AntoniMaroto.com

This blog remains online, but it's not being updated anymore.

Instead, further updates are only taking place on my new website AntoniMaroto.com.

See you there!

Thank you,

Antoni Maroto

Jade 4U

I published this entry a year ago, but I realized I accidentally deleted it. Nonetheless, I am very grateful to bring it back, as I was able to recover it through a wonderful site called http://archive.org/web/. Thank you! =)


Jade 4U is probably the best known moniker of Belgian singer, lyricist and producer Nikkie Van Lierop. Born in Germany in March 7th, 1963, she started her career in the late 1980's when she met Maurice Engelen (Praga Khan), with whom she collaborated on his solo career and co-founded electronic music acts such as 101, Major Problem, Shakti, Lords of Acid, Digital Orgasm, Phantasia, and M.N.O. While her early stuff is tagged as new beat, she later transitioned into techno.

Indeed, it was her techno band Lords of Acid that gave her the biggest success and recognition. She was one of the writers and producers of all albums from the beginning until she quit in 1999. In addition, she sang lead vocals on the albums "Lust" (1991) and "Our Little Secret" (1997), and backing vocals in "Voodoo-U" (1994). Although being already out of the band, she still had some input in the 2000 album "Farstucker."

Moving On

Today is the last day of a stage that started almost 15 years ago here in Catalonia: you will always be in my heart. I am eternally grateful for the whole experience...

And the next stage takes place in the United States of America: my new home!

I am not alone this time. I am very lucky to have my husband, Edgar Amaya, by my side ;-)

Promoting Mediocrity

There is nothing wrong with being an average employee. Not everyone aspires to be in management for instance; there is, indeed, no room for everybody to climb the ladder.
So if people meet the requirements of their current jobs, they like the jobs and want no changes, it is perfectly fine. In fact, I could see why some people choose to remain like that. Suzanne Lucas explains it very well on her article "5 Reasons You Should Strive for Mediocrity," which I have summarized as it follows:

1. It decreases our risk of being fired:
   When we do exactly what the boss asks to do, when we do not question anything, when we just keep your head down and say yes to everything... we do not get a target placed on our backs.
2. We are not a threat to bad managers:
   Some managers cannot stand it when we are ambitious or smarter. They will do everything to cut us down and undermine us. By being mediocre, therefore, we do not threaten those managers, and our positions will be secure.
3. No risk of failure:
   If we are presenting new ideas and challenging old ones, we could fail. Failure is embarrassing and depressing. It stinks. However, by just being adequate, we will surely not fail and, consequently, we will not have to face any shame.
4. We can focus on our lives outside of work:
   If we want to spend more time with our families or on our hobbies, striving for mediocrity at work means we will surely have time for that. In doing this, we will not have to deal with late night phone calls, or weekends spent finishing up projects.

Some of us, however, want to do a better-than-average job and, if needed, be promoted accordingly. Even if that leads to change jobs several times in our lifetimes; even if that means we fail countless times in order to achieve our goals; even if we have less time to "enjoy life."
I have to say, though, that one will keep enjoying life to the fullest if the job is fulfilling. The most dangerous risk of all is, in fact, the risk of spending your life not doing what you want, on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later.

Israel

According to the Hebrew Calendar, today is Yom Ha'atzmaut (Independence Day), the national day of Israel, which commemorates the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948. It is usually celebrated on the 5th of Iyar.

The modern State of Israel was established as a homeland for the Jewish people, after mostly living in diaspora since the 2nd century CE (Common -or Christian- Era). The history of the country dates back to the ancient kingdoms of Israel and Judah, which emerged in the 9th and 8th centuries BCE (Before the Common -or Christian- Era), respectively. It is currently the world's only Jewish State and the Middle East's only democracy.

Israel's Law of Return gives Jews the right to live in Israel and to gain Israeli citizenship. Being a country of immigrants, its population is, therefore, constantly increasing: as of 2016, it totals more than 8 million people.

Israel is located at the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and the northern shore of the Gulf of Aqaba (also known as Gulf of Eilat) in the Red Sea. It borders Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, Jordan to the east, and Egypt to the southwest. The highest point in the country is Mount Hermon at 9,232 ft, while the lowest one is the Dead Sea at −1,407 ft. The Jordan River runs between these two points.

