Fan mail

Dear Bruno:


I've been following your blog for some time now, and have to tell you that I'm very impressed by your writing.


I like the way you express your thoughts and feelings.


I like your sense of humor and sarcasm.


You have an outstanding command over the language, you know how to transmit emotions and the way you use punctuation marks, makes it very easy to read and follow, as most people including myself feel frightened by big blocks of text, they look so scary!


I like the topics you choose, very thought provoking, and often aimed to challenge our ideas as individuals, as members of this society, as inhabitants of this planet.


Your problems are the same we all have, so we can relate very easily to most things you write about. Some are a bit random though.


I like that you use different formats, sometimes as a dialogue or stories, sometimes poem or pictures, it makes it less predictable and more enjoyable.


Also I have to say that I've seen some of your pictures and I was surprised to see how good looking you are, because you know usually most people who spend long in front of the computer seem to look kind of creepy.

But you look like a super model, it's like you're photoshopped, you have a charming smile and the way you laugh, oh my god! So mesmerizing. Your short hair and that manly beard you always have, takes my breath away ;)

And your sunglasses make you look so cool and mischievous, for not saying hot and mysterious.

You look irresistible and I don't really believe all your stories about the friendzone.


I've been kind of following your posts since last year, and  had always had kind of a crush on you, like most of your readers I guess.


Can't really consider myself a fan though, I love your posts, and admire the way you are, but I'm not one for idolizing people, I know you're just a normal guy, like any other. And have many issues.


And I think it's very cool that you talk about your flaws and make fun of yourself quite often.


But you know, sometimes for some reason, I got jealous while reading some posts, when you talk about ex girlfriends or once that you put some pictures with a girl. It's crazy I know, because I don't know you. But following your writing for almost 9 months now made me feel like I know you and understand you.


Like you are a part of me.


And your posts are a part of me also. Because they have stayed with me after reading them, and sometimes when I take a shower or coming back home in the bus at night, I remember your words.


And sometimes when there's some conflict in my life, I remember your words of wisdom, and think "what would bruno do?"


I'm kind of a writer myself, so I know sometimes the stories shouldn't be taken literally, but many times they make me wonder if those things actually happened to you, or where you got those ideas from.


My favorite posts are: NEET, midnight humor, poligamy, living like a boss, and the ones you call "whatever" they always make me think and re-think my life and my ideas.


It seems you've had quite a hard life, and so exciting also! I wish I had those kind of experiences myself.
Its great to read that you were able to learn so much from them.

You don't need to feel guilty about playing videogames, maybe you haven't noticed it but they have drastically boosted your imagination and creativity over the years, and if it wasn't for them you probably wouldn't be able to create all this fantastic stories, and share them with us.



I enjoy visiting your blog every day, so felt a bit sad when I heard it was the end of season one, I understand of course that you have many other things to take care of, you have to learn chinese, you have to work on your scripts, you have to meet people, you have to keep away from the internet before you loose you mind, you have to play your games, etc, but I just wish you could keep posting every day.


Even though I know you write for yourself and you don't want to please anyone, I also know how many hours you spend every day coming up with new ideas, trying to express them in the simplest way possible, so that we can all understand them, writing, editing, proof reading, etc.


So last but not least, I want to tell you that I think you are a great person and I hope we get to meet in real life someday, before I die and (at least) have a cup of tea together.


Keep working hard, keep going for your dream and don't let this go to your head.


Thank you for your writing!

whatever 13

Friend: What do you want to do today?

Bruno: I want to move to taiwan.

Friend: Why taiwan?

Bruno: No special reason, just a feeling, I know I should move there but I don't know the reason.

Friend: Funny.

Bruno: Not funny.

Friend: So why don't you move there, if you know that's what you should be doing?

Bruno: well, you've never felt like you know that what you're doing is not the right thing for you to do right now, but you dont have the guts to do what you know you should be doing instead?

Friend: Yes, all the time.

Bruno: Ok, so you know how I feel.

Friend: But I thought you were the master of going for your dreams.

Bruno: Wrong, I may be the master of telling other people to go for their dreams, which is different.

Friend: Still, you're better at it than everyone else I know.

Bruno: you must know very few people then.

Friend: True, I should go out more.

Bruno: You should

Friend: well, you know what you have to do, there's no way around it

Bruno: Yeah, I know.

Friend: So just do it

Bruno: I'm on it. just Not yet, is not the right time yet.

Friend: So when?

Bruno: Soon, maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow, maybe next week.

Friend: So it's in your plans already.

Bruno: Yes well, It's out there, that means people know about it, the more people know about your dream the harder it is for you not to go for it.

Friend: Because of the peer pressure and what you think they would think of  you if you didn't do what you want to do, they will see you as a weak person, a person without the courage to do what he wants to do

Bruno: Exactly

Friend: So that's why you're writing this here, so that's it's out there

Bruno: Yes, you could say that

Friend: So, you're just wasting the readers time here

Bruno: Pretty much

Friend: And you're proud of that

Bruno: Well, it's not like they have anything better to do

Friend: Maybe they do

Bruno: Probably not

Friend: So you think

Bruno: Well I'm not forcing them to read, they read because they want to

Friend: they could be out there enjoying life, playing with their dogs in the park, or spending time with their friends and families.

Bruno: well at least I give them something to read

Friend: so very considerate of you

Bruno: what can I say? that's what you get from a free blog without advertisement, from me to them, no catch, no small print, and tell you what, from now on I'll start answering the readers questions as well, so if you have a question or you want me to talk about some subject in particular just drop me an email or just post it in the comments and it will be answered as a new post, how cool is that?

