F. S. S. P.

F. S. S. P.

July 29, 2012

By: Gina Yoryet Román

I was first introduced to The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter over three years ago by a friend who is now living in México City. At that given moment I was doubtful whether or not to renew my vows with Catholicism (other religions never interested me but I had distanced myself from my own) as an intense inner battle hindered my intentions.

Mass was then left behind only attending randomly with this excuse, “It’d be more hypocritical of me to attend when I don’t feel like it than stay home and deliberately get caught up on something else.”

After infinite prayers, and countless attempts to rescue myself, my wounds eventually healed and my faith prevailed. On a good day almost a year ago to be more precise, I set a personal goal to not miss a single Sunday mass. But as the most imperfect perfectionist I am, that time my expectations of G. Y. were greater. Holding higher standards of me has always pushed me, albeit this time little did I know that it’d be harder as mass is in Latin and to be honest, I am still somewhat lost. I get a few bits and pieces here and there. Not being able to get the full scope of mass is a bit annoying but it is another learning lesson, besides the scenario was similar when I started going to English mass when I lived in Sacramento. 

Among my list of commitments to be a more fervent Catholic were these: 

1) Attend mass regularly (during the week and weekends).

2) Pray daily or read the bible FIRST thing in the morning.

3) Get confessed more frequently (I’ve always detested to get confessed, it is embarrassing and uncomfortable).

4)  Be more humble, patience, have more faith and think about others’ needs.

5)  Don’t get caught up in this vain, empty and materialistic society and don’t let the most crippling disease spread on to me; “I want, I need, I have to have, I am first, I feel, I, I, I…”

6) Be more giving, do more volunteer work.

7) Be more accepting with my purpose and don’t ask “Why?”

8) Listen more

9) Lead my heart and don’t follow it.

10) Don’t covet more and stop overeating junk food.

11) Feed my soul, mind, heart and spirit with my faith instead

12) Sacrifice, sacrifice and sacrifice just like professional athletes when they go after the gold medal. 

Eleven months later, the result to those prayers I had in my heart for many years were answered. I am slowly taking my Catholic vows to another level. Even though it has not been easy now I know that God will guide and direct me in my world’s daily activities and affairs, the thoughts and desires of my heart. My faith will help me see things not as men do or teach but as he wants me to. He will help me get closer to the person I was meant to become. That faith will lift me up so that I can perhaps lift up others and help them find physical, mental, spiritual and emotional health.

I personally have been lifted because of that effort and I now have a much clearer vision of the whole picture even if at times I may not know what the future holds I certainly know who holds my future. Now I have the privilege and opportunity of knowing Father K. F. and Father J. R., who I met at Capellanía de San Pedro, diocese Guadalajara, Tapalpa. They are a symbol of discipline, strength and self control.

I’ve never expressed it to them personally but interacting with them regularly I get to witness how giving and caring they are to the world and their community, their society and their parishioners; they are always standing by us to reach out when we stray. They always listen with the heart and teach us that those who have less offer the most and before we can even think about changing our world, change must start within. Those who have less are the most appreciative; they are happy to be alive as each day holds a new promise and gives us many chances to start a new, be content and make peace with life with the simple things.

They’ve enticed me to look at life from another perspective and leave behind the materialistic and superficial aspects that humans have a tendency to recline towards. But most important of all I’ve learned to treat my body like a temple.

Ten years ago I prioritized friendships that didn’t take me anywhere, in prior relationships the visual and physical aspects always conquered my sight, in family and spiritual matters I was very disconnected, selfish and vain.

Now my priorities have taken a different turn:

1)     God, attending mass and being a better human being.

2)     Work and my family

3)     Give a lending hand to those in need

4)     My hobbies: Writing, reading, working out, praying, doing volunteer work and traveling when time allows it. 

Since I became more given life has been more assuaged especially the last couple of months as I taught English to two seminarians from F. S. S. P. They bring many joyful moments; they projected so much peace and contentment with the best in life. They kept me in balance and motivated me to pull away from ‘el capricho humano.´

Every time I go through a pity party because I can’t have more or because life is so ‘dull,’ Father K. F. Father J. R. and those two focused young men knock on my head and make me come back to reality.

