Time Machine Should Still Be In Use

Alright, so...this coming Friday is when my final paper is due. I'm sitting here writing a blog about it instead of actually writing the damn paper! Ain't that a shame? Yea...I know! (lol) I think I'll be okay--I just have to get myself motivated at some point between now and 4:00 pm Friday. Otherwise, the whole semester of going to school every Wednesday will go to hell in a hand-basket!!! Though, I must say that this class (Principles of Association Management) has been pretty interesting, despite of all the things I've mentioned on here, including the 100-word per minute instructor. Although it sounds long--from January to May--but, I guess there had been enough crazy things going on that it made it seem not long at all. Though, I must say there were times where I just feel exhausted and dreading my way up to school.

As much as I loved my previous class, which was about Meeting and Exhibition Law and Ethics, I will say that this current class have improved my writing significantly--in terms of style, formatting, organization, etc. I was able to write my thoughts myself, but couldn't submit my paper without having someone proofread it. Well, in this professional business setting, every single thing has to be proofread by someone normally above you, not because individuals aren't perfect enough to write a paper or whatever, but the emphasis is that any written statements are well proofed. Anyway, all my papers, by far, were graded all A's! W0ot w0ot!

Thesis # 1: Student Leadership At Annual Meeting
(I discussed some ideas on leadership opportunities for students at annual meeting and ideas on how to continually encourage and retain their involvement) -- Grade: A+

Thesis # 2: Development And Marketing of Meeting and Educational Programs
(I talked about potential prime areas for program development and implementation of promotional strategies to target the professional individuals market) -- Grade: A+

Thesis # 3: Corporate Leadership Program Development
(I proposed some ideas on how the organization can expand its existing sponsorship brackets to the next level--engaging potential sponsors and donors particularly industries and corporate businesses and create affiliation/partnership with them) -- Grade: A-

Final Paper: Non-Profit Organizations In The Competitive Business World
(Ummm...nothing as of yet)

So, the final paper is going to be the b**ch! I haven't thought of anything to write and sometimes I get a writer's block and I would sit in front of the computer and could not come up with one sentence. That's mighty awful! But, usually I somehow start writing and next thing I have 3 pages in front of me. Like I said I just need to type away and the thoughts would eventually come. Tonight is not that night definitely--I'm too tired!

One thing I did do today though was to buy my tickets for my San Francisco trip in three weeks! W0ot w0ot! My gawd--the price went up already! Had I bought it like a month ago I would have saved probably $200. Oh, well. Thank God, my job is paying for it. So, anyway I thought I'd throw that one in there....LOL

Goodnight!

d-Jae

Big Wheel! Big Wheel!

Well, to wrap up my weekend - it was "long" and "hard" (Ugh! Yea, right!...That's what she said). I had been suffering my allergies all week and this past weekend was just unbelievably disgusting! I hanged out with my brother after maybe 4 weeks of not been able to see and hang out with him. He's been busy with work and his girlfriend and so have I (the only difference - GF!). I hanged out with his GF for a little bit, met her parents (they were really nice!), had some Filipino soup, then left. After that, had dinner and watched "The Forbidden Kingdom" featuring Jackie Chan and Jet Li. Although I like both of them, the story line was too magical for me. I wish they kept the superficial powers to a minimum! The movie was pretty good, nevertheless. The interesting part was, after watching the movie, some kid (probably in his late teens or possibly early 20's) yelled at me and said "Dude, I like your car! (as he was dancing to my music)... Hope to see ya again here!.." and I was like "What the hell just happened?". Still stunned, but I gave him the whole "Peace" hand gesture, as a form to say "Thanks!". So I was like "Huh! That was interesting!". So anyway, that ended that. I went home and watch "No Country for Old Men" -- what a bizarre movie and hardly understandable! Today, I did some grocery shop, came home and did some cleaning. It was fun - I felt accomplished! W0ot w0ot!

