Music is my life! (Final part)

And of course, I LOVE ROMANTIC BALADS! In this field I really don´t care about the style… but I should say that I´m afraid the best romantic music is done by rockers! Let´s see some examples:






(You have no idea how it feels when someone of the group sings you this song at your ear…) ;)


I can imagine how a philharmonic Orchestra should enjoy playing this kind of music! ;)









Ok, maybe next one is not exactly romantic… but… how can I not include it?


Actually I think that violin in the middle of the song, tells the most beautiful love poem ever known! (At least my heart feels that while I´m listening it).

Even the newest are so good!



But as I said: for daily normal life, I prefer to have radio music at the background. I do need the bum! bum! bum! of modern music to maintain the normal life speed. For going to dance: as far as it has rhythm, I dance it! Just that I prefer discos that offer a good variation of all styles and times... but that´s not so common to find, I´m afraid. In Madrid I use to go to “El Palacio de Gaviria” due they had 3 different rooms with different styles in each one, so, was just a matter of being moving from one to the other, but since a year ago it´s closed! :( So, now it depends on the mode I am before going out, but usually I go to New Garamond or Garamond (same chain but quite different music).

Hear some examples of what lately I like to dance:



My current hymn:



Yeap, I know! That´s not exactly rock! :D but… time goes by!

Music is my Life! (Second Part)

So, of course I was a fan of the typical Pop Stars: Madonna, Michel Jackson (with him I discovered that I can admire the art of a person no matters what I think about that person), The Police, Kylie Minogue, Eros Ramazzoti, Dido, Robbie Williams, Spandau Ballet… etc, etc, etc!

Actually other of my hymns was:



Other great one:



I always hear commercial music, I´m not anchored on 80´s or 90´s music just due my adolescence was then. While I was single I use to say: “in music, men and food, I´m veeeeeeeeery ooooopen mind!” ;) It doesn´t mean I like everything, but talking about music, for having as background sound or for dancing, I prefer last hits music. The radio stations I hear:

40 Principales is the one I usually hear. I don´t think it´s the greatest one I had ever hear, actually maybe I would take out of their program more than the half of what they have, but is the one I tolerate better.

Maxima F.M. is the one I prefer for taking a shower, for example… or before going out a Saturday night. You see? It´s interesting, but it´s quite easy to hear Dance music, there are a lot of “oldies” that someone just had ad a bit of speed and some “Dance music effects” and voila! A new hit had born! Here an example of that:



Europa F.M. is like the one nobody will complain to hear while travelling by car. Or sometimes just to remind good oldies, btw time to time they also play some lately hits.

Kiss F.M. should I explain this one? ;)

Otoh: I also appreciate other kind of music, like José Luis Perales, Mercedes Sosa or Serrat, for example... and there are moments when I do need to hear something from Enya or Yanni, that btw I would love to go to one of his concerts, but as far as it´s not possible right now, at least let´s enjoy him in youtube! ; )


Wow! What a nice voice he has! It´s a pity he doesn´t sing.

And yes, I also like some Tropical Music, just that here I usually like an specific song, not all the production of a group or singer, maybe the only one exception of this is Juan Luis Guerra, I even had been several times in his concerts and I just love his music…

Here my JLG favorite song:



I also love this one from Marc Anthony:



I should say I´m not exactly one of his fans (actually that´s his only one song that I know the name), but that song is great!

This is a song that I should dance every time I hear it!


(I swear I liked the song before watching the video!!) :D

(To be continued)

Music gives me life!

