24 hours of culture

Last saturday downtown São Paulo received even more people than usual. According to the metropolitan police, 4 million people gathered around dozens of rock, blues jazz and pop music stages, street performances, theatre plays, Dj sets, etc.

It started at 6PM of saturday and ended at 8PM of sunday, so I should actually say 26 hours of uninterrupted culture. I did not enjoy it the most, because I was exausted from a very hardcore week at work, but I still found some strengh to enjoy at least the first 8 hours of fun. And it was a complete blast.

Bellow a picture or a french group who promoted chaos in the streets of the center. At this moment, they went up the fence of the Brazilian Previdenciary Agency and set the fireworks. The cowd were asking them to put it all on fire.


I'll post more photos and videos later.

A sign of a civilized nation

I was reading a blog of an ex-vj from MTV who became one of the best politicians in São Paulo and she was writing that yesterday she saw a bus killing a pedestrian after the bus did not respect the traffic light. Then she adds that 2 pedestrians are hit by busses in São Paulo PER DAY!!!

we are such a civilized people!

Unpolite co-Hero of the Day

As usual, I took a bus this morning to come to work at Paulista Avenue. This journey has become a lot more pleasurable since I got my new ipod and uploaded 7 gigabytes of my favorite music in it. Now the daily traffic jam is "mostly" other people's problem.

I got down in the "Paulista" and was walking the two blocks from the bus stop to my job. I forgot what I was listening, but it was something good (of course) and a joyfull sensation accompanied me while waiting to cross the Brigadeiro Faria Lima Street. So the pedestrian light went green but the people were still waiting to cross the street, because a late bus had passed the red light on the other side of Paulista Avenue and would had to pass by us first, otherwise it would stop the traffic. I mean, everybody but an old lady, who was on her second step crossing the "Brigadeiro". It was when a guy on her left side and me on her right side simultaneously pushed her back to the sidewalk. Few seconds later, the bus passed in high speed.

She said, smiling, that the light was green to her but that it was beteer to be a bit late than to change her day being taking by a bus and so she thanked us. The other guy made a comment that another day he saw a bus hitting a blind man who were crossing the street following the noise the pedestrian sign does when it is free for pedestrian. I replyed saying some cliché about how dangerous the traffic is here and asking if the old lady (who were wearing a very colorful and nice t-shirt, btw) was alright. She, always smiling, said she was perfectly fine and thanked again, but kind of moved her head away from me. It was then that the guy put his finger in his ear, giving me a sign to take my earphones off, so i didn't need to scream at people. I took them off just to say goodbye and we all went ahead with our lives, me with the earphones back again.

1808

I do not normally like to read a book when everybody is reading. I feel a bit unnoriginal. Today, however, I bought the book which is in the first place on sales ranking for about three months already here in Brazil. On my defence, it is a very interesting book, made by a renowed and good journalist, called laurentino Gomes.

The title, "1808", refers to the year when the portuguese royal family, including the king, moved from Portugal to Brazil, running away from Napoleon's army, which was invading Portugal, as it did all over Europe. It was the first time an european monarch came to America and it represented a large step in both Brazilian development and underdevelopment, since many of the countrie's corrupt and unefficient habits find their roots in 1808.

Actually, the fact is that the portuguese royal family is seen here as a joke (they do deserve such fame), but it is also acknowledged that despite the land of Brazil have been discovered in 1500, the country at it is was "invented" in 1808. I read only the first chapter until now. It has been very intersting and really fun.

Grafitti

As I still didn't find an apartment to live, I am staying wíth a cousin in a neighborhood called "Perdizes", in the west zone of São Paulo. Therefore, I am coming to work on the Paulista Avenue by bus. It is not that far, but it takes almost an hour to arrive here, due to the perfectly hellish traffic of São Paulo. One of the few advantages of the nearly-still-traffic of the city is to appreciate the grafitti that is on the way, which I really like. I will take some pictures... as soon as I find an apartment, but here is a taster:

will it be the day?

Cross your fingers. Tomorrow might be the day that I will rent a (temporary) flat.
By the way, if I forget, remind me later, but I have to talk about a very strange feeling I am having here in Brazil. There is a vibe that is absolutely new for me and my entire generation. It is feeling of optimism for the country that is hard to explain and, to be honest, quite scary.

Another new best song of the hour

I swear that I will stop simply posting videos from you tube as soon as I do anything interesting here in São Paulo. However, all I do is looking for appartments. But come on, this song is great. It makes me want to do out right now to a club and dance all night. But then, I guess they won't play this song anywhere, so I will stay here and wake up early in the morning to look for the apartment that will make me stop looking for apartments.

You tube saves a life from boredom

What is worst: to look for a new job or to look for an apartment in a new city? I have the answer: looking for an apartment in a new ciy is worst. I cannot do anything but checking at apartment websites. Well, I can at least find gems on youtube while I search. I found a video of "After Hours" by We Are Scientists. It is so cute...
And, btw, if you think well, you can see that this video represents a combat between a weasle and a hamster. In the end, well, the obvious happen. :)

Rufus in Brazil

According to one of the many blogs I read, Rufus Wainwright will be in Brazil in May. He plays Rio on the 7th, São Paulo on the 9th, Belo Horizonte on the 10th, and Brasília on the 13th.

Seriously, when I lived in Brasília, I envied the people who lived in São Paulo, because the concerts never made it to Brasília. Now that going there is completely unnecessary every artist and bands are going there as well. Ok, I am exagerating, but last year they had LCD Soundsystem and now they will see Rufus. It is a lot already.