@AndraeVR

Cinnamon with her messy bed and blankets. #hotmess

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 19:13:07 -0800

Cinnamon with her messy bed and blankets. #hotmess

The Many Faces of Cinnamon

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 23:26:00 -0800

The Many Faces of Cinnamon

A Lesson Learned From Narcissus

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 01:50:00 -0800

There are always great lessons to be learned from Greek mythology. One of which that I find to be truly humbling and appropriate for the current time is of Narcissus.

If the name of the hunter Narcissus looks oddly similar to the word ‘Narcissism’ then you are not far off. The story of Narcissus recounts the tale of a hunter who was from Thespiae in Boeotia. This particular hunter was born to the God of River, Cephissus, and Boeotian nymph, Liriope. To spare you details about the whole Greek hierarchy of gods, goddesses, and the like, I will say that Narcissus was a demi-god, but totally irrelevant to the story. But, I will note that the story of Narcissus varies between characters involved in some stories has a young man, Aminas (who spurned other male suitors) who falls in love with Narcissus, but in honor of keeping with the version I was originally told here goes. Though I would like to add that within Greek mythology stories tend to change from author to author and from region to region. Moreover, I digress and will continue. Narcissus was gifted with exceptionally-good looks. His good looks were admired by everyone. One particular nymph named Echo (who was loved the sound of her own voice a little too much) took a particular liking to him. When she expresses her interest in him, he firmly rejected her and she fell into what can only be described as a self-imploding depression. She allowed the rejection of Narcissus to ruin the rest of her life and, as time went on, the only thing that was left her was the echo of her voice. Now, the whole point of this little anecdote is not about Echo, but what happened next. The Goddess of Revenge, Nemesis (quite appropriately named if I do say so myself), found out that Narcissus rejected the mountain nymph (Echo) and decided to punish him for his prideful ways. And, this is where again the story grows fuzzy due to the various retellings, but as far as this blog is concerned here’s how it goes…To punish Narcissus, Nemesis tricked him into taking an innocent enough drink from a nearby river. After taking a handful of the freshwater and quenching his thirst, he was stricken by the sight of himself. He immediately fell in complete and utter adoration of his reflection. Ultimately, he spent the rest of his days just staring at himself - never leaving to eat or engage in his daily operations or interactions. Some would argue that he got what he deserved for being so “into himself,” but I think that his story is a lesson to be learned.

What I hope that you, the reader, will get from this entry of mine is not that Narcissus died because of his love for his own reflection, but that you take an introspective look into yourself.

Taking a step back, seeing what and how you represent yourself online, and trying not to seek attention and validation from others. I think that a big problem that social media perpetuates is it allows people to measure their self-worth through a number. It allows us to indulge in our insecurities. And, while I will whole-heartedly admit that I am on social networks quite frequently, I don’t use them in that capacity. What people need…perhaps what my generation needs to do is to see how they portray themselves within the digital space.

Trying to one-up someone by having more followers or trying to get as many likes on any given post is a fruitless and futile task. A task that can never truly be achieved because statuses, tweets, and updates are a dime a dozen. Remember folks, seeking validation from others - be it online or in person - will not and cannot fill the void that you have within yourself. That can only be fixed through positive reinforcement of one’s own self-esteem. So, stop it. Stop being narcissistic. It’s not cute.

Until Later.

“Landslide” - Dixie Chicks Yeah, and if you climb a...

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 05:18:00 -0800

“Landslide” - Dixie Chicks

Yeah, and if you climb a mountain and ya turn around
And If you see my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well the landslide brought me down
If you see my reflection in the snow covered hills

New Orleans One of the frequently traveled cities of my...

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 23:54:15 -0800

New Orleans

One of the frequently traveled cities of my lifetime and a place that I truly enjoy visiting. I always get butterflies whenever I get to an airport because I am so thoroughly excited of what the travels will bring.

"Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You."

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 19:06:03 -0800

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”

- Dr. Seuss

“Don’t You Worry Child” - Swedish House...

Mon, 31 Dec 2012 10:55:00 -0800

“Don’t You Worry Child” - Swedish House Mafia

In a happy home, I was a king I had a gold throne
Those days are gone, now the memories are on the wall
I hear the sounds from the places where I was born

[REDUX & RENEW]

Mon, 31 Dec 2012 01:06:00 -0800

Redux, Reuse, Recycle.

