#if you're latin american you'll know this song

[bavarianmillionaire]

last night i dreamt that i married my high school crush

[prontaentrega]

how to post songs as mp3 files and avoid copyright

a bunch of people were asking how to post music on tumblr so here's some kind of tutorial n_n there's probably a thousand better ways to do it out there but this is what i do and it works for me

Step 1: Acquiring music

Before you post any music you gotta have it as an mp3 file. Bunch of people mentioned mp3 converters but my favorite way has always been to just download discographies from blogs. You google "(band) complete discography free download" or something like that and something's bound to show up. If you've doing this for a while you'll skip this first part and go straight to the places you know will have it- here's some of my favorite blogspots for it - but they're all very specific to the stuff i listen to (mainly punk and latin american rock).

These type of sites tend to be genre-specific so if you're looking for, say, a prog rock band, maybe you'll have more luck searching for prog rock downloads websites. The older or more obscure the band, the easier it will be to find. And you'll find that a lot of these sites are not in english- you have to get comfortable visiting and downloading from sites in spanish, portuguese, russian or what have you and your life will get easier.

Don't limit yourself to blogs or music download-specific sites. Some people post album dl links on youtube. When i was in high school i downloaded The Black Parade from DeviantArt. The internet is far and wide and you can find stuff anywhere

But what if i can't find an album like this?

Alternative 1: Legally

Go find a record store and buy the album you want. You can also check the artist's bandcamp or any other website where you can buy their music and get it as a file on your pc (no streaming shit). Some albums are out there for free, legally! If you know an artist who uploads their music to tumblr you can just right click on their mp3 upload and download it directly :^)

Alternative 2: The classic

you can pretty much google youtube mp3 converter and click any link and it'll do the work. Here's a link from a safe piracy subreddit. You paste a youtube vid's link and hit convert/download etc.

I've also heard some people say Lucida is good (lets you download songs and albums by pasting the spotify/bandcamp/wtv link) but i can't say it has worked for me- always gives me a network error. But maybe it works for someone else.

Step 2: I got the music- now what?

Now you post it! Some songs (obscure or copyright-free enough) will just let you post them like that. Most songs won't. For a lot of them you'll have to add some silence or edit the metadata.

Adding silence to a song:

Option 1: Get audacity for free. Go to File > Open on the top bar and open the song you wanna add the silence to. Make sure you're at the start of the track (it says 00h00m00s at the bottom). Go to Generate > Silence... on the top bar also. Choose how long you want the silence to be, click "generate". You'll see a straight line appear at the start of the track- that means it worked. Go to File > Export > Export as MP3 to save it. You'll see a pop up where you can edit the metadata (things like artist, year, genre, etc.) i like having my audio files with metadata but for the purpose of tumblr posts you'll want to leave all that empty- if it's got that info erase it. Click "Ok". Done!

Option 2: Do it online on audiomass. Go to File > Load from Computer, open the song. Click on the white square with the S (insert silence button). Choose how long you want it to be, click "insert silence". You'll see a straight line appear at the start of the track- that means it worked. Go to File > Export/Download. Make sure it's mp3 format, i always save it as 256kbps but it's not neccessary. Click export. Done!

Some songs let you get away with only 5 or 8 seconds of silence. I try to have it be as short as possible, but most songs will need 10 seconds of silence. Sometimes even a little more, if even with the 10 seconds it doesn't let you post it try adding 0.25s more and checking.

I always play the file i just exported, to make sure everything's right.

Editing the metadata:

I'm gonna be honest i don't know how necessary this is but the audio post format works in mysterious ways so it's always better to be one step ahead. If you got it from youtube to mp3 or already added the silence then your file won't have any metadata, unless you didn't clear it when exporting from audacity. if you got it legally or pirated from any blogspot type site and didn't edit it at all it will probably have metadata. To edit it you have to right click the file > Properties, go to the "details" tab, and there you'll see things like title, author, year, genre, etc. You can just click on any section and change or erase it, then click "Ok".

As a last thing, it's generally better if the file is not saved as the song's name. Just name it anything else.

