The Trini X

Here are some pictures; they don’t look like much since you really need to be in the middle of it to understand.

My Xmas wish to you: May light fill your life not only for Christmas but all during the year. Be blessed with family and good friends and may your days be filled with an outpouring of love. Merry Christmas!!!

I leave you with a taste of Trini music for the season. Enjoy!

Trini Flavour

A little bit of Trinidad and Tobago

These pictures I took are paintings of Caribbean History

Jason Nedd's 'Dem Girls'

Mervyn Lynch 'Paranderos of San Jose de Oruna' TnT xmas is parang

Leo Glasgow 'Our Music' TnT Steelpan

Mad Dash

I got up this morning and glanced at the clock and to my amazement I woke up 40 minutes late, 7:50am. Now I have a habit, I hate the hear my alarm clock’s annoying beeps so sometimes I wake up 5 to 10 minutes before it rings, switch it off or I may hear it, switch it off and fall back to sleep and this goes on every morning.

Don’t ask me what happened today, can’t remember. All I know is I had to readjust my routine. I did everything I needed to do except eat breakfast, so since this is the most important meal of the day, I drank my breakfast instead. You heard me… I drank breakfast this morning, had a glass of homemade banana punch and had a nutrient drink at the office, then later ate something solid and ¡Ay, caramba! It worked.

To top it off, I arrived to work my usual 30 minutes late (please do not attempt this at your workplace) and we won’t even open yet. Booyah!

Confidence in Me

Eternal Love

Husband Day Care

This banner is hung outside a Bar in the Couva area of Trinidad. Our local media station featured it tonight & it’s spreading through forwarded email.

All credit goes to the photographer; I have no idea who you are but kudos to you. Greatly appreciated!

Behind the Words

At my present job I’ve been told some really strange things and called some really strange names. I’m used to being called weird and boring. I’m not into the partying lifestyle and when asked about my personal relationship I tend not to answer. In terms of intimate details or sometimes simply if I’m seeing someone, I’m not going there; they don’t need to know that, you know it’s private. So they say I’m weird and boring and I need a life, but they will find themselves in my weird and boring presence for more than half an hour, more than once a day to pester me.

Recently though, I’ve been told I have an old soul (ok I knew that), but I was told that because I was not excited about certain products that most young people would be crazy over. Yesterday I was told I have a quiet finish. Can someone explain to me what the hell is a quiet finish? What is that some sort of polish?

To explain some of these comments I must talk about sex appeal. I said it already and I get it; guys are attracted by what they see and I have no issues with that. Come on, it’s natural. I however have received some really outrageous remarks from men and I’m talking about from a youth to adulthood. That’s why when I walk in public I tend to have a serious expression. Most of these comments don’t get to me as I could careless, but sometimes depending on what is said, I would be upset.

Another problem I have with some men that are accustomed to me, is touching. They don’t seem to understand the term ‘do not touch me’. There is a saying that when a woman says no she really means yes. Well I have a newsflash for those who believe that. When I say sternly “do not touch me” but it does not register the first time, when I say it again I’ll be pissed off and if the third time I have to repeat myself, somebody gonna be running and it ain’t gonna be me.

I’m simply saying guys think before you speak, gain some class, learn etiquette and to the ladies, there is no need to go with the flow or follow the crowd, have some self-respect. Men cannot take advantage of you unless you allow them to. We might be the weaker sex, not as physically strong as men and we may not win all the battles, but if we learn to care about who we are and see merit within ourselves, men who understand value will appreciate us more and men in general that come within our presence, will respect us.

Time to Say Goodbye – Sarah Brightman & Andrea Bocelli

When I'm alone
I dream on the horizon
And words fail;
Yes, I know there is no light
In a room
Where the sun is not there
If you are not with me.
At the windows
Show everyone my heart
Which you set alight;
Enclose within me
The light you
Encountered on the street.

Time to say goodbye,
To countries I never
Saw and shared with you,
Now, yes, I shall experience them,
I'll go with you
On ships across seas
Which, I know,
No, no, exist no longer;
With you I shall experience them.

