28 de desembre 2009


The Asia without Borders magazine published the winning pictures of their 2009 competition, which intended to "capture the striking facets of Asia's land, people architecture and wildlife" The grand prize was awarded to the above picture taken in India.

I would like to know what lead the photographer to take such a picture and in which place the picture was taken as there is no description if this took place in a hospital where they were weighing this person with problems. Is this person shouting of anger due to pain in his body or due to the pain of being photographed? A prize which will give the winner a great camera to enjoy himself taking even more pictures with the flight ticket he will get to go to Delhi. Although this picture does declare a clear health problem, and might be "denouncing" it, it feels a fully unethical picture to me. What did the photographer do after the picture? Who is this person? Where is the picture taken. I would not have voted for this picture as the winner of the competition.

The other winners can be seen in the following link http://www.asiangeo.com/awb09_results/flipviewerxpress.html and I feel they much more adhere to capturing the facets of Asia.

25 de novembre 2009

24 de novembre 2009


Raiatea
Foto by me: December 2008

29 d’octubre 2009


Perquè avui em sento Optimiste

21 d’octubre 2009

Mourir ou voyager ? Le choix des SDF en hiver

L'hiver s 'approche et ça me fait penser aux SDF, surtout au nord ou il fait encore plus froid. J'ai trouve cette article qui a été publie en Septembre, moment pendant le quelle les gens commencent a penser a la entrée, mais ils s'inquiètent pas pour le froid et les personnes qui sont dehors. Un bon article, une petite réflection de rue89 que je partage avec vous.


Mourir ou voyager? Le choix des SDF en Hiver (Rue 89)
http://www.rue89.com/blog-de-lecrivain-mouloud-akkouche/2009/09/15/mourir-ou-voyager-le-choix-des-sdf-en-hiver


Aujourd'hui, personne ne parle de lui et tout le monde semble s'en foutre royalement. Pourtant on le croise tous les jours, parfois plusieurs fois. Un être sans doute comme, vous et moi, capable aussi du pire et du meilleur. De temps en temps, on échange avec lui un regard, un sourire. Bientôt, ce passant ou un autre lui ressemblant va mourir : une question de semaines. Sa mort pré-inscrite dans un calendrier.

Quand notre tatouage de saison aura entièrement disparu et les vacances plus qu'un souvenir, il commencera peu à peu à apparaître et occupera plus de territoire dans nos yeux, deviendra réellement visible. Notoriété éphémère de l'hiver. Plus la température baissera, plus il remontera à la surface des consciences et journaux. Mais il ne lira jamais sa nécro dans le futur numéro du quotidien coincé sous son corps raide.

Au premier SDF mort de froid, des ministres vont sillonner ventre à terre les plateaux télés ou radios pour, la main sur le cœur, expliquer avec des trémolos dans la voix que c'est un scandale de mourir d'hypothermie dans un pays comme la France. Qui pourra leur donner tort ?

Puis, la scène de la trois ou de la une achevée, ils annonceront que les services concernés, tous les services concernés, plancheront sur ce sujet d'une extrême importance pour le pays, et convoqueront officiellement une réunion d'urgence : la même que l'hiver dernier. Et les hivers précédents depuis le coup de gueule d'un fameux Abbé.« La vague de froid tue » : le retour. Une série hivernale avec dialogues inchangés d'une année sur l'autre. Seuls les personnages principaux changent à chaque épisode car ils ont le mauvais goût de mourir au début du film.

En septembre 2009, cet homme ou femme « estampillé » donc SDF est beaucoup moins côté que la grippe A, le bourrage des urnes du PS et des têtes, ou les « brèves de pouvoir » d'un digne représentant de l'Etat. Ce concitoyen assis au pied de notre immeuble ou endormi sous une tente ne représente rien pour l'instant sur le degré Richter des dépêches de presse. Un moins que rien ne prenant de l'importance qu'à partir de moins cinq degrés. En attendant les grands froids, il patiente au guichet des priorités en écoutant un employé très courtois lui expliquer :

