Hello bloggers.
The reason why I hadn´t posted anything on the last week is because nothing really interesting or funny had happened. Well, some things happened, like one of my flat mates is leaving the house. I also bought a TDT receiver card, in fact I bought two. last saturday I went to mediamark, an electronics shop just to see. Or at least that was my intention. But sometimes I can´t control myself and so I bought a USB TDT receiver. The TV signal on my bedroom is far from good, that´s why If I bought a TDT card I could receive TV signals with the best quality with my dodgie antena. The problem was the card was broken on a few days, so I went back to the shop on friday to take it back buying another one (I mean I didn´t buy the same brand, I bought a different (and much better) one). When I gave the box with the card to the shop assistant she opened it and checked there was everything there. She said it was Ok and gave me back my money. When I came back home I noticed I´d forgotten the remote at home. If anybody needs a Pinnacle 60e Remote Control I have one and no use for it.
As you know I´m working at Repsol IT office at trescantos. It means 45 minutes from home, using tube for 5 min. and then the train. It doesn´t sound horrible, except for today I needed almost 2 hours to get to trescantos. It seems there´s an unofficial strike of train drivers. Although the official one they had two weeks ago was finished, they´re still moving on. So the morning train was missing and I had to wait 30 minutes on the station. Then it came, and of course it was crowded with all the people who couldn´t catch the missing one and the people who normally uses next. But it wasn´t all that happened, after 20 minutes the train stopped on a station and the lights got off, it seemed the engine was stopped, at least I couldn´t hear it. After a while it started again, and began to move. The driver announced the train will stop at trescantos and nothing more, lucky me. I feel sorry for the people who wanted to go to colmenar as they´d had a bigger delay than I did.
After that I read the free newspaper they give you at stations, we have some in Madrid. It´s like at London, except nobody leaves it on the trains, wich means if you can´t pick it on the station there´s no other chance. I´m not sure if it´s rude or not to leave newspapers on the trains, as it might be considered as trash, but I remember picking it from the seat and being happy for somebody to have been dirty.
Anyway, I read on it that train drivers are using tricks to be on strike. They aren´t supposed to be, but they get late to the trains or even say they can´t start moving the train because there´s first aid boxes missing, or they have mechanical problems. The joke is the company believes the boxes are dissapearing as soon as they put them on their places, so it seems drivers are stealing them to have an excuse not to start moving the trains. Funny, isn´t it?
Well, I´ll continue the story, and I´m sure I´ll have some new train tales to tell you soon.
Cheers and farewell.
Manoel.
PS: Have you notices I put a banner with the weather near my house? I´m not sure you´ll like it, but then I can see my local weather just checking my own blog.
Monday, November 14, 2005
Saturday, November 05, 2005
And so on...
Hi fellows.
It´s the 6th day and we still have the princess on our TVs. It seems the country is anxious about seeing her face. Unexpectedly it wasn´t allowed to show the baby born princess, and still we wait (well, I´m not really interested). Usually I read the newspapers on the internet, and ocasionally I watch the news on TV after the Simpsons during the weekends. I don´t know what are they waiting for, and I have my own guess about the reasons. Either she´s too ugly and she´s taking surgery, or they´re waiting for the country to enjoy a little about it before they get too bored and listen to the last real important news, at that moment they´ll show her so they can forget real issues.
While the country is rejoycing with the new royal birth, there´s some other things happening. The miner´s strike, the "estatut", unemployment, etc... So it looks like a strategy from any smart gobernment, it´s like football or religion quoting Marx.
This week has been a week of pain, I´ve been a bit ill. I had kind of a cold and also I had the brilliant idea of playing a football match on wednesday as ill as I was. As a result I can´t breath properly, I cough and I had the last two days horrible aches on all my body as a result of running after a year of not doing any excercise. In the past I made a lot of sport, I went to gyms, play indoor football, basketball and swin, but since I came to Madrid I didn´t have enough time, energy and also I didn´t feel like doing any. So that´s why I decided to play the match. I also have bad knees, and I shouldn´t play football, my mum would be ashamed. But the most strange thing and also annoying is a feeling I´ve got on my left hand. I have what we call in Spanish "hormigueo" (I could translate it like ant-feeling) and also my senses seems to be shorter, I mean, I can´t feel temperature, pain with my left hand as with the right one. After some research I discovered it can be a compressed nerve, and it also said to go to the doctor inmediatly. I´ll do it this afternoon as it´s an annoying feeling, or better to say not feeling. But don´t be too worried as it also said it´s not really important.
On other hand I´ll move to my new location on Monday. My confortable life working at 15 minutes from my house is at it´s end. Next place will be at an hour from here and also means taking trains and buses again. I hope at least it´ll be a confortable trip. In some ways I´d like it, as I miss reading books on the tube, and also I miss watching people.
About underground, the last news are about security. There was an increase on attacks to people and security officers. The new measure includes 20 trained dogs. So the new Madrid´s tube will have dogs included. I like german shepperds, so I hope I´ll see them. I would like to touch them, but I´m not sure they´ll allow me.
Well, see you soon. I´ll tell you about my hand.
Cheers, farewell and have a nice weekend.
Manoel.
PS: Gracias por leerme Josito, estoy en Madrid, ahora trabajaré en Repsol. Mándame un emilio, please, de paso la dirección de Alfonso.
It´s the 6th day and we still have the princess on our TVs. It seems the country is anxious about seeing her face. Unexpectedly it wasn´t allowed to show the baby born princess, and still we wait (well, I´m not really interested). Usually I read the newspapers on the internet, and ocasionally I watch the news on TV after the Simpsons during the weekends. I don´t know what are they waiting for, and I have my own guess about the reasons. Either she´s too ugly and she´s taking surgery, or they´re waiting for the country to enjoy a little about it before they get too bored and listen to the last real important news, at that moment they´ll show her so they can forget real issues.
While the country is rejoycing with the new royal birth, there´s some other things happening. The miner´s strike, the "estatut", unemployment, etc... So it looks like a strategy from any smart gobernment, it´s like football or religion quoting Marx.
This week has been a week of pain, I´ve been a bit ill. I had kind of a cold and also I had the brilliant idea of playing a football match on wednesday as ill as I was. As a result I can´t breath properly, I cough and I had the last two days horrible aches on all my body as a result of running after a year of not doing any excercise. In the past I made a lot of sport, I went to gyms, play indoor football, basketball and swin, but since I came to Madrid I didn´t have enough time, energy and also I didn´t feel like doing any. So that´s why I decided to play the match. I also have bad knees, and I shouldn´t play football, my mum would be ashamed. But the most strange thing and also annoying is a feeling I´ve got on my left hand. I have what we call in Spanish "hormigueo" (I could translate it like ant-feeling) and also my senses seems to be shorter, I mean, I can´t feel temperature, pain with my left hand as with the right one. After some research I discovered it can be a compressed nerve, and it also said to go to the doctor inmediatly. I´ll do it this afternoon as it´s an annoying feeling, or better to say not feeling. But don´t be too worried as it also said it´s not really important.
On other hand I´ll move to my new location on Monday. My confortable life working at 15 minutes from my house is at it´s end. Next place will be at an hour from here and also means taking trains and buses again. I hope at least it´ll be a confortable trip. In some ways I´d like it, as I miss reading books on the tube, and also I miss watching people.
About underground, the last news are about security. There was an increase on attacks to people and security officers. The new measure includes 20 trained dogs. So the new Madrid´s tube will have dogs included. I like german shepperds, so I hope I´ll see them. I would like to touch them, but I´m not sure they´ll allow me.
Well, see you soon. I´ll tell you about my hand.
Cheers, farewell and have a nice weekend.
Manoel.
PS: Gracias por leerme Josito, estoy en Madrid, ahora trabajaré en Repsol. Mándame un emilio, please, de paso la dirección de Alfonso.
Monday, October 31, 2005
It´s a Girl
Hi fellow Bloggers.
When I woke up this morning I was surprised with the most recent news. The Prince Felipe´s daughter has born. I don´t really give a damm ... with that kind of news but, as she is a girl, that means she won´t be king unless our constitution is changed (I mean, if the royal couple brings a boy to live after her). The Salic law is written on our constitution giving priority to boys over girls. So everybody is talking about changing that article of the constitution, wich means a long proccess. First the disolution of the "Cortes", then elections, and last a Referendum asking Spaniards if they want to be changed.
Of course everybody started to show their oppinion this morning. I heard a lot of times "of course it has to be changed, is anacronic with the era we live in". I think there´s something contradictory on that, because the first anacronism is that we have kings. I´m not sure they´ll want to ask on referendum what people wants, and I´m sure they´ll just ask about the salic law. I´m afraid they fear we could vote for a Republic.
Yesterday I´ve been on the Madrid "rastro" wich is a street market like Camdem Town. When I was at England a friend of mine told me he went to Camdem Town and thought it wasn´t like Madrid´s, in fact he said Madrid´s was much better. Now I know both and I can say how proud we are of our own. The "Rastro" is just people selling crap on the street, and I really mean crap. Apart from those who sell clothes, like on any town in Spain and Portugal, the speciality is people who sell anything they found on their homes and don´t want to have anymore, that could sound nice, like the boot sells at England countryside. But the impression I´ve got is they went into an abandoned house to get all they could find, and also some of them seemed to have gone into a dump. So it wasn´t like you could fine nice furniture or music instruments very cheap.
On the other hand I always heard about a special side of the market where they sell electronics. Digital cameras, mobile phones, PC components, ... All of them from a doubtful origin. I´ve also been told you cold be stolen your mobile and minutes after seeing it on a stand to be sold. This time the market was full of police, and that branch wasn´t there, it isn´t very nice from the police to wait for me to go to the market, at least I wanted to see it. Damm them!.
But there were two guys selling blank CDs and DVDs. They were very cheap so I bought some. The first one was the cheapest, and also he had some more stuff to sell, like VHSs, Tapes, Batteries, and strangely Condoms. Well, I´m kind of an IT freak, and I know a lot of real IT freaks, and the last thing we need (I said need, not want) is condoms. An IT freak doesn´t couple that much. I can´t imagine an IT freak buing 100 blank DVDs and also a condom box, it´s like he´s going to have a nice night, but doing what? Downloading porn films to be burned on those DVDs, no use for the condoms. I believe it´s like on drug stores, when you buy an aspirine box and with a lower voice you ask for a condom box. This time the freak goes shouting "I want a box of condoms..." and then lower "... and give me those 100 DVDs, please."
On our way back we saw a X film cinema. I thought they had disapeard on those internet times, but it seems they haven´t. Well I never saw the use for a X film cinema. I know I´m being dirty today, but I don´t like the idea of watching a porn film surrounded by men watching a porn film. We all know what porn films are made for. I guess some men come to see the other men, ... On the other hand I saw a most disgusting thing, I saw a really old man entering the theater, I coulnd´t say more than "AGHHHHHH!!!" when I saw it.
Well, my greetings to the royal family, and also to those republicans who see on the little born princess an oportunity.
See you soon. Farewell.
Manoel.
When I woke up this morning I was surprised with the most recent news. The Prince Felipe´s daughter has born. I don´t really give a damm ... with that kind of news but, as she is a girl, that means she won´t be king unless our constitution is changed (I mean, if the royal couple brings a boy to live after her). The Salic law is written on our constitution giving priority to boys over girls. So everybody is talking about changing that article of the constitution, wich means a long proccess. First the disolution of the "Cortes", then elections, and last a Referendum asking Spaniards if they want to be changed.
Of course everybody started to show their oppinion this morning. I heard a lot of times "of course it has to be changed, is anacronic with the era we live in". I think there´s something contradictory on that, because the first anacronism is that we have kings. I´m not sure they´ll want to ask on referendum what people wants, and I´m sure they´ll just ask about the salic law. I´m afraid they fear we could vote for a Republic.
