Everyone loves a new toy on Christmas Day. A week later, however, most toys are discarded in favor of something new or something better. The true test of a new toy is if you’re still in love with it a week later.

It’s three weeks since I got the new Blackberry Z-10 and I know this is a deep and abiding love. I find new things every day and make my life easier and more efficient. I love efficiency and order like some people love ice cream – with a passion. The service from Verizon I am loving more each day as well. It’s fast, I never run into those weird little patches of town with no service and well, efficient. The service and the phone work together to be a pretty awesome team.

Here are some of the things I adore about the phone that I didn’t find upon my first giddy unwrapping and playing with it:
There’s this neat little magnifying glass thing that cursors over your text when you are editing. It really, really helps. Texters know how hard it is to get to just the right spot to fix a typo when you’re on a phone. That magnifying glass thing is a life saver.

I live in a Northeastern part of Los Angeles where there typical are problems with cell phone service. Eagle Rock and Mt. Washington are hilly, and for years I’ve had problems in both areas with patchy service. My service is excellent with Verizon now; even in the patchiest areas of these two problematic areas.

I travel on the subways and buses; and get jostled a lot by fellow commuters as well aspotholes in the roads, which typically means whatever I am doing on my cell phone gets flipped around, a page gets turned, screen rotation goes wacky…whatever. Not so with the Blackberry. It’s a solid, calm and steady device and breezes through lots of bouncing without getting confused. IF ever a phone had a personality, this one’s would be 007 cool and collected.

Ok, this isn’t a feature of the phone per se, but I adore it anyway. Neatly is a Twitter app for Blackberry and it’s the best darned Twitter client I’ve ever used and I’ve used them all. It gives me STATS, it gives me hashtags, it updates super quick and I can quickly scroll through my social media stream. Love that the Blackberry introduced me to it. I’m now testing out Blaq and am loving that as well

I went out and bought headphones for the phone to test the audio and it is crystal-clear. Music, movies, phone calls – all are wonderfully clear.
I’m finding out more I love about the phone every day. I think it’s getting serious.

Make sure to check out Verizon’s fabulous promo here – you can still win this fabulous phone!

Disclosure: I am a member of the Verizon Wireless Lifestyle Program which gives me free access to mobile technology and other benefits. I was compensated for this post. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I very recently got my electronic-grasping hands on the new Blackberry Z10 and was immediately impressed by how light weight it was. My old phone is much smaller, yet seems to weigh a ton in comparison. After first being a little disconcerted by the weightlessness of the phone, I fell in love. The momentary lapse was because it almost felt unreal, it was that light. The love came from the fact that I’m a commuter who travels from Eastern Los Angeles to the Westside via Metro. My daily commute involves two trains and a bus and takes about an hour. I carry a bag full of necessities: smartphone, tablet, paperback in case e-reading isn’t on the agenda that day, lunch, my office shoes, cosmetics, notebooks and pens (yes I still take handwritten notes) and a camera. I know, I know, both smartphone and tablet have cameras…but still, just in case. Needless to say, this stuff weighs on me so a super light phone is a true pleasure.

Once I got past the weightlessness of the phone, I set it up and was truly impressed by the ease of everything. Verizon and Blackberry made it incredibly simple to add my social media accounts and pull in contacts from email accounts. Everything was there. I’m no stranger to new phone setups and this was by far the easiest. Simple is good, especially when you’re a busy and rushed person who hates reading instructions and prefers to figure things out on the fly by doing.

I am loving the Blackberry Hub, wherein all my notifications reside. It pulls together all notifications from email, Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter, etc. and I am loving have all that in one place. AND I found the overall speed of the phone and browser to be very fast, almost instant. Videos load quickly and the resolution is great. Audio is very clear. In a future post I will share with you all the other features I love but for now, I need to tell you that YOU CAN WIN big WITH this campaign:

Tweet to Win Two 4GLTE BlackBerry Z10 Smartphones

All you have to do is tell us why you must have it using #DameELBBZ10 and you will be automatically entered to win the grand prize WITH FREE SERVICE that includes Share Everything Plan con Mexico!!

http://www.verizoninsider.com/bbz10

So go ahead and enter and Join us THIS WEEK on Wednesday May 1st for a special Twitter Party on #DameELBBZ10 to win a great prize! Party starts at 6pm PST – don’t miss it!