The time spent with them symbolizes the peace and faith I sometimes lack and I keep thinking that A. A. C. Z. is soon departing to The Dominican Republic. I can’t help get caught up between an angst of solitude and sadness knowing that our paths may not cross ever again. At the same time I am happy because perhaps another great lifetime friendship has flourished. And P. A. who has taught me a taintless lesson: be a better human being, always be humble and caring towards others and be thankful for the simplicity of life…

Love thy neighbor as thyself.

Fraternidad Sacerdotal de San Pedro

The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter is a Clerical Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical right, that is, a community of Roman Catholic priests who do not take religious vows, but who work together for a common mission in the world.  The mission of the Fraternity is two-fold:  first, the formation and sanctification of priests in the cadre of the traditional liturgy of the Roman rite, and secondly, the pastoral deployment of the priests in the service of the Church.

The Fraternity was founded on July 18, 1988 at the Abbey of Hauterive (Switzerland) by a dozen priests and a score of seminarians.  Shortly after the Fraternity’s foundation and following upon a request by Cardinal Ratzinger, Bishop Joseph Stimpfle of Augsburg, Germany granted the Fraternity a home in Wigratzbad, a Marian shrine in Bavaria that now lodges the Fraternity’s European seminary. In the same month of October there arrived a handful of priests and some thirty seminarians ready to start "from scratch".  There are currently almost 200 priests and 110 seminarians in the Fraternity.

Website: www.fsspmx.org

http://www.fssp.org/en/index.htm

http://www.fssp.org/en/presentation.htm

My ABC’s

My ABC’s

July 26, 2012

By: Gina Yoryet Roman

A is for alpha & adrenaline

B is for believe & boisterous

C is for champion & consistency

D is for determined & dynamic

F is for fit & fundamental

E is for essential

G is for greatness & glorious

H is for hope & hyper

I is for immortal & intact

J is for joyous & jumpy

K is for kept

L is for lyrical & lean

M is for momentum

N is for nurture

O is for outgoing & outstanding

P is for powerful & passionate

Q is for quintessential & qualified

R is for respect & restless

S is for success & self-fulfillment

T is for tactful & tenacious

U is for unique & understandable

V is for victory & vibrant

W is for will & warrior

X is for xen

Y is for yearn & youthful

Z is for zealous & zazzy

Writing with a purpose

Writing with a purpose

July 23, 2012

By: Gina Yoryet Román

Always write with a purpose because I am a student of my speech which is mirrored in my text. Maybe not! Sometimes I only want to type or write, write or type, type and write, write and type, like the ten page letter I wrote the other day when I was very anxious unable to find the answer to something in particular.

In general terms I write when I am angry although it is not reflected. I write when I am frustrated and there’s no one at that given moment to have a comforting girlie chat. Or when that sad time of the month hits bringing melancholy along and I can’t fight the YUCKY cramps and nausea! I write when I feel empty and nothing seems to fill that void…only sweets, potato chips and all the junk I can get my hands on. I write when I am content and I want to share my joyful moments but not a single one of the other Roman girls picks up their phone. And when I am feeling self-fulfilled, proud, or when victory knocks on my window. I write, when I’ve reached another personal goal, when I am feeling infatuated with something or someone and I can’t have that temporary pleasure.

Whether a sentiment is positive or negative I write to release my emotions. It is true that I don’t always talk about those very personal moments but when I write is because there is a hot or cold volcano lying or erupting within.

I write because it is my sanctuary, my life, the air I need to breathe, to make my existence whole, one of the loves of my life and because I will continue to do it until I am eighty or ninety…if I live that long.

I write when I argue with someone, instead of offending them I am very cautious with the words I will spit out because once they are said, they can only be forgiven, not forgotten, I bite my tongue instead, come home and type until I wear out and I am at ease.

I write when a friend or a family member is hurting and the solution is not in my hands. I write when I find out disappointing news. Writing is my best friend who listens to me patiently when I fail, I write when I feel like it and for infinite reasons that I will never stop doing it.

I write to share priceless momentos with myself when I get older and I want to revive all the past memories. I write because I want to do it and because I love doing it, not to become an acclaimed writer for the New York Times, Forbes or the Economist.

I write because it gives me the sense of freedom when I get disconnected from everything and everyone just like when I go on my long joy rides, turning my  phone off or leaving it at home to go M. I. A.

I write to get in touch directly with a part of me that tends to stray.

But most of all I write to create a picture in my mind as portraits are worth a thousand words…

And words poignantly tell us forgotten stories and revive them once again.