When you are far away
I dream on the horizon
And words fail,
And yes, I know
That you are with me;
You, my moon, are here with me,
My sun, you are here with me.
With me, with me, with me,

Time to say goodbye,
To countries I never
Saw and shared with you,
Now, yes, I shall experience them,
I'll go with you
On ships across seas
Which, I know,
No, no, exist no longer;
With you I shall re-experience them.
I'll go with you
On ships across seas
Which, I know,
No, no, exist no longer;
With you I shall re-experience them.
I'll go with you,
I with you.

Sticking Pins II

It’s getting crazy at work. Everyone seems to be annoyed with everyone else and in all honesty, I’ve been laughing at the madness all day. Believe me, we are feeling the pinch and it’s just beginning. I told my co-workers weeks ago what to expect so we’ve been geared up for it more or less, but for some reason I feel this Xmas will be tougher than previous years.

If you wish to meet a group of people who seriously do not look forward to the Xmas season, yeah that’ll be us. Did you notice I said Xmas instead of Christmas, umm hmm, XXXXXX, that’s because we want it over a.s.a.p. Sounds dismal I know, but we’ll get through it once we don’t kill each other first.

To top off the craziness, I misplaced my calculator while packing up this afternoon and began a mini episode of, ‘Bridget Gone Mad’ trying to figure out who the hell would steal a 17+ year old calculator, to then discover I placed it in my desk draw. It has sentimental value ok. It was given to me Dec 1993, so it means something and I always take care of the things which I love.

In any case, I am home now and comfortable, until tomorrow for another dose of the ‘Mad House’ in the workplace.

Our True Identity - President Dieter Uchtdorf

Sticking Pins

I’m so irritable, I hate when I’m moody topped off with tiredness. I’ve been snapping at my co-workers and friends all day, it’s a good thing they know me well enough. They don’t even bother with my moodiness and would still harass me. Oh they’ll ask, “Bridget what’s wrong, who upset you, you had a bad weekend?” And those questions just add to it. Can’t I just be moody because I’m moody? Must it be linked to a situation? Of course not, I’m just moody. I’m allowed to be moody right? Yes I am. And by the way I had a perfectly fine weekend.

Ever notice it’s the little things that get to you most? After running around all day, I get upstairs to the office minutes to four, and my black ink pen decides to stop writing. You know, like it just had a mind of its own to annoy me. So I’m sitting there looking at a blue ink pen dreading that I have to use it, picked it up and began to write and in my mind I’m saying, “I can’t deal with this, I have documents I need to finish in black ink.”

Better believe I’m praying for a miracle yet again, because I seriously thought that was my last black ink pen. My co-workers are always taking my pens, so I tend to hide them as best I can in my draw. There I am digging away and Hallelujah!!! I found a black ink pen. That reminds me I need to order stationery.

Don’t ask me why I’m obsessed with black ink. I love writing in black ink, I just love black, period! It has always been and will always be an elegant colour far as I am concerned and because of that, at some point I must wear all black, which I do every Friday for work. Look, it’s my tradition which I’ve done for years and I will keep it alive. Black is beautiful.

You know what I could do with right now? Pitch black and utter silence. Ha! Not going to happen. Instead I’ll just unwind by watching a movie. See Ya!

Believe in Your Dreams – You’re Unstoppable

Day by Day

After a backbreaking week at work, I am so thankful for the weekend. Though I have some serious rearranging to do, it’s October and it’s time to start my studies. I’ll be kicking myself in the bott if I put this thing off for another year, honestly I have no idea how I’m going to do this but I need to.

They say education is the key to success, I just hope I don’t break mine trying to unlock the door. God help me because I’ll really need a miracle, studying for a degree on my own will not be a walk in the park, but I know where I want to be and I’m going for it. I did not endure all that B.S. throughout the years to give up now.

Sometimes I wonder if I made the correct career choice going into business. In my younger life I wanted to be a mechanic, yeah I know imagine me as a mechanic right? I get annoyed when I chip a nail. Mom knew I had a brain so she suggested I do something that requires me to use it, so I chose business. Yah!

