Y Ella Too… Sandra Lopez November 19, 2010

[Y Ella Too (and her too) is a series about Latina women who are an inspiration and who do things that should be highlighted. If you know someone or are someone who should be in the series please email me at TheEllaProject@gmail.com]

I love a story of a person who works on their dreams and makes them come true. I want you to meet Sandra Lopez. A young up and coming Latina author who did just that.

About Sandra: Sandra C. López was born and raised in Hawaiian Gardens, California. She learned to read at the young age of two and strived to achieve the best grades in school. Her free time was spent reading, writing, and drawing. Sandra managed to be the first in her family to graduate from high school and enter college. Her first novel, “Esperanza: A Latina Story,” was published in March 2008 while she was still in college. Now, this young writer is a full graduate of Cal State University Fullerton with a BFA in Animation and Illustration, and she is anticipating a promising career as a writer and an artist. “Beyond the Gardens” is the follow up sequel to “Esperanza.”

I had the opportunity to get in contact with Sandra and ask her a little more about being Latina and about herself.

Being Latina:

Have you ever felt disconnected from your Latin culture?

No, my Latin culture has been with me since day one. It has been especially true growing up in a Mexican barrio with all the tíos y menudo n’ stuff. Even today, I could still say that I am still connected because I am writing about my experiences in a way that I am re-living them all over again.

How do you maintain the connection?

Whenever I look at my brown skin and dark hair, I am reminded constantly of my Spanish Indian roots. I don’t think I’ll ever forget where I’m from. If I ever did, I would probably read up on some Latino literature because, let’s face it, a lot of it is practically a memoir for most of us. The barrios, the gangs, the immigration, etc. Most of us can relate to all that.

What Latina stereotype “grinds your gears?” explain.

Oh, I’m hearing my mother’s voice now: When are you gonna give me nietos (grandchildren)? Like it’s every Latina’s duty to get married and have kids before they’re 20? I hate that. I mean, is that what being Latina means? Well, not for me. I don’t want to get tied down so fast that I wind up missing what there is to see out there. I’m going to live my life for me before I give it away to a family.

What’s your favorite Latin food restaurant and the favorite thing on the menu or what do you enjoy cooking?

Unfortunately, I don’t cook. Don’t have time or the culinary skills from my mother. I guess my favorite Mexican dish would have to be my mother’s Spanish rice, especially when she cooks gallina y mole. Mmmm. (Editor’s note: Seeeee not every woman can cook! a girl after my own heart.)

About you:

What has your journey been like, from growing up to having your book published while you were still in college?

It was totally unexpected. Being an author was not something I aspired to do, it was just something that happened. It was a calling that I just had to answer to. Growing up, I’ve always thought that writers were so cool (still think that, actually.) I thought they were so smart and talented. Of course, I can never do anything like. After all, I was a poor Latina straight from the barrio. It wasn’t ’til I discovered the works of Sandra Cisneros and Luis Rodriguez in junior college that I decided to write my own story–a story of a shy, ambitious Latina who just wanted more from her life and decided to do something about it. So I started writing her story. Again, my intention was not to be published when I wrote that story. I was just going to leave on the shelf and let it collect dust forever. But then I thought, what could it hurt? After getting about 30 rejection letters, I got a call from the editor of Floricanto Press, asking to see my manuscript. Four months later, I got a contract and two and half years later, I got a published book. It still wows me even to this day.

What authors, places and people inspire you?

Any author is an inspiration to me, more so now since I know what the writer’s life is like. But, really, anybody that is truly content with who they are and how they’re living their life is always an inspiration. And that’s me!

If you could leave the world with one piece of advice, what would it be?

Do what you want to do in life and do it now! Don’t wait because life is fleeting and will end before you know it.

Any other projects you’re working on or something that people can look forward to?

I am currently working on a collection of short stories that are all based in my hometown of Hawaiian Gardens. Release date is still tentative but will announce it to my readers if and when the time comes.

Tell me something most people wouldn’t know about you?

Whenever I do an interview or panel, people have often told me how confident and outgoing I sound. But I’m actually quite shy.

You can find out more about Sandra on her website and also on her blog where she discusses the books she is reading.

how i’m beating the gym November 14, 2010

 

ipod? check. running? check.

 

Lately, I have been going to the gym more often than I used to.  Actually that sentence is a half-truth. Lately, I’ve been going to the gym. Period. As in before I used to come home and head straight to my bed with a bag of starburst jellybeans ( I see you judging me). It wasn’t always that way. There was a time where I used to work out all the time. But, like most people in the US, the gym was more of a phase than a lifestyle.

Now, I go to the gym 4-5 times a week in an attempt to be more active. Sounds impressive right? Well, what happens sometimes is that I lose all my energy at the most inappropriate moment.

