Google Maps Street View now in Mexico

First off, I’d just like to say: SWEET!

At first I thought it would be practically impossible that Mexico, a third world country next to the US, would be featured in Google Maps' Street View feature. When I checked it out, I was flabbergasted. Outstanding. Cities like the monstrous Mexico City, Puebla, Guadalajara, Cancún, Puerto Vallarta and Monterrey are included, and others are soon to follow. The quality of the pictures is crisp clear and, as any other virtual globetrotter, I dived in to search for interesting things that were taken by the Google Maps cars that ran through those cities.

I know Mexico City fairly, I know most of the main vehicular arteries that connect the city and most of its landmarks. And I thought that perhaps the poorest or more criminal-prone regions of the city would feature the most interesting “happenings”. And as such I explored. Here’s what I found.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the very end of a street in a northern district of the city I found this water-carrying truck. Taking a closer looks, it seems that Google’s face-blurring mechanism failed right there. I don’t remember seeing a person’s face so close in Street View. I wonder if he knows that he’s on the internets.

This guy should know better that he must not try to enter wormholes without the proper equipment, let alone with a modified bicycle like that one. And once again, his face is not blurred. What’s going on Google?

 

Oh GAWD. Somebody’s going to have to pick up all this mess. Either a garbage truck exploded or the ground broke up, overflowing with rubbish. I don’t know. All I know is that I took this around the Tepito area, Mexico City’s greatest and most infamous open-air black-market complexes. Not surprisingly, there are very few shots of the stalls that normally cover the entire area. This is because almost all of the shots there were taken at the crack of dawn. Smart thinking on behalf of Google.

This is just a little  gem that I found, the Callejón de los Patos, or Duck Alley. This is in an impoverished area, not even the road is paved. In any case, it holds the essence of the harsh reality a lot of Mexicans have to face everyday.

If I lived in Mexico City, and if my house was ever broken into, I would always go to a place like this to buy the stuff that was stolen from me back. This is what house-owners have to face in Mexico City. Not kidding. My dad’s car’s rims were stolen one day, so he went to a nearby car repair shop to locate them and buy them back.

Almost all along this street, this particular area of the photographs has its colors messed up. The trees look purple!! And everything else is in black and white (almost), as if we were looking back into the past or something like that (the world before color tv was invented was actually in black and white, yeah haha).

And now for something different. I found this bizarre relic among the urban jungle. I wonder what it represents. A saint? A guard? An eavesdropper?

With Google Maps Street View now available in this country, there are many hopes that silly, weird or unusual things may be found in the future. And I hope I get to have my hometown featured. That would be nice.

Contando los días

Just as a warning, you might want to get a translator for this one. Otherwise, ignore this post and move on. As a tool, use the applet on the side to translate this page. :) Últimamente he podido sentir el peso de mis propias acciones en el presente. Esperando a que nuestros resultados de nuestros exámenes finales de bachillerato, he pasado el mes pasado contemplando, jugando video juegos, viendo películas, buscando trabajo, trabajando de vez en cuando, viendo ánimes, etcétera. El problema de estos actos, que meramente son unos pasatiempos para acelerar el tiempo, es el hecho de que los hago en la soledad absoluta. Desde hace un mes, sólo he visto y conversado con un amigo mío. Voy a mudarme en unos cuantos meses, y temo que esta soledad está cavando un hoyo en mi alma.

Para dejarlo en claro, ¿qué motivo tiene entretener la pupila si no hay alguien con quien compartir aquel entretenimiento?

Me siento vacío por dentro, a pesar de que he compeltado mis exámenes finales de una manera cuasi-gloriosa (o al menos eso es lo que quisiera pensar).

Mi mejor amigo está armando una reunión de amigos en su casa este fin. No he sido invitado. ¿Será ésto una señal de lo distante que he sido de la gente que conosco?

En fin, quizás estoy siendo muy negativo.

A pesar de todo, aún estoy curioso sobre el motivo de que no haya sido invitado.

Y sigo así, contando los días que pasan. Recibiremos nuestros resultados de los exámenes finales en dos semanas. Va a ser muy interesante ver qué resultado obtendré. Admito que estoy algo nervioso.

Buenas noches internet.

Y el canto de la soledad...

Saludos,
A las 20 horas de cada noche puedo sentir claramente el peso de la distancia que tengo entre mis amigos y mi propia familia.

Pero antes de continuar, no soy en sí un hikikomori. Si no sabes que es eso, googléalo.

