END OF THE YEAR....

2006 is about to end, and I'm so glad about it. I think this has been the worst year of my life overall. The beginning of the year was great, full of adventure, surprises, special new people but somehow 2006 still managed to be a bad, bad year for me. Well, I guess everyone has bad years where nothing seems to work, when many doors close, some are slammed right on your face; where all that is dear and close to your heart ends and when suddenly you're standing in the middle of the road thinking: how the %^&#^%% did I end up here???

Well, that kind of sums up my year. At the same time, I recognize the many, many blessings send my way everyday, and in the big skim of things I know I'm still lucky and being taken care from above.

So for all of you that had a great year, I wish you an even better 2007! and for all of you that had a bad one, I wish you a GREAT 2007! May all your pain and sorrows and doubts and fears stay in the year that is about to end. Life can be bloody harsh, but at the end of the day it is beautiful.

I will be receiving the new year doing something I love.... dancing. There is a big salsa party and of course I'm going. It will be even more fun because the very pregnant elves are coming too, so it will be nice to hugh my sister and the baby and the cuñadito when the 12 bells ring. I am hoping that something happens in my brain and for it to start functioning again ... I have a lot ahead of me next year and I really don't have a clue of what is coming my way.

Dancing with Richard!

The Polish Salseros! Lechek, his cousin, me, Barbara, Silvac + Carolina, Ella

So, Happy New Year, Feliz Año Nuevo and all the best for 2007!!

Con Bea y Richard

DECEMBER 30, 1988

Today is 18 years that my mom died.
Seems like yesterday.

Miss you, love you, thinking of you. Always.

EXECUTION

Well, by now the news of Saddam Hussein's execution is world wide news. He was sentenced to death after the trial of the 1982 Dujail massacre, but that trial didn't include Genocide against the Kurds, the Shiits, etc, so the death sentence for what happened in Dujal does not fit the crime (?).

A horrible, brutal dictator to many, now that he is dead he is not accountable anymore for any of the alleged brutality. Executing him will make him some kind of martyr and/or hero in Irak and probably for many others.

I am opposed to the death penalty, to killing anybody. It would have been better to keep him locked up, to make him dig holes and build roads? to share a cell with others? to have him spend the rest of his life humiliated and relegated to be just another prisoner? Maybe then he would have been forgotten, and he would have had to stand trial for all his other alleged crimes.

If all "world leaders" were going to be measured by the same stick than Saddam, who would be next?? would any of them be spared?? How about George W. Bush? aren't fake wars also crimes against humanity? Is there going to be a world wide day of "kill the bastards that kill people for oil, diamonds, gas, water, money: Power? There can be a podium displaying the flags of the countries, and when these leaders show, their anthems can be played, and then....plop, open the trap door so they can all hang and swing at the same time? If the death penalty is supposed to instill the fear of God on the offenders or future offenders, I wonder if today's leaders will start walking a straigther line...

He might have deserved to be hanged after being skinned .... but , will that help Irak? will that make that county better? I found it interesting that an American judge denied the appeal to stay the execution, again, it is all circus!

On Vegas, Babies and Christmas

VEGASI was a bit desperate to get out of Vancouver to a nice, sunny place. I found some great packages but the day I decided to buy ...and found a friend to go with, the prices had doubled. So instead I headed to Las Vegas with my 2 girlfriends Barb and Renee. It was so much fun! we drank, danced and ate. We went to some great places for dinner, they shopped a lot and it was just nice to spend time with the girls. It was cold though, no sunny destination.

We stayed at the Wynn hotel, very nice, our room was bigger than my apartment now. The washroom had a big soaker tub, shower, 2 sinks and a flat pannel TV. It is cool having a shower and watching a video! The view from the room was nice too, the golf course and the waterfall. That's what's amazing about Vegas, a waterfall in the desert. We went to the Wynn's club Tryst which apparently is the new hot place in town. I think it's the nicest, coolest joint I've ever been too. The music, well, lots of hip hop, rap, stuff like that not my cup of tea but we danced all night and had a lot of fun. Another night we went to Light at the Bellagio and it was disgusting...the place, the music and the people, so we stayed only 1/2 hr or so, the next night Sunday, we tried to go to ... forgot, at Mandalay Bay but I guess us not wearing a tiny Santa Bikini didn't go well with the door asses... so we left and went drinking elsewhere. To the lounge of Mix, wow! gorgeous and the best view in Vegas. We danced and met a bunch of guys that seemed quite nice until one of them starts talking about his pro-bush pro-war bullshit, that killed the evening. Barb and I ran! Oh! and I didn't win anything in the machines, o wait, not true, I made a whole 10 dollars at the aiport, enought to pay my taxi share and buy a drink!

It was a lot of fun!

++++++++++++
BABIES

Before Vegas I went to 2 baby showers, one for Daniela and one for Bea, both organized by the Mexican Beauties club. It was nice and fun. Daniela's baby decided to come out 1 week earlier so Andrew was born on December 23, imagine, what a Christmas gift!! It was so great to see the little guy...it's amazing to think that we all started the same way.


Daniela and Bea comparing bellies and balloons

La nueva mama con el nueve bebe llamado Andrew!

And it just made it a lot more real, the thought that Bea's baby is a month away from popping out, saying hello and changing their lives (and mine too) forever! I love babies, I'm not that patient when kids are older but the little things wrapped like tacos totally make me melt!


"otra de las futuras mamas comparando panza, en el shower de Bea"


"and always love, support and fun by the Mexican Beauties"


CHRISTMAS


And then, Christmas. In Canada Christmas dinner is on the 25th, Renee hosted this year, it was a very nice, nice evening with friends, my sister and lots of laughter, good food and conversation. She has a martini fountain with lights and everything so the drinking was quite good, the trick is to stick to only 1 kind of alcohol, and vodka well, that is always my choice.

I got a few calls from my friends in Mexico and the USA and that made me sooooo happy! Thank you!

And on Christmas Eve, Dec 24, I made dinner for Bea and Richard. We spend it together, the 3 of us. I made a simple dinner that didn't burn so as you all know, that is quite the accomplishment for yours truly. We ate and talked until 1 / 2 in the morning. I guess it was the first Christmas that was just 3 of us, it was a bit weird at first but at the same time it was really nice and enjoyable.

The year is coming to an end and I'm soo happy for that. But, well, I hope the rest of this week doesn't go to fast as I have a lot of things to settle before the New Year. I'm hoping that when the 12 bells finish their annual ringing, I will have some idea of what the heck I'm going to be doing next year. I'm wishing for some sort of miracle idea to drop into my head.

I hope all of you had a very Happy and Merry Christmas.