everyday closer

As you may be fed up of reading posts about my dream of becoming an architect, I will talk today about my dream of becoming an architect;)

I wrote some weeks ago that I could see university approaching and I was quite scared about it. Well, I am still a bit worried about the changes my life will experience in the next six months, however, I couldn't wait for them to come more eagerly.

Two days ago I was looking through information about the grade, when I came across with the official page of the UPC (the University where I'll be coursing my studies), (what a chance, right?) and found the documents where every subject is analyzed and presented to the students. I must confess I was afraid of finding something disappointing. Nevertheless, what I found only increased my excitement about this degree. I was very pleased too to discover that UPC is rated both by students and by official european institutions as the third best university in Spain, and the best one in terms of architecture.

To conclude this last My say about architecture, I will just promise something I hope to fulfill: as early as I will have concluded my first project, I will link it here for you to check it out!

trip to Cadiz

Perhaps I will surprise you a little if I now start talking about my trip to Cadiz, where I went in Easter. Although it is a bit late, I would like to tell you about it anyway.

I had to "skip" school on Friday in order to get there as early as possible. After fourteen hours in the road, we made it to Cadiz. That was a long night... We arrived at ten in the morning. We were warmly received by a lovely temperature of 26ºC. The same day, we unloaded the boats and accommodated in the hotel we were staying in.

We spent the first days training, until Wednesday, the day before the competition started, when we went to Tarifa. I really liked to go there, because it was the first time in my life I ever spotted Africa. The town was a bit like a slum, but the coast was paradisiac. Unfortunately I wasn't able to surf nor kite there, because I was with my sailing team and we wanted to stay together. 

On Thursday the Spanish Nationals started with a ridiculously light wind... on Friday we had almost 30knts and we managed to rise in the classifications, but finally we didn't make it into the gold fleet due to the disastrous result we did on Thursday. However, and although it may sound like the words of a loser, we learnt a lot and we kept on ascending positions every day.

That trip ended on Sunday, with an hilarious party night and a hard way back home... I enjoyed those days of "mini-summer" a lot and I wanted to share them with you. I really recommend to visit southern Spain, it is a beautiful zone with lovely people.

summer 2015

Sometimes, it seems to me that the year of a student consists of two periods: one enjoying vacation, and the other waiting anxiously for summer.

I would like to be an exception, yet I am not. Although I really enjoy school and learning and all that great stuff we're supposed to like, I prefer a thousand times summer. Who doesn't? 

Now that we're finishing off the school year, one of the hardest ones I've ever lived, I'm eagerly planning my summer: I've got a long list of "to do's". First of all I must get good marks in these last exams we're doing this week. Then, after "selectivitat", when this horror will be over, I'll come back to life.

I'd like to get my driving license as early as possible, regarding that I'm already eighteen and my parents have to take me everywhere whenever I can't go cycling. Besides, I'm determined to learn French at last, as well as improve my German skills. Apart from learning, there's much to do, so I'll have to earn some money. To do that, I'll be working part-time in my parent's sailing school both in the bar and teaching. 

With the money I expect to raise I will prepare a budget for going to University, but also I would like to fund a trip to Garda, Italy,  where an important race is held every summer. 

Finally, I will try to enjoy the most my time here, and perhaps I will make scuba diving course in "Cap de Creus". As you can see, many many plans... I'll try to accomplish them all, if not, I will enjoy, for sure, every second of summer, whatever I may be doing.

100 posts!

This is my 101st post on this blog!

After three years of posting on this blog, my last news article was the 100th post. To celebrate this kind of "anniversary", I'd like to tell you what does this blog mean to me.

It started just as a school task. Actually it is still something I do for school, but I've reached a point where I do like writing on this blog. As you may know thanks to some older posts, I'm not very fond of writing online and posting my thoughts on the web. Neither do I like to use social networks such as Facebook or twitter, however, I've started to enjoy writing here. At first I thought that no one would ever care about what I would write, but I realized that there's someone out there who reads my posts and that I even get visits from the US or Russia. This motivates me to keep on posting and sharing my ideas and interests with these anonymous people, because who knows if I could make a little change on their lives? Perhaps someone will decide to study architecture too, or to start sailing!