Writing is one of the best gifts I can give to myself…

It is not a bad idea to get in the habit of writing down one's thoughts. It saves one having to bother anyone else with them.
Isabel Colegate

Writing, I explained, was mainly an attempt to out-argue one's past; to present events in such a light that battles lost in life were either won on paper or held to a draw.
Jules Feifer

The only time I know that something is true is the moment I discover it in the act of writing.
Jean Malaquais

One of the things that draws writers to writing is that they can get things right that they got wrong in real life by writing about them.
Tobias Wolff

Writing wasn’t easy to start. After I finally did it, I realized it was the most direct contact possible with the part of myself I thought I had lost, and which I constantly find new things from. Writing also includes the possibility of living many lives as well as living in any time or world possible. I can satisfy my enthusiasm for research, but jump like a calf outside the strict boundaries of science. I can speak about things that are important to me and somebody listens. It’s wonderful!
Virpi Hämeen-Anttila

Mayahuel y Los 400 Conejos

Bar Los 400 Conejos on Chapultepec

Hot Goddess Mayahuel

The benefits of Tequila

Mayahuel y Los 400 Conejos

July 21, 2012

By: Gina Yoryet Román

When I first heard of a small town of 35.000 inhabitants called Tequila the first thing I was curious about was a statue of a woman with a nice rounded and abundant rack that once appeared wearing a shiny-laced red bra.

Rumor has it that the woman represents Mayahuel, the goddess of maguey and drunkenness which according to Mexican legend goes something like this:

Mayahuel was a star, granddaughter of Tzitzímitl God of the stars and the night sky. So says one version of mythology that God Quetzalcóatl ascended to heaven, enamoured Mayahuel and convinced her to descend to earth with him shaped as branches to conceal themselves from the Tzitzimime (the other stars).

When Tzitzímitl found out he was at rage, came down to earth and sought for the lovers, when she found the branch concealing Mayahuel, she destroyed it yet leaving the one hiding Quetzalcóatl intact.

Once they left, he grabbed her beloved’s remains and buried them where a plant named maguey sprouted.

Source

Mayahuel has since been portrayed as having many breasts to feed her many children, Los 400 Conejos and Ron Cooper of Del Maguey mezcal producers, Doctora M. P. G. L., Researcher and Professor at Universidad de Guadalajara and E. M. (Who I met and interviewed at the primer foro de agave in March where norma 186 was disputed) owner of Los 400 Conejos Bar on Avenida Chapultepec corroborated to the story.

Los 400 Conejos

E. M’s bar was named Los 400 Conejos after the legend behind the inebriating drinks of tequila, mezcal and pulque to keep the story alive; that which he loves telling his clients when they pay a weekend visit as very few are acquainted with it.

According to mythology, Los 400 Conejos are the children of Mayahuel, the goddess of fertility and of pulque making maguey and that which all the agave distills have embraced as their own deity but in reality her story originated in the core of México representing pulque more so than other drinks.

400 is not a literal term, it was chosen by the Nahuatl to express many of something, a high number, in other words, we can say, “so many rabbits or thousands of rabbits.”

On the other hand 400 also represents the Aztecs´ many forms to get intoxicated with pulque and being liberated. For instance, we can find el llorón - the weeping, el platicador –the talkative, el efusivo – the effusive, a few of the countless intoxication states depending on your mood swings making drunkenness very diverse.

As far as the term rabbits, it was also appointed by the Aztecs symbolizing the transition of hallucination when drinking pulque. Therefore they chose the rabbit as an emblem to represent that state since it was believed that pulque created delusions.

E. M. interview:

Gina: ¿Por qué escogiste el nombre Los 400 Conejos para tu bar?

E. M. Porque en la mitología Azteca, Nahuatl, Los 400 Conejos son los 400 hijos de Mayahuel, la diosa de la fertilidad y del maguey pulquero que ahora todos los destilados de agave la han empezado como a acoger como una diosa propia aunque en realidad fue del centro del país y más hacía el pulque.

La expresión 400 no es literal, 400 como un número definido sino es una expresión de cantidades de mucho, de exageración, o sea tantos conejos podrían decirse o miles de conejos.

Los Nahuatl se escogieron ese el 400 como una expresión de muchos.

