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Adapting to a new job takes a lot of free time away from you, especially when it means moving to a new town. It isn’t easy to get used to the new schedule and the slower rhythm of living on the mountainside, but I’m getting there. The last few weeks have had a few ups and downs, both literally and figuratively. RTP fits in the second category. Last summer I was part of a project called 100 Seconds of Science. Since we were full on focused on Reação Espontânea’s and 1+1’s pre-production stages, this extra project ended up being more of nuisance than anything. We had to go to Lisbon to interview a researcher in the field of molecular biochemistry about the blending of metal nanoparticles in graphene molecules. The first interview went ok but we had a little problem with the sound. They told us to go back and redo it. I was busy scouting locations for 1+1 so they asked me to edit the interview since the previous editor had to take my place as cameraman. I did it in about two days and uploaded the rough cut and the rest of the material to their in-house server. Months went by and we never got the official green light from the company that ordered this video. Last month, RTP decided to air the full range of 100 Seconds of Science videos as public service adds. I was surprised to see that the video that ended up on TV had nothing to do with the version I submitted. They used footage from the first interview and did a poor job editing the video. The graphics were appalling and the b-roll made no sense. Unfortunately, due to legal issues I am unable to publish my version of this video. I will try to find a way around it, but until then you can watch the aired version here and see for yourself. Not all news from RTP are bad, they’ve just announced that they’ll be re-airing Magneto. Starting this Saturday at 19h30 on RTP 2 you can rewatch your favourite episodes of Reação Espontânea and 1+1. For those of you with short memory, don’t forget to check out these shows first episode overview. Living Portugal A new month is ahead of us and Her Ideal’s latest edition is already out and making some noise. This May, Her Ideal is celebrating their first birthday and my article “Living Portugal” has the honour to showcase in the front cover of this month’s edition. Be sure to read it! I will do my best to keep you up to date on my new life in Covilhã and with any new developments relevant to my current and previous positions. Until then, don’t forget to rewatch Magneto. This time it’s on a friendlier schedule.
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I know, I know. It’s been a while since my last entry. I’ve been a bit busy with some personal projects over the last couple of weeks. I also decided to put my free time into good use and got around to doing some spring cleaning that I’ve been putting off for a few years now. You can’t imagine the ton of cool stuff I had stored away in the attic. Fortunately, my long-term neglect didn’t do much damage other than the occasional pile of dust. All this journey down memory lane got me thinking about old projects that for one reason or the other just didn’t made it to my portfolio’s latest version. As some of you may know I enjoy writing fiction. Mostly they’re just romantic short stories that end up mirroring some episodes of my love life. I have some ideas to write a book one day but I haven’t found the right motivation to getting round to do it. However, my exploits into fiction writing have not gone unnoticed and I did manage to get one of my short stories published in a magazine called 9páginas (9 pages) back in 2009. I completely forgot about this until a few days ago when I came across a copy of that magazine. At the time they sent me a PDF version of my short story and here it is for all of you to enjoy. Sadly it is written in Portuguese and there’s no translation available. To sum it up it’s a story about a high school crush. The protagonist walks his crush home after school every day, however he’s unable to tell her how he really feels. It’s written in a somewhat poetic way and I believe the scenery description is one of the best work I’ve done in this regard. Anyway, don’t take my word for it, just read it and see for yourself.