Although I may eventually stop writing on "sailing through life", it will always be my first blog, the place where I can check that during these three years I've improved my English a lot, somewhere where I can talk about myself and get to know other net users...  

september '15

In my last post I expressed my feelings towards 2nd Bat, and I ended up saying that my lack of motivation was probably due to the fears of dramatically changing my life this new September.

I decided I wanted to study architecture about two or three years ago. Back then, I saw University as a long-term dream, as something that happened in films and that, even though was going to come, something far far away from my comfortable life in town.

Now, I'm just five months from it and and my excitement is boosting day by day, as well as my concerns about it. When last year I said I wanted to study architecture, it was "half a decision" because I was still able to change my mind without any compromise... now, in one month I'll have to apply for university and it'll be almost irrevocable. I'm eager to start this grade, though I have to admit that as it approaches I get more and more nervous. This nervousness makes me hesitate: will I enjoy it? is it the right choice?

 Luckily, this weekend I was able to talk to a cousin of mine who lives in Seville and that is in her last year of architecture. Her advise was really useful, and her point of view on the degree, as well as her experience and reflections helped me to see that all this doubts are, again, the result of seeing university everyday closer... Barcelona, here I come!

the final countdown

This school year is known for being a rush, however, I didn't really figure out how fast it goes until I realized there are less than two months left.

I started 2nd Batxillerat really motivated, ready to prepare myself for university and selectivitat, but I've reached a point where rather than enthusiastic for learning I'm just eager to finish this course. I do like what we're studying, some subjects more than others, yet I feel like I'm just working to pass this torture with good marks and be able to get into a good university. Some content just doesn't interest me and some other is just useless for what I want to study.

Sometimes I find myself in the middle of a class wondering how windy is it outside and if I'd be able to sail. It's not that I no longer want to study, it's just that I ask myself why am I doing it. The answer seems clear to me when I think of myself being an architect of success, enjoying a grade that despite being tough will lead me through a new world and will introduce me to a new view of life, a new circle of people, a new lifestyle... However, other occasions I feel pessimistic and I have the temptation of giving up, just finish this two months and then do something creative, something that doesn't require to study, something that just fills me...

All this reflection may suggest that I'm not really enjoying these days, in fact, I've had better times than two weeks with exams every day... I guess this disenchantment is nothing but the result of stress and tiredness mixed with the fears of leaving high school and moving to a new city, with a new community, the doubts of choosing a path in life... the fears to a dramatic change (to better I hope) in my life.

ugly heart

The other day I was  listening to some music on Spotify while I was finishing my art homework when a song I had never heard sounded. I quite liked it and, when I listened to it for the second time, and paid attention to the lyrics, I thought it would fit well with this beauty topic we're working with.

It is called Ugly heart, from G.R.L, and it tells the story of a girl who fell in love with a very handsome guy, but he broke her heart. In the videoclip, which is very funny and I recommend to watch, the girls are taking justice as they understand it and revenge from him... The last sentence of the video summarizes the clip well: "now your face is ugly, like your heart".

Even though this song is a bit about revenge, it also brings a question to your mind that makes you think about how influenced we are by fashion, the search for eternal youth... is beauty everything? G.R.L answer to this question easily, beauty is nothing if your inner part is ugly, if you're not honest, faithful... We must remember to care about our acts even more than our looking.

rainy days

It's Sunday morning and it's pouring down out there. The clouds cover the whole sky in dark grey and the wind is giving life to the dancing trees. Day to stay home!

I adore good weather, i couldn't live without my beloved sun and warmth typical from my country. Nevertheless, a rainy day in last November is always welcome as long as I'm not sailing... This weekned without sailing and with bad weather has come in handy for me to do some work I had to finish matching with the end of term at highschool. I had some TDR stuff to do and obviously a couple of new postson this blog...

