New Year's Resolution 2010

T'his year my New Year's Resolutions are probably the MOST IMPORTANT ones in my entire life. In 2010 I need to move onto the real world, so my resolutions revolve around how I'm going to get on my feet after graduation and being my life. They are as follows:

1. Graduate - While this may sound like common sense, it's one of the hardest things and most important things I need to do this year. I'm taking 19 credits this spring plus an additional 6 Italian credits this summer in order to officially receive my diploma. Let's hope I can pull through.

2. Get a Job - Like any other college grad, it's a priority to find a job this summer. I'm looking at jobs in the teaching field, so none of them will start until early fall. Apparently Spanish teachers are in high demand so maybe I'll luck out.

3. Find an apartment - So, my mom really wants me to move out. She keeps telling me that I need to be out on my own and learn what it's like to be in an apartment. I think it's too soon and I'd rather live at home for a year, but oh well. Looking for some cheap apartments [and a roommate for 2010 - 2011, if you're interested, call me!]

No, I'm not gonna make a resolution to be "lose 10 lbs" because we all know that's not happening, LOL. [well maybe it will, but making it my resolution isn't gonna motivate me, trust me]. Instead, I will motivate myself to lose a few pounds mainly because I'm going to Italy this summer. Anyway, these 3 resolutions are the most realistic for me and the most crucial for me to survive this year. Bring it on 2010 - Let's do this!

Peace & Love,

Candace

So Starstruck at 3:30 am

Funny Story.

Last night I went to bed at around 1:30 am. I sleep here in my brother's room [which is actually my Grandparents room, but they're out of the country, and they have two beds in the room] because he has a TV and I don't like falling asleep in the dark. We usually stay up pretty late, but I was out cold last night. So he tells me that at around 3:30 am I was moving around and making noises like I usually do when I'm sleeping. Then, he heard that I wasn't snoring so he didn't think I was fully asleep at the moment, and he asked me if I wanted anything to drink since he was going downstairs for a minute. Apparently I turned around, with my eyes still closed, and said "so starstruck cherry cherry cherry cherry boom boom" from the Lady GaGa song "Starstruck" and then went back to bed!! By the way, these lyrics are currently my facebook status.

L O L

So, I guess now we know officially that I'm so addicted to Lady GaGa that I sing her lyrics in my sleep. Awesome and Creepy!

Peace & Love,

Candace

"I read that on your Twitter"

I joined Twitter about a year and a half ago when Alissa and Trisha convinced me that it was the new "thing." I'm always down for being in on the new social media tools before they become too popular, so of course I was on board. Since then, I've become an avid "Twitter-er" if you will, having over 3,500+ tweets and 270+ followers.

Recently the funniest thing for me has been "I read that on your Twitter." You see, if there's anything you really want to know about what I'm feeling, how my day is, the things I'm thinking about, what I'm doing these days - read my twitter. I disclose it all. So what ends up happening is when I start to tell someone a story (especially my roommate Alissa), I'll get into the first sentence and someone will end it with "I read that on your Twitter." LOL.

Moral of the story: Since I disclose most of my personal life on my twitter, I don't really need tell people who follow me on twitter my stories since they probably already know. They know more about me than I do sometimes. hahaha.

Peace & Love,

Candace

Christmas Overview 2009

Today was Christmas. Boy was it a wild ride of emotions! We opened presents today at midnight. We didn't do too many gifts this year, the economy has hit the Avalos family pretty badly. I got some deodorant, lotions, hair products, socks, some gift cards, fleece PJ pants, and a sweater. The sweater was definitely my favorite. I'm sure I'll be wearing it at least once a week for the rest of the winter. JMU is gonna get sick of this big ball of red and blue yarn, trust me.

I think we're coming to terms as a family that Christmas from now on will be very small. It's nice that the boys are starting to get it, so they aren't too demanding. The youngest is 10, so they're growing up. My mom still went out and bought gifts even though we told her not to! Erick was a little sad because he said we didn't have enough Christmas spirit, so mom went out and bought gifts. I don't think Christmas spirit = go buy gifts, but that's just me. It was good all in all, but again, like last year, mom didn't get a lot of presents - only ones from her job. I felt bad but I just couldn't afford it. I have $20 to my name, and I have a $460 rent bill due the first. FML.

Christmas day was pretty lazy, we kind of just sat around and watched movies. I mean, in my world that's a day well spent, but that's just because I can be a couch potato sometimes. Then later, my brother's MMA coach took them to watch Avatar, and then Jr texts me to say that he's staying at their house for the night. It kind of annoyed me, considering it's Christmas and that's time I believe should be spent with the family. That's a lot coming from me, considering I don't really like my family that much all the time. I mean, if there's one day of the year that you should all like each other, it's definitely Christmas. Oh well, I was tired of the Cabin Fever so I watched NINE - good movie, please watch it!

Now I'm sitting in my bed, watching 80s movies until I fall asleep. Christmas this year was pretty calm and still jam packed with emotions (mom gave me pep talks that I really didn't want) but overall I guess it was alright. Honestly, it's just another day, not too exciting really. Anyway, I hope y'all had a good Christmas!

Peace & Love,

Candace

True Life: I'm addicted to Lady GaGa

Lately I've been addicted to Lady Gaga - I can't help it. So I got to thinking, what is it that really attracts me to her? Here's what I thought up:

1. Her Beats - The tunes on her songs are so different. They're edgy and poppy and disco techno-y, it's a huge mix of beats! Plus, a lot of her song's beats are pretty different and unexpected, although she still holds a level of consistency so that it's not too epileptic sounding.