This other blast from the past is actually a bit of clipping from my old English School’s newsletter. I was asked to write a short essay about my experience in Windsor School and my teacher, Andy Murphy, wrote a short profile about me. It’s all on page 6 of this newsletter. As for the season finale of Magneto, what can I say? It was a good run, I can’t really describe the feeling one gets after watching six months of hard work premiere on national television. It’s simply breathtaking. That aside, I still feel the show wasn’t publicized in the right way. Mixing together five segments that had nothing to do with one another was simply an amateur move from the network. In my opinion, the five shows should’ve been split individually and as some have suggested, they should’ve aired a few minutes before or after RTP’s main news section on week days at eight o’clock in the evening. Unfortunately, I wasn’t the one in charge of such a decision and in the end all that matters is that we’ve done an excellent job and that our work got the recognition it deserved. I have a few surprises in stored for you this April. Stay tuned and don’t forget to check out this section for further details.  Reação Espontãnea Episode 6: Epigenetics Air date: March 2nd, 2013 For our final episode we go back to the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência (IGC) to learn about epigenetics. Lars Jansen, head of the Laboratory for Epigenetic Inheritance, will be our guide to this new field that deals with genetic traits that aren’t inherited through the genes. How the environment can influence one’s genetic makeup and a new application for Lamarck’s Law of Use and Disuse in the sixth and final episode of Reação Espontânea.  1+1
Episode 6: Paper Chase Air date: March 2nd, 2013 Rui convinces Marta to join him on a Paper Chase. Have you ever wondered why manhole covers are round instead of squared? What’s the equation to calculate the wage of a person who worked an hour and a half and earns five euros per hour? Is it possible to play fair using a biased coin? What happens when you try to divide by zero? Eugénio Compasso will lend a hand to our friends one last time in the season finale of 1+1.  Reação Espontânea Episode 5: Ageing Air date: February 23rd, 2013 This week we’re going on a cross-country trip. Our first stop takes us to Oeiras, to the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência (IGC) where we meet Miguel Godinho, a researcher that’s studying how the telomerase enzyme influences ageing and how a small fish can help us slow down this process. Porto is the next destination where we find Alberto Queiroz, a “young 88-year-old” with a passion for dancing. Finally we visit Cláudia in Viseu. Cláudia is a 14-year-old girl who suffers from Progeria a genetic disorder that speeds-up the ageing process. The most recent breakthroughs in the field of ageing genetics in a brand new episode of Reação Espontânea.  1+1
Episode 5: Playing the Odds Air date: February 23rd, 2013 After dropping off his mother at home from a weekend trip, Rui meets Marta at a café. They’re in luck, the café is having a promotion where if they can solve a certain riddle they only get to pay for 80% of their order. In a house with three switches and a lamp behind a closed door how can you find out which switch turns on the light with only one chance to look inside? Will our friends be able to solve this riddle, or will they need the help of Eugénio Compasso? Also, does Marta know an easy way to calculate how many hugs can a group of 10 people give each other? Playing the odds on an all-new 1+1. 
Reação Espontânea Episode 4: Malaria Air date: February 16th, 2013 This week’s episode takes us back to Lisbon where we meet Maria Mota and Miguel Prudêncio, researchers at IMM (Instituto de Medicina Molecular), to talk about their recent breakthrough in the development of an effective vaccine to prevent the spread of Malaria. We also follow Carla Sousa, from the IHMT (Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical), while she guides us on a hunt for mosquitoes. Find out how close we are to eradicating this disease on a brand new Reação Espontânea. 
1+1
Episode 4: Eureka! Air date: February 16th, 2013 Marta is looking for a gift for her grandmother but Rui has other plans and decides to take a break from shopping to stop by a comic book store. Want to learn a neat trick to divide by 5? Rui will shed a light on this matter, while an unexpected guest surprises our friends with a riddle involving a set of mysterious boxes. Are they ready to play a game? 
Reação Espontânea Episode 3: Breast Cancer Air date: February 9th, 2013 Reação Espontânea visits IPATIMUP, one of Portugal’s leading medical research institutes, to talk with Fernando Schmitt about his team’s latest breakthroughs in Breast Cancer diagnostics. We also meet Sónia Gonçalves, a woman who won the battle against cancer after removing both her breasts. Her story and IPATIMUP’s latest achievements in the field of cancer research are this week’s highlights. 
1+1
Episode 3: To Give and Take Air date: February 9th, 2013 Marta challenges Rui to solve the following question: How to slice a cake in eight equal parts with only three cuts? As he wraps his head around this one, Marta begins planning her birthday party, too bad she was born on February 29th on a leap year. Did you know that every once in a while leap years only come round after eight years? Eugénio Compasso will help our friends answer these and many more questions on a brand new episode of 1+1. 
Reação Espontânea Episode 2: AIDS Air date: February 2nd, 2013 This week Reação Espontânea talks with João Gonçalves, researcher at IMM (Instituto de Medicina Molecular), about his research into Zinc Fingers and how this study can take us one step closer to finding the cure for AIDS. We also visit Amílcar Soares, head of the Associação Positivo (an organization that helps people suffering from AIDS), to listen to his first-hand account on how to cope with HIV on a daily basis. 
1+1
Episode 2: Before the Movie Begins Air date: February 2nd, 2013 After arriving at the movie theater, Rui and Marta are having a little trouble purchasing their tickets. Will they be able to get a 15% discount? What about that weird number on the back of Portuguese ID cards? Does it really stand for the number of people who’ve got the same name as yours? Once again, Eugénio Compasso swoops in to save the day and help our friends solve the mysteries of the movie business.  Reação Espontânea Episode 1: Human Evolution Air date: January 26th, 2013 The season premiere of Reação Espontânea takes us to Coimbra where we meet Eugénia Cunha, a forensic anthropologist keen on uncovering the mysteries of Human Evolution. From the early Australopithecus to modern Homo Sapiens, Eugénia Cunha unravels the story behind the remains our ancestors left behind.  1+1
Episode 1: Better Late than Never Air date: January 26th, 2013 Rui convinces Marta to make a little detour on their way to the Cinema. With one broken clock and another that runs one hour fast, which one will be more accurate? Have you ever found yourself wondering if it’s actually worth it to change lanes when you’re stuck in traffic? Eugénio Compasso will help our friends find the answer to these and many more questions on 1+1’s season premiere. 
