The next decade....what's in store?
Musings of a yamfooted traveller still trying to shake off those last 20 pounds as she treks across the Caribbean
Sunday coming I jumping pon a BWIA plane
Destination is Antigua
Then on Tuesday I jumping pon anodder plane
This time to Bimshire
In two two's I will be back on The Rock
To see what mischief has been created while I am gone
(or to see if we have relinquished our hold on the top spot in murder capitals of theh world)
Back on the 11th, by which time it will be only 11 days left for my birthday.
Not sure about internet connectivity so oonu dont expect no post from me after Sunday.
Oh. Mission: Cricket.
Read about Francis Wade's blog in Sandor Panton's weekly article.
Francis is a friend of the Princess, and he recently moved back to The Rock after being away since 1984.
Different subject this time. Not about Hollywood marriages tonight.
I was thinking tonight how come it is so easy for me to give up something I absolutely love - meat - and how difficult it is for me to make other food choices that I know are good for me.
Probably it's the thought of smaller fibroids (TMI???) that keeps me going. So is it that I don't want to be slim why I ate that plantain tart and two slices of lychee cake the other night (until I felt ill, really).
I just don't get it. And I do so well during the day then let it all go in the night. Today wasn't such a bad eating day or night though.
For breakfast, I had two slices of rye bread, two slices of veggie cheese (feta flava) and a glass of diluted fruit juice (really diluted...tastes almost like water) with Metamucil (fibre). Later I had some cashew nuts and a banana. Then at about 3pm I had curry veggie mince, one and a half fingers of boiled banana, 1/2 sweet potato, steamed callaloo with saltfish and string beans.
At about 6pm I had an orange, and at about 7:30 I had no-fat unsweetened yoguhurt with canteloupe, an apple, a pear and few grapes, along with a handful of raw cashew nuts. And I'm not going to have anything else for the night.
The lychee cake probably stale by now anyway. But then a few days ago, there was the bun. Have you ever tasted Sterling Bun? Well please don't because you can't stop at one slice. Well at least I can't.
I just don't get it! I was a serious carnivore. Used to take two servings of meat. I have given up that since 28th August. Just about a month. So what the dickance is wrong with me???????????????????????????????
I need a food shrink. I need to be on the Biggest Loser. I need a man! Anything! Something!
On a Friday night, I frequently find myself listening to Dancehall Splurt, a show on one of BBC's radio stations.
They have a dancehall chart as you can see, and I found the show by googling for the song "Tuck in Yuh Belly" which implores young childless girls to go the gym. You can see how I relate to that!
There are other songs on there as well, so it keeps me in touch with what is out there.
If you want to listen to the Thursday show (that's when they do the dancehall chart), then on the left pane, select 'Dancehall' and you will see the shows come up, then click 'Listen to this show' and listen away.
(If you have to ask "who is Terri Karelle?" then I know you haven't been reading my blog, or don't live in Jamaica)
Since I've had the blog (August 2003) I do a birthday countdown. I like to start it one month before. That would have been the 22 September, but I forgot.
I didn't forget my birthday mind you. I loooooooove birthdays and would celebrate one every month, just as long as it wouldnt bring on the grey hairs any faster! In fact, Dr D had promised to give me his, but I see he celebrated it this year. No fair Doc!
The thing is....I have no clue which country I will be in! Lemme see if I can remember birthdays spent outside of Jamaica.
1992 Leeds, England, The Queen's Hotel
1997 - 2000 Grenada, The hotel
2001 - Guildford, England, University of Surrey
2002 - Nottingham, England, University of Nottingham
2003 - Grenada, Water's Edge Restaurant at Belair Plantation
2004 - Guyana, cricket match Jamaica vs Barbados at Ifluct (not spelt like that!)
This year, if things go well professionally, I will be in Bimshire. If they don't, I will be in Jamaica at Galliwasp's wedding, but that is in the morning so would have to find something to do in the evening.
