Back on the track

Ok, it is true, it was not a really out and about year. It was finally quite but worth. I did not go out a lot, but it was really nice. To be back home and wander around with my old fellows is always worth.

It was in the end really a revolving road. The tos and fros they left me dizzy. Next year promises to be the old winding road, as usual.

Even though it was not my primary concern, 2008 was, again, one hitting the road year. It is uncountable how many times my phrase has been written as sms in my mobile phone.

Hit the road, hitting the road…

Life in brasil was not quite. I have been to Vitoria over 20 times, surely. And it is a 7 hours trip, at least! Long, long trips. Going out of the mountains and landing in the seaside was great. The sea was in front of my window. The mountains at my doorstep.

I have also been to UK (London and Oxford), Greece (Athens and surroundings) and Ohio-USA (almost the whole state indeed).

Going back to uk was not an easy task. If it was not Newtonidas, with his unconditional friendship, and Thais with her endless ears and tender messages, it would have turned unbearable. It was rough but bearable. Moreover, it has reasserted my love to oxford, what a lovely city…

Greece… Greece was beyond good. Really. Awesome, outstanding. Beautiful, lively. Many, really many, friends around. I cant forget that smell, on the back of the restaurant, in the beach. It was the smell of hope. Me and the Mediterranean sea. The jump… I cant forget the jump.

It was me, Douglas,   in front of that ever cold sea. It was me, frozen. I would go inside it. I would slowly walk and feel all the fear. But not me. I jumped. I have ran as fast as I could and jumped as far as possible. It was, and is a new philosophy for life. Jump in the fears…

Greece… I be back someday, no worries…

Last, but not least, USA. It was also a very pleasant time. Me and my jeep! Hahahaha 2000 km, many places visited. Dayton, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Akron… to cite a few. I have to say, I liked that. What an interesting place.

Lets be honest, the food is not the best but they do treat you as a king. Ok, for you money. In the end it does not matter. I remember what Nathan told at some point while I was at Akron University: “the only ones who do not like USA are the ones who have never been here”. I have to agree at some extend. Surely…

Kristell came across. It was a pleasant visit. I could show her some good places and I hope she has enjoyed. It is brazil. Good food. Lots of food!!! Hahaha the best company (I, me and myself)!!

For the next year I still do not know. I just know I will hit the road over and over again. But I will always come back, always…

What Are Years?

What is our innocence,what is our guilt? All arenaked, none is safe. And whenceis courage: the unanswered question,the resolute doubt, -dumbly calling, deafly listening-thatin misfortune, even death,encourage othersand in it's defeat, stirs

the soul to be strong? He sees deep and is glad, whoaccededs to mortalityand in his imprisonment risesupon himself as the sea in a chasm, struggling to befree and unable to be,in its surrenderingfinds its continuing.

So he who strongly feels,behaves. The very bird,grown taller as he sings, steelshis form straight up. Though he is captive,his mighty singingsays, satisfaction is a lowlything, how pure a thing is joy.This is mortality,this is eternity.

Thus, the year is finishing and it is time to re-evaluate what has taken place. I did not work much, I have to be honest, but it was, in the end of the day, a good year.

Before the quality analysis, let see the numbers. Five papers published in journals. Six in conferences. More five journal papers already accepted to be published in the following year. On the top of that I have been to two conferences, one in Greece and another in ohio. Both very good and pleasant trips indeed.

By January I quitted my job at the imperial college. I started working at ufmg in may. This was, surely, one of the main reasons to the good numbers shown above. There is my place where I feel free and have the freedom to think. I am manly made of ideas as many must know I don’t have memory.

Furthermore, the papers were also of high quality, higher than in the previous years. Quantity and quality, sounds perfect.

I have also started a company with a couple of friends. It is still a seed idea, but we are working seriously on that. Having Adriano as a business partner is something unique since he is a unique guy. We are a good team together. Sounds promising.

Honestly, the idea of the company is more a dream than a straightforward task. It is like turning against the obvious to keep on going. In the end I am like this, always turning against the obvious. This feature is what made me a scientist, and what can make me I high-profile one. My thoughts are not incremental, are critical, some would consider rather pessimistic. But this makes me, and my ideas, to grow and bloom at the right moments.

I am not sure about the following year. Hitting the road again? Not sure. Yes, I do have a preferable plan, company, projects, here and there.

Moving keep our minds open. And minds, as the parachutes, are only useful when they are open. I can pay whichever price to remain like this… and the song remains the same.

This crisis has changed the world, and I do believe it will change even more. Therefore, hard to make plans by now. At least, hard to make precise plans.

But in the end plans are only plans…

Bom, no final das contas a vida toma rumos que não estão no nosso controle. Hoje foi um dia destes. Será que não se importar é a melhor maneira de se manter vivo?

Este foi/é um dos maiores problemas dos últimos anos, me importei demais, com coisas demais, que perdi a energia. Será que as coisas dão certo sem nos importarmos com elas?

Segundo, faz diferença nos importarmos mas não agirmos? Qual é a relação de fins e meios? Já experimentei de todas as possibilidades e não sei, não sei mesmo, o quê é o melhor.

Importar pode nos trazer medo, e o medo pode nos paralisar. Não importar não nos da energia para andar. Em resumo, parece que os extremos são tão ruins…

E eu, um homem de extremos, como convivo com isso? Fico saltando de um lado para o outro, sem muito critério.

Ta na hora de parar, ta na hora…