The little things that start to happen after two years of life in Ireland

Today, two years ago, Andy and I arrived to Ireland to start again. Making the desicion was actually easy since we both have been here before and loved it. But of course, making a place for yourself when you know no body and you feel overwhelmed with all the paperwork and things you need to do is not.

One of the first places we went to, of course, Phoenix Park

I went to watch Brooklyn a couple of weeks ago and it is spot on on many things, which Eilis, the main characters sums up in one brilliant speech (beware it's a light spoiler):

"You'll feel so homesick that you'll want to die, and there's nothing you can do about it apart from endure it. But you will, and it won't kill you. And one day, the sun will come out you might not even notice straight away-it'll be that faint. And then you'll catch yourself thinking about something or someone who has no connection with the past. Someone who's only yours.And you'll realize that this is where your life is".

A lovely movie I'd recommend to anyone

Maybe I'm talking about a movie to avoid getting too personal, but the fact is that after two years, there are little things that start to change, and it feels lovely. They might seem silly (yes, I made a list), but they make life so much better.

• When someone gives you an address, you now know in which area it is.
• When you enter your corner shop, the staff recognizes you and maybe even make small chat.
• When you listen to the radio, and a they play a song from a local artist, you recognize it and hum along,
• When you walk home and bump into a neighbour, you make quick eye contact, say hi and go on.
• When someone uses slang, you know what they mean.
• You use slang sometimes (my favorites include "give out", "what's the story" and "deadly").
• When you want to go out for food, you know a nice place.
• When something breaks in the house, you know where to get it fixed.
• You occasionally bump into a person you know in the street or the supermarket.

And one of my favourites: when a tourist approaches you and asks you where is something, you are able to help them because you know :D

Sometimes I still get lost and have no idea where the place I'm supposed to be is, or something is a big deal in the news and I've no idea why, or there is a celebrity nearby and everyone looses it but me. And while that makes Radiohead's "Creep" play softly in my mind as I walk with too many layers of chlothing for such a lovely, sunny, one-digit-temperature day, I suppose it's OK, and I believe it's part of the process.

Finally, I made a similar post one year ago, where I wrote my thoughts after the first 12 months. 

I hope to revisit this in a year, and for now, I'll keep learning, working and trying my best :p

10 Times in which Irish Christmas and Venezuelan Christmas were alike

They say that the more things change, the more they stay the same. I bet we could check any time in history and people will think that the taxes are unfair, the next generation is useless and lazy, and the end of the year should be celebrated.

But since I can't do time travel, I'll focus now on space. As I'm celebrating my second Christmas in Ireland, I can't help to compare it to the Venezuelan way. And even though we're seven thousand kilometres appart, I feel the similarities are very strong.

So, allow me to list the 10 things we do oddly alike in Christmas...

10. We're both very early birds: Both in Ireland and in Venezuela, it's beggining to look a lot like Christmas very prematurely in the year. Back in Caracas, you could mark the unofficial start of the season in mid-September when the schools go back to class and they start preparing for the gaitas, an inter-school Christmas music competition which is serious business (think a South American Christmasy version of Pitch Perfect or Glee).

And while Ireland's high-end department store Brown Thomas launched their Christmas section at the end of August this year (causing a big media buzz and exposure), Venezuela's Beco was not so far behind, traditionally bringing the green, red and golden stuff at least three months before it's needed.

via GIPHY

9. We're obsessed with snow (although we don't really see much of it): Nothing says tropical Christmas cheers like fake plastic snow on fake plastic trees. Surprisingly, we do get a tiny bit of snow in the top of Venezuela's highest mountain (Pico Bolivar) every now and then, which makes everyone in the country go mental and try to go on a hike to take a snow selfie. 
Snow in Ireland is a less abnormal occurence, but it's still odd, and everyone looses it when the weather forecast predicts it (although 90% of the time it's just slushy rain that is melt by the time it hits the ground).
FYI, if you see an adult doing snow angels, throwing snowballs and building a snowman while everyone is walking normally, it's probably a Venezuelan seeing snow for the first time, and doing all the things he has watched in cartoons' Christmas specials.

