Roger Federer crying

It was good to see Roger Federer showing his feelings after winning at the Roland Garros championships in Paris. It shows he's human despite his amazing tennis ability. I tried to imagine what it must feel like to be in such a position which is hard to do but if you use your imagination you can do anything, even win Wimbledon. Talking of Wimbledon let's hope for a repeat of last year's cracking final with Roger coming out on top this time.

Thomas's swimming lesson

Today we went to watch Thomas's swimming lesson at the Hospitalet Nord swimming pool. It was a bit tricky to find, but we got there eventually after a bit of a walk from the tram stop. We didn't have to pay to go in and we were able to see Thomas through the glass but we couldn't talk to him. He did eventually notice us and pointed us out to his friends. I was surprised that he didn't spend much time in the water but with so many small children to watch it was a bit difficult for the monitors. We did see him swim and he didn't seem to be afraid of the water which is great. I hope he'll be able to swim better than me.

Barça - Manchester United

Is it just me or wasn't it a pretty boring match last night. I mean apart from the 2 goals nothing happened. Deadly! I'm sure football used to be more lively with a lot of goalmouth action but now it seems to be like chess with the ball carefully passed around between the players but everybody afraid to take a chance and attack the goal. Is it because of the money involved or are the players just not as good as they used to be? And the commentators talk a lot of twaddle, don't they? They never stop, on about this or that tactic but I suspect they haven't got a clue what they're talking about and just like the sound of their own voices.

Love and happiness

Without love there is nothingness, emptiness, sadness. With love there is happiness, fulfilment and substance. When you love and are loved in return you feel whole. Love is what makes living worthwhile.

Isn't it amazing how things work?

When we go to the supermarket there's food for us to buy. When we turn on the tap water comes out. When you think about it, all this is really amazing. The coordination of people required for these things to happen is incredible. And there are always people willing to do those shelf-stacking jobs or repairing the plumbing when it goes wrong. Does it all happen by chance or is there some greater force coordinating it all? I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions.

I planted a tree

Yesterday I planted a tree for Thomas. I collected a seed from the park and planted it with the geraniums on our balcony. Then I watered it and hoped for the best. We'll see if it germinates. Maybe I should pray!

Guanqiong

Yesterday we went to the Glories shopping centre and met Wang Guanqiong who is 5 months pregnant with a baby girl that she calls Nini. I'm not sure where that name comes from but it must mean something to her. If it had been a boy they were going to call him Nemo (nickname).

Wurui and David and rabbit

Today Wurui and David came to see us and we went to the same restaurant as usual, but this time I had rabbit instead of my usual butifarra selection. The rabbit was a little raw in the middle but they assured me that as rabbits only eat grass there would be no problem. I know you can eat beef and lamb rare, but what about rabbit? (Chicken and pork have to be well cooked) It remains to be seen whether I'll suffer any ill effects. I'll keep you posted.

David said he was thinking of working on board cruise liners, but I said I thought that wasn't a good idea as he would be away from his family. He told me he'd only have to work six months a year so that didn't sound so bad. I wonder what he'll decide.

Jean Ngor Maack

Yesterday we went to a party organized by Jean Ngor Maack a Senegalese musician who lives and records in Barcelona. The party was for his 2-year-old daughter. He gave us all a CD to take home afterwards and on first listen it seems quite pleasant. I did the English for his website a while ago but he seemed to have forgotten! Anyway, the party was fun and Thomas had a good time painting the Plaza outside the restaurant which was in C/La Nau in the Borne area of Barcelona.

Money Saving Tips

1. Don't buy it

Consider if you really need it and if you don't then do without.

2. Borrow it

If you can borrow or beg something then do so.

3. Re-use it

Using something over again or for a different use is a good way of saving money.

4. Mend it

If you can repair something and continue using it instead of buying something new you can save a lot of money.

5. Shop around

Check prices in different shops and buy in the cheapest one. Make sure the quality is the same though. Cheap rubbish is no use if it breaks or doesn't serve its purpose.

