decided to spill the beans and talk publicly about this it was a scandal in that country and apparently some doctors and companies where sued. I say apparently because I've never seen the result of it!

But even if they were, what about the people who probably died or had complications due to a bad prescription drugs? Who is going to help these people? Seems to me it's a bit to late for them isn't it?

When the Government started introducing generic medicines the doctors were the first ones stepping out and saying they were totally against it because these medicines didn't have the same quality of the ones they prescribed. Hum! Is that true? Are they worried about the quality of the products or about their beloved holidays?

Let's analyze it folks ... as far as I'm concerned a generic medicine is just a product that doesn't have a branded name given by some company. Instead they carry their active principle's name. Something like "paracetamol", "codeine", etc. The branded ones have exactly the same name, the difference is the doctor can prescribe you the substance he wants you take and then the dosage so you can get to the chemist and chose which product suits you best both economically and physiologically.

This seems quite easy to understand for you and me, but not for people who believe that a doctor is some sort of God who is above them and so they have to do whatever they tell them to. In that country is that the way it works for these greedy companies and unscrupulous doctors, they take advantage of people who can't know better and they get the profit of it! What a shame!

I don't know about the UK but in Australia these companies can't make any greedy profits as all the medicines are priced by the Government and according to my husband when a new product comes out it is proposed to the Government that then decides how much it is willing to pay for it. They take it or leave it! Our doctors don't prescribe brands, they prescribe generics so we get what we want.

The generics now exist in Portugal as well, and they say the holidays business is over. I wish I could believe that ...

And that's all for now.

Hugs

Kangas

People treated like merchandise

2009-01-27T19:51:00.003+11:00

Hi folks,

Today I'm going to tell about a situation that it's unacceptable and ridiculous. Several situations when people were treated like merchandise by doctors at a public hospital.

Let's start by the first one. On the 2nd January my friend XionXxen felt very ill in Portugal, where he was with his girfriend Inês, he had fever and upset stomach (for more details read XionXxen blog). After going to a private hospital where he was treated kindly, he was adviced to go to the public hospital to have some tests done and find out if his problem was gastroenteritis or appendicitis.

What he thought would be just a visit to the hospital revealed to be a real ordeal that lasted for 14 days. XionXxen is a British citizen so he is entitled to be treated in any EU hospital. However they now created this European Health Card for the European citizens so when they travel to any of the other EU members they are entitled to free treatment. XionXxen didn't have that, however he showed his passport that easily proved he is a British citizen so in any Country of the would that should be enough. But not for the Portuguese of course!

They not only made him pay a ridiculous amount of money (120 euros) but also they where extremelly rude to him and told him they couldn't even send a fax with the receipt for his travel insurence company! But his ordeal was far from over ... the doctors who saw him were rude, and treated him as they were doing him a favour instead of doing their job! How rude! How stupid that people are! The doctor had the nerve of being in his office for a long time chatting with a colleague while XionXxen waited outside in pain!

Unbelievable that you pay a lot of money to be treated like crap in a public hospital when the private didn't charge you a cent and treat you politely!

Unfortunately XionXxen didn't have a better treatment when he went back to UK. They made him wait for 14 days for the results of a stool sample and because he was calling them to know about it they even had the nerve to make rude comments while he was there waiting to be seen by his GP without knowing he was listening to the whole thing! Appalling!

The second situation was the brother of a great friend of mine who also had to go to the hospital after loosing his vision for a few seconds and vomiting. The great Portuguese doctors did nothing but giving him a saline intravenous drip and a Valium, sending him home afterwards with no CAT scan or anything. How irresponsible and stupid this is? Unbelievable!

The third situation is the one that happened to my grandmother who passed away last Saturday. My grandmother was diabetic and throughout her life the suffered from many health complications due to her diabetic condition aggravated by her bad habits. However on the last years of her life she was constantly going to the hospital with high glycemia and several internal infections that my dad always thought were due to diabetes complications. The doctors never told him about any other complications however my dad always been suspicious that she had some serious problem in her intestine. She was permanently loosing blood through her faeces and having internal infection. Nothing was clarified to my dad.

Last week in one of those hospital visits, the doctor wanted to send her back home when she had still her sugar levels very high and wasn't stabilized. My dad obviously didn't like it and started asking questions to what he was told she suffered from diverticulitis and this was the cause for the internal bleeding and infections, and also for the high sugar levels. They said they couldn't keep her in the hospital as they couldn't do anything for that.

She came home and a few days after had to go back after vomiting. They made some exams on her however about 24 hours later my grandmother was deceased. They then called my dad to let him know she had passed away and finally to tell him what happened all this time. This diverticulatis was causing all this bleeding and problems. And ultimately she bled herself to death as her intestine blew up. It is very sad how are this people who apparently are paid to save lives capable of letting someone die like this!

It is quite umbelievable that people who are paid to save lives treat other people like these three cases I've shown you here today!

Hugs

Kangas

Another year has begun ...

2009-01-27T19:39:00.002+11:00

Hi everyone,

It's been a long time since my last post. I've been very busy and although I had a lot of issues I'd like to talk about I didn't have much time to sit and write about them.

But I'm back ... finally you may say! ... ready for another year of important issues to discuss.

But before I start I'd like to wish to all of my readers a very happy new year. I hope 2009 brings you all you ever wished for.

Hugs

Kangas

Beware of the red

2008-12-22T12:06:00.003+11:00

Hi everyone,

The story I'm going to tell you today is about something that I read and watched on the news a couple of weeks ago. I really don't know what you think about this but I'm must tell you that for me is as absurd as can be!

Apparently QLD State Government wants to ban teachers from using red pen to correct their pupils works and tests. They say the red ink causes trauma in those children that feel demeaned when they see a lot of red in their works.

Well ... let's be realistic folks. Teachers have always used red pen to correct tests and works, and none of us felt demeaned or traumatised by it do we? Have you ever felt terrible sad about your teachers using red ink? What about when he writes a A+ on it? Very demeaning isn't it?

They say we have the biggest teenage suicide rate and we have to do something about it ... once again let's be realistic ... do these people really believe that the simple usage of red ink can lead someone to suicide????? Are they kidding me???

In my opinion teachers use the red ink as a way of calling our attention to our mistakes in order to correct them. Red is a very visual colour so when something is written in red you instantly read it. That's what teachers want. They want you to read it so you understand your mistakes.

I think teenage suicide must be faced in a more realistic and acceptable way. To understand why we have such a high teenage suicide rate first we have to look at the causes for it. Why are our teens killing themselves? What environment do they have at home? What environment do they have at school? Do they have contact with alcohol and drugs? ... let's not just being simplistic and point the fingers to such a stupid think as red ink in a test!

These days, our society lives in constant frantic way. We have our careers, and some of us have very little time to anything else. The governments of the world encourage people to have children, giving them bonuses and stuff, but let's be honest, is a child a question of getting a bonus or being wanted and desired by their parents?

What's the point of having 2 or 3 children when you can't be there for them? Plus what's the point of having children at all when you feel you're not prepared to do so?

A child needs someone to be there for them. No, I'm not talking about sacrifying your career or personal life and stay at home cooking and cleaning! I'm totally against that! What I mean is, having a life that allows you to have your career and your children. Help them with the homework if they need to, go with them to the park if they want to, talk to them, be there for them when they need you.

If kids are left alone, and have no one to talk to, if they don't have their parents to rely on they start blaming themselves for everything that happens to them. They start thiking they are not worthy ... isn't this a good cause for suicide?

Do they think that if a kid don't have their parents support they going to care about something so unimportant as red ink in a test? What would be more important to them, their parents support of the pen their teachers use to correct their works?

Bullying ... another dangerous factor in our teens life! If you don't pay attention to what's going on at school and if your kids are being bullied that's is wrong, that can cause them serious damage or even suicide ... not the "so called dangerous red ink"on the test.

I hope you liked my story today. I really wanted to discuss this with you as I believe it is a very serious matter that is being neglected by some people who call themselves experts!

Hugs

Kangas

Merry Xmas Folks

2008-12-20T11:26:00.003+11:00

Hi everyone,

Sorry I haven't posted anything for a long time but I've been very busy and I had no time to sit and write something ...

Today I'm here because of Xmas. Although this is not the best time of the year for me, I recognise it is a time to think about good things and specially to be nice to everyone and create piece ...

I said this is not the happiest season for me, you must be wondering why. Well I reckon this is a the season of "being superficial and fake" ... and I explain why. On Xmas you have to put up with people you definitely don't like and with whom you have absolutely nothing in common and pretent everything is ok. So it's hard for me to be like that!

I'm reading a wonderful story called "Isabel", that I've already spoken about and I truly recommend to everyone who can read Portuguese. In that story one of the female characters, Helena, is a shallow women, who doesn't care about living in a fake marriage, with a man that doesn't love her at all and with whom she has nothing in common. What it counts for her is having a luxury apartment and an expensive car (given by her father of course!) and show all her friends she has a wonderful life, full of luxury and style!

I'm sorry if this opinion of mine may go against your beliefs and opinions, but this is simply what I feel about this season ... I think that I end up being forced to be a bit like Helena just because it's Xmas. Not in regards to luxuries or fancy cars of course, I'm too spontaneous to ever act that way, but in the way that I have to pretend to be fine with something I'm not, pretending to be happy when I'm definitely not and that for me is being fake.

I love Xmas for what it truly is. A time of peace, a time that should be spent with those we love the most and love us back, however for a long time my Xmas is everything but that. Usually is when I get more stressed, when I get more hurt and I wonder ... why should I keep doing this to myself? Why should I keep allowing this to happen?

Is it better spending Xmas in peace and with true love or spend it being fake and upset? I truly don't understand this sort of things!

I wish I could spend Xmas with happiness, with my niece running around and everyone being happy ... when I was in Portugal I wished I could spend Xmas with my parents having fun and being happy ... why there's always a bloody bad apple to spoil the party for everyone????

But, because I do love Xmas for what it is. I remember one of my aunties in Portugal, wearing a Santa hat and go next to the Xmas tree at midnight and start distributing the presents for everyone. It was funny, it was Xmas ... we used to sing carols as well ... and because of these good moments, I could almost forget a bit the bad apples we had there ....

Anyway folks, as I said this is just how I feel because I have to be someone different from the real Kangas and you know how difficult that is for me don't you? I don't blame it on Xmas of course, I believe Xmas is too precious to be blamed for such a thing, I just blame it in the vain and fake society we live in that force us to be fake in order to be politically correct ... whatever that is!

So I wish you all a merry Xmas. I hope you have as much peace, love and fun as you can possibly get in this festive season. Sing lots of nice carrols and if you can do like my aunty ... wear you Santa hat and start saying ... "HOHOHO! SANTA IS HERE! MERRY XMAS!"... because there is nothing better than just being happy. It is suppose to be the birth of Jesus Christ so it is time to be happy and celebrate as much as we can.

I'll try doing it ... in my own way and as much as I can too.

Hugs

Kangas

A "get out of jail free" Card

2008-11-16T20:32:00.003+11:00

Hi folks,

The story I'm telling you today it's revolting and absurd!

Today my husband just told me to read a story he was reading on the paper. He was quite shocked and I just went there to check what was the story about. I couldn't be more shocked and revolted!

It's one of those advice chronicles, and this man who is married for about one year and is already being verbally and mentally abused by his wife.

As he says on the email he sent to the Newspaper he kept his story a secret for all this time because he felt embarrassed. But this week he couldn't take it no more and he decided to ask for help. According to him, she punched him and kicked him on his genitals and called him (she calls him all the time) de C word. When he tried to open up to some friends they ridiculously made fun of him telling him "to be a man"... as if you solve violence with more violence.

Then he refers that she was diagnosed and is being treated for depression and they think she might have bipolar. She drinks 2 bottles of Bayley's a day and she doesn't work!

The person from the Newspaper answered him in a very supportive and intelligent way. I must confess that today I felt proud of that woman by the way she approached the situation.

First of all the mentioned he should go to the police and make a complaint. She says his friends attitude was stupid and that she shouldn't have suffered in silence for so long.

But then she goes deeper into something that I truly agree. She says it makes little difference to her if she is bipolar or in any other psychotic status as she believes that is no excuse for abuse. She calls his wife an abuser and she believes she should be responsible for her acts.

Just read a bit of her response:

I don’t really care much about your wife’s diagnosis of bipolar. Almost anyone can get a diagnosis these days. But a diagnosis and a disorder don’t excuse you from life. They are not a universal “get out of jail free” card which allows you to trample on other people because you’re not well. Your wife’s bipolar is certainly no excuse for her abuse. Don’t let anyone tell you that. Can you imagine the outrage if people tried to tell an abused woman she should stay and support her husband because he was mentally unwell?

This is the point I want to get today. These days people use mental disorders as an excuse to do basically everything! If you kill ... oh he has schizophrenia so he's not accountable for his acts! ... if you verbally or mentally abuse your relatives ... oh he's bipolar or schizophrenic, he doesn't know what he does!

For God sake but do we have to be abused by this people and pretend nothing happened???? Should this man keep on being abused this way just because she was diagnosed with bipolar?

Sorry if I sound a bit to harsh on this one but I believe that no one has the right to be abused, and when it concerns to Bipolar or even Schizophrenia the medicine already offers a wide range of options to help this people. I even wrote a post before about a Oprah Show where people affected with bipolar were invited to tell their stories and encourage other people to reach for help!

And by the way ... she doesn't work, she drinks 2 bottles of liquor a day and then does she expect people's mercy????

Another thing that actually touched me was the fact that everyone acknowledged that it's easier to believe when a woman walks into a police station with bruises and says she was abused than when is a man walking in the police station for the same reasons!

So if we say NO! to domestic violence against women why not doing the same for men?!

We have to stop having double standards and start to understand that women can be more abusive than man. Because being abusive is not only being physically abusive, mental abuse can cause serious damage, sometimes even more serious than any bruises you may get!

This woman (and I agree with the columnist Kate de Brito and with a lot of women who left their comments there) that this woman should be charged and accountable for her act regardless of having bipolar or not!

I think no mental disorder is excuse for abuse! I do respect and support those who have mental disorders, but I will never support and abuser.

Here is the link if you want to read the details of this shocking story of this man who is seriously abused by a drunk abusive woman who does nothing in her life but drinking Bayley's and abuse the one who pays for her luxury!

http://blogs.news.com.au/bossy/index.php/news/comments/my_wife_beats_me_up_what_shoudl_i_do/

I trully hope this man gets out of that relatioship and finds someone who really deserves such a good person.

Hugs

Kangas

Is it fair?

2008-11-14T18:15:00.002+11:00

G'day Folks.

Today I'm going to talk about a quite controversial issue. I think some of the readers may not even agree with me. I believe it is very healthy to share different opinions ...

This week the NSW Premier Nathan Rees announced the Mini Budget. Apparently from the 1st of January 2009 the Harbour Bridge and Harbour Tunnel tolls are going to change. According to the News a new "congestion fee" will apply. So if you travel on pick hour you will pay $4, on shoulder periods $3 and off peak you will pay the normal toll.

The Government says this is to take cars out of the city, people say it is absurd!

Well, I think when you live in a place served by public transport you can chose that instead of the car. But obviously I don't forget that in the West there are areas with very poor transport services that force people to bring their cars to work.

I agree with this fee, however I think it would be way fairer if the Premier took care of the train network and major infrastructures like the Metro before creating this toll.

It is stupid that we spend so much money in unecessary things and put aside such a major project for our city.

I must also say that several car parks were built next to the major train stations, where people can bring their cars and go o work by train. Why don't they do it?

I agree with the toll and I think that major cities in the world have to do something to avoid people to bring their cars into the city. I believe that most people do it because they don't want to go on public transport with other people ... I've lived in a country where that happens!

CityRail has a lot of problems and no one denies that, but we have to think that peak hour is made of full trains, buses and ferries everywhere in the world, and no matter where you go you will always hear the locals complain about their public transport, even when for you their look ok.

In my opinion the public transport network should be improved and, yes, this toll imposed!

There should be less and less cars in our cities. People should be able to walk free in the city.

Hope to hear from you now ... do you agree with me? :)

Hugs

Kangas

Experience vs Opportunity

2008-11-12T15:22:00.002+11:00

G'day folks,

Everyday more and more people finish their studies, and more and more people get into the work market.

When you finish your Degree or your Masters you aim to find a job and start your career. It's only natural I suppose ... or maybe not!

I know a lot of people that finished their studies and struggle to even get an job interview. And why we may all ask, well because they don't have experience ... or so they say!

I must say that this is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! It seems quite clear and logical that if you just got out of UNI you obviously don't have experience, but it is QUITE logical to me too that if you never give a job to these people they will never have the chance to get that experience everyone seems to want!