Me or any Venezuelan, watching snow for the first time as an adult (Via http://www.playbuzz.com)

8. Christmas markets are a big deal: You'll find them in shopping centres, in parks, in squares... Lots of people go for handmade gifts and these are the places to get them.
Expect artisan jewlery, knitted stuff, chutneys and Chritmas cakes.

via GIPHY

7. We drink something better than eggnog: Whether you are team Ponche Crema or team Baileys, you know that there are better creamy drinks than the egg flavoured beige thing that comes out of a milk carton. Both beverages are available all year round, but both are Christmas favourites, and even though they're brands, many people do their own homemade versions, which are actually really good.
While they have similar textures and serving sugestions, Ponche Crema's flavour is closer to condensed milk, and Baileys' is more on the nutty side.
You know what, now I need to find out what happens if I mix them... cheers.

* Similarly marketed during Christmas
* Ponche Crema's alcohol is 14% and Baileys is 17%
* They're popular with coffee and ice
* They're very creamy
* They're better than eggnog

6. We love Christmas commercials that make you cry: If it's emotionally manipulative enough to make moms cry, it will be a success. The saddest the story a commercial tells, the more chances it will go viral. Lonely old men, little children, pets... the cuter and more vulnerable, the better.
For example, Ireland was loosing its mind over the heart breaking John Lewis Christmas advert you'll find below:

And Venezuelans loose it every year since 1987 to the Plumrose add (or some variation of it), in which a little girl wants to buy honey glazed ham but it's out of stock, and the store manager stops the presses to make sure she gets a ham.

5. We prepare an extremely laborious yet delicious dinner: For Venezuelans, the dinner table consists in hallacas (big beef and pork tamales), pan de jamon (ham stuffed bread), pernil (slow cooked pork leg) and hen salad (oddly similar to coronation chicken) [by the way, now you get why the girl in the add was so upset about not having a ham for Christmas, we put it on everything].
For the Irish, Turkey, ham, stuffing, potatoes, Brussel sprouts and vegetables make the menu.
Not the best time to be a vegetarian...

And in both countries, the Christmas cake has to be there, even if no one truly likes it. It's tradition.

via GIPHY

4. Christmas crackers Vs. Cebollitas: There is something about tiny and controlled explosions that just seems to bring smiles to peoples faces here and there. In Ireland you'll have the Christmas cracker, wich looks like a giant candy and is filled with little toys or sweets and cute messages, and which makes a "pop" when you open it. It works thanks to the effect of friction on a shock-sensitive, chemically-impregnated card strip (thanks Wikipedia).
In Venezuela, you'll have the cebollitas (among many other small and safe-ish fireworks). The name translates like little onions and it's because of their shape. They also make a small "bang" but you have to throw them to the ground or step on them. They work thanks to a very tiny amount of silver fulminate high explosive mixed with gravel and sand, tightly wrapped together, causing friction when thrown.
Now that I think about it, both countries have a few traditions that involve cheerfuly burning stuff up in public, but that's another story.

Let it pop, let it pop, let it pop ♪ ♫

3. Last minute shopping: Despite the fact that Christmas arrives early to the shops in both countries, both Irish and Venezuelans can be seen running around city centre on Christmas Eve to get that last present or the outfit for the party they'll attend in two hours.

via GIPHY

2. Lots of Skyping with scattered family members: In countries where immigration is common, you'll always have a cousin in Australia, a sister in Spain or a childhood friend in the States. And Christmas will be a time to get in touch with them, ask them what time is it there, and, if the budget allows it, send them a little something from home (usually food).
And if you are a Venezuelan or an Irish abroad at Christmas time, you'll probably try to do a mashup of the local traditions and the ones you grew up with.

