Emerson Gibin (in Dubai)

Sao Paulo, I miss you!

2009-02-10T04:25:00.000-08:00

I think my visit to SP during August was so incredible, that when I was flying to Dubai, I had a sudden crisis and started to cry rivers in the airplane. I was thinking that I am crazy to leave all I had back again: my family, my friends and my city, to start yet another adventure in some weird place of the world.

This is the video I saw in the Emirates airplane, that made me start the tears flood...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mr7-GEmFj5c&feature=PlayList&p=5BAA1E55CDCD4D7F&playnext=1&index=1

Sao Paulo is crazy!

2009-02-10T04:14:00.000-08:00

Sao Paulo is a crazy city, it happens day and night, it's chaotic. And we love it!

Sao Paulo is real!

2009-02-10T04:08:00.000-08:00

And especially after 5 months in fake Dubai, I realize how precious it is to live in a real city :)

Also my family is very important to me, and everyday it becomes more important. I feel guilty I left them to live still another time my dream to know the world, but we cannot have everything. But I will be back! I miss my nieces a lot too :)

Sao Paulo, I love you!

2009-02-10T03:58:00.000-08:00

Sao Paulo is a city of contrasts with more than 20 million people from every race and type. Old to new, ugly to beautiful, rich to poor, kitsh to good taste. And because it is the place I spent most of my life, I also found there very special and dear friends, who will be always with me somehow, wherever I might be.

Pics: www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets

Sao Paulo, I am yours!

2009-02-10T03:11:00.001-08:00

I stopped writing for a long time (since I moved to Dubai 5 months ago), and I just realized that one of the main reasons was: I had such a great time in Sao Paulo in August (I spent 3 weeks there before moving from Singapore to Dubai), that it was and it is difficult to describe all I felt being around my great friends and my family, and being in my country and city (which is wonderful, despite all problems it might have). For this reason I will not describe in details my visit to SP, but I can say it was one of the best moments of my life, and I miss you all deeply!

Pics: www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets

¡Viva Madrid!

2008-10-08T03:23:00.001-07:00

So, as I mentioned in my last post, I ended up going to Madrid (totally unexpected) for 2 days, and I don't regret it at all! Even if my objective was to be back in Brazil as soon as possible, I ran the risk of being stuck in NYC anyway, and even if I was frustrated I could not see some of my friends in Madrid (because I had no time to contact them beforehand), I could still manage to see Xavi, Miguel and Isa, and I also spent a great time with Marcus, for the only day he was there.

I was supposed to go back to NYC next day with Marcus but of course I could not resist staying one more day, especially because the wonderful hosts Xavi and Miguel insisted that I'd stay. I was flattered. And the we spent an amazing day walking in the streets of Madrid, visiting some new cafes and the CaixaForum. Xavi also had this great party at his place in the evening for the celebration of his American friend's birthday. And maybe I'm starting to feel more and more at home in Madrid, as I feel in NYC or Paris... :)

Check out my pics of Madrid at:

www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets

New York New York...

2008-10-07T01:20:00.001-07:00

...literally twice! I could board from London to NYC and gracefully on business first, and I could enjoy a little more of this city that I have never lived at, but that I really feel at home there after so many times that I visited it (maybe 35-50 times? I don't know...). Together with Paris, they are cities where I never lived, but it is almost as if I did.

I could see Charles for lunch the first visit, and I also saw Paul the evening before, who recommended me to do this boat trip to see the light waterfalls they had put under several bridges and around the Pier area downtown, it was beautiful! Then I could not board the day after to Sao Paulo (again flight was full) and last minute in the airport I decided to fly with Marcus to Madrid as he was going there for work and was in the airport the same time I was. It was a crazy idea, especially considering my objective was to arrive in Brazil! And to go back to Europe did not make too much sense, but it was a delicious deviation (I'll tell you in another post). Then on my way back from Madrid, I passed through NYC again for one day, and finally could see Jose and Hector (Jose was not there when I first passed). So twice NYC, and twice I love it.

See my pics of NYC at www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets

London in a couple of hours

2008-10-07T01:04:00.000-07:00

As I could not board for 3 consecutive days from Hong Kong to NYC (I was on a stand by ticket and flights were full or they had weight restrictions), I decided to buy a ticket from HK to London, hoping to be able to board then from London to NYC more easily.

Unfortunately I could not stay in London, because I really had to arrive in NYC for an interview. But as I had a few hours between flights, I did leave the airport and took the train to Paddington and walked around for one hour or so. I had to see again a little bit of the city that represents a lot to me, since it was the first place I have ever been and lived outside Brazil and actually outside my own city. Directly from Sao Caetano do Sul to London! And I was only 21, young and innocent...all those experiences in London were fascinating and it definitely put me in contact with the world (and perverted me)! Every time I see the city, it brings me back all those memories and experiences I will never forget. Even if now that I know so many other parts of the globe, London seems so depressive...lol...but still I love that city and I think I have a lot of identification with it.

See my few pics I could take in one hour around Paddington Station at www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets

My last days in Asia - Hong Kong

2008-09-24T05:17:00.001-07:00

On my long way from Singapore back to Brazil, my first stop was Hong Kong. And what would be 1 day turned into 3 and a half days, because I was stuck there waiting for a position available with a stand by ticket to NYC.

The good thing was that I could see two of my best friends in Asia, and that only for them my stay in Asia was already worth it: Albert and Maher. Albert had to travel next day but at least I could spend some more time than predicted with Maher. I also met his friend Robert, who's very cool.

Funny that Hong Kong was the first place I visited in Asia (beginning of last year when I first went to Asia on vacation) and then last place, before I left Asia this time. I guess I can say HK is my favorite place in Asia, it's a dynamic city and very interesting, so I didn't mind spending a few extra days there.

