Selena Quintanilla-Pérez was a Tejano superstar who was killed on Friday March 31, 1995 by Yolanda Saldívar, the ex-president of her fan club and her boutiques. Selena was a 23-year old star on the rise before her life was taken away at such a young age. A possible lifelong career of success and fame was taken away so soon thanks to one's jealousy. No one knows how far her star would have shone if she were still with us today. In preparing this blog post, I had no idea that the dark anniversary of her death is approaching. I knew it was around this time, but not THIS close. This blog post highlights on her and some of her music.
Before I begin, here's a fun fact... did you know that Selena Gomez was named after Selena Quintanilla-Pérez?
I obviously do not know much of anything about her. However, I've heard some of her songs to have a general idea of who she is and what she brought to music.
I'll begin with a picture. THIS is Selena:
^ from: fold3.com (best I could find) - The late Selena Quintanilla-Pérez was one of the brightest stars in Tejano music before her murder in 1995.
Basics.
Selena Quintanilla-Pérez was born on April 16, 1971 in Lake Jackson, Texas, USA. This Mexican-American singing star began singing starting in 1980. It was 1984 when she released her first album, Selena y Los Dinos. She would go on to create a handful of other albums through her career, all receiving vast amounts of fame and honor. What would be her final concert was in late February 1995 in Houston at the Astrodome.
Selena's Dark Fate and Reaction.
Now... for Selena's dark fate. Money was getting embezzled (or taking something from someone as a means of betrayal or anti-trust) from Selena's fan club from Yolanda Saldívar, who was the president of Selena's fan club as well as her boutiques. This obviously led to Selena and her family wanting to part ways with Yolanda. A secret meeting was arranged and agreed upon between Selena and Yolanda at a Days Inn Motel in Corpus Christi, Texas, USA. An argument between the two eventually led to Yolanda brandishing a gun and shooting Selena as she was trying to walk out the door of the motel room. She tried to escape but later collapsed in the lobby of the motel and was killed. Before being killed, she noted to people in the lobby that Yolanda was the assailant.
Outrage poured out from the Hispanic community as they called the day of Selena's murder as "Black Friday." Many have thought that Yolanda was jealous of Selena's success and killed her as Selena's fame was rising. It was said that Yolanda tried to take her own life but "accidentally" took Selena's life instead. Nobody was buying this, and neither were the ones who eventually sentenced Yolanda to life in prison for first-degree murder. Over 60K people attended her funeral including various celebrities, even including Madonna. I even remember in my middle school days the outpouring of support of Selena and her music. There were students at my school who wore Selena shirts in loving memory of Selena as news broke of Selena's murder. It was no doubt a horrible experience for such a heroine in music to have her life taken away so young.
Immortalizing and Remembering Selena.
The slain Tejano star's life would be portrayed in a 1997 movie called "Selena," with Jennifer Lopez playing as Selena. A movie or film in 2003 would highlight on Selena's final-ever concert in February 1995 at the Houston Astrodome. The motel in Corpus Christi where Selena was killed has a statue outside of the motel called the Mirador del Flor. For fans of Selena, this is a surreal place. It gets a great deal of traffic from tourists.
There are people to this day who still love Selena and what she brought to music. They even still listen to songs from Selena, remembering just what she brought to music before being killed. Some people even think Tejano still isn't the same without her. Then again, I know very little (if anything) about Tejano music past or present, so I can't say that with any sort of professionalism. All I know is that Selena and her music still resonate with many people even years since her death.
Most of what I've read about Selena and her untimely passing in preparing this blog post was mostly along the lines of jealousy of one's stardom. Selena was becoming a major deal while someone else just got jealous and decided to prevent Selena's star from rising any further. Who knows how far Selena's star would have risen if she were still with us to this day? Shame.
--- The Music of Selena ---
The majority of this post is just a look back at Selena's music. All of the following have been provided for educational and entertainment purposes. Thanks to all YouTube channels that allowed their videos to be embedded. Any songs I can't embed will be shown with a link to the content.
The first two songs I'll feature are two of her English-language songs. If you've never heard these before, this is your first chance to hear her sing.
If I Could Fall in Love.
The first one I've heard from Selena was this one called "If I Could Fall in Love." It is an English-language song from Selena. Feel free to enjoy this one:
Dreaming of You.
Of the two English-language songs I've heard, I like this one better. It is both the music and the instrumentals that are just sweet together.
I had learned from another website that the two English songs you just listened to were only two of four English-language songs Selena had planned to be in an album. Part of my thoughts was that Selena was hoping to emerge from the Latin music scene to perhaps cross over into the American music scene. "If I Could Fall in Love" and "Dreaming of You" are the only two English-language songs I've heard. Selena probably could have been an amazing transitional music star had her life not been taken away so soon.
I have more songs to feature. More of her non-English songs will be featured next. So make sure you're reading the full blog post if you've enjoyed what you've read so far. Read on after this Jump Break to listen to her other songs that I've chosen for this post. Also, don't forget to subscribe and follow my blog if you love it.
Love John's Blog Space? If so (and if you haven't yet subscribed or followed), Subscribe and/or Follow!
It is now time to move on and showcase some more songs of hers.
Como La Flor.
This is regarded as one of Selena's most popular songs. Here is your chance to experience Selena and one of her most famous songs. This Tejano star shone her brightest with this song:
Bidi Bidi Bom Bom.
While not a fan of this song, I am sure a lot of my readers would appreciate it if I post this song among the many different songs Selena did. So here is another popular song of Selena's for you all... "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" is ready for your listening pleasure:
La Carcacha.
Here is one more track for you from Selena. This video is a collection of Selena's performances with "La Carcacha" playing. Check out some of Selena's moves here with this nice song playing:
I only included so many songs to entertain my audience. I also included so many so that I don't run the risk of you having a slow connection to this blog. It can be a tough task to try to offer videos while also keep this blog and its posts viewable and efficient. If there are any other songs you all may like from Selena that I should feature here, feel free to Contact Me via E-Mail.
--- In Closing... ---
As I had mentioned previously, "Selena" was released in 1997 with Jennifer Lopez playing as Selena. If you're interested in seeing the movie to Selena, have a look at these (and feel free to buy them if you are interested in doing so. I would appreciate your support):
THIS LINE (from left to right): • "Selena" the movie on DVD. Rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America (here is a trailer on YouTube for this movie: "Selena" the Movie Trailer - YouTube)
• "Selena," the 10th Anniversary Two-Disc Special Edition.
More Selena for you on Amazon:
Thanks for supporting my work!
I'll be honest with you- I had no idea in preparing this initial blog post that it is coming up on 17 years since Selena was killed. I created the post mostly to highlight on the music career of Selena. Hope you enjoyed this blog post of mine. I will edit this post if need be to make sure it remains useful and accurate.
--- Cross-Promotion/Other Reading ---
Only one blog post of mine and several other links for your reading pleasure:
"Selena Gomez" - John's Blog Space ^ Selena Gomez was named after Selena Quintanilla-Pérez. In a VERY old blog post here on JBS, this was my look at Selena Gomez.
Selena Quintanilla-Pérez Tribute - Selena Forever.com ^ This site is devoted to Selena and features many different facts and figures about the Tejano superstar. Some of the information from the first section was taken from Wikipedia as well as from selenaforever.com.
The Potrero de los Funes circuit in Argentina was created in 1987 and rebuilt in 2008. It is a 3.896-mile (6.27-km) course built around Lago Potrero de los Funes within an extinct volcano. It is a semi-permanent course that boasts 23 corners and offers some spectacular views from TV replays. The moment I saw FIA GT1 highlights from around this course, I instantly loved just how beautiful this track is. I honestly think this is a track Formula 1 should be racing. After all, F1 is thinking of returning to Argentina with a supposed venue to be planned in or near Buenos Aires. However, this track within distance of San Luis, Argentina is a track of great character and charm. This track is only a few miles/kilometers shorter than Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. This blog post is a look at the recently-rebuilt Potrero de los Funes Circuit.
