Driver's License

Today I'm going to write about how to do a driver's license in USA.

Certain day after I got home from work, two colleagues (females) of mine took the car to go get the cloths at the cleaner. I stayed at home with another colleague (male) doing the dinner, the time was passing and the girls didn't show up, and the cleaner is 5 minutes away from where I was staying. Suddenly one of them appears at home with a breathless air, saying "Do you have an extra car keys, because the cars key are inside of the car, and we can't open the doors because the car locked the doors". I went with her to go check the car, on the way I was thinking how that was possible, in 2 months with the car it never locked by itself, always I had to lock manually. When I arrived there I saw the car keys over the seat and the door locked. What to do? Call the cops to open the door. The cop arrived and asked for documents driver's license, I gave my Portuguese license. Quickly the cop said "where is the international driver's license?" I said I didn't had it, then he told you can't drive in USA without it.

International driver's license is just a "stupid" book similar to a ballot, you have to go to ACP with your driver's license a photo and 25€, and they do the "stupid" small book with your photo, some pages in English and others in Chinese and that's it. And it has an expiring date of 1 year. Mine expired that's why I didn't have it no more with me.

Because of what happen above I decided to take the USA driver's license. As I have the green card (US permanent resident card) and I always heard it's very simple and easy and cheap, not like in mother country Portugal.

My residency in the green card is from Massachusetts state, so I had to go Brockton-Boston where my father lives to do it. One of the weekends I went to Boston and stayed there till Monday to take the learner's permit (called theoretical exam).

Monday I woke up very earlier and went to the RMV- Register Motor Vehicle to do the test, I didn't study almost anything just read some stuffs nothing more. When I arrived there they asked me a proof of my address and I just took a letter from the migration as proof, the who attended me told that wasn't enough. I needed some letter from the bank or phone company so I went to the phone company balcony and got the proof of address. Went back to RMV another lady attended me and didn't accept the proof I got from the phone company because it wasn't a letter sent to home, I showed her the letter from the migration and she said that was OK. I was ready to perform the exam, 25 questions and I could fail 7. Took the exam in Portuguese and did it and pass it easily. For that exam I paid 20$ (yes that expensive similar to Portugal right?)

First part successfully accomplished, now I just had to the road test exam. In my head that would be the easiest part, I drive since I was 18 when I did my driver's license in Portugal. I just had to schedule a day to take the road test exam the next time I come to Boston to do it.

Thanksgiving vacations I went to Boston and I decided to schedule the exam on that time. Here to perform the exam we need to have a sponsor: the person which will go with you; and a legal car. But the legal car must have an emergency hand brake, I learned it in the worst way. Day of the road test I went there with my brother on his car. When was time to perform the test the examiner was examining the car to see if it was in conditions. He starts complaining about the car sticker was putted on the wrong side and then the front plate wasn't there. But those small things he would let it go, than he looked to the emergency hand brake and wasn't there. Quickly he said "you can't perform the test with this car". I start begin him I would go to Portugal soon, and I have a driver's license from Portugal for 7 years, he kept saying no with this car I can't let you perform the exam. Nothing more to do, I was completely pissed, schedule another date.

Went back to New Jersey, 4 hours distance to or from Brockton. Searched on the net the nearest date and booked the exam again.

Tuesday, 7 of December 2010 I woke up dropped my friend at work and went to Boston to do the exam, 4 hours driving. I arrived there around 1 pm, the exam would be at 3 pm, just waited for the exam and for my brother's friend who would land me his car to perform the exam.

3 pm the exam started, the examiner this time would be a old woman. She started asking me the hand signs, left, right and brake. The last one I made the sign correctly but I couldn't remember the name of it, she quickly told me you only have 3 attempts. I thought for me what the hell, and then I said correctly. I drove 20 minutes, U turns, parallel park, parallel back all the bullshits supposedly you have to do when you do the road exam and you don't know how to drive. I drive more time here than when I did my road exam 7 years ago in Portugal. End of the exam I really thought I did everything right and would pass easily. She asked my name and said "you must come back again, you failed the exam". I couldn't believe in what I was hearing. She start enumerating what I did wrong:

1. Backing 50ft : Look over right shoulder;
2. Hill operation: avoids rolling, properly position wheels, didn't put on park;
3. Turning: properly yields;
4. Lane change: checks blind spots.

What I did during the exam:

1. When I was backing I was looking to the mirrors - She said I can't;
2. I putted the gear on reverse and turn off the car - She said had to turn the wheels and put the car on park;
3. I learned on the yield sign if there are cars coming I should let them pass till there are no cars, so I let the cars pass - You let too many cars pass, you didn't enter that's why they didn't stopped to let go in;
4. I did a lane change after I looked to the mirror and I saw only one car coming, I let that car pass and I merge to the left - You didn't look to your shoulder to check your blind spot.

After all the bullshits she gave what could I do, just said OK thank you.

I'm not saying she was wrong, somethings yes, but in the overall I proof her I knew how to drive and I knew the rules. But I guess that was my mistake showed her I knew how to drive.

