Thanksgiving Day

So today people celebrated Thanksgiving Day in the US.When I first moved to the States I didn't quite understand the holiday, to be honest... But after seeing what it meant to people and actually being part of it, I started liking it...

We don't celebrate Thanksgiving in Ecuador, and I understand why... But seriously, we celebrate Halloween, and we can't celebrate Thanksgiving? Sucks!

Anyway... Even though I didn't get to sit around a big table with family and friends, and eat delicious food, I still started my day saying what I was thankful for...

Today, November 25, 2010, I am thankful for:

* My parents, for being the most amazing parents one can ask for.

* My brother, because even though he calls me Shamu every now and then, he's still the best brother ever, and because I miss him and I can't wait to see him again!

* Mia. She lights up my every day, that's all I can say.

* My family in general, because they are my rock.

* My friends, here in Ecuador and the ones in the US, for always being there. For being my friends.

* My school. Yes, my school. Because I don't think I could've ever gotten on with my life if I hadn't been so consumed by school. I don't think I would've gained back my self-confidence if I hadn't proven myself I was good at something again.

* For being alive.

A lot of times when things get hard, I've thought the easy way out would be to just give up. School's hard: give up. Love life sucks: give up. Someone lied to you: give up on them.

But the easy way out is not always the best way to go... I've learned nothing in life comes easy. Nothing WORTH HAVING, anyway.

I don't have everything a person would want... But I certainly have everything I need, and probably more.

I have a brilliant career and future ahead of me. I'm doing what I want, what I like. I have wonderful parents who support me, I have an amazing brother who always reminds me why I came back. I have the strength I need to move on, to keep going and never give up.

I'm thankful for my life! I'm thankful for being strong enough and for knowing when to say 'it's enough'. I'm thankful for knowing when to say yes, and when to say no.

I'm thankful for everything I have...

I don't think one day a year is enough. I think that's this world's problem. We have things we know we are thankful for, but we don't ever say it. We take things for granted. We wait until something happens and we lose them, or we fear we may lose them, until we decide to say how we feel. We assume they know.

Don't ever assume people know what you want to say. Don't ever assume God knows you're thankful. Don't ever assume anything. Say it. Show it. Prove it.

Life's too short not to. Life's way too great not to.

Be who you want to be, do what you want to do, and go where you want to go, but always remember to thank those who helped you get there...

Make a wish! ★

Have you ever seen this and made a wish? How many times?

Personally, I lost count a loooong time ago!

I spent years of my life making wishes everytime I saw this... 10:10, 11:11, 12:12, 13:13, and so on... Years of years, wishing on stuff that looking back, I don't even think I ever got!

I looked at my clock not too long ago and it said 12:12. Then I looked again after a little while and it said 12:13, and I realized something... I didn't make a wish!

I don't ever make wishes anymore... I don't want to say I don't believe in wishes and dreams coming true anymore, because I do, believe it or not. But my idea of wishes has changed. I don't believe in asking for something and just sitting there hoping it will eventually come true...

I believe in wishes that you can work for and MAKE them come true... After all, they do say "Easy comes, easy goes", right? Victory tastes better when YOU pursue it, not when a shooting star grants it to you...

But anyway... After a few minutes I started thinking Have I run out of wishes? Is it really possible that I have nothing to wish for?

But the answers were more than obvious. I do. I do have things to wish for. PLENTY of things, as a matter of fact.

I wish I could graduate, for example. I wish I won the lottery! I wish I had a job so I could stop being a parasite. I wish I could go back to the States. I wish I lost weight. I wish this city were not so freaking dangerous. I wish I had a convertible. I wish I had a dog shelter. I wish I could give my grandma a youth potion and make her healthy again. I wish I could travel 24/7. I wish I was a UN interpreter. I wish men didn't cheat. I wish I could see him again...

Man, I could go on for hours and hours!

There are sooo many things people wish for! sooo many 'little' things that somehow become everything we want...

If you had a genie floating in front of you, and he told you you can make ONE single wish... What would you wish for?

What would be the ONE thing you think you absolutely need in your life in order to be truly happy? What is your ultimate wish?

Are you positive you wouldn't regret it later? Would you change your mind after a while and say "Man, I should've wished for that instead"

I can think of a million things I would want... But, do I really NEED them? Do I really need to have everything I wish for?

