Partner in Crime

Reflecting over the friendships that I have come across over the years, I would have to say that I have never had a friendship like the one I share with my roommate right now. I am starting to understand what my English teacher was telling me about how close she still was with her roommate in college. Before my roommate and I met, we were already messaging each other and planning our room out. I want to say that is normal for most roommate relationships to start. What stood out was that even before we knew each other, we were both thrilled to be each other's roommates. I still remember the first day I came walking into our dorm room, I caught her off guard watching Grease (which by the way is a musical that I can watch over and over again and sing along with Sandy) and as meeting someone for the first time it was awkward. In the beginning of the school year I had to give myself pep talks that everything is going to be okay and that this should be exciting to be independent. The first few weeks or months I was still in the process of adjusting to the new atmosphere of living apart from everyone I grew up with and getting used to the culture shock of not seeing as many Hispanics like I would in my hometown. But here is my roommate speaking to me like she has known me for years, sharing her stories about her friends back at home, her family, and with what was going on with her life at the moment. At first I had thought it was because I live in the same room with her and I am always around that I was her last resort. That soon changed though because even though she had made other friends she continued to tell me her stories and before I know it I am telling her stories of my own. Even the personal stories that I do not normally share with people especially those I have not known for more than a year. With time we started to have our own insiders, our late night conversations became a regular where the topic of discussion was limitless to, and basically we look out for one another. We made sure that each other had eaten, were still alive, and that basically we were emotionally stable throughout the week.

It was not until the start of my second semester of college where I was laying in my childhood bedroom that I realized, I missed her. To put things in perspective, I am not the one to tell others that I will miss them. As much as of a reserved strong person that I try to portray to others, my sensitive heart always stands out. Distance does some weird things to you, I will tell you. One day you are missing your parents and thinking that life will be difficult but then by the third month you are like "It has been three months and I am still alive? I must be doing something right.". And so on the other hand you start to feel that you do not want to go back home, at least not until later when you feel ready to head back. Is that how adulthood is going to continue to feel? If so, then I still have a lot of adjustment to do.

So now that my second semester of college is coming to an end that means that we will be moving out soon. (Not going to look forward to having to pack everything back in their designated storage containers when the time comes...) If you were to ask me what will be my most bittersweet moment of college, it would be this moment here. Where I feel accomplished to have finished my first year of college and for making it on my own but then having to say goodbye to my roommate and not having my go to gal. There is a high chance that she will not be reading this post because she does not use social media often but either way I am going to list a few of the perks of having a roommate who acts like your long lost sibling.

1. They are always there for you. In your moments of doubts and sadness to the moments worth celebrating, you know that you can count on them for support.
2. Food runs. One of my main concerns is not having someone to eat with. In the beginning of my first semester I forced myself to eat with people I did not know in hopes that I will meet someone that I eat food with. I was clearly looking too hard because that someone was my roommate all along. 
3. Parent in disguise. If I ever find myself struggling with a problem whether it is in my love life, in my other friendships, or with school my roommate will give me advice to help me put my mess back in order. Even though sometimes I do not want to hear the truth, she still gives me the hard cold truth. 
4. Awkward or embarrassing does not exist. I can look like a hot potato with my strands of hair playing peek-a-boo, sing along horribly to music in the car, change my clothes in front of my roommate, and experience bodily malfunctions with pride. All are welcomed, we don't discriminate! 
5. Secret diary. Since my roommate does not know my past friends personally or practically anyone from my hometown, she holds a lot of my thoughts that I cannot normally tell to anyone else back home. 

That is a few things that I find very special about my roommate. I have heard other stories where roommates did not turn out as nicely as one thought. Which is kind of sad especially for the first year of college but I am thankful for striking gold with my first roommate. She has made my first year of college remarkable, she has brought out the best out of me, and as I continue to grow more into the person I want to be I know that I can pass some credit to her for not judging and looking past my small figure that most people stereotype me for. 

Overall words cannot describe how blessed I feel.

