Sometimes, you just gotta do what you gotta do

While I admit that I'm somewhat of a clean freak (my apartment is about 450-500 sq ft so it's tiny and thus needs to always be clean and impeccable), I also know myself. Once I'm tired, the only thing I want to do is read, read and read. I hate doing dishes and having to clean up. However, last night (if we consider this Wednesday morning) I felt extremely frustrated by the state of affairs.

Let me explain. I hadn't rented a movie in a long while. When I do, I usually rent either at Happy Bats Cinema or a very tiny local store. On Tuesdays, said store has the 2x1 special. I have almost never been able to make use of it as I almost never make it to the store on time to pick up a movie on a Tuesday.

However, last night I went home straight after Mark Jaccard's lecture (which I will discuss on my blog probably later today or tomorrow) and while tired, I felt still really full from having eaten curry chicken in the afternoon and a very late dinner. So I thought "well, instead of reading, tonight it's time to rent 2 movies". So for the first time in a long while, I have two movies to watch.

I've seen the first one (Sydney White - yes, I know - it's definitely a brainless movie) and I am waiting until later today (tomorrow) to watch the second one (Smokin' Aces with a number of good actors but the one I want to see is Ryan Reynolds in a completely different role to all the ones I've seen him in).

The title of the post relates to the fact that I am still awake after having responded to my cleanliness frustration and urges despite being so tired. While I wanted to just curl on my couch and watch the movie, seeing my apartment as messy as it was before I had this urge to clean up just made me not enjoy the movie. So I decided to do a full clean-up. The floors still need some moping, but I think the rest of the apartment looks ok. Hence the title of the post - sometimes, you just gotta do what you gotta do. I needed to feel as though my place was tidy, clean and livable. Now, if I could just get back to sleep... :)

Upcoming events - BC Anti-bullying Day

Given that the Government of the Province of British Columbia has proclaimed February 27th, 2008 as BC Anti-Bullying Day, and a number of organizations (like CUPE) and public figures (including Christy Clark) are encouraging the public to wear pink (by the way, great website from the CKNW), I figured that, in celebration of BC Anti-Bullying Day, I'm should share with the blogosphere an intimate look at a part of my life I wish I had never had to endure, and how I dealt with it.

When I was in primary school, I used to be as tiny as a midget. For some bizarre reason, I started growing when I was 17. I am not kidding you. Nowadays, at a my 5'11" (6' on a good day) and 170 pds, it's kind of hard to mess around with me (well, my height/weight and my martial arts and street fighting training kind of help). Unless, of course, you're 6'7 and super strong... but I digress.

So back then, when I was short and wore glasses, I was bullied by taller, stronger young men. After all, "I was in an all-boys school and had to learn to fight" (their words, not mine). Many, many times, my brothers (particularly my eldest brother) had to intervene and calm some of these bullies. But I couldn't have my older brothers always protect me. I had to learn to do it myself.

I have always been privileged in that my parents have always been my best friends, so I needed to tell them what was going on at school. After careful deliberation we (my parents and I) decided that I needed to take martial arts training. Not because I enjoyed kicking people's butts, but because I wanted to be able to defend myself should I ever need to do so. As a young kid (and to this day), I always tended to be extremely sensitive, emotional and sweet. These were not traits that aggressive bullies would take in a positive light. But I didn't want to be a victim or a target. I wanted to empower myself and be able to break through to these bullies.

One day (several months after I had started my martial arts training), a guy who had bullied me for a long while started picking a fight with me (Gustavo was his name), right before school was over. I was faced with the choice I never wanted to face - "do I fight or do I run?" I decided it was time to fight back. I grabbed Gustavo's arm and applied a judo move on him. I threw him over the top of my shoulder and, strategically, forced him to land with his back towards a trash can. I did this purposefully as I knew that would immobilize him completely. He started crying on the spot and ran away from me as fast as he could.

My classmates were astonished. "How could Raul, the tiny little midget, defend himself now? What happened to him?" From that moment onwards, I never looked back, and never had to face another bully. The word was out: Raul was never going to let anyone else pick on him ever, ever again.