In one of the conversations I had with a great friend of mine about this issue, I was told that some companies rather put forward a person with a degree but who had been working for 6 months, even if just answering phones and making copies, than a person who has just finished a Masters Degree an never worked in the industry. How ridiculous is that?

Then I also heard that they want to pay ridiculous salaries to these people just because they don't have experience (or maybe because they never been answering phones for someone ... ). I do know that when you hire someone, you want the person to be competent and professional, you won't pay someone to sit in a chair and do nothing good!

But who said people who don't have the so called work experience is less able than the rest of the workers? And if they are able to put someone forward just because they were in a company answering phones and making copies it is quite obvious that skills is not what they're after!

Maybe we should start putting in our CV's ... I worked for my parents, helping then answering phones and paying bills online! ... I know it sounds immature this comment of mine, but for such a stupidity I guess only a stupid comment like this one ....

How would you know if someone is good or not if you close the door to them straight away? How would they have the change to prove their skills if that change was never given to them?

Why don't they opt for employing people for 6 months or so as a contractor and then they pass then to permanent if they intend to? At least they would give people the chance to try. To be very honest I don't believe that it's a CV or 6 or 9 months experience that make one a good professional. If you like what you do and if you are a good professional even with no experience you are able to show it.

I know a case of a guy, who has been in several jobs in his life. What he does is he gets a job, he works for 2 or three months and then he quits because he reckons the job is no good for him! The last job he worked he took holidays (paid by the company because it was a permanent job) and he went overseas. While he was overseas he called the company quitting. Now he's unemployed for more than 7 months!

What can we take from this folks? This guy has a lot of experience, or so his CV says, but is he a good professional? Would you like to hire this person to your company? You wouldn't would you? Although I'm a friend of this person I wouldn't ever hire his services.

I believe people is more than a paper, and papers can be deceiving! So many people lie on their CV. I don't think is right, however in the current situation where people only look to the papers and don't care about who's behind those papers I think people just lie because that's what employers (or the job agencies) want to hear!

This current work market situation disgusts me! I see these agents calling people who is employed and not needing their services everyday harassing them with new job proposals while people who really needs a job is on the streets trying o get one! How pathetic!

What would be the future of this companies? I've been thinking ... well if they don't employ people with no experience, then they will keep the ones they have until they retire or die. If everyone thinks like them, then these companies have to close because the people who have no experience didn't have the chance to prove they are good, and the ones who had that experience are too old to work ... how would they solve this problem? Stupid mentality isn't it?

Well I truly hope this changes and people start being valued for what they are and not by what a paper says they are.

Hugs

Kangas

Xmas is coming!

2008-11-11T16:24:00.002+11:00

G'day folks,

Xmas is almost here. The streets are all groomed and the adds on telly tell you already what's on to buy this season.

For us Australians is also Summer time. Time for a walk on the beach and a delicious barbie with our mates. I know that for those who live in the Northern Hemisphere this sounds odd, but yeah we do go to the beach in December! :P

This year I might spend Xmas alone with my husband, which is great because then I can have a real traditional Aussie Xmas. But I still don't know for sure if that will happen so I won't do my party yet!

I know that every country has its own traditions. And it's quite amazing to find out about each country's tradition. For example in Poland they have a traditional dish called Bigos. Bigos are made of sauerkraut and polish sausage. It is delicious folks!

My dear sis made it here a couple of times when she was still living in Sydney and I just became a fan! I love it!

Australia has it's barbies and the seafood. It is great too. Of course that as we have so many influences from so many cultures we end up having a mixture of traditions ...

We have Santa and all those things and some families have their roasted turkey and their Xmas pudding. But the real deal is a nice barbie and a traditional aussie Pavlova. :)

It's delicious ... it's aussie! :)

What do you think of our Xmas? I'd liek to hear from you. :)

Hugs

Kangas

Because dreams don't die!

2008-11-08T18:45:00.007+11:00

G'day folks,

Today I'm going to tell you about the story of a radio that inspired thousands of people and become a huge family.

All started around 1991 in Portugal. In a city called Montijo, on the southern shore of river the Tagus. At that time there was a lot of pirate radios around Lisbon and Radio 98 was one of then. When it finished it gave place to a new radio, Super FM. This was no longer a pirate Radio and it was destined to change a lot of lives forever ... including mine.

Around 92 I was completely obsessed by Guns N'Roses and their front man Axl Rose. I was only 15 and radio was a good way to get information about my idols. In one afternoon I tuned in this radio that was playing "Sweet Child of Mine". When it finished there was a young and active voice talking and I really liked the way that radio sounded. I knew straight away that was not a ordinary radio, that was a different type of Radio.

Then I heard that there was this program called "Super Eleição" ("Super election"), where people could call and vote for their favrourite songs. They used to say the names of the people who called and you could use a nickname. When I called they asked my name, I remembered this girl who used the name Ana Bon Jovi, so I decided to be Cátia Rose. This was the beginning of a friendship for life!

I started to call everyday and getting to know the wonderful people that made that radio possible. Great names: Francisco Gil, Luís Talete, Walter Marques, Sónia Rufino, Nuno Santos, Vanda Miranda and many many more. One day they invited me to go to the visit the studio and off I went. I took the old ferry from Lisbon to Montijo (now they have way better ones ... made in Australia hehehe)and I went to meet those great names I just mentioned.

They were my family. I counted on them for everything. Like me there were thousands of listeners who felt so connected by that great radio. 106.2 Super FM A Tua Banda Sonora (106.2 Super FM Your Soundtrack).

But our family had a great loss, financial problems could no longer keep out radio broadcasting and in 94 the radio closed. It was a shock!

I remember calling my friend Sónia Rufino and she was as devastated as I was. No one could believe our radio was gone. At the time it was the only radio for people who loved Rock & Pop music. It was too bad to be true.

I kept in touch with my friend Sonia Rufino. One day she called me telling me she had great news for me. I couldn't believe my ears!

Just nine months after that sad "Adeus Super!" ("Goodbye Super") that she said on the last minute of the radio, it was back! It was so good!

This time not in 106.2 because the frequency was taken but 96.2. The studio was no longer in Montijo but in Barreiro, another city of the southern shore of Tagus.

The 6th June was the chosen day. New members increased this big family: Anabela Conceição, Rui Quintas, Sandro Bettencourt, Vasco Francisco and Rui Santos ... and many more.:)

Our radio grew bigger and bigger, but from the last day of the previous radio our mission was Sempre Unidos Por Esta Razão (Forever Linked By This Bound) which if you look at the initials you will get the word SUPER. And it was this mission that kept us together forever.

The new Super was a success and it had the biggest audience in Lisbon in 97. More and more listeners joined our family and the radio was getting better and better each day. Even shown on TV shows!

This time the slogan was "O Ritmo da Nova Geração" (The Rhythm of the New Generation) ... with the same quality we're all familiar with. Simply the best radio. It wasn't just a radio with someone playing music and talking in the middle! It was way more than that. It was a radio made of young people, for young people. We all knew exactly what we wanted that's why this radio was an incredible phenomenon of popularity.

In Portugal there was this saying that our generation was "geração rasca" (cheap generation) and we proved that our generation was capable of something that no other has ever achieved! We were addicted to something ... but our addition was the healthiest ever! Unlikely what most people thought at that time we were very intelligent people, who liked to fight a good fight, who love to follow their principles.

But for the hands of a greedy bastard in late July 1998, Gil had to announced our worst nightmare ... our Super was going again!

I remember calling him crying like a baby and asking ...WHY? WHY IS THIS NOW GIL? NOT AGAIN!

He had no answers for me as he was as sad or (now I know) even sadder than myself. The 30th July was the sad day. We all gathered in the studio ... now in a skyscraper in Lisbon. We stopped the traffic in protest against that cruelty they were doing to us ... all over again!

But our mission continued. We never stopped believing and couldn't be the greed of an idiot killing our dream! Dreams don't die like that!

Rui Santos ... a true hero ... well he calls himself stubborn ... I would call him a hero and a great friend. He never believed that was the end. He never believe we (the listeners) believed that was the end. With him was Gil and Nuno Santos.

Gil first created a group on HI5. Soon filled with old listeners who were badly missing their radio. Then Rui created a blog to talk about our Radio and also a profile on HI5 with its name. Because I had the same objectives they had I also created a Forum and we ended up finding each other once again.

Some weeks ago Rui and Nuno Santos just gave me the news. Our Super was coming again! Rui never gave it up and now he has the product of his persistence.

The radio is now in experimental broadcasting online and soon it will be available again. :)

To listen you have to register and log in and then you will find out why no one in this planet was able to kill a dream called Super Fm.

Thank you so much Rui, Gil and Nuno.

To listen go to the link "SUPER FM Radio" in this blog.

Hugs

Kangas

Inês Lopes talks about her new book ....

2008-11-07T19:38:00.002+11:00

Hi Folks,

A couple of days ago I told you about Inês Lopes and her great work. Today I'll leave you a wonderful interview that I had the opportunity to make to her.

Hope you like this fantastic lady and you visit her blog and her personal website where you can find all her wonderful work.

Hi Inês. First of all let me thank you for being with us at such late hours and tell you that it is a pleasure to be here with you tonight.

K.: Inês, you were born in a country full of wonderful poets and writers. For example Manuel Barbosa du Bocage was born in Setúbal, your home town. Do you believe that being born in a Country with such a literary heritage has had any influence on your choices and the person you are today?

I.L.: Most definitely. Bocage is, without a doubt, one of my favourite poets but Portugal has a past of great writers that are extremely underappreciated. I mean, I’ve read Zola and for me, he’s no match for Eça. And what can I say about Camões? I read “The Lusiads” before I finished Primary School. I can safely say I grew up on a diet of the Portuguese classics and that has influenced me. Also, in Portugal there is still that idea of the lonely, tortured writer which I found myself becoming.

K.: I read on your biography that you have started writing as young as 13. What attracted you most about becoming a writer? Did you know at that time that this was what you wanted to be?

I.L.: My first poem was written when I was 7. It was a Christmas poem, quite simple, full of the “peace and love” Christmas clichés but I do remember it came to me naturally. When I read the poem in class my teacher ran out the door to get the other teachers to hear me reading it. I did not quite understand what had happened but it made me feel encouraged to write more. Then I went through a phase in which I stopped writing and at 13 I started again. I never thought I wanted to be a writer until much later. People always told me that writing wouldn’t pay the bills so I never saw writing as something to aspire to. I just wrote out of instinct, necessity…There was no master plan. I just wrote.

K.: You can write not only prose but you also have a vast collection poetry pieces. Which style gives you more pleasure to do?

I.L.: Poetry. I often think of prose as a film and poetry as a still. In prose you can get away with stuffing or shinning through your plot but poetry has its value on the words, the language itself. Every word has to be carefully chosen, every form. On the other hand I also have trouble telling a whole story and building a complete new world. As my poetry is quite personal, I can base it on what I know, feel and have lived.

K.: I also read in your biography that you started to write poetry in English at 13 years of age. It’s quite remarkable someone having already such poetic skills in a foreign language at such a young age. What moved you to write poetry in English so early in your life?

I.L.: My mum! And before you think it was her inspiring me to try new languages, I’ll tell you why. She, like all mums, wanted to know what I felt and what I wrote so she used to take peeks at my diary and my writings. At 13, I didn’t want my mum to know I had a crush on someone so I started writing in English because I thought that even if she saw it, she’d never understand it. My secrets were safe. At the same time, music became a big part of my life and I was contemplating becoming the next Diane Warren.

K.: But I also know that Literature isn't your only interest. You also like to paint. Have you ever exhibit any of your paintings?

I.L.:(Laughs) No. I never will. I paint because it distracts me. I can’t paint or draw to save my life. I have no talent whatsoever to paint. Really. I just like doing it.

K.: Monet, Manet and Renoir are your favourite. What do you like most about impressionism? And why?

I.L: Paris! (laughs) No, I’m joking. It’s the technique. The fact that if you look at the “Water Lilies” up close they look like a 5 year old’s finger-painting but at a distance you can see everything, every brush stroke, every touch of light. I also like the themes of impressionism. They’re never pompous or too common. They’re scenes from nature or social life or the city landscape.

K.: But back to literature. Your first novel was a about a little girl called Inês. Would that be an autobiographic novel?

I.L.: I’ve been asked that question before and I always stop to think again if it is or not. I’m not going to say Inês doesn’t have more in common with me than just the name. However, I think Inês is not like me. She’s very scared of life. That book actually was started out as “things I’d like to happen to me” but ended up a full-blown novel.

K.: In that novel, Inês is a very shy girl who is in love with this boy. In your new work you have Ana Maria, a young girl who is also shy and very intelligent. Is there a little bit of you in these two girls?

I.L.: Definitely. I am a very shy person and the secondary school years were hell for me. I think I have more in common with Ana Maria than any of my other characters. Ana Maria is invisible whereas Inês is more noticeable in the way she deals with her shyness.

K.: Vicente. I couldn’t be interviewing tonight without mentioning Vicente. He’s such an intense and complex character. What influences have you had to the creation of this great character?

I.L.: Vicente is tough to describe. I wanted to create a main character that didn’t fill the hero or villain’s shoes. I wanted someone you could admire and someone you could hate. I took the aspects I hated the most about men in relationships (the selfish domineering side) but then softened him up by making him unhappy, intelligent and very persistent. I do not tend to base my characters in one person specifically because I think that verges on caricaturing someone you know. Instead I draw bits from here and there. I’ve seen bits of Vicente in many people.

K.: He had caused a bit of repulse on the readers so far. Did you expect this result or you’re also quite surprised by the way people react to your character?

I.L.: I am slightly. I did not want Vicente to be hated. He’s got so many dimensions. I guess when you focus on how he treats his wife, he becomes obnoxious. The fact that it’s written in the first person also makes it harder because you’re always stuck with him. He hasn’t been lucky with his love life and he’s made mistakes he doesn’t know how to mend. I was hoping for a bit more of compassion. After all, he is a man in love…just not with his wife.

K.: What relationship do you have with your characters? I mean, do you develop any sort of feelings about them and get surprised when the readers feel something totally different for you?

I.L.: I do! With my first book I was totally in love with Daniel, he was so deep, yet strong and passionate and mature! I wasn’t that keen on Inês though. She was quite one-dimensional and I hated her when she didn’t do what I thought was right – even though I am the one who chooses what she does. In “Isabel” I like Ana Maria and who she is going to become later in the book. Vicente is hard to love because he has so many things I don’t like about him but on the other hand, I’m obsessed with finding out his feelings and digging through his soul. He’s very complex, my most complex character and writing as him demands that I spend a lot of time thinking “What would Vicente do?”

K.: In this novel you tell the story of this selfish and abusive man. Unfortunately domestic violence is a very actual issue. What is your opinion about women like Helena and in your opinion what these victims should so to get out of the violence cycle?

I.L. I wouldn’t say Helena is abused and most definitely not a case of domestic violence. However, the feelings in the relationship are violent. Helena is quite shallow and that is hard to convey because Vicente doesn’t even give her the time of day. Helena and Vicente have nothing in common and perhaps if Helena was less susceptible to keeping up appearances, she would have had divorced him. Vicente is domineering and I agree with selfish (although I prefer the term self-absorbed). Vicente has a history of making girls feel bad to make himself feel good. It’s very easy to say that victims should just break the cycle. Relationships are difficult and complex. As unbelievable as it may seem, you can love someone that beats you up or brings you down but you must remember to love yourself first – that’s when the cycle gets broken.

K.: I can’t help myself asking you. Will we know who Almeida de Andrade really is?

I.L.: Yes you will and very soon. The book depends on knowing who Almeida de Andrade is. I never intended to take advantage of my readers by making them suffer until the very end. This is a novel, not “Lost”.

K.: Your work is quite addicting. I must confess that I’m addicted to “Isabel” and I can’t help myself visiting the blog everyday to read the next part. Did you expect such effect on the readers?

I.L.: I didn’t expect it but I can’t say I didn’t hope for it. I did want to write a page-turner. One of those books you just have to keep on reading until the last page.

K.: Unfortunately our kids are not very keen about reading. What in your opinion is the cause of this? Would it be computer games and the Internet itself or the school has a part of the blame on this matter?

I.L.: I personally blame the parents. If parents don’t read then it’s hard for the kids to see it as something they could do too. My mum always encouraged me to read. My parents’ house was full of books. My mum would read bits of “Little Prince” to me when I was five and I loved stories. I also accept that there may be people that just don’t like reading that much but reading is also a good skill for life that should be taught and encouraged.

K.: As a writer what do you think should be done to encourage our kids to read?

I.L: Make reading seem more appealing. Dress the wolf in sheep’s wool like putting it in a blog or a digital form, perhaps it will look less boring. In the case of Portugal, creative writing should be more encouraged too. I have never found a writer that doesn’t enjoy reading. I think reading and writing are very much connected, so that might help too.

