Seriously....how misguided can people be?

Life in Foreign can get QUITE incredible at times, when I try to think about what might have happened at home given the same circumstances. I mean, the things people try to do here for the sake of being forward-thinking. Imagine some place in San Francisco providing a facility, with clean syringes, and staffed with nurses, for drug addicts to go shoot up! All under the premise of supervision preventing deaths from overdoses! You know? If anything "goes wrong" there's nurses on hand. It's also meant to provide a clean environment to prevent spreading disease by needle-sharing.

Check out this article:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/16/BA78SQEG7.DTL


Umm... forgive me if I'm thinking too much ahead here but aren't drugs of that sort illegal? And isn't anyone thinking of using this funding (cuz this stuff certainly can't be free) for additional rehab/detox centers? Maybe I just can't wrap my little mind around this one... or maybe I shoulda waited to write this one, cool off and think. Maybe there are benefits. Maybe they do prevent OD's. Maybe they do get addicts to come in to detox after a while. Maybe, well no, I CAN see how it actually would prevent passing on diseases through dirty needles. But still, this is really the only avenue our great minds could have found to combat this problem?

C'mon now...

is there nothing better to spend money on?!?

Ok so its been two months since my last post and its been REALLY busy and at the same time alot of time wasting around here without the structure of school in my life any more. So I dont suppose this was the post I expected to mark my return to blogging but this is what happens when you end up wathcing history channel late at night:

Does anyone realise how much money is being spent on MARS EXPLORATION?!?!?! BILLIONS AND BILLIONS and may I say BILLIONS of dollars!! Now I don't mean to be cliche but there are still in fact starving people on THIS planet that maybe deserve some attention.

"well you know, there may be some water on there that may support life"
"in the future when we get there, we plan to make it more like earth by warming it up with greenhouse gases"
Yep thats what the man said: "we're doing it here right now!" go warm up Mars with carbon emmissions.


All the while I'm thinking all this money being spent on a fantasy, a theory, for the sake of curiosity! Following in the wake of Galileo, trying to touch the thing in the other end of the telescope. yeah sure its one of THE unique traits of human beings to be curious, but seriously! how we prioritise sometimes............

Reflections

This post has obviously been long in coming but it's one that i have been thinking about for quite some time. My perspective on things has inevitably changed soemwhat since graduation as I look back on my "life in foreign" and how i've developed as a person, my likes, dislikes, skill set, aspirations. Moving from Vermont to South Dakota (god bless those people) to Connecticut. Getting into coaching. The most striking thing for me is noticing how i have managed to let go of things that , previously, I would have felt set me back when compared to others; things I would have tried to keep to myself, or even those which i felt may reflect badly on my own character. I got here playing football and these revelations I must owe to football as well (coaching included). To think the girl who used to play football with the fellas in aranguez savannah went abroad to play on scholarship, completed her MBA, and is a decent coach on the side is a nice little story....

Reflecting on how how far I have come, places i've been to, people i have met, the wonderful friends i have made, I realise life is so much about what you make of yourself, your ability to keep moving forward, and to let go of hang-ups. People won't judge you for things you can't control, or for your past, or having a different background if you are positive, give your best, and show good character. I remember times back home when we were really scraping through at the end of the month; I would no longer be ashamed to share that. Here I am coaching kids who live in 6-bedroom houses with a couple acres of backyard and a pool, they care that i have developed myself in the field and am a good coach to them here now. It would be quite a change of environment and culture shock but I would love to bring some of my european friends on a visit so they could see where i grew up, on a street without a sidewalk and with cows at one end and the field where i learned to play at the other (especially after having visited some of them in their well-coiffed neighbourhoods hehehe)

I also realise that in my case I have been fortunate for people to get to know me in a vacuum so to speak, because people do judge you. No I wasnt about to write a blind, feel-good post. I've experienced the side glances some coloured folks still get, the impression people have about west indians being backward, about my accent, the education system, the annoying caribbean people and wannabe's who create a less-than-savoury stereotype. So anyways, the vacuum: I've had the chance to have people get to know me for me and what I was able to share with them about Trinidad, without too much negative influence. And the many people i've met who know another trinidadian have only had good things to say. I suppose we might be a rare species, us Trinis, I wont call names of other islands hehehe

So five weeks of summer coaching over with now and I cant wait for Fall season to start. I have people asking for advice about their game, about their playing future, I have kids who I coached in the past running up to me, happy to see me. Its the best feeling ever.

Here's to the next chapter!!

Till nex time...
(i'll try to get back to more regular posts now)

i'm not dead

...just realising that's the name of Pink's last album...
anyways, thanks to those people who have been checking in now and then, and to the couple of new visitors I have had. I do apologise for not having written in so long. Things have certainly NOT gone half as smoothly as they did last year when I worked at this same camp. Here I am into the fourth week and I only just got internet in my room. But thats the least of my problems. This morning I slept in last being told I had the morning off and my assistant would take care of things. Only for her to call me at 8:25 to say ummmm we're you told it's not this morning it's tomorrow morning you have off?
well fuck me. And thats kinda how its been since the first week. Just not run correctly for days in a row. Thank god last week and this week the kids have been great. Definitely going for a couple of drinks tonight!!

Back online!! woohoo!!

Vermont

What does Trinidad and Tobago and the state of Vermont have in common? The outsider's perception that everybody is smoking weed all the time. Isn't that great? Thanks alot Bob Marley. Other than that, I cant think of much more there is... it woodsy? Well its not quite the same look, plus that would be vermont in general, and only a few parts in Trinidad, maybe tobago would be a better comparison.

On the other hand there are MANY things which are immensely different:

1. FRESH air!! In case you didn't know, Ver-mont comes from french for green-mountain. When you go up there and everything is open and green, you KNOW and FEEL the air is fresh and clean. And not just away from the towns that its cleanER, but that its clean throughout. Meanwhile, as I said here, Trinidad is right up there with countries producing the most carbon emmissions. Lovely!!

2. Big dogs and Pick-ups. Everyone in VT has a big dog and a pick-up truck haha, no kidding. BUT these people actually need these things whereas trinidadians just playin de ass. Huge vehicles to show off, and big dogs? also to show off. steupssss....

3. Huge properties and wildlife. Who thought I would ever say that sighting deer would be an almost mundane occurence LOL Well!! The fox I saw bounding across my friends property with a crow cawing in the background, was quite exciting! All I needed to top off my visit up there was for the elusive moose to come meandering out of the woods, as I was told they do ever so often. You have to be real living in the bush to spot any such wildlife in trinidad (manicou etc don't count, lest I get into all the racoons and skunks I see right outside my building).

4. Surely I must mention driving at the speed limit. Of all the states I have been to, I don't think anyone sticks as close to the speed limit as they do in VT (highways not included) Kudos to them :-) In the meantime people exceed the speed limit just in getting out of the driveway in Trinidad, so stupid it makes you laugh.

5. The "hippie" culture. Self-proclaimed hippies. It's a different sort of laid back than in the Caribbean. Must be the weather. Difficult to describe... like wearing nice "home clothes" to go out...or sitting wherever on the street/in a park as long as it looks dry and it's sunny out. LOL I guess you have to know a Vermonter to know.

All in all it was a great few days I spent up there, DEFINITELY one of my favourite places to visit. I need to track which seasons/months I haven't been yet and plan a trip then.

Till nex time....

Hail!!

