Saturday, August 26, 2006
Something True:
It's nice to wake up one day and realize that the life that you have right now is exactly the life you dreamt of having when you were a child.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Time present and time past...
Buirnt Norton, by T.S. Eliot is one of my favorite poems; it means so much and reflects what I've many times thought about. Here's a little portion of the first of four quartets:
Time present and time past
Are both perhaps present in time future,
And time future contained in time past.
If all time is eternally present
All time is unredeemable.
What might have been is an abstraction
Remaining a perpetual possibility
Only in a world of speculation.
What might have been and what has been
Point to one end, which is always present.
Footfalls echo in the memory
Down the passage which we did not take
Towards the door we never opened
Into the rose-garden. My words echoThus, in your mind.
But to what purpose
Disturbing the dust on a bowl of rose-leaves
I do not know.
(...)
Time present and time past
Are both perhaps present in time future,
And time future contained in time past.
If all time is eternally present
All time is unredeemable.
What might have been is an abstraction
Remaining a perpetual possibility
Only in a world of speculation.
What might have been and what has been
Point to one end, which is always present.
Footfalls echo in the memory
Down the passage which we did not take
Towards the door we never opened
Into the rose-garden. My words echoThus, in your mind.
But to what purpose
Disturbing the dust on a bowl of rose-leaves
I do not know.
(...)
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Do what you love, by Tony Hawk.
(Here's another essay written for the NPR series "This I Believe". This one is written by super famous skater Tony Hawk -- The reason I like this essay? Simple. It's a reminder that you don't have to follow the conventional paths set up by society to be successful. You can make a living out of something that looks insane, but be happy; and out of that happiness, achieve success. Seems easy, right? Yeah, I wish!)
"I believe that people should take pride in what they do, even if it is scorned or misunderstood by the public at large.
I have been a professional skateboarder for 24 years. For much of that time, the activity that paid my rent and gave me my greatest joy was tagged with many labels, most of which were ugly. It was a kids' fad, a waste of time, a dangerous pursuit, a crime.
When I was about 17, three years after I turned pro, my high school "careers" teacher scolded me in front of the entire class about jumping ahead in my workbook. He told me that I would never make it in the workplace if I didn't follow directions explicitly. He said I'd never make a living as a skateboarder, so it seemed to him that my future was bleak.
Even during those dark years, I never stopped riding my skateboard and never stopped progressing as a skater. There have been many, many times when I've been frustrated because I can't land a maneuver. I've come to realize that the only way to master something is to keep it at -- despite the bloody knees, despite the twisted ankles, despite the mocking crowds.
Skateboarding has gained mainstream recognition in recent years, but it still has negative stereotypes. The pro skaters I know are responsible members of society. Many of them are fathers, homeowners, world travelers and successful entrepreneurs. Their hairdos and tattoos are simply part of our culture, even when they raise eyebrows during PTA meetings.
So here I am, 38 years old, a husband and father of three, with a lengthy list of responsibilities and obligations. And although I have many job titles -- CEO, Executive Producer, Senior Consultant, Foundation Chairman, Bad Actor -- the one I am most proud of is "Professional Skateboarder." It's the one I write on surveys and customs forms, even though I often end up in a secondary security checkpoint.
My youngest son's pre-school class was recently asked what their dads do for work. The responses were things like, "My dad sells money" and "My dad figures stuff out." My son said, "I've never seen my dad do work."
It's true. Skateboarding doesn't seem like real work, but I'm proud of what I do. My parents never once questioned the practicality behind my passion, even when I had to scrape together gas money and regarded dinner at Taco Bell as a big night out.
I hope to pass on the same lesson to my children someday. Find the thing you love. My oldest son is an avid skater and he's really gifted for a 13-year-old, but there's a lot of pressure on him. He used to skate for endorsements, but now he brushes all that stuff aside. He just skates for fun and that's good enough for me.
You might not make it to the top, but if you are doing what you love, there is much more happiness there than being rich or famous."
"I believe that people should take pride in what they do, even if it is scorned or misunderstood by the public at large.
I have been a professional skateboarder for 24 years. For much of that time, the activity that paid my rent and gave me my greatest joy was tagged with many labels, most of which were ugly. It was a kids' fad, a waste of time, a dangerous pursuit, a crime.
When I was about 17, three years after I turned pro, my high school "careers" teacher scolded me in front of the entire class about jumping ahead in my workbook. He told me that I would never make it in the workplace if I didn't follow directions explicitly. He said I'd never make a living as a skateboarder, so it seemed to him that my future was bleak.
Even during those dark years, I never stopped riding my skateboard and never stopped progressing as a skater. There have been many, many times when I've been frustrated because I can't land a maneuver. I've come to realize that the only way to master something is to keep it at -- despite the bloody knees, despite the twisted ankles, despite the mocking crowds.
Skateboarding has gained mainstream recognition in recent years, but it still has negative stereotypes. The pro skaters I know are responsible members of society. Many of them are fathers, homeowners, world travelers and successful entrepreneurs. Their hairdos and tattoos are simply part of our culture, even when they raise eyebrows during PTA meetings.
So here I am, 38 years old, a husband and father of three, with a lengthy list of responsibilities and obligations. And although I have many job titles -- CEO, Executive Producer, Senior Consultant, Foundation Chairman, Bad Actor -- the one I am most proud of is "Professional Skateboarder." It's the one I write on surveys and customs forms, even though I often end up in a secondary security checkpoint.
My youngest son's pre-school class was recently asked what their dads do for work. The responses were things like, "My dad sells money" and "My dad figures stuff out." My son said, "I've never seen my dad do work."
It's true. Skateboarding doesn't seem like real work, but I'm proud of what I do. My parents never once questioned the practicality behind my passion, even when I had to scrape together gas money and regarded dinner at Taco Bell as a big night out.
I hope to pass on the same lesson to my children someday. Find the thing you love. My oldest son is an avid skater and he's really gifted for a 13-year-old, but there's a lot of pressure on him. He used to skate for endorsements, but now he brushes all that stuff aside. He just skates for fun and that's good enough for me.
You might not make it to the top, but if you are doing what you love, there is much more happiness there than being rich or famous."
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Billy, Moleskine, Trabajo, Viajes, Boing-Boing
Mi hermano viene a vivir conmigo en Agosto :). Esa es la buena noticia de la semana - no es que haya pasado nada malo, pero es que cuando uno trabaja todo se pone en alto y no hay muchas cosas emocionantes que contar.
Hace unos 4 meses cuando estuve en San Francisco, caminando por Castro (el distrito gay) me encontré con la primera tienda en la que (por fin!) pude comprar una Moleskine. Para los que no saben, una Moleskine es una agenda que originalmente era producida en Francia (creo que ahora la hacen en Italia) y tiene la particularidad de mantenerse abierta al escribir - no necesitas un peso en la otra pagina para mantener la agenda abierta. Además tiene una textura deliciosa - la tinta del esfero y la mina de los lapiceros parece flotar sobre el papel y a mí hasta me sale linda la letra cuando escribo en mi Moleskine :D
La cosa es que estoy tan afanosa de mi adorada y chic agenda que escribo todo lo que se me ocurre a.C. y no escribo nada por acá! Pero es que obviof, tengo la agenda a mano cuando se me ocurra, en cambio no me atrevo a empezar a postear desde la oficina -- el Internet monitoreado y las babosadas de corporate America me dan yeyo así que prefiero ir por lo seguro: no postear, y mantener mi trabajo.
Por cierto, mi trabajo va bien. Estoy abombada por que no tengo mucho movimiento en mis cuentas en estos días, pero veo que se me vienen dos viajecitos en lo que queda del año: uno a Toronto y el otro a San Francisco, CA. Woojoo!!! Estoy feliz por que San Francisco es una delicia de ciudad y realmente estoy contando los minutos por volver a visitarla.
Y por ultimo, un consejo ... Vayan a Google y escriban "Boing Boing". Lean esa página, es fantástica.
