mi mesita de thanksgiving. cute no?

God is great...

I cannot think me more blessed than what I am now. There's this sense of peace I have. Even if everything is not going my way and I'm at a certain crossroad in my life it is amazing to see how wonderful God is. I've had a wonderful couple of days and it is just amazing.

new roommies

so Jennifer and Kate are moving out and i have two new housemates. pretty cool looking chicks. one is chinese canadian from toronto. she works as an engineer at one of the biggest hospitals in the city. the other one is 3rd(?) generation greek-american from lynnfield, ma. she's a nurse at MGH downtown. they're both solid christian women and i'm looking forward to having a small community of believers to share with. i'm excited. after a long search; having people back out at the last minute and going through the rollercoaster of roommate searching, i've arrived. i don't care if they're serial killers. they're in. i have seen God work in wonderful ways throughout the whole process and i can truly say that i feel peace regarding these two women and that everything will be fine. not that i'm saying we won't have the regular roommie issues but at least i'm confident they're cool people. i'm going to miss jennifer and kate. they're awesome roommates. plus they were always away. he he. no, seriously, i will.

Beantown de mi corazon

So I'm back home in Boston, as my friend Eunice would say, "chilling like a villain." It's good to be back to my bed. I missed it. It's weird how certain items just become a part of you even if they happen to be annoying and squeaky and all. :0] I just posted some pictures from DC. No, the place has more than flowers and plants, but I'm a flower freak, what can I say. I have more but some of these are my favorites. I figure I should not overload my poor blog with flowers. It's bad enough as it is. Hope you like some of them. Besos!

shy orchid

botanical cafe

wild aloe

Sr. Lincoln himself... well statue

Lincoln Memorial

fuente WWII memorial

patitos

orchids in shadow of blue

hot hoja

yellow

green

ji ji

hidden capitol

spider cacti

botanical gardens

con Magdalena y Camilla... cool peoples, totally cool.

Thupten, Mag, Erin, Chris & Camilla @ Citron

you just got 'junked'.. ji ji

it's so funny when you create a whole different reality and other people believe it. freddy, you fool, i'm in no mental institution in DC due to a mental breakdown. i'm just away for a graduate certificate. sorry, i couldn't pass the opportunity to lie. i hope you believed it. it was fun.

anyway, my program is almost over and I'll be flying back home at the end of the week. this weekend was pretty fun. i went out with some people from my program on Saturday nite. during the day i did the whole sightseeing gig. national mall, smithonian museums, white house, capitol, etc. etc. it was exhausting. i walked for ever. the highlight of the day was buying a hotdog from a vendor right in front of the Lincoln memorial. it was just such a great feeling. the mundane and the sublime--the hotdog, that is. just kidding. i love those moments in life when something so simple is mixed with something that in this case represents greatness and life-changing events/people.

i'm enjoying DC and could totally see myself living here. i even found an awesome church, and honestly that is the second selling point after the international development scene. let's see what the future holds for me. this is such an exciting time for me. so many possibilities and options. for the time being, let's see what my last week here holds.

the weather has been very nice lately. not that much humidity. it's been good. the program is still good. i'm enjoying it. there are so many interesting people; so knowledgeable.

Live from DC

This is such an interesting experience. I'm taking classes at Gallaudet University, which, according to their website, "leads the world in undergraduate liberal arts education, career development, and outstanding graduate programs for deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing students."

It is mind-boggling to be in a place where the majority of people communicate with sign language. It is kinda weird but I guess I can say what I know what someone who is hearing impaired feels like when they're out on the street. It's like a parallel universe to a certain extent.
I'm taking the school shuttle everyday from the Metro station. Except for some music being played by the driver and a random sound coming from someoneÂ’s mouth the vehicle is silent. I canÂ’t help but stare sometimes in trying to decipher what they might be saying because I find it fascinating. Back in High School I tried to learn a bit of sign language, just junior year lunch hour for about a semester, but it really didnÂ’t work out. It was very challenging to restrict myself in that way; relying on my hands and facial expressions to convey a message.

One of the coolest things about being in this environment is that it breaks so many stereotypes for me. For some reason when I saw deaf individuals on the street talking and such I had the impression that they might be lacking something. In my mind there were all dorks who spent their Saturday nights alone and reading CC on TV. I know, I know thatÂ’s horrible. While staying at Gallaudet I have seen so many, many hip, super cool looking people. There are the sorority girl-type chicks, the punk-looking folk, the athletes, they geeky-looking ones, the freshmen, etc. It is like any regular university just a bit quieter.

ItÂ’s awesome. I love this. ItÂ’s amazing how I came here to learn about project management and along with it have had a completely different personal experience. Obviously this is not the only change but itÂ’s one I never expected. It is always great when your views about a particular group change by just learning more about it. I have a completely different sense or awareness and respect for the deaf. Man...

I'm back!... no estaba muerta, andaba de parranda.

It’s been a while but I’m back. Needless to say I can’t catch up with all the time I’ve been gone but I am just going to start with what I’m doing. So, I’m in DC for the month of June-almost for the whole month. My stay here is due to a certificate program. It’s been an interesting experience so far. My first week ends this Friday.