Compressing the file:

I almost forgot but there's also a size limit. I don't remember it at the moment because i've only had a problem with it once, but if you do just google "compress mp3 file" and go on any website to do it LOL

Step 3: Posting it

Now just go make a new audio post. Upload the file from your pc. If there's an error sometimes it'll tell you what it is (you don't own this song/the file is too heavy/etc) but sometimes it will just delete the audio post format and not tell you anything. If there's any error make sure you did everything (the silence, the metadata, the size, the file name). Maybe go back and add 0.5 or 1 more second of silence at the start. Sometimes tumblr just won't want you to post a song even with every step done right- nothing to do about that :( Sometimes you can try back after a while and it will let you post the song- sometimes it won't. There's no real logic to it tbh.

But if everything goes right it will upload correctly. Now you can add the song's title, artist and album info, and album art or whatever image you want n_n Hit post and done!

[weirdthoughtsandideas]

The DCLA names and how likely I would be to name my kid that

Keep in mind that I do not live in a latin american country, which means some of my choices would be based on the types of names common or uncommon where I live. Some names I think are nice but would stick out a lot more over here.

Violetta: The thing is, I love this name, but if I name my child this I will just think about Violetta the character every time I say their name.

Francesca: Yeah!

Camila: If, and only if, my child is red haired. Source: Every Camila I've met irl has been red haired, and Camila in the show is... well not naturally red haired but it's hard to not to picture her with red hair. (Side note, every Camila I've met have also worked as a teacher or in childcare?????)

Ludmila: I think so?

Natalia: Maybe... although, where I live, it's more common to have a variation of the name, Natalie.

Maxi: It's too common! I've met a lot of Maxi's in my life, although it's short of Maximilian rather than MAXIMILIANO.

Leon: Yeah!

Andres: Not really. Maybe the variation, Anders. But Anders is a "only men over 40 are named this" type of name so... probably not.

Diego: I could consider it, but idk if I'd pick it as a final name

Tomas: no.

Broduey: Everyone will misspell it as Broadway and I just don't want to give my child unnecessary hardships

Federico: I'm very unsure about that tbh

Angie: Yes <33 I'd have Angie as a full name instead of just a nickname too.

Jade: I'd consider it!

Matias: Never in a million years

Germán: Naaaah...

Olga: I don't really think so...

Lisandro (Ramallo): No, not really.

Luca: Yes, I like that name!

Pablo: It's a fine name, but it also feels like a name that only works in certain age groups. Like a teenage boy or a middle aged man named Pablo is fine, but I have a harder time picturing a newborn baby named Pablo.

Roberto (Beto): The name Robert is more common here than Roberto, and I have a relative named Robert already lol

Jackie: Maybe? It would be pretty gender neutral too.

Emma: NEVER. I associate that name with a childhood bully of mine.

Lara: Yeah, I'd think about it

Helena/Lena: Well, I associate this name with middle aged teachers lol. But I wouldn't be opposed to it.

Mara: "Mara" is a slang for a witch in swedish. Also my name is Sara and it feels so cliché to have a name that rhymes with yours.

Ana: Ana, or Anna is so common that I really want to pick something else.

Maria: Maybe?

Antonio: Yeah, maybe...

Gregorio: I don't think so

Esmeralda: In my judgement, people named Esmeralda are either the sweetest humans alive or the meanest and brattiest people you'll meet. And I am not sure if I wanna risk it.

Clement: No.

Marco: I could picture naming my child Marco tbh.

Gery: No???? I'd just associate it with HER.

Nicolas: I could. Potentially.

Napoleon: Maybe...

Braco: I could think about it at least.

Luna: I could.

Ámbar: Honestly, yeah. Maybe without the accent so it's easier for people to spell lol. But yeah.

Simón: Absolutely! Although without the accent as it'll work better here without it.

Matteo: No.

Nina: I know so many Nina's in my life - some of them are really kind, and others I wrote in my diary in fourth grade that I wanted to murder. All in all, it's just a too common name.

Gastón: I could, because it just has this... "memorable" vibe over it, like you're definitely gonna remember someone named Gastón. However, it's a high chance people associate it with Gastón from Beauty and the Beast and make jokes like that all their upbringing.

Monica: Every single Monica I've met has been a teacher or a lunchlady. Also they'd be tormented with the swedish hit single "Hej Monica" which is one of the most annoying songs ever produced from Sweden. Listen to it and you'll see why. Especially in the end of the song where the singer just straight up SCREAMS. So maybe I'll spare them of that.