Hace unos 4 meses cuando estuve en San Francisco, caminando por Castro (el distrito gay) me encontré con la primera tienda en la que (por fin!) pude comprar una Moleskine. Para los que no saben, una Moleskine es una agenda que originalmente era producida en Francia (creo que ahora la hacen en Italia) y tiene la particularidad de mantenerse abierta al escribir - no necesitas un peso en la otra pagina para mantener la agenda abierta. Además tiene una textura deliciosa - la tinta del esfero y la mina de los lapiceros parece flotar sobre el papel y a mí hasta me sale linda la letra cuando escribo en mi Moleskine :D
La cosa es que estoy tan afanosa de mi adorada y chic agenda que escribo todo lo que se me ocurre a.C. y no escribo nada por acá! Pero es que obviof, tengo la agenda a mano cuando se me ocurra, en cambio no me atrevo a empezar a postear desde la oficina -- el Internet monitoreado y las babosadas de corporate America me dan yeyo así que prefiero ir por lo seguro: no postear, y mantener mi trabajo.
Por cierto, mi trabajo va bien. Estoy abombada por que no tengo mucho movimiento en mis cuentas en estos días, pero veo que se me vienen dos viajecitos en lo que queda del año: uno a Toronto y el otro a San Francisco, CA. Woojoo!!! Estoy feliz por que San Francisco es una delicia de ciudad y realmente estoy contando los minutos por volver a visitarla.
Y por ultimo, un consejo ... Vayan a Google y escriban "Boing Boing". Lean esa página, es fantástica.
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Mi Tecnica
Tengo la noción de que a mi los libros me llaman.
No leí ‘Cien años de soledad’ sino hasta que cumplí 20 por que no me sentía preparada para leerlo, y por ahí tengo una caja repleta de libros que estoy segura son excelentes (recomendados por amigos, profes y críticos cuya opinión respeto muchísimo) pero hay algo en mi que no me deja leerlos sino hasta que empiecen a llamarme.
En la universidad mi técnica era esta: empezar el día como cualquier otro, escribir mis ensayos y críticas para mis clases, pasar hasta media noche en la biblioteca y cuando todo estaba completamente callado y entre los libreros no se escuchaba mas que las hojas de un libro leído por alguien en algún rincón, yo dejaba todo en mi escritorio, me cubría con mi ponchito (uno negro que usaba en las noches terriblemente heladas en este lugar) y luego iba a divagar entre columnas y columnas de libros hasta encontrar uno que llame mi nombre. A los libros los tocaba, sentía su textura, olía ese aroma de papel, tinta y polvo, tocaba sus hojas ligeramente, los balanceaba entre mis manos para determinar su peso, luego al abrirlos por primera vez me fijaba en si las letras eran suficientemente grandes y los espacios entre líneas adecuados para facilitar la lectura, y por último me ponía a leer y buscar entre las páginas una frase o una palabra que hagan ‘clic’ en mi mente y que me indicaran que ése es el libro que ahora tenía que leer.
Mi otra tecnica requiere un poco más de investigación. Una vez que he terminado de leer un libro que me encanta busco las citas que el autor ha incluido en su obra para dirigirme a otros autores y otros libros que de alguna manera influenciaron lo que acabo de leer, y así sucesivamente sigue la cadena.
Fue de esa forma que empecé una vez con Benedetti hace muchísimos años, luego seguí con Mempo Giardinelli y otros autores hasta terminar con Oliverio Girondo; y fue de igual manera con García Márquez que me guió hasta Juan Rulfo y luego a Alejo Carpentier – todos fabulosos escritores.
Ciertos libros, creo yo, tienen el potencial de impactar tu vida de la misma forma que haría alguien al que vez todos los días y llegas a conocer a fondo; es por eso que leo una cosa u otra solamente cuando me siento lista para recibir a todos esos personajes y entenderlos como merecen.
Ahora estoy leyendo “To Kill a Mockingbird” de Harper Lee. Creo que si leía este libro hace un par de años no hubiese podido entender cuán humana es esta obra, o si lo leía antes de vivir en los Estados Unidos tampoco hubiese comprendido el virulento impacto de los prejuicios y racismo que corren en esta sociedad.
Conforme pasa el tiempo y leo a más autores y obras también conozco mejor mis gustos y escucho más al instinto que me indica por lo que debo ir; ahora que lo pienso, me alegra ver que mis ‘técnicas’ de elección de libros son cada vez más precisas y mis elecciones proporcionalmente más acertadas.
No leí ‘Cien años de soledad’ sino hasta que cumplí 20 por que no me sentía preparada para leerlo, y por ahí tengo una caja repleta de libros que estoy segura son excelentes (recomendados por amigos, profes y críticos cuya opinión respeto muchísimo) pero hay algo en mi que no me deja leerlos sino hasta que empiecen a llamarme.
En la universidad mi técnica era esta: empezar el día como cualquier otro, escribir mis ensayos y críticas para mis clases, pasar hasta media noche en la biblioteca y cuando todo estaba completamente callado y entre los libreros no se escuchaba mas que las hojas de un libro leído por alguien en algún rincón, yo dejaba todo en mi escritorio, me cubría con mi ponchito (uno negro que usaba en las noches terriblemente heladas en este lugar) y luego iba a divagar entre columnas y columnas de libros hasta encontrar uno que llame mi nombre. A los libros los tocaba, sentía su textura, olía ese aroma de papel, tinta y polvo, tocaba sus hojas ligeramente, los balanceaba entre mis manos para determinar su peso, luego al abrirlos por primera vez me fijaba en si las letras eran suficientemente grandes y los espacios entre líneas adecuados para facilitar la lectura, y por último me ponía a leer y buscar entre las páginas una frase o una palabra que hagan ‘clic’ en mi mente y que me indicaran que ése es el libro que ahora tenía que leer.
Mi otra tecnica requiere un poco más de investigación. Una vez que he terminado de leer un libro que me encanta busco las citas que el autor ha incluido en su obra para dirigirme a otros autores y otros libros que de alguna manera influenciaron lo que acabo de leer, y así sucesivamente sigue la cadena.
Fue de esa forma que empecé una vez con Benedetti hace muchísimos años, luego seguí con Mempo Giardinelli y otros autores hasta terminar con Oliverio Girondo; y fue de igual manera con García Márquez que me guió hasta Juan Rulfo y luego a Alejo Carpentier – todos fabulosos escritores.
Ciertos libros, creo yo, tienen el potencial de impactar tu vida de la misma forma que haría alguien al que vez todos los días y llegas a conocer a fondo; es por eso que leo una cosa u otra solamente cuando me siento lista para recibir a todos esos personajes y entenderlos como merecen.
Ahora estoy leyendo “To Kill a Mockingbird” de Harper Lee. Creo que si leía este libro hace un par de años no hubiese podido entender cuán humana es esta obra, o si lo leía antes de vivir en los Estados Unidos tampoco hubiese comprendido el virulento impacto de los prejuicios y racismo que corren en esta sociedad.
Conforme pasa el tiempo y leo a más autores y obras también conozco mejor mis gustos y escucho más al instinto que me indica por lo que debo ir; ahora que lo pienso, me alegra ver que mis ‘técnicas’ de elección de libros son cada vez más precisas y mis elecciones proporcionalmente más acertadas.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Sorry...
Yeah, I know… I’ve been as quiet as a dead man around here but, unless I’ve died and haven’t realized it, I’m still kicking – It’s just that, as usual, I haven’t had time or inspiration to post.
Anyway, here I am.
I started my new job today as a quality control inspections coordinator for a multinational organization with locations in more than 112 countries. The job is fun, better than the one I had before, and the environment in the new place seems to be pretty easygoing (at least at first sight). As they tell me I’ll have to learn all the standards and processes in 1/3 of the regular time as I’ll be replacing a girl who’s leaving for grad school in a month and I’ll be in charge of her accounts as she leaves – but I’m pretty smart, so no biggie.
Hmm… went to Canada this weekend and it was fun. Then, uhm.. went to Andrew and Holly’s yesterday for the Brazil-Australia match followed by BBQ South-African style, and for the Friday to come we have tickets to Seinfeld at the Shea’s Performing Arts Center and we have a bottle of Tequila for the get-together after the show, so that should be fun.
Besides that … well, everything else that’s happened is recorded in my Moleskin and I haven’t had the chance to type anything in here so…
Ah, oh yes… The day after tomorrow is my five years anniversary of moving to the USA.
Yeahee!
Anyway, here I am.
I started my new job today as a quality control inspections coordinator for a multinational organization with locations in more than 112 countries. The job is fun, better than the one I had before, and the environment in the new place seems to be pretty easygoing (at least at first sight). As they tell me I’ll have to learn all the standards and processes in 1/3 of the regular time as I’ll be replacing a girl who’s leaving for grad school in a month and I’ll be in charge of her accounts as she leaves – but I’m pretty smart, so no biggie.
