x

This year, the country where I was born is celebrating two hundred years of independent life, or in more simple words: the bicentennial. This celebration was (and still is) a combination of a lot of different things, some of them are: excessive nationalist feelings, a lot of inauguration buildings, Chilean music concerts of doubtful quality and, finally, a giant flag in front of the Presidential Palace.
All ingredients that compose this particular year have created a very special atmosphere in the country; in general, the people think that how that we are now is the best way to be. The possibilities to question and criticize the social and political environment are more and more far of the minds of the people, and the manipulation of the media is the responsible of that. Sincerely, I think that this situation is a superficial sensation, but very credible for the people that are shrouded in a way of life where is almost sacred the appearance of things.
Horrible things like the earthquake or miners, that had happened this year, are things that our authorities have known how to exploit. And with more success if we think that this year is the bicentennial. Tragedies like the two that I mentioned before has profound problems that in a society more critic and conscious (not like our actual society), maybe it wouldn’t be so profound. Even the bicentennial, a real opportunity to celebrate, must be an opportunity too to question us about what is exactly the thing that we are celebrating with so much happiness, and until what point we are an independent and free nation. But this question doesn’t found a place, and the people receive the image of a government that apparently is doing all things rights, with the highest efficiency, without question about it.
I don’t know if someday the people wake up. But one thing that I really believe is this manipulation of important dates (like the bicentennial) and tragedies, will have to get a point of exhibition of their actions, because the construction of all of this fake images has mistakes that one day will be showed.

ix

For the post of today I have to choose some classmate’s blog that I like it. Well, according to that, I think that my choice is the blog of my dear classmate Willem.
I know that the rate of his posts is not the best, and sometimes he didn’t finish the posts. But Willem is a person with a very particular way to see the life, and more than my words, his blog express this characteristic.
I don’t have a favorite post or subject of the Willem’s blog. In general, I like the atmosphere that the blog involves and express to the readers. The sensation that makes me feel is a kind of calm, for that reason, always that I have a big problem, I visit the Homesick Blog (that is the real name of the blog) and then I can resolve all my problems.
I think that one thing that could help to improve the Homesick blog will be a little of music, that it will help to increase the calm and peace that the blog express. And in the best case, maybe Willem could finish some posts… But, sincerely, I don’t know if that thing could improve the blog; maybe the blog would lost some of the relaxing that express through this kind of post. They aren’t only incompletely posts: they are a way of life.Well, considering the important things that I mentioned before, I can say that the image that represent in the best way the spirit of the Homesick Blog is the picture of a sloth (lazy bear). Those animals express easing and calm in the all fields of its life, exactly like Willem.

viii

This post is very difficult to me. If I had to talk about famous Chileans, probably I would talk more about bad Chileans that good Chileans. So, choose some famous Chilean that could be admired for me is a hard decision. I don’t know what it is my problem.
However, I have to make a decision about it.
Mmmm, well, I think that I can talk about Raquelita (yes, Raquel Calderón, the same young woman that is a Bello’s son like all us). I think Raquelita is a very important personality in the University. She brought the style and the class that the University needs, and she represents the effort of the modern woman: she is a celebrity and a successful law student! I don’t know how she can stand all of this pressures in her young life. Sincerely, I admire her.
I have to confess that I usually visited her Twitter (@kelcalderon), until she protected her tweets (I remember that day with sadness). But the time that I could spend reading her tweets (around a couple of month ago) were the best hours of my life. Since that moment, I discover an amazing and multifaceted woman that could rehearse her choreography in aqua-dance and a couple minutes later she could read Kant or Hobbes for an exam, and all of this activities in a naturally way that is simply amazing.
Now she has a relationship with a model. Like a loyalty fan of Raquelita, I must say that I think that is a bad decision for her life. But well… she is young and not perfect. (even she is very close to that).

vii

Today, people in general are unhappy with their jobs. I think that this situation is caused for many reasons. First, the conditions of the most works in Chile are very bad (I heard the last year that one survey said that more of the sixty percent of the jobs in Chile were in bad conditions). Other reason is the pressure that the actual economic system makes over the persons. People think that the only way to be successful is making more and more money, and they never stop to think about how they get that money, and what things they are sacrificing.
Well, the problem with the jobs is very stressful. But if you asking me what would be my dreamed job, and you really let me to dream about it, I think that the answer is not very clear. Maybe, the more realistic answer that I could make is something related with my career; maybe some job in a gallery or museum, related to investigations about photography… I don’t know, is only a general idea.
The not realistic answer would be a job in a TV show about travels (maybe as camera-woman because I’m very shy) Sincerely, this job would be fantastic. I could know a lot of countries and interesting places, a lot of different people; and the best thing would be that they channel paid me for this! (I know that this job have a bad side, but I don’t interest me, I’m only dreaming)
Come to think of it, maybe my two options of jobs are equally far from me… But today is a nice day. I love the cold and the clouds, those things make me happy and even I can start to think in a positive way.
Well, that is all that I can say. Regards!

