f o l d e d - n o t e s @ l j . c o m

I am so proud to announce that my website is officially up and running!

VISIT IT BY CLICKING ON MY NAME BELOW:



I knew it would take something like an event launch like this to actually make myself to set it up. Truth be told I've been working on it for almost two years now, so it was just a literal matter of payment and hosting.



I'm really looking forward to this Alex Casanova Question Love event.


I am so grateful to MARUCHI CLOTHING for providing all of our collections which will be showcased at the Question Love Event! :))

Our project coordinators and stylists have already picked out all the pieces, Jess and her PR team are finishing up the press releases and as soon as I get the final follow-up from 90 Degree Club everything will be sent out and finalized! I am so excited.

Most importantly, I am very grateful to all the affiliates, sponsors, stylists, volunteers + all the help I have received to make this event a soon-to-be success.

It is very important that I sell presale tickets, so if anyone knows anyone that would like to purchase some now, please call me @786.512.7105 or find out more on my website as well, I've posted a link.

Presale tickets are $15; at the door the tickets are $20 so you save $5 by buying directly from me.

PLEASE! COME TO MY SHOW! ;D

Any questions ask them here and I will answer!

"We are the kind of people who express ourselves and who need space and support and encouragement. We are the kind of people they can never compliment...they need simpler things: more closed minded things. We are not content, we need people who grow with us - not people who plant us in the ground and never water us so we don't grow".

- Jessilyn Marie Rodriguez

:) I am so proud to be launching this.

Alright so now that everything is out and rolling, I can finally tell you guys what I have been putting my blood and guts in effort for!



This will be my first ever club launch.
My name is on everything 8D~
I'm so happy.

Please guys, if you could do me one favor for the rest of your life, this is it.
I need to promote this and get tickets sold.

If you could please buy a ticket, or save the images and put it on your Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Livejournal, etc. I would be so grateful.

It's going to be just two days before Valentine's Day, and it is going to be crazy.
I am so excited! :))) I've been managing the music, the design, the advertising, and Jess has been managing the public relations with her contacts, press and budget for advertising.

I feel like this is a big step in my career because this event is targeted towards my age group, for once I'm managing something that isn't for older audiences, so I feel like it's really a breath of fresh air.

Let the spam storm begin and I am so grateful to have you all in my life!

Everyday I see my dream.

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

"Life's inevitable storms tend to produce the world's sweetest fruits."
-Ryan of Chicago.

I should just write entries off of wise quotes.

"You can't let other people, with their different perspectives and lack of personal knowledge make decisions for you. Don't listen to them. You have to go with how you feel and how you think."

From the wise mind of Aramis Alvarez.

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

So I am in love with my iPhone. Thanks to this neat app, I can update from anywhere! :))

I'm telling you if this thing had a mouth...

Anyway, I am currently in my class for Social Psych, really enjoying this class. I love talking to people and understanding where they're coming from their point of view. It's great.

:)

I've had this professor before, she teaches everywhere and I'm so grateful I chose her for this one.

It's gonna be a good quarter!

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

I think I'm going to write a book about Miami.
It will be about being forced to grow up at a younger age than children are supposed to grow up.
It will discuss fashion, music and advertising - and how there is a game to be played in all of it down here.
It will have chapters of experimentation, bi-curiosity, clubbing, art and love.

Most importantly, it's going to discuss mistakes and faults. The life lessons created and learned by falling in and out of love in various situations of different people, couples and in groups - and it will mention the strong diversity of how it all occurs.

I'm going to get started on it now, so that by the time I graduate next year at around this time I can look back on it and take it with me to New York.

Update on that by the way: As soon as my loan comes through, me and my close friend Aramis are gonna be heading off there for the weekend! I'm going to look at NYU and see if they will accept my credits once I graduate with a Bachelors in Advertising.

Man, it's so exciting.
I am pumped!

In other news;
I am currently working on a huge project that will without a doubt be a huge public landmark on my career!
I'm not going to share until everything is approved.

But if all goes well it will be exciting and hot because I am coordinating it!!! AH!

With those words being said, I will leave you all in suspense.

