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Bilbao BBK Live, my favourite festival in Spain, is imminent and this year, as usual, it has a great lineup. There are several reasons why I've fallen in love with this festival, it is much more carefully curated than other festivals that, seem more money oriented to me. It's like, although there is obviously someone who's making money, they take more into account the music and that your experience is positive. The surroundings are beautiful, the sound is quite good for being outdoors and it is wonderfully cool at night for Spain. The two stages dedicated to electronic are incredible, Basoa is a fairy tale and Lasai is perfect to see all of Bilbao while enjoying the music. I would like to highlight my daily favorites, my essentials: The Prodigy, I think they need no introduction. Parcels: An Australian indie/electronic band that I met thanks to the Colors channel, I guarantee that as long as you're listening to them you won't be able to stop smiling. Underworld: I listened to them the first time thanks to their GREAT song "Born Slippy" that appears in Trainspotting, I already saw them on sonar a few years ago and it was so much fun. Jungle: It is a British electronic/soul/funk group that I met through their videos that are very cool, always with dances that are contagious. That being said, I leave you my itinerary and in case you can't attend or you read it too late, it's still a very interesting list if there are any artists or DJs you don't know. I have to say that there are more artists that I like and I've left them out, but since they collide, I've had to choose. I don't know if I'll have the time for all of them, but being optimistic: Thursday 11th of July 17:00: Neska - Basoa  18:25: Newdad - Txiki 19:25: Orbit - Firestone 20:25: Sen senra - Nagusia 21:35: Air - San Miguel 23:00: Massive attack - Nagusia 00:55: Mezerg - Beefeater 2:00: The Prodigy - Nagusia 3:00: DJ Tennis - Basoa Friday 12th of July 18:30 Melenas - Nagusia  19:00 Toni Bass - Lasai 20:20 Khruangbin - Nagusia 21:30 Parcels - San Miguel 22:00 DjRUM - Basoa 00:05 MEUTE - San Miguel 1:30 Underworld - Nagusia 3:00 Samantha Hudson - Beefeater 4:00 Marcel Dettman - Basoa Saturday 13th of July 17:00 Niki Lauda - Basoa 19:30 Gabrielle Kwarteng - Basoa 21:20 Slowdive - San Miguel 22:35 Jungle - Nagusia 1:00 Nicola Cruz - Basoa 3:05 Floating Points - San Miguel 4:00 John Talabot - Basoa

As we already saw in the first part of this mini series, Madrid in summer can be an inhospitable, boring and hellish place: your friends leave, the heat is here to stay, going out becomes a real mission in which you cannot Dying is the priority and the variety of plans that the city can offer us are apparently few, especially if we don't want to spend money. Perhaps not everyone is lucky enough to be able to flee the capital and return home at this time, but we all deserve to enjoy this season so loved-hated by everyone, and I am going to try to help you. In the previous article I showed you the neighborhood festivals . A cheap, fun plan in which you can enjoy live music from well-known artists (such as Recycled J or La Zowi). In today's one, I show you how to cool off without spending money on buying an air conditioner or having to find friends with a pool: The best public swimming pools in Madrid –according to the criteria of my holy bun–. Although the idea lacks charisma, I promise you that there are real gems in the city where you can immerse yourself and refresh yourself with impressive views of the city or be in a green oasis, surrounded by trees and nature without having left the city. This is my top tier of the 20 municipal swimming pools that Madrid currently has: The first, and although it was a real shock (in every way) is the Casa de Campo municipal pool . It is a huge enclosure located in the urban forest that is Casa de Campo. As if you were in the middle of the mountain, the amount of nature and trees that can be seen seem endless, in addition to being a very useful source of shade. If you want to disconnect from the concrete and brick of the capital, it is an ideal place to relax, just a couple of metro stops away. But before you go I have to warn you about something that I myself did not know until I got there, and that I discovered when I arrived: it is a naturist pool . What does this mean? Well, although it is not mandatory, you are going to find many people doing nudism. Although it may sound contradictory, I felt much more comfortable than in many pools where nudism is not practiced. Sad news is that the second one with the best views of the city will remain closed for the third consecutive year. I'm talking about the pool at the Vicente del Bosque Municipal Sports Center . In a privileged enclave, and with views of the towers , it is not expected to open this summer either. We will have to wait another year... In the north, we have a classic: the Puerta de Hierro municipal swimming pool . Inaugurated in 1955, it is a very large pool (it was the largest pool in Europe at the time). In contrast to one of the oldest swimming pools in Madrid, we have an inauguration of a new swimming pool in the Tetuán neighborhood. In the south, we cannot forget the swimming pools of the Moscardó Municipal Sports Center . With one indoor and one outdoor, it adapts to all tastes and ages. Prices for the entire day do not usually exceed €2, and many have picnic areas and areas to eat and lie down. A very economical option to relieve ourselves from the Madrid heat and cool off. Although these are the most notable, here you can see all the active pools that are currently in Madrid and perhaps you will find the odd hidden gem.

