Within a Sky Full of Earth

Suddenly we're gone. We didn't announce it, didn't tell anyone, it just happened. But we're not gone for good. We're building a new spot. Ring Joid already found a new home here. We'll coming next. But this space will not die. Stay tuned!

The Swine Flu outbrake is getting the world in flames. It as been a consequence of previous cataclysm scenarios which, apart from the real threat, are always a bit overrated when compared with other contagious diseases who are taking lives every minute and are not on the spotlight. This doesn't mean we shouldn't be aware and follow the indications of local healt institutions and take extra care.
But this post comes from the opportunity that we have on following it now in another way using Google Maps. Logging into the world almost in real time we can walk behind the news on the flu, just by clicking on the map above or through this link. But refrain by being too scared.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the symptoms and transmission of the swine flu from human to human is much like that of seasonal flu. Common symptoms include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing, while runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea have also been reported. It is believed to be spread between humans through coughing or sneezing of infected people and touching something with the virus on it and then touching their own nose or mouth. Swine flu cannot be spread by pork products, since the virus is not transmitted through food. The swine flu in humans is most contagious during the first five days of the illness although some people, most commonly children, can remain contagious for up to ten days.
Experts agree that hand-washing can help prevent viral infections, a surprisingly effective way to prevent all sorts of diseases, including ordinary influenza and the new swine flu virus. Influenza can spread in coughs or sneezes, but an increasing body of evidence shows little particles of virus can linger on tabletops, telephones and other surfaces and be transferred via the fingers to the mouth, nose or eyes. Alcohol-based gel or foam hand sanitizers work well to destroy viruses and bacteria. Anyone with flu-like symptoms such as a sudden fever, cough or muscle aches should stay away from work or public transportation and should see a doctor to be tested.
[FROM WIKIPEDIA]

In a place they say is dead
in the lake that's like an ocean
I count about a billion head
all the time
there's a motion.

I saw the cloning
of the famous family
I heard the droning
in the shrine
of the sea-monkey.

Beneath reflections in the fountain
the starry sky and Utah mountains
they are swimming happily
can't you see
a life that's so sublime?
in TROMPLE LE MONDE

Lots of people always think about Phuket as a romantic getaway. Anyway, apart from beautiful beaches, Phuket old town is full of splendid old Sino-Portuguese buildings which I found very charming.

Slightly near Rua do Campo, there's a low flow of a web signal you can catch if you're lucky enough and if the gadget you're using has a wide open mouth. It comes like the wind, no passwords, no special adjustments to enter. It's right on the corner of Cafe E.S.KIMO, a franchisable local brand of places spread around the city and its overshadowed islands. Sometimes WIFI is just around the block and you don't need to squeeze yourself to get in. Stand there and breath it.
We're on the street blogging. People passing and the wheels of the traffic clashing on the tarmac. It's Saturday morning in Macau. Bloom is waiting for spots to grow and build the most Beauty Fool place in town. Stay tuned!
TOOLS USED: BLOGWRITER LITE [software] and iPHONE [hardware]

If you go up to the Se Cathedral and turn left, going down through Travessa do Bispo, towards S. Domingos Street, just on the middle, there's a hairdresser called 'Base Hair Culture'. Just hang there on the door, you can seat at the window outside, and you'll find another free hotspot. By the way, go inside and use their services. They do it very well and Man, the owner, who had learned his metier in Paris, the land of coiffures, is a great guy to be with, you can chat with him all along and discuss the meaningful wonders of Macau and the world. And believe me, you are in good hands.
Cheers!

On the road it's very easy to blog. You just need to get to a wireless hot spot and start working your ditches. I'm just finishing my espresso on a Cafe near Senado Square. It's Ou Mun, a Portuguese coffee shop, on the small alley upwards to the Se Cathedral. Once inside ask them for the password access. It's free!
CTM, the local internet provider, offers different WIFIs around the city, but you have to pay for it and slash into a more complex process to get online. We'll track down here, places where you can tune up the web to your mobile device for free. We use iPhone, there's nothing better for it. Have a nice day!
USING: BLOGWRITER LITE and iPHONE [photos and text]

The first thing you need to do before you go is catching the flight. If you've got your ticket and your passport that's much better, you don't need to worry about anything else. If you're in, even if it seems like a small cage, it means that you're on the way to getting there. To your destination.
I lost the boat for fifteen minutes, the one that goes directly to the airplanes. Then, after ridding to a different route, the train closed its doors just in front of my eyes. The clock didn't stop. It kept going on the same pace.
The first check-in was closed and at the second they were packing everything down, after I ran desperately for a kilometer lost on the airport counters. I begged. And they walkie-talked the one in charge on the end of the line. Seconds too long and finally they let me in. I was there and it didn't matter if I had to remove some books from my overweighted luggage. At that time I've reached the point of no return.
That's how the following fifteen days began.

