The Verdeja-Bellemans Adventures!!

Corazón derretido...

2010-04-15T22:40:00.001+07:00

Que alguien me diga... ¿Cómo hace uno para que no se le estremezca el corazón?
[Esta es la 2da carta. Ver los cambios hechos en la primera] Y no importa cuántas veces lo haga, siempre causa el mismo efecto. An y yo subimos, le apagamos la luz y la rellenamos de besos en su confiado sueño. Ella sabe que al día siguiente se levantará con más besos en su haber... y el amorímetro a punto de estallar.

In this photo: Lia Verdeja (photos | remove tag), An Bellemans (photos | remove tag)

From your album:
"Wall Photos"

Added yesterday · Comment ·

Daniel Comar, Teddy Ureña, Zandra Cáceres and 4 others like this.

Beatriz Vilalta Alvarez-Buylla

Estos son, para mi, sin duda, los grandes regalos de la vida. Si no hubiera tenido hijos, nunca habría sabido lo que era vivir realmente. Enjoy! (every moment).

Yesterday at 4:12pm ·

Claudia Pou

pero con una nota así hasta yo voy y le doy su besooooooooo!!!!!!!!!! ¿cuándo sale el proximo avión a Vietnam?

Yesterday at 4:51pm ·

José Manuel Guzmán Ibarra

Ay !!!!! AY!!!!!!! aY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday at 4:55pm ·

Gustavo Castillo

La pregunta es si a los 15 ó 16 pedirá lo mismo... Como dice José Manuel: Carpe Diem, my friend.

Yesterday at 5:40pm ·

Ro Verdeja

Ja ja ja, pero lo cierto es que que no me importa si lo dice a los 15 o 16. Lo dice hoy, que estoy aquí y seguro de que lo estoy disfrutando. A los 15 o 16 ya veremos si estoy o estamos y por qué nos alegraremos.

Yesterday at 5:44pm ·

Gustavo Castillo

La verdad Ro es que con un papá como tú, es posible que será eterno. Por lo que puedo percibir de lo que escribes y de tus fotos, eres un papá dedicadísimo.

Yesterday at 5:50pm ·

Ro Verdeja

No creas todo lo que publican en la prensa y mucho menos en FB!! Pero gracias!

Yesterday at 5:55pm ·

José Manuel Guzmán Ibarra

Y la otra cuestión...para que quede algo (no a los 15 que lo sano es que se quieran alejar) si no a los 20, 30...debe haberse dado esto. QUe bueno que lo podemos disfrutar...mis hijos me salvan del cinismo a diario.

Yesterday at 6:01pm ·

Angela Rumland

Si a despues de los 15 t lo sigue pidiendo se embromo el futuro marido....jajaja

Yesterday at 6:32pm ·

Mairelly Rodriguez

that is very sweet!!!! la bendicion de tener hijos... vi tus fotos muy linda familia! :)

Yesterday at 7:25pm ·

Patricia Rodriguez

Clau esa falta ortografica no cuenta en nuestro proyecto...Dale muchos besos y mas y mas

Yesterday at 8:18pm ·

Xochitl Ricart

eso es lo lindo de ser padre.... que mejor regalo que nuestros nos pidan un poco de amor ya con eso our world is complete

Yesterday at 8:23pm ·

Ro Verdeja

Angela, de acuerdo contigo :-)
Xochitl, muchacha!! qué bueno verte por aquí. Seguimos por mail.

11 hours ago ·

Perla Rowland

I love you Papi, I love you Mami...cómo suena! Se siente que te remueven el pecho y revolotean las mariposas en la boca del estómago....lo dirán siempre...todavía digo "sion papi, sion mami" y sé que se les remueve el corazón a los míos....y eso que tengo .....34???? Enjoy it every time!!! Besos a mi ahijada!

4 hours ago ·

Yil and Lía on the Gala Concert 2010

2010-03-18T09:35:00.000+07:00

Communism 101

2010-02-23T17:21:00.000+07:00

[Note: English is not my native language, so please forgive me for possible mistakes made. You're welcome to send me any corrections you'd find important.]

How's it like living in a communist country? people often ask me. I like the shielding and famous Vietnamese answers to almost anything "same same, but different".

Saying that you live in Vietnam displays a full range of mystery and exoticism to your profile. As we did before we came for the first time in 2003, we could only associate the name of this country with all kinds of TV and magazines memories of the war. Once you're here though and you find out that the last thing people are investing their family, business and spiritual time is exactly that: The War. They moved on long time ago. They don't talk about that, not because there's a scar or a trauma or hate or other things we westerners believe they should. Vietnamese people are investing their precious time in their challenging present and their amazing future ahead. They want to grow. They want to learn new stuff. They say welcome to all tourists as if they were one. They don't care where they're from nor their religion or colors. And yes, even Americans can come safely here.

The country has embraced capitalism in such a way that it's almost impossible not to feel you're in a non-communist country almost all the time. You can start your own business anytime. You can buy and own property if you have the means to pay for it. People study and develop themselves to get better paid positions in the open market businesses. It all looks and feels quite ok. Of course there are some remnants of the Party that are hard to detach from the status quo and that still gives the government some kind of "Power" over the people.

Facebook was "half banned" a couple of months ago for about eight weeks or so. Half because you could access it some times and sometimes not. If you had enough patience you could click on refresh a couple of times until it would show up... eventually. But for many the low patience was the retribution received by the authorities. Many would give up facebook because it was difficult to access. Score for the Party. There would not be a revolution about it, nor anything on the News or the Press... because it's controlled by the same guy.

Now, over the time we have seen little by little how the communication freedom (or access to it) gets expanded and now we can enjoy having access to Cable TV through different companies that provide the service. We have CNN, BBC, NatGeo, ESPN, SuperSports, Cartoons, HBO, MAX, StarMovies and we can catch up on American Idol on StarWorld too. There are other European and Asian channels like DTV, TV5, RAI, Korean, Japanese, etc. "Wow!" many would say, "that's really opening up". And it is! Listen, I don't want to show lack of gratefulness here because that's not my nature and I wasn't raised like that. Besides, I'm a visitor in a country that is not mine and is opening its doors tome and my family. But (of course, there was one coming), it does take me back to the communist life my family use to tell me before they left Cuba every time they suspend any TV channel in mid air when they say anything about Vietnam; not only about the war... ANYTHING!. All channels are monitored and censured on the spot. On line. Live! Documentaries on National Geographic or Discovery are interrupted by a "transmission interrupted" slide for as long as whoever's turn is it to monitor it feels like is "safe" for the population to be exposed to those "dangerous" information told by "the others" in a way that is not "the" way "we want you to know it". OOOOOOOHHHH!!! Scary, isn't it? Or boring, too.

Well, besides that I can say that it's pretty cool to live here. The food is great (when you get used to it), the country itself is amazing. Security is great. No much crime and you can walk at night or ride your bike almost anywhere. The people receive you warmly everywhere. There's a lot of culture and history hidden in every village waiting to be rediscovered and... facebook is up again. Yay!!!!

Screen used to censure TV programs in Vietnam. This one is National Geographic Channel NGC. It could last seconds, minutes or hours, depending how long an information about Vietnam is broadcasted.

Where it all took place...

2010-01-10T18:17:00.001+07:00

Navidades-09 081_stitch4
Originally uploaded by roverdeja

On this very ugly and non-romantic place (ha ha ha) An and I shared our new vows in company of our dear friends, Nicole & Dani (Iva+Nina), Claudia, María Luisa, Yil & Lía and Julie & Stéphane (Artur). Check out the rest of the pics.

Flickr

2010-01-10T18:01:00.001+07:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Lía on her math test...

2009-10-29T12:41:00.003+07:00

Q: The mini market sells soap in small packets.

a)15 for 5,600vnd

b)24 for 8,600vnd

c)36 for 13,200vnd.

Which packet is the best value for money?

A: I think all are really good because 13,000 for 36 soaps is really cheap followed by the others. But if I had to buy, I would buy fifteen soaps because first, it's cheap. And second, who would keep 36 soaps in their house?

There was an X in the middle of her answer and the correct one next to it written by the unjust teacher. Btw, she got a 7 out of 8 on the whole test. And she has a very proud dad!

Some Facebook comments:

Ineke Hodder

I would have thought she would have put à plug into the answer for Unilever soaps...

Yesterday at 5:51pm · Delete

Allyson Keane

Can't fault the logic on the 'wrong' answer though!

Yesterday at 6:05pm · Delete

Ro Verdeja

Sure! Totally agree.

Yesterday at 6:36pm · Delete

Bunthida Saeui

smart girl!!

Yesterday at 9:07pm · Delete

Ianko Selig

preciosaaaa asi mismo la logica verdadera antes que la matematicaaaaa

Yesterday at 10:07pm · Delete

Deb Ross

I love it!!! Can't argue with kid logic!!! :)

12 hours ago · Delete

Christina Creighton

She will succeed in life!!!

8 hours ago · Delete

Frinnette Bodden

Rodolfo!!!...y tu te quejas de esa respuesta!!!!.....es igualita a ti!!!!!!!!!...jajajajajajaja

8 hours ago · Delete

Ro Verdeja

La verdad que no me quejo, me encantó!

55 minutes ago · Delete

About love...

2009-09-04T12:10:00.002+07:00

Looking into my pending mails I found this follow up from Jullie, the therapist who conducted the weekend workshop "getting the love you want" in which An and I participated last February in Hong Kong. It was great to go over it and just wanted to share with you all. I love the phrase "what you focus on grows".

