Un juin gris (et pluvieux).

Bon, ce juin (et mai) est rarament gris et pluvieux mais il est nécessaire pour plusieurs lieux en la Espagne (comme la Catalogne, la Communauté Valencienne ou Murcie).C’est bon, très bon.

Maintenant, je suis en cherchant un travail encore. Je fais d’entretiens de travail mais rien pur l’instant (rien de rien, solament phrases comme « nous t’appellerons déjà »), allors j’aurai à attendre par plus de temps (bien, plus de temps pour voir des matches de l’Eurocoupe).

Finalement, j’aimerais de vous recommander una série de la télé très intéressante et surtout amusante : « Californication ». David Duchovny (a.k.a. Fox Mulder en X-files) change totalement de registre et se convertit en un ivresse intellegent á que quelques choses curieuses le passent. Recommandable mais elle n’est pas pour des enfants (il y a drogues, alcohol, langue offensive et surtout sexe et sexe et plus sexe). Ici vous avez une vidéo sour la série :


Au revoir mon amis.

Elgaine de Balliers

Un grand rhume.

Je ne sais pas comme j’ai attrapé ce terrible froid mais la réalité consiste en que je suis chez moi en prenant frenadorl (comme le pécheur de la prairie dirait) et soupes chaudes. Tellement, je ne peux faire grand chose mais lire quelque livre ou magazine, regarder les films et séries de la télévision ou regarder documentaires en la internet.

Je voudrais recommander un filme américain sur la guerre d’Afghanistan (bon, sur le commencement de l’actuel problème avec les talibanes et comme Etats-Unis ont aidé les moudjahiddines contre la Union Soviétique) : La guerre selon Charlie Wilson (The Charlie Wilson’s War). Tant Phillip Seymour Hoffman comme Tom Hanks sont magnifiques en leur interprétation. Si ce type de films politiques te plaisent, cela peut être une bonne élection puisque aussi il est amène et surtout sarcastique. Ici vous avez une vidéo promotionnelle du film :

A tout a l’heure mon amis.

P.S. : Je n’avais jamais vu Tom Hanks en parlent français. Est-il assez curieux, vérité ?

Changeons la langue !!

Je commence à apprendre le français (d'abord en rappelant ce cours que j'ai fait il y a longtemps) pour améliorer mon CV et surtout pour agrandir ma culture. Par rapport à ma vie, il n'y a pas de grands échanges: je suis dans l’arret et en cherchant un travail. La grande nouveauté a été les adieux de solterio de Blasman, qui a consisté du plus chaste et formel en ce que l'un pouvait s'imaginer. Mais a-t-ils été bien puisque c'est probablement l'une des dernières noces ensemble (je ne vais pas pleurer, eh?). Nous ne sommes pas finalement allés à la maison rurale, mais nous sommes allés dîner et après quelques coupes.

En ce qui concerne les autres, n'y a pas beaucoup que raconter bien que j'espère pouvoir vous compter des choses positives tôt.

A bientôt mon amis !!

Elgaine de Balliers.

P.S. : pardonnez-moi mes erreurs grammaticales.

Running away!!

From who or what? I am simply running away from the World in general and from the project in particular. I feel a bit frustrated (more than my normal state) because of the project and I would like to dig my head in a hole for a while, watching TV series and films. Why did I take this dramatic decision? Because of time and naivety: more time than we though and the lack of operative contacts (the goodwill was the real value of the company). Both things are totally related and with this situation I couldn’t stay so much time, so I decided to resign and establish a transition period. And of course, this means I have to do job-hunting again. Summing up: another failure in my life.

But not everything in my life is pessimism. This last weekend my first niece was born and that brought us a lot of joy. It’s totally a familiar event because she’s the first member of the next generation.

And well, I can’t say so much about other things. We’re thinking about our friend’s stag party but I think it’s going to be quite boring (a kind of food & booze marathon party) unless we improvise something out of the list. We’ve some ideas but we need to study them consciously (how to put them into action at the right time).

Just finishing this post, I would like to recommend a tv serie that hadn’t got success in our country but if can see it integrally (because there are a lot of events and characters and if you missed some recap, you probably can’t follow the next one), you can appreciate the quality of the script and how relate is with our current reality (well, mostly with the American situation). Jericho is an apocalyptical vision of USA and how your way of life, values and civilization can change easier than we could think. This is a promotional video. Enjoy it.

