An act of pure kindness

I was very upset with myself shortly before leaving Zürich because I lost two post cards that I had written and addressed, but had not yet stamped and delivered to the post office. Even worse, I was leaving Zürich and didn't have time to buy more and thought my message would be lost forever.

Amazingly, I just checked my email and received a thank you from one of the people that I addressed the postcards too. Some amazingly thoughtful and generous person must have found my postcards, paid the postage and sent them. Whoever you are, thank you. I'll never get to directly thank you for your kindness, but it did not go unnoticed. I'll make sure to pass the kindness on. Friends, I hope you do, too.

Eating Water

How many litres of water do you think you drink per day. Honestly...stop and take a guess, then check out the mind blowing statistic below.

Face: While the average human being requires between four and five litres of drinking water a day to survive, it takes 2,000 3,000 litres of water a day to produce the calories that same human being needs to eat every day. Producing the meat and other proteins prevalent in the modern diet requires even more water. We may drink only a few litres of water a day, but we "eat"as much as 15,000 litres of water a day. Source

More at the extremely interesting World Economic Forum website.

Mullets de Madrid

I know that I've been slacking on the mullet photos. To make it up, I'm posting 4 photos, all taken during my recent visit to the lovely city of Madrid. As you can see, they know how the rock the mullet...

The Triple Kiss

Nice to meet you I said right before I kissed his left cheek. I went in for the obligatory second and final kiss on his right cheek. Contact! Another successful euro double kiss I thought to myself as I started to pull away. But wait, at the very same time that I was pulling away he went in for, gasp, a THIRD kiss! What was he doing I thought to myself. Did I just make a social mistake that I would not be able to recover from? Confused and not sure what to do, I started to greet the other people as if nothing happened. Quickly adapting, I made sure to follow the lead of the second person I was greeting and successfully made three cheek contact. Three people, 9 kisses and several minutes later I was embarrassed, exhausted and still confused.

I learned later that Swiss custom dictates that the typical euro double kiss morphs into a triple kiss in Switzerland. Take a few seconds and think about the consequences of the triple kiss. It's bad enough when you're greeting 5 people and must give 10 kisses. In Zurich, those 10 kisses would turn into a startling 15. Nice to meet you…Kiss, Kiss. Pleasure…Kiss, Kiss. Good to see you again, Kiss, Kiss. Hi, Kiss, Kiss, Kiss, Kiss, Kiss, Kiss, Kiss, Kiss, Kiss. Imagine my excitement going to a small party of 10 or 15 people and well, you get the idea. Lip balm is an absolute necessity.

I wanted to share just one of the many subtle, yet important cultural lessons that I encounter and must navigate every day. Kiss, Kiss………..Kiss!

The Alchemist Thoughts and Reflections

Last night I was at a friends house here in Zürich when I noticed a book on his kitchen table. I was very intrigued after reading the synopsis on the back cover. He hadn't read it yet, but was very surprised when I said that I hadn't heard of it.

Yes, it's true, until yesterday I had never heard of The Alchemist or its author, Paulo Coelho. That's pretty sad considering it has sold over 30 million copies and was translated into 61 languages. It's a modern classic. A modern classic that I had never heard of. Thankfully, my friend let my borrow it because I agreed I would finish it in one night.

As I read, I always jot down interesting or otherwise thought provoking ideas so I can reference them later. The Alchemist had several, which I've typed below. If you haven't read it, go do so immediately.

< - The Alchemist Thoughts and Reflections - >

• If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it. And, if you improve on the present, what comes later will also be better.
• When you search for your own personal treasure, you’ll discover things along the way that you never would have seen had you not had the courage to try things that seemed difficult, crazy or even impossible.
• People are afraid to pursue their most important dreams, because they feel that they don’t deserve them, or they fear that they’ll be unable to achieve them.
• Your eyes show the strength of your soul.
• There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.
• Why is it that through death, we become more aware of life?
• When we strive to become better than we are, everything around use becomes better, too.
• Life is the moment we’re living right now.
• In the depth of your eyes, my own beauty is reflected.
• What may seem like a burden now may be a godsend later.
• It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting. Are people afraid that once their dream is realized, they will have no reason for living?
• Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives but none about his or her own.
• The world’s greatest lie: "That at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what's happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate." Are people so afraid of disappointment that they don't following their dreams?
• To realize one's destiny is a person's only real obligation.
• What most people never realize is that they are capable, at any time in their lives, to do what they dream of.
• Don’t allow what other people think about you to become more important than finding your destinies.
• In life you often have to choose between what you're become accustomed to and something you want to have.
• Every blessing ignored becomes a curse.
• Sometimes when you make decision, you are diving into a strong current that will carry you to places you never dreamed of.

