Now Cooking

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Originally uploaded by lauraontheshow

Beautiful day in dfw today! I'm facing my cooking fears. Maybe that's what it took.. on Tuesday I'm going to a cooking class at one of my fave markets New Flower Market down the street. I called my grandpa for tips on how to cook a simple steak guisado, and made notes. I’m trying it out tonight.
When the wallet hurts, it’s wise to make ends meet with a little creativity and new appreciation for culinary. Don’t get me wrong, I agree it’s solemnly better to cook your own food rather than to go to restaurants where you may not be aware how things are being prepared or where they come from. It will hopefully also help me loose weight because (at least this happens to me) you are more cognizant of how much you are eating. Serve yourself once and only the amount you should be eating. Also, as a thing in general I’m trying to differently, part of the mind set “Do things differently and you will get different results,” is to feed my body more vegetables and fruits in raw form than meats. It’s a process. I’ve also noticed I like putting salads in my sandwiches, like loading them with veggies. Wholesome health cannot be accomplished with poor nutrition.
I'm in search of practical and healthy meals. I usually prepare food for just one person, and I'm a fan of Tupperware and cooking large portions to save for later. Let me know if you can share any recipes.
Bon appetit!

Chicago Indie Short Film Experience

I was in Chicago a total of 6 days. I worked long hours for 3 days, and 2 production days. I had one day off to explore the city, and get to know Chicago. Unfortunately or as it may be.. On my only day off it rained all day long. I did get to explore a bit. I loved the train transportation system.. it's so convenient and it seems like most of chicago is well connected. I liked the vibe I got from the culture, even though I didn't get to meet and mingle with to many locals, the few that I did gave me a cool impression of the city.

The production was fun and labor some. It was a great experience to collaborate with Dalia. We have many things in common as far as our work style; very energetic, and driven, creative and passionate. I think the crew that we were able to put together had some great chemistry we did not encounter any major issues, just the usual you see in an indie low budget short film. Out of which each issue was just another hurdle for me to pass. I felt like I was "on" 100% of the time I was there. There were nights where my body wasn't resting and my mind was still racing 100miles an hour and thinking of set pieces, schedules, and protocol. I did lack sleep but I dealt with it and tried very hard to not let it affect my work. -- It's part of the "fun."

We had some very talented people participate as cast and crew and I hope that this was a great experience for them too.

This experience only adds to my colorful journey into becoming a better producer and leader on productions. I truly enjoyed my stay and the company I was with both on set and in my (little) spare time.

I also ventured into checking out some of the improv comedy clubs in CHI town but was only able to make it to one venue. I visited I.O. aka Improv Olympic that is in Wrigleyville. It was a blast, I went with my friend Roberto who is about to complete his masters in business psychology. To him, improv comedy theaters is a new experience and to me it's tradition to venture into the local stages of a new city. SECOND CITY is on my list, and I still can't believe I wasn't able to squeeze it in on there. I must return to Chicago for there is so much more I haven't seen of the city.

'Til next time Chi-town!

Meanwhile work on the short continues, it's in post production to be edit by Dalia Tapia in the next few weeks. follow the progress at www.panchoclos.com

Pancho Clos & Laura Lilia Trevino Cross Paths - Early Jan

Approximately 3 days after I was dismissed from Uni, I receive a phone call from a fellow woman filmmaker I met at a film festival in September 2009. When we met we had an immediate great connection, we were somehow on similar wave lengths, or traveling through similar paths, and could simply relate, and connect very well. Her name was Dalia Tapia, I could tell her charisma was flowing well with mine. Anyway we had a great time at the festival and we parted, she returned to her life in Chicago to continue festival rounds with SILENT SHAME and then begin pre prod work for PANCHO CLOS. We kept in touch over the months.

At approx 3 days after I learned my life would change forever, she reached out to me about co-producing and assistant directing her next short film in Chicago. It was an exciting offer, to coproduce and A.D. a short film in a city I had never been before, in the next 10 days. If I were to accept, my work would begin immediately working remotely to hire crew, break down the script, make lists, locations, scheduling, and all the pre work. So I did, I knew I was very intrigued by Dalia and her approach to filmmaking that I couldn't let this perfect opportunity pass me by.

All the cards were right, no job to conflict my hours, no projects to interfere, and a desire to grow professionally as a producer & A.D. as well as explore new cities.

Seize it, ready or not.

Aiming for the Moon AND Stars - Early Jan

"So what's next?" The infamous question that gets me giddy inside to tell people about my ambitious plans..... yes ambitious. "Hey, aim for the moon and if you don't get there at least you'll land in the stars." Right?

