Shame on me! I haven't written been much, but in my defense I must say it's not fault, I've been pretty busy with my theses and my classes, being a senior is not as easy as I though it would be.

Anyway, this post, is to let you know that this pretty mademoiselle is turning 24 tomorrow. :)

That means that 26 years ago my parents met, and in spite of my mom leaving the country to her homeland, my dad proposed to her, getting married 25 years ago, and then getting blessed with a beautiful baby they named Patricia (that'd be me).

I hope I'm everything they wanted me to be, because our parents alywas have expectations when their kids are born, but as we grow up, we develop our own personality and our own desires of what we want to become.

I guess I am, my parents still talk to me heheh xD

Anyway, happy b-day to me!

I'm deeply saddened because of the Pope's ill condition, but as someone from the Vatican said we should be happy that we had him ruling the catholic people under God's help and happy because he's leaving this world to get reunited with our Lord.

The thing is that somehow I kind of made him eternal in my mind (I can still visualize him the same way he looks in the picture above), but because his work is so great, he just didn't limit himself to the Catholic world but he also tried to help other religions. I've heard that he is the only Pope that has achieved more things that his predecessors. He sure made those whom elected him as the first Polish Pope pretty proud of him.

That's why I lighted up a candle, praying for his Holy Soul to stop suffering because of his illness and to Rest in Peace whenever the Lord decides to call him by His side.

Well today was my first day of school, and I have to confess that it was quite boring. I even got pissed off on this first day!

It's a requirement in my university to elaborate a Thesis (they just changed the name to "Investigation Project") in order to obtain your degree, and to be a real pain in the ass the school administration decided that it should be done by a group conformed by 5 persons. It was already hard to work 3 persons on it and 5 persons was getting on the administration nerves because of all the complains, so they reduced it to 4. So, at the beginning of the past semester, my friends and I (we're 3 girls used to work together) decided to start looking for a 4th person and we found him, the thing is that today, that SOAB just ditched us because of his work, which happens to be bullshit because he called me 2 weeks ago to see if we're going to work on that thesis together and I said yes, of course!

So know, we're working with a ghost, a guy we know, but that we haven't worked with him before. I hope that goes well.

And well, that's it. Both my professors today seem to be prepared, and the one that teaches Audit Laboratory is such a hottie, hehe :D

I got my name on this link ;) -> http://metaatem.net/words.php" title="http://metaatem.net/words.php" target="_blank"http://metaatem.net/words.php...

Hey!

I just realized that I've been "writing" every 30 days or so. Shame on me. Sorry but I've got kinda busy.

Not much has happened around. I finally finished the 8th semester, now I'm in the 9th and it'll begin this coming 29th. I'll start working on my thesis degree (it that how you call it?). I even took intensive classes during my vacations (February) so my load this semester won't be stressing for me since I'll working on my thesis.

Uhm, what else? Purina Co. here in Venezuela is in trouble, BIG TIME, because their Dog Chow and Cat Chow brands were contaminated. It's my understanding that something like this happened a few years ago in the US, the thing is that the corn they used to prepared they Chow meals had a bacteria or fungus that once ingested, the poor pets soon died of hepatitis or something like it. Around 200 pets or more, I'm not sure, I've been kinda busy with my own life that I haven't been paying attention to anything else, NOT that I'm that selfish, but sometimes we have to pay more attention to ourselves.

Talking about me, I went to my doctor's appointment in Caracas, and God finally gave an answer to my prayers: besides the thyroid problem (which is NOT the real cause of all my problems) I have high amounts of insulin running free in my body, in other words that I have Insulin Resistance Syndrome, meaning that it's kind of pre-diabetes. Shit. Well, not shit at all, because now I now what I have (can you believe that all the doctors I visited prior didn't notice this?) and because I've a new treatment and I'm doing a special diet that will finally make me loose all this weight and make me a normal person. I have noticed that lately my headaches are gone, that I'm not anxious about eating carbs at night, that I have more energy, etc. Oh I almost forgot, because I'm Insulin Resistant (IR) I also suffer of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (POS) -that's why I'm so irregular when it comes to my period- which my doctor said that is the principal cause of women being infertile, so now I know that besides running the risk of turning diabetic I was also running the risk of being infertile all my life. Yes, I'm kinda screwed. Thanks God I found this doctor that it's helping me to heal this shit I have. The only thing I don't like is that my medicine makes me feel sick all day long, but that is until my body gets used to it and my new dietary rules because it feel like a turkey on tahnksgiving day all day long STUFFED. The good thing is that FINALLY I'm losing weight and I'm eating healthy.

