The meaning behind the alphabet

The meaning behind the alphabet

November 21st, 2013

By: Gina Yoryet Roman

Earlier today I was skimming through a book titled, Define your personality through your writing style. I have not gotten to that part yet but I according to this RM Ediciones writing, each lower case letter symbolizes a key factor.

a = affective life (emotional life).

b = budget administration and its reserves.

c = selfishness.

d = intellectual, spiritual and psychic life.

e = social contacts.

f =  the synthesis of professional, intellectual, affective and emotional life.

g = sex.

h = the relationship between idealism and everyday life. Disturbances.

i = accuracy (preciseness).

j = privacy.

k = the level of adaptation. Manual dexterity.

l = imagination, projects, relatives mandates (instructions) who influence each activity.

ll = the relationship between private and public life.

m = the family and social self.

n = hidden problems.

ñ = social behavior.

o = affective and social life in relation to money.

p = work.

q = sexual life overall.

r = the channeling of energy, professional awareness, the projection of will in achieving objectives and technical skills.

s = money and moral awareness, the breadth and narrowness of consciousness.

t = will.

u = the sense of reality.

v = the impulse of giving, the level of sacrifice, dedication, admiration and devotion towards something.

w = the complement of the meaning of “v”.

x = affective (emotional) maturity

y = personal balance and professionalism

z = the realization (accomplishment) of the sexual act

Change must start from within

Change starts from within

There’s always a concealed purpose

November 17, 2013

Edgar Flores, is a young actor born in Tegucigalpa Honduras who starred in Sin Nombre, a film produced by Cary Joji Fukunaga,  as Willy, AKA: El Casper a gang member of el Mara Salvatrucha in Chiapas Mexico. 

El Casper and a teenage girl named Sayra (Paulina Gaytán), meet one day when their gang member Lil Mago, takes El Casper and Smiley (Krystian Ferrer), to La Bombilla, along the train tracks to rob undocumented immigrants who are awaiting to hop on the trains heading towards the United States. 

When Lil Mago comes across Sayra, he attempts to rape her until his life is put to an end abruptly by Edgar Flores whose heart is tainted with tears of blood after Lil Mago tries to rape his girlfriend and kills her. 

In appreciation to his act, Sayra approaches and befriends El Casper against her father’s will. One day when he’s finally accepted by Sayra’s father and uncle who are trying to immigrate to the United States along with Sayra, he decides to get off the train unexpectedly. What Casper didn’t take notice of, was that Sayra would follow him and shortly after, they would embark on their journey to the United States together.

All along as much as El Casper wanted to conceal his fear, he was in dismay for his life and Sayra’s. He was caught amidst angst, solitude and despair because his life was worthless. At the same time he wanted to break free from the deep and dark hole he got himself into, and seek for a better life in the United States. 

This particular character serves as a reminder that as disappointing, painful,  pointless and unfair as life may be at times, as bleak as our future may appear sometimes, and before we want to change our world, our country, our community, our surroundings and our  people, change must start within. 

Kindness is a good way to show our world that we are ready for a positive change. 

As someone who started doing charity work from a very early age on (since I was 16 years old), I am under the belief that those who have the least give the most, and through the bond of giving is when and where we really experience change and dismiss concentrating about “I,” our needs and “suffering.” All of a sudden all those pounding and torturing thoughts about our past misfortunes dissipate and are soon replaced by a warm reasoning of the feeling of giving a lending hand. That humanitarian act fabricates a unification that will reveal our purpose.  

The consolidation of our world feeling and sharing the pain caused by the endless tragedies that have been occurring all around the world makes our bond stronger. We need to come together in moments like hurricane Raymond  in Guerrero that happened earlier in October travelling very fiercely and strongly at about 170 kilometers destroying hundreds of homes and terminating many lives.

It is through people’s solitude and need and our own where we find the rope thrown to us to avoid sinking any further and drowning...

One of my dreams is to one day be wealthy enough to open my own charity foundation and invite others to ingrain and implement my ABC's: Spirituality, family, work and business ethics, health and fitness, charity work, reading and playing with words, or travel everywhere there is a natural tragedy and help and give those in need, without expecting anything in return because I have learned that the happiest people don’t have the best of everything. They just give and make the best of everything...  