My life is so uncertain. But it keeps me guessing, which in turn keeps me focussed on the present.
So peeps, let the countdown to Saturday 22 October begin, when I will be further off the calendar.
Campfyah asked about it, so I've checked the CARICOM website, and here is the explanation.
Basically graduates of a recognized university are exempt from work permits and a permit of stay.
FREE TO ROAM......FREE TO ROAM......FREE TO ROAM.....
Applied for my Certificate of Recognition of Caribbean Community SKills a few weeks ago. Went and collected it yesterday.
The Caribbean Community (Free Movement of Skilled Persons) Act, 1997 has certain requirements for you to be recognized as a skilled person. One of them is you had to attend the University of the West Indies, or University of Guyana and I guess some more regional universities have been added. I'm not sure if they have now included Caricom Nationals who went to university abroad.
Part of it says
I Horace W Dalley, the Minister, in exercise of the power conferred upon me by the said Act, hereby grant to the said Yamfoot this Certificate of Recognition of Caribbean Community Skills.
I remember when the announcement was first made in 1995, of the intent to enact this piece of legislation. A green light went off in my head, for I had always seen myself as a roamer from ever since. Then I went to Grenada on holiday that same year, and decided that was where I was going to roam to. Two years later it happened, and it was one of the best things I ever did.
So more roaming going to go on. Not that I haven't been roaming since 1997, but now, it's official!
Yesterday and today were mirror images of each other.
Started out sunny and bright, and then by early afternoon the unmistaken rumbles of thunder could be heard.
Of course, before the thunder came lightening...you know, the kind that you see in cartoons. I'm surprised that I didn't hear of any deaths with people being struck by lightening. Except today, I understand that lightening set a house on fire and some kids died.
Anyway, accompanying the lightening was heavy, heavy rain. Water was everywhere on the road. I took some pictures. Nuff people got with yesterday....one courtesy of moi (I was mortified because I have been splashed too and it nuh nice!)
WET KINGSTON
I'm talking about marriage. And maybe I know exactly why I not getting married. Or my conditions for getting married are so stringent that no one, or no situation would ever satisfy them.
Renee the actress just got married. Not even six months have passed. Now they have filed for annulment.
Was sharing out dinner for my niece today and I took up a container that had what looked like mince in there. It looked delicious. There was chicken there too and I know she would have preferred that, so I shared that out for her.
I thought about the mince and said to myself "maybe I should just go back to eating meat cause I not losing no weight". At the same time, the lady who had cooked it said "that's the Veggie Mince you had bought".
She must have been reading my mind. I was so happy to have had some hot protein. I was thinking about tin salmon as the protein source.
So gotta buy more of that veggie mince. I had put it in the cupboard and kept procrastinating. She used her initiative and did it. Boy was I grateful. I told her so.
I've just come from feeding the mutts. Look at the time. Normally, they are fed by 10am or so. Sometimes earlier.
Well, I didn't hear any barking as the thunder clapped and the lightning struck ferociously. Maybe, like me, the dogs were too scared to even whimper!
I had to wait until the thunder and lightning finished, plus the rain, before I could go look after them.
Wonder if they thought I had gone out without feeding and cleaning them up? No. They know I would not do such a thing. Me love dogs too much.
Isn't that great? I've had no meat or poultry since I succumbed that night on 27 August at my father's birthday gathering.
I decided to go meat/poultry less becase I wanted to see if it would make a difference to weight loss. Then I read that Doctor (the green cum one!) advising a woman to cut out animal protein to get relief from fibroids and I said "I never eating animal protein again".
To have fibroids is not a nice thing. If I am invited out, I have to calculate if the event will fall during that 'time of the month', and if it does, on what day of the cycle. Day 2 is definitely out. It's debilitating sometimes.
On the last training project, I had to go on the pill just so I could miss a cycle because I couldn't be leaving the training room every hour or so!