This update is at least a couple of weeks behind schedule. As some of you may or may not know, Reação Espontânea and 1+1 have premiered on January 26th and are already releasing their third episode this Saturday at 11 a.m. on RTP 1.
Don’t miss Reação Espontânea’s and 1+1’s third episodes this Saturday, February 9th at 11 a.m. on RTP 1. This week Reação Espontânea will let you know how IPATIMUP’s researchers are contributing to improve breast cancer diagnosis. As for 1+1, Marta challenges Rui to solve a riddle: How to slice a cake in eight parts with only three cuts? I’ve been a little busy over the last few weeks and have been unable to write this post. However, I did update the RTP section of my portfolio with links to Reação Espontânea’s and 1+1’s episodes. Both shows are part of Magneto, a half-hour show that airs on Saturdays at 11 a.m. on RTP 1, Portugal’s public television. Magneto is divided into five parts under the labels Sustainability, Tolerance, Knowledge (1+1), Coolture and Science (Reação Espontânea). Roughly 10 minutes in, you can tune in to watch 1+1 under the label Knowledge. Reação Espontânea closes the show 20 minutes in, just after Mau Maria, under the label Science. I’ll be posting detailed updates with in-depth info on all the episodes that have aired so far. For those of you who haven’t seen them yet, you can find the links on the RTP section of my online portfolio, or just by clicking on one of these links: Magneto Episode 1; Magneto Episode 2. Unfortunately, RTP doesn’t post links for the shows independently so the best I can do is link you to Magneto’s video podcast and remind you that 1+1 begins at about 10 minutes in, and Reação Espontânea at 20 minutes. And now something completely different Zut Alors! That’s right, I’ve decided to freshen-up on my French and I’ve just finished a three week intensive course in Front Desk French. Basically it’s a business level French course that focuses on vocabulary for people who are looking for work in customer service. Not necessarily my area of expertise, but it was a good way to get me talking in French, something that I haven’t done out loud in a while. I finished the course top of my class with an A. Yay, for me. My classmates were great and I really feel that I’ve learned a lot over those three weeks. Will I get to put it into practice? Who knows, I might just pack my bags and fly off to Paris, Lyon or Marseille in the next couple of weeks. My future is now, like never before, utterly unpredictable. Remember to check out this page for any further updates, until then, à bientôt! You were probably expecting me to post a few updates over the last couple of weeks. The truth is I didn’t have much to say other than both Reação Espontânea and 1+1’s episodes have been delivered and are now just waiting for their air date to be green lit.
There were a few i’s that needed to be dotted and a couple of t’s to cross, but they were mostly just technical issues that you need not bother with. Both shows are due to air in February. I will inform you of their respective air dates as soon as they’re officially confirmed. Until then I suggest you check out their facebook pages (1+1 & Reação Espontânea) for any extra information. One giant leap It’s always hard to find the right words to express how you feel after a contract ends and you find yourself back on the market ready to start all over again. I’ve dedicated the last year to Academia RTP and I can’t help but feel a deep sense of accomplishment after seeing my work completed and ready to go out into the world. I believe congratulations are in order on a job well done. I couldn’t have done it without my team of colleagues and friends who accompanied me from the very start of this adventure. From the very beginning with Conta-me Estórias pilot episode to the finalized versions of Reação Espontânea and 1+1, it would’ve been an impossible and lonely journey without their help and commitment. Now, as I close this chapter, I look back with fondness to all the good moments on and off set that this experience has brought me. As I once more venture out into the world I do so knowing that this last year was a great leap forward on my never-ending journey. However, no matter how long this leap was, there’s still a long way ahead of me and I couldn’t be more thrilled to find out what the next step is going to be. Back to the drawing board Since I’ve reached the end of my contract with Academia RTP, I am now on the lookout for the next job opportunity. As I’ve stated in my profile, I am currently looking for a position in Science Communication, film directing and editing or Media Relations. I will be analyzing any new job offers over the next few weeks. If you are interested you can get in touch with me through the Contact Me page. You can do so either by filling out the form or by sending me an e-mail to [email protected]. You can find my phone, facebook, twitter and LinkedIn information on the same page or in the banner of this portfolio. In the meanwhile I’ll be focusing on some personal projects. For any new updates don’t forget to check out this section. I’ll be posting any new relevant information, so keep an eye out for any new updates to this page. |
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