A young athlete with a bright future

A young athlete with a bright future

November 14, 2013

By: Gina Yoryet Roman

I started working with Nicolas Thralls Sanchez sometime in September through one of my referrals. From the get-go I noticed that he is unlike many youngsters his age. One of the aspects I enjoy more about working with him, is that he takes the initiative, as opposed to waiting for me to indicate an assignment. His interest in all the classwork, homework and other hobbies and responsibilities is very plausible, he questions, he reviews, studies and  tells me “I need to improve my grammar, I love writing, I keep a journal about my daily happenings, I need to expand my vocabulary, I signed up for the Spartan Race, I need to train harder but I just hurt my ankle.” He’s very enthused and focused about life in general despite his short life span, he analyzes every scenario very thoroughly to avoid losing track. 

One day he told me that he never wants to be like his friends when they meet a girl. The first time they take her out to the movies and/or dinner, the next thing is, they’re dating. “I don’t want to be like them, how can you know someone who you have gone out with only once?” I like to think more before making a decision. Having been brought up in a bilingual, multicultural, and bi-literate scenario makes him more intellectual.  

Sometimes it is a bit hard to click with others but out interest in sports, reading, writing and being multicultural, are what makes a difference. Not all the young people his age are full of stamina towards positive aspects. He looks at the whole picture, analyzes and plans short and long term...

Name: Nicolas Thralls Sanchez 

DOB: May 18, 1996

Age: 17 years old

Weight: 79 kilos (174.165 pounds)

Height: 1.86 meters (6 feet, 10236 inches)

BMI: 23.0  

Sports practiced/played: 

I run 5 and 10k’s, I am on the swim team in my High School, I also do weight-boarding as a hobby.  

How long have you played each sport:

Weight board: 

about 3 years, I used to compete, now I only do it as a hobby.

Swimming for 7 years, I started when I was ten years old.

Running: I’ve been doing it for the last two years.

What is weight board, is it well known all over the world, in Mexico, the U. S.?: It is a world wide sport, it has become very popular in Mexico in the last few years. It became very popular in Florida, which is the capital of weight boarding. Weight boarding is water skiing on a board in which you can be pulled by a boat on a lake or in the ocean, or through a belt pulley in order to be able to ski on the water surface.

Fitness level: 

Weight boarding: I used to compete so I would say I was at an advanced level until I came down with an injury on my clavicle and that’s when I had to take a break, I have never gone back to it again. That’s when my interest towards running developed. Not long ago I competed in the Kardias 10k in Mexico City. Kardias is a run for  a cause in which you raise funds for young people who need a heart surgery. I was able to raise over $18,000.00 pesos for those young people. 

That’s one of the things I have enjoyed and  liked the most about this, it not only does good for you but to others as well. On top of that is living a healthy lifestyle, and help others do the same thing.

How many times a week do you train: 

I swim 4,000 meters a week, I alternate days.

Running, I run 5k a week, I generally train at the gym lifting weights and doing cardio routines which help me to build endurance.

Best places to run: 

Bosque Colomos. It is very close to my house and it provides a very healthy environment and beautifully surrounded by tress that provide shade, and clean air where I can find other runners.

What are your biggest challenges: 

Finding time, when I wake up in the mornings and I am too lazy to get up. That’s when the real challenge comes, the point is to overcome that and hop out of bed and do things the way you want to. You do it for yourself, not to have a nice body or to get applauded by others.

What is your purpose for doing exercise: 

My purpose is to be healthy.

How and when did you get started doing/playing sports: 

I grew up in a very healthy environment. Both my parents have always liked to run. Since I was a little boy, I used to go watch him during his races. My mother was a national swim competitor for many years. Having a healthy diet and working out were always ingrown in my family surroundings.

What is your daily routine:

It is not  that tough daily, when I have to train for an upcoming raise, I increase my training time. I do cardio three times a week, resistance and strength building/weight lifting.

What do you think that Mexico is now number one in overweight and obesity: 

I am truly sorry about this. Honestly, Mexico is an amazing and beautiful country that has all the potential for us to do anything we want. It is time to promote and encourage sports more, specially young people need to start adopting this habit. 

What advice would you give to amateur and veteran athletes:

Take the first step, the first step is the most difficult. Once you are through that barrier, that obstacle that doesn’t allow you to move forward, it becomes very easy. The first step is what makes you develop a love for movement.

