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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Next adventure: Spain

Did you know you can cross Spain on a motorbike and not take any highways?
Do you want to go from the Pyrenées to the Mediterranian sea on a bicycle?
Do you want to know the best places to eat in Barcelona?
Do you want to walk the Camino de Santiago in a special way?
My friend Maria is a very well travelled person that provides tailored itineraries for people who don’t want to be tourists but want to be travellers.

Off the beaten path

Eventhough Spain is one of the main tourist destinations in the world, you would be surprised how much it still has to offer and how many places still remain 100% tourist free. Maria is a specialist, she will help you find the special places, the most hip places, the most chilled or the trully autentic ones.

Active journeys 

For all you outdoor junkies, if you are looking for an epic trip, you should get in touch with her. There are so many things to do in Spain! Trekking the GR11 on the Pyrenées, kitesurfing in Tarifa, learning how to surf in Cadiz or riding serious waves in Donosti and of course, hiking up some sleepy volcanoes in my hometown! You could spend months exploring the nature of Spain, and remember, in some areas, it doesn’t really get cold, so you can visit all year round!

A whole in the wall

Barcelona is packed with tourist but the rest of Spain is waiting for people to visit. If you are looking for the authentic Spain, jump on a train, bus or rent a car, stop in a little town get a coffe at the town bar with all the old man playing cards, stay at a luxurious Paradero Nacional and in the morning go to the farmer’s market. Maria will plan the perfect trip for you.
If you are into the cultural stuff, she will prepare the perfect route for you. If you are into music, get ready to enjoy Spain’s best. And if you jus twant to chill, well, Spain is in the south of Europe after all! (did I just say that?)

Who's that girl?

She is a girl with really good taste. She is a city girl with a love for the outdoors so she is the perfect mix to advice about both worlds. Maria has travelled around the world so she understands what different cultures and different people are looking for when they go on holidays. Get ready to eat well if you contact her!

How does it work?

Basically you contact her and decide if you want:

• 7 day consultation: while you plan your dream trip to Spain, she helps you. During 7 days your will get her advice, including where to go, what to see and consultation of overall flow.
• Premium Travel Plan: where she plans your trip to Spain so you can visit Spain on a tailored itinerary just for you.

Contact via http://www.spainatyourpace.com/

Follow her on Facebook Spain at your pace and Twitter @spainatyourpace

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¡Come mejor gracias a tu Food Shopper profesional!

¿Te gusta saber lo que comes?

¿No tienes tiempo de ir a todas las tiendas que te gustaría? 

¿Terminas en el Mercadona odiándote por estar ahí?

Ya tienes la solución: Food Shopper profesional

 

La realidad: no sabemos lo que comemos

La realidad es esta, no tenemos tiempo para ir a comprar los productos que nos gusta comer y que deberíamos consumir. Terminamos en tiendas comprando productos que no sabemos que contienen ni de donde salen.
Deja que un profesional compre para ti según tus preferencias, con tus valores y tu presupuesto.

Recupera tu tiempo libre

Si ya haces el esfuerzo de ir a comprar al mercado y en tiendas de calidad, con el Food Shopper podrás recuperar el sábado por la mañana (o algunos afortunados el viernes por la tarde). Tendrás más tiempo libre.
¿Por qué no contratar los servicios de una persona que te traiga a casa los productos que te gustan de las tiendas que tienen los estándares de calidad que te mereces?

Ingerir productos de calidad y ayudar al pequeño comercio

Alguien puede decir "Comprar en los colmados de calidad y productos eco es mucho más caro que ir al super". Sí, y qué? No crees que es más importante comer sin antibióticos y otras mierdas en la carne que consumes que tener el nuevo teléfono móbil? El food shopper te ayudará a priorizar y a definir tus preferencias e intereses según tu presupuesto.

Servicio al alcance de todos

Este servicio está empezando y es asequible para todos. Solamente pagas un pequeño porcentaje según el volumen de tus compras.
El asesoramiento inicial y la ayuda para definir tus prioridades es su compromiso sin coste añadido.

Tu aliado profesional

El creador e impulsor de esta idea tan necesaria es Alfredo, un amigo y profesional de la comida. Alfredo es un gran conocedor de la realidad alimentaria del país. Él tiene todas las herramientas para identificar los productos que deberíamos estar consumiendo y saber si el precio que nos proponen es el adecuado o no. Me encanta que haya empezado esta iniciativa porqué puede ayudar a muchísima gente a comer y a vivir mejor.
Os animo a llamarle para quedar con él xarxaprop@gmail.com 93 0017 006 o 662 37 29 70.

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Paradise number 3: Pulau Langkawi

After Pulau Perhentian and Pulau Tioman, the third paradise is Pulau Langkawi in the Adaman sea. Some facts about Langkawi:

• Malays eager for consumism, shops and Duty free items love it.
• We meet a lot of very well travelled people that advised us not to come to Langkawi.
• We stayed in Langwaki for over a month, yes, we don't like to be told what to do or where to go. :-P
• This might be the only paradise with a road in it.
• Underneath the surface of a very tourist island, we found two things:
• An amazing expat community that welcomed us inmediately and made our stay in Langkawi a fantastic, unforgetable time. We are so thankful for that!
• Locals living in their kampung houses, going to school and doing their business like everywhere else, I mean this is still their country. I say this because we were told that there where just a few malays in Langkawi!!!
• The water is not clear like in Perhentian and Tioman but the beaches are fantastic and the lake too. 
• There is jellyfish so it is always an adventure to go swimming!
• But for us Langkawi will always be the place where we meet great people that love boats, the sea and travelling! Thanks!

