web tracker A Piece of My Mind: May 2006

A Piece of My Mind

Here I'll talk about the things I see, feel, think and imagine, of things that are, were or could be, in hopes for people to enter my mind and we could share some thoughts...

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

God Song


Joan Osborne
Originally uploaded by ale_to_rro.
Hi there, y'all, this is a song I heard when they used to run a tv show called "Joan of Arcadia", which was about a girl (Joan) to who God appear to, in different forms, be it a young girl, a grown man, a begger, a punk, a teacher...it was a pretty good show but it was canceled "because of ratings" and apparently, teenagers these days rather see a show about a girl who talks to ghosts, than a girl that talks to God.

Well, I loved the show, and I love the song, here it is, its a beautiful song, and it talks about how God is everywhere and we never see him, we never notice him, we never care about him and check-in to see how our Father is doing...everyone prays and ask the Lord for something to help them earn more money, to get the girl they love, to do well in an exam or ask him to protect their family, God listens, God acts, but he never gets a Thank You back...

The Song is performed by Joan Osborne and the Title is: "What If God Was one of Us"

If God had a name, what would it be
And would you call it to his face
If you were faced with him in all his glory
What would you ask if you had just one question

Yeah, yeah, God is great
Yeah, yeah, God is good
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

What if God was one of us
Just a slob like one of us
Just a stranger on the bus
Trying to make his way home

If God had a face, what would it look like
And would you want to see
If seeing meant that you would have to believe
In things like heaven and in jesus and the saints
And all the prophets and...

Yeah, yeah, God is great
Yeah, yeah, God is good
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

What if God was one of us
Just a slob like one of us
Just a stranger on the bus
Trying to make his way home

Tryin to make his way home
Back up to heaven all alone
Nobody callin on the phone
cept for the pope maybe in rome

Yeah, yeah, God is great
Yeah, yeah, God is good
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

What if God was one of us
Just a slob like one of us
Just a stranger on the bus
Trying to make his way home

Just tryin to make his way home
Like a holy rolling stone
Back up to heaven all alone
Just tryin to make his way home
Nobody callin on the phone
cept for the pope maybe in rome

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Fear


lastholiday
Originally uploaded by ale_to_rro.
So, staying with the "movies that have send a message" mode, I saw one two weeks ago, which is obvious from the picture, the movie was The Last Holiday, starring Queen Latifah...this movie is not Oscar worthy probably not even MTV Movie Award worthy, and this is not to trash the movie, which I felt send its message through a great funny actress as Queen Latifah is (although I think she could be given better material) anywho... The movie is about this woman (forgot her name, so its the one Queen Latifah plays, we'll call her Queenie) So Queenie suffers a little accident and hits hear head, when she goes and sees a doctor, the doctor tells her she has three weeks left to live, so she quits her job, sells everything and goes to Europe to enjoy her last Christmas, and last days on Earth.

But now Queenie has changed, she enjoys life more, she doesn't travel second class, she goes on business class, she doesn't try just one of the chef's special dishes, she tries them all, she speaks her mind, she jumps from a damn, she skies, she does everything she can without fear (she's going to die anyway, so if the fall doesn't kill her, the accident she suffered will), she has a lot of money, why save it if she's not going to enjoy it post-mortum... In one scene, she writes a letter, telling to her family, she wants to be cremated and spread across the sea ( i think it was the sea), because she has spent her whole life living in a box, she won't spend eternity sleeping on one...

My point is, you're not supposed to spend every single penny you own, because lets face it, we'll probably won't die tomorrow, but we should live without fear, without fear of what we might say, or do, it just holds us back, it will make us regret not having lived more, and enjoyed more...I could keep on this subject but my computer has gone crazy and I don't want to lose everything I've written, so "Post Entry"

Monday, May 29, 2006

X-Men


IceMan
Originally uploaded by ale_to_rro.
How can I explain it? Where should I begin to say it? One thing is for sure, my love for the X-Men. It began when I was a young child, and I saw their cartoons, I never got to read the comics as a child, because unlike the States there isn't a "comic culture" here on the Dominican Republic. As a child, I saw this cartoons, because I found them cool, hey they had super powers, I loved them, I saw them as much as I could, without understanding that underneath all of this I found cool they had a message, they had meaning.