Nicolas at a race

Nicolas weight boarding

A very focused fitness enthusiast

A very focused fitness enthusiast

November 11, 2013

By: Gina Yoryet Roman

For many individuals, 5am is a mad time to work out, unlike for Monica who I have the chance to share the gym with when/if I make it at that time.

I met her a few months back before the summer when her and her partner Sandra joined the gym. As usual, it is very exciting for me to meet fitness enthusiasts. Her and many others who I spend time with breaking a sweat are unbeknownst to the fact that they are a shot in the arm for me. 

Full details:

Mónica Fernández Gómez

Age: 44 years old

DOB: July 13, 1969

Weight: 53.8 (118.609 pounds)

Height: 1.60 meters (5.24934 feet)

Body Mass Index: 20.7

Body type: A mix of Mesomorph and Endomorph

Total time training at gym: 1 year 

Days a week: 6

Other sports practiced: I played soccer when I was a little girl until I was a teenager. I also played squash for a while.

Fitness goal: Increase muscle mass and define my muscles, consume very little carbohydrates because I have cellulite so carbs triggers it more. I also want to increase the weight while lifting.

Special diet: I don’t have a particular diet.

Biggest challenge: To have a well balanced diet.

Daily routine: I get up at 4am, go to the gym, I take a protein shake, I go to work until 3pm, I go home and have lunch, at about 5pm I take a siesta, I wake up and check all my pending work. Then I check my email at about 9pm and I try to be in bed by 10 or 10:30.

Current occupation: I am a Middle School Spanish Teacher.

Other hobbies: I have liked to exercise all my life, I love it, it has become a necessity.

Advice to other amateur athletes or to those who want to lose weight: Don’t get discouraged, it is only a matter of time to find the charm in sports and health and fitness.

Further comments: N/A

Her and Sandra definitely have the stamina of a twenty year old, I don’t know where they get the energy to get up at 4am almost every day of the week! It reminds me of my good ‘ole days. It is somewhat difficult for me to make fitness goals with this never ending hiatus that is taking a LOT more than expected but I will start demanding a little more from me as of 2014 God willing!

Grief and loss teach us to love more

Grief and loss teach us 

what real love is about

November 10, 2013

By: Gina Yoryet Roman

Back in 2009, I signed up to get Cheryl Richardson’s weekly newsletter which I just got through reading.

“Grief is a funny thing.  It sneaks up on you at the most unexpected times.  Earlier this week, as I sat in the car waiting for Michael to come out of a drugstore, a song came on the radio and I burst into tears.  It was a new one that debuted on The Voice called, Say Something, by A Great Big World,and it featured the beautiful background vocals of Christina Aguilera.  

As I listened to the words, I thought about how painful it is to lose someone we love.  How desperate we are to know that they're okay, that they're with us, and ultimately that there's life beyond the release of the physical body.

I'm still waiting for a sign from Debbie, an irrefutable message that her energy and consciousness lives on and near me.  Silly human that I am...

I don't mind the sadness though.  Over the years I've learned to embrace the hollow clenching of my heart when I think about someone or something I've lost. Time has taught me that my ability to welcome grief is directly related to my ability to welcome love.  Because I no longer push away the pain, I've grown to trust myself enough to live through it and this trust frees me to invest more of my heart and soul into my relationships.  

Being with grief is not easy, though.  It can be challenging to let the tears flow, especially when they show up out of nowhere.  Like in public.  For some reason my grief loves to visit me at the most inconvenient times like when I'm sitting in the car in front of the drugstore with lots of people walking back and forth around me.  

  

Today I invite grief in.  I welcome its teachings, its benevolence, and its ability to connect me with my vulnerable, tender heart. 

After all, that tenderness is important.  It's the aliveness we all secretly long for every single day of our lives...”

Very interestingly all through this weekend I've had repercussions about death due to a bad dream I had earlier in the week. Perhaps it is the Christmas feeling, the change of season and the sound of dry leaves emphasizing the solitude in my heart, the atmosphere, the nostalgia of not spending enough time with all my family, the loss of my beloved grandmother who surrendered to death on January 26, 2012, after  a long-lasting battle against Alzheimer’s. It may be the echoing and desperate crying voice of grandpa's wise and invaluable advice; 

“Yoryet, love can be tough sometimes but when you find the one, grow together, don’t ever let go and love, forgive, pray and walk hand in hand with him until death does you apart.”

