Carnival 2009 - Day 2 (Official Parade)

Carnival 2009 - Day ONE (Rio de Janeiro)

Hi fellow blog “followers”,

The weather in Rio is one of the many mysteries Brazil has provided so far. Today is the first official day of Carnival and of all days it’s cloudy. Every single day last week was gorgeous, sunny and what felt like continuous breeze all day long. But unlike any other time of year where the weather determines your plans for the day, come rain or shine everyone’s out during Carnival.

I have been partying up like a rock star this entire week, getting an average of 3-4hrs of sleep. Volunteering during the day and hanging out in Ipanema at night! Last night was no exception, I got in at 7am and today I got up around 11am. Instead of immediately heading out to the beach, I decided to bum around and blog until 4’ish pm. I am very tired and want to save my energy for what I think will be the event of a lifetime, Carnival parade!

My coworker’s parents are feeling a lil under the weather and I got to buy their tickets. So the way things work with parades are as follows: Saturday, first day of Carnival, the 2nd tier samba schools get to perform and show off what they got. As for location, there’s a big avenue (aka 5th ave parades in NYC) near downtown where all this takes place. Sunday and Monday night, the top tier samba schools get to compete. Tuesday night, the finalists get to perform and the winner is announced on Wednesday (and the winner gets to perform on Saturday all by themselves). All been said, I got tickets for Sunday night which starts around 8pm and ends around 4a.m. Now you see why I’m trying (and I use the term loosely-teehee) to take it easy today.

But alas, nothing in Rio goes as planned so who knows what party/trouble I’ll get myself into tonight. For example, my plans Friday night were to meet friends at local pre-party bar and head to Galeria (local bar/club). What had happened was….apparently the local bar was part of a block party, where it was nearly impossible to find anyone in the crowd. Luckily the bar had a cover and was not packed, it also had a table with direct view of the block party so I snatched it, opened up a tab and began recruiting friends. Regarding tab, it is just so cheap here, we had lord knows how many caipirihnas and total tab was less than US$20 (Hollerrr).

My plans Saturday night were to take it easy but what happened was….I met Orlando in Ipanema for some beach time and ended up at a bloco (block party). A bloco is basically a poor man’s version of a carnival parade. It has a float or 2 and consists of people joining in from streets. Kind of hard to explain this so here’s a video! Anyways, after the bloco, we ate dinner at my favorite restaurant, Felice and later went to our pre-party bar where it was utter chaos. Needless to say, I didn’t get home til around 6am. RIO DE JANEIRO, I LOVE THIS CITY!

Stay tuned for video/pics posting from Sunday’s parade, I JUST CAN’T WAIT!!!

Ipanema on a Monday

So I decided to go to the gay beach with my new friend. A Cuban from Miami, here til next week. I CAN'T RUN AWAY FROM CUBANS I TELL YOU! ROFLOL.

Sunday in Rio

Went for some brunch in Flamengo and an afternoon in Copacabana. Awwww the good life.

Copacabana on a rainy day

On my day off, of all times. :-(

Video update

So I'm getting lazier by the day but I figured video updates are cooler. Especially since I keep shedding pounds, i dont know why because i eat all the time and eat dinner at 9:30pm. i'm not complaining, let the lbs continue shedding! Tchau gente!

Nightlife in Flamengo

from this past weekend


tour of house party

Life and Work Update

So I know I said I'm totally updating the blog every day but too much has happened since I got to Rio. Here's a brief summary:

I really only had one day to relax because Friday I went to work for 4 hours to discuss possible projects I would be working on. The folks at Promundo (http://www.promundo.org.br/) were very welcoming and had an abundance of information to share with me, both professionally and personally. What will I be working on in Brazil? I'm definitely going to go into details on another blog but in general, I'm in charge of the youth forum happening on the first day of the 5 day conference/symposium (http://www.engagingmen2009.org/42?locale=en_US). We have invited 30 young adults, from around the world, on full travel scholarships to discuss ways they can engage their community in gender equality. This is really exciting because it seems like everyone at the NGO are swamped with the adult section of the symposium, giving me full authority over the young adults. I'm thinking of so many things I can do with the young adults and when I think how other countries will learn from each other because of the work I did, I start to "kind-of" freak out! I'm like, how cool is this!!!

After work on Friday, I decided to avoid traffic and went to Copacabana. See video on previous blog.

