Painting Bidonvilles

Haiti gets colourful makeover

This was quite the buzz a few weeks ago, and even though bright and colorful homes do look pretty, when I think about a bit longer, I definitely see that this is only attempting to mask the problems many Haitian citizens are faced with. Likely, I'm sure many of the residents are happy and can gain some form of satisfaction from the colorful homes and it's view from a distance, but I think it's so superficial and a waste of money.

Supposedly this cost $1.4 million.

2012 Yesterday, New Year Today

Happy New Year, Happy Independence Day (Haiti), and Happy 2013!

The year 2012 ended as a great year for me. I achieved goals that I'll never forget. At the start of 2012 I made a promise that I would be positive, be productive, finish school, and get some of my priorities straight. I did indeed. I graduated college (again), took and passed one of the most challenging courses I've ever taken, learned some new things, did two internships in six months, found a clearer idea of what I wanted in life, and met some cool people. Everything this year was pretty awesome.

This year will be better. I am certain because I know what I want, I'm at the peak of starting my career, and I'm more confident in myself compared to a few years ago. I don't have any set resolutions I planned for the New Year, just a few things I can do, but need tweaking in. I don't think the New Year is the only time to gather up and plan everything you want to do. Like last year, I'll complete my goals as I go along, and not pressure myself.

Things I do plan on doing/completing this year:

Sleep and Wake Up Earlier
Since New Years 2008, sleeping past 3 am into the earlier morning hours (I mean like 5-6 am) became a habit; a very bad one. Naturally when I have things to do, I have no problem sleeping a little earlier (earliest for me is 1am) to wake up for whatever I need to do. I just feel that my odd sleeping hours have killed my productivity, and there are more important things to do while asleep.

My goal is to wake up early even on days where I have no plans.

Blog More 
Yeah well...the main reason I started this blog almost two years ago, was to have a public space to share my thoughts and opinions, as well as strengthen my writing for judgement. I didn't stop posting; my drafts are very full with unpublished posts. I just have a slight case of mild perfectionism, and won't post unless I go over it and edit it. I'm not tired of blogging though. Being busy with school and work, that also took my time away time from blogging. My goal is to update this (and my other blog) at least bi-weekly for now, and increase the posting schedule as time goes on. And hopefully I'll publish drafts from 2012 too.

Write More 
Not the same as blogging more, but rather writing more worthwhile, interesting topics. Now that I'm done with school, my interest in creative writing peaked again, and I want to get all my ideas out before they evaporate. I also hope to delve more into subjects that interested me, but want to learn more about. My goal is to find scour my journalling for last year for ideas and write.

Get More Organized 
The potential is there, and I am organized in regards to certain things. But I still manage to flop around and have a less than tidy schedule when it comes to doing tasks for my own needs. First organizing task is place all and organize all of my college notes and books.

Read More 
I already like to read but it's usually current events, hot topics, and a page in a guidebook. That's not necessarily bad, but I want to broaden my reading habits outside of genres I usually like. It doesn't mean I'm going to force myself to read something I don't like either. My 2013 booklist post will come soon.

Practice my Portuguese 
I completely fell off my language learning hobby. I don't recall if I practiced a word of Portuguese last year. I chose to learn the language in 2011 and learned so much in a short period. I might have been a pro if I was consistent in teaching myself. This year, I hope to pick up the books again, get in contact with my virtual portuguese-speaking friends, and study. I may not be as crazy about visiting Brazil for the 2014 World Cup anymore, however I still have an interest in learning the most common language there. My goal is to do over my beginner stage, and move into intermediate.

Keep a Memory Jar 
I found out about this idea on Tumblr last summer. The concept seems fun, and it's something I would be interested in. Rather than making daily notes, I'll only add notes when the 'good memory' happens.

Be More Productive and Travel 
Yes. When I have important things to do, it will be done. I'm very dependable. But I can be a bit lazy sometimes, especially when it comes to doing things for myself. I think getting out the house more, as well as reading more, will help me get there....

