My current obsession is NOT with a popular song, but with rather an unpopular one. Serious, by Duran Duran, was (according to the Wikipedia entry), a total commercial failure. But as far as I’m concerned, this is such a great song, and it’s not traditional Duran Duran stuff. For your listening pleasure.
If you have no clue where to stay in Japan, and want an inexpensive hotel relatively well located (near Shinjuku and not too far from Asakusa), I would probably recommend that you follow my lead and stay at the Tokyo Plaza Hotel (in Shin-okubo, Tokyo). It takes less than 3 minutes to get from the Shin-okubo Train Station (one stop from the Shinjuku Train Station on the green JR Line [Yamanote] to Ikebukuro and less than 20 minutes from Nippori Station, where you would take the train towards Narita Airport).
Fair warning: though cute, the rooms at the Tokyo Plaza Hotel are SMALL. Not microscopic, nor coffin-like, but definitely small for my standards. They did come with two beds, so I assume that if I were travelling with my (now former) partner, I would be able to stay here comfortably, if not luxuriously.
The bathroom is tiny, and the seating area made me feel crammed even though I was there by myself, but I think it’s a good choice, and it’s not all that expensive (about $100 USD per night, considering this is almost downtown Tokyo, which is a bargain!). It also had a few added cute quirks, like the fact that it provided plenty of shampoo, face soap, body wash and individually-wrapped razors, toothbrushes with toothpaste and hair combs/brushes.
Overall, I really enjoyed it. If you do book with the Tokyo Plaza Hotel I do recommend Booking.com or Hotels.com, as the website is entirely in Japanese and Google Translate doesn’t work really well. Unless, of course, you do read and speak Japanese! Bonus points: front desk folks are fluent in English, and western-style breakfast is fully included. The only problem is, if your flight leaves early from Narita (like mine did), you have to eat breakfast elsewhere. Overall, I’m pretty satisfied with my stay at the Tokyo Plaza Hotel and I would definitely recommend it!
By pure sheer newbie luck, I lucked out on landing in a fantastic Western-style hotel in Japan (although, to be quite honest, I think it’s kind of a hybrid hotel as it had the Japanese style bedrooms and collective bathrooms). During my stay in Fujiyoshida-Shi (City of Fujiyoshida in the Yamanashi Prefecture in Japan) I stayed at the West Inn Fujiyoshida Hotel. And I can’t recommend it enough.
I found the West Inn Fujiyoshida one of the most welcoming hotels I’ve been to. While quaint and not incredibly big, it was a little bit larger than the Comfort Inn Santa Fe, another hotel in Mexico City where I stayed that has very small rooms. But it had everything I needed, TV included (even though I would not watch it as I was busy all day).
The room was large enough for me, and even for two people if I were travelling with someone else. The only problems are (1) you have to pay for your stay in cash and (2) the staff does not speak much English (in fact I found that in Fujiyoshida rarely anyone actually spoke English, something I found frustrating). The location is pretty superb, about a 4 minute walk from the Fuji-Q (Fujikyu) Highland Bus Station (which is where I arrived from Shinjuku Bus Station).
The hotel has a restaurant, Gourmand, although I cannot really vouch for the food quality as I did not eat there. I do love their free wifi included with the room price (about $120 USD per night). Overall, my experience was great and I would strongly recommend it. I think if someone comes to Mount Fuji to visit and climb, it would probably make sense to stay closer to the mountain, but if that is not too much of an issue, I would recommend to stay at the West Inn Fujiyoshida.
While I had travelled to Washington DC several times before, I had never really made my own travel arrangements. Usually, I travel with a group of people (mostly for work) and therefore I was not really sure of which way my hotels were chosen. This time, I needed to make my own travel arrangements and hotels in Washington DC are incredibly expensive. So I am lucky to have found the Savoy Suites Hotel, in the Georgetown area of Washington DC (and relatively near to the location of where I was going). The Savoy Suites Hotel was also near by and the taxi cab ride was relatively inexpensive (less than $8 per trip).
Experience breathtaking country views of Washington DC when you select our charming DC hotel near Georgetown. Savoy Suites Hotel is just moments from Georgetown and offers stunning views of the Washington Monument, the U.S. Capitol building and Potomac River.
Access is everything in Washington and from this vantage point all of DC is at your feet! With an ideal hotel location near Georgetown and close to several of the city’s most prestigious neighborhoods including Embassy Row, Cathedral Heights and Chevy Chase, Savoy Suites Hotel is also convenient to DC’s prominent business districts and Capitol Hill. Explore our Glover Park neighborhood and you are sure to stumble upon the National Cathedral, Georgetown University, American University and the National Zoo, along with the premier homes of the world’s leaders such as the Vice President and Embassy officials!
I requested a single-bed room, but the room size was spectacularly big for what I expected (and not all that expensive at $149 USD per night). It had a full kitchenette with fridge, hot plate and microwave.