I enjoy dabbing into other careers occasionally. Writing, theology, psychology and computers, in that case it ain’t all bad. I guess I’m just naturally multi-talented, you know I got skills. I have a massive smile on my face when I say that. Well enough of me being full of myself, those are the other professions I’m really into, but I can’t do everything so they are just hobbies, for now. You could never know though, always expect the unexpected. I do love what I do, when I do it.

That reminds me of this song, Time of our Lives, ‘it’s hard to walk away from the best of days,’ ‘now the page is turned, the stories we will write.’ For real! I have a few in mind.

Journeys of Love & Friendship

Robert Smith - Your Esteeming Self

Reading the Weather

The sky will not be clear and blue everyday, so if it’s dismal, cloudy and pouring rain, bathe in it. Hopefully you won’t be struck by a lightning bolt but it’s still enjoyable, well for me anyway, I love to walk in the rain.

In any case, with my mindset to have a wonderful day despite the pain, today was cool. I was determined to kick any hiccups to the curb and you know what? There were none, which was absolutely spectacular. Tomorrow is another day however, each day has its own moods but I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Tonight, I’m watching a movie and taking it easy.

Contemplation

Ever wonder why feelings are so confusing? You find that you are doing or saying the strangest things with no idea why and then you ask yourself, ‘what am I doing?’ When you think about it though, you just can’t help it.

It’s like wanting something, but it’s not something you are accustomed to or would even think about wanting. Yet, you are drawn to it and no matter how much you try to ignore the feeling, it’s pulling you in. Normally it would not matter, similar things you’ll think ‘woo this is cool’ and that’s it, you won’t be bothered after that.

You know realistically this particular thing is out of reach but it’s on your mind like an obsession. You just want it to the point where it becomes a need and you begin to miss that it’s not there. You can safely say it has gotten into your bloodstream and there is nothing you can do about it.

Maybe it’s meant to happen, to bring some good into your life to change the way you do things, other than that, it would just be torture adoring something you know you cannot have.

Take a Moment - Moment of Peace

Tolerance

It’s Eid-ul-Fitr and a public holiday. Fortunately our citizens, of Trinidad and Tobago which is a multi-religious and multi-racial society, are able to accept our diversity considering that we are two small islands.

In my mind there are four issues that can lead to extreme violence and death which are race, religion, politics and property ownership. Growing up I’ve always been glad that I cannot be classed in one race over the other since I am of mixed descent, giving me the option to just blend in.

It’s really terrible that one person’s view can clash with another resulting in something horrific, this is life though and it will happen. There will always be people who think it is their right to impose their beliefs, demanding that others believe as they do, or else.

In terms of religion, I prefer the Christian way for which I have my reasons. I believe however that no one has the right to force anyone to believe as they do in anything. Why? You may ask. God has given us freedom of choice. Of course we will all have to account for what we do in this life as some point in time, so I’ll always say choose wisely but the freedom is there.

We may forget at times that in religion there are different branches of the same, that is, there are different sections of Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and so on. Each section has different views, practices and behaviours, some more fanatical than others. Unfortunately, when one section decides to do something dramatic, everyone associated with that religion is blamed.

I will always say that in anything, do not start a war that you cannot finish as the end result may not be what is expected, and may in turn bring you sorrow for a long time to come. Believe it or not, war at times is necessary when you need to defend your territory but when it can be avoided, do. Sometimes it is better to walk away so you can live to fight another day.

Don't Quit

What is the Value?

I’ve been surrounded by a tug of war for a while now. A relationship spat which should have ended on better terms but just can’t since it was built upon materialism. I decided a long time ago that I won’t take sides which I made known, simply because I understand it from both points of view and I respect them both.

Even though I always talk about this, I really pondered on it today. Sometimes we envy people for their success, lifestyle and more or less what they own because we wish we could have it. The thing is, from a public view they seem happy and on top of the world, but behind closed doors we don’t know what they are going through.

When we think the grass is greener on the other side, it isn’t. Wealth can buy an image, it can buy things, it can buy friends, but it cannot buy happiness or a meaningful life for that comes from within. It is heartbreaking to listen to the stories of mental anguish that they inflict upon each other, and I am honestly worried about the outcome that could bring.

