aKUALAnd

Empty Soul

2009-11-14T19:32:00.002+01:00

Pido perdón por no haber escuchado
tus ruegos
pido perdón, por las lágimas que
hablan de mí,
pido perdón por tus noches a solas
pido perdón por sufrir en silencio por ti.

te pido perdón,
a sabiendas que no los concedas
te pido perdón
de la única forma que sé.

Devuélveme la vida,
devuélveme la vida,
recoge la ilusión
que un día me arrancó tu corazón,
y ahora...devuélveme la vida.

Yo no volveré a quererte de nuevo a escondidas
no intentaré convertir mi futuro en tu hiel
no viviré entre tantas mentiras,
intentaré convencerte que siempre te amé
y yo

te pido perdón, aún sabiendo que no los concedas
te pido perdón, de la única forma que sé.

Devuélveme la vida,
devuélveme la vida,
recoge la ilusión
que un día me arrancó tu corazón,
y ahora...
devuélveme la vida
devuélveme la vida,
esconde en tu cajón
los recortes de amargura
de mi amor
y ahora...

devuélveme la vida
devuélveme la vida,
esconde en tu cajón
los recortes de amargura
de mi amor
y ahora...
Devuélveme la vida,
devuélveme la vida,
recoge la ilusión
que un día me arrancó tu corazón,
y ahora...devuélveme la vida.

- Antonio Orozco

No Line on the Horizon

2009-07-02T11:50:00.024+02:00

Camp Nou stadium, Barcelona, 30.06.2009

U2 360 World Tour starts here, playing a lot of new songs from their new album and quite some of their previous hits.

It has been 12 years since I last saw them live, my last time was on 1997, also in Barcelona, during their "Popmart" world tour.

This time not only the sound but also the whole scenery has been outstanding, as always. I entered in the stadium around 18.30 and the show did not start until 2 hours later, this allowed me to take a good position in the crowd to take some nice pictures and videos to share with you today. So close! :)

Snow Patrol, the band that opened the show before U2 came into the scenery was great too. I did not really know this band until they sang some of their most famous songs that I surely had heard in the radio before.

The crowd came however all at once when Bono, The Edge, Larry and Adam came into the stage.

Their welcoming was warm and something I will never forget. To sing with them, to be their chorus, to share every single second of this 2 hours show has been really a great experience.

The contact with the International Spacecraft live, the song dedicated to the memory of Michael Jackson, the support to Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar, Bono singing wearing a FC Barcelona shirt in the end made really a great evening that will last in my memory for ages, till the next chance to see them again comes...

I can start seeing a new line in the horizon for me, the future is approaching brightly, I can feel it, I will breathe again soon...

Thanks to U2 for this wonderful moment!

The Tiny Line

2008-12-12T11:37:00.005+01:00

And so here we are again, what the future will be it is yet untold...

A year ago I had to make a choice for my work and life, it was not easy but I think I made the right choice at that time.

Nowadays, it is a time to think, redraw and sketch what the next step in my life will be... hopefully for better... a time for meditation, to clear thoughts and let inner feelings grow... so that the right choice can be made... what the future will be has yet to be shown, day after day the fortune future magic ball draws a tiny line that will be part of the final picture resolution...

Angel Of Sorrow

2008-10-23T20:19:00.006+02:00

I am not dead ...

... Just not yet alive.

The Trophy

2008-06-30T16:40:00.005+02:00

SPAIN

CHAMPION OF THE EUROPEAN FOOTBALL CUP 2008

29 June 2008

CONGRATULATIONS!!

A date not to forget... it's been 44 years since we won the last one!

Lost Under the Sun

2008-06-09T21:10:00.030+02:00

A few weeks ago I went for a small trip to Morocco, and I was happily surprised to see that country. It is just less than two hours flight from Madrid and it is yet so different from what we can see in Spain that you can hardly imagine we are so close in distance.

Being influenced by the morish culture in the past, the south of Spain, Andalucia, is a middle walk in between the modernity of Spain and the ancient feeling of the morish culture. Flying to Morocco you will feel like a step back in the history, to see also a culture that has nowadays not been totally changed even being incluenced by french, and that it still keeps its unique atmosphere and way of life and traditions.

Marrakech holds a very large variety of small shops where you can daily go around to buy species, leather, bags, pottery, clothes... all of the market is going through the city itself and its small streets. It is therefore a place with a lot of activity and where you can easily get lost looking around. In fact every street in Marrakech has the same feeling. The streets are rarely named, in the old district the streets are narrow and confusing, and even a map does not really help much on the right orientation.

Seems like the modernity given by maps has no effect in the old cities and there is only one way for a tourist to be orientated... just ask and pray for that you will not be cheated :). The confusing streets, the similarity of its walls and its people, anything looks different no matter how many times you pass through around the same streets. Upside down, going and coming back, everything, every single street has a different feel even you unconsciously know that for sure you have passed there earlier in a previous walk. Just we can't recall where we have been!

Its colorful shops, its people moving around fastly, along with the bright of the sun will definetely make you feel like in an ancient town where in fact, time passes so quickly.

It is good to be on a place where everything runs differently from what we are used to see. Shopping in Morocco goes all through a process of bargaining, where the sellers will try to convince you that their product is the best and you will not find anything similar anywhere. They are quite friendly and much better than what I remember in Egypt, where the staff in the shop will hardly let you get out of there unless you buy something.

Morocco in this sense is very open and nobody will push you to buy, moreover they are very friendly all the time. I liked that relaxing atmosphere and I could enjoy a lot the walks around the old cities discovering myself in a new environment.

Not only walking around was interesting for the sightseeing, but also people there was quite friendly. Children in rural areas may be at the same time curious and a bit despective towards foreigners, while in the big towns they become very friendly and helpful, especially when you want to be guided around the town with no need to pay anyone for that :).

Seems like there is still a big gap between rural areas and more modernized towns where everything runs smoothly and fast. The ancient cities seem to breathe still the atmosphere of traditions on foods, family roles and clothing while the serviced and business oriented cities run daily in a crowd and speedy life, for sure more opened to changes and new lifestyles.

It is still interesting to see how business and cities around the world develop depending on its location and culture. The way they deal with customers, the variety of services offered will differ depending on which country you are and its needs. In these days of globalization, to keep each country's individual fingerprints is really a good way and need to keep a distinction of identities and cultures. So does Morocco in a whole.

At a certain point of the trip I went to the desert for a night stay. It took around eight hours drive to reach there in a van with a small group of tourists. The marks of the road nearby the desert seem to disappear like traces of the unchanged history that vanish uncertainly under the hot sun.

Suddenly you get off the van and the first feeling that comes into your mind is that you are lost. Lost under the sun. When you look around all you can see is the long time effect the wind has stubbed for ages in the sand. The particles have become so small due to the erosive action of the wind that you can hardly feel them, even knowing they are everywhere around.

The sand is pure, beautifully placed in an endless scenario of dunes that seem to be taken from another world. When you look at the horizon, seeing such a wonderful place, you start changing your mind and feeling that the desert is not truly as lacking of life and beauty as you have always been thinking.

Indeed, the desert in Morocco is one of the greatest experiences I have ever had. Firstly because I always thought of a desert as a very hot and dry place, filled with endless similar dunes and views, with nothing else to see than sand and sun. When I think if it, I realize it is true in a certain way. However to experience myself, for the first time, how the desert is in proper conditions made my original thought vanish quickly and it even moved my mind to like it.

The Moroccan desert is full of beauty in every step the camel did to reach from a lost stone castle where the van dropped us to the tents during more than one hour. Every single step forward the camel did, pushed me more into the nice sceneries, the perfection of the waves marked since ages ago and yet redrawn currently every day by the wind on these dunes.

To see one dune after another, to look at the horizon without knowing how far it can be from any sort of human life, made this walk on camels unique. Not only for the good weather and temperature, but also for the unique views it has to show. It is certainly amazing, at least for me, that at the end of the walk you will be resting in a tent, in the middle of nowhere, staring at the blue sky and full moon, with a small fire, some wind and the only company of mostly unknown people that the only common thing they have with you is the time and the place, all this surrounded by big mountains of sand, dunes that have been there probably for ages without life along it. And it is yet surprising that camels have been living around in such extreme conditions at the service of men.

Lost under the sun with no definite place to go, being driven by a camel, was once more when I realized that not all in our lifes is always planned and drawn out, but it depends on us how we want to drive it and what we want to achieve. I never thought of myself being in the middle of the desert even for a minute, and, in spite of this, I would now still have a whole life to change and live forever in the desert if I ever determined to do my life there, as I could never imagine before this experience.

Of course I will not :), but what I mean is that there are still so many things to try in this world and so many experiences to live that it would be easy to, at least, be aware of what sort of lifes and alternatives we can have during our living.

We do not have always to be stucked in a place, predetermined to do a certain life.

Maybe yes several years ago, when traveling was hard and took long hours, but we are all in all lucky to live in developed countries that allow us to travel, to experience, and even to choose what life we want to lead as we are the ones who run our wishes and determine how far and where we want to be. This is a very precious value that not everyone has and it is precisely the reason why we should take good care of it.

The world is big enough to experience a lot, and we do not always need to change our lifes, but at least we can enrich our thoughts and appreciate what we have, at the same time we become wiser to choose and to be more happy with the choices we make as in every choice there will be always a whole learning on who we are.

It was lost under the sun without a certain path to follow when I became aware that being lost can be also a very enriching experience in our personal lifes.

Therefore to doubt, to hesitate, not to know what the future will bring can turn out in multiple ways and choices for our lifes. Being optimistic about it, this experience can lead us to our own self development and enrich who we are and our views of this world.

Even lost under the sun, you will be always the only master of your dreams, wherever they go, and it is in this effort, even the sun may hit your head and the sand may come into your eyes, you will realize that everything is part of a whole, that can be as beautiful as the perfect shaped dunes that do, at the end, give a lot of self happiness that may be otherwise never had been experienced.

Therefore, never be afraid of trying uncertain paths, as they may follow you to discover new dreams and achievements that will ever remain as part of your life, which will always make you unique and define who you are, who you were, and who you want to be.

There are certain choices in our lifes that we can do surrounded by those who will advice us for good, at the same time we have to deal with choices by our own that only ourselves can understand.

Surprisingly enough, I recall now how peaceful I felt when I was diving in Malaysia, under the beautiful sea in Tioman. I could feel that I was alive and that everything I knew, everything that surrounded me in my life had been gone as I was diving by myself, without any traffic jams, people, buildings around.

You can feel that at a certain point, the desert walk gives you a similar impression as in the beautiful Malaysian sea, as you get rid of worries, crowds and it is only you who interacts with the quiet nature in its original concept. It is then when you can feel that nothing is ever lasting and everything materialistic you have is not relevant anymore, but who you are and how happy or satisfied you can feel as a person and with the life you lead, surrounded by people around you.

This abstraction is necessary sometimes not to forget what our ideals are and that no matter how busy life awaits for us after these experiences, we will be always on time to discover and redirect our lifes in the way we want them to be.

Therefore it is not always late to be lost, wherever we are, as long as we have a wish to try to lead a better life or experience a temporary change. With no regrets on fails or with a hot sun striking your head, there will be always a much compensating reward at the end, shaped like beautiful dunes, personal motivations, achievements tried, and satisfactions for attempts themselves.

The Labyrinth of Myths

2008-04-05T23:47:00.026+02:00

Have you ever built up a small scenery inside a carton box so that when you look from outside, you can display whatever you wanted to recreate from a different perspective?

I sometimes did so in the school in my young days, cutting small pieces of paper, shaping them as chairs, desks, houses, people, with some coloured papers and finally after placing it all inside the small box, I did add some light.

And then, after the scene has been set up -like a small movie scene-, from a small hole in the box, I used to look inside and when you do, it does look like a small mini world has been created.

You can see your scene from the first until the bottom line of the box, and see how line after line your composition recreates a living story or event. Some of them are very nicely done with interior lights and it gives a very unique eye impression and delight.

Now take a piece of apple and put it in the center of a paper-boxed made labyrinth, just as one scenery described before, but much simpler.

Imagine at first that the labytinth has only one single entrance. If you then add a small group of ants on the same entrance, you will soon find out that a few of them start exploring around and the rest will follow them.

The result, even in the worse case, will be that they will all find the piece of apple, more or less in a similar time, because ants leave some smell whenever they pass through, so that others can follow them. You can observe this not only in this experiment, but commonly anywhere ants are, they make a line and follow all the group.

Give it a second try, add different entrances to the labyrinth, and one ant in each entrance. If every of them starts exploring around, some of them will pass several times for the same place, some lucky ants will find the piece of apple quickly while the rest of the group will be wondering around until they find the right way.

In this second try there will be local communication, but since every information transmitted to others is just partial, to find the piece of apple becomes more complicated, since any ant knows where the other has been.

Give it a third try, add not only one piece of apple, but several fruit pieces, several entrances and several ants on each entrance. Welcome to the chaos!

Some ants will get the piece of fruit, some others will not even know there is fruit in the labyrinth, and some will be lucky enough as to find not only one, but several pieces.

This experiment may, in a way, reflect how humans are. Replace ants for humans, fruits for wishes and the paper labyrinth for a world environment.

You will find out that we are all born in different locations, influenced by different cultures and people, and therefore our wishlist may be also different. Looking for an apple may turn into a quest, moving everywhere anytime. And so in our life, we walk around, see new things, change our wishes and priorities as we explore and live inside this huge labyrinth.

When I was seven or eight years old, I remember there was a contest in a computer magazine. I already forgot what could I win by filling in and sending certain survey to an office post box somewhere in Spain. But I remember clearly it was a contest for adults, even it didn't mention that children couldn't apply for it. So I did.

