It's Finally Over

Time flies doesn't it? It seems so long since the last time I wrote a blog post. Of course, after all the things I've been doing, I wasn't able to find a minute to do so.
I just came back from Medellin, where I was participating in the Interleage National Swimming Championship. It was just me and my sister and the rest of the Bogota Swimming League. Most of them were really nice, but you always have to be careful with the big swimmers, especially if you are a "primiparo"(first.timer). As a matter of fact, neither one of us was a primipara, but Monica (the best breast-stroker in Colombia, not to mention the meanest  of the big swimmers) thought we were, so we were basically screwed. We would close our room door with lock and chain, in hopes we could be protected from an unexpected and unwanted baptism (all first-timers are baptized by Monica. I'm still not exactly sure what that involves-I think scissors, bleach and your hair-since last year, which was our first time, we were spared because we were hardly recognized). Fortunately, we were able to survive without major incident.
When it comes to swimming, I was extremely pleased. I broke a lot of my personal records, and I felt very proud because I saw my huge effort and sacrifice I did for the past five months were really worth it.
I forgot to mention that we were swimming in the new pool, the one that was built for the South American Games that took place there less than three months ago. It felt so great to swim in the same pool Tiago Pereira and Carolina Colorado had competed on.
After I came back, I had so much catching up to do I didn't have a second left to wink. I had to make sure I hadn't missed anything, especially since the Final Exams were coming up in a week.
Apart from that, I caught a weird case of the flu mixed with amigdalitis and a little of an asthma attack. Now that I think of it, I wonder how I survived that week at all. Well I'm still hear, right?
Things are starting to clear up a little now, since I finally finished with my Science Exam. There's still the Math Exam left, and I'm not sure if I want it to never come, or if it can just be right now so I can get it over with.
Anyway, after that I won't have to think about anything for about two months. Tomorrow, I will be free to enjoy the vacations we have all been waiting for so anxiously and we have all deserve so much.

So I bid you all good-bye and have a terrific summer!

The Building Pressure

Has it ever happened to you that you have just so much to do and so little time? Do you feel that each second is precious and you just can't afford to waste one?
Well that's how I'm feeling right now. I spent the weekend a little more relaxed than usual. It was election day on Sunday, so there was practically nothing else to do for anyone but thinking who'd they vote to rule our country for the next four years.
I honestly don't like talking about politics. First of all, I'm underage, so any opinion I have is worthless since I have no right to vote. Second, politics conversations always end up in fights and people screaming at the top of their lungs why they think their candidate is the best and the other person's is a humongous retard who will ruin our country. Third, it's always underage people talking about politics. Why do they do that? Aside form the fact that they probably don't understand what they are so passionately screaming about, no one cares about what they have to say because they can't vote yet!
On Friday, I asked a girl who was trying to convince me to like Mockus and make my parents vote for him, why she was doing that?
"Well, it's my country anyway, so I have the power to change it." No you don't because you aren't 18 yet.
"Well I have changed the ideals of many people, telling them how Mockus' political campaign is so great." Yeah, I'm sure a lot of voters were convinced by a fifteen year old who doesn't even know what the campaign she's referring to is really about.
I just thought it was pathetic, especially because she was so sure she had convinced me to make my parents vote for that sick, retarded and pathetic clown.
Anyway, after seeing Santos smash Mockus on the first round, and dropping that subject until June 20, I realized I had so many things to do! This week we are going to Medellin for the National Inter-league Swimming Championship and we are missing some days at school. Because of this, we have to get ahead before we go, and later catch up when we come back. The teachers have taken the care to give us a fairly big amount of work. What's worse is that Final Exams are closing in fast. All our teachers are starting to make plans, prepare us, or simply just get on our nerves. I even have to finish the Basic Computers Project before I go on Thursday!
There's just so much to do, and so little time.
To make our huge dilemma even worse, there's the competition itself. All the nerves are building up and adding to the school stress. It's the most important championship of the season, and I've been training for it since January. Now that it is only a few days away, I feel I'm not prepared for it. All the effort and sacrifice will come down to one single moment that will last less than a minute, and will declare what  the effort was really worth.
Yes, there's a lot of pressure.

Rayman Raving Rabbids

Yesterday I found something amazing! I was with my sisters and a friend in our house after the UEFA Champions League Final. WOOHHHHHH! Inter is the champion! The Italian team (which is only Italian in the playing style. Apart from only five Italians, it's got Argentinians, Brazilians, Cameroonians, Serbians, Slovenians, Macedonians, Kenyans, Romanians, Dutchmen, Austrians, Ghanaians, Portuguese and Colombians-Ivan Ramiro Cordoba!) beat the Bayern Munchen 2-0 in a spectacular game.
Anyway, after the match, we started surfing YouTube because our friend wanted to show us a video about Remi Gaillard. It's about a weird french guy who loves causing havoc dressed as popular characters (Mario, Pacman, a kangaroo, etc.). A lot of people sue him, but he makes a profit from his videos on YouTube.
After that, we found a video of Rayman Raving Rabbids! Familiar with it? Me neither until yesterday. I still don't know what it really is about, but it's so funny (and somewhat weird).
I just felt like some of of the videos in this blog. If you want to know more you can look for more videos.



