The Annotations:

Chapter Six (paperback pages 263 - 307) for "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao"

If you can help improve this in any way, please drop me an email (in English) and I'd be happy to change it - this is just what I was able to cobble together.

Term Description Page #
Star Blazers Star Blazers is an English-dubbed and partly edited version of the 1974-1980 Japanese science fiction anime series Space Battleship Yamato, first broadcast in the United States in 1979. Significantly, it was the first popular English-translated anime that had an over-arching plot and storyline that required the episodes to be shown in order.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Blazers 		263
Captain Harlock Captain Harlock is a fictional character created by manga artist Leiji Matsumoto.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Harlock 		263
Aftermath! Aftermath! is a role-playing game created by Paul Hume & Robert Charette which was published in 1981 by Fantasy Games Unlimited. It is set in a post-apocalyptic world in which the characters typically have to fight for food, water, basic supplies and shelter.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aftermath! 		263
saving throw In role-playing games, a saving throw is a roll of dice used to determine whether magic, poison, or various other types of attacks are effective against a character or monster.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saving_throw 		263
Innsmouth Innsmouth is a fictional town in the writings of H. P. Lovecraft, part of the Lovecraft Country setting of the Cthulhu Mythos.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Innsmouth 		264
Nanoo-Nanoo Mork & Mindy is an American sci-fi-based sitcom broadcast from 1978 until 1982 on ABC. The first episode was broadcast on September 14, 1978. The series starred Robin Williams as Mork, an alien who came to Earth from the planet Ork in a large egg-shaped space ship, and Pam Dawber as Mindy McConnell, his human friend, roommate, and wife after they married in the final season. Mork's greeting was "Na-Nu Na-Nu" (pronounced "nah-noo nah-noo", sometimes spelled Nanoo Nanoo) along with a hand gesture similar to Mr. Spock's Vulcan salute from Star Trek combined with a handshake. It became a popular catchphrase at the time, as did "Shazbot" (SHOZZ-bot), an Orkan curse word that Mork used.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mork_%26_Mindy 		265
Harold Lauder Harold Lauder is a character in Stephen King's The Stand. A high school outcast, he eventually enters into a sexually decadent relationship with Nadine Cross.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stand 		265
Sandman The Sandman is a comic book series written by Neil Gaiman.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sandman_(Vertigo) 		266
Eightball Eightball is an alternative comic book series written and drawn by Daniel Clowes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eightball_(comic_book) 		266
RPGs A role-playing game (RPG; often roleplaying game) is a game in which the participants assume the roles of fictional characters.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role-playing_game 		266
Friendly's A restaurant chain best known for its ice cream (including the fantastic Butter Crunch - seriously addictive).
http://www.friendlys.com/ 		266
Dana Plato Dana Michelle Plato was an American actress who became famous playing the role of Kimberly Drummond in the U.S. television sitcom Diff'rent Strokes. Plato's career declined after her departure from the show, with appearances in low-budget films, including some softcore pornography. She had longstanding personal problems and died from an overdose of prescription medication on May 8, 1999. In 1991, Plato ended up in Las Vegas with no work. She took a job at a dry-cleaning store to support herself. One day, she entered a video store, produced a gun, and demanded the money from the register. She was arrested minutes later.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dana_Plato#References 		266
Middlesex I think it's the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in New Jersey
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edna_Mahan_Correctional_Facility_for_Women 		266
caballo heroin - literally "horse"
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=caballo 		267
Willie Colón {Willie Colon} William Anthony Colón (born 28 April 1950) is a Puerto Rican salsa musician.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willie_Col%C3%B3n 		267
Magic cards Magic: The Gathering (colloquially "Magic", "MTG", or "Magic Cards") is a collectible card game created by mathematics professor Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Magic is the first example of the modern collectible card game genre and still thrives today, with an estimated six million players in over seventy countries.[3] Magic can be played by two or more players each using a deck of printed cards or a deck of virtual cards through the Internet-based Magic: The Gathering Online or third-party programs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_the_gathering 		269
flensed "to strip (as a whale) of blubber or skin"
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flensed 		269
Marvel Comics What If? What If, sometimes rendered as What If...?, is the title of several comic book series published by Marvel Comics, exploring "the road not traveled" by its various characters.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_If_(comics) 		270
milagro "miracle" 271
Joseph Conrad's wife Jessie George Conrad, whom Joseph described as "rather plain".
http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=110910 		271
cadenas "chains" 271
paquetes "packages" 271
ingenios "mills" - in the DR, usually referring to sugar mills or sugar refineries specifically, so these would be mill-workers 271
quisqueyanos those from Quisqueya
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quisqueya,_Dominican_Republic 		271
Brijeporr Maybe "Bridgeport"??? 272
bateys sugar workers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batey_(sugar_workers%27_town) 		272
gente de calidad "Quality People" 273
madeline Madeleines are very small cakes with a distinctive shell-like shape acquired from being baked in pans with shell-shaped depressions. Their flavour is similar to, but somewhat lighter than, pound cake, with a pronounced butter-and-lemon taste. Madeleines are perhaps most famous outside France for their association with involuntary memory in the Marcel Proust novel À la recherche du temps perdu (Remembrance of Things Past in the first translation, more recently translated as In Search of Lost Time), in which the narrator experiences an awakening upon tasting a madeleine dipped in tea.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madeleine_(cake) 		273
Bendición {Bendicion} "Blessing" 274
patio de atrás {patio de atras} "back yard" 274
bacalao salted, dried cod 274
Brugal Brugal is the name and brand of a variety of rums from the Dominican Republic.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brugal 		275
Esto Aquí es un maldito infierno. {Esto Aqui} "This here is a damn hell." 275
Octavia Butler Octavia Estelle Butler (June 22, 1947 – February 24, 2006) was an American science fiction writer, one of very few African-American women in the field. She won both Hugo and Nebula awards. In 1995, she became the first science fiction writer to receive the MacArthur Foundation "Genius" Grant.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octavia_Butler 		275