--- Potrero de los Funes Circuit ---
Here is a look at Circuito de Potrero de los Funes:
^ from: www.automobilsport.com (best I could find) - Built around Lago Potrero de los Funes, this course boasts a configuration sure to make almost any F1 driver can dream racing around.
It was said that this track once held a Turismo Carretera race in 1987, and it was no longer raced because two spectators were killed during that race in 1987. The track was rebuilt and hosted racing again in 2008. TC2000, Turismo Carretera, FIA GT, and the FIA GT1 World Championship racing both have raced here before. This track is in a beautiful setting. Some people have likened this track to Argentina like Monte Carlo to Monaco. The roads are wide with various elevation changes and challenging corners. This track is more like the combination of a proper race track and a temporary course. It is a great-looking circuit that would be great for almost any kind of racing. Formula 1 would be great around here for an Argentinian Grand Prix. Strides would have to made to make this track just a bit more appealing to the likes of F1 to make a race there happen. Besides- can you imagine today's F1 cars running hot laps around this track? Heck, even Roush-Fenway Racing's NASCAR team took some exhibition laps around this track with some of their machines!
This course has a lot of corners that would greatly challenge the Grand Prix-type racer. I honestly think that when you challenge a course like this, you are racing a classic Formula 1-type race track. It has a variety of corners that will test you. Turns 3 and 4 are pretty sharp. It is around Turn 5 when you begin to view the lake itself (or at least be around it). After going uphill to Turn 9, you start to really see Lago Potrero de los Funes come into the horizon. The most decisive section is the complex of turns from Turn 15 to Turn 19. This is a track where you really need to think ahead in attacking each corner.
Here is a video lap of this fantastic course. This video was done in a NASCAR stock car and was uploaded in 2009:
How do you like it?
Lap Record.
The lap record here was set by Marcel Fassler in a Corvette C6.R in 2008. His time was 2:13.236 around this course.
Could F1 Race at Potrero de los Funes Someday?
There is a rumor going about that Formula 1 wants to return to Argentina. F1 previously raced around el Autódromo Juan y Oscar Gálvez. I've read/heard that a track is to be built in the Buenos Aires area. However, I would really love to see Potrero de los Funes Circuit be used for F1 racing. This track just seems to have so much more character than most modern F1 courses. Why not race this course? I mean... it's a long-enough track, it has intense corners... this is an F1 Grand Prix track! Only that F1 has never raced at this track. Unless someone thinks this track isn't good enough to run a modern F1 race in Argentina, this track should definitely be used for Formula 1 racing.
From what I have read, Potrero de los Funes is an FIA B-Grade circuit. It means that almost any series can race there, except F1. A lot would have to be done to fully enhance this course to one A-Grade course. Maybe since this track is far from Buenos Aires, you don't really have that sort of attractive factor of being within distance of a major city. This track and this location (from what I've read) is being aggressively marketed so that Formula 1 could race this track). I'm sorry, people- this track has modern F1 written all over it. I couldn't care less about anything super-exotic or anything like that... this track would be great for Formula 1 racing. It has the character and charm of a classic F1 track. Or is today's F1 too good to be raced on a track like Potrero de los Funes? Even this track's long length is more than sufficient for a modern F1 race. F1 Argentinian Grand Prix at Potrero de los Funes... MAKE THIS HAPPEN, FORMULA ONE!!!
This track has a website, but every time I pull it up, I get nothing. If you want to see pictures of this course, here are some links you can check out:
For the first time, I rented a PS3 game. "Test Drive Unlimited 2" continues and expands upon what the first game brought about. Only instead of Oahu (Hawaii), you now can drive the roads of Ibiza. The thrill of driving now goes off-road in addition to on-road. Get ready to make friends and challenge them in a variety of different races and challenges. Prepare for the finest racing and driving experience ever conceived for consoles (and PC)!
ESRB NOTE: This game is rated "T" for Teen by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB). It features:
I am considering doing my Game Reviews differently. I always feel it is best to educate my readers on games before considering getting them. So I am considering making a full review followed by ending it with tips. This way, potential interested readers won't have to sit through my detailed reviews followed by any in-game hints. Have any suggestions? Contact me by Emailing me (go to my Blogger profile and send an Email with your thoughts).
UPDATES MADE:
• AUG 11, 2011 - edited review and provided more tips
--- Test Drive Unlimited 2 at a Glance ---
Test Drive Unlimited 2 requires an install. Game size required is 2,278 MB (2.278 GB) for the PS3 version.
^ from: amazon.com - Test Drive Unlimited 2 (PS3 version). It's time to explore another island and enjoy driving about besides Oahu.
In Test Drive Unlimited 2, the roads of Oahu Island are back for you to explore. Only this time, you are going to both Oahu Island and Ibiza. You can now be more engaged in customizing your home and all kinds of vehicles. Driving and racing can be done off-road in addition to on-road in TDU2.
Your Test Drive Unlimited 2 experience begins in Ibiza. You won't be on the island partying the night away at Space Ibiza or Pacha Ibiza, nor will you be attending virtual versions of Ibiza trance or chill sessions... but you will be driving and racing on the streets and off-road trails of Ibiza. You will be taking part in a number of different races and events. You will be able to connect with other TDU2 players as well. You may sometimes encounter other users as you are exploring the world of Test Drive Unlimited 2. In other words, TDU2 is giving you the chance to be part of a virtual world devoted to driving and racing. What you may be used to in massively-multiplayer online games of other genres is what you will experience in TDU2.
--- Test Drive Unlimited: The Basics ---
To prepare you for Test Drive Unlimited 2, I will share with you some basics of TDU2. So it's time to get you ready for the experiences this game will provide!
Skills and Levels.
The first things to be aware of are your Levels. Your experience in this game is noted by your Global Level. Your Global Level goes starts at Level 0 and goes up to Level 60. How do you reach the highest levels of the game? There are four skills that help contribute to your Global Level: Competition, Collection, Discovery, Social. Here is a rundown of each skill:
• Competition - Your racing skills make up your Competition. Taking part in races and winning races helps contribute to your Competition. You must also earn cups to help boost your level in this department.
• Collection - Buying clothes, homes, furniture, cars, and more help contribute to Collection. It also pertains to other features for both your avatar and your cars.
• Discovery - You will need to explore the islands and travel down as many roads to help increase this skill. Discovery also helps you to earn more things to purchase. Take part in things like Photographer and other tasks to explore the island while also gaining more experience. Also, your ability to find facilities you can enter helps contribute to your Discovery. You will usually be notified when you find a new facility.
• Social - Because meeting others helps you enjoy the game, and because connecting with others is fun, you will need to interact with others as well as connect with friends. Who wants to meet a shallow loser? Go ahead and make friends! This is not just your island to explore, but also its own social networking medium. So go meet new people and have fun exploring! You can also join clubs and take part in various online challenges to help contribute to the Social skill.
As you receive more bonuses and do more racing, the individual skills will be upgraded, which in turn will upgrade your Global Ranking. To rule this game, try to reach Level 60 with your Global Ranking! Keep up with all of your skills by going to the Pause menu and select "Progress and Objectives." Learn what all you have to do to reach new levels by visiting this menu and accomplish the tasks asked of you to level up.
The Environment.
The game runs on a 24-hour time cycle. You will realistically see day-to-night-to-day transitions along with changes in weather. Dry roads can become soaked in rain. You will see rain falling on the road as well as puddles on the road after rain has fallen. When there's a thunderstorm, you will actually see streaks of lightning in the distance with a loud thunder clap that follows. Time and weather can play a key role when you start doing Photographer missions. Certain pictures you must take require you to be there at a certain time of day/night, with certain weather conditions, and even with a certain car. So consider this a heads-up.
The Driving.
Your car will take damage the more you start wrecking and driving foolishly. It can roll over, gather up dirt and scratches, and more. A trip to the car wash can help bring your car back to new. Apart from driving, make sure to avoid getting the police involved. If a police car catches you driving erratically, you could be in trouble with the law and will have to escape any way you can. You can, however, take part in these Chases as either a Cop or an Outlaw. You may also see some other players in their own cars on the field.
