VIRAL VIDEO: NO TEXTING WHILE YOU DRIVE

What the hell, i´m going to write in english again. I remember for one test when i was in high school, this teacher told me i needed to improve my spanish because i wasn't able to write that good and it seemed i needed too, to know new words. I remember her saying: "TRY CROSSWORD PUZZLES". (¬¬) Anyway, i've always liked this language and i've been reading lately in spanish, so excuse me but i'll continue writting. ( :p )

The point of this entry are the viral videos. Since i got to know them last week in class, i've been alert. It was one of these days that I was watching tv, just zapping (like always) when suddenly i stopped at Fox News. They were talking about this viral video in the UK about the consequences of texting while you drive. What made it so interesting was the fact that these people made it so realistic, also very graphic.

I think that maybe wasn't that much appropiate for the target, but at the same time, they had to made it that way to leave an impression on people. If someone made it otherwise, maybe it would be boring for teenagers and they would definitely ignore it. The lesson here is to increase awareness about this subject. Now more teenagers are used to text and they don't even know how dangerous could be if they do it while they drive (i definetely wouldn't dare).

Without more explanations, here is the so talked video. Watch it and tell me what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdvFh95Yg6M&feature=PlayList&p=5B623F28DE1F2187&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=13

DRUG LEGALIZATION IN MEXICO

So, i was checking my facebook account yesterday when i saw this article on my inbox about drug legalization in mexico. First, i know i made clear at the beginning that this blog was about an specific subject, but i think that every once in a while i'm going to write about another things that at the end, can affect anyone.

Anyway, in short words, the article said that the law established a maximum amount of personal use of drugs (they are showed in the picture above). The main reason why they are doing this is so that they can focus on traffickers rather than small-time users.

About this, i think that legalizing drugs can help but at the same time can damage Felipe Calderón's government. On one side, it may help to get gangs and make some order, but at the same time, it means that regular people may have a better acces to drugs, promoting it's use.

When it comes to try new things, in this case drugs, i say that excess can only mean one thing: dead. If someone wants to try drugs, he has to have enough maturity and responsability to know what he's getting himself into, if not, then he's in the road to ruin.

All the things, the decisions the people or governments make have two sides. Mostly, one of them prevails. We all wish, want it to be the good one. But that is how life works, we have to make the most out of the situation, no matter how dark it may be.

If you are interested in reading the whole article here it is:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125086054771949269.html

LITTLE CHILDREN: CHANGE

It's 9:34 pm, i have to read in a few minutes, but before doing that, i just felt like writting something.

A few minutes ago i was watching tv, a movie to be precise, with Kate Winslet called "Little Children". Basically, it tells the story about a community where it's usual peace is disturbed by some new neighbor, who happens to be a child molester that just went out of jail. At first sight it may just be about that, society strugles, but it also tells the story about two couples. The first one where Jennifer Conelly plays the wife and the second one from Kate Winslet. Somehow, destiny made the character of Winslet to meet Conelly's husband in the local park. After their meeting they become inseparable, despite their current relationship situation. I´m gonna leave you there, i won't say anything else.

What happens here, is that we always , and i say always because we all certainty do that on any moment of our lives, wish to have more, to see the other side of the grass. At first glance, it could all look better, but when someone does something behind someone's back, then everything is meant to fail. That fail means that when you hide from everyone's opinion, maybe it's because what you are doing is wrong. Anyway, what i´m trying to say is that in this life, we get to a point where we wonder how it would be if...

That wondering can only lead to one thing: chasing what makes us feel better, no matter what it is. I believe that in order to see things clearly you have to take risks, to lose everything. To see if you really need something then try it, only after trying it you can really know if that is really what you need. Honestly, i'm not sure why i'm writting about change, perhaps the movie made me think about it.

The point of this is that you can change whenever you want. You don't need to wait for New Year's Eve to establish new goals to achieve, you can start tomorrow or even right now. After all, change has always to come from YOU, not another person. Find a motivation and do it, create yourself, how you want to be, create your future.

By the way, i recommend the movie.

BARBARA KRUGER

Un día de estos, vagando en el ciberespacio buscando frases de Fight Club (una de mis películas favoritas) me topé con esta artista, que desde hace algún tiempo que recibí historia del diseño grafico, la había tenido en el olvido.

Ella es Barbara Kruger. Kruger más que todo se dedica a criticar a la sociedad, la cultura popular y cómo esta ha revolucionado el pensamiento en las últimas decadas, y por supuesto, ataca al consumismo. Todo esto, lo realiza de una manera directa, sin rodeos y un tanto sarcástico.