:)

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

"...so I don't look back, just a little bit better."

People have been saying that I've been having an epiphany. Ha, I'm so ready for the new year...this is gonna be my year.

No more pain, no more drama, 100% fresh.

God, thank you for this second chance.

Posted via LiveJournal.app.

I have been so grateful for the past couple of days.

You never really notice how much you are lucky to blessed with until you just sit back and notice what is all around you.
So many things have happened to me - sure, it may not have been the best year ever, but I'm so grateful for the outcome of it all.


No one is ever a bad person, some people have different ideas or intentions than others, and it's all just a matter of whether someone can vibe with you, whether they can open their minds and just see beyond the looking glass.

I know I'm not perfect, and I'm so grateful I have people in my life that see through my flaws.
Throughout the craziness of this year, I just close my eyes right now and smile: life is so beautiful.

I have launched so many projects, ran so many events, but above all in importance to me; I've been able to carry out good ideas that are worth being shown, advertised and noticed.

I think some professional highlights of this year would be The Relay For Life event: We raised over $10,000 for Cancer Research, and it was my first ever event outside of High School where I helped organize the music and performances.

I had my ad published through WB Engineering in Design Book magazine and that was pretty awesome as well.

Through the director of Public Relations, I ended up meeting the owner of Sweat Records and at the time, the President of Cane Records, who has ultimately ended up being such a gracious student mentor for me with music and promotional music events.

It was through her that I helped launch a CD Release Party with all the art on display and I felt so starstruck - it was featured in New Times Magazine. It was amazing.

And then there was thew hook-up to The Recording Academy and Grammy.
After being an active volunteer for just three activities they offered me a position as a full paid member for free to be the official Student Representative for MIU. :)

On top of all this, I may have experienced some ups and downs - some heartbreak, and some loss.

I know my Uncle Randy is in a better place - he was such an eccentric comical person - and without him here there is no comic relief among the anglo-side of my family.


But all in all, everything happens for a reason and I know that one day I will be joining him when the time is meant to be.

I've had such a great privilege to work with people this year!
From fellow creatives, to close friends - to even corporate types - and experience is an experience and it is so great.

I've drained out the negativity and am flowing with positivity.


2010 will be my year to shine.

Life has been busy. School ended last week, and I got straight A's and B's. Which is good, but my personal life can be put to a halt at the moment because I really want to blog about music.

Despite what many people say, I feel like 2009 really was the year for music. The alternative pop scene is changing - and we've witnessed the re-birth of indie and 80's culture kind of coming back with what's been put out this year.

Not to mention the styles and artists that have followed, so here we go, on my count - and my iTunes playlists, here are the top artists and albums of 2009 in no particular order - these star albums will be recognized in 2 different posts, so here we go:

1. LADY GAGA
The Fame/ The Fame Monster

Her name says it all. A student from NYU, the music from this artist has really grabbed and has gotten a hold of many audiences. Think about it - all audiences appeal to this girl. With collaborations done with various artists - like pop vocalist Colby O'Donis (which launched his career with Just Dance) to even rising hip-hop R&B sensation Flo Rida in Starstruck to even working with Beyonce and colabbing with her in her music video and double tracking for her own Fame Monster album, Lady Gaga has made a quite an impact and doesn't look like she will be burning out any time soon.

The thing with Lady Gaga is that she brings in crowds from thirteen to forty-five year-olds and gets them as excited as footage would show in the 80's with Michael Jackson or Madonna - it's intriguing.

She honestly is becoming the new pop icon for a generation to come - which is really a breath of fresh air considering the assumptions that in this time and year, generational icons seize to exist anymore.

Whether you love her or say you hate her, but secretly listen to her music and watch her MTV Video Music Award performances in shock and awe, we can all agree that her two albums; one about how anyone can 'feel famous', to the second immediate release in a more personal, catastrophic "this is what happens when the glitter turns to dust" feel and sound - we can all agree that Lady Gaga rightfully deserves a place in this list of best albums.