I began to understand this meaning after a long time, it was the year 2000, I was 16 and X-Men The Movie was just released, at first I said, I have to see it, I loved the comics as a child, when I left the theater I was blown away, this was one of the best super heroe movies I've ever seen and when it finished I had seen the message that these heroes have been sending since day one: Tolerance and Acceptance. Story wise, you could easily relate it with the jews back on World War II, how the germans made them register, this registration caused almost their entire extermination.

The sequel released If I'm not badly mistaken on 2003, was superior, on effects, on story, on characters and character development, they portrayed society, or part of it, (with Stryker) that if they don't understand it, then its not normal and it should be removed. I read a few days ago, that in a scene where Bobby Drake (Iceman) told his parents that he is a mutant, Sir Ian McKelly (Magneto) talked to the producers and writers to make it feel as if it was a gay teenager coming out to his parents, it was a superb scene, but it's just part of a greater whole, on how the minorities should unite and fight those who mistakenly thing that they're a threat and by thinking this try to eliminate them...

When this sequel ended, I couldn't wait for the third part to come, I knew it had to deal with the Phoenix, and I love my Jamke, she's a great actress...The Last Stand, the third movie, came out a few days ago, ever since I saw the trailer, I just couldn't wait to see it, and I was not dissapointed, although as a conclussion its not better than its two predecessors, it is great, what lacks is more characther development and on screen time, (Rogue hardly appear, the Rogue-Icemen-Kitty Pride love triangle was hardly developed, at least Storm now had more screen time, but Cyclops was only important apparently on the first film, on the sequel he only had like 5minutes of screentime and in this one apparently around 2). They needed to go deeper (Angel storyline, I did miss Mystique, would've loved to see the Icemen-Pyro fighting sequence to last longer) and the movie as a whole not to be so fast-paced, it took all the storylines and just covered the tip of them, it would have beneffit of some 30mins more.

But the story, is great, about how power corrupts (Jean Grey / Phoenix) and about "the cure". Probably if society could create a cure for homosexuality, being black, be from another religion or ethnic group or to anything they'd found different, they would create it. As long as you are who you are, you're normal, there's nothing wrong with being different, but being ignorant and literally stupid it is.

X-Men, I know there will be a fourth film, I'm waiting for you guys...

Monday, May 15, 2006

Amazing


cross
Originally uploaded by ale_to_rro.
If I thought that with the last post I was going to be butchered, in this one I will probably be expelled from the catholic church and be called an atheist, I don't care, if they do it (which I doubt, because they probably won't ever read this) it will only prove that I'm right...

I've sort of been pulling away from the catholic church, because I feel its filled with lies and cover ups (this has NOTHING to do with The Da Vinci Code, just in case). I think some of their rules are obsolete and it only brings sorrow and division, for example: Priests can't get married, hey you can't ask someone to give up sex, its hurtful when you hear that this altar boys have been raped by priests, is it really their fault? (just to show an example)

Oh well, the thing is, last Christmas, I travelled to Rome, and of course while in Rome we visited Vatican City, I hoped that when I left that place, all my faith in the catholic church was going to come back, I couldn't be more wrong... First of all they charge you a lot (I don't remember right now how much is it, but its a lot) I understand they have there are paintings and other forms of art that must be taken care of, hello The Sixtine Chapel, amazing, its breath-taking...But once you enter this "city" of greed you'll see that everything is in marble, gold, every two steps you take, you will see a freaking gift shop, seriously i think every room has a gift shop (and i'm not exagerating here) you see in displays, all this gold rings that have been wore by the popes and deacons, all this cups made in gold, with precious (and expensive) gems. Why? Oh why? You have all that money to make that, with God knows how many people outside of the walls of the Vatican City dying of hunger, thirst or illness. Just selling one of those rings could probably feed everyone in Haiti, remember what they ask of you: "be humble cause only like that, you'll enter the reign of God".