Hmm… went to Canada this weekend and it was fun. Then, uhm.. went to Andrew and Holly’s yesterday for the Brazil-Australia match followed by BBQ South-African style, and for the Friday to come we have tickets to Seinfeld at the Shea’s Performing Arts Center and we have a bottle of Tequila for the get-together after the show, so that should be fun.
Besides that … well, everything else that’s happened is recorded in my Moleskin and I haven’t had the chance to type anything in here so…
Ah, oh yes… The day after tomorrow is my five years anniversary of moving to the USA.
Yeahee!
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Thursday, June 01, 2006
You know what?...
Quitting your job sucks.
Starting a new job sucks.
Having your grandpa very sick in the hospital sucks.
Not daring to go to Ecuador to see your grandpa for the last time sucks.
Being alone for three weeks sucks.
Not being able to have a good night sleep sucks.
Starting a new job sucks.
Having your grandpa very sick in the hospital sucks.
Not daring to go to Ecuador to see your grandpa for the last time sucks.
Being alone for three weeks sucks.
Not being able to have a good night sleep sucks.
Sunday, May 28, 2006
4x4
Vamos a ver… este meme me lo encontre en el sitio de la Caro Azul, y como soy una copiona, pues aqui va:
Cuatro películas que puedo ver una y otra vez:
1. Chasing Amy
2. Lost in Translation
3. El Lado Oscuro del Corazon
4. Almost Famous
Cuatro lugares donde he vivido:
1. Buffalo, NY
2. Munster, Alemania
3. Phoenix, USA
4. Londres, Inglaterra
(Y un quinto de yapa: Quito, Ecuador)
Cuatro programas de TV que me gusta ver:
1. Lost
2. Battlestar Galactica (el proximo season es en Octubre y no puedo esperar!!!!)
3. Buffy, The Vampire Slayer (Ya se que se termino hace siglos, pero me encanta ver los re-runs una y otra vez)
4. The Office (Cague de risa, cague de risa)
Cuatro lugares favoritos para ir de vacaciones:
1. Ámsterdam (coffeshops + red Light district = paradise)
2. Mindo (naturaleza + amigos = valeverguista diversion)
3. Las Vegas
4. Paris
Cuatro de mis comidas preferidas:
1. Yaguarlocro (rico, rico, rico)
2. Sushi
3. Comida Hindu – Chicken Tikka Massala yummi!
4. Pan recien salido del horno junto a un café de penetrante aroma en Domingo en la manana – Heaven
Cuatro sitios web que visito a diario:
1. NY Times
2. Chromasia
3. Google / Gmail
4. CNN
Cuatro lugares donde quisiera estar ahora:
1. En India, con N, acurrucada en su cama.
2. Con N en nuestro departamento en Londres
3. Con N bebiendonos una cerveza en el All Bar One
4. Bueno, en general con N y en Londres.
Cuatro trabajos que me gustaría tener:
1. English Literature Professor
2. Algo relacionado con fotografia
3. Estudiante profesional
4. Barista de Starbucks (no se por que me atrae la idea!)
Cuatro famosos que he conocido:
1. David Sedaris (Escritor)
2. David Sedaris (es que fui a verlo dos veces, una en NY y otra en Londres)
3. Tina Fey de Satuday Night Live (Mentira! No la conoci yo sino mi novio, pero ya, por asociaciónf!)
4. Blue Man Group
Cuatro platos que detesto:
1. Cualquier porqueria que contenga Col en cualquier estado o preparacion
2. Sopa de habas (quien demonios puede comerse una sopa que apesta???)
3. Sopa de Melloco (pesima idea, Madre)
4. Cualquier cosa que chorree grasa
Cuatro posibles primeras impresiones que causo:
1. Creida de mierda
2. Timida
3. Fuera de lugar
4. Mal genio – jeje :)
Cuatro bebidas favoritas:
1. Agua con una tajita de limon y un par de hielitos
2. Jugo de Naranjilla
3. Vodkita en las rocas
4. El Fruit Juice Blend que tienen en Wagamamas (restaurante de comida japonesa en Londres)
Cuatro olores favoritos:
1. El de mi novio
2. El de mi madre
3. El de café temprano en la manana
4. El de tabaco de pipa
Cuatro cosas que me encanta hacer y que no tienen que ver con mi carrera:
1. En este estoy de acuerdo con la Caro Azul: SEXO!
2. leer, leer, leer
3. salir de caminatas
4. divagar por ciudades grandes, sin mapa -- woohoo!
Cuatro cosas para las que estoy negado:
1. Ver películas de terror en el cine
2. Bailar en publico
3. Ir a fiestas de disfraces
4. Ir a misa
Cuatro cosas que colecciono:
1. Revistas de playboy
2. tickets de cine
3. imanes de refri
4. jarros de starbucks
Cuatro canciones favoritas:
1. Melpómene de Kashmir
2. Enjoy the Silence de Depeche Mode
3. Necesito de Sui Generis
4. Sweet Child of Mine de Guns ‘n Roses
Cuatro libros favoritos:
1. Paula de Isabel Allende
2. El Principito de Antoine Saint-Exupery
3. Lolita de Vladimir Nabokov
4. La insoportable levedad del ser de Milan Kundera
Cuatro películas que puedo ver una y otra vez:
1. Chasing Amy
2. Lost in Translation
3. El Lado Oscuro del Corazon
4. Almost Famous
Cuatro lugares donde he vivido:
1. Buffalo, NY
2. Munster, Alemania
3. Phoenix, USA
4. Londres, Inglaterra
(Y un quinto de yapa: Quito, Ecuador)
Cuatro programas de TV que me gusta ver:
1. Lost
2. Battlestar Galactica (el proximo season es en Octubre y no puedo esperar!!!!)
3. Buffy, The Vampire Slayer (Ya se que se termino hace siglos, pero me encanta ver los re-runs una y otra vez)
4. The Office (Cague de risa, cague de risa)
Cuatro lugares favoritos para ir de vacaciones:
1. Ámsterdam (coffeshops + red Light district = paradise)
2. Mindo (naturaleza + amigos = valeverguista diversion)
3. Las Vegas
4. Paris
Cuatro de mis comidas preferidas:
1. Yaguarlocro (rico, rico, rico)
2. Sushi
3. Comida Hindu – Chicken Tikka Massala yummi!
4. Pan recien salido del horno junto a un café de penetrante aroma en Domingo en la manana – Heaven
Cuatro sitios web que visito a diario:
1. NY Times
2. Chromasia
3. Google / Gmail
4. CNN
Cuatro lugares donde quisiera estar ahora:
1. En India, con N, acurrucada en su cama.
2. Con N en nuestro departamento en Londres
3. Con N bebiendonos una cerveza en el All Bar One
4. Bueno, en general con N y en Londres.
Cuatro trabajos que me gustaría tener:
1. English Literature Professor
2. Algo relacionado con fotografia
3. Estudiante profesional
4. Barista de Starbucks (no se por que me atrae la idea!)
Cuatro famosos que he conocido:
1. David Sedaris (Escritor)
2. David Sedaris (es que fui a verlo dos veces, una en NY y otra en Londres)
3. Tina Fey de Satuday Night Live (Mentira! No la conoci yo sino mi novio, pero ya, por asociaciónf!)
4. Blue Man Group
Cuatro platos que detesto:
1. Cualquier porqueria que contenga Col en cualquier estado o preparacion
2. Sopa de habas (quien demonios puede comerse una sopa que apesta???)
3. Sopa de Melloco (pesima idea, Madre)
4. Cualquier cosa que chorree grasa
Cuatro posibles primeras impresiones que causo:
1. Creida de mierda
2. Timida
3. Fuera de lugar
4. Mal genio – jeje :)
Cuatro bebidas favoritas:
1. Agua con una tajita de limon y un par de hielitos
2. Jugo de Naranjilla
3. Vodkita en las rocas
4. El Fruit Juice Blend que tienen en Wagamamas (restaurante de comida japonesa en Londres)
Cuatro olores favoritos:
1. El de mi novio
2. El de mi madre
3. El de café temprano en la manana
4. El de tabaco de pipa
Cuatro cosas que me encanta hacer y que no tienen que ver con mi carrera:
1. En este estoy de acuerdo con la Caro Azul: SEXO!
2. leer, leer, leer
3. salir de caminatas
4. divagar por ciudades grandes, sin mapa -- woohoo!