Yes, yes, yes...tomorrow is Monday! Ugh! Yet another week and this week for me is the most busiest week ever this year. Some of you probably know the story behind this, but for those who doesn't - I have this conference program I'll be developing for and a week-long meeting in San Francisco at the end of May. I only have three weeks to accomplish everything I need to prepare for the upcoming conference while planning another one. This whole scenario of things I call them "Pancakes" - one thing after the other! I am a busy man with a busy job that requires a lot of time. Don't you hate that? I know I do, sometimes. Best thing to do is focus of what good things that benefits you. I try to prioritize the learning concept of it other than the amount of time I invest in it. I'm not worried about the time...but I can't wait for the "pay off" to come later on in my career -- if I choose to stay in this industry. Although career change could always happen anytime, anywhere. If I were to change jobs, it would be from marketing firm to a law firm. Actually, to be honest with you, I intended to jump from Marketing to Professional Affairs, but instead Marketing to Conference Program -- which isn't that too bad! It just requires different set of learning tools in order to do the job. I suppose that happens to every job - doesn't it? Well, the job itself is quite beneficial in a long run, has its pressures at major points, nevertheless an escalator for my career from small to bigger scale of things!

So, the week ahead of me will be quite a "full house" so getting back to people or even to communicate with people will be quite a challenge. Not only I have deadlines to meet, I will also be dealing with my final exam--writing my final paper which is due this Friday! I won't get into that, but this final is going to be the ultimate paper, where you emphasize the supposedly knowledge of association management. (FYI - more than half of the class doesn't even work with association, so I suppose I should feel or think ahead of them, or worst yet the instructor would expect more from those who work with associations, and guess who those people are!). Ugh!

Well, have a great work week everyone! I'll catch up with you, hopefully sooner than what my schedule permits. Take care!

d-Jae

Don't Go

Lyrics written by d-Jae

I see tears in your eyes, I hear you cry at night
Let me wipe them away, come and hold you tight
Don't think you're alone, you know there's someone
Open your eyes and, I'll show you I'm the one...

Please hear me say, I will always be there
I will stand near you, when feeling sad and despair
Just when you though, every thing is over
I will hang on for you, now and forever

Times when you feel lost, unsure of right and wrong
I'll walk with you, no matter how long
Just reach out my voice, when you need a hand
Feel no sadness or weary, you have a friend...

Please hear me say, I will always be there
I will stand near you, when feeling sad and despair
Just when you thought, every thing is over
I will hang on for you, now and forever

When you feel world is on you, don't lose your hope...
Someone will come and say...

Please hear me say, I will always be there
I will stand near you, when feeling sad and despair
Just when you thought, every thing is over
I will hang on for you, now and forever

I won't go... I'll stay now...and forever.

Truck's A Lot Harder To Drive Than A Car

Within the coming weeks I will be getting ready to fly to San Francisco for a week-long conference for one of my clients. The Exective Director and I as the Membership Director have been working really hard to prepare for this meeting. This year is somewhat larger than any of our previous conference because it is simply "San Francisco". Doesn't that sound attractive? Yes, it is for many, or I should say hundreds of preventionists, researchers, and scientists around the country. Several will be represented by international delegates from Nepal, China, Germany, etc. Therefore, these parties will be treated somewhat special during this conference, as they are not so fortunate to come and attend our conference in an annual basis. Perhaps, conference funding being limited or non-existent in these countries restrain their attendance. My client, however, had given them to opportunity to attend and participate in order to bring in international contribution in terms of the programmatic component of the conference. Blah...blah...blah... (Sorry -- I get started discussing program developments and I just go on and on with it...I get into it! Trust me.)