Those are some of the basics of TDU2. I now want to discuss some of the stuff you'll be doing in the game. Consider this your preview of what to expect (though I will not spoil too many details).
--- Test Drive Unlimited 2: Doing Stuff! ---
There are lots of things you can do on the island! Here are some of the many things away from racing that you can do:
Home.
You can't just stay out all the time driving- you need to have your own pad to store your cars and live. You are able to walk around your living space and even access your garage. Each house is capable of holding only so many cars as well as holding only so much towards customizing your home's furniture. There are two methods for finding homes- (1) visit a Realtor, or (2) explore the location for available homes. Each home allows you to customize your living space as well as store your cars. If you have friends in TDU2, you can invite them to your home(s). Each home will also allow you to change your clothes by going through your closet. So there is a lot you can do at home. Here is a simple rundown of what you can do at home in TDU2:
• customize and buy furniture for your house. • edit your clothes • visit your garage • check out the latest news and updates regarding your TDU2 experience
To modify the furniture in your house, you will need to access MyTDUHome from the laptop in the house. From there, you can freely walk around your living room to change up furniture. You can choose between any number of furniture options for your house. The options vary for each item. If you own a piece of furniture already, re-coloring that item is free. In addition to furniture, you can also edit the flooring and walls of your house. Give your floor a new and stylish floor. Go with a new wall arrangement. Your living room can be vastly customized based on options you set. You must buy furniture to contribute to your Collection skills; changing walls and flooring does not count towards owning furniture.
To store more cars, you will need to buy more homes. The best tactic is to try to find some two-car houses until you can afford a four-car house.
Car Shopping.
Without a car, you can not function in the TDU2 world. So go get yourself a car. You may either visit a Used Car dealer if seeking cars on a budget, or you may visit a pretty showroom to find some cars for you to buy. You are able to explore any and all showrooms to see all available cars. There are two kinds of showrooms as far as New Cars are concerned- certain specific showrooms dedicated to one or multiple dealers, and showrooms devoted to certain categories of vehicle (like nationality or certain classes of vehicle). Each showroom can be visited and explored. At times, you may even encounter other TDU2 players shopping for cars just like you are. I once saw someone who was checking out a car. As I sat in the driver's seat, the other players was in the other seat! So it may be a good bonding opportunity to meet new players. :)
Only the Used Car lot features certain various cars for you to purchase while most new car showrooms have a fixed variety of cars for you to purchase. Cars at the Used Car dealer can not be customized, so what you see at the dealer is what you will get to drive away in should you buy that car. When visiting a showroom, there is one person you can visit who will share with you the list of cars to check out. Select a car from the list to shop for it. A new car showroom will allow you to purchase the car with options you select (not all cars have options). Here are some things to take note of when visiting a showroom:
• more immersive, actually explore car showrooms. • visit host/hostess for car list • choose wheels, paint color, interior • meet other players visiting the same showroom. • if low on money, you can sell some of your cars to make up the cost of a certain car. Your money + the cost of any exchanged car(s) helps if you can buy a car.
Each car comes with information on its acceleration, speed, and braking. The Difficulty indicates how tough the car is to drive. Cars with more steering wheel icons means it is tougher to drive than those with fewer steering wheel icons. There are three icons at the bottom for each car. These icons will let you know if you can re-color a car, add stickers to a car, or be able to tune the car at a Tuner. Any of those three icons that have green marks will allow you to modify a car in these respective manners, and those with red marks will disallow you in modifying a car for the given service.
Here is what you can do when you get to a car: • buy - buy the car and edit its options (wheels, paint, and interior). • get into the car - climb into the car. You can look around and honk the horn. • data - more detailed info on the car. • compare - compare one car to another in the showroom. • test drive - go for a test drive in the car for a two-minute drive.
That is basically it in regards to cars. Later in the game, you can earn some cars that can't be bought at showrooms, but can be built by a Used Car dealer for you. Don't worry about this until later in the game. There are also other cars that can only be earned if you are part of a Club.
Tuners.
Elevate your car's performance by taking it to a Tuner. As in the previous title, Tuners specifically work for certain nationalities of car. So a US Tuner will not accept your Nissan (for example). The tuning in TDU2 is different. You will be able to tune piece-by-piece with performance packages. There are a maximum of four upgradable levels for each element. Here are the elements you can tune for cars:
• Acceleration - improve a car's top speed. • Engine - improve horsepower and engine performance. • Braking - improve braking ability. • Wheels - buy a new set of wheels for your car (not available on all models)
To earn more upgrades, you will need to improve your Discovery of each area.
Stickers and Paint.
The Sticker Shop will allow you to colorize and stylize your cars. Pick from an assortment of color styles for color and many kinds of sticker sets to apply to your car. Color choices come in a variety of styles. You can choose from matte, metallic, glossy, and carbon colors. You can even arrange to have a bi-color system that allows you to come up with some color-shifting paints. There are over 15 pages of stickers to apply to your car. Pick one that suits you best to put onto your car. Any time you purchase and apply one sticker from a certain page, you can use stickers from that page as many times as you like, as many stickers from that page as you like, and on any car that allows stickers to be placed. You need to purchase a sticker from another page to be able to expand your sticker collection. These stickers count towards your Collection skills.
Clothes Shopping.
Change up your appearance while also contributing to your Collection score by shopping for clothes. Depending on your avatar, you can shop for clothes for your male or female avatar. There are four main clothing stores in the game. There is also a fifth clothing store, but you will need to buy the downloadable Casino Online downloadable content (DLC) to access it.
Each of the clothing shops offer their own items to help dress up your avatar. To begin your clothes shopping experience, visit the lady near the dressing rooms. You will then be introduced to a number of options for which to dress up your avatar. Here are items to choose from (not all items available for all clothing shops):
• hats - clothing for your head. Caps and hats can be purchased. • sunglasses - various sunglasses can be purchased. • upper garments - a variety of tops and jackets can be purchased. • lower garments - purchase bottoms for your avatar. • shoes - various shoes can be purchased for your avatar. • gloves - give your avatar some gloves to wear.
You will need to enhance your Discovery in a certain area to be able to purchase more items.
Realtor.
To buy homes, there are two methods- (1) find a home for sale while free roaming, or (2) visit a realtor. You will need to consult with a real estate agent to buy homes. Stepping into the realtor's office allows you to buy homes, exchange homes, or sell homes. All the available homes are specific to certain areas of either island. You don't just have any realtor- you have a brunette cutie proudly rocking skinny jeans and high-heel sandals. The biggest reason why you want to buy more homes is to have more available cars to store into them. There is one very important factor to consider when buying any house- its level. The first TDU had houses that allowed for as few as four cars and as many as ten cars to be stored. In TDU2, garage space ranges from as few as two cars to as many as six cars. When you reach Oahu (Hawaii), some houses in Hawaii will allow you to store as many as eight cars.
Any home you visit can be expanded upon by taking a Virtual Tour. Here, you will be able to take your own Virtual Tour of each home. Get to see what the place has to offer. Freely move around to see the living space, any additional rooms, the garage, and more. This will give you the best idea of what each home will offer should you buy it or want to buy it. A number of homes will look more like certain other homes as you look around. Don't worry about this. Just find a home you want to buy and enjoy living there.
Homes are rated on a five-star system. The number of stars essentially determines its garage space. The rating has nothing to do with the quality of a home. You start off with a home that has no stars. Later in the game, you will purchase houses that will allow you to better customize them. Everything from homes to even yachts can be purchased!
• Buy a home by spending your hard-earned money. If you have enough money to purchase a home, you will freely be able to buy and enter that home immediately.
• A better and more cost-effective option is to exchange homes. The price of a home you are considering will be knocked off as you exchange homes. It makes more sense to exchange for homes of a certain car capacity with homes of the same or greater capacity. It makes no sense, however, exchanging from a house of one capacity for a home with less capacity. Exchange wisely.