With more than 800,000 inhabitants, Jerusalem is the most populous city and the capital of Israel. However, this is disputed by many countries due to the fact that the eastern part of the city lies in the West Bank, which previously belonged to Jordan and has been administered by Israel since 1967, although it is a partly autonomous territory and it is currently claimed by the State of Palestine. This state also claims the Gaza strip, which previously belonged to Egypt and had been administered by Israel from 1967 until 2005 and is currently ruled by a terrorist group called Hamas.

Holocaust Remembrance Day

Yom HaShoah is the Holocaust Remembrance Day. This day falls on the 27th of Nisan. The Gregorian equivalent, though, corresponds to tomorrow: May 5th, 2016.

The Holocaust or Shoah, which means catastrophe or utter destruction in Hebrew, refers to the atrocities that were committed against the Jewish people during World War II.

The Holocaust, from the Greek word meaning sacrifice by fire, was initiated by the members of the National Socialist (Nazi) Party, which seized power in Germany in 1933. The Nazis believed in a doctrine of racial superiority, centering around the idea that people of Northern European descent were somehow better than members of all other races – especially the Jews, who were "unworthy of life."

After taking power, the Nazis gradually restricted the rights of German Jewish citizens and encouraged their followers to commit acts of violence and destruction against Jews and their property. During World War II (1939-1945), the Nazis implemented their "final solution," which was a plan to concentrate and annihilate all European Jews.

Jews were first crammed together in ghettoes and slave-labor camps, where disease, brutality, and malnutrition ran rampant. Eventually, they were sent to death camps, where millions were murdered in special facilities designed to kill a tremendous number of people over a brief period of time.

In addition to the six million Jews who died - two-thirds of the European Jewish population – the Nazis also killed millions of others, including Roma (Gypsies) and Slavs, political and religious dissidents, the handicapped, and gays and lesbians.

Yom HaShoah is a memorial day for those who died in the Holocaust. In Israel, it starts at sundown in a state ceremony held in Warsaw Ghetto Square at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes Authority, in Jerusalem. Flags on public buildings are flown at half mast. At 10 AM, an air raid siren sounds throughout the country and Israelis are expected to observe two minutes of solemn reflection:

Penrose Steps

The Penrose Steps is a visual illusion that falls in the category of impossible objects, since it cannot be possible in three dimensions.

It is a two-dimensional depiction of a staircase in which the stairs make four 90-degree turns as they ascend or descend, yet form a continuous loop.

Along with the Kanizsa's Triangle and many more, I have always been a lover of optical illusions and impossible figures; not only because of their beauty, but also due to the interpretations one can make.
For instance, I believe the Penrose Steps represent how people sometimes get stuck in a loop, and fail to realize that one of the corners is closer to the ground, so one could actually jump, be safe and break a pattern.

Smoke Free For Two Years

I said I would do it some months ago, so here I am... writing this article to commemorate my second anniversary as an ex-smoker!!!

It is funny that I was writing about still "smoking in my dreams" some time earlier this year, because I do not recall that happening anymore since then.

Yes: it is possible to stay smoke-free. I have never felt, more alive and kicking! Indeed, I spoke about it on an interview by Tabex. Although I chose to quit cold turkey, I also believe in assisted ways to stop smoking.

On April 25th, 2014, I lit my last cigarette at 7 PM. I don't even recall finishing it. I remember, though, making a small pyre in which I burned all the items that were related to smoking, as well as the remaining cigarettes I still had.

The first month after quitting was the hardest one: I became Mr. Wild Mood Swings for a while. It was also the time in which the physical addiction was at its peak. I recall having trouble to focus my attention properly. From then on, the cravings started to happen less frequently. I wish I could tell you when was the last time I felt one, but I do not remember... so I am sorry about it! =)

On a positive note, I can tell that as soon as three days had passed since I quit, I had already started to feel more alive and less stressed. My body started to ask me to do physical exercise. For instance, I had always loved walking, but I started to do it every day: I would walk four miles from work to home.

I also started to enjoy a more satisfactory sexual life, as well as feeling cleaner and healthier overall. Furthermore, I have also felt how my body has been healing itself: less colds, less wrinkles, better looking skin, and more energy.

2015, a year without smoking

Although I quit smoking on April 25th, 2014, this past year has been the one in which I consolidated this great achievement: 

2015, a year without smoking

This 2016 will include the second anniversary and, just like when I did for the first one, I will write about it.