In a world where movies are becoming longer and longer, there is a perfect 93 Minute movie in which there is  the perfect amount of time and information and that movie is 'Shrek 2' , the best of the saga indisputably and my favorite animated film without a doubt. This Dreamworks film, directed by Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury and Conrad Vernon, is not only a masterpiece but is probably one of the films that has aged best in history if we take into account that on May 19th it was the 20th anniversary of its premiere. I know, I know, 20 years? When I saw it as a child I remember that it seemed like the funniest thing I had ever seen, and when I see it today, not only do I agree with that little girl but I continue to see details that surprise me to this day. The scene in which Shrek and Fiona arrive at Far Far Away is worthy of analysis. The next time you see it, pause almost every frame because you can't miss the details. If you haven't noticed, all the shops and restaurants in the city are parodies of real shops and restaurants. The first time I saw it, the Burger King parody caught my attention, but there are a thousand more, like Versachery or Farbucks . In addition, it is full of references to other cinematographic works (my favorite is the Lord of the Rings). 'Shrek 2' also has the best villain in history for many people, the fairy godmother , a diva from head to toe with the best marketing ever. She is a villain in every sense. Not only does she want Shrek to fail so her son can take his place (her main role as villain), but she also has her employees exploited. Usually, when I watch a movie that I've already seen more than once, I have it in my head all the time: this still has to happen and they have to get here and blah blah blah... However, with 'Shrek 2', it's like no. I realize and suddenly it's over. I have always thought that the film is written in an exceptional way, because the amount of things that happen in just an hour and a half is not normal. The arc of Puss in Boots, who begins as a hitman and ends up being one of the group, the beginning with the whole honeymoon story, the evil plan of the fairy godmother who is robbed in her own factory, the transformation of Shrek and donkey, what happens in the swamp with the story characters who go to Shrek's rescue... It's incredible. I think that's why every time I see it it seems so short and it may be the movie I've seen the most times in my life. And although his appearance is usually brief, my favorite character has always been and will be Jengi, who in this installment is accompanied by a giant copy of himself that makes me cry every time I watch the film. If perfection is in the details, this film is the queen of details. As always in good cinema, everything that appears, appears for a reason and nothing is random. One of my favorite details is the poster of Sir Justin (Timberlake) that Fiona has in her room above her bed. The last detail that I have to highlight about this movie is the soundtrack. Like the first Shrek movie, it is a great song after a great song, with special mention to the version of 'Holding out for a hero' interpreted by the fairy godmother herself and 'Livin la vida loca' by Donkey and Puss in Boots, the cherry on top.

The music scene in Barcelona can be very tough if you are an emerging artist. Singing live or reaching people can be very complicated and a little help doesn't hurt at all. Gala contacted me a little over a year ago to do a concert in Barcelona and when I finished the show she introduced me to Paula, the other member of the project I'm talking about today. They started organising concerts and they both told me that they wanted to expand and go beyond booking to be able to help artists in everything they could, so that, as an artist, I only had to worry about making music and they would take care of everything else. For me it was something beautiful, since as an emerging artist, having someone outside your personal life believe in you is always something that gives you a boost. This is how my relationship with El piti de la suerte began, which today has one more member, Lune. I find the project very interesting since it really is pure passion for emerging music, they are really fans of the people they represent and that makes the project overflow with love and affection (I'm not going to cry). Last May they organised a festival claiming the female presence in emerging music called “A plena llum” , in which four artists performed and it ended with a DJ set. On the occasion of this event and without further ado, I wanted to introduce them a little and let you get to know them, so I asked them a few questions: What is “El piti de la suerte”? El piti de la suerte is a small music management project founded in Barcelona by Paula and Gala. It arises from the need to want to actively participate in the music scene and in a self-managed way we act as management, booking and sometimes as promoter. We are working and learning little by little alongside the projects and artists who trust us and with whom we collaborate. This year Lune has joined our small team. What do you look for in the artists you work with? Above all, we want your project to tell us something, to make us excited to move your music and talent. Work, dedication and as much love as we put into the piti. The idea is to develop all together, both musically and personally. What is “A plena llum”? “A plena llum” was a mini-festival where we want to bring out that talent is everywhere, not just in the mainstream, sometimes you just need to focus your eyes and go to Pumarejo. It is a project that makes us continue with the line of the first piti event, where we sought to highlight female artists. Will it be a one-time event or will there be more editions? Our idea is to make more editions of A plena llum, either in festival format or in show-case format, as was its first version. What artists are currently working at el piti de la suerte? The roster of artists we collaborate with represents well the essence of this project. It is really difficult to define the musical styles of each of them because they stand out for their versatility and originality. The first to join was LA PAINS, in the midst of a new stage and changes. Then VICTORIA VARTH entrusted us with her experimental dark wave project from Madrid. Las Tristes, a post punk group with urban references as well. MALÁNIMA, the creator of “popper pop” and now with a new live format with CtrtTeta and 8keeys. SARCOMA and his hard noise come from Madrid to claim and demonstrate everything she is capable of creating. They are all different and we love that because they allow us to work with incredible diversity. Even so, they all share the same passion for music and a concern that moves them to bring out its essence. We are really happy to have collected all this in one year and also very excited about all the projects that remain to be released. After this presentation, I encourage you to follow the girls from “El piti de la suerte” on their social media if you want to find out about the best emerging music concerts that you can have nearby, especially in Madrid and Barcelona. They are quite affordable concerts and a very good plan to start the night.

