Yanira

Sometimes when I meet someone new and tell them that my niece has Down syndrome, the first response some folks give is “Awwww. I’m sorry.” I really want to say to them “Sorry for what?”

There is such a huge misconception out there that to have Down syndrome means to have a limited, lacking life; but nothing could be farther from the truth.

My 10-year-old niece is the happiest, funniest, and most clever kid I know. It baffles me that some people go as far as aborting an unborn baby upon discovering it would be born with Down syndrome. That’s an insult to the millions of people worldwide living with Down syndrome, including my niece. It’s communicating to them that their life is not worth living. Yet, already, this little kid has taught me so many life-lessons and has such INCREDIBLE potential for her future.

So the next time someone responds with “sorry” when they find about her, I will respond “I’m sorry for YOU because you don’t know how fantastic it is to have someone that wonderful in your life.” 

Natural Hairstyle for Work

Follow [Insert Creative Title Here] on Pinterest!

"I think that there should be bars tailored specifically to women. A place of solitude where they only serve Cosmos and instead of sports, there would be a constant feed of episodes from Sex and the City."

Vote! Vota!

New Natural Up-do

Live How you Want to Live

Mi Corazon <3

Atacames, Ecuador 

Dear Qwertasdfzxc,

This is a letter I wrote in 2010 to my best friend back home while spending a semester abroad in Ecuador.

(*Names have been changed. Qwertasdfzxc is not a real person no matter how cool that name sounds):

_____________________________________________________________

Dear Qwertasdfzxc, 

Thanks for writing me back so quickly! I miss you lots… 

Thanks for saying that I’ve got control because I made the decision to come down here and made it happen. Yet since I arrived, I’ve realized that, dag, I don’t really want control over my life. Not saying that I don’t want to have a life with direction or purpose, but what I mean is that I’ve always tried to have control over my life. I thought that if I had control, then I could have security since I would know where my life was going and I would not have to worry. It was like, if I have control over my life, then I am in control of myself. I can subsequently control my destiny, my future, blah, blah, blah. But you know I’ve realized that damn, Qwertasdfzxc, controlling life is exhausting!! Planning and replanning and worrying and stressing and manipulating things around takes up so much energy. And most of the time, the outcomes which I thought I really wanted, what I really toiled over, weren’t always what was best for me. So what I’ve learned is that it’s much easier to give God all the control. Because when He’s in control, I don’t EVER have to worry. I don’t have try to figure out my future, my destiny. I don’t have to worry about outcomes because I know that HE ALWAYS knows whats best for me, better than I know whats best for myself. I used to always want that control because I would be afraid. Afraid of what the future may hold, afraid of what would happen if things don’t work out the way I planned. But now I’ve come to the realization that if I am in control in my life, then I SHOULD be afraid because I could lead me down the wrong path. But with God I don’t need to be afraid because ultimately I know He has my best interest at heart. So I have learned to kind of go with the flow and not get so upset when things don’t go my way. Everything happens for a reason and maybe the things I planned are not always the right things. So I’m trying harder not to plan every second of every day. I’m not saying, I’m going to be completely reckless and make stupid decisions, I’m just trying to acknowledge that I don’t need control to be happy. I still have a long way to go in truly trusting God, but at least I’m on the right path.

Ok, ok, ok, I’m sorry I went on a half-page long rant: I know how you hate to read, especially letters from me so I will stop. Lol. 

Ecuador is really nice. It’s a very pretty country. The weather is more or less always nice especially in the city, Cumbaya, where my school is. Did you see the pic I tagged you in? I will post all my pics eventually when the internet doesn’t act up (which it habitually does). But man, the pics don’t do it justice. On my way to school,  I can see all the mountains; peaks and valleys, all literally breathtaking. Everything is so green. Hummingbirds and butterflies hover around every single day. Two weeks ago I went to the beach and that was sooo nice. We were on a private section of it and the clubs we went to overlooked the beach so we actually got to dance while gazing over the waves. Never experienced anything like it…But the resort where we stayed is like a paradise. So is my campus at school. So nice.

