Chronicles by Luciana B. Veit

RSS Feed Homepage

Articles: 1, 2

The colours and the lenses of protection
2008-06-07 04:35:00
Unfortunately we have plenty of examples of monstrosities happening around the globe: fathers who rape, enslave and sell their daughters, or mutilate their genitals; twelve or thirteen year old teenagers who intimidate and sexually abuse pre-school children; old men who mistreat their young wives from poor countries because they believe it is their right to do so; women-trafficking not only by criminals but also condoned by distinguished and treasured men of high society; paedophilia on the Internet and within the Catholic Church; mistrust from children towards their own step-mother / father; the universal and too common heart-breaking tragedy of nice and bright citizens falling into addiction, losing their grip on their own existence; and so forth. We only have to get out onto the streets and start observing pedestrians, making a kind of deduction from their appearances, be they young, old, trashy-looking or well-maintained, man or woman. ...Can I trust my child in the house o...
More About: Colours , Lenses

“Megalopolers”
2008-05-21 03:21:00
They also do not know specifically how to enjoy nature nor to spell the name of birds and plants, but still, they will be able to tell you for sure where you can get the best discounts for that Gucci purse, or pass you the tip on that tiny and amazing restaurant that has just opened. ...We are creative too, trying to make the best out of every situation, even if it is from inside a car by listening to an audio book, or meditating while stuck in a traffic jam that seems to go on and on forever. ...We do not feel bad or sad just because we are having a cup of coffee, lunch, dinner or going to the movies for instance at (busy) 09.00 am or 12.00 am sessions all by ourselves, because certainly we are neither the first, the last and probably not the only ones to do so. ...I know that people living in small towns seem to be happy, but with all due respect residents of small and insignificant towns, the truth is that nobody knows better than a megalopoler how to feel truly alive, gi...

Two Lives
2008-05-18 06:00:00
The life I had as a single woman was marked by uncertainties, by a few obstacles, by the neuroses of a big city, but also by the countless little pleasures of my daily life that I have always welcomed. ...Having now been married ten stunning years, I have today the peace of a happy family life of which I have always dreamed, the most valuable treasure of my own blood, and also my pride that I have, among other things, collected many miles of travel across the seven seas. ...Side one: the big city girl, the fighter, used to being creative and flexible in order to achieve something in a place where the occasional family dramas put hot pepper in the soup, where the misfortunes of the newspaper headlines seem to repeat themselves, and where the desire to see something different is ever-present. ...If I do not feel complete, it is not because of the life I have now, or the life I had before, but rather because of the two lives that cannot come together. ...Some say that an acco...
More About: Lives

The Ideal Guest
2008-05-17 11:43:00
He does not tidy up his room, shows you where he left his dirty clothes, does not help in the kitchen, informs you which city attractions he wishes to see, and does not mind if they are far away from your home. ...He tidies up his room, irons both yours and his fresh laundry (including your old underwear and your aged socks), suggests the menu for dinner and helps by cooking, pays for his own personal expenses and often invites you to restaurants and even to the theatre. ...This guest would never repress his children for jumping around or on your sofa, or for touching your Chinese porcelain or your objects of art with sticky hands covered in melted chocolate or juice (or even worse) because he is too proud of the energy these kids have in abundance. Likewise, he also does not see any reason for your desperation when his same precious children relieve themselves of their biological needs on your (even more precious) Persian rug, since they also walk around naked at home all the...
More About: Guest , Ideal

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)
2008-03-11 13:12:00
Being so, three playwrights had the ambitious idea of putting all of his works melted in one single play together: tragedies, history plays, comedies and even a few poems. ...First: gather your fellow writers and go over the plays, trying to make at least one sentence for each one of them, cutting out all the boring lines – no exceptions. ...But since humor is a complicated matter even today, when different countries seem to have their own sense of comedy, imagine trying to make people laugh with centuries old jokes. ...The actors did what they know how to do with excellence, the public laughed, but I must say that as I read so many newspaper reviews on this show as hilarious and brilliant, I imagined something more uh, let’s say, classy. I wasn’t expecting to be brought to laughter only for the puking, farting, Beyonce and Britney Spears dancing style imitation and for some tired sexual jokes, but instead I was expecting bright jokes and inspired bridges ...
More About: Shakespeare , Works , William Shakespeare , Complete , William

