Fondue at home

Yesterday, a couple of friends came home and we had Fondue. Pretty good.

Pedro and Asia (my housemates) bought the whole set and we had to give it a first try. I’m sure we’ll have more intense cheese dipping sessions from today on.

Next time i’d rather go for a chocolate with fruits fondue, which i find more tasty

The Car thing is long gone by now. Life doesnt stop and we gotta keep on with a smile on the face and good and positive hopes for the upcomming future ahead of us.

As the main name of this blog says: It’s all good

The Last Ride

As someone once said one picture says more than a thousand words…

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Las Barranquillas Car Deposit

In the afternoon after lunch, i went with my bro to the police station to start all the paperwork related with the car. The policeman that attended us was a bad ass cop. He complained about the procedures and the whole system around police reports concerning traffic tickets, stolen cars and burocracy in general. He had things clear and was at the end very helpful explaining clear and simply what the whole procedure was:

1.- Report the car stolen
2.- Get a call from the police station about the car being found
3.- Let the specialized police take fingerprints off the car
4.- Go get a special car in Colon (a place in Madrid) in order to be able to pick up the car to the car deposit where it was being kept during all the procedure
5.- Call the Insurance to make all the arrangements and go pick up the car to take it to a garage
6.- Report about the procedure being finished

Right now, we were in stage 2, and we’ll have to wait for 3. In the meantime, we went to check out the car to the car deposit. It was in the parking place 115. We started walking from number 35, which was the closest to the car deposit entrance. As we were walking and the numbers were going up, the car types started to change from “crash/bump” to “broken window,no wheels”, then “partially burned, totally burned”…And i started to think “This aint looking too promising”.

I recognized the car as soon as i saw it, although it was a bit changed: It no longer had the front part. The motor wasnt “taken away”, it had been more “torn apart” or “ripped out” from the car. The car engine was no longer there. It had been replaced for a big hole full of nothing. Empty. The missing parts of the front side of the van were inside the van. The engine key lock was also ripped apart together with the radio. Messy view…

I guess I was wrong. It wont be “a matter of time to have the car back rolling”. That car is dead. We’re just waiting for the insurance company to tell us how much will they give us for the rest of the metal that had been once a 2.0 Turbo diesel grey-blue Chrysler Van.

The Whole Engine

I was in the supermarket with some workmates, buying some stuff to have for breakfast this morning when my dad called.

 -Miguel, do you have the car?

-Yes, it’s in Alcalá

-…Wait a second Oficer…No…I mean, do you have it now?

-No, why?

-The car has been reported stolen. I’m talking with the police right now…

-Oh

-I’ll call you later

First thing that came to my mind: Shit, not again! What did they rob this time? Last year, in February, some people tried to stole the car. They broke in and couldnt take it with them, cos the starter engine was broken at that time (long story), so they left the car with a window broken and the engine key lock torn down in pieces. This time…i guess they made it. Maybe some other people… A few minutes later, i called back

-So, what happened?

-The police told me the car has been found in Entrevias (Southern Madrid)

-What did they rob? (My worst fear was that it was burned down in the middle of nowhere)

-The engine

-What? You mean, the whole motor?

-Yes. We have to go down to the police station and report the rob. Your brother Pablo is doing some research on the paperwork we have to do and the forms we’ll have to fill up.

-Alright. I’ll go home today.

The good thing is that the car has insurance, so i guess it’ll be a matter of time to have the car back rolling…but still…The whole engine!

Books books books

Today I finished reading “1984″ from George Orwell. Pretty interesting book i recommend everyone to read.

How much can a person read in a day? If we think about it we are constantly reading. We read signs 24/7, in highways, public transport, commercials…

I’ve been adding a bit more reading to my daily dosis. I’ve been reading more than the average (or at least more than before). Different subjects (Literature, Linux, Computer architecture…) and in different medias (tv,computer,paper…)
I’ve realised there are TONS of books out there. Any subject you can think of, there are at least 10 books about it. Name one, you got it. How much time does it take to write a book? I dont know really, but it mustnt be so difficult as I’m finding 100-400 pages online books every day. All interesting. I wanna read ‘em all!

Im tired. My eyes are tired. And right now, all i’m looking for is a good program that will read out loud the texts for me. Anyone knows a good one?

Time

Time, also known as one of the most ancient worries of humanity. It’s been already written so much stuff about this, how many authors feel, how they see life, how their points of view change…and it’s happening to me now.

Time flies by pretty quickly and people grow up. I’m not 18 anymore and despite i feel i’m still young and unexperienced in many fields of life, still there are a lot of things to do “before i’m old”, there are little signs around me that remind me i wont get any younger. Still, i have an optimistic view the future ahead.

A friend of mine just called and he’s getting married soon. That’s the 2nd of my group of close friends. Yep. Another already had a baby a year ago, people start buying houses… One no longer get a birthday party invitation, now it’s a wedding one. Talk about fiancés, work, house payments, people open you doors and call you mister…

I like to think that i’m introducing myself little by little. Smoothly into a new stage. Is not that i dont want to or i’m insecure about it, but Im having such a great time with my life now…who would like to change it ? Not me. As long as I’m confortable with who i am, where i am and what i’m doing, i’ll keep on with my lifestyle.