I didn't post this earlier, because, well... I didn't feel like it, only until last week, as you all must know, there's a movie called The Da Vinci Code, based on a book by the same name which is a very good book that describes to every single detail the masterpieces of some great artists of the past and mixes it with fiction, this fiction (or could it be true...) hurts the catholic church pretty bad. They've asked all of us to not go and see it, but they even dared to say on an article I read: "2000 years ago Jesus Christ was sold for 30 silver coins, now, they sell it trough publishers, Hollywood and funny books, just to get more money"...I got really angry, how do you dare saying that?

You the same people who sell his image in every single way, don't you remember how its written on the bible, that Jesus was filled with wrath when they saw people selling things on the Temple, on his fathers house?

If Jesus could come right now on earth, he wouldn't burn that book, he would destroy every crucifix, every little thing with his image, or his mother's image, a saint's image or his father's image, i'd be pretty darn sure, he doesn't care of the value of the ceiling of the Sixtine Chapel, he would destroy it, burn it to the ground, you bunch of hipocrites. He is all love, but no one likes it when they mess with their dad, specially when you're the Son of the Almighty.

Pleeease!


brahma
Originally uploaded by ale_to_rro.
I know i'll probably be butchered when people read this post, or at least people will want to hang me, but I don't care I'm writing it... Could like all the ugly people, no not ugly strike that, people who think they're ugly, who doesn't feel comfortable in their own body, people who look themselves at a mirror and don't like what they see, stop trying to blame on the media their low self-steem...GOD!!!

Last Friday I was reading a magazine, which will remain unmentioned, and they have a section, in which their readers can send comments on the things they hate (life, their magazine, job, people, friends, etc...) one of their readers, wrote saying that she hated how the new campaign of the Brahma beer, makes women look, like some sort of object (you know how this goes, even if you didn't read that)...

The tv spot, shows a woman on the beach, wearing a really tiny bathing suit, going to a beach bar and buying a Brahma beer, while she's waiting for the beer, we can see a drop of sweat streaming down her back, down to her tight butt and then to her thighs, she takes a zip of the beer, and the drop of sweat will go back where it left.

Being an advertiser I can say there are a few things wrong with this commercial, first of all, thanks to the cable tv, I've been able to see some past Brahma campaigns for other countries, this campaigns are "well thought of" they have concept, in this one, they're just showing that Brahma freshens you up, oh my god...same concept as every other beer has shown... they do it also in a bad way, why does the drop of sweat goes back to the sameplace, can't it just disappear, and what about the rest of her body, its still all sweaty...hum...guess its only works on a single drop.

Yes I don't like the campaign either, but butchering it because it shows a beautiful woman with a great body its senseless and pointless, it does lacks concepts and sex IS the easiest thing to sell, a friend of mine doing research for a class found the following quote: "When everything else fails, insert sex"...

Why am I criticizing the woman who sent the angry letter, well..I don't see fat man complaining when a guy with a great body appears naked on a beer, perfume or underware commercial...hey why does a guy with who's probably been working out since age 5, appears on the package of underware with an XL size. And i'm not trying to justify it with saying guys don't do that, but hello!! Would you actually like to see in a movie/tv show or magazine someone who'd you consider to be ugly?