I’m hoping that I’ll be doing some sightseeing and connecting with some people who live in the area whom I’ve not seen in a while. If you’re in the area and want to hang out for dinner one day, just give me a buzz or email. I’d be delighted. I have to go now but will keep posting as much as I can about this wonderful new location for me and my impressions.

Besos y’all.

wow... it's been a while

i can't believe it's been so long since I last wrote anything here. it's been almost two months, no? anyway, life it's good I've been good. let's see... in february I went to Seattle for the first time. it was lots of fun. i went with my friend Bianny. he is a great travel partner--will totally use his services again if the need arises. :) Seattle is a great place we had tons of fun.
in early march i had my wisdom teeth taken out. that went surprising, almost disappointingly, well. i was expecting all this pain and drama; to have my mom pamper me and other people treat me like a princess. i got none of that, none of it. i didn't even have to take the pain killers. so i have them here for a special occasion. he he. what else... oh, i lost a friend. no, he's not dead, we just fought, but it's one of those times when you know that things will never be the same. it was because of something very silly, in my eyes, but apparently i underestimated it. it is very sad for me because i really care about him as a friend and i though we had a good, solid friendship. unfortunately, i was wrong.

now onto this weekend. on friday i went with Gonzalo to see Cesaria Evora in concert. to my surprise--and total satisfaction--the opening act was performed by none other than Seu Jorge. I was in heaven. I love his voice. anyhoo, the place was packed. according to Gonzo's estimate there must've been about 1000 to 1500. then we went back to Lawrence and had some chimis w/batidas at this street vendor. it was hilarious. there were these dominican dudes there that just made the end of the night great. on saturday, i went to see the Inside Man with Pablo and I have to say that it was not what I expected. the movie dragged a lot, and I'm usually a pretty lenient movie critic but it was kinda boring towards the end. today was a beautiful day here. i woke up late, darn daylight savings stuff, and missed church. :( then my friend Euni came over and we had lunch at out favorite japanese rice bowl place. then we came here and look at some Cuba pictures that i finally got from my trip in 2004. later, i went for a long drive. went to the Arboretum in JP. what a gorgeous place. i had never gone to the side i went today. it was beautiful. i was able to walk for a bit, clear my mind and enjoy a couple of ducks bathing in one of the ponds. birds chipping, tree leaves and flowers slowly coming out. it was very refreshing. then i drove through Roslindale, Milton, and Dedham. on my way back i stopped at trader joe's and got to brie, crackers and fruit for dinner. yum.

it was a good day. ahh... now i'm getting ready to end it and start my work week tomorrow, which also reminds me i have a french paper to write. boy, i better get going.

lots of luv!

Did you know?"

We picked up one excellent word," wrote Mark Twain in Life on the Mississippi (1883), "a word worth traveling to New Orleans to get; a nice limber, expressive, handy word—'lagniappe'. . . . It is Spanish—so they said." Twain encapsulates the history of "lagniappe" quite nicely. English speakers learned the word from French-speaking Louisianians, but they in turn had adapted it from the American Spanish word "la ñapa." Twain went on to describe how New Orleanians completed shop transactions by saying "Give me something for lagniappe," to which the shopkeeper would respond with "a bit of liquorice-root, . . . a cheap cigar or a spool of thread." It took a while for "lagniappe" to catch on throughout the country, but by the mid-20th century, New Yorkers and New Orleanians alike were familiar with this "excellent word."

Hmmm...

Made dinner for some friends at Yajaira's yesterday. It was a Middle Eastern Soiree--whatever that means, with me as the cook that is. I made tabouleh, salad, chicken with cilantro, lemon and figs, sautee 'rooms. It was good, so they said, all nine of them. And it has nothing to do with me asking them to say so. I had a good time. It had been a while since I cooked for other than myself. It feels good to feed people. Afterwards, we went to Jowa's Lounge. It was a good night with lots of old and new friends. I had an interesting conversation with Pablo towards the end of the night which kinda made me think about my life and where I'm going. I was just venting to him--poor thing, just tyring to be nice by engaging in superficial conversations--and came up with all these things and frustration. Anyway, I should probably apologize but frankly I want to pretend that I might have been a bit tipsy and blame it on that. FYI, I was the designated driver so it was not the alcohol, I am really frustrated. :(

It will pass. Let's see what the week holds for me.

Superbe!!! J’aime le cours de français. J’ai pensé que je ne pouvais pas parler/comprendre rien mais je peux. Je peux !!

I’m so happy. I went to my first French class this semester (Intermediate Francophone Cultures) and it was awesome. I love my teacher. My teacher last semester was great but this one is so much more personable. The books we’ll be reading seem quite interesting too. I can't believe I'm actually able to read books in french now. This is so surreal to me. Sweet! I’m a total geek, and I luv it.

Á bientôt!

busy beginning of the week. my pt job started a new program to give away free stuff so probably people will be calling left and right soon. i've almost lost my voice from hawk-like noises I kept making all Sunday trying to wake up my sister and then just having fun for the rest of the day. i'm paying for it though, but it's all good. it's snowing and cold but for some reason I feel happy inside--to the extend possible. God is constantly on my mind and I need to acknowledge certain things. it's tough growing up but i also appreciate the changes i see. life is full of wonder. it's a good feeling to know you know nothing. :) really.

