Santa Cruz la Laguna, Lago Atitlan, Guatemala, Dec 11

Imagination and creativity are the keys to fun...

Oaxaca, Mexico, Dec 10

Music is a wonderful company for the soul...

Random moments, Chicago, USA, Dec 11

As my brother says: "I like music with texture..."

Ngaphechaung Monastery, Inle Lake, Burma, Mar 11

I have always been a hardcore atheist, but I am fascinated by the impact religion has on people. I once sat for two days in a Dalai Lama holy teachings, in Sarnath (India), amazed by the sense of fulfillment and the happiness of the 600 monks around me...

That is why I am moved by the true expressions of serenity and peace in these kids' expression...

Snowmass mountain, USA, Nov 11

As a friend of mine said to me: "this is the upside of living in a freezer..."

Lake Michigan (2), Chicago, Nov 11

Explorations at dusk...

Loop (2), Chicago, USA, Nov 11

Horizon has been defeated...

Loop, Chicago, USA, Nov 11

Fall comes, temperature drops but the end of the day produces a beautiful light to wander around the city with a camera...

Jardin Etnobotanico, Oaxaca, Mexico, Dec 10

Hidden jewel in this charming and artsy mexican city... No wonder why two very good friends decided to get married here...

Joy (2), Jay Pritzker pavilion, Chicago, USA, Jun 11

It is no secret that I adore Chicago, even in its feared winter. But this a whole different city in the summer; the city is vibrant, people are out and happy, enjoying the warmth from the city and its residents. And nothing impersonate better this joy than an afternoon concert in the park, where people is just celebrating life...

Millennium Park and South Loop, Chicago, USA, Feb 11

Different angle on upcoming sea of white just around the corner...

Chicago river, Chicago, USA, Jan 11

Even the river eventually succumb to the Chicago mighty's winter...

Berlin Wall, Berlin, Germany, Aug 10

No matter how high the wall, how big the obstacle, it takes only a small crack to allow us to see the hidden beauty and to motivate us to break it through to the other side...

MAM, Salvador, Brasil, Jun 10

"Ah, Bahia... Bahia que não me sai do pensamento..."

Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas, Nov 10

Man-made beauty

Central California, USA, Aug 11

We weren't given wings, but that has never stopped us from trying...

Lake Michigan, Chicago, Sep 10

Sail away my friend...

Inle Lake (2), Burma, Mar 11

The wild is his living room.

Golden memories, Playa del Carmen, Mexico Dec 10

"Everybody loves sunshine...", specially when you are sleepy, heading somewhere else, all you need is a beautiful sun rising to illuminate around you.

Balmy Alley, San Francisco, Aug 11

Isn't it?

Joy, Vientiane, Jan 08

Nothing more joyful than the true spontaneous happiness conveyed by a genuine children's smile.

Wicker Park, Chicago, Oct 11

Who said one has to go to the museum to admire art?

South Loop, Chicago, Oct 11

Gotta pick a track, cause this train ain't stopping and wait for you to decide.

Landscape, Chicago, Oct 11

Chicago is a great city, its landscape is just plain beautiful. That is, if you are an city creature like me. Nothing more enjoyable than a walk on a beautiful day on Chicago - this post is an accolade to Chicago.

Mount Popa, Burma, Mar 11

Even thought I am an atheist and afraid of the harm that extremism in any religion bring to humanity, I am deeply intrigued and curious by all religions. This shot was only possible due to the high flexibility that fish-eye lens, allowing me to capture not only the temple but also the surrounding peaceful devotion.

Golden bridge, San Francisco, Aug 11

Foggy days are just as representative as San Francisco as the Golden bridge. So nothing more emblematic than the impressive bridge emerging from the dense fog that wakes the city up daily. Or, as Bob Marley used to sing "Misty morning, don't see no sun. I know you are out there somewhere having fun!"

Fort Mason, San Francisco, California - Aug 11

The hero, the man and the dog.

Steamer Lane, Santa Cruz, California - Aug 11

Santa Cruz is famous for its surfing scene and Steamer Lane is considered to be one of the best (and most dangerous) spots. Perfect waves start boarding the cliff and highly skilled surfers paint the green ocean with nice moves.

