Chuco Chuckle
Conversational podcast with guests that include local artisans, business owners, friends, musicians, and other different walks of life here in El Paso, Texas.
Chuco Chuckle
"Giselle Lopez: Embracing Change and Authenticity in Life and Fashion"
Prepare to be inspired! In this episode, I sit down with the vivacious Giselle Lopez, the reigning Miss El Paso 2024, who is on the brink of passing her crown to the next deserving queen. As she navigates the bittersweet journey of her reign, Giselle doesn't hold back in sharing her heartfelt reflections and the lessons she's learned along the way. This insightful conversation reveals what it truly means to represent a city, the beauty of embracing one’s legacy, and empowering future titleholders.
But that’s not all! Giselle dives into her exciting new venture, “Desert Diva Fashion,” a clothing line set to launch this March. Filled with artistic flair and ambition, she speaks candidly about her vision and how this journey started from a need for self-expression through fashion. Tune in to hear her incredible stories from her music career, the evolution of her identity, and the challenges faced while starting anew in the entrepreneurial space.
This episode is a beautiful blend of personal anecdotes, motivational insights, and a celebration of community spirit! Giselle’s journey is a testament to the fact that growth comes with overcoming challenges, faith, and support from those around us. Join us as we celebrate her past and future and explore the importance of being bold, authentic, and unapologetically yourself. Don't forget to subscribe and share your thoughts with us as we continue celebrating stories that matter!
Hey, welcome to Chucco Chuckle. This is Arnie. Once again, thanks for joining me on Chukwu Chukwu today. Back for a second round Giselle Lopez, miss El Paso, 2024. She's about to give up her crown, folks, february, right, I know? Yes, time is coming, are you?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm a little sad.
Speaker 1:It is. It's a lot of work. It's kind of a bittersweet right.
Speaker 2:It is, and then you just never get the opportunity to have the same title twice. So, that's it One time, and I can never be Miss El Paso again. I'm like so sad but I'm really excited. I'm really excited to see who's going to take over for 2025.
Speaker 1:Nice. So any words for the future, Miss El Paso.
Speaker 2:Oh just this is.
Speaker 1:This is like one of those questions, right?
Speaker 2:Yes, just try your best. I would say try your best Um give it your all. I know there's going to be moments where um it's hard when you don't think you're good enough.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you're not going to think you're good enough and you're the best, you're the musician, uh, you're there for a reason. You're there for a reason and I would say, just give it your all, give it your heart, because it's so crazy. I I saw a post fit fan posted a post, uh, of the of the thanksgiving parade and they had miss el paso from 79.
Speaker 1:Wow, and I'm like dude, I'm part of a legacy right now like you know, it's crazy.
Speaker 2:It's crazy, it's like it takes, it's a lot. It's a legacy, like I said, so you're part of a legacy.
Speaker 1:You're going to be on a float there in like 30 years or whatever right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so it's really nice. I can't wait. I encourage all the young women out there to try it out. You never know. You don't need years of experience.
Speaker 1:Like you had two months, I had two weeks, so two weeks. So yeah, two months, two weeks. Two months would have been great, you got it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that would have been great, but yeah, I, I hope, I hope um wow, I could see your face just like yeah, it's sad, it's so sad. And then you have to like do your farewell walk and you have to prepare a speech and I'm like you're gonna be crying, aren't you? I'm gonna cry. I'm a crier I I'm a crier, so, yeah, I'm gonna be probably bawling my eyes out that day I'm crying on the inside right now.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh yeah, so I'm excited, though I am excited to, at the end of the day, just kind of have more time for, for all the other stuff all your other goals and stuff.
Speaker 1:Yeah, now one of them might be the clothing line. Yes, when are you launching that? Uh march march and it is called it's called desert diva desert diva. I like that. Yes, yeah, in march it's gonna be, it's to be here before you know it.
Speaker 2:I know I'm so excited. I already started getting some of the clothing. I already have, you know, some of the jeans at home, Uh-huh, and I just can't wait. I can't wait to just put it all out there. It takes time to prepare. I'm a baby entrepreneur and you know building the website and even as small as making the perfect tag.