6. Look out for bargains

Supermarkets often have special offers - 3 for the price of 2 for example. Take advantage of these and buy what's on offer.

7. Do it yourself

If you can do it yourself instead of paying somebody else to do it you can save a lot of money.

8. Swap it

If you can do an exchange, do so.

9. Make it

If you can, make it out of things you've got lying about at home doing nothing.

The Secret of Happiness

What is the secret of happiness?

Many people ask themselves that question. Well, I believe it is being satisfied with what you've got and not wanting ever more things. If you've got your basic needs satisfied then you're better off than many people.

So why do some people live well while others struggle?

Well, it really comes down to luck, but what does luck depend on? Do we make our own luck or is there some greater force at work controlling our destinies?

Do you ever feel there's a pattern to life?
Do things sometimes just slot into place neatly? Maybe you find something you were looking for without trying. Maybe an opportunity appears out of the blue. So where do these come from?

Well, if you start out by being generous, you'll probably find that you get more back than you give. Such generosity doesn't have to be in money terms, but you could give your time free to help somebody out if you don't need the money. Later on when they have overcome their difficulties they'll probably return the favour.

Swine flu

Swine flu or gripe porcina as they call it here is in the news with headlines like "La pandemia es inminente". On the television there are lots of images of people wearing face masks, but I haven't seen anyone wearing one yet. I don't know if this is a real problem yet or just media hype. Only time will tell.

Websites I love and hate

I love:
1. Google
2. Yahoo
3. You Tube
4. Facebook
5. Wikipedia
6. Blogger
7. Baidu

I hate:
1. Windows Live
2. MSN
3. Myspace

The World's top 10 websites

According to alexa (as of today) they are:

1. Google
2. Yahoo!
3. You Tube
4. Facebook
5. Windows Live
6. MSN
7. Wikipedia
8. Blogger
9. Myspace
10. Baidu (The Chinese Google)

My daily routine

I get up early and have breakfast (a cup of tea and a ham and cheese roll). Then I make another roll for Thomas's "merienda". After that I switch on the computer. I use Firefox and tabs to check my facebook first, followed by Yahoo Mail, Gmail and Hotmail, making sure to delete all the spam as I go. Then I check the two e-mail accounts of the Instituto de Cultura China. Once Thomas is awake I listen to Jango (I used to listen to last.fm but now you have to pay) while I work.

Sant Jordi

Yesterday was Sant Jordi when men are supposed to give a rose to their wife or girlfriend in return for a book, but I saw quite a lot of women buying roses so I don't know what they were up to. At Thomas's school some of the older children had made little books, some of which were incredibly professional-looking. (Children's book writers of the future)

In the morning we dropped into the Come In English bookshop and bought some books for Thomas and a poster of opposites which we have now put on the wall of his bedroom and he seems to like it and can already say many of the words.

Then we took a walk down Rambla Catalunya and saw the AFAC stand and had a chat with them about putting a link on their website for the school. Most of the main bookshops were there - BCN books, Alibri, Happy books, but I didn't see Dismar or Casa del Llibre anywhere. The CIU were also handing out bookmarks to promote themselves.

In the evening we all went to Casa Asia for a book presentation of some Chinese books for children by the publisher Maguregui (Liao Yanping) but not many people came. I wasn't really surprised as people with children would bve at home with them at that time and were probably tired after walking round the streets all day.

Chinese classes in Barcelona

We offer Chinese classes for adults and children from 3 years of age upwards in the centre of Barcelona. All our teachers are native speakers with a good level of Spanish and experience in teaching mandarin to non/native learners. Groups are between 6 and 15 students. See www.institutoculturachina.org for more details.

El Corte Inglés

Today we went to El Corte Inglés, the English Cut, to buy some food. After battling our way past all the perfume counters and jewellery stands we dived down into the basement and set about finding some bargains. Nowhere else in Barcelona can you find Bourbon biscuits, I believe and the fish counter is fairly reasonable but they won't clean sardines for you. We also picked up some herby chicken wings and a quiche, a camembert and a tin of chilli con carne, as we can't make our own as nowhere sells red beans that I know of. Anyone know any different?