Also recently, the company decided to re-organize responsibilities and priorities within the office and everyone will be impacted because of this transition. Few months ago, the Program Director for one of my clients "was let go" because of incoordination between the Administrative Director and Program Director. Their relationship didn't satisfy what was expected of the role player. So that being said my Executive Director made recommendation that I pick up the slack and fill this position. It is evident, and rather obvious, that me and my superior have great teamwork abilities and that we balance ourselves when pursuing a project. She thought we would work a whole lot better together with the program development than previously. Subsequently, some of my responsibilities such as advertising and some membership marketing projects will be delegated to one (or two) of my colleagues. However, I will remain responsible for those projects. (That's the challenge of being in a management position -- making sure things are done systematically!)

So, work within the next several weeks is obviously going to be hectic especially with the transition and two cuncurrent conference events. As I said before, it's just going to get crazier from this point onward. I am glad I went out last weekend to enjoy my weekend before plunging into a potential 9-month long project. For those of you who regularly talk to me via phone or myspace, I might not be able to respond in a timely manner. Don't take it personally -- it's just work! You know how work goes sometimes! :(

Well, we're heading towards the weekend, so enjoy everyone! I'm sure those who are allergic to pollen, stay in as much as you can -- not fun though! Try to have fun anyway.

d-Jae

Numero 26

So, last Saturday (all the way through Sunday) was yet another one of those days they call "Birthday" came and went rather too fast and it was the 26th time. Started off with lunch with my friend MikEy, who went out the night before, and I dragged him out of bed buzzed and still sleepy - I felt sorry for him, though. We planned to hit TODAI (a sushi bar/buffet in Fairfax- they have excellent food!), but surprisingly they were closed during a certain hours - I suppose they have to cook something for people to enjoy, right? So, MikEy decided to take me to Tau Tau (his favorite Chinese restaurant) up in Springfield--it was nice! (Thanks, MikEy!) I agree - leftovers are just awesome!

Then, I went straight to Texas de Brazil where I met my family for dinner, considering I just had lunch within few minutes. Didnt' have much because of what I had at Tau Tau. It was very good though, nevertheless. Good looking servers - Oh My Gawd! A server came with his meat and I wanted to try it out so bad -- filet mignon! Mmm...good! He looked gorgeous himself, and I'm like... Umm... *picks up drink and sips*... LOL...Then, my BFF, another friend of mine, and myself went to TOWN and had drinks and danced for a little bit. At some point that night something went terribly wrong so...yea! You know what happens when things go wrong between the club and you, right? Yea, hit the road! However, we ended up staying through 3:30 am (I think) and we headed home.

Yesterday Mom cooked for my birthday - the Filipino way! (And, yes, it is a tradition!) and boi, it was really good! In fact, I had a doggy bag with me on the way home. Mom is the greatest and was excited to see me and I felt she didn't want me to leave. I must say I miss her, too, very much!!! I don't get to see her that often because of our schedules. She went out of her way to welcome me back at home just for a little while.

So, today, still birthday celebration - at work this time! We had cake at the office (Yes, that's a tradition, too!) and this Wednesday my colleagues and I will be goin gout for dinner after class. W0ot w0ot! My God, I need to seriously work out after all these good stuff...LOL...But, in truth though, I really need to work out more now, not just because of that, but to stay on track with my goal -- to be somewhat toned. And, I know it would take years to get there...but I must remain focused! Today is my new year so I'll say it again "I'm going back to the gym!" (I think I've said that too many times already this year!)

Thanks all for the lovely wishes and company -- it meant a lot!

Have a great week everyone!

d-Jae

The Executive

The Executive (Extraverted Thinking with Introverted Intuition)

As an ENTJ, your primary mode of living is focused externally, where you deal with things rationally and logically. Your secondary mode is internal, where you take things in primarily via your intuition.

ENTJs are natural born leaders. They live in a world of possibilities where they see all sorts challenges to be surmounted, and they want to be the ones responsible for surmounting them. They have a drive for leadership, which is well-served by their quickness to grasp complexities, their ability to absorb a large amount of impersonal information, and their quick and decisive judgments. They are "take charge" people.