So, in celebration of British Columbia's Anti-Bullying Day, I am going to wear a pink t-shirt to the office tomorrow (Wednesday February 27th, 2008). I encourage you to do so, too. Because bullying is simply wrong, and because once upon a time, I had to fight back too. And if you know someone who is being bullied, there are resources out there that can help him/her deal with it.

The things I hate the most

I am a very loving guy, and most people would agree that it's really hard to make me angry or mad. That being said, I was over at Meg Fowler's blog, and with my newfound freedom, I proceeded to take the time to actually reflect on the things I hate. All my friends know that I hate cheese and Chinese food, but ... did you know I also hate this rainy weather?

So, without further ado, here is a list of the things I hate. You may find some surprises, you may share the same hate for some things, or you may actually love the things I hate. Everything is fair in love and war! By the way, the list has expanded from what I commented on Meg's post ...

The original list of the things I hate...

• Cheese
• Chinese food
• Celery
• Rainy days
• Pushy panhandlers
• Idiotic people
• Bureaucracy and red-tape
• People who aren’t flexible
• People who only follow rules
• Stubbornness without respect
• Improper attribution of ideas
• Drivers in Vancouver (generally speaking)
• Politician’s lies
• People who talk out of their … pretending they know something they don’t
• My upstairs neighbours
• … and their kid
• … and his tantrums
• … and their callousness and lack of respect for my and my next-door-neighbour’s sleeping patterns
• Telemarketers
• Arriving late
• Having lost my cell phone
• Sleep deprivation
• When someone stands me up
• When someone changes pre-existing plans without consulting with me first (and those are our plans)
• Not being able to blog when I want to
• Not having good ideas to blog about
• Self-pompous people who think they’re all that and a bag of chips

And more recently (e.g. within the past few hours) I remembered other things I hate...

• Living in a different country than my parents and my brothers
• Forgetting friends' birthdays
• Double-booking myself
• ... and triple-booking
• ... and booking myself multiple times
• ... because I don't have a Palm Pilot to keep my Google Calendar organized
• Missing wonderful Christmas and New Years parties because I spent mine 6,000 miles away from my dear Vancouver friends
• Not being fully fluent in French (even though I'm fairly conversant)
• The smell of cigarettes
• ... and second-hand smoke
• Having some people take me for granted
• Dry martinis (I know - shocker! I should get my bartender license revoked)
• Not being able to leave trackbacks in WordPress-powered blogs because I am still with Blogger.
• Running for a bus only to have it leave me behind for a fraction of a second
• Buses filled with drunken kids who tend to grab my derrière
• Losing a block on the net because I was too distracted looking at how cute the power hitter was (despite the fact that I did indeed have a good position to block the spike!)
• Missing serves (both in tennis and volleyball). My serve used to be my best weapon.

Wow. That was a long list... But honestly, I swear, I love lots of things :)

Movie review - P.S. I Love You

Perhaps the best movie of the year (and yes, admittedly it is only February 14th), this is one of the nicest films I've seen in a long time. While I admit that Hilary Swank is not one of my favorite actresses (not because I don't believe in her acting ability - she has two Oscars, after all!), she has had some excellent work (particularly her 'Boys Don't Cry' which gave her the first of her two Oscars).

This is, by and large, the best performance I've seen of an ensemble cast in a romantic comedy. With actors of the caliber of Hilary Swank, Gerard Butler, Gina Gershon, Lisa Kudrow, James Marsters, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Harry Connick Jr., I wonder how much pressure the director felt. Often times, it feels as though there is a risk that the movie will place too much emphasis on just one character and leave the rest underdeveloped. That's definitely not the case in "P.S. I Love You".

One word of warning before I continue with my rave review (yeah, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie) ... I wouldn't recommend seeing this movie if you've gone through a recent breakup or if you've lost a loved one (as the film deals with how Swank's Holly Kennedy deals with the death of her beloved husband, Gerry Kennedy, played by Gerard Butler).

