Halloween Nightmare Before Christmas...

Halloween, I went out to Cinema Munich to see the movie Nightmare Before Christmas. The show was so so (not sold out) but the really cool thing about the movie is that it's in 3D, not only the visual, but also the audio is 3D. Things appear to fly at you while someone screems from the back of the cinema... Great, so they handed out those polarized glasses that you can see here:



A nice side effect is that if someone else has got those glasses on (any yes, all did during the movie) and looks at you at the same time, it appears that one of their eyes is covered while the other is visible. Imagine, pretty funky, right? Of course, that didn't come out on the picture, but worth to try for yourselve next time!

Borges: If I were able to live my life anew

This poem from Borge about shifting your perspective to thinking, what if you could live your life again, what would you do. I, for sure, tend to worry about too many things sometimes, so nice to listen to this poem, which Mariana posted previously...

If I were able to live my life anew,
In the next I would try to commit more errors.
I would not try to be so perfect, I would relax more.
I would be more foolish than I've been,
In fact, I would take few things seriously.
I would be less hygienic.
I would run more risks,
take more vacations,
contemplate more sunsets,
climb more mountains, swim more rivers.
I would go to more places where I've never been,
I would eat more ice cream and fewer beans,
I would have more real problems and less imaginary ones.

I was one of those people that lived sensibly
and prolifically each minute of his life;
Of course I had moments of happiness.
If I could go back I would try
to have only good moments.

Because if you didn't know, of that is life made:
only of moments; Don't lose the now.

I was one of those that never
went anywhere without a thermometer,
a hot-water bottle,
an umbrella, and a parachute;
If I could live again, I would travel lighter.

If I could live again,
I would begin to walk barefoot from the beginning of spring
and I would continue barefoot until autumn ends.
I would take more cart rides,
contemplate more dawns,
and play with more children,
If I had another life ahead of me.

But already you see, I am 85,
and I know that I am dying.

Jorge Luis Borges

(Translated from Spanish by someone else)

Hola gente: Si pudiera vivir nueavamente!

Estas son las primeras lineas que estaremos escribiendo…Las primeras de muchas. Este primer dia queria dejar un poema adaptado por Borges que se llama instantes. Creo que nos haria muy bien leerlo mas seguido.

Si pudiera vivir nuevamente mi vida,
en la próxima trataría de cometer más errores.
No intentaría ser tan perfecto, me relajaría más.
Sería más tonto de lo que he sido,
de hecho tomaría muy pocas cosas con seriedad.
Sería menos higiénico.
Correría más riesgos,
haría más viajes,
contemplaría más atardeceres,
subiría más montañas, nadaría más ríos.
Iría a más lugares adonde nunca he ido,
comería más helados y menos habas,
tendría más problemas reales y menos imaginarios.
Yo fui una de esas personas que vivió sensata
y prolíficamente cada minuto de su vida;
claro que tuve momentos de alegría.
Pero si pudiera volver atrás trataría
de tener solamente buenos momentos.
Por si no lo saben, de eso está hecha la vida,
sólo de momentos; no te pierdas el ahora.
Yo era uno de esos que nunca
iban a ninguna parte sin un termómetro,
una bolsa de agua caliente,
un paraguas y un paracaídas;
si pudiera volver a vivir, viajaría más liviano.
Si pudiera volver a vivir
comenzaría a andar descalzo a principios
de la primavera
y seguiría descalzo hasta concluir el otoño.
Daría más vueltas en calesita,
contemplaría más amaneceres,
y jugaría con más niños,
si tuviera otra vez vida por delante.
Pero ya ven, tengo 85 años…
y sé que me estoy muriendo.

Old Couple in Love and the Library

This morning on my way to work, actually, into the library of Munich, I noticed an old couple in the tram, they were holding hands all the time and when they left off at Sendlinger Tor station, they said good bye. I was tempted to ask if I could take a photo for the blog, but then it was too much to ask. I just wish that Mariana and I will be holding hands when we are 80something.



So finally, when I arrived at the library, I could take this shot with my camera phone. I love the entrance hall of the library and whenever I step into this hall with awe I remember what my German teach once said to us in 5ht grade visiting Munich; "Only a few of you will ever make it into this University", he was right, but at that time it sounded so cruel. These days I consider it a privilege to set my foot into this awesome building!

My sister's birthday

As usual, my sister has to work very hard in the kitchen the day before her birthday. She invited more than 30 people to their house the next day, so I helped her to prepare Chicken Marsala with her. I was able to take some shots on my Nokia N80 and thanks to iMovie edit the footage in just an hour or so. Here is the result:



The actual birthday party was excellent, great people, great food!

Acasusso Beach: Bathing suit missing

Mateo enjoyed the skinny dipping in the garden in Acassuso. It tends to get warm at the end of October in Buenos Aires. That day they had 25°C. Mariana, even though she could not really walk around, could at least enjoy on her bed in the garden.

Mateo, el doctor!

Mateo is taking care of his mom and Clarita real well. He is applying patches and, finally, even gives Mariana an injection. That movies was shot in Buenos Aires a few weeks ago.

Museums in Munich: Lange Nacht der Museen

This short movie was shot on the night of October 21, 2006, when the museums of Munich opened their doors to visitors until 2am at night. It was a spectacle, I love museums and visited 10 of them that night: Völkerkundemuseum, BMW Museum, Glyptothek, Lehnbachhaus, Palänthologisches Museum, Ägyptisches Museum, Alte Pinakothek, Pinakothek der Moderne, Pinakothek Palais, Residenz. Check it out:

Super Mateo: or the power of bees

Next week our son Mateo, will appear as a bee in a play in kindergarten. He is really looking forward to it. His facial mask looks like the one from Robin in Batman. Mariana makes him say Super Mateo; first he says it softly, then he reall screams it. Look for itself.

Economist Article: Auf wiedersehen, Fatherland

Sunday morning. I am reading the Economist after breakfast. And what I read today is an Economist article about Germans emigrating and leaving their country. Net-net about 22,000 people in the first half of 2006 already. These are mostly people that are educated, those who see more opportunities for themselves abroad. The cosmopolites that can live anywhere; Munich, London, New York, etc. doesn't make a difference.

I was thinking for myself and for my family, why I came back to Germany after living for so long abroad in California, close to San Francisco. The weather, for sure, was a lot nicer, but back in 2001 many things fell together. September 11th, was a shock to everyone, and the Bush adminstration were reasons for not going to the US and rather live in the Motherland (instead of the Fatherland). My parents are also getting older and it was difficult to see them only once in year (with those 10 days of vacations that you get in the US).

Now living here in Germany, close to Munich, for almost 5 years in a row, I am inclined to leave again with my wife and now my 2 children (my youngest will be born in early December). The question is just: where are we going to live? There are options; US, Argentina, elsewhere in Europe? What is the best place to be and is that place going to be doing fine in 10, 20, 30 years from now? Where shall we settle?

One bad thing about reading the Economist is that it makes you be sceptical of just about anything. So in the end, it frustrates you mure than anything. A recommendation for a happier life is; read the tabloits is reading tabloits, like the BILD (compares well with THE SUN in UK).

If you have any answers out there, let me know...