I had to switch host families because the first one didn’t really give me food. But I really like my new family. And my host sisters are so nice. They are in their mid-20’s and I hung out with them a little this weekend. It’s been hard to meet Ecuadorian friends here in the city because they mostly keep to themselves so I primarily hang out with the American kids. They are cool…

I have been trying to find some good tunes for you but so far, I’m not sure you would like anything because it’s mostly like reaggeaton and salsa (not Qwertasdfzxc’s favorite music) but I will still keep an eye out.

Classes are dumb. Sike nah, they aight . I don’t stress too much about them because my grades don’t transfer (later discovered that my alma mater gave me the wrong info and my grades did indeed transfer. Luckily, I made out with all A’s and one B. Go me). I still try my best though. Sorry buddy, I have not found a wife for you yet but I will keep my eye out for her too. Thanks for reminding me that my main goal here is to find her for you, ha.

Ugh, omg why are you so emo? You do have love. Everybody around you loves you, stupid. You don’t have to have a romantic relationship to feel love. Ey let me tell you something that really hit home with me during a class discussion last week. The class was discussing the fact that many Ecuadorian young people our age still live with their parents until marriage. One of my American classmates said that she is grateful to be in the US because she has the opportunity to live on her own and be independent. She said in between the years of leaving home and getting married, you grow as a person. I meditated on that for a while. Because I’m like you, to a certain degree, but with better taste in music lol: Some days I used to get sad,  impatient, or lonely because I haven’t yet met “him”. So I would live with this mindset of constantly waiting on “him” and I would grow impatient and longed to meet “him”. But then I realized, reverting back to my earlier revelation on control, I know that eventually I am going to be with “him” and I’m going to spend an entire lifetime with “him”. So wouldn’t it be a waste of my “free years” in between leaving my family and before meeting “him” to constantly spend them desiring and being impatient to meet “him”? I would rather spend them living it up, each moment to the fullest. So don’t think about “love” because when you meet “her”, you will spend so much of your time (and your money) on and with her from there forward. Don’t you want to indulge in revelries of the single life while you still can? So forget about it, because you will meet her. Trust me, I know these things. Are you listening to me?? Nah you aint!

 Ok, I love you too. Ciao. 

Mi Problema

A.Word.A.Day

with Anu Garg

writer’s block

PRONUNCIATION:

(RY-tuhrs blok) 

MEANING:

noun: A usually temporary psychological inhibition preventing one from proceeding with a piece of writing.

ETYMOLOGY:

After the term ‘block’ or ‘blocking’ used to describe obstruction in mental processes resulting in an inability to do a certain task. Earliest documented use: 1950.

NOTES:

The writer’s block has been described as the situation when your imaginary friends won’t talk to you. But this condition is not limited to fiction writers or even to writers. Here’s the composer Rossini’s advice on this matter:
“Wait until the evening before the opening night. Nothing primes inspiration more than necessity, whether it be the presence of a copyist waiting for your work or for the prodding of an impresario tearing his hair. In my time, all the impresarios in Italy were bald at thirty.”

USAGE:

This writer’s block is terrible. I don’t know how to get the story to flow again.”
Tina Leonard; The Renegade Cowboy Returns; Harlequin; 2012.

Explore “writer’s block” in the Visual Thesaurus. 

Source: wordsmith.org 

Psalms 37

Psalms 37 is my favorite scripture in The Bible.

I like it because it gives me strength and reminds me what it is that I’m working towards.

 It starts by saying, “Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong. For like plants, they will wither. Like green grass, they will soon die away.” 

That helps me remember that even though sometimes when people think they got the best of me, I can hold on to the knowledge that their season is only temporary and karma always comes around. It also teaches me to not always admire those who seem to have it all because you never know what is in their heart.

Then it says “Trust in the Lord and do what is right.”

That helps me remember that when it seems everyone else around me is doing wrong, it is still my responsibility to do the right thing and honor God. Even when it’s hard. Not saying that I always do the best job at it :) But this part also says to trust God. So I trust God to forgive me when I fall short, just as I try to forgive others. Furthermore, this verse helps me remember that when things seems void of hope, God is still in control and will use those situations to show just how glorious He is.

Now this last part is my absolute favorite. It says “…and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, and the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.” 

