Y con estas me despido

It's been over two years of this little adventure,

this pilot project that began in August 2011 out of a need
to let loose some creativity,

understand myself a bit better,
and surround myself with stories and things that resonate 

and help me connect with that inner me.

You have been participants of it all

the highs, the lows, the sources of inspiration, adventure, and beauty,

the storms, the goodbyes, the commemorations, 

the reflections, the feminist me, the travels,

the celebrations, the thank yous, the e-sharing, 

the utter appreciations, and the love.

All the above have contributed to whom I am today.

And it's for that reason that although a part of me
doesn't want to say good-bye,

I finally know that the mission of thisthatyotrascosasmas is over.

The URL will exist out there as a reminder 

and as a depository of these years' thoughts, moods, 

and of all those things that inspired me and 

made me smile, reflect and understand un poco mas. 

Now, up to a new adventure.

Thank you for the support.

Me

"Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors
where there were only walls" 

Thanks-Giving

"And the days that I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations,
I have really good days."

                                                                                                                 - Ray Wylie Hubbard

Have a happy Thanksgiving day

Sil

No comments

Wow. I know. Wow.

How I dare to write back.

How I dare to keep leaving and entering this place as I wish.

Sorry.

I am having some sort of love-hate relationship with it.

I already said it on my last entry and although I tried...

I just couldn't.

But today, just as I decided to organize my closets, 

and re-take Murakami's book, 

I decided to re-appear here.

Don't ask me why.

It's been a while since I last wrote, September 19th,

and quite a bit has happened since then.

I am a year older, and so is my dad, Pia and Luisen.

Friends committed to making their love grow and got engaged,

others continue to explore for happiness, live life or find out the next step,

and winter is slowly entering in NYC.

It's been a really nice fall, actually.

No storms or hurricanes.

For the first time, I observed the leaf life cycle,

and I truly enjoyed it.

NYC is amazing in the fall, isn't it?

It's raining today. 

It's particularly funny because Vero had been saying it over and over again during the week

and nobody believed her.  

Our iPhones were telling us differently.

I was already planning to have a homey Sunday

maybe even bake (?!?)

and this sudden change in the weather report

confirms it.

I don't know when I will be back...

I'd rather not set up expectations.
They only lead to disappointment.

In the meantime, 

enjoy wherever you are, whatever you are doing

and whomever you have by your side.

Besos

Me

I wish I had one of those emoticons to use right now

Amazing day in NYC today.

We had a few chilly days and for a minute, 

we all thought that winter was already entering into our lives...

but nope, we were wrong. 

Summer (and soon Fall) is fighting back
and giving us a chance to still enjoy the sun 

and the greatness of this city 

when the extremes don't overtake it.

I have to confess that I was considering closing the doors of thisthatyotrascosasmas.

I know I have said that before BUT this time was for real.

I even told my friend, Noe, about it.

But then, I looked at it and told myself 

hey, this space doesn't need to be one of those areas in my life 

that have to be structured, 

controlled or driven by a clear goal and direction.

This was my blank canvas and I like the idea of keeping it that way.

A visual memory book of myself through the passing of time.

thisthatyotrascosasmas evolves and adapts to the "Silvia" of the moment

and that's ok, right?

I feel pressured and judged by all the amazingly well curated

organized and "make sense" blogs out there and sometimes

my lack of all the above freezes me and me bloquea, vamos.

But what the heck, this is me and who I am.

And this is my space. Not for commercial or promotional use

but for my own personal use, an avenue to express myself 

- even if at times sounds dull

 and for you who from time to time may get something out of reading me.

So, I will continue to be around

and thisthatyotrascosasmas will continue to be a digital shadow

of me, of my moments, my likes and my experiences.

You didn't get rid of me.

Sil

On the bright side

Is back!

It's been gone for so, so long

but decided to bring it back.

It's an important archive of mine.

On a grey Labor Day 

(which for many symbolizes the end of summer)

I share with y'all

the images below:

 1. via lost coydog

2. via fear of God

3. via Blue Collar High Class

4. via This isn't happiness

5. via Wildflower

Happy Week

XOXO

"We all romanticize the people we adore"

So true.

My good friend, Juncal, whom I know since we were in our early teens, 

started a new life yesterday.

