Sneaker Idol

This is it, folks! Your chance to help let reality Tv invade the "real" world! Help me choose my next pair of sneakers! After auditioning many contestants throughout the city of Buenos Aires, we have narrowed the selection down to five real contenders. They are all pretty similar and reflect my personal taste but this is just for fun, so what the heck. Vote for your favorite!!

To vote simply post a comment here on my blog stating your preference. You can post an anonymous comment or leave your name. If you are reading this on Facebook or Mixi (in Japan) then simply click the link to "original post" OR go to http://www.ianwarney.blogspot.com

The Quicksilvers


The D.C.s


The Spirals


The Circas


The Adidas

The Day It Rained Paper

I was also thinking of calling this post "Catch the Litter Bug" but it seemed a bit cheesy. Even considering my love of Cheese. Praise Gouda. =) See? cheesy.

ANYway, These pictures were all taken today, the 28th of December 2007. Apparently on the last working day of the year, Argentines like to rip up and throw out the window their old agendas, day planners, desk calendars, and any other no-longer-needed papers (including some client information which raises some alarms for me). In an effort to be non-judging i will simply say that this is a festive day to mark the end of the year and certainly an interesting experience for Ulala and I. My strong feelings on the issue of littering have been challenged often in this country...

My Second "Town"?

I also feel Japan is my second home. I feel a little pang of second-homesickness every time i see t-shirt, poster or tattoo with Japanese on it.... By the way, this poster shows some of the players of the Boca Juniors Futbol team. Fans of the Boca Juniors are fanatical, reminding me of the fans of the Hanshin Tigers baseball team in Hyogo, Japan.

Luces en el Puente

Not really knowing what to do here for Christmas, we decided to check out this light-up show i had heard about. There is a famous bridge down in La Boca (the really rough area of town) and some big artist/light designer put on last night and tonight a big fancy light show with music and then some fireworks. I like fireworks and Ulala, in her child-like innocence often gets excited about them. So we took a cab and the driver warned us about what a dangerous area it is and told us to watch our money. We thanked him and followed the crowds to the bridge where we watched the show. The light-up show was weird but interesting. A little too minimal for my taste and i didn`t really know where it was going. It involved some fire-sirens (loudly contributed by a truck we were standing much too close to), some strange super heavy bass and mechanical music, and lots of twisting, turning coloured spotlights. I kind of expected more - but that`s the trouble with expecting anything. The fireworks were good. We were much closer than we usually are to fireworks in Japan so the booms were deafening and there was zero time delay. I didn`t take any pictures of the coloured lights on the bridge because they really wouldn`t turn out - the lights were much too dim for my camera - and i did take a couple pictures of the fireworks but they are pretty blurry. After the show we wandered our way with the crowd for a while then took a bus to near our place. Once home we decided not to out clubbing as we had previously planned. we are getting old. Ulala is worried we are boring and i don`t know how to comfort her when i am also worried. Meh.

Christmas Traffic

We live currently on Cordoba Street in Buenos Aires and on most days it is a bustle of automotive activity. One long honk from morning to night. Here is what it looks like most days at the major intersection just North of us. It`s pretty constantly gridlock when it gets busy, which is usually.


And here is what it looked like today a little before noon. Note the distinct lack of cars. One half expects Will Smith to come walking down the middle of the street.

Merry Christmas!

I hope that you are all having a wonderful holiday season wherever you are and whatever you are doing. Here it is hot and sunny and i plan on spending most of the day relaxing (hopefully outside in the sun). Below are pictures of Ulala and i celebrating Christmas in our own ways.

Ulala and big traditional tree in one of the malls off Florida street:


Ian in festive gear (note the shorts and bare feet!):

Christmas Eve

So here it is, December 24th in Argentina. I can`t get over how hot it is! Since most things here will be closed today and tomorrow, Ulala and i did our grocery shopping. WE thought we were being prepared but we got caught in a busy supermarket full of people doing the same as us. But a full cart and a long line later we had our groceries delivered (as they do here) and settled in for a long winter`s hot, restless nap.

Today our plans consist of very festively going to the park and getting a tan, maybe doing a little reading and studying, having a nice dinner (providing we can even find a restaurant that is open!). We might also catch one of the many many Christmas movies on TV (they`ve been playing them all week). It is bizarre to watch snow on TV while sweating profusely.

The pictures below are from Santiago de Chile, where we saw them building the giant Christmas tree in the city`s main square. It was weird to watch them making it. A bunch of guys were strapped in and hanging from the peak while laying the green parts and ornaments on the wire frame. Building Christmas.

Cordoba City pt3 - Church

"Iglesia del Sagrado Corazon de Jesus / Padres Capuchinos" is what it says in the little tourist map we got at the bus station but the city tourist brochure doesn`t even mention it. Wikipedia simply has a photo and nothing else and calls it "Capuchinos Church", though i didn`t see where to get any coffee anywhere on the premises... ha... ha. ANYway, it is perhaps one of the most fantastic churches i have seen here in South America, perhaps ever. I couldn`t tell you styles or periods for the architecture but Gothic comes to mind, certainly not Jesuit as are most of the other churches in Cordoba. This one is distinctly more European. Just look at all the detail!! It reminds me of a European version of the overly-ornate Buddhist temples we saw in Thailand (though notably less shiny!). And these are only a selection of the pictures i took! There is so much more!! Every surface is covered and adorned with carvings. Inside is just as spectacular and has some amazing stained glass designs but alas, we were asked not to take pictures inside.

Cordoba City pt2

Cordoba was a lot of fun to walk around. Being a huge University town in many ways, there is a younger, hipper vibe than in Old Buenos Aires. There is some good street art and stenciling (though not as much as in BsAs) and lots of casual fashion shops and great bars and nightlife. There are also some really excellent art galleries (and they`re FREE!) like the Palacio Ferreyra, a converted manor that is beautifully restored and kept and displays a wide range of periods and styles. I might try and go back and spend some more time in Cordoba if i get a chance. Then again there is so much more to see it is hard to find time to revisit places. Speaking of revisiting i was looking through some old blog posts and realized that i have now been blogging for two years (as of yesterday). Crazy. I have enjoyed posting pictures and writing a little here and there, as well as doing some other side projects. Hopefully my family and friends that "tune in" once in a while have enjoyed it as well. Thank you to those who read this.