See more pics at the album Hong Kong Aug 08 http://www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/

Music Festival in Borneo

2008-09-23T03:25:00.000-07:00

In July I went with some good friends from Singapore to the Borneo World Music Festival. I'm not really into world music, even if sometimes I think it could be anything, and even some interesting stuff, but mostly for me the objective was to get to know a little of Borneo and to spend a good time with my friends. There were the Frenchies Cedric and Jean Baptiste, Indian Amit and Venezuelan Robinson. Apart from them, many other friends of their friends came and we had a good time all together. I already miss my friends in Singapore!!!

Robinson and I also took one day to explore the jungle, we saw monkeys and snakes and nice landscape as you'll be able to see in my photo album at Flickr, and we most of all had a big laugh.

See more pictures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/

Back in Kuala Lumpur

2008-07-01T01:58:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I felt like going somewhere in Malaysia, just to get out of Singapore for a couple of days (as if I did not do that all the time), and I first thought of going to Tioman, an island on the east part of Malaysia. But when I arrived at the bus station, they told me all buses going there were full, and after going to another bus station I realized my only option would be to go back to Kuala Lumpur. And I am just so glad I did!

My first visit there was last year with Jose and Hector (you can see a post about it here on my old posts), and it was really cool, especially being with my very dear friend Jose. But this time I was by myself and maybe I also knew Asia already a lot better, so I could explore the city in a different perspective, and I think I saw many things I did not see last time.

It was mainly great to go through the popular markets of food and clothes, and to see that mix of colored covered Muslim women and Indians in some other parts of the city, and especially to walk through the Arab district. This time I realized there are many Arabs in KL, and I have always been very attracted to their culture. To make my experience more complete, I met Mostafa, and Iraqi who has been living in KL for less than one year. He came with his family, escaping from the war. As most of Arabs, he is fascinated by Brazil and he was super nice and took me around the city and made my weekend really worth it.

Other things that caught my attention this time was the mix of old/modern, traditional/trendy things (you can see it on the pics), there are very trendy shops and coffee places, with the most exclusive brands, at the same time you can find very typical street markets where people are selling fruits and clothes. Also I visited more of the park area this time, and it is really impressive: it is huge area with a lot of nature and lots of parks and museums (Islamic Arts Museum, Botanic Gardens, Bird Park, Butterfly Park, Deer Park etc).

See my pics of Kuala Lumpur (and others) at:

www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets

Formosa (Taiwan)

2008-06-23T23:03:00.000-07:00

In the beggining of this month (June) I went to Formosa (as the Portuguese called Taiwan when they arrived there centuries ago, and still today Taiwan is also known by this name) for a few days, to join my friend-brother Alberto, who was there or work (as I did before in Thailand, Jakarta etc). And once again it was more than worth it. Especially because of our wonderful hosts: Greg and Rex.

Greg is the brother of Reiser, a common Taiwanese friend Alberto and I have in Hong Kong. They were just amazing, taking us everywhere, day and night, and I had heard about the Taiwanese hospitality, and it was not only confirmed, I was even surprised (it was even better than I thought) and it just made me feel like home, people were a little like in Brazil, very nice and smiling all the time. Besides, Taipei reminds me a little of Sao Paulo (it is pretty grey and ugly in a sense) but again like Sao Paulo you go and dig in and find amazing places and people. Another surprise was that the city looks more like Tokyo than like China. I had this impression since I first saw the city, and later they confirmed that they have a lot of Japanese influence (I did not know). So I define Taipei as a mix of Sao Paulo and Tokyo.

We visited the National Palace Museum, which has one of the main collections of Chinese art in the world, it is impressive, and also the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall, where it was interesting to find out more on how Taiwan and China were divided during the Chinese revolution (things that we definitely do not learn at school in Latin America, lol). And of course I went to the top of 101, the tallest building on Earth.

Click here to see my Taiwan pictures, and others:
www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets

A few more times in Hong Kong...

2008-06-22T07:13:00.000-07:00

I went to Hong Kong 3 times after my long visit there in November. First on my way to Brazil in December, when I met another Brazilian (Andre) and his friend Ben (an American who lived in Brazil before) and even if I was stuck in Hong Kong because I was in a stand-by ticket, it was great to spend time with them, we went out to bars and also went to the 1,000 Bhudas temple in the New Territories.

Then last month (in May), also on my way to the States, I spent a few days in Hong Kong on my way back to Singapore. It was again great to see Maher (a Tunisian/French friend I made on my to the States) and Claude, who was in China for work and came to HK to spend the weekend with me. We went to Lamma island. We had a fantastic time together.

Somehow I always have a great time in Hong Kong and meet a lot of people there. I guess it has an energy that is missing in Singapore.

Click here to check the pictures of Hong Kong and more:

www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets

Big Big World

2008-06-10T00:04:00.001-07:00

And some people say I travel a lot...well, maybe it is true, I love travelling. But so far, I have visited "only" 34% of the countries in the world!!!!! There is still so much to see :)

Here are the countries I have visited:

Back in Rhode Island

2008-06-02T20:24:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I went back to the other side of the world, I attended one of my best friends (Marcus)'s graduation party in Rhode Island. My first part of the trip was in NYC, I spent a few days there, and besides seeing some good friends, I just felt like home again: not only I have been to NYC many times before and it does feel like home naturally but also compared to Asia, it is so much closer to my culture. Instead of seeing signs in Chinese, Malay or Tamil, I was glad to be able to understand all of them in either English or Spanish! I would also understand most of people on the street, as there are some many Latinos in the city, but also many tourists, being most of them French, Italians, Germans or Brazilians! (what a relief…European languages!!!!)

