Time to Say Goodbye to Spain =(

It's been quite a while since I've last updated. Been really busy with different things. I'm still in Spain but SADLY I'll be leaving Spain on Thursday which is in two days' time. OH WHY SO FAST!!!

Well, I've just had the best night in my life last night. My supervisors (since they have all supervised me throughout the three months and I've spent the most time with them); 4 of them, and my supervisor's cousin, which is also my housemate have actually organized farewell dinner for me. How lucky am I yea? It's good enough I manage to get a training in Spain but I also managed to have great great people around me, leading and guiding a noob wanderer in Spain. I think that's one of the reason why I love Spain so much.

And it's not just a regular dinner. It's a surprise dinner.. HAHA!! how cool is that!! I would be really happy if I had regular farewell dinner or lunch with them but again, they actually spent some time organising a surprise dinner. And it definitely is much easier for them because they communicate in a different language. But of course, with my eavesdropping ear and my nature of extreme curiosity, I did find out a little bit earlier before the dinner =D. But I'm still surprised because I don't know who would be attending.

So, we had dinner at this very famous Catalan restaurant in Girona.

Pictures of famous people who ate at this restaurant

This restaurant sure have got delicious local cuisine. Well, if you don't know how Catalan food is like, below are a few famous ones

It's not Catalan if there's no Jamon

That rounded thing is rice with pork blood

Underneath, there's baked potato with eggs

Botifarra or something like that... which I love very much!!

And of course all kinds of dessert to choose from.

I've always controlled myself from drinking too much but last night, I let myself enter into the next level of drinking. Well, it's Spain so it's stupid not to do it. Ok.. let me explain how people drink here in Catalunya. First, before dinner, we have a glass of beer. Then during dinner we had red wine.. three bottles of wine for six people in a meal. It's like half a bottle for each person. Then after meal, we had shots of some local alcohol which I don't know the name. I was given four shots. It's like a three course drink where there's appetizer, main and dessert drinks..

Beer and wine together?? Now who's the better drinker huh...

My first shot ever in my life.. =D

I don't know the name of this. It's vodka similar but locally made.

My supervisors and my housemate..THANK YOU!!!
Which one is my housemate??

And after dinner, I went to a bar with the rest of my housemates and had another bottle of beer. Then we're supposed to go to another place but I was already wasted so we headed home.

I'll be BACK IN SPAIN SOON!!! It wouldn't be the last!!

Warning: Don't Drive in Spain if you're lousy!!

If you're a lousy driver, don't drive in Spain.
If you take ten minutes to park your car, don't drive in Spain.
If you're the type that loves your car so much, where one scratch on the car equals to a slit on the wrist, DON'T EVER THINK OF DRIVING IN SPAIN!!

Why??
Drivers in Spain are much more aggressive. Vehicles are fast and honks are regularly used on the road. If you're slow, take the bus or walk.. Don't drive. But still, in Spain, cars stop for pedestrians... unlike in Malaysia where pedestrians ridiculously stop for cars.

As for the parking skills in Spain, it's like heaven and earth compared to Malaysia...haha.. might exaggerate a little bit but you know what I mean..

PLEASE take note that most vehicles in Spain are manual geared... and they don't have rear sensors for reversing like we do.

Here are a few pictures that speaks a million words...

Firstly, all the cars always park in a straight line. No odd one out, because the pavement width is allocated just enough for its purposes... And look how close they park to the curb.

And they park really close to each other. And if you're a noob driver, I bet you'll sit by the roadside crying while waiting for the other car driver to come.

A head in parking.. How the hell do they even know they have reached the limit before knocking the wall??

And this one, the gap between the front car and back car is pretty close.. Trust me, it's PRETTY CLOSE!! And judging by the way the red car is parked, I'm pretty sure both the blue cars were already there before the red one comes..

Well, let me prove how close it is in front...

TADA!!

Yepp, that's what I mean by PRETTY close.. Right now, my six sense tells me that you have either opened your mouth for a while or have taken a closer look at this picture.

It's so close, that both cars touched each other. Let me emphasise.. touch. Not knocked.. You can see the gentleness of the touching.. haha..

If it's back home, the owner of the car in front would have starved for one week thinking about his or her car.

Then he or she would have gone for a police report... But then again, the authorities will say, "We'll need 7 working days to process and look into the matter." And it never came back so the owner waits until he eventually forgets the matter..Case solved =D

So, do you still wanna drive in Spain?? I know I will because it's driving on the right side of the road.. and that makes me feel like in the movies.

World Cup 2010 Finale in ESPAÑA : Part II

Because I'm in Catalunya, the celebration was not so grand. I guess Madrid would have a much better celebration. It was shown on TV for two days when the footballers returned to Madrid. Of course. It's their first victory in World Cup. If Malaysia were to win World Cup, we would have celebrated for a month. But then again, haha... how many times do I have to be reincarnated before that happens.

Here are the pictures of the celebration. Picture speaks a thousand words. However, it's slightly different because there are no noise and it's not 3D.

These are the reactions after bottles of beer + Spain being the champion

The old man was doing the Spanish Bullfight with the flag with the young guy

Drinking from the trophy.

I was trying to take the picture but the girl posed in front of me.

People playing at the fountain of Girona at the roundabout. It's blur because I'm DRUNK too... haha

World Cup 2010 Finale in ESPAÑA : Part I

It´s my first time Spain. And it´s the World Cup season. Of course it´s nothing much but the country I´m in right now is the winner of the World Cup for the very first time. It´s even their first time to be in the finals... Now that´s something. If I was in Malaysia, World Cup 2010 would still have been the same like the previous ones. However, this time, I was able to squeeze in with the crowd and then watch them celebrating after winning.

We all gathered at Plaza de España in Barcelona; the spot with a very very large TV screen. I guess the happenings in Madrid would have been more extreme but Barcelona is good enough.

The journey started off with a very packed train ride to Barcelona. And it´s not a short trip. It´s a torturing 45 minutes. If the trains in Melbourne during peak hours are related to canned sardines, then I guess, the one I had in Spain can be related to garbage being cubed. Totally no air. Let me explain how packed it was. I had my hand squeezed between two girls´butt and then another one literally leaning on me (in front). And then I was leaning on someone else. I don´t even have to worry about falling despite not holding any support bars because I was supported 360 degrees.

I finally got out of the train. What a relieve that no one farted in the train

At Plaza de Espana.. Many people

In five minutes... More people

Another Five minutes... Number multiplied

Yeap... More...

Yeaahh... That's it.. It took me almost ten minutes just to reach the front

Suddenly everyone becomes cooperative. They all helped each other to climb up

Even the top of the toilet has people... Imagine if you wanna shit... Kek sai...
Then BOOM BOOM from the top.. the shit goes in again. Not easy. Even for peeing

Initially, I was only at the side..

Then I decided to get into the crowd with my friends. I lost the first group of friends but luckily I found the second group

Taken from inside the crowd.. =D

That's it... I'm in the crowd.. That's me with friends.. the other girl's face was covered unfortunately.

All together, there're around 100,000 people I was told.. But perhaps 30% are supporting Netherlands. That's because I'm in Catalunya. You can't call them Spanish. They're Catalans. It's complicated.

This is before the match begins. After the match, it's another different thing. I had to go back to Girona in the middle of the match but arrived right in time for the celebration.

Octopus Paul has spoilt the suspense. It's like it's known that Spain's gonna win for sure. I'm pretty sure the octopus has caused a lot of loss for the betting companies.

The celebration to be posted in Part II