60 Day Picture Challenge - Day 6: A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day.
This is Queen Rania of Jordan, wife of King Abdullah II. She has a degree in Business Administration and before becoming Queen, she worked for Citibank and Apple. As Queen, she fights for youth and female empowerment, continually stressing the importance of education, especially in today's globalized world. Furthermore, she is always preaching on the benefits of open-mindedness and tolerance as necessary values for the establishment of a better world. In 2011, she was selected as one of Forbes' 100 most powerful women. On top of everything that she does as Queen, she is a dedicated mother, and as you can clearly see, she is quite beautiful and sophisticated. Without a doubt in my mind, this is most definitely the type of woman that I aspire to become. I'll probably never get to have a royal title, though, so it would be amazing to be Queen for a day and see what having so much power and influence on the world feels like.
30 Day Picture Challenge - Day 6: A song that reminds you of somewhere.
The first time I heard this song was when I was in Miami back in April. I was going out to dinner on Lincoln Road with my cousin and his girlfriend, and this song kinda became the official song of the night. I came back to Honduras and would always listen to the song at the gym - always being reminded of Miami and all my loved ones there. When I returned to Miami in September, it was still a popular tune and was always being played on the radio. So, it further reinforced the strong link between the song and my second home. Also, Pitbull is from and will always remind me of Miami. Long story short, there are a lot of nice memories associated with this song and they all remind me of the 305. Shout out to all my Miami peeps. Ta bien, ta bien!
60 Day Picture Challenge - Day 5: A picture of your favorite memory
Without a doubt, my favorite memory is of the time when I went to Japan. Everything about the trip was great. Apart from the obvious (that I was in Japan, duh! One of the coolest countries in the world!!!), I had the opportunity to meet some amazing people, most of which still play a very active role in my life today (shout-out to all of, you know who you are <3). Anyways, this picture was taken at Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto. Those of you who haven't had the opportunity to visit Japan may have seen it in the film "Memoirs of a Geisha." It is one of the oldest and most popular shrines in all of Japan, built in reverence to Inari, the god of rice, sake, and prosperity. It's particularly famous for having more than 10,000 torii (gates.)
30 Day Picture Challenge - Day 5: A song that reminds you of someone
I have a very musical memory, meaning that I tend to automatically create strong attachments between memories and songs. Therefore, most songs will have some memory (particularly of someone) attached to them, making it particularly difficult to choose only one. Since the picture post talked about Japan, I decided to continue the theme and picked a song that reminded me of someone I met in Japan. This person made my trip even more special than I ever expected it to be and honestly, I still hold him in very high regard.
60 Day Picture Challenge - Day 4: A picture of your night.
Surprise, surprise. Another Friday night spent at home. Let's just say I'm not exactly thrilled about going out in the country that has the largest percentage of homicides in the world (and yes, unfortunately this statement is true - I really wish I were exaggerating, but this time I am not.) So, tonight I'm watching the French movie "Paris," and I hope it ends up being more original than its title. As you can see, I've got a huge glass of Coke Zero and a serving of popcorn to keep me company. Ah, and in case you're wondering, the candle that's flickering away is called "Baking for Santa" and it's got a sugared vanilla scent.
30 Day Song Challenge - Day 4: A song that makes you sad.
When I first heard this song, I cried like a baby because it simply hit too close to home. I think that anybody who's ever had his/her heart broken can relate to it. Furthermore, Adele is such an amazing performer that she is able to convey the emotions stirred up by this song perfectly. Nowadays, I don't cry when I hear it, but it still makes me a little bit sad (nostalgic for days long gone.)
"Never mind I'll find someone like you. I wish nothing but the best for you. Don't forget me, I begged. I remember you said, 'Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead.'"
I have over 100 posts. Wow. Who knew this day would come? lol
So, for my loyal followers, I decided to post something special. Something that will probably make you crack up... Things you can take from this: 1)I've always loved attention; 2)I've always loved to sing (even if it's gibberish), and 3)I've always been a bit crazyyyy... lol
I have no idea what I'm trying to say at 0:39. Maybe I was just making fun of how my baby brother spoke at that time.
And another one... One in which I am the protagonist. They wanted me to take a bite out of the cake - so that I could get my face covered in frosting. But as you can see, I've always been smart... I was adamant in refusing to do so. (0:43 - Ewwww, don't touch me!)
60 Day Picture Challenge - Day 3: A picture of the cast from your favorite show.
Well, well. I just wrote about Gossip Girl a few days ago in my Guilty Pleasures post, but here it is coming up again. Either way, everything I said about the show still holds. The drama, the glamour, the romance - everything about it is addictive. Furthermore, I love New York City and Gossip Girl does an excellent job of making the city a vital part of its cast.
30 Day Song Challenge - Day 3: A song that makes you happy.
I first heard this song in 2009, when it was featured in "500 Days of Summer." I remember watching the movie at the theater in Sunset Place, telling myself to make sure to look for the song when I got back home. However, I had a long night and totally forgot to do so. In November of last year, a friend reintroduced me to the song and it was also featured in the Victoria Secret Fashion Show (which should be coming up sometime soon, right?) Since then, this song has become one of the staples in my playlists. Even when I'm feeling like pond scum, I know I can put on this song and that my mood will change immediately as the guitar starts playing. Another thing that I really enjoy about this song is how it starts off slowly and continues to gradually build all throughout until it reaches an explosion of happiness, joy, and all that is good in the world. (Well, that may be pushing it a little bit, but you already know I'm dramatic!) Enjoy!!!