Be sure to check out more info on this fabulous phone check out the device website here and Verizon for more about the promotion here.  Also, to get an in-depth, insiders view of this feature-packed phone, don’t miss this link with tons of pics and screenshots.

Disclosure: I am a member of the Verizon Wireless Lifestyle Program which gives me free access to mobile technology and other benefits. I was compensated for this post. The opinions expressed here are my own.

One of the many things I loved about my Grandma Lupe was her vast knowledge of herbal lore. She had a remedio/remedy for everything that ailed us and could tell us the stories of each leaf, petal and plant. Her gardens were filled with not only flowers, but herbs and plants that were known to be healing and full of goodness as well as the recipes of what could be made with each. She instilled in me, early on, a love for nature and a love for the stories about them. In the back garden, my grandfather grew his vegetables and fruits as well as a few things my grandmother needed for her salsas, like chiles and cilantro. Going towards the patio, was a beautiful bay laurel tree where she picked her fresh bay leaves.

When my grandfather grew corn, he grew it far in the back near the fence and the slender green stalks grew tall. Like most kids, I loved corn and couldn’t wait for those tender ears to be put into a pot of soup or just boiled and served with butter. I loved helping shuck the corn and pulling the green leaves off. The tangly cornsilk was put carefully to the side. It was my grandmother’s sure-fire method of cleaning out kidneys. She swore it was good for the riñones (kidneys) and saved the silk of the corn. Some, she boiled right away into a pale, vaguely corn-tasting tea that she sweetened with honey. The rest, she’d dry and them carefully put away in her pantry for later.

I don’t know if it’s good for kidneys and kidney infections. I’m not a doctor or pharmacist. I have no scientific backing for it. All I have was my grandmother’s absolute certainty that God put cornsilk in corn to be used for tea that helped you clean out your kidneys. She couldn’t be far wrong if I pay attention to the fact that every Latino spice section has a carefully coiled up, dried skein of cornsilk for sale in little bags. Heck, even Amazon sells the bags of it.

It tastes good and I do as my grandmother did, carefully stripping the silk from the ears, putting it to dry and saving it for future cups of tea. Like my grandmother, I tell my grandchildren that it’s good for your kidneys and I make them a cup from the fresh silk as I cook their corn.

Té de barba de elote/Cornsilk tea

A handful of cornsilk, fresh or dried
Enough water to almost fill a 1 1/2 qt saucepan
Honey to taste

Bring the water to a boil and add the cornsilk. Lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.
Sweeten to taste and that’s it. A delicious and possibly healthful tea. It’s delicious iced too.

*Once again, I am not a health professional.  I am not saying this will heal you or in any way prescribe it. 

I invited you in my last post and I told you it was going to be fun.  That was a huge understatement.

I left work a little early and hopped a Blue Line train  meet my cousin Julia and friend Sharon for a little USA/Mexico soccer action at the Long Beach Futsal facility in Signal Hill.  I ended up getting on the slowest train EVER.  Seriously, Metro…what WERE you thinking when you designed that line?  It drove me crazy because traffic was moving faster than the train.  Seriously.  Oh, and there was the oddest thing…somewhere near Compton or maybe Wardlow, there was a guy riding a horse alongside the tracks.  Really.  I finally did get to my destination and my cousin Julia and friend Sharon were already waiting so we headed down to Signal Hill and I don’t quite know what I was expecting, but the line around the building was kind of surprising.

We could hear the vuvuzelas from the street and I swore I heard…no was that mariachis?  YES!  Mariachi music was coming from somewhere inside.  That was definitely Guadalajara I was hearing.

While my cousin went to park her truck I headed in and was pretty amazed by the size of this place.  It’s huge.  The place was already packed and there was a huge line outside.  The Telcel Chicas were busily handing out thundersticks and vuvuzelas; kids were running around and everywhere there were smiles.

Once inside, I immediately spotted the mariachis on stage and got really happy.  I love good mariachi music and there is something about charro costumes that make me sigh happily.  I don’t think there’s a Mexican woman on the planet that doesn’t sigh happily at a handsome mariachi.

