Rebecca De Leon

Why I.... Wednesdays

Wed, 08 May 2013 18:35:25 -0400

I am a curious person… especially when it comes to people! I like to know their thought process, decision making skills, where they get their confidence, and what breaks them! I thought I would share some of my habits, thoughts, tips, as a little insight into WHY I do the things I do.

For starters, I’ll tell you Why I REJECT REJECTION. I spent a lot of my life scared of soo much. I wouldn’t even cross the street unless it was at a crosswalk and the light clearly stated “WALK”. I rarely went out on a limb because I feared rejection. But when people convinced me to actually try, I ended up succeeding sometimes, and that feeling is like no other. Getting into a competitive program or getting a really good job, all things only possible if I TRIED.

BUT, there were many other times I didn’t try…until I was forced to. I spent the first year after graduation applying, interviewing, and being REJECTED. (If you want a humbling experience, get a degree in a field that is not in demand and be mediocre at it… they will crush your pride FOR SURE). For a while, I took that rejection, internalized it, and saw myself as inadequate, incapable…a failure.

But here is why I reject rejection now: I am soo much more than my resume. For so long I had too much pride in the things I did, the school I went to, the opportunities I was blessed with. Putting all your self-worth in a list of accomplishments, allows others’ opinions to create who you are, but ignores where your worth really lies. I found soo much self-worth in the fact that I am here for a purpose. There is a plan for me, a plan much bigger than I can even imagine. Rejection is just a way to keep you moving in the right direction (if that makes sense).

And I know it sounds like I’m just talking about in the career field, but this can be applied anywhere. We are relational beings, so it’s common for us to want people to like us and crave their approval. When those relationships end up hurting you, it’s tough to say “It’s okay. That’s not who I am” and move on. No. Personally, I always felt the need to make them see who I KNEW deep down I am. To set these people straight and prove that I am not who they make me out to be. But others (“friends”, boyfriends, girlfriends, etc.) rejection of you says more about who THEY are than who you are. And the grand plans we are promised beyond our imagination apply to who is put in your life. Rejection in a relationship is just pushing you to move on to SOMETHING BETTER.

I suggest making a new resume for who you are. Mine says I am a conqueror, precious, provided for, and destined for great things! And take that rejection as a guide to move on toward something greater.

Tech Tuesday: "Days" App Review

Tue, 07 May 2013 19:53:14 -0400

Since I am a visual geek, I love finding new apps that can do cool things with photos and videos. I just got this app called “Days” today so I don’t know all the quirks it has, but I thought I would share since social media is only fun if you have friends to share it with (so go out and try it out with me!).

The basic concept of the app is to journal your day using photos. You take a photo using the app and it adds the time it was taken. (It would be a tad cooler if you can pull from your library… but we’ll see if it gets added soon). You can add caption to each picture as well. The end result, a photo story of your day.

It won’t let you post until the day is over so there is no posting too soon and missing something at the end of your day.

Another cool thing is the ability to make a Gif. Not a lot of photo apps let you do this so that is a cool feature I was excited to see.

I can’t talk much about the social media factor of it (you can follow your friend’s daily journal) since no one I know uses it yet.

And actually, I’m not sure I want to show others my day-to-day activites. If this is a real journal of my day, it might get pretty boring.

Using this as a travel journal might be the coolest way to use it! I would have LOVED to have this on my trip to Europe last year! Especially since you can add locations to the picture. One day, we went on a walking tour of Berlin. Some pictures I took I couldn’t remember where they were taken once I uploaded them. This would have saved me such a headache of remembering those details.

Another idea I got from this app is using it as a dietary tool. I know it’s good to log what you eat so you can see your bad/good habits. Taking a picture of what you eat seems way easier than writing it. I would suggest to tell friends NOT to follow you if this is your plan, unless they are being accountable for you. It might get annoying see picture after picture of food.

So go check it out! Follow me: @itsbeckokay. Let me know what you think!

***NOTE: this app is only for iPhone as of now. Developer: Wander***

Mondays

Mon, 06 May 2013 14:35:00 -0400

I, like a ton of other people, have a major issue with MONDAYS. I can’t even put my finger on why, but me and Mondays get along as well as Tom and Jerry (I SWEAR THEY ARE OUT TO GET ME!).

I think it has a lot to do with me never coming to terms with the fact I am a grown up. I have a grown up job so when Monday comes, I have to put on my big girl pants and carry the load of responsibility I throw out the window at 5pm on Fridays.

Maybe it is because I change roles over the weekend. I ignore my chores, sleep in, marathon TV shows, hang out with friends where we act like idiots, and dream up what I want to do “when I grow up”. Over the weekend, there are ENDLESS possibilities to where I can go, who I can be. My weekends, I revert back to my teenage self. I STILL want to get a job where I can write, travel, and save people, all while getting paid.

BUT come Monday, those dreams are crushed after opening email after email about a new responsibility I must take on! This wouldn’t be a big deal if it were a Tuesday though. I’d get the job done with ease. But, like I said, Mondays are out to get me. A simple task ends up being a journey where I must slay dragons and goblins to get my assignment completed. I have to deal with creatures that speak another language to get simple paperwork turned in. All the while, I am easily distracted by shiny gold and Elvish swords with magical powers (Pinterest, gchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook… I’m talking about you!)

So maybe my approach to Mondays is all wrong. Instead of putting on my big girl pants, I should put on my armor and prepare for battle. I can shield myself with a LARGE mug of coffee, hearty breakfast, and hope… the hope that 5 o’clock comes running to me like a long lost puppy!

hellogiggles: It’s gonna be MAY!