Speaker 1:Wow, it takes work. All the details.
Speaker 2:All the details that nobody thinks about, and so I just want it to be perfect.
Speaker 1:And there's a lot of people that say clothing that's like suicide. But, you're not thinking that.
Speaker 2:No, I don't. I always say how I, how I look is how I think and feel. Artistically so say that again for the people in the back how you look is how you express yourself artistically, and the reason why I I created desert diva was because, as a performer, I never could find clothes that that were to your liking, to my liking especially.
Speaker 2:It's gotten better. Right, it's gotten better. I've been a singer for a long time but in El Paso it was really hard to shop like I would go to Cielo Vista and there was like nothing, nothing to buy, nothing that was flashy, bedazzled or anything that would fit kind of my nothing cut your eye, so I was like I'm gonna have to do it myself then and that's how a lot of people start.
Speaker 1:They're like this is not me. Yeah, I need it. Do me, yeah, yeah so that's.
Speaker 2:That's that's how it started. Um, I collabed with a boutique last year and I learned a lot from that woman. Um, she has a boutique called simply you by jess and so what's it? Called simply you by jess. Okay, and I was grateful to to work with her for a few months and develop the brand, develop her brand and, um, I decided it was. I had so much creativity in me. I wanted to do own Nice. So it was really nice to learn from that experience.
Speaker 1:And somebody that already had their foot in the door. Yeah, yeah, it was a blessing, and so now I get to do it, and what words did they give you for advice?
Speaker 2:It was. I just saw the hustle it took. I saw that it was not. There was some times that people wouldn't even walk through the store. And you know, I just kind of more than any, more than words, I got to see the struggle.
Speaker 1:Wow.
Speaker 2:I got to see the struggle.
Speaker 1:Just like we talked about last time. We did that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I got to see the struggle firsthand and and if I was willing to put myself through that, you know um, and not, not everybody will like people could have been scared, but I wasn't scared.
Speaker 1:I didn't get scared hey, omar, you could take pictures or or video of us while we're recording, if you want to just for instagram like insta, I know but I'm just playing.
Speaker 2:But thank you, omar but yeah, he's, he's great, yeah, he's a great guy I really like this guy.
Speaker 1:We're gonna hang out, but uh, I know you guys are going to dinner later on today but um so? So you said your brand is launching in march. Do you have a date or late?
Speaker 2:march I was thinking spring break but we just got asked to be part of a wedding I just got us a new bridesmaid.
Speaker 1:Wait, I just spoke to you and you were at a wedding yeah you had two weddings yeah, makeup for a wedding.
Speaker 2:Well, that girl, I did her makeup my friend savannah. I did her makeup and she asked me to be her bridesmaid and omar is going to be the groomsman. So we now we have a trip to miami in spring break, so I don't know when the date, I don't know what date exactly miami.
Speaker 1:Yeah, oh, that's gonna be nice. I know that's exciting.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm excited for that.
Speaker 1:Um, but some sometime in march, I'm thinking sometime in march I saw one of your posts and this is kind of funny.
Speaker 2:But you said add makeup artist to yeah, I'm like add it to my resume.
Speaker 1:Girl, I do it all yeah, you do, you got to put together. I gotta say so. Um, you said you, uh, you got your color in line coming out. You've been a singer since what age?
Speaker 2:I've been singing since honestly, my mom has a video since I was like four okay, sing carrie underwood okay yeah, and I would say professionally, since I was 14.
Speaker 1:Wow, that's a long time. I'm not just saying you're old, I'm just saying how old are you?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I am getting old, I'm 24.
Speaker 1:Oh, you're still young, so 10 years professionally 10 years, yeah, nice. I've seen some of your posts and I've seen you sing. I'm like oh my God, this girl needs to join the worship team. Oh, yes, I do. I'm excited With Felipe. Right, yeah, that's nice. What are some of the? How many albums Do you have out?
Speaker 2:Do you have albums out? I have. I have a lot of EPs With a band Named Tribes, so I have a few EPs out.
Speaker 1:Like Indian Tribes. Can we say that I don't even know.