This hotel is definitely suited to longer stays (and I spent almost a week in Washington DC, so I needed to have access to cooking facilities (particularly because Washington DC is so incredibly expensive). Being within the Georgetown neighbourhood also facilitated my life.
In many ways, the Savoy Suites Hotel reminded me of the Magnolia Hotel in Victoria, British Columbia in Canada. Both are boutique hotels with excellent customer service and fantastic rooms. I will definitely stay again at the Savoy Suites Hotel. I did obtain a discount (20% if you book 2 nights) but they offer those discounts to every single customer, so I did not receive any special treatment.
Disclosure: I paid for my hotel room on my own dime. I wasn’t paid to write this review, nor was I required to do so either as I have no financial connection to the Savoy Suites Hotel. The purpose of this blog entry is just to describe my experience at the hotel. In any review I write or publish on my site, I retain editorial control at all times. Should you have any questions/concern feel free to contact me via e-mail through my contact form.
While I did a lot of travelling with Delta Airlines when I was a graduate student, I hadn’t taken any of their flights in a while. I recently travelled to Washington DC in the United States and I needed a really good flight. I can’t praise Delta Airlines enough. I found some improvements over what other airlines I have taken quite substantial. They may be minor to other people, but to me they were pretty solid.
First off, I found the seats much more ample than in other airlines. Secondly, the drink sizes are MUCH larger. Thirdly, while we did not have full meals, the snacks were much healthier and nicer than in other airlines. And fourthly, but very importantly, the flight lengths were just about right. To get to Washington DC from Mexico City I flew less than 3 hours per leg (Mexico City International Airport (Benito Juarez)-Hartsfield-Harrison Atlanta Atlanta International Airport and then Atlanta-Washington Reagan National).
The flight was affordable for high-season standards (less than $500 USD). My only complaint was that the online wifi was not working on the way to Washington DC, but I could make it work on the way back. Overall, I was pleased with Delta Airlines and would probably fly with them again.
Disclosure: I paid for my flight to Washington DC via Delta Airlines on my own dime. I have no financial stake nor interest on Delta Airlines, I just wanted to share my experience of flying with them.
While I have had a love-hate relationship with Japan (the hate part being unfortunately caused by my breaking up with a former scholar of Japanese history), I never realized how much fun I would have visiting Japan until I actually did spend a full week in the country itself. I do speak rudimentary Japanese (thanks to The Ex Who Shall Not Be Named), so I felt that I was prepared to travel to Japan without much preparation. In fact, I will admit I rarely do any research on any place that I travel to. I’m an adventure traveller. I do as I go.
Oh, how wrong was I NOT to have done any research. Seriously. I did not realize that:
I was terribly unprepared to travel to Japan this time, but now I do have a basis for next year when I’m in Yokohama. The first thing I can recommend is: try to take as direct a flight as possible. I flew Mexico City-Dallas-Tokyo and I landed in the Tokyo-Narita International Airport, but given that Tokyo Haneda International Airport is a much nearer airport IN Tokyo itself, I probably should have done that.
While I knew how to get to Shinjuku City in the Tokyo Prefecture (there are buses, which I took, and there’s also Japanese Rail, JR), it took me a little while to figure out how to navigate the JR train system (which very much like Paris’ metro system, is kind of confusing due to the fact that it involves several routes and different companies). I stayed in the Shin-okubo area of town, although I did go shopping to Asakusa and from a geographical standpoint, it probably would have made more sense to stay in Tokyo in the Asakusa shopping district.
I promised myself that I would blog about my trip to Japan in detail, particularly because I think non-Japanese folks may not be aware of the subtleties and intricacies of travelling within Japan. Unfortunately I can’t say that I have the time, but I’ll be blogging about it as I find little pockets of time. Overall, I loved my time in Japan, and it taught me great lessons. In patience. In openness. And in checking incoming cars from the opposite direction!
If you follow me on Twitter, you will know that on a regular basis, I tweet about how painful it is to live with braces. I got braces six months ago, in a demonstration (to myself) that I care about my own well-being so much that I am willing not only to pay for the rather expensive treatment, but also to live with looking like I’m 14 years old again. I am well aware that I need to re-do my Twitter avatar and page so that it reflects my new situation with a mouth that is filled with metal, but I haven’t gotten around to doing it.
But what I can do, in my very limited time, is to show you how much progress I have achieved with the braces. In six months. If you remember my lower arch, I had the most crooked teeth you could get. And if you see the photo above, my teeth are almost straight! I am quite proud of the fact that I NEVER eat anything my orthodontist says I can’t eat (anything hard to bite like an apple). My nieces and nephews who have braces (and who are rather amused that their uncle has braces) eat everything. I am very wary of doing anything that could jeopardize my teeth’s straightening progression.