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:31:14 -0400

hellogiggles:

It’s gonna be MAY!

Interlude: Holiday by Paramore [cover]

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 00:52:00 -0400

Interlude: Holiday by Paramore [cover]:

This is a cover a few friends and myself did!

Stephanie Lujan- vocals and ukulele
Rebecca De Leon-ukulele
Michael Anzaldua-guitar

I don’t know where I’m supposed to be or when...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 20:47:29 -0400

I don’t know where I’m supposed to be or when I’m supposed to be there but I know I am promised something more. :)

When my mind wanders, I start to think…

Tue, 06 Nov 2012 00:06:55 -0500

When my mind wanders, I start to think…

When I see adorable couples….

Mon, 05 Nov 2012 23:56:57 -0500

When I see adorable couples….

When I hear some of the decisions people make, I think…..

Mon, 05 Nov 2012 23:51:57 -0500

When I hear some of the decisions people make, I think…..

Words from my past

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 01:16:17 -0400

I came across some writing I did back in high school and I thought I’d share.

The first is an essay I wrote at the end of my senior year. I was 17.

“May 23, 2005
Our senior year is almost over. As we move toward our future, I offer 3 pieces of advice. First of all, focus. It is through determination and focus you will be successful. Have a dream. Think of when you were a kid and you wanted to be an astronaut. We should maintain the same hope as we did as children to fulfill this dream. Second, have fun. High school was about experiences, and not all of them are educational. I have had good and bad experiences, but all have been learning ones. Last, and to me the most important, stay true to yourself. The most precious thing a person owns is their individuality. Staying true to yourself is knowing your values and sticking to them, even if it means disagreeing with your friends. Good luck, good bye, and for the last time, Go Cowboys!”

(My critical side wanted to edit it so bad, but I kept what 17 year old beck said word for word)

Next is a poem of sorts. The things I wrote as a 14 year old about love just blows my mind and makes me laugh!

“I am searching when I am already there. He is throwing himself everywhere but not here. I find him nowhere near. Is it me, the reason why love is lost? Or could it be he, the lost one, blind to his own soul? If only I could give him my eyes to see. Fighting a battle against someone who is strong and mighty is rough. But fighting something within yourself is tougher.”

I have always felt that friendship is a major part of who you...

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 01:07:37 -0400

I have always felt that friendship is a major part of who you are and who you will become :D

When I get the time, I think about how things turn out… How I get my hopes up about things, I...

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 14:54:00 -0400

When I get the time, I think about how things turn out… How I get my hopes up about things, I let my guard down with people and all the while I’m thinking I have control. Then when plans fall through and people disappoint me, I look at it as a shock. Big shock that I took things in my own hands and things failed? I now know my small plans, me opening my heart to people, should never be based on my own judgment. You’d think I’d know better by now: you can’t trust your own judgment. But I am slowly learning to let things go, don’t base plans on my own judgment of where I think I should be, who I think I should be with. I’ll get it eventually… There is a learning curve for this type of stuff right? As long as I see progress, I’ll keep facing in the right direction!!! :)

Paris 2012 Music: The Civil Wars-C’est La Mort

Sun, 29 Jul 2012 02:19:00 -0400

Paris 2012

Music: The Civil Wars-C’est La Mort

"I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you straightforwardly, without..."

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 14:28:05 -0400

“

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
so I love you because I know no other way

than this: where I does not exist, nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.

”

- Pablo Neruda

I realized why I love traveling via airplane: it’s the clouds. Flying through monstrous clouds...

Sun, 10 Jun 2012 23:23:53 -0400

I realized why I love traveling via airplane: it’s the clouds. Flying through monstrous clouds that take the form of castles and dragons take me through a fairytale land where I know a “happy ever after” is soon to come!

Note to self:
Keep your feet on the ground while your heads in the clouds

______________________________________________________________________

I had a dream I was dating Rumpelstiltskin… REALITY CHECK: fairytales don’t always have a happy ending!

Note to self:
Magic always comes with a price

"If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn’t help the poor, either we have to pretend that..."

Sat, 05 May 2012 11:54:14 -0400

“If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn’t help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus is just as selfish as we are or we’ve got to acknowledge that he commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition. And then admit that we just don’t want to do it.”

- Stephen Colbert

Monica rides over the water!

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 11:48:33 -0400

Monica rides over the water!

The lackluster life.

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 01:35:55 -0400

Where is the poetry? I hear the birds and wind making a beautiful symphony, but a poem doesn’t stop there! Where do the eyes meet? Where does the heart skip a beat? Where is the peaceful harmonious correlation of man and love? This world lacks poetics for this woman made of words.

I want to morph into a child. I want to have joy deeper than any hurt. I long for a constant...

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 12:26:47 -0400

I want to morph into a child. I want to have joy deeper than any hurt. I long for a constant yearning for the good things in life: love, compassion, love, light, love…. Above all LOVE.

The scary thing about having everything you want in the palm of your hand is the chance that, with...

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 02:51:00 -0500

The scary thing about having everything you want in the palm of your hand is the chance that, with one action, it can all be crushed. (Fists made of hate, jealousy, resentment and grudges will do that sometimes).

I may seem naive when I think people are inherently good but to deny this means we deny the purity of a child. I feel that a child-like imagination, perhaps naivete, and relentless hope in humanity grounds me to that same wholeness people strive their entire lives to reach. It’s not about knowledge; it’s more about the basics.

Compassion, tolerance and love.