Friend: not cool at all, i do have a question i've been wanting to ask you though.

Bruno: Shoot.

Friend: how do you go about choosing which country you're going to move to next? everyone else i know wouldn't even dream of doing something like that. it's pretty adventurous.

Bruno: as you said, you should start going out more, and about the country, first of all it has to be a place i hadn't been before, and it would help if there was a prospect of some kind or something waiting for me there, like a job, a special person, or an oportunity of some nature, if there's nothing of that, maybe i feel attracted by its language and feel the need of learning it, or i feel attracted by the culture and think i could learn something from it. and then, there's the money issue... nah just kidding, money is not an issue anymore, I'm confident I could make a living anywhere.

Friend: and by a special person, you mean there has to be a girl you like there.

Bruno: that would be a very nice prospect of course, unfortunately, most of the times that's not the case

Friend: is there a special person waiting for you in taiwan?

Bruno: actually I wish there was, because that would be just the extra push I need

Friend: why not trying www.taiwancupid.com? the number one dating site in taiwan

Bruno: are you advertising some dating site now?

Friend: just saying

Bruno: meh I don't want to meet a girl on a dating site, I'll save that card for when I'm like 40 or like really desperate

Friend: actually you're probably gonna be blind by the time you're 40, why not just using it now?

Bruno: because it's creepy

Friend: yeah, so you can find creepy people like yourself

Bruno: hey I'm not the one dressing up as a kigurumi, now that was creepy

Friend: again with that? i told you it's over, I'm not into it anymore, terminado amigo

Bruno: you crazy freak

Friend: whatever

Bruno: whatever? really??? is that the best comeback you've got?

Friend: ...

Bruno: come on, I know you've got it in you

Friend: whatever man

Bruno: much better

They deserve your smile

Hitchhiking means conquering the land

it means breaking free from conventional thought

it means starting to think outside the box

realizing there's a whole world out there

and it's all yours

realizing things can be different

if you want them to

understanding you have been lied to

understanding things are NOT different in the real world

because there's no such a thing as the real world

we all live in our own world

the one we believe to be our real world

so actually you have not been lied to

well yes, you have, but not on purpose

they were telling the truth

their truth

they were telling you about their world

because most people live in a world of fear

they are afraid of other people

so they are afraid of hitchhiking

because it involves trusting people

it involves letting yourself go

it involves doing something different

something unexpected


it requires you to challenge yourself

to face your fears

to understand yourself

who you really are

why are you here

and why are you doing this

it requires you to live

to shut down the auto pilot

and take control of the ship

take control of yourself

of your emotions

of your fears

and just get over them

understand that you are a great person

and you deserve to get a ride

the drivers are great people too

and they deserve your company on their way

they deserve your stories

because they've come a long way today

they deserve your friendship

they deserve your trust

and overall

they deserve your smile :-)

Pink

I read that before 1930 pink was considered a color for boys and blue for girls, and basically they just changed it after the war.


And after some research it seems that no one ever really got to any consensus as to what color should represent each gender, because well, you know, they are just colors. 


To be fair there was some research done on monkeys to see which one each gender chose, there were some polls among caucasians, but in the end it seemed the decision was purely arbitrary.






I usually like to wear pink, so that creates some misunderstandings sometimes.


Many times I encounter the alpha male, or macho kind of guy, and they asked me "why do you wear pink, are you gay?" and sometimes I tell then that I'm confident enough about my sexuality to be able to wear any color I want. Sometimes I tell them, dude, it's just a color, what's the big deal?, sometimes i would tell them that no one told me pink was for girls, and i ask them why is pink for girls or how is it somehow related to girls, or or when did this happen or where, of course they wouldn't know the answer.


But the real reason of course is not that I feel confident about my sexuality, I'm not confident about anything in this life.


The real reason is that I just want to piss them off, it's like an automatic self-defense mechanism, my brain had chose pink as a way to repel people who would think that pink should be wore by girls only, or people who think that somewhere along the way, pink stopped being just a color in order to become a symbol for femininity or something gay people would like.



I'm lucky though that people who think pink is for gays are usually right wing bigoted religious retards, and you don't find as many of them here, not as many as in the west at least.


But many times I would say, yes, I'm gay, just to piss them off even more, because I kind of really hate homophobes. 



And guess what, all my gay friends don't really like pink at all!






I understand that color-gender association is no more than a consequence of  human evolution and the course its organized society has taken. Which is as usual totally random and at the same time not random at all if you are willing to indefinitely trace back the butterfly effect.


And even though it sounds retarded that pink is for girls and blue is for boys I also understand that the reason why I worry about that is because I have too much free time.


Free time not just to think about the colors, but to bother writing about them, which leads me again the the main question: what am I doing with my life?

About the pastafarian

Friend: What do you think about the church of the flying spaghetti monster?


Bruno: Nothing, I don't know.


Friend: You think they are idiots, right?


Bruno: No, why would I think that? Many of my friends belong to that thing.


Friend: But you think they could use some help, right?


Bruno: No, they are just trying to prove their point, I respect that.


Friend: They try to prove they are retarded.


Bruno: No, they want to prove that they can also be witty, clever, sarcastic.


Friend: Yeah, but in the process they look as retarded as religious people. What's the point? They are just like anti-justin bieber people.


Bruno: What do you mean?


Friend: Well you know actually me, same as many non-north americans, got to know justin bieber thanks to people who criticize him, so many people criticize him that in the end we felt curious and just look him up on youtube to see what the big fuzz was about. But if it wasn't for people who complain about him we wouldn't have gotten to know him in the first place, same with rebecca black, nicky minaj or any of those people.


