February 2008
36 posts
January 2008
59 posts
Estoy enfermo.
I’m sick, so I’ve decided to stay in tonight. Carnival is on Saturday in Cadiz, so I want to make sure I’m in good shape for that. Until then I’ll be drinking a lot of water, consuming Airborne, Vitamin-C packets, and sleeping. Que chevere!
CNN
I am watching the Republican debates on CNN on my laptop right now, and every time there is a commercial the screen goes blank. I don’t get it—it seems that showing ads on online, streaming video would make sense. I’m not sure why, but I shouldn’t complain—obtrusive online ads suck. But they could make a lot of money if they showed the same ads online as they show on...
My (updated) schedule
Now I’m taking these classes:
International Finance
International Business
Intermediate Spanish
The Global Economy
I dropped management because it is similar to the organizational behavior class I took during the summer at Haas with Prof. Holly Schroth, who is one of the best teachers I’ve had. Her class was interesting, useful and relevant today (she works directly with major...
Cool effect.
After I posted “Wonderwall” by Oasis I played it from the blog and then opened it up on itunes and hit play while the other had been playing for about 40 seconds. The effect is sweet! They both play at the same time, but when one gets soft you hear the other in the background. It makes any song sound much cooler!
Update: Does anyone know what that is called?
I’ve had this stuck in my head all week.
Sevici bikes
Yesterday I bought a 7-day Sevici pass, which lets me take a bike from one of the stations throughout Sevilla, ride to another station, and put it on a new rack. The costs are minimal: 5 euro for a week pass, and the first 30 minutes of a ride are free. After that it costs 2 euro an hour. The bikes are great—sturdy, usually well-maintained, adjustable seats, and have lights on the front and...
Feds quiz UC Berkeley Art Museum officials in... →
LACMA was searched by the Feds too.
“In the US, people live to work. In Spain, the people work to live.”
– my friend Mitchell, during a conversation coming back from school today on the bus, referring to the laid-back atmosphere of Spaniards. It seems true-everyone is very relaxed and friendly. On Saturdays around 2:30pm in the Plaza de Salvador, hundreds of Sevillans gather and drink beer and wine and...
Classes
These are the classes I am signed up for right now. They might change a bit over the next week.
Spanish 101-102
International Business
International Finance
The Global Economy
Management
Google revealed!
With Google, the posts on this blog that are ranked the highest in a search are those where I link to other websites within the post. Right now, its the post on fads, where I linked to my professors personal blog, which is read by thousands of people and has a really high PageRank. Ah-hah! So thats how you can get to the top of a Google search results page…
The previous post stems from a visit Jules and I made to LACMA last year. After seeing some cool 15th century Spanish art we went to see the permanent collection. One of the exhibits was called “SoCal: Southern California Art of the 1960s and 70s.” It sounded cool, so we went inside. One of the “pieces of art” was a blank white canvas. One was an orange board. Another was a...
Art tags
I think the best pieces of art are those where you don’t need to an explanation as to what you are looking at. You don’t need those little white tags with a paragraph or two on them, or a caption, or anything. You just see it, and get it.
Its okay if it takes a long stare for you to get it, or even another visit. But if you have to read the tag, then it sucks. All that tag says to me...
My host parents are from Peru.
They moved from Lima to Sevilla eleven years ago. Apparently Peru has an agreement with Spain and Italy that makes it easier for Peruvians to live there. After some googling, I found this wikipedia article. Spain takes in more immigrants each year than any other country in the EU. With 103k, Peruvians were the 12th largest immigrant population in Spain in 2007, which is three times more than in...
Watch“everyday” by Noah Kalina (via Vimeo)
Local architects offer their visions of S.F. 100... →
1 tag
I've followed fads.
And sometimes still do. I have to thank my mom and dad a lot for putting up with it. Tonight some friends from our residencia and I were talking about old fads like Warhead sour candies, Power Rangers, pogs, Nickelodeon shows, and the Goosebumps books (and a lot more). I remember being a kid and wanting to be a part of those fads and my parents would get things like Power Ranger toys and hair gel...
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/issues/issues.abor... →
What about education? Who at CNN decides which issues are important enough for this page?
“¿Que es tu policia de devolver?”
– Justin Farooq, asking the salesman at El Corte Ingles if they have an exchange policy. Little did Farooq know that “policia” means “police.”
What is your exchange police?
I'm growing out my facial hair.
I wouldn’t call it a beard, because I’ve never grown one so I don’t know if it will end up looking like a beard. It seems like when you go to Europe when you are young you should grow a beard (my dad did when he went). I’ll post pictures with its progress. Rich is joining me in this endeavor. Last shave: January 12th.
A reassuring message I found in my inbox today
From the Embassy of the United States in Madrid, Spain:
The following message is for maximum dissemination to U.S. Citizens
SUBJECT: WORLDWIDE CAUTION
1. This Worldwide Caution updates information on the continuing threat of terrorist actions and violence against Americans and interests throughout the world.
American citizens are reminded to maintain a high level of vigilance and to take...
“The majority of people throughout Europe were opposed to discrimination on each...”
– The European Opinion Research Group EEIG
“A worker shall likewise not be subject to discrimination on grounds of physical,...”
– Spain’s Act No. 8, To Promulgate a Worker’s Charter.
Seeing several homeless people with missing limbs around our hotel in Madrid, it made me wonder how disability laws in Spain compare to other countries. I found some websites and pasted excerpts.
For lunch I had a ensalada cesar with anchovies on top with calamari (pescado del dia) and chocolate ice cream. Que delicioso!