Saturday, June 29, 2013

Colombia

I finally made it to the place famously known for their coffee, or what most say, "the land of cocaine." Obviously I didn't come here for the drugs or even the amazing coffee, I came with my mom to visit family and get a taste of the country through so many different events. So far, I have jet lag and am in zombie mode, but come Monday, everything begins to happen.
Our plan is to visit family in different towns in Colombia, such as Zipaquira and Suarez. On top of seeing family, we aim to enjoy a few tourist attractions such as Las Minas de Sal and El Museo de Oro, which when translated means The Salt Mines and The Gold Museum. We also made the effort to go to Cartagena, one of the most famous parts of Colombia, I've never been there, but I am very excited to go!
Unpacking is done, the weather is nice and cold, unlike in Cali, and my family cannot wait to spend time with us!

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Proposition 8

Finally California is thinking straight! Not in the sense that they only care about straight marriage but in the sense that they are now allowing gays to get married! I approve of this change because slowly but surely the people of America are accepting the change I have longed to see. The change that most idiotic Americans refused to accept. The change that they wanted to deny is now broken even if was only in one area.
Change is something that must be accepted or else be killed by it. It has been said to me on more than one occasion that my generation has no respect (which is true) and that they are so moronic to the point where when we grow up we are going to back the wrong decisions that could potentially destroy the Nation. Talk about melodramatic. To be completely honest, my generation doesn't give a rats ass and won't make any real decisions. And even if we did, we'd be more considerate of other options and not be selfish to the point where we exclude groups of people.
At times I do despise my generation for their lack of awareness, but I have fai that they will make the rot decisions when the time comes. If we every need to decide on anything and America is so desperate for our opinion then maybe we will do something a about it. I personally am not going to help those desperate Americans because for so long now I have heard nothing but stupid comments on my generation and really idiotic decisions for the sake of America. I had lost respect for America but today they gained a little of it back with finally changing proposition 8.
Come to think of it, I had a long, heated discussion with a friend in middle school about proposition 8 and he was appalled that I was all for it. He, on the other hand, thought of it as a disgrace. One of my arguments to him was, "why deny a certain group of people their rights of freedom and equality in America by not allowing them to get married? It's like me not letting you wear that red jacket because it doesn't match your skin tone." sounds dumb but makes sense. Sometimes America does sound moronic and it's time to look good for once. Accept the change!

Thursday, June 20, 2013

What the love bug doesn't tell you

It's nice to meet new people. Today, I went to support my boyfriend while he was at football practice, but since I showed up an hour early I sat in the bleachers reading my summer homework for my AP class next year. When I least expected it, a father figure sat near me with his Nixon camera. When I caught sight of the camera I mentioned that it was a nice camera and from there a conversation emerged.
We talked for a while about the future, relationships, and so much more. He gave me some good tips to prevent any problems and how to fix them. Considering that he may be around 40 if not younger, he seems very wise and experienced. Eventually he realized who my boyfriend was and informed me that he had coached him when he was little. What a small world!
He was mostly impressed that I had been with my boyfriend for almost 2 years and that I was there enduring the heat just to support him. Almost immediately he knew that I was the "mature one of this relationship," but he was aware that my boyfriend had improved in his grades and in his form. We talked until the players came out and he went to work at taking team pictures. At the time I had the idea that my parents were going to show up, but I was wrong. After a while of sitting like a loner, the second game was over and everyone was waiting for the next one to start, so I took the chance to go stand on the sideline where I had seen other parents to get a better look at the scrimmage.
My boyfriend didn't like it. He didn't like that I was on the field, but what it really was was that he was embarrassed because his teammates were curious as to why I was standing there. I'm sorry, I thought I was doing the right thing by supporting him. It's not the first time he's complained. I had gone to support him while he played softball and he complained that I was distracting him by screaming and holding up a sign. Is there nothing right I can do? I had just gone through a conversation with a man that considered our relationship good since I had done so much to help him. Sometimes it feels like my efforts are not enough. And at other times it feels like all my efforts were a success. At this point I need to consider that before my boyfriend met me his grades were at an all time low, but now they're almost as good, if not, better than mine. Before my boyfriend met me he thought that drinking, beer pong, and smoking anything was the way you were suppose to experience high school, now, he does none of that. Instead, he's starting to see the other side and realizing that it's not as glamorous as people make it. More and more he sees that it's just repulsive and usually you don't even remember it. Before me, my boyfriend hadn't experienced love the way his grandma had loved him until he felt it again with me. Not to say that he loves me like a grandma, but I care as much as his grandma had when she was alive. Knowing that, makes me cry. Me and my family are the people he didn't really get to know. His life was completely different than mine, but somehow, we're still together.
In less than a week I will be leaving the country for 5 weeks, having almost no communication with my boyfriend. As scared as I am to leave, I know he will not betray me and I most certainly will not betray him. Everyone says it will be good for us. "Distance makes the heart grow fonder." Let's hope they're right. My fear is eating me up, but I know I am stronger than this. May God help me because I am deeply in love with this boy and it is nearly killing me!

