Wednesday, November 28, 2007

A GOOD STORY...




vice director of Macao Univerity Prof. maria Antonia Espadinha and me and the the dinner.

The University of Macau invited me to give a class to the Macao Students and Beijing Exchange Students in Macao of Portuguese Studies and Culture. I talked for couple of hours about the European parliament, European Institutions and European Life. To be a Portuguese out of Country and the relations with China.
That Sounds very interesting... but is just peanuts... the following hours of the Students questions were not about all of those "interesting things", were about motivation and Inspiration. They were there speaking Portuguese with a Chinese accent, with pretty good grammar. Asking me about my private life and advises about managing life!
Like If I knew much!!! I thought
They wanted to know how it was possible to travel around the world, if I had ideas, they wanted to know how much money it was possible to take to Portugal if China gave them visas to travel, they wanted to know how to connect Portugal with china, how to build the Highways …They wanted to know How I managed my private and love life with work, they wanted to know how many hours should we work daily to have balance…they wanted to know how to fight to their career and have a personal life. They wanted to know what the balance of life is.
They wanted to know that from me.
What an Irony of life.
They wanted to know from the person that had a burnout, despairs, Thyroid disease, crazy unbalanced life, they wanted to know from the person that talk about failure not success, they wanted to know from me. That energetic person that get carried away easily.
I was stunned… First I try to give my best. To imagine what they wanted to hear. But I realized that it was my breakthrough of life, a bit of my illumination and a switch of my past, present and future life. To grab all the things inside of my experience to inspire 50 young people in front of me. Maybe for the first time of my life I just put papers down, arms down and I let them to be inspired for the stories I had to tell. To give a testimony of my life with their strong points and weak points. I was just being myself.
And I started …. I HAD A DREAM …What is your dream?
I spent the afternoon hearing dreams, discussing dreams, discussing balance and priorities; I talked loud from the bottom of my life and my heart. Truthfully. I let them to inspire me too. I let them show me also what is important in life by telling them loud what I was actually feeling. Career, Personal life, choices…
It’s not about fighting... Anything is about fighting. Or right or wrong, perfect or imperfect. it’s about accepting that we are humans. It’s about living one moment at the time, having million of dreams but not be eaten by them, it is about believing. When we believe we do not need to fight. The fun is on the path: the daily changes, the problems, the good things, the insecurities … and just accept them as they come along as part of life, obstacles for growing more and happily.People tend to ignore bad feelings or situations and try to fix them. Its not about fixing it is about learning from them to no repeat it. And believe that is possible. It is the purpose of path> Professional and personal.
For them the most doubtful thing and also important was continually how to deal with that dichotomy of Job and Home. I just told them that there are no secret formulas, and if there are just give me it now!!! They are going to fail for sure, and everyone make mistakes… everyone! The tricks is in the middle of the mistake or after, realize it and act. And to have a truly commitment for the ones we love, not to give up one them because of a confusion and tiring period, communicate and manage solutions, give in some, we cannot have it all.
I told them that there is no better time than right now, if they are thinking about that balance it’s an extraordinary thing.
We think that we can get away and start in somewhere else all the time things go wrong, or out of our expectations, because people run away from unpleasant feelings like exhaustion, indigestion, irritation, whatever… and people just give up and try again again and again … but perfection never arrives, because we are just running away. I told that living the experience of sticking with it, of not giving up everything. I told them that it is probable that they will experience very bad moments or maybe they had already. But do not run away from situations, it’s there where we start to be less superficial and more precise in work and private life...
They needed security, I felt, and I just told them that the best teacher is our own experience.
I told me to work hard, to produce a creativity activity and sport to balance the job and the house. The university and the parents. The Work and the Love. And never never never give up on their selves and the ones they love. Just because that is life and problems are life, and creative solutions are life too. And our life is daily!

NEVER GIVE UP ON YOURSELVES THEN YOU NEVER GIVE UP TO THE ONES YOU LOVE, BECAUSE YOU UNDERSTAND THEY ARE JUST AS HUMANS AS YOU.

After the class they were there waiting for me… with all their dreams, their expectations… and I knew that I have gave something and I have received something. The ability to make mistakes, live with them, prioritize better and stick to trust I have for the things and the one I Iove. Because problems are just small things that can be diluted, trust, intimacy, and love lives forever. The courage is not giving up and be able to reformulate again and again as many times is necessary. That’s the path. Create! Because we believe. Believing comes from the heart… and life too.
After that I asked about those Institutions, Europe, China Portugal, work... Do you know what they told me? They are just part of our dreams...as today is finishing our course.
After the Dinner that the Portuguese Department invited me for, I just pick up the ferry back to Hong Kong ... I didn’t sleep much. Life has it purposes and was the last night I was in HK. I was just there with me and my thoughts and with the ability to get inspired by myself and not having shame of that. Of Feeling deeply what I cherish the most. And what I really want for my life at every perspective. I know what my impulsiveness wanted to do, I know where I wanted to be... but this is the moment. The only one I have right now. Having Patience and waiting in positive action towards which I cherish the most.

