Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Winter has arrived...

Winter is here. Technically it is still autumn but with the weather conditions and that I actually have a cold - yes, winter is here. Between coughing my throat out and headache, I just feel like crawling into bed and sleeping it all off. But had some Ferrero chocolate, which were yummy, so that's a good thing. Will have to buy more tomorrow. Haven't stepped outside the house all day, because of the cold. Hopefully, I'll be better tomorrow.

Have some ideas for some new blog posts, but have not been able to get them down, some might be divided into various blog posts as they might be quite long. The computer actually died on me again, so I am using the netbook again to write this post. Have to update various things that I've noticed need updating, will finish all of that tomorrow, calmly.

Hope everybody is having a better time than I am. 

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Deadshift 21·10·14: Tired of people.

Well, I'm back to writing in the blog again. It has been a while, been busy with work and other project. This blogpost is going back to one of my favourite subjects: how stupid people are.

Those of you who follow my blog and read my posts (thank you for taking the time), know that I am not a big fan of people in general. And everyday that view is getting worse. Not just because working as a receptionist of a hotel, I get first hand lessons on how dumb some people can be (they just leave their brain at home, as to not have to think when they are on their vacation, I mean, goodness, just the thought of having to think while on vacation, how ridiculous is that? But also that some people take a lot of things for granted, or try to get away with things. For example, tonight. Had a guy walk in to the hotel, he went up in the elevator, came back down and then just started to sprawl on the couch in the reception. I told him once that he can't lay down and he said he was waiting for a friend. After some time (aprox. 10 - 15 minutes), he is sprawling on the couch again and trying to get comfortable. My colleague and I, bring him to attention a couple of more times, and then at 2:25, I ask him, where he's friend is and he tells me that he's friend is on his way and will be here in 5 minutes. So I'm okay, I will not only give him 5 minutes but I will give him a whole 30 minutes for he's friend to show up. So at 3:00 a.m. I am thinking, no friend and after warning you several times, you are again just sleeping on the couch. So I tell my colleague to tell him to leave.

So basically, their are some people, who are either to drunk or just think that they can walk into a hotel and just sleep off on the reception couch till the next morning... I mean, come on, it is a hotel for crying out loud, you want to sleep - you get a room. I do not go to your house and just walk in and sleep there!! And if you do not have a place to sleep, there are plenty of shelters to stay at. And if you are too drunk to go home, well should not have drunk that much.

So people are just wonderful, so wonderful, that sometimes I just think about putting them into a giant blender and then poor what is left into the drain.

[Note: my colleague is the concierge of the night... he is supposed to be security but that is not how things are done here]

Friday, March 28, 2014

X_X Shift Chronicles #10 - Identity Crisis.

Since the industrial revolution, the world was found new ways to modernize it's markets. From times long forgotten and only read about in history books, societies have grown and have come to form bonds of trading called marketing with each other. At the beginning, trade was done with one's resources, offering them to the other who didn't have them for exchange of others. This later turning into exchanging them for currency to be able to buy products from a third one that the second one didn't have but the first one needed. Due to the globalization of the markets, turning them into global markets, the individual society has turning into an organization. Some controlled buy governments and others by big multinationals.

Due to the globalization of the globe, there has been an increase in the loss of individuality of some of regions, states or nations. And due to the economic crisis, and the reforms and cuts in many parts of the world, some of these regions or states have found themselves having to deal with ever more urgent and extreme reforms. Although politicians in general, seem to be accepting these so called "orders" from other states in their global market, the people find it unfair for them to be the ones paying the price.
Most of the economic crisis has affected states that have had a lack of or any control of their economic system in the country, which were mostly run by the heads of the major if not all the banks, talking out the mortgage rates and giving out loans and stocks. But when everything is going the right way, no one seemed to care about the cracks in the system, as when one takes money out of place "a" to put in "b" thinking that they'll recover it from somewhere else instead of just waiting having the money. And then not being able to put it back in there.

A lot of us do this kind of micro economic management at home ourselves. We prioritize things we need and things we don't. Although there are some fixed expenditures that we have, we sometimes, tend to borrow from ourselves to pay for something that isn't necessary by not paying a fixed expenditure. When we have fixed income, it is easy to assume that later on we'll be able to pay that borrowed money back, and in some cases with an extra charge. The problem arises when we spend more than we are supposed and aren't able to put that money back where it was supposed to go, or when the income decreases or stops. There are a number of factors that can come in to play to cause such problems, unexpected bills, a loan to a friend that never comes back, self improving standards of living...
...the problem comes when you can't put back the money. And when you have to ask for money from the outside, and you have easy access - well, that's when the shit starts hitting the fan. As you spend more and more outside your income, you have more and more debt. There comes a point when that money from the outside stops, and they just want you to pay back.

