Color my World with a Rainbow!!!

When the tough gets going the going gets tough...is that what the saying says? well you know what I mean and if you don't oh well; not my problem...haha!!!

Anyhow, this post is about an event I went to recently; the color mob!! I decided to write about it because I was recently reading an article on some home magazine (don't ask because I don't remember the name) about peoples' bucket lists. The article offered suggestions one of which was to do a marathon like a 5k but more specifically, a fun one like the more famous, Color Run. I personally haven't participated in this one but I noticed one is taking placing at Dodger Stadium in L.A. on Feb 2nd and at Candlestick Park in SF on March 2nd. Well regardless, this one is a fun 5K that gives some proceeds to pre-selected charity; which is cool. 

Like I said, I participated in the 1st Annual Color Mob, which some call it a knock off of the Color Run.  I am glad I signed up and went especially since I almost changed my mind for I was going through a lot that weekend. It actually brightened my mood.  That's not to say the ordeal getting there. Traffic was backed up for miles luckily I cut through by taking the toll road to Irvine Lake.

I ended up meeting up with 4 others and we had a blast. Our team's name was "Team Spray Me"... loved it!! We took out our anger and frustations on each other and other strangers. We blasted each other with colored cornstarch. Everyone was doing the same and at one point we couldn't see at all because it was rainbow dust all over the air. It was all in good fun. Would I do it again? SURE!!! I was a kid for nearly two hours and lost all inhibitions in the name of FUN!! I haven't had this much fun in such a long time.

So I totally recommend that you all do it!! You will thank me when you've done it. Look for deals on Living Social, Groupon and Gilt City. I found out about Color Mob on Living Social. I paid $25 instead of the regular $50 admission. Regardless of the price, it is so worth it!!  Hooray for Rainbow fun!!

Update: i will be participating at the Color Run in L.A....YAY!!!  

Ravi Shankar, my (fill in the blank)

I know, the title may seem odd or stupid but it is what it is. I could have just called this post Ravi Shankar or Ravi Shankar in concert but that is too lame and predictable and I am neither.  Ravi Shankar, to me, means many things; and he even doesn't know I exist; which is cool!!

Like most true music enthusiasts, I heard about Ravi back in the day when I had decided to read up on the Beatles.  Even though my dad was a Beatles fan, he never introduced to the hippie version of the band. I only knew about their pop beginnings. It's funny, now that I look back, he never introduced me to anything that was "hippiesh." I guess because he was in the war during that time and had only listened to what he had when he got back.

Regardless, I used to embrace a lot of the Beatles music because I was introduced to it by my school teachers in grammar school. Two of my instructors were fans of John Lennon as a solo artist and of the latter era Beatles. Mr. Rollins and Mr. Cameron would always play us, on their guitars, different songs and they made us memorize them...LoL  Anyway, it was through them that I recall hearing about Ravi Shankar because of his musical influence on George Harrison.

Fast forward, to 1998, I took a class called "History of Rock and Roll" at CSUF.  I thought I knew everything about rock music. Boy was I in for a surprise!! It was then, then I was introduced to CCR, Led Zeppelin and once again, The Beatles and Ravi Shankar.  I thought he was cool and all.

Again, fast forward to about 2004/5, and I became interested in Indian/Hindu culture.  In fact, I used to work near to an area in L.A. called, Little India.  When I discovered it, I thought it was the most raddest place ever.  I was hanging out there a lot. In fact, I used to watch a lot of Bollywood films. At the time, I used to supervise some individuals who were from India and once again, I was reintroduced to Ravi Shankar.  I loved it. I was immersed in all things India.

About a year later, I suffered a nervous breakdown.  And what got me through?  Surprisingly, Ravi Shankar's  album, "The Ravi Shankar Collection: In London," was my cure all; it calmed me down almost immediately!! Classical music was making my anxiety/panic attacks worse where as Mr. Shankar's melodic tunes made it all better. Call me weird, but it's a true story. So ever since, I have been a fan and have been wanting to catch a performance.  Due to his ailing health, he had cancelled a lot of his performances so I hadn't been able to attend.

Then finally, by pure coincidence, I found out he was performing in Long Beach, CA. I bought my ticket and went by myself and had a grand ole time; none of my friends appreciate his stuff, hence why I went by myself and it was perfect!!

Ravi Shankar outdid himself.  He was magnificent!! I was in heaven!! He was wheeled in with what looked like an oxygen tank. He sat on stage and started jamming ragas like a teenager; sans the oxygen tank.  We were all loving it.  He outdid himself and I was thankful for it. In fact, I got teary eyed out of happiness. I couldn't believe I got to see the master who brought me out of darkness and cured me. I know this sounds delusional and psychotic but it's true: Ravi Shankar saved my life and I was beyond happy and excited to have finally seen him perform!! No words can describe my excitement and gratitude-unbeknownst to him.
Here I've attached a short video of him performing a raga. Enjoy!!

p.s. he is at the center of the video and I apologize for the shitty output quality; I am not a professional.