The movie traces the evolution of Holly's coping, mourning and moving on with her life after her husband Gerry dies of a brain tumor, a short ten years after getting married. The ultimate slacker, Gerry is a happy-go-lucky, free-spirited man (in contrast to Holly's uptight, all-around planner personality). However, in a movingly sweet display of maturity and love, he plans (and writes) a series of letters to Holly. Each letter is supposed to help Holly inch forward towards moving on and accepting Gerry's death. And guess what... without giving away the ending, I can assure you that she ends up being alright, although in a non-Hollywood kind of way.

Admittedly, "P.S. I Love You" can be categorized as a chick flick. I have read some rather negative reviews (one even coming from The Globe and Mail). But the truth is that I spent half of the movie with tears in my eyes. And I can assure you that I wasn't the only one in the theater who had that reaction.

I found many positive aspects to the movie, some of which I discussed with JT. One of the best elements of the script is that each letter actually does push Holly forward. Holly does not have emotional ups-and-downs during the grieving process (which truthfully may be a little bit of a stretch). Maybe it's just because I believe in the power of self-awareness. Holly finds out more and more about herself and about the immense love that Gerry had for her. And in the process, she learns to let go of her deceased husband.

Swank delivers a very nice performance, as does Butler. The rest of the cast is phenomenal, and Kathy Bates steals many scenes as the overbearing, possessive yet absolutely adoring and loving mother of Holly. In one of the main scenes, where Swank's character lashes back at humanity and destiny for having had her husband taken away from her, Bates does an absolutely amazing job of comforting her and explaining that fate isn't fair.

Of course, some of the climactic moments are associated with the title of the movie. After imparting wisdom, offering reflections on their life together and on how the future should shape for Holly, or simply suggest that she takes the time to go out on the town and enjoy herself with her two best friends (impeccably played by Gershon and Kudrow), he always signs each letter... "P.S. I love you". I couldn't help but get goosebumps and shed a few tears every time he read out loud these words.

It is a good movie, despite whatever negative comments some reviewers have. Honestly, I don't know if the people who wrote the reviews are just jaded or what, but I for one, absolutely loved the movie, particularly because I saw myself reflected in many instances. This movie reminded me that, once in my lifetime, I was entirely, unabashedly, totally and fully in love. For an amazing year, my former partner's first words every morning used to be "Good morning. How can I make you happy today?". No wonder why this movie struck a chord with me. I have previously indicated, Amado Nervo was right about me in his poem. Truthfully, yes, "I loved, I was loved, the sun graced my face. Life, you owe me nothing. Life, we are in peace".

"P.S. I Love You" is a great Valentine's movie and I couldn't have asked for a better movie to see on Valentine's Day. My evening was simply perfect. I hope yours was too.

Trailer courtesy of YouTube.

Happy Valentine's :)

I know that some people hate this Hallmark(TM) day, but at least in the case of my close friends, Valentine's is a reminder of how lucky we are to have the friends and loved ones that we do. I have used every opportunity to rave about my friends and family (wherever the country they live in may be).

There have been good times, and not so good times, and in moments of despair, I have always had close friends near by to remind me of who I am and where I am headed. I have had my family and my friends to stand by me, to help me along the way and to keep me sane. For always being there for me, I'm forever in your debt. I love you guys.

And the great thing is that, through the blogosphere (and volleyball), I've made new friendships... how cool is that?

And then it's done!

One of the motto's of my good friend Nomade Moderne is "just get it done", referring to the idea that one should just focus on the task at hand and finish it. Coincidentally, one of my sisters-in-law's motto is a complementary (and rather cheerful) phrase: "... and then it's done!" (usually uttered with a joyful smile).

So if you were to combine their motto's in one sentence, you'd say "oh come on, just get it done... just finish it and then it's done!". I can almost hear their voices in my head. Well, this morning I applied their motto to a particularly unpleasant task. I hate doing dishes, I really do. Having been totally busy this week and weekend, I managed to accumulate two sinks full of dishes.

Now, it is indeed a rarity for me to have so many non-washed dishes in my apartment, but I just couldn't bring myself to separate from the tasks at hand to just focus on washing them. Finally, this morning I broke down. Since I had to make breakfast, I needed a frying pan. I had none, all of them were dirty. Guess where they were? Yes, you guessed right... in the sink.