Friday night, Spicy Richard and I went to dinner and then for a movie. It was a perfect Anna's taqueria stop followed by a Starbucks visit. Then we went to the movies; the selection: Munich--it was his time to pick. I still don't know how I feel about this movie yet. Well, I know but anyway. We ended up arguing until about 2am on the whole Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It was interesting.

Chow-down weekend

This is too funny. I have spent my weekend eating with friends--God Bless them. It started with Southern BBQ w/Richard on Thursday. We went to Red Bones in Davis Square. They sat us by the kitchen counter--after a 30min wait--where we could see all the action. All the cooks were Latinos, of course. According to Richard one of them was smiley friendly to me and that's why we got the free Buffalo Shrimp & Catfish appetizer. It was funny, all of the sudden he hands me this plate and I say, "We ordered this? We didn't." The guy was just like, "Here, here, take it, take it," so I did. :) Friday night, after a failed attempt to get a table at Veggie Planet, Molly, Anne and yours truly went down to Irunha in Harvard Square. We had an ok Paella and wonderful conversation as always. Saturday, it was Melissa C's birthday so I took her to this Dominican restaurant in Lawrence calle Bali. We pigged out. First we had a Presidente and a Bali picadera, which is fried meat (chicharon, longaniza, chicken, beef, etc.), plantains and salad. Our waitress was kinda flaky but very sweet. It was a nice time to catch up and talk about lots of stuff, from work, love, careers, people, everything. I love that girl. She's so genuine. She also let me taste this herbal remedy thing for stress and I think I'll be getting it. I seem to be getting stress-induced migraines lately. Arggg...

moving on, Sunday, I went to church with my brother's friend and my sister. Afterwards, we stopped at Tripoli's for some good Sicilian pizza and cannolis. It was yummmm....
Finally, Monday--a holiday with no work, Yay!--I went for sushi at Inaka with Eunice. It was a good late lunch and of course the owner of the place could not go unnoticed with his jokes. He's this funny--sometimes borderline obnoxious Korean dude who every time I go there HAS to say something about something. At one time I remember having a pimple and the went, "What happened to your nose" or something like that. It was funny, I don't remember what I replied I said something I thought was funny but came out a bit mean. He he...

After all that eating, I'll try to have a healthier week in terms of eating. Let's see how that goes.

By the way, I'm so excited about my French class. I can't wait!

It's all good

I’ve been feeling kinda crappy lately but there isn’t really anything to pinpoint. The only thing I can think of is “the future”. It’s very stressful to ponder on what the future holds for me. I know what I want, I kinda know where I’m headed but still there’s this sense of anxiety to just get there already. I dunno. Maybe I’m just feeling the aftershocks of my quarter-life crisis. Anyhoo, on a brighter note, I am planning a trip to Seattle for mid-February with Yajaira’s cousin, Bianny. I don’t know if it will work out because he can be a bit volatile in terms of sticking to plans but we’ll see what happens. If he ends up not going then I’ll go by myself. I’m taking charge! He he…

tuesday breakfast

So this morning I’m stepping out of my house and find myself with a very interesting sight. My street was deserted, which I guess it’s normal at 8am but anyway. The only thing I could notice is that on both sides of the street there were these green bushes next to the trash barrels. Mind you, today is trash day for my neighborhood. It looked like one of these futuristic movies where there has been some apocalyptic-type event and the only things left are you and the tossed Christmas trees from the recent holiday. I thought it was kinda weird. Seriously, 8 in 10 houses had a Christmas tree next to their garbage. It also reminded me of that Friends episode where Phoebe works at a tree yard and she goes crazy when the unwanted trees were going to be chipped. By that time the weird feeling had gone away and I was just laughing by myself as I walked down the street. It was definitely I interesting start to my morning. J

The whole Christmas tree tossing fest also made me think of what might be things in my life that I tree like that. For a while they’re the center of my attention—all shiny, beautiful and special—but then they just die and I toss them to the curve. I definitely have many semi-ephemeral things in my life but then don’t we all. Anyway, maybe this is a weird conversation to have before breakfast but I can’t help it. I must have ADD or something, my mind just wanders…

pearls of wisdom

"Horniness weakens your hand--both figuratively and literally."

my friend, Spicy Richard

me through quiz (3): I can be a "domineering tyrants", yay!

Main Type	Overall Self

Take Free Enneagram Personality Test

Scale (%) results:

Enneagram Test Results Type 1 Perfectionism 54% Type 2 Helpfulness 66% Type 3 Image Focus 46% Type 4 Hypersensitivity 30% Type 5 Detachment 66% Type 6 Anxiety 50% Type 7 Adventurousness 78% Type 8 Aggressiveness 78% Type 9 Calmness 66% Your main type is 8 Your variant is sexual

Take Free Enneagram Personality Test

me through the quiz

You Are Sam From "Benny & Joon." You are very talented at physical comedy. People are in awe of your abilities. However, you have many quirks which can either win people over or completely annoy them. But you're a sweetheart through and through, and it's hard not to love you.