« Désolé, nous avons des choses plus importantes que vous à traiter en ce moment. Mourez d'abord, on verra si on peut s'occuper de votre cas après. Juste un conseil : si vous voulez vraiment nous faciliter la tâche et bénéficier de notre meilleure communication, essayez dans la mesure du possible de mourir sur un carton à l'entrée d'un restaurant un soir de réveillon. Si vous laissiez des enfants derrière vous, ce serait encore mieux. Et là, on vous offre le grand jeu : télés, radios, ministres, et même peut-être votre Président. Sauf s'il participe à un gala pour des œuvres caritatives organisées par son épouse. »

Pendant que j'écris bien peinard à mon ordi, des anonymes ne se contentent pas que de mot et agissent sur le terrain. En ce moment précis, ils préparent des lits pour héberger ces morts -espérons le moins possible- en suspens qui feront bientôt la une des magazines et quotidiens. D'autres s'activent pour être opérationnels dans la distribution de vêtements et vivres, sans oublier les repas chauds de différentes associations. Une armée de bénévoles sur le pied de guerre chaque hiver.

Contrairement à ceux qui, à chaque victime du froid, ressortent les mêmes phrases mécaniques apprises dans des grandes écoles ou les coulisses de partis politiques. Pas un ne se remet en cause, toujours la faute du prédécesseur ou de la crise internationale. Bien sûr, les ministres ne peuvent pas porter toute la misère de la planète. Certains restent peut-être au fond sincères. Qui sait ?

Mais, contrairement à la plupart d'entre nous, ils se sont battus pour obtenir ses responsabilités publiques. A eux de les assumer, trouver des solutions ; bref : bien faire le boulot pour lequel ils sont payés. N'importe quel salarié échouant dans sa tâche (certains se suicident) en paye les conséquences. Sauf les traders dont tout le monde règle les dettes, on efface l'ardoise en attendant la prochaine.

Au risque de me faire traiter de bien pensant, je reste persuadé que la casse sociale, culturelle et économique -profitant à un petit nombre- est un des éléments qui pousse des gens à survivre dehors. Et y crever. Jetés à la rue pour satisfaire l'appétit insatiable des actionnaires. Fini l'époque du clodo philosophe avec son litron de rouge et éructant ses tirades poétiques, heureux de vivre à contre courant de la société. A part de rares individus, la marge n'est plus un choix. Et le clochard céleste remplacé par le fin de droits ou licencié.

Combien de repas des restos du cœur servis avec les frais d'un seul voyage avec avions à rallonges de notre couple présidentiel ? Et de centres d'hébergement ouverts avec tous les parachutes dorés de France, le fric reversé aux traders ou l'évasion fiscale en cours d'amnistie ? Quelques évadés fiscaux et pestant contre les impôts trop chers chantent d'ailleurs très sympathiquement pour la tournée des « enfoirés ». Bien rôdée, la tournée reprend chaque hiver. La ronde de la misère aussi.

« Si tu veux être apprécié, meurs ou voyage », dit un proverbe. Le SDF, sans possibilité d'un tour du monde écolo en hélico, se contente de mourir dans nos campagnes et villes sous une couche d'ozone polluée. A chacun ses possibilités d'attirer l'attention. Mais pas inquiétude : le thermomètre est encore au beau fixe. Surtout pour ceux qui tirent la couverture à eux.

P.S. : En écrivant ces lignes, je me suis remémoré un très beau roman sur entre autre la figure du SDF de Franck Magloire : « En Contrebas », aux éditions de l'Aube. Et aussi un collectif d'auteurs intitulé « Sans visages. L'impossible regard sur le pauvre », aux éditions Bayard.

08 de setembre 2009

The president must always be the tallest.
Avec Monsieur Sarkozy tout est en controle.