Then Rhode Island with Marcus was just fantastic. I had been there a few times, but I guess this time was the best. First because it was great to see some good friends again, and then I don't know, I guess because it was Marcus' party, it was something special. It was really great to spend days with people who were either close to me already (like Marcus and David) or wonderful people that I ended up knowing a little better this time, like Marc, Claudia and Marcus' mother and sister. Revising my pictures, I realized how lucky I was to be able to share these moments with Marcus and his friends/family, also included all the other times I had been there in Providence with him, it is a unique place, and I could live that a little bit every time. Thanks Marcus!!!! And congratulations again!

The weather was great most of the time, and we did biking, picnic, we went out to clubs and I took advantage to eat all the Western food I could possibly do: Italian, Brazilian, Cuban, Mexican, Greek, even some nice very American burgers in NYC (I'll post later). Spring was just there also, so flowers everywhere, as you can see at the bucolic pictures of Rhode Island that I took:

www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets

Asian Civilisations Museum

2008-06-01T09:19:00.001-07:00

I must confess that usually when I visited museums like the Metropolitan or even the Hermitage, they would have a vast collection of Asian arts and I would look at it very briefly just to run later to see the Impressionist paintings.

But today I visited the Asian Civilisations Museum here in Singapore, and I had heard it was good before, but I did not think I would be totally fascinated by it.

It is at the same time sad to think the rich countries get all the art from the other countries (just look at museums in London, Paris or NYC), but at the same time I am glad Singapore could gather such great representations of art from other Asian countries and that I could see them today. It was not enough though, I will have to go back to spend more time there.

Site of the museum: http://www.acm.org.sg/themuseum/galleries.asp
For a great selection of places to stay with discount prices visit Singapore Hotels for more info

It's Alright!...

2008-05-30T04:26:00.000-07:00

...even if the world is falling apart!

Funny that when I was traveling by bus in south India I had my iPod (and felt guilty because it was a common bus and people were looking at my iPod as something unaffordable, but could not help listening to some music) and on my shuffling I got Pet Shop Boys' "It's Alright", and it fitted so much the situation. Even if they were so poor and fighting to have something to eat, all that peace in their eyes, no matter how bad the world might be, it's still alright! And it will always be, hopefully. Problems come and go, and it will just be like that forever.

Just look at the first phrases of the lyrics, the problems are still there, just different now! I just hope it's gonna be alright! 'Caus the music plays forever!

Dictation being forced in Afghanistan
Revolution in South Africa taking a stand
People in Eurasia on the brink of oppression
I hope it's going to be alright
I hope the music plays forever

Forests falling at a desperate pace
The earth is dying, and desert taking its place
People under pressure on the brink of starvation

I hope it's gonna be alright
(Alright Alright Alright)
'Cause the music plays forever
('Cause it goes on and on and on and on and on)
I hope it's gonna be alright
(On and on and on and on, forever)
And the music plays forever
(Alright Alright)

Generations will come and go (will come and go)
But there's one thing for sure
Music is our life's foundation
And shall succeed all the nations to come

(Alright Alright Alright)
'Cause the music plays forever
('Cause it goes on and on and on and on and on)
I hope it's gonna be alright
(On and on and on and on and on)
(On and on and on and on)
And the music plays forever

The year three thousand may still come to pass
But the music shall last
I can hear it on a timeless wavelength
Never dissipating but giving us strength

India

2008-05-06T01:45:00.000-07:00

I went to the south of India (Tamil Nadu) for the 1^st of May holiday. Even if it was too short, the experience was intense, as I could have imagined before. I visited Madras (Chennai), Mamallapuram and Pondicherry. Chennai is a megalopolis and very chaotic, and I love it! It is true I had not seen so much poverty before, but neither had I seen so many colors and peace in people’s eyes. Everything is dirty and there are cows walking in the middle of the streets, and people selling everything. The most amazing thing is that people are starving, but it feels safe, they are not trying to steal or deceive you. Maybe I was lucky, but people were only coming to me to talk, they were very curious (even if many had no idea of what Brazil was), and it felt so pure, I don’t know, I was really touched by every single contact with the people I made. Even the children, they want to practice their English and whenever you go, they would shout “Hello, how are you?” and smile.

Pondicherry is an ex colony of the French empire and therefore a lot of French influence, and therefore I guess frequent French visitors, and people would come to talk to me in French (thinking I was French). It was interesting. I met this guy who wanted to practice his French and he took me in his motorbike and was telling me about the town etc. I also had one of the best “coq au vin”’s in my life in a French restaurant for less than US$5.

And Mamallapuram is a “temple city”, where they did these stone carvings during the 6^th-7^th centuries mostly, and they are very impressive.

Some other curious things were to see how they enjoy the beach differently: they usually gather there thousands of people, but they are dressed, and they mostly don’t even go into the water (opposite of Brazil, where everybody is almost naked). Then the food I was afraid before I went, that I’d have problem with it, as everybody warned me before, but actually Singapore has trained me well (I eat Indian food here a lot), and I was already used to most of the food, and it was pretty good, and some of the lunches or dinners I paid less than US$1 for a nice meal with a soft drink included!

India was one of the few countries that I visited, that I cried of emotion: I cried a few times, the first time was when I saw these children dancing to Indian music in the street, and they were so happy and when they saw me they would smile and all say “hi, how are you?” and continue dancing and laughing and showing their abilities. And the middle of street in India includes cows, people selling fruits, flowers etc, dirty everywhere, all under a 40 C weather.

Then taking a bus to go to the south, this boy came to talk to me and told me about his whole life and really he had no interest at all, he was just curious and he was so nice. He was just one of many who did the same, but when he left the bus, he was waiting outside to wave me goodbye, and his eyes transmitted me so much peace, I was crying along the way down to Pondicherry.

And then these “processions” to the temples, with instruments and elephants and monks and people offering fruits and flowers to the gods. And if it was in any other place, they’d maybe be angry I was taking pictures, but there they were just smiling. It made me cry once more.

Maybe I was too emotional, but India did make an impact on me, and I’ll carry it for the rest of my life. I do want to go back and see other parts of the country, it was too short this time.