What is something that your roommate has taught you?

xx Chavelita 

Discouragement is the devil

Raise your hand if you ever encountered the sensation of losing faith in what you believe in? Or to have this feeling that no matter how hard or how much you work to strive for success you still feel stuck? Well I'm going to be straightforward with you all, it's the worst. We try to pick up our loose pieces but we drop them as soon as we see someone else finding the success you were grasping for. Well the only way to get through discouragement is to actually tackle down the problem. I have my waves but the way I manage to get through them is to remind myself of the accomplishments that were completed. If I were to get through those, what makes the the next problem any different? At the moment it may seem like you're climbing up a snowy mountain, never ending and tiresome, clueless as to where you will end up to be. The atmosphere so thick that you cannot see in front or in back of you but you keep pushing forward because we have this mentality that we've made it this far that to give up seems like a waste of effort. 

To friends I've been telling them to believe in themselves. Yes it is easier said than done, but it is a crucial step to take. A friendly reminder from yourself to yourself. Practice it. Preach it. Sing it. Scream it. Do whatever it takes to get that message engraved into your head. Do not throw in the towel just yet if you feel like something is not working out change it up a bit. Pick your battles carefully and plan them out. Do not just plan one out but a good set of three just in case you change your mind or something does not work out that you have a back up plan to soften your fall. 

Be optimistic. Apply your talents whenever you can, try not to take your failures too personally. I cannot promise you that everything will work out because that would be a lie but I can promise you that the sooner you get up the better. Keep the ball rolling and do not compare yourself to others successes because your successes are incomparable to others. Only you know what those successes are worth. Do not let other things or people dull you or of your achievements. If people congratulate you for them bless their hearts but don't let that distract you either. Just like the book Me Before You, “You only get one life. It’s actually your duty to live it as fully as possible.” (You should read this novel when you have the chance). So yes, live your life and avoid getting stuck. If you do, find a way to get back on your feet. Time is not stopping for anybody so use it to your full advantage. 

PS The new year is coming up perhaps take this time to clean up your plan and tweak it if needed. Change can be refreshing but be careful as well. Maintain a balance within yourself and others. Do not completely isolate yourself from distractions or people but do not get attached to anyone either. 

What are your plans to live life to the fullest? 

xx Chavelita

"I don't know what to do"

Every time I hear someone tell me, "I don't know what to do", I break a little inside. If you do not know what you want, then how exactly am I supposed to know what you want? The only thing I could simply do is be your supporting friend and listen to anything that you have on your mind. This seems like a test and frankly I am not sure I am passing it. When I do not say anything the majority of the time is because I do not know what to say. It's like my mind goes on overdrive running infinite amount of circles as a hamster on a wheel. Though I have been thinking, if you do not know what to do I suggest you step back from the big picture. Perhaps you are over analyzing the choices you have that you are not quite seeing them clearly. Sometimes for a question it would only need a simple answer. Stress could indeed be a major factor and there are times you would want to breakdown. There is nothing wrong with breaking down it relieves some of the stress and it allows you to start over.

Some questions I ask myself when I feel this way is, "Why am I feeling like this?" which helps guide my focal point to the issue. Writing down these feelings in private could also shape the cluttered thoughts like for myself I have a journal where I write anything and everything when I could no longer handle it. It is your journal thus you can write anything in it, exactly the way you want it. What I advise you though is that you go and tell someone too. Talking about it with someone gives you leverage and to further organize those thoughts. Usually when someone does not know what to do, they have an idea what they want. They are not completely in the dark or how else would they know how they are feeling this way? This expression is rather tricky and from experience you just have to give it time. Do not ask me how much time you should give yourself or the person experiencing this because it all depends on the individual. I know it may sound a bit rude, but it's the best that I got. I cannot simply go into someone's mind and make decisions for them. I mean I could barely even make own decisions... Though what you can do is let them know that they are not alone in this. Do not force them into making a decision, this is the time where you have to be understanding and have patience for that person. Trust me, I know it is hard to see someone go through this though you still have your life is still continuing. You cannot just push pause on your own life. Do not drop everything for that person, when they are ready they will come for you. Faith is a key factor of dealing with circumstances like this. It is all about playing your cards right on your faith and facing whatever may come up.