Take The Johnny Depp Quiz!

How nice of them! Isn't this a wonderful way to start my Tuesday morning as I lay in bed with bronchitis? Yay! No, really I'm sick. This sucks. The cough syrup makes me dizzy, but I don't have to go to work.
I have decided to take a quiz weekly to see how they truly define me. I think it's going to be fun. I hope I remember. The first one was, "Are You Evil Enough?" which is here somewhere. The second one is this and I love it. Johnny Depp is one of my favorite actors and I love Sam from Benny and Joon. Perfect!

...

I just read this quote from the Washington Post, via Amazon.com, as I looked for information on this book I am buying, The Turks Today. It is quite amusing when thinking about things in terms of veggies. Anyway, here it goes.

If countries could be vegetables, Turkey would be an onion. Every time you take off a layer of skin, hoping to get to the core, you come across yet another skin.

otra semana lluviosa

Pero bueno, esta súper rico para leer en cama. Lo que por lo visto he hecho bastante este fin de semana. Estoy leyendo un libro por Antonio Skármeta, La chica del trombón. Me encanta. Para mí, es un libro sobre tantas cosas y al mismo tiempo sobre nada. En fin, aquí va un pasajito que me gustó:

Y entonces vino la consagración. Sé que nuestras vidas están hechas de indiferencia. De retazos de pequeñeces con las cuales nos contamos un cuento. Que los años corren sin sentido desbocados en la penumbra de los tiempos y a eso le llamamos nuestra vida. Hasta que una rendija de luz se infiltra y no sabes cómo dentro de tu casa está físicamente el sol.

It’s worth translating this quote from a book I’m reading at the moment; The Girl of the Trombone by Antonio Skármeta. It sounds better in Spanish but the English still conveys the message, I think.

And then came the consecration. I know our lives are made of indifference. Of remnants from smallness with which we tell ourselves a story. That the years run without direction overflowing into the penumbra of time, and to that, we call our life. Until through a crevice the light infiltrates and you do not know how the sun is physically inside your house.

Chau!

I'm SO psyched!!

So Thursday before my French class I went to Crate & Barrel because there were two things I absolutely needed to get:

1. Mini Prep food slicing thingy

2. Egg Poacher: these are my favorite

I went home after class and made myself two wonderfully poached eggs with a sautee mix of spinach, portabello 'rooms, baby tomatoes, shallots and balsamic vinager. I managed to cut myself while trying to assemble the thing but it was worth it. This was just heaven! Plus it's so tiny...too cute.

Next day at work I found out that Courtney loves poached eggs too. So, one of these days we'll have ourselves a Egg Poaching Party. Fun, eh?

Miss Molly

I cannot believe that she copied a pic from my Friendster profile and used it for her blog. That woman... she's too cute. It's a funny pic too. Even if I'm making a weird face while riding the bus to NYC in June, I can't hold it against her. He he

bus ride...

Mi madre! I took the bus from Brookline to Harvard Square after going to Party Favors to buy some darn stars for camp decorations--yep, going to Bible camp. I never take the bus, never. But had to take the #66 to save time. Five words: I am never having kids. Arrrgggg...

Care for Keith

Keith is the son of Pastor Polischuk, who oversees a church in Everett that I sometimes visit. A couple of months ago he had a very bad car accident:

A Life Changed in an Instant

In an instant, the world changed for Keith Polischuk and his family. On the evening of June 12, 2005, Keith suffered a serious spinal cord injury after suffering a shattered cervical vertebrae - the result of a tragic diving accident. In that brief moment, Keith's life was transformed and he awoke to a long and difficult road to recovery.

If you get a chance and feel that you may want to help the Keith and the Polischuk family at this difficult time, please check out the website: Care for Keith. Thanks.

Hablando de fútbol ...

Bueno, pues resulta que estaba leyendo sobre Maradona y lo que esta haciendo ahora de haber estado en rehabilitacion en Cuba por problemas con coca--y no la vecina. Tiene un programa especie Talk Show donde tuvo a Pele la otra noche. Ha de haber sido una super charla. Que dos leyendas, ¿no? Luego me fui al sitio de BBC para ver en que anda mi Manchester...pero que va ni tiempo tuve. Entonces, de vuelta en vuelta me he encontrado con esta encuesta que esta de madre. Me mori de la risa... De acuero a ella no soy hombre, pero eso ya yo lo sabia. Sobretodo esta mañana que tuve una cita con el doctor para un papa...ujum...olvidenlo.

http://www.enplenitud.com/nota.asp?notaId=5384

¡A reir!

Darn it! I definitely need an air conditioner...

It's been hot around beantown the past couple of days. Well, today it's raining like crazy but that's New England weather for ya. There's been a lot of thundering and lighthing, which I have to admit scares me a little. The a couple of weeks ago it was so bad that my housemate had to come from the 3rd to the 2nd floor to close the windows and such. I was so scared that I stayed under my covers--even though I'm the only with the bedroom on the 2nd floor. How wimpy is that?