Bruno: So you mean this pastafarians are just hardcore atheist who are actually over-publicizing religion by criticizing it.


Friend: Exactly. 


Bruno: Well, I don't know what's the big deal with justin bieber, he's just some silly teenager doing some silly things, and I bet when you were his age you were the same as his.


Friend: Exactly, same with the religions, they are just some silly stories someone made up, why going through all the trouble of creating a whole new religion just to mock them. Why giving it so much importance, if they are so ridiculous as they think they are, why not just ignoring them instead of wasting your time thinking about them?


Bruno: Why not just ignoring justin bieber as well.


Friend: Exactly why bothering even thinking about them.


Bruno: Tell that to Richard Dawkins.


Friend: Americans...


Bruno: North Americans...


Friend: Pastafarians...


Bruno: Christians...


Friend: Scientology...


Bruno: Justin Bieber...


Friend: Haha

Seeding your torrents

How hard can it be?

The only thing you have to do

is absolutely nothing

just not deleting the file

a file that occupies almost no space anyway

a file that can make countless other people's day

a file that can change someone's life forever

it could inspire the next mozart

could inspire the next edgar allan poe

the next star wars

the next bible

and all you have to do

is actually nothing at all

pay back to the community

take care of your family

we are your family


family on the internet

people who care for you

who share their files

people who respect you

people who want to see you happy

want to see you having a good time

people who love you

people who seed their torrents

Playing games

Today I was just here at home surfing the web, when suddenly...


...nothing...


that's right nothing happened, nothing at all, because I live a sad and boring life, and while my friends are all out at some party, I just stay at home playing some old videogames.


complaining about the government, feeling sorry for myself, thinking about what else to do in order to survive, what else can I do so I don't cease to exist, trying to please other people, trying to live with myself, trying not to think too much.


What to do today. Probably just play some game. But that's not very productive. And probably you will feel guilty for wasting your day. Unless it's raining of course. Unless you over think it.


Because if you start thinking about how you are just one insignificant person among billions in this planet, and your planet is just a fraction of the size of your sun, your sun is just one among trillions of stars and your solar system is nor more than a pixel among countless other galaxies in the universe, when you start thinking that, it's actually quite easy to rationalize staying at home playing videogames the whole day.

About finances

Most people I meet, usually ask me how do I make money, or how do I make a living, the answer will vary, depending on the person and the situation.
Depending on their ability to think outside the box, their ability to understand or interpreting new ideas, or depending if they seem to be ready or not to understand that things may not be the way they've been told the are.

And many times they ask me how do I manage to live without working, and the answer to that is simple: I don't live without working, I just decided to work a bit less than the average joe.

By trying to live a simple and modest life and reducing expenses, it's actually possible to considerably reduce the amount or money you need to earn, which of course reduces the amount of work you need to do.


As an example, my life in korea goes something like this:

I usually work once a week, sometimes teaching, acting, other shenanigans.

One full day of work = 150 dollars a week = roughly 600 to 700 dollars a month.

What expenses do I have to cover with that: food and rent.

Rent for a modest single room at a sharehouse in korea, or in japan, or in most european countries i've been to, comes at around 300 dollars a month, and you can eat modestly with around 10 dollars a day which equals roughly 300 a month.

So we have +600 income
                    -300 rent
                    -300 food
                  --------------
                     000 left



As simple as that, so the reason I got to work just one day a week is because I don't get to save any money or buy silly things I don't need.


Other example, about my life in China or in Thailand, salary for an english teacher in china or thailand comes at around 5 dollars a day (I use USD because it's the currency more people are familiar with).

Working one 8 hours day shift every week would bring in around 40 USD a week, or 160 a month.

Rent for a modest one bedroom apartment would cost around 50 a month, leaving 110 for food, drink, visa runs, lady boy, crystal meth or whatever it is you sick bastards are into this days.

So working just one day a week we have +160 income
                                                                  - 50 rent
                                                                  - 110 food, lady boy, meth
                                                                  ---------
                                                                    000 left


In Europe or Australia, where salaries are higher is even more simple than that, one month of work, fruit picking, bartending or any kind of job would bring about 500 USD a week to save, which comes to 2000 a month while life expenses, using the above equation 300 for rent and 300 for food, makes 600.

so +2000 income
     - 300 rent
     - 300 food
  -----------------
      1400 profit

That means if you're willing to work 3 months a year, you can then enjoy 9 months holidays:

    +6000 = 3 months rent
    -5400 = 9 months expenses
 --------------------------------
     600 profit



And if you really want to live without working, just take those 6000 you made in 3 months, and go to a 3rd world country, like asia or south america and they will last you at least 3 times more so

      6000 = 3 months work in a rich country
      5400 = 2 years modest holidays in a poor country
---------------------------------------------------------------------
       600 profit which you will need for air fares or visa runs




Visa run: is a colloquial term, which the expats use to define the system of exiting and re-entering a country in order to get a new tourist visa. If you're in the EU you'll usually go to England for it, if you;re in USA you'll go to mexico or canada, if you're in Thailand you'll go to cambodia, laos or malaysia, if you're in malaysia you'll go to thailand or singapore. If you're in Korea you'll go to fukuoka from busan, if you're in japan you'll go to busan from fukuoka ;)
If you're in india you have to go to nepal, if you're in OZ you may go to NZ or bali and so on.