With many states and regions, that have formed or were absorbed into a larger state/organization, when these problems arise, and they still have roads to build, teachers and functionaries to pay and they can't get the money from outside, they start asking and putting pressure on the people they have inside to create more resources or give more services. With more pressure, the more the people start questioning why should they have to pay for something that the banks or big companies have done? It wasn't there fault that a bank gave money to a construction company to build outside their region. And not only that, but the money that they have put into saving accounts aren't accessible to them? Or that they have to pay more commissions for services rendered by the bank. Many countries and regions have their own histories, and such situations just make it easier for the people to ask questions about why they are in these larger states or organizations and aren't just trading things and putting the prices themselves. Oil is regulated by a group of countries forming an organization just as the currencies are controlled by countries and states. But there comes a point when others start telling what to do.

The Greeks are tired of being told what to do by the European Union because of what a number of bankers or companies did to ruin the economy of the country just as the Spanish are. Yet as in Greece you see the rise of nationalist and extreme nationalist parties, in Spain you see a more regional break. Apart from the national sentiments that have risen, you find regional conflicts rising up. Because of regional tensions and issues that have never been solved you find that some regions want to break away from the main national identity as they feel more attacked on by the reforms and/or cutbacks. You also have countries that find themselves looking forward to more modernization and a better organization for help like Ukraine looking in to join the European Union, but old debts and attachments make it impossible to do so, and you have the fall of the main governing structure that is holding everything together and the break away of regions to "fulfill" long held national ideologies. You also have nations that wish to stop or block trade from other members in the same organization as they feel that they shouldn't be paying such a high rate than others...
...it's all returns to the fact that to grow, regions and states have to share markets with other regions and end up becoming organizations but when push comes to shove they all look at their own identity. Just as you can't ask your significant other to pay for a car that you didn't need to buy.

Friday, March 7, 2014

X_X shift chronicles #9

It's official. Life sucks and the world is filled with stupid people. Still doing the deadshift, crappy part was that I had to go back to work in the evening to get some important papers that needed to be signed. If it weren't for me asking about them, might have had to wait another two months or something like that.

Anyway, going back to what I was talking about... too late... forgot.

Well, I've been on a roller coaster ride of emotion, but getting some normality (mostly because I've been listening to music and watching series and animes).

I've been a bit thoughtful on the situation of a friend. She's been having problems at home and is thinking about leaving home and getting her own place (living with parents currently). And due to her problems, I think it would be a good idea if she got her own place. But talked with a friend we have in common, and we've both come to the same conclusion that she should get at least a job first, but I can't bring that up to her, as she's been looking for a job for the last year (if not counting the other 3 before that... which I'm not because there was a break in between). Either way, I believe it is a good thing that she can get her own place (apparently she found one and now has to decide on telling the rest of the family), but I also think that she should try and get a job before she does that. The tourist season here has already opened so there should be plenty of opportunities to get a job but time are difficult. So, I'm not sure how that is going to go.
I am a bit annoyed, because I told her that I'd call her this morning, but I was tired and the phone was almost dead, so I put the phone to charge and while I was waiting for a decent hour to call her and the phone to charge, I fell asleep. But first thing I did when I woke up was let her know that I'd have fallen asleep and that if she still wanted me to call her, to let me know. She said she would, she had news but that she was going for lunch and would let me know when to call her. Didn't receive anything until late in the evening/night, when I was already at work, that she'd found a place and that now she had to find a way to tell her parents. I'm pretty sure it's just nonsense but I still find it annoying that if some one offers to call and you tell them that you'll let them know, that you don't and that when they can't call you, you text them saying what you have to say. Annoying and a bit rude. I'll get over it over the weekend... (mostly because I'll be sleeping comfortably in me bed).

Another friend said that I was being grumpy. Might be true... not sure. I am a bit passive and in a "I don't give a fuck" mood most of this week, but I believe that is because I see how things are.
I've had 1 month and 20 days off work and don't have anything to show for that except an empty bank account. But since I've been off work till now, I've been a bit bummed out because everyone I know has something to do, a side project or some kind of activity they do, almost daily if not weekly. But I've been just sitting there watching and seeing that everybody is doing something. And after getting depressed, annoyed, angry and fed up about the situation, now I'm just passive. I no longer care what the others are up. This might be why some think I'm grumpy or mean or whatever, but I just don't care about others anymore. I used to be the one always there for anyone and always getting in touch with friends to find out how they are, but after this time that I've just watched everyone do something and have a direction in their lives, I've come to the conclusion that I'm alone and that nobody actually needs or cares what I do. So in conclusion, I no longer care what others are up to and no longer go chasing them to know how they are or what they are up to. I'm pretty sure that if they want me to know something, they know how to get in touch with me. This is why I've been successful in disconnecting from social media. I just leave messages to people and when they get the time, or feel like it, they'll reply. If not well, that's that.

