I've had Macs since 1987. I remember being an assistant in 1988 at a lab in my University that taught Excel and Word in Macs (released for Mac in 1985 and for Windows in 1987) when Windows was mostly unknown and people had to use codes to format text in Word Processors.
In more recent events, I downloaded iTunes the day it was released, but patiently waited to get a revised first generation iPod, just because I knew Apple releases improved products quickly.
If I had followed that trend, I would have purchased an iPhone a long time ago. But my strong negative sentiments against ATT prevented me to do so, and have since been patiently waiting for the iPhone to be released with another carrier, preferably with my current one, T-Mobile. I've thought of getting and iPod Touch, but then again, it has some disadvantages, its not of much use if you don't have a Wi-Fi network at hand.
So I've stuck with my Video iPod which has given me hours and hours of company with great music for at least 3 years and don't have a clue about apps, which even my 67 year old father uses with his iPod Touch.
I used to have a Power Book and then a Macbook, but I got tired of carrying it around and got myself an iMac. And now I want something really portable but powerful from Apple! So I am following all the rumors about the possibility of a Tablet... and of Apple allowing a new carrier for the iPhone. Bummer! I've got cash gifts for Christmas and my Mom wants me to pick something with the cash I got from her. She wants to see it under the Christmas tree... but I can't buy one of those things from Apple right now now!! I know this is a really stupid predicament to have, but, I hope Apple listens to us gadget-oriented-crazy-people soon!
Read more!
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Thankful for the good times and for my Nikon D90 helping me capture them
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| Europe faves |
This year I've failed the FAR CPA exam twice... and will probably fail the REG one I'm giving on Nov 30th. I really didn't study enough for them...
But I've had such a good time this year! The highlight was the Europe trip. But also the many friends and family members I've had the joy of spending time with back home in Ecuador and also in Germany, Spain and my beloved Texas. I also reconnected with my long lost schoolmates thanks to Facebook, had a great time with them in Miami.
In July, just before I headed to Europe, I bought a Nikon D90 camera to replace my old D70. I never expected the machine and the lens to be so good! Did great with poorly lighted places and specially with people, they just look great in them :-)
And Google notified me that my $20 a year for 11 gb were good now for 80gb so I can share my pictures in its original size. Oh, and that's why I take pictures for, not to brag about where I've been, but to share them!
I'll spend most of the Thanksgiving weekend studying, but this afternoon will have a great time and share great food with family and friends. Happy Thanksgiving!! Read more!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
0 Friends on Facebook... I got the chills..
It's really crazy how attached you become to your "web 2.0" possessions. The other day Facebook was having issues, and when I logged in I watched in horror how my friends list displayed "You have 0 friends". All I was able to see was whatever I had posted in the last few days, which of course wasn't fun at all. I am one of those people who takes pictures of everybody except myself. Why would I want a picture of me... I see my photo everyday in my twitter and Facebook account.
Well, I don't go around asking for people to be friends, so I would say 90% of my 220 'friends' requested me to add them, and I know 99% of the people on that list. I guess we latinos, and specially ecuadorians, use Facebook not to meet new friends, but to get in touch with long lost friends and family. And just going to the trouble of finding them all again was not something I wanted to do.
So when that happened I sent a status update from Twitter to FB, saying that, I was now going to be able to study because my Facebook friends had dissapeared. I had some funny comments like: "yeah right!" (somebody who knows me well), and some sweet ones saying "I am your friend whatever Facebook says"... They all came back the day after.
But anyway, the point I am trying to make is how used to get to things you didn't have a year ago. And how communication and interaction has changed... now you
* remember everybody's birthday
* don't bother calling or writing an email to congratulate them, you write on their wall
* find out if relationships started or ended almost immediately
* realize how old you are when you see your friend's kids growing up
* worry when someone dis activates his/hers account
We'll see where all of this takes us... But it's been a crazy year...
Read more!
Well, I don't go around asking for people to be friends, so I would say 90% of my 220 'friends' requested me to add them, and I know 99% of the people on that list. I guess we latinos, and specially ecuadorians, use Facebook not to meet new friends, but to get in touch with long lost friends and family. And just going to the trouble of finding them all again was not something I wanted to do.
So when that happened I sent a status update from Twitter to FB, saying that, I was now going to be able to study because my Facebook friends had dissapeared. I had some funny comments like: "yeah right!" (somebody who knows me well), and some sweet ones saying "I am your friend whatever Facebook says"... They all came back the day after.
But anyway, the point I am trying to make is how used to get to things you didn't have a year ago. And how communication and interaction has changed... now you
* remember everybody's birthday
* don't bother calling or writing an email to congratulate them, you write on their wall
* find out if relationships started or ended almost immediately
* realize how old you are when you see your friend's kids growing up
* worry when someone dis activates his/hers account
We'll see where all of this takes us... But it's been a crazy year...
Read more!
Friday, October 16, 2009
Friday, October 9, 2009
A good day
It was nice waking up today. Not only because Taylor Swift released her Fifteen Video, which is beautiful, artistic and with a great message, but also because of the news we got about Obama winning the Nobel Peace Award, which yes, I learned first from someone's Twitter feed.