Besides that, many things have been happening in Venezuela, like stupid Chavez said that Bush wants to kill him when he went to France, that the new law that "controls" content in the media is so bizarre, starting from the point that all the media has to give the proper goverment entity (the communication's one) all it's programmation in advance and i.e. if a radio network plays 8 songs in an hour, 4 songs HAVE to be Venezuelan, and 2 out of those 4 have to be folkloric music, even though that radio station is -or was- new age, or pop. So the new programation is like 4 songs from whererever they want (NIN, Blink 182, SafriDuo, Craig David), 2 from Venezuela any style -most radio stations used to play songs from local bands, but not as strict as now- and 2 folkloric songs. I'm not against folkloric music, but I don't like it being imposed to me. Good thing that now there is this new Neo-Folkloric movement that improves our music because I really don't like it very much. AND I must say that this only applies for radio stations that played music in English -I mean, regular stations that played Nirvana, RHCP, NIN, Evanescense, Black Eyed Peas, Enya, Lenny Kravitz, Sting, among others- because the freaking folkloric radio stations are not obblied to play any songs from venezuelan bands, I wonder how they'd feel if they're obblied to play venezuelan rock or neopunk ¬¬)

And that's it for today :)

I got this on my e-mail and besides funny, I thought it has a powerful message about racial stereotypes. 

By far the best email I've read so far....For anyone who didn't see David Letterman's take on this:(And it's a true story...) 
 
On a recent weekend in Atlantic City, a woman won a bucketful of quarters at a slot machine. She took a break from the slots for dinner with her husband in the hotel dining room.  But first she wanted to stash the quarters in her room.  "I'll be right back and we'll go to eat," she told her husband and carried the coin-laden bucket to the elevator. 
 
As she was about to walk into the elevator she noticed two men already aboard.  Both were black.  One of them was tall...very tall...an intimidating figure.  The woman froze.  Her first thought was:  These two are going to rob me.  Her next thought was:  Don't be a bigot, they look like perfectly nice gentlemen, but racial stereotypes are powerful, and fear immobilized her. 
 
She stood and stared at the two men.  She felt anxious, flustered and ashamed.  She hoped they didn't read her mind but, gosh, they had to know what she was thinking!!!  Her hesitation about joining them in the elevator was all too obvious now. 
 
Her face was flushed.  She couldn't just stand there, so with a mighty effort of will she picked up one foot and stepped forward and followed with the other foot and was on the elevator. 
 
Avoiding eye contact, she turned around stiffly and faced the elevator doors as they closed.  A second passed, and the another second, and then another.  Her fear increased!  The elevator didn't move.

Panic consumed her.  My God, she thought, I'm trapped and about to be robbed!  Her heart plummeted.  Perspiration poured from every pore. 
 
Then one of the men said, "Hit the floor."  Instinct told her to do what they told her.  The bucket of quarters flew upwards as she threw out her arms and collapsed on the elevator floor.  A shower of coins rained down on her.  Take my money and spare me, she prayed. 

More seconds passed.  She heard one of the men say politely, "Ma'am, if you'll just tell us what floor you're going to, we'll push the button." 
 
The one who said it had a little trouble getting the words out.   He was trying mightily to hold in a belly laugh.  The woman lifted her head and looked up at the two men.  They reached down to help her up.  

Confused, she struggled to her feet.  "When I told my friend here to hit the floor," said the average sized one, "I meant that he should hit the elevator button for our floor.  I didn't mean for you to hit the floor, ma'am."  He spoke genially. He bit his lip. It was obvious he was having a hard time not laughing. 
 
The woman thought:  My God, what a spectacle I've made of myself.   She
was too humiliated to speak.  She wanted to blurt out an apology, but words failed her.  How do you apologize to two perfectly respectable gentlemen for behaving as though they were going to rob you?  
 