24 de juliol 2009

Dutch Symbols

STROOPWAFELS

Stroopwafels. As its name sais they are "wafels" full of a kind of "syrup". These can be bought in any supermarket, but the best ones are the ones you can get in the street recently made and warm. The wafels come from Gouda, and from there spread all around the Netherlands. How to eat a stroopwafel? Well you open the package and put it in your mouth. That would be the easiest. The best however, get a hot drink and place the stroopwaffel o

ntop of the cup as if it was a "lid". The heat of the drink will make the syrup melt and transform the stroopwafel into one of the most delicious things you have ever eat. Yes, its fat. Here are the ingreedients;flour, butter, brown sugar, yeast, milk, and eggs and for the syrup syrup, brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon


CHEESE

Holland is known for its cheese, Gouda Cheese,Edam Cheese....are some of the commonly known cheeses. As a tourist you can head off to the Edam, Alkmaar cheese market which takes place from april to september every friday and shows how cheese was traded in the markets. You can find the "young" cheese (Jong) or the "old"(Oude) or the smoked or with herbs. Cheese is one of the most "typical" dutch food.

YELLOW TRAINS

How to know that you have crossed the border? Besides the fact that when looking through the window you will start to see more and more bicycles you can know you are in the Netherlands once you see that the trains are painted in yellow. Most of the trains of the Netherlands are operated by the NS (Nederlandse Spoorwegen). I have to say that the trains in the Netherlands offer one of the best services of the countries where I have lived so far. Not only are they clean and people are relatively quiet in them, but except for certain days where there are vertragings (delays) or when the electricity station in Delft breaks down trains do run smoothly. In particular connections between the major dutch cities Amsterdam,Rotterdam,The Hague,Utrecht,Eindhoven are very often and one can choose between Intercitytreins. These trains will mainly stop in the big cities or Stoptreins which stops in all the small middle stations between the major cities.

23 de juliol 2009

Camins





Camins, que ara s’esvaeixen,
Camins, que hem de fer sols,
Camins, vora les estrelles,
Camins, que ara no hi son.

Vam deixar-ho tot, el cor encés pel món,
per les parets de l’amor, sobre la pell,
erem dos ocells de foc, sembrant tempestes,
ara som dos fills del Sol, en aquest desert.

Mai no és massa tard per tornar a començar,
per sortir a buscar el teu tresor.
Camins, somnis i promeses.
Camins, que ja son nous.

No és senzill saber cap on has de marxar,
pren la direcció del teu cor.
Mai no és massa tard per tornar a començar,
per sortir a buscar el teu tresor.

Camins, que ara s’esvaeixen,
Camins, que has de fer sol,
Camins, vora les estrelles,
Camins, que ja son nous.

DayDreaming


How amazing is it to sit here and daydream, and read blogs, and more websites and have the BRYN THOMAS trans-siberian handbook by me. Leave home,and embark on a train direction Russia, spend there a day and then off to the Siberia. Either in an icy-cold -20 winter or in a mild 5 degree autum. Visit the baikal lake... all direction MONGOLIA...

Dreams.

22 de juliol 2009

Pensant fort à Paris

Et voilà un video cree aujourd'hui parce que oui, je pense fort à Paris. Voilà ce qui passe dans ma tete. . . PLAY.


-Images "stolen" from the internet- Music La Vase from the film Amelie Poulain
1001 reasons to dream and go back, this only shows the most typical, tourist images. . . I could have transformed the video into a never ending thing, just couldnt upload more pics and music or the size was to heavy.

21 de juliol 2009

. . . HEC. . .& J.N. KAPFERER + BASTIEN

100% Mr. marketing Mr.Jean-Noel Kapferer...probably one of the best profesors I had at HEC and his own ad on the master program. *sight*

Only two questions remain:
First, since when does he speak with such a good english accent??
Second, (besides exchanges students) are there really that many foreign students at HEC?



Et après ...Bastien et Kapferer dicutent leur nouveu livre.
And to think how hard it was for me to understand them when they spoke in class due to their "speed" ... (ei, gracies eh Miquel)
Veuillez installer Flash Player pour lire la vidéo

19 de juliol 2009

Images and sayings about love, family and friendship.

It is our friends, family and sometimes an unknown person's smile who make our world and change the moments of the days by making us laugh and smile.

The M.I.L.K. collection is one of my favorites as with images and sayings they clearly transmit a messages that touch the heart from deep down.