Via http://www.twinkl.co.uk

1. We are just filled with Christmas spirit: You'll get the odd Grinch here and there, but in general, most people are VERY Christmasy. Both Venezuelans and Irish sing along to Christmas songs in a non-ironic way (and many even dance to them), it is normal to see adults wearing Christmas themed stuff (no one beats the Irish and their Christmas jumpers, though), we look forward to the office Christmas party which is actually fun, we go to Christmas shows and concerts, watch Chritsmas movies, and feel all warm and fuzzy while looking at the fairy lights in the streets and houses.

via GIPHY

Well, whether you're in Venezuela, in Ireland or anywhere in the world, have a happy Christmas!

What about a diet, but instead of changing what you eat, you'd change what you read/watch/listen?

There are thousands of diets out there, and lately I've been thinking... if we can adjust the way we eat in order to obtain a certain result, maybe there is a similar way to change what we consume as entertainment in order to think differently.

I started to think that after realizing how much time I was spending online doing nothing, learning nothing and not even having a real laugh. I started to feel like those people that notice they're getting sick because they eat fast food and ready meals all the time. Yes, they're cheap and tasty, but deep down you know they're not the best you could be having.

And there's nothing wrong with indulging in a never ending scrolling of memes and social media statuses, nor will I judge anyone who's spends a whole evening reading one Buzzfeed list after the other (those 84 thoughts they had while watching Game of Thrones really are all of us) or someone that follows more "and you won't believe what happened next" links than they would like to admit.

However, when it came to the point that I was giving it almost enough time for it to be a part time job, I felt that I was starting to think in GIF images and memes, and I didn't like it.

It got so bad that just as older people might have a saying or a popular expression for many things, I caught myself repeating popular captions such as "nothing to do here", "I'm not even mad, that's amazing" and "I'm not always X, but when I do, I Y".

Let's say that if I were to compare entertainment/information to food, I would be exchanging most of the fast food, takeaway and ready meals I was having daily, for a mix of homemade cooking, some quirky artisan products and a good sandwich from a nice deli. It doesn't sound so drastic because it isn't, but I'm not ready to go vegan on my enterteainment either.

Instead of setting it by the day, as you can more easily do with food because you eat it three times a day, here's an example of what I'm trying to get done in a week:

1. Watch 1 "good" blockbuster movie: Everyone will have their definition of what a "good movie" is, but to keep it simple for the example, let's say it's a movie with at least decent ratings both from critics and audience in the website Rotten Tomatoes (although if it has a great score on one side and awful in the other it might be interesting as well). Ideally in the cinema, by the way.

2. Watch 1 "good" non-blockbuster movie or a few episodes of a good TV series: It can be a classic, a documentary, a "foreign" (non Hollywood), an independent or a lower budget film. In other words, something that is a bit different. 

3. Read/listen to the news for a few minutes every day: One of the things I love about living in a country in which occasionally you get good news is to find out about them. I leave them on, on the radio on my way to work, or stop and read an article or two when I see them shared in my social media.

4. Catch up on social media, and then move on: Instead of jumping to my screen everytime I hear the alarm, I will tend to it when I have a moment to dedicate to that, and instead of compulsively checking every post from every friend, I'll just do a quick scroll and stop if I find something interesting or truly funny.

5. Not sharing rubbish: I wasn't very guilty of this anyway, but now I try to do it even less. Well, maybe a picture of a dog occasionally is not the end of the world, but you get the idea.

6. Not engaging in Internet arguments: I used to do it sometimes, out of boredom or to defend  a friend, but it's just not worth the time.

7. Read a few chapters from a real book: By real I mean a paper book, just because I like it, but an e-book is fine if that's your thing. But it has to be non technical please, recipe books and manuals don't count, and neither do magazines, even though some of them are great. Fiction, non fiction or something in between, try to go through a couple dozen pages at least, before you put it down.

8. Make something creative: Maybe write a short story or at least a page in my diary or a post in here, attemp to mix some music samples (I've tried once so far so it counts!). If I'm feeling dumb, at the very very least, fill up half a page from a colouring book. 