Work hard to accomplish whatever you desire in life but remember that money is only for comfort not for love. Even if you can’t make it to a certain level financially be content with your blessings. A lot of the world’s problems can be solved if we learn to care about people instead of accruing things.

Timeline

I’ve been thinking a lot about people and chances. I believe everything happens for a reason, if something happens to me twice it’s not a coincidence so I need to pay attention, and if an opportunity is out of reach I must create one.

I’ve come across some wonderful people in my life and some not so wonderful, but every experience I’ve had dealing with both sides made me who I am. When I think of my family, the culture I live in, my struggles past and present, my friends and those who decided to make themselves my enemy, I’m different and I like it.

I appreciate many things, not so much the material stuff because they are superficial but more my life and my ability to think and feel, because for me the real treasure of being a human being is my beating heart. I’m alive, for every beat I have a chance to do something, be somewhere and touch someone. That is what matters to me.

When we happen to meet someone we admire or come across something we really like, our first reaction may be to question it. Why couldn’t this happen to me sooner? Why couldn’t things be different? Or why is it so far away? I think though the timing is just right, maybe it’s a little different than I might have hoped but it’s still great, and despite the circumstances anything is possible.

The best part of this twisted world is discovering the hidden beauty. I cannot be physically everywhere nor can I do everything literally, but one thing is for sure, I am not limited to the here and now.

Lots of Hugs – Let’s Spread Some Love

Anthony Robbins - Change of Focus

Another Lazy Sunday

I’m enjoying a warm cup of cocoa. I don’t drink coffee but I’ll sure eat it. That’s right, I’ll chow down on a nice coffee cake, coffee ice cream and so on and so on and so on. I have a lot of stuff floating around in my mind today. What should I write for my other blogs? What movie I’ve seen before should I watch again? Should I watch TV instead? Yeah some kids’ thing, I haven’t seen any good cartoons lately. Hey don’t be like that; I’m a kid at heart.

Decisions…decisions…decisions…humm.

Then again, look at this guy below, he seems to have the right plan in motion, I should rethink my options. Oh heck! I’m thinking too much.

The Unwritten Law of Attraction

I understand that guys are enticed by what they see, honestly that’s perfectly fine because that’s just in their nature, but this is the problem. What makes some guys think it is ok to shout derogatory remarks at a woman? I’m walking to work, minding my own business, but there is always a barbarian whose first sentence is based upon sexuality. Now I’m stating it nicely but it’s far from.

I’m sure it’s not only a Caribbean thing so each culture will vary on how it’s done, but at the end of the day this is what it boils down to, disrespectfulness. In their mind it’s always how we dress, really? I’m dressed for work, properly covered so that’s definitely not it.

“Family you look like you could……” Sexy I could do……” “Sweetness I want to……can I……?” Use your imagination to fill in the blanks.

For the life of me, I can’t figure out how a ‘good morning’ gets turned into a sexual slur, then they wonder why I don’t answer, come on! Here is a perfect example and I still can’t get over this since it happened months ago. A guy who looks absolutely scruff as though he rolled off a dirt track before leaving home is following me, “family good morning” being polite I replied, “morning” “So you does watch xXXX?” I was so disgusted by that I responded in a stern voice, “Are you in your right mind?” Obviously he was not! Anyway I chased him off so he apologized. My friends could not contain themselves when I related the story, they found it hilarious.

Another incident this Wednesday, two guys decided to carry on a conversation which was down right stupid as I passed by on my way home. One guy thought I was perfectly sexy and the other thought I was not meaty enough. After their short and loud debate, the guy who found me ‘just right’ expected me to respond to his call out “sexy!” What am I supposed to do, turn around all giggly and blushing, offering my number? Seriously???

This is what I have to deal with every single day.

I think society has gotten so watered down that we’ve lost charm and etiquette. Why is it so difficult for some men to approach a lady with manners? Where are the gentlemen? You know some women are to blame because they are willing to tolerate this. Any lady who uses her brain to think will not be impressed by thoughtless and crude remarks. I think we can do better than that. At least I can do better.

Daniel Beaty "Knock Knock"