Love: the simple word behind a very powerful action.

Life is hard.

I know you must be tired of hearing people say this, but it is true. Life is also complicated, mean, rude... hell, life is a bitch. But that doesn't mean that life can't be great, either.

People will try really hard to bring you down -sometimes even without a reason- but you can't pay attention to them because, as Dr. Seuss says, those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. Don't pay attention to the negative things around you, no matter how much they might haunt you down at night. Instead, focus on your friends, on your family, on your animals. Instead, focus on anything that brings you happiness and anything that makes you smile.

But most importantly, remember that you're loved by many, even when you can't even love yourself.

Today, I received a message that wasn't very nice, and so, my friends made that heart for me hoping that it would make me smile. And yeah, it totally did. He thought that he was being silly, but I'm an artist at heart, and I can't help but let my imagination run wild from the moment I wake up and my brain starts to work.

He gave me an idea, and although it is rather silly, I'm pretty sure I don't lose anything just by trying.

A while back, I got a message from an anon telling me how I had saved their lives because I tweeted that they were unique and loved, and this person has been so incredibly sweet, that every day since that happened, they send me a "Thank you."

Spreading hate is so much easier than spreading love. One hurtful word can undo many, many positive actions; it can make you spiral back into depression or it can even turn you into someone bitter. One message, specially if it goes along the lines of "kill yourself" or "you're not worth it" can end a life quicker that it takes them to type that out.

Please, before you send hate to anyone, anonymously or not, just think of the repercussions it might have. Seriously, think about how much you would dislike having a stranger tell someone that you love to just end their lives because they annoy them. Don't be that person, be better, be great. Send them a hug or a kiss instead. Tell them they are amazing. Share all the love you can possibly feel and help humanity be better.

I know there's not really much that I can do, and I know that is not enough, but I'll keep tweeting random messages of love to complete strangers. And maybe, if everyone would just share a tiny bit of love with a strangers, things would be so much better.

Meanwhile, though, I'll try to leave my mark somewhere else.

A one dollar bill is something that basically every American has in their hands at least once in their lives, therefore, I'm just going to write that specific message whenever I get one and then I'll pass it along. Hopefully, it will reach a couple of people, and hopefully, these people will smile because some stranger cares enough about them to make them feel loved.

Please, know that you're loved, even when life is kicking your ass. Please, know that you'll be incredibly missed, even when you think that nobody cares about you. Please, hold on, be brave, dare to change the world. Please, look for help if you need it and don't give up. Never give up.

You're special. Don't forget that. And if you ever need to talk, about anything, my inbox is always open. Always.

Someday...

I would love to visit:

The city that never sleeps.

Seriously.

I have been wanting to go to New York since forever (well, not really forever, because I didn't even know the correct name of that city when I was in Cuba. Then again, living there was like living in a completely different planet, so it was understandable). Anyways, ever since I started to watch TV series, movies and musicals... the magic that the city that never sleeps holds captivated me and made me fall in love, naturally, with everything that it can offer you when you know how to look for them in the right places.

And hopefully, it won't be long before I'm walking down Broadway and taking pictures of the Wicked banner and maybe, if I'm lucky enough, I'll stumble upon a celebrity or two ;)

Meanwhile, though, here's a list of things I want to do once I get there:

• I want to do every single thing that a tourist would do on their first visit... like have breakfast at Tiffany's.
• Eat a bagel every single morning I'm there.
• Spend a whole afternoon lying down (it doesn't really matter if it is in grass, a bench, the floor or a fountain) just watching people walk by while I make up stories about them. It has to be somewhere in Central Park, though.
• Watch all the Broadway shows! (but having in mind that I'm not rich, one or two should be just fine.)
• Go to as many museums as possible.
• Give money to an amazing street performer.
• Visit Soho and believe for a second that I live there.
• Fall asleep on the subway.
• Go ice skating, just to fall on my butt, at the Rockefeller Center.
• Try to get some tickets for an SNL show.
• Eat in Chinatown and then buy a branded item at a ridiculous low price.
• See one of my favorite bands in concert.
• And see something (movie or TV show) being filmed on the streets.

For now, that's all I can come up at the top of my head... although I'm sure that much more ideas will come up the day I actually get there. Because no matter how long it takes, I will make it to New York one day.

That's a promise.

Drink all the coffee!

Coffee has been on my life since I was very little.

Back in Cuba, where I grew up, my grandmother had lots and lots of coffee plants on her backyard. I remember that I would usually just sit and watch her go through the whole process of making coffee -which is kind of amazing, by the way- until one day, she told me to join her.

We would get up early, recollect every mature coffee cherrie at our sight, take the seeds out, put them to dry under the sun and once they were ready, roast them on a huge and hand made charcoal oven. Then, we would take the roasted seeds and grind them -using a hand mill- until the only thing left was coffee powder. After that, my gram would make coffee for everyone in the family -I gotta say, her coffee was the absolute best- and sometimes, even our neighbors would stop by and ask for a small cup of the greatest nectar on earth.

Sadly for me, I stopped helping my abuela do the whole coffee thing the moment a frog jumped on me from one of the plants one afternoon. Honestly, I'm so terrified of those animals that I think it was because of that incident that I also stopped drinking coffee for a while. That didn't last long, though, because I couldn't stay away from it and now I drink coffee everyday and in every variation possible.

My absolute favorite is the mocha frappuccino, although the latte is just as amazing. What's your kind of coffee?

About Me: In 10 pictures.

So, one of my friends asked me to do a collage about myself, and this is what I came up. I know is pretty random but I honestly identify myself with every single one of these pictures.

So, tell me, how would you describe yourself in 10 pictures?

Update: Check out the replies to my post by these really awesome people! Send me yours and I'll added it here:

• Ashley's
• Lylias's
• Mary's
• Ninon's
• Gladys'

Dream on, dream on, dream on... dream until your dreams comes true.

The A word.

Have you ever wake up saying: "Today, I'm awesome and I rule!"?

*If you are a Leo, please ignore the question.* And no, I'm not kidding... except that I actually am because of a couple of Leo friends that I have ;)

If the answer it's yes, then you should keep doing it because there is nothing wrong with thinking a little bit too much of yourself from time to time. But if the answer it's no, we definitely need to do an intervention.

First, let's take a moment to think about all the happy moments you can manage to remember. And once that's done, know that all those moments already make an awesome person out of you because you were a part of them.

And if that isn't enough -which it should be, by the way- read the following quotes by awesome people talking about being awesome and I'm pretty sure you'll end up feeling awesome anyways.

"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” -Gandhi

"When I get sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead." -Barney Stinson

"The most awesome thing about being awesome is the aura of awesomeness around you that makes you feel more awesome." -Kaushal Rupani

"Once in a while it really hits people that they don’t have to experience the world in the way they have been told to." -Alan Keightley

"Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of someone else." -Judy Garland

Have a good day, and wake up feeling awesome tomorrow, too!

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