tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88734003545603527212024-02-08T14:21:19.698-05:00Urban dualityGigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512500481080944530noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873400354560352721.post-59116780236036661682011-02-21T07:42:00.001-05:002011-02-21T07:48:47.508-05:00The counterfactual lives<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">We have learned in our statistics and econometrics classes to think about the counterfactual of a given situation. What if instead of this happening, something else happened. What if we didn't give the kids schooling what would be the outcome in terms of GDP growth.<br />
<br />
Apparently, we internalized this concept very well. And we are now imagining endless counterfactual lives. We spend a lot of time second-guessing our decisions and mentally punishing ourselves for not having made the right choices.<br />
<br />
What if I had moved to country A because I really liked their culture, and continued dating B because he was so amazing and maybe I gave up on him very fast, and what if I pushed a little more for a job at C where I would be making a lot of money? Wouldn't my life be great? Or if what if I have stayed at our first job, married our first love and by now have amazing and brilliant kids, wouldn't I feel satisfied? <br />
<br />
The problem we are facing now is that we have endless possibilities instead of A, B and C. We could easily move to several countries, we have met pretty awesome people and we could have found many different jobs.<br />
<br />
However, our idea of counterfactual lives is very biased. We never imagine that we would miss our culture if we moved to country A, or that B would turn out to be an unreliable womanizer or the fantastic job at C would have given us a heart attack at 35. The grass is always greener on the other side.<br />
<br />
We tend to think that from all the possibles lives we could have picked, we chose the a sub-par one.<br />
<br />
Are we just non-committal freaks, trying to have all opportunities open all the time? Are we obsessive comparing our lives to others? Are we just trying to improve all the time?<br />
<br />
Two thing come to my mind when I think about this:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;"><li>a Tony Judt quote that Meg posted the other day: "<span class="messageBody"> Who could do any better in the circumstances? The answer, of course, is 'a better me' and it is surprising how often we ask that we be a better version of our present self--in the full knowledge of just how difficult it was getting this far". </span></li>
<li><span class="messageBody">Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind - in the movies, Joel try to erase his story with Clementine. He gives up in the middle. Our memories and our mistakes are just part of who we are. </span></li>
</ul><span class="messageBody"></span><br />
<br />
</div>Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512500481080944530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873400354560352721.post-73219929871960076732010-09-22T17:49:00.000-04:002010-09-22T17:49:29.846-04:00Astérix and the electric guitar<div class="MsoNormal">Last week I saw the very good Brazilian documentary “Uma noite em 67” (a night in 67) about the music festivals held by a major TV chain. Those music festivals were a big hit in the late 60’s (kind of the same success American Idol had… but with better musicians and not so cheesy jury) and the main popular singers of Brazil at the time performed at the competition.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">One thing, however, caught my attention more than anything. In 1967, some famous Brazilian musicians organized a protest against the electric guitar. According to them, the electric guitar would destroy the Brazilian music as after the electric guitar would come the Imperialist Pop music. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">This reaction towards the electric guitar seems very much as how Astérix reacted to the Romans – they resisted and they would alone defeat them. Never mind that the Romans had better sewage systems, for instance. The point was: they would not be destroyed by the imperialist conqueror. As you can see very much the spirit of Porto Alegre…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">What happened in the 67 festival? For me, onBee of the most touching moments was when Caetano Veloso started his song – Alegria, Alegria (Happiness, Happiness) – with a Beach-Boys-alike band, with electric guitars and long hairs. He was first being booed by the audience (“how dare him spoil our heritage with this Imperialist instrumnent?”) but the music is so beautiful and Caetano co charismatic that in the middle of the song, the audience changed its mind and began applauding and singing along. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/b5JzBWOf8kw?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/b5JzBWOf8kw?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></div><div class="MsoNormal">That same night Gilberto Gil and Os Mutantes presented also a beautiful song with electric guitars. The Tropicalismo movement was born: electric guitars mixed with Brazilian traditional music, Bossa Nova and Rolling Stones together. And the music is just absolutely amazing - it changed the way music was understood and played in Brazil. It's not only the old vs the new: it's embracing the new that exist globally and using it with a local beat.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QEXzaNb4FPs?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QEXzaNb4FPs?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></div><div class="MsoNormal">It’s funny how Brazilians some time insist in protecting their country from the evil influence of the rest of the world. We are on our best when we take elements from the outside, mix with our good things and make a fantastic product. Check the success Embrapa had with agriculture (The Economist said that the rest of the World should learn from us how to improve the productivity of the agricultural sector). Should we go back to our anthropophagic roots? </div>Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512500481080944530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873400354560352721.post-59334737639358146262010-05-30T01:21:00.000-04:002010-05-30T01:21:16.419-04:00Things I'm not good at1 - throwing things away<br />