Not much to say.

In these days, I have been focus on the Project: dealing with old mistakes, planning new steps, developing our database and contacting with suppliers and one future client. For now, things have gone good but now we have now, in front of us, the real challenge of the company: successful operations. If we can’t do this decently now, we’ll be a dead company (another one). And I am concerned about this because sometimes I don’t have enough support from the partners and this period is really critical so perhaps I will have to find the exit door soon. I don’t want to be apocalyptic but I think my responsibility is to guide our company to success the sooner the better so that’s my point.

Referring to other topics, there’s not much to say (as the title). I don’t go out so much although yesterday I went out to have a drink with Damian-666 at a nearby night-club, watching a comical monologue. On the other hand, I am travelling often to my father’s village because my parents are going to buy a house there. It’s a really quiet place near Mérida (Extremadura, Spain), a small agricultural village surrounded of fields, irrigation channels, a big river (Guadiana) and several streams, creeks and a small dam. The house is not so big but not small but enough for them, because it’s only a country house for recreation. They’ll spend a lot of time during the summer buying things and putting all in order. The good thing is it’s a new house so it doesn’t need reforms.

Well, it’s time to finish this post.

Enjoy this sunny spring and don’t think so much about problems!!

Just a month later.

Certain changes from the last post. Now I am focus on the project and I don’t work in the bank yet. I felt a kind of regret when I signed my resignation but probably this is another motivation in order to do it better. There are a lot of things to do in this phase and many people to call and well it’s got good things like the telecommuting and the independence in the way I do my tasks.

I couldn’t write anything because there have been a lot of work but probably the most important event was Alimentaria 2008. It’s a very important international fair about food in Barcelona. We went there to contact with companies in order to convert them in suppliers for our business. There were a lot of companies there but most of them were strong or event multinationals so they don’t need our services because they’re just exporting themselves without problems or have agreements with distributors. Summing up, it was a big effort, physically, because we went and came in the same day, taking a plane at 07:05 in Madrid and the other at 22:50 in Barcelona. I didn’t have to go to work the next day but my partner had to get up early to go to the office.

I hope we can see results soon and this project can be developed wisely. I will do my best in this task as “commander in chief” of Espanda and I will try to read about management and other questions.

You’ll know news about me soon.

Cheerio!!

Elgaine de Balliers.

Some fresh news.

First of all, sorry for this lack of writings but I was quite busy with some projects. The 1^st important thing is I am working in the bank again, now in the bank’s auditing department, checking policies and other documents. It’s another maternity leave contract but it’s ok for now because I have another project in the short term: a purchasing centre company. It’s a project in which I am collaborating actively doing the most important tasks in order to be the visible head so probably I won’t finish the contract with the bank. For now, we’re doing the 1^st steps as administrative processes, the business plan and other organization’s tasks.

I was selected by another company for socioeconomic surveys, probably an interesting job, but I refused it because I have more ambitious (and quite risky) projects in mind and my stay in the bank is going to be brief (I hope so).

And finally, I would like to do a good TV recommendation: Sugar Rush. I saw some recaps when I was in Ireland I had curiosity to watch it completely. It’s about a girl who’s discovering things about her life (sexuality, likes, drugs, alcohol, friendship, love…) with her inseparable friend Sugar (Maria Sweet). Probably you love it or you hate it, there’s no medium course. Here there’s a small video about the serie. You can enjoy it and find more at stage6 (or other similar places like boxsweeper).

Elgaine in Italy.

In these forced holidays I have taken advantage and I have gone to Milan where my friend Potro lives with Helena (his girlfriend) and Leticia (his daughter). Well, they don’t live in Milan but not too far (in Besnate, Varese) so I could take a train from Gallarate (near Besnate).

I had four days but I could really seized two visiting the city of the fashion. The first day I traveled and I didn’t go to Milan but we spent that evening in Gallarate.