I'm aware that many of  you guys reading this may have university degrees, careers, rich uncle's or infinite other sources of income. 


This s just an attempt of a beginners guide for people who don't really have any skills or relatives at all, or people who would like to work or experience life in different countries, without being tied up to contracts or corporate life.


for odd jobs in different countries you can always resort to craigslist, gumtree, kijiji, or any similar websites, pickignjobs.com for picking jobs, helpex.net for places to work for food and lodging, or just about any other website you find.


And if you're a bit more reckless you can add some medical trials, blood/plasma/egg/sperm donations, reselling tickets for sports events or concerts, gambling, begging, busking, street performing, online businesses, modeling, house sitting, dog walking, taking jobs as extra on movies or tv shows, reselling stuff on ebay that you found at garage sales, or if you have an apartment or place to store stuff you can buy bulk stuff from the provider and resell them or distribute them at retail price, freelance photography, writing editing, programming or graphic design if you're good with computers. deliver newspapers, panphets, open a lemonade stand, whatever.


Actually  the possibilities are endless, if you manage to think outside the box.


I always remember how in Berlin, we used to go with Julian with our big backpacks after a concert or event, where people had been drinking in the streets, we would collect all the empty bottles and take them back to the shop for a refund. 


And if you want to get anything for free is quite simple, lets say I'm now in budhapest and want to take yoga lessons, just google: free yoga lessons budhapest" andyou'll get a bunch of results, there are free things everywhere, you just have to look for them. try meetup.com try couchsurfing.org, and you're all covered.


Of course that ideally I would like to be able to work for a cause, instead of working for money, that way I can feel good with myself, but when you take money out of the equation you can devote yourself to work for a cause in your free time, when you don't need money. 




So you can work one day a week for money and the rest work because you want to. Because you feel like it, because it makes you feel happy or good with yourself, or dedicate the time to learn or do something you want. volunteer to help others or just spend time with people you like.



You're not really gonna live a luxurious life like this, and your parents are probably not gonna be so happy about it, but hey you've kind of managed to retire in your 20's, what else do you want?

There's no way around it

You gotta do what you gotta do

what you know it's right

what will complete you

you gotta do what you want to do

gotta keep moving

keep moving forward

there's no way around it

there's no turning back either

can't fool yourself

can't just keep pretending

pretending you don't know

that you don't know what to do

that you don't know what makes you happy

that you don't know what you have to do

you know very well what that is

only you know it

and only you can do it

so stop fooling yourself

and just do what you gotta do

Nice day for a revolution

Today is a nice day


nice day for a change 


for a change of course


in the train of thought


that has made a mess


in this place of ours.


It's a nice day for something new


a change of environment


a change of structure


a change of mind


a change of heart.


It's time to take out the trash


and work together for a cause


work together for the future


and try to learn from our past.



It's a nice day for a revolution


nice day for you and me



to make a picnic in the park 


eat some walnuts and discuss


the future of humankind.

About the afterlife

A long time ago, our ancestors were having a hard time understanding the concept of death, and they couldn't believe this was it, there had to be something else.


So they made up some pretty amazing stories which, whatever your personal opinion is on this subject, you have to admit, were amazingly creative and intricate.


Like the famous Valhala from the vikings, the japanese that believed we take some stairs somewhere, the aztecs that believe we go to some place with cute animals or to other star, if we make some sacrifice, of course.


Or the materialistic chinese who believe you can burn some paper when you die and it will become money in the after life.



The australian aborigens believed you take a boat somewhere, the celtics said you will go to a place with dance and music, the ashanti people in africa who believed that when we die we still have to farm and tend the animals



The eskimos who believes when we die we just go to the moon, ancient greeks who said you go to see hades, and hundreds of others stories from hundreds others ancient civilizations, and those ones are only the ones we know, because they developed some writing system and we could somehow figure out what they were trying to say.


And then there's the idea of paradise, limbo, purgatory, the astral plane, some believe you just stay in this planet as a ghost, some say there are other dimension, where you will live as a ghost, or soul, and most recently, the nirvana idea, the reincarnation into some animal or different person, and the heaven or hell, but I'm sure you know that one already.


But actually, whatever is it you have been told to believe, depending on when and where were we born.


Deep inside, you know this is it, you know you're gonna die, you know there's just one life, this is the one, and you should make the most of it.

So you can figure me out

Where I Am Now

Singapore, don't know why though, no idea till when either, waiting for a sign, haha

Doing What?         Been couchsurfing for a few weeks now and spending time with people

My Wish Today

I find myself quite happy today, it's been raining quite a lot, but no deep thoughts have come, just a positive wish of enjoying the day, surviving the night and hoping that everything goes well this week, will worry about the rest later, well I wish I had a gaming laptop, so i could play diablo and skyrim, but not having one is also good, because it gets me closer to my final goal in life

My Final Goal in Life

- I want to get rid of everything, all the material things i posses, and im attached to, keep just one pair of clothes, no backpack, no gadgets, no money, just my passport and toothbrush (in my pocket) 
- After that I want to get rid of all the bad thoughts sometimes occupy my mind, like greed, anxiety, lust, envy, jealousy, possessiveness, hate,.want to replace apathy with empathy and anxiety with serenity.
- After that I want to get rid of my irrational worries, want to stop worrying about the future, about the money, about the politics, want to be the best i can be and make the most of what's left of my life

My Fears

A bit anxious about the future but not so much, much less than before. I still have that stigma of what would people around me would think or what they expect me to do, i try not to care, but i still care a little, a little afraid of running out of money also, but not as much as few years back, I'm getting used to being alone also, that's good, so not afraid of that anymore, and i think i've become more independent the last few months, just a little though.