Yesterday I´ve been on the Madrid "rastro" wich is a street market like Camdem Town. When I was at England a friend of mine told me he went to Camdem Town and thought it wasn´t like Madrid´s, in fact he said Madrid´s was much better. Now I know both and I can say how proud we are of our own. The "Rastro" is just people selling crap on the street, and I really mean crap. Apart from those who sell clothes, like on any town in Spain and Portugal, the speciality is people who sell anything they found on their homes and don´t want to have anymore, that could sound nice, like the boot sells at England countryside. But the impression I´ve got is they went into an abandoned house to get all they could find, and also some of them seemed to have gone into a dump. So it wasn´t like you could fine nice furniture or music instruments very cheap.
On the other hand I always heard about a special side of the market where they sell electronics. Digital cameras, mobile phones, PC components, ... All of them from a doubtful origin. I´ve also been told you cold be stolen your mobile and minutes after seeing it on a stand to be sold. This time the market was full of police, and that branch wasn´t there, it isn´t very nice from the police to wait for me to go to the market, at least I wanted to see it. Damm them!.
But there were two guys selling blank CDs and DVDs. They were very cheap so I bought some. The first one was the cheapest, and also he had some more stuff to sell, like VHSs, Tapes, Batteries, and strangely Condoms. Well, I´m kind of an IT freak, and I know a lot of real IT freaks, and the last thing we need (I said need, not want) is condoms. An IT freak doesn´t couple that much. I can´t imagine an IT freak buing 100 blank DVDs and also a condom box, it´s like he´s going to have a nice night, but doing what? Downloading porn films to be burned on those DVDs, no use for the condoms. I believe it´s like on drug stores, when you buy an aspirine box and with a lower voice you ask for a condom box. This time the freak goes shouting "I want a box of condoms..." and then lower "... and give me those 100 DVDs, please."
On our way back we saw a X film cinema. I thought they had disapeard on those internet times, but it seems they haven´t. Well I never saw the use for a X film cinema. I know I´m being dirty today, but I don´t like the idea of watching a porn film surrounded by men watching a porn film. We all know what porn films are made for. I guess some men come to see the other men, ... On the other hand I saw a most disgusting thing, I saw a really old man entering the theater, I coulnd´t say more than "AGHHHHHH!!!" when I saw it.
Well, my greetings to the royal family, and also to those republicans who see on the little born princess an oportunity.
See you soon. Farewell.
Manoel.
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
The lazy bastard
Hi fellow bloggers.
I´m not sure you´re still there. It´s a long time since the last post, and I´m afraid to say it was totally my fault. I hope you still come back some time to check if I had written and you didn´t lose the hope to read something. Sorry.
As you know I´ve been unemployed for the last two weeks. It was a time for relaxing and francly doing nothing but watching movies and eating sunflower seeds (I love them). I also went to Pontevedra to see my family and friends. I also had a chance to see how little changed is my old town. I went by plane, and this time it wasn´t a quiet flight, we had turbulences and also a problem when we reach Galicia. It was cloudy, and the pilot began descending, I´m used to it, I usually play a computer game called Flight Simultator so I`m familiar with the process. The problem was the altitude wasn´t as indicated on the panel (I know that because of the game) and sudenly a mountain appear on sight. I could hear the roar of the engines and felt we were going upwards faster than normal, but not enough for the rest of the passengers to notice. As I said I know how piloting works (at least a little) and I could notice something was going wrong, but not really wrong I mean, I´m sure it´s perfectly normal, it was just another event on my flying career.
I started my new job, and I´m quite happy as everything seems to go better. I´m not too hopeful to be prepared for the worst to happen. I know I sound a bit pesimistic, but unfortunatly life has kicked me a bit not long ago, so I´m just preparing my bottom just in case. I´m going to work for Repsol (well, my company does, and as a result so do I), wich is an oil company, I´m not hopeful to get petrol discounts, and also I don´t have a car, but it would be nice.
I don´t like talking about politics, specially because I don´t belive on it, it´s kind of a religion. And also my fellow blogger and friend Colin does write about the last Spanish politics affairs. So I don´t feel in the need to. But you might want to know my opinion about the latest Catalonian and "estatuto". Well, I have an oppinion, but Ì´m sure it has nothing to do with the Catalonians, PSOE or PP (Political Parties). Everything´s a mess, they play with words as the people doesn´t really understand the real meaning of all. They use the words "nation", "nation of nations", "autonomía", and some others as it they didn´t have a proper meaning. I thought we had a rich language, but it seems nobody knows it, I wander if they have a dictionary to check the definition of them all. The purpose is we believe what they want us to believe, if it´s the Catalonias who´s speaking they´ll try to convince us they have rights, they deserve more. If it´s the actual gobernment (PSOE), and specially if it´s our president who´s talking, they´ll try to make us believe nothing really is happening, and they´l try to convince both, the catalonians, and the rest of Spain, that nothing´s going to change except if it´s going to be better for everybody. If it´s the PP, the opposition party, they´ll talk about the fall and ruin of the constitution and the Spanish nation. One doesn´t know what to believe, so I just think everything is a big lie sweetened with honey words. Nothing is going to change, as it always does in terms of politics.
On other hand, we have the chicken flew, wich has been a big issue for the last two weeks. Day after day, another chicken, parrot, goose or whatever is found dead with simptoms of the flu. No man has died from direct contagion from another man, and yet just 2 guys died from it (I´m not sure about the real numbers, but I know it was just a few). And also there´s not evidence about a muted flu virus. There´s also the fact we don´t have a vacine for the virus, it´s perfectly logic, as there´s no virus at all yet. But European governments are expending a lot of money and time on the case, buying antivirals and convincing us to be afraid of nothing. I´m not sure it´s not another trick so we can forget about the European constitution catastrophe or the Catalonian "estatut". I´m quite a scientist, or at least I consider myself as one, and I play with evidence; by the time there´s none to be alarmed. If something really happens I won´t be surprised by the chaos.
I can´t promise to write every week, but I´ll try. blessings, farewells and my best wishes and thoughts for all you.
Manoel.
I´m not sure you´re still there. It´s a long time since the last post, and I´m afraid to say it was totally my fault. I hope you still come back some time to check if I had written and you didn´t lose the hope to read something. Sorry.
As you know I´ve been unemployed for the last two weeks. It was a time for relaxing and francly doing nothing but watching movies and eating sunflower seeds (I love them). I also went to Pontevedra to see my family and friends. I also had a chance to see how little changed is my old town. I went by plane, and this time it wasn´t a quiet flight, we had turbulences and also a problem when we reach Galicia. It was cloudy, and the pilot began descending, I´m used to it, I usually play a computer game called Flight Simultator so I`m familiar with the process. The problem was the altitude wasn´t as indicated on the panel (I know that because of the game) and sudenly a mountain appear on sight. I could hear the roar of the engines and felt we were going upwards faster than normal, but not enough for the rest of the passengers to notice. As I said I know how piloting works (at least a little) and I could notice something was going wrong, but not really wrong I mean, I´m sure it´s perfectly normal, it was just another event on my flying career.
I started my new job, and I´m quite happy as everything seems to go better. I´m not too hopeful to be prepared for the worst to happen. I know I sound a bit pesimistic, but unfortunatly life has kicked me a bit not long ago, so I´m just preparing my bottom just in case. I´m going to work for Repsol (well, my company does, and as a result so do I), wich is an oil company, I´m not hopeful to get petrol discounts, and also I don´t have a car, but it would be nice.
I don´t like talking about politics, specially because I don´t belive on it, it´s kind of a religion. And also my fellow blogger and friend Colin does write about the last Spanish politics affairs. So I don´t feel in the need to. But you might want to know my opinion about the latest Catalonian and "estatuto". Well, I have an oppinion, but Ì´m sure it has nothing to do with the Catalonians, PSOE or PP (Political Parties). Everything´s a mess, they play with words as the people doesn´t really understand the real meaning of all. They use the words "nation", "nation of nations", "autonomía", and some others as it they didn´t have a proper meaning. I thought we had a rich language, but it seems nobody knows it, I wander if they have a dictionary to check the definition of them all. The purpose is we believe what they want us to believe, if it´s the Catalonias who´s speaking they´ll try to convince us they have rights, they deserve more. If it´s the actual gobernment (PSOE), and specially if it´s our president who´s talking, they´ll try to make us believe nothing really is happening, and they´l try to convince both, the catalonians, and the rest of Spain, that nothing´s going to change except if it´s going to be better for everybody. If it´s the PP, the opposition party, they´ll talk about the fall and ruin of the constitution and the Spanish nation. One doesn´t know what to believe, so I just think everything is a big lie sweetened with honey words. Nothing is going to change, as it always does in terms of politics.
On other hand, we have the chicken flew, wich has been a big issue for the last two weeks. Day after day, another chicken, parrot, goose or whatever is found dead with simptoms of the flu. No man has died from direct contagion from another man, and yet just 2 guys died from it (I´m not sure about the real numbers, but I know it was just a few). And also there´s not evidence about a muted flu virus. There´s also the fact we don´t have a vacine for the virus, it´s perfectly logic, as there´s no virus at all yet. But European governments are expending a lot of money and time on the case, buying antivirals and convincing us to be afraid of nothing. I´m not sure it´s not another trick so we can forget about the European constitution catastrophe or the Catalonian "estatut". I´m quite a scientist, or at least I consider myself as one, and I play with evidence; by the time there´s none to be alarmed. If something really happens I won´t be surprised by the chaos.
I can´t promise to write every week, but I´ll try. blessings, farewells and my best wishes and thoughts for all you.
Manoel.
Sunday, October 09, 2005
"Volver a empezar"
Hi bloggers.
For those who can´t read Spanish or don´t know that was the title of a Spanish old film wich won an oscar I´ll translate it as "Begin the Beguine".
I choose the title as I´m starting again a new job. I could seem I can´t long on any job s I get tired and bored of doing the same thing again and again. You could also think as the England thing is finished I don´t see the point on staying with my old company. I´d be lying if I say it hasn´t has a bit of thruth, but the main reason is far from being my fault.
I´ve spend the last 4 days enjoying myself, and being sick (I have a cold). I´m unemployed at the moment, wich doesn´t mean I don´t have a job but I´ll start the new one on a week and a half. But at this time I´m making the unemployment list bigger (I feel sorry for Mr. Zapatero, our president, well I don´t feel really sorry). It´s not my own idea to leave my old job that soon, well, it was my decission to resign, and I did it on wednesday, but I didn´t want to leave the office so soon. Normally you have to tell you´re leaving 15 days before, sometimes it´s even more than 15 days, as they count as laboral days, so it´s three weeks. But they didn´t want me to stay in the office if I was leaving.
Let me tell you what have taken me to resign. Of course you´ll only get my point of view.
First of all let me describe how things went at England. I had a very good time and also a very bad time. As I talked with one of the only good bosses I had at my last company he told me he believes it was a mistake to send me to England without enough knowledge on both the job and the environment. I totally agree with him, except for the job knowledge. The office at the Abbey National bank it´s a viper´s nest. The banking offices are always full of bastards, because they had worked there for ages, and they see new people coming who would take their jobs as they have more IT knowledge and ambition. They are used not to work too hard, and when it seems the projects aren´t coming on time they normally accuse somebody else of their own faults. That happened to me, and also got as the main head to blame for any problem, I was the last one to come. What I did to solve that was just work as hard as I could and finish everything on time so I couldn´t be blamed. But it seemed not to be enough. But everything was told behind my back. I only knew somebody was talking badly about me from a second hand, taking the possibility of defending myself far away.
There´s also the problems we had at hotels. I don´t know who to blame for that, I believe it´s a mixture of both the hotel managers, my company and the travel agancy. On Mondays we came back to the hotel at night from work to check-in. We were tired and just wanted to go the room and rest. But on every hotel we´d had problems with the payment. They always wanted us to pay in advance as they hadn´t received a fax with credit card number and permission to be charged for our rooms. On some hotels they said it didn´t matter and everything would be solved on next days. On some others I had to argue for a long time before they allowed us to go rest. But I always felt ashamed, as I was a beggar who asked for a free room, or was trying to cheat them.
