Why do I do this to myself???

I don't like to shop with friends believe it or not ...

( SIDE NOTE..I do however like gifts and individual splurges so don't get it twisted boys!!!)

And here is why! I have a friend let's call her Drama, Drama likes to take this long boring trips to these warehouse looking spots such as Woodbury Commons on Black Friday or Macy's after Christmas and this time Drama picked a GREAT place to torture me.. She takes me to a Sean John Warehouse sale at Hotel Pennsylvania in New York City.. and from the looks of the merchandise it looked QUITE BOGUS TO ME!

I am not sure if Drama knew that the clothes were fake but she was excited and I didn't want to burst her bubble ... Sad but true ..because that would have been a 2 hour argument about how I yes I THE DIVA doesn't know the difference between real SEAN JOHN and Fake Sean John.. so I let it be... I posted some pics so you decide!

1) They were only selling men's clothing... no kids no baby stuff just BIG MENS STUFF

2) The packaging looked cheap

3) Drama wanted me to help her pick out stuff for her man and sons

4) I was mad that this dude was trying to holla at me when he was holding a XXXL shirt and while I coldly stared at his stomach ...I had no choice but to just throw on my Armani sunglasses and WALK AWAY!

Some items were really nice but I was not feeling it because she only came out with 3 items (not her fault but still)

Please help me research this! Were average people really capitalizing off of fake Sean John in one of the nicest hotels in Midtown or am I bugging and can't decipher what is real or not????

Sincerely,

A very exhausted DIVA!

You may come in! The 2008* Pink Polka Dot Gala

Ok, I can explain this picture!

I was looking absolutely fabulous and feeling great until ten hours later when my feet started to KILL me lol

However without any complaining I cordially invite you to the Blog of The Pink Polka Dot 2008 Gala!

What an exciting day for me and my staff, we worked so hard for the past 6 months to create a production that would amaze even the most AMAZING people around! We had some wonderful lined up and a sparkling fashion show that was sure to tease the eyes...

This beautiful event was located at The Penthouse Suites in NYC and hosted by PMP Studios Inc. My generous board member John Stavros would provide all the delicious food and we were ready to roll! So I was the head lady in charge and it felt great to work with so many people, from the volunteers to the fabulous speakers. I showed up at the penthouse at about 10 a.m. YES bright and Early ... A DIVA can be late for most events BUT NOT FOR HER OWN! (Lesson Learned, take notes girls!) I did not have on the fabulous dress you see all over the web, but Baby Phat Jeans and a Classic Blank fitted shirt with my gym sneakers.. I had to prepare to run around and give orders.. I must give props to my assistant Kalimah who so graciously brought me a Venti ... Not Grande Latte but the biggest one Starbucks had because I was about to drop.. I didn't mention that the night b4 I had channeled my inner hairstylist and sewed in a head full of extensions for my little sister, and that ended about 3 a.m.

Latte well deserved!

Florence my registration hostess showed up and assisted me and might I say she looked fabulous before and after the event! She had to remind me twice to get dressed because my guests were starting to show up... So I ran into the men's bathroom no less to change into my outfit... Hey I didn't want another little divas seeing me get dressed! LOL

When I walked out I felt amazing ... not because of the outfit or the adoring eyes watching me walk across the penthouse but amazed because I HAD SET A GOAL AND ON THAT VERY DAY ACCOMPLISHED IT!That moves mountains when you can see all your hard work ...work for you!

My very good supporter Laura Allen was there t kick-off the conference and she wowed the crowd, a few of the girls stood up to present their custom made 15 second pitch that was taught to them by Laura. www.15secondpitch.com (shameless plug!)

Briian Dargon the most fabulous man I know did a great presentation although he was extremely nervous! I told you Briian you were a STAR! www.bsixtee6.com (yet another shameless plug!)

Nahal Zamani was so playful with the guests and they loved her! (Google her now!)

David Vernon gave it to our guests by providing the three keys to success! email me for all three! zanademann@hotmail.com

Kristina Leonardi gave her advice on how to follow your passions! www.thewomensmosaic.org (another!)

We even had a networking luncheon just to give every1 a chance to find out who ...who is! We played some of the hottest songs out there and made it more of party event then a dry conference where people want to walk out! LOL

Stephen Knight provided a unique fashion show for our guests and a VERY ENTERTAINING RENDITION OF BEYONCE'S Single Ladies!!!! www.youtube.com/1pinkz

Delilah Williams provided the lovely pics that are circulating the net! http://www.myspace.com/pinkpolkadot_org YES CHECK THEM OUT AND MAKE PLENTY OF COMMENTS! support Pink Polka Dot www.pinkpolkadot.org


Above all the main purpose of the event was to inspire young women ages 5 - 21 and we hit our mark!

To Infinity and Beyond!!!!

Misc Blogging

I have so much to talk about...

let's do some random blog-ness shall we?