See my pics at Flickr!!! The cool thing is that now the videos are also included at the Flickr album. I also added recently pics from Phuket, Malacca (Malaysia), Bintan (Indonesia) and Brunei. Just click at the link below:

www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets

Phuket

2008-04-10T23:47:00.000-07:00

I spent last weekend in Phuket with my dear friend/brother Alberto. I had already heard the beaches were not that nice there, but well it is true they are not like in Krabi or around Phi Phi (where I had found the beaches just amazing), but they are not bad either. Besides the island (Phuket) is much more fun than I thought, there are many bars and clubs, it is a little like Bali. We also rented a scooter for the days we were there and it was an adventure, I must say. Alberto had forgotten his license, so I had to ride all the time and he thought we were going to die going around those curves of the island and having trucks overpassing in those narrow lanes. I decided to put some videos on YouTube. Take a look at this one I made of a TV show with videos at the hotel, we laughed like crazy.

You can also take a look at all pictures of Phuket, besides I added pictures of other trips I made recently: Malacca in Malaysia, Bintan in Indonesia and the Sultanate of Brunei:

www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets

Sydney

2008-03-17T02:15:00.000-07:00

After so long, I'm back. But I haven't had time to update the blog very frequently, so I'll only post in a summarized Spanish after the English post.

I spent 10 amazing days in Sydney with my friend Steven, who was a wonderful host. I also met Joao, the Portuguese from Macau, who was there by coincidence and it was great to go out with him. I also met finally Emerson in person, another Brazilian living in Sydney, who is friend of Daniel. And also Ralph, the Filipino whom I met in HK through Michael was there. And yet by coincidence I met Vinicius and Juliano, that I knew from Sao Paulo! Funny, just realized I was soooo far and yet meeting so many people, hehehe, the world became too small for me. I love Sydney! It was my second time there but this time, I fell in love with the city and their lifestyle.

See the pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157604112955966/

Estuve en Sydney por 10 dias y estuvo increible. Estuve con mi amigo Steve que fue un anfitrion de los mejores, y tambien encontre a Joao, mi amigo portugues que vive en Macau (en la foto), y tambien encontre a varios otros amigos que estaban por alla por casualidad. De repente me doy cuenta de como el mundo se volvio pequeno para mi. Sydney esta tan lejos de mi pais, pero igual encontre a un monton de gente. Es la segunda vez que voy a Sydney, pero esta vez me gusto todavia mas, es una ciudad halucinante.

Miren las fotos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157604112955966/

The Flock of Sheep

2008-01-18T01:55:00.000-08:00

2 Weeks in Hong Kong

2007-12-15T21:02:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I went to Hong Hong. I had some friends coming from other places (US, Bangladesh) and then asked my company to work from the office there for 2 weeks. I had been to Hong Kong last January, when I first came to Asia on vacation, it was actually my first place I ever visited in true Asia (well, except Turkey and Middle East)! I had only stayed for a couple of days but the impression I had it was that of a vibrant and crazy city already, where all this modernity we do not even see in the States was astonishing, combined with some little streets with local traditional Chinese markets. But I did not know anybody the fist time. So this time I decided to ask a few friends for contacts before I went, and that’s a wise thing to do! I met so many nice people and had a wonderful time! I’ll post pics of some of these people later and will tell you how I met them. It was one of my trips ever, I definitely intend to go back to Hong Kong many times to see these guys.

Click here to see the pics of my trip to Hong Kong:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157603378794406/

Hace algunas semanas fui a Hong Kong. Algunos amigos venían de otras partes (EEUU, Bangladesh) y entonces pedí a mi jefe que pudiera trabajar desde Hong Kong por 2 semanas. Estuve en HK por primera vez en enero, cuando vine a Asia por primera vez, de hecho fue el primer lugar que pise en Asia de verdad (con excepción de Turquía y Medio Oriente). Me había quedado solamente 2 noches pero la impresión que ya había tenido era de una ciudad vibrante y loca, donde lo mas moderno posible (mas moderno que EEUU o cualquier otro lugar que yo había visto antes) se mezclaba con pequeños callejones de mercado tradicional chino. Pero la diferencia es que la primera vez yo no conocía a nadie, y esta vez antes de ir pedí contactos a amigos que viajan mucho y fue muy buena idea. En final conocí a mucha gente increíble allá y la pase de lo mejor. Voy a postar después fotos con estos amigos que hice allá y que hicieron que fuera una de mis mejores viajes.

Para ver las fotos, hagan click aquí:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157603378794406/

2007-12-07T02:04:00.000-08:00

One of the most fascinating (and claustrophobic) experiences in life is walking/crossing some of the streets in Asia. This one in Hong Kong is an example of that, when you see so many people coming your way, you think you’ll be smashed. Somehow everyone finds a way to inter-cross among each other, just like ants.

Pics of my 2 weeks in Hong Kong + one day in Shenzhen (China):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157603378794406/

Una de las experiencias mas fascinantes (y claustrofobicas) en la vida es cruzar una calle en algunos lugares de Asia. Esta calle en Hong Kong es un ejemplo, ves tanta gente viniendo en tu dirección, pensaras que serás aplastado. De alguna manera todos encuentran su camino, como hormigas.

Fotos de mis 2 semanas en Hong Kong + un día en Shenzhen (China):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157603378794406/

When Smiths/Morrissey songs make sense again...