So, it’s 1am on January 31st. About this time last year, I had started a little blog called @AndraeVR. Little did I know (or I knew, but did not want to admit) is that I would ignore and abandon this blog half-way through the year. It was one of my resolutions last year to maintain a blog and you know what I straight up failed. I admit it. I am not infallible. I know that for some of you out there that it must be hard for you to accept, but it’s true. I’m not perfect.

Now, that the initial shock has worn off, let me use this entry to revisit this past year and my vision for 2013. So, here goes…this year, in a word, was interesting. I learned about myself in ways that I did not think I was going to, I developed a greater awareness of my personal strengths and shortcomings and worked to address both, I found myself finally triangulating my path to economic prosperity, I prioritized my health in a way that I have never done before, and worked to forge stronger relationships with my family. All in all - I would have to say that it was successful. Was it the best year? By no stretch of the imagination. But, what it was for me was important. I experienced. I interacted. I learned. Okay, enough about 2012.

2013. Given I said that 2012 would be “my year” and I suppose that I am eating my words now, but 2013 is going to be “my year.” My vision for the upcoming year is one of building upon previous successes and seeking out more tangible results. I know that may seem vague to some of you, but, in my mind, I know exactly what I am talking about. I have some very ambitious plans for the new year and, in due time, I will slowly reveal each goal as they are completed. But, I will share them only on my blog. One of the things I want to work on for myself is reducing habits of narcissism (though I am not that narcissistic of a person) and increase my sense of humility. Hence not wanting to paste it all over Facebook. Now, that we are on the subject of that, I wanted to say that I find it really disappointing when people put so much gravity in social networking. People are either constantly posting statuses, pictures, and media in order to keep the attention on themselves. There is a reason why pride is one of the seven deadly sins. #imjustsaying Okay, so I slightly digressed, but let’s revisit the my topic…2013. This year, I am committed to making great strides in my professional life. It is a time of great anxiety and excitement that I set forth the strongest effort that I ever have before to make my dreams a reality.

Here’s to a great new year. Cheers To All!

“Good Time” ~ Owl City Ft. Carly Rae Jepsen Slept...

Thu, 27 Dec 2012 18:36:00 -0800

“Good Time” ~ Owl City Ft. Carly Rae Jepsen

Slept in all my clothes like I didn’t care
Hopped into a cab, take me anywhere
I’m in if you’re down to get down tonight
Cuz it’s always a good time

[CONTROL]

Mon, 24 Dec 2012 23:28:00 -0800

And, I am back…ladies and gentlemen.

I have finally returned to the blogosphere, ready to tackle the current issues of today. Okay, maybe not, but I do have things that I have been thinking about that I have been trying to blog about. Yet, the actual writing part has never really…you know…taken place. But, I figure that any time is better than never to restart this blog. What I cannot promise is that I will furthermore consistently update this blog because, let’s be real, that ain’t gonna happen. But, what I wanted to impress upon this entry is the concept of control. Hence, the title. See, everything comes full circle. Okay, now back to the entry. Wait, you can’t go back to something if you haven’t even started it. So, I retracted that and proceed…with caution.

It’s Christmas Eve and all through the house…wait, no. Not that story. The story that I want to tell is one of control. Control is something that seems so extemporaneous and yet something so tangible in regard to our lives. We think that we can control our lives, but a lot of it is based upon happenstance and serendipity. We can plan a step-by-step blueprint of what our lives would look like with razor-thin precision, but, as life would have it, such a fantasy is one of great ignorance. We can work the hardest we’ve ever worked and somehow life will have it that our paths are diverted into another direction entirely. What is even more worse…worser…more worse…is that we often allow ourselves to lose the little control that we do have of our lives to the people, events, and circumstances around us.

We lose the control. Feel a sense of defeat for the loss of control. And, somehow embody a sense of complacency with it. Yet, it is until we look retrospectively through someone telling us or through a revelation that we gather that it even transpired. And, I can honestly say that 2012 was nowhere near what I expected. I won’t go into detail on why it was the way it was, but I feel that it taught me a lot. I learned a lot in the process and I think really any experience - be it bad, good or otherwise - is something that can be educational. What I want to say frankly is that readers - whoever you may be - take a look at your lives. See where you came from, where you are going, and how you are getting there. See what is in your way of getting you to where you want to be and find a way to get beyond that. We only let the things happen to us that we allow. So, I encourage you to take CONTROL of your life. Do not allow others to dictate it and deride you from your path - whatever it may be. Empower yourself to set your own goals and put them into motion.