No not hail anything or anybody, the thing that falls from the sky hail. Supposedly there was a hail storm not too far from here yesterday. Did I see it? nope. Was hail forecast for here? Yes. There was spectacular lightening. There was wind. There was some rain. No hail. Again disappointment. I live too close to the sea, but thats only now. What about the other years before now? Can you believe I've never seen hail? And it's even funnier to think that people only a few miles away say "oh yeah it looked like it snowed yesterday!" I'm like "damn!!" Even small hail I think would fascinate me, not tiny like freezing rain, although I think technically freezing rain is a type of hail. And even THAT fascinats me anyways! lol Watch how it'll be my bad luck to experience a really bad hail storm the first time I actually do see it (shaking head). What a waste of time that year I lived in South Dakota....

i'm baaaacckk!

No I have not abandoned my blog, as someone so pointedly asked me. The problem has become my time/coaching schedule: it is weird being able to now sleep in (the mornings the dumpster doesnt wake me) and then coaching/playing in the afternoons and nights. That is just a recipe for laziness, when other people being productive, I home playin de ass, and when is time to relax in the evening I now heading out. Well you know who will never have a shift job.

What makes it worse is that since Memorial day weekend I have had to get up early on the weekends to go coach, this will include this weekend. This getting up early unfortunately spread to other days of the week. Thus I get up early, lie around trying to go back to sleep, and eventually get up horribly late. I tried telling myself its good practice for getting up early at camp, but really, I DON'T need to practice from all now :-S

On a good note, my u-11 girls team won their league! Moving up a division in the Fall! Guess who is a hero of a coach?? Yes yes they are all going to kiss my feet at the end-of-season party LOL It's been a great time with this team, I feel quite proud of them :-D A few are even coming to residential camp so that'll be fun, I've been threatening making them do chores for me anytime someone makes a smartass comment LOL They're great kids tho, such a good-natured and enthusiastic group. And the parents have been nothing but keen and appreciative.

Ok I'm going to try to be active now seeing as I managed to be up at a reasonable time today. Hopefully I will get some more inspiration soon, probably after my trip to Vermont next week :-)

Till nex time

so what happened to the bike?

*taken with permission from the blog of said friend

"....At night, when I came back, all that was left was the cut-open lock. My bike was stolen!!! I was too tired to get mad, but I just thought “blæææææææææææææææææææ” Frick-it! I figured I’d never see my bike again..

I went to the police and reported the crime (yes we do that here in Norway…). The police lady said I’d receive a letter in a couple of weeks that said that they’d left the case.. Oh well.. I checked with the insurance people and started moving on from my loss. Still cursing the stupid people who stole my ride…

BUUUUUUUUUUUUT!

Yesterday as I was walking to school I saw a man riding MY bike I’m BROKE and want my bike back, so I called out to the man (in a smiling, friendly tone)

“Hi! Excuse me?!”

- uhmmm, yes?

- I just wondered, where did you get that bike?

- Uhmmm…I borrowed it from a friend in Skien..

- Humm.. that’s weird..That is actually my bike… It was stolen last week..

- Oh.. woops..

- Can I have my bike back?

- …

To make the story short: He, an old “druggis”, gave me my bike back!!! ! I thanked him for his cooperation and he walked away.. expecting a few hits in the face from his “friend” in Skien!

I got my bike back!!! And! The best of the story: The thief had brushed off all the stickers (okay, that’s not cool) but he also brushed off the rust, tightened the loose breaks, putting on new “dirt-stoppers”, and putting “5-56” on the rusted nails and such!!!! LOL! MY win! "

See what I mean? I need to go live over there for a while!

falken sykkelregister

I've been meaing to do this since the scandinavian post as I was chatting with one of those friends and this came up:


Her: ....and took the bus home from [ ], just to discover that my bike was stolen!!!
Trini to de bone says:
your bike was stolen?!?!?!
people steal things over there?
her: yes
Trini to de bone says: damn
BUT
been lots of raids of East-Europeans having large trucks and just stealing every bike, so it must be one of them
so u mean u can get it back somehow?
I'll report it to the police
they left the lock, so I'll bring it as evidence
i'm sorry but this is hilarious!
u live in a country where u report a BICYCLE theft to the police
thats fucking AWESOME!!
and then each bike has a registration-number, so I'll report that and they'll look for it
a registration number!!!?
it gets better and better!!
the suck-part is, that I've been thinking about getting an extra insurance on my bike, but I postponded it until [we moved] so i wouldnt have to go through the address change

WHAT?!
of course we do
it's a theft
u MUST see my viewpoint on this?!
i guess....
but still
we put an whole lot of money in it, soo...
this is just amazing
you skiped that extra insurance part?
yeah i was laughing too much
you get a sticker on your bike and it will be registered in an official thingi..
a registar for bikes
no way!
heck yea!
this is killing me!
seriously: can I blog this one?

Can you imagine?! I couldn't stop laughing through this whole conversation LOL She have de lock as evidence! LMAO!!! I jes picturing myself goin in the police station in trinidad an tellin them my bike get tief LOL LOL LOL And the insurance!! She have insurance! I wanted to be a smartass and ask if it was collision insurance HAHA But i can understand how annoyed she must have been so i didnt push it.

I was so completely amused by the thought of such a system, I was thinking "MAN! I GOTS to go spend a whole year over there!" Another friend, when I asked her, said O yeah if you see a bike you dont touch it in case its evidence or something. Somehow I thought of getting on the trams via ANY open door and people going automatically to dip their farecards at the boxes throughout the tram. Its the idea of doing the right thing I htink...having such a different mindset... knowing that small things can have a ripple effect. And expecting quite rightly that good will come back to you if you do your part. Planning with confidence to report your stolen bicycle!

I just realised i never got an update on this... i hope she does get it back after i laughed so much!
Till nex time...

What's next?

Hello Hello!

It seems like now that I am OUT of school I have LESS time! hehe, nah its just more sleeping, more taking it easy, more doing things on my own time. But I must apologise for not including blogging in the "things on my own time". I even got ideas for topics but havent gotten around to sitting here and writing.

Since graduation, the inquiring masses want to know "so what are you going to do now?" Well that is my own damn business!! just kidding ;-) Ok, as an international student, I have to apply for "Employment Authorisation which enables [me] to accept employment in [my] field of study and commensurate with the degree level completed." All dat to say I cant take a job e.g. as a pharmacy clerk or something. So i'm waiting for the INS to complete that, suppose to take a couple months. In the meantime, I am enjoying the free life :-D

Planning to visit some friends/family in the next couple weeks. Also a concert, a soccer game, and of course still playing. Too bad you can't travel overseas while that application thing is going on (I'll have to get a visa all over again to come back). Looking forward to summer camps again. By the time that's over I should have the Employment thingy. So yep... just floating along at the moment hehehe....

In the more immediate future though, I'll try to blog some more.
Till nex time....