When I first watched 'Solaris' (Andrey Tarkovsky, 1972), I would've never compare it to '2001: A Space Odyssey' (Kubrick, 1968), probably because I am so used to science fiction and space-themed films that it didn't cross my mind since they are very different . But like everything in life, to be able to analyze it properly, you have to see it in its context. The space race between the United States and the Soviet Union is well known, a conflict that took place from the mid-1950s to the end of the 1980s and included events such as the first living being in space, the first space walk or the creation of the first space station among others. But did you know that the s pace race also reached the theatres and that it gave birth to two of the great masterpieces of science fiction? From the United States' side we have what is considered a cult science fiction film: '2001: A Space Odyssey' , directed by Stanley Kubrick and released in 1968, a year before the first steps on the moon. It was super revolutionary because it deals with topics such as human and technological evolution, the existence of extraterrestrial life and something very actual, artificial intelligence. The plot focuses on a group of astronauts who follow radio signals from a monolith (work of aliens) located on the moon. The references to this film in popular culture are endless and even if you have not seen it, you will have unknowingly seen elements that come from it. One of the most recent references is the parody of his famous opening scene, the monkeys with bones in 'Barbie', which includes the recognisable soundtrack "Also sprach Zarathustra" by Richard Strauss.  The photography and special effects in '2001' are very beautiful and advanced for their time and have left epic images for posterity . Even so, I have to say that I'm not a big fan of Kubrick. Although I really value the visual factor of his films, it seems to me that in the human factor they fall quite short. I'm not the only one who thinks like that and perhaps it has to do with the director's character. Kubrick was very meticulous and he wasn't exactly known for treating the people he worked with nicely. It would seem like for him, people were instruments to convey his message, which is why he “tortured” the actors during filming until he achieved what he considered technical perfection. Andrei Tarkovsky, a great Soviet director, thought the same as me (or rather I think the same as him) and described '2001' as cold and sterile. According to him, Kubrick had focused so much on technological advances and aesthetics that he had neglected the characters and that is why the film lacks emotional force. Tarkovsky wanted to explore the hypothesis that science fiction can also dig into emotions and from there the idea of ​​directing 'Solaris' was born, which would be advertised on the posters of the time as "the Soviet response to '2001'." 'Solaris' tells the story of a psychologist who is sent to a space station orbiting the planet Solaris to investigate the death of a doctor and the mental problems suffered by the station workers. Once there, he discovers that the planet's water is a kind of brain that returns repressed memories and obsessions to humans (from which the protagonist himself suffers). In 'Solaris', unlike in '2001', technology is in the background and what is explored the most is the emotional factor. The message that I extract from the film is that the complexity of the human being lies not in our technology but in the fact that we are social beings, and that love is, unlike technological advances, immeasurable and inexplicable and that is why it's much more interesting to explore. While '2001' reflects on technology, the advances of man's tools and focuses less on the human being, 'Solaris' has a much more emotional point of view and leaves aside technology and its operation, so you could say that they have totally opposite points of view. This is why, although 'Solaris' may be an answer to '2001', for me they are very different films both visually and narratively.

