I could riddle you what all these cities have in common, but then I’d have to wait for the answer to write the rest of this entry… These are all cities where I walked. I . . . → Read More: Walkabout]]> Lisbon, Berlin, London, Hanover, Amsterdam, Prague, Porto, Hereford, Lille, Nice, Antibes, Juan-les-Pins, Cannes, King’s Lynn, Newcastle upon Tyne, Copenhagen, Recife.

I could riddle you what all these cities have in common, but then I’d have to wait for the answer to write the rest of this entry… These are all cities where I walked. I did other things there, but that’s not important today. I walked. I walked till I dropped. I walked for hours on end, until I had no idea where I was anymore, and didn’t care. Different cities, same walk.

Though I had memorable conversations with family and friends during some of these, most of the time I walked alone. I can’t really say whether that was the reason for walking. I’m sure sometimes it was. Sometimes I walked to shut out the thoughts racing through my mind, a kind of fast-paced tai chi meditation. Other times though, there was such an emptiness inside of me that my legs took up the challenge to get the hell out of there. And sometimes I just walked to see the sights. Maybe I did get a calling to go “walkabout”, and the truth is, whatever the reason, I knew myself a little better every time I came back.

It had been a very long time since I walked around in Lisbon like I did that day. Same walk, different city, it seemed. Nothing changes and yet nothing is the same. Graffitis are recycled from one politician to the next. Groceries, stationers, restaurants and banks have different names and different advertising, but their insides look the same. The people on the street look the same. It reminds me of the quote from the Benjamin Button film. It makes you realize how much you’ve changed.

I got home that day feeling better, or at least, not as disconnected from the world. I cooked a vegetable soup and baked some bread. Home is where you’re at, even if it does feel incomplete at times.

Thanks for your time.

“It’s not offensive, is it?” asked a friend in a previous comment. No it’s not, but it doesn’t mean anything either. It’s not my name, though I have used it as a nickname and pseudonym on and off for, almost twenty years! In fact, if you google it, you’ll find my profile on Last.fm . . . → Read More: What’s in a name?]]>

Bidjibah.

“It’s not offensive, is it?” asked a friend in a previous comment. No it’s not, but it doesn’t mean anything either. It’s not my name, though I have used it as a nickname and pseudonym on and off for, almost twenty years! In fact, if you google it, you’ll find my profile on Last.fm and Deviantart.

So, what is in a name?

I remember being around 10 years old, when our parents bought us our first personal computer worthy of that name: an Apple Macintosh LC. After a couple of months exploring all the software which had come with it, I was ready for more. These were different times and the internet wasn’t readily available, well, to anyone I knew. Instead, I just bought a few packs of floppy disks and got in touch with the shop owner who’d sold us the Mac in the first place. He cordially filled all the floppys with all the software he’d got from… other people, I guess. Different times, heh?

Amidst all  that abundance of freeware, shareware, and… other software was a copy of Adobe Photoshop. No serial number, no online activation, just a registration form to print-out and send by snail-mail. I wasn’t going to print it out anyway, but some moral dilemma inside me forced me to make up the name you see on the top of this webpage. Now, I have been the author of a few works of art (subjective definition), but this is one of the earliest memories I have of actually creating something out of nothing.

Even after so many years, it was my first choice when I started looking for a domain to register. I’m glad I did. It keeps growing on me.

Thanks for your time.

For those who haven’t read the About page, which I’ll be sure to post between this week and the next, here’s the summary:

My name . . . → Read More: First post!]]> Welcome to my new website! I refrain to call it just a new blog because I have plans to let it grow into something else. All in due time, though.

For those who haven’t read the About page, which I’ll be sure to post between this week and the next, here’s the summary:

My name is Ricardo, born in Brazil and raised in Portugal, though I consider myself to be somewhat “nationless”. The reason I’m writing this in English is one third because I can, two thirds because I want to.

I can because I started learning English at the age of eight and have since become a certified EFL teacher. The reason I want to is a bit more complex and I’m afraid I don’t know how to explain it entirely. On the one hand, writing in English gives these entries, news items and short stories a very different reach than they would have had in Portuguese. On the other hand there are quite a few situations where I simply find myself more comfortable writing in English.

With that in mind, I do intend to use both languages, depending on the situation, the audience, or just pure whim. At the moment I’ve only got a vague idea of what this website will turn into and the feeling that it’ll be worth reading!

Thanks for your time.