Day 74: Some things you didn't know about me

1. Two brushes with fame: I had the chance to talk to Stan Lee at the '94 Comicon. When I was leaving the table, he turned to his translator, who happened to be the Vid publishing house official translator, and said "Now, you see, that's English!".

A couple of days ago, I ran into Sergio Sarmiento, a very famous political journalist right outside from my work. I said "Mr. Sarmiento" and nodded... and he nodded back at me!! (but I forgot to ask for his autograph).

2. The only thing I regret in life: not completing my bachelor's degree. I dropped out in 96, and now I've lost two wonderful job offers due to lacking that stupid paper.

3. Books: I've read over a thousand books in my life. Some borrowed, or stolen or bought, but I must confess I've found some books that I definitely threw out of the window, like "Niebla" or "Doña Perfecta". Shakespeare in English has always overwhelmed me, although I'm a pretty good reader both in English and Spanish. Last achievement: finishing "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" in 4 days (take into account I was working my hellish schedule).

4. 15 minutes of fame: when Role-Playing-Games had their boom in Mexico, I won a second-prize for game-mastering at the aforementioned 94 Comicon, I appeared on TV (in the background, but TV anyway) and in two radio programs. I retired at a 30-player game at which all characters were killed... and they still loved me!!

5. Pets: I love pets. I currently have a wonderful Maine Coon named "Fuzhienran" (the tiger-orchid in Chinese). I've had tropical fish, turtles, mice and dogs. The only ones I hate are birds.

6. Life-Time Record: 8 years of absolute fidelity and faithfulness to my partner.

7. Competition: I define myself as a natural-born-competitor. Since the cradle I used to steal my brother's milk bottles. That thirst to win at everything has taken me far in life.

8. The lone wolf: I spent half of my life trying to fit, and the other half, trying to be left alone. I work better by myself, and defend my private time zealously.

9. Collections: I collect suns, books, lions and superstitions, especially those particular to households or family traditions.

10. Things I am superstitious about: Although I define myself as a skepchick, I go crazy about money superstitions. I never place my bag on the floor or on the bed, for instance. You scare money away!

Feel free to ask any questions just in case you get curious.

Day 73: Why I hate Summer Vacations

Now that Summer Break is finally off I can express why I hate it.

Since I was a child, summer break was one of the most dreaded times of the year. In those days, Mexican schools used to grant two full months off, which meant we kids had to stay stuck at home with nothing to do, since it is not customary to assign summer homework as in other countries. It was the time of boredom. The only positive thing was the opportunity to wake up late and watch over 12 hours of cartoons, when broadcasting systems still cared about the youngest sector of the market.

Nowadays, all that has dissapeared. Kids only get 3 weeks that they spend creating havoc in the tenant buildings' corridors 'cause parents don't want them at home and TV is no longer the best nanny, since the "children schedule" has been traded for the most profitable informertials. Most parents prefer to grant their children free rein and let them sleep late, with the results you can imagine on their neighbors' sleeping schedule.

On the other hand, if I am to be honest, some of the bloggers I keep in touch with usually take vacations out from home, and thus we miss the opportunity to read the only interesting material available at the office, which makes me really sad. They usually post some great pictures afterwards, though.

However, Summer holidays are finally over. Little monsters are back at their cages and restrained by piles of homework in the afternoons, and traffic has gone back to the usual heavyness. Autumn is just a few weeks away, and a little peace has befallen the building's corridors.

Did you have a good vacation?

Day 72: It was my birthday.

Last Tuesday, August 21st, was my birthday. Now I'm 34 - one year away from "discardability age'. Some would start having the 'midlife' crisis. Not me, of course. I knew since 25 that from that point on it was going to be harder. So, at a time I feel tempted to believe everything is going to go downhill, I remind myself my creed:

Who I am: a winner.

Where I am: on the road to something better.

What I want: peace of mind, body and spirit.

Day 71: Eight things my cat has taught me.

