Gosh, it's that time again to...

...party hard!!!

This week had been pretty hectic for me. My workload had been overwhelming within the past 5 days. I had been managing membership databases and its requirements, designing the website for our upcoming San Francisco conference (at the end of May. So excited!), and some quality control check with my client's finances, such as dues collection, advertising revenues, etc. All of that took a relatively stressful amount of time to get things started, but I have to remain proactive with my colleagues regarding these items since I supervise their work. I must tell you--overseeing someone's work is not fun!

So, since my weekwork was "Whew!"-like, I deserve a fun weekend. Last week I went to TOWN with Jabari and Gino and, boi, we had so much fun! As a matter of fact, Jabari is re-connecting with some guy he met there. Some drag caught my attention so I had to leave Jabari for a while at the club. Had I not, he wouldn't have met the guy Jabari seemed to be tickled for. :)

Anyway, we're heading to TOWN tomorrow! Another night of relaxing drink, limitless crowd, great music, variety of friends, and fabulous fun!!! If you're there and see me, come say hello!

Have a great weekend! Have fun and be safe! ... Also, stay warm!

d-Jae :)

Just a simple note...

What does a "Thank You" nowadays means? Does our generation now label it "uncool" to use? Do anyone still know it or has it completely lost its meaning??? Those who does know, more power to you!

I am one of those individuals who had not necessarily took those words at some point in my life very seriously. Pretty much lived my entire life full with struggles, burden, and disorientation. Not sure whether I even noticed those who dearly stood there with me--for me!

Tonight, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone, and I don't intend to miss anyone, whom I have known in my life since I came to the states (almost 7 years now!). The following are the ones I dearly love and owes a lot from (not monetarily)--people who helped to shape for what I am today! I want to start with...

My family...
This is hard, very hard! Can't even pick the right words to say...but, I want you to know I owe you everything. I will never be able to re-pay you as long as I am alive. But, I will live the life you dreamed of for me and that is to have a good future. Thanks for your unimaginable amount of love/care and bear in mind that I will always be proud!

DaShonda
I've known you the longest and sure enough will last long! You have become, (practically) not only my second mother, but, you have become my co-worker (boss at one point), and most importantly, a true friend. You have shown me that life is great and life is about me. You made me strong to accept my individuality and not be scared no matter what happens. You believed in me, you cared for me, and I owe you my strength. I LOVE YOU DEARLY!!!


Melvin
My first boyfriend EVER! You know deep in your heart that you will always be in my life as long as I am alive. No one will be able to replace you in my heart. Those times I spent with you were the greatest part of my early adulthood. You have shown me that being gay is not wrong and that I'm free to love. Despite all the obstacles we went through together, we stood alongside and watch each other's lives grow. Although we both now live our lives parallel to one another, you will always be my "little sunshine". Just know that I'm glad to have shared the best of myself with you!


Jabari
My one and only bestfriend! You know me inside and out, from top to bottom, more than anyone else on earth. I've known you now for almost 4 years now and our lives grew dramatically. And during those times, you have shown me that life isn't always about me and that having "out-of-balance" is okay. You make me enjoy the rest of my youth--and that I appreciate it as I will never be young again. I am glad to have met you and the opportunity to live the rest of my life alongside with yours.


Raquel
My sweet Nicaraguan girlfriend! You are truly unique, very sweet, smart, and good-hearted person. You have shown me that life is an adventure! Make the best of it!!! You made me believe that life evolves on true love and that it will pay off later on in life. You have shown me that earthly materials aren't everything. It's about how you make the best of your life with the person you love. You and Ulyses inspires me to build a good relationship foundation and that all I need is sincere commitment.


Silas
My (not only as ex) dear good friend. We've shared our lives for short period of time, but those moments were the most exciting part of being in a relationship. You're very sweet guy, intelligent, romantic, affectionate, and fun. You made me feel that I can also have fun with or without anyone. You inspire me to achieve my goals in life. You've have always believed in me that I can build my future and make the best out of my career. Although we are no longer as "lovers", I'm proud to have shared myself with you.


Willy & Ernesto/Jamie & Rian/Mary/Ebony/Gino/J & Marisol/Q-Ban/Gabo/Tina/Tara/Mikey, and all those I know
You guys make my life interesting and fun. My life would have been uneventful, had I not met you. Thanks for sharing those good times with me! :)

Glad to have you all in my life!

d-Jae :)

Bottoms up!

That's exactly what happened this weekend! Gosh, I hadn't done it in a while! It felt good, though--relaxing, very entertaining, and just AWESOME! Blame it on Apple-tini!

TOWN was my destination last night with my bestfriend Jabari and a close friend of mine, Gino, along with his friends. We watched the incredibly entertaining drag show! (Loved it, as always!) It's great to see them some place else other than Freddies. No offense to Freddies, but, TOWN attracts more audience simply because of location, performance activities, etc. (I still love Freddies, though!) ^-^

I got to meet several Asian men (a group of about 6-7), most of whom live in the Northern Virginia area. I will be meeting them again this Saturday! Woo hoo!