Miguel: Hmm... idk

Rey: I think the name Rey is pretty cool. So I'd consider it.

Jimena: Ok, when I first heard her full name, my immediate reaction was "That's a strange name?" - because for me living here, it was never a name I heard about before. But then I thought about how many names there are from my country that would sound pretty strange to other cultures, so I tbh should be quiet. All in all, I think Jimena is a pretty nice name, but I also know that over here where I live, people would have a bit of a "can you repeat that?" when someone says it.

Yamila: I think this name could work more... although I feel like some people would be like "Haha you wanted to name them Camila but be different so you changed it to a Y didn't you" (you know, as I'm writing this, I realize just how much swedes are judgemental of names jfc)

Ramiro: I could think about it... not sure if I'd pick it as a final name though.

Pedro: Hmmmmmmm I'm hesitant

Jazmin: Yeah, I think so.

Delfina: If I name my child Delfina I will expose them to so many dolphin jokes for their entire life, so I think I wanna spare them of that

Mora: There's a town in Sweden called Mora so I think if I tried to submit the name it would get disapproved because no child should be named after a town. And yes, we have to get our names approved... which tbh most countries do, it's just that specific one country that doesn't so they think everyone else in the world are "super strict" about it.

Gary: No.

Tamara: I could think about it, but not sure I'd choose it as a final option.

Juliana: Maybe.

Sharon: I think I'd just picture a british old lady, and so it can be hard seeing my little newborn child be named that. The name wouldn't fit them until they're adults.

Amanda: Yeah, it's a name I've actually thought about before that I could picture my child be named.

Ricardo: Not Ricardo, but possibly the variation, Rickard.

Lili: Yeah, it's a cute name!

Bernie: Possibly?

Maggie: I could.

Alfredo: I think I'd shorten it to Alfred if I named my kid this.

Bia: Yeah! And I know her name is short for Beatriz, but I think Bia as the full name is really cute.

Chiara: Yeah, possibly!

Celeste: Sure!

Daisy: I'd definitely think about it, but I also knew a Daisy irl that was really annoying and has definitely ruined the name a bit for me.

Pietro: It's a cool name, but I think everyone would mishear it as Pedro when I say it.

Alex: Naaaah... it's too common

Manuel: Yeah! It's a nice name!

Pixie: It's a very sweet name, so I'd think about it

Victor: I think so!

Lucas: I really wanted my little brother to be named Lucas before he was born, so it's always been a name I liked.

Thiago: I'm... unsure

Carmín: It's a pretty cool name, so maybe!

Alice: I've always liked the name Alice, ever since I was a kid. So yes.

Jhon: Not spelled like that, I'd spell it like John. Although, still not a name I'm super into.

Marcos: No, I'd rather name the kid Marco.

Guillermo: No...

Aíllen: I don't think so.

Mariano: I don't really think so.

Paula: I do like the name Paula! Even though I'm not a big fan of the Bia character Paula lol

Luan: Maybe! And Luan is a pretty gender neutral name too.

[spanishboone]

Hey dude! Nice blog you got here.

1. Do you ever find yourself switching between accents when singing along to songs by groups from different Spanish speaking countries?

2. As a native English speaker, do you have any recommendations for short stories that are easy enough for someone with a Spanish minor to read quickly, yet difficult enough to expand my vocabulary without me resorting to using the dictionary every five minutes? I already got some great suggestions from @puroespanol about authors and setting reading goals - in fact, I already have some of their works on my shelf (read: most of them reading for college I never finished, lol) - yet other than knowing about the famous Latin American authors like Isabel Allende, Mario Vargas Llosa, Jorge Luis Borges, Roberto Bolaño, as well as lesser known ones like Horacio Quiroga and Julio Cortázar, I'm kinda lost lol.

3. What's your favorite Latin American or Spanish cuisine? Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

Yo dude bro dawg! Thank you so much!

Answer 1: Not as much as I used to. I remember probably about 9ish years ago I really switched accents depending on the songs I'd be singing along with. I am a David Bisbal fan and saw him live once. I used to switching accents A LOT to sing along with his songs to pronounce the ceceo used commonly in peninsular Spanish. You know, the th- sound. These days, I'm pretty consistent with keeping the same accent all the time. Mine is pretty neutral.