Because as the saying goes, ‘create your own future before somebody else does.’

Until Later

New York City One of my goals for 2013 is to visit New York at...

Sat, 15 Dec 2012 00:00:00 -0800

New York City

One of my goals for 2013 is to visit New York at some point this year.

“Lucky Strike” - Maroon 5 Stuck in her...

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 00:00:00 -0800

“Lucky Strike” - Maroon 5

Stuck in her elevator
She takes me to the sky
And I don’t wanna go down, go down
She said I’ll feel you later; go ahead and fantasize

Poem for Rhiannon & Terry’s WeddingThis was a poem...

Sun, 14 Oct 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Poem for Rhiannon & Terry’s Wedding
This was a poem apart of my larger toast speech during the October 14th ceremony.

One day they met in Spanish Class,
He liked her hair and she liked his ass,
He played football while she would dance,
Their true love grew to a storybook romance,
As the brother of the bride, I say to thee,
“Make her so happy or you’re dead to me.”
With the evening concluding, remember this day,
As I wish you two good luck and hip hip hooray,
Please raise your glasses for the cute couple so,
Here is to Rhiannon & Terry Ko.
Cheers!

According To Kelly & Andrae: Maxapalooza (April 2012)

Sun, 27 May 2012 17:09:55 -0700

According To Kelly & Andrae: Maxapalooza

(April 2012)

Short Story That Won Me A Trip To DC

Mon, 21 May 2012 19:46:00 -0700

Andrae Vigil-Romero
American Airlines Contest
December 5th, 2010

Getting There Is Half The Fun

“Last call for Flight 310 for New Orleans,” the terminal attendant repeated. As my ticket was checked and I began my journey onto the hangar leading me to the plane, I became more and more excited. With each step, I found my stomach turning with excitement, my face plastered with a clownish grin of exhilaration, and my eyes gleaming with anticipation. As I sat near the window, I looked out onto the tarmac and saw the several other planes waiting for take-off. The pilot smoothly noted, “Sit back and enjoy the flight.” The gentle propulsion from the departure provided a key foretelling of the flight ahead. Such a smooth travel that it felt like we were floating on air. I stared out of my window, looking at the clouds and the ground below, contemplating the beauty from the bird’s eye view. Midway through the flight, the attendants came by with their refreshment cart and supplied me with a nice cold ginger ale. The effervescence of the drink reminded me of the bubbles from champagne giving me the feeling of elegance and opulence. The trip was so relaxing that I wanted the flight to last for hours. Normally, I am stressed out from all of my daily activities, but on this plane, in the sky, at this time, I was in tranquility. The flight seemed to be all too quick because by the time I knew it the pilot came over the PA system once more to state, “Welcome to New Orleans, it is 5:35pm and 72 degrees…”

"Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day..."

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 16:44:26 -0700

“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo Da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson and Albert Einstein.”

- H. Jackson Brown

Abby Reacts To #KONY2012

Sat, 10 Mar 2012 12:52:00 -0800

Abby Reacts To #KONY2012

“Pacific Coast Highway” - Smash Mouth

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 12:44:23 -0800

“Pacific Coast Highway” - Smash Mouth

avromero11: Erin Paige performs a cover of Mariah Carey’s...

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 12:42:07 -0800

avromero11:

Erin Paige performs a cover of Mariah Carey’s “Hero”

21

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 23:45:00 -0800

No, I’m not going to be talking about Adele’s best selling album. Though for those who have not heard it, you definitely need to check it out if you want to hear quality music from a superb songstress.

I am going to talk about 21. The past 21 years. Okay, so maybe I won’t be actually specifically reviewing EVERYTHING, but I wanted to write something - since I haven’t really blogged in a little.

This past year as a 21 year old, recent graduate has been nothing short of exciting, difficult, and confusing. As it is really late, I am not particularly in any mood to go in depth on anything specifically. However, this past weekend was really enlightening for me - so much so that I have decided to reinvent myself. Well, at least my style. Good bye ripped jeans, hello new hair style. It is the little things that can really change a person’s attitude and prospective path. Anyways, I’m exhausted from this amazing weekend. To those who celebrated it with me, thank you so much for your friendship. Your time was greatly appreciated and I am glad to have you in my life. To those who didn’t, well - I was not prioritized, so no big loss. Hahaha just kidding, but really though.

Birthday is in like 24 hours…