She said:

How can you continue to grow in connection? Do what you did this weekend! Continue to:

see your partner in a positive light; what you focus on grows!
dialogue about how you see them positively ...
share appreciations of your partner; what you focus on grows!
dialogue about what you appreciate about them ...
focus on what YOU do to contribute to the safety in your relationship; what you focus on grows!
dialogue about what you and your partner need for greater safety between you ...
develop compassion for yourself and your partner; what you focus on grows!
dialogue about the thoughts, feelings, fears, and childhood experiences that lie beneath the surface on nearly every frustration ...
have fun; what you focus on grows!
dialogue about your own reactivity; take ownership ... get curious about the wound of yours that has been triggered and give voice to the 90% that is old stuff ...
share your frustrations in the form of a compassionate, Intentional Dialogue
be curious !!!

Then she added the note from the creators of the Imago theory.

Love, in Imago, is a verb, not a noun.
It is created or destroyed minute by minute by our actions.
Love is an act that is accompanied by a feeling, but it is not a feeling itself.
Love is the behavioral commitment to another's physical, emotional, mental and spiritual potential and welfare
that is equal to if not greater than the same commitment to oneself.
Love is free from negative judgement; it is the full acceptance of another as they are, not as one wishes them to be.
Love accepts and honors difference. It is the hyphen between the I and the Thou.
-Harville Hendrix, Ph.D. & Helen LaKelly Hunt, Ph.D.

Attached is the picture of the group who did together the workshop.

Yil & Lía's trip to Hanoi

2009-05-15T12:50:00.000+07:00

"When was the last time you did something for the first time?"

That's what I told Yil and Lía when they left today for their first trip in a plane on their own without mom and dad. They left to Hanoi for a Swim meet with the school and will be hosted by the swimmers there. A lot of first-times for them. I asked them to count how many first-time things happen during the weekend.

I'll be an artist like my mom

2009-03-16T09:47:00.001+07:00

If you like painting, what best than having an artist mom. I can't say that about dad. He plays golf, though, and even coaches volleyball, but don't try handing him a brush. That will guarantee you only a wasted canvas and paint.

But my mom... oh my mom! When she sits there it's lovely to be near and feel her vibes with every stroke. I feel I become a better artist myself only by being there witnessing her magic.

And I don't know how, 'cause she's new in the business, but she does it as if she has painted her whole life. I guess that's what they call a "present" (or is it a "gift"?). Well, you know what I mean.

Yil says she can sell her paintings for a thousand USD each. Can you imagine? Even if she doesn't sell them, she's my favorite artist. And she's my mom. Isn't that exciting?

Points of view...

2009-03-12T17:03:00.002+07:00

Yesterday was Student Led Conference day at school. I proudly went to Lía's classroom to meet her and to be her audience for 45 min. It was a beautiful display of knowledge and understanding of what's going on in their 5th grade world. Not only was I proud of her, I experimented that feeling that we parents lack during our parenthood (and should have more to overcome the opposite one): I was proud of myself as a father, and proud of An as a mother. Proud of us as a team. Proud of my parents because they raised us as we are now. And proud of... and proud of... and also of...

With all that in mind I was asked at the end of the conference to fill up a form to give my feedback through two uncomplete sentences that I had to fill with my own thoughts. They called it "Parent Reflection"

I REALLY ENJOYED LEARNING ABOUT how to structure a creative writing

I WAS PLEASED TO SEE THAT MY CHILD COULD measure with different kind of units knowing which one to use in each case.

And it was signed by me.

You can relate to that pride feeling I was talking about, can't you? Well, there was another section on the form reserved for the child in question. Also with two uncompleted sentences that they chose to name "Student Reflection". They were:

THE THING I WANTED MOM AND DAD TO UNDERSTAND THE MOST WAS everything in my porfolio! (yes, there is an exclamation point at the end)
THE MOST EXCITING PART OF THE CONFERENCE WAS telling our parents to turn their cell phones off. I also liked showing my Hoi An highlights. (Now I remember her satisfaction face when she asked me, and how she and her accomplice Gaby made that YESS!!! gesture in unison as if it was rehearsed)

And, of course, it was signed by Lía.

Del departamento de sorpresas sencillas

2009-03-04T15:10:00.003+07:00

An me pidió ayer que le mandara una foto para poner en su Bio en una página y me mandó la de su jefe como referencia con la siguiente nota: "Can you help me with a picture that is as nice as the one of Marijn?".

Pensé simplemente buscar entre las fotos una bonita de ella y mandársela y luego vi que era una excelente oportunidad para hacerla reír (tarea que me propongo diariamente... siempre que puedo).

Le mandé pues la foto y le escribí lo que creía que sería sus datos biográficos.

La respuesta no se hizo esperar. "Querido Ro... Me salieron las lagrimas. Que chulo es (el contenido). Sugiero que lo pongas en el blogg o algo asi... Te quiero - An".

Y eso es lo que estoy haciendo ahora. Disfruten.

Yil's First Job!!

2009-02-26T18:38:00.004+07:00

Yes, you read it right. Yil has been selected to record voice overs for a Vietnamese company called EZ Talk that teaches English to vietnamese students through a laptop-like machine.

So, they call him. He records some lines of the story-tell section they have and at the end of the month they pay him the amount of hours they used his services.

There he is inside of the studio cabin with his headset on. Cool, uh?

They also used him as a model for the pictures for fliers and other online and printed material.

What we all were waiting for. AN ON STAGE!!!

2009-02-12T12:14:00.002+07:00

Ok, ok. This has taken months and months of preparation and rehearsals. This is worth the wait. You won't regret waiting for so long. Just click the video below and enjoy the ride.

Note: The video is in a very low quality because its original size was over 200Mb and my great internet connection here in Vietnam was crying when I tried to upload it so I had to downgrade the quality of the video. If you want the full version.... you'll have to wait.

Enjoy!!

Christmas in Belgium

2008-12-26T23:49:00.003+07:00

It was due. Too many years without us coming to visit our belgian family. Either they came to us or we went twice in a row to Santo Domingo (for Abuela Ena's big birthday... so there was a good excuse).

Anyway, here we are. Almost finding a white christmas. But found instead a very cozy one full of all the family around.

We went to Les Ardennes and had a great time trecking in the middle of the forest and woods. The first day we all went for a 10km walk!!! The second day we let the kids go on their own into a 2.5km one. The rule was that we would follow them after 5min, they should hide somewhere in the middle and let us pass and not arrive more than 5 min later than us. At the end we decided to hide too and catched them from behind!! We were called cheaters but it all went well at the end when made a fire and ate marshmellows.

We also went skating and to the Grand Place in Brussels.

The rest of the pics are in facebook

Dep Fashion

2008-12-18T11:50:00.004+07:00

"Dep" significa Bonito, Bello, Belleza, Beautiful y es el nombre de la revista más conocida en Vietnam sobre moda.

Pues ahí salimos... je je je. Qué va. Es un truco.

Pero lo que sí no es un truco es el glamour de la doña, que lució un vestido hecho para la ocasión: El lanzamiento de una nueva línea de Ponds de Unilever. An se confundía con las modelos que desfilaron ese día en el evento.

Esta otra es con el vestido de "backup", en caso de que no apareciera el otro a tiempo. Modelo al fin, no importa cuál se pusiera, quedó bellísima!!!

Los Vietnamitas y la gasolina

2008-12-17T18:51:00.001+07:00

El otro día fui a echarle gasolina a la moto y se rebosó el tanque. Le dije que le echaran los mismos VND40,000 que le echo cada vez que la agujita está en rojo, y a los 25mil el tipo tuvo que parar porque se rebosaba. Todavía no entendía por qué hasta que vi que el precio había cambiado increíblemente con respecto a la semana anterior.

El litro de gasolina bajó de 19,000 dongs a 11,000. Está claro que no importa cúanto vale el dong respecto al dólar o cualquier otra moneda (para los que no se pueden aguantar USD1=VND17,000 -más o menos), el tema es que bajó más de un 40%.

Me pregunto si en RD pasó lo mismo desde que el barril de gasolina bajó de más de $100 a menos de $50... Just a thought.

Light and shades

2008-12-13T11:49:00.002+07:00

En la clase de arte, a Lía le enseñaron a trabajar con las sobras y luces de los objetos.

Ella llegó a casa emocionada diciendo lo que hizo en clase junto a su amiguita Gaby y de una vez tomó un papel, el recipiente de los dulces y se puso a practicar lo aprendido.

Y ahí está la artista trabajando con sus objetos en tres dimensiones dándole luz, sobras y profundidad. Está contentísima (yo también).

Track & Field Yil, MS and HS

2008-12-12T16:24:00.012+07:00

Today, Cobras, Buffaloes, Tigers and Dragons met at the Sports University of Vietnam to decide once and for all who is the most powerful "house" of the International School HCMC... of course Cobras won... AGAIN!!!

Well done, Cobras!!!

Yil got 1st place throwing the disc and 2nd place in 200M running.

Still, it wouldn't be fun without the friends, no matter which House they belong to.

That's good friend Michael and Yil after the race.
More pictures in Facebook.

Yil is 12!!!

2008-12-10T12:45:00.003+07:00

This is the way Birthday Parties should be celebrated!!

Yil went with his friends to play video games, have lunch at KFC and then watch a movie.

Lía came too, of course. How can she miss his brother's party? And she enjoyed everything the most.

Check the video below with some of the great moments during the party. More pics in Facebook.

Games Day at International School HCMC

2008-11-30T21:31:00.003+07:00

El grupo de Lía (Cobras) ganó el día de juegos de primaria el pasado viernes 28/Nov. El ambiente fue buenísimo y era lindo ver cómo los amigos se animaban unos a otros cuando les tocaba su turno, sin importarles a qué grupo pertenecieran.

Aquí una pequeña muestra de lo que fue ese día.
Disfruten.-

Golf joke of the day

2008-11-20T09:31:00.003+07:00

Bill got a call from the coroner, who wants to talk about his wife's recent death. Bill told him the whole sad story. "We were on the third hole. Sally, my wife, was standing on the ladies tee about 30 yards ahead of the men's box when I hit my drive. From the sound when the ball hit her head and the way she dropped like a rock, I knew immediately that she was dead. God only knows where the ball wound up."

