Recently in Travel Category

...So there were some reasons to go back to Mexico City...

I won't go into the strongest personal reason... none of your business whatsoever.

Some are just waiting to get back... others like me are just trying to move on.

It's weird how things work. I love home, I love the city, but I think I'm over it.

In Mexico, certain people from the countryside blog about this place, and rant about how awesome and great, and fucking special it is. I guess it is thaaat special when you grew up in a stinky town, and long to feel special in a place where you're not that unique. Anyway... I'll digress.


I still got a sweet spot for Mexico City deep within me. It's too bad I had to leave N temporarily, but well, she's tough and can kick anyone's ass without my help.

...So there was a photo-workshop...

Not any photo-workshop, but the meanest, baddest workshop in town: Foundry Photo Workshop.

Here's some name dropping if you're turned on by that:

• Kael Alford
• Paula Bronstein
• Andrea Bruce
• Renée C. Byer
• Guy Calaf
• Tewfic El-Sawy
• Stanley Greene
• Ron Haviv
• Eros Hoagland
• Hugo Infante
• Scott Mc Kiernan
• Michael Robinson Chavez
• Benjamin Rusnak
• Shaul Schwarz
• Stephanie Sinclair
• Khadir Van Lohuizen
• Holly Wilmeth
• Adam Wiseman
• Adriana Zebrauskas

Last, but not least... not teaching but helping veeeery much:

• Rodrigo Cruz
• Hugo Infante

I jumped between 3 classes: Multimedia Storytelling (Tewfic), Building a Reportage (Eros) and Photojournalist Bootcamp (Renee, Paula, Scott). It's too bad there were so many great photogs teaching at the same time.

Sort of reminded me of a little kid in a huge candy store, and only seconds to grab a few things before mom or dad calls.

And so a week passed by.

A somewhat strange week... with photographers from all over the world, lots of beer, avid desires to learn, to teach, to grow aware of what's around you, and introduce yourself to truly awesome guys... friendship in the air.

I did 3 things: Help translate, get access, and shoot.

Multimedia Storytelling

We headed to Sonora Market, to shoot traditional Mexican stuff.

Well, it's a market where you can find from toys, to herbal medicine, live animals, and healers. It was a bit daunting at first because I had not heard any good things from my father... he was a bit reluctant to let me go... but you know... I've been in worse places.

After trying to convince Lukcero Aghakán to let us take pictures, we looked around for someone else who would be willing to let us take photos and provide us with information about healers and the healing process. We actually never got to talk with Ms. Aghakán; one of her assistants made a point in saying that they had an arrangement with the big-evil Mexican TV network Televisa.

It sucked... I mean... traditional healers with their exclusivity contract with a tv station. Pleaseee...

After wandering around the market for some time, we spoke with Angel Guarda who was truly amazing. He explained the healing process, and was quite friendly when it came to share experiences and take pictures. Angel, you rock!

So here is what I did in the end...

It's not much but I liked the result:

...and well... being in Mexico City, I could not neglect my long time friends Betty and David.

Time was short, but we had fun. David showed us his latest creations and well, Betty smiled.

We went to El Hijo del Cuervo to have a couple of beers and just talk about everything we have always done.

The next day was calm. During the morning I attended the Building a Reportage lecture, and discussed some cool things about coherence of the story, and closeness (image-wise).

But since I had my wheels, I told Matt we could drive downtown and just walk and shoot pictures.

He's funny, and an awesome photographer. Check out MJR. N O W ! ! !

Also met Mustafah from MJR. He did a hardcore project about crime in Mexico City. He had awesome shots as well.

Mustafah was sitting down half awake, half asleep in a couch, so I approached and said:

J: Rough night?

M: Man, last night I was in a police raid and so sooo many firearms... like I'd never seen before. And it was hardcore... safeties off and just ready to shoot.

J: I don't think those guns had any safeties.

M: What do you mean?

J: Safety devices are considered "extra" in here... y'know... guns with safeties cost more, and well...

It was cool he did not get hurt, or shot. A police raid in Tepito... that's harcdore.

PJ Bootcamp.


This seemed like an interesting class, and since I was free, and not shooting, I thought I might as well go in.

So I opened the door and everyone went quiet and looked at me.

Typical "oh shit" moment.

M: Is this PJ Bootcamp?

Scott: Yes.


M: Can I stay? I'm interested to hear what you have to say.

Scott: Yeah, grab a chair.

And they kept reviewing people's projects, and I just felt infatuated with this class. It was about three teachers with incredibly trained eyes for photography telling you how to build a small story with images... and you brought them your photos straight from the camera and they would tell you what worked, and what sucked.

To have the three guys discussing out-loud about what photos were cool and which ones weren't - priceless.

So it was Thursday morning... Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday went by quickly (as when you have lots of fun), and Thursday morning I met Tewfic, Chris, and Adam at the Mother's Monument, where people were protesting naked.

Peasants and fishermen from the Mexican state Veracruz were removed from their lands. Eventually, the local government seized these lands without providing the original owners any type of restitution. Since the local government was not opening any channel for communication, the peasants and fishermen brought their families to Mexico City to obtain an answer to their situation.