Speaker 2:I didn't pick the name. I'm like I didn't pick the name. Um, I just kind of I got introduced to this guy. I don't know if you're familiar with mariachi el bronx, but it's a mariachi rock band in new york wow and they do very well. They're very famous. And so I was 16 years old and I had just gotten off of that singing contest I had told you about, and I sing mariachi. I've sang mariachi all my life. So I met this guy. His name's Mike.
Speaker 1:We should have had you sing on the show. I know, maybe next time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, maybe next time. And so he was like hey, you know what, like you kind of just are perfect for the mix I have this concept of a rock mariachi band and I would love for you to be like the main singer and I was like okay I was 16 years old so, um, we developed that band from 16 to 2018 and then in 2018 we kind of did like our debut and it was really cool.
Speaker 2:It took off. We we were in despierta america, we had a tour in mexico city, we got the chance to perform at south by southwest where did you have to go to do all this?
Speaker 1:did you have to go to new york?
Speaker 2:uh, no, no, no, they uh no, he's local, he's local. We just took inspo from that group in New York, but he lives here in El Paso, so we would just meet up and then the pandemic came around and we had a lot of time. Like it was so crazy, I would go to his apartment and we would like record six feet away.
Speaker 1:Just like we're doing now, so I would come in.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like that, and I would come in and I would sing, and he was there and we got to write a lot of songs and then we just got to record them. We just recorded them. In July we finished our first album as a band and we recorded at Sonic Ranch.
Speaker 1:I don't know if you're familiar with Sonic Ranch. That's where our church did it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's amazing. It's an amazing facility. So I got to stay there and just kind of live that whole experience. Have you ever heard of a group called cage the elephant? No, no, um, they're really famous and they were there recording dude.
Speaker 1:they were there, we got to meet them and it was really cool, like getting to eat, sleep, breathe music right for a whole weekend it was. So they put you up there and everything.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was really cool. So. So right now the album is in the editing process, so they're editing, finishing up all the mastering and all that and hopefully we'll have it out next year.
Speaker 1:Next year, this year, this upcoming year, 2025. Oh, 2025. Okay, cool, 2025. Do you know when?
Speaker 2:I don't know, I don't know when he has hopes of like taking it to the UK and stuff, because it's a really weird genre, like mariachi rock it's not your grandma's mariachi, yeah. So Well, believe it or not, this podcast is listened to in nine countries. Really, us has been one of them.
Speaker 1:And then I'm in the UK. People listen to UK. We're listening to in Sweden, sweden.
Speaker 2:Yeah, two people in Sweden, sweden.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Two people in Sweden. I'm like who's listening to us in Sweden?
Speaker 2:But shout out to those folks in Sweden. Shout out to Sweden.
Speaker 1:Yeah, uk. I got two people in. Where are they at, oh my God, but it's just amazing.
Speaker 2:You never know.
Speaker 1:It's got like eight, nine countries and then like 89 cities.
Speaker 2:That's crazy, that's awesome. Yeah, it's weird, that's super cool.
Speaker 1:I get a Putting.
Speaker 2:Chuko out there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, getting little Chuko out there and get them on the map. So it's really taken off. I've only started since beginning of August, oh, wow yeah, you're a baby podcaster, I'm a baby podcaster. I'm a baby podcaster. Like I said, I wanted to do it a long time ago. People said I had the face for radio, so no, I'm just kidding.
Speaker 2:The voice for it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the voice. So that's why I say the face for radio, no, just stay behind. Don't. Don't get in front of a camera please, that's so funny, but no, and so um yeah, it's really taken off. And I know that this album is going to take off for you too, as well, thank you, because I heard your voice.
Speaker 2:I'm like, oh my God, thanks.
Speaker 1:Why is this girl not on stage at church? But she's going to be.
Speaker 2:Yes, I will be Soon to be.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Yeah, I'm excited You're going to really enjoy it. I've enjoyed my two years. That was so much fun. I got to play drums there too, so I've been involved since 1997. A long time, so it's been my home, so yeah. I'm glad and every time I look at an old past I look at all the people that need that touch of God. Look at that view and I'm thinking about that. Many people need the touch of God, need to hear how good he is.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and you never know, the first service I went to, I was just going through it. Man, I had just um got into a car accident. I lost my car oh, I had no job. Um, I was just going through it. I was so sad, I was like lost. Um, wow, and and my friend invited me, she was like, hey, because she was going through a tough time too what was her?