bachata Bachata is a genre of music that originated in the countryside and the rural neighborhoods of the Dominican Republic. Its subjects are often romantic; especially prevalent are tales of heartbreak and sadness. In fact, the original term used to name the genre was amargue ("bitterness," or "bitter music"), until the rather ambiguous (and mood-neutral) term bachata became popular. The form of dance, Bachata, also developed with the music.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bachata 		276
La única haitiana aquí eres tú {La unica haitiana aqui eres tu} "The only Haitian here is you" 276
Xica da Silva novelas http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xica_da_Silva 277
concho kind of taxi 277
chicharrones a dish made from fried pork rinds
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicharr%C3%B3n 		277
patria homeland 278
bellezas "beauties" 278
La Beba "The Drink" - in this context, probably a nickname something like "The Babe" or "The Gal" 279
Skein of Destiny http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moirae 280
Paulo Coelho Paulo Coelho is a Brazilian lyricist and novelist.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paulo_Coelho#Spirituality 		281
morir-vivir plants http://puertoricojourney.blogspot.com/2008/10/morir-vivir.html 282
culeando "[by] fucking" 282
Looks of Incredible Power ??? 283
Grandpa Simpson Senile old guy on "The Simpsons". You should know this.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grandpa_Simpson 		283
cogerlo con "to catch"? Someone writes "to have it in for someone", someone else suggests "to get with it" 283
Villains and Vigilantes Villains and Vigilantes (abbreviated as V&V) is a superhero-themed role-playing game.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villains_and_Vigilantes 		283
biscocho cookie or small cake
http://www.biscochitos.net/index.php?p=1_5_History 		283
Forerunner [probably] a race of humans in the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forerunner 		284
querido "dear" or "lover" 284
Feria "Fair" 284
aparato "apparatus" 285
blue pill / red pill / Matrix The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction-martial arts-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski and starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving. Borrowing from the movie, the terms blue pill and red pill have become a popular metaphor for the choice between blissful ignorance (blue) and embracing the sometimes painful truth (red).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redpill 		285
yakoub Someone writes in: Yakub is, according to Nation of Islam myth, a scientist who created white men to bedevil black people. So "yakoubs" are white folk.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakub 		286
pájaro {pajaro} literally a small bird, but here it's slang for a homosexual
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/p%C3%A1jaro 		287
benditos Someone writes in that this means "simpletons".
http://www.wordreference.com/es/en/translation.asp?spen=bendito 		287
Zurza A region in the DR 288
ella se metió por sus ojos {ella se metio por sus ojos} something like "she caught his eye" ?.
http://forum6.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=988705 		289
Ana Obregón Barrier {Ana Obregon Barrier} Ana Obregón (born March 18, 1952 in Madrid, Spain as Ana Victoria García Obregón) is a Spanish actress.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ana_Obreg%C3%B3n 		291
Rubicon "Crossing the Rubicon" is a popular idiom meaning to pass a point of no return. It refers to Caesar's 49 BC crossing of the Rubicon River, which was considered an act of war.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubicon 		291
lapidary something similar to "gem-like"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lapidary 		292
geas In Irish mythology and folklore, a geis is an idiosyncratic taboo, whether of obligation or prohibition, similar to being under a vow or spell.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geis 		292
un beso "a kiss" 293
high-G planet A planet with higher gravity than Earth's. Theoretically, someone from one of those planets who came here would be a lot stronger on our planet, since their muscles would be more developed from working against their own planet's gravity. 294
Solomon Grundy Solomon Grundy (Cyrus Gold) is a fictional character published by DC Comics, a large, strong zombie supervillain bearing a resemblance to Frankenstein's monster. Named after the 19th century children's nursery rhyme, he is an enemy of Green Lantern (particularly Earth's first bearer of that title, Alan Scott). He has also been an enemy of Batman and Superman.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon_Grundy_(comics) 		294
Gorilla Grod Gorilla Grodd is a supervillain appearing in DC Comics, primarily as an enemy of The Flash. Gorilla Grodd is a hyper-intelligent telepathic gorilla with the power to control the minds of others.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorilla_Grod 		294
The Twelve Years probably referring to Belaguer's presidency (12 years).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominican_Republic 		295
played mazel-tov This refers to the Jewish tradition of a bride and groom smashing glasses with their feet on the altar after the "I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride" 295
Fito A guy's name, not sure of the significance, if any... 295
calie Perhaps referring to the character "Calie" in the "Grimm Fairy Tales" comic series: "a substance-abusing, alcoholic, promiscuous party girl" ?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grimm_Fairy_Tales_(comic_series) 		295
Lee Van Cleef Lee Van Cleef (January 9, 1925 – December 16, 1989) was an American film actor who appeared mostly in Western and action pictures. His sharp features and piercing eyes led to his casting as a villain in scores of films, such as The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Van_Cleef 		295
Krikfalusi John Kricfalusi, better known as John K., is an Emmy-nominated Canadian animator. He is creator of The Ren & Stimpy Show.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Kricfalusi 		296
pana "pal"
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=pana 		296
Gollum Gollum is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He was first introduced in the author's fantasy novel The Hobbit, and later became an important supporting character in its sequel, The Lord of the Rings.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gollum 		296
Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steelers 		296
Jim Kelly James M. "Jim" Kelly (born May 5, 1946) is an American athlete, actor, and martial artist who came to prominence in the early 1970s. As an actor, Kelly is best known for co-starring alongside Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Kelly_(martial_artist) 		297
vainglorious "boastful"
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vainglorious 		298
Götterdämmerung {Gotterdammerung} Götterdämmerung is the last of the four operas that make up Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung), by Richard Wagner.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gotterdammerung 		298
MLA panels [probably] The Modern Language Association of America (usually referred to as simply Modern Language Association or MLA) is the principal professional association in the United States for scholars of language and literature.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Language_Association 		299
Good Night, Sweet Prince Quote from Hamlet: "Now cracks a noble heart. Good-night, sweet prince; And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest."
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Hamlet