2007-11-26T19:31:00.000-08:00

Funny I am having again the time of my life visiting all these places and getting to know so many different cultures, and meeting so many new people from all over the world. I am working now from Hong Kong for 2 weeks and I was coming to work in the morning and looking at these crazy city and I could not believe it I was here again, and also I met so many nice people these days from everywhere (Americans, Chileans, Puerto Ricans, Japanese, Taiwanese, Colombian, Australian, French, Brazilians, Portuguese etc), some of them I think I’ll keep friends for a long time, I have the impression. But still being so far away from my country and my world, and being single again…sometimes I cannot help feeling sad and alone. And that’s when all Smiths/Morrissey songs make sense again. I was listening to this one this morning and it made just so much sense:

"Wide to Receive

Download something Useful, or useless Because I'm lying here Wide to receive Almost anything You'd care to give And I don't Get along with myself And I'm not too keen On anyone else Turn on, plug in Then just walk away Unlock, process And then just go And I've never felt quite so alone As I do right now"

Gracioso que estoy realizando nuevamente mis suenos, conociendo el mundo y conociendo tantas culturas diferentes y encontrando gente de todo el mundo. Estoy trabajando ahora desde Hong Kong por 2 semanas y esta manana venia al trabajo y no podia creer que estaba aquí en esta ciudad loca. También conoci a tanta gente buena estos ultimos diez dias, gente de toda parte (latinos, americanos, orientales, europeos etc) y que algunos tengo la impresión que seran mis amigos por mucho tiempo. Pero aun asi, estando tan lejos de mi familia, amigos y de mi mundo, ademas estando soltero después de tanto tiempo, no puedo evitar de sentirme a veces muy solo y triste. Y entonces muchas de las canciones de Smiths/Morrissey tienen sentido nuevamente. Esta manana escuche esta que me identifique totalmente con el periodo que estoy viviendo.

Penang, the East India Company base

2007-11-26T19:14:00.000-08:00

In the beginning of this month, I visited Penang in Malaysia. Penang, originally part of the Malay Sultanate of Kedah, was given to the British East India Company in 1786 by the Sultan of Kedah, in exchange for military protection from Siamese and Burmese armies who were threatening Kedah. Penang was the base for the famous East India Company and was a very prosperous city, it was like Singapore 30 years ago! You can still see a lot of interesting buildings, but they are mostly run down.

Pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157603245201340/

Al comienzo del mes, fui a Penang en Malasia. Penang originalmente parte del sultanado malayo de Kedah, fue concedida a la Compañía de las Indias Orientales en 1786 por el sultán Kedah, por intercambio a protección contra los siameses (tailandeses) y los burmeses. Penang fue la base de la famosa Compañía de las Indias Orientales y fue una ciudad muy prospera durante mucho tiempo, era lo que es Singapur hace 30 anos. Todavía se ve edificios imponentes, pero están un poco descuidados.
Fotos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157603245201340/

Deepavali, Festival of Lights

2007-11-26T19:03:00.000-08:00

After the Malay New Year we celebrated in Singapore the Indian biggest celebration: Deepavali (it is celebrated by Hindus, Jains and Sikhs across the globe as the "Festival of Light," where the lights or lamps signify victory of good over the evil within every human being).

Después del ano nuevo malayo, fue la vez de celebrar en Singapur el Deepavali, la época del ano mas importante para los hindúes (es celebrado por los hindúes, jains y sikhs como el “festival de las luces”, donde estas representan la victoria del bien sobre el mal, dentro de cada ser humano).

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Booming Singapore

2007-11-26T18:34:00.000-08:00

Singapore is booming for decades, growing at impressive rates. Now there is a new phase of growth, pushed by services and construction. Real state prices are going up to the sky. This is a construction site not far from where I live, where they are building an enormous casino at Sentosa island. Everywhere in Asia you see things growing, gigantic buildings being constructed.

Singapur esta creciendo a ritmos altísimos hace décadas, y ahora vive una nueva fase de crecimiento, principalmente debido al aumento de exportación de servicios y de construcción. Los precios de los inmuebles están yendo al cielo. Esta construcción que se ve en la foto no esta lejos de donde vivo, es donde van a poner un enorme casino en la isla de Sentosa. Por toda Asia se ve todo creciendo, por todas partes se construyen edificios enormes.

Female Boat Riders in Vietnam

2007-11-20T01:23:00.000-08:00

This is one of pictures I took in Vietnam that I liked the most. They are female boat riders at the Mekong River Delta.

Esta es una de las fotos que tome en Vietnam que mas me gustaron. Estas son mujeres que manejan los botes en el delta del Rio Mekong.

Islamic Art Museum in Kuala Lumpur

2007-11-20T01:04:00.000-08:00

One of the best spots visited in Malaysia was the Islamic Art Museum in Kuala Lumpur. It had some very beautiful objects and it also displayed architecture of mosques in different Muslim countries, it was very interesting. This pic was taken in front of the museum.

Uno de los mejores puntos de visita en Kuala Lumpur fue el Museo de Arte Islámica. Además de tener objetos muy bonitos, también mostraba la diferencia de arquitectura entre las mezquitas construidas en diferentes países islámicos. Esta foto me tome frente al museo.

Malay New Year in Kuala Lumpur

2007-11-15T05:19:00.000-08:00

In celebration of the new Malay Year, there were many stages all over the city (Kuala Lumpur) with performances and dance.

Pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157602812073056/

Para celebrar el ano nuevo malayo, habian muchos palcos por toda la ciudad (Kuala Lumpur) con performances y danza.
Fotos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157602812073056/

Kuala Lumpur

2007-11-06T03:24:00.000-08:00

Ten days ago I went to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) with Jose and his friend Hector (another Mexican-American), who was working in China for a few months and came to join us in KL. I was impressed on how the city is developed and rich, I must confess I was expecting something poorer and less developed. Funny also that it is very Muslim, but modern, so I had been to Middle East countries before but it is the first one I see that is modern (I guess Dubai could be modern also). Anyway, I always feel very comfortable in Muslim countries, I don’t know why, people are always very friendly. Here is a pic of me in front of the Petronas Twin Towers, which is still the tallest twin towers in the world (now another building is taller in Taipei, but it is not a twin tower).

Pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157602812073056/

Hace diez dias me fui a Kuala Lumpur (Malasia) con Jose y su amigo Hector (que también es mexicano-americano y estaba viviendo por unos meses en China y vino juntarse a nosotros en KL). Lo que me impresiono es que KL es bastante moderna y rica, debo de confesar que yo esperaba algo mas pobre y menos desarrollado. También es curioso que sea un pais bastante musulmán y al mismo tiempo moderno. Yo habia estado en el Medio Oriente el ano pasado, pero allá todo es mas viejo y menos moderno (tal vez Dubai sea diferente, pero no he estado). De todos modos, siempre me siento súper comodo en los paises musulmanes, no se por que, la gente es muy amable. Aquí va una foto de mi frente a las torres Petronas, que todavía son las torres gemelas mas altas del mundo (ahora hay otro edificio mas alto, en Taipei, pero no es torres gemelas como Petronas).

Fotos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157602812073056/

Crazy Traffic in Saigon (Vietnam)

2007-10-29T07:53:00.000-07:00

If I had thought the traffic in Bali was chaotic with the motorbikes, I had no idea until I saw the traffic in Saigon (Vietnam)!!

Si pense que el transito era caotico en Bali con las motocicletas, no tenia idea de lo que era Saigon (Vietnam)!!

Vietnam

2007-10-23T21:10:00.000-07:00

Well, if I thought Bali was chaotic with their motorbikes, I had no clue until I came to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam). There are 4 million motorbikes in the city, the traffic is totally crazy! I went there to attend an event and Jose came from NYC to join me on Friday, so we spent the weekend there and left on Monday. Besides buying Diesel jeans at $12, we also visited a little of city, got massaged by girls who wanted to sell more than massage, had nice food, and took a tour of the Mekong Delta, which was pretty interesting to see how they live there. People are very nice and smiley, always waving “hello” (in English) when they see a foreigner. Also there was this old lady who came to talk to me in almost perfect French, I was impressed. There you could see the old influence of the French in the region.

Pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157602660673178/

Bueno si yo había pensado Bali era caótica con sus motos, es porque no había visto Saigon todavía! Hay 4 millones de motocicletas en la ciudad, el transito es una locura! Fui allá para un evento y José de NYC vino a encontrarme el viernes, pasamos el fin de semana allá hasta el lunes. Además de comprar jeans de Diesel por $12, también visitamos un poco de la ciudad, comimos bien, fuimos masajeados por chicas que querían vender mas que masajes, y también tomamos un tour del delta del Río Mekong, que estuvo súper interesante para ver como la gente de ahí vive. Son muy simpáticos, siempre sonriendo y diciendo “hello” cuando ven extranjeros. También una vieja me vino a hablar en perfecto francés, me impresiono, ahí se ve la influencia que los franceses ya tuvieron en esta región.

Fotos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157602660673178/

Sentosa Beach

2007-10-23T20:39:00.000-07:00

I went to the beach here for the first time with Lionel, and I had low expectations because everybody told me it was very artificial etc. But I was positively surprised (maybe thanks to the low expectations). It is true it is too much organized and some places look like a theme park, but there are parts of the beach which are calm and relaxing and there are some nice lounge bars like the Km 8 or Café del Mar. Again interesting here to see how different people and races enjoy the beach differently and definitely with different clothes. I felt pretty much naked with my Brazilian Speedos, but well there were also many Europeans wearing them. The best thing is that the beach is very near my new apartment!

Fui a la playa por primera vez aquí con Lionel y me sorprendió positivamente. A pesar de que de hecho es un poco artificial y algunas partes parece un parque temático, pero igual hay partes más tranquilas y playas con unos bares lounge como el Km 8 o el Café del Mar, que no están mal. Hay gente interesante también. Es interesante también ver como cada gente o raza disfruta diferentemente de la playa, y también como se visten para ir a la playa. Yo me sentía casi desnudo con mi “sunga”, pero bueno igual habían muchos europeos usando lo mismo. Lo mejor es que la playa esta súper cerca de mi casa!

Deepavali and Malay New Year

2007-10-21T09:48:00.000-07:00

This month we were also celebrating two festivals in Singapore, showing again the mix of races and religions here, one Indian and one Malay: 1) Deepavali or Diwali. The word Diwali has its origin in the Sanskrit word "Deepavali" which means "rows of light". This 5 day long Hindu festival is celebrated throughout the world with great zeal and fanaticism .Diwali or deepavali is the festival signifying the victory of good against evil. 2) Malay New Year: It's that time of the year again when the Muslims fast as a show of faith. At sundown, a massive night bazaar awakens at Singapore's Muslim enclave, Geylang Serai.

Pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157602584590947/

Este mes hemos celebrado en Singapur dos festivales mostrando una vez mas la variedad de culturas y religiones en este pais, uno hindu y otro malayo: 1) Deepavali: es un festival hindú que dura 5 días y es celebrado con gran fanatismo. Es el festival que significa la victoria del bien contra el mal. 2) Ano Nuevo Malayo: es cuando después del ayuno de Ramadan después de un mes los malayos salen a celebrar con un bazaar nocturno con mucha comida, en el barrio musulmán de Singapur: Geylang Serai.

Fotos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157602584590947/

Lionel Visit

2007-10-21T09:32:00.000-07:00

Up to a few weeks ago I had not seen any familiar face in Singapore, I mean, I had met a lot of new people, including friends that were presented to me through other friends, but I had not met people I knew from the past. So finally I got my first visitor: Lionel. Also before Lionel arrived I met Ze Antonio, an old friend from Rio, who was in town for a summit, and even if we could not see much of each other, it was great to have lunch with him and see someone I knew from before arriving in Singapore. Then Lionel, who is a very good French friend, came to spend a few days with me. It was really great and fun to have Lionel around. He’s been working in Bangladesh for a project, so it was also fun going to the beach with him in Singapore and meeting all these guys from Bangladesh he would make friends with (I’d never know they were Bangladeshis, I’d think they were all Indians!). Also we went out to a lot of nice restaurants and bars and clubs, which was pretty cool and then Singapore keeps surprising me, it is not that boring as people would think. Now I am in Vietnam with Jose, who is one of my best friends and came from NYC to see me (I’ll post in another window the trip to Vietnam).

Pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157602584590947/

Hasta pocas semanas atrás yo había conocido mucha gente en Singapur pero no había visto a nadie que yo conociera de antes. Entonces estuvo súper que recibí mi primera visita: Lionel. Antes de ver a Lionel también almorcé un día con Ze Antonio, que es un amigo de Rio que conozco hace muchísimo tiempo y estaba en la ciudad para un congreso. Luego con Lionel, además de que me dio mucho gusto verlo, también nos divertimos un montón, descubriendo nuevos clubs, bares y restaurantes, y también fuimos a la playa y conocimos a muchos chicos de Bangladesh (Lionel esta trabajando en Bangladesh hace 9 meses por trabajo y el reconoció que los chicos en la playa eran muchos de ahí, era un dia feriado para ellos...yo nunca sabria que eran de allá, pensaba que eran hindúes! Eran muy simpáticos). En final me parece de verdad que Singapur no es tan aburrido como yo pensaría antes de venir! Ahora estoy en Vietnam con José, que es uno de mis mejores amigos y me vino a ver desde NYC, así que estoy súper feliz de recibir y ver a mis amigos en Asia! (lo pondré en una ventana separada después la visita a Saigon, Vietnam).

Fotos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157602584590947/

A Taxi Journey in Bali

2007-10-11T21:52:00.000-07:00

Here is a video of a ride in a Bali taxi, where we drove about one hour to Ubud, in the center of the island, of course listening to Balinese music while appreciating the thousands of motorbikes passing by everywhere, and then later the rice fields and temples along the way.

Este es un video de un viaje en taxi en Bali, cuando el conductor me llevo al centro de la isla en Ubud, y por supuesto escuchando a musica balinesa mientras apreciando a las miles de motocicletas pasando por todos lados, y después mas tarde entrando por los campos de arroz y los templos en el camino.

Weekend in Bali

2007-10-04T00:27:00.000-07:00

I went to Bali for the weekend! I never thought I’d say that! It all seemed so far once in my life...anyway, Renzo (a Peruvian friend who was here for work) told me he was going to Bali for the weekend and last minute I decided to come with him (why not?), hehehe. It was short but I could have a good feel of what Bali is, as you will see it in the pics. So as I expected the beaches are not so fantastic (they are beautiful though, and I did not see too many to judge), but really the nightlife is amazing! And also the inner culture of the island, which I could see a little by visiting Ubud, is very interesting. It was really beautiful to see the rice fields and also interesting to visit the Monkey Forest. We went out both Friday and Saturday, and there are a lot of bars full of locals but also foreigners (mainly Australians, Europeans and people from other Asian countries). I even met 3 Brazilians! One of them lived between Bali and East Timor (you always meet the craziest people when you travel!). The food was also very good and super cheap. Some facts:

Balinese culture was strongly influenced by Indian, and particularly Sanskrit, culture, in a process beginning around the 1st century AD
The First European contact with Bali is thought to have been when Dutch explorer Cornelis de Houtman arrived in 1597, though a Portuguese ship had foundered off the Bukit Peninsula as early as 1585
Bali lies 3.2 km east of Java and approximately 8 degrees south of the equator (so I went from North to South hemisphere going from Singapore to Bali)
Unlike most of Muslim-majority Indonesia, about 93% of Bali's population adheres to Balinese Hinduism

Pics: http://flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157602252447009/

Fui a Bali para el fin de semana! Nunca pense que diria esto, ya que parecia tan distante en algun momento. Renzo, un amigo peruano que vive en Londres y estaba aquí por trabajo, me dijo que iba a Bali para el finde y decidi acompanarlo (por que no? Jejeje). Fue corto pero aprovechamos mucho. Las playas no me parecieron súper fantasticas, pero lo interesante fue la vida nocturna, con muchos bares y mucha mezcla de locales con extranjeros (muchos australianos, europeos y gente de otros paises asiáticos....hasta me encontré 3 brasilenos! Uno de ellos vivia entre Bali y Timor Oriental! En estos viajes encontramos la gente mas loca!). También la cultura de Bali es súper interesante, fui al centro de la isla a Ubud donde vi muchos templos, los campos de arroz, y la selva de monos. La comida también era muy rica, y mejor todavía, muy barata!

Fotos: http://flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157602252447009/

Mid-Autumn Festival

2007-10-03T23:27:00.000-07:00

The Mid-Autumn Festival (Simplified Chinese: 中秋节), also known as the Moon Festival, is a popular East Asian celebration of abundance and togetherness, dating back over 3,000 years to China's Zhou Dynasty. In Malaysia and Singapore, it is also sometimes referred to as the Lantern Festival or "Mooncake Festival", which is just the same as "Mid-Autumn Festival" but with different names.
The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month of the Chinese calendar (usually around mid- or late-September in the Gregorian calendar), a date that parallels the Autumn Equinox of the solar calendar. This is the ideal time, when the moon is at its fullest and brightest, to celebrate the abundance of the summer's harvest. The traditional food of this festival is the mooncake, of which there are many different varieties.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the two most important holidays in the Chinese calendar (the other being the Chinese Lunar New Year), and is a legal holiday in several countries. Farmers celebrate the end of the summer harvesting season on this date. Traditionally, on this day, Chinese family members and friends will gather to admire the bright mid-autumn harvest moon, and eat moon cakes and pomeloes together. Accompanying the celebration, there are additional cultural or regional customs, such as:
Eating moon cakes outside under the moon, Putting pomelo rinds on one's head, Carrying brightly lit lanterns, Burning incense in reverence to deities including Chang'e, Planting Mid-Autumn trees, Lighting lanterns on towers, Fire Dragon Dances

