So y'all, I've now got twitter (username Pannadol, predictably) but here's a bit of news about why I haven't been posting: I'm in Spain!! I was going to do a travel journal but I realised it would just stress me out and all my friends will find out from my ramblings where I've been and what I've done anyway, I'm sure! Basically I hung out in Barcelona for a few days, went to the big Barcelona Pride festival, then met up with my parents and we've been touring through the towns and cities of Spain's north for about a week now. I'm currently in a tiny village called Palas del rey waiting for my parents to finish a hike they're on. We've hired a car so one person drives while the others hike. I'm often the driver due to my general laziness in hiking. That said, I've decided to do the ENTIRE Camino de Santiago after I finish my postgrad law degree. I know that's in 2013, but eh, I'm determined. I think that's also when I'll do my nutcase eurotrip and do all the countries I haven't done but should've. I have friends in Israel, Argentina and Germany in particular who want me to go visit them. I know technically only one of those countries is in Europe, but I'm going to have to stop off along the way so I might as well make it a big one and include some other countries I want to see. I also want to go to the mediterranean (Italy, Greece, etc.) and the norse countries including Norway and the Netherlands. Also after how much fun Jordan had in Ireland I think I'll drop in there and see if I can't end up hating guiness by drinking far far too much of it! I'd also love to go back to Scotland, track down my clan's region and head up north to the Orkneys again.

Anyway, tomorrow is my birthday and I'll be the ripe old age of 22! Oh noes! hehe :) We're going to spend the day in a city called Lugo, which is known particularly for it's well-preserved roman walls and history generally. Love it! Also, I freaking love Galicia, even though they tend to consume a copious amount of seafood! As I type this, I'm sitting in a bar next to a "Pulperia", which is basically a restaurant specialising in "pulpo"  (octopus). Some great photos will demonstrate this - they'll be on Facebook of course!

By next week I'll be in Paris and shopping with my mum before heading to Mexico for the IAMCR conference, where I'll be doing some translation, meeting lots of Mexican students, and hopefully drinking lots of tequila! I have a Mexican friend who is going to put me in touch with some of his friends too - awesometastic! Can't wait!

Admittedly, I am missing everyone back home and missing some political hackfests too. I am definitely looking forward to having 2 weeks of goodbyes after I get back on August 4 and before I head to China on August 20. See you then I hope!

Tags: birthday, dad, facebook, lgbtq, mum, spain, travel
Current Location: Galicia, Spain
Current Mood: cheerful

I witnessed a gay bashing.

I didn't realise it was a gay bashing until later, when the basher walked past a group who later threw verbal insults at the guy who had been kicked and punched a few minutes earlier. The victim hopped in a cab with some female friends with the group of guys leering at him, he wound down his window and said "Yes, I'm gay. So what? Yes, I'm a Ho-mo-se-xu-al." It was then that it sank in that the beating I had seen earlier had been due to his sexuality, as when he was being beaten and yelled at, he had been holding out his hands in a "what did I do" kind of shrug, and seeing as he wasn't talking shit back, it didn't seem like he'd been looking for trouble.

He left in a taxi with his friends. The group of guys then proceeded to harass women as they walked past.



...I have never been so hurt, sad, frustrated, and angry all at the same time. I was on the verge of either hitting one of them or breaking down in tears.

Homophobia exists, and now I've seen it first hand.

Tags: lgbtq
Current Mood: melancholic

So now that I've started listening to my iPod on random shuffle, I'm getting to hear a lot more of my music and thinking about translating more of it. So here's another one that combines two of my shameless span-pop loves: Miranda! and Julieta Venegas with "Perfecta". This one's about two old friends who have a night of passion and fall in love with each other (awwwww, so sweet!). Enjoy!

