The Legend of Tarzan

I grew up watching a lot of Tarzan. Whether it was the 90s TV show or one of the old movies that were shown late at night, I used to love the Tarzan stories. Of course, I am a big fan of the Disney film of the same name. It is a great mix of action, adventure, comedy and heart. Not to mention that the Phil Collins music is crazy awesome (screw what Matt Stone and Trey Parker say :p ).

Just recently, I accidentally recorded an episode of the old TV show, The Legend of Tarzan. Since I missed it when it first aired I decided to watch it, and much to my surprise, I like it! It's nothing like the actual film (as it is expected out of a Disney TV series), but it gets me nostalgic for the old Tarzan TV shows and movies. I even like it more than the old Aladdin TV show!

I just love how Tarzan has grown a lot since we last saw him on the movie, but retains his charming "wild" side. The rest of the characters are fun, though some of the voice casting is rather odd. Terk sounds more like a man than a woman, even if the original Rosie O'Donnell voice was deeper than the typical female voice.

The stories are really good. My favorite episode is the one where they meet US President Teddy Roosevelt and they go on a safari, where he is kidnapped and held for ransom. I also liked the episode where three of Jane's friends come to visit her under the idea that she is held there against her will. It was really fun seeing elemens of the Porter's old London make its way to the jungle. There was a follow up episode where the girls bring along a cultured, geeky man, and Tarzan begins to feel incomplete.

One thing I find interesting about the show is how in the movie, it looked as if the jungle Tarzan and the apes lived in was desolate save for the Porter camp site, yet in the show there are several tribes, trading posts and several places that make the jungle more lively. I think this feels more convincing than the movie, and it also gives the show more story opportunities beyond the animals in the jungle.

Great show, awesome movie, incredible literary character. I wish to read the original stories and see how they differ from all the adaptations ever created.

-Pedro

Saying Hello

Today, I had a rather horrific experience.

Last night, I didn't sleep at all. It was 9:00 AM and I was still wide awake. My mind really wanted the sleep but my body refused to cooperate, so I just kept tossing and turning into I found a few minutes of sleep. Well, until that happened I decided to do some chores around the house, including picking up the mail. This is when an event where I was completely uncharacteristic happened. As I kept walking to the post office, a man drives by and says hello. I have no idea who he is, and actually didn't care. When I return home from the post office, that same man walked by me again, this time wondering if I remembered him. He was short of telling me his life story, but even if I realized who he was in the end, I still didn't care, so I stayed quiet and gave a "I don't give a crap who you are" look that he eventually took notice of and just walked away.

This isn't me. Even if I don't remember the person saying hi I always make sure I wave back and smile, regardless if I feel good or bad. I am a firm believer that sometimes even the simplest comment like a "hello" can make a whole difference in a person's life. Plus, it is corteous to always respond in a friendly manner. This might be one of the first times I actually disregarded this and acted apathetically towards a person.

It could be many things. It could have been the fatigue making me act differently, as in I didn't have the energy to be social. It could have been that I didn't remember the guy enough to be openly friendly. Or could be that I was so down in the dumps that I couldn't even muster a simple hello due to how miserable I was feeling.

Now, all I do is replay that scene in my head, and wonder, "Did he think I was a jerk for ignoring him? Did I ruin his day so early in the morning? Why didn't I just smile and wave hello? Was I that out of it?". He isn't a friend of mine or even a close relative so why worry about it? Well, my belief that you should always be the better person, regardless of who you are, how you feel and who you face in life, and in this moment in time, I wasn't the better person.

This is a lesson well learned, and something I might end up regretting.

-Pedro

Let's have fun at the movies!

Recently, me and my From Screen to Theme friends have been enjoying these really fun and engaging conversations about movies. From Harry Potter's latest and greatest film adventure to the classics of yesteryear, we can easily stay up all night just talking about our favorite films.

Which leads me to today's story: I have too much fun going to the movies.