Damn... finished all the work I had to do... now, I'm just sleepy >_<

Well, nothing much to do but check out some new music...

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Deadshift Chronociles #8

After 1 month and 20 days, I am back at work. And after almost 2 months, back on the deadshift. Six day run, currently on the 3rd deadshift. This month I will mostly be working the deadshift and evening shift at work, so I will not have time to do much. But it is not a big deal, not like there is much to do.

Recently, I have been trying to reduce using social media network and have been reducing successfully. Mostly because I am tired of them, but also because of misunderstanding with other people. I have not had time to properly disconnect from work this month and 20 days that I have had off. Maybe I will get lucky and be able to disconnect at the end of this month when I have a 3 day weekend - but that is yet to be seen.

Have started writing one of my novels, at the moment I have written till the second chapter. Have to translate it and have it revised but it is moving along calmly. Hopefully I will have the translation done this weekend so that I can have it revised. I have thought a bit on the cover of book, but I have not come up with a proper image that I like. Will think more about that as I write along.

That is it for the time being, as there is not much to say.

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Entry 160214

Well, started to write one of my ideas for a novel that I have. It's more difficult from what I thought it would be as I have to translate in my mind what I want to write from English to Spanish. But I'm thinking about writing at  least one chapter per day, and to get over the language issue, maybe write it in English and when I have the chapter written down, translate it to Spanish the best way I see fit. Although that means double the work, I think this way I'll be able to get done and quicker.
It might be difficult since I get back to work this coming Friday, I don't think it will be that much of an issue. I want to finish writing it before may at least so that gives me a couple of months time to move freely. Also I have a friend who is willing to edit the book and I know some guys who have a publishing company, so I might have this thing properly figured out.

Something else that I've been up to while waiting for the television series to comeback or be posted online (although that is "illegal"), is watch a reality/contest show called Face Off, which is made for Syfy. It's quite an interesting show, as it puts aspiring makeup, designers, creative artists to compete against each other and make a name for themselves. I'd recommend this program to any one who is interested in movies, cosplay, make up and even art, as there are quite some talented people there and they explain some of the things that they do.

Not much else going... got Paul fixed up. The guys at the shop cleaned him up too, except that today it's raining so don't know how he'll be tomorrow (might have to clean him up...).

Oh forgot to mention that I'm working on a new postcard design that I have in my head... it's going to take me some time, but hopefully it will be awesome when I finish.

That's about it for now...

Thursday, February 13, 2014

The Last Ship [Possible spoiler alert]

The Last Ship by William Brinkley
(1st edition cover)
At some point this year, the series The Last Ship will be aired. It's based on the book of the same title, with slight changes to the storyline.

Here's part of the story line, which I suppose is on the back of the book:

"The unimaginable horror of total nuclear war has been let loose upon the world, and only one ship, the Nathan James, with 152 men and 26 women aboard, has survived. Her captain narrates the electryfing story of this crew's voyage through the hell of nuclear winter, their search for survivial, and the fate of mankind when they find an uncontaminated paradise."

The storyline of the book is based post-apocalyptic survival of the crew of the ship USS-Nathan James. Supposedly it's the destruction of the world as we know it due to a nuclear missile exchange between the United States of America and the Soviet Union. The storyline and plot of the book is interesting, and personally it has peaked my interest in the book and the series based on it. But there is a problem. As I expect with any adaptation to the big or small screen of a book or a series of books (A Song of Ice & Fire), there to be some changes. I can live with some, but there are others that make it a bit hard to swallow. [Note: not going to talk about the things that I like or don't like about the t.v. series A Game of Thrones] In the case of The Last Ship, I don't like one of the major changes that they've had made to the plot line, although understandable, I still do not feel it does justice to the novel that it's based on. Here's the trailer:
As you can see in the trailer, in the series, there is a world wide pandemic and close to the end a nuclear mushroom is shown. In the book, is no such thing as a pandemic, therefore I don't know why they have put that in. Also in the trailer, it's shown that a survivor is shown to be on board the ship and asks for an antidote. It's not clear if that person survives or not or if there is an antidote. But if the virus is infectious to infect and wipe out the world population, why aren't any of the crew members infected? These are questions that jump up if you have read the book or have a bit of common sense. And will be interesting to see how they make it work into the storyline of the series.

I'm not happy about the fact that they added that factor in to the storyline and it might even work, but considering that the principle storyline didn't have a "virus" factor added, I don't understand why they had to add it. Is it because they didn't want to make Russia or any other nuclear power a bad guy? They could've made it a rogue state, a crazy general or any other factor, I mean, there are movies based on stuff like that (some good and others you want to shoot yourself after watching).

Either way, I plan on reading the book and watching at least some of the episodes of the series to see how good it is, maybe they even pull it off and make a good series (maybe ¬¬ )