Getting to know you...

(Click to enlarge-to read in Spanish.)

(Gracias a Carmen Benavides por el regalo de esta tarjeta para Fabi.)

Fabián

Meaning: "The reliable one." Of latin origin. Fabián is restless...observer...analytical... intelligent...direct and a little mischievious. Fabián loves games...jokes...parties...to go out...expensive shopping...to laugh...sports...t.v....certain music...food. Hates to have rules imposed upon...to be ordered around...to be hurried...to be woken up...to be embarrassed...not having money...to be locked up... He has lots of friends because his personality allows him to meet new people. He's super outgoing and very pleasant....Fabián "The reliable one."...

In love: "Fabi..." is tender when he wants to ...sometimes he takes care of details that make you want to eat him up with kisses...he's a little forgetful...let's say rather absent-minded...but when it comes to feelings Fabián wins the prize of the purest ones of all...He will make you fall in love...he will make you go crazy with his craziness...he will make you cry when he's angry...he will take you to heaven when he loves you...he will kiss you and you will never be able to forget it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MASALADAD!

We had a virtual Birthday Party to celebrate one more year in MasalaDad's life!

In India:


In Costa Rica:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! - ¡FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS!

Happy 'Eighteenth-Month', Fabi!

Babyhood is slipping away from Fabi. He recently started to grab my hand and ask me to follow him wherever he wants to go. He really enjoys my company and it's so cute when he signals for me to sit next to him by saying 'aquí' (/aki/, Spanish for 'here'). A couple of times, he has tried to trick his grandparents to believe that he has a dirty diaper, because he knows that such situation will immediately get him to his 'Mamá!'

I love his spontaneous attacks of hugs and kisses and I'm proud when I see him signal the word 'please', by rubbing his chest in circles whenever he wants something.

Fabi had a vaccination a couple of days ago and he has had the strongest reaction of fever ever. I guess it didn't help that his limbs where aching from the needle pinch, but he has been stuck to me like glue and for the last 2 days, I've had to carry those 10 kgs around the clock. My arm is numb! Overall he's a brave little boy and he loves to dance even if he's feeling just ok (no music is necessary...just the mention of the word 'dance' and he starts to show his moves! It's what his Grandfather calls 'dry dancing'.)

Wow!...It's hard to believe that a whole year and a half has gone by since MasalaDad and I met Fabi! Today he celebrated by coloring with his new jumbo sized Crayola crayons:

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY TO ¡Masala Fabi, Pura Vida!

I started this blog one year ago today. In the true style of 'traditional blogging' -narcissism aside- I thought I'd celebrate my first blogging anniversary by posting '101 Things about Me'. As part of the celebration, join in the fun and let me know '101 Things about You'...or just 10, 5 or even 1!

