Números

Untitled
by Felipe Alvarez de Toledo

El niño pateó una pelota que se deshizo
Para revelar que solo era un bicho

Con patas negras
Y números blancos en la espalda.

I guess that I just don't know.

I wish that I was born a thousand years ago. I wish that I'd sail the darkened seas on a great big clipper ship, going from this land here to that, in a sailor's suit and cap, away from the big city, where a man cannot be free of all the evils in this town, and of himself, and of those around.
The Velvet Underground, Heroin

Mmmgh I have to schedule 3 Extended Essay workdays before summer's over... No se, let me calculate. Tomorrow I have to do Chem, then on Thursday I have Chem class. Don't tell me it has to be Friday. Okay, so one on Friday, then Sunday and Monday? Sounds good. I could actually have fun, writing, eating chocolate and secretly entering facebook in my pajamas. Well, boxers and shirt. Ah, but I have gym before that! Well, I'll just strip off my pants.

Also, I'm taking a few pictures each time I go out this summer! Documenting the last few days of freedom. Doing so with my new lomo fisheye and my Olympus. Shall get them developed as soon as school starts. Could be fun :)

18.

After a whole day of celebration, a day of pizzas in the afternoon, expensive restaurants at night, lomo cameras, posters and books and plastic hammers* for presents, one comes to realise that he's already grown up. But who's to say I can't enjoy a swingset or climb up a tree every once in a while?
Ladies and gentlemen, I am officially an adult.


* Ignacio actually went out and bought me a present: a hammer that makes noise when you bonk it. Haha, I do think, however, that it's what he thought I'd enjoy the most, because he was so enthusiastic about giving me his present. I love him.

"100th" Post, and a celebration poem.

Selling sea shells...
by Felipe Alvarez de Toledo

Selling sea shells
Was she,
By the seashore
Quietly.

Was she
As tranquil as it seemed?
Quietly,
She pondered.

As tranquil as it seemed,
The waves roared on.
She pondered,
Staring into space.

The waves roared on,
Near the seashore.
Staring into space,
Selling sea shells.

I wrote this poem a year ago, and it resurfaced on my old (and abandoned) livejournal page. I actually miss writing on that. Dedicated to what was supposed to be my 100th post, but for some reason it looks like it's the 100 and first. Well, congratulations to my blog and thanks for everybody that reads it. No videos for a while because the computer broke (this means I can't finish my Extended Essay, either-- well, it means it will be thrice the work to finish it).

In other news, two Days until my birthday. Cannot wait, and my siblings still have not bought me presents. I think I'm going out to dinner with the family. Also, Flickr has surpassed 2,000 views. Now it's on the 2028th (see, I was saving this statistic for my 100th post...).

Have a few great final weeks of summer, everybody.

Let me rant.

Bueno, de veras odio escribir en inglés, pero supongo que os debo un post y 6/8 de mis lectores son angloparlantes y no hablan castellano.

So yes. Let me start anywhere. Yesterday I talked to my English tutor from when I was in Argentina. Well, we chatted on msn is more correct, I reckon. She's in LA now, married to a 'bonaerense'. I'm actually really glad I talked to her, I didn't realise how much she's affected me and my life. You see, she was not only a tutor but also a friend. Her name's Tanisia, raised in LA (she went to school with one of the girls from full house! Jodie Sweetin, I believe?) and she's also lived in NY, and lived in Barcelona before I moved here. She told me how great this city was before I experienced it. But yes, she saw me grow up a lot in Argentina, and was always good to talk to. Yesterday it was the same. She listened to me on my doubts about being a doctor and just encouraged me to try it out, but she warned me that she took the same path and turned back. According to her an "artistic and adventurous mind" doesn't always want to give up the many dreams and options one has to live and breathe medicine.

She's truly great. It was really good to hear from her after so long. Also, my dad lets me have a tattoo, (I asked in a "...dilatory manner, as all children do, regarding every subject under the sun." -Camera Laye, The Dark Child) (I just quoted my summer reading). I started by mentioning K2, and he asked what she was getting and where. So I responded, and asked if he liked tattoos. He said "as long as they're discreet". Then I went straight to the point.