After spending 10+ years apart,
we were lucky enough to live in the same city during the past four years,
and, yesterday, we had to say good-bye, once again.

Over the past month, I wondered how I was going to take Juncal's departure.

We would walk around NYC and people would ask if we were sisters...

so I knew it wasn't going to be easy to see her go, 

but I didn't exactly know or
even want to think about the moment after the good-bye.

Well, like all heart-felt good-byes, 

it wasn't easy to see her close the door
of what at times was our apt in the west village,
jump in the yellow taxi cab

and see her disappear in the traffic of 7th ave.

People have asked if I was sad, and obviously I am.

Very much. 

But above all, 

I feel a huge absence around me

that is bigger than yesterday's good-bye.

The truth is that regardless of the reason
 since I arrived in this city 8 years ago, 

I have seen more people come into my life

and go as never before...

and the effects are starting to have an impact on me.

Not sure how to describe the feeling 

but it's like the old tree that stands there over the years, 

seeing generations pass and the seasons

go through it.

To feel how "pasajero" - we would say in Spanish - everything is

frightens me.

Juncal, 

this one is for you.

In remembrance of the past four years
and those times we experienced in New York

and that we know we will not experience again....

BUT

"All endings, are a beginning to something new, 

and potentially great."

Good luck in your new endeavors.

Muacas for you.

XOXO for the rest.

say, what?!

Topic of the night:

what to write when you don't have anything to write about.....

but yet you think you should write something.

..... is it weird if I don't say anything?

and just stay here; 

staring at my bright screen 

while shipping tea and trying to go to sleep?

.... or shall I continue making myself talk?

hoping that I sound interesting, fun and creative...

and that nobody notices?

It's a bit like this quote that I read the other day that says:

"It's like when someone says 'How are you?'

Do you say, 'Well, my head hurts and I'm lonely and depressed

and I'm worried about everything and the world is collapsing

and full of evil'? Or do you say, 

'I'm fine, thank you."

(Sarah Shepard, The Visibles)

Having a blog, or better said, an interesting blog is not an easy duty,

believe me.

Sometimes, many times, I just don't feel that creative

and/or talkative.  And it sucks.

....

Okay, I think I should go.

Starting to rave,

to contradict myself by continuing to write

and most importantly 

and highly needed....to fall sleep.

Forgive me for this utterly weird post.

Like anything in life, 

You have to have bad ones to enjoy the good ones.

Peace out my friends, 

XOXO

That was a rad time...

"Life is not measured
by the number of
breaths we take but by
the places and moments

that take our breath away."
                                                - Anonymous

To all those far and near

 who have contributed

to making the past 5 weeks

dreamlike,

thank you 

from the bottom of my heart!

XOXO

I'm back!

See Ya!

Apparently, and according to the the Bureau of Labor Statistics,

most working Americans

(and by default all of us who live, work, pay taxes

and are not teachers in the USA)

GIVE UP their VACATION DAYS

(those four words sort of don't go together)

Per the stats, we gave up an estimated 226 million vacation days in 2011

which is $34.3 billion worth of vacation time wasted!

Can you believe that crazyness????

I am determined to put an end to this

and make good use of my rights

and benefits...

See Ya!

XOXO

A lot going on

We are living another of my fave times of the year,

the beginning of summer.

Oh, la la...

So much going on

So much in the air

You can sense it, feel it

anywhere and everywhere.

A supercharged energy

establishes itself "out there"

and takes us over

mercilessly.

Yesterday was 

Summer Solstice: the longest day of the year

(l o v e)

 and tonight we'll have

a Huge Super Full Moon:

when the moon is the closest to the Earth

and we can see it bigger, brighter and more powerful.

Well, listen to this, not only we will have a Super Full Moon

but it will be the brightest and closest Super Moon

of the year!

Talk about a supercharged energy 

taking over ...

What else can we ask for?!?!?

(don't take the question literally...of course)

In past entries, I talked about La Vie en Rose,

this time of the year I talk about La Vie en Jaune,

everything seems

to have an orange/yellow glow.

Call me crazy

but this supercharged energy doesn't allow you to be sad, 

to not dream or aim high.

