Sunday, December 21, 2008

Fuck Christmas, I got the Blues

This year I'm spending Christmas away from everyone I love.

Of course this is not the highest point of my life, but to be fair... I am going to be in Iceland seeing waterfalls, volcanoes, glaciers, whales, fjords, geysers and IF I'm lucky enough I might even catch a aurora borealis in a polaroid for posterity. All this while listening to a lot of Bjork and Sigur Ros.


Also, I will be riding a snow mobile, learning about the ancient myths of one of my favorite civilizations (wait.. vikings where a civilization, right?) drinking cheap vodka in expensive places and finally relaxing in either the sauna or the jacuzzi or even in front of a king size plasma TV in one of the most beautiful hotels I've ever seen.


I will do all these things with a cute geeky girl that has more piercings and tattoos than me (and it's getting increasingly difficult to find one... eh..).


But you know it and I know it... she's not you. Is dat een leuke ding?

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Book meme

The query shown earlier on V$LOGFILE demonstrates an OFA-compliant naming convention for redo logs.


* Grab the nearest book.
* Open it to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.
* Don’t dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual one: pick the CLOSEST.

Thursday, November 06, 2008

Revelations

People ask me where I stood politically you know. It's not that I disagree with Bush's economic policy or his foreign policy. But that I believe he was a child of Satan here to destroy the planet Earth.


Bill Hicks


I think I can take the stage today and speak in the name of the whole civilized world and say "phew..."

Obviously nobody knows what the election of Mr. Obama will actually mean to all of our futures, but it is clearly a sign that people believe in change. People long for change. We hope that this is a first step towards change.

Personally I will be very happy if by the end of his first term, America has a economy again. Extra points if no other third world country is invaded and double that if somehow some sort of foreign policy that involves stopping the embargo on Cuba, supporting developing nations with food, medicine and technology instead of weapons and money in the hands of right wing soon-to-become-if-not-yet tyrants is put in place.

In all honesty, I'll be fine if at least we have to try hard to make a good joke about the new government in the States, 'cause god knows that this last couple of years they've made it far too easy for us.



PS.: Here's a link to Bill Hicks famous "Revelantions" set for your entertainment pleasure. Now, go back to bed America.

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Saturday, October 04, 2008

Google passa a batata quente*

Nas palavras imortais do BB Marco "Nao sei o que andas a procura, mas arriscas-te a encontrar" (Possivelmente a frase nao sera tao imortal quanto isso, uma vez que nao tenho a certeza da citacao estar correcta)

A ideia nao e nova, mas lembrei-me de ver o que e que os desocupados que aqui vem parar andam a procura.

copy run start - Experimenta sem o t no fim. Se correr bem copias a configuracao actual do teu Cisco para a memoria de maneira que no proximo reboot elas nao sao esquecidas.

"list of things white people like" - Isso e aqui

0211fb618b98d794165ceb6dc8f38fbb7d260c1d28dcffc5dd70938fd723222e574ef558f1939482 - Oi?

codigos para desbolquear canais para adultos na meo - (E cerca de 100 variacoes desta query) Experimentem paga-los. There is no such thing as free pr0n.

meo ver conteudos gravados na segunda televisão - Tens de desligar a primeira. Parvo, nao e?

como limpar a cache do teu browser - Do meu? Basta pedires.

o significado segafredo em italiano - Punheta a frio. Ajudou?

what does omoos mean - Se for humus, ve aqui Se for Omoo, E um livro do Herman Melville, sequela do Typee. No meu blog e uma referencia aos comentadores.

Krav Maga - (e referencias a tecnicas, Paulo Pereira etc) - Gosto muito. O mestre Paulo foi das pessoas que mais me marcaram ate hoje (e nem tou a falar das nodoas negras). Para informacoes mais serias procurem aqui ou aqui

*homenagem a uma das minhas blogueiras favoritas. Hey, they say it's the highest form of flattery. Right?

Short explanation on the "M$" thing

Not too long ago I was reading some forum or wickedly long e-mail thread (can't remember) and someone mentioned that referring to Microsoft as M$ was immature or something close to that point.

Well I disagree. I think most people that use the M$ thingy do it because they've grown so used to checking for files with DOS line endings with grep -lR -e '^M$' *
that they just associate DOS with M$... I mean Microsoft. Wait, I'm confused here.

oh gowd.. fail

I might get a bad rep for this one.. but hey all good fun!
http://www.blackboard.com/projectng/ads/video.asp?id=MichaelandWoz

Short description:
Michael Chasen and Steve Wozniak talk about Blackboard 9 (project NG) in a "I'm a PC, I'm a Mac" kind of (read: ripoff) commercial. Seriously now.. Wouldn't hiring some once-great-stand-up-comedian make more sense here?