Marrakech , Morocco

I just booked what could be my last trip outside Barcelona before I head back to the U.S. Then again, something may change in the next 6 months. I love the unknown. I'll be going with my friend Jose, which will be great. We leave on April 19th and return to BCN on the 24th. Apparently the weather is nearly perfect around that time of the year in Marrakech. What gets me so excited about Marrakesh is that it will be completely different than all of the other cities. No more European vibe. Oh, and the food...mint tea, fresh orange juice and more! Mmmm....

Apparently the Djemaa el-Fna square is an experience in itself.

"It is the Medina and in its central square Djemaa el-Fna that will undoubtedly fire the imagination. Djemaa el-Fna is the heart and soul of Mariachi life and which really comes alive with the setting of the sun, when a caravansai of food vendors, selling all manner of Moroccan delicacies descend on the square. These are accompanied by snake charmers, wide eyed story
tellers, musicians and performers that lend a medieval scent to the night air. To the north of the square are the important religious buildings and the souqs whilst to the south are the imperial quarters where the palaces and monuments of past rulers proudly stand." - Wikitraval

Please contact me or leave a comment if you've been to Marrakech and would like to pass along any tips. Again, my email is chrisrako at gmail dot com. Thanks!

Zurich Initial Thoughts

I arrived in Züri after what was the worst landing that I've ever experienced. Europe had record winds that wreaked havoc throughout central and eastern europe.

Initial Thoughts

• The wealth is totally obscene. I started to count the number of Porches and stopped at 10 in less than 1 hour. Shortly after that I saw a brand new shinny Rolls Royce, followed by a Bentley just a few minutes later.
• The city is very clean, almost to the point where it makes the city feel sterile.
• The tap water is very good. Over 1,200 fountains are scattered all over the city. It seems like they are everywhere.
• I've been lucky because the weather has been mild with no snow.
• The breads, jams and deserts are extremely good.
• As expected, things are very expensive.
• I've just been taking it easy and enjoying the tranquil feel of the city.

I think, I believe

Now that my readership has expanded beyond close friends and family, I've been receiving more emails from several people asking more about my background, thoughts on certain issues, what made me want to move, along with some other "who the hell are you" type questions. Below is an image that I created to give ya'll a pretty good idea. As always, click the image to enlarge.

The weight has been lifted

I've been unplesent to be around the past few days due to the stress of finding an apartment in the two days between coming back from Madrid and leaving for Zurich. Well, I'm extremely happy to report that I've secured one as of today. It's an amazing apartment in the heart of the city. Click here to see the apartment on the map. I'll post photos when I get back from Zurich.

Knowing this is done, I can now feel good about going to Zurich (which is in just two days).

Barcelona Apartment

Madrid is very nice and I´ll write about it later, but right now I have a more important issue...finding an apartment.

I need an apartment starting in early February. If you or someone you know has a room availalbe for rent please contact me as soon as possible so we can talk. I´m hoping to pay around 300 - 350 euro per month for 2 months to 6 months. I´m flexible and don´t require anything special. My email is chrisrako at gmail dot com. Thanks much!

Hello Madrid / Lisbon Photos

I'm off to Madrid tomorrow through the 15th, so I"m not sure if I'll be able to update. Until then, feel free to check out more photos taken in Lisbon over Christmas and New Years. The street art in Lisbon is simply amazing...very creative, often political. Links below.

Lisbon General

Lisbon Street Art

Technology & the Future

It's been said before but it's true that the world is becoming smaller and increasingly interconnected every day. The way that we live, work and communicate has drastically changed in the past 10 years. I continued to be amazed by it all. A friend recently showed me how he accesses his 150 digital TV channels (from his house) on his mobile phone via the internet. The quality was perfect. I was stunned.

All this makes me wonder what the world will be like in 2015. Below are a few things that amazing me, along with a few predictions for the near future.

Wow! No Way!

