Portugal says "Olá!"

[MaryDearMary]

Forward, I think. Because it will get darker later, so...here's my twisted logic: if now at 6 p.m. is starting to get darker, the only way to keep the sun is to go forward one hour. That way at 7 p.m. we would still have sun...Right? :S

The Vow...is that the one with Channing Tatum and Rachel McAddams? I haven't seen it. It's based of a Nicholas Sparks novel, isn't it? That's pretty much why I've been avoiding it... there's always so much drama going on. But, then again, I have always believed is books make for nice enough movies, often better than the book itself. The Notebook, for instance, is a great movie but the book left me neutral.

Hamlet is a difficult one to tackle. Just the way it starts...gee, who would start a book with that kind of silly dialogue? But in the end I think you'll end up liking it. It won't be a favourite, though. But it's still a great book, extremely well-thought and written.

[LittlestThing]

Haha, I'm so confused now! I think it's forward too (we'll get one hour of sleep less), but I think the days are getting longer?

Yes, that's the Vow. I think it is... I haven't seen or read the Notebook :embarrassed:.

I read Hamlet, but wasn't able to write the report without help from the internet... I'll re-read it before the next essay. I only followed the plot until the beginning of act 3 and then I noticed I wasn't really following it...
Maybe it's the translation? The vocabulary (in the translation) is very broad, which makes it difficult to read, since it's from pre-1950 - I might as well read the English version and understand just as much. Only it sounds better in English. And at some parts a bit of content is lost because of word-to-word tranlation...

Weekend *happy dance*

[Lauriane]

Well, I've read neither of those three books. Although Hamlet is on my To-read list

I think you're right about the time change, nights are shortening.

Oh and girls, I've made a huge decision. After much thinking (nerve-wracking thinking hehe) I've decided that this year will be the last one I spend at the University. See, I never really wanted to go in the first place. I just felt like I had to, because I needed a diploma, and rationally, I know I do. But recently we talked about the outcome and types of jobs my diploma-to-be offers and at first I thought Translation/interpretation would be perfect, but the thing is it's mostly on technical/political/judiciary subjects, and although those intersting in dome way, I dont see myself evolving in them...
So I might be making a mistake but I'm going to pursue arts and start a theatrical training and then I'll see. At least I'll love what I'm doing.

[Sarahdg]

The clock is changing on 25th March here in Portugal (I googled it hahahaha)

The Movie with Sandra is "Extremely Loud Incredibly Close"? Or something like that? I really want to watch it.
I remember 28 days too!! It's with Viggo Mortensen, isn't it?
I'm going to the movies this week but I have no idea what I'll watch. Hopefully a good one. My friends and I have a reputation for always choosing the most awful movies

I hate working on public holidays. It just seems unfair And all the stores are closed, same with restaurants and cafés so it gets hard to have lunch :S

I looked for ours and it's next weekend, so that would be 25th March too! Europe clocks go forward and in Australia ours go back because we're going into winter.

Yeah, that's the movie I meant. It's funny because on the tram every day we go past a cinema and it has the "ticker" with all the movie names scrolling past out the front, and all the names I see on now are all the movies that were up for Oscars like Hugo and The Descendants. *sigh* nice to know how behind we are with our movies. There are actually a few I want to go see. I want to see Hugo and there's an Aussie movie out called "Any Questions for Ben?" it was set in Melbourne so I wanna see it just to see the places in Melbourne where they filmed (plus I know they filmed at the tennis centre so that's a plus for me).

I don't think I have seen 28 days. I am embarrassed to say but I love Miss Congeniality (just the first one). When I was younger, I used to watch Speed a lot too...just thinking of Sandra Bullock movies. I have seen The Notebook once and well - those movies are not the type of movies I like. I prefer more comedy/action movies. Romance movies are really not my thing (I think i'm too cynical hehe).

I had the choice of working on the public holiday or not, but I always do at least 5 hours. In my job, we get paid normal rates even if we don't work - so we still get 8 hours pay. Then if we work on that day, we get time and a half for evey hour we work. So for 5 hours last Monday I earnt double and a half pay! I can't wait to do my tax return this year because I know I've paid way too much tax so I should get a nice tax return to use for my holiday.

Lauriane - that sounds like a big decision, so I'm sure you gave it lots of thought. It's hard to know what to do at that age. I went to Uni and finished my degree because I thought I had to, and I have never used my degree because after uni I went and got a diploma to work in travel and I have been doing that ever since. I just wish I had done the diploma first and not gone to Uni because I now have "student loans" that I still need to pay back - I think it's different to the US, but I still eventually will have to pay them back. I'm just glad I didn't get loans for my whole degree, but only a small part of it - the rest I paid for myself. I mean I didn't mind Uni, but it's not really given me anything that I use, although the studies were interesting enough they haven't helped me get a job. I really would have loved to do something in cultural anthropology but there are no jobs in that field. So if you think that you're not going to use your degree, then it's probably a good idea to pursue something else that you think you will use.

