It has been more than one month since I started at my new position in Illinois. It has been challenging but good. However, today I felt a little nostalgic about our life in Singapore.
I have been watering my lawn since the sod was recently laid and thus it requires almost daily care. Today I was preparing the hoses when I heard a familiar sound: The powerful honk of geese flying. I said familiar sound since our house is next to a lake and geese stay there for the summer. This time, however, a formation of around 15 geese flew just above me, maybe at 30 feet high. I could hear the flapping of their wings and their honks as they were preparing to land somewhere nearby.
As I looked at them I thought about their freedom to fly. In a sense, at that moment I felt I gave up my freedom to fly when I chose to come back to the USA and leave Asia. Maybe this is what finally means to settle down, I don't know yet.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
Gatopardismo and SCB
I titled today's comment as "gatopardismo." For those who do not speak Spanish, the name will not mean anything. Gatopardismo may be loosely translated as "everything changes to remain the same."
I decided to comment on this topic because of something I saw today. I was going to a meeting when I happened to see a homeless person. However, I recognized him because he has been in the streets for as long as I have been in Champaign. He was in the same spot that I remember. It made me think that for me two years have brought significant changes in my life and perspective but for several people things have remain the same. For a moment, I felt as if I were in a time warp and came back to were I have started. What an odd feeling.
On a different topic, I decided to put a picture of my friends from Standard Chartered Bank. For my farewell party we went to a Jazz Club by the Singapore River and I played the piano for them for about 40 minutes. Nohemi and the team of Analytics are here. I miss you guys!
I decided to comment on this topic because of something I saw today. I was going to a meeting when I happened to see a homeless person. However, I recognized him because he has been in the streets for as long as I have been in Champaign. He was in the same spot that I remember. It made me think that for me two years have brought significant changes in my life and perspective but for several people things have remain the same. For a moment, I felt as if I were in a time warp and came back to were I have started. What an odd feeling.
On a different topic, I decided to put a picture of my friends from Standard Chartered Bank. For my farewell party we went to a Jazz Club by the Singapore River and I played the piano for them for about 40 minutes. Nohemi and the team of Analytics are here. I miss you guys!
Saturday, July 5, 2008
4th of July
Yesterday we celebrated the 4th of July. Sarah was very excited about watching the fireworks so we went to see them. They were really nice and she enjoyed our time there.
However, during the display I was thinking about what it means to be American. I became a US citizen in January 2007 and thus I am an American. As I watched, I ponder about the force that bounds me to this land. It is certainly not blood, for I have no fraternal link to the founding fathers or other original group. My ancestry is from Spain and from Mexico. It is not my spoken English, for though I speak well enough, I will always have an accent that betrays that English is not my mother tongue. It is not in the right of birth, for I was born and educated in Mexico.
What is it then, that makes me an American? I actually struggled with that question during my tenure in Singapore because people constantly asked me where I was from and my response was "I am a US Citizen from Mexico"
Now I see that what bounds me to my adopted homeland is an ideal. To me, to be an American means to adopt certain universal principles: That every person is born free and should be free in their pursue of happiness. That government is indeed "We, the People". Unlike most (or dare I say, all) of the other countries in the world, being an American is not exclusively by birthright, but anyone from any place, creed or race can become Americans by beliving in that eternal and elusive goal: Freedom.
However, during the display I was thinking about what it means to be American. I became a US citizen in January 2007 and thus I am an American. As I watched, I ponder about the force that bounds me to this land. It is certainly not blood, for I have no fraternal link to the founding fathers or other original group. My ancestry is from Spain and from Mexico. It is not my spoken English, for though I speak well enough, I will always have an accent that betrays that English is not my mother tongue. It is not in the right of birth, for I was born and educated in Mexico.
