11 people assassinated. The international community blames the rebels. The families of the victims blame the president; they told him “You let them die, Mr. Uribe.” I blame those monsters, that’s what they are. There is only so much Alvaro Uribe can do, but we have to admit he’s the only president that has been hard on the guerrillas in the last few years. That is why he got elected in the first place, because he gave us actions, not just words. That’s why he got re-elected, because despite the opposition, his popularity is there.

I blame the guerrillas for the 11 people that never made it home, for the pain of 12 families have been going through for the past 1,891 days; a nightmare that ended in disaster. I blame them for the pain of thousands of people whose loved ones they have kidnapped. I blame them for not being open to change, for still bleeding Colombia dry every single day. I blame them for having lost their ideals and for becoming common delinquents. I blame them for the fact that drug dealing is still alive because they took over the business. I blame them for wanting to use violence as a form of pressure on the government. I blame them for innocent the blood on their hands.

It doesn’t matter how many points of view you have. At the end of the day, it is the FARC and the ELN and the AUC and all those bastards outside the law, the ones responsible for the pain of thousands of Colombians. I will not blame my president, I will not. He’s been trying, but you cannot make deals with the devil.

(Photo by Sashertootie)

Wow… One hundred and fifty.

Appetizer
How many pieces of jewelry do you wear most days?
Earrings and ring. I can’t go out without earrings. I feel naked. LOL

Soup
What is your favorite instrumental song?
Albinoni’s Adagio in Gm and Joaquín Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez.

Salad
Who has a last name that you like?
Hmmm… I have no idea. I guess I don’t care about such things.

Main Course
Name a popular movie you’ve never seen.
Anything in the Horror genre. Not even The Shining! And those pirate stories with Johnny Depp… Meh!

Dessert
Fill in the blank:
Nothing makes me sad like violence in Colombia (my country).

The government of Colombia releases a bunch of rebels from jail in order to achieve some kind of humanitarian exchange, and what do the FARC do? They kill 11 out of 12 law-makers they kidnapped 5 years ago and were still hostages. The rebels claim they were killed in a crossfire. Excuse me? What a coincidence… 11 hostages killed just like that? That is one damn selective crossfire! Bullshit! The government claims there were no military operations in the zone on the date these people died. And I believe them!

One doesn’t know who to blame anymore. I’m sick and tired of seeing my country bleed dry every single day. I don’t feel well. ¡PERROS!

“El asesinato de todos los secuestrados, sin sobrevivientes, salvo uno que estaría por fuera del grupo, muestra premeditación criminal que se quiere confundir con fuego cruzado con la fuerza pública que no existió. La hipotética muerte de los secuestrados, sin bajas guerrilleras, sin soldados asesinados ni heridos, muestra que no hubo fuego cruzado, que los terroristas de las Farc quieren ocultar el crimen de lesa humanidad que habrían perpetrado.” Comunicado de Prensa de la Presidencia de la República.

In divorce support groups, people come and go like the waves of the ocean. Some sign up, get the help they need and move on. Some others, like me, stick around for many reasons. Because we want to help others going through the same painful process or simple because we make good friends that we still want to talk to. Sometimes some people don’t understand why we want to be surrounded by all that “negativity” once we have moved on. The answer is simple: We want to help.

This morning I woke up to find several IM’s from a couple of good friends from my divorce support group. They were trying to get my opinion and help on the issue of a member posting a message on the boards, announcing he was so sad and tired, he wanted to give up. Yes, he wanted to commit suicide. It isn’t the first time this happens, and every time it happens, people in the group move heaven and earth in order to contact, either the person or the authorities of his/her. Mind you, it’s an online community, finding someone IS difficult. But we have saved lives. And for that, I’m proud to still be a member. As I type this, the police of some town on the east coast of the U.S. is on its way to help this man who posted a desperate cry for help.

So when someone asks me or tells me about those “horrible” groups where people are full of pain and anger, I just tell them to go and take a look at the boards and read the messages of hope we give to each other every single day. Then you move on, but the place has become like home. You know you can go there and talk about anything that is bothering you and you won’t be judged. Those people became like my family, that place was my haven for a while, and I will do things for others in need, the same way I got help when I most needed it.