She didn't know what to say.  The three of them gathered up the strewn quarters and refilled her bucket.  When the elevator arrived at her floor they then insisted on walking her to her room.  She seemed a little unsteady on her feet, and they were afraid she might not make it down the corridor.  At her door they bid her a good evening.  As she slipped into her room she could hear them roaring with laughter as they walked back to the elevator.  The woman brushed herself off.  She pulled herself together and went downstairs for dinner with her husband. 
 
The next morning flowers were delivered to her room - a dozen roses. Attached to EACH rose was a crisp one hundred dollar bill. The card said: "Thanks for the best laugh we've had in years." 
 
It was signed;  Eddie Murphy & Michael Jordan

Three men were sitting together bragging about how they had given their new wives duties.

The first man had married a woman from Alabama, and bragged that he had told his wife she was going to do all the dishes and house cleaning that needed done at their house. He said that it took a couple days but on the third day he came home to a clean house and the dishes were all washed and put away.

The second man had married a woman from Florida. He bragged that he had given his wife orders that she was to do all the cleaning, dishes, and the cooking. He told them that the first day he didn't see any results, but the next day it was better. By the third day, his house was clean, the dishes were done, and he had a huge dinner on the table.

The third man had married a Michigan girl. He boasted that he told her that her duties were to keep the house cleaned, dishes washed, lawn mowed, laundry washed and hot meals on the table for every meal. He said the first day he didn't see anything, the second day he didn't see anything, but by the third day most of the swelling had gone down and he could see a little out of his left eye. Enough to fix himself a bite to eat, load the dishwasher, and telephone a landscaper.

Got to love them Michigan girls!

I made it home safe, it rained a lot during the trip though.

I'm so tired.

Yesterday wasn't a happy day for me at all :(

First of all I must say that I'm out of trouble -thanks God- I don't know what happened, but a few days ago I checked my cellphone bill online and they charged my aunt's credit card the regular monthly amount. I have to wait for the printed version to see what happened because -happily- I can't quite figure out how they charged me all those minutes I used that were out of my "free" plan.

Now what worries me is that I'm still in Caracas, I came to my doctor's appointment (yes, my thyroid is still screwed but now we know that my insuline is the responsible of the majority of my problems) and decided to stay since my cousin A was going into surgery (he was suffering of sinusitis too often); I haven't been able to go home cuz my cousins kidnapped me (I'm not mad either, it's just funny that every time I ask them to take me buy my ticket they say "no, u r not leaving yet") and because the day I called to buy a bus ticket to go back home, the lady said there was no availability since this monday and tuesday were Carnival Holidays and they're packed with all the people going back home. The worst part is that is has been raining like crazy, which is not usual to happen this time of the year, and there are some places that got flooded, poor people that has died because they live in the misery belts and their houses were built up in unsafe places.

Back in 1999 heavy rains killed a lot of people and almost buried a town in front of the Caribbean sea (it even appeared in a Discovery's Channel world´s worst tragedies program) So, La Guaira's airport (Caracas main airport) got closed down, and probably the Bus Company cancelled the departing trips that were planned for today and tomorrow (most highways in Caracas are closed down because they´re flooded too!)

There's no need to say that I will not travel until I know it's safe, that it won't rain anymore because I won't jeopardize my life. It might sound dramatic, but road travelling in Venezuela is not THAT safe, unless you travel on your own car (I´m used to road travelling, but usually my dad is the driver!), and still because people drive so BAD in this country. There're always news about mortal road accidents were buses are included because they or other cars and/or buses were speeding and they caused the other one to crash, etc etc.

AHHHHHHHHH I want to go back home, safe :/

I'm SO screwed, my aunt and my mother BOTH are going to kill me, SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT a thousand times SHIT

My cellphone has a "free" minutes plan since forever, since this was mami's cellphone and everyone in the house had the same cellphone company she bought that plan with those free minutes to save money, and it worked! until right now, that my sister told me that I´ve run out of free minutes! So I´ve been charging a week of (2 hours or more of conversation) to my aunt´s credit card!

I mean! come on! I've never been able to spend 3000 free minutes! not even when my mom, carola and I shared it! SHIIIIITTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!! !

