Frolicking in the Playground

Snapshot of a group of young children cavorting inside a playground in Panama City, Panama. Their happiness is contagious. Photo by: ©Omar Upegui R.

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Wrapping Up Christmas Gifts

For several months, The Twisters have been nagging about wanting a Nintendo Wii console under their Christmas tree this year.  We told them insistently, that that wish depended on their school performance.  If their grades were acceptable and if they made it to the next level, the console was possible.  We were careful to stress the word possible.

Serendipitously, The Twisters are passing to the next academic level and their school performance was acceptable.  This means that we will stick to our commitment and place a Nintendo Wii console under their Christmas tree on the 24th this month.  Last week we went to Multimax and acquired the longed gadget.

Last Sunday Abdiel and my wife wrapped it up.  He wanted to take it home, but we said, “No way Jose.”  It stays here until the time is ripe for Santa to deliver it on the Christmas Eve (if you still believe in Santa Claus—tongue-in-cheek).

Below are several pictures capturing the moment of the wrapping of the Christmas present.  We hope this gadget will contribute to keep the family together by playing entertaining games at home.  It is uppermost important for us to keep this family together and happy.

Snapshot of the Nintendo Wii console before it was wrapped up in special Christmas paper. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of my wife Aura and Abdiel carefully wrapping up the Nintendo Wii console one lazy Sunday afternoon. If you look closely at the clock on top of the TV set, it was exactly 1:00 p.m. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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Family Reunion

Snapshot of the three Twisters and their father having fun in the kitchen during their last visit to our home. Paola is the center of attention as you can see. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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Saddling the Doggie

During a recent visit of The Twisters, we removed the dust from an old plastic rocking dog we had stored and forgotten in one of our closets, and turned it over to Paola—the youngest of The Twisters.

She was jumping with joy, thinking the dog was some kind of horse and headed towards the saddle.  Nothing beats the happiness of a child.  Take a look at Paola riding the high saddle of the dog-horse.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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A Young Gardener

Snapshot of Abdiel (the oldest of the Twisters) helping our gardener by trimming several hanging ferns in our backyard. As you can see, he is growing up to be a young man now. Time really flies. I remember when he was just a fragile baby in his mother’s arms. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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One Year Old in Pink

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.

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Salute

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.

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His Majesty, The King

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.

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The Call of the Blood

Snapshot of “The Twisters,” Abdiel and Karol, on board a military plane during a recent airplane show in Panama City, Panama. As I look at this picture of innocent-looking kids, I wonder why the world is upside down. If we would only listen to the call of the blood, we would all be brothers and sisters, and our world would be a lot friendlier, a lot cleaner, and a whole lot more innocent. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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A Pair of Brightly Colored Socks

Karol, one of the twisters, was anxious to visit her tía Aura—that’s the name of my wife.  As soon as her father was getting ready to start working his rounds as a taxi driver, Karol hopped in.  She really wanted to say “Hello” to her tía.  BTW, tía means aunt in Spanish.

As soon as she got in the car she fell asleep.  Since her father was in a hurry to earn his taxi money, he deposited Karol in our living room sofa.  While she slept like a log, I noticed her brightly colored socks in a position similar to a person sleeping.  I thought the scene was pretty neat and decided to capture it with my Birthday camera.

Below is a picture of Karol sleeping, as well as her multicolored socks.  Take a look.

Snapshot of Karol sleeping in our sofa and her brightly colored socks. The socks are in a position similar to a person sleeping. That was my impression when I saw them resting on our living room sofa. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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