South Beach and Hialeah

On Wednesday, I finally began to feel a lil better and decided to leave Allapattah and head to South Beach. Oh and for those non-Miami native, Allapattah is a hood in the city of Miami (literally mid-point between Miami airport and South Beach). That means in 5 minutes I’m in Midtown Miami, another 5 minutes I’m in Downtown and another 5 minutes I’m in South Beach. Gotta love the location!

After dropping my aunt off at the doctor’s office, I headed to South Beach. I am still a member of the posh gym, Equinox and luckily they have 3 locations in South Florida. Parking can be troublesome in South Beach, but during the week it’s not too bad and Equinox provides 2 free hours of garage parking – HOLLER! After a great workout, I went for a quick walk on Ocean Drive and decided to cut trip short and head to Hialeah (it’s about 5 minutes from Miami Airport and the headquarters for Cuban immigrants). My aunt/uncle lives there and I decided to take a trip to Cuba without leaving Miami (LOL).

Hialeah is arguably the home of what seems like millions of Cuban and if you know me, Cubans are my weakness!! (Hollerrr!) I just absolutely positively LOVE coming to Hialeah! There is one particular phrase that melts my heart and that is “Que bola acere”, but you can’t just say it in Spanish. Only the Cubans that were born/raised there could ever get it just the way I like it. LOL. Writing about this just reminded me of the only club where I can find these rare species, Club Azucar which is in the middle of nowhere off Coral Way. Hmmm, I’m definitely going this Friday. Anyways, back to my day (see how easily distracted I get – teehee). I went on two dates Wednesday night both in Hialeah and both with Cubans (I LOVE MIAMI!). One of them moved way too fast for my taste and the other on is a keeper. Stay tuned…

On Thursday, I woke up super early at 9a.m. (teehee) because I had to deposit a check at my bank. Ah my bank, with 1000000 locations in Manhattan (just south of 14th street) and only one location in the ENTIRE STATE OF FLORIDA – Boca Raton. Luckily, I was going against traffic and I was back within 1.5 hrs. Afterwards, I went back to South Beach and limited my time at the gym to just 30 minutes (enough to get my parking validated – Holler) and headed to the beach. South Beach, awwww, has changed drastically from the early 90’s where I practically lived there. My BFF, Jose, lived off Collins and 23rd and we would spend many school days in the beach. I remember the countless days of rollerblading on Ocean Drive, driving my then BFF on his mom’s minivan and just thinking that we were on top of the world. Ahh, ignorance is bliss.

I sat next to the lifeguard stand and just laid back and enjoyed the sun. I didn’t go through any deep thoughts; it was just time with me, myself and I. And of course, I looked out for any hotties (Holler!). After the beach, I went to Hialeah where I am currently writing my blog. I’m looking forward towards my last weekend in Miami (or the country) and am a lil scurrred about living in Brazil (just a lil).

Network

On Day 2 of my stay in Miami, I decided to have another relaxing day. I just found out Matt (a good friend from NYC) is coming on Thursday for a few days and let's just say when you put the both of us together, we become a HOT MESS! In preparation, I need to rest my body (especially my liver), Yayyy I can't wait!

Today, I decided to do my annual spring cleaning to my facebook friends list. After only about 30 minutes, I realized I didn't have much "trash" to take out. I was a little shocked/surprised that I really did know over 500 folks. I'm not saying we're all BFF's but they are all definitely "friends" I would send an email and expect a response. Of course there were the handful of those that were just too cute to take off, what can I say - I'm human! LOL

This brings me to the topic of the day "Network". Instead of just talking about how important it is to have a network, I'm going to discuss the series of events that occurred to me from the day I was laid off.

As of mid-November 2008, I was unemployed. Unlike most of my friends around the country, I was laid-off with compensation and medical insurance. This layer of security provided me an opportunity to not seek employment with urgency. I was in the middle of applying to b-school and decided to give this my undivided attention. My lease was luckily over in November and so I decided to move back home at the end of the month (Thanksgiving). Before leaving NYC, I decided to take advantage of Philly's close proximity and went for a day visit at Wharton's MBA campus. I decided to call my old friend Kim and asked if I could crash at her place for a night. I was not only received with warm/open hands, I got to catch up with an old friend of mine. Where did I meet Kim? That's an easy one, VOLUNTEERING! We met at Rivington House and became instant BFF's. In a city of over 8 million people, most with cold hearts, it is easy to spot someone with a beautiful heart. I have found that people are easier to spot when you volunteer (so if any NYC'ers are reading this, go out and volunteer (http://www.nycares.org/)! Kim is just an amazing person and I am blessed to have her in my life. I had a great visit in Philly and was pleasantly surprised at what Kim had to tell me (just part of her new journey in grad school). Good luck Kim, u know I got your back!