I can’t tell you how happy I am. Having straight teeth really will do wonders for my self-esteem and my diet. And everyone who has seen me with braces, from Air, to JT, to my former professors, to my former students, all think that the braces look cute. So who am I to disagree 
Let’s face it: I’m a fan of Star Trek, but I’m no Trekkie. So take this review of Star Trek: Into Darkness with a grain (or many grains) of salt. I am, however, a fan of Zoe Saldana (Nyota Uhura), Zachary Quinto (Mr. Spock), Benedict Cumberbatch (John Harrison/Khan), and Canadian icon, British Columbian Bruce Greenwood (Admiral Pike, for those of you following along). And of course, nobody can dispute that I loved Chris Pine even before he became the young, impetuous, reckless, loving, loyal and charming James Tiberius Kirk.
Admittedly, what I loved about Star Trek (beyond the stunning visuals, action-packed sequences and eye candy) was the progression of Chris Pine from gorgeous-eyes, “hey-look-at-me-all-handsome-and-a-born-leader” James T. Kirk to a more subtle, nuanced James T. Kirk. I saw Chris Pine actually showcasing a broader range of emotions, something that demonstrates that the actor himself has grown. I saw James Tiberius Kirk about to shed tears twice (one of them while being given a stern pep talk) and that was moving. Plus, who can fault those beautiful blue eyes… ok, fine. I digress.
While feminists may feel a bit let-down by the lack of involvement of female crew members in the action-packed sequences, Uhura and Carol Wallace (Alice Eve, in a very convincing role) do actually get to do some some butt-kicking. Not as much as I would have liked, to be quite honest, but at least that’s a start.
I enjoyed Star Trek: Into Darkness because it gave me a better look of a more human Mr. Spock and a more human James T. Kirk. Their friendship is tested (and yes, we all know that it survives and thrives). Witty quips, snarky remarks and comebacks are a dime a dozen in this movie, but that’s to be expected of *any* Star Trek. I loved the action sequences, and I wanted to see more and more.
Of course, it was stunning to see Benedict Cumberbatch being a superpowered human with an amazing superbrain. I also liked seeing Spock touching more on his human side. All in all, I would recommend seeing it if for nothing else, for two and a half hours of action-packed fun.
Disclosure: I paid for my ticket to the movies on my own, and I have absolutely no financial or material ties to the producers/actors/director of this movie. I am just reviewing it for fun. As always, I retain full editorial control over anything I publish on my site.
While having seafood really makes me miss Vancouver, I can’t praise Los Arcos Restaurant enough, and it is a restaurant I am going to recommend thoroughly (it also happens to be conveniently located 1 minute and 30 seconds drive from my house, in Aguascalientes). One of the most recent branches of the Los Arcos Restaurant chain (there’s one in San Diego, in the US, and several in Mexico), this is a fantastic place for seafood.
Not expensive (any dish is anywhere between $90 pesos and $170 pesos, close to $9-17 USD), and really abundant, I went there with my colleagues for lunch to celebrate our day. I ordered a couple of Tacos Bonita (soft flour tortillas filled with spicy shrimp cut in pieces, $30 pesos), and a Salmon a la Diabla (which was $170 pesos, and amazing if I may say so myself).
Oh, and who can discount the most excellent tamarind Margaritas ($50 pesos)?
The decor is cute, with a Mexican coastal flavour, and there’s plenty of space of kids.
Overall, it was a fantastic experience and I would definitely recommend it and come back again. And desserts were just as amazing. The service? Top notch.
Disclosure: My institution treated us to lunch. As always I retain full editorial control over anything I post on my blog.
I’m someone who thinks in a very visual way, and who visualizes his life in “Kodak moments”. I think the song that would be closest to my favorite to be played as the background of my life, currently, is Exotica by George Benson. Perhaps one of the richest, more complex, and nuanced smooth jazz song I have ever had the pleasure of listening to, Exotica certainly embodies the soundtrack of a life like mine: full of exciting sounds, flowy, flirtatious, ethereal at times, and deeply rich other times. For your listening pleasure, Exotica by George Benson (from YouTube).
As a new resident of the city of Aguascalientes, I can’t claim that I have done everything folks do when living in Aguascalientes. But one of the things I knew about the city even before moving here was that this was where the biggest fair in Mexico took place, the Feria Nacional de San Marcos (Saint Marcus’ National Fair). The fair itself is incredibly busy because it’s super big. Instead of being located just in one big area (like the Leon Fair), it encompasses a vast majority of downtown Aguascalientes, through the longest corridor (from the Isla San Marcos, a small island that has a little lake and a large set of rides, all the way through to the Feria San Marcos official site, near J.M. Elizondo and Lopez Mateos.
There are a lot of activities in Aguascalientes during the Feria Nacional de San Marcos, although the problem for me is that because it’s so crowded, it becomes really overwhelming. Nevertheless, I think it’s worth visiting.
