Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts

Monday, April 2, 2012

Life is too short to...























* not fall in love deeply

* have a job that you don't love

* postpone getting a ticket to go to that place (or places) you've been dreaming of

* not tell people how you feel

* not be who you really are

* not dance and sing MORE

* not spend a quiet day with yourself

* not help make a difference

* not feel gratitude (for the small things also)

* not be a better sister, brother, daughter, son, mother, wife, husband, father, friend, grandfather, grandson, grandaughter...

* not tweet

* not be the best at whatever it is that you do

* not smile

* be too worried about consuming chocolate, coffee, wine

* not read more

* not do sports as often as you can

* not spend more time in contact with nature

* not hug

* not take risks

* not be more curious



Please tell us what other things "life is too short to..." miss. We'd love to know your thoughts on this. xx

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

why read?



















A few days ago, I told my husband that sometimes, when I am in social situations I expect to engage in deep conversation but what I often get is superficial.

Topics of conversation are, generally, variations of the same subjects: type of cell phone, latest vacation and future vacation plans, hair and nail color trends, the newest collections, hotel recommendations, a comment about the latest criminal case, one or two anecdotes (if lucky), questions about how we raise or how we should educate our children, what works and what doesn't (really boring, cause you know, aside from giving them love and attention, each couple has it´s own ways that are determined by their own singularity, so "winner" formulas don´t really apply here), and a forecast of the way inflation is going to affect our economies in the upcoming future.

No matter what situation I find myself in, whether it's a meeting with friends or on my own, I´m always hoping to produce or encounter some form of knowledge, but, when I relate to some people I am left with the feeling that it simply will not happen. So, I asked my husband if maybe I should settle for superficial conversations.
The truth be said, I find that hard to achieve.

Even though I understand that these are times where focus is divided between the profound and superfluous (which I think works great towards a form of balance) I do wonder: when something calls our attention, I mean really calls our attention, isn't this a good reason to stop and focus for a moment on what interests us? Isn't that worth it? Isn't learning worth it? I am left with the feeling that this lack of interest (which applies to a lack of interest in books also) can lead people to loose their capacity to ask questions, be surprised and to engage at a deeper level with others.

I like to read. I think there are so many good reasons to read. This is what I wanted to share with you today. I like to read books, magazines, I read anything that calls my attention and which I feel I can learn from.

Reading, I educate myself. I discover subjects that interest me and I set myself to get a more profound understanding of them. I find which are the characters´ adventures and conflicts an author so kindly shares with me and the way they learn from each experience. I sometimes apply the characters´ findings to my own life or, at least, I test them.

Sometimes, reading helps me discover who I am, it also helps me to find meaning in what seems not to have it or not to feel alone when dealing with certain feelings or topics.

I may be slow in understanding it is best to switch from the Google search engine to Google Chrome (or so my 10 yr. old daughter says). That is my pace.

Reading reminds me that one´s personal growth takes time because true knowledge isn't superficial, it is the result of a deep learning process that takes place at one´s own pace.

People that don´t read miss the chance of finding out what is particular about themselves and others and are at risk of becoming dull talking about their latest cell phone. Or talking about other people.

Reading is worth it, don't you think?

"Don't sleep with people who don´t read!" - John Waters



Post by Valeria Mendez Cañás

Saturday, January 14, 2012

space and closeness



































"...most humans have two contradictory impulses: we love and need one another, yet we crave privacy and autonomy." - Susan Cain


Photos: Punta del Este, Uruguay. The beautiful countryside, just minutes away from the beach. And the crowds.



Wednesday, July 13, 2011

past, present, future




















When you're an outsider, some things stand out to you. In my last visit to the United States, I was strikingly surprised to find a sign that read "Available Space" at several locations that were previously occupied by Borders and Barnes and Noble. I was also surprised to find very few bookstores remained in San Francisco and the ones that did, advertised in their website "one of the few bookstores remaining in the city".

I was happy to come back to my house and to our big library. I find it a bit hard to adapt to the idea that in the near future I'll probably be switching to e-books although I do intend to keep all the books in our library as memories from the past. Except for those books I free, of course.

Our library has received some additions in the last year. My beloved father-in-law passed away leaving a huge book collection. I was very sad when he died and had not touched his books until today. His books are older than ours. I came across a book called "La vida cotidiana en Buenos Aires" (Every Day Life in Buenos Aires), by Andres Carretero (Planeta), that discusses the development of Argentine society from 1918 to 1970. Reading the pages of Carretero's book, a few memories came to mind, all related with the place communications have in our daily lives.

I remember my grandparents loved to hear the radio, their favorite transmissions were tango orchestras and soccer, yes, two genuine Argentine passions. I also remember them listening to the radio while drinking mate.

I grew up hearing tango but, can you imagine growing up listening to the voice of a journalist describing soccer moves? Can you imagine celebrating a goal you hadn't even seen? Yes, taxi drivers and porters still listen to soccer on the radio and celebrate goals they only hear about. But back then, it took place everywhere in Buenos Aires. In every home, before TV became popular. You can't imagine the enthusiasm around soccer.

The first TV channel appeared in 1951 (first radio station, in 1935), but TV really became available during the seventies and turned to colors in 1980. There were 5 channels. The signal would come on at 12 pm and go off around 10pm to 12am. When one of my grandparents heard there was such a thing as color TV, he decided to convert his TV to color by putting a piece of colored paper on top of the screen and carefully taping the sides, isn't that funny?

TV was not accessible to everyone in Argentina so some of the people that did not have one would go to their neighbors’ house to watch a given show or soccer match.

Carretero's book says: "If the radio introduced the public word in the intimacy of houses, TV boosted communication by incorporating image. That way, dramas, tango shows, news and even the weather forecast acquired a different and fascinating perspective".

Margarita de la Sota says in an article in Lyra Magazine from 1961 called: "A Memorable Cycle of Argentine TV": "A friend of ours, that is a writer, used to say that the only purpose TV served was to shut your wife up. Inside the magical atmosphere of the TV screen, at last, the equilibrium of marriage was established... the hypnotic virtue of television provided other pleasures less intimate and more productive".

These days, computers, tablets and phones are the radios of Argentina's 1930's and fiber-optics the antennas but they are also the books (have you ever heard of phone novels?) , the TV's, the movies, the games for kids, the music. And, as books become antiquities soon to belong in a Museum along with walkmans, vinyl records, wrist watches, and TV's, I cannot help but wonder what other surprises will the future have in store for us and how we will contribute to shape it.


Post by: Vale Mendez Cañas
Photo: Curiocity Villas

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Current Exhibition

































When we were writing this post I remembered that I had a book I got at Zurbarán's Art Hotel, with all the great Argentinian Artists, so I looked for it, and there it was! Here are two images where you can see a little of Figari's work. Of course, one has to stand in front of the work of art, but sadly I don't own one of his paintings.


Pedro Figari's work is on exhibition at Zurbarán Art Gallery (Av. Alvear 1658, Buenos Aires) until June 30. That's tomorrow! His name is very representative of South American art.
He was a Uruguayan lawyer and legislator that reinvented himself and became an artist. He also loved writing, journalism and philosophy.
It took him a year to start making a living out of his art work. He was 60 years old. He moved to Buenos Aires to pursue his passion, chose the best art gallery of the time to show his work and also made himself well liked in Paris. In fact, his first painting was purchased by a Parisian man who was doing business here at the time.
It was the end of the 1920's. Argentina was a very rich and powerful country back then. The Argentinian elite liked to purchase art from Europe mainly but the works of Fernando Fader, Cesáreo Bernaldo de Quiros and Pedro Figari were also favorites.
Mr. Figari's work shows the tradition, simplicity and roots of Uruguay by depicting candombes (a black slaves' dance), images of old Montevideo, Ombu trees and peasants.
We are firm believers that a clear objective, a strong will and enjoying what you do will get you were you want to be and think that Mr. Figari is a good example of that.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Kabinett






















































































Kabinett is a new, gorgeous little store in Palermo Soho . I saw a mix of retro and modern items, fringe jackets, vinyl records, artworks, funky chairs and books. The address is Gurruchaga 1744.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

free your books






















Me, somewhere in Tulum, Mexico.


Buenos Aires, the city of books has a new movement: The Free Book. The idea is that after reading a book you release it in a public space such as a park, café, public transportation and other similar places for other people to pick up and read.

Anyone can be part of Free Book by simply releasing it and writing a few words in the first page indicating that this book has not been lost or forgotten, it is part of the Free Book movement. The person who finds it should free the book again for someone else to enjoy.

The Free Book movement suggests that by releasing a book we are achieving one of life's most rewarding experiences which is to share. This movement is created by the people and for the people. There is no government intervention or private institutions involved, and it's supported by writers, editors and artists.

