instructions: remove.batteries.from.clock.

Mafalda - Felipito Enfrenta la Realidad


In the 5th century BCE, Antiphon the Sophist wrote in On Truth that time is not a reality, but rather a concept.  Hundreds of years have passed, but the debate continues to challenge even the greatest of minds.  From the ancient concept of circular time, to the Judaeo-Christian assertion that it is instead linear, from Parmenides to Kant to Newton to Einstein, time has consistently eluded our understanding & defied the possibility of a unified concept able to withstand universal application. Well, if time isn't real, then my deadlines aren't either; so what is producing my illusion that deadlines are indeed approaching & that time is quickly running out?

The new reason for my disappearance from Cyberspace: too much fun leads to too much work!

Some serious updating is needed, so here is the breakdown, for all interested parties:
11.6 - 17.6 _ Barcelona
18.6 - 23.6 _ work, i.e. finish testing so can start writing thesis..............

24.6 - 25.6 _ Wimbledon

26.6 - 30.6 _ Stockholm

1.7 - 6.7 _ work, i.e. write entire thesis in 6 days, realize it's impossible, & extend deadline by 5 days

If I plan on actually completing my Masters, it'll be a couple of weeks before I get around to putting up pictures, so in the meantime, welcome me back to the real world & enjoy some sweet sounds from the American south.  More to come, in bits & pieces...

Old Crow Medicine Show - Wagon Wheel

Besos.

Try to Understand

Querido Miguel,

Por ser sincera, este blog es para vos.

Te queremos. 

Madonna - Borderline

I've given all I can.

Besos.

A Soap Impression

Somebody mentioned "the ridiculousness of life" the other day.  I'm not sure I quite understood what that meant until - well, until now.  I'll take a brief moment to sum up what's been happening in, by, and around Flat 2, London, the UK. Please listen, laugh, & understand.  Or, if you dare, empathize.

4 long-lost friends/siblings/roommates have been brought together under 1 roof.  Now, mind you, we're in the UK, where yes words may hold the same letters & even elicit similar pronunciations, but also where words must necessarily be translated into - well, into the range of normalcy - in order to be accurately understood & thus fully appreciated.  I'll explain.

'1 roof' really just means  some cement slathered (yes, slathered) over a modest, 2 bedroom apartment, 1 bedroom of which is about the size of a modest walk-in closet in the average American home, but also in which 1 whole human being, sparing no appendages & possessing complete awareness, is expected to relax "comfortably" in the only piece of furniture fitting inside: a "twin bed" pushed up against a closet whose doors can't open unless the "twin bed" itself is first removed through the window (because there just isn't any place for the "remover" of the "twin bed" to stand unless it's in the doorway).  Of course, twins must not have had long life spans in the UK, as by 'twin bed' the British clearly meant 'only child bed' - unless of course twins were the size of medium sized watermelons.  There just ain't no way there was ever room for twins on that mattress!

'4 long-lost friends/siblings/roommates' means:

• 1 female, a recently graduated, very mini-sized, Hindu doctor who finds joy in toilet humor & who is constantly consulted for her "medical opinion" regarding all sorts of important issues, including how to arrange chicken breast nuggets on an oven pan.  
• 1 female, a short, jibber-jabber talking, Dominican whose idea of "sightseeing London" includes rotating libraries on a daily basis & who, in order to "ration" her food supply, constantly stores her snacks in cabinets inaccessible to her reach but just ends up spending most of her indoor life standing on a kitchen chair.
• 1 female, an unreliable, bicycle-riding Argentinean, who takes pride in possessing calculators, enjoys leaving iTunes on repeat, & can probably be summed up in the term space cadet. 
• 1 male, a tall, curly-haired, worm-like animal who thinks chicken looks and tastes like pork, & who insists on having long ethernet cords plugged into our laptops at all times in case he intuitively senses a "soccer emergency" while he's - in the hallway - and feels the need to "urgently verify" the status of www.ole.com.ar, www.gol.com, & countless other sites.

