Journeys

I've been wanting to post just a few sentences in this blog for a while now, but life just got in the way...

Now coming back to this blog, something I've noticed is that this blog covered two distinct journeys: (1) the story of me graduating college and (2) the story of me trying to find my way post-college. The first story is done, but one well worth remembering and the second - "trying to find my way" is a continuing process that all of us go through everyday. To be fair, there was a very distinct story about me trying to find a job and start my career and that story has been completed too.

Also, I'm happy to say that I've accomplished my two major goals from last year:

1. To be one of the best Princeton Project 55 Fellows - I'm not sure how many other fellows could say they worked 10 hour work days regularly and managed communications/logistics/operations for a three-person national non-profit that serves 2.5 million students... just saying.

2. Moving out on my own to D.C. - I'm currently writing this from my humble studio (yes, I realize the irony/juxtaposition between this and the last sentence) and paid my gas, electric, and internet bills this past Thursday.

So, all-in-all life is good. I'm on a new journey now - trying to make it in the Big City (forget NYC - D.C. is where it all happens) and figuring things out in this new environment. I hope you continue to read and follow this blog again.

As for saying goodbye to my last two journeys, I just want to say one thing... "Yo Adrian, I did it!"

Logan Circle in Washington, D.C. - my new digs!

My Fave Five Things from Homecoming Weekend!

This past Friday and Saturday, I was back at Princeton for homecoming weekend and it was one of the best Princeton-related experiences I have ever had! Here are some of the highlights: 

1.  New Ideas for PCW! 

On Friday morning, I attended three workshops for Princeton volunteers - one on affiliated groups and the other two on event planning. I came away from both workshops with a lot of new connections and ideas for upcoming PCW programs. For example, wouldn't it be great for Princeton alumni in DC to have the opportunity to have one-off precepts and seminars from Princeton graduate alumni? In order to make this happen, I'll need to step up my efforts and ask for more help, but as Dumbledore says, "help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it."

2. Saying Hi :) 

I am so glad that I had the opportunity to check in with some of the folks who were integral to making my Princeton experience amazing.

It was amazing that I had the chance to spend a little bit of time with the my friends at Quad (including the exceptional Quad Staff: T, R, D, and N). Also on Friday, I got some invaluable life advice from A, P, and of course PFK. Finally on Saturday, before the game, I had a chance to talk briefly to HS '52 - the Founder of Sustained Dialogue.

3. The Haircut.So if you don't know by now, I have a kind of mohawk thing going on with my hair and it kind of surprised some of my old friends. One of the funnier mini-episodes that occurred this weekend happened as I was looking for my seat: someone saw me and shouted "there's Usher" - Lol












4. Princeton Beats Harvard! 

If you haven't seen this video by now, just take a look.

I have been associated with Princeton for about five years: yesterday's Princeton vs. Harvard game was one of the greatest football games I have ever seen! Princeton mounted what had to be the greatest comeback in Ivy League history - 29 points in the 4th quarter - purely EPIC.

Furthermore, I went to the game with my Quad folks and had the chance to rush the field with them at the end. And here's another cool thing about this particular game: it was special to see a lot of the senior Princeton players that I knew from my time as a Freshmen Scholars Institute RA earn such a memorable victory.

5. A Special Moment at the Aspire Dinner 

There were a lot of special moments from this weekend, but there was one that really stands out from the reception/dinner celebrating the completion of the Aspire campaign on Friday night. During the reception portion of the evening, I had an opportunity to speak with a member of the Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church - the church I attended during college. In the company of fellow ABPA members, she told me that a presentation I gave a few years ago convinced her son to attend the W.E.B. DuBois Scholars Institute. The W.E.B. DuBois Scholars Institute is a summer academic enrichment and leadership program for minority middle and high school students that is held on Princeton's campus; I attended DuBois in 2004 and it was the first time I was really challenged and pushed intellectually. Upon hearing that this lady's son had attended and graduated from DuBois my night was infinitely boosted. It was really humbling and heartwarming to hear that something I considered small might have made a significant difference in another person's life. 

Quick Update: I'm Bored

It's been too long since I've written a blog entry. In terms of a quick update, I'm a little bored with my life right now. Before I say why I'm bored, I consider myself fortunate to have the following: (1) a stable job with health insurance, (2) parents that are helping to save money, and (3) friends that support me and care - those are certainly things to be thankful for.

With that said, here's the reason why I'm bored: nothing in my life feels challenging right now. As much as I hated not having an income or feeling down, I think I enjoyed the struggle of searching for an opportunity. During last March, I embraced the process of searching for my break, i.e. I went all-in... and a funny thing happened: I succeeded as a Princeton Project '55 Fellow. Currently, in my fellowship/job I feel very confident in my abilities and daily performance. Moreover, as the Princeton Club of Washington's programs chair, I either directly plan/execute or supervise 3-4 programs each month, including some featuring over 100 attendees. In both of these roles, I feel as though I'll always find a way to come through and "make it happen" - and I think that's the problem. I would like to be in a situation in which I really need to push myself, but then we get to the second problem, or rather question:

What would I like to do?