Ten years later...
2008-02-03 11:06:00
Seating comfortably at the Café holding their drinks in the hands, Debbie, staring at the first bite of the brownie that Jo had just swallowed, absolutely disapproving it, since a 30 year old woman should be concerned about her weight, says: ...But we only wish to have children after I finish my masters, which I have been pursuing every single evening of the week for quite some time now.” ...– are Debbie’s remarks, looking for something of hers that she could show Jo in order to match her in some way. ...Because we also possess homes in Barcelona, in Zurich and a small loft in the heart of Manhattan, it is hard to stay in just one place, at least until our loving daughter enters school!” ...She could continue sitting there and put all her cards on the table, things that she had achieved in the past ten years such as: my home, my husband, my clothes and my jewellery, but she would certainly have to cope with Jo’s cards like: my home, my ...
More About: Years

Anticipating Christmas
2007-12-01 12:17:00
Children are euphoric dreaming about the toys they wish to get from Santa Claus, the cities are beautifully decorated accordingly and the adults are already counting the days to indulge themselves in lots of food and drinks. In the letter or e-mail that should reach the North Pole, children guarantee they were nice throughout the year, that they behaved, that they got at least acceptable marks at school and therefore they deserve to be rewarded, because from nothing comes nothing. ...So why don’t you take a lollypop from a child’s mouth or take away his/her favourite toy just to see what happens? But speaking of negotiations, the month of December is also a blessed time for parents -even those who are a rarity nowadays – that allow their kids to jump up and down on the new sofa or fool around with the TV’s remote control just to show the world how healthy their kids are. As I was saying, December is a blessed month for desperate parents because that&r...
More About: Christmas

What the eyes see, the heart feels
2007-11-11 15:06:00
It is on the top of that building.” – insists the first girl, turning to the one standing beside her. ...In society, we want to display our polished, educated and powerful selves, when the truth is that in the heads of most men and women entertainment is always coming first, whatever it might be (by the way, for some people work is also a kind of entertainment). ...But long before Youtube’s success, there was just a simple idea, visualization, a story that everybody sees, but nobody believes (it is worse, of course, when everybody believes in something, but cannot actually see it). The Americans finally remove their troops from Iraq, Palestinians and Israelis sign a peace treaty that should last forever, Putin doesn’t wish any longer to keep running behind his political power as soon as his second term as president finishes, South Korea will forgive the atrocities of the Japanese during the occupation. Furthermore: Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, and ...
More About: Eyes , Heart , The Heart

Sacrificing the Sacrifice
2007-11-04 10:32:00
You neither eat candy nor fried chicken just to keep your slim and sensational figure, even though taking a bite of a doughnut or of a Big Mac is one of your favourite pleasures in life. ...You do not have a big circle of friends just to dedicate to your own person in the little free time you have, doing what you want and when you want. ...As a mother or a father you must sometimes leave your hands off your kids just to let them learn to find their own steps in this world. ...What is more valuable, experiences that last a lifetime or goods that you can show off and maybe pass on to your relatives once you are gone? ...Is it worth sacrificing your human side to fight for something that you don’t really understand, just to show the world the type of person you are not? ...Is it worth sacrificing your trip for this life if you do not keep to your own path, maybe afraid to look inside of yourself?
More About: Sacrifice

The pursuit for the key
2007-10-25 11:52:00
The head of the 20-year-old youngster spins around looking for some comfort in alcohol, when inner peace is what he really wants. ...He searches for it underneath the pillows, inside of his socks, inside of vases, inside half-full bottles of wine, but he still has no clue. It is exactly the same situation as when somebody searches for his glasses desperately when they are already on the face. ...“If my valuable core was inside of me, I’d already have found by now” – says the youngster, talking to the mirror. ...“What happens is that if you are still searching for your core, it is because you do not deserve to find it yet.” But the youngster protests with red and somehow dead eyes, unable to stand still:

Perfect!
2007-10-14 05:19:00
So, placing the hand luggage on the X-Ray conveyer, I acknowledge the officer that I was not carrying any liquids with me, only a laptop. ...And later I did not have to wait to use the bathroom, which is right in front of my gate because the cleaning lady was not completing her community service on a slippery floor. While sitting, waiting for the flight call, I had the luck of finding an ownerless 200 Euros note that was just waiting for me to lay my hands on. As I looked around searching for a drunken or desperate face that just lost the cash, I did not find anybody who could have been eligible for the 200 Euros note. ...Experienced together with non-experienced travellers who think that if they do not run to reach the plane through the covered gangway, they would stay behind, I again look around me. ...Move on… You are next” – says someone behind me in the long queue in front of the check-in counter, where a bearded and bitter woman, employee from Rea...
More About: Perfect

Public King
2007-07-22 10:46:00
Being an artist myself, I know well enough what really counts - it is the opinion of the public, because only public approval will be able to satisfy my ego. ...These guys, who want us to swallow something we don’t like, care only about their profit, but don’t understand that what an artist wants the most is to impress the general public, so that his/her work would become a topic for discussion and will eventually become an inspiration for new art creators. The public is king, I always say, sometimes distraught about the lost possibilities for some real talent around the world in the fields of ceramics, literature, music, dance, among others, who might give up doing what they do best for the fear of being rejected by the so-called “market owners”. It is a fact that the public is and will always be the one who determines the success (or otherwise) of an artist. Therefore the public should take this matter in their own hands and make a difference, offe...
More About: Public , King

Genuine Brazilian Experience
2007-07-15 06:21:00
Apart from voluptuous and tanned bodies, warm waves and stunning scenery, one could never miss to notice the sand-trading going on. ...What about fried shrimps, tattoos, beachwear, grilled cheese, pastel (a sort of deep fried dumplings), grilled beef (churrasquinho), sugar candy, sunglasses, and so on and so forth? The vendors vary from sporty young men and women in their twenties to exceptionally old seniors, fighting their way back and forth from one district to the next, sticking their feet on the soft and hot sand. Sometimes the regular customers buy something only as a nice Christian gesture, as a sign of a pity for the ones who can’t afford even to think of lying back and relaxing. ...Bodies get cross-checked and men and women find each other, while already existing relationships come to a dead end over jealousy and loud fights. ...The beach experience along the Brazilian Coast is something that should belong to the “Things I must do before I die”.
More About: Experience , Genuine

Beware of your pockets
2007-07-07 05:38:00
No, I am not talking about pickpockets, but about the reality of high prices in this dynamic Asian country. Most travelers, be it business people, bagpackers or students, usually underestimate the prices in Seoul, when compared to Tokyo or Hong Kong for instance. ... Let’s not forget that two years ago Seoul was considered the second (after Moscow) most expensive city in the world and this year it achieved the number 3 on the same list. OK, a few numbers have changed since then, but the prices of many items in Korea are still double (if not triple) compared to Central European Countries. ...Fruit, fish, imported goods such as curry powder or BBQ sauce will cost you a fortune, and you won’t get more expensive meat anywhere in the world. ...Still, Korea is worth visiting, since the natives give their best to welcome foreigners, always with a smile on their faces.
More About: Beware

When it is the right moment for liberation?
2007-06-03 12:48:00
The freedom path is a lonely one, because it is in this path that the person gives account that his or her life belongs only to them and to nobody else. ...They do not fear the unknown because they have nothing to loose, and each time that they find themselves in front of the precipice, or in front of a crossing, a decision will be made in just half a second. ...He misses the human heat, a person whom he can trust his life, but then he questions if it is decent to place such a great responsibility on the hands of this so special person. ... He decides to be in the same city for more than thirty days and try to plant roots, but then he realizes soon enough that the inhabitants of that city find themselves in the right to control his life. ...A simple woman who endures the bad husband only for fear of living her dreams says that now that everything is arranged, she doesn’t want to play with happiness. ...When one finds such qualities in someone, he or she will know inst...
More About: Moment , Liberation

