My hair is my strength

I spend a lot of time thinking about my hair, taking care of my hair, styling my hair and generally doing hair-related things. I really just love my hair.

It makes me seem a bit shallow.

That could be a fair-enough statement - with all that is going on with the world, why spend so much time fussing about my hair? After all, it wasn't that long ago that my hair was nothing more than a source of frustration because I didn't know what to do with it.

In case you don't know what I look like, I have long, thick, brown, curly hair. Well, I say curly but in reality it is wavy and it takes a bit of effort to make it curl. And that was my biggest frustration: because I have "in-between hair" I could be either straight or curly and for many years I chose straight.

You can hardly blame me: it was the 90s and everyone wanted Rachel hair. I had just emerged from the 80s after numerous perms and quite frankly, I was ready to embrace my inner Rachel. So out came the straighteners, the blow driers, the straightening balms and all the rest.

When done right (and by this I mean 'professionally') my hair would look pretty nice when straight. The only problem was that I couldn't often get the professional help I needed to make my straight hair look ok, so often I would try my best and end up with a frizzy mess.

I also knew that all the heat from the straightening wasn't really helping my hair and was drying it out quite a lot. Leaving it 'as is' wasn't an option either because it would quickly turn into an afro. I wanted quick, easy hair that I could wash and leave so I did the obvious thing and cut it fairly short.

This worked for a while except that I couldn't really do much to it when it was short so I slowly let it grow again and I was back where I started. Eventually I became a mom and had zero time for anything at all to do with my hair (or anything that wasn't the baby, really!) and I simply pulled it back. This became my look for more than a couple of years...

I would still refuse to cut it short though. I have always liked long hair and with few exceptions, my hair has been long throughout my life. But it really wasn't doing anything for me just hanging off the back of my head. I did try to do a few different things but hairdressers just didn't seem to get it and I ended up with hair that I couldn't do much with.

Eventually though,I stumbled across a hairdresser that did get it. She didn't even ask me how I wanted my hair cut, she just did it and the result was a complete revelation. I could have curly hair and it could look good! At about the same time Carrie on SATC had made it absolutely clear that Rachel's time was over and it was absolutely ok (and fabulous) to have long curly hair.

So I did. I quickly realized that curly hair was not that difficult to achieve and with a little time and effort it could not only look good but save me time. I learned all about plopping and plunking. I invested in lots of products for curly hair. I bought a diffuser. I stopped brushing my hair, especially when wet. I learned that when done properly, curly hair is the easiest kind to deal with. And I let it get longer and longer and longer... and discovered in the process that having long, thick, curly hair that looks good was the best accessory I could have.

These days I absolutely love my hair. Sure, there are some days when it just won't work but on the whole my hair is my friend. I love to toss it, to twirl it around my fingers, to flick it when I'm dancing, to fluff it up, to pull it back, to pile it up or to let it hang down. Having nice hair makes me feel confident, sexy and girlie. My hair has definitely turned into one of my biggest assets!

Tweetcloud Aug-Oct

Very cool cloud of my previous 200 tweets... thanks to Tweetcloud!

100 things about me

 A few months ago a very popular meme was making the rounds on Twitter, where people were telling us a few interesting things about themselves and everything had the hashtag #100thingsaboutme. I liked the idea but thought that actually, Twitter was not the right place for me to publish a list like that, so I decided to write a blog post instead. This way I could elaborate on some of the more interesting items, while keeping the 100 things all together.

So I started writing a list. I got to 50 pretty quickly but then things slowed down. Turns out, it is actually quite hard to write 100 interesting things about me! But I persevered and whenever I would think of something for the list, I'd add it so that gradually my list grew. It did take a few months though and that is my excuse reason for not having updated the blog in a while!

Here is the list. You will notice that I haven't actually included 100 things about me, but am a few short. This is because I know that someone will read the list below and think of something about me that is pretty interesting but that I have somehow forgotten... so if this is you, send me your suggestions.

Over the next few months I will be ellaborating on some of these things - and have included links below on the things I have actually already discussed in the blog before. Hope you find something interesting in this very, very indulgent project!

