Posted in Photography, tagged Children, Discipline, Family Values, Photographs, Photography, Shoes, The Twisters on May 7, 2013 | 2 Comments »
Snapshot of three pairs of children’s shoes. They belong to “The Twisters” who blew in yesterday afternoon thirsty for pancakes and ice cream. They had both in generous amounts. This is the way they organize their shoes as soon as they come through the door. Discipline is a good thing at a young age; it develops good habits. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
Posted in Photography, tagged Backgammon, Board Games, Chess, Entertainment, Family Values, Games, Photographs, Photography, Strategy Games, The Twisters on November 26, 2012 | 3 Comments »
In this day and age, violence is taking our cities by storm. Most of our newspapers, magazines, radio stations, and TV programs are plagued with different categories of violence. The cause of this violence is complex. There are no easy answers to end the malaise. I have one suggestion though—going back to traditional family values.
We are trying very hard to help “The Twisters” grow as healthy as possible. In order to consolidate family values within The Twisters’ family, we thought it was a good idea to give them a game of Backgammon and Chess so they could play with their parents.
I was a lousy Chess player, but Abdiel has a good mind and absorbs information like a sponge. His father also has a knack for strategy games.
Below are several pictures of chess pieces which I captured before turning over the game to The Twisters. Here we go.
Snapshot of several pieces of a chess game which was recently given to The Twisters to activate their brain muscles. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
I can’t emphasize enough the importance of spending time with your kids. The family is the backbone of our societies. We have to stop the alarming rates of divorces, leaving behind confused kids bouncing back and forth like ping-pong balls. Practicing traditional family values is a good start. Good Day.
Posted in Photography, tagged Birthday Party, Children, Chinese Philosopher, Family, Family Values, Festivities, Lao-tzu, Paola, Photographs, Photography, Pink Color, The Twisters on August 11, 2012 | 7 Comments »
Yesterday was Thursday, August 9, 2012. It was a happy day for the Twister’s family. Paola, the smallest of the bunch, reached her first birthday. Their parents were busy like squirrels organizing a party to celebrate the occasion. Early morning they came with Paola to take her picture taken. Somehow I’ve become the “Official Photographer” of the family. I’m glad to accept the distinction.
After Paola was meticulously dressed in delicate pink, I started the photo session. This is what came out of my Canon DSLR EOS Rebel T2i camera. Here we go.
Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
Happy Birthday Paola. “A journey of a thousand miles begins beneath one’s feet.”—Lao-tzu Chinese philosopher (604 BC – 531 BC). Good Day.
Posted in Photography, tagged Children, Family Values, Feeding Time, Paola, Photographs, Photography, Portraits, The Twisters on July 28, 2012 | 6 Comments »
Paola, the youngest of the three Twisters, came last week to the house for a brief visit. She was hungry, so my wife hastily prepared some mashed ripe plantains and eased her hunger.
While she was being fed by my wife with a small spoon, I saw the scene in my head, and thought it would make a good picture; so I dashed to my home office and fetched my Birthday Camera.
This is what I captured for posterity. When Paola grows up, she can go back in time and see with her own eyes how she was fed one lazy Sunday morning. As Stuart Spipahigil once wrote, “Photographs are moments, pieces of time that are captured to look at again and again.” Here we go.
Snapshot of a black and white portrait of young Paola while she was being fed by wife my wife during a recent visit to our house. Paola is now 11 months old. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
Snapshot of Paola looking at her pinkies. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
Snapshot of a Mona Lisa smile graciously provided by the young Twister. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
Posted in Miscellaneous, tagged Airplanes, Airshows, Blazing Temperatures, Children, Clouds, Entertainment, Family Values, Panama, Tourism, Tropics on June 21, 2012 | 2 Comments »
One of the plane which was highly visited during the airshow at the former Howard Air Force Base, was a bulky military troops plane. There were long lines of parents with their children waiting in line under a torrid tropical sun. It was a pleasant sight to see the kids posing for their parents when they entered the plane. I can’t emphasize enough the benefits of sharing experiences with your family. The children will never forget it, even when they grow up. Usually they will follow the same pattern of sharing experiences with their own kids.
Below are several pictures of the people visiting a military aircraft and the swarm of people waiting in line to enter the plane. Take a look.
