It is strange. This is the most quiet christmas in all my life. It was very ease, maybe because my family and i had a terrible 2011. It was very hard. We don't have any cheer to do something in Christmas Eve..
Well, we do something, but it was like a normal dinner, nothing special. Just like a piece of cake, a bit of "Cola de Mono", and that's all. I don't know how to write 200 words in this blog. But, well, i spent that with part of my grandma and my parents. My grandpa, i don't know why, he didn't ate with us, and he got to sleep. It was only 23:00 o'clock.
¿Santa Claus?, ¿who is?. No one in my family received gifts, even me, the only child, the first grandson, and all that. In general, we gave gifts each other all the year. Really, we don't need a special date to give gifts, but this year, specially this year, we didn't do anything.
That's because my grandpa got sick. While many students in Chile fought for a better education, all in my family fought for my grandpa could live the best that we can do it. There was 5 horrific months. Thtas's the reason that this short Christmas (classes cooperates too, i had to study for a test) was the most boring of my life. We were very tired.
But i hope that the next Christmas will be better. And we will have a little revenge in New Year, when we are gonig to do something anyway to forget a bad year.
Is located in kilometer 247 of Route 5 (also known as "Carretera Panamericana" in Chile), in the Fourth Region of Coquimbo, where the highway almost reaches the beach. It's a lonely one, there lives less than 10 people. And is a large one too.
These are the reasons that i like it. Besides, it's no so popular, that means you have all the beach by yourself. It is a challenging beach. The waves are not so big, but comes one after another very quickly, so you never must be quiet there. There are many ocean currents too, very short and fast, so you can easily end in a place that you never imagine. As if that weren't enough, the soil is very uneven.
In fact, i went to that beach only once in my life (2011 summer). But it's more than enough to make it my favorite beach. Because you can do anything there. I improvise, for example, bodyboarding. I know there are many other places much better than Chigualoco to do this, but, like i'm an amateur in that, i like to enjoy any beach with my body board. Swim is an obvious thing that i do too, but, as I said above, I must be fast because the waves cross each other. At that time, i went there with my parents and the same cousin of ever (What, He again?????)
It is simple to get there. If you start to travel from Santiago, you must get to Route 5 (there are many ways to arrive there, but if you come from FAU, take "Alameda", until you get to Manuel Rodriguez street, that leads to the route), and travel to kilometer 247 going to north. It will take you like 3 hours 30 minutes or 4 hours to get there, but always take more time, because in kilometer 204, you will see a large filling station, that has a great but expensive shop, that works as the halfway point if you travel to La Serena.
Thta's my favourite beach, i hope that you like to read about it. See you later.
As you can see in my Roger Federer post, I show you that I am a tennis fan. I can't play this sport usually , but, when i do it, I enjoyed it a lot.
Tennis is like my unreachable dream. I would like to be an ATP tennis player, it is a life goal that i set up when i was a child (6 or 7 years old). I love to play, beacuse when you are in a court, you must forget everything, and, even while i don't do many outdoor activities and always had low marks in physical education, the only thing that I want to do is run like crazy to hit the ball before its second rebound. I fell off to many times when I played, but it doesn't matter, I just got up and started to run again. Even the pain is thrown away when I do it. So tennis is like a remedy to me. I forget all troubles, bad thoughts, it's like my yoga. But, I haven't the chance to parctice it as a professional. I think, if i had had the enough money neccesary to travel around the world in ATP tour, i have never think in geography as my profession
I remember a few matches that I have played. For example, in my 2011 holidays (the lucky summer), a cousin (the same of casino) and me have played 2 days in a yatch club of La Herradura. I saw 2 another guys playing in the court next to us and i said, "I'm really bad, they play very well and i cannot do a single backhand". So i started to focus on the match, and i began to do one of my best performances in my short tennis story, even using my old Teloon Junior racket, a gift from an aunt when i was 10 years old. Yeah, it's very old, and it's too small from me, but i know it very well. So well, that i did an spectacular drop-shot. My cousin doesn't run, it was a Federer kind shot.
Tennis is my far, and almost, my only outdoor activity, but i am planning to open my mind to other activities. Meanwhile, i inivte you to play tennis with me when you want. I hope I can play better than my last match.
