Fall

It has been really quiet. Not too much to do, or probably I should say not too many fun things to do. Working extra hours at times and doing homework has given me a tight schedule, but not for long (I hope). Despite the fact that I love the fall season, I look forward to rise.

Green Apple Vodka

Green apple candy is not as good tasting without a sour taste. This was the reason why I wanted to find something useful to do with green apple jelly beans. I perceive vodka as a water alcohol mixture, so alcohol should be good to dissolve candy and candy can give it some taste. Results were disastrous, as instead of a clear green solution I got a "dusty" milky failed experiment. This failure was due to the fact that the waxy coating did not dissolve, but rather spread out throughout the mixture. The taste was OK, but I would've added a mixture of citric/tartaric/ascorbic/malic acids if they were commercially available at the local store. I'll try next time with warheads. This experiment was not successful, but that does not mean it wasn't fun! 

La Canícula

La Canícula, o dog days, como se le dice en inglés viene de la palabra canino (según Wikipedia). La estrella Sirius (llamada estrella del perro), en su proximidad al sol se creía que era la responsable del calor. Aunque haya cierto grado de subjetividad, al menos yo siento que no hay nada más insoportable que el calor (a excepción de la tortura). Los días de calor los relaciono con los momentos más difíciles en la vida.

Algunos dicen que cuando te caes tienes que aprender a levantarte, o que la clave del éxito no está en no caerse, sino en aprender a levantarse. A veces pasa que en vez de caerte, te tumban. Me sentí como si hubiera subido la torre más alta, y cansado de tanto subir, voy a abrir la puerta en el piso más alto y me doy cuenta que la perilla desaparece. En eso me doy cuenta también que estoy en un pasillo oscuro y no veo más que a un metro a la redonda; no sé si hay más puertas o si hay que tan lejos estén. Probablemente tenga que subir más escalones o dejar que pase el tiempo mientras me pongo a explorar.  

Siento como si estuviera yo caminando y escuchando la “Sonata de la Luna” de Beethoven en este pasillo oscuro, como si fuera una casa de espantos. La diferencia es que sigo consciente de que no existen fantasmas ni monstruos, pero una buena sorpresa puede llegar en cualquier momento. Siento que Alguien me está viendo, pero no alguien con malas intenciones. Puede ser una experiencia comparable a cuando los hermanos Pevensie pasaron los momentos más duros en Narnia, solo que se que es improbable ver a Quien me ve hasta antes del final de mi vida. Sigo caminando siempre en espera de encontrar la puerta que me deje ver la luz y explorar el mundo. A lo lejos PARECE que termina el pasillo y que se divide en dos: un camino a la izquierda y otro a la derecha. Llego al final y veo que en la pared hay una cortina. Voy despacio acercándome y veo que atrás de la cortina sigue el mismo pasillo, aunque no alcanzo a ver que sigue. La pregunta aquí es: ¿Por donde me voy?

El haber hecho todo lo que está de mi parte en llegar hasta donde he llegado me deja una sensación de tranquilidad. Siento la obligación de cumplir mis sueños a toda costa. ¿Qué sentido tiene vivir sin un plan en la vida, un objetivo o una motivación para seguir? Es esta misma motivación la que me hace querer seguir explorando la mansión oscura, porque la esperanza es encontrar la luz. De nada sirven los talentos y las capacidades propias si a nadie más le sirven, pero como dice Timbiriche: “Si no es ahora, será mañana”.

For Reasons still unknown: Dog Days part 4

For reasons still unknown, the slingshot with which I was going backwards broke and I am currently on a standby mode. I was seeing a blurred picture when I felt this. After recovering my good sight I realized that I am standing where the beautiful red haired lady stood before me when she gave me the the good news a few months ago. I could see those deep blue eyes that were crying as though she felt sorrier for me than I did for myself. Tall guys wearing a suit just as Agent Smith and his evil guys did in the Matrix movies were fast approaching out of nowhere. Curiously enough, the men did not have an evil face, they simply looked as if they were robots. The red hair lady came to me and hugged me, she then gave me a small box and put it inside my pants's pocket. And she quickly said: 

"Will you come back to me? I know that you need me but I need you too, more than you can imagine. The box will get you back to me if you really really really really want. I will make your dreams come true" 

At that moment I did not know what she meant, but my dream is to end dog days for good. I saw her red lips one last time until the men grabbed her. As for me, they did not even seem to be aware that I was there. 

I opened the box that the lady had just given to me. I saw a written note and it simply said: "Follow your heart, but use your head. Do all you can, and pray to get the rest done by Him" And then I knew exactly what she meant. Next to the note, there was a picture of her. Her blue eyes, red lips and orange hair matched well with the color of her skin.

I wondered if the lady could read my thoughts while I was away, but I somehow felt that it was up to me whether she could or could not. 

Will this take days, weeks, months...? I do not know, but I am sure about this: either I get what I want, or I will die trying. Dog days are the hottest days in the year, which I relate to the most difficult part of life.

Time to Fly!

When times seem to be difficult I can only imagine that I will temporarily go backwards in a slingshot, about to be released to fly indefinitely until I'm caught perhaps, to be thrown again. If thrown again, I would intend to go higher, farther...

The journey may be long and probably tiresome, but if the journey is enjoyed, it is worth getting tired. It is the reason why you wake up in the morning and look forward to this day.

In the end, I believe we all want to fall in the right hands, even though others may think of this differently. Who would be against a happy ending?

2012 Elections in Mexico

The results of the elections were what most of us expected: PRI won by a significant margin, though not as significant as polls showed. A 6.6 margin over the leftist candidate should be around 3 million votes. People complain that PRI gave gift cards for groceries, cash, food, etc. Some others claim that hundreds or tenths of votes were either added to PRI or subtracted from PRD in addition to "buying votes". 

3 million votes is a HUGE margin out of 50 million. While I don't believe that 3 million votes can be bought that easily, this does not mean that this should not be investigated. The fact that investigating this  will not change the results DOES NOT mean that the ones responsible should be left without punishment. A punishment's objective is to prevent inappropriate behavior from happening again.

Any stolen votes should be subtracted, and the election results should be left according to what that subtraction shows. The ones responsible should also be shown in the media by the authorities to all of us Mexicans. 

This is a great moment to evaluate which parties (especially PRI) have always done during elections, and change the rules in such a way that we Mexicans can rest assured that vote fraud will not be tolerated. While the current scandal shows PRI as guilty, does not mean that other parties or candidates did not do the same. 

It is a shame that doing the right thing most of the time will make you unpopular. As I can see that, that is why I voted for PAN. Many others in my state did too (the state of Nuevo Leon is colored blue), though barely with a 41%.

I am not a politician and will never be, but I know that being liberal, moderate, or conservative has nothing to do with political views in Mexico. The fact that people from PAN have been the least corrupt is the reason why I have voted from them most of the times. 

My political views have been and will continue to be independent, no party in Mexico is worth of having my vote guaranteed. I support democracy, but in a fair play. I pray we get to have it in the near future.

Grand Rapids, Michigan

Grand Rapids is a place where people seem to take their time. No rush in traffic, people just walk happily...

And do some dancing too!

Call it fake, or maybe even modified Mexican food, as we don't eat cheddar cheese in Mexico, but these tacos were actually great:

These maple leaves will turn yellow, orange, red, or brown in a few months:

Seeing the Mexican flag in such a far away place is certainly appreciated:

This is the Amway Hotel. While my good health and wealth have come thanks to Omnilife, I must say that the place smelled nice, and never had I had such a great service from ALL of the staff.

The heat was tolerable, and the last day we got a cold front, so it actually felt slightly chilly during the late afternoon when the wind was blowing. I can't understand why people love summer when it's hot.

The Importance of being idle

The countdown continues, but I have not set a timer and I don't know when will it ring yet. This timer is not in my hands, and therefore I cannot control it. In the meantime, I just wait. By waiting I continue with everyday activities, so this DOES NOT mean that I will spend the time just counting the leaves on the trees or waiting for the next snowfall.

In the meantime, after working in the daytime, watching a spectacular sunset or nature's fireworks will relax your eyes, or mine at least.

The importance of being idle is that there is no other choice but to make the best of it, and listen to the song with the same title from Oasis.

A Dust Devil, The Countdown Begins

While looking at an unusual dust devil in the Monterrey metro area, this reminded me that summer is on its way, or perhaps it is already here. Due to our geographical location, continuous days with hot weather usually occur between April and September, but this will not be for long. I look forward to this new place that promises hotter, but shorter summers, as well as cooler weather during spring, fall, and winter. This would be more like having four different seasons throughout the year. The countdown begins, and just like the dust devil, time will spin faster and faster.

Dog Days part 3

The second summit is almost here, after traveling to the first one I am now finishing my joruney to the second one. My commitment to get the ticket for a new adventure has not changed, except for more desire, passion, and preparation. The red haired lady that I met on my first summit was standing and looking to the other side. Even though I could clearly notice her back from where I was, she seemed to be talking to someone else, someone I could not see. I had no idea who she was talking to because I could not see anything in front of her.

"I'll get her, I'll get her... I will NOT die with my music still on, I'll get what I really really really really want. He, she, or it who gives me the chance will get more from me than what I am given. Life is about service, but the best service that can be given is what I know how to do and what I really enjoy doing."

I thought about these things as I remembered Wayne Dyer, but more importantly, common sense. I somehow knew that the red haired girl was reading my mind and I felt her looking just as anxious to meet me again as I was looking forward to meet her.

I got to the second summit, the red haired lady was still looking back, and all I saw was white light behind her. I started to run to get next to her, but as soon as I moved I fell over a sword that was partly buried upside down. It crossed from my stomach all the way to my back. I had no strength to yell in pain, but I was able to get up. The red haired lady looked at me as though nothing had happened and she said: "Welcome!"

