Friday, March 26, 2010

The Birth of "Dleesaa"

The Equation of how the "Dleesaa" persona came to be.


Shalamar Circa 1985
(yes, I know..she looks very alienesque, but i chose the name based on sound not how she looked...just sayin')


Hello my Readers!!! Hope all is well...i have had the same question asked over and over again: "How does a Mexican-Italian girl get a name like Delisa?"



So here I am about to explain how Marialuisa became Dleesaa.


Because my birthname is Marialuisa alot of teachers had a hard time trying to be PC and roll the r's, they decided to call me Maria...Yeah..imagine that! A Mexican-Italian girl with the name Maria...how original.


My freshman/sophmore year i went to a predominently caucasion school...okay okay..white school...where we actually had a surf club...side note..i was on the surf club..i was deteremined to be the next Gidget...just did not know how to hold the damn bored so i gave up...oops..sorry getting off the subject.
Going to that school with a name like Maria..didn't bother me..i was unique next to the Kelly's, Jane's, and Molly's...until sophmore year...when a lot of Asian girls had the name Maria and then people thought i was polynesian.



Junior year..i changed schools and attended a predominently Latin and Asian school...nice..im around my people....where the majority of them were named Maria...so i decided to revamp my self and go by the name my mom use to call me when she was pissed.



My family called my Lisa...short for the Luisa part, but when Mami was pissed at me...you'd hear her yell "Lisita!"


I graduated high school in 1987...yes...1-9-8-7!


A bad breakup and a flip of a coin; sent me to go to the Fashion Insistiute of Design and Merchandise.


While attending there, I majored in Merchadise Marketing. What I wanted more than anything was to own my own boutique.


The key to owning your own store and being successful...is a catchy name. My family of course was like, "Call it Lisita's"....uh if i want to sell childrens' clothes...maybe. However, that wasn't the route i wanted to go.


I wanted to sell fashionable items straight from the runways. I met a lot of potential designers; some that i could even vision being successful and with me by their side selling their line...just needed a name that CAUGHT!


On one particular weekend, I was out at a Summer Jam concert...the lineup was Zapp, Lisa Lisa, Full Force, LA Dream Team and Shalamar.


Though, I was enjoying the concert, I still had the boutique in the back of my mind and then it was time for Shalamar to perform. The MC introduced Howard Hewett, Jeffrey Daniel and then...Delisa Davis.


My eyes lit up when i heard her name because I just found the name of my boutique and my new self....just had to change the spelling.


P I plaued aropund wiothvarious version of spelling it: Delisa, D'Lisa, Dee Lisa...then I found what I was looking for...D' Lee-Saa....it was fun telling people how to spell it....D apostrophe, capital L...e...e..hyphin, capital S...a...a.....yes, it did it phonetically; and it CAUGHT!


People might not have remembered my name, but it sure as hell rang a loud ass bell when they did hear it and THAT'S exactly what I wanted.


Needless to say, I had to stop going to school to help my family and the boutique never made it. Through the years, the apostrophe and hyphin fell off on its travels and has remained...Dleesaa.


Funny how life works....imagine had the coin flipped the other way? ....Fashion Institute of Technology in NY is where i would have been.


I still would have wanted my boutique, but Shalamar rarely performed in NY, so seeing them, probably wouldnt have happened and Dleesaa would not be.


However, Fate wanted me to stay in Cali a lil longer and make sure that I'd be here to type this blog entry!


So, there it is...how I came to be...hope you all enjoyed it.


Always remember to be Inspiring and Be Inspired....Delisa Davis inspired me all those years ago and now look at me...a name that rings a bell that people WILL remember me.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

When are we considered a "Grownup"?

My Beautiful Mami, Circa 1964





Have you ever asked yourself, "Am I grownup?" or "When did I become a "grownup"?




I always thought when i became a parent, I was a grownup! But then seeing these babies having babies through the past 3 decades, there was no way these children were grownups.