2 are sleeping in beds, 1 on a 2-person couch, & the 4th on a "soldier's cot" which, might I add, is in every sense of the word a "soldier's cot": long, narrow, & well, should there be an ambush of some sort & should the person sleeping on the soldier's cot so much as lift a finger, the rusty, squeaky-sounding, springs holding him up like a lump of human meat will creak & wake up everyone, including our drunk, alcoholic, dinosaur-roaring neighbors, who I should mention are usually unconscious.

And to sum it all up, by 'London' we are referring to the only city in the world in which you can buy vegetables at wholesale price in the food market... but only between the hours of 2am & 8am. God forbid anyone actually take sleeping seriously!

The Beatles - Happiness is a Warm Gun

Besos.

And the Whirling Wind Turns to Song

Why, 

it 

sets 

my 

soul 

free. 

(Cat Stevens)

An entire month has passed since my last blog entry, and, well, 

   an emptiness 

has thus been growing slowly, steadily, & silently within me.  And yes, I very purposely let ' emptiness ' stand alone, plain, & bereft of modifiers, as it should if it's to be taken for what it really is: empty, & with absolutely nothing to be added.  

So why resume my blog-writing today, of all possible days? Because today marks the start of a 6-week adventure!  Be so kind as to direct your gaze to the top right quadrant of this screen, & notice the tall, worm-like character staring directly at you.  Folks, he's slithered his way across the Atlantic, an entire ocean, dodging hungry fish who'd ignorantly mistake him for bait along the way, fighting off 8-legged octopi who'd easily dine him 8 times per tentacle, & burrowing his way through the cold, colossal icebergs against which the Titanic didn't even stand a chance. And he's finally made it, after an unforgettable trek.  And I'm so happy.

Visit his newly formed Obscene Affirmations.  I won't adulterate his creations with my own descriptions - there are no words I can use because the meaning still leaves for you to choose.

Pictures to come in the next week, I promise, sandwiched both by humor & 2 upcoming June trips - the first to Barcelona & the second to Stockholm.  Booyakasha!  But first a good night's sleep - you know, to avoid triggering the whole "insomnia" thing all over again, as it's been going quite well these last few months.

Man must fight for freedom, 

Sure that's what most other people would say,

Look for a body to lead them 

But there's too many to lead them away.

Why wait until it's your time to die 

Before you learn what you were born to do?

Come on now, it's freedom calling 

But there's only one freedom for you.

Love, love boy...

(Cat Stevens)

Cat Stevens - Foreigner Suite

Besos.  

the bare necessities, the simple bear necessities

alas, internet is fixed!  

so much to catch up on, but most importantly - i bought a bicyle!  its name is montoconcho, after odile's much-too-humorous explanation of what taxis are like in the dominican republic. simply put, they sound like a version of fred flinstone's car - no doors, loads of passengers, & run on human feet.  oh, & purple dinosaurs causing traffic jams every few or so blocks... or something like that.

what do we think cavemen worried about? probably the opposite of everything we do now! 

you see...

cavemen worried about being devoured by large, hungry animals - now, we are the large & hungry ones worrying about devouring them.

cavemen worried about being hairy enough to keep warm - now, we go to desperate measures to be hairless, even if it means pouring hot wax on our skin & pulling the hair from its roots.

cavemen ate with their hands - now, we make all kinds of complicated eating utensils (which is the appropriate hand for handling knives, anyway?) & laugh at the chinese for still using the chopsticks! 

& judging from fred flintstone's car, cavemen used their legs to thrust themselves across land - now, we are constantly being told to "keep our arms & legs inside the vehicle at all times."  (...ever been to disney?)

clearly, we've got to get our priorities straight!  well, there's one thing that hasn't changed. 

love, sweet love. the wonderfulness of life.

you must remember this

a kiss is just a kiss

a sigh is just a sigh

the fundamental things apply

as time goes by

although, our version should be:

you must remember this

a school is just a school

an exam is just an exam

whether you study for  m o n t h s  or cram

as time goes by

casablanca - as time goes by

i see friends shaking hands, saying 'how do you do?'

they're really saying 'i love you'

israel kamakawiwo'ole - somewhere over the rainbow/what a wonderful world

live laugh love

besos.

