Prohibitive cost of public transport

I   wanted to write this post for a long time. At year end, you can read in the newspapers or listen on the radio that Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB), the authority in terms of public transport, is getting ready to increase the prices of the different travel cards.

When 2013 was finishing, they said that they were thinking of increasing the single ticket and the T-10 (a travel card with ten journeys), because these two are the ones most popular amongst tourists. Certainly, who made this sentence has never caught the bus or the underground, because there are thousands of Barcelona citizens that use one of them.

However, finally, they decided to increase the price for all travel cards, which means a lot of money when you think about it: in our case, my wife has to pay three Euros more every 30 days that means about 36 per year. My sister, who has a ticket of two zones,   double the cost and a cousin of my wife who has to travel three zones has to pay nine Euros every month, which means180 Euros extra per annum.

During last year, and thinking in back cutting my expenses, I decided to go to work by metro to save some costs. At the beginning I thought it was worth it, but now, after doing some calculations, I have realised that I spent the same amount of money if I travel by car or by Metro. Conclusion: I will go to work by car as it takes me about forty minutes less to go and return home.

I honestly think this IS a great mistake of TMB and the council. With these prices the only thing they are going to achieve is that Barcelona citizens travel more by car or motorbike instead of using the public transport, that is supposed to be better in many ways for the city, the atmosphere and the pollution.

I am very disappointed with all the increases we have suffered and I have decided to join any campaign to show our disagreement with this decision. On the Internet I have seen groups that are thinking of doing actions and the other day they gave me a flyer criticizing the local government.

Public transport, as it says, should be for everybody. Every Barcelona citizen should be able to afford a travel card without a problem, but now it has become a service for rich people, who, in the other hand, never use it. It is terrible, because nowadays families have a lot of expenses and they shouldn’t be forced to pay this amount of money for a service that should be public.

Is it so difficult to say hello?

This morning, as usual, I went out running. When I got back to my house, I’ve met this neighbour. As my parent taught me, I said ‘Hello’ to her even though it was the first time I saw her. My surprise was didn’t answer me back. Maybe she didn’t hear me –I am absolutely sure that she did because I said laud enough-. What annoyed me more was the look on her face. She didn’t look a really nice person. Maybe she has a bad morning o she had some kind of a problem. I don’t want to judge her, but I think that she could have answered me back. It is free and good manners.

This neighbour is not the only person in the world who is not capable of saying hello. I sit near a door in the office and most of the persons that come in never say hello. My colleague Mireia and I, we always say something to force them to answer back. As I said before, it is good manners. I really think is something easy to do.

When you get to a place or you are with somebody in a closed room or space, I think that you should, at least, say ‘Hello’. I am not saying that you have to start a conversation or ask anybody for things that maybe don’t be appropriated but saying ‘Hello’ or ‘Good morning’ is an easy thing to do.

I think that it is very important that people have good manners. In this sense, I really thank the education my parents give me. I know that it looks difficult and maybe now society is changing, but you should never lose good habits or your education. Parents and teachers have to do an effort and try that the new generations are as polite as the actual. Obviously, there are also older people that don’t have any manners and it is also reportable.

Good manners are important and everybody should have a minimum. Or is it very difficult to say hello?

Chinese people

In Barcelona there are thousands of Chinese people living. They have opened many different businesses: they started with the Chinese restaurants and the ‘bazars’, and now they started others liked vegetables shops, beauty centers and they have also bought many typical Spanish bars.

Chinese people work a lot. I have to admit. Instead, they don’t really spend money. Chinese people are very special. They are especially nice with customers, most of them don’t speak Spanish or Catalan and you hardly see them laugh. They also speak very loud as they were always shouting. I respect them a lot, but they are people hard to have a normal relationship.

However, near my house, I have met this Chinese woman who is really nice. She always says hello when you get in, she laughs a lot and she always asks you how you are. Nothing to do with most of her compatriots. Last time I went, she asked me how the Christmas holidays went even though she doesn’t celebrate them.

As I said, I respect the Chinese because they work a lot and they have a good view for business but I think they could be nicer. All of the Chinese could take example of this woman, who is always in a good humor and she is so pleasant. Only for that reason every time I have to look for something, I go to this shop.

I know it is difficult because it is their culture and it is not easy to change, but I am confident that the new generation of Chinese will be more similar to Spanish people.

2013

I know I am a bit late, but I wouldn’t like to start 2014 without doing a brief summarize of the year we have just left. In 365 days a lot of things can happen certainly and, hopefully enough, most of them have been good. Obviously, you can always things could be better, but we have to be happy with our lives.

Nearly a year ago, Hugo and Marta told is that they were going to become parents. Berta was born in July the 27th and also Nil who is Albert and Vanessa’s son. The two babies are lovely and very cute. It also was a very important year for my friend Marc, who I know since I went to school, and Lorena. The 5th of July they got married and we all celebrate the 13th. And, of course, the other great news has been that Jordi and Miriam are going to be parents of a baby boy.

I think 2013 has been a good year. My family is all right, Jéssica and I are happy and have work and, all in all, I think we did quite well. Jéssica has started a new job and she is really happy about it. I think it will be very good for her. We have been able to travel and visit cities like Rome, Santander, Bilbao or London. We have enjoyed ourselves and I think we can presume of being a happy couple.