Next day I went to the city and well, I did the tour integrally on foot. That day I visited the Duomo (the Cathedral), the gallery of Vittorio Emanuele II, the Castle Sforzesco, il Arco de la Pace (the Arch of Peace), the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, the Milan Stock Exchange (only the façade) and lots of shops (not buying but seeing). During that evening Helena’s parents invited me to have dinner with them. Her mother cooked Polenta (a kind of corn pudding) with stew meat (chicken and beef). It’s very tasty when you mix it with Gorgonzola cheese. As dessert, her mother did ice-cream (good but very cold for that night) and then her father gave us a kind of absenta-light (but still strong). They were so nice and quite curious about what was happening in Spain (they think Spain’s more developed than Italy). Italy's in crisis.

On Friday, I visited the Duomo again but I couldn’t go to the roof because it was raining a lot. Then I went to the best shopping street in Milan: Via della Spiga. The best fashion companies are there and they do their best with the decoration and staff’s appearance. I am not a fashion victim but I must recognize their effort and the imagination and work in order to polish the image. I was in AC Milan’s shop and Ferrari Store but I couldn’t spend more time there if I wanted to visit the most important tourist attraction in the city: il Cenacolo Vinciano. What’s that? The Last Supper of Leonardo Da Vinci, famous for Da Vinci Code (Book and film). There’s a long waiting list but they did an exception because I was alone. Then, I returned to Besnate. It was very rainy and I felt quite exhausted and although I would like to visit something more (Art Academy of Brera or San Siro Stadium), I didn’t waste so much time.

In the evening we went out to a fine Restaurant in Besnate, Ristorante I Fontanili. Antipasti (oisters, octupus, fish carpaccio, scallops, salads...) , focaccia and rotola di faraona (a wild hen) with a strong Barbara wine (red wine) was my delicious menu. Then, we wanted to go out to Milan but we (and overall I) were so tired and full with the dinner so we finally discarded it.

Next day we spent all the morning resting and having fun with the baby, but after lunch we went to Milan to spend the last hours in Corso di Buenos Aires (when mostly in the car suffering traffic jams). It’s a commercial street like our Goya Street or Preciados. We can’t spend so much time more because we have to go say bye to Helena (who was working in the shop of Kasanova in Gallarate) before to march to the airport. End of the stance in Milan? Oh no, the flight was delayed and I had to spent more time waiting for the departure with a lot of not so much polite Rumanians.

Well summing up, I liked Milan and I was happily surprised with its people, food, shops, art and design. It worths spending few days whatever you are looking for in city: Milan's got it.

Anyway, see you soon.

Elgaine de Balliers.

An anodyne year (for me).

There’s not been so much interesting this year for me. So much work and no holidays, more spare time but less motivation to do other activities, more tranquillity but less social contact (call it solitude). Now I should establish new targets but I think probably that’s useless because you can’t control destiny so it could be better be flexible and take new challenges and opportunities.

Now I don’t know if I will be able to take some days-off in order to do some tourism because I must do job-hunting. I can’t stay at home doing nothing. So it’s the same story as last September.

2008 can be a new opportunity for improving my situation in all orders and it’ll be changes.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Elgaine de Balliers.

Christmas 2007.

For many people, Christmas starts after the Constitution’s holidays but I think tomorrow’s the real beginning with the big lottery day. Between these two weeks there’s only marketing, unsubstantial purchases and no much more. Besides, tomorrow’s the beginning of holidays for students so you’ll be able to see them in many places with red Christmas hats, funny wigs, masks, foam sprays, strong firecrackers (and other fireworks) and overall alcohol in all forms. However, this year’s ambient seems to be more frugal (probably because of the current downturn of our domestic economies).

Although you were believer or not in this Christian celebration, I think everybody should enjoy this part of the year. I know there is a lot of nostalgia of people or of other “better times”, or other people hate the huge consumerism we practice during this special period but this is useless. “Carpe diem”, enjoy it with your family and friends, don't eat and drink so much and see ahead: there’s a promising although uncertain future, new challenges and targets, new people and jobs. Life’s not easy but can be better.

And a final message: my best wishes for everybody and don’t give your dreams up (our illusion is our motivation).

Merry Christmas.

Uncertain future.

Like World, my future is in the air. I have an interview with my HR technician for I don’t know exactly what (probably a mere evaluation). I don’t have any faith in getting something useful from it but in any case I must do it overall if I want to do another job substitution. I don’t like this situation but it could be useful for me to take some experience on banking and stay in a unique company for almost a year.

I have also thought in to search job abroad but it’s a more difficult and risky task but more enriching. And things are getting worse in the whole World because the crisis so probably the best it’s to wait for a sign.