Si pasas a la siguiente fase...

...Te quitas el pantalón?

I think it aired on a Spanish channel as part of a talent competition. Needless to say, I think the feminine audience was more than pleased.

Full contact, Capoeira, Acrobacias


But here's something much cooler.

Breakdance


And a little Sir Elt to soften the hearing.

Tiny Dancer - Elton John 1971


Besos.

A Rush of Blood to the Head

A lack of internet has prevented recent blog entries but has motivated exploration in areas far, far away from cyberspace.

Among these, isolation tanks, i.e. sensory deprivation chambers. Click here for a description and here for information on the appropriate Simpsons episode, in which even Homer experiences a "spiritual" journey.

Instead of explaining, I'll recount what I consider were the top 5 highlights...

• My body felt ethereal, & as if impossible to endure weights, burdens, or concerns.
• My mind felt separate, almost disconnected, from my body.
• I found myself Ohm-ing midway through.
• It was just me inside the tank - there were no sounds, no lights, no distractions.
• Ironically, the time went fast & felt fleeting.

Needless to say, it was a spiritual experience. I came out with a strong desire to learn meditation and with a feeling of inner peace. ...Seriously!

Coldplay - Politik

Besos.

come away with me

será que entre las hojas que nunca se cayeron estará perdida la verdad

(andrés calamaro)

norah jones - sunrise

besos.

a rumbo perdido

in florida for the week, enjoying the sun's warm rays, my mom's home cooking, & the slow-paced dynamics inherent to orlando.  just takin' 'er easy...

went to the salvador dalí museum in st.petersburg earlier in the week - it was awesome.  the collection is actually one of the most extensive in the world.  plus, the museum usually has other works on loan and also houses temporary exhibits - currently on dalí & film (which -ironically - opened at the london tate modern).  here's what i learned:

1. dalí & walt disney collaborated on a surreal, animated film called destino, which was abandoned midway through & lay dormant for 57 years until disney's nephew ordered it to be completed. i loved it. like fantasia, the images morph into one another to create crosses between reality and fantasy.  also, right around that time, dalí was designing a dream sequence for alfred hithcock's film spellbound - a freudian scene in which an amnesic (gregory peck) narrates a recurring dream to his psychoanalyst (ingrid bergman) in an attempt to decode his subconsciousness. 

2. in the 70's, dalí released a hallucinogenic tv documentary called impressions of upper mongolia.  he was inspired in great part by patterns obtained staining the brass band of a pen. here's the catch - he would regularly urinate on it to "improve the patination" ... !

on to other things.

here's otros aires, a neo-tango group founded in barcelona in 2003 by miguel di genova.  they sound good!  click here to listen to sin rumbo on their own website - or check out another of their songs, below.  enjoy!

milonga sentimental - otros aires

and a bit more of a classic, by one of the masters.

libertango - ástor piazzolla - performed by yo-yo ma 

besos.

Starving Hysterical Naked

This weekend has changed my life. Why? Well, I'll tell you. But, first... you might want to sit down.

Imagine that the simplest, most fundamental assumptions on which you rested your life, the very facts that drove your every move, your every decision - were suddenly violently ripped from beneath your feet, throwing you into a state of chaos, disorientation, imbalance! Well, what I learned this weekend did just that. Except - worse, because what I experienced in reaction to this radical, far-reaching fact were 2 somewhat opposing feelings, leaving my soul in a state of perhaps eternal conflict. (I should note - this was all courtesy of the Sleeping and Dreaming exhibition at the Wellcome Trust).

Apparently, the "fact" that we need 8 hours of sleep - is a MYTH! It was popularized during the time of King Henry VIII when Sir Thomas More wrote Utopia - and in his "perfect world," the inhabitants slept 8 hours!

My immediate reaction was one of relief. To someone with insomniac tendencies, knowing that we are each "unique" and that there is no real number of hours that the human body requires - or rather, that there is variation among us - is alleviating.