Yes, they say having a kid helps, but there is no guarantee. Just like surgery. So lemme try dietary changes and see how that goes.
I'll let ya know (that is, if you don't think this has been Too Much Information!)
I gotta tell you....I doan know where dem dreams come from.
I dreamt last night, that I read that Nick and Britney were breaking up. Now of course you know that Nick is married to Jessica, so I don't know how the dream had Britney as his wife.
Anyway, the journalist in me decided to seek out the story from the horses' mouth and so I went up to their hotel room. Saw Britney/Jessica first (they kinda look alike anyway) and she started to tell me the story.
She said she fell madly in love with David Copperfield (the magician), but they didn't do anything, and then she and Nick committed to their marriage again.
We moved into the bedroom, where Nick had fallen asleep, then when he heard us talking, he woke up. Typical man, he start acting all business like and want to know how much I selling the story for.
True to form, I tell him I not interested in money, and that the newspaper/tabloid might pay me US$500 for it, which would be fine. Him was making a sound like him woulda charge me money for the interview! Rapacious capitalist.
Anyway, next thing, the dream ended. Just so. So had no idea what the final story looked like, or how it was received in the public domain.
I know....I know.....far fetched init?
St George's College now has g i r l s.
How you wish you were there now! Some of the girls interviewed said they were nervous, because they were coming from an all girls school. One of the boys said "I think it's great. Now the girls can teach us what we don't know about girls!"
Don't worry, Dr Kennedy and the Jesuits will be keeping a close eye on you young people!
(Oh, is just in sixth form)
The new manager of Cable & Wireless and his wife. Why is her hand there?
I was just Googling something and came up on the transcript of a chat that Dr Anthony Vendryes hosted way back in 2002.
For non Jamaicans, Dr Vendryes is a medical doctor, but he is very much into non-traditional medicine. He's what I would call a naturalist. He promotes a vegetarian diet, swears by soy, supplements and herbs.
He also married a woman who was probably 20 years older than he....that set the tongues wagging I tell you. He operates out of Montego Bay.
If you want a laught, please, read the transcript. It's very short. And you must read to the bottom.
Har har.
Had to go to the Pegasus today and was talking to a friend who has natural hair, so we were talking about it being in a bun etc etc. I asked her if she had watched Miss Jamaica last night and she said yes, and then said she had to tell Miss Griffith that she had validated her (my friend's) bun.
She then mentioned that Miss Jamaica was around the corner by the cafe, so Miss Gladys aka Yamfoot went around and said "I was so pleased that you won. See? I told you", she said thanks very effervescently, and then I told her her hair looked lovely and that that's how I wanted mine to look but couldn't if natural so I had a texturizer in it.
She is very warm, held on to my hands and said "thanks". Extremely bubbly but not clawing. Just very natural. I can see her being a bit hit on all of the visits she does around the island.
Terri Karelle Griffith!
Well, well, well.
You all doubted Judge Yamfoot. But I know a pretty girl with personality when I see one. I told ya.
The applause for my pick was tumultous each time the emcees announced her as a sectional winner. Her stage presence was outstanding. Poise and grace was a feature of her movement as she glided down the aisle. According to the stats read, she had lost 8 pounds, and I am sure Mark and the other trainers will be working her hard in the gym until she departs.
Her question from the judges was what is the one quality that she wished people had and why. She chose "open-mindedness" because if you have that quality, it means that you are able to accept persons of all races, class etc etc. Yay!
So Miss Griffith wins a Mini Cooper, plus money, plus a trip to China in November to compete in the Miss World. I would be surprised if she did not come in the top ten. Her personality alone could take her there.
The top five was rounded out by....
2nd Place - Peta Gaye Walker (also won Miss Beach Beauty and Miss Sport Beauty)
3rd Place - Nalini Banhan (and also winner of the public vote)
4th Place - Ravn Rasheeda Rae
5th Place - Sharice Fernander
The top five was a good representation of who we are as a people, so I think everybody would be happy with the choice.