These two events are far from comparable but as I was trying to finish a long due financial statement from a non-profit which I help, and the quarterly Financials of the company I work for, due today, I couldn't help read dozens of comments, some negative, some positive... and obviously couldn't help commenting everywhere I was able to:
"The news of this great honor to our President has been received in the US with many different views. But I just want to congratulate him. We know his true intentions, we know how he was brought up by really special people (her mother and grandparents), how his wife has influenced him. He has a great mission ahead, and I welcome the motivation that this prize will instill on him. He has to live up to it. I may have read or heard thousands of negative or positive comments, but I can speak for my self, I believe in his good intentions, in his common sense, in his clarity of views. I bow that he is able to overcome the status quo, the audacity of the lobbyists and corporations, and does what is best for the country and the world.
The day Obama became President, people of all countries changed the view they had about the US. It was overnight. He has a great influence, and it comes from what he is, what he inspired, what he accomplished with a lot of work.
This is my favorite Obama Quote, from the commencement speech at Notre Dame:
"The question, then, is how do we work through these conflicts? Is it possible for us to join hands in common effort? As citizens of a vibrant and varied democracy, how do we engage in vigorous debate? How does each of us remain firm in our principles, and fight for what we consider right, without demonizing those with just as strongly held convictions on the other side?
Each side will continue to make its case to the public with passion and conviction. But surely we can do so without reducing those with differing views to caricature.
Open hearts. Open minds. Fair-minded words. "
This is exactly the opposite of what is going on today in the US, but hopefully we will overcome it.
Read more!
These two events are far from comparable but as I was trying to finish a long due financial statement from a non-profit which I help, and the quarterly Financials of the company I work for, due today, I couldn't help read dozens of comments, some negative, some positive... and obviously couldn't help commenting everywhere I was able to:
"The news of this great honor to our President has been received in the US with many different views. But I just want to congratulate him. We know his true intentions, we know how he was brought up by really special people (her mother and grandparents), how his wife has influenced him. He has a great mission ahead, and I welcome the motivation that this prize will instill on him. He has to live up to it. I may have read or heard thousands of negative or positive comments, but I can speak for my self, I believe in his good intentions, in his common sense, in his clarity of views. I bow that he is able to overcome the status quo, the audacity of the lobbyists and corporations, and does what is best for the country and the world.
The day Obama became President, people of all countries changed the view they had about the US. It was overnight. He has a great influence, and it comes from what he is, what he inspired, what he accomplished with a lot of work.
This is my favorite Obama Quote, from the commencement speech at Notre Dame:
"The question, then, is how do we work through these conflicts? Is it possible for us to join hands in common effort? As citizens of a vibrant and varied democracy, how do we engage in vigorous debate? How does each of us remain firm in our principles, and fight for what we consider right, without demonizing those with just as strongly held convictions on the other side?
Each side will continue to make its case to the public with passion and conviction. But surely we can do so without reducing those with differing views to caricature.
Open hearts. Open minds. Fair-minded words. "
This is exactly the opposite of what is going on today in the US, but hopefully we will overcome it.
Read more!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Shaking off addictions...
Yeah right... a hundred and forty characters are not enough for me... but it seems I never use any characters at all to update this blog, or the one in Spanish. I have many things going through my mind all the time that I want to post here, but never take the time. Who cares anyway? Haha..
Twitter is about three years old but I think this year it has changed the way we communicate. If we are, for example watching an award show, like the famous (or infamous) MTV awards, you go there first to get reactions from the search timeline or share what you think. It's as if you were watching it along with a huge group of people... But it is also as if you were talking to deaf people... or as if everybody was talking at the same time... It lacks feedback, you don't know who is reading or anything.
An exception was what I felt when I was watching the famous (or infamous) Juanes concert in Cuba.. the nice thing was that there were people from many latin-american countries, united for a cause: peace, and if felt great.
This pop culture communication thingy is really time-consuming and addictive. I had to take my CPA exam early October, and the weeks before, I had to literally use all my will power to avoid checking out Facebook or Twitter. In fact, the week before I didn't log in at all, which was a victory for me. Lately I try to log in briefly once or twice a day.
Every other day I hear from my mom back in Ecuador about all the emails regarding the dangers with Facebook accounts, who knows, maybe they are right. I only add people I know, or that at least I have gotten to know in one point in time. So far I have to say that thanks to Facebook, I had the most fun mini-reunion early September with my school friends from Ecuador that now live in the States. We met in Miami and had a blast.. I've also had reunions with cousins and relatives I hadn't seen in years. The point is that if you don't spend that much time in Facebook, and you get actual 'physical' reunions or phone calls, it mustn't be that bad...