A más de 2 años de vivir en un nuevo país, y de completar mis estudios en el bachillerato, puedo en realidad apreciar el potencial del presente en mi vida. El hoy es una arma increíble para modificar el futuro, y todo eso depende de la materialización de una idea.

El problema ahora es que no tengo ni idea.

Estoy esperando a que lleguen mis resultados de los exámenes finales. Pero me he sentido increíblemente pesimista sobre eso, tengo un espantoso presentimiento negativo de que no podré cursar en la universidad. Quizás es para no tener una horrible sorpresa si es que obtenga un resultado como aquél. Qué podría obtener, después de todo? Aquí en Australia el sistema de admisión a universidad es en sí algo casi completamente aleatorio, es muy difícil poder saber qué calificación obtendrás al final si te comparas con las decenas de miles de estudiantes que hicieron los mismos exámenes que tú. Tengo miedo, pero trataré de no entrar a la locura.

El problema es que a través de cada día que pasa mi alma se está desintegrando.

Mucha gente se está yendo a la celebración tradicional australiana de schoolies, mientras que yo supuestamente estaría trabajando un chingo. Para empezar, ni siquiera he obtenido otro trabajo. Estoy viviendo la recesión financiera tal cual y como los americanos la presenciaron. No puedo encontrar un empleo, las empresas ya tienen la mayoría de sus puestos vacantes cubiertos por otros suertudos, y yo sin ningún centavo. Bueno, todavía puedo depender de mi familia para mi alimentación y alojamiento, pero nada más. No puedo salir, no puedo llenar el tanque de gasolina de mi coche, no podré comprar mucho para la temporada navideña. Osea, todo un desmadre total. Qué voy a hacer?

Lo único que he podido hacer ahora es nadar en mi lago de soledad. La computadora me ha acompañado últimamente, pero de nada me funciona. Ya he explotado muchos sitios como youtube al extremo, que ya casi nada me entretiene. En facebook casi no hay actividad, a pesar de que 95% de la gente ahí es socialmente activa. Y por si fuera colmo flickr me está aburriendo (no es que sea aburrido, sino que mi espíritu no me ayuda a disfrutar de lo que veo/hago ahí).

El libro que estoy leyendo es eternamente aburrido, "On the Road" por Jack Kerouac. Claramente puedo observar la incesante energía de los socio-viajeros vagabundos que caracterizan el espíritu de la generación Beat, pero nada más. Puedo imaginarme que estoy manejando en una de las carreteras por donde Dean y Sal están tratando de conseguir un aventón, paso por ahí, me detengo y les grito desde mi coche "No hay ninguna gloria sagrada en San Francisco, Denver o Nueva York! Regrésense a su casa y consíganse un empleo por el amor de Dios! Dean, cállate de una vez and get a life, y Sal tú sabes mejor que yo que Dean es un idiota." (Where goest thou, America, in thy shiny car in the night?)

Extraño bastante a mis amigos. De vez en cuando, cuando paso por Chatswood les llamo a mis cuates, pero siempre están ocupados. Por qué estoy en esta situación? Por qué no estoy trabajando y ahorrando plata como había planeado? Estoy desesperado, si alguien me puede ofrecer un empleo en la región de Northern Beaches o North Shore en Sydney, se lo agradecería muchísimo.

Me voy a morir sólo si no obtengo un empleo, por Dios!!

Mañana iré a Cockatoo Island, en el mero centro de la bahía de Sydney Harbour en Sydney para un photoshoot. Va a estar fenomenal, pero aún así estoy solito. :/

Road Rage

I hate all taxis drivers as of tonight.

Tonight I had my first road rage encounter... with a taxi driver... at night.

Seriously, like.. wtf???? A taxi driver??!!

Formal tomorrow

Tomorrow is the day we have our prom, or what is called here formal. I'm getting ready for what will be a very long night, but nevertheless, a very good night. :) I'm happy that high school is finished forever.

La mujer más triste del mundo

Hoy, en el camino a casa, me atravesé con una mujer en la calle. Andaba saliendo del centro comercial Warringah y había bastante tráfico.

Entre las casas y árboles apareció una mujer, blanca, rubia, casi como de mi altura. Traía pantalones negros y una blusa gris. Andaba cargando un bolso negro. Podrías decir que era como cualquier otro peatón en esta región cuasi-puramente australiano.

Pero había algo diferente en ella.