Have you ever experienced a creative block mid-project or suffered from the horrible blank page syndrome? Being blocked is very common, especially when you are going through a bad streak or there are a lot of things going on in your life. This is a very personal process, so I'm going to tell you how I experience it. Many times we have an idea for a project and we see it clearly, but when it comes to starting to materialize it we don't know where to start , or perhaps when we are halfway through the process something doesn't convince us and we don't know how to finish it. Talking to other creative people, I have found that it is super common to feel insecure about what you do or have the need to disconnect from time to time. Surely the more you force it, the more you are going to sink into the hole, so put aside what worries you for a few days and do other things, try a new activity, go for a walk in the countryside or the beach, whatever relaxes you the most, but without rushing or trying to go “to see if you get inspired”, go simply to be, to relax. I usually have four hundred half-done things as a way of life, so I have known how to take advantage of that to develop my little tricks to forget about the project for a few days: Meditate , whatever works for you to escape. Do something around the house , do the laundry, tidy your room, whatever you should've done weeks ago (I haven't unpacked all the boxes from moving yet). Advance some unfinished work Update my portfolio Meet someone I haven't seen in a while Normally, having so many things to do stresses me out a lot, but when I have a block, I try to use this to divert my attention and I take the opportunity to get things off my chest, because when inspiration comes I can lock myself away and put everything aside again. If you can't beat them join them . The main thing is not to put pressure on yourself, because the more you think about it, the worse it will be. You'll see that any day you will be doing your laundry, grocery shopping or talking to someone about anything and suddenly BOOM!, it will come to you. Like when you haven't found something you've been looking for for years and suddenly, when you're looking for something else, you find it.

Many people ask me about being self-employed because it is not easy, although obviously everything has its pros and cons. I have been here for 2 years and a couple of months and I am going to talk to you about the audiovisual sector because it is the one in which I have experience, and also being a Spanish citizen, I know in other countries in Europe it tends to be much easier. Most of professional jobs ask you to be registered and be able to bill, so you are forced to only take more precarious jobs in which we don't get paid or we get paid with the so well known in this sector “repercussion”. What a shame that you can't pay the rent with it. Then, there are those who tell you: “For this project we don't have a budget, but if we like how you work, we'll call you for the next one and we'll have a budget for sure.” And many times you think that you don't measure up, but no, honey, people is just awful. I spent about 3 years, maybe more, doing work basically for free while I worked on other things and this is a very sad part of the process and one that is very difficult to get out of because, as I already told you, it's the never ending story, you cannot pay the freelance fee because you don't charge enough but you can't scale without being official. I maintained this situation until I had enough material to make a proper reel. Thanks to this reel I found a steady client, a company that sent me work every month. At that moment I started paying the freelance fee because they demanded it and until then I had not been sure that I could allow myself to be a freelance and pay the fee every month, which in Spain is not a percentage of what you earn, it's an actual fee. I think that is the first key to being legal, because otherwise the anxiety caused by the fact that even if you don't have any work you have to continue paying the fee is not sustainable, especially if you suffer from anxiety. When you take the step or are thinking about taking it, look for a trustworthy consultant agency, ask other self-employed people and have them recommend you, because you would not be the first person to incur a fine for poorly done management. In addition, agencies can help you with aid, which normally depends on the autonomous community in which you are registered. The normal thing is to start paying about seventy euros a year, the reduction is smaller when you have been registered for two years and you pay the amount without reduction, which varies according to your activity and what you bill. Keep in mind that apart from the fee, every 3 months you will have to pay all the taxes on what you bill, meaning that when you get paid for the work, you need to save some. I usually calculate that half of what you earn goes away. I always pay the entire quarterly payment at once, although you can also separate it and pay by month. In my case, I prefer to save it when I get paid and pay it all at once to get it off my back and go two months without worrying about it. If you save half of what you earn and have expenses to declare, it will always be less, so you should have some left over. Before I talked about how being a freelance has its pros and cons. The cons have already been made clear, but it is true that it also has pros. I am a very restless person, I don't like routines at all, so for me having a fixed schedule means death. The fact of being able to get up later and recover in the evening or being able to take the day off when you wake up depressed or with your period, without having to ask permission is amazing. You have much more flexibility, especially me, since I work from home with my computer. I can go on a trip and take my work with me or go to my parents' house for a week without having to explain to anyone. Do I miss paid vacation? A lot, but it's worth it because I can manage my time as I go, I don't have to be tied to certain schedules or work days, and if I work harder one month or suddenly get more work, I will earn more, because when you work in a store (for example) at Christmas you work ten times more and earn the same while your boss gets richer and richer! I must tell you as well, there are alternatives. If you do not have permanent clients or you earn very little, you can do the quarterly payments to pay the IVA without being registered with the treasury. You can also invoice through a cooperative, which normally takes a percentage but makes the process easier and you don't have to register, but be careful, as far as I know with these options you are not paying a contribution. This is great if you have a "regular job" and only bill from time to time, but if you are not working, not being on the job in the long run can be a chore, so I recommend resorting to these alternatives until you see that you have for a few months enough work or clients to be able to deal with the expenses.

