yo voy caminando a la montaña donde nací
I just realised today that it has been a year since I started Livejournal. So, in honour, I decided to peruse through my year's worth of entries. Here are some excerpts that just prove what a weird person I am:
March 14, 2005 (The first line of my first entry ever.)
See what happens when you're bored during spring break? You start a livejournal.
June 15, 2005
Speaking of NYU, it has now been over a month since I left New York. I was just getting used to Florida, but seeing the date on the calender triggered a New York nostalgia in me. My God, it's only been a month and I'm already referring to it as "nostalgia." I guess it seems like it was so much longer ago. Actually, it feels more like it was a wonderful dream that I have awoken from. I had a lovely conversation online with Elizabeth yesterday, and we both agreed that the school-year went by in a flash. I hate saying that I hope that this summer will do the same, because then I know I won't appreciate it until it's too late. I guess somehow I already know that it'll go by fast, and that I should just enjoy it. Yet, at the same time, it is difficult to fully enjoy it when one's head is somewhere else.
June 19, 2005
Today, for my last day in a quiet house, I slept in. When I woke up, I did some yoga, then followed that with a dip in the pool. After that, I made myself a light brunch and ate it on the back porch whilst reading the Sunday edition of The New York Times from my laptop. Delightful.
June 25, 2005
As for gifts, they brought me Turkish Delight from Harrod's and the two most recent issues of Hello! Magazine. Aren't I a simple boy to please?! They must have spent less than ten quid on me. I mean, I'm not going to lie, I would have loved a Burberry raincoat, but who needs that when one has got a British tabloid and some sweets to nosh on?
July 26, 2005
This has been a fun summer, but I'm over it. It's way past peak. I'm ready. It's time to leave. It's time to go back to New York.
August 22, 2005
The party itself was a blast. After two caipirinhas, I was the most talkative I have been in ages. By the end of the night, my throat was sore. I have never been surrounded by so much family as I was on Saturday. There were nearly fifty crazy Brazilians in the event room of the Búfalo Branco barbeque restaurant that night, the majority being somehow related to me. Every single one of my cousins on my mom's side were there, and I talked with my second cousins who I had not seen for seven years. My grandma was happy. My mom was happy. I was happy. (And not to mention, rather drunk). Leaving the restaurant, I became teary-eyed thinking how there were so many people in the same room that night with the same blood flowing their veins. Ah, family.
August 25, 2005
Yesterday, I enlisted in the Brazilian military.
September 1, 2005
One thing I realised during my last days in Brazil is that the one city that California, Colorado, Florida, and New York all have in common is São Paulo. I have now made four trips to São Paulo, once for every place that I've lived. Although I have never resided there, São Paulo has been the only place I have been able to consistently call home throughout my life. No matter where I lived, São Paulo was always there.
September 19, 2005
On Friday night I went to an open-mic night at this place called Teabag, in Chinatown. Chinatown is nice in that it has an identity. To me, that gives it a nice charm, in spite of its unkempt appearance. The open-mic night was really cool; some good acts, some mediocre ones, but most of all, people of all sorts were coming together to relax and enjoy themselves. Nearly all races, ethnicities, ages, sexualities, and creeds were present, as near as I could tell. People from complete polar opposite backgrounds were just sitting there enjoying each other's company. I thought to myself, THIS is what the United States of America is really about. If the ignorant conservative dipshits who seemingly make up the majority of this nation could just understand that, I believe our country, and therefore our world, would be a little better off.
October 2, 2005
So basically... Robert De Niro stole my shooting location! Being a good problem-solver, I compromised and went and shot along the side of the church instead of in front of it. But that still doesn't stop me from being a little angry with Robert De Niro....
October 9, 2005
I really must stop doubting myself so much. I have come to realise that the main reason I never decided to do film since the start was not competition, or money, or lack of passion, but just plain old fear. I feared film. And I still do, I suppose, to a certain extent at least. But as I continue through my filmmaking course I think to myself, "What the fuck was I so afraid of?" The only answer I can give myself is that film is a very daunting art, and not to be taken lightly. Now, I feel I am up to taking it seriously. From here on, I'm going to try and do what I can to major in film, get the process started. I really have absolutely no clue what I'm doing, but I'm just going to stick to the plan and see where it takes me. That's exactly what I did when I applied to NYU, and look where it got me.
November 2, 2005
With the party dead by a little after midnight, we all decided to hop on the subway to the East Village for french fries at Pommes Frites. Having an entire car almost to ourselves, we created a ruckus. For the first time ever, I worried if I was going to be arrested on the 6 train. Eating french fries with 20 people at 1 in the morning while standing on the 2nd Avenue sidewalk, I realised that that evening was what I had wanted this entire semester to be like.
November 27, 2005
I really just want to blow away the Buddhist sand art that is my life.
December 23, 2005
But seriously, it's a gorgeous film. Every shot is worthy of being a painting. Those are the kind of films I want to make.
January 9, 2006
Today, I walked down to Bayshore. Looking across the bay at the Tampa skyline, I thought how surreal it is that in less than 48 hours, I'd be staring at the skyline of a different city, in a different country, on a different continent. I am very lucky that my world is so small.