ENTJs are very career-focused, and fit into the corporate world quite naturally. They are constantly scanning their environment for potential problems which they can turn into solutions. They generally see things from a long-range perspective, and are usually successful at identifying plans to turn problems around - especially problems of a corporate nature. ENTJs are usually successful in the business world, because they are so driven to leadership. They're tireless in their efforts on the job, and driven to visualize where an organization is headed. For these reasons, they are natural corporate leaders.

There is not much room for error in the world of the ENTJ. They dislike to see mistakes repeated, and have no patience with inefficiency. They may become quite harsh when their patience is tried in these respects, because they are not naturally tuned in to people's feelings, and more than likely don't believe that they should tailor their judgments in consideration for people's feelings. ENTJs, like many types, have difficulty seeing things from outside their own perspective. Unlike other types, ENTJs naturally have little patience with people who do not see things the same way as the ENTJ. The ENTJ needs to consciously work on recognizing the value of other people's opinions, as well as the value of being sensitive towards people's feelings. In the absence of this awareness, the ENTJ will be a forceful, intimidating and overbearing individual. This may be a real problem for the ENTJ, who may be deprived of important information and collaboration from others. In their personal world, it can make some ENTJs overbearing as spouses or parents.

The ENTJ has a tremendous amount of personal power and presence which will work for them as a force towards achieving their goals. However, this personal power is also an agent of alienation and self-aggrandizement, which the ENTJ would do well to avoid.

ENTJs are very forceful, decisive individuals. They make decisions quickly, and are quick to verbalize their opinions and decisions to the rest of the world. The ENTJ who has not developed their Intuition will make decisions too hastily, without understanding all of the issues and possible solutions. On the other hand, an ENTJ who has not developed their Thinking side will have difficulty applying logic to their insights, and will often make poor decisions. In that case, they may have brilliant ideas and insight into situations, but they may have little skill at determining how to act upon their understanding, or their actions may be inconsistent. An ENTJ who has developed in a generally less than ideal way may become dictatorial and abrasive - intrusively giving orders and direction without a sound reason for doing so, and without consideration for the people involved.

Although ENTJs are not naturally tuned into other people's feelings, these individuals frequently have very strong sentimental streaks. Often these sentiments are very powerful to the ENTJ, although they will likely hide it from general knowledge, believing the feelings to be a weakness. Because the world of feelings and values is not where the ENTJ naturally functions, they may sometimes make value judgments and hold onto submerged emotions which are ill-founded and inappropriate, and will cause them problems - sometimes rather serious problems.

ENTJs love to interact with people. As Extroverts, they're energized and stimulated primarily externally. There's nothing more enjoyable and satisfying to the ENTJ than having a lively, challenging conversation. They especially respect people who are able to stand up to the ENTJ, and argue persuasively for their point of view. There aren't too many people who will do so, however, because the ENTJ is a very forceful and dynamic presence who has a tremendous amount of self-confidence and excellent verbal communication skills. Even the most confident individuals may experience moments of self-doubt when debating a point with an ENTJ.

ENTJs want their home to be beautiful, well-furnished, and efficiently run. They're likely to place much emphasis on their children being well-educated and structured, to desire a congenial and devoted relationship with their spouse. At home, the ENTJ needs to be in charge as much as he or she does in their career. The ENTJ is likely best paired with someone who has a strong self-image, who is also a Thinking type. Because the ENTJ is primarily focused on their careers, some ENTJs have a problem with being constantly absent from home, physically or mentally.

The ENTJ has many gifts which make it possible for them to have a great deal of personal power, if they don't forget to remain balanced in their lives. The are assertive, innovative, long-range thinkers with an excellent ability to translate theories and possibilities into solid plans of action. They are usually tremendously forceful personalities, and have the tools to accomplish whatever goals they set out for.

Spatula Wonder!