April 23  is a very special day. And it is not only International Book Day, but also the day of Sant Jordi, patron of Catalonia.  The first year I lived in Catalonia I was not aware of what this holiday represents here and it is, so to speak, like Catalan Valentine's Day. I am usually quite cold about all the holidays in which we are forced to consume and give gifts, like Christmas or Valentine's Day, but it is true that Sant Jordi has its charm because the gift you’re supposed to give is a rose and a book. Traditionally, a rose was given to women and a book to men, but thank God that has stopped and now the usual is to give both things. The legend of Sant Jordi dates back to the Middle Ages and tells the story of a dragon that frightened the inhabitants of Montblanc, a small village in Catalonia. The dragon wreaked havoc between the population and as if that were not enough, it ate their animals (not cool). To keep the dragon happy and have a little peace, the inhabitants decided to sacrifice a random person every day and offer it to him. But one day, when the dragon was going to devour a girl, (who was also the king's daughter), a knight, Sant Jordi, appeared and stabbed it with his spear and a rosebush of red roses emerged from the dragon's blood . And from that, the tradition of giving a red rose to a person you love was born. In Barcelona, the streets of the center are closed to traffic and throughout the city there are book and rose stalls, shows of all kinds, free concerts and buildings decorated for the occasion. A classic on Passeig de Gràcia is La Casa Batlló, which has the tradition of filling the façade's balconies with red roses every year. In addition, the Verdi cinemas host the Barcelona International Sant Jordi Film Festival, which this year lasts from April 18 to 26. The 23rd is also an open day in many buildings in the city that are not usually open or that cannot even be visited, such as the Palau Güell, the Museum of History of Catalonia, the town hall or the Palau de la Generalitat, although Be careful if you are interested, normally you have to make an advance reservation. If you like concerts, as I mentioned before, Lucky you! I like to go to the Antigua Fábrica de Estrella Damm , a classic of free concerts in Barcelona with food trucks and a really nice atmosphere (although perhaps too many people). In Sant Jordi admission is free and there are concerts from 12:00 to 20:00 (you also have to get reservation tickets). You can look at the poster along with all the cultural offerings and book for the open days that I told you about on the Barcelona City Council website. So now you know, celebrate this international book (and dragon-slaying) day by giving the people you love a rose and a good book .

When I was little I loved reading, I drank up books. I remember getting hooked on books and not being able to stop reading  until I finished them, like now I get hooked on series. However, since social networks arrived and especially since I had a computer, all the time I invested in reading went to other stimuli, to other stories. For me, reading was synonymous with getting out of my teenage dramas for a while to enter other different worlds, something similar to what I already mentioned in another article that happened to me when I went to the movies. Lately, something that breaks my heart is that I am unable to finish any book . I have like four books half finished. Books of different genres and some that I have already read and wanted to reread because I loved it and even then. I've been thinking about this for a long time because I remember that I loved reading and it helped me disconnect and relax. When I was little I read a lot before going to sleep and I fell asleep very badly... Now I'm incapable of it, I always stay up late on my cell phone (which is also horrible for sleeping). A few months ago, I went to some friends' house and saw that they had a lot of books. I asked my friend to recommend one and she told me to make a deal: She would recommend me and leave me a book and when I finished it I could come back, return it and get another one. That day she recommended and lent me 'The Character of Rain'  by Amélie Nothomb. It is very short and very easy to read, it is fun and the truth is that it reads itself. When I started reading it I thought: This is the book with which I manage to break this horrible streak of half-baked books... And no. I take it everywhere and I think: “I'm going to take a train, I'm sure that in an hour I'll make a little progress, step by step.” And when I get to the train, I put on music, I open Instagram and before I realize I don't have time to read anything.   I have read about the subject several times and the conclusion I always come to is that it is the fault of the overstimulation we have on a daily basis. We consume information compulsively, whether it is news, other people's lives on social networks, audiovisual content, video games... And everything seems better to us than reading, because it stimulates several senses at the same time, it is "more rewarding" in the short term, but in the long run It is making us not know how to stop consuming, slow down a little, that we do not know how to get bored and that we need constant stimuli. That's why starting today I've decided to read more and stop more, be more present. I want to use breaks between jobs, after eating, before going to sleep, etc. To read a little. I will start with the book that I mentioned and that I am already halfway through and I hope that when I finish it the impulse of having finished a book after... Years? and be able to get back on track.