From the Southeast Asia bay to the heart of Europe it takes half a day if you ride a jet plane. Imagine what it would be if you get any other means of transport. Would take a hell of a ride. The distance is about 9600 kilometers. We departed at night and as we flew away towards the West the speed of daylight was chasing us from the start and by the time we arrived the bloom of dawn was just touching our tail. Long time waiting in a cabin of a plane nowhere in the world it's like being mad without knowing. A limbo of endless short memories that we recall under sleepless periods or on the short breath of a dream. Human beings that commute with each other, breathing the same air, side by side, just to get to another life that waits on a new promising land. Returning home or be faraway from it are the predicts of this tedious road on the sky. But as people say, "the sky has no limits". No end. And when you arrive your whole senses are opened to any new discovery waiting for the marvelous of the uncommon chance. The unknown future taking place on the other side of the planet. Yourself but in a way different.

In the small place of Odemira, Alentejo, Portugal, 20 minutes from the Atlantic Coast, stands a new holiday destination, where Bloom is planting a little seed. Visit Quinta do Chocalhinho.

This coming Tuesday there will be a special and unique event at both Blooms and in Macau. With Hong Kong stores we are going to launch at the same day the new Moleskine City Notebooks of Hong Kong and Beijing. With them we're bringing a mini-exhibition which explains the usage of this useful guides.
Moleskine has always been a favourite notebook for travelers. The Moleskine City Notebooks - the first guidebooks you write yourself - was launched in 2007, and we are very excited to announce the launch of the first two Asian City Notebooks: Beijing and Hong Kong!
At the occasion of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, the first Olympic Games hosted in China, an Olympic insert was specially designed for the Beijing City Notebook, with maps of Olympic Games Area, a bilingual Street Index and Venue Index.
Moleskine Asia gave away 40 advance copies to create 40 unique Beijing and Hong Kong City Notebooks. Two of them are available one at Bloom Red and another at Bloom Yellow for a unique preview.
Apart from Bloom in Macau, all creations will be exhibited showing the unlimited usages of the City Notebooks in other stores in Hong Kong, starting June 24th, 2008 and all summer long. Moleskine Fans and media partners are invited to join and experience these personalized Beijing and Hong Kong City Notebooks.
Come to see them!

New just-released editions have just arrived, more additions for your cool, stylish, elegant, sophisticated, dressy, smart; fashionable, high-fashion, in vogue, up-to-date, up-to-the-minute, contemporary, à la mode, chi-chi, au courant; dapper, dashing, trim, trendy, with it, happening, snappy, snazzy, modish, du jour, in, funky, natty, swish, fly, spiffy and kicky holidays.

Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Istanbul, Phuket, New York, Paris, Rome and Tokyo!

LUXE City Guides - the consummately stylish pocket travel guides, packed with astute, opinionated information for the busy and sophisticated visitor.

Each hip, smart and stylish pocket-sized guidebook is packed with a highly selective and opinionated list of only the best shops, restaurants and hotels, unique services and lifestyle options each city has to offer. And what's more, LUXE guides come with handy online updates.

LUXE chooses only the very best, so you choose only the very best.

For four years LUXE has quietly changed the face of travel guides, starting from scratch they re-thought the whole concept of why and how we all travel, of what we need when get there and most importantly what we don't. LUXE is now famous for its take no prisoners attitude, avoiding all the padding, photos, graphics and blah of other guides and getting straight to the meat. The result – ultra smart travel companions stacked with priceless information for the discerning and busy traveller.

In the notoriously fickle worlds of fashion, food and entertainment other guides are hopelessly out of date even by the time they reach the bookstore shelf. LUXE guides are not only updated each year, but come with online updates throughout the year. They’re always ahead so you’re always ahead. Saucy, sleek and slinky in an unique concertina format easy to use, small and discreet enough to fit in your shirt pocket and packed with only the very latest and greatest that each destination has to offer. With LUXE you’re not a tourist, you’re a visitor. It’s a big difference. By the time you get to your destination, all you need to do is relax, because if it’s not in LUXE, you’re not missing anything. Whether you have a few hours or a few days, LUXE really is all you need.