Cuatro cosas para las que estoy negado:
1. Ver películas de terror en el cine
2. Bailar en publico
3. Ir a fiestas de disfraces
4. Ir a misa
Cuatro cosas que colecciono:
1. Revistas de playboy
2. tickets de cine
3. imanes de refri
4. jarros de starbucks
Cuatro canciones favoritas:
1. Melpómene de Kashmir
2. Enjoy the Silence de Depeche Mode
3. Necesito de Sui Generis
4. Sweet Child of Mine de Guns ‘n Roses
Cuatro libros favoritos:
1. Paula de Isabel Allende
2. El Principito de Antoine Saint-Exupery
3. Lolita de Vladimir Nabokov
4. La insoportable levedad del ser de Milan Kundera
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Mi Error
Gracias Nando por tu comentario sobre el poema anterior!
Como Nando bien nos guia, ese poema es escrito por Oliverio Girondo, y es el primero de 24 poemas en prosa que nos ofrece este autor argentino en su libro publicado en 1932, Espantapajaros.
El titulo del post de ayer fue personal, y no tenia que ver con el poema.
Shame-on-me por no poner autor y titulo, y solamente anotar de donde me lo saque.
Y bueno, para hacer las paces con Girondo, aqui va otro de sus poemas; esta vez es el VIII, y viene del mismo libro:
"Yo no tengo una personalidad; yo soy un cocktail, un conglomerado, una manifestación de personalidades. En mí, la personalidad es una especie de forunculosis anímica en estado crónico de erupción; no pasa media hora sin que me nazca una nueva personalidad. Desde que estoy conmigo mismo, es tal la aglomeración de las que me rodean, que mi casa parece el consultorio de una quiromántica de moda. hay personalidades en todas partes: en el vestiíbulo, en el corredor, en la cocina, hasta en el W.C. ¡Imposible lograr un momento de tregua, de descanso! ¡Imposible saber cuál es la verdadera! Aunque me veo forzado a convivir en la promiscuidad más absoluta con todas ellas, no me convenzo de que me pertenezcan. ¿Qué clase de contacto pueden tener conmigo -me pregunto- todas estas personalidades inconfesables, que harían ruborizar a un carnicero? ¿Habré de permitir que se me identifique, por ejemplo, con este pederasta marchito que no tuvo ni el coraje de realizarse, o con este cretinoide cuya sonrisa es capaz de congelar una locomotora? El hecho de que se hospeden en mi cuerpo es suficiente, sin embargo, para enfermarse de indignación. Ya que no puedo ignorar su existencia, quisiera obligarlas a que se oculten en los repliegues más profundos de mi cerebro. Pero son de una petulancia... de un egoísmo... de una falta de tacto. Hasta las personalidades más insignificantes se dan unos aires de trasatlántico. Todas, sin ningun clase de exepción, se consideran con derecho a manifestar un desprecio olímpico por las otras, y naturalmente, hay peleas, conflictos de toda especie, discuciones que no terminan nunca. En vez de contemporizar, ya que tienen que vivir juntas, ¡pues no señor!, cada una pretende imponer su voluntad, sin tomar en cuenta las opiniones y los gustos de las demás. Si alguna tiene una ocurrencia, que me hace reír a carcajadas, en el acto sale cualquier otra, proponiéndome un paseíto al cementerio. Ni bien aquélla desea que me acueste con todas las mujeres de la ciudad, ésta se empeña en demostrarme las ventajas abstinencia, y mientras una abusa de la noche y no me deja dormir hasta la madrugada, la otra despierta con el amanecer y exige que me levante junto con las gallinas. Mi vida resulta así una preñez de posibilidades que no se realizan nunca, una explosión de fuerzas encontradas que se entrechocan y se destruyen mutuamente. El hecho de tomar la menor determinación me cuestra un tal cúmulo de dificultades, antes de cometer el acto más insignificante necesito poner tantas personalidades de acuerdo, que prefiero renunciar a cualquier cosa y esperar que se extenúen discutiendo lo que han de hacer con mi persona, para tener, al menos, la satisfacción de mandarlas todas juntas a la mierda. "
Como Nando bien nos guia, ese poema es escrito por Oliverio Girondo, y es el primero de 24 poemas en prosa que nos ofrece este autor argentino en su libro publicado en 1932, Espantapajaros.
El titulo del post de ayer fue personal, y no tenia que ver con el poema.
Shame-on-me por no poner autor y titulo, y solamente anotar de donde me lo saque.
Y bueno, para hacer las paces con Girondo, aqui va otro de sus poemas; esta vez es el VIII, y viene del mismo libro:
"Yo no tengo una personalidad; yo soy un cocktail, un conglomerado, una manifestación de personalidades. En mí, la personalidad es una especie de forunculosis anímica en estado crónico de erupción; no pasa media hora sin que me nazca una nueva personalidad. Desde que estoy conmigo mismo, es tal la aglomeración de las que me rodean, que mi casa parece el consultorio de una quiromántica de moda. hay personalidades en todas partes: en el vestiíbulo, en el corredor, en la cocina, hasta en el W.C. ¡Imposible lograr un momento de tregua, de descanso! ¡Imposible saber cuál es la verdadera! Aunque me veo forzado a convivir en la promiscuidad más absoluta con todas ellas, no me convenzo de que me pertenezcan. ¿Qué clase de contacto pueden tener conmigo -me pregunto- todas estas personalidades inconfesables, que harían ruborizar a un carnicero? ¿Habré de permitir que se me identifique, por ejemplo, con este pederasta marchito que no tuvo ni el coraje de realizarse, o con este cretinoide cuya sonrisa es capaz de congelar una locomotora? El hecho de que se hospeden en mi cuerpo es suficiente, sin embargo, para enfermarse de indignación. Ya que no puedo ignorar su existencia, quisiera obligarlas a que se oculten en los repliegues más profundos de mi cerebro. Pero son de una petulancia... de un egoísmo... de una falta de tacto. Hasta las personalidades más insignificantes se dan unos aires de trasatlántico. Todas, sin ningun clase de exepción, se consideran con derecho a manifestar un desprecio olímpico por las otras, y naturalmente, hay peleas, conflictos de toda especie, discuciones que no terminan nunca. En vez de contemporizar, ya que tienen que vivir juntas, ¡pues no señor!, cada una pretende imponer su voluntad, sin tomar en cuenta las opiniones y los gustos de las demás. Si alguna tiene una ocurrencia, que me hace reír a carcajadas, en el acto sale cualquier otra, proponiéndome un paseíto al cementerio. Ni bien aquélla desea que me acueste con todas las mujeres de la ciudad, ésta se empeña en demostrarme las ventajas abstinencia, y mientras una abusa de la noche y no me deja dormir hasta la madrugada, la otra despierta con el amanecer y exige que me levante junto con las gallinas. Mi vida resulta así una preñez de posibilidades que no se realizan nunca, una explosión de fuerzas encontradas que se entrechocan y se destruyen mutuamente. El hecho de tomar la menor determinación me cuestra un tal cúmulo de dificultades, antes de cometer el acto más insignificante necesito poner tantas personalidades de acuerdo, que prefiero renunciar a cualquier cosa y esperar que se extenúen discutiendo lo que han de hacer con mi persona, para tener, al menos, la satisfacción de mandarlas todas juntas a la mierda. "
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Asi te Quiero.
Me importa un pito que las mujeres tengan los senos como magnolias o como pasas de higo; un cutis de durazno o de papel de lija.
Le doy una importancia igual a cero al hecho de que amanezcan con un aliento afrodisíaco o con un aliento insecticida.
Soy perfectamente capaz de soportar una nariz que sacaría el primer premio en una exposición de zanahorias.
Pero eso si, y en esto soy irreductible, no les perdono bajo ningún concepto que no sepan volar.
Si no saben volar, pierden el tiempo conmigo.
('El Lado Oscuro del Corazon', de Eliseo Subiela)
Le doy una importancia igual a cero al hecho de que amanezcan con un aliento afrodisíaco o con un aliento insecticida.
Soy perfectamente capaz de soportar una nariz que sacaría el primer premio en una exposición de zanahorias.
Pero eso si, y en esto soy irreductible, no les perdono bajo ningún concepto que no sepan volar.
Si no saben volar, pierden el tiempo conmigo.