TONS!!! I mean tons!

It's ironic.. that 2 days before I was laid off I was so driven, inspired and motivated to write and brainstorm ideas and goals I would pursue this year. Overwhelming to most, but adrenaline rush for me, I came up with 2 full page type ups of projects to embark, to launch, to close, or to initiate. I wrote all these ideas assuming I had all the time in the world, assuming I had all the resources to do it.. b/c this is how you SHOULD envision it. All those finer details will fall into place when the time and elements are aligned and are right. So anyway... I had written 2 pages of projects etc.. But to begin with on what's next..

1. I plan to pursue production free lancing. I will offer my skills and service as Director, Producer, Assistant Director, Scrip Supervisor, Art Department, Field Producer and similar leadership positions. I'm currently looking to expand my experience as a leader in production. Since I will now have more time (as opposed to how it used to be only available after 5pm and on the weekends) to pursue productions and leadership is one of my nature qualities I want to put it to great use and participate in the creation of awesome works while working with interesting like minded people. I hope that my work in this may take me to visit other cities and explore more of what I love.

2. I will pursue my own motion picture production business at full throttle speed. I've always complained about not having enough time, enough resources and I now have all the time to seize and grow this business. I have a couple of models in mind, I'm searching to collaborate with the right people to make things happen.

3. I will be opening a dine-in showplex theater in South Texas in the spring of 2010. This is a dream come true. It is an idea I had been cultivating since I was about 15 years old. Nearly ten years later I find myself still coming around to the idea and finally with the right people, the right timing, the right resources ready to evolve and manifest. We began making this a reality in the summer of 2009. We had a preview demo show in December that brought us a full house and great results. At this point we are finalizing marketing, structure, the facility, permits etc. This is something I will be working on remotely from where ever I may find myself living. Please follow the progress on our site www.illusionshowplex.com

4. There's also tons of people I've love to catch up with that we previously had way different schedules and couldn't coincide.

5. In 2010 I also hope to be serving in more leadership roles in the local film community and organizations.

6. On a personal level.. I hope to be able to sustain good health for longer periods of time, and be able to rebuild my immune system. So I will be prioritizing health initiatives.

So those are the key points in a nut shell. Some projects have already begun to unfold. Exciting collaborations coming up!

- peace-

Time is to be my best friend, not my enemy. 2010 is a year for multiple desires and ideas to manifest.

Parting ways with Univision - Early January

2010 has been an amazing ride thus far. The next couple of entries will be an attempt to recap significant happenings this year.

Parting ways with Univision. - Early January

Beginning with the first week of January, as I returned to the first day of work from vacay in South Texas & Mexico with the family.. at approximately an hour before ending the day I learned that due to company restructuring I would be loosing my job. Yeah, bummer in a way. I think the person who had to dismiss me was way more nervous and a wreck than I was. Notably, I was able to remain composed.. the only thing I could think of was "Wow, it's happening." Every ounce of intuition that had hinted for this moment was exalted.

I was not afraid, I was not worried, I was not upset. I was ok. I was prepared- Mentally at least.

Sincerely, to me, this meant freedom and positive change. Yes, loosing a job is a big deal and I was concerned about not having a steady pay check anymore.. but by the same token I felt that this was the only way it should've happened. I liked the company I was working and didn't want to quit. For about 8 months I had been juggling both the full time job with this company and my own business on the side for motion picture production. I'm so grateful I had started that business when I did. I'm excited about this next chapter in my life. Deep down inside I've always known I could succeed on my own- be my own boss and be able to make a living and succeed. So this is the chance to put it all to the test. I'm young and determined. I have nothing to loose and everything to gain. And even if I had things to loose, everything is replaceable I can always- always- always- rebuild back up. I have strong faith in myself and in my abilities.

Although I spent 2 years and a half of my life at Univision, it was a good ride and a wonderful experience that has expanded my knowledge in the media business, politics, relationships, advertising, corporate world, transactions, creative flow in the workplace, time management, things that matter versus those that don't, dealing with certain personalities, hierarchy in the work place, Spanish language media, the trends and landscape of the industry.... It was a good experiment for me, working in a confined space for 8 hours a day/7 days a week.. I now know I will never desire to return to that.

Uni, Thanks for the amazing opportunity to gain so much and to meet so many interesting people.

KEEP IN M O T I O N... If you're not growing you're dying. ;)

Temporary Site

This blog will serve as my temporary website... while I learn how to fix glitches I've been having with my hosting service.

Thanks for your patience.

On this blog you can still see my video works, contact information, resume, photography, etc.

