On the Intellect and the Beauty

I just started learning the Spanish language quite recently, and I started to develop a fascination for everything Spanish: music, film, art, culture, food, people, geography, history, and books. In the Instituto Cervantes (www.manila.cervantes.es), the library is the one place I frequent to check out the latest textbooks for students who are learning Spanish and for available audio CDs and DVDs they have available.

Two of the CDs I'd recently borrowed were those by Joaquin Sabina (www.jsabina.com) and by Chayanne (www.chayanne.net), two men who exemplify opposite sides of the "ideals" that women could possibly want. For instance, Sabina is a Spanish social activist, singer, songwriter, author, illustrator, and poet whose outrageous antics, lyrics, and political views echoed the sentiment of his people. His raspy singing voice is not his appeal, oh no, definitely not. Instead, it is his points of view that are sang to the strumming of an acoustic guitar that attract millions of Latin American and European fans. The titles of his albums are likewise reflections of his artistic, socialist, and political statements: Malas compañías (Bad companies), La mandrágora (The mandrake), Esta boca es mía (This mouth is mine), Diario de un peatón (A pedestrian's log), amongst others. Personally, though, I appreciate his musical rhythm (especially since I'm often lazy to decipher his Spanish lyrics) and beat. It's so "individualistic" (I hate to use the word "unique" because I haven't heard a lot of Spanish singers), I can almost hear a "f*** off, world, I'm doing what I like doing, so shut the h*** up and listen to what I have to say" undertone in each song.

Puerto Rican hottie Chayanne, on the other hand, is part of a different male-spectrum altogether. His looks are soooo worth drooling over; the voice is okay; his bod's to die for (based on the picture I googled on the left here - I don't know, though, if that's really him); and his acting skills are passable (judging from the way Hollywood's latched onto him once upon a time). His songs are typical of the modern pop culture - ranging from ballads to Latin-based dance beats. The "passion" so apparent in Sabina's songs, however, is somewhat lacking in Chayanne's own beat. His albums are entitled to attract the masses, those pop-loving fans who really "own" the Billboard Hit Charts: "Chayanne es mi nombre" (Chayanne is my name... although his real name's Elmer Figueroa-Arce!!!), "Sangre Latina" (Latin blood), "Atado a tu amor" (Tied to your love), amongst others. His appeal is physical - his fame almost ethereal. According to Wikipedia, there's a highway (in Puerto Rico, I suppose) 'that connects San Lorenzo with Gurabo, named Chayanne.

Mierda. This is one of the truths that I've learned so far in my life: beauty trumps intellect... every time, all the time. Now, I gotta go... the treadmill's calling.