Anyhoo, this weekend was good. I got a bit of unpacking done. The best part was to be able to chat with my dearest Becca. Girl, you're totally, like absolutely, awesomely cool. I miss ya a lot too. Hope the rest of your birthday was great.

The end to my Sunday was hilarious. Molly and Jessica could not get Anne's car so that we could run some errands and then go somewhere fun. Apparently, Anne had left her keys in the mailbox for Molly to pick up, but Vanessa--Anne's housemate--apparently took then and was no where to be found. So M&J called me afterwards to go to Tim's--about a block from my house. There we had yummy Redbones BBQ dinner--which we had delivered even though it was pouring and they happen to *bike* deliver, but I think they drove. Anyhoo, it was good. Then we watch Old School. That movie is soo funny. I know lots of you make fun of me because if it's got no subtitles I probably won't watch it but I have to say I think I'm buying Old School. I give it 4 stars.

Wow...this is definitely one of those long-ass meaningless posts--not that any of them are *supposed* to have earth shattering messages. Ok. Bye.

De regreso...

Last night I went to see a really cool show at the BCA Theater. It's called Slanguage and performed by Universes, an ensemble of performers from the South Bronx. Lots of movement, word, rythms and ghetto-life anectodes filled with hope, anger, and reality. It was good. I went with Blair. She is pretty fun to hang out with. We had a great conversation while having frozen yogurt at this South End cafe. By the way, I'm offically addicted to Carro Cake frozen yogurt--but only from Podima Cafe or Armsterdan Cafe, until I find another place where they make it the same. :) Despite the box office giving me the wrong time and we having to kill two hours because we missed the first performance, it was worth the wait. They even mentioned some of my favorite US-Latino poets like Miguel Piñero. I liked it. This is my third time going to that theater this season. I'm planning on getting a membership. Let's see how that goes...

Sad days...

I am not a fan of news every night or watching much TV period--except for a novela once in a while and Pimp My Ride reruns when I call in sick to work. Anyway, but I was truly shocked to hear that Peter Jennings had died. I never watched the guy or followed his work but for some odd reason I was truly touched by his death. He seemed to be a man of integrity and great character. He appeared to the very humanistic. Something in the way he spoke that made the news much more bearable--when I happened to watch.

At work, the part-time gig that is, it has been a weird week. People call in asking for resources to quit smoking and various callers have mentioned his death. It is sad because technically it was a sort of suicide--he brought it on himself for smoking for so many years and poisoning his body that way. Nonetheless, it is sad to see how people are afraid of dying but many of them feel completely powerless when it comes to quitting. It is such a hard addiction to break. We had a very emotional supervision meeting. A couple of my colleagues cried. It was somewhat touching although I could not really empathize as much, for although I was touched, I wasn't that touched. Let's hope that smokers have been touched by his death and make a decision to quit despite of how hard it is.

June Report

I know, I know. I've been a little MIA from the blogging action but I have valid excuses. I think. The month of June has been great. It started with a nice trip to NYC where I got to reunite with some awesome--and I mean awesome--college friends and some other people. It was lovely to see everyone again after many years and be able to hang out while catching up on all the changes that we as humans go through. It was quite a refreshing trip although I had to give my poor liver a month vacation after all the fun. ;) I have posted some pictures below. I think they're fun...

On another note, I got a promotion at work so now I am--as my dearest Annie calls me--jfb mgr. I am one of two department managers and that is just too weird. It is going to be a somewhat challenging experience that I am welcoming with open arms. People have been extremely nice and receptive, especially my colleagues who were my peers before but now I am to supervise. It is going to be an interesting transition but a positive one I believe. The past couple of weeks have been draining just because I am still carrying my old workload while we find a suitable replacement for my old position. Overall, I am very happy and looking forward to the professional growth that this will bring me.

It's that time of the year again and I am looking for new housemates/apt. I know I said I was not going to move again in a while but I guess I can't keep my promises in terms of that. In my previous life I must have been a gypsy, I tell ya. It is taking its toll on me and I am extremely tired of doing this every 10 months. It feels as if I should just plant my roots somewhere and stay there. That is the only thing that's making me sad for some reason and although it is stressful it's really not that bad. There is something about having to pick up again and leave that confronts you with how vulnerable one can be when there's not true home for you. I'm probably channeling other frustrations into this but it is, as I said taking, its toll on me. I'll be OK though. :) The prospect of moving in with new people and learning new things from them as well as sharing our living space sounds very exciting. It's a bittersweet experience.

Well, that's it for now but I'll try to keep this updated as often as possible.

Besitos!

This is our college friend Dana with his friend Lisa. Such great folk.

Rooftop at the Met. I could not resist taking a pic of the cocktails with Central Part view in the back. Don't they look yummy?

Me with my friend Yajaira and her cousin Bianny--who gives the best massages ever--having some drinks at DRK.

...