So I started filling in my personal data, name, address, and suddenly I had to stop in one field in the middle of the page, which was "current employment". Of course I was not working at that time, so I left the field blank for a while and I completed the survey. Then before I decided to cut the paper and send it by mail, I asked my mother what should I fill in the survery for "employment".

Her reply was like, "well, you dont have a job now, so you can feel free to write down there what you want to be in the future". I kept looking at her and went back to my desk to complete such a difficult task: think what I wanted to be in the future.

Such a nice reply from a mother to her son, which was followed by mine, after I have it some thoughts... what I wrote was, literally:

"Current Employment: 'I want to be a normal man.'"

Obviously, I had no idea what I wanted to be yet, I never saw myself at that time as with some ability to work and be paid for my work. Paid? What do I use the money for? I don't need a house nor a car, I am just a kid!

I can't help laughing when I imagine how the people in that company opened my envelope and found that an eight years old kid who wanted to be a normal man sent that survey to them in order to win something!!

Anyway, this answer has, indeed, some interesting points which I can recall now after so many years.

Firstly, normal man at that time to me meant have a regular life. Have a job -whatever-, have a house, a family. Just be like all the adult people around me were.
Which means, I was an ant already following what other ants were doing, or at least, I was conscious of what "others" were doing, from a very far distance.

Secondly, and I think this is quite common, most teenagers dream of a perfect life. A perfect life for me was to graduate early, get stability on work when I was 25, save money till 28 or 29, and get married around 30's. Build up a family before 35's, and live happily and peacefully for the rest of my life.

This was my master plan at that time, the apple I wanted to look for when I realized I was inside the labyrinth.

However as walking around, going through various steps, exchanging information with other ants that I found on my way, I realized that these dreams are not accomplished at the time I wanted to, and so the piece of apple I originally wanted is now spreaded in small pieces across the labyrinth that have to be found as time goes by.

How many of us have ever dreamt to have a peaceful life, or at least ordered life, and realize later on that only part of our dreams have become true? I suppose more than 90% of worldwide population? :-P . It is not that we don't fight for it, but that the challenge keeps going on depending on our environment and opportunities.

Dreams may change, knowledge, actions and chances may be different depending on where are we at the current time and what we have learnt so far from our experience and so we keep walking in the labytinth inside the same carton box, sometimes we pass through the same corner with different goals.

Myths may not always happen at a time we originally planned for, they may fade away or come back with a stronger wish for us to succeed. Time, place and environment will always affect our choices and way of life.

But yet we always look for a perfect life in the best way we can. The completion of happiness in life is not an easy task and there will be often pieces to be found in our quest. Which is at the same time not bad, as it pushes us to keep trying for what we long for.

A spanish proverb states: "Caminante no hay camino, se hace camino al andar".

Its english translation would be like "There is no path to follow, we do the path as we walk".

This proverb has a lot to say and discuss, I do not know whether its true or not, but I think life is a combination of both, a labyrinth in which we are trapped looking for our dreams to come true as we do effort for them, and also, at the same time, an undiscovered path that will describe our life in a unique way.

That's the magic of myths to be followed, the quest of trying to succeed, and the nice feeling of spontaneusly, which can turn over our thoughts anytime.

Human instinct is unpredictible, and therefore, as long as there are myths in the labyrinth to follow, there we are, trapped and looking for our own quests to be accomplished.

Just like ants do.

The Land of Tears

2008-02-11T13:05:00.001+01:00

Lately I have been supporting two good friends to overcome situations. I am not going to talk what happened to them nor who they are, however the common background they both have is that before those incidents, we didn’t have such a “heart-to-heart” conversation. Of course those situations are not easy to deal with, but I was happy that these friends talked to me about it and glad that they had confidence on me for telling.

What makes me think a bit deeper on this fact is how the confidence is built between humans and what makes us feel that we can be confident on someone, at the same time other people doesn’t feel similar against the same person.

Let’s say a person A is said to be good at keeping a secret that a friend B told. If this person A could keep it, means that he/she can keep all secrets? If a person A has this capacity, it is supposed it would be the same for whatever secret or personal thing that a friend confessed.

But obviously, experience and life tells us that the person A might not keep a secret that a person C told him/her previously. Why so?

What is the reason why the same person A would keep B’s confident but not C?
What makes people think differently over similar situations under similar conditions?

What makes people be confident on A, and some other people wouldn’t?
Why do we trust someone as to tell something personal and we do not trust others?

What is the level of understanding between two friends, two good friends, two old friends, two lovers, a couple or a married couple? Is it a matter of confidence, of feelings, of attraction? All of them or any?

So many questions came across this topic, which is in the end, how much friends are involved in someone’s personal situation and what friends can do for it in order to overcome bad moments.

All of us we do have secrets, and sometimes we feel we are alone in our sorrows, when the truth is that when we do find the right person to talk to, we feel that we are not alone in this huge world and there is someone who shares, respects and supports the things we are facing and trying to overcome.

Every conscious living of this world has two shapes, the one we do show everyday to those surrounding us, and a private part, in which we have to deal ourselves with our own thoughts, worries, actions and moral.

Most of us we do keep it for ourselves until a time comes that we have to spread it out, take it out of our thoughts and share it with some people so that we can release our mind.
And the more we try to communicate and express what we really feel, the better we will feel and the more confidence can be built between friends.

I remember many years ago a friend of mine told me that in order to keep “harmony” between her group of friends, she tended not to express what she felt in front of her friends. Then I did ask her that how could she know who was her friend or not if she never dared to express what she liked or what she didn’t?

It was then when she realized that we should find a way to express what we feel or what we like or dislike to others in order to know who of our friends could be more in “line” with our thoughts or way to live.

I do not say that all friends have to share same opinions or living style, I myself have a variety of friends from many parts of the world that are completely different. Even my friends in Spain are such an interesting type; most wouldn’t get along together unless I was there in-between them! That is funny :)

Anyway, what I wanted to say is that every of us has a private life or happenings that we usually don’t express, which is respectable. At the same time when we are in trouble we often feel this need of expressing that situation to someone we trust.

And in this exercise of sincerity we can find not only a way to release ourselves but also a unique chance to open ourselves to others and to create new links, personal links with the receiver that will certainly last for long and help to develop a higher quality friendship.

Everyone has secrets and sometimes we need to keep them for ourselves, in a secret place where we would be the only ones affected for them. Tears, sorrows, loneliness, all bad feelings we may have, we do not want others to know. However when we open ourselves it is when we gain most, and there is always something to win when we can share our sorrows and tears with others. I was advised by one old teacher of mine to do the same, “open yourself to others, you will always win”. I think my teacher was right...

...We find then that things happen more often than we think, that we are not the first ones to be in sorrow under those situations, that we are not alone, that there is always someone in who we can trust and this is certainly one of the most valuable parts of living.

Even the world population is over six thousand millions of people, we sometimes need just one of them to listen to feel better.

It is such a secret place, the land of tears. A place where nobody wants to be seen, a place where loneliness plays the main role, a place where no one lives except our own consciousness.

It is a place where we can be alone not being seen, a place where nobody can hear no matter how loud we would cry, a place where tears, dreams and reality mix up in the middle land of nowhere.

And yet it is probably the place where we do learn most of our own feelings, motivations and where a small ray of light shaped with a friend’s help can be the beginning of a renewed life.

Only when we understand and overcome those feelings we will be able to appreciate more what we have, and what we lost. A place where loosing something means a quest for a new treasure research, where the lost confidence can bring a chance to transform into better communication and understanding, a place where the salty tears of sorrow can start transforming into sweet tears of happiness.

The land of tears shouldn’t be a dark place where we just keep alone.

It is, in fact, a place in where we can renew ourselves and try to be more mature as we do try to change ourselves consciously to gain a better quality of life.

Such a secret place where we are consciously alone, and yet, a chance to create a wonderful new life lies.

Through a mirror

2008-01-14T09:50:00.000+01:00

Mirrors are part of our daily life, we do use them almost everyday when we wash our face, when we dry our hair, when we just want to check how clothes fit us or whenever we drive.

Since ever I have had curiosity on how the mirrors were made, I am kind of fascinated on how do they reflect the image and how precise this image is. We do not need modern technology to be able to see ourselves or even far distant objects, and they were created many years ago without any need of semiconductors or high tech.

However they still attract me on how they can reflect our image and it is sometimes interesting to appreciate how we are similar or being changed physically.

I think it’s interesting, because in our daily life what we do most is look through our eyes to those people surrounding us, but, on the other hand, how often do we really have a chance to see ourselves other than when we wash our face or put on a tie to go to work? When was the last time you remember to have seen yourself eating, laughing or sitting in the train?

In any of the daily above situations, like when we wake up, we wouldn’t spend more than one minute. Compared to the daily time we see others with the same eyes, that’s almost nothing!

Not only to see our current aspect, mirrors can sometimes be a useful therapy. Have you ever tried to face yourself in front of the mirror and start asking yourself questions, or simply talk to yourself?

I remember I had done so before a couple of times. For example, when I was very tired or sleepy after a long night out of home and finally came back, I sometimes saw in the mirror an expression of myself being so tired that I never imagined I could have! Then I started asking to “the mirror” what the hell was I doing being home so late when I seldom go out till that late at night.

On that day, even though I assume feeling tired as something normal in a regular daily life, it was one of the few times I ever stopped for a while to see how I looked when I am very tired. Something that for sure other people around me could see, but I could not realize until I went back home!

Another time I had a food poisoning which was very severe for my health. I thought I would pass away on that night because I was feeling really sick – Will explain that story in detail in some future post cause I did learn from it-. I had to go so many times to the bathroom and once I could stand up and see myself, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

That person on the mirror looked alike me, but I could seldom imagine myself in such a situation because the image I saw was quite different from what I am used to see in my “normal” day. There was a kind of big gap between who I thought I look alike and the person who was actually reflected on the mirror.

Questions on what I saw followed my mind for some seconds… what was I doing there so far away from home, looking at one mirror which could be there for years and where certainly many other people had passed through before me. They say the walls of the houses remind all sounds and conversations happened among the families who lived in between their walls, sometimes they say that walls could speak out a lot of histories happened… but so do mirrors as well.

I started seeing myself alone, sick on that day, weak and tired as I never experienced before. This was the image I saw on the mirror and next following questions were trying to match this new “image” of me with the one I “regularly” have.

I was so sick and weak that simply I could not recognize myself in the mirror. My mind was there, trying hard to overcome the sickness, while my body had got lot of pain inside.

Do you think the person you are and how you look “fit” properly? Have you ever practiced a speech in front of the mirror, for coworkers, friends, relatives,…? Ever told loud how stupid you are in front of a mirror for being mad of something and later on thought on how stupid does it sound to tell so to a mirror?

It does sometimes feel so, but at the same time we can learn a little bit on how other people will see us. It is sometimes good to ask ourselves who we are, what we want and how we are seen. Even though looks are not important, to see how other people perceive we are does matter. And sometimes the only thing we can do for it is not only asking or seeing other people’s attitude, but to see our own attitude, how we laugh, how we talk normally, how we gesticulate in certain situations.

This brings a self knowledge which is good to know from time to time – at least not to forget.

We are a clear reflection of ourselves and people who surrounds us, our environment, history, experience. Ask yourself not only how you look, but also what you want to do, who you want to be, what is your dream, why did you succeed or fail, what is your next step, what makes you pain or simply how was your day. For a few seconds everyday.

Mirrors were also used in tales to predict the future. I do not know how this popular idea came across writers’ minds, but, thinking about it carefully, if you do look at the mirror often, understand who you are and what you want, the mirror will certainly reflect your future as soon as you reach it - day after day.

Tries, mistakes, regrets, tears, happiness, achievements, all these can be reflected one day and another in a mirror.

Sometimes we just need to look at ourselves from time to time to see how these experiences build us. It helps to see, it helps to improve, it helps to learn.

People sometimes wish would have a magic mirror and see how life will be in one year time. In a long term it would be useful to see, but most of the times, in a short term, I don’t think we do need such magic mirrors. Who will we be in a few years time is already here, daily.

We simply need to make our way in the direction we wish to. And whenever we may fail, ask ourselves how to change it so that our life will be a reflection of our attitude of life.

Get a wish, stick it to the mirror, and remind to do effort every day for it so that your actions will be driven to achieve it, step by step. The mirror will tell in the future when you finally succeed on it!

My wish is to go back to asia and make a living there, or, at least, never ever loose the touch with asian countries, their culture, people and friends. Will it happen in the future? I ask the mirror everyday to tell me about it, and the answer I daily have is the same: “I am doing all efforts for it, therefore I will certainly achieve it.”.

Some day soon I will look at myself in the mirror, and it will be a mirror placed in asia, for sure!

New Year’s Resolutions

2007-12-23T11:49:00.001+01:00

Each year I resolve with the strongest intent
To be better this year than the last.
And I work very hard; the rules hardly get bent,
But this discipline gets old so fast!

But with this new year I just know I’ll win out,
Just watch how I do and you’ll see!
I’m not going to have yet another blowout;
I’ll be good as I know I can be.

But, if wicked things beckon, and I’m not so strong,
If I weaken and fall on my ast,
I’ll be thankful again that you’ll help me along
As you have during all new years past.

Happy New Year!

-----
By Joanna Fuchs

I wish you all a very happy New Year 2008, filled with joy and happiness and good time!

Thank you all for the good memories on this year and wish the new one will be even better!

A New Beginning

2007-11-17T22:49:00.000+01:00

A new day awakes. It does every day, even sometimes we are too busy or used to our life to realize it. Everyday may seem similar, though everyday we are changing and days cannot be always the "same".

It is often interesting to observe that days, weeks, years pass by and when we look back we can realize how life goes on and how each person we do know has been evoluting differently even we used to share the same backgrounds years ago.