The coroner replied "That explains the injury to her head, but what about the Maxfli embedded in her rectum?"

"Oh," said Bill. "That was my provisional."

Celebration of Cultures

2008-11-04T19:53:00.004+07:00

At the international School there is the "Celebration of Cultures" every year. Many of the countries perform something special from their land. Lía participated in dance performed by the Latin community. They danced a reguetón and it was a huge sensation!

Yil went to school dressed up as a true dominican campesino and was watching proudly his sister.

Vietnam’s rules of traffic and transportation

2008-11-02T11:52:00.002+07:00

Hi family, I got this e-mail with a very real information about the traffic in our host country, Vietnam. It might seem hilarious and funny (and actually it is) but funniest part is that it IS true! Enjoy and come visit us anytime you want to double check it.

While crossing the street, you must walk in a slow constant pace. Motorbikes will pass you around… Be careful though… Cars, trucks and buses might use you as a “slowdown bump” (see also rule #10)
Giving way is in direct relation with the size of the vehicle. The bigger the vehicle the more “right of way” it has.
Red light in Vietnam is actually a special “shade of green”. It is known as “Tardive green” or “late green”. It means you can still keep on driving unless you hit something… or something hits you…
When you turn right you should never look left.
If you don’t see it – it doesn’t exist. Hence, if you don’t see it you always have the “right of way”.
If you cross the road in a red light - that’s ok (see rule #3). But if you decide to stop and you stand 10cm after the stop line – you will be fined!
Trucks and buses should always turn right from the most left lane. Motorbikes and bicycles should always turn left from the most right lane.
Driving against traffic is always acceptable and sometimes even preferred.
In a dark rainy night you should always cover your motorbike headlights with your raincoat.
Crosswalk (“Zebra cross”) are not meant for crossing. They actually mark a high danger zone. It’s called “The pedestrian slowdown bump” zone.
When you make a turn you should signal after turning.
In a jammed crossroad, you should keep on going forward until you make sure no one else can pass.
Helmets are fashion accessories. You should protect your helmet from scratches, bad weather, dust and rain.
Traffic police officers job is not to control traffic. It’s to collect donations.
Limitation of number of passengers in a vehicle is as follows::

Motorbike – up to 6 people, 8 pigs, 2 cows or 20 chickens.
Car – up to 20 people, 16 pigs, 3 cows or 50 chickens.
Bus – Depend on how strong are the doors… and the roof…

And for the most important one: If your chest is smaller than 72cm – you are not fit to drive a motorbike! So ladies, be prepared for a Bra inspection! (and that’s no joke!)

I guess that means that if you are a “double D” size – you can drive a full trailer truck…

For more details: http://ph.news.yahoo.com/ap/20081030/tap-as-vietnam-road-rules-9a7ed42.html

Comiendo Pho' Bò

2008-10-31T15:45:00.002+07:00

El que venga a Vietnam, que sepa que va a comer Pho' Bò todos los días. Eso sí, es la mejor sopa de fideos con carne y un viaje de vegetales y yerbas muy rica.

Se come de desayuno, de almuerzo, de merienda y de cena. Aparece en cualquier esquina y mientras más sucio el lugar, más ricos son. A mamá le encantó cuando estuvo aquí.

MMMMM.....!!!!! Yummy!!!

La Fiesta en Cage

2008-10-27T16:33:00.003+07:00

Long time don't write here. Ok, ok. But you know. How to start again...? When I saw this picture in Lisa's Facebook I said that was it.

Here are Lisa and An at the party at Cage, one disco in which Claudio and his band had a concert and I sang a couple of songs of the old Los Tres Amigos band.

(That was a good beginning, wasn't it?)

Perro Vs Gato o Perro con Gato?

2008-09-05T02:14:00.002+07:00

Queridos Yil y Lía,

Miren quienes estan aquí divirtiéndose en grande. Tina y Nuski. Los filmé hoy mismo en casa de tío Eduar.

Y sigue el Cumpleaños

2008-08-31T12:04:00.002+07:00

Y aquí estamos al final de la noche, en casa de Teresa y Marco celebrando en grande.

Patrick preparó una carne buenísima a la parrilla, yo hasta ayudé a hacer la ensalada de espininaca con piñoncitos y queso feta y una salsa rarísima que quedó buena.

Jugamos Guesstures al final de la noche y nos divertimos un montón.

Antes de comer hicimos un círculo (claro) y todos dijeron las cosas que le gustan de Rosa. Andi, el hijito de Alina dijo "well... I don't know what to say about Rosa, but I can say that I've never thought of her as a bad person".

Rosa está llena de vida y amor. Y así la perciben todos los que la rodean. Y es mi hermanita mayor.

Comenzó el Cumple de tía Rosa!!!

2008-08-30T05:04:00.002+07:00

Hoy soy el asistente de mi hermana Rosa. Qué privilegio. Y el día de su cumpleaños!!!

Vinimos a su oficina donde me la pasé ayudándola en lo que fuera que me pidiera: desde hacer fotocopias, ponchar hojas, armar capetas, etc para poder ayudarla con un proyecto que tenía que entregar hoy mismo.

Anoche me fue a buscar al aeropuerto y nos la pasamos lindo en casa luego de buscar pizza, recogimos a Patrick también que llegaba esa noche y ver el discurso de aceptación de nominación de Obama (luego de que Rosa me vendiera y convenciera sobre su candidatura) con los mejores argumentos de campaña electoral. Yo acepté. Ahora me falta la ciudadanía americana para votar.

En la oficina le prepararon una sopresita en la cocina y Silvia le hizo creer a Rosa que necesitaba ayuda para hacer el café de por las tardes que sólo Rosa sabe hacer. Allí estaban todos con muchísimo cariño. Paloma, Carmen, Mónica, Liz, Omar, Scott, Silvia... y otros que no recuerdo el nombre. Todos decían que Rosa era una bendición en la oficina. Todos preguntaban por Mamá y le mandaban muchos cariños. Todos decían lo mucho que nos parecíamos...

Nada, que así comenzó el cumpleaños de mi hermana Rosa. Esta noche, fiesta donde Teresa!!

Mi Familia

2008-08-30T04:46:00.007+07:00

Hay gente que se tatúan el nombre de sus hijos y me parece bonito. Mi tatuaje está lleno de significados desde su concepción hasta su realización. Antes de partir de Vietnam a RD decidí darle también otro significado más: Mi familia completa. Lo que somos, en lo que nos hemos convertido. Les expliqué a todos el siginificado de cada uno de los símbolos a ver con cuál se identificaban más. Yil escogió el símbolo de la Tierra (a la izquierda) que representa el Crecimiento. Lía escogió el Amor (arriba) representado por el símbolo del Fuego. An, la Compasión con el símbolo del Agua (a la derecha). Yo, el Aire (abajo) que representa el Aprendizaje y por último, en el centro, María Luisa representado por el círculo y el cuadrado entrelazados uniendo el Mundo de la Materia con el Mundo Espiritual.

Lo imprimimos y cada uno firmó donde estaba su nombre para enmarcarlo y ponerlo en el cuarto de los niños. Y yo tengo otra forma más de llevarlos conmigo, cerquita de mí, para toda la vida.

Más sobre California

2008-08-28T00:13:00.008+07:00

Patrick orgulloso (y con razón) pues soltó el rompecabezas varias veces. Y como Yan me dijo también "con paciencia y calma se sube un burro a una palma.

Clases de dibujo con el Maestro tío Alber. Yan, Patrick y yo éramos los alumnos. Tío Alber nos ponia dos cajas en varias posiciones y nos daba 2 minutos (o era uno?) para que rápidamente hiciéramos un boceto tratando sólo de enfocarnos en las líneas básicas y perspectivas. Claro, Yan y Patrick eran unos espertos y a mí nunca me daba el tiempo y tenía que seguir luego como en los dibujos que se ven ahí. Pero me divertí y aprendí muchísimo!

Yeeeah!!! Let's go to the Water Park!!! Nos fuimos el lunes al Wild Rivers Water Park. Fuimos los primeritos en entrar a las 10am cuando abrieron. Además del "lazy river" en el que estamos ahora y que sorprendentemente no se ve ninguno de los tubos (salvavidas verdes que lo minaban), nos subimos en casi todos los toboganes inlcuyendo uno que al final cae uno en un bowl y da vueltas como si fuera un inodoro, cayendo por un hoyo al final

Luego me fui a pasar la noche en casa de Claudia y salimos a comer comida Mexicana. Yan y yo compartimos unas fajitas mixtas de res y pollo buenísimas!!!!

Y aquí está la tía Claudia en su linda y cute cocina roja de su casita nueva. Ahí da muchas ganas de cocinar, estar y compartir. Nos pasamos una noche bien chévere en la terraza hablando y poniéndonos al día.

Y last but not least, aquí estamos Yan y yo ganándonos la comida del martes (que al final fue él quien la preparó: arroz con un beef al curry). Armamos 4 de estos libreros de Ikea. Nos quedaron lindísimos y estábamos muy orgullosos de nosotros.

La Pela!!!

2008-08-25T11:16:00.001+07:00

Oficialmente admito que Alber barrió el suelo conmigo. Jugamos hasta la fecha dos sets. Me ganó 6-3 y 6-4.

De ahora en lo adelante lo respetaré.

Sushi a la carta

2008-08-24T00:03:00.002+07:00

Sushi, sushi, sushi!!! Qué linda cena de despedida tuvimos Yil y Lía con papi la víspera de mi partida a RD pasando por California y Miami. Fuimos al Sushi Bar en Ho Chi Minh City, hasta ahora nuestro restaurant japonés favorito.

LISTO!!!!

2008-08-18T09:01:00.003+07:00

Y aquí está el rompecabezas terminado. Gracias a Ingrid que también ayudó durante su visita a Nana en el fin de semana.