[Bonus Big Lebowski reference! http://www.evtv1.com/player.aspx?itemnum=8986] 		299
braceros "migrant workers"
http://www.farmworkers.org/bracer1a.html 		300
zygomatic arch The part of the temporal bone of the skull that forms the prominence of the cheek.
http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=6072 		301
caldo de pollo "chicken soup"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caldo_de_pollo 		302
Aslan Aslan, the "Great Lion", is the central character in The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of seven fantasy novels for children written by C. S. Lewis. He is a talking lion, King of the Beasts, son of the Emperor-Over-the-Sea; a wise, compassionate, magical authority (both temporal and spiritual); mysterious and beloved guide to the human children who visit; guardian and savior of Narnia. The author, C. S. Lewis, described Aslan as an alternate version of Christ—that is, as the form that Christ might have appeared in a fantastic world.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aslan 		302
bailey [probably] "Bailey", the outer wall of a castle, or the area within these walls
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bailey 		302
John Merrick Joseph Carey Merrick (August 5, 1862 – April 11, 1890) was an Englishman who became known as "The Elephant Man" because of his physical appearance caused by a congenital defect.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Merrick 		303
Sucesos [maybe a soap opera?] 304
Se acabó. {Se acabo.} "It is over." or "It is finished." 305

The Annotations: