Hello everyone!
Today, we feature ANOTHER amazing judge from Latin America – Jonathan Arjel from Chile! (Incidentally, can someone teach me the appropriate number of names to use when I’m given four names like this? For example, “Western” names only use two, while Chinese names use all three. How many should I use here?)
Anyway, back to Jonathan. Jonathan is a Level 1 judge from Punta Arenas, Chile, who certified in July 2010. He first became interested in learning the rules when he found the “Holy” Comprehensive Rules. He made the leap later on when he noticed his local scene was growing up, and more and more interesting card interactions were arising.
Occupation: Graphic designer / Publicist
Favourite card: Path to Exile (I just love to play aggro decks, mainly White Weenie)
Least favourite card: Ghostly Prison Did you know that I’m fond of racing away every turn? 😉
Commander general: Rafiq of the Many
Favourite non-Magic Game: World of Warcraft, on my Mac. I spend my budget of leisure for Magic 😀
Best tournament result: 23rd at Chilean National Qualifiers 2011. My first Competitive tournament
Random fact: I’m the southernmost judge in the world. Penguins live closer to me than the nearest Judge!
(Distance to Antartica: 1250km/775mi, Distance to the nearest Judge: 1500km/935mi)
Tell us your favourite judge story.
What I will never forget is how I started finding the path towards being a Level 1 Judge: I was working in Santiago and on my last day before going home I was told about a PTQ. I went there thinking about just making some trades. At some point I was talking to the HJ of the venue (Jorge Peñailillo Monckeberg) telling him about where I come from and my interest in rulings and so on. He invited me to work for the staff and that started paving the way to L1 😀
Tell us an embarrassing story that you’re not afraid of everyone knowing.
I danced the Reggaeton once just to court a girl! Luckily, she became my wife and mother of our 2 children.
How has being a judge influenced your non-Magic life?
Honestly, it has given me something with which to fill my leisure time. Also it has provided me with some new goals to achieve, like being connected with people in other cities and see how they run their events and motivate their local community.
What motivates you to continue being a judge?
I’m determined to become a Level 2. In addition, I’m encouraged to help out in the Pagatonia (southern region of Chile and Argentina ) to improve our local scene, get more players, and certify more judges.
“choripanes”
What is your favourite non-judging moment that happened with other judges?
At the GP Santiago 2011 I met with other Judges on the “bring your own food” event, where I brought small rolls ( like dinner rolls) called “choripanes”. It was an own recipe from my town. They had gotten cold, so I left a bowl full of them on a table and went to look for a way to warm them up… by the time I came back, there were none left!
If you could chat with one person, real or fictional, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
I’d love to chat with Edgar Allan Poe, a writer whom I admire.
What would you be doing now if Magic no longer existed?
Maybe I’d spend like 10 hours per day playing World of Warcraft, which would cause my wife to leave me alone hahahah (She really hates WOW)
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
I’d like to thank a lot of people from my community – thanks to all those who invite new players here, who help to organize events, and who bring product. They have all contributed to the improvement of our local OP.
Also I want to thank to the Chilean judge community – they have always been supporting and helping me. Special thanks to Jorge Peñailillo, who gave me the opportunity to become a Judge, and to Damian Hiller for always being there :).
Finally thanks to our community “Magic Punta Arenas” (seek us in Facebook), and especially to Francisco, Jaime and Omar, for helping Magic grow in our community.
Thanks to Jonathan for his wonderful responses! We hope he enjoys his time playing with the penguins 😉 and wish him good luck in his quest for L2!
No “Two Truths and a Lie” this week 🙁
But here’s the answer to last week’s puzzle: Simon cannot name any members of AKB48!
Did you guess correctly? Let us know in the comment section down below, and as always, nominate a judge today!
¡Felicidades Jonny! Te conozco “un poquito” e imagino lo apasionado que estarás con todo este tema y el orgullo que debes tener con esta nominación. Mucha suerte amigo, un gran abrazo desde Ushuaia, Argentina.
Incidentally, can someone teach me the appropriate number of names to use when I’m given four names like this?
In Spanish speaking countries women do not “lose” their identity by taking their husband’s surname, so we are able to use two distinct surnames that make up our own distinctive full name 🙂
First is his First name
Second: Second name (this would be USA “middle name”)
Third: First surname (inherited from the father; USA: “last name”)
Fourth: Second surname (inherited from the mother, i.e. her last name)
It is more common to use 3 names though (Given name plus the 2 surnames), as in the above named “Jorge Peñailillo Monckeberg”, or just 2 (first name + first surname).
Cheers from Punta Arenas 🙂
Thanks Daniel!