So, I figured "well, I can just wash the frying pan, make breakfast and then wash all the dishes this afternoon when I want a break from work". However, I thought to myself the phrase I just wrote above, and I figured "I might as well just get them done". So I can happily report that my dishes are all clean :)

Despite the fact that this could be just a waste of three minutes of your life, I think that there is a lesson to be learned here. The initial push to start a new project or to just complete a certain task may be really difficult to overcome. But once you've started it, you should just focus your attention and get it done. If you are able to sustain the focus, you can gain momentum and finish sooner than you actually may have estimated. And then, it's done! :)

Why the pause, you ask? Well, here is why.

I know I haven't blogged anything substantial since Wednesday's Vancouver Blogger Meetup, but you'll agree with me that liveblogging can make you really tired. Besides, I really have had a lot of work on my day job, so that's prevented me from doing anything substantial.

But these two are just excuses. The truth is that this February the 1st was the 9th anniversary of the passing away of one of the persons I loved the most in the world, my aunt. She was pretty much my second mother. I can't believe she has been gone for almost a decade. I have noticed in my own behaviour through the years (after my aunt passed away) that I can't really do much or think much around Feb 1st.

I think that sort of mental block applies to everything, including my blog. However, since I have an urgent deadline for Monday, I have had to work really hard even through this past Feb 1st and thus haven't really had the time to reflect or rest. Once this deadline is over, I'll be able to focus more on other stuff, including blogging.

At any rate, I hope to be back to my regular blog update as of today.

I'm just riding it

For the first time in three days, I feel sleepy before 1 am, so I'm just going to ride it and not do anything else. I am just going to go to bed and have a good night sleep. I'm slightly disappointed that, after peaking at an unheard-of all-time high of 160 visits per day, my average has again dropped to 40-70 visits per day :( Where are you people? Come, hang out! Read!

I jinxed myself - so that was that...

My neighbours upstairs are incredibly noisy and often times, disturb my (and my next-door-neighbour's) quiet enjoyment. They have a 2 (maybe 3?) year old kid who is unbearable by any measure. Admittedly the kid is cute as they come (beautiful blue eyes, blond hair, ultra cute smile) but his behaviour is totally unacceptable. He throws tantrums like you have no idea and gets on my nerves faster than a speeding bullet. He runs in the house (and there is no noise insulation whatsoever in this house), throws things on the floor, etc. True, if I could afford rent elsewhere in Vancouver, I probably would move. But truth be told, I love Mount Pleasant and don't intend to move any time soon.

So this morning, I'm having a conversation with my next-door-neighbour where I say that the best moment of my day (when I am working at home, as I did today) is when the kid leaves the house with his parents. On any given day, they'll give us two or three hours breaks, and then come back and inflict as much noise as they possibly can.

However, today I started to feel strange when by 1.30pm, I was still writing along and enjoying a nice work pace. "Nobody has interrupted me... hmmm... this is suspicious...", I thought to myself. 3 pm came along... still having a wonderful working afternoon. Very suspicious. Finally, I broke down and told my neighbour "hmmm... I think they're gone for the day" and she quickly stopped me on my tracks "DON'T JINX IT!!! If you keep saying that they're gone, they'll be back!!!". Quite frankly, I kind of doubted it, but stopped mentioning it anyways.

So, it's 8.15 pm ... and I jinxed it. They are back. And noisy as ever. I did, admittedly, have a wonderful day of working at home, but I could have used a few more hours where I could have had a nap, or keep working. Now, back to my earplugs and my writing...

Snow in Vancouver can make you happy... or not

Some of my Vancouverite friends are so excited about how beautiful the city looks with all this snow. I admit it, it looks pretty. But if I tell you what happened to me last night, you'll understand why I am so angry at the weather. I was working late, but I knew that unless I took the last 99 B-Line, I'd be stuck at my office, so I ran out the door (in the snow, without an umbrella and without a toque) and headed to the bus stop.