The other day I posted two photos of my sister's sixth grade class, and tagged two or three of her classmates that I have in my 'friends' list. They in turn started tagging everybody else, and in two days there were around a hundred comments below that picture. I didn't really mind having my e-mail account full of comments, because I enjoyed them too. I was just two years younger than them and had very similar experiences. The fact is, they got in touch with classmates that they hadn't seen since Elementary School, and organized a reunion in Guayaquil close to Christmas... Isn't that awesome? I invited myself to the celebration and offered to be the photographer.. haha
Speaking about my sister and Facebook, she lives in Brazil and when she got those scary emails, deleted everything from her account, although she still has it open. She never comments or anything. The other day I called her, we hadn't talked for a month, but she knew everything I was up to. It seems as if she even reads comment number 15 in some of my status updates. (I don't normally get that many comments, but when I do, it seems she reads them all.)
Twitter is a whole different story; most people use it to follow famous people, artists, etc. At least that is what I do. And although it's a lot of fun, it's also hmmm yeah.. shallow and senseless. I am one of those ridiculous middle aged Taylor Swift fans.. and had a lot of fun just reading all the reactions after the MTV event. The week she didn't write after the Kanye issue, was one of the longest in history (haha) I used to check the @taylorswift13 timeline, and read how her fans begged her to write because they were so used to knowing what she was doing every day.. Isn't that crazy? But true, I missed her tweets also. (Guess it's 'crazier' to waste my time reading other people's reactions). Then they started following her band members, who are really talented, and fun, just to be able to know what she was up to. (Yeah I was already following them before that happened).
Oh and I know there are thousands of middle aged Taylor Swift fans because I have been to two of her concerts. The first in March in Houston and the other one in Dallas in late September (I somehow enjoyed the first a lot more, no stages and costumes but it was better). It sounded funny when the other day I was talking on the phone with a cousin who lives in Ecuador. It was her birthday (which I remembered thanks to Facebook) and I told her that I had gone to the Dallas concert with my cousin and my 5 year old niece, and that we both liked her. She laughed.. an artist that you and your niece like??? Well... Yeah...
Even though I still enjoy country and TS's music, I am in a detox period now, listening to a lot of Latin Pop, Alternative (the poppy ones, I think that is my favorite genre of music, but I mean it, not the heavy ones), rock, etc. It's a lot of fun... It's exciting that some of my favorite Latin artists are releasing their albums soon (Shakira, Juanes, Alejandro Sanz) and Nelly Furtado released an album, which I love, entirely in Spanish!. And now I need to go, I have another exam ahead, hopefully I'll do better this time at shaking off addictions.
Read more!
Twitter is about three years old but I think this year it has changed the way we communicate. If we are, for example watching an award show, like the famous (or infamous) MTV awards, you go there first to get reactions from the search timeline or share what you think. It's as if you were watching it along with a huge group of people... But it is also as if you were talking to deaf people... or as if everybody was talking at the same time... It lacks feedback, you don't know who is reading or anything.
An exception was what I felt when I was watching the famous (or infamous) Juanes concert in Cuba.. the nice thing was that there were people from many latin-american countries, united for a cause: peace, and if felt great.
This pop culture communication thingy is really time-consuming and addictive. I had to take my CPA exam early October, and the weeks before, I had to literally use all my will power to avoid checking out Facebook or Twitter. In fact, the week before I didn't log in at all, which was a victory for me. Lately I try to log in briefly once or twice a day.
Every other day I hear from my mom back in Ecuador about all the emails regarding the dangers with Facebook accounts, who knows, maybe they are right. I only add people I know, or that at least I have gotten to know in one point in time. So far I have to say that thanks to Facebook, I had the most fun mini-reunion early September with my school friends from Ecuador that now live in the States. We met in Miami and had a blast.. I've also had reunions with cousins and relatives I hadn't seen in years. The point is that if you don't spend that much time in Facebook, and you get actual 'physical' reunions or phone calls, it mustn't be that bad...
The other day I posted two photos of my sister's sixth grade class, and tagged two or three of her classmates that I have in my 'friends' list. They in turn started tagging everybody else, and in two days there were around a hundred comments below that picture. I didn't really mind having my e-mail account full of comments, because I enjoyed them too. I was just two years younger than them and had very similar experiences. The fact is, they got in touch with classmates that they hadn't seen since Elementary School, and organized a reunion in Guayaquil close to Christmas... Isn't that awesome? I invited myself to the celebration and offered to be the photographer.. haha
Speaking about my sister and Facebook, she lives in Brazil and when she got those scary emails, deleted everything from her account, although she still has it open. She never comments or anything. The other day I called her, we hadn't talked for a month, but she knew everything I was up to. It seems as if she even reads comment number 15 in some of my status updates. (I don't normally get that many comments, but when I do, it seems she reads them all.)
Twitter is a whole different story; most people use it to follow famous people, artists, etc. At least that is what I do. And although it's a lot of fun, it's also hmmm yeah.. shallow and senseless. I am one of those ridiculous middle aged Taylor Swift fans.. and had a lot of fun just reading all the reactions after the MTV event. The week she didn't write after the Kanye issue, was one of the longest in history (haha) I used to check the @taylorswift13 timeline, and read how her fans begged her to write because they were so used to knowing what she was doing every day.. Isn't that crazy? But true, I missed her tweets also. (Guess it's 'crazier' to waste my time reading other people's reactions). Then they started following her band members, who are really talented, and fun, just to be able to know what she was up to. (Yeah I was already following them before that happened).