Whatever you can, or dream you can, BEGIN IT.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.
[Goethe]

*sigh*

Mr. Webb was delicious to listen to. He was just great. And his friend playing the mandolin was awesome. They have such stage chemistry. Amazing... He played "Top of the World" and it just melted my heart. Plus that indie-with-preppy-touches look and semi-dirty-five-o'clock-shadowish-almost-messy-haircut style along I just love. Anyhoo, it was lots of fun. The cafe had lime squares and tea--yum yum. Later!

can't wait for Friday

Yay! The girls-Anne, Adrianne, Kate, Courtney- and I are going to see Brian Webb on Friday. He is such a cutie and sings so so so sexy that it makes your knees a little weak. Yezzz, Mr. Brian-yum yum-Webb. I can't wait. I'm so excited. This will be my first one of his shows. Ay....me da algo.

Awaiting my butterfly...

Happiness is a butterfly, which, when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.

Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1804-1864, American Novelist, Short Story Writer

Molei molei molei molei...

These are two of my favorite ladies ever. Aren't they just cutie pies? Yes, sir indeed. My lovely Becca and Ms. Molly Cath at Redline on New Year's Eve 2005. I didn't even know this pic was out there--had it not been for my dearest Eschliff using it for a birtday card. Hmmm, I didn't even remember it so I might have been a bit tipsy by then... ;)

Next time we need to make sure to get Annie in the pic too! Muuuuuah...

mi cumple...

Ok, so I'm officially older today. My birthday was great. I got tons of wonderful birthday wishes, great phones including one from my dad trying--this being the operative word in the sentence--to sing happy birthday both in Spanish and English. I also got awesome e-mails from friends far and near. Such a bunch of nice people I have as friends. Since I had a killer cold I got to stay home and read a very nice book that Molly lent me. I was having a good ol' sweet time. Here are some birthda poems I got...

The first one is from my dearest Eschliff. Who along with it, left a delightful hand-officemade birthday card signed by my co-workers and friends.

A Birthday Poem by Ted Kooser
(the email also contained a pic of Mr. Kooser himself--such a jolly looking fella)

Just past dawn, the sun stands
with its heavy red head
in a black stanchion of trees,
waiting for someone to come
with his bucket
for the foamy white light,
and then a long day in the pasture.
I too spend my days grazing,
feasting on every green moment
till darkness calls,
and with the others
I walk away into the night,
swinging the little tin bell
of my name.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This one was from Graig, with his sensitive poet soul. He said, " I tried but failed to find the original Spanish piece. I had read these words earlier this year, and today thought it appropriate for both budding spring and remembering birth…" So sweet...

Last Night by Antonio Machado

Last night as I was sleeping I dreamt a marvelous illusion
that there was a spring breaking out in my heart.
I said, "Along what secret aqueduct are you coming to me
Oh water, water of a new life that I have never drunk."

Last night as I was sleeping I dreamt a marvelous illusion
that there was a beehive here in my heart.
And the golden bees were making white combs
and sweet honey from my old failures.

Last night as I was sleeping I dreamt a marvelous illusion
that there was a fiery sun here in my heart.
It was fiery because it gave warmth as if from a hearth
And it was sun because it gave light and brought tears to my eyes.

Last night as I was sleeping I dreamt a marvelous illusion
that there was God here in my heart.
God, is my soul asleep?
Have those beehives who labor by night stopped, and
the water wheel of thought, is it dry?
The cup's empty, wheeling out carrying only shadows?
No! My soul is not asleep! My soul is not asleep!
It neither sleeps nor dreams, but watches, its clear eyes open,
far off things, and listens, and listensat the shores of the great silence.
It listens at the shores of the great silence

- Aprendi sobre a Noite Escura - disse ela para a floresta, que agora estava silenciosa. - Aprendi que a busca de Deus e' uma Noite Escura. Que a fé' e' uma Noite Escura.

Brida, Paulo Coelho

hmmm hmmm hmmm

Hello! So, this has been a good week. Lots of new things happening to people around me and the air seems to finally be bringing the Spring. Ahhhh...a couple of nice sunny--although still a bit cold--days for good ol' Beantown. It's all good.

I've had a very interesting and exciting end to my week-at least to me. While browsing through Amazon.com I decided to buy a couple of books by Paulo Coelho. So, I called Schoenhofs in Harvard Square and Viola! they had them just as I wanted. I was determined to buy them in their original language (Portuguese) and put to use the semester of it I had taken at the Cambridge Adult Learning Center. To my surprise, I have read the first two chapters of Brida, and I have understood everything, except for a couple of words here and there of course. Anyway, being the dork that I am, I have been beaming since I got them. It's so sad...

The gracious Huntington Theater gave me a couple of tickets to go see Cultural Clash in AmeriCCa. A Latino male trio that mixes stand-up comedy with skits and culturally/socially charged performances. It was a great performance and we laughed our butts off. A very nice end to my Friday. If you get a chance to see these guys, don't miss it. They're from L.A. but the tour around the country and are truly hilarious.

On Saturday, I worked at the Try To Stop call center and towards the end of my shift I had a couple of good calls from people wanting to quit. It made me happy. Then, to top it all up my mom, brother and sister came Saturday afternoon to bring me some roses, food (Dominican arroz con coco, bacalao y gandules...yummm), and a very cute balloon for my birthday which is Tuesday. They are just too cute. Then we watched a Dominican movie, Perico Ripiao, which I had not seen and they all kept telling me what was going to happen to then correct themselves and try to fool me by saying, "Bueno, yo creo..."