I keep changing every year, of course. There are certain adjustments in myself as time pass by. I’d say that i dont get wiser, but more aware of the things, and i have to confess something inside me has started changing. Not a big change still, but i’m starting to look for something different. Something similar, something that suits my way of being, thinking…Sometimes i’m more aware of those changes myself, others, i’m just so busy and enjoying so much what i’m doing, i just let myself go with the flow, dont think that much about the future and taste the moment.

Tasting small bites of reality. Little by little. Enjoying life and the happyness of today…Congrats Chema!

A different Dinner

Its sunday and im home late.

Today i went to have dinner at the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Madrid with a friend of mine who invited me. How nice. Thanks Abdallah.

It was definedly a “different” dinner. Its now Ramadam month as many of you might already know, and it was a typical dinner. Nothing fancy. In fact, i had dinner with the embassy’s staff in a simple room, sitting on the floor and enjoying the food. Definedly a different experience.

I didnt eat anythin today. Nor drank anything either. It was a bit hard, cos i woke up this morning at 7h30 and I was working on my dad’s office all day long. The worst time was at 14h30, then, everything went just fine and time flew by pretty quickly.
Its not the first time i do this. In fact, ive done it everytime I have been invited to my sirian friend’s house. Every year  I do it one day more than the last.

Feels good and is not as hard as one might think before trying it.

Salam Malikum

Chop Chop…

Today is Thursday, that means 4 days since i started working last monday.

Its not really a job, just a part time thing im doing in the mornings to get a bit of taste of what working-life is all about. 4h a day. Not much i know, but my main goal now is get over with the Uni. As long as this work doesnt take me too much time and as long as i dont feel unconfortable, i’ll keep on with it. Its not a lot of money either. Im doing it for the experience.

This morning was crazy. The train power line was down for a couple of mins in the most crowded time of the day. Rush hour here can become hell if there are not enough trains to take all the people to their workplaces. I thought there were a lot of people these past days when i was coming to work, but nothing compared with today’s situation. The train was packed. Full. Completo. People were pushing themselves to get one more person inside. Many people had to stay in the platform. It’s impossible to fit all the people that are supposed to get in 2 trains in just one. Today was the proof of that.

Inevitably, i thought about Japan. Rush hour like today. Everyday. Even if there are more trains or subways, the people are still too many to handle. Like the attack to Zion. Do you remember when all the machines got into the city? It was no longer “a lot of machines together”, it became like “one big river of machines”. You no longer could clearly distinguish a single machine. It was like one big river and the machines were waterdrops.

Well, the same thing in the mornings. People just walk in sort of waterstreams. Its very difficult to change the direction once the group has decided where to go. Which exit, which scalator…Once is set, you can just follow, being carefull of not crashing with some crazy that decided to change his way without asking the rest.

I will try to get and learn as much as i can these days. At work, in the uni, in life. So far…ITS ALL GOOD!

Morocco Trip

Its been a week now, but i still remember the sounds and smells of Morocco.

It was a very nice trip. A different one. Different from the last ones: I went with more than one person and also in a different way of travelling, all expenses paid; A travel-pack people on their 60s tend to take. Easy, organized, scheduled, planned…less fun from my point of view, but still interesting. It wasnt the first time i took one, it wont be the last.

My brother came on the 6 am bus from Madrid and met my cousin,sis and me in Plaza de Cataluña, Barcelona, where we had spent the last 2 days. We flew to Marrakesh and started our trip. Marrakesh was good. We visited the city by ourselves in the afternoon we arrived and then all day the following day with a guide and the rest of the group. It was good. Apparently the traffic was a chaos, but i didnt see a single accident. I guess respect and common sense is the key when driving and walking around.

We went to Ouzazate, a bit on the south. The hotel we were staying in was full of retired french people, the worst ones when it comes to eat with them in a “free-buffet” dinner. Next stop: Erfourt. The gates of the desert. The Sahara. That was the best part of the trip. We went on a 4WD through vasts red-sand-no-roads landscape. Awesome. But nothing compare to what was yet to arrive: The dunes. As far as your sight could go. Small, medium and huge. All red. All beautiful. Like nothing seen before. We played around, jumped, crowled, rolled…The desert can be a cool playground! We stayed up till 2, then went to a “jaima”, like a touareg tent just for a couple of hours sleep. At 6 am, up again to see the sunrise.

The sunrise in the desert was like the first time someone has sex: Loads of exp

ectations but at the end it was rather unconfortable: Sand in your eyes, windy, the clouds don’t really let you see the sight, only 3 hours of sleep…At the end, its one more experience. Not as good as you expected but not as bad as you thought back then. It was ok. I liked it.

