Getting used to work III

This is the day of my goodbye from Pontenova, in few hours I'll be again living in my hometown, waking up 30 min. earlier, and eating 30 min. later :S
But at least I will see more often people :)
Today it happened to me the same I told in the previous post when I made something that one of my partners taught me and the other told me "why are you making that?? you are wasting your time, you have to do that and that.." It's quite annoying but I cannot say anything. It's like when a teacher is absent and the new one tell the pupils "you have to do it like that way", when you are used to make it with the other teacher on the way "it was always done" :D
It was also funny when another friend who also took this job but in a bigger place, a city like Vigo, when she told me she is going from department to department learning different things from everyone. Here all is at the same time in the same place, so I was learning every kind of matter at once :D Those first days were really confusing for so many new things. Moreover finances or accounting are not my strongest part of studies since my speciality is marketing, so twice difficulty.
Well, few hours to leave this small town, and somehow I feel like I will miss it, but it's a necessary change.
On saturday my friends are coming here, so I guess I wont update anything until monday.
Have a good weekend.

Getting used to work II

Anyway, something that I hate is when there is no method of working for some matters and everyone of my work mates teach me on his own way. So, sometimes I do something and one of them is telling me "You did this wrong" or "You have to do this first and then that" or "didnt you learnt this before yet??"
Well, this is what happens when they dont teach me to do something the other thinks it is basic, or they do in a different way. I dont care about doing something in this or that way, but sometimes I have a mess in my head if I did ok or not or which method is the best to follow. Today it happened twice and that's something annoying for me because I feel, and they tell me like I did something wrong though I know I just did what I learnt before.

Well it's a pity, but today there is one concert of Loreena McKennitt in Santiago de Compostela, the place I was spending the last weekend :( and I cannot go. It would be really great to attend to one concert of her.. but another time... :((

Getting used to work

Well, I thought at first that working in a bank would be strange for me since my studies are not conducted to finances or accounting. I have studied a bit of that, but my especiality is mostly marketing, so at first I wasnt that convinced of going far from home and working there. But I have to say after one month I started to get used. It's a very small place and you can think maybe I am bored because there are not so many people coming there every day... and that's true somehow... Some days I can count with the fingers of my hands those who are coming inside the office, but other times... it's pretty scary. The 25th and 26th of every month seems to be a non-ending day (last 25th I was working from 8:00 AM to 17:00 PM with no rest at all). The beginning of the month is also terrible, but the rest of the month seems quiet. My boss and partner are going to have holidays these days, hopefully not both at the same time :D it would be the ruin of the bank if I am alone there XDD
I think the worst is to get up so early and to lose all my holidays (and starting studying at the same time as working for my exams in september).
Well, these are my last days in Pontenova, I've bought a second-hand car and I will go to work everyday from 1st August from my home Alfoz to the office. It will mean.. getting up even earlier and being even more tired the rest of the day, but on the good hand I will come back home and will have more free time to spend with my friends. I will have less often internet as well, but I will try to reach it every time I can for making new posts (I have already planned every weekend :D )
By the way! seems that finally the summer came here!

Alfoz medieval party - July 19th

On July 19th we had in our town the annual medieval party in my hometown Alfoz (you can see the castle of Alfoz in the pic between the mist in our valley). And my friends and me decided to go this time dressed with skirts (last time we were disguised like monks and a funny warrior (ese traxe de teletubby Marcos! XD)).
So the party is based in a medieval market in the afternoon-evening with games, barracks and so on.. and a dinner near the castle at night with a folk concert afterwards.


The dinner was typical meat and sausages, tuna pie, bread, wine and queimada (typical liquor from Galicia, which has to be burnt first to take out a bit of alcohol, because of the strong)

So after the dinner, we started dancing and making nonsenses with the concert (I think we were just the ones dancing there XDD)
They made a previous representation to the "queimada" that you can see in the following pics:



This fire you can see in the pic and the guy stiring with a big soup spoon is the typical queimada :P



True posers ;)










Yes, and this is me stiring the precious liquor, I couldnt avoid to ask for taking the spoon, it's really cool because it's burning and with the night it makes a very nice effect. It's a pity with the light of the flash of the cam you cannot see it very clearly :(
Anyway the bad point of the queimada is that you can drink the first and it's quite ok, but it's truly dangerous because you cannot realize that you are drinking a lot of alcohol, it's warm and sweet... and I had maybe the worst drunkenness I have ever had that night XDD
Maybe other factors like I was very tired of sleeping 4 and 5 hours every day all week, really tired of going out the previous day and sleeping again less than 4 hours, and the warm and sweet betrayed my body completely XDD
Moreover, the last cups of that liquor are the less burnt, so they have the most percentage of alcohol. All this joined in a caos in myself and it was the first time that I remember perfectly and in 5 or 10 minutes I stopped recalling when I went to pee and fell down XDD
I got a hit in my head that left me absolutly KO and all this together made me to not to remember anything until the next morning. Hopefully not severe consequences but scratches and floating sensation the next day XD
I think I've learnt the lesson now: first sleeping enough hours, then dont trust and dont drink fast queimada :S
This last weekend I was in Santiago, it was holidays in Galicia because it was the "day of Galicia" - July 25th -
Lots of tourists and lots of fun. Santiago is a great city to go out and to have tapas (the little dish joining the drink). In that place you can even have a dinner just going from place to place having some drink, not paying the food, of course.
I dont have pics from those days, but it was great to go out there and join my friends after a long time of not going out together.
Hope you enjoyed the crazy pics ;)

Unha viaxeciña a Ankara??