What I also think is that perhaps yourself or that person needs to change something in their life in order to find their place. A routine could be great until there is one piece of it missing that throws you off. Think of what will make you content with your life and play with it. If something does not work, exchange it for something else until you find that happy medium. That is the wonderful thing about being your own person, that you are able to change what you do not like for something that you do. Just be careful for what you are changing because sometimes there is no way of going back to the life you previously had.

When was the last time you took a risk?

xx Chavelita

PS I apologize for not writing, I was indeed sorting out my own thoughts ahahaha but they will be more I actually have a list of topics on my phone so keep your eyes peeled for them! :)

Why are you so confident?

Yes I was on Ask.Fm again, and yes there is still some disrespectful people on there but that is the wrong blogpost, as I was getting ready for bed someone sends me this question, "Why are you so pretty and confident!!" Although there is no question mark found in that sentence I couldn't stop blushing. I was a bit starstruck you can say to an anonymous. And I replied,

"I'm pretty because of my genes (don't ask what in my weird mind made me say that) and I'm guessing my personality aha and I'm confident because I'm tired of people taking others for granted and not speaking up for themselves (that used to be me). So I try to present the image of a confident lady so I inspire others to be confident in themselves. Embrace yourself, flaunt your flaws and someone will come along and love you for who you are. It's all in my blog honestly. And thank you. :)"

I wanted to elaborate more on that response because confidence is something that we all struggle to gain. Some days our confidence level is at the brim ready to spill out and other days we barely have any confidence to even leave the house. Confidence is hard. I am not going to lie or sugarcoat. There are days that I stare myself in the mirror and wonder what people see in me or notice in just that short glimpse. Not much other than my physical features such as I am a short female with dark brown eyes and dark brown hair. I feel people at first impression only see maybe ten percent of the person you are. The rest of the ninety percent is all formulated through experiences, stories, and memories. So it wouldn't be fair to compare your whole one hundred percent on someone else's ten percent. You are not giving yourself a chance nor are you giving the other person a chance. I know looks can be deceiving, people's behavior can be confusing, and meeting people for the first time can be a bit of a plot twist. Though we are not all perfect, even those who may be bubbly most of the time face similar issues so please do not compare yourself or create assumptions that they have it better. With confidence comes power and without confidence comes with insecurities. In my opinion, I would rather have a little bit of power than a whole load of insecurities. Insecurities are like the Thursday's in my life in a school week, it would feel like a Friday but you still have another day to go until the weekend. You have to learn to live with your insecurities, become best friends to the point where you know them inside and out that allows you to gain your own voice. Then maybe the ten percent that you are allowing people to see will become an eleven percent or higher.

The way I gain confidence is learning from my previous mistakes and how uncomfortable and frustrating they caused me at the time. I remember going to church one day with my family and we went to a different mass than the one we normally go to and my luck I was sitting next to someone I did not know. I would of not mind other than the fact that the man would not give me my personal space. I kindly pushed him away but he kept pushing back. My mom noticed how uncomfortable I was so she switched seats with me and told the man what he was doing. I wish I had spoken up that day...

One of the largest pet peeves is when people instead of asking me to help them on homework (which I would try my best in doing) ask me for the answers. I am no homework bank where I can reproduce you the work at any given moment for no cost. It's probably the only time where I am noticed from others around my age group and it aggravates me. Though do not do what I did and question, "why am I so different from everyone else? why don't I fit in?". You do fit in somewhere, maybe not with the group you think you did but somewhere else and I will tell you when you find your group you will feel so much better. Your self image will bloom and you will laugh at those people searching for other sources of gaining their work. Do not lower your standards to people who will not live up to them, change because of your own benefit.

What is something that annoys you about people?



xx Chavelita

That awkward moment when we all succeed...