K..: Before we go I would like to mention another controversial topic around Portugal these days. I know that a New Orthographic Agreement has been signed recently and a few changes were made to the language in order to unify it with its Brazilian version. Do you agree with this Agreement?

I.L.: No. And I will not adhere to the greater part of it. But I’m not a die-hard anti-agreement.

K. Some people regard it as a necessary evolution of the language. Do you think that is the case or this is a loss of its identity instead?

I.L: Languages evolve, if they didn’t Latin wouldn’t have died. Forcing the evolution of a language is a whole other matter. It’s the thing about trying to make all the Portuguese speaking countries write in the same way that annoys me. We’re different countries with very different cultures, why not have some linguistic differences? Spain has 4 types of language inside the same country and nobody is making a fuss.

Before I let you go I would like to wish all the best for your career and the best of success for your new novel “Isabel”. Thank you so much for being here with us tonight Inês.

Thank you for this lovely interview.

An that's all for today. Hope you liked it and that you visit Inês websites.

Hugs

Kangas

How does your childhood affect your adult life?

2008-11-06T20:33:00.003+11:00

G'day Folks,

Today I want to talk about a very serious issue that affects so many people around the world but no one really thinks about it!

The relationship between our childhood experience and your adult life attitudes. We all know that our childhood is a very important stage in our life as it is the basis for what we become as adults. But do we really know how deep that influence can be?

Last week I just came across these two sisters, one is almost 16 and the other one almost 20. They both lived in a abusive family. Not that typical physical abusive family but a very abusive family in a mental and verbal way.

Today the older one hardly talks to her mum and decided to live with her widowed grandmother and her boyfriend at the grandmother's unit. She has a very difficult personality, she always shows revolt and rage in her attitudes.

The young one is now going to a very complicated situation in her personal life. A situation that requires all the love and support of everyone. Surprisingly all the family is providing her with that love and support and everyone is ready to help her to face the situation the best way possible. After all is not a life threatening situation is just another teenager mistake ... a big and serious one this time!

When the family started to go and visit the younger sister, the older sister got really upset and revolted that no one has ever paid attention to her and now that her sister messes up big time, everyone is there for her.

Of course at first this may sound like another case of jealousy between sisters. Something that is very common between siblings. But when I was told the entire story I just remembered the times when those two girls were young.

I remember that the younger was really naughty and she used to beat the older one and do all those crazy things kids do. Nothing special about that should I say. After all, we're all like that when we're kids ... it's just part of being kid!

But with this two girls I remember perfectly that the younger one always got away with it while the older one was always being punished unfairly. One of her relatives (who was an abuser himself) once admitted they were going too harsh on the older one and that the younger one was the one to blame for most of the stuff.

When I was told her reactions now I just remembered this and how this affected that girl. To the point that she sees her sister in trouble and she wishes her parents to bash her and punish her the way her mum and other relatives punished her in the past.

I must confess that I was quite shocked and disturbed by the way this girl is affected by all of this. Because I'm not a very close person to them I can't really talk to her. Besides I think if did her abusive family would end up going off on me. And also I'm too far from her to even talk to her decently and this type of conversation you don't have by the phone ...

But I just decided to write about it because I believe that she is not the only one to feel this way and I believe she should be helped. I think everyone knows that I had some relatives who were very verbally abusive towards me. But somehow I dealt with it and I overcame that abuse. My parents are great and I think that helped.

However I think that for all the people out there who feels the same way that girl feels, search of help. There is a way to overcome that and it is not difficult or impossible.

First of all think of your siblings as a victim as well. Because in this sort of situation both people are victims of different type of abuse. Try to talk to your siblings and maybe together you can overcome the situation, and of course talk to a doctor. Just because you talk to a doctor about something like this doesn't mean you're crazy ... like most of the people think. Better safe than sorry!

I feel sorry for those girls. And I hope the old one doesn't end up doing the wrong thing to prove that she can do it too! Sad, sad!

Hugs

Kangas

Does selling mean being good?

2008-11-05T19:58:00.005+11:00

G'day,

Today I'm here to talk about selling and being good. I know when said like this it may sound a bit confusing but I'll explain ...

We're all a bit obsessed about what sells the most. We buy a book because it's a best seller, we buy a DVD because it's a best seller, we buy a CD because the artist is on first place in the charts and everyone says it's good. But are all of there best sellers as good as they seem to be?!

Lets take the books for example. This days everyone seems to want to write a book. Anything is a good reason to one write a book about. But are the good books really out there, and the ones that are in fact out there, are they good?

I see so many people getting books published when their work is less than appalling and true genius remaining in the anonymity. It's hard to understand I must say!

Why don't the publishers get the good ones? Are we that dumb that we can't understand a good book? Well I don't think so! Get them out there and you'll see the result.

For example I'm going to take the example of a person I know, who is a great friend of mine and also an excellent writer. She writes absolute master pieces. She chooses the words in a way that it's impossible not to get involved in what she writes. Why aren't her books in our shelves?

When people like O.J. Simpson writes a book about an hideous crime and get away with it, why true writers can't? Criminals shouldn't even be allowed to make money over their crimes!

For example Portugal, the country where I lived for 30 years, there's is a great heritage of great writers but unfortunately most of them anonymous until the end of their lives.

And the music is no better unfortunately. Great musicians are kept in the anonymity while others sell millions with things that sorry but I can only call by rubbish!

Just look at the music industry these days?! You go on stage, with fake lips, fake boobs and you show off a bit, then you became a star! You don't need to have talent these days ... just a fake body! Or being a criminal (or at least look like one!) ... it is sad!

So my question today is ... does it mean it's good just because it sells?

And my answer to my own question is: NO!
Some of you may think otherwise and I truly understand and accept that, however I don't believe that the "best sellers"of today are the "best works" that are done. I would like to see Inês Lopes in the shelves, and people around the world reading what her brilliant mind creates. Not because I'm her friend, but because I believe her work. And I believe in lots of writers like her, who have brilliant minds that people simple don't know about.

I think the first step to bring people to reading is make the reading intelligent, fun and interesting. Inês has all of that. People like her could change this "non readers" world.

So I decided to share this thought of mine with you because I believe that by talking about it I may be helping a bit on that change. Think about this folks. And the next time you buy a book don't go for the best sellers, go for the one that teaches you a lesson and that you can relate to.

I'm started to be a passionate reader and I must thank to Inês and her magnificent work for this changing in my behaviour. Maybe you can too.

Hugs

Kangas

A new name for my Blog ...

2008-10-29T19:28:00.002+11:00

Hi folks,

Today I'm here to propose something ... what about if I changed the name of this blog? Would you agree?

I think you all noticed that the type of posts I write today are quite different from those I used to write when I stated the blog. Today I do more social critics and current affairs posts while then I used to write about my own personal issues.

This is no longer the history of my life. This is the story of the world, the story of all of us.

This doesn't mean that I won't be writing posts like the ones I used before, it just means that now I'm more likely to write about other things.

So I would like you tell me if you agree with the change and also if you agree with the name "In the world of Kangas" as a new name for this space.

I'm counting on you for this one ...

Thanks.

Hugs

Kangas

World Economic Crisis

2008-10-28T19:24:00.004+11:00

It is impossible to turn on the tv, radio or simply read a newspaper without coming across with the words "World Economic Crisis". In fact I believe that we don't even need to search on the media because this situation is already in our minds almost 24/7.

Banks collapse, currencies collapse, unemployment rises ... it's everywhere...

But what is in fact causing this crisis? What is in fact the true face of this economic mayhem?

Bad credit and greed ... greed and more greed! The banks of the world lure people with new credit cards with no fees and low interest rates. They know well some people can't afford this credit but it is lucrative for them to keep them spending and filling up their fat pockets with their sweated dollars!

The shareholders, another part of the problem, they lead the markets the way they please. Buying, selling, doing whatever it takes to (also) fill their fat pockets!

Do they really think that if a company goes down lots of workers may loose their jobs? Do they really think that are those workers that keep those companies going and giving them profit?

The other day they said how much do the CEO's of the major companies in Australia get per year, and I thought: for God sake, the world is in dire straits and they still can afford to pay themselves this lavish amounts of money, even if that means sack half of the company!

Today I was watching the show Today Tonight on tv and they said the number of people sleeping in the rough in Sydney has increased over the last few years. I was a bit shocked I must confess, because when I first visited Sydney I hardly saw homeless people, and now I saw ll those images on tv. Quite shocking!

But just when I thought that it couldn't go worst than that, they just showed this man, who lives on Sydney streets for about three months because he lost his job as a salesperson and consequently he lost his house! How sad is this folks?!

He is a young man who just can't afford a roof ...

I think my generation, and obviously the ones after that, always believe that a recession was a a thing of the past, and now when something like this happens we feel kind of lost. I do feel like that I must confess ...

The thing is, how can we get to this point again when we suposedly aldready have the knowledge to avoid it? And then I analyse a bit better my own questions ... do we really have that knowledge? Or we're just some sort of show offs who believe they know it all?

Well definitely not my case at all. I don't know it all and when it concerns to this matter I'm no expert either, but I do read newspapers, and I do know how to analyse what I read and at the moment there is a lot of emotions and feelings going through my head!

I feel scared about what my life will be because I'm only 31 and I'm on the beginning of my career, I have a mortgage to pay, etc; I feel sad because I see this type of things happen right in front of my eyes but, I can't help it, I feel disgusted and upset that this greedy culture still goes one ...

The Governments give money to the big banks to help them up, but in my opinion the ones who need to be helped are the families who have they mortgages to pay!

I want to see answers for my questions, but yet no one has been able to answer them!

Everyone seems to be talking about it ... everyone seems to have the right recipe to solve the crisis, so then why don't they solve it? The United Stated claim to be the strongest country in the world but they were the first ones to fall and take everyone with them ...

I believe there is no miraculous recipe, and believe that no one will stay out of it because we're all in it already. But what I believe is that we can try to protect ourselves ending up like that man.

Don't buy things on credit. The less interest you have to pay the more you have in our account. I know we all like a plasma TV, or a new car, but put it in prospective, better live with the old TV and the nice 10-year old Nissan than being forced to live in the streets.

Another thing that I do believe is not letting ourselves go with pessimism. The situation is bad and we all know it, however if we sit in our chair moaning. Let's be positive, take the necessary measures not to get in trouble and try to live this crisis the best we can.

I know some older readers may thing I'm immature and stupid. The answer to that is: I'm not immature, I know how bad the situation is and I also know that is not as easy as saying "we will get out of it!"... I know that, what I'm trying to say is that we have to be positive and try to be open to the good opportunities that may come our way.

Hugs

Kangas

Updated Words Forum

2008-10-27T19:50:00.003+11:00

Hi folks,

Here I am once again to tell about a different issue...

Today I'm going tell you about my new adventure ... a Forum. :)

As I told you last week, me and my friend Inês registered for this Blog that we thought were made of true translators, intelligent people who would be interested in exchange their experiences with us and that we would have a great pleasure to deal with. We were wrong, as you also know.

So, we decided to create a forum ourselves. We are already involved in a project called Updated Words for which we plan to launch the official website on the 1st of November. The Forum is just an extension of that project.

The forum is called Updated Words Forum. There you can find information about Portuguese, English and Latin (so far). The objective of this community is to create a space where different people can gather and discuss about their experiences, doubts, etc.

To participate you just have to register. You don't need to be a linguist, you just have to be interested in participating. We have established some rules for our forum to prevent situations like the one we were involved in to happen in our own Forum. No bad behaviour will be tolerated. If some member have any sort of improper attitude towards another member, this person will be immediately evicted from our Forum.

For now we have only 3 languages in our forum, but it is our aim to increase the number of languages discussed. For that we need a translator for those languages to subscribe his intention to add another language to our Forum. It's simple and it will make it even more exiting!

So c'mon, register with us and start having fun. Yes fun ... languages are fun and when you start learning about them you just can't get enough of it! ;)

To visit, register and participate in our forum go to:

http://updatedwordsforum.forumotion.com

We're waiting for you!

Hugs

Kangas

"Isabel" - a great story!

2008-10-24T21:10:00.003+11:00

Inês Lopes is a great young writer who masters brilliantly the words making great literary masterpieces. She’s also one of my great friends an also my “madrinha” (godmother).

She was born in Setúbal, Portugal, but she moved to London where she took her Creative Writing Degree and her Masters in Publishing.

She started writing from a very young age and when she found that writing in English would make her writings secret, she started to write them in English which cause her to have great skills with the language too.

Last week she launched a new blog where she is publishing her new story “Isabel”. This is a very interesting story of a man who lives haunted by his dark past, the failure of his marriage and the obsession for a book.

“Vicente is divided between his duties as a father, an unhappy marriage, the sorrow of a past love and a book of a mysterious author” - describes Inês.

I started reading it and I’m absolutely addicted to it. I’m a terrible reader I must say. I’ve never liked to read, but with “Isabel” what happens is that I can’t wait to read the next part. Inês knows exactly how to captivate her readers by creating characters that play with their own feelings and beliefs.

You read this book and you feel like you can relate to those people, because somehow you know a similar story somewhere, no matter how old you are.

To read this magnificent story click on the link "Isabel - my favourite book"on the right side of the page.

Inês is waiting for your comments. Congatulations for this great work my dear!

Hugs

Kangas

Our flag ... offensive!

2008-10-23T19:41:00.003+11:00

Hi folks,

This story today may cause you a lot of reactions from outrage to disbelief!

A couple of weeks ago, there was this report on TV about a man in Logan City, Brisbane, who was advised by the local Council to take the national flag he has on his frontyard because some neighbour has made a complaint that the flag was offensive ... yes folks you're reading exactly that ... O-F-F-E-N-S-I-V-E ... Offensive!

Of course the man refused straight away and the controversy started. The news spread around the neighbourhood and a few days later everyone was waving their wonderful flags in their frontyards.

The thing is, aren't we in Australia? Is this our Country? Why is it offensive to wave our flag if we feel so proud of our Nation?

Once again the famous multiculturalism comes into discussion ... I see people here calling names to the people of this country (names that I absolutely refuse to reproduce here as I consider then too disgusting to be said) and regard them as racists. But the truth is I've never seen a foreigner being advised to take the flag of his country because it was offensive, so why ours is?

Australia is a great country, of great people. We are proud of this Nation because we have all the good reasons to be so. It is nice to see people from every part of the world sharing the same pride for this Nation that is for us the best Nation in this world.

So because I am so proud of my Oz that I love so much, I join my flag to all of those true blue Aussies in Logan.

AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE! :D

Hugs

Kangas

Multiculturalism and tolerance

2008-10-23T16:41:00.002+11:00

G'day folks,

Not wanting to go on and on about this, because that would be giving too much importance to something that although is sad is not important at all, I have to comment on this because I believe my last post wouldn't be complete without this ...

Today I was reading the comment the comment made by my great friend and reader Inês and I had to talk about this ...

She mentioned that people who call themselves linguists are expected to be "literate and multi-cultural" and that was quite shocking that those can be so "intolerant". I must confess that I felt exactly the same regarding to that forum. Some of the people who posts in the Portuguese part of that forum don't even seem to have the requirements needed to be a good translator.

As I mentioned on my last post, to be a translator you have to have a deep knowledge of both cultures to be ever able to do any professional translation. Listen to the entire repertoire from 50 Cent doesn't make you a specialist in American slang (or street lingo as someone there said) and even less makes you a good translator! As well as watching all the movies Hollywood releases every year would have exactly the same result.

And another factor that seems to be lacking there is that to translate something into any language you have to understand first the context of the original text ... showing off your slang skills won't prove you any good!

Multiculturalism ... a term used these days for almost everything but that couldn't be more appropriated for the world of translation. To be a translator is about to have a multiple culture, is about to understand what happens in the world around us so we are able to pass the message across. Translate is not about find words that mean the same, but find the right words to pass the same message. You always have to make sure that you tell exactly the same story you read, otherwise you won't be doing a good job.

What mostly shocked me was the way we were treated by that people who just thought they were too good to be questioned by someone like me or Inês! But translation is not about being "Mr. righteous" ... translation is about being "Mr. translator"... who else?!

It was true that we were new in the forum, but that doesn't mean we were less capable. We felt unwelcome by people I've always called by colleagues. If they really were my colleagues they would never had that attitude.

And just to finish this off ... Inês lives in London, and I am in Sydney. Apart from being translators we are individuals who live in a English speaking country where we have no chance (even if we wanted) to run away from the English language spoken by natives ... everyday folks. On TV, radio, newspapers, on the train, on the bus, on the supermarket, everywhere. So I believe that we may be quite confident when we talk about the culture and the language of these two wonderful countries that are England and Australia.

Hope you liked my point of view. I'll be waiting for your comments.

Hugs

Kangas

Presumption and arrogance ...

2008-10-22T20:22:00.002+11:00

G'day folks,

Today I want to tell you about a very disappointing experience that me and a great friend of mine had in a Forum that is suppose to be for translators and linguists.