Obituary

Unfortunately my "return blog" has to be about my dog Toffey, who sadly fell ill and passed away last week. Soundin nice eh? haha. He "passed away". De damn dog dead. The story is he get sick, stop eating only drinking water. Then I suppose they (my mom or my nephew) found him on the side of the house not moving and realise he dead. I was happy to hear they didnt throw him in the river which runs maybe a 150 meters from my house. Instead a friend who come all the time to lime by me, dig a hole in the yard and bury the dog. Apparently they had a lil service an ting, my nephew cry, awww. I'm sorry but I had to laugh when my Mom say they light a candle! LOL Somehow she is always the one there when the dog dead (my father is visiting in NY at the moment). The one before was the same thing: come and put her head through the burglar-proof in the front and stay there and dead and my mother was all sad. So the nex summer when I went home I get a nex dog, Toffey, to keep them company as I up here. He was truly a fun and happy dog, yuh know the dogs with the smile? And he had a lil dreadlocks, two strands, one on each side coming from just behind his ears, it gave him character. Unlike the previous dog, he would never run out when the gates was open, and would furiously guard each one, having his own lil way between the plants to get from one to the other. And most of all, when I started goin home only for Xmas, he would remember me :-) He DAMN WELL better had after I keep him in my room in de night through the cryin when he was small! So here's to my dog, now I feel sad as I'm writing this and reflecting....

I wonder if I should really get them another... I could probably arrange it from here, but then is them who go have to take it if he/she cry in the night in the beginning... and then the nex time I visit, the dog eh go know me! Pressha! Hmm...I have to think about this one...

Till nex time

The Scandinavians in my life

ok as promised, I am back after the hectic week last week, all graduated and everything now :) Now I've slept late for 2 mornings and have a bit of focus back now to do this, not to mention the pressure is on as some of the following people are actually looking out for this post:

a small sample

Hanna, Aase, Maria, Jennie, Anne, Stine, Sandra, Lilja, Rut, Hildur, Tove, Amanda, Erik, Andrea, Annika, Sara, Thora, Sigurros, Therese, Johanna, Sofia B, Camilla, Maja, Sofia H, Linda, Cecelia, Malin, Pernilla, Sofie, Hilmar, Hans, Siv, Henning, Magnus.

Isn't that cool?! A small paragraph! Consisting of Swedes, Icelanders, and Norwegians, in the ratio of 10:3:3, I suppose reflecting the general ratio of swedes. Over the years there has been varying levels of intimacy, which is just a fancy way of saying I knew/know some of them better than others :-) And to be honest I wish I had gotten to know more of them alot better. Anyways, they have all in some way had some influence in my life, again some more critical than others but I will proudly claim the ability to recall a moment of fun, a laugh, a drink, a smile, with each of them.

From the beginning, its been good. Really rough at times but that is to be expected with any new experience: my coming to school here and then rooming at close quarters with a Norwegian. Turned out to one of the best things ever to happen to me. What a great friend! Took some figuring out, but then... they all kinda take some figuring out. In my first year there was also a Swede: a most non-typical swede as I came to realise after another couple years, she was real impulsive, and wasnt too level-headed. Later on I met another who had some of the same qualities but not as pronounced. Still good-natured though.

Second year two more Norwegians and two more pleasant, friendly, and thoughtful people. Then I got to Bridgeport (current location) where began the cascade of Swedes and Icelanders, starting with my coach who happened to be another non-typical swede. Although I can't quite explain how, even though I know another 30 of them now, I know he's just different, maybe too Americanised or something, I still find it amusing to hear him speaking swedish.

So what's "typical"? well I already touched on a few characteristics not the least of which is being good-natured, they dont go around being aggressive or in a bad mood. In general, if you see that then theres a problem. More or less straightforward in their approach, they say what they mean. BUT the thing I MUST really mention is that of those that I have met: these must be the most patient people in the world! Probably a function of the above, they take alot of shit from people, yet seem to always take their time to try to figure things out, not necessarily letting things slide but always keeping cool. Amazes me. Also good listeners.

Such a level headed approach to life must be difficult to maintain, but as I mentioned, I have also met some that didnt fit the mold. They say variety is the spice of life hehe and damn sure! the 2 or 3 exceptions provided entertainment and stress alike. Impulsive decisions, statements, and unexpected actions (all of which were magnified since none of these are associated with nordic people therefore unexpected x 2) brought laughs as well as uncomfortable moments. All part of the experience I guess.

I remember covering different cultures in an International Business class, one of which was the Scandinavian. Theoretically, they are supposed to be quite a reserved people and I think they would agree to that description...to some extent...with a big HOWEVER at the end. Like anyone else, they like to have fun, and most can drink like Vikings of old, a trait which most are proud of. lol. And you know what else? After you get to know them, and they you, quite an affectionate people in their own way, not all cold like one might think. In fact I consider some of my closest friends Scandinavians.

Ok well its pretty late now, and I've covered the major traits. I know some would have liked me to do a separate post for each group but really, what does it matter? unless I was going to get into a description of each person. I love you all! Never met one I couldn't get along with.

So here's to a great people, good friends and most of all to my next visit! skål/skál!

All blogged out....

After Lime challenged me to post for 5 days straight (which ended a week ago) I haven't been able to get any focus on here, I haven't even been reading that much. I'm in the mad rush now to get prepared for Graduation on Saturday, just got my new hood today after I thought I had had the right one all along, that could have been most embarassing. Damn I need to get on top of things! Hopefully I can get in a post I planned for this week...but not tonight.

In the beginning was Mapquest....

No excuses but I really was just to busy to do my post yesterday, I had a good one planned too; I'll save it for Monday. In the meantime, I stumbled on this thing and couldn't help but post it:

Back in the day there was mapquest. You needed directions? just type it in mapquest, many people still believe in it and use it exclusively. Me, I got turned on to yahoo maps. It was a phase where I could say "I yahoo": mail, news, chat, weather, music, maps. BUT THEN! then came Google maps, ok I'll try it. What I loved was the uncomplicated layout of the directions and the map alongside, and moreover, the ability to simply drag and zoom the map instead of having to click the desired function and wait for the page to refresh. So I started using google all the time since I'm good with maps and liked being able to browse it in this way.

Now with the advent of google earth, I'm wondering if they got ahead of themselves. Next weekend I may have a clash between playing and coaching. Being in denial that I may not be able to play, I proceed to look at how far it is between the two locations. First I enter Danbury ct (playing) and then drag it around to see for myself how far I might have to go. DAMN it's a long haul.... but still let me see just how long it would take. Search terms now amended to Danbury ct to Colshester. Results are below:

Drive: 3,920 mi (about 29 days 10 hours)

1. Head west on West St toward Deer Hill Ave
2. Continue on Lake Ave 0.6 mi
3. Turn right onto the I-84 E/US-7 N ramp to Waterbury/New Milford 0.4 mi
4. Merge onto I-84 E
Partial toll road
Entering Massachusetts
5. Take the exit onto I-90 E/Mass Pike/Massachusetts Turnpike toward N.H.-Maine/Boston
Partial toll road
6. Take exit 24 A-B-C on the left toward I-93 N/Concord NH/S Station/I-93 S/Quincy
7. Merge onto Atlantic Ave
8. Turn right at Central St
9. Turn right at Long Wharf
10. Swim across the Atlantic Ocean 3,462 mi
29 days 0 hours
11. Slight right at E05
12. At the traffic circle, take the 2nd exit onto E05/Pont Vauban 0.1 mi
13. Turn right at E05
14. Take the exit onto A29/E44 toward Amiens
15. Take the exit toward Dieppe/Amiens/Calais/A151/Rouen
Toll road
---abridged directions---

How intuitive is google?!?! WOW!! just freakin amazing!! Colchester in England. SWIM across the Atlantic and then continue on my merry way taking a slight right onto the E05. THe whole thing shows I'm taking a lil detour through France too! Oh and by the way, I start swimming from New England Aquarium in Boston. How do you like that?

