Laying It Down

Banana leaves have been softened.  Well-seasoned pork and beef for the pastelles are simmering. Bread complete.  Pound cake is in the oven.  Pigs' feet for souse is in the pressure cooker,  Dishes are washed.  Rum punch is chilling in the refridgerator.  Christmas is almost here! Have not been in the Christmas mood at all, I am not happy.  I am not sad.  I just don't feel Christmasy (yes, I do make up words).  Filled my St. Vincent de Paul hamper (did I tell you that I was so tired last Saturday night that I left a bag of groceries in the supermarket car park?)  LOL!  I only hoped that  the bag was claimed by someone truly needing those products contained within.  No Christmas feeling.  Gave monies to help others have a merry Christmas, bought gifts for some little ones and a couple of big ones.  Still nothing.  Tried walking along Charlotte Street ( the street that has the most sidewalk hawkers of clothing, carpeting, children's toys, sandals, buckets and mops to cle

Hello Readers, Sharing pictures of my Divali meal. Preparing a small plate for a shut-in Tomatoes and Corn with Basil and Mint Leaves Red Lentils Dhal Pumpkin bubbling in the pot

Shubh Divali! Today, October 23rd, 2014 we nationals of Trinidad and Tobago join with so many other nations in celebrating the Hindu festival of Divali.  Like all good Trinibagonians, it is "curry day in de house!". I did not make the time to shop for all the necessary ingredients for  the wonderful traditional dishes that include dahl, pumpkin choka, channa and potatoes, curried bodie, masala mango, pepper roti, "buss up shut" and paratha roti yet like all Trinibagonians some of the ingredients are staple in the home.  In checking the larder, I've found red lentils rather than yellow split peas for my dhal, there is lots of pumpkin  for the choka, so I can put a check mark  there.  I am aware that I have no potatoes since they are not my favourite vegetable but I do have cassava, so I'm thinking channa and cassava.  Yes...that could work.  Sacre bleu, there are no cans of channa!  So, out goes the channa and cassava idea.  "Bodie, bodie", I th

I am using the words of Maya Angelou to name my post today and you shall see why as you read on.   It's been such a long time since I have communicated through this blog.  Hello!  How are you?  Actually it's been a while since I've communicated with anyone because I was concentrating on completing the draft of my thesis plus trying to work during Budget preparation and presentation and close of financial year.  Whew!  Suffice to say something had to give and that was me and my thesis.  While I submitted my draft in time, I am now asked to do a whole new construct!  Yuh mean to say, yuh didn't observe that all the time I was writing and submitting?"  "Augh!" I guess this is what writers go through with their editors.  Plus when you are nearing victory, the devil always interjects and for me that comes in the form of depression.  I really have been fighting depression for more than 18 months as I have indicated from time to time.  Well, it is back

Proof that it's not all in my head (Bwaaah!  You know I am not concerned) and that we have a lot of work to do to save our planet. http://www.pbs.org/strangedays/episodes/onedegreefactor/experts/africandust.html

It's Friday and I managed to leave work early.

Hi Folks, Thanks so much to those who took the time to respond.  I love the comments and have published them on the blog site. The comments were varied from funny to purely clinical or should I use the word academic.  I appreciate them and am reserving them for when I really begin to seriously consider this option.  In the meantime, I have suggested that  collection of information begin by an approaching   the various government agencies that offer micro and small loans, training in business skills, etc.   It's time they begin to use their brains since at this time all I plan to do is give moral support. Mother, one of my "boyfriends" has suggested that we try the week-end only and that seems "doable" since it would be a great test case.  Caryl, ah, Caryl if I were brave I would do it Trini style with "Lord Kitchener's" calypso in the background. LOL!  Although I do believe it is Slinger Francisco, the "Mighty Sparrow"  who s

Dear Readers, For the past few years, I have not met a man who impresses me. O’ I have met men and I am pleased that they are impressed by me but…I ain’t interested one single bit.  They are all nice men, in their own right and I have no difficulty in being a platonic friend, as a matter of fact some are lively, intelligent conversationalists whom I miss when they ‘digs out’ but my romantic heart is not into them.   There are times when I miss the headiness of romance and do indeed consider that maybe I should take on one of them.  Trust me that feeling quickly diminishes when I peruse through my mental resumes list.  None are bright as buttons, some are dumb as oxen.  The other side to this story is mine.   I have never been good at the “boyfriend, lover, business, so I may just be rejecting “gifted horses…”.   Who knows? taken from helmtest.com Now that I am past the preamble, here is the problem.  One of the ‘dearly beloved’ has come forward with a sugge

What I am telling you now is already known by you.  That is, before you start anything make sure you have all the components.  I did that!  Really, I did!  Last week I looked in the refrigerator and saw that I did have flour.

