Trinidad Elections

Like all other political issues, I followed this one just a little more keenly. I guess deep down, the Trini is there in me and my nostalgia for my homeland and growing up days played a part in wanting to see this change. My family left Trinidad for good while the UNC was in power when we realized that our vote for them did not help us any bit. I believe that I can pinpoint exactly when Trinidad's fragile system of law and order began to tear apart at the seams.
Ami's major is political science and when there is an election, one with that major will be talking from start to finish. Apart from that, he happens to be closely related to a key politician and hence, his interest was somewhat more peaked than mine. In order to get him to stop analyzing Trinidad politics so much, my idea was to get rid of all the old farts and bring in a wave of fresh blood and progressive thinkers. Ami went into more details about checks and balances and how they should limit the number of terms that the prime minister and president serves. I agree with him.
Frankly, this situation seemed hopeless from the start. Elections are always exciting to follow up on but I think most of the people in our community already believed that PNM was going to win again. See, in Trinidad we like to think that we are not voting based on race but when we look at all our rationalizing (honestly!), we see that we are voting along racial lines. There is nothing more to it. Really, I wanted Dookeran to win this one. His party seemed to have some hope for the country as opposed to what I have read in the news for the past five years.
One wonders to what level a voter's brain must have disintegrated if he/she failed to remember all the wasted money, time, energy, blimps to monitor crime, aluminum smelters, PM's mansion, crime, kidnappings and whatever else I have left out. To anyone who would dare to say that Trinis vote based on issues, I would say think again. The helplessness is almost the same as what we felt after the 2000 elections when Florida went from Democrat to Republican in a matter of minutes...all at the will of Daddy Bush and Baby Bush.

Economizing

Last Sunday, Furgie and I both had to wash our cars. I learned a few things from Ami when it came to cars and I also learned about businesses that existed but I never utilized them. One of them is the carwash. It is located just a few minutes from our house and the best thing about it is that you are in and out in under 10 minutes. You wash the car yourself but you only pay $2.25 for five minutes. The key is learning to move quickly.
Earlier in the day, I went with Ami and then, in the night, Furgie and I both drove our cars over. The change machine was not working and we had exactly $4 in change. We also needed to vacuum both cars. This is what we did. Here is where you cannot beat a Trini and better yet, two Trinis. I pulled up on one side of the vacuum and Furgie pulled up on the other side. We opened up all the doors of the two cars and we were in and out of the car in the two or three minutes the machine gave us. The tricky part came after.
We had to do the wash with $3 and it cost $2.25 per car. I told furgie to drive my car all the way up in the washing area and I drove in with her car until we were bumper to bumper. Then we washed both cars, waxed them and dried them for all under $3. I just realized that this blog can also be named, "How to buss a business, Trini style!" Furgie's only worry was that the owner of the business would show up and make us leave or pay more money. I told her to pretend that we did not speak english and if that didn't work, she could always say that it was not two cars but a limo.
Now, up until then, Vin and my dad were skeptical about how you could possibly clean a car in just five minutes but after Vin saw the results of our work, he decided to try it out for himself. I think Vin has found a new and less time consuming way to clean the car.

On Lockdown Status

Today will be what one just calls a bizarre day. First of all, the escalating crime situation in South Florida is starting to make ripples throughout the entire country. Seems as if every month, there is a cop shooting. I was talking with a very good colleague of mine when an administrator gets on the intercom and announces a "Lockdown." Never really experienced one of those in my life until today but the tension of it did not hit me until I got home, went to sleep and woke up several hours later.
It was a rather eerie situation. A cop was situated at every entrance to the school and all the kids were kept in the classrooms, without bathroom breaks from 8:15am until 11am. Thankfully for me and my colleague, we had our planning period and therefore, no kids with us. Okay, so what happened was even more disturbing.
There is a prison very close to the school and a prisoner with a double life sentence was being transported to court. For some reason, which the media believes is now pre-planned (no sh*t!), the prisoner is being transported in a specialized "ambulatory" police vehicle because he has a "back problem." Lo and behold, the police vehicle ends up in the parking lot of one of the many adult strip clubs in the neighborhood and the guy takes the gun away from the 74 year old police officer and shoots him then escapes.
Eventually, the entire chase led to all the schools in the county being put on lockdown status and yes, an even more stressful situation. Later on, I heard that Furgie's adventure was even more dramatic than mine.
Furgie worked over at the store. She had locked the doors when I called her but an hour after I called her, a cop car pulled up in the parking lot and two cops got out. They pulled out their guns and ran around to the back of the store and then back to the front, checking the premises. Then they asked to be let inside to talk with her. Turned out that they wanted to make sure that she was alright. After working there for so long, we have a good rapport with the neighborhood cops. Today, I was thankful for them. Furgie can be a little negligent when it comes to safety issues. At the time, when the cops came, she had a regular customer in the store and she was chatting up a storm while my mom was going ballistic at home after I told her that Furgie was still letting people into the store.
Okay, so finally, the guy was caught, the 74 year old officer died, and the lockdown status was lifted at about 1pm. Finally, I've seen the meaning of the word "lockdown." Come to think of it, I remember where this happened before: Trinidad, 1990. Abu Bakr and his attempted coup. Trini style lockdown.

Tickle Tests

The Brain Test

My Result: Left-brained

Most left-brained people like you feel at ease in situations requiring verbal ability, attention to detail, and linear, analytical ability. Whether you know it or not, you are a much stronger written communicator than many, able to get your ideas across better than others.

It's also likely that you are methodical and efficient at many things that you do. You could also be good at math, particularly algebra, which is based on very strict rules that make sense to your logical mind.

Take this test >

The Multiple Intelligences Test

My Result: Logical/Mathematical Intelligence

While others may have dreaded their math and science classes at school, these subjects were probably no sweat for you. In fact you may have even thought they were fun. Your logical/mathematical intelligence makes you the type who can enjoy working with numbers or thinking through difficult questions to arrive at a solution.

Whether you realize it or not, this strength has likely been a help to you throughout your life — not just in the classroom. This is true because for work or recreation, people like you can tend to rely on your logical/mathematical intelligence to look at the world. From noticing patterns of behavior in people to being able to appreciate the visual beauty in a repeated design, your special brand of intelligence can make life both interesting and rewarding.

Take this test >

Navraatri, Ramlila and Divali Preparations

A few weeks ago, I completed my ten day fast. The few people who heard about my fast wanted to know if I was crazy. Several people even ventured out to say that "my God must be a demanding kind of God to want this from me." The beauty of this is that nothing is demanded in Hinduism.....maybe suggested, even recommended, but never demanded. Your life is not damned. I related Krsna's words to Arjuna, "There is no unforgivable sin or sinner" to Dostoevsky's idea of one onion and the river of Hell. If anything, you build some kind of discipline from fasting. Food is something people will not readily give up...Not food but the taste of food.
While I fasted, my kids were inquisitive. Several of my students wanted to know what cranberries mixed with unsalted peanuts tasted like. They asked about my sweetened pineapples and about my dislike for raisins. Most of them did not know I was fasting but they established in their minds that their teacher had a wierd kind of diet.
My fast ended on the day after the worship of the nine girls. It was a successful one. I guess the key is to be mentally prepared for it and take it one day at a time. Even now, I am preparing for the other fast in March of next year when we celebrate Navraatri again.
Once again we heard the Ramayana and we remembered Ramlila as we saw it in Trinidad when we were little. It is hard to remember festivals when you live in a country where people work everyday but this time, I think I am excited for Divali. Maybe it is the thought of the last Divali I will spend in my parent's house but I am definitely excited. I was telling Ami that for us, it is such a wonderful day. Last year, after we had decorated the house with the diyas, for a fleeting instant I felt as if we were citizens of Ayodhya who had lined the streets with the very same clay diyas awaiting their king and queen's return. I know that at Christmas time, i will feel the same way when I think of a special day set aside for the world to recognize the birth of a supersoul but for this week, I am happy. The kind of nervous happy that you feel when something good is about to happen. Divali will be celebrated on Friday.