Favorite Words Today 

I saw it on a csers profile who took it froom grey's anatomy:

Maybe we are not supposed to be happy 
Maybe gratitude has nothing to do with joy 
Maybe being grateful is recognizing 
What you have for what it is
 
Appreciate small victories 
Admiring the struggle it takes simply to be human 
Maybe we're thankful for the familiar things we know 
And maybe we're thankful for things we'll never know 
At the end of the day, 
The fact that we have the courage to still be standing 
Is reason enough to celebrate

Favorite Music Today

stroke 9, Tim Minchin, clazziquai project, yiruma

Place I Want Go

taiwan and russia, maybe 1 year each, also i want to go to argentina and make my way north overland to canada visiting all the countries in between, spending at least a few months on each (except venezuela)

Dream

Also every day is different, today I want to become a writer, open a small bookshop and become a clerk there, like the comedy black books, I wish I could write something interesting, a science fiction story, or alternate history. instead i keep writing silly things like this.

Thing I'm into Lately

chess, unfortunately there's no one to play with, so I just play against the computer or some strangers online. trying to understand the higgs bosom field, game of thrones, the mentalist and persona 4 the anime, not as good as the games of course, but still good. Thanks for reading!

I'll take the green salad

Remember that episode of friends when rachel, phoebe and joey, tried to explain to ross, monica and chandler that they didn't have as much money as them, and they get dragged to this fancy restaurant and they can only order a salad and a glass of water. Because they always have to go "somewhere nice".


That's how I feel!


Not everywhere of course, this usually happens to me in singapore, japan, australia and korea, because there pretty much everyone's rich, everyone has jobs and most people are not aware that in other countries people don't, and if they do they don't earn nearly as much as what they make here.


As for other places I've lived before, it didn't really happen much if at all, because if I meet some new person in berlin, barcelona or most places in europe, chances are, he or she is probably unemployed too or earns very little money as well.


If I meet someone in china, malaysia, india or most other asian countries, no mater where we go, it can't  cost more than 5 dolars a meal, so there's no need to worry when people say "lets go somewhere nice!"

Cool

what i enjoy the most is making plans and then ditching them, making new ones and ditching them again. it makes me feel flexible, independent, makes me feel cool

I never really liked the word "cool" though, and never really used it, because I hate it when people say they want to hang out with someone who's cool.

as there's no such a definition of cool, i found that the only people who define themselves as cool are the douchebags, and they make sure everyone knows they are "cool" and that the hang out only with other "cool people" (other douchebags).

when I was a primary school, me and my friends discovered the word cool, and we were overusing it, because it was one of the few english words we knew, and we thought it made us sound cool.

and in my twenties I realized that the people who said they were cool, were actually not cool at all


Because if you're cool, you don't need to tell people you're cool.

Create your reality

Acquaintance: Good morning, how are you today? Can I take your order?


Bruno: yeah, I'd like... Hey, I know this guy!


Acquaintance: Hey Bruno, hisashiburi, how have you been?


Bruno: Not too bad, how have you been?


Acquaintance: I'm alright, can't complain, what have you been up to?


Bruno: You know, a bit of this, a bit of that, been doing a bit of traveling lately.


Acquaintance : Really? Still traveling? Don't you think it's time that you settle down?


Bruno: Yes? Why is that?


Acquaintance: I don't know, just saying.


Bruno: You know, I've heard that many times before, from many people, but when I ask them why do they say that, no one could give me a straight answer, they all said they same you just said, that they don't know why they say that.



Acquaintance: Funny.


Bruno: Actually I know the answer already, but I just want to check if they know it.


Acquaintance: What's the answer?


Bruno: "Because that's what's expected."


Acquaintance: But don't you want to find a job, a girlfriend, a place to live, a family, a career?


Bruno: Why would I want that?


Acquaintance: I don't know.


Bruno: But I just told you


Acquaintance: Because it's expected.


Bruno: You got it.


Acquaintance: You don't want to find a job?


Bruno: No, why would I?


Acquaintance: Because it's expected?


Bruno: give me something more than that, we're trying to have a conversation here.


Acquaintance: I don't know why, to have more money?


Bruno: To have more money, really? Even I don't like working, I think I could come up with more convincing arguments than that one, like, to feel productive, to boost your self esteem, to keep yourself active, to feel useful, to improve your social skills or interpersonal relationships, to keep yourself busy, to broaden your horizons, to help people, to learn something new, to make new friends.


Acquaintance: yes, those ones are good too, but we need money to live too, money is important


Bruno: it's just paper, has no real value


Acquaintance: you can trade it for things and experiences and freedom and anything you want


Bruno: can I trade it for a cat?


Acquaintance: sure, you can buy a cat also


Bruno: how about one of those new phones with camera on them?


Acquaintance: a camera-phone sure, you can buy one of those also


Bruno: how about a plate of potato gnochi with some pesto?


Acquaintance: yes, you can buy anything you want


Bruno: mmm... delicious!


Acquaintance: you can even  buy a rain coat and a train ticket, pay rent, buy nutella or a taiwanese visa or a ticket to visit your family in argentina, you can even give it to people who need it more than you, you can use it to help the animals, you can get calf inplants, you can order a russian wife, you can build the iron man suit, you can clone yourself, you can do whatever you want with it.


Bruno: whoa, money sounds awesome


Acquaintance: it is


Bruno: where can i get some?


Acquaintance: at the casino of course


Bruno: and what should I play?