But, on the other hand, to someone who has planned her life around 8 hours of sleep - that is, constantly set, reset and modified her alarm during sleepless nights in order to assure the valued 8 hours of sleep - to someone who has missed meetings, classes, exams, & outings in pursuit of the heavenly 8 hours of sleep - this piece of news is quite troubling!

What was soothing - apparently many great inventors, discoverers, and thinkers have stumbled upon their creations in their dreams, literally. Among them, Paul McCartney. He woke up from a dream listening to the tune of Yesterday playing in his head & wondered how nobody had ever written down the melody to such a beautiful song. Enjoy!

Paul McCartney - Yesterday

Besos.

I'd like to invite you over for a duck dinner...

You bring the ducks! (J. Wellington Wimpy)

Popeye the Sailor Song
(Jeje... note J. Wellington Wimpy's hamburger cooking skills!)


Max Fleischer, one of my childhood heroes.
If the name doesn't sound too familiar, think animation.
Creator of Betty Boop.
Responsible for Popeye the Sailor.
Brought Superman to the screen.
Inventor of Rotoscoping. (In fact, check out this 1936 article published in Popular Science.)

Considering the cartoons debuted in the 1930's, the animation effects are pretty sick!

Popeye the Sailor - Rotograph


On an entirely different note - check out this month's issue of National Geographic, if you can. There's an article on Bhutan that utterly made my jaw drop. The headline reads:

Bhutan's Enlightened Experiment

Guided by a novel idea, the tiny Buddhist kingdom tries to join the modern world without losing its soul.

I just didn't realize places like this still existed.
Besos.

Please follow me into the sea...

Don't worry if it's cold. (Phish)

I have a terrible attention span (& too curious a mind), so I'm constantly finding new books to read, movies to watch, places to visit...

What this really means - that I hardly ever finish what I started!  But I have an inexplicable addiction to physics books (yeah, I know - it's embarrassing) & an even more terrible habit of reading them front-to-back.  Anyway, I'm almost done reading The Elegant Universe by theoretical physicist Brian Greene, who is currently at Columbia University in New York.  I only wanted to mention it here because I think he does a brilliant job of breaking down complex theories into comprehensible concepts.  You can even watch the mini-series online, here.  

Salvador Dalí's The Disintegration of the Persistence of Memory, & a powerful welcome to the new physics of his times. (I think he was a Heisenberg fan.)  Speaking of which, I love his clocks - depictions of relativistic time? For me, at least a reminder to stop & breathe.  

For the more philosophically (or less mathematically) inclined mind, I read The Dancing Wu Li Masters: An Overview of the New Physics some time ago, in which Gary Zukav explains the pillars of quantum physics through occasional allusions to ancient Eastern philosophies. 

Uuuff, enough thinking.  Time to kick back & howl at the moon.

Janis Joplin - Summertime (Live Gröna Lund 1969)

Besos.

We Walked around til the Moon got Full like a Plate

Oh, that was so real. 

(Jeff Buckley)

This year, I've chosen to do my thesis on synesthesia - essentially a fusion of the senses, so that stimulation in one sense modality (i.e., sound) elicits automatic, involuntary stimulation in another sense modality (i.e., vision). Synesthetes are people who "see music," "hear colors," or "taste shapes" - feats seemingly impossible to accomplish by the "normal" non-synesthetic brain, at least without ingestion of hallucinogens (i.e., LSD, ayahuasca, etc.).

I think their day-to-day experiences are much richer than the average person's, or at least more multi-dimensional.  For example, musical pitches aren't just sounds & numbers aren't just digits - they can have colors, sometimes complete with depth; and perhaps most interestingly, they can elicit particular feelings in their beholders.  

What would it be like to experience the world as they do?  I'm not inclined to believe that even a full description, backed by all corresponding scientific knowledge, would give us complete understanding of their worlds, much less make their actual sense-experiences more accessible to us.  (Hmm - qualia & Frank Jackson's Knowledge Argument - something perhaps to come back to?) 