Oh and I know there are thousands of middle aged Taylor Swift fans because I have been to two of her concerts. The first in March in Houston and the other one in Dallas in late September (I somehow enjoyed the first a lot more, no stages and costumes but it was better). It sounded funny when the other day I was talking on the phone with a cousin who lives in Ecuador. It was her birthday (which I remembered thanks to Facebook) and I told her that I had gone to the Dallas concert with my cousin and my 5 year old niece, and that we both liked her. She laughed.. an artist that you and your niece like??? Well... Yeah...
Even though I still enjoy country and TS's music, I am in a detox period now, listening to a lot of Latin Pop, Alternative (the poppy ones, I think that is my favorite genre of music, but I mean it, not the heavy ones), rock, etc. It's a lot of fun... It's exciting that some of my favorite Latin artists are releasing their albums soon (Shakira, Juanes, Alejandro Sanz) and Nelly Furtado released an album, which I love, entirely in Spanish!. And now I need to go, I have another exam ahead, hopefully I'll do better this time at shaking off addictions.
Read more!
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Back on a plane but just for the weekend
I am about to take a plane again just to take my nieces back to Ecuador. They spent three weeks with her super cool aunt Daniella, their "personal shopper". It's going to be really tiring to travel just for the weekend but the good part it's that I'll get to see my family and friends.. well.. at least for one day. I haven't started packing and yet I already got one full suitcase full of other people's things, and some reels that my dad ordered online. Who orders curtain holders or whatever they are called in English? Luckily a friend who is pretty good at packing luggage needed to send some clothes for her nephew and she did all the packing today.
Earlier tonight I shopped for a friend from Ecuador via Blackberry messenger, a couple of blue jeans and tops... The thing is you can't buy anything in Ecuador these days... We are back to the days that everything was prohibited, import duties are way high. For God's sake, my Dad was here on business last week and he went to Walmart to get all his goodies, cereals etc. that he doesn't find there anymore... We were saved from communism in the 70s... we never would have imagined that would we get a socialist-leninist government in the twenty first century. When will people realize that doesn't work?
I for my part, will go to the supermarket in Ecuador to get muchines (some marvelous yuca made croquettes if I may call them that way) and other ecuadorian stuff. I have a pre-reunion for my twenty fifht graduation anniversary on labor Day weekend, in Miami.. Haven't seen most of them well, obviously.. in 25 years. Yet I still care for some of them specially the ones that did elementary school together.
Guess I have to start packing.. at least a couple of things to wear this weekend... Read more!
Earlier tonight I shopped for a friend from Ecuador via Blackberry messenger, a couple of blue jeans and tops... The thing is you can't buy anything in Ecuador these days... We are back to the days that everything was prohibited, import duties are way high. For God's sake, my Dad was here on business last week and he went to Walmart to get all his goodies, cereals etc. that he doesn't find there anymore... We were saved from communism in the 70s... we never would have imagined that would we get a socialist-leninist government in the twenty first century. When will people realize that doesn't work?
I for my part, will go to the supermarket in Ecuador to get muchines (some marvelous yuca made croquettes if I may call them that way) and other ecuadorian stuff. I have a pre-reunion for my twenty fifht graduation anniversary on labor Day weekend, in Miami.. Haven't seen most of them well, obviously.. in 25 years. Yet I still care for some of them specially the ones that did elementary school together.
Guess I have to start packing.. at least a couple of things to wear this weekend... Read more!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Back to normal is nice, but what a great time I had
Loved Germany as always. It feels like home †o me.. A friend and I biked on the side of the Rhine River and visited some other places, close to Koblenz. The weather was perfect, didn't miss the heat we experienced in Rome or Florence, and that was waiting for me in Houston.
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After my trip to Europe I had to go to Ecuador for two weeks.Very conveniently, I scheduled a business meeting just before a huge Family Party in Cuenca. My uncle turned 80 and my aunt and cousins invited the family (I have 40 cousins) to come to Cuenca for the weekend. This might sound really cheesy, but heaven must be a little like those hours we spent together... So much joy, singing, crying, laughing out loud. People from all ages dancing together and having a blast!
Those cuencanos are really hospitable people... Everywhere I went people were so kind. It was a little contrasting to how some people treated us in Italy or Spain.. Well, we have to understand, July is too warm for them... My cousin from Barcelona say that during July and August, people open their businesses late and mad that they have to open them.
Anyway, I can say I spent the month of July doing what I like the most: taking thousands of photographs, and sharing them in Facebook or Picasa (link on the right). I did it mostly for my closest friends, but the truth is they are not that good with internet, so many other people I barely know commented and followed our trip Read more!
.
After my trip to Europe I had to go to Ecuador for two weeks.Very conveniently, I scheduled a business meeting just before a huge Family Party in Cuenca. My uncle turned 80 and my aunt and cousins invited the family (I have 40 cousins) to come to Cuenca for the weekend. This might sound really cheesy, but heaven must be a little like those hours we spent together... So much joy, singing, crying, laughing out loud. People from all ages dancing together and having a blast!
