Tag Archives: life

in english

Reinventing myself

The first time I had to reinvent myself was when I entered high school. After a junior high of mostly pretty lousy experiences I had decided that it was time for something else. There I became much more social, and formed many friendships I still preserve to this day.

Later on, I moved to Finland to study engineering. That was reinvention number two: from a upper middle class hijo de papi to an immigrant student in a country far away, with different people and a new language. That went quite well, I’d say. During my studies I was fortunate enough to get a job.

While working, and especially after I graduated, I had to become a business person. That was my third reinvention, as at work I usually was working with people with whom probably initially I didn’t share very much, as they were in a different stage in life than I was. However, that went very well and I still keep in contact with many of them, even after my latest reivention.

This last one was coming back to study again, again in a different country (Belgium this time). After 3 years, I came back to writing papers, student parties and being with people my age. So far, so good, I am learning a lot, get along with everybody and have found some new interests and things I didn’t know.

After this, I don’t know what will happen. I know I need to get a new job (there are some clues on that one) and I will get married. That will be the next reinvention.

As the song goes: every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.

in english

Closing Time: High school memories

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On a day like this when I’m meditating about life, the universe and everything, my iPod had the nerve to play Closing Time by Semisonic.


The lyrics are especially touching given what happened afterwards. Phrases such as “time for you to go out, go out into the world”, “time for you to go back to the places you will be from” and “every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end” are as relevant to my life now as they were back then even though I have more experience now.

Every time I hear this song memories come back like a torrent. My high school friends, my feelings at the time, the Model United Nations we were involved in, the work that went into it and the closing ceremony of the last one I was part of, exams, classes, parties, crushes, relationships created, broken and repaired, trips, and the expectancy of entering university and the work that went into trying it in another country.

With this song and Time of your life by Green Day I can just sit down and replay all those moments in my mind.

I can’t believe it’s been 8 years since I graduated. A lot has happened since then. I reinvented myself and the experience gave me the wings I needed to try something else.

¡Un abrazo a todos ustedes, sin importar donde estén!

en español

14 de Febrero

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El Día de San Valentín es una fecha que odié por muchísimos años. En el tiempo que viví en México, exceptuando un plazo de 6 meses, nunca fui demasiado afortunado con el sexo opuesto, dado que normalmente las que me gustaban a mí no me correspondían o viceversa. Además, durante la mayor parte de mi adolescencia la verdad es que fui bastante torpe en mis relaciones con el sexo opuesto (estaba muy verde) así que naturalmente cada vez que llegaba este día estaba yo con unos nervios o una depresión de absoluto espanto. No fue hasta que tuve mi primera novia, a eso de los 16 años, que pude medio superarlo, aunque después de terminada la relación, volví a la misma tónica.

No fue hasta tiempo después, ya en una relación más formal, que pude pasar página y entender que es un día como cualquiera. El amor no es cosa de un día, el de verdad es de toda la vida.

en español

Hoy ví un borracho en el metro

Y me dió mucha tristeza encontrarme con un tipo tan solo. El hombre se veía descuidado, despeinado, en chanclas (lo cual estando a 8 grados y lloviendo como ha llovido me parece una locura), y se veía francamente mal. Lo triste es que se le veía que trataba de hablar con la gente, de tener un poco de contacto, pero su apariencia y su estado etílico no lo dejaban. Cuando salí del vagón, después de tratar de hablar con varias personas, lo ví conversando con unos mochileros.

No debería de importarme, pero me da mucha tristeza ver a gente perdida en/por el alcohol.

in english

The Rainbow

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Heard from a friend, having a conversation with his little kid.

“Dad, what’s that?”
“That’s a rainbow.”
“But what is it.”
“It is something that God puts in the sky.”
“God has to be a little girl then.”
“Why?”
“Because only little girls would think about putting so many colours in the sky.”

in english

Playing football

During a my childhood and most of my teenage years I had a love-hate relationship with football. On one hand, I really liked the sport, and I followed the Chivas de Guadalajara with the kind of passion that having most of your family following the same club can give you. On the other hand, I have always been a terrible player, to the extent that during most of my childhood I didn’t know how to kick the ball in such a way that it would reach the intended player, let alone score a goal.

Later on, I became relatively tall and developed good reflexes from playing basketball, which made me a better than average goalkeeper in the school (and street) playground, so teams would select me, but I still would be lacking technique. I stopped playing football as I was part of the junior high and high school basketball teams.

Then I moved to Finland. Since football is not the national sport there, kids usually don’t play it to such a high standard, and there are teams for all skill levels, so I found one according mine. I played there and enjoyed it immensely, as it was absolutely non-competitive and we could just have fun. Since I had been watching football for so long, I understood many things in the field that I didn’t know when I was a kid, and finally got over my love-hate relationship with the sport.

Now there’s only love left (mostly).

en español, in english

Meme: video(s) of my place(s) of origin

Checking Ceronne’s blog, I found this meme, the idea being of posting a video or videos representative of your place of origin. Given that some were already used, I decided to go for Ingrata, by Café Tacuba (which has the added bonus that the group and part of the shooting are very close to the places where I grew up).
In the case of Helsinki, even though it’s not my place of origin, I was there quite a few years, so I guess it qualifies. Below “Sinä lähdit pois” (even though I was searching for a song about the airport called “Helsinki-Vantaa” that would bring me better memories but I guess it’s not in YouTube just yet).