Thursday, February 24, 2011

Missing Lifting Weights and You Know What

Alright let me apologize in advance because i'm starting to get an itch again and I just gotta scratch it in some form or fashion and this helps. My current mindset is positive, in that I am enjoying Amsterdam very much and it did snow earlier this week (which was my first time seeing snow). However, I am missing the enjoyment I get from working out and pushing myself to new levels. I'm anxious to see how my body will respond after my first day back in the gym. I would do push ups but they tend to bore me. Another thing i'm missing is The Game (not the show) and I long to play for about two hours and getting the opportunity to just get in the zone and play hard, but my time is coming soon and L.A. Fitness will feel my wrath. If you're reading this and you're wondering what this is about then we are in the same boat cause i'm just venting. Check out the snow and if you haven't seen Blake Griffin then enjoy him dunking on the Knicks.



Monday, February 21, 2011

Day 3 In Paris

Not much got done on our last day in Paris but I will say this; It has been a while since I have brought up anything having to do with basketball in my last few posts. However, I am proud to say that I am bringing the basketball back because, like any true fiend I had to make visiting a basketball court a part of my itinerary for my time in Paris. This court was rated the number 1 court in Paris by Courts of the World and it's located in the George Carpentier sports complex. On a side note the court is located on a street named after the capital of Haiti (so that was a double bonus for me). I have to say that going to court and just taking in the atmosphere was a breath of fresh air for me for many reasons and I feel truly blessed to see that no matter how different we think we are, we are all tied or connected in the grand scheme of things.






Sunday, February 20, 2011

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Day 1 in Paris


I tried to post a video but maybe next time because it wouldn't upload. Either way the video was explaining that I would try to do less talking on the next few posts and more visuals so that y'all could see what i'm seeing and get a visual idea of my experience in Paris. 







My first meal in Paris was raw beef an fries. Tastes like salsa.










Thursday, February 17, 2011

Popped Cherry

As my days in Amsterdam are coming down to an end I will say that I am constantly gaining a new appreciation for Amsterdam and Europe as I experience more and more of the culture. With that said, it's always fun when you can share your experience with someone else, and it's even better when that person is a virgin to the country as well. So without further or do I am proud to announce that I have witnessed the popping of Carl's cherry (as it relates to traveling to Europe) and I have to say it was amazing. Now Carl for those of you who don't know is a long time friend of mine and we go back since the fourth grade (crazy how time flies). Needless to say I am happy that I get to share this experience with my friend and i'm excited to see what adventures await us when we get to Paris this weekend. I will say that it's amazing how you can always learn new things about people (even people you've known your whole life) and what I've learned about Carl yesterday, is that he has a ridiculous sense of smell. I have to say that I was astonished. As we walked through the crowds in Amsterdam Carl's keen sense of smell could pick up the different types of cologne and perfume that men and women were flaunting on their totally fit bodies (never mind his uncanny ability to smell the weed in the air) all the while i'm oblivious to the scent of weed, perfumes, farts and the like. Even more amazing was his ability to tell me the brands that people were wearing. I felt ashamed because i'm just a tall blind guy with no sense of smell (don't cry for me Argentina). Either way i'm excited about the next few days that are to come and I look forward to Paris but, check this guy out styling and profiling in Amsterdam.

Friday, February 11, 2011

11210

Last night I started thinking about Haiti for some reason (I really don't know why) but I started to think about what it was like this time last year for the entire world as Haiti was the focal point of the world's attention. I couldn't help but feel last night as if people in general have forgotten about the problems in Haiti. When the earthquake hit Haiti I think it opened a lot of eyes on the issues that has troubled my country for decades (they include poverty, pride, and a corrupted government). It hurts when I think about the countless people that are suffering as a result of not only the problems that the earthquake caused on the country, but the problems that are deeply routed in the fabric of the country. However, I remain hopeful that my God will deliver my people from the thorn that is in their flesh. My purpose for writing this is not to make anyone feel emotional about the situation, my purpose for writing this is just to give a reminder because I just don't want to ever forget the pain I felt that day when I got the bad news last year. And my hope is that we can find a way to turn things around and make a change in Haiti, but that cannot be done if we forget about the Haitian people. So whenever you are going through a rough patch or your different trials and tribulations in life just remember somebody else has it even worst and keep in perspective the many blessings you have. Most importantly try not to turn a blind eye to the Haiti that exists in your world (because Lord knows we all have them). I just wanted to leave you with a video that my friend Smokey did earlier this year to remind people of the tragedy that took place on 1-12-10.