Sometimes people we thought we would have always as close friends eventually change and take different directions we would never expect. Some others keep living in memory of how the good days were and wondering if they would come back after all.

Others take actions and move earth and water to recover those who did disappear leaving good memories on their heart.

We all live in the same timing, we see the same sun rising, but how we live now and before is totally different depending on the person's experience and view of life. Our choices determine our experiences, how we can see our own life and how we can live our future.

Therefore it would be also interesting to know not only the options we have, but also how we do choose. Which are the motivations that drive people to consider or look for options and finally make a choice and accomplish it for real. Because all in all, to decide it's not easy, but it can certainly change our life, not only to gain experience but also on how other people perceives we are.

When I think back on how I started to change my "destiny", there are two things that come to my mind: the well known as "the land of the rising sun", and the big need to "create" something good on my life. "Create" does not necesarily mean to get on something material, but in my case it was more on "how to move on my life" - or how to create myself.

Japan, the land of the rising sun, inspired me for years enough to be curious on how different cultures are. I started to know about Japan simply because I once found a book to learn japanese in the bookstore and decided to buy it.

I never expected it would change my life completely. I was just curious to know how japanese characters could be written and to learn simply a little bit on how did japanese people communicate with those "strange" symbols ("Kanjis" and "kanas") among themselves.

I truly never had intention to learn the language nor even look forward to visit there. I was just curious. But since the time I started to understand how symbolic their language was, at the same time bizarre for a simple spanish teenager, I became more and more interested not only in their language, but also in their culture, their people, their politics, music, fashion and every aspect of the country. I became so interested that I even read Japanese news more than Spanish!

Therefore, I have had often a wish on moving and not stop. It was very difficult for me to make a first step to move on, but once done, the reward you get is really precious. You learn how to choose and how to create your own itinerary in life. You learn that your life belongs to you and you can accomplish anything you are longing for.

My wish was to discover the world at that time more than developing a good career, and Japan was going to be definetely my first step. I was already so much willing to go and experience how japanese lifestyle was, how people thought, how story was like.

It's a long story to tell how things went but I can say that I learnt a lot and partly I was so touched by the culture that luckily I could take good things back to my own which define currently part of my character.

It is not only what I saw and felt, but also how you can see over it and learn something from it.

Later on experiences and choices I have made, remind me that there is a common wish inside me on every single step I take. I have learnt to choose and create the direction I want and wait patiently for the proper time to make the effort or slash into the chance.

It was not easy for me to change my future and try new things, but as long as you try, you learn that there is always something good to learn from it and that the world does not move unless you really care to build it on. I wanted to change my life, my views, I knew there was a world waiting to be discovered and so I tried to learn from it.

There are often two sorts of people in the world; those who stare at how the world changes, and those who make own effort to change it. What type are you in?

One of the most respected figures in Japan was the Samurai. Well known worldwide, it often refers to a strong loyal warrior who fights for justice by his own.

These samurais, even being poor, they were loyal and made a history in Japan. Because they fought to change their world.

Even though the original name and characteristics differ from the westernized figure, the origins of the samurai are based on what the japanese culture named "Bushido" (武士道), a japanese code of conduct meant to be "the Way of The Warrior".

There are seven virtues that lead a samurai's life under the Bushido way of life. These include;

Rectitude (義, gi) - Meaning taking the right choices. Believe in own justice, not in what other people says, but in what you believe.

Courage (勇, yū) - Be strong when others feel weak. Live life fully, complete and wonderfully. Encourage yourself to be strong and smart, knowing your weakness and scareness to make yourself stronger.

Benevolence (仁, jin) - If there is a chance to help others, do it. And if there is no oportunity, create it even if it takes you out of your original way.

Respect (礼, rei) - Respect others, even your enemies. Do not be cruel.

Honesty (誠, makoto or 信 shin) - Sincerity. A Samurai value remains on what his words say and make things he promise accomplished.

Honour, Glory (名誉, meiyo) - A Samurai is onwer of himself. Choices you make and take reflect who you are.

Loyalty (忠義, chūgi) - A Samurai is loyal to those who are under his protection. His words are like fingerprints, will follow them wherever he goes.

Another two characteristics are Wisdom (智, chi) and Care for the aged (悌, tei), which were added up later on time to the figure of the samurai.

I have often had appreciation to the figure of a samurai. Its inner power, not only physically but also mentally provides him virtue enough to balance whatever happening in his life and take a proper direction in which he can find happiness, and pursue his dream until it can be finally accomplished.

Moreover, he owns respect by respecting others and being loyal to his principles. Its character reflects his integrity as a human being and he is not only willing to fullfill his life but also among the way, do whatever possible for those who are near them to be happy.

Probably he wouldn't be rich, but at least he can control his life properly and gain a good environment and experience in his life.

The image of a samurai for me is quite interesting. Words like honour, respect and integrity still surround nowaday's lifestyle and even these terms are sometimes forgotten in westernized countries, as you travel in asia you find that honestity and loyality to people is one of the common backgrounds, in whatever age.

A new beginning has come for me after my year in Malaysia and every single day I wake up I remind of all these people I have met, all these values that I have been touched by years, and let the experience I have had lead me wisely into a new day, a new step and a new decition in my life.

Every day is a happening in life. Where we are now, where we want to go is made up day after day within our actions and thoughts. What we see and touch, what we feel, what we hear, what we wish will drive us bit by bit into taking actions for what we are longing for. Even the road may seem long way to reach its end, the rectitude, our attitude towards our own principles will be the common background to lead us to change our life.

Never give up on the way, fight for what you want and fear not!

Desert in the Sky

2007-11-02T21:15:00.000+01:00

If you have ever had the luck to travel around Egypt, you certainly know that this country is a lot worth to visit. It has truly many temples, museums, activities to do under the hot sunlight and the warm breeze during its daytime.

Once year ago I was there with a good friend of mine for a week, and we could enjoy the whole trip since its beginning until the end, a non-stop "race" starting in the south, Abu Symbel, then Aswan, going up to north, passing through Luxor and El Cairo among other cities.

Egypt is full of temples everywhere and most of them remain in quite good condition, which makes you feel like living thousands of years ago. Their culture and devotation towards their gods and pharaons was really amazing and they did create so many well known statues and temples to honour them.

Temples like Ramses, Isis and Horus are very well known and perfectly drawn with lots of details on their walls, to keep respect and history on how great they were at that time.

Three of the most famous architectural constructions are without doubt the pyramids of Micerinos, Kefren and Keops. Each of them is astonishing and can be seen from quite far away distance all clearly, since their height and shape is really big.

Scientists calculate that it took over 2.300.000 stone blocks to build up the Keops pyramid. Each block could weight an average of 2 tones, but some of them could weight even more, reaching up to 60 tones each, especially on their base. They have estimated that the pyramid was also originally fully covered by 27.000 white sand blocks which were mostly taken away by a big earthquake at the beginning of the 14th century. Nowadays, only the top of Keops pyramid is still covered.

One fact that seems not obvious at the beginning is that, the pyramids do not have four sides, but eight. Each side splits into two because they are built starting from both edges at the same time, and bit by bit going inside to the center (not drawing a straight line from one edge to another) to finally meet up at the center of the side.

Only the base of the pyramid is perfectly squared. From the second level and above, egyptians built up the pyramid splitting bit by bit the original four sides into eight.

Therefore, this effect cannot be really appreciated from far away but only if you have a closer look at the pyramid.

Not only this, but going into the pyramid to see what is inside its quite an adventure. The corridors are narrow, and you descend around 14 meters bending your back, your knees and your whole body!

Egyptians really took care on how to protect and avoid robberies on the tombs and treasures they had been acumulating, in such smart ways.

Since I was kid I used to like Egypt and the trip I did with my friend was very enjoyable, even under such a hot weather!

When you do look at the pyramids and see the blue sky surrounding its top, and the endless desert in which they are placed, you can really feel how the time has passed since then until nowadays.

Every single block will remain there for years even after generations. It is simply great.

If you do look around, you will realize that the desert is not only on the ground, but also the sky is empty, like if time had stopped many centuries ago.

You can just imagine that if the bus wouldn't have taken you that far from the city to the pyramids, you would most probably loose the way in the middle of the desert, because there is no possibility to even go back looking at the wide, blue sky. Everything looks just the same. And you would feel lost so easily.

These days for me aren't easy. It is like if I were in the middle of the desert, staring at bright monuments that could mean good choices in life. Either monument I decide to get in and explore what treasure is hidden inside, means a choice I can make and I know once I move in I may find a very valuable treasure which can fullfill part of me.

I do not know exactly which pyramid I should get in to explore, even I do know either way will bring me something good. But the choice is not easy. I am afraid to be trapped or choose the wrong one.

When I look at the pyramids as a choice to explore, it could look scary to get in. In fact I am. And when I am, I tend to isolate myself, try to think about it twice before making a choice.

In this silence, I do build up unconsciously a wall that protects me from any noise in order to feel peaceful, so that I can think properly.

The same peace someone would feel being into the pyramid discovering what is inside. I keep quiet then, I keep calm. But trapped at the same time.

Sometimes you put walls up not to keep people out, but to see who cares enough to break them down.

This is how I behave sometimes, when I am confused or when I am angry.

And this is how I feel now. Confused. Trapped in choices, isolated of the world, expecting some light to help my way out and finally do break these walls.

Time will tell. That's the only truth I know. So far.

Life taken

2007-10-17T21:03:00.000+02:00

Being back in Spain after one year absence, one realizes not only that time passes so quickly but also that the life you used to have is no longer the same.

Before I went to Malaysia I owned a small apartment, which I had to rent because I moved overseas to work. The family that is currently living there are nice, they have a small kid, the parents go to work everyday, they have a normal life as many other families in Spain.

I am the owner of their place, and monthly they pay me the rental fee. Their place was supposed to be my place before they came in. Now it's still part of me, but it's no longer mine since they are living there.

The streets of my town haven't changed much. Time seems stopped while I was away and there are not so many changes overall. My family doing daily life same as before, my mother's cooks and food still same as one year ago.

My friends keep up moving and talking the same friendly talks as usual. The cinema where we used to go it's still there, the shops are opening every single day. There is still an open market every wednesday where people goes and shops vegetables, fruits, clothes, whatever they sell. My dog seems to be a bit older but still has the same hair colour and young energy that he uses to have.

My parents, brother, sister, friends do the same things as usual. Nothing much has changed in my town since I left.

Nothing much. Except me.

How I see life here after such a wide change in one year is something I am still considering. I have traveled a lot, I have gained experience professionally and personally. I have been to Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, Japan.

I have worked hard and also enjoyed as much as possible during this year. I have made very good friends who have been always (and still are) supportive and they all have lighted my life.

I really appreciate every single chance and minute that I spent overseas. Really...

It is not only that I miss Malaysia, but also I do feel that I do not fit here in Spain anymore. I have been living in Spain for almost 30 years, it is supposed that I am able to make a life here, find a job, get married, do as all spanish people does here.

However during the past years and especially now after this year in Malaysia, I do feel displaced from my origins. Of course I want a stable job, a house, get married as everyone does. But I am not the same person, even though my house is still here, my friends from highschool are still around, my dog still comes to hug and play with me everytime he sees me.

Despite all this, my life has been taken. The places I used to go, the material world is still here and remains unchanged. My family of course they keep me happy and I am also happy to see my friends here.

However my thoughts, how I saw my life before and now is totally different. I have changed.

I did offer my apartment to a family so that they could make a living. Their life has also changed, with or without their notice, during this year. The new coworkers are now probably in similar situation I was one year ago. My office is (was) certainly still there in Kuala Lumpur, my chair, my computers, my small world. And back to Spain, my town, my friends are still here and will be here for me anytime no matter what.

The Petronas Twin Towers, KLCC, Timesquare, The Green Man, Ciccios, Jalan Alor, Petaling Street, Midvalley, Cameron Highlands, and many more...the unforgettable nights spent in Malaysia will remain in my memory until my very last days. My mind is still there, my soul still aims to go back, but I am physically in a different place where I do not fit, where amazingly I have been for almost 30 years.

To be back is not easy, to settle down is sometimes hard, but all in all, I do keep trying. I want my life to be like what it has been during this past year and I will do all efforts possible to make it happen.

My thoughts were improved, and I am really looking forward to challenge myself and let's see where I end up. I will not give up any single chance. Even my life was taken, in a sense, it still belongs to me and I am sure I will recover and remake it for better. I swear.

Gates Open

2007-09-27T09:47:00.000+02:00

The gates at KLIA airport will open soon for me. I will be checking in and leaving Malaysia in less than 48 hours. My destination this time, after being in all south east asia for a year, will be Spain, my hometown, my family, my friends.

I am leaving.

The apartment where I have been living for a year, which I could finally call "home" will close its doors and a new life will start there again with different tenants.

While all this happens, too busy at work and packing for leaving, I almost have no time to write in the blog as much as I wish, nor even time to meet friends to say good bye to them. I really wish I had more free time, because I really had a good time seeing you all, but unluckily I didn't really have a time...

New gates open while old gates not always close. My year in Malaysia has been certainly awesome and I wish I could be there again...

I promise I will be back, I will work hard for it, just wanted to say to all my friends, THANK YOU SO MUCH for a wonderful time and see you soon again!!!

Crossing Bridges

2007-09-05T09:59:00.000+02:00

Laos is probably the most unknown country in south east asia, at least as long as I live I had never expected to go, nor heard of anyone visiting there before for tourism.

One week ago I went there with my friends and we had a really good time.

The jouney started from Kuala Lumpur taking a bus to Singapore, and from there, flying to Udon Thani which is the closest thai airport to the frontier of Laos.