Get in the car I drove to Boston and went back to Jersey again, another 4 hours driving. Completely pissed and knowing I don't know how to drive.

Next day on the job was talking with my colleagues about what happened and one them told "you should had talked with, I would told you every stupid things you should have done".

In resume he said the trick is pretend you don't know how to drive, be very silly and dumb.

Guess I learn what not to do next time.

What is love?

So many times we hear: I'm in love, I love you, I adore you....

But did you ever stopped and asked yourself this simple question: What is love?

Before I leave this question and wait for some answers I'll answer myself what is love for me.

Love for me is much more than like someone because is pretty, is beautiful, is hot, has money, has a nice job and others nonsenses.

Love wasn't made to be painful, to make us cry most of the time, to make us argue all the time, to be distrust. Wasn't made to have just a few hours during the day because we already have other plans and we can't cancel them. Wasn't made to be lived only from one side and the other just stays because is good to have someone who loves us. Love is much more than just give, is about give and receive back; of course one side will always love more than the other, even our body is not completely symmetrical, how could be two persons completely different love in the same amount?

Love for me is starting liking the defects of each other, we must respect the other person the way it is, or otherwise we would never fell in love for that person. Is easy to love the qualities but is really hard to love the defects. Why should we wanna change someone to our image and require the other person to lose its essence, the same essence mixed with the qualities and defects make us fell in love for?

Love is wanting to be with someone, not spending only some hours in a week, sometimes is hard to find that time but when we really want, we can try to figure it out. When that time is really short and we can't do much more about it, should we spend that time arguing, fighting, saying nonsenses or should we enjoy every single millisecond we do have? If that time is short we really should enjoy it, but if the is long "what should we do?" The same thing we did when we had short time, enjoy as much as possible every single millisecond as well.

Like I use to say:"live now, life is luck and the time is short".

It seem likes I do live in a wonderful and beauty word and where everything is perfect, I don't and I know even in most perfect couples living the real love there will be misunderstandings, dislikes, fights and others stuffs. What should we do in those situations? I think the the answer is very easy, we have a great gift, the gift of talk and understanding. Yes, you read well, is just about talk, left one side express itself and the other does the same. I'm not saying we should accept everything the other wants, but we should always respect each other thoughts and opinion and try to find what will be reasonable for both. Is not about who will win or who loses, we have to know not only to be stubborn but to know when to retreat. (I really know what I'm talking about, I'm stubborn as hell)

A lot of people says a girlfriend and a boyfriend can't be really friends. I completely disagree with that, in my point of view they should try to be the best friends, not forgetting the best friend each other already has. How can someone say a relationship can't be built in friendship? Do you wanna have someone for the rest of your life which you can't talk all the time, make you laugh all the time, be able to just listen you, to tell a secret and so many others things. Thats what a friend does right? So wouldn't you like to have someone by your side which you could do all those things with?

Respect simple word, but so many times doesn't make part of our vocabulary. Can we really hope to have a long relationship without respect for each other? What is respect? Is not only respect each other when is in font of us, is respect each as well on the back. Respect is know the boundaries of each other, know the limits of those boundaries and respect the space of each other.

Trust, small word with only5 letters, but when is applied I bet with you so many relationships would be saved and so many problems would be avoided. Is not easy to have it, we should every single day try to earn a bit more of trust in a relationship. I'm not saying we should blind trust, thats why I said should be earn. Both in a relationship should do that hard work, but I can bet again with you in the end both will be winners.

In a few words thats what is love for me.

What is love for you?

If you read this please let me know what is love for you, you don't need to reply in English if you don't want to.

Thanks in advance.

Thanksgiving

Today I passed my first Thanksgiving.

I used to watch this celebration on american movies, but this year I celebrate it, I ate the turkey. Is the favorite american celebration, why? Because on this date they only eat, watch TV and Friday they have "Black Friday". On Black Friday lots of stores will be open at 5 am and close at 9 am. Yes you read well 5h in the morning. Is very common to find queues from 23h and 00h untill the doors open, people waiting for crazy prices in all kind of stores: books, clothes, electronics etc.

Some of you don't know why they celebrate the Thanksgiving, I didn't as well. I just learn this last days.

Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving Day, celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November, has been an annual tradition in the United States since 1863, when during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincolnproclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday, November 26.

The event that Americans commonly call the "First Thanksgiving" was celebrated to give thanks to God for helping the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony survive their first brutal winter in New England. The first Thanksgiving feast lasted three days, providing enough food for 53 pilgrims and 90 Native Americans. The feast consisted of fish (cod, eels, and bass) and shellfish (clams, lobster, and mussels), wild fowl(ducks, geese, swans, and turkey), venison, berries and fruit, vegetables (peas, pumpkin, beetroot and possibly, wild or cultivated onion), harvest grains (barley and wheat), and the Three Sisters: beans, dried Indian maize or corn, and squash. The New England colonists were accustomed to regularly celebrating "Thanksgivings"—days of prayer thanking God for blessings such as military victory or the end of a drought.

