Passion

Passion for me is a strong word. Passion divides doing something half ass and doing something with all your heart in it. Passion is like a candle burning bright among darkness. Passion is motivating and it's  like an extra push to keep you going.

Passion in a relationship: What happens when you first start going out with somebody? It's new, it's fun. You guys are going to places you guys have never been to before, doing things you have never done, seeing things you have never seen…feeling feelings that you have not ever felt. But what happens over time with a burning oil candle, the oil slowly but surely burns out. You find yourselves not doing the same exciting stuff you used to do. You guys would want to see all the new exciting movies that came out in theaters but now it seems that now you guys wait until it comes out on dvd or blue-ray. You would rush to pick up the phone when you heard it ring because you were expecting a call from him/her…but now you pay no attention to the phone and could care less if you should call them right back or at all.

Passion in life: Passion in life is really important because if you don't have a passion, then it feels like you are kind of wasting your time. You have to find a passion by trying things. I tried photography and computers and I love them both so I have 2 passions and basically my life is mostly about them and its my duty to keep them burning as long as I can. My first passion is God, I can admit it keeps burning away but that is because I was letting it but I pray for him to keep filled with passion because I want to give it my all, and not treat him like a part time job and expect full time benefits as the saying goes,lol

So in general, passion IS like a burning oil candle…if things are getting dark and you know that in order keep on seeing things that you appreciate with light, why would you want everything to go dark and not be able to cherish those things you used to see when there was light…so keep your passion burning because once its out, it may be very hard to turn back on.

You only live once

Most of us are blessed to wake up another day not realizing yesterday could've been our last day here on Earth. I'm not saying that there's a chance you are going to die everyday, it's just that you don't know what could've happened until it happens. For example, I sometimes walk about half a mile to my home at night, there's been plenty of times where gangbangers pass by and throw gang signs at me...

One day, they did more than that, it was  November 9, 2009 a bright cloudy day, when i decided to walk my dog before I headed to class, I had enough time before my spanish class started and the day was pretty nice so  I decided to walk my dog because he looked kind of bored.

I usually walk him for about a mile or so but that day I did not want to be late so I decided to walk him around the block, once I turned into my block this white van pulled up and told me to throw the fork down, I looked at them and payed no mind and kept on walking, they told me the same thing. I was having a good day and I wasn't going to let some low life's mess it up for me..so I kept on walking.

I heard the guy say to the guy behind him.."Pass me the strap" (which means gun)

I stood frozen and didn't know what to do for some reason. A lot of thoughts came across my mind and family and friends as well... I guess that's where I realized that it wasn't my time yet so once I was about to run, the guy screamed again at his friend and said "pass me the strap"...

I saw the front right passenger reach for something from the back and once he turned to me, my legs began to run the opposite direction from they were going.

I have never ran so fast in my life before, I was actually running faster than my dog at a point.

I didn't want to look back but instead just run so fast where if they did shoot, they would not have an accurate shot because I was too far so that's what I did, now that i think about it, i should've ran in a zig zag kind of motion but that was not on my mind at the moment. 

At the end, I hid on a block away from my block for about 10 minutes and tried to call the police but I had left my cell phone at home..

I waited til the coast was clear and ran like crazy to my house and once I was in there, i just laid in my couch trying to catch my breath...

All and all, I could've been killed, at the same time, I could've not. But I wasn't going to stand there and be on the news declaring that gangs claimed yet another life in the south-side of Chicago. 

Now I live my life to the fullest and try to make my friends realize that you don't have to be in a near life and death experience to appreciate what you have.

I let them know that you only live once to stay with a jerk that is making your life miserable, you only live life once and should hug your parents everyday, you only live once so make the most out of your life and become someone successful. I am doing things I only dreamed about doing and own stuff that I thought would never be possible for me. I appreciate life more and try my best to make sure that my loved ones being close family and friends are doing so as well. In a way I'm glad that happened because I had God and my dog with me by my side. So don't just waste your life and let each day pass you by. You can be doing something great with your life but sometimes we take life and God for granted as well and that is what everyday I'm trying not to do.

Things I'm proud about my friends

Life is hard, nobody said it was going to be easy..some have it good and complain they have it hard...but then again some have it hard and don't complain about how life is dealing their cards because they are dealing their cards wisely..therefore I'm gonna post qualities or actions that I'm proud about some of my friends...

Im proud of you, if you:

•  have 2 jobs
• single parent with a job and you go to school
• go to college
• have it rough at home but yet keep your head up
•  do not look for the love in the streets when your parents should be given you that in the first place
• are undocumented but yet you are going to school to better your life not only for you but also for your family
• know the difference between right and wrong, because sadly a lot of people don't
• you study for hours for a big test or stay up all night doing h.w
• are in h.s and about to graduate 
• are in 8th grade and you are about to graduate ( dedicated to my lil sister,lol)
• treat your pet as like one of the family
• say no to drugs
• say no to sex
• left out of a abusive relationship wether it was verbal or physical
• are a Bulls fan =)
• have a kid and you stay home taking care of your child instead of going out every weekend partying with your friends
• do not give easily into peer pressure
• are doing something with your life

Investing -Vs- Being In Debt

I have bought many things in my life... clearly as so many of us have.
I buy groceries for my family from time to time, or sometimes take out my friends for dinner, it comes out of my heart and I love to see them smile and I don't mind when I have the money to do so.

But when it comes to buying stuff for myself, I tend to feel weird or constantly question myself if my purchase was something I really needed instead of what I wanted. I don't know, I guess I don't like to think of buying myself luxurious things as getting myself into debt, but instead investing which means that in time, i will gain back and even profit from what I originally invested my money on.

Being in debt sucks and it could create a burden, but knowing that you purchased an item that you know will help you make money out of it, for me is a great feeling =)

Recently I bought myself a customized "27 iMac in which many people tell me that I basically could've bought another car with that money, yes I could've, but I know that within time this machine will be able to make me money if I use it wisely and acquire more knowledge about photography and also if I learn more code so I can build more websites and maybe sell some of them.

I consider myself a geek...well honestly a sexy geek because I can be kinna cocky sometimes ;-) but any-who, I'm proud of who I am, and I am proud that I rather be doing something productive with my time.
It's just a matter of time that  I will be very successful and be a better influence on my brothers and sisters as an older brother.

Now going back to my point... I believe that going to college is the best debt that you can have. Not only are you more educated but with a degree, it enables you to more better career opportunities and since you invested time and money in getting that degree, you are blessed to get paid a way higher rate than most people do.
It may be a drag and it might take a while for you to get that degree but it makes it easier if you pursue something you are passionate about.

Next time you go shopping for yourself or just want to spoil yourself, make sure if it's something that you really need instead of what you really want. I can almost guarantee that if you are a geek like me, you will be happier with the purchase of the new computer rather than the new t.v, unless you use the t.v as dual monitor or mainly use your new huge t.v as a huge main monitor and now you have made the t.v into an investment because a bigger screen means you can do so much more at the same time on your computer  therefore making you more productive=)