Love at first sight?

Some people believe in love at first sight. Others say it pays to take a second look. What do you think?

Feeling sorry for myself

Why is everything so unfair?
Why do those two little twins that sit next to me in class have to be so perfect? I bet they finished they're project millions of years ago. AND I bet it's perfect. And I'm positive that they've done all of their homework. And I bet that's bloody perfect too. It's just NOT fair.
Why do I have to be so lazy? How on earth did I end up with three projects and a whole pile of work to do... for tomorrow? How did I end up in this mess???
Which is why I'm hooked on the internet again. Doing nothing. When I should be doing at least something. Even if it is the ridiculous activity book the teacher doesn't even check. But I'm going to sit here. Defying everyone because I can´t be bothered. Why would I ever want to know anything about a stupid wine museum in the middle of nowhere anyway? It's not like I drink the stuff.... I never liked that teacher anyway.
The thing is, I know I'll end up working into the late hours of the night to get it finished. So why not start now? Naah. I think I'll just sit here and worry about not getting it finished for a while longer.

Incognito???

I live in a small whitewashed village on the coast of Andalusia called Frigiliana. Quite a dear little thing it is with it’s winding cobbled streets, the hanging baskets overflowing with bright geraniums, the quaint hidden plazas and traditional bars.

But living in an Andalusian village isn’t all flamenco dancing and fiestas. There are also some inconveniences. Like the fact that gossip travels faster than “Fernandito” on his bike. And that is quite some feat, let me tell you!

Incognito? Excuse me! A who, what, when?

Suppose one day you fancy having a (wild) party, right? You’re inviting quite a crowd, but obviously there are some exceptions; a few people you prefer not to mingle with. “There's no need for them to know. I'll just keep quiet” you think. Dream on! You’ll be in the grocery shop buying a few bits of pieces and a friend (you didn't invite) will walk into the shop and stand behind you in the queue. She'll greet you and say “Good party, was it?” And then you just wish the floor could swallow you whole. You have to spend an agonizing five minutes desperately hoping Antonio (the shop owner) will hurry up so you can make a swift exit. And if you’re wondering, yes, that did actually happen to me.

The problem is that here, everyone knows everyone. The women seem to have some sort of telecommunication and numerous little gossip meetings at Antonio’s shop. Just the other week I decided to go out with a boy (blush). Don’t hold your breath. It turned out to be a MAJOR disaster. We’d both agreed on quiet meeting place. So I got ready and at five o´clock I made my way to the back street we were meeting in.

Now, I won’t lie. The first thought that went through my head was “He’s not as handsome as I thought.” Not a great start, really. And in five minutes I was already dying to leave. But I felt a bit mean, so I stuck around for a while to chat. Half an hour later, I practically fled, feeling relieved. Mummy was waiting at home for me after getting back from the hairdressers. She didn’t look amused, either.

“Where have you been?” she asked. “I, well, um… I was at the library. You know, finishing a project with Teresa.” I lied, not very smoothly.

Well, unfortunately for me, mummy knew better. Guess who had seen me with this boy? Maria, the cleaner. And where had Maria been heading to? You won’t believe this, the hairdressers. The rest is, quite obviously, history. And the moral is, there is no such thing as a “secret” meeting in a small town. ESPECIALLY, if it’s a small Andalusian village called Frigiliana we’re talking about.

But, even though the word “private” doesn’t exist here, I still love it. The sparkling, blue Mediterranean sea, the tropical palm trees swaying in the warm summer breeze and especially, the people. The fiery, good-hearted Andalusian people.

Christmas???