For these cold days, a surprising and delicious soup made of veggies (from Mark Bittman, the minimalist cook of the New York Times).

Anyway, I’ll write my last movements.

See you guys,

Elgaine de Balliers.

Saturday at the stadium.

Last Saturday we went to the match against the Swedish National Team for classification for the European Championships. Good game and great ambient although I was a little afraid of the consequences of neo-Nazi and radical-left demonstrations outside. After match, we went to have some drinks and fun at the nearby pubs too much jolly so we arrived at home very late (at 9h AM).

Three beautiful goals

Referring to other things, last week was hard at work. I don’t know so much about future considering I finish my contract in a month, so I will have to look for another job or pray to stay here. Somehow or other I wouldn’t mind if I could do another substitution in order to grab some experience in banking because in the long run I have realized it’s quite more interesting than I had been able to think on. Anyway, now I feel easy with my mates and learning many interesting things but who know where my future is.

On the whole: pursuing progression in the sector.

Elgaine de Balliers

A briefing of the last thirty days.

There’s nothing extraordinary. The job’s the same and my life’s the same. I did a job-interview at Loco’s company although both of us knew my profile didn’t suit his needs. Anyway, it was an opportunity for have a look on Loco’s problem. This consists of he is exhausted putting things in order and trust me: it’s a big thing although I absolutely think he can do it step by step. This was what I said to him the last day we met.

And that day I seized to visit Petra’s. My friend Juan told me about this international 2^nd hand bookshop but I couldn’t visit it until the last Wednesday and I took advantage because I bought five books. At Petra’s you can find a big variety of books classified by subject and language so if you’re interested on books in different languages with a very good price, this is your place. There’s another interesting library in Lavapiés (La Librería de Lavapiés at Argumosa, 39) but I haven’t been there yet. I will write something when I visit it.

About new TV-series and films recommendations, I must write about the British historic TV-serie “The Tudors”. It’s about Henry VIII (Jonathan Rhys-Meyer), his humiliated wife Katherine of Aragon (Maria Doyle Kennedy), his lovers like Anne Boleyn (Natalie Dormer), his counsellor Thomas More (Jeremy Northam) and other important historic characters interpreted by very good actors like Sam Neill or Gabriel Anwar and tells the history of that time in a modern and entertaining way. In some way it follows a similar scheme to Rome but less bloody but equally sexual (if you liked the 1^st season, don’t miss the 2^nd one). In any case, see the trailer beneath.

Enjoy weekend!

Neither changes, nor nothing.

I can’t write anything interesting here. Well, perhaps the most important thing I can write it’s I am going to be uncle. It must be wonderful but I haven’t thought so much in that. Let’s wait before

In other ways, I can’t say so much. I didn’t travel nor go restaurants or other places of interested. If perhaps when I went to have dinner with my friend Precioso at an Oriental restaurant in which you can eat a mix of Asian plates. Not too bad but it wasn’t really the original food but it can be worthy if you like these delicatessens and overall, different. Then we had some drinks while we spoke about a lot of things.

At work, I feel comfortable with my mates and the tasks although we often have to suffer customers’ anger or even insults because they don’t or don’t want to understand our rules. I don’t mind so much but sometimes we should be more flexible.

Anyway, I have written more than I have thought.

Cheerio fellas!

Elgaine de Balliers.

It’s like to travel to another World.

Working at Lavapiés is different. We live now in Spain with a lot of people from almost everywhere but when you go to this place, you’re the foreigner. I think around 80% of our customers is from abroad (mostly Chinese, Bangladeshis and Moroccans) and much of them don’t speak Spanish (little or nothing). I remember when an old Chinese spoke to me in his language and I couldn’t understand a word and he saluted me with his fist next to his head (and you don’t know what to say him). It’s quite interesting how this “human zoo” behaves and for now, although the neighbourhood is a bit marginal it’s also peaceful.

These weeks has passed quickly. We have worked so much a lot of days mainly because sub-manager was on holidays. Tomorrow he’s back but only for one day because he’s going to be moved to another sub-branch, so we’re going to have a new one. The relationship with my partners is quite good although sometimes there’s so much stress during the busy moments of the morning. I am learning and remembering a lot of things, many of them practical (loans, checks, cards, payments, ATM's…) but the work is 90% the same. It’s ok for now and I don’t want to think anything about my future.