('El Lado Oscuro del Corazon', de Eliseo Subiela)
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
San Francisco in Jell-O
Woops! Almost forgot to mention about this...
In San Francisco an artist called Liz Hickok created scale models of the city of San Francisco using Jell-O. Due to the fact that Jell-O decays (eh.. duh!) , Hickok took many fotographs and filmed her work so as to show it to those of us who didn't manage to be in the beautiful San Francisco at time to see this project live. So here they are: The picture to your left shows a panoramic view of San Francisco bay. All those colors make me crave yummy Jell-O! In an interview in NPR (National Public Radio), Hickok did mention that in some cases she created two replicas of one model: one to show and another one for people to eat -- wouldn't it be cool to eat the Coit Tower in a single bite? I think it would... (but of course, I am a nerd and get excited by simple things).
The picture in the right shows the Bay Bridge lighted from underneath and with the foggy effects created by-always helpful-dry ice.For more pictures you can go to LizHickok.com and somewhere in that page there's also a video where you can see the Jell-O in process of decay.
En corto
Como el anterior post estuvo super largo, aqui va uno comprimido:
N se va a la India el Viernes -- 3 semanas. Damn.
N se va a la India el Viernes -- 3 semanas. Damn.
Sunday, April 30, 2006
My Guide Of London: 20 Things you definitely have to do in the Capital of Europe.
1. Walk along the Thames Path in a nice Saturday afternoon. Start your day with brunch in one of the many restaurants you can find along the south side of the Thames Path. Get started around Tower Bridge and walk west heading towards the London Eye. Along the path you’ll find a wide variety of restaurants, pubs, churches, museums, and historical sites worth seeing.
2. The Shakespeare’s Globe. You definitely cannot miss this. Throughout the year the Globe offers guided tours where they will charm you with the site’s historical background, recounts of the social scenery of the time Shakespeare was running the original Globe, they’ll show techniques used by actors to perform in front of a live audience standing just a foot from them, and if you are lucky enough you’ll get to try on one of the replica costumes from the 16th century. If you are visiting London in the summer time though, you must (and I emphasize the MUST) purchase tickets to one of the plays running at the Globe. If you don’t have much money don’t worry! The cheapest tickets are, to my point of view, the best. For around 10 pounds you’ll be standing so close to the actors that you’ll feel them breath – and I mean this literally because there’s nothing to distance the audience from the stage. The experience overall is outstanding: you’ll get to see the actors interpret Will’s plays just as they did in the 16th century in a stage that is the exact replica of the original site that used to be located in a place just a few feet away from the modern Globe; What can be better than that?
3. Visit the Tate Museum. This museum is located just next door to the Globe, and it guards hundreds of pieces of modern art. The super cool thing about it? Well, there are many super cool things about the Tate! One of them is that its permanent exhibition is free, and another one is that you’ll get to see pieces from Andy Warhol to Frieda Kahlo all in the same place! And don’t forget to observe and admire the building where the Tate is located. Originally it used to be an electric plant so the building is a massive and seemingly dull structure but if you really pay attention to it, you’ll admire it as a great representative of contemporary architecture.
Ok. Once you’re done with the Globe and the Tate you’ll be too tired to do much else, but please give yourself the opportunity to exploit and explore as much as you can in London. This city has so many things to offer that a whole year in it won’t be enough as to get to know it from head to toe, much less if you’re there just on vacation, so let’s keep going and follow my next advice:
4. The Millennium Bridge. You’re out of the Tate Museum, you’re carrying the replicas of Modigliani’s work that you bought as a souvenir, and now it’s time for you to walk across the Millennium Bridge towards St. Paul’s cathedral, in the city of Westminster. The Millennium Bridge was built as one of the pieces of architecture to open in celebration of the new Millennium, thus its name, and it’s the only bridge exclusively for pedestrians you’ll find in the area. The bridge is a work of art on its own; before you cross it make sure to take a few pictures of it because it’s really that beautiful (I myself took a few shots of the bridge with the Tate Museum right behind it and a beautiful sunset light illuminating both of them – brilliant!), and while you are crossing it also pay attention to the buildings in the surrounding area. By the way, the opening of the Millennium Bridge on the millennium year was nothing but a fiasco. The engineers who built it didn’t calculate the strength of the lateral motion of the bridge when it has hundreds of people walking across it so in order to protect the public from falling down the bridge due to this movement authorities closed the bridge on the same day it was opened to the public for the first time. One year and 5 million pounds later the bridge was re-opened and is now serving to tourists and locals to walk across the Thames.
5. St. Paul’s Cathedral. Right, so you are on the other side of the river and the first thing you see right in front of you is St. Paul’s Cathedral’s cupola – walk towards the cupola and visit this beautiful cathedral, the only one to survive almost intact to the bombings during World War I and II.
6. Strada Restaurant. You’re done with the cathedral and you are terribly hungry, what to do? Easy! Just walk across the street to a restaurant called Strada where they serve fabulous Italian food at very convenient prices. If you don’t know what to order you can do what I do, just pick something randomly and enjoy – if you’re in Strada, 9.9 out of 10 dishes you order you are definitely going to like, but if you want to play it safe, then go for the Risotto Frutti di Mare and order a bottle of the house wine. Don’t forget to make a toast on my name, sit back and submerge yourself on the delights of this trendy Italian restaurant in the heart of London.
7. Westminster Abbey. Let me see… Now, go back to the tube and do the following: take Jubilee, the district or the circle lines to Westminster station and from there visit Westminster Abbey. If you’re into the Davinci Code wave then you’ll know what to do; if you are not, then just go into the Abbey and admire its structure. To add some fun to it, you can play to find tombs of all the famous death people buried there! Just to mention a few: Charles Darwin, Geoffrey Chaucer (I was so excited when I saw this one!), Samuel Johnson (you ignorant people who don’t know who he is, Johnson is the father of the Modern English Dictionary, and one of the finest critics of English Literature), Rudyard Kipling, and Isaac Newton – Not to mention Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Mary, King Henry VIII, and a whole bunch of other members of the British royalty who have made of Westminster Abbey their permanent residence until the end of times.
8. The Parliament and the Big Ben. After this visit walk towards the Parliament and go see the Big Ben. If you want you can take the tour of the Parliament, but that takes forever.
9. Westminster Bridge. Cross the Westminster Bridge and make it a point to take a bunch of pictures. You’ll get a fabulous view of the Big Ben and the London eye from this place.
10. The London Eye. Now that you’re so close to it, walk towards the London eye. If you are smart you’ll purchase tickets to take a ride ahead of time, if you are not that smart you’ll wait in line for a couple of hours (specially in the summer time or in sunny days with a clear sky) for your tickets. Again, make a point to take hundreds of pictures and pay attention to the location of all the places you’ve visited until now. The ride in the London eye gives you a first hand opportunity to orientate yourself and every site you’ve visited until now – and if you are ‘orientationally’ challenged, like me, this will be of much help to get to know the city better.
11. Tower Bridge. Wow, so much to do, so little time left… Ok. Now, go down to the tube and take the Jubilee, District, or Circle line towards London Bridge. If you take the right exit you’ll get out facing north of the station, in this case just keep walking east and look around you—you’ll see several tunnels to the right of the streets, in one of them my beloved Chris Martin filmed one of the latest Coldplay videos, I think it was ‘Talk’. Anyway, don’t stop there and keep walking towards the tower bridge, once you’re almost there you’ll see the City Hall building, a very strange shaped building but worth seeing (you can take a ride to the top of the building and have a very nice view of London from up there if you want, if not, just keep walking), and right in front of it is the Tower Bridge, well known by everybody who’s ever seen a picture of London. Cross the bridge, take pictures, enjoy, and if you want you can go to the museum they have inside the towers.
12. The Tower of London. Once you’re done with the Tower Bridge walk to the left of the bridge in the north side of the river and go to the Tower of London. This squarely looking place keeps the amazing crown jewels which you’ll get to see if you go inside it, and historically it’s a place where many kings and queens once lived and where a few of them were decapitated also. Very nice!