As I was making my way to the bus stop, the 99 B-Line started its engine and quickly left. I was literally 4 seconds away from the bus, and the bus driver still didn't wait for me. I screamed "WAIT, WAIT, WAIT" at the top of my lungs and he still wouldn't do it. I'm not that surprised, but I got really angry.

So I figured "oh well, I'll just stay overnight at the office" and what is my surprise when I realize that I don't have my electronic key to the building. So now I am all wet, my hair is white from all the snow, I'm freezing and have to wait for the stupid bus.

It took me a good hour and 20 minutes to get home (a commute that on a good day is 30 minutes). By the time I got home, I was furious. But surprisingly, I was still in good enough of a mood to do some work until 4.30am. I work really well at night. But this morning I saw the heavy snow and I decided I was going to work at home.

I may (potentially) get out and snap a few pictures, just for the beauty. But I am SO happy that a friend e-mailed me the piece of work I had to process today. So very very very happy! I did not want to go to the office today.

I need a new cell phone, so I'm accepting suggestions

I lost my cell last November, and I've refused to buy a new one simply on principle. I hate cell phone companies in Canada (well, don't hate them, but did you know that whenever you receive a call in Mexico the caller is paying for the phone call and it costs you zero, zilch, nada? Same deal in Spain).

Anyhow, so I want a pay-as-you-go, super cheap, no-frills, nothing fancy, ultra-basic phone. The only thing I really, really would like is unlimited incoming calls. The problem is, with the super busy social life I have, it's stupid for me not to have a cell. I *need* a cell. If there's anyone who needs a cell here, is me.

I've seriously considered the possibility of buying the 7-11 package (100 dollars phone with 100 dollars worth of air time). I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts. Thanks in advance!

Weekend roundup

Even though I didn't have my usual Friday dinner with C, B, L and J (as we usually do), I ended up being triple-booked. But that's not unusual in Raul's life. As somebody would say, another day at work, hehe. My weekend started on Wednesday with a lovely dinner at Kishu Mountain with LB. Since we don't work together anymore, I had not had a chance to see her and it was so lovely to touch base with her. It was very refreshing to have again some time just to hang out the two of us.

Friday I went to the office party and then we proceeded to go to a post-office party at J/B/P's house. That was a blast, and I got a nice invite to a party the next evening at B and M's place. I had such a great time at B and M's (although I did manage to exact some damage on my liver and my head - note to self - don't drink and dance). Saturday morning I had brunch with BS at The Nice Cafe, which was also wonderful, and spent part of the afternoon just doing some work around the house.

Sunday morning was my traditional volleyball followed by a very nice brunch with M, L and A. As it has become tradition, Sunday evening was dinner and a movie with J. And strangely enough, I felt a bit depressed/sad after J dropped me off at my place after dinner at The Red Sea Cafe. Not sure why. I think it's because I've had such a social weekend, filled with people, new friends, new bonding processes (friendship bonding, I mean). I am a bit overwhelmed, but at the same time, I kind of miss my friends. It's a strange feeling. I have seen so many of my friends in the past two weeks and yet I still feel as though I haven't seen enough of them. Weird. This too, shall pass.

My faith in the world has been restored.

Or at least, partially (if my neighbours were a lot more considerate about not letting their kid run in their house, I'd say it has been almost totally restored). Anyhow. Today I went for brunch with BS to the Nice Café. It's a nice neat little restaurant on 8th Avenue and (almost) Main.

We had (as we usually do) a great time. At some point, as it happens when I'm enthralled with the conversation with my friends, I must have pulled (inadvertently) my house keys off of my pocket. Since it was so cold, I didn't have my gloves nor toque, the sensibility of my fingers was minimal. Therefore, the keys fell off without me noticing.

When I got home, my keys were nowhere to be found, and of course, I panicked. I re-traced my steps, hoping that someone would have found my keys and left them at one of the places I had just been to. Well, lo- and behold, my keys were sitting in a small wedge on the corner of Broadway and Main.

I have to say that, while I am extremely grateful, am not so surprised. I have always had a good feeling about the neighbourhood, so finding my keys only came to reinforce that positive energy I get from here. Clearly, there are reasons to be grateful to The-Powers-That-Be, and I am indeed very very thankful. Hence why my faith in the world has been restored.

