Remembering the people that left

I stopped writing in this blog when my father-in-law passed away. I felt like the blog had no more meaning if he and his wife were not reading it. Now I am facing another death with a close friend and I would like to talk about 2 great ways to remember the people we love and that are no longer with us:

Home shrine

I love it when in most Japanese houses I visited, there was a little shrine like the one in the image with a photo of the ancestors that passed away, and how people would go every day to pray a little bit to/for that person. The shrine was always on a room that was visible to everybody that was going in and out of the house. All guests would see it. Sometimes we don’t feel comfortable remembering too much that death is around the corner or that death is present in our day lives, but the Japanese seem to have it very present. If you have more information about other Asian cultures having similar shrines at home, let me know.
The home shrine is very comforting for the ones who stay because with it we feel the company and protection of the ones that left. If is also a sign of respect and it comes to say that we don’t forget those people who were so important for us.

Celebration

Recently a friend of mine told me he had been invited to a party to celebrate the 4^th anniversary of his friend’s mom death. The person preparing the party wanted to remember her mom and how great she was, and she wanted to share that joy, grieve and memorial with her friends. A celebration based on her mother, where she wanted to talk about her mother, who she was, what she was like, and why she was important to her. This would seem like a normal memorial celebration if it wasn’t for the fact that none of the people invited knew her mother! She was in a foreign country and wanted to share that with her new friends. A great way of remembering a great lady! It seems obvious, right? Why aren't there more of these? Why haven't I ever been invited to one? I think we should have more gathering to remember our ancestors and the people that we love and are no longer with us.

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Cradle to cradle design

McDonough and his team are doing some great work with urbanism, architecture and design. Worth watching!

Best quote of the video:
Imagine this design assignment: Design something that makes oxygen, sequesters carbon, fixes nitrogen, distills water, accrues solar energy as fuel, makes complex sugars and food, creates microclimates, changes colors with the season, and self replicates. Why don’t we knock that down and write on it?

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Charities

I have seen a lot of non-profits in Asia driving around their Hummers or other big SUVs while the people they are trying to help don't even have water to drink so I don't think that non-profit workers should get paid as well as executives but I get the point on whatt Dan Pallota says. It is good to break paradigms, I hope you enjoy his lecture.

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Thoughts about Asia reminding me of my childhood

When 10 years ago and we were still in college, Robert told me that according to his economics book, Spain was a Second World Country. I didn't understand or agree with that until I came to Asia.

I must say that right now Spain is considered a First World Country and Robert's book was very old. Well, now we are considered a First World Country, but we will see how long that lasts...

Where do I see that Spain was a Second World Country while I was growing up?

I was talking to a friend from Australia older than me and I was sure she was going to tell me that Asia reminded her of her childhood years and she was very categoric about it "No, my childhood was in the suburbs. Everything was very sanitized and structured. No, Asia does not remind me of anything I have seen before". Then I went to talk to some other people from north american countries, most of them in their 50s and 60s and they agreed, their childhood was nothing like Asia.
I can't wait to go to the US and talk to the people who are 70 to see if they lived something similar to me! So would that mean that the way people lived in the US 60 years ago is the same that I  lived in Spain 20 years ago?! Fascinating!

Does the difference depend on if you come from a small town or from a big city?

Obviously not, the difference is on how developed your area is, but coming from a big city or a small town might make a difference.

I think the answer might be "yes" in Europe but "no" in North America or Australia where nobody lives in big cities and people live in the suburbs, and suburbs look pretty similar if they are from a small towns or from a big city. All the things that remind me of Asia are related to memories from my grandparent's town but hardly anything from my life in a small flat downtown or later on in the suburbs. The suburbs give us a feeling of small town no matter where we are. Maybe the difference comes on how long it took for the suburbs to arrive to your country. The suburbs are the key when we are talking about middle class people like me or the people I normally hang out with.