13. Fleet Street and The Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese Pub. Now that you are in this area, take the tube towards Fleet Street nowadays home of many prosperous businesses, but originally known as a shady part of London. Still, if you walk east facing St. Paul’s cathedral, to the left of the Fleet Street you’ll find a street called Wine Office Court; go in there and passing a little dark tunnel you’ll find one of my favorite pubs in London, The Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. This fabulous place is one of the oldest pubs in the city (data as to pubs in this site date as far back as 1538; in 1666 it was destroyed by the great fire and later re-established in 1667) and it’s the same place where Charles Dickens, Samuel Johnson and Mark Twain spent many nights having few drinks and a nice chat with the mates. Don’t be intimidated by the dark environment and small stairs inside the pub as it is all part of its charm. Just walk down the stairs towards the ‘dungeon’, as I call it, and there you can order food and eat in the same table where the famous writers I mentioned before used to eat! Superb!
14. Dr. Samuel Johnson’s House. Keep walking to the end of this alley, make a left, keep walking, you’ll find a little plaza there, keep walking straight, make a right, keep walking and you’ll get to Gough Square where you’ll see a little bronze sculpture of a cat. This is Dr. Samuel Johnson’s cat, Hodge, which, according to its owner, was no less than “a fine cat indeed”. Facing east from the sculpture you’ll find Dr. Johnson’s own house! Nowadays his house is a museum dedicated to this fabulous man and his work.
15. Notting Hill and Portobello Market. Now to a totally different area. From downtown London, take the central line west towards Notting Hill. Try to visit it on a Saturday when it is really upbeat and populated (which I personally love, but if you’re not into crowds then any other day will do). At Portobello market you’ll find thousands of antiques for sale (be careful! Some of those antiques have been recently ‘antiqued’ to fool the inexperienced eye), and there are also many stores with super chic clothes – some rich, famous and beautiful actors and actresses live in the area, so keep your eyes open and maybe you can spot my beloved Jude Law shopping around there.
16. Piccadilly Circus, Regent’s Street, and Oxford Street. From here you can take the Piccadilly line to visit Piccadilly Circus – walk around there for a while, go window shopping through Regent’s street (stores there are so ridiculously expensive that it’s unlikely you’ll be able to do more than just ‘window shop’) and then get to Oxford Street which is another place where you’ll find hundreds of stores at more affordable prices—although I never shopped there because the things they sell are not only cheap but also look cheap which I don’t like—anyway, it’s worth seeing.
17. St. Christopher’s Place. If you’re tired of oxford street take the central line towards Bond Street Station. Take the exit towards oxford street, walk across the street heading to H&M and pay attention to a little alley next to this store, this is St. Christopher’s place. Keep walking and you’ll find a little plaza with lots of restaurants. There’s a café where they sell super good sandwiches, there’s also a pizza express, a Greek food restaurant and an Italian food restaurant. Keep walking and you’ll find several jewelry stores and towards the end of the street, right in front of a store called Whistles, there’s a building perfectly concealed as a private condominium, that is actually a hotel and that’s where N and I lived for a month when we just arrived to London.
18. Kensington High Street and Holland Park. Ok. With only three more things to mention in the list we have to be pragmatic. If you like to go shopping then quick! Go underground and take the district line towards Kensington High Street and go bananas in this fabulous area where you can find beautiful clothes at expensive prices ;) Keep walking and you’ll find Holland Park. Please dedicate as much time as you can to this place because it’s beautiful – try and find a map of the park and look for the Japanese area of the park where you really feel as if you were in Kyoto.
19. Harrods. You gotta go to Harrods! That store you cannot miss, and buy something to eat there—everything they have is delicious although expensive.
20. Trafalgar Square and its surroundings. Last but not least… Go online and buy tickets to the theater. You can’t live London without going to see a play, so once you’ve got your tickets go with a few hours to spend in Trafalgar Square and the National Museum, then walk north towards Covent Garden, browse at the stores (they have crazy things in that area), and then go to the theater; any play will do.
21. British Museum. Ok. 21… I know! But this is a bonus and I must mention this because once in London you must go to the British Museum. It’s free so don’t worry if the theatre tickets and the High Street shopping left you broke! Enjoy the British, its architecture, the works of art it keeps. Make a point of seeing the Rosetta stone and go to the library – two things you can’t miss.
2. The Shakespeare’s Globe. You definitely cannot miss this. Throughout the year the Globe offers guided tours where they will charm you with the site’s historical background, recounts of the social scenery of the time Shakespeare was running the original Globe, they’ll show techniques used by actors to perform in front of a live audience standing just a foot from them, and if you are lucky enough you’ll get to try on one of the replica costumes from the 16th century. If you are visiting London in the summer time though, you must (and I emphasize the MUST) purchase tickets to one of the plays running at the Globe. If you don’t have much money don’t worry! The cheapest tickets are, to my point of view, the best. For around 10 pounds you’ll be standing so close to the actors that you’ll feel them breath – and I mean this literally because there’s nothing to distance the audience from the stage. The experience overall is outstanding: you’ll get to see the actors interpret Will’s plays just as they did in the 16th century in a stage that is the exact replica of the original site that used to be located in a place just a few feet away from the modern Globe; What can be better than that?
3. Visit the Tate Museum. This museum is located just next door to the Globe, and it guards hundreds of pieces of modern art. The super cool thing about it? Well, there are many super cool things about the Tate! One of them is that its permanent exhibition is free, and another one is that you’ll get to see pieces from Andy Warhol to Frieda Kahlo all in the same place! And don’t forget to observe and admire the building where the Tate is located. Originally it used to be an electric plant so the building is a massive and seemingly dull structure but if you really pay attention to it, you’ll admire it as a great representative of contemporary architecture.
Ok. Once you’re done with the Globe and the Tate you’ll be too tired to do much else, but please give yourself the opportunity to exploit and explore as much as you can in London. This city has so many things to offer that a whole year in it won’t be enough as to get to know it from head to toe, much less if you’re there just on vacation, so let’s keep going and follow my next advice:
4. The Millennium Bridge. You’re out of the Tate Museum, you’re carrying the replicas of Modigliani’s work that you bought as a souvenir, and now it’s time for you to walk across the Millennium Bridge towards St. Paul’s cathedral, in the city of Westminster. The Millennium Bridge was built as one of the pieces of architecture to open in celebration of the new Millennium, thus its name, and it’s the only bridge exclusively for pedestrians you’ll find in the area. The bridge is a work of art on its own; before you cross it make sure to take a few pictures of it because it’s really that beautiful (I myself took a few shots of the bridge with the Tate Museum right behind it and a beautiful sunset light illuminating both of them – brilliant!), and while you are crossing it also pay attention to the buildings in the surrounding area. By the way, the opening of the Millennium Bridge on the millennium year was nothing but a fiasco. The engineers who built it didn’t calculate the strength of the lateral motion of the bridge when it has hundreds of people walking across it so in order to protect the public from falling down the bridge due to this movement authorities closed the bridge on the same day it was opened to the public for the first time. One year and 5 million pounds later the bridge was re-opened and is now serving to tourists and locals to walk across the Thames.
5. St. Paul’s Cathedral. Right, so you are on the other side of the river and the first thing you see right in front of you is St. Paul’s Cathedral’s cupola – walk towards the cupola and visit this beautiful cathedral, the only one to survive almost intact to the bombings during World War I and II.
6. Strada Restaurant. You’re done with the cathedral and you are terribly hungry, what to do? Easy! Just walk across the street to a restaurant called Strada where they serve fabulous Italian food at very convenient prices. If you don’t know what to order you can do what I do, just pick something randomly and enjoy – if you’re in Strada, 9.9 out of 10 dishes you order you are definitely going to like, but if you want to play it safe, then go for the Risotto Frutti di Mare and order a bottle of the house wine. Don’t forget to make a toast on my name, sit back and submerge yourself on the delights of this trendy Italian restaurant in the heart of London.
7. Westminster Abbey. Let me see… Now, go back to the tube and do the following: take Jubilee, the district or the circle lines to Westminster station and from there visit Westminster Abbey. If you’re into the Davinci Code wave then you’ll know what to do; if you are not, then just go into the Abbey and admire its structure. To add some fun to it, you can play to find tombs of all the famous death people buried there! Just to mention a few: Charles Darwin, Geoffrey Chaucer (I was so excited when I saw this one!), Samuel Johnson (you ignorant people who don’t know who he is, Johnson is the father of the Modern English Dictionary, and one of the finest critics of English Literature), Rudyard Kipling, and Isaac Newton – Not to mention Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Mary, King Henry VIII, and a whole bunch of other members of the British royalty who have made of Westminster Abbey their permanent residence until the end of times.