Denial
2007-05-19 08:47:00
Beyond books, Internet, newspaper articles and personal contacts with innumerable organizations, one of the sources that I have been using as research for my next book is simply the participation in chats of diverse online communities. ...When the truth lies on historical facts, on testimony of normal people who had suffered more that they could bare, it seems to me that all that has no more validity, simply because the factor denial hinders that the blinded person sees the truth. The blinded ones do not see the truth not because they aren’t capable, but because they prefer to keep on believing that this perfect place exists, giving them a reason to dream. Finally on a beautiful day, the blinded person could be boarding the airplane in charge of bringing them to the country of their dreams, but all of a sudden, they decide not to go from fear of facing the truth. ...One deeply religious person reeds on every single newspaper that the bishop so and so have managed to s...
More About: Denial

Book, Synonym of Freedom
2007-05-01 10:56:00
I understand that some of the reading aficionados decide not to give books because they believe that this kind of choice is something very personal, but what gift is not personal? ...There are those who say that a book is expensive, but the truth is that those who really want to read will always find a way: borrowing, reading at libraries, etc… They read, read and read until they feel sleepy, since sleeping can be considered as the only reading enemy, and not money. ...I am not against television, quite on the contrary, I believe that everything is important in life: television, fast and macrobiotic food, alcohol, concerns, leisure and so on, but what defines the quality of life are not the exaggeration, but balance. Back to books, I have been frequently reading about non-conventional publishing houses, e-books, blogs, which are alternative ways of bringing the mass back to reading and I am loving it. ...But when two persons read from the same book for instance, the ...
More About: Freedom , Book

We are not the only ones
2007-04-22 04:40:00
I am not the only one who never stops searching for the most extraordinary perfume, when the truth is that special smell belongs to an extraordinary man who never leaves my side. ...I am not the only one in search for a leader, despite the struggles of the mind to accept the idea that we are vulnerable and that we all need someone to look up. ...I am not the only one who acknowledges Christmas, Easters, Thanksgivings, Ramadans as pure religious events, but also as a chance of approaching those who seem to be always so distant, even living under the same roof. ...I am not the only one who desires to hug humanity, just to feel finally what it is like to be part of a greater force. I am not the only one who fears riding all the way through this life as a tourist, without having done anything of significance. ...But I am the only one who in this precise moment feels in my particular way the wind of change, that same wind that passes by us every day, bringing hope and streng...

The Universal Language
2007-04-08 05:11:00
But the truth is that love does not always solve the daily little problems in a foreign country, where the local language is so strange to you as walking bare-footed on asphalt. ...Well, in this case the communication turns to be a little more interactive because even if we do not love everyone around us but still enjoy the same kind of music, perhaps we could become closer with time. ...There are also those who think that if the society expects from them to learn a foreign language, then they would prefer to learn Japanese, Spanish or possibly French. ...The Internet made life easier for most of us by bringing the entire world on our computer screens - and for this it deserves our very BIG “THANK YOU”, but in spite of this magic, with each new click we are somehow moving away from each other. ...There are those who believe that this is the only true universal language, but its purpose is so lacking of human spirituality that it does not deserve any comments. ...
More About: Language , Universal

Assumptions
2007-04-01 11:00:00
What if we found the photo of a stranger when we had taken the photo of ourselves? ...What if we woke up on a deserted beach without a single memory of the past? ...What if we started to doubt the biggest lies that had become truths throughout the centuries? ...What if we recognized that death is a part of life’s miracle? ...If everything was perfect, what would be the meaning of our life on this planet? ...
More About: Assumptions