The hard task of parenting

My upstairs neighbours have a 2 years old child, who is by anyone's definition, a living hell. The kid screams, yells, throws tantrums, smashes things on the floor, argues with his parents (!?!?!? - yeah, incredibly, the kid argues with his parents at 2 yrs old, and they argue back!) and has absolutely no sense of when to stop crying.

In my opinion, this isn't the kid's fault, but the result of bad parenting. However we want to look at it, a child is the product of his or her parents. I see my nieces and nephews, and they're all great kids. That's the result of my brothers' and their wives' efforts, not some random DNA strand.

Naturally, some of my brothers are more strict than others. There are specific circumstances that have colored each kid's life. But the overall result are great girls and boys. In the case of my neighbours' little guy, he can be cute as a button, but it's a pain and a torture to live in my apartment when he is around.

Is there anything that can be done? Yeah, for sure. Teach his Mom and Dad how to be better parents. However, there is no real school that prepares you to be a Mom or a Dad. My parents weren't prepared either! Nevertheless, I am proud of what my parents made of me and my brothers, and I'll have to admit that it was pure damn luck combined with a great dose of love.

My parents might have been very strict, sometimes dominant and at times overwhelming, but they loved me and my brothers very much (they still do, because thank God, they're still alive!). They were visionaries in that they wanted to create diamonds out of us, and I believe they succeeded. I don't know how to pass my Mom and Dad's parenting lessons to my neighbours, but one thing I can tell you is that my parents were very disciplined and taught us to behave properly under every circumstance. Maybe my neighbours will learn the lesson sometime.

Friends are the family we choose

Last night I was talking to JH over GMail Chat and we were discussing the fact that I was going to miss my family in Mexico now that I'm on my way back to Vancouver. She made the point that I will be now returning to my other family, the friends I have there. And I really liked the fact that she reminded me that friends are the family we choose.

I have been blessed with several groups of amazing friends. Receiving emails or MSN chats from my close friends, or even phone calls in some cases, is one of the greatest privileges one can have. Over these holidays, I had the opportunity to see two of my childhood best friends: LDG for dinner one night, AAF literally at the bus depot on his way back to Aguascalientes. I also had the chance to spend some time with three of my very best friends from undergraduate (I and A and their son, and LE and his family). I was invited to be the date of my good friend AE, and got to see my co-workers and friends. We had my good friend CSG for breakfast at my Mom's place and attended several traditional Posadas. I spent New Years' Eve with ML, I and A and their family. And how could I forget two amazing visits to San Miguel Allende, where I spent some time with HZ's parents (particularly his Mom as his Dad had to travel on an emergency trip). I was extremely touched when NZ answered to the question "did your son visit San Miguel?" (referring to HZ) and she responded "no, he couldn't make it but he sent his brother" (referring to me). *swoon*

On the Vancouver side of things, I did miss two really good parties I wish I had attended, Christmas party hosted by HZ and CS and New Years Party hosted by AF and DM. My good friends from Vancouver have been sending me emails saying "come back, we miss you, it's too quiet here without you". And of course, I've been travelling around for two weeks with my Vancouver-born friend ML. It's really heartwarming to feel so loved.

My Mom was in awe (and very happy) the other day about the fact that I got so many amazing friends. The great thing about friend-families, is that they extend and expand, as long as we put the work into it. My Mom now has three new 'sisters' in San Miguel de Allende!

I toast to friendships, old, new, renewed and 'dormant'. To the great gift of happiness. Because we as friends are blessed to be the witnesses to each other's lives...

Quinceañeras

The term quinceañera refers to the young lady who has arrived to the tender age of 15 years. It's sort of a "coming of age". Wikipedia has a definition and some historical facts from various Latin American countries. I was shocked, though, to find that there was no reference to Mexico. Particularly disappointed because, if there is a country where the quinceañera party is relevant, it would be Mexico!