For those who have little knowledge about what involves to be a translator, I'm going to show you the basic lines that define the work of a translator. First of all to be a translator you don't need only to know a bit of the two languages involved; you have to know the culture of the natives of both of them, you have to know if there is variations of that language - for example in English we have the British English, the American English, the Aussie English, etc - and when those variation occur you have to know the differences between them and recognize what culture are you dealing with.

It is a very hard job, but it's a very interesting one as well. But a translator work is not all about sitting in a desk with a pile of dictionaries around him ... we also usually communicate with each other by Forums and other social spaces. In these Foruns we usually search for other colleagues help with some job and help them too.

But we can't forget that translation is not an exact science where you have exact answers like maths or chemistry. When you translate something you have always to take in account both the culture of the country it comes from and the culture of the country where it goes to. Sometimes that means that for the same sentence you can find more than one translation ...

To accept this you have to be humble to recognize that yours might not be the only one and also to tell another colleague you have another suggestion if he wants to use it. You are not better than your colleagues for doing that, you simply came up with a different option.

Last week while I was translating one of my papers, I came across with this word that I couldn't find the meaning (another thing that frequently happens with translators. we're not dictionaries we're just translators). So I went on Google searching for some help to solve my problem. I found this forum, with lots of members, lots of languages, etc. It looked the perfect place to get in contact with other colleagues and exchange experiences and knowledge. It also happened that I found the answered for my problem there as well.

I decided to register and became a member of the "wordreference". First I had to go to the process of registering myself, which included to read the extensive list of rules they had for the Forum. The ones that immediately caught my attention were:

Be polite, the other people's language skills might not be as good as your ... something like that.

I thought "well it looks quite a decent forum, they understand that some people may not be linguists and come asking for some help, and at any time that person should be treated badly by those who are lucky to master the language skills."

I finished my registry and I started browsing through the forum. Obviously I went to the Portuguese. I instantly understood that most of the members were Brazilian colleagues, and a few Portuguese. I started posting in those treads I believed I could help

I also recommended the Forum to one of my best friends and she also registered. But we started noticing some odd behaviour towards us. The things stated to go a bit sauer when one of the days it was my turn to ask for help ... I got some sort of answer that I had misspelled the word or something like that. Obviously if I asked for help I wouldn't write something wrong would I?

The things kept on going a bit odd until the day that someone arrogantly considers my help as a "mere" translation .... and one of my friends options as something totally out of context.

We couldn't believe that a forum that tells everyone to be polite can accept such rude and arrogant people. I just decided to erase all my details and leave that forum. It is quite obvious that some of those people have no idea what a good linguist is all about!

It is sad, it is very sad that people like that can be called linguists ...

So beware folks, if you want to register for a forum, hang around for while before you do it so you learn what sort of people you'll be dealing with!

Hugs

Kangas

Sorry to all my readers!

2008-10-22T19:47:00.003+11:00

Hi folks,

You must be thinking that I simply decided to abandon my humble blog, and all of you. Let me tell you that nothing of that has ever happened. And it will never be my intention to abandon this space where I can sit and share my deepest thoughts with people who might feel happy for reading them.

What happened was that as I've started to study for my "Diploma in Translation" exam with Institute of Linguistics, I mostly spend my days studying so I can be prepared for the big day. As you all may know I love to be a translator as it gives me the opportunity to learn about a lot of areas and also it allows me to improve my language skills both in Portuguese and English. So it is very important to me this final step on my career.

It's been quite a busy time where I have to split myself into being a translator and a wife. It is not easy I must say, I have to keep up with my studies not forgetting about keeping my place spotless clean and all the tasks completed. I establish a timetable for myself so I could get a better control of my time, however I guess I couldn't fit the blog on that, which I'm totally sorry for.

But now I'm back and I hope you are there too. But before I start to tell you about any other issue I firstly would like to present my deepest apologies for this absent and wish that you are still my readers.

Thank you very much,

Kangas

What a shame!!!!!

2008-01-27T17:08:00.000+11:00

Hi folks.

First of all, sorry that I haven't posted anything lately. I've been a bit busy. But I promise I'll try to post more often from now on.

This post it's about something that probably will cause you as much shock and disgust as it caused myself. It is a very serious situation that should never happen anywhere in the world, but specially in those countries that call themselves first world countries.

This week my husband and I were browsing through some blogs that he usually reads. Most of them are social critics, exactly as the one I have here. And all these blogs are written by Portuguese people revolted by the country and the people they have there.

But this situation goes way beyond any political, religious or any other issue you might think of. This is playing with people's life as if was a Sunday afternoon game! I'm so outraged by it that I really didn't know what to say when I saw it and I really don't understand how things like this can be possible in 2008, when we live in a computer era, with GPS, Maps, and all the support possible!

The story is about the Emergency Services in Portugal. Be ready folks ... this is really shocking and absurd. I thought it was a stupid prank myself, but it wasn't ... and it was shown on their National TV so everyone could see the shameless people they have there!

It all started with someone calling the Emergency number (which for Portugal is 112) and reporting a 44 year man who had fell off the stairs at his home and was apparently death. The call itself was a bit odd as the person who called looked pretty calm for someone who was reporting his brother's death. But I reckon it can be explained by the state of shock that probably the person was experiencing at the moment.

The person who received the call (a woman) started to ask all the usual questions you're asked if you call an Emergency number. When the person who called said the victim fell off the stairs, bleed intensely from his mouth and was not responsive to any reviving procedures, this woman keeps on asking him what was the closest fire station (this was in the North of the country and in the country areas the ambulances depart from the fire stations) to the local of the incident. Then she says the person to hung up and wait for the Emergency services to arrive.

She then call Favaios Fire Station and talks to this man. She started the conversation in a very casual mode as if it was just a call to go out! Translated to English what she said was something like: 'Hello Favaios! I got a gig to Castedo can you do it?"

Then the guy says he can't because he was there alone, and the ambulance should always have at least 2 crew members. Then she asks if there was any Medical Centre nearby and how long would he take from Favaios to Castedo. (all of this while someone was probably dieing if not dead already!)

He says that no Medical Centre was open during the night and that it would take him around 45 minutes to get to the place. She then asks him for another fire station nearby that could go there instead (all while someone is dieing!!!!), she then call Alijó Fire Station and another man gets her call, he says he's also alone in the fire station and it would also take him around the same time to get to the place, but this one offers to go and call a colleague so they could go and help this poor man!

She even thinks about sending these two men alone to the place!!!

The INEM (Portuguese National Emergency Services) woman had no idea of the locations, maps anything ... and she keeps on talking to the doctor asking him what she should do, when these people are paid and trained to act fast and save lives.

These conversation on the phone took around 9 minutes, and we must take in consideration that both men said it would take them around 45 minutes to get to the place ... for someone who had a concussion or a cardiorespiratory failure this certainly means death!

And I'm not even mentioning that the call quality was so poor that they could hardly understand each other on the phone! And believe me I've lived in that country for almost 30 years (which basically is my entire life) and I don't really understand that because their communication system is not THAT bad! ... Unbelievable!!! Outrageous!

An investigation is apparently being held on this matter, although it won't save the life of this 44 years old man who apparently died victim of a neglect Emergency System!

I've got my parents there. Fortunately they live in Lisbon which is the capital, but I've got family in the country and my husband's grandmother lives in that area!It is outrageous to see how these people deals with other people's life!

And it's even more outrageous because we know that if was Mr. José Socrates (the Portuguese PM) mum nothing like that would have happened! These people go to the streets on huge rallies asking for a pay rise, and I wonder what pay rise??? What pay rise for God sake when they treat a serious case like this as a holiday booking to Hawai!!!!!

In my opinion this case should end up in Brussels at the European Court, because we all know that there it will end up being close by lack of evidence ... that's the usual excuse for them to get away with this sort of crimes!

The people in the countryside have no medical assistance whatsoever! You see elderly people standing up in a long queue at 6am in winter to get an appointment with their GP. Some of them being robbed in the streets while they wait! And then they found out that all that effort didn't paid off and they don't get any appointment because their GP, who only goes there once a week has already 50 appointments for that day!

They don't care ... they simply don't care about the people who works and pays their taxes ... in other words ... the people who pays their fat salaries!!!

The European Union invested so much money for them to modernize and those idiots spent it all without spending a cent on the country's development! It is more important for that country to spend millions of euros in soccer championships, building 3 bridges in Lisbon ... and I don't even know why ... bringing TGV when the basic needs of people are not even met!

They say they don't have enough doctors ... it's sounds so bad to me because there's thousands of people trying to enter medicine (like myself) and they are refused! Also if you walk through Lisbon, Oporto or any other major city you will see a lot of private clinics with doctors who are paid big dollars for a 5 minutes consultation!!!!!

Is this the true purpose of being a doctor??? ... Ups I'm a bit behind here ... I thought the main purpose of being a doctor was SAVING LIVES! ... obviously I'm wrong! :(

This truly disgusts me! This money culture ... this coffee shop behaviour it's simply outrageous.

Maybe it's just me! ... But at least I'm happy that some other bloggers are outraged too and are showing it to the world. Maybe someone in Brussels will read their blog ... or mine! :)

Thank you all

Hugs

Kangas

Don't neglect it ... it can happen to us all!

2007-11-01T13:55:00.000+11:00

Hi my friends,

Today I'm here to tell about a very serious problem that affects millions of people around the world.

This week I watched the best Oprah show ever. It was comprehensive, it was easy to understand and most of all it was made by those involved with the issue.

Have you ever heard of Bipolar Disorder or also called Maniac Depressive Disorder? I'm sure you did. Bipolar Disorder is a very serious and debilitating condition that can turn one's life into a constant torture. Patients who suffer from this condition experiment constant mood swings, irritability, depression, illusions, hallucinations and many more.

In the show Oprah spoke to Bipolar patients. First she started with this woman who is in jail after killing her won son. It is horrendous folks!

Ignoring the signs can lead to a catastrophe! They only diagnosed this women in jail. And now she is a balanced person who lives in jail for her life with the guilt of killing her own son that she says she loves. She said a voice told her to do so .... how terrible is this?

The other patients and the doctor spoke openly about the issue and they all gave their views of the problem. They show us their side, what happens inside of them, what do they see, what do they think. It's scary but we all should be aware of this monster that can be just right next to us.

The depression stage is when they can be days without talking, without taking off their pyjamas, they feel terrible, they hate themselves and they think they are no good. For example the woman who's in jail said that she was always saying that she wasn't a good mum, her husband and friends tried to convince her otherwise but it didn't work at all. They live in another world, they have a distorted vision of the facts.

The mania stage is exactly the opposite. They got energy for everything, they can be awake for days, they can work hard for days and they still feel good to keep going. At this stage most of the people can't tell it's a disease because the person just seems so happy and fine. The reality is way different.

According to the doctor, and unlike what most of people think, although these symptoms can appear in separate episodes they can also appear together and that's when the patient can be really dangerous. According to her what happens is that they have all the bad feelings and moods of a depressive episode but with all the energy a mania episode can give them. Is in this sort of episodes that they usually have suicidal tendencies, they can turn violent and crimes like what that woman did can happen.

Also other fact they all said is that they become addicted to the mania stage as it gives them energy for everything - for example that woman said she could clean for 3 days in a row - and they don't want to lose that power. It all about having control they said. But in fact what they reckon is having the things under control is actually being totally out of it.

With the right medication these patients can get their lives back. But the most important step is reach out for help! And that help can be a real challenge for them as they live in constant denial. They never admit they have a problem. As I said before it's all about having the things under control and in their minds that's exactly what they do. They want to win the condition, they want to do whatever because they feel powerful for it.

Another challenge is taking the medication. As most of them said, the first years is a living hell. Because they start taking the medication, and after that they feel good. So the thing is, if they feel good they don't need to take it anymore, and they stop! When they stop they will have another episode. It's a cycle! If (according to another patient) they don't work on it they will never win it!

She reckons that thanks to the appropriate medication in addition with therapy she now lives a normal life. She works, she was even able to adopt a child. But she says: "You have to commit yourself to it! You can be bipolar and live a normal life, if you take your medication and you do your work on it! You can't win it without it!"

Clever words these ones!

So please if you feel any of the signs, if one of your relatives, colleagues or friends show any of the signs, just let them know. Reach out for help before something terrible happens!

It is our duty to create awareness for these issues. No one is going to call you insane! Going to a doctor or having a psychiatric problem doesn't mean you're a less person that anyone else.

I suffered from depression myself years ago and I was the first one to talk to my doctor to find out what was wrong with me. If we all prevent this things from happen, we won't have more people in jail like that poor woman is.

If you have a history of bipolar in your family, or if any of your acquaintances has, talk about the issue, make them know they are in risk of having it. If you feel more irritable that normal. If you overreact for small things, you may have a problem so fix it before it's too late.

We all think it only happens to the others until it knocks at our doors.

I'd like to thank Oprah for that show and for open our minds about this.

Hugs

Kangas

'In greed ... they ... trust!"

2007-07-02T15:07:00.000+10:00

In the One dollar note the Americans have ... "In God we trust"... but should it be ... "In GREED we trust"?

Last Sunday my husband and I watched the Michael Moore's new movie “Sicko” and I reckon it’s one of the best documentary movies I’ve even seen! I think he needed a lot of courage to do this movie but also a huge sensibility and consciousness to point the finger at his own country.

The movie is about the American National Health System and how unfair and greedy it is. I believe that you will be shocked by this movie but I consider that we all should know about this!

According to the real cases he shows in the movie American citizens are deprived of essential medical treatments when they can’t afford to pay millions of dollars to the greedy health insurance companies. According to the movie, when you go to a doctor in the US, you have to have an approval from your Health insurance company to be treated, and if your condition happens to be prior to the time you started your contract with that company you’re not entitled to the treatment!

Worse than that … having a baby costs money! When you’re going to the hospital to have a baby they show you the price of your baby! A man who had a terrible accident and cut 2 of his fingers, were shown a price list to his fingers. The ring finger would cost him $12,000 (about 14,000AUD) and the other $60,000 (about 70,471AUD) which he chose the bargain one!

A lady went to the hospital with her 3 year old daughter and they found out that he had a dangerous infection, but they refused to give her an injection that would save her, instead they send her to the Health Insurance company hospital … the little girl died! … that’s right she died!!

There’s people going to Canada and getting married there just to be entitled to go to the doctor… They showed France, UK, Canada and the most outrageous Al Qaeda prisioners in Guantamo Bay have medical treatment for free (payed by the US Government) when the American citizens who pay their taxes and consequently these treatments to terrorists are not entitled to medical assistance!

He took some of the 9/11 “heroes” (the way USA called them) to Guantamo Bay asking for the same free treatment those who attempted against their nation had and they were refused. So he took them to Cuba where according to the American Government’s ideas “Lucifer” lives (the way he chose to call Fidel Castro) and guess what … those people where treated and cured for free in a Cuban hospital. They were amazed by such a compassion from the Cuban doctors. But for this Moore may face a legal action as he broke the embargo made by the US to Cuba when he traded some medicines there. Simply ridiculous!!!

I’m not going to tell you the movie because I’d really like you to watch it, but I only wanted to tell you about this and I wonder … who’s the real Lucifer in this story?!

They refused to give their citizens medical assistance to fill the pockets of some greedy bastards who get millions every day from struggling families!

Thank God that there’s “socialist” countries like Canada, UK, France, Australia, Portugal and Cuba where the doctors are there to take care of you …

I really don't understand how can those doctors abide by there rules!!!

Thank God that not all Governments in the world have the same policies. Although I feel very sorry and supportive of the American citizens and I hope this movie helps to create consciousness and to change this stupid and “greedy” policy.

Is this the American dream?! Well for those (like my husband) who think USA is all about opportunities and life conditions just take a look at this movie and think twice, see the reality ! Sad but true!

Congratulations to Michael Moore for this great Movie!

To find more about this issue go to You Tube and type “Sicko”, he posted a lot of info there.

Hugs

Kangas

Parental Brutality ... How should it be punished?

2007-04-04T16:48:00.000+10:00

Today on Dr. Phil there was this woman who shocked me so much that I decided to share this with you. Dr. Phil was also shocked as well as the entire audience in the studio. It is so hard to believe that there's people like this in the face of the Earth!

She has 5 kids. A 10 years old boy, a 9 years old girl, 3 years old twins and a 6 months old baby. Although what for many women would be a blessing for her is a good way to release the pressure and being abusive.

She abuses this kids in a regular basis by spanking them, kicking them, calling them f* names and many more! Dr. Phil (with her authorization) set some cameras at her place so he could see what was going on there and not even the cameras could stop the rage of this woman.

In one day she was yelling at the 10 years old boy and she started bashing him and kicking him, then she sent him to his bedroom and went there to kick him even more. The poor child almost got broken knee. Then he was going to school and he could barely walk and he was moaning in pain. She said he was faking the pain and started kicking him even more just to make sure she had really hurt him badly.