The last England problem was related to social security. I discovered last Monday, after the event who make me take the decission to leave, my company hadn´t talked to the social security about us going to work on another EU country. They should have asked for a TA-200 form, fill it and give it back to the S.S. (Social Security, not the german´s), then they´ll give them another three forms, the E-101, E-102, E-103, to be filled and taken to us to be signed, giving us a copy. Of course they didn´t. We didn´t have any medical problem or accident at England, but we could´ve had, and it could happened to us that the english hospitals could´ve denied service, or charge us for any treatment. They also should´ve given us the European Medical Card, and didn´t.
The last thing that happened was the worst. I would like you to tell me if I was wrong or not. Monday was my first office day after England. I came to the office as if it was my first day at the company. I´d rather knew my co-workers. I expected a good wellcoming, but I wouldn´t be surprised without any. What I didn´t expect was the welcome of one of the bosses and also the one who offered me the England trip.
I was talking with the secretary at reception about money and he came to me. He shaked my hand and I was expecting him saying "How are you?", "How things went in England?", etc. but instead he asked me "Who gave you permission to go to Galicia?". Well, I was a bit surprised about the question, but didn´t bother too much because it was them who gave me the permission. But them he told me off about it. He was talking to me in front of the secretary and also in front of anyone who walked in the reception coming back from having a fagg or drinking a coke. He told me I was cheeky and implied I was lying to them. I couldn´t explain myself at that time as he didn´t stop talking. The last thing he said was a threat, he told me "We´ll seek a way for you to pay for the trips you made, we might discount it from your salary". That left me on a shock.
Let me explain to you what happened on a friday, when I was called to be told about the trip I was going to do next thrusday (Monday was holidays). The explained quite a few things about the trip, they said they didn´t know enough about it as they were unexperienced about that kind of things. But they told me about the money I was about to receive and the things I was allowed to do with the flights. They told me I could chose between staying at England with the hotel payed or travel. I asked them about the weekend flight and also if I could travel to Galicia instead Madrid. There were two people there, and both with power inside the company. They said I could do it, but I´d had to ask our client at the bank.
When I was at England I asked him, and he told me I could and also asked the travel agency for the flights. I wanted a direct flight to Galicia, but they didn´t want because it was more expensive than going to Madrid and then to Vigo. I didn´t bother as it wasn´t my own decission. But I didn´t know it could mean a difference for my company.
After being told off by that guy, I talked to another one, one who was present when I asked if I could go to Galicia, and he told me he remembered them giving me permission. But he also told me the problem was I´d taken to flights instead a direct one. I tried to explain him it wasn´t my fault and also it was because it was cheaper.
Afterwards I decided to leave the company and started seeking for a new job. It only took a day to have a new and better payed one.
The problem is I was told off in public, in my own way it shouldn´t have been like that. If you want to tell something to an employee take him apart to talk privatly, specially if you have to tell him off. And also, you should give him a chance to explain himself, or at least ask somebody else about the subject without pressuming guilt. He told me with different words I was a cheater, a lyier and a bad guy, and he told me in front of anybody.
I think I was right on being angry and leaving the company. Please tell me if I was wrong.
Anyway, I have a new and nicer job. Let´s hope everything goes fine.
Farewell.
Manoel.
For those who can´t read Spanish or don´t know that was the title of a Spanish old film wich won an oscar I´ll translate it as "Begin the Beguine".
I choose the title as I´m starting again a new job. I could seem I can´t long on any job s I get tired and bored of doing the same thing again and again. You could also think as the England thing is finished I don´t see the point on staying with my old company. I´d be lying if I say it hasn´t has a bit of thruth, but the main reason is far from being my fault.
I´ve spend the last 4 days enjoying myself, and being sick (I have a cold). I´m unemployed at the moment, wich doesn´t mean I don´t have a job but I´ll start the new one on a week and a half. But at this time I´m making the unemployment list bigger (I feel sorry for Mr. Zapatero, our president, well I don´t feel really sorry). It´s not my own idea to leave my old job that soon, well, it was my decission to resign, and I did it on wednesday, but I didn´t want to leave the office so soon. Normally you have to tell you´re leaving 15 days before, sometimes it´s even more than 15 days, as they count as laboral days, so it´s three weeks. But they didn´t want me to stay in the office if I was leaving.
Let me tell you what have taken me to resign. Of course you´ll only get my point of view.
First of all let me describe how things went at England. I had a very good time and also a very bad time. As I talked with one of the only good bosses I had at my last company he told me he believes it was a mistake to send me to England without enough knowledge on both the job and the environment. I totally agree with him, except for the job knowledge. The office at the Abbey National bank it´s a viper´s nest. The banking offices are always full of bastards, because they had worked there for ages, and they see new people coming who would take their jobs as they have more IT knowledge and ambition. They are used not to work too hard, and when it seems the projects aren´t coming on time they normally accuse somebody else of their own faults. That happened to me, and also got as the main head to blame for any problem, I was the last one to come. What I did to solve that was just work as hard as I could and finish everything on time so I couldn´t be blamed. But it seemed not to be enough. But everything was told behind my back. I only knew somebody was talking badly about me from a second hand, taking the possibility of defending myself far away.
There´s also the problems we had at hotels. I don´t know who to blame for that, I believe it´s a mixture of both the hotel managers, my company and the travel agancy. On Mondays we came back to the hotel at night from work to check-in. We were tired and just wanted to go the room and rest. But on every hotel we´d had problems with the payment. They always wanted us to pay in advance as they hadn´t received a fax with credit card number and permission to be charged for our rooms. On some hotels they said it didn´t matter and everything would be solved on next days. On some others I had to argue for a long time before they allowed us to go rest. But I always felt ashamed, as I was a beggar who asked for a free room, or was trying to cheat them.
The last England problem was related to social security. I discovered last Monday, after the event who make me take the decission to leave, my company hadn´t talked to the social security about us going to work on another EU country. They should have asked for a TA-200 form, fill it and give it back to the S.S. (Social Security, not the german´s), then they´ll give them another three forms, the E-101, E-102, E-103, to be filled and taken to us to be signed, giving us a copy. Of course they didn´t. We didn´t have any medical problem or accident at England, but we could´ve had, and it could happened to us that the english hospitals could´ve denied service, or charge us for any treatment. They also should´ve given us the European Medical Card, and didn´t.
The last thing that happened was the worst. I would like you to tell me if I was wrong or not. Monday was my first office day after England. I came to the office as if it was my first day at the company. I´d rather knew my co-workers. I expected a good wellcoming, but I wouldn´t be surprised without any. What I didn´t expect was the welcome of one of the bosses and also the one who offered me the England trip.
I was talking with the secretary at reception about money and he came to me. He shaked my hand and I was expecting him saying "How are you?", "How things went in England?", etc. but instead he asked me "Who gave you permission to go to Galicia?". Well, I was a bit surprised about the question, but didn´t bother too much because it was them who gave me the permission. But them he told me off about it. He was talking to me in front of the secretary and also in front of anyone who walked in the reception coming back from having a fagg or drinking a coke. He told me I was cheeky and implied I was lying to them. I couldn´t explain myself at that time as he didn´t stop talking. The last thing he said was a threat, he told me "We´ll seek a way for you to pay for the trips you made, we might discount it from your salary". That left me on a shock.
Let me explain to you what happened on a friday, when I was called to be told about the trip I was going to do next thrusday (Monday was holidays). The explained quite a few things about the trip, they said they didn´t know enough about it as they were unexperienced about that kind of things. But they told me about the money I was about to receive and the things I was allowed to do with the flights. They told me I could chose between staying at England with the hotel payed or travel. I asked them about the weekend flight and also if I could travel to Galicia instead Madrid. There were two people there, and both with power inside the company. They said I could do it, but I´d had to ask our client at the bank.
When I was at England I asked him, and he told me I could and also asked the travel agency for the flights. I wanted a direct flight to Galicia, but they didn´t want because it was more expensive than going to Madrid and then to Vigo. I didn´t bother as it wasn´t my own decission. But I didn´t know it could mean a difference for my company.
After being told off by that guy, I talked to another one, one who was present when I asked if I could go to Galicia, and he told me he remembered them giving me permission. But he also told me the problem was I´d taken to flights instead a direct one. I tried to explain him it wasn´t my fault and also it was because it was cheaper.
Afterwards I decided to leave the company and started seeking for a new job. It only took a day to have a new and better payed one.
The problem is I was told off in public, in my own way it shouldn´t have been like that. If you want to tell something to an employee take him apart to talk privatly, specially if you have to tell him off. And also, you should give him a chance to explain himself, or at least ask somebody else about the subject without pressuming guilt. He told me with different words I was a cheater, a lyier and a bad guy, and he told me in front of anybody.
I think I was right on being angry and leaving the company. Please tell me if I was wrong.
Anyway, I have a new and nicer job. Let´s hope everything goes fine.
Farewell.
Manoel.
Monday, October 03, 2005
The way back.
Hello fellows.
Unfortunatly for myself and I hope for you too I´m back to Madrid.
It happened that I´m not needed anymore at Milton Keynes because everything is almost finished, so just one guy is able to do it.
That means a loss of money, fun, and some stories for yourselves. It also means I´m back at the office, with the feeling I don´t belong here, like being the new kid in town. The problem is I´m not the new kid in town, but that´s how I feel. It also happened that my old place is not yet mine, and they have to look for another one. Meanwhile I´m not working, I´m losing time doing revising the same websites again and again and waiting for 6pm to come and go home. It also means I´m back at my old boring way of living, with no new events and new people to meet, just the tube in the evenings.
Hopefully I´ll get another job soon, I´m starting my search again, because I don´t really like being here. There´s some things I don´t like in this company that I´ll tell you in the future. Of course there´s some nice guys in here, but they aren´t the problem. And also as I´ve lost some incomes and got used to have a lot of money, my actual salary seems not to be enough now. I am greedy, I know.
Í´m the kind of guy who doesn´t like to do the same thing all the time. As I come back it seems to me like a new start but doing the same thing, so it´s a strange new start, better to say it´s not a new begin at all. I want a real one, with more excitenment, new people and places.
But the fact I´m back here doesn´t mean I´ll stop writing for you, in fact it seems I feel much more as a duty to do it as you got used to know about my life and seem to like it.
I´ll be here for all of you, and hope everything get´s better and better.
Cheers and farewells.
Manoel.
Unfortunatly for myself and I hope for you too I´m back to Madrid.
It happened that I´m not needed anymore at Milton Keynes because everything is almost finished, so just one guy is able to do it.
That means a loss of money, fun, and some stories for yourselves. It also means I´m back at the office, with the feeling I don´t belong here, like being the new kid in town. The problem is I´m not the new kid in town, but that´s how I feel. It also happened that my old place is not yet mine, and they have to look for another one. Meanwhile I´m not working, I´m losing time doing revising the same websites again and again and waiting for 6pm to come and go home. It also means I´m back at my old boring way of living, with no new events and new people to meet, just the tube in the evenings.
Hopefully I´ll get another job soon, I´m starting my search again, because I don´t really like being here. There´s some things I don´t like in this company that I´ll tell you in the future. Of course there´s some nice guys in here, but they aren´t the problem. And also as I´ve lost some incomes and got used to have a lot of money, my actual salary seems not to be enough now. I am greedy, I know.
Í´m the kind of guy who doesn´t like to do the same thing all the time. As I come back it seems to me like a new start but doing the same thing, so it´s a strange new start, better to say it´s not a new begin at all. I want a real one, with more excitenment, new people and places.
But the fact I´m back here doesn´t mean I´ll stop writing for you, in fact it seems I feel much more as a duty to do it as you got used to know about my life and seem to like it.
