tracy

dear matty (aka what tracy does on a tuesday night)

2011-07-27T00:22:00.006-05:00

remember when you realized i had my eyes wide open looking at you in the middle of the night after i'd snuggled up next to you, and i couldn't stop laughing at your reaction afterwards? "i love you," you'd said. that was last night.

today at dinner you were telling me about the 24 packs of the pasta you like that you bought, and that they were enough dinner for two not one when i said that cooking for one is a pain.

and when i asked you to snap a photo of us with my phone, you asked, "why?" and "because i want one" was reason enough. soon after you caught me tampering with the photo on picnik even though i tried to hide it with my hand when you came over to my computer.

(to be continued...)

when tears turn into laughter

2011-07-11T13:29:00.004-05:00

hahahhaahhahahahhahahahahhahahahhahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhaahhahahahhahahahahhahahahhahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhaahhahahahhahahahahhahahahhahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhaahhahahahhahahahahhahahahhahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhaahhahahahhahahahahhahahahhahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhaahhahahahhahahahahhahahahhahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhaahhahahahhahahahahhahahahhahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhaahhahahahhahahahahhahahahhahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhaahhahahahhahahahahhahahahhahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhaahhahahahhahahahahhahahahhahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhaahhahahahhahahahahhahahahhahahahahahhahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

found out.

2010-12-24T18:51:00.003-06:00

my dear lab partner Matt "Supersack" Sachtler IMs me after i leak some content online about Matt (the boyfriend) Vera-

Matt: tracy
is there another matt in your life
you can tell me, be honest
:P
Sent at 8:16 PM on Thursday
me: oh dear, i see you've found out :b
Sent at 10:37 PM on Thursday

webcam-ing with my love (aka screenshots).

2010-12-22T17:11:00.004-06:00

marvyn.

2010-07-06T13:53:00.006-05:00

Marvyn
are you taking the 5:13 shuttle?
2:43 PM Tracy
erps that's a bit early
why
when are you going
2:43 PM Marvyn
5:13
2:43 PM Tracy
that's so early!
2:44 PM Marvyn
a work day from 9 to 5 is 8 hours!
5:13 is some overtime

2:44 PM Marvyn
in fact, i don't have much to do today. and i want to watch my car while it's still sun/warm outside
SO
2:44 PM Tracy
you want to WATCH your car???????????
2:45 PM Marvyn
yeah, i like to just sit in it and look at it from various angles
no- i meant wash-
2:45 PM Tracy
hahahahahhaahahhahahahahahaa
the first one seemed pretty plausible too
ridiculous, but marvyn-plausible
ok i'll see how much i get done
but i was thinking more the 615
2:46 PM Marvyn
what do you mean marvyn-plausible
2:46 PM Tracy
considering how much you adore your car
it could be possible that you just wanted to watch it
hahahahhahahaa
ridiculous for anyone else
2:47 PM Marvyn
when i walk towards it, i have a particularly slow pace, just so i can admire it for a few more seconds
2:47 PM Tracy
but marvyn can be pretty ridiculous :b
2:47 PM Marvyn
you know what's ridiculous
RINGING MY BELL AT 7 IN THE MORNING
2:47 PM Tracy
WHAT
you were up
and it was 8
i thought your phone had died or you ran out of mins
i didn't know you Have no minutes
2:47 PM Marvyn
i was in the shower. totally unexpecting your visit. you ruined my shower plan
2:48 PM Tracy
i'm sorry about your shower
i'll help you take a nice long one
tonight, i will go home and have a nice long hot shower

2:48 PM Marvyn
how does that help me
what's done is done, i am SCARRED
2:48 PM Tracy
because it makes up for the shower lost
2:48 PM Marvyn
ok not so much
2:48 PM Tracy
hahahhahaha
2:48 PM Marvyn
it doesn't make up for MY lost shower
you know who will get a cold shower today
2:49 PM Tracy
who
2:49 PM Marvyn
damn it i don't have a name for it yet
""IT""
2:49 PM Tracy
what?
2:49 PM Marvyn
""""""""""""""""""""""""IT"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
2:49 PM Tracy
this conversation is so ridiculous

2:49 PM Marvyn
my car
2:49 PM Tracy
oh
hahahahahha
i don't have a name for my fish either
2:49 PM Marvyn
i told you i was going to wash it
your fish is sad in that little aquarium
2:50 PM Tracy
i can name my fish gti and you can name your car betta
2:50 PM Marvyn
if i was the fish, i would yell at you
never
2:50 PM Tracy
it's not sad okay
2:50 PM Marvyn
he's miserable
2:50 PM Tracy
i'm going to name him marvyn
2:50 PM Marvyn
he wishes he was still in the caribean
2:50 PM Tracy
he does not
2:50 PM Marvyn
with all his little friends
his parents
the sun
2:50 PM Tracy
he was not from the caribbean okay
2:50 PM Marvyn
free food, all the time
2:50 PM Tracy
what free food
i give him free food
2:51 PM Marvyn
now he's in an office
2:51 PM Tracy
that's it
his name is marvyn
2:51 PM Marvyn
but not when he wants
he wants to eat all the time
that's how fishes work
2:51 PM Tracy
no he doesn't
i feed him everyday and he doesn't eat
yesterday i didn't feed him
today he was finally hungry
2:51 PM Marvyn
he doesn't like what you're giving him
2:51 PM Tracy
and he ate ONE pellet
2:51 PM Marvyn
it must be awful
2:51 PM Tracy
i gave him more and he spat it out
2:51 PM Marvyn
that fish is really miserable
2:51 PM Tracy
blergh
you buy some worms for him then
2:52 PM Marvyn
i didn't choose to take care of this fish
2:52 PM Tracy
you're the one making all the noise
he's not complaining
2:52 PM Marvyn
hehe
2:52 PM Tracy
i think he's pretty happy today
having eaten ONE pellet
2:52 PM Marvyn
in reality, i do not care at all
my parents bought a fish when i left. it's a goldfish, pretty obese. they also named him marvyn
2:52 PM Tracy
hahahahhaahahaa
2:52 PM Marvyn
i'm a fish in multiple locations
2:52 PM Tracy
hahahahahhahahaha
hahahahahahhahahaahaha
hahahahahahhahahha
hahahahahaahhaa
there must be something distinctly fishy about you
you are destined to be a fish
you should sign off, marvyn, the fish
not the dolphin, but the fish.
hahahahhahahahahahah
hehehehhehehehehehehehee
rofl
roflmao
hehehehhehehehehehehehehe
this is too funny
i am laughing too hard in my office
it's a good thing no one is walking by
hahahahhahaha
2:54 PM Marvyn
in my second career, i could be a clown maybe
2:55 PM Tracy
maybe
a clown for fish
a clownfish!

this is marvyn:

okay, here is the other marvyn:

marvyn's been eating much better lately.

hot date

2010-05-15T00:26:00.002-05:00

While driving somewhere, my colleague, Justin, and I discuss evening plans.

"I'm having a hot date tonight," says he.
"Ooh, really? What are you going to do?" I respond.
"I'm going to put my dates in the microwave. Mmm, yummm."

spain travel journal, second installment.

2009-12-06T14:46:00.003-06:00

22 de Agosto, 2009. Sabado.

Estoy asentado aqui, en la Pradera de Ordesa, desayunando de un pobladilo de chocolate, despues de una naranja. Arrived in Torla yesterday, it's a beautiful little town, all cobblestoned streets and bricks and flowers. Went straight to the Parque Nacional for some trekking. It was gorgeous. I did a shorter trek, the book said it would take 5-6h minus 1 hour, I completed it in about 3.5h. Plants, little flowers, grasshoppers, birds, deer. The towering limestone walls. The youngish deer who turned towards me and cocked his head to one side as if inquiring, am I friend or foe? The herd, the humphing noise of a deer snorting, clearing his nose. The limestone wall ablaze with the sunset's orange, reflecting enough to light up the path, against a backdrop of still-clear blue sky, with pure white clouds racing across in the high winds above. Today I'll do a trek of 7 hours, so the book says it should be. I love it here. Somehow the curls and rolls of Spaniards' Spanish fit perfectly with the stone walls and churches in these little villages.

23 de Agosto, 2009. Domingo.

The stone wall against my shoulder and the stone bench under me is a blessed cool in midday. Here I am sitting in shadow in the small plaza de constitución in Torla, waiting for my bus to Sabiñanigo. The breeze that comes up to the street Calle Tatás makes this the perfect cool spot to sit in summer, and watch the tourists go by. There is nothing like a good heart that makes a person stand out from the crowd and shine like a blazing beacon for a million miles around. I fall towards it like a stone to the sun.

Today, met Juan Carlos of Mexico in the artesania shop Luna Maya. His wife is from here, so he spends half the year here, and half there. Or maybe 1-3 and the rest traveling. Super friendly smiley guy. He runs places to stay in Southern Mexico. Kids shouting ¨Hola! Como te llamas?¨in a peekaboo fashion at me from the railings of the visitors' centre above me after I had breakfast there. It is away from people, a little, and has a great view of the mountains and Torla's church. Yesterday's trekking, wow. Walk forever up and up and up and up as if climbing on to heaven on the Sendero de los Calzadores (Hunter's Path). Then the amazingly beautiful Faja de Pelay. The other Faja (Racón?) the day before was gorgeous too. I love the fajas. Impresionante. Then finally, after an eternity, the Cola de Caballo waterfall. So tired by then. I desperately wanted chocolate but didn't have any with me. Then continue along the Valle de Ordesa, along some beautiful waterfalls that fall into beautiful blue-green pools and rivers. My feet hurt so much I thought they might fall off. A wonderful guy with hippie dreadlocks and Catalá speaking friends lent me his palo :) and another wonderful guy asked after my bandaged foot :) Beautifully kindhearted and helpful people. Muy buena honda. :) The sun has moved and is now on me. Me voy para mi monchila grande y a la parada de autobus.

26 de Agosto, 2009. Miercoles.

I like having time to wait, if I have a notebook to write in, or a book I want to read (in this case the travel guide). Better than rushing places. I like taking my time, doing things in a relaxed, no-deadline fashion. Am now in the Termibus of Bilbao, waiting for my 9:15pm bus to Santander. Left my delicious Camembert cheese in the hostel. and I HAVE to stop eating ice cream! I've had 5 in the space of 3 (?) days. Goodness. Thank goodness I'm going hiking in the Picos de Europa!

I managed to reach San Sebastián in the same day, Sunday night. Wandered around the Parte Vieja looking for internet (to call Javier, but he never picked up) and a hostel, and hostel guy from Beti Anaiak picked us up (met Cesia on the streets and she preferred wandering around with me than alone). At first it seemed reall dubious but we stayed for the good value-to-price ratio and because we were tired, as it was the 2nd place we'd looked at. The first was San Fermin Hostel and it was offering 23 euro, this one promised 20 euro with free bfast and internet and coffee and washer and dryer. It was dirty and there was absolutely no place to hang my clothes, but there were hot showers and a large room just for Cesia and me.

Talked with the other inhabitants - Italian trio (cute nice girl with 2 boys) - in Spanish, and Californians from LA, and a guy from Ubekhistan. He made a delicious omelette with bacon and mushroom for breakfast, and a cup of coffee for each of us. It was delicious :D
The Californians were going to Valencia for the tomato festival. I hear they are headed to Malaga after that, and staying for 2 weeks, so I might meet them there. Walked around with Cesia in the day. Met Javier, but he was a bit too clingy and insistent so Cesia helped by making the ecuse of shopping so we could get rid of him. We shopped a bit, or well, Cesia did and I accompanied her (I'm supposed to be anti-consumerist, but it's so hard here with the lovely unordinary and fashionable things that fit skinny people!) At least I resisted buying the super expensive red coat (71 euro) and the sweater from Blanco (~20 euro). Did buy a Buff though (9.45euro compared to 30++ SGD) since it's a Spanish brand and cheaper here. Might get more in Barcelona since I like them so much. Went to Monte Urgull and climbed up, and walked a little along the walkway but didn't reach the beach. Talked a lot with Cesia though, don't think we stopped much. And we had Pintxos at 3 bars at night, one of them being the recommended Aletena (?), and it was indeed superb. And we happened to just stumble in at the bar right when the kitchen opened. Had 2 gelatos from the Boulevard Gelateria - once in the afternoon and once for dessert. Sherali, the Uzbekh, is now doing his Bachelor's in Germany (Frankfurt), and taught himself how to bodyboard and then to surf at the Playa Gros. You meet lots of people (Europeans and non-Europeans Eurotripping in the hostels in the bigger cities). Woke up later, showered, and left for Bilbao on Tuesday. Didn't feel like doing anything cos I was tired. Met smiley Australian of Malaysian descent, and Paul the German. He's now in Santander and I'll go find him when I arrive. Or rather, he's gonna pick me up at the station. Today I bought my Buff at El Corte Ingles, went to the Guggenheim and spent 4.5h there (7.50 euro for students with audio guide), and then went to teh Casco Viejo to wander around. And had TWO! ice creams even though I swore after Monday that I'm not having ice cream for another week. Hrmm.

29 de Agosto, 2009. Sabado.

I might stay here for another night. It's 12:30am now, midnight of Saturday going on Sunday. Think I might buy some pcards if I see some nice ones.. to send home and for Iso. I AM growing up. Now I do like having my own private room in a budget hotel (hostal) where I an hang my laundry and used clothes up, and handwash all my laundry as I travel. I read El País today on the bus from Oviedo to A Coruña. It was a cool bus, though not to the level of those amazing cama buses yet. It had free snacks, water, newspapers. There were some pieces I wanted to do 剪报 on, to improve my Spanish vocab and because I liked them. Saw 2 grammar books (amongst others) that I contemplated buying at a row of cool stalls along one of the main drags/promenades of La Coruña. I'd been moving really fast for the last 2 weeks, because of momentum, because places to stay are expensive, and because I feel a little pressure to get to the South quickly. We passed some really gorgeous beaches and buffs on the bus today. Wish I didn't have a time limit, so I can dawdle and wander slowly from one to the next. I could easily spend months here. Talking with the locals, spending 2 or 3 days in each nook and cranny. I want to read, and write, and take my time. I want to sleep enough, so I eat well. I want to try the pulpo a la gallego, and jamon bellota, and queso manchega. Eating out is expensive. So expensive. The next time i do so it'll be at a recommended restaurant. Cafe con leche here has been great. I shall try churro con chocolate.

30 de Agosto, 2009. Domingo.

Today has been a really slow day. I look for churros con chocolate and end up having menu del dia at some random bar-restaurant for 9 euro. Pulpo a la gallego, churrasco, y refresco, at Cafe Paris. And postre. Flan. Want to learn how to make flan. Delicious super sweet yumminess. Had a choice of tarta de Santiago, flan, yogurt or cafe. Hoho. Great value, I say. Tomorrow I go to Pontevedra to meet Sergio Veloso, hope he turns out to be alright!
Tentative plan is: León - Burgos - Salamanca - Ávila - Segovia - Madrid - Cuenca - Toledo - Cáceres - Trujillo - Seville.
But may go to Vigo with Sergio, and Porto as well. We'll see!
Now for the rest of Santiago.

---------------------------------------------------

Large masses of people annoy me.

1 de Septiembre, 2009. Martes. 2:34pm.

Another forced wait. But I'm getting better at just accepting it, quickly changing plans, and enjoying the time given. Stone benches in the summer are such a delicious cool. Something to be said for all the stone and construction (well, Roman ruins and such) in Europe. It must've been quite something to live in those days. And there are so many places to just sit down in Europe, convenient places to eat your own food (important for a budget traveler), or chat with friends or while some time away watching people go by.

When I'm traveling I prefer places of nature, beautiful landscapes, small niches with few people, so I can take my time taking it all in. To live though, I prefer being in a big city, with more things to do and see, more people, different kinds of people.

Pontevedra is a really small town. It's nice to watch the residents go about their daily lives, walking the dog, chatting with friends. It was nice staying with Sergio and meeting his Argentinian friends.

To really feel or understand a city (big) you must live in it for a while.
I'm sitting here nibbling on dried fruits and nuts, and there are actually other tourists here! Unbelievable. Sergio says it's popular with Madrileños.
Sergio and I went to the beach yesterday, and he explained to me that Rias are not Rios and are salty - it's the sea coming in, he says, not freshwater flowing out. And walked me all about the Casco Viejo, and we visited all the plazas and places of interest. Then we bought stuff at the supermarket, and he cooked dinner. It was delicious, arroz con chipiróns, but it was similar to paella negra (with the black squid ink). It turned purple because of that. He put garlic, onions, pimientos rojos, with the squid, then later added white wine and salt, and he boiled water with a cube of seasoning and added rice with this water to it to cook. Also he added some oregano and white pepper. And he showed me to take out the spine thing of the chipiróns, which are little squid. I liked it. Then we watched An Interview with a Vampire subtitled in Spanish. Until the 72mins were up on the streaming site. He also played the guitar for a while, some songs from Calamaro, and some rock, and some other stuff. And sang.
Tried the torta de Santiago in Santiago de Compostela.
Bought it in a pasteleria/panadera run by an Asian lady. There are foreign tourists too, what a surprise! Omg I see a tour group! Ingleses. O Americanos.

I'm like this [here I draw a wavering compass] when deciding where to go and it swings here and there and finally settles on to one like a magnetic compass settling on North.
Cars here drive over the curb onto the sidewalk like it's nothing.

7 de Septiembre, 2009. Lunes. 3+am.

I LOVE MADRID!!!!!!!!!

Que wena gente!!!!!

Super friendly and nice and awesomely funny. <3 <3 <3!!!!
Isabel, Itziar, Jose Luis, Claudio, Yolanda, Mar, Carlos, French guy, ...
Today I met Vicki too, and there's the German girl who was with the French guy.. He reminds me so much of Matias! And Santiago the DJ who's going to Buenos Aires.

13 de Septiembre, 2009. Domingo.

It's been quite a while since I've written. Am now sitting in La Campana (again), the best confiteria in Sevilla, having my 2nd cafe con leche of the day because I'm sleepy as hell. Am just going to spend a relaxing while here, writing. With my cafe con leche. I am having savarina, which is biscocho soaked in rum, with nata (cream) on top and sprinkles of chocolate rice.

I LOVED tango in Madrid. It's such a joy to dance with good and different dancers. Listening to Otros Aires on my MP3 player.
Went to Cordoba after Madrid. The Mezquita was indeed impressive, and the whitewashed houses and winding undulating cobblestoned streets were really pretty. Tortilla de patatas at Bar Santas, also salmorejo. Rabo de toro which was So. Good. at the cafe with Alberto and Javier. Hammam baths and massage and aromatherapy. 25euro. Rabo de toro, berenjenas con miel, at Casa Pepe de la Juderia.

Sevilla. The bunch of Sevillanos we met, with one Cordobez and 1 Colombiana. Chet getting wasted on the porrito. Matteo of the hostel being super nice and changing my room.

The Catedral y Giralda, and the Alcázar. The catedral was impressive, but wow the minute details of the architecture in the Alcázar.. the tapestries, the super extensive fresh'smelling gardens. The only thing I'd like about living in a palace/castle would be gardens like those.

The Spanish are such a good-looking people. Cute boys, and cute girls.
We went to a really good live flamenco bar, La Carboneria, but I think I still prefer argentine tango to flamenco (music, and dance). Of course, I don't know flamenco very well, so it's possible that with more knowledge it'll grow on me. I'd like to learn also capoeira and listen to more bossa nova.

The guitarists though, were ALUCINANTE even to me (who doesn't really know how to play the guitar). That is definitely something I want to pick up.

Super friendly and helpful people. Talking with Dany yesterday. He described how his Jap culture-obsessed friend who went to Japan for 3 months, convinced that he belongs in the Jap culture more than Spanish, found out that it's so different than he thought, and was writing, please, let me come back!