Perks of being a School Teacher!

Apparently the school board is rewarding me for the job I do. Today, I got a free ticket to two theme parks at Universal Orlando and boy did I print out my ticket. Even saved it on my jump drive in case I lose my coupon. They will give my lucky party of six a sizeable discount too! Halloween Horror Nights, here we come! Now this is what I call a reward!

What have I been up to lately

Sometime ago, I got hired to be a teacher at one of our county's local schools. Maybe that's why my fellow bloggers haven't heard from me in a while...or my blogs have became less steady. Let me tell you guys upfront, it is one very stressful job but you can have tons of fun too, especially if you are really into the subject that you are teaching. The kids are awesome! They always come up with something that will make you laugh when you think you couldn't take the administrative stress anymore. I mean, there are days when the same kids will try your very last nerve but they are also the best part of the job.
Actually, these are not kids but they are 11th and 12th graders. The first two weeks of school were trying. I was getting to know the kids and I really had to work with them to gain their attention. Now I know them by face and name and their personalities. As a teacher, you walk the fine line between being too harsh and then being too nice. I've seen that. However, the kids need to know that you really want to help them and when they see that, you can go from there.
The best thing about this job is the questions you get. Just when you think that they cannot come up with something crazy to ask, they ask it. They are curious but then again, I encourage that too. Yesterday, they asked me about frogs and why they die when you throw salt on their backs. It was off the topic but nevertheless, related in some way to what I was teaching. You always have to have these little factoids on hand to throw out at them when you see them understanding the topic. It's like giving them a treat. You teach them what you want them to learn, stop, let them absorb it, they ask questions, and then they come up with the association questions. When they get this far, I tell them something really cool about the topic that they will remember...the factoid. That's when I see the lightbulbs going on and really, you do notice it.
Today, I got a day off and let me tell you, I completely agree with getting so many holidays as a teacher. you need to recover.
Apart from teaching, I've been planning my wedding. It's only three months away and it's a lot of work to get done. This is when you get happy to know that you have a big and extended out family. You have some of them just waiting for you to tell them what you want to get done. I think Ami is doing more of the planning that I am....and he's the groom! It's not that I'm not excited about it too but he does better when it comes to having things planned and on a schedule. I pretty much get a picture in my head, research a lot and act at the last minute when I have the entire thing drawn out in my mind. Yesterday, I went all by my lonesome and got my sari. I guess it was strange that I would go by myself to do shop for the dress i would wear on my wedding day but I'm weird when it comes to shopping. When there are people with me, I will look but I don't buy anything so when I want to get something, I've realized that I'm better off alone. Actually, I hate shopping for myself. It took me ten minutes to decide on the sari I wanted, get the deal, and I exited out of there. Sometimes we make too much of a big deal about things. The wedding is not as important to me as the marriage I guess.

And finally, we've made a little progress with training Papo. He allowed us to trim his nails the other day providing that I had to sit and give him a treat for ever nail that he allowed furgie to clip. He was such an angel too! He's chewed all the door jams and eaten off the heel of of of furgie's favorite shoes as well as the spine of a book she likes a lot. Furgie's response to that was that the shoe was old. Training-wise, he responds to two commands, Cheeeeeeeese and Leave it! For his progress, Furgie gave him a blanket which he completely loves!

Jumbie talk

You can always find a good laugh somewhere in the Trinidad Express! Today it happen to be in the front page news. So we have a lil problem in Cedros....again!

EVIL IN THE AIR Cedros holymen hold exorcism ritual Richard Charan South Bureau

Three weeks ago, a young mother with a seemingly perfect life, placed her infant in a playpen, walked to the backyard and set herself on fire. Before dying, she told of being tormented by a voice that compelled her to do it. She did it shortly after attending the funeral of a woman from the village. And thee other women living in the village of Granville, Cedros, have since told their pastors and pundit of being possessed by something asking them to kill or die. The supposedly supernatural event unfolding in the village has spawned genuine fear-women afraid to walk the roads after dark, men scared to go tend to their crops in the forests around the rural village. Several people told of sensing the thing, others of seeing a white goat wearing a gold chain ( Laugh starts here.....ah gold chain...) moving in and out of the forest at night. The fear has been heightened because the "demon" visited the village before. Nine years ago, it was said to be responsible for the double suicide of a young couple, cousins Vanessa Behrue, 14, and Balraj Baboolal, 18, who hanged themselves from an almond tree. (Allyuh remember dis?) Within a week, three other teenagers killed themselves in the village. People prayed then to stop more deaths. So the village has responded to this new threat with religion. Residents were told of the plan by megaphone. On Friday night, the leaders of churches, a mosque and temple assembled at the entrances to the village with their believers. They walked every road, carrying burning incense, to "smoke out" the bad spirit. Others held deyas and flambeaux. Pundit Praboodeo Maharaj blew his conch shell and chanted. A pastor read from the scriptures. (At least people here don't fight about "my God bigger than your God!" They need all the God they can get right about now it seems. You gotta love TnT!) Hundreds met at the Granville Community Centre for an interfaith service. Christian holymen, including those from the Roman Catholic, Open Bible, Church of God and Pentecostal churches prayed and sang. (Where else in the world you will hear of this?) Pundit Maharaj led a Shanti Paath pooja-a prayer for peace and the removal of evil-which began on September 3. Not all agreed that the village was possessed, but most welcomed the intervention. Seroma Bedasie, 71, said "I am not a superstitious person but I was part of this vigil to make our village stronger I will do anything I can to help". Farmer Shammie Toolsie said "everyone in the village talking about this thing that taking over people's minds. So we are trying to do something about it". Rooplal Mahabir said "even if it have no ghost, at least this bringing the community closer and making people more prayerful". Pundit Maharaj believes. He said events began with the sudden death of a young woman-a 27-year-old supermarket worker, who was diagnosed with a blood-related illness and was dead within days. Dohmatie Seebran, 32, attended that funeral. Maharaj said soon after "she complained of feeling nauseous, vomiting. She was not ill before. She complained to her pastor. He tried to pray for her. She stopped him. She said he could not pray for her. Her husband was away that day when she put her child in a playpen and became a ball of fire". Police confirmed the death and the report that Ramsaran told friends that a voice in her head told her to do it. And her husband, Mookesh Seebran, said she was never suicidal. He said some days "she was not herself. She said something talking to her. I just thought she needed rest". Maharaj said that since Seebran's funeral two Tuesdays ago, "three women I know have had an experience. One said she felt something hold on to her, telling her to go kill her child and then her life. When she turned there was no one there". He said other holymen he consulted believe that the spirit may have been invoked during an occult ritual, and now could not be bottled. Maharaj said "this evil will be removed with a forceful fight. And I do believe it is something evil. Can you feel it in the air?". Dr Harry Ramnath, a psychologist specialising in the paranormal, does not believe that prayers will help the people of Granville. He says those who have experienced a supernatural event, are exhibiting symptoms of mass hysteria, caused by a belief that becomes real in the mind of the "victim". Ramnath said the people needed counselling, and without it, villagers will continue to panic. He likened the Granville incident to what happened at schools where one child fell ill, and dozens of others complained of similar ailments, when they have none. He said the incident needed investigating to determine the source and education to help the community understand their fear. But what of the voice Dohmatie heard before her suicide? Ever heard of The Crucible?

Finding interfaith similarities

Before the world was created, the Self
Alone existed; nothing whatever stirred.
Then the Self thought: "Let me create the world."
He brought forth all the worlds out of himself:
Ambhas, high above the sky; Marichi,
The sky; Mara, the middle region that is earth;
And Apa, the realm of waters below.