I am trying to think about some friends my age from bigger cities in the north of Spain and I have no idea if they share this idea of Asia, maybe you can tell me what you think? What about people in Latin America?

Here's the series of posts about the subject:
Everything is under construction and there are lots of flowers
Sun drying food and stone tables 
Poorly paved roads and reusing stuff 
Excitement




*About the photo: Thanks Max for the photo! Those pineapples where good!!!! :-D
This kind fruit shop can be seen today in many south-east asian countries but is no longer common in Spain.

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Imagine: How creativity works

Hoy estaba escuchando una entrevista a Jonah Lehrer en NPR y su libro parece muy interesante, aquí os mando un vídeo que explica algunas cosas de su libro:

IMAGINE: How Creativity Works from Flash Rosenberg on Vimeo.

Me encantan sus consejos:

• Empieza el día relajándote con una ducha de agua caliente
• Piensa como un niño de 7 años 
• También habla del uso de alcohol y drogas, todo ayuda :-P 
• Muerte a los brain stormings!! Viva!! Todos estos años acomplejada que no podía generar ideas en estas malditas reuniones!!

Para más información aquí va un vídeo con toda la teoría.

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The story of Stuff

It is only 20 minutes, it is worth watching!
http://www.storyofstuff.com

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Fun Fun Fun

Check out this web page! Fun Fun Fun

http://demo.fb.se/e/ikea/dreamkitchen/site/default.html

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Almost 30 and do not know what to do yet?

DREAM IT. DO IT. DREAM CAREER QUIZ IN 20 QUESTIONS
http://www.dreamit-doit.com/content/toolkit/quiz.aspx
This is what I got:

Creative
A creative job is most likely to be your dream career, so you probably shouldn't bother with formulas and bar graphs. You usually like the challenge of creative something out of nothing – it's a skill not everyone has. Maybe you'll design the world's fastest production car. Maybe you'll be a staff writer for a stereo manufacturer or create the first full-body airbag. Either way, your creativity will be the key. Making things, big ideas, new ways to do stuff – it's what you’re best at. We'd tell you exactly what you should do, but something tells us you've invented some pretty good ideas already.
What did you get?

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Really funny

I still think this is one of the funniest things I have ever seen! Poor guy!

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Little People

Some of you might have seen his artwork near the cathedral in Barcelona, here you have his blog. Enjoy! http://little-people.blogspot.com/

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La Revolucion de los Medios // English with Spanish subtitles

Although it only talks about the north part of the planet it is interesting.

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Hard things to understand

On July 31, 1761, the French ship L’Utile is shipwrecked on a tiny island in the Indian Ocean. Not long after, the sailors manage to reach Madagascar, but they leave behind the Malgache slaves they had embarked illegally on L’Utile. Only a handful of survivors remain when they are found 15 years later, in 1776. A corvette drops anchor near a small island, lost in the Indian Ocean, on November 29, 1776. The island seems completely deserted, a stretch of white sand with a few palm trees. Yet the sailors discover a baby and seven women, all former slaves from Madagascar. Dressed in tunics of woven feathers, they are the only survivors of a shipwreck 15 years earlier. They survived by eating birds, turtles and shellfish.

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Ship picks up 26 migrants -31 May 2007

The 26 African immigrants that were picked up by a Spanish fishing trawler in the open Mediterranean earlier this week have been transferred to a Spanish rescue ship, the transport ministry said.

The immigrants were taken aboard the Clara Campoamor some 40 maritime miles off the Italian island of Sicily, it said in a statement. The ship will now take them to the northeastern Spanish port of Tarragona.

Conditions aboard the trawler Montfalco were difficult due to a lack of supplies and limited space but the 26 Africans who are believed to be from the Ivory Coast were in good health, it added.

Italy, Libya and Malta refused to allow the would-be immigrants to disembark arguing the Africans were in international waters when they were rescued by the Spanish trawler despite appeals from Madrid for them to do so.

