behold the palestinian kufiya! ⸜(｡≥ ᵕ ≤ )⸝♡

hi y'all, i'm bluepuffin!

i got a kufiya scarf, and i love it! this week, it really was a source of joy, worry, and surprise. i will write about it after the song recommendations ^-^

Saia da Carolina by Carolina Deslandes

im back *cries cutely*

 Hello, I'm BluePuffin!!

 I haven’t written here for a while. I won’t close this blog until Google decides blogs shall be gone, so be chill about the older entries disappearing. I’m also saving them on the Web Archive.

 Lately, ever since July began, it has been summer vacation. I’ve traveled to Madrid, went to an activist event hosted by Amnesty International, and have been listening to Chappel Roan and Olivia Rodrigo as of now. I like their songs, and Chappel Roan is outspoken on global issues, while Olivia Rodrigo once posted a story raising money for children suffering in Gaza, so my conscience is clean while listening to them. I had tried a free trial of Apple Music, because I am boycotting Spotify, but now I’m listening to songs on my MP3 player. 

I have also been talking with many Japanese people to practice it. I made a Japanese friend, and I got a Portuguese friend too, who is similar to me in many ways, but he likes Pokémon more than I care for its existence.

 Today’s song I’ll recommend is Casual by Chappel Roan I like to relive memories of love experiences that never happened. I really admire Chappel Roan, so go support a girlie.

numbly helpless

hello, im bluepuffin!

 before i full on write how i've been feeling, i'd like to share a song that scratches a feeling in me, for some reason: Spring Into Summer by Lizzy McAlpine. (no, before any potato i know in real life gets to this blog, this ain't related to anyone you know xx).

the Madleen, my late night chaos

 hey, im bluepuffin. 

 I was awake until like 2:30 AM, but it was for a good cause: I was seeing the hidden news unfold, right from the people on board, of the hijacking of the Madleen.

 On June 9th, the Madleen, a humanitarian aid vessel aid which sailed to Gaza, was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters. This is what unfolded in real time, from the eyes of those like me who scrolled through Instagram and Telegram and also from the activists on board.

 The Madleen is a vessel that sailed, on the first of June, from Italy with 11 activists, such as Greta Thunberg; and one journalist, with the goal of reaching Gaza. They had humanitarian aid on the boat: 100kg flour, 250kg rice, baby formula, medical kits, et cetera. This aid would definitely not be enough to end the famine in Gaza, but it would be symbolic. 

The Madleen

 However, unlike the last time the Freedom Flotilla Coalition tried to reach Gaza with aid, the Madleen wasn’t attacked when they sailed near Malta. They were attacked during the dead of night, the earliest of morning, on June 9th, Monday, by Israeli forces, and I was desperately looking for information on social media. 

The "Conscience", a Freedom Flotilla ship who had the same purpose as the Madleen but was attacked when they sailed near Malta

 Guess what? 2 Israeli quadcopters surrounding the vessel, spraying a white, paint-like substance that passengers described as an irritant. Minute by minute, I posted Stories on Instagram updating people with information. No one cared, or so it seemed. The radio on the vessel was playing disturbing messages, sabotaged. The communications? Eventually, cut completely. Shortly afterward the “paint attack”, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition reported losing contact with those on board. Sorrowfully, as the vessel was about 185 kilometers away from Gaza, Israeli forces entered it and took control of it. The ship, seized; the activists (and that one journalist), kidnapped. 

 By the way, a video Greta had recorded before being kidnapped which was to use in the situation of being kidnapped, which she was, was posted. The other passengers did the same, with their videos posted too. I shared, on my Story, on Instagram, Greta’s video. I was shocked. Unexpectedly, a friend reached out and I found a partner to share this with, but then we had to sleep, since it was later than 2AM in Portugal. Not like we have school anyways.

 Today, the 9th of June, afternoon, the vessel has stopped on the Ashdod port. If the passengers choose to stay, they will suffer detention. If they agree to leave, they will be taken to their countries of origin.

 The events are still unfolding, and I hope everything is okay by the time I post this on Friday. Though Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called their vessel a “selfie yacht”, as if the activists were there for a sort of publicity stunt, even if that came to be true, that doesn't erase the fact they came with humanitarian aid. Imagine attacking an aid vessel. How does giving aid to starving people in Gaza affect Israel in any way? What authority has Israel to seize a ship sailing in international waters carrying aid? Imagine being attacked for trying to help.