As for my intellectual growth, this summer I've seen a lot of movies, and read a lot of books, let's see if I can list a few. Well, just yesterday, or the day before that, I finished watching La Dolce Vita, movie that I started a year ago. In July I watched Life of Brian and Brokeback Mountain. I liked them both. I saw Schindler's List also, I caught it on TV. And, finally, I have to finish watching Giant (movie I also started watching a year ago) and Apocalypse now, which have been lent to me. And as for books, I finished off Wuthering Heights in France, and it is one of my personal favourites. Then on the bus back to Barcelona I got done with The Dark Child (quoted previously), and liked it quite a bit. This was a Summer Reading for English class. Another SR I had was Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, for TOK. I selected that myself, since we were allowed to choose. I really liked the book so as always, I chose well, but I fear any first-day-of-school surprise essays on the reading. I don't think I have analysed it sufficiently for that. Now I'm rereading The Old Man and the Sea and was eyeing a few poems by Antonio Machado, a Spanish poet.

Also, it looks like John Hughes died. This makes me sad. Bueno I really don't know what else to say. I was hoping this post would turn into a philosophical debate with myself, Socratic dialogue style, but it didn't. I'll save that for another day, and get my headache out of the way with some venting. However, it was nice making a list of the stuff I've done (I've also gone to France, and the beach a couple of times) and flaunting it a bit.

I love summer.

Santiago

"The old man had taught the boy to fish and the boy loved him."
-Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea

Even if you cannot hear my voice.

This is my idea for a tattoo (I believe Sophie had it first, though...) (and ignore the writing, I was just listening to a good song). To me the tattoo symbolises being forgotten and left behind, and wanting to rewind... Anyway, opinions? I was gonna get it parallel to my left clavicle, but apparently Sophie's is on her right.

En fin.

Louder, louder,

And we'll run for our lives.

I can hardly speak, I understand

Why you can't raise your voice to say...

Snow Patrol, Run

Mi Musa

Y vio la musa esquiva,
de pie junto a su lecho, la enlutada,
la dama de sus calles, fugitiva,
la imposible al amor y siempre amada.
Díjole Abel: Señora,
por ansia de tu cara descubierta,
he pensado vivir hacia la aurora
hasta sentir mi sangre casi yerta.
Hoy sé que no eres tú quien yo creia:
mas te quiero mirar y agradecerte
lo mucho que me hiciste compañia
con tu frío desdén.
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Quiso la muerte
sonreír a Martín, y no sabía.

-Antonio Machado, de 'Muerte de Abel Martín'.

3 - My birthday and Gay beaches

My flickr gallery just reached 1,700 views.

Survival and Dreams

Mm... The surviving is turning out better than expected, I've wasted only 3 euros in meat which Lucelia, our maid (who paid me a surprise visit... Thanks, Mom hahah) generously offered to cook. So I went out and bought it and she breaded it for me, and it was great. And it lasted 3 meals. Dad decided to come a day later, so I have to survive tomorrow too, but I have 20 euros, so I think I'll manage.
(I might even get to items 4 and 5 on my list.)
(Just saying.)

In other news, I've been having violent dreams with certain people, which is horrible but are only a projection of my own feelings onto somebody else. Feeling kinda insecure about certain aspects of things, and I am being purposefully vague .
I have a feeling more people read my blog than I'd want to, though I'm flattered if you do.
Da dee da... Other than that, I'm great. Loving summer, the heat freezes everything.

2 - Home Alone.

Goodbye, Blue Sky

Goodbye.

(This post has no deep emotional meaning, by the way, I just love the photo and the song.)

New Video Posts

Well, as you probably heard from my previous entry, I have decided to start including video posts in this blog also. I hope it will make it lighter and more varied. I won't quit the writing (of which I didn't do much, anyway) or the photos and quotes, so you guys don't have to worry. I shall soon be uploading a video.

1- An introduction.

Comments unnecessary on this one.