Those cuencanos are really hospitable people... Everywhere I went people were so kind. It was a little contrasting to how some people treated us in Italy or Spain.. Well, we have to understand, July is too warm for them... My cousin from Barcelona say that during July and August, people open their businesses late and mad that they have to open them.
Anyway, I can say I spent the month of July doing what I like the most: taking thousands of photographs, and sharing them in Facebook or Picasa (link on the right). I did it mostly for my closest friends, but the truth is they are not that good with internet, so many other people I barely know commented and followed our trip Read more!
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Internet is not that accessible in Europe
I really don't want to find out how much the data roaming charges will sum up in my T-Mobile account. But my BB was sometimes the only way to have access to internet, work e-mails and yes, have to admit it, Facebook. I posted almost every day to Facebook and my blog in spanish (for all those good people who reject joining it)and uploaded my pictures, almost daily. It seems family and friends were following me and kind of wondered what happened when I wasn't posting anything.
So far I had to pay for internet in both hotels I've been in Madrid, (both four stars), had to pay zero, zippo, for excellent internet in both IBIS hotels we stayed in France (two stars), paid in one of the two hotels I stayed in Italy (both terrible connections)... Picasa greatly helped, I had little time and energy to dedicate to the task... But it worked...
I am on my third week in Europe and have visited four countries and around 12 cities. Later this week I'll end my trip in my beloved Germany, to get some rest from my vacations... I'll be posting some of the interesting things (or uninteresting) I was able to see or do in this trip.
Read more!
So far I had to pay for internet in both hotels I've been in Madrid, (both four stars), had to pay zero, zippo, for excellent internet in both IBIS hotels we stayed in France (two stars), paid in one of the two hotels I stayed in Italy (both terrible connections)... Picasa greatly helped, I had little time and energy to dedicate to the task... But it worked...
I am on my third week in Europe and have visited four countries and around 12 cities. Later this week I'll end my trip in my beloved Germany, to get some rest from my vacations... I'll be posting some of the interesting things (or uninteresting) I was able to see or do in this trip.
Read more!
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Made it to Madrid
I realized this was a holiday weekend when I got to the airport in Houston and later in Newark. Specially when I got to the plane to Franfurt and there wasn't a free place. Luckily I was so tired because I hadn't gone to bed the night before, that I had no peoblem sleeping Only problem was that my flight to Madid was leaving at 4pm and I got to Frankfurt at 10 am. The airport was full of people an it was not easy to figure out where I had to check in. Once I did, and got to the humungus Lufthansa terminal, I followed the example of a couple of american tourist and took a wonderful nap on top of three chairs. While I got there I noticed the smoking areas, that were rooms with glass rooms. Ughhhh . Depressing. I also wondered why at the aiport you can't finnd bratwurst or currywurst those wonderful wieners or whatever they are called in english.
I
I had to wait Read more!
I
I had to wait Read more!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Digital era travel challenges
I have to catch a flight in a few hours to Newark, then Frankfurt and Madrid. I still haven't finished packing. And then I have to go pick up my passport to the German Consulate, because although I am a permanent resident, as an ecuadorian I am a second class citizen to European countries. I have to get a visa. I had totally forgotten about picking it up. Thank God I checked... I already packed my clothes, but still need to pack all my gadgets. I didn't realize they were so many... This digital era is complicated! We are going to drive, so we need a GPS. Also my father and brothers, and specially one of them, need to be connected all the time, so I had to get one of those usb sticks, a personal hotspot, unblocked phones to get SIM cards, etc. Also I will take my Kindle (which I only use and enjoy when I am in an airplane), ipod, camera, SD cards, card readers, adapters, and cables, and cables, and cables.
The truth is I need to be connected all the time too.. need to make wire transfers and call payroll and stuff. In small companies you do it all.
And it's the first time in at least a decade that I travel without a Mac (Powerbook, then Macbook). I find that even the 13 inch is heavy.. So I got one of those cheap and nice Asus Eees. I first learned of them from one of my brothers. I am kind of mad at Apple because they haven't made netbooks yet, and the Macbook Air is way too expensive.
Well now off to try to catch my flight. I have a bad record of losing them... Twice because I went to the Continental Presidents Club... and forgot to check the time... so I haven't set foot on one of them since.
Read more!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Summertime heat + travel = dead plants
It happens every year. My Mom and Dad visit during Spring and Fall. My Mom who has the most beautiful plants down in Ecuador, buys new plants for my condo. Then she leaves and gives me all the instructions on how to take care of them, how often to water them, and how to talk to them.It all goes well until I leave for a week or two. Then I come back and notice one is losing its leaves rapidly. then it dies. or at least that's what I think. Until my Mom comes back and miraculously resurrects it. Some times they are really really dead, so there is no use in doing anything.
I left just for 8 or 9 days at the beginning of June, and one of the resurrected ones died on me.. bad... It was so beautiful.
Now I am leaving on a Family Trip to Europe for 18 days and wonder if I'll find something when I come back. I hope so.