Most people who read my blog know that I have danced salsa professionally and that I taught salsa in my younger years. Recently, I had the opportunity to dance salsa again, at my cousin’s wedding, and I danced one of the songs I always loved: La Cita (the date) by Galy Galiano. Galiano, a Colombian singer, popularized salsa (somewhat ironic since salsa isn’t really Colombian) to an extent beyond what many other salsa singers had achieved. La Cita (the date) is a song about a man who arranges a blind date with his cheating (female, in his case) partner. The lyrics have a bit of a sting, considering that in one of the phrases, Galiano writes “so, come now, get naked and turn off the light for an instant, and make love to me the way you do with your lovers. I swear that today is the last time you laugh at me and cheat on me”. While not thrilled with the actual content of the lyrics, the music is astounding, so I hereby present to you: La Cita by Galy Galiano.
* Lyrics in Spanish in case you’re interested (Source: Music dot Com)*
Pasa y siéntate, tranquilízate
al fin ya estás aquí, qué más te da
Imagínate, que yo no soy yo
que soy el otro hombre que esperabas ver
Un desconocido que te ha escrito verso
y te dibujó la luna, en un trozo de papel
Un amante improvisado,
misterioso, apasionado
que te dió una cita, en este hotel
Desnúdate ahora
y apaga la luz un instante
y hazme el amor, como lo haces
con esos amantes
Te juro que hoy es la última vez
que te burlas de mí
que me engañas
Y fueron mis manos
las que te escribieron la carta
Han sido mis celos
los que te pusieron la trampa
y es mi corazón
el que llora de pena por dentro
Pero te dejo y me marcho, para siempre
Imagínate, que yo no soy yo
que soy el otro hombre que esperabas ver
Un desconocido que te ha escrito verso
y te dibujó la luna, en un trozo de papel
Un amante improvisado,
misterioso, apasionado
que te dió una cita, en este hotel
Desnúdate ahora
y apaga la luz un instante
y hazme el amor, como lo haces
con esos amantes
Te juro que hoy es la última vez
que te burlas de mí
que me engañas
Y fueron mis manos
las que te escribieron la carta
Han sido mis celos
los que te pusieron la trampa
y es mi corazón
el que llora de pena por dentro
Pero te dejo y me marcho, para siempre
Desnudate ahora y apaga la luz un instante
y hazme el amor como lo haces con esos amantes
Te juro que hoy es la última vez
que te burlas de mí
que me engañas y me hieres
Y fueron mis manos
las que te escribieron la carta
Han sido mis celos
los que te pusieron la trampa
Fue sorpresa para ti,
hallarme en el cuarto
en lugar de tu amante
palideciste y te pusiste muy nerviosa
Desnudate ahora y apaga la luz un instante
y hazme el amor como lo haces con esos amantes
Es mi corazón el que llora
de pena por dentro,
pero me marcho para siempre, para siempre
Y fueron mis manos
las que te escribieron la carta
Han sido mis celos
los que te pusieron la trampa
Imagina que soy tu mejor amante
hazme el amor y luego adios
One of the challenges of moving to a new city and being a host to foreign visitors (well, so far all Canadian and all from Vancouver) is that very little is available in the way of English-language information for foreign visitors in the state of Aguascalientes (or the city of Aguascalientes, for that matter). And whatever little is available is usually not presented in the best form. So I have now come to realize that I am the one who will have to write in English about the wonderful things there are for foreign, English-speaking visitors who might come to Aguascalientes, either to visit me or to visit on their own, much as I did for Vancouver, and British Columbia.
One of the things that I was told was a must-see was to travel north-west of the city of Aguascalientes to a little town called San Jose de Gracia, which is the home to the largest dam in central Mexico (the Presa Plutarco Elias Calles). From the outset, when you arrive to San Jose de Gracia (you need to drive north towards Zacatecas and turn left once you arrive to Pabellon de Arteaga and drive towards San Jose de Gracia), you would think that the dam is actually a reservoir or a lake. But once you are almost in the midst of it, you can totally see the wall of the dam. It is within this dam that the island of the Broken Christ (el Cristo Roto) is located.
The Broken Christ has an associated legend with it (notes in Spanish from the Wikipedia page) and a poem as well. Legend says that around the independence of Mexico time, when the image arrived into the church in San Jose de Gracia, it arrived broken, and that it spoke told the would-be seller to leave him broken so that he would always have a reminder to think about his brothers and sisters without opportunities, without limbs. While I’m not really religious anymore, I found the inscription incredibly motivating and humbling.
To get to the Broken Christ island, you need to take a little boat (I took Airdrie when she visited me and JT when he came down just a couple of weeks ago as well as my Mom, so in total I’ve visited 3 times).
The area is well staffed and transportation is really inexpensive ($28 Mexican pesos or less than $2.50 USD per person per trip). Obviously you can also rent cabins, and a longer ferry trip which costs about $200 pesos per person or so. There is a restaurant (Las Playas) and several smaller places for food. There is also a little bit of an artificial beach, and the Island of the Broken Christ is considered a must-visit in Mexico when visiting Aguascalientes.