Once I finish this I'm going to visit my grandparents and my cousin (who got twenty yesterday) and have lunch with some friends of the family. After that... And as I usually do on Sundays, I'll go to the cinema to wathch The Mockingjay! Actually, I've already seen it (last Friday with my friends) but my parents are ager to watch it and I can't refuse;) 

There's something I'd like to do today too, but I'm afraid it won't be possible: SUP. I really like this sport, it allows you to surf in the mediterranean. I can't wait for some good waves, and, in fact, I can hear them from home... The thing is that during the storm the waves are extremely messy and even dangerous, thus I'll have to wait a couple days for the sea to calm down and then, once in order, take profit of the swell!

sailing in kiel

I was skimming my blog when I realized two things: I haven't written about sailing this year, and that I haven't made a post about the race I finally went in June... so let's do it!

I orgnanized the trip with my parents and we went together with my sailing partner and another crew. We got on the van and started a 2000km ride to northern Germany: Kiel.

After two days driving, we arrived to the city and overslept there. The following day we went to the harbor and unloaded the boats. The organization there was brilliant: an enormous team of volunteers and staff were telling everyone what to do, where to go... A fleet of 56 Audi Q7 were waiting for our trailers and slide the motorboats into the water. 

Unfortunately we couldn't sail much because of the bad weather and the lack of wind. We did about six races in four days (which is far less than expected), however, it was amazing to sail there. Thousands of sailing boats were covering the bay in white, that was an astonishing spectacle!

The days were strikingly long, the sun rose at 3am and twilight was at 11pm. That was a bit confusing, but you soon get used to it. Due to the days being so long, we could get on the van and visit some interesting places. We saw both impressive gigantic forests and cozy little towns by the sea. One day we even went to Denmark! 

After an amazing week in Kiel it was time for us to return home... but we took our time in the return and stopped in several interesting places. We visited Hannover, Heidelberg and Freiburg. 

That trip to Kiel was an amazing way to start the summer vacation, I'm eager to return there as soon as possible!

Bis bald Deutschland!   

welcome summer!

Welcome summer!!

Wow... It's been such a long wait for summer to come, but finally it is here. The weather is at last warm, I've finished my exams and school is about to come to an end. 

This weekend has been crazy, crazy enough to greet summer. On Friday afternoon I went to the swimming pool, as usual, but after that I went with my family to our favourite restaurant in Empuriabrava. Then, on Saturday, I woke up early to finish some stuff from school and, at eleven I met with Francesc (my new sailing partner) to train. We sailed about two hours and when we finished I rushed to Torroella de Montgrí, where I had an appointment with Vicenç Pagès (a catalan writer) for my TDR. After two hours of interview, I wandered around the streets enjoying a festival about magic they were having. Afterwards, we went to Palamós to visit my grandparents. We went shopping and then we slept in our flat by the sea.

On Sunday I woke up early in Plalamós and quickly got on the car way to st.Pere. On the road we stopped again in Torroella to have a magnific breakfast of croisants and orange juice and then we continued our return. At about eleven I arrived in st.Pere, where Carles (my coach) was waiting for me to train again with Francesc. We've sailed almost four hours and in the afternoon I've been in La Gola just enjoying the sun, the wind and basicly...  Summer!

finishing 1bat

Almost nine months have passed since I started first of Batxillerat. In September, nine months looked like eternity, now, they're just dust. How have all this time flied so fast? I think I have the answer: a lot of stress and fun.

-Stress... In some ways it's been a stressful year. First, we have all the stuff to do from school plus the exams and projects. Then we have the non-stop sailing season. Between school and sailing, weeks and weekends have passed so fast that I haven't even realized. Even though, I like this lifestyle and I definetely prefere it to the boring Sunday's evenings lying on the coach waiting for a good film that never arrives...

-Fun. Despite being very buzy, I have had some time to have fun. And what's more, I have fun doing the things I do, overall, sailing. Appart from sailing, I have also enjoyed other activities, such as swimming, windsurfing... To get it better, I've been to parties, concerts, I've gone to more than a trip, I've been with my familly, etc. 

In conclusion, course 2013-14 has been very profitable: I've learnt a lot, I've enjoyed almost every second and, in fact, it's gone sooooo fast (but that's ok!).

Here you have some pictures of this year!

time flies...

Time flies. That's a fact.