2 - not gesticulating when I'm talking<br />
3 - organizing my shoes<br />
4 - organizing my closet, as a matter of fact<br />
5 - not smiling<br />
6 - saying goodbye<br />
<br />
Elizabeth Bishop lived in Brazil and in Cambridge, MA - as I did. And she wrote a beautiful poem about losing people and places.<br />
<br />
<b>One art</b><br />
<br />
The art of losing isn't hard to master;<br />
so many things seem filled with the intent<br />
to be lost that their loss is no disaster.<br />
<br />
Lose something every day. Accept the fluster<br />
of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.<br />
The art of losing isn't hard to master.<br />
<br />
Then practice losing farther, losing faster:<br />
places, and names, and where it was you meant <br />
to travel. None of these will bring disaster.<br />
<br />
I lost my mother's watch. And look! my last, or<br />
next-to-last, of three loved houses went.<br />
The art of losing isn't hard to master.<br />
<br />
I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,<br />
some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.<br />
I miss them, but it wasn't a disaster.<br />
<br />
<br />
--Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture<br />
I love) I shan't have lied. It's evident<br />
the art of losing's not too hard to master<br />
though it may look like (<i>Write</i> it!) like disaster.Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512500481080944530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873400354560352721.post-89486592944053638792010-05-11T15:42:00.001-04:002010-05-11T15:56:18.345-04:00What women should know about Game TheoryLet's say you start seeing a new guy. And, yes, you get really excited about him. He is very smart, cool, tall, dark and handsome. But you are really unsure whether he likes you or not.<br />
<br />
So you decide to give him a signal that you are a cool, smart, independent girl.You obviously don't want to scare the guy away saying how much you like him and how needy and kind of crazy you really are. And here you are, acting really cool because he didn't call 3 days in a row or you are making excuses for his behavior (yes, he's just scared of how much he likes me) and so on.<br />
<br />
And that's the road to disaster.<br />
<br />
Because you should not be signaling, you should be screening. <br />
<br />
<br />
You should be acting kind of crazy because you want to know if the guy sticks around it's only because he likes you. You should make sure that the guy will make an effort to see you. If he likes you he will make the effort to signal it.<br />
<br />
And the genius advice my micro teacher gave is: the signal should be costly for him. If the guy takes you to an expensive restaurant, that's not s costly effort for him (for most guy I know, at least), he just likes it - with or without you. If he takes you along to things he already likes, it doesn't mean he likes you.<br />
<br />
To make sure the guy you are seeing likes you make sure he's sending a costly signal to demonstrate his interest. My personal experience is that no guy likes kind of crazy behavior - but some of them stay even after I act kind of crazy. And the one that matters always stood there. Some of my friends like to take the guys they are dating to family reunions. Others take them to the ballet.<br />
<br />
Otherwise he may just be spending time with an easy girl he never actually liked... and you will end up having long dinners with friends trying to understand how a guy that "clearly" liked you dumped you. He may never have liked you on the first place, as harsh as it seems... <br />
<br />
And I admit that there is a fine line between acting a little crazy and scaring every guy away. Or you may end up attracting freaks who like really crazy girls.<br />
<br />
And - guys - be aware: there's a difference between interesting and hence kind of crazy and crazy to distract you from the fact that I have a very boring personality...<br />
<br />
P.S.: This post is for my awesome professor Asim, who taught me about contract and game theory. I actually wrote in a memo for his class that game theory had helped me on the dating part of my life and that now I was hoping contract theory would help me not get a divorce...Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512500481080944530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873400354560352721.post-37581790411471239292010-05-03T21:43:00.000-04:002010-05-03T21:43:45.717-04:00What Thom Yorke taught me about EconomicsI went to the amaaaaazing Thom Yorke and Atoms for Peace concert. Thom Yorke is the lead singer of Radiohead and object of indie blind devotion. And - just to be honest - I adore him. Since my teen years, Radiohead has always been a favorite of mine (come on! The guy wrote Creep - my teen anthem)! The fact that Flea - bass player of Red Hot Chili Peppers - was also on stage just made my day. It was just awesome. <br />
<br />
And Thom managed to teach some Economics concepts.<br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>1 - Coordination failure</b><br />
We had Orchestra seats - kind of in the back of the Theater but still pretty centrally located. However, we stood up all the concert. If the guys on the front rows sat down, the whole orchestra would have watched the concert sitting and not standing up. So, sometimes rational human beings do not take the best decision for the collectivity because if the decision is not made by everybody at the same time, the cost of being the first one to act it's too high for any private individual to do it. Therefore, I stood up...<br />
<br />
<b>2 - Warm glow</b><br />
