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Posts Tagged ‘Malls’


Snapshot of a sign in front of a store inside El Dorado Mall. The name “Lolita” reminded me of the famous novel by Vladimir Nabokov, written in English and published in 1955 in Paris and 1958 in New York. It was later translated by its Russian-native author into Russian. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

The novel is notable for its controversial subject: the protagonist and unreliable narrator, middle-aged literature professor Humbert Humbert, is obsessed with the 12-year-old Dolores Haze, with whom he becomes sexually involved after he becomes her stepfather. His private nickname for Dolores is Lolita.

I streamed “Lolita”, the film by Stanley Kubrick,  last week and it was a moral torture watching the act of perversion taking place before my very own eyes.  I disliked the movie and its plot.  However, this highly controversial novel is considered a classic of the English language.

After its publication, Lolita attained a classic status, becoming one of the best-known and most controversial examples of 20th century literature. The name “Lolita” has entered pop culture to describe a sexually precocious girl. The novel was adapted to film by Stanley Kubrick in 1962, and again in 1997 by Adrian Lyne. It has also been adapted several times for stage and has been the subject of two operas, two ballets, and an acclaimed but failed Broadway musical.

No doubt about it, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”  Good Day.

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Snapshot of an ad placed on a window of a store at El Dorado Mall. I liked the originality of the design. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

The English translation of this sign is, “Everybody happy.  Return of the 1CentSale.  When you buy one item at the regular price you take home a second item with the same or lower price for only 1 cent.”  The two cents resembling the eyes and the creativity of the title of the sign caught my attention.

I love to explore street and stores’ signs when I go out hunting for new pictures for my blog.  People are so creative.  It’s pretty cool.  I love it!  Good Day!

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Snapshot of a plastic horse used by children to play after coughing in a quarter.  This horse was found at El Dorado Shopping Mall.  Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of a plastic horse used by children to play after coughing in half a dollar. This horse was found at El Dorado Shopping Mall. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

As I strolled though the mall, I laid my eyes on this plastic horse in the middle of a large square.  Immediately his looks flashed back a horse in agony painted by Pablo Picasso in 1937 when he came up with the Guernica.  This masterpiece shows suffering people, animals, and buildings wrenched by violence and chaos.

The Guernica, a mural masterpiece painted by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso depicting the horrors of war.  Credit:  Wikipedia Encyclopedia.

Guernica, a mural masterpiece painted by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso depicting the horrors of war. Credit: Wikipedia Encyclopedia.

The center is occupied by a horse falling in agony as if it had just been pierced through by a spear or javelin.  The large gaping wound on the horse’s side is a major focus of the painting.  A light bulb blazes in the shape of an evil eye over the suffering horse’s head (the bare bulb of the torturer’s cell). Picasso’s intended symbolism in regards to this object is related to the Spanish word for lightbulb; “bombillo”, which makes an allusion to “bomb” and therefore signifies the destructive effect which technology can have on society.

It’s ironic that a peaceful horse like the one at the mall could bring to my mind a horse being destroyed by German bombers during the Civil Spanish War.  Maybe I’m watching too many war movies.  Good Day.

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Snapshot of a little boy wearing a dragon mask made out of cylindrical brightly colored balloons. This shot was taken at El Dorado Mall during the celebration of the Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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During my photo walk over at MetroMall about a month ago, I had the pleasant opportunity to bump into a playground full of young kids hard at play.  Yesterday I published several pictures in black and white depicting these playful scenes.

Today I will switch to color pictures and the subject is a little blonde girl who looked like an angel.  She had blonde hair, blue eyes, fair skin and floated around the playground like an angel.  She was the center of attention of the site.  I couldn’t take her image off my camera lens.  Yep, there’s no doubt that children are angels sent by God to crush the boredom out of our lives.

Below are several pictures of the little blonde at a playground in Panama City, Panama.  Here we go.

Snapshot of a gorgeous little girl playing at a playground inside the premises of MetroMall in Panama, City, Panama. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of two little girls interacting in playful activities at a mall in Panama City, Panama. The Blondie looked like a character of a Disney movie. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Small kids are so cute. Notice the feet of The Blondie as she plays with other girls in the playground. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of a dream girls busy at play with her peers at a mall in Panama City, Panama. Concentration is the name of the game. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

The Little Blondie performs a balance act on top of a plastic ray in a playground at MetroMall in Panama City, Panama. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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Yesterday I penned a blog post about how my wife and The Twisters enjoyed ice cream cones one lazy hot January afternoon.  Their ice cream frenzy was really funny.  It was an experience that we would like to duplicate again and again.  That’s what family values are all about.