When I was just a girl, every weekend when we didn’t know what to do, my father would say: What if we go to the movies or the video store? I’ve always thought that my father is responsible not only for my love of movies, but also for my love of physically going to the theater. I’d spend the week working at school looking forward to the weekend thinking what movie we’d watch. Once the weekend arrived we would watch one film minimum, if it wasn’t on TV, we would go to the video store (God I miss video stores) or, on special occasions, we would go to the cinema and watch a new movie, buy candy and popcorn… literally heaven. Every time we went to a new place I always wanted to go to the movies. My parents would tell me “We can go to the movies at home, we are here for two days and you want to waste an evening going to the movies?” Wasting the evening? Sorry? For me, going to a movie theater is never a waste of time, even if I don’t like the movie. Even as an adult, when I go to other countries, I love going to see what the movie theaters are like, what snacks they have, how different they are… For instance, when I was in Sweden, I found rather interesting that the cinemas there have less volume than in Spain. I remember going to watch ‘Deadpool’ and whenever something funny happened and people in the room laughed, I couldn’t hear the dialogues and, since the subtitles were in Swedish, I couldn’t understand what they were saying while people were laughing. In comparison, in Spain cinemas are really loud, which I love, because if you watch a movie at home, you usually have to raise the volume during the dialogues and lower it if there are explosions or shots or things like that. I understand not everyone feels this way, there are people who would rather spend their money on other things or they don’t think it’s worth it enough to go out just to end up locked up in a room when you can watch movies at home, but for me it’s like: Rainy day? Go to the movies. Sad day? Go to the movies. Sh*t, do you have your period? Go to the movies. First date? Go to the movies. You have an antisocial day but you have to meet a friend? Obviously… Go to the movies! Another thing I find fascinating about cinema is how the perception of a film can change  from watching it at home to actually going to the cinema. For me there are films that are worth seeing in the cinema and others that are not. That's why I love theaters that play old movies, because they give you the opportunity to re-watch movies that you couldn't watch in the cinema, either because you missed them or sometimes because you weren't born at all. And there are films that are worth seeing in the cinema because the sound is better, you appreciate the details better and you live the full experience. Do you remember that a while ago I said that my father is responsible for my love for cinema? Well, my father loves watching movies and going to the cinema, but his favorite genre is one that many movie cinephiles criticize for its lack of substance and that is: action. I love action movies because they remind me of my father and because I have a good time. They are pure entertainment and it's what I like to see when I want to disconnect and I feel like watching a movie but I don't want to think too much. I do think that every kind of movie has an end,  auteur cinema makes me reflect or appreciate the beauty in certain things that I don't normally stop to stare at, romantic films and dramas help me when I'm feeling bad and I want to get the emotions out to the surface and the Z series or blockbuster-style action movies, they amaze me with the VFX and help me disconnect from the world for a moment.   Going to the movies seems like an experience to me, a pause in life. Whenever I'm stressed, even if I feel like I don't have time for anything, I always try to find time to go to the movies. Those two hours (more or less) when you don't care that someone is talking to you, you put your phone on flight mode and forget about the outside world for a moment to enter a new one. For me, these breaks are super necessary, because I usually have so many things on my mind that I can't find any other way to get rid of them. And that's something that streaming platforms won't ever give.  It's so hard to choose between the infinite catalogs of movies and series... And once you’ve decided and manage to watch something, nothing stops you from picking up your phone and talking to someone, pausing it to start doing something else, taking it off and putting something else on... It's a whole other story. . Like everything in life, everything has its good parts and its bad parts and different things will work out for different people, but for me, going to the movies has become my escape route and for that reason this year I gave myself the Challenge of going to the movies at least once a week, and for now I’m delivering. Earlier this week I went to the Renoir Floridablanca cinemas in Barcelona to see ‘All of Us Strangers’  by British director Andrew Haigh and wow . The truth is that it is one of those movies that when I walk out of the theater I don't know if I’ve liked it or not. Does it happen to you? When I go to watch a movie I like not knowing a thing. I never watch trailers before watching a movie, even if I go to the cinema and they play the trailer of a movie I want to see, I’ll close my eyes and cover my ears so I don’t see any spoilers. Sometimes I love it because I get a lot of surprises, but sometimes, like with this movie, expectations play tricks on me. I expected to go see a light (dramatic but light) film and the truth is that it seemed quite dense, in fact, I think it is the typical film in which you have to watch it a second time to give it meaning and form. In this case, what convinced me to go see it were the protagonists, since I did not know the director's filmography. It stars Andrew Scott, AKA the hot priest from 'Fleabag' (a highly recommended show if you haven't watched it) and Paul Mescal (who everyone is in love with since 'Normal People' and 'Aftersun'). The film deals with the traumas in a spine-chilling way, specifically family traumas, the fact of growing up without a family to support you during adolescence and how the protagonist carries this emptiness throughout his whole life (and the way he finds to fill this void). After thinking the film through for a few days, I’ve decided I did like it, but I’d still have to re-watch it so I can really understand everything. The photography is gorgeous and the way the director plays with the point of view of the protagonist is just brilliant. I’d say it’s an 8/10. If like me, you love movies and you like this type of content, come to the movies with me every week . Every Tuesday we will upload a small video review to our social media talking about the movie I’ve watched, don’t miss it if you’d like to be up to date with what’s on theaters and if you have any recommendations, don’t hesitate to leave them in the comments!