What is it then, that makes me an American? I actually struggled with that question during my tenure in Singapore because people constantly asked me where I was from and my response was "I am a US Citizen from Mexico"
Now I see that what bounds me to my adopted homeland is an ideal. To me, to be an American means to adopt certain universal principles: That every person is born free and should be free in their pursue of happiness. That government is indeed "We, the People". Unlike most (or dare I say, all) of the other countries in the world, being an American is not exclusively by birthright, but anyone from any place, creed or race can become Americans by beliving in that eternal and elusive goal: Freedom.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Back in the USA
I have been off line for a few weeks because I came back to the USA! Yes, I resigned from Standard Chartered Bank and came back to Illinois to be the CEO of a Real Estate company.
It was a difficult choice, but at the end I believed I can accomplish more by being here in this new position as I could in Singapore. Only time will tell. In any case, I miss Singapore since I like the city, the people and the culture. I guess it would take me sometime to get fully acclimatized again to the USA.
I did not remeber how many options are in here for everything, For example, a few days ago I bought some microwavable hot dogs. The box has 3 individually packaged hot bog (a bun and a frank) and each frank is individually wrapped. The only "addition" is that each hot dog comes in a microwavable paper holder with some type of reflective material in the inside. Now that I think about it, it would have been so much cheaper to just buy a package of buns and franks and that would be it. There is no much aggregate value in these microwavable hot dogs, they are not even frozen! I guess there is always people like me that could buy such products for convinience only. Welcome to the land of choice.
It was a difficult choice, but at the end I believed I can accomplish more by being here in this new position as I could in Singapore. Only time will tell. In any case, I miss Singapore since I like the city, the people and the culture. I guess it would take me sometime to get fully acclimatized again to the USA.
I did not remeber how many options are in here for everything, For example, a few days ago I bought some microwavable hot dogs. The box has 3 individually packaged hot bog (a bun and a frank) and each frank is individually wrapped. The only "addition" is that each hot dog comes in a microwavable paper holder with some type of reflective material in the inside. Now that I think about it, it would have been so much cheaper to just buy a package of buns and franks and that would be it. There is no much aggregate value in these microwavable hot dogs, they are not even frozen! I guess there is always people like me that could buy such products for convinience only. Welcome to the land of choice.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
More about Cambodia
The trip to Cambodia (ancient Indochina) was a sobering experience for me. Siem Reap is a contrasting place with absolute poverty and misery but also relatively wealthy.
We flew Singapore - Kuala Lumpur- Phnom Penn - Siem Reap. During our descend on Phnom Penn (Cambodia's capital) we flew over the Mekog River. Here are some pictures.
Monitor at Kuala Lumpur
Flying over the Gulf of Thailand, Sarah liked the clouds
Flying over the Mekog River. This is on our stop at Phnom Penn
An EVA DC-9 at Phnom Penn
A Vietnam Airlines A-320
Central Cambodia, mainly rice fields
Flooded rice fields by Siem Reap
At Siem Reap's airport, in our Malaysian Airlines 737
Sarah at our hotel
At Angkor Thom
A drawing about the Khmer Rouge regime in the landmine museum
A child in the lake. He belongs to the boat community. Most of the people are refugees from Vietnam but have no citizenship (either Cambodian or Vietnamese). They don't speak the language and since they have no papers they cannot work
This is a crocodile farm and a turist center. It is also a floating store
This little boy was begging. He is missing one arm as a result of a landmine explosion
A young mother (no more than 13 years old) and her baby
A house in the countryside
Sarah riding a horse on the country. This is the real rural area
The common way of transportation
The Dear Leaders
There is luxury in Siem Reap...
... as well as poverty
We flew Singapore - Kuala Lumpur- Phnom Penn - Siem Reap. During our descend on Phnom Penn (Cambodia's capital) we flew over the Mekog River. Here are some pictures.
