.: A Primeira Festa de Aniversário :.
Yesterday me and Miguel left the office and went straight to the Gurnee Malls to look for a gift for the baby girl. We wondered what an American would like to receive as a gift. At first we thought it was better to buy a gift card. But then we found a store with lots of cool stuff for girls. Catties, fluffy pillows and other kid like things. So we decided to buy our gifts in that store instead of giving a gift card... We also bought some gift bags. We could not find any 1-year-birthday-gift-card but I guess it was a already enough buying those little toys.
In the next day we had lunch at T.G.I. Friday's. I ordered and ate it all and even asked for a dessert. Then we picked up the gifts in the hotel and headed to Mike's house. First we tried to find the city of Silver Lake in the state of Illinois, but we completely forgot that the state was in Wisconsin! Anyway after 45 minutes or so we arrived at Mike's house.
Wisconsin is a beautiful place. I never liked the big cities, I would never live in a place like Chicago. I am a beach boy after all... Also, I studied in a very peaceful city in college times. But pay no attention to my nonsense, I also like the big cities. Anyway the most important thing is the people living inside these cities.
In the middle of the road I realized I had forgotten my camera, I was so mad with myself. But at least Miguel was caring his. Mike's house looked exactly as a standard American house. There was a big garden, grass in the ground, a big garage and the house itself was made of a wood like material. We could find the house because his younger child, little Michael, was playing outside. The mailbox had the family's name written though.
Once we arrived Mike welcomed us with a drink. Little Michael was very funny. He was driving those bikes for children. He seemed a smart boy. He tried to explode a balloon by sitting on it, but luckily he couldn't do it. It was dangerous and I told him not to do that. There were also two other children, Mathew and Jessie, the oldest son. And of course, the baby Anna. I guess these names are all family names, since Anna is the name of Mikes grandmother.
You know, that family was amazing! Very kind and I never expected to be invited to a family party. I kinda felt that it was a party for the people close to him. In the beginning I thought other people from the office would come, beside me and Miguel but I was mistaken.
One of the Mike's child, Mathew was very, very nice to me. I don't know why but he started to say all sort of things to me. Hmmm... I had the feeling that somehow he is always trying to do his best. He said that he was not thaaat close to his little brother, because I thought they would play together but you know, children are children anywhere in the world. He even wanted to show me the playground and the shared toys. Well he complained and said nice things too, tried to show me and Miguel the cool things that he could do with the bike, skateboard, etc. Jessie was with one of his friends, he did not talk much with us.
Many other Mike's relatives started to pop out: mother, father, grandpa... The family of his wife was all there too. All American-Italians: big family, big heart. I know about Italians it is like it always fits one more person.
The party itself was great. I was not very hungry because of all the food I ate in the lunch, but I could tell it was good. The whole family sang the Happy Birthday and Mike shot the movie. So much joy!
Well, the baby was very calm. She ate her cake and smiled to everyone. It was really a princess! We all ate the cake, there were two types of cakes, one of chocolate and one of vanilla I suppose. I ate one piece too and it tasted good.
Then Sheryl started to open the gifts. I do hope they liked the message that I wrote in the card and the Hello Kitty doll I gave to the baby. Oh, I also gave them some chocolates from Brazil. There were so many chocolates in the bag that I hope they did not get mad at me, because you know, children can't eat too much sugar.
After some time my body was started to feel heavy, damn weak body that I have! Well, we took a picture with the family and then thanked Mike for the hospitality. A great man with a great family, that is why I am a big fan of him.
In the way home Miguel used the GPS to find the route and I came seated with my stomach aching so much. I had to lay down as soon as possible. Well, back in the hotel this was just what I did and I relaxed after a warm bath. Well, anyway this was quite an experience. One of those that I will treasure in my heart.
.: Primeiras Impressões dos EUA :.
Well, how can I say, there are so many things that are very different from Brazil, but nothing like I really can't get used to. The avenues are somehow larger, there is a clear division between the residential area streets and the freeways. So the avenues are larger and has traffic signs that indicates when it is possible to turn left or right for example, so the crossing among ways are very well organized. The speed limit is very low, 30 miles around railroads, 40 miles in general and higher speed limit on other highways. Tolls are not that expensive I would say, but they do exist.