The first time I wrote a song I did it out of pure necessity. I’ve always loved singing, but back in 2019 a new need arose in me: writing my own songs. At that moment my alter ego, LA PAINS , was born, my greatest blessing and my worst curse, all at the same time. Below I explain the beautiful and the ugly parts of my experience   as an emerging artist, or "The perks of being a part time artist". I emphasize that it is my experience because obviously this journey is not the same for all artists. A few months ago I released my second EP, RAICES and I just finished a mini tour of Spain, and I am experiencing what I like to call the “Hannah Montana complex”. Do you know the song from The best of both worlds? Sometimes I feel I’m living the opposite, The worst of both worlds.  I'm working all day so I’m able to make music, record a video clip, or invest in new material... And what I earn doesn't even cover what I spent on making the project (not even remotely, really). It has taken me a long time to call my music “work”, even though I don't make a living from it, but in the end it is work, in fact it is  a lot of work . And if we call it that, it is very hard to want to finish working so you can keep working when you’re over, but it is what almost all emerging artists do and sometimes people are not aware of it.     Many times I ask myself: Who am I doing this for?  Do I do it for myself or for other people? Because in my case, I use music, both my own and that of other artists, as therapy. If I wake up sad I'm not going to hear the same thing as if I'm having a happy day... Or if I'm taking a walk to clear my head I'm not going to hear the same thing as getting ready to go out on a weekend (even though I no longer remember what it's like to go out). For me, it's the same with my music. If I'm sad I need to make sad music to get rid of my depression, if I'm super happy I want to write about what makes me happy to capture it and remind myself of it next time I'm sad. But... If I do this for myself, as therapy and a way of self-discovery, and not for strictly commercial purposes, why do I care so much what other people think about what I do? Why am I worried that no one will listen to me? Obviously, I’d love to make a living from music, my only concern would be to experiment with new instruments or styles and spend the day recording or planning where to play next and those sorts of things, but at the same time, I don't want to stop being faithful to what I do... In my case, leaving aside the style (because in the end, there is always someone who will like your style, whatever it may be) I love writing in English, because I have always listened to music in English, because I like it better how my voice sounds in English and because it seems more melodic to me, I just write like that, it's not something I force myself to do. This seems to be a problem for many people in Spain. At every concert, there is someone who tells me: “Girl, I wish you would sing in Spanish so I could understand what you are saying”, and I think it is super nice on one hand, and I get the intention, but on the other hand, Do I have to write in Spanish when it doesn't work for me just so people listen to me? Do I have to force myself into make people happy or do I have to be true to myself? Another super fun thing about being an emerging artist is the fact that you spend 100% of your “free” time, energy and money on your projects and of course, people are generally used to more established artists with a bigger budget, who can afford to be releasing material or touring constantly, however, for you, an emerging artist, making an EP of 6 songs and 18 minutes takes 2 years of work (and all your savings from those 2 years). When you finally finish the project that has cost you everything and that you are almost disgusted with already, people come (obviously in good faith) and say:   “Hey, that was cool, when will you release the next thing?” (screams in emerging artist). And if on good days you wonder what you can do to reach more people, you post things on social media to promote yourself, you remind your followers of all your past work and you hype up future ones, etc. On bad days (and I personally have many of these) is when you ask yourself: Am I good enough?  Maybe I'm not getting anywhere because I'm just no good, maybe I'm wasting all this time, money and energy and it's really not worth it… When doubts assail you, my advice is to lean on the people who love you, don't assume their opinion is worthless just because they love you  and, what is most important, let yourself be supported too. It is very difficult to work all day and come home very tired to continue with your project, and it's very easy to lose hope and leave what you are doing halfway. But when you find yourself wondering if you're good enough, or who you're doing this for, or what you're going to do next, remember why you started doing it, respect everything you've done so far, and, above all, see it through till the end, and you’ll see what comes next…