Vientiane, its capital, it's a quiet place, not yet invaded by tourists, and still keeps the charm of and old city providing traditional services that is on the way to be restructured to attract foreigners. We could visit there the most important temples and then on the very next day we headed to Van Vieng, along a three hours minibus that drove us up to the mountains.

The views were very nice, surrounded by green fields that remind me of Cameron Highlands in Malaysia. We did some stops on the way and I could see how Laos people lived, usually in wooden houses, a small village in the mountain with very basic services even though some "modern" essentials are not missed - even in a wooden house, there is still satellite tv, and it really reminded of my trip to Cambodia.

They would usually ride motorbikes from one village to another, and those who cannot afford it will simply go walking or by bike. The people in the villages are very peaceful, kind, warm hearted, alike cambodians and thais.

Van Vieng views of the river and mountains were exceptional. We didn't have time to visit the caves as we stayed there for a night only, but the town itself and the night market were nice to see and worth to spend some time shopping.

On the very next day we went to Luang Prabang, after a 5 hours bus ride. There are a lot of temples to be seen there and the boat along Mekong river for a sunset shot is very nice. We could see monks, ride on a tuk-tuk all the way long and even go to massage places. Worth to visit!!

The trip was quite packed and I wish I had more time to visit Van Vieng and Luang Prabang, but all in all it was a worth experience and very good to know how different asian countries are, since it was my dream to visit and get to know part of the culture and lifestyle.

The other day I realized that since I am in Malaysia I have been travelling for almost all south east asian countries. Only Philippines and Myanmar left to visit before I go back to Spain at the end of the month, and these two countries I will be visiting in short.

It is amazing that I could do so many trips during this year in spite of my few days off at work (8+4). Yet it seems that I came to Malaysia to travel and not to work!! haha :):)

One thing that will keep in my mind about this trip is how I entered to Singapore from Malaysia and also how we entered in Laos from Thailand. In both situations, the countries are connected by a bridge.

The bus from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore takes around 5 hours to reach, and on the way you have to stop to check your belongings and passport control. Then go back to the bus, cross the bridge and reach Singaporean's immigration.

Finally you are in Singapore.

Similar thing happens in Udon Thani, you have to take a bus or van to go to the frontier, issue your visa, then take a local bus that goes through a bridge and then at the end into Laos itself.

In the past, certainly rivers divided countries and the only way to go through was building up a bridge. The problem of finding a way to visit all places connected by bridges passing just once for each bridge with no way back, was also the origin of the theory of graphs and multiple applications nowadays make use of the famous theory of Euler and Königsberg bridges to be solved in computer science.

When I passed these bridges to go to Singapore and Laos, I reminded of it. Each bridge is leading you to a new place, a new step that is still unknown at first.

Not only as a part of traveling, but we are also travelers in life. What will happen in the future is often uncertain and it strongly depends on our lifestyle.

Some people likes to settle down and lead a comfortable life, some others challenge to change their life for what they really wish to accomplish.

Whatever type of person, each of us has a path to be discovered and achievements to be done. Nobody's great, nobody's wrong. From the simple family living in a wooden house in Laos to the most rich man in the world, all we share a wish to live and do things and enjoy whatever we want to do.

Our lives since we are born are alike a place which is connected to some others by bridges, where bridges are the choices we have, and each of them we decide to take will lead us to another part or experience in life. Sometimes the steps will be short, sometimes high, sometimes we may not want to try.

Not all the places can be seen, but most of them we will experience through trying different options and directions. And it is by trying that our life will be enriched. If we are lucky, we will find people along the same bridge that will accompany us in the path of life. Some others will be just traveling around and it will be nice to see and share even for a while.

I wish I could pass through all bridges, visit all places and connect and experience every single destination that each bridge is leading me to. The choices are always there. Different worlds, different experiences, different views of the same reality. It all depends on where we are, how we get there and in what timing.

Bridges may be wooden made, strong as steel or even irreal. Destinations maybe great, just nice or the worst of all. However, whatever direction we take, there will be always a way to go back, start off again wisely with the gained experience and keep trying.

Thats the cycle of life.

Flame into Life

2007-08-20T06:47:00.000+02:00

The other day I went to SungeiWang, a well known department store nearby where I am living. I was looking for some accessories as I like to wear bracelet and necklace. By chance I found a shop where they were selling a silver necklace with a dragon stamped on it. I don't know why but I felt quite attracted to it, and I decided to buy it.

Since I was a child I liked dragons, I don't think it is because I was born on the year of dragon in the chinese horoscope, but simply because I found those mystical creatures great and respectful.

I bought the necklace. For 21 Ringgits, I have an oportunity to wear it every single day :). Its shape is nice, the design is good and I wear it since then, even at the office.

It just happened that one day after that, I had a chance to read a book about chinese horoscopes. What a coincidence! It has been interesting for me to know about how asian cultures believe, and I have been surprised on how much developed the chinese horoscope is, in comparison to the western culture.

As you know, chinese horoscope consists in a set of twelve representative animals (Rat/Ox/Tiger/Rabbit/Dragon/Snake/Horse/Sheep/Monkey/Rooster/Dog/Pig), and each year a different animal is assigned. Therefore, each horoscope happens once in twelve years.

What made me surprised, is that within these 12 animals, there are also some specific characteristics. For example, there are five different elements for dragons (metal, water, fire, wood and earth). And depending on the year you were born, you are one type or another.

Each horoscope happens once every 12 years, and there are five elements, which means that in combination with each type of horoscope, for example, a water monkey, happens only every 60 years (12 for the animal, plus 5 times for each element).

I checked through the website and book, I happened to know that my year, 1976, is the year of the dragon, more specifically the "Fire Dragon", which will not happen again untill 2036.

When I read the book I was surprised because the color-preference for dragons is greenish-blue, and they like sapphire and amber, and so do I... I was surprised to find a matching between the book and my personality.

Not everything has to be agreed, but most of the parts I do. Besides through website and book I also found the best hobbies for a dragon are computers/IT which is my field, and one of best gifts is a camera! :) So happy!

I found some paraghraphs interesting, which match my personality,

"Others love to be around Dragons because they have a way of making people feel better. Dragons are quick to fall in love, but do not surrender their independence easily leaving most of them to live life by themselves. Yet, an smart, witty, and funny companion may intrigue the Dragon long enough to make him want to get married. And once the Dragon becomes committed, he is unlikely to ever leave.

It takes someone with thick skin who is easygoing to be a Dragon's partner, because, despite their sentimental characters, they can be moody, and insensitive. Many people will want to run when the Dragon's temper is provoked. Chinese horoscopes are very specific about which partnerships have the potential to be successful in love and in business. Yet, though destiny can point us in the right direction, we must still make all efforts to maintain loving relationships."

I agree in the terms of that I am sometimes surrounded by people and I treat them confidently. I often try to make people around me feel comfortable, I like to listen to them, hear their stories and talks, and suppord them anytime needed. Not only in Malaysia, but also in Spain and everywhere.

But it is also part of my character to be moody when I am angry at something. It takes really long time to make me mad or angry since I am a very patient person who loves to listen and attend to reasons, but once I am mad, it must be really a good reason to make me feel angry as I am quite easy going and I don't like conflicts, basically, unless I find the reason really necessary to fight with.

What I can say is that I have almost never had a hate or anger feeling against anyone except when the cause was really big enough to make me feel so. I am quite patient and do not rush to conclusions easily at the time I still don't know well the situation.

It is true I like to advice my friends whenever needed and I do love supporting and listening to people confidently. This is how long lasting friendships can be build and I am happy for every single time I spend with my friends.

On the back part of my necklace, I ordered to write down and stamp a well known japanese saying:

"ichigo ichie" (一期一会). It literally translates to "One encounter, one chance" and can be translated as "for this time only," "never again," or "one chance in a lifetime."

Ichigo-Ichie means that every encounter with someone, even a friend whom you see often, should be treated as if it were a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence.

Its origins come from the traditional japanese tea ceremony, which reminds participants that each tea meeting is unique.

It is also used to admonish students in a dojo who become careless or frequently stop techniques midway to "try again," rather than moving on with the technique despite the mistake.

The reason why I decided to write these kanji is because it reminds me that each chance is unique and it is on our hands to take it or leave it. Yet every time we meet people, they will make our meeting unique and we should learn to appreciate all this precious time.

Lately some of my good friends in Malaysia are leaving overseas and I do not certainly know when I will see them again. Each encounter with them has been really pleasant, and so has been every single moment spent with my friends from Spain who came to visit me a few days ago and loved it here, and also the ones who are now in Spain.

I encourage all of them to take the chance at the right moment, do whatever choice and follow it to the last consequences as each experience will certainly enrich our life and the life of those surrounding us.

Take the chance and be strong in your thoughts, life happens only once and it is our responsability to try and fight for whatever we want to do.

In short I will know wether my dreams will become true or not after a long time. What I can say is that even accomplished, I will always keep trying and never give up on it. Take the chances, and let your life feel alive. You will learn how to respect yourself and how to respect on others.

Dragons are not only the creatures I like, but also Phoenix, as they can stand up and reborn in life no matter how. And from a human point of view, there is no more pride on oneself than seeing our dreams accomplished after a long effort.

This necklace will remind me that, as the dragons do, flame into life, let your life have a chance to experience and learn from every single moment you live, take your choices before they turn from a lively fire into ashes!

---

More information about the chinese horoscopes can be found here:

http://www.usbridalguide.com/special/chinesehoroscopes/Dragon.htm

When dreams could be true

2007-08-10T03:42:00.000+02:00

It's been a while since my last post... I am so sorry for not being able to write for such a long time. Work has kept me busy lately and also been feeling sick by food poisoning in KL haha... but now completely recovered again and ready to get some inspiration to write :)

Since not so many things happened lately, today I want to write about some dreams I have had in the past that I still remember these days. Sometimes we are able to remember meaningful dreams, sometimes just the silly ones... haha. I invite you all to write about any kind of dream you remember and was important for you.

Well I had this dream over one and a half or two years ago. At that time I was still in Spain, and my personal situation was quite uncertain about work and life.

My dream started walking nearby the entrance of a temple. The temple was located in the mountain and it was not like a chinese type of temple with all red colours, but a kind of more relaxed one, I would even say "a japanese style" temple or dojo, a small wooden house with a private garden with green plants and stones in almost a top of the mountain.

There was nobody in the surroundings but me, and I felt from the outside that it was a quite peaceful location.

When I got into the area, I tried to look inside through the walls in order to find the person who I wanted to speak to. But there seemed to be a group of people in the small garden sitting and discussing, and I did not want to interfere their conversation with my presence, so I just kept observing for a while and looking at the surroundings.

In my quietness, a monk came to me and asked me to wait.

- "I want to see the Buda", I said.

- "I am sorry the Buda is busy now, you can't see him, please wait for a while", he replied in a very polite way.

A few seconds later he turned back and walked in to the small wooden house.

Finally the people who was sitting in the garden discussing with Buda stand up and left, and then Buda was alone in the garden. I took off my shoes and walked in.

I never expected I would meet or speak to Buda in the dream. I myself was surprised about this dream,... anyway...

I walked close to him, while I was listening the sound of a small waterfall somewhere in the garden, and felt the cold stones in my feet. When I finally faced him, something strange happened...

...first of all, I couldn't see his face. All I remember was seeing how he dressed with a light attire.

Secondly, I couldn't talk to him. It was like he was reading my mind and we were communicating mentally. It was a strange feeling because even I tried to open my mouth and speak, I found I couldn't even say a word. My mouth was sealed and no words came out no matter how hard I tried. It was like he had taken my voice away or simply the way he communicated with me was directly reading my thoughts and what I wanted to say from my brain.

This experience in the dream was quite impressive for me. I felt really uneasy not to be able to speak from my mouth for a while, but he asked me to calm down and when I did I realized we could communicate directly and that was a pleasant experience for me. I felt that my mind was totally open to him and whatever I would think, he would be able to know it instantly.

At that time, I felt I so much wanted to ask him so many questions and talk to him about a lof of issues. I was very curious to know about him, because I never expected I would meet Buda in my dream :)

He said to me, "You don't need to speak. I already know why you are here". I felt so calm down and peaceful then.

The sound of nature and the small river or waterfall surrounded me. I found myself in front of him, not being able to speak, just being able to see, but not even his face. I felt so quiet and relaxed, and then he told me, "follow me".

I absolutely trusted him. It was like feeling so peaceful that even the place didn't look as part of this world. Well it was a dream after all :)

Anyway, the last thing I remember is that we walked out of the garden and went to a small pathway going up to the mountain. I do not know where we were going to, all I remember on the dream was that I followed him, and he was leading the route. I was just walking behind him, I could see his sandals, a kind of spartan sandals, quite used. I remember his long monk dress, but unfortunately as I said before, in the dream he had no face, I couldn't even see it.

That's all I remember about it. When I woke up I felt so calm and easy. It was a pleasant wake up, really natural, felt so peaceful...

I remember I told my good friend Kan Kan in Thailand about the dream on that day, she told me it's very unusual for people to dream with Buda and it is a symbol of luck.

I do not know why, but I felt that dream was so real at that time and since then I appreciate it. The feeling of peacefulness was really amazing and I woke up so relieved and happy.

It was a sunny day brighting on when I woke up. I kind of felt there was another world after this life, and there are certainly things in our minds that we cannot control. I still remember very clearly every detail of the dream, every stone, every part of the garden and the temple.

Sometimes we can control the dreams, but most of the times we can't. Sometimes we wish dreams could turn real and our reality was just a dream.

There has been some other dreams I have had that I still remember. The one I wrote about today was very nice and pleasant, but the other one is not. I will just leave it for a next chance :)

I am leaving to Bangkok tonight to meet my spanish friends there. Will spend there a weekend, and then back to Kuala Lumpur on sunday night. I am looking forward to see them and share their opinions about asia, since they have been traveling to Cambodia, Vietnam and Malaysia. Let's wish they like it a lot and who knows, they may end up dreaming about a Buda too!