Music for your lips...

With so many lip balms in the market, which one is the best value for your money and moisturizing without feeling too waxy?  Look no further my peeps, at your local Trader Joes. Yes! Let me introduce you to Trader Johann's  Virtuoso lip balm. It comes in a pack of 3 for $2.49 + sales tax.

Yes, that is music for your lips. Beat that Burts Bees! Of course, how can you compare $3 for one tube of Burst Bees to .85 cents for one mighty tube ofTrader Johann lip balm.  Come on! Trader Johann even added spf 15 and St. John's wort for added happiness to those smackers of yours.  Talk about kissable smackers!

So next time when you lose another lip balm, just drive over to Trader Joes for some Lip Virtuoso; just don't go there and belt out a tune cuz someone may tell yoi that the closest karaoke bar is 5 miles away.  ;)

A Great Feel Good Story

Folks, I here will present to you a feel good story, well, at least I felt good!!

About a month and a half ago, I was visiting a friend. We were chatting as usual and she, all of a sudden, says to me, "You know Lupe, if I am to die to tonight or tomorrow I am ready. I am ok with it."  This statement caught me by surprise. I was like, "WTF is going on with her?  Is she mad? I know she's been through a lot, but come on now!"

So I asked her, "wait, what? come again?"  She proceeded to repeat herself, and I asked her, what brought this on?  She reminded me of her long bitter divorce and the fact that she is having money troubles.  I continued, to tell her that others had it so much far worse than her.  Others, are homeless, without a steady income and have no one in their lives.  She has her children, who are grown up, and has her mother, and her job, her home,  but somehow that wasn't enough to her.

This reminded of me some time ago. I kinda knew what she was going through, granted I wasn't going through a divorce since I've never been married; but I knew about that void.  When that void hits you, its ugly and causes you to get all nutty and depressed.  I know, I went through it.

I continued to listen to her and then thought, not only is she depressed and feels that void, but she is going through that "i am no longer needed syndrome."  I don't know how that feels but I can imagine it sucks.  I then decided her to invite her to volunteer at Burrito Project South Pasadena. She was curious and I explained.  I got to admit, I wasn't expecting her to accept or especially go through with it.  She told me usually watches her Spanish novelas.  I then challenged her to drop her novelas for that night and I sacrifice my precious sleep and go as well.  I wasn't planning on going because I had to wake up at 5am and usually that chapter finishes really late at night and then I get home late and hardly sleep at all...blah blah...

She accepted that challenge. The day came and I so wanted to back out because I was exhausted and hadn't slept well for over a week, but I made that sacrifice and went with it. I picked her up and she was nervous and excited.  I had already warned her she probably wouldn't like it. Delivering at Skid Row is quite an eye opening experience and not everyone has the character or strength to do it.

Her daughter with her friends also showed up and everyone was excited. Finally the rest of the Burrito Project group showed up and we started.  I was constantly watching her reaction and her demeanor and she seemed okay. I have to admit, I was concerned.  The delivery was a bit long but successful. She was excited to do it again.  WOW!! I was shocked and happy at the same time!

She and her daughter went again and sadly I couldn't join the group this time. I visited her later in the week and asked her how she was doing. She said she was feeling good about herself. And I told her, that it showed. She looked chirpy and seemed more alive.

She then thanked me for giving her this opportunity to feel good, needed, with a purpose in life, and a better relationship with her daughter.  I was so happy that a tear fell down my face.  I couldn't believe I helped someone feel alive again. She no longer wants to die that quick and wants to do so much. She is working on some personal stuff and has set goals.  WOW!!

The moral of the story, you never know when, where or how will you change a person's life to a positive one. In this case, I felt it was my duty to show her that there is so much more in life than what she was going through and that someone else has it worse.  We have so much to be thankful for in this life and we have so much to do during our stay on earth in this life.  Man, after I heard her, I felt good and ready to tackle life again!!  I hope this story touches you as it did to me!  xoxo

Tone me up at a Bargain

Hi folks! Here's a double whammy for ya! Another inexpensive beauty product that is high quality and more natural for girls and the dudes: Humphreys Witch Hazel astringent.

Guys are probably scratching their chin right now trying to figure out what is this. Well, if you were using this you wouldnt be scratching your chin or other parts of your face. You see, you think your face is clean because you washed it with soap...NEGATIVE! Soap leaves a lot of residue and not all of the dirt is completely gone. That's where toner comes into play, but most toners are pricey, sold at cosmetic counters and thereby have to charge a lot for these products. 