2. PHOENIX
Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Their song lyrics have been ridiculously quoted all over the internet in Facebook statuses, tweet updates and subject titles to blog entries. Quite simply, Phoenix's latest album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, recently publicized in 2009, has been the anthem to exploring life, representing innovation - and showing off something new, bold and exciting.

To describe songs like Lizstomania and 1901 at its best would be the sigh of a sarcastic smile. It's laid back, mellow, happy but at the same time full of zest and the tendencies of someone grounded, keeping you in check.

Thank you, Phoenix, for being the salt of the earth that continues to linger on our tongues (not to mention commercials and advertisements.)


3. THE TING TINGS
We Started Nothing

Katie White and Jules De Martino, together known as The Ting Tings managed to make their debut in the mainstream indie pop scene with their energetic "screw this romance i'm laughing it off" vibe with their music.

The beginning of their album started off with Shut Up And Let Me Go -introduced in a scene of one of the very last episodes of The L Word, this was what got the attention of listeners who immediately turned into fans as the base was spread.

One of the chart toppers, however ultimately was That's Not My Name - a song that goes well with being annoyed and barely being able to keep it together - because apparently, we all can relate to that.

"Everything considered they forget my name" - and that is when we would all officially lose it, wouldn't you say?

4. MGMT

Taking a kid's life molding into an imaginative indie teen unraveling in all of its honesty and life is the essence of MGMT. With creative tunes and lyrics that intertwine to represent memories to be made and be reminiscent of, this two-man band comes together as a definite favorite in my collection of the best overall albums of 2009.

Their songs Time to Pretend, Kids, Weekend Wards and Electric Feel all give the feeling of the common basics all humans face as their reach their stages of growing up - wanting to get fucked up, make an adventure out of a life's journey - reflect on past experience and the people that make you who you are - and then describe a life of eating shit, dealing with issues and even getting an electric feel between a beautiful girl.

MGMT brings it all creatively to the table.

5. THIRD EYE BLIND
Ursa Major

Although Third Eye Bind came back as a trio rather than the original four man band, their new release Ursa Major sold pretty fast in stores. Their latest comeback album in 8 years, Ursa Major included classic 'feel good' Third Eye Blind with a couple serious undertones and of course, a M.I.A. drug reference - still, it's a Miami creditation, so we can't take it to harsh.

With their instant "put up the volume" tunes like "Can You Take Me" and "Summertown", 3eb continues to be car-jamming music. In addition to this, I really feel like they decided to take their music in a new direction: with their deeper, softer and contemplative tones to a couple of their other tracks, I found myself wanting to drive my car at night - for any reason - just so I can hear the environment of a night drive match with tracks like Bonfire or Why Can't You Be

Their best song in my opinion, was their "hit single" of a song they originally used for promotional purposes: "Don't Believe A Word." It proves that after all these years, after all this time, you're opinions really haven't changed - and Third Eye Blind is right there to let you know you're not alone.

Pause.
I'm off to sleep, but keep yourself ready for tomorrow - my 5 more will be revealed!

You know how crazy conservative groups think that there are programs to eliminate sexually-adulterated thoughts from a marriage or to eliminate homosexual thoughts so that their reasoning of having a better life are actual possibilities?

Well, I think that's a load of crap, arrogance and hatrid - but I do wish I could do something similar...not with sexuality or nonsense like that, but with people.

Do you ever wish that you could just erase the existence of certain people out of your mind?

It bothers me and makes me really sad because it sucks to know that you think about people in a sense where you know for a detailed fact that they could care less about you completely.

I really do, I wish there was a pill that made it so that I could block out past memories of people I no longer want to associate myself from - And I can only imagine the financial possibilities this would hold in store for anyone that would sell this.

"Get your memory erasing pill! For only a certain amount of money you can wipe out that past memory, that bad thought, or that sham of a marriage! GET YOURS NOW!"

But unfortunately, life has no erase button.
You meet beautiful people, you're welcomed and get a sense of their life and how their hearts beat...and if there is more in store, that's great - if not, than you scrape to find that rock you were once standing on - and if it crumbles, you're off to find a new foundation.

I'm ready for this Holiday break, time for some appearance changes and wishes to be checked off.