Her husband first said that he didn't know she spanked his kids but then they confirmed that he brought a wooden stick home that they both use to threat the kids and also that he used to kick them with his steel boots!

Can you believe such a monstrous thing to happen?

I cried looking at those kids faces. They were so cute, they were such nice kids frightened by their terrorizing parents. Even scared to death and asking Dr. Phil to take the stick out of their home they also were worried of their terrorizing mum. They didn't stop asking Dr. Phil not to send their mum to jail. How wonderful these kids are!

And I wonder would it be fare just to send her to a psychologist and let her leave her live peacefully after causing so much damage to her own kids? Shouldn't this woman be punished with jail?

In my opinion what she did was monstrous, and such a person should be punished for her acts. She wrote Dr. Phil asking for help, she then started crying saying she didn't want to hurt her kids, so why did she do it then?

If she acknowledges that she's wrong why doesn't she change?! She also said that she loses control quite easily and then she picks on the kids ... ok but when confronted to the tape showing her bashing the kid and then stopping (just like if she was having a break!) to answer the phone to a friend and talking to the friend politely she had no answer whatsoever! I wonder why!!!

It's revolting! I felt so revolted to know that something like this happens in the twenty first century.

I think parents have no right to bash kids. Violence is not the answer for misbehavior! Kids should be disciplined but ever with violence. I just invite those who bash their kids to make this simple exercise .... would you like your parents, husband/wife, friends, boss, teachers to bash you everyday? Would you like people to tell you you're a piece of Sh*it? or call you f* names? would that turn you on? ... No?! So if not why do you do it to your children then?

Only a disgusting coward is able to spank defenseless kids! Because they're so coward and weak that they could never fight people of their age! Maybe it makes them feel that sense of power but the truth is that's no power at all, that's sickness!

People like this should never be allowed to live next to children! They are not capable of it! That's why I think this woman should go to jail!

What about you? what do you think about this?

Hugs

Kangas

Who's perfect these days?!

2007-03-15T13:29:00.000+11:00

Hi mates,

Today I was watching Oprah's show on TV and I just heard this woman saying something that made my blood boil!

She said that men look for the perfect woman and that there is no perfect woman! Hey is there a perfect man??????

Because if you could find such a thing you please contact me because I would like to see it! I can't believe the way women put themselves down! It's simply unbelievable!

Women are not perfect, everybody knows that but if we look deep inside into the heart of the question we're way more perfect than men aren't we? We tolerate the pain way better than men, we have children (I wonder how would a man manage to do such a thing!), and I'm not talking about the household work because then men would have no chance at all. (I know that many women don't do it either so that's why I didn't mention it.)

Oprah just said something that caught my attention, and which I totally agree. When a man looks at a woman he looks at her boobs, at her back, at her legs and he think if he can afford to keep that all up!

It's true ... they think if they can pay for our stuff and if they can keep us because betrayal is something they simply don't accept. Although is something they do so well isn't it?

I'm not here to try to put men down or either to raise up women. Not at all. For I think that we can find good men and bad men as well as we can find good women and bad women. We're only human, so we all make mistakes and we all learn from them I suppose!

So let's just be humans and leave these stereotypes behind our backs.

And most of all, you NEVER EVER put yourself down! If you don't believe in yourself who's going to do it?!

Hugs

Kangas

A night of light ...

2007-03-05T15:07:00.000+11:00

G'day folks,

Last night we had the most spectacular lightening show I've ever seen in Sydney. All started around 10.30pm and last for a couple of hours.

I tried to take some pictures, but unfortunately I couldn't as the quality of my camera isn't that good. It was scary but wonderful at the same time.

As I couldn't take pics I just leave one that I picked from SMH. A lightening strikes Harbour Bridge! Incredible!

Hope you like it.

It's all for now ... I just wanted to show you the picture.

Hugs

Kangas

"Ugly Betty"

2007-02-20T11:01:00.000+11:00

G'day folks,

Last Sunday it started a brand new series here in Australia. It's called "Ugly Betty".

I know it's making a huge success in the US and I'm pretty sure it will be as big world wide. I'm so glad someone decided to make something like this. I think it is time to see the people they way they truly are and not only judge them by what they look like.

This "image"world is just ridiculous. Because of this we can see teenagers dying everyday with anorexia just because they want to be models. I'm not saying that being fat is healthy. Not at all!

I've got my worries with weight too. But one thing is being skinny and healthy and another thing is starving to death just to look like Kate Moss.

I found amazing the way Betty is. She's intelligent, she's kind, she's such an amazing person that no one notices because she doesn't have the "right"size and the "right"look.

The fashion industry can be overwhelming when it concerns to stereotypes. It's crazy the way this girls fight for being a cover of a magazine. But I think this "slavery"(and yes for me this is a way of slavery) starts at school, in the neighborhood, in the family, etc.

For example in my case ... I was put down by some members of my family, because I wasn't pretty, and I was fat, and this and that. At school I was also humiliated (as Betty) because I was fat and I was not popular.

What sort of thinking do you think a kid who goes through things like this will develop of themselves? ... I'll tell ya ... it happened to me and it took me a while to change it. (thanks a lot Ana for helping me on this) ... if everyone says you're rubbish you start believing it! Simple as that! You just believe it, and then you start depreciating yourself too.

Men ... we live in a men's world and we do the best to please them. We have to please our boss, because if we don't have a "good"image they simply don't hire us. We have to please our husband/boyfriend because he'll just dump us if we don't look as good as the porn starts they're always watching on the video or the playmates on the playboy magazine they buy every month!

We're just a piece of meat. Whether you have skinny legs and tight bum or you're dumped like a piece of rubbish!

Why should be always women worrying about weight and image?! Shouldn't men be image slaves as well?

I think this starts in the cradle, by the education we all receive from our parents. Men are educated to be sexual, they can't show much emotion because if they do, they labeled as gays. (what a ridiculous thing anyway! As if gay people was less than straight people!)

In countries like the one I was born, people have this mentality that a woman should be a mother and a wife. Thank God this has started to change a few years ago and women are also having their carriers and their independence. It is not acceptable that boys are not even taught to do their own beds in the morning before they go to school. It is not acceptable that boys don't wash the dishes just because they are boys. This "newspaper, soccer, beer and porn"culture has to stop. And in my opinion it has to start in my generation. All the women of my generation must start teaching your children to be human beings apart from the sex they have.

Showing our feelings is not weakness, it is a prove of a strong personality. And it is for our personality that we have to be judged by, we have to be judged by what we are and never for what we look like.

No one is perfect. Not even the models that we see on the cover of the magazines. Those photos are processed with photoshop so they make them look perfect.

Even if you are an "ugly Betty"like me, look yourself in the mirror and say ... I'm beautiful! ... and just start saying all the wonderful features you have ... intelligence, modesty, honesty (very important one), kindness, whatever it may be ... just say it and believe it, because you can't be a Kate Moss if you don't believe yourself. You can have plastic surgery to look like her, you can start a huge diet to be like her, but if you don't believe yourself you'll end up being a looser looking like Kate Moss. It all comes from inside. You may not look like her and feel like you are her. If you believe you are beautiful. If you believe you can do it.

The power is in your hands! The power is all yours. It's in you.

Every morning just remember that song from Christina Aguilera ..."I am beautiful in every single day, words can bring me down, I am beautiful in every single way ...."

I'm going now. Hope you like my post today and that you give me your opinions too. :)

Hugs Kangas

The Big Day!

2007-02-12T16:00:00.000+11:00

G'day folks,

This is my very first day as Mrs. KangarooKoala. Two rings in my hand, and a new name in my documents.

Yesterday I got married with me man of my life, the one I've been fighting for since 2003. It was such an amazing day. The ceremony was small but beautiful. We didn't had a reception as my parents couldn't make it to the wedding. Instead we decided to have a reception later on this year.

The day was rainy but it didn't waste our day. Anyway I love Sydney's rain. This city is beautiful even on a rainy day.

We took pictures at Circular Quay and the Rocks area. It was amazing because Opera House and Circular Quay were the first places I've been with Jorge in July 31st when we first met. It was special for me to go to that place again.

We had a dinner with family and some friends.

I'm so happy. This only proves that when you love someone, no matter how far you may be from that person that if your love is true you will fight for it and you will certainly end up happy with the one you love.

There's going to be hard times, there's always hard times no mater how far you are from the person. But there will also be good time and must be the good times that count for you.

Unfortunately the advise I'm giving you today I haven't always taken it myself. That's why sometimes I was so sad and devastated that I was about to give up. But deep down inside there was this strength that never let me give up and so I am, happy!

So never give up on your feelings and goals because if you believe you can achieve it!

I'll leave you with a picture taken in the city. Hope you like it.

Love Kangas

A child with a job

2007-01-31T16:49:00.000+11:00

G'day,

Today I'm going to talk about something I watched on tv. It was on "Dr. Phil" and the name of this post is actually an expression used by him on this show.

On this show there were two couples with children and in both cases they used their children to save their relationship.

On the first case, this woman stopped taking the pill because she wanted her boyfriend to marry her. She said: "He wanted to break up the relationship so If I got pregnant he would be mine!"

On the second case it was a man who wanted to trap his wife by getting her pregnant. So once he decided to have sex with her while she was asleep so he would get her pregnant and she would not leave him.

I can't believe that things like this still happen on the 21st century. In what century do this people live?! As if having a baby was a good way to save any relationship! And by the way, don't these people have a bit of self esteem and dignity?!

In my opinion people should be in a relationship by their own will and only when there's feeling in both sides. What's the point of having someone next to ya if you know that that person doesn't love you at all?

These people are giving a huge responsibility to their kids. The responsibility of saving their relationships which is something really wrong. When adults can't solve their problems shouldn't be children solving them. People must to grow up and start acting like adult instead of making childish mistakes. A child is not a toy that you use when you feel like and you throw away when you're fed up with. A child should be planned and live in a healthy and happy environment.

I got chocked with such a thing because I think using a child is the worst thing ever. People think that using a child is only when you use child labor but in my opinion having a child to save a relationship is using and abusing the child. We can't put such a responsibility on a child's shoulders.

If I was that man, I'd divorce her because I wouldn't like to live my life with a liar. As well as if I was that woman I would just do the same because I'd feel I was rapped as someone had sex with me without my permit.

I hope that soon this sort of this don't happen anymore because i think it is time for adults to be adults and take responsibility for their acts and also accept the consequences of it.

I hope you liked my post and also that you give your opinion on it.

Warm hugs,

Kangas

My Australia Day

2007-01-29T16:50:00.000+11:00

G'day mates,

Another Australia Day has gone and today I'm here to tell you about my Australia Day this year.

I wanted to go to the city, so I could participate in all of those events they have there. The last time I spent the Australia Day in Sydney we went to Darling Harbour and it was amazing. I took my flag and I had a lot of fun. But this year I've decided not to go to the city as my sis just had a baby (my beautiful niece) and it wouldn't be a nice idea to go to the city with the baby girl. So we decided to go somewhere else ....

And what better than the place where it all begun?! That's right! we went to Brighton les-Sands which is situated on the Botany Bay, the place where Captain James Cook arrived a few centuries ago.

Kanga and I decided to walk from Wolli Creek to Brighton because it's is not that far and then we could enjoy a bit of that wonderful sunny day. It took us about 45 minutes walking but it was a great walk.

I was wearing a Top with the Aussie Flag as well as Kanga wore a T-shirt with the flag. I also left a huge Flag at my balcony. This was the day to commemorate our country.

Later we met my sis and my two bothers in law and we went for an ice cream. I choosed "dead about chocolate and cookies and cream' flavor. It was simply delicious.

Then we came home. And the bad news are still to come. heheheh

I had forgotten to put sunscreen in my body so when I came back home I was red as a lobster. I got sunburn. It wasn't hurting anyway so I put some moisturizer and I just relaxed. the worse was the day after when my back star really hurting. ... oh well that's the price I had to pay for the big mistake I'd done! :P

I didn't take pictures because my batteries were flat and the ones I bought in the shop were wrecked. So lucky I am!!!

At 9pm we watched the fireworks everywhere in the city. It was more than half an hour of fireworks. We could see from our balcony and we could see it everywhere.

It was a great day. I only wish I could have you all with me so we could all commemorate this country that I consider the best country in this planet.

I gotta go now. I promise i''l be back soon with more news and funny things for you.

See ya all.

Hugs

Kangas

Australia Day - my day, your day, our day!

2007-01-24T11:54:00.000+11:00

G'day mates,

Australia day is here and what are you up to in order to celebrate our beloved country?

I'm planning to go to the city and have a look on the events there. It is a very important day to me and I'm glad I can be in Australia so I can celebrate it with all Australians.

I've said once that this country has a special magic that links you to it. Once you come here you will get linked with this country forever. It is impossible to forget this people, this smell, everything.

I know now that my link with Australia comes from my previous lives but I still believe that other people who haven't ever been here before can feel the same magic as I do. Everyone I know who has been in Australia feels this passion about the country and that could only happen because this Country is unique, special and magic.

As every other place in the world it has its good and bad features. I've heard the other day on Tv that some Real Estate agents can sell your house while you're in holidays, some other person let someone stay at his house while he was overseas and that person just took over the house not letting him come back to his own property and some other things. I can recognize that there are some bad things in my beloved Australia but even though I still love it. I'm proud of this Country for all it is, for all it represents to the world and to all Australians.

It's a free country, clean, people is well educated and organized and first of all no one thinks it's superior than others, when you go to a place you're treated equally and politely.

We all have pride of our Country that's why we all wear our flag not only on the Australia Day or on sports events but anytime we feel like. We use to have flags on our windows and balconies. Some people used the flag to racist purposes but obviously that doesn't mean that all Australians are racist or that the flag is a racist symbol.

Let's show our pride and let's wear our flags. Let's sing the Anthem and show this world that there's no other country like Australia.

Long Live Australia!

Happy Australia Day for all of you.

Hugs Kangas

A Flag - a national symbol or a racist symbol?!

2007-01-23T15:19:00.000+11:00

G'day my friends,

Today I'm here to discuss about an issue that has been causing a big fussy over here for the last couple of days. The issue is: what does the use of the National flag truly mean?

Next Thursday there's going to be a musical event here in Sydney called "The Big Day Out". For me it is the first time I've heard about it but for those who lived in Australia for their entires lives this is just another edition of a well known summer festival.

But this year something has changed on the event's organization minds. Because of the Cronulla riots last year, they decided to ban the use of the Australian flag on this even because they consider it a racist behavior. The truth is that at the Cronulla riots the people used the flag to claim the "Aussie Pride. But that doesn't mean that everyone that uses the flag is racist.

They think some people could just go to the show and cause another riot and they even advised the people to carry the flags inside their bags and take them out only when the show is over because it will be Australia Day by then.

What do you truly feel about this?

I think the flag is our National Symbol, every country in the world has it's own flag so how can this be considered a racist symbol?

When you're Australian you surely feel proud of your flag and you feel represented by it everywhere, as well as if you're Italian, American, Egyptian, French, or whatever country in the world.

The Prime Minister and the Premier of NSW have already shown their disagreement about this issue and what they think it's that it's just outrageous such an attitude and I do agree with them.

Everyone should be proud of its flag not ban it!

I'm proud of Australia so next Friday I'll wear my flag to show it as I always do on this day.

Gotta go now.

Hugs

Kangas

Happy Days

2006-09-26T12:42:00.000+10:00

G'day mates,

I'm back to update ya on my last news.

As you all know I'm in Sydney and obviously I'm extremily happy because I'm finally back "home". This so me! This city is just the perfect place for me to live. It's got green spaces, it's got ocean and in the middle of that it's the civilization. What a paradise what you reckon?!

Today It's a bit windy and cloudy, I live in a Suburb called Wolli Creek which is a bit windy, but no worries, I just close the windows and feel the warmth of my wonderful home.

Last weekend we had bushfires in Sydney. It's very sad because a few people lost their homes. We've got a wonderful flora and it's always sad when we know that some of it was destroyed so stupidly.

Summer is comming for me. I know for most of you it has already gone as most of my friends live in Europe. This year it will be the first year in my life that I spend the Xmas on summer. I must confess that it will be a bit odd because I've always had that concept of Xmas with snow and cold. Oh well ... this year I'll have a Xmas on the beach! hihihihi

You want join me guys? :P

As I write to you I'm just loking out the window and seeing the wonderful views of my city. Centrepoint Tower, Australia Plaza and some other high building just mixture with the cloudy sky painting a wonderful landscape of white, gold and grey. :P

Another 747 has departed from Sudney's Kingsford Smith International Airport. I can see them all from my window. I see them comming and then I see then going. This is a very busy airport. They never stop. There's always a plane in the air!