-Aitareya Upanishad



King James Bible:
John: 1.1

In the Beginning was the Word
and the Word was with God
and the Word was God.


Parallels with the book of Genesis.


This is sooooo cool!

Rewarding bad behavior

Yesterday, my little popo was on the receiving end of some Trini disciplinary action. Hear what happen....
He ate and I decided to let him out of the house so he could run around in the backyard. He has developed a knack for torturing lizards and any other critter in our backyard including the birds. Last i saw, my mom was feeding them (the birds) channa! Anyway, Popo is smart. he likes to dig holes in the yard and no one noticed that he was digging one close to the fence.
I was inside talking to my parents when i noticed him jumping in some shrubs really close to the fence but he wasn't hitting the fence so i saw him back back and jump one more time and then lo and behold, popo was running a marathon in the neighbor's unfenced yard!
Now we live on a really busy street and if you ever notice when your dog get out of your bounds, like they does go deaf too! So popo scoot across the street and all the traffic and ran up to this lady who shooed him away or scared him...either one. One minute I was inside talking to my parents and the other, i heard myslef say, " papo in the neighbor yard!" and i was out the door. i realized what i was doing after i broke through the hedge that separates our house from the neighbor's and was standing barefoot in the middle of the road directing traffic so that no one would bounce down my dog.
Popo was running to people's yard and marking territory like his bladder was a ten gallon tank! Jeez! Finally, he ran into this yard and right up to the people's door and heard what sounded like two very big dogs barking inside and the owner cussing like crazy. I think that's when popo got scared and he sat down right after he lay claim to the people tree and all! i grabbed my popo and the first thing that came out of my mouth while i was hitting him...and out of the yard...
me: "you dotish? what does wrong wit you? you does get crazy ah what?"
so i'm hitting him and he feel he bad, he start to bite and scratch me! so my mom said something that made me almost drop popo and start laughing.
my mom: "doh hit him on the road...yuh want people to call animal cruelty on we? wait til he come inside!"
as soon as we entered the yard, from nowhere, popo got a trini style cuta$$ from my mom. well after the first lash, i brakes for him and tell her to stop. popo stop biting and scratching forthwith! he slept for the rest of the evening until furgie came home and poor fella, when she came home, she took him to the hole he dug and hit him too. needless to say, he fought back. so later on in the night, i went to walmart and bought him a toy because really, my popo doesn't get lix for anything. I make sure about that and he looked so sad in his cage. Lo and behold, tonight, like christmas for popo still because furgie went and get another toy for him...and cookies! If i was popo, i would think that the more i run out of the yard, the more toys for me! but at the same time, i don't think anyone will forget a cuttail from my mom either!
i guess i realized that snowflake means a lot more to us that what we could imagine. the first thought that went through my head yesterday was not for my safety but all through, even when the two big dogs were barking, i was thinking about his well being. it's amazing how this one life can mean so much. part of the reason he got so much lix was simply because we wanted him to remember that he cannot run out on the road and believe me, he will get the same if i ever catch him playing with a frog!

Oiling the thinking wheels.......

After reading a fellow blogger's blog (heh heh), I started to think. What is it that makes us human? Can we call ourselves human if we refuse to think? And I mean think logically. Why, of all the million creatures inhabiting this earth, are we human? What is religion if it isn't just a set of beliefs that keep us in check? Why do we as humans, choose to follow leaders and be led blindly like sheep when we are capable of thinking for ourselves? Is it because it hurts our brain to think? Is it because we are made to believe that as long as there is food and water, and an occasional miracle, we can allow ourselves to be led by other people's ideas?

Peeved at CNN!

Sometime ago, I resolved to stop looking at the news. It was depressing and not only that but i was thinking too much about the reports long after the news broadcast. I was doing well too but the sad reality is that you can never really escape the news....especially when there is so much hype and so much fear that the news reporters instill in us.
Just two days ago, a bridge collapsed in the Mississippi river and almost sixty cars went down in the river below. Some people died and some are still missing. I have a lot of problems with the way how major news stations reported this. Once again, i have to thank CNN for striking the fear of God in me.....Thanks a lot CNN!
First of all, let me say how i managed to watch the news. See, i do well at home. My mom's favorite station is CNN but I know when she is watching the news, i go play with Snowflake outside. He's much more entertaining. However, yesterday, i had to go to the bank. While waiting for a Customer Service Representative (had to wait for an hour!!!!), I saw news clips between advertisements for home equity loans, etc. Major news flash across the screen....."Officials say x000 (x represents a number between 1 and 9) bridges in the US are structurally deficient."
WTF??????!!!!!!!!!
Don't we pay taxes for these things to be fixed? You know, things like levys to prevent major floods, bridges, roads.........Once again, I would really love to know where my tax money goes to.

This morning while taking my mom to work, she was asking me,
my mom: " can you imagine what those people felt or thought of when they were falling in the river?"
me: "no ma. I don't know.'
my mom: " you know if they were calm, they could get out of their seatbelts and maybe paddle up to the surface."
me: "yeah ma, but in florida they tell us all the time how to do that because of the canals."
my mom: "and then if a car was on top of their car in the water....."
me: "i know."
my mom: "and they say that the bridge and them are dangerous...a lot ah them too!"
me: " yeah, but they supposed to have additional support, ma, and this bridge didn't have it."
my mom: "what about the one in key west?? and that one is over the sea!"
me: "that's a new bridge though....."
In my head I added, "i hope." My mom's job is tough....worrying. I like traveling over bridges. It fascinates me.

After, I dropped my mom off, I crossed.....AND HAD TO STOP in traffic under a bridge and i found myself praying and hoping that the blasted bridge didn't fall on my head with the weight of the traffic. I wondered if the bridge was "structurally deficient" and let me tell you, that was a looooooooooooooooong, excruciating 20 seconds of my life! Did CNN do it's job? Hell yes! I was scared. the fearmongering is unbelievable.

In mid July, I left my job at the mall. One week later, I was hired at a job fair for teachers in our county. I will be teaching at a high school in the fall. I am actually really excited that i will be working in my field and teaching kids all that I know in biology. I've learned many techniques on classroom management but what am i thinking about???? Remember Virginia Tech? yeah...... Should I be afraid? I guess not. but should i be cautious? yes....but how much so??? What is a life if it is lived in fear?


While in my teacher training, I drifted off topic and by happenstance, I clicked on the Trinidad Express. Why I did that, I do not know.....I should learn to pay attention in class. Anyway, the front page news carried an article about a mother who lost five of her six children in a car crash in Virginia. All Trinis. I cannot even begin to imagine what it must have been like hearing that news. Later on, the Sunday news reported that the father suffered a heart attack and was in the hospital. The ages ranged from 25-11. A friend who was also traveling with the siblings died. I thought of last year when the four friends died and my parents went to the wake and they walked from one house to the other. And i thought of my friend Darsh, who died on July 13...one day after his 21st birthday. It's been four years.

Live Earth Concert

I just spent the past hour looking at the president who won the elections but never got sworn into office....yeah....Al Gore. You gotta love what this guy is doing and if fellow bloggers, if you haven't seen "An Inconvenient Truth" as yet, do so. It's an eye-opener and it's one of those movies you watch and then you come sit in front of the computer and you google "carbon footprint" and you calculate yours.
Al Gore was just interviewed on "Larry King Live." He was speaking of the kickoff event for a three year campaign to raise global warming awareness. I saw names like Micheal Nyman, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, Sting and the Police, Madonna, Shakira, Jon Bon Jovi, Black Eyed Peas, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Akon, etc. In short, it got my interest....not because I am a little bit of an environmental freak but these people are really good at their jobs. And as for Akon and his little boo boo in Trinidad, he did apologize and we can only hope he will not try to dry-hump half-naked, 14 year old girls at concerts anymore. Moving on.......
I've cultured this little notion that Al Gore would announce his candidacy for the 2008 presidency late in the run but I am not so sure anymore.......However, I can still hope. As for his concert, I really, really hope that it does what Gore hopes it will do....for the Earth's sake.
Oh, and some time ago, on one of my evening walks, Ami and I came up with a suggestion that people who buy SUV's, 8-cylinder vehicles, Hummers, etc., should be made to pay a mandatory pollution tax for having a gargantuan carbon footprint......especially in a state like Florida where you cannot possibly see any sort of rugged terrain or war-zones (WTF???? a hummer???). I guess it's a pet peeve of mine. Let me not get started on Trinidad and the Smelters!
So on 07/07/07, I will be watching the concert as it airs on Eastern prime time. According to the planners, it will air on all seven continents according to the prime time in various regions. Sounds like history in the making and we all get to watch it and do something.