P.S.I've realised how pathetic English is for describing feelings by translating songs as I listen to them. Whenever I translate a song, I am losing so much of the nuance in the Spanish words and effectively simplifying every emotion for the benefit of English *rolls eyes* stupid English. This is why I'm very very often tempted to translate and then add brackets explaining the nuance which can't be translated in one word, however this would be irritating and drag away from the translation.. still.. just know that these songs are like 10 billion times better in Spanish, haha :)

Spanish

English

Tan pronto yo te vi No pude descubrir El amor a primera vista no funciona en mi Después de amarte comprendí Que no estaria tan mal Probar tu otra mitad No me importo se arruinariamos nuestra amistad No me importo ya que más dá Eramos tan buenos amigos hasta hoy Que yo probe tu desempeño en el amor Me aproveché de que habiamos tomado tanto Fuiste dejando y te agarre Apesar de saber que estaba todo mal Lo continuamos hasta juntos terminar Cuando caimos en lo que estaba pasando Seguí besandote Sólo tu no necesito mas Te adoraría lo que dura la eternidad Debes ser perfecta para, perfecto para, Perfecto para mi, mi amor. Como fue que de papel cambie, Eras mi amiga y ahora eres mi mujer Debes ser perfectamente exactamente Lo que yo siempre soñé El tiempo que pasó Resulto aún mejor Nos conociamos de antes y sabiamos Lo que queriamos los dos Entonces el amor nos tiene de rehén, Seré tu eterna enamorada Y te aseguro que Todas las noches te amaré

Very recently I saw you I couldn't discover love at first sight it never worked on me But after loving you, I understood. That it wouldn't be so bad To see your other side I don't care if we ruin our friendship I don't care about anything else We've been such good friends til today Now I've seen how you are in love I took advantage of what we had taken for granted You went to leave and I grabbed you Despite knowing that it was all wrong We kept going until we both finished And when we realised what was happening I kept on kissing you Only you, I don't need anything else I will adore you and it will endure eternity You must just be perfect for, perfect for, Perfect for me, my love. How can it be that our roles changed? You were my buddy and now you're my darling, You must be perfectly, exactly, What I always dreamed of. The time that passed Resulted in something even better We already knew each other from before And we knew what we both wanted And so love took us hostage. I will be your eternal lover And I assure you that I will love you for every single night to come

Tags: songs, spanish, translation, videos

I'm on Twitter now: Pannadol is my username (surprise surprise). Let me know if you have it, or add me! It's still a bit strange to me, but I figure it's worth a shot :-)

Just thought I should let you all know that I'm really sick, so might not post for a while. I'm not talking metaphorically, either. I'm really very ill. Support appreciated. Doctor doesn't know what it is. I'm on some hardcore penecillin, it's really knocking me around. Rash all over my body (yes, seriously). And I'm supposed to start my internship on Wednesday. I'm really cut up about that, just hoping and hoping that by some miracle it'll clear by then. Sorry everyone. I'm down and out for while.

Someone on Pandagon was commenting that young attractive women have power because "people" (read: hetero men) will give them priveleges such as changing tyres, letting them into clubs, choosing them for jobs etc. Several people made the point that actually this is all occurring because of men trying to manipulate women and "get something" out of them, and that their apparent politeness in light of their attraction to her can quickly grow sour should she not be interested and refuse their advances (the phrase "uppity bitch" comes to mind). I was slightly conflicted about this because I can see how people's reactions to me changed after my teeth were fixed up, I got a sense of my own style, and I grew my hair out. I could see that in our society I was getting more from being attractive than from when I was, let's say, not as attractive. But at the same time I also absolutely recognise that this change has also brought me a whole heap of unwanted attention, constant comments about my body and appearance, come-ons from people regardless of whether I'm interested or have a boyfriend, and stares on the street whenever it's a hot day and I wear something appropriate for hot days. 

But then I read the following comment from SarahMC, and I realised that I can acknowledge having advantages without daring to come close to calling it power or privelege, especially when those advantages are 'bestowed' upon me by (usually white) hetero males. She writes:


So well said.. just fantastic.