Elgaine de Balliers.

Back to work, back to the bank!

That's the synthesis. I can't say so much for today but it seems less boring than the other workplace. I am working in a branch office as cashier and well, my new workmates seem much nicer. I wasn't looking for a job like this but it could be another step to be part of the stable bank's staff but who knows.

Anyway, I will be here until the beginning of the next year. I hope to take advantage this period doing something useful in order to improve my CV.

So, I hope to see you soon guys.

Elgaine de Balliers.

Life’s easy with no bosses ahead (and their stinky breath).

Following the previous post, I can’t say anything about a car. I have checked all sites up and I have visited seen car-dealers and individuals, but nothing really was worthy. On no account I am going to buy it compulsively and I don’t need it for now so, it’ll wait until I find the proper one.

So long I have been developing this “second-hand market survey”, I have done a couple of job interviews although they weren’t so much attractive. I will take care from now on with the features of the job-offer because I don’t want to spend time with crappy-jobs but the paradox is I can’t reach the good ones. I have desisted from get one job in logistics or foreign trade, because my lack of experience and knowledge of more languages, but I don’t know to do too many things. Perhaps I should attend a course of Accountancy or whatever (another language?). It could be a time to think about future career but anyway, all I have done in life has been no useful (university degree, master, English, courses…). Sometimes I feel so frustrated but I have some aspects against me (age, number of years studying, social origin, residence…) and I must fight against them every time I have a job-interview or a conversation at work. Past is past and it always travels with you wherever you go. This wouldn’t want to be a bitter commentary although it’s overview of my current situation. Everybody have problems and I am lucky to have these ones and not others and besides, I am optimistic and I am sure I will overpass them soon (when I will get a quality job).

Finally, I would like to recommend a film about future but it is really a picture about humanity, because it’s a kind of “what if”. Probably a lot of you have seen it but I would like to express my some opinions about Children of Men. In this futurist fable we can see how can things change suddenly and how can we behave like beasts against people like us with no rights (as today policemen with illegal emigrants). But the main message (for me) is there’s always hope in sadness.

Well, enjoy these last summer days.

Elgaine de Balliers.

Looking for a used car (but not a lemon).

As some of you know, I am looking for a car. I think it was time to motorize myself so I am using web and visiting car-dealers, but there are a lot of picaresque in this sector. For example, when you see cars with a good relation price-quality, I don’t know if it’s casual or not but they were sold few days ago and the dealers began to talk about other cars, all of them more expensive. But all I need for now it’s a cheap car for a start because I have lost expertise driving.

In so far as other things, I am resting and doing really nothing. I would like to travel to everywhere but it’s going to be difficult.

Finally and in the long run, I only must say to enjoy the summer as better as you can.

Unpredictable period as unemployed.

Last Friday was my last day working. Now, it begins a new but uncertain period without job although I need some days to rest and think about future. I don’t know what to think exactly about this “labour experience” because it’s necessary time to see things with perspective but you can read my opinions in former posts. Anyway, I am happy to end it and I have illusion to get another better.

Respecting to holidays, it’s probably I remain few days resting and planning some kind of fast-travel but it’ll depend on job-hunting and so. Life as jobless man doesn’t permit luxuries like one or two weeks of holidays because your job now is to find the better job you can find. Anyway, I hope not to end like this guy.

Well, enjoy these summer days.

(Almost) Empty department.

While we are four in the department, we’re enjoying our solitude. No bosses, no witches neither so many phone calls. We work relaxed and we have time and desire for little chats: I was informed about a lot of gossips from the department people but I don’t really mind because I will go soon although that confirms me they’re authentically a pack of hypocrite bastards. Besides, I have a very good relation with the new guy and hours pass fastest than ever chatting about funny subjects and database’s problems.

Referring to job-hunting, it seems to be early yet for interviews. I check jobs in internet and other ways but there’s nothing interesting: poor jobs with poor salaries. And in the bank, they offer me more substitutions but I don’t know what to do in this respect because I am not interested in short-term jobs without job career. So, I don’t know what to do but soon I will write.

Finally, I only have to wish a good season to all you. Enjoy the summer before the economic crisis begins!!!

Elgaine de Balliers.