There's an app for the parranda

I must give it to AT&T, this 4G LTE commercial is on point. Although I'm not Puerto Rican, this just screams "yo soy boricua" lol. From the (annoying) sounds of the coqui to the parranda atmosphere, it made me want to purchase the phone. However, given the age of the actors, are they really going to use those special features? If I were to give my parents this phone they would NOT know what to do.

Enjoy!

This Latino is continuing his education

The Pew Research Center says, "From 2009 to 2010, the number of Hispanic young adults enrolled in college grew by 349,000, compared with an increase of 88,000 young blacks and 43,000 young Asian-Americans and a decrease of 320,000 young whites." Should this number be higher? I believe as the years go by they most certainly will. The number of Hispanics enrolled in graduate school is most certainly lower; I tried researching it but couldn't find anything. 


Which is why I'm glad to be pursuing a M.A. in Writing Studies from St. Joseph's University; that's if they accept me. A very scary transition, I haven't been in school for five years. I would obviously take classes part-time and would have to really stretch them out for 2-3 years. Financially it will be difficult but I know I can do it. Most people go to graduate school to get more money but I'm doing it for other reasons. I want to better my writing, be more educated and go against the stereotype. It will also help me get out of the "Latino" box. Not that there's anything wrong with it, I just need something different. Here's to a great future!

The end of the world (in a book)

Today I finished reading Steve Alten's Domain. Although written in 2002, it was crazy reading the story in the era it was written for. The story looks at the lives of the Gabriel family and how they were truly obsesses with the Mayan calendar and the 2500-year-old enigma that predicts the end of humanity in 2012. Dad Julius believe the sites of the ancients, placed all around the glob, represent ancient pieces of a puzzle linked to the salvation of our species...or not.

Now it's November 2012 and a psychology student, Dominique Vazquez, intertwines her life into the Gabriel family. Somehow she's connected to the destruction and as we approach closer and closer to December 21, 2012, lives are lost, trust is broken and we faith is questioned. Is the prophecy correct? I was even questioning everything but as I got closer to the end I had to keep telling myself this is a fiction novel. Right? To be honest I haven't read a book in years but thanks to the recommendation from my brother (and purchasing a Nook), I kept going.

P.S. Domain is only one part of a three-part series -_-

Event: Latinas United for the Cure 2012

Last year I had the wonderful opportunity to volunteer at the Latinas United for the Cure event. The annual Susan G. Komen event brings together Latina women in the Philadelphia area to discuss ways to beat breast cancer. This year's theme "The Power, the Passion and the Promise to Beat Breast Cancer" sounds like a good one and will feature keynote speaker the Honorable Maria Quiñones-Sanchez, Councilwoman, City of Philadelphia.  The event will also feature other prominent speakers and workshops including free mammogram checkups. 

Philadelphia Marriott Downtown

1201 Market Street

Philadelphia, PA  19107

Saturday, March 24, 2011 • 8:30 AM - 2:00 PM

A free event. Click to register now.

Photography at its best

I have a strong appreciation for art...all types. Whether it's a painting, song or even a photograph, I can see how it can change communities. And the best type of art is "off the wall," meaning not your average painting on a wall. Sometimes I wish I could be an artist and fulfill a hobby but it takes a lot of time and practice.

Zoe Strauss, a Philadelphia photographer with a growing international reputation, is the subject of a major exhibition that opens on January 14 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Zoe Strauss: Ten Years is a mid-career retrospective of this acclaimed artist’s work, representing the first critical assessment of her decade-long project to exhibit annually in a public space beneath Interstate-95 (I-95) in South Philadelphia. See what I mean by off the wall? A lot of her images are very powerful and always involved a person.

The exhibition will run through April 2012 and will feature "low-cost" events and entry fees.

Men are capable of preventing rape too

Rape. It's always a touchy issue within any community. Some people lie about it and some don't take it too seriously. I was happy to come across this new campaign geared towards men because just like anyone else, men are capable of stopping rape as well. According to a ColorLines article, "MyStrength is a project of the California Department of Health Services and the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CALCASA), a statewide coalition of rape crisis centers and prevention programs founded in 1980." However, it was first introduced in 2007 by an organization in Washington, D.C. 

A few months ago something else was brought to my attention by an organization called Women Organized Against Rape (in Philadelphia). Someone told me that Mexican workers in South Philadelphia were being raped...and these are male on male cases. Unfortunately the Mexican workers are unable to say anything because of their immigration status. Super sensitive subject at hand yet somehow I think they should say something; especially because HIV cases have been submitted. 

Movie: From Prada to Nada

I tell you not having cable will make you watch anything on Netflix. That's why I took the opportunity to watch From Prada to Nada which is usually not on my list to watch. However, something told me to watch it since it had the word "nada" and I assumed it was about Latino culture. Sure enough I got angry throughout some of the scenes and felt a little disgusted as well. Here you have two rich Mexican girls who are basically Americanized but yet their father is as pure Mexican as they come. He passes away and then the money goes with him...sucks right? Especially for these two girls thinking living in East L.A. is the most horrible thing in the world. One of the sisters actually embraced the Mexican culture while the other took a little longer to embrace. Mix in some horrible step-family members, gangs, lawyers and you get "nada." Okay I lied, it was okay but I just didn't like the race issues involved. One thumb up.

Movie: Maid in Manhattan

So now that Telemundo has launched Una maid en Manhattan, I decided to watch the original movie with
Jennifer Lopez. If you haven't watch the novela, Maid in Manhattan is a good start and summary to grasp your interest. I'm glad Jennifer Lopez didn't play your typical "extra" Latina. Although there were some scenes throughout the move that reference her Latina-ness, it wasn't important. And yes at the end Lopez's character sees an epiphany and doesn't want to clean homes anymore. The story is more about love and how we can find it in the strangest of places. And that we shouldn't judge ANYONE because love is blind after all :). I do wonder how the novela will drag out the movie for 8 weeks.