The popular toner I am comparing this to is Clinique's clarifying lotion- for either type of skin-at $27 for the 16.5 oz bottle, according to Sephora.com.  That can get pretty steep at daily use and can cause a big hole in your pockets every year.  Again I present to you Humphreys witch hazel astringent at just $7 for the 16 oz bottle at  Whole Foods. Yes, $7 at Whole Foods...haha! 

And guys, don't worry about smelling like a chick because its fragrance free. See, anything is possible for good looking healthy skin. Not only does it really clean out your skin but it balances out the moisture; and it soothes minor irritation after shaving. See? It's a win win situation: fragrance free, a good size, helps skin look and feel good, its at Whole Foods and not a make-up counter, and its $7. There you go!! Your Welcome!!

Fab Eyeliner on the cheap

This is my blog and as you can see I blog about anything that is on my mind, including recommendations of fabulous products. And actually this is the 2nd time I've done this.

Yes you read correctly folks, I found a fabulous eyeliner that is super inexpensive! May I introduce you to:  Jordana Color Xtend eyeliner.

It glides on super smoothly and its waterproof; no tug and pull.  I compare this to Urban Decay Glide On  24/7 eye pencils. At $3 its a super steal whereas the Urban Decay pencils are $19 and the black one is always out of stock at Sephora. I bought mine at the toy district in DTLA at a makeup store. I absolutely recommend this eyeliner.

p.s. I am not getting paid to write this review. I am doing it because people need to know about good stuff that is out there especially in the bad economy where we need to stretch our dollar. :)

Shameless plug: South Pasadena Burrito Project

Are you experiencing that void? do you feel like something is missing? are you constantly feeling down? do you think that if you do something selfless that perhaps you will feel better?  Want to know what the selfless act can be?  well look no further, South Pasadena Burrito Project!!! 

South Pasadena Burrito Project is about helping the hungry and the homeless. We don't promote religion we promote helping the needy because we want to. Our motivation is to help the needy for the greater good; that is all!! 

I was going through a void about 6 years ago. I felt like my life was too good. I'd done everything I had wanted to do at that point. Nothing I was doing was satisfying me, so i went in to a state of depression then some health issues came along.  I overcame my health issues but something was still missing. At that point I realized that material things and money weren't everything. If I die the next day, nothing would matter. And most importantly I was just another being on this earth who hadn't been all that productive.  That was a harsh realization for me!! I have always been a go getter and at that moment in life I felt like a failure. It didn't matter that I finished college or that I had traveled or that I had decent job with excellent benefits, I was still just another speck in the earth that felt worthless. 

I talked to a couple of friends about my dilemma and one day I was hanging out with my friend Eileen.  She was driving down Del Mar in Pasadena and suddenly, Jason Bentley came on the radio asking the listeners to volunteer during KCRW's pledge drive. That was it!! I told her I need to volunteer there. So we both signed up and I loved it!! it was fun and met some interesting people and felt good about it!! 

Next thing I knew I wanted to do more. I needed to do something that was more frequent because the pledge drive only happens for a week twice a year.  Then one day, after not logging on to Facebook for a while, I noticed my friend Alan had just RSVP'd to this event with a catchy name (which i can't remember anymore). I checked it out, texted Alan about it, he explained it to me, and I was down!! It was the West L.A, burrito project.  I was super excited!!  We went and again I was hooked; and I continued working it.  That was back in 2008 or 2009.  

Now, due to time constraints, the WLA burrito project is on a hiatus. I hope it resumes again, but in the meantime, I am helping out with the South Pasadena chapter.  The people that go are from all walks of life and all ages, from 6 to 60 years old.  All are welcome and united by the need to want to help the needy. I welcome you all to help out with volunteering and or donations. Alan basically funds the whole thing so any help is quite welcomed.  He accepts monetary donations on the website via paypal.  

I admit, burrito project is not for everyone, but everyone should experience it as some point in their lives. Its quite the life changing experience. Again, I welcome you all to the South Pasadena Burrito Project. You can also find them on Facebook where the invite is generated from. SPBP takes place the 3rd Thursday of the month, unless there is a holiday. 

In the meantime please enjoy the following video of SPBP which was filmed by LA FORWARD last year:

That adorable, HEA!!!

Here is a picture of my niece and her mother, my sister!! This was sent to me online while on vacation in Costa Rica!!  Surprisingly, my niece aka HEA, remembered me when I came back and was delighted to see me. <3

It's citrus time!

I was in San Francisco today to celebrate my sister's birthday
...woohoo!  And what better place to find orange hued fabulous items.  At the Castro district I met some fun people willing to let me "fotograff" them. I met this friendly and cool dude by the name of Adam Q. He was wearing this fabulous citrus toned watch...TA-DAH!!
P.s. note the time stamp on the watch....yep, it's legit!!

'Tis the season for Pumpkin Ale!

One of the many things that I love about the fall season is  pumpkin ale! Though not orange in color, it's quite refreshing and yum! Cheers mates...tis the season for Pumpkin Ale!