Overall, I enjoyed visiting the Broken Christ Island, and so did every single one of my guests. So I would strongly recommend that if you visit the city of Aguascalientes you take a chance to come visit. You can also get to San Jose de Gracia by small van or “pesera” as they are called in Mexico.
May 3rd marks both a joyous day (my brother’s day) and a really sad one (my dear friend Derek K. Miller’s passing). As regular readers of my blog will know, Derek blogged for 4 years about his stage 4 metastatic cancer. Derek’s Last Post went viral with over 16 million hits in less than a week. Derek’s wife Airdrie is one of my best friends (and she recently came to visit me in Aguascalientes). Thinking of Derek always gives me happy thoughts and I miss him terribly. Derek, missing you today. Air, L, M, Hilkka and Karl, I’m thinking of you today too. Much love always.
My Dad and I had a lovely conversation this morning as we walked through the downtown core of the city of Leon. We were commenting on the incredible gap between my standards of living in Vancouver as compared to Aguascalientes. He was extremely happy that I have “moved up” and gotten closer in standards of living to what I deserve. For starters, I didn’t have a car in Vancouver. I lived in a one-bedroom apartment that was 450 sq ft or less (rented). In Aguascalientes, I have a three bedroom, 1 1/2 bathroom, front yard, backyard terrace house. I own a car. My office in Mexico is about three times the size of my office in Canada. And let’s not talk about the salary increase (which was substantial).
For many years, I’ve had the same conversation with many Mexicans who either want to immigrate to Canada or simply want to leave Mexico. Some of them, live in Canada in conditions that I would call below the poverty line. The housing situation in Vancouver is absolutely insane (read my friend Melissa’s blog, The Thirties Grind, just to read more absurdity of real estate prices in Vancouver). Why would some people choose to stay in Vancouver as opposed to move elsewhere to make a better life is NOT beyond me. I loved Vancouver. I lived there for more than a decade, and I was happy. VERY HAPPY.
But my life here is incredibly fulfilling and rewarding, and I feel that my standards of living are much higher here than there. For one, I can’t stand the rain. I tolerated it for more than 10 years, but I suffered extremely profound SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) which affected my productivity. Here, I have sunshine. I have family, friends. Obviously I miss Vancouver, and as I blogged before, I have always lived grand wherever I’ve been. For two, I can’t stand Vancouver’s incredibly expensive status, and terribly low salaries. For three, I now can offer visitors who come and visit me a much nicer experience than I could offer when folks visited me in Canada.
I do feel a substantial increase in my standard of living since moving back to Mexico. Of course, I miss my friends. I miss the water. I miss my social life and some times (not often, though) the status I had as a “social media celebrity”. But overall, I am pretty happy here and I feel that I have moved up, instead of moving down. I am happy I moved.
Normally, I wouldn’t even dare to eat Argentinian food that wasn’t at El Rincón Gaucho, a restaurant in the city where my parents live, but a friend of mine wanted to meet me for lunch and the closest restaurant to my house was Mamatango, an Argentinian restaurant, so we went there. I had already been to Mamatango when a colleague of ours left and we were bidding him farewell.
Generally speaking, I love the food, and while it’s on the higher end of the scale in terms of pricing, it’s not unaffordable (probably $150-$200 Mexican pesos per entree). This time I played it safe and had a pasta Diavolo Duo, fetuccine with shrimp and salmon, and a touch of pomodoro sauce.
The restaurant is very spacious and the service is very solid, although it took them a really long time to bring us the bill. It also has a separate room for when you have a larger group, although it’s not very private as it is like a fishbowl, everyone can see into the room (it has glass all over). Mamatango also has a small area for children to play in.
Overall, I would definitely come back to Mamatango, whenever I have a lunch that is more or less official or when I have to treat a friend to a nice lunch.
Disclosure: My friend treated the both of us to lunch and he paid on his own dime. As always I retain full editorial control over anything I post on my blog.
You know what surprises me the most about Aguascalientes? Just about no business at all have their own website. In my past few posts, I’ve been linking to their Foursquare location or their Facebook page. This is really bad. Particularly because I think many of the businesses I’ve been patronizing in the past few months should have a basic website, and of course, some basic social media presence. One of the shocking ones is Cafe Casa Vieja, a lovely (and HUGE) coffee place in the heart of Aguascalientes, which should totally have a beautiful website.
Even though I tried really hard, I’m not 100% certain that my photos do justice to the gorgeous decor of Cafe Casa Vieja. The coffee is great, don’t get me wrong, but I think it’s the atmosphere and absolutely beautiful decoration that makes the place.
This is the kind of place where I would very happily bring a foreigner (and so far I’ve brought 2, one Canadian and one American) to have a coffee and just chill.
My frozen capuccino was delicious, although it was also super sweet. But overall, the one thing I enjoyed the most was the atmosphere and ambience. It’s an old house, certainly, but the owners have done their job in maintaining it.