I love commercial music. Yes, I know, that´s not really something to be proud about, but that´s how it is. I really have no idea why, but everybody all over the world, once I say I love music and to dance, always think my very favorite music should be Tropical one. O.k. I had born in Guatemala, tropical music rhythm is somehow part of me… but actually on first place I´m a rocker! Even the song I have in my personal mobile is this one:



That btw already gave an embarrasing moment in 2007. I was in a meeting in Geneve, at the office of a client that was an important Swiss Bank. Some of my colleagues were late and my work mobile wasn´t working, so, while waiting them in front of the Bank, I was contacting them with my mobile, but we had to go inside first due they will take a bit more time (and nobody would like to be late with a Swiss Bank!) and I forgot to disable the sound of my mobile... So, after shaking the hands of 8 serious gentlemen and just one of them a bit younguer than me, sounds: "pum! pum! it´s my liiiffeeee it´s now or never"... my collegues calling me to ensure to which floor they should go... a big silence and 7 pair of eyes watching me like more or less killing me... just the one younguer than me laughing and laughing... gulp! But after that all was perfect in that meeting. :D

Here some of the rock songs I love:



Next one was for long time some kind of hymn for me... even now when I hear it, my whole body reacts! I need to "have my space" to hear it!



Some of the classics:


I had the chance to met him at the backstage in 2005! (That´s why the pic of the headline of this post).




Oh God! What great voice he has! I think his "uuuuoooooooo!!" is the one most shouted loud all over the Spanish speaking world! :D (Yes, I know, I could be exaggerating). ;)





A Guatemalan rock group:



My very best Guatemalan group is Alux Nahual that has done a very good denounce of daily problems in Latin America.:





I had the privilege of known them, I even had been learning how to play drums with Lenín, no, I´m afraid I haven´t learn a lot! That actually is so embarrasing when you think about the Def Leppard Drummer has just one arm! :$

That´s how some Alux Nahual members looked in 1988:



But I also like groups of the last decade:



Lately I haven´t hear rock I really like, I think the last ones were:





So, on second place, I love pop music. My very favorite of all is Phil Collins and his concert in Barcelona in 2004 was one of the betters I had been in my whole life! This DVD and the Bon Jovi´s concert one (where I also was, in 2008, Barcelona), are the ones I play and play at home time to time. Point is, ok, maybe I don´t play them so often, but when I do, it´s a matter of playing it no less than 3 times in a row! Yeap, I usually do it when I´m alone or in the Bon Jovi´s case, when I´m with my 21 y/o daughter! (I prefer to avoid taking conclusions of this fact!)

Here the song I liked more of Phil Collins concert (not my video, not in Barcelona, but it was exactly the same anyway):



(to be continued)

Girls´ weekend final part

Almost at midnight, we went to meet Segovia´s night life. I recommend the disco Movin´ just it starts to has ambient at 3 or 4 a.m.

Yeap! The waiter joined us! And yes, he succeeded with one of the group, not Kas btw!

We went early to Meyrem home, due the plans we had for that Sunday. Mario and Pal went to stay at Meyrem place as well, but when we told him to follow us, he said “oh! No needed! I have a good GPS!” As far as his car was very far away from us, we just said: it´s ok.

We arrived at Meyrem home, went to the bathroom, took out the make-up, put on the nightdress, made some tea and were already talking and laughing at the kitchen… and Mario and Pal still didn´t appear! Finally we received a call… was Mario, asking if we were already sleeping… ok, maybe better to tell the story from their point of view. The GPS give him a different route, that far we didn´t coincide at the road. They had troubles to find out a place to left the car, finally they did, but a bit far away. Seems some houses´ numbers were not well marked. They saw Meyrem´s one, but with all the lights off. They didn´t know what to do, so they try to knock the door, but when they did, it just opened. Pal had enter into the house saying “hi!” but no answer, seems everybody there was already sleeping, she thought we were so tired that we just went to bed and left them the door open, so she told Mario to go inside… but! Thanks of God he stopped her adducing that would be so strange and called Meryem to confirm! Of course they were in another house!!

On Sunday we came to Madrid, they were willing to visit El Rastro



After that Meyrem asked us to go with her to buy some Arabian adorns… and then we went to eat… to an Arabian place, of course! What else could it be? ;P



As good hosts, we took Kas to meet the Km.0 and to the FNAC, close there we had the privilege to finish the weekend with a marvelous street concert!

