What to wear to an 80s theme party...

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Throwback 80s Theme Party

We're taking it back old school and doing the 80s with some Miami flair!

So grab your old school kicks, chunky chains and don't forget the neon.

Party with us this Saturday, March 13th at EPIC River Lounge!

Oh, and did I mention- it's MY BIRTHDAY!?!

We will be jamming to everything 80s and I want to see that 80s fashion! Don't be afraid to put on your 80s best and join us for another fun MUL party.

All are invited and there will be complimentary entrance for you and your guest between 8PM-Midnight (12AM).

Just remember that you and your guests must RSVP.

Ladies- We will have a complimentary happy hour from 9PM-10PM!

80s Attire is highly suggested!

Haiti Relief Effort- New INFO!

NEW INFO!!! New drop off location and no cutoff date!!!

Immediate Relief Needed For Haiti!!! Take Action Now!!!

Sow A Seed is collecting relief items in collaboration with Food For The Poor and other organizations. For the time being we are only collecting the most urgently needed items; presently, we are not accepting clothes & shoes.

One of the most effective ways of taking action is to make online donations at www.SowASeedOnline.org

If you would like to send a check by mail send to:
8004 N.W. 154th Street # 412
Miami Lakes, FL 33016

Sow a Seed is a non-profit organization created by a group of young professionals to provide the basic essentials for disadvantaged children living in extreme poverty in Haiti. In light of the recent tragedy we are converging all of our efforts towards earthquake relief.

Every member of SOW A SEED works on a benevolent basis. We are all volunteers.

Below are different drop-off locations in different areas:

KENDALL
Milans Kitchen
Phone: (305) 773-4277
10832 SW 104 STREET unit # 101
Miami, FL 33186
M-F 10:00am-7:00pm
Sat. 12:00pm-4:00pm

BOCA RATON
Le Chic Events (Judith Joseph)
Phone: (561) 305-3375
1140 Holland Drive Suite 21
Boca Raton, Fl 33487
Monday thru Sunday 7:00am-7:00pm

BISCAYNE BLVD
World Wide Photo
Phone: (305) 756 -1744
5040 Biscayne Blvd.
Miami, Fl 33137
M-F 9:00am-6:00pm
Sat. 9:00am-5:00pm


DORAL
Anndex
Phone: (305) 471-8456
7966 NW 14th Street
Doral, Fl 33126
Monday-Friday 9:00am-5:00pm

SOUTH BEACH
Print Giants
406 14th Street
Miami Beach, FL 33139
(305) 531-6994
Monday-Friday 11:00 AM - 8:00 PM

Items needed:
Canned Food (Meats, Fish, Beans, Soups)
Powdered Milk
Canned Milk
Blankets
Sleeping Bags
Tents (very important started raining)
Flashlights
Batteries
Water
Water Tablets
Water Purification Systems
Hygiene Kits
Soap
Energy Bars
Medical Supplies (Not Expired)
First Aid Kits

Haiti Relief Effort- Lending a hand to Haiti

I know this may be a little last minute but I'm hoping we can all come together and help.

As most of you may know Tuesday afternoon, January 12th, the worst earthquake in 200 years - 7.0 in magnitude - struck less than ten miles from the Caribbean city of Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

The initial quake was later followed by more than twelve aftershocks greater than magnitude 5.0. Structures of all kinds were damaged or collapsed, from shantytown homes to national landmarks. It is still very early in the recovery effort, but millions are likely displaced, and thousands are feared dead as rescue teams from all over the world are now descending on Haiti to help where they are able.

A close friend of mine has made it her own personal quest to gather some supplies to help her Haitian friends here in Miami. The supplies gathered will be shipped out this coming Monday. For this reason we will be gathering supplies for the next couple of days in order to be able to ship a good amount. Efforts are being put in from all over the world and I think there is always something more to be done!

We will be collecting in the Brickell/Downtown area also over the next few days. If you have any questions please feel free to contact my friend, Gina at 305-984-7853.

