Come in...Wander Around My Head

Happy Valentines Baby...

2007-02-13T19:10:00.000-08:00

Welcome to this year´s Saint Valentine blog. I must first and foremost state that this entry is solely and whole heartedly dedicated to my Valentine. You know who you are baby jejeje. I remember not two years ago I dreaded every time February came along. It seemed like every valentines I was destined to stay at home and wonder how amazing it would be to have someone with whom to share the day with. Every year passed and every time I wished I could do as many corny things as I could with my valentine. I wished there was someone I could be silly with someone I could let my romantic side shine with. I tried…that I must admit but after sometime, after defeats and defeats I began to lose hope and beginning to think that I would never get to celebrate this…well…made up holiday yet wonderfully romantic.

This my dear friends drastically changed more than a year ago when destiny handed me what I believe to be the living definition of true love. After years and years of building up this idea of love I have finally been able to live it, I have been able to give and receive it. This is now my second valentines day and even though I will not be able to be with her physically and will undoubtedly be with her spiritually and mentally. Love knows no boundaries including distance. I am here to tell you love will flourish no matter the circumstances it is given. If the people involved allow the seed that is planted to grow, if they water it and nurture it then no matter what situations are placed before them…love will flourish.

Baby I wanted to wish you a Happy Valentines. I love you. I know we are far apart and that it makes things that more difficult. I am sorry I´m not there to give you a kiss or a hug or to bring you flowers and some chocolate and all the other corny yet amazingly wonderful events that surround Valentines. I have though…this little present for you right below these words. It is a present for you my love on this day of days to celebrate love. It is dedicated solely for you and I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed creating it. Let it be a testament to our commitment, a testament that love breaks boundaries. I may not be there to give you a present but I will give you this little video as a present. I hope you have a wonderful day and I hope you know I am with you always.

Te amo mi corazon. Gracias por existir.

Tu Cocorote

Mauri H.

2007-02-13T18:12:00.000-08:00

PROHIBIDO OLVIDAR

2007-02-02T20:14:00.000-08:00

Hello I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Maurizio Hernandez and I am from the beautiful city of Caracas, Venezuela. I am 18 years old and I have just graduated from high school in the class of 2002. Pretty soon I will leave home and travel to the states to start my college career as an advertiser. I am a proud Venezuelan and I cannot wait to go to the US and represent my country. I asked my mom the other day to buy me a big Venezuelan flag so that I can put it up on my dorm room with pride.

If you’re not aware we are currently trying to get the current president out of his position…his name, Hugo Chavez. For the past three years he has taken this country on a downward path. He has created a bitter hatred between the rich and the poor. Rich and poor have always been a part of Venezuelan society, 80% of the population is poor and even before this president there never was the hatred that there is now. On the 11th of April, 2002 we marched together, hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans marched in protest, peacefully. Chavez…our president…had other plans he waged a brutal and violent attack on the opposition killing and injuring many. While tv news stations tried frantically to cover the brutal events the president tried cutting them off by going on tv and trying to take control of the airwaves. We succeeded for a minute but he is back in power.

Now I leave my country behind but I go as proudly as ever for being a Venezuelan. My whole family lives here and I cannot wait to go to the states and represent them. I carry with me my flag, my pride and so many little things that remind me of my country. I will march in Miami with my fellow Venezuelans and I will wear my colors proud. I will most definitely miss home and cannot wait to come back already and I haven’t even left. We have a beautiful country here and while at times it can be dangerous there is nothing like it. The mountains, the beaches, deserts, forests…we have it all including one of the 7 wonders of the world…El Salto Angel, the biggest waterfall in the world. If the people continue as bonded as they are, if we continue to fight we will have our country back, of that I am sure.

…..

Hello I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Maurizio Hernandez and I am from the currently sad city of Caracas, Venezuela. I am 22 years old and I have almost graduated from the University. I have been coming and going from Venezuela ever since I left to college. I have been coming down roughly every 4 months maybe more. I’ve had a couple of opportunities to take part in internships here and I’ve spent some good time off from school down here. Venezuela…right now…is a joke. It is plainly and simply a laughing stock of a country.