I´ll be here for all of you, and hope everything get´s better and better.
Cheers and farewells.
Manoel.
Monday, September 26, 2005
The way Back home.
What-u bloggers.
Sorry for being late. I didn't have a busy last week, buy I couldn't spend my time writing for you, I feel really sorry. The fact is I was moved to another floor in wich spending time doing my own stuff it's not possible, I mean, it's close to my boss desk.
But he's not here at the moment, so I'll take a while to tell you the most recent news.
I'm back to Spain. I don't know exactly the date, but it looks like it's going to be my last week at Milton Keynes. I'm not going to say I don't like the idea of going back. I'm definetly tired of hotels and the fact for the last month and a half I didn't have a proper room, I mean my own, a place where I can leave my suitcase and even unpack it. I didn't even spend my last weekends on the same places. So I have a feeling of not belonging anywhere. I also need some rest and stay at the same place for a longer time.
But I'll miss being here, and also the money I'm earning. I'll miss England and the friends I made here; the food, the pubs, and the beer. The strange people I met everywhere and the taxi drivers (some of them are nice, some others are just f...g b...ds(one of them had just stolen 4,20£ from me)).
Anyway, next week I'll tell you more as soon as I get some rest. It's a long time since the last time I had a proper sleep, meaning till late in the morning.
Cheers and farewell friends.
Manoel.
Sorry for being late. I didn't have a busy last week, buy I couldn't spend my time writing for you, I feel really sorry. The fact is I was moved to another floor in wich spending time doing my own stuff it's not possible, I mean, it's close to my boss desk.
But he's not here at the moment, so I'll take a while to tell you the most recent news.
I'm back to Spain. I don't know exactly the date, but it looks like it's going to be my last week at Milton Keynes. I'm not going to say I don't like the idea of going back. I'm definetly tired of hotels and the fact for the last month and a half I didn't have a proper room, I mean my own, a place where I can leave my suitcase and even unpack it. I didn't even spend my last weekends on the same places. So I have a feeling of not belonging anywhere. I also need some rest and stay at the same place for a longer time.
But I'll miss being here, and also the money I'm earning. I'll miss England and the friends I made here; the food, the pubs, and the beer. The strange people I met everywhere and the taxi drivers (some of them are nice, some others are just f...g b...ds(one of them had just stolen 4,20£ from me)).
Anyway, next week I'll tell you more as soon as I get some rest. It's a long time since the last time I had a proper sleep, meaning till late in the morning.
Cheers and farewell friends.
Manoel.
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Just thoughts
Hello fellow readers.
I'm enjoying a bit of rest at my home at Madrid. It´s a strange feeling as for some moments I didn´t feel like at home. On the last month I´ve been travelling, and I didn´t spend a weekend on the same place since today. I mean, I´ve spent my last weekends at London, Bournemouth, Pontevedra and now Madrid. So it´s the first time I´m repeating a weekend. I´m enjoying it, as much as I can.
I had some problems, they´re related to my job and bosses. Buty that´s something I´ll leave for the future if you excuse me. I just don´t want to talk about it right now. I´ll tell you I found out how bad could be the people want they want to be succesful and you´re in the middle.
For the last few days I´ve been thinking about flights. In the past I didn´t have enough experience to talk about it, but now I do have. Let´s say the flight to London from Madrid is an hour and a half, but why on the earth do we need to spend another 2 hours just waiting? We have to go to the airport and hour before, so we can collect our tickets, then we´ll have to wait another 30 minutes or even an hour to really get into the plane. Then We´ll have to wait because some son of a ... is late. Then as they were late we´ll have to wait another 20 min. as we lost our taxi position. Finally we leave the airport.
But that´s not the end of the story. At the moment the plane touches the ground, we wait ´till it gets to the parking area. Then we wait for the doors to be opened and we leave it. We walk to the luggage area. Then we wait again. As the belt starts moving we get beside it and look for the coming of our suitcase. I might be unlucky, but mine is always the last one to appear.
The meaning of all of these is I spent more then 5 hours on a trip that really just took an hour and a half. I don´t see the point of that.
Why can´t we just get beside the luggage door of the plain to get our own suitcases? Why do we have to wait for some lazy bas... to get to the gate on time? I´ll understand if the plane leaves the airport without me if I´m late, it´ll be painful but I won´t complain. I didn´t have any bad experience about them losing my luggage, but I just wonder how bad could it get.
I also saw the luggage carriers treating suitcases. I was on the Madrid airport and I had to travel by bus around it. I saw them unloading the trucks and watched how carefully they treated the luggage (I´m being sarcastic, you know).
Well, I´ll leave you now, as I have to go bed. I know it´s early, but I have to be up at 4:45. My plane leaves ar 7 and I don´t want to be late.
Cheers.
Manoel.
I'm enjoying a bit of rest at my home at Madrid. It´s a strange feeling as for some moments I didn´t feel like at home. On the last month I´ve been travelling, and I didn´t spend a weekend on the same place since today. I mean, I´ve spent my last weekends at London, Bournemouth, Pontevedra and now Madrid. So it´s the first time I´m repeating a weekend. I´m enjoying it, as much as I can.
I had some problems, they´re related to my job and bosses. Buty that´s something I´ll leave for the future if you excuse me. I just don´t want to talk about it right now. I´ll tell you I found out how bad could be the people want they want to be succesful and you´re in the middle.
For the last few days I´ve been thinking about flights. In the past I didn´t have enough experience to talk about it, but now I do have. Let´s say the flight to London from Madrid is an hour and a half, but why on the earth do we need to spend another 2 hours just waiting? We have to go to the airport and hour before, so we can collect our tickets, then we´ll have to wait another 30 minutes or even an hour to really get into the plane. Then We´ll have to wait because some son of a ... is late. Then as they were late we´ll have to wait another 20 min. as we lost our taxi position. Finally we leave the airport.
But that´s not the end of the story. At the moment the plane touches the ground, we wait ´till it gets to the parking area. Then we wait for the doors to be opened and we leave it. We walk to the luggage area. Then we wait again. As the belt starts moving we get beside it and look for the coming of our suitcase. I might be unlucky, but mine is always the last one to appear.
The meaning of all of these is I spent more then 5 hours on a trip that really just took an hour and a half. I don´t see the point of that.
Why can´t we just get beside the luggage door of the plain to get our own suitcases? Why do we have to wait for some lazy bas... to get to the gate on time? I´ll understand if the plane leaves the airport without me if I´m late, it´ll be painful but I won´t complain. I didn´t have any bad experience about them losing my luggage, but I just wonder how bad could it get.
I also saw the luggage carriers treating suitcases. I was on the Madrid airport and I had to travel by bus around it. I saw them unloading the trucks and watched how carefully they treated the luggage (I´m being sarcastic, you know).
Well, I´ll leave you now, as I have to go bed. I know it´s early, but I have to be up at 4:45. My plane leaves ar 7 and I don´t want to be late.
Cheers.
Manoel.
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
On the Road
Hi bloggers.
Sometimes my life is a bit like the Kerouak's book. I mean I travel to different places, meeting strange people. There's some differences, because mostly I travel by train or plane, but it doesn't matter. Those last weeks I had different experiences with different people.
I met a guy half indian half pakistani. He was my taxi driver from London Heathrow to Milton Keynes two weeks ago (The one who was late). He was really nice and friendly and we chatted all the time. He told me about the problems with Cachemira, and the way his parents acted, considering they were from pakistan and india. He also told me about his religion (muslim) and the way he liked to live it. He was a nice chap and he gave me a good trip. Thanks to him.
I also met those koreans I told you a few blogs ahead. They were really nice, friendly and funny.
I met the hooligan, although I'd rather preffer not to have met him "feel my arm".
I also met some other Indians, but those weren't that nice as the taxi driver.
There also is the Jamaican security officer, friendly, amazingly funny and always happy. It's good to start the day with a laugh.
Some Spaniards I also liked, although they aren't something new to me. But I made some friends like Inaki, Alberto and others. I spend a lot of time with them, and we have pints togheter.
Yesterday we went to the pub in front of our hotel (at London). Alberto and another spanish chap were waiting for Inaki and I. When we arrived we saw them siting with another guy who looked totally English. Well, I wasn't exactly right, but he was Irish. They told us in Spanish he came and sit beside them and started to talk. So we joined them. The Irish was quite drunk, and he was mental, altough he was well dressed and didn't look a bad guy at all, except for his drunkness and the fact he didn't stop talking any second. We had a good time with him, but I could guess from my friends faces they were laughing a bit at him, not on a really bad way, you know.
Well, I'm supposed to be working at the moment. Hope I'll write again soon, I'll be at Madrid this weekend, I need to care of my little fishes and my bedroom. I'll write from there.
Farewell.
Manoel.
Sometimes my life is a bit like the Kerouak's book. I mean I travel to different places, meeting strange people. There's some differences, because mostly I travel by train or plane, but it doesn't matter. Those last weeks I had different experiences with different people.
I met a guy half indian half pakistani. He was my taxi driver from London Heathrow to Milton Keynes two weeks ago (The one who was late). He was really nice and friendly and we chatted all the time. He told me about the problems with Cachemira, and the way his parents acted, considering they were from pakistan and india. He also told me about his religion (muslim) and the way he liked to live it. He was a nice chap and he gave me a good trip. Thanks to him.
I also met those koreans I told you a few blogs ahead. They were really nice, friendly and funny.
I met the hooligan, although I'd rather preffer not to have met him "feel my arm".
I also met some other Indians, but those weren't that nice as the taxi driver.
There also is the Jamaican security officer, friendly, amazingly funny and always happy. It's good to start the day with a laugh.
Some Spaniards I also liked, although they aren't something new to me. But I made some friends like Inaki, Alberto and others. I spend a lot of time with them, and we have pints togheter.
Yesterday we went to the pub in front of our hotel (at London). Alberto and another spanish chap were waiting for Inaki and I. When we arrived we saw them siting with another guy who looked totally English. Well, I wasn't exactly right, but he was Irish. They told us in Spanish he came and sit beside them and started to talk. So we joined them. The Irish was quite drunk, and he was mental, altough he was well dressed and didn't look a bad guy at all, except for his drunkness and the fact he didn't stop talking any second. We had a good time with him, but I could guess from my friends faces they were laughing a bit at him, not on a really bad way, you know.
Well, I'm supposed to be working at the moment. Hope I'll write again soon, I'll be at Madrid this weekend, I need to care of my little fishes and my bedroom. I'll write from there.
Farewell.
Manoel.
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Airports and other stuff
Hello again bloggers.
I'd never flight before october of the last year. But after that date, when my new live at England (and later Madrid, and then England again) started, I catched a few of them. At october everything was new and exciting to me, but it's becoming usual to me to go to the airport and do all the small things you have to.
Then my airport adventures started. Apart from some little problems with the metal detectors I didn't have any other. But last week I had my first airport day, quite an experience. I arrived at Barajas Airport at 7:15AM, time enough to do everything and even have time to rest and have a cigarrete. When I reached the desk the clerk asked me to show my id, wich I did. Then she told me it was over the date, meaning it worth the same as WC paper. The problem is you can't flight without it. I didn't have my passport with me, I had left it at home. She spent some time checking with a policeman if I could use my driving license. Finally he said it wasn't possible. But I had spent 15 minutes with it. She told me to go to the police station at the airport to ask for an emergency passport and so I did.
I asked the policeman at the door how to obtain it, and he told me (he was quite rude, because he was chatting with another policeman and I interrupted him, needing a passport it's not that important, you know) the office opened at 8:15. I realized it was the same for me to go home to pick my passport. So I started running with all my luggage. I catched the tube and arrived home with enough time, I was being lucky. I picked my passport at home and went to the underground again. But this time the train was late and slow. I arrived at the airport just 15 minutes before the plane was leaving but they didn't allow me to get in.
