really?

Valentine?

Still trying to understand the concept. We have assigned one day to ensure that our loved one/ones know that we truly do love them? LOL ok cool. it's not really my thing, maybe I ask too much of people, but I'd love for people to act like everyday was Valentine's Day, not with the gift buying, but rather the showing of love, compassion and consideration. Anyway, even though I'm not a Valentine's Day loyal customer, it doesn't stop me from adoring this Ryan Leslie song. This guy is superrr talented!!! And i just think this song is adorableee!! much love

"Ah no laugh ah serious ting"- Movado

So I'm not a big dancehall fan. Honestly, the last time I got all excited about a danchall tune was in high school in Trinidad at May fair, about 10 years ago. For real. I'm one of those "I only listen to conscious" type people, but I don't judge the rest. I don't find myself to be a qualified judge. Also, I'm just a bit too mellow for the jiggy jiggy dances that come out in a furious abundance. But I do find Movado's music to be interesting to say the least. Just the audacity alone, of naming your song 'squeeze her breast' (lol) is funny to me. But don't judge him for it. His song, he names it what he wants, sings bout what he wants. It's alll about an artist's expression. serious. And then people love it up and want more.. so you have songs like 'Force it up' ("Mi cocky versus her punarny war")..LOL!! So I come across this video of one of his concerts,as he's performing 'Squeeze her breast' in Belize...the woman in this video is a messsssss..



LOL!!! not a conscious thing about that situation but it happens... right?

I ♥ Tokyo?

So little to do with the city and so much more to do with a shirt. I can't say that I don't ♥ Tokyo, since I've never been, but that only means Tokyo's got a clean slate in my books, so wearing a shirt that has I ♥ Tokyo, is okay by me. Truth be told, in my wildest idealistic dreams, I'd love to "heart" all major cities of the world, as ridiculous as that may sound. I'm a city girl and part-time island girl, I adore both, but busy cities can and do quench my inquisitive thirst. In conclusion, purchasing this shirt has little to do with me visiting Tokyo, or having a boyfriend from Tokyo, an obsession with Tokyo, or anything you may think of. I'm just showing city love, and I can reluctantly admit, that I still have that sort of school girl fixation with heart shapes. It's something I'm trying to get over, bare with me please....

This being said,I see these I ♥ {insert city here} shirts around, and online, and most of the time I'm certain that $30+ is too much for a shirt professing your love for a place you've never set foot in. But Tokyo was on sale...so I grab the $10 shirt and head to the cash, really proud of myself for waiting it out all this time and finally finding the reasonably priced "trendy" shirt. So I'm on a high! And then this happens...

Cashier: Did you find everything ok?
Me: Yes I did thank you:)
Cashier: omg isn't this shirt soooo cute?
Me: uh, yea it is!.....?
Cashier: Are you gonna wear it on Valentine's Day?
Me:.......what?....
Cashier: You're not gonna wear it for Valentine's day?!? I bought one so I can wear it on Valentine's Day!! You should too
Me: oh..ummm...i dunno...i never thought of it...i'm not really sure why I would do that..but who knows what i'll wear on Valentine's Day right? you never know!!!

And then she looked at me...confused. As if I was the confusing one? I mean, I try not to stereotype, Urban Outfitters is a store I enjoy frequenting, not too often but I stay au courant. And the stuff is for the "hipster trendsters" as my brother likes to call 'em.
Almost like nouveau hippies running around "matching" the kind of colors that should hate each other, while they assure their fellow trendsters that they're going against the grain and not afraid to change the world, as individuals ..together. While they dress the same, hang out in the same circles and have the same things to say..to each other. But I don't like to stereotype, not for the sake of everyone liking me, but rather because i'm never convinced that anything is truly what it seems so it's actually hard for me to stereotype. But this cashier, with the peacock feathers in her hair, the leggings in the midst of a snowstorm warning, the purple ultra large shirt covered with a strange green/orange vest, who has mastered the high pitched finish in her sentences and is an ace at the glassy doll eyed look..she wants me to stereotype. And she wants us all to wear I ♥ Tokyo shirts on Valentine's Day. Cause maybe..Tokyo is our lover? Stillllll a bit confused on this end.