 Okay, now it's June 10th. Greta was taken to France with 3 other activists, and the remaining on board the vessel are in detention in Israel... They are being treated as if they came to Israel illegally, when they were TAKEN to Israel illegally. Keep in mind the French-Palestinian Rima Hassan, a member of the European Parliament, who was born in a refugee camp in Palestine, is now in detention in Israel. For trying to give aid to her own people. If that doesn't hurt you, I don't know what would. 

 Now it's June 11th. Wednesday. Rima and Thiago Ávila, another crew member, are now both already or to be put in solitary confinement. Rima had written "Free Palestine" on a wall of the prison she is/was in.

 Now it's June 12th. From what I've heard, 6 of the 8 activists which were still in detention are too be freed (including Rima and Thiago). Let's wish the best of luck for them, and also for the children in Gaza who struggle so much. I have to study now. 

 today's song sugestion is Construção, by Chico Buarque.

bye guys!! cya sweeties

 

Mudar a Canção: A Song Too Needed for Today's Portugal.

hey puffins!

 Content Warning: Mentions of homophobia, Violence (not graphic) and Suicide (not graphic either, but emotionally sensitive.)

 im BluePuffin and I'm right here! here are the song recommendations!

-> 15 Minutes: another of many sassy songs by Sabrina Carpenters.

-> "Mudar a Canção" is a Portuguese song by Marisa Liz and many other singers that asserts many empathetic values. The song is against racism, xenophobia, genocide, you name it. Some examples of lyrics: 

"Homophobia? For me, it doesn't sit quite right, because love isn't dictated by the words of anyone. The genocide? For me, it doesn't sit quite right. I don't want to have in my hands the blood of anyone."

 It seems like a normal song against common-sensical bad things, right? It indirectly is against what's happening in Gaza (starvation... genocide.) and directly against many stuff, but is it just that? Nope. 

 This song is too relatable, and too needed, sadly. Though when the song was made we weren't exactly like now, right now, the song is more needed than ever: Chega, a far right political party in my country, is gaining traction. On the elections 5 days ago, they were the third most voted party, almost tying with the Socialist Party. Chega won where I live. As Chega grows, with simplistic narratives and potentially hateful discourses, so does conservatorism. With that, racism, homophobia and xenophobia, and the normalization of them, grows, grows, and grows. In my class, I have a girl who, as far as I know, is homophobic and in favour of Israel "because of her religion", and 3 classmates who publicly follow Chega's leader André Ventura on social media. (though I have some girl classmates who are disgusted at André and even believing he'd make my country a dictatorship, which doesn't sound too wrong to believe.)

 By the way, at my school, it's quite common for people outside of the norms to be judged, and there are people who are openly Nazi and no one cares. In every room, in every wall, there's a swastika to find. Maybe not on every wall, but on every chair or desk, hidden, or even in plain sight. There's a chair I recall that is full of swastikas. Anyways, once, I had a classmate who'd invite me to his birthday party and happily talk with me, now he cuts me off before I start to speak, even asking me to kill myself, just because I'm often cringe, on purpose, to defy what's normal.*(see bottom of the entry) The growth of this political party only comes to, directly or not, exacerbate the already existing discrimination, specially when many or some of the party members are publicly discriminators.

 For instance, one of the members currently in the parliament, Ricardo Lopes Reis, celebrated Odair Moniz's death. Odair Moreno Moniz was a Cape Verdean immigrant who, according to CNN Portugal, had a criminal record of drug trafficking and armed robbery, for which he had already served a prison sentence. He was shot in the early hours of morning, by the Portuguese police, after a night out partying. The police officer who shot Moniz had his gun license revoked. I see it as excessive personal defense. You can read about Moniz's killing and the outcoming riots here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Odair_Moniz. Anyways, celebrating a death of someone who died in an unjustifiable way doesn't sit quite right with me, even if Moniz was once a criminal.

 At the end of the day, for me, this song gives me hope amidst the possible ending of our times. People being killed with excessive use of force unjustifiably, may it be in Ukraine, Gaza or in the street where Moniz was killed, will never be okay. Nor will be not caring about homophobia, racism and xenophobia. May we all come to understand others are different and how we must appreciate them and embrace them for who they are.

 Slightly unrelated, but please sign this petition asking for a ceasefire in Gaza (AGAIN.): https://www.amnesty.org/en/petition/demand-a-ceasefire-by-all-parties-to-end-civilian-suffering/ and don't forget to click to help people for free on arab.org!! 💙

 And that was why that song is so important nowadays, not just for Portugal, but for every country. It serves as a reminder that we should have empathy, and it's a pity the song exists, because if society was tuned to a pitch where empathy was the norm, this song probably wouldn't need to exist. Hope is still here though.