Long time, lot a things happened...

Since May, the last time I post something so many things happened. I'll do a very short resume of what happened in the last months.

The year is almost in the end and I'm still in New Jersey, USA. What I did in all the time I already spent here? I can say, thats a very good question.

Say New Jersey or say New York it will be more or less the same. But now you'll be thinking this guy is completely nuts. Hold on, what I wanted to say is in terms of location and proximity. In New Jersey you don't have almost nothing to do, you have only one thing to do: GO TO NYC. There is not much to say about New York, just all the things we watch in the movies are all true, it's an amazing city. Definitely the top 1 city in the world for me, I would live in NYC Manhattan without any problem.

When you hear NYC one of your thought will be USA, but now I can tell you Manhattan is completely different than the rest of USA. Here in USA you have: NYC, Miami, Las Vegas, Boston, LA and Hollywood. All the rest is so deadly boring, but when i say boring is really boring with boring people. But those same people in the other nice cities they will become nice and not boring.

Besides NYC I visited already Washington DC, the capital. Is nice because of the monuments you have there to see. I got very disappointed with the white house, I was expecting something big and splendid, I found something small and not so shine as I was expecting. On the other hand the Capitol was really amazing and impressive I liked it a lot.

Philadelphia, the city where the north american constitution was written, cozy city and with the best beef cheese-steak sandwich in USA. Thats right beef with cheese all together inside of a sandwich.

Niagara Falls, I don't have a vast English vocabulary to describe by words how amazed I was when I was staring at the falls. Just incredible and so damn beautiful. The nature really does amazing things and the Niagara Falls is one of those amazing things the nature is capable of.

After being in Niagara I went to Toronto, Canada. I was expecting to find a city/country very similar to USA, in terms of living, life itself but for my surprise I found something completely different. I thought somehow I went back to Europe, instead of miles kilometers, everywhere you could find some French words. The city Toronto as one of the most tallest building in the world, the communications tower, it is really tall. The night life in Toronto is something, is really something... I really recommend it..

Vegas... What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas :)

But now will come the best part of my mission here in USA. 18th of July, was the day I started talking with an amazing and beautiful girl. We met through Facebook, we had some friends in common but we never talked. From that day onwards we use to talk almost every day. What we talked? We use to talk about life, perspectives of seeing life, perspectives of living, basically we use to talk about everything. 15th of August, I went to Portugal for another two weeks of vacations. One of the best two weeks in Portugal I've ever had. Why? Because the amazing and beautiful girl I met on Facebook made me spent an amazing and delicious time with her.

We were heading to a dead end, the dead end would be us being dating. We knew beforehand would be very tuff and not easy at all a distance relationship. But something inside of me was telling me give it a shot. Live now, life is luck and time is short. And was what I did, I gave it a shot, and nowadays we are still together and more in love than ever.

I can't wait to have her in my arms, feel her breath near to my ear, feel those lips near to mine, feel her touch on my skin, feel her body touching mine.

One special word to my comrades who put it up with me in all those trips around USA. Thank you Ravic, Hugo and Bruno.

Was good to put all this down, I can say is good to be back on track....

See you guys soon..

Back Again...

As been a while since the last time I wrote something here. And I guess you have made this question: Why only one post? The answer is very easy, is not because I don't have stories to tell, adventure I haven't had or I stopped dreaming. Laziness.

I would love to post like my goddaughter use to do, every single day even if is just to post: "I don't want to write anything today". But I've been with so much laziness in my body to keep up with my blog. I'll try now to keep it up, and more than that use it to express myself, with more than my stories and adventures, I'll post about football (soccer), about life, about what's is around me and what I would like to have around.

I want to give some words to some persons, those who wanted me to start back again with my posts. Thanks to all of you guys I'm back on track, I hope for longer time now.. :)

First Post

I should been done this long time ago, since when I started my life of traveler in 20th October 2008, but better latter than never.

I will post here some of my adventures, thoughts and dreams.

I'm an engineer in telecommunications, at this moment I'm working in LTE (Long Term Evolution) or 4G, and thanks to my job I was able to already knew almost all continents at this moment.

My 1st mission out from Portugal was in Timissoara, Romenia in WiMAX, after that I never stoped any more, Dominican Republic, France, Germany and Malaysia. All those countries I mention before I've been there in job, but life is not only job :), so during the weekend me and my colleagues we traveled every time we got chance.

June 2009 I went to Malaysia for 6 months, I just can say was the best 6 months in my life I ever had till now. Why? Because I met so many people, new cultures and I could traveled as I never thought before. Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Hong-Kong, Macau and Australia. Places I never thought even in my dreams to visit one day.... I just can say I really miss those times...

At this moment I'm in New Jersey getting ready to go back to Portugal for two weeks vacations and then get back to Jersey again...

Soon I'll be back with some stories and what happen in the meantime..