• If you are in need of money and have a few houses bought, another money-saving measure is to sell houses. You will receive money back so you can have some extra money on hand. BE CAREFUL- if you have more cars than you have space to put them in, you may run out of places for which to store your cars! So do this only as an extreme measure. Also, remember that you can not sell any cars. You can, however, exchange cars in addition to the cars you have if you are trying to get rid of cars in exchange for one specific car.
You can purchase a home without needing to visit a Realtor (which is a BIG improvement from my TDU1 experience on the PS2). Just look for any available home and visit it. You can buy it from that point. I don't recommend you buying a house that you find free roaming unless you really want to get that house with your hard-earned money. It is better to maybe get a better deal by visiting the realtor, where you can exchange homes and not have to pay so much to get that certain house. Just take note of what Realtor offers the house in question. Remember the name of the house and look for the Realtor that offers that house.
Hairdresser.
Why visit a Hairdresser? If you want to change up the hairstyle and facial hair of your avatar, you will need to visit a hairdresser. Or don't tell me that you are content with the models the game provide for your avatar! You will be surprised what a change of hairstyle and such can do for your avatar. So visit the hairdresser and change up your avatar's hair and other things as much as you like.
Improve your Discovery of a certain area or island to expand the array of hair options for your avatar.
Cosmetic Clinic.
Go under the knife for modification of your avatar's face. When you're done, you will be able to go show off your new face! There are multiple options designed to customize your avatar's face. Be warned that after your avatar has cosmetic work done, he/she will have most of his/her head wrapped in bandages. Those bandages, though, will be removed after some time passes.
Airport.
When you reach Level 10, you will be able to access and use the airport to go to Hawaii's Oahu Island (it's just called Hawaii in this game). Get yourself a ticket so you can travel between Oahu and Ibiza. You have to pay a one-time fee of $2,000 for a trip to Hawaii when you first access the airport. After this first-time airport visit, you can travel from Ibiza/Hawaii to Hawaii/Ibiza as many times as you like for free.
Those are some of the many things to do around Ibiza and Hawaii besides racing. Speaking of which...
--- Test Drive Unlimited 2: Racing ---
Contest for speed by taking part in races around the islands. From in-game races to various online events (including events you can create yourself), there are MANY opportunities to go racing and take part in a number of events.
Racing in General: Basic Events.
Events are divided up into classes, and you will need the appropriate license to compete in each championship or race. They are broken up in "A," "B," and "C" classes. The lower the number for each class, the more powerful. The "A" events are for Asphalt cars. These are your basic races on tarmac, and cars in this class range from A7 to A1. The "B" class is exclusively for SUVs and exclusively for off-road racing. There are only B4 and B3 classes for this designation. The "C" class are for the classic cars in the game. They are classified as cars under C4 and C3.
Your first in-game championship is in the C4 championship. Championships feature a certain number of races for you to take part in with various events to each one. The best thing about championships is that you can select which race you want to do. All races must be completed for you to complete a championship. If you don't want to compete any longer in a championship (perhaps knowing you aren't going to win), you can back out of any championship. To my knowledge, all of your winnings will be nullified if you do back out of a championship. So make sure to complete them, even if you are not going to win the title. Here are some of the many events you can participate in:
• Race - a simple race either on a closed circuit or an open circuit. Be careful with some events because some may have moving traffic in addition to you racing.
• Time - post the fastest time on the course to win. Depending on the event (especially for tarmac racing), time penalties may be added if you go off-course at any time.
• Speedtrap - there are multiple speedtraps set up in certain locations, and there is a time limit for which to cross through them. Your speed going into each speedtrap will be recorded. Try to record the fastest times at each speedtrap. The highest average top speed from all speedtraps at the conclusion of the event determines the winner.
• Eliminator - at the end of each lap, the lowest-placed driver is eliminated. The race is over either when you are eliminated or when the last remaining driver is eliminated.
• Speed - keep your car above the minimum speed limit to avoid losing. Make sure to try to maintain your speed within the allowed time.
Try to win every race in the championship. A victory earns you 10 points in the championship and the maximum money payout. You earn no points if you finish last.
Later in your racing, you can take part in Cup championships. You can only advance to the next race when you win the previous event. And also, you must have a car from every class offered for the Cup. So you may want to hold onto some of your cars rather than sell them off.
Single-Player Events.
Scattered across the island are a number of events designed to test your driving abilities and accomplishing certain tasks. If you complete these tasks, you will be rewarded money and help your Discovery skills. Here is a brief look at some of the many challenges:
• Tail - you will be asked to follow a certain car in these events. You must do so cautiously, however. Try to avoid getting too close or trailing too far back from the other car.
• Driving - there is no time limit, but you must get one person from the starting position to the ending position. Going off-course and taking damage will deduct driving points. If you fail to get from one point to another, you will lose the event.
• Driving Convoy - you will be given a car for which you must get to a certain destination with as little damage as possible. The amount of money you will be paid depends on how well you can get the car from start to finish with as little damage as possible. Going off-course or damaging the car will deduct winning money away. There is no time limit.
• Jolt - rather than driving furiously, you must carefully get one person to a certain destination without scaring or sickening that person. Driving fast, braking hard, swerving out of control, hitting things, and other actions will upset your passenger. So drive carefully to win these challenges. There is no time limit to the Jolt challenges.
• Speed - get the car up to speed and maintain that speed for a good amount of time.
• Adrenaline - you have a certain amount of time to excite your passenger with a variety of dangerous driving acts. If you fail to fully excite the passenger within the allowed time, you lose.
It helps to have a very good car for these challenges. Just remember that the Driving Convoy has cars provided for you, so there's no need to have a certain car available to take part in the Driving Convoy tasks.
Other Forms of Racing.
(Most of this section pertains to online racing, which I have little or no experience with in TDU2.)
Why play alone? You can do online racing by seeking events across the island or by going to the Community Racing Center (CRC). More ambitious types can set up their own races with the Challenge Creator.
You can also take part in co-op races. These consist of a bunch of club races rather than a lot of one-on-one contests. One such event is the Keep Your Distance challenge, where all racers must be within a certain distance from each other.
Feeling lucky? Why not try the Online Chase Mode? This is where you test either side of the badge. This is similar to Most Wanted and Top Cop in the Need for Speed games. You can be an Outlaw by evading the police, or you can be top cop by taking down speeders. Requests can usually be made for you to pursue unruly drivers. If you cause too much havoc on the roads, the police will pursue you. Unfortunately, I was arrested in this game by the police for traffic violations. You end up having to pay a fine. So be careful while going full speed on the streets.
--- TDU2: Overall Review ---
Test Drive Unlimited 2 is unlimited in immersion and in action. Its combination of on-road and off-road action will be enough to make any racing game fan happy. Being able to interact and take part in this virtual realm is very pleasing. The cars all look and sound great. Enjoy racing from a number of different views. I don't care too much listening to the radio in the game, but a lot of the music (non-radio) is great to listen to. The environments are all designed beautifully. Not once will you experience any ugly-looking or less-than-perfect graphics. Though sometimes, there is a modest sort of polygon pop-up in very far distances. Still, everything looks and works great.
The single most disappointing element of TDU2 (to me) is in trying to save photos. You would probably think you can save pictures to your PS3's Extendable Media Bar (XMB), but that's not the case. There is a real funky way to save your pictures. Here's how:
1.) Take a photo (Start » Take a Photo » Take your photo » (optional) name your picture 2.) Press the PS Button. 3.) Go to the Photo menu. 4.) Go to "Save Screenshot." 5.) Confirm. --- If you want to port your pictures over... --- 6.) Copy your pictures over to a given external media device. 7.) To save on your PC, you will need to crop the picture to actually save your work. Take the main picture and crop the image to include just the actual in-game picture. When you're done, save over your image or save a new image.
You can't even save your pictures over to your XMB. That's real disappointing. I am not just talking about the photo work you have to do, but rather just taking casual pictures.
Maybe a modest disappointment is that I wished there were some better-looking models I can use to represent myself in the game. Some of the clothing choices are a bit fruity to me as well. I guess since you start off in Ibiza, you are supposedly a super-handsome European guy or girl and that you only care for European fashions. I almost want to play a second game to play as a female avatar just to see the fashion options for females in TDU2.