At least I know there is one that surely be alive and kicking when I come back: These plants never die! And I find them really pretty. This is the first plant I got when I arrived in Houston...so it has survived almost 6 years.. Yeah I guess I should ask someone to come water them once a week... but the only neighbor I know comes back the same day I leave.(That is one of my secrets: Haven't even met my neighbors, or seen them! isn't that a shame??) I don't understand why we don't even coincide in the elevator or something...
Crazy Read more!
Monday, June 29, 2009
New Facebook-Life realities
The other day I sent a picture to my Facebook profile, and later got an e-mail saying a good friend had made a comment. When I wanted to answer her, realized the comment was not there, and when I searched for her... she was gone from my Facebook contacts. So, are there Facebook ghosts???
I got a little worried because she is going through a divorce and went back to Ecuador to sell some things, etc. and I didn't have her e-mail address, because I contacted her through Facebook. I thought, well, I hope she is doing Ok, I'm going to pray for her.
Then today I got a call from another friend, who usually takes Facebook breaks. She has two really active toddlers and thinks that sometimes she uses too much of her time to be on-line and in FB. She told me she had briefly connected to Facebook and she didn't find our friend either, and that she was worried... That made too of us.
The strange thing is we haven't seen our friend in who knows 5 years? but when we contacted her on FB we started following her life, and we miss that. I think that with Twitter and FB our relationships are changing a little bit.. we are following people's lives, and when we don't have updates, we feel strange.
I for example am a little frustrated that my best friend back in Ecuador won't consider getting a Facebook account or a Blackberry, and since we both have too many things on our hands we never e-mail... Now we look for instant gratification and instant communication... Good thing that when we meet we have the best conversations, that won't replace FB or Twitter updates.. it will always be better.
Read more!
I got a little worried because she is going through a divorce and went back to Ecuador to sell some things, etc. and I didn't have her e-mail address, because I contacted her through Facebook. I thought, well, I hope she is doing Ok, I'm going to pray for her.
Then today I got a call from another friend, who usually takes Facebook breaks. She has two really active toddlers and thinks that sometimes she uses too much of her time to be on-line and in FB. She told me she had briefly connected to Facebook and she didn't find our friend either, and that she was worried... That made too of us.
The strange thing is we haven't seen our friend in who knows 5 years? but when we contacted her on FB we started following her life, and we miss that. I think that with Twitter and FB our relationships are changing a little bit.. we are following people's lives, and when we don't have updates, we feel strange.
I for example am a little frustrated that my best friend back in Ecuador won't consider getting a Facebook account or a Blackberry, and since we both have too many things on our hands we never e-mail... Now we look for instant gratification and instant communication... Good thing that when we meet we have the best conversations, that won't replace FB or Twitter updates.. it will always be better.
Read more!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Announcements via Twitter...
These past few weeks Twitter has become relevant. Specially with all that was going on in Iran. Now, it seems, you learn from people that has died in Twitter first. Meghan McCain commented that many people learned about Michael Jackson from her first than from CNN.
This morning everybody was commenting on Billy Mays' death. Hmm I said to myself, well but who is he?
I went to the fountain of wisdom, Wikipedia, and seeing his picutres realized I knew who he was, who doesn't? The interesting part was that his son announced his death in Twitter. There was word that Billy Mays had been in an airplane yesterday. The tires of this US Airways airplane blew off when it landed. And if you go to his Twitter page, there it is... some of his last words about that close call. I found it first in Twitter, went to the Huffington Post and it was not there yet.
Also it seems that teen stars (or any star) don't need their publicists anymore, they promote their concerts, their new singles, albums, etc, in Twitter. Interesting trend. Read more!
This morning everybody was commenting on Billy Mays' death. Hmm I said to myself, well but who is he?
I went to the fountain of wisdom, Wikipedia, and seeing his picutres realized I knew who he was, who doesn't? The interesting part was that his son announced his death in Twitter. There was word that Billy Mays had been in an airplane yesterday. The tires of this US Airways airplane blew off when it landed. And if you go to his Twitter page, there it is... some of his last words about that close call. I found it first in Twitter, went to the Huffington Post and it was not there yet.
Also it seems that teen stars (or any star) don't need their publicists anymore, they promote their concerts, their new singles, albums, etc, in Twitter. Interesting trend. Read more!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Braving the heat
There is a heat wave advisory in the Houston Area. Good thing that with Daylight Savings Time, you can go out biking from 6:30 pm until 8:30 and it's quite nice. Not so nice as in the Spring time, but manageable.
I really enjoy the trails in The Woodlands when the sun is coming down... I feel like taking pictures or videos, but I guess it's kind of dangerous taking video with your Blackberry when riding a bike, still I couldn't help doing it:
Read more!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
What are you thinking?
As expected, I din't pass my third CPA Exam (FAR). The fact is, I didn't study much, or cover all that I had to study. I can put the blame on my Twitter addiction but I am to blame, really.
