Spies

I have just realized that in days when I feel physically exhausted is when I feel more inspired and I need to write or to express my concerns the most. Today, I have been reading thoroughly the newspaper while I was having a cup of tea after lunch. The bar where I usually go to have a coffee or a tea after lunch was quieter than usual. There is a good explanation for that, there are two main events in the surroundings. Firstly, today is a day of celebration in the neighborhood. On the other hand, in the nearest town there is a major event, widely known, and a main attraction for a lot of foreigners and locals. This two celebrations and high temperatures in the area last days contributed to keep people in bed having some rest after a long night, or enjoying a day sunbathing on the beach.
My situation was a bit different this year, therefore I went to bed quite early last night after a long hard day. This morning, I decided to go for a ride on my mountain bike, and I was pedaling for two and a half hours. When I got home I was considerably tired and, after having lunch, I had to take a nap to recover. Then, I went out and I had my tea while reading the newspaper.
After these lines explaining why I am writing this post, I am going to briefly make a comment about one thought that came to my mind while reading. I have found an analogy between spies and journalists. They are always searching for information, they always want that information before anyone else, when they publish some information the effects can be unpredictable, and they are not really independent because there are a lot of economic and politic interests involved and big companies own all or part of the shares in main communication media all over the world. In conclusion, when we read and article in a newspaper we should not expect to find the truth, just one of the sides' version. This is a bit different when there is a military conflict, then the winner takes it all (like Abba sing in one of their songs), and writes history from his own perspective. The more I think about this subject, the more similarities I find between spies and journalists. Maybe the main difference is that journalists are in the public eye, while spies prefer to keep their identities hidden in order to make their job easier and safer. Another important difference is the area where they focus their attention. Spies usually trade with classified data from big companies, or compromising information about governments or well-known politicians and businessmen. The explanation for that behavior is all about the money, spies are a kind of elite team of mercenaries available to obtain, or even create, the information necessary to carry out some sort of plan. In summary, they both do a similar job but with a different goal in mind.

Words

I should not be writing this post. What is the point in writing or talking if you do not communicate or transmit something (an idea, some knowledge, feelings, etc.)? It does not make sense at all, does it?
Why do a lot of people talk and talk without saying anything that deserves to be heard? I have a theory, based in my experience. I think they love to hear their voice, maybe the same way when I enjoy listening to a singer playing a song.
It is nice to enjoy a good conversation with other people, but it is not very interesting when somebody talks about something without any interest or when tries to impose his or her ideas, or to manipulate you using their speech. Another bad use of words is when they are used to tell lies. When you do not want to share something with other people, you only have to remain silent, there is no need to lie. You can use your imagination for other more productive tasks.
I consider these behaviors unacceptable, but apparently they are widely accepted among public opinion.
I have always been quite cautious about expressing my opinions, and I like to think about what I am going to say before actually saying it. Sometimes, I would like to be more spontaneous, but the fact is that I am not. There are things that never change, for better or worse. I love to share my thoughts with other people, and I also like to hear other people's ideas, especially when they disagree with me. Then, I have to analyze what I heard and I usually learn things that I did not know or another point of view. If you take the time to listen to other people's opinions with an open mind, you will show your good education and you will likely learn something new.
In the end, it looks that I had more to say than I actually thought. I hope you think this lines deserve to be read, otherwise I am sorry to waste your time. Anyway, it was a good exercise to continue writing in English. I have to take advantage of every chance I have to write. I admit that some of the post are more interesting than others. That is because my inspiration is not always the same.

Results

I have been waiting for this day for a whole week. I was expecting the moment when I could see the results of my English exams. I would have considered a success if I only had passed at least 2 out of the 4 exams that I had to do. However, my happiness is complete now because I passed all the four exams. Besides, considering that I think that I could have done it a bit better, it was an excellent result from my point of view.
I know that I have a lot more to learn about English language, but I am more confident about what I have already learnt. Moreover, I must say that I enjoyed a lot taking the exams, mainly the one focused on oral expression. I felt a bit nervous at first, but after a little while I started to talk in a more relaxing way, just how I usually do with my friend Paul.
After obtaining these successful grades, I can give advise to some friends of mine who are learning and trying to improve their English skills. I have already tried to help them, but now I know that the way I am learning really works. So, the most important trick about English learning that I can share with you is that you must find ways to learn and improve while you have a good time. Otherwise, English learning will become a hard work or even a torture, and you will probably give up, sooner or later.
Finally, I would like to add that nowadays you can find all you need to learn and improve on the Internet. You can read books, newspapers or magazines online. You can also watch TV online (news, documentaries, movies, series, etc.) and listen to radio programs of all kinds. If you want to improve your writing skills, you can start a blog like this or find a web site that helps people to improve their writing style. There a lot of possibilities, you only have to do some digging.
It worked for me. Hopefully, it will also work for you.