The following is a list of supplies that are needed;
• CANNED FOOD (MEATS, FISH, BEANS,SOUPS)
• POWEDERED MILK
• CANNED MILK
• BLANKETS
• SLEEPING BAGS
• TENTS
• FLASHLIGHTS
• BATTERIES
• WATER
• WATER TABLETS
• Water Purification Systems
• HYGIENE KITS
• SOAP
• ENERGY BARS
• MEDICAL SUPPLIES (NOT EXPIRED)
• FIRST AID KITS

There have been some drop off locations established, if you feel this is easier for you or closer to your house feel free to go ahead and use these locations, All drop-offs should be done no later than Saturday 1-16-2010. Please call before making drop-offs. Below are different Drop-off locations in different areas:

1. MILAN KITCHENS
Phone: (305) 773-4277
10832 SW 104 STREET unit # 101
Miami, FL 33186
M-F 10:00am-7:00pm
Sat. 12:00pm-4:00pm

2. Le Chic Events (Judith Joseph)
Phone: (561) 305-3375
1140 Holland Drive Suite 21
Boca Raton, Fl 33487
Monday thru Sunday 7:00am-7:00pm

3. World Wide Photo
Phone: (305) 756 -1744
5040 Biscayne Blvd.
Miami, Fl 33137
M-F 9:00am-6:00pm
Sat. 9:00am-5:00pm

4. Anndex
Phone: (305) 471-8456
7966 NW 14th Street
Doral, Fl 33126
Monday-Friday 9:00am-5:00pm

Thank you all in advance for all your help!

No more US Postal Service?

On my way to work this morning I was listening to the radio and caught the tail end of a discussion for things they anticipate to be obsolete by 2019. The list was taken from www.mikehuang.com which I also posted below.

I can understand why/how most of what they listed would become non-existent, but #3 (USPS)- that would definitely be a shocker. Especially considering that the United States Postal Service has been a critical part of our national history for well over 200 years. As society continues to grow with technology and become more and more paperless, will the USPS be able to keep up or will we lose this part of history soon?

Any thoughts?

Michael Huang shared:

"In my vision for 2019, I see some everyday devices and services going away.

1. Print Media
While the bells seem to already be tolling for newspapers and magazines across the country,
within the next ten years we will see print media re-invent itself as internet news media. While there is still some value in the branding of newspapers, as a physical medium, magazines and newspapers have their days numbered.

2. DVDs
Blu-ray in many respects has already succeeded DVD as a media standard. While currently movies are simultaneously released on DVD and Blu-ray, it is likely that within the next ten years, DVD sales will plummet as Blu-ray sales increase. As long as people want to own their media, Blu-ray will be relevant. When network bandwidth increases in speed such that video-on-demand and digital media can be streamed in HD resolution and sold to consumers, will we see physical media go away.

3. U.S. Postal Service Mail Delivery
I don't think they'll be around as they are now in 10 years. With their largest customer being Netflix, the U.S. Postal Service is only active 6 days a week, and there was talk about reducing their delivery days to 5 days a week. I view Forever Stamps as a last ditch effort to increase their cash flow. Currently, Internet businesses are dependent on them as a delivery system, so I expect a Mail System Bailout to happen in the next ten years, which may involve Netflix or eBay to attempt to buyout or merge with the USPS if it seems likely to fail.

4. Books
This is a contentious choice, but I suspect by 2019, that as many people will have e-readers that own iPods today, and just like CDs have more or less disappeared since the iPod, the same will be true with physical books. Once an e-reader has wireless digital download capability like the Kindle, it becomes very possible to sell reading material digitally for a fee. Online shopping made it possible to buy anything 24-hours a day, digital downloading e-books makes it possible to buy reading material 24-hours a day from anywhere. Just as it took movie studios a while to decide to release movies online, expect book publishers to move slowly to the online market as well; but 10 years from now, most books will be available in print and e-book, with the majority of sales being e-book. Going online will also re-open up sales for out-of-print and discontinued books in the publisher's catalog.

5. Videogame Consoles with Physical Media
Currently all the videogame systems on the market right now rely on CD/DVD/Blu-ray media or cartridges/cards. In 2019, all games will be downloaded directly to the videogame system.