The funny thing for me was, that although everyone kept asking me via Facebook wall or comments, If I had passed (they took a month to give the results), I wasn't brave enough to put it on my Facebook status. Of course, the story would have been different if I had passed, I would have used all the exclamation marks after the words "I passed".
Anyway, I sent a good old email to all my close friends, and it was nice to get their words of wisdom and good vibes saying I will pass next time. The best reply I got was from my old college mate: Hey! "Are you learning from me? Remember when you used to say I was really lazy?" (she slept on the couch while the rest of us studied)"But we love you anyway"... (Smile)
Read more!
The funny thing for me was, that although everyone kept asking me via Facebook wall or comments, If I had passed (they took a month to give the results), I wasn't brave enough to put it on my Facebook status. Of course, the story would have been different if I had passed, I would have used all the exclamation marks after the words "I passed".
Anyway, I sent a good old email to all my close friends, and it was nice to get their words of wisdom and good vibes saying I will pass next time. The best reply I got was from my old college mate: Hey! "Are you learning from me? Remember when you used to say I was really lazy?" (she slept on the couch while the rest of us studied)"But we love you anyway"... (Smile)
Read more!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Coming from the South
I love the States, but I also enjoy going to my hometown, Guayaquil (Ecuador).
I love seeing my friends and family. This time I only went for a week, so I really had to stretch time to be able to meet with everyone I wanted to. That meant I barely had time to sleep, so I came back from my one week vacation exhausted.
Ecuador is one of those ungovernable countries, so we never have good presidents. But in Guayaquil we have had great Majors, so the city is in good shape.
I become really spoiled when I go there... My family, like many others, have "help"... we have "people".. We don't have to do any cooking, or ironing, or laundry washing.
And the food is great so it's a complete gastronomic experience.
I discovered some advantages of being in Facebook. It takes too much of your free time, but in some cases it's pretty useful. My cousins and I had a reunion planned in Facebook, it was the first time in... well the first time we got together just the girls... We've had huge family reunions in the past (I have 40 cousins on my mother's side), but this smaller gathering was really too much fun!.
Also, thanks to Facebook I was able to share some of the things I wrote about the blessing of a Shrine over there (I belong to a Catholic Movement), and my photos were shared many times again and again.
And talking about connected life, my Blackberry saved my life. For some reason everybody has a Blackberry over there, so I was able to contact them via the Blackberry Messenger... cool. Although I've had Macs for many years now, and I love them, that Blackberry Messenger and ATT are keeping me from getting an Iphone. Read more!
I love seeing my friends and family. This time I only went for a week, so I really had to stretch time to be able to meet with everyone I wanted to. That meant I barely had time to sleep, so I came back from my one week vacation exhausted.
Ecuador is one of those ungovernable countries, so we never have good presidents. But in Guayaquil we have had great Majors, so the city is in good shape.
I become really spoiled when I go there... My family, like many others, have "help"... we have "people".. We don't have to do any cooking, or ironing, or laundry washing.
And the food is great so it's a complete gastronomic experience.
I discovered some advantages of being in Facebook. It takes too much of your free time, but in some cases it's pretty useful. My cousins and I had a reunion planned in Facebook, it was the first time in... well the first time we got together just the girls... We've had huge family reunions in the past (I have 40 cousins on my mother's side), but this smaller gathering was really too much fun!.
Also, thanks to Facebook I was able to share some of the things I wrote about the blessing of a Shrine over there (I belong to a Catholic Movement), and my photos were shared many times again and again.
And talking about connected life, my Blackberry saved my life. For some reason everybody has a Blackberry over there, so I was able to contact them via the Blackberry Messenger... cool. Although I've had Macs for many years now, and I love them, that Blackberry Messenger and ATT are keeping me from getting an Iphone. Read more!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
My weeklong addiction to Twitter and what I learned from it
I joined Twitter two months ago, thanks to all the media reports about and her twittering.. I did it strictly as a follower, which basically means that you follow people but do not post anything to your status. I watched with horror when about 8 people signed up to follow me, and have forgotten to figure out how to get rid of them. There is no use in following me if I don’t post anything. I am a very private person, and it is really great progress for me to post something to my Facebook account once in a while.
I probably logged into Twitter once a week and for a really short time. But then I made the huge mistake of starting to follow Taylor Swift while I was studying for my third CPA exam. I love country music, and of course like her and her songs, as I like many other country, latin pop, or alternative artists. But when somebody gave me tickets to the Houston Rodeo for a Taylor Swift concert, I was really blown away.
I don’t think I fit in her fan demographics: I am 42, single, Hispanic. And I have really no time to be a follower, I manage a small business, study journalism online and Accounting. I am involved in different activities, which sometimes I am not able to handle at the same time. There were 74,000 people that night in the Reliant Arena, my cousins and I didn’t have good seats, but I looked around me and everyone was ecstatic. There were 8 year olds singing out loud to every one of her songs, and their grandmothers and/or mothers knew the lyrics to them too. There were thousands of screaming teenagers, most of them wearing sundresses and boots. Her positive personality and artistry was so magnetic, it was as if she had control over all of us. I learned that night that she was not only a great singer and songwriter, but an excellent entertainer as well. Also that she was a very special human being.