101 Things about Me

1-The name on my Baptism record appears as: Mariluz Auxiliadora Bogarin Bonilla.
2-I *heart* chocolate.
3-I was an AFS exchange student in 1989. (Az., USA)
4-It was one of the best years of my life.
5-I have hiked the Grand Canyon.
6-I did a scuba diving course.
7-I have scuba dived once in the open sea (and several times in a swimming pool while training).
8-In primary school I got the nickname of ‘Gazu’*. It passed on to my high school friends and some people still call me that. *If you’re curious, remind me to tell you the story of why I got this nickname.
9-I used to be near sighted. (-5.5 L; -8.3 R)
10-Until I had laser eye surgery.
11-I love to read and have always wished I had more time to read books.
12-I went to a public kindergarden and primary school with boys and girls.
13-I went to a semiprivate all-girls Catholic high school.
14-I knew I wanted to study computer science since I was in 9th grade.
15-I remember having a computer in my house since I was in high school (The monitor had a black screen with orange bold letters).
16-I have ALWAYS hated cooking. (And I probably always will.)
17-'B'+ve: "it's my blood type, it's my motto" –Jack Gallo.
18-I've roller skated and ice skated, but I'm not a really good skater.
19-I have enjoyed bowling.
20-I love swimming.
21-I love the Internet (Thanks to Tim Berners-Lee and Vincent Cerf among others!).
22-One day I will see the Himalayas.
23-I never thought I would go to India and have my picture taken in front of the Taj Mahal.
24-I never thought of myself as a 'mom' person.
25-So far, I think I'm doing a pretty good job and I'm also enjoying it.
26-I'm not sure which is my earliest childhood memory, but I remember having a very happy childhood.
27-I used to fight a lot with my brothers.
28-My favorite color is blue.
29-My teenage years were in the 80's, but I consider myself a 90's person.
30-I love techno/electronic music. (See no. 29).
31-I remember the first time I saw snow.
32-I love dancing.
33-I would like to speak fluent German.
34-I should also learn some Hindi (and Marathi!).
35-I really admire my parents.
36-I love to travel.
37-I don't really like talking much on the phone.
38-My Dad taught me how to play chess.
39-I've never had a pet.
40-I love pictures and would like to have my own photo studio someday or print my pictures as postcards.
41-I love shopping.
42-I'm in my middle 30's and I've never owned a car. (!)
43-One day I will go to Italy.
44-I have survived several earthquakes and one hurricane (Hurricane Georges in '98, Dominican Republic).
45-My favorite childhood T.V. program is "Sesame Street" (but I'm sure you already knew that!)
46-I celebrated my 18th B-Day in USA and my 30th B-Day in Germany.
47-I've only voted in the Costa Rican presidential elections once in my life. Other times, I've been abroad.
48-I think it *IS* a small world.
49-I don't believe in luck.
50-It's 2:00 am and I'm still half way through this list.
51-I'm a soccer fan only during the World Cup Championships.
52-I will never understand why people like boxing and cricket.
53-I have never smoked.
54-I've never been drunk, but I have been 'tipsy'.
55-I took a course on 'wine appreciation'. The graduation dinner was a 'tipsy' moment indeed.
56-I love blogging. I wish to blog for a living.
57-I melt everytime my baby boy looks into my eyes.
58-Once I wished I could go to the Love Parade and then in 2003 I did!
59-I took a ride on the 'Maid of the Midst' in Niagara Falls.
60-I have gone camping twice in my lifetime. I rather go to a nice hotel.Thankyouverymuch.
61-When I was a kid, my family used to have 'hot-dog nights' on Saturdays.
62-I like to visit museums every once in a while, especially when I am in a different country than my own.
63-I also enjoy a visit to the zoo.
64-Before living in the caribbean island of Dominican Republic, I never knew the difference between the rhythms of 'salsa' and 'merengue', with this last one being my 'new favorite'.
65-Speaking of Dom. Republic, I once ran across Sammy Sosa in person!
66-I would love to learn karate.
67-I used to go to the movies with my Mom. I wish I could go the movies more often.
68-When I was in college I used to go to classical music concerts with my Dad.
69-In life, I have gotten everything I've wanted.
70-I love browsing through toy and bookstores.
71-I should practice the 'speed reading' technique I learned a few years ago.
72-I've been to Las Vegas twice, but I've never played in a casino.
73-I can't draw to save my life.
74-My worst nightmare is the one in which I dream that my teeth are falling.
75-I rarely remember what I dream during the night.
76-I rode a boat with fishermen once and came back with fish for dinner. Best fish I've ever had!

77-I tried snow skiing once. I didn't like it so much. It's hard!

