Beauty

Sometimes things in life are just so beautiful that you need to take a moment to reflect. This is Tower Bridge!

More pics about life en Londres

Me, Cindy, Maria and Brenda out on the town for Maria's Birthday in Camden!

You can fall in Love when you visit Richmond.

Hey Alice... this one's for you. ha! This is at the Portobello Market. It is such a charming place.

And yes, I believe Dali was crazy or was he far far away from his time. This is the entrance to his exhibit in the Tate Modern. By the way the Tate Modern is very impressive.

This is the view from the balcony at the Tate. It was pouring down rain. Gotta love that about London.

London is a charming place.

My friend Aine (pronounced Onya) and I on the bank. I think this ship is important but I couldnt tell you why.

OMG! This is Dead Man's hole right next to Tower Bridge. They used to dump dead bodies here. I felt their spirits!

There were these cool life sized guitars on the other side of Tower Bridge and the were signed by VIPs. I think Paul McCartney signed this on... all you need is Love.

And of course, here is the magnificent Tower Bridge. It is one of the most breath taking bridges I have seen. It has this wonderful baby blue color all through it.

And on the 6th Week...

I decided to finally make some time in my busy london schedule =P to put up some picture of what I have been doing and seeing. Check it...

This is Cindy me and Veronica at Edward's in Hammersmith. Its a hip joint. Great Mojitos.

Here I am at the South Bank paying a visit to the great London eye...

And the notorious Big Ben... did you know that Big Ben is the actual bell inside the clock tower?

My impressions of London!

I have been in London for almost 3 weeks and I would have to say that I am fairly impressed by the differences in how things are done here. Everything feels so different, strange and yet oddly familiar. Maybe I am just adjusting still but things like the way they say Zed instead of "Z" or Hay-CH instead of "H" or nib instead of blurb or queue instead of line or how they ask you to ticke the box instead of check the box. From a strictly sociological perspective it is great! Wow, I sound so academic.
HA! I miss California and my friends and family but this new adventure really is showing me a lot about myself as a person - how I do things, what I am about etc. I know it sounds strange but when you step outside of your box you get to do things you have never done before (my theme for this year) and you get to see yourself in a different light. Seeing yourself this way really helps you be the real and authentic person you think you are...
The coolest things I have done so far (next to listening to the Orchestra in the middle of Caxabu, Brazil) was watching Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream in Regent's Park Open Air theatre! It was really so cool. The air was warm, the sky was clear and it was all so romantic. SO FUN! I am hoping to get pictures up soon but for now...

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ah, Love...

My best friend Arlene got married this past weekend in San Francisco. Everything was beautiful and it reminded me that Love is an important truth in the world... Here are some of my favorite pics














Ain't that the truth!





We are gorgeous!

Family Fun

The last couple weeks have been great fun with family and friends. I am getting ready to go on my adventure and in the meantime I am getting a chance to reconnect and nurture some very important relationships.


This is my little brother and I at home on his 28th birthday!











This is my little cousin Linda who just recently graduated from CAMS High School... oh man she was born in the 90s (totally missed the 80s)!

Three generations of Martinez women... my yaya, my moms and I.

The past, the present and the future.

Long Beach 1st District Unsung Heros Awards

On May 15, 2007 the Long Beach 1st District honored people in the community who have contributed greatly to making a difference. I was honored by Vice Mayor Bonnie Lowenthal as an unsung hero for the work that I have done with the Long Beach Bar Foundation's SHORTSTOP Program, www.4lbbf.org. I received an award on behalf of the SHORTSTOP Program. SHORTSTOP is a juvenile crime diversion program that teaches at risk youth and their families about their legal rights and responsibilities and consequences to their actions. On June 15, 2007 I leave my post with LBBF and the SHORTSTOP Program and move to London, England for a post-graduate program through the USC School of Social Work.

" People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care." -Walt Disney

Bridal Shower Fun!

Arlene is getting married in June! This was the scene at the Bridal Shower held in sleepy Sun Valley, CA!









Here is part of the Bridal Party... MM, Marissa, the BRIDE and me :)

El Alquimista

Aqui esta lo que he aprendido despues de haber leido El Alquimista de Paulo Coelho:

"Siempre antes de realizar un sueno, el alma del mundo decide examinar todo aquello que se aprendio durante la caminata. Ella hace esto no porque sea mala, sino para que podamos, junto con nuestro sueno, conquistar tambien las lecciones que aprendemos siguendo en direccion a el. Es el momento en que la mayor parte de las personas desiste."

