Why I Love South Africa & Still Have Hope!

So, lately I've been following the news on violence in Chicago, and have been really affected by it because I used to live there, and I have so many friends who still live there. Every day I see where the youth of today is going, and the light dwindles on if I think they can ever be rescued from the paths their lives have taken. However, a great friend just emailed me the link to this video of a 10 year-old poet from Mafikeng, South Africa named Botlhale Boikanyo...and this girl gave me so much HOPE for our youth. Her words and passion surmount her age in many ways! And if you know me, you know I believe that I originated from a tribe in South Africa (it could be very true!), so shout out to my young sister teaching us in this video! Watch Botlhale inspire!

I hope that gave you the goosebumps it gave me!

xoxo,

Jay

The Importance of Being Concise

This idea hit me like a brick just now...

When I first started at DePaul nearly three years ago, my resume was four pages long. Four pages! Clearly, a college junior hadn’t done that much in her life up until to deserve such a lengthy resume, right? Well I felt I had. I insisted on listing every damn thing I did since I entered college – and even had some stuff on there I was involved in as early as 7^th grade. Yikes. No wonder the best I could do was flipping ice cream for a living.

Although my four page resume was a low point in my career as a writer, I’ve always have a problem with being too wordy. I remember in 4^th grade, I failed a writing assignment because I had written two pages when the assignment only called for one. I was too upset! I could not understand why my teacher wanted to fail me for going beyond her expectations, when the other kids were “very, very, very-ing” their way to a full page.

It was a learning experience that would soon come full circle. What my 4^th grade teacher was trying to instill in me was the importance of being concise. Not just in writing, but in life, too. Get to the point. Don’t beat around the bush. Be straightforward and say what you mean. Most of the time, the stuff you say leading up to your point has no real place or meaning in your argument – think about it. Its just saying more stuff to introduce the stuff you’re eventually going to say. Conciseness is not a gift, but a skill, one that must be worked on and honed in order to completely settle upon.

I had to learn the hard way. After fourth grade, I started writing poetry.

-Jay

Bring in the year with a BOOK LAUNCH!

Happy New Year!

My greeting is a month late, but definitely on time, as I see this being a great new year for many, including myself. Despite some financial hardships, a family loss, and some desperate soul searching, I am feeling very optimistic about this upcoming year.

In my previous post, I revealed that I would be publishing an ebook this summer. Although some things have changed, that mission is definitely still a go, and I can't wait to share my new work with you all!
Just a few updates on the book, it will include some poetry you've seen here on TJRD, and also some that have been shared on my Facebook. But it will also have some brand spankin' new poems that you haven't seen before, so get ready for the dopeness effect!!!

So, on to the title of this post: what to do for a book launch party?? I've been googling this and researching that for almost two months now, and I am still stumped on if I should have a book party for this ebook, or if I should just save the festivities for when my print book drops. I've been inspired from some Pinterest ideas and blog posts, but nothing really jumps out at me!

I don't want this milestone to go unrecognized! I would love to have some sort of celebration for the launch of this ebook, and I would to have some of you there :)

So whaddaya think? To book launch, or not to book launch? Your thoughts below!

xoxo,

Jaida

Publishing, Ebooking, Poetry: Oh My!

Hello again!!

I'm a little late into my first post of December, but...Happy December! December is always a great month for me, because its my birthday (on the the 4th :), its Christmas, and it means that a NEW YEAR is just around the corner! Gotta love that!

So far, the month has been treating me well, and I have been enjoying the things/people around me. Of course, my ever-elusive job search continues, but I've been more proactive in putting myself (and my resume) out there, so it has been pretty productive this month. Also, I had a BLAST at the Trey Songz concert for my birthday! He's one of my all-time favorites. Check out some pictures from the concert at Madison Square Garden!

 I was supes excited!

 My sister, Kendra

 I was happy I brought her with me!

 Miguel, one of my faves, killed the stage!