En su mirada se podía apreciar un sentimiento oscuro de amargura, como nunca he visto en estas tierras paradisiacas. Sus ojos parecían negros y como si hubiesen pasado por un episodio tenso de lágrimas. Sus pómulos parecían suaves, pero con rastros emergentes de los párpados levemente oscuros. ¿Cuál habrá sido la causante de su tristeza?

Estaba tratando de atravesar la calle. Aprovechó del congestionamiento vehicular para pasar detrás de mí, y luego la ví en el retrovisor. Parecía como si me estuviese mirando, pero sé que no lo estaba.

Entre los coches parados en fila y los vapores de los automóviles ella tenía una apariencia muy débil, inocente. Sus gestos eran como señas de una inmensa angustia que trataba de guardar en su corazón, pero era evidente a la distancia, desde lo poco que el retrovisor me podía ofrecer.

Nunca he visto a alguien tan triste en este país, incluso en un día cuando el clima es espectacular y es jueves de compras nocturnas como hoy.

Entonces vi que el coche de adelante empezaba a moverse. Puse la transmisión a uno, y pisé en el acelerador. La mujer ya había desaparecido entre la masa de gente en el centro comercial cuando miré de nuevo al retrovisor. Pobre alma de ella.

By George! Part 1

Finally, I’m back visiting the city. Oh I missed it so much.

This time I visited parts of the By George! Hidden Networks laneways art displays throughout the mid-northern region of the Sydney CBD. Finally, the City of Sydney Council has finally let loose and has allowed Hidden Networks to put up artistic displays in the city’s laneways, which are normally not used very often but are still a useful detour route for the odd vehicle or pedestrian. In any case, here are some of the pictures I took.

First off, this display is located in Angel Place, near the City Recital Hall, just off Martin Place. This particular work called Forgotten Songs is composed of a series of birdcages suspended about 6 metres in the air. Attached to some of those cages are some speakers, which play field recordings of bird songs, which used to be heard in the heart of Sydney before Sydney became the urban monster it is now. It's an interesting idea, because it shows just how much urbanization Sydney has experienced to the point that native birds cannot be heard with ease in the congested high-rise CBD, where the trees are now made of concrete and reinforced steel. Here they go:

Up George St there is another lane that features an exhibition, albeit a bit strange as well. This is in Little Hunter Street, under the title of The Meeting Place. It featuers two yellow textiles that are strecthed and bent on an angle and curved, so as to make the lane much more narrower than it is while giving it an interesting tone. It is supposed to enhance pedestrian interaction, I guess because you will have to brush against someone else if there are many people trying their way through the exhibition. Here it goes:

I'm very sure it looks more interesting at night. The following display is located in Bridge Lane, one of the oldest laneways in the city. It features human-skin-like objects stuck on the wall, with the intention of portraying the idea of how a city grows on us and how we grow on the city. Funny, even gross. But here it goes.

The last one I visited is in Abercrombie Lane, near Wynyard Station. This one has a light feature, composed of many fluorescent light bulbs and motion sensors. When you walk through, the lights right above you will dim down, so it will seem that you are forming this pattern on the lights as you move through. Pretty interesting, but a bit bland. Here it goes.

You can kind of see the dimmed parts formed because of me

It was my first time in a while to the City, I feel much better now, back to civilization. Next time I go there I'll visit the other ones. It's great that Sydney is finally letting use of its laneways for artistic purposes, it is just a bit too boring to go through the city without any artistic experience because this town is just a bit too commercial and overcrowded. I say thanks to Hidden Networks for their work, it certainly gives the city another feeling. I just hope these become events that happen all the time.

As for now, I've gotta go. Time to rest

First Drive

Yes! I finally got my P's, after so many trials and failed attempts at the driving test. The day after my last HSC test I got 'em, and I'm sooo happy. :D it feels so good. So today I decided to go job-hunting, partially because I need to save before starting Uni, and also because I risk getting kicked out of the house if I don't have a stable income. Here are some pictures I took while on the way to Chatswood, to job hunt, my first independent drive to an urban area. :D





I would normally take that bus if I wanted to get to Chatswood. Not anymore, or at least not as often.



Ah! Arrival to Chatswood :D


Me trying to look professional with my suit and tie.

Now, I've gotta be more careful about these fellows. Good buddies anyway.

