Pissed, Pampered, Pooped!

I'm sure you must all be wondering what kind of a heck title is that for a blog! Well, that about sums up the last three (3) days for me.

Pissed
While on my way to work in Montego Bay on Thursday, an asshole was overtaking three (3) cars on a corner, coming headway for me. I swerved out of him and sent my scar into a 180 degree spin in the road, which left me facing in the opposite direction to where I was going. I was in a bit of shock at first at what had actually happened. Two (2) gentlemen came out of their car and asked me if I was ok, told me that there was no damage to my car and actually helped me to get back on the road. Just when I was thinking that there are good people in the world, I discovered much to my distress that they had made off with my bank-assigned cell phone! Yes! In the middle of my plight, they made off with the instrument, no doubt hoping to make a quick sale of about J$2,500.00. How despicable! So you can imagine how pissed I was.

So, I made my way to Montego Bay and then Negril to do my assigned task and did not finish each evening until 8:36 and 9:42 respectively!

Pampered
Then .... the long drive back! Everyone knows that I love to drive. It is almost therapeutic for me and even though there are so many assholes on the road, I still enjoy the experience of driving in Jamaica. Traveling out of town is an absolute pleasure for me, viewing the landscape, the greens and the lovely blues of the sea is just breathtaking! Jamaica is one beautiful island. I wonder why people opt to take honey moons in the states or even another caribbean island when the beauty of our island home by far surpasses any other Caribbean island I have ever been to ... and even moreso the USA.

Anyway, I came home to loving arms who were so happy to see me that it took all the unpleasantries from the days' events. I was indeed pampered.

Pooped!

After that, the fatigue of the 2 days finally set it. I've been sleeping much which is proof that I'm utterly POOPED!!!!

One thing for sure, there ain't no place like home, ain't no bed like your own bed (whether it is at home #1 or #2, and there's nothing better than the smile of someone who loves you especially when you really need it!

More time everyone!

Invigorating!!!

I started going back to the gym on Monday of this week. Having started in January which followed with one unfortunate event after another, I am just now, 7 months later able to go back to the gym! I was welcomed with open arms and I know it was not because of the monthly subscription I paid. A wonderful revelation was that although been away for so long, I had not gained a single pound! I actually lost inches in most areas but gained 1" in the worst area possible (this will remain nameless, you all can continue to guess).

However, these 2 days, I have already started to feel the difference. I have gone back to my nutrition plan and have been sticking to it so far. Yeah, 8 glasses of water a day (I'm only at 4 but getting there) and great discipline in abstaining from the "enemy foods" - I know I don't need to list those. What I realize about this whole gym thing is that going to the gym and working out is the least of my worries! The most challenging part about getting fit and staying in shape is maintaining the dietary aspect of life. It is so hard to resist the chocolate sundae, the apple pies, the whopper with cheese and all that good stuff that we just so love to eat. Once you have decided to eliminate these things from your diet, the rest is easy.

I know you'll all be rooting for me. It means a lot! Wish me luck!!!

Simplicity of Life

This morning I heard a song on the radio ... a country and western song. It said:

"Love Your Neighbour as yourself, trust in God but lock your doors,

Buy low, sell high, Dance slow more often

The things that really matter can be counted on one hand"

It is such a simple premise on which to live and I thought, from a country and western song?? Amazing! Most people think that these songs are all about comedy, rednecks and people who just couldn't make it as an R & B singer.

I just thought I would share it as it is a simple premise on which to live.

Enjoy life to the fullest! We only have one of it! More time.

Much Ado About Nothing

So, I haven't blogged in about a week now ... Has anyone missed me??? It's not that nothing has been happening, but nothing that is blog-worthy at this point. I mean, with the expectation of Charlie and the disappointment (somewhat) of the reality of it, there's nothing much to say.

So, this is just to say that I'm still alive and all is super cool! Stay tuned, there will be much ado about something next week!

For Whom The Bell "Tolls"

"I am tired of being hunted. Here we are all right. Now if you blow a bridge here, we will be hunted. If they know we are here and hunt for us with planes, they will find us. If they send Moors to hunt us out, they will find us and we must go. I am tired of all this. You hear?" He turned to Robert Jordan. "What right have you, a foreigner, to come to me and tell me what I must do?"

The words of Ernest Hemingway in his book "For Whom The Bell Tolls" would not have known of the impending doom for the residents of Portmore and the TOLL!

Yes, that's what this blog is all about. The proposed toll for the new and improved 6-lane causeway that is being built under the road improvement plan by the Government. With work well underway and scheduled to be complete by December 2005, there is already talk of the amount to be charged as the toll. The Portmore residents are outraged! They have said it will be a maximum of US$1.00 when the road is complete. I think this is another attempt by the government and their friends who are contractors to milk the Jamaican worker out of every last penny of their hard-earned money.

From what I know of toll roads, there is usually an alternate route (toll-free) for motorists to drive in the event they do not wish to pay the toll. This exists in 1st world countries and while we are no where near 1st world, the premise of implementing a mandatory toll is absurd. When the Old Harbour by-pass was being built, there was this same hoop-la about the payment of the toll. The by-pass was built to alleviate the traffic woes that existed when one drove to May Pen through the Old Harbour town. This route still exists along with the toll road which cuts your travel time to May Pen in half. So, if you want to reach where you are going quicker, you pay the $50.00 toll. Needless to say, the Government made a big deal about the fact that this means of revenue was above budget. And with this in mind, it's now ... "For whom the bell tolls" ... dem a go kill wi wid toll road. Mandela Highway is already very much on its way as is the Portmore Causeway.