Scrabble weekend: Following the tourney

I´m afraid I just had time to do it in Spanish when the tourney was running, but anyway here is the tourney part:

We are already in Sant Andreu!

It´s so emotionant to watch again known faces, to discover new ones, Santi (the leader of the organizing team) is so excited and haven´t sleep due the nervous the night before (cheers champion! All will be great, you´ll see!)

Some people are going to take a coffee that finally makes them to awake and to tune up the anagramer neurons, some of us start to set the tables, check out the games… let´s see if this set is without the Q! Hey! No! The Q is also a nice letter! Do you remember that game when Antonio put “ululares”… no! no! it was “undulares”! and nobody else saw it.

Eh! Manchado is here! And Manchado says: “no, no, I haven´t been playing for so long!” Aha! Yeap! Right! He always say the same and at the end is the champion of the tourney! ;) I could bet this is part of his strategy to relax the enemy! :D

Here some of the pics I already have, I´m going to help to set up the tables!



FIRST ROUND

We all had already finished the first round. Due the way the system does the matches, (ordered by ELO, so the “favorites ones” can´t play together at the first round… due it´s more exciting if they play later!), it goes with no surprises.

Sant Andreu´s Club, with Santi as leader and also being the Referee of the tourney, has done a great work in every single detail, including the coffee break.



People saying things like “I had a Winter that I didn´t know where to place” makes me smile.



SECOND ROUND: ALICIA DOES HISTORY!

Our dear Canary Island´s lady living in Barcelona, has done history! She won to Manchado with a great advantage.

A moment like this deserved a pic!



Xas had won me, with 4 Scrabbles, one of them making 101 points… If we take into account that I had put just 1 Scrabble and our final difference were 65 points, I haven´t done it so bad! (It´s a matter of comfort myself!) ;)

Congratulations to Marina that had play in the first table! It´s obvious that the Canary Island´s ladies are giving their best today!



As curious thing, couples that had to play this round one at the side of the other:



THIRD ROUND: A G L O R Y MOMENT! :)

Gloria (in English: Glory)Bigorra is doing it great! With 3 of 3 won rounds, the last one with Montse Sanchez.

The first tables are giving surprises. Patxi is doing it great as well, step by step confirming himself as the favorite one, it´s almost sure in the next round he should play with Gloria… the poor girl won´t be able to eat, I think! ;)



Santi is doing quite a lot of work, being the Referee, cameraman and commentator at the t.v. program in charge of the event.

Topo! You shouldn´t lose this tourney! ;D



We are going to eat now, I promise more gossips later on!

Bon apetite!

AND WE ARE BACK FROM THE LUNCH...

where the table´s star was David Cantalejo (Zecks). He´s living in Barcelona due his studies and he commented me that he choose that place due the quantity of people playing Scrabble there (that´s to love Scrabble, oh yeah!)
His phrase of the day: I want this to finish now or I´ll have a nervous collapse! He had a heart attack game with Paco and was the all lunch time reminding it.
If by chance you met him, you should ask him to tell you a couple of jokes!

I´m leaving now! The new matches are being done!

4TH. ROUND WITH DAVID CANTALEJO!

If I would mention him before, I would play with him before! I had to play with David that made me to see stars! :(

David commented me that he´s hardly preparing himself to the Spanish Championship that will take place in a couple of weeks: he´s learning a lot of jokes! Here everybody prepares the Championship as how they want! ;)


And the surprises go on! Montse Sanchez told me that she doesn´t know what would be better: if to cut her veins or if to let them long! ;P She´s having a terrible tourney, in her last game she had the Q 6 times.

5TH. ROUND: “MAYBE!... “

We are finishing the 5th. round.

Patxi had win to Gloria.

Montse had lost with David Cantalejo.

Santi is in the middle of objections´ papers… and Curro, that is helping carry on the papers, comes and says: “and what about if instead of saying YES or NO about if a word is valid or no, you come and put: maybe!” Hehehe… that´s Curro´s sense of humor, I´m afraid! ;)

The day is running so fast for me. The ambient is quite nice and happy… it feels more like a good friends meeting than a tourney, I´m not saying this is not serious, just that it´s being so nice! Or maybe it´s due how relaxing is not to be in the first tables? ;)

Marina, in table 1, had won to Patxi... it´s being so exciting!