"Cuando se quiere una cosa, todo el Universo conspira para que la persona consiga realizar su sueno... Pero no olvides que tu corazon esta donde esta tu tesoro. Y que tu tesoro necesita ser encontrado, para que todo eso que has descubierto en el camino pueda tener sentido."

Es todo por ahora. Hay que pensar en las ensenanzas de el Alquimista para poder conquistar nuestros propios miedos y seguir hacia nuestras historias.

My Favorite Images of El Ecuador

Aline and I right before the Jazz Show at Plaza Sucre.







Here I am at the center of the earth... the equatorial monument!






Hahaha... here I am at the "real" Museo Amazonico learning how to use the hunting tools of the Amazonian Tribes! I was successful!





Aline on the other hand.... she blew really hard!

Here we are all geared up and ready to do some bird watching at the bird tower in Cuyabeno!

Life Decisions

Have you ever wondered about how life is set out for us.... I mean is it set out for us or are we just making it up as we go along. Life is strange that way but I guess you trust that the universe has something in store for us somewhere down the line. Just trust in the power of love and the collective conciousness.

Centro Historico de Quito, and all that Jazz

CEC, QUITO, Y el Restaurante Fenix

Hola, today it is raining in Ecuador and it is a beautiful sight. There is this huge cloud cover that comes over the city and makes everything look spectacular. La lluvia en el ecuador es comun y todos siguen sus dias como siempre. Esta es mi bella amiga aline dando su clase de ingles en CEC donde estudiantes de nivel economic bueno llegan a estudiar la cultura y el idioma ingles. Dice mi amigo Mark que el lenguage es el contexto de cultura y de su vida en general. Y yo estoy de acuerdo. Ahora ando explorando la ciudad yo solo. y me dio un miedo muy grande cuando sali de el apartamento yo sola. Pero me lo olvide y segui conociendo. Que aventura cruzar el circulo de trafico! Casi me mataron como 3 veces.

I know its a little blurry. This is the sight from Plaza Grande in Old Towne Quito. There are such beautiful colors in the city and the lights make all the difference. The beauty and people of ecuador remind me that i have and am living a priviledged life. I am blessed to have today, and everything today brings. I almost want to leave my life back home and stay in South America to see how i can make a difference here...

Cuando regresamos a casa de CEC Aline y yo pasamos por un restaurante muy curioso. Y se llamaba Fenix. Dos dio tanta risa que decidimos tomar una photo del restaurante Fenix con Fenix. Goofy, I know! But we couldnt resist taking the picture. I think I was telling Aline how silly this was. HAHAHHA!

Quito, Ecuador

Hola mi gente. Quito es un lugar muy lindo y lleno de cultura. Hay muchisimos edificios y muchisima gente. Los caros no paran para la gente. La gente tiene que parrar para los caros. Y hay un bus que se llame el Trole en el cual la gente entra y sale a empujones. Aline y Mark tienen un apartamento muy lindo y me han tratado muy bien desde que llegue. Ayer, conoci las clases de ingles de Aline y a todos sus estudiantes! It was great. Her students were excited to meet me and I got the chance to walk around town a little bit while i got to see, smell and taste the city. Ecuador is not what i expected but it is wonderful nonetheless. I am having a great time here with Aline. More to come (when I can upload pictures)... fc

Ecuador here I come

OK kids, here i am giving an award last November to the volunteers at atlanticrecoveryservices.org It is a great program helping youth at risk. OK, so i turned 30. Yes, 30 and i am not sure how i feel about it. Hence, I am taking this trip to visit my dearest friend Aline in Ecuador. Maybe some time in the Amazon among Spanish speakers will help me decompress and come to terms with my life and just being happy. I think I have overlooked that.

Well, I am an overachiever, and I have always had these delusions of grandeur like my life has to make some sort of global difference - but then a good friend of mine asked me if I was happy and I wasnt really sure how to answer that. Yes, I am happy but this cant be it. this cannot be it. My life has to mean more than what it does now.

And is 30 written on my face... the nurse at the travel clinic today told me (out of the blue) that i need to find myself a nice man. a genuine man. a talented man. someone who will love me and make me happy. I WAS LIKE WHAT! WHERE IS THIS COMING FROM! You have got to be kidding me. Then she said I shouldn't worry about being 30 unless I want to have kids. I am not sure why but she held me captive in her office while she was giving me my travel shots telling me how and why I should find a "nice" man. Then she goes on to tell me that there are not that many "nice" men left. I am not sure why God had this in the cards for me today. But going to Ecuador will help me figure things out. To be or not to be happy?