Spoiler:
Watch the other adds. It gets worse.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Finantial advice

Because I recognize we all live in troubled times, I've decided to share some financial advice I got recently from one of my company's admins*.

If you had purchased £1000 of Northern Rock shares one year ago it would now be worth £4.95 . With HBOS earlier this week your £1000 would have been worth £16.50.

£1000 invested in XL Leisure would now be worth less than £5 but if you bought £1000 worth of Tennents Lager one year ago, drank it all, then took the empty cans to an aluminum recycling plant, you would get £214.

So based on the above statistics the best current investment advice is to drink heavily and recycle.

*actually it was a NT Admin

Thursday, September 04, 2008

In repeat




Some people need to be constantly reminded that the world turns around itself and so should they.

Monday, August 18, 2008

Saturday Summer Sail (UPDATED)


Unfortunately it will be a dutch summer...


But I will update this post with some photos!











Sunday, August 17, 2008

Oh happy days

Ok, so I went to Den Haag this Saturday just to leave Amsterdam for a bit. And in a good time did I do so. If you don't know already, The Hague (as it is also referred to) is the capital of Holland and one of the most beautiful cities I've ever been.

Even I could pass laws with that view..


If you ever get to go there be sure to visit the big church (Grotekerk) and the parliament house. Really very nice. Also, while in the neighborhood be sure to check the cool shopping district, specially the "Passage". At one end you will find the iFactors Apple Retail Store where you can just walk in and buy an iPhone (at this moment, the iPhone is sold out everywhere in Amsterdam, this is why I was surprised of just going into a store and getting out with one in less than one hour)

It's that one to the right!


So, cutting a short story shorter, I am now a proud owner of a black 16 GB 3G iPhone. Hurray for me!

I still haven't played enough with it to make up my mind if this was actually a good buy or just a long time fetish that I could finally obtain (god knows I've had this doubt in my mind for several other items...) but so far, with the help of some really cool free apps I've been having a blast with it. At the very least it will replace my old iPod in my pocket everyday.. not sure if I want to give up my "normal" much lighter, much smaller phone yet.. And the PSP might stay at home more often, at least for those short train trips it's not worth the bother anymore since I'm not even that much of a player...

Either his hands are bigger or his iPhone is smaller...

Sunday, August 03, 2008

Ich wuenschte du waerst mit mir da gewesen

Some pics from the Amsterdam gay pride night out. Lekker dings all of us, i know.


you call _that_ dancing


andy comes out (a bit)


lekker lekker lekker


Major Matze and his woman


choose what life?


me and Connie


Thanks for the (good) photos Matze.

Friday, August 01, 2008

Now all I need is time.

So this is permanence, love's shattered pride.
What once was innocence, turned on its side.
A cloud hangs over me, marks every move,
Deep in the memory, of what once was love.

Oh how I realized how I wanted time,
Put into perspective, tried so hard to find,
Just for one moment, thought I'd found my way.
Destiny unfolded, I watched it slip away.

Excessive flashpoints, beyond all reach,
Solitary demands for all I'd like to keep.
Let's take a ride out, see what we can find,
A valueless collection of hopes and past desires.

I never realized the lengths I'd have to go,
All the darkest corners of a sense I didn't know.
Just for one moment, I heard somebody call,
Looked beyond the day in hand, there's nothing there at all.

Now that I've realized how it's all gone wrong,
Gotta find some therapy, this treatment takes too long.
Deep in the heart of where sympathy held sway,
Gotta find my destiny, before it gets too late.


Joy Division - twenty-four hours

By the way, and because I don't like anyone to feel bad for me... This past few nights I've had the very best time in a very long time. Thank you Siouxie. Getto rocks! Amsterdam rules!

Let's get the party started!!!!

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

help me i'm in hell



My kitchen is dirty as hell.. i swear i can hear voices that are either satan trying to tell me something, or the plumbing needs fixing.

há 12 anos

... tinha eu 16 anitos. Lembro-me que acreditava piamente que havia muito mais para lá da realidade palpavél. Do quotidiano. Do mundano. Dizia saber que a realidade não era a verdade. A verdade esconde-se sempre por trás do que conseguimos (ou queremos) acreditar, daquilo a que chamamos "a nossa realidade".