I HAD to go see what happened if I entered the same on Mapquest. Unlike google it gave me a choice of possible Colchesters, all within the U.S. because it simply doesn't have, i suppose, any other directions.

Should I be going back to using Mapquest?

"real" roti

I titled this "real" roti, not that I think Trini roti is fake, but that I have now seen roti being made by Indians from India. THis was pretty much what we would call sada roti in Trinidad and the method was quite similar.

That's one thing about living in such shared housing, and as a matter of fact going to a college with one of the most international student bodies: interacting with other cultures.

There I was minding my own business waiting for my rice to boil when two indian girls come in the kitchen with all their stuff. So I was htinking they were going to take a long time preparing things as they usually do (cooking seems to ALWAYS be quite a social occasion for them) But not this time! The dough was already prepared and one started rolling while the other put what would be equivalent to a tawah on one burner and a wire grill on another. Now the tawah had a handle and was slightly concave. And the bilna was basically a non-descript stick, near uniform thickness throughout, slight taper towards the ends.

The speed of the whole business was what really fascinated me. Each roti (she did refer to it as roti to a friend who came in to look) was only about 6 inches in diameter but still, they must have made 30+ while my rice was boiling and they were still in there when I left. The one girl rolled out the dough, each starting out about golf ball size. Then straight onto the super-hot tawah. That lasted about a minute, including turning. Then it was moved over to the grill, almost touching the burner (we have electric). Immediately it puffed up, the entire thing, like a balloon. It was enthralling, uniform, each one like the one before. And it was at this stage that the roti acquired the colour we are used to. Of course, this demanded the undivided attention of the cook to ensure the initial tawah stage was just right to allow the puffing up stage which also demanded deft handling of the thongs to turn and turn the roti over the grill to avoid burning.

I was thinking they probably making roti like that since they small to be that skilled and nonchalant about it. I guess it's like me making stew chicken now. LOL yeah whatever. I just thought of the fact that I have never made stew chicken in Trinidad hahaha. But here? ooohh there have been a couple that were magic! Could you imagine if I make a stew chicken ONCE home? It would be the end of "eating for free"
;-)

It's late in the day but I really had no time today, still I'm in under the wire: my 4th consecutive day posting! woohoo!

How big is your Carbon Footprint?

In layman's terms, your carbon footprint refers to the amount of stuff or resources you use up e.g. if you have a car, your footprint is bigger than someone without (you use gas, oil etc. AND emit more fumes in the long run) Of course carbon footprints are calculated as a country average.

I thought I would do this post due to all the recent resurfacing of the global warming issue. Is the earth really getting warmer? Is it just a natural cycle? Is human activity really responsible? Time magasine had quite an interesting issue April 9th with a cover reading "The global warming survival guide" and included "51 things you can do to make a difference". The subsequent letters to the editor were varied: some complimentary, and others making you think about the writer "you just don't understand, do you?"

Wikipedia has a nice little entry about carbon footprints along with a world map which gives an overall view of the worst offending countries. Immediately you see North America highlighted. I was a bit surprised to see Australia right up there as well. Guess what? If you click to enlarge the map, TRINIDAD & TOBAGO is also guilty. In fact, according to this Trinidad is worse off than the U.S. However, this map shows carbon emissions per capita, not that that makes it any better but explains why the United States comes under fire from environmental activists. These statistics show the U.S. being way out ahead of other countries in terms of total carbon comsumption. The Kyoto Protocol was drafted in an effort to have governments worldwide take steps towards reducing levels of carbon dioxide, and other greenhouse gases, emitted due to industrial activity. The U.S. has come under fire for not ratifying the protocol but admittedly it isn't as simple as it seems.

Part of the problem is that Americans are perceived to be a [lazy] people who go around using things up without regard to others or the effects of their actions. I always say stereotypes are born out of some grain of fact. Let's go back to those letters to the editor. One person said "...it is not a question of whether we will kill the planet. It is a matter of maintaining a survivable habitat for ourselves." OK so let's just do whatever we feel and if it comes to that we can build a bubble to live in? On the other hand another letter said "We can give up the feeling of entitlement that pervades our society, we feel entitled to use a disproportionate amount of the world's resources...As the greatest nation on earth, we should be leading by example." Some people see a true reflection in the mirror. I will put my own meaning on "greatest": for a country with such international political and economic influence the world community expects the U.S. to "do the right thing" and so far it seems that the policy is to get away with as much as possible until.

THe 51 things suggested by Time included many that we as individuals can do now while the government decides what to do later. I do subscribe to the view that every little helps. Here are a few: ride the bus or carpool - yes some transport systems aren't up to scratch, try carpooling; say no to plastic bags - why do american supermarkets put like 2 things in each bag? you leave with 10 bags carrying stuff that could have fit in 3; and the #51 on the list

"consume less, share more, live simply"

How big is your carbon footprint?

Class etiquette... and other things

I will never forget how teachers in high school in Trinidad would make sure everyone greeted one another at the start of the class. And you better had say "good morning" or "good afternoon" if you walked in late or everything would stop till you did loud and clear. So engrained was it that I used to do it when I just got here 6 years ago until I realised there was a reply only 10% of the time. Also, people come in and have small picnics in class. I can understand having a coffee or a soda etc. but salads and Subway? the class smelling like a food court? I mean jeez.... or how about the continuous chatter when the professor has arrived and is trying to start the class? or worse: the little conversations that pop up DURING the class?! I wouldn't even say these are "pet peeves" in my mind they are simply a matter of respect. I've posted before about a professor who was doing his small bit to improve discipline among students. He greets people if they happen to come in late, and pull up people who start talking during the class. Good for him. At least there are still a few who care.

Which brings me to the "other things": plagiarism. I read somewhere, and can attest to the fact, that graduates plagiarise more than undergrads. Isn't that funny? According to Plagiarism.org:

A national survey published in Education Week found that 54% of students
admitted to plagiarizing from the internet; 74% of students admitted that at
least once during the past school year they had engaged in "serious" cheating;
and 47% of students believe their teachers sometimes choose to ignore students
who are cheating.

The site further states that clearly instructors know what is going on but aren't about to do anything about it. "55% of faculty 'would not be willing to devote any real effort to documenting suspected incidents of student cheating'". So many professors just let things slide. I would love to see comparable statistics for Trinidad. To be honest I think at least people's conscience would kick in, I'm not saying it would stop them but I think Trinis would at least feel bad. On the whole I think the international students really try, but then we get sucked into the culture :-/

You know what? at this point I am just counting down the days, the final I cheated on is in the past. I can proudly say though that I have never done the "cut and paste" bit, that is just plain laziness. I was supposed to have a presentation this evening but my group couldn't get it together in time, I know there's going to be some cutting and pasting for the paper itself which pisses me off but hey, the professor likes me. Just picked up my graduation packet, I was invited based on GPA to join an international Business Society, so now I'm just waiting to see if I graduate with honors.

2 down... till tomorrow!

Radio shows

No I'm not going to talk about Imus or whoever else there is. Fact is I've probably only ever listened a handful of times to any radio talk in this country, even the couple times i've listened to stations from New York or Tri-state area, they tend to be either boring or over-the-top. Thus after I happened to be awake last Thursday to listen, I confirm or re-affirm The Morning Drive with Paul & Nikki on 96.1FM (Trinidad& Tobago) to be my favourite radio show ever!