Saraswati temple, Pushkar, India, Dec 08

This is a temple on top of a mountain near the nice and small city of Pushkar, in India. Although the temple itself is quite simple, the views from it are amazing. Also it is a temple dedicated to Saraswati, the wife of Lord Brahma, and very venerated in the region. That explain why no matter the age, people endure the hill up to pay their respect at this beautiful location.

Tulum, Mexico, Dec 10

Even before I set foot on Mexico I liked the place; I have many great friends from Mexico and I couldn't wait to meet the country that they represented so well.

Tulum is in the Riviera Maya, a hidden jew (well not so hidden) close to Playa del Carmen. The beauty of the Maya ruins melt with the never ending blue of the Caribbean.

Rice fields, Burma, Mar 11

There is something about the green of those fields, or the peace that the whole scenario conveys that just chill me out. No matter how bad my day is going, it usually takes me a couple of minutes flipping through these photos and bringing me back to that place to lighten up the mood.

Fall in Chicago, US - Nov11

This is the first time of my life that I live in a place that has four defined seasons. Although the winter can be painful sometimes, there are certain joys, like seeing the great colors that only the fall can proportioned to you on my way to school at Hyde Park.

The High Line, New York, Jul 11

Cities have grown and traffic became trouble; so people thought it was a good idea to elevate traffic. Guess what: those neighboors that leave in buildings right next to the elevated highways did not like the idea very much. So elevated highways ruined regions and more regions.

New York has found a great solution and I really hope Sao Paulo follows it for our beloved "Minhocao": The High Line. Definitely worth a visit on a lazy sunday afternoon on summer.

Millenium Park, Chicago, Jun 11

I always loved Chicago, even during its long and painful winter, but there is a special joy of Chicago in the summer. People value the good and warm weather much more, and there are eager to be outside, and a free concert at the beautiful Jay Pritzker Pavilion is just a wonderful opportunity.

Inle Lake, Burma, Mar 11

Fishermen in Inle Lake (Burma) have this unique way of rowing with their legs, that allow them to see better their way around a lake full of plants and other vegetation that makes their work a little trickier.

Morningside Heights, New York, Jul 11

Morningside Heights, my new neighborhood for summer, in a beautiful end of the day. Cloudy white balance is great way to get warm colors, especially in the beginning and the end of the day.

Change of policy!

I have tried several times to increase the postings; as you can see by the time elapsed between posts all trials were unsuccessful. I realized that the problem is that usually it took me too long to write the text and that meant that every post was a long activity, improbable to be as frequent as it is suppose to be.

But what I like to share are pictures, not my rambling about them. So I am beginning a new policy: no more than 5 lines about the picture and no more than a week between them (except for vacation time). If I can’t live by these new rules I will probably give up on this. Let’s see!

Jazz Showcase, Chicago, USA, May11

I have wrote about this before pictures and to those that know me well it is no secret how much I enjoy Jazz. Jazz is ubiquitous in Chicago; there are several great places all around the city and if you lucky enough to spend a summer in this city you also get several chances to listen to great music in one of the best venues ever (seriously, Millennium Park in the Summer is incredible).

Having said that one of my favorite jazz spots in Chicago is the Jazz Showcase. As soon as you get into the place you realized that this place has been much more than a showcase for excellent music; it has been an active actor in the development of the music. Old style posters decorate the walls and show all the monsters that have been there since the place opened in 1947; round glass tables facing the stage and a slightly dark environment, with low light skewed towards red tones complement the perfect environment to sit back and enjoy good music.

This is not a mere venue for concerts; musicians come here to perform as well as to interact with a community, their community. Often impromptu guests outnumber the original line up; stars of the night sit back and leave young unknown musicians shine; talks in between the tunes seem like summer talks on the balcony…

Every time I look at this picture that is exactly what I feel; Benny Green (piano) was the one that named the trio performing at that rainy night of May. However he gently sits back and listen carefully to the amazing solo Kenny Washington delivers, just as impressed as we (the audience) was, just enjoying the music…