Other planes lie beyond the reach
Of normal sense and common roads
But they are no less real
Than what we see or touch or feel


Como é que eu me esqueci disso, é um misterio. Porque é que eu tive de ser recordado agora, é o destino.

Friday, July 18, 2008

The lyrics of Shortbus pt II

Is you is or is you ain't my baby
Well, the way you're acting lately, well it makes me doubt
You were still my baby, baby
But it seems like my flame in your heart, well it's just gone out

A man is a creature
That has always been strange
Just when you're sure of one
You'll find that he's gone and made a change

Is you is or is you ain't my baby
Well, maybye my baby found somebody new
Or is my baby still my baby too

Anita O'Day - Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby?

Thursday, July 17, 2008

The lyrics of Shortbus pt I

I walk a tight rope
and live with a high hope
that somehow we still feel the same
through this catastrophe it's quietly telling me welcome that first word again

I don't care if the worlds upside down if you're lost or you're found
I know your feet will stay far from the ground
If you just stick around

I know the shots you call gentle
cause I could fall and break
you'll hear what they say

I read between the lines
It's just like a hate crime
And tell me the dateline today

I don't care if the worlds upside down if you're lost or you're found
I know your feet will stay far from the ground
If you just stick around

Scott Matthew - Upside Down

Friday, July 11, 2008

Things white people like

I just found out this morning that I'm a cliche. To be more precise, I'm a white guy.

Reading trough the list of things white people like I had 61 hits out of the 103 items.

Among the ones that I felt mirrored my own tastes, I would point out the following based on accuracy or just how funny their importance to _me_ is described.

# Film Festivals
# Coffee
# Diversity
# Asian Girls
# The Daily Show/Colbert Report
# Indie Music
# Apple Products
# Living by the Water
# Irony
# Vintage
# Japan
# Modern Furniture

Funnily enough.. they forgot indie cartoons.



BTW, do you know these guys?

Monday, July 07, 2008

We drink and dance and smoke and die of a stroke

... living like steamers, some sirens screamed and we started singing: nous sommes derrangés toujours par des mirages, mais ça fait réver plus, ça donne du courage! Jungle life is quite absurd if you haven’t got a knife!



Mais letras de JPS aqui

Ah well... you know...



Ich hoffe dass diese Nachricht Dich erreicht, wo immer Du auch gerade bist.

Sunday, July 06, 2008

SQL Server Performance, pt I

If your in Amsterdam, you have to look at windows.

Ok, so my career brought me back to Windows and Microsoft products. Bummer. One of my tasks recently required me to go over SQL Server 2005 Performance guidelines and Troubleshooting techniques and attending a lab of some sort where this performance guru shared some really nice tips.

It was actually very pleasant, and I want to share with you all some of the things I got from the training and if MS SQL Server is your thing, maybe you'll get some value out if this post.

So, first things first:
1 - tempdb: You can read more about it in this Technet article. The default size for this very important db is only 8 MB. Change it according to the few basic rules outlined in the link above.

2- Gathering generic performance statistics. MSSQL Tips gives a very nice overview on how and what kinds of statistics you can gather in MS SQL Server. I find this very useful to start a performance evaluation. Better yet, the Performance Dashboard add-on that can be downloaded here. It's too big and complex for this post, but if you need some pointers, ask me. Another really useful set of tools, jointly referred to as RML Utilities for SQL Server can be found here. Do some read-up on them and enjoy.

3 - I/O. This is one one the key elements in performance for just about any application. This might be a good time to introduce you to the SQL Server Best Practices
. The whitepaper on Predeployment I/O Best Practices is a must read if you don't know the basics on how to measure and improve this performance parameter.

4 - Isolation Levels. Be sure to read the Books Online on the 6 supported isolation levels in SQL Server 2005. Read uncommitted (or nolock), read committed, repeatable read, serializable, read committed snapshot and snapshot. Understand how these different levels affect concurrency.

5 - Stored Procedures. In most situations, SP's will provide better performance over queries any day. The reason for this is two-fold: The Data and Procedure caches, aka Memory Hogs R' us. A nice article I found on this can be read here.