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Stand up!

Recently I was browsing through Facebook and came across a video. It was a girl, maybe in her twenties, and she's part rapping and part singing. Her voice is good but her lyrics are so heartfelt and real. I fell in love with this song. If you are very interested the video can be found on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-mScJ9izqg.
The lyrics really make me think about my life and about others. As my boyfriend had pointed out before, I have the bad habit of talking badly of people behind their backs. It takes me some time to sit down and think: what if they had a bad childhood? What if their family effected them? Are their parents divorced? Have they been abused? Alone? It's better to think "What if" in situations where you want to strangle someone or mock them. It's obvious that I'm a hypocrite saying that I am fully against bullying and yet I talk this way without confronting them. Sometimes I have to talk it out and then contemplate that maybe something screwed with their minds.
I know this girl, let's call her Desiree, and she is my age, but our freshman year she was very popular for the wrong reason. Rumors spread of her sleeping with the entire football team, or leading them on. At first I felt bad, but after witnessing how many guys she was going through in such a short period of time I turned into the person playing along with bets of "how long this one will last." Despite myself, I loathed her. At a point, I wanted to be her, to have all that attention. Never would it happen, and luckily it didn't. Instead I met my current boyfriend and stopped being the huge flirt I was.
Right now I have a group of friends that I love to hang out with and one in particular is a girl, her name here will be Molly. Molly is the only girl I'm really close friends with since my last incident with a girl. Molly and I are so alike and it caught me off guard that we were perfect people to be friends with each other. What I learned presently is that Molly is close friends with Desiree; "homies." I took the opportunity to ask Molly why Desiree even did all she did freshman year. Molly didn't really have an answer but what she did tell me is that Desiree, "really regrets her freshman year. She doesn't really know why she did all that."
I sat silently for a while. Molly continued to talk to our other friend as I thought to myself. To think I wanted to be her at some point. She's not even liked anymore. She's known as the slut of the school, having a new "victim" almost every week. That could have been me.
I don't entirely know if Desiree stopped being the way she was, but by the sounds of it, she hasn't entirely stopped. The only difference is that it's more subtle. My boyfriend was the one who would update me on who she was flirting with now. It was interesting but deep down inside I prayed that she'd stop and think before she repeated her freshman year. Already I've made more than a hand full of friends (most of which are guys) and most of them have told me that they've either kissed or dated Desiree at least once in their lives. Most of them also tell me it was the stupidest thing they've ever done especially because she was the one to have played them; making them think that they had a chance when suddenly, it would all end.
Desiree's story, I have yet to figure out, but now I'm beginning to see a picture form that this isn't the person she wanted to be, it just happened, and now she "doesn't give a fuck" about what other people think and continues on with her life. At times, I am very proud of her for standing up for herself. For not caring. It's good sometimes, and it sometimes makes you stronger. Gays do it very often. I haven't had the pleasure of being friends with homosexuals, but I have been friends with bisexuals and they still have a hard time from other people. One of my friends even became suicidal thinking that it was all her that no one wanted to date or stay in a relationship with her. She got mocked a lot and nearly broke. Now, she's proud of her sexuality and I am proud of her because it's hard to be the odd ball. Standing out may be better than blending in, but sometimes it comes with a price.
Homosexuals, transgenders, and bisexuals are being mocked everyday. Whether it'd be cyber bullying or physical torment. A lot of these individuals struggle to stand up strong. I wish I could help but I can only say and hope that people listen. I bring no judgment to any relationship, friendship, or any other kind of "ship" there is, who am I to judge them? What if I was lesbian, or bisexual, or transgender? I definitely would not tolerate the constant torture and would need friends and family to support me, which is why I am the kind of friend I am. Once upon I time I was friends with people that were suicidal and I thought maybe I could help them change; I did all I could and still they did not change. I no longer have contact with them and I do not regret it. It took one day and a phone call to destroy my life.
Anyway, I like finding people that are fearless. People who stand up for a cause or something they are proud of and stand by it. Like last night's post, silent protesters standing up for an issue that should be considered are the people I appreciate the most. Me, I stand up for anything and everything, or anyone. You can count on me to be by your side, unless it's something dumb like a gang fight, then you're on your own! But here's my challenge to you: Be proud of who you are or who you're friends with. Be the the person who just doesn't care about those rumors. Stand tall and never forget who you are and what you stand for.