Get a New Job and Save, Save, Save! 
They say college grads today are having harder times finding jobs in their career fields after completing school, especially in some industries more than others. In my case, I'm a realist, and I won't let the little things let me down. I had lots of missed opportunities in college, but optimism is what helped me stay on top, despite the discouragement. I'm not a big spender, and I don't have a rent or a mortgage to pay, which means I should be filthy rich. But that's impossible to do if you're getting paid peanuts. My goal is to find a stable job, and create two savings (one for retirement).

Lastly.....

Live Life and Be Happy 
A few years ago I wasn't satisfied with the direction my life seemed to be headed in. But a lot has changed now. It wasn't my life that was going wayward; it was my thoughts. When you think negatively, you will only see and think negative results. Funny thing is, the lightness of my negativity wasn't nearly as bad and harmful as other people I knew, but I still felt it's burden. I have this natural thought process of optimism that arises to counter these thoughts. I may not be 100 percent happy with everything, but rather than mull in the 'didn't do's or 'don't have's, I'm grateful. It's amazing how far I've come when I read back in my old journals.

Cheers to 2013! It will top the great year I had in 2012.

Hurricane Sandy

It's best to be over-prepared than under-prepped. Thankfully my family and I were ready for just about anything. But I guess because of the meek destruction we had from hurricane Irene, everyone I knew wasn't expecting hurricane Sandy to be the same. This is NYC after all, and we never get destructive weather. But we were in for a surprise. We're lucky to have lived in an area that didn't require evacuation

Let me recall what I remember:

• We didn't have a full blackout, but the lights in the neighborhood kept flickering throughout the night and finally the lights went out for about 10-20 minutes. 

• I lost $20 going to the store (only store open in my area) trying to make a last minute shopping. I was so upset! And I was nearly blown away by the wind.

• The house shook ALL day.

• My mother was stranded at her job, and unfortunately had to work 3 shifts straight. Her job was located in a Zone A area which should have been evacuated.

• Her car was submerged in high waters. She nearly lost everything in that car, including the car.

• My brother and I had to get her car towed and out of her jobs parking lot, which took about 4 hours to do.

• We toured areas of south Brooklyn and we were stunned! We'd never seen so much disaster.

• Basketball hoop in my background was completely destroyed and was blown by the high winds; our grill almost saw the same fate even though it was held down.

• Thankfully all the sandbags we had from the previous Hurricane Irene were used, but weren't needed. 

• Tree branches galore! They were all over the street. My father moved his car because the branch in front of my home looked shaky.

I can than my lucky stars that my family and I didn't that lose much (my mother lost her car, but she would still be able to get to work with ease). Praying and wishing luck for those who lost their homes or valuable items.

What Your Personality Says About Your Fashion

Image courtesy of sattva

How does your personality reflect your fashion tastes? While it’s unfair to judge someone by what they wear, in many ways, what you wear somewhat determines who you are. Think about it. If you are an extreme fanatic of punk rock, and your fashion is inspired by that form of music, what type of fashion would you likely be fond of ? Chokers, bright-colored hair and piercings right? Stereotypically, of course. While not all punk music fans dress like this, various music scenes tend to have their own form of dress style. The same is true for everyday wear.

Whether you're loud, quiet, exuberant, or decorous, everyone has a specific style they gravitate to, and their personality may influence that. Let's take a look at a few personalities and see what fashion types might appeal to them.

The Quiet and Reserved
You like to be as simple as possible. Appropriateness is imperative, and you prefer traditional and comfortable styles. You also tend to appreciate neutral colors more, but you may like everything from jeans, pants, skirts, dresses, stylish tops, and trendy shoes. You may be the casual or sophisticated type.
 
Shops that may suit this type best are: American Apparel, J. Crew, Banana Republic, Old Navy or Express.

The Perfectionist
Everything must be decent. You don’t like sketchiness, you rarely settle for less, and you prefer everything to be at order. You may be the business type. Your style for professional settings, transcends into your daily wardrobe. Styles that make you look smart, clean and respectable, are your staples. They may include crisp pants, attention-grabbing colors, few accessories, and there's a fine line between quality and quantity.
 