Oh, and one last thing... no motorcycles in Test Drive Unlimited 2. It probably would have been fun to ride motorcycles especially around Ibiza. Be careful of one thing online- some of the online drivers are absolute idiots. Some will intentionally wreck you and keep whacking you (often called "rammers" or "smashers"). And also, be wary of these Bugatti Veyron drivers (or other drivers of really fast/powerful cars) who will tail you and attack you. Thankfully, you can report certain bone-headed people in the game by filing a grief report to Atari or Eden or whoever.
--- Test Drive Unlimited 2: Video Preview(s) ---
Here is your look at TDU2. And if you seen my blog post on Test Drive Unlimited 1, yes. This is the same video I posted in my TDU1 blog post:
^ courtesy of Machinima; the song is "Ghetto Burnin'" by Phonat
Above all else, I have experienced a Test Drive Unlimited experience much different from the PlayStation 2 version of TDU1. Test Drive Unlimited 2 will really grab you and take you for a ride with its immersive gameplay and engaging action. It takes what made TDU1 great and made it better for TDU2. Plus, all the interactions with other gamers make for one exceptional racing and driving experience not to be missed. Surely worth your money if you have the system to play TDU2. If you got money (and the system to play it on) but don't have TDU2, get it on Amazon by using this:
^ available for: PlayStation 3, XBOX 360, PC, and as a PC Download
The finale of this series of Beauties topics features beautiful women from South America. The initial post was massive, so I broke it up into a series. This one is about beautiful ladies from South America. South America encompasses over 13 different nations. Almost every nation in South America is part of Latin America except Suriname and French Guiana. I've even been fortunate to meet people from South America here in Houston. These include people from Columbia, Venezuela, and Peru. I'm not sure if I've ever met anyone from Brazil or not. Anyhow, the way to end this series of blog posts in regards to beautiful ladies is to cap things off with beauties from South America.
About This Series...
This topic is a series of blog posts on the same topic. It has been broken up into three parts:
PART 1: Beautiful women from Mexico and Central America. PART 2: Women from the Caribbean will be featured. PART 3: South American women will be featured. (YOU ARE HERE)
When all three blog posts are complete, you can link to each post from just this introduction. The primary source for most of my information is Wikipedia.
--- South American Beauties ---
(THIS SECTION: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Columbia, Ecuador, Falkland Islands*, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands*, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela)
South American love is what you're getting from some of South America's loveliest ladies. These are beautiful ladies either born in South America or of any South American descent. I am not sure if I can provide one lady from each country, but I'll do my best to mention as many different South American nations and their ladies as possible.
NOTE: If you see a name with a hypertext heading, you can visit either that person's official website or a certain fan site. Sites other than any official home page will be noted in parentheses ().
I try to keep everything neatly organized. Three very popular ladies will be featured here in this blog post (maybe four). Let's begin with one of the most popular from South America:
(~~~ no picture available - my most sincere apologies ~~~)
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll is a goddess. I featured the Colombian in my "Sweet Petite!" blog post as she stands all of 5'1". She still knows how to wow crowds with her moves and her singing. She was born on Groundhog Day (Feb. 2) in 1977 and is from Barranquilla, Colombia. Her birthplace even has a statue in her honor. Shakira was only 13 when she started her music career in 1990.
Venezuela is like a gold mine of beautiful women. Therefore, I would do my Venezuelan readers injustice if I didn't include some of Venezuela's lovely ladies. There are two things that I know best about Venezuela- Caracas is its lovely capital city, and Angel Falls is the largest waterfall in the world (and a gloriously beautiful waterfall). One of them is Milka Duno of Caracas, Venezuela. The (born April 22, 1972)-year old was someone I featured in my "Women in Motorsport" blog post long ago. I first heard of Milka Duno back in 2000 or 2001. She has a good bit of experience racing in the American Le Mans Series as well as some runs in the Daytona Prototype class of Rolex Sportscar Series of the Grand-American Road Racing Association. Milka has even run in the IndyCar Series. Nowadays, I hear she's racing in the ARCA stock car racing series. Milka Duno is a beautiful woman who is also very educated. She served as a naval engineer in her time. Her racing debut was in 1996 when she placed 2nd in the Venezuelan GT Championship. Three years later, she'd attend the famed Skip Barber Racing School and compete in the Formula Dodge Pro Series. Among her biggest accomplishments was being the first woman to place on the podium in an ALMS race, the first woman to win in America's Ferrari Challenge, and the champion of the ALMS' now-defunct Women's Global GT Series.
Away from racing, Milka is amazingly beautiful. She boasts a wide and vibrant smile and has a lovely hairstyle. The Venezuelan racer looks fabulous along with a fabulous sense of style.
Hannely Quintero.
^ from: bellisima.blog.cz - Hannely Quintero.
The Venezuelan beauty born Hannelly Zulami Quintero Ledezma has found success both in the pageant realm and in being a TV host. She has won three different competitions: Señorita Ocumare in 2002, Teen Model Venezuela 2005, crowned Miss World Venezuela in 2007, and the winner of Miss Intercontinental 2009. As a fun fact (from Wikipedia), she was born in a taxi cab at midnight in Caracas, Venezuela. This video features the young lady:
Ana Galarza.
With a refreshing smile and diamond-like eyes, Ana Mercedes Galarza Añazco of Ambato, Ecuador was the first runner-up in the 2010 Miss Ecuador pageant. She was the first lady from Tungurahua to be crowned Miss World Ecuador. See this Ecuadorian beauty in action with this video:
"Lady Mina".
Lady Fernanda Mina Lastra is the winner of Miss Ecuador 2010. Lady Mina also won "Best National Costume" in Miss Reina Hispanoamericana 2010. She gets some extra credit from me because she was born in one of Houston's Sister Cities- Guayaquil, Ecuador. She stands 5'7". This girl really brings the heat! She is very beautiful with sparkly eyes, a sweet face, a sweet smile, beautiful hair, and an awesome body. Lady Mina's perfect looks is often times why she is nicknamed as the "Black Barbie." After seeing this video, Barbie herself might be just a tad jealous of this Ecuadorian hottie:
I best know Barbara Mori as Rubi in the telenovela Rubi. Interesting what you read on Wikipedia... I learned she was born in Uruguay and is of Uruguayan-Japanese and Mexican descent. The Naturalized Mexican actress was born in born in Uruguay, so that's why you see her in this section rather than in my "Mexico and Central American Beauties" post. Here is the introduction of "Rubi" with the super-hot Barbara Mori:
Fabiola Gatti.
^ from: www.newshairstyles.com - Fabiola Gatti is a beach pop singer from Uruguay.
Another Uruguayan whom I've heard of is Fabiola Gatti. She is the lead singer of a beach pop/rock group called The FABS. I heard of them first on Myspace some five years ago. Fabulous Fabiola was also part of an all-girl group called the Chi Chis. She's also the singer of a group called Dream Tribes. She was born in Punta del Este, Uruguay on April 16, 1987.
To aid in improving performance of my blog, this Jump Break has been included. Click "Read More" to read the full blog post if you are not reading the full post (or disregard this section if you are).
Leysi Suarez.
Perhaps the most beautiful sight in Peru is the ancient city of Machu Picchu. That, and the lovely city of Lima. Also lovely is the seductive Peruvian dancer and showgirl Leysi Suarez. In infamous fashion, she caused quite an uproar when she rode a horse using the flag of Peru as a saddle. It was an ultimate showing of patriotism for her native Peru. Leysi assured that her only role was to strike a pose for a magazine in Peru. It was not some sort of demonstration; but rather something planned by Daysi, the CEO of D Farandula Magazine. Leysi has since apologized. She's got seductive curves and is crazy sexy. Don't believe me? Here is your Peruvian princess below (WARNING: may need to turn down the volume):
^ from: www.uncoached.com - The sexy Gabriela Barros of Chile.
This beauty is Gabriela Barros Tapia from Santiago, Chile. The 5'10" model won Miss Universo Chile 2004 and finished in the Top 15 during the 2004 Miss Universe pageant.
