Music Guides Me

I'm no musician. Heck ... the only thing I ever learned how to play well was the flute and that was because the music teacher at school obligated us. [ I played a damn quick Wonderful World from Aladdin ] When I wanted to learn guitar we did the whole thing of taking classes. Yeah! Andrew, Vicz, and I ! Sounds awesome? Sure does ... except it was 9am on Saturdays. Who could wake me up?

I quit very quickly.

All I ever learned was that I have 'guitar hands' according to the teacher. So ... I guess I should go back to guitar or bass guitar one of these days. I guess.

Pero el punto de este post es mas como la música me ha guiado por mi vida y como puedo perfectamente acordarme de la música que me moldeaba en todas las etapas de mi vida y porque...

Yo les puedo decir simplemente que a los 8 años fue que fui para casa de mis primos Leandro y Joselito que dormían en la misma habitación y me di cuenta que cada lado tenía un decorated theme. Ahora, fijo ... estos dos eran mis IDOLOS de mi familia entera asi que lo que sea que ellos oyeran para mi era lo perfecto. Leandro oia Metallica y Joselito oia Pink Floyd. Pues en 3ro de primaria estaba Little Yorch oyendo Kill Em All y The Wall pisao. Esos casettes se gastaron de tanto que los oia en mi walkman. Eso fue en el 1991 por ahi.

Entre 1992 a 1993 fue que compre mi primer casette con mi dinero. Me compre Get A Grip de Aerosmith. Diablo ... yo todavia les puedo cantar ese album enterito de comienzo a final incluyendo todos los gritos de Steve Tyler. Por ahi fue naciendo mi amor por el rock n roll moderno.

Porque digo moderno? Bueh ... ya mi papá me habia demostrado el mundo del rock de los 1950s. Yo me se los mejores de esos años. Bobby Darin, Fat Domino, Bill Haley, Ritchie Valens, Paul Anka, Big Bopper, Buddy Holly, and so on... Not to mention the Beatles from 1960-1980. I was fully cultured in that rock n roll.

Of course. If you notice I grew up well in the 1990s. That is to say that from 8 years old to 17 years old I was still in the 1990s.

In 1994 and 1995 I learned the existence of QUEEN ! Dear God! Freddie Mercury! Such a waste! Such a wonderful musician! Despues por ahi entro Nirvana y Guns N Roses. Wow. I was shaping up. Osea poco a poco el amor por el ROCK era todo para mi. Nada era mejor que el rock. Nada.

Cuando me fui para Cullowhee en el 1996 me acuerdo que solamente compre Nirvana and Metallica casettes. Por excepcion a Metaloaf. Thus ... it was born. My romantic side began in those years, medio callao claro, pero it was born. Meatloaf showed me that there I would do anything for love and that good girls go to heaven, but bad girls go everywhere. Despues vino BON JOVI ... diablo cuando oi Always yo ni sabia que decir. Que simple esa cancion, pero que apera.

In 1997 me pico la primera abeja en Cullowhee y Little Yorch no sabia que era alergico y que se podia morir. Duro 2 dias interno. Vicz le mando un libro de Michael Crichton [ que se convirtio en uno de sus libros favoritos ] y el tape de Pearl Jam's TEN. Eddie Vedder people. Osea ... Ese personaje! Eddie Vedder es increible con Evenflow, Jeremy, Oceans, and Black. Wow! Then came the KORN, Limp Bizkit, and Deftones days. Jeez! Mi cuarto tenia los posters, tengo cachuchas, tshirts, de to... Para mi todavia son excelente musicos y super aperos de cantar y tripia.

Despues me acuerdo en el 1998 fue que todo exploto. Conoci a Martica y a Alex Canaán. Diablo que cambio tuve cuando super que existian personas que cantaban en español que podian rockear. La Ley, Enanitos Verdes, and Heroes del Silencio. Soda es cool, pero nunca de mis favoritos. Poder ver a Beto Cuevas en el Agua y Luz salir de una burbuja cantando Fotofobia, poder tirarme en una cama gritando Parasiempre! NO HAY NADA PARA SIEMPRE y contemplar mi lamento boliviano.

Conoci la musica electronica ... me volvi loco con Insomnia de Faithless, Children de Robert Miles y Keep Hope Alive de Crystal Method. Por ahi entro mi amor por la electronica. No soy como muchos que oyen solamente unn genero. Yo lo oigo todo. Mis favoritos son Oakenfold, Lawler y Kleinenberg. Que diferencia. Pero para mi son los que mas me han marcado.

Por ahi viniero las jevitadas too ... Schizo-TAO and POP. 2000-2002. Diablo ni cuanto se bailo con Gigi D'Agostino, Luis Fonsi, Luis Miguel, and so many other people I can barely remember. No se como se me olvido porque como lo ponian todos los dias... pero por ahi esta tirado mi CD que hice con las canciones de esos sitios.

Somewhere between those times fue que empeze a oir cosas mas melódicas. Oia mucho a MECANO. Que jeva que canta apero! Empeze full a oir Dashboard Confessional. Conyo... ese panita si ha sufrido. Yo me la paso sufriendo con el, cada cancion es como que me transporto a un momento y puedo sentir todo ese dolor.