1.  My favourite fruit is watermelon
2. Cheese is my weakness
3. I once had 6 fingers in one hand
4. I think Kate Winslet has the best boobs
5. I’ve never been a bridesmaid
6. I have completed a marathon
7. … and a few half marathons
8. It takes me a while to focus on something
9. I’m pretty lazy
10. I love sleeping
11. If I could, I would Zumba every day
12. Billy Joel rocks
13. I wanted to be a journalist when I was little
14. I am neither a morning nor an evening person
15. The music from Soarin’ is my favorite on any Disney attraction
16. I prefer dark chocolate to milk
17. I love the taste of fired clay
18. For a couple of years I had blue eyes
19. I would love to be able to sing
20. There aren’t enough days in the year to wear all my clothes
21. I prefer non-fiction to fiction
22. My hair is my strength
23. I can count from 1 to 10 in Japanese
24. Someday I will write a book
25. I love musicals – proper ones
26. I love astronomy
27. I wish I could speak a third language
28. Fruit isn’t dessert
29. There is no way I will wash up without gloves on
30. I can’t always remember what language I dreamt in
31. I loved school
32. When I’m dancing, I’m happy
33. I’m not a baby person
34. Mickey Mouse is my absolutely favourite Disney character
35. I hate being late
36. Reading is my passion
37. I love Disney songs
38. I don’t always forget work when I’m not AT work
39. Data can be so exciting
40. I have pretty feet
41. I have zero patience
42. Monterrey will always be my home
43. I am terrible at drawing
44. Life without music is not life
45. I’m allergic to shellfish
46. Disney commercials on TV make me cry
47. I’m a big city girl at heart
48. Wish I had freckles and blue eyes
49. I am very, very tidy
50. …But I hate cleaning
51. Apollo 13 is one of my favourite movies
52. Favorite food: pizza!
53. I love to buy blank notebooks for some reason
54. I am not a dog person at all
55. I know all the words in “The Princess Bride” by heart
56. Talk radio really, really distracts me
57. I am obsessed with Starbucks Caramel Frapuccinos
58. I don’t like talking on the phone
59. If I could, I’d go back to Tokyo in a flash
60. I have been to every continent at least once except for South America
61. London is my spiritual home
62. I love driving alone
63. I will never get a tattoo
64. There never is enough time for cooking
65. I run (and zumba) in skirts
66. My left knee is my weakest
67. I love baseball
68. My hair is naturally wavy – not straight or curly
69. I think girls should never wear football shirts
70. I judge fat people
71. Men look much better in winter than in summer clothes
72. I love curry but hate hot food
73. Gentlemen should open doors for us – and we should let them
74. I really miss heat and sun
75. What I miss most about Mexico: friends, food, fun
76. I actually like airline food
77. When I was young I read whole encyclopaedias
78. I can’t stand Bryan Adams or Tom Cruise
79. The older I get, the more high maintenance I get
80. I hate bra straps showing
81. If I could live in one place in the Star Wars universe, it would be Cloud City
82. My prescription is so high, without my contacts I can’t see to the end of my arm
83. I used to do horoscopes for people, now I’m not sure I believe in all that stuff
84. Poor grammar and punctuation irk me
85. I don’t like fish but I do like sushi
86. I love being a girl
87. My favorite color is purple
88. I can recite most of the periodic table of elements
89. I know the names for clouds
90. I don’t own any apple products
91. I have never seen a single episode of Eastenders or Coronation Street…
92. …or Dr Who
93. I used to bite my fingernails
94. I have had lessons in Hawaiian dance
95. For some reason I find it easy to remember car license plate numbers

My journey to the Olympics begins

On 15 September 2010 not only was I getting ready to celebrate Mexican Independence Day but I also submitted my application to be considered a volunteer for the 2012 London Olympics. It was a long application, which actually took me a few days to complete, and I had to provide quite a lot of detail on myself, my skills, my interests, my strengths and of course my personal details. It was pretty complicated and I had to keep finding out stuff like my passport number and so on.

 
Ever since that day when London was announced as the venue for the 2012 Olympics I knew that I had to try my hardest to be a part of the event, somehow. Being a volunteer (or Games Maker as they are known) was the most obvious choice so I made sure my application was as thorough and detailed as I could make it. I finally submitted it on that September day and crossed my fingers that it would be good enough to get me an interview.


It was a long wait but finally I got the news I was hoping to get in March 2011 - I had an interview to be a Games Maker! The date took some coordinating as I was actually away on the first suggested date but after a few phone calls, the date was set: 1st June and I would have to go to the Excel Centre in London. I was actually looking forward to the day out!

I worked half a day and then made my way to East London for the interview on what was a gorgeous sunny and warm day. The selection event itself was, in my opinion, very well organised and after registration and a short wait, we made our way to watch a short video with more details on what it means to be a Games Maker (I hope this video is made public someday, it was pretty funny!) and then we went to our assigned cubicle where we had a 20 minute interview. The interviewer - a volunteer himself - was very nice and kept the interview moving along while asking all the required questions. It was here that I found out what team I was interviewing for: the Afterwards we made our way out - via a shop, very Disney! - and had a chance to write a message on a wall, for posterity.

I left the venue feeling that I'd done my very best but, was it enough? I know that I am a pretty good candidate and I have a lot of relevant experience but I also knew that the competition would be tough, so I didn't want to get my hopes up too high. So I prepared myself for another long wait...

In late September 2011 we had an email saying that offers were starting to go out for those lucky Games Makers that had been selected, so this made the wait even more agonizing, knowing that anytime now I could get the good news. But a few weeks went by and nothing. 