Buena Vista Social Club knows how to make poetry with simple life, the things that we saw and don't consider at that right time, but always get back to our mind when we start to anlalyze our life. The song called "El Carretero", shows this to us. The singer tells the story about a simple man. His job is very humble, he only wants to marry with his loved woman, and he said "I would be a proud man if i get married". And besides, he doesn't to leave the countryside; he doesn't know another life. To explicite it, in Spanish: "Porque el campo es el Edén más lindo del mundo entero". So when I heard this song, 4 years ago, because my grandma loves "Salsa" and cuban rythms, it makes me think: I have all the advantages of city, near to hospitals, services, technology, and sometimes, I was dissapointed with this city, this life, the way that we are living. But there are so many people, that maybe lives far away from main cities, with some troubles of health, or they must travel many kilometers to arrive to work or school, and maybe they don't have basic services, but they are happy at the same time, living in peace and enjoying the country life, plenty of nature and silence - and fresh air too -, not as the fast-food lifestyle of capital cities.
After that, i started to listen rock and i forgot to include it in my cell phone or another musical devices, but, i get bored to rock or heavy metal, and i began to explore another musical styles. And then, i remembered this song, and i don't think to delete it or forgot it again, because i love the way that this gropu play the musical instruments, and the simpleness of the lyrics, as well as its wiseness. PS: "A caballo vamos pal monte"
Roger Federer is by far the best tennis player of all times. In November 27th 2011, he won the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals (also know as the Masters Tournament) in London, being his 6th title of this kind. So, i would like to face him, mainly to know how he did it to achieve this. There is no other tennis player that has won 6 Masters, and nobody has been in first place of ATP Ranking by 4 years and 6 months consecutively, without talking about many other achievements (Grand Slams, 5 matches lost in a year, etc.). Besides, he is a great person. First of all, he is very ease in matches, even in a hard time, he never loses the calm. In press conferences, he is not arrogant, he recognizes when he plays bad, and many media has access to him (If i remember well, even a Chlilean media can talk with him).
So, for me, Roger Federer is a life example. At first, he does very well his job. His talent it's evident. If you see his matches, you will look the best backhand in tour, and his slice is the best (look at the tennis ball when he performs it, it doesn't rebound on the floor, it drags it!!!). His service is spectacular, pure precission, and he's a complete player. Besides, i like the fact that it's a happy person. If you see many football players, when they score a goal, they are angry at time to celebrate it. I don't like that. Roger has teached me than life is funny, and the happinness is the key to open many doors in our way. So i like to see him smile every time when he won a match. At last, Federer is very respected by other tennis players, even Djokovic (current #1 ATP Ranking) and Nadal (his "Bestia Negra",a Chilean expression, that means when a player is able to defeat another repeteadly), said that is an hounor to play with him.
So I would like to ask him:
1) Switzerland is a country specially known by chocolate and watches. How did you do to make yourself in the best tennis player ever?
I have never heard about a great swiss sportsman. In a country without a sport culture or sports idols, sometimes it's very hard to progress in this life choice (see the example of our country, where the best sportsman must go out and travel to other countries, like Kirstel Kôbrich in Argentina). Even being one of the most important economical powers of the world, up to Federer, Switzerland has no an sport idol
2) You have won everything in Tennis, even Roland Garros, where Rafael Nadal always had defeated you. What things left you to win? Or you're playing now only because do you like tennis?
Federer has won 16 Grand Slams, is the 6th player that wins the 4 tournaments of Grand Slam (Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and US Open), and he was gold medalist in doubles in Athens 2004. Why he want more? But i think that tennis is a lifestyle, so Federer will not stop. If Federer continues playing like ever, he will be more legendary than now is it.
3) When do you come to Chile?
Many people (including me, of course) appreciates the Roger's talent. Not only in our country, all Southamerica wants to see him playing tennis in this region. But there is no high level championships in ATP Tour that can recieve a player like Federer. So, an exhibition is the only way to look his maestry. Luckily, Tony Godsick, Federer's manager, said that Roger will consider the option to come in an exhibition tour around Southamerica, in last months of 2012
PS: I must buy VIP tickets when that happens, to make a REAL ONE TO ONE
It was the sixth consecutive year i was going to La Herradura, a little town near to Coquimbo, in Fourth Region of Chile. I know very well the beaches of the zone, like Totoralillo, some kind of Caribbean beach in Chile (turquese and transparent water, white sands), and Peñuelas, that it's not a beach, it's like a pool. I traveled to years ago to Elqui valley, and it was spectacular. And i like all the restaurants located in Tongoy, Peñuelas, La Serena, and Coquimbo
But, the 2011 summer, was special, because i never went to Enjoy Casino of Coquimbo. In fact, it was my first time in a casino. I went there with my father and a cousin. And i had wished that my father's money was mine. In the roulette, my father let us use some of his chips.... but with his money. If he gave us that bill, my cousin and me will win 108000 CLP, because we guessed three numbers in a row. So, being the the first time in a casino, i was very lucky. But sadly, it weren't our bill. Besides, my father lost some money after this great streak. But i liked that world of machines, cardas and dices. The only thing that i was dissapointed, it was that there was no Texas Hold'em Poker tables in Enjoy. High Stakes Poker it was a great school tome, and i would like to put in practice all that i have seen on TV. Generally, it was a memorable summer, and a memorable night.