1. Cleanliness is good, but never take your bath in front of strangers.

2. If you beg for affection, nobody pays attention to you. Be disdainful, and they’ll come by themselves.

3. Four small meals a day is more than enough to keep you healthy.

4. You want to play, carry your own toys.

5. Nap whenever you can.

6. Allow people to scratch you ears; never your belly, especially the youngest ones.

7. The silent always catches the prey (or the string, or the ball, or your master’s toe).

8. Day is dull, night is fun!

Day 70: My new car

Finally, after months and months of paying installments and waiting, last Saturday my mom delivered my new car to its new parking space, at my building's parking lot.

This car is not new, and has had his good mileage, but coming from my mother's hands, it is certainly in top condition, guaranteed to be tame and safe. It's a red VW standard Pointer 2000 edition, with a pretty sticker of a horse (one of my favorite animals) in the back. I was so happy I couldn't help but hoping up and down when I was given the keys. And my mom was kind enough as to add new floor carpets and a special vacuum cleaner as aditional traits.

I can't wait to be seated at the steering wheel, wrestling my way along the crowded and crazed streets of Mexico City, dodging suicidal public transports, shopping on my own and filling the trunk to the brim with groceries, and leaving parties at any moment we like!!

And you want to know the really good stuff about this?

I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DRIVE YET!!

JAJAJAJAJA

Day 69: in the dark

I'm writing this because I saw Miao's request for updating. My dear, you just have saved a blog's life.

Not only due to the criminally huge amounts of work and a power outage that has gone on for a whole week, but a mounting depression that is fighting to conquer the good parts of my brain.

I guess it happens to everyone, even people who have managed to grasp what we regular mortals call "success"... There is a time when the only light you see at the end of the tunnel is the C train.

I must say it is not a wrist-slashing matter, neither the dreaded "middle-age crisis". No, no, no. I have that dealt with since I was in my 30's. It's being stuck in this stinky rat-hole without a chance to throw everything to the dogs just because I'm tied by my household responsibilites. Were I single, I would've quit this shitty place months ago, but I decided, years ago, that I wasn't gonna let my partner suffer for any bad decisions I had made.

But going back to the original point, I've been fighting depression for around a month now. What pisses me is that I'M NOT A DEPRESSIVE PERSON. I hadn't been this blue since my 20's, for God's sake! But still here I am, fighting with all my might these horrible sensation of having become a total loser, unable even to tie her shoes right.

Sigh) Anyway, as I said before, I'm not the only one, and people around me (well, my beloved ones, I mean) are not guilty of this. They are not foreced to bear this burden. Sooner or later, I will rise again, like the fiery Phoenix.

I'll try to keep you updated.

And again, THANKS, MIAO!

Day 68: The nightmarish public loo

I wonder how a problem that seems local may be found somewhere else, given the fact I've been studying how many ideas have found a way to repeat themselves in many cultures before the advent of world wide web, especially in the kitchen, like pasta, bread-covered meat, sauces and so on. In this particular case, I would like to know if this regular problem female D.F. dwellers encounter every day is common to other women in the world.

Any woman who has found herself in the inexcusable need of a restroom in a public place in Mexico City is familiar with the following disturbing and disgusting annoyances:

- Small stalls: there's no public place that hasn't been designed under the fixed idea of saving space in restrooms, and there's nothing more hateful that the fact that, when a lady is pulling down her pants or her stockings in order to take the inevitable seat, she finds herself brushing her clothes or her underwear against the toilet, which are never as clean as one would desire. Absolutely revolting.

- The wastebasket in the toilet: may the Almighty curse whoever came up with that idea, but it is customary to find in Mexican stalls a damned paper basket next to the toilet, where uneducated women discard the used toilet paper, not taking into account how unsanitary that is. And if you consider they are not frequently emptied, you can imagine the amount of germs floating in the air, not to mention the reek...