Y en esta historia mitológica, estos 400 hijos de Mayahuel la diosa de la fertilidad son a su vez las 400 formas que tiene el pulque de emborracharte. El llorón, el filosofo, el platicador, el efusivo, los estados de embriaguez que depende de tu estado de animo puedes tener una embriaguez, diversa.

Simplemente se habla de una manera general de las tantas formas de emborracharte. Yo dije unas por ejemplo pero no están documentadas.

Gina: Bien, la cantidad son 400 para expresar muchos, miles, exageración pero ¿Por qué conejos?

E. M.

El conejo era para los Aztecas la transición a la alucinación y al beber pulque como se creía que alucinabas, se escogió al conejo como el animal que representaba este estado. Es una historia de la mitología Azteca. Hay muy poca mitología de nuestros antepasados.

Ron Cooper, of Del Maguey mezcal producers, was quoted in Metro Active as saying,

"The Aztec's 400 gods of pulque were representative of the infinite forms that intoxication takes. The native culture was sensitized to the immense release of being in an altered state - it's considered liberating."

Pulque was originally used in religious festivals, dedicated to the god Ometotchtli - Two Rabbit (one of the Centzon Totochtin, or 400 rabbits; Tochtli, or Ometotchli, was also a figure in the Aztec calendar - day eight of the 20-day cycle). There was no "One Rabbit." When they looked at the moon, the Mexica saw a rabbit in its face.

Centzontotochtin 400 Rabbits: the many different ways of becoming inebriated.

The festivities that were held on the day of Two Rabbit were in honour of the principal pulque deity, Izquitécatl, and other gods related to the inebriating drink. A large statue dedicated to the god had a bowl of pulque set in front of it, and within it lay cane straws for sucking the fermented liquid.

Old people and warriors drank from the stone bowl, called a Ometochtecómatl, or Two Rabbit Bowl. Aztec lore described the many ways of getting drunk to be ‘infinite’, like 400 rabbits, or the stars in the sky. If a drunk man died, he was said to have been ‘rabbited’, emphasizing that there were many outcomes to getting drunk.

Here are a few of the Centzontotochtin...

Falling asleep with your head on your chest - a rather mild reaction to drunkenness.

Some cry rivers of tears or find their solace in song.

Others speak to themselves, are spiteful to others or pretend to be great and rich even when they aren’t.

A drunk man might become suspicious of everyone, or accuse his wife of being wicked. If a person laughs near him, he will think he is being made fun of.

Inebriated women might fall on the floor and sleep there, their hair loose and untidy - very bad behaviour!

Most of us are oblivious to the legend behind tequila the drink, that’s why The Road to Tequila’s main purpose is to educate Anglos and many others. After having working in this project for almost two years, I’ve discovered a lot of important information about tequila. Actually each project I’ve been involved with since 2007 has educated me in many ways.

Collaborating with El Consejo Regulador del Tequila – The Tequila Regulatory Council in various projects since 2008.

Translating some video files and subtitles for Tequila Quiote.

Doing simultaneous translation for a group of foreign investors and local deputies and witnessing una cata professional - a professional tequila tasting in the Jose Cuervo underground, drinking the aged Cuervo family reserve was quite an experience. I am not a heavy drinker but that day was very particular because I learned new smells of the same tequila, new flavors and ways to drink it. It was amazing!

El primer foro de Agave on March 26 opened a can of worms injecting even more information in my cabezita which is about to burst with so much data.

Interviewing many MYPYMES (Micro y pequeñas y medianas empresas) representatives en el ambito tequilero – Starting, small and medium sized companies in the tequila industry.

And last but not least, I was invited by an Australian writer and Tequila distillery owner to represent Mayahuel for the book he’s creating giving life to the Goddess mother of 400 children and the infinite numbers of getting inebriated.

My slogan was once, “Success is my destiny.”

Now it is, “Success and Tequila are my destiny,” because a great part of my translation/interpretation work as of five years + ago has revolved around tequila and what lies behind this emblematic alcoholic beverage.

¡Salud!

Todo con medida, nada con exceso

Girlie talk is a MUST

Girlie talk is a MUST

By: Gina Yoryet Román

July 14, 2012

“Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. "Pooh?" he whispered.
"Yes, Piglet?"
"Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's hand. "I just wanted to be sure of you.”

A. A. Milne, Winnie-the Pooh

I’ve lost track of all the places I’ve lived, part of me has been left here and there but at the same time there’s a little part of “that” in me; the smells, the colors, the people, the culture, the customs, the food and experience, many childhood and adolescence friends. 

