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Skype Telemarketing/Spam

I just got a telemarketing call on skype. What is this world coming to?

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Much Needed Update

As of 7 June 2008, I'm now a senior at DU. It seems like it was only yesterday that I went to my first class last September, but during these nine months I have changed in so many ways, met so many people, and learned a lot. I've had four roommates: one from Istanbul, one from Hamburg, and two from the French Alps. I've had dozens of friends come and then leave. I probably won't ever seen half or two thirds of them again. But some of them will be friends forever.

Without going into boring details, I think that I've had an amazing year. I was hesitant about coming to DU. Actually, when I interviewed to get into the school, I expressed concern about coming to such a predominantly white, affluent school. Fortunately, my friends have been some of the most interesting. The most important thing I've learned this year: pick your friends carefully. Though I can't say I've lived by this rule very well this year, I have managed to choose a group of people that have helped mold and shape me to be someone who's more "mondain" (rough translation: worldly, but not the way the religious use it) and more thoughtful, perhaps even more creative.

Nine months later, I'm sitting in my bed in Frisco, Colorado. I have not been here for a month, and as I was walking my dog tonight, I was marveled at the silence. I love big cities (preferably bigger than Denver) - the hustle, the noise, the architecture, the restaurants, the diversity, the clubs, the art, etc. But there's something nice about coming to a small town where everything is quiet ... where you can here yourself think and where the air tastes clean and fresh.


In other news, I'm seeing a beautiful girl named Lam.
Lam Lam

And I'm quite happy.


( ( Listening to: 凡爾賽玫瑰, JS ) )

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I Love Outsourcing

jajajaja

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I want to...

G E T O U T O F T H E U S A.

Everyone talks to me about nice places:

1. My dad is in Mexico for the fourth or fifth time in a few months...
2. Diego is going to have breakfast in Sanborns ... (so jealous)
3. Flavie is enjoying a four day weekend in Paris - I love Paris in May.
4. etc
5. etc


I'm in class at 8am... It's raining in Denver

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Manolete

I want to see Manolete, the new film staring Adrien Brodie and Penelope Cruz. The trailer is here. I quite like Tauromachie - the art of bull fighting, even though I've only been to one bull fight. The culture surrounding it - often Gypsy - is amazing. I love the wine, the cheese, the sevillanas, and the way people dance in the streets.

I also want this shirt.

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Islam in Denver

When I lived in Belleville, Paris, the Muslims living in the apartment next to me were quite religious and I often heard the "Allaabu Akbar" prayers from next door. This wasn't strange, since I had traveled in Islamic countries before. In fact, it seemed normal for Europe and Asia. But I had never lived near many Muslims in the US. Perhaps this was because I lived in a small mountain community, but I think it was fairly normal for the US.

Today, only a few years later, Muslims are more and more common in the United States. A few minutes ago, a fully veiled woman walked past my house pushing a stroller. I'm not sure where she was from, but she could have been pulled directly out of the grand bazaar in Istanbul. At first, it didn't even strike me as odd ... But with more reflection, it is a bit shocking. Here in the heart of the US - conservative haven for white Christians - I'm surrounded by Muslims. Here are few experiences I've had since I moved to Denver:
  • Ozgun, my former Turkish roommate, was culturally Muslim.

  • Many of my class mates are Kuwaiti, Saudi, and Bahraini.

  • I frequent several clubs in downtown Denver that are owned by Lebanese and Saudis.

  • I eat kebabs, hummus, and other Muslim food at local Muslim owned restaurants regularly.

  • On Monday night, I went to a chicha bar where I talked with "Bob" from Tripoli. Though Libya is often regarded as one of the most anti-American states, Bob told me that there is a large Libyan community in Denver. On a side note, he said that all of his university classes in Tripoli were taught from American text books... I found that ironic.

  • My recently played music includes Abd al Malik, Cheb Khaled, Killa Hakan, and Neset Ertas - all Muslim artists from Turkey, Algeria, and the Congo.



None of this really seems out of the ordinary ... And I'm living in Denver - smack in the middle of the US. Until now, US interest in Islam and Muslims has been focused on issues in the Middle East: investments in Dubai, the war in Iraq, concern about Iran, Middle Eastern oil prices, etc. Europe on the other hand, is culturally confronted by Islam at home. Mosques, Arabs, Pakistanis, Berbers, and kebabs have been commonplace for years, and the clash of cultural complications are evident. Recent discussion about the film Fitna is one clear example.

I wonder if (or when) the US will have to deal these issues. Will Islamic culture slowly be integrated in American culture, or will there eventually be a clash? Will we have to fight the threat of internally based terrorism (like in Europe)?


Any thoughts?

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Emo Bullying in Mexico

I know that this is a serious subject, but I find the anti-emo riots in Mexico rather humourous. Read about it here.

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Broken Fountain

Fountain at Vista Hermosa


I just found this picture my mum took last year at our old home, Vista Hermosa, in Mexico City. When I was little, the fountain rarely worked, but it was much more useful to my sister and me when it wasn't full of water. Once we put the yellow ducklings my mum bought us at the Tianguis market inside the dry fountain. We thought this would help protect them from the dogs. It worked for a while, but eventually the dogs caught and ate the ducklings. On other occasions, the dry fountain served other purposes. It was pirate ship! Hannah and I would take the fountain to the high seas of our imagination and capture treasure. It was a beautiful garden, now it's overgrown with weeds.

In background, you can see the ruins of old house. The property was almost half a hectare, and the garden was terraced. From the house - located on the top terrace, you could see downtown Mexico City. That's why it it was called "Vista Hermosa" - the beautiful view" ... Today the property is being developed. In the picture above, you can still see the ruins of our house, but there are also four or five expensive condos on the property with BMW's and Ashton Martins guarded by private security. The only things that are still the same are the view and security guard hut ... and the fountain is still there.

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Finished

I just took the fourth of four finals today. I got up at six to get ready, and by seven - before the sun was out - I was in class taking accounting. Four exams in one day is a lot, but I have survived.


**breaths relief**




( ( One Night in Rio ... Two days in LA ... A short stop in Moscow ... ) )

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