There is so much more to say about this topic that I might consider transforming this in a series of posts. It would be just too much for a single post and there are several areas that I find would be really interesting to go over in depth, provided that I have the time to actually write something that is. :-)

Managing MS SQL Server is much more than pointing and clicking and therefore it is very easy to get it wrong. On the other hand, this is really valuable knowledge if you're considering a career as a performance engineer / consultant. Or even if you're just writing a Web App (RoR springs to mind) that you just can't figure out how to go about squeezing out every last bit of performance of, really knowing what you can do with the database layer is a definite plus.

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Talking about the weather



Hoje foi um dia muito quente. As pessoas andavam meio loucas, a roupa pesada (e a comprida... e em alguns casos a, vá, decente) ficou em casa... E lembrei-me de coisas quentes. O verão em Portugal, por exemplo...

A proposito, a partir de hoje não se pode fumar tabaco em recintos fechados em Amsterdão. Se fôr numa coffee shop pode-se fumar erva, mas sem misturas, claro.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

yesterday a fever, tomorrow St. Peter


Real friends



Beautiful bride



Yet another real friend



Best view of the city


Ou como eu digo, ontem Manique, amanhã Munique.

A proposito, sim estou em pulgas com o iPhone v2.

Friday, May 30, 2008

Lisboa

Hoje volto a ver a minha amada Lisboa. Ou como diria o Cartman, "Screw you guys, I'm going home!"

O casamento da minha melhor amiga vai-me fazer perder a Amsterdam Tattoo Convention... mas vai ser muito bom voltar a Portugal, mesmo que seja por pouco tempo. Ou se calhar por causa disso mesmo.


Ok, I got an early start

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Anjo



Eu não acredito em milagres. Se acreditasse tinha pedido para Deus te colocar no meu caminho mais cedo.

Friday, May 16, 2008

a month later

Its hard to believe just how fast a month as gone by.

I arrived in Amsterdam on the 7th of april, so actually it's been a month and a week but I somehow only remember a couple of days so it's a month give or take.

It's been quite the adventure as you will know oh faithful reader. I met some rather interesting people and I was in some weird scenarios sometimes, I was given very much by some, and only the cab drivers have taken more than I was willing to give.

I started working with Blackboard on the 15th and have been helping improve customer supportTM ever since. The feedback we (myself included) have received from our customers recently is amazing. I am proud of being part of such a wonderful group! Go EMEA team!


you can find more of these here


People who know me well, know that I like to laugh about myself and all things surrounding me, this has helped me to deal with some of my adaptation issues. Also, knowing me well means that you're expecting me to bitch about everything that bugs me about my new job. I can't. NDAs and shit like that would probably get me fired.

As a personal experience, working abroad has been just super. It's all about the people you meet and the way you approach situations. I mean, I know so many souls who might be given everything but only notice they should have been making the most out of it when it's taken away from them... That is just stupid! But these guys and gals always have to learn by themselves, so please, be my guest and bang your head as much as you can if the shoe fits.

So, yes, I would definitely recommend moving abroad to just about anyone.

Also, and getting more personal here, I was given the greatest presents ever on my birthday. The one on a little bridge over the Herengracht is the one I will treasure for ever. It's my personal little schatz so I'll keep it just for me for as long as I can... Or sunday. That and the story about my friends playmate girlfriend. We're such lucky bastards aren't we?

As a final note, I'd like to promise all those who used to come here to read my techie ramblings (ok, the one guy) that I'm readying a post on SQL Server Performance, and it should be done soon... so if that's something you're into feel free to come by late next week.

I also have drafts on Netbeans 6, building a Ruby API for tarpipe (which, incidentally I've pitched to some guys here) and JVM tuning. So I haven't totally forgotten that this is a geek blog. I just need some time to get over the city where you can't help but fall in love several times a day.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Decisions

Must be made. And you only know if you were right when it's done. Yet sometimes life makes it easier on you.

For instance, I was planning on going go to Osdorp's Library event on Portugal and portuguese culture tomorrow. Maybe meet up with some countrymen (and women) and basically see what's up.

But then I got an invitation for dinner at Fifteen. If you don't know Fifteen, than the naked chef hasn't caught up with you yet. It will. It's inevitable.

Well, since it's on the company dow, I really have no choice. If I had it would still be the same, I guess.


Does it make you cry?

Monday, May 12, 2008

A day at D's

Lazy sunday again.

Since spending such a bright, sunny day at home seemed like a waste of time, I gladly took the opportunity to go over to D's house and hang around for a while. Time passes much faster when your having fun with some friends.

After helping M fixing the wireless on D's laptop (You just knew it, right?) the day started getting much more interesting. Having conversations with other expats is always amazing because you find yourself less alone when others share their experiences and it's not awkward at all to say that you miss what you left behind and that sometimes you are afraid to fail.