I am happy with what I have right now. I'm not rich, and I will probably never be. I don't drive a convertible, I'm not a UN interpreter. Heck, I'm not even an interpreter at all! I can't make my grandma young and healthy again, I can't win the lottery because I don't ever buy lottery tickets. I won't lose weight unless I go on a diet (or have plastic surgery, but since I'm broke, that's a no-go too)... I don't have any of the stuff I wish for, yet I am happy.

I'm happy with my life as it is right at this very second.

I love my family more than words can explain. I love school and I love what I do. I love my dog. I love my friends... I love everything I have. I love my perfectly imperfect life. I love what I have and I wouldn't trade it for the world...

So, after taking all this into consideration... Would I still need a genie? Would I still need a shooting star or a wishing well? Would I still need watches marking 11:11 everyday?

Probably...

I think after all I do have a wish left: I wish my life were always this great :)

Reencuentro? Say what?

Boys bands have always existed. I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure it all started with NKOTB. Then there was BSB, N'Sync, and so on. I loved all 3 I just mentioned, for the record, but there was this one Mexican boys band I was absolutely crazy about. Exactly 15 years ago I was head over heels in love with this one boys band called Mercurio. And when I say head over heels I mean HEAD OVER HEELS.I remember every single wall in my room being covered with posters, pictures, CD covers, magazine articles, etc. I used to think they were the hottest guys on earth, and there was this one particular guy, Danny, that I swore I would marry one day...

I went to every single concert they gave here in Guayaquil. I bought every single CD. I grew up with them. I could relate to every single song. I knew deep inside, one day, we were going to live in the perfect world, and we were going to meet and be friends, and I was going to be Danny's wife and we would live happily ever after... Oh man, was I a dreamer or what!

I listened to their CDS every day before and after school. I used to do homework while listening to their CDS, I used to watch TV everytime they were on it and I used to record every show too. Looking back I guess you can say I was more obsessed than in love, but saying I was in love sounds a lot prettier :)

I was 11 years old when the band officially started, 16 when my favorite band members (the main ones, pretty much) left the band, and 18 when the band officially split up.

At 16, when they decided to "replace" Dany, Poncho, and Hector (who were by far THE one reason I loved them so much) I stopped following their shows as much. I hated the new guys, I really did. I couldn't stand watching them on TV cuz all I could think about was "that douche is singing what they used to sing" "that guy's taking all the credit for what the others did" and so on. I didn't stop listening to their music, but I never bought the new CD with the new guys... I listened to the 3 I had always listened to...

Time passed by and Mercurio became a long forgotten memory... Nobody would even talk about them. Sometimes, though, I would listen to one of their songs on the radio and all the memories would come back in a second... but after a while the fuzz was gone again.

Then I moved to the States and never heard about them again.

Not too long ago, back in Guayaquil, I heard one of their songs on the radio. I thought I was going to crash because I got so excited I felt I couldn't keep driving anymore...

And then I heard the news: The possibility of a comeback!!! O H M Y G O D ! ! !

I am a 26 year old girl who gets excited over a bunch of skinny dudes singing. Does that make me a loser? Hell, if so, I'll be the happiest loser on earth!

I joined every single fan page on facebook, I've done everything I can to be part of this "Operacion Reencuentro" to get them to come back on stage... And apparently they have decided they miss singing and they want to go on tour starting April next year.

I am, as I type this, smiling like an idiot, bouncing on my bed, trying not to scream because everyone else in the house is already sleeping...

I'm going to see Mercurio, again, after 10 years!!! I'm going to see the 5 young men who made me believe love could be possible, who made me think there was still room for romanticism in life, who made me think one day I was going to find that someone special too, who made me realize life is great, and sometimes even if it sucks, you just have to let go and move on...

I'm going to see them. I'M GOING TO SEE THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They don't have any official dates or anything as of right now, but they've admitted they ARE getting back together. Even if it's for one concert in every country or city... That's enough.

I am trying to make sense as I type but I'm having a real hard time focusing... I'm just overwhelmed. This is too much excitement and joy for me to handle...

I love Mercurio. Yes, I still do! I still listen to their music, in spite of what others may say about me, and I still cry with some of their songs...

I think it's a wonderful thing they're getting back together and I am soooooooooo looking forward to that concert! OMG! Thank you God! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now it's time to calm the F down and go to bed... I'll need my sanity in case they do decide to go on tour...