78-The highest altitude ice palace in the world brings me romantic memories.
79-I've flown over the Nazca lines and have been to Ballestas Islands, Macchu Picchu and Cusco in Peru: simply majestic!
80-I prefer English with an American accent.
81-I like sushi.
82-I would like to be able to eat with Chinese chopsticks.
83-I have gone white water rafting twice (once to Pacuare River in Costa Rica and in some other river in Dominican Republic.)
84-I don't play any musical instrument.
85-I would like to be a good pool player and impress anyone who challenges me to a game.
86-"I'm a professional." ...
87-..."Professional what?" The previous quotes are from my all time favorite movie: "Ferris Bueller's Day Off".
88- I've visited Paris, France twice.
89-I'm not a fan of any movie or entertainment star. They're only human.
90-If I could design my own house the library/computer room would be much bigger than the kitchen.
91-I would be a very bad salesperson.
92-In the western horoscope I'm a 'scorpion', and in the chinese horoscope I'm a 'pig'.
93-I agree: I'm a P.I.G.!!! Pretty Intelligent Girl!
94-I'm a procrastinator.
95-I should exercise more.
96-I would like to meditate more readings from the Bible.
97-I was in Caracas, Venezuela for one week.
98-I admire people who study medicine.
99-I don't feel my age.
100-I like to receive old fashioned air mail.
101-Did I mention I love chocolate?

Business Bibs!

I had a good laugh when I saw this!

Via Boing-Boing.

I could not have said it better myself

"The Papst* and the furious"
*Pope in German

More here.

Costa Rica's 185th year of Independence - Sept. 15

Fabi and his cousins Adriana and José Pablo dressed in Costa Rican typical outfits.

September 15: Independence Day for Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador (1821)

Kindergarden kids in typical dresses:
Heredian High School students marching during the Independence Day parade:

More pictures of the country's celebration here. (Click on the word 'ENTRAR').

I was thrilled to have participated with Fabi in the nationwide tradition of singing the Costa Rican National Anthem on Sept. 14th at 6:00pm. We were in Heredia's Central Park and we saw part of the "Lantern Parade", where all the school children light up their lanterns as a symbol of the torch of liberty that runs through the country with the news of freedom.

Symbolic date

September 11th 2006 has a special significance. It not only marks the fifth anniversary of the attacks on New York and Washington, it also marks 100 years to the day that Mahatma Gandhi launched the modern nonviolent resistance movement.[Link.]

Ironic, isn't it?

I think everyone remembers what they were doing on 9/11 five years ago. I was in the Wolfgang-Händler-Hochhaus, in the computer lab of the Technische Fakultät building. I was concentrated on some homework for my 'Scientific Computing' course when my friend Max who was sitting next to me said (in Spanish): "@#$%! The towers in NY have blown up!" Of course...I only came to grasp the complete picture of what had happened a lot later.

I wonder where the world is going to be five more years from now? ten? fifteen?...

HAPPY DAY!

September 9th is "Children's Day" in Costa Rica. On this day, Fabi and I were lucky enough to be part of Paula's 3rd Birthday Party. Paula has an older brother who looks just like his father. I'm posting a picture so you can see the birthday girl in a Snow White dress posing with Fabi and Stephanie. Paula's parents and Stephanie's mom went to college with me. It was nice to see them again.

It's *HERE*!!!

YAAAAYYY!!... I'm jumping up and down with excitement!... You know I've been waiting for this! The Hindi version of Sesame Street is HEEEEEEEREEE!! It's called Galli Galli Sim Sim!

Welcome Boombah, Chamki, Googly and Aanchoo!!!

I'm not the only one excited about this! Check this out!

If you are familiar with the Sesame Street characters and you have the background of the Bollywood movie Sholay, you'll find this funny!

In case you don't fully read the previous link, I hope you can watch this video and this other video too!

More goodies...

Previously, I had posted about the indianized version of some western products I found in Mumbai.

For example, I had mentioned that I thought Fabi would be a big fan of Gerber food, but was surprised to know that this was hard to come by in Vashi. Now that I'm visiting Costa Rica I have discovered delicious new flavors that were not available in my childhood! Here's a picture of my new favorites: 'apple sauce and yoghurt', 'peaches and yoghurt', 'rice pudding (with cinnamon!)' and 'vanilla pudding'.

(Click to enlarge picture)

Another recent discovery I made is this 'mango flavored' tea. I know that it's not to be compared with 'chai', but I thought it was a nice combination of two things loved by indians: mango + tea!... I wonder if Lipton got inspired by the Kellog's 'Mango Flavored Corn Flakes' that I used to get at Food Bazaar?

(Click to enlarge picture)