Shops that may suit this type best are:  New York and Company, The Limited, Ann Taylor, Loft or Jones New York.

Read More.

Watchlist: 2012 Fall Shows

Lots of new and returning shows this fall. These are the shows I plan on watching this fall:

Revolution. Looks incredibly interesting. I've never seen this type of story done before, and I love post-apocalyptic settings.

The Walking Dead also returns in October for their third season.

ABC's new show, 666 Park Avenue. A show about a haunted upscale NYC apartment building.

And their returning series Scandal. Amazing first season.

Fox's new show The Mindy Project.


And The Mob Doctor. One of my favorite Boardwalk Empire characters was likely killed off to do this show. I'll watch to see what it's about.

Voter Suppresion

Still haven't gotten myself around to watching HBO's new show The Newsroom, but here's the fictional reason/reality of why voter ID laws are being pushed around. Voter fraud isn't the only reason certain politicians are strong advocates for these ID laws. Seems like 2:01-2:08 may be the real reason. Really great clip.

That Package: Motherhood, Society, and Resistance

Image courtesy: duron123

At twenty-three years of age, the thought of motherhood is so far in the back of my mind. I cannot recall a time in my childhood or adolescence, where I seriously thought of having a child when I grew older. Of course at those ages, no child would be certain of what direction their life would head in, but looking back, I could still say no; I was not crazy about being a mother.
 
During high school the fact became clearer. Teen pregnancy was rampant, and there were so many girls I knew and had class with, that got pregnant and never showed up to school again. I promised I would never get pregnant as a teen, or even into my early twenties — some wishful thinking.

Fast forward - here I am and the fact still remains: I'm not crazy about becoming a mother. It does make me wonder sometimes whether society, family, or my personality among other things, concluded this decision for me. Various phobia's and my self-worth are other factors that contribute to these feelings, but an unexpected package at my doorstep last week would reaffirm this for me, once again.

I woke up one morning last week and discovered a box at my door. It had my name on it and address. But I didn't order anything. I hadn't ordered anything in months. What also came as a surprise to me was what was written on the box. It read: Similac Strong Moms?! Umm...what? Never mind that a few weeks prior, I had an identity theft scare, in which my business email was hacked and someone had used my name and personal information to seek mortgage consulting, and even viewed Amazon gift cards. After extensively changing and securing all of my passwords, my stomach sank and figured that this someone used my information to order a package I did not want. Then I thought, why would I receive it? Wouldn't they order something that they would receive?

After calming down, checking bank accounts and realizing that no orders had been unknowingly made, I wondered whether the box was a sample delivery. I looked at the box again and examined it. Yes, indeed it was a free sample offer. But why? I was not a mother, nor an expectant one.

I quickly reminded myself that obviously women in my age group are becoming new mothers and perhaps Similac figured, why not send a free gift to a possible future customer (or mother). I was half-relieved (that no one ordered this on my account) and half-insulted (yup).

Insulted because, in today's society there are a lot of expectations of women. But women now have more options. A woman can live a carefree and independent life in ways that their foremother's could not. Motherhood is a choice. So why do I feel like I'm being suffocated with it? That package was just one in the long line of pregnancy encouragement and pressure I've experienced.

While some may say that women were created to reproduce, there's no obligation. For this reason, it scares me how some politicians want to do-away with the reproductive rights of women. Stripping women of rights that will reverse many achievements, can create a dramatic shift in how women deal with their sexual health choices, and society. As if we need anymore ways to step backwards. Imagine that after all these decades of improvements (albeit some unnatural) in women's health, for it to only be banned?

I should clarify that I was only bothered by the package because I knew it was sent to encourage me buy their product, as well as the hidden expectation that I may have a child. This may come across as over-dramatic or sensitive, but when society and especially your family, constantly question you on your reproductive choices, the topic of motherhood becomes very detestable.

The likelihood of me becoming a mother in the future is uncertain (maybe yes, maybe no). I will continue resisting and hope that any chance of me becoming a mother in the near future is not a result of compliance or fear, but one of MY choice.

In the meantime, I'll save that package for someone who may need it. Not me of course, ha.