300 AMV

I enjoy watching AMVs. AMV stands for Anime Music Video and it is basically a "video clip" made from a soundtrack (be this or not a song) and images of an anime. This is one that I found yesterday and I fell in love with it. Sadly enough I can't download it. Watch it and post your reactions to it.



Full credits go to the maker of this wonderful "trailer". In youtube it shows "From: KruLx". I will take he made it so, cheers to him.

Writer's block

I have to apologize for the negligence I have been showing towards my blog. I know that it has been quite a while since I last posted anything and as so, I have decided to tackle the issue at hand. The reason for my sudden absence is nothing more than a mundane writer's block. I have sat in front of my screen for the past week and stared at this site trying to come up with something worth writing, and have always come up with the same result. A blank page and mind.

This is why now, as a means to unblock the creative part of my brain, I have decided to just sit and write. Tackle the issue at hand and bash it until it falls. I know this is not the best idea since what comes out may or may not be just senseless rant, but it is the only way I know of in which I can deal with this ailment which afflicts me. Just sit down, and type whatever comes to mind.

I have watched this past few days a couple of movies; 300 and Jet Li's Fearless. 300 is a movie that ever since I heard about it, I've longed to be able to watch it. I should inform you that I am a huge fan of anything that is epic and most fantasy books and concepts, so 300 was a no brainer for me. I was very disappointed when I found out that the studio making the movie was Warner Bros. This is not due to some issue I may have against such studio, but rather because Warner Bros. decided a couple of years ago to stop screening its movies here in Paraguay. In other words, I wouldn't get the chance to watch 300 in the theatres. I was heart broken and still am. Watching it, although it was a great movie and I watched it tow more times before returning the dvd, only made me a bit more sour about not being able to enjoy this two hour carnage in the big screen.

Fearless, is also another movie I have been anxiously waiting for, not only because it's a wushu film (and I'm a lover of those) but because it is Jet Li's last wushu film. The movie is loosely based on real life, on the story of Hou Yuanjia, a Chinese hero. I loved the movie, not only because of the fighting scenes which are breathtaking and masterfully done, but because it actually makes one feel. Most American martial art movies are plain and without any real depth. They deal about the main character seeking revenge from the bad guys, and hideously outnumbered makes his way through lines of thugs breaking every single bone he can until he comes face to face with the "boss" of the organization or terrorist cell and manages to kill him.
There is no real plot depth or any other motive beyond seeking revenge, not even justice, just plain revenge. In this sense Fearless in unlike any other in that the main character undergoes a transformation and by the end of the movie he is another person, so to speak. I highly recommend it since it is a movie that makes one feel and realize some truths about not only our world, but also about ourselves.

I believe I have written enough for today. I will be posting more often again and I will try to focus and redirect this blog towards what its original purpose was, a Haven.

From a humanists poit of view.

I will copy Sascha a bit here. This is a link I found in his blog redirecting to an article in another blog. I paste it here so all of you can read it as well. I won't make any big comments on it, just that I couldn't agree more. I leave your conclusions to be that, yours.

Enjoy.

http://musingsociety.blogspot.com/2007_04_01_archive.html

Antonio Jorge Luis Alberto Gaspar

So, this is the last friend I was missing in my previous entry. His name is Antonio Jorge Luis Alberto Gaspar Fuertes Arcondo, and he's Spaniard.

PS: The pic had to be taken at an angle so that his nose could fit in the same pic as his face.

Eternal Frustration

If I have to name a curse upon me the first to come up will surely be my incapacity to write. I know it may sound a bit incoherent, specially since I have a blog and tend to write long entries; but length is not the same a quality, and that is specially true in my case. No matter what I do or how much I work on any single writing, what ends up in paper is never but a shade of what hides within the dark recesses of my mind.

Any time that I want to write something that I thought of, it does not come out as it should. I believe that to be the reason of why I hate to have notes whenever I have to preach or give a speech, I simply prefer to research the topic and then go straight to the battlefront. This only changes whenever I have to preach. Then, under my pastor's advice, I do write down a speech/preaching, though what I end up saying from the culprit is rarely close to what I had prepared.

