When Will The World Stop Spinning?

So...I'm loving my new apartment! It is quite spacious, large enough to convert the room into a hotel suite with nice furnitures and decors. Unfortunately, that plan will have to progress slowly as my budget is somehow right up to the limit, but, I'm not worried -- things will slowly fill the room in. Too bad the gorgeous fireplace (which is right next to my bed) will have to wait! I can't wait to decorate it and enjoy every bit of it. :)

As much as I love my new place, I also continue to aim for a one-bedroom apartment as soon as I'm able to. There are things that I don't have control at this point and I have no other choice but be in it temporarily until I get some room to find resolution. My plan of prioritizing things might cost me my job, but, in order to get what I want, I'd have to be willing to compromise something -- give to receive!

My inability to move forward in getting a space of my own and the desire to live the lifestyle that I want is somewhat challenging. Limitations to everything, which I should bear in mind constantly, is quite important at this point. Essentially, by living on your own results to being conscious of your spending habit, of which I am not the icon for. A lot of times I spend money for no reason. I don't necessarily factor in other things far more important than an "Armani Exchange" graphic T-shirt or "Aldo" shoes/boots. Terrible as it may sound, but there's definitely room for improvement...and money-saving opportunities starts now.

Well, speaking of "allowed" expense I've thought about reserving my business-part vacation flight. Today I spent some time to reserve my flight and hotel for my San Francisco business/pleasure trip at the end of May (May 22 - 31, 2008). I plan to leave three days early before my meeting, so that I get to enjoy and site-see "Frisco" before I plunge to a 10-hour business work each day thereafter. Exciting, huh? Yea, it is! I love this group I work for and fortunately my name goes far for this group. *d-Jae bows* (Thank you, thank you!) Anyway, tomorrow I'll make my final reservation and start to plan on getting things done three days earlier. (Ugh!)

When my "hotel suite" is completely furnished, I'll post some pictures up! :)

Have a great week everybody!

d-Jae

Gone with the wind...

Were there some memories at some point in your life that you would die to just forget about? What about moments that you can't seem to let go? Either way, whether good memories or not, seems to every now and then come knocking and say "Remember those times... Oh, yea, those times..." But, no matter how unforgettable those times were, you find a way (or ways) to get through it and focus on what could happen in the future.

Prior life experiences through my early adulthood have had rather incredible impact to some areas of my personality and decision-making, in terms of how I approach certain things and my outlook in life, generally speaking. There were some significant "downfalls" during that period as much as, if not more, positive things. I must admit that, at the time, it was rather difficult how to bounce things off me, whether take them seriously or let it roll over my shoulder. Perhaps, by being at a young age, everything had to be translated into negativity as if things were planned in advance to overtake things over and leave you hurt. But, by getting older, you learn to take a step or two forward while "looking at the big picture". Sometimes, in some cases, getting to the "positive side of things" requires a considerable amount of life experiences. Let's face it -- we weren't born positive!

On that note, I only have room for positivity as I'm due to be in yet another adventure of my life! My new home awaits for me and I certainly do look forward to it. I aim for refreshing start and easy transition. I'm sure I'll be fine, but you can't help but still be attached to your prior years. However, those "bad" days are behind me and they'll be there to guide me better. This is just a jump-start, and I expect to see a series of exciting events to eventually surface.

The big word for me to live for this year is "independence". Also with that will be to motivate myself to working out more (since I'll only be 7 minutes from the gym) and look for opportunities to advance careerwise, probably towards early Summer, and hopefully, get an apartment by the end of the year.

Well, this is it ... I'm ready!

d-Jae

New Chapter Begins

There's yet another page of my life that I'm about to dive into -- new home, new life! So, my new home is in Centreville (Well, Hello Centreville!). I did the whole home search pretty quick and got things worked out fairly quickly (and smart!). I can assure myself I'm going to be just fine and actually will be happier than I ever was. I'm quite excited!

I don't have a lot of stuff, so the moving should be pretty light! My new home is far more convenient as oppose to my daily Woodbridge commute. What do you say about approximately 15 minutes commute to work??? For me, that sounds freaking awesome!!! My commute now takes 30-45 minutes, so 15 minutes will save me money and time.

I plan to stay for a little bit while I save money and hopefully get a one-bedroom apartment in the near future. I totally love the person I'm going to be living with, so that is a HUGE (I mean like really HUGE!) plus! I'm planning to move this coming Thursday or Friday night, and once I'm completely moved in, the settling shouldn't be too hard since I don't own a lot of furniture except my queen-size bed. I will use my Mom's truck to transport that because my car ain't big enough (Sport cars aren't design for shit, aren't they?), unless I tie the bed up on top of my car, which I'm not about to do. LOL..