I’ve sat in a coffee shop in Paris and received and proceeded to reply to an email that a friend in Zurich sent. Total time between him sending and my reply? Try 2 minutes. It’s funny how normal this seems today. Think back even 5 years.

I carry over 400 CDs with my on my MP3 player that is 2 inches by 2 inches. Think about that….400 CDs…well over 4000 songs.

I have over 5 years of documents, photos and videos stored on my computer. Image if it were to get destroyed, deleted or corrupted by a virus. It’s why I’m crazy about backing up all files on my computer. I don’t cry easily, but losing the past 5 years of files would make me weep like a baby. Do you have personal files on your computer? If so, what do you do to protect them? Do you have files on your computer that you have other copy of? Scary stuff.

I stay in contact, make plans and share files with friends from all over the world via instant messaging.

I don’t have a LAN line (house) phone, only a cell phone number. This is true of 90% of my friends as well.

There are entire generations that have never sent a fax or created a memo at work. Talk about generational gaps.

My thoughts, photos, videos and more are saved to this blog within minutes. Miraculously, my blog has been viewed by people in over 30 countries, speaking over 50 languages. This number continues increase.

Using Skype, I can talk with friends and family thousands of miles way in the United States for hours and hours and it’s 100% free. If we wanted, we could always see each other live via webcam.

My videos are captured using my digital camera, uploaded to my laptop and uploaded to YouTube for the world to enjoy (or hate). Totally time between capture and availability: 20 minutes. Imainge when video becomes more people on mobile phone. People will need to REALLY watch what they do in public. Imagine a stranger taking video of you hitting your child in a store and then sending it to child protective services instantly via the internet or to YouTube for the world to see. HHhmmmmm…

A 20 year old high school senior made $1,000,000 in less than 6 months by thinking of a new and unique advertising site. No lie.

The LoveBug virus was created by one person sitting in their basement and cost BILLIONS of dollars in damage and lost productivy.

I upload photos to my Flickr site and they can be seen instantly by anyone in the world.

I search for the best fare and book my travel online and print out my boarding passes from the comfort of my couch without any need to wait on line.

No way, it won’t happen!

The world is going to be a much difference place in 10 years. I hope that you can not only deal with change, but embrace it.

• Your refrigerator will tell when you your milk is too oldto drink. It will also tell you when you need more chicken and when you’re just about out of orange juice. It will recommend what to make for dinner based on the food you have available.
• It will be normal to view TV on your cell phone.
• Your cell phone will also become your wallet, digital camera and camcorder.
• Stores will no longer have cash registers that you’ll have to wait in line for because RFID will recognize what you bought, including the quantity and charge your credit card automatically.
• Your cell phone will be the next target for spam and othermalicious activity. This will create a boom for (mobile) security companies.
  

Is all of this a bit too much….a bit too intrusive? Maybe. Will the increase of information become unmanageable, or is it already? Maybe. Would I have it any other way? Not for a second. We live in amazingly interesting times. Smile, you’re alive.

Time to Rebalance???

2006 was an incredible year of personal growth with numerous gifts of insight and understanding. It was also an extremely fun year that I look back on and think, wheeeeee!!!.


Living Well vs. Doing Well
I believe there’s an important distinction between "doing well" and "living well".

I would say that in early 2006 I was "doing well" (nice job, $$$, apartment, car etc). During the first 8 months of 2006 I was working for an insurance company implementing large computer systems. This involved writing system specifications, detailed requirements, test scripts and attending meetings, meetings and, oh, more meetings. It was a very good job in a great company. I was extremely bored. I needed a significant change.

In the last four months I've been "living well" (amazing experiences, adventure, travel, etc). It’s funny…I still have no idea how to respond when people ask me “what I do” here in Barcelona. How should I answer when my life has consisted of traveling and partying? Cop de rauxa is Catalan for a moment of chaotic ecstasy. A constant feeling of chaotic ecstasy sums up my life very well in the past 4 months. I’m not complaining at all because all of this time to think, relax and have fun has contributed to my growth of 2006.

I've been able to live so well here in Barcelona because I saved while I was doing well financially and am a saver (family helps too). I think that being on either end of the “living well/doing well’’ spectrum for too long is unsustainable. Live on one side for too long and you're probably financially well off but unfulfilled and/or bored. Live on the other side and you'll probably have an amazing time, but probably won’t have a strong sense of real purpose and contribution to society.