Pienso que es muy cierto lo que ella plasma en su obra. Estoy de acuerdo que hoy en día, el consumismo se encuentra a niveles tan altos, que la juventud siente que sin sus celulares con la última tecnología, sin sus computadoras, o su ropa de marca, no son nada. Al parecer hoy todos dependen demasiado de las posesiones materiales.

Es por esto que me siento identificada con Kruger, por el hecho de que ambas nos damos cuenta de dichas cosas, con excepción que ella "hizo" algo al respecto por medio de su obra, en cambio yo me dedico a escribir aquí. Estas críticas a la sociedad, el consumismo, el materialismo son ideas que siempre han estado en mí y practicamente salen automáticamente en mi en cualquier ocasión. No digo que soy un ser superior o perfecto, más bien me he preguntado algo desde hace mucho tiempo:

¿A dónde fue la humildad, la sencillez?

Hoy hay tantas personas obsesionadas comprando cosas que no necesitan. Todos piensan que sus bienes materiales los hacen lo que son. Yo más bien pienso que es ignorancia. La vida no se trata de acumular cosas. Si alguien cree que éste es su propósito, simplemente, sus bienes terminarán poseyéndolo a él. (palabras sabias de Tyler Durden, Fight Club)

KEN OAK BAND/ OAK & GORSKI

En realidad, no se cómo termine escribiendo una entrada "spanglish" pero me estuve pensando estos últimos días que no he posteado nada sobre música, así que aquí les va algo sobre una semi nueva banda indie que me tope hace unos meses por casualidad en facebook.

En lo personal, me facina el sonido de esta banda puesto que hay muy pocas que en verdad llegan a experimentar con nuevos sonidos e instrumentos. Llegué a familiarizarme con el sonido del cello gracias a Apocaliptica, y con Ken Oak no fue la excepción. el hecho de poseer un instrumento que el resto de bandas no tienen, los hace destacar en su categoría, además que muestra el verdadero talento.

El género de Ken Oak Band o mejor conocido ahora como Oak and Gorski se describe como cello rock. En realidad, al compararlo con otras bandas indie rock uno mismo llega a la conclusión que ellos son más bien indie cello pop. A pesar de ello, el sonido de ellos es relajante. Para mí, es ideal para relajarse un día leyendo un buen libro y tomando café, o en el carro para esos días que el tráfico nos vuelve locos.

Un poco más de información...



Oak and Gorski (formerly known as Ken Oak Band) is an American folk-rock music group based in California.

Described by Billboard Magazine as "soulful" and "calming", Oak and Gorski are an acoustic duo composed of Ed Gorski and Ken Oak. Commonly billed as a 'cello rock' act, they consistently captivate audiences with their unique combination of cello and acoustic guitar providing a minimalist backdrop for deceptively sincere songwriting. They have been included on the soundtrack to major motion picture She's The Man, completed five national tours and produced two albums under their own label, Cello Rock Records. With Ed's luscious strumming on rhythm guitar working in harmony with the deep, stirring chords Ken pulls from the cello, their sound communicates directly to the heart of the audience.

Oak and Gorski have sold over 25,000 albums independently. They have recently completed a month long residency at Hotel Café, Los Angeles.

The original members consisted of Ken Oak (formally Eugene Oak), Chris Ramos, and Ed Gorski. Their debut album Symposium, released in October 2005, was the only album under this line up. Chris Ramos, formerly the group's lead guitarist and co-songwriter, left the band in December 2005.

The song Inda from Symposium was featured in the 2006 movie She's the Man, as well as in the film's soundtrack.

Ken Oak and Ed Gorski continue performing under the name "Ken Oak Band", and in 2006, the duo released their own album, Vienna to Venice.

Ken Oak Band are featured in Far*East Movement's album Folk Music in their song "Smile."

Ken Oak is featured in Chinese American rapper Jin's Cantonese album ABC, in his song "Wun Lern Chon", where he plays the cello in the background.

Early 2009 the band changed its name to "Oak & Gorski".

Albums

• Symposium
  • Released: October 05, 2005
  • Label: Unknown Rockstars
• Vienna to Venice
  • Released: October 24, 2006
  • Label: Cello Rock
• Good Advice, Bad Advice
  • Released: March 26, 2009
  • Label: Cello Rock

Y ahora, escuchen y sorpréndanse.