:)

This week has been very hectic because of finals. This quarter I decided to take 5 four-hour long classes because I felt pressured that if I didn't, I would lose my scholarship.

A car breakdown, a couple missed classes (that didn't affect my grade btw) and a conversation with the advertising chair later, I am never doing that again, haha. I'll be taking four classes from here on out because I am ahead of every other student in the program right now.

Along with 200 question exams, there has been campaign presentations after the other. I got into it because each project was different and interesting and I was really grateful to be working with good partners this time around - but the workload itself was too much.

Now that I have had my 24 hours of sleep back, lmao, I'm going to take a shower, hit the gym, head to The Recording Academy to drop off some Grammy paperwork and then head to work at The Advertising Federation of Miami.

So many upcoming projects I can wait! Ah!

Lately I've been receiving many pleasant surprises my way, they've really been bringing me back.

Wednesday as I was on my way to Staples and Kinko's between classes for a last minute project portfolio material-run, I picked up a call to an unidentified number and it was Adam. He called me to let me know that he was playing another Native Tongues show, which made me really happy and surprised because I didn't even know Native Tongues Shows were still going on - I guess it just goes to show what happens when you walk out of one limelight and into another one - anywho, after several minutes of laughing and reminiscing he handed the phone over to someone else.

After asking who this person was, he excitingly told me it was Mr. Boldon.
One of my favorite teachers and mentors at Miami Sunset. I was flabbergasted.

After talking to both of them, my day went from stressful nonsense to being very eccentric and happy.
- and after I hung up, I cried like a pansey lol.

I miss them.

I've been trying to work on a project where Advertising students visit different schools and advertise about the Arts programs at MIU - that way aside from the Navy and Airforce, students can see other alternative options to what they can do after they graduate high school. They shouldn't have to go out and look for it all the time - at their age, programs really should be letting them know about what they offer.

I told him I would make it an LJ entry, so here it is, haha.

Off to dance to The Black Eyed Peas, motherfuckers!

Please meet me halfway.

This was taken Christmas of 2007.
It's a photo of my Dad, my two uncles and my aunt. He grew up with them and left them at age 16 to join the air force and pretty much live his own life where he could afford the things he wanted to do - he felt that his parents (my grandparents) didn't care about him as much as they could have in comparison to how he treated his brothers and sister.

Tuesday afternoon when I managed to get my car fixed (which I am so happy for) I found out from my Dad that his brother Randy (the first man on the left) died - and his death was horrible - he died of having a heart attack while he was driving.

I can't imagine how it would feel like to have a heart attack and then because of the control lost crashing into something and dying, it really made me feel sad.

Although I wasn't too close with him - he carried me a couple times when I was little - and when we did visit for Christmas 2007 I remembered him as 'the obnoxious loud one that threw the gifts at people'.

It's really hurting my Dad - I'm worried about him.

I canceled all my work plans, my career plans, Miami Music Festival plans - and am heading to Atlanta tomorrow morning.

Uncle Randy - Rest in Peace.

Man, life is rough.

Ever since the sound check with AAR I feel like I am working that much harder just to have the approval and make good with the superiors of Grammy Miami so I can have a decent reference and a good connection for my future.

Tonight is the official Grammy Holiday Reception - and I've been under pressure freaking out with this and everything else going on in my life right now. I feel like despite all the circumstances and things I have to deal with now, for some reason, more bullshit is always added onto my plate.

I really take this voluntary internship seriously because it has been giving me major career opportunities and will be a good stepping stone to what I want to do in New York.

In addition to taking my Advertising, Marketing, Graphic Design and Business classes, working at WB Engineering, being the Print Communications Coordinator for The Advertising Federation of Miami in the University chapter AND somehow finding time to do side projects like websites and Conceptual Design for companies like Sinful Sweets and This is Serious Screen Printing...when it comes to major events on certain nights where a lot is expected of me, I am freaking out!

My car has been fixed - it just needs two new belts to be put in which should be done by this morning - and then hopefully I can resolve my own little problems that are really creating all the stress.

I'm going to have to get out of class early at around 11a today and take the bus to my Grandma's.
Hopefully the car will be fixed and I can just vroom out, that way I can pick up my volunteers and if Nancy can make it, great.