So, as a wrap up, new home is Centreville, which will offer me my own space, privacy, and still living the lifestyle (she knows my lifestyle very well!), few minutes from my job, to the gym, shoppings, and Rt. 66. (DC, I'm closer now! Hehe). The move is Thursday/Friday night and my weekend should be doing all the bills figured out. Fun, huh? Yea! W0ot w0ot!

Wish me luck!

d-Jae

Hello Fairfax!

So, recently my stepdad and mom have decided to untie the knot all together after 12 long years of marriage. It's been going on for a while and no progress. Needless to mention it here, but as a result I might be moving to Fairfax/Chantilly within the coming weeks. Not really sure when but probably pretty soon. I'm going start looking around by any means possible and see where it takes me. This move will have it's ups and downs...BUT, I look forward to the positive things that will come out of it.

I'm quite excited and lonely at the same time. These things will pass by me soon enough, I just need to get myself moving and settle (hopefully).

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

d-Jae

Stars

One cozy summer night I made my way up downtown
I was feeling alright so it was time to dress ‘em down
Gel’ed up hair, shining boots on, and of course “diesel” on
Sparked the night with endless imagination

Spotted this fine young man with smile on his face
Took a step or two closer while I was amazed
Speechless I was, but he shook my hand and said “Hi”
Chemistry was incredible, hurtful to say “Goodbye”

After that night connection continued on building
Made every possible minute heart exploding
Unaware of myself I fell in to my great weakness
Finally someone will save me from deep loneliness

I faithfully stood there and watched us grow emotionally
Not seeing you can sometimes be painful mentally
Oblivious to reality that we were two individuals
And that our selves were made somewhat unequal

A day or two my phone didn’t ring, he was yet to call
Emailed him, texted him, called him – I did it all
What did I do or didn’t do? Or said or didn’t say?
Told myself “Is this yet another game to play?”

Up until now those moments remained as mystery
Answers I was unable to find for those worries
I still wish for one day I’ll get an insight from him
And say my unspoken words I’d have love to say for him

What did hurt me the most was being so close
Couldn’t help myself when I become loose
I wish I had seen what our lives could have been
It’s too late to dream them now, but worth keepin’

Time went by so fast that it’s summer again
Tonight is going to be better than ever…all over again
Those shining stars up in the sky that night are the same
Winked at them and said “Am I up for another game?”

My quest for love will lead on and is becoming stronger
Failings exists only now in my memory, they’re to guide me better
I will keep my head up and never give up
Love will come in no time and stars are there to watch.

Lights Out!

So, here's the deal y'all -- this weekend I'm gonna stay in and take a break from the "all-nigther" deal I've been diggin' during the last 1 1/2 months--clubbing out! (dancing like there’s no tomorrow! LOL. totally!). I soooo need to catch up with my sleep. And besides, watching a movie or two in your room still have your PJ’s on doesn’t hurt! (Love ’em days when it’s snowing outside and you’re in your room warm and cozy with a bowl of popcorn. OMG! I so want to die right now. LOL)

This weekend is also my Mom’s birthday weekend. In fact, her birthday is tomorrow. Shit! I haven’t gotten her a card yet. I’ll probably stop by at CVS (lol) and get a card (and maybe flowers, too!). I love my mom dearly so I want her to feel special. She’s kinda sick right now (F.U. flu!) so hopefully the flowers will brighten up her morning. We’re gonna take her out to dinner Saturday night, we’re probably ending up going to P.F. Chang’s in Tyson’s *wink* *wink* (Dana, you’d know what I’m talking about!) or Macaroni Grill right down the road from our house. It's going to be fun. It's a "tradition" for our family to take the birthday celebrant to the restaurant of his/her choice. My birthday is on 4/20, so you guys better have $300-$400 to spend because I want to go to Texas de Brazil Steakhouse in Fair Oaks. OMG! I soo want to die for that one, too! Check that place out and I guarantee you you will have a great time "getting serviced" over and beyond your expectation (the waiters are just HAWT!) and, of course, the food is phenomenal!!!

Anyway, that is going to be my weekend. I know some of you have invited me for bar-hopping, etc., but, I'm sorry guys -- "I'm taken!" LOL. Have fun y’all this weekend and I'll touch base with you guys early next week to give you (and you update me) a wrap-up! Ok! Aight... Peace out!

d-Jae

Rejuvination Starts Here

Self-renewal has been long overdue! There's no time to waste. Put transformation gears on and stay rock-solid. Got new agendas, position alternative approaches, and desire worthy outcomes.

"Too many fish in the sea" - a dear good friend of mine once said. Explore other avenues, look at the right places, embrace new faces and prospects, and fear not rejection. Worthy ones will slowly fit in.