Anyhow, this senseless ranting comes from the fact that it has been my lifelong desire to write a book; be this a novel; Christian book; short story compendium; or simply any type of thing that would outlive me and thus be my heritage tot he generations to come. Believe this to be a bit narcissistic if you will, yet I do believe that all humans have something, be this thought or not, that must outlive us since we all have something to share and to teach. I want to have something to be remembered by; yet something positive. I know I have something to offer to all of our sons, just as I know you have something to share too.

Now, leaving all deliriums of grandeur behind, the fact that I can't write down anything worthwhile is quite infuriating. Being an English teacher, it is my job to know all techniques of how to write different types of papers just as it is encouraging my students to actually write, so I do know what to do and also know that if I were to follow my own advices, I would probably end up writing my precious and personal holy grail. Yet I am sorry to admit that I am too weak. As I told my class today, I, also, am an idiot; and a big one at that. Maybe it is time for me to heed my own advices, finally, and stop putting excuses and simply go into action. Maybe the first time will go awry, but sooner or later, if I persevere, one of my tries will hit the bullseye.

The Political Mirage

I watched the movie "Man of the Year" yesterday, and I must admit I did find it entertaining. though not as funny as I expected. It awoke in me, nonetheless, a bit of curiosity towards just how is it that the presidential elections are carried out in the United States. I was a bit surprised (I won't say shocked since I already had an idea of this) to find out that the people, the American people are not the ones that actually choose their president, but rather an electoral college does. In case you are wondering what an electoral college is you will find a more extensive definition here, yet let me provide a brief one. Basically, in the United States

"the election of the President and the Vice President is indirect. Presidential electors are selected on a state by state basis as determined by the laws of each state. Currently each state uses the popular vote on Election Day to elect electors. Although ballots list the names of the presidential candidates, voters within the 50 states and the District of Columbia are actually choosing Electors from their state when they vote for President and Vice President. These Presidential Electors in turn cast the official (electoral) votes for those two offices. Although the nationwide popular vote is calculated by official and media organizations, it does not determine the winner of the election." (-Wikipedia)

So, as you can see, the people doesn't choose the president. Sure, it can be argued that it does, but one is never truly sure since as we know, politics involve many personal interests, and politicians are known to lean towards the best bidder. I will stop here, but I have one last doubt nonetheless: Why is it that the US imposes on every country they can (Iraq is a good example) a "democratic" system that they don't believe in, at least not enough as to use it themselves?

Strike a pose!

The real Charlie's Angels.



We need a new one. This is the latest I have. Guille, come back we need a 2007 pic.

A quick Amend

Sascha said that he didn't like the pic I posted of him. I must admit, it is quite old (2 years) and thus out of date. In his words, he "still looked like a Barbie". So here it is, a newer pic he just sent me.



If you ask me, he traded the Barbie look for a Russian Mobster's look. It really suits him though ^^

Fellowship Companions.

I have decided that I will introduce my Friends to the world. Here they are, the very best of the best!

First of all, my very best friend in the world and companion in life, my wife, Kitty. May God continue to provide her with enough patience as to withstand me.

Here we have a group Pic. From left to right: Meli, Pati (my sister-in-law), Guille, Kitty and Me, Sascha and Xime (his Girlfriend), Ana (Mauri's former Classmate), and my Tovarish Mauri.

Mauri with his ex-girlfriend. Mauri is a very very very special person to me...special in the special meaning of the word ^^

Sascha and Me in a church event called "The night of Rock n' Roll". I was playing the guitar that night, hence the out fit and hairdo (had to simulate the 50s). People have told me that I look like the devil in this pic. Ironic, isn't it.

Guille at Pixar. Guille is the guy to your left of the blue monster. He is a genius and a real God sent in my life. For all of you who still haven't heard me mention it, he works at Dreamworks as a computer animator. He rocks!