Acquaintance: whatever, it's not about what you play, it's about how you play


Bruno: so, how should I play?


Acquaintance: visualize yourself winning 


Bruno: so I need to imagine that I win and then I'll win?


Acquaintance: yes kind of, but it's not about imagination, is about belief, you have to convince yourself that you have won already. like some people convince themselves that there's a god, that their partners love them or that the world leaders are reptiles in disguise


Bruno: how's that possible? how does it work?


Acquaintance: it's science, it's quantum physics


Bruno: no, it's not and you have no idea what you're talking about


Acquaintance: you're right, but if i tell you it's science you will believe it and then it will work, if i tell you is magic or destiny you will reject the idea and it wont work. the true is that i don't know how it works I just know it does


Bruno: fair enough, so how can i convince myself that I won already?


Acquaintance: meditation of course, train yourself to believe whatever you want to believe and believe it in a way that it becomes your reality


Bruno: like that book "the secret" or "what the bleep do we know" that everyone thinks is a hoax


Acquaintance: exactly


Bruno: alright then, I'll give it a try, it was nice seeing you and thanks for the advice


Acquaintance: no worries, would you like some fries with that?


Bruno: sure, why not.

Going for a walk

Going for a walk here in singapore and in most se asian countries, is the equivalent of going for a hike in western countries.


A simple thing like grabbing some food usually becomes an expedition, maybe not in japan, but most asian countries, most of the times there's not really a sidewalk you can just stroll around, you usually share a road with cars, bicycles, motorbikes, and many many many people.


sometimes there used to be a sidewalk, but people have parked their cars or opened some little stall or business on it, leaving pedestrians to share the road with the vehicles.


and on that road you have to jump, because there are big holes you could fall into, then go up and down, and climb a little hill, then some steps, and then down again, then avoid all the things they leave on the way, then jump, duck, parry, avoid the sewer, mind your head, say no to the tout, skip the homeless sleeping on the way, careful with the dog, mind the gap, mind your head again, careful with the stall, the fruit box in the floor, the person selling incense,  jump the drainage, left, right,  dodge the beggar, watch out for the bicycle, the chicken on the way, the little kids playing, then the cat, the motorbike and the person running towards you because he's missing the bus.


what should be a simple walk, becomes a platform game, like mario, jump, run, avoid the obstacle, careful not to fall into the whole, step on the turtle and jump again. 


it's nice though, keeps you fit, keeps you active, keeps you alert, keeps the blood flowing, but sometimes, just sometimes, I wish I could clear my mind, turn of my reflexes , sometimes I wish i could just go for a walk, instead of a trek.

Making love

Today I was going through some old playlists just to see what was on them, and suddenly...

...I started crying! And I though, oh god why.

That was very strange, because I very seldom cry, and I wasn't even having a bad day, it was quite good actually.

And I wasn't even paying attention to the lyrics I was dong something else.

So I checked the song, and it was a song I hadn't heard since 2006 "making love" by Utada Hikaru.

And I remembered, how that song always used to make me cry every time I heard it.

So there was an in built mechanism in my subconscious that was automatically triggered by that song

I thought I was stronger than that

but i couldn't resist

the song had used painful memories

and it was super effective!

About argentinians and italians

"argentinians are like italians with an edge" someone said that to me the other day, and I was like "oh, stop it, you!"

I liked that comparison, for the same way that I like italians, because people from latin america when they are among each other, I can sense some kind of rivalry among them, like peruvians with ecuatorians, argentinians with chilenians or brazilians, i dont know if it's because of the football, the wars, the borders or why, but there's always a spark of tension in the air, but with italians is the opposite.

they are like our brothers from another mother, like they are our brothers, but they are not really our brothers, so there's no need to compete.

when i was in argentina i never really felt close to italians at all, it started when i left and started meeting italians everywhere and discovering how many things we actually had in common that I had never known about. It's the language, the culture, the way of saying things, the humor, the way of not really caring much, well, caring, but no, not really caring.

If I think of my friends from argentina, at least 80% of them have an italian last name and their origins can be traced back to italy at some point, but they never bothered to get to know their italian roots, most of them didn't even bothered to learn their language, and the ones I know they learned, are not so confident to speak it with italians.

which is the same reason my italian friends don't usually hang around with argentinians, even though they are aware of the similarities, most times they are just not so confident about their spanish.

But if you're argentinian and you start talking to, let's say someone from mexico or chile, and someone from italy, I'm sure you'll find you have more in common with the italian.

at the same time the italians usually respect argentinians because they come from a 3rd world country, and that sounds somehow hardcore to them. so that's what I meant when I said Italians with an edge, so the italians are quite happy to associate themselves with argentinians, because they feel like they are more dangerous if they hang among them.

and the argentinians on the other hand are quite happy to be associated with italians, because they respect them, i think it's because they are europeans minus all the atrocities that the spaniards did in south america.

so they are like the good guys.

believe it or not, many people in south america still hold a grudge for something that happened more than 500 ago, and little do they know the religion many of them still worship to this day was the one behind funding those atrocities.

and little do they know that the people living in spain now are not the same people who did that 500 years ago

they are different

somehow

Malaysia is the place to chill

Malaysia has become the best place for people like me who have no job and need to live somewhere spending very little money.

why malaysia and not other se asian country?

well first of all, free visa, not like indonesia, laos or phillipines which charges you 20-25 dolars per month, or cambodia, vietnam, burma,  where the visa fee can be as steep as 50 dolars per month.

