We'll always have MX kid!

Remembrance

More powerful than words.

Street Art. Good vs Bad

I went through all the postings I had done so far and in one entry I mentioned that I had uploaded some street art. Oh boy! I must have dreamt it since I couldn't find a single post regarding street art. So I've decided to show some of the pictures that I have taken around Wellington in which you can get a taste of some different styles of street art.

Whilst putting these images up, I found myself with the dilemma of "is this good or is it bad?" Let me explain. I think that the examples shown here are very good when it comes to creativity and the way people take existing elements and transform them in order to communicate something extra is really clever. Yet, should we pardon the defacing of public buildings or private property if the creation shows a different and unique perspective on how we see things?

The above images shows a really cool character design skill and you can see the showdown between two of the most iconic heroes we have as kids. Cowboy vs Spaceman. Even Pixar made a movie where we have a similar confrontation. These examples were made on paper and plastered on an old building. Is this visual pollution? Only those who walk along this area can really see these representations of art. People who drive by are almost blind to their presence. At least we know it's temporary, come the rain and the images are gone. Does this excuse the artist from putting them up? Would we be able to see his/her creations if they didn't use this way to "showcase" their work?

The example given here is very creative as well but I'm sure that nobody would like to see their logo transformed into a caricature of some sort. This can really be considered as destruction of private property. Maybe, had the same idea been reproduced in another medium, we would be able to catalogue it as something different.

I think the best examples of street art are the images that follow. Even though they have been transformed form their original form, they still convey the function they were created for but they also include something which we can all relate too. These pedestrian crossing signs have become more than just a sign, it has it's own personality and people can even find a way to identify with them. I agree that they are not temporary but I think I can find a way to forgive this fact in the name of art.

Another typical winter Welly day

Puedo escribir los versos más tristes esta noche.

Puedo escribir los versos más tristes esta noche.

Escribir, por ejemplo: «La noche está estrellada,
y tiritan, azules, los astros, a lo lejos.»

El viento de la noche gira en el cielo y canta.

Puedo escribir los versos más tristes esta noche.
Yo la quise, y a veces ella también me quiso.

En las noches como ésta la tuve entre mis brazos.
La besé tantas veces bajo el cielo infinito.

Ella me quiso, a veces yo también la quería.
Cómo no haber amado sus grandes ojos fijos.

Puedo escribir los versos más tristes esta noche.
Pensar que no la tengo. Sentir que la he perdido.

Oír la noche inmensa, más inmensa sin ella.
Y el verso cae al alma como al pasto el rocío.

Qué importa que mi amor no pudiera guardarla.
La noche está estrellada y ella no está conmigo.

Eso es todo. A lo lejos alguien canta. A lo lejos.
Mi alma no se contenta con haberla perdido.

Como para acercarla mi mirada la busca.
Mi corazón la busca, y ella no está conmigo....

Blind

The man with no fear. So they say about DareDevil. One wonders if we do not blind ourselves in order not to have fear. Sometimes, in different stages of our lives we will find that there's a problem and the easiest thing to do is to ignore it, turn a blind eye. That doesn't get rid of the problem, it just postpones it. We might be able to walk away from it but in the end we'll have to come face to face to it. The more we run away from it, the bigger it gets. The more difficult it is to solve. The confrontation escalates.

Different paths we may take in order to try to escape it. There may be some that seem easier and will take us away from our troubles but it's only a temporary solution. In the end, these paths lead nowhere except to more problems. If we don't accept that there's something wrong, if we don't do anything about it a an early stage, we're most likely to make things worse.

The only solution is to really look into the eye of what is causing the pain, grief, tribulations and do something about it. When we realize that confronting the problem will make things easier in the end, even if it's hard to do, then will we be rid of fear. We may be scared but we are the only ones to control our fear. Let us not blind ourselves.

I've brought pain to whom I love and all because I didn't do anything about my own problems and just let them get out of my control. I thought I could deal with them by ignoring them but it wasn't so. I truly apologize and will not let this happen again. Accepting my mistakes and doing something about it will hopefully help me become better. I am blind no more.

New Dawn

The image isn't the greatest I know, after all it was taken with an iPhone and not a proper camera. Yet it depicts how I feel now, a new dawn is approaching, it's time to move on and encounter new things that life brings with the promise of a new day.

Iron-ATB

When we see Ironman we see a hero with no defects or weak spots. He's cool, sleek and powerful. What hides beneath the impenetrable mask?

In reality, the outfit is just an exoskeleton. Inside the shell, there is a man with all his feelings bottled up. Do we not sometimes don our mask in order to hide our true feelings in order to avoid getting hurt? People might see us as an outgoing person with not a care in the world but the truth might be completely different. We might be hurting inside and have no real desire to go through what appears to be an uneventful day. Hanging out with friends and doing different activities helps to keep our mind distracted but we still feel hollow... incomplete. How many people can really see what's going within us?