6. Gasoline Exclusive Engines and Manual Transmissions
Hybrid engines will become the major engine type for Americans by 2019; while some remaining cars on the road will still have gasoline engines, the vast majority will be replaced by Hybrid. Manual Transmissions vehicles have been on a steady decline since the introduction of the Automatic transmission; with the Dual Clutch Transmission, the car's computer can shift faster and more accurately than a Manual. However, cars still won't fly (or hover).

7. Hard Drives
I think by 2019, these will all be solid-state. Faster, and more reliable than their magnetically based counterparts, right now the only factor is price, but as the price drops, expect solid state to take over the market.

8. Staplers, Printers, Fax Machines, Copiers, Scanners
As the need for paper documents is steadily decreasing, I expect that the need for these paper-based office supplies to diminish greatly in the coming years. As we become more digitally focused and tied to the Internet and computers in all manner of office work, I suspect that in 10 years, the only paper documents we see around the office will be post-it notes. Shredders will still be around to shred credit card offers.

9. Physical Maps and Atlas
With GPS technology and Google Maps, the need for map data stored on paper will be greatly diminished.

10. Phone books and Encylopedias
If you can use the internet, you don't need a phone book. With GPS and location aware services, there is isn't much need for a 4 inch regional reference volume. Encylopedias are in the same situation -- there is no reason to consult an encyclopedia when the Wikipedia is available online and contains up-to-date information. With Internet access becoming more available than library access, there is no future for large, bulky tomes of reference."

A rant- sadness in lies...

I don't understand why people do the things they do. I guess to some extent, we as humans, aren't supposed to understand everything. However, some things just overwhelmingly perplex me. It's sad and frustrating.

I've always believed myself to be an understanding, accepting and forgiving person. I believe myself to be more than fair in most situations and I rarely ever get mad at anyone or anything. I won't say that I don't get upset because I certainly do and I can't help that because I'm just one of those sensitive people in the world. Well, atleast to those I've let close enough in my life to be able to call friends- family of course too.

I've come to experience a lot of awful things in this very short time I've been given to call my LIFE. Don't get me wrong, I've also experienced some of the most beautiful things in life that so many people would wish to know. Yet, in those awful things, I've come to learn and grow as a person. I've learned to forgive those that have hurt me, that have stolen from me, cheated me and walked out of my life. I've even come to accept people opinions and objections, circumstances and misfortunes.

The one thing though that I could never understand or grasp in the slightest is a persons relentless ignorance in their conviction to lie to me. For most people know that I seldom pass any judgment and I'm more than understanding and accepting of most situations/ideas/actions.

It's the worst thing to do to me. It's a disrespect to any person. How can you put value in a person that can't speak the truth or at least admit to the truth in order to maintain their dignity and respect? The thing is you can't.

It's such an awful thing to lose any respect, belief, admiration, faith, trust- an entire perception of/in a person. It's never the lie a person tells- people can see right through those things. It's just the matter of a person telling a lie.

In a Moment

Somewhere along the way
I seemed to realize
Somehow I lost my faith

It's like I looked up
And it all was gone
Just like that
In a moment

It became an overwhelming emptiness
A sophicating void
Once again, I was lost

Nothing to hold
Nothing to cling to

The world I built
Its comfort
Its love
Its tenderness
Its security

All too sudden
Was non-existent

I am alone
Not a familiar face in sight

Just a lie
Just betrayal
Numb

How can this be?

A thousand shattered pieces
And no glue

I sit dazed
Anticipating the comfort of denial
Not even that is present

What I would give right now
For some peace
To breathe
For an explanation
Something to guide me

An ounce of familiarity
My sanity

No
There's nothing
It's gone

Lost
Just like that
In a moment

Food for Thought- 1/22/08

"The colossal misunderstanding of our time is the assumption that insight will work with people who are unmotivated to change. Communication does not depend on syntax, or eloquence, or rhetoric, or articulation but on the emotional context in which the message is being heard. People can only hear you when they are moving toward you, and they are not likely to when your words are pursuing them. Even the choices words lose their power when they are used to overpower. Attitudes are the real figures of speech." - Edwin H. Friedman

It becomes exhausting to try and tell people things intended for their benefit and them not wanting to have any part of it.