I'm talking about visa for westerners of course, if you're se asian you usually pay no visa anyway when you visit other se asian countries.


secondly, no departure fee in malaysia, that's right some scumbag countries like indonesia and, phillipines will charge you a departure fee for leaving the country, because they didn't have enough with charging you for getting into the country, now they have to charge you for leaving the country also.


90 days visa, while all the other countries in se asia will just let you stay 1 month, malaysia and singapore will let you stay for 90 days.

did I just mention singapore? yeah, and you know what, this article could have been talking about singapore instead, if it wasn't, well you know just a tiny island inside malaysia whose inhabitants believe themselves to be better than malaysians because of the sole fact that in singapore everything costs 3 times as much as in malaysia.

malaysia is quite easy to easy to get around also, not as easy as thailand, but here most people speak english, still relatively safe, chinese food everywhere, malay food everywhere, indian food everywhere, lots of islands, no rules, no hassle, and it's nice to see that not every girl comes with a pricetag as it happens in thailand or phillipines.`


still quite cheaper than thailand, maybe not as cheap as indonesia, phillipines, vietnam, etc but they make up for it by not being soooo full of garbage everywhere, of course there's plenty of it still, otherwise it wouldn't be south east asia, but I would dare to say it's not nearly as much as in indonesia.

all those shennanigans still make malaysia my favourite country in se asia, just hoping it wont change as thailand did.

first time i went to thailand it was the same as malaysia 90 days visa, no questions asked, few years later they changed it to 2 months, then 1 month and now they let us stay for like 2 weeks.


that way they make sure there are no people just hanging around, no people who just want to relax instead of doing things in a rush, and overall make sure there are no lazy people around, no lazy people like me, with way too much free time and way too little money. 

A fire inside

Remember when we were young and there was a fire inside us? All that passion, all those feelings, where are they now?

I still remember, back in 2006, when I finally decided to leave my comfort zone and moved away from barcelona, I still remember the excitement i felt, that fire inside that makes you pump more blood, breath more oxygen, and makes you want to fly.

All the expectations, the anxiety and the fear that represented going to a new country I hadn't been before.

savoring a new language, breathing all those new smells, every feeling was new.

in 2006 and 2007 i was like, eat all the food! Do all the crazy things! go to all the countries! learn all the languages! do all the jobs! meet all the people!



i got excited while counting and keeping track of how many countries had i been to, how many jobs had i had in all the different countries, I was even amazed by all the different coins and bills from
the different countries, pretending to collect them all, or collecting stamps or little souvenirs.



and every time i met someone all we talked about was our travels and were had we been and where to go next.



even the food tasted better the first few weeks in a new country. all those new flavors and spices, all those new feelings, the thrill of the hunt, the fight for survival, the magic of getting lost in a country you don't know, where you don't know anyone, where you don't speak the language, where nobody knows you



but now, now is all like meh.. I have lost that fire and don't know where to find it anymore.



traveling, or surviving or getting lost in a strange place became an every day routine, so it lost all it's magic.



like anything, when you do it for a long time it just becomes monotonous, it becomes boring.



why do we always seek new experiences?



where does that greed comes from? that greed of always wanting more and more, more experiences, more knowledge,  more stuff, more friends, more everything



why can't we just content ourselves with what we have here?



and what happens when the things that kept us going, don't work for us anymore. 




when everything becomes bland, when everything looks the same




when there's nothing to do




nothing to do here anymore

Society fail

Am I the only who's tired of his clothes?


Well, there are 7.000.000.000 people in this planet, what am I saying, of course I'm not the only one.

The estimated time it takes me to get bored of my clothes is 2 to 3 months, so after that i either stop wearing them, or keep wearing them without feeling special anymore.

I stop looking handsome and start looking dull on them.

so then its easier to let them go.

In an ideal society, and by ideal I mean one that works for everyone and not for a few, instead of having thousands of clothing factories producing tons of new clothes we don't need, so that we they get accumulated at home after we get bored of them, the clothing market would work same as a library works now.

you know how you go to the library, take a book, read it, and give it back, well the same we should do with clothes.

because its pointless to accumulate at home hundreds of books we have already read, same as it is to accumulate so many clothes we have already gotten bored of, or they don't fit us or we don't like them anymore.

imagine you can just go and swap them for some you like more and change your wardrobe every second week.

imagine you can dress as a furry today, as business man tomorrow and show off some 60's hippie style the day after.

dress as cloud strife on the weekend, as a teletubbie on monday, and be a hipster on tuesday, wouldn't that be fun?

the reason we don't do that is not because no one had thought about it, but because there are people who benefit from me getting bored of my wardrobe after few months.

so the reason we don't make a library for clothing is the same one we don't have one for tools, accessories, vehicles, magic the gathering cards and every single material thing we usually need.

it so that people need to keep buying stuff, the money changes hands, hence keeping the monetary economy running.

so that we can keep living on a failed society.

because as society where there are millions of homeless people in the street while we have millions of empty houses no one uses, it's a failed society.

a society where some people don't have food, and the rest throw away tons of food every day it's a failed society.

a society where some people take 1 hour showers while others don't have drinking water is a failed society.

an individualistic society, that doesnt ensure that it's members work together for a common goal it's a failed society.

and a society that doesn't teach its members to take care of one another it is indeed a failed society.

Whatever 12

Girl: How many girlfriends have you had?

Bruno: That's a tough question, define girlfriend.

Girl: Some girl you went out with.

Bruno: That's it?

Girl: Yeah.

Bruno: So if I went out with you on a date would that make you my ex-girlfriend now?

Girl: No, it's gotta be more than one date.

