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
I cannot believe 2007 has ended already.
May 2008 be all that you want it to be. And please......DREAM BIG! Life is not a dress rehearsal. Challenge yourself to try new things, think new thoughts, all to be a vibrant, well rounded person.
Good luck to you in achieving your goals in 2008. Mine, of course, will include weight loss!
Apart from running around the streets of Kingston today, and passing by Devon House with whole heap of police because apparently a flower vendor had been shot, I went to the hair dresser today. This is the only person in Jamaica who cuts my hair when it is relaxed. I have written about her before.
Anyway, after she was done, this is what the hair looked like...Pardon the photos as the girls didn't know how to use the digital camera but they did a good enough job I think. Take a look....
Sorry, you're too late!
It's all about me today. Happy birfday to me, happy birfday to me....
So I will get telephone calls, emails, got some visits already yesterday. But I like birthdays. It's the one day you are allowed to be self absorbing and show that you are in love with yourself.
I am happier this year with how my body looks too. Must be all that dancing recently. All things are coming together nicely!
Normally there would be a lot of hype in my posts as it is 7 days before my birthday. But being in Jamaica, there are just too many things to get done.
If only there was exercise class only to go to, then I'd be able to watch Days of Our Lives and Oprah everyday. But there have been, and will be...
1. Function at Kings House Monday to see the mother get her national honour (an OD). I don't think I had mentioned it here. She was in the Observer this morning too.
2. Exercise class
3. Bank lines (1 hour in NCB Liguanea today, 40 mins in BNS Liguanea and 30 mins in RBTT drive through line). There must be an easier way. Oh, 5 minutes in JMMB. No cash transactions allowed therefore faster service and I had called in ahead to request some money.
4. Supermarket trip Wednesday to get some supplies for my birthday fete on Saturday.
5. Trips to the host venue (my brother's house up on a hill with a great view and cool winds....perfect for dancing the night away)
6. Picking up of niece and nephew at some point.
7. Other social functions.
8. Trip to the soft drink place, ditto for Saturday.
9. I'm supposed to be doing some work which I carried with me from Grenada but I don't see how!
10. Visit to the Opthalmologist next Monday. Will do the liquid in your eyes that make you can't see for a while. Dialation I believe it is called.
11. Visit of the lady to shampoo the dogs and trim their nails etc. I'm the official dog holder so it gets done when I come.
12. Shopping trip to find a top to wear on Saturday. Yuck. I dont like clothes shopping.
12. Shopping to get food stuff like tin ackee, bun etc to carry back to Grenada.
So you see, you won't see me so often on this blog in the next few days. Will pop in when I can.
Oh, I getting more used to the nails. But at the first opportunity when I get back, I will be soaking them off!
21 Days to go.
Lots of pounds to go. Ah think it was 92.4 kilos on the scale today....ah think that is the pre-M thing, but ah not fretting.
However ah be on the 22nd, will be fine. I'm just a little disappointed that I didn't have it in me to eat a lot less and exercise a lot more.
I guess is only on this blog I will hear those words since I not getting married!
Anyway, today marks the third anniversary since I started blogging in an office in one of the Aliens' hotels in downtown Port of Spain.....This blog courtesy of Ryan from CaribbeanCricket.com.
What a ride!
You know I like these things. I'm a 9.
Take the test and lemme know your number
Here are some pictures, but before you look at them, please scroll down the page and start to read from where you last read. (That's an order)
Pretty costumes. The labour that must go into making these.....wow!
A painted body. Wonder what lies underneath?
What a nice horsey. Horses were used to keep the crowds at bay. They kept bending their back legs so I called the officer's attention to it, thinking that the horse was about to collapse. The explanation was that that is how they relax their muscles.
Oh oh....I wonder if the horsey will end up in a stew later on?????????????
Drunk and passed out, three Jamaican angels came to this Guyanese fella's rescue.
When I lose all the weight I want to lose, this is what my figure will look like. Heh heh.
This is where I will be starting from. Me, as a 'hangers on' in the Tribe band.
While in Trinidad, saw some of my former classmates from UWI Nassau. One was down from London and the other two are in Trinidad.
I have seen London girl the most over the years, and then Trinidad girl 1 next. In fact, it was with her that I did Carnival last in 1991. Also did Carnival with her in 1990 and had a great time both times.
Trinidad girl 2 I haven't seen since 1988 or 1989, so that was great.
We bus' some big laugh in Ruby Tuesday, everybody must have wondered what we were talking about, and then must have said to their waiter "I'll have whatever they are having"
We had a celebration of the rebirth of the hotel this evening. It was another fireworks affair, very beautifully done. But I am focussing on the wonderful flowers that were on display all around the hotel. Grenada is well known for its flowers, winning Gold at the Chelsea Flower Show in London every year.
Enjoy! I know Sunshine especially will appreciate these...
