About Preferences/Sobre Preferências

Baby me and my first cat, Bolinha (diminutive for ball) / Eu bebê e meu primeiro gato, Bolinha.


EN/ About Preferences, Part I

Fear and hate in general are feelings that arise from the unknown, if I dont grasp it, I fear it. There is also the possibility of fear to be the result of a bad experience in the past, a trauma. As a kid I never liked dogs, my mother says that one day, a huge dog of a friend, jumped on me and knocked down me when I was about 3 year olds. I just got to know this story years later, from complaining so much in the presence of any dog, she told me that.

I was always afraid, and avoided them, used it cross the street so I wouldnt be close, I never found any of them cute. If we were going to a house that I knew had a dog, I would suffer from anxiety in advance to imagine having to face a beast of those in the same room as me, or simply just at the entrance of the house.

From an early age I had contact with cats at home, in my grandmother´s house, on the street I always made sure to get close to them, encouraged by my mother, who throughout her life have probably had around 9 cats. I admired their beauty and behavior, and over time I began to further identify myself with them. There was a phase where I raised the flag to say they were the best, and could not bear dogs because I thought they were silly. This was nothing other than me trying to self affirm to an animal I have total involvement, trying to reduce the other animal that made me insecure.

When I was round 10 years old riding my bike on the my gramma´s street, a neighbor who had rottweilers came out for littering, and guess what? The dog ran out to the street! Today I’m not even sure if it came after myself, but I despaired, left my bike on the pathway, went in and closed the gate really fast. It was scary, I thought I was going to die and this reactivated that trauma.

Over time I could not get away from certain situations involving dogs, a friend that I frequented the house like mine, had a dog called Hanna and it took me a while to get used to her. I had in mind: “show no fear, but keep away, try to greet to see she leaves me alone”. I even had to deal with a rottweiler a schoolmate had when we used one or two lectures off to go to her house. I remember to explain in advance about my relationship with the species and my colleague assured me that the dog was quite calm. Arriving at her house, who received us? Fila was her name, huge, and really very calm, just came to see who were coming, let her smell me as I repeated  with my heart racing, my internal mantra: “show no fear, but keep away, try to greet to see if she leaves me alone”.

It was by having to go through such situations, rather than avoiding them, I began to notice more canine behaviours, find out that they bark but do not bite and do not attack for anything, understand gestures, noises, all this that for me It was scary and I could never find out whether they were good or bad.


PT/ Sobre Preferências, Parte I

Medo e ódio em geral são sentimentos que surgem do desconhecido, se eu não domino, eu temo. Também existe a possibilidade do medo ser resultado de uma expêriencia ruim no passado, um trauma. Desde criança eu nunca gostei de cachorros, minha mãe diz que um dia, um cachorro enorme de uma amiga, pulou em mim e me derrubou quando eu tinha uns 3 aninhos. Eu só soube dessa estória muito tempo depois, de tanto reclamar na presença de qualquer cachorro, ela me contou.

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UK vs Brazil – Plastic Bags Use/ Uso de Sacolas Plásticas

carrier-bag-artwork-150x150-770x512

EN/   Plastic Bags Use

This past week it was announced a change to the way all large shops and supermarkets in UK provide plastic bags. Now it is a general government rule, and not a matter of preference up to the market chains, like it was before. Prior to this new rule, Lidl would only provide a multi-use plastic bag at a cost, similar Spar in other European countries, what charge for single-use plastic bags. While a few already followed this strict attitude towards their customers, other chains like Tesco, Sainsbury’s, etc, would keep both options of providing free single use and a charge for multi-use plastic bags for the most ecologically conscious.

What I would like to point out is something I will do with a series of posts, to compare these rules, behaviours and manners that have different reactions from populations of UK and Brazil. In Brazil, a couple of years ago there was an attempt to introduce some consciousness about ecology by removing single-use plastic bags from customer’s reach. This caused rebellion, people complained that the cost of plastic bags were included in the tax that is payed combined with the cost of the products in store. From London I observed the news, and for me it seemed more a commodity matter, rather than suspicion of being charged twice. There was such a negative feedback from the population that the rule was cancelled and single-use plastic bags are again being provided for free.

This year the rule is trying to get back in practice in Sao Paulo, providing “green bags” at a cost, made of bioplastic the initiative attempts to stimulate people to rethink the way they consume these bags, inspired by (guess what?), “…international standards and can be applied elsewhere in the country.”, stated by Marina Estarque from Carta Capital.

Here are some opinions taken from the article:

“I think it’s bad to have to pay, I will bring a house,” says Josmy.
“When people have easy access, they end up accumulating or playing outside”, said Camila Oliveira, 21.

Well, this is what is called “change” and this takes time to get adapted to people’s everyday life.
Hopefully here in UK and in Sao Paulo, people get their head around it, preparing for a more sustainable future!

Particularly I found this new rule amasing, I am ecologically aware and end up storing all plastic bags at home so I can reuse most of them. Unfortunately I have been a little lazy and could have invested in multi-use/more resistant plastic bags or carrier bags made of other materials to take my shopping home. This laziness to take such attitude has been fed by the commodity of having free bags available at the supermarket, what can be a little more practical as you dont have to think in advance and remember to bring yours from home. I know I will forget at times and complain others, but this rule is a favour really.

Single-use plastic carrier bag charge – video
Published on Jul 24, 2015

A short video for consumers and others explaining the 5p charge for single-use plastic carrier bags. The charge is being introduced in England from 5 October 2015.

For more information see https://www.gov.uk/carrierbags

P.s.: translated by myself.


PT/   Uso de Sacolas Plásticas

Na semana passada, foi anunciada uma alteração na forma como todas as grandes lojas e supermercados no Reino Unido fornecem sacolas plásticas. Agora é uma regra do governo geral, e não uma questão de preferência das cadeias de supermercado, como era antes. Anteriormente à essa nova regra, o mercado Lidl só fornecia um tipo de sacola de plástico multi-uso, por um valor, similarmente o mercado Spar em outros países europeus, cobra pelo uso de sacolas plásticas descartáveis. Enquanto alguns já seguiam essa atitude rigorosa perante aos seus clientes, outras empresas como Tesco, Sainsbury´s, etc, preferiam manter as duas opções fornecendo sacolas plásticas descartáveis de graça e uma taxa por sacolas de plástico de multi-uso para os mais ecologicamente conscientes.
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