According to Wikipedia 96.1 is thought of as "young people ting" which may or may not be true since I wouldn't consider the presenters to be of that age group. I must agree with the assessment that they approach all issues with "a level of fairness" and make listeners aware of pressing issues. They have been accused in the past of being partisan; personally I feel this is because of entertaining calls from certain regular callers who were clearly for or against a certain political party.

So since last week I have been inspired to try to get up early and listen in, it was a great start to the day, good laughs. Its great to have a hearty laugh at 7:30am. Reminded me of back in the days at home, getting ready for school, and later getting ready for work, listening in. Then hoping the maxi I got had 96.1 playing (until i got my discman w/ radio hehe) Allyuh remember when Nikki used to just have the lil 5-min "nikki says" thing before the 7:25 news? That was when I started liking her, she seemed to really think through those segments as it was going on national radio lol. She has really matured as a comedienne since (notwithstanding the forays into soca, lawd) and she and Paul make for an entertaining duo.

The day I listened, I'm not quite sure if there was any specific topic: callers talked about Akon of course, the policeman who has missed 25 court dates to prosecute a child abuser/molester/murderer, the widespread water shortages. But for me the hit of the day was the new Prime Minister's Residence which is being constructed at record speed (while the Grand Stand remains untouched) on the grounds of the Botanical Gardens at a cost of TT$148mill. A man calls in and talks about it and requests a song for PM Manning. Well they certainly had it in for him!

"and now we have a special selection for Manning..." Of all the songs to play, they put on "It's my House" by Diana Ross LOL And you bet they are singing along:

It's my house, and I live here
(so hall allyuh tail)
It's my house, and I live here
(one four eight Million)

Cuz it's built with looooooove
(taxpayers money)
An it cuttin thruuuu
De botanical gardennnss

Let me tell you, I had to catch my breath laughing!! That was the funniest thing in a loooong time. I miss listening to them I realise...listening to my own accent, the jokes, the "pong" LOL I just might start getting up a bit earlier to listen and have a pleasant start to the day.

Till tomorrow...

(yes "till tomorro", i have taken a challenge from Lime to post for 5 consecutive days, who tell me do dat :-/)

Trini on wikipedia

Through the maco-machine Facebook, I found this link while browsing some trinidadian groups (i find these enjoyable as many people write almost exclusively in creole, MOST amusing LOL )

List of Trinidadian English Terms

It's quite a long list, some of the definitions I don't quite agree with... but you can draw your own conclusions.

Take a look!

The weather

Unless you really completely outta it, you must know that the Northeast US has had terrible weather the last few days: snow, sleet, rain, flooding. And it was unseasonably cold even before all that started. UUUGGGHHH!!!

Yes I know I've come to enjoy the different seasons and for once I am actually getting out of spring in a good mood which I attribute to changing the clocks earlier than usual so the dark afternoons ended sooner. But now this is getting just a tad annoying. Yesterday I sat here and watched the rain, and along with that, watch the park slowly flood. Couldn't it be like home where the rain is warm? even when its windy as hell?! DAMN! Times like these is when you miss the wet and dry season life. I can't even imagine how those people who are getting snow must be feeling, and is not a lil snow, is PLENTY snow. Meanwhile flood like mad closer to the sea where it is "warmer", and it might go on for a couple days more.

Hear nah, is really time to stop being cold now man, geez. This cold is crippling, I gone with my fas' self and pack up my winter stuff. Now I only have a few long sleeve things, 2 or 3 sweaters, and a light jacket. Thank god I thought about keeping my underarmor for late-evening coaching on those damn windy fields. Why they like to put fields on top a hill in the back of the bush? and when is time to go home and it gettin dark you have to make sure you eh bounce no deer in the road?! Lawd my poor old car if I bounce a deer...

ok clearly I am annoyed and rambling. But seriously is the weather. I didn't even work out today because I was cold. And then to make it worse there was no heat when I came home, better I had go to the blasted gym. Can you picture those people running the Boston marathon today? Torture. Somehow I think it would be easier when it is hot and just keep drinking than having your joints freeze up as you try to run.

For all the times I've said 60'sF (teens celsius) was "nice" and for all those people who were thinking something must be wrong with me as a Trini: I WISH IT WAS WARM!!!!!!!!!!

Everybody pray to the Sun Gods.

Till nex time...

If I get sick...

it is because I ate a whole can of vienna sausages
because I didnt feel for anything else since I am getting a cold
because I didnt want to get up and close the window last night
because the sleep was going sweet at the time.

maybe nex time I will get up an close the window

Pet Food

Sorry to all those people affected by the "national pet food recall" but I couldnt help being a bit surprised by how far-reaching it has become despite knowing how some americans love their pets more than people, having the dog in they bed and kissing them and all that. I see big people come on CNN and bawling down de place cuz they dog or cat dead. I understand it sad and unexpected and is a shitty way to go but oh gosh!

It never crossed my mind how huge the pet food industry must be over here. Now when I tell my friend dogs in trinidad eat rice, she in shock: "it doesnt do anything to their stomachs!?" Well clearly not. And by the way, I see some rice in the supermarket here that eh look too far from trinidad pet rice, probably only one grade better. I swear there are people that would eat what my dog eats, at least it smells REALLY good while being cooked. Usually it's just the rice cooked up with entrails etc from preparing our own meals, but we season it and everything as if the dog cares HAHA. At one point when I was at home, I used to buy packages of chicken liver to cook for the dog (it was dirt cheap). Another time I bought some dry dog food to mix in with the cooked food to make it last longer. Guess what? the dog ate around the pellets! LOL Now bear in mind this is equivalent to eating only the peas out of the peas and carrots. That was hilarious, we were in shock but almost died laughing. I must point out that this is the same dog that would "eat" mangoes (don't ask how he got them) and bananas (again dont ask) Crix is always a hit, and how about some scrambled eggs?

All kicks aside, I wonder how many trinidadians buy the so-called "cuts and gravy" style pet food? It only occupies a small space on the shelves, the dry food seems to be much more popular, and pet rice is always available. One of my cousins used to buy it(dry food), but again, she would mix it with rice. Those Trinis that do buy the "gravy" stuff probably still happy happy buying it cuz who bothering to check labels and dates and all that? If the dog dead it dead.

One more question: what do cats in trinidad eat??

Bus Travel

sorry no pics with this one.

Although we had a couple friends who drove us around a few times, buses were the way to go during spring break especially since students of USF ride for free. So there we were checking schedules and making plans, where to get off, how much time we have in between each bus or even the trolley. Sound like a foreign concept for a Trini doesn't it. Well this is because there are schedules that are actually followed, maybe give or take a couple minutes, as opposed to Trinidad where the bus may or may not come and has now been more or less reduced to rush-hour-only service when everyone is in one place at one time so little can go wrong in terms of being "on schedule", just go at rush hour. Stark contrast with being able to pull up times online and plan a trip. The only bit of hassle was with the Beach Trolley which somehow didnt seem to be on time but we somehow managed not to miss getting back to our bus stop to get home (although there was one VERY close call) Maybe the trolley was a bit lax because of being by the beach? LOL The ultimate in public transport though is in Europe. My trip last year to Norway/Sweden demonstrated an efficiency that must be maintained because of the demand for and widespread use of public transport. You get to the stop one minute late and you literally "miss the bus". The stops for the trams, in addition to having schedules posted, had timers displaying the number of minutes till the next tram arrived, now THAT'S planning.

The other most noticeable facet of bus travel is the demographic. Want to see some wayward or eccentric or MAD people? Those considered to be on the fringes of society, either economically or socially? Take a bus in America. Warning: bus travel is NOT for you if you are in any way skittish. Because when some random person ask you for a light and then strike up a conversation like if they know you for years, you may feel a tad uncomfortable. Me I take it as entertainment. Then there is always the person talking to themselves, nicely dressed, decent looking, and at first you thinking they have a bluetooth on the other side of their head, but no. I have also met some genuine people on buses, nice people who can't afford anything else like myself. Or old people who aren't allowed to drive anymore (that was another time on Greyhound, not this trip) Of course the people-watching starts at the bus terminal/depot, whatever it's called in the U.S. but here you are more vulnerable to unwanted advances from said people. It occurs to me though that bus terminals seem to attract such characters even if they are not there to catch a bus. Is it the public nature of the place? I am open to other theories. No such observations from my time in Scandinavia since it is a preferred means of travel for a mainstream population, so different....

Well I am at the office and keep getting distracted. Thats all for now.

Till nex time...

Sun Tan and Cold Water

Post title provided by my other half ;-) Some observations from spring break in Tampa FL

What a lovely day that was during Spring Break. Indian Rocks Beach. There we were on the Gulf Coast of Florida, sun beating down, on a more quiet strip of beach so not at all crowded, perfect! eh heh?!? Ever swim in a river/stream when it rain the night before? Sea water in a temperate country, now I know. It was one of those where you had to make up your mind and just run straight in otherwise no way you going in that cold water. It turn out to be refreshing after you got into it but not to stay too long, thank god it stayed sunny. I feel like a alligator coming out to heat up in the sun just to go back in the water.

There is a Beach Trolley that goes constantly up and down the length of the coast from St Petersburg to Clearwater so we managed to see a few beaches. The second was Clearwater. If the person naming Clearwater was naming it after the sea, they were sorely misguided, poor thing. While the water was nice it certainly wasnt clear, it was like Trinidad water with the sort of greenish cloudiness than like Tobago where you can keep walking out and still see your feet. Anyways, I have NEVER seen that many people on a beach in my life. I have also never been to Maracas Bay on Ash Wednesday but still, I can't imagine Trinis lying on their towels one step away from the water's edge. That was people! We didnt even think about bathing with that crowd though the sun kept beating down and the tanning continued as well as the accusations of now being a "white girl" because I have gotten into the habit of wearing sunscreen hahaha.

Clearwater Beach

Another day at the beach wasnt so great, it was NOT sunny, fairly windy, and yuh gyul was COLD. No chance of even trying that water without the reheating properties of the sun. But you know how this deceptive tanning still happens right? So I lay there and napped - minus my sunglasses lest I develop a "tourist tan" - while my boyfriend walked a couple miles, I would think, to some jetty thing at the far end of the beach. It had to be far cuz I had a good sleep. Eventually we picked up and went to another beach on the trolley. The sun had started peeping through and I thought ok this is my last hurrah before heading back up north so Jump In The Water!!! (location of pic in my previous post) It turned out really nice and I was sorry we had to leave so early to catch the bus back. (buses will be the topic of my next post)

Now that I think about it, this was the first time I had swam in U.S. water hehe. I can only imagine how perfect it must be in summer down there when the water really warms up. The beach itself was decent and there were facilities and an array of rental things. Maybe in future I can do another post called Sun Tan and Warm Water? That would be fine!

Till nex time...

Talk 'bout CUSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Spring Break...

My return from Spring Break...

...cleaning the beloved Strippalingur >:(

better ah didnt hope for good weather when ah come back

STEUPSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!

my lovely car

His name is Strippalingur

Now that I am in the safe warmth of Florida, I can afford myself a moment to talk about my now far-away HEATLESS car. Yes heatless. I drive a car that has no heat, in the winter, in the northeast United States. Can you imagine?!?!? Its a bitch to be broke. Above is a picture of him in better times (yes its a "he") And the name? its icelandic meaning "one who strips" (correct me if I'm wrong) The previous owner(s) were Icelanders, my very good friends, and they named him due to the fact that people often stripped in there i.e. changing clothes mostly, myself included, but by the time it was my turn he had already been named. I always wondered if cars are usually male in Iceland, given that they are usually referred to as female in the U.S., and generally neutral in Trinidad: "it" is just fine.

Anyhooo, Strippalingur was on loan to me one summer when he had his little mishap, I will never forget the smell of coolant, nor the sight of the bright green running into the gutter. When the owner returned, she drove it around until the following spring (still heatless), whereupon I was again loaned and eventually sold him. The deal was cut for one hundred american dollars. Yep one hundred. What great friends huh!? or maybe what a crap car? LOL LOL LOL!!!! Well it worked out well for everyone, they got rid of the car easily, helped me out, I got a cheap car, and now a couple years later he has WAY outlasted his expected lifespan...

...notwithstanding the heating problem hahaha. It sometimes amazing to think that there is this big ass hot thing right in front of me yet inside the car like the artic circle. I fully dressed in the car, mittens and all, driving down the road, "smoke" coming out my mouth, American Airlines blanket on my lap, turning on cold air to clear the windscreen. LOL! Its classic!! If the bitter cold spell keeps up I am going to have to get more of those instant heat things for my hands and feet so I don't have to stop at every rest stop to warm up. My sense of humour must be seriously twisted!! Or maybe its the cold getting to me hehehe

Strippalingur has been quite loyal to us all over these few years, lots of good times, a few not so good but still memorable ones ;-) I still keep his old plates in the trunk, along with the Iceland sticker on the back, which is now kept company by a Trinidad one. It'll be a sad day when I eventually have to say goodbye to him but for now he's going strong! and I look forward to the warmer days again when I can drive him in relative comfort.

Note to self: first coaching paycheque, go to Valvoline for the Radiator Service.

Till nex time.........

life in school

I am now only one class away from completing my MBA! Isn't that great?! I am thoroughly fed up of being in school. I realise that most other blogs I read, where I find other people studying, they also have full time jobs. Sometimes I feel like some part of my life is slipping by having been away from the corporate world for so long now. Makes it sound like I would love to be “working for the man” doesnt it. Well thats not totally it. There is something about only studying at my age that is....maybe its simply not what I had envisioned. Getting to class and seeing so many people in the MBA program that have clearly just come straight from work, I think “ya know, I really should be working by now.” Sometimes I'm disappointed in not replacing a class or 2 with an internship, but then I am already a graduate assistant, which by the way pays my entire tuition, so no time for an internship. While I'm rambling: a lot of this comes from the fact that I am micromanaged at my graduate job and ultimately relieved (by said micromanager) of some jobs, responsibilities, and maybe even projects, which makes the hours utterly boring and NOT the job-like experience it is supposed to be.

Can't wait for spring coaching to begin. I'm SO excited!! Already planning stuff in my head...what I want to teach the fun team and how to take on the sucky team haha. AND playing again! With a TEAM! YAY! I even have options of teams (which reminds me I have to write some emails when I'm done). This means that I have to intensify the workouts which were getting left behind in the push to complete 2 classes last week. Now its all ME and football, what could be better? I think I am meant to be a coach... hmmm... maybe after playing in the spring, I can see how much I am meant to still be a top level player. But lets take one step at a time, up next, spring coaching.