New Driving Rules and more.....

I really have no clue why there are people who feel as if they are in a better position with God and hence, they have to make rules for rest of us to follow when it comes to driving.....of all things. Lately, the Vatican has released a list of ten road commandments that range from acceptable to downright outrageous. So realistically, of all these commandments, the only thing I do when I drive in S. FL is say a whole bunch of prayers before, during and after my drive but seriously, there are a lot of people waiting to piss you off on the road.....including the ones who seem to have a cell phone glued to their ear. It is really hard when it comes to the commandment about hand gestures though. It amazes me sometimes how rapidly spoken language deteriorates on the road.....especially in a state where we have a bunch of retirees who insist that their reflexes are as good as when they were 18, as well as people who do not know that their cars come equipped with signal lights.
To some extent, people have to be responsible enough to know these things and not have to be told by of all people, the Pope. I am guessing that members of the Vatican got bored lately and came up with this manifesto that also tells people not to stop and pick up prostitutes.
Yes, I respect religion and other people's beliefs but this is a little bit overboard. Ridiculously so. When so-called "religion" dictates how you should do things and it takes away from me being able to exercise my given gift of free will, and hence, we end up having a problem with me and religion/religious organizations.
And for the Vatican, there are a few other major world problems that an influential organization like itself may use its power to gain some leeway.

A bundle of joy!

Meet Snowflake, the little popo. He's adorable and completely mischievous. He's a Westie.....I had to look it up when I got him....Turns out that he's a sort of Terrier but a larger one. These are pics of his first day with us. He's a stubborn little one.
He was playing in the grass and got all these little "sweethearts" on his face...they were a complete pain to get off considering the fact that he likes biting at hands and feet (especially Furgie's). So far, since he's been with us, Nan has fallen on the tiles after they were just mopped and hit her head in an effort to house train him. He's doing better at that though. He knows the difference between jeans and ankles when he's biting....just ask nan! He no likey jeans, he used his paws to raise Nan's jeans legs to get at her ankles. Not only is he cute, but he's completely huggable and kissable! In the morning when he wakes up, he will come and rub his sides against us like a cat does until we pick him up and hold him like a baby. And when we hug him, he hugs back too!


Btw...Snowflake has taken a liking to dal.

Trinidad in the news

I guess for now, I (and the rest of the Trini global community) am waiting and watching for the news to unfold. There is a lot of confusion and a hell of a lot of confufflement over the recent arrests of the Trini/Guyanese terrorists. It's hard to believe that a place as small as Trinidad is like salt....in everything! I laughed the first time when Ami told me the news yesterday. It sounded utterly ridiculous. Even now, a day and a half later, it still sounds ridiculous. But yeah, like everyone else, I am reading several different newspapers (local and international) and watching the news to see what happens here. If anything, it is interesting and another thing to shake my head at when it comes to Trinidad and it's downhill slide of depressing news.

In and Out of the blogging scene

Somewhere between my last blog and now, I turned 24. It was a so-so birthday. Started out very boring and ended up very nice. I worked for most of the day and when I came home, I was about to go to sleep when I heard the doorbell ring and I saw Ami's whole family at the door. Ami and my mom planned my birthday. Ami's mom also decorated her house. I was genuinely surprised. I guess that's what it means to be engaged. You have a foot in both houses.
The cake was awesome! They totally thought about me when they ordered it. It was chocolate with chocolate icing, chocolate filling and chocolate flakes on the top. Polished off that in two days...Nan and I. Now, until Nan's birthday on Saturday, both of us are the same age. According to Nan, it is the "worst 11 days of her life." She's referring to the 11 days between my birthday and hers when we are the same age. Personally, I love seeing the look on her face when she realizes that we are the same age. She coulda been my twin!
I've just finished reading "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri. It's a very good book and there were several things in there that I identified with. I was telling Ami today about the book and how one of the characters in the book was particularly fond of Russian Literature. I totally identified with that! Especially when it comes to loving Dostoevsky's novels. There is something in Russian Literature that you do not see in British or American literature. The transitions are smooth and the novels take you into a person's life from one day to another without ever skipping a day, month, or year. Dostoevsky and Tolstoy both write like this but lately, I've begun to lean more towards Dostoevsky. He wrote more about the middle class as opposed to Tolstoy and the upper classes/nobility. "The Brothers Karamazov" remain on my list of top three favorite books. It is awesome and really, a sociologist's playground.
Now, I'm a half-way through "The Idiot" by Dostoevsky and pausing to think. His novels do that. You have to put the book down, absorb what he says, and then begin reading again. The good thing though, is that you never lose track of where you stop. He's that good. I work literally ten steps away from a Border's bookstore and they've been running a special lately. Buy two and get the third free. I'm feasting! Right now, I have about 10 books in line to finish reading and I find myself reading two of them at a time.
Finally, I am not sure yet if I left my other job or if I am still there. Imagine that! It was such an informal environment that I really did not notice when the line between employee and "employee very much like family" became hazy. For the most part, the Indian boss looked forward to teatime and dancing around the store with me or singing classic songs from Bollywood oldies.....Believe me, it was informal in there! I guess it is a little while now but I haven't returned to the bookstore and yet, I am on very good terms with the bosses. On my birthday, both of them called me with birthday wishes. I guess they knew that eventually I would move on. Nan tells me that my "fan club" keeps asking for me and she tells them where they can find me.
Sometimes, I miss working for male bosses. They are very different from lady bosses. Very, very different. I guess it is the length of time I spent at the bookstore that made things different too. The discussions are markedly different...especially when it comes to gossip and dislikes. I've realized that maybe my little rats are not that bad to work with after all and I'm ready to get back into the full swing of things.

This week on the news.....

Lately, all that's been on the American news stations is the Virginia Tech massacre. It seems as if there is no other news and once again, we have forgotten about the rest of the world. In order to remember that other countries exist in the world, I watched the news off Comedy Central's "Daily Show." Jon Stewart is just about the only one carrying anything else.
Yesterday, 198 Iraqi civilians died. Thirty-three people died (thirty-two...according to G.W....he doesn't count the murderer....as if the kid never existed!!!) and let me illustrate how it was reported according to CNN, NBC, MSNBC, Fox, local news, newspapers and every other form of media in the US.....

32 Students Massacred at Virginia Tech.....

• Meet teachers who thought student was wierd
• Meet roommates who thought student was wierd
• Meet neighbors who thought student was wierd
• Meet gun shop owner who did not think student was wierd
• Meet high school students who thought student was wierd
• Meet doctor who thought student was wierd
• Meet Dr. Phil who has to give his two-cents on why student was wierd (WTF!)
• Everyone now realizes student was wierd
  

Now another story:
Remember, it's not that important to bring Dr. Phil on to comfort grieving Iraqis.....