Ahora, a enmarcarlo!

La historia de Mickey Mouse

2008-08-16T12:21:00.003+07:00

El nuevo rompecabezas es mejor que el anterior. Nos atrevimos a comprar uno vietnamita en la misma tienda que habíamos comprado antes cuando vivíamos aquí. Y nos encntramos con los mismos problemas que antes: las piezas son muy finitas; muchas son similares en la forma, y más de una ajusta perfectamente en otra, así que cuando tienen colores similares es un horror. Bueno, ni siquiera pudimos cerrar el borde, porque había piezas que se parecían tanto y luego no cuadraban con las demás.

Bueno, eso es historia. En KL compramos uno nuevo de Disney. En versión panorámica, para romper con la tradición del rectángulo clásico. Está chulísimo, tiene 1000 piezas y todos en la casa estamos haciendo maravillas con él. Yil tiene un ojo buenísimo para encontrar piezas. Nana, cuando se sienta arma secciones completas. A Lía le gusta hacerlo en compañía de los demás. An tiene vista de águila al buscar piezas especializadas. Y a mí me divierte un montón también.

Fue interesante cuando le dije a los niños que como está tan divertido cuando lo terminemos de armarlo lo podemos desbaratar y comenzar otra vez. La respuesta fue inmediata y unísona: "NOOOO". ja ja ja. Claro que no.

La foto muestra todos los diferentes diseños de Mickey desde que nació hasta la fecha. Hay 16 tipos que comenzaron en 1928, hasta el actual que fue actualizado en 1953. Desde entonces (según el rompecabezas) el Mickey que conocemos tiene ya 55 años.

Gracias Nicole y Dani (By An -and Ro)

2008-08-14T15:32:00.003+07:00

A big thanks to Dani and Nicole with whom we passed our "very special" weekend in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is a blessing to have friends like both of you in our lives. It is a blessing that your unconditional friendship can occupy such a meaningful space in our path towards "growth", be it individual or as a couple. You guys are an inspiration...

Thanks for receiving us, thanks for "being" with us!

FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS NANA!!!!!

2008-08-11T21:19:00.006+07:00

Aquí si hay caché!!! Qué ajuste!!!
Feliz cumpleaños Nana! Aunque An y yo estábamos de fin de semana en Kuala Lumpur visitando a Dani y Nicole, nos enteramos que Yil y Lía le hicieron una linda fiesta y regalos.

Lía preparó un baile en su clase de Jazz que estoy tratando de subir a youtube, pero que por alguna razón no sube. Si no, se los muestro luego, pero aquí pueden ver una foto de ella con otras amigas del grupo de danza.

The Bali Trip: The Pictures!!!!

2008-08-05T20:29:00.003+07:00

Finally after scanning all the negatives and sending the digital pics by normal snail mail to Dani (who is in another country) and waiting DAYS for that (gosh, how did we survive with film cameras?), here they are available for everybody.

Thanks to Dani who made an amazing job dividing them in albums by missions, and explaining about them. Enter his blog to check his notes and links as well.

And last, enter the Google Map that Dani also made (what did I do?) in which there's the route we made in Bali where you can combine with the pictures to have an wider idea about the adventure.

Cheers,
Ro.-

Feliz de estar con mi familia (by An)

2008-07-30T18:01:00.004+07:00

Esta ha sido la primera vez que he podido pasar mi tiempo libre con mi familia en Vietnam. Me hace sentir feliz y me da paz. Aunque estemos pasando por tiempos difíciles de adaptación, también es cierto que la fortaleza que salga de nuestra familia y amor será capaz de sobrellevar esto.

Rodolfo, en cuanto a nosotros, ha sido una bendición poder compartir este fin de semana llena de amor tan honesto e incondicional. Gracias por estar aquí conmigo. Te quiero, An

Las Dunas de Mui Né

2008-07-29T21:33:00.002+07:00

Fin de semana en Mui Né. Muchos recuerdos. Muchos buenos, otros... el viaje de 4.5 horas (5 de vuelta) en una distancia de no más de 200Km!!! El resto, bellísimo.

Pero al fin y al cabo llegamos y disfrutamos todo lo que Muiné nos daba a cambio. Una playa chévere, un ambiente agradable, relax, y además nos fuimos a las dunas a surfear en la arena.

Fuimos con Claudio, Lisa y Mathias. Allá conocimos otras parejas nuevas en HCMC.

Si quieres, entra a ver otras fotos en el álbum.

New faces: Iva Comar Fuchs

2008-07-29T21:04:00.003+07:00

Yeah, I know. I'm new in this blog, but I'm very famous in others like here or here. Well, my name is Iva and I am adorable. Don't you think?

The nice guy on the background is just... "a nice guy on the background". I think you all know by now. His name is Yil (cute, isn't him?), He's a big guy I just met a couple of days ago here at the beach in Bali and we shared a villa too... He has a great sister named Lía and... what am I talking about?? This blog is mostly about them!!! Anyhow. Come to visit mines anytime.
Do you know about Dou-Dou?

Thought of the Day (by An)

2008-07-22T10:13:00.007+07:00

"Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. But today is a gift, that's why is called present". -Kung Fu Panda-

You are my today's gift and I am ready to enjoy ...whatever the outcome.

Love - An

Qué 40!!!!!

2008-07-16T23:20:00.002+07:00

Finalmente algo que contar (y no lo cuento yo). Terminada la semana en Bali celebrando los famosos 40, regresamos a Bangkok sólo para tomar las maletas, terminar las últimas diligencias y cerrar el capítulo Thailandia y volvernos a Vietnam, donde llegamos ayer (día 15/Jul) y comenzamos a armar nuestra nueva vida.

No obstante, les mando al blog de Dani, que ya pudo subir algunas fotos (sí, de las cámaras descartables) y el video de instrucciones de Lucas que está buenísimo.

Yo sigo luego.

A Nicole le estamos construyendo una estatua ecuestre ("cuestre lo que cuestre") por la increíble y formidable labor de armar el famoso treasure hunt que nos mantuvo al límite durante una semana completa involucrando a familiares y amigos alrededor del mundo.

Frases célebres y repetidas constantemente durante el viaje:
RO: Qué 40!!!!
DANI: Puta! que vale la pena estar vivo!!

Road to the 40's: The Tattoo

2008-06-30T12:03:00.005+07:00

Yes, I'll be 40 this year too... Actually, in about one week only.
The symbolic meanings of it helps me sit down and anticipate the for-years-announced crisis that comes at this stage of everyone's life. Even thought I thought I took care of it in advance when I spent that one year in Germany back in 93-94, I knew it wouldn't be all, and the actual forties will bring its own load of wisdom and learnings.

As some of you might know already, Dani and I were born the same day the same year and almost the same hour. He in Argentina and me in the Dominican Republic. We met in Vietnam and kept an important friendship since then. He lives in Kuala Lumpur now with Nicole (wife) and Iva (daughter) and we both decided we wanted something out of the ordinary to celebrate our 40th birthday. We wanted to do it together and with no one else around. Just on our own. Nicole proposed to have a week of adventures in Bali. She (secretly with An) would make a route for us to follow during the week of our birthday 5-11 of July. We don't know what happens each day but it will be a way to reflect about our lives until this day.

Well, in my case the tattoo was a big part of the preparation. Since long ago I wanted to get a tattoo, but didn't know exactly what and where, and what should it mean or not. It was now, during this year that I started to see it all clear. It will encompass what I've concluded is the meaning of life so far for me. Not for everyone else. For me. My conclusions, my truth.

So I briefed Dani about it (he happens to be the creative director of Ogilvy -a renowned international Ad Agency) and started the process of creation. In it, María Julia and Ringo (from Argentina, that I met during Dani and Nicole's wedding a couple of years ago) jumped in with graphic ideas and deep meanings behind it.

The Meaning

Continuity of life: we're immortal souls.
Main pillars of life: Learn, Grow, Love, Compassion (represented by the four elements: Fire, Air, Earth and Water)
Reality: World of the Matter interlaced with the Spirit World

Later it was about if I would do it in Bali during our adventure week or not. "Not" won and I decided to do it here in Bangkok before the trip begins so it could heal before the big week. That was yesterday.

I want to thank everyone else who was involved somehow in it, in particular Margaret, Kathy, Kelly and specially Kevin who came all the way from Brazil to talk me out of the idea of getting a tattoo at all. He almost succeeded when the mission was aborted on the first time we went to one of the tattoo parlors. Also the chats with my mom were good and positive despite the fact that she didn't like the idea.

I'm a happier person now. Not because of the tattoo, but for what it all means.

Yil is going to 6th grade!!

2008-06-05T11:36:00.002+07:00

This is the "Moving on Celebration" at ISB. Is graduation day from Elementary School. They receive a certificate from their teachers, present a slide show of all the activities and fun they had over the year, thank all their teachers and a group of them (Yil among them) sing a beautiful song.

Congratulations Yil!!!

Guess who's 10 years old now...

2008-06-03T16:55:00.003+07:00

Yes, Lía's 10 now!!!
And Lía celebrated it last Sunday with her closest friends at home. An came from Vietnam and Yil invited some friends too to go for a farewell bowling game.

The girls played at the pool, threw water balloons, hit the rainbow piñata, danced to all Shakira music and had the ice cream birthday cake.

Happy Birthday Lía!!!

Goodmorning Vietnam

2008-05-18T20:53:00.003+07:00

This is An here! I have been in Vietnam for over 5 weeks now, and this weekend Rodolfo came to visit me to do some house searching.

On the photo you can see me in my apartment next to the pictures of my family and a portrait painting of Yil. I haven't yet found any painting school or teacher who provides classes in the weekend, so I painted this portrait without any help. Yil hasn't seen it yet. I hope he likes it!

Ro, here. An has a nice little house on her own. It has two rooms and I was honored when she showed me mine... (that was a joke, ok?)