So...this past weekend was awesome! Saturday night I cooked a special dinner for my roommate, her mom, and one of my colleagues - they were my guests although one of them live with me! lol. Well, I cooked Pasta Carbonara (Thanks, Mom, for the recipe!) and Texas-toast garlic bread, served it with red wine. It turned out to be very good considering that I hadn't cooked for God knows how long - over 6 months? I was actually excited and all prepared and made sure that they would enjoy it. Everyone had to slow down because the dish was quite filling...real quick! lol. To top the dinner off, I made some Strawberry Short Cake (with Whip cream on top). Mmm...good! Then, a nice cup of Starbuck's Columbian blend coffee. Everyone was refreshed and satisfied. So, we put on the American Gangster and watched it until 1:30 in the morning...

Besides the nice dinner with friends, I also look at the bigger picture, which is the fact that I'm living on my own now. I actually love it because I feel I don't report to anyone but myself. Quite frankly I am much happier now than I ever was before. I actually feel I have a reason to come home for. This is a good way that gives me the opportunity to explore my other capabilities and overcome struggles on my own. However, there are times that I miss the only woman in my life - my mom - dearly. I haven't seen her since I moved out, which was nearly three weeks ago. We talk every now and then and catch up on things from both ends. She appear to be doing okay and, of course, she has her moments. I suppose she's so used to seeing me at the house every night and perhaps she's still trying to get over the fact that I'm not there anymore. Over the weekend too, I went and took all my bills that came to my old house (thanks to me, I hadn't updated my address on any of my bills, but one or two), then left to do more shopping.

Well, like I said, I am slowly getting my new apartment all looking nice and everything. Every time I plan to pick up my bed, something happens, like the freaking weather. I am determined to go pick it up this weekend regardless. LOL. I miss my bed so much and I can't wait to be "on it"! I bought some curtains and put them up, so that the apartment would look a little warmer - can't have windows without curtains! But, anyway, I thought I'd share that...

This coming Sunday is my 26th birthday. Haven't thought about what I'd like to do, but maybe a dinner/movie would do it. I have a very ordinary way to celebrate my birthday. However, I am glad to have made it this far. I look at the things I have accomplished so far. Some I'm glad about, but some I feel I unaccomplished. I keep telling myself - before I hit 30 mark I will be an executive! W0ot w0ot! My goal is to be the youngest certified association executive in the CAE program by the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE). I hope I will still be...

Well, have a good week everyone!

d-Jae

A Director’s Series of Pain

Developing conference programs for any group, sizes from 500 - 5000, accumulates tremendous amount of hours to complete. Its complexity in terms of content concept, resources, and leadership coordination is another. Pulling all the necessary components together, especially when resources rely upon from other inputs, essentially the most time-consuming part of the project. The “Program Director” (guess who that would be) is then responsible for collecting and coordinating those elements and develops a program out of what every input has accomplished – sort of the “bridge”, if you will. Establishing and implementing the project’s timeline is also a big key. Every input has to adhere to the timeline and be coordinative. The Chair of the Conference Program Planning Committee has the overall authority to oversee the whole process and makes certain project timelines are met, including the “Program Director”.

In conjunction with the Committee and the Program Director, the Administrative Director facilitates progress, communications, and resources that the volunteers needs. (Volunteers refer to the “input” or “individual” that establishes the scientific element of the program.) The Program Director and the Administrative Director coordinates with one another to progress development and report timeline updates to the Chair.

The project current status is in its early stage of development, particularly with the abstract submission system currently in place to gather submissions, which is the foundation of developing the program. Next major project point is the abstract review process. From that point on, a series of coordination points will follow during the next 10 months.

That is the nature of the project I’m currently working on. The program is intended for the Society for Social Work and Research, consisting of approximately 1,300 members, who will have their conference in New Orleans, LA this coming January 2009. The conference committee is anticipating an attendance of 1300 participants this year. My role as being the Program Director is to assist the Administrative Director and the Committee to coordinate all the efforts made by volunteers and put things together and present a program.