I have a girly crush on Trey Songz! Yes it is true he is too sexy and that voice is to die for... ok truth is he reminds me of a hottie I dated in Junior H.S heyyyyy

So the DIVA is going to look fabulous this Saturday at her non profit organizations annual career conference and I am even considering false eyelashes!!! Yes be surprised this DIVA does not wear make-up or fake stuff unless you count a Tiffany necklace I brought from Chinatown a LONG time ago FAKE :-)

My org's career conference is quickly approaching and it will be amazing... Did I mention the shoes I brought... no? wait for pics to come :-)

Met a guy... I think there is something wrong with him though... He thinks what I do is great! Most men think I totally overwork myself and have no time for them... this is true but it is what it is!

I love my board of directors they treat me so well! Whatever vison I have they follow and support which is needed in this self-loathing world.

I re-brought my fav perfume by J. Lo LIVE

ok.. talk soon I gotta go and do my 9-5 work :-(

Love ya!

What Exactly is PMS-ing?

Given our biological nature we have monthly mood swings that your lover or friend calls PMS-ing, but what exactly does that mean? Today the DIVA will explain what it is and give you scenarios that just may indicate YOU are PMS-ing!

Premenstrual Syndrome!!! (Halloween theme song plays in the background)
This syndrome plagues women worldwide no matter what their background or economic status are they all get a little bitchy before THAT time of the month. Is it perfectly normal? Yes! Do some women go overboard with symptoms? Yes!

For those not familar with the symptoms of PMS here is a short list that is not limited to the things you may see yourself or someone you know go through.

1) Mood swings
2) Tender breasts
3) Fatigue
4) Irratibility
5) Depression

The funniest thing I encountered with my dear friend PMS is how I respond to people during that special time. Sometimes I find myself being very snappy and aggressive (see post You Had The Audacity to Speak to Me?)I will admit sometimes I take it to the extreme and I am sure you can agree that some women do as well. Let's look at some instances where a woman has gone to the EXTREME!

Scenario 1 Irratibility

You are sitting at the kitchen table and your husband/boyfriend/lover walks into the kitchen and makes himself a cup of coffee. The entire time you are staring at him coldly. He turns to say good morning and you notice he spilled a bit of java on your newly cleaned countertop. You look at him in disbelief and with the voice of the Devil say "How DARE you spill that on the counter? I stayed up ALL not cleaning!!! You don't care do you? Because I am a woman? You just GET UP, GET DRESSED and JUMP into your clean car, right? I can't take this ANYMORE John!" then slowly lower your head and start crying...

You just BUGGED OUT!

Scenario 2 Depression

You decide to dye your hair for the new Fall season. After its styled you proclaim to your sylist that you love it and you are glad you made the decision to dye your hair. You walk out looking fierce, until you see your co-worker/girlfriend who thinks the new style and color does not suit you. She says it's for a younger looking woman. After you acknowledge her you start walking down the block and someone else tells you they liked your hair much better the other way. You run home and start to analyze what your friends had said to you, you began to feel like an old woman. How were you ever going to compete with the Rhianna's of the world? You storm into the bathroom and begin to mess up your new hairdo by pouring water all over it then you put a shower cap over it sit on the coach and stare up at the ceiling...

You may have BUGGED OUT!

Scenario 3 Fatigue

(Think Deuce Bigalow)

You are out with a few friends and you are pms-ing. You decide it would be really cool to play charades (your childhood favorite game!) and you deside to go up first. You begin to act out a Beyonce scene from Crazy in Love video, you are twisting and turning and then you suddendly PASS OUT! They jump in shock to go see how you are doing but notice that you are sleeping like a baby on the floor! They chack you calender and realize it's PMS time of the month and realize you were just a bit tired. They wrap you in a blanket and go home.

You may have been a litte tired but you just BUGGED OUT!

Now the scenarios are overexaggerated but you get the point, sometimes we can take it too far!

Now that we had a little fun I want to stress of how important it is to keep your cool during these times. 3 out of 4 women experience PMS and many of them let PMS control their lives. That is not a joke. I myself have ruined some relationships because I let the BITCH in me get out of control. But I have learned to calm myslef during those times. I take walks and sorta tune out people for that moment. Hey it works for me! Also make sure you are taking vitamins and getting plenty of rest, because that helps.

Later

Z.

Let's Talk About _____ BABY!

Hey yall!

OK... Don't let the title fool you, but don't you just love that Salt & Pepa song? They were the BOMB in their day right? Anyhow...