Meli is the Lady in the middle. She is with some church friends here; Osvaldito to the left of the pic, Carlos above her (he is her boyfriend; Mancandy as I so tenderly dubbed him for her ^^), and Pablo, my Bible study group leader and a great companion. Almost too wise for his age.

Well, there they are, the people chosen by God to bear with the burden that is to know me. May God bless them forever!

Impatience

Since I can recall, I have always been very excitable. As soon as I new I could get something, be this buying it or through other methods, I have felt the urge to get it as soon as humanly possible. I know that this is quite an annoying quirk for the people around me since I do tend to get very pushy and even upset when I can not get that which I know I can in that exact moment. As my wife put it recently, I act like a pushy two year old.

Yet leaving this fact aside for a moment, let me argue my defence. The idea that drives me to behave in such an infantile way is that I hate people who procrastinate things that can be done in the moment. I admit that I do behave in such a way once in a while (procrastinate things), so it may make me sound as a hypocrite when I rant about how much procrastinators annoy me; yet I have an excuse (don't we all). You see, I procrastinate things that I know are not important or that I know that I still have quite some time to do it. I do this as to prioritize other things that I have to do and do them as soon as possible. Yet I too am human, so once in a while I will also over delay things of importance and thus get myself in problems once in a while, to say the least.

If you are wondering why I have this little pet peeve -procrastinators- all you have to do is take a look at the culture of the country I reside in to get your answer. Paraguay. Paraguayans have the "blessed" habit of over delaying every single thing they have to do, and when the time to actually do it comes, they tend to do it in the most mediocre way possible; the infamous "ya da ya" (it's OK). This is only one of the cultural issues that has Paraguay in the hole it currently is in. Paraguayans, as an American Uncle quite accurately put it not long ago, have no pride. I can hear some arising in anger at this statement, but it only takes a quick glance to see how true this is. We ( I include myself here since alienating myself from the problem will only make make me think it doesn't affect me and thus will stop me from trying to do something about it) have a tendency to just get things done, it the shortest time possible (once we actually start doing it) and not care about the actual end product rather than if it fulfils it's purpose or not. This is how we end with bad quality national products; producers only care that the couch they are selling will be good enough for you to sit on, and overlook completely its comfortableness or even aspect. Home owners just care about having furniture, and couldn't care less about actually decorating their homes with good taste or even harmony. It is a cancer that has been killing Paraguay for over a century and which, needless to say,should be eradicated once and for all if Paraguay is ever to climb out of the hole and make something out of its existence.

Well, enough ranting, and as I told a very good friend some time ago "If all you do is complain and not try to see how you can help, you are nothing more than an aggregate to the problem" (I know I took it from somewhere else, but I can't recall from where now) so instead of looking for the problem, it is time to look for a solution. I end this entry with a quote form one of the best video games in history (for me in any case), Final Fantasy VI.

"You want to live in the world as it is? No? Then do something about it!"
~ General Celes Chere, FF VI

Golgotha

This is, while not the exact same, a text in which I have been working on and off for the past 3 years; by on and off I mean that I write it every time I have to present a short short text for something. The truth is that, although very cliché if I may say so, the scene described is one that I simply love. The title I have finally given to it, while not the final one since I am not very fond of it, is the same title as this entry's name. Any sort of feedback will be very appreciated, yet let me say in my defence first that I wrote this specific one for college. I am an English mayor student (actually, undergrad still) and I had to present a descriptive essay for my composition class last year. This is what I managed to come up with in the hour and twenty minutes we had to write the essay.

Enjoy.

The crimson sky that hung above us, just a tone lighter than the blood that covered the earth beneath my feet, forebode the impending doom that lingered in the air. The earth, a dark crimson, was a bit moist under my footsteps, perhaps from all the blood that had been spilled on it through centuries of countless battles. Stones, in a pale white that clashed with the land around it, gave the whole landscape an eerie aspect, for in our minds they took the shape of human skulls. The air felt dense in the nose and bitter in the mouth, and a soft red mist lingered just knee high above the ground.

