MEMORIES

NOTES FROM THE WRITER:
Sorry everyone for this huge post. But I am at work and I really have nothing to do. So the more I write, the faster the time goes by. I didn't study for this job but I was born for this kind of job. I like this!




Want it or not, we are made of memories. They will always make part of our lives. The way we are today also depends on the way we deal with the memories from the past.
I cannot complain about mine. Ok, I have really bad memories but these ones made me a stronger guy. Maybe they have the same effect in everybody.
Because I listen to music since I was born, remembering songs I was listening is the best way to call back memories from the different stages of the past 27 years.


It’s amazing the way I can relate different songs to different stages in my life. For example, this song ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJ652E18vu0 ) takes me back to my adolescence, when my mother thought I was using drugs and I was spending all my weekends in Pacha Ofir.


In 2002, when I went to the University of Tras-os-Montes e Alto Douro, I heard Muse for the first time. My friend Nidio Amado showed them to me, and I was hearing the song Citizens Erased ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiHUKVoYbdc ) every day before sleep.


One year after being in University of Tras-os-Montes e Alto Douro, I moved to University of Aveiro in 2003. Here I was close to the ocean so, of course, I started surfing. We used to go to the sea using Bruno Oliveira’s Opel Corsa, with 4 or 5 people inside. I remember to be with my head stuck between my surfboard and the window of the car, listening to a tape, and the song Love and Devotion, from Mishka ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2eewq9AD7w&feature=fvst ) was playing. Fuck, I had goose bumps during months when listening to this song. My devotion for Mishka never ended. Today he is my favorite singer. If I could choose someone to have a cup of tea right now, would be Mishka.
I want to order a t-shirt from his website but he doesn’t have my size available.


Mishka was also important when, in 2006, I had cancer and was 1 month doing quimio. I was just laying on my bed, with the headphones and with Mishka on Replay mode. By the way, thanks everybody but especially thanks to you, my dear MOTHER ♥ (I don’t know if she will ever read this, she doesn’t even know what a blog is).


In 2007, after a difficult 2006, I went to Sweden (Lulea, 15h from Stockholm to the north by train) for 1 year to do my final project.
I arrived a bit later than everybody else, so in the first days I was spending almost the entire day on YouTube, listening to reggae and, in that time, I found Third World and the song “96 degrees in the shade” ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwE5gfZlMZY ). I miss those times.
In Sweden, I had snow from October till April and I was living 10 min walking from the mountains so, of course, I started Snowboarding. Bought all my equipment for less than 50 EUR and I was snowboarding almost all days. Every time I was walking up the hill I used to listen to “Music is the most High” ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akveNxCnGS4 ) from Groundation. Thanks Fred for the suggestion.
When the snow melted, I hadn’t that much to do so I was seating in the kitchen of my apartment, with my buddy Sean from USA. We spent hours discussing the financial crisis in the United States, listening to Pink Floyd ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkhX5W7JoWI ) and drinking loads of pots of coffee. Fuck Sean, I destroyed my stomach. How’s yours?


In July 2008 I finished University and started working in October 2008. Started listening to Muse again cause I was working with Bruno Freitas and Jose Pereira, both fans of Muse.


With money now, I bought my real first Bike, and got deep into Mountain Biking. To enjoy my rides I used to have Cat Empire on my ipod ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3nkzjACUG4 ). This song is the shit. I remember to go to Zaragoza, in Spain, to visit my good friend Paisa :) and to get drunk dancing to the songs of these guys.


In November 2010 I got jobless and on May 2010 I was running out of money so I needed to do something. I decided to go to Copenhagen, till August, and be a Bike-Taxi driver, the Rickshaw, very famous there. It was wonderful. I was driving people around the town, doing tours and during the night taking people to the discos and pubs. May and June I could earn no more than 90 EUR/day but, in July sometimes more than 300 EUR/day. To spend some money I used to go to Christiania, see live jam sessions and do much more activities :)


After work I used to go home, relax and listen to some music. During these 3 months I found some of my favorite bands nowadays. First one was Tribal Seeds ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2MfsCgD8aU ), Expendables ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5kGUqEBva4 ), Newton Faulkner ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rE-Why8N2I0&ob=av2e ) and finally the amazing and awesome Stick Figure ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqZtcHPKKzA ).


In September found a real job once again, this time in Spain. I remember to be driving towards Vigo and having a chain accident listening to the sound of Fujiya & Miyagi ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5XVeENmLMk&feature=player_embedded ). 6 cars involved. My car was completely fucked up, the police came and Fujiya & Miyagi were still playing in my car. I think that the CD player was the only thing was still working in that crap.
Well, time to eat now. Have to go to the kitchen.


Thanks for “watching”