The food is very different, you almost will never find white rice to eat and the beans here have a very different sauce and taste. Almost everything is spicy, maybe because the weather here is colder so... Food feels hotter when spicier. As for the drinks I believe they are the same everywhere in the globe! Water is water anywhere and so is the lemonade. But it is difficult to find fresh fruit juice, actually I haven't found a place that serves it yet. It is all manufactured stuff. Anyway, the local food here is very good I do not have any reason to complain. It's different for sure, but it also taste good. And as for the desserts they are just as delicious as those from Brazil. I love a good dessert after dinner. Oh, I guess the people here dine very early because whenever we go out to have dinner at night the places started to get empty and people starts to disappear!
Now the most important comment to me is about the people. I cannot say I met and talked with all these different cultures we can find around here. There are people from India, Mexico, Latin America, Eastern Asia, China, Israel and also the Americans themselves. There are many young Americans that use very strange and Gothic cloths. Weird hair, black shirts. The kids are very cute though. I wish I could take pictures of all those people, there are so many different cultures crossing you when you hit the places you go. And even in the place I am working there are different English accents. Also, there are not so many native Americans around. Where the Americans are used to work?
Talking about people, my host here is the coolest man around. He is so simple and yet good in his own way. He welcomed us with open mind and even invited us to the birthday party of his baby girl, Anna. Absolutely just the person I though he was. I am still getting used to the other people around I did not have much opportunities to have contact with them. I am the kind of person that takes some time to get familiar with another person, but once I get used, the relationship becomes much better and smooth.
.: Viagem para os EUA :.
Today I will gonna tell about my arrival at the USA.
Everything started when I left Campinas, my mother, my aunt and my sister came with me to the airport of Garulhos. I brought two bags, 32kg each and other two hand bags. In the check-in a very sympathetic lady was behind me and saw my whole travel saga between the two airports. Miguel arrived a little bit later and he came with his girlfriend and her parents. After the check-in I went to the Federal Station to register the notebook, but it was not needed because it is a national product. They let me through. I ate the dinner, went to the restroom and I was ready to go.
In the X ray line, I met Miguel again and they checked my hand bags, the notebook and etc. We waited a little longer and the time to go came. I saw someone I knew, Samuel, that works in São Paulo now, but I did not see if he entered in the airplane.
When the time came, I bordered in the airship and sat in the end of everything, in the last seat close to the window, me and Miguel. I believe it was the worst place to seat. Anyway that lady that I mentioned before sat in the other side with her husband beside her. She wished me good look kinda worried because she thought I was all alone. When the plane started to fly I said to Miguel that I was feeling lighter, but that was weird since I should be feeling heavier instead. Whatever! The people there served some drinks and three meals, a snack, a chicken breast and some fruits during the whole flight.
In the front's seat back there was a small screen so we could watch to some movies and see the position of the plane while flying. In the map we could also see the temperature of Chicago and the estimated time to arrival. Among the many movies I watched one with Brew Barrymore where she writes some music lyrics with another musician. There was also nine audio channels to chose among different themes of songs.
In the noon it was frozen cold, I was wearing a heavy jacked and Miguel used the plane's blanket. I could sleep a little, since I am good at sleeping, but Miguel said he couldn't fall asleep because he would not fit into the chair. And besides, there were always people coming from here to there and the restroom was close behind us.
When we arrived at Chicago everything was peaceful. We had to fill some forms and show our passports. After that we took our bags and go out. We went to Hertz to rent a car that looked like a pickup to me. A good thing around here is the GPS, you type the location you want to go and the route is calculated and displayed on the screen. Everything is automatic!
When we arrived at the hotel, we arranged our stuff. There was an old guy that was leaving the hotel with the tiniest short ever in that cold wind! Amazing! After that each one of us stayed in our individual rooms and I decided to go out to eat something. Near me there was a group of people with a very peculiar northeast Portuguese accent so I asked them if they were from Recife. The answer was yes, and I asked if they knew the people from Eldorado since they worked at Cesar. Well, they were three guys and a girl. Anyway I wanted to know if they knew a guy named Ernani. By asking I found out his hotel room number and after this conversation I dialed to Miguel's room and we went to the cafeteria again. Later we went to search for a department store to buy some stuff we needed and some phone cards. We headed for Wall Mart, walked around a little more and we returned to the hotel. Since we were rotten tired we slept deadly in our rooms. As a matter of fact, I slept until 2:45PM and started to watch TV. Miguel called me to have lunch and we went to Burger King. A Chinese man was taking the orders, it was hard to understand him. Well, after the lunch we went to Motorola, to find where it was located.