GOODBYE H0NG KONG




I am Leaving Hong Kong... I am going to Singapore to the red dot design awards, press conferences, and so on...
Like a farwell my HK friends came for a nice dinner ... I am happy to leave HK. It is part of Life, HK it was a important period of my life I will not forget nor my groupe of friends.But it is time for a step more. A Step forward. To what really matters to me. Balanced life next to my love one. Nothings is more important to me! First Singapore... New Step
Thank you!
Merry, Mariana, Diana, Mannie and Craig.

Visit a Family in Beijing





We visited a Family in beijing... their habits, their way of living, they standarts to life ...
People stick together no matter what! Because they believe. The owner of the house told us that spite of the dificulties we have to look with new eyes everyday. In spite of the tireness, tears and despair wehave to look at that moment with caring eyes. There are problems in everyhouse, maybe the conception is not there but everything that they went true, very goo and bad is the definition of life. Stick to it and the ones we love, ccept them as they accept us!
Look at this lady face...she is young... she eat a lot of vegetables, she said. And she stick with an open heart every moment of life never given up, never.

Drops from Asia

BEIJING ANTIQUES STREET MARKET







Images are enough ...

Monday, November 26, 2007

SUMMER PALACE - BEIJING








PARA TI DRAGAO

AROUND GREAT WALL




GREAT WALL - BEIJING






During the Warring States Period from the 5th century BC to 221 BC, the states of Qi, Yan and Zhao all constructed extensive fortifications to defend their own borders. Built to withstand the attack of small arms such as swords and spears, these walls were made mostly by stamping earth and gravel between board frames. Qin Shi Huang conquered all opposing states and unified China in 221 BC, establishing the Qin Dynasty. Intending to impose centralized rule and prevent the resurgence of feudal lords, he ordered the destruction of the wall sections that divided his empire along the former state borders. To protect the empire against intrusions by the Xiongnu people from the north, he ordered the building of a new wall to connect the remaining fortifications along the empire's new northern frontier

BLU




The sun of our lives is to love

TEMPLE OF HEAVEN



SPECIAL FORBBIDEN CITY




David loves forbbiden city ... we will go there!

Forbiden City





Now in Beijing we have the Palace Museum. That was the known Forbidden City , the imperial palace from the mid-Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. For almost five centuries, it was the home of the Emperor and his household, and the ceremonial and political centre of Chinese government.
Built from 1406 to 1420, it is still up 980 buildings with 8,707 rooms. It is in fact huge.

Mao's Revolution






Son of a rich peasant, Mao was born in Hunan province on December 26, 1893. He received enough school to develop his learning tast, even he worked in the fields from a early age. He was a founding member of the Chinese Communist Party where he developed his theory of the revolutionary potential of the peasantry, which was very different form the traditional Marxist-Leninist point of view. He put into practice his ideas about a revolutionary peasantry by way of a guerrilla war against the government. In 1934, Chiang's armies closed in, but the communist forces escaped. When happened the Chinese civil war after 1945, Mao and his movement were able to use their rural foundation win against the Nationalists. Mao proclaimed the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949

Tiananmen Square




It was impossible not to feel something there. It was like when David and I visited the concentration a camp in Berlin. The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, commonly referred to as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, were a series of demonstrations led by labor activists, students, and intellectuals in the People's Republic of China (PRC) between April 15 and June 4, 1989. While the protests didn’t had a justified cause or leadership, participants were generally critical of the ruling Chinese Communist Party and voiced complaints ranging from minor criticisms to calls for full-fledged democracy and the establishment of broader freedoms … That did not happen. We felt the spirits, the air, and the strangeness of a place.

OLD SONG OF THE DAY



Message in The Bottle
Police


Just a castaway
An island lost at sea
Another lonely day
No-one here but me
More loneliness
Than any man could bear
Rescue me before I fall into despair

Ill send an sos to the world
Ill send an sos to the world
I hope that someone gets my
I hope that someone gets my
I hope that someone gets my
Message in a bottle
Message in a bottle

A year has passed since I wrote my note
But I should have known this right from the start
Only hope can keep me together
Love can mend your life
But love can break your heart

Ill send an sos to the world
Ill send an sos to the world
I hope that someone gets my
I hope that someone gets my
I hope that someone gets my
Message in a bottle
Message in a bottle

Ooh... message in a bottle
Message in a bottle

Walked out this morning
Dont believe what I saw
A hundred billion bottles
Washed up on the shore
Seems Im not alone in being alone
A hundred billion castaways
Looking for a home

Ill send an sos to the world
Ill send an sos to the world
I hope that someone gets my
I hope that someone gets my
I hope that someone gets my
Message in a bottle
Message in a bottle

Message in a bottle
Message in a bottle

Sending out an sos
Sending out an sos
Im sending out an sos
Im sending out an sos...