Blithe

"No day shall erase you from the memory of time"

"The real violence, the violence I realized  was unforgivable,

is the violence we do to ourselves when we're too afraid 

to be who we really are."

-  Nomi  Marks (Sense8)

...

So much to write in one post. I'll try to keep it as simple as possible, without leaving any details behind! 

     Last time I wrote, I just arrived back from Seattle, WA. Although I was extremely happy at the opportunity to travel once more, a whole crazy month was ahead of me. Yes, I am talking about finals. I a beginning, when the first finals calendar came out, I was pretty relieved to see that I had time between one test and the other and that none interfered with my ComicCon workdays. But I study at the University of Puerto Rico and calendars are NEVER written on stone. Just as the last day of class approached, so did a 48 hour campus strike. 

Candela, candela. La iupi da candela.

     The strike could only mean one thing: finals and classes would be pushed back a few days. I didn't worry about studying time, but about how would that affect my Puerto Rico Comic Con work weekend. As feared, one of my finals was scheduled for Friday, May 22nd. I had to come up with something. As you may know, I've been wanting this job for over 8 months, I was not about to let it go. Thankfully, the final was of Chinese class. After a brief conversation with my professor, she agreed to let me take the test another day. You would think that would be it right? Nope. Life is not that simple. By another day, she meant "tomorrow", almost week earlier than planned. I waged my possibilities, calculated my grades so far and was pleased to see that I only needed a C to keep my A in class. I went for that and got... a C! Yes, mediocre, I know. But in the end I got an A on my final grade. Success!! 

This is pretty geeky, I know.

     Comic Con weekend arrived! Even when I knew some (5 out of 39) of my co-workers beforehand, I still was nervous about how would it all play out the first day. I was glad to see that everyone was incredibly nice and fun to work with. When the boss said "at ComicCon, we are a family", he completely meant it. Not one second I felt out of place. Not only everyone was awesome, but we were a great team (shoutout to Line Team A!). During the event, I got to meet Katrina Law and Jason Momoa. Let's talk about him a little more. He is amazingly handsome. He said, and I quote, "I love your hair". I acted like a total and absolute dork around him. I am so ashamed of myself. Not really. It's not like I will ever see him again. Bottom line, although completely and utterly exhausting, the Puerto Rico Comic Con weekend was one incredible experience that I hope to repeat next year! 

SOLD OUT!

     Funny story from the Comic Con. The week before the event, the staff got some Mad Max Premier tickets. After watching the masterpiece that was the movie, the staff decided that "Witness Me!" our whole staff slogan for this year's event. The thing is, during the event, someone made a cosplay of Immortan Joe. You can only imagine what this meant. Every staff member wanted a picture with him. Everyone stopped him and got all excited to see him. Some ( I ) went to the extreme and asked security to go find him and bring him over. Just imagine the face of that poor kid when he gets called by security to one of the entrances just to find 4 staffers jumping all happy because they found him. I got my picture, of course, and a good laugh out of it. 

Crashboat, Aguadilla PR

     Not the best picture there is of this beach, but you get the idea. I am sure I've told you before, but just in case, this is one of my favorite places in the world. Mainly because of all the great memories that exists thanks to it. So, what better place to say goodbye to the family for the summer than this one? My mom, two brothers, sister-in-law and I spent the whole day in Aguadilla enjoying the sun and some nice family quality time. Well, I spent it away from the water, but it still counts as being at the beach, doesn't it? 

Apple Watch Sport

     Remember last time, in my quick points, how I wrote about wanting the Apple Watch? Guess what?! Yes, I got one. My amazing significant other got it for me as a anniversary present. To be honest, I cried so much when I unwrapped my present. It wasn't the fact that it was the Apple Watch hat made me cry, it was that idea of him thinking about me. How, although he thought it was a complete waste of money, he still was thoughtful and got it for me. ENOUGH WITH THE CHEESE! 

     "Start spreading the news. I am leaving today. I want to be a part of it... New York, New York." First stop of the summer was nonetheless than New York City! I love visiting this city, although I would not like to live in it. It's so big and loud, so full of life. It can make you feel part of something and at the same time, a nothing. And I love all those feelings it gives me. 

     Leaving for the summer made me think about the day I move out of Puerto Rico. One sees it with so much excitement and happiness, but as it becomes something of a reality, sadness also settles. Leaving your hometown is not leaving behind that place you may love or hate, but it is ultimately leaving behind memories, friends, family and what you once considered your life.