M.I.L.K. also has several books with images and sayings. Next november, a new book will be published with images that have been selected from the M.I.L.K. contest at the beginning of this year.









18 de juliol 2009

Departure minus X Days

Ready for Departure to Laos and Cambodia 2007


After my bachelor degree and a three year dream I headed off to India with my visa and backpack ....
Later, when I finished my first master I took my 3 month holiday to do an around the world trip, visit old friends and quickly discover those american cities that I had so much heard of and the mysterious and tranquil Laos that I had dreamt of since at age 16 I had backpacked around Vietnam with my parents.

Month after month I recieve the lonley planet magazine, and for the past two years I have been rushing up and down in the parisian metro going to work, classes and enjoying life in the Parisian capital. Daydreaming at Monceau and Luxembourg parcs, and looking forwards to the day that Id have time to leave for longer than 10 days. I knew that I only had two days a week to "relax" - saturdays and sundays.

Now that another chapter is about to come to an end. Ready to graduate from my double master degree and ready to close another "chapter" of life why not take care of those things that we wount be able to redo. In 2006 I already posted a link saying that I was looking forwards to take the transiberian train. Its been ages that I have pondered the idea. Mongolia in particular has been a choice since the day I saw the documentary on its poverty and children leaving in sweage to keep themselves warm. Why it was that documentary and not another that got stuck in my mind, I do not know.

In these last weeks of "thesis" and "obligations" the motivation and moving force to keep going is knowing that afterwards I will be F.R.E.E. no obligations, no tasks, no dependancy. I know I will soon need a job to continue to "survive", but why not go ahead and enjoy one of those amazing adventures that if I dont do now I might not be able to do later on? So, as I finish my last paragraphs and reedit the last phrases I start pondering if my next destination should be Mongolia and the transiberian train. . .


. . . more to come. SOON.

10 de juliol 2009

High - Light House Family

When youre close to tears remember
Some day itll all be over
One day were gonna get so high
And though its darker than december
Whats ahead is a different colour
One day were gonna get so high

And at
The end of the day
Well remember the days
We were close to the edge
And well wonder how we made it through
And at
The end of the day
Well remember the way
We stayed so close to till the end
Well remember it was me and you

cause we are gonna be forever you and me
Youll always keep me flying high in the sky of love

Dont you think its time you started
Doing what we always wanted
One day were gonna get so high
cause even the impossible is easy
When we got each other
One day were gonna get so high

And at
The end of the day
Well remember the days
We were close to the edge
And well wonder how we made it through
And at
The end of the day
Well remember the way
We stayed so close to till the end
Well remember it was me and you

cause we are gonna be forever you and me
You will always keep me flying high in the sky of love

High, high, high, high...

18 de febrer 2009

Garde ton sourire


10 de febrer 2009

Happiness


photo by me, Raiatea

The purpose of our lives is to be happy.
- Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama
Choosing to live a happy life is not only our greatest gift to ourselves, it is also the greatest gift we can give to those around us. When we are happy, we radiate happiness, and that is infectious. Consider giving the gift of happiness to yourself as being your gift to all humanity.

The BBC Container Box



In order to answer the following questions "What does globalisation mean? How does world trade really work? How much difference has the humble shipping container made to the massive growth of the global economy and how does it affect your life?" BBC has been following a container around the world for one year (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/business/2008/the_box/default.stm)

Together with it you can find videos on how the container got painted, what are containers used for after their "life" is over,the arrival of the container in multiple ports Singapore/Santos/Shangai or the passage through the suez canal. The effect of the crisis can be seen throught the videos were they state how much the cost of container transport has droped, sometimes reaching to a 50% decrease, ships not traveilng at their full capacity and some ships being "layed out". The importance of the supply chain gets into the light in these videos. If the goods do not arrive right on time to the port, they are not shipped, so they miss their train in the other side to arrive to the other side of the country and on time to the shop. For seasonal products a miss might be a loss. A delay and you may losse your client... but with so many players in a supply chain, how can one reach full efficiency?