The men around me, all the bravest of the court and sworn Templar in service of our king, kept quiet, drawing fear in every inhale and letting go despair with every exhale. Silence took a ruling position amongst our ranks, with only the clatter of armor to defy it, for such was the anguish in the field that made three hundred of the toughest knights to shiver as flames on a windy night. Panic in their eyes and terror in their minds, these brave warriors prepared to die.

I too shared their terror, their anguish and their pain, for I too shared their fate. A fate cast upon us in the same fashion as a lord chooses his stallion; a lord that having lust for power in mind and greed in the eyes sees nothing more than a beast that will stand as a symbol. Not humans, but dispensable beasts we were, and as such we felt; equal to dogs that have no more value than the meal they ingest every day. I trembled, both in fear and from the cold, for despite it being mid-summer, death’s caress is one that chills even the marrow of the bravest and most seasoned gladiator.

Here they come. Their black ranks breaking the dark red horizon and their war horns blowing a challenge, making the atmosphere even more lugubrious than before, even worse than the ill-fated silence that had sliced our conscious. Here they come, ready to kill and die. A sword rises in defiance and as a signal from the hand of our general being followed by others. A horse gallops across our ranks, and as it passes by, our banners rise high and our own horns respond to theirs thus issuing the command to engage. Battle cries echoing from our mouths, now, we too march and run. March to kill, and run to die.

Book Worm

As you may, or most likely may not, know, I am a HUGE literary fan. Now, while this means that I simply love reading, it does not mean that I read just any single scrap of written paper I happen to stumble upon (although my wife would most definitively disagree with that statement). I am very picky with what I read since I do believe that since the publishing industry became such a money-making machine, people with zero talent have picked up pens and pretended to be great literary geniuses. This is why there are so many bad books out there and it makes me think about the 80s, when one band had success and then you would have other 5 bands copying the first one just to try to get some of the buzz; and more often than not, 4 out of these 5 copycat bands sucked big time.

Back on track with my original idea though, I will be discussing things I read as well as publishing some others, of my authorship or not. This does not mean that I will just go around copy-pasting Tolkien or Richard A. Knaak. The texts that I will post which were not written by me shall give proper credit to the real author, and I will ask for his or her permission to publish it of course.

Every time I post some text, I will be giving a short introduction to it first, of course, detailing who wrote it, when and why am I posting it. Again I will clarify that I am very picky with what I read even within the genres I love. A perfect example of this is Harry Potter. While being a HUGE fan of the fantasy genre in general, I simply do not find this series entertaining. While I do give credit to the author J. K Rowling for her work, I have to admit that I simply don't like the book. I have read the first four books of course as to have grounds and motif (and basically to give the books a chance) of what I don't like in the series (it really annoys me to death when a person says that he or she doesn't like something yet has never or is unwilling to try it), and all I have to say is; I simply don't like it. I can go on and on criticizing ridiculous details and things which I don't like, but simply, the reason is shortened in a phrase I can't recall were I heard:
"Even if you are the best strawberry ice cream in the world, reality is that some people simply don't like strawberry".

I do tend to rant on a lot, so I'll cut this entry "short" here. Have a great day all of you.

Welcome to the Freak Show!

This is just a standard welcome message were I will explain what my blog will be about as well as explain a bit about myself.

My name, as you can read to the left, is Victor Vasconsellos. I'm 25 years old and I am married. In fact, I just got married a month ago and my wife's name is Cristina Silguero, or Kitty. This blog is intended as exactly what the name suggests, a Haven for my thoughts. I will update this every time I either get a chance or feel like it, so don't expect a very active blog. Yet, what I can not promise in updating I can promise in content, so don't stop dropping by occasionally.

That is all I will say for the moment. I hate spoilers, so I will end this entry here and allow you, my reader, to get to know more about me as you read my thoughts and insights on life and thus delve deeper into my mind.

As a farewell I will leave a picture of my wife and me on our wedding day.




Enjoy.