I'll just come out and say it: I love going to the movies. I enjoy the home experience, don't get me wrong, and high ticket prices alongside unnecessary 3D movies are draining some of the fun away, but there is something almost magical about spending an evening with your friends and many other people watching a great movie.

To this day I still remember my first movie ever: Dennis the Menace, released in 1993. It may not be the ideal first film, but I still cherish it if only for the nostalgia along. I remember it vividly...

The theater was full. I was with my parents and older sister. The minute the theater got dark I got a little scared, but watching Bugs Bunny bring out the Warner Bros. logo brought a big smile to my face. By the end of it all, everyone was laughing, very happy and re-invigorated.

I finally understood why so many people love movies. For a couple of hours you are shut away from society and entranced by a magnificent story featuring characters we love and admire and technical effects that take our breath away.

Since then, I've always looked forward to watching a movie in theaters. My first blockbuster movie was Jurassic Park, a film my parents and I would terrify me, but instead made me a big dinosaur fan. We loved the movie so much that we had to own it on VHS.

To this day, I can still most of my first theater experiences...

First movie ever: Dennis the Menace (Which also counts as my first comedy)
First blockbuster: Jurassic Park
First sequel: Police Academy 7: Mission to Moscow
First live action adaptation of a classic cartoon: The Flintstones
First Jim Carrey movie: The Mask
First Disney animated film: The Lion King (Also my first musical)
First Pixar movie: Toy Story
First Star Wars film: The Phantom Menace
First Dreamworks movie: Shrek
First movie I saw while in North America: The Day After Tomorrow
First Super Hero movie: Spider-Man II
First "disappointing" movie: Jurassic Park II
First Kevin Smith movie: Clerks II
First live action Disney movie: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
First Michael Bay "masterpiece": Transformers
First "bromantic" movie: Wedding Crashers
First IMAX movie: A shark documentary (which is also my first 3D movie)

That's a lot of firsts!

The funny thing is that even if the movies listed here range from utterly fantastic to terrible AT BEST, I've always come out of them happy and with a lot of memories. Even something like Transformers, a movie many describe as one of the worst ever made, I always have wonderful memories of.

The key element here is the social experience. A friend of mine always says that comedies are best seen in theaters with an audience, because if the movie is really funny the experience can be really energetic. I agree to that, but I think that also applies to most movies genres as well. To give a recent example, I went to see Cars 2 for my birthday a couple of weeks ago. It may not have been the best movie ever, but the experience itself was worth a million dollars. Seeing the kids react to their favorite characters on-screen was worth it.

I think I've only had one negative theater experience, and even then the movie managed to be incredible. That was for Batman Begins in the summer of 2005. When we went to see it, it was a very wet and cold June day in New Hampshire. I had decided to go in shorts, sandals and a t-shirt. A bad decision as it was extremely cold. It was so bad that I had to sit in my seat in a fetal position and take constant bathroom breaks. It also didn't help that the theater sound equipment was shoddy, making Michael Caine's thick accent and Christian Bale's mumbling very hard to understand.

But in the end, I end up having way too much fun when I go to the movies. Sometimes it's because the movie is so good it inspires a healthy debate about it's virtues. Other times it was because it's so laughably bad you can't help but make fun of it. But a lot of times it is because it is combined with a great day.

That's why I love going to the movies so much. Good or bad, the experience ends up something we all cherish and remember fondly as the years go by.

That's my story and I am sticking to it!

-Pedro

Umbrella-ella-ella!

For as long as I can remember, I've always hated umbrellas. To me, they seem to get people more wet than the rain sometimes! To quote an old anime series, "How can humanity create a way to go to the moon and not come up with a decent umbrella design?". But there was one time where an umbrella helped me understand the kindness of a friend, even if I first I was too blind to notice it.

In 2005, me and my friends took a trip to Montreal, Canada. It was a very exciting time for me as it was the first time I ever visited Canada. To say it was fun would be the understatement of the century. Like most trips in life, however, it wasn't without it's nuisances.