Freedom

2007-07-14T04:36:00.000+02:00

I like to take photos. Wherever I go, I usually bring my camera to take some snapshots. I like to captivate face expressions, daily life or people passing by, their work, but also nature, a nice sunset on the beach or mountain, buildings, temples, modern life as well as ruins.

My camera is digital, I bought a standard model and I am thinking that it would be nice to switch to a professional one. I am not a professional, I have no idea about photography, but I still enjoy taking pictures as part of my hobbies and would love someone to teach me how to take professional photos!

Basically I like to observe, to see people walking around, wherever I go I am often fascinated to see how every single human being has its own life, work, attitude, friends, values in life.

Once I was walking around in Shinjuku station in Tokyo. I got completely lost trying to find the proper exit at a pick hour, and I still remember how crowded the station was in every single direction I took in the corridors! The station is simply amazing, it has several levels of depth and sections, so many subway and train lines...

When I stopped by to check the proper direction and realized I was simply one more human among them, among all this crowd, I felt how amazing life is and how difficult it would be to know all these people in depth, what they do, why they were there at the same timing.

I had a similar feeling when some months ago I was going to attend the Thaipussam festival in Malaysia. The trains to go to the Batu Caves were really crowded, but at that time I felt easier since I knew people was going to attend the festival, so at least we had something in common! :).

When you become aware that in such crowded places people around you has all different lifes and thoughts, the feeling of human being is on one side minimized when you think of your own person at the same time its greatly expanded when you think of humans as a global being.

It's amazing when, observing all these people, you imagine that even they look so different and busy, we kind of share same things, information, timing, situations, feelings. And then you feel that you are just a small part of this world.

Sometimes I wish I could get to know all of these people in depth, what they think, who they are.

But since this would be an impossible mission, I try to captivate their expressions by observing, taking photographs of people walking around, buildings, anything that can let me feel how people life is and how life is being lived different in every place at a different timing.

I wish I could see everything in this world, I wish I could feel all the nature healing me after an exhausting day, enjoy daylight and night moon, mountains, rivers, waterfalls, trees, sand, wherever I go, I can find freedom enough to feel and see how life goes on in every single detail.

No particular photos to display today, I just selected some to accompany the text... also I have opened the blog to public access so now everybody can post comments without any need of registration.

As every of us are different, these comments are also free, even I don't know who you are, we might have just passed through walking in the street somewhere. Opening the blog to public comments is also a good way to know people, so

feel free to post any comment, as long as it doesn't harm anyone :). Enjoy the freedom!

Never walk alone

2007-07-10T05:08:00.000+02:00

Perhentian Islands, located in the north part of Malaysia, almost in the border of Thailand, are a well known destination for tourists and divers, who can enjoy the clarity of its water and beautiful underwater species.

A few days ago I went there for a weekend, with my coworkers and friends, rented a car from Kuala Lumpur to Perhentian that took us almost nine hours to reach because of the traffic jam... if I did the same thing in Spain, drive 9 hours to go to the beach, for sure I would be regarded as a fool!! (especially when the nearest beach to my place is just 30 minutes drive...!!)

Anyway...the trip was very nice, and there were many activities such as snorkeling, diving, kayak rental, trekking,... even the weather was a bit cloudy on the first day, it was good because I didn't get sun tanned and this time, unlike when I went to Tioman, I didn't look like a red lobster after all!

The friends with whom I went were also really nice and all together had a good time, taking a break from work spending the weekend far away from Kuala Lumpur where we usually stay.

So far, I do like Perhentian more than any other island I have seen in Malaysia. I haven't seen much though haha... the cottages were quite clean and few seconds distance walk to the beach.

There was also a large wooden bridge linking two different beaches, like if it was going into the jungle! The beach was very very clean, and just a few meters away you could do snorkeling and see fishes and corals, some turtles and there is also a shark point where you can see baby sharks from a distance. We didn't manage to see any, unluckily... but it's something we will keep for the next visit :)

While being there, I realized that in european countries it's the summer time holidays these days, because Perhentian was almost booked by foreigners. Since the weather in Malayisa is very similar all through the year (hot, dry, a bit of rain for one or two hours everyday around 4pm), I seldom think - rather tend to forget-, when I am in Malaysia, that in europe the weather is changeable and we do have generally four seasons there. But in Malaysia I could find only one season so far haha...

Anyway, not only in Perhentian but also in Kuala Lumpur these days there are more foreigners than usual in the streets, bar, department stores... which is good for the malaysian economy but in a sense it intrudes part of the joy of going to local places where I can see local people... and then at the end you find that there are more foreigners than locals in the place! This happened in Perhentian :):):).

Well... on the other hand, my friends from Spain will also come and visit me at the end of July and I feel very happy about it!

This is going to be the first time for them to be in Asia and I look forward to welcome and show them around people, culture and whatever events we can join. For me it's also going to be interesting, because this is probably the first time it becomes real that my close friends from Spain come to visit while I am living in Asia.

When I was in Spain I often had the feeling that no matter how many photos and nice videos I tried to explain about Japan, Thailand or wherever countries I had visited, there were really not enough ways to let my friends feel like wanting to visit or feel excited about it. At the same time I was developing a very close friendship with people in these asian countries that I was (and still am) proud of.

I was like living in two different worlds, my wish (Asia) and my reality (Spain). I loved both (and I still do), but I rarely managed to create a real link between my friends in Spain and these friends in Asia.

This is going to be a good chance to introduce to my Spanish friends how I live here, who my friends are, and also to introduce my friends who also like Asia to them, as a nice cultural and friendly exchange of impressions about Europe and Asia.

I am happy because finally the bridge linking two different cultures can be built and grown up bit by bit.

In Perhentian, among with these good news of my friends coming to visit me in a few weeks time, I also realized that no matter where I am, my friends network is expanding day by day, and building up a very unique and close relationship with them. My coworkers, friends in Malaysia, as well as my friends in Spain and other countries provide me really quality times and enrich my experience in life.

I lately heard that to be able to love someone, first of all you do need to love yourself. I don't totally agree with it as in my opinion, love helps to love yourself (and your partner) and can bring lot of security and determination, even change the partner's attitude towards life and own development...

One of the clues of life I discovered since last months is that life consists in how you see yourself and how you can relate to others. We walk alone when the time comes to choose what we want, where to go, how to live. Each of us has born in different conditions, different places, different culture, different environment. The choices we do according to our situation should be taken regarding personal growth and happiness. Its not easy to choose and its by trying that we will learn the way we want to go. We walk alone in the path of life and we are the only responsibles of our choices.

At the same time, once we have chosen, we will meet people who will change our views, thoughts, feelings, once our direction has taken, and these can for sure enrich our environment, knowledge and how we see others. This is how I feel here and probably my friends in Spain will feel the same when they come to Malaysia.

Wherever I am, I feel that no matter what, happy and secure, I know who I am, I will probably choose my directions alone, but in the road, at the same time, I certainly know I will never walk alone. That's life.

Fire beauty

2007-06-26T04:45:00.000+02:00

Some days ago I had a chance to attend an emergency training course in Taman Desa, in which I was supposed to be taught how to act in case of fire emergency in the building where I currently work. All companies in the building had to attend the course, and myself, among with another coworker, decided to go there.

At first I thought all we had to do would be just sitting and listening to endless theories of how to manage wet risers, fire extinguishers, but at the end, this course was totally practical and unexpectedly fun!!

Particularly, the instructors were nice and especially the malay ones were really on their work quite strictly teaching to other malaysians.

Some of the tests we had to do included a maze house in where we had to get in groups of two persons and inside it was absolutely dark. You cannot even see your own hands while walking around, and the purpose of this test is to orientate and find secret ways to reach the exit of the maze, taking the shortest time possible.

Another test was similar to the maze house, but into sewers, also in full darkness... For this test we made groups of four people and the leader had the responsability to explain and keep a good communication with the rest of the members in order reach the exit and avoid obstacles in the dark. That was so funny (and extremely hot!)!!!

Besides that, we also learnt how to use wet rise, how to pump water and a last training included real fire fight, wearing all firemen usual equipment, that included oxygen tanks and mask, suits, boots, gloves and helmet.

It was very nice to have such an experience besides it was also good to spend some day out of the office surrounding, even at the end I got completely burnt (because of the strong sunlight, not because of the playing with fire... hehehe)!!

Since I came to Malaysia, I have been in quite so many different situations. I dive and try diver suit underwater, and this time, totally opposite, I fight fire with a fireman suit :). A few days ago I was a diver, now I became a fireman for two days, other than that a regular worker wearing suit and tie. What's next?

We cannot naturally change our appearance like some animals do, but human is the only living being that has invented a way to dress up in different situations. Therefore the suits, the clothes we wear describe us in a certain moment and place. Some people looks cool according to their clothes, others look more casual, or simply careless. It is sometimes surprising how we perceive others at first sight for the way they dress or make up.

Sometimes I dislike how we are regarded by others because at a basis we are all humans and the best dressed up person cannot be the more interesting, nor the more chatty, nor even the more friendly, even from the outside he or she would definetely be the most charming.

People can change their appearance to look better all the time, but their personality, their happiness, their fears will be always still there no matter how nice or poor we look like...

What its the most important wherever you go is try to appreciate how the person is, try to get to know them better and value the attitude, the thoughts, the talks, the things make people happy or worried. Some people sticks to really charming people simply because they feel attracted by the appearance and try to make efforts to get along well no matter how different they are.

Even though differences in friends and relationships are a good thing which will certainly enrich people and experiences - like I did on diving and fireman course, which I never expected to like and ended up loving it, even now dive became a hobby! -, at the end of the day, we realize that the most charming point of people is the quality time you can spend with them, and this can be achieved no matter you wear a top tie or casual jeans.

At the end of the day, when we finally go sleep, we dress out and then it's ourselves, we realize our human nature is still there since the first day we came to life. All clothes, attires, make up have gone away and its our brain, our heart that we become more aware of.

No matter how you look to others, keep being yourself always. Discover who you are, no matter how others see you. You will realize then who are you in different atmospheres and this experience will help you to discover the real you. Those who stay close and like will remain good friends of you, and will certainly find a place to relax and be your own when you share the time with them.

People is very interesting, all in all. You may find then that there are always nice surprises waiting behind a firemen, a diver, or whatever we look alike.

It's all about being able to see people beyond camouflage :). Water may not always be able to wrap and cool down real fire. Better keep distance for a while not to be burnt...unless you really like fire!

Moonlight life

2007-06-04T08:12:00.000+02:00

When I look back and see how many people in my life I have met since I came to this world, I can't help but thinking what a nice surprise if I could ever meet all of them at once, in the same place, in the same time.

Therefore I would realize that most of the people whom I have met have probably changed that much as not to recognize the pattern we had in common at the time we were friends or we just became to know each others.

If I were looking for a job, I guess one of the things companies would value the most would be the trajectory or development of your own career. In this sense you can say that the knowledge you have and the experience has been accumulating to make you wise and smart at the time being. This happens in a business-side view, that the person you are is a mix of experiences you have been living till the time.

However when it comes to personal relations such as friends and deep relationships, we cannot always say that our current friends are an evolution of the old ones.

Because sometimes we will meet people that all a sudden becomes very active and close to us, in a totally new environment, and some other times (most of the times), friends with whom we thought we had lots of things in common will bit by bit fade away, simply because each life is being lived in a different way and different trajectories, and each of us cannot be always close or as close as we would like to everyone.

What I can say is that when we ask each individuals who they are, a common answer is that "I have been always the same", or "this is me and I was similar person in the past". However if it was so for everybody, then why do friendships go away from time to time?

Probably because our intentions or interests become different and at the end we realize that we have to live our lives no matter what and we have to find a way for our future.

It is a common wish to keep all friends close for long, but this is certainly an impossible mission. Actually I have few friends but what I can call high quality ones, those whom I know will be there at anytime, and can trust and know well even if we dont communicate often.

Some other times, we try to make friends hoping they will last for long but at the end they do not, simply because different interests, not a good communication or even because we might feel they are not real in their intentions.

Since I am here in Malaysia I have experienced quite a bit of everything. Compared to my life in Spain, I can say my small city there was good in the sense that my friends, my family, all of them were there anytime. I believe they still are.

Here, sometimes things do not go as good as expected. People is very busy for their own lifes and sometimes it seems difficult to keep in touch. Sometimes you don't really know this is the true reason or simply people whom I meet are no longer interested in being friends. Yet I am still happy for every event, every single step leading to communication with people here.

To end up with high quality friends is not an easy task, but once achieved is a treasure, a joy that will last for years.

The real strenght of a friendship can be appreciated in many ways. Friends are there to listen and talk anytime, to have a drink or dinner, to spend simple weekends to fill in with a quality time, without expecting anything in return. What is most important, they will be there at the time no matter where or when you do keep in touch with them, and will always appreciate to get to know how life is going even theirs would be different.

They say love is trust, and I believe friendship as well.

Try to be friends with someone whom you can trust, someone who is bright during daytime and will not fade away on dark times. Someone who can be good listener, who can make you laugh, who cares of the things you do and surround you, who is part of your world, who is not afraid of sharing the things even knowing you are totally different, who is wishing to share even silence on a cloudy, rainy day. Someone who can welcome you and still appreciate the things you do, no matter where you are. Who can advise you wisely or make you feel comfortable even mistaken and turn a bad happening into a wise-learning experience.

This is the moonlight life, brightening our lifes even when things do not work properly, when we are sad or lonely, when all our wishes are gone and we have to keep trying for new ones. There is always a moonlight we can feel surrounding us in the darkness, when we look up, the light of a pure and true friendship will always remain there for us as a divine path to lead us to again to a bright, sunny life.