Do we just use the armor as a crutch in order to affront the day? Does wearing the armor help us feel better? Are we like Tony Stark in the way that by using the shell we can feel invincible only if it lasts a few moments? We know that in the end we are vulnerable. We can't deny that it is a defense mechanism, we've been hurt before and we become more weary of the next situations in which pain may be inflicted. Can we heal from the exterior inwards? Maybe having a stronger exterior image helps us build more confidence. I highly doubt it. We can fool others but we can never fool ourselves.

I truly believe that we have to heal inwards first. While this slow process takes place, I'll be using the exoskeleton for a while hoping that I can heal soon and don't become addicted to the mask. After all, is it not better when we can show everybody who we really are? Being our true selves gives us freedom.

Sticks and Stones

Funny how places can change. I'm not talking about the place in itself but what they represent in our lives. What once was a happy fun place can become an empty sad place. It doesn't matter how beautiful the place is, the experiences that you lived there determines the way you will look upon it. Memories are so powerful.

The past weekend I went for a walk around Eastbourne, not too far from Wellington. I had been wanting to go back for quite a while since it's a special place in my life. I wanted to relive the good memories that it once brought me. It would've been more enjoyable if that special person was with me still. I wanted to go back there with her.

However strong and compelling it was to pick up a stick and whack some stones towards the sea, I couldn't find myself with the drive to do so. Something so easy and natural to do, something that you do as a kid all the time has somehow become difficult. Last time I did it, not only was it easy and fun but it was awesome!! I was sharing one of those moments that you'll never forget in your life. No matter how many years are to come, it will be ingrained in your mind as if it were just yesterday. There had been a bet to see how many stones could be hit with a stick at one go. I was impressed when the count totaled 9 in a row.


The day was perfect. We would run a few meters ahead from the rest of the group and steal kisses from each other. Nobody knew yet about our relationship and hiding around made it even more exciting. One of our first photos together was taken on that day. A piggy back ride was the last thing we did on that walk. we never made it to the lighthouses but it didn't matter. It couldn't get any better than that.

Memories aside, this trip I did on the weekend was shared with a group of friends who come from different parts of the world. I think that most of my friends are foreigners really so it comes as no surprise. Most of them had never been in this area before and they quite liked it. I got to see the lighthouses too! To be honest, it is a nice place despite the memories. It will never be the same again.

Ink

So..... I'm thinking of maybe getting some ink done. Guess what it would be? It still needs a bit of tweaking but this is the general idea. Why ATB you ask? Over the past weeks I've discovered that ATB represents my inner emotions. I've been using him to express all those things that have been deep inside of me. He's my alter-ego I guess.

Rage

Sometimes we can't control things in our lives and that really frustrates us. But when this frustration escalates due to an accumulation of other frustrations, we get angry and if we can't vent this anger, then it turns into rage!!

Not too long ago, I was in rage. I felt like I needed to destroy something to make me feel better . At the same time, I was aware that by doing such a thing it wouldn't help things, it wouldn't make it any better. At what point does someone lose control and lets Mr Hyde take over Dr Jekyll? What has to take place in order for our Hulk to appear and leave our Banner in the shadows?

My Banner hass always been present fortunately, except on two occasions where I have been pushed to the point were my interior Hulk exploded. This story will come as no surprise for I think we've heard it many times before or we know someone who has gone through something similar. I was your typical dweeb in junior high; short, skinny and with glasses. I would be bullyed by a taller and stronger guy and his posse. He tried to steal my book once, as well as my lunch and he just didn't seem to get enough fun out of the daily violence he would direct my way. As usual, during a break between classes, he approached our group and was about to start picking on us when all of a sudden something clicked inside of me.

It all happened so fast, I didn't realise what I was doing, this raw energy came out of nowhere and made me jump towards him. Somehow I had grabbed him by the neck with an arm and had pulled him down and started ramming his head against a wall. All of this just took seconds. He wasn't really hurt but because it took him by surprise, it really shook him up... and me too.

I only remember coming back to myself when they had separated the fight. I was trembling and couldn't understand what had happened. Some people were patting me on the back and giving me the thumbs up but I was scared of what had happened. Never had I experienced such a thing. After that, he cooled down and gave me and my friends some space. Now I don't think that violence solves anything and I've always considered myself a pacifist. I think reason and logic is the way to go. But that day I learned that you have to stand up for yourself and not let people push you around. My inner Hulk had come out of the shadows and showed me this. It's quite ironic that, at first glance, an image of complete brute force with no clear reason, such as the Hulk, can be conidered a hero.

Violence isn't the way. Rage, being such a fantastic force should never be used. My Banner is in control and he prevails. No matter how much rage I might feel, my Hulk has been kept quiet.