Small World

This week I have lived some funny stories showing how small our world is...

* First, on Friday night. A friend was commenting another friend her last years' story: "Last year I was studying a MBA in Sevilla...". At this point her friend's face changed: "It's weird... Yesterday, a colleague of me came with me in my car because we both left very late from work, and she had a son who also was in a MBA for Engineers last year in Seville..." "Do you know his name?" "Javi, but I don't know the surname. But the mother's name is Marisa" And then I shouted to another guy in that living-room (we were about 20): "Javiiii!!! What's your mother's Name?" "Marisa", he answered me... Funny, isn't it?

* Second, saturday night. I was in a birthday. 50 people. I talked to a guy who came from Alicante (we didn't know one to each other) and after some hours he said me: "It's funny, I met here a girl who was in my school in Alicante!" Later on, I went to met her, "so, you are the one from Alicante?" "Yes, I am" "So am I" "Yes, I know, you are Nacho" O_o "Do you know me?" "Yes, you are a friend of Mario" "Ohhhh, we went out in the same group for some time!!!" "Yes" Wow. That was 9 years ago, and we meet suddenly in Madrid (6 million people living here)

* And third one. On Friday I talked to my ex-boss from Seville. I asked him about his son (he was considering going into Erasmus), and he said me "He's in Karlsruhe" "Nice place, I have a friend there also... Maybe they know one to each other". Today, I met Inda's sister in MSN: "Hey there! (...) Do you know this guy?" "Yeeeeeeeeeees, he's one of my best friends here". :D

I like this kind of things. It's also nice when you see a strange coincidence in Linkedin or Facebook. :)

Ingrato

Curiosos contrastes en este artículo y apoteósica frase final. Olé!

gratitud.
(Del lat. gratit?do).
1. f. Sentimiento que nos obliga a estimar el beneficio o favor que se nos ha hecho o ha querido hacer, y a corresponder a él de alguna manera.

ingrato, ta.
(Del lat. ingr?tus)
1. adj. Desagradecido, que olvida o desconoce los beneficios recibidos.
2. adj. Desapacible, áspero, desagradable.
3. adj. Que no corresponde al trabajo que cuesta labrarlo, conservarlo o mejorarlo.

Parable of the Dead Frog

If we put a frog in a pot with boiling water, immediately it tries to escape. But, if we put that frog in room temperature water, and we don't frighten it, it remains quite. When the temperature is changed from 21 to 26 degrees, the frog does nothing, and it even seems to be having fun. The more the temperature increases, the more stunned the frog is, and finally it cannot go out from the pot.

The frog stays in the pot and it is cooked, although nothing prevents it to exit from the pot. Why? Because its internal system to detect threats in order to survive is prepared for sudden changes in the environment, but not slow and gradual ones.

In The Fifth Discipline, of Peter Senge.

Seen in ¡Que paren las máquinas! (allí está en español).

Malalts de Tele

Hace unos años había en TV3 un programa llamado Malalts de Tele, con una sección llamada Altres límits que ponía cortes de otros programas/cadenas bastante curiosos...

Después de un rato buscando en Youtube, he seleccionado estos dos vídeos que son el resumen de dos años. Sencillamente espectacular. No hace falta que sepáis catalán para entenderlo...

AVISO: Hay alguna parte no apta para estómagos sensibles... He avisado.

Senderismo

El sábado estuve de senderismo con el COIT. Ventajas de estar en Madrid: no habrá playa, pero tiene una hermosa sierra, con sus ríos y sus arbolitos y esas cosas que hay en el campo, y por las que se puede andar. Esta vez fue por la ribera del río Edesma, en la vertiente segoviana de Navacerrada.

Y lo curioso del tema es que estaba organizado, como ya he dicho, por el COIT: dos autobuses de colegiados (de todas las edades) y acompañantes, rutita de 10 km, comida en los jardines de la Granja de San Ildefonso, y visita a la fábrica de cristal. Un día interesante. Además, prometen que habrá más salidas de este tipo, así que bien... Más ventajas de estar en Madrid. :D

Cutting Costs

Photo taken in Jerez de la Frontera airport.

Special?