“We here in this group know far more about divorce than we would otherwise choose to know, starting with the dread of profound loss and despair, and in probably half of our cases financial ruin. And we are genuinely compassionate - meaning we suffer with you in these matters.” (S.L. from Florida)

I don’t remember crying during a movie lately as much as I did watching Freedom Writers. When I saw the film was coming out I wanted to see it, but then it was off theatres rather quickly and I thought that maybe it wasn’t good. I was wrong, I think it’s a very touching film. The fact that it’s based on a true story makes it even more interesting.

There are plenty of movies about gangs out there. Most of them concentrate on violence. Freedom Writers concentrates on a person who wanted to make a change. A person who didn’t let prejudice and misconceptions get in the middle of her reaching a goal. I have a hard trouble believing that people cannot be good if they are not raised in a good environment. This movie is an example of what we can do for others, no matter how harsh life is for them sometimes.

There’s a strong reference to the Holocaust, that was probably the hardest part to watch for me. My SO cried out of pain as well, seeing the cruelty of the human kind. Seeing how some races have subjugated others through history. But it’s also a message of hope and a lesson on how we all can help each other and become heroes every single day.

Watch it. You’ll like it. ★★★★

Je ne me souviens vraiment pas. Je n’étais pas là, je n’ai pas grandi là, et je ne connais pas la moitié de l’histoire. Mais je suis devenue Québécoise d’une certaine façon, et c’est le Québec qui m’a ouvert les portes d’un nouveau pays. C’est pour ça qu’aujourd’hui je veux dire Bonne Saint-Jean ! — Même si je ne suis plus là. Je me souviens des bons moments, et des belles montagnes qui m’ont accueilli.

According to today’s society, we have to look almost like a Greek god in order to be accepted. Well, that’s what the media sells us every day, anyway. The truth is, the average person is just as normal looking as the person we see on the mirror every day. Then there are the delusional ones who think they can go criticizing every physical flaw in others because I don’t know why. And then there are those whose only way of making an statement is insulting others for their appearance because they are so empty inside they need to point out other people’s flaws.

At the end of the day, we have to look at who’s by our side, or how many lives did we bring something good to. We should measure ourselves for our capacity for love and compassion, not by the size of our waist. And while many of us would want to be thinner, taller, smarter or whatever, we have to see what we really are by looking around and realizing how many lives we touch and how many people love us.

Many people consider themselves beautiful to the point of having the right to insult people because they are not. But when you go back to an empty house every day, and your life is a series of failed relationships because you haven’t been able to grasp the concept of love and all you do is spread is poisonous bile around, then what do you feel so proud of?

I remember when I was living alone in Quebec last year. I wasn’t so alone, there was always a smiling roomie waiting for me at what I considered home. But I also remember that it didn’t matter I was so independent, or that I was feeling beautiful after losing a lot of weight. What mattered to me the most was being able to find someone for me to love and who loved me back. I finally have that now, and I wouldn’t trade it for the best boob job or the lowest number on the scale.

At the end of the day I can look at myself on the mirror and see that maybe I have a lot of pounds to lose, or that my face shows time’s passing; but I don’t worry about my many imperfections. I just have to turn myself around and see a wonderful man waiting for me in bed, so I can go and rest my head on his chest and forget about the superficial world. A man who is happy to have me in his life because I give him the love and respect he deserves. And to that man, I am the most beautiful woman in the world.

“For the first time since 1989, Harrison Ford dons the familiar costume on Thursday, June 21, 2007, as the upcoming Indiana Jones adventure begins production under the direction of Steven Spielberg. The new Indiana Jones movie is set in the 1950s and stars Shia LaBeouf, Cate Blanchett, John Hurt, Ray Winstone and Jim Broadbent. The Lucasfilm Ltd. production will be released by Paramount Pictures worldwide on May 22, 2008.” — Found here via Solonor.

Happy dance, happy dance, happy dance!