When do we decide to listen to the things people are trying to tell us or see the things people are trying show? For those of us trying to share something or give a little part of us, when do we know when to just stop? To just let go, because nothing said or done, at that present moment will make any difference or carry any influence.

We are here to help each other learn, grow and experience life. We're not here to make each other to do these things. We can only do so much to participate and encourage movement towards them and when efforts seem to become exhausted, it's time to just sit back and watch trial and error take it's place.

Acknowledgement and acceptance of all facets of life are essential.

Have a good day!

Sweet Little Girl

Sweet little girl
Don't be afraid
No more harm will come your way

I hate to hear you cry at night
Your little mind
Confused
In fright

Just go to bed
Close your eyes
I know you don't want
Mommy and daddy to hear you cry

Sweet little girl
Don't be afraid
No more harm will come your way

The Monster is gone
It's far away

You can sleep tonight
Tonight you'll be safe

Sweet little girl
Why do you cry?
Please go to bed
Close your eyes

The Monster is gone
There's nothing to fear
Why can't you fall asleep my dear?

Sweet little girl
Don't be afraid
I keep telling you
No more harm will come your way

I'm sorry sweet child
I didn't understand
When you close your eyes
You see that Monster again

But sweet little girl
It's only a dream
Just pray to GOD for prettier things

It's easy sweet child
Just repeat
"And now I lay me down to sleep..."

Sweet little girl
Don't be afraid
I promise
No more harm will come your way

Please stop crying
I know you're confused
I know you're in pain
But if you don't stop
You'll go insane

Sweet little girl
The Monster is gone
I wish we could undo
What that Monster has done

Now come along and follow me
Put those memories in a box
Together-
We'll throw away the key

We'll bury it deep
In the abyss of your soul
Things will get better
As time takes its toll

Sweet little girl
Don't be afraid
No more harm will come your way

I pray you get some rest tonight
Mommy and daddy have tucked you in
Just right

No more tears
Sleep in peace
GOD, please give her
The sweetest dreams

Troubled Soul

I see that you're a troubled soul
And this breaks me down inside

How you're full of uncertainty
How anxiety keeps you up at night

I see that you're a troubled soul
Always searching for a way

Always looking for the answers
That are right in front of your face

I see that you're a troubled soul
You say this is nothing new

That this always happen
The bad things that happen to you

I see that you're a troubled soul
Always wanting more

And while that's quite alright
How about the things you have?

Those things, do you adore?

I see that you're a troubled soul
I wish I could make your troubles go away

To ease your every worry
To stop all your pain

I see that you're a troubled soul
But this isn't the way things have to be

If you have a little faith
You'll see that I've given you the key

I see that you're a troubled soul
For this, I've given you a part of me

So that you wouldn't be alone
In hopes to give you peace

I see that you're a troubled soul
I wish you wouldn't push me far away

I wish you'd take my hand
That you could understand

Love and faith will guide your way

I see that you're a troubled soul
But I know, this isn't who you are

So when I answer your questions at night
To listen isn't hard

I see that you're a troubled soul
However, like me, this too will fade

In time, you'll see a better life
In time, your soul will change

And when I no longer see your troubled soul
There's just one thing I pray

That the peace that you'll be given
You won't let it slip away

Sensitivity

Embrace my sensitivity

It doesn't mean that I am weak

Embrace my sensitivity

Just think, it's a reason why we speak

Embrace my sensitivity

It's compassion without fear

It's that little light in a dark, cold room that's there for warmth and to dry your tears

Embrace my sensitivity

But don't ever walk on egg shells with me

Be who you are and do what you do, I'll understand things the way they're intended to be

Embrace my sensitivity

It's part of the best that I have to give

To think if more people were sensitive, the world would be a better place to live

Embrace my sensitivity

Even if it seems like I am hurt

It's only because I care about you and I've given you that worth

See, what some people don't understand about sensitivity; is that it's not always about pain

It's not about a bad word or deed, maybe just a reaction to why things happened a certain way

Sometimes it's putting yourself in other shoes- to better understand

To understand why we laugh and cry, that there's always another chance

So, embrace my sensitivity

Because of it, I call you friend

Embrace my sensitivity

It's part of who and what I am.