When Radiohead released their album "In Rainbows" (amazing album btw), they offered it for download to the price you wanted to pay. The question was: why would you pay for something you could get for free? Rationally, it wouldn't make any sense. Still, people paid for downloading the album. Maybe those people derive utility from doing something they consider good (reqarding amazing musician for their music). People's utility function is not only based on maximizing resources - it also involves how they feel about it.Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512500481080944530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873400354560352721.post-52323986950484533542010-04-14T20:37:00.000-04:002010-04-14T20:37:10.747-04:00Contracts or how to avoid a divorce - part deuxAfter a very insightful feedback on the my post from an unexpected source of relationship wisdom and one illuminating comment by a life guru on an actual situation I was going through, I have a few observations to make on marriage and contracts:<br />
<br />
1 - If you frame it as a contract, you lose it. The problem is if you try to make informal relationships too formal, you'll lose the easiness and flexibility. You'll end up with a stiff relation without any spontaneous movement. Nothing more boring than scheduled romanticism.<br />
<br />
2 - If you focus too much on the details of the contract, you may loose the big picture. Why are you willing to spend the rest of your life with that person? The big picture should be because you love them. A lot. Sometimes is good to take a step back and remind yourself why you're doing this in the first place.<br />
<br />
3 - I still think it's a valid internal process to figure out more or less what are your expectations regarding a marriage and the act of codifying expectations may be truly insightful (my bet is that most people will have kind of unrealistic expectations on marriage but they never really thought about it)<br />
<br />
4 - Can we make a Tiger Woods clause? In Portuguese - "apelou, perdeu"! Roughly translated as you don't play fair, you loose. Immediately. (OK, so this clause comes from my obsession to understand what the heck was Tiger doing with all those women - NY Magazine called them <a href="http://nymag.com/news/features/65238/">half-hookers</a>). So, en hommage à S., I just had to mention Tiger.Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512500481080944530noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873400354560352721.post-40065977396299178732010-03-28T23:28:00.001-04:002010-03-28T23:30:28.515-04:00Contracts or how to avoid a divorceThe wedding wave has arrived in Cambridge. Over the past 3 months, 4 of my brilliant classmates decided to get engaged. As I plan a trip to Pakistan to attend one wedding, I have started to think on what makes a marriage successful?<br />
<br />
My answer to that was: contract theory! Marriages should be viewed as partnership contract between two people and not as romantic fate. Before people start thinking that I'm a cold-hearted bitch, I have to say I'm actually more romantic than most people: I want a marriage that lasts, I don't think I could go through a divorce without losing my mind. That said: let's analyze contract theory a little bit.<br />
<br />
As we have learned in contract theory class, to draw a good contract you must go through 3 phases: gather internal information of what you want to achieve in the partnership, negotiate and explicit the deal terms with your counterpart, codify it so a third party can enforce the contract at an eventual breach. Problems arise because contracts are incomplete: you can never foresee all the possibilities of life when you draw a contract and there is a possibility that one of the parties may want to renegotiate the contract because they feel that unforeseen events have altered they payoff of the partnership.<br />
<br />
If you're lost in the economics-jargon, worry not, my dear.<br />
<br />
To have a successful marriage you have to first understand who you are and what you expect from a marriage (how many hours you want to dedicate to the family vs. work, how many kids you wanna have, what kind if education you want to give them, how you feel about savings vs spending, how ambitious are you, should you have a TV on the living room or in the bedroom, etc.). When you have that clear you can talk to your partner (who also knows what s/he wants) and you can understand the other and compromise to codify the mutual understanding into one marriage contract. You know your role and you trust the other to follow their role. If people took the time to actually understand what they want and communicate it to the partner, I think many divorces (aka contract renegotiation) would be avoided because we would have a better contract on the first place.<br />
<br />
In my view, marriage contracts should have already stated that they will have periodic revisions as to make sure that the partners are still happy after so many unforeseen events (aka life) happen.<br />
<br />
My only caveat would be: DO NOT OVER-REGULATE! I personally hate to be micro-managed and would be annoyed to the point of leaving the negotiation table if I had a partner that would insist on negotiating details such appropriate skirt length, authorized nail polish colors, appropriate time spent on bed on Sunday mornings, etc, etc. Just let me be!Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512500481080944530noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873400354560352721.post-59560350136946219512010-02-24T23:44:00.000-05:002010-02-24T23:44:38.559-05:00Synapses<b>1 - Education</b><br />
I have been more and more convinced that to tackle the low-quality-education challenge that haunts Brazil (and many other countries that have already achieved universal schooling) will have to go through the market or quasi-market forces.<br />
And then I found this <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Tree-Personal-Educating-Themselves/dp/1933995920">book</a> describing that he founds that private schools are providing quality education for poor people in poor countries. Interesting. Aid Watch has a wonderful analysis of it <a href="http://aidwatchers.com/2010/02/paying/">here</a>. My favorite part? "Most reasons that the parents gave for their choice had to do with what the World Bank calls the “short route” to accountability (as opposed to the “long route” which works through the political process)"<br />
<br />
<b>2 - China Investment in the World</b><br />