Before leaving NYC, I booked my flight to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for a 3 day conference at Ross's School of Business. I was desperately looking to save money and not spend $500 in hotel cost, but realized I did not know anyone in Ann Arbor. I have 2 friends in Detroit, but I did not want to commute. I was talking to my old/best friend Talena about this dilemma and she said, she'll ask her BFF in Ann Arbor if she'd mind having me over. Within days, I got clearance and took Talena's friend, Amy's, offer. This was kind of weird because I just did not know this person, a complete stranger, and she's letting me crash at her place. But I was desperate and went along with it. I met Amy at her job, Medstat, and went through the famous 6-degrees of separation experiment. Apparently she was talking to her coworkers on her way down, to give me her keys, and she mentioned my name, Mercer, and one of them said, "I Know him!". Indeed he did, he worked on a number of accounts that I lead and I thoroughly enjoyed working with him. IT'S A SMALL WORLD FOLKS! By the end of the weekend, I made a new friend (Amy, I had a blast and can't wait to hang w/ you soon!). Amy also told me that her coworker said, if I were to ever seek employment in Ann Arbor, he'd have a position for me. It's a nice feeling inside to know you work was valued and heck you just never know when our paths will cross.

Prior to leaving to Michigan, I decided I was not getting any studying/writing down in Miami because I was just having WAY TOO much fun. Oh how I've missed this city! So I emailed my good friend Dewon, who lives in San Francisco, and asked him if I could apt-sit while he was away visiting his family (for 4 weeks). How did I meet Dewon? One day, while I was working at PwC, I was looking at the LGBT intranet and noticed a posting saying, "hey guys I just moved to NYC from South Africa and looking to meet new friends?" I immediately emailed him and later that day we went for the personalized Melvin tour of Chelsea. Ever since that day, we became BFF's. There were some big fights and interestingly enough, he was the only one that survived the "YOU ARE DEAD TO ME" crash of 2007. Which we haven't fully recovered from, but alas are moving towards the right direction. On the second week of December, I moved (yet again) to San Francisco and got to hang with Dewon for a few days before he left to SA. I also got to meet his new BF and was soo happy he got to meet such a cool kat. (Congrats and Good luck with him, Dewon!) I also got to hang with Tom (my ex roommate, which I met via CL) and his new GF, both of which are Harvard Business School grads. They took time (they both didn't have) to review my essays I was submitting to Harvard and gave me their suggestions. I could not thank them enough for doing this, but more importantly they both sat me down and strongly suggested I apply to Stanford. At the time, I was already applying to 8 Bschools and just didn't want to add another one to the mix, but I respect both of them enough and decided to add another one. After researching Stanford, I could not thank them enough because I learned that I am definitely a much better fit at Stanford. Alas, we'll see what Stanford thinks in the next coming weeks. I spent the next few weeks reflecting and enjoying the few days of great weather San Francisco had to offer. FYI- It rains a lot in December/January!

On XMas week, I decided I missed my family/friends too much and wanted to move to either LA, Miami or NYC. Since it only cost $125 one way to NYC, that became my first choice. After making a few calls, I found 3 temporary housing arrangements in NYC. The first few days, I got to stay in Kelley's phat crib in the West Village, then a few days with Alanys in the Bronx, right next to Yankees Stadium, and the remainder at Roman's apartment in the heart of the East Village (Bowery/4th street!). I mean seriously folks, how amazing are these locations.

How did I meet Kelley? I met Kelley through Erin, her childhood friend. Erin answered my online ad seeking help for my first fundraiser. Erin is an event planner, self employed, and was an angel sent from God because I really needed her help at this event. Kelley just moved to NYC about a year ago and went with Erin to Lauren's holiday party in 2007, which I was allegedly dancing the night away (teehee). Ever since that weekend, Kelley and I became good friends and quite honestly, I wasn't expecting her to extend her home the way she did. It was a nice and pleasant surprise. Thanks Kelley, you ROCK! The day before New Years Eve, I moved to Alany's apt for a few days.