I see lots of people with children (little ones), but hardly any pregnant women! (Just an observation).

I think I could live in Madrid or Barcelona. Am very torn between Argentina and Spain. Tonight am going to see a bullfight!

Looking forward to seeing Jacinto and Ugur in Barcelona, and dancing with Claudio again, in Madrid. Claudio of Bariloche! Only my age and already making a living in Spain.

17 de Septiembre, 2009. Jueves.

I am so tired, but I'm having such a good time in Spain. Only the magnificent coffee saves me. This morning I went to the Alhambra. The weather was really bad; it was freezing. Luckily I brought my red Chile jacket with me as it's been bad weather for the past few days.

I think I've decided on the 28/9 from Barcelona (airticket), yet there's still many places I want to see and explore. Sierra Nevada, Almeria, San Jose and Cabo de Gata, Valencia, las Islas Baleares, before finally Barcelona again.

Wow I'm really tired, even the coffee didn't help. I'm going to buy those pants, going back to the hostel to take a nap before heading out to the Mirador and Sacromonte.

18 de Septiembre, 2009. Viernes.

No flights out of Spain! ARGH. I suppose then it's good that I'm going to Valencia; maybe there I can find something with a travel agency or something.

Sometimes I need a friend so much, I have this tendency to want to offload to someone or lean on them, but I should learn not to even flounder asi. To really learn the meaning of tranquilo! I don't know whether to bother Itziar. Jacinto's not responding, but he's got his own things to think about, to prepare. And I relied and bothered Takashi so much I feel bad. They are such good people! I wish I could be like them.

19 de Septiembre, 2009. Sabado.

I miss Takashi. I wish I could sit him down here with me and talk with him for hours and hours. There are these people, sometimes, who touch me and inspire an immense curiosity on my part about them, their lives, their thoughts and opinions and point of view. They're often extremely nice people with tranquil spirits that seem to take everything that life throws at them without blinking an eye.
They touch me, I don't consciously know why, and I want to do everything for them, like how they put themselves out for others.

I'm sitting here outside of a gelateria outside the Mercado Central of Valencia, after finishing my horchata. Guess I should go walk a bit around Valencia, then back to the hostel to find a ferry or flight to the islands. and also my flight from BCN to SFO and to reply Janis and maybe write to Takashi.

I should do the same when I get to California. Get a travel guide, and go explore the nooks and crannies of California and the US. I would love to live in Spain, I really think. I don't know. When I first arrived, not really, perhaps not the north. But maybe the South. Granada? But my opinion is very influenced by the presence of Takashi and his family. Without them, my positive impression of Granada as a place to live would be less rosy, I think. Madrid is very possible, with the very international mix of people and tango friends, BCN, I need another impression of.

I'm going to walk a little, because I'm falling asleep here.

-----------------------------------------------------

I am having dinner at Cerveseria Maryans. I got the Menu, which has, for 10.99euro,
patatas bravas,
calamar romana,
and ensalada valenciana for starters,
and a choice but i'm getting aella valenciana (chicken and rabbit) for seconds,
fruits for dessert,
and red or white wine or sangria

Ensalada Valenciana-
cebolla,
lechuga,
a leaf that is green and purple
tomate
atun
oliva
zanahorria

dress with 0-4 of
red wine vinegar
olive oil
salt
pepper

I'm going to learn guitar, and on weekends I'm going busking!

To draw well I must practise. Practise and practise and practise and practise and practise. The only thing is that your practices of drawings and paintings are permanent, or at least more so than practices of music, which are gone once it's over. I suppose you could throw your drawings away, but you know what I mean - that the media causes them to be of a more permanent nature. And what makes visual art "good"?

Tonight I'll talk to the Brazilian guy (Jonathan?) and look for flights and try to decide if I'm going to the Balearic islands or not.

Maybe I'll just go back to Madrid after all.

"Here and now, always."
How true that is. To savour the present fully, because everything changes, everything passes, everything is temporal.
That's just the nature of our life on Earth.

What makes the Colombians (or others like them) so wise? So tranquil, accepting, so open, and loving? So at peace?

I want to go there to find out.

I want to meet all kinds of good people on Earth, their eyes so open, corners crinkled with the hint of a smile, and their hearts whole and welcoming. To hear laughter of friends everywhere, invitations and challenges and repartees. Dances and acts of kindness. Patience and love and teaching and beauty.

Things are lovelier by night in Spain. People are awake, and out, they are with their friends (as opposed to at work), and the beautiful historical and artistic monuments are lit up beautifully. Here you have light, and water, running all day and all night.

Things I collect on my journey: friends and ideas and smiles.

Voy a andar un poquito :) (wrote iso a pcard)

20 de Septiembre, 2009. Domingo.

Smiley helpful people :) I love them.

Spanish people are so good with children.
Had a pastel de chocolate y cafe con leche at Bocatta (the chain) today for 1.65euro. Not fantastic quality, but great value for money.

21 de Septiembre, 2009. Lunes.

It is coming near to the end of my journey in Spain. I still have a lot to learn. TO be able to just *be*.

Am eating at Bocatta again. It's cheap.
Croissant + cafe = 1.50euro
Bocadillo de bacon y queso = 2.50euro

(When life is hard) you gotta have a sense of humor.
Wicker chairs are super comfy.
I'm going to the beach!

24 de Septiembre, 2009. Jueves.

STUCK ON MADRID :) <3 Tango.

The friendships, the connections, the tension between people. Following, el abrazo, Spanish good looks and the melodious sounds of el accento Argentino.

Maybe I'll go live in Argentina. Didn't like BsAs so much as a city though. But perhaps if I stayed longer and made friends. Am having bfast now at Maestro Chumero. My favorite coffee drink here is still cafe con leche. Tried the bombom too, and cappuchino, but still the cafe con leche is best. The capuchinno is kinda too normal, and the bombom is very sweet.

25 de Septiembre, 2009. Viernes.

And so it's over, my love affair with Spain?
Leaving me full and empty at the same time.
I want to write to my dear Brazilian friend.

So I got what I wanted, but it was so different than in my fantasies. but now I know. He is actually extremely mature.

27 de Septiembre, 2009. Domingo.

So I'm leaving. I want to stay a little longer, to get to know the tango dancers here, to have a few more dances, to make a couple more friends. Always, just a little longer.
But it's good I'm leaving from Barcelona; it seems like a fitting end, I feel ready. It being such a metropolitan and constantly pulsating city, with people passing through all the time, entering and leaving.

Now I'm seated at Biguelow's. The French sandwich place, eating a bocadillo of jamon serrano. Malisimo. Staring straight at la Sagrada Familia. It is something!

28 de Septiembre, 2009. Lunes.

On the plane to New York.

Seriously considering moving to BsAs or Bariloche for a while to learn tango, and of course Spanish.

Madrid by dawn, by night, in the late afternoon, at its peak in the evening (9-10pm), after party hours. Sexy, breezy Barcelona with its wapísima inhabitants, them out jogging, walking, having a good time. Good-natured responses to lost-tourist questions, tapas & cafe con leche, bocadillos de jamon iberico, the breathtaking Pyrenees. Spain's sexy cities and its gorgeous people, fun and funny, I'll miss the good times.

spain travel journal, first installment.

2009-10-17T13:00:00.008-05:00

14 de Agosto, 2009. Viernes.

3rd day in Barcelona. Today, I go to Montserrat! Day 1, beach with Farhad (Fardad?), German from Iran who's also lived in France for a year. Met the 19 year old English and Irish boys. Took a short nap, went to tango at C/ Elkarno 67. Went out with Luis, Yuko, Federico, the Italian guy. Went to one of their houses, which is also a small milonga hall/studio. Bread with alioli & queso, tortilla de patatas (ready-made from Carrefour - heat up in a pan, and serve!) We danced, watched youtube videos of dance, fell asleep, walked back to hostel at 5+am.

Day 2, woke up at 11+, showered, breakfasted @ BraCafe. Cafe con leche y un pastel. Did 3/4 of the Lonely Planet walking tour for Barcelona. Bought scarves at an Indian-run shop. Well, most of the shops are run by Indians. And a Messi jersey. Tango @ Casa Valencia. Very good, but combination of factors -> walked home in tears. Tired, thinking of j, feeling shy..

Got back to hostel, the guy from Senegal was there and cheered me up, went to use the internet. When it ran out, talked with Karl from Saudi Arabia & Montreal, works for Apple, in college. Talked until we got sleepy, then washed up and went to bed.

16 de Agosto, 2009. Domingo.

I am no longer sad because of ___. I am just sad. I keep blaming it on tiredness, lack of sleep, but maybe it's because I find my emptiness again. Will I ever find something that fills me, something or someone? J says that you should never depend on this one other person, but find something to do that makes your life full. I agree in principle, but a person is more likely to be able to do that than an activity. I don't know what I'm craving, that makes me cry from inside.

Seeing all the European vacationers, I wish I had someone with me. Though of course sometimes I'll need to be alone.

Tourists, tourists, tourists. The whole of Europe is on a summer vacation. The Barcelona tango scene is hard to break into. But when I go back I'll just try harder. It was nice hanging out with the Argentinians. Cadaquez is undeniably pretty; reminds me of the Greek islands.

Sitting here watching the sun descend behind the clouds and set eventually, the light changing, a windsurfer out in the bay making extremely fast runs because of the strong wind blowing in. It's chilly, I might go soon. Swimmers, kayakers. The wind stops. The lights starting up, an orchestra bringing in the symphony of the night.

Yesterday I took the train to Girona, got into my hostel (Equity Point, 18euro on hostelworld), and walked the whole of Girona. Today ate breakfast, trained and bussed here, stopping at Figueres for the Teatro-Museu Dalí. An absurdly good painter and artist, I am touched by his obsession with Gala, whom I didn't know was the wife of another man before becoming Dalí's muse, lover and wife. Now I'm at Hostel Vehí, I'm lucky because I'm traveling alone this time, otherwise everything else is fully booked til forever. Like this Vehí is booked for a month.

18 de Agosto, 2009. Martes.

Yesterday I took a little excursion to Cap de Creus. Of course, getting a little lost along the way to Cap de Creus isn't that fun under the scorching sun. Under those conditions, I didn't think Cap de Creus was all that worth it, but I did have a good time still. Had a lemon ice, then started walking back, hitched a ride with a group of German boys. I had a great day, talking with people. The Italian along the road who told me about El Faro, the Germans, the Spanish girl so eager to help porque es feo perderte en el bosque, asking her friend to translate to English for me. The nice lady in the supermarket who walked me to the other place that sells veg, talking all the way and ending with a hug and kiss, the nice old gentleman who walked me back to my hostel after waiting for me to buy my oil. Making my salad. The carrots aren't as sweet as in S America, I guess that's why I never liked them that much. And the lettuce was a bit bitter. But a fantastic day.

Today, great misunderstanding and lack of perseverance caused me to lose my afternoon bus to Lleida, but all is not lost, I'll just catch the night one. Guess I'm having the tranquilo day I wanted after all, talking on the phone with my parents for 1+h, now just sitting in a cafe writing, waiting for my bus. I should be more used to these setbacks than I amñ I still react with frustration, a lot. But talking to mom and dad calms me down. A man just played the slot machine, that's the first time I've seen somebody just do that randomly, ie. not in Vegas. I guess there IS always a chance of winning?? Some bad Spanish soap is on TV, blergh. Well, now I learn not to regret the past - should've's, why-didn't-i's... and also to always be open and speak up and ask, don't be afraid!

Oh and the guy I asked directions of who called me cariño.

Understanding a little bit more of small town Spain. Their perception of Asians and Asia. Innately very nice and helpful people, just sometimes misunderstandings of strange and foreign objects, just like with most peoples.

Listening to my ZEN Creative MP3 player on the bus, at peace under the Spanish skies.
Spoke with Matias on MSN, he's back in Salta after a trip to Iguazu and Brasil, and needs to save again, working.

19 de Agosto, 2009. Miercoles.

Am now at El Celler de Roser after a meal of caracoles con salsa alioli. Interesting, my first meal of snails. They had a starter of bread and olives and chorizo. Delicious, not too overwhelming, though sometimes a little too salty. Woke up late today, showered and washed some clothes, used the internet at the hostel (Hostal Mundial, 22euro a night, no breakfast but free internet), bought my bus ticket to Barbastro tomorrow for 7.45am. Hope I can catch the connection to Aínsa. Now I'll need to buy a phone and SIM card from Vodafone to call a hostel in Aínsa, for the time, and to act as an alarm clock. Wow I'm full. And I didn't even finish the snails.

Last night I talked with Jose at the hostel, a Bolivian immigrant. He told me his story, while feeding me juice and jamon to go with my bread and aceite de oliva, how he was promised a job here and so left Bolivia to come here for the golden opportunity. But there was no job waiting, and he was left to find his own way in Madrid. (He used to work at Ford in Bolivia.) Then he went to Murcia to find work as a friend knew somebody there who gave out jobs. Stayed at a place where there were 3 rooms and 10 people staying there - 4 to a room, and the owner and his wife in one. They found jobs and an apartment, then his friend found a girl and left with her, so he had to get another smaller apartment. That girl was partying too hard, he told his friend that he has to work, not spend all your money on alcohol and partying, but he didn't listen, and he never saw them again. There in Murcia he encountered his current boss, who brought him back to work in Lérida (Lleida), and got him papers so he's officially legal. He told me about how it used to be everybody's dream to go work in the US, the Land of Dreams, but then they started cracking down and demanding papers and visas, so then people wanted to come to Spain instead. And came lots of people, but then so Spain started closing its frontiers and requires visas from the S Americans who want to come and work. He came about 6 years ago, before this happened. He told me about the African immigrants, who come by the boatload, dying along the way, reaching in very bad conditions, the start of hypothermia creeping on their extremities. And the people who bring them here know to bring them here without any identification of their home country, so if and when the Spanish police find and catch them, they don't know where to deposit them to, and can only send them off in busloads to different cities in Spain and let them fend for themselves and find their own work. They end up on the streets, and try to look for work. He told me about how the Spanish people as a whole dislike working and dislike hard work, and would rather live off the welfare that the govt pays out for up to 1 year after you lose your job. And they know and work the system, looking only when the 1 year is up, and changing/losing jobs often, then living off the welfare. And rejecting harder or menial labor, like in the farms, picking fruits, in factories - it's too hard, you've got to be in the sun all day, there's no vacations.. so the immigrants take them. And then the Spanish say, and these people they come to our country and take the jobs. Also they don't like the S Americans because they work harder, so of course bosses prefer those workers. And in Europe they want to increase to a 48h work week and Spain wants to follow suit but the people they protest, 40h a week si already too much! We want less, how can you want us to work 48h? It's too much! And how on weekends in the park say in Madrid the groups of each country each nationality they gather to exchange news and play football it's like a little World Cup. Ecuadorians, Peruvians, Bolivians. And in some places like Murcia there are so many Bolivians it's like being in Bolivia. And he says there used to be like 10 in Murcia when he came, but now the whole place is full of Bolivians. And the Spanish rent them the apartments in the centre, and build new buildings to live in, around the center (Here I draw a sketch). And how the Spanish claim not to be racist, but are, of course, as is practically everybody in the world.

He says Spain is a very complicated place. In Lérida there are many immigrants from Africa, Morocco. And everyone speaks Catalá as first language. Then second English, and third Castellano. And in El Pais Vasco they are very Vasco. If you are not Basque you have to leave. They are not very accepting, much less than in other parts of Spain. There ARE immigrants living there, but very few, he says.

(All the above that I've related about what he told me is his opinion and his POV.)

--------------------------------- 7:12pm

I'm now at the catedral on top of the hill, sitting on a stone wall with a steep fall and all of Spain in front of me. You can see until forever - buildings of the towns, and fields of green and of gold, more villages/towns in the distance, until some mountains very very far away.
I like this. To just sit at a high place looking down at the world, letting the wind blow and blow.
I bought an orange Samsung phone with credit from Orange, because vodafone is out of cards, and sunglasses and a box for them, and an ice cream, which was huge but of low quality.
Moroccan guy who now lives here, Anas, just hit on me. He was accompanying his friends vacationing, one from Morocco and the other also, but who now lives in Greece. (edit: much later he would turn out to be annoying, constantly prank calling me until i blocked his number on my phone.)

Watching the birds go by. How nice to have a mastery of the sky, so limitless it seems, where only your own capability can determine where you will go. The light in these long days is deceiving. Although the sun is not ready to set for another few hours, from the way the light slants, I should head back soon if I'm to wake up in good time for my bus tomorrow. I'll go take a look at the cathedral, and back to the hostel to use the internet and tell my parents of my new phone.

20 de Agosto, 2009. Jueves.

Sitting outdoors at a cafe in Barbastro. Having my cafe con leche with 2 pastries just because I wanted to try them. (I'm hungry but 1 should be enough is what I mean). Sleepy from waking up early to catch my bus. Bought my ticket to Aínsa, and reserved a room as well. So ex! 29 euro. I'm out of there tomorrow for sure. To Torla, methinks, for the Parque Nacional Ordesa. I should watch the news or read the papers.

-------------------------------------- 23:20h

I love my new orange phone. It's simple, but it suffices. There's only 1 channel on TV, or maybe 2. Had dinner of bread and olive oil, ham and cheese. AMAZING. This will be the first time I've described comida salado as orgasmic. The ham, oh! the ham! and the queso de cabrales, oh! the cheese! What tastes in my mouth, such flavour, such colour! I feel like the rat in Ratatouille. And the bread wasn't bad, neither was the olive oil, though both these weren't of the finest finest quality, but pretty good quality nonetheless. Went out to catch the sunset and the lights in the village. Got some good pictures, and drew a sketch of Aínsa's castillo at sunset. That shall be the title. Think I'll do more sketches in future. I should talk more to the old people - they are more prone to waxing lyrical and less judgmental, or at least more polite about it. Observing the Spanish people.

I see it all through a filter, a curtain. It permutes; sometimes I don't really perceive correctly. The language barrier weaves a net, a shroud that prevents things from coming across clearly; it's like being in a dream or underwater, it's distorted. I want to live here for a while, master the language, so I can see clearly.

who's there?

2009-08-29T09:53:00.002-05:00

We walked to the top of Monte Urgull in San Sebastián, and when we arrived, I looked up and said, "There's a big man up there!"
"Jesus Christ?" said Cesia.

(It was a statue of JC.)

the forces on your side

2009-08-28T13:16:00.002-05:00

"I hope she knows where we're going," I said, of the GPS.
"Of course! She's a genius," Paul, my current traveling companion from Germany, replied, "She's got satellites helping her."

south america travel journal, final installment

2009-07-22T08:43:00.007-05:00

9 April, 2009. Jueves.

It's been some time since I've written. Jacinto will arrive today, and tomorrow we'll start our hike in Torres del Paine. The Alma Gaucho hostel is muy, muy bien. So quaintly and artfully decorated, with cowboy ornaments and handcrafted wooden trinkets. Tastefully placed kettles and mate cups, and the craziest old radio playing jazz and country music. Might move out though, if Toni (the owner) doesn't stop touching me! Argh.

13(?) de Abril, 2009. Monday.

Should I go or should I stay? We're back from Torres del Paine, but I haven't really done or seen enough of it like I wanted to. I had Jacinto though, and that's what I wanted. Listening to Norah Jones on his Sanyo MP3 player now; we'll be parting ways tomorrow. There are times when I just wanted to be alone and not have to travel with him but. I'd say that I don't want him to go, but I know we should part ways.

The world is large - you can find many soulmates; the world is small - you will find them.