It took me ages to find a parking place in Westfield, it doesn't bother me to park on the top, but it just too a while. I also run into some trouble as I sometimes got in places where it was only one way, and either I had missed the NO WAY sign, or there was nothing. Meh.

Tuo Yaw, as expected because Chatswood has a large Asian population.



Yeh, mah coffee.

People crossing through Victoria Ave and Archer St.

Some guys trying to reach each other and failing, and all of us P platers. Who would have thought? Ah, us young people. I'm on the way back home. I'm tired now, and hungry.

Almost there…

Ya casi!! Ya casi!!!!!

Vuelvo en unos cuantos días…

Guys, guys, guys!! Check this out...

I decided to resurface some of the pictures that I had taken many years ago, probably past 2005 up to 2007. They are some very significant photographs that I took without any consideration of artistic implementation of photographic techniques and "rules". I knew nothing about photography, not even of the intricate details of the making of each of my pictures. Yet, those pictures have such bizarre beauty, it just seems unreal. It is so amazing for me to see how my photographic-taking-appreciating ability has changed throughout the years.

These pictures were taken back in my home state in Mexico, oh so long ago.

Enjoy my friends :)


















Hasta pronto

Ahora, ¿a dónde me dirijo?

Ya casi termino el bachillerato. Voy a extrañar muchísimo a mis amigos y el hecho de que voy a tener un motivo pragmático para salir de la cama en las mañanas. Después del 4 de noviembre, terminaré mis exámenes finales y estaré completamente libre, iniciando mi vida adulta tal cual y como los dioses mandan (y por dioses me refiero a mis padres).

Creo que el haber decidido terminar el bachillerato acá en Sydney ha cambiado completamente mi vida. No sólo estoy terminando mis estudios para progresar a la universidad, pero también estoy cambiando internamente. El yo de México ya no existe, ahora el yo presente es una combinación híbrida de la cultura mexicana y norteamericana con el ser libre australiano. Es extraño para mí pensar en cómo yo sería si no me hubiese venido acá. ¿Qué habría sido de mí?

Les dejo a ustedes con este pensamiento mío, muy muy mío…

Sé que con el pasar silencioso de un momento se pueden construir miles de memorias.

Sé que con el presente se puede jugar a la ruleta rusa con el destino; que aquello puede ser peligroso, uno nunca sabe qué podría pasar.

Pero creo que en cualquier preciso momento del ahora, todos somos capaces de cambiar quiénes somos y el camino que nos queda por delante en la vida.

Y quiero esforzarme en el presente para que en el futuro pueda decir “aquellos días fueron estupendos”.

 

Hasta pronto.

Dial-up is my death

Our family has gone beyond our bandwidth download limit… and we are back to good old 90’s internet surfing style.

I am actually amazed by how slow it takes to even load a page. At max. 30kbits/sec, any website that is filled with ads and flash banners are a killer to the loading time, it just takes ages to load. And images take a long time too.

Because I use Facebook quite a lot, even loading a page there is just disturbingly slow. Luckily there is a Lite version of the site, so I can still use Facebook with almost the same flexibility as the normal version. Of course, it does not load as fast so there is still some waiting time, albeit shorter.

But I’m still here, still blogging and all. And I should get cracking now with some chem.

On things ahead, photos, photos, photos

All right, I’m halfway through the HSC, 3 down, 3 to go. It’s going to be a very active weekend prior to those last tests, I’m really going to put my full effort into this. It is the last one, and as the last one I want to strike the jackpot at full blast and succeed. Two of those tests range in difficulty from hard to extremely hard, but are clearly doable. The other one is not as hard, rather moderate. I just hope everything that I do in the following days really takes effect and makes a difference.

I have not been to the city in quite a long time. I miss taking a train from my lovely Chatswood to Wynyard or Town Hall, for whatever reason. I know that there are heaps of complaints towards the city’s train transport system, and although not totally perfect, I think it is rather fair and good. I’m happy as long as it takes me back to my destination, that’s all that matters. I’m from overseas, so I can stand a bit of vandalism on the walls and windows or odd commuters next to me.

After the HSC is over, I would like to have other city-photoshoots. I’ve got better gear than ever to take pictures. I have a good camera, some filters, a cool camera bag and a decent tripod. Oh and some nice 35mm Ricoh SLR cameras. :3

Although I have already explored the city, there are some areas I have yet to discover. For example, I have never been really deep into the Botanical Gardens… I have always wondered if that SEX + DEATH sign near a glass-pyramid that comes up on Google Maps really exists. Weird stuff.