6TH. ROUND: WE ARE ALMOST AT THE END

Joan Ramón had won to Marina, so, they should play a “duplicada” till sudden death to define who the Champion is.

Some phrases I had hear:

“I start to got good letters when it was so late”

“And now, Xas, will you complain as well?”

“Oh Noooo!! I have to play with youuuu!!!” (That one was for me, I should say it felt so fine!) ;)

“Another tourney like this one and I stop playing Scrabble forever and ever” (If I should count the quantity of times I had hear that in the last 3 years…).

To the waiter that had served the wrong coffee: “Objection!”

An image of the ambient out of the playing room:



THE DUPLICADA




HABEMUS CHAMPION!

Patxi is the new Champion! Tonight the dinner will be the ham! hehehe



And with a great second place, Marina that was almost the whole day defending the table 1. Well done Marina! Women power! ;)



My favorite Mexican, Alejandro, got the third place… and he was saying he would prefer not to play the “duplicada”!



Due a mistake at the last round of the duplicada, Joan Ramón got the 4th. place. Well, anyway sometimes it´s good the rest of us to remind that you are also human, Joan Ramon! ;)



CONCLUSIONS

We went back to Girona talking about the tourney. As far as it wasn´t a matter of finishing the ham in one night, we went to buy food at König again and I had broke my diet quite a lot! Ouch! ;)



After the dinner (Oh! I forgot to take pics with the ham!), Isaac accepts a couple of games more. We finished around 1.30… Patxi told me no more games that day… Ooooohhhh!!! But ok, he had to use quite a lot his neurons playing the duplicada, so, ok, it will be at another time!

We had called again the same taxi driver that took us to their home on Friday, and that is a very nice girl. She´s starting with that profession and seems her new colleagues are taking good care of her.

As last recomendation, if you should eat at Girona´s airport, inside there are just 2 cafeterias, I recommend “The Bier Garden” that has quite better prices than the other one (ok, to ask for a great food quality at an airport would be a fantasy, but it´s not really bad).




So, we are going to Madrid, with an excellent feeling… would be due the ham? ;)

Scrabble weekend: good night!

After their siesta, I played a game with Montse that got me back to the reality :(

A light dinner, that in my case was just about a tomato and palm heart salad plus rice. Montse went early to sleep, we received the call from a Club collegue wishing us good luck, a game with Isaac (Montse´s soon that by miracle wanted to play!) and that I won by miracle as well… and a couple of games with Patxi, first one the kind of games that lucky me, I received almost the letters in the right order from the bag, second one the kind that both players are doing it so fine and any of them could win, the ones you enjoy no matter the resoult!

As good kids that also should awake early for going to a tourney (and we told David and Susana we´ll met them at 8), we are going to sleep at midnight. Patxi didn´t want to be as well a “Cinderella” and is the only one irreverent not going to sleep.
So, good night, see you tomorrow, Scrabble people with tourney and the Lunnis are going to sleep! :D

Scrabble weekend: Scond part: walking around Girona

After going to bed at 4, I start the day at 11. Patxi and Montse are even ready for going out and surprised us with a delicious orange juice recently done and toasts that I take with tomato and oil.

We went to walk around Girona, so Curro can´t say I´d shut him at Patxi and Montse´s house.

We ate at the Tips, that in Catalan means “full” (of being full after eating a lot).




I just loved the place, due the place itself but also… I would like to find those prices in Madrid! We ate quite a lot, I should say.



We went back to their house and Patxi and me played a couple of games more, but while he´s making a coffee, I took the chance to actualize my blog… and just some minutes later, I released that him and Curro are completely sleeping and Montse is watching a film (one of those that you find in t.v. on Saturday´s afternoon)… this is the scene I found:



So, I decided to work on my post! :)

Scrabble weekend in Catalunya.First part: Girona

Hi! I know, there´s still pending the last part of the Girls´s weekend story, but I´m with my Scrabble Club in Girona right now and tomorrow (Sunday) will be the tourney at torneo de Sant Andreu… and I´ll try to put my own version of it in my blog in real time!