Spanish Employment and Social Affairs Minister Jesus Caldera appealed to all nations in the European Union to respect laws regarding rescues in the open waters, which he said had not occurred in this case.

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Hello Stranger

Llevo años llorando en sitios públicos. He llorado en la calle, en un autobus, en la andana, dentro de un vagon, esperando el verde de un semáforo, en el aeropuerto, en la estación, en un ascensor, y hasta que ayer no lloré apoyada a una pared, nadie nunca me había preguntado si necesitaba algo. Lloré tan fuerte que esa chica morenita con el ipod a todo volumen me oyo, y ella se acercó a mi para ver si necesitava algo. Desde aquí muchas gracias estraña. Agradezco que me tocaras el brazo y me hicieras levantar la cabeza, aunque solo fuera para mirar quien me estaba "molestando" en tan íntimo momento. Al levantar la cabeza vi que había mundo, gente en la calle, nueves en el cielo, respire poco a poco para que pudieras entenderme cuando hablava y me calmé. Te dije que estaría bien, y que no te preocuparas, que gracias y de verdad de agradezco tu gesto. MUCHAS GRACIAS CHICA ESTRAÑA CON CARPETA DE LA AUTONOMA.

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Sin electricidad

Ya hace 24h que no tenemos electricidad en casa. El resto de vecinos tiene y nosotros no. Mañana vienen a repararla. Tengo ganas porqué hace mucho frío pero también hay algo inigualable de la experiencia de vivir sin electricidad. Durante el día puedes hacer vida normal y por la noche no hay nada que hacer sin unas cuantas velas cerca. Sin electricidad la vida era sin duda muy distinta, esto puede sonar como a algo muy obvio pero de verdad, intenta vivir 24 sin nada electrico, el ritmo te cambia, la productividad también y supongo que la gente haría más hijos. Una experiencia 100% recomendable!

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Arrecades / Ear rings

You do not have jewlery to wear tonight? No problem! Try this! All you need is:Pierce the fuzzy ball with a safety pin and hang it on your regular earring!
Cool ah?

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Quina angúnia!

Mireu el fàstic que fa el nen que li falta una dent i li creix una de nova!!! Era necessari?
Check out the missing-a-tooth-kid!!! Isn't it kind'a creepy?

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Techo pintado en un área de fumadores / Painted ceiling in a smokers area

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Action Squad - Minneapolis Urban Adventurers

Action Squad
I wasn't going to post so soon but I need to show you this because what they are doing is really cool. They are the Minneapolis - St Paul Urban Adventurers and they go to abandoned buildings and explore. Great webpage, great pictures, great initiative! Isn't just awsome when somebody actually does something?
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Si us plau, no deixeu que l'idioma us freni mirar aquesta pàgina. El que aquesta gent fa em sembla d'allò més interessant. Es dediquen a anar a edificis antics, entrar-hi i fer recerca de què era l'edifici. Troben coses super interessants! Una idea genial i que genial que algú la porti a terme! Action Squad

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Sushi

On Thursday our floor neighbours came to give us some sushi that they had prepared. I was so happy! So happy to see that there are people out there that are not afraid of talking with other people! A lot of times I have the sensation that people in Barcelona are skared to talk with others, that is why everybody looks rude in the subway and nobody smiles, they are like walking walls.
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El dijous els veïns de davant ens van venir a portar un plat de sushi que els hi havia sobrat. Va ser fantàstic! Fantàstic veure que hi ha gent que no li fa por parlar amb altra gent. De vegades aquesta és la sensació que tinc a Barcelona, que la gent fa mala cara tota l'estona perquè ningú els molesti, com murs que caminen.

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Drooling Madonna / Madonna babejant

These are real pictures, I took them today dowtown Barcelona. It looks like she really likes it!
________________________________________________________Aquestes fotos són reals, si les voleu veure només cal que aneu a Plaça Catalunya. És la Madonna Babejadora.

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