"Surf life by the tides it throws you"

LOVE. AMOR. AMOUR. AMORE. SAYANG. RAKKOUS. What do all these words have in common? The same underlying concept of how one should feel. If you ask a little kid, they might say "ew." If you ask an adult who has been in this thing called love, they might say something more profound and shocking. But if you ask me, I'd tell you something totally different, something you won't expect to hear.

Not only does love have the physical attraction towards someone, but it also have the emotional attraction. Love is when that person will be there no matter how good or bad your day went. Love is when you can lay there forever, matching heartbeats, not saying one word. Love is even though when you are many miles apart, you know they are always in your heart where ever you go. Love is learning to live the life you have been given and accepting those in it for who they are. Love is knowing that each others families means a lot to them even though sometimes they don't show it. Love is not saying goodbye every night, but see you later. Love is waking up to a text that says, "just wanted to tell you that I am finally falling asleep...and all I can do is think about you the past few hours and how much I love you." Love is thinking about someone so much, they bring tears of happiness. Love is knowing that wherever we each may end up, we will still be together. Love is when they surprise you in the morning by showing up at your door step with their arms open wide. Love is the understanding that the future may not be clear right now but will work together on making it clear. Love is countless hours talking on the phone about anything under the moon...eventually talking about anything under the sun. Love is knowing that I've had a bad day through text without speaking one word to them. Love is playing your song on repeat. Love is looking into their eyes and not seeing them, or you, but yourselves together. Love is them understanding my past, believing in our future, and accepting me for who I am. Love is trying so hard to say goodnight, but can't.

This love I have for you is special, not like anything before. It grows each day, with each time we talk, each action you do. No one can change this love I have for you. No one! 143679!

Intern by Weekdays, Tourist by Weekends.

This weekend I decided to be a tourist doing touristic exploring. After a good first week at People en Espanol, I decided to venture the Big City instead of being locked in my jail cell of a dorm room. I met a friend who works next to me. His name is Frank and we decided to venture around the city. 

On Saturday, it was a beautiful day. Not too hot and not too cold. We decided to venture down to Soho. Soho is a neighborhood in lower Manhattan notable for being the location of many artist's lofts and art galleries. However, more recently, it is also known for the wide variety of stores and shops. But before Frank and I ventured out to Soho, I decided I wanted to get the day started early. I ventured down Amsterdam Ave to a little cafe I researched online called Atroplis Espresso. With it's yellow awning and outside seating, it was bound to be a good place to start.  When I walked up the ramp, and into the cafe, a display case of desserts started calling my name. To the left, was a man making crepes and to the left of him was a display case of gelato ice cream.

The entrance of the cafe!

The Classic Crepe!

Atropolis Espresso reminded me of a little cafe in Europe. The cozy tables made me feeling like I was eating at my own table with the sun brightly shining through the window. The music was soothing. It wasn't anything terrible but it was just relaxing. I sat down in the corner so I was able to see everything. I ordered a cappuccino and the classic crepe which consisted of nutella inside of the crepe topped with fresh strawberries and bananas then drizzled with chocolate. Talk about delicious. It was very rich in chocolate but absolutely amazing. What a better way to start my time in New York. The menu had a variety of choices that I could have chosen from. You could choose waffles, crepes in the form of omelets, yogurt parfait and it all came with 2 drink choices: coffee, tea, orange juice, sangria, or mimosa. They also have a lunch menu which contained salads and sandwiches. For the crepe and coffee, I spent all but just $10. Not bad at all.

Waffle with bananas & gelato ice cream!

Since I had a good experience there yesterday, I decided to go back again this morning. This time I tried something new; waffle with banana and nutella. How can you go wrong with that combination? You can't. I ordered coffee and orange juice and was excited to try it.

His little converses!!

Back to Saturday: After I ate, I met up with Frank and we went to Soho. I had never been to Soho so I didn't know what to expect. We ventured the stores which some where 3 or 4 floors high. I was highly impressed. Since I knew my sister is a big converse fan, I decided to buy my nephew some little, blue converse shoes. I also had bought him a little jumper that says, "if you think I'm cute, you should see my uncle".  Yes he is spoiled but hey isn't that what we are here for? Overall, Saturday was a good day ending it with a few drinks at Firefly down in Soho.
                                                                                                                                                                   

1

I had to buy it!

