Dígame Guelo,
Espero que todo este bien alla arriba en el cielo. Que Dios te alla recibido con brazos abiertos. Que te allas reunido con tu familia y seres queridos que habías perdido mientras estabas aquí con nosotros y, que hayas recibido a los que han llegado después de ti con mucho amor.
¿Que le puedo decir de la familia? La Doña, ahí volviéndose loca tratando de cuidar a todo el mundo. Pero ella se goza cada momento so hay que dejarla tranquila. Tu hijo e hijas, se nos están poniendo viejitos todos. De ves en cuando se nos enferman, pero gracias a Dios, todavía están todos con nosotros. Tus nietos, usted sabe, de ves en cuando chocamos con uno al otro, pero eso es todo de cariño. Y como siempre es la situación, todo el lío es solo por el momento y con el tiempo nos arreglaremos.
Usted siempre nos enseño que familia es muy importante – ¡lo mas importante! No hay persona o situaciones que llegue a una familia como la nuestra y la divida. Guelo, usted era la pega que nos mantenía unidos. Y esa personalidad y lección fue unas de las muchas cosas que nos incrustaste en nuestra mentes y nuestro corazones.
Seis años después de tu partida, tu querida familia Mora o los Momónes – como nos han apodado – seguimos siendo la misma familia fuerte que viste crecer de la unión suya y Guela hace 57 años. ¡Un poquito magullada pero fuerte aun!
Te queremos mucho, Momónsito. Le pedimos a Dios que nos lo cuide a usted alla en el cielo como sabemos que usted le pide a El que nos cuide aquí en la tierra.
O, y excúseme si mi español is not very good looking. Ja!
Con mucho respeto y amor,
Emmanuel “Joancito” Ureña Mora
And I’m not being cocky
‘Cause I worked my way up
And even though it hurt, Never gave up
Went from handin’ out flyers [in Times Square]
To number one [tattoo] major, [Now], I [barely] respond back
I’m about dollaz, hold your two centz save [it] up
Dropped my first [cover] Never rocked in my life
Did everything on my own. Wrote the [article], [edited twice]
Picked the [talent]. All night, stayed up, got it right.
Minimal help. Felt alone. Now you got a problem? Right.
‘Cuz it’s [Urban Ink], the team is here
It’s a new day with me this year
Be clear, I’m focused
Best coaches, way too many [deetz]
[Macbook Pro] machines and way too much heat
Still grounded. Never been way up in the sky
Workaholic, still spend days inside
[Kasino] you can Never break me, I move wise
And thats ‘til the day I die , oh my God!
DEDICATED TO MY FIRST COVER STORIES:
As I observed my timeline on a few social media sites for the past few days, I noticed a lot of folks sounding like Valentine Ebenezers. I saw comical pictures of guns pointed at Cupid and the not-so funny images of broken, black hearts posted as a representation of the individual’s feelings towards today’s holiday. Personally, I don’t see myself being a Valentine hater—or a hater of love for that matter.
I can’t say that I blame some of you “Valentine/Love haters.” Everyone goes through heartbreak—EVERYONE! It’s inevitable. Also, I don’t know everyone’s situation, so I can’t fault some of you for feeling sour on V-Day. However, spoiling it for those who embrace the holiday with your bitterness is not a good look—at all.
I don’t have a Valentine either. Man, come to think of it, it’s been quite a while since I had a Valentine—and that last one was actually a Valentine booty call. Surprisingly enough, I was the one who got the call. {Insert “Woot! Woot!” here} I didn’t even have anything to give homegirl—I mean, I gave her something (ahem) but not candy and roses. Ha! However, I digress. Hahaha! Okay, back to my ramble. My last relationship ended unpleasantly and abruptly—but I still appreciate days like today, and the thought of being in love and expressing that love to your significant other. It’s a beautiful thing.
Don’t say that you hate love—say that you’re afraid of it. I feel you, though. Still to this day, I’m petrified by love, which is something I need to work on. However, I can’t say that I hate it. Love didn’t fuck me over, the person I loved did—and in some instances, I did it to myself. Blaming love for your misfortunes is an easy copout; and seriously, does it help you any to go around spewing your venom?
I guess what I’m trying to say is that you shouldn’t close yourself off to love—or be bitter towards it either—because that’ll just cloud your judgment and you may miss out on a good thing. Open up your hearts and minds. Oh, and stop ragging on the lovers celebrating today—no matter how obnoxious they get. Believe it or not, the day will come when you’ll seem as annoying to someone else on Valentine’s.
Happy Valentine’s Day to all of the lovers, the singles, and I the undercover lovers posing as haters! We see you! Ha! <3
[Ahem] Alright, lets pretend [Emmanuel Ureña] never picked up a pen.
Lets pretend things would have been no different.
Pretend he procrastinated had no motivation.
Pretend he just made excuses that were so paper thin they could blow away with the wind.
[E-Man], you’re never gonna make it, makes no sense to play the game, there ain’t no way that you’ll win.
Pretend he just stayed outside all day and [drank] with his friends.
Pretend he even had [that many friends] to say [they were] his friend[s].
And it wasn’t time to move and schools were changing again.
He wasn’t socially awkward and just strange as a kid.
He had a father [that actually gave a] shit!
And he never dreamed he could rip [articles] and [was] just lazy as shit!
Fuck [an internship in a magazine], bitch, you won’t amount to shit! Quit daydreaming, kid.
You need to get your cranium checked. You’re thinking like an alien, it just ain’t realistic.
Now pretend they just make him angry with this shit, and there was no one he could even aim when he’s pissed it.
And his alarm went off to wake him, but he didn’t make it to the [VIBE internship] slept through [his train] and he missed it.
He’s gon’ have a hard time explaining to [Yadi and David] these food stamps and this [broke] shit!
Cuz he never risked shit. He hoped and he wished it, but it didn’t fall in his lap, so he ain’t even here.
He pretends that…
I just read this Time magazine article titled “The Upside Of Being An Introvert (And Why Extroverts Are Overrated)” by Bryan Walsh — while I was holed up alone in my room no less. I was once told by one of my mentors that being introverted is my Achilles’ heel when it came to my journalism career. I write, I edit, shit I even shoot a mean pic, but when it comes to socializing to further my career, I tend to freeze or avoid the whole uncomfortable situation all together — at times. I believe it is my biggest weakness to some extent. I’m the type that likes to analyze the hell out of a situation before I feel comfortable enough to dive in. So it’s not so much that I’m shy — as some would think — rather than me just being an over analytical introvert or, an “über introvert” if you will.
Growing up I feel that I was more of an ambivert. I just needed to warm up to the people that I was socializing with before I let loose. You couldn’t get me out of the spotlight when I was in my zone. However, afterwards, I would feel drained, and would scurry back to the comfort of my four walls.
Today, I feel that I’m running back to my comfy bed and my good books more often and a lot sooner than I used to. No matter how a social event is going — good or bad — thoughts of the comfort of my quiet room and the discomfort of being at this event and talking to this person and that person linger in the back of my mind. At the end of the evening, I end up making good connections and all, but I definitely am not thinking, “Boy, I’m looking forward to the next one!” Who knows? Maybe my tolerance for people is running thin, or I just really do have a great bed. Ha!
Then, there’s this social media phenomenon that has swept the world. I believe Mr. Walsh referred to social media sites as “buffers” that telephone conversations and face-to-face interactions don’t provide. I, myself, am way more social on these sites than I am in person. Not to say that the person “tweeting” isn’t the real me ‘cause, I will assure you, I am really the person you get on my tweets — after you get to know me. The cute guy in all of the pictures, though — oh yeah — that’s all me, all the time. HA! Anyways, through social media sites you’re getting the mental side of me — the one that has a lot to say but feels timid when put in an environment where too many different stimuli and my own inhibitions interrupt my thought process.
Introvert or shy. Strength or weakness. Upside or downside. I guess I’ll just have to make the best with what I’ve got. There are folks that push themselves beyond their comfort zones like this research psychologist and lecturer named Brian Little — also mentioned in the article. When it comes to lecturing this guy is the shit, but he is a self-proclaimed introvert. However, Little finds that if he gives into his introversion he’ll miss out on what he loves to do best, which is lecturing. He said, “Am I just going to let things wash over me, or am I going to strike out and change and grow and challenge? The answer depends on what you want out of life.”
So my fellow introverts, what do you want out of life?
Props to Bryan Walsh, Times, and rapper/actor, Common who put me up on the article earlier today via Twitter.
I’ve never been one to make New Years Resolutions. I don’t know, maybe I have commitment issues. Ha! But all jokes aside, I just never thought too much about it. I like to let things play themselves out. I leave it all up to God.
However, as the years have gone by, I’ve learned that God is only willing to do but so much, and the rest is really up to you. To make up for the twenty-some odd years of not making a resolution I’ve come up with four resolutions that I will strive to keep for 2012.
1) I plan to travel more. For a long while I’ve wanted to travel to places I’ve never been to in the past, and have always held back because of financial worries. I’m going to cut that out in 2012. I’m always worried about how broke I’ll probably be after a trip, or the bills that I may have to skip due to the vacay expenses. The fact of the matter is that we all work and work and work, and we hardly get to enjoy life worrying about fucking bills. One of my many other worries was whether I would have enough money to even enjoy myself wherever I choose to travel to. Fuck that, too! Whether I get to my destination with a thousand or a hundred bucks, I’m going to get there. I’m a survivor—proved it countless of times—so in the end, I’ll figure it out. Another thing that used to hold me back was the “fear” of having to go on vacay alone being that it’s insanely difficult to plan a group trip for many reasons. Look, I lived in a vacation spot for half a year by myself, where the only person that I trusted lived four hours away by car. If I survived six months solo, and was able to make nice with complete strangers out there, then I’m sure I’ll be okay for a week.
2) This next one goes a little hard, so I suggest you chase it with something sweet. In 2012, I’m REALLY not giving a fuck about peoples’ feelings about me. If you’ve known me for quite some time, and you still feel some type of negative way about me, then I suggest you go that way with that. I’m not having any mano-a-mano meetings / Oprah sessions with anyone—especially not with grown ass men. If there is a problem, I’m neither going to try to resolve it or let that person start a conversation to try to fix it. I’m simply going to smile and walk away from the entire situation. Now, I understand that at times I can get under peoples’ skins—but then again, who doesn’t? Everyone gets annoying to someone else at some point, but if there’s real love in the relationship, then there’s no need to dwell on it. I accept people I love with faults and all, and never do I ask them to explain themselves. So, to wrap this up, you have two options with me in 2012—get over it or get over me. I’m damn near 30-years-old (Yes, I said it). I have more important things to spend time and energy on—and I’m sure you do too. Like Jay says, “Either love me or leave me alone.” This may not be the best way to deal with these situations, but hey…
3) These next two are my most meaningful resolutions of the four. In 2012—and onward—I want to give more of myself to God and the world around us. God has blessed me my entire life—from birth up to this day. And, even though I’ve tried my hardest to be an all-around good guy—and serve Him as best I could—I have had my dark moments. I know a lot of people say, “I’m blessed! I’m blessed!” but He really has blessed me. He’s delivered me from so many close ones that—at this point—I’ve lost count. In giving more of myself I don’t mean that I’m going to be in churches heavy, because in my heart I feel that God is all around us at all times. Also, I’ve come to a realization that my relationship with Him has always been more spiritual rather than religious. I will talk to Him more. I will listen to Him more. I will love Him more. I’m not excommunicating myself from the church, though. If the church needs more of me, I will be there—which leads me into my next resolution.
4) I want to offer myself more to the world around us. God blessed me with my dream job in the later part of 2010 after years of hard work and prayer. Since then, I’ve tried my best to pay it forward. I’ve tried my best to help my family and friends—because as they say, “Charity begins at home.” In 2012, I want to extend my helping hands a little bit further and give more of myself to the world around us—that is, people who I may not necessarily know that truly need it. Whatever it may be—as long as it’s not illegal or disrespectful to God—I will try my best to help out.
So, there they are—my resolutions for 2012. I’m going to try and keep myself on check, but if any of you see me slippin’ you’re more than welcome to call me out on it. Happy New Years, everyone! May your new year be full of love, joy and many blessings.
Cheers, mofos!
The other day an old high school friend posted on Twitter one of those “I gave up on love” quotes, to which I replied, “You should never give up on love.” So she goes, “I see you’re still a hopeless romantic.”
The short convo got me thinking, how can someone totally give up on love? I understand that all stories aren’t the same, and that certain people go through some shit because of love. Even though, in my opinion it’s not really love that fucked you, it was the person who you fell for. But still, if you’re not striving to find true love, what are you doing with your life?
Heartbreak is a part of love to me. I’ve personally never met anyone who has found true love on their first go ‘round. I’m sure there are people out there who lucked out with their first love—and “Cheers!” to them—but I’m also sure there aren’t many that have. But, I digress.
Where was I? Oh, yes! Heartbreak [cue the lightning and thunder]. Ha! I have had my heart broken. Excuse me, homegirl pulverized it—and she picked up the particles left behind and blew it into the air. I sometime sit back and laugh about the whole situation. I think during that time stocks on Hennessy and Blue Moon shot up, and I burned a hole through my 808s and Heartbreak CD from playing it so much. Thanks, Ye! Ha!
