I’ve been wanting to make a career change for some time now and I have been researching about what I could so I could get a little prosperity in life.

Well I made my decision and I’m going to learn how to cook. I’m going to be a chef. I picked up Mastering the Art of French Cooking: 50th Anniversary by Julia Child and have started trying out some recipes. I actually like this book better than some of the other cookbooks that are out there. Instead of giving your orders, Julia Child’s book actually makes you think like a chef. It gets you mentally prepared and aware of the surroundings in the kitchen, and what you need to pay attention to so the dish can come out just right.

To make it official, I’m going to start speaking the language. As a chef my profession is in the culinary arts. Of course I’m not a chef yet, I’m a soon-to-be student. I started some research online on culinary schools to figure out how much they cost, what kind of background in cooking do I need, and how long is it going to take to graduate and be certified.

From what I’ve seen, the cooking classes tell you that you don’t need to have much prior experience in cooking. Which is good for me, because I really don’t have too much experience with cooking and creating all kinds of delicious meals for myself or anyone else. That’s why I bought the cooking book. I’m learning a lot from it too. Julia Child certainly knew what she was doing. I don’t expect to know as much as she knows, but I hope to do pretty well if becoming a chef works out for me.

I found a lot of culinary schools to sign up for. This being New York there are so many classes for everything (one of the perks about New York!). Now I just have to decide which one to enroll in. I’m grateful for this opportunity. I know a lot of folks out there are not surrounded by so many opportunities like I am. This is why I don’t take the Bronx for granted. It’s not exactly the best place to live in, but you do have the opportunity to get out and make life better for yourself.

I discovered this video kinda recently. You should check it out. They’re doing a lot of great stuff to help out the Bronx community.

Since I’m stuck with the name Bronx Cheer, I guess I better make use of it.

Last night I was thinking about what a Bronx cheer might sound like? Don’t ask my why this question came to my head. I was surfing the internet last night doing some research on some classes I’m interested in taking. Thinking about those classes had me thinking about school, which had me thinking about my high school, and when I thought of high school, cheerleading came to mind. Because of the name of my website, I was wondering how some cheerleaders could interpret something called a “Bronx Cheer.”

For one thing, a Bronx Cheer is going to be anything but routine or stale.

If there was a cheer to represent the Bronx, I think we need it to look more like the cheers you see coming out of high schools that are predominately black. I don’t know what it is, but their cheers seem to have an added touch. I’m at a lost for words, but I’m trying to say that their cheers look like well-choreographed music videos. Instead of just doing typical cheers featuring a lot of gymnastics, there’s some soul injected into cheers that are found at majority black high schools. And that’s the kind of cheer I want a Bronx cheer to be. And because there’s a significant Latino population, I think adding some Latin rhythm to the groove would make the Bronx cheer stand out.

Of course,  if a predominately white neighborhood tried to steal the Bronx cheer and claim it as their own, then we’re going to have a problem.  Wait a minute…

You see what happens when your mind slips?

Don’t be fooled by the rocks that I got

I’m still, I’m still Jenny from the Block

Used to have a little, now I have a lot

No matter what, I know where I came from (The Bronx)

I’m sure some of you remember the above lyrics coming from Jennifer Lopez aka J-Lo’s song “Jenny From the Block.” I actually like it. And not because J-Lo is from the Bronx and is reppin’ where she comes from… Okay, so maybe  it is. But a part of me likes the song because it’s about being proud of where you came from. And you should never be ashamed of where you came from.

In my first post I remember I asked you guys what you think about when you think about the Bronx. Is it a positive image? Or is it a negative image. I know there are some people out there who have a negative image about the Bronx. And it’s not just the place they have a negative image about, but also the people there. For some reason people like to stereotype people based on where they come from which I think is stupid.

If you have a negative image about the Bronx you’re probably going to have a negative image about me which is stupid on your part. Where you grow up shapes the kind of person you become, and like J-Lo, I’ll never forget where I came from. But you are in over your head if you think you can categorize me based on whatever the crime rate may be. I’m not dumb and I know there is room for improvement, but when I tell you that I’m proud to be from the Bronx, that’s because I’m telling you I’m proud of the positive aspects, because it has made me what I am today.

Who am I today? I’m not a rich, but I’m not a poor man either. Maybe the stuff I do in life doesn’t win awards, but I’m not a burden to society. I’m not a criminal. And I know whatever happens in the future, I won’t forget where I came from. I think the Bronx has humbled me. I could live in a mansion with dozens of cars, but I wouldn’t let the concept of being rich get to my head, which is a problem a lot of rich folk have. It’s a shame that those who are rich and came from humble beginnings completely forget their background.

But not me. Like J-Lo, no matter what, I know where I came from–The Bronx!

Please don’t ask me to explain what the name of my site means. It’s so hard to figure out a name for a website when all of the really good ones have been taken. I needed something to show my love for the Bronx. So Bronx Cheer it is!

I don’t know how much love the Bronx gets, but I want to give it a special place here on the internet. People may have their attention drawn to the negative aspects of the Bronx whenever they think about what it’s like. I guess you can call me a romantic, because I like to think about the good things that are coming out of the Bronx.

What do you think about when you hear “The Bronx.”

Are you thinking of something negative? Or are you thinking something positive? Or maybe nothing negative or positive comes to mind. For those of you who are thinking of something negative, do you think you could ever change your opinion when you hear The Bronx? Like if crime we to go down? Or poverty goes down? I remember people always having a negative attitude about New York City. The first thing they thought about were muggers. I don’t think many people feel that way now about the city. I hope some time in the future that The Bronx won’t be associated with anything negative.

So what am I going to do with this website…

I really don’t know how often I can update it. Things are getting kinda hectic at home. And I considered taking a cooking class, so that’s not going to leave much time. But whenever I feel like giving a shotout to the Bronx, I’ll post a new message. I’ll try to put up some beautiful pictures of the scenes in the Bronx. Maybe I can change some of your minds if you see the pictures.

Hopefully this blog can inspire some of you to create your own blog devoted to a place you love, or anything you want. I’m sure some of you already have some ideas of what you want to talk about. I think you should go for it. It doesn’t cost much to have a blog and you can talk to people who have the same interests that you do. People you would never see are talking to you because you have things in common. I hope I can come across some people here who love the Bronx as much as I do.

So let’s have a Bronx cheer!  =)