Wake up! It's time

Most of the times we ask ourselves why countries like United States, Canada and Japan don’t share their wealth with poorer countries, such as some in Africa and South America. Even though South America has a rich reserve in oil and Africa in Diamonds, government of these regions are not distributing well their wealth among their population and that is why the habitants are suffering the consequences dying by hunger, dehydration and diseases. Apart than that, the rate of literacy is low in these zones.

I am very sure every country has their own issues but there are people dying and is because of the wrong management of public funds and they are not citizens of a first world country, richer nations should share a little of their wealth to create programmes that fights against illiteracy and hunger rather than just giving money to the governors and leaders of poorer nations because nowadays we know that what they do is spending the whole wealth for their own benefits the best example I can give right now is related to Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez Frias. In such a rich country because of the oil increasing the Gross Domestic Product every year, inflation, illiteracy and hunger is taking all over the country and he, and all his ministers, keeps blaming the external debt.

We know that, politically, is not right to take care of other countries issues, especially with all the problems with Economics that we’re living nowadays, but humanistic, there are plenty of people suffering while others are taking advantage of that. It is time to wake up and start looking for solutions instead of getting only interested about the money and our own benefits we live in the twenty-first century and we know how to solve these problems so why can’t we do something about it?

Traditional vs International beats

It has often been said that music is "the most primitive expression of the language", we have also heard that is "the language of the heart". What we can say is that us, as human beings, need music whether for entertainment or for expressing ourselves. Even as kids we started to sing first than talking. We have been so used to music that now is extremely difficult imagine a world without music.

Folkloric music represents the whole feelings of a Nation. It can be absolutely danceable, if we take Cuban Salsa and or Brazilian Bossa Nova as examples, or nostalgic and sentimental, taking Portuguese Fado as an example, what they want to express or their point of view  about one simple topic. We cannot say that folkloric music is getting less important nowadays because, even though International music sells more because all the Marketing effort artists and their managers invert in that product, traditional music is something that never is going to expire and it is often being used as an inspiration for plenty of international songs. It is hard to find a popular song, or the "summer hit", without hearing some African beats and drums or American acoustic guitar.

Artists like Madonna, Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, etc. use their songs to satisfy an exclusive Market segment named "fans" or supporters. Even if the song is not the best masterpiece, the whole effort marketing that product make the song sounds incredible and really catchy, in the end, you will end up buying the song or the whole album. We can say that music is the tool that all of us use to entertain ourselves could be to dance, to cry or just to feel the patriotism in our veins.

gKbral

I wonder...

who's going to be stupid enough to follow your utopian and pointless ideas on 2012

The happiest day

This week my teacher asked us to write something about our happiest day… 120 to 180 words…

All my classmates started to say their happiest day… Graduation, Wedding, First kid, something else related with a pregnant woman… Whatever… I decided to take one of those ideas to play safe. I am not pregnant, I’m single with no kids but, at least, I got a bachelor, which is a good topic to talk about.

The problem is that I don’t think my graduation was my happiest day. I mean, I was proud of myself and watching my family and my best friend clapping at me made me happy but it wasn’t the happiest day, I insist.

I’m finding difficult to define my happiest day.

Let’s talk about relationships. I had had three relationships some moments we live were nice but not happy. In the end, we broke up. That means none of them were, in fact, happy.

Then, I thought about when my cousin told me she was pregnant. I was excited but I’m not going to write about that… It’s somebody else’s.

Happiness itself is really difficult to define. Some days you can feel in a really good mood, some moments are the best thing that ever happened to you but do they make you happy?

I don’t want to sound pessimistic because I am not. I just don’t know the meaning of that word.

I’ve asked my friends about their happiest day and most of them seemed to have a clear definition of what it was. I started to panic and then it came…

I remember when I was in Universal Studios (or Islands of Adventures, still don’t know the difference about them) with my two cousins playing in this water neighbourhood, which looks like a fire station. We played, we danced, we laugh… We enjoyed that much that it’s impossible to write about it without a smile on my face.

I think the most important moments of your life came from the simplest things. In my case, playing with them remind me my childhood and how much I enjoyed playing with water. It could be. Something simple, something meaningful, that’s how happy works, from my point of view.