OMG This is not happening to me! SHITTTTTTTT

=( it's like my mom is gonna kill me! dammit! first time in a long looooooooooooong time that I've screwed things up just like I did =(

I'm finally in my 9th semester! I can't believe it myself!

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEe

January 15th, 1985 ~ 10am: My little sister was born. I was pretty excited about it, I can remember that, I finally had someone to take care of, like big sisters do. I also remember having lunch with my cousin A in the kitchen, playing with my Sesame Street table letters and numbers when I heard the car getting into the garage. I remember running to the door, and then, seeing my mami with a tiny package in her arms. I remember she was prettier than all my dolls all together, she seemed to be so perfect. I kissed her a lot of times, I begged my mom to let me hold her, and when she finally did, it felt so good.

Anyway, my sis turned 20 yrs old yesterday and I couldn't help but remember what I just wrote and many other things, like the first time she went to school and I had to take care of her during the pick up hour hehe :)

^{Jan, 18th 1985}

^{My baby sister, 20 years later}

So, Chávez finally managed to have his law approved...

We can't talk anything bad about him anywhere because if we get caught, we'll go to prision for 20 years.

I'm SO upset, it's called "Civil/Civilian Responsability Law" wtf?

What about my freedom of speech to talk about what I want or what I think about that SOAB?

A new life arrived safely into this world today! My friends' baby was born this morning, and I was lucky enough to be there and see her as soon as they took her to the newborn area. She has a beautiful name, since their parents chose Nathalia as her second name in remembrnce of our friend's sister whom died last year (because the mother is best friends with the guy)

Anyway, she´s so tiny, so perfect, so cute, so pink. I'm just wishing her the best in this new life she just started and I'm sure that she'll be a pretty nice girl since she was born to a special couple.

Even though all this happiness, because both parents were my friends before they met, I feel kinda sad, and that makes me feel kinda selfish. The thing is that a few years ago, I was planning my life around someone and I thought, we thought actually, that by this time, we'd be making wedding arrangements together. :/ Yeah, I feel like a selfish bitch, I should be celebrating the baby and her parents' love and here I am thinking how come what I wanted the most never happened. It actually hit me when I was leaving, that I saw the daddy talking to the mommy very close, very lovely, giving her kisses and caressing her head, I couldn't help thinking "What happened? What did I do wrong? WTH went wrong?" :( :/ *sigh*

Just arrived from the mall, I went there with Vanessa and her sister; on my way home I heard this song on the radio, and sice I like it. I'm posting it, in both languages ;P :D

It's called "Nada Valgo Sin Tu Amor/ I'm worthless without your love" by a colombian singer called Juanes (check his webpage it is totally worth it, he has videos and you can actually listen to his songs -> www.juanes.net)

Nada Valgo Sin Tu Amor ~ Juanes

Cuando el tiempo pasa y nos hacemos viejos nos empieza a parecer 

Que pesan más los daños que los mismos años al final 

Por eso yo quiero que mis años pasen junto a ti mi amor eterno 

Junto a mi familia junto a mis amigos y mi voz 

As time goes by And we grow older It starts to feel like

Our mistakes are heavier Than the same years In the end

That's why I want My years to pass by While I'm next to you, my timeless love

While I'm with my family With my friends and my voice

Porque nada valgo

Porque nada tengo

Si no tengo lo mejor 

Tu amor y compañía

En mi corazón 

Because I'm worthless

 Because I have nothing 

If I don't have the best

Your love and companionship 

Inside my heart

Y es que vale más un año tardío 

Que un siglo vacío amor 

Y es que vale más 

Tener bien llenito el corazón.

 And because It's better to arrive one year later 

Than to spend an empty century

And because It's better 

To have your heart pretty full

Por eso yo quiero que en mi mente siempre tu cariño esté bien fuerte 

Aunque estemos lejos o aunque estemos cerca del final 

That's why I want To have always in mind Your strong tenderness

Even if we're apart or Even if we're close to the end

Porque nada valgo porque nada tengo si no tengo lo mejor 

Tu amor y compañía en mi corazón 

Because I'm worthless, Because I have nothing If I don't have the best

Your love and companionship Inside my heart

Ven amor… 

Come my love!...