Headline: 198 Iraqi Civilians Killed in Series of Attacks Across Baghdad

That's pretty much how much attention the American Media gave to this topic. It was really of minuscule interest. Obviously, we had bigger problems at home.....
See, as sad as it seems, the American media and GW is guilty of undermining the lives of non-American citizens. In GW's speech at Virginia Tech, he forgot that the gunman was also a soul because he counted "32 souls."
By the way, the citizens of Iraq have no soul.....According to American media and obviously GW. So far, only Jon Stewart saw it fit to mention this in his interview with Ali Allawi yesterday. He asked his guest how the Iraqi people coped with losing so many of their own everyday, especially on a day like yesterday when 198 people were killed....yet we in the US were angry and trying to come to terms with our own tragedy of 33 students being murdered. Allawi said that the people of Iraq had no time to really grieve because the violence has become a part of their daily lives. My question is...does that make it less important? Is an Iraqi life not as valuable as an American life? How many of us know the real number of Iraqi civilians killed since GW's "War on Terror" began? How many of us really care to know? However you look at it, a life is after all a life!

Wrestlemania, Windies vs. Sri Lanka, Sports watching....

One of the best things about working on the weekends is the peace it offers. It's a good thing to be alone sometimes. For the past few weeks, I've been training employees for our company and even though I love teaching, it is hard work! I can truly say explaining things to people is almost as hard as manual labor....if not the same.
Wrestlemania 23 ended just a few minutes ago. I was not going to pay to watch it but there were some really interesting matches planned. The good thing was that I was able to get up to date commentaries on the match, thanks to my manager, who got the PPV event. So Vince McMahon is now bald. I was trying to explain to her that Khali most likely has an enlarged pituitary gland resulting in his very very large/scary self. Anyway, Khali won the match against Kane. Cena kept his belt (whoohoo) and Batista lost to the Undertaker (boo hoo hoo). That was all I really was interested in knowing but when I told my dad about Vince being bald, he said that tomorrow night's RAW would be "interesting to watch."
Windies lost. I am not going to say that I am disappointed only because of the team they played against. Sri Lanka was the other team that I liked so although I supported the WI in today's game, I wasn't crazy about Windies winning. I guess I was more disappointed that they lost to New Zealand. That one was a little ouch.

This is so funny that I am still laughing while posting it. Really, it is hilarious. I found it in an Indian Website....Indiatimes cricket coverage. I will put the excerpt that made me laugh.

West Indies vs New Zealand

The Super Eight series match between West Indies and Sri Lanka on March 29 will be full of excitement. On 29th, Moon transits in 11th from West Indies captain, Brian Lara's moon sign. Transit of Sun in sixth, Jupiter in second and Saturn in 10th from his Moon sign makes his team aggressive, in full form and spirit. Transit of Moon in seventh, Sun in second, Jupiter in 10th from New Zealand captain, Stephen Fleming's Moon sign will make his team fight well. He will show good captaincy skills and New Zealand will give tough fight to the hosts. But stars are more favourable to West Indies and the side has better chances of winning the game.

I think the astrologer liked the West Indies team. Nevertheless, i am still wondering about the part where "moon transits 11th." WTF????????????

thinking out loud

I forgot to mention something from a few weeks ago that could have been developed further into a movie or a hollywood production. Ami and I decided to go to WalMart at 11:45pm. I had the bright notion that I wanted my veggie patties the next morning for breakfast and Ami wanted to buy grapes. So we got to WalMart and while were in the electrical department looking for a lightbulb, the power goes out in the whole store. How ironic!
There were backup lights that were on but they worked like a torchlight would in a dark place....they gave just enough light but we were in darkness. The associates were calling everyone to come to the front of the store and thankfully, it was not crowded that night. I did get a little scared though because for the full time we stood in the darkness, not one police officer was in the store. After almost 30 minutes of waiting for the electricity to come back, we decided that the safest thing for us was to leave the cart (with my veggie patties) and exit the store....just in case some wierdo decided to rob the store.
I really did not think that WalMart did not carry a complete backup lighting system but it was definitely something to see. Ami and I can always look back and talk about the time the power went out in WalMart.

Another bunch of events. Seems as if Pakistani coach was actually murdered and did not suffer a heart attack. What was a little bit off was the fact that the entire team wanted to leave Jamaica as soon as possible and I've been hearing from my pakistani boss from his translation of the indian news that there was match-fixing and a major gamble involved in the deciding game between Pakistan and Ireland. Something just does not add up. Enough to speculate on here.

Sri Lanka won the match against India. Really, to all my Indian friends, no hard feelings but the only reason why i favored Sri Lanka was because of Jayasurya. He's an awesome, awesome cricketer in my book! Not to mention, he played when Ranatunga was the captain of the team and they entertained on the field! I loved the way they played the game....almost like how the Brazilians play football. Then my team, the Windies played today and won, as expected. Well judging that the team they played against was Ireland. I guess they need to play against a more formidable team to really see how they will perform. Then again, Pakistan was a favorite according to our South Florida Sun-Sentinel. However, I consider the credibility of the Sun-Sentinel's news often enough to wonder. Most of the people following the game said the West Indies was depending on Lara to make the runs and for the team and yet, we hear names like Sarwan and Chanderpaul. My mom, being a very patriotic Guyanese, is immensely proud. She always liked the WI team because "they had a Guyanese (Chanders) on the team."
Oh, Furgie has become an avid follower of the game. she's never been interested in cricket but she's behind our home team and she's even learned the names of the players and a few of their stats. It's funny to hear her describe them though. She says things like, "They so little and cute!" We've been following the game online for the score by score report because none of us saw it fit to fork out $149 get the Dish package. We do however work with Indians and Pakistanis who do have live ICC coverage and more than ever, I am reaping the benefits of working there. I'm loving it! Now a part of my job involves turning on the tv and following the game closely to give my bosses live updates on the scores in case if they are not close to a TV....and I am not complaining. They call me and ask me to turn on the TV and watch the game then during the break, I have to call them and discuss the players, give my critique, and I keep them posted on the score. If something unexpected happens (like with Tendulkar being out for duck, I am supposed to call right away to tell them). You gotta love my job!

Cricket Fever

I think i have this! Seriously, until April 28th, I am hoping for the Windies to bring the victory home. Yesterday, my mom was going on about her Guyanese reps on the forefront of the game. She's always been a big one for Chanders. Furgie told our Pakistani boss to not bother and watch the game because Pakistan was going to lose and he got mad at her. Furgie never follows the game but amazingly, she knew who Sarwan was at the end of the match. I called every hour for the score because I was at work and I knew Windies had it when I heard that Pakistan was at 38/2.
While watching the opening ceremony, I heard David Rudder singing "Give Praise" and I remembered growing up in Trinidad. I felt homesick for the first time in a very long time. Maybe a trip to Trinbago is on the agenda. I missed the island feel....or maybe i'm just inching towards another vacation=0)
We had to hear all about how our team was depending fully on only Lara. I'm not sure how true that is but we shall see how the game unfolds. Lara is one of the most unpredictable players in the game and he likes to put on a good show. That much i know. I was so excited that I started convincing people who had no clue what the game was that they needed to watch it. I've read that India's team is the best on paper but the game is not played on paper and really, I hope the best team wins.....but at the same time, I'm cheering for the Windies!

Festivities, etc.

This morning, my mom came with a handful of baby powder in her hand and she went about the house pasting it on our faces saying "happy phagwa" and kissing us then asking us to do the same for her. So I played phagwa with my mom. It was her version of celebrating phagwa since no one had the chance to buy abeer or even the powder. It worked though. After my mom, nan and i were done playing in the house, my mom and I went outside where Vin was potting a little plant and I emptied baby powder all over his head, forcing him to take another shower in less than one hour. He did not expect it at all! Even with a little bottle of baby powder, we celebrated our Hindu new year. Believe me, we can improvise! Later on my mom made a whole bunch of fried foods---pholorie nah! (which my dad enjoyed immensely--he took his lunch break to come home and have it while it was still hot) and chutney to go along with it. The chutney was the best! It was really hot but i guess my mom put some sugar in it to make it less sour and that was all i needed to eat. Not that I like peppery stuff because it makes you eat more than usual. Just the same, this kept me eating until I had to remind myself that the pholorie was deep fried.

