About Marcio – Last updated Jan 2008

Marcio Saito

I am well-read, reliable world citizen who can debate without being mean.

I’ve seen mountain villages while hiking down from Jungfrau in Switzerland and marveled at people moving in the streets of Manila or Sao Paulo. I’ve loved, been hurt and probably hurt other people too (but never intentionally). I’ve looked up at the starry sky in the middle of the desert and down at city lights from the summit of high mountains. I was helped by many people and most times they don’t even know what they did. I’ve written bad poems, short stories, and taken portraits of friends. I’ve been to the cold of Stavanger winter and the heat of Kuala Lumpur. I’ve worked hard, played hard, and enjoyed all. I’ve eaten with hands in Jakarta, read Kundera books and watched Ridley Scott’s movies. I’ve slept in train stations, camped on beaches and stayed at 5-start hotels.

All these moments lost in time like tears in the rain.

Where do I live?

San Jose, CA. That is 1 hour drive to San Francisco or the beach, 3 hours from the mountains and a 14 hour flight from my family and some of my favorite places. I love the weather, miss a sense of community (everyone is from somewhere else), but the Bay Area is home for me.

How do I look like?

I look Japanese, 5'6 tall and about 160 pounds.

Personal History

Marcio is a Brazilian name (that is where I am from) and Saito is a Japanese last name (that is why my grand-parents were originally from). I grew up in a black poor neighborhood in the suburbs of São Paulo, which is a large metropolis with heavy Italian influence.

I came to the San Francisco Bay area, California in 1992. I was exposed to the US culture, but many people around me have an Asian and Latin American background. I've had the opportunity to travel to many places and experience many different cultures. So it is not easy for me to define my background, which I consider a blessing.

Family

My family lives in Sao Paulo. My mom takes care of us all. My Dad fixes watches (which I also learned how to do). Claudio is my big little brother, he is 4 years younger, a lawyer, married to Regiane.

I married in 1996, divorced in 1998 and of course that was all her fault. I have a fish tank. If you force me to choose, I will pick dogs over cats, but I don’t really like pets in the house.

Around the world

I can write well but my Brazilian accent in spoken English is very noticeable. Portuguese is my mother language. I can understand Spanish and some baby-Japanese. I've had the opportunity to travel and get to know many places and cultures.

I know most of Brazil 's coast line and California. I've been to many countries (more than 20 of them), traveling both on business and on vacation.

Literature, Food and Movie Tastes

I read instead of watching TV or playing video-games. I've read lots of Brazilian literature and some of the international classics. Lately, I've read mostly in English. My favorite authors in Portuguese are Machado de Assis (classic, Brazilian), Carlos Drummond de Andrade (short stories and poetry, Brazilian), Fernando Pessoa (poetry, Portuguese) and Jose Saramago (contemporary, Portuguese). My favorite author overall is Milan Kundera (novels, Czech-French).

I also enjoy good movies and I think I am very eclectic taste. Ridley Scott (Blade Runner) and Almodovar (Live Flesh) are two directors I like. I enjoy movies with Audrey Tautou and Penelope Cruz.

I spend lots of time in the kitchen and like playing with food. I can cook Brazilian and Italian. Lately I have been adding new spices from Southeast Asia and India. As for eating, I don't have any significant restriction on what I can eat and appreciate.

Politics, economy, physics, psychology, marketing, and women, not necessarily in that order are some of my other areas of interest.

Hobbies and Life Outside

I try to spend as much time outdoor as possible and try to lead an active lifestyle.Mountain Climbing and snowboarding are main activities nowadays, but I have always been involved in some type of structured physical activity, from disciplined Judo and Karate for 10 years earlier in life to more adventurous sky-diving for about 15 jumps.

Photography is also an occasional hobby. I have a B&W darkroom in the corner of my garage but lately most of the photography has been in association with travel, mountaineering or social events rather than photography for its own sake.

Religion and Politics

I read about philosophy and religion, but I am not religious and have little interest in belonging to organized churches. Many of my friends are religious of one sort or another and they can still be my friends.

Politically, I've always tended to be on the "unreligious left" side of the spectrum, but I don't consistently adhere to any label. As I age, I become more relativist and am less idealistic and passionate about the political causes I embrace. But I still make a conscious effort not to fall into complacency and to maintain my personal political and ideological congruence.

I appreciate cultural identity and hate finding Starbucks stores in Beijing's Forbidden City. But I also accept globalization as a fact. I'm not necessarily negative about the trend and prefer to appreciate the potential positives. I worry about the environment and try to be a good citizen, and I am also optimistic on our ability to face challenges when they become critical. I am not politically correct but I am aware of sensitivities of people around me.

Work and Home

I'm a technologist in a high-tech company, but try to lead a low-tech personal life (no cable TV, not a gadget enthusiast). I do have an answering machine and Internet access at home, but don't use them much. I don't play video games (with the exception of Internet chess) and try to spend little of my free time in front of any type of video monitor.

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