It's on repeat...

Nope not a Christina Milian fan. You would sooner catch me singing along to the ever timeless Nina Simone... BUT this Milian song is so sweet. Plus the video is ON..I adore her looks, all the outfits, all of em, different and waaaay out the box and that's something my Aquarian ass can appreciate!!! She looks stunning. Annnd finally, let's mention that man...jussssst thankful for his presence, thankful.

woops

I stay fit year round, but I'm doing a kind of last minute regime in order to truly feel good about my carnival costume and the inevitable legion of pictures to come. Sooooo..I'm at the gym, on the ever efficient elliptical, in my very own zone. Because one of the few rules I stick to is: not socializing at the gym. I won't date men that I meet there, I won't make friends with people I've met there, because I make it a point not to meet anyone there. The gym is my sanctuary and you'd swear there was nobody else in the room besides myself, because that's how I move around. I love it, it's my time and no one else matters when I'm in there. I can't even train with friends to be honest. For me, socializing has no place in there.

Attempts at contact don't phase me as much as the stares. We all glance, we can admire a good looking body, especially at a place like a gym, but then keep the eyes moving. I can't deal with the fixation, maybe it's because I honestly could never be THAT interested in someone else's body, unless it was my man of choice. The woman on the elliptical next to me today, insisted on glancing at me, constantly! It is highlyyyy irritating when the person next to me either keeps looking at what speed/level i'm on, or keeps looking at me! I thought I was crazy,I thought maybe she was looking over me at someone she knew. After the 5th glance I glanced back, and she looked at me in my face and gave a "oh hello there" kinna smile. I of course was not impressed, being the anti social gym rat that I am. Now, I have unfortunatley developped the bad habit of muttering about people who annoy me. I think it's a hilarious habit that came out of nowhere and the hilarity comes from it being ridiculous. It's the kind of passive agressive action that a person like me who finds it hard to be passive wouldn't take, but I do it. If I hold the door for you and you say nothing in return I will mutter "asshole". If you're driving and making a turn and it seems like you're trying to ignore the fact that I'm walking with purpose I usually mutter "i fckn dare you to hit me". So at the gym, in the elliptical corner, this young woman is looking at me with no end in sight and then she grins when my eyes confront her, and i mutter... "fckn weirdo".


In preparation for carnival I have an ipod full of soca music, blaring in my ears, making the sound level of an unconscious mutter heighten drastically. She heard me. I had practically announced that she was a "fckn weirdo". woops! One might even describe it as a "minor yell".

She faces front for the rest of her elliptical experience, cleans the machine without a glance, and left the elliptical corner. I was shocked at myself, mainly because I was unphased. You couldn't have gotten me to feel badly. As carnival creeps up, I have become a gym monster. I go in there ready for war, a war on fat and bad health and I want nothing and no one getting in my way. The way I see it, I have an appointment with Carnival 2009, and I have to make a good impression. I should have see it coming. Before the elliptical attack, I glared at the lady who stayed on another machine longer than she was supposed to when I had signed up for it well in advance. I was going to inform her that it was my turn but I was too disgusted with her, and how irritating she looked as she ran flailing her arms like orangutan.I am a monster. I am not proud of it at all, and I'm going to adjust my attitude in the gym. But this monster's abs are coming along quite nicely :)

Venus w/ love

my new love:)

you goin crazy?

