For Sale

Make me an offer.

Stranded at the airport

I've been stranded at the airport since yesterday. Crappy weather in Philadelphia and Boston have led to the cancellation of dozens of flights. Don't know when I'll be getting back home. Hopefully later today!

Top 5

"Music is the greatest good that mortals know."
- Joseph Addison

I'm going to start using this blog as a tool to update you guys on what kind of music I'm listening to. Every Saturday I will post my favorite 5 songs of the week for you guys to check out. Hey, you might find your new favorite jam. Listen to them!

Number 1
Antonio Jose "Te Traigo Flores"

This kid has TALENT.


Number 2
Ximena Saridana Vidas Paralelas




Number 3

Chetes "Completamente"




Number 4
中国加油！！北京加油！！韩庚加油！！

Welcome To Beijing...



Number 5
Metro Station "Shake it" (I know, I know WAY too popy .... But hey its CATCHY!)

When in Roma. Do as the Romans do?

I also got the chance to visit Roma, a unique city known for its amazing architecture, spacious parks, lively art scene and AMAZING food.

No... I did not travel to Roma, Italia. I visited Roma, Mexico.

Roma is a very popular neighborhood known for its picturesque parks and buildings. There is a strong European influence in the way the neighborhood was constructed. Most buildings are of Parisian style architecture.

Roma is largely inhabited by Lebanese and Jewish immigrants as well as young yuppies seeking to revive the art scene the city has been known for throughout its history.

I really like Roma and Condesa and wouldn't mind living there for a few years.

Santa Fe, Distrito Federal, Mexico

I finally got the chance to upload my pictures from Mexico City.

My familia lives in Toluca which is a suburb of Mexico on the west side of La Marquesa National Forest. It's about an hour away from Mexico City and half an hour from Santa Fe.

Not a lot of Americans have heard about Santa Fe, Mexico unless they are involved with international business or marketing. The reason being is that Santa Fe is relatively a new part of the city. Back in 1985, there was a horrible earth quake near the Centro Historico. This caused a lot of people and businesses to migrate to the west of the city which was largely undeveloped land. The land was perfect for development. It was situated between two high-income neighborhoods and was directly located on the toll road connecting Toluca with Mexico City.

So city planners got busy and created a master-planned business, residential, and educational community. all surrounded by one of the largest malls in North America. Within twenty years Santa Fe has grown from a small town to Mexico City's largest business powerhouse districts.


It has very modern architecture and amazing landscapes. Santa Fe is on of Mexico's fastest growing areas. 8 Million shoppers visit the mall alone each year! I got the chance to tour the city with my familia. We had the family driver give us a tour of the town. A def. must see for everyone who visits the city.

New York City

Things I like :

Everything you need is within walking distance.
TONS of diversity
A vast array of food
Amazing cheescake :)

Things I dislike:
New yorkers: RUDE
The contaminated air
The congestion
Having to spend 2 hours trying to get to the airport. (I arrived at the airport 20 minutes before my flight departure)
Central Park - Overrated

I didn't have a lot of time to go sightseeing. I did visit Time Square and visited a few comedy clubs with some peeps I met on the plane. I didn't want to carry around my camera so not that many pictures were taken. :( I'll be visiting back in November so I can actually go sightseeing.

New York

Im in New York, about to head out and explore the city with some girl i met on the plane. Fun

Will update on new york later

Quinceañera

Last week I traveled to Mexico City for my cousin Alma's Quinceañera.

What is a Quinceañeraa you may ask.

A Quinceañera is much like a mix between the Bat Mitzvah and a Sweet Sixteen here in the states. Families are known to save up money long before the fifteenth birthday in order to make this the most lavish celebration ever. And lavish is sometimes an understatement.

Alma's Quinceañera involved live bands, limousines, flowers, catered food, lavish gowns, and lots of gifts.
The day began with a Thanksgiving Mass (Misa de Acción de Grácias) held a the Templo de La Merced, a former and one of the oldest preserved Spanish convents built in the 18th century. 

  
Alma entered La Merced followed by 4 chamberlains dressed in tuxedos, her godparents and of course, her loving mother and father. 

Everyone was dressed formally and the scene resembled a wedding complete with Alma's ball gown and some stunning jewelry. The priest spoke to Alma about the importance of the Quinceanera tradition.  Her parents took the podium to wish her good luck and to tell her how proud they are of her.

After the tears are shed and eyes are dried, the true fun begins.  Consider the mass as a pre-party for the festivities to come.  After mass ended, everyone huddled around the quinceanera for that perfect photo op.  

While the photographers and videographers recorded every detail of this makeshift photo-shoot, we (the family) all jumped into our vehicles and rushed to the grand ballroom located in one of the poshest hotels of the city.  When we got there, we were greeted by Alma's portrait along with a doorwoman in a bright green coat who sat us in our designated tables and chairs.  
Security was strong and only those with an invitation and proper identification were allowed in.  After the Alma's entrance she dances a waltz with her chamberlains.  The Quinceanera usually selects the song she wants to dance to and in this occasion she choose Jen ai marre by French artisit Alizee.  