Friday 17

Going to Girona

Curro and I are going by plane, with Ryanair. I love low cost airlines! I got a super price for this flight, so, would be expensive to stay in Madrid! :D

All was fine, but I had a bad episode with a ground stewardess that made me to keep my purse at the hand luggage… if it would be a big purse, I could understand it… but is just a bit bigger than a cap! Gggrrr! And I had been watching afterwards, of course, she didn´t told anybody else to do the same, even when other purses were quite bigger than mine! Well, I won´t let this girl to spoil my weekend!



It was raining in Girona… that´s why it is so green! :)



Lunch

The landing was around 15.00, we went from the airport to the city by bus and we decided to eat in a mexican restaurant before going to Patxi and Montse´s home, they will be our hosts this weekend.

Sadly the Mexican rest. was already closed, so we went to the König, that is a great fast food place with hot dogs, hamburgers, sandwiches and similars. It has a great quality/price relation place.



Scrabbe night

Once at Patxi and Montse place, we start talking a lot, long time without being together! I had play 2 games with each one and I feel really happy to notice that I´m not in that bad fit as I thought.

That night a lovely couple joined us: David and Susana, also club SG members. We start a game with Patxi, at our side Susana and David play as well, while we wait the dinner to be ready, Montse and Curro are on it.

The dinner was great! Patxi have done some marvelous Spanish Omelets and Montse some delicious “tigres”. Plus some cheese, olives, bread and sausages and you got a great dinner!

We keep on playing after the dinner, the 2 last games were the classic: girls against boys, at that time Curro and Montse were already sleeping, but I know Curro´s snores were trails to give them clues of what to play! ;) David and Susana left around 4.00 a.m., I could say it was just about being shy about the time it was, because I noticed they would prefer to keep on playing! (I´ll put the video and pics on next week).

Girls weekend 2nd. part

On Saturday Meyrem surprised us with the breakfast! Fried doughs (churros) with chocolate!

We were reminding the past night and laughing a lot. We even had some calls confirming the good results of the bought products!

That night we´ll have a dinner and party in Segovia, that is a precious city at the north of Madrid. A really worth view place, that even could be for going just one day if you are staying in Madrid. The old part of the city is what makes it worth for tourism and it´s just few blocks, so my recommendation is going in car, go to the tourism office that is close to the Aqueduct, they can give you a map with the route, enjoy the Aqueduct and walk to the Cathedral. Good place to rest a bit at the terraces and enjoy the view. You should try the “ponche segoviano”!
Go walking to “El Alcázar” visiting it inside. Enjoy a great meal in Segovia and go to visit “La Granja de San Ildefonso” better if it includes the fountains´ show. I´ll talk about this place in other post.



In this video you can see what I said and a bit more (not mine):



And this other one with the fountains´ show (not mine either):



The dinner was at the hotel “La Casa Mudéjar” with Arabian dishes, specially done for us. We were like 16 females, most of them were Mari Paz belly dance students. She also invited as a surprise an old friend of Kas, Mario, that came with his girlfriend (Pal) from Palencia. Mario was the only one male at the dinner, and I think he has no complain for that! ;)
At the beginning of the dinner, someone mentioned the tupper sex meeting of the night before. Just few of us had been there, so the conversation was mostly about that. Kas was the one telling more details… is a pity not to have a video of her telling one of her stories, she has an especial gift for telling funny stories, I think she should go to Paramount Comedy!

We had just one young waiter attending us, we were in a special reserved room. In a moment Kas started to tell a very detailed story of the past night… and she didn´t released that the waiter came inside at that moment… his face was a poem! Poor boy! But the worst part was when Kas noted his confusion, due her reaction instead of keeping silence was to say “Oh well! The boy should learn some day!” I´m afraid we all started to laugh… so, the boy didn´t want to appear shy and answered: “well, who said I didn´t know that?” So it became in a joke conversation between them that finish with Kas inviting him to the place we went to dance afterwards!