Is it really that time of the year again? Seriously?
After consulting a calendar I can confirm that today is in fact the 18th which means there´s only.... ONE WEEK TO GO!!!
Time these day, eh? It just speeds by and there´s no one with a remote to pause it. The thing is, this year it doesn´t feel like Christmas. Apart from the fact that here in Spain you usually spend the festivities sipping lemonade by the pool, this year the place reserved for my Xmas tree is empty and bare. Where are the sparkling light and shiny baubles that spread happiness and cheer? No, I haven´t gone green and decided that xmas is too consumerist! Intrigued?
I would like to announce, ladies and gentlemen, that this year I´m spending Christmas in England! How exiting is that? I´ll go shopping (a lot), and eat cake and turkey and chocolate and play in the snow... Ahh! What heavenly thoughts

Today is the day of our flight. So can´t wait! Although there was a little mishap concerning that. We risked public humiliation as we arrived at the airport yesterday after rushing around all day and grabbing things last minute, to find out suddenly that it was in fact today! I know, I know! How dreadful and embarrassing is that? But still, at least we weren´t a day late.... Hopefully we´ll manage to get onto the plane today!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

HELP!

A few months ago, I lead a simple life and I was happy as larry. I didn´t have a care in the world (that´s not strictly true because I would sometimes worry about missing a TV show). But anyway, you get the picture. So what exactly could have made my life turn from a relaxing haven to a manic road full of traffic, with loads of side streets and no map. At least that´s what it feels like.

The answer is simple. The school I used to go to, was a cute little building nestled in the mountains, surrounded by palm trees with beautiful views of the mountains, and the sea.... I know that doesn´t necessarily mean it was a good school. But take it from me,  it was. Me and my (disastrous) classmates (who have already wreaked havoc at our new school) were really lucky and privileged to go there. On top of it all, it´s one of the only primary schools that keeps children up to thirteen. But of course, this year, we were all collectively moving on. It was going to be somewhere new, exiting, where we could meet lots of new people (spending your entire life with the same lot of people does have it´s consequences)... But I mean, it was only a quarter of an hour down the road!

So, at the start of the new semester I woke up extra early (we all have to be at the bus stop at seven thirty), preened and pruned, picked out a "cool" outfit and arrived at the bus stop smelling of a large amount of perfume. In actual fact, I won´t go into that story because I still haven´t even begun the one I´m supposed to be telling you. All you need to know, is that no one turned up and it was all because I hadn´t heard that on the first day you didn´t go until twelve o´clock, and I was really annoyed, bla bla bla...

So, back to my road packed full of traffic. I realised from the moment I arrived at my new high school, that things were a lot different there. "We´re not in Kansas anymore" as Dorothy would have said.
I really enjoyed getting to know new people and soon enough I had a group of friends and everything seemed to be going so well... But of course, that was the first week. Everyone was just weighing the new ones up. The second week was a different story. And I can sum it up in one word: boys. And lots of them, everywhere I look.

Yep, I started getting quite some attention. At first it was just one or two. But now, as the weeks have gone by, I´m just bombarded constantly with cheesy little lines of "Wanna go out with me?" or "Is it me, or is it really hot in here?" I know, I know, how terrible is that?! So yeah, at the moment things are pretty worrying. I mean, is it possible that in two or three weeks I´ve learnt more life lessons than in the whole rest of my life? And I´m not exaggerating when I say that at least two boys a day ask me out.

The thing is, what do I do? This has got to stop. And I know what I´ve gotta do. There´s only one thing for it, I NEED a boyfriend now!!! That´ll make them all go away, the whole lot of ´em!
So, why not not go out with one? you´re thinking. Okay, so this week I´ve already been out with two. But each time I get to the accorded place I think, "Oh god! He´s not as good-looking as I thought. In fact, he´s ugly!" or "What is he wearing???" or "Why has he got a flower on his motorbike?". And then I have to spend an hour pretending to have fun or chatting with them.

The thing is, I already like someone. Like as in really like like. You know what I mean, right? It´s just that I didn´t want to use love because I think that´s a tad too serious. It´s more like a crush. This very cute blonde guy on the football team. (By the way, I don´t usually go for footballers)
Does he like me? Apparently. Or at least that´s what they said when we met properly at a party (I´d already been eyeing him at school!). But it isn´t as simple. He´s only new round here, and just getting up onto his feet (not literally). And on top of it all he´s very shy. Which makes him even more adorable. But so am I which = no chance unless it´s a miracle. Which is sad, I really like him. But I will stick to my principle that the boy has to ask me out, not vice versa. So, I guess I´ll just have to put up with the whole palaver, at least until, well, you know...
I desperately need a map to guide me through these dark and difficult times. (Sigh) What is a girl to do??? You tell me!

