Facing Your Ghosts - Feedback

Yes, I did it. Disregarding my friends advices, I filled my heart with courage and went to face my fears in the dark room. My warrior ancestors would be proud of me, despite the involuntary shivering during the first 20 minutes.

Now, everything is fine. No more ABBA nightmares. I'm feeling like a Super Trouper. There are moments when I think I'm going crazy. But it's gonna be alright. Everything will be so different when I'm on the stage tonight. Finally facing my Waterloo. I can conceal it, don't you see, can't you feel it? Don't you too? I do, I do, I do, I do, I do.

Mamma mia, here I go again. Speaking like a Swedish song writer. My my, how can I resist it? Gimme gimme gimme a way out of it. Won't somebody help me chase these shadows away? Gimme gimme gimme a Valium after midnight. Take me through the darkness to the break of the day. Chiquitita, you and I know how the heartaches come and they go and the scars they're leaving. You'll be dancing once again and the pain will end.

My, my, at Waterloo Napoleon did surrender. Oh yeah, and I have met my destiny in quite a similar way. The history book on the shelf is always repeating itself.

If you can't defeat them, join them.

Facing Your Ghosts

Then, 14 days later he decides to write again. I'm back. Do you have time? After all that time I have a lot to take off my chest. What happened? A curse, of course.

A teacher's curse, right Tim? I'll explain. Last month, right after Canada's Day, I was suppose to deliver an argumentative essay to my Advanced Writing end Reading teacher, Tim. But I didn't. Yes, I know, bad bad boy. [♪]Music break[♪]Bad, bad, bad, bad boy || You make me feel so good || Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine: Bad Boys (1985) [♪]Stop[♪]

It's just the kind of text that I just don't like. Hate, actually. So, when you don't do what you're suppose to, you make an excuse. The first one was the most classic one: my dog ate my homework. Then I told him that I was suffering from a severe writer's block. Ahem... Yep. After this episode, I'm quite sure that Tim, despite the friendly Canadian look, is a voodoo master.

And what broke the evil spell wasn't my princess' kiss, which would be nice, but a Mama Mia's billboard. The silly-sweet-summer-comedy-romance poster brought me back. How? Reminding me of an ancient trauma: Muriel's Wedding (AUS 1994). Yes, don't laugh, the '94 Australian movie made me develop a phobia every time I hear an ABBA song.That's voodooism's globalization, my friend! A Canadian put a spell on a Brazilian that could only be broken by an American movie's billboard which reminded him of a Australian movie with a lot of Swedish songs that scared the shit out of him. "WHAT?!" Exactly!


It was a common weekend in 1994. The young Henrique was at home, with his movie addicted family. Every weekend they use to rent from 8 to 12 VHS tapes - DVD's grandpa - watching from American blockbuster's to cult Iranian movies. He was excited 'cause for the first time there was a Australian movie among then - Crocodile Dundee doesn't count. But it was just too much for the 14 y.o. boy. It blew up his mind. It toked three weeks so he could sleep properly again. Before it, just nightmares, "Waterloo, Waterloo", all night long. Since then I can't hear a ABBA song without feeling the goose bumps.

The beginning of the 2000s were a little spooky, after that A-Teen band started re-record every ABBA song, but I managed to scape from then. Well, know I have decided: I must face my ghosts. I'm going to watch Mamma Mia!

If I don't come back alive, tell my family and friends that I was brave and that I love then. Wish me luck!

Canada Day / Fête du Canada

Today, July 1st, is Canada Day!!! Yeah!! Let's celebrate!!
But, aaaah, I beg your pardon, aaaah, what is Canada Day?

Well, according to the Wikipedia:
"Frequently referred to as "Canada's birthday," particularly in the popular press, the occasion marks the joining of the British colonies of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the Province of Canada - being divided, in the process, into Ontario and Quebec - into a federation of four province on July 1, 1867..."

Hum... Nice. Happy 141 birthday! It's like the September 7th for us, Brazilians. It's Independence Day, isn't it? Oh, wait... it's not over yet:

"... However, though Canada is regarded as having become a kingdom in its own right on that date, the British Parliament at first kept limited rights of political control over the new country, which were shed by stages over the years until the last vestiges were ended in 1982, when the Constitution Act patriated the Canadian constitution. Canada Day thus differs from Independence Day celebrations in other countries in that it does not commemorate a clear-cut date of complete independence."

Oh, I see... sorry about that. 1982? Really?! Hunf... Yeah, I must say that it sounds a little bit coward, you know. "Mother, I'm leaving! But fell free to come over and ground me whenever you please."

Why didn't you people used the US of A independence as an excuse and did yours? Come on! Where are the stories of fight for your freedom, blood for the nation and end the tyranny? Nope? I see...

Let me tell you a REAL Independence story. Sit. It's a long one (but also the best part of today's post).

Once upon a time, there was this Portuguese colony. When Napoleon decided to invade Portugal, the Portuguese royal family ran away to its colony, escorted by the British navy. Once they can not live in a colony, they promoted it to the status of United Kingdom of Portugal and Brasil.

After a while, the short french sovereign lost his megalomaniac war, and the people of Portugal demand the return of their royal family. The Portuguese went back, but they left behind a young prince, who was born in Lisbon but went to Brazil at the age of 9, and 13 years later he didn't want to go back.

You know what I mean. You're 22, a young loaded European prince, who happens to be the next one in the throne's line... Spent your whole puberty living in YOUR colony, where is so, so hot, that the native walk naked all the time... 2 + 2=? Young prince + naked natives? Yeah... he wants to stay. "Just in case, you know, papa, big-K... We have those Independence revolutions going on here... I think it would be better if I stay, watch over our land here, right? I'll go back in a couple of years."

He didn't. In the next year, on September 7th 1822, he proclaimed Brazil's Independence and became Brazil's first Emperor. Papa was pissed, but not that much, and with a fine of 2 million pounds sterling, the big-K even recognized Brazil's independence.