But back to Twitter. Taylor doesn’t post a whole lot, so that leaves you with the desire of wanting to know more. And I started ‘youtubing’ her and so I have probably e watched most of her interviews, there is something new every time. And she of course has some friends in the business, so I started following her and her friend’s interactions with Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato and Jordin Sparks. For God’s sake! Most of them are in their teens! They are great girls and role models, but why the heck was I following them? I felt really guilty.
What I learned from this experience...
First of all, I learned that these girls work really hard. I realized that Taylor Swift has concerts almost every day, on top of interviews, recordings, etc, and was overwhelmed to learn that Demi Lovato had to wake up to work the day after she got into Los Angeles, after opening for the Jonas Brothers in Peru, Chile, Argentina and Brasil. They are all young and full of energy, But I just felt really tired only realizing how much, and how hard they have to work.
Second thing I learned was that I can’t go on judging other people. Like trying to understand, for example, why my 30 something sister in law keeps following Britney. Or the time when I criticized my 30 something brother for following around the now dissolved Mexican pop group RBD. He once even checked himself and his wife to the same hotel they were staying, and of course made friends with them, attended their photo shoots and took the boys out to play soccer.
Third, that as with any addiction you have to try to control yourself, and set limits. I already had an addiction to the Huffington Post and the Drudge Report. I finally found some balance when I discovered the elegantly designed The Daily Beast, because you get to read clever and more intellectual articles from intelligent people. Also because although I am not a native speaker, and have my limits when writing it, I love to read good English.
I am trying to set those limits and end my addiction, because I think that if you go on spending so much time following other people’s lives, you lose energy and specially time for the real world relationships. Or for important things like concentrating in your upcoming CPA exam. I don’t have anything against Twitter, it’s really fun, but you have to find a balance. I will try to find it, but probably won’t make much progress until someone starts Twitter-Anonymous or Youtube-Anonymous. I won’t try to quit for now my HP, DR or Daily Beast addiction… that would be too much to ask.
Read more!
I probably logged into Twitter once a week and for a really short time. But then I made the huge mistake of starting to follow Taylor Swift while I was studying for my third CPA exam. I love country music, and of course like her and her songs, as I like many other country, latin pop, or alternative artists. But when somebody gave me tickets to the Houston Rodeo for a Taylor Swift concert, I was really blown away.
I don’t think I fit in her fan demographics: I am 42, single, Hispanic. And I have really no time to be a follower, I manage a small business, study journalism online and Accounting. I am involved in different activities, which sometimes I am not able to handle at the same time. There were 74,000 people that night in the Reliant Arena, my cousins and I didn’t have good seats, but I looked around me and everyone was ecstatic. There were 8 year olds singing out loud to every one of her songs, and their grandmothers and/or mothers knew the lyrics to them too. There were thousands of screaming teenagers, most of them wearing sundresses and boots. Her positive personality and artistry was so magnetic, it was as if she had control over all of us. I learned that night that she was not only a great singer and songwriter, but an excellent entertainer as well. Also that she was a very special human being.
But back to Twitter. Taylor doesn’t post a whole lot, so that leaves you with the desire of wanting to know more. And I started ‘youtubing’ her and so I have probably e watched most of her interviews, there is something new every time. And she of course has some friends in the business, so I started following her and her friend’s interactions with Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato and Jordin Sparks. For God’s sake! Most of them are in their teens! They are great girls and role models, but why the heck was I following them? I felt really guilty.
What I learned from this experience...
First of all, I learned that these girls work really hard. I realized that Taylor Swift has concerts almost every day, on top of interviews, recordings, etc, and was overwhelmed to learn that Demi Lovato had to wake up to work the day after she got into Los Angeles, after opening for the Jonas Brothers in Peru, Chile, Argentina and Brasil. They are all young and full of energy, But I just felt really tired only realizing how much, and how hard they have to work.
Second thing I learned was that I can’t go on judging other people. Like trying to understand, for example, why my 30 something sister in law keeps following Britney. Or the time when I criticized my 30 something brother for following around the now dissolved Mexican pop group RBD. He once even checked himself and his wife to the same hotel they were staying, and of course made friends with them, attended their photo shoots and took the boys out to play soccer.
Third, that as with any addiction you have to try to control yourself, and set limits. I already had an addiction to the Huffington Post and the Drudge Report. I finally found some balance when I discovered the elegantly designed The Daily Beast, because you get to read clever and more intellectual articles from intelligent people. Also because although I am not a native speaker, and have my limits when writing it, I love to read good English.
I am trying to set those limits and end my addiction, because I think that if you go on spending so much time following other people’s lives, you lose energy and specially time for the real world relationships. Or for important things like concentrating in your upcoming CPA exam. I don’t have anything against Twitter, it’s really fun, but you have to find a balance. I will try to find it, but probably won’t make much progress until someone starts Twitter-Anonymous or Youtube-Anonymous. I won’t try to quit for now my HP, DR or Daily Beast addiction… that would be too much to ask.
Read more!
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