She then proceeds to dance her with her father as her last dance as a child and first dance as a woman.  After the first waltz, the party begins.  A 3 course dinner is served waiters.  Starting with a cream of cilantro soup, then an alfredo pasta and finally a chicken with pesto dish.  Yummy!  After the food, Alma popped out with her chamberlains and surprised everyone with a hip hop routine (Boots with the fur anyone?)  

After the hiphop routine was over Alma yet again disappeared.  By this tie the alcohol was flowing.  The smell of tequila began to fill the room.  All of a sudden alma reappeared, but this time dressed a salsa dancer.  She performed a Salsa routine with one of her dance instructors.  

After the salsa routine she went backstage and changed into an arabian costume. She then performed an arabian inspired dance while hr chamberlains (dressed in an aladdin style outfit) stood at attention on the sidelines. She then changed back into her gown and got ready for the cake photo ops.  

 The party ended at 5 am, and the after party began the next morning at 10 am. We all had a blast!

On my own

What's New?

A few months ago I bought my first house in Dallas. It's a small 3 bedroom house built in the Rollingwood Hills area of Dallas. I grew up in a small farming town of about 1,000 in South Texas, so the move to Dallas was shocking at first. After I graduated, I moved to Malibu, CA. I lived in what I like to call the "Malibu Bubble", where luxury cars, luxury brands, and luxury living are the norm. Malibu didn't necessarily give me the "street smarts" needed to live on my own. For example, in Malibu, I had daily maid service and weekly gardeners. We had a weekly laundry service that would come to our door, pick up our laundry and have it clean, pressed and neatly folded by the next morning. A trip to the local grocery store meant paying $5.00 for a HALF-dozen of eggs and artisan water flown in from the Islands of Fiji (so the tag says). No other alternatives were offered. $2.00 for a Mango imported from Mexico (which cost 5.70 Pesos a Kilogram in a grocery store in Mexico {.57 cents for roughly 2 lbs.}) A life where the biggest worry was if Malibu FroYo was still open after 5.

Lets fast forward to today. Now I have to do my own laundry (I don't have a washer/dryer yet.) I don't have a lawn mower so I have to pay some neighborhood kids to mow my lawn. I have to buy my own groceries, cook, PAY BILLS. Living on my own is tough, but I'll manage. :)

I Surrender

This is our new Crocs ad.... Made by our sister Omnicom Ad Agency, Zimmerman. Enjoy

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Before flying back to Dallas, I had a chance to spend a few hours wandering the streets and parks of Minneapolis. Luckily, Minneapolis has a well planned out transit system which can take you to any part of the city tight from the airport. The tram is safe, fairly new, and takes you to the most popular tourist sites.

When I got to the airport I decided to go to the Mall of America, which was about a 5 minute tram ride to the west of the airport (I think).


Once there, I was surprised by how HUGE the mall was.... although the mall is no longer the largest in America, (that title now belongs to King of Prussia in Penn.), it is known for it's amazing theme park. Nickelodeon now sponsors the themepark and has renamed it to Nikelodeon Universe. The Mall of America is very kid friendy and a must for any family.


After not spending any money at the mall (sorry Vanessa), I needed to go out and get some fresh air. I jumped onto the Tram and headed towards the Minnehaha Falls.


After hiking through the park, I came across the falls. They were amazing. The falls are only active during the summer when the glacial snow melts and pours into the Mississippi River. Minnehaha comes from the Native American Dakota language meaning Water Fall.


After a few photo ops I hopped back onto the tram and headed back to the airport to fly home.

This weekend ----> Denver, Colorado. Stay Tuned.

Duluth, Minnesota

This weekend I'm in Duluth, Minnesota. Duluth is by far one of the most unique cities I have visited. It seems like your average Midwestern town, but deep inside, Duluth is simply "something else". Besides the faint "awkward" vibe in the air, I fell in love with the scenery, and the location.



Duluth is located on the shores of Lake Superior, the largest of the Great Lakes. As you drive inland, the elevation drastically rises (perfect for sledding in the winter.) The roads are steep, but the homes have amazing views of the lake. Would not mind living here if the temperature would not fall to -30 degrees in the winter.

Duluth is known for having some of the harshest weather in the country. We were lucky to have perfect weather this weekend. We got rained on during the marathon for a few minutes, but nothing major.



The skywalk system in Duluth is known to be one of the best in the country. You can go to any part of downtown without ever stepping a foot outside a building. This is perfect for those freezing days. The longest part of the skywalk crosses over Interstate 35!, connecting downtown with the convention center. Amazing.



I also had a little free time to go geocaching in one of the hills. Pretty nice views. Even caught a rainbow on the lake!

Update..

Forgot about my blog for a while.