There’s been a sense of loss in each departure, the feeling of nostalgia, not knowing whether that farewell will be forever.

In those good byes, even close relatives are long gone because we hardly ever keep in touch.

Where I stand at this moment and time, in the friendship territory it is very typical to see people come and go so I should’ve coped with it by now but naaaaah! It is very hard to see someone for a short time and then someone new that I don’t even go the extra mile to get to know people.

Of course now there are a million ways to stay in touch and all but I am honestly awful in that matter.

All I’d have to do is reactivate my facebook account and baaahm! Everyone I’ve ever met is there but those networks still give me the creeps.

Throughout years a zillion people have come and vanished, some I’ve kept in touch with for a long while, some I’ve lost track of for good, some I don’t even bother, ¡Qué flojera! But overall, there’s always a sense of contentment to see joyful faces, go for a joy ride, escape for a weekend, even someone to go get a manicure or pedicure with and even better, meet up with a guy friend to get his intake in men or just talk about life in general. Male buddies are one of the best gifts in life because there will always be mutual trust and respect, plus they will always be crystal clear about boy issues.

Nothing beats a nice girly talk though! Girls can be very catty and competitive among one another but I find it rather pointless and a waste of time and energy. For all those women who imply, “I don’t have any female friends, I get along a lot better with guys.” It is silly of them to even look at it from that perspective, it may be more their insecurity sprouting which leads them to distance themselves from other female species.

This has happened in different occasions in my life, particular girls have acted very immature and competitive so I break off the friendship immediately since I don’t have the least interest in wasting my time, plus the older I get, the more selective I become with who I befriend.

The only two women who I’ve known for about twenty years and kept in touch with are my lifetime best friends, N. M. and R. M., The first is American born to Mexican parents and the latter is Salvadorian but she is now American after having lived in the U. S. since she was a child.

It doesn’t matter where these two ladies or I are, I may not hear from them in six or eight months but panic doesn’t strike me because I know we’ll always be there for each other. Time and distance will never be an issue.

When I am in desperate need of girly talk, I call them and business is taken care of. Believe it or not, in the entire time I’ve known them there’s never been a moment of friction or competition.

We have cried, laughed together, we’ve pulled out of crisis together, we’ve reached out and saved each other when we are down in the dumps. We have advised each other, accept each other as we are and we throw judgment to the trash can.

As Latinas we know that our culture can be very judgmental so it is not our job to be critical or competitive between us.

Our job is to give love, affection, comprehension, joy, comfort, laughs, and advice.

Here I occasionally have girly talk with a local friend, C. T., who I can really confide in (we had breakfast yesterday). And today was an amazingly beautiful sunny and happy day because I got caught up with R. M., who lives in Nebraska. There are other wonderful ladies who I call my mentors because they’ve been there, done that, they have been bent and broken temporarily but never defeated, brushing off all the negativity and moved on. They’ve mentored me in every aspect of life so I am very grateful for all the great women I’ve shared ups and downs with.

Being able to release everything with someone after holding it for long is such a refreshing feeling as mental and emotional baggage can be very overwhelming. What could be more comforting than a nice relaxing girly talk?

Girlfriends in my life are essential, a MUST!

“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You too? I thought I was the only one.”

C. S. Lewis

 “Life is an awful, ugly place to not have a best friend.”

Sarah Dessen, Someone Like you

“A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow.”

William Shakespeare

“When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares.”

Henri J. M. Nouwen, The Road to Daybreak: A spiritual Journey

“We'll be Friends Forever, won't we, Pooh?' asked Piglet.
Even longer,' Pooh answered.”

A. A. Milne, Winnie-the Pooh

“Good friends are like stars,

you don’t always see them,

but you know they are always there.”

Unknown

Words to Live by

Words to live by

Gina Yoryet Román

July 13, 2012

First, I was dying to finish my High School and start college

and then I was dying to finish college and start working

Then I was dying to marry and have children

and then I was dying for my children

To grow old enough

So I could go back to work

But then I was dying to retire

and now I am dying…

and suddenly I realized…

I forgot to live.

Don’t let this happen to you,

appreciate your current situation and enjoy each day!