How can we prove that fact? Very symple, show something that used to be modern a few years ago to a today's kid and stare at his reaction! That's what "the fine brothers" have tried with the eighties' computers.

Don't miss this funny video. First you can see they don't even know what's standing in front of them. When they reach the conclusion that that's a computer, they wonder how to turn it on, and once on... They know anything about how to use it! (Honestly, I wouldn't know neither) the first thing they look for on it is obviously internet. Mistake! There was no internet back to that time:) after that, they play with it a few minutes and quickly get bored of it.

It is an interesting experiment, and I have to say that there were two sentences that stuck to my mind. Thi first one, has a sense of humour: it looks so hipster! The other one, worried me a little: if there was no internet, how did they do their school work? This means that young generations are completely forgetting about books... Do we really want to be a society based exclusively on internet?

Internet is an undoubtable helpful tool, however, we can't rely only on internet. We must keep books and handwritten things as a treasure if we don't want our grandsons to need a keybord to write down anything.

longboarding

Last year a longboard in a shop caught my eye. Since then I asked for it for several months until one day my parents told me: "if you want a longboard, you'll have to build it yourself. We're not buying it because you'll use it twice and then forget it in the garage..." But I really wanted the "long", rather than as a toy, as a transport. So I built one.

At first I didn't really know how to start, so I looked on the internet about shapes, materials, wheels, styles... Everything. I found which woods and shapes were the best and then I took what I could from home: my high quality wood was nothing more than an abandoned wooden centerboard, and the shape... Well, I drew it with a projector on the wall.

Luckily a friend of mine was there to help me, so we did it together. I drew the desing for the bottom and the shape, he cut it and together we sanded and painted it. After that, we went to Figueres and bought the axles and the wheels. When we thought we were almost finished, we couldn't find males nor females to fix them. We looked for them in several ironmongers and finally found some that were suitable.

It took us about a week working the whole day to build the longboard, but it was really worth it. Perhaps it is not the best, and it does have some imperfections, but I'm really happy with it and I have to say that we are very proud of our handmade longboard.

swim, swam, swum

I started swimming at the age of three and I went to classes until I was seven. Since then, I've always swum quite well, but just for fun.

This Autumn I decided to join a course again, to gain strength and (obviously) be a better swimmer. We started going on Fridays, but the thing is that now the coach has decided to form a club and the training days have increased to three per week. it may seem very tiring, in fact it is, but I really enjoy it! It is a kind of tiredness that is rewarding, that makes you feel great. 

On Tuesday we were learning butterfly stye, it is tough: I swallowed liters of water! However, I liked it.

By the moment I'm able to combine this with school, one hour of English, one and a half hour of German and sailing, but some days, if I have a lo of homework or I'm with exams, I must miss the class.

london

What a wonderful city!

I had never been to London until this four-day-trip with school, and this city has amazed me so much. I even think I'm in love with it;)

We were staying in a hostel in Elephant and Castel which was very comfortable, that quarter of the city is very interesting and full of people from all around the world. Even though it wasn't a specially beautiful zone, we were near from everywhere and had a lot bus stops and underground stations around, so we were very well-communicated.

The center is fantastic, all the sights, buildings, shops, streets, museums, bridges... It is all very beautiful. We've been to almost all the highlights of the city but also to some places not that famous but worth seeing, such as Covent garden or Candemn town.

London, I'll be back!

lighted ballons

I was having a look to Vogue magazine (For a school assesment, I'm not a frequent reader) when I found this fancy photo.

On the picture you can see a girl with a dolly-looking wearing an ankle-long dress standing on a field with red trees on the left and a curious tower on the right side. What makes the photo special are some lighted ballons spreaded around the landscape.

I know that what people would think is that what's fancy on the picture is the dress... But I'm not really interested on long pink clothes. Although I like fashion, I think that you have to know when to wear super fashion things and when not. For example, if you're going to college you can dress beautiful clothes, but you don't need to make wonders with your waredrove. Then, you can't appear in a wedding on your trainer's. You have to know when and where to wear each kind of clothes... and you don't need a lot of clothes to look always nice.