No matter where you are or what you do, just have a look at the moon from time to time. Its light is the same your friends share, and they will be always there for you anytime, anywhere.

Thats the magic of true friendships, a human gift, yet probably the best one after love, often taken for granted and which should never be forgotten.

'If'

2007-05-24T04:06:00.000+02:00

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are loosing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master,
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you have your life to, broken,
And stop and build 'em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn to pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing on you
Except the Will which says to them "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)

To my parents and family, thanks for everything you've always done for me.

My time has arrived.

Whispering life

2007-05-14T11:09:00.000+02:00

Feel the evening breeze slightly on your face in a top of the hill, the warm atmosphere around you, while your eyes delight seeing a beautiful cliff and a wonderful sunset appears just in front of you, on listening a traditional indonesian live performance lighted with fire.
Welcome to the most known small paradise in asia: Bali, and one of its best temples: Pura Luhur Uluwatu.

When you see the island views from the plane, seems like an endless way to nowhere. You can see the sea, the waves moving forward, but all in all, no land, no mountain, nor even a few clouds. The tropical-alike airport is small, the visa system very fast and the people very friendly.

On arriving at the airport, I was taken by two gentle unknown australian women who kindly drove me in Kuta, where I could walk around and explore a little bit of the city. The streets in Kuta were small, bit crowded by the tourists and small motorbikes going all around. Kuta is, after all, not such a big place, as it is Bali itself.

The souvenir shops and small restaurants pop up in every corner, with very friendly staff who never stop smiling to welcome the guests.

The beaches were crowded with foreigners surfing and swimming around, especially many australian and japanese there...it seems Bali is a japanese resort, same as Ibiza in Spain is for germans...hehe

After a bit of walking around and having lunch in a traditional balinese restaurant, I went straight away to Ubud, where Dewi, with her funny loyal dog was waiting for us. The hotel itself was facing to the rice fields and its decoration was typically balinese which I love to see.

The green plants, the fresh terrace, the lights, the garden, the statues... I didnt realize about it at that time, but now I come to give it a second thought, all around Bali is similar in this sense.
The temples are not very big but at the end all of them have nice gardens around, they are in good condition even many years (and tourists...) have passed by.

One of the temples I like the most was Ulun Danu, which is located in Bedugul. This temple seems like rising out of the lake, and from there you can enjoy the beauty and quietness as it was not very crowded. It has nice gardens around and small souvenir shops at the entrance.

Goa Gajah, Sangeh, the monkey forest and Tanah Lot are other temples where you can really enjoy the beauty of this small island. Tanah Lot was very nice to see at a sunset, and big waves were surrounding the temple all around.

In Uluwatu, we had a very nice performance including fire attractions, could listen to the balinese traditional songs and dances while the sunset came to its end in this nice temple. Worth to see and feel it!

Besides, balinese views from the volcano surrounded by a lake, the rice fields, make it all in all a beautiful destination. Not to forget the kindness of their people, which is being common in most destinations in asia I have ever been to.

Bali still keeps luckily enough its own identity and lifestyle, despite many tourists have been there. Kuta was not as nice as I expected since many tourists were there, but luckily for me, in Ubud and all the temples I had seen seemed empty, except for Uluwatu which was a bit more crowded.

This emptyness gave me once again a chance to imagine how balinese lifestyle was in the past years.

I could imagine and take some pictures of their daily life, the people working in the rice fields, the monkeys going at their own in the forest.

Life seemed much easier years ago when everybody lived peacefully in small neighborhoods.

I can imagine their houses, how they cooked and lived, how they worked hard in the ricefields and going to the markets everyday to get food, also having full moon parties and visiting temples for cremations or births.

Bali is a good place worth to visit at least once, fulled with culture and very nice architecture everywhere. Statues are sometimes scary at night, but all in all they have a magnificient way to decorate the houses and temples.

Life in asia is sometimes surprising to me. Still touched by my trip to Cambodia, wishing to travel to Myanmar and Laos in the near future. Every trip is an experience not to forget, people to get to know, experiences that will remain as a part of myself and my personality.

When you visit a country, do it showing a very humble attitude. Open your eyes and listen what people says and walls, architecture, landscapes, nature and statues have to whisper to you.

Therefore you will learn and captivate the richness of the country, the people, the lifestyle, the history. Just let all your senses open, relax, and let the place invade your soul gently until you feel part of it. Life is everywhere.

A common feeling of happiness

2007-05-11T06:01:00.000+02:00

Sometimes life bring us wonderful oportunities to feel that we are not alone here, and that there is a lot of people to get to know and to be with. Also, there are sometimes events that held at the right time with the right people make you really cheerful and happy.
The called "European Wine, Beer and Cheese Fest 2007" in Crowne Plaza yesterday was absolutely one of them!

The festival is held every year and sponsored by the EU-Malaysia Chamber of Commerce and Industry. This year our office cooperated with them arranging the tickets and it became quite interesting.

Our coworkers, friends and I gathered together till the last 30st floor of the hotel, and there we could meet people from other embassies, greet the ambassadors, try many kinds of delicious white and red wines from Italy, Germany, Spain,... also food was served and we could enjoy talks and good laughs all together.

Besides, there was a lottery contest where every guest held their own number and people could win some nice prizes. Even we couldnt get the first prize (a round ticket to Paris from KL), the guys there we were very lucky!

Jon and I got an invitation for dinner in nice restaurants, Tracie got a can opener (lol) and Rizal got some cheese package! It was so fun to see us all together drinking wines glass after glass, talking nicely and in a very good atmosphere.

After the event, we just took some crazy pictures in the podium, being all funny...!!

Sometimes, things happen around that become very good memories. We never know when, the people you will meet, the connections you will do. Its all up to different people and lives getting together in a same place. To be in such a good mood everyday is healthy and it helps to develop human relationships quite fluently.

Life is unpredictible sometimes. We never know where are we going to, where we come from may be different backgrounds, and the things we do can have unexpected results, sometimes for good and sometimes for bad.

Life is a continuous connection of people and events which at a certain time happen, and while everyone could be in different mood with their own life before meeting, the result is that all together we can make a common sense, a unique experience and atmosphere that will remain.

Its interesting to see how human connections are built up, while everyone has own lifestyle and thoughts, always human try to get close, feel comfortable with their friends and people whom we get to know, even at first we were all strangers!

The Lost Paradise

2007-04-24T06:22:00.000+02:00

Hanoi, the lost paradise, seems somehow like an old traditional city which has been modernized fastly in the recent years. Its atmosphere is quite particular, since in the center its crowded and dominated by motorbikers, its buildings are not tall, streets not really clean, and seems quite chaotic.
See the crowd going here and there, most people take the bike and do not walk, you can easily imagine how the city looks alike.
It is said that once you want to cross a street in Hanoi, you have to start crossing straight away without stopping till you reach the opposite border. I agree. Since there are many motorbikes and each of them going at a different speed, once you stop walking its more dangerous because then the riders cannot predict how you will react... so just keep moving and pray to God you're not hit by motorbikes... :)

Other than this chaotic starter, which is also part of the city, and a hint to see how quick some asian cities have been influenced by the history of colonization, I found that there werent any foreigners around, almost... it was quite empty and this is one of the things I enjoy, because firstly, I dont want to mix up with foreigners when I am on a trip, and secondly, by all means you got to do one thing: SURVIVE.
Survive to the traffic, survive to communicate and try to understand most locals do not speak english, try to arrange your holiday in the best way possible.
Thats challenging and funny, in a way, cause being surrounded by vietnamese who dont speak english means by all means you have to make yourself understood about directions, foods, places to visit, etc... quite a nice experience :)
What I liked was that I could feel the atmosphere there, amazingly influenced by western cultures and on the other hand, still people not very comunicative, and I felt, some people a bit disgusted to see foreigners around.
I found that vietnamese can be very polite and easy going but as soon as you request something from them other than the things they can answer properly, they become a bit upset and staring offensively... a thing to keep in mind for my next trip :)

Still a lot of people in Vietnam were very helpful and friendly to me, especially the car driver who took me to the Ha Long Bai and Perfume Pagoda was very friendly even he didnt speak even a bit of english.

Hanoi is, despite my previous description, a unique place worth to visit. The people is unique and everyone seems rushing here and there. The night market is very convenient and beautiful, and you can find anything you need there, even kebabs for a few cents. The day market is fulled with lots of fresh fruits and food, and while walking around you can really feel how the vietnamese lifestyle is.

Hoan Kiem Lake, a huge lake where vietnamese go for exercicing everyday from 5.30am is a good place to listen to traditional vietnamese music while people does jogging, yoga and other activities. It is beautiful to see the sun rising in the early morning, when still darkness covers the lake but still can listen to the people walking around you even you cannot see their faces. The quietness and to see how much vietnamese people care for keeping a healthy life is worth to admire.

When the day starts the city becomes very busy and everyone rushes here and there. It is the time you can start walking around the city and visit as many temples as you can: the Temple of Literature, where the wisest students took their lessons, the Presidential Palace, the Tran Quoc Pagoda, located in a nice place surrounded by other small temples, the cathedral of Saint Joseph, surprisingly built and a good place worth to visit during christmas because it really reminds western countries christmas alike.

And also the Long Bien bridge, the oldest bridge build up on 1902, which used to hold 4 or the 5 main major rail lines in Hanoi and which was severely attacked and defended during the war at the end of 1960's.

Going outside Hanoi, the Halong Bay is probably one of the spots no tourist should miss.
It is unbelievably beautiful to spend one or two days just to see the bay on a local boat, stop around to see the beautiful caves and have a nice and quality relaxing time. An experience that I will surely not forget. The story of Halong Bay is quite interesting to hear, as it tells in the ancient ages, when the vietnamese were fighting chinese invaders, god sent a family of dragons to help them defend the bay. These dragons descended from the sky and started spitting out jewels and jade which turned into islands that transformed into barriers against the invaders.

And so the bay was named Halong Bay, which means "The Bay of Descending Dragons".

Such a nice history that even these days reminds me of Dragon Ball animation, for those who like manga, I found Halong's bay history matching the cartoon as there are dragons descending on a bay at the beginning and end of each chapter intro, surrounded by tall and curvy islands which I found in Vietnam so far.

Also, the Perfume Pagoda and other nearby temples, in where you have to go by taking a local boat, are amazing. Its views, its natural sights, its quietness, I really love to see those historical things that even today are still part of the vietnamese daily life.

All in all, Hanoi was a unique city to explore, surrounded by beautiful temples and landscape spots, worth to visit and explore. The chaos in the city is also unique and as a foreigner, I was very happy to feel its atmosphere, enjoy the local foods, the temples and the beauty of its people.

World citizenship

2007-04-23T04:39:00.001+02:00

I like this country, the people, the culture, the quietness. I like Malaysia, partly because people talk to you as if they knew you for long years, they always try to make conversation and get to know about foreign people.

I like the interaction between malasians, malays, indians and chinese, and after some time I have realized not everything is perfect and sometimes indians complain about chinese, chinese complain to malays and malays complain to indians all the same.
But I still find it very interesting to see such an interaction, because even being a developing country, some cultural aspects are quite developed, and this interaction between races is quite uncommon to see, at least in Spain.

In Spain, chinese would usually hang out with only chinese, other immigrating races such as african, south american or arabian would likely do the same. There is still in Spain some sort of thinking that immigration is good for economical reasons, but when it comes to social integration, spanish system is messed up and its very difficult, for example, to integrate foreign children in schools and make them feel like part of the society.

This is one thing I found interesting in malaysia, and think malaysians should be proud of it. Since I came here for work also, and living in a foreign country, I am really glad that the integration has been fluent and easy.

Being here as an expatriate I should feel thankful not only for the local people who gets to know me and often talks to me, but also to my coworkers (Sergio, Emily, Paty, Jon and Bea) who are in the same situation and often do things together after work, dinner, trips and so on.

Also I want to say thanks to all my friends in Spain, for their support and quality time spent together anytime during the time I was there. I understood their fears of seeing me leaving Spain and I do agree that this change in my life has brought me a lot of good things, opened my mind and for sure this will be a good thing for my life in the future, wherever it is. I feel as a world citizen who can move over anywhere...

My world is changing and widely opened since I came here. Somewhere between, I am trying to deal with the fact wether I can stay in Malaysia in the future, move to Spain temporarily or go to work in a better position in another country. Time will tell, but certainly part of my life and my heart is in Malaysia now and thanks to all people I have met here, I am quite happy with it and my life.

But yet I dont forget simple things in my country, feel the wind coming over my face on a winter day, the spanish tapas, walks around the park or just go for a drink with friends on a quiet sunday morning.

I sometimes miss the light and warmth of a fire chimney, the hot chocolate cup with churros, the breeze on a windy day, the sunset near home and the unexpected call of a friend just to check how is my day.

It is uncertain what the future is going to bring me in the next months or years, as when I think about the future outside Spain I feel bit anxious and unsecure, but all in all, still on time, thanks to everyone who is around me for all these wonderful experiences!!

At the end, I know that no matter what and where, friends will be always there, and what makes us wise are for sure all the experiences we have in life. Once you feel the wish of changing your life inside you, let it grow, be patient, and move for it in the proper timing.

Some of the most wonderful experiences in our life happen not only all a sudden, but it is also in the effort, patience and support of our beloved ones that we finally can achieve what we have been longing for.

For all the above, thanks to all malaysians and friends to let me feel one of my wishes accomplished. No matter what race you are, interaction with you has been (and still is!) really a wonderful experience!

Creating human links

2007-04-03T09:15:00.000+02:00

Pulau Tioman is the largest island on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It offers quite many different kinds of activities for its visitors, including trekking, jungle, cycling, spas and massage, swimming, snorkeling and of course, diving.