Speaker 2:deal. Um, her parents were getting a divorce and it was just really sad. And so she told me she's like, dude, I go and I just cry all of the worship yeah time, like when the worship team is up there, I cry, cry, cry, cry, cry. I listen to, you know the word and then I just feel so much better, yeah, so you should come with me, and I was just like, okay, you know, like, let's do it.
Speaker 1:It was so crazy and then it hit you the same and, yeah, I went, same thing, cried all over the worship.
Speaker 2:I was like, oh my god, like all, like I was going through it because, um, I was, um, I owed school money, I owed utep money and they didn't want to give me my degree and if I didn't have my degree I couldn't apply for my job, and if I couldn't apply my job I couldn't pay the money. So I was. It was just like so many things. I had no car. I had, you know, I had no job this money I couldn't pay for.
Speaker 2:And so I went and I was like so sad and it's so crazy because I went on a Wednesday and then, and that Saturday, one of my friend, mike's, he blessed me with a car. He's like, hey, I have this old like car just sitting in the back of my house and it needs to be moved, like it's going to you know, like it's. I needed to be driven around and you just graduated college. So I just figured, hey, this is a gift. He gave me a car.
Speaker 1:Go on, and I was like what?
Speaker 2:okay, you know. Thank you, it was so crazy. It was wednesday service saturday I get the call for the car I log into on monday for utep to just try to like make some sort of payment. And I had.
Speaker 1:No, I had no, I didn't know anything, oh my gosh.
Speaker 2:And so, oh man yeah I'm about to cry too, and so I um. I showed up to the service on wednesday and, like let it out, girl. Let it out, it's all good um, the problems I was praying for were resolved in a week and so like it hit me hard.
Speaker 2:I'll never forget like I drove into that parking lot with my car and it wasn't the newest car, you know oh, I got you, um, but it was a car and I was like, oh my god, like he, he did this for me, he did this for me, and so shows you how much he loves you yeah, and so I've just been um, I've been going ever since and it's beautiful. It's been a beautiful journey, and anybody I get the chance to talk about his love and God's love, I do. I try to and, yeah, it's so crazy. I'll never forget.
Speaker 1:Well, listen, you're going to help somebody right now.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I mean, when people start hearing this, they're going to be helped.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and so it's so crazy, and same things has happened to me with Omar. Omar's uncle's a pastor, and you know, we went to him and he gave us a little kind of like. He sat down with us and he talked to us about the word and stuff and he told us yeah, you guys need to be blessed with good friends that are also couples, and and we just got blessed with some beautiful friends that are like mine as well, yeah, yeah, and so you just you ask and you receive, and you just have to be patient and you just have to put, have faith and and give him the time.
Speaker 2:Give him the time of day, because a lot of us live a really busy life and we don't, we don't give him the time yeah, we get too wrapped up yeah, and it's just so crazy, like I'll never forget it.
Speaker 2:It's so crazy and my friend, like she witnessed it because she invited me that wednesday, the next wednesday we were like, okay, let's meet up again. And so we cried, we cried in the parking lot. We were like, oh, my god, like like last week I was just crying about this, and this week this happened and it's so beautiful. She's one of my dearest, dearest friends.
Speaker 1:Can you mention her name or no?
Speaker 2:Yeah, her name is Genesis. Shout out Genesis, shout out Jen. And so yeah, it's crazy, he has brought a lot of really beautiful friendships to me, just a lot of blessings to me Jesus has brought so well, I'm glad to know you yeah, it's another one I know, yes, so um he keeps giving you know he just keeps on giving.
Speaker 1:That's his style. That's what he does. That's who he is, yeah so yeah, okay, yeah, no, yeah, I feel great.
Speaker 2:Yeah, sometimes you just need that cleansing yeah, straight up, I'm not just to talk about it, just to mention it um I've had a lot of loss in my life and I've shared that before I lost my first wife to cancer.