The Subway Map of where I went today!

On Sunday, I decided to venture out by myself. After having breakfast at Atropolis Espresso, I hopped on the subway and went to Central Park. I didn't think Central Park was that big until I actually started walking around the loop and let me tell you, its huge! Although I expected more out of the park, I just saw people laying out and families enjoying the sunny weather. After Central Park, I decided to go to Madison Square Garden however, I was not able to enter the arena itself. Around the area, there were shops galore and it reminded me a little bit of Soho. After a bit of discovery, I, once again, got back on the subway and headed to Grand Central Station. 

Grand Central Station is one of the most famous stations in the whole world. Located in Midtown Manhattan, off 42 Street and Park Avenue it was built by and named the New York Central Railroad in the heyday of American long-distance passenger trains.  It is the largest train station in the world by number of platforms, 44 with 67 tracks along them. (and yes, I did sing Lady Gaga's telephone while I was walking around the station). 

This weekend, I was able to be a tourist around New York. Some other attractions that I'd like to visit are: Ground Zero, Statue of Liberty, Brookyln Bridge, Empire State Building, and Yankee Stadium, just to name a few. 

I pigged out at different restaurants in the New York area, even the famous Baked by Melissa Cupcake stand located in Soho. You are able to choose mini cupcakes which were absolutely wonderful. I choose s'mores (left cupcake) and rice krispy treat (right cupcake). Go to their website to create your own cupcakes!( http://www.bakedbymelissa.com/#/home/) I plan on going back to Soho to venture that part of the city a little more.

This week will be a busy one as I try to prepare myself for my best friends wedding. I will be coming home on Thursday night, excited to spend the weekend with some people I love.

Tell then... 

Time and Life Building, 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York

Wow! Never would I have thought that I would be in New York City making paper and having the time of my life. Everyone always told me to do what I want to do "because I am young" and I think NYC is the perfect city for that reason. Let alone, I scored an internship with People magazine albeit, in SPANISH! What an experience...


Let me tell you about the past few days:
On Sunday, I was on my to the Big City. After many delays at the airport and a long bus  from LaGuardia, I finally arrived at Columbia University. Columbia University was founded in 1754 as King's College by royal charter of King George II of England. It is the oldest institution of higher learning in New York and the fifth oldest in the United States. Some famous people to have stepped on this campus are President Barack Obama, Alexander Hamilton (founding father of the good ol' USA), President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his brother Theodore Roosevelt.

Pictured right, is the library I walk by every day on my way to the Subway station.

One might say that might dorm is almost like a prison, however it is just a dorm. I live on the 12th floor of the East Side of campus with a magnificent view of the city.  As you enter our dorm, you enter into the common area which consists of a small kitchen, a dining room set, and a couple of couches. The rooms are then down the stairs, which in reality is the 11.5 floor and are all individual rooms with one bathroom. It is a pretty nice set up. My room mates are also interning here in the city doing some sort of research for different companies and we all get along pretty well.

After I located where my dorm was and met my room mates, I decided to explore the town a bit. I wanted to try and get myself acquainted with the town so I am not lost on my first day of work. Lucky for me, I have a few friends that I graduated with from Transylvania University living up here so I was able to meet up with them. On Sunday, Abby Newcom and Jenna came to Columbia to explore the campus and help me around town. They gave me a brief lesson on how to use the subway system, which is very helpful (thank you ladies!). After we departed ways, I used my handy dandy iPhone to maneuver through the maze of avenues and numbered streets of NYC. I eventually found work... this big huge building that says "Time and Life Building". At first I couldn't believe this was where I would be working but as I started to think about it more, a big smile came on my face. After I finally found where I was working, I realized where it was... 2 blocks from Time Square and right in the center of Rockefeller Center. What a great location. (pictured left).