The videos are short and superficial, but if you are intrested dont forget to go into the link!

07 de febrer 2009

Favorite Places on Earth 2





photo by me, prague 2008
Prague Castle by Night

03 de febrer 2009

Alexandra,Miquel,Florian,Marc,Carlos,Marlene,Giulia,Carlos,Elena,Elena M.,Daniela,Bea, Itzel,Fede,Francesca,Minda,Alfonso,Raquel,David,Mitzy,Julia,Elisa,Nadir,Ashik..... just a few names.

Incredible
the amount of none french people that you can get to know in less than 1 year in a place.
Incredible that in Paris I met the largest amount of Catalan people in my life.
Incredible that only 1 person is still in Paris, and soon to leave: Ana. 1 Non French Person.
Incredible to think about the amount of people we will meet in the future.
Incredible how similar people that just arrive in the city are lost as you.
Incredible how many different languages people can speak.

Incredible how fast time passes by.

02 de febrer 2009

The future store

A bit long.... but a nice video of the Metro New Future Store.
I visited in Germany 2 years ago, and its quite awesome when you have it infront of your eyes...
It will make you the itinerary in the shop, tell you the offers on the products you are searching, no need to take the things out of your cart to pay :)

Here is the video :)


Caos a Londres i a París per la Neu

Feia 18 anys que no hi havia una nevada tan important a Londres. (Foto: <span class=

Els jardins pròxims a la torre <span class=

Doncs si, efectivament ho confirmo. He sortit de casa sense saber que hi havia neu. I quan he obert la porta he vist que tot estava nevat. He pensat que no passava res si no tenia ni els guants ni la bufanda amb mi. Havia nevat feia uns dies, i una mica de fred no em mataria. Nomes tenia que agafar el tren i el bus.... Clar, que no he pensat que per culpa de la neu, el bus no funcionaria.... Me pasat mes de 20min esperant el bus, finalment he marxat a peu...i xino xano assegurant me de no patinar, he arribat a la feina. Tard, com tothom.


photo by me
Tranquility
Beauty

Maupiti, 30 December 2008

01 de febrer 2009

De nada sirve al hombre lamentarse de los tiempos en que vive. Lo único bueno que puede hacer es intentar mejorarlos.

6 Billion Others


Only for 1 month in Paris, and yet more than 4 years to build the project.

The exposition 6 millards d'autres can be seen at the Grand Palais in Paris until mid february. Its a project lead by
Yann Arthus-Bertrand. He is the famous photographer that did the exposition on the world from above. He took photographs of the world seen from a helicopter.

Now he has done 5,000 interviews in a total of 75 different countries in order to show how different/similar all humans are in this planet. The questions raised in his interviews go from " what are your first memories" to " what does family represent for you", " what is happiness", "what message do you want to pass to the next generation" etc. It is intresting to see the different answers of people from diveresed cultures.

This exhibition is meant to be "moved" around the world, so I highly suggest you pay it a visit when it comes to your city.




21 de gener 2009

Obama



What will this man do for us?

Death at the Metro

Last week the metro did not stop at Pereire, there was a dead body on the station. One more suicide, one more accident? Last week one of the people that I meet told me his friend had been killed by the metro. That makes 2 dead in one week that " Im aware" of... However, how often do we hear in the metro "accident grave passanger"? How many suicides/accidents happend in the parisian metros? Im trying to find the data, but I find not much quanitative numbers.... it seems that on average there are two deaths per week in the parisian metros/trains. How crazy is that! Just look around at certain news that are found on the internet.

F mort sur les voies du RER
RER A : Suicide à Nation
Accident voyageur 16/09/08Electrocuté à Juvisy-sur-Orge
Nuit Blanche: un mort dans le métro
Ligne 13 : Accident grave de voyageur à Pernéty
Mort du journaliste italien agressé dans le métro parisien ...