Their marching and dancing naked is a symbol of the fact that without lands they do not have anything; not even clothes.

This is one of the first times I've photographed public manifestations up close and personal.

I met a really cool guy called Pedro who guided me around. He had a cool sense of humour... which made me wonder how much humour I'd have if I were protesting against the government.

Well... never mind.

So Thursday Morning I met with the Multimedia Storytelling guys, and shot this. Later during the PJ Bootcamp class, I decided I wanted this to be my project (originally it was supposed to be low-level cantinas, but the window for that project was killer for waking up early for class).

I did not like any of the pictures I took in the morning.

It felt good to see the whole material on the big screens. The colors sucked, but the atmosphere in the auditorium was cool.

My favorite panel was the one with Stanley, Khadir, Scott, and David (from NatGeo), and the discussion about the future of photojournalism.

And that was it for Foundry 2008.

I spent the rest of the time with my family, and was quite happy about it.

Too bad couldn't go out to dinner the three of us, but well... there will be other times.

Better times, hopefully.

Mexico City's airport has seen me many times in these past years. With lots of luggage, with only a backpack and a camera, exhausted from intercontinental flights, but this time was weird. I had this strange satisfaction you only have when things go perfectly sweet, and there's no way someone on Earth can take that from you.

... a small realization, maybe.

They sky on my way back just gave me a pretty good image to close this chapter down... youth, dreams, and good times... here and far.

Hope life catches you well.

J

Here, in the Sonora Market, there are many elements of the occultism.

Many spiritist, santeros, witches, magicians and chamanes are found here.

To do any witchcraft work, there are four main elements that rule the planet: Fire, Water, Air, Earth. Everything is energy. Witchcraft does not exist, it’s only energies.

But how are energies created? Chamanes dance around a bonfire until they reach ecstasy to create energy; there are people who mourn/pray; there are those who work with herbs and manipulate herbal substances to whatever end… good or bad. But there is a greater power that people do not recognize: the energy of the human being. There are those of us who have a great mental power, there are some who are not aware of their own power.

The human body is a receiver and an emitter of energies, that is while after some time there is a need to cleanse the body. For this end, there are many many methods... like temazcales, baths in rivers or cascades, cleansings, quartz stones, etc.

The easiest and most traditional way to heal oneself is an egg, or some herbs from nature. Most of the time, no-one knows how to do it properly, nor how to use the 4 elements.

At the beginnings of time, there were two parts that controlled the stability of the planet: the good and the bad. Since these are two extremes, a fusion becomes a saint... the balance.

Saints desired more power so they discovered red magic and green magic.

Red magic is a very powerful energy, and uses blood from sacrifices or donations.

Green magic is based on nature; herbs. It does good or bad to the humans. There are very powerful herbs that may kill humans, so everything depends on what is used.

Most of the people doing this, are not aware of the foundations of how to handle magic. A lot of them have read literature from undocumented sources that worked for a particular case, and most likely won't work for other cases.

Black magic by itself does no harm... you need to have a combination: a duality.

There are four main types of magic: Black magic, green magic, red magic, white magic: four elements: Water Earth Wind and Fire.

Many recipes or preparations just use a couple of types of magic, without considering the others... for the product to work, you need the presence of four... it's like a two-feet table.

I'm 53, and I've been doing this since I was 12. There's nothing I haven't read... but many don't know a thing. I was taught by ascended teachers whose names I can't mention.

There are three fundamental steps to a complete process:

1.- Consacration of the elements: that prepares the energy in them.
2.- A rite: All the movements and gestures for the process: whether good or bad.
3.- The spells: the most important step. The spells create an enchantment; they close... they create a trascendency in the process.

For a healing, herbs or natural elements are used. Oils, soaps, lotions, perfumes... many elements can be used as well. In reality, to heal a person you need energybecause the human being is energy.

There are four other steps for a healing process:

1. destroy all bad energy. Spirits and negative energies exists. Even though people don't believe in them, we are not alone at all. They exist beyond our capacity to understand them.
2. The human body is comprised by seven energy points called chakras. When someone is not feeling well, it's because their chakras are not stable. Once a person stabilizes and harmonizes his/her chakras, healing occurs... this can be done with herbs, with energies, with many different elements... even with conventional medicine.
3.- We are all immersed in the energy of the human being. There's a polarity; once a person is polarized he/she becomes a human magnet. Bad energy can be repelled and good energy can be attracted. For all this, you need a process... this polarity exists on Earth. There's people whose polarity is so unstable that good things that arrive to them are repelled unconsciously... same with health. When you're correctly polarized, you attract good energy.
4.- There are many protections (like the tetragrammathron), and elements that serve as protection. Unless those things have a healing and spell process, they are only material things, and cannot provide real protection.

Once you have a connection with divine energy, the universal energy, you become immune to many things, and no energy can affect you; you have an energy field that protects you.

(shows book by Barbara Newmann - hands that heal)

The most special cleansing is by using quartz.... it has an energy by its own.

In Sonora Market, in order to know who knows about magic and who is fake, one should ask them how many types of magic exist. If they don't mention the 4 magic we have mentioned, don't waste your money.