Non sei se vos acordades de que cando eu estivera en Estonia, unha amiga dixerame de irme a un programa cultural a Turquía. Ó final fora e estivera xenial, conocín un montón de xente, un país que na vida pensara visitar.. moi bos amigos.. (Luigi, un deles vouno ver en Santiago en 2 semanas, espero!).
Pois bueno, Bora, un dos organizadores daquel evento mandoume esta mañá unha mensaxe:
"hiya! diego
we have a exchange program here in ankara, which is called"european cultural footsteps" and it will take place between 26/07-04/08/2008 in a university campus.my organisation(GSM-Ankara) is looking for participants from spain very very urgently! travel costs will be raimbursed up to 70% and there will be not any cost will be paid for accomodation ect...
if you or your friends interested to come here turkey-ankara and if you or your friends are not occupied between these dates."
Así dito rápido, él está a organizar outro intercambio cultural coma o que fun eu, desta vez chamado "european cultural footsteps". Supoño que será algo moi parecido a aquel. Vai ter lugar entre o 26 de xulio e o 4 de agosto.. ou sexa... XA!!
Os costes, coma da outra vez.. van ser 70%, sí, lestes ben, o setenta por cento pagados, e esto inclue: viaxes de ida e volta, contando todos os tickets de todo o que se pille, desde avión ata bus.. incluso o metro ou un bus ou un taxi (importante sempre pedir ticket para certificar o que se gasta). Logo NON hai prezo para aloxamento, non hai que pagar nada, tampouco para as comidas principais.. esto sempre que non se vaia comer por ahi... e tampouco para visitas guiadas por Ankara (e tanto Bora coma os outros son incribles, desviviranse por vós, e por tervos todo sempre a punto, palabra de un que foi ;) ).
De verdade se estades libres, non sabedes qué facer a semana que ven... contactademe e eu direivos o que tedes que facer. Pero ten que ser canto antes.
Só como dato para darvos un pouco máis de cousa a quenes poidades e esteñades de vacacións: se o organizades ben é un choio. eso do 70% dos gastos pagados e sen pagar cama nin comidas principales... eu acórdome que por 9 días gastara 300 €!!! e non me faltara de nada.. bueno, como moito o sono entre festas e levantarse cedo para os workshops.
Oportunidade única oigan!!!

Plans

Bueno, é incrible, pero xa hai unha gran parte do verán lista para sentencia XDD
Vamos con planes:

19 Julio: feira medieval en Alfoz. Simón e Ánxela de momento fijos.

24-25-26 Julio: visita a Santiago? Marcos dirá. Os demáis de Vigo ou outros sitios que vaian que mo faigan saber. Aah aqueles tempos de Sargadelos onde quedan...

1 e 2 de Agosto: cantos de Vigo en Alfoz? 12? 13? os que sexades, xa se verá de buscar algúnha solución, porque a miña casa é jrande, pero tanto.. xa non sei... Ese finde hai Magosto, non? en Riotorto hai festa e o meu jefe é gaiteiro e tocará na festa co grupo del :) Díxome que había cena con churrasco para o pueblo e deso :PP
Ainda que todo se verá, seguro que para daquela tamén haberá festa noutros lugares un pouco máis cerca de onde vivo...

9 de Agosto: Alternavigo. Este ano a Maruxaina sacrifícase.. qué remedio, pero é que Cradle, e compañía, ainda que non sexa unha maravilla ningún deles.. pos haberá que velos pa un día que se xuntan en Galicia...

15-16 Agosto: Hai Revoltallo este ano, e nada menos que Susperia!!!! e Nahemah xa confirmados, logo o 16, Queimada de Cervo tamén :P

Seguramente me quedan cousas, pero logo de eses días a min tocarame estudiar, así que é posible que non vaia a moito máis.
Ideme avisando por ahi sobre estes temas, ok? Non hai presa, pero sería interesante saber quén se apunta a cada cousa. Ademáis quédame unha visita dunha amiga de Estonia que non sei cándo virá, ou se finalmente o fará :S bueno, a ver qué se fai

