10 min for the game...

Benfica - Sporting

The game that decides the Championship is about to start. 3 am in singapore...thank god internet and portuguese radio!
65.000 supporters making sure "the Hell of the light" (our stadium name) bring us back the long lost glory...
Im nervous...
Im anxious...
Man, football really messes up my system!

Forca BENFICA!!!!

DAAL Files automated??? Dream or reality?

3 years ago when I was VPX on AI, one of my tasks was to develop DAAL files. This meant that every quarter I would spend approximately 2 weeks, just crunching data in excel, having orgasms with front page and nightmares with XDAQ. After I did it for the firs 2 times, I started to say “This manual work takes too much time….we needed it automated and real time data!”…
…

Well, despite the fact AIESEC is one of the greatest organizations in the world…finances are still a bit tight, IS department’s usually overload and the automated DAAL files never saw day light…

BUT why am I talking about this? Today I had training in SRT (Strategic Reporting tool) which comprises more than 400 ratios from 41 countries in AP. I have to report to my boss based on this tool and at first I got quite scared remembering my old saga with DAAL Files…but GUYS!!! They have it all automated!!! Real time data on the tip of my fingers, with graphs and all designed automatically!! And they even have a sort of Country XDAQ with exactly the same logic as we have in AIESEC!! Oh, Im so happy I will not spend nights going crazy with excel and front page!

I will go crazy about the 400 ratios, but at least I don’t have to manually do it :)

Portuguese? Football??? Oh no....

Yeah, the week started off pretty badly with Mourinho’s team not making it to the final of UEFA Champions league, but then it had the chance of getting better – DHL has a team that participates on a Amateur league, with games every Wednesday’s. The team is doing pretty badly and we just have few others behind us in the league. (Check the stats to see how bad we are - http://www.espzen.com/leagueTable.asp?leagueNo=5)

I thought “Hmmm time to show some Portuguese skill in this company, go out there and score a hat-trick just as an introduction to the new era of DHL Football”

Soon I understood the basic concept of football – you cant play it alone…and since my team seemed to be a British style one (kick the ball to the front as strong as you can and don’t worry if it doesn’t reach any of your players) I barely touched the ball during 80 exhausting minutes…I could rate my exhibition as pathetic….but then again, last time I had played was in the famous transition party final and that was 5-5 football, here its 11-11 and we have to run much more…

Moral of the story…

I can’t sit properly today since my ass is in serious pain and I can’t walk properly either – so it really seems that someone took advantage of me last night…and to make it even better I was a bit hangover this morning due to the quantities of beer drunk after the match (we need to get back every single calorie we lose in the match)

But next Sunday I will play on another amateur league, just as preparation so I can finally display some Portuguese skill in the next Wednesday’s match against the team in the 2nd position (oh boy, we will get our ass kicked seriously…)

Ah, just in case you wonder about the result last night….we only lost 3 – 0

Lets just hope Sporting makes it to the UEFA Cup final and that Benfica wins the next game on Saturday…

First week in Singapooooore!!!

Let me shout the highlights of my first week in Singapore

• I live in the 13th floor of a very nice building with Sauna and Swiming pool (already enjoyed good moments in both)
• I work in the 23rd floor of the most beautiful building in the city! The view is simply amazing with all the sky scrapers around us
• Its really hot here, or better is reasonably hot (between 30º to 35º) but the humidity makes it look like 50º in Portugal!
• My room is quite empty cause it didnt have any furniture so I have to buy it bit by bit –the most important (double-bed and desk) is bought so I must say I really like my room :)
• I keep on translating everything hear in the work to AIESEC language or context, just to understand it better – guess I spent way too long in our amazing organization :)
• Being vegetarian is actually being harder than expected and everyday I go through the challenge of finding something I can eat!
• I love the culture of eating meals on the street! As its quite cheap everybody prefers to eat out than to cook at home. It gives such a nice feeling of community! And you see it everywhere at anytime in the day!
• Just besides the building where I work there is an arab business community (reminds me about other city and they have water pipe! I know where to relax when the work gets tougher
• My boss came up to me and said “Pedro, welcome on board, I have a very long list for you! You will be a very busy boy”
• Already went for indian food twice with Diogo. Its good to speak some portuguese once and a while, and the food....oh my GOD! Great Yaar! :D
  

Overall, Im quite happy to be here, seems to be a great country to live and an amazing region to Explore! Cant wait to start travelling around :)

Cheers,

Pita