The question becomes how long is too long on either end of this spectrum? Perhaps 2007 should be geared towards better balancing the chaotic and the boring..."doing well" and "living well". Time will tell what will occur in 2007...

Image by Hugh.

Help is on the way.

A common condition occurring in people between the ages of 21–121, marked by chronic dullness, mild depression, moderate to extremely high stress levels, a general fear of change, and, in some extreme cases, the inability to smile. Patients can appear aimless, discontent, and anxious about many things. Onset can be accelerated by an excess burden of bills, overwhelming responsibilities, or a boring work life. Generally, individuals in this condition are not fun to be around. It's called Adultitis and you may have it.

If you feel like you have symptoms of Adultitis and are ready to do something about it, click here for information.

Dr. Seuss Quote

''I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, It's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, And that enables you to laugh at life's realities.'' - Dr. Seuss

Back from Lisbon

Lisbon is an absolutely stunning city. It's a city where color dominates. Where small is big. It has heart and soul that makes you feel very welcome. The multiple barrios (neighborhoods) are situated on 7 hills which test your legs as you walk the viciously steep hills. All of the barrios have their own feel and are worth walking, but I especially loved the quintessential cool district, Barrio Alto; the up and coming fashion district, Santos; and the very trendy Chiado.

The narrow streets of Barrio Alto have countless stores waiting to be discovered. It’s overflowing with artistic creativity and brimming with life, both at night and day.

Chiado is home to stores like Hermes, Diesel and many other local and international shops. It’s also lined with countless cafes and restaurants.

Right next to the waterfront, Santos is in the process of being redeveloped and my guess is that it will be the place to be in 5 years. Many of the old factories are in the process of being turned into art and furniture galleries. Very cool.

I wouldn’t hesitate in going back. Lisbon, I think I love you. Below are a few more photos. More on Flickr.

Lisbon Photos

A few photos from Lisbon. I lucked out so far and the weather has been very comfortable (13-16 C 60ish F). Tomorrow or Saturday some friends and I will visit Sintra, a "romantic must-see" that been called one of the most beautiful towns in the whole world. Fun fun.

Do you relate?

Lisbon is amazing. Don't have much time to update with anything real substantial, so here is a funny and thought provoking design by Hugh, who's site/blog I frequent a lot. I hope you don't relate to this too much. If so, maybe some changes are in order for 2007...? More designs by Hugh to come soon.

Just Wander

Want to really see a city? Just wander. I no longer follow a map when I’m exploring a city for the first time. In the past I would map out all of the popular areas and “must sees” and then start heading toward them. The problem was that my eyes would spend more time looking at street signs than looking at the city. I would spend more time worried about the next turn or getting lost than I would spend enjoying the moment. I wasn’t able to enjoy the moment for what it should have been: a time to relax, enjoy and discover.

What I do now is quickly read about good areas to visit, see where they are on the map to get a basic idea and then I start walking in that general direction. Sure, sometimes I don't make it to my intended destination. Funny thing is that without a doubt, I can say this is the best way to explore a new city (for me). Every corner becomes a new unknown. You never know what's next. You’ll wonder for hours and it will feel like nothing. I did this when I first arrived in Barcelona and would walk for 4, 5 sometimes 6 hours at a time.

So next time you visit a new city make sure to bring your walking shoes and leave the map behind. Wander. Explore. Discover. You’ll be glad that you did.

Landed in Lisbon

...and loving it. I wish that I didn't have my camera stored in my luggage when on the plane because the view coming into the city was stunning. I've never seen anything like it.

I have several days to explore the city before I meet up with my friends for the new year festivities.

Photos to come soon...

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

For the past 23 years I've celebrated Christmas with family and friends back in Wisconsin. This afternoon I'm going to my friend Keyan's house where a small group of friends will celebrate together. The following 8 countries will be represented: Switzerland, Peru, Spain, Italy, Denmark, France, Uruguay, and the U.S.

We all chipped in money and bought copious amounts of food and drink. Somehow I was elected to cook the turkey. Please wish me luck....!

To all my family and friends back home: know that I'm thinking of you with much love this holiday season, and always!

