Spending time with my familia has always been mt pride and joy. I love being with them and enjoying the time. Of course, at times I get really bored and tried of them. Today was one of those days. I felt a tad overwhell and wanted to go home back to san Jose. However, I got to thinking, why go home? My familia is here and I do not get to see them ss much so let's enjoy the time! Which is what I did. One thing about spending time with my familia is that we eat a lot, to much! Last year during goble day we had about four turkeys and two hams. This year we cut it down by half, which is a good thing. We had a couple leftovers they were so good! Well that was my day now good night.

Sick

It’s been about a year since I have contacted the flue. On Tuesday morning I woke up fine, once Wednesday night came along I began feeling like a sore throat was coming I quickly took some night quill and went to bed right away. Around three am, I woke up with a horrible sore throat my voice was gone, and I had began a running noise. Once again, I took more medicine I hate the being sick. I woke up at seven am, and felt horrible. Since then, my headache has not gone away. It’s this horrible sense headache. I do not mine having a running noise and a sore throat, but the headache I just wish it would go away!

Time

Over the years I have came to realize that time is an essential key to having a decent life. For the past three years, I have worked on campus. Recently, I have been arriving late, which has been getting me in trouble. My boss called my attention last Friday and honest to God I taught I was going to get a fatty a** warning. Finally, this week I have been on time. I have no idea what is going on this semester. School has really taken a toll on me. I think I started on the wrong side of the bed this semester and its just been hard to get back in the groove of things. Over the summer, I had a life changing family experience. My mom under went heart surgery, causing a numerous amount of change in my family and my personal life. During the summer, time meant so much. How much time do I have?, will she be out soon?, will I be back on time? Many questions crossed my mind, and they were all pertaining to time.
Since I was a child, my dad was always on time. He made sure we made it to every family gathering at least 5 minutes early (uncommon for Mexican families). As I got older he noticed that none of my siblings would be on time. Consequently, he decided to forward all the clocks in the house by ten minutes. For about three months, his planed worked perfecly well, until we realized what we had done. We were able to calculate the time and his planed compleley back fired. Once I entered High School, I found the importance of time. My dad made it very clear that he would not take me to school if I was running late. I was so shocked when he told me that, that I always woke up on time. Now that I am in college I wish he was around to tell me the same thing. I have been arrving late to work for the last couple of weeks. When I went home for the wedding, he over heard me telling my brother, he walked into the room and said "Laura, Please be on time. Be grateful your boss is nice to you and she loves you, the real world would have let you go along time ago" I looked at him in complety AW! Futhermore, since I got back I have been on time. I am working on being on time to class because that is another issue.

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After reading a blog from another student, I finally found a topic for today's blog. I read a blog about someones landlord and how rude he is. It got me thinking about my landlord, who we actually call the manager for the apartment complex. I have to say that he is a great guy, maybe because we have been friends for about three years and he gives me a deal on my rent. Nevertheless, I have notice that most people do not like their landlords. One of the common reasons I have heard is, they never do what tenants ask them to do, they are never around, and according to a blog they pick up rent at 1:47am. I have only experienced one of these, while resiting in San Jose.
My manger is a 25 year old male, who works a number of hours. He is hardly home, when he is he sleeps, eats, or parties with other of our friends. Currently, he has finally been making an effort to help out all tenants. He painted all the apt., rewired all the fire, and rearranged parking so every tenant with a car could have a permanent spot. Mind you, I have know my manger for about three years, this was a dramatic change. I was completely shock! I think that if anyone has issues with their landlord they need to let them know.

Familia

I have to start our by saying that family, by far, is the best thing ever created. Of course, we all have our moments, but then again those are the best. I come from a very crazy, Mexican, extended family, who knows how to party hard and be loud at the same time. This weekend, yet again, I am home for another extravagant weekend in Los Angeles. My cousin, the groom is getting married. Now mind you, he is my cousin by both sides. My mom and his mom our sister and my dad and his dad are brother, causing a bigger sir in our family. I enjoy hanging our with my family. They make me laugh, blush, and at times even cry, tears of joy of course. Over the last years, I have not attend so many important event, such as mothers day, grandparents anniversary mass, birthday parties because I live in San Jose. However, I have learned to appreciate the true meaning of family and home cook meals.

A couple hours ago my brother and I were hungry we decided it was dinner time. We told our parents they joined us and we had a fabulous time at Mexican restaurant. I honestly feel like we ate to must for being so late. Nevertheless, it was fun and good! Once we got home, we began finishing up all the minor details for the wedding tom morrow. I told them I needed a couple minutes write my blog. Why would I even ask to be alone? Soon enough my brothers walk into the room with a brown box. I remembered that we are using about five different props for the wedding just to create more noise and craziness. They walk into the room and at the top of there lungs they are laughing and saying we need your help with inflating the balloons and fake mics. I roll my eyes at them and scream back "get out, I need five minutes" they laugh and begin to inflate the balloons in my room. Now there is a mess on the floor, my brothers shoes and socks, and of course there smell. Would I change that moment? Never they are my life!

