Monthly Archives: March 2007

Don’t Need Help Now that I am Older

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When I was younger, so much younger than today
I never needed anybody’s help in any way
But now these days are gone and I’m not so sefl-assured.

I don’t relate to these lyrics from the classic Beatles’ song “Help”. When I was younger I was not more self-assured and now that I am older, I am not now less self-assured than before. Furthermore, if anything, I no longer need someone else’s help. As a matter of fact, I think that when we’re young we have a greater dependence on others, precisely for the reason that we are not comfortable with out insecurities. Here is what I mean. Continue reading

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Nueva Actualización de los Apodos en FON

Ya es una eternidad desde la última actualización de los motes en FON. Tenemos RastaFoneros, MoFoNeros y un poco de tó. ¡Como cambian las cosas! Continue reading

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It was a very good year?

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. . . when I was 34 . . .

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Dorothy, ya no estamos en Bilbao

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Anoche fuimos algunos de la vieja guardia (sólo Neska que es una recien nacida) de FON a cenar para conocer un poco mejor a una nueva incorporación al equipo. En principio no tendría que sorprenderse ella con nuestro grupito compuesto por la Ninja, Borja el Bookie, Kung Fu Jordi, Roberto Largo, Neska, la Moniac, o el que simplemente llamamos Teo. A lo mejor sí por el Padrino argentino impredecible, Santi.

Al final, nosotros en FON somos gente normal. No somos tan freakies. Simplemente amamos un poco más al WiFi que los demás. Somos cada uno personas que están buscando su huequito en este mundo, donde pueden ser felices y quizás con un poco de suerte también hacer felices a los demás. Y sobre todo, nos gustan los abrazos fuertes.

No nos falta ni coraje, ni corazón, ni cerebro. Sin embargo, si hablamos en estos términos del Mago de Oz, habrá una sola persona que le habrá podido, quizás, asustar a nuestro nuevo fichaje. Continue reading

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Brewing Coffee

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On Friday afternoon after a memorable Jornada de Fútbol, I began to notice a strange brewing occur inside. The next 24 hours were spent cramped up (quite literally) within my espresso machine of a body in the coffee bar of my apartment, trickling out café solo after café solo. This all brought me back to the infamous Human Espresso Machine of the Summer of 1996. At the time, I often wondered whether I would ever be the same. Continue reading

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I think I am in love

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Have you ever been in love? You spend all day at work, dreaming of nothing more than arriving at home to be with that special someone. Any absence from your beloved is flooded with thoughts of reunification. In a crowd, a mere glance across the room rings of complicity. You are dying for the escape, to rush to your secure, shared habitat to rejoice in total intimacy. No matter its size, your bed is your common palace and marks the territory of your kingdom.

Have you ever been in love? You know your beloved is not perfect. But you have accepted her faults as inherently intertwined with her attributes. You crave them all, you anticipate them all. You reach and find her, you close your eyes and see her, you sleep and dream of her.

Have you ever been in love? You never get angry with her, for you have already accepted your beloved in her essence. You do not need to ask for forgiveness, for you have been accepted in your essence. You have faith and you are trusted.

Have you ever been in love? And if these are the signs of love, Continue reading

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In the Mood for Love

On Sunday, I was suffering from a variety of unrelated (I believe) ailments including my seasonal allergies (soar throat, headache, and general congestion) and some stomach virus. Maybe some day I will tell the story of when I was temporarily converted into a human espresso machine in Barcelona.

In any event, I decided to forgoe reading and spent the day watching In the Mood for Love and 2046, two films by Wong Kar-Wai. I used to be a huge Wong Kar-Wai fan and have his entire film collection on DVD. After Sunday’s marathon, I would have to say that In the Mood for Love is his best film. Continue reading

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Gardens of Light

This weekend, I finished reading Amin Maalouf’s Gardens of Light, a historical novel that traces the life of Mani, a Third Century Persian prophet who preached what is today known as Manichaeism. With this book, I have completed reading all of Maalouf’s novels (save one). I have also decided to read only one more “Arab” writer and then move on to other regions. Continue reading

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I Don’t Have to Live like a Refugee

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After having successfully surpassed phases one and two of the renewal process for my Spanish Residence and Work Permit, I finally completed the last phase today. The past two weeks have all been in the upper 60ºs F, but yesterday and today the temperatures fell by about 15ºs. This worried me and prepared for the worst — another interminable and unbearable wait in the long lines of the police station in Aluche in the cold. Although it was cold, it was a perfect sunny day, and I hoped this was a positive sign.

I boarded the metro and 50 minutes later, I arrived in Aluche. I then walked about 600 meters to the abandoned hospital that now serves as the police station for immigration. (In Spain, immigration and naturalization fall under the jurisdiction of the police, as opposed to, say, the INS in the U.S.). There were two long lines, one for giving fingerprints and turning in documents, and the other for general inquiries. I ignored both lines and went straight to the gates to speak with the police officer on duty. I asked, “for picking up a renewed permit?” And she said those magic words, “go right in”. That meant, no lines, BABY!

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I fall in love too easily

I fall in love too easily, I fall in love too fast. I already explained some months ago how I suffered with Natalia Verbeke (sorry, it was in Spanish), and the same thing happened to me a few years ago with Zhang Ziyi (as seen in the picture above). It always starts with a touch of love at first sight, and then I go on to renting or buying all of their DVDs. Unfortunately, Continue reading

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