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Os echamos de menos!

Mensaje para todos los amigos de Barcelona:
OS ECHAMOS DE MENOS!!!!

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Joyeux anniversaire!

Aujourd'hui c'est l'anniversaire de mon ami Gerard. Joyeux anniversaire Gerard!
Cinq raisons pour aimer Gerard:

• À l'âge de 5 ans il m'a offert une rose et à l'âge de 16 ans il m'a écrit un poème
• C'est plus facile de parler avec lui, il est toujours là, bien que tu ne l'appelles pas
• Quand il rêve il est vraiment amusant
• Il me surprend chaque fois que je parle avec lui, il est totalement imprévisible
• La vie avec lui est mieux

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Kevin Panozzo

Once I introduced a class saying that the speaker was like a Renaissance man. He was a comic writer, illustrator, script writer, teacher, movie director... Kevin is somehow a Renaissance man, he is a writer, a singer, a painter, ilustrator and I have heard that he is a good lover too! Cheers to Renaissance men.
This is his web page:
www.kpanozzo.com
Specially good are his Oils and Mixed Media Paintings

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Arponeu

Arponeu has a new blog with some really good pictures

http://arponeuseyes.blogspot.com/
http://aleixaguila.blogspot.com 

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Looking for Paradise

Looking for Paradise is the name of Yoko's Exhibition in Girona, if you have a chance please check it out. I love her work!
La Llibreria
c/Ciutadans, 15
Girona
Until the end of April

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Gente interesante

Un día dije que no conocía a gente interesante. Me equivoqué. Mira a tu alrededor.

________________

Once I said I wasn't meeting any interesting people. Look around you.

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Pictures from Robert's Party

Pictures from Robert's Party or Crazy Hair Party.

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My sister / La meva germana

In my case it is true, mine is the best. Yes, I have the best sister ever! Here you can see her supersmily face in the cover of the magazine that she has been interning for. Alba, thanks for being so super!!!
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Avui llueixo de germana, tinc la millor germana del món! Felicitats per tot el que estàs aconseguint! T'estimo molt!

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Guinea Bissau

Aleix is going to Guinea Bissau. He is leaving tomorrow and will be there for a whole month. He will help built an orphanage. You are my hero! Enjoy your days there!
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Demà l'Aleix marxa a Guinea Bissau, hi serà fins a mitjans de gener. Ajudarà a construïr un orfanat. És el meu heroi! Que gaudeixis dels teus dies allà.

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Happy Thanksgiving

Mensaje de un compañero de trabajo a toda la oficina:

"Hoy es el Día de Acción de Gracias en los Estados Unidos. Visitamos a la familia, comemos pavo, miramos football americano y, gracias al pavo, nos quedamos dormidos en el sofá. Lo típico de un día de fiesta.

Pero hay una tradición un poco especial que me gusta mucho y que me gustaría compartir con vosotros: paramos todos y, durante un momento, pensamos en las cosas que tenemos y damos las gracias por tenerlas. Creo que es una reflexión muy chula y a pesar de pertenecer a otro país con sus propias tradiciones, os invito a hacerla.

Paremos todos un momento y pensemos... "¿De qué cosas debo dar gracias?"

-Chris"

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Prou of being his friend / Orgullosa de ser la seva amiga

L'aleix ha guanyat un premi de teatre a Andorra. Va parir una obra que es diu IRA, la va imprimir, la va posar dins un sobre i la va enviar en un concurs. Ara ha guanyat el concurs i el seu talent ha estat reconegut.
No deixeu de visitar el seu blog és genial! Moltes, moltes, moltes felicitats Aleix!
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My good friend Aleix won an award last week. He writes plays. Well, he fights to write plays. And now a jury thought that his play was the best of all the ones they got. I am sooooooo proud of him!! Thank you very much Aleix, my life would be pretty miserable without fiction and you are the fiction master. Thanks! And congratulations!

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Yoko Kataoka

Yoko is from Japan and now she lives in Girona, Spain. She makes one of the coolest art work I have ever seen. Please visit her page www.yokokataoka.net and fall in love with her work. I think you can buy her postcards but I am not sure.
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Alguns ja la coneixeu. Es diu Yoko i el que fa és una passada. No us perdeu la seva pàgina web, preciós! www.yokokataoka.net

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Thanks for the party!! / Gràcies per la festa!

Click Here To See More Pictures

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El mundo es plano / The world is flat

I strongly recommend you to read The world is Flat by Thomas Friedman. The first chapters might be a little bit boring if you are not really into the technological stuff. But after a while the book gets so much better! It gives you an outlook of the world situation, politically, economically,... very interesting and easy to read. If you want to know what is going one in the world today this is the book. Again, very easy to read, really. Also, it makes a good present.
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El mundo es plano de Thomas Friedman no sé si a la majoria de vosaltres us agradarà gaire... parla molt d'Estats Units així que millor no us el recomano.
La foto però, mostra que el món es força pla per alguns afortunats. A la foto hi ha gent de Guatemala, Peru, Estats Units i 5 catalanetes!

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