How did I meet Alanys? For the my advid blog readers, he's potential #2. But this won't be about relationship Alanys, instead it'll be about friendship Alanys. I met him about a year ago, 1/2/08 to be exact and we dated for a few weeks. He said, he's not looking for a relationship but would like a friendship. Those are not words anyone wants to hear from someone you're dating, but alas I valued his honesty and decided to try the friendship thing. Throughout the year, he showed me great respect, went above and beyond the call of duty and I could not have asked for a better friend. Despite the constant flirting, it has been a pleasure meeting Alanys and look forward to what the future has in store for us. As his guest, I received nothing short of red carpet accommodations. He was always asking me if I needed anything, he cooked dinner on numerous occasions and just made me feel at home (especially with those 10p.m. Cuban coffee-yumm!!). He even took me out to lunch on the day I was leaving and carried my bags to the subway station.. Bro, you mean the world to me and I want to thank you for your hospitality!
Off I go to Roma's crib.

How did I meet Roman? Roman is one of my BFF's boyfriend and we became close from the countless nights at clubs in Queen's and Washington Heights. Roman is what you would call a late-gay. He did the straight life up until his 40's, did the wife, 2 kids and finally came out (mostly to himself, his family doesn't know). And so he has a lot of club nights to catch up on, but the main reason why I enjoy going out with him is because he just has this passion for life. And when he goes to the clubs, he's constantly dancing and making me laugh. Oh Roman, how much I have missed you! As soon as I got to Roman's apartment, he directed me to his room and I was confused. I'm like, why am I in your room? I can sleep in the couch. He said, nonsense you take my bed and I get the couch. I insisted and lost the battle. For the next 3 weeks, I slept comfortably and got a lot accomplished with my b-school apps. Especially since I didn't have to take mass transit anywhere, he lives off Bowery and 4th street. I just walked everywhere!

Aside from my housing accommodations, I can't thank my friends enough for taking time out of their busy schedule to read my 1000000 essays I had to write. Kate Genovese, ex coworker that tells it like it is and is hosting 3 of my luggages (thanks kate!). Claire Coveney, met via volunteering and is just another awesome person with a really cool heart! Talena Hunt, college bud and my future ex-wife/mother of my children-LOL. Ryan Penn, ex-coworker, Wharton alum and now NYC resident. Stephanie Chin, met via nonprofit channel and current Emory JD/MBA student. Jennifer Jil, met via other nonprofit and current NYU Student.

Last but not least, thanks to the Ibrahim's for putting me up in Boston while I visited Harvard and the Mintz while I visited UNC-Chapel Hill.

I can honestly say that I am truly blessed to have met the people I have. The one thing I do want to say for those that are out to just meet people. Take time to foster the relationships you make. These days, it isn't enough to just meet people. People aren't stupid and can tell when they are just being used. Take time to connect and bond with them (period).

Miami, Florida!

I could not have asked for a better entrance into a city. Last night, I landed on American Airline in first class and completely buzzed. Remember the day when first class provided food, ahh the 90's. At least it still entitles you to unlimited alcohol and boy did I use that option. Anyways, my flight was 30 minutes early and my luggage was the first on the carousel. My cousin, Eli, (we were raised in the same household so he's more like my brother) picked me up and off we went to Allapattah, in the city of Miami. My mom rushed outside and hugged me like as if i was coming back from school, back in my college days. No matter how old I get, it still feels good and warm when I get those greetings.

Around 11p.m. my crew (Johan, Candace, Alex and Candace's lover from San Fran) picked me up and off we went to Fort Lauderdale's Voodoo Lounge. The evening was interesting because I was part of a 10 man/woman crew and we were the center of quite a number of dance routines (we'll just leave it at that-LOL). I had the best time and can't remember what time we got home.

Today, I woke up bright and early because my dear friend Long-Island Ice Tea said, "Oh honey, bless your heart for thinking you're still in your twenties, now wakeup and drink some water FOOL!" and my other dear friend Aching knees/calves said, "Congrats on being able to lift Candace up in soo many directions, as she straddled you....but HNJN you are old and need to limit those exercises or at least get back in the gym and start working out". ROFLOL. what can I say, a good night comes with some consequences the next day, but it was all worth it.

I took it easy today, as I'm still trying to get over whatever cold I got in NYC. I went with Eli on various errands for my aunt and just enjoyed the amazing weather Miami has in January. I'm soo happy I'm not in the Northeast, I just hated January in NYC and Baltimore, Atlanta was actually okay but I know it can and will get cold in the next coming weeks. The one thing about just being out and about in Miami is that it is a nonstop series of falling in love (or lust I should say). Mostly because my #1 weakness are Cubans, and if they are blue collar my heart tends to skip a beat (or 2). I can try to explain why, but I will forever fail. I just don't know why.