They told me to change my ticket for the next one, wich was at 9:25, but I was left on "lista de espera", meaning I could only travel if somebody didn't show. I waited and waited and feeling lucky because there were 3 seats empty still and we were 3 guys waiting for them. But the .*&'~$£ appear at the last minute so I couldn't pick that one. Next one at 12:45 she told me. That meant an almost 3 hours wait on an airport. It's amazing how slow the time passes when you have nothing to do but waiting impatiently. At 12:25 I asked how the thing was going, and the clerk told me it was going fine but I had to go to another terminal wich was on the other side of the airport.
But finally I could get into the plane, lucky me. Thirteen passangers were missing and we take off late. I forgot to say I couldn't speak with anybody at my office, so they didn't know what was going on with me. But I could speak with the taxi driver who was going to wait for me at the airport telling him to wait for me to call him before going to heathrow.
There I was at last at Heathrow. I managed to call the taxi driver, my office and everything seemed to go fine. But time passed and the taxi didn't appear. I called him and he told me he was at a traffic jam on the N25. A lorry had crashed and exploded it's gas tank and the motorway was a mess. He was 2 hours late but finally arrived and we went to Shenley Wood at Milton Keynes.
Final trip time: 13 hours!!!!!
Well, that was quite an adventure I think, and my first airport experience. I had some small others but I have to work, so I'll left them for next ocasion.
By the way, I'm staying at a luxury hotel at London. My bed is as big as five times the one I have at Madrid. I can sleep on any position I would want, crossed, diagonal, ... and it will be space enough still for 3 more people. The room is enormous and nice. I'll take a photo and post it next time with some other stories.
Farewell.
Manoel.
I'd never flight before october of the last year. But after that date, when my new live at England (and later Madrid, and then England again) started, I catched a few of them. At october everything was new and exciting to me, but it's becoming usual to me to go to the airport and do all the small things you have to.
Then my airport adventures started. Apart from some little problems with the metal detectors I didn't have any other. But last week I had my first airport day, quite an experience. I arrived at Barajas Airport at 7:15AM, time enough to do everything and even have time to rest and have a cigarrete. When I reached the desk the clerk asked me to show my id, wich I did. Then she told me it was over the date, meaning it worth the same as WC paper. The problem is you can't flight without it. I didn't have my passport with me, I had left it at home. She spent some time checking with a policeman if I could use my driving license. Finally he said it wasn't possible. But I had spent 15 minutes with it. She told me to go to the police station at the airport to ask for an emergency passport and so I did.
I asked the policeman at the door how to obtain it, and he told me (he was quite rude, because he was chatting with another policeman and I interrupted him, needing a passport it's not that important, you know) the office opened at 8:15. I realized it was the same for me to go home to pick my passport. So I started running with all my luggage. I catched the tube and arrived home with enough time, I was being lucky. I picked my passport at home and went to the underground again. But this time the train was late and slow. I arrived at the airport just 15 minutes before the plane was leaving but they didn't allow me to get in.
They told me to change my ticket for the next one, wich was at 9:25, but I was left on "lista de espera", meaning I could only travel if somebody didn't show. I waited and waited and feeling lucky because there were 3 seats empty still and we were 3 guys waiting for them. But the .*&'~$£ appear at the last minute so I couldn't pick that one. Next one at 12:45 she told me. That meant an almost 3 hours wait on an airport. It's amazing how slow the time passes when you have nothing to do but waiting impatiently. At 12:25 I asked how the thing was going, and the clerk told me it was going fine but I had to go to another terminal wich was on the other side of the airport.
But finally I could get into the plane, lucky me. Thirteen passangers were missing and we take off late. I forgot to say I couldn't speak with anybody at my office, so they didn't know what was going on with me. But I could speak with the taxi driver who was going to wait for me at the airport telling him to wait for me to call him before going to heathrow.
There I was at last at Heathrow. I managed to call the taxi driver, my office and everything seemed to go fine. But time passed and the taxi didn't appear. I called him and he told me he was at a traffic jam on the N25. A lorry had crashed and exploded it's gas tank and the motorway was a mess. He was 2 hours late but finally arrived and we went to Shenley Wood at Milton Keynes.
Final trip time: 13 hours!!!!!
Well, that was quite an adventure I think, and my first airport experience. I had some small others but I have to work, so I'll left them for next ocasion.
By the way, I'm staying at a luxury hotel at London. My bed is as big as five times the one I have at Madrid. I can sleep on any position I would want, crossed, diagonal, ... and it will be space enough still for 3 more people. The room is enormous and nice. I'll take a photo and post it next time with some other stories.
Farewell.
Manoel.
Saturday, August 27, 2005
The Beggining.
Hi fellow readers.
Some friends of mine, and also blogger readers, asked me if I was feeling good. It seems I seemed not to be happy, and it might be that when I wrote my last short post I wasn't. But the reality is far more complex than just feeling well or bad. I'm feeling ok, I have my good and bad moments, and also I met good and evil people on those two last weeks.
As I said on my last post, I had the opporunity to see the bad side of England, but I would be unfair, because I also saw the good one. Let me speak a bit about Milton Keynes.
Milton Keynes is a strange city. If I hadn't known from the scratch that it was a city, I wouldn't have thought Milton Keynes as it. The "city" is just a very big comercial center surrounded by some buildings, hotels, companies and a church. You could walk the entire city from side to side in just 20 minutes or less. So the impresion I got was "where are those 250k people?". It seems they live in small cottages in the surrounding areas. But there's a lot of money on the city. I saw a lot of really expensive cars and also there's the fact they have the biggest comercial center in England, an indoor ski field and big cinema. It's full of discos, clothing shops, restaurants, modern pubs, and all that kind of leisure things to expend money and time. I went out on thursday and it's full of young people having fun and drinking. You can be very bored there, but you can have a lot of fun, the distinction is there's always the same things, there's nothing else and nowhere to go apart from the city centre. There's also a lot of companies central offices there, so that's why it seems to be a lot of money there.
I work on the Abbey National office at Milton Keynes, designing the intranet web portal, wich is the tool they'll use at bank offices to make any transaction. It's not a bad job, and the office is 50% 50% of english and spanish people, so I can speak both languages. We have a lot of security guys there and I have to wear an ID all the time. Some of the officers aren't that funny, but there's some of them who are really kind, specially a Jamaican who always stop you to chat a bit, he even speaks in Spanish, well, not really speaks, but says some phrases, he's really funny. There's nice people there, spaniards and english.
But this time I had a chance to feel offended three times, not as my last time at London. I was called prick from a car in the street, I was told by the restaurant attendant "this curry is far too hot for you" (but I believe she told me that just because I'm spanish), and also we (My colleague Iñaki and I) have a problem with an English kind of drunk hooligan. I also don't feel my stomach really well, and I'm not sure why, it might be the water, wich doesn't taste really good at Milton (London water is much better), or it might be the food at the Abbey restaurant, I'm not pretty sure.
Let me talk about the incident with the bald dog. We (Iñaki and I) where having two pints after dinner at Lloyds. We were talking peacefully and drinking and then this piece of a bastard came. He was totally drunk, and he have the look of a holligan, no hair, muscles and a bad lookign face. He asked Iñaki for a cigarrette, wich I believe is a bit rude here (because of the price) but that's not too bad. Then he stayed there, standing up and mumbling nonsenses. I catch all of them but I forgot most, he said something like "fu ma una" wich I believed was "fucking Manchester United". He constantly tried us to touch his strong arms saying "feel my arm", where it was more like "fi ma am". I didn't touch it.
I know for sure he was just looking for an excuse to have a fight with us, and it was perfect for him because we were foreigners and we could misunderstood something and give him a bad answer. Of course my English is good enough to treat drunkens with no brain at all. He continued saying "I don fa mai", wich showed us he might want to fuck with us, he could be homosexual also, we weren't sure. And also "ma waif doen fa me", and then I understood he was just badly fucked.
He asked me if I wanted him to fight the people from the other table. I wasn't sure what to say, apart from I didn't also liked the chavs on the other table, I wasn't sure if it was right and also if that's what he was looking. We didn't want to find out, and as he gave us an opportunity to leave we did. The problem is we saw him again trying to get into our hotel 20 minutes later, we ran into the lift and that's the last time we saw him.
But not everything was bad last two weeks. I had a chance to meet really nice people, including colleagues at work, like Paloma (spanish), Aban (indian), my boss Rafa (spanish) who's really kind and nice, Chema (sp), Julian (sp), Kenny (an scotish), Dani (half english, half spanish), and of course Iñaki. There's some others but I forgot their names, I'm really sorry.
There's also this lad I met at work. I knew him since my university time, that's eight years ago. I never thought I would really see him again, and there he was at the Abbey National office at Milton Keynes. When I saw him I couldn't believe it. What the hell he was doing at Milton Keynes????? I couldn't believe it, and so did he. But it was true. So I have some friends there. In spain we say "the world is like a tissue", wich means that you never know who are you going to see anywhere (It sounds like a Forrest Gump phrase, doesn't?).
I spent my weekend at Bournemouth, visiting a really special friend. She's living there, and she lives with three russian girls and a Korean. The Korean girl had her fioncee there. He was visiting her for some weeks. They're lovely people, I really like them, or even more than just like. They're called Sary and Richard (those aren't their real names but their English adopted names). I made them promise they'd visit us at Spain on their honeymoon and I hope they will, because I really enjoy being with them. He's really funny and that kind of people who makes you feel well, because he's always smiling and laughing, he's got a nice sense of humour. My very kind regards to both of them. Wish we'll meet in the future, and also thank's for the Korean lunch. I loved my time at Bournemouth because I could enjoy both the koreans and my beloved friend.
My new Korean friends and my her
Well, I'm sure I left something. I have some more short stories about taxis, trains, and the feel I had at the Heathrow airport (full of policeman with big rifles). But I think it's enough for now.
Farewell and cheers everybody, or as I said all the time to the taxi drivers:
Cheers Mate!!
Manoel.
Some friends of mine, and also blogger readers, asked me if I was feeling good. It seems I seemed not to be happy, and it might be that when I wrote my last short post I wasn't. But the reality is far more complex than just feeling well or bad. I'm feeling ok, I have my good and bad moments, and also I met good and evil people on those two last weeks.
As I said on my last post, I had the opporunity to see the bad side of England, but I would be unfair, because I also saw the good one. Let me speak a bit about Milton Keynes.
Milton Keynes is a strange city. If I hadn't known from the scratch that it was a city, I wouldn't have thought Milton Keynes as it. The "city" is just a very big comercial center surrounded by some buildings, hotels, companies and a church. You could walk the entire city from side to side in just 20 minutes or less. So the impresion I got was "where are those 250k people?". It seems they live in small cottages in the surrounding areas. But there's a lot of money on the city. I saw a lot of really expensive cars and also there's the fact they have the biggest comercial center in England, an indoor ski field and big cinema. It's full of discos, clothing shops, restaurants, modern pubs, and all that kind of leisure things to expend money and time. I went out on thursday and it's full of young people having fun and drinking. You can be very bored there, but you can have a lot of fun, the distinction is there's always the same things, there's nothing else and nowhere to go apart from the city centre. There's also a lot of companies central offices there, so that's why it seems to be a lot of money there.
I work on the Abbey National office at Milton Keynes, designing the intranet web portal, wich is the tool they'll use at bank offices to make any transaction. It's not a bad job, and the office is 50% 50% of english and spanish people, so I can speak both languages. We have a lot of security guys there and I have to wear an ID all the time. Some of the officers aren't that funny, but there's some of them who are really kind, specially a Jamaican who always stop you to chat a bit, he even speaks in Spanish, well, not really speaks, but says some phrases, he's really funny. There's nice people there, spaniards and english.
But this time I had a chance to feel offended three times, not as my last time at London. I was called prick from a car in the street, I was told by the restaurant attendant "this curry is far too hot for you" (but I believe she told me that just because I'm spanish), and also we (My colleague Iñaki and I) have a problem with an English kind of drunk hooligan. I also don't feel my stomach really well, and I'm not sure why, it might be the water, wich doesn't taste really good at Milton (London water is much better), or it might be the food at the Abbey restaurant, I'm not pretty sure.