For those of you who are interested in going, let me know so we can all hook up there! Saturday night @ TOWN! Alright?

I'm off to bed now (I'm still drunk from last night! LOL) Take care and have a great week!

d-Jae :)

Save me!

So...it feels like it's been forever and a day since the last time I wrote a "real" update about what's going on with my life, career, love life (?) etc., and tonight is the night where updates go parading! LOL.

First off, my career. Within the last few months I have been phenomenally busy with various marketing reviews and re-strategic developments for my clients, which are needed at this time of the year. For those of you who may not know what I do for a living - I work as a Director of Marketing and Conference Program Development for an Association Management Company in Fairfax, VA. I have been in this business world for almost 6 years now (started when I was 20/21) and it appears this is where my passion is. So, anyway, aside from re-constructing tedious marketing plans, I have also been made responsible for coordinating and developing the next annual meeting for one of my clients -- from pre- to post- conference developments and activities. This project will have me tied up for the next 10 months!

As that may sound all complex and everything, I try to look at it on the brighter side! It's good experience - up's and down's given - which will surely pay off in the future. This particular field is not exactly what I had planned, but I'll make due. And, perhaps, it's a good stepping stone for me to elevate from Marketing to International Outreach or Professional Affairs. We shall see what happens next and hope something good will come out of this.

Now, off to the next topic - school! Oh, yea, school!!! I just love going to school. Some of you may already know that I attended NOVA Annandale campus to take Meeting & Exhibition Law and Ethics last Fall...and guess what?! I'm back there again! I'm now taking Principles of Association Management. My class started mid-January and will end in late-April. Yea, it's like "Damn!", but it's all good. I enjoy it! I get to meet some other professionals in the non-profit business world in the DC metropolitan area. Anyway, the class (instructor included) is not the greatest, but, then again, I'll make due what I've got. I will just keep telling myself "two more months and it's over!". April is just around the corner... (and so with my one-week San Francisco meeting in May. So excited!)

And now the best part -- love life! (I noticed I seem to write about love life last! Not sure why!) As a matter of fact, something motivated me to write this tonight. All of you (except Jabari, Dana, and Mary) doesn't know that I went out on a date last Saturday. He (and I swear not to mention his name) and I started chatting about a month ago. We actually talked about two times during that period, but the majority were by texting. (Yea, I'm also a text whore!) About two weeks ago, He and I agreed to go on a dinner date. (Initially, it wasn't planned to be a date!) I wanted it to be just a casual dinner, you know, between two guys (or "friends") who have had nothing but not-so-intimate prior conversation. But, in any case, the agreement, nevertheless, got settled as a "date".

So, I drove up to Arlington to pick him up at his condo and there he was -- a very good looking 26-year old! Quite frankly, I was like (quietly) "Whoa! He is hotter in person!" So, I picked him up, drove to a Thai Restaurant in Rosslyn (food was incredible!), talked conservatively during dinner, a few laughs here and there, but mostly serious, short topic-talks. After dinner he nicely offered to go back to his place and show me his condo--which was really nice! LOVE his Coca-Cola collection!!! (He said he's been collecting them since he was a kid) It reminds me of my younger years!!! Anyway, we chilled for a bit, watched Family Guy--which generated good laughs--then, we decided to head to "TOWN" downtown. I drove while we played our music in the car, parked a couple of blocks away, bundled walking on the street to the club, stepped right on in and had a drink, watched the drag shows (which he loves, by the way), and danced for a bit. It was quite a low-key night and yet quite intensive!

I must tell you that I felt embarrassed for him by walking into the club WITH me. I'm sure people were humiliating him at the point we stepped in. Okay, okay, okay! I'm being utterly ridiculous...but, realistically, I'm not in his league of things--physically. So, with that insecurity all over me that entire evening made any possible connection impossible. Yes, it was completely my fault! I ought to have extended my comfort level just over an inch longer and, perhaps, things would have been slightly different. Hope's still there, but only when/if he is willing to. I emailed him on myspace and apologized for the fact that I was unnecessarily distant. I stressed the fact that my email wasn't a goodbye note...but, was to tell him what/how I was feeling and should clarify anything, in the event that he wondered why I acted the way I did. I hope he got my email and has a better understanding now.

So, that's love life! Not so exciting, huh?! Yea, somehow I always manage to mess things up one way or another. Quite frankly, it's not really a pleasant feeling! Like he always say "Dust it off your shoulder and move on!". I will leave things "on pause" for now and, hopefully, some improvements will come along in the next day or two (or three or four...).

Whew! I feel much better now! Well, I'll write some more soon on here, so please stay in touch! For those of you I made plans with this weekend, depending on the weather, we're still on!!!!

I love you, guys! See y'all soon!!!

d-Jae :)