9. Listen to new music: I love my playlists, but sometimes when you play the same few songs over and over, you might not discover something new you will love. Spotify is great for this, but many pages and apps can help. And it doesn't have to be literally "new" it can be a very old band, or a new album from a group you used to listen to. As long as it's NEW FOR YOU, then it counts.

10. Have more conversations: In person, via Whatsapp, Skype or Facebook... it doesn't matter, just ask some one how they are or what are they thinking, and listen/read, and then talk/write. It's as simple as that.

I don't know if I'll have time to get all these done every week, but I'm sure I'll try. 

Sometimes I crave to see a hundred memes or funny vines, and sometimes I do, but not all the time anymore. I won't pretend to recommend anyone anything or tell prople what to do, but for me, so far, so good.

Three questions you should ask yourself before bullying your staff or coworkers

I'm so fed up with the sadistic culture going on in many kitchens, where you are expected to be humilliated before they teach you anything. It's just like a cycle of domestic violence where the child that was abused grows up, and now he hits his wife and children.

I've seen it so often. I know many wonderful people working in the food industry that sometimes suffer because a bully at work makes their life miserable and they are afraid to speak up or confront them. After all, the fear of losing your job is real and strong.

So, when you want to abuse your staff or coworkers, please ask yourself the following three questions:

1. "Am I building a pyramid?": If the answer is NO (which it is), then have some self control and avoid acting like if you were raised by wolves in a mental asylum.

Nothing against wolves, they're actually excellent at team work

2. "Is this my way to get revenge at this unfair world?": If you can relate to that statement, please change your approach. There are places in Japan where you can pay to be allowed to break dishes. You can also join your local fight club or find a moshpit and let the rage flow between consensual adults, perhaps you can even make friends with a masochist.

Via mikesblender.com

3. Am I the last living master of a mythical martial art?: If you are, then I give you a green light to go and get a hut at the top of a mountain and make your aprentices suffer in order to gain your ancestral knowledge. If you are not, please stop acting like you were.

London was a slap of fresh air in my face

A couple of weeks ago I travelled to London for the first time. You always read the name next to New York, Paris, Tokyo and other super capitals of the world. You see it in movies: tourists trying to make a Royal guard laugh (no touching), everyone walking fast under their umbrellas in the rain, and the Big Ben overseeing all the madness.

Imagine the possibilities of randomly running into a friend 

I've realized by now that I am a small city person, I get bored in villages and stressed in metropoles, so for me, Dublin is what the warm oatmeal plate is for Goldilocks, but meeting a new place is always exciting.

So I arrived, alone and for five days, having the privilege of staying with great people I haven't seen in a very long time and that happened to be living in London.

I have to admmit that for the first half of my trip I was overwhelmed. The distances too long, the prices too high, the crows too big, and I've never been a skilled map reader so, being without Wi-Fi most of the time and using an old school paper map to get by was a challenge.

I assure you, it was more colourful in real life

The people were surprisingly kind, except if you were standing in the left side of an escalator, and everywhere I went there were the same three or four food-on-the-go chains. Yes, there were good restaurants, but I was on a budget and actualy on-the-go, as I wanted to see and do as much as possible, so for the duration of my trip, I sticked with a diet of sandwiches and prepacked sushi.

A course I was taking absorbed most of my time, but I was able to see the London National Gallery and Tate Modern. I'm not an art expert, but I enjoy visiting art museums and staring at pieces that catch my eye, trying to identify what's it about them that atracts me. I've also went to the beautiful St. Paul's Cathedral, to Hyde Park (were I had the chance to share my on-the-go avocado wholegrain sourdough toastie with a squirrel) and to Spitafield Market. 

Just sharing with the locals...

Spitafield Market

National Gallery [In the back] 

In that last place I made the only shopping I allowed myself to do in the city: a hand painted shirt with a little cottage lost in a forest of pines. I had to have it. Near that, I also visited the famous Cereal Killer Cafe, a place that only serves bowls of cereals (but they have tons of options).

