Thursday, May 17, 2007

Macau, casinos, prostitutas, policías y pistolas y periódicos



Macau es una zona administrativa independiente de China. Antigua colonia portuguesa. todavía se pueden leer los carteles y el nombre de las calles en chino y en portugués. Con marcada arquitectura europea.
Se dice que tiene más casinos que Las Vegas (menos impresionantes, por supuesto). Millones de turistas de China y Hong Kong vienen aquí a dejarse el sueldo jugando o "divirtiéndose" con lindas señoritas de compañía.
Pues no se nos ocurre otra cosa que ir a verlo a mí y a mi coleguilla Arcadio (sí, como Arcadio Buendía de Cien años de soledad).



Pues en esto que nos vamos al hotel (de mierda) al mediodía a descansar y ducharnos y de pronto oímos como llaman a la puerta, al abrir unos policías de paisanos se indentifican y entran en mi habitación con pistolas y con aire autoritario nos piden que no movamos ni un pelo. Mientras otros policías abren la puerta de la habita de al lado y empiezan a apuntar a alguien con las fuscas (pistolas para los no informados). Registran mi habitación, incluido el techo y mi mochila, y no nos dejan salir hasta pasadas unas horas. Nos piden el pasaporte, pero al ver que somos occidentales no le prestan mucha atención.
Mientras tanto escuchamos como en la habitación de al lado gritan y esposan a gente. Podemos ver como siguen apuntando a alguien de manera nerviosa. Nos esperamos que va a haber un tiroteo de un momento a otro...



Los maderos siguen sin dejarnos salir de la habitación.
Llamamos a una amiga canadiense que está en otra habitación y, preocupada, nos pregunta si estamos limpios, está asustada. Le decimos que sí, que no se preocupe. Al rato llamamos otra vez y dice que le han pedido el pasaporte también y que hay como 50 policías tomando la calle.
Cuando al final decidimos salir, porque no vemos a nadie alrededor, recogemos nuestras cosas, vamos a recepción y peleamos como leones para que nos devuelvan parte de lo que hemos pagado por la habitación, junto con unos simpáticos paquistaníes. Cogemos un taxi al la estación de ferris y nos vamos de Macau para no volver.
Ahora estamos en Hong Kong más felices que unas lombrices.



Y ¿qué veo hoy en las noticias oonline de Macau?
Pues una portada en la que salen los polis que entraron en mi habita y mis vecinos de hotel que, al parecer, estaban metidos en algún lío.
Muy fuerte.

¡Que le dén a Macau!
Un lugar famoso por los casinos y la prostitución no puede ofrecer nada bueno. Y Macau no es la excepción.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Mother's Day 2007


This is the first Mother's Day since 2003 that I haven't been in the process of "waiting" for a child. There is such a deep inner joy that comes with having some of your life wishes fulfilled. It's not that all of life is perfect now, but in this motherhood arena at least I am feeling full and happy.


I am also mindful of the fact that, due to the nature of adoption, my happiness had to come at the expense of someone else's. Now the tables are turned - it is the birth moms of my kids who are "mothers without a child" on mother's day. I wish I knew if they ever go back to the agency and check out the file on their babies. Do they look at the pictures? Read the letters? Or is it just too painful?


Another mom posted this on a website I frequent. Once I thought these kinds of things were sappy. Now they make me cry. :-)


Legacy of an Adopted Child


Once there were two women who never knew each other.

One you do not remember, the other you call Mother.


Two different lives shaped to make you one.

One became your guiding star, the other became your sun.


The first one gave you life, and the second taught you to live it.

The first gave you a need for love. The second was there to give it.


One gave you a nationality. The other gave you a name.

One gave you a talent. The other gave you aim.


One gave you emotions. The other calmed your fears.

One saw your first sweet smile. The other dried your tears.


One sought for you a home that she could not provide.

The other prayed for a child and her hope was not denied.


And now you ask me, through your tears,

the age-old question unanswered through the years.

Heredity or environment, which are you a product of?

Neither, my darling. Neither. Just two different kinds of Love.


© Author Unknown


Wishing for healing and comfort for all mothers who are grieving lost children. And to the birth moms of my kids: you are in my heart forever.

Friday, May 11, 2007

reasons for eating less beef


Even though I don't eat much meat, I've never seriously considered being a vegetarian. I think it's mainly that I don't want to restrict my diet very far in any direction. I like variety and convenience.