That dog...

Okay, so today I would like you to meet Mochi, my not-a-puppy-anymore.

Mochi is a right handful. But every puppy is hard work, right? You have to toilet train them, they are incredibly messy and ridiculously naughty. But sooner or later, they grow out of it. Or at least that was what I thought...

Mochi is probably know in my village for being the nightmare dog. He drives our neighbors crazy! It's not surprising really, as he just saunters into their houses as if it were his own, barks and screeches when he sees their cats (that he then tries to attack) and eats their budding roses and shrubs.

The thing is, it's so hard to be mean to him! Because he's absolutely adorable, believe it or not! The thing with dogs is that they don't care who or what you are. They don't care if you're rich or poor, if you're pretty or not. All they want is an owner who will look after them. They want to be loved and love back.
Thinking about it, I don't know what I'd do without him...

Arghhh! He's just scrambled out of the gate and escaped! Someone GET THAT DOG!

The worst Halloween ever. Officially...

On Monday, the thought of Halloween made my tummy churn with excitement. However today, I could not feel more differently. The mere thought of fake fangs and tacky skeletons makes me cringe.

It was organized that me, Ile (my best friend) and Elly would go out on Halloween and have a simply spiffying time. We would dance, sing and trick or treat to our hearts content. We spent a whole day preparing everything to last tiny detail. This was going to be the best Halloween ever! Or not...
Looking back, I realize we should have made the most of the costume hunting and planning, as that would be the most fun we'd be getting.

On Monday, I spent seven torturing hours at school daydreaming about handsome vampires and sweets of every shape and size.
We met up, as planned, at six o'clock at Ile's (quarter to seven in my case. Since when have I managed to arrive early anywhere?). We calmly got ready and into our costumes (furiously and rushing in my case). And by seven, we were out on the street in all of our Halloween glory. If only we'd have know, if only...

Ile and Ellie then decided to drop the bombshell that we would be accompanied by a "special" guest. Their friend Soraya had begged and groveled on her knees to come to our exclusive little party until they finally had said yes grudgingly.
Five minutes later, Soraya appeared in her reportedly "fantastically creepy" outfit with... her little baby brother trailing behind?
"It doesn't matter." we all thought in unison. "We'll still have a blast."
After an unbearable and scarily long ten minutes of gloating about her "amazing" outfit Soraya asked (or demanded more like) if we would go with her to buy some pineapple. Pineapple? Excuse me, did I hear right?
"It's just that my mum's a bit constipated. It will only be five seconds." What??? Was this girl for real?
"I suppose we could always go over the road and get it." said Ile.
"Oh no. We have to go to Mercadona." she told us. Mercadona, as it happens, was a supermarket on the other side of town.
This was gonna be a long night...

To be honest, it's too painful to carry on. Our perfectly planned wonderful Halloween was slowly going down the drain as Soraya came out with more "quick" things she HAD to do. By nine we were already shattered and tired. No one our age was about as they were all at the really cool party that we had been invited to. Obviously we hadn't gone because of, well, you know who.

We ended up gloomily traipsing home with no sweets (as we'd already devoured the measly little treats we'd managed to get together) and terribly painful feet. We needn't have bothered with super funky high heels. The oldest boy we saw was probably no older than seven.

But surely, there's one good thing, no? Well, we were together at least. The bad things? Everything else. There's no denying it. It has been the Officially worst Halloween ever. But, I'm sure that once my blistered feet have recovered I'll be able to see the funny side. And hopefully we'll all be able to laugh hysterically about it soon. I hope.
Until next year it seems...