Disclosure: I paid for both my coffee and that of my friends who have visited Cafe Casa Vieja with me.
I’ve got a fascination with houses that are turned into businesses ever since I was a child. The northern part of the city of Aguascalientes (in particular the Bosques neighbourhood) is filled with these. I recently went with a colleague to visit Grandmas Tea House and Crochet, which is located in a converted large house in the northern side of Aguascalientes.
What makes Grandmas Tea House and Crochet very unique is that it’s not only a tea room. It also sells knitting supplies and they offer lessons. Yes, literally. Like you were asking your grandma for advice on knitting. Or as though you wanted to bring your grandma here to have tea and knit.
I found the rooms spacious, was delighted at the quirky display of knitting supplies (yarn, needles, everything). I also found out my colleague does know how to knit (several men I know DO know how to knit, now that I come to think about it).
I just couldn’t get over the yarn supplies. Seriously, this is a fantastic place to learn how to knit (something I don’t know how to do to this day).
There is a number of quirky mementos here all related to knitting.
Overall, a nice place where to bring people for tea and cookies, and maybe learn to knit. I had a juice and my friend had a coffee, and overall, the experience was super sweet. Next time I come I need to check out the knitting lessons.
Disclosure:As always, I paid my dinner off of my own pocket. I did not get any special treatment nor any freebies
You’d probably be right to think “why would Raul decide to eat bagels if he’s pretty much unable to chew because of his braces?“. Yeah, you were right. And I wasn’t thinking straight. The mere thought of eating a bagel the way I used to do in Vancouver just got the best of me. And the fact that this lovely “New American” restaurant, Los Bagels, is located very near to my house (a 2-3 minutes drive).
So yeah, I ordered a bagel and I proceeded to destroy it. But at least I took pretty pictures of it! Pretty inexpensive (maybe on the higher end of pricing for a Mexican place, about $55 pesos), and filled with delicious chicken, I was thrilled to find out that, had I not had braces, Los Bagels would be my new favorite place for lunch. The bagel was cooked to perfection, the chicken was well seasoned, and it was an abundant portion.
Overall, a lovely place. I will have to come back in well, about a couple of years when I get the braces off.
Disclosure:As always, I paid my dinner off of my own pocket. I did not get any special treatment nor any freebies
You know when you find Japanese people at a Japanese restaurant serving sushi that you will get great food (or at least, reasonable). As a Mexican, I felt heartened when I visited a Mexican restaurant and saw fellow Mexicans in the same restaurant. It made me feel that it was perhaps solid enough. That was the case with Yotsuba (a cute sushi restaurant located in the northern part of the city of Aguascalientes
(The actual address is: Prolongación Zaragoza 210 in Plaza Privilege, Col. Fatima. I recently went there with 3 colleagues and we ordered a few sushi dishes. As I normally do with anything that is sushi-specific, I went for California rolls and spicy tuna rolls. The latter were disappointing not because of the flavor but because they are not done the way Canadian ones are. I am heading to Tokyo later this year so I’ll compare. The California rolls were very flavourful and I loved them almost as much as Momo Sushi in Vancouver (which is high praise!)
I ordered an additional roll with an external cover of cucumber, which although was nice, I wasn’t completely sold on. But still, this is perhaps the best sushi place in the entire Aguascalientes. I am totally becoming a fan. It’s also relatively close (5-7 minutes drive) from my house.
Disclosure:As always, I paid my dinner off of my own pocket. I did not get any special treatment nor any freebies
If you follow me on Twitter, or are my friend on Facebook, you probably know that I got braces installed in December of 2012. Yeah. At this age, I decided to get teeth surgery (I had the four wisdom teeth removed at the same time, and thus needed endodonthics). I also got braces (and no, I didn’t get Invisalign. I got the full metal deal!). And like with anything new, I share how I feel with the world. Not always painless, let me tell you.
So why do I make such a big deal of having braces? After all, most teenagers had them at one point (though it’s deeply refreshing to read friends of mine who got braces installed after they became 40!). Well, because to me, having braces is a daily reminder that I MATTER. That I care about myself. That I am my own priority. And I live a transparent life. If my braces hurt, I’m going to tell you if you’re riding with me while I drive us somewhere. I am going to tweet about it, I’m going to post about it on Facebook.
Getting braces will improve my physical appearance, will fix problems with my eating habits, and will make me feel way more self-confident when I smile. So, as painful as they are, and as much cutting I’m getting inside my mouth (OUCH) and as much as I am not able to eat just about anything (the list of things I can’t eat is way longer than the list of things I CAN eat), every time I spend 20 minutes brushing my teeth, using all sorts of contraptions to clean up each bracket, etc., I remind myself of the fact that I love myself enough to force myself to go through the process of getting braces. I am also paying for my braces on my own.