Private Connection
2007-03-25 04:56:00
Today I read an article in a magazine produced by expatriates for expatriates, that many of them (us) hide from the reality while living abroad, because they spend so much time on the Internet keeping in touch with people close to them back in their home countries, or even with new e-friends - simply because they turned into Internet addicts. ...Having been used to changes, I know perfectly well how it is important to quickly meet new people in a new country, to get hold of someone in order not to fall in a hole, feeling alone and in despair because nobody around you seems to understand what you are saying and maybe because all the faces are strange to you. ...But then the furniture arrives, the children start going to school (where they also have to face their own battle of being accepted), the first problems at work for your husband; but perhaps it is the wife, more than any other family member, feels the deepest culture shock, because she is the one who does the groceries, t...
More About: Connection , Private

Distinct Recipes
2007-03-17 00:07:00
When about a month ago I was in Salzburg, I couldn’t have been happier for having a chance to “taste” some of the daily dishes enjoyed by people two hundred years ago, by visiting the exhibition “Viva! ... Nevertheless I was sad for the others who would not have the same chance that I had and would not be able to visit this charming little baroque city at the foot of the Austrian Alps. Back home, in Korea, I was delighted with a Russian recipe book containing exclusive menus prepared for the Russian aristocrats, including some imperial recipes of the end of the 19th century. ...Today I read in a local newspaper that a restaurant specializing in royal Korean cuisine of the beginning of the 20th century, with dishes like Gujeolpan or Sinseollo, has just opened its doors for all those who literally have a hunger and thirst for history. ...If I were in the restaurant business, I would definitely invest in the idea of restaurants that only prepare historica...
More About: Recipes

One Night in Dubai
2007-03-10 23:38:01
During the sacred month of devotion and discipline for the Muslims, tourists also have to show some respect to Muslim traditions, but nonetheless they begin to experience the most genuine atmosphere of a thousand and one nights. ...The great, modern and mirrored skyscrapers reflect the traditional tents in front of spacious houses of natural tones, reflect the party of light and ornaments on the streets and also reflect the joy of the worshippers for having managed another hard day of minor sacrifices during the holy month, apart from helping their families and the needy ones. ...The shops reopen offering hundreds of prizes and super discounts, the restaurants organize special set menus, the belly-dancers in their exotic costumes get ready for another busy night, the tourists do not know what to photograph first with so much to see. The warm waves of the Persian Gulf Sea keep their eternal rhythm; and by the shores of the sea arm, known locally ?s Khor, where the city of Dubai wa...
More About: Night

Human heat
2007-03-10 23:38:01
But time and again when I drive my car, I recall those times when I needed three hours to get to work by public transport, literally crossing São Paulo City from one end to the other. Every morning I had to endure that tremendous tension, hoping to find a vacant seat on the bus (preferably by the window), because it would be a nightmare to spend one and a half hours fighting for each centimetre on the floor just to place my feet and be able to stand. ...It was like steam and water mixed with oily skin, cheap deodorant and wet hair (hair was not only wet from the rain, but also as a result of the wet hair-style chosen by some less stylish citizens of this city). ...Still two bus stops to go, I fought my way trough the commuters to pay for my ride, and finally I could anticipate that glorious moment when I could get off the bus. The bus started to slow down, and in these two seconds that I had before the door threw open, I observed the whole scene once again: the crowded bu...
More About: Human , Heat , Uman

The several faces of the humanity
2007-03-10 23:38:01
The primary school teacher (or perhaps the librarian) – single, in her 40’s; she is a model citizen in the eyes of society, but this woman belongs to category of those who are extremely jealous of those who are pretty, who are married, who have lovely children and, at the same time, who are intelligent and very much active outside their own family. Grown men who cannot be completely happy with what they have, unless they can show to all in their circle the gorgeous woman who is crazy about him, the dream house at the beach that he has just bought, the brand new, expensive car. Furthermore, these men think they know everything. Elderly ladies who, with age, turned into saints: they would never think of something inappropriate…, however the truth is that they really yearn for a hot sex scene on the television, or even better, in their own beds – and this is great, because sexual desire is natural at any age. The teenagers who try to prove themselves, they b...
More About: Faces , Human , Mani , Humanity , Face