I can not wait for tomorrow night. I know we will all have a great time. Dance the night away, have one to many cocktails and laugh and sing till we loose our voice.

I honestly can not wait till next weekend. I am so happy to be going home! Finally I get to see my parents and my new niece. Like mention before in one of my blogs my family celebrates weddings like there is no tomorrow. I will be flying to Ontario, CA on Thursday right after Polsi 100W class. I will be attending the wedding of my beloved cousin Jose, he is marrying this wonderful women I completely adore her. I think she is a great lady who presents her self really well. She has learned to cope with my crazy, out going, blunt family. I truly enjoy her and I am very happy for both of them. One main reason, why I am so excited is that I have not been home since the summer. This wedding is going to be so much fun. My entire family 300 plus will be in town. All the ones, from south of the border and up north. This mini-adventure has been long awaited. This summer my mother got very ill, causing huge depression in my life. I have miss her so much, this wedding is just a perfect way to be united to her and share a good laugh. I tend to enjoy my self and open up a lot more with my family, especially my brother and my mom. I am also looking forward to my dads retirement party. He is finally retiring after 32 years of working the grave years shift at a produce company. He was having a very hard time coping with the fact that retirement is just around the corner, but he finally go the point and understood that he deserve the break. He says he will spend much more time with my mom and the new baby my sister-in-law just had. He also mention that he might visit my brother and I in the bay for Thanksgiving, something unusually. He has never celebrated Thanksgiving with us because he has always been working. This month will just be filled up with a lot of excitement and joy. I know tears of happiness will be pouring down my eyes on Thursday of next week!

Today has been such a long day. I woke up late for work and forgot to grab my homework. Work is so slow, I wish I would be able to leave and go to bed. For the last three weeks I have not slept well and ate well. I feel really tried a feeling I hardly experience. I am so shocked that this semester is already halfway through. At the end of the month I will be attending another family wedding in LA. I am so excited about it, that’s my focus point for the rest of the month. I am so involved at work that I am never allowed to leave early. At times I arrive late to class because I have to stay longer at work. I work on campus, it’s a great job, but over the summer I worked so much I need a break! I been venting with friends about my job for a couple of weeks, they told me " Keep your head up, you can do it!" I know I can.

The only thing I am looking forward to this weekend is Sunday. I am in the mood to attend Church and do some serious praying. Maybe, my prayers will be answered, and I can pass all my classes with good grades. I am doing pretty well in most of them. One of my polsi classes is harder than expected. It consists of a lot of reading, which is fine, but it takes me a while to understand some of the concepts. I might make an appointment with Prof. Wood to discuss my concerns in that class. I really enjoy college it’s given me a new insight on life and I have meet a number of great people. My job has given me a lot of advice that I know will help me in the future.

Music/Father

I have always had a love for Mariachi music. I remember being a young girl and seating with my dad while he explained the art of mariachi music to me. He has always been a great fan of mariachi music. Since his early teens he would leave school early to attend any of the local mariachi festival in Nayarit, Mexico. Often times, he would tag along with the guitarists and occasionally get a chance to play with one of them or even sing a song or two. A couple years ago I had to write a paper on a question I have always wanted to ask one my family members. It was one of those MUSE culture class freshman are recommend to take.
The only reason I enjoyed the class was because I was able to explore the reason why my father loved mariachi music. I had to conduct an interview with and ask him a series of questions one was Why do you love Mariachi music? His answer was something like, I enjoy the sounds, and they fill my heart with love and memories of my exciting childhood. They remind me of good and bad times. Such as the death of your grandfather and my crazy life as a bachelor in the States. He also said that he enjoyed mariachi music a lot more now that he was older because he was able to have a deep meaningful conversation about it with his only daughter- which is Muah!
My brothers have always told me that my dad and I share a greater bond than they will ever have, they often wondered why? After doing this project I understood where they where coming from. My dad and I can sit for hours and listen to different mariachi groups. We can look at old photographs and examine the different charro suits and try to identify the eras in which they where created. My brothers do not have that connection with my father. No one actually does. Every time I hear a mariachi perform the little hairs on my back stand up. The lyrics bring me memories of childhood. I will always thank Mariachi music because it was create a connection with my dad that no one can take away.

MANA

Since I was in High school I have always had a passion for concerts. I would often attend all major events for my favorite artist. Such as, Alicia Keys, Sugar Ray, Ricky Martin, and Vicente Fernandez. I would always drag one of my brothers with me because he had a car and a little extra money. It never failed he, would always say yes. He would also help me find good seats for a reasonable price. I have lost count of the number of concerts I attend. The unfortunate part is that when I moved to San Jose State University I was unable to continue my hobby. Until recently, I have begun attending a number of concerts. It brought so much joy into my life I been a lot nicer and happier my friends say. Recently, I received two free tickets to the Luis Miguel concert, which was really nice. Luis Miguel is a Spanish artist who is knows for his sexy looks and soft voice. Last weekend, I was able to attend last minute the Justin Timberlake concert. I have to say that I was blown away by his performance. He did an extraordinary job! This upcoming weekend I will go see Mana, a rock en espanol band who has sold over a million records numerous times. I am so excited to see them except for one reason. I have to drive to Oakland during mad traffic because I was unable to get the day off. Being so that will be the low of my day and high will be MANA!