That helps me to remember that one day, my hard work will pay off and God will recognize what I have done or tried to do to bring honor to His kingdom. That alone is my motivation to keep on going when I want to quit-and those days are many. 

So when you get a chance, I encourage you to read it. Download The Bible App on your phone though YouVersion or iTunes. It can help you like it has me. I guarantee it.

Raices

Viejo San Juan

Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard

Frederick, MD 

Lo mas rico en Little Havana, Miami

Del Techo

NYC

Del techo

NYC

Condado

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Children's Museum

Baltimore, MD 

Little Havana

Miami, FL

La vista de La Virgen

Quito, Ecuador 

Fried platter at Georgia Brown's in NW DC

For the Love of...Ceviche

      I love ceviche. I mean like I LOVE ceviche. Sometimes I think, scratch that…I KNOW, ceviche is one of God’s greatest gift to men. And women. For those of you who aren’t familiar with ceviche, I feel sorry for you. But I will still describe it for you out of pity. It is essentially a cold soup with a burst of kick-assness (Sorry, I don’t know a synonym for kick-assness). A wondrous blend of seafood; typically shrimp or fish, lemon juice, cilantro, onions, and some other flavors (which I am prohibited from sharing under official decree from The Ceviche Preparers Club).

 

Anyways, what makes ceviche soooo delicious is the diversity of bursting flavor. And the best way to eat ceviche is to top it off with tostado (toasted, seasoned corn nuts). THAT is heaven.

 

At the risk of sounding cliche, America is a kind of ceviche. After watching the Democratic convention last night, I remembered what makes America what it is—its the diversity. The blend of races, cultures, ideas, beliefs, religions, ages, languages, backgrounds, experiences, and history with a couple of NUTS on top—-the differences I miss when travelling to other countries that flaunt a more homogenous make-up. If ceviche only consisted of lemon juice, it would be too bitter. If it was only shrimp, it would be too fishy. Only tostado and it would be too nutty. The essence of all these ingredients are enhanced when they are mixed together. 

 

Just like the USA. Now stop reading and go eat some ceviche (preferebly Ecua style).

El Espejo

I was recently reviewing an old article from my Abnormal Psychology class about mental diseases that affect the elderly. I came across an interesting quote about this old man who walked crookedly until his caregiver held up a mirror up to him so that he could adjust his position: 

“One often sees Parkinson’s patients sitting in the most grossly tilted positions, with no awareness that this is the case. But let a mirror be provided, so they can see their position, and they instantly straighten up.”

Sometimes we need a mirror held up to ourselves in order to see the real truth.I just saw my reflection and felt a little like those elderly patients. 

It’s so easy to get off-balance, off-center, when outside circumstances start to affect us. We forget to check with our reflection, to remember who we really are and become so easily swayed,tilted in another direction, in a different position. In times like those, its so vital to remember to check in with a mirror. Someone who will help you “check yourself” and will show you that you need to get back center. A mirror can be a friend, a family member, but the best mirror you could possibly is God. He will offer the most honest reflection and His Word will guide you how to get back on track.

That’s just my two cents.

*PS-El Espejo is Spanish for “mirror” :) 

Love and War and the Thin Line in Between

Tape. Tape. Where did I put the tape? Scotch. Masking. Double Sided. Clear. 

For I want to tape your mouth shut. 

Sweet wails of sirens ain’t got nothing on your crescendos baby, 

When you hit those high notes that I cannot swallow in that measure

It’s now a tennis match of cusses and regrets;

Of why do ya’s and why dontcha’s

Try to get the ball in the other’s court.

Your words

In a boxing ring with my words

With my heart

And I think I’m going down.

The referee starts to count, 

10,9…

That’s when I think, “Maybe we’ll come out fine.”

Silence fills the void of screams. 

I’m not talking to your ignorant so-and-so ever again

I hate you!

JK

I love you. 

My Sound of Music

Notes harmonizing surrounding trebles and clefs.

Beats fill voids of nothingness.

Horns of blue pervade amplitudes of loneliness.

Orchestras sing tunes heavenly. 

Crescendos and accelerandos. 

Amplify

Beauty, enrapture, love. 

Love, enrapture, beauty

Amplify 

Accelerandos and crescrendos

Heavenly tunes sing orchestra. 

Loneliness of amplitudes pervade blue horns.

Nothingness of voids fill beats. 

Clefs and trebles surrounding harmonizing notes. 

Don’t let Hesitation Prevent you from your Destination

Hesitation is the topic of today…wait…omg…I can’t believe this…I CANNOT believe this. Please tell me I’m not sitting here on my iPad HESITATING what to say about hesitation. What am I hesitating about and why? Am I stuck on what to say about it? Am I just afraid of what people won’t hesitate to say about what I write?

The  root of hesitation is fear, apprehension, and worry. And all those things suck. We are worried about making that next career move; we are apprehensive about getting too close with that new guy or girl out of fear of being hurt again. We feel that hesitation can stall or prevent possible negative situations from ever crashing upon our shores. But in reality all we’re doing is wasting time. The seconds, minutes, hours that we spend wavering in decision land are lost moments that could’ve been spent…living in faith.

You see faith is hesitation’s kryptonite. The root of faith is trust, love, and hope. And those things are awesome. Yes we may be afraid, worried, and unsure about the decisions that remain before us, but if we trust God and have the faith that He won’t let us fall, then we won’t hesitate to leave hesitation in the past and take hold of the future.

I am my hair

I am my hair.

I am a rebel.

I refuse to lay flat in perfect formation.

I am an individual.

I am not as tall as her.

I may not be as thick or strong as she.

But I am still a part of a beautiful doo.

I am magic.

I can change my form like I change my clothes.

Somedays I am curly.

I draw into myself, hiding my face from you.

I am ashamed of my faults.

Today I am bone straight.

My head is held high.

I am proud of myself and my roots are proud of me.

I do not forget them for they hold me in the place that I stand now.

And I dare you to try and gel me down.

Do not do it.

I can stand on my own, need no help from some slick talking Motions or a deep, rich African Pride.

Tomorrow I will be wavy.

My systematic curves entice you.

Give in.

Come run your fingers on top of my seductive shaft.

My body hits high and low notes from the temple to the nape of the neck.

But watch it!

Do not to try to mold me into a ghastly bob or tacky bang.

For I do what I want.

Do not try to straighten me out.

I will snap right back at you.

Do not try to cut me because

I will come back stronger and faster than before.

Do not try to hide me in a wig or stifle me with weaves.

I will be heard.

Though my ends may split,

I hold tight.

Though my ends may break,

My spirit will not.

Though you dye me,

My color still lies within and will not die.

I am my hair.

I am a rebel.

I refuse to lay flat in perfect formation.

I am an individual.

I am…

"here’s to the outcast who refuses to live out their life in a box
better said, a cube. 
with to-do-lists, Tuesday morning meetings with ill fitting suits
is life not more than daily 2- hour commutes?
i want a broader view than from a corner office.
-anon"

