Quote from a friend

Love freely, love without expecting! Just love.
-Alex Loera

Chasing Amy: Dedicated to You

Several thoughts are rushing through my head. I'm experiencing catharsis and I can think of one specific person who would understand this more than anyone based on a previous conversation. Without a moment's loss I'm instantly drawn to a movie that reminds me of how rare yet so precious it is to find a genuine connection with another human being. Amidst disappointment with how things have to be, I remain optimistic having grown from this positive experience because I've found a friend for life. I remain smiling, no regrets.

Many lines in this movie ring true in how I perceive certain moments of my life especially with regards to people and these connections. This movie has several notable scenes, below you'll find some of my favorite. Pay close attention to the words. Do they remind you of anyone special then or now?

An outburst of raw emotion is captured through song...


Humor and sincerity fuses a friendship between two people...


A risk is taken and expressed with an open heart...

You're Invited!

FRUIT LOOP 2008

When:
Saturday Apr 26, 2008
at 6:30 PM

Where::
ALL WeHo Bars
West Hollywood, CA 90069
United States

You've been invited to the West Hollywood "Fruit" Loop on Saturday 4.26.08 @ 6:30pm. The Fruit Loop is an fun ass event where we'll be strategically (to avoid covers and and get in on the drink specials) hitting up EVERY bar/club in West Hollywood.

ONLY RULE:
You MUST have at least 1 drink at each spot!

We won't rush since we'll start in the early evening. Bring a camera, cash, friends, and an awesome attitude.





Meet @ East-West Lounge
8851 Santa Monica Blvd.
Saturday 4.26.08 @ 6:30pm


Places We'll be hitting up (not in order):

East West
Trunks
Fiesta Cantina
Rage
Mother Load
Here
Abbey

Hit me up for more information
ucmex@yahoo.com


TYRA THINKS ITS GONNA BE

"FIERCE!"

Last American Virgin

One of my favorite 80's flicks of all time, The Last American Virgin. This movie is a cross between American Pie and Say Anything, funny yet touching. The soundtrack features many notable hits and complements the film exceptionally well.

Check it out for yourself!

Busy Saturday: A quick run-down

I woke up early Saturday morning to finish up some work at Parsons. I headed home to change then met up with Eduardo for a Tae-Kwando tournament that a friend of his organized and participated in. We scoped out Old Town then settled for a bite to eat at the Cheese Factory where half way into our delicious lunch we're spotted by no other than Councilwoman Jacque Robinson! It's always great to see her, even she's on Team Obama.

I carpooled with Eduardo and his friend Juan to Hector Silva's Art Exhibit then proceeded to Akbar for Jame's Berfday. It's so much fun expanding my circle of friends in addition to strengthening my current friendships. After Akbar we headed to Arena but only after a pit stop to have a beer. I had such a blast at Arena, even though it was rushed, I got to chat with a bunch of friends like Jose NAK, Gerardo (one of Tarsi's closest friends), Dedan (I got a huge this time), Mikey and Brooklyn (these guys are so much fun). The night ended with some beers and some much needed sleep, I had a blast!

CHIRLA Annual Gala

On Thursday April 10th I volunteered at CHIRLA's Annual Awards Gala which took place at recently renovated L.A.'s Union Station. I invited several friends and in the end Alex volunteered as well as two of my colleagues, Yuny and Daisy, who serve as Board Directors of the Pasadena Latino Forum. The night evening went very smooth and Whelma the event coordinator did a great job of rallying a lot of volunteers.

I took advantage of focusing on some key networking with the hindsight of collaborating and coalition building with respects to my current project as I chair the Pasadena Human Relations Commission's committee on immigration.

Thanks to everyone who hooked me up with complimentary drink cards! I met a lot of great people and feel much more confident as I approach my own endeavors with regards to immigration. It was a great night for sure!

Balance to the Force

I'm experiencing euphoria and have reached a stable and healthy balance in my life that I haven't experienced in a long time. Through working out & exercise, enriching my life with positive community involvement & awareness, spending time & communicating with friends, and other factors that I haven't been able to point out, the stars in my life are aligned!

No more feeling dead inside, no more grudges, no more feeling cynical; I feel strong, able and immensely powerful enough to take on challenges that will develop growth.