He has a heart of gold, and I would trust him with my life - that's all you need for a trekking partner, isn't it. Language? Humans developed language; communication isn't really a problem for 2 human beings. Without a language in common, we'd talked about countries, cultures, differences in political ideals, prisoners of consumerism, described the beauty of our different countries, gender equality, machismo of south america, cohabitation and marriage, arthouse films, slow food, fine food. I can even swear in slang from Spain!

15 April, 2009. Miercoles. 7:31am.

Alone again.

We've been together for about 12 days; it sounds short but it's almost half of my journey in S America so far. What would the next month bring?

April 25, 2009. Sabado.

How time flies. Already I pass the 3 weeks in BsAs limit, not being in BsAs for most of it. Jacinto woke me up with a little nudge on my toe in my hostel in BA [some days ago].

27 April, 2009. Lunes.

Que bien. My time with Jacinto. Que bien. [ We part ]

On my way to Cordoba from Iguazu now. It'll be good. Just got news today that I may not need to be in Greece in May. But somehow that's alright.
Perhaps even better, because now I am free to travel until October.

All of a sudden I have months and months ahead of me and nothing planned. It's an interesting feeling.

28 April 2009. Martes.

Don't look at the past, look to the future. Live in the present. Take heart and live your dream. Nothing is impossible.

3 de Mayo, 2009. Domingo.

Today I arrived in Salta on the bus from Mendoza. Parted ways with Wlajmir in Mendoza, & Juan Pablo from Santiago. The tours were nice in Mendoza, but really don't think I'd like to do much more of those. Today, arrived at 3, got to this hostel, Sol Huasi, 25 pesos con desayuno y cocina. Then tranquilo in the hostel, uploaded photos on the internet, catch up on email, some administrative stuff.

Spoke and dined with the two guys from Cincinnati- Scotty and Steve. Scotty's a travel writer with viva travel guides, and Steve will work for the Department of Foreign Affairs, diplomatic stuff, probably. He cooks well, and bartends too. After dinner, chatted with Jacinto online. He is with Rebotito (Manolito's nickname [Manolito came with Jacinto to South America, his friend from Spain]) in Cafayate, they will do a wine tour and a creek excursion tomorrow. I will find them there on Tuesday, probably. Then I had a long shower. Buenissimo.

5 de Mayo, 2009. Martes.

Now I'm having lunch of avena con leche y manzana y azucar. It's amazingly delicious. This morning, I collected my laundry, sent my encomiendas. It took so long I didn't catch the bus to Cafayate. Well, I bought 2 tours - to Cafayate, Cachi, and Humahuaca. and will probably take the public bus to San Antonio de los Cobres on Saturday. Will buy my ticket to San Pedro de Atacama for Sunday. Yesterday, tried to send the parcel but P.O. closed on me. 830 - 12noon only. I went walking in the city. It has a nice plaza, I had great empanadas (carne, and some other local specialty) at Doña Salta, and a local dessert - quesillo con cuatresilo (?) (sweetened dried peaches) with syrup. Lovely. It was goat cheese, but it wasn't strong. Went to Cerro San Bernardo, nice view. Walked up the escalera and came down on the road as my foot hurt on the rocky steps. [ I'd sprained my ankle in Puerto Iguazu ] It felt very peaceul, and I reminisced about home, Singapore..thinking about Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.. the calm green spots you retreat to, to get away from the city and the stresses of that kind of life. What would it be like to live like this forever? It's great for introspection, but I don't know how it would be when months turn into years into decades. I'll go to the museum now, and head to the terminal to buy my ticket for Sunday. It's so nice to be still for a while, but it's also nice when you're working towards something; it's good to work that way.

-----
Ahora estoy en Patio de la Empanada. Now here they come, 2 empanadas de carne, and the nice lady also brought salsa picante, and told me to provalo poquito porque es muy picante, pico mucho.

Went to the Museo Arqueologia de Alta Monta;a just now. Not much except one mummy. But it's quite something seeing a whole real dead person. A child. A 15-year-old girl, dead, in front of you, encased in glass. I can't help but peer at her skin, trying to see if she's really a real person. Can't believe she was alive many many years ago, and was left on the mountain to die. What did she think about in those last moments? How did she feel? Yet at the same time there's a compulsion to look away. Out of respect, out of fear. Fear of? Death? A spooky feeling that she will suddenly spring into life, start moving? A feeling of staring death in the face? A whole human being, dead. Perfectly preserved, but dead.

Hm I think I like the empanadas at Doña Salta better. But well! Later, to the supermarket for tomorrow's food, and some fruits. Think my stomach's almost all good now, but am still taking it easy, being careful. Bought my bus ticket to San Pedro for Sunday. Time passes quickly. I guess that's why I'm almost always in a rush, trying to squeeze more things into my time, into my life.

6 de Mayo, 2009. Miercoles.

Today I take a tour to Humahuaca. We are now at a rest stop probably somewhere near Jujuy.

7 de Mayo, 2009. Jueves.

To speak with clarity, and honesty - absolute honesty - with everyone, and especially yourself.

9 de Mayo, 2009. Viernes.

Cachi today. I need sleep; I can't think straight. The beautiful boy does not help. I will aprendir the guitar. One day, I will play! This mess in my head, I cannot think clearly, I cannot think. I cannot hear myself, I do not have a voice.
I don't know what to do!
Just be. Just be. Smile and just be. Quietly. Just be. And listen to his music. Just be. Be clear, don't think, just listen, listen and be.
A jangle of nerves I am.

10 de Mayo, 2009. Domingo.

Another parting. My beautiful Argentinian boy Matias. The truth is I don't know him, though he seems marvelous on every count. Beautiful, responsible, soft-spoken, talented Matias. A study in physical perfection, a Dionysus. Such gentle, fine eyes and raven black hair, a body like a perfectly sculpted marble statue. Generous, considerate, and responsible. And cooks like a chef, or a mother. I could watch him play for hours. Me encanta.

14 de Mayo, 2009. Jueves.

Was I only with my Chilean friends for 3 days? Jaime, Danilo, Karen, Feña, Ansul, Maxwell, Felipe. I miss them, their smiling faces, gathered around a bonfire, or lazing at the summit of our destination for the day, just basking in the sun, enjoying the landscape, each other´s company, and/or silence. I could have stayed longer with them, but I no longer wanted to be in San Pedro. It's fine in the day, but there's absolutely nothing in the town except things for tourists, and the surroundings are beautiful, but dry and inhospitable. It's not somewhere I'd like to live for any extended amount of time, unlike in Bariloche for example. Also the landscape around Salta was already pretty similar. But such good times I had with them staying at the house camping. Pukara de Quitor, Valle de la Muerte, Valle de la Luna. Now on the second day of the trip through the desierto and Salar de Uyuni to Uyuni. Jacinto was in Uyuni two days ago, mentioned taking a tour to the salars that loops back to Uyuni. It is crazy windy and cold, and at really high altitude. The highest yesterday was 4850m.

I dislike being cold. I miss Matias. But at the same time I don't know him. I need to learn to be alone. I eat too much when food is free.

19 de Mayo, 2009. Martes.

I like Bolivia and I dislike Bolivia. People are friendly and helpful, some, but there are also those who are surly and those out to cheat your money. In general I feel less welcome here than in Chile and Argentina. I'm now in Sucre, sitting atop a wall at La Recoleta, the mirador. It is beautiful after all, Sucre is, and I think I would enjoy it very much if not for this goddamned stomach infection I have. Went to the hospital last night and this morning, got some antibiotics and probiotics to help. Yoghurt seems to help, and now I just have to abstain from the street food I like so much. I really want to comprar y apprendir the guitar, but am not too sure about the sensibility of that. Slimeball in Uyuni, Daniel in Potosí. The markets, the French man, the tour of the mines with Liana the Española from Andalucia and Alexi the French guy. The poor indigenous people who refuse to go to school and stubbornly preserve their customs and way of life. The people who go to college and have a better standard of living. The naughty boy in the market at night, with his older sister and brothers and mother. "Mama! Le dice huai dan (坏蛋)! Significa travieso!" He squeals to his mom that I said he was a naughty boy, twinkle in his eye, after making me teach him the word for naughty in Chinese.

The sounds of students chattering, a band practicing, daily life going on in the city below me. And occasional bursts of sound, perhaps the demonstration blasts at the mine on Cerro Rico at Potosí? I'm not sure we're actually near enough to hear them. Perhaps I'm bored. I want to learn something. Perhaps it's time to go back to Buenos Aires and tango. To stay in one place. To cook, tango, and learn guitar.

"La ultima es una puta!" The girls racing up the hill after school. "Casada minero porque tiene dinero y muerte primero," they say in Potosí. The nice ladies at the ATM, especially Judith, who brought me to the hospital.

2 de Junio, 2009. Martes.

Again with Jacinto. :) Now estamos en Coroico after doing la Ruta de la Muerte from La Paz. The vehicles of Bolivia are all secondhand from Japan. Or thirdhand, from Brasil, because Brasil has many dealings with Japan y China, says Jacinto. After Sucre I went to Santa Cruz, even though I really wanted to skip it, almost, to rush to Jacinto in La Paz. But I wanted to see Santa Cruz, and I'm glad I went. Santa Cruz was great - a wonderful break from the cold, and meeting friends once again, and relaxed people just sitting in the plaza doing nothing. My Belgium friend and the Lebanese-Australian Vince and the Peruana mentirosa. The artesano Hernan who lived in the streets for 8 years, the loco who insists he's seeped into my pores so I won't forget him. Vegetarian food at La Salud with the guys, films Slumdog Millionaire, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, y Ciudad de Dios. The guy at the hostel who tried to make a pass at me after we watched City of God. Samaipata with Hernan. It was beautiful. Him making stuff, so beautiful, rapid and professional. Jugando at the mirador - the seesaw, swings, watching him make the collar that I lost on the Death Road (arrghhhh!) Didn't go to El Fuerte because I wanted to get to La Paz and away from Hernan. His casa in el barrio muy lejos. Like the kampongs of Malaysia. Very poor, but people get by day to day, and don't worry. Him making names (with metal) and talking to people, making money as and when he needs it with his metal and string. The other artesanos in la calle. The tent in Samaipata, hot showers we don't pay for that makes everything better. How I like to be clean! One more reason I'm glad to be back with Jacinto again :) Learning artesania, making it. The years of practice to be proficient at one thing, whether it's guitar, piano, or artesania. 8 years. :) Sometimes you feel like staying in one place to do something productive, like learn something, eg. guitar, for me. Great music from Putumayo in this cafe :)

7 de Junio, 2009. Domingo.

It was all a case of aceite de oliva.

9 de Junio, 2009. Martes.

¿Que me gusta de ti?
Todo.
Ya esta.

Quiero escribir una poema por esto,
lineas y lineas, frases que describir
todo lo que es bueno de ti, todo lo que me gusta,
todo lo que me encanta, pero, en una palabra puedo decir lo que quiero decir.
entonces, solo esto.

11 de Junio, 2009. Jueves.

So close to giving up and going home these days. The pain is less now, however, which is such a relief. Hot water, clean clothes, painkillers. My whole body is in such a mess even eating isn't a joy anymore. Places in Singapore keep flashing in my mind, and a life of comfort with all the amenities of civilized life in my lovely sanitary city appeals to me so much. But I know it'll be different when I get better. Counting down the 10 days of the pills. Today is the 4th. Didn't realize how affected/scared I was until I imagined the moment when I am fully recovered, with no pain anymore. The pain IS less, which is great.

Estudiante de dolor. Aprendir mucho.
Compassion, Patience. Self-control. Oh, how much this sensation wears on one, on one's mood, and affects one's behaviour.

12 de Junio, 2009. Viernes.

Fuimos a el mirador hoy. Impressionante. Es wapísima. 5th day of the pills. Better. Jacinto is going back to Spain in Septiembre. Matt is starting his Europe trip in 5 days. Sya may be going to Morocco.

13 de Junio, 2009. Sabado.

Estamos en Sorata. Es un sitio muy bonito, estamos en Hostal Mirador, y un mirador esto es. Mi estomago es un poco raro, y no tengo ganas a comer. Solo para vivir, para energia y para mi estomago no empeorar con el acido. Cartagena. hhhh. :b [ practicing the hh sound of 'g' in cartagena ]

15 de Junio, 2009. Lunes.

Yesterday I met Darren, from New Zealand. He taught me 2 phrases of "More Than Words" on the guitarra. The man of the hostel insists that Jacinto and I are novios. It's funny. (because he thinks I'm a cheating girlfriend whenever I hang out with Darren, and "tells on me" to Jacinto when he comes back from trekking, and is all confused and affronted when Jacinto goes, "Very well, she should enjoy herself.") I'm now on the terrace of the hostel, waiting for Darren to finish writing emails to go to Cafe Illampu. Faced with the prospect of not traveling with Jacinto anymore. I'm a little lost. At first. For I know that I am fully capable of traveling alone. For some reason no tengo ganas a viajar mas. Pero when I think about the fact that I can buy a plane ticket anyday to go home whenever I want, it makes it a little easier to stay here and keep going on. I guess we all need to be alone sometimes. But it's so much easier to be alone when you know there is someone there for you. I guess that's why some people have God, have religion. Yes maybe it's time that Jacinto and I parted ways again, but why is it so hard? I am scared to be alone because of the infection. I don't know how I will handle things with the infection, and all I want to do is stay home until it gets better. And it doesn't seem to be getting better, that's the problem. Yes it is, but. Probably it is getting better and all I have to do is to go to a doctor again at the end of 10 days. and continue tratamiento. No worries, I can do that. And at worst I'll buy a ticket and go home. But I'm not a quitter.

16 de Junio, 2009. Martes.

I'm now in the waiting room in Dr. K's office. It's gonna be 250 bolivianos for the consultation. And the people who've passed in the waiting room are all filthy effin rich. It's almost disgusting, in a country as poor as Bolivia. I wonder how they walk down the street. I'm bored out of my mind and am a jangle of nerves, I can't sit still and am feeling a strong urge to rebel against the prim and proper rich person etiquette of this place.

18 de Junio, 2009. Jueves.

Well, now I find out anyway that I've to go home earlier than I expected. I guess it's time to go home. We're now in Arequipa. When I get to Singapore, I'm going to get a full medical checkup. I hope it gets better in the next 5 days. Today is Day 2 of the new treatment which makes it more or less the 15th or 14th day since the start. Perhaps it's good to go back, for a reliable doctor.

22 de Junio, 2009. Lunes.

On my way now to Lima from Cuzco. Decided that after all it would be too long to stay in Cuzco for the Inti Raymi fiesta on the 24th. It would be too expensive to see the main festival in Saqsaywaman, and it's not worth waiting 2 more days just to see the street procession. Also it's been a fiesta in Cuzco these past few days as well. Fireworks, that we viewed from the balcony.
Health is so important. Compassion, sympathy, and understanding for those sick and/or in pain. To be a woman strong.
Watching "Spanglish", laughing with Jacinto.
El paisaje fue wapisima. Hills, mountains, houses, terraced fields, rivers, towns in the valley. "Outnumbered, outgunned" and another movie, which wasn't very interesting. Peruvians are much more amable than Bolivians. Mucho gas que huele horríble.

23 de Junio, 2009. Martes.

It's good to be alone again. I love Jacinto, but it was time that both of us got our own space. Now I'm sitting in a cafe-restaurant outdoors in Miraflores, Lima, having lunch (menu del dia for 16 soles) and watching the people go by. The waiters flagging down passing tourists, listening to the chatter of people around me, both in English and in Spanish. So many tourists here. The afternoon sun slanting down in the park in front of me. People are afraid of people in cities. Not many stop to say hellow, and are surprised if you greet them. I've been out in the poor towns for so long that even a simple Toyota Camry has got me turning my head. I understand now the people who work on the streets, and sympathise much more with their way of life than before. The people of the streets are much more friendly and good-hearted than you'd expect, and thieves and addicts aren't all badass evildoers, as many sheltered people think. Singapore is really much more an exception than the rule. Remembering what Jacinto said about the police- if they're supposed to be the protectors of the people, then why do people not feel safe when they see them, but instead tienen miedo? The civil unrest in Peru - the blockades around Cuzco. The police sent to maintain order, the people, the police not wanting to shoot them, and the people who shot 24 policemen instead. The indigenous people of Bolivia, racism, indigenous president Evo Morales, racism against white people, gringos. The artesans, the shoeshine boys, people who sell what they can or do what they can in the streets to make what little money they can. But with this they survive and can even live comfortably enough and travel (in the case of the artesans, especially).

26 de Junio, 2009. Viernes.

There it is. I'm staring at the "most beautiful peak in the world". Alpamayo? Or something. Angry. Tired. Emotions that I felt today. But really everything is okay if you have the right attitude. It's a holiday! I need sleep, and to clear my head of Jacinto. I'm anxious? Worried? Unhappy? Distraught. Because i'd have to leave him soon. And it's very possible that I won't see him for a long time.

3 de Julio, 2009. Viernes.

On all counts, I am satisfied with my journey. I have met angels on earth.

Last night, all I wished was to forget. To forget it all, bury it deep in my mind where it would not come out, except as faint dark shadows that cannot paint a clear picture.

"Aprendir, y ya esta." Just as an angel would say.

A smile from a beautiful little girl on the bus, what encouragement.

This is life, and I'm going home.

------

Retail therapy late this morning. Score for my Spanish! Someone thought I was local, from Cuenca. :D

como quieres que escriba una cancion...

When you're traveling, everything that matters really matters a lot; and everything that doesn't really matter doesn't matter at all.

Parque Nacional Cajas is beautiful. All green and cerros and lagunas, rios and banana plantations, a great way to send me off, a great last sight of South America's beauty and landscape. I wonder what Guayaquil will bring. Not quite looking forward to my 30hour flight.

Las gentes prisa el chofer, "Vamos! Diez horas hasta aqui ya! Guayaquil!!!"

People singing along out loud to their own music in Bolivia, their cell phones and radios, not caring if others in the same bus are listening or enjoying it, and the others, they act like it's absolutely natural/normal.

4 de Julio, 2009. Sabado.

A beautiful man reading at the airport.

"Eres wapo," I should've said.

But instead I lowered my eyes and turned away. In cities, we are afraid of other people. Why don't I keep my open spirit with me still now that I'm not backpacking anymore? I should. I will.

Now aboard the Iberia flight, still in port at the Madrid airport.

Consumerism. It really is all around us. Madrid. Girls all dolled up, perfect, stick-thin beautiful. The latest fashion - clothes, shoes, bags. Material possessions that we don't need. How many of us know how to make what we need, to fashion it out of raw natural materials - wood, wool, metal, string?

-----

Humans should never be given power of any kind over other human beings. Even the best of us are bound to abuse it.

5 de Julio, 2009. Domingo.

Our plane was struck by lightning! How cool is that. It wouldn't be so cool if it wasn't engineered to absorb and dissipate the electricity from a lightning strike, but it is.

Sigue viajar! Siempre viajando. Trabajando, y viajando. Quizas me quedo en un sitio por mas tiempo, pero todavia viajando, y siempre aprendiendo. Extraño Castellano, en este avion yo responder en castellano, pero realizar que ellos no hablan castellano. voy a buscar gentes que hablar español, para practicar y aprendir mas.

Ahora necesito hacer muchas cosas oficial, por ejemplo mi visa, buscar apartamento, ir a doctor, peluqueria. Si puedo, si tengo tiempo despues, voy a España, antes de California. A mi me gusta mucho las gentes Española/Latino. Muy caliente, muy amable, ellos saber lo que es amistad. A vivir la vida, por la verdad, por razon, por amor. Lo quiero conocer España. Y tambien Portugal, pero primero, España.

Hay muchas cosas para aprendir en este vida- nunca parar- vivir! y amar!

Y corrir, todos los dias, para salud.
No hay nada mas importante que salud.

TOUCH DOWN!