Alongside on wall was a long table set up with chafing dishes full of rice, beans, taquitos, chips, salsas…and more.  My cousin found beer and tequila being served.  We were, of course carded.  I got busy taking pictures and honestly, I couldn’t stop because there was so much going on.  It felt like watching a game in a huge stadium and everyone was excited, happy and involved.  There were giveaways and prizes and a lot of joking around.  There was even some gangnam style dancing to…mariachi music.  It was great.  More than a few people had their faces painted and I saw at least three Chicharito shirts in the crowd.

The game ended 0-0 which irked me because I didn’t get to hear “GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL” not even once, but still, it was the best time I’ve had in a long time and certainly the best way to watch a soccer game.

World cup with TelcelUSA?  I’ll go to any of their parties.

This is a sponsored post. Telcel America is sponsoring the above mentioned event, and is also the sponsor for this post on DLK. To learn more about Telcel America visit them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter @TelcelAmerica.

Because I sure am. Tuesday night, I’m headed out to Long Beach for what looks to be an awesome viewing party hosted by Telcel. I’m taking my primita, Julia and her roomie and we’re hoping to have a blast. GOALLLLL!

The gente at Telcel are so nice, they’re inviting my readers along for the fun. You know Telcel, they provide great cell phone service, so head on down to Long Beach, bring the familia and come hang out. Husbands, make sure you don’t drool over the Telcel chicas in front the esposa, or I expect a chanclaso or two will be in order. Did I mention the event was FREE? So come on down. There’s free comida, prizes and what is sure to be a great game. Oyen, make sure you leave me a comment if you plan on attending so I can make sure to find you and say hi. Also, please check out the links below and follow our friends Telcel on Facebook and Twitter. If you tweet about the event, use the hashtag #TelcelUSA so I can find the best ones and include them in a post-event blog post with your Twitter handle credited. See you at the game!  I won’t be hard to find.  I’ll be the loca screaming like a banshee and Tweeting so hard, I go to Twitter jail.

MEXICO-USA WORLD CUP SOCCER EXPERIENCE
COMES TO LOS ANGELES
Telcel AMERICA to Show “El Gran Juego” on Giant Screens
for Fans at Local Sports Venue
LOS ANGELES, CA (March 20, 2013) – In what is expected to be one of the most widely viewed sporting events of the year, CONCACAF powerhouses and archrivals Mexico and the United States will face off in the third match of the final round of World Cup qualifiers next Tuesday at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. In Los Angeles, Telcel AMERICA is bringing the experience to life for fans at an event featuring giant screens at a local sports complex.
Doors will open at 6 pm at the Long Beach Futsal in Signal Hill, where soccer enthusiasts will enjoy free food, music and the opportunity to win numerous gifts including Mexican National Soccer Team jerseys, vuvuzelas and Android Smart Phones, all while watching the match on a giant screen at no charge and courtesy of Telcel AMERICA. The well-known “Chicas Telcel” will also be on hand to serve as hostesses and give out prizes, while popular Latino bloggers will post and live Tweet the festivities for the audiences on social media.

Telcel AMERICA Presents: Mexico vs USA “El Gran Juego en Pantalla Gigante”
Free and Open to the Public
Tuesday, March 26th, 6:00 to 9:00 pm
Long Beach Futsal
2953 Obispo Avenue
Signal Hill, CA 90755
Information: (312) 492-6424

About Telcel AMERICA
Telcel AMERICA (HYPERLINK “http://www.telcelamerica.com/”http://www.telcelamerica.com/) is a new prepaid wireless service in the U.S. offering the latest Android and other phones, with plans providing unlimited local and long-distance calling in the U.S., and unlimited calling to landlines in Mexico. Telcel AMERICA also offers unlimited SMS and data, as well as mobile-to-mobile calling from the U.S. to Mexico. Telcel AMERICA’s service is provided by TracFone Wireless, Inc., the leading “no-contract” cellular service provider in the U.S. with over 23 million subscribers.

MEXICO-USA WORLD CUP SOCCER EXPERIENCE
COMES TO LOS ANGELES

Telcel AMERICA to Show “El Gran Juego” on Giant Screens
for Fans at Local Sports Venue

LOS ANGELES, CA (March 20, 2013) – In what is expected to be one of the most widely viewed sporting events of the year, CONCACAF powerhouses and archrivals Mexico and the United States will face off in the third match of the final round of World Cup qualifiers next Tuesday at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. In Los Angeles, Telcel AMERICA is bringing the experience to life for fans at an event featuring giant screens at a local sports complex.