Now let's hope Miss Griffith does not have any skeletons in her closet and that all goes well. Come to think of it, we've never had anything like that happen to our Miss Jamaica's, not like Vanessa Williams in the USA and others around the world.
Miss Griffith speaks Spanish and French so should be able to share the good things about Jamaica to many many contestants in China.
You go girl.....wid yuh natural hair and all!
After gym class (1 hour Pilates, 1/2 hour Reggae) and other stuff (13 mins Elliptical, 12 mins Bicycle) I was walking out and the spotted the Miss Jamaica girls in the aerobics room about to go through some routine. One of the gym trainers was near the exit and I asked him who he liked.
He said he hadn't really seen the line up and I showed him the add that had four girls including my pick. I pointed her out to him. He said yes, he liked her. I was saying how she spoke so naturally on the TVJ special last week and he agreed. Then he said "you want to meet her?". Ok.
He goes over to the aerobics room door, me in tow and beckons to her and says "somebody wants to meet you". Well is not really that. I wanted to see her up close sans make up and ask her if her hair was natural or texturized.
So she came up to the door and very bubbly said hi and I asked her if her hair was natural, and she proudly said yes and showed me. It's very curly like she has Indian in her a couple of generations back. I then did the 'fan' thing and told her she was my pick and that I had voted for her.
I wish I coulda tell har see all mi blog readers vote fi har too....but oonu let me dung badly man. Still, oonu have a chance.
Then I told her good luck. The show is on Sunday. I can't afford to go but if I could, I would go. Hopefully it will be on TV.
She's already in the top 10 because she won the talent competition. Here is the story about it. Look at her.....isn't she just radiant? I really hope she wins. (She is the one in the middle).
Yamfoot's Pick.....
Just in case you didn't notice my weight tracker at the top of the page, I thought I'd put it here for you to notice that just for today, I can smile....
This weight thing is too strange. Two days ago when I stepped on the scale it was 216 mash. Tonight 212.4.
So I went to Uncle Fred and asked him if the scale correct. He says he doesn't think it has ever been checked! Is one of them digital ones. So I figured it definitelly is wrong.
On the way home, I stopped at Liguanea Drug and Garden, where I had hopped on the scale a few days ago. Well, what do you know. 212 indeed.
So happy was I that I jogged to the supermarket afterwards, rather than walk.
And you know, it's funny. Just this evening before I went to the gym, I was thinking to myself that this vegetarian thing not working at all. (End of three weeks coming up). I was even considering going back to meat.
I don't know if that is what caused this weight loss, but I'll continue. But I bet you anything next week when oonu check the weight tracker it gone back up to 219!
Anyway, today I can smile.
Well, it's been an eventful two days.
On Wednesday morning, you'll recall that a mouse came into the room and that after it popped out of the toy box I knew not where it went. Well later that night, I found out soon enough!
While preparing to go to sleep, I heard a biting sound which I thought was coming from under a chest-of-drawers. Then I saw the wood shavings which proved that to be wrong. The little mouse nuh was inna di closet, which was by now locked. Since it was locked and it couldn't squeeze under the door, it was trying to bite its way out.
Well, I was not going to have no mouse get away. So I barracaded (that look like it spell wrong) it in. All manner of things was used to block up all along the cupboard door. It went from one end, to the next. There is a light in the closet and the doors have slats so I saw one time it ran up onto one of the shelves. I even saw its tail come out of between the slats one time.
Needless to say, I had a sum total of about one hours sleep on Wednesday night. I couldn't wait for Thursday to come, because the guy who works with us is an expert rodent catcher. That was his first order of business on Thursday morning.
Sure enough, he came up with the goods. Never was I so happy to see a conked out rodent. Of course, I slept like a log last night and got up all bright eyed and bushy tailed....like the mouse's.
