Omar On The Go

Day 99 Out of all the great artist that have come from the Dominican Republic, no one is bigger or better than the Maestro Juan Luis Guerra and the reasons are abundant.  For the uninitiated, JLG is a musician with about a 40-year long career with mainly Latin rhythms like Merengue and Bachata but also covering Salsa, guaracha, rock, blues and many other. But what makes him amazing?  Well, for me, it all comes down to his craft: the music and lyrics are just amazing, is like a poem made into music and he is not afraid of touching all types of topics: love, pain, breakups, politics, religion, happiness, sadness, joyfulness, sorrow... basically sings of anything at any given time but I do have to highlight that love is his main topic. He is a highly respected musician in the industry and one of the biggest latin american stars who has won many Grammy awards, and is currently the leader of most Latin Grammy awards so far with 28 awards.  Even though is loathe by many back home (due to mos

Day 98 Quick and very short.  Today I got to a 100 days using DuoLingo to learn some of the german language.   I'm honestly surprised I've gotten that far without skipping and well, in two months I'll see if it has been worth the effort. 😝 Can't wait to visit!!

Day 97 Traveling alone is not a big issue for me, I enjoy it a lot but one thing that I don’t like about it is having lunch/dinner alone.   Lunch and dinner have always been social activities for me, during an office day is the time to relax and talk with coworkers about anything but work, and on non-work related environments, is literally a perfect time to discuss issues and talk about life. On a recent work related trip, I was alone BUT I had to mingle and socialize with a lot of people, this in part because is what is expected out of a professional environment.   At one point, I was talking to this lady and we both realized that even though we enjoy talking to “strangers” we do get a bit of social anxiety and she used a great   word to describe ourselves, we are “extrovert introverts” and I think she nailed it. I’m a social guy, but normally with people I know.   Having to put myself out there to meet people and start conversations is not something I truly enjoy, for example I

Day 95 Musuems visit.  One thing I kind of hated in my teenage years was visiting museums.  It didn't really matter if it was science, history, art, I used to find them a very boring experience. As knowledge started to get into my head, I started to become a lot more interested and curious about science, the more I traveled I became more interested in history and arts, so slowly but surely, museums became the experience that I couldn't miss in any new place and I've been lucky enough to visit some of the best ones around the world. I know many people visit some musuems "because you have to" and honestly that's a very stupid reason to do so, if you don't like them, you don't - period. For example, paying all the money it cost to visit the Louvre to see the most overrated art piece ever (La Gioconda) in a little crowded room fighting with everyone to get a picture or a selfie with a paint that is way smaller than you think just because everybody do it an

Day 94 Continuing with the travel topics, today I want write about my go to things I do for every trip.  Lets start with the very simple stuff: my travel hoodie. You see, when I moved to Miami, back in 2008, it was to go to grad school and one of the very first things I bought (besides a much needed laptop) was a hoodie from my university.   Then I had a very tight budget but very excited to be in a new school so I bought it out of pride and need at the same time, and honest to god, it has been one of the best purchases I've ever done, why? Because it has lasted more than 15 years!!! My FIU hoodie has been up for a change for many years already, and even it does not have holes anywhere, is very washed out and worned out but nevertheless I consider it my lucky charm for flights and I don't remember a trip where I have not taken it, doesn't matter if I'm traveling to a very cold or warm place, my hoodie is always a part of my trip. Why the attachment? Part pride, part bel

Day 93 I just want to detail a bit of my upcoming trips.  Just to set straight some expectations and concerns.  In order of occurrence they are: - New Orleans, LA- April 2023 - Visiting for a few short days for a work-related conference.  Excited because it will be my first time in this city but at the same time, because is for work and I'll be traveling alone, I do have certain reservations on if I'll get bored or not.  Nevertheless, the conference does have very important topics, speakers and fun activities.  I look at this as a great opportunity to continue adding to my professional growth and to add value to my activities at work. - Chicago, IL - May 2023 - Another visit for work.  This will be exclusively for training on a standard/test procedures I work with.  Another opportunity for career development and knowledge gathering for my team.  Could have been a more exciting trip if I were to stay closer to the city but I'll be far away and well, I see myself working 100%