I wanna talk about Expensive Taxi rides through New York City! That is the topic of the day. Saturday proved to be one of my challenges as I hoped to attend five events wearing a WHITE pencil skirt SUCCESSFULLY! My day started at 5 a.m and planned to end around 11 p.m so I had to prepare myself with some Pilate's. Let's not stay too long on the first two events and fast forward to the third. It was in the City and it was a GALA so I had to be on point because those women are FIERCE. My WHITE skirt already had a pen mark on it from my prior meeting so I was sorta off point but I was still on point if you know what I mean! LOL

Let's get to the Ring of FIRE! (Finding Nemo lol) I do not like to spend money on taxi's period. Well I do in my hometown of Staten Island but no way do I like to pay for taxi's in the City because they initially charge you $2.50 when you open the door! But as always an unreliable source told me to take the WRONG train and I ended up on the wrong side of town! Now only having 15 minutes left to be at my destination I seductively flagged down a taxi. Ok... After fooling myself thinking that if I waved my hand like a DRAG Queen I would get a taxi ...I just decided to wait until one pulled up. "Hi taxi man can you take me to 21 WEST 111th Street Alain Looke School?" he reluctantly said "No" but I jumped in anyway! I AM AN AGGRESSIVE DIVA :-)

He took me either way!

SO he turns and turns past Central Park in the opposite direction that I assume I needed to go, but magically he ended up at the school in no time. Unfortunately the meter read $11! I was tight $11 bucks? For a few blocks of turns that eventually got me nauseous. I asked him to explain this to me and he had the AUDACITY to say "IF I didn't pay it he would keep the meter running!" HUH "Is that right?" I said and I threw the $20 I had been holding onto on his lap.

Let's get together and call 311!

Let's start the National Coalition Against New York City Taxi Drivers!

NCANYCTD!!!!! Sounds very long and complicated but YOU GET THE POINT!

Later

Z.

In a world so great and large a DIVA explores so little

There is so much in this world that I have not touched yet. My biggest goal perhaps is to tour Japan, it’s been a passion for some time now and the main character in my book leaves her safe space to live in Japan (so there’s my inspiration!)

Besides the long term explorations; I yearn to fully explore New York City. I mean we (New Yorkers) seriously do not appreciate the space we occupy, from the theater district to good old Central Park. Last night I was invited to a private reception at Doyle New York by the President of my organization; this reception would feature modern and contemporary furniture, art and design. I must admit I was never one to enjoy that sort of art per se and I gather it’s because I was never exposed to it so I planned on getting the most out of this event.

I walked around for a bit and viewed the pieces of costume jewelry by socialite Brigid Berlin and dreamed of what could fit on my arm when this very attractive woman asked me if I wanted to try it on. I thought why yes I would but I am not one for giving things back LOL so I kindly rejected. The DIVA♥♥♥ in me cannot stomach WINDOW SHOPPING!

So I moved on to the guacamole treats they had set out for us! I was in sheer heaven. It was near the treats I noticed one of the most amazing drawings I had ever seen… An original drawing by Yves St. Laurent himself! … A coat he had sketched for a friend and it was going for auction at a price of $800! I could only dream… Read previous posts (I am Broke!)

Moving forward I had to get my drunken DIVA♥♥♥ on and headed straight to the champagne table where they offered Pellegrino or white wine hmm…

Are you wondering what I selected? NO WAY

You didn’t have to wonder …

So after 2 glasses of wine I pepper seeded all the way over to girlfriend Susan who was looking at this Japanese vase that resembled test tubes. We talked about what we liked and dislike about the collections and even admired Ms. Roz Abrams who was in attendance (her shoes were FIERCE!)

The night soon ended with the DIVA♥♥♥ having new perspective of the art world and wanting to visit more exhibits. Come to think of it I have a friend who hosts an Albanian Art exhibit in Midtown! I must give him a call!

What are some places you have visited in New York City that a DIVA♥♥♥ may not be aware of? Come on help a DIVA out ….I am in a positive mood today  LOL

Later

Z.

You had the audacity part 2!!!

Ok ladies I had to add on to this blog because after I told a few male friends of mines about what I said to that poor man, they had their say!

My boy had asked me what was good with my blog and I said it was going well, I met some knew DIVA's and all but then I remembered the latest blog I wrote and how he would get a KICK out of it!

He responded with the funniest face I had ever seen. Like he couldn't believe I said that to that guy. He said that we are messing dudes self esteem up????? HUH?????

I was like "How the hell are we doing that?" he said could you imagine stepping up to someone and saying "Hey sweetheart what's your name?" and she bug out on you! I told him for the record I would not step to anyone with a tight grill on their face LOOKING LIKE THEY DON'T WANT TO BE BOTHERED!!!! That is the face I had on the MEAN MUG! Wouldn't that prevent anybody from approaching you? Was I bugging? My girls confirmed that I wasn't. Its just that dudes are stupid sometimes and can't or rather won't take "oh no thanks" for an answer... right?

So he couldn't control his laughter because he was like could you imagine 8 dudes on the corner chilling and a lady past by and looks them dead in the face and says "You no good fat ugly losers!" and just keeps walking! I had to object because that was not what I did all I said was "You have the audacity to speak to me?" THAT'S ALL!

But he was amazed...

Go figure .... MEN!

A DIVA has had it up to HERE with their logic's of things

Girl please

Later

Z.