-Susan Abascal

What a real gentleman is!

"This is the final test of a gentleman: his respect for those who can be of no possible value to him."

- William Lyon Phelps


Men wonder why women claim there are no good men left in this world. Their mind tends to lapse in processing what is meant by this. What we're referring to are gentlemen. Granted there might be a few and in respects to the world as a whole- it kind of seems like a handful.

Does anyone even know what a gentleman is?

A well-mannered and considerate man with high standards of proper behavior.
gentleman. (n.d.). The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition.

I think Phelps puts it better though. A man that can respect someone that has no value to him.

See, there are those guys that claim to be gentleman and really aren't. They're the ones that open the door for every pretty lady and maybe even some that aren't. For some reason some men think that that's the extent of their duties as a gentleman. No lie, it is flattering and accomodating. But there still lacks that inner rareity of what a real gentleman is.

I think a selfless man- a gentleman. A man with compassion for humanity. A man that would bestow honesty out of respect, show kindness to someone of lesser stature or more, that would open a door for someone unbias to their gender, generous in any aspect towards anyone-especially those less fortunate. A man that doesn't think of himself any less of a man for saying please and thank you. Not neccessarily a man that holds to traditions, morals and values but one that cultivates and makes his own based on his own sincerity and not so much those of society.

A true gentleman is a rareity. Nevertheless, most women appreciate them and the ones that at least try to be. Maybe it's a woman's part to encourage more of this in men but it just wouldn't be the same if it didn't come from within.

- Susy

Dad

It's amazing how things are different now
More like sad, to tell the truth

When I sit here and wonder what went wrong
Things aren't the same between me and you

Never in my life could I imagine
That things would be this way

That we would grow so far apart
That we would create this much pain

I used to look to you so much
For various little things

Whether it was your wisdom, hugs, advice or such
Or just the comfort you would bring

I knew that when things got tough
You'd be right there to give me strength

You'd never let me give up
You taught me to have faith

You taught me to be honest, to maintain my dignity
To take pride in all the things I do but mostly to take pride in me

You taught me the difference between right and wrong
The meaning of modesty, compassion and loyalty

For this you were the apple of my eye
My confidant, my father, my security

And yet, everything you once taught
The things that made me who I am today

You've come to contradict each one of them
Except for pride- that's the only thing you maintained

This pride and stubbornness you possess
Is what caused our bond to fade

But it would be ignorant of me
To make you the only one to blame

See I've come to realize
There's no difference when our attitude's the same

This is why things are different now
This is why there's pain

The saddest truth is this
Things will probably never be the same

Yet, I'll hold on to memories
How we'd combat nightmares with late night talks

How we'd roll "monster" cheese with grape jelly
And our random father-daughter walks

I'll still hold on to the things you taught
After all, it made me the woman I am today

Until the day things aren't so different anymore
Dad, I'll still have faith

- Susan Abascal

Opa Locka Saggy Pants Ordinance

The following are my own personal opinions and rationale reflected from a discussion on Power 96's Morning Show regarding Opa Locka's ordinance banning the wearing of saggy pants.

Anyway, I'm all for the ordinance they passed a little disturbed that the mayor was the only one that voted against it because he doesn't want to "legislate morality". I mean, isn't that what we have laws and codes of conduct for? To maintain morality, order and decency. Maybe some people have lost touch with this. Wait... they have.

Then someone mentioned about the right to FREEDOM of EXPRESSION. Yes, we have that right. Yes, we're entitled to it. However, what exactly are people that wear their pants so low trying to express? It shows they don't know how to wear clothes, they're too lazy to wear clothes properly, they're rebelious- "it shows individualism". Individualism is shown when you're different from the majority- in other words, if everyone is wearing their pants off their bottom and you're doing the same- you're no different! Please, expression is through character but being such a distraction hides the person and frankly, I don't know many people that will take such persons seriously.

