Esta mañana blanca me acordé de ti:.

The more you grow old, the more you appreciate (and long) the experiences you had as a child. And I don't necessarily mean big events in your life, I'm talking about little details, like the type of bread you used to eat, some special drink, or even the places you saw on a daily basis. Things that at the moment don't seem very important, but that end up determining a big part of who you really are.

For me, one of those things is the amazing encaladillas, a type of sweet bread that is sold in my hometown to commemorate the departing of the dead. Trust me when I tell you there are few things in the world that can compare to the superb taste of a classic encaladilla =). Anyway, they are very popular and are only sold for a few weeks every year, so you must be prepared to fight to get one!!. 

Well, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but I do remember that every year they became harder and harder to get. First, the increasing demand forced my good mother to stop by the bakery several times a day, to try and snatch the encaladillas before anyone else. However, many people did the same thing, and there were times when we wouldn't get anything at all...

Then, the bakery where they sold the original encaladillas changed (I think it was because the owner died, but I'm not really sure), and as a result it became even harder to get a decent supply of encaladillas every year. This was about the time I went to college, and ever since, I've eagerly waited for this time of the year to try again that delicacy of the (dead) gods!!. 

The encaladillas have always reminded me of simpler times. They remind me of a place where no matter how complicated things get, I can always call home. And if our stories are true, that's also the place where my essence will keep coming, long after I'm gone =):.

Es tu olor en mí,
en barrio de coyotes,
fuego siento en mí..

Something good:.

It had been a long time, but last weekend I watched the second and third parts of what's probably the best film series of all time, The Godfather. You know how I tend to say that we should always try to see things with a different perspective?, well, this time I followed my own advice.

Let me explain. I probably watched The Godfather: Part III ten years ago, and I still remember getting very angry with the way they were finishing this great story, even more, I remember leaving the room 10 minutes before the ending, because I thought I was witnessing one of the greatest rip-offs in the history of humankind!!.

But this weekend it all made sense. Of course the first two movies are master pieces, but the third one is not as bad as I remembered, it's actually pretty good. You have to keep in mind that it's really complicated to finish an excellent story, I'm looking at you The Dark Knight Rises, but as they say, eventually you realize that the past, even the grimy parts of it, keep on getting brighter. Anyway, this all reminded me of some experiences I've had, related to the Godfather story, and well, today I would like to share one of them. 

First of all, you have to know that my alma mater is renowned for two main things, both for its technical level and for its business-oriented nature. As a result, even if you're enrolled in a technical career, you must take several business courses. In general, I despise business, but the truth is that in some of these courses I learned some valuable lessons.

For example, one day a professor shared with us his particular understanding of The Godfather. He just asked a simple question: what's Godfather's real business?. He explained to us that more than anything, the Godfather was sort of a manager in a bank of favours. That is, he didn't really do any job, he just had people owing and asking favours from him. So, when he needed things done, he would just cash one of his favours, and in return he would get one more person owing him something.

Sounds simple, right?. The interesting part is that, even if we don't recognise it, we apply this same idea in our daily lives, and that professor taught us to be aware, and if possible, to take advantage of it. I won't go into details, but he explained how he used to analyse people, how he would gather information or try to gain little favours, so he could cash them later.

I didn't agree with many of these methods, but I have to admit that I still apply some of them. For example, I generally don't let people do me any favours, even small ones, or if they do, I return the favour as soon as possible. I like to think of it as politeness, but the truth is that I don't like owing anyone anything. There's just one exception, that is, my family and the people I really care about =):.

Get high, 
hit the floor, 
before you go.