- Sanitary seatcovers: alas, to be born a woman who always has to take a seat! If the sanitary facilities are not provided with hygienic paper covers, you have to pull meters and meters of toilet paper to place on the seat in order to protect your sacred... parts, which is particularly stressing when you are almost at the end of your resistance.

- The Lady-in-wait: I grew up under the idea this situation was only acceptable at very prestigious, extremely expensive places, but there is a department store, identified by their 3-owl logo, that keeps this funny ladies in the bathrooms, who never empty the dirty baskets, but cut the paper towel (in affronting small pieces) for you, and expect a tip for that. What the f*** is with that!?

- Lack of toilet paper: have you ever finished doing your things just to feel your stomack freeze at the discovery the toilet paper is not present where it should be? Well, if you have ever visited a movie complex or a supermarket in Mexico in the first hours of the morning, that is bound to happen, and nobody will give a damn if you cleaned yourself with your stockings or if you had to run stall by stall holding your underwear between your open legs, 'cause no matter how many times you bitterly complain, it will happen again next time.

- Public restrooms in crowded places: believe it or not, it is not mandatory by public regulation to build public restrooms in places such as bus stations, subway stations or public markets. Whenever you are lucky enough to find one, at the door you will find this angry-looking lady, to whom you have to pay a certain amount for the privilege of access, and who never takes small coins, oh, no. Pesos or nothing. This payment entitles you to receive a piece of toilet paper (which is never to be found where it should be) that never lengths more than 12 inches! If you want more, you must pay extra, and take her disdainful look at your particular needs.

I won't continue making you sick, oh kind reader, with other small but still revolting small annoyances that you may find in the quest for freeing yourself from your particular burdens in Mexico City. I just beg you to let me know if you have happened to experience first hand any similar pains, in order to find comfort and solace in the knowledge of the common sufferings.

Day 67: I'm still alive!! (2nd Cry)

I feel like crap whenever I remember I've been neglecting my blogs, and it really pisses me when the work load gets so heavy I can't even think a single creative idea. But enough complaints. That's what "Planeta Quejas" stands for.

Some unusual things I heard about or found out during this long hiatus:

1. A helicopter was stolen in Mexico City.

As amazing as it sounds, two guys rented a helicopter to take some aerial pictures, beat and tied the pilot up and flew away. No one happens to know where the chopper is right now. It vanished!

2. The ass is truly mightier than the proof.

My company has been about to loose a million dollar project just because one woman is sleeping with one of the fat cats. Despite the huge amounts of evidence provided by my company to proof this woman's incompetence, we almost lost the project! Thank God, the Big Boss heard about this and pronounced on our favor.

3. The naked guys on Reforma Av. are becoming a major tourist attraction in Mexico City.

The "400 pueblos" (synonym of tribe) continue their demonstrations wearing nothing but their long hairs (ejem) next to the Independence Monument. Hundreds of foreign tourists didn't miss the opportunity to video the naked mass. (Personally, I think human body is something beautiful... when it's in good shape!)

4. Intelipet makes your pet more intelligent.

Dog food brand 'Intelipet' claims their products can make your dog more intelligent. Rumor has they don't make cat food 'cause they would end conquering the world.

And so far these are the news for the week. And I'm still here!!

Day 66: Some things you don't know about me

It all got started because a friend of my Spanish blog tagged me regarding certain things you'd like to take with you to a desert island, which I find funny 'cause nobody in his right mind would willingly be stranded on a piece of rock in the middle of the ocean. But I can tell you about some of my favorite things:

1. CDs: although I don't like singers per se, Mecano and Miguel Bosé are my favorite singers. I've got every single CD they've issued, except Bose's last one, which honestly sucks.

2. Books: my collection ammounts up to 300, but there are some which will always have a special place in my heart, like "Don Quixote", "The Three Musketeers" and "Mort".

3. DVD´s: another eclectic topic, varying from "Akira" and "The Grave of the Fireflies" to Disney's movies, but my all time favorites are "Lady Hawke" and the one and only "The Crow", with Brandon Lee.