Doors will open at 6 pm at the Long Beach Futsal in Signal Hill, where soccer enthusiasts will enjoy free food, music and the opportunity to win numerous gifts including Mexican National Soccer Team jerseys, vuvuzelas and Android Smart Phones, all while watching the match on a giant screen at no charge and courtesy of Telcel AMERICA. The well-known “Chicas Telcel” will also be on hand to serve as hostesses and give out prizes, while popular Latino bloggers will post and live Tweet the festivities for the audiences on social media.

Telcel AMERICA Presents: Mexico vs USA “El Gran Juego en Pantalla Gigante”
Free and Open to the Public
Tuesday, March 26th, 6:00 to 9:00 pm
Long Beach Futsal
2953 Obispo Avenue
Signal Hill, CA 90755
Information: (312) 492-6424

About Telcel AMERICA
Telcel AMERICA (HYPERLINK “http://www.telcelamerica.com/”http://www.telcelamerica.com/) is a new prepaid wireless service in the U.S. offering the latest Android and other phones, with plans providing unlimited local and long-distance calling in the U.S., and unlimited calling to landlines in Mexico. Telcel AMERICA also offers unlimited SMS and data, as well as mobile-to-mobile calling from the U.S. to Mexico. Telcel AMERICA’s service is provided by TracFone Wireless, Inc., the leading “no-contract” cellular service provider in the U.S. with over 23 million subscribers.

Ricky Gomez, Shares Tips for Preparing Perfect cocktails for this holiday season

The holiday season is all about sharing and celebrating with friends and family. However, holiday entertaining can sometimes be very stressful, but don’t fret. Ricky Gomez, 2012 U.S. World Class Bartender of the Year, shares some useful tips to help you make your next holiday party unforgettable, using a very popular spirit—whisky.

Setting the Stage with Whisky

Whisky is an ideal drink for the holidays because its caramel and vanilla undertones go hand-in-hand with the season and can be mixed with many other popular holiday ingredients to make delicious cocktails.

Choosing the Right Whisky for the Holidays

Choosing the right whisky is a personal decision based on price, whisky preference and how it will be used. Set your budget first and then think about how you will be serving it. Will it be served neat, on the rocks or as a mixed cocktail? Once you decide, you can explore the various types of whiskies. There are endless sources to get you started, but nothing beats sampling different whiskeys over time and making your own choice. For example, Buchanan’s features four different types of whiskies: DeLuxe, Master, Special Reserve and Red Seal. Each whisky varies with age, appearance, taste and finish; and each one can be enjoyed differently, depending on individual characteristics.

Adding Mixers to the Mix

Ginger ale, ginger beer, apple cider and water are excellent holiday mixers that pair very well with whisky. Ginger, whether it’s in the form ginger ale or ginger beer, is a great palate cleanser that reminds the drinker of the holidays and entices you to have another sip. Another holiday great is apple cider, which is carried by most grocery stores during the season and in some cases you can get spiced versions. However, one of the most underrated mixers is water. Just a little bit of water can open up a whiskey and allow you to taste many more characteristics that may have gone unnoticed without the water.

Pairing Cocktails with Appetizers

Anytime you serve cocktails, you should also serve some simple bites to go with it. Keep the flavors on the light side so that guests don’t burn out their palates on the first course. Remember, this is the aperitif course, so think of ingredients that will get guests ready to eat. Some favorites include shrimp cocktail, bruschettas and nuts.

Keeping Everyone Safe

Throw a holiday party responsibly. Make sure you remind guests to keep eating as they drink, and offer water and non-caffeinated drinks for guests to alternate with to stay hydrated. Most importantly, remind them to get home safely by walking, catching a cab, or getting a ride home with a designated driver.

For more tips and cocktail recipes from Buchanan’s, visit www.facebook.com/BuchanansUS and click LIKE

Drink Responsibly

If tequila is not your thing and champagne bubbles hurt your head, you might want to try toasting the New Year with something a little smoother.

This Season….

Johnnie Walker invites you to explore a selection of gift ideas from its portfolio of exceptional whiskeys.  From the highly-anticipated return of a limited edition blend to the opportunity to personalize a rare bottle of whiskey, Johnnie Walker offers you a three gift ideas that will show how much you value your family, friends and colleagues.