Violence

I met one of the most adorable child Saturday. Let's call him Nick. So Nick is no more than 4 and taught me something. It was my boyfriend's little cousin's birthday and her parents threw her a party with a jumper and amazing food. It was me, my boyfriend, my boyfriend's older cousin (not the birthday girl), and Nick. We were fooling around, playing with a gigantic ball and Nick of course wants the ball, begging us to give it to him. Suddenly, my boyfriend's other cousin (about 4) comes running in with another boy swinging foam swords around and begins to attack us all. However, Nick was not enjoying himself and began to cry.
After asking Nick what was wrong, he began to sob, "It's too loud." And almost immediately after he said that I got hit in the head with a foam sword and he cried, "STOP THE VIOLENCE! STOP THE VIOLENCE!"I yelled at everyone to calm down and just jump around, no more hitting. That was short lived and the evil little boys began hitting everyone again with their foam swords. Nick again began to cry, "STOP THE VIOLENCE!" It didn't really occur to me in the moment but when I reflected upon it later that night I realized that this boy taught me that already at a young age children are being taught violence. They hit each other and have wars that are all in their imagination, but look at the world now and those kids have grown to actually participate in wars.
Children, that are now fighting for our sakes. Fighting to keep us alive. I give my respects for the fallen. The following day I was listening to my music and a song came up that I always enjoyed listening to and I remembered that the music video for this particular song was of children in a daycare center reenacting war. There was the enemy and there was us, but only it was children and they literally went full out with the confetti bombs and Nerf guns. When I first saw the video I was intrigued and enjoyed myself watching this video, but now, it brings horror to my eyes. What have we taught our children? Anytime someone threatens us or shoves us we instantly go to war? It's what happened with Pearl Harbor and it's what happened with 9/11. Someone decided to slap us in the face but we decided to pull out the gun. Is that really what we want? I've written about senseless violence before, but now it's beginning to affect kids.
For more than 10 years kids have had to grow up without a father, or mother because that parent was either in the plane, the tower, or in the army. Why take away someone as important as that away from a growing child, it makes no sense to me, but it was all for the sake that America cannot look weak? Forget weakness, think smart! Anytime my friends threaten to join the army, navy, marines, or air force, I die a little inside. I don't want to lose my friend simply because someone else is scared of dying or looking weak. No, I want to keep all my friends because they are all good people and would change anyone's life for the better. No, I do not want to be informed that they were killed and that their funeral is nearby. No. People who volunteer are very brave but in reality, I'd rather die myself than see my friends slowly dwindle away.
And children, at such a young age, are being taught that violence is necessary and that their parents died for good reason? Living without a parent, a son/daughter, a niece/nephew, an aunt/uncle, a brother/sister, is better than dying? In my eyes, nothing is worth someone's death, whether for our side or the "enemies.'"
Tonight the news announced that there are protesters in Russia standing up against violence by not being violent. These people are just standing staring straight ahead unwilling to forgive violence. Yet, some people got arrested. Arrested for standing silent? Oh, God forbid that they stand silently! May the police arrest them all! Down with the silence!
Exactly, sounds ridiculous. People are texting and driving without a care in the world. People driving drunk and killing innocent bystanders. There are robbers, rapists, drug dealers, murderers, and so much more roaming the streets, but no, we must arrest the silent protesters! That's just not right. I'm starting to feel very ashamed of those living in this world now. Soon it'll be okay to commit crimes but not to blow your nose in public because there's a slight chance someone can catch a cold and DIE!
I am willing to stand up against violence and speak not a word at all until people realize it's as ridiculous as it seems. One day I will stand in the middle of a riot and stand perfectly still without saying a word in protest to all the violence. I am willing. Are you? Here's my challenge to you: Take a day to think about your opinion on violence and then stand by it without a second thought. Think of it as, "I will go to jail if I have to." Take a stand. Let's stop all this idiotic violence.