There's also Rayman Raving Rabbids 2, which is even better than the first!

The Legend of Alfa Romeo

Alfa Romeo has been one of the greatest automakers in history. These cars are one of the most celebrated pieces of technology and engineering that have ever been created. Since their first appearance in Milan during 1910, Alfa Romeo has created loads of memorable cars that have made an impact on automobile history. Nobody can forget the beautiful Alfa 8C 2900 Le Mans of 1938, a worldwide champion of race and style. It was indeed so great, it transcended through history and morphed into the 8C Competizione 2008. This is one of Alfa's newest inventions, and is a new heart-melting, adrenaline rushing, version of its legendary ancestor.

The Alfa Romeo Spider is one of the most famous creations of Alfa. "The Graduate" car was carefully designed by Pinnifarina and it really is a car worthy of being a movie star. Other cars like the Giulia, Gulietta and the Super Sprints have also been special models.

Through time, Alfa Romeo continues to make miracles, and is certainly one of the most important brands of vehicles. Ferrari itself was born out of Alfa Romeo's glory. Enzo Ferrari used to be one of their mechanics, and later went his own way to build a new brand of Italian monsters that would change the world, but that's another story.

It's so sad that here in Colombia, nobody knows what Alfa Romeo is. There's even tons of people here who didn't even know that Alfa Romeo was a car at all. Not anymore, however, since Alfa Romeo is finally coming back to Colombia! To me, this is one of my dreams come true. My family happens to be the few people in Colombia who know about Alfa Romeos. As petrolheads, we happen to own and Alfetta GTV 1976, the only one of the three which came to Colombia who is still in perfect shape (the other two were destroyed by their owner in his insane engine fixing in an attempt to beat ours in the race). Anyway, it made me a little sad to never be able to see any other Alfa Romeo on the streets, especially after the magnificent models I saw on the Internet and other car media. It was so frustrating to say "Alfa Romeo" and see people stare in confusion, ignoring the real value of the brand behind the name. It had been so long since I had resigned myself to this sad reality. It seemed the magnificent king-eating serpent, the heart-shaped shield, or even the iconic "Quadrafoglio Verde" emblem would only be acknowledge by the very few who really knew.

With Alfa's new arrival, it seems this might change. The new MiTo and the GT have already been brought to Colombia and are starting to create the sensation Alfa cars always cause. The brand is starting to gain recognition, and its shiny past is helping it make way through the hearts of the Colombians, who are seeing its beauty and power for the first time. Hopefully more of Alfa will come to enhance the streets of Bogota, and the true glory of Alfa Romeo will be known at last.

Those interested in more Alfa Romeo information and the Alfisti can go to the official Alfa Romeo webpage:
http://www.alfaromeo.com/

Tips to Help You Overcome a Cold

Note: It's Monday and I still feel like hell. This is what moved my to write this post, so other people who are feeling like me have some way to experience less suffering.

Being sick is one of the worst experiences you can have, and every single person in the world has been so at least once(seriously). However, there are some things you can do to make the experience a little less horrible. These are some tips I find useful while I am sick, and might make it easier for someone who is going through the same hall of torture:

1. Get a comfortable place to lie down: A bed, a big couch or even an arm chair. It's best to be sure this place is warm enough for you, especially when you get shivers.

2. Find a way to distract yourself. Watching T.V. is great because it doesn't require any effort or thinking. Besides, it can help you fall asleep quicker, and sleeping is a great way to recover from colds.

3. Have a box of tissues AND a trash can near by (there's nothing worse than being surrounded by used tissues).

4. Have a bit of marigold ointment or Vaseline to use on the rash you will surely get for blowing your nose so much. You can also use it on your lips if they get chapped (use this tip: my lip broke and I kept spilling blood through it all day)

5. Keep yourself hydrated constantly. Drinking lots of water or energy drinks can help you avoid severe headaches or dehydration problems. Don't try to turn a house cold into a hospital visit.

6. If possible, have someone to take care of you, or even just be by your side for a while. You may find the company can make you feel better, and it's always good to have someone there, just in case things grow out of your control.

7. Eat something. It's hard to find an appetite when you don't feel well, but it's really necessary to give your body some energy to fight the virus. Anything soft, easy to digest and tasty will do. Don't eat too much or too heavy because it may end in (vomit)!

8. Forget about school or work. Stress is not recommendable in the the fragile state you're in at the moment. Reading is hard and may give you a headache or make you dizzy.