I spending a lot of time thinking about what I want to do. Grad school? Business school? Something else? There are a lot of big questions here and I think that's the weakness of still living with my parents. I appreciate that my Mom and Dad (especially) are very methodical and logical folks, but I think that I listen to them to much instead of just going after things myself. I'm not talking in terms of the little things, but more so the big things such as housing and apartments. Recently, my decisions have been relatively safe and beneficial - I need to get back to taking more of those safe risks. And as far of the big risks, I need more of those too.

There's one more thing that I need to discuss (seriously) here: in a lot of ways, I'm both tightening the circle and expanding it. I'm tightening the circle by being more considerate of whom I spend my time with, reach out to, and open up with. In the past, I've been burned too many times and a lot of those instances have been unfortunate and (a little painful). Recently, it's been great having the chance to spend more time with my parents, uncles - aunts - and cousins, family friends, and close friends like MR (practically every weekend), AM (when she's free - once in a blue moon, lol), JT (even though she's across the pond), and CO (when he comes through). Also, I'm expanding the circle and meeting more people in a variety of ways. I meet a new person every time I go to a happy hour. Last week, I met LGBT and Ally Princeton alumni at a focus group dinner.

One thing that I do know is that if I want change in my life, I can achieve it if I work hard. So if I want a challenge or a change, it's just beyond the horizon :)

 

Goals for this Week: 8/6 - 8/12 (Ten Things for 2012)

Last week, I made and posted my weekly goals for the first time; it was a good decision. I believe that having quantifiable targets is great because it helps me to focus, give me something to work towards for the week, and allows me to measure my progress. A lot of my goals were either fully accomplished or realized to large extent, meaning the process worked. With that said, here's my list for this week:

1. Compile a List of Ten Things I Want to in 2012: on Saturday, I sat down with my Uncle Mo and we had a good ten-minute conversation about where I was in life. Uncle Mo is the coolest person I know, period. Aside from my apartment/housing search (he totally gets it), one of the things we talked about was "where I am in life right now." I told him that I want to "be at my best every single day" - which is true, but a day-by-day process. My Uncle Mo told me that my mindset is good, but I need to be thinking just a little bit ahead and then proceeded to tell me that every year he makes a list of ten things he wants to do. Some of the items on the list are achieved and others are not, but they are there and on paper; I'm going to do the same thing. I think my 10 things are going to be both small and large in scope. I should be have those on paper later this week.

2. Send respond to ten more housing ads: last week, I had 50 on my list: that was unrealistic because I don't think 50 things that I liked were out there. 10 is a more modest number and well help me focus on what I really want.

3. Do three nice things for three homeless individuals: Everyday, I see the same homeless men on the streets asking for money. I am not aware of their individual situations, but need to do a better job of acknowledging their presence. It used to annoy me in high school when other kids would ask me for money in the cafeteria. I'll admit, often times it annoys me when a homeless person does the same thing; however, the difference is that I'm older and have a better understanding of the circumstances that a lot of homeless people face - it's difficult. I need improve in this area, but how? Let's see what happens here.

4. Look into business school programs and identify 5 that I'm interested in: I'm highly interested in attending business school within the (relatively) near future. I want to pick out five and see what it takes to get into those. 

That's it, only four goals for this week; time to get to work!

Motivational Song of the Week: Lupe Fiasco "The Show Goes On" - the story behind this song is as epic as the song itself (if you don't know about it, check out my blog entry on the my favorite songs of 2011):

Mid-Week Update: 7/30 - 8/5

It's been an intense week thus far, but I'm happy to say that significant progress was made:

1. Send out our work newsletter: Complete. Although I left the office at 7:30 pm last night, I clicked send our office's newsletter. It felt really good to complete that project, go home, have dinner, and go straight to bed. 

2. Respond to at least 50 Craigslist roommate listings: In Progress. So far I think I've responded to maybe 10 listings and checked out 50 that weren't good fits for me; I have a ways to go, lol 

3. Begin to lock-in dates for PCW Programs: In Progress. We are really close! PCW is going to participate in DC Beautification Day on August 25th. Also we have dates locked in for the Princeton Women's Network of DC Kickoff event (9/13) and our PCW Gala (9/22). There are some other things that need to go on the docket, but I'm really close. 

4. Send email inquiries about local community groups: Complete. I sent out two emails to organizations that I would like to join and received positive feedback... I'll share more details later. 

5. Meet two of my friends for a happy hour in Dupont Circle: In Progress.  This one will be completed by Thursday. On Monday I met with BK at Front Page and we had a chance to catch up: good times. Yesterday I found out that I "won" a free happy hour at McFadden's (in Foggy Bottom) with a free, all-I-can drink open bar. If you are free to join me, here are the details: http://on.fb.me/MQBKgm 

6. Meet two new people: Not Attempted Yet. This goal should be completed on Thursday at the Happy Hour - that's what happy hours are for. 

