Nothing special, just fooling around with the iPad testing different apps when I don’t find anything better to do with time. This one is just like having an old-fashioned ink pen and some kid’s watercolors. Quite fun actually. 
I revisando más textos me he encontrado con otro que me gusta bastante (esta vez en inglés) así que ahí va.
“Just random thinking lately has made me wonder about what it takes to be a politician these days. In a world where truth isn’t based on simple facts, but depends as much on the one telling it as on the one listening to/reading it. And the more it is told, the more it changes.
I guess I picture the world as a fragile balance formed out of tons of small groups. Different kinds of groups. One person can actually be a part of more than one, but we all play an important role in the balance (or lack of it).
I was going to get into how necessary all those groups are, no matter if we consider them right or wrong, but I would end up leading this text somewhere else than what I intended. The bottom line of that part is to say that our naïve idealists are as relevant as our greedy capitalists (for example) in order to have a healthy society and that having groups growing too much might jeopardize this.
Back on track, I’ve been thinking about whether I could have ever been a politician or not. Just as a personal curiosity though. I’ve wondered where one should draw the line in order to stay focused. What is acceptable and what is not. I’m well aware that being a politician is quite more than just fighting for something, as it is never that simple. You have to make deals in what you think is the best interest of the people, often sacrificing a part of your goals in order to get others. And on top of that you have to make sure the public impression of what you do is right in order to stay in the game.
It is too easy to lose focus on your final goal along the way. For every step you take there are several options and each one pulls you in totally different directions.
I guess the natural evolution is to start out as an idealist with words like truth, honesty, democracy, etc… on your mind, and move forward from there. The more involved in politics you get the more you realize those words aren’t as simple as the dictionary would want you to think. What good does honesty bring you if it causes deaths or panic? What good is the truth when it gets manipulated at every step and the very idea of it going public will only cause more damage than good? How real is democracy when the opinion of the voters are played with and at the end of the day, they don’t really decide much anyway because the politicians don’t truly represent them?
I’ve concluded I don’t want to get into politics, even if I could (which is obviously not the case). Not because I don’t have what I think it requires, but because I don’t want to know what it would do to me as a person. I honestly wouldn’t like to face the kind of situations where the majority of choices presented aren’t right or wrong. They will probably be bad or worse. And then live with that. Reality shows us that in order to get things done, difficult decisions have to be made, and at the same time you have to be able to present yourself as a reliable honest and strong person towards the public opinion.
Taking that kind of decisions, regretting them or not and still be able to chase the goal you had from the start… Stay focused without letting someone else step on you, making the right deals without losing integrity… it’s a complicated game and 99% of the ones playing get lost along the path they have made themselves.
Sure the intentions in the very beginning were probably great. They were probably what got you where you’re at, but they normally don’t stay with you once you realize how ugly the truth can be.
I guess a politician should always start out as someone with strong ideals or ambitions. I don’t have either of those qualities. I guess I consider myself somewhat neutral and the only situation I can picture myself as part of history would be in a case of necessity. And how likely is that? (Luckily for me. 
)”
Revisando un disco duro que tenía por ahí aparcado me he tropezado con un trozo de texto que escribí hace mucho y no se porque no lo acabé, pero me gusta tal cual es (de momento) así que… al blog que va.
“Un lienzo en blanco. Eso quisiera que fuera para todo el mundo su imagen del día de mañana, pero sería una ilusión de alguien demasiado inocente como para ver la realidad. Vivimos en una sociedad de conformistas y lo que nos rodea nos viene impuesto. Esta claro que cada uno hace lo que quiere dentro del marco de la legalidad (más o menos), pero llega un momento en el que lo que es legal y lo que es correcto no siempre va de la mano porque el que legisla es humano (ergo parcial) como el resto de nosotros.
Cuando aun no sabía qué carrera elegir mientras estudiaba tenía varias opciones en mente. Podía dedicarme a traducción e interpretación que es lo que probablemente me hubiera resultado más fácil. Podía estudiar derecho, que es lo que muchos me recomendaron… Pero elegí informática. No es que se me de especialmente bien pero era lo más práctico (aunque luego realmente no avanzara mucho en la carrera xD ) y lo que posiblemente tuviera más salida.
A lo que voy… derecho era una opción que me hubiera venido como anillo al dedo por mi forma de ser pero pensé que me apetecía conservar mi salud unos pocos años más. No por nada, pero llegué a la conclusión de que si hubiera estudiado esa carrera me hubiera pasado más tiempo peleando contra el sistema que trabajando para él.
No concibo una ciudadanía en libertad cuando la política se ha construido por y para los políticos. No me cabe en la cabeza que una persona que trabaja tras una mesa pueda ganar tantísimo más que una persona que tiene un trabajo físicamente devastador durante muchas más horas. No entiendo que el estado me presuponga gastos que no necesariamente tengo ni que decida por mí a que autor quiero otorgar beneficios. No entiendo que el capital que yo pago hoy para mi pensión se gaste en las pensiones de la tercera edad ahora ni que los impuestos entren primero en un fondo común del que luego gasten al antojo del que manda. Me inquieta que un estado pueda someter el capital de la ciudadanía a las inseguridades del mercado monetario variable, como es la bolsa o las acciones poco seguras. Me toca la moral que la solución para una crisis pase por dar dinero a los que ya de por sí lo tienen sin vigilar que se emplee en crear o mantener los puestos de trabajo y no entiendo que el estado pueda tardar en pagar sus propias ayudas económicas cuando precisamente se otorgan porque son necesitadas. Tampoco comprendo como las televisiones no están restringidas en cuanto a la propaganda electoral ya que no se salva ninguna de favorecer descaradamente a quien le paga…
Creo que hacen falta cambios muy drásticos si realmente queremos tener una democracia sana y una libertad relativamente real. Iba a decir –la libertad que nos merecemos- pero sería falso, porque no empezar por admitir que el estado actual de la política es el que es porque lo hemos consentido sería de hipócrita. El pueblo tiene que tomar las riendas y empezar a exigir de verdad que los que están al frente empiecen a trabajar para ellos. Y no al revés, que es lo que se viene dando.”
Y hasta aquí lo que había escrito. Otro día, si eso, lo continúo. También lo traduciré cuando tenga un rato.
Playing around with an app on the iPad and the new stylus I bought the other day. It´s not like the tablet on the computer, but it´s not too bad.
Spanish: Trasteando un poco…
Obvously that’s an exageration, but sometimes it feels that way. I mean, when you spend 15 minutes trying to explain to someone that despite being his internet supplier you don’t have his loggin information to the online bank… you can’t help to start wondering if that person should be in front of a computer at all.
I’ve been working in customer service now for a few years, but recently changed the type of client. I’ve gone from dealing with people that thought they had a leak in the roof when the truth was that they forgot to close a window to deal with people that think that a phone they put by mistake in the laundry is something their guarantee should cover.
One of my first days at the job this boy calls inn, pretty angry actually, telling me off because the code we sent for him to free his phone didn’t work. I asked him what message he got on the display when typing the numbers and, after a bit, he explained that he never got to that point because the “stupid phone” kept telling him to write the PIN number. When I wondered what happened if he did in fact type the PIN he got mad. He started yelling at me that noone told him he had to do that in the first place and then he hanged up.
This other time I got a call from a guy claiming his phone didn’t work. No matter where he called he got the busy signal. “Here, let me show you” He said. I heared him typing the number and calling. Indeed, busy signal. I asked him who he was calling, to which he told me he was calling his home phone. After a few seconds it hit me. “From what phone are you calling customer service?” While trying not to lough I awaited the answer. There wasn’t any. Finally I heared something like “Oooops” just before he hanged up. ¬_¬
And again, a couple of weeks ago I got this one customer on the line… I’m still not sure why he called but he somehow ended up ordering a phone, which is a good thing for me. The thing is that he had several numbers and one of them wasn’t working properly. The phone said something like “Innactive sim” so he wondered what to do. I told him to try the card in another phone to see where the problem was, to which he answered me “Nah, it’s ok. The other day another phone said the same thing and it got fixed all by itself. Maybe that phone passed it to this one. Have a nice day.” And then proceded to hang up. I’m glad I couldn’t see my face in that moment, but I’m pretty sure it looked more or less like this -> O__o Acording to that customer his phone had a contagious virus that aparently was passed between phones by air. Seriously…. Who gave that man a phone in the first place?
As you may imagine, my job isn’t boring.
Valhadria.
Spanish: Test de inteligencia obligatorio a la hora de comprar.
Well… I just wanted to put somewhere the drawings I´m making on the computer and truth is, despite drawing not being a strong side for me, I´m pleased to see that there is really not much difference between what I would do on paper and what I´ve done on the screen. ^_^
The first drawing is somewhat random and the second one is a really weak thought of what my D&D sorcerer would look like (still haven´t made up my mind regarding her looks )
Valhadria.
Spanish: Dibujando…
Ever woke up and realized that your nightmare is your reality and your dream was where you’d like to be? That’s a common daily issue for a lot of people. Me among them I suppose, just not all that dramatic. Not that I remember my dreams anyway.
What I really mean to say is that being somewhere while you’re longing for being somewhere else is truly discouraging. Few things drain your life energy like that.
Personally I think, as I do of most things, that a large responsibility to do something about it is ours. In my case it’s just a matter of time. It’s not like I can just step out of the routine without knowing where to head from there since every act has consequences and in our society economy has a large role in our lives, sorry to say. When the time is right, I will know.
I always pictured my life as some sort of puzzle. The pieces just arrive with no prior notice and always fit perfectly. That doesn’t mean I’m not responsible for moving forward to a greater tomorrow, but patience is required too. One step at the time. Being positive is a huge part of this. It’s very easy to feel sorry for yourself when things don’t seem to work out, but there’s always a brighter point of view if you’re willing to look for it.
Try to look for the opportunities in your every day. Heading towards a different future might mean you’ll have to risk a bit, that it won’t always be easy… but just the journey towards it is an experience that will remind you you’re alive. Just by that it’s worth it.
And by all means, don’t pay the problems you don’t have yet any mind. Enjoy your present because when you look back you’ll regret every day you’ve wasted on unnecessary worrying. 
Valhadria.
Spanish: Tú decides tu futuro
Today I actually got something specific I would like to share. That’s rather strange as usually my “wanting to write” normally comes along with “nothing to write about”, but not today, for some reason. This is something I’ve been thinking about for months but could never put it down in words how I wanted to. A movie I watched the other night and my past year and a half watching a virtual society grow and evolve to what it is today are probably responsible for these thoughts.
I guess the reason why I never get to explain this properly is because I always try to get down to the details of it first but I’ve started to think that’s not the proper approach. Straight to the point first and I’ll go from there.
Try to picture yourself in the middle of a war that you have seen coming. You witnessed how the first misunderstanding (or not) took place, you saw how the people, poorly represented, was drawn into a fight that was not their own due to lies being repeated so often they became the truth of that moment. Hate grows beyond limits despite having no real reason to exist and both sides are right and wrong at the same time.
The feeling when this timeline takes place is like you are looking at the top of a hill at wintertime, all completely white. Then you see someone, intentionally or not doesn’t matter, throwing a tiny little snowball downwards from the top. As you probably know, that ball will start growing and growing until it becomes a threat to everything it finds in its way.
Truth is that small actions, decisions, coincidences… things that seem unable to cause a bigger consequence than what their own size would predict might have a tremendous impact. You might be able to tell disaster from the very moment it is born but despite how much you try you don’t seem to be able to stop it. I don’t think we’re necessarily meant to, but we are responsible for the role we play as individuals anyway.
A principle most of us actually live by on a regular basis is something like: “little me don’t make a difference anyway, so why bother?” Well… I guess my point is, as so many have said already, that we do matter. But in my opinion it’s not that what we do always makes a difference, it’s the fact that if don’t try we always make sure we don’t.
I love the quote: “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” To me it means that despite having no guarantee of victory we are responsible for not guaranteeing defeat.
We might face a situation that’s bigger than us and feel we are insignificant to its outcome. Well, if we have decisions to make, if we have options… we are part of it too. Just as much as the number of coincidences and random decisions that had us where we are, a joint number of new decisions can be the difference between one result or another.
I might write a bit more about this sometime as there is so much more to it, but for now these were my thoughts for today. ^_^
Valhadria.
Spanish: Todos Importamos
Knowing how much I like to write, I guess that not starting a spot like this before is a bit strange. Honestly I think it never crossed my mind. Lately I’ve been wanting to write about stuff that only classifies as suitable for a personal notebooks or similar so I thought it might not be a bad idea.
The sites name was a bit of an improvisation, but it does have its meaning. While thinking (it is told to be quite a healthy habit every once in a while) about how to call it I couldn’t make up my mind. Actually… I had no idea. Pretty normal in me though… I usually get stuck when it comes to names, until the perfect one strikes me.
Considering present as a picture where friends (I grant myself the exclusive right to point out a few exceptions) are mostly passing by, where getting up in the morning isn’t always too tempting and the future is hard to imagine… the thought of knowing I can’t chose what surrounds me, but I do have a saying in what I do with it, came to me. My only limit is me, so I figured it might be a good idea to remind myself of that as often as possible. And it might also be a nice reminder for those who are so kind to pay me a visit here.
Valhadria.
PS: I will try to write both in Spanish and English but bear with me if it’s not always simultaneous.
Spanish: My Limit Is Me