9.*This may only apply to some people, but for me, it's the best cure to get better.
Doing any type of exercise will surely make your body work in getting rid of the hideous virus. I also find that the exercise makes you feel satisfied and refreshes you immensely. After a while of moving around, you feel ready to sleep soundly and probably find yourself cured the next day. I personally think it's better than lying in bed all day. Sometimes that makes me feel even sicker than I actually am.
(not recommended for people who have fever or don't like sports).

These are just some recommendations, and they may or may not apply to your case. I hope you get better soon.

Sick

I can't believe my bad luck! Weekend finally arrived and I happen to wake up on Saturday SICK! My nose was stuffed, my throat hurt and my head felt like a balloon about to burst. That was just great. All week I had been looking forward to spending a pretty calm weekend with my family. It's Mother's Day on Sunday so there are no important events happening during this time. I wonder, if  Mother's Day had been on a week day, would there be a Holiday for it? Damn, I feel ripped off again. Why are we skipping so many Puentes this year? Stupid 2010 and it's Holiday-less Mondays.

Anyway, I was ready for a restful weekend when I discovered I was sick. I admit I had it coming. On Friday I was feeling a little more asthmatic than normal, but I really just thought it was for the incredible amounts of rain we're receiving in Bogota these days. I never thought I was getting a cold or anything. I decided to go swimming anyway. Sometimes doing sports helps me get better and doing exercise is very good to help your body fight colds. It kind of worked for a while. After the training was over, I actually felt a lot better than when I woke up. I even felt strong enough to go horse-back riding. After that, I felt even better! I just figured I had exaggerated when I thought I had the cold, but I could never imagine what came in for me next.

We were having lunch at the club, and I felt almost normal ( I still hadn't got rid of my stuffed nose). Suddenly, I started having strong shivers running down my spine. I went pale and my throat started throbbing like if an icy poker was trying to get through. I felt so cold, and all I wanted to do was go home and lie in my warm bed for a while. I couldn't believe I got sick again! Something must have made the virus react, making it launch a second attack on my poor and helpless body. That stupid bugger was literally trying to kill me!

We went home and I went to my parents' bed, hoping the frigid cold would go away. I felt like dying.
Fortunately, I have three sisters that took care of me. They warmed me up, gave me a Dolex and stayed with me all the time watching movies while I mumbled incoherently in my sleep.
I can honestly say there is nothing I hate more than being sick. I could almost define flu as the toughest and most powerful enemy humanity has ever encountered (apart from cockroaches). I wonder what life would be like if the flu didn't exist. It would certainly be a better world to live in.
I finish this post hoping it won't be the last, and cursing the evil flu virus for ever daring to exist!

Ripped-Off

This weekend zoomed off so quickly, I didn't even feel it. Weekends usually are a small break were I can wake up later and don't need to worry about school. Even if they almost always include some type of competition (swim meet, horse-back riding tournament, car race, or polo match), I always get the rest I need. Now that I think about it, these competitions actually help me get my mind off school, which is a hundred times more stressful than any competition I've ever been to. These weekends help me go on each week, never forgetting there is the hope of vacations coming up in the distance.
This weekend however, wasn't as good as it should have been.

First of all, both Saturday and Sunday I had to wake up at 6:30AM! There was this horse-back riding competition, but they decided to make it earlier this time. Instead of starting at 8:30AM as they always do, they decided to start at 7:30AM. This meant I needed to be there by 7:00AM sharp so I could go over the course, which also meant I had to wake up at about six so we could get there on time. In the end, I woke up at 6:30, we had to rush to Arrayanes (where the competition was taking place), and I didn't make it on time to go over the course. It's a family curse: we can never be on time anywhere, no matter how hard we try. Fortunately, I was able to learn it by watching the riders who went before me (me and my great memory), and apparently, it actually worked. I always new exactly where to go, and I did a perfect course with no penalties. I felt so proud of myself!

The next day, I had to wake up at the same time to go see my sister pass. I wouldn't have woken up if my mother's cell phone hadn't rung so loudly at about five thirty. I wasn't able to keep on sleeping, so I decided to just go (beats staying at home all day). In the end, it wasn't so bad because after my sister was done, my mother let us stay to see the Totto Cup, in which two of my teammates won (Take that other horse-back riding teams).

So right now, I feel very sleepy, and I'm looking ahead to a painfully long school week. And what's even worse, is that I wouldn't have to be worrying so much about it, because tomorrow would be a holiday. But it just so happened that Worker's Day fell on a Saturday. There's no Puente for the working people of Colombia because their special holiday fell on the start of weekend! Anyway, right now I'm sitting here, writing this post and I just imagine how late I would have woken up tomorrow, relaxing from the weekend competition and having fun with my father. He arrives today from Medellin at about 9:30PM, and we won't have a chance to see him until tomorrow, because we need to go to bed early because tomorrow there's no Puente!

To make my night even worse, I just remembered that next year, Worker's Day falls on a Sunday!