Gracias,

LLT

New Season, New Efforts

As the season goes from rich lively green, to colorful bountiful reds, oranges, yellows and browns I feel a change of routine, I feel ready to actively blog. To finally deliver my presence online through writing. (The photo was taken in July 2008 at Rancho del Cielo, Mexico during a camping kayak excursion with friends and family).

Prior to this blog most of my online presence has been through photography, facebook, videos I created, timelines, and tweets. With this new 2009 fall / autumn season I pledge to blog 2 posts each week from now until the end of the year. For many reasons I feel I must keep up with a blog. ..I have very strong opinions about certain topics, I have ideas I would like to share and bounce onto other people for feedback. I love to see what my works provoke in others (ie: films, shorts, writing, photography, events I create). It is important to share our daily discoveries, knowledge and practices in any field of study for personal advancement and enrichment for all, and a blog is a great place for that! I have to practice my writing skills. I fell in love with english language writing in 4th grade and ever since then I've kept it very close to me and it's time to begin publishing and sharing it to the world.

I have a yearn for knowledge in a wide range of fields but I've narrowed down my blogging topics into these few subjects. My blog is about daily discoveries, research works, case studies, interesting articles, spotlight on valuable individuals, ground breaking trends, movers and shakers, ingenuity and creativity at its best.

I feel I can write about the following:

Film, motion picture, media and art production, Spanish Language media, marketing, advertising, Hispanic and Latin American culture, Hispanics in the United States, women's efforts in media, intercultural communication, anthropology, cultural trends, music, independent artists, global connection, humanity, human rights, spirituality, nature, holistic health, philosophy, theater, acting, screenwriting, Dallas Tx, South Texas, Mexico, Brownsville, Matamoros, photography and the advancement of women and Hispanics in motion picture.

Thank you very much for visiting and I look forward to reading your comments. Please feel free to share any links, ideas, works, writings as long as you cite them properly. Knowledge for all!

Here's to the remaining 3 months of the year!!

(Photo by Laura Lilia Treviño in uptown Dallas, TX October 2008.)

Peace * Laura Lilia Treviño

About Hope; Writings on Hope

I wrote this after reading a work by Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson is arguably one of the most remarkable poets in American literature. She was a genius and well knowledgeable in many fields. In a documentary about her, featured on April 13, 2004, on KMBH, writer Joyce Carole Oates claimed she was “metaphysical with her terminology … using them as metaphors in her poetry” (Personal interview). Poet Anthony Hecht, also featured on the documentary adds “her scientific knowledge gave her a sense of reality” (Persona interview). This was reflected in her writing. “The subjects of her poems, expressed in intimate, domestic figures of speech, include love and death, victory and failure, pain and ecstasy. Her poems reveal a passionate, witty woman and a scrupulous craftsman”(Britannica 4). Her poems often reflect a feminist perspective and are always strong in beliefs. Within all the 1,775 poems she composed throughout her lifetime a variety of themes are explored. “Religious ideas were so important to her, so much a part of her mind, that even when she was not explicitly writing about the existence of a benevolent God or the absence of God, she used religious imagery” (Gottsegen 532). There are also a significant number of poems about self-reliance, for she was a very conscientious individual. She was remarkably self-reliant compared to the period in time she lived in and other women around her, but absolutely dependant on her father for everything else. Her poem “Hope Is the Thing with Feathers” is about self-reliance. It tells us to stop depending on other people to find hope in because after all, we have the power to find hope within ourselves and on our own.
Her poem “Hope is the thing with feathers” portrays hope like a bird and something supernatural everyone can find within. It is inviting to explore one’s personal hope status. The poem is almost like a test of character, as it has the answers to common doubts about hope. It also explores the inevitable fact that sometimes one is simply blind to see hope before one. Her composition of words in this poem gives encouragement to believe in ourselves when reaching for hope, serving as a reminder.
From the beginning of the poem, Dickinson describes hope’s abilities and faultlessness, making them appealing to the audience. With the first line, “Hope is the thing with feathers/ That perches in the soul,” Dickinson immediately personifies hope relating it to a living bird by giving it feathers and establishes a connection to the soul. The perching in the soul she writes about specifies where it takes place. It happens in the soul, within, and in a personal and domestic internal place. She paints hope spiritually as a bird with feathers to fly swiftly to an unlimited height, yet perching within, always returning, always in place within the soul. Her consistency of comparing hope to a bird continues throughout the entire the poem. Dickinson writes, “And sings the tune without the words/ And never stops at all.” Music is like the spirit because it is something we cannot see and requires another sense to feel it. The tune sung by hope has no words according to Dickinson; it does not have language and dialogue but instead carries an instinct that needs to be felt and that will remain constant.
The second stanza connects hope’s tune heard to tormenting times one may face. Dickinson adds, “And sweetest in the gale is heard:/ And sore must be the storm,” reminding the reader that hope can never die out despite the storm of problems and conflicts one might be dealing with. There is no storm strong enough to completely wipe out hope. If ever there is a moment where hope seems nowhere in sight, it is only because it has been put aside or left behind. And when the storm covers every bit of light, hope remains and that simple fact can be the loveliest reality in the midst of the storm. Dickinson continues, “That could abash the little bird/ That kept so many warm.” This is a reference to the storm in the previous line. The storm must be extremely strong to trouble the little bird that could once bring security and comfort, again reemphasizing that the security hope brings will never die, only be forgotten about. It remains alive within providing people with the strength necessary to endure and survive the trials and tribulations of life. 
Dickinson describes the extremities for the circumstances in which hope can even be heard, “I’ve heard it in the chillest land/ And on the strangest sea.” This refers to cold and numbing atmospheres and even to distant, unfamiliar situations. Dickinson brings in a testimony tied in with an altered reality, giving her audience something to relate to and something to imagine towards the end. “In her poems, Dickinson tampered freely with syntax and liked to place a familiar word in an extraordinary context, shocking the reader to attention and discovery, and often self-awareness, as in her ‘fear to be a king,’ is not something to which the reader is prepared to encounter” (Britannica 2). This is similar to the way she ends the poem: “Yet, never, in extremity/ It asked a crumb of me.” Hope does not need anything in return, not even the smallest reward despite the extreme circumstances of life, which may destroy hope. Hope, then is ceaseless; it is always ready to provide spiritual nourishment and inspiration.