Can't believe I'm home again.

south america travel journal, third installment

2009-07-16T10:18:00.001-05:00

Saturday, March 28, 2009.

It's leaving at 1pm, the guy says.

Sometimes when you're stuck you feel like turning back; you flip through your guidebook again and again and re-read the passages, scanning for a reason to keep pressing on. It's hard when you don't speak the language and can't make small talk with the locals or fellow travelers you meet. Unless they speak English too of course, or if there isn't anyone else so they're willing to struggle through limited Spanish and English with you. Patience IS hard to learn. Again and again at each obstacle I have to struggle with my onward-racing spirit, to slow down and take in the unchanging beauty of the world, that renews itself in cycles, as the months turn the seasons and the tides move the sea.

We always want to DO something, to make something of our time, to be productive, but it makes us task-oriented puppets who cannot wait five minutes or an hour, let alone a few days. We always have something else to do, but in the end, will doing those things have made us lived better lives than if we took some time to look around us at the world we live in, and appreciate the wonder of life and little things?

I just saw a girl outside who looks like this [ here I sketched her ] I think she stays at my hostel (Hotel La Playa). Her witchy maggi mee hair is unmistakeable. AND may I add very scary when outlined in a dark silhouette by misty grey daylight from behind.
For some reason my days in Urbana-Champaign keep flashing back to me- the tree-lined streets with leaves changing color, the red pillars and tan wood of Siebel Center.
I want to write to Isobel. She understands me. To do great things you must not be afraid. My penmanship is atrocious. Even if they find my writings hundreds of years later and I am famous, they will not be able to make out what I'm scribbling.

We are waiting
Like hostages in a jail cell

The guy says waiting time could be 30 minutes to 30 hours. !!!

-- 21:59pm --

Well, the ferry is still not going today. It's 10 and I'm tired. Willy Wonka is on again. Nothing much else that's good. Waited around first half of the day, had cazuela for lunch, tried to upload pictures after buying a USB cable. However, it didn't work at the CyberZoan Cafe. Went back to check on the ferry, later found out it's not leaving today (tried to come into port 3 times but can't) and we're to check back in the morning tomorrow. So here I am back in the hostel, rooming in a double with the Swiss girl, who is also traveling alone. The Spanish guy took off earlier than us, but is probably somewhere in this hotel. It's pretty full now, because of the boats leaving tomorrow.

Sunday, March 29, 2009.

On the ferry now, decided last minute to take the ferry leaving to Puerto Cisne. Because at least it's leaving now, while the Chaitén ferry has a departure time of 11pm at night and reliability of about 10%. It's past departure time now however, and the boat is still not moving, and I'm not sure why. Some Chileans I met ('Jean' and Marcelo) said it´s about 20 hours to Cisne. Then to take bus to Coyhaique, then maybe Chile Chico to cross the border. Jean says Chile Chico is very nice. I´m glad to be on the ferry, but not happy that it´s not moving.

------

When I grow up I'm going to be a sailor.

Watching the albatrosses skimming acros the ocean's undulating skin, tilting, right tip almost sluicing through the water, curving through the air, turning, lifting, drifting
on the thermals, never flapping. Using perfectly the energy from the thermals, only minutely adjusting individual feathers.

Met Jean and Marcelo on board the ship. Jean speaks English from his 8 years as an illegal immigrant in Florida. Worked as an insurance agent, with fake papers, got through the system, but always quit after a year because his company will always ask about his SSN (Social Security Number) not being in the system (for tax purposes). He said it was easy to be an illegal immigrant for the first 2 years, but after the terrorist attacks, the security system cracked down more. But still he managed to have jobs. Then he met a Russian couple who runs a seedy hotel chain and asked him to manage it. All sorts of shady characters frequent the hotel/motel, like hookers, strippers, etc, so he knew his particulars wouldn't be questioned there. Oh, and he said it was surprisingly easy to slip through the security system just because he looked like he could be American (white with blue eyes) (he had a very redneck Texan look and accent). He went there because he used to have a medium-sized trucking company, then went bankrupt and was in great debt, so he had to flee the country. Apparently in Chile after 8 years debts vanish. Or somehow you can work your way around it. Legally or illegally or something. So he went to America. But he's back, living in Osorno, because he prefers it here. He likes this life. A civil engineer by training, but he's now a businessman selling clothes. He is 55. Marcelo is around 20 years younger than he is.

The captain's cabin. Come in, they gestured, when they saw me peering through the window. Demonstrated the radar scanner (could see the islands on the right side). The compass, the balance thingy [ here I draw it ]. Measuring the distance to Melinka using this [ here is another sketch ]. Salsa music playing, making me want to dance.

Watching futbol (Peru vs. Chile) with a deckful of Chileans. Very excited audience. It;s intense! Even the Spaniard who goes Hey! when someone stands in front and blocks the view. Everyone is watching - all the guys, and the women too. Chile is trashing Peru 3-1.

Only 30 meals (dinners) are served, you have to buy tickets, Jean said. It is being served right now. Some rice with meat, an apple, and some salad. (From peeking at the Spaniard's meal. He is sitting across the aisle from me, and the Swiss girl is in the seat in front of me.)

It's strange how your balance system knows that it's the ship rocking from side to side when your vision tells you that your position in the room isn't moving, and in an enclosed room you cannot see that the room is rolling gently from side to side. We looked out for blue whales but didn't see any.

Monday, March 30, 2009.

Still sailing on the ferry. Had a sandwich and some of the raisin cake and a cappucino for breakfast. Lent the Spaniard my international adaptor. We are now sailing through the channel with islands on either side. It's beautiful. Very cold now (it rained briefly). I'm now leaning against the exhaust pipe (one of, there are two), because its metal body is hot. Wrapped in my scarf and the Australian airline's grey blanket. Spoke with the traveling Chilean from Dichato, in struggling Spanish. He pointed out the salmoneria, mountains, a waterfall, which I couldn't see, but I saw the clear path of the river down amongst the trees. Just saw a sealion. It popped out, streaked under, popped out again, and dove in.
The Hanging Glacier (maybe?) in Parque Nacional Queillat? Beauty on every side. A mist covered island, clouds and rain surrounding it in misty grey. I love the sea. Always the same, yet different.
A hot cappucino. The bartender asks if I am writing the Book of Chile.

-----
Barbara (the swiss girl), Jacinto (the spaniard), and I got off at Puerto Cisne, and we found out there is a bus to Coyhaique the next morning, but not that afternoon. There was, however, a bus to Puyuhuapi at 4pm, which Barbara left on. Jacinto and I got a hostel (Santa Teresita) for 4000 pesos each, and the lady agrees to make dinner for 2000 pesos. Watched Friends on TV at night. There was another Spanish couple, the guy spoke fluent English; the girl, I don't know. (edit: much much later I found out from Jacinto that the girl was French)

Walked around with Jacinto in the day. It's a small town. Cute little bridge, a little church. The tourist information center doubles up as a library, and there was a power outage while we were using the computers.

Dang. Spilled a little milk on my pants. Now there's soup and milk on my jeans. hohoho. They don't smell too badly yet.

Tuesday, March 31, 2009.

Got up early in the morning to catch the bus to Coyhaique. Jacinto made breakfast. Toast with tomato and ham and cheese and olive oil. Good old Mediterranean style. When the bus came, the clock showed 545am, and he was still making toast, so he asked me to go out and delay the bus a little. I did, but the bus driver was Not happy. I almost thought we missed it when he left a while later, but he sent another car to come fetch us. That was scary. On the bus, the scenery was Amazing. The sun had not yet risen when we first boarded (it was slightly past 6). Mists, and dark shadow silhouettes of trees and mountains. Ah, it was too bad I couldn't have taken any photos with my camera in those lighting conditions. Reminds me of Chinese paintings. Shrouds of white mist covering towering mountains. And the trees. I wonder if it's possible to fall asleep and wake up the next morning not knowing the mountains are there because they are hidden in the mist and clouds. Sometimes you really don't see the mountains, there's so much mist. Then you catch a glimpse of something dark, something behind the liquid clouds- you peer and crane, trying to see if it is, and there it is, there it is, yes! Why, there is a wall of a mountain behind the ethereal shawl of white.
And then the sun brightens the wrold a little, slowly on its ascent. The clear pools of still water, a perfect mirror of the world. The upside down trees. Sometimes a breeze chases ripples across the pools, disturbing these other worlds briefly.
Flashing glimpses of the streams and rivers brighten and color the landscape like an artist's careless strokes; they liven up the landscape-

Wednesday, April 1, 2009.

Was to go trekking, bought boots. (Jacinto brought me shopping and helped me pick out the best ones.)

south america travel journal, second installment

2009-07-14T07:00:00.001-05:00

Sunday, March 22, 2009.

Today the roommate left but later a new one came. Went for hikes that the guy at the front desk recommended. To both lookout points (miradors). Had lunch of pan arabe and queso gouda at the lookout point. And water. Went to the supermercado in the morning, bought fruit, cheese, bread, water. Met Nancy, a Canadian lady, who is traveling with Anne. We talked- she has been to many places. New Zealand, Morocco, etc.
Went on my next trek, to a mirador in a mapuche community. It's very beautiful and there's an amazing view of the lake. First trek was a view of Lago Lacar, but the second one..? Ate a dulce de leche pastry and a green apple. Saw many people on the way there and back, women jogging, families, old and young people. A couple of guys heading up with food, probably to dinner with a view. Came back but missed Nancy and Anne, had dinner of bread (that smelled sooo good) and queso gouda and jugo and one artesanal chocolate truffle. Really nice people all around. The guides here are friendly, outgoing and funny. The night is cold. Talked with the Japanese couple- Yuki and Hide. They recommended some hostels in Santiago and Púcon. A very nice couple. Yuki is from Suzuka and Hide from Nigata. They are going north while I am heading south, they are doing a one year world tour (if money permits).

Monday, March 23, 2009.

Woke up at 5 to catch the bus. Nobody was around to check me out, but I left the key. Met Nancy and Anne at the bus station, and Valerie, also from Canada, who has a stunt rider musician boyfriend. The border guards are very friendly, and does the penis craft trick to all the tourists. It is a wooden craft toy thing that when you grab it and try to lift it (for he tells you to 'take it'), it flashes you a hidden wooden dick and everyone is surprised and laughs themselves silly.
The hot springs were amazing! Los Pozones. I took the public bus there. Chameleon lizards, flowers, 6 pools of different temperatures and water levels. Cold showers, icy river. The hostel I stayed at with a very friendly host, Gustavo. Extremely cute, and speaks English with oddly-placed Australian slang. The German girl who laughs at Friends on TV with me, the guy from Madrid, whom she's traveling with, the New Yorker who offers chocolate. Dinner of fruit, cheese and water. I paid 5000 Chilean pesos for the room. The night is cold.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009.

Am now on the bus to Puerto Montt. It's still in berth, waiting for departure time. Decided not to go for the Villarica Volcano climbing. Perhaps I'm getting stronger, I can carry my backpack more easily now.

Walked all over Pto Montt. The church, plaza de armas, the Paseo Mall, along teh coast, all the way to Angelmo, the crafts market. Had pichanga for lunch today. It was awesome. Fries, meat, sausages (different types), pickles, tomatoes, avocado, hard boiled eggs. There are dogs everywhere. It's pretty safe though, I walked a lone at night, around 7 or 8pm. I like street food best. Shall get some tomorrow, and maybe seafood. Maybe good ice cream?

Wednesday, March 25, 2009.

No hot water shower. Cold. Sleepy. British guy I met today tells me that Chaíten had a volcano eruption a while ago and now only has 80 inhabitants? Better look it up in Quellón tomorrow. Today started out a bit lost, though the voyage across the sea on the bus on the boat was pretty awesome. Sealions and birds al around, and mist on the sea. Met Cristian at the Terminal de Buses Rurales and had a great laugh with the bus uncles as we tried to communicate with my poor grasp of Spanish and their nil grasp of English. He accompanied me to Fuerta San Antonio, and back to the Municipal Market's tourist office, stopping every few minutes to say hi to someone he knows or just shouting out hello, I'm accompanying this girl who speaks little Spanish. Went to the pinguinera Puñihuil, but as it was off season, there were only about 50 penguins instead of the 1500 to 2000 that would swarm the rock in high season. Saw the Mar de Ancud (interior) and Mar Brava (facing outside). Love the rocks set in the ocean waves, and the pink colors of the sky. The idyllic pasture landscape. Cows.

Thursday, March 26, 2009.

Nothing is open in Castro until 10 or 10:30. Caught a local bus here from the Queilen Bus Station in Ancud. People down at the port area said there are no ferries to Chaíten from here. Will try to get a bus to Quellón as soon as I'm done with the internet.

Things opened later. Got my ice cream. Helado. 400 pesos Chilenos. It gets really cold at night. Don't know what I'm going to do tomorrow night. Got the lady to turn on the hot water, now curled up in my sleeping bag with Two and a Half Men playing on TV. Walked around and around today. Seeing how people get by daily. I HATE BEING COLD.
pichangas. cazuela de mariscos today. curato.

Friday, March 27, 2009.

It's pouring. Woke up early this morning at about 7am, but I've nowhere to go, so lazed in bed with the TV. When I got hungry, ate a piece of bread with the manjar milk. Went back to sleep til 9:30am or so when I just had to get up. Washed up and packed. Watched the rain from the common room, falling on the boats and sea. The white bird swooping and turning, people walking by under the window, enviously staring at their jackets thinking, oh, that must be warm. May try a salchipap later. I think it's a potato with a hotdog sausage. Finished my artesanal chocolates just. Now watching Frasier and munching on the chocolate bars I bought in Argentina's La Anonima supermarket (in San Martín). Waiting for 12 o'clock to go get a salchipap and use the internet (I have to check out at 12). To research Tierra del Fuego and Antarctica.

Because of the bad weather, the port is closed! Next time check, especially with bad weather, before taking a taxi there! Really practicing my zen composure here. It's hard for us when every minute counts and we hate 'wasting' our time to just wait 'doing nothing', but it's good to learn to wait, to have patience and think and watch or find things to do. There always are, any time any place, with a little imagination and curiosity. Well here for example there is watching the rain and the port and the sea and the TV. Willy Wonka is now on. I haven't watched so much TV in ages.

south america travel journal, first installment

2009-07-10T01:39:00.006-05:00

i wanted to put it all up at one go, but here's what i've typed up for now. it's a little droney as i just relate my daily activities; later entries change to more reflective ones. it's also a tad telegrammy as i was too lazy to write in full sentences.

filed under random thoughts-

A struggling artist struggles when his art is struggling.

Saturday, March 14, 2009.

arrive at EZE around 12:30pm. get luggage, directions to bus, a tourist map, and withdrew money from the ATM. took bus 8 (2 hours, 2 pesos) from the airport to the city center, and walked to my hostel.
shower! I totally stink after 40+ hours of travel&transit. talked to the girl in my room, she's from Oklahoma, studying Law (at Penn?). Her guy friend is at UPenn. She's studying abroad here for a year, and friends came to visit, and also has friends here. They are going to Rio the day after.
went for a walk, found Av Florida. felt a bit lonely the first day, because I don't speak Spanish well, but okay. Found Valeriy & Maria & Lee at La Viruta at 10:30pm. Took a radio taxi after trying to find bus 106.

When you travel alone you grow up in a different way. You realize you can't rely on others, even friends, and can't make plans depending on them.

Horacio Godoy's class at La Viruta. The milonga. The earlier part of the night starts with beginners, then the professionals saunter in later. Some more memorable dances I had were with an Italian guy, and a Londoner. Left at 5am, but there was Daylight Savings. Got back at the hostel at 5. There is free internet and breakfast at my hostel. Met Leandro, who's from the Dominican Republic. He's studying here at the University of Palermo. And another guy who gave me a museum brochure, as something to check out if I had time.

March 15, 2009. Sunday.

Woke up at 10:22am. Showered, used the internet, breakfasted. Headed out at about 12+, 1pm. The tango shoe shops were closed. Went to register for the workshops for the tango festival, but did not have enough cash with me to pay. Walked around towns, bought some cheap heels for tango at night (20 pesos), had a hamburguesa con queso para lleva from BK. Took the Subte back to the hostel, had my dinner with coffee at the hostel, and decided to take a nap before tango.

March 16, 2009. Monday.

Woke up at 8+am though I slept at 5+am. Was it the noise? Light? Caffeine? Excitement? Tango high.
Went to the registration office again but it was not open, so I went to Neotango to buy my tango shoes. Beautiful, durable, but painful at first!
Esteban Moreno & Claudia Codega are very very very good teachers!!! The timing of the leg when the man walks the woman around him, back ocho, pause, free leg bends and moves back. Free leg to be natural not stiff, so land and put it in time for circles. Boleos. Disasociacion. Shoulders, then torso, then hips. Legs follow naturally, when rotated to face outside the couple.
Cecilia Gonzalez. Disasociacion from hip joint. BOLEO!!!
Same for gancho. Loose free leg. Lead with toe not heel.
Back ocho -> turn enough!
Pulpeadas -> Keep close, don't sit. Always up, straight. Turn/rotate. Keep free leg free & loose so he can play with it.
Met new friends in the workshops, had steak bife de chorizo medio jugoso + jugo naranja with Masao.
Could not get up to alarm after my nap after workshops, next thing I knew, it was 3:15am. Decided to miss the Salon Canning milonga.

March 17, 2009. Tuesday.

Bought SIM card and talk time, and ran other errands like buy tickets for Bariloche & check out Hosteling International. Bought pizza for dinner; there was really nice stuff in the window, alfajores for 6 pesos. Can try it next time. Near Callao y Corrientes. To call Leandro when I next come back to BsAs. May stay in Palermo next time, as it's closer to the milongas. And do walking tours. Did some tango clothes shopping.
The milonga was in a nice big place, but there were many new dancers. Saw Masao, and the Brazilian guy, but not Eddie (Hawaii) and Aaron (SF). There was Italian guy Manuel, a bad nuevo French guy, and a newbie but charming Israeli guy. Masao bought empanadas at the milonga and shared them with me because I was hungry. When I got back to the hostel, found out that Leandro was waiting for me; I feel bad! Pablo the taxi driver tried to massage my feet in the car.

Slept about 1hour after a shower, and woke at 7+am. Washed up, ate, packed, checked out, and taxi-ed to the Aeroparque. Read El Tangauta and wrote while I waited. Oh, they gave me free entry to the milonga! I'm not sure what was the exact reason, but I'm happy. I wondered if it was because I was a friend of a friend?

Slept on the flight, LAN fed us too. I should register for its frequent flyer program. Waited for the bus (colectivo) at the airport for half an hour. Here's where I learned patience. It's beautiful. Not a bad place at all. Mountains. The first view of the lake on the bus is Wow. Breathtakingly beautiful. Checked in, it was a lovely backpacker hostel. Great staff who were friendly and helpful. Walked around the city center after visiting the tourist info center and looking for some tours. Decided to go with the hostel's recommended Puerto Blest.

Thursday, March 19, 2009.

It's easy to lose track of the days that pass when you don't have a regular weekly routine. Today, went to post office to send postcards. And to Puerto Blest, and the Cascadas. Rio Frias is an amazing shade of emerald green. I wonder why. I could sit there forever taking it all in. Oh, to have the time to take a long meandering route. I practically have my own room and attached bathroom here, as there is nobody else sharing the dorm with me. Outside the window I hear the other tenants gathered, chattering in at least 3 different languages and drinking beer and vodka. Am very tired today. Ate at some crappy restaurant as I forgot the cross streets for Familia Weiss, which was recommended by the hostel staff. Bought some day old pastries which are good though. 6 pesos yum.

Friday, March 20, 2009.