While we're on the topic -Daniel Tammet is a high-functioning autistic savant who also happens to experience synesthesia.  He wrote I Was Born on a Blue Day, in which he describes, among other things, how his synesthetic experiences allow him to accomplish huge mathematical calculations in his head.  He also has a blog, in which he shares diverse personal ideas (not necessarily related to synesthesia). Here are some posts that I found interesting: 

• The Benefits of Self Sufficiency (agreed - something else to come back to?)
  
• 'Simplified Spelling' Is a Bad "Eyedihr" (why the English language shouldn't revolutionize its spelling)
  
• Falsifiability and the God Hypothesis (what would convince him to stop believing in God)
  
• Mänti (a language he's created)
  

And always finish with something to soothe the soul.

Jeff Buckley - Lover, You Should've Come Over

Besos.

Los Gatos Ya Nacemos Gatos

I came across this clip while surfing YouTube for musical pieces that would transport me back to earlier times.  You know, when I was    

                                                                                    young...

                                                                             free...

                                                                                     irresponsible...

                                                                                 and

                                                                                              in love... 

...well, with none other than my living room piano.  Alas, those days are gone.  

Moving on, right!  Umm... I learned to play this when I was 18 & studying music @ University. 

And she's... 11!?!  Ok, so it's not perfect, but I'd say it's pretty good!

Chelsea Dock - Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, 3rd Movement

Besos.

When the Wind Blows

As for the aura encompassing our humble abode during the last 10 days, only one thing is certain: that the chain of events having seized the inhabitants of Flat 2 (and sparing no trespassers) and their resultant effects in the hearts of all involved parties are describable only by a single term - ineffable.  (Please, allow yourself the freedom to click on the previous link & check out a whole list of ineffable things, according to Wikipedia.  And if you're really intrigued by the idea of "pre-Big Bang," "multiple dimensions," and the like, then - by all means - do yourself the courtesy of familiarizing yourself with Australian David Tow & his "Theories of Everything" - & most preferably on a night when you're already freaked out.)  

But if a general idea is to be given (regarding the nature of the last 10 days), then the following definitions will suffice:

Murphy's Law: Things will go wrong in any situation, given the chance.
Finagle's Law: (Murphy's corollary) Anything that can go wrong, will - and at the worst possible moment. (This one apparently is a favorite among hackers because of its allusion to the Second Law of Thermodynamics - Entropy - which states that the perversity of the Universe tends towards a maximum.)

Happy Valentines Day!  

and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant

and whatever a sun will always sing is you

-ee cummings

Matt Damon - My Funny Valentine

Besos.

¿A vos qué te parece?

¿Uno crece más del ombligo para arriba o del ombligo para abajo?

 
Mafalda 


Mafalda - El Pensamiento de Mao Tse Tsung

Sin palabras, chicos. ¡Mafalda es lo máximo!  (Gracias, Quino.)

Siempre hay un sarcástico materialista dispuesto a estropearnos la fantasía!

¡Cómo siempre! A penas pone uno los pies en la tierra, se acaba la diversión.

Con esta vida moderna, los juegos son cada vez más cortos.

Mafalda - Hoy Como Ayer

Besos.

seamos realistas...

pidamos lo imposible. (mayo del '68)

a lot to think about today. so instead of talking, let's listen.  

1. i'd rather learn from one bird how to sing, than teach a thousand stars how not to dance. (ee cummings)
   
2. be careful about reading health books. you may die of a misprint. (m. twain)
   
3. if i had only known, i would have been a locksmith. (a. einstein)
4. an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. (m. ghandi)
   
5. life is what happens while you're making other plans. (j. lennon)
   

2 of my fave wilco songs - from the documentary i am trying to break your heart:

wilco - how to fight loneliness

wilco - reservations

besos.

Nothing's Gonna Change My World

(I've had to re-write today's entry due to a # of technical difficulties.)

Hope no one's missed this article! Apparently, NASA is planning on beaming Across the Universe into deep space on Feb 4th to commemorate its founding as well as the original recording of the song. Sweeeet! I mean - what?!?

Ironcally, I woke up this morning to the lyrics of Across the Universe playing in my head. What better way to greet the morning sun (or clouds, if you live in London)?

