The Return

It sure has been a while since I've blogged, even though the topics have not stopped popping up in my head.  Therefore, I figured why not put this site under construction for a bit, gather some stuff and get back on it. So ta-daaaa!  I simplified the template a bit to make it visually clearer and now I hope to get back to one of the things I truly enjoy: writing (aside from reading, of course).

I'm going to dedicate this post to answer the question that quite a few have already asked me since February...why are you not active on Facebook any more? Well, ladies & gents, an answer you shall receive.

For a few months now, I've had this internal storm brewing about social media. Yes, I know it's ironic considering this blog is a type of social media outlet, but hear me out for a bit. This internal storm as I'm calling it, made me start to look at social media in a different way.  When this phenomenon started (MySpace era), the main purpose was to communicate with friends, relatives, even long lost school mates.  As time progressed I started to notice the decline in the "original" purpose for these sites.  Fast forward to the time of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Insta-Whatever is out there now, and all you see is people complaining about dumb shit, all of their check-in's, endless & useless photos, and drawing this picture of their amazing life when in reality their life sucks donkey balls. Now, I do admit I have in the past partaken in some of these things but thankfully realized what an idiot I was. Perhaps I was caught up in the frenzy as well.  I tell people there are no needs for psychics anymore. Why? Because people put every damn thought that crosses their minds on a social media outlet. At this point, the main comment I'm tempted to put on every status update or photo is "who the fuck cares?!" or "Are you kidding me? I know you very well, your life isn't that great." It also behooves me that something that can be such a useful tool is not being used for more positive things! I mean, how much better would our society be if we posted things such as an upcoming Walk to Raise Cancer Awareness or Alzheimer's Awareness instead of checking into your own damn house? Seriously, if you do that, you're asking someone to come and rob your possessions, but I digress. Why can't we use it for more positive things?  Is it really that much easier to pick apart someone's life and talk trash behind their backs (or via their comment section)? Or to pretend you're having so much fun by posting continuous status updates and photos, because if you're truly enjoying life so much, you wouldn't have time to be posting crap every two minutes. I say that if such websites exist, lets all do something good with them. You have no idea how much your life can improve or even help someone else out.

In addition, the second main reason I dropped it like a bad habit was because I started to notice that people, or so-called friends, were keeping up with my life through social media versus actually picking up the phone and saying hello. Heck, even an email would be nice every now and then to see how I'm doing. If you miss me so much, why the heck aren't you contacting me? So I figured, I would put this to the test. A little over a month, and a total of 3 (yes 3!) people contacted me. It was quite nice to see that not everyone has lost the art of communication, that is not through a screen. Oh how I wish people would put that darn phone down and talk to those right in front of them. Cherish the relationships you have before it is too late and they are gone. Look at the world through your OWN eyes and not through the other side of screen. I can assure you it's so much nicer connecting with people face-to-face.

Hence, I have decided to use my current Facebook, Twitter & Instagram account for the good only! There might not be daily or even weekly updates, but from time to time I'll post links to new topics on my blog, upcoming events that are worthwhile for you/family/friends/kids, etc., book reviews, awesome recipes or great restaurants to try. Maybe I'll start a revolution! Ha-ha, ok so not much a revolution but hopefully inspire others to do the same.

That is all for now. Peace & love <3
-A

An Open Letter To The So-Called Friend...

The other day, my friend Alina had posted a great photo on Instagram with the saying "If you drop your girlfriends as soon as you have a boyfriend, you will live to regret your decision."  Immediately, I could only think of one person.  I decided to no longer pursue this so-called friendship with said person or even say anything else.  Their time in my life was just a seasonal thing and the fact that they no longer care to have me part of their lives just proves even further they weren't that great of a friend to begin with. Therefore, here is my open letter. I needed to vent and perhaps some of you can relate...

Dear So-Called Friend,

I don't easily get fooled by people but deep down inside me I always knew you were a flake.  How? By your lack of ever making a decision on your own, by the fact that you can't ever stand to be alone, or even the fact that you can't handle when someone calls you out on your bullshit.  The moment your darling, piece of shit, ex-boyfriend left you, you figured what a great opportunity to hang out with my single gal pal, Arlene.  Anything you wanted to do I was game for (except for hitting a local bar for the 57th time in a row).  Yet, I considered you a friend of mine, always tried to give you the best advice, even though you never took it and wondered why shit never went your way.  You would even go as far and complain to me about your BFF who didn't care to hang out with you as much because now she is part of the "cool married people's club", and you after all, were just a single girl. Yet, one fine day things changed for you.  You met some guy and immediately became his girlfriend. Just one look at this poor soul and I knew you settled, because darling you hate being alone. Now, did you as the so-called friend call to tell me about this new person in your life? Nope! You kept it quiet for some strange reason, it was like practically pulling teeth. When I tried to inquire a few weeks later how things were going with said new beau your reply, "it's ok", was more than enough for me to know for sure you settled. Then I realized even further why? Because now all of a sudden your BFF wants to hang out again! How wonderful is that? I will even go as far to say that now you too are also part of the "super cool girls with boyfriends club" and have completely forgotten about your former single gal pals.  Well my dear, I can only wish you and that poor guy the best of luck. I hope others see you for who you really are, a total flake and phony friend.  In the meantime, I will sit back, enjoy my life with my real friends, and wait for karma to do her thing because when  life decides to hand you lemons, this gal's schedule will not have time to help you make lemonade.

