quinta-feira, 27 de novembro de 2008

A close attack

Last night several touristy and busy places in Mumbai, India, were attacked by a so-called Islamic and Pakistani group. Over 100 people died and many others were injured. When I first heard the news my heart shrank. I know people, very nice people in Mumbai, with whom I shared good (and bad) moments, with whom I ate chapattis, saffron rice, fish curry and banana chips and who wandered with me in the sidewalk next to the sea and held me close in those full as-no-one-else-can-fit trains.
I’ve seen how busy these places get and how many people roam in the streets at every hour of the day and night. I also saw the shiny faces and the dark, vivid eyes of Indian people, their gigantic and welcoming smiles and their struggle to survive everyday life. I know the places where the bombs exploded and the guns were fired… I walked in front of the Taj Mahal Hotel and I drank beer in Cafe Leopold. Some of the people I love in this world live there, in a frantic and amazing city that almost doubles the size of Portugal in number of inhabitants. That’s why the bombs felt so close… pieces of me are still there.

The Taj Mahal Hotel and the Gate of India seen from the Arabian sea (January 2007)


Sunset over Mumbai, seen from the Arabian sea near the Gate of India (January 2007)


In situations of unknown places being under attack, even though they don’t feel this close, I always think how idiots human beings can be by putting their resources at the service of suffering, destruction and death of innocent people. I always wonder if terrorists ever think of how they would feel if a bomb would fall on the heads of their beloved…

quinta-feira, 13 de novembro de 2008

Buscas no computador também se pagam

9h30 da manhã. Repartição de Finanças em Lisboa. Espero pela chamada do número que me calhou. Demora pouco e fico impressionada (será que os nossos serviços de finanças estão mais eficientes?) Peço uma declaração de IRS de 2007. O funcionário procura no computador se tenho dívidas para pagar, introduzindo o meu nº de contribuinte. Em menos de 2 minutos ele verifica que está tudo em ordem. Imprime uma folha e diz para me dirigir à secção de cobrança para pagar os quase 5 Euros que me custa a declaração. Enquanto espero que me chamem de novo, dou uma vista de olhos pelo papel das contas e descubro a distribuição dos emolumentos:
Verba n.º1 - Buscas - quant.1 - 1,92 Euros
Verba n.º5 - Certidões ou fotocópias - quant. 1 - 1,92 Euros
Reembolso:
Fotocópias - quant. 1 - 0,48 Euros

A busca no computador (menos de 2 minutos) também me saiu do bolso... e esta, hein?