Speaker 1:I've already lost both my folks. Uh, lost my first wife to cancer, uh, back in 09. Four years later, same day, lose my twin brother oh wow, to a brain aneurysm, yeah, and so it's been there and lost my sister two years ago. I have one older brother that's left, and he was in sandy. My sister was an engineer in san diego, by the way, and that's that way. It was always a great place to visit, and my brother's also an engineer in san diego, but now he's in italy oh and so I don't I'm not seeing him.
Speaker 1:He's my only sibling left, so I'm here all alone.
Speaker 2:Yeah, really and, but you know, I'm really not.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he's my only sibling left, so I'm here all alone.
Speaker 2:Yeah, really, but you know I'm really not yeah, because God's with me all the time. Yeah, he is.
Speaker 1:And that's you know, even with all that loss going on and stuff and I've shared it before that loss is just like carrying a bunch of stones with you, behind you, and after a while you feel like they're not there anymore. You feel like they're not there anymore, but they still are.
Speaker 2:It's just that you've gotten stronger, yeah, and so it feels like the, the weight's lifted, yeah, and and like um, I feel like you. You have a choice you have a choice to take that pain and turn it into something good, or you got to break through the other side. You can carry the pain and and become a bad person and become somebody that hurts other people.
Speaker 1:So I'm glad you took the pain and made it bad person and become somebody that hurts other people. So I'm glad you took the pain and made it something good. Well, I take it from Psalm 23, and a lot of people use Psalm 23 as a. You hear it at funerals and stuff like that. There's this where I walk through the valley of shadow of death, and it's not a death psalm, it's a living psalm for people that are living.
Speaker 1:I don't know why they use it in death psalms, because there's the mention of death, but anyways, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you go through that valley. You don't stay in the valley, you don't set your tent up, you don't set camp there, you go through it and you got to choose to go through it, because if not, then you're gonna stay right there, but you did it. You did it right there, and in a week you had all.
Speaker 2:You're so crazy like I'll never forget, like I googled into the account or I went into the youtube account and I was like dude, what like? I just owed like three thousand dollars the other day and it's at zero. I I couldn't process it won't he sure enough my diploma got mailed. Got it in the mail. My mom has it framed up in the living room right and um, yeah, that's.
Speaker 2:That's when it hit me. I'm like I just need to start making time for this guy. You know like I need to make time for this guy and and he's waiting.
Speaker 1:He took me back in. Yeah, he just took me back in. Yeah, we're singing that song tomorrow, I trust in God. So, oh, I love that song. I do too, I trust in God.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah I can't wait.
Speaker 1:Go ahead and sing it, girl.
Speaker 2:I can't wait. I really need to go talk to Fadi. Kli Now you, Now you give me his name.
Speaker 1:So it makes it easier. I just need to ask.
Speaker 2:I don't know why I have been.
Speaker 1:Just tell him, arnie sent you.
Speaker 2:He knows who I am, arnie from the West Side, or whoever's there, ezra, if?
Speaker 1:he's over there. I've known Ezra since 97.
Speaker 2:That's awesome, yeah, so it's cool and you know, it's really cool to break that ice and talk about it with other people. Absolutely. Talk about the goodness of God with other people.
Speaker 1:What has been the response when you share that?
Speaker 2:What was that sorry?
Speaker 1:What has been the response when you share that it's been good?
Speaker 2:It's been good. I invited my older sister.
Speaker 1:Because I know you have a lot of followers.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I invited my sister and my sister liked it. She goes now with her boyfriend. Wow, it's really nice to see that the relationship is centered around that. I invited Omar and I remember the first couple of times I could tell he was kind of like at 6.30. Okay, and now he On a Wednesday, right, yeah, on a Wednesday, and he shares with me okay, and now you know he on a Wednesday yeah, on a Wednesday and he shares with me because it's easy. It's easy to just stay in and you know, easy take a nap.
Speaker 2:You're tired, but he shares with me. He's like oh yeah, I like coming. I feel what did you say?
Speaker 1:like a rejuvenated like a refreshed. Refreshed yeah, he's like I.
Speaker 2:Refreshed. I feel refreshed after service.
