Guilty

Y do people have this incredible need to blame someone for something that has gone wrong?
Whenever shit happens, either a boy that left school earlier than he was supposed to and ended up floating on a river, or a man that slipped on a banana peel and fell into the ground, most people urge to point blame at someone. Why is that? Why can’t accidents just… happen? Of course they must have a cause, but that doesn’t necessarily involve someone that wasn’t harmed in the process. It can even be stochastic!
Going back to my first example, that actually is a real one, it seems that the guilty part in this case is a school-employee that shouldn’t have allowed the boy to leave the school. Come on, did he push the kid onto the river? Did he tell him to throw himself into the water? No, he just didn’t stop the kid from leaving the school. Why does that make him guilty of something?
We can’t go around punishing people just because others do stupid things. I mean, we can (we do it!), but we shouldn't. Instead, why not try to understand why it happened, and try to prevent it from happening again? Or even just try to repair the consequences.

Under construction

Y do old people linger around construction sites?
To be precise, I should say "old men" and not "old people". I seldom see old women in this kind of situation.
But it's a sure thing. Whether a hole is being open, or a stadium being built, you'll find old men just staring at it. And it's not for a couple of minutes... No, some stay there for hours! Just watching... I'd really like to understand  this phenomenon...
Maybe it's related with a return to childhood... Since we Portuguese call old-age "a segunda infância", and given that lots of kids (boys) are hugely fascinated by construction toys (cranes, bulldozers, etc.), perhaps the passage of time brings that past allure to the surface of an aged mind.
Or maybe there's just lots of old men with nothing to do but sitting around watching some machines in action. It surely surpasses watching the afternoon TV programs...

The Y

Y "The Y"? For 3 reasons.
First, the sound effect. Y is pronounced in the same way as "why", and it looks waaaayyyyy cooler in a blog title than "The Why". Ok, maybe not, but I prefer it like it is.
The second reason, and maybe the most important of all, is "why". It is not a mere word. And not just another question, when used in combination with "?". "Why?" is the question! "Why are we here?"; "Why are cancer cells a pain in the ass?" (I apologize to those of you who suffer of rectal cancer); "Why did the chicken cross the street?"... These are just some of the most important question posed by Man, and I could be here all night long mentioning some more... But you can also use a simple "Why?" to question everything. And with that, you search for the reason behind things, you try to understand why things are what they are, or/and how they came to be. Or maybe you're trying to understand the motivation of someone for doing something. For example, why does a girl spend a whole afternoon with a guy, having a good time, knowing that he likes her but having absolutely no interest in him? More than asking "Who?", "Where?" or "When?", you first need to ask "Why?".
And that leads me to the third and final reason. Like a child, I still ask "Why?" all the time. To everyone. To everything. Because of everyone and everything. And usually, I don't get an answer, but I won't quit just because people are curious or because they don't know what leads them to do what they do.
Thus, no other name would be more appropriate to this blog than "The Y".
And with this, I'll stop posting for today. Why? I have to take a shower...

Castelo de São Jorge

Y spend 5€ to go to Castelo de São Jorge?
This question bothered me for some time, recently... And after going there, I still think I don't have a good answer for it...
By itself, the castle is a bit disappointing... You get the usual stone walls (although these have been extensively repaired) and high towers, but not much more than that on the inside...
There's also a archaeological site that's been opened recently, but it's a small thing and not very enlightening. Some artifacts found there are interesting, namely coins and currency metals, with some history lessons, but nothing spectacular.
The plus side is the view of Lisbon. You get a wonderful view of the center of  the city and of Tejo, which combined with a sunny day almost makes up for the 5€ (I'll put up some pictures later...).

And then you get curiosities: you've got cats and peacocks, if you like animals; you've got tourists doing idiotic things, namely almost falling from castle walls just to take pictures, if you're a people-voyeur; and you've got a whole bunch of stairs leading to nowhere, just in case you're a fitness freak.

In summary, are the 5€ worth it? I have no regrets. But the best thing to do is to spend them and check it out for yourself.

Here are some pictures:

Friends with benefits

Y open with boring stuff? No use in that...
Friends with benefits... What does this mean? Does a "normal" friendship have no benefits "attached"?
And why is sex a benefit while, for example, companionship is not?
I'd say that a friendship is full of benefits. Or, in other words, a friendship is beneficial for those people involved.
The so-called friends with benefits have sex (some don't, ahahah). Maybe the occasional meal together. They do have some benefits. But probably not those of a real friendship.
So Y not call it "Sex with benefits"? I mean, it's usually more than just casual sex. It's something that lies in that grey area where everything that we can't put a name on goes.
As for me... I'll just leave a word of advice: don't mix friends with sex. No benefits in that!!!