The country has allowed a man to stay in power for the last 8 years and there are no signs of him ever leaving. We have let him begin to control private industries, taking over phone companies, electric companies. Anarchy runs loose in the streets. There are traffic lights but not a soul respects them. There are laws but down here they seems to exist for the sole purpose to be broken. Taking a walk forces you to not only bring along your wallet but a handful of fear. No one is safe. Criminals walk the street as if Caracas were one big prison cell. Driving with the window down? Might as well say goodbye to your favorite watch. Everything seems like something out of a bad movie…a city gone to hell and its population slowly drenching the life out of themselves. The only peace one can seem find is in the house…or can they? Expect to go home and have a lovely lunch or dinner and get away from the chaos…you’re wrong my innocent reader…if anything you will bring all the anarchy and all the hatred one takes during the day and place it on the table. Not one family lunch goes by without the mention of politics, without talking about the craziness that this country has succumb to. It is maddening. The situation is everywhere. It is dire and it´s destroying lives and families. Our neighbor…has a 6 year old girl and her 4 year old sister. They are if anything two of the most adorable little girls. They go to a public school close to the apt. We happened to run into them as they were coming home from school one day and we said hello to their father, Javier, and what would normally be a normal conversation about work or redundant general things the second sentence included Chavez and crazy. At that moment…when the word Chavez was spoken the 4 year old girl, and I am not exaggerating or lying, said “papi ese es el Diablo? Los niños dicen que son el Diablo…” Translation…dad is that the devil? In school they say he is the devil. Her older sister automatically answered her question. “Si hermana nos va a destruir a todos” Yes sis’ he will destroy us all. The saddest part of this was that instead of thinking, oh how innocent and cute, one comes to think….anger? fear? In a child that is 4 and in her 6 year old sister that is intense. These girls should be talking about cartoons or their favorite color I mean…politics!!!!!??? It´s ridiculous and scary to think that this generation is being brought up around all this chaos.

I hate to admit it…I really do but I feel ashamed of this country. I feel ashamed of its people and I feel ashamed of being a part of it. I have lost all hope…which is sad considering the feelings I had for this place when I left only 4 years ago. I feel so much anger towards Chavez and I assure you 5 million other people feel the same way. We have the highest inflation rate in all of Latin America. I am currently participating in an internship as a Market Analyst and it´s paying me 920,000 Bolivares. When I first heard the sum I was like…holy crap that is a lot for an Internship, yeah…not really. The exchange is divided into two markets. The official exchange is somewhere around 2500 Bolivares and it goes up and down every day and is controlled by the government. Since they do not allow the exchange or purchase of dollars the second market has opened up….this is not exactly an illegal market but is considered a gray area. The exchange rate in this second market is a sky rocketing 4300 Bolivares and can just easily in a day climb to 5000. If I want to buy or exchange my Bolivares….then I have to do it through this second market since it is the only market where I am allowed to exchange my money. What sounds like an amazing amount of money, 900,000 Bolivares, turns out to be a mere 200 and change dollars a month. It is ridiculous and having lived in the United States (I will have a HUGE rant on them in another entry so hold your horses) and having traveled around the world….well not the world but Europe it is so depressing to see the state of things here at home.

Venezuela is where I was born and later raised. I learned to love this country. I admired the beautiful Avila mountain and its 2600ft in size every morning as I left to school. I admired its history and our fearless libertador Simon Bolivar. I admired our natural beauty…how you could be standing in a desert and a couple of hours later be sitting in the middle of an amazing rain forest in which one could find that breathtaking Salto Angel. I am angry and I will keep repeating it. This one man has singlehandedly destroyed the country…brought it to the lowest low in many decades. He has made such ridiculous promises to the people here and to our neighboring countries….like wanting to donate 1 billion dollars to Ecuador all in order to buy off supporters. How have we allowed this? How has the Venezuelan allowed this to happen? They haven´t…they have done what they can. They have marched and they have voted…but that will never be enough against this type of dictator. He went for the aorta…after the poor class which makes up 80% of the country. They are uneducated and ignorant and any promise that holds a smear chance for them to pull ahead will easily place them in Mr Hugo Chavez´s hands. It´s what he did and what he continues to do. He has split the country in half…there is hatred and jealousy and resentment and that is something that did not exist before as I mentioned earlier. Venezuelans are a peaceful people…their intentions are not to fight…but fellow patriotas…I don´t see another way out of this. We are slowly and surely mirroring our Cuban friends. We are slowly turning into them. I do not want one man to tell me how much rice I can have a week and no one else should allow that either.