Speaker 1:So true.
Speaker 2:I really enjoy that. Our relationship is Flourishing and centered around God and the church as well.
Speaker 1:So I try.
Speaker 2:I try to Anybody I talk to. I'm like do you believe in Jesus? Have you heard of this guy, nice, at first I was like, oh no, I don't want to.
Speaker 1:We get scared.
Speaker 2:I don't want to bring religion into this or whatever, but that's the whole point.
Speaker 1:I've had people ask me what is it about you? And I just tell them and they're like, yeah, that's it, and they see it and they're like, that's what it is we're God's favorite.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I always say it, god's favorite. I'm just like everybody feels like that. But that's the personal relationship, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:What else were we going to talk about?
Speaker 2:We talked about, yeah, um, what else are we going?
Speaker 1:to. We were going to talk about um, talk about your music. Talk about your clothing line. Um, how about your favorite restaurant?
Speaker 2:here in el paso, since you're born, I always said uh, I just told you right now, uh, chico's tacos chico's is your favorite, but it's omar too it's uh unpopular. I hate cheese dude so my order at chico's tacos is a little different okay, talk to me, it's just the flautas with the sauce. That's it with the green sauce too yeah, I like the green sauce, but no cheese.
Speaker 1:I hate cheese wow, I'm a cheese lover really no you hate cheese yeah.
Speaker 2:So when we that too, I'm like, dude, he is him, that is, it's him yeah he's like I don't like cheese, I'm like dude he is him, he's him, that is him.
Speaker 1:It's him yeah.
Speaker 2:He's like I don't like cheese. I'm like I don't like cheese either. What? So? Yeah, I don't like cheese. I like Chico's Tacos. I haven't taken him yet to this new taco spot. It's called. What is it called? It's the blue corn tortillas that they have. ¿cómo se llama? It's downtown and I'm downtown. Let's see. What is it called google? Yeah, I'm gonna have to google it, but it's so good, it's super, super good. They have like is it on montana? No, no, no, it's here downtown. What is it called tacos?
Speaker 1:oh, we're just looking it up. I love his smile. I don't know Great smile, I don't know, I don't know you know who he reminds me of. He's an older actor, but back in my day he looked like him, but John Cusack.
Speaker 2:I need to Google him, john.
Speaker 1:Cusack, it's C-U-S-S-A-C.
Speaker 2:Oh, amar, amar is a good one too, oh, okay.
Speaker 1:Now that, okay, now that you talk about amar, shout out to don carbon. Have you had the chicken from don carbon? They're right down the street.
Speaker 2:Yeah, amazing, oh yeah I got to meet the, the owner.
Speaker 1:She's a woman okay, we love, we love the bosses, the bosses and uh.
Speaker 2:I got invited to present the best of el paso awards here at the Haskin and I was able to announce all the Best El Paso restaurants and they won. Wow, Amar and Don Carbone. They won.
Speaker 1:Where's Amar at?
Speaker 2:Amar is kind of by Sunland Park.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah, oh, I've heard a lot about that place.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's good, it's like Peruvian Mexican. Yeah, taconeta.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's on Montana, yeah, Right down here.
Speaker 2:Is it that one, taconeta? I don't know if it's that one.
Speaker 1:It's right there between Kansas and Stanton.
Speaker 2:I know, I don't think it's that one, but shout out to them anyway.
Speaker 1:Taconeta, yeah.
Speaker 2:Haven't tried it, but I will try it. And they're quick service.
Speaker 1:They're really really good.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I love tacos. We have to.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and somebody told me that you can really screw up with taco too.
Speaker 2:I didn't know that.
Speaker 1:No, I don't think so.
Speaker 2:I know, I'm not a good cook.
Speaker 1:No, I mean, but people say, like you can go to a bad taco place because I love tacos, so you don't cook.
Speaker 2:No, I'm learning. I'm learning because we we took a trip, or he when he lived in florida.
Speaker 2:I went to go visit him and we got stuck in a hurricane oh, wow and so I had to cook, you know, and I'm like, I'm calling my mom, I'm like, mom, how do you make a chuleta? Because, like, I'm sorry, but I had already cooked up a nice bowl of ramen noodles and we were not going to survive off of that the whole time. How funny. So, yeah, I'm learning. I made chicken wings the other day, buffalo wings, nice. Yeah, they were pretty good. You know what's?
