Matussek goes Bollywood.

A video blog from Spiegel Online. (In German)

It just looks like I have a lot of time in my hands...but I don't.

One of the pictures above is my real yearbook picture (1990) and the other ones are just images of what my yearbook picture would have looked like in 1950, 1954, 1958, 1960, 1962, 1966, 1968, 1972, 1974, 1978, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1994.

Wanna play? http://www.yearbookyourself.com/

Raksha Bandhan

The Hindu festival of Raksha Bandhan celebrates the relationship between brother and sisters.

Faithful to the tradition, a very special package arrived just in time for this day: rakhi for Ishan and Gaurang from his cousin-sisters in India!


Thank you Sheetu, Shriya, Chiu, Suhaani & Krishna!

15 de agosto

Today is "Mother's Day" in Costa Rica and it's also the 61st year that India celebrates its "Independence Day".

After Fabian was born, I celebrated my first "Mother's Day" in Goa, India. Every year, on this day, I realize I have come to admire my Mom Olga and my Grandmother Carmen, more and more.

This year I am also remembering one other special Mom of mine...my Mom Marie. She was brave enough to want to host an exchange-student and as I have said before, it was a great opportunity for me. Mom Marie played a very important role in my life...I'll be forever thankful that I met her and I still remember things that she taught me.

Here are some of my memories: She was really excited for me when I was going out on a "date", she helped me write a good-bye note to the editor of the local newspaper before I went back to my country, she asked me to help her cook dinner on Wednesdays and whenever she made plans I was sure she would carry them out. During my first days of my arrival at her house, she bought me shorts so that I could stand the heat of the desert (Arizona), she bought me a diary so I could record all of my exciting experiences of my exchange-student days (that was probably what lead me to blog later), she took me to Church every Sunday morning, even though she wasn't a Catholic and didn't stay for the Mass. I saw Mom Marie ten years later after my exchange-student year when I went back to Arizona for a High School Reunion. She kept in touch with me by air mail and e-mail as well.

Now she's no longer with us and the only regret that I have is that she never visited me in Costa Rica (due to the fact that I started to travel a lot since my early working days). I remember her when I think of my AFS experience, when I go to a library and when I see Fabi's eye color, which also reminds me of the rest of the family, my former host-father Curt (who is also not with us any more), my host-brother Josh and host-sister Cari.

Last year my Mom spent this day in the hospital. One year later, she's recovered from very scary sick times and just a few days before "Mother's Day" she met Cari for the first time, as my former host-sister happened to be in Costa Rica! What exciting times!

I want to wish a very "Happy Mother's Day!" to Mom Olga & Mom Marie....my Grandmother Carmen ... all of my friends who are mothers and those soon-to-be Moms, too!

(Cari & Mom Olga in Heredia, during Cari's recent trip to Heredia, Costa Rica - Aug. 2008)

¡Gracias, Sandra, por compartir tu poema! ¡Qué pases un muy feliz Día de las Madres!

Happy Mother's Day to all the Indian mothers who are celebrating their Independence Day, too!...

ONE WORLD, ONE DREAM

The good
- Erlangen roots for its student athlete.
- Despite their countries's ongoing crisis, athletes show what their leaders have not managed to do.
- India's Gold Medalist Abhinav Bindra blogged thru his experience in the Olympics.
- Olympic fairy tale


The bad
- Pollution
- Not everyone has the same sense of humor.

The ugly
- The need to show a pretty face.

APOTEOSICO

Picture taken from CNN

Talk about live blogging! I knew the Summer Olympic Games were starting today in Beijing, but I hadn't planned on watching the opening ceremony. Luckily, it rained here in Erlangen during the afternoon (it's 3:45pm) and I happened to turn the T.V. on and switched to TVE. OMG! The grandiosity of that ceremony!...I can only imagine how the athletes feel as they enter the Bird's Nest with their country's flag...!

It's AMAZING what humans are able to do!

As I type this Fabian and I have seen several delegations walk by, including Spain, India (and Sonia Gandhi among the spectators), Dominican Republic...and we're waiting to see the small delegation from Costa Rica. (The names of the countries are ordered alphabetically according to the local language.) Brazil's president is the only one who attended the ceremony representing Latin America.