Let me talk about the incident with the bald dog. We (Iñaki and I) where having two pints after dinner at Lloyds. We were talking peacefully and drinking and then this piece of a bastard came. He was totally drunk, and he have the look of a holligan, no hair, muscles and a bad lookign face. He asked Iñaki for a cigarrette, wich I believe is a bit rude here (because of the price) but that's not too bad. Then he stayed there, standing up and mumbling nonsenses. I catch all of them but I forgot most, he said something like "fu ma una" wich I believed was "fucking Manchester United". He constantly tried us to touch his strong arms saying "feel my arm", where it was more like "fi ma am". I didn't touch it.
I know for sure he was just looking for an excuse to have a fight with us, and it was perfect for him because we were foreigners and we could misunderstood something and give him a bad answer. Of course my English is good enough to treat drunkens with no brain at all. He continued saying "I don fa mai", wich showed us he might want to fuck with us, he could be homosexual also, we weren't sure. And also "ma waif doen fa me", and then I understood he was just badly fucked.
He asked me if I wanted him to fight the people from the other table. I wasn't sure what to say, apart from I didn't also liked the chavs on the other table, I wasn't sure if it was right and also if that's what he was looking. We didn't want to find out, and as he gave us an opportunity to leave we did. The problem is we saw him again trying to get into our hotel 20 minutes later, we ran into the lift and that's the last time we saw him.
But not everything was bad last two weeks. I had a chance to meet really nice people, including colleagues at work, like Paloma (spanish), Aban (indian), my boss Rafa (spanish) who's really kind and nice, Chema (sp), Julian (sp), Kenny (an scotish), Dani (half english, half spanish), and of course Iñaki. There's some others but I forgot their names, I'm really sorry.
There's also this lad I met at work. I knew him since my university time, that's eight years ago. I never thought I would really see him again, and there he was at the Abbey National office at Milton Keynes. When I saw him I couldn't believe it. What the hell he was doing at Milton Keynes????? I couldn't believe it, and so did he. But it was true. So I have some friends there. In spain we say "the world is like a tissue", wich means that you never know who are you going to see anywhere (It sounds like a Forrest Gump phrase, doesn't?).
I spent my weekend at Bournemouth, visiting a really special friend. She's living there, and she lives with three russian girls and a Korean. The Korean girl had her fioncee there. He was visiting her for some weeks. They're lovely people, I really like them, or even more than just like. They're called Sary and Richard (those aren't their real names but their English adopted names). I made them promise they'd visit us at Spain on their honeymoon and I hope they will, because I really enjoy being with them. He's really funny and that kind of people who makes you feel well, because he's always smiling and laughing, he's got a nice sense of humour. My very kind regards to both of them. Wish we'll meet in the future, and also thank's for the Korean lunch. I loved my time at Bournemouth because I could enjoy both the koreans and my beloved friend.
My new Korean friends and my her
Well, I'm sure I left something. I have some more short stories about taxis, trains, and the feel I had at the Heathrow airport (full of policeman with big rifles). But I think it's enough for now.
Farewell and cheers everybody, or as I said all the time to the taxi drivers:
Cheers Mate!!
Manoel.
Monday, August 22, 2005
At Milton Keynes
Hello bloggers.
Just a short briefing before I write a big post.
I'm enjoying the new place. I'm still not used to it,and I'm not sure I'll be used to it in the future. I'm living in a Hotel, so my suitcase is still unpacked and it won't be unpacked. I'll come back for the weekend to Madrid (I stayed at Bournemouth this last weekend) and then I'll undo my suitcase, but only to make it again on monday. So it's not a nice feeling, not having a proper home.
But that's just temporary, I'll come back to Madrid on three months, wich I started to like. I love Britain, but I need some stability first. I'll try to enjoy as much as I can this three months.
But I also had visions of the bad side of England, wich I didn't when I was at London. That's something to talk about and you might have some fun. But I'm at work now and I can't really write that much. Wait for the weekend, if you don't mind.
Thanks and cheers. Farewell.
Manoel.
Just a short briefing before I write a big post.
I'm enjoying the new place. I'm still not used to it,and I'm not sure I'll be used to it in the future. I'm living in a Hotel, so my suitcase is still unpacked and it won't be unpacked. I'll come back for the weekend to Madrid (I stayed at Bournemouth this last weekend) and then I'll undo my suitcase, but only to make it again on monday. So it's not a nice feeling, not having a proper home.
But that's just temporary, I'll come back to Madrid on three months, wich I started to like. I love Britain, but I need some stability first. I'll try to enjoy as much as I can this three months.
But I also had visions of the bad side of England, wich I didn't when I was at London. That's something to talk about and you might have some fun. But I'm at work now and I can't really write that much. Wait for the weekend, if you don't mind.
Thanks and cheers. Farewell.
Manoel.
Monday, August 15, 2005
An Spaniard in UK
What-u bloggers.
It's ten to twelve and I should be sleeping. Tomorrow morning I'll have to be up at ten to five, so that means I'm not going to sleep a lot. But it doesn't matter, because the reason for me being up that early is a good one.
I'm becoming "An Spaniard in UK" once more. I'll be in England.
Sometimes you're lucky, sometimes you aren't. This is my turn. Not only I'll be back but I'd be payed to do so. It couldn't be better.
And it's also even more special as I'll be in contanct with both cultures at the same time, spanish and english. I'll have to speak with two different kind of partners, the spaniards and the english. It'll give me a better view and perspective. And also I'll know at the end what's like working with english people.
So I believe I'll have some stories to tell you next time. I'm almost sure I'll have an internet connection at my job, but if not I'll write when I come back to spain during the weekends (I won't come all of them, but some).
Now it's time for me to go to bed (Faye will love my way of saying it, that's why I keep it). I'm not sure if I'll sleep but I'll try.
See you soon.
Manoel, The Spaniard in UK.
It's ten to twelve and I should be sleeping. Tomorrow morning I'll have to be up at ten to five, so that means I'm not going to sleep a lot. But it doesn't matter, because the reason for me being up that early is a good one.
I'm becoming "An Spaniard in UK" once more. I'll be in England.
Sometimes you're lucky, sometimes you aren't. This is my turn. Not only I'll be back but I'd be payed to do so. It couldn't be better.
And it's also even more special as I'll be in contanct with both cultures at the same time, spanish and english. I'll have to speak with two different kind of partners, the spaniards and the english. It'll give me a better view and perspective. And also I'll know at the end what's like working with english people.
So I believe I'll have some stories to tell you next time. I'm almost sure I'll have an internet connection at my job, but if not I'll write when I come back to spain during the weekends (I won't come all of them, but some).
Now it's time for me to go to bed (Faye will love my way of saying it, that's why I keep it). I'm not sure if I'll sleep but I'll try.
See you soon.
Manoel, The Spaniard in UK.
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
New job, new life.
Hi bloggers.
First I want to apologize. It's a long time since my last post. But there's a reason for that. I was waiting to know something about my moving to England and also I had problems with my computer at home (I'm writing this at my job).
I still don't have a date for moving, but I do know for sure I'm going to England. I'll be at Milton Keynes, 50 miles north of London, so I won't be exactly at London but close enough to pay a visit to my friends on weekends. I'll have the pubs, and that's something I really miss, so I'll be very happy. It's said Milton Keynes it's a new built city, so everything is not that old fashioned as the other parts of England I've seen, it would be interesting to see that other face.
But I still don't know when I'll be there, it'll be probably on the first week of september, but it's not for sure, the only thing I'm sure about is I'll be there. and I'm willing to.
About my new job, there's some pros and some contras. The first are not only more on number but better on quality. So I can say I'm really happy. I have a computer since the very first day, I'm working hard and I spend my time doing something. I also have internet, email, and everything I might need to do my job. My colleages are nice, young and funny. So everything is getting better.
But there are some pros, related to transport. I sleep an hour and a half more than before, but I go back home later. I don't have problems when I go to work, as there are a lot of buses to take, but when I go back, there's only a few of them. Yesterday I had to wait for an hour to take one, so I was an hour late at home. But I'm so happy with my new job that those problems aren't that important.
Hope I'll tell you more things about my moving. Farewell and be good.
Manoel.
First I want to apologize. It's a long time since my last post. But there's a reason for that. I was waiting to know something about my moving to England and also I had problems with my computer at home (I'm writing this at my job).
I still don't have a date for moving, but I do know for sure I'm going to England. I'll be at Milton Keynes, 50 miles north of London, so I won't be exactly at London but close enough to pay a visit to my friends on weekends. I'll have the pubs, and that's something I really miss, so I'll be very happy. It's said Milton Keynes it's a new built city, so everything is not that old fashioned as the other parts of England I've seen, it would be interesting to see that other face.
But I still don't know when I'll be there, it'll be probably on the first week of september, but it's not for sure, the only thing I'm sure about is I'll be there. and I'm willing to.
About my new job, there's some pros and some contras. The first are not only more on number but better on quality. So I can say I'm really happy. I have a computer since the very first day, I'm working hard and I spend my time doing something. I also have internet, email, and everything I might need to do my job. My colleages are nice, young and funny. So everything is getting better.
But there are some pros, related to transport. I sleep an hour and a half more than before, but I go back home later. I don't have problems when I go to work, as there are a lot of buses to take, but when I go back, there's only a few of them. Yesterday I had to wait for an hour to take one, so I was an hour late at home. But I'm so happy with my new job that those problems aren't that important.
Hope I'll tell you more things about my moving. Farewell and be good.
Manoel.
Friday, July 22, 2005
Epilogue, but continuation
Hi Bloggers.
It's made, it's finished, my relation with my old company. I still belong to them 'till the end of the month, but I'm on holidays so I won't go to work for them anymore (or at least on the next months, you never know). I went to work on Monday with the idea of talking with the human resources guy of my new company. I talked to him and he assured me I'd signed a contract with them through email. I checked that and it was true. So I decided to take the next step and I called my team manager. I asked him to see him so I left the SCH city and went to the meeting.
He was surpised to see me and, believe me, I loved the face he got when I told him I was leaving. We went togheter to his office to have a chat, I didn't want to but in some ways it was a chance of loosing time and not going back to work (I'm not lazy, you know, but I didn't want to travel again, it's 1:30 hours to reach the SCH city).
Then he asked me so many things and we talked for long. He asked the name of my new company, wich is totally wrong, he shouldn't. I was unconfortable with the question and I made a mistake, I told him I didn't remember the name, wich was totally stupid, and a total lie he could easily guess, and so he did. He didn't understand why I didn't want to answer the question, it wasn't really kind of him. Then he told me it was a pity I was leaving because they were really happy with me. He told me everybody thinks I'm a very good proffesional (in his own words, wich I liked) and a serious guy. Then he told me I could have gone to England with them, but without a salary increment. So what's the point I thought on telling me that stuff without making a counter offer. It was like him wanting me to feel guilty, and he spoke a lot, and he was near to convince me I was doing wrong. My will step over all that and I signed my resinging.
The next thing to do was telling him about spending all my holidays instead of going to work. He agreed with that, but, I told him I was going to work next day because I didn't want to left anything unfinished. He asked me if I was willing to go to work all the week if it was needed and I said yes, of course. So he told me he was going to speak with my boss and he'll tell me next day.
So I left, happy and tired of travelling. With my sign posted on a paper saying I left that bloody company.
Next day I had to face my boss at SCH and tell him I was leaving (I have a boss on the city and a bigger one on the companies office). Of course he already knew it because he had spoken with my other boss. Unfortutnaly he told me I had to work the rest of the week if I was willing (It was stupid to say, I didn't want to work, but I had to).