How could you when you look outside

and everything is glowing

and you can almost touch the moon?

Shake off any remaining winter blues, 

lighten up, 

put your headphones on

and enjoy this summer 2013!

There will only be one.

(Al fin y al cabo, nuestras amigas siempre nos lo han dicho)

I wish for each of you to

enjoy the beach, the sun and the ocean 

(these three make a magical combination),

encounter summer romances 

(if you are single),

experience new adventures

(be safe),

laugh, eat and drink pleasurably,

have tireless nights

grooving to those summer songs,

and catch at least one awing sunrise.

XOXO

Blogging girl 

; )

A shared weekend

Hi All,

I have invited young-writer/artist, Anais, to contribute
to today's post.

Anais 

Below her account
of a "Shared Weekend"
(with a few intrusions from yours truly)

***

It was 6 o'clock pm,

I was ready at the door.

My shoes were on

My bag was packed

I was ready to go.

The doorman called

I came down to the lobby

all happy and free.

We hugged and exchanged kisses

and off we went.

The subways were terrible.

No A/C

Delays up ahead.

A fight going on.

Finally the adventure had started!

We went to Whole Foods

filling our grocery bags with goods.

There was some trouble at the check out,

but we still headed forward to our amazing weekend.

We dropped off our stuff

taking Pia to the park

the June day was beautiful.

We walked along the river side.

Got back home to watch a movie ("LOL"),

and have an amazing dinner.

Then off it was to bed.

Day one was complete.

In the morning we had breakfast,

there were waffles and smoothies,

sausages too.

We went to do laundry

bringing the little dog too.

Later in the day,

we watched the "Bling Ring"
(OMG, what rich teenagers are able to do!)

We ate a huge bag of popcorn and candy.

We followed and went to the park with a blanket and Pia.

All the way there Pia ate sticks for who knows what.
(new phase in her life)

I took pictures of the beautiful sky and the person who I was with,

The sail boats tilting in the summers breeze.

At home we watched "Something Borrowed"
(was long and not good)

We ate a dinner of Mexican food and salad.

Then went to bed
(midnight express).

We woke up for breackfast,
almost the same one as before.
But a new day had started,
Could it be better than the one before?

***

It was.

Anais just left.

Love,

Us.

what can I say

...that I haven't said already 

when this long absences occur.

Maybe I am no longer interested in 

blogging/sharing my thoughts and creating this archive

or maybe I am in the process of figuring out

where thisthatyotrascosasmas fits in my life

almost two years later.

Regardless,

I feel I have a creative freeze when it comes to 

thisthatyotrascosasmas.

That said, I still don't want to close this venture,

so please stand by me for a bit longer.

I will sooner or later come up with a decision.

If I don't have a chance to talk to you sooner, 

enjoy the last few days of spring.

Besos, 

Sil

"Unexpected intrusions of beauty.  That is what life is."
(Saul Bellow, Herzog)

NYC + May = La Vie en Rose

This year I realized that 

I <3 May!

I heart the fresh, crispy sunny mornings 

the new green on the streets 

the multicolor sunsets

and the excitement of leaving all those layers of 

clothing at home.

Besides, people seem to be in a better mood, 

don't they?

NYC in particular, 

shines during this time of the year.

It only takes a few days for New Yorkers

to shake off the winter flakes

and hit all those outdoor cafes, beer gardens and rooftops 

spread throughout the city.

All of a sudden, 

La Vie becomes Bella again!

(or at least that's how it feels)

How would a mythical May weekend 

in NYC look like?

Friday, 6PM -- happy hour at the closest beer garden. 

Whether you are in Manhattan, Queens or Brooklyn, it will be crowded.  

Guaranteed.  

The good thing is that after a few pitchers, 

you forget who is around you 

and how long you have to wait in the bathroom line. 

Remember, La Vie Est Belle!

Saturday -- wake up excited 'cause it's Saturday,

 have a leisurely walk with your dog, 

grab a coffee and call your fam.

By 1PM -- be showered and ready to hit the the flea markets. 

After taking part of an exhausting 3-4hr treasure hunt, 

grab a quick bite, and recharge to meet friends 

and enjoy the sunset

while chugging a few cold beers.  

What comes after the sun is gone

is only up to you...