Some fast and short dots:

• Can I put photos in here? Nope. They wouldn't look as good. So I will add any other photos I want to share at the end of this post. Click on them to see them bigger!

This was supposed to be posted about two months ago. Stuff happens. But it's better late and incomplete than never, right? 

:)

Lull

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a simple step."

Lao Tzu

...

     I finally got to travel again. It may have not been to any "new places", but it was full of new experiences and at the end of the day that's all that counts.

     I wish I had more funny stories to tell. But then again, my life can be a bit monotonous, specially so during the semester. But then again, when it's fun, I am enjoying too much the moment for me to stop and write. I try my best to keep save the memories for later. It's just frustrating how all the details gets lost as time passes. Still, I prefer old memories written down without perfect details than to stop living for a second.

     I've heard so much about Ballard's Farmers Market. There is something about local fresh food that makes me warm and happy on the inside. Food alone makes me happy. You know how guys say "Bros before h***"? Well, I prefer "Snacks before naps". I love both snacks and naps, just as a guy loves his bros and... ladies (stop degrading women for owning their sexuality). Sorry, I got sidetracked. Back to the market... 

     It was a cold, windy day. Just as I walked near the Market, I could smell so many things. The whole street was filled with tents and people looking for things to buy. In the market could find tulips, to beers, cookies, vegetables, wines, clothing, painting; all locally grown or made. In the sidewalk you could find performing artist. Kids singing in a chorus, some men writing poems, violin and guitar sounds filled the air. Sadly, I had no money to waste, so I couldn't try any of the delicious looking food available. But I can't wait to go back and try some!

     The Tulip Festival in Mount Vernon, WA was blooming during my visit. It seemed like a nice sunny day when we left Seattle. Although people always say that it's constantly raining in Washington, I've found that to be an exaggeration. Yes, it does rain (more like a drizzle and less like actual pouring rain). No, it's not always. I've seen many beautiful days in Washington. When we got to Mount Vernon about an hour and half later, the weather was not as pretty. It was drizzling, windy and cold. So happy I took my coat with me that day. Still, the tulip fields were beautiful. There were acres and acres of tulips of all colors, mud and people. I am not a big flower fan, allergies and everything, but I fell in love with a red tulip with white borders. We walked around the fields for a few hours, took some nice pictures and left half an hour later. The view was worth the drive. So, if you ever find yourself in Washington during April and want a nice slow day, this is the perfect way to go.

     I don't remember where I left my (white) Storm Trooper lego figure! I need to stop taking Lego's from a 5 year old. In my defense, he had 3 more and he didn't understand the awesomeness of Star Wars. I know it's my responsibility to guide them to the dark side, but I had no patience. Add to that the fact that they actually shoot out a Lego piece. I had to. I needed to. I lost it.

     I'll take some space to talk about long distance relationships. You are welcome to skip this part if you like. It's been something going around my head now that I get closer to my one year mark. So far, I've learned that long distance relationships are more complicated than "normal" relationships. It's not just the distance, the time difference, the extra effort on communication and the lack of physical contact. It goes farther than that. Weekends seem eternal. Sometimes Netflix doesn't even cover, and come one, we all know Netflix covers up everything. Sure, I have amazing friends. But when it comes to hangout, it's not so easy. Those who have a significant other usually do couple activities (double dates and such). Those who are single obviously love doing single stuff (drink, flirt, FLIRT, repeat). In my case, I can't do either (I can flirt, but then again it gets boring). It sucks to find yourself having a bottle of wine with your mom and her boyfriend (mom always being there for me). It's not that I don't like to spend time with my mom, nor I am saying I want out of the ship. What I am trying to state is that it gets hard. Incredibly hard. And, being honest, yes, sometimes I want to burn the ship. Still, in the end, when you get to see that special person, you forget about the whole ordeal and know all of it has been worth it.

Quick points!

• I wore a dress to class. That's as close as I get to feeling girly.
• The next day I wore a flowery skirt and shirt. What's happening?
• Summer temperatures started creeping into Puerto Rico. It is like a constant sauna here. How do people expect me to let my hair grow long in this weather?!
• I discovered that, superhero as I am, I have an sworn archenemy.
• I really dislike not going to class for unreasonable reasons.
• Less than a month for the Puerto Rico ComicCon!
• I am jobless. I want an iWatch. I can't have everything I want. Or can't I? Nope. I was right.
• That Star Wars "The Force Awakens" teaser... 
• Nothing like free ice cream. Specially if it is a Strawberry Cheesecake cone from Ben&Jerry's.
• I need to stop advertising places, food and other things on my blog. I am not getting paid for this!
• Netflix Marvel's Daredevil is so good. (There I go again...)
• You should all watch What We Do In The Shadows. Such a good comedy.
• I went to a cabaret on date night. Guys, if your girlfriend is not the jealous type, you should totally to that with her. It's a whole different thing where you'll both have fun. Maybe it'll end up sparking something new...
• Game of Thrones is back!
• Why are there so many quick points this time?
• A friend is asking me to call a number and ask for dwarfs. Apparently people find them amusing and a bar wants to pay some to be just be there.