After licking their ice cream cones, The Twister wanted to stretch their legs and arms playing near a playground for young kids.  When we got there, the place was saturated with kids seriously involved in what they do best—play.  I sat on a corner of the playground and concentrated on their movements and faces.  Then I started randomly shooting what I thought best captured the innocent play of children.  I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again.  Children are the best examples of angels here on earth sent by God to make our lives joyful.

Take a look at a playground in Panama City, Panama full of youthful activity.  Here we go.

Snapshot of a group of young children busy at play at a mall in Panama City, Panama. You can see my wife Aura, on the background to the right hand side of the picture. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of a busy playground at MetroMall in Panama City, Panama. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

It's amazing how children interact immediately with other children they have never met before. The bond instantaneous. Notice the faces of satisfaction of the children's parents. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of a nice group of young kids playing in a playground inside a mall in Panama City, Panama. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Yep, these kids are angels sent by the man upstairs to make us feel good. I wonder what these little girls are saying to each other. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Now, the name of the game is sleeping. Nice play. Need to rest. (Smile) Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of one of The Twisters, Karol, playing with the rest of the kids in the playground. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

I was deeply impressed on the concentration of these young kids in their plays. They really take their play very seriously. Their curiosity is amazing. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of small kids playing under the watchful supervision of their parents at a mall in Panama City, Panama. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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As we turn the pages of our lives and move on to another experience, Christmas slowly passes from present to immediate past.  It was glittery, it was tasty, it was lively, and it was fun.  Now it’s time to celebrate the New Year.  Another brand new page to write our destiny and our lives for that matter.

Before we say goodbye to the Christmas of 2011, I would like to post a few pictures of this wonderful experience which brought out the child that lives inside of us.

Snapshot of an enticing carousel and a tall Christmas tree at El Dorado Mall in Panama City, Panama. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of a large Christmas tree which is always present in many homes during this time of the year. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of a sales promoter with a nice Santa's cap posing for the camera. Now wonder Mr. Santa Claus is always laughing, having assistants like these. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

And this is the Christmas that was.  I hope to see you again next Christmas 2012.  Good Day.

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This is not the first time I’ve posted a picture of a children’s train in Lingua Franca, and probably it won’t be the last.  I’m in love with these miniature trains, and when I see one, the child inside of me, comes to the surface.  There are two of them here in Panama.  One is located at El Dorado Mall, and the other operates at MetroMall.  They are exactly the same.  Even the color of the wagons match.

It’s nice to see the faces of satisfaction on the children’s faces when they travel on the train together with their parents.  Below are several pictures of this attractive train at El Dorado Mall.  I love it!

Snapshot of a children's train at El Dorado Mall in Panama City, Panama. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

A closer view of the train with a copper bell announcing that the train is coming and avoid unnecessary accidents inside the mall. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of one of the wagons of the train. This one happens to be blue. The other day I showed an enticing red caboose. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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As your probably know, the Isthmus of Panama is located in the tropical Zone which is hot and humid with thick tropical vegetation.  It rains a lot during the wet season, and quite dry during the summer.  In Panama we don’t have natural grown pine trees nor snow, not matter how hard our supermarkets makes us think this is true during the Christmas Holidays.

It’s absolutely ridiculous the amount of money we pay for Canadian pine trees during the month of December.  Another interesting habit of most Panamanians is using snow to decorate their homes during the holidays.  I consider this a cultural brainwashing.  We have been penetrated by cultural patterns of other countries where pine trees and snow is commonplace during the winter time and transplanted this environment to our homes.

I would feel a lot better if our artists, government authorities, community leaders, teachers and other social agents would make our Christmas more authentic and closer to our culture and traditions.  Our festivities should be based on our own environment and not imported from other countries.  Lately, Santa Claus is a lot more important and easily recognized, than baby Jesus in the manger.  Our children even learn how to laugh like Santa, (e.g., Ho, Ho, Ho).

Below is a huge Snow Man in the middle of a mall in Panama City, Panama.  Imagine having a snow man in a country that has no snow.  An example of a cultural asymmetry.  Good Day.

Snapshot of a tall artificial snow man at one of the entrances of MetroMall in Panama City, Panama. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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Snapshot of an eye-catching café at a mall in Panama City, Panama with an ingenious mechanical theme. There were screws, bolts, gears and other mechanical stuff decorating the XXIst century café. The name of the mall is MetroMall. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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