My weekend has indeed been nice, although I have a really bad cold--borderline Flu-- and we have no hot water in the apartment since Sat. night. Read these words carefully: NEVER, ever, try to take a shower with cold water when the temperature outside is 35degrees. Never... Unless you want your nipples to fall off--almost. Brrrrrrfffff.

But what the heck, I can't complaint. I feel happy. I'm ready to call in sick on Tuesday--this time because I'm really sick. Then, I shall enjoy the advent of my 26 years in bed reading a nice book. Life is good...

a bit MIA lately...

Hello! I've been a bit MIA lately but hopefully I'll be back in business soon. For those of you who have asked or talked to me about my little family crisis, everything is fine now. For those of you that didn't know, I had a couple of stressful days in terms of some issues with my grandmother's emotional health. Everything is fine now and it seems as if the storm is over. Please do keep me and my family in your prayers.

I am doing fine. As always working lots and trying to have as much fun as possible in the process. News? Nothing is really new except that I have recently become obsessed with Greek yogurt/honey. That stuff is the best... even with 250 calories a cup.

Any who, much luv to everybody. Until next time.

Soil...

Speaking of wines and vineyards, while in visiting wine country in California this part January, I mentioned to my friend Molly that I wanted to be a migrant worker. I know it might sound funny--as she also does and 'till this day laughs when I say it--but I truly wanna be one. Anyway, there's something about working with the soil that seems very appealing to me, so next time I get a chance I'll do my best work at a farm. It sounds like a liberating experience. Ahhhhh.

This is snap I took while visiting wine country. It isn't it purty? So relaxing. That was a nice walk.

Hola...

This was a good weekend, half low-key, half semi-low-key. Friday I went to the Rock en Español party at TT & The Bears. The band was great with a pretty cute lead singer, although she seemed kinda seemed a bit uptight. I had a couple of drinks and went back home to sleep like a baby. Saturday was pretty much uneventful. Sunday too, except that I went to see Sideways with my friend Spicy Richard. Then we went to Anna’s Taqueria for some food. He liked it and we have officially agreed to try at least a new restaurant for him every month. Next one on my list: Addis Red Sea—supposedly great Ethiopian food.

Right before we went into the movie theater we had to find a parking space. Richard has this small, red sports car which he was kinda bragging about being able to park anywhere because of its size. It turns out that as he is bragging and parallel parking the car we see the white car in front of us moving. He goes, “Am I doing that? Am I touching?...” We realized that he had scratched the white car and left the scene as quickly as possible, found a parking space around the corner and could not stop laughing for about 5 minutes straight. My face, my mouth, my stomach, everything hurt. We are so silly…

In terms of Sideways, the movie was great. I enjoyed it very much. It is funny enough to make you laugh at the right times during the movie but not one of those silly ones that just make you scratch your head and go, “Uh?” The characters were the perfect combination of misery and craziness, both females and males. I recommend it for one of those days were things are just not going right. You will either laugh and forget about your sorrows, OR you will commiserate with the main character who exemplifies your typical depressed, dorky loser, which will definitely make you feel better because you know you ain’t that bad.

Ok, then. Bye!

darn it!

I miss Annie... That little punk left for Thailand and now I have not breakfast sandwich buddy--except for Jim Bianchi, but that's another story.

A Chinaman of the T’ang Dynasty—and, by which definition, a philosopher—dreamed he was a butterfly, and from that moment he was never quite sure that he was not a butterfly dreaming it was Chinese philosopher. Envy him; in his two-fold security.

Guil, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard

It's Monday...again! I had a nice weekend though. Nothing out of the ordinary just laziness--somewhat. On Saturday it snowed all day, those were pretty chunky-looking flurries, so I stayed in bed until well into the day. Then, I cleaned by room and rearranged some furniture. Sunday, my friend Anderson picked me up to go to his church about 45mins from here. What I pleasant surprise was to find that we were going to be babysitting his nephews Nasciah and Jonathan, 7? and 1.5 respectively. That little experience reminded me why I love other people's kids but shiver at the thought of having some of my own anytime soon. Although to my disbelief I think I'm pretty maternal. Anyway, then we went to the Celtics' game at the FleetCenter. That was kind fun.

Sometimes it seems as if my days just unroll and there is nothing to be expected but to go back to bed and wait for another day to start. I definitely need to find something to spice things up a bit. Maybe I should start watching Emeril or something. Today I mentioned to a couple of my co-workers how simple things like finishing a painting or sitting down to enjoy a nice CD while sipping some wine have become somewhat unattainable luxuries due to lack of time. I find myself wanting very, very simple things—whatever they may be.

Right now though, all I want is a simple pillow. He he he.

Random thought on the effects of guayaberas

There is something about boys in guayaberas that makes me “giggle”. I don't really know why but I think those shirts are the epitome of masculinity and sexiness. I find it extremely attractive to see a guy with a guayabera on. Oh boy! Now, if we are talking about the ultimate sex symbol: an attractive, older man with some salt & pepper hair wearing a nice guayabera, then...I need a minute here. Wow.

Anyway, I just thought about that. So, next time you see a guayabera, think of me and let me enjoy it vicariously through you.