“去哪儿旅行不重要，
重要的是跟谁一起旅行”。

(:

Lofty

This post was created somewhere around March.

(Still no internet at my place)

                         Sing, whenever there is wine,
               For life is as ephemeral

              As dew in the morning,

                               With the days to come numbered.

                Mind must be generous,

                             But seldom is it free from sorrow

That dissolves

            Only in a cup of wine. 

                                                            - The Martial Emperor of Wei 

...

It's been a pretty positive couple of weeks. 

     After a whole semester without working, I finally found a part-time job. I went from librarian to bartender. It came as a surprise to me when I got the message. I had joked around with M about covering her shift at the bar for her, but never thought that joke would actually get me somewhere. At the beginning I was completely skeptical about it, but now I love it. It's a nice once or twice in a week work with pretty good pay. I get to have fun, meet people and get them drunk. Now I understand why so many college students around the world bartend. 

     Spring Break is here! The island is full of "foreign" students (from the mainland) ready to have all kinds of fun and looking for locals to show them around. It's my favourite time of the year. One makes so many friends and shares experiences, making their stay and company one to remember for times to come. Also, they pay good tips. 

Art by: Jonathan Ortiz

     I turned 24 on February 20th. Time flies by. Each time one of my birthdays comes by I can't help but to go back to when I was 18 and I asked myself "How will I look like when I get to 21? Or 25? Where will I be?". Now I am one year away from 25 and I can't help but to ask myself the same thing about my 30's. Sometimes I wish I could stop time. But then again, I've learned enjoy the present and leave the past behind. Take what I need about it, apply it and just be happy. 

Let us read some quick points...

• Back to Seattle on March 27th! Airplanes make me happy. Food makes me happier though...
• New York, Las Vegas and Vancouver this summer? Make it a YES!
• My baby brother turns 16 on the 25th. He will finally get his driver's permit and I'll be there next to him to celebrate. So excited!
• I miss China... 
• That last point sounds a lot like something I wrote on my last post.
• Starting to plan a graduation trip. Backpacking through Europe next summer and maybe go back to China.
• I can't believe it's already been almost a year since Vancouver 2014. I miss those days.
• Alimony problem got solved and everything is good now.
• Mid-terms are here! I guess that stress makes me want to write.
• I am actually writing in class. The classmate in front of my is watching a soccer game.
• The more money I make, the more money I spend.

:)

Algid

There is more than road to get where you want to... 

"Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
                                                                                             - Dylan Thomas
...

It's pretty hard to keep a blog when you have no internet in your place...

     I always try to find time to write. I like keeping my memories unaltered and young. That's one of the main reasons I have this blog and a diary. I even make notes on my phone about thoughts I have throughout the day. But then again writing takes time and should not be forced. I admit, after more than a month I am a bit rusty with the whole writing thing. I shall review this post several times before I publish it to make sure everything is written correctly. I apologize in advance for the errors. 

What I enjoy the most about being human is
having the capacity to change, learn, grow

     Winter break in Puerto Rico is usually over a month long, so it gives us time to enjoy moments with family and friends, rest and travel. As I've said so many times, I simply adore travelling. My winter destination: Seattle, WA. Although I've been several times to Washington State, I always find something new and entertaining to do. This time around I went ice-skating, to the zoo, hiking, watched movies on IMAX, to the art museum, visited a graduate school campus, and just walked around the city. Do I even have to say I slept my other days out? It was some nice vacation with spectacular free home-cooked meals. It was a nice break from the day-to-day hectic life that I have back home during my semesters.