So, please forgive the frequent Facebook, Twitter and blog posts about braces. Braces are my new reality, and a demonstration of self-care. A daily reminder that I matter, and that I am my own priority.
It’s always hard to try and showcase a city and a state (the Mexican equivalent of a province) when you are pretty much a recent transplant. So when my good friend Air came to visit me in Aguascalientes, it was a bit difficult to think of what to do. I asked a colleague of mine at work and he recommended to visit the Hacienda de Letras vineyard and hacienda. While not exactly in the city of Aguascalientes, but a little up north, 20 minutes drive to be exact, or even less, in the small municipality of Pabellon de Arteaga, Hacienda de Letras is a lovely day visit.
We walked through the property and visited the vineyard. Obviously we didn’t see actual blooming vineyards (and couldn’t taste the grapes), but when the time comes, I’ll probably come back to check it out.
We did walk around the property and enjoyed a quick walking tour of the facilities for wine production.
You can purchase a full tour and a 3 glasses-flight tasting for $200 Mexican pesos (less than $20 USD) or a 6 glasses’ flight for $100 Mexican pesos (you can then add on top the tour). We only got a 3 courses’ flight (which was $75 Mexican pesos) as I was driving and I really couldn’t drink that much.
The architecture was absolutely lovely, typical of the colonial Mexico I have known and adored. The Hacienda de Letras even has a chapel!
I can’t recommend visiting Hacienda de Letras enough. It was fun, entertaining and something out of the ordinary. And really not expensive nor time consuming, gas included. You do need to check and look closely for the entry to San Luis de Letras, the little community where Hacienda de Letras sits.
Disclosure:I paid for both of our tastings. The owners did not know I blog, nor did we receive any special treatment. As always, I retain full editorial control over everything I publish on my site.
A few days ago I noted on my Facebook personal page that I was terribly bored of social media. No offense to anyone I follow or with whom I’m friends with. It just doesn’t have the same appeal to me as it once did. I’m specifically talking about my personal outlets, not the professional ones (which I have religiously maintained up until this point). I have also had zero interest in blogging (although admittedly that has been the case because I am incredibly busy and have no time to blog personal stuff).
I suppose that the best way to get words out is to just get them out, and while some people criticize other bloggers for blogging about blogging, this time I had to blog about NOT blogging. Will I ever resume my regularly scheduled writeups? I seriously doubt it. I don’t have the time to put any effort into my personal blog, although a part of me never gets tired of the idea of blogging. But that’s because I am in love with the idea of having time to blog. I don’t particularly have the time to do so!
One thing that may actually get me to write more and to carve some time to blog is something I commented with my friend Air: I want to continue doing travel writing. My professional activity makes me travel a lot, so therefore I have an incentive to write about the places I travel to. We’ll see how I manage to maintain a professional life while travel writing on the side, on occasion!
I’m obsessed lately with this song, not because of Justin Timberlake, which potentially I could be obsessed with, but because of the melody. Suit & Tie showcases a Justin Timberlake suave and charming. The choreographed middle part of the song is extremely catchy and will probably have the same effect on you as it had on me – I just wanted to start dancing and snapping my fingers.
The Jay-Z influence is completely recognizable and you can tell Timberlake was having a lot of fun with this song. Another reason why I identify with this song. I’m having a lot of fun only blogging when I feel like it and when I want to, not when I feel obligated to. Hope you enjoy the ride along the way.
[Intro: Justin Timberlake]
I be on my suit & tie, shit tied, shit tied
I be on my suit & tie, shit tied, shit
Can I show you a few things?
A few things, a few things, little baby, cause
I be on my suit & tie, shit tied, shit
I be on my suit & tie, shit tied, shit
Let me show you a few things
Let me show you a few things
[Timbaland]
Wait a minute. You ready, JT?
[Verse 1: Justin Timberlake]
I can’t wait ’til I get you on the floor, good looking
Going hot so hot, just like an oven
And owww, burned myself I just had to touch it
But it’s so fire and it’s all mine
Hey baby, we don’t mind all the watching
Cause if they study close, real close, they might learn somethin’
She ain’t nothin’ but a little doozie when she does it
She’s so fire tonight
[Hook: Justin Timberlake]
And as long as I’ve got my suit and tie
I’ma leave it all on the floor tonight
And you got fixed up to the nines
Let me show you a few things
All pressed up in black and white
And you dressed in that dress I like
Love is swinging in the air tonight
Let me show you a few things
Let me show you a few things
Show you a few things about love
Now we’re in the swing of love
Let me show you a few things
Show you a few things about love
Hey
[Verse 2: Justin Timberlake]
Stop
Let me get a good look at it
Oooh so thick, I know why they call it a fatty
And awww, shit’s so sick, got a hit and picked up a habit
But that’s all right, cause you’re all mine
Awww, go on and show ‘em who you call daddy
I guess they’re just mad cause girl they wish they had it
Oooh my killer, my thriller, yeah you’re a classic
And you’re all mine tonight
[Hook: Justin Timberlake]
And as long as I’ve got my suit and tie
I’ma leave it all on the floor tonight
And you got fixed up to the nines
Let me show you a few things
All pressed up in black and white
And you dressed in that dress I like
Love is swinging in the air tonight
Let me show you a few things
Let me show you a few things
Show you a few things about love
Now we’re in the swing of love
Let me show you a few things
Show you a few things about love
Hey
[Justin Timberlake]
Get out your seat Hov
[Verse 3: Jay-Z]
All black at the white shows
White shoes at the black shows
Green card for the Cuban links
Y’all sit back and enjoy the light show
Nothing exceeds like excess
Stoute got gout from having the best of the best
Is this what it’s all about?