And in case you were wondering, unlike other guides, LUXE accepts absolutely zero paid advertising, free services or products, backhanders or gratuities. And you can't shake a stick at that.

ALL TITLES NOW AT BLOOM RED + BLOOM YELLOW.
[LUXE CITY GUIDES WEBSITE]

Ils parlent de la mort comme tu parles d'un fruit
Ils regardent la mer comme tu regardes un puits
Les femmes sont lascives au soleil redouté
Et s'il n'y a pas d'hiver cela n'est pas l'été
La pluie est traversière elle bat de grain en grain
Quelques vieux chevaux blancs qui fredonnent Gauguin
Et par manque de brise le temps s'immobilise
Aux Marquises

Du soir montent des feux et des points de silence
Qui vont s'élargissant et la lune s'avance
Et la mer se déchire infiniment brisée
Par des rochers qui prirent des prénoms affolés
Et puis plus loin des chiens des chants de repentance
Et quelques pas de deux et quelques pas de danse
Et la nuit est soumise et l'alizé se brise
Aux Marquises

Le rire est dans le coeur le mot dans le regard
Le coeur est voyageur l'avenir est au hasard
Et passent des cocotiers qui écrivent des chants d'amour
Que les soeurs d'alentour ignorent d'ignorer
Les pirogues s'en vont les pirogues s'en viennent
Et mes souvenirs deviennent ce que les vieux en font
Veux-tu que je te dise gémir n'est pas de mise
Aux Marquises.
LES MARQUISES • JACQUES BREL • 1977
{click for song, film and english captions. And share our love with us.}

This is Weekend Weekly a travel magazine from Hong Kong with a high circulation rate. As you can see on the left bottom corner we are on the cover, along side with some landmarks of Macau. It's incredible to have such a privilege and at first we could not believe it.
Nowadays everyone is giving a special attention to Macau. More and more visitors are coming and the scoop of citizens that want to live and work here is growing up. The territory is most of all an opportunity for business. Mainly for outside investors that bang the real estate and put it on fire. And other find their niches of market among the revenues of tourism and leisure. For most of the local population this snowball it's not bringing its benefits as prices are much higher on everything. But life goes on.
Weekend Weekly one more time gives its front to the other side of the Delta. But this time it's not about the big projects of luxury or the new casinos and their big complexes of entertainment. The main article is focused on the Best Kept Secrets of Macau. The undisclosed daily life of the streets. Small projects that give to the city a different expression. Almost individual efforts to create unique resources and furtive amenities where you can hide from the frame of the stressful demanding urban life.
From cultural places, to restaurants, to associations and other strolls, this edition, where the architect Nuno Soares also chooses his particular places, points to new targets on the map. And so, there we are as the Lonely Planet's Pick. We are much grateful and honored. This is a cover to be hanged on the wall. [CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO SEE IT BIGGER.]

If you go to Spain on the following weeks you can't miss this one. It opened two days ago in Madrid the exhibition "El Atlas de Borges" that shows the travels of the argentinian writer around the world. A collection of 130 pictures mostly from the personal archive of María Kodama, the companion and the eyes of the writer, represented now at the Fundacíon Borges. The presentation, who includes a set of original texts tracing the travelogue of every journey, was previously in Barcelona and was a big success. We would give everything to bring it to Macau.
CHECK IT HERE [in spanish language]
RELATED LINKS:
• Fundacíon Internacional Jorge Luis Borges
• Borges on Wikipedia
• Bloomland on Borges

Still on the subject of photography, National Geographic Traveller Magazine published, on the current Jan/Feb 2008 Issue, a journey in pictures to China. It features a beautiful collection of photographs by 14 photographers and their insights on this endless country.
There is never exhaustion when it comes to the subject CHINA. There is always a place, a detail, a building or a landscape that has never been put on paper.
It's NGT's 6th Annual Photo Issue and is a very special one for all of us who live here in China.