Later on, at work, I felt sad because my coworker's boyfriend left for Iraq and she was scheduled to work when his flight was supposed to take off. He came to see her on her lunch break--only a half hour--and when she came back she was crying and I just stood there for a while, looking at her and totally unsure of what to do. It was awkward. At first I tried telling her that he would come back safely and that it was going to be a short time but then I thought of myself and how I would react to someone giving me that same advice. I thought of how hard it is when I do not see Ami for a day and I decided to stop talking. I guess the last thing she wanted was to hear anyone say that he will be back because the point is that he was leaving and going into a war zone. I really wanted to say, "F*&k the A*&hole who put us into this 'war!'" This is different from just a regular trip. I mean, there are uncertainties everywhere, no matter what the situation is but sometimes I still wonder if this 'war' in Iraq is just. Finally, I hugged her and just let her cry until she was finished reasoning with her thoughts. I do not know how she did it but she made a quick comeback and together, we were able to close at 229% today. She is a strong girl and I guess all you can do in a situation like that is be positive and hope that some of the positivity transfers over to the other person. And at the end of the night, my coworker was able to smile again and look a little better even if she wasn't feeling a hundred percent better.

Oh, I've forgotten to mention..I have been getting recommendations from parents to other parents about getting their baby's ears pierced by me. The first time a parent came, i did not believe that i was the one who the other parent had described until the lady related what the parent told her about the location of the store. She said that the girl had long dark hair. I said well that must be my coworker. The lady was adamant that it was not my coworker and I was certain that it was not me until she got tired of beating around the bush and finally she said that the person who she was told about was Indian. Then I realized that it was me. Really, I do not think i am great at piercing but I like doing it a lot and if i like something, I will put all my attention into it. As a scientist, I get to practice my sterile techniques. I suppose that is what makes the difference though.

I've started reading a new book. I will blog on this in another post though. Actually, like some of my other friends, I've been doing a lot more reading and less blogging. however, I've begun to make notes on the margins of my book so I will dedicate my next blog to Russian Literature and my love for Fyodor Dostoevsky's novels.

Happy Holi!

To all my fellow Hindus, happy Holi/ Phagwa. Hope this new year brings much good fortune and happiness to you!
This time, i will not be able to take part in the festivities like I did last year. I have been a little bit busy with work and regrettably, I will not be at home for the fun part of it. I must say, of all our festivals, this is the best one for me. It is a festival where you feel the joy in the atmosphere. You just know it is a special day. Something like that.

Tonight, I saw what has to be the most hilarious movie i have seen in a long, long time. If you are looking for a good laugh, "Wild Hogs" is the movie to see. There is clean humor and nothing very offensive like in so-called comedies today, "Norbit" and "Borat," for example. John Travolta rocks even now! I guess he's one of my favorites and I didn't realize that until just now. I will watch any movie he acts in and I have watched "Grease" and "Saturday Night Fever" so many times that I have almost memorized the scenes and most of the dialogue. John Travolta has charisma....and he can still dance really well. There were some places in the movie tonight where you could see some hints of "Saturday Night Fever" and that very famous walk when the Beegees sang "Stayin' Alive." I even got Ami talking about actually sitting down to watch John Travolta do the famous dance in "Saturday Night Fever. " That's after I told him all about Danny Zuko in "Grease."
Without giving too much of the movie away, "Wild Hogs" is as you guessed it, is about the American Biker culture and about these four suburban, middle-aged guys who decide to ride cross country from Ohio to the Pacific. The movie is funny from beginning 'til end. Believe me, it makes you want to go out and buy a Harley and ride cross-country yourself!

I've gotten the cold again. Seems as if that happens too often now and this time, I've taken more medicine in two days than I've ever taken. At least the worst of it is gone now and I didn't let it prevent me from seeing a really good movie!

"Norbit": my take and Global Warming

I ended up going to the movies last night. It was a deal because I had a free ticket so I bought nachos with the money I saved. We agreed that we were going to see "Norbit" because Ami and I both like Eddie Murphy but for some reason, I left thinking that it was not all that great as it was hyped up to be. For me, the movie played on a guy's fears of marrying an obese person and after a while, it got old. I will say though, "Norbit" was a lot better than "Borat" but of all of these comedies that I have seen lately, I have to give props to Jack Black for "Nacho Libre." He kept his jokes pretty clean and I am not a big fan of him either. Whatever happened to classics like Bill Cosby?
This morning, before I left for work, I was calculating how big my carbon footprint must be. I was counting the number of those spiral fluorescent lightbulbs we have as opposed to the regular lightbulbs. At first, when these bulbs came out, I was amazed by how much brighter they were than the regular bulb so, being a person who likes a lot of light for less electrical consumption, I had most of the filament bulbs changed in the house. The spirals consume 1/4th less electricity than the regular filament bulbs and yet, the filament ones are so much more easier to buy when it comes to price. I found that a little bit bothersome. Why do we pay more for things that can help the environment when we are in a crisis or approaching a crisis? Are our lawmakers that unscrupulous? Nevermind, I think my question is rhetorical. We carpool to save gas, we recycle, we take the bus, Nan and I are peeved by littering and people who do (I think this pisses me off more than cigarette smoking!), I take the bus if the distance is less than 10 miles from my house and our cars give very good mileage. Furthermore, we don't always use the A/C when the fan will work. And I think my footprint is still big. What will we say about the morons who buy Hummers and those huge F-350 looking trucks to drive on Florida roads? Keep in mind, Florida is as flat as flat gets! I do not understand that. There is nothing cool to me about driving a ridiculously expensive vehicle that does not refuel itself. The only statement that the driver of those vehicles are saying to me is that they have absolutely no consideration for the environment and they think that fossil fuels will last forever.....which just makes the stupidity more conspicuous!
Now, this morning on the Sun-Sentinel, I saw two pictures that drove in the point. Keep in mind, this is an El Nino year and hence, we have been spared the cold weather for the most part here in S. Florida. However, in some parts of the country, the temperatures are in the negative. This is disturbing. The temperatures shouldn't vary that much but they are varied. I spoke with a customer who told me that he believed that all the climate hype was just to get the public scared. I saw a politician on TV say that it was just a gig for the Weather Channel to get ratings. I feel sorry for the Earth especially when people like these are put in a position to do something really effective and they are publicly showing how uneducated and ignorant they are when it comes to a simple thing like 5th grade Science. One guy told me that the new report is just going to give Hollywood filmmakers material for movies. I guess this is how serious global warming is being taken. Hopefully, the ones who care enough will find a way to stop it before the ones who do not care finish up things. And it is lamentable that the ones who do not care often times are in the position to make the difference. I can only think of GW and how one of the first things he did in office was to do away with emission testing....sigh!

Americone Dream

Nation, this is why you gotta love Colbert! I am loving this! he actually managed to get Ben and Jerrys to name an icecream flavor after him! I have copied and pasted the article from this morning's yahoo news headlines. This is so cool and it sounds totally delicious!


Wed Feb 14, 2:05 PM ET
NEW YORK -
Stephen Colbert may have no taste for the truth, but he does have a sweet tooth. Ben & Jerry's has named a new ice cream in honor of the comedian: "Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream."
ADVERTISEMENT

It's vanilla ice cream with fudge-covered waffle cone pieces and caramel.

Announcing the new flavor Wednesday, Ben & Jerry's called it: "The sweet taste of liberty in your mouth."

The Vermont-based ice-cream maker is known for naming its flavors after people such as Jerry Garcia, Wavy Gravy and the band Phish — which Colbert sees as a political bias.