READ: Smoke-Free For One Year

Life continues to improve and feel better, even though my subconscious still portrays me smoking in some of my dreams. I actually like that this happens sometimes, because it acts as a reminder that it is wrong to cheat. Plus the feeling of relief is enormous when one realizes that it was only a dream.

In addition, some people ask me: 'Don't you ever do just one? Not even on special occasions, parties, when being very drunk..?'

My answer is honest, simple and clear: NO!

If I am claiming that I gave up smoking, this means that I am not doing it anymore. In fact, I already wrote that I am not giving my power to a substance that will do its best to control me from minute one.

Indeed, I have no interest at all on being able to control that substance, since I believe it is not possible. That is only an illusion. The true story is that tobacco is always controlling you; unless you decide to break the pattern, and the only way is to quit forever. That means having no more cigarettes: not even one!

READ: Why Not Just One Cigarette?

Personal Curiosities (3rd Part)

1. I love biking, but I prefer rollerblading. Walking feels great as well. However, I do not like running.
2. One of my first videotapes was a compilation of the cartoons “Wile E. Coyote and The Road Runner.”
3. The Cure's "Lullaby" used to scare me when I was a child. I learned to love it as a teenager, though.
4. At age 12, I started playing guitar. 
5. In the 1990s, I used to play tennis with a Yonex racket. It was the same model used by Monica Seles and Anke Huber.
6. I took horseback riding lessons during the years 1994-1995.
7. I cannot choose between swimming in the sea and in a pool. I love them both equally. However, I do not trust doing it in rivers and lakes.
8. In 2007, I adopted a cat called Isis, which was rescued from the streets when she was less than one month old.
9. I am married to a U.S. citizen named Edgar Amaya. He co-wrote Stella Castelluci’s biography “Diving Deep for Sea Shells.”
10. Edgar and I will be moving to Chicago in 2016!

READ: Toni Goes Personal

Working Boy

Recently, I decided to take some time off Twitter and Instagram in order to concentrate on an important task: reading books I have had pending for some time.

Today I had a quick glance at those and I realized that a co-worker stopped following me on Twitter.

Some of you might be wondering: why am I telling you all this?

Some time ago, I caught that person passing my work as his own and not giving me any credit at all. I never had the chance of speaking to him, since we work in different locations for the same company. Nonetheless, I told my manager, but I never knew anything else about it. Sometimes my team and I would laugh about the matter; we even coined an expression with the employee's surname.

I guess I could have told him directly, but I didn't want to risk certain consequences. He belongs to a much higher area and I was afraid I could be sacked for it. Indeed, I have seen people get fired for being honest.

My dear Tairrie B says that honesty is the holiest disease. And I'm proud to affirm that now I'm blessed to be infected with it.

Trust

You know you cannot make anxiety disappear. You just learn to live with it and have it under control.

You know you are achieving it when:

• You accept it and welcome it into your life. Anxiety is normal. Admitting to it plays a big part in recovery.
• You learn to be comfortable in situations in which you are not in control. The more you demand yourself, the higher your anxiety levels will creep up.
• You are not looking to rely on alcohol/drugs/herbs/medicines/food/other stuff to calm down and worry less.
• You feel you can accomplish things and choose to have positive views on them. Otherwise, anxiety eventually makes the body shut down; that has a name: depression.

My goal is not to eliminate anxiety, but to have it under control so it does not run my life. Some of the strategies I use are: sleep enough, eat healthily, reduce caffeine, exercise and meditate.

Stella Castellucci

In the book "Diving Deep for Sea Shells," which was co-written with Edgar Amaya, Stella Castellucci tells the story of her remarkable life in music. 

Published for the first time a year ago through Balboa Press, the second edition –which includes a new cover photo by Phil Fewsmith,– has now come via LitFire.

Born in Los Angeles in 1930 to musician father Louis Castellucci, Stella would go on to continue and further his legacy. She joined Peggy Lee's touring jazz group in 1953. They would form a close friendship that would endure past Peggy's life. Stella witnessed and took part in a very creative time for Peggy Lee in the 1950s. They would closely collaborate on the 1958 Decca release Sea Shells. Stella would also appear on the following Peggy Lee albums:

• Songs in an Intimate Style (Decca, 1954)
• Black Coffee (Decca, 1956)
• Dream Street (Decca, 1957)
• The Man I Love (Capitol, 1957)
• Jump for Joy (Capitol, 1958)
• Pretty Eyes (Capitol, 1960)
• Christmas Carousel (Capitol, 1960)

Chelsea Wolfe

Chelsea Wolfe is an American singer-songwriter from Sacramento, California. Born November 14th, 1983, she started her career in 2006 and has just released her fifth album Abyss on August 7th, 2015.