 I love you all, and thank you for reading.

 Best wishes,

 BluePuffin

via GIPHY

* He often tells others to kill themselves in moments of rage, casually, like it's just a normal thing to say. It desensitises pain and it reminds me of how we let cruelty be normalized. He is not the only one who does so, and take in mind it's something normal to say, even though it shouldn't be.

"their big dream.": a song related to Nakba!!

 Hello, I'm BluePuffin!!

 Today I’m going to share a poem/song, no song recommendations, sorry. Probably Li Beirut, but for this time, the focus is on my poem/song.

their big dream.🫒

they grew olive

by the dear river

looked for knowledge

it hurts, my liver

no food, it's sadness

sorrowful story

lies no forgetness

under their lost glory

their big dream, still remains

to let live and to just live

they won't ever budge to leave

Nakba still gives pains

i won't budge with your reasons

under these ruined seasons

my home burns metaphorically

while Gaza suffers literally

"no pains no gains"

what a lie

their food's off, and soon's july

"you lie, you lie"

don't say that!

as you chill inside your flat

or house, with no fear to die

their big dream, still remains

to let live and to just live

we won't ever budge to leave

Nakba still gives pains

through the starving days,

Nakba still gives pains,

to their lives, their wives, their everydays!

through inhumane silence,

we see the violence,

we believe that they shall live.

oh ah, oh ah

(shalom, salam, lam. shalom, salam, lam.)

ah ah...

but oh well, oh well, oh well.

oh well.

their big dream

still remains

to let live and to just live

we won't ever budge to leave

Nakba still.. stains.

 Written today, by me, BluePuffin, Friday May 16. Yesterday was Nakba Day, and this is my way of remembering it. Nakba was when about 750 thousand Palestinians were displaced in 1948, with many of their villages destroyed. Nakba made Israel become a country possible. They aren't able to return to their houses or towns, even now, hence how Nakba still stains the present of injustice. I later changed the lyric "pitiful story" to "sorrowful story". I think I can share the emotional depth more clearly that way, without sounding like I'm seeing anyone as weak. The Palestinians may be anything, but they're not weak. So much years and so much suffering, and they're still here. 

 I made this because the few Palestinian songs I know aren't calm enough for me. I normally can't handle really moved lyrics. Therefore, I made it a bit calmer, but still revealing for those willing to care.
 Below is a raw singing audio. Sadly, it still has the wrong lyric there.
 Not polished, but at least I have a melody.

View on Vocaroo >>

 As always, don't forget to help people for free by "clicking to help" on arab.org!

 May happiness be with you.
 I love you all,
 BluePuffin💙
 

 

blackout at my birthday + objectification = blog returning?

 Hello, I'm BluePuffin!! This entry is me returning. No promises this time. I already have an entry prepared for next friday, and since i couldn't post this friday, i'll post today. Thank you!!

 today is 4th of may. ill recommend 2 songs and talk about my birthday, and relating it to Gaza and i know what you're thinking, but you'll see how it makes sense later on.

songs of the week🎶

 One of the songs, the one called Thérèse, by Maya Hawke, really touched me. I heard it many times nonchalantly as a background song in TikTok or Insta vids, but only today I found out what it really means. It refers to this painting, called Thérèse Dreaming.

 I don't understand quite well why THIS drawing, probably because some may see it as voyeuristic or sexually appealing. Maya Hawke made a music video where the woman body was shown naked, but as bodies, not sexual objects. The chorus refers to Thérèse as not belonging to whoever the song was dedicated to, though saying the cars and horses and cowboys do. The song also says, simply "She's just Thérèse.". This song may be hard to interpretate, but I simply see it as Maya saying "women are merely women, not something to be immediately seen as sexual". I couldn't agree more. It may be hard to objectify, specially with the porn culture, but I promise that you'll feel much better when you start seeing every human as a human and not as a sexual object.

The Zone of Interest: dehumanisation and silence

 Hello, I'm BluePuffin!!

 well, hasn't this blog been crickets for a while now? I guess I could just keep writing here like i never stopped. Sorry yall! I've been "busy" i guess. Or i've just left this behind... But, oh well, I'm back! A lot has changed, but everything is the same. Voici, the song recommendations!