I can finally say loud and clear that  I found an apartment in Barcelona!   But I must say, it’s not the first time, this is like the… Eighth?   I’ve been wanting to find a home for a long time, yet I couldn’t… Sometimes because the neighbourhood was not right or for another series of unfortunate events. This year I decided it was the year I’d find a place that wouldn’t be just temporary and where I could feel I was at home. Having lived in different zones helped me realize what I like and what I don’t, what I can afford and how easy it is to get to places. It is basically an adventure. In this article, I’ll start talking about the pros and cons of every part of Barcelona I’ve lived in, in case you’re thinking about either moving to or visiting this wonderful city. I’d like to say beforehand that this is   my opinion ,  it’s not the only truth but the sensations that I’ve picked up in every part I’ve lived in, I hope you’ll find it useful! If I start in order, the place I first moved to was  Sagrada Familia , which is Eixample district. It's true that I was expecting that there were more tourist when in reality, everyone is concentrated on the Sagrada Familia and if you walk two streets further the tourists are gone. Even so, it seems to me that l'Eixample lacks a bit of personality, it is perhaps more gentrified and that is also why the prices are a little inflated for the apartments, which tend to be a bit old. It is true that in Eixample, apartments usually have high ceilings, beautiful floors and even if they are old they usually have quite a bit of charm. In short, you will find nice but expensive things and the neighborhood is a bit “bland”. However, if you go a little further from the center, to the Clot  area, it has a lot more personality and is still well connected, but it is a little further apart from everything. The  Horta-Guinardó  district is very beautiful and has small town vibes. There are older people and it’s very family oriented. When I lived in Guinardó I used to go by bus a lot since the metro is not very well connected and there are many, many hills, and there were always cute old ladies. The best thing about this neighborhood is the views, that it’s very quiet and the prices (some of the cheapest in Barcelona). The worst thing is that it is a bit inaccessible, when I had to carry the shopping up those slopes I had a terrible time, or when I came back from work very tired or from a party, it was an ordeal... Also, having that village vibe, everything is a bit dead on weekends, there is not as much life or things to do and you are forced to go to the center all the time. And for me, since I like to ride my bike everywhere, the steep slopes were definitely a problem. Gràcia , on the other hand, is the hipsters neighborhood par excellence, probably the second most expensive after Sarrià (the poshest neighborhood in Barcelona). Gràcia is very fun because it has many bars, nightclubs, many places to sit and have a drink... But as I said, it is the hipster neighborhood, so the bars are usually very cool, but a little too expensive. I really liked living there because I knew I could leave the house aimlessly for a walk and I would always find a new charming square. Yes, that's the word, Gràcia has a lot of charm and the apartments are usually beautiful. The con is the price, which is usually quite high, but if you go to the part of Lesseps or something a bit higher up, it will be cheaper and you’ll still be close by. People who live in this area don't usually leave because you really have everything at hand. If you like being near the beach, you will probably be interested in the area of ​​ Barceloneta or El Born,  although I do not recommend the beach there. I was “lucky” that I moved there in September 2019, when there were not so many tourists because the summer was over and I spent the entire COVID time (in which you could not travel) in that apartment, so I enjoyed the beach and the area without having the bustle of tourists that usually exists (which for me is one of the big cons of this area). For me, since I’m from the south and have lived in Malaga for many years, Barceloneta (the neighborhood, not the beach) reminded me (when there were no tourists) of the little fishing villages on the coast down there, El Palo, Rincón de la Victoria... Honestly, I highly recommend going to Barceloneta to visit or if you come for a few days, but I don't recommend that you live there, because there is a humidity that is amazing (I had mold on my clothes, WTF?), it is not really well connected , there are many cockroaches, there are a fairly considerable number of tourists and people drinking at night and the apartments are usually quite old and deteriorated. This applies to Barceloneta and El Born, a very different thing is Poblenou , which, although it is very close, does not have the same vibe at all, there are a lot of industrial buildings, the apartments have super high ceilings and are quite new... It is the trendy neighborhood so to speak. It's great because everything is very new and well connected, but it's usually quite expensive (sad story). And I'd like to finish with my favorite neighborhood in Barcelona,   ​​Sants-Montjuic , it's fairly quiet but it has everything, and it's far enough from the center so that there are no tourists, but close enough to be able to go for a walk or by bike. . In addition, it has neighborhood stores, people are super nice... If you are from a small town like me, you will feel at home. And on weekends, the main street that runs through Sants to Plaza España (Carrer de Sants/Creu Coberta) is cut off to traffic and made pedestrian only, it is a delight to go to bars or shops, or simply walk around without having to be swallowing smoke. In short, Sants has charm, it is quite affordable and it is very well connected to the center both by metro, by bike or even on foot if you like walking. If you've get this far and still have any questions, don't hesitate to leave them in the comments, I'll be reading them!