Frida Kahlo Museum

Despite being continously bombarbed by Frida Kahlo’s marketing around the world, I never read much about this unique artist until recently, when I knew I was gonna visit Mexico City for a few days.

Double exposure: Frida Kahlo’s bed ceiling with two sad, hanging, wooden angels; and then two paintings of her, where you can see how her reality and fantasy worlds were all mixed together

I was very wrong assuming she had an easy and happy life only for the fact of belonging to a rich Mexican family. On the contrary, her life was ruled by sickness and physical pain. However she had courage enough to fight against all odds and became one of the most pinturesque artists and intelectuals in recent past.

Frida Kahlo’s workshop, adapted to paint from a wheelchair

I specially admire she was way ahead of her coevals, being a strong and outspoken woman, and developed a unique, personal look which I personally connect with Salvador Dalí, the king of surrealism. They both embraced their local origin and folklore, but managed to depict it in the most surreal way.

Free adaptation of Viva la Vida. I apologize for the blasphemy of altering Frida Kahlo’s work.

After walking along Frida Kahlo’s house, her kitchen, her bedroom, seeing her personal pictures, you realize she was not ordinary person. Probably forced by her sickness and continuos surgeries you can sense she created a parallel fantasy world where to express herself, and boy what a world. Pay a visit if you happen to be in Mexico City, you won’t regret it.

 

[All pictures are taken by me from Frida Kahlo’s Museum with legal authorization. These pictures and post are part of my personal blog, they are not intended for commercial purposes]

 

 

Moody San Francisco

 

Three classic locations of San Francisco with a moody twist.

Columbus Avenue, San Francisco

 

San Francisco Bay and Bay Bridge

 

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco

Rodeo Beach, California

If I had to exhile from humanity into a dessert island, I’d take Rodeo Beach with me. To avoid confussion and potential claims, let me say it’s exactly the opposite of a paradisiac beach.

The feeling of sand under your feet is similar to walking on gravel; water is freezing cold year-round; swimming isn’t advised because of strong currents and sneaky waves… and to round it up, there’s frequent shark activity.

Basically only experienced surfers dare swimming in its waters. I know, you might think what’s wrong with this guy. But the truth is that this beach feels alive, and it has a different story to tell every time you walk on it.

When tide is low, you can reach the southernmost side, and you find yourself walking among  massive pointy rocks covered by seaweed. They seem like monsters walking out of the ocean, running towards mainland, like if they were trying to escape from merciless Pacific Ocean. This other-wordly seascape makes me feel transcendent, in sync with nature.

 

 

 

 

 

Walk for Wishes

Last weekend I was lucky enough to participate in the Walk for Wishes event organized at San Francisco’s East Bay. For those who aren’t familiar with this foundation, you can visit their Website at Make a Wish

Basically they concede a wish to those kids who, very sadly, suffer a serious illness. Last weekend it was a young boy who saw how an airforce pilot handed him an invitation letter to make his dream come true and be trained to be a pilot.

So far it’s been raised over 90K for this event which will help other six kids see their dream become real.

Organization of the event was sponsored by a number of companies based in San Ramon area, together with the help of  their employees who raised money and were volunteering during the event.

The 5K walk was fun and everybody seemed to enjoy a warm, feeling-good morning. When people gather together for a good cause, positive energy builds up; just see the volunteer’s face in last picture.

Unfortunately there are many children out there still waiting to materialize their dream… You can help them achieve it and become a proud member of this big family. During this month of August you can still make a donation to SAP Team trough this link