Lastly, for the ones calling in offended that judgment is passed on persons dressing like such- how they feel that just because a person is wearing pants below their bottom doesn't mean their a bad person. You're absolutely right. Just because you wear saggy pants doesn't mean you're a bad person. However, I am certain that persons that continue to dress like that way past childhood and adolescents- will NOT get far. The way we dress is part of our social identity- how we view ourselves and how others view us. I'm begining to sound redundant. Some actually believe you can get far in life wearing baggy pants- WRONG! Sure some will argue- look at the rappers and the athletes...even with them my point is valid. You won't see P.Diddy or Jay-Z walking into a board meeting with their pants hanging off their bottom. Matter of fact, you rarely see them dressed so sluggishly. This is only to rationalize the hip-hop genre. Look at the rest of the world that isn't in the entertainment industry. Can you imagine the President of the United States representing our country sporting a pair of saggy jeans or the minister/preist of a church conducting sermons in a place of worship with his boxers showing out of his pants? How seriously would you take them?

Actually, that just brought a valid question that might help some... How many people go to church dressed like this? I'm about 90% sure that most wear proper slacks and a tucked in shirt because it would be inappropriate to go into a place of worship dressed like that. Right? So what, are the views of saggy pants now hypocritical?

I just want people to see the good in this ordinance and the potential positive effect it will have on the communities within Opa Locka. While it might not seem as something so important as muggings or other crimes- it's part of the root of the problems with those crimes.

If how you dress is part of who you are as a person- then you're attitude and choices in life are reflected by it as well. If a person dresses decently then there are less chances of that person acting indecently. That's why role model and dress for success programs are implemented in a lot of schools- psychological influencing to be something better. Granted there are criminals in 3-piece suits but those criminals are apart of more white collar crimes. They aren't the types of criminals stealing cars, breaking into houses, mugging people or the other types of petty crimes that conflict Opa Locka.

Anyway, I have to stop somewhere. I hope this made some sense and that people can actually give it some credit. There's always a root of a problem- whehter some would like to believe it or not- this is a really good place to start. There's nothing wrong with looking respectable and decent. I bet if some tried- they'd actually might like themselves better and eventually develop a better outlook on life.

Thanks for taking the time to read this!

A Little Cynicism

It's been said that one of the best forms of communication are by experiences and feelings, mostly because they lack a descriminative bias from others. They are something evoked within us, something true and although its truth could even be debated think of it this way, could someone make you love something you didn't? And, can someone tell you otherwise about something you already lived?

As I was doing some recreational reading (something I usually tend to stir away from) I came across a verse that just grabbed me.

"Feeling is the language of the soul. If you want to know what's true for you about something, look to how you're feeling about it. Feelings are sometimes difficult to discover- and often even more difficult to acknowledge. Yet hidden in your deepest feelings is your highest truth."

I think I may have read this through and through- it only left me to wonder if this were the case with both bad and good feelings. You know, the feelings that give inspiration, hope, joy and happiness. Also the feelings that bring negativity, uncertainty and sadness.

How much truth can we find in them? What if how we feel about something doesn't coincide with the reality of it? Or if something for just a moment something produced such an innocent and sweet feeling and the next just the opposite- which one tells the truth?

Is it this very thing that I'm pondering- the cause for people not to trust in their feelings? Right now I feel like such a person which is the very contradiction of who I am. This leads me to the other form of communication- experiences.

I don't know how many times I've heard or read how our experiences teach us, how they help us grow and how they're such fundamental tools in learning- yet at this very moment I question if I learned the right things from mine. Especially if my experiences seem to carry a repetitious familiarity. It begins to feel like deja vu.

I've heard that "your experience and feelings about a thing represent what you factually and intuitively know about that thing." For the most part I've believed this as my own for a long time. I've trusted in my intuition and even more myself.

Yet my preaching of honesty, vulnerability and trust within the self has got me nowhere except here...