A map of China non-asset investment in the World can be found <a href="http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/02/24/where_china_is_investing">here</a>. The DR of Congo received US$7.9 billion form 2005 to 2009 (China is investing heavily in their copper mines and basic infrastructure as roads, railroads and hospitals). DR of Congo GDP? Find it <a href="http://www.google.com/publicdata?ds=wb-wdi&met=ny_gdp_mktp_cd&idim=country:COG&dl=en&hl=en&q=congo+gdp">here</a> - but it's now US$ 10.8 bi. Yes, you can see exactly when China started investing in the countryGigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512500481080944530noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873400354560352721.post-4095161970658881162010-01-27T21:49:00.002-05:002010-01-27T22:09:52.790-05:00Silences<div style="text-align: justify;"><b>A - Silent Nights</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I lay in bed, looking at the ceiling. You’re lying next to me, half asleep. I’m crying – in silence. I open my mouth in vain: I cannot articulate any word. I want to tell you how confused and insecure I am.</div><div> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p>You don’t notice the tears or the quiet struggle.</o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p>I insist on my useless attempts to speak - air is expelled from my mouth, but no sound is formed. I feel like there’s a rock on my chest – pushing me into the bed, making me short of breath and immobile. I can physically feel the rock – my chest hurts from its weight and pressure.</o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p>I stare at the ceiling, defeated. You’re still oblivious.</o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p>One night. Two nights. So many nights of this lonesome silent ballet.</o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p>I cry a little bit more in the dark, making sure I’ll not wake you from your drunken maze. </o:p></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p><b><br /></b></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p><b>B - Silent eyes</b></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> <!--StartFragment--> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><!--StartFragment--> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"></span>any experience, <b>your eyes have their silence: </b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me</b>,</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes">or which i cannot touch because they are too near</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>your slightest look easily will unclose me </b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>though i have closed myself as fingers</b>,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"></span>you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"></span>(touching skillfully, mysteriously) her first rose</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">or if your wish be to close me, i and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"></span>my life will shut very beautifully ,suddenly,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"></span>as when the heart of this flower imagines<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"></span>the snow carefully everywhere descending;</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"></span>the power of your intense fragility; whose texture<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"></span>compels me with the color of its countries,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"></span>rendering death and forever with each breathing</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">(i do not know what it is about you that closes<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"></span>and opens; only something in me understands<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"></span>the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>nobody, not even the rain, has such small hands</b></p> <!--EndFragment--> <p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>e.e. cummings</b></p> <!--EndFragment--> <p></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div></div>Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512500481080944530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873400354560352721.post-33103251555320394242009-12-26T21:35:00.001-05:002009-12-26T21:38:57.502-05:00Oysters“Such mechanisms are analogous to the involuntary grace by which an oyster, coping with an irritating grain of sand, creates a pearl,” he writes. “Humans, too, when confronted with irritants, engage in unconscious but often creative behavior.”<br /><br />From this very good article on <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200906/happiness">what makes us happy</a>.<div><br /></div><div>2009 surely gave me enough pearls to make a necklace.</div>Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512500481080944530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873400354560352721.post-84764690003682310922009-12-01T22:23:00.005-05:002009-12-01T23:36:27.563-05:00Cats in my lifeI had two very pleasant surprises today: one came by mail - it made me nostalgic - the other was waiting for me on my desk - it made me grateful for my life in Cambridge.<br /><br />It also reminded me of how much cats have been a part of my life. I never had a cat so it's much more the simbology than the affection to one specific feline that have been a constant in my life.<br /><br />In (kind of) chronological order:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1 - Aristocats</span>: it was my favorite movie when I was a small kid. I just wonder how I watched it as we never had a VCR in my house...