If you have seen "La Hora Pico" before, you might have seen a massive-chested woman named Sabrina Sabrok. Lorena Fabiana Colotta was born on March 4, 1977 and is best known as an actress as well as a cyberpunk rock star. She is perhaps best known for her massive breasts through breast implants. Multiple operations to increase her breast sizes has left her with having the largest breasts of any television celebrity in 2006. Three years later, she'd beat her own record. I have been trying to find as much information to make my material relevant and accurate. So from what I read, her bra size is (or at least wanted to have) a 42XXX size.
Belén Rodríguez.
María Belén Rodríguez Cozzani also flies the flag for Argentina here. She is a sexy young Argentinian lady with a lovely hairstyle and a sweet smile. Check out Belen rock her fashion style in this video:
^ from: hoopeduponline.com - Bolivia's beautiful bombshell is Stephany Romero (also known as Selena).
Also known as Selena, Stephany Romero is a Bolivian beauty who has worked with a number of American hip-hop artists. "Smoking hot" are the two best words to use in describing her looks. Any fan of hip-hop babes can appreciate the absolutely dangerous curves of this Bolivian beauty.
How hot do you like it? Representing Paraguay is Larissa Mabel Riquelme Frutos. This Paraguayan princess is a lingerie model as well as an actress. She was born on Febuary 22, 1985 and born in Asunción, Paraguay. Famously (or infamously), her popularity skyrocketed when Larissa said she'd run naked if Paraguay won the 2010 World Cup. Visit her website to follow her on Twitter or see her YouTube channel. She's also on Facebook, so Become a Fan (Like) Larissa Riquelme on Facebook or even Become a Fan (Like) this newer fan page of Larissa Riquelme!
Nikita Archer.
^ from: www.kaieteurnewsonline.com - a gorgeous and glamourous Guyana girl named Nikita Archer.
A beautiful young lady named Nikita Archer hails from Georgetown, Guyana. She is a glamourous Guyanese girl with loads of style and charm. Nikita won Miss Guyana and represented Guyana in the Miss Jamzone International pageant.
^ from: www.stabroeknews.com, by way of guyanapublications.com (best I could find) - Surinamese beauty Alcinda Huisden. The only thing I know about Suriname is that Paramaribo is its capital. I learned during making this blog post is that Suriname was a former Dutch colony. Surinamese beauty Alcinda Deborah Huisden won Miss World Suriname 2008.
Mireille Nederbiel.
^ from: www.missosology.org (best I could find) - Miss Suriname 2008 went to Mireille Nederbiel. The sweet-faced Surinamese beauty, Mireille Nederbiel, won Miss Suriname in 2008 and represented Suriname at the 2008 Miss World pageant. However (and thanks to pageant organizers), she was excluded from competing in Miss World. Like Alcinda, Mireille is also from Paramaribo, Suriname.
Last, but CERTAINLY not least... that MASSIVE-size country in South America that will host the 2011 Miss Universe pageant and the 2014 World Cup- Brazil!
Gisele Caroline Bündchen is someone you've heard of especially if you're an NFL fan. She's the wife of New England Patriots' QB, Tom Brady. She was born in Horizontina, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. She's found fame as a model and an actress. Gisele has spent 2000 through 2007 as a Victoria's Secret Angel. I honestly did not think about Gisele until I was preparing the initial blog post. Also, I didn't know she was from Brazil. So I IMMEDIATELY had to include her into my blog post on beautiful South American women to please my audience. Never heard of Gisele? Visit her website to see her pictures!
The first of the Brazilian babes is Audrina Lima. Audrina has found fame as a singer, as an actress, and as a former Victoria's Secret Angel. She was born on June 12, 1981 in the city of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Here is a video from 2007 profiling her:
For my racing fans out there, do NOT confuse Ana Beatriz Barros with IndyCar Series driver Bia Figueiredo (best known as Ana Beatriz). Rio de Janeiro is a hot destination for most travelers. Rio de Janeiro is also the birthplace of Ana Beatris Barros. She is a model that has worked for a number of fashion publications as well as various designers. Get to know Ana Beatriz Barros here:
Emanuela de Paula is a deliciously hot young (born April 25, 1989) Brazilian model. She has walked the runways in sultry Brazilian bikinis. Her body is stunning while wearing some lovely bikinis. I mentioned Venezuela as a gold mine of women. Well... Brazil is a gold mine for beautiful women as well, and surely Emanuela de Paula is 24 karat gold. See and hear Emanuela de Paula here in this video:
Brazilian babe Juliana Martins has appeared in Marie Claire and Sports Illustrated as a model. The (born October 3, 1984) model from José Bonifácio, São Paulo state, Brazil was called as a Brazilian Cindy Crawford. Here is a gallery showcasing the hot Juliana in this photoshoot:
(ADDED: July ??, 2011) Vanessa (or "Vanny") Ferreira of "Fofoleca" is a fashion blog of a curvy Brazlian beauty who offers up her cute ("fofo" is Portuguese for "cute," as I have learned) looks as well as discussing losing weight. Her blog is mostly in Portuguese, but her lovely looks translate well in any language. This lady from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is a sweet-faced lady with great style. I'd like to salute Vanessa for her work if she's reading this blog post. Keep up the great work!
Mariana is a beautiful young lady, but she is no longer with us. Her death is why she is honorably mentioned. The Brazilian beauty died in 2009 after having a severe uniary infection that left her to have her hands and feet amputated. It was a terrible shame since she was supposed to be part of the Miss World pageant in 2009.
Mariana died at the age of 20. You can see pictures of this beautiful young woman by visiting the website I provided in the header.
More ladies may be featured in future edits.
--- If I Mentioned You (and If You're Reading This)... ---
I want to say hello to you! I hope you enjoyed my blog post, and I also hope you keep reading this blog and its contents. John's Blog Space is all about anything and everything crossing my mind. That even includes beautiful ladies like you all! Special salute also to all of you Caribbean folk who read my blog regularly/often. You all are awesome!
To all of my readers in and from South America... thank you for your continued support of my work!
Do remember- these are only a few of many lovely ladies of South America! I don't just exclusively go after big-name people or just beauty queens. Beautiful ladies are beautiful ladies regardless of popularity or whatever. So I hope you enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed trying to come up with all these names.
That concludes this series. Thank you for reading and sharing my content That includes this recent series as well as all of my other material. Thank you for reading!
Part two of this series of Beauties topics features beautiful women from the Caribbean. I've always wanted to do some blog posts for my Caribbean readers and fans, as I normally get some good blog traffic from the Caribbean. The initial post was massive, so I broke it up into a series. This one is about beautiful Caribbean women. After all, the only thing lovelier than the Caribbean are the many ladies who are as beautiful as the Caribbean islands they represent. There are a handful of Caribbean islands out there, and I can only feature so many in this blog post. I've always wanted to do some blog posts for my Caribbean readers and fans, so perhaps this post is a start. I do get a good amount of traffic from the Caribbean.
About the Label...
The blog label "Caribbean" was introduced for topics in my blog featuring or mentioning the Caribbean. I hope this will help me to get a bit more viewership among my Caribbean audience.
About This Series...
This topic is a series of blog posts on the same topic. It has been broken up into three parts:
• PART 1: Beautiful women from Mexico and Central America. • PART 2: Women from the Caribbean will be featured. (YOU ARE HERE) • PART 3: South American women will be featured.
When all three blog posts are complete, you can link to each post from just this introduction. The primary source for most of my information is Wikipedia.
--- Caribbean Beauties ---
(THIS SECTION: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Puerto Rico, Saba, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Eustatius, Sint Maarten, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands)
While I have yet to travel outside the state of Texas, the only thing more beautiful than the Caribbean are Caribbean ladies. You're going to get your fair share of island babes that are as beautiful as the islands they represent. I do get a fair share of blog hits often times from the Caribbean. I guess my way of saying thanks is by talking about how beautiful Caribbean women are! :)
You know, it's tough trying to find pictures of every lady I feature in these Beauties-themed posts. Linking to pictures helps to get more hits while also making posts livelier. I will have SOMETHING on each beauty whether it's a picture, a link, a video... SOMETHING to show you who all I am talking about. I'll try to mention as many ladies from as many different Caribbean nations as possible.