Can't find my USB. Think I should cut back on eating out. Either just get sandwiches from the drugstores/supermarkets or buy food to cook. Today, went to Cerro Campanerio. The ski lift was awesome, views were astounding. Really gorgeous views. Filled up my SD card, now copying to hard disk. Shall try to find my USB again tomorrow. Bus 20 is the best public bus to drive (most scenic). And the siete lagos route is also uber beautiful. San Martín is a nice small town, but I wish I can leave on Sunday instead of having to wait until Monday as I'm in a bit of a hurry right now.

Saturday, March 21, 2009.

Took a tour to Volcan Lanín and Lago Huechulafquen. Bus to Puerto Canoa, sailed on Lagos Huechulafquen y Epulafquen in Parque Nacional Lanín. Really friendly guide, his little boy kept speaking to me in Castellano, and looking frustrated when I say 'No entiendo.' (I don't understand.) He kept asking me if it was a ¿Bien Paisaje? (which I didn't understand until later when his father explained that paisaje meant landscape.)

He liked my camera. Was reading a book on bees and other insects. Skipped stones with me, explaining the rules of the game, whether it was 'Repetito' o 'Profundo'. (To let it skip as many times as possible, or to throw it as far as possible.)

One of the men on the tour happened to have been in the Boy Scouts with the tour guide about 23-25 years ago. Wow, what a small world. Most of the people on the tour were Argentinian- many from Buenos Aires, some from Cordoba, some from Brazil. Argentina seems to be a popular vacation spot for Brazilians. Not so much Chile? Not sure. Tour guide told of border skirmishes some time ago. Conflicts at the Limite (border). Forest fire on the north face of Volcan Lanín, no treks up there. There's a 100m high glacier on Volcan Lanín, which the guide compared to Perito Moreno.

The bonsai trees, clear water, lava black sand/soil. Eating artesanal chocolate with super high alcoholic content inside. Truffles, yumm. Drinking water bottled in Mendoza, and fruit juice. Wish I was camping!

como quieres que escriba una cancion-

2009-07-07T03:30:00.002-05:00

this music laced through my journey in south america, weaving a rainbow of tears and sunshine through the mountains and shadows. extremoduro's la ley innata-

this helpful youtube user has also included lyrics with the videos. you can also listen to this album (la ley innata, 2008) on extremoduro's official website.

something to say to someone you don't know well.

2009-06-23T13:46:00.006-05:00

jacinto and i were on the bus from arequipa to cuzco. due to political/civil blockades near cuzco, there are few companies that go to cuzco from arequipa then, and this company had told us that we are going on an alternative route. fine by us- we settle ourselves on the bus, and start listening to our favorite cd on his mp3 player and being content, we start singing along.

a french guy i had met earlier by chance in some museum happens to be taking this bus as well, and had decided to sit himself behind us. he had not met jacinto before. after a while, he says to jacinto in strongly accented spanish (he speaks little english and less spanish)-

"can you stop singing? i do not like it."

jacinto replies, "what? you don't like my singing?"
french guy: "no, i don't like it."
jacinto, a little startled, but continues without showing it: "put on some earphones, man. put on your earphones too."
french guy: "what?"
jacinto: "earphones," gesturing to show what earphones are. (this conversation took place entirely in spanish, and french guy probably did not understand the word for earphones.)
french guy: "i don't have any."
jacinto: "oh. you don't? what a pity."

later on, the journey becomes really bumpy, and we backtrack a few times to take alternative routes because of blockades. i am not really having the best time because i have a lot of gas in my stomach from eating some unhygienic food in bolivia. the bumpy road isn't helping; i am having a shitty shitty time. it's night outside and dark in the bus, most of the passengers are sleeping and i'm sitting awake, stomach bloated and gas coming out of me at both ends.

"estoy preocupado," jacinto says to me.
"porque? la ruta?" i wonder if it's because of the blockades. (i will continue relating the conversation in english, although it takes place in spanish.)
"no. my career has been ruined. he doesn't like my singing! i will not sing anymore!"
i start laughing.
"it's not funny! it hurts! i have always wanted to be a singer late in my life. now i can't!"
i give him a hug, still laughing, "it's okay, everything's alright. all stars have their critics."
he fakes a crying fit; i couldn't stop laughing for the next fifteen minutes, all discomfort forgotten for a while.

how is bolivia?

2009-06-02T14:17:00.000-05:00

Matt: how's bolivia?
me: awesome
lovin it
cheap and natural and fantastic
i just love southamerica
Matt: hehe
me: can i stay here 4eva plz?

...

Matt: so you can stay until octubreeeeee

me: not enoughhhhh!!!
haha but money not enough tambien

back with my love

2009-06-02T13:52:00.002-05:00

Trying to make me feel better about the collar I lost on the Death Road, the Most Dangerous Road in the World (from La Paz (La Cumbre) to Coroico), Jacinto points out attractions on the way:

"Mirar, la iglesia!

...

y hay un cementerio atras!"

When we'd first parted ways, I'd gone on to Punta Arenas from Puerto Natales, where I visited a cementery because for some odd reason cementeries are places of attraction here in south america, and had written to him about it. He'd laughed his ass off and cemented his opinion that I was a loca.

more updates via excerpts from letters.

escrito 1 de junio:

yup i'm with jacinto now we biked the death road to coroico and now we're in coroico and will stay here for a few days and visit the afrobolivian community named tocaña.

...

anyways i look like a hippie now because an artesan took me in in santa cruz and made me all sorts of stuff. i lost one of them yesterday, a very beautiful collar (necklace thingie), and was very sad. but oh well what can i do.

coroico is beautiful. so is the death road. wow haven't ridden a bike in forever. the road was crazy, you should see it. but it's very beautiful here. i should remember to take more pictures. i've stopped taking a million fotos everyday because after traveling for two months you just get tired of taking pictures of everything.

escrito 2 de junio:

haha it is! the Most Dangerous road in the World! someone just died quite recently on it too. i went very slowly on the rocky part since i've never really done mountain biking on rocky roads much and we had malo (bad) bikes because we were cheapo and went with a cheap company.

...

tomorrow we hope to go to the cataratas (waterfalls) and i also want to visit the pools. and we both want to visit the afrobolivian community of tocaña which is near here. then we may go straight to rurrenabaque for the rainforest or back to la paz for a fiesta this weekend before going to rurre.

starting my journey in bolivia

2009-05-24T11:57:00.002-05:00

more excerpts from letters because i am lazy.

escrito 17 de mayo:

i'm now in potosi, bolivia. it's the highest city in the world, at an elevation of..... i forget the exact but it's over 4000m!!! i want to visit the copper mines, then i will go to sucre. then maybe santa cruz, or i may skip it. in the end la paz, then go through peru to ecuador. i can't wait til i get to colombia! i've heard such great things about it.

anyways. bolivia is really cheap, so that's great. but i'm still being cheapo hahahhaha. later i go walk around the city with a friend i met just now. he is from tupiza, bolivia, but is studying at the university here. it's a big city, potosi. i need a map. nights in these high altitude cities are freezing cold.

escrito 18 de mayo:

it's great, it's very much like southeast asia actually- lots of markets where people sell lots of things, anything, for really cheap.. i had 2 empanadas for breakfast at the market, and had picante de pollo (something like curry chicken) for lunch. and watched a futbol match between la paz and potosi in the afternoon, and am out with my friend daniel now.. we had an interesting dish from santa cruz for dinner.. it's rice with cheese (which is common here.. i guess it is something from spain?) and a skewer of meat with green pepper and onion.

it's nice, i like it, but it's very very cold at night. i hate getting up because of that. tomorrow i will take the tour to the mines which is the main attraction here. today morning i visited the casa de las monedas- house of the coins- because they used to mint coins here. the spanish when they colonized south america. it's the third one in south america.

in the afternoon maybe i will take the bus to sucre. i want to stay longer but i also want to travel more. it's always like this when you meet new people, but maybe i will go. it is too cold. and i have seen about all of potosi already and i hear sucre is very very beautiful.

ya there are TONS of churches here.. they are very beautiful, but you wonder what a small city like this does with so many churches.

...

but at least here it is better than in uyuni. with ALL my stuff on, i don't feel that cold here. but in uyuni, even with all my stuff on, i just want to crawl into my sleeping bag when the sun sets and sleep so i won't know anything until the sun rises again. it is That Bad.

a drink for men.

2009-05-15T13:19:00.004-05:00

on my last night in san pedro, feña and friends were having a barbecue. jaime mixed me a drink (agua loca y ginger ale). after a sip, i decided to add more canada dry (the brand of the ginger ale) because i was very thirsty after a salty dinner of pollo con papas fritas. as the custom goes, i passed the drink on a few minutes later, to jaime it turns out, because he was the only one sitting next to me.

"what is this?"
sheepishly, "well, i put more of that in," i pointed to the bottle of canada dry.
he hands the mug back to me, "that is for you. i'm going to make a drink for men."

which he does, and it spends the night passing between jaime and danilo while i nurse my low-alcohol-content drink. i'm going to insist i did not feel left out.

living in the middle of the atacama desert

2009-05-15T13:10:00.002-05:00

Some lovely Chilenos took me in as a house pet in San Pedro de Atacama.

Jaime, after a shower, "I lost a lot of weight."
I looked at him enquiringly.
"All the dust."

Jaime (originally from Concepcion) had found me wandering the streets, and after bringing me to see 2 campsites brought me back to the house which backyard he is camping in, and Feña, the owner of the house, kindly invited me to stay. So I ended up in one of the tents in the backyard, with Karen and Danilo, siblings from Puerto Natales.

la mejor ensalada (the best salad)

2009-05-15T12:56:00.003-05:00

tomate
lechuga
cebolla
zanahorria
manzana
nueces y almendras
pimiento rojo
huevo duro
palta
aceite de oliva y sal

cut tomatoes, lettuce, onions, carrots
apple, chopped
chopped walnuts and almonds
red pepper
hard boiled egg, cut
avocado
dress with olive oil and salt

it's alright to miss a few ingredients, but the dressing is essential.

argentina is a very dangerous country (argentina es un pais muy peligroso)

2009-05-08T20:07:00.002-05:00

you run a very real risk of never coming back.

in other news, i am still in salta, and made lomo con papas for matias and myself today.

fry potatoes in olive oil, add salt and water, cook.
marinate meat in salsa de soja y/o sal (soy sauce and/or salt)
freir ajos, cebollas y pimientos rojos en aceite de oliva (fry garlic, onions and red peppers in olive oil)
entonces add meat to cook

serve when ready.

wine country

2009-05-01T20:59:00.003-05:00

more excerpts from letters.

written 30 de abril:

Hmm, and now I may stay on longer in south america before going to Europe if I still go to Europe at all. But I guess this just gives me longer to travel, which is kinda nice, except with no income hehh. Just have to learn to stretch my money is all. I am traveling on my own money which I saved up on my internship, and I hope not to have to rely on my parents.

I am actually having a very good viaje, it's been more spiritual than I usually am, and it's been great, meeting people, learning many things. I am kind of taking up serious cooking on the way, rather than the crap I used to make in college. Living, I guess. And of course it reinforces a different perspective on life than just work work work work.

...

Tomorrow I will leave for Mendoza, and then I will head north to Salta. There is risk of dengue around these parts, but I am taking precautions like insect repellent and long sleeved clothes (when it is not too hot).

also written 30 de abril, to another:

today i cooked chicken and rice.

boil chicken with salt and green onions, chopped.
fry garlic in olive oil,
add rice, cook.
then add water for the rice, from the soup that you are cooking the chicken in (so basically cook in chicken broth)

serve when done.

make some tea with azucar (sugar) to finish up after that.

yummayyy

tomorrow i think i will take the bus to mendoza. a night bus. in the day i will go to alta gracia probably to visit che's house.

...

oh and i went PARAGLIDING TODAY!!!!!
in cuchi corral, where the paragliding championships are held! it's the best place in argentina to paraglide.

muchos besos!

written 2 de mayo:

did a wine tour in mendoza today.. awesome :D i like cabernet sauvignon better than malbec. now all i need to do is to try merlot at the same sitting as these two too, so i know where it stands in my order of preferences. i think i will do a wine tour in cafayate too (near salta) it will be whites. torrontes, i think, is the wine of that region. here, it is malbec, but i prefer the cabernet still.

tomorrow we'll go to a mirador for the aconcagua (highest mountain in argentina, in the andes range). i am traveling for this part with wladmir, a brasileño i met in mendoza, we were at the same hostel. but after this he is going to santiago, and i think i will go to salta, as there is no other route from santiago to salta except to come back through mendoza.

the electronics are not co-operating for photo uploading purposes, so please be patient! much love.

it's like that question

2009-05-01T06:49:00.005-05:00

if you could go anywhere you in the world and do anything you wanted, where would you go and what would you do?

all of a sudden

2009-04-29T23:12:00.000-05:00

i have five months ahead with nothing planned.

it's an interesting feeling.

colortango.

2009-04-24T17:52:00.003-05:00

passing through buenos aires on my way north from ushuaia, i met up with friends manuel from sydney, louis and janet (taking the photo) from singapore at a milonga at niño bien, where colortango was playing.
so now you know what they look like.

had to leave a country because you ran out of its currency?

2009-04-20T14:11:00.003-05:00

check.

so i skipped town in punta arenas, and journeyed to the end of the world- ushuaia, fin del mundo.

sin ti

2009-04-15T14:37:00.001-05:00

life is silent;
the world speaks not to me.

life is beautiful

2009-04-15T14:34:00.001-05:00

there is jacinto.

letter to a friend

2009-04-07T21:35:00.002-05:00

some updates, by way of an excerpt from an email to a friend, written 7 de abril 2009:

hahaha yeah kinda wild isn't it? i mean, it's what everyone romanticizes about travel, but i don't really expect it to happen, but there you go, it happened. and the weird thing is, at first i really just wanted to get to the next destination so we can both go our separate ways, but after asking around he realized he can't really go that way (the road does not go down that far south in chile) and started traveling with me instead! it's strange how the paths and lives of two people cross. his past is totally unlike mine, but at the same time we have very similar tastes in many things, like music, films, food, etc, etc.

and i am kind of in a hurry because i don't have that much time in south america while he does, so i hurried on to puerto natales, but am waiting for him to go hike torres del paine together. you CANNOT BELIEVE the delays that can happen. in chiloe, the boat could not come into port so it did not leave for days so i had to change my route and just take the next ferry out, which was going to another destination. then in other cities in chile i have to wait sometimes up to 2 days for the next bus going to my next destination. and now that i think i can smoothly hurry on, THE BLOODY POST OFFICE CLOSED FOR THE DAY BECAUSE OF SOME STUPID NATIONAL POST OFFICE HOLIDAY! and so he cannot get his money (western union, he lost his credit card etc), and so i have to wait yet another day. (like WTF!!!!) hahaha what a way to learn patience. but it is a beautiful place. i might try to find a short day hike tomorrow to do. or go buy and rent the stuff we need (tents, 0 deg sleeping bags, gas, stoves, waterproof pants for me, etc), or just sit at the waterfront (mountains in the distance and swans in the lake!!) writing. i have not written in my journal much since i met him. there was too much to write even when i was alone, so much that you do in a day, and see, and so much to describe, and things you think about and feel, and explore inside yourself and out. and it's a hundred times more when there is another with you, because this other human being is a whole other universe to describe, to talk about, to explore.

yeah it's so strange, and very funny because we don't understand the words of the other half the time, and either need a long time to explain a simple word, or give up and talk to an uncomprehending ¿como? and sometimes we meet other travelers who are well-versed in both english and spanish, and translate for us. but we get along very well together and i miss him loads now that he is not here and can't wait til he gets here. it's gonna be terrible when we have to part for good. TERRIBLE. it's absolutely fine being alone, you kind of like it though sometimes i think it's nice to have someone to go, Look, isn't that beautiful! to, someone to share things with, it's still fine being alone, especially when you're in a place like this, with mountains and lakes to pour your heart out to, or just look at and think or just be. it's also very fine being with somebody, a companion, a friend, a lover, a group of friends. it's just horrible, absolutely heartrending, to part.

..

i met some taiwanese guys from paraguay today. they are here on vacation. here and punta arenas. they treated me to a pisco sour and dinner (sopa marineras.. seafood soup. seafood here is muy, muy bien.) it was the first time in 3 weeks i have heard chinese. the last time was at a lavanderia (laundromat) in buenos aires, it was owned by chinese people, and i had accompanied a hawaiian chinese guy there to get his clothes.

...

look who's laughing now

2009-03-30T15:27:00.003-06:00

at the centro de informacion turistica slash biblioteca where there is free internet, there was a power outage while we were using the computers. the spanish guy, jacinto (sp.?), had just typed half a page worth of email-

he turned to me with laughing eyes and spoke rapidly in spanish, of which i only caught the word "iglesia" (church). he saw i did not understand fully, and said, "Por hahaha la iglesia."

(we had previously passed by a quaint little church, which he'd commented on in good humor in spanish and photographed.)

pictures from quellón

2009-03-28T16:44:00.002-06:00

views of the sea.

in the day

in the rain

at night

still in quellón, and excerpt from journal.

2009-03-28T13:21:00.005-06:00

the ferry was supposed to depart 15 hours ago. due to inclement weather, we are still here.

Saturday, March 28, 2009.

Sometimes when you're stuck you feel like turning back; you flip through your guidebook again and again and re-read the passages, scanning for a reason to keep pressing on. It's hard when you don't speak the language and can't make small talk with the locals or fellow travelers you meet. Unless they speak English (or Chinese though that's rarer in these parts of the world) too of course, or if there isn't anyone else so they're willing to struggle through little Spanish and English with you.

Patience is hard to learn. Again and again at each obstacle I have to struggle with my onward-racing spirit, to slow down and take in the unchanging beauty of the world, that renews itself in cycles, as the months turn the seasons, and the tides move the sea. We always want to DO something, to make something of our time, to be PRODUCTIVE, but it makes us task-controlled puppets who cannot wait five minutes or an hour, let alone a few days. We always have something else to do, but in the end, will doing those things have made us lived better lives than if we took some time to look around at the world we live in, to soak in and appreciate the wonder of life and little things?

We are waiting
Like hostages in a jail cell

(They had us in a passenger waiting room- there were wooden benches and four of us staring out at the choppy sea.)

Disclaimer: As always, I beg artistic licence. I am in fact quite content with my enforced vacation in Quellón (though if we got a move on i would Not be unhappy at all!), and the Spaniard, the Swiss girl, the Chilena mama and I get along quite well, in broken Spanish and English.

added a few hours later-
Correction: I am TRYING to quiet my soul and be happily content in quellón. I would very much in fact like to GET A MOVE ON! Torres del Paine is a-waiting!!!

and Update: The Swiss girl and I are now sharing a double in the hostel I've been staying at for the last two nights (Hotel La Playa); the boat has tried thrice to come in to port but cannot, and we will check with the Naviera Austral office again at 9 tomorrow morning. The Spaniard took off earlier and is I believe now sleeping in my old room in the same hostel, and the Chilean lady is going back to Castro for the night. Blame the winds and tide. It rained all day yesterday, which is nasty, nasty, nasty.

like fine wine, better with age?

2009-03-15T17:39:00.004-06:00

i told alex about watching evita (the movie).

¨That´s the film that got me into tango.¨
¨Really?¨My brow furrows, I´m trying to recall- ¨When did it come out?¨
Alex, after a meaningful pause,¨Yes, I´m that old.¨

(It was released in 1996.)

evita

2009-03-10T02:35:00.002-06:00

in the mood of the upcoming trip to buenos aires, argentina, i watched evita (the film adaptation of the musical starring madonna as eva peron & antonio banderas as che).

another suitcase in another hall

don't cry for me, argentina
(hate the skips)

you must love me
couldn't find the clip from the movie; here she is singing at the '97 oscars.

look at my fancy things from shanghai

2009-03-09T10:36:00.004-06:00

on my last night in shanghai, jacques brought me out to tango and salsa. it was pablo & noelia's farewell milonga at tangobang, and they obligingly performed four dances for us.

pablo giorgini & noelia coletti at tangobang in shanghai-

we went to jz club later for salsa, and guess who i ran into! erin & bris, salsa friends from college (illinois, united states)! what a small world.

at about three or four in the morning, when we were all salsa-ed out, we headed to bi feng tang 避风塘 for supper. it was an awesome night! poor sweet jacques was so exhausted by the end of it; he'd been really busy at work lately. merci!

easy virtue & the bbc book list

2009-03-02T09:46:00.005-06:00

sydney's moonlight cinema at centennial park is simply fabulous. the air is cool and the screen is large and clear; there are beanbags to rent or plenty of space on the grass, on a gentle slope that gives the perfect viewing angle. the show starts after sundown (8:30pm) and orion kindly kept me company. the open air cinema's premier showing of easy virtue was on that night-

before i head off to shanghai, let me leave you with an internet meme- the bbc book list 100. there are several different versions out there, i hear. i will bold the ones i've read.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible not in its entirety, yet.
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte several times
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams saw the movie
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen austen is funny
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov i read the first two chapters in the bookstore, but due to the habit my parents inculcated in me of not buying books (read too much when i was a kid; they saw it as a waste of money because there is always the public library! and because of that i wanted my future house to have a grand library where i can collect all the books i've ever read), i never finished it.
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett many times when i was a child; i loved it. and heidi. frances hodgson burnett's name is engraved in my memory, together with the picture of the garden on the cover.
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Inferno - Dante
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

it seems i've done most of my reading when i was a child. perhaps it's best to give us much free time and leave us to our own devices.

plastic bags and money

2009-02-11T04:38:00.004-06:00

After beach volleyball at Sentosa with my best friend and neighbor Kimiko, and her volleyball friends. They play regularly every Saturday, and this is my first time joining them.

"You didn't bring a plastic bag?" Edwin asks, as I walked out of the Ladies' wringing my dripping bikini.
"No." I made a that's-unfortunate face and shrugged, what-can-i-do.
He rummages in his duffel bag and procures a wrinkled little plastic bag, handing it to me.

"HEY!!! Waaahh." Wee Soon mock-sneers, acting all left out and affronted. "Eh, you know, Edwin, I also didn't bring any money."

not angry

2009-02-11T03:10:00.005-06:00

"Are you angry at me, don Juan?" I asked when he returned. He seemed surprised at my question.

"No! I'm never angry at anybody! No human being can do anything important enough for that. You get angry at people when you feel that their acts are important. I don't feel that way any longer."

- From Carlos Castaneda's "The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge".

Yulya, Andrei and Valeriy were joking about Castaneda (I still remember the kitchen fondly!) and when we were back at Valeriy's place he gave me the book to read.

anibal on volcadas.

2009-02-11T02:45:00.002-06:00

"volcada" comes from "volcar" - to tip over.

i attended one of his workshops in singapore; here's the very belated video-

in other news, join us (the singapore tango community) on facebook!

tango singapore

2009-02-06T06:09:00.005-06:00

anibal & grainne at the monthly milonga at bobby's taproom-

am toying with the idea of attending the valentine's milonga in bali.

constructive things to do.

2009-02-02T21:22:00.003-06:00

ingredients and recipes can be found here and here.

everything went great, except for not having the right-sized moulds. ngiam thinks that is hilarious, and does not stop pointing out perfectly sized molten chocolate cakes in the windows of bakeries.

new york city (if strangers meet)

2009-01-31T05:15:00.014-06:00

dec 27, 2008, saturday.

chris picks me up from the airport.
we spend the day sleeping, since i was too exhausted from the last days in champaign, and tango all night in chicago. (how i miss them!) he, too, was tired from work and such. in the evening we walk around soho & chinatown, and maybe a small part of little italy (his neighborhood, basically), and we eat at ed's lobster bar. we had clams and their lobster sandwich, which according to chris is the house special.

he also shows me two malaysian/singaporean restaurants, and tells me about lombardi's (the famous tourist-trap italian pizza place, which is just next to the entrance to his apartment building).

we also take a short tour of times square, passing by all the usual places. he demonstrates his ddr skills at toys'r'us and draws a crowd, and we marvel at the gazillion types of merchandise you can sell off of m'n'm's brand.

dec 28, 2008, sunday.

we walk through the upper west side and have a stroll in central park. he tells me stories of and shows me masa and per se (the two most expensive restaurants in new york), and we make a date to eat there five years from now (since we're shit broke and poorer than the church mouse currently). chris complains to anyone who would listen that he is poor, though by most standards (considering he is a fresh grad) he is sure as hell Not Poor. it is just the other wealthy people in new york getting to him. rent is also incredible, and he is living in a hole-in-the-wall place, but i do like the location of his apartment (and a skylight never hurts). there is much focus on money in new york city. i didn't expect to get much fresh perspective while in new york, and was just looking to enjoy the city, but i suppose after my travels and associating with i-look-for-meaning-in-life-and-i-do-not-want-to-work-in-a-corporation free spirits- people who value love and a family above all else, or experiencing, observing and immersing in life on a continent other than their own, the emphasis on wealth(=success) in new york did smack me gently on the head and whispered that even open-mindedness can get stuck on a narrow sort of stereotype.

i picked ramen when he inquired about dinner preferences, since i rarely find good ramen. we walk by carnegie hall and through korean town, and pay a visit to the empire state building. deterred by the entry cost and the hour-long wait, we didn't go to the top; i'll just leave that to my next visit (i'm sure my path will bring me to this city again).

dec 29, 2008, monday.

on monday chris has to work, and i spend my morning walking nyu's campus. there were some quaint little shops, and i liked the quirky chess sets i saw in the windows, but didn't spend more time in the shops as i had other things i wanted to see.

on my way to the united nations headquarters, i dawdled for a while at the grand central station, and by chance the laser display started while i was there, and i stayed to videotape it. the UN HQ was in international territory, and the UN stamps you get there won't work if mailed from other US post offices.

i drop by the new york library, but unfortunately opening hours were over. at the grand central (subway) station, i dallied a while to watch a group of breakdancers doing their thing.

videos added feb 11, 2009:

after work, chris brought me to the house of congee, which was good, cheap and near his apartment. it was pretty good, but i personally think that crystal jade's congee was better. maybe i wasn't in a congee mood.

that night i went to my first new york milonga (had to scratch that tango itch!) there i met dan and alex, who brought me and pettina to terrablues and showed us blues dancing. i liked the live band. after that we went to dan's place for tea. he did not have good honey.

dec 30, 2008, tuesday.

chris also had to work on tuesday. i spent nearly the entire day at a korean spa with dan, alex & friends. i liked lydia; she was very friendly. for some reason i spend much of my time with people quite a lot older than me. after the spa (because i'd mentioned that i just graduated), she asks me my age. "Twenty-two," I said. She throws her head back and laughs, "I am twice your age, hun!"

both dan and alex are ukrainian in origin, but have been in america since they were kids. dan barely speaks russian. he now works at at&t labs (formerly bell labs), and before he was at NYU's CS department. alex was in the finance industry and is emerging from his depression after being hard hit by the wall street crash. the spa had a co-ed floor, and separate sections for the single-sex pools & saunas. joy & lydia didn't feel comfortable being naked with a bunch of strangers, so i ventured into the all-female section by myself. you have to shower before entering the pools, but still i wondered about possible inconsiderate disease-ridden spa-mates. there was a wet sauna and a dry one, and a larger variety of dry ones in the co-ed section. there was the korean communal showering (you sit on stools in front of a mirror, next to each other with no dividers between you) in the female section as well (that i first experienced shyly four years ago with some schoolmates in a mountain inn in korea at the end of a snowy mountain hiking expedition that lasted slightly more than a week). then, the hot water misted the surroundings so you couldn't really see more than the vague form of the person next to you, and i didn't have my contact lenses on anyway so everything was a blur. at this spa everyone was in their full nude glory, and while it is a pleasure to rest your eyes on well-proportioned children of god, there were also some examples of what i hope my body would never become. after a while though it gets comfortable and you forget about the awkwardness of being able to see another person's skin. the body's features assume the familiarity of a face.

on our way home, dan and i grabbed some afters from a bakery near his place, and later that night we went to tango. alex, rita, dan and i later had supper at coffee shop. i really liked the food; my dear new yorker friends knew what to order. we had Pastel De Camarao (Dumplings Filled with spicy shrimp), Sopa De Peixe Bahia (a brazilian seafood chowder) and Coconut Crisped Shrimp with a mango citrus puree.

i am home late; chris was still up. we start talking and it seems we never stop. we argue about the subway station breakdancers' lives, him using economic theories, and me sympathising from the psychology student's perspective. he touts the utility function, and i retaliate with welfare and style and discrimination. he calls my argument racist; i am infuriated as i didn't realize he meant it quite objectively with a debater's definition. when it is over we are laughingly happy with each other's company, and we fall asleep at seven in the morning. the sky is light through the skylight.

dec 31, 2008, wednesday.

it's new year's eve. chris brings me to blue ribbon sushi for late lunch, and we order omakase. he insists on treating. we walk around downtown and see buildings in the cold. we get a glimpse of brooklyn bridge, and take a peek into ground zero.

that night dan, alex & i celebrate the turning of the year by going to 3 new year's eve parties. the first was themed; we dressed up in '30s costumes, the music was a mix of hiphop, salsa, and old favorites that people would sing along at the top of their voices. the second was sort of a tango party, we danced. the third was chill, at steve-o's apartment. it was early in the morning by the time we got there, so though it had been a lively party with trance (or was it techno, he said?) music playing, by the time we got there people were mostly just chilling. the bathroom is full of surprises. the first time its door opens, the distinctive scent of pot wafts towards me, and the second, a woman emerged with a self-satisfied smile, followed by a man.

jan 1, 2009, thursday.

i spend the first day of the new year with alex. i find him interesting- intellectually engaging and a little crazy, and am somewhat reluctantly fascinated by it. i am intrigued and want to meet more of his crazy friends but am often initially repulsed, because of boundaries societal norms have set for me, at every line his brand of madness crosses. i wonder if you can ever return after venturing into such a world. but as with any unexplored territory, it calls to me and i enter, clutching my wits and values close, while ruminating on every new possibility, still more interested in being an observer than a participant. we start watching federico fellini's "8 1/2", but he falls asleep shortly into the movie and i do too soon after, so i don't quite have an opinion on the film. (our dozing off is less a reflection on the movie than a consequence of being out all night.)

later that night, amongst short clips of other movies (including nothing-screams-weird-like tetsuo, his choice stoned-state show), alex shows me a little bit of tampopo, which makes me realize i am hungry. he brings me to yakitori taisho, and we get spicy tuna tartare, octopus in wasabi sauce, okonomiyaki (he is appalled that i have never tried it), and soju. all were his picks and they were good. it was really crowded though it was about midnight or one in the morning.

tetsuo-

tampopo-

jan 2, 2009, friday.

i grab a donut and coffee from dunkin' donuts, and meet up with chris to rush for broadway tickets. we rush for avenue Q, wicked, and another that i don't remember, but don't win any.

we go for dinner close by (dallas bbq), and then take a walk in union square. we visit the strand bookstore, and i start reading letters to a young poet by ranier maria rilke, which was quoted in a book of poems i found lying on the couch in alex's apartment.

alex and some friends pick me up to go see a burlesque show with them. when we get there, a girl starts dancing on the stage, but the burlesque doesn't start til later, so we head to tango. brian cox was at the milonga. tango was good, and we didn't go back for the burlesque show.

jan 3, 2009, saturday.

chris and i get tickets to chicago for the matinee show, and i drown myself in coffee before it starts to stay awake (late nights and such). after the musical i get a chicken kebab on my way home as i've been meaning to try food from the street vendors.

chris has dinner plans. after an hour of persuasion on the phone, i drag myself out of the house and meet alex at the grocery store and we rollerblade back to his apartment (well he does, i kind of.. roll. and almost get killed by a taxicab.)

he cooks rabbit while i zigzag all over his apartment in rollerblades. after yummy rabbit, we go to the rocky horror picture show, because according to alex i am "not american enough" until i have seen the cult classic, which he deems an important part of american culture.

jan 4, 2009, sunday.

chris brings me sightseeing again- battery park, the wall street bull, trinity church, all over downtown and wall street, the world trade center visitor's center.

we have japanese curry for dinner. i go to tango at night. i meet alex and steve there, who had spent the day at a russian spa. (i'd first met steve at the korean spa.)

jan 5, 2009, monday.

on my tourist itinerary of the day were the ellis island immigration museum and the statue of liberty. the UN HQ does not let me in for my tour because i am late.

i stopped a while to see some street performers at battery park.

i am exhausted, so i go home. although i want desperately to sleep, i accompany chiao-lun (chris' roommate) to dinner because chris is staying late at work. however on our way there chris calls, and joins us for dinner before going back to work.

i call alex and we go to tango. it is my last night in new york on this trip.

jan 6, 2009, tuesday.

alex shows me brighton beach and russian town when we find out my flight has been delayed. it is last call when we get back to the airport the second time, but i run, and make the plane. the delay causes me to miss my connection in hong kong later, and i spend the night at the airport hotel. i finally arrive in singapore around noon on thursday, jan 8.

postscript

if strangers meet
life begins-
not poor not rich
(only aware)
kind neither
nor cruel
(only complete)
i not not you
not possible;
only truthful
-truthfully,once
if strangers(who
deep our most are
selves)touch:
forever

(and so to dark)

- e e cummings

goodbyes & hellos (left my heart in new york city)

2009-01-11T11:20:00.006-06:00

There's been a dearth of posts lately, as I've been busy with commencement, moving out of Champaign, and a trip to New York City. Will try to write brief notes for NYC as I did for Puerto Rico, and put up pictures soon. Love meeting new people and seeing old friends again (NYC & Singapore), but parting I could do without (Chicago & Champaign).

At grad ceremony (this is a rough reconstruction, I don't remember it word-for-word. Kieran is one of my three roommates from last year.)-

Kieran: "I'm really bad at saying goodbye."
Me: "Me too.

...I'll just see you later! That means you have to still be in Colombia when I visit from Argentina!"
Kieran: "Yes, let's hope so!"
( hug )
( pause...we try to say goodbye, but can't. )
Me: "Alright, I'll see you in Colombia!"

New York was lovely; everytime I visit, I am glad again and reminded of how much I appreciate living in a big city. The trip was perhaps a bit too long, if not for some great people I met.

Amongst other adventures, Dan showed us the basics of blues dancing-

And here's part of the performance by Victoria and Leonardo Elias that I managed to capture at one of the milongas I attended in NYC.

Already in Singapore I've met Peter "the Navy guy" from Australia, Simeon on exchange from Oregon, who's a three-year veteran of West Coast Swing but starting to get into tango & salsa (I met him at a milonga), Anton the tango instructor from Chile who's lived ten years in Paris, Yigit the Turk based in Australia, a bunch of friends from the salsa festival last year, and plenty of other new friends.

2008-12-21T01:27:00.001-06:00

graduation, part ii

2008-12-15T00:21:00.006-06:00

This occurred quite some time ago, and has already been widely shared, but I just came across it again on Mark Andersen's tango blog, the Confessions of a Tango Dancer, and felt like sharing it again, especially in my current mood of the one-fifth-life crisis.

J.K. Rowling's Commencement Speech at Harvard, June 2008.
Part I

Part II

Also, this might be me a few years later!

a friend who understands you

2008-12-13T14:51:00.005-06:00

shortly after setting my gtalk status message to "is displeased"

Matt: "displeased" sounds like you're going to murder somebody
me: i'm glad you are sensitive to my understatements
Matt: i read it
and
got this vision of darth vader strangling somebody
http://www.coateskokes.com/green/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/figure2.jpg

me: hahahhahahaah
:D :D :D
that's why you're my lab partner
Matt: after that much time in the siebel basement together, it'd be hard NOT to interpret these things correctly
Sent at 2:37 AM on Saturday

graduation

2008-12-13T14:38:00.004-06:00

boon leong shared this with me when i spoke about my one-fifth-life crisis (he also humphed and said, "you're not 25 yet", when i termed it my quarter-life crisis).

tango with paola.

2008-12-07T20:15:00.002-06:00

performances from friday's milonga at the ARTango Center in chicago as promised.

paola & burak

paola & baran - milonga

paola & baran - tango

chicago.

2008-12-07T15:46:00.003-06:00

I haven't had time to properly post about all my weekends in chicago, but here are some highlights.

After dinner at a Turkish restaurant one night, we (Maria, Humberto, Katia, Liana, Anthony, Valeriy and I) watched y tu mamá también at Maria's house, under Katia's recommendation. I kind of still want to talk about it with someone, so please watch it if you haven't yet. It'll be even better if it were a group discussion, because there is much to say and think about.

Unfortunately I don't remember the name of abovementioned Turkish restaurant, but another place they introduced me to is an Italian place- the Spacca Napoli Pizzeria. It's also fantastic, and have pretty good Italian pizzas. Some of the other dishes I had the chance to try were very good too, so don't limit yourself to the pizzas.

Ping pong Fridays at Andrei's house (until now I still have not seen the spelling of his name, it does not help that Valeriy spells it differently everytime and Yulya refers to him as Andrew and herself as Julia when she speaks in English) are fun, with chatterbox little girls running around, Russian cartoons on TV, and a table tennis round-robin tournament going on in the basement. These guys are serious about their game! Too bad I probably won't be staying around long enough, or I'll start getting them to teach me too.

Yulya's cooking is amazing. Even potatoes are an artform under her transformations. Thanks to her I've had the chance to savor delicious homecooked Russian food. Like borscht, amongst other things I can't spell. Also I've discovered I really like panettone, an Italian sweetbread that seems to melt in your mouth, and the aftertaste of pine nuts (Valeriy's favorite nuts).

Of course, milongas at the ARTango Center are always awesome, usually with Burak deejaying, and the best food any milonga has ever seen. I am not exaggerating. Performances from this weekend will be up soon. (Paola Bordon was teaching workshops.)

Last Saturday, we had a little movie night at the ARTango Center. We watched Priceless, starring Audrey Tautou and Gad Elmaleh. It was cute and funny, and I recommend watching it for Audrey :) She looks like French Julia Roberts in this one (in Amelie she was beautiful in a pure and charming kind of way, but here she is the stunning petite mademoiselle). And I love that white dress.