60 Day Picture Challenge - Day 2: A picture of you and the person you have been closest with for the longest.
This would be my friend Vanessa. I won't say much about her because she's a very private individual, but I will say that she's also Honduran and actually went to my same high school. However, I didn't meet her until 2005, when we took a Biology Lab together. She was my first real friend at FIU, and though we've had minor differences, she continues to be one of the people I cherish the most. I know that 2005 wasn't that long ago, but I'm not that close to any of high school classmates anymore, and like a.muse.d, I didn't think that family should count. Anyways, we took this picture in April of this year when we went to the Lady Gaga concert. Ah yes, I don't think she'd mind me saying that she's a Little Monster, too! Hehe.
30 Day Challenge - Day 2: Your least favorite song
I'm sure that there are plenty of other songs that I dislike. However, this one was the first to pop into my head. I know I shouldn't be hating on the poor girl - she's only a teenager, but this song is just annoying. It has the stupidest lyrics of all time ("Yesterday was Thursday. Today is Friday," you don't say, Sherlock Holmes?) and don't even get me started on the poor girl's voice.
My friend over at A.muse.d has asked me to take a 60 Day Picture Challenge and a 30 Day Song Challenge with her. Since this is a personal blog, and pretty much anything goes, I happily accepted. For 60 days, we will be posting pictures of random things that somehow relate to us, and the same thing goes for the 30 songs. You can check out her blog to see the complete list of the posts you can expect, and of course to give her some love.
Since my current lifestyle does give me a lot of free time, I figure that I'll have no problem posting for the entire duration of the Challenge and then making my usual posts on random stuff as well. So, here we go...
60 Day Picture Challenge - Day 1: A picture of yourself with ten facts.
1. I’m a quarter Palestinian, and though I can’t speak Arabic (I really wish I did, though) there was a heavy Middle Eastern influence in my upbringing. I grew up listening to Middle Eastern music, eating Middle Eastern dishes at Christmas; even the country club that I go to on a daily basis now (where my gym is at) is called the “Centro Social Hondureño Arabe.”
2. I’m very intellectually oriented. However, I think that I’m pretty good at balancing my serious side with my fun side. In many respects, I’m still a child inside – and I’m perfectly okay with that.
3. I’m very good at whistling! I think I could win a competition, for I can pretty much whistle any song in its entirety.
4. I love to bake, and though the early feminists will probably cringe in their graves as I say this, I think it’s because it makes me feel “womanly.” Hehe.
5. I have trouble sleeping at night because I think too much. As soon as I lay my head down on the pillow, I start thinking about the mistakes I’ve made in the past, things I want to do in the future, etc. My mind has one speed, “GO!” (Kudos if you got the Charlie Sheen reference! TigerBlood! Haha.)
6. As you are all probably aware by now, I love to stay up-to-date on pretty much everything: popular culture, music, current affairs, health issues, etc. Being so well informed is part of my charm, is it not?
7. I’m very proud. Once someone hurts my ego, it’s hard for me to forgive him or her. Well, in all honesty, it’s not THAT hard for me to forgive people if they show me that they really care about me and are truly sorry. However, most people that end up hurting me have a huge ego themselves, so I feel that I tend to end up in a lot of stalemates, which I’m not exactly happy about.
8. A close friend had once nicknamed me “sexy,” and to be honest, I used to think that he was being sarcastic. For the longest time, I truly believed that he called me “sexy,” just to tease me. It took me a long time, but I finally realized that he was being honest. I’m one smart and sexy Latina, and though I’m still getting used to seeing myself that way, I am enjoying this new phase in my life. If you got it, flaunt it ladies (All my single ladies, all my single ladies. Now put your hands up!) lol
9. I’m much more adventurous and curious than people think I am. I have a very peaceful temperament and sweet disposition, so I understand why people would think I’m somewhat bland and boring. That said, there’s much more to me than meets the eye – I’m just very careful about when and to whom I reveal my different facets.
10. I’ve been hurt a lot when it comes to matters of the heart. However, I still firmly believe that I’ll find someone who sees the world in the same light I do, and that I’ll give him my everything (and vice versa.) In other words, I’m a hopeless romantic. (Time will tell if this is a good thing or not, but I'm remaining optimistic that it is.)
30 Day Song Challenge - Day 1: Your favorite song
It's always so hard for me to pick one favorite song. I like so many different genres of music and have so many favorites songs from each, that it's always a very daunting task to choose just one. That said, I've picked Utada Hikaru's "Take 5," because I feel that it gives a good musical representation of who I am.
Whenever I hear it, I always close my eyes and imagine that the sun is setting and that I'm flying through the sky, which has gorgeous shades of pink, purple, and orange (an image that I interpret as a strong desire to keep my freedom.) The mood of the song is very peaceful and calming, but at the same time quite hopeful and optimistic. Not to mention that it's performed by my favorite Japanese artist of all time (need I remind you of my obsession with Japanese culture?!) Also, the lyrics of the song are very philosophical in nature - it deals with the process of dying and the desire to not have a physical body. Philosophical issues are something that always dance around in my head, especially the issue of existence. So, when we put everything together, I truly do feel that this song is very me.