Ron Arad [PLAY]	Simonetta Capecchi [PLAY]
António Jorge Gonçalves [PLAY]	Rémy Bardin [PLAY]

This is from the DETOUR project. Detour is an exhibition of illustrated Moleskines and can be seen through differente cities around the world. Click [PLAY] to unfold the pages.
In Macau there will be some news about this amazing product soon. Keep in touch. In the meantime you can come to Bloom and buy one from our shelves. They are unique and tailored made to your needs.

Marcámos a sessão de fotografias para a manhã. O Leonel Barros é um dos macaenses que faz parte do património desta comunidade em Macau e eu gostei da ideia de ir fotografá-lo. Há caras que contêm todas as linhas do universo onde vivemos. A Mariana tinha-me contado um pouco da entrevista. Ele tinha-lhe dito "não vou à Taipa e a Coloane desde que a ponte abriu". Existem três pontes em Macau, a última foi inaugurada há um ano atrás e é nessa que se pensa quando alguém faz uma afirmação deste género. "Qual ponte?", perguntou a Mariana só para ter a certeza. "A Ponte Nobre de Carvalho!", respondeu Leonel Barros.
Esta ponte foi projectada pelo engenheiro Edgar Cardoso e inaugurada em 1974. Para esta geração de macaenses, e creio que também para a maioria de toda esta comunidade, "A Ponte" é a Nobre de Carvalho, a primeira delas todas, e não há mais nenhuma assim. Leonel Barros não ia à Taipa e a Coloane há mais de 33 anos, para um território minúsculo como Macau isto é algo que não cabe na cabeça de ninguém.
"Gosto muito de estar em casa", disse-me ele, depois de o ter convidado a vir comigo ao outro lado do rio. Pensei que fosse alguma promessa ou superstição, mas quando lhe disse que o queria fotografar na Taipa ele não disse que não, ficou apenas preocupado com a quantidade de cigarros que tinha no bolso da camisa.
E fomos. Estava calor. O carro estava relativamente fresco. Fomos devagar, para ver com atenção e com calma o que passava por nós lá fora.
Apanhámos a Ponte da Amizade, inaugurada por Cavaco Silva, então Primeiro-ministro, em 1994. Leonel Barros não conhecia nenhum dos viadutos que faziam a ligação à ponte nem o resto dela e confundiu parte do Reservatório com a água do mar, do outro lado da estrada. Na Taipa o cemitério chinês pareceu-lhe enorme, no princípio dos anos 70 não tinha muitas campas, disse-me. Depois o Aeroporto. A 'roda de diversões' por cima do Hotel em frente. Quando perguntam "O que é aquilo?", só apetece responder que é um OVNI. Não se consegue explicar, como é que foi ali parar, nem sei como se pode chamar, mas tenho a certeza que não é utilizada por ninguém. Como outras coisas em Macau vale pela figura que faz, pela fachada e pela extravagância, mas não funciona.
Depois a Universidade de Tecnologia e o Venetian logo a seguir. Ficou espantado, já tinha visto na televisão e não lhe pareceu tão grande. "Tenho medo deste sítio". Eu disse-lhe que aquilo é que era Macau hoje em dia. "E isto é a Taipa?", perguntou-me. Respondi-lhe que estávamos a passar pelo antigo Istmo e que aquilo tudo, no tempo dele, era água de um lado e do outro.
O tempo estava nublado. De Macau não dá para ver a sua própria paisagem e Leonel Barros achou estranho toda aquela falta de visibilidade, a névoa. Não lhe quis explicar que os dias são assim a maior parte do tempo, e que aquela é uma das marcas do território. Quando chegámos finalmente à Ponte Nobre de Carvalho houve um reconhecimento imediato e uma espécie de segurança que lhe deu lume ao cigarro que acendeu quando saímos do carro. Estivemos cinco minutos a olhar para um lado e para o outro. Eu à procura da melhor imagem no meio daquela quantidade toda de cinzentos. Não se via o fim da ponte e Macau parecia um fantasma do outro lado do rio.
Não queria tirar-lhe muito tempo. Quando voltámos perguntei-lhe se tinha gostado. Ele disse-me que sim, que tinha sido muito bom, "mas estou cansado". No regresso ao olhar para a Torre de Macau, mais uma vez disse, "nunca estive aqui", e eu achei que aquilo era impossível.
A REPORTAGEM SAI NO TAI CHUNG POU PORTUGUÊS NOS PRÓXIMOS DIAS E É ASSINADA POR MARIANA PALAVRA. NÃO PERCA!