4. Comics: again, I don't follow neither heroes nor series, but there are some I would certainly save from a fire: "Night Cries", "The Sandman Series", "The Books of Magic" and "Watchmen". The last one rocks!

5. Cartoons: They deserve a paragraph for themselves. "Batman the animated series" and "Remi" are some of the collections on my shelves.

6. Clothes: I'm nothing of a feminine woman at all, so a good pair of jeans, a long, thick cotton t-shirt and a good pair of trainers or hiking boots along with my indispensable baseball cap work well enough to me.

7. Relaxing activities: I'm a lazy bum, so I prefer lazy activities, such as reading, sleeping, going bowling and going to the movies. Nothing very exciting, but fun for the brain.

8: Pets: I like animals in general, but my favorites are cats, horses and dogs. Ferrets are ok, but after a while they seem just like stupid cats.

I'm not mentioning any toys since that was the topic of a past post.

There you are. I guess that's more than enough for starters when you want to know something relevant about people. My favorite technique is to ask about this items, and then about the details. You can have plenty of hours of fun at a party.

Day 65: How to cover you are waisting your time at work

What are you suppossed to do when you are at work, after finishing all your tasks, and you have nothing else to do? Most Personnel Managers would say that you have to make your free time a productive one. I say you must take a rest, especially if yours is a very demanding job.

So, what can we do to conceal our doing nothing? I recommend the following tactics:

1. Pick up the phone: when you're doing nothing and you are able to hear your boss's footsteps down the hallway, pick up the phone and fake you're in the middle of a very important conversation. That'll give you enough time to turn around and seem busy.

2. Keep files open: when you're working with the PC, keeping several windows open will mantain the impression you're working hard while you hide your blog behind them (which is exactly what I'm doing right away).

3. Deal with old paper work: either filing all the papers you've scathered over your desk or cleaning your drawers, that gives you a good chance to relax your mind, exercise your muscles and give an impression of tidiness and commitment while keeping your mind blank.

4. Surf the web: when you work for Purchasing, Research or something related to computers, you can hide your illicit activities by opening tabs related to those products your company deals with.

These are only some options I have come across throughout my working experience. If you happen to know others, please let me know so I can seem productive while fooling around.

Thanks!

Day 64: How to waste your time in a waiting lounge.

Whenever we are left to wait in a waiting room, most of us get bored. I have developed a few techniques to keep myself entertained and sometimes, be able to catch the receptionist’s attention.

1. Always carry a book: for me, that’s a must. Whenever I make an appointment, I carry the latest book I’m reading, to avoid getting bored.

2. Carefully read the magazines available: most of the companies keep a big stack of specialized magazines, which at least have interesting pictures. Sometimes, you can even find job offers on them, so read them thoroughly. You never know what you may find.

3. Tear the magazines: ok, this may be regarded as vandalism, but if I find a recipe or an interesting test and the receptionist is not paying attention to me at all, it’s her loss, and I’m gonna get as much advantage as possible of such a waste of my precious time.

4. Play videogames: this is not recommended for job interviews, of course, but if you have the chance to take your portable videogame, you will have a lot of fun. Besides, if you turn the sound on, you will certainly make the receptionist pay attention to your needs.

5. Chat with the receptionist: there’s nothing they hate more than a chatty visitor, especially when they are busy typing or making phone calls. In fact, they will call whoever they need to in order to get rid of you.

6. Talk on your mobile: similar to chatting with her, if you talk loud enough to interfere with the incoming calls, you’ll be sure they’ll do everything in their hands to stop you from interfering with their jobs.

7. Walk around the front desk: this works even more wonderfully than the former. There’s nothing more annoying than a person who is distracting you with the thunderous sound of his footsteps.

So, next time a receptionist doesn’t treat you well, or keeps you waiting for hours, make sure you let them know how valuable your time is. And I’m telling you this ‘cause I’m a receptionist myself!