An old friend…

HOW TO STAY YOUNG

  1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight, and

and height.  Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay

'them'
  2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

  3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening,

whatever. Never let the brain idle. 'An idle mind is the devil's

workshop.'

  4. Enjoy the simple things. 

  5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

  6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person,

who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are

alive. 

  7. Surround yourself with what you love , whether it's family, pets,

keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your

refuge. 

  8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable,

improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help. 

  9.   Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next

county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every

opportunity.  AND ALWAYS REMEMBER : Life is not measured

by the number of breaths we take, but   by the moments that take

our breath away.

Remar fuerte no sirve de nada si el barco va hacia el lado equivocado

Rowing harder doesn't help if the boat is headed in the wrong direction

July 11, 2012

By: Gina Yoryet Román

“You project so much peace Gina,” “my friend who I introduced you to last week said you are a very serene person,” “I could never argue with you, raise my voice or disrespect you in any way because in my dreams you are a figure of discipline and authority and when I see you, you automatically spread your peaceful aura.”

I have always been very skeptical about coincidences but different people have implied the same in the last couple of weeks. My skepticism doesn’t have anything to do with their word but because never before had I had so much inner and outer peace like at this stage of life.

I would’ve never imagined anyone telling me that but I can see why. In earlier years my anger, pain and frustration were manifested in particular ways that I would NEVER come close to now. Crying or wimping out were NOT a choice according to my father as he was not the huggy, kissing and lovey dovey type to comfort our girly cries when we reached out for him; he’d instead take us to the mountains to teach us how to shoot, complementing that with a wild motorcycle ride or a driving lesson in his huge 4-wheel drive pick ups since he was enamoured with those machines. 

My father has been one of the strongest and most rigid men I’ve ever known which there were many complaints about before but now thanks to that and to other life’s experiences, I’ve become the woman I am now. 

So, during my childhood, adolescence and even three or four years ago I was still in a duel in desperate search of the person I am to become and throughout time instead of crying, all my crisis happened in the privacy of my room showing an intact face to the world causing all the negative feelings stirring inside to be unleashed in a particular way…

My body was used as an escape, when I got my first tattoo I was barely 15 years old. I was fast and furious every chance I got to oppose my father’s authority. Every single one of his orders was fired back with an attack of rebellion by harming myself. I remember asking him once, “What would you do if I got a tattoo?” He screamed infuriated, “Over my dead body, you are out of your mind!” The next thing he knew, I was already marked and eventually he gave up because when I confronted him, it was a life or death battle. 

One of the many things I’ve learned in life is that two people with amazingly strong personalities can very seldom give in, otherwise it is a sign of weakness.

To express more freedom and infuriating him even more, my hair later became the target; it turned purple and green and to abuse my body just a little more, I got one piercing and then another one. 

There were many years of craze but as the adult I’ve become, there aren’t any traces of that rebel with many causes. LOL!

Now as opposed to being explosive, impulsive and decorating and piercing my body, I reflect more before jumping into an abyss and bouncing right back, I am more assertive and everything is projected in a much more solemn way like praying, meditating, reading, working out, writing, taking long joy rides and going M. I . A. (Missing in Action) until all my bad vibes have been purged out.

Before trying to change someone, I force myself to understand that change starts within so I shall start with the only person I can ever be in full control of and I’ve instead become a Cuaima, not in a selfish aspect but strength wise but most important of all, carrying a nice clean cut image is very relaxing. 

 “Rowing harder doesn't help if the boat is headed in the wrong direction”

“Remar fuerte no sirve de nada si el barco va hacia el lado opuesto”

Kenichi Ohmae

—       "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body," (1 Cor. 6:19-20).

—       Corintios 6:19-20

 ¿Acaso no saben que su cuerpo es templo del Espíritu Santo, quien está en ustedes y al que han recibido de parte de Dios? Ustedes no son sus propios dueños;20 fueron comprados por un precio. Por tanto, honren con su cuerpo a Dios.