Tags: body ideals, sexism

Tags: photos

I don't like the idea of fathers "giving" their daughters to anyone. But when it's your ex boyfriend, who happens to run a magazine and be in charge of a culture which values women as objects or, if you want a more PC version, which values women solely by their physical appearance and a very, very narrow definition of beauty? Yuck! Courtesy of The Sydney Morning Herald, this article almost made me puke:

Hugh Hefner may try to stop ex-girlfriend Kendra Wilkinson's wedding.

The Playboy mogul is struggling to get over his former love and might object to her marriage to American football player Hank Baskett.

He said: "There may be a moment at the ceremony when I have second thoughts... I may have to negotiate this."

The 82-year-old lothario had previously given his blessing to the nuptials and had promised to give her away.

Hugh - who is now dating 19-year-old twins Karissa and Kristina Shannon following his split from Kendra and other live-in girlfriend Holly Madison, who is now dating magician Criss Angel - said: "I have given her my blessing and will be giving her away at a very special wedding ceremony."

Hugh's other girlfriend Bridget Marquardt - who will serve as Kendra's bridesmaid - recently admitted things are changing in the hedonist's plush pad.

She said: "The feeling of the mansion is completely different. Not in a bad way, just totally different. I'm not home that much."

Kendra is set to tie the knot in June.
 

Daddy complex much? Not only that, but why should he have to give his blessing? It's her life, it's her love, it's not his to "give away" in the first place. Is she some sort of piece of property? It's the kind of language I would expect to see around slavery, not around weddings! Quick, pass me the bucket!

Current Mood: disgusted

They're wiley ones! Analysis of the news story below at my political blog: http://sparliament.wordpress.com

Gay penguins steal eggs from straight couples
A couple of gay penguins are attempting to steal eggs from straight birds in an effort to become "fathers", it has been reported.

 The two penguins have started placing stones at the feet of parents before waddling away with their eggs, in a bid to hide their theft.

But the deception has been noticed by other penguins at the zoo, who have ostracised the gay couple from their group. Now keepers have decided to segregate the pair of three-year-old male birds to avoid disrupting the rest of the community during the hatching season.

A keeper at Polar Land in Harbin, north east China explained that the gay couple had the natural urge to become fathers, despite their sexuality.

"One of the responsibilities of being a male adult is looking after the eggs. Despite this being a biological impossibility for this couple, the natural desire is still there," a keeper told the Austrian Times newspaper.

"It's not discrimination. We have to fence them separately, otherwise the whole group will be disturbed during hatching time," he added.

There are numerous examples of homosexuality in the animal kingdom, but gay penguins have captured the public's attention more than any other species.

A German zoo provoked outrage from gay lobby groups after attempting to mate a group of gay male penguins with Swedish female birds who were flown in especially to seduce them. But the project was abandoned after the males refused to be "turned", showing no interest in their would-be mates.

In 2002 a couple of penguins at a New York zoo who had been together for eight years were "outed" when keepers noticed that they were both males.

 

 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/3530723/Gay-penguins-steal-eggs-from-straight-couples.html

 

 

 

Tags: gay rights, news

Some videos about human rights to pass away the time. Also I today posted to my political blog, Sparliament, in regards to Australian policy on refugees and asylum seekers. Check it out.


View in larger size/higher-def here: www.humanrightsactioncenter.org. Created by Seth Brau, Produced by Amy Poncher, Music by Rumspringa courtesy Cantora Records.


A film about FGM (female genital mutilation) in Sierra Leone, particularly in regards to the economic side and businesses which carry out FGM. If it doesn't load on this page, you can instead watch it here.




The first of many Youth for Human Rights ads, informing people of their rights. This one involves cute children!



A 7-minute video about Oxfam Fair Trade, featuring music from one of my favourite bands: Sigur Ros.



Although not as entertaining, this talk about Women's Rights by Taina Bien-Aime, Executive Director of Equality Now, at the IHEU-Appignani Bioethics Conference in 2006 is definitely worth watching and paying attention to in regards to human rights for all.

Tags: human rights, oxfam, videos, womens rights