8. The Parliament and the Big Ben. After this visit walk towards the Parliament and go see the Big Ben. If you want you can take the tour of the Parliament, but that takes forever.
9. Westminster Bridge. Cross the Westminster Bridge and make it a point to take a bunch of pictures. You’ll get a fabulous view of the Big Ben and the London eye from this place.
10. The London Eye. Now that you’re so close to it, walk towards the London eye. If you are smart you’ll purchase tickets to take a ride ahead of time, if you are not that smart you’ll wait in line for a couple of hours (specially in the summer time or in sunny days with a clear sky) for your tickets. Again, make a point to take hundreds of pictures and pay attention to the location of all the places you’ve visited until now. The ride in the London eye gives you a first hand opportunity to orientate yourself and every site you’ve visited until now – and if you are ‘orientationally’ challenged, like me, this will be of much help to get to know the city better.
11. Tower Bridge. Wow, so much to do, so little time left… Ok. Now, go down to the tube and take the Jubilee, District, or Circle line towards London Bridge. If you take the right exit you’ll get out facing north of the station, in this case just keep walking east and look around you—you’ll see several tunnels to the right of the streets, in one of them my beloved Chris Martin filmed one of the latest Coldplay videos, I think it was ‘Talk’. Anyway, don’t stop there and keep walking towards the tower bridge, once you’re almost there you’ll see the City Hall building, a very strange shaped building but worth seeing (you can take a ride to the top of the building and have a very nice view of London from up there if you want, if not, just keep walking), and right in front of it is the Tower Bridge, well known by everybody who’s ever seen a picture of London. Cross the bridge, take pictures, enjoy, and if you want you can go to the museum they have inside the towers.
12. The Tower of London. Once you’re done with the Tower Bridge walk to the left of the bridge in the north side of the river and go to the Tower of London. This squarely looking place keeps the amazing crown jewels which you’ll get to see if you go inside it, and historically it’s a place where many kings and queens once lived and where a few of them were decapitated also. Very nice!
13. Fleet Street and The Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese Pub. Now that you are in this area, take the tube towards Fleet Street nowadays home of many prosperous businesses, but originally known as a shady part of London. Still, if you walk east facing St. Paul’s cathedral, to the left of the Fleet Street you’ll find a street called Wine Office Court; go in there and passing a little dark tunnel you’ll find one of my favorite pubs in London, The Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. This fabulous place is one of the oldest pubs in the city (data as to pubs in this site date as far back as 1538; in 1666 it was destroyed by the great fire and later re-established in 1667) and it’s the same place where Charles Dickens, Samuel Johnson and Mark Twain spent many nights having few drinks and a nice chat with the mates. Don’t be intimidated by the dark environment and small stairs inside the pub as it is all part of its charm. Just walk down the stairs towards the ‘dungeon’, as I call it, and there you can order food and eat in the same table where the famous writers I mentioned before used to eat! Superb!
14. Dr. Samuel Johnson’s House. Keep walking to the end of this alley, make a left, keep walking, you’ll find a little plaza there, keep walking straight, make a right, keep walking and you’ll get to Gough Square where you’ll see a little bronze sculpture of a cat. This is Dr. Samuel Johnson’s cat, Hodge, which, according to its owner, was no less than “a fine cat indeed”. Facing east from the sculpture you’ll find Dr. Johnson’s own house! Nowadays his house is a museum dedicated to this fabulous man and his work.
15. Notting Hill and Portobello Market. Now to a totally different area. From downtown London, take the central line west towards Notting Hill. Try to visit it on a Saturday when it is really upbeat and populated (which I personally love, but if you’re not into crowds then any other day will do). At Portobello market you’ll find thousands of antiques for sale (be careful! Some of those antiques have been recently ‘antiqued’ to fool the inexperienced eye), and there are also many stores with super chic clothes – some rich, famous and beautiful actors and actresses live in the area, so keep your eyes open and maybe you can spot my beloved Jude Law shopping around there.
16. Piccadilly Circus, Regent’s Street, and Oxford Street. From here you can take the Piccadilly line to visit Piccadilly Circus – walk around there for a while, go window shopping through Regent’s street (stores there are so ridiculously expensive that it’s unlikely you’ll be able to do more than just ‘window shop’) and then get to Oxford Street which is another place where you’ll find hundreds of stores at more affordable prices—although I never shopped there because the things they sell are not only cheap but also look cheap which I don’t like—anyway, it’s worth seeing.
17. St. Christopher’s Place. If you’re tired of oxford street take the central line towards Bond Street Station. Take the exit towards oxford street, walk across the street heading to H&M and pay attention to a little alley next to this store, this is St. Christopher’s place. Keep walking and you’ll find a little plaza with lots of restaurants. There’s a café where they sell super good sandwiches, there’s also a pizza express, a Greek food restaurant and an Italian food restaurant. Keep walking and you’ll find several jewelry stores and towards the end of the street, right in front of a store called Whistles, there’s a building perfectly concealed as a private condominium, that is actually a hotel and that’s where N and I lived for a month when we just arrived to London.
18. Kensington High Street and Holland Park. Ok. With only three more things to mention in the list we have to be pragmatic. If you like to go shopping then quick! Go underground and take the district line towards Kensington High Street and go bananas in this fabulous area where you can find beautiful clothes at expensive prices ;) Keep walking and you’ll find Holland Park. Please dedicate as much time as you can to this place because it’s beautiful – try and find a map of the park and look for the Japanese area of the park where you really feel as if you were in Kyoto.
19. Harrods. You gotta go to Harrods! That store you cannot miss, and buy something to eat there—everything they have is delicious although expensive.
20. Trafalgar Square and its surroundings. Last but not least… Go online and buy tickets to the theater. You can’t live London without going to see a play, so once you’ve got your tickets go with a few hours to spend in Trafalgar Square and the National Museum, then walk north towards Covent Garden, browse at the stores (they have crazy things in that area), and then go to the theater; any play will do.
21. British Museum. Ok. 21… I know! But this is a bonus and I must mention this because once in London you must go to the British Museum. It’s free so don’t worry if the theatre tickets and the High Street shopping left you broke! Enjoy the British, its architecture, the works of art it keeps. Make a point of seeing the Rosetta stone and go to the library – two things you can’t miss.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
The 'I Believe' Series.
The National Public Radio has an ongoing project, the 'I believe' series, in which they call people to contribute in writing short essays (around 500 words) where they tell about what they believe in. The project looks for positive essays where people focus on the subjects they actually believe in, not in those they do not believe, and that tell the story of what was that led people to believe in a determinate matter.
"I believe there is no God", "I believe in Creativity", "I believe in imagination", are just a few of the many I believes that people have sent to NPR, but here's one that I found today and that I particularly like, "I believe there is more to life than my life", by Jamaica Ritcher.
In a way, this short, simple, straight to the point, emotional and yet very rational essay, gives voice to what I believe: that although there's no life after life, death is nevertheless not an end to what we are; death is just one of a series of changes in which we all have taken part for millions of years, a step that's far from the last but the first one to build new paths, and new life—even if it’s not life as we now know it. So here it is, for your enjoyment, Jamaica Ritcher's 'I Believe'.
My daughter Maia is 2 and has just asked about our cat. Our cat is dead. Maia knows this. What she's wondering is where he's gone and what has happened to him now that he no longer meows beneath her kitchen chair, impatient for the drips off her spoon.
This is the moment I realize I need to know what I believe.
My parents were straightforward in admitting they didn't know what happens when we die. As a child, I probably lost a solid year of sleep pondering that enormous mystery. Bone-still under the covers I lay awake picturing my future of eternal nothingness and wracked by the tragedy of no more Me. The subject still haunts me. I'd like Maia's attitude to be slightly healthier. This is what I bring to composing an answer to her question about the cat.
After a weighty pause I tell my daughter that Martin (the cat) is out in the field. I tell her that when animals, including people, die, they are usually put into the ground and that their bodies become the grasses, flowers and trees. I pass my hand over Maia's blonde curls, gently touch a rosy cheek and check her reaction. She appears untroubled. She seems thrilled by the thought of one day becoming a flower.
I am stunned. In this exchange, I actually realize what I believe, as if so many fragments from my life -- camping trips and nature walks, pangs of sympathy, awe toward the crashing sea and towering skyscraper, love, science class, motherhood -- have suddenly converged into one unified conviction: not that I'm destined for plant fertilizer, but that there is more to life than my life. I am not the lonely human, plunked down on earth to aimlessly wander. I am a part of that earth and not going anywhere -- just like the spider up in the corner, the dust on the sill and the cat I buried in the backyard. I watch Maia mull things over while she munches her Cheerios. I feel an unfamiliar calm. I feel connected. I am humbled and, what's more, happy. Life, death: both are all around me, within my every breath.