Writing is one of the most creative, productive and self-fulfilling therapies

July 9, 2012


Writing is one of the most creative, productive and self-fulfilling therapies
Gina Yoryet Román 


Forget all the rules. Forget about being published. Write for yourself and celebrate writing.
Melinda Haynes

Writing is the best way to talk without being interrupted.
Jules Renard

Writing is only boring to the people who are boring themselves.
Anonymous 


Writing is the only thing that, when I do it, I don't feel I should be doing something else.
Gloria Steinem

Write something to suit yourself and many people will like it; write something to suit everybody and scarcely anyone will care for it.
Jesse Stuart
 
Writing wasn’t easy to start. After I finally did it, I realized it was the most direct contact possible with the part of myself I thought I had lost, and which I constantly find new things from. Writing also includes the possibility of living many lives as well as living in any time or world possible. I can satisfy my enthusiasm for research, but jump like a calf outside the strict boundaries of science. I can speak about things that are important to me and somebody listens. It’s wonderful!
Virpi Hämeen-Anttila
 
There is more pleasure to building castles in the air than on the ground.
Edward Gibbon
 
Close the door. Write with no one looking over your shoulder. Don't try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say. It's the one and only thing you have to offer.
Barbara Kingsolver
 
No one is able to enjoy such feast than the one who throws a party in his own mind.
Selma Lagerlöf
 
We are a species that needs and wants to understand who we are. Sheep lice do not seem to share this longing, which is one reason why they write so little.
Anne Lamott
 
Are we, who want to create, in some way specially talented people? Or has everybody else simply given up, either by preassures of modesty or laziness, and closed their ears from their inner need to create, until that need has died, forgotten and abandoned? When you look at children, you start to think the latter. I still haven't met a child who doesn't love - or who at least hasn't loved - drawing, writing or some other creative activity.
Natalia Laurila
 
My purpose is to entertain myself first and other people secondly.
John D. MacDonald
 
The only reason for being a professional writer is that you just can't help it.
Leo Rosten
 
Reading usually precedes writing and the impulse to write is almost always fired by reading. Reading, the love of reading, is what makes you dream of becoming a writer.
Susan Sontag
 
Like everyone else, I am going to die. But the words – the words live on for as long as there are readers to see them, audiences to hear them. It is immortality by proxy. It is not really a bad deal, all things considered.
J. Michael Straczynski
 
I learned that you should feel when writing, not like Lord Byron on a mountain top, but like a child stringing beads in kindergarten - happy, absorbed and quietly putting one bead on after another.
Brenda Ueland
 
I can’t help but to write, I have a inner need for it. If I’m not in the middle of some literary project, I’m utterly lost, unhappy and distressed. As soon as I get started, I calm down.
Kaari Utrio
 
If you ask me what I came to do in this world, I, an artist, will answer you: I am here to live out loud.
Emile Zola
 
May I never grow to old to treasure 'once upon a time'.
Anonymous

What is your body and blood type?

What is your body and blood type?

July 8, 2012

By: Gina Yoryet Roman

 

 

After 17 years of a love hate relationship with health and fitness, doing hard core competition for 11+ years, pulling through multiple injuries, one of them sarcopenia, playing co-ed indoor soccer and outdoor soccer in a female team, three-four years of body conditioning and countless fitness courses, four-five years of working as a personal trainer, aerobics instructor and a health and fitness advisor and one step away from getting certified in Sports Nutrition, little did I know that I was not quite close to being a know it all in this area, I feel like a babe in the woods in this matter now more than ever.

 

I generally workout intensely complementing that with reading and getting in as much about health and fitness as possible to get more toned up or for better results– I am not for gaining too much muscle mass anymore, it is more so to maintain a healthy persona and lifestyle.

 

Dieting has always been a huge issue though because I’ve always been ill willed when it comes to food. While competing in college I progressed a whole lot since I was pushed by my coach. During those years, not only did I train very intensely but I was forced to lead a healthy diet that I quickly got accustomed to…

 

 

Since I graduated from college my diet has been shaky and that episode with Cross Country and Track & Field were left behind moving on to long distance running, 21 and 42.1k´s until three years ago after that fatal accident put a halt to my long term high rendering competition.

 

One of the most important rules when losing weight and/or gaining more muscle, is: 1) DIET, 2) DIET, 3) DIET, I cannot emphasize the importance of diet anymore than with this word.

 

That is where most of us fail:

1)     We don’t know our body

2)     We start trying every single diet failing after 4, 5, 6 weeks.

3)     We don’t even break a sweat at the gym

4)     We do the wrong routines

5)     We eat the wrong food.

 

 

These and other mistakes are on the top failing list when losing weight. Two of them I just learned while completing my Sports Nutrition Certification and by reading a book called, “What is your blood type?The 4 blood types, Eat right for/4 your type” By Peter D’Adamo, Exercise, lose weight, exercise right, build muscle and strength,according to your blood type.