<br /><object width="445" height="364"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qNEraxj559Y&hl=en_US&fs=1&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qNEraxj559Y&hl=en_US&fs=1&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2 - Os Saltimbancos:</span> this is very much a Brazilian reference. But I grew up in a country with very limited access to foreign goods (Pringles were a MAJOR luxury product) and therefore have a lot of memories with Brazilian musics and products. The Saltimbancos was a very good story LP (with music and story telling) from Chico Buarque about 4 animals (a donkey, a cat, a dog and a hen) that wanted to escape the abuse of their mean and abusive human owners and discover that they are powerful if they stick together. Major political message - we were living in a military dictatorship but "together we are strong". Anyway, I loved the character of the lazy domesticated cat who got kicked out of the house because she couldn't resist the bohemian nights with the street cats. (The clip is from a classic movie they made after the LP)<br /><object width="445" height="364"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mAUvxNlFN2g&hl=en_US&fs=1&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mAUvxNlFN2g&hl=en_US&fs=1&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">3 - Egyptian cat at Louvre</span>: when I was a kid, my father was married to a french woman that I adored - Iany. She took me many times to Louvre and great part of my love for art and cinema (see below) has to do with her. She guided me to become a super-curious-prematurely-exposed-to-a-LOT-of-adult-art kid. Unfortunately, they got a horrible separation which I could not entirely overcome up to this day. And I never got to thank her for all the positive influence she had on me.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YgjWngJGb9k/SxXtYcDsy8I/AAAAAAAABxA/22luzCJ8IHA/s1600-h/ART385589.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YgjWngJGb9k/SxXtYcDsy8I/AAAAAAAABxA/22luzCJ8IHA/s200/ART385589.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410491531459873730" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4 - When the cat comes (Az prijde kocour)</span>: a Czech movie from the 60's about a cat who could see the true nature and emotions of people - and then people become "colored" accordingly: red for lovers, purple for liars, etc. Iany took me to see this movie and I loved it. She was also responsible for memorable movie theaters sessions: The Mahrabarata, Orson Welles, Almodóvar, etc, etc, etc - did I mention I was a kid when watched all of those movies??<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YgjWngJGb9k/SxXtkewwIyI/AAAAAAAABxI/CpDwTYakLD4/s1600-h/diaumgatoum03_500.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 158px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YgjWngJGb9k/SxXtkewwIyI/AAAAAAAABxI/CpDwTYakLD4/s200/diaumgatoum03_500.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410491738344137506" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">5 - Confuse a cat</span>- <span style="font-weight: bold;"></span> - I adore Monty Python. This is one of my favorite sketches. Sometimes I feel like my true calling is to be a cat confuser. And after the MPA/ID, we know that the best way to confuse a depressed cat is to have giraffes around...<br /><object width="445" height="364"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/B2Je1CEPkUM&hl=en_US&fs=1&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/B2Je1CEPkUM&hl=en_US&fs=1&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object>Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512500481080944530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873400354560352721.post-45804715561649999142009-11-21T01:03:00.002-05:002009-11-21T01:06:32.472-05:00It was a good Thursday<!--copy and paste--><object width="446" height="326"><param name="movie" value="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><param name="bgColor" value="#ffffff"> <param name="flashvars" value="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/dynamic/BenjaminZander_2008-medium.flv&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/BenjaminZander-2008.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=432&vh=240&ap=0&ti=286&introDuration=16500&adDuration=4000&postAdDuration=2000&adKeys=talk=benjamin_zander_on_music_and_passion;year=2008;theme=speaking_at_ted2009;theme=presentation_innovation;theme=spectacular_performance;theme=live_music;event=TED2008;&preAdTag=tconf.ted/embed;tile=1;sz=512x288;"><embed src="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf" pluginspace="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" bgcolor="#ffffff" width="446" height="326" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/dynamic/BenjaminZander_2008-medium.flv&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/BenjaminZander-2008.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=432&vh=240&ap=0&ti=286&introDuration=16500&adDuration=4000&postAdDuration=2000&adKeys=talk=benjamin_zander_on_music_and_passion;year=2008;theme=speaking_at_ted2009;theme=presentation_innovation;theme=spectacular_performance;theme=live_music;event=TED2008;"></embed></object><br /><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for dragging me to the concert. It turned a dull day into a Wagnerian experience.</div>Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512500481080944530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873400354560352721.post-26106123993378685302009-11-17T18:02:00.004-05:002009-11-17T18:42:27.428-05:00The strange obsession of faith in lifeLast Sunday I went to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_Nascimento">Milton Nascimento</a> concert at <a href="http://www.berklee.edu/">Berklee</a>. I have always liked Milton Nascimento but I would hardly consider myself a die-hard fan (as I am a Caetano or Chico Buarque fan).<br /><br />However, to my complete surprise, I knew most lyrics of the songs and - even more surprising - seeing him performing live gave me goose bumps. His songs were a part of my early childhood: one of my first memories is my mom listening to his LP Ponta de Areia in our living room in the first house I have ever lived. My emotional memory is more linked to Milton Nascimento than I thought, all those images of my childhood flooded my mind thanks to the concert. It made me nostalgic and with saudades from my family.<br /><br />Bonus soundtrack - Para Lennon e McCartney/Maria, Maria - probably two of his most famous songs, from where I took the quote. And it kind of fit me - I have a strange obsession of faith in life.