If a person uses an egg for a cleansing, they use white and red magic because the egg is in principle a living being, and it is used as a sacrificed to absorb all bad energy in the person.

If they use plants to cleanse, they use black and green magic.

The trick is in consacrating the elements and ritualizing the process. In wrong hands, this processes can hurt people, or do evil upon others.

In this market, there are not many people left who know about magic... the only way is to approach someone who knows magic.

In a human being the energy terminals are in the palms of the hands and the feet; those are the sources of energy flow in all of us.

Strange feeling sitting on the corner waiting.

My favorite one is still burning... this old flavor of youth. Yeah. Trying to prove something.

You try so hard, and it all comes to a brief hit.

...and this is the last one.

I just love it when electronic devices sort of sync to the body. Like... songs that really fit your mood... even though the device it's set on random.

Silencio - Ely Guerra. Headphones and the remains of a certain period of my life. No one talking around.

The wind whirs around the headphones and remind me how you cannot totally disconnect from what happens around.

Strangers passing by and well, the heat of this oven-like city.

I was watching America's Most Smartest Model on tv (yeah, like there's so much to do around), and found some interesting words:

• Nincompoop
• Emaciated
• Variegated

There ya go. If you're bored go look out for their meaning.

I'm listening to Muse. It's been a while since the last time I was really into Muse... (I can picture Checo telling Galo: "duuude, you don't know them... you're not a fan"). Well, I never really listened to them. I saw them live, and I pretty much enjoyed it.

*zap* Subject Change *zap*

A man who ran the board of directors of my uni died last week. As expected, Monday morning was a pretty hectic day. I had to create spots for the huge tv screen outside campus, send EVERYONE on this campus the formal PR communication about the decease, and some other stuff. Couldn't attend this journalism workshop I was supposed to be at. This workshop is quite interesting... I'm much more into electronic media and publishing, but well... theory of journalism will come in handy sooner or later.

Today I had to write a small article about whatever I wanted as long as I included context and impact of the product/action itself. So I presented the Kindle, and while getting info about it, I found this:

*Loved* the wired book.

How come most reviews are boring (except for engadget and techcrunch (lately) )? I know... not all business people care about this, but I do. If it makes me smile with witty humour, I'll probably like it.

Anyway...

By the way... how come Photoshop doesn't have a "Auto-all my photo"? I know... it's oh so powerful... I guess it could even photoshop the hunger out of the world, and photoshop world peace, and stuff. Yeah... it's a damn verb. Like BillG said about Google being a verb (to google-it). The point is that I sometimes don't carry a somewhat decent camera, and I'm stuck with the cellphone camera which sucks royal.

So here's the scenario: I take a photo with my crappy phone camera, then import it into Photoshop (which might be overkill now that I think of it.... there's only so much photoshop can do with a crappy photo), and then I have to:

• Auto Levels
• Auto Contrast
• Auto Color

But we're missing a super ultra mega useful:

• Auto Don't Suck

Something like this:



Yeah, well, that goes for the guys at Adobe. You need a functional spec for that? Hahaha. "Auto don't suck v0.3 build 0012" hahaha. Riiiight.

*zap* Subject Change *zap*

I got tired that my journalism class had all the class documents, references, research papers crammed in a single gmail account with no filters, so I did the geek thing and created a blog for all the stuff in our class. Yeah, I *LOVE* content management systems (you could say blogs, but technically unless you can actually manage tags, categories, and authors, it's not properly a content management system).

An asshole once accessed the mail account, and deleted everything.

So much for being in college; that bastard will get it sooner or later.

Anyway

Photos:


Then......... wedding time!!!





A week later, we drove up North... we drove to North America (as if we weren't already there - In case you did not know, FYI North America comprises Mexico as well).

Laredo... here we go!!! Yay!!!








And that's it for somewhat decent photos.

Moving on to simpler photos...

Finally The Sharper Image went bankrupt. I mean... how many "Ultra-massage 9000 VX" chairs can you sell???


And for our grand finale....

There was this woman in Laredo's Old Navy that carried two huge bags stuffed with sandals to the cashier.

Yeah, those ones you grab at the entrance of outlet stores.

I insist... HUGE

The lady behind me whispered to me "Oh my God, two bags... it's too much". I told her.. "Well, it could be worse".

And then it became worse.

...

...

The woman stepped out of the cash register to grab a SHOPPING CART FULL OF SANDALS.

I told the lady... "Well, yeah, it was worse".

Everyone started looking at the cart, and I grabbed my P&S and took her picture.

So now you know... this is what a shopping cart full of sandals looks like.



That's a goooood moment to switch cashier lanes.

Comment on this... what do you think she was going to do with all those sandals?

• Wear a new pair every day for a year?
• Sell them twice the price in a flea market in Monterrey?
• Give them to their children and grandchildren so they never get sandal-less?
• Prepare sandal recipes at her place?
• Build a castle of sandals one on top of the others?

Hope life catches you well.

J

Majestic Pizza
8 Cortlandt St, New York, NY 10007, USA