I can just see it now: my one remaining class getting left in the dust LOL, me as usual doing a 15-page paper the day before it's due hahaha, anything to make things exciting. As a positive step, I am going to try to do my 3-pager during spring break YEAH RIGHT. Operative word there was “try”. Hey I'm already being productive and writing this in the airport. Yes i'm en route between negative and positive temperature readings. Hopefully by the time I make the return trip it'll be positive again in the northeast. Anyways..about to board in a few so

till nex time........

Georgian Jubilation V

Finally they have some pics online...I find some fetes the week before Carnival taking long to come out. This is from the now fifth annual fete at my alma mater, St George's College:


On the left.....

then on the right...

Two of the best teachers in Trinidad :-)


Here's some friends...


Shurwayne performing...

more of the crowd...

And it look like this tassa group was leading people home.



I hear the bar run out of a couple items but otherwise it was a cool fete for the price. (maybe it would help if more alumni e.g. myself would donate $ if not attending heheh, I eh shame jes poor)


*pics from www.trinijunglejuice.com

Encore for Lime ;-)

Lime,this is REALLY the dance this year as far as I can tell, the Jumbie (also Road March)



Hear nah Lime, yuh really need to organise a visit soon eh, jes now yuh might forget how to stop a maxi LOL

Saucy WOW

Out of all of them, this HAS TO BE my favourite bicycle wine video, I can watch this one over and over HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!! it shoulda be longer LOL!!!!!!!
Imagine somebody making a living from wining! And she wearing a bicycle helmet too LOL LOL LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Port of Spain webcam

maybe I might see a lil costume Tuesday LOL!

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/Webcam/web2.html


outta body, back to yuhself now!

Cold like a fridge...literally

It eh snow? It snowin'? It have any snow? That is all they ask when you call Trinidad. There is an eerie silence when I say well no, no snow but is -5*C, wind chill around -15, which is close to the same in the freezer compartment. As I write this, it is -16*C wind chill.

Well OK it finally snow a bit now, and sleet too (which actually starts off as snow but melts and freezes again by the time it lands, looks like fine sno-cone by then) Being close to the sea, we also managed some rain in between so now there's also ice.

But way before all that it was already quite cold for a sustained period, hence the name of this post. Trinis tend to have only the "christmas card" notion of snow, and really, how could they have a much different impression? I don't know if I had such preconceptions when I just got here; I think I cleared my mind especially as I started out in Vermont so snow was expected. The reality is that it looks nice when it's falling and a little while thereafter. But then it gets all slushy and brown because we don't live in a christmas card after all.

Nobody seems to think of the cold needed to facilitate and sustain snow when they are asking if there is any snow. Nor does it cross anybody's mind that snow is not the only thing that the sky produces. Or that there are other conditions that affect the "lovely snow" and the whole winter experience, including wind (important one) and sun, yes good old sunshine. I took this picture from my window showing the streetlamp (lamppost in Trini) reflecting off the ICE that formed on the grass during the day today. In spite of the temperature, the sunshine along with a constant wind created this smooth surface. One of the best things to experience in winter is the crisp sunshine that you often get after it has snowed. Everything is bright even with the slush and you don't feel quite so cold even though it is damn freezing. But don't you dare go out without your hat on, anyway your ears will soon remind you something is missing.

So for now it's easy keeping my lunch cool at the office, I just keep it by the window we leave ajar for fresh air. One day I even got ice forming in my water heheh I kid you not. It's like a giant walk-in freezer and we're insulating ourselves inside it instead of the other way round. Frankly I'm getting a bit tired of having to dress all the time for this. But like I said in my previous post, it was a waste being so cold without some snow, so now i'm a placated for the while, moreso since the University had a snow day ;-)

Here's a thought: one of my Swedish friends thought a "heat day" might make more sense than a "snow day". Better not let too many Trinis hear that suggestion honey

till nex time...

don't let globalism fool you...

... I STILL get homesick!

here I am, just out of my International Issues class, thinking in exactly one week it will be Carnival Tuesday las lap in Trinidad, and I will be here, in the cold, in class...

Globalism. Part of 'globalisation'. The increase in exchange and availability of cultural ideas and experiences. Should we say connection between cultures? I think I would like to focus on availability and access part. The proliferation of different types of entertainment media, communications and of course trade has brought about an international trend of culture swapping umm sharing that has in turn made it much easier for those of us "away from home" to get by through having acces to various items: food, music, even communities (e.g. blogs)

One can go to the supermarket and look for the now ever-present "international aisle" for foods from other countries. Personal example: Crix (yes crix) and Matouks Mauby. Also there are many specialty shops popping up all over, be they Mexican, Indian, Caribbean etc where you can get other food items. One can also easily get their favourite radio stations streaming live via the internet, or the daily newspaper, even TV. Ah yes that wonderful thing the internet...ANYthing you want, its on there, I haven't found it yet but soon you may be able to order a chicken roti on the net. In the meantime, there's caribuy, trinifoods, and others, and a ton of places to buy music and other souvenirs like the 3'x5' flag on my wall. And well doh talk about instant messaging and VoIP programs, where would we be without them?!

Still these things provide only a respite. It is only a brief solution to the need for the real thing. Visiting Trinidad Carnival Diary most every day is a constant source of amusement not only because of the sheer numbers of visitors there and their comments written so sweetly in my own tongue, but the sheer excitement they express about their carnival experience and their love for home. Such anticipation and exhilaration at the thought about making the pilgrimage to Trinidad for Carnival, one of the pillars of our culture. I must add that I am quite amused at myself as well for going there i.e. to that blog, just to know whats going on even though I am NOT going home for Carnival. All part of the community thing I mentioned before I suppose.

It's always a search for some kind of connection, something tangible, especially when you know you're in it for the long haul. Its supposed to be snowing tonight but it looks like the weatherman lied to us, I would actually like if it snowed, waste of time being so cold without the white stuff. Think I'll go have some sorrell, can you believe I still have some? Talk about homesick...

Till nex time...

Be the ultimate maco!!

*Maco (pronounced mah-co)- eavesdropper, busybody, a gossip (also a verb)
*Macocious - adjective or adverb describing such a person or behaviour
*"Maco" is also available in whatever other parts of speech you may need

Ok, so they finally got me to join Facebook, which, after really going through the website now, I consider to be the ultimate macoing tool. It is interesting how you can't get too much in depth info on the FAQ or whatever they have unless you REGISTER. Trap trap trap. I must note, however, that they have fairly detailed privacy settings applied to who can see your profile/pictures/ etc. But again, you have to click around and set up everything. Hell, just to register I thought was a bit much.

A bit of background if you are not on it, or have only heard of it: IT IS MACO CENTRAL! So you go and set up your profile listing whatever personal info you want to be posted including a picture, you have the option to join networks which revolve around your school or job or where you live. You can join multiple networks

Maco opportunity #1: even if is not yuh friend, yuh could see all these people around by you who on de same network.

Then you start adding "friends", you can do it by automatically (facebook does it for u) inviting people who are in your email address book. Then you get to see who belongs (macoing) and choose which ones you want to invite. And voila! you build a friend list as these people reply.

Maco opportunity #2: yuh could click on yuh friend profile and see all who dey is friend with. AND click yuh friend friend too, and yuh friend friend friend once dey in a network you in.