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Grow up!

It's been brought to my attention several times of America's stupidity and racism but today really put me over the edge. Sebastian de la Cruz is a young HISPANIC boy that is an amazing singer. I am very proud to share my heritage with him and most impressed at his talent because that is where I saw him for the first time. He auditioned for America's Got Talent and he really blew me away, especially for a kid his age.
What put me over was the controversy of him singing the National Anthem. This boy is a natural born American, but because he dresses like a Marriachi singer and looks Mexican, America is offended! This boy has every right to sing the National Anthem! Some say that it's because he's "a minor." That is, for lack of a better word, BULLSHIT. I am an acquaintance with a girl, my age (a minor) who has been asked several different times to sing the National Anthem for baseball games, hockey games, and so on, but not once has anyone complained that because she's a minor she should not be allowed to sing the National Anthem!
He's HISPANIC people, don't fear the race! Admit it! Everyone is just being racist and doesn't want to be seen in a country that likes the diversity of things. If you don't like diversity, move! All foreigners moved because they didn't like their country, or they were seeking the better life, we are not slowing you down! Don't like something? Change it? Don't like taking action? You're screwed! I for one am extremely proud of the mayor of San Antonio, Texas because he stood up, looked all those racists in the face and said "F** You" by asking Sebastian to sing again. You deserve it, America.
You chose to live in this country so deal with the consequences and discomforts. My family does it, my friends families do it. Anyone who has decided to move to this country deals with their surroundings. You should too. Don't try to start drama where you're going to loose. Anyone who likes the "traditional" lifestyle, take a look around. The world is constantly changing and is not waiting for you to catch up with it. Homosexuals, Transgenders, Cross dressers, Mexicans, Filipinos, Chinese, Taiwanese, etc. are living among us everyday! Not everyone likes it, but not everyone says so. Anyone who opposes is denying the world of change! CHANGE! YOLO! A really stupid concept of "You Only Live Once." I hate that concept but at times like these it makes sense. Why spend your life worrying about what other people are doing, saying, or being? Enjoy YOUR life and forget everyone else. Do what YOU want without worrying about what everyone else is doing! Focus on yourself!
There are times where I do not agree with what someone is saying or doing and most of the time I don't do anything because why should I spend my life concerning myself with other people's problems? Why spend what little time I have fighting with a group of people that will probably win anyway? The way I look at it, a lot of people are wasting their lives fighting the homosexuals, protesting those women who get abortions, calling out the crimes caused by police officers, etc. unless you feel like you have nothing else to live for, great, but you're taking away from others who are trying to focus on their lives and live it to the fullest. You're getting in the way of change. Change can be good, but you have to give it a chance. Here's my challenge to you: stop being racist, stop worrying about other people, stop complaining, just enjoy your life and do what you want.