Later, I reach for my daughter's hand and we muddy our shoes with a springtime walk. Together, we see new leaves glowing against the sun, green hillsides shimmering with the breeze, the bright purple bursts of lupine. And it's okay if there is nothing beyond this, because there is this: life, everlasting, in the bloom of every flower.
Posted in NPR.org, on April 24, 2006.
"I believe there is no God", "I believe in Creativity", "I believe in imagination", are just a few of the many I believes that people have sent to NPR, but here's one that I found today and that I particularly like, "I believe there is more to life than my life", by Jamaica Ritcher.
In a way, this short, simple, straight to the point, emotional and yet very rational essay, gives voice to what I believe: that although there's no life after life, death is nevertheless not an end to what we are; death is just one of a series of changes in which we all have taken part for millions of years, a step that's far from the last but the first one to build new paths, and new life—even if it’s not life as we now know it. So here it is, for your enjoyment, Jamaica Ritcher's 'I Believe'.
My daughter Maia is 2 and has just asked about our cat. Our cat is dead. Maia knows this. What she's wondering is where he's gone and what has happened to him now that he no longer meows beneath her kitchen chair, impatient for the drips off her spoon.
This is the moment I realize I need to know what I believe.
My parents were straightforward in admitting they didn't know what happens when we die. As a child, I probably lost a solid year of sleep pondering that enormous mystery. Bone-still under the covers I lay awake picturing my future of eternal nothingness and wracked by the tragedy of no more Me. The subject still haunts me. I'd like Maia's attitude to be slightly healthier. This is what I bring to composing an answer to her question about the cat.
After a weighty pause I tell my daughter that Martin (the cat) is out in the field. I tell her that when animals, including people, die, they are usually put into the ground and that their bodies become the grasses, flowers and trees. I pass my hand over Maia's blonde curls, gently touch a rosy cheek and check her reaction. She appears untroubled. She seems thrilled by the thought of one day becoming a flower.
I am stunned. In this exchange, I actually realize what I believe, as if so many fragments from my life -- camping trips and nature walks, pangs of sympathy, awe toward the crashing sea and towering skyscraper, love, science class, motherhood -- have suddenly converged into one unified conviction: not that I'm destined for plant fertilizer, but that there is more to life than my life. I am not the lonely human, plunked down on earth to aimlessly wander. I am a part of that earth and not going anywhere -- just like the spider up in the corner, the dust on the sill and the cat I buried in the backyard. I watch Maia mull things over while she munches her Cheerios. I feel an unfamiliar calm. I feel connected. I am humbled and, what's more, happy. Life, death: both are all around me, within my every breath.
Later, I reach for my daughter's hand and we muddy our shoes with a springtime walk. Together, we see new leaves glowing against the sun, green hillsides shimmering with the breeze, the bright purple bursts of lupine. And it's okay if there is nothing beyond this, because there is this: life, everlasting, in the bloom of every flower.
Posted in NPR.org, on April 24, 2006.
Monday, April 24, 2006
Saturday, April 22, 2006
rootless
I opened a group called Quito in Flickr a few months ago. It’s just now that I’ve taken some time to browse at all the pictures people have posted and I have bitter sweet feelings about it. On one side, I love to see that placed lovingly portrayed by people who live or have spent some time in Quito, but on the other side it pains me that I no longer recognize around 90% of the places where those pictures were taken. It sucks living in a place for 18 years, then move out, then look at pictures and see it all so changed and distant that makes me wonder whether or not I ever really lived there.
Meanwhile, all the rest, all the family, all the friends, all the childhood memories and teenage adventures are completely framed by Quito. But it almost feels as if the city was like an artificial stage that I built only in my mind and that, like dreams, faded in an instant of light; almost the same thing that happens with my time in London.
I love moving around, living in new places, getting to know people, having all these experiences that otherwise I wouldn’t have, but I hate not having any roots anywhere. It’s almost as if none of the places I’ve lived in have that little something that states that once I was there.
Damn lightness of being.
Meanwhile, all the rest, all the family, all the friends, all the childhood memories and teenage adventures are completely framed by Quito. But it almost feels as if the city was like an artificial stage that I built only in my mind and that, like dreams, faded in an instant of light; almost the same thing that happens with my time in London.
I love moving around, living in new places, getting to know people, having all these experiences that otherwise I wouldn’t have, but I hate not having any roots anywhere. It’s almost as if none of the places I’ve lived in have that little something that states that once I was there.
Damn lightness of being.
Saturday, April 08, 2006
On Work, Lolita, and something more (I guess)
Did I happen to mention that I am working? (duh!, of course I did!)
Not that I’m complaining or anything, but I don’t have much time for anything but work lately, and the few hours I have away from the office I spend working out and watching TV; the last thing I want to do when I get home is turning on my laptop and spend yet another hour answering e-mails or typing, thus the lack of updates in this place.
Anyway, I am happy to say that I am enjoying my job very much. The environment is very open and friendly, people are nice, the job itself is interesting, and I am busy all the time which makes the days go by so fast that I can’t believe it’s Saturday already!.
I have been reading “Lolita” by Vladimir Nabokov in the last couple of weeks and I am perplexed by this book’s narrative, as well as by the disturbing topic it deals with (pedophilia). “Lolita”, for those of you who haven’t read it, is Humbert Humbert’s autobiography led by a ‘love story’ (I use the quotation marks because what is ‘love’ in this story can be lengthy discussed) between this man and a thirteen years old girl, Lolita.
Thirteen years old! Come on! Well, the book is such a fabulous piece of literature that for more than its first half you keep reading and reading Humbert’s explanation of why he is attracted to nymphets (or sexually aware and desirable young girls) that it becomes something so natural in its context that, at moments, it hardly seems wrong. However, eventually in the book you start realizing the deep and negative impact this kind of relationship has on Lolita, and although the reader can notice plenty of dysfunctional moments throughout the book it is not until the last second half that something lights on Humbert’s mind and he starts realizing the harm he caused to this girl, although he never repents on it –so blinded is he by his passion and sexual desire for his Lo.
So! Now that I’m done with “Lolita” (I even watched Stanley Kubrick’s film version of it last night!), I’m getting started with “The Great Gatsby” sometime this weekend … I’ll let you know how that one goes. Right now I’m listening to The Boards of Canada, super cool electronic music, perfect for Saturday morning.
Not that I’m complaining or anything, but I don’t have much time for anything but work lately, and the few hours I have away from the office I spend working out and watching TV; the last thing I want to do when I get home is turning on my laptop and spend yet another hour answering e-mails or typing, thus the lack of updates in this place.
Anyway, I am happy to say that I am enjoying my job very much. The environment is very open and friendly, people are nice, the job itself is interesting, and I am busy all the time which makes the days go by so fast that I can’t believe it’s Saturday already!.
I have been reading “Lolita” by Vladimir Nabokov in the last couple of weeks and I am perplexed by this book’s narrative, as well as by the disturbing topic it deals with (pedophilia). “Lolita”, for those of you who haven’t read it, is Humbert Humbert’s autobiography led by a ‘love story’ (I use the quotation marks because what is ‘love’ in this story can be lengthy discussed) between this man and a thirteen years old girl, Lolita.
Thirteen years old! Come on! Well, the book is such a fabulous piece of literature that for more than its first half you keep reading and reading Humbert’s explanation of why he is attracted to nymphets (or sexually aware and desirable young girls) that it becomes something so natural in its context that, at moments, it hardly seems wrong. However, eventually in the book you start realizing the deep and negative impact this kind of relationship has on Lolita, and although the reader can notice plenty of dysfunctional moments throughout the book it is not until the last second half that something lights on Humbert’s mind and he starts realizing the harm he caused to this girl, although he never repents on it –so blinded is he by his passion and sexual desire for his Lo.
So! Now that I’m done with “Lolita” (I even watched Stanley Kubrick’s film version of it last night!), I’m getting started with “The Great Gatsby” sometime this weekend … I’ll let you know how that one goes. Right now I’m listening to The Boards of Canada, super cool electronic music, perfect for Saturday morning.
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