Of course I went to a pub and had a pint with the classmates. A very drunk local guy approach the table and he was allowed to stay and make a fool of himself by talking a bit of nonsense and attempting to stand and dance on his chair.

I'd say one of the most "travelly" things I did was visiting The Monument, a 62 mts tall structure which happens to be the tallest isolated stone column in the world (thanks Wikipedia). 

The Monument

I say "travelly" because it was really out of my comfort zone, in fact, I don't know what got into me -I'm a person that is scared of heights and gets vertigo in shopping centre's balconys- but I was walking by it and decided that I wanted to see London from the top (who doesn't?). I paid my 4 pounds ticket and started going up the winding stair, looking out from the small and frequent windows that reminded me that every step up I took, I was on a deadlier distance to the ground.

I just kept looking to the centre of the spiral

Thoughts of the thing falling apart with me inside it, of a person running and bumping into me accidentally (or on purpose) pushing me to the floor, tempted me to stop and go back. And it wasn't just because it cost me 4 pounds that I kept going... when would I get another chance to do that? The fact that I could hear children laughing on the top only made my fear seem more irrational and silly.

So I decided to stop overthinking things and then, London and I got along better... I rolled my eyes to people standing on the left side of the scalators, found my way around without asking and for a moment, I got why people love living in very big cities where everything happens at the same time, where you are anonimously free yet constantly tracked, and where trends come and go faster than you can even find out about them.

London is beautiful and exciting, fun and scary, punctual and messy, friendly and hostile, and just like the mushroom in Alice in Wonderland, it can make you feel big or small depending on which side you choose. 

I went back home with a cute shirt, a souvenir from the museum, a pinecone from Hyde Park, a bunch of overpriced subway tickets, and the slap of fresh air I badly needed.

Here are some other affordable places to let in Dublin...

This week an ad in Daft.ie went viral. It offered a house for rent in Dublin for 450 euros a month. "would suit a small professional", it said... Barbie sized, they meant, because it was a doll house.

After that, I started finding some similar parodies in Facebook and other social media and no wonder why: renting a room (renting in general) in this lovely city is expensive.

So, here's a short selection of famous small rooms, and how they would feature in a local "To Let" ad... The places might be fantasy, but the prices are the real deal.

1. Donnybrook. Room to Rent - €200 Weekly

Cozzy room in a large house, bills not included. Will suit a young professional or student. Close to a part of the house that has a window (sunlight not included).

2. Kilmainham. Room to Rent - €450 Monthly
Friendly hard-working lizard is renting a double room in the top floor of the house. Will suit a human couple after a bite or two of shrinking mushroom.

3. Inchicore. Bedroom to share - €300 Monthly
Lovely one bed cottage, walking distance to city centre. I'm looking to share my room with a nice, quiet student. No toilet in-house, but lots of parks nearby.

4. Phibsborough, Dublin 7. Barrel to Rent - €450 Monthly

Conveniently located, within walking distance to City Centre (you can even wear it as you go), and with an independent entrance, this place will suit a young professional or student.

We do not accept rent allowance.

5. Naas. Gingerbread bedroom to Rent - €350 Monthly
Freshly baked, beautifully decorated. We are offering a double bedroom in this elegant purpose-built gingerbread house. Will suit a gingerbread man or couple. Tasting recommended.

6. Smithfield. Box to Rent - €650 Monthly
I'm looking for a non-smoker, quiet flatmate to share my box, located in a very creative area of the city, ideal for a creative or artistic person (that has a full time job please). No pets allowed, all bills included. 

7. Ranelagh. Hole in a Peach to Rent - €125 Weekly

Just 2 min. walk to the LUAS, near cafes, restaurants and supermarkets (the peach is actually in a dumpster shared by several trendy places). 

8. Tallaght. Bed in room to Rent - €200 Monthly [BER G, so no electricity after 10 am]
Lovely student accomodation within commuting distance to Dublin, parking space and plenty of local amenities nearby. We are looking for a 9th person to share a septuple room. 
No allergic people please.  