Survival mode

     The whole idea was to get to Seattle on Christmas day. I had arranged flights, made deals with people and everything so that I could get there at midnight. The day of my departure I noticed I'd left some important things back at my apartment (hiking boots, toothbrush, other stuff), so I left for the airport early. A few minutes out of the house I noticed I had left my apartment keys at my car, and just as I was about to turn back, I get a strange call. It was the airline. My flight had been delayed, which meant I would miss my layover in Miami and wouldn't make it to Seattle until late the next day. I was about to loose my cool real badly. I asked about earlier flights and, to my good luck, they had one that left in less than 2 hours. I had to be on that flight. There was a small problem though. I was 45 minutes away from the airport and still had to stop at my place. I had to decide: get to Seattle on time and buy whatever I required there, or not get to Seattle when planned and save up that money. Then again money comes and goes, good memories last a lifetime. I am glad I decided as I did. It was wholly worth it. 

It's hard to get up on ice

     It was not my first time seeing snow, but it was my first time having a one-on-one moment with it. I did not have gloves nor boots made for it. Somehow I expected the snow to be less cold than it actually was. My hands were freezing, but it didn't stop me from making snowballs while feeling the cold pain all the way to my bones. The trail to the Big Four Ice Caves was not easy for my Keds, my body or the people around me who couldn't help but to fall every 5 seconds. That constant falling made the 1.1 mile hike to where the caves were situated feel eternal. Once I got to the ice caves I didn't want to go back. Part of it because it was incredibly beautiful,  the other part because of how long the way was with a person constantly falling besides you. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed watching him struggle to keep up. It was one of the most adorable and funny thing I've ever seen happen to him. But the sun was setting and we were in a soon-to-be-dark forest walking. What if a bear came out of nowhere?!

Art speaks to me on many levels

     I have a love-hate relationship with zoos as with many other things on life. Who doesn't love to see "wild" animals up-close? But at the same time, who knows what happens behind the curtains? So many stories of animal cruelty in zoos have been out. I find it really hard to have a firm stand against it. Anyways, during my stay in Seattle I visited the Woodland Park Zoo because of elephant reasons. It was incredibly cold and rainy that day. Still, I get to see two beautiful elephants. Sad thing is I didn't take pictures of them. I really hope they are well fed and taken care of. Apart from the elephants, they had zebras, kangaroos, bears, penguins, hippos, ostriches, orangutang, owls and other animals I can't remember right now. The zoo in general is beautiful. The animals where pretty active considering it was cold and cloudy. I would advice you to go during summer though. A plus of going this summer will be the new attraction: TIGERS! 

I have a thing for large land mammals

     With Valentine's Day approaching, I decided to do something I've never done before. See, I am a firm believer that Valentine's is just a pathetic pretext for capitalism to have it's way by making us buy things we don't need for people who don't deserve it. Love and friendship are not things that you feed chocolate and cards once a year, but something you should care for every day. Still, I took it as a really lame excuse to  spoil my significant other. Although technically it will arrive before the actual day, in my mind it will still count as that first time I gave someone special a Valentine's gift. I'm so cheesy sometimes...

Frostbite: it's real

     Remember the whole "I will start meditating daily" thing? That ended up not work. I do try to live in the moment every day, but not in the form of meditation. I am guessing it has to do with the fact that I am not as organised in life as I should be. Eventually I am sure to get there. Meanwhile, I will let my mind fly moments before I fall asleep.

I am a person of habits, so... quick points!!

• The court viewing for the whole alimony thing will finally come to an end in a few days. I won't lie, I couldn't be more nervous.
• Any ideas for spring break?
• I need to officially submit my change of major.
• Got pretty nice grades last semester. I guess all the stress and wanting to crawl under my desk was totally worth it.
• I miss China. More so now that I can have a conversation about food with people.
• I want some Pho or Thai. I don't know if restaurants of the sort even exist in Puerto Rico.
• I did some research. There are a handful of Thai restaurants in Puerto Rico. The best one is far away from San Juan. I will make plans to go and will let you know how good it was.
• If the basic class of Chinese was hard, the second part is just... I just took a test and the translation part was something else.
• I want to go to back China so badly. It's such an interesting country and culture. 
• Been sick twice this semester and it hasn't even been a month of it.
• I use my Facebook as a memory timeline to write my post.
• That Seattle SeaHawks SuperBowl lost was heartbreaking. My jersey... it hurts.
• My car is a constant disappointment. I fix one thing, it breaks down elsewhere. I honestly don't know what else to do with it.
• I ate a snail (I am so sorry Gary!) and I liked it. The consistency felt like shrimps and mushrooms put together. It was a whole new experience. 
• I got some really cool StarWars leggings for Christmas (among other things).

Somehow I expected this to be a longer post...

(:

I consider myself a really lucky person.

Not because I have a perfect life,

but because I have amazing people in it.