Monitor at Kuala Lumpur
Flying over the Gulf of Thailand, Sarah liked the clouds
Flying over the Mekog River. This is on our stop at Phnom Penn
An EVA DC-9 at Phnom Penn
A Vietnam Airlines A-320
Central Cambodia, mainly rice fields
Flooded rice fields by Siem Reap
At Siem Reap's airport, in our Malaysian Airlines 737
Sarah at our hotel
At Angkor Thom
A drawing about the Khmer Rouge regime in the landmine museum
A child in the lake. He belongs to the boat community. Most of the people are refugees from Vietnam but have no citizenship (either Cambodian or Vietnamese). They don't speak the language and since they have no papers they cannot work
This is a crocodile farm and a turist center. It is also a floating store
This little boy was begging. He is missing one arm as a result of a landmine explosion
A young mother (no more than 13 years old) and her baby
A house in the countryside
Sarah riding a horse on the country. This is the real rural area
The common way of transportation
The Dear Leaders
There is luxury in Siem Reap...
... as well as poverty
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Now in Phuket, Thailand
This past weekend was our last weekend trip around Asia. This time we went to the Club Med at Phuket, Thailand
Playing at Kota beach
We could not take the twins on our day trip to Phi Phi Islandas, since the ride would be rocky. The Islands are beautiful and they had been in some movies. The most famous was in James Bond and in "The Beach" with Leonardo Dicaprio.
During the speed boat ride to Phi Phi Islands
The Sea of Andaman
This is a dead sea turtle. It was enormous, about 2 meters
Danny at "The Beach"
We were in tsunami zone
I was testing if Danny could swim in deep water with his life vest because in our next stop we would be doing snorkeling at deep waters
At a bird's nest cave in a cliff of a mountain. Local people collect the bird's nests and sell them. Chinese eat it as a delicacy and it is one of the most expensive dishes in the world
Leaving the islands behind
Nohemi at a local festival
Sarah at the trapeze
Danny at the Bungee
Nohemi in a Tuk Tuk
Nohemi with Hannah and Christian at the Club Med entrance
Playing at Kota beach
We could not take the twins on our day trip to Phi Phi Islandas, since the ride would be rocky. The Islands are beautiful and they had been in some movies. The most famous was in James Bond and in "The Beach" with Leonardo Dicaprio.
During the speed boat ride to Phi Phi Islands
The Sea of Andaman
This is a dead sea turtle. It was enormous, about 2 meters
Danny at "The Beach"
We were in tsunami zone
I was testing if Danny could swim in deep water with his life vest because in our next stop we would be doing snorkeling at deep waters
At a bird's nest cave in a cliff of a mountain. Local people collect the bird's nests and sell them. Chinese eat it as a delicacy and it is one of the most expensive dishes in the world
Leaving the islands behind
Nohemi at a local festival
Sarah at the trapeze
Danny at the Bungee
Nohemi in a Tuk Tuk
Nohemi with Hannah and Christian at the Club Med entrance
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
In Hong Kong
Since these are our last days in Asia, we decided to do some traveling. Last weekend all of us went to Hong Kong. We flew by Singapore Airways and I was very suprised with the superior service. No wonder it is considered the best airline in the world. It takes about 3.5 hours to fly to Hong Kong from Singapore.
Next to Victoria Harbour
On a different angle
Christian enjoying Changi airport (Singapore)
Hong Kong
Enjoying? the sun in a wealty neighborhood
Traveling by Sampan in the South China Sea
In Disneyland Hong Kong
Daddy with Sarah and Danny
Main Street, USA
Cinderella's castle
Danny is learning to drive...
Hannah and Christian enjoying Disneyland
Sarah watching a movie during the HK-Singapore flight
Singapore Airline's new A380
Next to Victoria Harbour
On a different angle
Christian enjoying Changi airport (Singapore)
Hong Kong
Enjoying? the sun in a wealty neighborhood
Traveling by Sampan in the South China Sea
In Disneyland Hong Kong
Daddy with Sarah and Danny
Main Street, USA
Cinderella's castle
Danny is learning to drive...
Hannah and Christian enjoying Disneyland
Sarah watching a movie during the HK-Singapore flight
Singapore Airline's new A380
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