Day 61: I'm still alive!!

Shoot. It's been 12 days since my last post, and this was one of those things I had promise myself I wasn't gonna do: neglect this intellectual exercise. Therefore, here I am with the little news, so my hypothetical and real readers (God bless them all) may know I'm still alive.

1. Work: I've complained enough, and it's time to say I'm already on the move to get out of the rat hole. I've attended just one interview, but seems promising (keep your fingers crossed for me, ok?). I'm taking all my medication like a good girl, and I took today off from all responsibilities, so I could relax a bit.

2. "Pirates of the Caribbean: At the World's End": As part of my relaxing program, I went to a VIP hall to watch this movie. Sorry to say I found the ending disappointing. I'm not gonna spoiler it here, but I think some people deserved a happier ending. Guess I'd raised too high expectations on that.

3. Bowling lessons: Tomorrow I'll be attending my third lesson. Although my average has been worse than the last time I played, I must say I'm quite getting a grasp on this, and starting to throw a little bit more 'professionally'. I still look like a hippo on its tip-toes, tough, but I'm having a lot of fun.

4. New car: Next weekend I'm finally getting my greedy anxious hands on my new car. Unfortunately, I still don't know how to drive, but that is a minor annoyance now that I've pictured myself driving it. It's a second-hand VW Pointer, but it's in a swell condition thanks to my mom. I just hope I don't make my debut on it with a dent.

5. Wii: Finally, I was able to purchase my Wii console. We currently have just one game and one set of controls, and I've had very little time to enjoy it, but my hubby and I have had a lot of fun trying to best each other at different 'sports'. I'm becoming quite proficient at bowling, although it's so different from real bowling. We are also enjoying the planning of the games we're gonna purchase soon, such as "Monkey Ball-Banana Blitz", "Wii Play" and some others.

Well, I think that'll be all for today. I do promise I'll try to post more frequently. My friend "Y sin embargo"'s technique of posting small comments regarding current events is good to keep the pace up, so I'm gonna borrow a leaf from his book and give it a try whenever I run short of time or ideas. Keep looking!! I'll be there!!

Day 60: When time slips through your fingers

How difficult it has been to reach this 60th post. I do hate it when the job becomes so overwhelming there's no time left for the little pleasures of life.

Right now, I'm cheating on my working shift, given the fact I'm suppossed to be collecting a certain information for my boss and I'm ditching instead, but my poor blog has been so abandoned that most of the people I get in contact with must be thinking I'm dead.

I usually keep my happy toughts for "The Usual Stuff", but I've been under so much pressure recently that I don't think I have enough left. Maybe it's just because it's monday, and I, like Garfield, happen to hate mondays, or maybe it's this heritage of adulthood that makes you feel that every second doesn't last enough when it comes to pleasent things.

That's what I think about when I explain Einstein's Relativity theory to my younger students:

when we are enjoyin the moment, time flies, but when we're bored or annoyed, it drags like a snail.

The one good thing is that I'm also using this time to continue looking for a job. If you happen to know about an English teacher or Trainer position where you live, would you be so kind as to let me know? I'd give everything to get out of this rat hole.

Day 59: The Animals and Me

As I said before, I'm comenting on some of my most recent experiences, and one of them was the opportunity to enter "Toca-Mascota" ('Touch-a-pet'), in Plaza Polanco mall.

I'm not going to extend on the bad things I got to see there (that's what 'Planeta Quejas' stands for), but on the facts that I found most relevant or amusing.

First of all, I found it kind of touching that my 6-year-old niece, who usually behaves like a brat (and don't mean the dolls by any chance), was so enthusiastic about inviting me in. I had already been planning to ask her for that favor, since adults are not allowed in without invitation, but the idea came totally from her. I guess it's because I'm the only one in the family as crazy for pets as she is, and she knows it.

