tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75936505674538209622012-02-16T05:16:45.843-06:00"musings from a colombian living in america"Magnoliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03859394812433386831noreply@blogger.comBlogger161100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7593650567453820962.post-16709675654271845562008-12-23T14:49:00.005-06:002008-12-23T14:56:48.594-06:00

this year, the holidays have caught us WAY off guard and with a long list of presents that remain to be purchased – talk about last minute! i tried to convince my family to do a “green” christmas and give each other “handmade, re-gifted or recycled” gifts, in light of the dire economic situation that our country is experiencing, but they didn’t buy it :( even our christmas tree, which languishes

Magnoliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03859394812433386831noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7593650567453820962.post-7494722148956317372008-12-20T16:54:00.004-06:002008-12-23T14:55:32.894-06:00

a nosotros, como todos los anios, nos cogio la epoca navidena con los calzones abajo y sin haber comprado ni un solo regalo - mucho menos con tiempo de enviar una tarjeta "de las de verdad verdad". hasta el pobre arbolito de navidad, que solito languidece en el medio de nuestra sala sin siquiera un bombillito que le alumbre ni una multicolor esfera para colgarle, se ha quejado de nuestro abandono

Magnoliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03859394812433386831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7593650567453820962.post-17460936262651328142008-10-04T17:42:00.010-05:002009-01-21T07:38:16.045-06:00

why is halliburton always in the news for the wrong reasons? a friend forwarded me this cartoon just a day after the televised debate between democratic vice-presidential candidate joe biden, and his counterpart on the republican side, sarah palin. i couldn't help but laugh as it was hilarious how dick cheney, who is the current u.s. vice-president and former halliburton c.e.o. (in case you've

Magnoliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03859394812433386831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7593650567453820962.post-8362725086467545662008-09-05T14:20:00.008-05:002008-09-06T19:49:15.999-05:00

i live in what you would call a transitional neighborhood in in central houston's 'west end'. for many, many years, the west end has been primarily industrial, with a few working-class cottage and bungalow homes sprinkled throughout. in recent years, with higher gas prices and renewed interest in 'urban living', our little area, along several other neighborhoods along the washington / memorial

Magnoliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03859394812433386831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7593650567453820962.post-38222442272845263012008-08-25T10:16:00.012-05:002008-09-01T21:00:55.837-05:00

sadly, the games of the xxix olympiad, which for the last two weeks had become my fascination - and excuse for doing absolutely nothing on the weekends but watch tv - have come to an end. although i will miss the nightly excitement of coming home to hours of uninterrupted sports coverage, two things that i will definitely not miss are the superfluous commentary and selective coverage of the "nbc

Magnoliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03859394812433386831noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7593650567453820962.post-29212096999821248022008-07-29T15:10:00.007-05:002008-12-08T18:16:34.293-06:00

i just found the most amazing lip gloss ever: o-gloss intuitive lip gloss by smashbox (and no, i'm not being compensated by smashbox for my "expert" opinion...although maybe i should). the reason why o-gloss is so infinitely cool is because the silky clear gloss that comes out of the tube when you squeeze it reacts with your skin's chemistry to turn your pout to that oh-so-delicate shade of pink

Magnoliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03859394812433386831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7593650567453820962.post-82061862540340568862008-07-16T16:12:00.012-05:002008-07-16T16:59:59.937-05:00

i recently read an article in my company’s daily newsletter about the eternal dilemma at the grocery store: “paper or plastic”. the answer that the article provided seemed less intuitive than public knowledge would suggest, so i decided to do some googling to find out what other “experts” out there were saying.so what is the right answer? in the opinion of most experts, including the

Magnoliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03859394812433386831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7593650567453820962.post-26566660601261337192008-07-09T16:52:00.004-05:002008-07-16T15:49:23.714-05:00

did you know that the modern human being has more information available in one single edition of the new york times than a human in the middle ages had available in her entire lifetime? no wonder we are suffering from information overload, which has lead to a detrimental effect on our ability to focus, think and reflect.so take a few minutes today and and "unload" by limiting the interruptions

Magnoliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03859394812433386831noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7593650567453820962.post-66579544005015797872008-07-08T16:01:00.006-05:002008-12-08T18:16:34.438-06:00

it’s only been two weeks, but spain’s crowning as european football champions has been nearly forgotten amidst news of the rescue of the 15 hostages held by farc terrorists in the jungles of colombia (new post in the works), the ongoing controversy over the beijing olympics, and rafael nadal’s astonishing wimbledon victory—another spaniard, coincidentally. even though it is “old news”, i still

Magnoliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03859394812433386831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7593650567453820962.post-43361532763925818862008-06-24T17:38:00.006-05:002008-07-16T14:21:54.505-05:00

ok, i am officially p*ssed off at the american health care system, and here's why: you get penalized for being proactive. let's face it: in america, you have to literally be *dying* for certain kinds of tests or screening to be authorized and paid for by the insurance companies. you can't just waltz into the doctor's office and say that you want a blood test or an mri just to make sure everything

Magnoliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03859394812433386831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7593650567453820962.post-37417175734824684452008-06-20T23:33:00.009-05:002008-07-16T14:29:19.669-05:00

my heart is about to pop out of my chest! i am typing this just as i watch turkey’s dramatic victory over croatia via penalty kicks, which has earned this incredibly resilient team a well-deserved spot in the semi-final of the euro 2008 football cup.turkey has managed to pull what no other team has done in the history of the tourney: not just one, but three “come from behind”, back to back wins –

Magnoliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03859394812433386831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7593650567453820962.post-58141544190862313632008-06-10T13:27:00.006-05:002008-12-08T18:16:34.595-06:00

joy, oh joy!! football season is upon us. and i don’t mean american football…what i—and the rest of the world outside of the usa—refer to as (the real) football is known within the borders of america as “soccer”. but i digress. football season is upon us and i can’t hardly contain my excitement at the thought of watching two—and sometimes up to four—games a day. between world cup qualifiers, euro

Magnoliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03859394812433386831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7593650567453820962.post-5139511076322100222008-06-10T11:52:00.007-05:002008-12-08T18:16:34.689-06:00

i recently came back from a business trip to russia. one word: w.o.w.lovely country, amazing history, fun people, superb vodka. i was incredibly lucky to witness while in moscow the celebration of the 63rd anniversary of the defeat of nazi germany, celebrated as "victory day" with an impressive military parade and air show to rival those seen in soviet times.moscow is an impressive city, full of

Magnoliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03859394812433386831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7593650567453820962.post-16859253118886752202008-06-10T11:43:00.003-05:002008-07-16T15:36:11.176-05:00

ok, so i have been absent for a while...i know. there's been loads of things going on, trips, work stuff, etc. but i'm back and have a few articles in the pipeline, so i will attempt to publish them in the next few days. here are the first few :)

Magnoliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03859394812433386831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7593650567453820962.post-54614705315262276702008-06-10T11:04:00.020-05:002008-12-08T18:16:34.903-06:00

i have always considered myself to be fairly conscious of my surroundings and, not having grown up in the usa, i've always been grateful for the comforts of living in an modern and highly industrialized nation – after all, as eloquently put by my spanish uncle, where else in the world can you do your banking, get your food, and even get married, without having to get out your car? however,

Magnoliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03859394812433386831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7593650567453820962.post-48462560490722074742007-12-18T13:20:00.006-06:002008-07-16T14:30:39.925-05:00

this is it! my own personal blog...wow! i never thought this moment would come, just like i never thought i would ever succumb to the peer pressure and get a facebook account...but i recently visited a friend's blog and was totally hooked! my husband juan has always told me that i should get a show in an a.m. radio station at 2 am on tuesdays so i can say everything that's on my mind and still be

Magnoliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03859394812433386831noreply@blogger.com0