Then when I purchased my first home, it was then i knew...I was a grownup! But...the mortgage boom happened and as long as you were at least 18 years of age, you could buy a home. Ive seen some of these 18 year old homeowners and there is no way that they are "grownups".



So, when do we become grownups? I pondered this for a bit, then it hit me....we become growups when we experience the loss of a parent, it is only then that you know what it to be a true bonafide grown up.



At that point there is no longer a "go to" person, it is all YOU!



We're having struggles understanding our daughter...i used to go to Mami..how did she handle me when she couldnt understand me?



We werent sure about purchasing a home...Michael would go to Pop for his advice and how we should proceed.




Having our parents alive meant, to most of us, that we werent alone in our decision making, we could still rely on our parent to help bail us out for a solution, like we did when were children.



You remember?



I do.


I remember when I first learned to put makeup on...I was ready to head out the door, mami stopped me and asked where the circus was? I put so much make up on, i should have been able to juggle apples on que. Thank good ness for Mami...i would have been made fun but she made sure that that didnt happen.




Or when learning how to drive. My dad taught me how to drive and I got into an accident, I was so freaked out that he said "dont worry, it happens, now you know to be a more careful driver.

"...all this in spanish of course..."*tien cuidado" he's always say before i head out any where
*be careful.




****Oh, how I wish i could hear these words now.



We really arent grownup until we experience that loss.



Now, our children come to us for advice, for guidance, for protection and when i turn behind to see who i could turn to....its just me.


*Wups I cant forget my lil note:


Of course there are those of us out there that had no choice but to grow up sooner than most. What I'm speaking of is the general.


So now that there are alot of us out there that are now bonafide Grownups; there are more eyes on us looking for guidance and words of wisdom.
With that: always remember to continue to:


Be Inspiring and Be Inspired


Monday, March 01, 2010

Osayande "Ocean" Glapion comes to the Brea Improv!

"Ocean" and me at Brea Improv 2/27/10

Ocean and I go back over 12 years or so, though he's known in the comedy circuit as Ocean; I know him as Osayande...yes it is!...says so on his birf certificate!


To see where is accomplishments have taken him, make me so proud (not that I had anything to do with it, unless he's using me for some of his material, if so...I want creative credit!!!) Its truly amazing!


I heard some time ago that he was getting into comedy and thought, "That's cool, through the years i had never saw him as a comic" but then again I have no idea how anyone gets started in this type of business, so who I am to say anything. I had recieved a couple of invitations to see him perform but never seem to make it out there...meaning LA, Hollywood, Reseda...BFE.


This time he was going to perform at the Brea Improv, and dab namit..THIS time i was going to see him. He had sent me a link to see one of his bits. Before seeing it, wasnt sure if it was gonna be a battle of the Dozens (oh..just in case some of you readers dont know...The Dozens are Yo Momma insults) or Knock Knock jokes (sorry Fam...wasn't sure what to expect). To my surprise..Osay..wups O-cean...was a bonafide comic and had me laughing and then I was even more excited to see him perform live.


I confirmed with him that i was going to go to the show and he told me the tickets were on him and not worry about a thing, "just come and enjoy the show" and to spell my name correctly to give to the club..sure...D-L-E-E-S-A-A Aviles. Done. Im going to a comedy show for free...woo hooo!!!


My girl and i arrived at the Brea Improv and to reconfirm, I BBM (oh, thats BlackBerry Messenger to all you non-Crackberry users) him to make sure to tickets will be at will call.


Reply: They r @ the window..Give them your name (I'm actually retyping this from my BBM, I want to make sure I'm accurate; i dont want to be known for misquoting him)


Me: K will do thanx


I get to the window; smile at the girl and tell her: "Osay...ooh sorry, I mean Ocean has tickets for me"


The girl behind the glass, looks at me and asks me for what show?


Well, he did tell me to be there at 10, so I said "10".