In 2003, I got a red and black flared long skirt made while I was working in Trinidad. I wore it that year Christmas Day to a family get together in Jamaica. I think I might have worn it once after that. Tonight when I put it on, the waist was swimming around me, twisting all over the place.
Big Smile!
A friend of mine here invited me to lunch today at her parents' house. Her mother had two sisters and their friends or relatives over as well, since they were on a cruise which called at St George's today. They are 50+ and 60+ women (and one male), who were riotous! Kept me in stiches all afternoon.
Food was splendiferous. My vegetarian diet was observed even though there was chicken and ham and real Guyana pepperpot which I would have dived into prior to 28th August. The callaloo was divine. Probably the best I have tasted in Grenada.
Lunch was from 1:15, and I got back to where I am staying (am back up the hill) around 5pm. I had a glass of white wine, which knocked me out. Slept for an hour from 5:30, then got ready and came to work at 8pm.
A great day, but it still doesn't feel like Christmas Day.
A spicy Christmas to you all, from the beautiful, peaceful island of Grenada
For the fifth time in my life, I am celebrating Christmas in lovely Grenada. I have to say, without the hustle and bustle of the traffic on the roads in Kingston , I am not feeling the Christmas spirit at all. And I don't think I will feel it. Maybe if I had gone into St George's I would get the vibes.
I am going to a friend's house for lunch tomorrow, then working in the evening.
Maybe when the fireworks explode on New Years Eve (which they call Ole Years here), I will feel like the year is really coming to an end......
....and then my 40th year really starts in earnest!!!
Merry Christmas, a blessed Christmas and prosperous 2006 to all who pass this way.
I think I prefer being away from Jamaica for my birthday, generally speaking. I'm able to do anything I want to do. However, this birthday last Saturday was spent well, so it wasn't the usual 'ho hum' kind of birthday that one could have had.
As you know, my friend 'Galliwasp' tied the knot on Saturday. That was a 10 am affair and by the time we got done with the reception, it was about 3:00pm. Came home, relaxed and then went by her parents' house where the newlyweds had invited people to.
What that did was allow people who could not come for the morning part, to share with the couple in the evening. Also, because weddings are expensive ventures, not everybody could be invited to the morning session, so they had an opportunity to be with the couple on their special day....(and my special day too!).
Great idea, don't ya think?
You know, my brother was commenting the other day at the other wedding we went to, how cynical he is of weddings, having seen many marriages go off track and all vows go through the window after a short time. Me too. I look at a couple interacting and I form my opinion about the future health of their relationship.
I haven't been wrong too often. I have a good feeling about this one.
When you get to my age (ha!) you have to spread out the celebration, so it continued into Sunday and the family went to brunch at a hotel called the Terra Nova. Mucho mucho food (Camp....help me out, ah fuhget what food is in Spanish....alimiento?). There were all types of salad, including a nice seafood salad, a lot of meat like lamb and pork and curry chicken, and plenty plenty more (I walked on by), breakfast type stuff like ackee & saltfish, callaloo, dumplings and bammy, plus cheeses, smoked seafood, breads, desserts and fruit.
The service was moderate. Our main waiter Hewen was quite interactive and not stiff, so that was pleasant enough.
The one draw back was this. The Terra Nova is an old style hotel. Previously, brunch was served on the verandah so you had that nice country house feel to it. They've since moved it into a square room, which is a kind of air conditioned tent. The tent is not the problem. The problem is that you're in a great hall kind of place, like a banquet hall, and so it is not intimate. And anybody who there with si-maddy them not supposed to be with....well, there is no hiding place. The room is too open.
There were also people there dressed to the nines, while others were in denim shorts. They should have a standardized dress code, evern if it is 'no shorts allowed'. Jamaica's culture is such that shorts is not fashionable wear, no care if is Oscar de la Renta or Versace.
The rounding out of the birthday weekend was a solo flight to see flightplan.
Compared to the last two years, this year's birthday (which is Saturday by the way in case y'all fuhget) is going to be very low keyed and not totally self centred.
I mentioned a few weeks ago that my good friend Galliwasp chose my birthday to get married. Ok....so it was just a coincidence, but it means that I will never forget her anniversary and hopefully she'll never forget my birthday! So that is at 10:00am tomorrow. Then in the evening, she is having a drink up at her house for her after-wedding bash, so will be going to that.
It therefore means that my birthday celebration will be on Sunday morning, with the family going to brunch at Terra Nova. Much has been written about the brunch in recent times, so we're going to test it out and see.
Not sure if I will be able to get in the gym class at 2:30. The last morning wedding I went to was supposed to have started at 9am and I thought I had lots of time to get to the class at 2:30. However, it started about 9:30, and I ended up getting to the class at 3:15pm. The class goes until a bit after 4 so I still got in a fair bit of exercise. I went and told the teacher today that I may not come because of the wedding, and also threw in the fact that it was my birthday. She asked me how old I was and I told her I'd be 39. She's 41.
I'll tell you a story about age in the next post.....
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.