How come some people like to state the obvious? "Hey you're short!" "Did you see the size of that pimple on that person's face?" Why is it that we create judgements before we have the time to get to know the person for who they really are? It seems a bit unfair if you ask me, call me a hypocrite because I do it too but instead of pointing out the negatives why not the positives or point something that you do not normally see in someone?

To distinguish the traits of others is beautiful for the fact that you are recognizing for the person they are, though when the gossip begins it is not only destroying the image of that person but your image. Whatever it is that you do, reflects back. Not all the time when you do a kind gesture you will get a kind reflection back but it should not stop you to continue those gestures. People are forgetting what it is to be nice to others, that when you do something nice in return they think that it is because you want something in return. One of the worst phrases I have been hearing more often is, "It's okay, I am used to it." No it's not okay that people treat you like dirt, it's not okay when someone abuses your rights or does not give you an equal opportunity like others, IT'S NOT OKAY TO TAKE LESS THAN WHAT YOU DESERVE. If you put enough effort in what you do, you should not be the one having to bust your ass for others incompetence. Yes you should help others, but not until the point where you find yourself having to pull everyone else's weight because that is not your job. If people are not willing to take things into serious manners and not work for the position they want, it is their failure not yours. Do not take the fall for someone else, that will only underestimate the talents you are presenting and people will only assume that they can take you for granted. Be confident speak up when you do not like something, be open-minded to what is being said but not gullible that you will believe in everything you hear, be kind to remind people that kindness still exist, and love yourself for every flaw that you may not like and use it as your super power to defeat those who point them out. If you are already acquainted with your weakness, then it is a head start to happiness in the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, "no one can make you feel inferior without your consent". Be proud of who you are, forget those who makes you feel little, and if you need to start over, then start over. Prove to people of what you are capable of. Nothing is more accomplishing than astonishing those put you down and told you that you would not go far. You have to believe in yourself, before others begin to believe in you. Only you know the path in which you want to take, everything else will either help you get there or distract you from your destination, keep your eyes open and keep moving forward.

PS. It is up to you how you want to view things, nothing is one sided.


What is the first thing you notice in someone you are not familiar with?



xx Chavelita

Bumblebee

I thought you should meet another person I am grateful to have in my life. For privacy, the person I am going to speak about we will call her Bee.

It is almost a year since I met Bee and she has created such a large impact in my life she is probably the one who helped boost my self esteem and molded me into the confident being that I am. Turning my flaws into beautiful imperfections, that makes me stand out from the rest of the world. Normally when I meet people who I am on a professional platform, I do not like to go personal. I was told by a teacher in my sophomore year of high school that, "we are not friends" to our class and that because she had given us her number to call if we had any questions on the homework it does not mean we could text her. That mentality stuck with me, oddly it did make sense at the moment because students and teachers were separate things at the time but it all changed my junior year. I will not lie I was confused, we could not text teachers but joining the IB program they give you their numbers to text them if anything (unless otherwise told that you can't) and I was I actually afraid to text my teachers since I thought it was pretty unorthodox to do. It was not until my friend persuaded me to text her and by the things she told me, perhaps it was okay to do so. It all started with a simple text message and from there our friendship flourished. She started to lean on me and I did the same in return. Her background stories are moving you would not expect stories like that coming from a bubbly person like herself. Though she does apologize a lot for little things which I think may not deserve an apology. I could say she is part of my family she is tied between the big sister or an aunt to me including her beautiful children. I can tell her anything and it would be casual which is one of the things I love about her. The little moments when I do have her for myself I find myself laughing and listening to her stories since I do not talk much, I believe there is hardly ever an awkward moment with her. Anytime spent with her makes me happy.