<br /><object height="525" width="660"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/pVqOtQtTjWU&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0xcc2550&color2=0xe87a9f&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/pVqOtQtTjWU&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0xcc2550&color2=0xe87a9f&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="525" width="660"></embed></object>Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512500481080944530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873400354560352721.post-35301919408259331082009-11-13T17:35:00.002-05:002009-11-13T17:38:32.943-05:00A tender moment in a chilly day<div style="padding-left: 14px; padding-top: 20px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 16px; color: rgb(55, 93, 87); font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bride and Groom Lie Hidden for Three Days</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Ted Hughes</span><br /><br />She gives him his eyes, she found them<br />Among some rubble, among some beetles<br /><br />He gives her her skin<br />He just seemed to pull it down out of the air and lay it over her<br />She weeps with fearfulness and astonishment<br /><br />She has found his hands for him, and fitted them freshly at the wrists<br />They are amazed at themselves, they go feeling all over her<br /><br />He has assembled her spine, he cleaned each piece carefully<br />And sets them in perfect order<br />A superhuman puzzle but he is inspired<br />She leans back twisting this way and that, using it and laughing<br />Incredulous<br /><br />Now she has brought his feet, she is connecting them<br />So that his whole body lights up<br /><br />And he has fashioned her new hips<br />With all fittings complete and with newly wound coils, all shiningly oiled<br />He is polishing every part, he himself can hardly believe it<br /><br />They keep taking each other to the sun, they find they can easily<br />To test each new thing at each new step<br /><br />And now she smoothes over him the plates of his skull<br />So that the joints are invisible<br /><br />And now he connects her throat, her breasts and the pit of her stomach<br />With a single wire<br /><br />She gives him his teeth, tying the the roots to the centrepin of his body<br /><br />He sets the little circlets on her fingertips<br /><br />She stiches his body here and there with steely purple silk<br /><br />He oils the delicate cogs of her mouth<br /><br />She inlays with deep cut scrolls the nape of his neck<br /><br />He sinks into place the inside of her thighs<br /><br />So, gasping with joy, with cries of wonderment<br />Like two gods of mud<br />Sprawling in the dirt, but with infinite care<br />They bring each other to perfection. </div>Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512500481080944530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873400354560352721.post-71698366678571447442009-11-12T22:27:00.002-05:002009-11-12T22:48:34.274-05:00This is not AmericaI live in a overly-educated, refined, rich bubble. We feel safe and protected (except from the robberies and the <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2228705/">oh-so-scandalous murder</a>). But this is not America.<br />The other day we were leaving the Friday night party at the museum and one of us suggested eating at Burger King. The clever answer that another one gave was:<br />"I don't live in the US, I live in Cambridge".<br />Latin-Americans always felt close to American culture: movies, candies, brands, music - all the imperialistic propaganda (this is an ironic joke). However, after 1 year living here - do I really know America?<br /><br />Bonus track - David Bowie (LOOOOOVE him - I could do a whole series of posts based only in his song titles)<br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/3osvs63aPUs&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3osvs63aPUs&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512500481080944530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873400354560352721.post-40753022678535501662009-11-10T00:12:00.002-05:002009-11-10T00:31:06.639-05:00BelongingI have never lived more than 5 years in the same house. I have packed and unpacked several times - and still now I have things scattered in many boxes in many places. I'm not afraid of changes - even when they are difficult.<br /><br />I have rarely missed the feeling of belonging somewhere.<br /><br />However, this weekend I had the feeling of belonging. Interestingly enough it wasn't belonging to a place but belonging side by side with people. And it felt so good.Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512500481080944530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873400354560352721.post-10768604329185925112009-11-08T11:48:00.003-05:002009-11-08T11:54:19.687-05:00BostonI'm not a big fan of Boston. There - I said it!<br />However as I start to discover some neighborhoods as the South End, I start to appreciate the city a little bit more. Of course, the cheese, wine and prosciutto may have helped. And the fantastic dinner with good friends that we cooked after.<br /><br />But I think I'm beginning to enjoy the city for the city itself.<br /><br />The First Fridays at the MFA, the ICA, the bakeries, the little shops with tons of character, the beautiful buildings, the good restaurants.<br /><br />Not so much the winter, though. That's too much to ask...Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512500481080944530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873400354560352721.post-27006726285892528992009-11-03T23:43:00.003-05:002009-11-07T00:28:08.333-05:00Bodas de Ouro - 50th Wedding AnniversaryI have a lot of theories about the world. This should be already very clear for those who know me as I'm constantly saying "I have a theory that xyz is happening because..." and then I go into rather long digressions about life.<br /><br />One of my theories is the "marriage wave" - as I'm surrounded by wedding invitations from friends, co-workers and acquaintances, I'm left to ponder why they happen at the same time. But, as I'm a cynical daughter of divorced parents, I believe that this is only the first "marriage wave" - about half of the marriages will end in divorce. Therefore we will have a "divorce wave" and people will remarry afterward on the "second marriage wave".<br /><br />As I'm approaching 30 and I expect at least half the marriages to end in divorce, we will see very few 50th Wedding Anniversaries when we get old.