Her unique style is a beautiful combination of folk, rock and electronic music bath in a gothic/doom atmosphere. Besides singing, Chelsea Wolfe also plays guitar and piano.

In 2006, after composing an album titled Mistake In Parting, she decided not to release it and took a break from writing music for several years. She started performing live in 2009. A year later, she published her first album: The Grime and the Glow.

Her second album, Apokalypsis (stylized as Ἀποκάλυψις), came out in 2011 and it gained her an underground following. She started touring extensively in North America and Europe, even though she initially suffered from extreme stage fright. In those days, she would cover her face with a veil.

These first two albums sound close to indie/alternative rock and feature prominent bass lines, dark tones, and gritty, electronically layered vocals. My favorite track, which happens to be in both albums –albeit in two different versions,– is "Demons."

In 2012, she released her third album Unknown Rooms: A Collection of Acoustic Songs. This one features a more folk-oriented sound, as opposed to her earlier work. Her voice sounds cleaner as well. It contains the song that is probably my favorite by her: "Flatlands."

More Personal Curiosities

1. In 1991, I got my first video game console: a Sega Game Gear. Indeed, I was a big Sonic the Hedgehog fan!
2. At that time, there was a TV show that had me hooked: "El Rescate Del Talismán." It was an adaptation from the British TV show "Knightmare." 
3. Also, back then, my favorite cartoons were "Star Street: The Adventures of the Star Kids."
4. I can type 300-400 words per minute.
5. I wear glasses to correct near-sightedness and astigmatism. I do not like contact lenses at all.
6. I am allergic to house dust mite.
7. In 1993, I watched and fell in love with Agnieszka Holland's "The Secret Garden."
8. Not long after, I watched my first not-for-kids movie: "The Piano."
9. At age 11, I created my first mixtape. 
10. I am 6 feet 2 inches tall.

READ: Personal Curiosities

Read this post in Catalan.

Star of David

Known in Hebrew as a Magen David (Shield of David), the six-pointed Star of David is composed of two triangles superimposed on each other, forming the shape of a hexagram. It is the symbol most commonly associated with Judaism today, even though it is actually a relatively new Jewish symbol.

READ: Menorah

It is supposed to represent the shape of King David's shield (or perhaps the emblem on it), but there is really no support for that claim in any early rabbinic literature. Indeed, some historians trace it to Jewish communities in the Middle Ages, but these claims are neither fully substantiated nor widely accepted.

In the 17th century, it became a popular practice to put the Star of David on the outside of synagogues, in order to identify them as Jewish houses of worship. Around this time, the star also became part of synagogue architecture in Europe, in the Middle East and North Africa.

After the Dreyfus Affair in the 19th century, the star was adopted by the Zionist movement at its 1897 Congress; this gave the symbol more international prominence. In the 20th century, the star became even more evocative of Judaism when it was used by the Nazis to mark Jews for persecution. And after the Holocaust, the same star became part of the flag of the nascent State of Israel.

Ireland

Fifteen years ago, I was living in Ireland. There, I was attending summer school in Cork. The time I spent there, I lived in a village named Carrigaline. I also had the chance to visit several lovely places such as Cobh, Killarney, Youghal, Bunratty, Kinsale, and Blarney.

The Republic of Ireland is a state that occupies five-sixths of the island of Ireland. The remaining area is a part of the United Kingdom, whose name is Northern Ireland. The island is located in north-western Europe in the North Atlantic. It is separated from the island of Great Britain by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and Saint George's Channel.

The island has an area of 32,595 square miles (84,421 square kilometers) and is mostly made of low-lying mountains surrounding a central plain. It has lush vegetation due to its oceanic climate, which means there is rain all year round. Temperatures are usually cool and without any extremes.

It is believed that the island was first inhabited after 8000 BCE (Before the Common -or Christian- Era). Ireland's essence as a Celtic nation started between the years 600 and 150 BCE. Its population began being Christianized from the 5th century onward. Until the Norman invasion in the 12th century, the island had been a patchwork of local tribal kingdoms.