Me siento débil cuando estoy sin ti 

Y me hago fuerte cuando estas aquí 

Sin ti yo ya no sé qué es vivir 

I feel weak whenever you're not around

And I become strong when you're here with me 

Without you, I don't know how to live

Mi vida es un túnel sin tu luz 

Quiero pasar más tiempo junto a tí 

Recuperar las noches que perdí 

Vencer el miedo inmenso de morir 

Y ser eterno junto a tí 

My life becomes a dark tunnel without your light

I want to spend more time with you

Recover all those nights I've lost

Conquer my biggest fear of dying

And become timeless next to you

Porque nada valgo porque nada tengo si no tengo lo mejor 

Tu amor y compañía en mi corazón 

Because I'm worthless, Because I have nothing If I don't have the best

Your love and companionship Inside my heart

Por eso yo quiero que en mi mente siempre

Tu cariño esté bien fuerte

Aunque estemos lejos o aunque estemos cerca del final.

That's why I want To have always in mind 

Your strong tenderness

Even if we're apart or Even if we're close to the end

Porque nada valgo porque nada tengo si no tengo lo mejor 

Tu amor y compañía en mi corazón 

Ven amor… 

Because I'm worthless, Because I have nothing If I don't have the best

Your love and companionship Inside my heart

Come my love!

Me siento débil cuando estoy sin ti 

Y me hago fuerte cuando estas aquí 

Sin ti yo ya no se qué es vivir 

I feel weak whenever you're not around

And I become strong when you're here with me 

Without you, I don't know how to live

Mi vida es un túnel sin tu luz 

Quiero pasar más tiempo junto a ti 

Recuperar las noches que perdí 

Vencer el miedo inmenso de morir 

Y ser eterno junto a ti 

My life becomes a dark tunnel without your light

I want to spend more time with you

Recover all those nights I've lost

Conquer my biggest fear of dying

And become timeless next to you

Porque nada valgo porque nada tengo si no tengo lo mejor 

Tu amor y compañía en mi corazón

Because I'm worthless, Because I have nothing If I don't have the best

Your love and companionship Inside my heart

    &  nbsp;   &n  bsp;   &nb  sp;   &nbs  p;      ;          &  nbsp;   &n  bsp;   &nb  sp;   

I was going to name this post "Back Home"... but I guess home is not in Maracaibo anymore... I just miss mami so bad AGAIN! But at least I saw her... but missing her made me miss other things.

BTW, talking to certain person made me remember so many things that I used to like, and that I still like, but that I kinda had forgotten about... but I think it's better to say that I stop remembering them because they started hurting.

I miss sneaking to backyard and watching the stars.

This is unbelievable! Everything I just wrote got deleted! 2nd time during this day!

I've been trying to post stuff for the past three days, and every time I click on Publish I get the "We're sorry"  message from the staff and I lose all my work!

GRRRR

Overall I'm ok, happy because I'm with mami, I'll post the pics as soon as I arrive to Venezuela, tomorrow we're keaving to Edmonton, we're going shopping to West Edmonton Mall I think it is... and that's it, there's no way I'm typing everything I wrote before!

Greetings for my fellow readers and especial thoughts for JC, Matt, Sil and Ana.

Many hugs for you guys.

I know Christmas is tomorrow, but I don't think I'll be able to post anything so I'll do it today.

First of all I'd like to wish you all a Merry Christmas, I wish you the best for this holiday and I hope you enjoy it with your family and friends.

I'll have a nice X-mas, I'm going to spend it with my mami , my sis and my stepfather, I'll be missing my dad and my dog, and of course, my mother's family in Caracas -we usually spend this holiday together-.

And I'd like to say something about X-mas, besides celebrating the day Jesus was born, I really really like this day because I get to spend it with those I love the most on earth. As you may know, I live in Maracaibo, an oil city in western Venezuela, and we're the only members of my whole family who live so far away. My mom is from Peru and she has only one sister living in Venezuela: Aunt Pily lives in Caracas, as well as my dad's family. So, most of the time, we're alone, just the four of us (well, that was before my mom moved to Canada). That's why I long for X-mas so bad.