Merry Christmas
Feliz Navidad
Joyeux Noel
Frohliche Weihnachten
Buon Natale
Merii Kurisumasu
Prettige Kerstdagen
Boas Festas
Zalig Kerstfeest
Feliz Natal

Chris

An Invitation

I came across The Invitation a year or two ago and just rediscovered it once again while looking through some old documents in my computer. I think it's pretty amazing and hope you will too. More Oriah to come soon.

"In The Invitation, bestselling author Oriah wrote about what we long for. In The Dance, she taught us to embrace who we are in the moment, to learn to join the dance of life. Now, in The Call, Oriah shows us how to discover our unique place in the world. The call cannot be found in the expectations of others or in the outside world; it can only be found within ourselves.""

The Invitation
by Oriah Mountain Dreamer

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living.
I want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

It doesn't interest me how old you are
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon.
I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow
if you have been opened by life's betrayals
or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain

I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it, or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us
to be careful
to be realistic
to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true.
I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul
If you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy

I want to know if you can see beauty
even when it's not pretty
every day
and if you can source your own life from its presence

I want to know if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand on the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
"Yes!"

It doesn't interest me to know where you live
or how much money you have
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done to feed the children.

It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you, from the inside, when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself
and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.

About Oriah

More Travel - Zurich & Berlin Confirmed

It's official - I'm going to Zürich and Berlin. I've heard that both cities are amazing so I'm very excited. Feel free to email me if you need a swiss bank account...I'll see what I can do while in Switzerland.

Below are my travel plans over the next three months:

Lisbon (Dec/Jan)
Madrid (Jan)
Zürich (Jan)
Berlin (Feb)
Prague (Feb/March, to be confirmed)
Brussels & Paris (2nd time, March to be confirmed)
Marrakesh (TBD)

These additional cities add to the following cities that I've already been to.

Visited: Barcelona (duh), Rome, Milan, Brussels, Antwerp, Paris, Cologne, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, London

Planned: Zürich, Berlin, Lisbon, Madrid, Prague

Happy Friday!

No Snow in Moscow

Below is just one example of how sun and color can affect our mood.

''Russian health authorities fear that a rare lack of snowfall could cause a wave of depression across the country. This has been the warmest December in Russia since 1870, and much of the country hasn’t seen a single flake of snow. Winter days are extremely short in Russia, as it’s so far north, and people depend on snow to reflect sunlight and brighten moods. “The psychological state depends directly on the light,” Russian psychologist Baleria Mikulina told the London Daily Telegraph. Officials have installed extra street lamps and urged citizens to turn on all their lights, hang up yellow curtains, and wear colorful clothes..'' Via The Week

The decline of the Spanish identity...?

In a extremely informative article entitled, "Spain No More?", Norman Ho, a senior editor at the Harvard International Review argues that President Zapatero has radically altered the Spanish identiy while implementing his vision for the ''new Spain''. My favorite excerpts are below.

''There can be no question that Zapatero’s reforms are bold, dynamic, and dramatically new. But whether or not they are ultimately beneficial for Spain’s national interest and world security is another question. For a nation that has been marked by historical disunity and uncertainty, Zapatero’s domestic reforms dangerously strip away the layers of Spanish society. In his attempts to create a “New Spain” and bring Spain quickly in line with other European nations, Zapatero is sacrificing Spanish national identity and showing that he simply does not understand the distinctiveness of Spain’s unique domestic and security needs.''

''Zapatero’s decision to embrace Old Europe ironically brought about a decline in Spain’s prestige and influence with the rest of the European Union. Despite his administration’s heavy campaign and his assurance to France that Spaniards were the most passionate Europeans, Zapatero indubitably looked bad after the historically low turnout of Spanish voters to the EU Constitution referendum. But perhaps what is most disturbing about Zapatero’s policy is his alacrity to sacrifice Spanish natural interests to please Old Europe.''

''Zapatero, during the discussions on the EU constitution, made it clear that he would be willing to compromise Spanish voting strength for the sake of agreements on the constitution. As a result, Spain has decreased voting power compared to Germany and France and thus has less influence in EU decision making. Zapatero also, as discussed earlier, pushed away an important non-EU friend, the United States, whose political support might have given Spain future leverage it might have needed to protect and even to enhance its power within the European Union in situations which required standing up to “Old Europe.” Instead, Zapatero has alienated the United States, one of Spain’s leading economic trading partners, and has started down the path of decreasing his country’s influence in European Union.''

Read the full article here.