As I sign into Match.com to find a potential date, I thought to myself "why even bother?". I'm leaving in 7 days and it would just be a waste, so I signed off and decided to focus on Brazil. I have completed most of what I need, but still have a few loose ends. I still can't believe I'm leaving the country for 2 months, I have never done this. A little part of me is freaking out but the rest of me (majority) is anxiously awaiting this chapter of my life.

Hasta manana!

Atlanta - end of day 3 and Good bye

After the interview yesterday, I enjoyed the tour provided by a current Student. I use to study in the Goizueta bldg years ago (for my actuarial exam) and since then it has significantly expanded. I was and am thoroughly impressed with the new pad. I had to leave after the information session because I was feeling awful (fever, body ache, etc.) and decided to skip lunch. I took my meds (sudafed - which by the way, I had to provide my state licence cuz apparently you can make meth from it) and slept for 6 hrs.

As soon as I woke up, I called Steph Chin (current JD/MBA Emory student) to have dinner. We hadn't seen each other in 2 yrs (from my YNPN days) and had a great dinner catching up. Afterwards, I went over to Carlos/Lidia's and went out till the wee hours.

Today I woke up, slightly hungover and watched movies with my lil cousin Bryan. Now I'm backing and soon heading to ATL en route to MIA. And I just confirmed I've upgraded to FIRST CLASS BABY, HOLLER!

Atlanta, GA - This trip has shown me how much I have missed you. I'm not quite sure if I miss you enough to come back, but alas I await to see where my next move will be. I can see myself having a family here, raising my lil ones here and enjoying the warm weather! Hasta Next Time!

Finding Your Next Step in Life

Our lives are made up of a complex network of pathways that we can useto move from one phase of life to the next. For some of us, our pathsare wide, smooth, and clearly marked. Many people, however, find thatthey have a difficult time figuring out where they need to go next.Determining which "next step" will land you on the most direct route tofulfillment and the realization of your life purpose may not seem easy.

There are many ways to discover what the next step on your life pathshould be. If you are someone who seeks to satisfy your soul, it isvital that you make this inquiry. Often, your inner voice will counselyou that it's time for a change, and it is very important to trustyourself because only you know what is best for you. Personal growthalways results when you let yourself expand beyond the farthest bordersof what your life has been so far. When figuring out what your next stepwill be, you may want to review your life experiences. The choicesyou've made and the dreams you've held onto can give you an idea of whatyou don't want to do anymore and what you might like to do next. It isalso a good idea to think about creative ways you can use your skillsand satisfy your passions. Visualizing your perfect future and making alist of ways to manifest that future can help you choose a logical nextstep that's in harmony with your desires. Meditation, journal writing,ta! king a class, and other creative activities may inspire you andprovide insight regarding the next step in life that will bring you themost satisfaction.

It is when you are willing to listen to yourself and be fearless thatfiguring out your next step becomes easy. Beneath the fear andhesitation and uncertainty lies your inner knowing that always knowswhich step you need to take next. If you can allow the taking of yournext step to be as easy as putting one foot in front of the next, you'llnotice that your next step is always the one that is right in front ofyou. All you have to do is put one foot forward and on the ground.

Atlanta - end of Day 2 and beg Day 3

Last night, I began my drive towards Little 5 Points for the meet/greet current Emory students were hosting. I had a great time and the students were very helpful and always wanted to provide answers. Some prospectives had their fake suit on but alas, everyone can't be as charismatic as moi (or humble-teehee). LOL.

I had to leave early because I began to feel my health deteriorate. Decided to go home and pop some pills (sudafed, tynenol and nyquil). I can't believe I got sick the day I left NYC, when I could have easily gone into my doc office's to get some antibods..

Today, I woke up at 7a.m. and my entire body was in pain, but alas I had wake my HonduRican butt and attend the interview that could change my future. I had an admissions interview at Emory's Goizueta MBA program. I don't really need to prepare for this but I was afraid my sickness will affect my personality. I bought a venti Green Ginger Tea from Starbucks and it gave me the kick I needed.

Of all the interviewers I could have been placed with, I was alas matched with someone that as laid-off 2 weeks ago. I'm like HELLO!!! ME TOO! Lol, after that opener, it was pretty much smooth sailing. Now I'm at Starbucks, waiting for events to begin at 10:30a.m. Ciao for now peeps.