NOTE: If you see a hypertext link in a heading, you can visit that person's official home page or a fan site (if offered). Be warned that some official sites may not be accessible. Any information in parentheses () shows a link to a site other than a proper official homepage.
If I cannot find a picture or some sort of link, I will simply just mention that person through text, and I will leave it up to you to look online to learn more about each personality themselves.
I will begin with perhaps one of the biggest names in this blog post who is a Caribbean beauty herself:
^ from: www.rtvchannel.tv - Discovered by Jay-Z and became a worldwide star, Rihanna is a total Caribbean beauty proudly representing Barbados.
Barbados beauty Robyn Rihanna Fenty (better known as Rihanna) someone you might have heard of before. She is surely someone whom I've respected for her singing ability as well as being one of the fiercest divas in fashion. I think the biggest change overall for Rihanna was when she let go of her lovely longer hair to go for an edgy bob hairstyle. That, and the whole Good Girl Gone Bad deal. Ever since being discovered by Jay-Z (whom I am a fan of), her star has risen incredibly since "Pon de Replay" back in the mid-2000s. I sometimes call the (born February 20, 1988)-year old the most famous Barbadian, hailing from Saint Michael, Barbados. Rihanna is still a lovely lady even to this day.
Here's one of Rihanna's latest songs. Bang this hot joint wherever you're reading this. It's "Only Girl (In the World)" :
^ from: www.seat42f.com - Cuba native and Sofia Lugo on "Prison Break".
I had someone else lined up to talk about from Cuba, but since I couldn't find enough material to make a proper post about her, I chose Danay Garcia. Danay is someone you may recall if you are a fan of the Prison Break series on FOX. She was born in Cuba's capital city of Havana. Danay used to be a model, and she loves dancing various sorts of dances.
Ingrid Marie Rivera Santos is a lovely Puerto Rican lady. She's very hot. She has won quite a few titles. Among others: Miss Mundo de Puerto Rico 2005, Miss World Caribbean 2005, and Miss Puerto Rico Universe 2008. Don't believe me? Check this video out of this Puerto Rican beauty from Luquillo, Puerto Rico:
Her official website can be accessed at www.ingridmarie.net, but I was unable to access it in preparing my blog post, so I included the IMDb page on her.
Ife Bethel-Sears.
The winner of Miss Bahamas Earth 2009 is Ife Bethel-Sears. The Bahamian beauty also won the Miss Popularity Award in the same competition. There was some controversy in the 2009 competition. I can't grasp what exactly happened, but Ife relinquished her crown as Miss Bahamas Earth 2009 for personal reasons.
The winner of Miss Florida 2009 is Anastagia Pierre. The young Bahamian beauty from Plantation, Florida, USA lady boasts an incredible smile and loads of style. She was one of the youngest winners of Miss Florida at only 19 years old in 2009. Anagstagia is a grid girl for Team Redline Xtreme as well as a college student in broadcasting and journalism. Take a look at this beauty from head-to-toe:
Sara Lawrence.
With the traffic I get from Jamaica, I'd hate not to mention Jamaican women in this blog post. So first off, meet Jamaican beauty queen Sara Lawrence. She won Miss World Jamaica in 2006, but violated a certain rule- being pregnant. Sara was steadfast on becoming a mother rather than have an abortion, so she gave up her crown to focus on being a mother. Reading on Wikipedia notes that participants for Miss World Jamaica must not have given birth, and the winner of the pageant must be a positive role model for Jamaican youth. She's still a beautiful young lady regardless. The Jamaican public was in favor of Sara Lawrence for Sara repenting getting an abortion.
Kadie-Ann Johnson is a sweet Jamaican petite (she's 5'3") that is beautiful as a model or in hip-hop music videos. From her Model Mayhem page, she has been in a number of hip-hop videos, but doesn't partake in any raunchy routines in these videos. Kadie-Ann is someone who is both classy and beautiful. You need only see pictures of this Jamaican petite to be drawn into the allure of this divine diva. So go on- visit her Model Mayhem page! :)
The temperature rises when Baje (pronounced "beige") Fletcher is shown. The chocolate-skinned eye candy from Jamaica (but born in Brooklyn, NY, USA) is a model, an actress, a writer, and most of all- a diva. She was part of the first season of "Paris Hilton's My New BFF" reality TV show competition. As a personal note, Baje is the third contestant of "Paris Hilton's: My New BFF" I've mentioned in my blog, including Arika Sato and Onch Movement. You can visit her official website at bajeonline.com to learn much more about this Jamaican beauty. Here is a video interview of Baje:
The forecast calls for a chance of rain coming from Jamaica. Shelly Rain is a beautiful golden-skinned young lady who got her education in an all-girl Catholic school in Kingston, Jamaica. See pictures of her from her Model Mayhem page.
^ from: www.dailymakeover.com - Selita Ebanks used to be a Victoria's Secret Angel.
Fashion model Selita Ebanks is a native of New York City, NY, USA; but raised in the British Overseas Territory of the Cayman Islands. Selita even admits being more of a city girl than an island girl. She is the child of a Caymanian mother and a Jamaican father. The (born February 15, 1983)-year old Caymanian cutie was a former Victoria's Secret Angel. She has also been in music videos as well as several TV and guest star appearances. Selita is 5'9" in height. Here is a video profile of Selita:
Hailing from Haiti, Fabienne Colas is a Haitian actress. She was born in Haiti's capital city of Port-au-Prince on March 18, 1979. Some of her acting work includes her debut in the "L'auberge du chien noir" TV series, "How to Conquer America in One Night," and "Gangsterland" among other roles.
The Haitian love continues as I bring Marie Blanchard into this post. The native of Port-Au-Prince, Haiti has an outstanding body. She also has loads of experience in various forms of media. Everything from posters, movie appearances, fashion, and other departments have been graciously participated in by one Marie G. Blanchard. Visit her website at marie-blanchard.com to learn more about the Haitian beauty I just mentioned.
I'm not done yet! There are many more ladies from many more Caribbean Islands I want to introduce to you! I am adding a Jump Break for performance reasons. Make sure you are reading the full blog post to enjoy its whole appeal. If you are not reading the full post and would like to continue, please click "Read More" to read the full blog post.
Janeisha John.
^ from: worldshowbiz.info - Janeisha John of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The United States Virgin Islands is home to one Janeisha John. She was born in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. In the Miss Universe pageant for 2010, the 5'9" model represented the United States Virgin Islands in Miss Universe 2010. Janeisha won the 2010 Miss Universe Virgin Islands Pageant. Let Janeisha introduce herself to you:
Josefina Nunez.
^ from: beautybodybrain.com - British Virgin Islands cutie Josefina Nunez.
From the United States Virgin Islands to the British Virgin Islands, meet Josefina Nunez. She won Miss BVI (British Virgin Islands) in 2009. What is one thing her and I have in common? Blue is our favorite color. Josefina has a sweet smile and a lovely hairstyle.
^ from: jacquiphillips.tv - Susie Castillo is of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent.
Though born in Methuen, Massachusetts, USA; Susie Castillo is both Puerto Rican and Dominican. She has been all around American media as a TV show hostess, an actress, an author, as well as the 2003 winner of Miss USA. Susie was even voted as one of the 25 Most Beautiful by People en Español magazine as well as making the Hot 100 List from Maxim in 2008. The Latina is surely someone whom has really made a name for herself being only (born October 27, 1979) years old.
Ada de la Cruz.
The Dominican Republic's first representative to this blog post is one Ada Aimée de la Cruz Ramirez. This Dominican honey born in Villa Mella, Dominican Republic has sweet looks. She has won two pageants and placed well in three other pageants. Ada de la Cruz won Miss Mundo Dominicana in 2007 and Miss Dominican Republic in 2009. She even was the first runner-up in the 2009 Miss Universe pageant. Ada is the same height as me- 6'0". In 2007, she became the first Dominican to win Miss World Beach Beauty. To put it mildly, she is a beautiful and talented young lady. Here is a video of the young Dominican diva:
Geisha Montes.