And just recently I’ve been playing around with Google Earth, trying to find new routes to explore and photoshoot opportunities. After browsing through the internet for interesting places in Sydney, I’ve expanded my possibilities for new adventures.. so to say. Sydney is such a beautiful city, and it seems to me that large companies and corporations are in some way trying to lead the city to total boredom. Why not allow more displays of art in Sydney, just like Melbourne? Why not let shops and other stores keep their doors open for nightly shopping sprees on a Tuesday afternoon, or any other weekday, just like every other country outside Australia? (I mean, seriously, why close everything at 5 when there are still people standing right outside your store, and have money in their wallets??) And why do people complain so much about the government spending taxpayer’s money on an unusual Sunday morning outing on the bridge for some lucky folks? I reckon it’s something that needed to happen, spring here can be so boring, specially if you have the HSC on. Ok, enough complaining.

I have this project in mind that I have thought about doing since a long time ago. I have always been interested in Sydney’s history, how it came about and thrived to become the modern metropolis it is today. And what really caught my attention is the fact that Sydney used to have a broad, huge tram (or light rail) system. It was the biggest in Australia, and most certainly the most complex in the world. But the advent of the motor vehicle and the prospects of everyone having one gave trams a bad image, that they were unreliable and prone to causing accidents with motor vehicles. Eventually the system was scrapped in the early 1960’s, and until the late 1990’s, Sydney remained tramless. Currently, there is only one tram line, run by a private company, serving part of the Inner West to Central Station. I have always admired trams. So I decided to have a massive photoshoot project throughout the whole tramline.

Basically it will be this:

Starting from Central Station, I grab a tram towards Haymarket (I know, I could have just walked over there but hey I want the experience). I’ve gone through there before and I know where I can get some cool shots of the trams passing by the Convention Center (yes, I will spell it that way). After that I will take a tram to the John St Square stop, walk around, take pictures and grab the tram again. Repeat for Rozelle Bay and Lilyfield stops. After all of that, return back to Central. I have some specific ideas of where to go in this trip, but I’m too sleepy to type them all down :P

Can I get any suggestions from you Sydney readers as to what cool places I could find in this area, particularly to the places close to the tramline? I’d like to expand my photographic repertoire (does that word even relate to photographic media?)

As a concluding note, I’m starting to use Windows Live Writer to blog!

I want this!!!!

A new album from Bibio!!! Yeeeah!

Chávez aparece haciendo el air-guitar ante la Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas... simplemente fenomenal.

Chequen esto!!!!

Back to study!!! ENOUGH DISTRACTIONS!

Newtown in the Rain

Una de mis favoritas.


La tomé cerca de la estación de Newtown, una tarde lluviosa. Alguien había dejado su bicicleta anclada en el pavimento. Luego el sol apareció entre las nubes, y saqué mi cámara para fotografiar este momento.

The HSC

He entrado a una de mis etapas de mi vida más importantes y estresantes.
El HSC, el Certificado de Educación Preparatoria en español, es una serie de exámenes que culminan con la educación preparatoria con el propósito de preparar al estudiante para la universidad. Éstos sólo se realizan en el estado de New South Wales (Nueva Gales del Sur)y próximamente en el Australian Capital Territory (Territorio Australiano Capitalino). Son exámenes muy importantes, porque pueden hasta definir el futuro de uno. Hay muchos que se esfuerzan muchísimo en estos exámenes porque quieren estudiar algún curso universitario que tiene mucha demanda ya sea por parte de la industria o por la cantidad de estudiantes que quieren cursar aquellos cursos. Éstas carreras universitarias son por ejemplo Derecho, Diseño de Modas, Arquitectura, Política, Filosofía, etcétera.

Espero que todo me vaya bien, estoy algo ansioso y aterrado por estos exámenes. Son muy difíciles... pero siento que me irá bien como para estudiar la carrera universitaria que me gustaría estudiar en la Universidad de Nueva Gales del Sur.

Y como dice Luis, ¡A la Conquista!

New camera... and new musical discovery

Bueno?

Hola.
It's been quite a while.

Ciertamente. Algo nuevo que contarnos?

Sure. I got a new camera. My dad's leaving behind his camera collection, which is mostly composed of film SLR's and some lenses. Some of them are from the 90's, others from the early 80's. And there is this other camera he bought at a garage sell, a Leica IIIc camera from the early WW2 years. How incredible!!


