Fire up the afterburners

This weekend went by way too fast. It was full of wonderful event, but now I have to sit down and let it all kind of simmer.

I met my new nephew for the first time. It was a pretty special moment to hold that little life in my arms… I seriously never thought my little sister would be the one having two kids before me, but I think that it is wonderful. I also get to be a God Father!

I spent a lot of time with my family and even got to see some friends, even some that were visiting all the way from Colombia. We also signed up for a Gym today and are looking forward to some sweating in the coming months. Overall it is almost too much to recount with just words… but Bea always does a great job of telling the story via pictures. Lots more to see if you are actually one of our friends ;)

Gracias

English Version

Maria del Pilar Erazo (Pilar) fue mi profesora de quinto de primaria, pero más que eso, ella fue la persona que creó los cimientos para la persona soy ahora. Así yo hubiera tenido la capacidad de ser bueno para las matemáticas o la capacidad de retener información, no hubiera significado nada sin lo que ella me enseñó.

Todos tenemos una gran capacidad de aprender como humanos; nuestra mente no tiene limites. Esto no significa nada si dejamos que nuestra imaginación se atrofie si no la utilizamos. Hay profesores a los cuales tengo que agradecer, por enseñarme Inglés, por enseñarme a amar las letras o la música; pero a la persona a la cual tengo que agradecerle más es Pilar, quien me enseñó cómo pensar y cómo razonar.

Mi trabajo todos los días consiste en analizar datos y ver distintas maneras de ejecutar procesos electrónicos o humanos para hacerlos más eficientes. Todos los días tengo que encontrar cómo solucionar problemas en momentos críticos en los cuales segundos son prescindibles. Mi capacidad de mirar una página de código y encontrar dónde falta una coma es una de mis aptitudes. Pero poder hacerlo con calma y sin desespero porque tengo a muchas personas o situaciones a mi alrededor, eso de lo debo a Pilar.

Yo soy una persona emocional y mucha gente ve eso como una flaqueza. Pilar me dio las herramientas necesarias para poder entender quien era yo, y no me dejó utilizar mi sensibilidad como una excusa para no alcanzar potencial. Pilar no sabe esto, pero ella indirectamente salvó la vida de mi hermanita. Fue gracias a ella que en un momento de peligro yo pude manejar una situación que requería que yo encontrar la solución un problema durante un momento de estrés. Así como mis profesores de artes marciales me han preparado para reaccionar con reflejos si alguien me agrede físicamente, Pilar entrenó mi mente para solucionar problemas cuando mi mente no quería trabajar bajo presión emocional.

Como su nombre lo dice, Pilar es la base que cimentó la estabilidad de mi educación, pero más que eso, ella siempre ha sido el centro de su familia. Esto ha sido algo que yo no sólo he admirado, sino que quiero implementar en mi propia familia, asegurándome de que todos los que estén alrededor mío salgan adelante y reciban mi apoyo incondicional.

Pilar también me dio mis primeras clases acerca de cultura. Ella me enseñó hizo entender que había otras culturas, y que la nuestra no era necesariamente la mejor, sólo diferente. Ella abrió el mundo para mí y me dio la energía para decir “Si puedo”. Ella no solamente creyó en mis capacidades, sino que dijo “No te voy a dejar desperdiciarlas.”

Pilar no sabe que uno de mis sueños todavía por conseguir es ser docente. Porque en esta vida lo único que me ha llenado, aparte del amor de mis seres queridos, es ayudar a los demás; y los momento en los cuales me siento más trascendente, es cuando estoy dándole a otros el regalo del conocimiento.

Pilar me ha dado tantos regalos que no puedo ni siquiera terminar de enumerarlos; y todos los dias me acuerdo de algo que ella algún dia me dijo y cambio mi forma de pensar. No me dio datos solamente, me dijo “Busca información pero aprende a procesarla, a utilizarla y a sacar conclusiones.” El tener una mente capaz no es suficiente sin las herramientas para utilizarla. Aunque muchas de las cosas que me dijo no las entendí hasta mucho después, yo sé que ella, en muchos sentidos es el primer motor de mi capacidad para solucionar problemas y verlos desde muchos puntos de vista.