When you enter the facility, which reminds me of a gigantic fishbowl with a bench in it, you are told to rub your hands with some sort of disinfectant, to prevent animals from getting any disease. But I guess it must contain a certain amount of alcohol because, when I was holding a ferret, it started enthusiastically to lick my hands. Funny thing was it didn't stop there, 'cause it climbed up my arm, made itself comfortable at my shoulder and started licking my chin. Some people will say this is disgusting, but I was having a very good time.

Later on, I had the chance to hold a phyton boa. It felt like a plastic hose full of cool oil, and its skin was very soft and smooth. Contrary to their usual behavior, this one was rather lively, slithering its way up my arms and, when I hold it in front of my face to take a good look at its head, it touched the tip of my nose with its tongue, which I found really surprising, because it was really soft and delicate.

Finally, they lent me a chinchilla, which is some sort of super-sized mouse. I've never touched anything that soft ever in my life. It's almost impossible to describe. Like fluffy velvet, I think. Unfortunately, the chinchilla wasn't having as good a time as me, 'cause it was pretty frightened and nervous, especially after my niece tried to put it on its back. But since I have a little experience dealing with scaredy cats, I was able to calm it a little bit down and enjoy the pleasure of its amazingly soft fur.

I wish this kind of experiences were available to adults as well. The ability to wonder is not exclusive of children, for me at least, and I would love to have more chances to experience the unknown. I really enjoyed this experience, and my inner child had good chance to share a good moment with my niece.

Day 58: A special weekend

These was a happy weekend, full of events, ‘cause I was finally able to accomplish three things I had been looking forward to doing for a long time.

1. WII: Finally, at last, after such a long wait, I was able to purchase my Wii console. It didn’t come cheap, tough, since I had to buy it at “Liverpool” department store, but I was lucky enough to find a sale with 18 months installments, interest free. WEEEEEEE!!.

2. Bowling set: I also purchased my first (and hopefully not the last) bowling set, with ball, shoes, bag and wristband. This was possible ‘cause both my bosses are pro bowlers, and when they learned about my interest on this sport, they helped me by paying the equipment with their supplier and discounting it from my paycheck in 10 comfortable installments. Al last I’m getting something good out of my company!

3. Toca Mascota: I was able to sneak my way into “Toca-mascota” (“Touch-a-pet”). This is a facility sponsored by “Mascota” pet shop, where kids can go and lay their hands on different animals. My 6-year-old niece renewed her membership and suddenly decided she wanted to share her obsession with pets with her favorite auntie (the only one that goes along with that), and invited me in, which was very fortunate, since adults are not allowed in there without a kid (=P). So I had the chance to hold different animals in my hands: a ferret, a python boa, a parrot, a tortoise and a chinchilla, which happens to have the softest fur I have ever touched, and get a kiss from the ferret and the snake, but I'll talk about that later.

And at last, I'm able to say at least one good thing about my job, since the rest remains as crappy as usual. Thank God, next weekend I'll be able to go bowling, and the poor pins will have to pay for it. Muahjahjahjah!

Day 57: TEEN LOVE

I recently heard on a cartoon that teen love never lasts. The passion, commitment and even obsession we are able to feel when we are between 13 and 18 years old eventually wears off as we grow old into grumpy, hurt and paranoid adults. I am fortunate to say that is not my case.

I met this classmate when I was 15. We happened to be together in the first year of high school. He was handsome, sportive, intelligent and cultivated and he managed to become popular almost at once, while I was naïve, overweight, nerdy and nothing more than a wall-paper flower at most. Of course, I fell for the guy immediately. For months, I fought to catch his attention, unsuccessfully, of course, and only managing to embarrass myself each time in front of him and the whole class at the same time.

After a while, he became boyfriend with my best friend. Well, that wasn’t an easy-to-take blow, but I survived through it because I was truly in love with this guy, and by that I don’t mean this obsession about “getting the guy”. It was mainly because I had been able to evolve from the teenage infatuation into a real interest for the person itself. I remembered (and still do) the words from a former junior-high teacher, may God bless him forever, who had told me that you stopped being in love with love when you managed to still love a person even after finding out about his defects. Now that was something that put things into a more realistic perspective, and indeed helped me not to lose my head completely. I was lucky enough to become some sort of ‘best friend’ to him, and get to observe all his defects closely. I found out about his arrogance, his insecurity, his boasting and his family problems. And still I knew I liked him.

For seven years (seven years! Can you believe that?) I clinged on the hope that we eventually would end up together. And finally I succeeded. We spent 3 weeks as an official couple before realizing we were loaded with a heavy burden of past events and too many different points of view on life to carry on. We broke up,obvously, without tears nor regrets, but promising to be friends forever.

And so it has been for the last 10 years. Although our sentimental relationships are all settled, we still get to see each other and find that special person we are able to share everything with. Things that we don’t tell our significant others are easily discussed among us. Any sort of problem can be analyzed and solved, while receiving the most neutral, loving and objective support one may wish for. Not even a professional counselor could provide such variety of angles from which take a view into situations. And,the most important, we never, ever, get to judge each other. Whatever mess the other gets into, we refrain from pronouncing a final judgment on the person, which is something not even the family is able to do, and you know what I mean. Even our closest relatives can’t refrain themselves from uttering such horrible phrases such as “Oh, how could you be so stupid?”, “For God’s sake, couldn’t you foresee this was coming?”, “Well, when you screw it, you always do it big time, don’t you?”, or, even worse, help you out with this humiliating look of pity and hidden superiority in their eyes.

But that has never happened between my friend and I. We have reached that rare level of relation where two adults get to understand a person’s individual decisions. We know that sometimes our best friends are there to see us take some stupid leaps, and fall flat on our faces, and throw a blanket on the pavement before we scratch it with our teeth; friends are there to share their time when they have to work early next morning, their money at the end of the fortnight, their food when they only have one piece of bread, their cars when they have a tight agenda, and their support when there’s no light at the end of the tunnel. And so we have done.

After so many years (come on; who’s been able to keep a friendship for 17 years?), I do keep a special place in my heart for this guy. And that doesn’t mean I am a cheater. I have been living happily with my significant other for two years, after dating for seven (a total record, ain’t it?), and he is about to settle down with his girlfriend after a three-year romance, which makes me really happy, after knowing how much trouble he used to have to maintain a serious relationship. It means that, in this world of loners, we have been blessed with a friendship that goes beyond brotherhood, a bond even thicker than blood itself. A friendship that is willing to commit from the moneybag to the blood, and a kind of love most people never find, not even among their relatives.

Day 56: Hell Unleashed, Retribution Day

I think this must be unbelievable and unthinkable in developed countries. Working on holidays? Without payment? Well, that happens in Mexico, my friends. Bad thing is, IT HAPPENS TO ME.

I have been assigned a radio-locator in the office, the most devilish device ever created by men to prey on men. In my company, that means you "officially" become available 24/7.

As you know, last Tuesday was a Holiday. I knew what was coming: my boss dared to ask me to report for work, and I plainly said no, 'cause my chore schedule is very tight. He was ok at the moment, but today, it is time to pay.

I've been working my ass off for 16 hours... YES, 16 HOURS IN A ROW, working on this goddammed project that was twisted from the very beginning. It's 11 pm, CT, and there's no hope of goin home. Of course, The Boss is making me pay for skivving off work, and I knew it was comming.

Ah, but there are other ways to get even, rest assured. As you can see, while I'm supposed to be working on a translation, I've been catching up with my blogger friends and posting. I've been drinking as many free sodas as I can (by now, my bladder is about to explode) and I swear I'm gonna have as many snacks as I can smuggle home, and the manager who has been teasing me the whole fu**ing day has had to stay too. MUAHAHAHAHAH!!

Of course, this abusive behavior is everyday's bread. Day in, day out, we have to do our master's bidding, or suffer the consequences. AND I'M SICK AND TIRED OF IT!. I refused to come on a holiday because, if I let them step on my back once, I will become a doormat for the rest of my life.

I'm already looking for a way out of this hellhole, but the market for English teachers is way downpaid. Anyway, be sure, my dear readers, that I'll do my best to take advantage of this situation. I won't steal, as many people do here. That's not my style. But I give myself my honor word that I'll find a way to get retribution out this. Justice must be served.

Day 55: The dawn of the dead

Probably this is usual for some people, but it's really killing me. This morning, my alarm clock went off at 5 am. I threw my arm across the bed to press the "snooze" button and went into oblivion for another ten minutes. I don't accurately remember how many times this happened, but when I was finally able to regain something similar to consciousness, it was 6:30 already.

I swear I tried as hard as possible to get ready quickly, but everything seemed to be happening in a bullet shot. It took hours to find the clothes, to press them, to get dressed, to grab my hip-bag and back-pack and reach the door. The clock was now indicating 6:55.

And then it was like a horrible, cinematic fast forward: running downstairs like mad to catch a taxi, looking at the traffic ahead to find a hole at which gain a few meters, panting at the elevator doors to finally jump forward to insert your timecard with a few seconds left.

And all this is due to the exhaustion I'm suffering from this project at the office that is not working right. My boss has been getting to the office at 6 pm and expecting us to continue working our asses off with a smile after our regular shift.

And that is just a small part of the situation. The fact is that I hate feeling this dull, ill-slept, ill-tempered and frustrated, when it's not my direct fault. If the stupid project manager had provided me with the right information since the very begining, this wouldn't be happening.

Good thing is, next Tuesday is a holiday in Mexico. WOOOOHOOO!!

Day 54: Virgina Tech Massacre

It really hurts my heart, along with the grief I feel about so many futures abruptly ended, that the first fact to hit the press was that the murderer was from Korean descent. In my perception of the U.S. as a foreigner, I must say I consider this completely biased, partial and deceiving. The fact is that 32 college students and a teacher were shot. But the fact that he was a foreigner was brought into the spot light because it is going to be used in order to stricten the government policies against migrants. Mark my words.

There was a note on the Mexican news this morning about this Korean student already dropping out because she was never made feel that she belonged. Other articles have made reference to the U.S. policies regarding fire arms, including public statements issued by the National Rifle Association, therefore turning this tragedy into a social issue directly related to the American Constitution. In my opinion, both sides are missing the point miserably.

In my humble opinion, it is not a matter of where you come from, neither of the availability of fire arms. It is a matter of how a single person can get as psychologically damaged as to turn a gun towards strangers and pull the trigger. What circumnstances could drive any individual to perform such a destructive action and what are we going to do, as citizens of the same world, to prevent this from happening again?. The rest, is only an attempt to take advantage from those priceless lifes, so innecesarily wasted.

We send our sympathies and prayers to all the families in their grief.

Day 53: Earthquake's aftermath

It's been 3 days and 11 tremors after the earthquake. For most DF dwellers, things are going back to normal, but it's going to be difficult to sleep easily for another couple of weeks. Although we are in the middle of a heat wave, we are all going to start sleeping on full night wear, just in case we have to leave our buildings running for dear life.

Let's face it. It has been 20 years after the world-wide-known "'85 Earthquake", and Mexico City is not ready yet to face a big disaster. Some of the old damaged buildings have been resettled by illegal tenants, and now their paying the price for taking over free acommodations. Now they're being relocated into shelters, but they have no hope of getting new locations as good as their old ones. Instead of complaining, they should be grateful they lived to tell the tale.

As a citizen aware of the potential costs of stupidity, I'm telling everyone who may listen all the stuff I learned from the Civil Protection Training Courses I've taken before.

Do you keep your documents safe next to a flashlight?

Note: All the pictures were taken from "El Universal" newspaper. All rights reserved.