Of course there are many of us that have books that we love, books that we want to keep and that we like to go back to, but other books may be part of us already, they have left their message in our souls and we know them by heart. These are the ones we are invited to release.

Happy Wednesday! xo

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Borges


















As most Argentinian icons - Evita Perón, El Che, Perón himself, Gardel, Maradona, etc., Borges is also a controversial icon. Today, 25 years have passed since he died. Admired and loved by some people in Argentina and not so much by others, there is no question that international renown Borges was the greatest Argentinian writer in history.

“Si pudiéramos comprender una sola flor sabríamos quiénes somos y qué es el mundo”

"If we could understand one single flower, we would know who we are and what the world is"

- Jorge Luis Borges


Photo: emol

Friday, May 20, 2011

Babel's Book Tower







































As mentioned in a previous post, Buenos Aires has been named "Book
Capital of the World" for 2011. To honour such a tittle, the government
of the city of Buenos Aires is sponsoring an art installation you shouldn't
miss: "Babel's Book Tower" by Marta Minujin.

Marta is a famous, worldwide pop artist that has brought to life many "crazy"
ideas. She, for example, created a Book Pantheon, in the begining of Argentine Democracy. The installation was located in the middle of the city, it's dimensions were incredible. It was constructed by all the books that were prohibited during the Argentine military dictatorship which had somehow been secretly kept by book agents and sellers.

Minujin's Babel's Book Tower illustrates the incapacity people sometimes have when it comes to understanding each other. The installation is located in Plaza San Martin. It is a 7 story high metal structure that has 30.000 books on it's
inside. The books are protected by plastic to avoid weather damage and come
from 54 different countries.

The Tower can be visited until May 28th. You can also visit the inside of the tower. Once inside, you'll hear the word "book" in every language. At the end of your visit you'll get a copy of Jorge Luis Borge's story "Babel's Library".

Art installations are like life itself, ephemeral, that's why it's
good to see them when they are taking place, to be a part of them.

Have a fun weekend! xx

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Buenos Aires Book Fair

















Photo by: Jorge Molina (en la piel de la selva)

When Windows was first introduced in the early nineties it caused fascination. It made using computers easier introducing a simpler way of managing different programs. If we used Word, for example, double clicking allowed us to perform different commands, open more than one document at a time and work on other programs as well, be that Excell, Power Point, or any other of the programs that we are all familiar with today. Then, when it was time to shut our computer down, closing all the opened "Windows" requiered us to simply click on the "x". With the development of the internet we were able to apply a similar concept as Windows while surfing: click on the link, then in another and so on.

Although both Windows and the internet created grounds that allowed us to work comfortably from one single place and communicate faster and more effectively, they also made us go, in my opinion, bi-dimensional. The fact that we no longer have to go through the trouble of, for example, visiting a library or book shop to look for content has made us disregard the notion of all all the work that it takes to create, put together and display information in a given field - sometimes forgetting even what it's like to feel a real book, the paper, the art in the cover. Remember CD's? I know, that was a long time ago.

If you are curious and are in Buenos Aires, you have a chance to immerse yourslef in a world of books.

The Book Fair takes place every fall. Book publishers gather to present their book collections and launch new books and publications. This year, the Fair has even more relevance since Buenos Aires has been chosen by by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization as the World's Book Capital of 2011.

The Book Fair is also a good start to undesrtand why Buenos Aires is famed for it's cultural production.

It offers conferences and discussion panels in various subjects: Economics, Politics, Law, Psychology, Ecology, Management, to name a few.

This year it is has invited Mario Varga Llosa, Rosa Montero, Jorge Edwards and Wilbur Smith amongst many and various prestigious writers and thinkers.

It hosts music, choir and ballet shows as well as workshops on Textile Art from the Andes (Arte textil andino), Literature, Story Telling, Opera and Poetry readings. A cultural feast you shouldn't miss.

Where: La Rural Exhibition Center, Ave. Santa Fe and Sarmiento, Palermo, Bs As.
When: Til May 9, 2011.


Post by: Valeria Mendez Cañas.

Thursday, March 6, 2008

A splendid book store

















El Ateneo was selected the most beautiful book store in Latin America. How could it not be?
J.L. Borges used to say that he always thought that paradise would be some type of library or bookstore. This place is indeed heavenly!