Following that Norman conquest, England claimed sovereignty over the island, even though it was not incorporated until the 16th century. The Irish famine of the mid-19th century saw the population of the island drop by one third through starvation and emigration.

Ireland declared independence from the United Kingdom in 1919. The Irish Free State was created in 1922 and was officially declared a republic in 1949. It joined the United Nations in 1955 and the European Union in 1973.

As of 2015, its population is 4,892,305 inhabitants. In addition, there are 1,850,393 people living in Northern Ireland.

Katie Jane Garside

Katie Jane Garside is a British singer-songwriter and artist. She was born July 8th, 1968 and lived on a yacht around the world with her family until she was 17. She started her career in 1989 when she joined indie/punk band Daisy Chainsaw. She quit the band in 1993, one year after releasing the album Eleventeen. The band would continue with a new vocalist and publish a new album until they split in 1995.

After some years out of the public eye, she re-emerged in 1999. She formed a new rock/metal band, QueenAdreena, with which she toured and released several albums until their disbandment in 2010:

• Taxidermy (2000)
• Drink Me (2002)
• The Butcher and the Butterfly (2005)
• Djin (2008)

The Dirty Dozen

Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Although the health risks of smoking are well documented, many myths about smoking are either encouraging people to start (or continue) smoking, or preventing them from quitting:

• People have free choice whether or not to smoke.

• Everyone knows how bad smoking is.

• Just a few cigarettes a day cannot hurt.

• "Light" cigarettes are less harmful.

• It is easy to stop smoking; if people want to quit, they will.

• Cessation medications do not work.

• Once a smoker, always a smoker.

• Smokers may die earlier, but all they lose are a couple of bad years at the end of life.

• Environmental tobacco smoke may be a nuisance, but it is not deadly.

• Tobacco is good for the economy.

• We have already solved the tobacco problem.

• The tobacco industry no longer markets to kids or undermines public health efforts.

You can read more about it here. 

Find Long-Term Solutions to Prevent Anxiety

This is the third chapter of a series named "Prevent Anxiety".

I recommend you to check the previous episodes in case you missed them:

• Preventing Anxiety
• Stop Anxious Thinking

In order to find long-term solutions to prevent anxiety, the following steps are recommended:

1. Learn to live in the present. Embracing every moment and opportunity that comes your way will help you stay grounded in the present. Stop worrying over something in the past or in the future that may cause you harm. Meditating for 10-20 minutes every day can help you focus on your body and your mind. Taking the time to appreciate the sights, smells, and feelings around you is also a way of living the present. Do not take a day of your life for granted: write down all the things you are thankful for and embrace them as much as much as you can.
2. Minimize situations that cause anxiety. Avoid as much as you can those situations that cause you anxiety or stress, and make your life easier and more manageable. For instance, if you are always anxious about getting to work late, leave the house fifteen minutes earlier. If you are anxious about how your best friend really feels about you, have an honest conversation with him/her. If going to places where you do not know many people makes you deeply anxious, avoid these situations unless you can find a way to manage them.
3. Spend time with calming friends. Seek out the people in your life who make you feel calmer, at ease, and at peace with yourself. Avoid the people who cause worry, make you more stressed, and make you feel like your problems are bigger than they really are. Spend as much time as you can with friends that make you feel grounded.
4. Keep a journal. This can help you trace your most anxiety-inducing thoughts and will make you see a pattern to your thinking. Writing a journal is inherently a calming activity, and making time do it every day (15 minutes is recommended) can help you wind down, make sense of your day, and get ready to move forward. 
5. Learn to accept uncertainty. A big part of anxiety stems from not knowing what is going to happen next. Unfortunately, there is no way you can predict the future. You have to learn to be okay with not knowing what is going to happen next, controlling only what you can control, and learning to take your life one day at a time.
6. See a doctor. If you feel that your daily life is filled with overwhelming worry and that nothing you have done has improved the situation, it may be time to see a doctor in order to check if an anxiety-related disorder is present and, therefore, prescribe the corresponding medications or alternative treatments to help you improve.
7. Seek therapy. Discussing your every day concerns as well as your larger worries with a professional can make you feel more at ease and less alone. It may also help you gain a new perspective on your worries, and can also make you more comfortable talking about them.

This article is based on this source.