Moonless Nights

I think that there are a lot of broken adults.  As children, they have suffered a lot of trauma.  They weren't taught self-love, they weren't told about their capabilities and their inner strength.   As adults, they struggle to put their lives together as they try to deal with everything else that's coming to them.  There's a lot of shit that happens in the world that we must overcome while trying to balance our lives to stay somewhat standing through the pain.  I also know that to a certain point as adults we are responsible for making our own decisions and getting out of the cycle of abuse and pain.  But how?  If we are broken adults. 

If you know anything about me, it definitely has to be how much I love Alessia Cara. Ms. Alessia Cara came to Indianapolis and I just had to see her.  It was amazing, she was absolutely amazing. Alessia brings joy and positivity to everyone with her music and her realness. She's very relatable and I really enjoy listening to her music every morning as I'm driving to work. Alessia sings about loving yourself, about being heartbroken, about being strong and just being who you are no matter what society says. She sings about friendship and love stories. She sings about being let down and not how it's okay that your life is not perfect. I feel like I know her personally because her songs and her videos are so authentic. If you just watch her videos you know exactly what I'm talking about. I love her and I'm glad I went to see her in concert.

I was watching "Just Wright" and I realized just what a great example Queen Latifah is for women. I think in this society where they say that being skinny is what makes you beautiful, she comes along to fight against the ridiculous idea that plus-size women can't be amazing and beautiful. Many times when we watch movies where the main character is plus size, there is always talk about her size. She is either being treated differently because of the way she looks or she is insecure of herself and then comes to the realization that what makes you beautiful is who you are inside. But with the characters that I see in Queen's movies, there is no focus on weight. They focus on the person, they focus on other and more important struggles that human beings experience like finding someone to love.

Page 3: "Good night now, and rest. Today was a test. You passed it, you're past it. Now breathe till unstressed."

I spent two wonderful days in Chicago with my co-workers. The city is beautiful and really hot in July. But nonetheless, I have a story to tell you. I met Leor Hackle, he played Julius Rottwinkle in Matilda. If you don't know this already, Matilda is my favorite movie. I think I have seen this movie over a 100 times in 2 different languages so far. But anyways, he was one of the presenters which by the way was one of my favorite sessions. It was quite interesting learning about social identity and how it's present everywhere. He did this cool thing where he played a game with us to prove his point, it was absolutely amazing! To get back to the story, I was having some drinks after the sessions and all of a sudden my co-worker Terrell tells me: "Hey, did you know one of the presenters was in Matilda?" That's when it all clicked for me. I knew exactly who he was! I went up to him and said: "Oh my God you're the kid with the M&M's!" I was way t...

There are places in the world that are deep within your soul; they have a place in your heart that forever smiles when you think of that place. That place for me is Puerto Plata in Dominican Republic.  Puerto Plata is my destination when I'm broken, when I'm happy, when I miss family and when I want to just sit and stare at everything that brings me peace. Every time I go, I find that part of myself that I love. It's so easy to get lost in routine and work. It's easy to forget that there's so much more to life and it needs to be enjoyed. It's the little things that matter. A sunset en el malecon.

Our last conversation Why can't I remember?  What did I say to you?  Was it something kind?  Did it in any way make you feel just a little bit better about life?  Was I negative?  Did I hurt your feelings?  Did I in any way shape or form made you feel unloved?  Did I tell you that you matter? Was I forgiving? I looked through my messages and it's gone. I got nothing. All I have are old memories that play in my mind. The trips to the beach. Your laugh. The jokes. Your hugs. And when we danced "El amor que perdimos" by Prince Royce.  That's the last song we danced. But I can't remember our last conversation. I remember growing up with you. But I can't remember our last conversation. I remember being upset with you, I remember thinking that whatever I was upset with you about was not important anymore. I remember thinking that I should reach out to you. I didn't. You're gone  and ...

Netflix did a re-make of "One Day At A Time" this time with a Cuban family living in California. The show was great because it tackled topics that Latinos, soldiers, LGBTQ, and women face in these modern times. I'm really disappointed that Netflix would cancel the show  because of "low ratings".  According to them, they tried everything in their power to make a fourth season but it simply didn't work out. What's upsetting is that they continue to make stupid movies about white women meeting prince charming and falling in love with him in 2 days but you can't find a way to continue telling the stories that matter. They just announced days before that "A Christmas Prince 3" is coming to Netflix with a twist of a baby on the way. Who gives a damn?  Screw you NETFLIX!

Last week, I taught "Islandborn" by Junot Diaz to my students.  This book is absolutely amazing! I connected with the main character Lola because our experiences are so very similar.  Lola lived in New York and was islandborn. She left the island when she was very young and like me learned a lot about the history of the island through other people. I really felt connected to her character, she warmed my heart. I saw myself in Lola. Even though I went back to the island every year as a child because my mother lived there, I missed it every moment that I wasn't there. I remember one afternoon, I was sitting alone in the play area of my aunt's complex, when I closed my eyes. I imagined that I was sitting in Dominican Republic. It was such a good feeling. I really missed the island. I thought about the island so much when I was a child. I missed the beaches, the people, the food and the life. I missed the school and the language. As an adult now it's different, I mis...

Anyone that knows me, knows I'm a lazy reader. It takes me forever to read a book. The only book I read in one day was "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon. Coincidentally, I am reading "The Sun is Also A Star" by her. I really like her writing. I get so into it and the chapters are not long. It really gives me anxiety when I see long chapters. But getting back to my original point, I found Audible by Amazon. I realized that I enjoy listening to books. I can't listen to a book without having a hard copy on my hands though. I suffer from an active imagination. If I just let the book play, I start thinking about my day and what I have to do tomorrow and that I need to buy Chobani yogurts.  So, I buy the hard copy and every month I get a free credit, I buy the audio and I just finished "Born A Crime". But "Born A Crime" was a plus because Trevor Noah reads the book himself, isn't that awesome? I love it! Every night before going t...

I have been following REIK since they released "Yo quisiera ser" many years ago.  I was instantly hooked to their romantic and upbeat music that brought great comfort to my heart when it was broken. It was a dream come true getting the opportunity to finally see them live! The lead singer has a great voice and sounds exactly as he does in the album versions of the songs (that's a must!).  I enjoyed their new music and new collaborations. Also,they sang a few songs I had completely forgotten. It brought back great memories! They stay true to their style and to their fans!  Forever REIK <3