Monday then rolled around and it was my first day as an intern for People en Espanol. Nervous as can be, I didn't sleep well the night before because of all the thoughts I had rolling through my head;"What if I'm not what they expected?" "What if this is too much for me?" "What if my Spanish isn't up to par?". However, when I got up on Monday morning, I was ready for anything they threw my way. After meeting the staff, and of course the director for People en Espanol publication (not internet), I knew this was going to be a fun and wonderful learning experience. After orientation, it was back to the grind of posting articles from peopleenespanol.com to their Facebook and Twitter pages. I also learned how to crop photos from their database for the articles they write for their site. Each day, I am learning more and more about the company in itself. I am also learning more about certain aspects of the website to attract certain readers. Overall, Monday was a great day to what will be a great experience!!

Monday night was a fun night. After working on the computer all day, I wanted to explore the city and once again, I met up with Abby. Abby lives over by Union Square, on the south end of town. When I met up with Abby, we decided we were going to get a bite to eat. We went to this place called S'Macs, where all they serve are different forms of Mac and cheese. Surprisingly enough, it was really tasty and I was satisfied. After hanging out at NYU (no biggie) for a bit and meeting her room mates and friends, I decided to leave for my prison and hit the sack.


Tuesday, er today, was a pretty solid day in itself. After sleeping in my prison cell for a good solid 8 hours I was ready to learn some new things. I was set up with a Mac and a phone in the bullpen with the other interns that work for People or People Espanol. I work on the 27th floor of Time and Life Building. As you exit the elevator, you see a sign that says PEOPLE and PEOPLE ESPANOL (pictured left, which I took with my phone... had to). The Time Life Building is incredible. It has 48 floors, with each floor either having one to two magazines per floor (and of course some offices). So far, I have enjoyed my experience with People Espanol and it's only day 2.

Tomorrow is a new day. A new day to learn many more new things! I am looking forward to being able to add my input, and be able to help People en Espanol!!

Big City! Big Dreams! Big Lights will Inspire Me!

"In New York,
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of,
Theres nothing you can't do,
Now you're in New York,
these streets will make you feel brand new,
big lights will inspire you,
lets hear it for New York, New York, New York"


Who can say it more perfectly than New York's very own Jay-Z and Alicia Key's? Tomorrow morning I am moving to New York for the summer because I was offered an Editorial Internship with People Magazine en Espanol. Basically, I'll be helping the writers by cropping photos, researching information to be posted on their website. New York is an expensive city however, they told me that I will be living in the dorms of Columbia University, which is about a 30 minute subway ride through the tubes of the BIG City! In all honesty, I'm nervous as &%*# but this will be a prime opportunity for me to get my name in somewhere. 

For graduation, I was given the book "How to Succeed in the Game of Life". When handed the book, I thought to myself, "psh. I don't need this book. I've already succeeded. I graduated high school. I graduated Transy with a double degree. Now I just need to find a job. That's pretty good Carlos" But the more I looked upon my success, I realized I had just began to be successful. The author defines success when "a person gives their best effort and maximizes their ability..." According to that definition, I have only succeeded at graduating school. But enough about my success. I'm starting a new chapter tomorrow, one that will hopefully be promising and one that I can succeed in. I will give my best effort, and I will maximize my ability to be able to become successful. Lexington tonight, New York City tomorrow! 

Hello...how about I don't care!

Think about this for a second... you are walking, minding your own business and someone greets you with "hey, how are you?" do they really care? or are they just saying that to make it seem like they care?

As I walk through the mall, see a familiar face, the first thing they ask me is "hey, how are you?" with a huge smile. Of course, me being a smartass, wants to tell them how I am. I could say, "I am doing well you know. I just finished school. I am looking for a job now and not really doing too much." but do you think they care? I don't. So I respond with, "Fine. and yourself?" like I really care. The American culture has this rapid lifestyle. From things like drive thrus to fast food, americans (me included) are always running from one thing to another. When I was in Spain, the Spainards took their sweet time to wherever they were going. Why can't the americans be like this? relaxing, calm, all the above.

so remember next time you ask someone "how are you?" do you really care how they are doing or are you just finding words to fill the space so you don't look like a deer lost in the headlights? just a little food for thought in my own words!