9. Parnell Street. Studio apartment to Share - €500 Monthly
Cozy, modern flat just 1 min. walk from the Spire. Strictly no-smokers.

10. Bray. single room to Rent  - €300 Monthly
Hi guys, I'm leaving my flat next week. It's located by the beachside, a total must see. Beautiful scenic views and eco-friendly design. You'll love it.

No hermit crabs were harmed in the making of this post.

If Pixar's Inside-Out emotions were behind the decision to leave your country

Since I saw the movie Inside Out, I wanted to write something about it, but I didn't want it to be a review. So, today I'll focus on the "inside" part of things... Pixar's emotional head office, which despite not being 100% accurate, gave a very understandable and entertaining look at how emotions can drive the process of decision-making.

In the movie, we were introduced to anthropomorphic depictions of Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Fear and Anger. All working together inside Riley's head, driving her like the Power Rangers drove their big robot. And during short moments in the film, we got to see other people's emotional team in action (Riley's parents being the funniest).  

So, let's pretend that everyone has a colour coded small council of emotions controlling their minds... How would this team deal with the decision to emigrate? 

Note that there are countless reasons and circumstances for leaving your country, but I'll focus on mine, and on the ones closest to myself. Here's some quick context: As the decade advanced, life became harder and riskier in Caracas, Venezuela, therefore, thousands of people who were considering it, finally made the choice of moving abroad. 

At first you try to find reasons to stay...

JOY: Come on guys, it's not that bad! In here it's always summer and you get to see your family any time you like. 

FEAR: And if we go, we'll have to start again... no friends, no money. Do you know how difficult it will be to find a job in your field? We are probably going to end up cleaning toilets.

DISGUST: EWWWWWW! That's gross. Definitely not. Let's stay in our nice, tidy and clean office.

JOY: That's the spirit! I guess... 

But then you find out more and more people you love are leaving...

SADNESS: Everyone's going... we'll be all alone in no time.

ANGER: AAAAHHHH! Those traitors... 

JOY: It's their journey, let's be happy for them instead, they're following their dreams! And who knows? Maybe one day we can go and visit them and have the best holiday ever.

SADNESS: All these airport selfies and good bye parties are breaking my heart.

DISGUST: And they are now posting a bunch of dumb opinions on Facebook about what's happening here.
ANGER: MORONS... They left! They have no right to complain! Let's give them a piece of our mind...
FEAR: Better not... they're out, but we're still here... what if someone reads this opinion and gets us in trouble? It can cost us our job! We better be quiet and say nothing guys, say nothing.

And you start questioning your plans...

ANGER: Did you read the news today?
JOY: Which part?
ANGER: EVERYTHING! It's mayhem. Aaaaahhhhhh! I'll just throw the paper against the wall and jump on it repeatedly.
SADNESS: I read them, we're doomed... What's the point of working so hard?
FEAR: We gotta get out of here as soon as possible. Let's buy a plane ticket, now, quit our job, no time for planing.
JOY: No guys, relax, we'll be OK. Things always get worse before they get better. We just have to keep doing our thing and be more careful.
DISGUST: If I have to do one more supermarket queue I'm going to throw up. I'm so sick of it all.

Until you have a heart changing experience. Very commonly, you get mugged at gun point, a relative (or yourself) is kidnaped, or sadly, and even worse, someone you know gets seriously injured or even killed. Sometimes you simply get overwhelmed by these things happening to people around you.

JOY: Ok, we were mugged, but at least we are still alive! They only took our stuff, we'll get over it.
ANGER: No, it's not fair. We worked so hard to buy all that, and they just come and take it, with no consequence. I'M DONE!
FEAR: What if next time they shoot us? Let's not leave the house, ever.
DISGUST: I can't believe I can't even go out with friends in the middle of the day. This sucks.
SADNESS: Well, even if we could, they're all gone now.
JOY: That's not true, not all of them... And again, the important thing is that we're fine. Remember how lucky we were.
FEAR: This time.

And a new train of thought departs...

Maybe this is it... Maybe it's my time to emigrate

So again, you try to see the glass half full...