On Saturday, I spent the entire day shopping with the family in the chic neighborhood called Barra. After shopping, I rushed home and got ready for a house party in Flamengo. I'll post some videos next. The house party was filled with full bright scholars (yeah i also didnt know what it meant), which are basically grad students doing research in Brazil. The party was filled with Americans with the exception of two very cool brazilians (one carioca and one paolista). After the house party I went to my favorite bar in Ipanema (Galeria) and had a blast. Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that i forgot my ID and credit card, leaving me with only $100 reals. I had enough money for one drink, cover and taxi ride back home and I still had a blast! It is interesting how Americans get away with things, I went up to the door-lady at the bar. told her in english, sorry i left all my documents at hotel. she was like, ok just dont let it happen again. I am pretty sure they would not let locals in, but i could be totally wrong and people here are just that laid back. we'll see..

On Sunday, I woke up to an empty house (everyone was at church). So I went online and found a skate shop in Barra. Got on a train, then bus and finally bought some rollerblades. By the time I got to the shopping center, I was tired and just wanted to go home. However, on my way back i noticed way too many people in Leblon and decided to try out my new skates! I skated from Leblon, through Ipanema and ended at Copacabana. By the time I reached Copa, I knew what it literally felt like to be cooked in an oven. My body was burning hot and sweating like no one's business. After a much needed 1.5 ltrs of water, I got on the metro and went home.

On Monday, I woke up in pain from skating the day b4 and for the first time I got up before 11a.m. (8:30a.m to be exact!). It was my first day at work and nothing could have prepared me for the 2 hour staff meeting (of which I only understood 75%). But alas, I made it through the day and went to Alessandro's job for a ride back home. Once we got home, I asked alessandro to take me to a nearby gym and after 2 hours (the people in Rio seriously move at a glacial pace- NO JOKE) i became a member. Now I'm at home, getting ready for bed because I'm just exhausted.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. Today, HBS sent out 750 emails inviting folks for interview and I was not one of them. :-(... There are still 100 invites left between now and April 2, but if I had any chance of getting into Harvard it would have been with the initial 750 invites, I'm pretty much calling this one "Denied". So it's one down and 8 more to go. I said it before and I'll say it again, this year will be the MOST interesting year EVER!

Tchau gente!

It's just soo hot in Copacabana!

after a quick day at work, I decided to go against rush traffic and head to copacabana... Gotta love how close I work to Copa/Ipanema. Holler!!!

Brazil - Day Two

cool video on helicopter at copacabana


and a tour of the crib I'm staying at.

Brazil baby! Day ONE

Miami airport laid out the red carpet for my departure! Well at least that’s what it felt like.. My cousin works at the airport (he’s the guy that gives you a ticket for leaving cars unattended – aka make him your new BFF-LOL) and got the head of curbside to check me in. Let’s just say I got away with more than if I were to go inside and deal with the mess that American Airlines had within their international check-in. Once I checked my luggage, I went to security and NO ONE WAS IN LINE. I had to confirm I was in the right side of the airport because I just never… After security I decided to use my coupon granting me a free entrance to American Airlines Admiral club, but for what I needed I would be just fine waiting at the gate. It was now time to board and I walked into what seemed like a zoo, at gate E8. People were everywhere, bumping into me and everyone and I just rolled my eyes (ahh gotta love traveling to 3rd world countries). Luckily I still have status with AA and got to board right after biz class folks did, yay!

The flight left relatively on time, trip was smooth (thanks to 2 bottles of Jack Daniels) and I arrived on-time and thanks to my status I got to sit right behind biz-class, hence got to customs first. Actually, that was also weird because there is usually a flight ahead of us and we would have to wait behind them but again, I walked right to a customs agent and headed to my luggage. I was the first to get both my pieces and as soon as I walked outside Alessandro was walking towards me, talk about perfect timing! (and talk about the perfect flight!)

So who’s Alessandro? I met him in 2001, when we both worked for the same company. I in Atlanta; he in Rio de Janeiro. He came to the US for 3 months to learn how we operate in the states. To make long story short, we became instant bro’s. Since then, I would either go to Brazil or he and his wife would come to the US. A few years ago, I became his only son’s godfather, making us family! On my last trip, I finally decided to come out to him because I knew that he either already knew or just wouldn’t judge/care and I was right. Our friendship continues to grow and I continue to become closer to his family, especially his little ones. I just can’t believe how big they continue to get, just makes me feel old really LOL (but it’s aiight).