If she can't because of her work, then I have my SLR with me, the cable to upload the photographs, my laptop and even blank CDs and DVDs to burn it.

I also need to somehow manage to buy a black button down shirt because everyone will be wearing all black tonight.

Before I have an aneurysm, perhaps I should talk about something else.

I'm very lucky someone from The Grammy Office has my back - I got a reference to work the Miami Music Festival!
that makes me very excited. AND IT'S A PAID GIG! ;)

What else.
Oh. I'm in the middle of finals, fun!
(No, aneurysm...I need to talk about something else.)

So, I'm thinking about taking a random trip to NYC for a weekend either this month or next month.
I need a vacation and I need to get the fuck out of Miami long enough to miss it.

Anyone down to come with?

Tonight was my night.

I was so lucky to have my Mom trust me enough to let her use her car - while mine was getting fixed she knew the all-implied-risks of me using her car - and yet she let me borrow hers because she knew how important of an opportunity like this was for my career.

Tonight was a pretty good event for GrammyU: a bunch of privileged high school students whose parents are generous contributors to the foundation had the opportunity to see The All American Rejects set up for their sound check before their last concert and post Art Basel promotional events before they left Miami.

Since I became the official student representative of Miami International University School of Art & Design for GrammyU, my focus has been to offer services in any form of volunteer or artistic promotional arrangements - which is pretty cool because if a friend needs free publicity, my job is basically to provide them the opportunity.

For tonight, they needed a photographer - it's interesting experiences like this when everything flows so perfectly, that you just know this is meant to be your career.

I spoke to Nancy, who I went high school with and did projects with Native Tongues - she began going to MIU for the Photography program and decided to take a couple quarters off working - she was the only photographer that I really trusted because of a past experience with an amateur photographer I didn't even know. Anywho, when I managed to get a lot of volunteer photographers, I was informed that GrammyU only needed one for the event - so I had to kindly narrow the volunteers to one and I chose Nancy - well, she gave me an honest reference to a good friend of hers that is a photographer - she told me he had more experience and could use the promotional exposure more than her.

I'm so glad I decided to trust my instincts in her because not only was he great, he was amazing.
Calm, down to earth, reliable - and his shots were fantastic.

For once in a long time, I was able to relax and enjoy the event.

It was interesting - seeing The All American Rejects, or AAR yelling at equipment managers because their sounds were off - singing sloppily as they shrugged things off and tested their sounds. It was great.

Feeling the music and the vibrations of the loud bass, that was what made me feel so good about being there - all the stress is just worth it at that very moment - it was great.

Afterwards was a Q&A with the students - I had a couple questions for them but knowing me, my questions would have probably given the Public Relations Office Manager of Grammy a heart attack, so I kept them to myself, haha.

As I was getting ready to grab the equipment to head outside so that the kids could fill out a survey as planned, the PR manager looked at me and told me get my picture taken with them.

It was then that I told them how their first mainstream self-titled album launched in 2003 was my middle school soundtrack - the bassist laughed and gave me a "fuck yeah" when I told them that "Swing, Swing" was my first song played over and over to one of my first break-ups.

That picture's going to make a great portfolio piece.

I may have changed a bit, but that same little boy that went to Lufkin Road Middle School is still in me.

I still have fight left in me - This was the first step of my comeback.

You guys haven't seen anything yet.

Our friendship didn't fall apart because we dated.

Our friendship fell apart because you are a selfish cunt that refused to open up to me and trust me in situations where it would have made all the difference.

Next time someone goes through the trouble to call you and ask you if you are okay, don't tell them off, hang up on them, talk shit about them, take advantage of them, get family that had nothing to do with anything involved and then try to communicate when it is too late to realize of how fucked up your intentions were.

You're a great friend on the phone but in person you suck ass.
You must really feel like a strong confident woman to blog about your life and try to badmouth or make others feel like shit because of the fact that you have insecurity issues, you question your future and you're not quite sure what you want out of life.

Many people have the same problems, however they don't treat others the way you do.

Grow up.