Alright so those things may have taken a bit of exploring, let's move on to some built-in stuff, things they put right in front of your face (why its called facebook right?) The first thing you see when you sign in is what they call a "news feed". Its a chronology of happenings on your account AND YOUR FRIENDS' accounts, including their new friends, if they deleted friends, messages everybody wrote on each others' "walls", and what they are doing (if they chose to update that bit)

Maco opportunity #3: dat one was self-explanatory, ah mean..."news feed"? MACO FEED!. An all yuh had to do was sign in.

Moving on... you click on "my profile" and you see the details that pertain only to you i.e. your picture and other personal info, who you "became friends with", and all the stuff people wrote to you, and if you were "tagged" in any pictures that you or others may have in their accounts.

Maco opportunity #4: yuh could see all dat fuh other people too includin all dey messages doh matter if you eh know all de writers. (a nex network trap)

I'll add one more although there's lots of little things that add up, I have 2 in mind but I'll go with the pictures since they can be so damning. I mentioned being "tagged" above. Similar to "labels" I suppose for blogging, you can tag people by attaching their names to a photo you have uploaded. Funny thing is: you can see (via the news feed) when OTHER people (possibly complete strangers)tagged your friends, and see the picture too!

Maco opportunity #5: dat one kinda self-explanatory too. An if somebody tag you in a bad picture, well crapaud smoke yuh pipe.

There are several other ways to maco on this thing, one of which is the "social timeline". Doesn't that just have the ring of a "macoing journal"? I didn't write about it because I must have deactivated it somehow as mine was empty. It lists details you have entered over time about your friends, AND AS PER USUAL, you can also access your friends' or other people on your network.

They say its a good way to "share", to "keep in touch", to see whats going on in your friends' lives, and thats where it starts going downhill: too many prying eyes.

So there you have it! High speed! Efficient! Far-reaching! If you are a maco, facebook is the thing for you! What are you waiting for?! Join now!!!!!

till nex time...

p.s. if you are NOT a maco, and a more private type, make sure you go through and select all the "my friends only" that you can find ;-)

but I digress...

I realise I have strayed a bit from the original focus of this blog which was to compare/describe/comment on my "life in foreign"...
Did I mention that I have class ALL this weekend? i.e. 8-4 saturday AND sunday? Back next week with a more relevant subject...

Nex time...

Creole

FOllowing a comment from Triniobserver, I decided to do a small thing about creole languages. In the Caribbean, we mostly think of creole as the language spoken in Haiti. Personally I think people give it recognition as A LANGUAGE. Well surprise! It's the same with English speakers, we have our own language. Readers can go here for a fairly comprehensive explanation of what is creole, and see that in fact there are many such languages around the world. In summary, creole is a language developed to facilitate communication between speakers of different languages e.g. slaves. Sometimes there is a parent language, in our case English. Things are kept simple so they can understand one another. As subsequent generations come along, the language structures become standardised and voila!

Clicking one of the links regarding Ebonics in the U.S. I found that that situation had some similarity to ours in that some people would like to have Ebonics recgnised as its own language and not just a dialect, where it can be used, similar to the suggestion from Merle Hodge, as a tool in teaching standard english where users can be taught to recognise the equivalents in both languages. But proponents of Ebonics experience the same "fight down" attitudes that we in the Caribbean sustain as we keep telling ourselves we speak broken english, or as Triniobserver put it "a perversion" of english.

I'll say it again: I love my language! so very expressive, full of subtleties, words and expressions drawn together from various other languages. It's part of what makes a Trini a Trini. What do you think?

small milestone :)

Aye I jes realise I actually make it to 50 posts. Never thought it would get tihs far. But now I beginning to have some fun with it. Nice lil distraction blogging...
Thanks to the people that come by and comment. And thanks to all the lurkers for coming by, a comment once in a while would be nice, let me know if I should shake things up a bit hehe. I hope all those that I read keep it up, it's most entertaining, and reminds me that I do have my own blog that maybe I should write in every now and then ;-)

Wha it is yuh say dey?

OK I'm back, I am supposed to be doing homework but here I am. Lime would really appreciate this one:

This post has been long in coming and now that I’ve spent a few weeks at home and truly "gotten back into it" although I have relatives here to talk to, I realise I just LOVE the Trini language. This has also been helped in large part by reading other trini blogs and finding amusement in how people write and express themselves in a way that no other would understand.

I’ve frequently gotten into discussions/arguments with people (sometimes Jamaicans) about the fact that Trinis speak their own language and not just a dialect or broken English as some would like us to believe. Yes most of the WORDS are English, but many are not, and certainly our expressions are not. And yes there is a set structure, which makes it indeed a language of its own; everybody says things in the same format, its not broken English helter skelter like we don’t know the right thing to say.

How many times have we switched from speaking “properly” to speaking “dialect”? Its unfortunate that we have developed this concept of what is proper and what is not as opposed to which language should be used in which situations. I would like to reference a most interesting text written by Merle Hodge, “The Knots in English”, which expounds on the fact that "the majority of us are not English-speaking; we are a Creole-speaking. We have a language of our own and English is another language we have to learn." The text touches on the circumstances around which we grow up and learn to speak and our trouble with learning English. It outlines very specific examples of structure of Trinidad Creole and contrasts it with Jamaican Creole (we all know that we DO NOT talk the same) in a way that you can clearly see how we use certain words, and frame thoughts and sentences. Most enlightening reading about something you take for granted e.g.

"Double Negatives : Creole is one of those languages which uses more than one negative marker at a time...this cannot be done in English.

English - I DON'T want any. NOBODY here smokes any weed.

Trini - I DON'T want NONE. NOBODY here DOESN'T smoke NO weed.

Jamaican - Me NO want NONE. NOBODY here NO smoke NO weed.

In English a negative sentence can only have one negative marker"


Quite an interesting text containing examples, comparisons, and explanations about different parts of sentence structure and how "we" would say things. It is quite comprehensive in its own right but doesn't/cannot get into the intricacies of "nah", "eh heh" and "eh eh" LOL. I wholeheartedly subscribe to one statement from the preface that "it is hoped that Caribbean users [of the text] will gain a greater respect for their mother tongue as a language in its own right."

Till nex time...

Another sign...

just cuz i haven't posted in a long time (and I still haven't unpacked yet) here is another sign courtesy a friend of mine, used as her MSN display name:

"why trinis does put 'beware of the dog' on dey gate when when dey have one scruntin, tired lookin pothound in dey yard?"

hehehe

Till nex time...

Back for the new year

Well it took a long time but here is the picture of the kitchen, this was taken christmas eve (wow the flash make the doors look extreeeemely white boy...) Sorry for those who were looking forward but no ham was on the counter yet hehe We were still obviously in the process of cleaning. Even now there are some small things still to be done but I would say we beat the deadline :-)

For the first time this christmas though there was no traditional breakfast, after working so hard and then wrapping presents in the middle of the night I woke up at...drumrollll.... 1pm. Yes one in the afternoon, it wasnt all that bad, somehow my doing that threw off EVERYone, so there was no christmas breakfast, oh well...

Things have been great otherwise, went to the beach a few times, saw some friends, eating of course, and YES! working out! OH! I just saw shurwayne winchester with live band on a truck in the Croisee, is a good thing I get out of town early cuz it looks to be a big CT105 friday afternoon lime (the truck was heading down the main road to town) The only thing i havent done this holidays is go a fete...yuh believe it?!?! And yuh know why? it too DAMN EXPENSIVE. As a student i certainly can't fete after I pay my own flight here.

Well I now have only six more days in paradise, I have to go make a list of things i need to take back: red mango, chinee prunes.....

Till nex time..