I look at how much time is left on the treadmill. Only three more minutes. I can do this. Wait no. I’m tired. Alright I’m done. I walk off and head into the locker room. Half defiant, half ashamed.

Luckily, I figured out how to get to the end of my workout this time around. Determination and a great playlist. A great playlist can give you the burst of energy you need. This got me to thinking about what songs I have been playing a lot lately from stretching to cardio. Here are a few of my favorites:

Amanda Diva: manchild ( love her voice in this)

 

Robyn: indestructible

 

Maluca: El Tigeraso (she’s Dominican like moi and filmed this where I grew up. Gotta support my Latinas)

 

Finally, a personal favorite:

Zeyi- Dark Brown Shades

 

what are you listening to?

 

Too Connected? How to fix it. November 9, 2010

christina may be on to something here….

There was a time in my life where I could not understand romantic relationships. The idea of spending so much time with one person seemed very dull and I, being a child of A.D.D, have always feared boredom. My mind played an endless loop of running out of things to say and thinking that there is something else out there. Luckily, I’ve matured and learned that the idea that played in my head is not reality. When a person is interesting and when you have things in common there is no dullness. Instead, there are witty conversations and the opportunity to grow together.

 

 

This is all well and good if we actually spent any real time together. Although we are living in a time where we are more connected than ever, we actually spend less time connecting with each other. At any given moment you can find me via email, on Gchat, on facebook, twitter, Blackberry Messenger, text and if you’re feeling up to it you can, gasp!, also call me. This also rings true for 99% of my friends. We have gone from bright and beautiful social butterflies to its 2 dimensional emoticon counterpart. You know what I’m talking about, the kind that flutters for two seconds and then remains stagnant.

 

 

The more time that passes the more we focus on our online persona. I’ll be honest, I have a friend who I have entire conversations only using emoticons.

 

Me:  and then he said 🙂

Her: what? Did you do this:

 

Yes, it’s easier to send someone a text rather than call them. Or catch up via email than meeting someone for dinner. But there is something about human contact. Something about actually hearing someone laugh rather than see an “lol”. In Zadie Smith’s review of The Social Network she mentions us evolving from “Humans 1.0 to Humans 2.0”. The ones that want to connect with people through sight and touch and those who connect via “tweets” and status.

 

Don’t get me wrong. I love technology. There was a time when my mom spent hundreds of dollars on phone cards to the Dominican Republic. Now? She can use the internet and call for very cheap or actually see the people she loves through skype ( my mom is technologically challenged, I’m sure this is like magic for her). Now we can see our loved ones across state lines and continents. Skype is single handedly saving long distance relationships.

 

 

Growing up I used to watch Sabado Gigante where they would show how one day we would be able to video chat. It was this old Zach Morris looking phone with a computer attached. I was so shocked and amazed at 12 years old. Last night I watched an iPhone commercial about video chatting.  I felt the same way I did at 12 years old. Technology really amazes me in a way I don’t think it does to the 12-18 year olds now. They text and write a certain way and this is even evident in the classroom. My friend, a teacher, got an email from a student written the way they would on an instant messenger (H8t3r!LOLZ)

In Zadie Smith’s article she has a foot note which says

 

“For me, text messaging is simply a new medium for an old form of communication: I write to my friends in heavily punctuated, fully expressive, standard English sentences—and they write back to me in the same way. Text-speak is unknown between us. Our relationship with the English language predates our relationships with our phones.”

 

This is the way I feel about people learning to interact with each other in person rather than via text, twitter and facebook. Human beings learned about relationships by relating with each other. Now they’re learning about relationships through the veil of technology. So I say let’s enjoy the benefits of technology but let’s also keep in touch with our humanity. Let’s meet each other for drinks, dinner, laughter and hugs. Sounds ridiculous? Maybe. But I would much rather be a vibrant social butterfly than a 2 dimensional emoticon.

On being the oldest child (no respect) November 4, 2010

such is my life.

I am the oldest of 3. Being the oldest has its perks. Your parents never had a baby before you, therefore you get photo album upon photo album dedicated to you. You also get to be the center of the universe, that is, until your parents decide to gift you with a little sibling. Once you get a little sibling you get to boss them around. I mean, you get someone to play with who looks up to you.

 

That is unless you’re in my family.

 

I come from a family who lived in the Dominican Republic most of their lives. Whenever anyone was going anywhere everyone wanted to come along. No one was ever left behind and space wasn’t an issue. You just made it work. This mentality remains intact even while living in New York City.

 

“Road trip? Sure! Bring everyone you’ve ever met. Of course we all fit in this little car.”

 

What does that mean for me? That means that until the age of 18, I still had to sit on someone’s lap to take a road trip to target. Or if we were lucky to have a van available I would have to sit between the seat and the door. on.the.floor. Meanwhile my sisters were either in seats, or in a more comfortable sitting situation. Well, about as comfortable as you could be with 12 other people in an 8 passenger van.

 

I made the decision a long time ago that I wouldn’t do that to my future children. Luckily, I grew up and left those days behind me.

 

That is until last Saturday.

 

I went to pick up my mom for an afternoon of shoe shopping and then I would drop her off at the hair salon. I walk into her apartment with my SO* to find my mom, my youngest sister, her fiancé, her fiancé’s daughter (also known as the baby. Really cute kid not gonna lie), my cousin and my uncle all scattered about. I walk into the bathroom where my sister is putting on her makeup to say hello.

 

“listen” she whispers “ I’m going to the salon with mom and I’m bringing the baby. The thing is that she needs to be in the car seat or else your SO will get a ticket.”

 

“Of course” I tell her. Everyone fits. She can sit in the back with my mom and the baby in the car seat. Perfect. I move on to my mother’s bedroom where she is getting dressed for our shoe shopping excursion.

 

“Ven aqui (come here)” she whispers “ Your uncle needs a ride down to the city, I told him you and your SO would take him. We all fit right??”

 

Of course we don’t. Because this is a five passenger car and we are 6 people and a car seat. I tell her that but she brushes me off. Of course we fit.

 

And then we get to the car. Where everyone is in it comfortably and I’m standing outside the car.

 

“alright, I’m taking the train. See ya’ll in the city.” And just as I’m about to turn towards the train station my mom grabs me and says:

 

“Come on honey, just sit on my lap. Just like when you were little”

 

In that moment I couldn’t have been more embarrassed. That is until 10 minutes later when 6 people and a car seat are packed into a 5 passenger Nissan Maxima. The bottom half of my body is on my mother’s lap, the top half is sprawled over my sister’s lap.I kept having flashbacks to my childhood. I didn’t get any older child respect perks and now I don’t even get this is my SO’s car respect.

 

“Next time I come here I’m bringing extra metrocards! If anyone wants a ride, they can ride the subway. I’m too old for this!” I stand up for myself while my legs fall asleep. Meanwhile, my mom is on her cell phone, obviously not paying attention to me.

* Significant Other

What’s for dinner? November 2, 2010

Crisco!

 

I don’t have to repeat for the hundredth time that my skills in the kitchen are kinda suspect. So, imagine my surprise when I got an email from the Crisco asking me to review some of their products and let my readers know all about their new promotion. Personally, I like presents, packages and reviewing things. Obviously my response was “sure Crisco, bring it on!”

And then I received the package.

isn't it pretty?

Crisco Extra Virgin Olive Oil—perfect, this is the brand I buy regularly. Crisco Canola Oil—Great! Something I always read in recipes and want to use. Crisco Olive oil spray—excellent, I love fat free cooking. Finally, there was regular and fat free eagle brand condensed milk—is this for real? I’m perpetually on a diet; this is definitely not part of it.

Once I had them all in my hands I had no clue what to do with it all. So of course I turn to my friends.

Me: I got all this olive oil and I can’t cook!

Mai: If you had a black blog, you could talk about putting olive oil in your hair like the hairlicious girl. For you, not quite sure!

Significant other: So, like, your blog supports deep frying everything?

*blank stare*

I had to take matters into my own hands. Lucky for me Crisco’s new promotion comes with recipes! Crisco’s what’s for dinner?/ Que hay de cenar? Makes it easy to look up delicious recipes when you’ve run out of ideas.  Recipes that include salads for those of us who are cooking challenged. My favorite is the BLT Cornbread Salad (have I ever mentioned i heart bacon? cause I do). You can Also make your own salad.  I made my own dressing to go with a tomato mozzarella salad

ingredients

ta-da!

 

More importantly ,Crisco is doing this promotion so that we (as in my favorite readers and I) can enter their ‘What’s For Dinner’ giveaway over at CriscoEnEspanol.com, for a chance at the following prizes:

― One grand prize of Chef Michelle Bernstein’s new line of gourmet cookware and one year of Crisco products

― First-time entrants receive a Crisco product coupon

― Each day 10 winners receive a $20 gift card

Michelle Bernstein is a celebrity chef and top chef judge and owns a fabulous restaurant in Miami. She is a Miami native of Jewish and Latin descent. “My food is luxurious but approachable,” says Bernstein, a James Beard Award winner (Best Chef South 2007) and author of Cuisine a Latina (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2008).

So what are you waiting for? Head over to Crisco en Español and enter the giveaway. I have every day since I received the email and so should you.