For instance according to my blood type, I’d have to follow a strict diet which I am compatible with to get better and speedier results. I was like WOOOOW! When I read that! How come am I finding out about these things 17 years later?

With my blood type being 0-, that would make me “The Hunter,” a great memory, incredibly strong, energized, resistant, daring, intuitive, optimistic and self-confident, a natural meat consumer (Not anymore, looking at red meat makes me feel queasy) with a very active immune system, a resistant digestive tube, intolerable to diet environmental adaptations, responds better to stress with an intense physical activity (This latter one is VERY best describes me), needs an efficient metabolism in order to stay trim and energized.

Therefore, according to Peter J. D´Adamo, I’d have to follow a diet based on: Wheat, corn, beans, lentils, lettuce, soy, etc. for weight gain. For weight loss, something like this: sea weed, fish and sea food, liver, iodized salt, red meat, cauliflower, spinach, broccoli, green vegetables, skinless chicken, turkey, egg whites, etc.

Most of these are already included in my diet with the exception of frequency, portion and discipline. Like I said many times, I don’t necessarily eat meat but I wouldn’t call myself a vegetarian either. I need a lot more discipline like Steve Jobs who I’ll post about later.

Continuing with fitness, I also read another book called, “Brain Training for runners,” By Matt Fitzgerald where I found out all these things that opened my mind to a whole new scenario about running finally making me understand why I ended up severely injured so soon. Had I read it before, perhaps I would’ve listened to my body earlier and followed the rules.

And last but not least, I pondered on this for many years, “Why is it so hard to make my stubborn body gain muscle? For years I worked out insanely time after time never getting the desired results.

What reason or excuse can I use to back that up? I’ve always neglected to know my body, realize what it’s needed all along and nurture it with the right food and exercise according to its type.

Photo taken on April 12, 2012

Sgfitness taught me about the different body types, and how to diet and exercise which I’d been oblivious to, throughout 17 years:

I am between The Mesomorph and the Endomorph because I am not genetically athletic nor do I have the ability to perform well at every sport because I lack coordination. On top of that, I’ve had to work extremely hard to barely get lean. On the other hand I have resistance that is one of the reasons I chose running and soccer.

Let’s say I’ve never been round physiqued but I did have 10-12 extra pounds (according to my perspective) when I was younger. I have a tendency to put on weight very easily and most of my body fat is indeed stored in my muffin top.

What is your body type?

In general terms, there are basically three distinctive body types although most people are a cross between them.

The Ectomorph – Ectomorphs are people who are thin, fragile and even lanky at times. They are called the hardgainers in the bodybuilding industry.

Some people consider them as blessed because it is rather difficult for ectomorphs to put on weight while many ectomorphs themselves are unhappy in their situation because of precisely the same reason.

However, with the right nutrition and proper training, ectomorphs can and do put on muscle weight. In fact, one very great advantage ectomorphs have over others on bodybuilding is that because of their low body fat, they will have very attractive visible defined muscles once they built them. This is because they do not have body fat to cover their nice muscularly toned body.

For more information on how naturally thin and skinny people can put on weight and build handsome muscle mass.

The Mesomorph – If you are a mesomorph, you are genetically blessed with an athletic body shape and ability. You will generally perform well in whatever sports you choose to participate in.

In bodybuilding, you are able to build muscle mass faster than other body types and can even become a competitive bodybuilder or a fitness model if you choose to be. Of course, with the correct training methods and nutrition, your results will come even faster. For some of you, your result will be so fast that you can visibly see your body grow week after week.

The Endomorph – The endomorph generally has a round physique that tends to put on weight and fat easily. Their physiques present the illusion that much of the body fat is accumulated in abdominal area which may or may not be true.

Many endomorphs mistakenly believe that in order to get rid of their abdominal fat, they have to do plenty of abdominal exercises like crunches and sit-ups. To my endomorph friends, these exercises do not get rid of your belly fat. You have to do weight bearing compound exercises and adhere to a proper diet to build your muscles and lose your fat so that your muscles can show up fabulously. As a matter of fact, the more muscles you build up, the more fat you can burn because muscle mass raise your metabolism to burn more fat.

Knowing your body type will therefore give you an indication that how your body will react to weight training and how fast you can build up your muscle mass.