I’m at the restaurant, my rant disturbing the guests
Years of distress, tears on the dress
Try to hide her face with some make up sex
This is Truffle season
Tom Ford tuxedos for no reason
All saints for my angel
Alexander Wang too
Ass tight denim and some dunks
I show you how to do this young
No papers, catch vapors
Get high, out Vegas
Dussess on doubles, ain’t looking for trouble
You just got good jeans so a nigga trying to cuff you
Tell your mother that I love her cause I love you
Tell your father we go farther as a couple
They ain’t lose a daughter, got a son
I show you how to do this huh
[Hook: Justin Timberlake]
And as long as I’ve got my suit and tie
I’ma leave it all on the floor tonight
And you got fixed up to the nines
Let me show you a few things
All pressed up in black and white
And you dressed in that dress I like
Love is swinging in the air tonight
Let me show you a few things
Let me show you a few things
Show you a few things about love love-love
Let me show you a few things
Show you a few things about love
As many of you know, I am a proud uncle as well as an educator. So when the Vancouver
International Children’s Festival emailed me to ask for help in spreading the word about their new parenting education series, I could hardly say no. The PEP Talks series (Parenting Educational Program) 2013 speaker series looks really interesting, and knowing how many parents follow me on Twitter and read my blog, I figured I should help spread the word out about PEP Talks 2013 in Vancouver.
The 2013 PEP Talks Series brings an exciting mix of world-class speakers to Vancouver. Four thought-provoking evenings featuring some of the top thinkers on the issues every parent faces today. PEP Talks is bringing to Vancouver four compelling speakers over four consecutive months (March through June 2013) to delve into the challenging and sometimes messy world of parenting today’s millennial child.
All shows are 7:30-9pm at the Vancouver Playhouse 600 Hamilton Street, Vancouver, British Columbia. You can buy tickets here. Ticket prices are $130 for the entire series or $35 per speaker, with net proceeds to benefit the Vancouver International Children’s Festival. Call 604 708 5655 for more information.
Other speakers include Sheryl Feinstein (April 10) “The Adolescent Brain”, Deborah MacNamara (May 15) “The Lost Art of Play: Helping Children Grow Up”, and Lisa Bloom (June 12) “Raising Smart Kids in the New Millenium”
I am giving away a pair of tickets to the PEP series speaker of your choice. The first speaker, slated for March 7th looks like a really fun one, Lenore Skenazy, the author of Free-Range Kids: Why Does an Old-Fashioned Childhood Sound So Radical? You can check a Big Think interview with Lenore Skenazy here:
The media labeled Lenore Skenazy “America’s Worst Mom” when she let her 9-year-old ride the subway alone. She wore the badge with pride and went on to found Free-Range Kids: the book, blog and movement dedicated to the idea that our kids are SAFER and SMARTER than our culture gives them credit for. In this funny lecture (she used to write for Mad Magazine) Lenore discusses how today’s parents became so afraid about everything from predators to non-organic grapes (even if cut into quarters!), and how we can regain the perspective that allows us to trust our kids, our community and our own good-enough parenting.
I know several of my good friends are free-range parents (mine were, at least!). And I predict that there will be interest in attending the PEP Talks. Thus to enter my giveaway, I have (as usual) several modes of entry. The first (comment on this blog), I’d love you to give me your best parenting advice (whatever you’ve heard, if you are a parent, or if you have some wisdom to share with other parents). The following modes of entry include Twitter and Pinterest.
Entry # 1) Comment on this blog with a piece of your best parenting advice.
Entry # 2) Post the following on Twitter:
Share w/ @hummingbird604 a parenting advice tip to enter to win tickets to #ParentingPEPTalks I shared mine here http://is.gd/PE9O0V
Entry # 3) Re-pin my Pin of this blog entry.
Entry # 4) Comment on my Pin of this blog entry telling me what item of Q4′s menu you’d like to try.
As always, I’ll draw a winner from the randomized pool of entries on March 4th, at 2pm. (if you do all 4 you have 4 entries into my contest), and each mode of entry you use I will include in my contest (up to 4). Hopefully you will have a chance to enjoy the PEP Talks!