Sustain your strength and enthusiasm. Concern dreams first and foremost. Broaden your horizon and trounce obstacles. Satisfaction will come.

Nature offers you chances. Grasp them with confidence, but remain subtle. Welcome ideas and visualize possibilities. Take charge and be successful.

Remake your dreams ... re-live the possibilities ... rejuvenate yourself ... and it starts now.

A Point of Friction

When you’re under the burner, things could get really hot and short! This week was quite like that. :( My boss and I have been working so hard to develop two major conferences for our clients...so she and I have been short-patient and sensitive this week. Often times we snap at each other, which happened twice this week, and I guess it was because of all the pressure that we’ve been undergoing. We later apologize to each other and keep on working. That’s how fun this place is sometimes.

I have been developing and implementing--piece by piece---all the conference programs for one of my clients. I have been made responsible to develop their conference program from sending out "Call for Papers" (also known as abstracts) to all professionals in the social work and research arena to managing all post-conference items. The CFP typically generates hundreds of abstracts submitted by researchers across United States and few internationals. I am anticipating quite a number of abstracts to be submitted this year as evident with last year’s theme, and also in relation to our venue, which is in New Orleans, LA this year.

That is just the tip of the iceberg! This project will have me tied up for the next 9-10 months. It starts to slow down now momentarily, but activities will pick up at some point in May. Concurrent with that will be my San Francisco meeting, in which I am a part of overseeing the whole logistics of the meeting.

There’s definitely a lot of potential points of time-sensitivity and disconnection from the "fun" world while this project is in progress. I will try my best to disregard the pressure from time to time and just have a good ole time with friends on the weekends. On a positive note, I enjoy traveling for work--seeing other parts of U.S. twice a year! That’s not bad! :)

Well, look what’s here--weekend!! w0ot w0ot! Have fun y’all. Get crunk, but be safe!

d-Jae :)

Brown skin shining in the sun....

One of these days I need to be thinking about going shopping for this year's summer. I am planning to head down to South Beach for Summer 2008--probably after my trip to San Francisco at the end of May. I intend having this summer as fun and just fabulous as possible. Last summer was in San Diego/Los Angeles with my bestfriend. We had fun, but we wish we had more time! :(

Just to update everyone with my schedule of previous and upcoming travels:

Summer 2003 - Virginia Beach, VA (vacation)
Summer 2004 - Rehoboth Beach, DE
November 2004 - New York City & New Jersey (Shopping)
January 2006 - San Antonio, TX (board meeting)
May 2006 - San Antonio, TX (board meeting)
May 2007 - Washington, DC (board meeting)
June 2007 - San Diego & Los Angeles, CA (vacation)
September 2007 - Rehoboth Beach, DE
January 2008 - Washington, DC (board meeting)
May 2008 - San Francisco, CA (board meeting) ... COMING UP!
Summer 2008 - Miami, FL (vacation)
November 2008 - New York, NY (shopping)
January 2009 - New Orleans, LA (board meeting)
April 2009 - Las Vegas, NV (birthday)
May 2009 - Washington, DC (board meeting)
Summer 2009 - Madrid, Spain (vacation)
November 2009 - Los Angeles, CA (shopping)
January 2010 - San Francisco, CA (board meeting)
May 2010 - Denver, CO (board meeting)
Summer 2010 - London (vacation)
January 2011 - Tampa, FL (board meeting)
January 2012 - Washington, DC (board meeting)

This is my plan, but it'll take a while for all the coordination involved to be squared away. Most likely my bestfriend will be traveling with me, or with Willy and his boyfriend, Ernesto...but everyone's welcome!

Frisco, here I come!


d-Jae :)

Where the "Greens" at?

Some of you may already know that I'm in the process of becoming a Certified Association Executive (CAE) within the next two years. On top of my 6-year experience in association executive management, I've been taking classes at Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale campus since the Fall. I took the Meeting and Exhibition Law and Ethics (Final Grade: A -- w0ot w0ot!), and now I'm taking Principles of Association Management course which will end in April. This class, in particular, requires a lot of writing multiple-page thesis on certain subjects relative to association management such as Leadership, Marketing, Program Development, Sponsorships, etc. Initially, the whole writing element was quite challenging, but since my background is partially in these fields, I have a little "cushion". And now, I actually enjoy writing them! My next thesis will be about Sponsorship Proposals, which is due at the beginning of April. :\

Recently I touched-base with the standards of the certification process, governed by the American Society of Association Executives headquartered in Washington, DC, which I proudly belong for 3 years now, and I have to say that the eligibility requirements have gotten extensive and the costs of the prerequisites such as numerous publications that you need to study before the exam (probably the cost is between $800-$1000) and the two-day immersion course (estimated cost is $1200) have increased dramatically. All of that is essential ultimately to prep you for the in-person examination in DC, which, not to mention, is a lot harder than I have been anticipating!