After the airport, we went to pick up his wife and kids and headed home to have lunch, which the maid prepared. That’s right, “maid” gurllll, holler! As soon as I was done with lunch I picked up my plate and headed towards the kitchen, but was stopped by Alessandro as he told me to leave it there, the maid will get it. OH I CAN GET USE TO THIS! LOL. After lunch, I had a shot of cachaza and took my much needed afternoon nap but not before showering because I have NOT STOPPED SWEATING!! For those that don’t know, Rio is south of the equator AKA it is summer here while it is winter in the US. I mean my skin feels so thick/moist and my sweat glands apparently have an ON switch. I can totally understand why most people I saw today on the streets were wearing close to nothing and I APPROVE! (teehee)

The day is slowly coming to an end and I am now sitting next to Alessandro blogging away, while he tries to fix this wireless issue we’re having. Ate logo gente!

Last night in the Miami (and country) and WOW!

Lyrics from a classic: "Oh, what a night. Late December back in '63. What a very special time for me, 'Cause I remember what a night….. "

Last night was WOW (I just can’t find the right word to describe it). I mean, WOW!!! Arguably, it ranked on my TOP 3 moments of my life!

The night started out pretty normal. My cousin/brother, Eli, and I went to our favorite spot (dive bar next to Miami airport). I will take a moment to describe this bar because it really is just the best place ever. I do know that other cities have something like this, specifically Chicago near Talena’s crib. So the spot is basically a liquor store with an additional area for dining. You walk right into the liquor side, pick out your bottle and pick a table where a Columbian waitress takes your food order (if you so incline to order solids-LOL). The food they serve is out of control GOOD and the fact that you are paying liquor store prices for your favorite brand, I mean you just can’t beat it. This has been my #1 choice for pre-partying then head to South Beach or downtown Miami/Fort Lauderdale because the bar is strategically located next to a highway entrance and you can get to all nightlife in less than 20 minutes.

We decided this was a special celebration and Johnnie Walker Green Label was in order. Along with 2 empanadas and a churrasco (getting ready for Brazil baby), our night was off to a good start. Slowly but surely the posse began trickling in. Marco, Manu, Janet, Madeline, Roxane, Henry, Johan and China were in attendance, with a brief cameo from Ryan. We had three tables, which were constantly full with bottles of Goose/Walker and an abundance of food. It was a night filled with great stories from both family and friends. The bar closed at 10p.m. and the owner provided a bottle on the house, along with some VIP passes to the local strip joint, HOLLER!!

We lost 4 from the crowd and headed to Hialeah for a quick change in clothes. By now I was pretty much gone because I just don’t do strip clubs but I was leaving to Brazil the following day and decided WHY NOT! Lord only knows where we ended up because it was not only dead, the staff was less than desirable and one of our crew members was beginning to not feel well. Ohhh lordie lord. Manu and I had to get Madeline out of the restroom because she was praying to the porcelain gods. We got in the car and long and behold Manu was sitting on my laps……….

Before I go on, let’s explain who Manu is. Manu a Cuban immigrant and speaks Spanish like he just got off the boat (and if u know me, you know THAT IS SOOO MY TYPE). Manu moved next door to my uncle’s crib a long time ago w/ his family. I have always had a crush on Manu, but alas he was straight and always going out with beautiful girls. Manu is also Eli’s boy, long time friend, both guys are straight and in my mind Manu was just untouched territory. I mean, lately he has been dressing up a lil to metro sexual for my taste but alas when he opens his mouth my heart skips a beat (or two).

…back to sitting on my laps. So since there were six of us riding in a 5 seater, Manu decided to get on my laps. This took me by surprise, despite the light flirting between us throughout the night, because up until now he was sitting on the girls laps. Of course a great jam came on the radio and next thing you know he was jumping up/down my laps. I was so confused it just didn’t make sense, but luckily I was highly intoxicated and went with the flow. Everyone in the car either had a grin on their face or a look of “I knew it”.

And so we lost 3 more members of our crew and now were left with just Eli, Manu and I. We all decided to go to a better strip club, but before heading there we took a quick break at a nearby gas station for some much needed hydration (Gatorade!). Eli and I went in to get the stuff, and I quickly returned to the car to see if I was reading the cards correctly. As soon as I got back, I looked back at him and we began making out. :-O OMG OMG OMG! I was kissing/making out with the man (he’s 6 yrs older than I) whom which I have had a crush since I was in high school. The man I never knew shopped on the gay aisle and has an impeccable body, with the exact accent (Cuban ref) that makes my heart skip a beat, is KISSING ME! But Eli was nearby and we stopped.