I think that men and women are different, but no one gender it's better than another, because girls has many abilities that boys don't have, and always female are considered weaker than male. But I don't agree that, because they (the girls, obviously) do many things that men cannot do. First, the girls will be mothers, they live with all of us inside them, when they were pregnant and we need their protection all that time (9 months, three quarters of a year, it's very long), and then female were mother, they are the cause of we are now, and to get that, the mother must dedicates too much of her time to her child, and it's worst if the mother needs to work too. Sadly, the market don't think that, and the salaries for them it's less than the men, like in Chile, where the differences can reach until 500.000 CLP for the same job, so it's a discrimation that never stops in our country for example. But, despite of all, I must recognize than men are necessary too and they are as valorous as the women. First of all, the life needs the men, and generally, men can do many jobs that require a lot of strength, a thing that sometimes the female can't do. It's true that nowadays women can work equally with male, but men still dominates many jobs than requires, like I said before, the strength. But sometimes, men are brilliant minds. When you think in great minds of human being, we think on Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Galileo Galilei, Antoine Lavoisier, Charles Darwin, for example, we think in male. I don't say that women are no so brilliant like men in science for example (Marie Curie, Roselind Frankiln demonstrate than women are very intelligent), but generally the men are more interested in science than female. With all this, I think that men and women are complementary, they are autopoietic (one needs to another one and vice versa) and no one must be discriminated because they have different abilities that we need in our planet.
This is the Independence Day celbration in Chile. Usually, it isn't celebrated only September 18, the 19 (Army Glories day) too. It's a crazy day, when the chilean dance "cueca" (the typical folklore, and the official dance of Chile), "cumbia", and more recently reggaeton.
But, there is a mistake whem some people say that September 18 is the chilean Independence Day. That day, in 1810, in Santiago, the noble people of this city created the National Governing Board because in Spain (motherland of Chile), king Fernando the Seventh was sent to jail when Napoleon Bonaparte invades the Iberic Peninsula. So, the Board was creates as a temporary government in our country. But in fact, the Board never proclaim the independence of Chile. However, this was the first push to the proccess of emancipation in Chile, that concludes in February 12 of 1818, when Chile was declarated an autonomous nation.
Another contradiction is: Why the people dance reggaeton in CHILEAN independence day? Why we, the chilean, forget our typical dance ("cueca") and we dance (we it's not the correct word, I NEVER DANCE haha) foreign music? Chile is a culture sponge, a country that always forgets its origins, and we say "We are the Jaguars of Sothamerica" or "The Englishman of Sotuhamerica", but we are so far of this. It's better that we remember our indigenous people, also our "Huaso" a notorious personage of our country (and the base of its economy too), or vakorate our music, so unestimated in comparation of pop, reggaeton, metal, rock and another kinds of music. There are beautiful songs in the chilean folklore. For example "Arriba en la Cordillera" by Patricio Manns, "Mira Niñita" by Los Jaivas, and many others that demostrate that our music is many times better than the foreign rythms.
So, i think that Chile must study their History as well as we accept foreign customs, and valorate all the hidden treasures that our beautiful country keep safe on its narrow and large territory, to celebrate a better Independence Day
I think that i have bad luck in that day, because i was in holidays, in La Serena (the earthquake was 5 Richter degrees there) from February 16th to 25th, and i arrived Santiago 26th, One Day before the Earthquake!!!!!. So all in my house was messy. Suddenly, in the dawn of 27F, at 3:30 i woke up, i don't remember why. When the earthquake began at 3:34 am, i think that it was a normal movement, because it starts slow, as a typical earthquake in Snatiago. But i was wrong, and my parents call me to run with them to stay togheter. My house, althought it's made of wood, moves from one side to another. I must recognize that i was frightened, taking in account that it was my first esarthquake. Those three minutes was so long, that i forgot everything, except my family. Then, we cross the street, and we went to my grandmother's house. She was with two of my cousins, and she fell down in the earthquake, so my older cousin (he has 17 years old) must take her and my little cousin (he has only 11 years old). Luckily, the two houses didn't be destroyed by the earthquake, only little things like crocery were very damaged. Then, all of us stayed in my grandmother's house (sorry, i have forgotten my granfather, he was there with us too), and we had to wait that water service and electric service comeback 2 days after earthquake. This experience marked my life and everyone of my generation, i really don't wanna live it again, because it's stressful, and causes many pain, specially to the people of 6th, 7th and 8th region of Chile, the most affected by this 8.8 Richter degree.