You know I didn't have much work on the past, but this week I had as much as the last 4 months togheter, but I managed to finish everything. Then on wednesday I almost had everything finished and I asked if I could leave on thursday, they agreed, they didn't have enough courage to push me to work on friday.
So yesterday I went for the last time to the SCH city (it could be it wasn't the last time, who knows the future). I bought two chocolate boxes as it's kind of a tradition to invite your colleages on your last day. I was surprise about how much they apreciated me, I didn't know. They were really happy for myself (except my boss) and they wished me a very good future althoug they were sure I'll have it. Some of them even told me I deserved a better job and salary. Some of them were a bit jealous about the going to england (wich is just still a possibility). But all of them were inmensely happy about me, it made me feel good, but a bit sad, I'll miss some of them.
Now I'm on holidays, havign a good time and waiting to go back to Pontevedra for a week to see my family and friends. I'll go on a plane this time, lucky me. I'll go to the beach also and to see Ryan the dog and my cat. I'll see the sea wich I really miss and visit a lot of people, so I hope I won't have time to be bored.
Well, I leave now. My best wishes and farewell to my old colleages. Also my love for England, and specially London, they are having a bad time. I hope I'll be there, I'm not afraid about the terrorist, specially because that's what they want and I don't obbey orders if I don't like them.
Cheers and farewell.
Manoel.
It's made, it's finished, my relation with my old company. I still belong to them 'till the end of the month, but I'm on holidays so I won't go to work for them anymore (or at least on the next months, you never know). I went to work on Monday with the idea of talking with the human resources guy of my new company. I talked to him and he assured me I'd signed a contract with them through email. I checked that and it was true. So I decided to take the next step and I called my team manager. I asked him to see him so I left the SCH city and went to the meeting.
He was surpised to see me and, believe me, I loved the face he got when I told him I was leaving. We went togheter to his office to have a chat, I didn't want to but in some ways it was a chance of loosing time and not going back to work (I'm not lazy, you know, but I didn't want to travel again, it's 1:30 hours to reach the SCH city).
Then he asked me so many things and we talked for long. He asked the name of my new company, wich is totally wrong, he shouldn't. I was unconfortable with the question and I made a mistake, I told him I didn't remember the name, wich was totally stupid, and a total lie he could easily guess, and so he did. He didn't understand why I didn't want to answer the question, it wasn't really kind of him. Then he told me it was a pity I was leaving because they were really happy with me. He told me everybody thinks I'm a very good proffesional (in his own words, wich I liked) and a serious guy. Then he told me I could have gone to England with them, but without a salary increment. So what's the point I thought on telling me that stuff without making a counter offer. It was like him wanting me to feel guilty, and he spoke a lot, and he was near to convince me I was doing wrong. My will step over all that and I signed my resinging.
The next thing to do was telling him about spending all my holidays instead of going to work. He agreed with that, but, I told him I was going to work next day because I didn't want to left anything unfinished. He asked me if I was willing to go to work all the week if it was needed and I said yes, of course. So he told me he was going to speak with my boss and he'll tell me next day.
So I left, happy and tired of travelling. With my sign posted on a paper saying I left that bloody company.
Next day I had to face my boss at SCH and tell him I was leaving (I have a boss on the city and a bigger one on the companies office). Of course he already knew it because he had spoken with my other boss. Unfortutnaly he told me I had to work the rest of the week if I was willing (It was stupid to say, I didn't want to work, but I had to).
You know I didn't have much work on the past, but this week I had as much as the last 4 months togheter, but I managed to finish everything. Then on wednesday I almost had everything finished and I asked if I could leave on thursday, they agreed, they didn't have enough courage to push me to work on friday.
So yesterday I went for the last time to the SCH city (it could be it wasn't the last time, who knows the future). I bought two chocolate boxes as it's kind of a tradition to invite your colleages on your last day. I was surprise about how much they apreciated me, I didn't know. They were really happy for myself (except my boss) and they wished me a very good future althoug they were sure I'll have it. Some of them even told me I deserved a better job and salary. Some of them were a bit jealous about the going to england (wich is just still a possibility). But all of them were inmensely happy about me, it made me feel good, but a bit sad, I'll miss some of them.
Now I'm on holidays, havign a good time and waiting to go back to Pontevedra for a week to see my family and friends. I'll go on a plane this time, lucky me. I'll go to the beach also and to see Ryan the dog and my cat. I'll see the sea wich I really miss and visit a lot of people, so I hope I won't have time to be bored.
Well, I leave now. My best wishes and farewell to my old colleages. Also my love for England, and specially London, they are having a bad time. I hope I'll be there, I'm not afraid about the terrorist, specially because that's what they want and I don't obbey orders if I don't like them.
Cheers and farewell.
Manoel.
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Again An Spaniard in UK???
Hi fellows.
You might have noticed I'm not of the kind who can be stucked on the same job, task, place or whatever for a long time. In fact, I don't really like to do the same thing again and again, I soon get bored and tired. And also I'm sure you noticed on the last posts I'm not really happy on my job.
When something goes good, it could always turn into better.
An Optimistic
But it could also turn into crap
His negative friend
I decided to send some CVs last weeks, just for trying to see what would happen. What happened was I was answered really soon by all of them (they were three companies) and had 2 interviews during the week and a phone call. As I wasn't very lucky at my town when I looked for a job, this time it was the opposite. I got good answers and, in fact, I have a new job, better payed and more exciting.
In fact, I have an opportunity (it's just a possibility between another 3) of having the best jobh I could have (except on terms of money, it's good, but it could be much better. I don't ask for much, anyway). But I'll explain how the interview went.
I've got the feeling of me being the one who chosed. I mean, they were like it was my deccision not theirs from the very first call. That's a nice feeling, to feel appreciated because of your knowledge. I was asked to wait for a phone call to tell me the deccision (wich they had already made) and I thought it would take some time. But next day I received it. They told me about the money and I could even ask for more. They said yes to the amount I asked for.
But the best thing about my new job it's that possibility I told you before. I could work at London!!! and also being payed for everything, even have an extra amount of money. I'd go on Monday by plane and return on thrusday or friday each week. Also, if I decide to stay at London for the weekend they'd pay me the hotel to stay. So it's just wonderful, unbelibeable, but it's just a possiliblity, it's not for sure, even when I feel like I deserved it and it's just going to happen, I want to be realistic and not too optimistic, in case it doesn't happen finally.
I think it's time for me to be lucky, and this time so lucky I'm afraid it won't happen, I'm sorry for being pesimistic, I hope you understand why.
On Monday I'll go to my now old company to tell them I quit. Then I'll go to my old working place to say goodbye to my partners. I'll feel sad for some of them, as I enjoyed their company, I won't play chess anymore, at least not with the same guy, sorry mate. I'll even miss the "fat bastard" as I got used to his jokes, he's a good guy apart for his sick and perverted mind (I type that in case he's reading the post, although I think he won't), I'll miss Josito and Eva, Oscar, Calde, Chema, and my old partners of the other department, there were plenty of Carmen there so I just type one, and also enrique alas "skizo", Carlos, both Pablo's and Conchi. But I feel happy I'll start a new job, being less worried about the money and also with the excitment of something new. I'l also have some holiday weeks to enjoy myself and get energy to start again. I'll see my family, my town, I'll go to the beach and visit my friends. I have a lot of things to tell them.
As always I'll mantain you well informed about everything that happens to me, but I hope on a few weeks this blog would be again about "An Spaniard in UK".
Cheers and farewell.
Manoel.
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
A dejà vù
With all my love to London.
I want to continue writing as live goes on and we must forget the pain (but learn from it). All my friends at London are ok. They weren't close to the tubes and buses. I feel fortunate but I can't just forget the people that died. I would pray if I believed in god, but I don't, so I'll just send my thoughts and love to them.
I wish my live had changed on the last weeks, but unfortunatly it hadn't. In fact instead of improving I'm going back to the past situations. The project in wich I was working will finish on next monday. Some of my mates are going to be send to another place out of Boadilla, those with whom I always have breakfast and lunch. So I'll be left alone again. My boss came last week to tell them about their new destinations, but he didn't speak with me and I wandered why. So I asked him about it. He gave me the same answer he gave me two months ago: "We still don't know. You might stay here for three days or three months. I'll tell you as soon as I know about
it". What a nice answer. I just want some stability, you know.
So the fact is I'm still stucked here, not working at all. I feel like I'm wasting my time and not learning anything. I also can't sleep at night that much, mostly because of the heat. So I don't feel that fine, sorry for being negative. But I try to be positive, and I decided to send my CV to some other companies. I received some answers and I might have interviews on the next weeks. I'll mantain you well informed about it.
Talking about companies, I want to speak about mine (I won't tell the name, even when I'm not sure if I shouldn't say it in case the owner reads it and decides to change things). My company is a good one, I would never say the opposite, but that's reffering to the main company. Everyone at the USA says my company is honest, reliable, and some other nice compliments. But I might remind you I work at the spanish branch wich is directed by spaniards, and also by really bad and unefficient spaniards, the worst class in fact. So meanwhile all the employees at the rest of the
world love the company, I don't know even one employee at Spain who likes the company.
I might change to the USA or GB branch, I'll try I promise.
Well, there are some other things I want to write about, but I'll leave them for the next post. At this time I'm supposed to be working, but in fact there's nothing to do but spend my time looking at the screen, that's why I decided to write a bit.
Farewell, and again my Love to London.
Manoel.
I want to continue writing as live goes on and we must forget the pain (but learn from it). All my friends at London are ok. They weren't close to the tubes and buses. I feel fortunate but I can't just forget the people that died. I would pray if I believed in god, but I don't, so I'll just send my thoughts and love to them.
I wish my live had changed on the last weeks, but unfortunatly it hadn't. In fact instead of improving I'm going back to the past situations. The project in wich I was working will finish on next monday. Some of my mates are going to be send to another place out of Boadilla, those with whom I always have breakfast and lunch. So I'll be left alone again. My boss came last week to tell them about their new destinations, but he didn't speak with me and I wandered why. So I asked him about it. He gave me the same answer he gave me two months ago: "We still don't know. You might stay here for three days or three months. I'll tell you as soon as I know about
it". What a nice answer. I just want some stability, you know.
So the fact is I'm still stucked here, not working at all. I feel like I'm wasting my time and not learning anything. I also can't sleep at night that much, mostly because of the heat. So I don't feel that fine, sorry for being negative. But I try to be positive, and I decided to send my CV to some other companies. I received some answers and I might have interviews on the next weeks. I'll mantain you well informed about it.
Talking about companies, I want to speak about mine (I won't tell the name, even when I'm not sure if I shouldn't say it in case the owner reads it and decides to change things). My company is a good one, I would never say the opposite, but that's reffering to the main company. Everyone at the USA says my company is honest, reliable, and some other nice compliments. But I might remind you I work at the spanish branch wich is directed by spaniards, and also by really bad and unefficient spaniards, the worst class in fact. So meanwhile all the employees at the rest of the
world love the company, I don't know even one employee at Spain who likes the company.
I might change to the USA or GB branch, I'll try I promise.
Well, there are some other things I want to write about, but I'll leave them for the next post. At this time I'm supposed to be working, but in fact there's nothing to do but spend my time looking at the screen, that's why I decided to write a bit.
Farewell, and again my Love to London.
Manoel.
Thursday, July 07, 2005
So Sad
Hi fellow bloggers.
There's no words I could use to show you my sorrow. You know I love britain and you also know I've been at London. I've been on those trains and also on those streets. I can see them now. I can also see the people on them just going to their jobs or to have fun in the city.
I received an email at 12:00 saying about the bombing at London. I couldn't wait to reach home to have some more news. I was really worried about my London friends, and also about the innocent people on the buses and trains.
We had that in Spain, and also the 11S, so even when I feel horrified I also feel like that's not something new at all, and that's what makes it even worst. I hope I'll never get used to such inhumanity.
My thoughts are with you English, and specially with the people who lives at London.
I love you London.
Manoel.