House hunting was tough, but I think we'll get something interesting by the time we move here in July. The growth in Vietnam is visible in every inch of asphalt laid down or every new building in town, roads, highways, more cars (uff, more cars), restaurants, bikes, people, people, more people! as if it didn't have enough before. The demand of land and houses is so big, the big companies are paying whatever they are asking for them to keep their expats in nice houses and that's affecting the economy and the prices. It seems it all is going to come down again. But when?

Did you guys see the painting An did of Yil? click on it so it gets larger. She's a natural!

Well, tomorrow back to Bangkok. I lost one rehearsal on Saturday we can't afford that. The show must go on and it will on the next 28th of May.

El Triatlón

2008-05-13T13:19:00.009+07:00

Y ahí va el campeón, marchando a la meta final del triatlón.

Pueden ver el recorrido aquí.
Estas son las distancias recorridas para su grupo de 11 y 12 años.
Swim: 200M
Bike: 4.5Km
Run: 1.6Km

Yil quedó en 8vo lugar de su grupo. Este es su primer triatlón de su vida.

The Father-Daughter Ball

2008-05-06T00:01:00.008+07:00

Not enough words to say... Just look at the pictures. Lía went to her first big gala ball in her life. It is called "The Father-Daughter Ball" and no moms are allowed, just dads (me) and daughters (Lía).

Her mom had a lot to do with it, though. They went together shopping for her first gala dress, shoes and purse and Nana took her to the hair dresser. She had beautiful nails too. Also, it was An who took all the pictures. So, it's not all about painting. She's becoming a great photographer as well.

During the ball Lía and I won a trophy for the Best couple dancing La Macarena, surprised?

Lía had the time of her life!!! And me too!!!

Xpat Blue -the last show-

2008-04-28T15:10:00.006+07:00

Yes, sad but true. It's my last show in Bangkok and, although sad, I'm looking forward to it.

Since early 2007 we've being trying to put together this piece of art. Kathy's idea since then, gathering souls with a vision; brainstorming every week (and still now)... It's almost there: May 28th the big opening.

XPAT BLUE

“Bangkok is beautiful in the morning, ugly during the day, but damn exciting at night”

Caravan Theatre announces the world premiere of their latest, original production, Xpat Blue... a cheeky look at life as a resident guest in the City of Angels.

Xpat Blue, collectively written, acted and directed by expatriates living here in Bangkok, brings together elements of both cabaret, comedy and satire fusing them into one hilarious and thought-provoking piece of theatrical entertainment for adults.

Come along, have a laugh at our expense.... and a drink at yours!

At Novotel Lotus Bangkok, Sukhumvit 33

Wednesday 28 May to Sunday 31 May

and

Wednesday 4 June

Thursday 5 June

Tickets 1200THB including dinner

Siguen las aventuras de los Shironoshita-Verdeja

2008-04-19T20:47:00.013+07:00

Llegaron Rosa y Patrick!!!!

2008-04-14T00:32:00.007+07:00

El comité de bienvenida se encargó de hacer que se sintieran "en casa" desde el principio.

Y después de un viaje que se tragó un día en el pacífico nos fuimos a celebrar el año nuevo tailandés como se hace en Abril. A echarnos agua y barro en Bangkok.

Golfgasms

2008-04-04T00:28:00.003+07:00

March 23rd, 2008. NICHIGO Golf Resort, Kanchanaburi
(Thanks, Kelly for the corrections)

Trying to explain “Why golf?” to non-golfers is usually a waste of time. It only encourages the “fools” image they have set in their minds to grow even bigger. So I’ve found an explanation that cultivates either curiosity, understanding, or envy.

Golf is about Golfgasm. It’s about that feeling and overwhelming physical sensation you get when striking the ball with a perfect contact. It is not only about the result of that strike -which is necessary to get the "complete" feeling of it. The Golfgasm begins right at impact; and like an electric impulse it goes from the club head’s sharp contact with the ball, making that “sflckt!” sound. It travels up the shaft through your hands directly to your spine, starting right at the first vertebra, climbing one by one until it covers the whole back, then the chest and then - there it is: the Golfgasm takes over. You are breathless at the top of the world, looking down at the clouds, floating, suspended in mid-air just enjoying ecstasy. Then, softly you return to yourself, and have that peaceful and ridiculous smile that only other golfers can detect, appreciate, admire and, of course, envy. All in a split second.

And then you want to do it and feel it again and again. And the good thing, better than sex itself, is that you can have multiple ones!! This gives an extra edge to men, for obvious reasons.

Golfgasms, oh! I love them!!!

Vietnam, there we go!!!!

2008-03-27T23:18:00.002+07:00

Well, for those who are not up to date with the latest movements of the Verdeja-Bellemans, our coordinates will change latitude in the following summer. We're going back to Ho Chi Minh City, (Saigon), Vietnam. When I say we, I mean Yil, Lía, María Luisa and I, because An is going there already next week. Yes. She is starting in her new position on April 1st and will be commuting to Bangkok every one or two weeks until we all go at the end of the school year.

Vietnam has been growing and changing by the minute from the day we left it 2.5 years ago. Although we wanted to stay longer in Bangkok, we know is going to be a great journey to a known place, friends and opportunities. Lía is very excited about it and Yil was the owner of the decision to bring Leyla (the cat) with us. So, she is coming, of course.

Bangkok is a great place to live and grow. We're leaving behind a great community of friends and a beautiful land full of lovely people. It all is close by, so we'll be back one way or another.

Vietnam, get ready for us, because there we go!!!

Artistic Veins

2008-03-27T22:05:00.010+07:00

Who would have thought that reaching the 40's, one can still find out that there is a hidden talent inside you that has been unexploited.

I finally have decided to take painting lessons in Thailand since 6 weeks now. And while it was originally intended to simply relax myself, it actually turns out that I have quite a natural talent for a rough painting stroke a la Van Gogh, Monet, etc... The feeling is amazing (Ro...it can compete with your Golf feeling) I feel so energized and would like to paint whenever possible. I see suddenly the world with other eyes. I look at the environment around me and think how great if would be to capture it on a painting. I see suddenly colours and shadows that I had never seen before.

While for sure I lost the opportunity to become a famous painter, I do know that I have found a hobby that allows me to keep the other side (is it the right or left side) of my brain active and I finally found my own passion outside of my work and family.

Let me first share you my Vietnamese productions which I have done at home without any teacher's inputs. I am very proud of them and I have already several friend of Maria Luisa who have shown interest in wanting to buy them... Who knows, this could be a nice alternative job to Marketing VP in Unilever?

These are my two first paintings which where inspired by Cubism. Not really a style I like, but a very good practice to get the basics of painting right. Maria Luisa loves them, so I already promised her to hang some paintings in her room when we move back to Vietnam.

Here are two reproductions of Van Gogh - thinking by the way a lot of Tio Lu when painting them. The one of the vase with sunflowers is very famous. The portrait is also painted by Van Gogh but is showing another painter called Armand Roulin. This specific portrait I choose in order to practice the art of portrait paintings. My next challenge will be to start painting from pictures. I have already identified my first portrait painting from Yil. I'll post it when finished.

The landscape is a copy from an impressionist (female - Dutch ?) who I cannot recall the name. It caused me a lot of sweat to finish, but I managed to finish it very close to the original painting. Yil adores this one! This weekend we will go to the park and will paint the landscape our eyes will be perceiving in real life. I am very excited.

Now I am on my way to Vietnam for a new job and Ro and the kids will be following in July. You can guess already...I plan to continue my painting lessons there.

London. Fourty. Mamma Mia!!!

2008-03-27T18:42:00.015+07:00

Every year Unilever somehow achieves to send An away for her birthday claiming the urgency and the importance of her presence in a business meeting somewhere far from her family. This year was no exception. Murphy's law were meticulously in track and her birthday, on March 19th was to be spent midway between Thailand and the Caribbean, namely London.

If you can't beat them, join them... (or the other one about the mountain and Mohamed)

I've never been to London. It was the only part of Europe I didn't visit during my backpacking years there. Always wanted to go and find out for myself how true was what everybody said about it. So I thanked Murphy for making this opportunity possible. And, as much as it was a gift for An to be together on this important birthday, it was also a huge gift for me to finally make acquaintance with this magical city.

Five minutes away from hearing the Big Ben chiming from the south shore of the Thames path, I was feeding the street artists, some statues, singers and an invisible man... going back in time to take their places and be grateful people who, like me now, where feeding me.

I brought a journal for my days in London and a page was skipped by accident. I didn't want to go back and write in the middle of my stories up to that moment, so I somehow thought I could draw something to fill up the space. Well, I'm not Alber, nor Rosa who are the artists in the family, but I was surprised that at the end it looked like something with a meaning. Humbly I sent it right away to Alber looking for his approval. He told me "stop doing presentations and starts with perspectives". It was kidding, of course, but anyway I loved it and kept drawing. Now I have another three drawings in my repertoire and still growing. [click to enlarge. Drawing was made from memory]

Then the big night came. As part of the celebrations of An's 40th birthday (don't worry, mine are coming soon too) we bought in advance tickets to watch one of the many musicals in London. We chose Mamma Mia, and have to say that we enjoyed every second of it. The actors, the dances, the songs (all ABBA songs) and the story itself were worth every pound (every pound!!!). All around London were tickets kiosks selling "last minute" tickets to all the shows in town. I have the feeling I'll be back in London sometime to watch more of those.

The night finished at "Floridita", a cuban restaurant with a band and DJ where we could dance some salsa while having some tostones with our food.

Happy Birthday Vida!

HONK, the ugly duckling

2008-03-12T10:18:00.003+07:00

This is one of the pictures of the Cat in Honk. I'll be posting some more later including the kids as ducklings and froglets.

Can anybody see me? I'm hiding behind the trees.