JOY: It will be great! We'll travel, we'll learn and we'll have the opportunity of a better life! Best decision ever.
FEAR: I don't know.... I'm starting to have second thoughts. What if we sell everything, quit our job and then fail and have nothing to go back to?
JOY: Don't be silly! We are smart and hard working, we'll find something to do, just be humble and don't get too picky, at least in the beginning.

But it's not easy...

DISGUST: I see where you're going and I already told you I'm not cleaning toilets.
ANGER: IT'S SO FREAKING UNFAIR! I didn't spend 5 years in college to end up moping floors, bathing old guys or washing dishes.
DISGUST: Is that a real job? I'm not bathing anyone but myself.
SADNESS: I want to cry... We'll miss our family so badly... It will be too painful. Let's reconsider.
JOY: What happened to you guys? We wanted this, let's make it happen! We just need a plan. And besides, doing that for a few months doesn't mean we'll do it for the rest of our lives. We might even be lucky enough to find a nice job you know? It happens. I think.
SADNESS: No one gives the nice jobs to foreigners fresh off the boat.
JOY: Then we'll do what we have to and gain some experience. Volunteering is always an option!

And you eventualy have a breakdown...

SADNESS: Why is this happening? Staying is awful, leaving is awful, life is just so sad and difficult.
ANGER: And you see the ones to blame on their shiny new cars drinking Champagne while the people suffer from milk shortage and families get hurt by criminals routinely. I HATE IT! I hate it SO MUCH! I hate this, HATE THIS, hate it.
FEAR: Shh... don't said that out loud, you don't know who's listening.
ANGER: SO WHAT?, I've had it! If they hadn't destroyed the country, we wouldn't be having this problem. Our lives would be happy and normal.
DISGUST: I suggest we post an eight pages long complaint on Facebook.
ANGER: YESSS!
FEAR:  Are you guys insane? 

SADNESS: There's no point in doing that, or anything, at all. I'll just give up and keep doing my daily things like a zombie. Perhaps I should drink more and care less.

But deep down, you know that if you let that though get you, you're done

JOY: Don't you ever say that again! Remeber, we have a plan! We can do this!
FEAR: I'm afraid we can't aford it.
JOY: We'll get a loan, find an scholarship, sign up for a volunteering program... There's always a way, and people with less resources all around the world pull it off every day.
SADNESS: It's just too hard.
JOY: Then we'll work even harder. There's not point in hurting ourselves or in giving up without trying.
ANGER: We can't let them win, LET'S DO THIS!
FEAR: Yes, let's leave right now, don't ever look back.
JOY: Woah, hold it... Sure we will, but let's put our heart in the right place, we are doing this for us, not to prove a point, and we can't just leave everything and vanish, let's come up with a plan and do it well.

And while the time passes, you'll have your up and downs, your second thoughts and rants, but with lots of determination, optimism and effort, you'll find yourself taking that airport selfie and departing to a new life where you'll discover new things to fear, more injustices to get angry about, new memories that will make you sad and attitudes that will disgust you, as well as a lot of experiences that will bring you lots of joy. 

Some days you'll miss home, some days you'll say you're never coming back. But most of the time, just like Riley's memories in the film, you'll have mixed emotions, just be mindful of which one you decide to put in charge because that will shape your whole experience.

The 10 biggest movie regrets I've had [+Handmade Comic]

I love going to the cinema or watching movies at home, and normally, even if the movie itself turns out to be bad, I can still value the experience of spending time with someone whose company I enjoy.

However, there are times in which the film, the companion or something related to the situation is so ill-chosen that it all becomes not just an unpleasant time, but a horrible experience.

Here are my top 10 movie or cinema related regrets...

10. Trying to take a selfie inside a movie theatre...

It was 2003, so instead of a mobile I had a digital camera. The staff saw me and tought I was pirating the movie. I was kicked out and so were my friends. Luckily, they believed (the truth) after I explained and allowed us back. We missed the first 15 minutes of The Last Samurai, but the shame will stay with me forever.