Sunday -- wake up a bit concerned 'cause it's Sunday already,

do house chores

and have brunch....

what would NYC be without a brunch?

In most cases, brunch leads to dinner

but if not, hop on your bike and 

spend those final hours of the weekend

in solitude, regrouping yourself 

and getting ready 

for the next five days

before the weekend is back again.

"Life, too, is like that. You live it forward, but understand it backward"

I have never been scared of being old.

Well, maybe a few times but in general, 

I've always been the kind of kid who wanted to pretend to be older.

Yours Truly and Her

What you want me to say...

I thought being older was cooler than being young.

Clearly, it was all based on the underlying assumption

that being young = immature = wrong 

and therefore, 

being old = mature = good.

F***ed up, I know but c'on, 

we are all f***ed up in our own ways, 

so leave your judgments aside.

So, life has been determined to show me that my assumption

was indeed, f***ed up.

You can read past entries to see what I mean,

so will just say

that life is a huge collage.

"A wise realization" my mom and dad would say.

"Yeah, whatever" I would respond.

I have been having backwards moments

like never before.

This is how it goes:

I enter my own mental space

I sit down and begin to see my life projected 

in the screen of my own mind.

I go back to my early years when I used to spend my summers 

with my two favorite people at the time, my grandparents.

And then very consciously, 

I see the passing of time

and for a few seconds

I can subtly get a grasp of the impermanence 

and connectedness in life.

Pretty amazing the routes that life takes you.

Pretty scary the decisions that we ought to make.

So much fun all the adventures, trips and laughter that we experience.

So fucked up all the tears, heartbreaks, and pain.

So amazing the countries, cities and places that we visit.

So sad all the people that come and go.

So delicious all the flavors that we taste.

So lucky to experience it all.

Intense.

I know.

But by now you should know me

and none of this should catch you by surprise.

Anyhoo, a random entry without "pies y cabeza"

for a humid and raining

Saturday evening in May.

Hasta la proxima, 

Sil

P.S. The quote from the title is from Abraham Verghese, Cutting for Stone.

GIRL POWER: The new trend of the 21st century?

Hi All,

I've decided to use this platform

to share with you 

my first article on a topic that, as you know,

I am very passionate about.

Hope you enjoy it.

“There’s been a great deal of progress in government policies, education, civil society, and in the private sector. We’re moving in a way we’ve not seen before.”[1] With these words, Melanne Verveer, the United States Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues, referred to the state of the plight for women’s and girl’s rights during last month’s Women in the World Summit in New York City.

Since 2010, the Women in the World Summit brings together women of all walks of life to celebrate and advance women’s and girls’ rights both at home and abroad. The event is one of the many campaigns and initiatives that have been launched in the past five years to give a voice to the other half of the world’s population. In 2009, Nicholas D. Kristof and his wife, Sheryl WuDunn, published “Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into opportunity forWomen Worldwide” which lead to the release of a world-wide documentary and a social movement. And only a few months ago, Facebook’s COO, Sheryl Sandberg, jumped on the trend, launching her new book “Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will toLead” in an attempt to create a new “feminist movement at work.” 

Dr. Sally Roesch Wagner, the executive director of the Matilda JoslynGage Foundation in Fayetteville, NY, professor at Syracuse University, and a tireless women’s rights advocate, calls this moment a “paradigm shift in the women’s rights movement.” 

“The patriarchal experiment has been a failure,” she said in a phone interview. “There is a general awakening that there needs to be a different paradigm based on relationships and not on greed and power.”

So, are we in fact experiencing a “tipping point for women”?[2]  Are the Women in the World Summit, Nicholas Kristof’s “Half the Sky,” and” Sheryl Sandberg’s “Lean In” products of a new era for women’s and girl’s rights? Are we experiencing a new wave of Girl Power that is determined to stay?

In the mid-90s, the British pop group the Spice Girls mainstreamed the term “Girl Power” with their songs calling for female empowerment understood as girls putting their feet down and clamoring for equality and freedom. “Just girl power is all we need. We know how we got this far. Strength and courage and a wonder bra," said the lyrics of their hit, The Power of Spice.  American R&B trio Destiny’s Child set the tone for Girl Power on this side of the Atlantic with songs like Independent Women. The media latched onto the term and the response it had on the female audience and turned Girl Power into a media campaign for the empowerment of girls, mostly in the western world.

