Food for thought: Unpaid work

Today I am sharing a post I read, by Melinda Gates, regarding unpaid work.

The massive, hidden cost of women's unpaid work

Women do work a lot more, in general, than men.
Mostly because after a whole day at work, women go home and work an extra shift.

I am definitely going to start following her and keeping an eye on her articles.

Same end (Ana Simões, 27/04/2012)

Around me lay several sheets of paper
Written,
Crumpled up,
Full of words, thoughts, emotions.
Sentences and texts forgotten,
Abandoned,
Wasted,
Lay, in the sheets spreaded across the floor, unfinished.
And once again I recommence,
Re-think,
All I've lived, all I've said,
All I see and feel.
And then I feel frail and strong,
And I feel joy,
And I feel rage,
And all in me is contradiction.
And again I write, I erase and recommence.
In my thoughts and feelings I trip,
I pour all I am,
All that goes in my mind,
In my soul,
And with fury I cast away this sheet among so many others around me.
New sheet,
New title,
Same end.

Image source

Book Review: Uncommon Type, by Tom Hanks

Yes, I have been reading again. I have a Kobo Aura HD eReader that I tend to take everywhere. It makes my commuting an adventure, although not always fun (I tend to forget the world is still going, I lose track of time, and sometimes I miss my stop).

I also use Kindle app for smartphone (until I gather the money to buy one of their eReaders... and a bigger backpack).

On one of my ventures through Kobo store, it suggested the book Uncommon Type and my reaction was basically "NOOOOOO! I can't believe he also writes!!! I need to read this one!".

Best thing I've done!

Tom Hanks writes beautiful, enthralling stories. I felt like I was in the book, and not just reading these short stories.

Loved it!
Definitely a must read and a must revisit!

Mother Earth Day (Ana Simões, 22/04/2018)

Góis, Coimbra, schist rock formation. Photo taken by yours truly

A walk through the forest

Or a stroll by the sea,

Small things that can do wonders

For both you and me.

It’s not just the exercise, you see?

And it’s not just the sun, or just the fresh air.

It is all of that, and it is so much more.

It’s us, and the sun, and it’s nature everywhere.

Because with the fast paced lives we’ve been leading,

Along with the “ruler of the world” mindset,

We forgot that we’re also a part of nature.

We’re destroying our Mother – the Earth,

Destroying our Brothers – the Animals,

Destroying our Sisters – the Plants and the Trees.

We forgot what it feels like to be one with the Earth,

We forgot what it’s like to walk in nature

Without killing an animal, without littering the world.

While power and money blind us, rule us and corrupt us,

We poison our waters, we’re killing us all.

On this Mother Earth Day

Go back to what we always were.

Take a walk through the forest

Or a stroll by the sea.

Sit down, take a deep breath,

Really feel the world around you.

And always, always remember:

Mother Earth is filled with life and magic,

Just like you and me.

São Pedro do Estoril, Cascais, São Pedro beach. Photo taken by yours truly

Book review: The General's Daughter, by Nelson DeMille

The General's Daughter - the movie

I had already seen the movie. It was not a light movie, nor an easy one to see.

Still, I loved it, to the point I still remember several scenes. So I knew I had to read the book.

And I am delighted that I did it. I finished the book last night.
I read it every chance I got. It's annoying when the day job gets in the way of reading, specially when you find a book it is hard to put down and all you feel like doing is reading until its very last page.

The characters feel like real people, the story is brilliant and I can actually see something like that happening, in the past or in the present.

This is a book on murder, rape, and corruption.

This is an up-to-date book the relationships between men and women, and what a patriarchal-built society expects from both genders (not counting with other gender options, that it).
And, from a feminist point of view, I did feel like punching some throats throughout the book. All in all, a great book.

And, if you're into police/army/criminal investigation thrillers, this is definitely the book (and movie) for you.
Just know that some details were changed for the movie (including some of the characters' names), and the story had to be adapted to fit the length of the movie.

The General's Daughter - the book

Lucifer is coming

Netflix is bringing back one of my favourite tv series ever! Lucifer.

The series is loads of fun, someone actually bothered to study Lucifer to create his character and the other characters are also very well created.

So, I have to say it: Thank you, Netflix!

Lucifer Morningstar, I'll be seeing you on May 8th...

...or before that. ;)

Women, you deserve better!

We live for the weekends (that might not actually for on the actual weekends, if you're working shifts with different schedules), holidays and vacations of our lives.

Image taken from here

And those are the breaks we have from the hardships that come with growing up, adulting, having a job that takes at least 8 hours of our lives (in Portugal, a full time job has mandatory 8 hours, and a normal work day is at least 8 hours, with little chance of having the extra hours paid).

After the shift, you go home. And, if you fall under the female category, that usually means an extra shift.

Usually, you work all day, you go home, your dinner won't cook by itself, you might want to get things ready for the following day, and organise your house a bit. Unless you have made plans with a friend. And this, of course, if you live by yourself.

However, if you have kids and a significant other, then there's your family to take care of: dinner, showers, cleaning up whatever needs to be cleaned. That and listen to your significant other's problems when he most likely won't even ask how your day was. Looking for some "me" time? LoL

Stay at home mum? Your whole day revolves around the house and your kids' lives, and your significant other's. You think you have problems? LOL How dare you think you had a bad day, when you spend your days at home - isn't that the dream life? Oh yes, and so much for some "me" time.

Image taken from here

Unless the kids' parent(s) actually pull their weight around the house and contribute with their share of the workload, you're in it for the second shift of the day - the Cinderella shift (without the happily ever after). And it shouldn't be that way: after all, they also eat, they also soil stuff, and they also live in the freaking house.

Women, you don't just need help around the house. You need someone that helps you improve your day, not someone that only increases your workload by playing the big kid in an useless adult body, and that can only sleep (and snore), stuff their faces and watch tv (and, most likely, go out with friends, or tell you how you should be doing "your work at home").

Women, we deserve better! And please don't fall for the "it's embarrassing for a woman not to be able to take care of her man" because, what's embarrassing is for a man not to be able to take care of himself.

Women, we deserve better than to also do all the emotional and mental workload because men are unable to think of someone other than themselves.

You shouldn't have to ask for help with the house chores. They need to share the workload!

Improve your lives! You deserve to also have a life and to rest. You're a woman and you are not paid to be his maid and personal psychologist.

Men, stop being useless twats and start taking responsibility. You also live there!!!

Image taken from here