Gurlll, you know I am about to jump off some bridge to make this feeling go on! LOL. As soon as I went into strip joint #2, I told Eli and Manu that I am going to the bathroom (giving Manu a wink indicating to follow me). I actually did have to go and did my business, but when I got out he was there waiting for me. That was such a great feeling, especially considering he totally could have dissed me and focused on the nude girls. PS Manu is bi. So we started making out in the hallways, the club was not empty but it wasn’t full either. I wanted more privacy and noticed a black curtain and said lets go in there. STOP- for those strip joint regulars, you clearly know what this room is but I seriously don’t like going to these places nor do I know the layout. Needless to say, 3 security guards said, OUT and out we went ROFLOL. Eli was about to say why are you guys getting…before he could finish his sentence he stopped (at this point I think he was putting 2-and-2 together). I kept on walking outside, Manu followed me and Eli took his sweet little time giving us more KISSING TIME (YAY). Apparently we both lost track of time because before we knew it, Eli caught us kissing and all he could say was I KNEW IT!!!(directed at Manu) So as we got into the car, I was about to get into the front and Manu grabbed my hand and said, no go to the back. I thought, ok I’m guessing you want some private time with Eli and I didn’t think anything of it. But no, I got in the back and he got in behind me giving us WHAT? MORE KISSING TIME! I was literally on CLOUD NINE! Eli drove us home, Manu and I making out in the back and Eli screaming I KNEW IT the entire time.


When we got home, Manu and I wanted more time together and since neither one of us are out to our family or have private quarters, we decided to drive around. At this point, we sobered up a lil, and just drove on the highway with his jeep. We just talked about how we both were interested in each other for years but never crossed the line and of course continued making out. He is such a great kisser! On our way home, we pulled aside on a relatively quiet street. We kept on talking and reminiscing, WOW I still can’t believe I was making out with my childhood crush. After sometime, we noticed a guy screaming get out and we were like, what is he talking about? Then noticing we pulled next to a tow truck with 2 brand new cars (I’m guessing he thought we were trying to steal them). We were like, let’s just go and next thing you know the car is not starting up. Manu said, “we’re out of gas”, so we tried to call Eli and no answer then realizing we had to walk to the gas station.

Before taking the 5th step, 5 police cars blocked us in and we were like, oh boy!! The cops said, why were we there and we told the truth, we ran out of gas. Unfortunately, Manu sounded drunk because of his accent, I still crack up when I hear him talk in English. The cop asked me to put my hands on the cop car and asked where I lived. I said 32nd and 24th. He repeated the question and I repeated the answer. After the 4th try, I gave him my exact address and apparently it’s what he wanted. I’m thinking, why didn’t he ask what my address was – ughhh. Manu was a chatter box and I was constantly telling him to just shut up, they have nothing on us. The cops actually told Manu that he reeked of alcohol and Manu’s response was “but you didn’t see me drive so you can’t do shit”. Ohh but he did ladies/gents. The cops took our IDs and ran it through the system and dismissed us. My guess is that they thought we were trying to steal the cars on the tow truck, but once they determined it wasn’t the case they were done w/ us. And so we walked to the house, woke up Eli, got gas and within the hour everyone was home sleeping. Thank the LORD!

Today, Eli was reminiscing on the past and started to point out various times when Manu did something “gay”. I just kept laughing and seriously, not an hour has past without cracking up thinking of EVERYTHING that happened last night. Talk about a proper send-off. Last night is arguably one of the best nights I have ever had in my life. EVER! As for the boy, I leave today and will not making anything of it. If anything transpires in April then so be it. I am extremely happy with what happened and will leave it at that. Good bye folks, next time you hear from me I will be in RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL BABY!

Hialeah, Allapattah and Superbowl Sunday

This Sunday turned out to be a family day, which is always a fun day! I started out the day hanging out with my mom, aunt and 2 cousins at Casa Ortega (where I’ve been staying out since I left NYC). We chatted “chismotiando” until it was time to visit my uncle’s grave. Till this day, my heart still hurts when I think about his death. He just died June ’08 and everyone is still dealing with his death, both emotionally and financially. On our way to the cemetery, Janet went to buy flowers (which she apparently does on a weekly basis). My cousin (uncle’s son) on the other hand has yet to visit his grave. This just goes to show you that everyone deals with death differently.

The story of my uncle is a unique one for me because my uncle has been the father figure in my life. I lived under his roof for the first 5 yrs of my life, and then we moved blocks away and would always hang out at Casa Ortega. He was always there in my life, unlike my biological father. Ironically, my biological dad died 2 years ago and I experienced a pain unlike no other I’ve encountered in my life. I have been through a lot and nothing could have prepared me for the day I went to the wake and experienced a pain so deep in my heart I couldn’t do anything but scream and cry to make it go away. That been said, I have yet to visit my dad’s grave since the day I carried his xxx to his tombstone. Again, everyone deals with death differently.