Sounds of laughter shades of life
Are ringing through my open ears
Inciting and inviting me
Limitless undying love which
Shines around me like a million suns
And calls me on and on across the universe
(The Beatles)

Speaking of which, I haven't yet seen the recently released musical, Across the Universe. It's a fictional story set against the U.S. historical background of the 60's, amid the anti-war movement and social protests of the times. What's cool - the story is paired with Beatles songs, and since these were written as a product of, or in reaction to, those same events, the movie makes for a potentially interesting blending of history, poetry, & one of the greatest rock bands of all time. Check it.

Across the Universe - Trailer

Besos.

If you want to make a person feel better after they sneeze...

You shouldn't say, 'God Bless You.' You should say, 'You're so good-looking!'" (Jerry Seinfeld)

There are several orders of business, today, which must be addressed, starting with a request (by an unnamed female Dominican) for a follow-up from my last entry. Apparently it wasn't altogether clear what a cochlear hair cell is and, due to her persistence to learn, she wants the whole story. Here it is, young grasshopper, simplified & shortened for avid students in all corners of the world:

Cochlear hair cells are found in the cochlea, a fluid-filled tube of the inner ear coiled like a snail's shell & ultimately accountable for hearing. Cochlear hair cells detect sound & are responsible for what's termed mechanoelectrical transduction - or, simply put, the conversion of sound waves (i.e., music) to their equivalent electrical waveform (i.e., the form of Energy appropriate for transmission, via neuronal connections, to the brain for auditory processing).

There's no easy way to explain just what makes these cochlear hair cells lengthen & contract in response to auditory stimuli, but the process involves a membrane protein called prestin, in which a conformational change is induced, thus expanding the cell's surface area. The YouTube video in my last entry highlights the speed of the cell's mechanical response, which is sufficiently fast to produce changes in the cell's shape in synchrony with the sound stimulus (i.e., the song).

And now, moving on to World Issues, in ascending order of importance:

• My laptop is currently in Cyperspace's Intensive Care Unit - please pray to the God/ Force/ Energy of your choice & ask for a full recovery.
• I decided to indulge my antecedent ambitions to become a Film Director (yes, I almost applied to NYU Tisch School of the Arts - but that's a story for another day) & "shoot a movie" on Friday night. Odile debuted in the role of Paul, our alcoholic neighbor who engages in daily prehistoric-sounding roarings. Much to my dismay, however, the video will not be released to the public due to lack of cooperation from... an unnamed female Dominican.
• Led Zeppelin is rumored to play at Bonnaroo 2008? Is this true?
• OUTRAGE! Apparently, there is newly found evidence that the dryer does, in fact, eat your socks!?! It's no myth, peoples! It was explained (in quite some detail) in a German cartoon quite recently - I'll do my best to get my hands on the episode.

The world fascinates me! And now, speaking of outrages, turn up your volume & watch your arm hairs stand on end...

Vitas - Opera #2

Besos.

Boss, I have so much to tell you...

I've never loved a man, more than you. (Zorba the Greek)

Contrary to my somewhat Existentialist conviction that, as humans, we should face ourselves and take responsibility for what we are and what we make ourselves, I'm going to altogether ignore all notions about "existence preceding essence" & defend my worsening condition of musiquitis. "It just ain't my fault" that I'm so possessed by music, when even my cochlear hair cells can't resist a dance to some good, ole' ragtime blues! See for yourself. Go on.

Cochlear Hair Cell - Dancing


And now, a scene from one my all-time favorite movies, Zorba the Greek (a film based on a book I haven't read). The part is played by Anthony Quinn & the theme, Sirtaki, is by Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis. It's a classic & Zorba's simple take on life is contageous. And it's just sweet, sweet lovin' for those cochlear hair cells.

A man needs a little madness. Or else, he never dares cut the rope and be free.

Zorba the Greek - Directed by Michael Cacoyannis

Besos.

Oh Baby, Baby, It's a Wild World...