Snapshot of a long line of people waiting to enter a military plane with the purpose of taking pictures of their siblings. As you can see, it was a sizzling summer day and the temperatures were reaching the top of the thermometer Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
The visitors entered the aircraft from the back and exited from the front. There were cameras everywhere. It was interesting to point out that many parents were taking pictures with their cellphones. That’s a new trend in Panama.
Snapshot of visitors exiting the aircraft from the front on a continuous moving line. The waiting was painful due to the hot temperatures. But children always get their way when they want something bad enough. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
Take notice of the clear blue skies and the soft cotton-candy white clouds hovering over the airport. It was an enticing scenery. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
Posted in Miscellaneous, tagged Airplanes, Airshow, Children, Entertainment, Family Values, Panama, Scooters, Tourism, Twisters on June 14, 2012 | 4 Comments »
Snapshot of Karol, one of the Twisters and a small boy with a scooter, posing for the camera during an airplane show in Panama City, Panama. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
Posted in English, tagged Communication, English, Family, Family Values, Friendliness, Kids, Meaning, Salute, Vocabulary on June 11, 2012 | 2 Comments »
Snapshot of two small boys saluting their mother. One of them knew what he was doing; the other one, needed a bit more practice. Their mother patiently waited for the salutes to finish. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
This is a nice English word very similar to “saludo” in Spanish. A salute has several meanings. It could be a formal military gesture of respect, like the one the kids were doing, or to greet somebody in a friendly way. Example: “I meet this man every day on my way to work and he always salutes me.”
Another word to add to the list. This makes me a happy man with a warm smile on my face. It’s nice and warm outside, and the smell of home-made coffee is in the air. Breakfast is almost ready. Good Day.
Posted in Miscellaneous, tagged Airplanes, Airshows, Entertainment, Family, Family Values, Kids, Kings, Panama, Tourism on June 10, 2012 | 2 Comments »
Snapshot of a kid wearing a paper crown during an airshow in the former Howard Air Force Base. For their proud parents, he is The King of the family. No doubts about that. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
I’ll bet his parents have kvelled frequently about him, being so cute. He certainly looks as cute as a button in this picture. He has a demeanor of a Royal Highness with his McDonald’s paper crown and walking straight as an arrow.
I used the word “kvelled” on purpose for this blog post. In my quest to learn the English language, I try to add as many words to my personal vocabulary as I possibly can. At least one or two new words a day. In order to remember them, I try to use new words in my own sentences. That way they will belong to me if I use them often enough. They have been internalized. At least that’s what I think.
If you have not encountered this word before, let me share with you its meaning. Kvell is an intransitive verb—it can be used without an object. It’s definition is to be extraordinarily pleased, especially to be bursting with pride, as over one’s family. For example: “Critics kvelled over the violinist’s triumphant return to the stage where she made her debut many years ago.”
The word “kvell” is derived from Yiddish “kveln,” meaning “to be delighted,” which, in turn, comes from the Middle High German word “quellen,” meaning “to well, gush, or swell.” Yiddish has been a wellspring of creativity for English, giving us such delightful words as “meister” (“one who is knowledgeable about something”), “maven” (“expert”), and “shtick” (“one’s special activity”), just to name a few.
The date for the appearance of “kvell” in the English language is tricky to pinpoint exactly. The earliest known printed evidence for the word in an English source, is found in a 1952 handbook of Jewish words and expressions, but actual usage evidence before that date remains unseen.
And now you know why a parent would kvell over a regal kiddo like the one in the picture. I know I would. Good Day.
Posted in Miscellaneous, tagged Airplanes, Airshows, Aviation Air Show, Bonds, Brothers, Family Ties, Family Values, Love, Panama, Tourism on June 8, 2012 | 5 Comments »
Snapshot of The Twisters, Abdiel and Karol, in a brotherly hug while visiting a military plane at an airshow in Panama City, Panama. Promoting family values at a young age creates lifetime ties of love. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
Posted in Miscellaneous, tagged Airplane Show, Airplanes, Entertainment, Family Values, Panama, Parachutes, Paratroopers, The Twisters, Tourism on June 6, 2012 | 4 Comments »
Snapshot of The Twisters posing with a paratrooper during an airplane show in Panama City, Panama. This wonderful guy walked about 500 feet from where he was (restricted area) just to take the picture with the kids. Of course, they were over the moon. Karol is holding the helmet of the paratrooper. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