Summer

Over the summer I had the opportunity to travel to China. It was quite an eye opener to me. I realized that it is quite different when you are in the country as opposed to reading about it. I have been exposed to different sceneries which I had not imagined. My concept of the country was one where greenery and rich colors of reds and gold filled the architecture and towns of the country. Instead, I came across bland buildings and hardly, if any, green landscapes and waterfalls that would captivate anyone’s attention. Poverty is an understatement. It fills the streets, the surrounding businesses and it is quite visible as you walk through many places. Entire families live in single one bedroom apartments located in the most bizarre places such as, restaurants, bars, and markets. The villages are not purified with any sanitation, clean bathrooms are not common, and young children do not have proper clothing. There where only two things I enjoyed from my trip: the food and shopping. I enjoyed the food because I was able to taste the rich flavors and smell the wonderful aromas of garlic and ginger. I ate there typical fried rice, noodles, and drank their beer. The shopping was just an extra boost in my trip. Even though the weather was unbearable I managed to have a good time. I am not certain if I will return any time soon, but when I do I will be prepared.

Mexican Weddings

Mexican weddings


Celebrating weddings is a big part of any Mexican American family. My family tends to celebrate a wedding every six months. Weddings are a very traditional part of the Mexican culture. They are filled with food and good music. There are many traditions to a Mexican wedding. One of the many traditions is always the food. Some of the traditional plates that I enjoy eating at wedding and at other family events is carne asada and/or tacos. The traditional way to serve Carne Asada is with Mexican red rice and beans. There are a few other meats for tacos that I enjoy such as, pollo (chicken) and carnitas which is commonly know for fried pork. The best way to eat fresh tacos is when a “tacero” makes them. According to the Universal Spanish Dictionary it says that a person that sells or makes tacos is called a “tacero.” (Catarella, 505) He usually adds red or green salsa, chopped onions, and cilantro. By far, theses are always the best tacos.

Most Mexican weddings usually always have some type of music such as a,” Mariachi or a “Banda.” Most Mariachi groups offer a number of different genres of music, but mainly focusing on rancheras and ballads. According to Laura Sobrino “Mariachi goes beyond music, it is the sum of a cultural revolution expressed through a group of musicians, dressed in popular clothing (most recently charro suits) which encompasses the essence of Mexico and its people.” (http://www.sobrino.net/) On the other hand, a Banda, literally “band” in Spanish, generally refers to the large brass-heavy ensembles. This ensemble first appeared in the northern Mexican state of Sinaloa in the early 20th century. Most contemporary Bandas usually feature a horn section but, often include keyboards and electric bass.(http://www.latinmusicology.com/what-is-banda) At most Mexican weddings a Mariachi plays at the religious ceremony in a church and the Banda plays at the wedding reception. Banda usually carries a faster beat to it and is known to entertain a large crowd. This October I will be part of another wedding. One of my many cousins is finally tying the not with his girlfriend. Most of my family is part of his wedding party. I know that with an abundance of food and plenty of family any wedding celebration is going to be exciting. My favorite part of a wedding is the music especially when it’s a good Banda.This upcoming wedding will be having both types of music I can not wait till October!

A good night

I believe that friends are one of the most important factors to life. On Wednesday of last week I can honestly say I had the best time of my life. I was able to relax and enjoy the sunny bay area to its fullest. A couple of friends and I attended a San Jose Giants game. I love baseball I think it’s one of the best sports ever created. It’s fun, easy to understand, but at the same time it can be very complex. I enjoy baseball as much as much as I enjoy food, which to most of my friends that’s hard to believe. At the game my friend’s and I enjoyed the food and the cheap beer. By the 6th inning I had caught two balls and I had gone through a couple bags of peanuts and seeds. As the game came to an end I decide along with my good gal to wait outside the dugout for the baseball players. After all, I had caught two balls and wanted them signed by the team players. A nice old man told us where to stand and wait for the players. Unfortunately, we got caught up in the action of taking pictures with my friends new I phone that we missed the players and by the time we looked it was too late. We where both quite disappointed, but there was nothing we could do it was just too late I wanted to share the good news with all of our friends’. I felt the need to share my excitement with the world. I had an adrenaline rush in my system it felt great! On our way home we decided to go grab some late dinner downtown. We just had to make a quick stop at my apartment and we would be on our way. Once we arrived to my apartment complex we saw a group of friends and invited them to dinner. As always there was huge mob of college students walking downtown for some late night dinner. As dinner came to an end I began reflecting on how fun this night has been I did not want it to end I was having too much fun sharing stories, eating great food, and enjoying the beautiful night. After all it was the end of the summer and the beginning of a new semester. I came to realize that Friends, late night dinner, and a good baseball game are always a good way to end something good and begin something wonderful.