Since then, the term has forged divisions and has been subjected to criticisms for its commercialized and perhaps misleading understanding of female empowerment.

“Girl Empowerment is allowing a girl to see her potential,” Justin Reeves, Director of NGO partnerships at the 10X10 – Educate Girls. Change theWorld campaign, said in a phone interview. “Empowering girls gives answer to a lot of the problems in the world,” he said.

In talking about the origins of the global campaign, Mr. Reeves explained how everything began five years ago, when Richard Robins, the Director of Girl Rising, the documentary around which the 10x10 campaign has been built, connected the dots between global development and female empowerment. Female empowerment, understood now as providing women and girls around the globe with the education, support and skills needed to make them active participants in the fight for their own rights, to ultimately achieve social change now and for the future; quite a far-reaching effect.

 

Under the slogan “Educate Girls. Change the World,” 10x10 Girl Rising’s finely tailored social and media strategy is reaching crowds, raising awareness, and empowering women and girls both at home and abroad. And they are not alone. As a domino effect, in 2008, the Girl Effect campaign was launched by the NIKE Foundation in partnership with the NoVo Foundation. The campaign, with its sophisticated, innovative and appealing videos, went viral, quickly spreading the same idea “…by investing in girls, you can stop poverty before it starts.”

Under the same framework and at a grassroots level, in December 2012 the InternationalCoalition of Sites of Conscience launched Girl Ambassadors for Human Rights (GAHR), a new venture for girls’ empowerment. “Women and girls are more likely than men and boys to be poor, uneducated, or victims of violence. Women’s empowerment and full participation in society is key to combating these very social problems,” said Elizabeth Silkes, Executive Director at the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience. 

During its first year, GAHR has engaged fifty 15 to 17 year-old girls from Sri Lanka, Chile and the USA, equipping them with the knowledge, skills and perspective to serve as future global ambassadors and local activists for human rights and gender equality.  “Increasing women’s civic engagement not only responds to their rights as citizens; it also enriches political discourse, decision-making and inclusiveness,” Ms. Silkes said.

“There has always been a special place in my heart for women's rights, primarily from my mother. So, of course, I jumped at the chance to be part of a program that brought together not only that, but also human rights in general,” said Mikayla Cleary-Hammarstedt, a 2013 US Girl Ambassador. 

“I wanted to begin the process of expanding my horizons, learning about new cultures and meeting new people. I’ve learned that there is so much around you that you don't know. You just have to open your eyes and want to see it.”

The Girl Power movement is witnessing an interesting, yet unexpected turn of events, in which female empowerment is closely connected to larger, global social issues. 

“Investing in girls is a return investment” said Mr. Reeves.  “People are catching on. Investing in girls is an argument that makes sense to people and it’s easy to support.” And it must be making sense when corporations such as INTEL and NIKE are investing in and attaching their brands to the plight for girls’ rights around the world. 

“The philanthropic world is picking up,” agreed Dr. Swagner. “If you want to fund ‘smart,’ you fund girls and women. Investing in women and girls is investing in the future.”

The multiplier effects of this new notion of female empowerment are proving to be extraordinary. The outspoken commitment to girls’ advancement is awakening initiatives, forums, women and girls around the globe. Women and girls are embracing their place and role in society and are demanding it both at home and abroad.  Women and girls are joining forces and raising their voices to show and prove that keeping ‘the other half of the world’ involved is key in making the world a sustainable living place. 

Ten years have passed since the Spice Girls mainstreamed the concept of Girl Power, and whether we call it Girl Power, Girl Rising, Girl Effect, or Girl Ambassadors, the fact is that “GIRL” is on the forefront of the global agenda. As Mr. Reeves stated, “people are catching on.” This very much might be the time to truly stop violence, discrimination and inequality towards women.  

---

[1] Quote by Tina Brown. Luisita Lopez Torregrosa. “Progress, Once Conference at a Time.” The New York Times 2 April, 2013. Print.

[2] Luisita Lopez Torregrosa. “Progress, Once Conference at a Time.” The New York Times 2 April, 2013. Print.