I'm saying this, because I was chatting with my friend Freddy whom recently flew to Iraq because he's in the army reserve and I noticed him pretty neutral about the holiday. He said he's an atheist and that as he grew up he stop believing in all that. So I told him that I really enjoyed the holidays because I get to spend it with my mom's family.

We usually get ready around 9pm on the 24th, so we can start taking the traditional family pictures: all the cousins, then only the girls, then the boys, then the siblings, the aunts, the uncles, the family... and every combination that is possible... the fun part besides taking the pictures is the behind cameras, and those who closed the eyes during the picure that claim for another picture... Then us kids (I mean my 3 cousins, my sis and I) start begging my mom and my aunt to start serving the food (which consist in traditional Venezuelan and Peruvian X-mas meals) while we're craving on the nuts, the ham bread, and the appetizers... and while my mom and aunt Pily are heating the food, my cousins and I are dancing, drinking whatever we find to drink, talking, joking and then OMG it's midnight! We all run likre crazy through the house to et to the kitchen to hug our mothers to hugh and kiss them and then each other wishing a merry x-mas and many good things. Afterall the laughter and crying we do, we sit and have dinner, until we feel all stuffed hehehe =). Then we proceed to open our x-mas presents.

X-mas presents

I decided to write a separate paragraph about this, because this is a whole ritual. But before I'll let you know something about my family: About 6 or 7 years ago my oldest cousin was diagnozed with leuchemia and he moved to the US with his whole family for his bone marrow transplant -my other boy cousin was the donor-, so he ended up being sterile. Anyway, he's cured now, he passed 5 years without remission and the doctors finally told him "Luis, you are cured"

Back to the story. Usually the grown ups, being those our parents, give us our -traidtional- gifts, then we give our parents their presents, and then, the best part of the night starts: the cousins give each other some fabulous presents!

I go under the tree to pick a gift and I read "To: AM - From: AM" I give him a weird look and he says "I'm allowed to give myself a gift!" So he opens it and it is either a pair of trendy shoes or something for his film making thing (he's a soon to be well known director). Another gift, To Luis From AM. Luis thanks for it, and while he opens it AM tells him "Big brother, I saw those colored condoms and even though I know you don't need them as family control, I thought you still might like them, there's even one package that glows in the dark!" hehehe xD This might not sound funny to you, but living it is pretty funny (specially for my uncle's and dad's face) and because Luis besides laughing his ass off, he never allows himself to get sad on the fact he's not able to have babies, but because he thanks God everyday for being alive. Oh my! A gift for me from my girl cousin! I try to hide its content while I open it, but it actually doens't work because they usually say out loud why they're giving this to you: "Dear big cousi n, I bought you this thong because I thought it was cute, besides that, it's about time you start showing up that nice ass of yours a lil' bit more" I laugh at this while rapidly turning red, hiding my gift and my dad giving me bad looks! hehehe xD What an embarrasing moment!

And so it goes...

It might sound sick, but I actually enjoy this, it's pretty nice to be silly and share moments like this with your family, looking at their faces, it's funny how my aunt says that she wasted all that money in private schools for nothing when we open our gifts, just because she can't help it but laugh while my uncle is sitting there all pissed off hehe. My mom tries not to laugh because if not my dad gets angry that we're actually seeing and hearing those things, like the year he caught me and my girl cousin with the Kama Sutra book that my cousin AM got from Luis, open on my lap. 

****

So, that's what I like about X-mas. The family get together and everything that's included in it. It's not about the x-mas tree, it's not about the gifts, or the food, it's just about sharing happy and funny moments with my family, all those things I mentioned are just mere decorations. Of course I like everything I mentioned before, but not by itself, but because it's a whole, being my family the center of everything.

Feliz Navidad! ;)

Hello!

Well I'm all ready to go! My sis and I just finished with the suitcases and everything my mom wanted is ready to go too hehehe

So... I'm leaving in a few hours and won't be able to post everyday, but I promise to log in every now and then...

Happy Holidays for you guys :)

Now they're taking our freedom of speech, what else is coming?

Taken from http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/americas/1 2/09/venezuela.media.ap/index.html" title="http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/americas/1 2/09/venezuela.media.ap/index.html" target="_blank"http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD...

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- Some Venezuelan television channels began altering their programs Thursday, citing fears of penalties under a new law restricting violence and sexual content over the airwaves.

The law, which took effect Thursday, limits broadcasts deemed to be obscene or violent and details a range of offenses for which the government may fine noncompliant media organizations.

The private TV channel Globovision blocked out photographs of street violence with white space when it displayed the day's newspapers, filled with coverage of Wednesday riots that police said left at least 25 injured. (Full story)

"We cannot show the images," said Carlos Acosta, who hosts the morning news program "Front Page," as cameras focused on several Caracas newspapers.

President Hugo Chavez signed the Law for Social Responsibility in Radio and Television on Tuesday night, following its approval by legislators last month.

Critics say the law threatens press freedoms and have dubbed it the "gag law."

But Chavez and his supporters say they are committed to freedom of expression. They say the changes will ensure more responsible programming and television that is suitable for children and adolescents.

U.S. 'deeply troubled' by new law

Nevertheless, organizations such as the Inter American Commission on Human Rights and Human Rights Watch have expressed concern.

U.S. State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said Thursday that the United States is "deeply troubled" by "threats to freedom of expression" posed by the law.

"The law specifically imposes vague restrictions ... on media content, and allows the government regulatory agency to censor content it considers harmful to 'public order and national security,' Ereli said during a press briefing in Washington, according to a transcript.

The law distinguishes between news and opinion programming. It also bans "vulgar" language, images of sex and "psychological" or physical violence from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

One clause prohibits "images or graphic descriptions that show real violence or its consequences." The law allows the government to impose fines and permits regulators to close down stations that break the rules.

Officials defend the law as a way to improve the quality of television and radio programs and say it is similar to laws in other countries.

The law, which includes 31 articles, requires at least 50 percent of a radio station's programming to be Venezuelan music and at least 85 percent of its commercials to be Venezuelan-made.

Desiree Santos, a lawmaker in Chavez's governing party, said the law allows TV channels to air coverage of events that can turn violent. She cited coverage of Wednesday's riots, which erupted when police tried to clear street vendors from parts of downtown Caracas.

"What they cannot do is show morbid images, then repeat them over and over again," Santos said.

Media who suggest they are being forced into self-censorship are "exaggerating," she said.

Some TV hosts disagreed.

"We are adjusting everything at the channel to (respect) the law," Globovision talk show host Leopoldo Castillo said in a telephone interview. "We are walking on thin ice."

Chavez has clashed repeatedly with news organizations critical of his government, accusing them of conspiring against him. Media executives deny the allegations.

Chavez's critics say the law could be used to restrict opinion programs and make TV and radio stations responsible for what interviewees say.

Miguel Angel Rodriguez, host of "The Interview" on Radio Caracas Television, obliged two street vendors "to swear" Thursday that neither he nor his channel had pressured them into making statements critical of police who quelled Wednesday's riots.

That channel's president, Marciel Granier, said there will be scheduling changes to comply with the law but that "we cannot resort to self-censorship."

Well, after feeling like shit because of this pneumonia I have a few good news:

a) I'm seeing mami in a week

b) I passed that damned income tax test! with a 12/20 and I think I'll have 2 or 3 extra points for participating in class.

Mami already bought us our winter clothes (I'm still trying to buy me a new coat since the one I have is the one I used during 99 while living in Michigan hehehe) and she is expeting us to go and buy out snow shoes boots or whatever you call them, so we won't fall and brake a bone. Like if I need that too.

The only bad thing of winter is that I can't wear sandals, I don't like wearing closed shoes at all :P hehe x)

My sister's ex father in law is the best pneumonologist in town, so every time I get kinda sick I visit him because he cures well me in record time (last time he cured me in 2 weeks and I spent 9 months without getting sick)

So, I visited him today since this past weekend I felt like crap... and guess what's going on with me... I have PNEUMONIA with crackles on my right love! No wonder why I have been having fevers and feeling like shit!