Equilibrium - Sagas, the ALBUM

1. Prolog auf Erden 03:38 2. Wurzelbert 04:58 3. Blut im Auge 04:44 4. Unbesiegt 06:19 5. Verrat 06:04 6. Snüffel 05:44 7. Heimwärts 02:32 8. Heiderauche 02:31 9. Die Weide und der Fluß 07:21 10. Des Sängers Fluch 08:03 11. Ruf in den Wind 04:52 12. Dämmerung 05:54 13. Mana 16:21

Meanwhile I was listening to Sagas, I had the feeling from the first time there was in front of me a great, a huge album. After listening several times, my feeling got just higher, until the point that I think here we have the album of the year, and going further, maybe one of the best epic viking metal albums of all times.
Risky to tell that when the year ain't over, and with really good releases like the ones of Opeth, Machinae Supremacy, Forefather, Dalriada, Obtest, Kalmah and so on (well, you can see at the right of the page my own tastes :) ) but when I listen to Sagas, I just can think "yeeeeh!!!" XD
From "Prolog auf Erden" to "Mana" we have 80 minutes of epic, folk, viking, heathen metal,... as you want to define it. Equilibrium made an album wich combines with those names but it goes further, to the point that we can say they made an awesome album of MUSIC. No matter styles, if rock or metal or whatever. It's just great music.
I have to say that when I saw 80 min. I was a bit afraid, few bands can make a bearable long album like that. But Sagas is much more than bearable, is enjoyable, with no letdowns, no negative points. And the matter that makes me to think that this is an amazing release is linked with these last words: it's 80 minutes completely enjoyable that even after listening many many times you are still going on moving the head and the leg with the epic and catchy melodies :) and also enjoying the careful and well done changes of rhythm and the perfect labour of the musicians.
The german band included in this cd lots of different influences out from the strict cannons of the Viking Metal we are used to: really melodic but strong and fast at the same time (Verrat can be the fastest and strongest song of the history of the band); calm flute and atmospheric passages and epic bombastic battle chorus; even the folk you can listen here has different influences, using different ways of playing it, so sometimes we can find from typical catchy north folk melodies to south american folk ambient surrounding some parts, thanks to the use of their traditional instruments -panpipes, tribal and ambient nature sounds,... - (like in Unbesiegt, one of the catchiest songs of Sagas for me, or Mana).
Finally the big ending is coming with Mana, instrumental song of 16 min. that I don't have even words to explain the magnificence of it. Epic, monumental, huge, enjoyable, inspired, varied, catchy,... I could go on following, but this is one of the songs you MUST LISTEN. Awesome.
So, enough said. One of the best Viking Metal albums ever, maybe the best in general of this year, and one of the most outstandings in the last years.
When you are listening 80 min. of music and you say "already over? let's play it again!" means that it's just great.


The album features a guest appearance by Ulrich Herkenhoff, who is said to be
"one of the most famous panpipe players and can be heard on the soundtrack of
'The Lord of the Rings - Return of the King'."

Sagas also features a violin solo by Agnes Malich, deputy concertmaster of the
Augsburg Philharmonic Orchestra.

Here you have the rapidshare links of the album, but buy it if you liked it!! That's the best thanks for the band! Hope they are going on releasing so good stuff as this one in the next years.
Hail Equilibrium!

Equilibrium Sagas I
Equilibrium Sagas II

password: www.mediaportal.ru

Livin' in New Bridge :)

A Pontenova (New Bridge in galician) is the town where I am staying meanwhile I work in Riotorto. It's 10 min. by car far from the office in the other town and it's a bigger village than Riotorto, but still small. You can figure out how big it is having a look at the bird's eye view. The flat I am renting is situated more or less in the middle of the pic.
This is a place of beautiful valleys and lots of mountains and green all around.

This is maybe the most important "monument" of this town. It seems these blast furnaces (I had to search in the dictionary for these words that I didn't know (altos hornos)) are the beginning of A Pontenova when just 100 years ago iron mines were built and people started to work here. There are lots of corridors and tunnels where railways were operating under the earth and I read that they want to restore part of the old tunnel mine map to make a touristic route under earth. Sounds really cool :)


This is the sight from my window. Sorry for the pic, but I dont have a cam with me, so I had to take it with the computer.
Well, life here is a bit boring and I feel alone most of the time I am living here, though it has great landscapes and so on but I miss some human contact hehe. I dont see too many people in the street and mostly they are quite older than me. Anyway, I leave every weekend to my home and between the week I just go to work and back home... home .. and work... so actually not too much time to meet people. Thanks my neighbour gave me a bit of his internet :) otherwise I wouldnt know what to do but read, walk or playing guitar :/

Doctor in Alaska

It was funny when one friend told me "you look like Doctor in Alaska" when starting living here.
I rented a flat in the near town of Riotorto, called Pontenova, a bigger (but not very big XD) village. I will put some pics and more text soon.
So this post is just for telling that the owner of the flat let me surf in his internet. He has a low connection but it's ok. The main condition is that I cannot download things because his connection will be reduced, but it's much more than I expected at first (I thought I couldnt have internet in all summer).
So just that :)
I will tell more things about my living here nextly.