Last Post!

Honestly, blogging was a good experience and it made me put thoughts into writing but it is not for me. I don’t enjoy sharing my personal life with the world and I don’t have anything that I’m so passionate about that I would like to sit down and write down every week. Maybe later in life, whenever I have kids or want to share things with friends that are distant, I will start writing about me and my life publicly. As for now, this is the end of my blog. I’m not going to lie, writing this is also a bit sad because it also means that the end to a successful semester at A&M is coming to an end. Most people get excited about finishing up things, but for me this case is different because it means that a life filled responsibilities is rapidly approaching. Hopefully I will be able to handle every test that God puts in my path and keep learning from the good people around me.

Family Comes First

Does it ever happen to you that during the year there are few things that you really want to go to but the day there take place, there are more than one that u don’t want to miss? A little long and complicated, but I’m sure you all know what I’m talking about. This weekend It was my dad’s birthday, my sister’s birthday party and my best friends’ ring dunk. To make things easier for me both events were in different cities at the same time. Obviously it was a no-brainer deciding which one I had to miss because family always goes first, at least that’s what I’ve been brain washed to say, think, and act on. It was no surprised that the ring dunk, the event I missed, was a total success. Not only that, but everyone had asked me why I missed the party. I feel like being upset about missing such a great time with friends, some which I won’t be seeing because they are graduating, but instead I have thought about reasons why I shouldn’t. Even though I feel like I could have gotten out of the birthday party with some sneaky moves, I would have hated myself after that. Family does go first because they have always been there for me and even when I have a family of my own, I know that I would have really been hurt if any of my family has traded a special day for me for some friends. I don’t regret going to my little sis birthday party and I hope that she never trades a day with me for any of her temporary friendships.

Colombian Pride

Like I have mentioned before, I am Colombian. Born and raised. In college I have participate in various events that remind me who I am and why I so passionately defend and represent my country. Last week I helped put together and participated in an international presentation where we danced to Cumbia and showed a video that told the public a little about our country. Well, I could write forever about my country but I think this video basically sums it up. WATCH iT… I promise you won’t regret it.

Colombia is Passion

Commited or Constrained?

Today three of the plomos, my closest friend, got their aggie ring. For those non aggies, the aggie ring is one of the biggest traditions and in Texas A&M. Of course I accompanied them throughout the whole experience and it made me think about the future. During the two hours I was there my friends got their rings, there were a few proposals, and many happy families filled with hopes for the future. This of course made me think about the future. Soon after ring day I had time to chat with some of my dance group girls and talk about my thoughts on how our future would play out. It was very interesting to hear what each girl’s idea of their future. Marriage was a popular topic when we started talking. Most of them told me that they would never get married in college, which made sense, that they wanted to travel and “live life” after college without any constrains and that they would like to have a job and be financially stable before having any kind of commitment with a partner. This caught me in surprise because I had thought that most girls would want to get married right after college and find stability with a partner more than by themselves. This doesn’t necessary mean marry someone financially stable, but someone who can help you find it by being by present and committed to you. This made me second guess my ideas of marriage and how I how fast I wanted to be committed. Not because I want to prove that I can be financially stable by myself, but because the thought of being “constrained” to live life made me wonder if I really want to be married soon after college.

There's No Such Thing as a Perfect Job

I wonder if people are ever 100% satisfied and content with their job. Is there really a perfect job? Obviously I’m still in school, but I’m already having second thought about what major or career path I should take. It’s scary to think that I will be stuck with a career that I won’t enjoy. A friend of mine constantly promised me that whatever the career path a job is not meant to be enjoyable. After repetition of doing the same thing over and over again, it will just become a routine. I have to admit that his thought reflect his personality: very pessimistic. So it got me to think. Could it work the other way around. With the same idea that no matter what your job is, at the end it will become part of your life routine. I could say, being a little more optimistic about life, that whatever career we choose we could adapt to it and learn to make the best of it. “Getting this job offer is exciting, and I feel proud of myself. But this is just another step along the way. I know I won’t stop trying.” In his blog Matetells us a few anecdotes about how trying new things and hard work has paid off in his career and in his life. This is what I’m talking about. Even if a job is not exactly what you want, you will feel good in it if you set yourself a goal and reach it instead of reminding yourself about that sucky position.

Stress Relieve Other Than Alcohol

Last blogs made me think about the reasons or excuses people use to tell themselves drinking is ok. Of course there are many, but the most logical I came up with is stress. People sometimes go to “escapes” such as alcohol… to deal with stress and pressures that seem hard to handle. So, If you believe that your life is to overwhelmingly stressful, I guess drinking does make some sense after all. If you want more than temporary fix there are some ways that are supposed to reduce stress and improve your lifestyle.
• Take a stand against over scheduling.
• Be realistic. Don't try to be perfect — no one is.
• Get a good night's sleep. A goodnight sleep helps your body and mind be equipped to deal with any negative stressors.
• Learn to relax. Help trigger the relaxation response by learning breathing exercises, schedule for activities that are calming and pleasurable: reading a good book or making time for a hobby, spending time with your pet, or just taking a relaxing bath.
• Treat your body well. Experts agree that getting regular exercise and eating well helps people manage stress.
• Watch what you're thinking. A healthy dose of optimism can help you make the best of stressful circumstances.
• Solve the little problems. Learning to solve everyday problems can give you a sense of control. But avoiding them can leave you feeling like you have little control and that just adds to stress. Develop skills to calmly look at a problem, figure out options, and take some action toward a solution. Feeling capable of solving little problems builds the inner confidence to move on to life's bigger ones — and it and can serve you well in times of stress.
For more info CLICK HERE.
Even though people may turn to substance abuse as a way to ease tension, the truth is that they promote more stress because they wear down the body's ability to recover. This list mentions actions that unlike alcohol will improve your health and well-being more permanently.

Alcohol

Sometimes it seems like I’m one of the few 20 year old who has never abused alcohol, specially in college. Honestly some find it somewhat illogical that I don't get drunk along with my friends. First because in Colombia, my place of birth, the legal age to purchase and consume alcohol is 18. This means that it is very normal for 15-year old kids to have access to alcohol. Most family and social reunions are also certain to be accompanied by alcoholic drinks, which means that I have had access to alcohol my whole life. Secondly, because I am a college student with no direct social pressure not to drink or family constrains and with plenty of friends older than me that could provide the alcohol. Obviously it’s a personal choice that I make week after week. I’m not sure of the reason for not abusing alcohol specially seeing that so many enjoy and crave it. My family does not abuse alcohol often and I can honestly say that it’s not fear of it so I can’t pinpoint a single factor for my apprehension for alcohol over use. After reading some information of the direct effect of alcohol, it seems like not over using it is just common sense.
Why would someone want to depress their breathing rate, heart rate, and the control mechanisms in their brain?
Maybe because they want to:
• Impair their motor coordination
• Impair their short-term memory
• Decrease their ability to drive and perform complex tasks
• Prolong reaction time
• Reduce attention span
• Reduce inhibitions
• Slow their thought processes
And raise their blood alcohol level until they reach one of these percentages and effect:
• 0.05 -- reduced inhibitions
• 0.10 -- slurred speech
• 0.20 -- euphoria and motor impairment
• 0.30 -- confusion
• 0.40 -- stupor
• 0.50 -- coma
• 0.60 -- respiratory paralysis and death
Well, I don’t like to tell people what to do with their lives, so If they want to destroy their liver along with their brain and heart in order to get as close as they can to a coma or a respiratory paralysis or even death, be my guest. Just don’t recommend it to anyone because that’s just low.