[Lauriane]

Girls, it's crazy here in Toulouse! A guy is on a killing spree, shooting people. He already killed 3 soldiers, 3 kids and a man. The first attack occured a week ago 5 minutes away from where I live, near my old school, he shot a soldier in the head, fleeing the scene on his scooter. Than he shot 3 other soldiers in Montauban, which is near Toulouse. One of them survived but from what I hear he's in the coma. And the worst happened this morning: he went to a jewish school and shot at kids and adults, killing 3 kids (3, 6 and 10 years old), a teacher (father of the two youngest kids), injuring some other kids in the process (a 17 y/o boy is still fighting for his life). It's really awefull.
We don't know much yet, just that he's a sick * on a scooter...

[MaryDearMary]

Oh my God Lauriane, I heard about that! Are you, your friends and family ok?
About your huge decision, I would be an hypocrite if I didn't support you with my whole heart. Just keep in mind that it's a hard life and a diploma would be a safety, a back-up plan. Theatre is a difficult world to get in to and the arts are not exactly being supported by governments.

I don't think I have seen 28 days. I am embarrassed to say but I love Miss Congeniality (just the first one)

Hahaha I like it too! It was nice, clean comedy

Maybe it's the translation? The vocabulary (in the translation) is very broad, which makes it difficult to read, since it's from pre-1950 - I might as well read the English version and understand just as much. Only it sounds better in English. And at some parts a bit of content is lost because of word-to-word translation...

I read the English version. Never read the portuguese translation...I wonder if it's any good. The english one was fine actually.

[LittlestThing]

Lauriane: That's a really hugeC decision, I hope it comes of as a good one. And you're right, you'll be doing what you love, which is so important. I'm sure that there is some kind of a study, which shows that people who do what makes them happy live longer!
Can I ask you how many years of university you have left and if you have to pay for it?
As for the shooting - it's been all over the news! They said they've cought him this morning; have they? I hope you're al right

Raquel: that's interesting... I have the English version at home, so I might read it over the summer.

It's so nice, I have nothing in school until the next Thursday (except reports to write ). ANd we have some interviews at school tomorrow, which should be interesting... And I got a 5 on my Geo exam It's been quite nice here since I've last posted

[Sarahdg]

Lauriane - hope you are OK. I had heard about the shootings in Toulouse and now the guy who did it died in a shoot out with Police. Glad the world is rid of him because what he did was horrible. I have a friend in Toulouse and another in Montauban too (well I think he lives there, it was somewhere near Toulouse and that name really sounds familiar), so it's kind of scary when you know people in the place where this is happening.

Gosh it's been a super busy week. I'm not getting much time after work any more because it takes me longer to get to and from work than it did before. I also got told a couple of days ago that next week I am going to be trained to work on some of our other accounts for when they are busy and we are quiet. We have a few teams at my work and each team usually works on a specific account of few accounts. There are some "multi's" (which means people who work on all accounts and usually do shift work), but there aren't many of those. The team leader who told me about me being trained said it would look good if I did want to apply to be a "multi" if a position came up. Only 2 of us got picked to be trained like this (out of a team of around 50 people) so I guess it's a good thing. I had been helping out a little bit on the other accounts bookings before anyway, but it was usually doing easy things like making sure tickets were issued for flights or reissuing tickets if people changed their flights. I never had to make a booking for them because they need different information in their bookings than the ones we make in my usual team. I hope it's not all going to get really confusing.
Anyone got plans for the weekend? I'll be going to the basketball tomorrow night with my best friend (the one I'm living with now). We both bought memberships. I was a member there for about 10 years before I moved to Europe, so it's nice to be back again. The first game of the season was last weekend and the team I support won.

[MaryDearMary]

Lauriane: I still hope you're okay, girl! I've been terrified for you.

Weekend feels small this...weekend. That's a weird sentence but you girls know what I mean. I came home later than usual because I had to finish up some work in Coimbra and tomorrow I'm off again, back to Coimbra. I woke up early today, went to the gym (I think I fell asleep on the treadmill, seriously...), had lunch on my way to rehearsal (nailed my arpeggio-nemesis...I've been trying to hit the full Dmajor arpeggio but for whatever reason I wasn't able to do it right the first time around, ever...it always took me a second try, which was * me off, but today I totally nailed it!!), then I went to dinner with my family to celebrate my dad's 56th birthday. Now I'm here, home alone, eating ice cream and catching up with you guys.
This week will be hell...I have a lot to do at work because we're planning a symposium and my boss is really getting on my nerves. Then, on thrusday I have to go to Braga, where the meeting will take place, and stay for three days. At least, he's paying for the 5 star hotel. I'll get to see how the other half lives hahaha
And then, on 1st April...Easter holidays. I can't wait!

I love basketball!! I suck at it (i'm way too short), but I really like it.

Hey, girls: happy hour changing!

[Sarahdg]

Oh, I hate it when that happens with the weekend - it is shortened for whatever reason. My weekend is basically over now. I need to make dinner but I'm actually not really hungry. I went for an hour walk around the You Yangs yesterday and today I spent an hour at the gym. I just need to go to the gym more during the week but by the time I get home I'm just exhausted.

Ooh 5 start hotel is OK, but does that mean that you lose a day of your weekend next weekend too? If you go on Thursday and it's 3 days long, then I guess you get back on Saturday?

Our clocks actually don't change till next weekend. I thought it was this weekend, but I was wrong. I hate it when the clocks go back though - it gets dark soooooooooooooooooooooo early then. I hate it.