Selena (1971-1995)

In the early 1990s, Selena Quintanilla-Perez was a rising star on the Tejano music scene. By 1995, she had won a grammy and had a slew of hits including "Como La Flor", "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom", "Amor Prohibido" and "No Me Queda Mas". She was just about to make a transition into the English-language market when she was senselessly murdered by the president of her fan club.

That fateful day was March 31st, 1995 and today marks the 15th anniversary of Selena's death.

There are so many things absolutely wrong about the circumstances in which she died. The person who killed her was reported to be her biggest fan, a trusted employee and a family friend. She turned out to be an obsessive opportunistic thief who was embezzling money from Selena.

At the time of her death, Selena  was just shy of her 24th birthday and was pregnant with the child of her husband of 3 years, Chris Perez. She was in the middle of recording an English-language album and never finished.

Selena was one of those rare gems. A truly genuine person with a big heart. She was always smiling and laughing, she charmed everyone with her bubbly personality, she was beautiful and talented.

I was 14 years old when Selena was murdered and since then Selena has become a very important part of my life. In a way she was a role model and now as an adult, when I watch video of Selena I see how much of her I emulate to this day.

1) Selena's Smile and Laugh - It was infectious. She was always breaking into a huge smile and had a full-bodied laugh. You'll find me smiling and laughing every day, even on my most depressing days.

2) Selena's hair - Earlier in her career, she wore a very short hair cut but then proceeded to grow it out very long. She boasted long curls down to the middle of her back or she wore her hair straing and long with big bangs that covered her forehead. I could never pull of the bangs (believe me I tried) but everytime I cut my hair to my shoulders I would always long for it to grow out. Also, Selena and I both boast Spanish bangs, those little tufts of hair that crown the forehead. She would sometimes wear a Busca-novio a flirtatious little swirl of hair pasted to her forehead. So Latina!

3) Selena's look - She always looked put together. Hair, make-up, nails, jewelry, clothes, etc. I always strive to look my best. You would have never caught Selena out in public in a sweatshirt and sweatpants.

4) Selena's Religious Upbringing - Both Selena and I were raised as Jehovah's Witnesses. Her parents and my mother were only believer but not real followers. I think this affected us in two ways. It gave us an innocence and youthfulness that came with the overprotection that the religion provides. We never really had to grow up. Also, it made us stick to our morals and get us out of trouble. Since Selena died at the age of 24, it didn't affect her adversely as it did me now at the age of 29. I left the religion long ago and I wonder if Selena would have done the same.

5) Selena's bodytype - I can't attribute this to her but we do share a similar body type. Selena had an hourglass figure with a fine bosom, a butt so big that even JLo had to pad hers to match it in the Selena biopic, and robust thighs. My Lebanese heritage makes me carry a bit more around the middle whereas Selena's waist was always super tiny. Selena's shape was a lot more attractive than mine but I like to think in ways we are similar and to me that's a big deal.

6) Selena's work ethic and charm - Selena was driven and motivated and had an amazing career by the age of 24. I can't attribute my work ethic to Selena (I get mine from my parents) but I have always admired her for it. I have always wanted to emulate her people skills. There is a famous story of Selena traveling to Mexico to meet music executives and journalists. Even though Selena sang Spanish-language songs, she wasn't fluent in the language and her father was particularly nervous that his daughter would make a bad impression. You know what Selena did? She went up to each and every executive/journalist, gave them a kiss and a handshake and introduced herself. They were so impressed with her warmth and her friendliness that when she fumbled with her Spanish they couldn't care less.

7) Selena's musical upbringing - Like the Jackson 5, Selena's father put his children to work at a very early age creating music. I played the violin from the age of 7 up until the age of 14 or so. My parents pushed me to excel in music and taught me that practice makes perfect. Selena and I both had to practice our music even when we would rather go outside and play. I didn't have musical talent but Selena did.

Selena broke my heart 15 years ago and today my heart is still broken. For the past few weeks, I've thought about the big gaping hole Selena's death left in this world. You know how people say that the world is because certain people are in it? I say that the world is worse without Selena's presence. At least we have the memories to hold on to.
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"No Me Queda Mas" is my favorite song/music video by Selena. I couldn't embed so please make sure you click on this link and watch the video on YouTube. It's a great ballad, it showcases Selena's amazing vocal skills and you get a little taste of her personality.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pVdNR3VAfE

25 Books Latinas Should Read Challenge

In order to get myself reading more books and to get more in tune with my Latin roots, I am taking the challenge posted my Literanista. This year I will try to read all the books on the 25 Books Latinas Should Read list created by Latina magazine and posted on Literanista.

The books are:

1.The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende

2.One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

3.In The Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez

4.When I Was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago

5.Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes

6.Kiss of the Spider Woman by Manuel Puig

7.Death in the Andes by Mario Vargas Llosa

8.Hopscotch by Julio Cortázar

9.The Labrynth of Solitude by Octavio Paz

10.The Death of Artemio Cruz by Carlos Fuentes

11.Like Water For Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

12.The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho

13.Las Peliculas De Mi Vida by Alberto Fuguet

14.The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

15.The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

16.Compañero: The Life and Death of Che Guevara by Jorge G. Castaneda

17.A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn

18.The Aleph by Jorge Luis Borges

19.Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in the United States by Juan Gonzalez

20.Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair by Pablo Neruda

21.The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

22.Dreaming in Cuban by Cristina Garcia

23.The Decapitated Chicken and Other Stories by Horacio Quiroga

24.Pedro Paramo by Juan Rulfo

25.Men of Maize by Miguel Angel Asturias

 

A few of the books are out of print, so I may replace some with other titles. Right now I have Julia Alvarez's In the Name of Salome as a back-up.

 

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I want to revive this defunct personal blog and use it as a platform to talk about and review the books I'm reading during this challenge. I hope you'll follow my adventure!