We went to the Quince Años party of one of my nieces last Saturday. It was a really good party, although quite different from what I was used to. First, there was lots of dancing and even an spectacle (the Quinceañera put a show with dancers and choreography and so on). Second, the music was computer-generated (no actual live group). Third, it started super late... we were having dinner at midnight, and it went until 4.30am.

The party was really good in many ways. One of them was that it provided a forum and an opportunity for some members of my family (and the extended family) to erase former grudges and create new bridges. For doing that, I'll have to give my Mom props. She's the family's diplomat. It was nice to see members of my family that I hadn't actually seen or had any sort of contact with after a few years.

Christmas review

I was dreading Christmas like the plague because I wasn't sure how personal relationships amongst stranged family members would play out. I was actually terrified and stressed. However, when it came to the actual celebration, we had a great time. I personally had one of the best Christmases I had in years. Even though it was only my eldest brother's family and Mom and I, it was great.

I did miss my other brothers and my Dad not being with us, but overall, the celebration was phenomenal. My brother prepared a main course, as did my Mom, and lots of fun were had. We even toasted! I think the rest of my holiday will be just as enjoyable. But I plan to steer away from alcohol :-)

I'm a definite light weight

I am trained as a bartender. I've got a certification and all. However, last night I got again a demonstration of why I am still a light weight. Had dinner with my undergrad best friends (LEAD has a new house and he insisted I see it). So Mom and I headed to his place (he's got a wife and four kids, so their house is really big) for a night of drinks and dinner.

I have no idea how I got to the state of drunkedness (spelling?) I got, I think it was the four vodkas I had, but OMG by the end of the night, Mom had to drive us home. I don't think I did anything inappropriate (Mom would obviously have stopped me) but my recollection of facts is minimal. I think I must have apologized about a thousand times for the one time I had a fight with LEAD. Well, that only makes me realize that I am a total light weight. Back to training in the New Year!

I had an amazing time though. But now I know that I need to learn how not to be drunk on four vodkas.

Lots of love - Mexican edition

Since I wanted to promote my 500th post, I didn't blog any content for the past few days. However, it would be unfair not to talk about awesome things that have happened to me this week. Particularly, it would be unfair to loved friends of mine who have made every effort to spend time with me as they know I'm here for just a very short time. So, a toast to...

• Dinner on Monday with LGS. L and I became friends in high school. She was one of 7 friends (the Magnificent Seven: DA, LEG, AAF, LGS, LL, APV, AND RZL) with whom I was extremely close in high school. You see - I have always been pretty selective with whom I choose as friends, but I was even more when I was younger. So, instead of having dozens of pseudo-friends, I just made 7 close friends (this circle has grown through the years, as I have re-acquainted myself with others). At any rate, LGS invited me for dinner to a gourmet pizza place called Francachela. I don't know how she does it, but she still looks as beautiful as ever. It's like some sort of Dorian Gray club (my Mom and her are members of the club, as they both look so young!). Furthermore, I not only enjoyed spending time with her and the great conversation, but also knowing how she has evolved. She's such a strong woman, with a willingness to never let anything stop her. I am glad we still see each other whenever I come to Mexico, and exactly in the same light: as though no time has passed. Ah, good times :)

• Dinner on Tuesday with Mom, IT, AF and PT: When we were young(er), my best female friend (IT), her now husband (AF) and my great friend PT, we all worked for a soft drinks company. So, it was really funny to see us all sitting around the same table. IT and AF invited us for dinner and drinks, which I really appreciaetd, because even though IT and AF are parents to a cute wonderful boy, they always make time for me. IT and I have always shared an amazing friendship. Her parents (whom I visited on Wednesday) always treated me like a son. We reminisced about good times we've shared through the years, and enjoyed wonderful hors d'oeuvrs (with salmon and jamón serrano) - mine without cheese, thank you (they had cheese fondue... eeeww!)
  

• Talking on the phone with AAF: For some bizarre reason, we hadn't chatted over MSN for a while, but my great friend AAF found my phone and gave me a call. It was so nice to hear his voice again. AAF and I have enjoyed a wonderful friendship since we were in our very early teens. We both played competitive volleyball and he is the model of a man who never gives up. He is building his company from the bottom up, and he moved to a different city to start all over again. I'm very proud of him, and I hope we have a chance to spend time on Christmas day (and the following week).
  