I will be following this blog (in Spanish) that has been already updated by some of the Costa Rican athletes in Beijing.

And speaking of the Olympic fever a friend in Facebook brought this to my attention. I like the initiative too.

UPDATE:

Allan Segura on T.V. and Fabian posing in front of it.

Fiesta de Verano - Grupo de Madres e Hijos de Habla Hispana

El domingo pasado celebramos la tradicional fiesta de verano del "Grupo de Madres e Hijos de Habla Hispana".

El clima estuvo agradable y la pasamos muy bien en medio de música, comida, juegos y regalos.

Aquí les dejo un video de recuerdo (de 3 minutos) para las personas que asistieron y de muestra para las que no nos pudieron acompañar. ¡Qué lo disfruten!

Can't think of a title for this one

Before today, I hadn't heard of Devendra Banhart and I didn't know what Naturalismo was. The truth is, I'm still not sure what to think about it. Here's the song Carmensita (*sic)

Too acid, for my taste... When I clicked to see this video, the last thing I expected was such a clash between different cultural backgrounds. I like those clashes. Actually, the more I hear the song and watch the video, the more I like it. Too weird.

If you want to sing along:
(Original lyrics in Spanish)
Ay tu primo colorado
Con barba camburada
Y lleno de ballena
Inclinadose al sol
Ay tu rayo de luz roja
Besando nuestra boca
El beso que te sopla
Huele a alcohol
Ay tus tres ojos lunares
Extraterrestriales
Entran cuando sales
Por eso no se ven
Ay tu barba colorada
Traviesa y rebelde
Me afeito con espada
Pero devuelve
La la la la la la...
Si la noche te persigue
Entrégate a ella
O dile que tienes dolor de cabeza
Sombrita de reflejo
Dame algo tierno
Me como tu amor
Y cago el infierno
Adio, adio, adio
Primo granje
Hola Bernardo...
La la la la la la la...
Ay tus ojos colorados
Azul y anaranjados
Amarillo verde y marrón
Mi amor envuelto en tu corazón
No lo sueltes por favor
Somos elefante y serpiente semejante
Tomando aguardiente
En el sol
De una flor...
La la la la la la la...

If you want to know what the lyrics mean in English:

Oh, your colored cousin

With a banana-milkshake shake beard

And full from whale

Leaning towards the sun

Oh, your red ray of light

Kissing our mouth

The kiss that

Smells like alcohol
Oh your three lunar eyes

Alien

Enter when you leave

So they aren't seen

Oh, your colored beard

Mischievous and rebellious

I shave with a sword

But it comes back
La la la la la la…
If the night chases you

Surrender to her

Or tell her that you have a headache

Little shade of reflection

Give me something gentle

I devour your love

And shit hell
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye

Berno, berno Berne berne berne oh oh

Berne berne berne oh oh
La la la la la la…
Oh, your colored eyes

Blue and orange

Yellow green and brown

My love wrapped in your heart

Don’t let it go please

We are the same elephant and serpent

Drinking brandy

In the sun

Of a flower
La la la la la la…

Virgin of the Angels

Thousands of pilgrims have been walking towards the basilica in Costa Rica. Today many people honor "La Negrita" (Virgin of the Angels), who is the protector of Catholics in Costa Rica and America.

Links in Spanish: here & here.

Etapas de la vida - Updated

I just walked into the living room where Fabi was drawing and I swear he looked taller than he did this morning! Talk about "growing up right before your eyes"!....

Fabian has no idea that today was an important day in his life: it was his last day of his "Playgroup". For nine months, he was part of a small group of 8 children who got together twice a week to play for 2 1/2 hours a day.

It was during this time that Fabi learned independence, socializing skills, discipline, the art of communicating without knowing the language. He learned that when his Mom says "I will come back later to pick you up" she always does. He's a big kid (who's been toilet-trained for a few months now) and all the artworks that he did with his friends are now part of his Mom's treasure.

I realized today that most of the kids in his groups were girls. One of his teachers told me that Fabi is "ganz lieb" ("sweet", my interpretation) and I felt very proud of my boy.

The month of August will be vacation time and starting the month of September, most of the children will go to different "Kindergarten" (this time on a daily basis), where they will meet new friends. Here's a picture of him and his first friendships....I hope they meet each other again...

Updated: VIDEO!