Because sometimes the only person that can make you laugh and smile is yourself…

So if you don’t know what words to use for your Valentine, please read my post on “te quiero or te amo?” I think people underestimate the power of words, especially on a day like today. It can mean the difference between making an impact or getting your face smacked, getting teased or getting pleased, and most importantly, giving love or making love.
What I like about Valentine’s Day in Mexico is that it is very inclusive to people that do not share a romantic and intimate relationship. The holiday name in Spanish says it all– “El Día del Amor y la Amistad”–The day of love and friendship with the emphasis on amistad (friendship).
Think back to the [...] Continue Reading…

Lay a prepared dish before me and you will have given me on of life’s greatest joys–a happy stomach. I try not to judge a book by its cover and like to give the cook the benefit of the doubt before I take the first bite. Once my taste buds give the green light for the Payazaro seal of approval, I try not to think about how it was made, what ingredients were used, or any other detail of the preparation process. There is something special about keeping all of that a mystery. For a moment in time, I just like to focus on how delicious, tasty, and enjoyable the food is and how happy it makes me feel. [...] Continue Reading…

I hate washing dishes. And I’m not talking about the process of rinsing and placing them in the dishwasher. If that were the case, then I’d hate doing laundry as well. Oh no, my whole life I’ve had to wash them by hand, each plate, cup, spoon and fork. Every day, its the same thing. Dirty dishes pile up and they taunt me. Just when I think I conquered them, more dishes pile up from who knows where. I’ve heard some people say that it soothes them to do the dishes, and to those people I say “get some help”–and I don’t mean another set of hands to get them cleaner faster.
At one point, my family used to have [...] Continue Reading…

It’s that time of year where I must complete my tour of family visits in the state of Colima. It was expected that I do one at least every month but after I regulated my family  for giving me a hard time, I’ve limited it to 3 a year. That’s my quota and I’m sticking to it.
Before you judge and confuse me for inconsiderate, let me point out the facts. First of all, I have enough cousins to make my own soccer league. I’ll let you simmer on that one for a bit… It’s impossible to get to know and to want to make time for each and every one of them. If I did, by the time I [...] Continue Reading…

Don’t ever let anybody punk you. If they push you, push back. I don’t mean that literally. We’re no longer primitive cavemen that are only capable of throwing rocks. Lets use our intelligence. For some, that requires a little…a lot more effort than others. It’s OK if you’re slow, as long as you’re always catching up
Not too long ago, I was at a local block party where every house set their table outside and gathered their friends and family for a barrio style night of fun. Don Che, an elderly man loved by everybody in the barrio, rented a big jukebox with dual music and karaoke functions. The machine was connected to even bigger speakers that made the [...] Continue Reading…

I have never seen an ugly flight attendant or pilot. They always look so tidy, well groomed, presentable, perky, and handsome. Their robotic posture gives the impression that they were programmed to please you and make all your dreams come true. OK, maybe not all your dreams, but they definitely use their looks to distract you from the long flight that lies ahead.
I wonder how HR screens aspiring flight attendant applicants. There must be a check box for “pretty” that is weighed heavily during the interview. There’s no way it can be a coincidence that all the applicants were good looking, but then again, maybe evolution is taking its course and leaving all the ugly people behind and unable [...] Continue Reading…

I saw more art in the week I was in Spain than I have in my entire lifetime. I paced through numerous hallways filled with paintings from Picasso, Renoir, Dalí, Goya, and other famous artists of the last few centuries.  There were galleries with paintings from ‘nobodies’ that caught my eye and intrigued me. There were also some that were not only jaw-dropping, but called for a well deserved slap to the artist’s face and a punch to the gallery owner’s junk for permitting it!

If you look at the image above, you will see some black ink in a half-assed brush stroke on who gives a care kind of paper. I tried capturing a better photo of this so [...] Continue Reading…

Before you look down at the picture below, be prepared to see your childhood superhero one or two more pounds heavier than usual. The reason I took this picture is not to make fun of people who are overweight. On the contrary, I applaud this man’s effort to put the costume on and entertain away. What I like about this picture is that it captured one of the few moments where he managed not only to raise one leg for more than one second, but doing so while maintaining his balance. It took him like 4 attempts and I managed to get the moment of truth on camera. He was clearly trying to impress the little girl but she [...] Continue Reading…

On one of my many adventures, I came across a bookstore with an interesting name:

You Are What You Read

I especially liked the little iconic touch of a red moose or deer reading. But this bookstore really got me thinking about the sad reality of many youth today. If the name of the bookstore is in fact an accurate reflection of reality, then many youth are on track to become nonexistent for they are reading not one little thing, zilch, zip, zero, nada. And if they are reading, then they will become garbage because that’s as much as I can say about the subject matter in their hands. It saddens me to say it but there’s no point in [...] Continue Reading…

I’ve always been a fan of Flamenco. I like the way the dance is presented on stage. Like Tango, it is very sensual and sexy. You can see and feel the passion flow from artist the moment he/she steps on stage. There is always a story told, but I like to zone in and out of the lyrics and focus my attention on the movements, the tapping, the arm motions,  the clapping, the snapping of the fingers and the emotion on the dancer’s face. Besides, it’s pretty difficult to understand what the hell the singer is saying most of the time.

Flamenco dancing should be the universal way to court and win a person’s heart. I believe there’s a [...] Continue Reading…