vi

If I could travel to the past, I would like to meet Susan Sontag. I think that her life and her thinking are very interesting, especially the things that she wrote about photography and other matters related to aesthetics and arts. The Susan Sontag’s reflections are very relevant to think the photography as an art trough the years, and their connections with social, political and economic aspects of the society.
If I could have the opportunity to know her, I would like to talk with her about her influences; what movies and books marked her (because I imagine that not always the movies and books about she talked are the most important in her life), what was the things that inspired her (maybe travels or her relationships with other persons), and I would like a lot if she would tell me anecdotal things about her books and the process to write them. I would ask her about projects that never finished too.
Maybe, I would like to tell her things too; I would talk her about political events (like Obama’s elections), the situation of mass media in the world, and specifically in Chile (maybe I would tell her all the things about the miners). I know that her papers and books have included reflections about the mass media and their relation with the society; however, I would like to know what things she thinks about specifics events. I think that she always had (and would have it if she were alive) illuminating things to say about process and events that it happened, and I love the way that she had to express her reflections: with very clear ideas , without pretentions and in a simple language near to a common reader.

v

Recently I'm so addicted to one album of an indie Chilean band named Los Mil Jinetes. Although I like the eleven songs of the album (that is called "Reconoceronte" and the year of released is 2009), I must say that my favorite song today is the third track:"Tarde muy tarde".

Last summer I discovered Los Mil Jinetes because two members of the group are part of other band that I like since before, Fother Muckers. I'm always downloading new music to listen - especially Chilean music - and one of that days that I'm dedicate to search new music I found this band. That summer I downloaded their first album, that is called "Ándate cabrita", and I recommend too. And I downloaded "Reconoceronte" around two months ago.

"Tarde muy tarde" is a beautiful and calm song that in its lyrics talks about simple things of life. I like this kind of songs because are not melodramatics, and doesn't have complex philosophical messages; they are only music and words that every person can think.


The album that contains this song is available to free download for an initiative of the band. This Chilean e-magazine (http://super45.net/discos/descarga-libre/los-mil-jinetes-reconoceronte-cazador/) has a great review about the album and it has the link to download it. The file doesn't only contain the songs; but also it contains the lyrics of every song in an original and nice way, and I put here the image with the lyric of "Tarde muy tarde". Also the file has images in gif format that are very funny.

Unfortunately, I had never gone to a concert of Los Mil Jinetes, but I hope that in the future the band plays in some place of Santiago.

Finally, here the Los Mil Jinetes's Myspace http://www.myspace.com/losmiljinetes

iv

I would want to know all the places of the world, sounds funny and unreal but is true, that is my desire. Well… I know that is impossible, but sounds pretty. And for this, is difficult to me to make a decision about what country in specific I want to know. In that case, I’d like to be more realistic and I evaluate my actual economic condition for to visit a place. (Yes, I’m an extreme person, I pass to the more unreal thinking and to the more rational). According to that, I must say that I would like to go to Mexico.
Maybe the Travel & Living channel is influencing me, because I saw a TV show about Mexico a couple days ago. Anyway, Mexico result me so attractive and with an economic effort to save money, I think that the idea of travel there doesn’t sounds so crazy.
I think Mexico is full of things that specially like me, starting with the house of Frida Kahlo in Coyoacán. The cities that had conserved their colonial architectures (especially houses and churches) look interesting to me too. And the architectures of mexica’s culture are amazing too, and the way that the Mexican people conserve this buildings say so much about them and their relation with their native cultures. Apart from, in Mexico it’s celebrated one of the most interesting religious festivities: the “day of the dead”. I like the mixing that this celebration does between two different conceptions about dead, and all the implications that this mixing has in the aesthetic religious imaginary.
Ah! And other thing that motivates me to travel to Mexico is the language (I love español!). I have a bit of experience travelling, and one of the most disappointing things that always happen to me and my family (my bests and far trips I had done with them) are problems about the language. Me and my brother usually save the situations, but with difficulty (more me that my brother) and embarrassment. Anyway, now those problems are funny stories that I love to tell.