So, and because I'm late for a date with some ice-cream in the park, what do you get when you mix a Portuguese guy with :
- A Bosnian-German hotty hostess;
- A Turkish-Bulgarian couple (yes, the undead terrorist and his wife);
- A Bosnian sweet;
- A Swedish-Syrian techie-babe;
- A German neo-teenager;
- A very sunny day;

Don't know? Care to guess?
- Great food and an amazing day;
- Wine and Laughs;
- Sex and the City would be dialogs;
- Work done;
- All of the above, but in reverse order;

Need clues?

Cigarettes, coffee, chilled white wine. Arabic veggie food. Jazz.



Talk, talk, talk. Smiles, laughs and toasts. Stories and hopes. (edit) And no more boobs

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Thank you


Obrigado a todos. Deram-me a melhor prenda de aniversario (das que eu posso falar, pelo menos) de sempre!


Então e agora quando é que vêm cá fazer-me uma visita?

Thursday, May 08, 2008

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Rather lovely thing

Lately I've found great pleasure in telling little stories about how fun and adventurous my life has been since I've moved to Amsterdam. I usually also put in some pictures illustrating my days and try to serve them up as alternative postcards from my life in this city. Today is no different, just special.

Friday was a quiet day, the city was still recovering from Queen's day and, to break away with the boredom the Postal Service decided to deliver my two really big and important packages to my next door neighbor. This is a thing they do here. If you're not home, your mail packages will get delivered to the next door. You have to explicitly opt out of this behavior if you want to avoid meeting people in this sort of circumstances.


You don't see it, but inside these heaven stood. To be more precise, a Nespresso machine and my beloved Tango


The highlights of saturday include me finding that there will be a Portuguese day at Osdorp's own library. It's funny how little things can catch you off guard like this. Other little things that can catch you like this are love, poppers and bitterness. But I don't want to talk about neither.


Had it been Turkey, and I would not have been surprised. I mean, this is Osdorp! (read in a spartan way)


On sunday I went to Van Gogh's museum, and I must admit I had some mixed feelings about it. I fell in love with Millais. And I was totally amazed by the quality of the Photo exhibit Me, Ophelia. I had no idea of whom Millais was, but seeing his masterpiece, Ophelia, took me places. I saw Nick Cave planting a rose in Kylie's mouth, I understood PJ Harvey's "To bring you my love" artwork and I found Van Gogh to be a total bore in comparison.


Taken from flicker's John Everett Millais group. Photo by Frank Van Eykelen


Sunday was both mother's day and my birthday so I had plenty of reasons to feel down but I didn't. I had the most perfect day I could ask for, and I wouldn't take the time to have sangria in the park if Lou asked me himself.

All day I kept remembering that I was once told by an old lady that all I can cherish in life are the moments I have with my friends and the people I love because nothing I could ever buy will stay with me when I close my eyes. She never saw an iPhone, that's for sure, but I couldn't stop thinking just how right she was.


"if I show you the roses will you follow?"


So finally, here are some Sam Taylor-Wood's, to wrap your mind around something nice before you go to sleep.


Self Portrait Suspended I



Bram Stoker's chair

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Ophelia, the soap pt. I

While sitting at the smallest pub in town at any given night, you can expect to witness all sorts of crazy things happen. I mean, Louis is a guy who has a letter from the British Government apologizing for the behavior of some blokes hanging proud in his wall.

Today I met a rather interesting character, I'll call her Ophelia. As I went in, she sat quietly at the end of the bar sipping her drink and relaxing from a likely hard weekend.

I had promised to make caipirinhas for the staff there, so I was rushed behind the counter pretty much has I laid my bag down. I made my best to batter, mix and pour the drinks and she started looking, first sideways then just glaring lustfully at the sugar and lime half filled glasses.

I had just finished making my second glass when she went ahead and invited herself to be customer number three. She looked straight at me and said
"If the loveliest bartender in town would be so kind ...". Thick londoner accent, ginger lips and graceful gesture included for free.
Annie slid the caipira she was holding and stared at Ophelia who took the glass and caressed the straws for a second. Not being the most graceful of dutch girls, Annie transpires raw sexuality and always seems like she knows what she's doing. Andrew on the other hand, an atypical english charmer with an eye for fun and a hand for game, leaned back and enjoyed his own toughs for a while.