• Spending the Christmas holiday dinner of my former workplace with AE: Not only have we managed to build a great friendship, but AE and I share a very unique (and liberal and open minded) view of the world. She's a wonderful friend and an amazing Mom, and she dances great too! She looked beautiful that night as well. How she does all that she achieves - work, personal relationships, friendships and taking care of her daughter? No idea. But she does. I'm proud of having her as a friend, and moreover, it's exciting to think that she might have found the love she deserves. It was also nice to see all my friends who were my co-workers. Ah, good times! And as usual, I danced the opening piece.
  

• Weekends with my brothers: Even though they live in different cities, we managed to squeeze two visits with my brothers. The first weekend we went with the second of my brothers, whose energy and personal commitment not onlyu to his work but to his family (both direct and extended) are beyond belief. Honestly, if I had 10% of the energy JE has, I would be in great shape. His daughters are absolutely adorable, and great athletes. The second weekend we went to visit my eldest brother, AJ, whose daughters are also adorable. We had a good time and managed to see Enchanted a second time! Ah, great times. They're coming to spend Christmas with us and I'm looking forward to a family reunion.
  

• Dinner with my Dad: Although, technically, that was lunch, he took me to the best Argentinian restaurant in town, and one of the best in the world. You'll see... while in Vancouver, I try not to eat red meat. For many reasons, one of them, the fact that nobody makes steaks like this restaurant does. So I refuse to eat at, say, The Keg or Mortons. I know, I'm a snob. So sue me. At any rate, Dad treated me to lunch/dinner ... it was like old times. I really value my Dad's insights, and I would like to share one with you (which I will expand upon soon enough): fear is THE worst adviser.
  

All in all, life is great, and I'll get to see my undergraduate best friend (LEAD) and his family tonight, something I am really looking forward to. As I was talking to JT last night, I told him something that more and more I realize that I am a pretty damn lucky guy. I may not know how to define love (we had a conversation about that), but I sure know how to love people. I couldn't help but giggle when he said "yeah, and you are pretty good at it too". It's nice feeling loved.

Quite obviously I miss my Vancouver friends, but I have come to realize that distance is really nothing. I spent an hour chatting with AF the other day, and we talked about how much we miss each other. Truth be told, I am loved everywhere I go. What else can a guy ask for? Oh, yeah ... right... well, a few million dollars would be handy hehehe :) but love is golden!

Weekend roundup and forecast

I had a wonderful Friday evening with K and R (see bar review), followed by appetizers and drinks at RC's place. My volleyball team was having a party to celebrate the end of the term and begin the bonding for the following term. Everyone in my team was there, which was very fun. We danced, ate, drank, laughed, did the "worm" hip-hop/breakdance move, some salsa, went to Public (it was empty), went to Honey/Lick/The Lotus and the line-ups were super long. So we ended up heading back home. And of course, you can believe I had a horrendous hangover on Saturday morning.

I had brunch on Saturday with colleagues and friends and my day on Sunday was looking quite busy with dinner with J, brunch with C, B, JN and L, showing up at SK's brunch as well (two brunches and and on top of everything, I had to arrange for a conference call with the high command - e.g. parents).

Breakfast at SK was awesome, I got to see her place and spend some good times with her and JT1 (there are two JT's). Brunch with C, B, JN and L at Rhizome was amazing. I felt a little bit guilty because L and JN are stressed out now with work (and I added a couple of errands on my behalf to their list). However, it was (as always is) very nice to see them again. I will miss them tremendously, particularly now that L is having a birthday party.

Then I went to see Enchanted (the movie) with JT2, and then dinner at Red Sea Cafe. I'll do a movie review soon enough, but I just wanted to say that the movie rocks. Simply awesome. JT2 drove me to the airport (as he usually does) and we both know we'll miss each other.

I always say this on my blog and in person. I am very privileged. I have amazing friends in different countries and it's nice to know that, no matter where they are (or where I am), we'll always be there for each other. That's what friends are for.