She looked at me puzzled and said you mean "11"...i looked back at here more puzzled and said "no, he said to be here at 10"..then she says back, "Oh its for the 9pm show, ID please"


Uh oh...my I D...see the problem here, is I gave him the name i go by...much like him and the whole "Ocean" thing...everyone knows me as Dleesaa, however, legality...all documents, birf cert, Social and yes, Drivers License say "Marialuisa".


I go through this entire schpill with the counter girl and she can't find me anywhere on the list...i was like, WTH?


Then thought,. "Oh, no he didnt...he is straight having me PUNK'd to see if I'd actually come out to see him perform" I was ready to to give him a mental beating, but before that, I made sure the counter girl really couldnt find my name.


She looked under the legal name (which I already knew she wasnt going to find that) and the name I gave him...then the supervisor asked, "Is this for Sadiki Fuller show"


I looked relieved because I remember Osay..i mean Ocean mentioning that name on his FB..."Yes, yes, it is"


Then the cocky counter girl replies, "Oh, that IS the 11pm show" and BAM! she found my name and gave me my tickets.


Whew! Fam...you have no idea how ready i was ready to hurt you like to stole something..let me get ready and flat iron my hair AND come out in the rain for a no show?


So, we had an hour to kill, so we went to Yard House for a drink; low and behold who do we bump into but none other than Ocean himself.


I hadnt seen him in 12 + years and he looked exactly the same. He was with a friend and so we all sat at the bar for a drink.


I was able to chat with him before the show and asked:


"So, Fam..comedy? When did you decide this is what you wanted to do?"


He replied, " I fell in love with it and KNEW that this is what I wanted to do"


You should have seen the look in his eye, because he sincerely knows that THIS is what he is meant to do and it was inspiring to witness.


We caught up on family and life and then it was showtime. He had some "pull" with the club and was able to give us "VIP" access into the club before everyone else was allowed in. We took our picture on the Improv stage and then, we had picked our seats and patiently waited for him and the rest of the comics to perform.

The comics that performed him were funny, but all i cared about was seeing my Boy do his thing.

The host then announces him:

"This next comic has toured with Damon Wayons, please welcome to the stage, Ocean Glapion"

Ocean takes the stage, just like any comic, mic in one hand and a bottle of beer in the next. He looked so natural on stage, it was definitley where he belonged ..wait..dont i sound like a proud Mama!? HA!

He went on to do his bit about dating, you could see the audience related to this because we are were busting up! what i love most about certain comics, is how they have no problem poking fun at themselves.

George Lopez? Talks about his big head. Kat Williams? His size...Ocean? Talked about God's Humor: Giving good looks but a rough grill....im laughing as i type this, it was hilarious.

Though he wasnt given much time on stage, it was definitely enough time for me to see a glimpse of this man loving his craft.

Just before his performance in Brea, he started his evening hosting at Universal City Walk, then off to Ontario for a show and then Brea. What dedication and commitement.

O, Im always telling my readers to continue to be Inspiring and Be Inspired..and YOU truly Inspire me to stay dedicated and committed to my writing...I thank you!

Readers, if you ever get a chance to see Ocean perform, you will not be disappointed. It will be worht the drive for me to see him perform in BFE!

Congrats O, keep doing doing what you're doing!! Laughter is truly the best medicine for almost anything!!

With that, I'm going to end this entry with a great quote by Eleanor Roosevelt:

"You gain, strength, experience, and confidence by every experience where you really stop to look fear in the face....you must do the thing you cannot do"

Continue to be Inspiring and Be Inspired

About Me

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I'm a writer that writes from the heart...and emotion (ergo, the name of my blog). Most of what I write about, I have had first hand experience in. Anything I review does not say I am an expert...I only write what I THINK and whether I like it or not! Not how the rest of the world should think or feel. I am Mexican/Italian and a Leo..again..why my blog is called the World of Emotion!! Hope you enjoy what I have to say and/or review. Enjoy!