That said, some people in that small group I've been attending were talking about global warming and the surprisingly large contribution cows are making to our "carbon footprint." Not only do they produce that infamous methane gas, but the land cleared and water used for their pastures means less land and water for other food production, and the amount of land, water, hay etc. to support cattle is much greater than to support chickens, people, etc.


According to my vegetarian friends, the single act of abstaining from beef would have much greater positive environmental impact than almost anything else we (as individuals) can do -- including buying a hybrid car. Interesting.


So, if it would stop global warming, would I give up eating beef? Sure. I enjoy a good steak now and then, but I hardly eat beef anyway. For me it would be an easy sacrifice. But then I got to thinking - what if I had to give up dairy? Does dairy production require a similar number of cows and have the same impact on environment? Heaven forbid I should have to permanently forego ice cream!


If anyone knows about the relative impact of dairy consumption on the environment vs. beef consumption, feel free to respond.

Friday, May 4, 2007

Simplify

The past two weeks I've been attending a new small group. I was invited by one of my fellow church-nursery volunteers. In between holding babies and picking up chewed Cheerios, we had discovered some common interests, and he thought I might enjoy this group. So far, it's been good.

Last week, one of the group members invited us to his home - which he brought to us. It's a converted bread truck in which he has been living for the past three years. A white painted board on the back proclaims "Simplify" in green letters. Five portholes punched into one side provide light; the inside is spare but inviting and clean, with a faint smell of varnished wood and a camp-out feeling. He explained that he used to have a three-bedroom house full of stuff--but became convinced he really didn't need it. He plans to spend the summer on the road, sharing his home and his "simplify" message with whoever happens to be open to it. He pointed out to us that the average US family has decreased in size since the 1950's, while living space has increased - to the point where we now have 6 times the living space our grandparents had. "Give away your stuff!" he encourages. "You'll be amazed at how good it feels."

Refreshing - and challenging. I love the fact that this guy is living out his convictions--"walking the talk", so to speak. I've always liked the concept of living simply, though I haven't practiced it consistently. I sincerely enjoy the process of de-cluttering, and I think if I lived alone I would prefer a smaller, emptier space - but since kids have entered my life, the process of accumulation has already accelerated. How much time do we spend just trying to sort through and clear away the sheer jumble of stuff that comes at us?

I remember reading an article about the psychological stress of all the choices we have to make now - from buying a digital camera to simple grocery shopping. Is it possible to have too many choices? I remember trying to choose a health insurance plan when I was hired for my current job. It literally took me an entire day. I pored over the fine print trying to compare apples to oranges and weigh multiple types of benefits against each other. Choosing a cell phone plan, or buying a computer, is the same way. Even if we didn't own a lot of stuff, or gave most of it away, just living in this world requires us to navigate complex systems on a daily basis.

So, besides giving away your stuff, and not buying junk you don't need in the first place, what other ways can we simplify? Should simplicity be an end in itself, or should we focus more on managing the complexity we necessarily face - taking from it what we can and minimizing its potential to overwhelm us?

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

La WaveRock de nuevo


Wave Rock (6), originally uploaded by kalibushido.

Bastante chula, ¿no?

Wave Rock , Australia


Wave Rock (13), originally uploaded by kalibushido.

Al poco de llegar a Australia fuímos a ver la WaveRock.
Una formación de roca con forma de ola, como su nombre indica...

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Nueva Zelanda, Kiwis y fotos

Pese a la sequía de posts. Sigo enamorado de mi blog.

Estoy en Queenstown, la ciudad más bonita de Nueva Zelanda, de momento.

Al igual que a los Australianos se les llama OZ (Aussies), a los Neocelandeses se les dice Kiwis.

¿Que por qué? Pues porque solo en Nueva Zelanda existe un pajarillo muy salado que se llama Kiwi. Parece una bola de pelo con pico largo, es muy salao.


Ya subiré fotitos pronto, si no lo he hecho hasta ahora es porque Internet es un poco carillo por aquí. La verdad es que no es una escusa muy buena... La verdadera razón es que he estado haciendo otras cosillas con el ordenador de las que os iré informando en breve. A ver si os puedo dar alguna buena noticia.


Bueno, espero que seáis felices y comáis bien.


Abrazo