It can possibly be the loss of Victoria (one of my personal victories) who I lost towards the end of 2009. It could be the true friends that life has unexpectedly taken away from me for an ungiven reason. Perchance it is the love that fell through the cracks long ago because I shunned grandpa’s advice and because value didn’t have a value because neither one of us gave value its value. I will never acquiesce (agree) to those fatalities but I’ve learnt to live with it..

“You will lose someone you can’t live without,  your heart will be badly broken, and the bad news is that you never completely get over the loss of your beloved. But this is also the good news. They live forever in your broken heart that doesn’t seal back up. And you come through. It’s like having a broken leg that never heals perfectly—that still hurts when the weather gets cold, but you learn to dance with the limp.”

“A lot of things are inherent in life -change, birth, death, aging, illness, accidents, calamities, and losses of all kinds- but these events don't have to be the cause of ongoing suffering. Yes, these events cause grief and sadness, but grief and sadness pass, like everything else, and are replaced with other experiences. The ego, however, clings to negative thoughts and feelings and, as a result, magnifies, intensifies, and sustains those emotions while the ego overlooks the subtle feelings of joy, gratitude, excitement, adventure, love, and peace that come from Essence. If we dwelt on these positive states as much as we generally dwell on our negative thoughts and painful emotions, our lives would be transformed.” 

― Gina Lake

Going back to Cheryl Richardson’s reflections, 

“Because I no longer push away the pain, I've grown to trust myself enough to live through it and this trust frees me to invest more of my heart and soul into my relationships.” 

they also made me ponder upon my current and future relationships, when there’s grief, I will forgive and make my heart capable of loving even more because once death interferes, it will be too late. Sometimes we may win or lose but the point of life is accepting, letting go and learning to avoid making the same mistakes. More importantly, never stop believing in love to better understand my purpose, the meaning of two becoming one even when the ball (fortune) doesn’t bounce right back to us.  Sometimes it will bounce lower than ever, therefore our job is to get a hold of it, make it find its equilibrium and stay put.We must keep that frail crystal ball together at all times because once it breaks, it will never be put back into its original form. 

Tomorrow these feelings will wither as I fade away into my daily routine...

"Say Something"

The Road Not Taken

Robert Frost (1874–1963).  Mountain Interval.  1920.

1. The Road Not Taken

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

        

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

        

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

        

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Unraveling life's mysteries

Unraveling life’s mysteries

November 8, 2013

By: Gina Yoryet Roman

If I put more time into reading, I don’t have time to write, if I have long work days, I am to wiped out to work out, if I dedicate too much time to volunteer work, sometimes I have to put myself behind and forget about laying low. If I don’t take it easy, my energy level is very low and I just act and do things robotically.

Sometimes I think how I’ll handle it all, balance everything equally and manage to stay faithful to  my ABC’s... 

Other times I ask myself why make the effort to write, why I pray, what is the real purpose for working out; perhaps vanity, health, weight loss, routine, necessity, love. Why go out of my way and do volunteer work, why read so much...

In occasions when I am overrun by the circle of life, I truthfully feel like throwing in the towel... 

On the other hand, when I regard at life as a whole from a more analytical point of view, I conclude that everything that entails my circle is what keeps me going. What rejuvenates me...

I would like to say, Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 5:30-6:45am, are devoted to working out, Tuesday and Thursday I am going to sleep in (sleeping in for me is 8 am, 9am the latest). Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday will be shorter work days. Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be my weekend. Monday and Tuesday evenings I’m going to spend more time reading. Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings will be given to writing. 

In reality, there’s not a set time to work, nor a particular time to work out, neither a specific time to read, or a given moment to pray, a precise moment to do volunteer work, and there’s never the right time to dodge everything and go M. I. A. for a short while. 

But like I said, all the aforementioned is what gets me up and running in the morning, I am the happiest woman on the planet when I work and stay faithful to my loves. The point is to find a purpose of it all amidst the mystery and ups and downs to fully enjoy life whether there’s a special someone in my life or not. 

At a young age I learned to resolve to love life for what it is, not for what I possess.