Pics: http://flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157602251694113/

El “Festival de Medio Otoño”, también conocido como festival de la Luna, es bastante popular en Asia del Este y celebra la abundancia y la unión de personas, es una tradición de hace mas de 3.000 anos. En Singapur también es conocido como es festival del Mooncake, que son tortas especiales que se comen para estas fechas.
Es la fecha cuando la luna esta más brillante y es el festival chino más importante después del ano nuevo chino. En esta fecha, las familias chinas se juntan para admirar la luna, y comer las “tortas de la luna” o toronjas (pomelos) juntos. Otras tradiciones son: poner cascara de toronja en la cabeza de los otros, cargar linternas, quemar inciensos en honor a dioses como Chang’e, plantar árboles de medio otoño, prender linternas en torres, bailes de dragones de fuego.

Fotos: http://flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157602251694113/

Signs of Freedom

2007-10-03T03:20:00.000-07:00

This publicity was at the London "tube" (subway). I guess this kind of publicity would not be allowed here in Singapore!

Esta publicidad estaba en el metro de Londres. Creo que este tipo de publicidad no seria permitida en Singapur!

Quick visit to London on my way to Singapore

2007-10-03T01:37:00.000-07:00

On my way to Singapore from Brazil I stopped in London. Time flies and I realized I had last been there 6 years ago!!! I lived in London back in ’94 and then again for a few months during the ’95-’96 period, so I have very fond memories of my London days, it was really one of the best periods of my life, so it was great to see the city again. Also along the years I met many good friends from everywhere who now by coincidence live in London. I stayed at my “brother” Cedric’s place, who is now married! I also met Doug, Francois, Andre, Paulo, Marcos, Patrick…we all had a nice dinner at Carluccio’s on Friday evening. I also met Andre Salame who was there on vacation and I even met by coincidence Marcio walking in the street, I hadn’t seen him for ages! I also saw Claude who was there by coincidence for work. London is a true crossroads! It was also great to go back to Graham’s place in Streatham, it reminded me so much of my first days in London. Pity it was too short…but I’ll be back some time! Promise!

Pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157602057596049/

En camino a Singapur desde Brasil, estuve por 2 días en Londres. El tiempo vuela y no me había dado cuenta que hacia ya 6 anos que iba a esta ciudad. Viví en Londres en el 94 y después de nuevo por algunos meses en ’95-’96 cuando fui a estudiar en Francia. Tengo recordaciones muy buenas de esta época, que fueron de las mejores de mi vida. Esta vez también aproveche para ver amigos que conocí en varios lugares que por casualidad viven en Londres. Estuve en la casa de mi amigo-hermano Cedric, que hace poco se caso. También vi varios buenos amigos en una cena en el Carluccio’s de Covent Garden. También encontré a Andre de Belem que estaba allá de vacaciones. Tambien Claude, que estaba alla por trabajo por casualidad. Todos se cruzan en Londres! Y estuvo también súper regresar a Streatham para ver a Graham y David, el primer lugar que vivi en Londres en el 94, me trajo muchas buenas recordaciones! Lastima que fue muy corto, pero regresare!!!

Fotos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157602057596049/

Singapore First Impressions

2007-10-02T02:45:00.000-07:00

Well, Singapore…it is AMAZING! You should all come to see me! Of course I feel alone sometimes as it is a totally different culture, or should I say mix of cultures, but it is very interesting. The predominant culture by far is Chinese, but also Indian is very strong, and also Malay, besides all the other Asian immigrants and Westerners who live here in this island. So going from one district to the next is like visiting different countries, with different people, habits and religions! Also the food is fantastic, and very cheap! All the mix of different Asian cuisines, it is a paradise for gourmets…I am still afraid I could get bored after some time, but so far it is better than I expected. And besides, being near so many wonderful places (Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia etc), I hope I’ll have some chance to travel around. Just last weekend I spent in Bali! Going to Bali for a weekend, who would think of it? Hehe

Pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157602058066531/

Singapur es súper! Todos deberían de venir a verme! Claro que me he sentido un poco solo a veces ya que es cultura totalmente diferente, o más bien es una mezcla de culturas, pero es muy interesante. La cultura predominante es de lejos la china, pero también la cultura hindú es bastante fuerte, y después la Malaya, además de todos los otros inmigrantes asiáticos que trajeron sus culturas y también los extranjeros de varios países. Entonces yendo de un barrio a otro es como visitar a diferentes países, con razas, costumbres y religiones diferentes. También la comida es súper rica y variada, un verdadero paraíso para los gourmets...todavía me da un poco de miedo de aburrirme con el tiempo, pero hasta ahora es mejor de lo que yo esperaba. Además tengo la oportunidad de viajar a todos estos países cercanos (Indonesia, Tailandia, Malasia, Australia etc), espero viajar un poquito. El finde pasado ya lo pase en Bali, y estuvo muy bien. Quién imaginaria poder pasar un fin de semana en Bali? jeje

Fotos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gibin/sets/72157602058066531/

Welcome to my Blog! Bienvenido a mi Blog!

2007-10-02T02:28:00.000-07:00

English (blue): Hi everybody, so finally a blog! So besides all the f…pics you get from me, you can also read some news sometimes. As I do not have time to write very often to each of you, at least you can have an idea of what is going on. I’ll do it in English, but thinking of also posting some texts in Spanish, as some of my lazy friends in Latin America would not speak English. And Brazilians should understand Spanish, right? (I hope)

Español (verde): Amigos, escribo resumidamente en español porque no voy a tener tiempo de traducir todo, pero finalmente estoy creando un blog, para que además de las fotos que ya no aguantan recibir, también yo pueda enviar un poco de noticias a veces.