<br /><br />I went to see Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Project here at Harvard a couple of weeks ago. The concert was amazing, I had a great time in great company. Yo-Yo Ma received an award at the end of the concert for his effort to promote education and art. The award was named "Thelma E. Goldberg Arts in Education Award" because it was the 50th Anniversary gift that Thelma Goldberg's husband (HBS professor Ray Goldberg) gave to her - an award to foster art and education with her name.<br /><br />I thought that this was one of the most beautiful gifts that someone could offer a loved one after a 50 years shared life. They not only wanted to celebrate their life together but they also wanted to share their passion to arts and education with the society. I have to say that I think that couples that after 50 years want to celebrate their marriage are one of the things that make me emotional (yes, this is my kind of kitsch).<br /><br />And then I dawned me: the probability that I will ever have a 50th Anniversary are very very slim. And that is kind of sad.Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512500481080944530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873400354560352721.post-24541343626529958322009-10-28T17:45:00.002-04:002009-10-28T17:49:49.878-04:00Feverish hallucinationsWhenever I get a fever, I have weird dreams.<br />I had a fever last night and I mistook my room here for my room in Sao Paulo.<br />I dreamed that it was all a nightmare and I would wake up safely in my green room.<br /><br />But I woke up here.Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512500481080944530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873400354560352721.post-54702232725582310782009-10-19T23:06:00.002-04:002009-10-19T23:49:01.752-04:00SerendipityOne of my favorite feelings is discovering by chance a new favorite restaurant. You may never come back to the place - but the feeling of stumbling upon a restaurant you love is just magical. The mixture of luck and good food is just extraordinary and makes me so happy. This is one of the beauties of cities: you can have those lucky encounters any day.<br /><br />I have to be honest about 2 things:<br /><ul><li> I don't believe in "cosmic significance" or "signs"</li><li>That said - when I discover a place that I really like by luck, it automatically becomes one of my favorite places.<br /></li></ul><br />I had long conversations with my friends lately about the role of fate. And some quotes really stuck on my head - although I don't like to think things are not meant to be, I do love lucky coincidences. Even if it's just to make my life a little bit more beautiful<br /><br />"You can't ascribe great cosmic significance to a simple earthly event. Coincidence, that's all anything ever is, nothing more than coincidence. There are no miracles. There is no such thing as fate. Nothing is meant to be." - (500) days of Summer (yes, it's chick flick)<br /><br />"Quien no lo sepa ya<br />lo aprenderá de prisa:<br />la vida no para,<br />no espera, no avisa.<br />Tantos planes, tantos planes<br />vueltos espuma<br />tu, por ejemplo,<br />tan a tiempo<br />y tan<br />inoportuna"<br />Jorge Drexler - Inoportuna<br /><br />"Our day-to-day life is bombarded with fortuities or, to be more precise, with the accidental meeting of people and events that we call coincidence. "Co-incidence" means that two events unexpectedly happen at the same time, they meet: Tomas appears at the restaurant at the same time the radio is playing Beethoven. We do not even notice the great majority of such coincidences. If the seat Tomas occupied had been occupied by the local butcher, Tereza never would have noticed that the radio was playing Beethoven (though the meeting of Beethoven and the butcher would also have been an interesting coincidence). But her nascent love inflamed her sense of beauty, and she would never forget that music. Whenever she heard it, she would be touched." Milan Kundera - The unbearable lightness of being.Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512500481080944530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873400354560352721.post-15961691767882737962009-10-11T12:18:00.000-04:002009-10-11T12:40:25.068-04:00Defining GiselaGisela is a <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?q=gisela+arizona&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=Gisela,+AZ&gl=us&ei=Ov_RSuq7F87ZlAeClc2oCg&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CAoQ8gEwAA">city</a>.<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gisela,_Arizona">Gisela, Arizona</a>, has a population of 532.<br />It was founded by miners in the late XIX century. The city was named Gisela because the children were reading the book "Countess Gisela" in school and voted that the settlement should be called <a href="http://sophie.byu.edu/literature/index.php?p=text.php&textid=1837">Gisela after the book</a>.<br />It's located near the Tonto National Park<br /><a href="http://www.city-data.com/city/Gisela-Arizona.html">21% of the men are firemen</a> - constantly controlling the clash of the high temperatures and the National Park.<br /><br />Should Gisela, Arizona, even exist?Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512500481080944530noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873400354560352721.post-79873847905147700092009-10-09T16:04:00.000-04:002009-10-09T16:18:47.961-04:00We're not in Kansas anymore, TotoI'm back in Cambridge, MA. I'm no longer living in a Latin-American megalopolis. I'm back at the MPA/ID classes. But I have decided to continue this blog.<br /><br />It was a road-blog to begin with. And I'm still on the road, trying to figure out a ton of things. <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YgjWngJGb9k/Ss-aedcrE4I/AAAAAAAABv8/YdrvmX6kIjc/s1600-h/DSC_0412.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YgjWngJGb9k/Ss-aedcrE4I/AAAAAAAABv8/YdrvmX6kIjc/s200/DSC_0412.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390697127077417858" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /></span>Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512500481080944530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873400354560352721.post-11646709758294351092009-10-08T00:05:00.000-04:002009-10-08T00:10:26.225-04:00Le vent nous porteraBlame it on the wind. Blame it on the stars. Blame it on the fall season. Blame it on the moon.<br /><br />"I shouldn’t tell you<br />but this moon<br />but this cognac<br />leave us moved like the devil."<br /><br />Carlos Drummond de AndradeGigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512500481080944530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873400354560352721.post-33228145476134499832009-10-03T17:02:00.000-04:002009-10-03T17:17:06.974-04:00Boston soundtrack of the dayGarbage - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdodc1Eu1nA">I'm only happy when it rains</a>