French Kiss-off the Olympic Torch

The Olympic Torch made it's way to Paris, France on Monday as part of Beijing's elaborate relay for the upcoming Summer Games. Swarms of protesters disrupted the Torch relay spotlighting China's poor human rights accord and the country's dominance over Tibet. The scene got so bad that the Torch was forcibly extinguished and transported on a bus.

The Mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoe has already infuriated Beijing by displaying a banner on city hall declaring that his city supports human rights around the world.

The next stop for this Torch relay is San Francisco, the only stop in all of North America. You can be sure thousands upon thousands of activists will be on hand to dismiss the flame and China's politics. Here's a preview of what to expect as protesters climbed Golden Gate bridge on Monday to display their own message in the United States.

Commissioner Flip in action

As some of you may know, I am a Commissioner for the City of Pasadena serving on the Human Relations Commission. It's been a grand experience thus far but now I feel the pressure of leading an immensely important project with the little experience I have. Chairing a committee isn't new to me but the dynamic is largely removed from those that I've previously handled because being an official City entity there is protocol that must be followed. Luckily I'm a resourceful person and I know how to manage various projects so I won't be approaching this undertaking so blind sighted.

I'll keep everyone posted on how things go but for now it's best to keep this under wraps for now. There are other projects I'd like to take on through this commission such as helping to establish or build-on a gay-alliance network for people in the public and private sector, creating a Commission internship program, establishing a hate crime victim's advocate, collaborate on youth initiatives with am emphasis on academic and leadership development, and lastly helping to ease the strained black-brown relations that seemed to gotten worse over time.

First thing's first, I want to make myself a sandwich-I'm hungry!

Is my heart open?

I'm aware that some friendships run their course. I don't deny what they were and what currently is. In a feng-shui attack in attempt to simplify my life, seek clarity, and getting rid of some clutter, I've ended some lingering friendships that weren't really friendships at all. It sounds cold-hearted but there's no use in lying about the way things are. I walked away from these relationships having down everything possible to salvage them. My attempts were futile.

Amber thinks that perhaps I'm being a bit haste. She's got magnificent heart-I love her to death. I recognize that my heart is closed to some degree. I look to what is good in my life and I'm immediately reminded of my closest friends and family. I've been hurt so many times and sometimes I inflicted this pain on myself.

Amber thinks my heart is as big as hears and I almost cried because I've let hurt and mistakes define how I view myself and worse, how I deal with things. I love people and perhaps getting rid of them before they hurt me is just easier on me to handle.

Is my heart open or have I been filtering out the unwanted as soon as I asses them as an opportunity for someone to hurt me? I stand by my choices as painful as they might seem. It's no easy task to walk away without looking back but I am an adult now and I expect friends to be friends through thick and thin and unfortunately I haven't seen that in a couple of friends. Look at me now, doing the same thing, walking away. I'm perpetuating the very same thing that I'm chastising. This paradox is the offspring of how I deal with emotional pain. Perhaps there is escape but I haven't been able to reason a compromise between my optimism and cynicism with regards to friendships.

The journey continues. I don't believe in replacements, but as I say goodbye to great people in my life I say hello to some new ones who will undoubtedly bring love and light in the true spirit of growth and friendship.

Birthday Boys!

Big hugs to my Ryan, Juan, Spike and of course my brother Danny, on their very special day, happy birthday! My brother said he has an awesome time, I called him at 4am and poor guy was recovering from a night of birthday fun. Spike, I owe you one. I know you party like a supahfreak so post some pictures soon!

I did however, party with Ryan and all his friends. I picked up Edu and headed for the Abbey. I love Ryan's friends, they're very successful and positive people who I can totally see myself being around more as I get to know them. After the Abbey we rushed off to Circus where of course parking was a hot mess but alas, we made it in!

It was imperative I make a cameo at Circus to celebrate with Nelson's boy Juan! He seemed to drunk and out of it, loved that guy. It was only a matter of time before I saw everyone else at Circus, Nelson, Adolfo, Alex, Marty, I mean you name it and they were there. Apparently I hooked up Adolfo with some cute guy, ha ha. I tend to do that, I know I've hooked up Alex a couple of times so it didn't surprise me when Adolfo told me what went down.

The night was terrific fun! No drama, no tears this time! The next day was even better, actually...I won't get into it, but I had a great time.