Esperar

It is kind of funny how “to hope”, “to expect”, and “to wait” are the same verb in Spanish:esperar.  Hm. Funny. Funny because when you think about it, don’t all three have the same significance? I mean once we hope for something we expect it is going to happen then we wait for it. And we wait…and wait. And wait until that “esperanza” becomes a reality. I really wish we had this singular verb for all three words in English because sometimes I forget the “waiting” part of hoping for and expecting something. I don’t know about you but I need things to happen instantaneously. I always fail to remember, however, that God does not operate on our time. A thousand years can be one second to Him or one second, thousand years. I like to think of it as Him being in a different time zone than us. Yes its midnight in New York yet its only 9pm in LA. But…
There must be a reason why we wait. Why do we not receive what it is we hope for instantaneously, exactly when we want it? When we feel like we need it. I have pondered over this question for quite some time. Why do we have to wait? For months, years. What is it that God wants us to discover during this waiting period? I think it is to prepare ourselves for what it is that we hope for. I offer an example:
Today Pablo has a terrible pain in his right knee and he has a desire, or rather he HOPES that the doctor will perform surgery to alleviate the inflammation in his knee tomorrow. So what does poor Pablito do? He walks from the front door of the hospital directly to the operating room. Apparently, Pablito is not too bright today. Because if he was he would know that before heading into surgery, there are necessary papers to fill out, payments to be made in the waiting room, as well as hospital robes and don’t forget about the anesthesia to be administered in the prepping room. So you see, Pablo can’t just jump from requesting his “expectation” his “hopes” to the doctor then directly receive them without first spending time in the waiting and prepping rooms.
So where does the analogy come in you ask? Very good question. I like you. Sometimes, well in actuality a lot of the time, waiting is necessary before actually receiving what it is one hopes for. Yes sometimes, it can feel like forever, they could keep poor Pablo in that waiting room for hours. But when you occupy yourself by focusing on other things, like reading an old magazine, (or in the case of real life, just to just enjoy yourself) the wait can seem a lot shorter. In addition, you may actually learn something from this distraction that could possibly prepare you for when you actually receive what has been promised. Waiting is never fruitless. For instance, Pablo could’ve read in that germy magazine that knee surgery is performed at its best when the patient is totally relaxed prior to administering anesthesia. Upon discovering this, Pablo may very well stop buy the hospital’s liquor store and buy as many items as he can to help him feel more…uh…”relaxed.”
And don’t even bother about complaining. Hey I worked in the restaurant business for quite some time and when people repeatedly come up to the host stand and complain about the wait, you already know what happens. Somehow their names “accidentally” get moved to the bottom of the list and may end up with something foamy inside their drink (ok not really but just work with me here). The point is that I’m pretty sure God doesn’t like it either when we complain about the wait because ultimately HE is the one who sees the list and knows that you are not even that far down. He just wants to be and sure you have the best seat in the house.
So I wish you peace, faith, and spiritual discovery as you “esperas” patiently. I know the Lord knows what you hope for and when you receive it, it will be better than you could have ever imagined. Just hope for it, expect it, and wait for it.

At the crossroads…standin in my chucks

If you live your life as someone else, who’s going to be you?
-A wise, wise person

Who am I?
Cuz I am not me 
Whose lenses am I looking through?
I think they’re the rong prescriptions 
Because my view is distorted
Whose footsteps are these that I am taking?
Whose path am I being led down?
Cuz its not my own.
Its not the direction my compass is telling me to follow
Whose sorrow am I wearing?
Cuz its too tight. Is it an extra small? Cuz I wear a XL.
If you knew the truth
If I could be honest with you
If I could let go
If you knew how I feel 
If I stopped playing in accordance with the rules of this God-forsaken game 
If I stopped being afraid,
I would break your heart 
But maybe my 
But maybe my glasses would be the right prescription and the steps I take in my pink and black chucks
Would be my own

HARPO spelled backwards is REVOLUTIONARY

The day before Oprah’s Farewell show, my mom asked me, “Alex, if you could describe Oprah in one word, what would it be?” I have to give it to her, that was a GOOD question (finally). So good, in fact, that it took me a whole day to come up with an appropriate response. At first I came up with a few words, but they all seemed too cliche. Like “Hmm, how would I describe the most powerful woman on the planet? Well, she’s….she’s amazing!! That’s a good word right?” That wasn’t good enough. Hell, I think Nicki Minaj is amazing (keep your thoughts to yourself) but I could not in good conscious put her on the same platform as Oprah. Then I thought “Oprah is the s***” Well she is!! The woman sends her whole audience to another country halfway across the world, tapes 6-7 shows a week, hosts the Oscar party and still makes time for her stud Stedman. I mean c’mon, if she doesn’t have an S on a vest on her chest, even when she’s a mess, I don’t know who does. But no, I couldn’t bring myself to use the “s-word” and “Oprah” in the same sentence. So I didn’t come up with a word until I found myself on the sofa the very next day watching the season finale. And it came to me. Oprah changes things. She changes people lives. She inspires people to change themselves and change the world. She is all about change for the better. Man, what’s the word for that…oh…REVOLUTIONARY.

That’s what Oprah is, at least to me, REVOLUTIONARY. I admire her because she gives me hope that one day I might find courage to help change the world. Yet I can’t imagine changing it as magnanimously as she has. But I would love to be a part of a revolution that inspires people to see the best in themselves and to use their inner power to REVOLUTIONIZE the world around them. Ok the end.