And of course, Trey :)

I couldn't really get great shots of Elle Varner, who I'm OBSESSED with, because the lighting wasn't that great during her set. All in all, I had a glorious time, and will be seeing Trey in concert again!

Now that we got that out the way...

On to the subject of this post! I'm ecstatic, beaming, and jumping out of my seat because...

I'M PUBLISHING AN EBOOK!!!

I KNOW RIGHT?! I'm publishing. I'm floored with the idea. I have been wanting to publish for so long, and have wanted to go the traditional route (get an agent, get a publisher, yadda, yadda), however, this is the day and age of DIY! And with so many opportunities at my disposal to do this on my own, how much of a fool would I be to not capitalize upon them? The internet is chock full of resources to help me do this, so I plan on using that as a big time aid!

This will be a book of poems, a poetry collection if you will. I know poetry isn't flying off the shelves nowadays, but I am confident in my talents, drive, and passion! Every one is always online today too, and have all sorts of devices & tablets they can't live without, so I figured an ebook was great place to start to get my work to a large audience. :) I'm nervous of course, but optimism is fighting those nerves tooth and nail!!

I want a creative way to stay in contact with  you all, so should I do update videos, or posts? I'm not sure, but I have LOTS of awesome things planned for this book launch, so get ready! God is awesome, and I've prayed about this, and I feel like this what he is telling me to do! He's been telling me for a long time!!!

I'm finally listening.

While this process is going on, I would like for you guys to email me: jaidathewriter@gmail.com, or message me here on TJRD.

Happy Holidays!!

xoxo, Jay

I can't wait!

What I Learned in College Happened Outside of The Classroom

Hi loves,

Enjoy a free verse poem from me today. Stay encouraged! :)

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I licked the pavement on a Friday

I remember because it was very sunny.

I thought about my first love during the plane ride

and wondered if he’d still love me after I put on the freshman 15. (20).

I clung to my Daddy’s jacket when we walked

I was fresh to the ways of this town, this experience.

I smiled during the orientation

When a boy from Brooklyn introduced himself.

I cried my first night alone in the dorm

because I wanted to sleep in my Daddy’s hotel room

so a piece of my roots who rooted for me was near me.

I had fun at my first social

and laughed when the tan girl from Ohio sent me a smiley face.

She and me laughed even harder together

when the brown boy who was a local danced with us in the street.

He and I cried together once we realized

that we were put on this planet to do more

and we were put in this college to do more

than party like privileged suburban kids.

My heart opened up as I sang with the choir

and I laughed with the boy with the glasses

and got drunk with the girl with the gap

all as we sought to seek His plans for us.

I marveled at the girl who promised to endure

at the talented one who studied so hard for a major she hated

at the curly-haired one who had so much love to give

at the freckle-faced one who always laughed at my jokes

at the adorably curious one who had a flair for fashion.

In this place, I opened my legs on stage and flashed the world

and learned how to let my lady parts tell stories.

I opened my mouth and taught and healed and cultured and composed.

I opened my soul and let the hawk in.

Only, its icy coldness warmed my spirit.

©Jaida Triblet 2012

Happy Winter Part 2.

Well the weather outside is frightful...

 Hello all, and welcome to Winter! One of my favorite times of the year due to my birthday (December 4), Christmas, family, and foooood. :) I just want to give a quick update on everything that has been happening in life. I usually would do this in anachronistic order, but let's have a little order here, shall we people?

1) I weight watched, then I stopped. I want to say I was just happier with being fat. But that's not the case! I just got lazy and fell off the weight watchers bandwagon. It was cool at first, losing 10 lbs of water weight within the first few weeks while I was living on my own in Chicago, however, once I came home and no longer had the funds to buy my own groceries, well...let's just say points were irrelevant next to eating whatever free food was in the refrigerator. But before you call me a fat give-up, to my credit, I have joined a gym for a year's membership, and make it there as many days a week as I can. I have also managed to maintain my weight, not watch it increase. Yay! Let's go healthier/new me!