Seriously, the media is not setting the standards, society is setting them, the media only follows them in order to get the higher ratings, to get more money, that's it, we see in our screens (be it computer, movies or tv) exactly what we want to see...if that makes you feel bad, then you have a problem, if you feel you're fat, look yourself in a mirror, are you really? or it just makes you feel bad because you're not a size zero, hey you don't have to be, you don't need to have the biggest boobs, or be blonde, as long as you feel good with yourself, no matter how you look, how big, short, fat, thin, strong, lean, hairy or smooth you are, you can be the hottest thing since warm bread, it is only up to you to feel this way, if you don't, don't blame the media, blame yourself...

Sunday, May 14, 2006

Symbols


symbols
Originally uploaded by ale_to_rro.
Haven't you noticed that a few years ago, a lot of people began wearing this "Che Guevara" t-shirts...probably because you think, they support his ideology, they see him as a great leader...but I'm pretty darn sure, if you would have ask any of those persons wearing it, what was the "Che's" ideology, they wouldn't know what to answer... Symbols in this example the image of Ernesto Che Guevara, are very powerful, they're not powerful just because they exist, they are powerful because society, the people behind that concept, idea or movement made them powerful, with a symbol they're summing up a group of ideas, they're giving it power.

Take the catholic cross for example, does it actually means something? In itself, its simply a cross, but we catholics use it, to remember ourselves the Christ died on the cross with it paying for our sins, that cross reminds us that, and we use it around our necks (or the people who do it, i don't) to remind themselves that God is always with them. Would it have the same effect if someone who doesn't believe in God wore it?

Ying-yang, Buddha, they're all symbols, symbols that if we're ignorants when using them, we don't know the effect they can have, or the message they're sending. Yesterday, I put on a shirt to go to the gym, it had a symbol, I had no idea, what this symbol represented, my sister bought the shirt for me, and I'm pretty darn sure, she bought because of the design, nothing else, she liked it, found it pretty...

When I put the shirt on, I thought, I know someone will ask me, what does this symbol represents, and I won't know what to say? And why am I wearing a symbol which I don't know what represents, I could probably offend someone unintentionnally, or letting people think i support an ideology that i don't stand for.

When I got to the gym, still thinking about this, someone called me over and asked me, "are you russian?", i said "no" and he told me "well you're wearing a shirt with the symbol of the soviet union" and i didn't know what to say, and left...I knew it, it was going to happen, and I pass as a complet ignorant...

Symbols have power, but when they're promoted by ignorants of what this symbol means, it could start even wars with out us wanting that...be careful, always do your research, every symbol has a meaning and there's always someone who knows what it means..

Monday, May 08, 2006

Inconditionality


doctor:patient
Originally uploaded by ale_to_rro.
Last saturday I got pretty darn bored, and while juggling with some ideas and thoughts inside my head I stumbled with one...one that made sense, was logic and in my eyes, as true as it can get.

"We all use someone"

What? Don't you think so...? Really...you never use someone...hum..., let's see...

You're in a doctor's office, you feel a little bit sick, the doctor is checking you, to see what's wrong, hey will give you your diagnosis, a treatment etc... you will pay him for his services and do whatever he says in order to get better... where did anyone there use someone else...?

Well you as a patient used your doctor, you feel bad, you need to get better, he was the one who spent all those years studying, now you're using his skills and knowledge to get over an illness, but hey, wait a minute, he's using you too, everyone love their jobs (if that's what they want to do anyways) and doctors, they're freaks when it comes to work, they love it, they live by it (not complaining here, keep up the good work) but he's also using you, because he enjoys his work, he practices what he has learned and he also gets money for it...

We don't see nothing wrong with this case because its a win/win situation, so no one "used" no one, we can only say, "somebody use me" when it was a win/lose situation...

Sex (usually is a win/win situation), work, school, friendship, relationships, for everything you need to use someone else, think about it, analyze it...prove me wrong...

Its the circle of life, there's nothing wrong with it...as long as we don't take advantage of someone else and leave them in blank..

Friday, May 05, 2006

Territory

This is my owner, so I shall pee on him, so other doggies and bitches will stay away, I peed on him, he has my scent now, and probably after this he will hit me with the newspaper but I don't mind, I like it rough...that's hot....