The country has to pull itself together once again like they did more than 4 years ago. The people need to stand…they need to unite…and take the streets. As hard as it is for me to say…and as hard as it would be to act upon it…we need to march. We need to stop the country as a whole…cut him from the source once again. The military are a bunch of corrupt cowards…but 4 years ago they stood up against Chavez, why can´t they do it again. Chavez wants a revolution…we should give him one. 5 million came out to vote…let those 5 million come out to march. Guns will not stop 5million people. What about the people who died that fateful 11th of April? Have we forgotten? PROHIBIDO OLVIDAR was the motto….have we forgotten? Will we just sit at lunch and complain, will we read the newspapers and call him crazy will we watch TV and turn it off at the sound of his voice. I remember hearing a phrase I wish the people of Venezuela could all hear very very well….¨People should not be afraid of their Government, Governments should be afraid of their people.¨ What happened to our country???? Excuse me for being blunt…but are we going to just roll over on all fours and allow this man to do with us what he wishes??? What happened to this country…I left and it was all NI UN PASO ATRAS…and now its silence. You want a metaphor? We should be like sand. By ourselves…we are but a grain. We do nothing against the incoming tide. United though, we are a strength to be reconned with. Chavez should be fearing us…he should be fearing the people…he should be fearing the private industry not the other way around. They threaten us with bullets. There is the issue. Do we lower ourselves to that level…do we bring out guns? I guess the real question is are we willing to spill blood for a country we once loved? As a Venezuelan…old or young…are you willing to spill blood to see this man go down? Will you march alongside your fellow patriots and walk to Miraflores and stand proud against all odds….for therefore lies the key. If we are not….if we are not willing to suffer, bleed, die and fight…then we do not stand a chance to recover this once beautiful country. I will march…I will walk…I will fight because I love this country. My entire family lives here. My roots are planted here. I have the passion and love for this country that is needed to pull it out of its current state. I want to march…I want to hold a flag in one hand…and my other fist in the air…I want to sing out loud.

Chavez has another 6 years of power, after which he can again be voted for presidency allowing him to forever be in power. What the hell are we doing?????? This is history. It is being written as I sit here and write this. We are allowing him to become yet another sad chapter in Latin American history…but lets not allow him to write his ending…we need to write our own. I feel like people have given up…the willingness to pull ahead is gone, we have let him win. I cannot sit here everyday and watch him rape this country off of its beauty. I am just a grain of sand…writing my thoughts on another grain of sand…we need to multiply and stand united. Mis venezolanos…no se puede olvidar, no se puede dejar la esperanza por el piso…hay que seguir adelante y no dar un paso atrás....démosle a Chavez la revolucion que quiere....prohibido olvidar!!! O es que nos hemos olvidado lo que nos a hecho nuestro presidente?

I leave you with a quote, ¨There are of course those who do not want us to speak. I suspect even now, orders are being shouted into telephones, and men with guns will soon be on their way. Why? Because while the truncheon may be used in lieu of conversation, words will always retain their power. Words offer the means to meaning, and for those who will listen, the enunciation of truth. And the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn't there? Cruelty and injustice, intolerance and oppression. And where once you had the freedom to object, to think and speak as you saw fit, you now have censors and systems of surveillance coercing your conformity and soliciting your submission. How did this happen? Who's to blame? Well certainly there are those more responsible than others, and they will be held accountable, but again truth be told, if you're looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror.¨