Atlanta – (end of Day 1 and beg Day 2)

While I wasn’t planning on writing about the end of my first day in Atlanta, too many important revelations occurred and well, here I am writing. I ended up having a 2+ hour lunch with Shamarius and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. Not just because we got nicely buzzed from 2 On the Border’s Patron Margaritas (mmm), but because we had various deep/spiritual discussions. I didn’t have to give Shamarius much of an update as she’s an avid reader of my blogs, but this lunch was more about learning more about her challenges with life, specifically with MEN! Ughh, I hate it that we all have to deal with men not wanting to commit but alas, I sat with my friend trying to find the words…. She’s a great catch and deserves more than the cards that have been dealt to her. But alas, I saw myself repeating what I stated on my True Love blog, we must put our faith in God and believe that he will bring our lifetime partner to us—WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT. It’s hard to preach this because I want my partner next to my side NOW but the more I pray for patience the more I’m content with waiting.

Lunch ended with a big hug and we both went our separate ways. Shamarius if you’re reading this, I will continue praying for you and hope you find peace. Remember, we are not here living the lives we want but instead are instruments operating under the direction of our higher being. You won’t find peace until we understand this. We may not like it when God takes our father, brother, mother, etc. from our lives but we must trust that their time on earth has ended and is needed in the heavens.

I got into my zipcar and headed north to the city of Gainesville, GA, where my long-time friend Paola lives with her husband and 2 kids. She’s another Miami native and finally moved out (this will definitely be another blog subject). As I drove on the highway, I realized how much I miss driving long distances, with the windows down and blasting the stereo to a great song (or 15 in this case –LOL). I finally got to g’ville and went with Paola on her daily routine (get milk, pick up kids from daycare) and finally ended up at her house. She has the most adorable, gorgeous kids but that isn’t too surprising since she’s a knock-out from Columbia and her husband is a drop-dead gorgeous Cuban. Needless to say, I had to leave shortly after he arrived because my heart would skip a beat or two, in his presence. Hehehe. But before he got there, Paola and I did have a great conversation. We discussed my True Love blog and it wasn’t until I discussed it with her that I realized I wasn’t really breaking up with Potential #2 (we’ll call him P2). I was actually breaking up with myself… From the beginning, P2 stated he wasn’t looking for something serious, and shortly thereafter he professed his respect for me and how he wanted to keep a lifetime friendship with me. Nowwww, I heard what he said, but somewhere along the line I took liberty in translating it to say the following: “Melvin, I’m not ready for you just yet but I ask you to wait for me…” (oh I’m a HOT MESS, I know!)

So I really don’t have anyone to blame but myself, because P2 has shown me nothing else but respect and friendship. He really has gone above/beyond the call of duty because he treasures my friendship. Now between you (bloggers) and I, I don’t know why? Alas, I will respect his wishes and be nothing but friends, but this will take some time. Luckily we finally have distance between us and it will make it a lot easier for me NOT to fall in love with him (AGAIN). When a relationship comes to an end for me, I go through my sappy love songs and a period of no communications; this is something I did not go through with P2. I think is why I lasted an entire year subconsciously in love with him. I no longer think about why/what/when things went wrong, I have accepted this love has ended and am moving on with my life. And this could not have happened if it weren’t for the blog and especially Paola for putting it into perspective.

Day 2 started out great because finally I did not have to wake up at 6a.m. to travel somewhere. I woke up at 9:30a.m. (after 10 hours of sleep – ahhh). Immediately upon waking up, I ran to my car and drove to Chick-fil-A and bought one (even though I really wanted two) Chicken/Egg/Biscuit. I had my first bite in private because the moaning can get loud at times; I mean this food is AMAZING! They don’t have Chick-fil-A’s in Manhattan, so anytime I leave the city my first question is, where’s your nearest Chick-fil-A that serves breakfast – LOL.

Later that morning, I drove to Midtown and dropped off my zipcar, headed to Buckhead on MARTA (cuz it’s smarta-LOL) to have lunch with my ex-boss from my first employer. She went above/beyond and filled out recommendation forms for three schools, and if I had $$ I would have totally paid for her lunch but alas she picked up the tab –HOLLER! We had a great lunch catching up and here I am in Marietta at my aunt’s house, getting ready for Emory’s Goizuetta Meet-Greet before the jammed packed Super Saturday, where they get to showcase their MBA program.