My take on it is that there should be a choice. You can pay the toll if you so choose. We have been paying our taxes just like everyone else and as such should have the luxury of choice. The existing road should remain for those who do not wish to pay the toll. Reality check, in any given month at the proposed $65.00 per trip, that is $120.00 per day, total potential toll: J$3,720.00. This is appalling! Our alternate route to Kingston, the Mandela Highway will have a similar toll. What will we do? Take the bus (another blog for that!) Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous.

The good thing is that the people are taking a stand on this issue. It will be interesting to see what the result is in the long run. The same thing was done with the previous toll road and it has been up and running and above budget!

For Whom Will the Bell "Toll"??? The Government obviously!

What is it about chicks and shoes anyway???

Ok ... so Lady Serendipity came up with this idea to come up with topics for us to write about, us being the little blog "community" between her, myself and Lady Lonely. So, to get our minds running, she came up with "What is it about chicks and shoes anyway???" So here goes my blog about that topic.

Well, I have always had a problem with shoes, in that because of extremely sweaty feet which leads to massive cheesi-ness and excema which aflicts my toes from time to time, I am forced to shy away from closed up shoes and forever don the ever so wonderful SLIPPER - yes, flip flops on those lazy daze, open toe pumps for work, dainty slippers for those elegantly casual occasions and formal affairs. I guess that makes me a modern day Cinderella. Looking through my shoes one will see a trend. Apart from the fact that they are open toed, they are not very high (because of back problems). I have a grand total of 17 pairs of "shoes" ... all open toed, in basic colours - black, brown, tan, red, blue and transparent. I don't think this is an exessively large # but ... what the hell am I doing with 17 pairs of shoes??? For one thing, I don't go 17 places a year!!! Apart from my 2 work shoes, the others get an occasional feature when I go to the movies or some work function or just for a drive out on a Sunday evening.

I don't consider myself a typical woman and I do not have an unnatural love for shoes. However, because of human nature, women just always have to be prepared in the event that an occasion comes up, you will have the perfect shoe. It's always when we're in the store ... the moment of truth ..."Do I really need this pair of shoes?", "Nah, I don't really need it but suppose I decide one day to go to a Cultural Food Festival in Portland, then I will need a comfortable shoe that I can walk or stand around all day in without the urge to take it off and throw it out in the sea". And that's the deciding factor ... just in case a particular occasion comes up, I'll have the perfect shoe. And we buy it. Another method used by myself is ... "ok, does this match anything in my closet? Oh, oh, oh! Yes!, it matches that pink silk skirt I bought in 2000 that I've never worn because I never had the perfect shoe!!! Yes!!! Gotta buy the shoe". And then we know what happens, neither the shoe or the skirt gets worn for another year!!!

I'm sure lady serendipity is going to put my 17 shoes to shame. But that question will never really be answered. For most women, there is this love for shoes that is just unshakable ... More Time!

The Valley of Indecision

A friend of mine has finally decided to buy a car. I'm so happy for her ... but that is as far as her decision has gone. Now, she's in a predicament in deciding what type of car to buy. With so many factors at stake - particularly budget, economy, availability of parts, etc. , the decision has to be carefully made.

Why I think my friend is in "the valley" is because, after "deciding" the type of car she would want, her significant other is not in agreement with the choice she makes.

I got so upset ... probably because I'm not the biggest fan of her boyfriend but .... she should buy what she wants .. I mean, it's all her money, she's the one who's gonna drive it and she will be the one paying the monthly and all other bills ... why should he attempt to dictate what she buys! Mi nuh agree wid dat at all!

So many times, we let men dictate the things we do. What ever happened to the STRONG, INDEPENDENT WOMAN? Where have they all gone? We have given men so much control over us that we don't even know ourselves anymore.

Well, I vow not to do that!!!!! I will continue to be strong in the name of womanhood!

Or ... am I in denial?

I Wonder ...... ?????

I found out about a week ago that my ex is getting married. For those who remember, he's the one from India. A marriage has been arranged for him.

The strangest thing is that we had been together for about a year and we broke up because he told me he had a terminal illness and didn't think it was fair for him to put me through that since he only had a few more years to live. He also told me that he would never get married.

So, as my title says, I wonder .... could this whole sickness thing have been an excuse to end the relationship????

Not that it matters now because if we had not separated I would not be in the wonderful relationship I now have with a most wonderful man.

Ah well ....

9 Exciting Things

I attended a training session yesterday and for the ice breaker, the facilitator asked us to write our full name on a piece of paper and a number between 1 - 10. 9 being my favourite number that is what I wrote. When the exercise was done, we were each asked to tell us exciting things about ourself - the number we had indicated on the paper.

I proceeded to say what I found exciting ... and I said being in love. The other participants were deathly silent and the facilitator asked me if I was in love and I said I most certainly was.

Is being love so far fetched these days that people have to actually ask if I was serious? When you think about how sad and depressing the world can be, I am surprised more people do not try to find love in the world. I believe that the reason so many people think that being in love is a strange phenomena is that they do not give themself a chance to be loved by someone else. We have all been hurt in one way or another, whether in love or other aspects of our life. But, it is these experiences that should inspire us to be happy rather than to turn away from it. So many times, I talk to other women and hear them say, they aren't looking for love anymore because it hurts too much and man nuh good and dem better off alone. They couldn't be more wrong. Yes, in some cases, you are better off alone but we are all so critical of our men sometimes and the things they do that we just think all men are like that. That is also very very wrong. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying there aren't some disgusting men out there who deserve to be kicked to the curb or in the gutter ... but not all of them are like that.

To these women I say, give love a chance. All you need is love. It is the most powerful emotion you will ever feel if you really and truly experience it. You have to let yourself go and feel the power of love. It is wonderful, truly wonderful!