Listography and Graffiti

It's strange because I never thought I was one to be so organized. My earliest memory of anything remotely "list-ish" is when I had to fill out 100 things I wanted to do before I die in 8th Grade. I've since lost that list, but there are a couple of things that I do have; I thought I would share.....

Latin American Places to Visit
I feel that I should present this with my reasoning. When I was a kid, I always knew I was Mexican. My father made sure my brother and I were proud of our roots, but as I grew older I realized there was more to it than a sense of pride for your culture. Within our own cultures we stereotype and reject one another for being too dark or too light (mostly too light!) I don't think it should be about that.... I think that if we all supported one another as a group, we could achieve great things. So, I decided to embark on a journey at the age of twenty that would lead me to the insatiable desire to experience all, or at least most, Latin American culture.

The Latino America Travel List:
1. Mexico - check
2. Guatemala
3. El Salvador
4. Honduras
5. Costa Rica - Check
6. Panama
7. Nicaragua - Check
8. Columbia
9. Uruguay
10. Paraguay
11. Peru - Check
12. Ecuador
13. Argentina - Check
14. Chile - Check
15. Bolivia - Check
16. Domincan Republic
17. Cuba
18. Puerto Rico

I suppose I could always discuss the lands I've visited, or share pictures with you...but mostly, I think you should understand what a dream it is for me to visit a foreign land. It's like a rush of fresh air in my veins every time I start to land into a foreign land. Sometimes a surreal feeling comes over me as I wander the cities and try to experience every aspect of a place. Traveling is much more to me than a vacation; it is an exploration. I am very found of Paolo Coelho, so let me share with you my favorite quote. It is very simple: "Beautiful places are meant to be explored."

Listography is somewhat of a new form of expression for me. I've always been one to journal and write down places I'd like to go. However, I never thought of having one binder or place to place all these lists. It's almost a refreshing idea. I have created a few and I am very excited to be able to check a couple of them off. Instead of always getting a new sheet of paper and losing it, I now keep all my lists in one spot. I can write freely, or rather, list freely.

Another thing I've listed is Places to Dine:
1. Jim Danny @ Sacramento, CA
2. Tito's Market @ El Monte
3. Chimichurri @ Santa Ana
4. Surati Farsan @ Artesia
5. Foo Foo Tei @ Hacienda Heights
6. Mirabelle @ West Hollywood
7. Babita @ San Gabriel

There's a bunch more, but I encourage you to try new things. You never know when you'll find something that you love.

Thoughts on Graffiti
Another thing I've been viewing is this website about a graffiti artist who draw the Monopoly man all over L.A. I would love to give you the website, but I am not sure I should. I, by no means, promote vandalism. However, I think this street artist makes some valid points about some forms of graffiti being artwork. There is a big difference between "tagging" and "graffiti." Tagging seems so oppressive to me - emotionally. You have to "tag" to claim your space or feel power. How can a person be free or powerful if they aren't creative, but merely vandalizing? Is tagging to incite fear or make a claim really beneficial to society? I think not. Plus, it's really annoying. Does anyone really care that you can write your name and make it look like 3 year old wrote it? Aren't we a little past that state in life?

Graffiti art is much deeper. It's about getting your message across and inciting discussion. Letting your creativity express a different take on the world. Instead of fighting for space or power, it's pure expression. I only wish there was a more accessible manner for these artists. It's a shame that we, as a society, allow the entertainment and business industries regulate what is popular. It makes many people, who are much more talented, fall behind in the shadows. Some of these people might even have a real message to give us. What happened to all the people that wanted to give us a voice though music and art? Now all I hear is stuff about sex, drugs and violence. Either that or some pompous artist discussing how grandiose they are. Sure, we like to dance to this music... but it's not like it really makes this a better world. We're really just putting money in the industry's pockets. Yet, I almost wonder if being in the shadows carries more of an impact. Maybe the whole appeal to being underground is that it's secret.

It brings people together to know we share something in common. Maybe that's why we visit new lands, new restaurants and new forms of expression because it gives us something to share with others. In sharing, perhaps, we find deeper connections with people. I like the sound of that.