Ars Gratia Artis

Valparaiso,
What nonsense
You are
What a crazy
Insane Port.
Your mounded head
Disheveled
You never finish combing your hair
Life has always surprised you
-Pablo Neruda

For me, this poem perfectly sums up Valaparaiso, this beautifully winding, colorful, and disheveled city. It's like it got dressed in the dark. The views of the hillsides are breathtaking, but even more beautiful is the ubiquitous wall art all over the city. Intricate murals, stone inlays, broken glass and graffiti cover almost every surface in the high winding streets.









In addition to all of this, there were 1.5 million visitors to Valpo last night for the New Year. The city is built around a bay, upon which all eyes were focused last night as fireworks were shot off from 18 seperate points along the coast, in unison. It was an amazing sight to behold. The other 1.5 million minus one people thought so too.



Now it's a new year, so it's time to make my new years resolution official. Here it is:


1. Only eat good things.
2. Spend more time thinking about what I need to make me happy, and less time worrying about passing things.
3. Do what comes naturally.


I hope everyone is filled with that clean slate, just done laundry, full tank of gas feeling today. Let's let 2011 be a good one.

Cheers.

<3