In 2008, Miss Mundo Dominicana was awarded to Geisha Natalie Montes de Oca Robles. The Dominican Republic native stands 5'11"- the same height as country-pop singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, and talk show host and radio legend Wendy Williams. She also won Queen of the Americas during the 2007 Miss International Tourism Queen competition. Meet this beautiful lady:
Katherine Cruz.
No relation to Ada de la Cruz, but Katherine Cruz Espinosa is a young beauty from Santo Domingo Norte, Dominican Republic. She didn't win Miss República Dominicana 2011, but Katherine is the first runner-up of the pageant.
Aiasha Gustave.
Meet Aiasha Tierra Rebecca Gustave from the island of St. Lucia. St. Lucia is a lovely island south of Martinique and west-northwest of Barbados. This lovely Lucian I will feature here. To give you an idea of how young she is, she won the Miss World St. Lucia pageant in 2010 at the age of 17. A young St. Lucian beauty like her is capable of many things before she calls it a career. This YouTube video, courtesy of Body Gossip, features Aiasha as she talks about body gossip:
IN CASE YOU'RE INTERESTED: This is NOT her official blog, but it is a fan blog of Aiasha Gustave featuring pictures and other details. And... it's a Blogger/Blogspot blog! Check it out: Aiasha Gustave (fan blog)! You can also visit Aiasha Gustave's YouTube channel.
Cathy Daniel.
^ from: stluciastar.com - Luscious Lucian beauty Cathy Daniel. Cathy Daniel is another lovely Lucian beauty. She became the first Campari Caribbean Poster Girl in 2009.
Ericka Aly.
From the French overseas territory of Guadeloupe, Ericka Aly is a sweet-faced Guadeloupean girl. The 5'9" model won Miss World Guadeloupe 2010 at the tender age of 20. She's from Petit-Bourg, Guadeloupe. Ericka speaks French, English, and Creole. Let her introduce yourself to you in this video. By the way, I learned how to properly pronounce "Guadeloupe" in this video. Considering I sometimes get blog hits from Guadeloupe, this is a BIG help!
In case you missed it, "Guadeloupe" is prounounced like "guah-deh-loo."
Fatisha Imo.
Saint Kitts and Nevis is where Fatisha Anita Imo is from. She won Miss World Saint Kitts and Nevis in 2010. I learned on Wikipedia that Fatisha's godmother, Haley Cassius, was the last representative of Saint Kitts and Nevis in the Miss World pageant back in 1988 (which was also the year Fatisha was born). Meet Fatisha Imo with this video:
"Two islands, one paradise." Cool statement. There's another twin-island nation I'll discuss later in this blog post with some beautiful ladies from there.
The sweet-faced Ronique Dellimore is a beautiful young lady from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Born on April 21, 1985; Ronique admits to being a tomboy in most of her early life, usually doing boy things. It probably also is worth mentioning that she is the only daughter in her family. To go from tomboy to winning Miss Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2009 is surely a climb up the ladder.
Gabrielle Walcott.
The first of lovely ladies from the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is Gabrielle Walcott. The (born June 26, 1984)-year old native of Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago is beautiful, but has lived an ugly past. Her sisters as well as her aunt died during Gabrielle's life. She was even held at gun point once. This helped her to appreciate and honor family ties. Gabrielle has even done lots of work as an actress and being in music videos and production duties. She introduces herself to you here:
This isn't my blog post on tasty fashion influences, but meet the tasty chocolate beauty, La Toya Woods. She was born in 1985 and is the winner of Miss Trinidad and Tobago Universe 2010. The beautiful young Trinidadian lady was born in Couva on the island of Trinidad. In addition to her triumph at Miss Trinidad and Tobago Universe, she is also famed as a fashion model during Trinidad and Tobago Fashion Week.
Jeanille Bonterre (or "Empress Jeanille") is the last of the Trinidad and Tobago beauties I will feature in this blog post. She has abounding amounts of broadcasting talent and has even done some acting. Besides these aspirations, the Empress impresses as a host of concerts. Her words:
"Whatever your career dream is, focus and go after it. Believe in yourself and trust that your spirit will always guide you towards the path of Prosperity."
When you have a nickname like "Sugar," you must be sweet. Curaçaoan cutie Ruënna "Sugar" Mercelina is a teen queen (born January 18, 1992) from Willemstad, Netherlands Antilles. She also goes by the nicknames of "Suku" and "Miss Sugar." This lady has some lovely legs and a great sense of fashion style. Rüenna has a pretty huge goal she'd love to accomplish- becoming the first Curaçaoan to win Miss Universe. By all means, best of luck to Rüenna in all of her efforts. I'm sure she will be an excellent role model and ambassador of her native people. Here is a photo shoot featuring the young beauty in a one-piece swimsuit and some sexy platform pumps. And man... she can certainly rock a pair of platform pumps! Maybe my blogging buddy over at "Hottest Heels: Anything Else is Not!" can appreciate this:
(CUR) Norayla Maria Francisco is another Curaçao native that is a beautiful lady. The (born June 30, 1984)-year old was born in Willemstad, Curaçao and is 6'0" tall. She is the 2008 winner of Miss World Curaçao.
Here is her photo shoot:
Taryn Mansell.
Taryn Scheryl Mansell brings up Aruba to this blog post. She won Miss World Aruba in 1996 and almost won Miss Universe that same year.
From the 1996 winner of Miss Aruba to the 2010 Miss Aruba winner, 5'9" Gillain (pronounced jill-LANE) Berry won Miss Aruba 2010 and will represent her nation in 2011's Miss Universe pageant. She was born in Jamaica, but has lived most of her life in Aruba.
For privacy's sake, thanks again to the loyal reader for suggesting two beauties from Curaçao and Aruba.
^ from: www1.essence.com - Glenda Lugay of St. Martin.
Glenda Lugay is a lady born on the island of Saint Martin. She created her own boutique in Los Angeles, CA, USA called Tres Jolie in September 2001. Tres Jolie was the winner of myfoxla.com's Hot List in 2007. The boutique mostly offers fashion accessories, beauty products, and various gifts. Glenda is also the CEO and Founder of of Diamond Noir Collective, a forum dedicated to showcasing the Caribbean and Caribbean folk as a whole. She is the first Black woman to open two jewelry and accessory stores in Beverly Hills. I came across Glenda through a Friend Request on Facebook. A big aspect of hers was in setting up a Fashion Week for the Caribbean. Caribbean International Fashion Week was set up by Glenda to showcase fashions of the Caribbean. This event is held in New York City. Funds from CIFW benefit Caribbean fashion designers as well as funding for the CTO (Caribbean Tourism Organization) Foundation, a non-profit (or not-for-profit) organization designed to benefit those in the hospitality and tourism industry involving the Caribbean. For all she has been through and all she has accomplished, I have great respect for Glenda and all she has been able to accomplish. She has been a very successful woman in business, and her work continues to be well-respected. According to Tres Jolie's website, the biggest ambition for the boutique is to become an international brand. Glenda's taken her craft to Europe as well as the United States, finding success in both places. She probably should have a shelf or a room full of awards for all she's been able to accomplish.
--- If I Mentioned You (and If You're Reading This)... ---
I want to say hello to you! I hope you enjoyed my blog post, and I also hope you keep reading this blog and its contents. John's Blog Space is all about anything and everything crossing my mind. That even includes beautiful ladies like you all! Special salute also to all of you Caribbean folk who read my blog regularly/often. You all are awesome!
To all of my readers in and from the Caribbean... thank you for your continued support of my work!
Do remember- these are only a few of many lovely ladies of the Caribbean! I don't just go after big-name people or exclusively post beauty queens. Beautiful ladies are beautiful ladies regardless of popularity or whatever. So I hope you enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed trying to come up with all these names.
That concludes Part 2 of 3. The finale of this series consists of beautiful women from South America. More to come! For now, though, thank you for reading!