Thought of the day

2008-02-27T10:34:00.001+07:00

I read this recently and thought it deserves to come to live with us in our blog.

"Life is not measured by the quantity of breaths you take, but by the quantity of moments that took your breath away."

Opa Staf & Noma Sonia in BKK

2008-02-17T19:59:00.005+07:00

Here are they!!!

The grand parents all the way from Belgium. They spent three weeks with us and went to Koh Chang as well.

They saw two shows "Honk" (The ugly duckling -pictures to come) and "101 Dalmatians" from which they stole two of the puppies as you can see.

And a big highlight of the visit: the celebration of the 20th anniversary of Opa Staf and Noma Sonia. We went to the 64th floor of the State Tower to the restaurant Breeze and the bar Sirocco to celebrate it. It was a beautiful night with a great food and service.

Important: They were never taken to the hospital while here (like other visitors). So, don't be afraid, you can still visit us!!

Voor de Belgische lezers : kijk maar heel goed hoe chique Opa Staf en Oma Sonia eruit zien. Zij waren in hun splinter nieuwe kleren die ze hier laten maken hebben in Thailand aan een heel goede prijs. Zien ze er niet prachtig uit?

...And the BOB goes to...

2008-02-14T18:45:00.004+07:00

Yes, we're talking about the BCT version of The Oscars, with the tiny different that you wouldn't feel that proud if you get nominated for it and even less if you actually win one.

Well, I was one of the lucky ones for one of the productions from last year. And to say the truth... I feel happy and proud of it.

Check the whole story behind it and all other nominations and winners at the BCT page . My category was the 7th one.

PS. Important to notice the tie. It was a gift from my comadre Ana y José Alberto and everybody asked me about it.

Warmth and Truth

2008-02-06T14:38:00.000+07:00

I just got this thought in my inbox today and it gave me my dose of growth for the day. Hope it does for you too.
Ro.-

“Thai communication and interaction can be easily summed up in one word: warmth. Thais do not tell the truth and they do not seek the truth for it is not relevant to the speaker or the listener. Communication and interaction between Thai people is not about advancing knowledge and understanding...it is about sharing that fuzzy feeling called warmth. Thai people couldn't care less if they are listening to a lie so long as they are feeling warm. In fact they laugh at farangs' constant quest to find the truth. In Thailand seeking the truth is a futile pursuit.”

FARANG is the thai word for foreigner. We are farangs here and so would be you if you're not thai.

Tina and Ike Turner in Bangkok

2008-01-31T18:50:00.001+07:00

Esta fue la mejor fiesta de disfraces a la que hemos ido. La organiza cada año una pareja de amigos vecinos, Leanne y Chris. Todo el mundo tiene que ir vestido de algún cantante o grupo famosos. Pues aquí están los Turner en sus buenas.

Durante la noche todo el mundo está dividido en equipos de diez personas (ninguna pareja puede estar junta en una mesa) y se hacen concursos de adivinar el nombre de la canción o autor de las músicas que van tocando durante unos 20 segs cada una. 25 canciones cada vez. Primero de los 60's, luego 70's, 80's, 90's y luego una ronda relámpago en la que se puede usar un celular por mesa para llamar a alguien que sepa mucho de música para ayudar.

La mesa de An ganó el primer lugar!!

Chris fue, para mí, el mejor disfraz de la noche. A ver quién lo identifica a la izquierda de los cuatro.

Hubo muchísimas Cher y An se encontró con otra Tina Turner y yo con otro Ike también.

It's a Python

2008-01-23T22:48:00.000+07:00

Bueno, resultó que la serpiente era una Pitón (Python) no venenosa. Uff.

También vimos a Milo hoy. Todos acordamos que sí era. Lo vimos en el campo de baseball del colegio. Lo llamamos, pero andaba tras una chica. Seguimos insistiendo y nos reconoció a mí, lía y An. Vino, se quedó con nosotros, lo acariciamos, tenía la vueltita en la cola, tenía un collar también (parece que lo adoptaron), y luego nos dijo adios porque el amor lo llamaba a toda velocidad.

Así que dos finales felices. No era venenosa, y no se comió a Milo.

The Zoo close by

2008-01-21T10:46:00.000+07:00

Actually, this is not the zoo. It's just outside our home. Outside María Luisa's window. Wow!!!!
Thinking about if that's the reason why Milo (the cat) went missing.

It's a beautiful one, though. Still finding out what kind it is. If you know or find out, write it on the comments.

Mission Impossible

2008-01-17T23:29:00.000+07:00

Eso dijo Yil que estaba jugando al momento de que la esquina de una pared de concreto del colegio lo detuviera agarrándolo por un lado de la cabeza.

Terminamos la película en el hospital con tres puntos azules. Bonitos!

Eso sí, Yil se portó como todo un hombrazo!

Koh Chang (la Isla de Chang)

2008-01-10T01:15:00.000+07:00

And there we went after a 4.5h trip we arrived to the coast, close to the border with Cambodia to take the ferry which will get us to the island.

And just like that this is the sunset that awaited for us as soon as we got to Chang Park Resort in the west part of the island. www.kohchangparkresort.com.

Two matching coffee mugs and 12 buckets of sand at a nearby island sealed our 12th anniversary ceremony.

Then, a lot of team work to have fun!!

Then, parasailing!!! First Zev, then Yil, Lía, Siebe, Patje and Ro. What a great fun!

Then having thai food in a local fishing village.

And having Patje and Eva falling in love with every bite of the spicy food.

OH WHAT A GREAT HOLIDAYS!!!! We're gonna miss you guys!

Safari World in BKK

2008-01-10T01:00:00.001+07:00

Un día de Safari en las afueras de Bangkok. Uno entra en su propio carro por todo un camino donde todas las bestias están sueltas en contacto con los autos. Había gente que iba hasta en taxi. Buenísimo!

"Hey you! What are you looking at?"

Dream World in BKK

2008-01-03T13:01:00.000+07:00

A perfect day to go to Dream World. Sunny and fresh. No heat, no sweat. If Bangkok would stay like this all the year round it would be the paradise.

Enjoy the video and remember to click the pictures to enlarge them.

The Hurricane was one of the highlights of the day (see the video). The three Knights Zev, Yil and Siebe dared to climb up to beat

A very peculiar way to show the path to the toilets. There were many of these ready-to-go babies (in all colors) along the park.

Zev took Lía on a ride on an old 30's car. He was very proud and she was very amazed by his driving skills.

You have to be brave and full of self control over your stomach to go climb into the BOAT. Well, Patje the Hero did it, and on top of it took pictures. Look at the back row.

Lune too, she had the time of her life in almost all games. She even went inside the terrible and spooky Hunted House!!!

The last day of 2007 or 2550?

2008-01-01T13:28:00.000+07:00

Yes, in Bangkok we celebrate two different years. So, according to Buddhism we're now in 2551, while in many other parts of the world we're now in 2008.

We first went to Ayuthaya, the old capital of Thailand before Bangkok.

This is how we spent it. On the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok with a lot of other people from the neighborhood. It was a great evening.

La Celebración de Amor de Rosa y Patrick

2007-12-30T20:50:00.000+07:00

Fue el 20 de Octubre pasado que, de todas partes del mundo, trajimos y aunamos semillitas y pedacitos de ternura que íbamos acumulando con el crecimiento del amor entre estas dos almas gemelas (una de ellas es mi hermana).

Rosa y Patrick nos mostraron durante los tres días que duró la boda (sí, tres días, qué gozar!) la historia de su amor, personas claves en la vidad de ambos, detalles inolvidables que nos reflejaban a cada uno de los asistentes y la importancia de la familia. Y cómo los amigos hacen parte íntegra de nuestras familias.

Qué momentos tan lindos. Qué días tan intensos. Cualquier esfuerzo que haya sido hecho para ser parte activa de esta celebración, valió inquestionablemente la pena. Felicidades Go, felicidades Patrick! Y más aún, Gracias a ambos!

La Guerra de bolitas

2007-12-29T22:59:00.001+07:00

Aquí comenzó todo. Dos equipos: Padres contra hijos. Todo iba bien hasta que nos quedamos sin hijos y tuvimos que cambiar el formato a guerra de familias. No se supo cuál fue la familia ganadora, pero quedamos en contar el número de moretones plasmados en los cuerpos.

La adrenalina se hizo cargo de nuestros saltos mortales y señas de verdaderos combatientes.

We ain't no virgins anymore!

2007-12-29T12:19:00.000+07:00

It took us an average of 37.5 years to Patje and I to get a hold in a real 5hrs round of poker.

Leroy, the guy in the middle is an expert. He used to live in BKK and he was now just visiting and calling out the pals for this "friendly" game of poker. Danny (2nd left to right) invited us for the night. Bob (right) was the banker, and Ross on the phone was talking to all his girlfriends during the matches.

They explained us all the rules we were going to play by. We played different kinds of poker that I had never heard of before. We played with 7 cards, with 4 of them facing up the table and you could bet for a high or a low hand, meaning that if you had a bad hand, you can bet for that too and winning for the best bad hand.

We won and we lost through the night (ending losing, of course), but no more than what we would have spent on a normal night out for drinks or food.

Later, Danny took us with Leroy to the famous Soi Cowboy street in Bangkok. Where anything could happen. See the pictures, enjoy them and imagine the rest.

Quien sabe quien soy yooooooooo??

2007-12-27T17:22:00.001+07:00

Alguien reconoce al larguilucho este?

Inge y Luc en Bangkok

2007-12-27T17:13:00.001+07:00

Hoy nos fuimos a pasear por los canales del río Chao Prahya de Bangkok. Inge y Luc pararon en Bangkok por dos noches en su viaje alrededor del mundo. Mañana siguen para Hong Kong.