Patty's weekend Symptoms

• Cough with greenish or yellow mucus; bloody sputum happens on occasion
  
• Fever with shaking chills
  
• Sharp or stabbing chest pain worsened by deep breathing or coughing
  
• Rapid, shallow breathing
  
• Shortness of breath

Additional symptoms include:

• Headaches
  
• Excessive sweating and clammy skin
  
• Loss of appetite
  
• Excessive fatigue

So, I'll be off for a few days because he said "you have to REST, RESSST, R-E-S-T"

I'm off to my bed.

I'm kinda drunk, it's 4.50am, besides that I forgot that I took some tylenoland other thing a few hours ago because I feel so bad, like nausea, headaches, fever... and my friends just left. Mami thinks that sometimes I party too much. I think I party enough to liberate myself after a few stressful weeks at school. Actually, it's harder to be my mom's daughter than studying my career. *sigh* you know what I mean?

It's hard to fulfill her desires -for me- and at the same time to try to achieve my own goals. It's just awful. It's always about what's good for Patty, but not what she really wants, not even once.

I love my mom, with all my heart, she's just a wonderful person and I appreciate everything she has done for us. But one thing I dislike about her, is that most of the time I can't make my own choices. I ended up studying accounting since neither she nor my dad wanted me studying graphic design. You can take a look at me right now. I'm a good accounting student, but most my friends are graphic designers. :/

When I was in 5th semester she told me that if I wanted I could switch my major, and I was like WTF? I'm in the middle of my career and you are telling me now? "Yes, I just can't bear to see all your ideas, designs, habilities and innovations go to the trash like that."

That just made me feel weird, sad, upset, mad, etc. I told her off, and she replied that I'd be thankful that she actually told me that.

I was thinking of taking some GD courses, but it's not the same, what am I supposed to do with them after I'm done if I'd like to practice my career, hello?!?!? I worked my ass off to  pursue it, it doesn't seem fair to me.

I know life isn't fair.

And know, she just told me that I'd start behaving like a woman my age, that I'd stop fooling around, and thinking about my future; meaning this "start thinking on meeting guys 8-10 yrs older, getting engaged, married and have kids"

*cry*

I don't know, I've this thing for guys younger, I admit it, but they are way nicer than old guys, they are so boring: they don't dance, they don't do dirty jokes, they don't have fun at all. I don't feel like marrying material right now, and it's not that I'm running away from commitment, it's just that I don't feel prepared yet to that next step.

I think it's maybe my paretns were always kinda overprotecting, and now that I'm older I'm more like "I'm doing this and that's it" taking the risk of being kicked out of my house and with no money. DARN COUNTRY! If it was just easier for young people to develop their own lives w/o depending on your parents...

If it's not one thing, it's another.

I'm sorry I'm ranting... but alcohol made this tome. I'm upset. She had no right to talk to me the way she did. She literally broke my heart. I know what decisions to take, she taught me well, but for once she'd liberate me.

Sometimes I think she's trying to correct her mistakes with me, because she is not like this with my sister... and I don't want to be involved in a no-love-at-all relationship just because the dude is a good man from a good family, 10 yrs older than me (EEEWW!!!!!!!!) just because his position. It sounds bad, and even though she won't admit it, we have a close member in the family that lives like this and she's not happy at all. She's happy about her kids, but she's not happy about her life.

I want to marry because I'm in love. Not because he'$ $eem$ to the one.

Mami is not like that... she just don'ty want me to suffer like her, but she's hurting me more than she thinks.

That's how I feel today :?

I'm kinda sick, yesterday I woke up with a bit of a sored throat and a bit of cough, but today I feel worse. It hurts a lot when I cough or if I take a deep breath.

Maybe it's stress? Oh yeah, I found out that the headaches I've been having lately are thank to my wisdom teeth.

*yawn*

I'm so tired. I feel like not going to school and sleeping 'til tomorrow.

BTW, just 13 days left! I'm so happy I feel like crying because of the exciment of seeing mami again. I already forgot her smell. I miss her so bad. I miss friday's movie together :(

Just 15 days to see my mami again!

WOHOOOOOO! =D

I'm so excited. This coming week I'll be done with school, I'll go to Caracas to my Dr. appointment and then I'll be off to spend 3 fabulous weeks with mami!

*Patty goes away happy