We went from Erfourt to Fes. That’s a city that seen from up above looks like a dead place, but it’s just because all the people, all the markets are hidden between the narrow streets. We got into the Medina (the old city). A labrinth of smell, noises, people bargain, working, talking…non-stop activity anywhere you looked at. We went to the top of a 5 floor building and saw how people worked with the leather on the yard next to it. Awful smell. Brutally intense. It got inside your brain and stayed there for a long time.

The last days passed by pretty quickly. Mekness, Rabat and Casablanca. Ok cities. Although we couldnt really see them and enjoy them as much as i’d liked to, i thought the things we saw were good.

Once back to Madrid (with a stop in Barcelona again), the balance was 3 down and 1 ok. All except me experienced different ways of unconfortableness related with the stomach. As a friend wrote me, the reason why i didnt have any digestive problems might had been closely related with the massive piece of pork meat i had in a german restaurant in Barcelona the day before we started the trip. The walls of my stomach were covered with grease to support anything!

Busy Bee

How should I start…It’s been a crazy week and i have had SO much fun. Non-stop living. That’s how i like it baby!

I’ve been busy as a bee in the past 6 days:

Monday: 7h sleep. I worked all morning on a Uni research about transmission failures between two modems. Interesting but a lot of time-taking.In the afternoon 2 friends from HC came to Alcala for a drink and i showed them around a bit. Good relaxed tour around a nice little town. Clean up after Morocco trip,Laundry,eMailing,Photos Upload.

Tuesday:6h sleep. Again worked all morning as yesterday in the Uni. Bought some shoes,a HardDrive for my father, Cleaned up the room,more emailing, more Morocco set up. I went to class in the afternoon and in the evening I went to have dinner with my cousin,bro,sis to a friend’s house in Madrid whom we met in Morocco. We talked about the trip, I cooked paella and brownies. Yummy!

Wednesday:6h sleep.Keep on trying to get over my things-to-be-done list. Bought some shoes, lunch with John from HC. This guy is amazing!. Went to Uni class in the afternoon and then to my cousin’s place to have dinner. She’s living with a guy right now and they are both diplomats. They’re renting an awesome-breathtaking huge place in the middle of Madrid city center. They have pictures of kings and other important people hanging on the walls, stearing at you while you are in the room. Very high class house. I wonder if they ever have hamburgers there or enjoy a pizza while watching the TV…Oh, wait a sec, I think they didnt have one.

Thursday:6h sleep.I still have to find time to do a post on Morocco’s trip.Uni class. HC people John (23.American.Thin.Quite an interesting guy) and his girlfriend Maria (24 (?).German.Long brown hair) came for dinner and then we went out dancing with some other friends to Gabanna, “the-place-to-go” in Alcala if you are on your Erasmus year. I’ve never seen so many crazy dancers together in the same dance floor. Great.Bed at 3.

Friday: 5h sleep. Went to the Uni to do some paperwork. Lunch at home with John and Asia (my housemate). Class. Bought some stuff. Went back to my parent’s to say farewell to my japanese cousin Hiroko who was here in Spain visiting us for a month. We had dinner at an italian restaurant. Back home late, sunday’s lunch cook and internet till 3.

Saturday:Up at 7. We went hiking for 6-7h in Madrid’s mountains with my housemates and some friends. Nice views, better company,tons of pictures and loads of fun. Back to alcala at 18h30. A friend picked me up at night and went together to have dinner with old uni friends. Lives updates,ha-ha-ha,yari yari yari. Back in alcala, we went to “El casco Antiguo”, another disco-pub in Alcala. Salsa,hiphop,spanish music,dance.Drink drink drink. I ended up at 6 at home. Not drunk but tired (although i wasnt feeling tired, i knew i was)

Sunday: Woke up at 11.Shower and no breakfast: Im celebrating a single ramadam day cos i was invited to this sirian friend of mine’s place to have a ramadam dinner tonite. I have a “free and easy sunday morning” to update the blog, clean up a bit the room, do a laundry and end up the Morocco trip post in which i’ve been working on all this week in the little bits of time i had left. In the afternoon I’ll take a french friend who came this year as an Erasmus to the bus station cos she’s leaving (oooohh) and then meet up with a Rafa to go together to have dinner at Abdullah’s place. Seems like fun and i’m looking forward for tonite.

How should i start…It’s been a crazy week and I have had so much fun. Non-stop living. That’s how i like it baby!

Its been an intese week. So much that i havent had time to post anything. Still have tons of things to take care of, loads of books to read and a bunch of other stuff i left undone last week. Tomorrow i’ll start a new job in LaCaixa’s helpdesk. Easy 4 hours job in the computer’s department of a bank. Looking forward for that.

Next post: Morocco trip :

Back Home

Im back after a neverending vacation… NEWS:

1.-I passed the exam I did in september.Wohoo! . This means I passed 5 subjects, which is not bad at all

2.-I am working in a scholarship about a modem for which i’ll get paid. I like it and it’s easy. Wohoo!

3.-I’ll start working 4 hours a day from next Monday. I wont get much time and will have to wake up early, but i will walk my talk, which is important for me. Wohoo!

4.-Im happy.