Me han despertado los gritos desesperados de mis vecinos alcohólicos, los típicos pedidos de auxilio que se escuchan en los pasillos de nuestro edificio cuando uno de ellos se cierra afuera sin llaves. Tengo que confesar que son bastante simpáticos (y de muy buen gusto musical) pero tienen tendencias un poco raras, por ejemplo uno de ellos se pone a bramar como un dinosaurio todas las mañanas! No me lo puedo explicar pero quizás tengan uno escondido en su departamento! De todas formas no me quejo porque odio madrugar y entonces los días de semana me sirven sus cantos quiquiriquí como despertador (especialmente cuando apago el mío) - mis profes deberían estar muy agradecidos!

Bueno, cuando uno no se puede dormir hay que encontrar motivos para estallar en carcajadas, porque no hay mejor alivio para la frustración que el olvido que acompaña un ataque de risa convulsa… por eso los dejo con un vídeoclip de “Poné a Francella”. Si es una NEENNAAA!

Poné a Francella – La Nena – Arturo Dirige la Obra

Besos.

A Dónde Van las Miradas...

Que un día partieron? (-Silvio Rodriguez)

Today is the last day of a 3-week holiday vacation. ::Sigh:: All my visitors have now parted & I'm left anxiously awaiting Odile's return from Florida. Although it'll be a difficult 6 months ahead (I actually have to finish my thesis on time!), I'm determined to break it up & get away to the mountains at some point, to the sea when it's warmer... and I'll finally have my long-awaited siccus to soothe my frustrations & feed me sweet tunes. Yay!

I haven't yet been able to watch it, but my brother recommended Ten Questions for the Dalai Lama, a documentary film, not only about the Dalai Lama's life, but also about Tibet's struggle with the Chinese invasion of 1950 & with the political, as well as cultural, oppression that has forced thousands to live in exile from their homeland. It's filmed in his home in India, to where he fled after the collapse of the Tibetan Resistance Movement in '59, & it's won a number of awards. Click here for the film's website, if you wanna check it out. There's been countless newspaper articles published over the past years discussing the extreme censorship that the Chinese government has imposed on its peoples, including the recent agreement by internet search engines like MSN, Yahoo!, & Google to censor certain types of information in China (horrendous, & they claim that it's in exchange for greater "access to information" even though anything even slightly challenging to the government's ideology has been banned & cannot, thus, be accessed!). Just type "China and censorship" into a search engine, & prepare to be horrified.

1 (actually 2) of my all-time favorites, below. The lyrics are amazing.

El que tenga una canción tendrá tormenta
El que tenga compañía, soledad.
El que siga un buen camino tendrá sillas
Peligrosas que lo inviten a parar.

Silvio Rodriguez - A Dónde Van? y Historia de las Sillas


Besos.
Y saltitos de colores.

10, 9, 8...

What a better way to start the new year than with the celebration of a miracle? That's right, folks. I know it's hard to say, I had to practice every syllable in front of the mirror and convince myself that it was true - but Miguel has actually graduated. What?! But he was in the 9 year program, people say. But he attended UCF, or rather, U Can't Finish. But he was so happy taking the ever impressive 4 semester hours per year. But not everyone looks good in a black robe! Well, there he is, surrounded by family members with smiles so big that they were just waiting for someone to say, April Fools, Just Kidding, gotta run to class! The big countdown this year wasn't for New Years, it was for his final grades just a couple of weeks ago, the deciding factor of, not just his future, but his mother's health, given that no one was going to withstand another year of, "Ooooh, not good. Gotta take one more semester." Congrats, Miguel. Honestly, we didn't think you'd make it, but we're so happy you did!

I have to admit that after spending just about every New Years in Buenos Aires, this one was pretty uneventful. I was home early enough for my insomnia to kick in and drive me to turn on my computer. Insomnia on New Years? Yeah, I didn't think it was possible either. Oh, what I did get out of it - well Odile is bringing me my SICCUS when she comes back, and I met someone who can play it well and help me learn... Whoo whooo! Should go well with my neighbors' constant yelps and happy music. Happy New Year!

Besos.