After visiting my uncle, the natural next stop would be Hooters for some pre-super bowl activities. LOL. My cousin was inviting and I was all for watching some basketball (hehehe). I was nicely dressed and couldn’t help but notice a few heads turn (both guys and girls – gotta love Miami!). I flirted with the waitress because it’s the least I can do considering she’s wearing close to nothing – HOLLERR. After eating some great buffalo chicken wings, pitchers of bud lights (girl I’m getting ready for brazil-lol) and people watching, we headed back to Hialeah to watch the game. Well my cousins did, I went for some much needed zzz’s.

After waking up, I ate my #1 most favorite dish – Arroz con candules! My aunt makes them just like the natives (Puerto Rican signature dish). And after 3 shots Johnnie Walker Green Label and one shot of the Blue label, I called it a night and slept like a baby. LOL

Monday was another relaxing day and I finally received my W2, the day before I am leaving the country. Talk about perfect timing!

A night out in SoBe and Downtown Miami

It's a good thing I took it easy yesterday during the day because last night was out of control. I was dropped off at great "new" bar on Lincoln Road called Halo. If you're from DC and thought you heard of this place, you are right. The owners of DC's Halo, decided to recreate the success down south and that they did. Halo had quite the mix. On any given corner of the bar, I saw someone in their 50's and their boy toy, a model, fashionista, wannabees, black/white, an exotic indigenous guy and last but certainly not least -ME! LOL.

I went with Johan, who is one of the few card holding members of Halo. I won't say how he got it, but let's just say you will see Halo at least once or 10x on his credit card bill. LOL. If I had to pick a time last night, when I knew it was going to go downhill, it would be 12:00a.m. Why is it that I know the exact time, you say. Well apparently it was one of the bartenders b-day and since Johan is an extended member of the staff there, LOL, we all had bday shots! And the celebrity guest for the evening was PATRON! Needless to say it was literally just downhill from there. I mixed too many liquors, my stomach thought I was just having long island ice teas, HOLLERRR.

Next stop was megaclub in Downtown Miami, now in hindsight, we should have taken cab over but Johan drove and God was watching over us because it was just careless. DRINK/DRIVE don't mix and I should have known better! We got into the club and it was jammed packed with hot latin boys, yay! I was quite the hit because I kept on getting approached, but this was a girl's night out and I wasn't looking to meet anyone. All I wanted to do is JUST DANCE...Just dance, gonna be okay, da da doo-doo-mmmJust dance, spin that record babe, da da doo-doo-mmmJust dance, gonna be okay, d-d-d-danceDance, dance, just, j-j-just dance. LOL, those were the lyrics from my favorite song! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M65zI9LH-as

And dance I did, from the hip-hop room to the house side, from ground floor to stage. I really had a blast, thanks Johan! Now I did meet a boy last night, but was turned off when he said, "Hi my name.....I make $120k...I'm about to be offered a great job....". I'm like, whatever happened to "Hi, how's it going?" -ughhh.. He went on to say how he just got divorced 6 months ago and is exploring his new found sexuality. He actually had an interesting story, he and his wife hung out with another couple. He was never attracted to guys until he met this couple and he and the guy started hanging out a lot. That eventually lead to them having sex, but it didn't last because the couple moved back to Argentina. I find his story facinating because he's now 29 and "coming" out and I've been out since my teens. I just can't imagine living a double life and only feel sorry for people that do.

Well I didn't get home until 6:30a.m. and was up by 10a.m. mainly because my body woke me up and said, "Good Morrrrrrrrrrrrning! you liver is about to collapse, please drink some water...Thanks" LOL. I took my aunt to church and went to Hialeah to get some good Cuban treats (and some food too, teehee) and visit the family. On my way to Vicky's bakery, great spot for any tourists coming through Miami, I was listening to a gospel radio station and before I decided to change stations I listened in. It spoke about change and how some people feel like it's the end of the world when a drastic change occurs in our lives.

I started to think about my life and how life has changed since unemployed. What if I don't get into any schools, what will become of my life. I can't tell you how many times I've been told, don't worry you'll get in.... But you know what, I JUST MIGHT NOT! I have friends that applied to the first round in Oct '08 and they were rejected. This is the toughest year, EVER, to apply and/or get accepted into B-school. So yeah, I'm scared right about now. I also have some friends that have been invited for interview already and I haven't heard a peep.

But right when I feel like I'm about to lose control, I remember who is the one driving and then I feel a little better. If I don't get into school, then it wasn't meant to be and I just have to continue searching for my purpose in life. I can't worry about the things I can't control, all I can do is act/react/learn/listen and leave the rest to God.