Answer 2: Hmm. You honestly named some of the people I was going to lolz. I was going to say Horacio Quiroga first but you beat me to it. I really liked his book Cuentos de Amor de Locura y de Muerte. This probably isn't a common recommendation but I'm going to say it anyway. I'd suggest reading the Bible in Spanish in the Nueva Versión Internacional (NVI). I have this one and it's a bilingual English and Spanish Bible. So the pages are split one side English and the other side is Spanish with the exact same pages. This makes for easy peaking whenever there is a word you don't know. All you have to do is look at the opposite side of the page. This helped me a lot. Plus, the bible has plenty of short stories that might only be a chapter. Most of the words aren't too complex but you'll definitely learn phrases you didn't know you need to learn in Spanish. So, yeah! Keep that in mind if you like!

Answer 3: Ohhh I like this question. Well, I'm a sucker for tacos (I know how generic of me, right? LOL) but I don't mean gringo tacos. I'm talking about REAL Mexican tacos. If you haven't had real Mexican tacos from some guy making them on the street where you're the only gringo, you haven't had real tacos LOL. One thing I've learned about being around the latino culture is that freshly squeezed lime juice belongs on tacos. If you haven't had this, OH MY. You have to. It is such a game changer. It adds such a delicious element to the tacos. I also love tostones, tajadas, mofongo (Shoutout to Puerto Rico and the DR if you're reading this. Go ahead and debate whose is better. Ya tú sabe'. I like tamales, nacatamales which are a Nicaraguan version of tamales. Gallo pinto (rice and little red beans mixed up). Fried Cheese. If you haven't had fried cheese it's amazing. Not like mozzarella sticks with breading but just fried cheese. A little oil and throw that sucker in the pan and you're living large. I've come to appreciate corn tortillas. I know flour tortillas are big here in the States and most people don't like corn tortillas that much but I believe this is due to people not knowing how to eat a corn tortilla. Most will pull them out of the pack and tried to make a taco with it right away. That is a big NO NO! You have to heat a skillet really hot and let the tortilla brown a little bit on both side. If the tortilla starts puffing up, you're doing it right. Flip it over and do the same to the other side. You gotta be careful not to overdo and then you have hard tortillas and that's no bueno.

For my colombian homies out there, I really enjoy a nice bandeja paisa with the morcilla and the arepas. Mmm that's good too.

So yeah. That's basically it! Thanks for the Q!

[serafine-is-here]

It gets better. Please read this.

So this is a story about one of my best friends who I love so very much.

You'll need context first. I live in Brazil, and here (and in lots of latin american countries) they have these huge parties called quinceneras (insert the squigly thing over the 'n'). They can be compared to weddings. There are bridesmaids and best men (is that how you say it?), and they dance and it's all so cute. I was in the first pair to walk out and it was absolute magic. "Life of the Party" by Shawn Mendes was playing and honestly it felt very magic. But that's not the important part.

The person who's party it is has someone called the "principe", so basically the groom. He was one of our friends that she had a crush on when they were little and has (sorta?) gotten over it. They danced to "You Are The Reason" by Calum Scott and once again, it was pure magic. I can't say it enough.

The thing is, this song meant so much. When she was in fifth grade, she was depressed and wanted to kill herself. On the day she planned to, my other friend, the boy, came over at lunch and talked to her, told jokes (he's really funny and radiates positive energy, it actually hurts when he comes to school monday morning singing and dancing), that sort of thing. He didn't know what she was planning. He was just there. Being himself.

So you know, if you ever feel like you don't have a purpose, I can tell you: you never know when something you do is going to help someone else.

Back to the song. "You Are The Reason".

And you are the reason

That I'm still breathing

I don't cry. I nearly cried. He cried listening to it before the party happened, a different friend almost cried in math class listening to it.

She's beautiful, and alive, and better, and I'd like to let you know that no matter what you're going to, it get's better. Really. He didn't know that he was going to save her life, but he did. She didn't think things would get better, but they did. And I'm so proud of her.

I'd climb every mountain

And swim every ocean

Just to be with you

And fix what I've broken

Oh, 'cause I need you to see

That you are the reason

There goes my hand shaking

And you are the reason

My heart keeps bleeding

I need you now