There's no words I could use to show you my sorrow. You know I love britain and you also know I've been at London. I've been on those trains and also on those streets. I can see them now. I can also see the people on them just going to their jobs or to have fun in the city.
I received an email at 12:00 saying about the bombing at London. I couldn't wait to reach home to have some more news. I was really worried about my London friends, and also about the innocent people on the buses and trains.
We had that in Spain, and also the 11S, so even when I feel horrified I also feel like that's not something new at all, and that's what makes it even worst. I hope I'll never get used to such inhumanity.
My thoughts are with you English, and specially with the people who lives at London.
I love you London.
Manoel.
Monday, July 04, 2005
Straight vs Non Straight
Hi fellows.
Living at Madrid could be fun. Apart from all the problems, disturbances and crowded streets and/or public transport, distance from your working place and the horrible, unbearable heat, you always have something to do, see. Just a few weeks after the samba event we had the gay proud day and another bomb by ETA, that's what's like living in the place where everything happens in Spain. And also we'll have the olympics city chosing on wednesday, I wonder what'll happen if finally Madrid gets elected (I will feel a bit sorry about Paris and London, but if I'm going to be here on 2012 I would preffer Madrid to be chosen).
This days I have somthing else to talk about. I preffer to tell you this first, as it's small and not that important but really annoying. I told you my bedroom is an interior one, I mean the window doesn't face the street but another windows of the same building. It acts as a sound ampliffier and I get all the conversations between the neighbourghood. I call it "radiopatio" wich I could translate into innercourtyardradio. I hear every argument neighbours have even if I don't want to. This days specially because I can't close the window because of the heat. But this week is being even worst as the bloody neighbours dog (it's more like a rat) is having the heat and it screams like a bloody cat, sometimes as a pig bing killed. Of course it's more intense at night, so I can't sleep properly. I should call the police anyway, but I feel sorry for the animal, altough not for the bloody owners.
Now it's time for a short briefing about being at "Chueca" (the gay quarter in Madrid) on the gay proud day. I'm not homofobic although I don't like men at all (you know what I mean, or you should). A friend of mine, actually she's more than a friend, came to visit me during the weekend. We had a really good time. I didn't know where to take her as I don't really know Madrid (I didn't bother to visit anything yet, so lazy I am). I decided to take her to chueca as I know there's a lot of clothes shops there and she likes shoping (not as much as my sister, I'll take her there too as soon as she cames). But I didn't realize it was a festival on saturday. I noticed something strange was happening when I saw all those guys on the tube kissing each other and I've been to that part of Madrid before without seeing them. The street was coloured, decorated with multicolor flags and it was full of people (I could tell they were not straight). A group was preparing a van, placing big pink laces on it and arranging the speakers. The music was loud and it looked like a big preparation for fiesta.
I don't like to generalize, or to use stereotypes, but this time it was so obvious. They dressed far from what I call normal for myself. They used tshirts without leeves and they also were rally musculed, with fancy haircuts, shorts and fashion trainers or sandals. They were really fashion and also the shops. She loved them, I mean the shops. I felt like I was going to miss a big party. I also felt pity for a friend of mine and another friend of my sister. They'll love to be there. My greetings for both.
Later I saw on TV how big and funny it was. It really was kind of a demonstration and even some politicians were there. I'm pretty sure not because they are homosexual but more as a political action to earn some votes from gay people. That's something I don't like as much as I don't like politicians. In fact it was the same politicians that were at the demonstrations for the 11March and the Prestige thing, they fight for votes, you know.
Anyway, I was glad to see the preparations, it was beautiful and a prelude for fun, that's always nice.
Cheers and farewell, I hope I'll write some more soon. Meanwhile, and I'm sorry for this, but let's Madrid be chosen for the olympics.
Manoel.
Living at Madrid could be fun. Apart from all the problems, disturbances and crowded streets and/or public transport, distance from your working place and the horrible, unbearable heat, you always have something to do, see. Just a few weeks after the samba event we had the gay proud day and another bomb by ETA, that's what's like living in the place where everything happens in Spain. And also we'll have the olympics city chosing on wednesday, I wonder what'll happen if finally Madrid gets elected (I will feel a bit sorry about Paris and London, but if I'm going to be here on 2012 I would preffer Madrid to be chosen).
This days I have somthing else to talk about. I preffer to tell you this first, as it's small and not that important but really annoying. I told you my bedroom is an interior one, I mean the window doesn't face the street but another windows of the same building. It acts as a sound ampliffier and I get all the conversations between the neighbourghood. I call it "radiopatio" wich I could translate into innercourtyardradio. I hear every argument neighbours have even if I don't want to. This days specially because I can't close the window because of the heat. But this week is being even worst as the bloody neighbours dog (it's more like a rat) is having the heat and it screams like a bloody cat, sometimes as a pig bing killed. Of course it's more intense at night, so I can't sleep properly. I should call the police anyway, but I feel sorry for the animal, altough not for the bloody owners.
Now it's time for a short briefing about being at "Chueca" (the gay quarter in Madrid) on the gay proud day. I'm not homofobic although I don't like men at all (you know what I mean, or you should). A friend of mine, actually she's more than a friend, came to visit me during the weekend. We had a really good time. I didn't know where to take her as I don't really know Madrid (I didn't bother to visit anything yet, so lazy I am). I decided to take her to chueca as I know there's a lot of clothes shops there and she likes shoping (not as much as my sister, I'll take her there too as soon as she cames). But I didn't realize it was a festival on saturday. I noticed something strange was happening when I saw all those guys on the tube kissing each other and I've been to that part of Madrid before without seeing them. The street was coloured, decorated with multicolor flags and it was full of people (I could tell they were not straight). A group was preparing a van, placing big pink laces on it and arranging the speakers. The music was loud and it looked like a big preparation for fiesta.
I don't like to generalize, or to use stereotypes, but this time it was so obvious. They dressed far from what I call normal for myself. They used tshirts without leeves and they also were rally musculed, with fancy haircuts, shorts and fashion trainers or sandals. They were really fashion and also the shops. She loved them, I mean the shops. I felt like I was going to miss a big party. I also felt pity for a friend of mine and another friend of my sister. They'll love to be there. My greetings for both.
Later I saw on TV how big and funny it was. It really was kind of a demonstration and even some politicians were there. I'm pretty sure not because they are homosexual but more as a political action to earn some votes from gay people. That's something I don't like as much as I don't like politicians. In fact it was the same politicians that were at the demonstrations for the 11March and the Prestige thing, they fight for votes, you know.
Anyway, I was glad to see the preparations, it was beautiful and a prelude for fun, that's always nice.
Cheers and farewell, I hope I'll write some more soon. Meanwhile, and I'm sorry for this, but let's Madrid be chosen for the olympics.
Manoel.
Thursday, June 30, 2005
At my job
As I said on the title I’m at my job. I’m typing this as a word document and as soon as I reach home I’ll publish it. First of all I’m dammed bloody bored, I have nothing to do but waiting for something to be finished, but I’ll to explain it a bit.
You know I’m a programmer and also I’m working as it at a bank. We don’t literally work on our computers (you know I got a shared one, it could be considered as mine, but it’s not, although nobody works on it except me), we do everything on a remote computer through a network (I just don’t want to be too technical). All our programming files are on that computer and we use a DOS like environment to type programs and to build them, what could be quite annoying sometimes if you know what I‘m talking about.
Anyway, the problem is that remote computer is not absolutely dedicated to development tasks but also to the real tasks of the bank. A bank has millions, or even more than millions, of tasks at any second. Some of them are fast and small, but some are huge and take a long time to be finished.
As that remote computer is dedicated to that tasks and also those of the real proccesings have more priority (it’s understandable, you need to know your account balance, and transfer money in less than seconds, and go to a cash point to have some money, etc…) means the development process are damm slow. Sometimes I have to wait hours for my jobs to be finished and if I have nothing else to do, or I need that to be finished before I can continue, I just sit here and look at the screen. Sometimes I draw, but that’s too risky in case my boss comes near me.
There are some days in wich working is almost impossible. Specially at the end of the month, when really huge accounting processes starts. They need to do balances, fix small (and sometimes big) problems with accounts, credits, etc… You can’t imagine how many data a bank manages everyday, nor to speak about the money, that’s just unthinkable.
So here I am, typing while I wait for a job of mine to be finished, and it’s the end of the month, so I guess it’ll take three or four hours to be finished. I’m going to be terribly bored today, lucky me? Or unlucky me?
And talking about something different. I went to J&Js yesterday to have some fun, I believe I deserve it sometimes. As always I met some new people, some of them Spanish, some of them English and/or Americans. I always have good times there, if you come to Madrid and you just want to have a chat, a pint or two or meet some interesting (and not that interesting) people, just go there on Wednesdays, Fridays or Saturdays.
It’s amazing to realize how many different accents and ways of speaking you English natives have. Some of them are nice, and some aren’t that nice. Yesterday I met another Liverpolian, but this time it was one with a very strong accent, hardly understandying for a poor Spaniard like me. If it wasn’t that he was saying “fucking” all the time and giving me time to think about what he said, I wouldn’t have catched a word of what he said. He was a nice guy, anyway. I also met a Spaniard who sings “Zarzuela” and he was also nice. No girls this time, they weren’t that friendly last two times I’ve been there, it might be the heat.
Well, nothing else. Farewell and have a good summer. (I wish I could enjoy the beach for a while, I never thought I could miss the beach, bloody hell)
Manoel.
You know I’m a programmer and also I’m working as it at a bank. We don’t literally work on our computers (you know I got a shared one, it could be considered as mine, but it’s not, although nobody works on it except me), we do everything on a remote computer through a network (I just don’t want to be too technical). All our programming files are on that computer and we use a DOS like environment to type programs and to build them, what could be quite annoying sometimes if you know what I‘m talking about.
Anyway, the problem is that remote computer is not absolutely dedicated to development tasks but also to the real tasks of the bank. A bank has millions, or even more than millions, of tasks at any second. Some of them are fast and small, but some are huge and take a long time to be finished.
As that remote computer is dedicated to that tasks and also those of the real proccesings have more priority (it’s understandable, you need to know your account balance, and transfer money in less than seconds, and go to a cash point to have some money, etc…) means the development process are damm slow. Sometimes I have to wait hours for my jobs to be finished and if I have nothing else to do, or I need that to be finished before I can continue, I just sit here and look at the screen. Sometimes I draw, but that’s too risky in case my boss comes near me.
There are some days in wich working is almost impossible. Specially at the end of the month, when really huge accounting processes starts. They need to do balances, fix small (and sometimes big) problems with accounts, credits, etc… You can’t imagine how many data a bank manages everyday, nor to speak about the money, that’s just unthinkable.
So here I am, typing while I wait for a job of mine to be finished, and it’s the end of the month, so I guess it’ll take three or four hours to be finished. I’m going to be terribly bored today, lucky me? Or unlucky me?
And talking about something different. I went to J&Js yesterday to have some fun, I believe I deserve it sometimes. As always I met some new people, some of them Spanish, some of them English and/or Americans. I always have good times there, if you come to Madrid and you just want to have a chat, a pint or two or meet some interesting (and not that interesting) people, just go there on Wednesdays, Fridays or Saturdays.
It’s amazing to realize how many different accents and ways of speaking you English natives have. Some of them are nice, and some aren’t that nice. Yesterday I met another Liverpolian, but this time it was one with a very strong accent, hardly understandying for a poor Spaniard like me. If it wasn’t that he was saying “fucking” all the time and giving me time to think about what he said, I wouldn’t have catched a word of what he said. He was a nice guy, anyway. I also met a Spaniard who sings “Zarzuela” and he was also nice. No girls this time, they weren’t that friendly last two times I’ve been there, it might be the heat.
Well, nothing else. Farewell and have a good summer. (I wish I could enjoy the beach for a while, I never thought I could miss the beach, bloody hell)
Manoel.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)