The island itself is located 32 kms from Mersing, and it can be reached easily by bus or plane from Kuala Lumpur. The bus to Mersing takes almost 6 hours to reach from Puduraya station, and then visitors take a speedboat to the island itself.

Last weekend, the first of April, I went with my friends to Tioman, as they wanted to take the diving license and I also wanted to relax and have fun out of Kuala Lumpur for a while.

This was actually my second time in Tioman: the first time I just spent the weekend diving for the license! So this time I could finally enjoy the quiet and clean beach and other activities to relax, since diving whole weekend to get a license its sometimes a bit tyring.

We were hosted in Berjaya hotel and resort, quite a lovely place with wooden apartments, huge swimmingpool next to the beach and many different services.

The hotel itself was nice as its built up malaysian style, and its gardens are beautifully lighted at night as if it was a balinese atmosphere. To walk around in the gardens and next to the beach at night time is quiet and relaxing.

Other than the sunburnt all over my body, what I can bring back from this weekend trip is, first of all, the good atmosphere and friendly company of all the group we joined. During weekend we were kind of divided in 2 groups, one wanting to get the diving license (beginner or advanced) and the other group relaxing and doing some dive for fun.

That made things interesting, because at the end of the day we could share altogether how the day was over having dinner and some drinks.

Secondly, I could realize Tioman island is more than I expected. The resort is very nice, its beaches are clean and the water is so clear and light blue, my favorite colour. You can just step into a few meters in the beach and soon you will see fishes coming around you as if they knew you for long. If you are lucky, you can even touch them!

We did some snorkeling and just a few meters down you can see the corals, fishes and sea nature surrounding you so closely.

The dives were impressing, especially the second one we did. We could see turtles, clown fishes, swim across coral walls and stones as if they were long corridors... all of them fulled with true colours, very nice and quiet.
One of the things that surprise me on diving is how peaceful and calm you feel under water. You can hear your breath, bubbles coming out, and the views are generally (so far) great.

The feeling of freedom, quietness and beautiful views makes you feel comfortable, moreover if you do dive with friends, its a very enriching experience.

There are so many things escaping to human knowledge... the world is not always the way we see it, because there are so many experiences and different lifes all around. The sea world is one of them, and not everyone is able to see and experience it, unluckily...

Sometimes these things happen not only in the real life and material things we can see, but also in human thoughts, feelings and backgrounds. There is a whole world behind each person, same as there is a whole world under water. A world that has been and still creating day after day.

The person we are now is a creation made of experiences we have been living until the current day. Living,interaction with others, not only world but also family and friends. All of them define our characters, our thoughts, our behavoir, the way we see ourselves and the way we see others around us. Besides, also time is one fact defining and leading us to behave differently.

And, even knowing so, human life, is still often unpredictible, but evolutive at the same time.

Most humans like to control the situations, feel peaceful, harmony, quietness. Most of them, in a certain way, can feel comfortable with their living, even if you dont know or are aware of knowing fully the life of the people close to us or the world surrounding us. But also sometimes things happen around us that change our views of this world completely, and also our thoughts.

In Tioman I found not only nice beaches and wonderful views which I expected, but also a place to relax, to think about life, to feel who I am, my human essence.

That was about 14 meters under water, surrounded by a wonderful world that has been lately opened to my soul, and yet undiscovered for me.

New place, new cultures

2007-03-27T06:05:00.000+02:00

I am going to write today a little bit about two different experiences related to the malaysian culture, the Hari Raya and the indian wedding, that I could live during my first weeks in Kuala Lumpur.

Hari Raya (October 15) is a muslim celebration to mark the end of Ramadhan, the month of fasting. For muslims, it is a time of joy and victory or self-restraint and abstinence, and it symbolizes purification and renewal.

It is a time to visit relatives in their hometowns, enjoy with the family, at the same time it is said this is also a time to forgive and forget past quarrels. The younger members of a family approach their elders to seek forgiveness, handshaking and then kiss the hands of the older person as a sign of respect.

Younger children can also get what they call "duit raia", gifts or money in small enveloppes. In this sense its similar to the chinese culture, "ang pow" (紅包, 紅=red and 包=enveloppe) and japanese otoshidama-bukuro(お年玉袋) that are given on new years day.

Sergio and I were very lucky to be able to spend this special day for muslims with a muslim family. One of our friends offered to take us there and we just couldnt say No! cause we really want to learn about the cultural things in Malaysia.

We were taken to a muslim house and we had a very nice lunch and cookies there, could see how they decorated the house, the atmosphere of joy all family being together... it was a really nice experience!

I was surprised because generally speaking, in Spain it is difficult to get into the muslim culture. It is something not so many people is usually interested in, since they are of course not a majority. Here in Malaysia, muslims are certainly everywhere and I find their culture quite interesting. I am happy the day I go back to Spain I can tell more of how they live and how friendly they are everywhere...!!

Similar thing happen in Spain about indians, its culture is quite unknown, and to experience an indian wedding with ritual was also a good thing to learn. This time, the staff at the embassy was invited to the wedding, and the ritual was quite nice to see. The priest comes and bless the young couple, cleaning their spirit with purified smoke and offering them many gifts as the relatives greet them by turns. The music is also typical indian and the priest prays a lot during the ritual to wish them prosperity.

What was surprising for me was to see that we were almost the first guests to arrive to the ceremony. The priest started it even there was still nobody attending it! The date was at 5pm, but not any guests there.

Then by 5.45 to 6pm, guests start coming in and ordering foods. As soon as the foods were over, everybody left!

It would seem that they didnt really care for the wedding or the ritual, but mostly for food only.
If you would do so in Spain, surely family members and friends would complain.

I feel in Spain people likes to attend all the process of the wedding, since the couple enters in the church until the very last drink or dance after a family and friends dinner altogether.
But in this wedding I felt the guests mostly cared about coming and eat, because they were late joining the ceremony and as soon as the foods finished, most of them left even the ceremony was still going on.

I wonder its the Malaysian style to celebrate weddings or simply the indian culture?!
Whatever, I could enjoy the whole process and liked the music, the atmosphere, to see the families very pretty well dressed... and of course the food too!

With the wedding and Thaipusam, indian culture seems a bit more familiar to me than what it was in Spain. I am even liking indian food! Lucky to experience!

The price of happiness

2007-03-09T04:38:00.000+01:00

I feel lucky to be here in Malaysia, happy and thankful for that I got a chance to work here and enjoy, even with 8 days off a year, some of the trips that I ever dreamt about.

People who knows me and I call them friends, surely know how much I have been liking asia since many years ago.
My first contact with asia was almost 10 years ago, and at that time I was quite interested in Japan. Basically I became to like the culture, the language, the society, I liked to know people and exachange impressions about how different the world is and how every country and every person is different.

Since Japan was the first country I knew, after I visited there I became interested in other asian countries as well. I wanted to know whats different between Japan and other countries, because I seldom had a chance to know about it while I was in Spain...

After some time I went to Thailand and realized it was quite different from Japan, the culture, people, the traditions, the temples,...
All in all, now in Malaysia, been to Vietnam and Cambodia, I am getting to know bit by bit how asia is in real and I am very thankful for being here, able to move even I just got 8 days off a year to travel around!

When I was in Japan, I loved Japan. When I was in Thailand, I loved Thailand. Also I loved Vietnam, and so I do with Cambodia as well! I love all asian countries because they are so interesting for me... and help me certainly to brigthen and open my mind to the world, which is the best thing of all.

I was in Cambodia a couple of days last December, with friends and coworkers on a small trip.

What impressed me the most about the country were mainly two things: the temples which are located in very rural areas, even into the jungle, and the people.

The visit to Angkor Wat was really fantastic; we went there on early morning to see the sun rise, and at the time we arrived to the temple, nobody was yet in! Even the monks were still sleeping there... luckily we could get into and pick up a good spot where we could feel in the refresing morning, how peacefully the sun rises there everyday.

Getting into the temple was an adventure, cause no lights in but the natural one, which is very poorly lighted in the early morning... you got to watch your steps especially when climbing to the top on a very narrow stairs!

Another temple we visited was Pra Thom (Tomb Raider temple) , famous for the trees covering around the stones and certain parts of the temple. This temple is located somewhere into the forest, and its impressing how big it is in the inside...and to see how the roots of the trees grew up so much around!

The Bayon temple is also one of the most famous ones because of the stone shaped faces around it. This temple was made by the king, as a gift to their parents as he planned to make a temple for every member of his family.

Every temple I saw in Cambodia was fantastic and full of history and memories. The country itself survives mostly because of tourism, but you can feel especially in the rural areas how warm and friendly people is.

This is the part I liked the most, without any doubt. Children play happily even they got nothing, seem enjoying their life easily, being friendly to everyone.
All in all, what I can learn from this trip is that the life I have now is quite comfortable compared to Cambodians lifestyle. I value every effort I did and thank the destiny to be here now.

However when I saw the children smiling there so friendly, I realized once again that happiness is not related of how much you earn or how good work you have, but the people surrounding you and how good you can behave to others.

This could be a good topic to discuss with people from many modernized countries. I myself have never seen people as happy as these kids were in my life!
A smile doesnt cost any money and its the best way to make people happy.

These kids got almost anything, but they certainly remain in my memory as one of the happiest days in my life, and I could learn from them. Who cares how high status you have in your life, if at the end nobody is with you at the time you need friends to encourage you? What is the price "modern" countries' people pay to achieve happiness in their lifes? Life values certainly may vary depending on where you are born and how you are grown up. I think in Cambodia I could see the most innocent and natural way to be happy.

Live your life so that everyone around you is happy!

Listen, see and respect, life has always lots of things to be learnt!

The creation of a New Star: Going through my ghosts

2007-02-21T09:24:00.000+01:00

Stars are the places where large atoms are built. Past generations of stars formed the gas and dust from which the planets and life were made.

A new star is born whenever a star dies. Death in this sense is not an end, but the beginning of life.

The Sun is the source of almost all the energy used by living things, including humans. We could not survive without it. A star (such as the Sun) is a ball of gas which has, at its heart, a nuclear fusion reactor.

In life, we need both, sun and atoms. Atoms can play the role of who we are, as we are made of atoms, while the sun can tell us how lightly we wish to live. Body and spirit, here we are. Human heart is naturally like the sun, wanting to feel bright and making others people's life happy. We could say, there is a part of the sun in each human.

A very important part of my life was gone all a sudden some time ago. I became a dead star. I lost hope, I lost who I was, I lost my own and my way. What is more, I lost faith and trust in love - one of the human essences.

In order to be a living and shining star, I should get rid of the ghosts of my past life, fight them and overcome the situation. One of my good friends told me once that "Tough times do not last. Only tough person does".

This, my third trip to Thailand, has given me part of the courage enough to overcome my past.

Ghosts will cry my absence keeping silence, and I will start being a new star, shining in the sky. A new creation has been done.

This is me, world. Find me in the sky, as I am wishing to be the most shining star. The time to be reborn is coming, when I can create myself, find the strenght inside me, and live brightly as the sun lights me.

Welcome back to life!

The experience of rafting !!

2007-02-14T03:11:00.000+01:00

I'll talk today about the experience of rafting, which I joined for the first time at the end of November last year with my coworkers and some friends.

On a sunny saturday, we decided to go to Kuala Kubu Baru, about one and a half hours drive from the center of Kuala Lumpur, where Selangor river lives along green nature and nice views.
We had a training for 10 minutes, where the masters explained about safety and asked us to sign (quickly) a document declining all their responsability on whatever could happen to us. Such a nice welcoming, scary if anything happened to us!!

We got into the boats carrying our equipment, that is a helmet, a protective lifejacket and an oar, never expecting how the experience would be...

Going down to the river calmly, we were spreaded in several groups, a total of six people in each boat, including two masters who helped us to manage the directions. So, we were actually sitting in the middle of the boat, with our oar, and a lot of excitement waiting for us!

There are five types of rapids, classified from 1 to 5 according to their difficulty, one means the rapid is the easiest one, and five is the most complicated and dangerous, not only rapid, but also a falling around less than two meters height with the boat!

Once you are in, there is no way to avoid it but FACE it... you gotta go all through it, even praying not to sink!! haha...

We thought some of the rapids would be like 2 or 3 only, but we found out on the way that some of them were even 5!! and with level difference... :D

So, yes, as you can imagine, some of the boats did sink on the way down to the river... the rapids are quite exciting, when you go down and the master asks to use the oar left or right so quickly you feel as if your life was totally depending on it ! (and actually it does haha...)

This is a nice teamwork cause all of us have to move at the same time and follow the instructions properly.

In the middle of the way, we did stop for a while to take rest and take some pictures on the waterfalls, it was such a nice view!

Sometimes we even had to stop for a while and carry on the boat ourselves in order to skip picky stones or avoid narrow spaces that the boat couldnt pass through... it was a nice experience fulled with nature, risk and a lovely, quiet ending!

Totally we did rafting for about 5 Kms, passed through about ten rapids, and enjoyed a calm swim at the end of the circuit. After such an experience, to feel relax and calm down on the river, you can just let the current take you away peacefully, enjoying the nice views, feeling alive!!

Let's go for it more times!

I would like to go rafting again, maybe some time later around Kuala Lumpur with my friends. Its a good experience, as long as the boat doesnt sink...hehehe :)

Thaipussam

2007-02-02T18:06:00.000+01:00

Sorry I have been busy for work and travel in the last days and just came back to Kuala Lumpur and update my blog with new events...

I wanted to write about some trips I had done before, but this time I was so impressed by Thaipussam that I just couldnt wait to write about it!

So... lets go for it!

February 1st is a special day for indians in Malaysia, they do celebrate the Thaipussam, which is the most important event of the year.