Recientemente estoy muy en los 90s. Stone Temple Pilots, Aerosmith, Alice in Chains, Smashing Pumpkins, Cranberries, Pearl Jam, Guns N Roses, and others. That music will never die. Eso nunca parará de ser lo máximo. Tambien tengo que admitir que mantengo oyendo cosas melodicas y sufridas como Dashboard, Death Cab for Cutie, Bright Eyes, and others too. Tambien he vuelto a aceptar el rock dominicano ... NUX, Shido, Auro & CLEMT, Poket, Gonzalez, ALF y muchos mas.

I don't know. I can think of any song and think of a moment in my life. Every person has a song to them. Every love, every hate, every laugh comes from some song. I can think of the happiest, sweetest, and/or craziest moments in my life and I think of a song. Ya sea un concierto de La Ley, uno de Juan Luis Guerra, uno de Incubus, N'Sync, o alguna banda de rock dominicana.

I love music. I love how it shapes us. I love how when you are in love every song has something that reminds you of that person. I love how when you break up each song makes you think of that person. I love making the perfect mix tape/CD for someone. Finding the right songs to explain a specific message. I love it.

I

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Please call and give your support to Joselo who has torn a tendon or ligament or something like that in his ankle. He is very down because of his lack of mobility. I think what gets him the most is the way he actually did this to himself. I mean ... really ... I would too! Who the hell plays Soapy-Wet-Naked Twister anymore anyways?

Like these people (just naked) ----->

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llevo 3 dias escribiendo esto pero se va la luz.
mi UPS no sirve.
se borra todo.
sorry for the wait.

These Are My Shoes ... I Walk In Them

I think it has been quite some time since I actually sit my arse down with notes scribbled all over the place to write a post. It's been a while since I have so many ideas to let loose. It has been quite a while since I have taught another lesson. Here goes...

I have been thinking a lot about what we are all supposed to be doing in life. What is it that makes us go on and/or fit in the right places when we're not going anywhere? Why do we tend to want to live up to everyone's expectations while feeling tired? Why is it that sometimes we strive for perfection when it is unattainable?

I don't know.

It is hard to truly grasp the idea of happiness I guess. I mean, are you happy where you are right now? Not at your life. I mean right now. I'm here writing and you're there reading at this moment. You happy? Look around you. Is this where you would like to be this very moment? Is this just a 'means to an end' ?

I, for example, am at home. The air conditioner is on. Another Brick In The Wall is playing by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. I am still wearing my pijamas and it is 5pm on a Sunday. I know in an hour I'm going to be getting ready and going out. I could be jogging. I could be writing something else. I could be reading. I could be studying.

But I am here. With you, somehow. I am writing to you. Not for me. To you. In a sense I guess I am writing so that at some point you will say "maldito loco' or 'good one Teach' or 'well that was a waste of my time.' The point is this one goes for you.

In life I have learned so many a thing. I now know that hair gel and going to the beach do not mix. Chewing bubble gum near someone else's hair is a no-no. Airwalks are the best shoes ever. Vaporub and Menthol will fix anything. Yet ... there is one thing I learned that some of you may say is incorrect; to a degree. In life you have to be selfish. Yeah. You do.

The deal here is finding the balance. I always tell my students: "Extremes are bad. Too much of something is just as bad as too little of it." You need to be selfish in life until a certain point. You need to think of yourself. You need to love yourself and ask what is good for you first.

There are so many people who are stuck in relationships where they are there to not harm the other. They stopped loving some time ago, but they are there because they don't want the other to feel pain. Sometimes you have to think of you first. Even in a relationship, in a marriage, in a partnership, in a job, in whatever. If you are not happy, then what is the point? Wouldn't you be lying to the other person? Wouldn't you be hurting yourself all this time?

Why do what others need or want you to do if you are going to be miserable? Stop trying to live up to other people's expectations so much. You know what? You need to live up to your OWN expectations. Would you imagine me? My dad has like 7 degrees and my mom has like 4. My dad has written thesis on Economics, Psychology, and Education. They both did TWO university majors at the same time! YEAH! One in the morning and one at night! AT THE SAME TIME! AND THEY GRADUATIED MAGNA CUM LAUDES! Try living up to that! Heh ... But you know what? There is my dad telling me "You do just as much as we do and you didn't study everything we did."

If you find what you love, if you can do what you love, if you can live off of what you love to do ...  that's beautiful!

You see ... we have to stop trying to find perfection. People have it all wrong. What we need to do is find a perfection in all the imperfections. It's not the same thing.

the best thing in the world is to sit down and go "that could've have been better, this could've been cheaper, more people could've come, we could've made more money ... but I loved it"

Ever been in love? Ever sat down and stared at that person? There are millions of imperfections. Yet, you love them that way. Some people seem made for each other and they are so different. That you can look at them and say a thousand things that make them "not right" but they work so well.

Perfection in Imperfection.

That's what i love.

Let's stop trying to please everyone. Let's stop playing roles in life. Start being who we really want to be. Stop living up to other people's expectations. Start being selfish and think of ourselves for one minute first. Stop looking to be perfect and grow to love the imperfections in life.

Let you, be you.