Brazilmania

After a long drawn out visa application process, I now have a nice thick passport (lots of new pages added) and a 5 year visa to Brazil (woohoo)! The reason, you may wonder, was another latin america team meeting to discuss the program. After a frustrating series of distractions we didn't end up getting anything done. I did, however, get 4 days in Sao Paulo to get acquainted with Portuguese and a 5 year visa to Brazil (woohoo), which ensures me more chances to actually get to see something.

Here is what I learned about Brazil in the short time I was there (in no particular order):
1. Brazilians like their buffet lunches.
2. Brazilians like their Bingo.
3. There is a HUGE Japanese immigrant population in Sao Paulo.
4. Portuguese and Spanish are pretty similar, but you have to pay close attention.
5. Spanish is closer to Portugal Portuguese than Brazilian Portuguese (so I was told).
6. Afro-Brazilian dance is a good workout and can be done to hip-hop as well as to tribal music.
7. Tapioca can, through some magic, be cooked into "tortillas" for salty or sweet foods.
8. People in Sao Paulo don't know how to deal with cold weather (everything's built for heat).
9. Sao Paulo is expensive.
10. Guarana (an Brazilian berry from the Amazon) is used to make Red Bull.
and one remaining question:
11. Why did the hotel have a sauna and heated pool in such a hot climate?

Here's a quick peek at the city:

Power and Love

There are many, many people who could learn from this:

Power, properly understood, is the ability to achieve purpose. It isthe strength required to bring about social, political, or economic changes. In this sense power is not only desirable but necessary in order to implement the demands of love and justice. One of the greatest problems of history is that the concepts of love and power are usually contrasted as polar opposites. Love is identified with a resignation of power and power with a denial of love. What is needed is a realization that power without love is reckless and abusive and that love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love.

The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. edited byClayborne Carson, pp. 324-325.

Thanks to Gift Hub for the reference.

Reflections

There's a interesting series of posts on On The Commons around Filipino culture and chaos. Feed your curiosity.

Music to my ears

Teehee. Listen to this (you'll need RealPlayer)

Rambling

Do you ever worry that you're completely irrational, but can't do anything about it?

Maybe I should start an "I'm an idiot" thread, like B's, or counteract with an "I'm completely normal" thread to make myself feel better. Thoughts?

Back

I made it back safely yesterday, but am exhausted. I'm still catching up on my inbox and suitcases, but have a 4-day weekend to sleep it off. I have over a week in town before my next trip (to Sao Paolo). I'm learning to celebrate the small victories.

On the Road: Part V

We arrived back in Manila just in time for a shower (we missed two others with our trip) for Jamesey and Kate's wedding. We rushed straight to my uncle's house, stashed our bags, and made it just in time for dinner. It was a nice private dinner with both families (ours and Kate's) with an elegant dinner and a surprise performance by the Ateneo Chamber Singers. It's always nice to meet a few people before the wedding so you don't feel so lost.

The wedding itself happened a few days later in Makati followed a few hours later by a reception at the Manila Hotel. Since there was a lot of time to kill and all this took place a bit far from home base, we got a few hotel rooms and opted to party late and spend the night. I had a great time, though I didn't actually meet the bride until the end of the night. It's not often you get to dance with Imelda Marcos (for better or for worse). Since this was an international wedding (Kate's from the UK, she and Jamesy studied in Spain and they now live in Singapore), there were twists to the traditional Filipino wedding. Imelda and Julie (Jamesy's godmother):

Everyone had a great time from what I could tell and I got the chance to see cousins who have been living all over the world. I didn't get to talk to everyone, but it's nice to know everyone's doing well.

On the Road: Part IV

To Inaugurate April, my mom and I jumped on a plane to Bangkok for a few day's visit to Damnoen Saduak to catch up with my dad. Since we've already seen about everything in a reasonable day's travel, we spend the 3 days we had with my dad (besides the 2 days in Bangkok) learning to medidate and taking it easy at our house near his Wat.

He's been busy travelling for the king's anniversary and will soon be heading to Taiwan and China to promote one of his newest pet projects -- an online World Buddhist University. He's got a few other proposals in the works which mean lots of work and lots more time in Thailand.

It was great to get a few days in while we could.