Why in relationships there's always (mostly in the male side) the idea that you own the other person, that you're their propertie and that like a dog, they should (not literally) pee on you or around you, so others will stand back and won't hump you on the back...

Have you ever thought...I can do it without you noticing...i know other dogs enjoy the fact that i'm already owned, it makes them feel like studs and babes, like yes, he/she rather be with me than you, i'm giving him/her what some other "dog" can't.

You have to stop and thinking you own someone, stop peeing all over them, that's just humiliating, discusting and says a lot about the kind of person you are, a distrustful one...if you see your dog or bitch sniffing some other dog, it doesn't mean they'll leave you, they might just be saying hi how are you, where do they serve the best chinese food around here... or hey they might even get a new friend so all three of you can go to the park and play with a freesbee, god!

Peeing on someone else is discusting...iuk..!

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

F*ck Up


lindsay lohan
Originally uploaded by ale_to_rro.
After the little encounter with my dad, I was left a little pissed, searching for colleges in which to do my master degrees studies if I wasn't accepted at the ones I'm already applying to... A while later I heard this song on my iTunes, which I loved, Conffessions of a Broken Heart (Daughter to Father) by Lindsay Lohan...excellent song, and have you seen the video? I think that's the first music video that has sent a chill up my spine, I connected with Lindsay, I felt what she felt...

In this song (i'm not implying here in any way that this song if from me to my dad) Lindsay asks her dad if he ever loved her (see the song posted below).. if you're a Lindsay fan, or you watch E! News, you must know that sweet little Lindsay, got really really thin, got some crisis on the set of a few movies and went over all a little crazy and missbehaved...You may think, well fame went up her head, but no, all this came due to some actions her father made, to all the problems and crisis they we're having, I don't condone her, I understand her..., but I'm not here to praise, save nor judge Lindsay Lohan...with this song, and this commentaries, i'm just trying to think...

How do we fuck up someone elses life? Not necesarilly a father-son relationship, it could be to a friend, to our soul mate, to a past partner... Which actions as minimal as they were affect that person future?

I wished that when we died, the angel of death when he comes for us, showed us how our actions helped, paved or destroyed someone dreams, future, moment, anything... even if it happens like that (well I haven't died to see if it happens or not) we should try to be careful, just in case, we don't know how our reactions will affect others, its not that we have to be ultra careful, that's no way to live, but just put a little bit more attention on the things we do/say, somehow we'll avoid to mess up someone.

Confessions of a Broken Heart (Daughter to Father)


spicy!
Originally uploaded by ale_to_rro.
I'm posting this song for reasons I'll explain on the post above this one.

Confessions of a Broken Heart
-------------------------
Lindsay Lohan

I wait for the postman to bring me a letter
I wait for the good Lord to make me feel better
And I carry the weight of the world on my shoulders
A family in crisis that only grows older

Why’d you have to go
Why’d you have to go
Why’d you have to go

Daughter to father, daughter to father
I am broken but I am hoping
Daughter to father, daughter to father
I am crying, a part of me is dying and
These are, these are
The confessions of a broken heart

And I wear all your old clothes, your polo sweater
I dream of another you
The one who would never (never)
Leave me alone to pick up the pieces
A daddy to hold me, that’s what I needed

So why’d you have to go
Why’d you have to go
Why’d you have to go!!

Daughter to father, daughter to father
I don’t know you, but I still want to
Daughter to father, daughter to father
Tell me the truth, did you ever love me
Cause these are, these are
The confessions of a broken heart

I love you,
I love you
I love you
I....!!!!!
I love you!!

Daughter to father, daughter to father
I don’t know you, but I still want to
Daughter to father, daughter to father
Tell me the truth...
Did you ever love me!!!?
Did you ever love me?
These are.....
The confessions...of a broken heart

Ohhh....yeah

I wait for the postman to bring me a letter..