The whole trip was plagued by rain. Whether it was torrential downpours or a small shower, we couldn't escape it. On the last night of the trip, my friends and I decided to go to this Italian restaurant. The walk was long, it was raining, and I was carrying A LOT of stuff. It was so bad that we had to stop at a gift shop and a buy an umbrella. My best friend bought me an umbrella, one that had Mickey Mouse as a print.

At first, I really, REALLY hated my umbrella. I was very frustrated as the trip to the restaurant wasn't pleasant at all. So much so that when we finally got to the restaurant, I pretty much tossed the umbrella aside and cursed at it. I went to the bathroom to cool off. My best friend, though, was cool and tried to calm me down. After a while, I decided to not let this ruin the final stretch of my trip and just enjoy the evening.

When we got home to New Hampshire (where I was staying at the time), I called my mom to tell her I had arrived safely. I told her about the umbrella incident. Like most mothers do, she made me feel guilty about it. I mean really, REALLY guilty because she made me realize that the umbrella was a symbol of kindness, a gift from a friend that I love dearly. He did it without me asking for it, he paid with money out of his own pocket and I bet the reason he picked the Mickey Mouse umbrella because he knew I loved Disney.

The feeling of guilt was so bad that I had to hang up and go cry. I pretty much insulted a gift from a friend. I talked to him while crying and let him know that what he did was an amazing gesture and to forgive my bratty behavior. He forgave me and told me not to sweat it as he understood that the trip was very annoying.

From that moment on, I kept the umbrella as a reminder that I should always cherish the kindness of a friend, whether it is big or small. Unfortunately, I lost it a few years later in a massive umbrella mix up.

So that's how an umbrella, one of my most hated objects in my life, taught a valuable life lesson.

That's my story and I am sticking to it!

-Pedro

The Value of Love, Loyalty, and Tolerance

Today, I was planning on talking about umbrellas, and tell a very personal story that dealt with one. But in the evening something happened that challenged my beliefs. I felt like talking about it to my friends.

Without naming names, someone on a social network blogged about how American people were being racist towards the Japanese, because Japan had defeated the US at soccer. Needless to say, it was a horrible thing to watch. But something far worse happened. This friend was obviously very offended, to the point where she stated her wishes of leaving the country.

I reblogged the post, stating that as awful that this was if we tried to fight it with anger and hate it just make things worse, and that no matter where you move or what belief you adopt you would still face a lot of anger. It would even get worse if you adopt that train of thought.

Soon, that friend reblogged my post, pretty much stating that nothing would change her mind, that she had so many issues with this country that she no longer respected it and wished for it to burn to the ground. She realized that this was an irrational thought, but believed too strongly with it to be convinced otherwise.

At that point, I felt genuine anger. I am a strong believer of love and tolerance towards your fellow man. Yes, there are times in which hatred and bigotry get so bad you need to fight back, and can't help but feel furious. But to wish death and destruction upon a country just because of your own issues with it?

It got so bad that I actually shed tears of anger and disappointment. My beliefs were outright challenged in the worst way possible. Why? Growing up I had very few friends, and the ones I had I cherished dearly. Thanks to the wonders of technology I have been able to find friends where I least expected. North America, Canada, Europe, other parts of Latin America, gay, straight, atheist, Christian, Catholic, Jewish etc.

But most importantly, all of them saw something special in me. They have helped me make my dreams come true, changed my perception of loyalty and have given me their support when I most needed it.

This has been such life changing that I decided to never judge a country or place based on the actions of a few. In other words, just because there is a group that claims to represent a majority it doesn't mean I have to conform into what they believe and let my heart and soul be the judge of that.

I have many wonderful American friends, so it offends me when I see people judging Americans based on the actions of a few. I also have Canadian friends and I too hate the Canada bashing. I have learned to not quickly judge people because you never know who might end up being your friend. You can have disagreements, sure, but to wish upon them harm and judge them unfairly means you are contributing to the wave of anger, hate and resentment going on in the world.