One of my favorite memories I had with her is when she took me to one of her presentations and when she took me back home. We spoke at my drive way for an hour or so in her car. I was surprise to say that my parents did not realize that I was out til 9 on a school night even less in the drive way so technically I was at home just not in it. It is probably one of the simplistic memories I share with her but I just love how quiet the night was. No distractions and it was just us two spending time together sharing our own memories. It was also the day I gave her a rosary in her favorite color and the moment she opened her gift, it was like Christmas morning. Her face was glowing and astonished that she even gave me a hug (we had never hugged until that day, I'm usually the hugging type of person but I somehow grew uncomfortable to hugs).

Bee is one of my inspirational role models, against the odds she still finds a way to tackle on the day with her work, caring for her children, all on her own. With her charismatic attitude, beautiful smile, and her perky lipstick this lady is going places! I'm honestly having a difficult time writing this blogpost since I cannot fathom the words to describe how wonderful she is. You have to meet her for yourself to understand the emotions I am going through. I love you, Bee! Continue being the person you are, accomplish your set dreams and I am sure the right one will come along and sweep you off your feet!

This is why I am telling you that you should give everyone a chance, you will never know who you will meet and have your life changed.



xx Chavelita

Unexpected turns

The majority of this day I have been trying to gather my thoughts as to what would actually happen if something or someone from your life were to change and causing this sort of domino effect to the rest of your life. Events happen out of your control and you are forced to juggle around your emotions, the emotions of others who may be affected and still try to maintain sanity within yourself. Perhaps I am being selfish for mostly thinking about what would happen to me if the causes were to become reality rather than worrying for the causes on other people's life.

Side note: Everyone has problems because someone may have worse problems than you that should not mean that you should keep it to yourself. Problems big or small are problems and should be taken care of immediately before they develop into worse scenarios. Your problems are just as important as anybody else's, I just wish people would stop competing to see who has the worst the problem instead help each other out to find the solution to that problem.

I will not lie though, I am known to be the biggest worrier there is not one day where I am not worrying about something. I've been told multiple times that I should stop worrying over the little things because I always seem to find a way through the obstacles but if I don't worry then how else will I acknowledge that there is a problem or a potentiality that a problem will be created? What people do not understand is that I worry because I care and maybe I care a bit too much about things that do not even involve me but that is the person I am. I can be stubborn, clingy, and will do anything to bring back peace or the happiness of those who have impacted my life. Which I also find myself holding in a lot of information. It sounds a bit complicated, huh? That I may not be involved in the issue but people tell me their issue and it is as if I have been enrolled into the issue as the bystander or the advice giver? I do not mind that people come to me when they have problems because I honestly prefer they do. It is not because it adds power to my name but it means that people are entrusting themselves to receive help and although I may not always have the brilliant advice to give or the witty responses to cheer up a bad day, I will like them to know that I am there for them. Whether we stopped talking for a number of days, have not seen each other in a few weeks, I will still be here because I know how it feels like to be left in the dust when the only person who will hear you is a bear made out of fluff.

I apologize that this advice post is not the regular peppy inspirational post you would normally read on here, but today has just been one of those "emotional roller coasters, insert your earphones and exclude yourself from others" kind of day and hopefully everything gets sorted out soon. I hope you have a wonderful day.
How do you deal with the unexpected turns in your life?

xx Chavelita

The fear of communicating

By far this would probably be my greatest obstacle course I have come along to. Simply speaking was a challenge for me since I was small that I would actually cry almost everyday at pre kindergarten because my Mom couldn't stay with me. To be around unfamiliar faces makes me feel uncomfortable even more when I don't have a friend along with me. Though as I've grown older, I have learned a bit tricks to break the awkward ice.

1. Say hello! 

I know this may sound a bit redundant but if you greet someone you are already engaging into conversation. Perhaps ask them how have they've been because for starters everyone secretly loves to speak about themselves and loves someone who will listen to what they have to say. 

2. Ask common questions

You would probably want to start asking questions to that person when the right time comes (normally after greeting them is the right time) but you do not want to scare them off by asking too personal questions. Your first objective is to get to know the basics of the person: birthday, their favorites and dislikes such as food, seasons, treats and maybe their nationality if you're curious I know I would. 

