TUV Wallpaper

When I become the boss of a creative agency, I'll dictate memos via walkie talkie. Until then, I'll be in my room, designing self-deprecating desktop wallpapers. TUV "Revolution" wallpaper. Download here (1280 x 800).

Reminiscent of my rebellious teenage years. Any rebels in the house?

On One's Underwear

At the end of this post, you may ask yourself: “Was this really necessary?” And I’ll say: “‘Twas necessary indeed”. After all, there’s nothing more precious than the well-being of ones own precious.

Let me just say that Jockey’s not paying me to say any of this, but I’ve been donning their line of underwear – the Pouch – for a couple of months now and have come to the conclusion that FTL and Hanes undies are nothing but punishing. Jockey’s Pouch experience is like no other. Its weightlessness makes it feel like you’re wearing nothing at all, yet your member is comfortably positioned, no dangling or rubbing just airy, comfortable, and well rested. Other said undies don’t offer half the comfort. If you’re a dated, no undies kind of guy, you shouldn’t have a problem adapting. Here, take a look at the specs. While you're at it, I recommend you also check out my personal favorite, their Classic Y-front which are even more comfy and lightweight.

This definitely deserves a place in underwear history. Bravo Jockey, bravo!

September Celebrations 2007

Coming at you a bit late this month, I finally got some time off to process some pictures of this year’s Independence Day parade.

As always, this year’s spectacle brought numbers to the street sides. They had it all: carnival dancers, floats, bands, music, and a whole lot of Belizean culture.

Here you have it, the album contains pictures taken at Orange Walk and a few from Corozal Town.

Giant flag flying high in Corozal Central Park on the eve of Independence Day.

Reviving Chess in Northern Belize

According to Glen Reneau, head coach of Belize’s national chess team, chess has been played in the country for well over a century. Even so, the board game has not gained substantial popularity over the years and probably won’t if there’s no plan to bring it to the spotlight.

Kofi Geban, president of the Belize Association of Chess Players (BACP), rightfully stated in a discussion at the CODICADER games in Guatemala last month that “we must work together as a team to achieve growth”. In the past, it was more of a one man show where one or two volunteers recruited and organized tournaments across the nation. Until recently, a spark of interest was ignited in high school chess clubs across the country thanks to Reneau, who has dedicated the last decade of his life to chess in Belize. While I'm not certain about its legitimacy, rumor has it that efforts are being made to revive the former Belize Chess Federation.

This afternoon, a small group will unite in a meeting to discuss the growth of chess in the Orange Walk district. The audience will consist mostly of members of the Muffles College High School chess club and a few aficionados of the game. We believe that it’s of paramount importance for us to focus on the younger generation of players since they’re expected to keep the light lit in years to follow.

So yes, this is an attempt to get a larger, club-sized body involved. We have no intentions of planning too much ahead. We’ll keep it simple, fun, and active. I must say that the resources seem reasonably favorable this time around. It is believed that there’s a bit more potential in this group than those before it. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

ill Fated

An auction at Spanish Lookout, Cayo. Last year, I fussed about missing out on an important photo shoot with some photographer friends. I had another opportunity earlier this year with the same people – John Banman and pro photographer Tony Rath, a man who needs no introduction around here. The shoot took place some time in March at Spanish Lookout, a Mennonite community in western Belize.

This time around, I had the opportunity to travel alongside an old high school friend, Roberto Leal, who came along taking notes of the journey.

John took us to an auction around 9am. It didn’t take me five minutes to realize that they weren’t going to have fancy paintings or artifacts at this auction; there was more junk than anything else. I even saw a bucket of burnt oil being sold for a dollar. Apparently, the hosts were leaving the country and intended to auction everything including all their rubbish (talk about everything must go). The auctioneer did speak about 5 times faster than I could listen which was enough to say that there was something interesting at this place. This was my first time at an auction. The only memorabilia I brought back was a bunch of pictures I took.

Mennonite men pondering the next bid. View the album here.

After the auction we had breakfast and moved on to what was supposed to be the most exciting part of our trip – an aerial shoot! The plane could only hold four so we volunteered Leal to stay at the auction site.

Before I go on, let me tell you what not to expect from the following paragraph. Don’t expect me to be talking about how beautiful things looked from sky view, nor how great the occasion was. Don’t even think I got good shots because I didn’t.

The only thing I could recall occurred about a half an hour in flight when I summoned my little brown paper bag which was enclosed in a zip lock bag (clever!) given to us by the pilot before lift off. The rest is up to your imagination. So much for a day of great shooting. If it’s not the flu, it’s nausea. What next?

It's a boy!

My sister Gabrielle and husband Allan at Chetumal, Mexico. I'm not sure if this means that the world is coming to an end or if it's a sign that men are becoming more fertile than ever, but today I'm an uncle. To be honest, I don't know how to feel nor what to say. Will congratulations suffice? Holy crap, a new life form! Ah yes, that should do.