2. Her Lyrics - "Got my ass squeezed by sexy cupid"? "Vertigo Stick"? "Can't read my poker face"? C'mon, you never know what will hit you in Lady GaGa's songs! That's what I love about it, I love being surprised with a lyric, I love that feeling of going "wait, WHAT?" and having to go home and google the lyrics to make sure I heard correctly. It's exciting!

3. Her Sytle - It's creepy, it's cool, it's sexy, it's disturbing - it's everything! Anyone who has the balls to walk out of the house looking like this earns my respect (in a completely delusional way):

I love fashion that breaks boundaries. Fashion that's inventive and defiant. Fashion that makes people jealous ONLY BECAUSE they know they can't get away with it - who else can wear her clothes honestly! Beyonce tried to in her new song "Video Phone" and frankly I thought it was a disaster. Leave the kooky outfits for the GaGa.

4. Her Rebellion - Celebrities are too safe sometimes. Oh but not Lady GaGa! She'll wear leotards in public, speak openly about gay rights, curse on camera, whatever it is, it's awesome. Keep doing it GaGa, us little monsters are eating it all up!

Now put it all together and what do you get?

Peace & Love,

Candace

Emo, Punk, Scene, & Goth

People are always complaining about how no one can tell the difference between what is Emo, Punk, Scene and Goth, so I'm here to put some information out there all in one place - let's clear up all the confusion!

Of course the first thing I'm gonna do is turn to Wikipedia, my favorite researching tool:

Emo (pronounced /ˈiːmoʊ/) is a style of rock music typically characterized by melodic musicianship and expressive, often confessional lyrics. It originated in the mid-1980s hardcore punk movement of Washington, D.C., where it was known as "emotional hardcore" or "emocore" and pioneered by bands such as Rites of Spring and Embrace. As the style was echoed by contemporary American punk bands, its sound and meaning shifted and changed, blending with pop punk and indie rock and encapsulated in the early 1990s by groups such as Jawbreaker and Sunny Day Real Estate. By the mid 1990s numerous emo acts emerged from theMidwestern and Central United States, and several independent record labels began to specialize in the style.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emo

Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed the perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock. They created fast, hard-edged music, typically with short songs, stripped-down instrumentation, and often political, anti-establishment lyrics. Punk embraces a DIY (do it yourself) ethic, with many bands self-producing their recordings and distributing them through informal channels.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punk_rock

Gothic rock (also referred to as goth rock or simply goth) is a musical subgenre of Post-Punk and Alternative Rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punkscenes. The genre itself was defined as a separate movement from punk rock during the early 1980s largely due to the significant stylistic divergences of the movement; gothic rock, as opposed to punk, combines dark, often keyboard-heavy music with introspective and depressing lyrics. Notable gothic rock bands include Bauhaus, Siouxsie & the Banshees, The Sex Gang Children,The Cure, Joy Division, Radio Werewolf, The Sisters of Mercy, and Fields of the Nephilim, among many others. Gothic rock gave rise to a broader goth subculture that includes clubs, various fashion trends and numerous publications that grew in popularity in the 1980s.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goth_music

And since Wikipedia couldn't figure out what I meant when I typed in "scene" here is the definition according to UrbanDictionary.com [clearly another credible source]

The word "scene" coves a large spectrum throughout recent history, but its most modern definition is used to describe certian subcultures and movements. The most notoriously famous and targeted is the alternative music scene, or more specifically, branches of the alternative music scene such as hardcore, indie, fashoionxcore, etc. A breed of scenesters (people on the scene) has begun to come to the forefront. These scenesters are usually very music-savvy and loyal to a few specific genres (typically hardcore, metal, indie, retro, 80's new wave, classic rock, etc. to name a few), of which they dress to exemplify.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=scene&defid=1449447

Well folks, there you have it, perfectly stated. Do you get it now? Still no? Here are some videos that might help:

Well now I get it. I'm glad I did a little research to help clear the air, and I hope it helps you figure it out too. It's time the world knew the difference between these very different and complex styles of people! Class is over my friends.

Peace & Love,

Candace

The Art of Big Sister-ing

(This is Erick on the left, Junior on the right, and my mom stabbing us with smore sticks behind us haha)

As I get older and my two brothers get older I've learned more and more about the precious Art of Big Sister-ing. Being the oldest in the family is definitely a challenge as you try to be a role model but still be the "cool sister" and help your siblings grow. I am realizing now though, that this job is a lot harder than I ever thought it was...

Erick, the youngest, 10 years old, has a few problems. His self-confidence is lacking and he is a little chubby. Trying to motivate someone for problems that you personally have is not easy. As a sister you only want the best for them, and you'll do anything you can for them. But how do you give a 10 year old self confidence when they don't even know how to spell it, much less understand it?

Junior, the middle child, 13 years old, is a little trouble maker. The principal's office is like his second home and detention is playtime for him. I'm definitely learning that I don't know what goes on in the mind of a 13 year old boy. He wants to be a good kid, but he just gets tangled up with the wrong people. That happened to me when I was in 7th grade, I was a bad egg and it wasn't until I dropped my loser friends that I actually got my act together. But how do you explain to a 13 year old that they need to make a grown up decision like that?

I don't know if I'm doing a good job because honestly I'm struggling to keep these boys in check. Also, you have to realize the boundaries between what you can do as a big sister, and what the parents are supposed to do. I know my mom means well, but I can definitely understand where my brothers are coming from when she starts to act all crazy. Been there done that. I guess that's how life works though, you figure it out as it comes to you. Not much you can prepare for eh?

So, any advice?

Peace & Love,

Candace