Interesting discussion when I showed my post to 2020 blog to two colleagues and they both said me: "Specially? It's especially. I'm sure". I was really surprised and searched the internet and Cambridge dictionary.

especially adverb (ALSO specially)
very much; particularly; for a particular reason

specially adverb (ALSO especially)
for a particular purpose

Not clear? Try this:

Special is a common adjective. Specially is its adverb form. Special means "particular, distinguished in a distinct way, or designed for a particular purpose." Specially means "particularly, in a disintguishing manner, or for a particular purpose."
Especial is an uncommon adjective. Especially, its adverb form, is much more common. Especial means "exceptional, noteworthy, or particular." Especially means "exceptionally, in a noteworthy manner, or particularly."

So, I wrote especially, but it's still unclear for me... :S

Madrid

Allá donde se cruzan los caminos,
donde el mar no se puede concebir,
donde regresa siempre el fugitivo,
pongamos que hablo de Madrid.
Donde el deseo viaja en ascensores,
un agujero queda para mí,
que me dejo la vida en sus rincones,
pongamos que hablo de Madrid.
Las niñas ya no quieren ser princesas,
y a los niños les da por perseguir
el mar dentro de un vaso de ginebra,
pongamos que hablo de Madrid.
Los pájaros visitan al psiquiatra,
las estrellas se olvidan de salir,
la muerte viaja en ambulancias blancas,
pongamos que hablo de Madrid.
El sol es una estufa de butano,
la vida un metro a punto de partir,
hay una jeringuilla en el lavabo,
pongamos que hablo de Madrid.
Cuando la muerte venga a visitarme,
que me lleven al sur donde nací,
aquí no queda sitio para nadie,
pongamos que hablo de Madrid

"Pongamos que hablo de Madrid" (Joaquín Sabina)

Rain...

... before seven, fine by eleven.

2 sek

It is always a problem when you are in a foreign country where people speak a language which is not in your competences... Normally, you try to get people who speak some common language with you, normally English. Good. That occurs in Sweden every day, and life is fine.

But, what about the labels? They do not normally speak different languages. Most of them only speak Swedish, and you don't understand Swedish... So, what do you do? Guess. You use your imagination, other languages you know, other swedish words in your memory, etc., to try to understand the meaning of the mentioned label (yes, I know a dictionary would be a faster solution, but it's not the case).


And so I did with this label in one of the ///'s building door. Motorlås... Ok, something of a motor. Hmmm, the door has a motor which opens the lock. Good, first word was partially easy. They speak about the motor in the door... Now, the second part: Öppningstid = 2 sek. Hmmm, Öppnings reminds me to "open" and tid has no meaning for me. Ok. So far, we have something about opening and a motor... and now: 2 sek. Sek? Oh, I've seen this before!! SEK stands for Swedish Krone, which is the local currency. It must be that...

Now, a fast use of my imagination links all the words and creates the following meaning for the label:

Lock Motor. Opening Cost = 2 SEK.

It has sense (if you don't think about it too much), and it makes me be proud of these Swedes: they say how expensive is this trying to minimize the use of this motor... Wow.

But, another day I understood the real meaning and I checked it with a Swede... The "2 sek" part is not money, but time!! And tid means time... It couldn't be so perfect as I imagined... It just says that it takes 2 seconds for the motor to unlock the door.

I really like the idea of the cost information.

Back Home

No me ha tragado la tierra... Sólo la vuelta a la rutina (si es que se le puede llamar rutina a lo que hago por Madrid) y el cambio de ritmo.

El viaje de vuelta de Estocolmo, vía Copenhaguen, acabó mal, con mis maletas haciendo una estancia involuntaria en Dinamarca, mientras yo llegaba a media noche a Barajas. Con la reclamacion y todo, pasadas las 2.00 salí del aeropuerto... para estar sentado en otro avión a las 8.00 camino de Jerez. No voy a entrar en detalles sobre el hecho de que me dormí y por poco pierdo el avión (entré a las 7.49 después de "volar" por la M-11 y correr con la maletilla y el traje por media T-4).

Luego la boda en Cádiz, muy bien. Ambos novios dijeron "Sí, quiero", y para celebrarlo nos fuimos a unas bodegas en el Puerto de Santa María. Muy bien, una señora boda en todos los aspectos: comida, bebida, entorno, compañía, ambiente... Y encima, al día siguiente todavía tuvimos tiempo de seguir disfrutando: pescaíto frito y Cádiz...


Y el lunes, vuelta al trabajo en una semana bastante atípica: con reuniones especiales por cambio de manager (O_o), reunión de todo el centro, comida de departamento, visita de la jefa desde Estocolmo, algún que otro curso, ... Vamos, que sigue el proceso de adaptación. :)