 I'll talk about a haunting movie related to the Holocaust called "The Zone of Interest" and share a poem that will make you uncomfortable, but in a good way. 

 A song recommendation, though unrelated to what we'll talk about:

 I also recommend the song "Casual" by the queen Chappel Roan.

 Get your popcorns ready because this will be a loooong entry, which might take you at least 10 minutes to read, 7 minutes for watching the videos (if you feel like watching them) and as much time as needed to reflect. This post discusses genocide and dehumanization.

Content Warning:

Consider reading at another time if you're reading this after 8pm or want to avoid being emotionally impacted for a bit.

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From Crisis to Gaming: My Blog Debut

 Hello, I'm BluePuffin, welcome to my blog!!

 This is my first blog post. I'll talk about the Gaza Humanitarian Crisis and a game I really enjoy. You may expect a blog post every Friday or something, with a poem, songs chosen for you to listen by me (like these two you see below this paragraph), and information about something I like. I may also include topics revolving around war and protests, like 1989. If you want to somehow vibe while reading all the yapping I've got written here, feel free to do that. You can listen to one of these songs right here: 

 You are also free to listen to any other song of your choice. 

---

 Gaza Humanitarian Crisis

 If you don't live under a rock, you may already be aware of what's happening in Gaza. For short, people in Gaza are dying and buildings are vanishing because of attacks from the IDF. These attacks intensified after October 7th, a day where HAMAS, a Palestinian Islamist political and military movement, abducted people and attacked... Israel. While this was DEFINITELY not okay, the IDF's reaction was not okay either.

 HAMAS isn't dead, and at least 30000 non-death-deserving civilians are. If it would take... let's say, 13 civilians to kill a HAMAS member, and considering there is way more than one HAMAS member, would it be worth it? 13 people, with lives of their own, just like us, to be taken away from the life they were given? I don't think it would be fair. Just like what HAMAS did, this isn't fair. IDF, HAMAS, I'm not on your side: I side with the civilians and the affected. If you haven't donated to a family in need and you are in the conditions to do so, it would be very appreciated. You can also speak your voice out, just like I'm doing right now. By the way, I donated 10$ to a family in Gaza. I must end this section by saying:

Bring the Hostages, Stop the Bombs, Ceasefire NOW. 

 In this site you can check how many kids have died in Israel and Gaza due to the conflict, since 2000: https://countingthekids.org/. Keep in mind this didn't start in 2000.

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 Roblox Game "Flicker"

 I've been playing a Roblox game called Flicker. It's similar to Among Us. There are 2 teams: Good and Evil. There is also a third team, if you consider it a team, which is "Neutral". 

 Both teams, Evil and Good, have the same goal: getting rid of the other team. The game has 3 modes: Anonymous, where you play with a randomly assigned avatar and the roles are the same as Regular Mode; Classic, which is the first mode the game had, with less roles and randomly assigned avatar; and Regular Mode, which is, simply Regular Mode, which you can make your own avatar using the game's avatar-making UI. The game uses R6.

 In Regular Mode, the roles are: 

• Murderer: can kill one person every night;
• Assassin: can kill one person once;
• Psychic/Dark Psychic: can check if someone is Evil or Good every night;
• Savior: can revive one person;
• Survivor: can breathe and nothing much more;
• Twins: basically 2 players who have the same abilities as Survivors, but, if they get voted out or killed, the other dies or is voted out too;
• Clown: can kill one person after being voted out;
• Spy/Scout: can check, every night, who used their abilities on someone;
• Witch: can stop one player from using their ability every night;
• Muffin Man: can give a muffin to someone every night;
• Medic: they can protect someone from the Murderer every night;
• Detective: receives clues on who might be good or evil every night.

  It's impossible for all roles to be in the same game. If I believe correctly, I think there are always more players on the Good Team, and only about 3 on the Evil Team, and then there's the Clown. The Clown is Neutral. It is my favourite role, I love tricking others into voting me out, haha. Also, I never forgot when I voted a Clown out who faked to be a new player who didn't know Witch was an evil role so everyone voted them out, LMAO... I also love being Murderer, of course.

 

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 Short Poem

 the sea of sea.

 the sea of birds,

 the sea of sea,

 the sea of life, and ecstasy,

 is what you see, not what you plea,

 and if you plea, a nice blue sea,

 do anything, speak your voice, plant a tree: you are free.

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I hope you enjoyed reading this. Comments would be appreciated. Please, if you want to say something, remember to respectful. Buhbye!!!