<br />
<br />Madonna - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNt8K8ZI_6w">Rain</a>
<br />
<br />Phil Collins - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QfZb6dqJpU">I wish it would rain down</a>
<br />
<br />Burt Bacharah - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRsXHDYXafM">Raindrops keep falling on my head</a>
<br />
<br />Gene Kelly - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmCpOKtN8ME">Singing in the rain</a><div>
<br /></div><div>Prince - Purple Rain</div><div>
<br /><div><object width="480" height="359"><param name="movie" value="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x7c6ib&related=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x7c6ib&related=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="359" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></object><br /><b><a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7c6ib_prince-purple-rain-live-original_music">Prince - Purple Rain (Live Original)</a></b><br /><i>Uploaded by <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/goldrausch">goldrausch</a>. - <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/us/channel/music">Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.</a></i></div>
<br /></div>Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512500481080944530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8873400354560352721.post-53142127002379158872009-07-22T20:27:00.000-04:002009-07-22T20:36:11.816-04:00My Balassa-Samuelson haircut<meta name="Title" content=""> <meta name="Keywords" content=""> <meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"> <meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"> <meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 2008"> <meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 2008"> <link rel="File-List" href="file://localhost/Users/giselagasparian/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_filelist.xml"> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal.dotm</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>271</o:Words> <o:characters>1546</o:Characters> <o:company>Harvard Kennedy School</o:Company> <o:lines>12</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>3</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>1898</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>12.0</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:trackformatting/> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:drawinggridhorizontalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:drawinggridverticalspacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:dontautofitconstrainedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal">On our macroeconomics class of the first semester, we learned about the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balassa-Samuelson_Effect">Balassa-Samuelson effect. </a>In a nutshell<span style=""> </span>- services tend to be cheaper in poorer countries ad countries with weaker foreign currency.
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">So, I badly needed a haircut. I have been meaning to have a haircut since March. When I went to Barcelona, for spring break, I considered having a hair cut but the Euro fee I had to pay for the service was more than I wanted.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I have just one disclaimer: I do spend money on haircuts. Unfortunately, I had pretty terrible experiences going to neighborhoods’ salons, so I do pay more for having a nice haircut in a nice salon. If you feel the need to express your judgment, go ahead – I have 4 brothers that are a constant reminder of nonchalance as a virtue.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Anyway, in need of a haircut, I decided to make a rational choice.<span style=""> </span>I decided that I would have a haircut in a less expensive country than the US Over the summer I was heading to Mexico and Brazil and both countries are less expensive than the US. I looked on the Internet and through aardvark<span style=""> </span>(Jenny, you owe me a beer for that) to fabulous salons in Mexico City. After a few calls, I learned that I would spend around U$40 on a haircut. I had one data point.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">If you take GDP per capita, Mexico has U$ 7180 and Brazil has U$ 4289. Therefore, you would expect that a haircut in Brazil – because it’s poorer would be cheaper than in Mexico. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Well, it’s not. If I wanted a haircut in a nice salon in São Paulo, I would have spent at least U$ 130. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Why?
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">1 – By <a href="http://www.economist.com/businessfinance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14036918">The Economist Big Mac index,</a> Brazil Real is over-valuated and Mexican Peso is under-valuated and therefore services are more expensive in Brazil than they should be by the Balassa-Samuelson effect</p> <p class="MsoNormal">2 – Maybe I should consider the GDP per capita of the cities and not of the country.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">And here is my new Mexican haircut.</p><p class="MsoNormal">
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YgjWngJGb9k/SmewALrmu9I/AAAAAAAABu8/fHkzxHrua6c/s1600-h/Photo+230.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YgjWngJGb9k/SmewALrmu9I/AAAAAAAABu8/fHkzxHrua6c/s200/Photo+230.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361447398590036946" border="0" /></a>
<br /></p> <!--EndFragment--> Gigihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06512500481080944530noreply@blogger.com4