McLary’s blog
Just another weblogBirthday
Yesterday was the triple’s birthday and we went to Elvira’s place to have dinner. Firstly I, Richard and Ralph went to a pub near of Clapham Junction and each of us had a pint and after few minutes we were waking down to Elvira’s place.
There are about 10 people there and I had a glass of wine and when I realised everybody was chasing down the street going to the closest pub. That’s is unbelievable here, they’ve got this thing with pubs, they’re like their house extension, everybody had a pint of the all varieties that you could imagine and they swapped all the glasses to tasty. Pretty funny.
The food was good, I’m starting to feel comfortable with the potates and the meat with that souses, that for me, are exactly the same. even when everybody here swear they are different. The point is, the people, they’re lovely here, and they do their best to make me comfortable, I really appreciate that.
Thanks!
English Summer
You only can understand how precious is the summer here if you live here time enough to see how transformed this place get from winter to the summer. I mean, it’s not only about the sun. I’ve got no doubt
that the sun appears more often was well (what doesn’t mean that you’ll see many times) and it isn’t cold as you were living inside the fridge but the fact is: people change.
– They get drunk more often (it sounds impossible but believe me, they can do it)
– They make the most of now (thanks vodafone for its slogan)
I’m lazy today and I’ll stop here.
Barbecue
I’d say that I had a curious experience yesterday. I wasn’t expecting that.
During the last week Ralph and Richard invited me to a barbecue at their sister’s house to celebrate something that I couldn’t understand. I got no doubt and I accept to go as the only possible thought in my mind was about 20 English people lovely talking to each other with any lovely music on the background.
My vast experience, what is deep as a puddle on that light rainy days, tells me the music would be Elton John and the maximum of excitement that it could get would be 5 people agreeing with each other how lovely was the weather. (cloudy probably).
After almost gave up going there because we were suppose to go at half past one and at 4pm I still was in my room trying to do some programming work someone suddenly called me to hurry up and when I realised I was inside Scott’s car fighting to find some space between the hundreds empty cigarette boxes and his dogs’ hair. Scott works in IT and he loves that, he’s that kind of guy who can talk to you hours about the pleasure to develop COBOL applications without any propose.
By the time that I got there I was almost like the famous Star Wars Chewbacca, now you can imagine how messy was the Scott’s car. He said for a couple of times: “Sorry mate, I only use the car at weekends and usually I carry dogs back there”.
It was a great environment, it seemed like that ones that we see in Hollywood films, in spite of one missing swimming pool and sunny weather. There was noisy music, several people screaming, beer and meat.
It’s quite strange but here is normal to have wine in barbecues as well. The people was kind and all my flat mate’s friend came to talk to me, and were patient enough to have a small chat. I met Elvira and Susan, the first one is the girl that used to sleep in the room that I call now as mine. She is one of the triples, very pretty and vibrant. Susan seemed to me a strong woman that faces all the problems with a big smile. We had little chats and always she asked me what was living in her sons’ house and that my english was OK.
You know, at the end of the day I met new people, even probably I’ll never see them again, and had some beer. During our way back home everybody mocked Richard all the way long and I ended up eating a fat chicken breast form KFC.
Just a bad day [I do hope so]
Yesterday was one of that days which I should have stayed at home. Firstly I didn’t get paid enough to pay the fee to extend my visa. Secondly It started to rain suddenly and I hadn’t got a umbrella and finally when I was leaving the underground I realised that I had torn my one of my trainers. Great!
As a result I’ve got to save money to pay the fee and to by new trainers. Now I ask, when am I going to travel again?
Probably never…
Rounders
Wednesday I had a little taste of what the life of a kid is in England. I’ve been here since last December, but it’s difficult to experience the English life, for several reasons. It’s hard to make friends here, not because they don’t like to meet new people, it’s just hard, you don’t know anyone, what can you do? just start to talk to anyone who you came across? “Hi, my name is Luiz Filipe, and I’m trying to make friends. Would you like to be my friend?”
Anyway on Wednesday everybody form Eukleia had one day off and we went to Hyde Park to play rounders and to drink Pimm’s. The idea was to have a nice day out and do some exercise (and I do think it’s going to be as close I’ll get to a health life here) and have fun.
Firstly: what a hell is rounders? I was about to discover on my way to Hyde Park but the communication wasn’t that good when we were trying to survive in a cab carrying food enough to feed a small village. When we got the park and the guys started to prepare the pitch I could understand the basic rules. Basically it’s a baseball without bases and the bat’s size is short, you have to hold the bat with only one hand.
It was funny, even after my ball being caught in the air and go back fielding with just one run. The drink is quite strange. I don’t know how to define it. Sometimes it was like if you had mixed beer and coke up, sometimes it tested like vodka with wet carpet.
On Thursday the office was looking like a battle field, everybody was complaining about their bodies and that the exercise had been to intense for your life style.
One curious fact was that almost all designers are left handed. it’s said that left handed are more creative, now I believe.
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