However, I took it as a part of growing up. It’s like the old saying: “You live and you learn.” I will admit I still have a lot to learn. For example, I now need to learn how to let my guard down. My wall is so tall and strong that it would humble a Trojan.
Although, I’ve gone through the horrible heartbreak and my heart still has some kinks that I need to workout, I can’t say that I would ever give up on love. What else would I be striving for if it weren’t for love? I mean, I’ve got my dream job. Mom~dukes and little bro are taken care of. They’re good. My sisters both found good men to take care of them; and I don’t have any children to tend to at the moment.
Call me a hopeless romantic or whatever, but the truth is that love is one of the only things I have left in life to strive for. That, and total world domination. ;)
“Una vita senza amore non è vita.”
When we hugged, every part of my body recognized her from my past. Wrapped in my arms, I longed for her to remain my present. But the second our bodies parted, something inside me knew she would never be my future.
On March 28, 2006, I thought my heart would never heal. I was lost. Tears blurred my vision.
On March 28, 2007, I still felt your loss. I remember walking around campus in a daze—not believing that a year had already passed.
On March 28, 2008, I visited your stomping grounds in D.R. Every rock, every tree, every corner of your house reminded me of you. It all took me back to the last time I was there for your funeral, which resulted in me not building up the strength to even glance at your grave. I still regret not doing so because I don’t even know when I will be able to go back there again.
On March 28, 2009, I cried for you. I cried to you. I hated the place I was in—mentally, emotionally and career-wise. For the first time in a long while I felt pitiful—not only because of my current state at the time, but because I felt as if you were hovering over me just shaking your head at me like, “Get up, Joan. This isn’t you. I didn’t raise you like this.” I know you would never stand over any of us and judge us this way, but as I stated, I was all messed up.
On March 28, 2010, things were getting better. I finally made peace with the fact that you were in a better place looking over us all. My heart was rebuilding itself, and the tears had receded. I dusted myself off and kept raging, because I knew that’s what you would have expected from me.
Today, I still miss you, but I no longer mourn you. Instead, I celebrate you. You were one of the greatest men I’ve ever met, and not simply because you were my grandfather father, but because your presence exuded a light that pulled everyone nearby towards you. Every one that knew you loved you. You’re a legend down on 4th Street. People still remember you, and talk about you as if you passed away just last year.
The last five years were rough at the beginning. However, slowly but surely, the residual pain left inside us all is transforming into love and unity amongst the family, and every year we’re getting closer and closer—as we were when you were with us.
Ramon “Momon” De Jesus Mora, I love you. I miss you. I celebrate you.
Love always,
Emmanuel “Joancito” Ureña Mora
Rebel Ink’s newest issue features “L.A. Ink” star tattooists, Ruthless and Amy facing off in a battle to see who’s the alpha-female of the American Electric shop.
Dec 13, 2010 – Paramus, NJ—Rebel Ink, the publication that delivers the wildest, larger-than-life, tattooed baddasses you’ll ever see, announced the release of their latest, January 2011 issue. What better way to ring in the New Year, than with tattoo starlets, Ruth “Ruthless” Pineda and Amy Nicoletto having an ink-slingin’ duel on the cover?
Rebel Ink is about the individuals that have laid out their life in ink. Each page is a testimony to their extreme lifestyle and extreme art, and this new issue offers that and gives you a lot more for your hard-earned bucks. The new issue takes you to Europe to gaze at the artistry of Italy’s Alex De Pase and gives you the insight on the French connection between Dimitri HK and Steph D. of Dimitri Tatouages.
For our reality t.v. junkies, not only did RI include, Ruthless and Amy, but they threw in Corey Harrison and Chumlee of “Pawn Stars” and “American Idol” season seven finalist, Carly—who along with her tat artist hubby, Todd Smithson, discussed their love for each other as well as the ink.
As always, Rebel Ink makes it a mission to delve into the subculture of tattoos and tattooing. Also featured in the January 2011 issue are skier-turned-rapper, Sheist D.—who discusses the life experiences that shaped his ink collection—as well as, ‘80s rock tribute band, Steel Panther—whose members offer their tales of tattoos and backstage mayhem.
Rebel Ink magazine made its grandiose debut in May 2009 as the sister magazine to hip-hop, tattoo magazine, Urban Ink—and it has been tearing through the tattoo magazine scene since its inception. Rebel Ink is distributed across America as well as in Australia, Canada and the UK and is available in most major chains including Walmart, Borders, Barnes & Nobles and 7-11.