There exists, during everyone’s life, moments of despair, mental and physical exhaustion with emotional down time where hope is so hard to find, accept, and even keep. Most of Emily Dickinson’s poetry plays with a variety of emotions reflecting her thoughts and passions about life. Many of which introduce a new perspective and sometimes carry influence. “For Dickinson, hopeful expectation was always more satisfying than achieving a golden moment. Though her world was simple, it was also complex in its beauties and its terrors. Her lyric poems capture impressions of particular moments, scenes, or moods, and she characteristically focuses upon topics such as nature, love, immortality, death, faith, doubt, pain, and the self.” (American 3) Dickinson’s “Hope Is the Thing With Feathers” defines hope as a never-ending constant that will always live within everyone. In her poem, hope is something one must search for and be ready and willing to find and grasp. Disappointingly enough, a lot of people fail to remember this nurturing truth about hope. However, hope will always have a home within, so at any point in time, anyone can reach back and regain all hope.

The Wrestler [ FilmFabulation ]

Have you guys seen the new Aronofsky film, THE WRESTLER??
The film is written by Robert D. Siegel and directed by Darren Aronofsky. Mickey Rourke has a GG nomination for best performance actor and 2 other nominations for a globe; Marisa Tomei for performance and best original song by Bruce Springsten for the song “The Wrestler” which at a preview screening, the director confessed Springsten was more than excited about composing the song- It fit perfectly with the film!
THE WRESTLER is a particularly interesting film in that it brings light to an aspect of the wrestling industry that is not usually through the lens. We see the personal struggles of a life time wrestler and his battles with retirement and personal life. In a way the two lives blur together for this character “The Ram” played by Mickey Rourke. It’s a good film to watch, I wouldn’t say it’s a “wrestling” film. It’s not a film about just wrestling. 
Director Darren Aronofsky does a great job of intertwining the episodes in a thematic story telling way. It’s like watching a bio pic film about an aging rock star except swap the leather-pant-tightness for spandex-shiny tights and leotard, keep the hair, swap the stage and guitar with a ring and cape except keep the good engaging and non distracting sound score. Maybe the difference between watching a rock star pic and THE WRESTLER is that, we’ve become immune and insensitive to the struggles and pressures of the music industry and by watching it happen in the wrestling industry (another performance entertainment) through the film THE WRESTLER it re-cultivates the feelings to engage and sympathize with the characters and their happenings. 

As a filmmaker, what I loved the most was that even though it was shot “hand held documentary style” it wasn’t anything like CLOVERFIELD or BLAIR WITCH, it was tasteful and conscious of cinematic styles and angle needs as well as reason. Aronofsky was able to nail the photography style in that suttle medium.

What did you think about the film?

 

my friends DG & DGR when we went to go watch the premier in Dallas at the Angelika Film Center - i took the photo-