Horizon

It's not always bright and sunny on the island. Don't be dumb, of course it's Photoshopped.

On the business of selling popcorn

I really don't know how to feel about this. For the second time this week, some kid comes ringing on the door. He comes on a bicycle selling popcorn. Does he bag them individually or you bring your cup and he scoops it in? I wonder, who in the world would want to buy popcorn? I'd buy tomatoes and stuff but popcorn? I'm here trying to figure out complex business problems and somebody's on the street just wanting to sell popcorn. I think I want to help the kid out but I feel terrible because I don't really want popcorn, what I really want is four ipods for $30BZ each.

Never stop hustling.

UPDATE: We gave in today. Caesar says "it's good".

Experiment

It's the last thing I ought to be doing and it's exactly what I am doing. Superjasonito dropped by yesterday inviting me to a series of chess tournaments starting in Stann Creek next weekend. The top players from the 3 tournaments will represent Belize in international competition.

I'm far from gifted so like a normal person, I have to prepare. I don't have a physical chess set, I gave away all my educational material, not surprisingly I'll have to rely on le computer.

I won 3, stalemated 1, lost 1 in a recent tournament a few months ago. I lost the tournament winning match due to a blunder and my opponent, a teenager, who I must mention played impressively well for what we're used to seeing in Belize at his age, calmly took advantage, dismantled my position with ease. The stalemate was well deserved due to rust, lol, end game theory rust.

Apart from theoretical preparation, one must bring his own "keep calm, don't effin' blunder" mental coach.

Bloody sure I'm not winning anything but experiment, experiment for retirement will come one day, and I'll have to find something interesting to do and teaching chess to kids sounds proper.

This place needs some cool

Some blue, some sand between the toes, some fun in the sun. Shut up.

View from Pelican Reef Villas, San Pedro, Belize.

On the Belize River

Away we go on a beautiful Sunday morning in Belize City.

25

Hello place on the interwebs that I can look back to 10 years from now. You are ugly. I am still the same person. Master procrastinator. I stopped drinking Guinness weeks ago and it's still in my system. I'm feeble. Never focused. Nina Simone.

Precision

I fart and it's just a reminder of how much Guinness I had last night. Mom passes my desk. "Do you have something that's spoiled or rotten around here? Get rid of it because it stinks." Silence. Moments later another one escapes and coincidentally mom is passing by, this time without a word.

My Entire House Smells Like Shit

It's always about shit around here. Literally! Something is up with the neighbor's septic tank. The stench makes my head hurt. It's so pungent, one whiff will take your breathe away, will make your eyes burn, will wake you from your deepest sleep. It's pure concentrated shit. Welcome to Belize.

Is FIFA12 Head to Head Seasons Rigged?

True story. I got to Division 2, was 3 points away from Division 1 with three games remaining and all of a sudden I lost like 8 games in a row. WTF is up with that EA? That means I remained in Div 2 for another season then I got relegated back to 3. Rip off or...? Damn!

Fearless

We did a test shoot last week before an event. Normally, we'd get a real model for these things but sometimes, models get ill. So we took a spin out by Queen Elizabeth Park and boom, we found the one. That's uncle Rigo right there. A bit shabby with a fresh wound to the forehead he "got last week after his trip to Merida". He just fell, apparently.

Found It

Good stuff right there. A little more taste than the local Big-H and Flores.

Belize Elections 2012, Orange Walk East in Images

DISCLAIMER: If you're a party fanatic, please go home.

The UDP (red) was ousted by le PUP (blue) in Orange Walk East on election day 2012. Many would agree that no one saw this coming but Orange Walk went blue, blue, blue, red. Dr. Marco Tulio Mendez (PUP) came out on top in the east over businessman Orlando 'Landy' Burns (UDP). Turn the tide! And now some images shall we? But first, some ice cream.

Orange Walk ice cream vendor makes most of the occasion. Orange Walk East on election day 2012.

If only we'd see more flags on Independence Day.

Divided parties create tension at polling station. "We Trust Landy". UDP supporter shows color.

You WILL find tension at Orange Walk East on election day.

Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Gaspar Vega arrives at Orange Walk East, makes way to polling station.

The man himself, crispy in milk.

Now that's proper.

Dr. Marco Tulio Mendez celebrating victory over Orlando Burns in Orange Walk East elections 2012.

Dr. Marco Tulio Mendez, crying.

Dr. Marco Tulio Mendez saluted by fellow PUP supporters. Ex-UDP minister, Marcel Cardona, has something to say, celebrates victory with the PUP.