This festival is celebrated mostly by the Tamil, the lowest race group originally from india who settled down in Malaysia during the british colonization.

Its name, THAIPUSSAM, comes from the following origins: THAI, which is refering the tamil month of Thai, and PUSSAM refers to a star (which is the highest point during the festival). - sorry nothing related to Thailand on its name hehe... - Thai refers to the 10th month which is very important month in the tamil calendar and its celebrated always during full moon, because they do believe the full moon is a passageway to reach the brightest star.
Pussam is actually in the zodiacal sign of Cancer.

This festival is also celebrated in South Africa, and it used to be in India as well but since some time ago the Indian authorities forbid it and now its only in Malaysia and South Africa where its held. Lucky me I could see it even once in my life!

This ritual commemorates both the birthday of Lord Murugan, the youngest son of Shiva and Parvati, and the occasion when Parvati gave Murugan a lance to defeat the evil demon Soorapadman.

There is a big statue of the Lord at the main entrance of the Batu Caves.

Well what I could see there.... firstly the devotees do fastening for one month before the festival, in order to purify their body.

Then on Feb 1st, they come walking from the Indian temple in Chinatown to the Batu Caves, which is around 15 kms far, quite a lot of distance!

The devotees shave their head and do the fasting, to:

1. ask god a favour, or

2. to fullfill a vow, or

3. to show repent of their sins.

they also put juice squeezed from yellow lime juice on their body, as they believe it will help to numb the skin when they get hurt...

Actually the devottees believe god will help them to relief the pain on their body and prevent from bleeding.

During the day before Thaipussam,the devotees use to break coconuts along the way to the Batu Caves.

This breaking of old coconuts along the road where Lord Murugan, the god, will pass, is a ritual.

Many devotees will pledge a certain number of coconuts each year and to fulfil their vow, lorry loads of old coconuts will be lined along the roads where the chariot of Lord Murugan passes. The coconut water is meant to wash clean the roads.

The devotees bring along kavadis, which are devotion acts, bringing since simple milk pots till the most devoted act, which is a mortification of the flesh by piercing skin, tongue or cheeks. It is claimed that devotees are able to enter a trance, feel no pain, do not bleed from their wounds and have no scars left behind.

The scenes are bit hard to see depending on the time you reach the festival. I have been there twice, on the first day where it was still quite empty, and the second, which was fully crowded and with lots of devotees.

The second day we went there by train. I have never seen such a crowded train in my life, nor even the subway in Tokyo can be compared.

Lots of indians pushing hard to get in to the train as if they were refugees escaping not to be caught by the police.... took us almost 3 hours to reach by switching trains since they were sooooo crowded!

When we finally reached there we went to see the devotees along the river and the scenery was quite impressive. I could see a full ritual of mortification, from its beginning since the devotee is totally conscious and later on its transit to trance and going into the temple after that.

The change of attitude on the devottee is amazing. First the priests do the piercing hanging pieces on his/her skin, and the most impressing devotion act consists on hanging 108 pieces in their body.
After that, the priests give them some powder and at the same time hearing the traditional music and crowd and incence they come into trance.

This switch is something must be seen...his eyes point to nowhere in the crowd, his head starts stunning rythm of the music and he goes nowhere. The priests have to take him and stop from running uncontrolled till he becomes more calmed and can be controlled. Its then when the priest loads on him a small golden shrine on his body, or do the last piercings before going into the cave.

The crowd around him who was at the beginning curious is now scared to see this new human being.
They feel like its sight is lost nowhere, cannot recognize things easily as when they were totally conscious. Some devotees become agressive, most are calm even in the crowd who are scared of seeing them in trance.

Not only men do this ritual, also women, even young boys and girls. While I was walking around I saw one man (probably husband) taking care of her wife who was also in trance.

And even a family trying to calm down their daughter who was on the way to trance, who seemed to be possessed.... quite amazing.

We climbed to the top of the Batu Caves, 272 steps up, in a full crowd. The views from the top were surprising as when you look down you see how many people is joining the festival.

The authorities expected around 1,500,000 visitors this year.

In just two days its a big traffic jam, isnt it?

Finally we came home 6am, feeling so tired. The festival was really something.

A unique experience I do recommend to see once in your life, to get to know how different the world we live in is and how different beliefs human have.

At the end, a short note: even on the crowd, I could see only one chinese guy attending the festival. I wonder do really chinese and indians get along as good as it seems here? Will indians attend Chinese New Years events in two weeks? Wait and see. :)

**** Thanks to Py and Hellewise for their helpful explanation! ****

"The Snorkels" adventure

2007-01-22T07:44:00.000+01:00

What to do in Malaysia while you are waiting for your working permit to be ready and the embassy holds your passport for almost six weeks? Well, here there is one activity that anyone can join and doesnt require any air ticket in Malaysia: diving.

Following our previous coworkers' instructions, we decided to contact Zol, a diving instructor to take the PADI diving license. The license is used worldwide and does not expire, which means once you get it, you are allowed to dive worldwide as long as you want, even after retiring.
So we decided to apply for it: first we had training and theory lessons, and after passing exams we went to Tioman which is an island 7 hours far from Kuala Lumpur to practice the real diving.
The island was quite pretty, even we could not enjoy swimming in the beach since we had 4 dives in one day and half! It was busy :-)

We took a small boat and went deep into the sea to dive, wearing the suits and oxygen bottles. Feeling nervous already, even the views seem really nice and the wind comes across your face, so healing and friendly. We (Sergio, Emily, Miguel and I) used to call each others "The snorkels" team, as if we were kids going to snorkel!!!

Once you carry on the suit, weights and oxygen bottle, you would certainly think you would sink in the sea quickly as you probably increase your weight in around 20 kgs; however once you are under water it doesnt feel heavy at all. More than that: you feel like floating. No gravity at all.
The first impression as you go down while breathing through the respirator in your mouth is quite surprising. Firstly, because breathing through your mouth is not something we really do everyday. As long as you try breathing from your nose and inhale, it certainly never works since the oxygen comes out from the respirator.

When you start going down like just one or two meters, all you can feel is you are floating and all you can see is one colour: light blue. And some bubbles going up. You turn left and right, nothing around you... just blue. You think where am I? Where did they take me? Am I alive or in a dream? This is totally a new world for me, and the feeling of the first impressions still remains very clear in my mind. Feels like you're nowhere, no noise, no view, no weight. But light blue.
You face down and luckily you can see some buddy who descended before you. You turn up and see clearly how the sunglight comes across the sea. You keep descending holding the rope, a few meters more while you are still amazed about the first sights.

Welcome to the new world!

Once you reach the bottom, around 10 meters this time, you feel relieved. Probably you would keep breathing still briefly and intense, but as soon as you calm down, your breathe becomes deep and slow, in a easy way, like it should be. Its the time to enjoy then!

The views in Tioman were quite beautiful. You feel exploring a new world, new species that you have only seen in aquariums before. You see them moving freely, in their own environment, so peacefully. There are no sounds, just your own breathing, an endless view and a perfect matching of harmony and beautiful views.

Small fishes, turtles, no jaws this time (^v^), all them in a friendly way together moving around you, a very small human who is no longer the king of this world. The sea life is amazingly beautiful, fulled of pure colours, quietness and harmony. As you dive, you feel so free, the world is so big, and you feel unique to be seeing the species at their own moving around, at the same time you enjoy seeing the sunlight coming across the sea to light you.

Diving is certainly an activity worth to try, as these are things you cannot see in our "daily" life for most humans. I would certainly take my best friends to try it!! Gambatte ne!

I was very nervous before I tried diving, and during the training as well. When I see it now it doesnt seem its something difficult at all, but you just need to get used to breathe properly and equalize if you feel any pain in your head. Then the pain goes easily, and you can enjoy diving for 4o or 50 minutes at your own!

This coming weekend we are going to Langkawi to dive again. I look forward to it!

I wish I had a water camera to take photos inside the sea... the closest views I have ever seen to diving is a 3D movie about jaws at Timesquare Imax theater in Bukit Bintang.
Since I dived and saw how beautiful is it, aquariums now dont seem so interesting to me... if you are an aquarium fan, diving is an experience you shouldnt miss!!

Finally we could rest easily in the beach for a while, got back to Kuala Lumpur and get our certification after a couple of days. So nice experience!!!

Keep in touch, more soon!

My New Family

2007-01-17T05:21:00.000+01:00

When you become an expatriate there is always something good: you can learn a lot about life, and learn you are a very very small part of this world. One person over millions. One life over millions of different lifes. A unique life in a unique timing.

Before I came to Kuala Lumpur, I was living in Spain, had a job, had my family, had my friends. I felt my life was somehow settled down, more or less focused on a future in Spain. But when you go out and live in a foreign country, you learn that life is huge, lots of places to see, lots of different people and really different and unique lifestyles. You feel like a small ant in this big world, at the same time you learn the world runs and you feel part of it, and that the life you used to have is very small compared to how big the world is.

At the time I was leaving and saying good bye to my family at the airport, I didnt know what would become about me in Malaysia, since this was the first time for me to live in a foreign country for a long time.

I used to be in Japan and Thailand in totally different conditions -as a tourist-, and I was wondering how would it be to work and make my daily life in asia.

When I took my flight from Alicante heading Amsterdam and then Kuala Lumpur, I didnt know where I would stay, nor even the people I would meet. I was alone. Alone facing the real world!

This feeling was actually nice, though, 'cause I was very excited to know how would it be like.

My mind could only think forward and positive, of course I was nervous too but when I took my first flight I knew there was no way to go back.

My life was going to change and I had no chance to change whatever my destiny was going to bring me.

To tell the truth, I was nervous at the same time. I knew I had been waiting for a chance to work in asia for years, and finally my chance came, after hard trials! If that would be a good or bad experience was not only destiny but also how I could face and make good relations in Malaysia.

In this sense, I could meet two of my closest friends who are also expats in the same flight from Amsterdam to KL. All of us were new at the office but in different situations and work, and taking the same schedule to come to Malaysia. It was the first meeting for us at the airport, first time to see, first time to talk. The beginning of a new family. My new family.

So, let me introduce you these two special friends and coworkers, whose names are Sergio and Emily. Sergio, a Valencian who really loves soccer and Emily, from Malaga -but born in Galicia- whom I use to call "the malaysian Shakira" since her looks are really simiar to the singer!

They were the first friends to share the "Malaysian experience" with me and still doing very fine and closely day by day. You will certainly see them in a lot of pics from now as I keep updating the blog.

And yes, Emily is NOT my girlfriend but my housemate... :)

I believe to have a proper environment in a foreign country is very important. When you are alone everything looks different, the country can become interesting at the same time empty and lonely.

Depending on how you face your daily life you will meet good or bad people, feel your stay enjoyable or unstable.

Now I am in KL for three months and I certainly know how the environment can change people. I have changed much since I came here because my life has changed. And as for my past experience, I can tell people's character can become totally different if they can not adapt themselves to a new environment.

Thats a good topic for a future post as well :-)

Sergio and Emily have become very close friends of mine and so I wanted to introduce a bit about them. Actually the spanish community in Kuala Lumpur is not very big, but we are lucky to work at the Embassy and so we can meet many of them.

At the same time, I particularly wish to know people who are not spanish as well, to get to know the local culture as much as I can during my stay here. How long will I be in Malaysia? Certainly I dont know yet. But so far I like it, also thanks to my new family, so I hope as long as possible!

Arrival to Kuala Lumpur

2007-01-15T04:31:00.000+01:00

Sorry its been months since my last update... finally I got some spare time to write so I will try to keep the blog up to date as much as I can!

Let me tell a bit about my story here...
On October 6, 2006 I moved to Kuala Lumpur for work. Surprisingly, I arrived here just on my birthday, and that became a really wonderful present!

Totally different from my sweet hometown in Spain, Kuala Lumpur is a quite modernized city, with two main impressive constructions that no tourist should miss: the Twin Towers (Petronas towers, KLCC), and the KL Tower (Menara KL).
KLCC is a huge shopping and business center, facing one of the biggest parks in KL. The park itself has a mosque, a swimmingpool area for children and a nice walking tour where people can even do jogging.
Menara KL, the communication tower, is also nice to visit and not too far from KLCC, just walking distance. At the top of the tower there is a sightseeing spot where you can enjoy beautiful views from all around KL!
There is also a nice restaurant on the top floor but my budget is not as good as to have a dinner there yet hahaha...lol

The arrival to KL was very interesting. The driver of the company came to pick me up at the airport and my first impression when I was arriving near KL was that there was a lot of traffic jam!
On that day it was friday evening and all cars want to go around the city center to go out and enjoy the weekend.
I clearly remember how slow the car moved forward even when the traffic signal lights were GREEN... it was very surprising for me and since that day I decided not to take a car and live near by the office so that I can walk everyday and avoid the traffic jams!

Kuala Lumpur seems a nice place to live and so far I am enjoying my stay here. Its not as chaotic as Bangkok even we also have traffic jams here, and of course not too crowded. People is very friendly and they speak to you on the street quite often even they dont know who you are.

I will be introducing more topics about Malaysia and Kuala Lumpur, my daily life, my trips and events in the blog.

I hope all you my friends keep reading from time to time! I am sorry and apologize to all my friends because since i came to KL i dont have much time to write emails, so I thought on writing on a blog and at least all of you can know how am I doing more regularly.

Keep in touch then, see you on the next post!

Rebirth

2006-08-12T22:29:00.000+02:00

Scientists say that planets might rise up out of a dead star's ashes.
So do humans. At least, so do I.

This blog has been created to share my experiences in the past, get to know new friends, new cultures, new people.

Since one year ago, I have been living like a dead star. Sometimes we just can't go through a hard situation, and even its over, memories remain everyday. Every single day since then.

I want to be reborn, go through the past, live the present, and have wish for the future.