The dinner was great, after Kas telling stories of the past night, other girls told some great stories as well and my favorite one is from Pal. She works at a police department and once her male colleagues must go to a special operation in a boy’s stripper house… they all wearing their uniforms! So, the girls there thought they were part of the show and started groping them!!! Poor boys!!

After the dinner, we were dancing (belly dance, of course) at the same room. Finally even the waiter danced a bit! :D



(To be continued)

Girl´s weekend or… This is not the 40´s crisis! We are recycled teens! ;P

What could have a housewife living in Ponferrada (Kas), an accountant living in a village from Segovia (Meryem) and a business woman living in Guatemala (me)? A chat room! Of course! ; )

In 1997, when chats where starting, a friend of mine living in Buenos Aires told me about chats. At that step, public chats were something really nice, with people willing to know the thinking way from people in other countries, a relaxing way to have good time, an exciting window to watch the world.

This friend of mine invited me to a specific chat room: La Cantina, but usually I had to wait him for so long, that meant me to talk with a lot of people and in short time I was joining La Cantina to talk with my new pals instead the one in Bs. As.! :) There I met Kas and Meryem. We are quite different, but we have a great relation. Btw: none of us really likes to drink!

Due the distance we can´t meet each other so frequently, but when we do, we have a great time!



Meryem was willing to celebrate her 39th birthday with us. She invited us to her home to spend the weekend together. I should clarify something: if till now you got the impression that I´m extrovert, a bit crazy and daring… compared with them I´m shy, serious and demure!!

Kas came to my home on Thursday. She´s a brave woman that have had a complicated life due different reasons, but the way she tells no matter what, even the sadder parts, she makes you laugh! So, we had been laughing a lot Thursday and Friday. On Friday we both went to Meryem home.



Meryem does as hobby belly dance since 2 years ago and since she started with this, she became in some kind of Arabian culture fan, now her house is all decorate with that style.



Since one year ago she even started to give classes in Segovia. So, our first stop was there, Kas and me had join the belly dance class as well!

That night a girls´ party was programmed at Meryem home. Some of her friends wanted to do something different and funny, so, they organized a tupper sex meeting. I haven´t ever been in one and I have to admit it was so funny. We were 20 females from 35 to 60, most of us married and willing to have fun, so, the 2 girls in charge were showing us all kind of toys for 2 hours and a half and it was just to die laughing! It´s interesting to see that there are things that always will find a buyer, no matter the crisis!




The tupper sex party finished around 2.30 a.m. and we know some ladies went to rape their husbands at home that night!

We stayed at Meryem home that night, making jokes and laughing about the party, it derivates to share some videos from youtube, first ones related with the party subject, then with nice spots…

Eh! What I like of the spot is the lion! It´s my zodiacal sign! ;P

We were agree that Troya is the best film ever done by Brad Pitt (no, we were not talking about script, story or actuation quality);P



That derivates into some actors’ videos…



That derivates to some interviews… (I´m afraid in Spanish but you´ll laugh anyway watching it!)



You should watch this one!





That derivates into funny videos….









We went to sleep more or less at 4.00 a.m. Kas and I were sharing the room, reminding funny things… laughing till our stomachs hurt!
(To be continued).

I´m a Jedi Lady!

I went with my family to visit the Star Wars Exhibition on April 8th.

As a fan that had live the Star Wars story since the beginning (I was 10 when the first movie appeared), was really exciting to watch in real life the scale models, paintings and wardrobe they used for the movies.








I had join Chewie´s ones...




It also has a small performance oriented to kids, a real pity! I would love to be one of the selected to attack Darth Vader!!!






Or maybe was a better idea to be part of the dark side of the force?



Some trial Xbox at the end...



What I have missed: teddy Ewoks at the store! ;P




May the force be with you!