Sigh…PROHIBIDO OLVIDAR

Finding an Adapter

2007-01-27T14:13:00.000-08:00

Dedicado a mi Jechi Pechi

So I´ve been staring at this piece of paper for about 20 minutes without writing a single word. Oh...I wrote this on paper first and I am now saving it on to the computer. The funny thing is that before I sat down to write I could swear I had more than a hundred different ideas and arguments. They were disorganized thoughts of course, but they were all there. They were clear and they made sense. It felt like one of those lettered cereals you know, where you can sometimes catch a phrase or two while you mix the letters up with your spoon, except in this case I rearranged the mess into something comprehensible. Once I sat down to write this on the computer I seemed to have lost control...the cereal went to hell and no words could come up no matter how carefully I tried to rearrange the letters. It´s amazing how sitting down to write something can be so hard, specially when you know exactly what you want to write about. I don´t know if this is something that happens to amateur writers like myself or to all kinds of writers. In any case...all this is beside the point. I remember my English teacher always told me I wrote too much and never got to the point. That my intros were always on a different path than my actual essay. I look back and I seem to be doing the exact same thing now. Its like I am stalling waiting for the ideas to come back to my head in a way that I can type them into the computer. All this rambling for example...its distracted me from actually having to think of what ideas I had and in return they just come naturally. It´s a way of letting my head settle into the idea of having to organize thoughts in an understandable and readable way...hence we can now start the actual topic in which this blog is based about...long distance relationships, or as my current girlfriend likes to say LDRs...sounds like some sort of drug or something but it beats the hell out of having to type Long Distance Relationship every five minutes. I exaggerate? Well of course I do, its what any good sarcastic writer would do.

I remember back when I was in high school my English teacher also used to tell me, whenever I was preparing an oral presentation, that it was always a good idea to start with a quote. I´m not making an oral presentation but hey lets apply that theory here shall we. ¨ Absence diminishes small loves and increases great ones, as the wind blows out the candle and blows up the bonfire.¨ A man named Francois de la Rouchefoucauld once said that. Longer was his name than the quote but I must agree with him. Now...why can I agree? The only reason I can agree is because that quote relates to the current relationship I am in now. I don´t think that would always be the case though. If I were on the other side of the spectrum, which I have, I would probably be quoting the exact opposite. Up until about two years ago maybe less I was on this opposite side and I believed that...LDRs...were something impossible to achieve. Over the past year and a bit though, my opinion has changed quite drastically. Its simple really. Two people far apart bring on consequences to their relationship that must be dealt with in so many different forms. There are many issues but none that hold more or less importance over the other. Trust, Communication, Sex are just a few examples of the issues that are bestowed upon couples that decide to enter the realm of LDRs. As a couple you have to search within yourselfs to find the best possible solutions to all these matters. That little picture above I think represents what I am trying to talk about. Let me step out of the subject for a bit. When I travel to Europe with my laptop I can´t use the same power plug thing, you know they use a different style a different plug type per say. I had to buy an adapter in order to use my laptops power cord over seas. Now...we look at the image above and I guess its what I am trying to convey in this post. Long Distance Relationships can be tricky, hard and at times heart breaking but it can be solved by applying the right adapter. This adapter, which at first may seem hard to find and hard to apply, will make the relationship bloom and grow and hopefully as my friend Francois said will make love increase and blow up the bonfire. Now...obviously figuratively speaking an adapter will cost you 5 bucks at any radio shack, but a LDR Adapter can cost a lot more than just 5 bucks. How do we find it, how do we build it and how do we keep it working? Its not a matter of money but a matter of love...invest the right amount and that adapter will work a full lifetime.

Writing about this one comes to think...oh well I must have the right adapter in order to be writing something like this. Well I think I do...or at least for now I think I have, in my relationship, found a way to stay happy and connected. Not to give out too much information but i´m into a relationship that has more than 7 months and counting into long distance and we are as healthy if not healthier than some relationships that have no time in long distance...why is that? Refer to the quote in the previous paragraph. Behind that quote though lies a million different points with which we have had to deal with as a couple. I think the one major factor for the success of a LDR is the willingness on both sides of the relationship to go on. There has to be a mutual effort from both parties put into the relationship in order for it to survive. One person can´t manage it alone. If you´re reading this and are that one person then...go write a blog and share with us how you do it. Both have to invest the same amount of energy in wanting to see the relationship through. What does this imply? An example can be found in communication. Both parties have to want to communicate whether it be via email or by phone. It can involve pictures in order to keep up to date with the events in the other person´s life. It can involve letters and gifts on special occasions. Both need to feel loved and important and need to feel like that other person is thinking of him or her and both need to have that feeling of wanting to let the other person know they are thinking of them. Its a balance that as a couple one needs to find. With this balance comes a routine. Once couples get in a routine it becomes a little simpler and communication seems seamless. I like to think that communication is important if not the most important aspect of a LDR because it is the base on which the relationship lies upon. With communication all other aspects of a LDR open up, like trust.