Doctor Phill is on on Channel Nine. I love this show. In Lisbon I used to watch it everyday on Sic Mulher. After there will be Oprah on Channel Ten. I never lose these shows if I'm home.

I guess I just posted you of all the news here. So I gotta go now.

Hugs

Kangas

Home sweet home ...

2006-09-05T16:21:00.000+10:00

G'day mates,

Here I am back to Sydney. To be very honest with you I can't really say what I feel at this stage because is all so new and wonderful!

Sometimes I still don't belive that I'm living in Sydney and that I can see my city from the balcony everyday. It looks like a dream when I wake up and I see my boyfriend just next to me. It is fantastic that now we got our own space to live and we can be 100% independent.

My flat is amazing. We have a huge balcony with wonderful city views. I'm also able to gather another 2 passions in my life ... planes and trains ... surprised???? ... don't be ... most of you who know me long lime know that I've always had this passion for trains and you also know that since I first entered in a plane I started love them too.

So that's it ... I live with both of them close to me as my place is located 5 minutes from the Sydney airport I can see the planes landing and taking off. Actually most of them fly over my building.

From my balcony I can also see the trains ... in front of my building there's a junction of two Sydney's suburban lines, so there's plenty of trains everytime.

I also have a park in front of my building, so I can breathe the fresh air every morning when I wake up. This is the most wonderful city in the world ... forgive me those who think the same about your own city but you really have to visit Sydney one day so you can feel all this emotions I'm going through right now.

It's still a bit cold but nothing compared with the old Europe. Today It's a bit breezy but it's sunny. They say that maybe tomorrow we'll have some showers ... no worries ... I love the aussie rain! hehehe

Now I leave ya a pic taken from my balcony. Have a look at this city ... have a look at the most wonderful country on this planet!

See ya.

Hugs

Kangas

The big adventure ...

2006-08-11T04:57:00.000+10:00

G'day all,

As I promised you a few weeks ago here I am to let you know about my big adventure. I think most of you already know what it is but even so I promised you I would write a post on that.

In two weeks I'll be finally flying home. For good at last! :P

I've been waiting for this for so long and now it's finally happening to me. I'm very happy because I can be with the man I love and being at home at the same time.

I'm so happy, for having a home just for us, our own space, our nest. This is so important to me because I'm really longing for love and affection and I think I can get it this way. There won't be anyone around to interrupt us or to stabblish rules in our lives ... we'll be making the rules. :P

So this was the final surprise to ya ... I'm going home!

Hope you liked it.

Hugs

Kangas

A change in life ...

2006-08-08T05:21:00.000+10:00

Hello my friends,

Today I'm here to talk about a very important change I had in my life 2 months ago. This Kangas who is here today with you is not that depressed and desperate Kangas she used to be before.

First of all I'd like to introduce you to my teacher and my friend Ana. It was her who helped me in this big big change. Curious? hum ... ok ... I'll tell ya everything ....

Some of you know that I've always believed in reincarnation. Some of you also know that I've always believed that my love for Australia came from past lives. Three years ago I've started a research on the Internet about this, and I found a lot of information that was totaly new to me at that point.

I got amazed with so much information and I tried to do my best to discover my past. I know that is possible with hypnosis but I've also been told that this method was quite dangerous. So I just let this issue a bit forgotten for a little bit.

A few months ago I found out that Ana (my translation teacher) can read one's aura and I just thought: 'My destiny is giving me the way so I can find out my path!'

I won't give ya a great explanation about what aura is because I'm affraid I won't be able to do it correctly. But from what I've been told by Ana aura is your energy, your inner Self.

Well now that I just made a small introduction to the subject of this post I'm going to tell ya how this changed my life.

As you know I had a lot of negative aspects in this life. I used to be a very pessimistic person and very depressive too. This love and connection with Australia and the total distance to Portugal was also something that always got my concern. I needed to find the reason why this happened to me.

So that day Ana started reading my aura, and at some point she just talked about my past lives. I can't describe what I felt when she started telling me something I used to see in my dreams for ages!

I used to be a crocodile hunter in Australia, and I had to leave my wife and baby in order to get some money for the household. Then she just told me a lot of my personality and it was like if she was just helping me to let it all go .... it was the past ... it was all gone now!

And so did I. Don't ask me how because I don't know, the only thing I know is that I started to feel a huge sense of freedom and peace. Suddenly I felt that all of my black past had gone forever. No more tears, no more feelings of inferiority, no more sadness ... they were gone all gone. As if Ana just helped me to fold them and put them in a distan drawer and in fact it was just what she did. Ana you brought light into my life.

So I would like to thank Ana for the precious help she gave to me and for all the advice.

I hope you can reach this peace in your life. I did!

I'll leave you the link of Ana's website so you can browse for more info on this issue.

Thank you Ana. Thank you my friends.

Hugs

Kangas

Does it really have to be that way?

2006-07-28T05:02:00.000+10:00

G'day mates,

Today I'm here to talk about something that happened to me yesterday. I didn't forget about those issues I've promised you to talk about but today I really need to talk about this.

It's about someone I've considered a friend for ages and now I've just found out that she wasn't that friend at all. We met at school as we were on the same class. We became close friends so that we used to be like sisters. My mum even called her daughter.

But 2 years ago she got married and she just started to be different to me. She humilitated me on her wedding party, she doesn't reply my sms or emails anymore, she started to be arrogant and stupid to me and I really don't understand why.

Last Tuesday she gave birth to a wonderful child and surprisingly she sent me an sms to let me know about it. Obviously I got so happy for her that I just reply to her and called her to know how she and the baby were.

Yesterday I went to the hospital to visit her and her baby. I must confess it was one of the most awkward and sad situation I've ever been through in my whole life.

I went there and I expressed my happiness for her and her husband. I was just the same Kangas I've always been. What about her? What do you think she done?

Oh well I'll tell ya ... I felt I was unwanted there, I felt like a completly strange person. It looked like she was talking to me only because she had to as I was already there ... it looked like she was making me a favor for doing so.

I told her that I was planning to have this dinner at my place so I could gather my friends and her husband just said that they probably couldn't make it because she can't go out now. Well I wasn't expecting her to go to a club or being out till 5am. It was just a dinner at my place, with my parents and my other friends.

Then I just said that I had to leave them because there were more people trying to go and visit them. Her husband just told me: "There's nothing else for you to see here!"

At this stage I felt I was really unwanted there and that they were trying to pull me out. So I just said byebye (politely of course) and left the room.

While I was on the lift back to the hospital lounge I was thinking to myself: "does it really have to be this way?"

I don't understand why I used to be so good to her when she was single and now I'm just a little less than an acquaintance to her. I'm not worth it anymore, I'm just the single girl whose boyfriend is in Australia, 17,000 km away from her while she's a married woman who has an husband and now a kid to supply!

I've also have my boyfriend, I've got other friends who are in a relationship, some engaged others just dating but they still continue to be the same as they were before. I've never changed my behavior with my friends because of my boyfriend or because I had a boyfriend.

So beware my friends. There's a lot of fake friends out there. People that use you when they need you and then when they're fine they just give you a big kick in the ass.

I learnt with this girl that I have to choose my friends better. I need to make sure they are my true friends before I let them enter into my heart. So I decided to share this lesson with you, so maybe I can spare you from having an heartbreak as I did.

Thanks for being my TRUE friends. I love you all.

Hugs

Kangas

The World Cup 2006 - Socceroos I'm so proud of you!

2006-07-23T01:24:00.000+10:00

Today I'm here to talk about the World Cup and of course about the Socceroos.

The entire world started seeing them as the underdogs of this competition. No one really believed they could even pass to the second round.

But what happened was that they actually did and they did it with passion and glory. The world was surprised that our national team was so great and could prove to be one of the bests. We've been robbed by the refs in most all of our games ... penalties that were not given, fouls that were not seen ... but we always managed to make it somehow.

And we made it until the day when we had to play against Italy. Everybdy knows that the italians are used not to play fair. But I guess in this game (as well as on the final mastch against France) was a bit too much. Socceroos were playing perfectly that night and they were even being the stronger team on the pitch. The game was draw and they were about to play 30 minites of Extra time to see who was going to make it to the quarter-final. Suddently when it was only 10 seconds to end of the game Lucas Neill (one of our heroes) fell on the penalty area and Marco Materazzi just pretendend it was a penalty. Well the entire world saw that it wasn't penalty but the ref seemed to want Italy to win that game sending Australia home that way that night!

It was unfair. It was unbelievable. But that's how it is ... they had to win the World Cup and we were the "underdogs" who dominate them for 90 minutes.

So that's why I'm here now. I want to show how proud I am of my team. Our heroes, they let the world know about Australia and they took us far.

Thank you Socceroos. And specially Lucas Neill. It is not his fault that we went home. If there is someone to blame on that game, then blame it on the ref.

We'll see them in 2010. And maybe Mr. Matterazzi isn't that lucky that time!

I'll leave you with my picture so you can see how passionate I was when I was supporting my country.

Long live Australia! Long live Socceroos!

Hugs

Kangas

Hey guys ... it's been a long time ...

2006-07-22T05:07:00.000+10:00

Hi everybody,

I hope you're not mad at me. I know it's been a long time since my last post but the truth is that I've been very busy and I had no time no sit and write.

I've finished my Translation Course and I'm just getting ready for another big adventure in my life. I won't tell ya right now because I want to tell you in another post.

There are a lot of things to say and a lot of comments to be done about these last months I've been away. Just to let ya know the next topics are ... the World Cup and how my dear Socceroos done well in it, some personal change I've been through and the big adventure.

Are you curious about it? hum ... some of you already know about it but either way I will only talk about it tomorrow of maybe after tomorrow.

So pay attention ... news are comming.

Before I go I'd like to say thank you to my "madrinha" (godmother) because she reads my blog and she's always asking me about it and waiting on news posts. This is for you girl. Thank you so much.

Love you all.

Kangas

Happy Easter for all!

2006-04-15T20:09:00.000+10:00

G'day mates!

Today I'm here just to talk about Easter ... It'll be a short post I promise! ;)

I hope this Easter brings you all the happiness and joy you most want and deserve. I hope you have the opportunity to spend it with those you love the most, and being loved by them.

A lot of love and happiness to all of you.

Happy Easter!

Love

Kangas

Gestures that make the diference ...

2006-04-08T04:34:00.000+10:00

Hello my dear friends. How are you today?

I hope you feel as happy as I do today. Today it seems that nothing can hurt me ...

I woke in the morning, apparently it was going to be another sad day in my life. Not different from the ones I had before. Suddenly my dad came into my room carrying something in his hands .... something that changed my day forever.

He entered and said "you got mail", I just looked and it was a wonderful poscard with fotos from London. I turned it around and I read it was from my "brother" Peter145. He sticked some aussie flags on it too.

I'm so glad he remembered me. It's so good to know I've got someone who's always there for me, someone who cares about me and helps me and supports me to keep going in my sad life.

Small gestures, that seem so easy for one and so complicated for others.

That's why I'm here today, to thank you Peter145 for the big smile on my face I've got today. For being the great friend that you are.

Thank you so much for always being with me. All I need is friends like you in my life.

Bye

Kangas

Emptyness

2006-03-14T00:40:00.000+11:00

I wake up, just another day is about to start for me. I send an sms for the one I love and I wait ... I wait for his reply, I wait for his attention and I wait for his support.

I've been through a very difficult situation as I got my dad in the hospital and I still try do be cool to keep on studying and doing my course. I needed love and protection, I need someone to tell me "I love you!", you know when you just feel that you're loved and that you're important in someone's life.

Although, I keep on doing my stuff alone. I look to the other couples in the bus and they look so in love. I talk to my friends and they just tell me about the wonderful things their boyfriends say...

Isn't it so difficult to say "I love you"? Why do the other men say it and mine don't?

I tell him that just trying to get a positive answer, but the only thing I can get is a smile ...

I feel empty, I feel so lonely. What's wrong with me? Have I got anything repulsive to the people?

I want to believe this year is forever, but then I think ... well last year I though the same thing and I've been fooled. I just want to be loved like everybody else, I want to hear that I'm loved, I want to feel I'm loved. Everybody does! I think I'm not asking anything special am I?

Sometimes I lay down in my bed and cry, I just ask God why? why me? What have I done wrong? Don't I deserve a little bit of honesty? Don't I deserve a little bit of piece?

I keep on trying, I keep on believing and trying to erase some sort of things from his life ... but then I think ... does he want it to be erased? For he lives looking for it all the time!

I know, I'm just an item on his to do list ... the last one actually, so I can only wait till the soccer finishes, and the websites are all seen, and the friends, and the cats and the dogs and the roaches crossing Princess Hwy at night! ... poor roaches ... they'll die!

What about me? ... what about me? ... well he knows I'll keep on loving him and waiting that he has 5 minutes to say hello!

He says he talks to me on the net, and call me everyday ... but does he give me attention? Does he care about me? do we have quality time together? .... the answer is: NO!

And why not? (you may ask) ... because if you have to repeat the same question a lot of times to be heard then what do you think? If you spend hours looking at a webcam, then what do you think?

Well, I guess I will only solve my problem when I move to Sydney ... or maybe not!

At least I just wanted him to understand that I'm a humam being too ... and that I love him, I have feelings and needs like anybody else ....

Well maybe one day you will understand what I'm saying baby! I just hope is not too late!

Bye

Kangas

Computers and feelings ...

2006-02-07T04:56:00.000+11:00

Computers and feelings ...

I wonder how would a computer understand humans and their feelings. For computers are just machines that work with codes and mumbers.

Computers are cold, the can't fit on the human's world besides they can help humans in lots of aspects. We can use a computer to work, to communicate but we can't use a computer to get love or affection.

What I suggest you today is a simple exercise ... let's try to analyse feelings in a computer prospective ... or in other words in a computer person prospective.

In a computer it is possible to give a kiss ... yes ... true ... with this chat programmes you just press a botton and there you go ... some wonderful red lips apear on the screen so the other person can see it. It is also possible to hug ... very simple too ... just watch this ... [[[[[[]]]]]]] ... this is a computer hug. Funny isn't it?

Lots of things can be made in a computer ... but ... what happens if you type ... marriage ... wedding .... serious relationship on it? .... the answer is .... "ERROR" .... "DANGEROUS VIRUS" .... "CTRL+ALT+DEL" ....

But then I wonder ... would this people will always live stucked in the past glued to this machines and they will never wake up for life and for what they are doing with their lives and with the others'? Just think about it!

I love computers ... I love surfing on the net and find all this wonderful info available, but in the other hand I'm still a human being, I need love, I need affection.

A letter can't be replaced by an email, for a letter is a small piece of ourselves put in a small piece of paper. Just the fact that a letter is handwritten is enough to make it special.

There is a lot of things that should be learnt by "computers" ... Bill Gates won't last forever, and when the "computers turn 80 will their machines be their companions? Will their machines cook for them or take them to the doctor when they need to?

I'm not asking for a wedding ... I've never did and I never will! I just think people should not take for granted the other's feelings as if they were just a computer programe that they turn on when they want to use it and then they turn off when they're fed up with!

People should be more careful when they deal with some sort of issues, sometimes their coldness can hurt really bad those who love them really deep. Thank God there are exceptions ... Thank God there is someone in my life who still send me emails, but also keeps me up when I need to. Thanks a lot my brother Peter145. Don't ever change ... don't turn yourself into a computer ...

Ups ... I guess I'm talking noncense again! heheheh

Hugs

Kangas

Australia Day

2006-01-27T01:26:00.000+11:00

Australia Day ... Australian party ... Australians commemoration.

And you may say ... "How come you commemorate Australia Day if you weren't born Australian?"

I'll answer you like this ... Australia day? What is Australia day for you? ... because ....

Because for me, Australia day is a very important day. It's a day to commemorate "my" country, and I say "my" country because Australia is the only country I call HOME.

The feeling inside is so strong, it's this sence of pride and happiness for the great country we are but also this great sadness for being so far apart from home. I remember that last year I was there with my boy. You should have seen my friends ... everyone was happy, everyone was in the streets with flags ans caps and all the things they could get to show our proud they were.

Even the tourists ... they were amaized by the national spirit we all have.

Australia is union ... no one who has ever been to Australia can ever forget our country. There's always this feeling of missing, and nostalgia. I can feel that by the people I chat with in our chatroon (#Australia) ... when it concerns to our Australia, everyone raise their hands to defend the country. We all feel that our aussieland is a piece of ourselves.

So that's why I'm here today my friends, to invite you to party with me. Pick up some lamb chops for a barbie and pick up a tinnie from the fridge. Let's make this day special.

For our Australia.

LONG LIVE AUSTRALIA!

Hugs

Kangas

Back to the sad world!

2006-01-15T02:37:00.000+11:00

G'day mates.