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

Leave (They Wonder Why)


luggage
Originally uploaded by ale_to_rro.
Ever since I was a young child, I knew one thing, and I knew it with all my heart and soul, the only thing I was sure I had to do with my life, someday, somehow...I didn't know what I was going to be when I grew up, I didn't know what was I going to do the next day, but I knew one thing...I want to live somewhere else than here...

I love my country (in my own way), and I love my family (in again, my own way) but these are key factors for me and my wishes to leave this country and pursue my dreams in another one.

My country yes its a wonderful country, there's no war, its very beautiful, blah, blah blah...yadda...yadda...yadda...I just can't stand how hipocrite, how closed minded and how back stabbing people here are, how they love to meddle in everyone else's life and don't sit for two minutes and analyze their life.

My family, well, they all love me, I know they do, I love them as well, but I just can't take it anymore. The stupidest thing will spark a fire, my dad has a lot of problems at work, and he always comes here and unloads it with us, no, not by talking...by trying to find the most minimum thing wrong and fight about it...he enjoys it, he loves it...my mom, just look at us, and with her beautiful green eyes, she tells us (of course unspoken) let him talk, just be quiet (he doesn't talk he yells)...

My little sister tells me every day, spend more time with your family, you're always out, or locked in your room, but the rare ocassions on which I've dared to share, it always end up in a fight... I just can't take it, its like prision, and God forgive me, If I ever try and say all of this to my folks...oh my God...If I do, all hell will break loose, "you're an ungrateful bastard, I've given you everything, everything you have its mine, its my work, its my doing" "i can ask you for anything, your life belongs to me, you have to do whatever i say, no questions, even if its wrong, you have to do it, you fucking ingrate"

No later than October from this year, i'm leaving...be it to the United States, Spain or Argentina, with the aid of God I will stay wherever I go, and maybe just come here for the important events in my family's life...I may sound ungrateful, but walk a mile in my shoes before you judge me...

Fat


that's phat
Originally uploaded by ale_to_rro.
Have you ever been fat? No, I don't mean fat in a "i have to lose 5 pounds" kind of fat, I mean real life threateing, overweight, unable to buy clothes, need an extra belt on airplanes, no one will look at you in a come here baby way, FAT...

Do you even know how it feels? I remembered sometimes I looked in the mirror just to see how I looked, somedays I saw myself like a huge ugly fat monster, you thought that would be enough to make me go to a gym, or go and take a hike in the park and start dieting, but no, that just got me depressed, depression got me eating my feelings "ice cream is not love"... Those other few times that I saw a thinner version of myself (only in my eyes) well...I look thinner, maybe I can get away with having pizza for dinner tonight... It's not easy...it sounds like it is, but is one of the hardest things ever, stop eating.

I still don't consider myself a thin person, although I could probably sell the "average" body, but I still see myself on the mirror as fat..then again I realized last Sunday that I'm half anorexic, when I look at myself in a mirror I see someone fat...why half anorexic? Well...I don't stop eating :p .

People looked at me and said: "you have a great face, but you need to lose weight"...but hey, when you're fat, its never easy, specially when you see the people you like rejecting you or hooking up with someone else. One person who I shall never forget, told me once: "Alejandro remember, bodies are made, but with a face, you have to be born with" ..

If you read that last comment with the first one on that same paragraph, you could say, its the same thing, but its not...one is a positive comment, a you can do it if you want to comment, the other one is like pitty...I hate being pittied...

Its not easy being fat, the real kind of fat...I'm just glad I'm leaving that "condition" behind, I just hope I never forget, I just hope I never make someone feel like I used to feel...but If I truly had to wish something, it would be that the fruits and vegetables made you gain weight, and the desserts, fast foods and everything I liked made you lose weight...but hey, then again we would all be wanting to eat fruit and vegetables...crazy world.