Speaker 1:cool about this place. I know I took a little tour here of my place but swim pool and all that right, weight room and all that and this is where I live, I work and live here and this place is amazing. But they also have a kitchen, oh that serves food from five I'm sorry six in the morning to noon, and then they open up at four to eight.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's cool.
Speaker 1:Monday through Friday and then, I'm sorry, monday through Saturday. Sunday they're closed friday and then I'm gonna start monday through saturday. Sunday they're closed. That's super cool.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, they have a gelato plates and they have chile granos, oh yeah I don't, I don't hardly go grocery shopping okay, but I need to ask you from your last name, wong yeah, chinese so you're not hispanic I'm mostly hispanic yeah, yeah, you're from your parents my.
Speaker 1:My dad was um 50 50, so he's half chinese, half hispanic. My mom was full his50, so he's half Chinese, half Hispanic. My mom was full Hispanic, so I'm only a quarter Chinese, but I got the last name. I'm looking for a young lady to pass on.
Speaker 2:The Wong, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1:But yeah, I don't have any kids of my own, so I'm still looking for that young lady who can probably give me a child. I'm just joking. Any takers give me a shout out. I'm just kidding, but if you're serious, yeah, I'll take that. But yeah, so my grandfather and I talked about the trains that they fly through here about 33 times a day, that I hear in my apartment. And my grandfather came from China, and he came from China to build railroads in El Paso, and that's how I got here.
Speaker 2:That's cool. Yeah, full circle.
Speaker 1:So I hear the trains and then I was like I think about my grandpa.
Speaker 2:And this is the reason I'm here.
Speaker 1:I mean, God has a plan for everything. I mean, I could have been born in China, but here I am.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:El Paso and El Chucco.
Speaker 2:El Paso. Yeah, so yeah, that's cool. That's super cool With a podcast called Chukuchuk. I'm like I have to ask him. Oh yeah, absolutely Ask me anything, it's all good.
Speaker 1:And it's funny because I'll get that question People, and this is kind of funny but people will say Wong huh. So who was Chinese? Your mom or your dad? I'm like, really, do we have to go over this? It's my dad. Obviously Got the last name, but yeah, believe it or not, I've gotten that question about 30 times in my life.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's weird, you gotta, you gotta ask.
Speaker 1:But my mom or dad.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's my dad. Yeah, that's so cool. No, yeah, that's interesting. Have you ever been to China?
Speaker 1:Never been, I want to go.
Speaker 2:Oh, dude, been I want to go. Dude, you gotta plan, yeah I want to go, I do want to go.
Speaker 1:You gotta plan that trip I mean I'm getting up there in age, so I gotta do it, so you gotta do it, dude yeah where do you want to be? Your goal 2025 I know you guys are going to a wedding in miami. Yeah, miami well, we always say, we always um talk about japan nice that's like on bucket list I have a co-worker about your age that he went by himself.
Speaker 2:Really yeah, and I was like what he goes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I was scared, but he did it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, that's so cool. We always talk about that.
Speaker 1:Everybody likes Asians. That's our biggest dream.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, look at this guy.
Speaker 1:I just play him, yeah, but everybody does. It's kind of weird. I've had girls that's like I've always been attracted to Asians. I say, well, bring it girl.
Speaker 2:Bring it. Yeah, that's funny. Do you think my boyfriend looks Asian?
Speaker 1:He kind of does. I told you he mentioned, I mentioned he looked like John Cusack. But yeah, that's an old 80s actor, 80s actor.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he gets that a lot. It's so funny. My, my family's super hispanic. He's hispanic, but um, when I brought him around the first time, my tia's like, and I'm like, no, he's mexican, or they'll speak spanish, and then he'll they're whispering to you yeah, he'll reply in spanish. And they're like oh my god, like you speak spanish, like oh my god I'm like, yeah, he does, he's hispanic, but yeah, he gets that a lot so is spanish your first language wow, I learned spanish, my mom that's my second, yeah, yeah that's cool, dude.
Speaker 2:That's cool.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I learned spanish and then I learned english when I was in like first grade, first second grade I work from home and I talked to a lot of people from san antonio and and when I, when I'm just on the phone just talking to them, they think I'm white on the phone. They do. They're like, oh, I thought you were because I started saying some spanish words and like I thought you were white I'm like yeah I say I'm actually asian, and they're like what?
Speaker 2:you like never did your book by its cover?
Speaker 1:yeah, exactly, yeah, that's so it's because I had to learn Spanish here and I've shared that before because I was a banker downtown in El Paso.
Speaker 2:You've got to learn Spanish here in El Paso, you will eventually.
Speaker 1:I mean I aced it in high school and everything like that, but never spoke it because my parents spoke it at home so we wouldn't understand. So that was our second language, and so we were like eh, they, they're talking to each other. It's a flex. It's a flex. It is yeah, no two languages. What is it? My uh, my ex-father-in-law used to tell me, because it's better than two languages yeah, exactly, did that sound okay, exactly, yeah, that was good, that was good not bad right that was good, yes, I wish you would speak more spanish tonight.
Speaker 2:I know, I just didn't know if you were gonna understand, but now I know I'm like now.
Speaker 1:I wish you would speak more Spanish tonight. I know, I just didn't know if you were going to understand. Oh, it's El Paso. But now I know I'm like now.
Speaker 2:I know you would have understood.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, I understand more than I speak it, but yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 2:Yeah, oh yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, maybe next time I didn't know if you were going to understand, so I Ayay is only in El Paso. You know that right Ayay. Yes, you go to San Antonio. They don't know, are you okay? Nobody else knows it. No, no, nobody else knows it. It's hard Ayay.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we went to go visit Some family in Denver and I was like Ayay, and I'm like oh heck, no, I probably sound so ghetto here, like what.
Speaker 1:You're gonna make me pass out again.
Speaker 2:I know.
Speaker 1:No, no more. No, te creas. No, I'm just playing, but no.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:But do you see how that half hour just went so fast?
Speaker 2:It did. It's already over.
Speaker 1:We're done.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, it goes by fast.
Speaker 1:You hate that, don't you? Yeah, I hate when it's over too. You're a good podcaster man.
Speaker 2:I'll send some people over.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so you can interview For real. Yeah, I have a lot of interesting friends. Oh, yeah, as long as they can vibe with me, I'm good with it. Yeah, absolutely no, it's cool.
Speaker 2:It's a beautiful thing you're doing. You're giving people a space to tell their story and to and you're comfortable right. Yeah, yeah, so good for you. You. You're doing God's work. You're giving people that chance to to open up, and it's nice to be able to tell your story.
Speaker 1:So thanks yeah.
Speaker 2:Thank you for giving people that space.
Speaker 1:Thank you for giving me that space tonight. Absolutely, absolutely. I'm so glad you came, omar, you too as well. Thank you, we'll get them on the mic when I get, when I get a bigger mixer.
Speaker 2:He needs it. He's always like I'm behind the camera, but it would be cool babe.
Speaker 1:Absolutely To interview you. That way no.
Speaker 2:He's very interesting.
Speaker 1:That's what people, that's what I used to say about myself. So, don't say yourself short.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he's very interesting.
Speaker 1:Next episode Omar Muñoz. Next episode, for real. I do want to thank you for joining us on Chucco Chucco today. Once again, I'm Arnie, and if you want to subscribe, go and do that. Give us a like, Give us a comment and go ahead and give me a text so I can see it on fan mail. I'm dying to hear from you and also I want to.
Speaker 1:I shouldn't say dying to hear from you, right? Yeah, too soon I'm living. I'm Send me a text. I'd love to see that. And also, don't forget to listen to the next show, giselle.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much for joining us, thank you. Thank you for the space. I appreciate it, and may God continue to bless your podcast.
Speaker 1:Thank you.
Speaker 2:Giselle, and yeah, next guest right here, right in front of you Right here sitting in front of me, Nice. Thank you.
Speaker 1:Thanks, take care, we love you.