Ciao!

So here you are 2013...

Summer time is finally here and I'm on the most blissful vacation ever: I'm kid-free...until August that is! It's been quite a while since I've posted anything on to my blog so I figured I would briefly catch you all up. 

January: Something happened but can't remember. I was probably stressed and working.

February: Something else happened, I was very happy but little did I know that shit would hit the fan two months later. More work, more stress!

March: I finally went to London & Paris. It was absolutely f*cking freezing in London. How ironic is it that I've never seen snow and the one time I see it is overseas.  London was too cold, the rain sucks ass, the people were nice but their food was pretty gross. Glad I did it, but don't care to go again.  Paris: Ooo lala!  Gorgeous city (can't same the same for most people), the food was splendid and the wine was out of control! It definitely is the city of love. On this trip I realized #1: I definitely caught the travel bug and #2: I will never travel with children again overseas, or even across county lines.

April: Finally saw Kenny Chesney in concert..on a beach...never doing that again. I also realized that when something starts up too fast and seems too good to be true, it DEFINITELY is too good to be true. Guess who has no time or patience to deal with guys who can't man up to their mistakes? This gal!  Pa' la mierda! If you're still doing high school shit and getting fucked up on anything, go take your stupidity somewhere else! I hope your ass gets caught in some drug bust. Let's see how "awkward and embarrassing" that conversation will be.

May: Incredibly delirious by this time, counting down the days until my present vacation.

Well, that's all I can think of now that's happened in the past few months. Stay tuned for more posts :)

-A

Goodbye 2012!

For the exception of the final work week before I went on vacation, 2012 has flown by faster than a sneeze!  It feels like just the other day when I was eating my grapes and throwing back champagne at my friends house and I'm back again there tonight!  Therefore, in order to continue the cliche of what we all have learned and are thankful for, here is my 2012 wrap up...

Let me start off by thanking the good Lord for my health and my family's health.  Some days are easier than others and sometimes I just want to run out the door screaming to the top of my lungs (some of my close friends know why home life is stressful at times). Overall, if it wasn't for my mom's strength, I'd have a meltdown every week or so.  I am thankful for my parental unit, with flaws & everything that God has put in our way.

Moving on, I am very thankful to be able to get up every morning (even if the moon is still out) and head to work. My career is the most frustrating, hilarious, exhausting but never dull experience, work-wise.  Sure I'm underpaid compared to most jobs but I can definitely say I get so much more out of it than someone making 6 figures and who can never crack a smile at work.  Those kids sometimes can ruin my day or make it the best ever! I know I'm making a difference and that is all that matters to me.  My co-workers (at least those I'm close to) are some of the funniest and down earth people I have met.  It's a select few but I am very thankful to have them close by, especially when the kids are bouncing off the walls.  I teach, read, color, explore, investigate with kids! My job rocks!

This year was truly a testament for friendships.  I've managed to get rid of people who were only bringing negative things into my life.  I've gotten closer to other people who have become great friends of mine. In all relationships, I have learned so many valuable lessons and I am thankful, even if some ended on a sour note. People come into our lives to teach us many lessons. This teacher shall never stop learning.

I can say I was so incredibly lucky this year to have taken off of my "to-do" list two things: go to Washington D.C. & Italy!!! Our nation's capital is so beautiful and never have I felt more proud to be an American (with Cuban roots) standing in front of that White House.  Hmmm...I wonder if the Obama's wouldn't mind renting me a room there? Then there's Italia. What can I say about Italy? There's not enough adjectives to describe Rome & Vatican City. I don't think I've ever wanted to cry, smile, jump for joy as much as I did on that trip.  My next venture: London & Paris 2013 with students! I'm gonna need some baby Jesus blessings for that one.

As for my love life, well that was lackluster but interesting to say the least. Let's see, this year I've managed to meet not one but two fucktards who claim I was too "gringa/cracker/white" and another moron, whom my friends and I have coined "Rocks", because that idiot was dumber than a bag of rocks!  Oh and who can forget "Raj"? Thank you Jenny for making me laugh so hard that night by giving him that name. It suits this guy perfectly!! So perhaps 2012 wasn't meant to be my year of love. No worries because I had more than enough stories to last all year round!

Now I wonder, what is 2013 going to surprise me with? Hopefully more of the amazing moments from 2012 but with less rocks (oh please noooo rocks whatsoever!)

-A

The Case of Being Too White

An entire summer has gone by and once again, no posts from yours truly. Though fear not, for I have plenty of material to produce a few of these entries.  But for now, a quick one for ya'll...