Casi no escribo en Español, y bueno, mi mujer es la que me va a poner las tildes y arreglarme la “Horrografia,” pero quería escribir este homenaje sólo en mi lengua materna. Me parece importante expresar mis sentimientos hacia mi profesora, aunque se que esto no es ni siquiera devolverle un granito de arena de la playa que ella me regaló.

Gracias, Pilar. Te quiero. Me has dado mas cariño, comprensión y amor que los que llevan mi misma sangre a veces. Y por eso te debo más de lo que en una vida puedo pagar.

Read more…

Harry Potter Mania

buy at Amazon.comJust yesterday I preordered my copy of Deathly Hollows… have you?

I just finished reading The Goblet of Fire. I try to re-read the whole series before a new book comes out and with the last one closing in on the horizon I am starting to feel nostalgic. Even if I do have the Wheel of Time series to start reading right after.

I am about to start reading my least favorite book in the series because my favorite character dies. Not even the fact that J.K. Rowling actually cried while writing his death makes me feel any better about her decision. I hope that the last book really gives me some kind of payoff that will make me feel better. This will also be the first time I re-read book six.

I started reading the series while still in college. I have even waiting in line for a copy of the latest book at midnight. I consider myself a Harry Potter fan of the crazy obsessed kind. I have not celebrated his birthday before but have been thinking about doing it with a local group of fans. Why am I so into a series that is for kids?

First it makes me feel like a kid. The most important thing however is that this book is about love… and how love is the most powerful magic there is, even in the magical world.

This book is so popular that it has been hacked! I actually stay away from the internet boards while there is going to be a new release. Speculation can suck the life out of a surprise and I love being surprised by the book.

Early Theologist

This weekend I had the great pleasure of talking with my fifth grade teacher Pilar. She is one of my Mom’s best friends. Even after more than a decade of living in a different country she is still considered a great friend. She is going to come and visit this summer and I could not be more excited.

We had a catch up session over the phone where she told me plenty about what is going on with her life and I also told her how much my life has changed. Like my grandfather she has always been a great supporter of me. She then told me a story that I did not remember about my early years.

The first time I ever walked into her classroom I was very young, I had been listening to her talking about the sun and what she was teaching stuck with me. Then she was talking about God and I told her that I felt that God was the sun. I said “The sun is everywhere warming us up and even at night it gets to us because its being reflected by the moon.” She is still amazed to this day that I had that capability of reasoning at such an early age. I have very vague memories of this happening and it was not until she mentioned that I even remembered it.

She later on became my fifth grade teacher, but when I first met her I was not even going to school yet. I am not sure if I ever told this story here but I actually started first grade when I was four years old. It was a mixture of luck and opportunity even though if I had the choice I probably would have waited until I was a little older to start school.

Teachers are some of my favorite people in the world. Something I did not tell Pilar was that even as a professional now I still dream of some day becoming a teacher and hopefully affecting people in a positive way as she did with me.

Because bloggers were once children

Kid PictureOso put up one of the best meme`s in a while last week. Make sure you visit him and help propagate the idea. Please participate!

It was sometime between 1982 and 83. I was in first grade and was about to turn 5 years old. It is amazing that I still remember some things about back then, and actually remember when this picture was being taken. It was the first time I had seen a pen that would sit on a little block, later I would learn that quills were being held that way for a long time but now people would do this to pens… who knows if people do that with their pens in their offices anymore.

I started first grade when I was 4 years old thanks to living in a school. When my parents first were married they lived with my Grandparents. My Grandparents had a big enough house and it was quite common to do that in other countries, at least when couples are first starting out.

The elementary school that I ended up attending was an old house that was slowly turned into a school. When I lived there, the back wing of the house was still used as a rental place and that was my parent`s first place on their own. I would see the little kids go into kinder garden and I naturally gravitated that way. The teachers were nice enough not to mind me there and my Mom was very surprised when they asked her if I could start attending first grade the following year. My Mom did not want to pressure me into it, but said that I could go as long as there was no grades or any pressure put on me.

I started first grade and did quite well, after that I just continued going to school, and if it was not for many reasons that are another post all together I would have graduated from high school when I was 15. I ended up graduating high school here in the US when I was 18, but it all worked out the way it was supposed to. So, go dig up an old picture and post it on your blog!

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