First of all I'd like to wish you a very happy new year. I've been out of the net for 3 weeks as my baby was here with me. We've been traveling and we had no time for the Internet.

It was the best Xmas I've ever had because he was here with me. I had a lot of fun and I was as happy as I've never been before on Xmas time.

Yesterday he went back to our Country and I came back to my sadness. I've been crying a lot because I miss him and because I can't live without him anymore, but in the other hand I know I have to wait and be strong that soon this nightmare will get to the end and we finally be together.

Thank you so much my Angel for all you've done to me and for all the happiness you bring to me. I love you more than ever and I hope this year we can finally be together forever my Angel.

I leave you this picture so you can see the happiness in my eyes when I'm with my angel.

Hugs

Kangas

Merry Xmas!

2005-12-24T03:03:00.000+11:00

G'day my friends.

Xmas is here! OHOHOH Merry Xmas mates!

I must confess that this year I'm feeling as happy as I've never been in ten years. I got back my Xmas Spirit which is being very positive to me.

This year i'll have my baby with me. It's true ... my KangarooKoala is on his way here and he'll arrive in a few hours. I'm so glad I can be with him this Xmas.

So I came here to share this happiness with you (my friends) and to wish you a Merry Xmas. I wish that all your dreams come true this Xmas.

Thank you all for you love and support. I love you all.

Always yours,

Kangas

Plagiarism ... when people just don't have personality!

2005-12-24T02:40:00.000+11:00

G'day my friends. Today I'm here to talk about plagiarism.

Plagiarism is in my oppinion the only chance for those who don't have personality to show themselves to the world. I really don't understand how this come people can copy somebody else's personal thoughts and claim them as their own.

First of all I'd like to ask a question to this person known as Parker. Have you ever heard of Tony Robins??? It is so weird that you wrote about something that you don't even know what it is!

Well, now it's for you my friends ... what happen was that this person I've named before has been copying the things I write here on my blog and signing them as if they were written by him. It's just absurd isn't? Well but it happened to me.

Thank you so much Aqualily that you noticed me about this case so I could do something about it. The only thing I recomend you all to do is check out on your personal blogs because they may being copied as well.

This sort of people should be banned from the blog space. I think each person has the right of freely express its own thoughts. But I guess that this is impossible because of this kind of opportunists who make the others' thoughts their own's.

One last question Mr. Parker ... when you copied the post about MY sis, why didn't you copy the polish sentece too? Maybe your sis would have been impressed with it!

See you my friends.

Hugs

Kangas

I am beautiful!

2005-12-03T22:15:00.000+11:00

Today I'm here to tell you about something that happened to me last Thursday and touched my heart in a very deep way.

Me and a friend o'mine (Panzer) went to some coffee shop in order to get their cooperantion this legal issue we are dealing with at the moment. When we entered there was a child, a boy, he should be about 10 years old. He was a bit chubby and funny too. He was always asking us questions, and trying to catch our attention. But when we were leaving he just looked at me and said 'Can I tell you something my lady?' and I answered 'Yes of course, why not?!' and then he just looked me in the eyes and said "You are very beautiful my lady!"

I really got impressed and happy. No one has ever said to me. Not like that anyway. I felt like I was really beautiful ... I actually was at the eyes of that little boy.

It's funny how a 10 years old boy told me what I needed to hear from someone else. Everybody likes to feel beautiful, everybody likes to have attention, love and care. That child touched my heart because he just made me feel important. It's a pitty that the adults don't have the same opinion about me. But no worries, the last couple of days I've learnt a lot about life and about the humamity itself and I won't let myself get destroyed by those who don't even stop and think about my needs.

People don't care about feelings these days, there are such more important things in their lives .... things like sex, parties, jobs, fancy cars, fun. Love?! What does this word mean these days? Those who trully love are called fools and are used and abused by this people.

But at the eyes of a child I'm beautiful, and I am actually. I'm not Catherine Zetta Jones but who cares?! I've got other features that if no one cares about I do! I'm honest, I'm skinny, I'm inteligent, I'm sophisticated, I'm funny and most of all I am natural.

When I was young I used to dream that one day I would find someone to tell me I am beautiful everyday, someone who values me, someone who supports me and undestands my needs, someone who shares his life with me. We have a lot of dreams when we are young don't we?

But sometimes we can find a child who is able to say what the adults don't. Thanks to that child I came home with a smile on my face.

Does anyone else care about making me smile? Does anyone else care about make me happy?

Bye for now. I leave you a picture of me ... so maybe one you can say I'm beutiful too.

Hugs

Kangas

To Australia with pride ....

2005-11-20T00:55:00.000+11:00

All started in 1788 when Captain Cook arrived in Botany Bay, Sydney with more than 700 convicts. A new land, a new reality and of course another British colony has begun. But soon this South Pacific prision turned into a properous country. We grew, we developed our country and today we are one of the most wealthy countries in the world.

This is what makes me so proud of my Australia, we started like convicts and today we have a place in the world. I wasn't born in Australia, but that doesn't mean I can't feel pride for Australia. It is a fact that I don't have the Australian citizenship (yet) but deep in my heart I've always been an aussie ... and believe me I'm very very proud of Oz.

That's why today I dedicate this words to the best Country in the world - Australia. I also want to commemorate our recent victory against Uruguay and our qualification for the Fifa World Cup.

Go Australia! The land of union, the land of love.

So I will sing a very especial song for all Australians ... and for me!

Put your hands on your heart and sing with me ....

"Australians all let us rejoice,
For we are young and free;
We’ve golden soil and wealth for toil;
Our home is girt by sea;
Our land abounds in nature’s gifts
Of beauty rich and rare;
In history’s page, let every stage
Advance Australia Fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing,
Advance Australia Fair.

Beneath our radiant Southern Cross
We’ll toil with hearts and hands;
To make this Commonwealth of ours
Renowned of all the lands;
For those who’ve come across the seas
We’ve boundless plains to share;
With courage let us all combine
To Advance Australia Fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing,
Advance Australia Fair.

Lots of love from this aussie .... Peter145 .... "I'm Australian, you are Australian, we're all Australians." ....

Hugs

Kangas

Chained2UGirl

2005-11-15T21:44:00.000+11:00

Chained2UGirl ... or should I say my "madrinha" (godmother) ... she's one of the persons that has always been with me through these past years.

Chained2UGirl is a wonderful person, she's a very good writer, very inteligent, sensitive and together we'd gone through a lot of difficult situations. We met in the Internet, as we both are fans of Darren Hayes and Savage Garden we met in a chatroom created by her in order to promote Darren and support the Unofficial Portuguese Fan Club that she's the Chair. We started to work together, sending emails to the radio stations, newspapers, TV channels etc, and this was the beginning of a very close relationship.

We both went through a very complicated period and Chained2UGirl never forgot about me, even when she was scattered too she always had 5 minutes to come online and check if I was alright. I will never forget that.

When I met my boyfriend, she was always telling me about him. That's why I call her godmother now, because she "inspired" me to look at my boyfriend with other eyes. ... "You should look at Kangas (the way she used to call him), he's a nice guy, he's the one for you."(this was before the "personal space"to arrive) ... it used to be something like this.

When I first went to Australia, we kept in touch by email and by phone. I called her days before she went on her holidays. This friendship is for me more than a friendship now, she's my family, my godmother. A golden person that I would like you all could met one day.

So thanks a lot "madrinha", you know you have a very special place in my heart. Without people like you, people who in spite their "personal space", they still have some time to think about me, my life wouldn't be possible at all.

Thank you Chained2UGirl, and thank you all of you my friends for being in my life.

Bye

Hugs

Kangas

Di

2005-11-15T01:14:00.000+11:00

Today I'm going to talk about someone very special to me and that you haven't heard about before.

Di, is a very special friend that I've met in the internet. She's also a very positive person, and she also gives me a lot of positive support on my dark days.

I used to chat with her everyday for hours and hours, and she's always got her best words to tell me. Sometimes she doesn't agree with me in some aspects of my personal life, maybe because she's not as pessimistic as I am but at the end of day she understands my points of view because she knows how I feel and how hard this is for me.

We have moments of fun too, specially when ER is on. You know ... who can resist to George Clooney anyway?! We can have realy nice moments of fun, telling jokes to each other, making our own jokes about our lives. Di is a very nice person. We haven't met each other personally yet, but we are very nice friends alredy.

So that's why I'm dedicating this post to her because I want to thank her for all she has done for me in order to cheer me up. Thank you so much Di, just keep being the great person you are because we shouldn't change what's perfect already.

A big big hug from an aussie to a tuga and thanks for all.

Hugs

Kangas

Aqualily

2005-11-13T22:28:00.000+11:00

Hey Lily this is for you.

Today I want to talk about another very important friend o'mine, someone who's also available to spend 5 minutes of her life with me (actually she spends more than 5 minutes).

Aqualily is one of those persons you simply can't forget. She's got a beautiful smile, a beautiful presence and she's just the kind of girl that will make you feel happy in an instant. Aqualily is a very positive person, so she always provides me a lot of positive thinking.

Unlike Peter145, Aqualily and I don't chat everyday, but we keep a very close friendship. We email each other in a very regular basis. We are always making funny comments about our nationalities ... Lily it's a fact mate, we were swop when we were born. :P

She's just another golden person in my life, and I'm so greatful that I have these friends with me. I can say with no doubts that I've got the best friends in the world.

When I feel real down I always write a huge email to Aqualily to tell her about it, in return I always get a very positive reply. Aqualily also tries to put herself in my shoes and also she tries to analyse the situations in both ways, so she can give an as equitable as possible opinion on the issue. Like me she is honest and she always says what she trully feels about the things. One of the oportunities I've been given to know that was when I started this blog, Aqualily just send me an email warning me about some spelling and grammar mistakes I'd made. I really appreciate that because only by being taught I will improve.

I love the english language, at this stage of my life I guess english is the language I speak the most. I'm doing a Tranlation Course and I want to become a professional translater, if I can make it I'll have a PgDip in Translation which enables me to apply for my visa. So every little help I can get in order to improve my english will be precious to me, and friends like Lily (also Chained2UGirl and Peter145) have been a great help to me. Please don't feel embarassed by correcting me, if you do so it's because you are my friends and you want to help me to improve.

So thank you so much Lily because you are a great person, and because you always find a way to keep in touch with me.

Bye for now ... i'll promise I'll be back with some more friends that are helping me in this big journey of mine.

Hugs

Kangas

Peter145

2005-11-12T20:36:00.000+11:00

Peter145 ... well today I decided to talk about a friend who has been helping me and encouraging me in my life.

Peter145 is a very kind person ... he's funny, he's very inteligent, he's determined, and most of all sensitive. He's a brave man who always fights a good fight in order to achieve his goals. We've known each other for a couple a years and Peter has always been the kind of person who's always been there for me.

When I first went to Australia he just rang me up the day before my departure, and when I arrived in Sydney he rang me up again to make sure I was alright. Peter has been one of those who's helping me to get my visa. He always sends me lots of information that can help me to learn about the best way for me to achieve my goal.

The last couple of days, I've been through a very very difficult situation, and he always tried to cheer me up even when I was broken into tears. He always finds a good way to make me laugh ... a joke, a pie, a smelly sock or even a pork shoy.

But this is what I call a real friend, this is what I call a brother. Most of the people I deal with are so busy that they don't have 5 minutes to say "hello" to me, they care about their "personal space" and they don't care about people who may care a lot about them. But Peter, he's got his job, he's got his studies, he's got his friends ... and his personal space too ... but he always remembers his friend Kangas.

Our friendship started (as I said before) in a very comic and embarassing way. I ended up having a crush on him and I got a bit distant because I was affraid I could lose his frindship because of that, but then I realised that he was that brother I've never had, and when I fell in love with my boyfriend I realised that quite well.

I think I just started to be more funny and open with him because I was not afraid then, and we just strenghtened out link and become real real friends.

I also like to work with Peter. This year he created a Discussion Forum about Australia and he just invited me and some other friends to work with him on this Forum and it's been a blessing for me. I love going into that forum and do the News Update, I love to find something interesting about Australia and post it there. Its very very nice!

But friends have to desagree with us somethimes, for they have their own ideas and their own beliefs. That happens with Peter too, specially when we talk about the place where I live ... Lots of pies have flown because of that. But at the end of the day we are fine with each other, because we respect each other and because we know each other's reality.

So I'd like to thank you Peter, for the time you spend with me, for the friend you are, for the advice, for the help with immigration stuff, for everything. Just keep being the way you are and you'll be very happy in your life I'm sure.

Bye for now ... I'll be back to tell you about some other friends like Peter145, friends that make my life a bit better.

Bye

Hugs

Kangas

Who I am? What do I want to do?

2005-11-08T20:54:00.000+11:00

Today I guess I'm a diferent person. The last days haven't been easy to me, I've been crying, I've been hurt (once again), but when you go that down you always try to find a way to pull yourself up again. That's what I did ...

Yesterday, when I was coming back from my Translation Course lectures, I was on the bus back home and I started thinking about some programe I've heard a couple of weeks ago about being positive and positive thinking made by Tony Robbins.

One of the first things he asks you to do is to answer these two simples questions: "Who am I?" - What do I want to do?

Mr. Robbins thinks that you have to use the bad things that happen to you to give you strength to fight them and achieve your goals. He thinks you should know who you are and what your aims in life are so you can have a better approach to your life.

Value yourself, even when no one else does. If you like yourself it's easy to the others to like you too. Anyway ... to be honest, I don't think I'm going to be worry about what the others think or feel about me ... it's their problem, not mine.

But I've decided to answer this questions here, so you also know a bit more about me. What do you reckon ... is it a good idea?

Who am I? ...

Well ... I'm a very emotional and sensitive person. It's so easy to enter in my heart and once you're there you can be there forever. I love to love, I feel so happy when I can give love to someone. I've never had that much love so I try to give to the others what I reckon would be the best for them ... what I would like to receive.

I'm honest, I hate lies. I guess all the people I know is aware of that, I prefer a very sad true than a very happy lie, because I'm responsable and I always take the responsability of my acts instead of saying some lie to run away from them or to hide them somewhere. That's not me.

I'm a warrior, in spite of the bad things that happened to me in my life I kept on fighting, even when I'm not sure I can win the battle (as it is happening right now). I'm determined, I never give up, because when I believe something I can do anything to make it possible. But when your dreams depend on the others' goals it gets a bit complicated because you can't force the people to feel or to do what they don't want to.

I love teaching, I love dancing, I love singing, and most of all I love helping the others. I can't see anyone down without being there and try to help. I think it's in my genes, and there's nothing I can do about it.

But I've got a dark side too (like anyone else), I'm jealous, but I think everybody who trully loves someone is a bit jealous. And if the people don't give me reasons to be jealous about them they will never know this part of me.

I'm pessimistic, very very pessimistic. I really don't like it, but I think this is a result of all the negative events I've experienced in my life. I've been told a million lies, I've been called a million names and then I grew up thinking I was rubbish and no one would ever look at me.

I found out I was wrong, even if no one looks at me I will and I will value myself for all that I am, for doing what I do in order to achieve my goals and most of all for laying down in my bed every night with my conscience totally free that I haven't hurt anyone, that I haven't done anything wrong to the people and that I haven't told lies. This is gold to me!

I believe myself and I have to fight my own dragons alone ... but I don't care because I'm strong enough to do it! And I've got a very strong personality to keep fighting and not letting others to hurt me, or their "personal space" or whatever ... I've got my own "personal space", my sanity, my feelings and I do respect my feelings.

What do I want to do?

Well on this second question I think I'll have to talk about my personal goals. My main goals in life are moving into my Country, find my job (I love to feel usefull, I love to work), having my house and my boyfriend with me (it's because of my love for him that I'm doing all of this so...).

I want to be happy, maybe having children (one of my biggest dreams), and living close to my friends. Most of all I want to believe that I have a place in the world and that I have the right to be respected as everybody does.

For now I have to enjoy a bit of "personal space" alone by myself.

Bye ... for now.

Hugs

Kangas

What's wrong with me?! ....

2005-11-08T02:44:00.000+11:00

Some people are loved, some people are hated, some people are ignored .... I don't know in which of these groups I can fit in!

The truth is that I can't attract people to me, I'm not abble to make people happy with my presence. I'm some sort of replent person!

When I was young, I used to love my grandma so I always wanted to be sat next to her, but they didn't realy wanted me to be with her. Most of the times I was put in the lounge watching telly all alone and crying.

I grew up, and at school it happened the same, girls didn't want to be with me and boys said I was a monster. I was confused and completely shattered by this. I've always been kind and I've always liked to be polite and help the others. But they didn't seem to like my help or my love at all.

Finally I tought I had found someone who really wanted me close and who felt really happy with my presence and I found out that I was wrong once again ... in the name of something called "personal space" I was repelled once again ...

I'll keep on loving ... I'll keep on fighting but I just would like to know what's so wrong about me? Is me presence annoying to you my friends?