Machel Montano is absolutely one of THE most talented artistes on the planet, the kind that makes me proud of the Trinidadian blood running through my veins. NO doubt he will show up again and again on this blog. He is a musical genius and the genre of soca owes him!!!! He even makes a somber song danceable, which made me feel kinna guilty for wanting to sway the hips to this tune, but that is the essence of Machel!!! As I'm about to make my long awaited exodus to the sweet islands of Trinidad and Tobago for our beloved carnival, this song will stay in my mind, even amongst all the bacchanalist soca songs I am loving for 2009. This is because in my opinon, no amount of new condos being built, fancy parties and promotions, trips ddi and brand new cars can hide the fact that the violence and level of disparity is out of hand. People tend to "lose their minds" in T&T, especially around carnival time, which is what they're supposed to do but in a safe, fun and considerate kind of way. Not the shooting and killing, drunk driving and drunk fighting kind of way which can, and does, also occur. It breaks my ♥ because often times my heart resides in Trinidad, where in my opinion, it belongs. So I took a time out to recenter myself because I am not immune to the losing of mind in the name of carnival fever. However, come tomorrow the positivity will flow like a Trini flash flood and I will continue to be Tustyyyy!!!! (click link for full explanation of Tusty)
bless

There's no excuse for mindlessness. Even the "anti"s that think they're going against the norm, have developped their own norm, and therefore have become their own form of sheep. There is no substitute for consciousness. It's great to have fun,jump on and off trends and enjoy what the world has to offer, but let's not forget the essence of individuality. booyakasha.


"The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed."
Steven Biko
Speech in Cape Town, 1971

Much too much...

One of the hardest things for me to do is acknowledge when something is too much. I try to deny the competitor in me, for fear that I'll lose control. I can lose control, get totally engulfed and never admit that something is too much. It's unhealthy, it's scary. It comes in handy when faced with adversity, but I'm working on moderation.

I've gotten myself involved in a few projects that just may be 'too much' for me. What do I do? avoid and avoid and hope they disappear. again, unhealthy. let's hope I can get it together so things don't all fall apart. I'm starting with this...because thisssss is just too much for me....much too much



bless.

have you ever wanted to marry a movie?

I am head over heels in lusty love with Slumdog Millionaire. see it. you must. Granted it wouldn't have taken much to persuade me to dedicate a couple hours to this one. It's got what I need in a potential "favourite movie": gritty realness, a totally plausible yet seemingly unrealistic scenario and subtitles. I don't always require subtitles (well not if it's in english or french),but I crave real world cultures and experiences. Slumdog Millionaire is amazing . The story line is incredibly written, the cast is genuinely endearing and there is alwaaaaays something going on at any point of the film.

I am definetly a "foreign" film addict. I hardly watch mainstream movies with much devotion, and when the "foreign" films become mainstream I am happy for the film but secretly wish the world knew that they're uninformed and limiting themselves to mainstream recycling. It shouldn't take an Oscar nomination to watch a film they may need to read in order to enjoy. :)

Yes Slumdog is amazing . But I'm not the type to jump onto the bandwagons at the drop of gen. pop. admiration.

Cidade Dos Homens or City of Men (the sequel to City of God) is my favourite "foreign" film. I use "" around the word foreign because I'm not so convinced that these films are anymore or less foreign to me than a movie like Finding Nemo. I'd say an orphaned talking fish is pretty foreign in my scheme of things.

I have watched City of Men and City of God more times than I can count, and I'm the type to watch a movie only once, twice if I'm pretending that I've never seen it before, while I'm in the company of a companion (yes I do that). It also helps that my ONLY celebrity crush is in this film, a Brasilian celeb who, last I heard, can't speak English but is working on it and has no idea that I would sponsor him PRONTO/ASAP/tout de suite. His name is Jonathan Haagensen and he's delicious and incredibly talented. I scoured the city of Toronto looking for how and where I could get the TV series continuation of City of God, also named Cidade dos Homens. My searched took me to Bay Street Video where I was able to rent all 4 seasons:) blissssss

Being francophone, I can't help but name french films as my pleasure of choice. Top 3 would have to be: Amélie, Rue Casse-Nègres and La Haine
Amélie has just enough quirkiness for me
Rue Casse-Nègres is a 'near and dear' since part of my heritage is Martiniquais and my maman introduced it to me when I was a kiddie.
La Haine left me speechless.

Honourable mentions go to Malena (italian), Curse of the Golden Flower (chinese) and Pan`s Labyrinth (spanish)

enjoy

bee ell oh gee

when you go to the gym you exercise your body, when you go to school you exercise your mind, go to a party and exercise your social skills, when you blog you exercise your.....fingers? ♥