Bruno: Alright 3 dates.

Girl: At least 5.

Bruno: Alright, so you and I went out on 5 dates, there was no physical contact and I never told you my feelings, would that make you my ex-girlfriend anyway?

Girl: Alright 5 dates and physical contact, that counts as a girlfriend.

Bruno: So if I had a girlfriend in primary school, we went out more than 5 times, we talked about our feelings, we held hands sometimes, that counts as physical contact, should I count her as an ex-girlfriend? 

Girl: No, it has to be more than holding hands.

Bruno: So you mean sexual contact, not physycal contact.

Girl: Well at least making out.

Bruno: Alright, so lets say I went out with this girl, on 6 dates, we had sex once and after that, for whatever reason she decided she wasn't gonna take my calls anymore, would that count as a girlfriend? 

Girl: No, I don't think so. Ok lets try this, 5 dates or more, sexual contact, and emotional conection.

Bruno: Emotional connection from one or both sides.

Girl: Both of course. And you have talked about it and agreed you were boyfriend and girlfriend..

Bruno: Alright, picture this, it's me and her, we love each other very much, we've been seeing each other for over a 2 years now, we live together, we've traveled together, I've met her parents, she met mines, but we never really felt that need to imply property on each other by giving each other possessive titles such as boyfriend or girlfriend, we love each other hence we don't need any titles, being together is enough, because we are happy together. 

Girl: Well you're a very special person, but most people need that security, lets say reassurance, of knowing you are seeing each other exclusively.

Bruno: No, don't get me wrong, we knew it, there was just no need to say it. Now would you say that counts as a girlfriend or not?

Girl: Yes, I'd say so.

Bruno: Now picture this, I've met this girl yesterday, she says she loves me and wants to be my girlfriend, so as of yesterday she's my girlfriend.

Girl: That wasn't 5 dates.

Bruno: But are together, and we are calling each other boyfriend and girlfriend, how can that not count as a girlfriend if she says she is my girlfriend. 

Girl: I know, but it's just too fast.

Bruno: So, it seems there's no real set of parameters you can use to define what an ex-girlfriend really is, am I right?

Girl: You always have to have the last word don't you?

Bruno: Just saying.

Girl: Did you really meet a girl yesterday?

Bruno: Maybe

Girl: What do you mean maybe?

Bruno: You see how you are? You see how girls are? They are totally uninterested in a guy, and right the moment he says he's seeing someone else suddenly he becomes and object of their desire.They only want him because they can't have him anymore, when they could have had him they didn't want him, now that makes sense to you?

Girl: It's attraction, it works in mysterious ways, it doesn't need to make sense.

Bruno: Now for most guys the exact opposite happens, we are talking to a girl and exactly 0.3 seconds after she says she has a boyfriend we loose interest completely.

Girl: Really, so would you stop meeting a girl just because she has a boyfriend?

Bruno: Of course.

Girl: Why?

Bruno: Because it's awkward, and also because of the bro code, but mostly because it's awkward.

Girl: What's the bro code?

Bruno: Is what makes that girls boyfriend a bro.

Girl: So you don't see him as a rival or someone you have to compete with the get the girl.

Bruno: Of course not, he's a bro.

Girl: Even though you don't know him.

Bruno: Exactly. You see only a guy can understand what other guy has to go through in order to get a girl, so why would we want to cause that guy any pain or trouble.
Of course there are a few exceptions, the pick up artists, the douchebags, they are not bros but most guys out there are. So when she says "I have a boyfriend" she's making clear that she's my bro's girlfriend, we don't mess around with other bro's girlfriend, that's just wrong.

Girl: I had no idea it was like that.

Bruno: Actually you know it's like that, all girls do, and that's one of the ways they have to let the guy know they are not interested.

Girl: Yeah, maybe we know, but it's not just for that, it's also to make things clear. It's better than not mentioning you are seeing someone, most guys don't even mention it.

Bruno: Yes we do, just not as early in the conversation as most girl do so.

Girl: And why is that?

Bruno: Because we know that would make us extremely attractive to your people.

Girl: No, it's because you feel guilty talking to a girl you shouldn't be talking to.

Bruno: Why guilty? We are just talking?

Girl: Yeah, we are also just talking, and by mentioning we have a boyfriend we want you to make sure we are REALLY just talking.

Bruno: Ok, I did meet a girl yesterday.

Girl: Really, what's her name?

Bruno: Asuka, Asuka Kimura.

Girl: You're such a bad liar.

Bruno: Ok, I didn't meet anyone.

Girl: You're such a loser.

Bruno: You see how you are, you just proved my point again.

Girl: Whatever you say.

Bruno: You're so predictable.

Girl: Right, Asuka Kimura.

Bruno: You're still thinking about that.

Girl: To tell the truth, I thought you would say Misato.

Bruno: Why Misato?

Girl: Sounds like the name of a girl you may like.

Bruno: It does actually.

Girl: Misato Imakura.

Bruno: I can picture her already.

Girl: How does she looks like?

Bruno: Sweet.

Girl: How old is she, 15?

Bruno: Let's say 27, same as me, to make it politically correct.

Girl: But then she wouldn't be attracted to you, because most girls like older guys.

Bruno: Good point. So let's say she's 24?

Girl: Still, too old, the attraction triggers in a girl when the guy is at least 4 years older than her, trust me, I'm a girl.

Bruno: 23 then?

Girl: That could work.

Bruno: Yeah... that could work..

Girl: ...

Bruno: that could work...



Bruno: that could...

Girl: Oh, come on!

Bruno: What???