I have been so busy the past few weeks... and I didn't have a camera, so updating my blog would be pointless without any pictures.

I am still on the road with Crocs. I will be in Duluth this upcoming weekend for Grandma's Marathon. After that I will fly out to Denver for a Danskin Triathalon. Then off to Mexico City!

I moved into my new house here in Dallas where I will be spending most of the summer.

I recently bought something that I have unnecessarily put off for the past few months. I got myself a Canon Rebel XT DSLR. Thats dork lingo for a new camera. I love it.

I also have a new Macbook that Dieste hooked me up with. I will be doing a lot of shooting and uploading because of this. So don't worry, my blog will begin buzzing once more.

So what is Dieste ?

During the week (Mon-Wed), I am working at a Hispanic Ad Agency in Dallas called Dieste Harmel & Partners. Dieste is the largest Hispanic Ad Agency in the U.S. and has won numerous amount of awards. I am working as an Art Director for a few months until school starts in the Fall. After I graduate I plan on continuing my advertising career at Dieste.

So basically my time consists of Dieste on Mon-Wed, Fly out Wed night, Crocs on Thursday - Sunday, Fly back to Dallas on Sunday Night. Repeat.

Yea.. hectic, but no complaints here, I love both equally.

Boston (The Freedom Trail)

After the checking out of my room, I decided to take a solo and in-depth tour of Boston. With the help of my Blackberry, my "Charlie Card" and a sweater ... I plunged head first into this amazing city. I started by leaving my luggage at the Crocs Flagship so that I wouldn't have to make a long trip back to the hotel.

I used VirtualTourist.com to do a little research on Boston's best sightseeing. Fortunately, Boston is a very tourist-friendly city. They developed the Freedom Trail to cater to the many tourist that visit each year (including me).

So what is the Freedom Trail you ask.... My first response would be a simple "Google it", since there is plenty information out there. But that would only lead you away from my blog, and none of us want that happen now do we?. So I will give you a short synopsis of what the Freedom Trail is all about.

The Freedom Trail is a red (mostly brick) path through downtown Boston, Massachusetts which leads to sixteen significant historic sites. It is a 2.5 mile (4 km) walk from the Boston Common to the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown and is popular with tourists.

I did about 3/4 of the trail since I had to start at Quincy Market instead of Bunker Hill..

So this is a list of the places that I actually did get to see...And the pictures I took...

1) Boston Common
2) Massachusetts State House
3) Park Street Church
4) Granary Burying Ground
5) King's Chapel
6) King's Chapel Burying Ground
7) First Public school in the US, the Boston Latin School
8) Old Corner Bookstore
9) Old South Meeting House
10) Old State House
11) Site of the Boston Massacre
12) Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market

Pictures to come....

Vampire Weekend....

While I was in Boston, I discovered a band called Vampire Weekend. They are a group of Columbia students from NYC... but most of their songs are about Boston and Cambridge... they were on the cover of last month's SPIN magazine. They are a pretty sweet band so make sure to Ipod them!

Boston (Day 1 & 2)

The past few weeks have been amazing! I have been having a blast traveling across the country. During the past few weeks Ive been in Virginia Beach, New Orleans, Boston, Nashville, Indianapolis and just recently, Orlando. It has come to a point where I actually forget where I was the weekend before.

I want to keep you guys in the loop so I will start with Boston.



On my first day in Boston, I had to take the T to my hotel which was located in Somerville. Somerville sounded like a nice neighborhood. Boy was I wrong. I didn't run into any trouble but I knew something was up when there was three security guards on patrol at the entrance to my hotel. Checking in was a hassle... Apparently you have to be 21 in order to check into a hotel. I somehow missed the memo... but I talked them into letting me check in.

Second day was a usual day.... I helped setup for the expo and after a couple of Dunkin Donuts decided that a trip to the Crocs Flagship Store was well deserved. The Crocs Flagship is located in Quincy Market/Faneuil Hall area.



This part of town is known for their amazing food and shopping. I went to an Urban Outfitters which had two separate entrances which connected on the second floor. The store even had an elevator!!! I was standing right next to the elevator (which i hadn't noticed) when the doors opened and some random dude in a business suit stood there. We both stared at each other with a "WTF" look on our faces. I was surprised there was an elevator in the store while he was surprised that the elevator had stopped right in the clearance section of some random store. That moment was priceless.




The Expo was HUGE and fun..... Dunkin Donuts made a lot of money from us :) but the donuts were just oh so good.... goooooood... After the expo, it was tiem for us to go back and rest.. I still had a lot more of Boston to soak up... including Harvard and the Freedom Trail!

FIRST TIME EVER

Im looking forward to this summer.....

Can't Wait

My Life for the next year...

Crocs Marathon Tour

Soles United

One of the biggest and best shoe recycling program in the country.

Soles United.

Heres how it works:

You wear crocs.
You use them.
You donate them when they are worn.
We recycle them.
We donate them.

Plain and simple.

Raising the bar