Now the only problem is, that was one down. How many more are there? We've set poison, so hopefully if there are more, they will eat it and die.
....TWO BIG BLACK HUNGRY CATS....
I'm a dog person, as you can read from my many entries. I don't particularly like cats because they sneaky and they come and rub up on you and I don't like that.
But what wouldn't I give to have two cats whose belly growling, to catch these mice that have invaded our home!
We don't normally have a vermin problem, so this is a bit unusual for us. The next door neighbour but one's house is empty, and was overgrown with tall, high bushes. He cut them about a month ago, and ever since then, we've noticed mice in the house.
I don't think they're rats, because they're very tiny the ones that we've seen. The glue trap managed to catch a little one. It also caught the two back legs of a larger one who used all its might to get detached from it.
One crawled under the room door this morning while I was sleeping (my niece saw it and told me) and I just finished searching the room for it. Sure enough, out it popped from a toy box.
Where did it go? No one knows. But I'm sure if I had two big black hungry cats, they would be able to find it.
We've called in an exterminator, so hopefully he can substitute for a black hungry cat.
After an hour long TVJ special tonight, on which the 15 girls vying to be Miss Jamaica were featured, my previous opinion of who looked good was confirmed tonight.
The special was filmed from the week they spent at Beaches Boschobel hotel, and from a fashion show they did at Sovereign Mall.
The girls each had to introduce themselves "Hi, I'm Yamfoot, and I wear the sash Miss TryingtobeSlimmer. As you can see, I like to eat, eat and eat. But I can assure you....it's only healthy stuff. I entered this competition to see if it will motivate me to lose weight at a faster rate than I'm losing it at...blah blah blah"
You get the general idea.
Well, Miss Griffith was the most free flowing person in terms of her 'speech'. She's a vet student in Cuba, and has completed four years, with one to go. She speaks Spanish (duh!) and French.
There is a public vote, and I'm trying to persuade you all to vote for her. See, I've even provided you with the link where you can go and vote for Miss Griffith.
Warning: Do not use my link to vote fuh no odder girl!!!!!!
The Walker girl is not bad as well.
But Miss Griffith has a very nice shape, though I think she could do with a 5 pound loss. No, make that 7.
Oh, she was the one in the entry linked at the beginning of this story who I couldnt remember her sash, but she wore the denim frayed edge swimsuit. Don't hold that against her please.
Ok, go and vote now.
Had a fainting episode to deal with at home today and it carried me back to Primary School (St George's Girls' School on Duke Street near Parliament).
We used to have all the girls gather for devotion in the boiling hot sun and invariably you'd see somebody's head....and then you didn't. The teachers would rush to the girl and put her to lie down on two or three chairs, wipe her down with bay rum or rubbing alcohol and give her smelling salts.
Later on in life I learnt that many kids, and indeed adults, do not eat anything at all before they leave home in the mornings! I know that each person is different, but the science tells me that when you been sleeping, and you get up, you haffi break the fast, and that is why it's called Breakfast.
I learnt that glucose is in the only fuel your brain can use for energy and so once you put something in your mouth that contains carbohydrates, you perk up once it's converted into sugar.
A little sugar and water did the trick today, followed by lots of fruit juice.
But for those people who don't eat breakfast, try have even a cup of tea/coffee/milo tea/horlicks tea/cerasee tea/ etc before oonu leave home nuh? A slice of bread with peanut butter or low fat cheese would be even better.
The excuse people give me is them can't keep down food so early in the morning. Can you imagine waking up from 6am, and the first meal you have is coffee break at 10????????
I'd not say a thing if ah heard oonu brain cussing oonu!
It's pulic knowledge that Jamaica has one of the highest murder rates per capita in the world.
There is an area called Maxfield Park where violence has once again erupted. A 50+ year older shopkeeper and her assistant was murdered on Friday, supposedly because they witnesses a double murder a few days ago.