3. Should I stay or move on?

I believe that everyone should deserve at least one chance to begin with. Though if the answer to the previous questions did not quite suit you then maybe you should move on. You're not obligated to be with someone who makes you feel uncomfortable or causes you to change to suit their habits. A friendship should make you feel happy and have the ability to trust the other person. If you're already doubting yourself with that person then you probably already the answer to that (move on). Not everyone you will meet, you will like but do not give up keep meeting new people and expand your horizons with them.

4. Trust fall

This step is rather tricky and risky because it could either go two ways either they support you and keep information that you tell them to themselves. Or they would go behind your back and tell everyone they know. For me I take an extremely long time to get to this platform but I have also learned that you should be able to take as much time as you need to get there. Begin with the little things such as the last person you kissed or dated, a person you may like or dislike, a fact about yourself that no one knows. I recommend you begin with the little things as a sort of test to see where this friendship is standing at. If they pass then congratulations you have made a good friend! Though if they did leak some of your information I would be careful with that person and even though they may say it was an accident, I would not be surprised that they would to do it again. 

5. Personal questions 

After passing the trust fall I think it would be safe to say to ask personal questions. Get to know your friend a bit deeper. Do not overload on these questions though because you can make your new friend to be uncomfortable. Only ask these questions when the right opportunity may come and be aware that at any time they may ask for your opinion based on the question you asked so be honest, tactful, and understanding. 

When I make friends I'm like the little turtle in the story with the rabbit and the turtle, who takes his sweet but persistent time to get to his goal while the rabbits here are making friends like a snap of a finger. I'm quite slow and steady when it comes to meeting new people, I was never the expert of being able to create a mass load of friends (hell I'm not even a expert in communicating ahaha). I wasn't able to manage but with a handful of friends I was able to get to know them more for who they are and it seemed simpler because you have less people to attend to. Though that is my opinion on friends, I just hope that you make good, healthy, careful friendships and that you do not take anyone for granted.

Photo credit to Sam, our emergency ice cream runs

Photo credit to Sam, you don't understand how much I leaned on these two girls (Sam and Ana). Las tres chicas! 

Hopefully this was helpful and if so I'll leave you with this question: Have you ever met someone you have least expected to become friends with? And if so, how did you meet them? (I feel the unexpected ones are the best ones yet!)

xx Chavelita 

Rare friends

Have you ever met someone that immediately changed your life the moment you both came into contact? I am not the one to expect a close friendship from the first few days I meet someone but in this case it was different and we still talk as of today too. It was October of my sophomore year in high school and that year of 2012 I had my 15th birthday in July. Normally you would have your quinceanera around the time of your birthday but I am guessing there was not enough time for the preparations for my "surprise" quinceanera. Why is surprise in quotation marks you may ask? That is because my Dad decided to ask me to help on my own invitations for my own party that I found out that I was having one in Puerto Rico. Perhaps it was a bit predictable too since I did tell my uncle who is a party planner of my dream quinceanera... At least the thought of creating a surprise quinceanera counts. We arrived on the island and the first thing my Dad does is that he visits his oldest brother. He runs the family business mostly on his own during the night and not once do I recall to have found him sleeping. It is like he never sleeps! Anyway, my uncle has two children but his son has his own family in which he no longer lives in Puerto Rico but he has a daughter who does. When I was such a little pea, she would call me "pulguita" which means small flea in Spanish and since then that is how she would addresses me by. She does not call me that to annoy me but to show her affection towards me. Through her is how I met my friend. I will not say her name for privacy issues but my first impression of her was how sweet she was towards me, though she was a bit reserved to herself too. Me not knowing anything about her and she immediately gives me a hug with a kiss on the cheek as if we were family like some lost cousin that my parents forgot to introduce me to. (To this day I still have a feeling that I have family that I do not know about or have not met yet...) I find it hard to believe that she is shy when she had told me because towards me she is like this radiant butterfly who affects everyone she touches. It is quite marvelous, people like that are very rare to find. I remember she came to my quinceanera with my cousin, everyone was dressed so elegantly which is something you barely see in Puerto Rico because we are usually in t-shirts and shorts all year round. Then I went to Puerto Rico again in the late springtime of March in 2013 and I was able to see her again. Honestly it felt really nice to encounter her again and still see her friends with my cousin. She is such lovely company to be around with and she rarely asks for anything. Sadly, I was not able to spend a lot of time with her personally between her work schedule and my parents plans. Though she did surprise me on my last full day of my trip when she texted me what I was doing and she came out of my Tia's car as if nothing. I was not expecting her to be honest aha. Nice to treasure my last memory of that trip with her by seeing luminescent fishes in a pond of water (I am not kidding theoe fishes were like dragonflies, when you touched the surface of the water in which they are inhabitants of they glow because it is how they defend themselves from predators) That is probably something I regret from that trip, that I was not able to spend the right amount of time with everyone. Two weeks is just not enough for me because it takes time for me to get acquainted and comfortable so by the time I am it is already time to pack my bags again. Oh well, it gives me another reason to go back to Puerto Rico. It won't be any time soon but maybe during a summer so I have more time to explore and create new memories.