Finally, I got the news I was waiting for: just this week I had an email offering me the position of NPC assistant, based in the Athlete's Village during the Paralympic Games. In English, this means that I will be volunteering for the National Paralympic Comittee of a specific country (don't know which one yet) and will be presumably at their beck and call. I will have to complete quite a lot of training (including driver training as I will be in charge of a vehicle!) and there will be further detail on the role in the next few months. 

So I am of course thrilled, excited beyond belief and can't wait for the fun to start. I know it will be awfully hard work too (just like WDW was) but the rewards will be so worth it. I will get to meet lots of people from all over the world and will take part in what is a once-in-a-lifetime event. I hope to create amazing new memories and I promise to blog about it as much as I can. 

All that time I spent filling out the application form was worth it in the end!

Is there anything good about the colder weather?

There is a definite chill in the air: a change of season is upon us and fall is on its way to be followed by dreary winter and months of cold, dark and rain.

I rarely welcome the coming of fall because it means that the weather gets colder and colder, something that I definitely don’t enjoy. But instead of whining about how I hate the cold, how I miss the sun and how I can’t bear to have to dress like an eskimo, I am going to try a different approach. I need to focus on the positive side of this colder weather, so for example things like these:

October moons
Admittedly, this one is short lived but it is an awesome and spectacular sight: there are fewer sights as beautiful as the sight of the full moon in October. I’m sure there is a perfectly sound reason for this amazing sight but it doesn’t make it any less spectacular.

Harvest vegetables
The fall is also the time of year when one can find the tastiest, yummiest vegetables which also happen to be my favorites: sweet potatos, butternut squash and sweetcorn. These three are delicious, good for you and at their absolute best at this time of year.

Fall TV shows
The summer tv schedule is full of utter shite, too much reality tv or a bunch of re-runs. Now that the summer is over, all the great stuff I like to watch is trickling back: Glee, Desperate Housewives, An Idiot Abroad, QI, Mock the Week and other great shows. Yay!

Layering
With the colder weather comes the need to dress warmly. In general I much prefer summer clothes but I do find that I look smarter in the winter. Skirts, tights, boots and layers all look dressy and can be put together too look quite funky too. An added bonus is that when I get my clothes out from storage, invariably I find more than one garment that I’d forgotten about, which feels almost as good as getting new clothes.

Surprise money
Another thing that comes out of storage is all my coats and jackets which of course I haven’t worn in a few months. More often than not I find money in the pockets of a coat and THAT feels so good that for a few moments I actually love the change of seasons!

What are your favorite things about fall and winter?

London, the Brand

Lately I’ve been spending a lot of time in London.

(No, this isn’t my excuse for not updating my blog in a while. Well… maybe it is)

Although I don’t live in London, I’m close enough to go there frequently. I do find myself there very often because of work, but I also like to go there to play. The more time I spend there the more I realize that perhaps I should be an honorary Londoner.

One thing that really fascinates me about London is about how it appears to have a Brand. Somehow the brand revolves around buses and the Tube, both forms of transport. Well, there are also red telephone boxes and the Queen’s Guard but for now let’s focus on the Tube.


Not only is the signage for the tube almost universally recognized as a London icon, but so is the famous tube map by Harry Beck. Not to mention the gorgeous underground posters and the phrase: “Mind the Gap”.



I can’t think of many other cities in the world that are defined by their transport, and defined so well, following the principles of Branding. All I need to do is see a tube sign in the distinctive New Johnston typography and I know I’m in London. I like the Paris Metro or the NY Subway but I can’t now recall any unique iconography. (Before I get blasted, I’m sure Parisians and New Yorkers differ in this assessment, which is fair enough as they live there). In these places the trains are used as a mode of transport between tourist attractions – not an attraction in itself. Does the Paris Metro have a gift shop? Are the NYC subway posters an art form in their own right?

This means that London Transport can make some extra money flogging us every possible trinket that either has the Tube map on it, or the roundel or even fabric designs from the train seats. The branding is so sharp that underground stations and bus stops are easily identified because of the distinctive typography and colors. These design elements work beautifully together in the other parts of LT like the Docklands Light Railway, River transport, London Overground services and even the Barclays cycle hire. There are of course extensive rules about how the elements should be used, to ensure consistency.

It all works so well. I am consistently impressed by how well this branding works and how well it adapts to new uses (like the cycle hire elements, which are not that old at all). It all feels like it’s ALWAYS been there, because it’s so faithful to the well-loved elements.

I have spent a lot of time admiring all these elements of London iconography. I love the fact that they are clear, simple, timeless and modern. I love that they help me find my way, help me find stations and various modes of transport. I love that they look very, very cool.

I think I’ve been spending too much time in London.

Word cloud (again...)

I haven't done one of these for a while...


It's interesting how the focus of the words has changed quite a bit from the previous time. 'One' is now my biggest word!

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