That's why the comment hurt me so deeply, even though it wasn't directly aimed at me. I have American friends who love their country, who have fought hard to make their dreams a reality and have shared their wisdom with me. The idea of them being destroyed despite being innocent just hurts me, hence why I cried afterwards.

We all want change and want a better world for our kids to live in, but often don't want to set the example. It is very easy to do. Be the exception to the rule, not the norm. Love is a far stronger weapon. If you use anger and hate as your weapon, you may get things done, but you are just making things worse, and keeping alive that is keeping people from truly evolving.

That's my story, and I am DEFINITELY sticking to it.

-Pedro

The Graduation That Went Up in Smokes

Recently, I graduated and obtained my Master's degree in education. It was easily one of the most important events of the year. All my hard work, sacrifice and determination lead to an unforgettable event. Of course, this wasn't my first college graduation. My bachelor's degree graduation was certainly unforgettable...for all the wrong reasons.

In June of 2008, me and my family embarked to San Juan, Puerto Rico to stay at an aunt's house. The next morning, we got dressed up and went to the convention center. It was a beautiful thing. Thousands were cheering us on, all of us were proud and happy to be there.

Of course, this was the first few fours. By the time we got to hour three of the graduation, we were starting to get bored. The whole presentation of honor students and various colleges was a really mundane affair.

Just as they were calling the students, all of a sudden the power went out. We got scared for a second. I figured it was going to be some sort of prank. The lights came back on and the ceremonies went on as usual. As the speakers were still presenting students, we kept looking around. We saw that people were running around as if something had happened. One guy left the room, then quickly came back in, smashed the emergency water hose window and ran with it outside. That's when the emergency alarms went off and everyone got scared.

While we didn't know this at the time, we learned through the news that an equipment van had exploded and was on fire, meaning that it would cause disaster if it wasn't attended right away.

The funny thing is that while all of this was going on, the speakers were telling the audience to not panic, that it didn't have anything to do with us. Unfortunately, the emergency did have to do with the room, and soon the ushers were escorting us and the rest of the audience out of the room. It was all very confusing. We still heard the speakers, and at one point they said "YOU HAVE NOW OFFICIALLY GRADUATED!". This broke my heart as I was not there to experience it.

We were all escorted outside the convention center, where it all became a huge mess. I couldn't find my parents anywhere. Worse, I didn't have a celphone on me! So when I finally spotted them in a giant sea of people, I had to scream at them REALLY loudly so they would notice.

An hour later, we were escorted back inside, but it was too late. The audience had gone home due to the scare. Only a few of us were there. The whole magic was gone. I was only there to receive my certificate (which I lost on the same day, luckily it was an honorary certificate).

Now, when I attended my graduation ceremony back in June, I was very worried that this would happen again. It was in the same convention center as last time so I was anxious as to what may happen. Soon enough, in the middle of the ceremony the emergency sirens started wailing. In my seat, I shouted loudly "YOU HAVE GOT TO BE FUCKING KIDDING ME?!?". Thankfully, it was only a false alarm, and I finally got to experience the graduation ceremony that ended abruptly in 2008.

This is definitely one of those stories that sound horrible when it happened, but when you look back at it, you laugh. It was certainly one of the worst graduation ceremonies I had ever attended, but luckily it all worked out for me and everyone else.

That's my story, I am sticking to it.

-Pedro

Hello and Welcome!

Hello, my name is Pedro Hernandez, better known around the internet as pap64. I am a college graduate with a Mater's degree in education. I am a writer for Nintendo World Report, From Screen to Theme and several other places, both professional and for fun.

This blog, called "The Stories Pedro Told", is a personal, more informal blog. This, however, won't be all about my daily occurrences, oh no. Instead, this will be a place where I tell stories of the past and some from the present, all shaping me into the person I am today. I figured that I always find myself telling stories to people, so I might as well do a blog about it.

Hope you enjoy these stories of mine, and learn something from them in the process.

-Pedro