The problem that police in Jamaica have, is that witnesses are always reluctanct to come forward because they are then targeted. This is a fact, not conjecture. I have said that if I ever saw a crime here, I would leave the island post-haste and not testify. Other people can be noble. Not me.
So here the police is commenting on this fact, and I just thought his quote was priceless...
The killings caused two women, a young girl and a man to hold hands, kneel and pray out loud.
"You make the arrest God. There is too much violence. Too much blood. Help us Jesus," a man prayed aloud at the murder scene yesterday.
"When the violence erupt they only pray but they won't tell the police anything. The only name they call is Jesus," one officer on the scene said.
Not mine. I don't think I am ever going to walk down the aisle.
But Galliwasp is! And on my birthday too!
Sad thing is, if things go according to plans, I won't be in Jamaica and won't be able to afford to fly back.
They better video tape it.
I love weddings. I'll more easily cry at weddings than funerals. I think it is a HUGE step for two people to decide that them naw go get tyad fi see each other's faces forever and ever Amen.
Amen to that sister and brother.
Maaaan, I find that having a credit card in my purse is a bad thing.
If I go into the supermarket to buy one thing, it turns out to be all three and four and five. And before you know it, I've spent in excess of J$1,000!
And is not like I earning any money. And that J$5,000 I spent on that useless course on Monday makes me well pissed.
So, out of the purse and into the drawer the credit card goes....I'm Miss Cash from now on.
You may have heard me use Belgian Chocolate to describe men and the weather. If not, read these...
I remember using it to describe particularly good weather days in England (those are rate), and a bus driver in Beeston Nottingham, who I really should have told what a fine specimen of a man he was. Tall, dark, slender but well built. Uhm uhm uhmmmmmmmmmmm
So as I ate the Belgian Chocolate in the sundae today, I thought "smooth as silk".
People, you've got to get yourself a Belgian Chocolate...something which symbolizes perfection.....almost.
In Jamaica, there are a new breed of reggae singers including Sizzla, Richie Spice, Fantanmojah, and one called Jah Cure.
I had heard about him but I can't tell you what song he sings but I'm sure it's some that I am familiar with.
Was reading the Sunday Gleaner on Monday night (sunday's news is of such that it does not get stale) and was shocked and horrified to read of how he raped a young woman at gunpoint a couple of years ago.
He is now in jail after being convicted and can you imagine that other entertainers have been offering the young lady money to help get him out of jail?? She says she has difficulty sleeping, difficulty having relationships with men, and these so called friends want her to take back her evidence and beg for the man who humiliated her?
Lowd steuppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppps. He should rot in jail and they should not feed him nor give him water.
I wonder how many people know about this and are still buying his records? How many dont and would be horrified that they are supporting a criminal? I going to look on my music on my computer and see if there are any of his songs and delete them for good.
I had the kids with me today, so decided to stop by the new Haagen Daz store in the new shopping centre in Barbican.
(Read this to see how I feel about this ice cream)
We were greeted at the door by Michelle who said "Hello, welcome to Haagen Daz". We mowzied up to the counter where a tall, very attractive young man named Michael asked if we would like to have samples of anything. No, I said. I'm a Haagen Daz expert, having been spoilt by the many experiences in Leicester Square, London.
I ordered four single scoops individually packaged, and a two scoop sundae. Guess who the sundae was for? (Tut, tut Yamfoot I hear you saying). I was disappointed to find out they did not have the strawberry topping that is standard for my HD sundaes, but I took another fruit - peach - instead.
At the cashier, the young miss tried her best to clarify my query which was that I thought two toppings were included in the price of the sundae. Short answer was no it was not. I provided my credit card and when I was finished signing, she handed me back my card and said "Thank you Miss Yamfoot, and hope you come again".
My response? "Oh we will definitely be back, even though I shouldn't be!?"
Cho man....you only live once!