March 1, 2006
It has finally hit me that I actually LIVE in Italy. If I am able to be happy on three different continents, I think I'll be alright in life.
March 14, 2005 (The first line of my first entry ever.)
See what happens when you're bored during spring break? You start a livejournal.
June 15, 2005
Speaking of NYU, it has now been over a month since I left New York. I was just getting used to Florida, but seeing the date on the calender triggered a New York nostalgia in me. My God, it's only been a month and I'm already referring to it as "nostalgia." I guess it seems like it was so much longer ago. Actually, it feels more like it was a wonderful dream that I have awoken from. I had a lovely conversation online with Elizabeth yesterday, and we both agreed that the school-year went by in a flash. I hate saying that I hope that this summer will do the same, because then I know I won't appreciate it until it's too late. I guess somehow I already know that it'll go by fast, and that I should just enjoy it. Yet, at the same time, it is difficult to fully enjoy it when one's head is somewhere else.
June 19, 2005
Today, for my last day in a quiet house, I slept in. When I woke up, I did some yoga, then followed that with a dip in the pool. After that, I made myself a light brunch and ate it on the back porch whilst reading the Sunday edition of The New York Times from my laptop. Delightful.
June 25, 2005
As for gifts, they brought me Turkish Delight from Harrod's and the two most recent issues of Hello! Magazine. Aren't I a simple boy to please?! They must have spent less than ten quid on me. I mean, I'm not going to lie, I would have loved a Burberry raincoat, but who needs that when one has got a British tabloid and some sweets to nosh on?
July 26, 2005
This has been a fun summer, but I'm over it. It's way past peak. I'm ready. It's time to leave. It's time to go back to New York.
August 22, 2005
The party itself was a blast. After two caipirinhas, I was the most talkative I have been in ages. By the end of the night, my throat was sore. I have never been surrounded by so much family as I was on Saturday. There were nearly fifty crazy Brazilians in the event room of the Búfalo Branco barbeque restaurant that night, the majority being somehow related to me. Every single one of my cousins on my mom's side were there, and I talked with my second cousins who I had not seen for seven years. My grandma was happy. My mom was happy. I was happy. (And not to mention, rather drunk). Leaving the restaurant, I became teary-eyed thinking how there were so many people in the same room that night with the same blood flowing their veins. Ah, family.
August 25, 2005
Yesterday, I enlisted in the Brazilian military.
September 1, 2005
One thing I realised during my last days in Brazil is that the one city that California, Colorado, Florida, and New York all have in common is São Paulo. I have now made four trips to São Paulo, once for every place that I've lived. Although I have never resided there, São Paulo has been the only place I have been able to consistently call home throughout my life. No matter where I lived, São Paulo was always there.
September 19, 2005
On Friday night I went to an open-mic night at this place called Teabag, in Chinatown. Chinatown is nice in that it has an identity. To me, that gives it a nice charm, in spite of its unkempt appearance. The open-mic night was really cool; some good acts, some mediocre ones, but most of all, people of all sorts were coming together to relax and enjoy themselves. Nearly all races, ethnicities, ages, sexualities, and creeds were present, as near as I could tell. People from complete polar opposite backgrounds were just sitting there enjoying each other's company. I thought to myself, THIS is what the United States of America is really about. If the ignorant conservative dipshits who seemingly make up the majority of this nation could just understand that, I believe our country, and therefore our world, would be a little better off.
October 2, 2005
So basically... Robert De Niro stole my shooting location! Being a good problem-solver, I compromised and went and shot along the side of the church instead of in front of it. But that still doesn't stop me from being a little angry with Robert De Niro....
October 9, 2005
I really must stop doubting myself so much. I have come to realise that the main reason I never decided to do film since the start was not competition, or money, or lack of passion, but just plain old fear. I feared film. And I still do, I suppose, to a certain extent at least. But as I continue through my filmmaking course I think to myself, "What the fuck was I so afraid of?" The only answer I can give myself is that film is a very daunting art, and not to be taken lightly. Now, I feel I am up to taking it seriously. From here on, I'm going to try and do what I can to major in film, get the process started. I really have absolutely no clue what I'm doing, but I'm just going to stick to the plan and see where it takes me. That's exactly what I did when I applied to NYU, and look where it got me.
November 2, 2005
With the party dead by a little after midnight, we all decided to hop on the subway to the East Village for french fries at Pommes Frites. Having an entire car almost to ourselves, we created a ruckus. For the first time ever, I worried if I was going to be arrested on the 6 train. Eating french fries with 20 people at 1 in the morning while standing on the 2nd Avenue sidewalk, I realised that that evening was what I had wanted this entire semester to be like.
November 27, 2005
I really just want to blow away the Buddhist sand art that is my life.
December 23, 2005
But seriously, it's a gorgeous film. Every shot is worthy of being a painting. Those are the kind of films I want to make.
January 9, 2006
Today, I walked down to Bayshore. Looking across the bay at the Tampa skyline, I thought how surreal it is that in less than 48 hours, I'd be staring at the skyline of a different city, in a different country, on a different continent. I am very lucky that my world is so small.
March 1, 2006
It has finally hit me that I actually LIVE in Italy. If I am able to be happy on three different continents, I think I'll be alright in life.