Back to the hotel, more rest... At the noon we headed to Gurnee Malls, a kind of big shopping center. We explored a place where they sell hunting stuff, they were selling bows and arrows, it was very cool and there was also a small lake with fishes in there. We visited the Nike store. In one of the corridors there was a movie theater and there was also an autorama place in which an employee girl had to take the cars that fell off the track while children played with them with some sort of remote control. Poor girl, doing that all day long. The gaming house had several games and also an entrance to play hockey. Oh, in this mall there was tons of guys wearing a marine uniform cloth. It seems there is a marine base near the Michigan's lake. I visited the GAP store, H&M, hmm... many other stores and I became really tired to see them all. Back to the hotel, Ernani called me and said we could go to his room so me and Miguel went there to meet him. I gave him some chocolates that my sister wanted to give to her boss. We talked and exchanged some hints.
The hotel's bathroom was very cool! I brought my shampoo, my sponge and everything I needed. I took a quick bath and then used the bath tub, it is very relaxing! There is a drying too so my hair is never wet at night. A gift of gods!
Oh, since the notebook is a national product so is the energy cable plug. I did not know how to plug it in the power source. Ernani had the idea to ask the lobby employees about an adaptor and you know what? They had one and I borrowed one. I left the notebook charging and used it later in my bed. The bed is very huge, I think it fits a family of three. It is also very soft! And since we have a wireless network I can use the notebook anywhere! But the chair of the desk is also super comfortable.
Well, in the next days I will be ready to work!
.: Eu Posso Fazer Sozinho :.

It is cold today! My dizziness is slowly fading away. I feel healthier now, not a 100% but much better. I am having weird dreams recently and I feel odd. It is almost like my body tells me not to go anywhere. My British accent is becoming much better now, but I still feel insecure whether to use it or not. Because of my eating disorder, I am still feeling weak, but that's fine, it is probably just anxiousness that I am fighting within subconscious domains. I am hungry, I want to eat!!! Why my body insist on rejecting food? Things I cannot control are such a pain.

I am feeling very childish today. When I talk to older people I feel much better. Maturity is something difficult to acquire, although I can sense the big picture, I know I am still immature. I need to focus on working in a proper manner to measure all my work. And the title of this post is a lie. I can't make it alone. I have people to support me, that I can rely and trust. I need them in a symbiotic relation. People that remember me when I am about to travel to a far away place, people that want to know what is going on in my life. And there is also people that share their opinion with me and listen to what I have to say. That's friendship a precious jewel I always treasure in my heart.

Today I have learned a valuable lesson. What the people expects from me and the qualities that are recognized as good and can mobilize people's behavior. That is good to know, more data for me. The goal is to achieve better relationship by achieving human objectives and organizational objectives. Ultimately a better social environment. There are several models of operation, it is up to you to understand the model you are in and use it the best way you can to succeed.
.: E Faça o Marketing Acontecer! :.
Today it was addressed to me an interesting comment. Why are you usually fond of those the others aren't? I found that funny, am I really that weird? Another funny joke was something about sitting by someone else. The guy who asked me this started to laugh after I said "yes" to his question. Quite an odd guy, man I am terrible to understand other people's jokes. What did I say that was so funny anyway?
Oh boy, my desk is a mess! There are keys, cables, coins, pens, books, DVDs. I need to organize my stuff one of these days...
Anyway, putting these jokes behind, what I wanted to write about is how it is extremely positive when you face your life with a good mood and spirit. In many situations all odds will be against you. There are too many questions, not one solution, just a single life and so much confusion. I am full of things to do, people that I have to deal with. The way I speak, I look, I listen, they all influence the cogs of my life. Since I can't always be the winner I try to find a way to plant good seeds to watch beautiful flowers blooming in the future. Now I have an important task regarding a presentation to show to other engineers the pros and cons of a different system architecture. And when you are used to something, you should expect resistance, I have to keep that in mind. Engineers are no different. But to me this is also marketing stuff. I love when I can sell an idea, the feeling of sharing concepts is so cool.
Sharing what you know to others is a good thing. Kindness is a good thing! But we can't be foolish, because sometimes you need to go to the darkest places to see if the light is been manipulated or if it is a real light. We have this incredible ability to create a world of fantasy and use it as an illusion not only to fool ourselves but to fool others.