Pacífico Salvadoreño

A recent paint from the Guatemalan master Moisés Barrios, in this series the artist portraits the life at beaches of Guatemala and El Salvador, plastic inflatable beach toys included.

Palacios de Gobierno

These three Latin American government palaces have architectural lines in common, they share their Spanish heritage and a taste for eclecticism too. From above; México, Guatemala and Argentina.

Good Things About Coffee

I want to share these good things i found in the net, i am not sure if they are true but i live a lot more happy with coffee than without it. Hey! you my tea drinkers readers.

- Coffee contains antioxidants that help prevent cancer and heart disease.
- Studies indicate that regular coffee drinkers are up to 80% less likely to develop Parkinson’s disease.
- Drinking two cups daily could reduce the risk of colon cancer by 25% and halve the risk of gallstones.
- Emerging evidence suggests that coffee may help manage asthma, stop a headache, boost mood, and even prevent cavities.
- Coffee helps to prevent prostate cancer.
- Decaf coffee has been found to provide the same stimulative effect as regular coffee, without the caffeine.
- Coffee is also regarded as a good social drink. You can chat with your friends in a coffee house. You may even know some new friends in the coffee houses.

Saturday Ride

Last Saturday i went for a ride in the trails near my home, still feeling a little hurt due to the fact that a car hit me 2 months ago. At 6,000 feet over the sea level the air is thin and fresh, ride my bike or jogging into the woods makes my mind fly away.

Couleur Café

Semana Santa in Antigua Guatemala

If you like espectacular cultural traditions you can't miss Semana Santa in Antigua Guatemala, cobblestone streets surounded of color and magnificent procesiones, all in a small XVI century town with historic buildings, museums, restaurants, boutique hotels, shops and a spring weather all year round. Incredible!
We were there today and i got these colorful pics.

You are What You Shop

Once upon a time there was a "You are what you eat", then came "You are what you wear", Peter Gabriel says in a song "You are what you see", and i can add "You are what you shop". But be careful with that!. Can we resist shopping and still be happy? We have the power to choose what we want and what of those things could make us really happy from those that don't. Think about it.

Time of Opportunities!

Ancient Chinese motto: Crisis is Opportunity

Designing Coffee, Part 4 (Final)

Having chosen the coffees and the roasts we will use, we began again to do the same, measure the percentages of each variety, grind them, weigh them, and cupping again, we also made some tests on a espresso machine to verify how the blend performs under this system. At the very end we finished with two blends, the last round was tested with french press cafeteras to help us choose a winner. Now i have the new Café P11 blend for the next months until i decide to change it.

Live Jam

Jonathan (guitar), Alex (bass) and me (drums) recorded this song last year, I edited it to make it shorter. I miss those jam sessions, hope you like it.

Designing Coffee, Part 3

Cupping is a matter of sense (what is in the cup), feeling (what you like and what you don't) and memory (you have to remember what is in each cup). Cupping for designing a new formula is another story, here we are not just judging for what it is, but for what we want to achieve as well.

Extreme Object

This soap made of bronze is part of a work named Extreme Objects.
All the objects that we buy and keep around us carry within cultural messages from the manufacturer that invade our own culture, i try to aboard this phenomenon taking common objects and sacred them through the cast of bronze process, converting the disposable objects in art objects.

Designing Coffee, Part 2

After we got the different roasts, we ground the coffee and measure it in the exact and same amounts to proceed to the next step; cupping.
This process has to be carefully made, since all the beans and ground coffee looks alike is easy to lose your path towards your formula. However this is an extraordinary experience if you really are a coffee passionate, because its delicious scents fill up the entire room.

Designing Coffee, Part 1

This is my favorite task under the process of making a good cup of coffee. With all the samples ready we began today to roast them in a small Probat at 3 different stages, remember that all about coffee is a matter of taste, so we try different roasting times to verify which one works better and which one we like the most.

Imprescindible V

The drive of this song is given by Jones' bass line and Hakim's upbeat ride cymbal. I think these group of jazz musicians (Marsalis, Kirkland, Jones, Hakim, Pendarvis and McDonald) has been the best band Sting have ever had.