Johnnie Walker Black Label

The cornerstone of the House of Walker, This Powerful blend defines Scotch whisky and makes a bold statement as a gift. (Suggested retail price $34)

Johnnie Walker Double Black

Back by popular demand, the signature style of Black Label has been amplified by Master Blender Jim Beverage to create an even smokier, richer whiskey. This blend will make a big impact on both whiskey aficionados and individuals who appreciate big flavors. (Suggested retail price $40)

Johnnie Walker Blue Label

Blended from the rarest of whiskeys available to the Master Blender, this already rare gift becomes truly one of a kind with custom bottle engraving. The complementary service is available nationally year-round at I-877-Spirits.com and New York City’s Grand Central Terminal during the month of December. We’ve included this “Engravers Journal” to get thinking about what you would engrave on a bottle of this exceptional whiskey. (Suggested retail price $220)

Product information and fact sheets are included on the enclosed drive. Please contact us with any questions.

Drink Responsibly

Johnnie Walker® Blended Scotch Whisky. © 2012 Imported By Dego, Norwalk, CT.

No, not the song.

But seriously, what are you drinking this holiday season? Better yet, what are you gifting?

At Christmas time, I love finding special bottles of liquor fro friends and family. That special bottle that will sit in pride of place for a while before they drink it. The one whose bottle is so gorgeous people keep it long after the spirits are gone. Most of all, I love giving out tequila. Go to Elodia’s and Frank’s empty handed over the holiday season? No way! I’m taking tequila instead of that bottle of wine. For my son that has everything and who is so hard to shop for, say no more – I’m sending him a good bottle of aged tequila. For my margarita loving comadres…tequila of course!

Are you a tequila novice and wondering what kind to get? Well read on chicos, because I have the perfect gift for the tequila lovers on your Christmas list.

Make a lasting impression this holiday season with culture and contemporary art as seen in the latest Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia bottle!

Every year, Jose Cuervo and Tequila Reserva de la Familia offer famous Mexican artists the opportunity to create original artwork for its packaging. Each Reserva de la Familia box is made of wood and features the artwork of renowned Mexican artists. This provides a unique experience for consumers to enjoy the one-of-a-kind taste of Jose Cuervo’s finest tequila, and an opportunity for tequila lovers to share a unique gift with family and friends.

For the 2012 collection, Mexican artist, Ricardo Pinto, has been chosen to feature his artwork on the box for the special edition of Reserva de la Familia Extra Añejo. Pinto is known for recreating the architecture, urbanity and temporal scope of the everyday life of Mexico City through a “very personal and intimate” approach. This is showcased throughout three Jose Cuervo Reserva de la Familia boxes that provide a visual richness between his unique style and modern graphics. Each bottle of Reserva de la Familia is bottled by hand, hence its limited production, and its SRP is $159.99.

Reserva de la Familia is the result of over 200 years of heritage and tradition. It is the first ultra-premium tequila that provides an authentic experience for the palate. Jose Cuervo produces it by hand using an exclusive method consisting of the finest agaves aged between 10 and 12 years old, fully ripe and extracted from the best farms. Experience it best by sipping it neat or on the rocks, with a twist of lemon.

So what are you waiting for? Support Mexican art and make someone (maybe yourself) very happy by grabbing one of these gorgeous bottles of my favorite liquor – TEQULA. AJUA! (Imagine Mariachi music)…

Lightlife’s vegetable farm–brand known for its delicious and tasty vegetarian recipes and meals–as envisioned in their new cute and fun video titled: “What if Lightlife Had a Farm”, portraying a farm inhabited by animals made entirely out of vegetables.

Bimbo, the leading baked goods company in the Americas, with a presence in 18 countries in the Americas, Europe and Asia, invites the scientific community to participate, for the fourth time, in the Bimbo Pan-American Nutrition, Food Science and Technology Award. This award, established since 2004, is part of the .Committed to Your Health. program and addresses the company.s concern to improve the health and nutrition of the population by furthering scientific research.

This Award will be a recognition to the best research papers published during 2011 or 2012 before the close of this invitation, completed in the field of Human Nutrition or Food Science and Technology in the youth and professional categories, for each of the four participating geographical zones, granting a total of 16 awards. These papers should be submitted in English or Spanish.

The invitation will remain open from April 16th, 2012 to August 17th 2012. Click here to register.

In order to determine the zone for each paper, the country to which the institution conducting the investigation belongs to, will be considered.