9. Going to see "Zamora" with a politically active friend

For those who don't know or don't remember (which is probably everyone), it was an historic drama funded by the Venezuelan government. It was over the top, biased and full of lines that would make any historian cry. I wanted to see it because I was curious of how badly they could strech the facts, but I invited a friend with very strong feelings about politics and history (oposite to all the things the movie stood for), who just couldn't shut up for an hour. It was so bad that I grabed my stuff and left. We had a fight. We didn't speak for months. And it wasn't because my opinions were different, I agreed with him, but I had never seen a person talking so much during a film in my life, I just didn't know what to do.

8. Watching 50 Shades of Grey with fans of the book on premiere weekend

To each their own, but, as a person that couldn't care less about 50 Shades, being in the cinema with fans of the book started out as a bit awkward. And it was all down hill from there. Women screaming, gasping, moaning and being all weird (and that was in the audience). And of course, my friends comparing the scenes to the book (wasn't this the part where he whipped her? wasn't he nastier in the books? They are cutting all the good sex parts!). 

7. Going to see Scary Movie with my dad
All my friends had watched it and it was PG13 but I was 12 so, I could only see it with a responsible adult. I annoyed my dad into acompanying me and after the first 5 minutes I regreted that decision. The stupid parts felt more stupid, the sex jokes were making me annoyed, and the fact that I insisted so much to get away with that, made it impossible for me to admit that he was right, and it was a dumb movie, so I had to pretend I was having fun.

6. Watching Black Swan with a psychologist who was doing her thesis on depression in dancers

For some reason, I though it made perfect sense to share a movie about a dancer going mad with my cousin who was writing her thesis on depression in dancers. Now I know better. Of course, she had to analyze as we watched, of course she compared it to other cases, of course she had to make me regret the choice of film.

5. Having a pint just before entering the premiere of Song of the Sea

I was lucky enough to get an invitation for the screening of this beautiful Irish animated movie, I even got a "plus 1". Me and my "plus 1" -a friend from work- decided to drink a pint of beer and immediately after that, got in our seats. I loved the film, but I was dying to pee during the whole time and because it was the screening and everyone was all fancy, we didn't dare to get out and come back. The fact that the ocean, the waves and the beautifully animated water was all over the place didin't help.

4. Going to see Spirited Away with little cousins and grandma

Because it was distributed by Disney (and advertised as their movies ussually are), my family assumed that Chihiro would be some sort of Japanese Disney princess movie. My little cousins had two of the most boring hours of their life, and my granma had two hours of power napping (it wasn't so bad for her I guess). I was heavily into anime at the time and felt that I missed two birds with the same stone: the chance of doing something nice with the family, and the chance to enjoy the movie.

3. Watching Peter Jackson's King Kong with my father in law

I know that "animals don't behave that way in nature". I know that. But somehow, he needed to mention this every few minutes for the (three hours) duration of the movie. It's fantasy, not a documentary and nodding disapprovingly is not going to make the experience any better.

2. Watching Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland on a hot day where the Air Conditioning was down at the theatre

What do you get when 200 people are in a cinema with no air conditioning in a tropical country? Besides runny eye liner on all the emo kids (which were A LOT in this ocassion), you get the place smelling strongly like sweat, a few angry parents and crying babys. Welcome to Wonderland.

1. Watching any movie starring a cute dog

I've learned the hard way to say no to films with a lovely dog in the poster. They have only three possible outcomes: The dog saves the day, the dog dies or both at the same time. The first one is normally too dumb, the other two, too sad.

I'll leave you for now with a little comic about annoying stuff that people do at the movies...

Runners up:

• Watching Harry Potter with my mom [who hates "when kids outsmart adults" in films].
• Watching Hamlet with my husband [who fell asleep in Act I].
• Watching The Ring with some highschool friends that I didn't really like [Who bullied the ones that looked scared].
• Watching any musical with anyone who hates musicals [Especially if they didn't know the movie was a musical].