I'd like to know your deep toughts about me, please leave me your most deep comments on this issue.

Thanks a lot.

Hugs

Kangas

My best thoughts to my sis!

2005-10-25T01:23:00.000+10:00

Dear sis ....

Today it's a very important day to you, as I can't be with you today I'm leaving this post to you as a proof of my friendship.

You're one of the best persons I've ever met in my whole life, and I wish the best of life to ya. I'd like to be with you today sis, but I want you to know that I'll be there with you in my thoughts. My very best wishes are with you.

Lepszy dla was sis! Wszystek będzie jest w porządku!

Lepszy dla was. Przepuszczam was sis. Wy jesteście wielcy!

Hugs

Kangas

A special thought to my sis.

2005-10-25T01:07:00.000+10:00

Dear sis ...

In this special day I'd like you to know that I'll be with you in my thoughts. I wish I could be with you today but as I can't be with you today I'm leaving this post here just to let you know that your sis is here and loves you very much.

The best for you sis. You're such a great great person!

lepszy dla was sis! Wszystek będzie jest w porządku!

Moje lepsze myśli są z wami! przepuszczam was sis.

Hugs

Kangas

Looking out the window ...

2005-10-13T22:35:00.000+10:00

Have you heard about that song by Billie Myers - "Kiss the rain" ? Well I think that in spite of being a break up song it shows exactly what a long distance relationship is like.

Yesterday I was here alone (as I always do) and it was raining outside, so I look out the window and I thought about my life and about how much I love my boyfriend. It was a very deep moment to me ... the teardrops rolling down my face were like the raindrops in my window ... sad ... cold ... and while I was thinking I was singing ....

"Hello
Can you hear me?
Am I gettin' through to you?
Hello
Is it late there? (...)"

A phone call ... this is a phone call from someone sad and lonely who's missing the person who's on the other side of the line. It is so hard when you are just talking when deep down inside you needed pretty much more than only words! "Oh God I wish you could be here now, I wish I could touch you once again!" I thought, but ... the song still went on in my mind ...

"(...) There's a laughter on the line
Are you sure you're there alone?
Cause I'm
Tryin' to explain
Somethin's wrong
Ya just don't sound the same
Why don't you
Why don't you
Go outside
Go outside
Kiss the rain
Whenever you need me
Kiss the rain
Whenever I'm gone, too long (...)"

Insecurity?! Jealousy?! ... Well I think is a mixture of both feelings. Fear ... I think that most of all is fear, fear that he goes away forever, fear that he just chose another one. And then it comes another question ...

"(...) Hello
Do you miss me?
I hear you say you do
But not the way I'm missin' you
What's new?
How's the weather?
Is it stormy where you are?
Cause I'm so close but it feels like you're so far
Oh would it mean anything
If you knew
What I'm left imagining
In my mind
In my mind
Would you go
Would you go
Kiss the rain
And you'd fall over me
Think of me
Think of me
Think of me
Only me (...)

Coldness, distance ... why doesn't he miss me the way I miss him? Or at least why doesn't he show it if he does?! ... Deep inside I know he does but I needed to feel it more I guess.

This is such a pressure ... and living under pressure isn't definitely my forth! I've always lived under pressure and I think I just can't hack it anymore!

But I'm not complaining about the pressure ... not at all! I knew this was going to be hard but my love for him was bigger than all the pressure I could ever feel! I'm willing to do anything for this man. And after all I know he's under pressure too, the difference is that he can cope with it better than I do! ... But I love him ... and I just want him to help me to cope ....

... "(...) Can you hear me?
Can you hear me?
Can you hear me?" ...

... I think you do! don't you?

Hugs

Kangas

You've made my day today my love!

2005-10-09T04:01:00.000+10:00

In spite of all this frustration I've been going through lately I can tell that today you've made my day!

I feel good because today you made me feel important in your life again. You told me you are sure I'm the right one to take care of you and that really made me feel special.

You know ... when you feel that you can be in someone's life forever and turn that person into the happiest person in this world ... this is what I feel today ... because of you ... I feel happy, I feel good, I can smile like I once did, once again .... because of you ...

You know ... you have this special power to make me feel miserable when you're cold and distant, but you also have this very very special power to make me fly, to make me feel happy. You always bring up my smile when you're kind to me, and this is the reason why I can erase all the tears I've cried for you ... because I know that deep down inside you're still my boy ... the same boy I used to talk to for hours and hours, the same boy who sent me wonderful sms just to say: "Hi sexy ... hope you're having a nice day, relax and smile you'll live longer!Kissinhos"

You're so special, I admire you so much ... because of your inteligence, because of your strenght ... but sometimes you scare me too, when you're distant, when you're cold. Don't change your ways please, just be yourself (in spite of the issue we're talking about). I can make foolish comments sometimes but I don't want you to stop talking to me because of that.

Count on me ... I can take care of you, I can help you to build one life together ... because ... well because I love you!

Take a look at this picture and you'll see how happy I am when we're together! ... "Nobody knows it but I've got a secret smile and I use it only for you" .... hehehe ... another version of the song!

I just wrote to say thank you for the day you gave to me today!

I love you KK!

Kangas

Have you ever needed love and affection?!

2005-10-03T03:59:00.000+10:00

Affection! Love! Atention! ...

Who doesn't need a bit of it?

Sometimes I wonder why do I need it so much when others seem not care about it! Am I too sentimental or is this people who are too cold?! I've been trying to find the answer to this question and I haven't got any answers so far!

I wish I could have love, I wish I could be kissed everyday, I wish I'd have a hug every morning, I wish I could hear the words "I love you! You are beautifull!" ....

I feel frustrated, I feel sad, I look around and I've got nobody; the truth is that I'm totally alone by myself and the ones who care for me are all too far away from me!

I'm 28 years old now ... almost 29, I look at my friends and they all seem to have a life, they all seem to have plans and goals, and I? ... Where are my plans? Where are my goals?

I've always fought hard my entire life in order to achieve my goals although I couldn't reach any of them. Now I've got my boyfriend, the man I love so much, someone that gives me strength to keep going and never stop believing, but ...

Some people can cope quite well with distance, for some people is quite natural to be in a situation like this, they can wait for years without feeling any sadness because deep inside they have everything they need.

If you live in a pleasant place, you're sorrounded by a lot of people that makes you feel important, if you have a job you obviously feel good and you don't miss love as much as someone who doesn't have anything of this.

I think I love too much! Some say I "worry too much", that I have to "relax" and "chill out" ... but then I think ... how can I relax if I have no way of getting out of this? Doesn't he miss me too? Is it possible that it's seems so easy for him when it's so hard for me?!

I'd like to find the recipe for being 5 months apart from him without feeling sad, I'd like to live in a pleasant place with good people around. I would also like to say I don't miss him that much because I think I would cope with it better than I am. But I need love ... I need someone to hold me, I need someone who cares.

Some friend say that if I can't talk to him one day, it doesn't really matter because I will talk to him the next day ... it's easy to talk when you've never been in a situation like this. I have no way of contacting him but the internet and the phone ... I date with a computer and a phone by now and I'm still waiting to the day when this machines won't rule my life anymore!

Do you understand me? Isn't it so wrong to be this way?

If some of you got the answer please help me letting me know!

Hugs

Kangas

Sydney ... the city of my dreams!

2005-09-27T21:33:00.000+10:00

Sydney ... well today I've decided to talk about Sydney, but to be honest I have no idea about how to start. There's so much to say about my city, so many things that really make the difference to me!

I was born in place where the streets are always dirty and people is always affraid to be robbed. But since my childhood that the place where I live had never been my place, you know, the place I can call "home", the place where I can feel safe and happy!

When I was young ... 4 or 5 years old I used to watch documentaries about Australia instead of watching cartoons. Don't ask me why because I really don't know the reason why I've always felt so linked with Australia and particularly with Sydney.

Nobody knew about this dream o'mine untill I'd decided to go to Australia on holidays. I've always kept it a secret because I thought I'd never be understood by these people here.

My link with Sydney grew bigger when I first had the internet at home. I used to check out pictures and all the info available about my city and I also checked some site where I could control a camera and see my city in real time. It was amaizing!

Then, when I was 26 years old, I've decided to visit "my" country and obviously my city .... I was just too happy to think about anything else, I was going to walk on my city, talk to my people, breathe the same air that my people breathe ... a dream come true! ... or probably two!

I met my boyfriend (KangarooKoala) before I went to Sydney, and when I arrived to my city he was just waiting for me at the airport. Then we took a cab to the hotel ... Radisson Plaza, on Circular Quay ... it was a night to remember and I'll never forget that day.

While we were going to the hotel, and he took M5 from the airport to the city, everything there look familiar to me and it is fantastic that I felt this because I'd really never ever been to Sydney before.

The streets, the smell, the people, all seemed so familiar to me that I didn't feel that I was arriving to a unkown place but I felt I was just comming home! At least I was home!

I love Sydney ... I love walking through the city, take the train to Circular Quay and then take a walk to the Opera House, Darling Harbour, Hyde Park .. it's a long way I know but I can do it with pleasure because I feel safe, I feel relax, calm and most of all happy!

The streets are clean, the people are friendly (aussies are the best!) and everything is so organized. Nothing compared with the place where I live (unfortunately) where's everything dirty, streets covered with rubbish and dog pooh! yuck! it's disgusting!

... Bondi .. oh God Bondi! I got fat because of Bondi! I used to go there and have this delicious mud cake with strawberries on top! Bondi it's a wonderfull place as well, wonderfull beach and wonderfull views as well.

The trains ... I love our trains, sometimes they are delayed which is obviously annoying but I loved those trips from Banksia to the city (Central, Town Hall, Circular Quay, Wynyard) or in the oposite direction, from Banksia to Hurstville to have a cappuccino and a cheese cake at Maddies, Miranda, Cronulla, Wollongong, etc. Wonderfull moments speally because I was in my city with the love of my life!

I promise I'll tell ya something more about my city in another post, but I think it's all for now! Enjoy the picture!

Hugs

Kangas

My old friends ...

2005-09-21T19:48:00.000+10:00

So now it's time to talk about my old friends!

People who have always been with me thoughout the years and done their best to make my days a bit better. I know sometimes it is a very hard job, but even through that they had never given up on me!

Firstly I'd like to talk about Kagero! Kagero has been my friend for more than 10 years now, I've known her since she was a baby. I always thought she didn't really like me and so I've never got that close to her! When I was 15, I used to be fan of the Heavy Metal band "Guns n'Roses" and so was she. We started talking about the band and that was it! It was the beginning of a great frienship. We have never been apart since! Kagero has a very strong personality and sometimes she's a bit hard to me, but at the end of the day I just know that when she tells me something it's because she cares!

Panzer ... this is the nickname he likes to be called! Panzer is another good friend of mine. Like Kagero, I've known Panzer since he was a baby, but since he was a friend of a relative of mine, we have always been friends. Panzer loves History, he's now doing his Bachelor in History. He likes the Middle Ages but I prefer the Roman Empire. That's why I call him "barbarian". We used to have a great time together too and he also gives me good advice.

GTiGirl ... a friend I met in the Highshool. She's funny and a very nice person as well. We've been apart for a couple of years but we have always tried to find a way to show each other we still cared. Thanks to the internet we can chat on a daily basis lately which is very good.

And last but not least, I'd like to talk about a new friend .. someone I've known for a long time but only in the last couple of years we came to be closer! His nickname is "aranha" (spider) ... which is funny because I've got aracnophobia ... but I really like to talk to "aranha". He's a Rehab Therapist, and he always tries to put me back on track! He's a very nice person and I really like talking to him because we always talk about very interesting issues.

And that's it! These are my old friends, people who live close to me and try to make me feel happy!

Hugs

Kangas

My sweet Sis!

2005-09-20T20:10:00.000+10:00

Today I've decided to write this post entirely dedicated to my dear Sis. Yesterday I spoke about all my friends but her, so today I've just decided to talk about her first.

As Peter145 is the brother I've never had Sis (I won't say the real names as suggested by my boyfriend KangarooKoala), is the sister I've never had as well!

She's the only one who trully understands what I'm going through at this moment in my life, as she has already been in a very similar situation. She's kind, she's honest and she's one of the persons who have inspired me to keep on going and never give up!

I wish I could be with her now because she always cheers me up! :P

She knows how it feels to be apart from the one we love and being fighting hard to be with that person. Thank God she made it already! She's got a wonderfull husband who supports her and loves her for all that she is.

Thanks a lot Sis! I really love you!

mam nadzieję my móc jest razem wkrótce! przepuszczam was *sis*!

Hugs

Kangas

People who really the difference in my life ...

2005-09-19T22:16:00.000+10:00

A lot of people have crossed my life but not many of them stayed 'till today! Actually there's only a few people I can call "real friends".

When I was younger I never had too many friends ... only one or two persons I used to call that way which unfortunately wasn't the best way to designate them ... today I would have called them acquaintances. They're gone without a trace!

Instead of what the most of the people would say, you can find true friends on the internet, and sometimes you can even find the love of your life ... that happened to me!

Since I got the internet I've had the opportunity of meeting the most important people in my life today and obviously the love of my life...

I've got a very small circle of friends, but I can honestly say that I've got the best ones in the world. I still kept two of my old friends, but these days I think I'm much more richer than I've ever been because I've found my true treasures!

The biggest treasure of my life is my love, my boyfriend KangarooKoala, that I love more than anything in the world, even when he makes me cry! We met in a chatroom, became friends and now we've been a couple for about two and a half years. Most of the time we are apart from each other which is really complicated for me. But I'm strong enough to stand it and keep on fighting.

Then I have some friends that really make a difference to me, my boyfriend's sister in law, that I usually call "sis", Chained2UGirl, Peter145, Aqualily, SushiGirl, scoopbris and some more ...

I think the first person I had contact with was Chained2UGirl, my "godmother" (as I currently call her because she initially just picked on me about being with my boy! lolol ... she brought us together!), we're both Darren Hayes fans and she's the Portuguese Fan Club's webmaster and we just started working together to promote Darren. She's one of my best friends, we used to talk frequently and I think we have a really good relationship. I will never forget those days when I was really down and she used to log on to say hello and to make sure I was alright! Thanks a lot "madrinha" (godmother) I'm really grateful for everything you've done for me and for being the great person you are.

Peter145 ... hum Peter145 is more like a brother .... I remember the first question I asked him made me feel a kind of embarrassed, because I made a spelling mistake and instead of saying: "Como te chamas?" (What's your name?) I wrote: "como te camas? (that can be translated as "how's your performance in bed?) ... that was really bad because I've never meant to ask him such thing at all! But Peter145 is such a great person, he just made a joke about it and this was a the beginning of a good friendship! Like Chained2UGirl I chat to him almost everyday, he's a good listener and he always tries to pick me up with his "pies" and "shoes", "smelly socks" and some other funny things. I just consider Peter145 the male brother I've never had!

Aqualily ... another great person! She just tries to pick me up when I'm down! We didn't use to chat everyday but lately we are having a great time together too ... Aqualily is (like Chained2UGirl) one of my female friends who are always with me and trying to pick me up when I'm down ... sometimes we can chat for hours and hours about our problems! For fun we used to say we were swapped when we were born, because she was born in my country and I was born in hers!

SushiGirl ... another friend, we used to chat a bit but unfortunately we haven't chatted for a long time, such as me she loves Australia and usually we talk about Australia and also about my aim to move there.

Scoopbris is a great friend from Brisbane and someone I really like to talk to. He always ha good advice for me. I've been at his place only once (August 2003) with my KangarooKoala and we had a great time. Scoopbris is always trying to help me about my visa (like Peter145 who always has a lot of info about this issue!). Unfortunately I haven't heard from scoopbris for about 4 months now and I'm really concerned about him because he's someone really important to me ...

These are some of my best friends ... friends that I found on the webspace. In my next post I promise that I'll talk about friends I've got here and for whom I've got a very very special feeling as well! :D

Thanks to you all, my friends ... you really make a difference in my life, you make me smile when all seems to be dark for me ....

Hugs

Kangas

Hi! Welcome to my Blog!

2005-09-17T18:48:00.000+10:00

Hi! Welcome to my blog! :)

My name is Kangas and this is my new webspace! :P

I must confess that this is my first blog and I'm not quite familiar with how does this work, but I promise you I'll do my best!

I'm 28 years old and I'm currently living in Lisbon (which in my opinion is not the best place to live!), I love Australia and I'm trying to move there. Definitely is only in Australia that I can say I'm Home! :D

Anyway ... this blog will show ya a bit of my personality, and the things I trully love to do. my aim to this blog is to show ya a bit of me! From my poems to my deep feelings, I'll try to introduce you to the real Kangas.

I hope you like it ... feel free to leave your comments and critics (if that is the case), I'll appreciate to have your feed back!

Hugs

Kangas