 

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Married in Amsterdam

Ya, ya so it's true it happened I got married in Amsterdam, well at least that's how it feels. Why do I feel that way? It might be because this is my first time having a female roommate and I have to say that I feel like I'm married. Maybe it's the newness of the experience but that's what I'm feeling. I feel like a powerless husband that will do whatever it takes to make his wife happy. For example, I come home from a long day at the agency and what do I find, I find the house cleaned spotless and reconfigured for a woman (some people would call it a woman's touch) and if you know me i'm a guys guy and I like stuff simple and don't like much change in systems. But here's where the husband feeling comes from; normally I would ask questions, I said nothing, I just accepted it. As far as the cleanliness of the place (here's husband feeling # 2) well I made sure that I didn't make one bit of a mess. Why? Because if my wife is unhappy then i'm unhappy, so I did the smart thing and that's shut up and go with whatever she approves and voila I have a happy home. But in all seriousness I have been blessed with great roommates since i've been here and she's no different. I will give all the husbands reading this some marital advice keep your focus on your wife and everything will be good. When you can put aside your ego and realize that it's all about her then and only then will your relationship and your marriage be successful. Ya I know what you're thinking..."Abraham you're not even married why should I listen to you?" Well that's true too so i'll just leave you with this video and do whatever you want but if you lose your wife don't blame me.


Monday, February 7, 2011

The Super Bowl



So in America we have this thing called the National Football League and there's this event called the Super Bowl which is kinda big in America. I have to admit watching the Super Bowl in a different country is a bit different. For one going out to watch the game at 12 in the morning is sort of a demotivating factor for watching the game with a group of people (especially when you consider how bad the games can be at times). It's also different in the sense that you gotta watch the game on your laptop, so forget about HD. One of the major attractions of the Super Bowl are the commercials (which gained popularity after you guessed it Apple aired there top commercial in the Super Bowl some time in the 80's). So what were my top Ads for the Superbowl, well before I get into that I have to say that because the Super Bowl ads cost so much to place the ads often times the companies put so much pressure on the agencies that I feel that most of the ads are either over produced or just lack creativity and in some cases both of these things apply. So without further or do my top 5 ads of 2011:

1. Chrysler: Eminem
2. Volks Wagen: Darth Vader
3. Doritos: House Sitting
4. Snickers: Rosanne Bar
5. CareerBuilder.com: Chimps

To see these ads and all the other ads that aired in the Super Bowl click on link below.

http://superbowlads.fanhouse.com/2011/

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Endless Music

It was almost a year ago when I was introduced to Spotify by my great Spanish friend Albert. When he showed it to me I thought to myself this is a cool application. What Spotify could do is unheard of in America. Basically what it does is you search for your favorite artist or any artist for that matter that you feel like listening to and battbingbattaboom you have most of their discography or songs that they are featured in. Shout out to Jakob for putting me on. I have to say that I am a kid in a candy store. I have listened to artists coming from a wide range of genres like Alanis Morisette, Chrisette Michele, Beethoven, Tupac, and Linkin Park to name a few. I have to say this is one thing for sure that Europe clearly has over America. Spotify makes Pandora look like child's play. I hope it comes to America some time in the near future. Let's pray that it does.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Mommy Can I go to the Park With Uncle Abe?

So this past weekend the question was posed to me "what do you miss most about America?" And if you have been following this blog your first guess just might be of course he misses basketball the most. Well my answer quite frankly was, that I miss my family the most. Yes, it is possible that I have found something in my life that I love more than basketball. Whatever the case may be, I end up taking a trip to Vondelpark this past weekend to see what European parks are like and I have to say I was impressed. The park had a real nice feel to it and it was rather large (maybe a quarter of the size of Central Park). But while I was at this park I noticed something that from where I'm from (Miami, FL) is unheard of. I saw moms bringing their children to the park in 30 degree weather and with windchill it felt like 20 degrees (for my Celsius people that is -1 degrees and it feels like -6 degrees). Now in Miami we only have two seasons Summer and Winter and when it gets cold the people in Miami get dramatical about the situation. If a child under four years old leaves the house that child is suppose to be wrapped up in 3 blankets, with an additional three layers of cold underneath. Now I love the cold, but everyone else in my family, not so much. My two nieces who I love very very much have been for a lack of a better word a disappointment when it comes down to tolerance of cold weather. Anytime the weather gets below 70 degrees (21 degrees Celsius) they get sick. So when I was at the park and I was observing these children who were enduring such cold weather it got me to thinking would my sister ever let me take my nieces out to a park when the weather is cold in Miami? The answer to that question will come some time this Winter but to support my argument that my nieces should go to the park with me I'm going to leave you with some pics of children from Amsterdam playing in the park in the winter.


This could be my older niece


This could be my younger niece