Family business

My cousin's dog, Poofi <3

Bahia Bioluminiscente (Bio-Luminescent Lake)

My ticket :)

Who is someone that has impacted your life, and in what way?

xx Chavelita

A rose for you

I do not recall the entire memory of it but only small fragments of my past. For what I can remember when I was around the age of five and I do not remember how frequently I would do this but I would give my kindergarten teacher a rose. Since the house I lived in produced beautiful yellow roses in our front yard, my little five year old self thought that it would be a nice gesture to give her favorite teacher a rose in a vase. Of course my Mom had made most of the arrangements of the rose actually getting there safely and not plucking my fingers with the thorns.. When I was little I found myself to be very observant, choosing my peers carefully, and crying... A LOT when things were not seemingly going the way they were supposed to. Which is why I felt like I bonded more with Ms. Sheen (until this day I still remember my kindergarten teacher) for some reason I love the vibe she would give off. She was beautiful, had a wonderful smile, and had a sweet voice. Very kind teacher indeed she has taught me a lot not just about the primary ABC's or the days of week but to be considerate to others. I wonder how she is doing right now or about her whereabouts.

What is a memory of your past that you cherish?

xx Chavelita

Age limits

This has actually been upsetting me for quite sometime. Age limits. When this comes up you may think, "oh sorry you must be ___ years of age to enter" not, "oh, honey but you are too young to even be around those people" and then be redirected to people who do not even bother to acknowledge your presence. Although my parents have not been bothered with the friends I make regardless of their age not everyone is like my parents who accept that. I'm fed up of having to create excuses or have to explain to others that so and so is my friend. Whether you are 10 or 40, if you treat me with respect then I will return the same respect back to you and honestly I find that most of my friends are older than me. The reason is that I find myself more comfortable to be around with, I can connect or at least understand their stories and you begin to see things from a different angle. Not that I have that many friends but if I were to tell anyone that I am friends with someone who is older than me they will give me odd looks and perhaps the same way with my friend's friends. Though being a family member changes the whole situation around apparently. But since when has it been a rule that you have to be friends with people your age? Or why does people automatically assume that you are a parent/child relationship? Or have to be in a relationship with a person around the same age as you? The world does not work that way. Age limits do not exist when it comes to these circumstances. I believe you should be able to spend your time with the people who are very dear to you, who are willing to make you smile or laugh on the horrible days, laugh til you pee on the good days and not be ashamed to spend time with them in public, vice versa. Start creating friendships with those who are not in your age group and I will promise you that as soon as a friendship like that flourishes you will be asking yourself "where have I been?". Get out of that comfort zone, be open-minded and learn more about people who may be different from you (and accept the differences too), and be proud of the memories you create with them. Do not imply something you do not know about.

What do you seek in a friendship?

xx Chavelita