Speaking

Today has been a special day for me. I had my first oral English exam at the Escuela Oficial de Idiomas in Vigo. Actually, today was the first part of the exam, the speaking. As you can imagine, it is all about speaking English.
I got to the school quite early because I thought I could have problems to park my car. However, I parked my car quickly and right next to the school. In fact, I even had time to have a coffee and read the newspaper before going to the building where the exams were going to take place. There were a lot of students there with their notes, trying to study until the very last minute before entering the class to take the exam.
The exam was a complete mistery to me. For that reason, I asked one of the students to tell me about the exam, mainly about the way it is usually carried out. She told me it consisted of two parts. Firstly, I would have 10 minutes to prepare a small script for a presentation about a subject I would choose among three possible options. Then, I would have to make a presentation in front of two teachers who would evaluate my performance.
The second part of the exam would involve a discussion with the teacher about a different subject. I would have to defend my point of view and express my disagreement with teacher's opinions.
The subject I had to talk about was technology and, more precisely, how the communication media evolved in last decades. I talked about the Internet and the effects, positive and negative, that this global network is causing in people and how the world is changing because of it.
After finishing my presentation I had to talk about nuclear power plants, wind generated energy and solar panels. I decided to focus in the big risk that the nuclear energy represents. In my opinion, the risks attached to nuclear energy should be prioritized over all the advantages it provides. So, I think we should try to obtain energy from other clean sources like the sun, the wind, ocean tides or any other practical options that don't involve any kind of risk for the population living next to the power plants.
The exam was not too long, however it was quite intense. I think I could have done it better, but I hope I did it well enough to pass the exam. Anyway, I will have to wait until June 13th to know the results. Besides, I still have to take the other exams next Monday (reading, listening and writing). Wish me luck.

Best candidate?/¿El mejor candidato?

Today is supposedly a day for reflection before the municipal election. I have been thinking about the actual situation in relation with politics in general. Unfortunately, the conclusions I have reached are not very encouraging. In fact, my view about this subject can be considered as quite pessimistic.
First of all, I would like to list the qualities that I consider politicians should have at least (minimum required). Honesty, humility, sincerity and justice should be basic features that all politicians would have to possess in order to be candidates in an election.
From my point of view, honesty means trying to do things right with the aim of obtain the best possible result for all the citizens that you represent, without taking your own interests into account or expecting any kind of profit in return -except your assigned salary.
On the other hand, humility represents the ability to consider all the opinions, trying to understand them and taking them into account when it is necessary to make a decision. Besides, it is important to respect all the points of view no matter whose they are. In fact, nobody owns the absolute truth, and it is always positive to treat a problem from different points of view.
Another thing is about justice. A good ruler have to be fair and must to make fair decisions even if they are not very popular.
Finally, there is something called sincerity. Basically, this means fulfill your promises and do not tell lies. Moreover, if you make mistakes (because nobody is perfect), admit it and do not blame others.
After all explained above, I hope you understand my concerns and doubts about the decision I, as a voter, have to make tomorrow. In my opinion, most of the candidates do not meet the minimum requirements I mentioned before, and probably none of them meet some of the qualities requested.
In conclusion, tomorrow I will have choose among all the candidates. However, I will not choose the one I consider the best for ruling the council. In fact, I will have to choose the one I think will be less harmful to represent the interests of all the citizens who live in my town.