I was born in this great U. S of A  and my parentals are Cuban. Raised on black beans, rice and platanitos maduros, I never really went around singing the Cuban national anthem (even though I know most of the words to it) but I do answer, when asked, that I'm American, specifically Cuban-American.  It has come to my attention that if I'm not spewing Spanish all the time, including in my text messages, I'm considered too white (or gringa).

Yes people, this curly hair, brown eyed, Spanish speaking, bean loving gal is  too white according to TWO guys I recently met.  The first one was on a date. To make a long story short, the guy wouldn't stop speaking in Spanish and when I replied in English, he said I sounded "very white".  He then asked how strong the force was with me. At this point I'm thinking he's referring to Star Wars. I ask, "the force? What force?". Of course, he was referring to how strong was my Cuban force, how much I identified with Cuba. I guess my answer lead him to really just believe I'm the biggest gringa ever.

The second case was another guy I met at happy hour. Once again, the Spanish talk begins and I reply in English (mostly because I feel more comfortable with it). He asked where I was from, blah blah, the entire explanation again, he starts to talk about his trips to Cuba (which I have no interest in) and there he goes, "Wow! You're so white, like a cracker. You're Cuban, you should be happy speaking in Spanish." At that moment, even though he was cute, I was totally over talking to Mr. Cubanaso.

Don't get me wrong, I am proud of where my family came from and I will bust out with my Spanish every so often, but if I'm talking to you in English it's because I feel more comfortable speaking English. The only acceptable time to say I'm white is when you're referring to my lack of a tan!

The $20 Story...

These past two weeks have been of great learning and deeper understanding of peoples true colors.  As I began my 31st year of awesomeness, it became quite clear that one never ceases to stop learning.  Unfortunately, I thought  I knew enough on the subject of friends and what a friendship entails...I was wrong.  Nevertheless, I am thankful for every situation, good or bad, because it opens my eyes more to those who surround me.

My grandparents were pure geniuses! Yes, those humble, farm folk knew so much about life and they managed to instill good knowledge upon their kids (all 8 of them), which has in turn passed on to us, the grand kids.  My grandfather always had a saying, "Amigo? Yo no creo en amigo, si no $20 en el bolsillo" (translation: Friends? I don't believe in friends, I believe in $20 in your pocket).  Apparently, $20 in your pocket is a bigger guarantee than the friendship many people promise to keep.

Last week, as I was ready to celebrate my 31st birthday, I got a cold, hard punch as to who my so called friends are.  Now I can't judge all of them the same, but some really surprised me and not in a good way.  It's so funny to me how when people are down in the gutter, they would  immediately seek me out for comfort, company or just to shoot the shit every so often.  I, in turn, knowing what the definition of friendship is, would be there for them. Not just in the good, but also in the bad.  As it turns out, the actions aren't always reciprocated. I've had various people tell me how we should all "stick together" (especially the single people), yet those same people no longer pick up the phone or say, "hey, let's go get a drink".  Those same people who would call me to complain about their friends being too bitchy, issues with men, or girlfriends not pulling through for them, etc., are the ones who seem to be missing in action.  Or the people who apparently can't make decisions for themselves anymore because they are in a relationship or married, they too have forgotten how to maintain a friendship.

It turned out to be a shitty night of what was supposed to be a fun night.  Yet, not all was lost.  A few reached out to me and offered to listen to me. One even went as far to continue following up with me for a few days to see how I was doing until I finally vented.  I will be eternally grateful to that person because they know what it is to be a friend. 

I learned a valuable lesson that night, which I'll never forget (because Lord knows A LOT of things are going to be changing). As for those who have shown me their true colors, well they can go fly a kite because clearly $20 is worth more in my pocket than their presence ever was.

My First Marathon...sorta!

Anyone who knows me, knows that I do NOT like working out.  I'd rather take a nap or go on a cleaning spree than making my lazy behind go to a gym. Speaking of a gym, I have a membership. Last time I went: can't remember! So I just consider it my monthly contribution to maintain the facility for those who actually attend.

Last Thursday, April 26th, the annual Mercedes Benz Corporate Run 5K took place in downtown, Miami.  Well, yours truly was convinced by her boss to attend this event with other coworkers. I didn't have much time to train but I figured 3.1 miles is no big deal. After all, I can probably do more at a mall!  The place was packed with about 22,000 people, many of whom actually took this running business way too seriously.

Well, I am happy to report that yours truly, along with her Westland Wildcat Troops, completed the marathon...even if most of us walked it.  By the second mile, I thought my legs were about to fall off. I'm still convinced that it was more than 3 miles.  As of right now, I have no idea how I'm going to survive the Disney Princess Marathon next February!  Why am I doing that marathon? Because my boss and my coworkers have suckered me into it. (Plus, my Jefa is quite a riot at these events, so it makes it much more interesting).

So there you have it folks, I did some form of exercise! Not sure if I'll keep it up or if I decide to pay the gym a little visit again but I'm keeping my hopes low so as not to be disappointed! Ha-ha!