My advise (I'm not a fashion expert, so you may disagree) is to combine clothes you like, when you like and where you like with a bit of common sense to be fancy anywhere and dress properly. And to be true to your own style!

unexpected trip

I woke up this morning thinking what could I do to do it better. I didn't really know what to do, so I ate breakfast calmly (this weekend I didn't have training nor races) and spoke with my parents. We have decided to go to Palamós to visit my grandparents and cousin, we've got dressed and then on the road to Palamos. At half way, we've seen the Montrgrí, a little mountain located in l'Empordà. We've looked at each other and no words were necessary to decide to climb it!

My sister had some assesments to do and stayed on the car, so we've thought... Why not? She has driven to the other side of the mountain and stayed in a bar. We had one and a half hour to walk up to the mountain and then down to the town for the other side! My grandma was waiting for us to arrive at two. 

It's been so exciting, the views were delightful and the sky had a special beautiful light. Once we've got on the top, where there's a castle standing, we've taken a look to the lamdscape and visitted the castle. Then we've got to run down the hill to arrive on time to granny's place. It's been an unexpected but really nice trip.

Next time we'll get dressed properly and with some more time (and a backpack with food and water) we'll try to climb it with the whole family!

Sailing Mallorca

It was a normal wdnesday until the school bell rang. Then the day turned into the start of a new adventure... I was taking a ferry to Mallorca that night! 

I met in Blanes with some of my sailing team, there we took the trolleys with the boats and got on the road to Barcelona. At eleven thirty the ship was leaving straight to Mallorca. We arrived at half past six the next morning, very tired but excited, looking forward for the race we were going to compete in. We had to take the boats out of the trolley under the rising sun, with a freezing temperature. That day we had to pass the measuring test for the boats (an especialist cheks every part of your boat to ensure its legality) and formalize the inscriptions to the race: it was the Spanish championship!

The first day of race we were given two really uncommon things that made the race even more exciting: a bracelet that contained our information, to sign in before going to water and out afterwards. There was another update, a chip that followed our trajectory during the race.

The championship ended last Sunday, our results weren't very good but I was happy because I really had fun and met some new people. I would like to post this with a photo, but we have no good shots...

the adventure of socks...

Everyone has that lovely pair of socks, thin but warm enough, not too short nor too long and with the perfect color that fits with all clothes. You love these socks, but there's a problem: you always lose one of them! So, where is that poor sock?

You'll find one single sad sock, missing its pair and becoming useless for the rest of its life, because its couple is gone forever. Can you imagine how it feels? But worse is how would the lost sock feel. Lonely, abandoned and somewhere unknown in the washing machine.

[...]

I like to think that they start a new life with all the other lost socks, or even that they return home but in a relative's drawer. Then becoming evil and revenging you for losing them, making you think the sock you see is always the same but you actually have both socks hanging around your home laughing at your face because you think you've lost a sock!

Who knows what really happens? I do not, but this is a funny way to imagine what the hell are your disappeared socks doing... they can't be that far!

ads, ads and more ads!

Have you ever found yourself changing TV channels non-stop and being able to watch two soaps at the time? I have, and it is terribly annoying. Maybe it is not the same in your country, but in Spain you have to keep patient if you want to follow a complete episode of any program.

At first, they allow you to watch a few minutes and get stuck to the plot. But when things really start to happen, they give you an extra dose of advertisements long enough to make you lose faith and change channel! What’s curious is that you will soon find an interesting program that’s just about to finish. OK, perhaps I’m not the luckiest guy watching TV and there may be someone who’s got all the ads and programs schedules under control. However, if they’re able to switch channel and watch soap after soap (I think if this person exists, it must be a lonely, and bored, old person who spends the day sewing and swallowing Latin series) it is because there’s time enough of breaks to combine two programs in an afternoon.

Though I have to say that there are some really funny commercials, that worth it. Such as some moving and even disturbing ones… so you can comfort yourself thinking that there’s someone who does well his job behind this amount of advertisements. 

These are two commercials I really like, the second one is in spanish but it is maybe better not to understand what it says because it is disturbing... hope you enjoy them!