I made quick toast to airport security guards who seem afraid to loose their jobs when someone else is doing a better job at body checking (which, incidentally no one got so I was the only one laughing) and the four of us moved a bit closer so we could chat. Ophelia didn't seem bothered by the attention she was getting from what I could tell, although I was busy choosing what songs would play nice with my mood for the night. Morrissey, Oasis, Depeche and just a little Nina Simone would do the trick.


the origami is like my signature


An uncomfortable silence filled our little corner table when Annie asked what Ophelia did for a living. Calmly, she inhaled, put her glass down and said without even a touch of irony in her voice: "I'm a high-class prostitute." then added "On holiday!"
I laughed my head of, Annie was shocked and Andrew's eyes went wide as his hands reached for the girl's long, fit legs. He uttered "Are you for real?"
"Andy, put your wallet down, she's just telling us to buzzer off, and she's got a great sense of humor by the way" I said.
"No. If I was telling you off, I'd say something like : Yes your wife doesn't understand you, your mistress looks like your mother but you'll still have to pay if you want to keep looking at me" Said her.

I drank some more, tried hard to remember why I was in a pub to begin with and left this unlikely trio to them selfs for a bit. I went for some cigarets and fresh air. I really did, so I can't tell you what the conversation went like. When I got back there where hands, legs, cleavages and a whole lot of old dirty bastards staring at the corner table. Nothing too shameful, although the elephant in the room had little space to breath, but hey, this is amsterdam. Sex is not a tabu.

I tried to reach for my bag so I could leave, but Ophelia grabbed me, and not by the arm, and shouted "This is all your fault you know? So don't even think about leaving before me". I sat. Lit another cigie and listened to some connoisseur comments about size, width and leverage. Then about breasts, tongues and asses. The charming english man did his best to entertain the notion that he could go home with both the girls, Annie couldn't get her hands off the delightful stranger, who on the other hand seemed ever more comfortable as she steered the conversation to familiar territories.

What happened next stays where and with whom it happened. I went home alone.


"with love (signature)" alcoholics are never boring

Sunday, May 04, 2008

28

Today was the warmest, most beautiful day in Amsterdam this year. Incidentally it was my birthday too.

Friends, expressos, strawberry pancakes, martinis, pizzas and the Van Gogh museum. Mix it, and you got the perfect recipe for an amazing day.



More details to follow, just as soon as I get my rest.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Queen's day (and night)

30 de Abril marca o "aniversário" da rainha Beatrix e os holandeses prestam-lhe homenagem durante 24 horas.
Vamos por pontos:
1 - Beatrix Oranje-Nassau nasceu a 31 de Janeiro de 1938;
2- Foi coroada rainha a 30 de Abril de 1980;
3 - Os holandeses não são bons com datas. Não, a serio. Morgen quer dizer (esta) manhã, mas noutro contexto quer dizer amanhã. Isto pode causar duvidas em qualquer um;

Então, por aqui celebra-se andando pelas ruas estreitas, que nem sardinhas enlatadas, assite-se a qualquer um dos varios concertos ao ar livre que ocupam todas as principais ruas e praças, bebe-se (duhh) fuma-se (double duhh) e dança-se toda a especie de ritmos. Ah! e toda a gente veste qualquer coisa laranja. Por todo o lado encontram-se pessoas a vender artigos de todos os tipos e categorias no que constitui muito provavelmente a maior feira da ladra do mundo.

No que me diz respeito, foi mais uma oportunidade de sair com o pessoal, rir e conhecer pessoas. O dia de hoje ficou marcado pela Eriko, uma simpatica hospedeira de voo japonesa que quer ajudar outras mulheres a envelhecer com estilo e graça (um dia explico). O Michael e as suas duas amigas e o party-man Ron também merecem destaque porque fartei-me de gozar com eles e ainda me pagaram uns Cosmos (os meus primeiros). Eu admito, começo a gostar de americanos!

Mais uma rodada de fotos para celebrar o dia da boa rainha?


Cosmo! A better way to get drunk!



O meu colega Andy e a Eriko. Mais tarde houve um esforço concertado de tentar melhorar as relações nipo-britânicas



Juro que não fui eu que escrevi isto!



Feira em Osdoor



A chegar a Leidseplein. A partir daqui não consegui tirar as mãos dos bolsos, quanto mais fotografias!



Busty babes!




Big babes! E o Ron com o seu optimismo americano foi meter conversa....



Boat party! Next time man, next time...



Pequeno palco com Djs