Cadu Martins

It has been almost three months since the last time I wrote anything, and the reason for that is simple: I didn't have the time. I've been working two jobs since February, and I have to say, it was not a good idea. Last time, I talked about the new job I found and how good it was, but I also mentioned that I was going to keep working as an English teacher, remember? Well, that decision turned out to be a mistake. In my new job as a surveillance operator, I work a 12-hour shift with 36 hours off, and that's totally fine. But when you add a 12-hour shift to four hours of teaching, it suddenly becomes too much. I've been sleeping poorly, eating poorly, and basically living poorly for these past couple of months. And that's why I decided to quit the English school. Today is only the first day I'm free from that obligation, and I was already able to focus and get things done. I don't know exactly what happens when we sleep; all I know is that it does wonders for ...

After spending one month looking for a job in my new city, I've finally found one. It's actually not that hard to find work, there are options literally everywhere. The problem is that most of them aren't good. I didn't want to get just any random job with long hours and a low salary, otherwise, I could've found work in less than a week. But of course, I wouldn't want to stay in any of those jobs for long, so it would be pointless to even start. In the end, I managed to get a job as a surveillance operator in a big company. I'm going to start working there in two weeks, and I'm very excited about it! I intend to keep working as an English teacher (after all, I like teaching) but it'll no longer be my main source of income, it's only going to be something that I do in my free time. But even though my new job has a good salary and is something that I'll probably enjoy, I found myself thinking, "How long will I stay in this job?". You ...

Today I forgot my phone charger, so I decided to write. The fact that I wouldn't be writing if I hadn't forgotten the charger is a bit sad. But since the only things I have are a pen and paper, I don't have another option. Sometimes that's the only way to make ourselves do something: by eliminating all distractions, voluntarily or not. It has been a while since the last time I wrote on paper. I usually write directly on my blog because writing on paper feels like an unnecessary step if I have to type everything on the computer anyway. However, I understand why some people prefer the traditional way, writing by hand takes longer, which forces us to think more deeply. I just moved to a city called Indaiatuba, that's where I am right now. I used to live in Valinhos, which is less than an hour away by car. Why did I move here? It certainly wasn't for the weather, this city is hot as hell, just like every other city in the region. I moved here because this city is tw...

As you may know, I am currently working as a teacher, so when December arrived, I went on vacation. At first, it feels great; you get to relax and sleep as much as you want. However, after a few weeks without work, I am feeling extremely bored. Some say work is boring, but I guess it depends on your job. If you don't like it, you will certainly get bored, but if you like what you do, you won't feel that way as often. Regardless of your occupation, nothing is as boring as staying home for weeks. I like playing on my computer and watching TV shows, but eventually, it becomes too repetitive and the fun fades away. This makes me realize something that might be controversial: working is good for our mental health. Within limits, of course, working too much surely does more harm than good. But it can be beneficial because when you go to work, you interact with others and you have a purpose. I am not saying it always feels good to work, but at the end of the day, you get a sense of ac...

This is a simple list of ten things you should never lend to anyone: Book: People who borrow a book will only return it after they finish reading it, and for most people, that means never. Car: You are the only one responsible for your car. Other people will never be as careful as the owner, even if they are friends or family. Computer: Even if you take the time to delete your browser history and personal files, people can still access them with the right tools. Credit card: If you lend your credit card, you are giving someone else the power to destroy your life. House: If you lend your house, or an empty room to another person, there is always a risk that they will never leave. Money: People will struggle to pay you back. And if they pay, they will surely ask for a larger amount shortly after. Phone: Unless it is just for a call, you should never lend your phone for the same reason you shouldn't lend a computer. Toothbrush: Besides being disgusting, it can transfer germs and bacte...

Last night I was wondering: if I were able to create my own country, what would it be like and what kind of laws would it have? So, instead of sleeping, I spent the whole night creating a constitution for my hypothetical country, because that's what a nerd like me would do. For my country, I imagined a small city-state, the size of an island, because smaller countries are easier to administer. I decided that it would be a parliamentary constitutional monarchy, because in my opinion this is the best kind of government that exists; it mixes the democracy of a republic with the stability of a monarchy, so it has the best of both worlds. For the name, I decided to call my country Martinia, inspired by the Latin name Martinus, which is the origin of my surname. So without further ado, behold the Constitution of the Kingdom of Martinia: Preamble King Carlos of Martinia, desiring to establish Justice and secure Freedom for all His subjects, does hereby proclaim and establish this Constitu...

Recently, I was rejected by a woman based on the fact that I'm not religious enough for her. It was not the first time this happened, and not even the second; getting rejected because of religion is basically a hobby of mine at this point. What bothers me the most is that my conversations with this woman were very good until the moment I mentioned that I'm not religious; then everything turned to shit. This got me thinking about religion as a whole and how religion makes people behave in strange ways. Religion was supposed to teach people how to be more humble and tolerant. Yet, some of the most arrogant and intolerant people out there are religious. How can that be? When people go to church for the first time, the church welcomes them with open arms, regardless of their background. This is a good thing because no matter how many mistakes a person made in the past, it's never too late to repent and try to become a better person. In the beginning, that's exactly what hap...

What stops us from doing what we want to do? The answer is nothing. The problem is that we tend to blame things, like not having enough money or not having enough time, yet both of those things are abstract. Money has only the value that we put on it, and all the things that we can buy with money are worth whatever we say they are. That being said, everything related to money is merely part of an abstract concept. We can say the same about time, because even though time was not a human invention, the way we define time is. The days of the week, for instance, are all made up, and so are the months of the year. I'm not saying that it's a bad thing that the economy and the calendar exist; without these things, our society would be even more chaotic than it already is. I'm saying that we shouldn't let these abstract things control our lives the way most people do. For example, many people say that they want to travel but they don't have enough money to do so. But that...

After that date, which I consider a failure, we kept in contact for a few more days, but then she suddenly stopped answering my messages. Eventually, I also stopped sending them. I figured there was no point in persisting; her mind was obviously somewhere else. After all, I knew she could be quite depressed sometimes. But I kept thinking about her and all that went wrong. For me, it was just a matter of giving it another try, but I believe things weren't so simple in her head. A couple of months passed, bringing us into 2021. Around January 6th, the spirit of new beginnings that comes with every new year inspired me to send her another message. But, of course, it was for nothing; she didn't answer once again. I was very disappointed. I was eager to invite her for a second date, but I couldn't do that if she still refused to talk to me. Months went by, and eventually, she was not even receiving my messages anymore, and I was starting to get a little worried about her. So I d...

The trouble with Hopi Hari was that it was extremely far from where we lived. But I had planned everything: I bought bus tickets to the park and back, and also our tickets for the park itself. We decided to meet at the subway, and from there we would go to the bus station. Everybody had to wear masks back then because of the pandemic, so I was worried that we would not recognize each other. When I arrived at the subway station, she was already there. I recognised her instantly—maybe it was because of her figure, or because of her eyes, perhaps both. The only thing that was different was her hair: she had cut it very short. I admit it was a bit of a disappointment for me, as I loved her long hair, but that alone wasn't going to stop me from liking her. The first thing I did was hug her, which is something I think I had never done before. We talked all the way there, and it felt like nothing was real; I couldn't make myself believe that any of it was actually happening. When we a...