A face we all know. Ex-UDP, Marcel Cardona.

PUP's Dr. Marco Tulio Mendez (left) and Ex-UDP minister Marcel Cardona share the spoils of victory in Orange Walk East elections, March 7, 2012. PUP entourage celebrate victory in Orange Walk East elections, March 7, 2012.

Victory lap with Che Guevara et al.

Love FM crew scrambling to make a dollar out of 15 cents.

A Fresh New Day It Is

It sure is a new day but fresh? No. Had to have an 8 hour FIFA12 warm up, and now it's time to work, at 3:43AM. Beth, I'm sending out your wedding images today so please don't be posting about it on Facebook. It's time to conquer!

84 degrees at 4:54

Indeed it is 84 degrees at 4:54AM. I could take a cold shower and it won't be cold.

Let me share with you the shit that I'm in. For the most part, the real reason I don't say much is because I bitch a lot. Bitch mode!

Being self employed is the most strenuous, ridiculous idea to practice especially when you're not a profit greedy employer. That, I am clearly not! I'm not organized, I get bored and distracted easily. Because, the truth is, doing the same or similar things over a lifetime is just not gratifying...over a lifetime. Unless you're like said, dumb, zombie business people.

Getting projects to come in out of thin air, for some reason, is not the problem. The problem is finding good people to work with. Not clients. Clients are a hate/love thing. I'm talking about partners and employees, people that share the same goals and intentions. The search is like a never ending uphill battle. While the workload says I clearly should be, all this means is that I cannot expand.

Not surprisingly, I'm also in another situation. We're multiplying again. Yep, we're expecting a baby girl in August. Time management? Hahaha!

Valentina!

I wake up this morning to find Caesar messing around with THE puppy outside. The thing looks hungry, very small and feeble.

The day goes by. I get home to a wet and sobbing puppy. Flees are springing all over the place.

Brother asks Ruben where he got the "malish" from. Apparently it's a mix chihuahua he bought for $5 from a "spranghead" in Corozal. He got it for my mom for Valentine's Day. Mom calls it Valentine but changes it to Valentina because another "spranghead" points out it doesn't have a pecker.

Brother protests that if he had brought such thing home, they'd bring down the house. Point taken.

Worst part is...there's a flee on my desk.

On FIFA12

I'll make this quick before le clients crucify me. Gameplay in FIFA12 was a lot better than expected but what the hell is up with the referee?

Gave it a good run over the weekend and my record is a shabby 24-15-19. So far, there are a lot less glitches in this new installment. Tactical defending is pure genius. It feels like you're in full control and not much is left to chance. Well, except for maybe the CR7/Zlatan airball factor. That aside, tactics actually work the way they should!

Beware of Cristiano Ronaldo.

But Why?

That's Caesar at three and five months. He's very human now. Sings, cries, wipes his own ass. Pre-school starts again for him on Monday and aren't we glad he spends time mingling with his kind. I hope he doesn't end up like me. I never liked mingling with retards at anywhere. I was miserable. Every, single day.

Trouble

Trouble. It's good for the mind but not for the rest of us. Here's what you do. Isolate it. Out of sight, out of mind, take it away from the rest of us. Plant it in its own soil, damn it. Grow it. On the way, care for it, but just a little. Then let go of it. Throw it away. Hurt it. Yes. Why? Because it's trouble, fool.

Do what more often?

So I'm here raving to the female about my clothes.

I put to wash relatively new clothes in the basket, next thing you know my clothes return hard, stretched, and effing worn beyond repair. This burns me like you can't imagine. She responds: well, maybe, if you would shower more often I wouldn't have to wash them for too long.

Wawawaaaaaaa?

Hey, Where's the Beef?

The last two years of my life have been very social. It wasn't always like this but it was worth discovering what the rest of the world was like outside of mine. I met a lot of great people, those who've had lot to share, those who had the balls to slap me in the face, and how could I forget the Friday night football crew.

Caesar is the wow in my life. Even if you're not the caring type, that instinct will kick in when your three year old responds to your threat with "but I'm your son" and suggests that "[Uncharted] is too hard for you". He's doing pretty well and I wish him the best.

There was also a lot of negatives of my own creation. I regret every one of them but as SAF puts it (paraphrase...) "we must bounce back, because that's what we're about".

But there was one thing I liked about life pre-2010. When you had the time, you could skin a thought down so granular that the truth would stare you in the face. When you had the time.

Among the chaos this new year brings, I bid you more free time, profits, and great food. Cheers!