Mi Ultimo Partido en Montjuic

(dated June 16, 2007)

My last game in Montjuic, as the fans saluted Tamudo for his 112 goals (113 after the game) in la liga, I was gradually saying goodbye to Barcelona. Walked down the hundreds of stairs in Plaza España-wasn’t too sentimental but it was definitely a different game from the rest. No football for 3 months (well, perhaps Copa America 2007), rather sad. That night, Madrid won the champion of the league, would always remember the quietness in the streets of Barcelona that night.

12 horas en Madrid

(dated June 13, 2007)

It is definitely bigger. Almost forgot what it was like to be in a big cosmopolitan, Felt like a drop of water, felt like nobody, coming and going, leaving without a trace and disturbing the enormous monster... kinda like it about the big city. The air was fresher, the trees were greener, the metro was brighter—perhaps owed to the fact that I have been living in Barcelona for too long. Plaza Mayor, Palacio Real, Museo Thyssen, Parque Retiro, La Cibeles—everything seemed grander and more sophisticated (not necessarily older). 12 hours of being a tourist, must say I liked Madrid more—cleaner, nicer, more modern , yet, it’s not home, where the dogs shitting everywhere, the people arm bumping each other, motos roaring the exhaust that make you deaf…

Dalí vs. Huevón?

Wondering why in most Dalí’s work he substituted human heads with eggs, would it be because he thought that everyone is ‘huevón’? Or more so he was inspired by a local Catalan saying ‘he has a bulb in his head’, which refers to someone who has a mental illness/complex. So the eccentric artist thought everybody else was a cuckoo?

Shame! It is actually the first museum I have ever been since I arrived in Barcelona and it’s not even located in Barcelona. Took a trip to Teatre Museu Dalí in Figueres to soak myself with some ‘arts and culture’ and balance off my Karma. Though there weren’t any ‘famous’ paintings of Dalí, it was nice to see ‘the package’ of the artist and observed his progression over the years. Also the infamous Mae West room, which was an installation of Dalí’s own poster ‘Face of Mae West Which May Be Used as an Apartment’(1935). [One stands in front of a reducing lens and aligns the pouting red lips, in the form of a sofa, with the nose — a pink chimney with logs — and eyes — two grey paintings of views of Paris — to turn the sculptural montage into the actress’s face.] Apart from that, particularly impressed by his Soft Self Portrait, which says a lot about this peculiar artist.

Derby: Barcelona vs. Espanyol (2-2)

Probably one of the biggest events in Barcelona every year, another Derby game where Espanyol played at Camp Nou. Felt super alienated as me and buddy O were the only Periquitos in the crowd, the rest were all Culés. Totally caught us by surprised when at the 43rd minute Messi pulled a Diego and re-enacted ‘la mano de dios’. Unbelievable, couldn’t help being bitter—what a shame, takes a hand-ball to make the world class team to tie with a second league team. After being a perica for two seasons, I finally got a ‘foot’ of football and engaged myself in the hype of football, I am finally getting it, emotionally. Anyway, blanquiazules didn’t let us down, the gol by Tamudo at the 89th minute had shattered the Barça’s dream of leading the league this week. It had made final result of the league even more interesting—will take us another week to find out who is the champion, los Azulgranas, Merengues, o Rojiblancos? Sad also, going to be my last Espanyol game at Montjuic next weekend. Viva Blaquiazules!!

La Copia de La Mano de Dios
http://youtube.com/watch?v=8-pXWwnizG0
Gol de Tamudo en el Camp Nou
http://youtube.com/watch?v=g7wqv69P5Mo

Offshoring, Outsourcing, and LDR: what do they have in common?

So it’s final. Tulum(Cancun) and Shanghai, almost exact opposite side of the world. That’s what happened with globalization when the jobs can be anywhere. Couldn’t help thinking about what globalization has done to people--does it actually pull people closer or push people apart? It allows the people from all over the world to meet yet pulls people away from each other with opportunities. We, the generation G has gotten used to traveling, moving, and being an expatriate. It is to be perceived as something common and prevalent. Mobility, flexibility, and internationality have become requirements for professionals. Besides offshoring and outsourcing, perhaps another modern phenomenon has emerged as a bi-product of globalization: long distance relationship. Por la culpa de Globalization-it brought a venezulano and a chinita together in Barcelona but set them apart with opportunities in Cancun and Shanghai.