If I sit back and let Spirit be for just a little while I can see life with awe. Births, deaths, friendships, old, young joys and sorrows. Last night I had a very good time at a fete, meeting old friends and young people whom I knew as children and have grown and I now include them in my circle of friends. This morning, I am told that someone who was ny father's friend and became mine as I grew, passed on after an acute and brief (thank God) illness. My tears are flowing. I had to write and now feel that the sorrow has been expunged; only the joyful remembrances of my friend remain. Spirit has again let me see the awe of life.

My life has been a tapestry of rich and royal hue An everlasting vision of the ever changing view A wondrous woven magic in bits of blue and gold A tapestry to feel and see, impossible to hold Carole King - Tapestry Lyrics | Metro Lyrics  

These days American fast foods are reigning in Trinidad and Tobago.  Since I have young colleagues, I am now oh, so aware of all the fast food joints and am always told how delicious McDonalds or Wendy’s or Burger King hamburgers are and "Jin, you would not believe how tasty the French fries can be"!  You’ve got to realize that burgers from these franchises cost lots of money - $TT30 and up!  Way too much for my budget.   Now I love a hamburger and every once in a while I MUST HAVE BEEF!  If I don’t have BEEF, every once in a while, well then I keep on thinking about beef until… I have it.   My research shows that having such strong urges for the cow means that I lack Vitamin B and this can be obtained by eating a banana or a bit of chocolate.  I am here to testify that it does not work!  When I need beef, I need it and the quickest way to get it is through a steak or a hamburger.  Steak needs a baked potato with yoghurt, corn and a green salad but that takes a while to

Today was one of my “make a joyful noise” mornings.  Sometimes I awaken with a song to the Lord on my mind.  It may be a hymn or it may be words and a tune that my mind makes up.  One of my “noises” just had one word “thank-you” and I sung that to the Lord for weeks.  I would wake up with my lips mouthing those two words in a rather tuneless tone.  I’m no musician so the tunes are really bad, yet often, the mind states ‘this is what you must sing’.  I frequently cannot remember the tunes after but I would recall the words (shall I dare to call them lyrics?).  Today a few new words and a tune came to me.  Guess what?  As I write this I have completely forgotten the music.  This morning, these are the lyrics which I prayed to Spirit.  Am fired by Jesus All my dross burnt away A new clay is formed today Burnt in the fire of love Burnt in the fire of peace Burnt in the fire of joy I feel that these lyrics are lacking and there should be more before the “burnt” start

In this lousy, stinking job that I have there is no vacation, no kind of leave at all, no money equivalent to the work performance and definitely no power.  I have absolutely no power nor do I get a great deal of respect from my superiors.  That part I understand since old style human resource management is still practised  in this realm.  I am just one of the working poor who work to survive and any change in the future is a far-off goal.  I work, I feel tired and unhappy and most of all I never see the result of my input in any output or outcome. Frustration can set in.  Often the output takes so long to achieve that I feel as if I am carrying the weight of the clients passion, especially when they have lost hope in truly getting good service from the public sector.  I feel badly at times when another Fiscal quarter comes along and no significant output can be recorded, not due to any lack on my part.   Today, I visited a site and after the bidders left the client insisted on s

Today is the birthday of my parents.  Yes, my parents were born on the same day but different years.  My father used to tell me that he wished I had been born on the same day as they.  Nah, I choose to come 11 days earlier: in the old year.  Today my mother celebrates her 80 th birthday while if Daddy were alive it would have been his 81 st .  I would always dream that as my parents approached their latter years I would be giving back to them.    My father once gave me a book of poetry and I remember that one of the poems had a few lines that read as “Grow old along with me”.  “The best is yet to be”.  I would imagine that yes indeed, with the pressures of work and fatherhood over, we would become friends and delight in the pleasures that an adult child enjoys with its parent.  As a young woman I would picture us having celebrations with my family, and the ‘grands’ just loving it.  Those dreams were not to be.  I still cannot give back to my mother and my dear father