I was actually surprised to see it, because I know how rare those things are nowadays, even though Leica still produces digital cameras with a similar body build. They are however not the same thing. Cameras back then were fully manual and involved a different method when taking photographs.


About that, I have absolutely no idea where on the camera I can tell whether my aperture-shutter settings are correct. Plus, loading the film is like hell, it's really hard ><

But I have yet to take pictures with it, it's going to be quite a unique experience. Just recently I have taken film photography up once again, I kind of find sending films to develop and seeing their outcomes a quite nostalgic thing to do. Quite nice. I have tried with disposable cameras, which are quite fun to use, but people make strange looks at you, going "what the f@ck? is that a camera? how poor are you?" and I'm like "no, it's a disposable camera and no i'm not poor, it's a photography project", "ah, a project, i see" and they quiet down and look away, as if nothing had happened. No, that really doesn't happen, I just get strange looks when people hear the camera ticking as I slide the film everytime I take a picture.

Some examples of my disposable camera shots...




And just recently, I came across this really unique music act based in Seattle WA called The Sight Below. TSB's main focus is on ambient music, more specifically shoegaze (a particular way of making music through the manipulation of sounds from an electric guitar).
There are quite a lot of bands like that, but TSB is different. Say, a song of his may start with slow streams of guitar-made sounds that extend into space, they may have a particular melody or be composed of drones or noises. But then, gradually, a techno beat ascends from the shoegaze haze, sometimes accompanied by a minor percussion or a sound effect. The techno beat keeps the whole songs in one piece, rather than just being mindless repetitions of the same tune with minimalistic tendencies. The songs then seem to have a trance-like taste, say they may have a similar effect as very good soulful trance songs have; of course without the same rush and blast. TSB's work is quite reminiscent of other similar shoegaze movements, although I am yet to confirm that as I keep discovering the underground techno-ambient scene.

Check The Sight Below at his Myspace:http://www.myspace.com/thesightbelow or at Ghostly International Label:http://ghostly.com/artists/the-sight-below. His first album, a digital release, is free so have a taste of his work. Additionally, buy some of his albums, they are quite unique works of music.

As an example of one of TSB's songs, which is one of my faves, here is a video:

Countdown

Ok, only two weeks from the beginning of my HSC tests, and I frickin' need to start practicing papers!! Uuugh, i cannot find the inspiration nor the drive to do this.
But I will!! I know I will, I don't know when though.

I guess this is all up to me then.
I'm just afraid of the stuff that is ahead of me.
Ok, it's just going to be a few weeks, then it will all finish.

Let's do this.

And then I'll be back, it's been a while since I last posted here.
Good night internet.

Knee it...

The day with its cares and perplexities is ended
and night is now upon us.
The night should be a time of peace and tranquility,
a time to relax and be calm.

We have need of a soothing story to banish the disturbing thoughts of the day,
to set at rest our troubled minds and put at ease our ruffled spirits.

And what sort of story shall we hear?
Aaahhh, it will be a familiar story.
A story that is so very, very old and yet it is so new.
It is the old, old story of love.

Two lovers sat on a park bench
with their bodies touching each other,
holding hands in the moonlight.

There was silence between them,
so profound was their love for each other,
they needed no words to express it.

And so they sat in silence on a park bench
with their bodies touching,
holding hands in the moonlight.

Finally, she spoke.
'Do you love me, John?', she asked.
'I love you, darling.' he replied,
'I love you more than tounge can tell.
You are the light of my life,
my sun, moon and stars.
You are my everything.
Without you I have no reason for being.'

Again there was silence as the two lovers
sat on a park bench,
their bodies touching,
holding hands in the moonlight.

Once more, she spoke:
'How much do you love me, John?', she asked.
He answered, 'How much do I love you?
Count the stars in the sky,
measure the waters of the oceans with a teaspoon,
number the grains of sand on the seashore.
Impossible you say?'
'Yes and it is just as impossible for me to say how much I love you.'
'My love for you is higher than the heavens,
deeper than Hades,
and broader than the Earth.
It has no limits, no bounds.
Everything must have an ending except my love for you.'

There was more of silence as the two lovers
sat on a park bench,
with their bodies touching,
holding hands in the moonlight.

Once more, her voice was heard.
'Kiss me, John', she implored.
And leaning over he pressed his lips warmly to hers in fervent osculation.



Samuel M. Johnson, "Lovers on a Park Bench"