I love my Chicago family :)

puerto rico notes

2008-12-07T15:18:00.004-06:00

made myself finish jotting them down, but memory is already starting to fade. pictures will be up soon; i may edit/update this later.

tuesday, nov 25, 2008

old san juan
fort del morro
the other fort..san cristobal.
walking through old san juan
stopping at shops- the doors of (old/) san juan shop
asking the lady the way to a restaurant "how did you know i spoke english?" "random guess"
and that wonderful restaurant. amazing salads. we had a quiche. and a chinois- ginger lemonade.
the dance performance in front of fort san cristobal at night. it started drizzling in the middle, but no fear! the performers kept up the smiles and the cheer.
met gonzalo from houston. originally from... where? in latin america? super long name. first name middle name dad's and mom's last names. we had dinner. spanish tapas. i had seafood. pan y jamon appetizer. yumm bread. he ordered coffee but we had to leave. we had to wake up early the next day for our snuba diving adventure.
more pastries at night from the panaderia.

wednesday, nov 26, 2008

snuba diving in the morning, el yunque rainforest in the afternoon. salsa at night.
woke up real early to drive to fajardo for the snuba diving trip. directions: "call me when you get to the intersection with sizzler's, wendy's and xxx on the right. there is no other time you will see this combination." our favorite highway, the 3.
the hollywood guy, his very nice midwestern wife from illinois.
the mom bringing the daughter snuba diving for her sixteenth birthday "she picked it!"
filipino couple. "buddy".
taught us how to breathe, how to expel the water from our goggles, how to clear the mask, how to pop the ears.
at first, kind of scary breathing through mouth, the fact that am unable to breathe with nose underwater gives rise to a panic like fear. suppressing that fear, trying to get used to the feeling of breathing through my mouth, and getting my brain okay with not being able to breathe through my nose, so that in any case of emergency underwater i would not panic and try to breathe through my nose.
and popping my ears, popping, popping. i needed to pop for every foot deeper i went, it seemed.
six pounds of weight. flippers. goggles, the breathing thing. put the entire thing in your mouth and bite! ewww. sterilized, they said.
touch nothing unless it's white. if it's white, it's sand, so it's okay.
brush with the fire coral. ouchie. dollop of sunblock.
fish, so close, everywhere, all sorts, all colors! beautiful.
coral. tall! like plants, like a kingdom. palaces, buildings. the diver found us a pufferfish! kind of oblong-ish.
fish feed, so the fish gather around us. but the fish were not big like the ones i saw in tioman when i was a kid.
to go deeper, point your face there, think low. not high.
lungs like airsac, inflate, rise, deflate to go down. breathe out, out. don't need to wave your arms about. painful, he said. painful to watch.
"we'll know, if you're not sinking."

saved on lunch to have a good dinner. el yunque. no mosquitoes. "they need warmth to bite," said the ranger. he pointed us to the waterfall, but we insisted we wanted to sweat it out first so he pointed us to the peak. so we went to the tower, and then on to the peak. came down, and went to the waterfall. you could swim there. it was amazing, to have a waterfall gushing down on your face. the cold water pounding over you, the smooth slippery rock under your fingers and feet. climbing a few steps up. but we only had a few minutes there, because some gate was going to close and we didn't want to be locked in. running up the 1.5? km of steps and getting to the car in time, i was, so what's this gate again???

excellent views. just want to shout ahhh at the top.

zi wei said it reminded her of edmund burke. philosopher. big, horror. magnitude. awe. aesthetics.

at night, went to explore el san juan hotel, but there was no salsa, alas. in the end.. what did we do?

and then talked into the night.

thursday, nov 27, 2008

went to the beach. pinones, because we were looking to rent bodyboards. but after much delays and not finding it, we just decided to chillax at the beach.

the surf was very strong. the beach was very pretty, but the current was so strong, it's not really a swimming beach. nor a boarding beach. there were still people playing though in the water, and of course people up on the sandy part.

thanksgiving dinner with felix and friend at his mom's place. very interesting family. mom from dominican republic, and somewhere. mexican heritage too. and some white. don't remember which. both were children of divorce. it's very common there, they said. they were surprised that all of us still had both parents.

sharing of their culture and country, and our culture and country. ruby pan's code switching. and then dances. yan qing's salsa, a modern piece that hui ling showed us, west coast swing (jordan & tatiana, of course).

going to marriott hotel for salsa, but brought zi wei back first because she was falling asleep, literally. then we went out again. to some of their hangouts, but because it was thanksgiving, almost everything was closed.

a gamecafebar thing. but they were closing, so we went to old san juan, and walked around, on the streets, from bar to bar. played pool. twice. second time with no mosquitoes. sweet boys. we (the girls) won both times.

the scary church with gargoyles. and nobody has entered or left since forever. gargoyles to protect from evil spirits. that's why they look so scary. so they are guardians, but they look so scary.

finally went home because had to wake up the next day to catch flight. it was a great night.

friday, nov 28, 2008

had breakfast at panaderia. sweet cake with milk. it goes well with milk, he says. at first i get coffee because i want to wake up, but he is right, it goes very well with milk, and not so well with the bitter coffee.

then, all packed and wrapped in chicago-weather-ready clothes, we head to the airport. bye-bye, puerto rico.

puerto rico notes

2008-11-24T23:02:00.005-06:00

to keep with the style of a notebook, i will keep writing the date, though the date also appears on the blog entry by default.

monday, nov 24, 2008

woke up earlier today, had breakfast of meringue (en espanol, merengue), cheese pastry, cherry pastry, coffee shared amongst the three of us (huiling, ziwei & me).
set off in our party van (rented suzuki, not a van at all) to fajardo. the idea was to catch the ferry to the island with beautiful crystal clear waters, and do the biobay tour at night (bioluminescent micro-organisms glow in the lagoon).
we got there, but due to getting lost, having lunch, an all-too-relaxed atmosphere and laidback attitude, and a misguided notion of how long it would take to get from one point to the next, we missed the ferry. however that did not put even the slightest dent in our spirits. it is quite impossible to feel much negative emotion in such perfect weather. everything and everyone is just kind of relaxed and laidback and friendly and happy. even when it rains, everything is alright (it is often brief and passes, and besides when it is warm, you enjoy the rain)
much is like singapore and malaysia. everyone thinks so (huiling, ziwei & me).
we had lunch at blue bahai restaurant, next to laguna grande. we had ceviche, mahi-mahi in mango chutney, and tres leches. i love tres leches. the ceviche was different than in peru, though it was still ceviche (pictures will explain). the mahi-mahi in mango was fantabulous; we would all have it again any day. zi wei elaborated on more ideas she had for her future cafe.
the owner rennie gave us instructions four times for getting to and from luquillo beach, and wrote them down for us in the end. a very friendly person, he also prefers the US to puerto rico, though he was born here. he now lives in indianapolis, but is in puerto rico for a while, and his family owns several restaurants here.
we made it to luquillo beach, the waves were huge. it started raining. there was a pier, and it was nice to stand there looking at the waves in the rain. we explored the kioskos (shops that were like foodstands, a whole row of them), and spoke with some other folks hanging out at a bar. i bought some food to try- mashed potato with meat, beef wrapped in fried sweet plantain (this is pretty good), pig intestines in a curry-like soup (this was delicious), almond & coconut candy/cookie, and coconut candy/cookie (very sweet, but good. made from nuts grown locally).
the bioluminescent bay tour was incomparable. it makes everything alright. seeing the glow of the micro-organisms, the magical illumined glove around anything you put in the water. shrimp and fish swimming, a ray, it was all so ethereal and beautiful. prose cannot do it justice. i love the feeling of being out on the water at night. the trees and foliage dark around you, the sky with light clouds and some stars. the water aglow with magic. being on water.

with love, from puerto rico!

puerto rico notes

2008-11-23T23:50:00.003-06:00

this is a rough outline of my trip in puerto rico, which will guide my travelogue later.

thursday, nov 20, 2008

ride megabus up to chicago
tango lesson & milonga at cafe duvall
hang out, catch flight

friday, nov 21, 2008

appalled at the need to transfer from la guardia to jfk in new york
arrive at SJU
check in at coqui inn
have dinner with lester, jeremiah & eli at coqui inn restaurant: had swordfish with yellow rice, and non-alcoholic strawberry daiquiri. food was amazing, though oily.
back to inn, shower, went for walk around the neighborhood as the girls missed their connection and will only arrive the next day

saturday, nov 22, 2008

inn provides simple breakfast of cheap donuts and coffee
hung out at the beach. water is warm, sun is great, beach isn't too crowded, sand is pretty fine. wind is fantastic for kite-surfing and windsurfing, and more of those appeared after noon. waves are also pretty good for bodyboarding (there were a few bodyboarders). rentals for kayaks on the beach were extremely overpriced, saw nobody kayaking. also it is too choppy. there were also rentals for jetskis. the beach is lined with hotels, a lawyer i met on the way to the beach (grew up on puerto rico, now lives in boston & hates puerto rico as she feels it has been overtaken by corporations that don't care about the environment) says that the rich are trying to block access to the beach (the public entrance is a really small alleyway that is easy to miss. (i was asking for the way to the beach.)
after playing in the water for a bit, walked the length of the beach to both ends.
made friends with paul, a kitesurfer (he's been doing it for four years now, lives ten minutes from the isla verde beach). another guy (fair, built, in boardshorts) offered to show me (and friends who were due to show up at two-ish) around (works at hotel). someone (javier, of whom i asked the time): "wanna hook up?" "no, thanks, it's quite alright." and i am not japanese either.
finally decide to go back to inn, met huiling & ziwei just as they were stepping out of taxi in front of the inn.
after settling in, go to old san juan. stopped on the way for food (saw local restaurant we liked, and just decided to hop off the bus. bus is free until january, according to somebody)
three of us shared two dishes: mofongo (mashed plantain) with shrimp (renowned local dish), and meat on skewers with a side of fried whole plantains (these were sweet and good, like bananas almost, not overfried to dry chips like some i had in peru)
met felix at the bus stop when we went to catch the bus A5 to continue our way to old san juan, and he followed us and brought us to barrachina, where we wanted to go. a very sweet-tempered, friendly boy, who acquiesced to everyone who approached him with their wares and beggars he came across.
watched flamenco show at barrachina restaurant (accompanied by pina coladas which supposedly originated there in that very restaurant on puerto rico)
took bus from the old san juan terminal to condado. we wanted to check out the salsa at the marriott. a lady who grew up in new york (but looks puerto rican) helped us out at the bus terminal (we were close to last bus times) and also took us close to the marriott as she was also heading to the condado with her friend.
there was a live band at the marriott, but the dancing was not as of a high level as i expected of puerto rico. it was in the lounge, so there were many hotel guests (tourists) just sitting there watching and enjoying their food too.
we met lenin, originally from peru, did a masters in computer science/engineering at the university of puerto rico, worked for a while in washington dc, and now works in puerto rico as he prefers the weather here. an avid salsero of two years, he recommended that we take off to a festival happening right then in hato rey. "you'll take us back here if we don't like it?" then sure why not.
roads were closed off for the festival (it lasts for several days, with many bands and groups performing.) of note that day was sonora poncena. salsa dancing broke out on the streets to the live salsa music being performed on stage. it was a festival, with games and food and the works. we had a good time.
lenin took us back, we all had supper at burger king, and then bade lenin farewell. walked back to the inn, which was just a block away.

sunday, nov 23, 2008

woke pretty late as we slept late, had the cheap honey buns which the inn provided for breakfast, and rented a car from allied down the street after inquiring with aces and enterprise as well.
headed towards luquillo beach with music lifting our spirits in the car
stopped randomly for roadside food and bought one of everything- crabmeat (fried), meat taco, some piece of fried flour thing, and meat on a skewer topped off with a piece of garlic bread.
arrived at luquillo with help from gps and map. it was the last day of a festival (for children) that is welcoming christmas. there were games, and food, drinks and trinkets on sale. an old man entertained us with his instruments (he made them for sale)- maracas, and other things i know not the name of. salsa music was pouring from the speakers and there was a stage set up (all this in the town plaza).
the kids even had a race! and there were clowns.
we checked out luquillo beach. it was cloudy, but it was a pretty good beach, though not spectacular. the sand was orange. the waves were good for surfing.
we drew on the sand, played with a chihuahua and took pictures with the local people. everyone is really friendly, and wants to be in your picture.
we headed to old san juan.
had dinner at a bomboneria, it was really good, i think we chanced upon a local treasure. again, we shared dishes and had an immensely satisfying dinner. we had a vegetarian omelette and fries (zi wei is vegetarian), a long fluffy pastry with glazed and powdered sugar, a meringue (simply heavenly- we bought another for breakfast), a doughnut (not greasy, topped with powdered sugar), and a cinnamon pastry.
walked around old san juan, shopped a little, checked out salsa at nuyorico. there were some really good dancers, but regulars tend not to ask others to dance, probably because they would have no idea who of the tourists knew how to dance salsa.
we spoke and danced with an old gentleman from new york (born in puerto rico, here because his son got in trouble with a car or something). we also had plans to check out the marriott courtyard in isla verde, but left that to another day as zi wei was tired.

hi from puerto rico

2008-11-23T01:45:00.003-06:00

much love, sunshine, & besos! :)

backlog

2008-11-23T01:42:00.004-06:00

[ will post properly later ]

humberto & maria at the ARTango Center in Chicago

[ video is still uploading to youtube ]

how to spend a thursday

2008-11-11T22:19:00.004-06:00

0. go to classes and such. we all have responsibilities we should take care of.

1. spend hours of a rainy afternoon on a piano in a music store. i've become a regular fixture at samuel's, where the old gentleman kindly offers me headphones so i can play undisturbed, and the younger employees probably wish for a jazz battle instead while i sight-read my sonatinas and the pathetique.

2. make a dinner of portabello mushroom burger and tales of adventure with friends at a local bar in downtown champaign. kieran spoke of future months ahead in colombia with his girlfriend (who is from said country), and jan entertained us with his 5-month solo biking trip on the west coast.

3. catch a french film at boardman's art theatre. the tournee's french film festival happens once a year, and always brings many gems. we managed to catch the very last show of the festival, dans paris.

it was quirky, funny, and it inspected and poked at life and love. we loved it.

4. finish up with a beer at the blind pig, and a discourse on everything - culture and politics, from the far east to europe to latin america. american vs european media, freedom of speech for the wrong purposes, perspectives of asian culture and the european view of human rights, and why is north korea still north korea?

happy about barack

2008-11-11T18:36:00.005-06:00

U of I students express their joy after Obama was announced President on Election Day by pouring down Green Street (the central hang-out area on campus) towards the Alma Mater (on Green and Wright) and the Quad. Cheers of "Yes, we can!" and "Obama!" erupted from the hordes, and some even broke into dance accompanied by energetic drumming.

Tensely following the election on TV in my friend's room, accompanied by raspberry-flavored Smirnoff, the abrupt "Barack Obama is President of the United States" message that appeared on TV triggered yells of "Obamaaaaaaa! Obaaaamaaa!" out the window, which were greeted by cheers and honks. Unable to contain our excitement, we decided to take a walk to Green Street. Here are some videos I took that night.

Overheard while going down Green street that night: "After all, half of the eighteen to twenty-two-year-old population of Chicago is here right now." (I make no claims to the validity of this statistic; am merely quoting him.)

OBAMA IS PRESIDENT!!!

2008-11-04T22:14:00.001-06:00

this is why we believe.

vote for obama today

2008-11-04T16:30:00.006-06:00

that was melting chocolate cake and panna cotta from bijan's bistro in downtown chicago. i visited over the weekend, for the grand opening of the ARTango Center, to support burak & maria (& katia). there was fabulous dancing at both the milongas on friday and saturday.

in other news, i attended guest lectures by two distinguished speakers who came to U of I- Don Norman, author of The Design of Everyday Things

and Hiroshi Ishii, a computer science professor who has contributed greatly to HCI and CSCW, currently co-director of MIT's Media Lab. An inspiring person, and an inspiring talk. 出る杭は打たれる (deru kui wa utareru, a Japanese saying, meaning "The stake that sticks out gets hammered down"), but, he says, "Stick out far enough that they can't hammer you down." (I don't remember the exact quote, but this was his message.)

about me

2008-10-30T11:13:00.001-06:00

today.

2008-10-30T11:07:00.000-06:00

hello, beautiful

2008-10-21T18:27:00.005-05:00

it's been a while-

do you miss me as i do you? i will see you soon, don't fear my dear, and you will always be the one for me.

All images from the dazzling post by The Boston Globe.

anime addiction.

2008-10-20T20:55:00.007-05:00

lately i've started to get quite absorbed in the world of anime. in particular, i really liked death note, and since it ends after 37 episodes, it's not quite as much of an addiction risk as naruto or bleach, so here is the first episode-

the story is almost always thrilling and suspenseful, which i find a delight after getting bored at the prolonging tricks somewhere around the 90th episode of bleach (currently it is at episode 190). in addition, the illustration of death note is also amazingly well done, and i find myself drinking up every last realistic bit of the pictures.

you can't help but want light to win, even though you know what he does is wrong, just because he is introduced as the main character, and it starts off with him narrating. he has other attractive and redeeming characteristics as well, and i find myself rooting for him even as i am horrified at the cold-heartedness of his judgments. i love the battle of wits and the unexpected twists as the story unfolds. however, i prefer the first half- his battle against L, as the explanations when N takes over are less convincing, and leaves me (and perhaps the audience in general) unsatisfied with the manner in which he arrives at his conclusions.

and the fact that it ends at episode 37 is a relief (although as an enthralled follower i am undoubtedly sad that it ended) because watching anime is such a time sink! when i first got sucked into this world of anime (naruto was the culprit), i kept wondering how people who watch anime got anything done, because it takes up so much time.

now i remember why i don't watch tv.

john powers reviews death note on npr

the new macbook

2008-10-15T17:50:00.004-05:00

i want it.

天后

2008-10-14T00:46:00.008-05:00

With a voice that melts your heart, Faye Wong (王菲) (also 王靖雯/Wang Jingwen/Shirley Wong) truly deserves the title 天后 (lit. "heavenly empress"/goddess/diva).

i did a rough english translation-

beautiful mistake by faye wong

originally i was to meet him by the seaside
to make our everlasting promises by the mountains and the oceans
but found the wrong place instead and came to a swimming pool
my eyes are full of the beauty of the lake's blue
that's where you and i started
the blue ripples invoke memories

you gifted me with a meteorite that happened to fall from the sky
i've always mistaken it for a perfect jewel
never once seeing its imperfections
setting it in my ring
neither was i aware of any loss

* allow me to indulge in my emotions
reason does not help the matter
at least this way i will have been happy for a while
i don't care if he is true, you, fake-
whoever my destination is
to be under the impression that i'm right
is also a blessing

if it isn't too soon, it is too late
beautiful mistakes often come closest to the real thing
whether sometimes dreaming sometimes conscious, i don't hold on
even life's greatest happiness is only as such
this is what is probably meant by
a life of dreaming *

(repeat from * to *)

this is what is meant by
fate

on twitter and thoughts

2008-10-07T23:53:00.001-05:00

i've always wished for something that could take down my thoughts, like taking notes in lecture. something quick, and automatic- it should not require much effort. this is essential, for thoughts are lightning-fast, random, and fleeting. they come unbidden, spontaneous, anything can trigger them, and they go equally quickly, like liquid or sand that trickles through your fingers, they are hard to hold on to for long, easily chased out by the next thought, and requires effort to encode into memory.

for some time, i have rejected the idea of twittering, it seems inane- aimed at the self-promoting narcissuses and buffoons, or those who are silly enough to shout to the whole world about their personal lives (some things are better kept private, for everyone's sake). why should i twitter?- for i am not big-headed enough to think that the world is interested in my actions and thoughts, and i am still a bit too reserved about putting my entire life online (i think a bit of mystery is beneficial to anyone's image), and lastly i do not yet consider myself an expert on any particular matter, on which i could be constantly flaunting my opinion to all and sundry, who would be drooling for the latest from the guru.

due to the extra time on my hands this semester (as a graduating senior i am almost done with classes), and a session on social networking at the grace hopper conference i recently attended, i decided to check out the twitter phenomenon. (i still refuse to let it update my facebook status. something about having my last twenty-four hours or two weeks logged line-by-line on my profile turns me off. and this is even without the big brother era looming in my head. i am not old enough to remember times of war- but it is all too easy for me to imagine what life could be like then. rules and laws are arbitrary, made by men, and easily broken or ignored when the most important are flouted, such as in war. what if the wrong people decided that you had communist/republican/democrat/whatever-slant tendencies in that kind of war, where they may persecute at the slightest hint? it sounds incredulous, but history tells us that mankind can be pretty insensible. anyway, enough of the aside-)

[1.] (note to self)

so twitter brings us closer to that which i wished for- a convenient way of jotting down your thoughts, so they are not lost in their continuous flow. not the perfect, magical ideal, but a pretty ingenious idea possible in today's technology. and we come closer to magic one step at a time- think electric lights, from the wish to have instantaneous light at the snap of a finger. why did we not think of it (not necessarily twitter, but also similar ideas) before? it is easy to forget, in the face of our grand wishes, to progress towards the vision incrementally, starting with what is possible with current resources.

