Sofia

Yes, there is life without football, but you can certainly not escape an event such as the World Cup. After two years without watching a football match, I have come to see two matches (precisely, two second halves) of the Spanish team. What is not surprising is that Spain is already out (We usually say: “Jugamos como nunca y perdimos como siempre”). What strikes me once and over again is the worldwide dimension of the game, which is as global as it can be, and how strong Spain’s image is.

This morning I was Skyping with Sofia. She works for one of our suppliers in Taiwan, and we talk almost every day. Her message on Skype today, next to her emoticon was saying something like come on, Spain, don’t despair, I stand by you. I know she is a Spain freak, that she lived in Spain for a few months, and that she loves Spain. So maybe she is not the typical Taiwanese. But then she told me about her friends. It seems she has some girl friends that stayed awake overnight (time difference!) to see Raul play. That is really amazing. What does a Taiwanese girl have to do with a Spanish football player playing in Germany? It adds to my surprises when I saw Spanish football broadcast live on Saturdays in South Africa, and when I saw Real Madrid T-shirts for sale in the Amazon.

Anyway, Spain is out despite the halo. I have my own theory to explain why this happens every time the national team plays. I may share it some other time. For the moment, I wonder which team will now the Taiwanese support. Maybe I should ask Sofia.

GAAP revisited

It's about a year now since I finished the MBA, and soon it will be a year since I flew to South America for an exciting 2-month trip.

Earlier this week I went back to the MBA office in order to help with the selection process of MBA candidates as alumnus. Tonight I will be going to this year's MBA ball, where my fellow students from last year will celebrate their graduation. And just a few minutes ago I passed by my sister's blog after a long time without reading her posts (shame on me!). I admire her persistence as a writer ...

Anyway, all these flashbacks made me thought it was about time to start writing again. Many things have happened since September, and I will not try to cover them all, but here are few lessons that I could write in my Balance Sheet (or Income Statement?) of the last year:

• Life is more fun when you have somebody to share it with.
• I am NOT as perfect, as strong and as fantastic as I thought I was.
• I can give much more of me when I learn what my weaknesses are and act accordingly.
• The worst thing you can do with problems is to ignore them.
• It is easier to dream something than to build it, but if you only build you are a fool, and if you only dream you make a fool of yourself.
• I like independence, I don't like having a boss, and I don't want to be a boss either.
• I hate having to go to work everyday at the same time.
• There are a lot of interesting people out there, and a lot of suffering people too.
• To give grace and to receive it are among the most powerful acts on Earth.
• Europe is not the centre of the world.
• There is life without football.