Nothing against people killing themselves, but do they need to do it in the metro. At the end that will only lead to more and more suicides, metro drivers who will be shocked, people who will miss their job interviews, people fired for arriving late at work.....a chain of suicides :) Just a Joke, but the numbers are estonishing. It appears that the RATP (the parisian metro company) has a group of psychologist to assist people that see these suicides take place. According to a Canadian study, the people that commit suicide in the metro are usually people that are living in marginal conditions and have been under the influence of drugs or alcohool before jumping on the rails. Nevertheless, the study notes that for people who live in the metro it is hard to distinguish if their deaths are due to accidents or suicides. Besides all the real dealth, there are also the "temptatives" of suicide.... which leads to us hearing often in the Parisian metro " accident grave voyageur.."

People To Meet 1


Be it a tuesday or a thrusday between 00:30 or 00:50 there he is with around 10 bags a hat and a thick heavy coat. Im too much in a hurry to even ask who he is or where he goes. The furthest I have gone is to give him a sandwich. Probably one more person that lives in the street and sleeps in the parisian metro to get himself warm. But the mystery of what he carries in his multiple old looking breaking bags captures me. Wouldnt it be easier to carry all his affairs in a bigger luggage or a shopping cart like most of the other homelss do?- Of course I always arrive wondering if I will actually see him moving. How does he do it to carry so many bags two hands clearly arent enough. However no matter when I arrive he is always in the same place at the bottom of the stairs surrounded by the sea of bags. Im rest in schock at the fact of always seeing him at the same place doeing the same exact thing at the same hour. He has becomed part of my routine.Ive passed at mutliple other times during the week and he wasnt there. Will he be there next week? I guess so. Will I know who he is one day?

19 de gener 2009

The end of Polynesia

Unfortunately, time flew by in Polynesia, and with it the internet connection disappeared.... after Raiatea and the short visit to Taha, we headed off to Bora Bora. Oh, Bora Bora, Bora as they call it there..... It might be the island with the most famous lagoon, and thus has becomed into the most turistical one. Its where people head for their honeymoods, and yes the water was beautiful. However... the amount of tourism has made it become into a "fake place". To be honest, the island was not turistic in the sense of bumping into tourists everymoment, but there was less coral and less beautiful fishes as in the other islands, it was full of resorts with bungalows of the water. Yes, the bungalows where nice, but one starts to wonder. Is it really worth the night to pay more than 600 euros for a bungalow over the water? We were staying at some "pension" by the sea, first row (everything is on the first row anyways...) and got to swim under the bungalows of the Interncontiental.... They had a glass on the floor, and there was a rock under the bungalow so that fishes would come. Is this why the price was so high? I found it ridicolous! The good part of Bora Bora was that we swam with Sharks!! Once again these came because we threw them food....it felt fake, but it was amazing to swim with sharks and huge rays!

Unbelivably the greek girls that so annoyed us at Raiatea showed up again at Bora Bora, in the same hotel!! But something good came out of our meeting, they recommend us to go to Maupiti, and so we did. Took a boat for 2 hours to do 50km to the island "infront" of us.... Maupiti! The boat - The Maupiti Express- only goes there twice a week, so when we arrived there was the entire population of the island waiting for us. With bike to rent, cars to do an island tour (tour took 15minutes!). It was like being in Paradise, we ate at the only restaurant of the island. Maupiti is definatively the island to visit, and relax while away from the world. While we were swiming but right by the beach we saw a moray eel and the parents of the kids "shouted" " faut pass toucher"" (do not touch!).

New Years was spend seeing the home fireworks that the house next to our hotel did... I though the resorts around our little hotel such as ClubMed,InterContiental or Sofitel would do big things... However no fireworks were seen but the never ending ones of the house next to us. It was nice, we watched as we had our 12 spanish grapes, and then headed to bed!

And the days passed by, rainy days, sunny days,snorkling,insulations, island tours, water, photography....and soon back to Paris through LA...

Everything being imported from either USA,Canada, NZ, Aussie or Chile the prices were expensive in the supermarket. Leading to the question ...how do people survive there? There are great subsidies from France, they have tourism, fish, and coconuts, vanilla and pearl plantations but not much more.... A question to be answered.

18 de gener 2009

Casi todo lo que realice será insignificante, pero es muy importante que lo haga.