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Hoy es supuestamente un día para la reflexión antes de las elecciones municipales. He
estado pensando acerca de la situación actual en relación a la política en general.
Desafortunadamente, las conclusiones a las que he llegado no son muy alentadoras. De hecho,mi visión sobre este tema se puede considerar bastante pesimista.
En primer lugar, me gustaría listar las características que considero que los políticos deberían poseer como mínimo. Honestidad, humildad, justicia y sinceridad deberían ser rasgos básicos que todos los políticos tendrían que tener para ser candidatos en unas elecciones.
Desde mi punto de vista, la honestidad se muestra intentando hacer las cosas del modo
correcto con el objetivo de obtener el mejor resultado posible para todos los ciudadanos que representas, sin considerar tus intereses personales o esperando ningún tipo de beneficio personal más allá del salario que te corresponda.
Por otro lado, la humildad representa la habilidad para considerar todas las opiniones, intentando entenderlas y tenerlas en cuenta a la hora de tomar una decisión. Además, es importante respetar todos los puntos de vista independientemente de quién sean. De hecho, nadie está en posesión de la verdad absoluta y siempre resulta positivo abordar un problema desde distintos puntos de vista.
Finalmente, existe algo llamado sinceridad. Básicamente, esto significa cumplir tus promesas y no mentir. Además, si cometes errores (ya que nadie es perfecto), admítelo y no culpes a otros.
Después de todo lo explicado anteriormente, espero que entendáis mi preocupación y dudas sobre la decisión que yo, como votante, tengo que tomar mañana. En mi opinión, la mayoría de los candidatos no cumplen los requisitos mínimos que mencioné anteriormente y, probablemente, ninguno de ellos cumple alguno de ellos.
En resumen, mañana tendré que elegir entre todos los candidatos. Sin embargo, no elegiré el que considere mejor para gobernar el ayuntamiento. De hecho, tendré que elegir el que piense que será menos perjudicial para representar los intereses de todos los ciudadanos que viven en mi pueblo.

Blood

After seeing the title you may expect a bloody story related with murders or some very old vampire living among us. However, I am going to write about something perhaps less interesting but much more important in my humble opinion.
A few days ago, I was driving around in the nearest town to where I live and I saw a coach parked in front of the council. It was CTG's coach (CTG stands for Centro de Transfusión de Galicia). I was not very busy at the time so I decided to park my car and to make a good action. When I entered the coach, I realized that there weren't anybody inside but the doctor and two nurses. That was perfect because I didn't have to wait in order to make the donation.
The doctor asked me to enter in his tiny office and to answer some questions (always the same) about my health and life habits. When the doctor finished to check if I met all requirements, he sent me to talk with one of the nurses who made a little cut in one of my fingers and tested my blood to see if my level of iron in it was ok. Everything was fine with my iron, in fact, I should stay away from magnets (I am joking). After that, the donation started and it took me a while to fill the bag with my blood, almost 10 minutes. I drank a bottle of water during the process to recover the fluids my body was losing as soon as possible, and another one after finishing the donation. I also ate something.
In about half an hour of my time I made a blood donation. That is all I needed in order to help someone who needs it and, at the same time, I feel happy being able to help.

Groundhog day

Yesterday, I was watching the news on TV and they were talking about Groundhog day. I had heard about this day before but this year I decided to investigate a little bit to know more about this holiday in the United States and Canada on 2nd February.
There are several theories about its origin but where there is no doubt is about where is the largest celebration. This one takes place in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. It is a very popular tradition and now it is well-known in part because of a movie released in 1993 whose title was "Groundhog day" starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell.
The basic idea about this tradition depends on the behavior of a real groundhog called Punxsutawney Phil, the true weather forecaster if we believe its neighbors in Punxsutawney. Apparently, if the weather is cloudy when Phil goes out its burrow and it can't see its shadow, then it will go back to continue sleeping at home for at least six more week and that will be the time that winter-like weather will continue outside. On the contrary, if when Phil steps out his burrow the sun is shining in the sky (it can see its shadow on the ground) then winter is coming to an end soon.
I thought that we had strange ways to make weather forecasts using small rooster toys and saying that bad weather is coming when some body part is aching. However, I have changed my mind and now I think we are not strange people, we are just different. In my opinion, these traditions make TV weather forecasters more reliable and, believe me, I am not a big fan of them. Anyway, if you have a doubt, you can find a groundhog and ask it.