What I am Doing

Saturday 10 November 2007

Global Warming to be Addressed

The recent joint Nobel Prize winners the IPCC, are holding their annual meeting in Valencia this week from the 12th-17th of November so expect traffic jams and lots of extra security.
They are preparing to release their annual report which will point out areas where urgent action needs to be taken. Why is this positive? Well, they are seen to be doing something and Valencia has been chosen for this major event.

Saturday 3 November 2007

You Know You Have Lived in Spain When...

Thought it would be good to put a few light hearted things on here. I particularly like 3, 20, 28, 38 and the last one.

This list comes from a great group on Facebook. Here Join the group.

1) You think adding lemonade, fanta or even coke to red wine is perfectly acceptable. Especially at lunch time.

2) You can't get over how early bars & clubs shut back home - surely they're shutting just as you should be going out?

3) You aren't just surprised that the plumber/decorator has turned up on time, you're surprised he turned up at all.

4) You've been part of a botellon.

5) You think it's fine to comment on everyone's appearance.

6) Not giving every new acquaintance dos besos seems so rude.

7) You're shocked by people getting their legs out at the first hint of sun - surely they should wait until at least late June?

8) On msn you sometimes type 'jajaja' instead of 'hahaha'

9) You think the precious aceite is a vital part of every meal. And don't understand how anyone could think olive oil on toast is weird.

10) You're amazed when TV ad breaks last less than half an hour, especially right before the end of films.

11) You forget to say please when asking for things - you implied it in your tone of voice, right?

12) You love the phenomenon of giving 'toques' - but hate explaining it in English

14) You don't see sunflower seeds as a healthy snack - they're just what all the cool kids eat.

15) You know what a pijo is and how to spot one.

16) Every sentence you speak contains at least one of these words: 'bueno,' 'coño,' 'vale,' 'venga,' 'pues nada'...

17) You know what 'resaca' means. And you probably had one at least once a week when you lived in Spain.

18) You know how to eat boquerones.

19) A bull's head on the wall of a bar isn't a talking point for you, it's just a part of the decor.

20) You eat lunch after 2pm & would never even think of having your evening meal before 9.

21) You know that after 2pm there's no point in going shopping, you might as well just have a siesta until 5 when the shops re-open.

22) If anyone insults your mother, they better watch out...

23) You know how to change a bombona. And if you don't, you were either lazy or lucky enough to live somewhere nice.

24) It's not rude to answer the intercom to your flat by asking 'Quien?' (or maybe that was just my flatmate...)

25) You don't accept beer that's anything less than ice-cold.

26) The fact that all the male (or female) members of a family have the same first name doesn't surprise you.

27) The sound of mopeds in the background is the soundtrack to your life.

28) You know that the mullet didn't just happen in the 80s. It is alive and well in Spain.

29) You know the differenc between cojones and cajones, tener calor and estar caliente, bacalao and bakalao, pollo and polla...and maybe you learned the differences the hard way!

30) On a Sunday morning, you have breakfast before going to bed, not after you get up.

31) You don't see anything wrong with having a couple of beers in the morning if you feel like it.

32) Floors in bars are an ideal dumping ground for your colillas, servilletas etc. Why use a bin?!

33) You see clapping as an art form, not just a way to express approval.

34) You know ensaladilla rusa has nothing to do with Russia.

35) When you burst out laughing every time you see a Mitsubishi Pajero (thanks Stuart Line for reminding me of that one!)

36) You have friends named Jesus, Jose Maria, Maria Jose, Angel, maybe even Inmaculada Concepcion...

37) You know that 'ahora' doesn't really mean now. Hasta ahora, ahora vuelvo...etc

38)When you make arrangements to meet friends at 3, the first person turns up at 3.15...if you're lucky!

39) Central heating is most definitely a foreign concept. In winter, you just huddle around the heater under the table & pull the blanket up over your knees...and sleep with about 5 blankets on your bed!

40) Most women under 30 own a pair of those attractive 'Aladdin' style trousers with the crotch around the knees (you know what I mean!)

41) Aceite de oliva is 'muy sano', of course. So you help yourself to a bit more.

42)When women think that clear bra straps are in fact invisible.

43) When it's totally normal for every kitchen to have a deep-fat fryer but no kettle.

44) Te cagas en la leche....

45) To avoid that cheap Eristoff vodka you have to ask for 'un esmirnoff'

46) When you know what a guiri is / have been called one

47) When you add 'super' in front of any adjective for emphasis

48) When it's completely normal for men and women to have at least one facial piercing

49) When you pay for something that's, say, 8.50, you always ask, 'Quieres el cincuenta?'

50) Blonde girls actually start to think their name is 'rubia'

51) When you accept that paying with a 50 euro note is going to get you a dirty look if you're buying something that costs less than 40 euros

52) If something is great, it's 'de puta madre'

53) You can eat up to 5 times a day - first breakfast, 2nd breakfast around 11.30, almuerzo, merienda, cena