Alquilamos un long tail boat (barco de cola larga) que nos llevó por muchos de los canales que se conectan con el río principal. Paramos en el templo Wat Arum y en el museo de las barcas reales. Al final nos quedamos en un restaurant junto al río con un buffet the comida tailandesa bien rica y picante (claro).

Nuestra casita Pung Waan Resort

2007-12-26T18:53:00.001+07:00

Home sweet home. Aquí llegábamos cada día a recargar las pilas para la próxima aventura.

Subiendo hacia tierra estaba el resto del resort. Grandísimo. Tenía habitaciones de varios tipos en tierra firme: bungalos, habitaciones convencionales de hotel y otras. Tenía jardines, piscina, campo de fútbol, nombres en las plantas y letreritos en algunas piedras mostrando fósiles.

La montaña embarazada

2007-12-26T18:40:00.001+07:00

Alguien la ve? Bueno, sí. La montaña estaba a punto de dar a luz mientras íbamos río abajo.... o el menos venía rompiendo fuente... y nosotros remando en ella.

Los Belgas sobre el Río Kwai

2007-12-26T18:29:00.000+07:00

Tres días y dos noches. Del 22 al 24 de diciembre nos fuimos a un hotel que queda a la orilla del famoso río Kwai, cerquita del famoso puente también. Nos quedamos en habitaciones flotantes. No hicimos llegar y nos fuimos río abajo en los kayaks. Qué bien la pasamos!

Una foto por día!

2007-12-26T18:20:00.000+07:00

Esta es mi resolución para el 2008. Creo que esta falta de respeto a todos ustedes tiene que acabar. No puede ser que me la pase sin escribir nada o sin subir fotos o sin contar lo que está pasando por este lado oscuro del planeta.

Los Clarebouts están aquí (para los que no saben, es la hermana de An Eva, con su esposo Patje y los hijos Zev, Siebe y Lune), y ya me estaba arrollando para saber cuáles fotos iba a subir. Pero no quería subir las fotos sin antes no subir las que me faltan del viaje de Eduar y Chun aquí, de la boda de Rosa y Patrick, de las actividades de los niños, de la obra, de.... y así.

Así que dije Mierda pa' Balaguer! Voy a comprometerme conmigo mismo y la comunidad lectora de blogs de los Verdeja-Bellemans a que sí puedo subir al menos una foto o una historia por día. No tengo que decir mucho, sólo mostrar que estamos presentes y pendientes del mundo que nos sigue y adora.

Tampoco tienen las cosas que estar en orden. Subiré lo primero que se me antoje. Pero algo verán, os lo prometo!

Algo. Por lo menos ALGO!!!

2007-11-21T23:13:00.000+07:00

Sí, ya lo sé. Que cuándo voy a escribir algo nuevo. Que cuándo voy a subir fotos nuevas. Que qué pasó en Miami. Que cuente cómo fue la celebración de Amor de Rosa y Patrick. Que por qué ya no escribo en el blog. Que qué es lo que yo me creo. Que si yo creo que me pertenezco. Que hay gente que nos quiere y nos da saguimiento aunque nunca nos escriban. Que, que, que.....

Perdón. Ya escribiré.
En principio tengo que contar mucho. Nunca terminé el famoso a viaje a China. Sólo conté el principio. Ni si quiera llegamos a la gran muralla en las fotos. Bueno.

El highlight de todo lo que falta por escribir es definitivamente sobre la bellísima celebración de amor de Rosa y Patrick en Miami. Fue contagioso y emocionante (hasta lloré al ver a mi hermana tan contenta. Un poquito nomás). Fue un viaje de 10 días con 4 en el aire y repartido entre Miami y Costa Rica visitando a An y Ariel y los niños. Fue un viaje tan intenso y lleno de amor y de familia que llegamos inflados a casa. El éxtasis nos duró más que el jetlag (del cual practicamente no salimos).

Otras cosas. Que participamos en un maratón por el cumpleaños del Rey. An, Yil, Lía y yo fuimos y caminamos 5Km el sábado pasado con miles de tailandeses en un evento lindísimo por el medio de la ciudad partiendo del Grand Palace. Hasta nos dieron una medalla.

Los ensayos van bien. El estreno de Trial by Jury es el miércoles 28/Nov próximo. Ya estamos casi listos. En uno de los ensayos una de las actrices principales se cayó del escenario y se partió el codo en varios pedacitos y tuvieron que operarla de emergencia. Dice que volverá a los ensayos y que participará. Pero fue muy duro y triste. En los ensayos de Honk (el patito feo) en el que estamos participando Yil, Lía y yo vamos bien. Es para final de Enero.

Este fin de semana yo me voy a Vietnam al torneo anual de golf en el que vengo participando de hace ya 3 años. Somos dos grandes equipos: Australia+New Zeland Vs Rest of the World (ahí estoy yo). Vamos a ver cómo nos va este año. El antepasado ganamos y el pasado perdimos por 1 punto. Yil, Lía y An se van a Singapur a una competencia de natación. Volvemos todos el domingo.

Ana Escoll (la madrina de Yil) y José Alberto vienen a visitarnos y llegan este domingo cuando nosotros regresamos de Vietnam y Singapur. Se quedarán unas semanas conociendo Tailandia. (ojalá no sea conociendo los hospitales).

Bueno, bastante por ahora. Seguimos luego con algunas fotos.

Bienvenida Ximena Sofía!!!!!

2007-10-01T09:03:00.000+07:00

La familia sigue creciendo. Tenemos sobrina/primita nueva!!!

La Comadre-Tía Madrina Perla y Álvaro acaban de recibir de pico de cigüeña a la bella Ximena Sofía el pasado 19/Sep, a las 9:20am, en Santo Domingo. 8,5 libras (3,86 kilos) y 21,5 pulgadas (54 cms).

Esperamos conocerte pronto Ximena!
Tía An, Tío Ro, Nana y tus primos Yil y Lía.-

Si quieren ver más fotos hagan click aquí el link para ver el álbum que subió su hermana Mere.

What a Wonderful... "shadow"?

2007-09-18T19:49:00.000+07:00

Mamá nos mandó hace poco una presentación bien chévere con la música, que siempre me recuerda a tío Lu, de Louis Armstrong "What a wonderful World". Yil la vio y de una vez me comentó que en su clase vieron un video con la misma música y una show hecho a base de sombras que le gustó mucho. Bueno, basta de bla bla bla, vean el video y verán por qué vale la pena ponerlo aquí.
Gracias Mamá. Gracias Yil!

Poniéndonos al día...

2007-09-09T16:17:00.001+07:00

Pues sí, dónde nos quedamos? De China a hoy ha llovido mucho. A ver... Eduar y Chun vinieron. Les desgracié las vacaciones cuando le desguabiné una clavícula a Eduar jugando frisbi en la playa al segundo día de su llegada (todo pareció un accidente). Cambiaron el tour a camboya por 9 tours a hospitales y médicos. Comenzaron las clases. María Luisa y yo fuimos a Kuala Lumpur a sacar la nueva visa de ella. Visitamos allí a Dani, Nicole y a Iva, que quedó fascinada con las dotes de María Luisa. Recomenzó el volibol de adultos en la escuela con muchísima gente nueva. Me contrataron en la escuela para entrenar ahora al equipo de volibol de los Junior Varsity (equipo B del High School). Comenzamos los ensayos de Romance para el BCT. Fui a audiciones para otro musical (Trial by Jury) pero aún no sé si me eligieron. Comenzará el nuevo musical Honk (el patito feo) en la escuela para febrero 08. Fuimos al South African Ball disfrazados de "Orígenes" y yo fui de dominicano. Lucas y Louise vinieron de Camboya para dicha fiesta también.... qué más? Bueno, que ahora tengo que subir algunas fotos, no?

Bollywood Night

2007-09-07T11:31:00.000+07:00

Ahora es baile de las novelas y películas indias. Cuando uno comienza, no quiere parar!!! ja ja ja.

Tian' An Men Square -Detalle V

2007-07-31T23:00:00.001+07:00

Mao ama a Fidel y Fidel ama a Mao (recuerdan ese chiste? 2do de primaria, creo. Si no, leer en voz alta).

Tian' An Men Square -Detalle IV

2007-07-31T22:57:00.001+07:00

Que viva China. Yupiiiiiii!!! China, China RA RA RA!!!! (casi puede escucharse, no?)

Tian' An Men Square -Detalle III

2007-07-31T22:51:00.001+07:00

Primera foto de Lía. Sí. Si hubiéramos cobrado $1 por cada foto que pedían hacerse con Lía (o con An... o ambas) habríamos podido comprar cualquier souvenir de $5. Pero al final tuvimos que pagarlo con nuestro propio dinero. Qué mal negocio!

Lía da buena suerte, dicen los beijinenses (y los orientales en general, porque en Vietnam también se peleaban por tocarle el pelo o tirarse fotos con ella). Y creo que tienen razón, porque no saben la suerte tenemos los que vivimos cerquita de ella!

Tian' An Men Square -Detalle II

2007-07-31T22:46:00.001+07:00

"Llevo la chichigua. Mira la chichigua, chichigüero!!! Cambio chichigua por botella. Llevo grillos, jarritos para hacer ventosas en la espalda, hierbas secas para té, y todo eso por diez cheles!"

Qué creen? Nos compramos 2 chichiguas... Bueno, ok, eran chichigüitas, pero vuelan igual. Por suerte la guía nos recomendó comprarlas en otro lugar donde el precio era un 15% del que pedían en la plaza.

Tian' An Men Square -Detalle I

2007-07-31T22:41:00.000+07:00

Al segundo de derecha a izquierda no lo fusilaron porque ya eso casi no se usa, pero le dieron una pela con un fuete moja'o delante de todos los mirones de la plaza porque es considerado más vergonzoso y por lo tanto efectivo. Y todo, por relambío!