Oh, by the way, for those who don't know guayaberas are those embroidered Cuban/Mexican shirts like the one below. This is a rather fashionable but still, it gives an idea.

Later!

My dearest Bex... "Ani lo yodaat."

Becca-

I did not forget to check the Jewish joint right in the middle of Chinatown in San Francisco. It was awesome. Well, I didn't go inside but it definitely is an odd place to have such a restaurant. What a mélange of cultures and cuisines to say the least.
Anyway, I took a pic to show it to ya but since it seems like we're not seeing each other soon, here it is. It's all yours dahling. You can even see the gate in the back---if you pay really, really close attention that is.

I miss ya lots! Kiss kiss...

OMG...how can people get so hooked on smoking?

So, by now many of you know that I have a new part time job in a smoking cessation program. It is mind-boggling as to how people get hooked on smoking and canNOT quick even when their lives are in jeopardy. It is crazy! I get calls from people who have an oxygen tank next to them and I can hear them wheezing but cannot stop smoking. How susceptible can we be to "simple" things like smoking a cigarette...and then two...or four...or ten...or 40 a day until it becomes so big that it kills us? Sorry, I just got back from work and can’t stop thinking about certain things.

Anyway, I had a great weekend—very relaxing and couchy. I really needed it. Saturday I spent all day in bed enjoy my covers… ahhh, what a life. I listened to some great music and even got some cleaning done. Go me!

Annie, Annie, Anne has left for Thailand and I miss her already. Actually I just spoke with her but still. She’s such a sweet girl! I can’t wait for her to get back—she said she’ll bring presents. Yes! No really, I’ll miss her dearly for the month she’ll be gone.

Kiss kiss.

The Gatest at Central Park

So, about two weeks ago I decided--all in one day--to go to NYC and see The Gates as well as visit my wonderful friend Karen in NJ/Philly. Although they had been widely adversited, I didn't think the famous Gates were going to be that big of a deal. When I go there that notion completely changed. Maybe it was the walking all by myself in a somewhat strange city or the fact that for that one day I could do anything I wanted and reinvent myself any way I wanted. A sense of relief overcame me as I walked around snapping pictures and looking at families, friends, couples, in&out-of-towners, everybody walk around fascinated with these flowing, orange pieces of cloth.

The onludating movements of the cloths caused by the wind brought about this sense of peace amidst the commontion of the moment. It was a very interesting feeling that might sound insignificant but as I was not expecting much it was a pleasant surprise. It just made me realize how simple things such as the sound of flapping cloths against the wind can have such a soothing effect for a somewhat tired soul like mine was at that moment.

With that said, I hope you enjoy these pictures. I am only sharing a couple but I think that is plenty. There's only so much orange your eyes can handle.....=o)

Holding Hands Orange...

SF

Fuzzy gates...

Sunny Gates

Snowy Gates...

Gates & Snow...

Tengo miedo...

Tengo miedo. La tarde es gris y la tristeza
del cielo se abre como una boca de muerto.
Tiene mi corazón un llanto de princesa
olvidada en el fondo de un palacio desierto.

Tengo miedo -Y me siento tan cansado y pequeño
que reflojo la tarde sin meditar en ella.
(En mi cabeza enferma no ha de caber un sueño
así como en el cielo no ha cabido una estrella.)

Sin embargo en mis ojos una pregunta existe
y hay un grito en mi boca que mi boca no grita.
¡No hay oído en la tierra que oiga mi queja triste
abandonada en medio de la tierra infinita!

Se muere el universo de una calma agonía
sin la fiesta del Sol o el crepúsculo verde.
Agoniza Saturno como una pena mía,
la Tierra es una fruta negra que el cielo muerde.

Y por la vastedad del vacío van ciegas
las nubes de la tarde, como barcas perdidas
que escondieran estrellas rotas en sus bodegas.

Y la muerte del mundo cae sobre mi vida.

Pablo Neruda

Thanks Ivan...

Answer to the "Am I evil?" test

You try to stay away from evil deeds but succumb to
temptation every once in a while. You aren't quite on
your way to hell but you certainly have some explaining to do.


Such conforting words...

So it takes me a little while...

I just had a bittersweet weekend. While I blast away "Show Me How To Live" by Audioslave, I figured I should vent here since all my other flushing devices seem to be out of order.

It's come the time to make decisions and stick to them. I am so bad at sticking to things I said I would do. As Molly and Anne would confirm--for those of you that know us all-- I can never follow through with plans. I'm always changing dinner plans, movie plans, traveling plans....it's a curse. Anyway...

I think this is the time for that once a month crying session. It is so enigmatic how one can be completely control-less when it comes to certain people and things. Today, i am sad. As you can see this Blog isn’t about useful information. It is not about funny things, although you might find one or two around here eventually. It is about me letting the world know how I feel—be it crappy, happy or snappy.

There are some people I would really like to be with right now--bet it together or individually. If you're one of them you probably know that you are. It is so much simpler to be with you guys and forget things. I truly appreciate your friendship because you make my world a better place when your auras are around mine.

Honest, i promise to post at least once a week and keep track of things. i promise.