"I'm not afraid to say it. Dessert has a well-known liberal agenda," Colbert said in a statement. "What I hope to do with this ice cream is bring some balance back to the freezer case."

Colbert, who spoofs flag-waving conservative pundits on his Comedy Central show, "The Colbert Report," is donating his proceeds to charity through the new Stephen Colbert Americone Dream Fund, which will distribute the money to various causes.

Valentine's Day

To all my fellow bloggers, Happy Valentine's Day!
Ami brought flowers for me and a balloon that sings, "how sweet it is to be loved by you." They were adorable but the best part of the whole present was the chocolate. He got me truffles and as soon as I saw the chocolate, I temporarily forgot that there was a balloon singing to me. It was a nice surprise and I even started to blush...that reminded me of something.
In 2003, it Valentine's Day was a Friday. I used to work on Friday mornings and we were not dating yet. Ami brought me flowers that morning and I remember a very red-faced me felt like a celebrity when everyone in the store started clapping. Well the flowers haven't stopped coming and even after four years, Ami still brings me flowers every month. I guess I am spoilt to some extent but Ami does something that many other guys don't do, he celebrates monthliversaries as opposed to anniversaries. That is a very good thing for me!

Terrified

Sometime ago in November, I blogged about my primary school teacher and his cruelties. Guess what? A few days ago, at work, I met his daughter quite accidentally. I was even at her wedding some 15 years ago! She was a customer and I asked where in Trinidad she was from just out of curiosity...you know, one Trini meets another Trini. Small talk. Turns out that she was from the same place I lived in Trinidad and she added that she lived in Five Rivers. I told her I went to Primary School there. She told me her father taught at the school. By the time the conversation had reached to that point, I was beginning to get this sinking feeling in my stomach. I knew before she said the name who her father was. Yes. Mathura, the primary school torturer. She is planning on bringing him to see me at work and I really am not too excited. In fact, I am very apprehensive.
Seeing Mathura will bring back all the memories of a time I would really like to forget. I remember all the times I wished that I was older and a little more insolent so that I could hit him back just as hard as he used to hit us. I even thought of hiding somewhere when he comes. Then I thought of confronting him. I decided that maybe seeing him will bring some kind of closure. I have no clue. I am not one to dislike people but Mathura is one of the very few people who I really really dislike as a person. Not only because of how he was to me but to all my other classmates as well. He was horrible and I am not expecting anything from seeing him. In fact, after all these years, it will not make up for all the students who failed the exams because he did not prepare them as he should have. His wrongs were against children and maybe, maybe he was registered in the book of time. Who knows?

Raising a child

Two days ago, I was on my way to work. So there was this girl about my age on the bus with a child. The child was about three years old. I guess the ride must have been long for them because both mother and child were getting restless. The mom picked up her cell phone and she dialed the number for the other phone she was holding in her other hand. She handed one phone to the child and they had a conversation. I could not hear what the mom was saying but the child answered the phone: "Bitch, what you callin' my phone for? Bitch!" The mom and her friend thought it was funny. They were laughing and the child, taking it as approval, started to say it louder and louder until everyone in the bus turned to look. A little while after when they were done with the conversation the child hung up saying, "Don't call me again hoe!"
For me, it was a voice far too young and "innocent" to be using language like that.
I sat thinking to myself about the kind of future this kid would have when she got older and I hoped that she would be a little smarter than her mother. I felt as if I cared more for the kid than her mother did and that was sad. I have a low tolerance for behavior like this but it was not the child's fault that she was talking like that. It was what she was used to hearing and she was merely repeating it. Maybe it is just me but I saw something warped there. The thing that was warped was the mother's approval of the whole scene.
Really, my view on kids is just simple: If you don't think you are responsible enough, then please, don't have kids....you will only end up raising a functional delinquent.

Superbowl XLI

Crash course in Roman Numerals:

I=1

II=1

III=3

IV=4

V=5

IX=9

X=10

IXX=19

XX=20

L=50

C=100

M=1000, etc etc.

MMVII=current year

In order to watch the superbowl, I found out that one does not need to know how to count in roman. One simply watches it. I saw the ball being kicked a total of two times. I must say thought that I got home in time to see a rather "what the f*%k!" performance by none other than Prince (I did a double take for that one!). At first I thought that my eyes were playing tricks but no, it was him...Of all the people in Miami, and all the good dance moves, you bring Prince to perform!!!

When I got home, my mom was watching the half time show. Colts were leading the Bears by two points. Conversation.
Me: "Ma, how come you watching that?" I know that my mom does not understand the game but she watches a lot of the American games and she loves "American Idol."
my mom: "me ent know what the hell this fella doing." She was referring to Prince. A little while ago, my boss was telling me that he didn't know if Prince was more man than woman or woman than man.
Me: "Da is Prince."
My mom: "this so boring eh."
After a whole almost excruciating 1/2 hour, Prince gets off the stage and the game resumes.
My mom: "how come dis is football?"
My dad: "dem ent even kick the ball yet!"
My mom: "wha kinda game is dis, they just running and pushin down each other."
Me: "Ma, dey ha to run to the other side of the field to get a touchdown." (Like I really know!)
A little while later, my mom leaves.
My dad: "dis ting too boring, change the channel and leh we see wha on the other channels dey."
Me: "I still watching it." Five minutes later, my dad gets up and leaves only to reemerge in the living room when the game is over.

Noticed one thing....I can watch any sport. I guess I get hyped up too. I watched a sport that I knew nothing about and I was able to make sense of it. It was so cool! I found that the coolest thing about the Superbowl is that it happens every year....It passes the time in between when i wait for the La Copa Mundial (the football--the one where you kick the ball--- world cup).

By the way, it's not that I knew anything about the players, about the game or the coaches but I wanted the Colts to win and they did. They played a better game and I found a new sport to look at. I am still working on baseball.

Oh talking about baseball...Remember my little friend, J-, with the letter to Santa? Well J- will be 7 in March and he just got enrolled in baseball practice. J- gets to the field and Ami asks, "J- when you getting done."
J-: "when all the people leave Uncle Ami." You gotta love kids; they give the best answers.

Comedy Central Rocks!

This is why I love Jon Stewart.


now: "the daily show"