2) I made a little (blood) money. Okay, it wasn't really blood money. But I had to shed blood, sweat, and tears to get up at 4am to make it my new job by 6:30 am in the Financial District. It was decent money selling medicare insurance for a company that shall no longer be named, however, after reading a blog post by the beautiful Riva on her website, I decided that following my dream was much more important than making a quick buck and having the life sucked out of me.

3) I am writing again. Hence this post! I'm super excited, and looking forward to what my mind/hands will produce in the coming days.

4) I love the people around me.

5) Happiness is taking time, but I'm so focused on it (and God).  Things aren't perfect, and tears come very often, but I feel confident in knowing that with my efforts and God's love, I will truly attain the happiness in which I am seeking. It may not be in my way, but it will DEFINTELY be in His!

Thanks for reading/loving with me!

Until next time,

Jay <#

Why College is for Suckers & I Should Have Worked at McDonald's (Happy Winter)

Why college is for suckers and I should have worked at McDonald’s

By Jaida Triblet

Take a few moments to look back on your life. You’re born, and your parents have huge hopes for you; they want you to grow up to be an upstanding citizen, get married, give them grandbabies, possibly make them rich – but the one thing they want you to have is something they themselves may have not had – a college education. If your parents are like mine, chances are, they know nothing about how the actual process of college works – so when it comes time to apply, they’ll give their input and sign FAFSA’s, but you may be pretty much on your own in working out the logistics. So who does a young, hopeful, naïve teenager on the brink of graduation turn to? More than likely, there have already been teachers, principals, and other educators bombarding you with college info since you still had snack time at school. Remember, your fourth grade teacher who always said that you had to understand fractions if you wanted to get into a good college? Exactly. They brainwashed you into thinking fractions was a major, and everything you did from that point on would affect if and what college you went to. So, fast-forward to the last semester of your senior year. You’ve already heard how important college is.  I got questions and statements such as- “You have to go to college if you want to make a lot of money. Besides what else are you going to do with your life with a high school diploma? Manage a McDonald’s?” Looking back, I should have taken that idea and ran with it. Had I been managing a McDonald’s right now, living of the slaving of money-hungry, saggy-pants wearing, Nicki Minaj worshipping teenagers, I would be living in a penthouse on Park Ave right now. Instead of where I am now- fresh out of college with little experience, not many connections, a liberal arts degree, and a student loan balance that could pay for two penthouses on Park Ave. Like many of us, I listened. I listened to the teachers and educators, who told me I had to go to college, pursue my dreams, learn something other than a trade. What they were telling me was that I had to make myself virtually unemployable, because while I was in class learning about the rhetorical techniques Shakespeare used to convey tropes and themes in Taming of The Shrew, someone was somewhere learning how to wire electrical outlets, or how to do medical coding billing. They would be hired within 6 months of graduation. Me, on the other hand – well let’s just say employers are not lining around the block waiting to hear me discuss Shakespeare. Don’t get me wrong. I loved college. It was a sound and worthy investment, chock-full of tremendous opportunities and experiences I would have never had had I not participated in it. However, I see the world much differently now. I was told that college was a guarantee to a successful future. What I learned was that college is a gamble in which you risk that success depending on what major you choose, what internships you do, or what connections you make, which means, nothing is absolutely certain after you graduate except that fact that you will owe Uncle Sam some money and you will gag at the smell of tequila shot. While college taught me some useful techniques that will put me ahead of the job-searching competition, I wont lie - I wish I had chosen a more marketable major, or had been better at math or science and had not loved books so much, or had listened to my fourth grade teacher. But although I’ve incurred enough debt of someone twice my age at this point in life, I’m always open to new experiences, and stay hopeful about success in my future. I wonder if McDonald’s is looking for managers?