What’s your happiest day?

gKbral

I am not dead. I was on Holiday

After a long month in one of the busiest city of the world, finally, I got a flat where I can stay. My name is Gab Martinsson and this is my story.

Everything started on February 2011. I was getting tired of my life. My job didn’t satisfy me, living with my parents was getting annoying for my age and my hometown was getting extremely dangerous besides my love life was a disaster. After thinking about moving somewhere in the US or in Canada, as a member of the European Union I decided to fly overseas and go to London to find my porpoise on life.

I moved with my cousin and her husband while I was finding a job and studying the local language. During my second week, I found a job opportunity at this Café, which is not the most glamorous place to work but, as we say, we have to pay the bills, haven’t we? But it took for about a month to get a full time Rota (I was working only three hours and that doesn’t work at all if we need to pay the bills in a city as expensive as this one).

In the mid-time I was trying to find a flat to share. I know that I was completely comfortable with my cousins because I was living in a gorgeous area and for free but it was way too comfortable. So I went to the Internet and my nightmare began.  Being 22 years olds, student and part-time worker is not the best résumé for someone who wants to afford a flat to share. The dodgiest ones were the ones who reply, and trust me, there was a lot and when I mean a lot is A LOT. They asked for a transfer before arranging a view via Western Union or wanted me to pay the deposit first because they were living somewhere in the UK not in London and “to make sure I was able to pay the rent” their lawyer said that’s the best way they could be sure that I could afford the rent. I might be new in town but not stupid enough to do that (sorry about the people who are reading this and have being scammed but come on, if it’s dodgy in your country is dodgy in here unless your tenant is a criminal mind made person). Then, all my visits were a waste of time, I visited for about thirty different flats and they always said “Sorry, we wanted a girl. Good luck with your search”, “I was looking for someone older. Good luck with your search“, “my brother decided to move with me. Good luck with your search”, “Something, something, something. Good luck with your search”. I got tired of too many excuses so I just decided to go to the end of the response and only pay attention to the “Good luck with your search”, after that, that was the whole idea.

After a painful month, I found this lovely place in N End Road with a Turkish guy who seems great. It’s the first time I’m moving apart and the first time I’m on my own, my own rules. Let’s see what happens in the near future. I have three months to be polite and see if I’m staying or not (He will decide if we can live together or not).

These are the reasons why I have been apart from my but I came back. Finally, I got the time and I’m well accommodated to write. I am not dead people, I was on Vacation.

See you next Monday.

gKbral 

Nunca está de más ser amable

El otro día caminaba por la vida y me topé con un señor de aproximadamente 40 años de edad. Alto, canoso, ciertas arrugas en la cara, pero muy definido de cuerpo. El mismo llevaba un maletín y vestía semi formal.
Cruzamos miradas y le dije "buenas tardes", como lo hago generalmente con cualquier desconocido con el que hago un contacto visual. El hombre siguió de largo y no dijo absolutamente nada.

De igual forma, otro día estaba entrando a un baño de un Centro Comercial y la señora del aseo me vio al entrar y le dije "buenas tardes". Tampoco me respondió.

Ascensores, paradas de autobuses, parece que son muy pocas personas que responden un buen día. Entiendo que todos tengamos problemas pero nunca está de más ser amable.

Un buenos días, una sonrisa, un simple saludo son detalles pequeños pero poco a poco nos convierten en mejores ciudadanos y nos llenan de buenos deseos. Es triste ver como toda la cortesía se ha perdido.

El colmo ocurrió en una tienda donde una argentina me dijo "Cuánto cuesta eso?" Yo le dije "No trabajo aquí señora pero la chica de la caja la puede ayudar", ella responde "Es que no la entiendo porque no hablo inglés" yo accedo a ayudarla y cuando termina de aclarar sus dudas conmigo de intermediario no me dio las gracias, sin embargo, yo la toqué por detrás y cuando se dio media vuelta le dije "de nada".

Puedo sonar como un viejo chapado a la antigua al decir esas palabras cuando en realidad a mis 22 años de edad me molesta que la generación anterior critica a esta diciendo que somos descorteses.

Nunca es tarde para sonreir, ser amable, saludar y dar buenos deseos.

@gKbral

No tienen idea de lo mucho que me emociona esta imagen