We had our bad moments like when my firm didn’t pay me for months and they decided it to begin an ERE, but we always kept fighting to go forward. We also have been forced to postpone some projects, but we hope to become them true this year. Sometimes things do not turn out as you wish; however, you should never give up.

As I wrote, 2013 has been a good year. I honestly hope that 2014 is better and I can list a lot of great news for me, my family and friends. The beginning of the year has been quite good. Let’s hope it keeps like this.

Christmas

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year...”, says the song. I really love Christmas. Since I was a kid, I thought they were great days. I remember writing my letter to Father Christmas and asking for presents for all my family. Films, series and cartoons on TV specially broadcasted for these days. All the lights in the streets, the Christmas decorations all around, the Christmas tree and the ‘pesebre’... The big and fat Santa Claus with his sleigh and the reindeers, the three kings... The lottery, the ‘turrones’, all the food and drinks. It reminds me of my grandparents, my aunts and uncles, of Bilbao, of the great ham my grandfather Jaime bought... And, of course, all the presents: buying them, wrapping them up and opened them. I really, really like and enjoy these days.

This year my wife Jéssica and I decided to go to London before Christmas. We really enjoyed it, even though we notice we should have gone a few weeks later if we could. The problem is that we couldn’t because of my work. In the future we hope to repeat and to go back to live the Christmas spirit.

I also love Christmas because family comes together. You spent time with the people you love more. I enjoy every Christmas meal with my family, the same jokes, the same stories again and again. What is really nice is that everybody gets together, laughs, enjoys themselves and for a few hours you are able to forget all your problems.

I know that a lot of people think that is not worth it, they don’t like it because of different reasons. I know that not everybody feels about Christmas as I do, but for me is a best moment of the year.

Today it is the last day of Christmas. I have to admit that I am a bit sad, because it al finishes. The three kings have arrived to our houses and they have left the last presents. Now we will have to put away the Christmas tree and all the decorations until the last weekend of November or the first of December. When time gets I will try to do as every year: enjoy the time before the Christmas holidays and live those days as I was a little kid. My Christmas spirit will always survive.

Keep on the right

One of the things I like most of going to London, and England in general, is people’s manners. A perfect place to prove them is the underground. There are two concepts that people respect: ‘Keep on the right’ and ‘Let people out before you get in’. I hardly recommend you that you see how in Barcelona a lot of people do not respect any of them.

I remember the first time I caught the underground in London I was pretty impressed because of people’s behaviour. You could see to perfect lines: one in the right for people that preferred to stand still and other in the left foe people in a hurry or who liked to walk. Since then I remember these four words every time I get in the underground: ‘Keep on the right’. What I really liked is that everybody respected and did what it said.

The other important concept is letting people out before getting in. People on the platform waited patiently until the whole wagon was emptied. They knew that the train wouldn’t leave without them. That also caught my attention because it is not very usual here in Barcelona.

Unlucky, here in Barcelona we have much to learn. Every morning when I catch the underground, I have to avoid people on the stairs that are not able to understand how things should work. I don’t think it is so difficult to do two lines in the stairs, but, for the look of it, it’s more than I thought. ‘Keep on the right’, I think. Four clear words. Are they so difficult?

This disturbs me a lot, but what really annoys me is when you are waiting to get in or out of the train. There are a lot of people waiting on the platform that don’t usually wait to get in and there is another amount of persons that pushes you when you are letting people get out.

I have to say that I try to keep on the right when I have to and that I let people get out of the wagon when I am waiting outside. I don’t understand that people can be in a hurry, but sometimes you have to be patient o make things work right.

Healthy cigarettes

For the past few years, there has been a great campaign against smoking. Some time ago, all different countries banned people smoking in bars, restaurants, hospitals, offices, etc. I think, and most of people do, that is has been a very great decision for everybody. You can breathe healthier, the smoke doesn’t disturb you when you are having your dinner or your clothes don’t smell horrible when you get back home.

Smoking is not a good habit. Most of the smokers know it and they try to stop smoking. There are different techniques: books, therapy, etc. However, now there is one that has the lead: electronic cigarettes.

Every day you see more people with this device in their mouth. Many smokers consider that it is good for them and that it helps them. I think that it is important that people have the willpower to try to stop smoking. But, is this option really healthy?

There are many studies and articles that confirm that even though is not as bad as a nicotine cigarette, thins kind of devices could cause problems. In this study you can read some interesting conclusions and in this other we can find some different questions without a clear answer. Here you can read a bit more of information about this device. Obviously, there are other articles that point out the benefits of electronic cigarettes like this one from the BBC. It looks like this debate doesn’t have a proper answer.

Meanwhile, the industry of electronic cigarettes is growing every day. You can find different type of these devices (even RCD Espanyol has one in their shops) and every day you can see more exclusive shops where they shell this article. Near where I live, I have seen three different shops in a distance of 15 minutes walking.

I presume that in a few years, this industry will not be so successful. I am sure that these shops will close when, finally, somebody banishes the electronic cigarette. Of course, for the time being and due to all the financial problems it is a very good option to make money. However, I don’t think they will last forever.

And what say about electronic cigarette consumers? I have to admit that, probably, is better to ‘smoke’ this device than one of nicotine. The problem for me is that maybe it can be healthier but is not a real solution for this habit. People that use electronic cigarette still have an addiction; they need it to calm their anxiety. I think this is a point of view that people haven’t considered much and it is important too. It is not only about finishing smoking, is it about creating health habits and I don’t think that electronic cigarettes do.