I noticed that here was no blood in my body, not a scar, not even torn clothes. The pain was gone. "Congratulations, you did it, now we need to get your stuff ready. You will be moving here in July. This is your fast pass, so you will not need to climb this mountain again. We'll keep in touch, you've got my information in case you have any further questions." Just like the first time I met her, I was unable to say a word.

I took a look from above, to the place that I will be missing. With a fast pass, I will be able to move easily from time to time back to my hometown.

Can Procrastination be justified?

I had just begun to take more time to do what I really like to do during my free time. Part of this time includes doing homework anytime I feel like it, as long as it's done by the due date and hour. Photography has been the main distraction, or perhaps cooking. Walking up and down the mountain usually takes one hour.

This has been one of my few successful recipes that tasted perfectly well since I did it for the first time:

I've found the right amount of ingredients to make Chinese rice with COMMON ingredients, there was no green onion on the market this time:

Taste is first, appearance is worked later

The reason why I've been delaying my assignment is an error on the online course, in which we cannot see what the third activity is asking us to do. It's due the day after tomorrow, right before midnight. The teacher, (or perhaps I should call her grader, as she only grades) has simply asked us to contact the administrator, who works Monday through Friday only... I've had no other choice so far but to postpone this. As I'll be doing so until further resolution is given, maybe this is not called procrastination but resignation.

Talking directly to the administrator on Monday before it's too late will be something minor or irrelevant compared to the important choices I will be doing next week as well. I would compare these decisions to marriage arrangements or life or death situations.

What a Judge should do

I took a call the other day from (lets call her Ashley, in order to protect her privacy), calling to get cable boxes for the judges' tv, she worked for five of them. Once she verified the account to me (in order for me to give her information), I gave her all possible options, but told her that only Judge Q, whose name is on the account, is the ONLY authorized person to do this, so I advised her to have him call us and put her as an authorized person.

"WAIT, WAIT, WAIT, WAIT! I'M THE ONE WHO HANDLES THE ACCOUNT, THE ONE IN CHARGE OF PAYING THE BILLS... YOU DON'T EXPECT ME TO CALL THE JUDGE OUT OF COURT FOR THIS? THIS IS RIDICULOUS! CAN I SPEAK WITH A MANAGER PLEASE?

"Sure! I can let you talk to a manager, but let me tell you this first: Judge Q can call anytime he wants in order to put you as an authorized person, as we're here for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We do this in order to comply with a federal law for the account holder's protection, as you work for judges, I hope you understand that we ought to comply with the law, we do not do this to cause any inconvenience"

Ashley was still angry, but I believe she understood, despite threatening to go to another company, as she did not insist in speaking with a manager. The judges must know by now what happened. What will the judges think about? I don't know. I hope they feel glad we did this, as Ashley could've done this without working for them anymore, and that is why we do this.

This made me think about a judge's role. Unfortunately, a judge's role IS NOT to do what is right, but to comply with the law and make sure that people don't go against it, or at least not without having appropriate consequences. If we take a look into controversial issues such as abortion, if it is permitted, well, despite being conservative, a judge will not punish these actions. Laws are written in such a way, that all judges can understand, but the problem is that judges DO NOT ALWAYS abide to them. I'm not a lawyer, but could it be as simple as saying that abortion is unconstitutional as it is a murder to kill a human life? Perhaps the fact that some judges will say yes, and others will say no is the reason why there are multiple disputes, lawsuits, attorneys defending in favor or against many cases...

The day in which we have ALL AND NOT MOST of our laws that are morally right, and all judges that act honestly and WITHOUT subjectivity, that is when we will truely say that a perfect justice system is what we have. This will include, without limiting to the fact that cases will be resolved in a timely manner. If you have not watched it, I advise you to check "Presumed Guilty" documentary.

Seeking Equilibrium

Working full-time for six days a week and taking your day off to do homework eventually drives you mad. This is not because of any difficulties encountered, but because of the lack of days off.

I'm no exercise fan, but a brisk walk twice or thrice a week used to be part of my schedule. Initially, I needed the money to pay some debt and continue paying my masters degree, but now that my debt has gone down and now that I'm more than halfway done with my classes, it's time to slow down a bit. I'm going to be working five days a week now, I expect to have two days to do homework, take a walk, go to church without being on a rush and dedicate some time to those who will not be here indefinitely. I want to see my friends more often, just as I used to.

Cooking and photography will be a must. I'm thinking about trying marbled brownies with M&M Almonds... or with peanuts, as I've eaten those already. I'm still developing my own Chinese rice recipe. I've been unable to match Chef Boyardee's pizza sauce. The good thing about creating and/or seeking to make better/healthier recipes as a scientist is the fact that no failed experiment is done twice, and the learning process is fun.