If trust seems to be an issue with everyday couples one can just imagine how much of an issue it can be for long distance couples. I can´t speak for all long distance relationships because there are many types. What do I mean? A long distance relationship can start over the internet so there is no physical connection to begin with. A long distance relationship can start normally and then change into a LDR because of changing circumstances which is my case. Speaking from my experience I can say its possibly the best way to start a long distance relationship. Before my girlfriend and I began our journey we lived in the same city. We were friends who then turned into lovers but we were there for each other physically. We knew each other well from our friendship so our trust began to build from the start. When she left we had established our relationship and we knew we were serious abut each other and we confided in each other. Once she got established in her new home we continued by allowing us to communicate. Our trust stayed strong...it never faultered and never has. One will always have fears ¨but you can´t let yourself be consumed by them¨ my girlfriend Jessi always tells me. I admit I was afraid at first and I would tell her it was not her I didn´t trust but the people around her. They don´t matter they can´t do anything unless she lets them so If I trust her then there should be no fear. I love the fact that in our relationship we talk, about everything and I mean about everything. We chat and call each other and send pics and write emails there is a constant flow of information going both ways. Its healthy and I think we have grown to trust each other so fully its become second nature. I love her. Its as simple as that. Corny if you want to call it you know you aren´t in a real relationship if you can´t say that without fear. So we keep building this adapter I keep talking about. We have our communication in place and thus we have our trust in each other. What else helps keep a long distance relationship together then? Well it all depends in what type of relationship you´re in. If you´re in a purely sexual relationship then long distance is probably going to be close to impossible. If you´re in a more wholesome relationship then sex is just another part of the puzzle.

It would be ignorant and stupid to say that sex and the physical part of a relationship are not an issue. Of course they are. It is human nature and there is nothing wrong with having these feelings...but, but, if not controlled or solved then it can be something that can lead to disaster. In fact I am willing to bet that a large percentage of long distance relationships do not last because of the issue of physicality. Now I am not just talking about sex but the idea of being beside someone. Touch a kiss a hug goes a long way. We go back to that idea of communication and how it seems to hold everything in place. With communication one can help this problem quite a lot, especially now. With the technology that there is today couples can do a lot to satisfy their needs. I am not only talking sexual needs but the need of being connected to someone talking and looking eye to eye. Looking at your partner witnessing their presence is something I think is very healthy and what better way to solve that than with web cams or pictures or videos. Get creative people thats what I am saying. Its a lot harder to do than it is to say but if the willingness of the couple are there...to power through this basic human urge then it is more than possible if anything it becomes a powerful tool when it comes to reconciliation. I try to see my girlfriend every few months and when we do our hugs are tighter, are kisses are more passionate and our presence is stronger. I go back to my frenchy friend from the quote who´s name I have given up trying to re write. It doesn´t matter how long one is away from their other be it a week or four months or a year....that time will only increase the physical prowess of one´s relationship. What you thought was your girlfriends beautiful eyes will turn into your girlfriends astonishing eyes. Everything will seem bigger and brighter and everything will feel like new. In fact this applies to everything else. Everything not just physically will feel better and will feel like new like something you have never tried before but for some reason seems very familiar. We go back again to communication. If you keep in touch then the rendezvous will be that much sweeter. There will be no awkward silences or moments in which you feel lost with the other person. You will feel like you were always there together.

That last paragraph touched upon what I wanted to close with. I think LDR can be a very positive note in a couple´s relationship. I know that in my case for example it has only made us stronger. They say that absence sharpens love and that is exactly the case. It strengthens every part and every inch of it. While it may be tough and possibly relationship ending long distance can act as a filter. Those couples who really want to move forward will find their way and eventhough they will pass through their fair share of bumps they will find themselves stronger in the long run, like a soldier at camp....only more romantic jajajaja. Those who aren´t meant for each other will find out through the hardships of long distance. There are always exceptions to the case of course as there may be circumstances that are out of the couple´s control. Now to make my English teacher proud I´ll finish this off with a quote...you see how well I listened in class. Khalil Gibran once pointed out that ¨ever has it been known that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation.¨