Isn’t a fun project? Yes, it is, indeed! Sooo…. I have two weekends to enjoy before the crunch. I will lose it, otherwise. But, I promise myself I’ll have an awesome weekend! I hope you will, too!

d-Jae

Memories Left Unchained

A “bundle of snow-white tulips” linger in my ears beautifully
“Hand in hand walk” along the lake brightens the day so peacefully
Crispy laughs at “candle-light dinner for two” lasts forever and a day
Opens the door, a “goodnight kiss” feels comforting every which way

Attraction to affection actually satisfies contentment and phenomenal
Makes everything appear compromising and a bit philosophical
In a world created by deep passion evolving on man-made fantasy
Its essence often times tricks the mind and leaves you genuinely happy

Many describes “the fever” the first layer, top coating for truth
Highly useful for those who plays one way only or no root
No inspiration behind their wanted scene, just a skin play
Such a game win or lose, absolutely nothing to give away

Too hard and too unbearable for the poor heart to endure
Leaves my heart with no beat, no sign for chance…for sure
The costs people pay for being unrealistic and too obsessed
Nothing in return, and wish no room for weakness

Priceless love for those who lost love we appear to seek
We search with open arms and find ourselves meek
Like angels we hear alone and crying for the promised one
With hope we would meet one day and I’m what you want

I want to be free to love someone yet for one more time
Unchain the memories you left so I can draw a new line
As I steam forward I will leave my yesterday way behind
Empty handed I go, to reach and define love blind

Soon time will fall back and like the rest of them I will be
I am what I was then and now, and the person I will be
Those who lost love, lost it, and found love again
Don’t lose hope, I assure you, you’ll be happy once again

Weekend Shopping

So, today I got up quite early (like 8! ugh! lol) to start my day, and actually I got a lot accomplished today. First off, I went to Bob Evans with my roommate and had brunch (mmm...spinach, bacon, and tomato egg benedict!) and we had fun. (Gosh, I hadn't done that in months!). Then, we went shopping for basics at the good 'ole Wal-Mart. W0ot w0ot! I did one or two house stuff, here and there, and now, boi, I'm quite exhausted! lol. I'm either ready for a nap or dinner, and dinner needs to be really good tonight -- my reward for being the man of the house! (Ugh...yea, right!) *Winks at Dana*

Well, we were kind of excited about grilling dinner for tonight after putting the patio furniture together, but it was a bit disappointing discovering that the grill had to be assembled from scratch -- nothing, absolutely nothing was put together. Imagine that! Well, that kind of killed the excitement as we weren't prepared for investing yet 2-3 hours to put it together. So, I suppose we'll be dialing pizza tonight or Chinese (again!) for dinner. (I know...there goes my everyday-work out at the gym last week - back to square one!). LOL. I don't want to say "Yea...the gym is just 5 minutes away and I could always burn it off..." but that's not the spirit I want to have...but, you know, I can't help it! (Ok...ok...ok....this is the last "bad" food this weekend!).

Also, you might noticed that I haven't been out to TOWN during the last two weeks, and I actually enjoy part of the fact I've not been "wasted" for two weeks! (Gosh, that sounded rather addictive!). I had been busy with moving and getting myself settled, and also had been trying to save as much money as I can for my "future hotel bedroom suite" and for my San Francisco trip, which is around the corner! I don't know... I guess doing something different is somewhat awesome in a way. But, I must admit I miss my drag show on Saturdays...and also the crowd, getting "wasted" (lol), meeting new faces, music, etc. This coming Saturday might be my possible weakness and get some fun a little bit. ~:-)

Well, the weekend update is somewhat low-key activity oriented: trying to still settle in, might be going out with Melvin (my ex-husband) tonight or chill at home, and Sunday? ... more shopping (for basic stuff!). :)

On that note, have an awesome weekend, everyone! Take care!!!

d-Jae