So, yeah! That's the deal with the whole "becoming an executive thing"! However, the idea of it, though, is great--increasing my marketability in the non-profit world--and its fundamentals are beyond elementary. Needless to say that it's going to be reasonably expensive...but, it'll pay off once I get that piece of paper! w0ot w0ot!

Sometimes I wonder how I am supposed to accomplish all of that, but I'm quite excited (and anxious!). I need to be patient--I HAVE TO BE PATIENT! Meanwhile, I will continue to focus on staying on track with my other goals--getting rid of bills, saving up to buy my condo, moving to California, and hopefully meet the special one! w0ot w0ot! Wish me luck!



d-Jae :)

Is it Saturday yet???

Two words for last weekend: TOO HAWT!

Last Friday I hanged out with Mikey and his friend, Christian, at Hoffman Ctr. in Alexandria. So we watched 10,000 BC, which was suprisingly disappointing. (Sorry, Christian! LOL). The last 5 minutes of the movie completely turned the "somewhat okay" movie into a magical epic...so I was like "Already then!".

Well, since we had "too much" there (laugh! laugh!), we decided to hit Cobalt, which is yet another "___" - fill in the blank! So we hit TOWN instead. I had fun with Mikey (not sure if he did!), but I can tell something was bothering him. I just wish he'd talk to me about it! Anyway, I ended up crashing at his place for 2 hours, then I left still drunk as shit! Went home and caught up with my sleep! (Laugh at that one, too!)

Saturday my BFF and I went to a pre-wedding celebration for his cousin, who is getting married in June (I think) somewhere in the Carolina's. After that, we hit TOWN--it was effing awesome! Met someone, danced with him, got a little "too hawt!", acted naughty (hehe) on the dance floor. It was fun, though! He's going to Atlanta this weekend, so I'm gonna miss him. I told him he's going to see me when he gets back. (He's excited!)



So, that's the "Too Hawt" part of the weekend. Can't wait to get on the dance floor and act naughty again (DJ, just keep the music playing!).

Have fun y'all this week. I will touch base with you again this weekend.

d-Jae :)

Week Update

Alright, guys! Just a wrap-up about this past weekend:

TOWN was great last Saturday night! It would have been a lot more fun, had we not left early! My bestfriend and I were getting tired (and HUNGRY!) so we had to leave early like around 2:00 am. Did my thing (dancing YEA!!!) and got hit on by a couple of guys--one guy and a drag! *wink* Then after the club, we went to Denny's in Woodbridge (the usual place for "toasted" folks 3-4 in the a.m.) Then we went home (my bff spent the night), but, I didn't fall asleep until 7:00 this morning. (Ugh! That damn coffee!!!) I was pissed...but, I eventually was able to catch up! We got up and went to Tyson's (oh, gawd! more shopping!) then came home. Now, I'm sitting here chillaxing!

Now, about work--this week is going to be pretty hectic for me. I've got the following to deal with:

Monday-Friday
Work from anytime to anytime (normally though from 11 am - 7 pm) and gym from 8 pm - 10 pm.

Tomorrow
My boss's birthday! I haven't gotten anything for her! Oops! Got her beautiful roses though last Friday!

Monday-Friday
Workload such as management, inventory and off-site storage stuff, financial and marketing, meet with my boss and CFO to discuss some priority re-arrangements, and all other my normal daily stuff!

Tuesday
I'm hanging out with a good friend of mine.

Wednesday
My paper is due this Wednesday before class. My thesis, in a 1-3 page memo, is about Marketing and Program Development. Since my expertise is in both of these, it shouldn't be hard at all. I have all my strategies and ideas already written down, but I have to write each an explanation how to develop and implement them. It should be a piece of cake! :)

Friday
I'll see if Willy and Ernesto are going to Fuego to go clubbing. I miss them guys!

Saturday
Jabari and I are going to a party at his relative's house like around 4 pm. Then, like around 8-9, Jabari, Gino, Bridget and her GF, Jesse, and myself are heading to TOWN for yet another fun night!

Sunday
Not sure yet, but I'd like to go watch a movie and go watch the drag shows at Freddies.

So that is how my week is going to be. Pretty crazy but it's been like that for a little while. That's why you see me go out a lot on the weekends to unwind and prepare myself for yet another week. I like to have a good time with friends and treat myself from time to time. :)

Well, you have a wonderful week! Have fun, be safe, and stay warm!

See y'all soon!

d-Jae :)