Vroom & muscle a la òrange

Orange Foto of the day!
For anyone that knows me, knows that I love cars esp. the really fast ones and with muscle.  I absolutely love the redesigned Dodge Charger and this one takes it all...vroom vroom!

What orange u lookin at?

Hmmm!?! You look strange! No, I look normal. Haven't you seen a pumpkin with a moustache?

The Happiest Place on Earth is painted orange!

This is on Main Street at Disneyland (Anaheim, CA).  Yep, the happiest place on earth has been painted orange! 

Orange foto of the day!

Can you guess what this is?  No it's not a UFO!  It's the light on my laptop indicating that the battery is low. Ha!

Its been How Long?

Oh my gosh! Its been like a million years since my last post. I practically forgot I had this blog...LoL. ok then, enough is enough let's get with the program. My friend Eileen G has a blog called My Name is Elieen. Eileen has decided that for the month of October she will post a "photo-a-day!" Excellent idea which I will steal. My picture/foto posts will have a twist. Because Halloween and Fall take during October, my pics/fotos will be of orange items...Ha! So stay tuned folks!

Eye Primer: a must have for women!!

I haven't written a review on anything in a while, but here it is; this is mainly for women. I don't know about you, but I have oily skin and tend to be very warm blooded; meaning that I tend to be warm most of the time no matter what. Weird, I know.

Case in point, because of my skin type and body temperature, make up does not last very long on me, especially eye make up. It's quite awful if you may ask and I am sick of it. I have tried so much stuff that nothing has worked until now. I present to you Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion. It's the best thing ever!! No joke or gimmick, in fact I am not getting paid for this.

My eyeshadow or eyeliner never smudges or smears. It stays put until I remove it. It's fabulous and I am in love!! There have been times when I wear it alone and it gives me a nice refreshing glow to my face. If you are going through the same trouble that I am, then try this. Added bonus: its vegan!!

Welcome 2011!!!

Wow, can't believe 2010 is over! Unbelievable! I had a an extremely eventful year. Some events I want to cherish and others I just will throw them out the door. Well I am ready for 2011; so bring it!! Are you ready?

Merry Cozy Xmas to U!!

An 80's X-mas...totally!!

Aaahhh!! the Eighties!! what a great decade!! Sure everything was a little extreme and a tad lavish, but no one can't deny how great everything was, including the music. I consider myself a child of the 80's. Sure I was a tween during the heart of it all, but still isn't that considered your formative years of your adolescence and those memories that you will carry with you forever? Well it makes sense to me. I've said it here before, I first became aware of music back in 1983-4. My parents used to leave me alone with my sister when they needed to go to the store, so I used to take advantage of the situation and watch the forbidden stuff on t.v. Gosh, now that I think back, I have always been mischievous.

And by forbidden channels, I mean anything that wasn't a cartoon. Yes, that is all I could watch, but once they left me alone, I would tune it and watch on the tube Request Video. I was obsessed with that show. Richard Blade, a former dj for the L.A. radio station (KROQ), was dreamy (and old, of course); oh and he had that hot British accent. :)

Anyway, I remember being enchanted with all these singers and bands like, Madonna, Duran Duran, Wham!, Michael Jackson, etc. Man, was I hooked! I couldn't believe there was other music aside from the Platters, the Beatles, KISS.... OR Los Dandys and Perez Prado (Spanish stuff my mom used to listen to). Finally there was something cool that I can relate to and that I can listen to; something for us kids. The first video I saw and loved was Madonna's, Lucky Star.

Then followed my enchantment with Simon LeBon of Duran Duran in their video, Rio. Damn he looked hot in that white suit on that boat!! I so wanted to be there, even though I didn't know how to swim. Which brings me to the other favorite group of mine, WHAM! Aaah, George Michael was cute. And no I didn't suspect he was gay, plus I don't think I was aware of "gayness," for a lack or better words, at my tender young age of 10/11.

Blah, blah, blah, then the music mogul, Bob Geldoff decides to form Band Aid (the British/Irish charity super group) and it was awesome. Not to divert from the subject at hand, but this was the time in history when the world was focusing on Africa, specifically Ethiopia. I went to a Catholic school and the Irish nuns were good at giving us the guilt trip about the poor starving Ethiopian kids. Those nuns were sneaky...lmao, no really!!

So, what is the point of this blog post? Well I wanted to present to you two great Christmas videos from the Eighties; Band Aid's, "Do they know it's Christmas" and Wham!'s, "Last Christmas!" These are some of my favorite and cool Christmas songs! Which reminds me of the non existent use of the word Christmas...and no I won't get into it now; though I will at a later time.

Wham - Last Christmas
Uploaded by hushhush112. - Watch more music videos, in HD!

The Fitz is great!!