[2.] (itchy question)

in the advent of technologies that let us publish ourselves, such as blogger, twitter, and facebook statuses, do you feel that you hold on to your thoughts just a bit longer, and spend time and effort committing them to memory so that you can blog/twitter it later? do you think this makes you less productive as the total volume/throughput of your thinking decreases, because you forcibly slow the speed at which you think? when you are encoding your thought, storing it away for later, you are necessarily blocking the next thought (or mentally repeating both to yourself to keep it fresh in short term memory, long enough to encode it in long term memory). and then do you think this is worth the permanence of those thoughts you do manage to retain and broadcast on these platforms?

tango love . love tango

2008-09-28T21:35:00.006-05:00

tango when you wake up, tango all day, tango during barbecue, tango at night, tango all night, tango supper, tango at after-party, tango in your dreams when you hit the bed at five in the morning. and tango when you wake up...

This weekend, Humberto & Elizabeth, tango instructors from Buenos Aires, were in town giving workshops! Right here in little old Champaign-Urbana! It attracted more people from the region than I expected. At the Friday milonga at The Refinery, I was surprised to see many more couples on the dance floor than usual, and a crowd more at the tables around. Florin then enlightened me- they are from out of town- Indiana, Purdue, even Chicago! Burak & Maria, instructors based in Chicago were also in town, and gave performances alongside Humberto & Elizabeth at both the Friday & Saturday milongas.

I had a fabulous time dancing with everyone. In particular, the tangueros from Chicago were a pleasure to dance with, and I'm even considering carpooling to Chicago for tango some weekends. The workshops on Saturday were a blast, with great leaders to practice with, especially Marco :) to whom I now have a conditioned response- everytime I see him, I feel the urge to dance. Thanks to my weekend dance loves- Humberto, Marco, Burak, Valeriy, Melih E, and not forgetting Elizabeth, Maria, Katia, Dextor, Mert, Ray, Jose and Jim.

Enjoy the performances from this weekend-

Friday

Burak & Maria

Humberto & Elizabeth

(a milonga!)

Saturday

Humberto & Elizabeth

Burak & Maria

dealing with the press

2008-09-28T17:30:00.005-05:00

Greg (re-)shared this on Facebook, and I thought it was funny enough to share again!

An Australian politician reassures the public after an oil tanker sank-

the weekend

2008-09-23T16:06:00.009-05:00

has been utterly delightful.

completely unexpectedly, there was a guest instructor from buenos aires visiting and teaching in the bay area this weekend, and a milonguera too! i love milonga, preferring its playful rhythm and quicker tempo over the traditional tango and tango vals. on friday night, wen tsern (who's a ballroom dancer with some experience under his belt, and has recently started trying out argentine tango due to the influence of a friend) and i decided to go to a milonga.

with the help of tangomango.org and after much confusion and running about (we had dinner in san francisco, then dropped by a practica that we rejected in favor of a milonga), we finally ended up at tarragon in sunnyvale, where a welcome milonga for muma was being held. we arrived just in time for her performance with carlos rojas.

it's simple and elegant, though not as spectacular as stage tango. we decided to go for her milonga workshops the following day.

after hobnobbing with the bay area tanguero/as and one visiting from vienna(!), we went in search of MOONCAKE. the pampered asians in california have a CHAIN of asian supermarket!

however, they had run out. -.-"

i did get a pink mochi to console myself.

there was a bakery nearby which still stocked leftover mooncakes, and i bought one (which sucked, by the way- i tried it at home.) i met up with my cousin for dinner at sushi tomo and gelato at an award-winning italian place (it had a line, and it was cold outside!)

then came saturday night. plenty of great dancers on the floor- both watching and dancing were immensely satisfying. of those i danced with, some i remember well and with pleasure include a very happy and cheerful asian salsero, a teddy bear like latino who alternated between merengue-style in close embrace and vigorously spinning & stopping me in complex patterns a la new york style, and a creative african american who could really groove to the rhythm.

here's another performance from that night- gabriel romero & his partner victoria.

and there's nothing like coming home to a gift basket.

unless it's a huge gift basket of candies and snacks that are absolutely essential to an undergrad's survival! (how else do you think we survive on 3h of sleep a night?)

saturday night out in san francisco

2008-09-23T05:17:00.003-05:00

i spent this weekend in the bay area, and as on all visits to other cities, when i have time i love to check out the dance scene. according to wen tsern, my friend and obliging guide in the bay area, cafe cocomo was THE place to go for salsa on saturday night, and so we went.

as it turned out, eddie torres, the new york "mambo king", was in town, and performing at cafe cocomo in san francisco! i managed to capture their performances on video-

at 58, eddie torres is still dancing like a master. melissa rosado, his partner, was also fantastic. clean movements and a fantastic range (all sorts of rolls- head, shoulder, body, hip, etc). their stage presence was also unbeatable :) smoldering stares to cheeky grins, and perfectly in time with each other and the music, hitting the breaks to the gleeful delight of the audience.

what i want, what i really really want

2008-09-17T13:26:00.005-05:00

MOONCAKE.

this is a self-indulgent post, to satisfy my temporary mooncake craving. all images from the web through google image search.

design flaw.

2008-09-13T15:39:00.005-05:00

this is pretty belated, as it has already been widely expressed, but i thought i'd still share xiaxue's version of the complaint.

xiaxue is a professional singaporean blogger, and makes a living being interesting. she stars in her own internet tv program - "xiaxue's guide to life", and in this episode she reviews the iphone. complete with very singaporean accent, crude but entertaining language, and plenty of anti-apple sentiment.

"i hate it when guys- OBVIOUSLY guys, design things that are like, for only guys, and girls who don't have fingernails? and what about people with super long fingernails???"

my younger cousin also has this complaint of the iphone touch screen as she, too, has long fingernails. another complaint of the touch screen is that you can't use it with gloves on.

do you know what you want?

2008-09-08T13:29:00.006-05:00

vicky cristina barcelona.

Don’t work. Avoid telling the truth. Be hated. Love someone.

2008-09-04T18:09:00.005-05:00

Adrian Tan, a Singaporean litigator who wrote the The Teenage Textbook and The Teenage Workbook while he was a student at the National University of Singapore, was invited as guest-of-honor at the convocation ceremony of NTU. I loved his books, which were drily humorous- The Teenage Textbook was also adapted into a film later on. Here is the speech he gave (this came to me via other Singaporean students at the U of I)-

Life and How to Survive It

I must say thank you to the faculty and staff of the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information for inviting me to give your convocation address. It’s a wonderful honour and a privilege for me to speak here for ten minutes without fear of contradiction, defamation or retaliation. I say this as a Singaporean and more so as a husband.

My wife is a wonderful person and perfect in every way except one. She is the editor of a magazine. She corrects people for a living. She has honed her expert skills over a quarter of a century, mostly by practising at home during conversations between her and me.

On the other hand, I am a litigator. Essentially, I spend my day telling people how wrong they are. I make my living being disagreeable.

Nevertheless, there is perfect harmony in our matrimonial home. That is because when an editor and a litigator have an argument, the one who triumphs is always the wife.

And so I want to start by giving one piece of advice to the men: when you’ve already won her heart, you don’t need to win every argument.

Marriage is considered one milestone of life. Some of you may already be married. Some of you may never be married. Some of you will be married. Some of you will enjoy the experience so much, you will be married many, many times. Good for you.

The next big milestone in your life is today: your graduation. The end of education. You’re done learning.

You’ve probably been told the big lie that “Learning is a lifelong process” and that therefore you will continue studying and taking masters’ degrees and doctorates and professorships and so on. You know the sort of people who tell you that? Teachers. Don’t you think there is some measure of conflict of interest? They are in the business of learning, after all. Where would they be without you? They need you to be repeat customers.

The good news is that they’re wrong.

The bad news is that you don’t need further education because your entire life is over. It is gone. That may come as a shock to some of you. You’re in your teens or early twenties. People may tell you that you will live to be 70, 80, 90 years old. That is your life expectancy.

I love that term: life expectancy. We all understand the term to mean the average life span of a group of people. But I’m here to talk about a bigger idea, which is what you expect from your life.

You may be very happy to know that Singapore is currently ranked as the country with the third highest life expectancy. We are behind Andorra and Japan, and tied with San Marino. It seems quite clear why people in those countries, and ours, live so long. We share one thing in common: our football teams are all hopeless. There’s very little danger of any of our citizens having their pulses raised by watching us play in the World Cup. Spectators are more likely to be lulled into a gentle and restful nap.

Singaporeans have a life expectancy of 81.8 years. Singapore men live to an average of 79.21 years, while Singapore women live more than five years longer, probably to take into account the additional time they need to spend in the bathroom.

So here you are, in your twenties, thinking that you’ll have another 40 years to go. Four decades in which to live long and prosper.

Bad news. Read the papers. There are people dropping dead when they’re 50, 40, 30 years old. Or quite possibly just after finishing their convocation. They would be very disappointed that they didn’t meet their life expectancy.

I’m here to tell you this. Forget about your life expectancy.

After all, it’s calculated based on an average. And you never, ever want to expect being average.

Revisit those expectations. You might be looking forward to working, falling in love, marrying, raising a family. You are told that, as graduates, you should expect to find a job paying so much, where your hours are so much, where your responsibilities are so much.

That is what is expected of you. And if you live up to it, it will be an awful waste.

If you expect that, you will be limiting yourself. You will be living your life according to boundaries set by average people. I have nothing against average people. But no one should aspire to be them. And you don’t need years of education by the best minds in Singapore to prepare you to be average.

What you should prepare for is mess. Life’s a mess. You are not entitled to expect anything from it. Life is not fair. Everything does not balance out in the end. Life happens, and you have no control over it. Good and bad things happen to you day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment. Your degree is a poor armour against fate.

Don’t expect anything. Erase all life expectancies. Just live. Your life is over as of today. At this point in time, you have grown as tall as you will ever be, you are physically the fittest you will ever be in your entire life and you are probably looking the best that you will ever look. This is as good as it gets. It is all downhill from here. Or up. No one knows.

What does this mean for you? It is good that your life is over.

Since your life is over, you are free. Let me tell you the many wonderful things that you can do when you are free.

The most important is this: do not work.

Work is anything that you are compelled to do. By its very nature, it is undesirable.

Work kills. The Japanese have a term “Karoshi”, which means death from overwork. That’s the most dramatic form of how work can kill. But it can also kill you in more subtle ways. If you work, then day by day, bit by bit, your soul is chipped away, disintegrating until there’s nothing left. A rock has been ground into sand and dust.

There’s a common misconception that work is necessary. You will meet people working at miserable jobs. They tell you they are “making a living”. No, they’re not. They’re dying, frittering away their fast-extinguishing lives doing things which are, at best, meaningless and, at worst, harmful.

People will tell you that work ennobles you, that work lends you a certain dignity. Work makes you free. The slogan "Arbeit macht frei" was placed at the entrances to a number of Nazi concentration camps. Utter nonsense.

Do not waste the vast majority of your life doing something you hate so that you can spend the small remainder sliver of your life in modest comfort. You may never reach that end anyway.

Resist the temptation to get a job. Instead, play. Find something you enjoy doing. Do it. Over and over again. You will become good at it for two reasons: you like it, and you do it often. Soon, that will have value in itself.

I like arguing, and I love language. So, I became a litigator. I enjoy it and I would do it for free. If I didn’t do that, I would’ve been in some other type of work that still involved writing fiction – probably a sports journalist.

So what should you do? You will find your own niche. I don’t imagine you will need to look very hard. By this time in your life, you will have a very good idea of what you will want to do. In fact, I’ll go further and say the ideal situation would be that you will not be able to stop yourself pursuing your passions. By this time you should know what your obsessions are. If you enjoy showing off your knowledge and feeling superior, you might become a teacher.

Find that pursuit that will energise you, consume you, become an obsession. Each day, you must rise with a restless enthusiasm. If you don’t, you are working.

Most of you will end up in activities which involve communication. To those of you I have a second message: be wary of the truth. I’m not asking you to speak it, or write it, for there are times when it is dangerous or impossible to do those things. The truth has a great capacity to offend and injure, and you will find that the closer you are to someone, the more care you must take to disguise or even conceal the truth. Often, there is great virtue in being evasive, or equivocating. There is also great skill. Any child can blurt out the truth, without thought to the consequences. It takes great maturity to appreciate the value of silence.

In order to be wary of the truth, you must first know it. That requires great frankness to yourself. Never fool the person in the mirror.

I have told you that your life is over, that you should not work, and that you should avoid telling the truth. I now say this to you: be hated.

It’s not as easy as it sounds. Do you know anyone who hates you? Yet every great figure who has contributed to the human race has been hated, not just by one person, but often by a great many. That hatred is so strong it has caused those great figures to be shunned, abused, murdered and in one famous instance, nailed to a cross.

One does not have to be evil to be hated. In fact, it’s often the case that one is hated precisely because one is trying to do right by one’s own convictions. It is far too easy to be liked, one merely has to be accommodating and hold no strong convictions. Then one will gravitate towards the centre and settle into the average. That cannot be your role. There are a great many bad people in the world, and if you are not offending them, you must be bad yourself. Popularity is a sure sign that you are doing something wrong.

The other side of the coin is this: fall in love.

I didn’t say “be loved”. That requires too much compromise. If one changes one’s looks, personality and values, one can be loved by anyone.

Rather, I exhort you to love another human being. It may seem odd for me to tell you this. You may expect it to happen naturally, without deliberation. That is false. Modern society is anti-love. We’ve taken a microscope to everyone to bring out their flaws and shortcomings. It far easier to find a reason not to love someone, than otherwise. Rejection requires only one reason. Love requires complete acceptance. It is hard work – the only kind of work that I find palatable.

Loving someone has great benefits. There is admiration, learning, attraction and something which, for the want of a better word, we call happiness. In loving someone, we become inspired to better ourselves in every way. We learn the truth worthlessness of material things. We celebrate being human. Loving is good for the soul.

Loving someone is therefore very important, and it is also important to choose the right person. Despite popular culture, love doesn’t happen by chance, at first sight, across a crowded dance floor. It grows slowly, sinking roots first before branching and blossoming. It is not a silly weed, but a mighty tree that weathers every storm.

You will find, that when you have someone to love, that the face is less important than the brain, and the body is less important than the heart.

You will also find that it is no great tragedy if your love is not reciprocated. You are not doing it to be loved back. Its value is to inspire you.

Finally, you will find that there is no half-measure when it comes to loving someone. You either don’t, or you do with every cell in your body, completely and utterly, without reservation or apology. It consumes you, and you are reborn, all the better for it.

Don’t work. Avoid telling the truth. Be hated. Love someone.

You’re going to have a busy life. Thank goodness there’s no life expectancy.

ece chat.

2008-09-04T10:11:00.004-05:00

featuring matt again, my ex-lab partner, with whom i struggled through the trials of ece 391 and 411 (the two hardest ece core classes at u of i. ece, for the uninitiated, stands for electrical & computer engineering, our ass-kicking major, and mp for machine problem, u of i's way of saying programming assignment.)

12:45 AM Matt: you were at MURPHYs? who does that?
12:47 AM me: haha, YOU, if i don't remember wrongly.
12:48 AM Matt: not on WEDNESDAYS
12:49 AM me: hahahhaa
Matt: well
the one time
BUT
shh
me: nehnehhhh :p
Matt: why were you there? lol
12:50 AM me: chilling with some friends
one of them had graduated, and is leaving sept 10
so.
Matt: oo
gotcha
you do realize
that as an ECE major
you're fundamentally forbidden from going to murphy's on weeknights
me: or any other place or do any other thing except MPs, really.
12:51 AM Matt: grumbls and goes back to 438

...

me: this week has been surprisingly free after an intensive labor day
12:53 AM i keep thinking i must be missing something
i better go work on my graphics MP
Matt: haha
what's the MP?
12:57 AM me: hrmmm
actually, i'm not sure that it's been assigned yet
...
maybe i should see if there is math hw due
Matt: or just relax
RELAX
me: hahahaa
it's just weird!
i've gone TWO DAYS without doing hw
Matt: woah
ok
12:58 AM so
drink a bit more
then try sitting around
and not doing anything
the booze will help you accept it
me: hahhahahaha
that'll take a lot of drinking..
Matt: get started

in other news (because i feel obliged to briefly comment on the world)

2008-09-04T04:19:00.006-05:00

apple has the new iphone,
facebook has a new layout,
google has a new browser,
i have a new apartment.

the first of the pictures from peru are up (yes, i went on a trip to peru, and that's 4 fb albums covering the first 2 days- it was a 2 week long trip).

more gems from tonight's meeting with old friends

2008-09-04T04:04:00.001-05:00

on our way back to my apartment after dinner at murphy's and bubble tea at evo's (lewd joke alert)

kawa: "have you heard the joke about MATSE402?"
(or substitute for some insanely hard class at your university in your insanely hard major. our good friend arya had just graduated with a MATSE degree. that's materials science and engineering for you non-acronym-savvy folks.)
me: "no."
kawa: "it goes-
i want to be your MATSE402 homework
so i can be really hard-
and you will do me on your table."

growing up.

2008-09-04T04:00:00.002-05:00

tonight, i went out with my good friends arya and kawa, whom i've known since high school. arya is leaving soon as he has graduated, and will be moving across the country to do his master's at a university in california.

arya: "My new life goal is to marry a rich girl."
me: "Why, what happened to your life goal? I thought your life goal was to get married and have kids and be a grandpa."
arya: (dismissive wave of hand) "Ah, yes, but I've GROWN UP!"

(this and this happened about 5 months ago. you may or may not be able to view the links.)

damn zuckers

2008-08-27T18:53:00.001-05:00

me: when you said amy did you mean amy zuckerberg?
and is that amy the sister of mark zuckerberg?
of facebook?
Sent at 6:39 PM on Wednesday
M: nah
hahaa
she's half asian half white
o wait
no she's not zuckerberg
it's zuckerman
me: oh dammit
haiz
for a moment i was wondering what is the sister of fb founder doing working for msft recruiting
damn zuckers!
M: lol
me: and also i was hoping to meet amy zuckerberg!!
argh.
Sent at 6:46 PM on Wednesday

interesting trends and correlations.

2008-07-09T03:10:00.003-05:00

aww. :(

2008-02-11T23:57:00.001-06:00

advice for the upcoming ballroom competition at umich

2008-02-08T10:20:00.000-06:00

in a series of emails:
"good luck! remember to smile on the dancefloor!" - kan.
"this is what i use." - david.

aptly timed.

2008-02-06T23:19:00.000-06:00

cry.

2008-02-05T16:02:00.000-06:00

best friends, dance partners, lovers... or used to be.

Jordan and Tatiana met at age 12 at a local Ca. dance event. Tatiana had to be coaxed into doing her first Jack and Jill at Buddy's World Championships in 1995 where she drew Jordan. They won that competition against 8 junior couples. This gave Tatiana the confidence to get more involved. It wasn't long before they became best friends.

At the US Open in 1998 they started looking at each other differently. It wasn't long before they started dating and continued until October 2002. They truly love the fact that they are able to travel and earn a living doing something they enjoy. Even though they are no longer dating, their friendship and business parnership remain strong and successful.

- Jordan & Tatiana

:) i like these.

2008-02-03T16:04:00.000-06:00

home soon!

2007-12-12T03:44:00.000-06:00

(image stolen off wikipedia)

xkcd on facebook relationships

2007-12-11T14:37:00.001-06:00