Tian' An Men Square II

2007-07-31T22:27:00.000+07:00

Sí, aquí mismito. Esta es la famosa plaza gigantezca que sale en todas las películas y canales de noticias. Aquí es donde hacen los desfiles, no de carnaval, sino de despliegue atómico y radioactivo. Una como esta es la que quería Fidel en el malecón.

Fue aquí la famosa protesta de hambre de estudiantes en mayo de 1989 en demanda de más libertades.

Wikipedia dice:
The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 were a series of demonstrations led by students, intellectuals, and labor activists in the People's Republic of China (PRC) between April 15, 1989 and June 4, 1989. While the protests lacked a unified cause or leadership, participants were generally critical of the ruling Chinese Communist Party and voiced complaints ranging from minor criticisms to calls for full-fledged democracy and the establishment of broader freedoms. The demonstrations centered on Tiananmen Square in Beijing, but large-scale protests also occurred in cities throughout China, including Shanghai, which stayed peaceful throughout the protests. In Beijing, the resulting military crackdown on the protesters by the PRC government left many civilians dead or injured. The toll ranges from 200–300 (PRC government figures), to 400–800 by The New York Times, and to 2,000–3,000 (Chinese student associations and Chinese Red Cross).

China -Tian'An Men Square

2007-07-31T22:17:00.000+07:00

El Pueblo, The People. La línea artística definida por el famoso pintor que creó el estilo de toda la propaganda socialista y comunista tuvo gran acogida entre los escultores también. Es como hacer un cuadro 3D de los posters que vestían las calles de Saigón.

China -La estadía

2007-07-31T22:00:00.000+07:00

Haciendo su debut en dormir solos en una habitación de hotel, con ustedes: YIL & LÍA!!!!

Los hoteles a los que fuimos no permitían tener 4 personas (sí, ellos entran en este rango también) en la misma habitación por lo que tuvimos que tomar dos. Que no estaban interconectadas.

Pues se graduaron ambos! Excelente trabajo, muy bien se portaron y no hubo ningún fuego en el hotel durante esos días.

China -De camino a Beijing

2007-07-31T21:53:00.000+07:00

De Lunes a Domingo. Ese es el plan. Tres noches en Beijing y tres en Hong Kong. El vuelo de Cathay Pacific (en la foto) hacía escala en HK ahí tomamos Dragon Air para llegar al destino.

Para los que no lo saben como no lo sabía yo, Beijing es la capital de China comunista (la de Mao y la Ciudad Prohibida y la Muralla) que oficialmente se llama "People's Republic of China". Es lo mismo que Pequín, como nos enseñaron a muchos en el colegio. O sea, no son dos ciudades distintar Beijing y Pequín. Por fin!

El Viaje a China!

2007-07-31T21:51:00.000+07:00

Sí, sí, ya voy!!! Ya sé que debo subir las fotos e historias del viaje China, pero es que con la llegada, había muchos pendientes y preparación para la llegada de Eduar y Chun y.... ok, me callo y subo fotos.

Sharing some wisdom and a smile

2007-07-30T22:23:00.000+07:00

Esto lo escribió mi hermana Rosa y me pareció tan chévere para compartirlo con el resto de los amiguitos.

===============================

Even in the windowless world of an office environment and the dark corners of the copier room we can learn some things if we let it be. I just wanted to share with you some insight that “illuminated” me a few minutes ago: “If we are open, we may find wisdom in the smallest and most unexpected interactions with other human beings, with nature and even with the soulless machine.” Here are a couple of teachings from the copier/printer:

1-The printer

A couple of months ago, I was highly tense, stressed, frustrated; there were lots of challenges blasting at me from different fronts, work, home, bureaucracy and my patience had been tried one too many times. In the midst of it I had to turn in some paperwork and needed a printout, when a red light came on at the printer with a blinking message stating “machine is having functional problems, please turn off and start again.” My reaction speeded thru shock, frustration, and disbelieve, and in less than 2 seconds it turned into contagious belly laughter, so deep and loud that tears were pouring down my face as I held myself to avoid falling. This went on for a good ten minutes and the folks surrounding me starting laughing with me or at me without knowing the cause. Just for that it was a brilliant moment. The idea of shutting my door and putting a sign outside stating “I’m having functional problems, will shut down and re-start at a later day” seemed so comical to me that still to this day, the thought brings a smile. So now, the question: if a machine, being as complicated as it is but never close to the complexities of us human beings, may shut down, take a break and start again when it is overloaded or having “functional problems”, why can’t we?

2-The copier

Today, while making copies through the feeder, the machine all of a sudden stopped in the middle of the job. Again a red light came on and a blinking message stated: “machine is self checking and will continue shortly.” All of a sudden I realized how many times we may be pushing through one task after another without pausing for a moment and doing an internal check. How am I doing? What am I feeling? Do I need to walk outside and breath some fresh air, feel the sun on my skin, see a bird fly, or listen to a cricket? Have I been drinking enough water? Have I smiled or made someone smiled in the last hour? I’m I still awake through life or just going numbly through the motions?

So, there, I just did an internal check and realized I haven’t done something creative in a while, so here is a little writing to put a “check-mark” on that.

A smile back at you.

Rosa Verdeja

Chistes del fin de semana

2007-07-14T20:28:00.000+07:00

Los chistes cortos siempre tienen un encanto. Aquí van los últimos enviados por Alicia desde España.

- ¿En qué se parecen una boda y un divorcio?
- En que en la boda todo es arroz y en el divorcio todo es paella.

El otro:

Un niño de 3 años se estaba mirando los huevecillos mientras se bañaba.
- Mamá, ¿éste es mi cerebro?
- Todavía no.

El Gato Lilo ha muerto. QUE VIVA EL GATO LILO!!!!

2007-07-01T22:27:00.000+07:00

No todos tenemos la oportunidad de compartir en una misma existencia con seres tan excepcionales como Lilo.

Lilo vivió con nosotros algo más de un año, claro con su escapada en diciembre. Era tan cariñoso, que no concordaba con los parámetros normales de gatos.

Una de las maromas que más le gustaba hacer era el tirabuzón. Acostado en el suelo yo le daba vueltas y lo dejaba solo hasta que paraba. Parecía un bailarí de electrobuggy, principalmente en su última pose en la que parecía pedir más.

Lilo tuvo leucemia escondida y que sólo después de una gran pelea con el gato negro que rondaba el vecindario fue que apareció. Estaba tan débil que aunque lo llevamos al veterinario y a un hospital de animales no sobrevivió. Sin embargo, al vernos allí junto a él, le quedaron fuerzas suficinete para ronrronear suavemente dándonos su adios cariñoso, como siempre.

Hoy le hicimos un funeral frente al lago. Hicimos ofrendas, quemamos poemas y tiramos piedras al agua con deseos secretos de Yil, Lía, Mami, Nana y Ro.

Adios Lilo. Te queremos muchísimo.

(No dejen de ver el poema de Lía en su blog y el post de Yil en el suyo).

El Esquiante!

2007-06-26T00:03:00.000+07:00

Sí, lo logré!!!! Primera vez en una tabla de esas. Tenía tanto tiempo que no esquiaba, pero recordaba un poco los principios básicos. Así que comencé con dos esquíes. Salió bien. Ok, ahora con uno solo. Prueba superada! Entonces me atreví a probar la tabla. Escuché y miré toda la teoría que me daban los encargados y miraba todos los demás como salían o se estrallaban en el agua apenas salir. Me tocó mi turno y Zas!! Al agua en menos de 2 metros. Volví al estrado. Me siento y veo los demás. Calculo lo que me salió mal la vez pasada y proyecté que en unas 5 veces más me saldría bien. Pues no! A la segunda salí volando a ras de agua alrededor del lago completo. Qué divertido. Pensé en Alber y en lo mucho que lo disfrutaría también.

Así que decidí que voy a encontrar el lugar donde hacen algo parecido en Bangkok para llevar a los niños.

Eso sí, cada centímetro cuadrado del cuerpo me duele y está acalambrado.... Pero como dicen por ahí, de un gustazo, un trancazo!! Pero nadie me quita lo bailao (también dicen).

La "Movida" en Singapur

2007-06-25T00:40:00.000+07:00

Sí. Esto es en el lugar en el que les hablé, donde no cabe ni un pensamiento que no sea el mismo de todo el mundo ahí. Se llama Movida (aunque es imposible moverse ahí). En la foto: Johnathan (nativo), Lucas, Louise y yo.

2 de Los 3 Amigos (que eran 4)

2007-06-23T11:33:00.001+07:00

Lucas y Louise viven en Singapur, y se van a mudar a Camboya el mes que viene. Teníamos una visita pendiente que materializamos ahora. Dani, que venía de Malasia, al final no pudo y tuvimos que compensar jugando golf.

La estamos pasando muy bien. Louise y Lucas me llevaron a pasear (clubbing) a un lugar que había tanta gente que me sentí en la mayor orgía de mi vida. Nunca me había sentido tocado por (y haber tocado) tanta gente. Por todas partes, con cualquier parte, con cualquiera de los 3 o cuatro géneros hoy conocidos (sigo? je je je). Había una banda latina que tocaba buenísimo (la música), y fue una gran pena no poder bailar con nadie (echo de menos a mi esposa.... buaaaaaa). No sólo no pude bailar por falta de pareja, creo que si la hubiera tenido, habríamos bailado una versión de salsa hecha a base de saltos en un mismo punto de la pista.

Bueno, nos divertimos!!!

De tal palo....

2007-06-20T13:17:00.001+07:00

Esto es lo que los gringos llaman "male bonding". Yil y yo nos fuimos a pelar hoy. Luego fuimos a ver una obrita de teatro de Lía en la escuela, "Spiderella".

Karaoke Time!!!

2007-06-04T21:39:00.001+07:00

Todo un salón para el grupo completo. En el repertorio se oyó Lucky de Britney Spears, Shakira, Yellow submarine, Beauty and the beast, YMCA entre otras.