Representing one's country

Today, I met three different guys from various branches of the US Military. They were recruiting officers, in full uniform, who happened to be positioned in the mall. Now before I start relating the story, there were a few things I learned about uniforms from school in Trinidad and one thing that our teachers always preached to us was, "You represent the institution, not yourself, when you wear the uniform." This applies for any job, school, government etc.
Event1:
These guys come up to us...I am purposely saying guys because I do not feel as if they deserve my respect to call them by their ranks...so they come up to us and obviously they know my coworker. I step away and after a while they introduce themselves to me and they ask why I distanced myself from them. They want to know my name. My coworker tells them but she tells them the shortened version. One of them asks if I am Latin. I said no. They ask where I am from and I tell them and I go back to where I was standing at first. One of the guys walks over and begins a conversation with me.
Conversation:
Guy: "I used to work with a Trinidadian."
me: "oh really?" I am not impressed...It came out more sarcastic than questioning. There are a lot of Trinis in S.Fl.
Guy: "yeah, he was always down low." the guy is motioning with his hands and at the same time he sees the inquisitive look on my face. "yeah, he was always smoking something, and I don't mean cigarettes. He (the trini) said that everyone in Trinidad smokes marijuana." Now, I am not impressed at all. In fact, I am little ticked because I can see that he is implying that if Trini A smokes ganja, then Trini B must smoke ganja as well.
Me: "Well he was speaking for himself only."
Guy: "Yeah?"
Me: "Yes. Not everyone in Trinidad smokes weed. Maybe some people do but we really shouldn't collectively judge people like that."
Guy: "That's true. It's like me, I'm Puerto Rican and people are surprised when I tell them that I don't drink."
Me: "My point exactly!" I turn back to my work and Guy walks back over to my coworker and a little while after he and his recruiting buddy leaves.
Sometime later, Recruiting buddy (RB) comes back minus Guy.
RB is speaking with coworker about some occurrence in the mall the day before where a discharged soldier was telling him about soliciting at his booth. Apparently you are not supposed to solicit at other people's businesses. Lo and behold, RB starts cussing about the whole thing and he is loud enough for people passing by to overhear. Okay, breaking this down, I may be old school but there are some things I do not like. One of them is you do not start using your green verbs and red adjectives in front of someone you just met......and worse yet, when you are supposed to be representing your country's military. RB's behavior made me think twice about how "honorable" it was to be a member of the US Armed Forces. One of the things that they stress is how disciplined you are when you leave the military. I did not see discipline today. On top of all that.....other event. This one, I am willing to place bets on....
Event 2.
RB starts speaking with J- over at the other store from us. He is trying to find out if J- knows anything about the discharged guy and the soliciting story. J- knows a little of it but in a nice way, J- says, "If I were you, I would just leave it alone." RB is gearing up for a fight, it seems, with the discharged guy and he is trying to find out when the guy is there so he can come back in his fatigues (when he is not in uniform) to punch the guy. Hence, J-'s advice. RB says something and J- tells him that it is not becoming of someone in uniform. Now he turns to J-. The funny thing is J- is going along with it and he is getting RB angrier. Meanwhile, like a typical Trini, I was thinking about which one I should place my bets on...in case if the whole matter resorted to blows...and let me tell you, the popcorn stand was right around the corner!
On a serious note, I knew what J- was doing though. See, RB is a young hothead who has probably risen in rank faster than he could absorb his responsibilities. He has a uniform on and he thinks that he can get away with treating ordinary people as if he is superior to them. The conversation between J- and the Recruiting Buddy showed that a little power/elevation in rank was enough to inflate RB's ego to a point where he completely forgot basic civilities and that he was actually speaking for his country while wearing that uniform. To a person like me, an onlooker, who has serious doubts about what the entire US military is doing right now, I saw that RB was old enough to know that when he dons an American uniform, he is representing America and he did not leave me with a very good impression of the US military. On a more individual note, RB turned me off at "hello" but even worse, he was cursing to impress my younger coworker and in the process of his whole visit, he forgot what it was like to even be civil far less for being disciplined.

Missing the blogosphere

It's been quite some time since the last blog and it's pretty unusual. I was going to blog on the same night that Colbert had Papa Bear (Bill O' Riley) as a special guest on his "Report" but I opted to sleep instead. It was every bit as awesome as I thought it would be. For me, I get all my news from him and Jon Stewart (which is sad for the major news networks....they should take an example and report the real news), and Colbert grilled Papa Bear. At one time Papa Bear said that he regretted being on the "Report." I must say though that Colbert toned down the interview. It seemed as if he was trying to not offend Papa Bear too much which in itself was hilarious. I'll try to find the clip on youtube and post it on my blog. It's a must see for fans of the "Colbert Report." This is one of the classics. I think I was just as excited as Colbert for this one!

Apart from the "Report," I've been doing Sudoku puzzles. Now, I learnt about these a long time ago in Math classes in Trinidad but I never really got addicted to them like I am now. I like them and I even got Furgie the exact same book with the hopes that we can compete but Furgie doesn't seem as into it as I am. Maybe, I'll get Vin to go crazy about it and I can challenge him. For me, I have decided to only do my Sudoku at home because when I am at the store, I guess someone can come in and rob the place and I would not notice. The cool thing about Sudoku is that when you are doing it, you are just thinking about the puzzle and nothing else. It is completely attention consuming.
Oh, ex-boyfriend is in S. Fl again. Not cool. Don't usually like seeing him around especially at places I frequent. Still dresses, walks and looks the same way. Believe me, that is not a good thing! Okay, now I better get back to work. Feels good to blog again after so long=0)

Apocalypto

When this movie was first advertised, I told Ami that we were going to watch it on the opening weekend. I knew it would be good from then. The only thing I was not aware of was how good it was going to be. See, Mel Gibson may have gotten himself into a lot of trouble with his latest drunken thoughts but it does not hide the fact that he can make a movie.
"Apocalypto" has been showing almost a month now and I only had the time to go last night to watch it. What surprised me is that even after a month, the theater was still half full. Really, we were not going to see it but we ended up at the movies and we decided then and there that we would watch this since it was the only movie showing at the time. The movie was starting at 11:40pm. This is a must-see movie. If it is still showing in the cinema, watch it on the big screen. There are some movies that you just need to see in a cinema to get the full effects of it. This is one.
Basically, "Apocalypto," as the name suggests, portrays the end of the Mayan civilization and one man's attempt to reunite with his family after his village is destroyed, his relatives and friends are killed, and he is captured by other warriors. There is very graphic violence in the movie but we have to keep in mind that the movie is based on historical evidence of Mayan sacrifices and those were in no way dainty. We got out at 2:30am from the cinema and I can honestly say that I never noticed that this movie was 2_1/2 hours long. It is fast paced and intriguing. If you learnt about the Mayans in history classes, this movie seals in what you learnt. At the end of the movie, patrons cheered. I joined in too=0) My final verdict on "Apocalypto:" I would give it an "awesome."

Currenty Disturbed........

The flags have been flying at half-mast for almost a week now and it was only today, a whole week later, that former President Ford was buried. I find that disturbing....but then again, I find a lot of things disturbing lately. Starting with Saddam's execution and going back from that. First of all, I am reviewing international laws and I am pretty sure that there is one about executing the President of a country. Not that I am disputing whether he was bad or not but I know that when he surrendered he said something to the effect of "I AM the president of Iraq." AM suggests the present tense the last time I checked. Furthermore, how can you start a new government when the current President was still there. And what is even more confusing is where is Bin Ladin? I suppose everyone will love to know the answer to that! How can you just start searching for a terrorist and end up hanging the dictator in Iraq. Does it really appease us? I think this is getting old for a lot of people. At first all the bull was believable but people know that they are being lied to now. How do you remedy that?
See that's when you need someone like the late President Ford. Not that I know him personally (heh heh) but from the accounts of his 18 month presidency, he tried to renew trust in the government. This was right after Nixon. It may take a saint to accomplish this once more after G.W! I recently spoke with a girl whose fiancee is set to go to Iraq in the Spring. She also needed to be reminded that G.W was the president of this country and she was born and raised here! I found that amusing. I am only a few years older than this girl and she could care less about the President of the United States....Her country! Maybe she just doesn't follow up on politics like I do and I don't blame her. It is upsetting and frustrating. Now her only involvement in all this is that she is hoping that her husband-to-be does not get killed there and that he comes back home safely. She does not understand the whole purpose of being in Iraq and neither does her fiancee...it seems. I am guessing that he is about her age....which will place him at no more than 20 years old. I secretly hoped that he will return home safely. She was telling me that if he dies there, she will follow him and I told her not to even entertain the thought.
Oh, even more disturbing is the fact that our grandchildren, possibly great-grandchildren will be paying off the debts from this "war." Now I understand that all governments are corrupt and to be a politician means that somewhere along the line, you value social standing more than ethics (in most cases) but it is getting to a point now where the situation is ridiculous. Just recently, I was taxed a whopping 60 dollars off my paycheck and I could not help but think that a part of what I worked so hard for was going towards something I did not believe in and really is of no profit to middle-class Americans. So far, the Democrats are controlling the house and I have seen no improvement. We sit and wait now like ducks, to see what will happen when Congress reconvenes.

Happy New Year!

Just wanted to wish all my fellow bloggers and fwennies a very happy new year. Hope 2007 brings you lots of smiles, laughter, happiness, joy, and prosperity. Wishing you all the best. Cheers!