The Perfect City
2007-03-10 23:38:01
However, the truth is that this country has become one of the most prosperous, clean and safe countries in the world - thanks to its visionary founder, the British Sir Stamford Raffles. Despite its very strict laws, Singapore attracts millions of tourists each year, and not only those who decide to take advantage of their flight connections and make a stopover in one of the most dynamic cities in the world (by the way, Singapore Airlines has already received the crown of the best national flight carrier in the world many times). ...Those who think that I am exaggerating, please name any other city in the world where crime is practically non-existent, where the temperature is tropical all year round, where the beaches of the small and most of the time deserted islands surrounding the city are paradisiac, where modernity is present in all aspects of the infrastructure, where the subway and the green streets are immaculately clean, where all the public places are well kept, and still...
More About: City , Perfect

This is not a banana tree leaf!
2007-03-10 23:38:01
To speed the process, I decided to fire away my answers to the questions before they were even asked: “I’ve come as a tourist for two weeks this time, I speak German, I am not a night club stripper, I will not lodge under a bridge and yes, I possess a credit card. ...Minutes later, passing through the green channel designed for Nothing to Declare people, I remembered those times when I used to arrive in Europe from Brazil loaded with all kinds of pills, powders and herbs: guaraná, curau, fubá, mixing flour (to eat with feijoada), cheese bread, carqueja tea and candy. Always when I was asked to open my luggage, I did not know if I simply laughed or if I roared with laughter to the officers’ face of disbelief while they tried to decipher each plastic bag filled with strange items. ...No matter how they are excited with our soccer, dance our samba, listen to our bossanova, read our literature, drink our cachaça, dream of our landscape, and ackn...
More About: Banana , This , Leaf , Banana tree , Tree

What about the toilet?
2007-03-10 23:38:01
Time and again, when the lights are dimmed, when the eyes are fixed on each other, when everything makes you smile, when the body temperature rises and when you blush, who in this precise moment is going to imagine your partner relieving himself? ...Japanese and South Koreans insist on spending a quality time while sitting in the toilet, what perhaps could be the only time when they can enjoy some unconditional privacy and peace of mind. ...For example, when they cannot hold their stool and relieve themselves in front of the school; or a story of the man who is invited for a barbecue party at his boss‘s place and discovers that his boss has the goddess for a daughter, but their toilet was not equipped with toilet paper nor did it have a towel. ...It’s easy to see that this system does not work very well, when piss on the floor is left to dry out or when small pieces of excrement are glued to the cabin walls. ...People there even do not try to find a place where they ...
More About: What , Hat , About , Toilet

Upscale Expatriate
2007-03-10 23:38:01
All this and perhaps a little more is part of the routine in an expatriate’s life, the only thing is that is the beautiful side, the side that everybody wants to hear about (or maybe not everybody, since many can’t bear so much jealousy). ...With time, expatriates start to see the world with eyes of local people, we begin to express ourselves differently, and also we learn to shut our mouths once in a while, because we realize that our world adventures do not surprise our beloved ones any longer, and our stories become boring for those who did not take any part in them. ...Nonetheless, expatriates could still hear once and again that we do not care about those who stayed any more, who for one reason or another have not made any radical changes in their lives. ...The nephews grow up, the cousins get married, new family members are born; and for those who are far away, these are indeed important events, but these events not necessarily have the same importance for the e...
More About: Cale , Upscale , Tria , Scale , Expat

To believe is not to know
2007-03-10 23:38:01
With all the commotion around the idea that Jesus Christ could have been a husband, a father and a mortal, I conclude that the humanity is indeed lost. If He chose to love a woman in all possible ways, this would only confirm that Jesus was really a saint, an extraordinary man, because what He preached above all, was love. If we look at the roots of the history, we will notice that people killed others, as much as they died themselves, for the same idea of divinity, for the same God in different names. ...Are we afraid of taking full responsibility for what we believe in or is it more comfortable to let the others do all the talking? ...Many people try to prove the impossible: on the one hand, science is right in its statements regarding faith, but on the other hand, the church (doesn’t matter which one) possesses the absolute truth. ...Therefore, if Jesus was a mortal, a father and a husband, it’s us who should decide what to believe in, accepting the idea or expla...
More About: Know , Believe