the credit crunch

Hello everyone!!

Everytime I read the news nowadays I seem to read of nothing but the financial crisis. It's a bit depressing really and I'd rather read about happier things :) Has the financial crisis affected you in any way? Or do you not notice any difference?

See you on Monday

Paul

Exams

Hello everyone!

This week's topic is a very timely one as, of course, next week we have an exam. Anyway, what are your feelings about exams? Do you think they are necessary part of life? Do you think we should get rid of them altogether? Do you get nervous? Are you too relaxed? Do you leave the studying until the last minute? Have you ever failed one?

Have a good week and don't study too hard! :)

Paul

You and your favourite brands

Hello everyone,

Hope you're getting back into the swing of things after the break :) . This week's topic is about brands. I didn't used to think of myself as a consumer but, I have to admit it, there are probably more brands around my home than I would like to admit. I have my lovely Mac laptop, my Nikon D50 camera, my Levi's jeans, Portuguese Basmati rice (sorry I can't remember the name!), Palhais cheese and so on and so on. All of these for a person who doesn't even enjoy shopping. Anyway, how about you, then?

See you next week

Good Bye 2008 Hello 2009

Seasons greetings everyone,

Your task over the holidays is to tell everyone what you're up to/what you've done/what you'll be doing. I'm staying in Porto for a week and then off to visit a friend in Norway, where I'll be for New Year. I'm not sure how cold it's going to be but it's sure to be a lot colder than here. Still, the houses have heating so I may not notice it :)

What about you?

Paul

keeping fit

Hello everyone,

Sorry for the delay in posting this one :) . For the final one of the year could you tell us all what you do, if anything, to keep fit. Myself, I'm not a particularly sporty person but I do walk everywhere. I walk to work, to visit friends and occasionally to the beach on the Gaia side and I think that makes up for the fact that I don't do any sports. Anyway, what about you?

See you on Monday

Paul

Food memories

Hope your week is going well, everyone, and you're not working too hard :) . This week I'd like to know what you were like as a kid with food. I don't remember having too many problems with food when I was young. Whatever was in front of me I usually ate, unlike my brothers who hated most vegetables and would go to any length to hide bits of cauliflower or carrot under furniture, which my mother would find a few days later, often covered in mould :( . I do remember finding the taste of tomatoes very strange and it took a long time before I grew to like them. They were an acquired taste. I love them now of course. Beer was another thing I turned my nose up at. When I first tasted it (I must have been about 14) it was so bitter! Now, there's nothing better than a cold beer on a hot summer's day. One thing that I hated and I still hate is pickled beetroot. Absolutely revolting.

What about you?

TV

I don't have a television myself, or rather I have one but it is not connected to cable or an aerial so I can't watch TV even if I wanted to. I don't miss watching TV as I have plenty of other things to occupy my time. But I do admit I occasionally watch it when I go round to a friend's house when they might already be watching CSI, National Geographic Channel or the news. Thirty minutes to an hour is all I can manage - after this I become a bit like a zombie :) . When I was young (many many years ago) I think I used to watch quite a lot of TV: soap operas, documentaries, sports programmes, music programmes. What a waste of time that was! There was a children's programme called 'Why don't you...', which began with the song 'Why don't you....why don't you.....why don't you go and turn the TV off and do something else instead?'. Very good advice but a bit strange as I wouldn't have been able to watch that programme if I had turned the TV off.

Anyway, what about you? What do you watch?

Paul