Ok, so it's been a busy and intense week. I'm satisfied thus far, but know that I need to keep pushing myself. Tonight I could go for a bacon-cheeseburger and sleep. 

Thanks for reading. 

- Reg 

P.S.: Mos Def always makes things better (and bonus points because this is with The Roots):

  

Goals for this Week: 7/30 - 8/5

I'm back! I know that I say that all the time, but I really don't get a chance to update this blog as often as I should.

Recently, I've been a big fan of the idea that if you articulate goals and work towards them everyday, then you're more likely to reach them. One of the big lessons that I've learned by working from working on my senior thesis is that it's better to take one little step than not move at all. And here's another lesson that I learned from my job searches: why spend your time talking about things when you could do them (or take steps to do them)?

To that end, every week I'm going to start sharing my goals for the upcoming seven days. It's a way to (1) to give my friends, family, and supporters more insight into my life (I think there's a lot of information about me already available online, but still) and (2) a method to hold myself accountable. And here we go, in no particular order:

1. Send out our work newsletter - my office sends out a newsletter to A LOT OF PEOPLE once a month and I'm the point person on that effort. I would like to send it out either today (Monday 7/30) or tomorrow, but it needs to be good and quality work with no major mistakes. It can be a meticulous process, but it's also  extremely satisfying at the end.

2. Respond to at least 50 Craigslist roommate listings - the more I think about it, the more I think it makes sense for me to find a "roommate situation," rather than my own place (the reasons why will compose a future entry). It's time for me to make a move: I have been saving up for months and this work commute Kemp Mill - in Wheaton/Silver Spring, MD - to Dupont everyday is brutal, especially considering the fact that I work from 8:30 am to 7:00 pm a lot of days. Let's just see what's out there!

3. Begin to lock-in dates for PCW Programs - Although I need to get the PCW Program Committee back together, I think I have dates set for our three major September programs, including our PCW Gala on September 22nd featuring my good friend DJ 3X Dex. I also have some ideas for October, but need to check in on those, but I know that I tired of an abundance of cancellations for our programs - that's done.

4. Send email inquiries about local community groups - As much as I love PCW, I also need to branch out in the area some more. I would like to participate in a regular community service organization or group based in the D.C. area. Also, it would be nice to join a networking group for young professionals - if anyone knows anything please let me know.

5. Meet two of my friends for a happy hour in Dupont Circle - Last week, I went to a great happy hour at Bar 7 - across the street from the Convention Center - and had a blast. The important thing about happy hours for me is the opportunity to catch up with old friends and make new ones. I'm thinking that I'll see what BK is up to, lol - Front Page? Speaking of making new friends...

6. Meet two new people - I need to get back to putting myself out there and meeting new folks: it's that simple :)

Ok, those are the goals for this week; thanks for reading. I'll be providing updates regularly on Facebook and Twitter.

Have a great week folks and here's a motivational video to get you going:

A Quick Update

It's been 12 days since my last blog entry and listening to Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" has compelled me to type up a quick update on everything that's happening in my life, lol. 

The big thing right now is work. On average, I arrive at work before 8:30 am and leave at around 6:30 pm each evening. I'm enjoying my job and am learning a lot about the education technology field. If there was one thing that I could improve, it would be the commute. The subway ride from Wheaton, Maryland to the Dupont Circle area of Washington DC is a killer and frankly, the Red Line sucks (I hope someone from WMATA is reading this). If only this commute can be shortened, which is the main reason that I am... 

I am actively looking for a studio or 1 bedroom apartment. I need to move out of my parents' home because the commute takes a lot out of me - that's the big thing. I really don't mind living at home too much, but would rather be able to walk to work or have a 15 minute commute instead of a 45 to 60 minute ride(s). This process has been a lot of fun, but I'm not getting too many replies from Craigslist. Also, there are three areas that I'm really looking at: 

• Anything in Northwest DC 
• Alexandria  (buy King Street or water)
• Arlington 

I'm going to need some help soon as I would like to move out by September 1st, but for now, I'm going to just save my money and chill. 

What else is going on? In terms of fun, there are two constants in my life: Mandy and the Washington Nationals. In the span of a year, Mandy has become one of my closest friends and go-to people in DC; it's always a pleasure to hang out with her and just talk about life. Last weekend, we hung out at Nellie's on U Street and then went to McDonald's - lot's of fun. And then there's the Washington Nationals: I go see them at least once a week and it's always with either AR, Mandy, or my father. I'm actually trying to chill more on that, but I mistakenly passed on last night's game because I was tired and Stephen Strasburg was pitching - he got ten strikeouts. Coincidentally, I'm going to check out a Baltimore Orioles game with AR tomorrow at Camden Yards in Baltimore - that's going to be fun. 

Finally, in terms of Princeton Club of Washington stuff, I am in the process of planning a Club-wide trip to the Washington Nationals game and that's going to be it until August or September - that's going to be a nice break to focus on some other things. 

So all in all, my life right now is pretty good; time for my favorite song right now: