Got this yesterday at work via email. I usually read the first couple of lines because sometimes they are actually pretty funny. Anything to not do work right. LOL. Sorry the blog is so long. Hope you find it funny.
From kim yo yong. kim_wang@movemail.com
Dear Friend,
Please read this email before you conclude on my intention.
First I am Kim Yong Wo from Hong Kong Republic I am 17 yrs old and
I am in a private hospital here in Asia. I am SUFFERING FROM OSTEOPOROSIS (Osteoporosis is not just about broken bones- Osteoporosis actually causes my skull to shrink as well AND
THE PAIN IS UNBEARABLE IT IS CALLED THE GRADUAL KILLER) I May not live unto the next three months from what my doctor told me I lost my father last Year after a brief ill Health my father was a farmer who has interest that one day he will Start a cattle farm here in Hong Kong, but his dream never came Through till his death He was killed through poison by his Mistress. And because I am the only child of my Father this lady wants me dead so that she will inherited my fathers property, In as much as she is in control of my fathers business she still wants the fixed deposit that my father left in Europe just for her selfishness Last Month the finance company where my father deposited this fund contacted me through my fathers Lawyer to advice them on what to do with his fund since I am still a minor and very sick demanding if they could leave the fund in a trust fund or should I seek other wise.
Since I know that I do not have much time left and when I die this Lady could get a hold on this fund through legal means and I am so Scared about this So, I now decided to divide part of this wealth, By contributing to the wellbeing of less privileged people and Handicapped in the society of Asian which is in my place America Europe and African Countries It was in the process of going through my fathers file looking for any clue that I saw an old his diary with your email circled.
What came into my mind is that he has the intention of doing business with you before his death Hence I am sending this email to you to be the executioner to this fund
I selected you for this Purpose and prayed over it. At first, I did not know how to put up this request for assistance because like I told you above my father were receiving emails from Africa
Soliciting his help in accommodating huge sums of dollars for them
He was receiving an average of 5 letters everyday. He suspected them to be scam from Africa. I feel I can trust you and I am willing to donate the sum of $11,300,000.00 Million US Dollars to you for the development of the well being of handicapped in the society and also as aids for the less privileged around your country, and I have mapped out $1,300,000.00 for your own personal use to help me for this work. Please note that, this fund is currently deposited with Finance
Organization My Fathers Attorney will file an immediate application for the
Transfer of the money in your name. Please, do not reply me if you have the intention of using this fund for personal use, than enhancement of the comfort of the handicapped.
Lastly, I want you/your home to be praying for me as regards my Entire life and my health because I have come to find out since my spiritual birth lately that wealth acquisition with out God, One’s life is vanity upon vanity
I await your urgent reply if you did accept to help me to show my
Sincerity I will send to you photocopies of my International passport
Copy and my school id card to assure you that I am of Good intention.
Remain blessed!
Kim
I was going to respond to her straight bajan something like this. (apologies to those who cant follow the dialect)
Dear Kim
Wait girl I real sorry ta hear dat ya fadda dead fa true! Dat is why men shud not be cavorting wid wicked wumen, ya duz got ta pray ta God ta send de right wuman cause dum got nuff wicked evil wumen bout de place. True true. Cause looka how she gone an poisin de man an he aint do she nuttin atall. cuhdear, dat is why my mudda always tell me I shun eat from any an evabody.
But wait who is you fadda an how he did know me? wait wha you say he did name agin? Whichpart he get my email address cause I aint know nuhbody name nuh Yong Wo ya kno. At least not if my memory serve me correct. Not dat the memory like how it was a few years back but still I mean if a fella name Yong Wo I feel I shud rememba dat name cause it aint like he name Brathwaite or Brown or sumting commonplace dat I wudda got ta ask which Brathwaite or which Brown he is. A name like dat shud stick out.
Wait! Unless he went by a nickname cause one time I did know a fella name Matchsticks but dat din he real name. We used ta call he so cause one time, many years ago, he was by de corner troubling a young girl an she say "wha i aint want nuh man like you wid he two feets look like matchsticks" ha ha ha. wuhloss! Man you shoulda hear how the whole gap cackle out when dem hear dat. And dat name stick pun he. Come ta think of it I doan think I did ever know wha Matchsticks real name was. But dat is besides de point. So anyways wha dem used ta call you fadda?
But wait I aint tryin ta be malicious nor nuttin so but whichpart he get all dat money from bosie? He play lotto or he growing a lil sumting up in the hills cause I aint kno nuh farmers dat got summuch muney. A mean between you an me I used ta kno sum rasta fellas out by me dat used ta grow lil sumting in the bush one time! dem used ta walk roun lookin musty an half foolishy but dem used ta mek good muney, ya see dem dey, selling a lil a wha dem did growing. Wait you fadda was one a dem rasta fellas? Cause I know dem fellas duz got sum funny names ya kno. Wait he was the tall bony wun dat I used ta see down by Browne's beach punna marnin? cause ya kno come ta think bout it I neva catch he name so i aint know if he did a Yong Wo or not ta tell ya de truth. And come ta think bout it I aint see he in a good few years now. Anyways send muh a picture lemma see if um is he fa true.
But girl how you end up wid dis Osteoporosis disease doah? you fadda wudda had ta be a vegetable farmer fa true cause you like you neva get nuh cow's milk growing up ya. Lemma tell ya, when I was a lil boy my mudda used ta buy milk from a wuman up St George dat had three cows. She used ta bring um punna Tuesday night ina lil three jills bottle but if the rain fall she wun get down by we till Wednesday marnin. We use'd ta tek dat milk boil um, tek off the skin an drink um.
Man um did sweet fa days not like this pasturized foolishness dem got knocking bout dese days. Girl if you fadda wudda gi ya lil cow's milk when ya did growing up ya wun got nuh Osteoporisis all like now but I aint suprised he faget bout dat cause dem rastas like sumtimes dem heads duz be bad ya kno. cuhdear an poor you aint even see a star pitch yet. lil milk and ya wun got nuh problem.
But ya kno I still straining my head ta figure out whapart you fadda kno me from cause now I aint suh certain he did the rastaman? An wha business it was he did plannin ta conduct wid me cause i aint eitha buying nor selling dese days. Anyhow I din kno he but I still sorry ta hear he gone before I get ta talk ta he an find out wha business we was gine conduct cause wid de kinda coppers you talkin bout I feel I woulda mek a good pieca change.
cuhdear! but see how things duz turn out? Now looka how I miss out pun dat business opportunity wid ya fadda but now you offering me munies ta distribute odda muneys. Is true true wha de good book say ya know; when one door closed anudda wun duz open. But wait dat is de good book or Bob Marley I duz never can remember too good ya kno cause the memory aint as good as it used ta be. When ya get as ol as me chile ya wud understan. But I remember doah dat as a chile we had a saying dat if the door closed ya might still find a window open ta crawl through. ha ha. I tell ya!
How ya mean doan reply if I aint gine use the funds ta help dem handicapped underprivileged people? You mekkin sport!
But tell muh sumting doah. you sure, sure, sure ya wanta gi way all dis muney ta dem people so cause from where I standing I doan think dem wud kno wha ta do wid all dis big lotta muney you giving dem ya kno. Ta me I feel bout 5 ta 8 milion is suffice fa dem. Yes I kno dat dem got alot a dem sorta people bout the place but not as much as you thinkin cause peoples like politicians an de Aid agencies an de likes duz like ta exaggerate bout dem sorta people ta tug at ya heartstrings cause they know dat if you really kno hummuch a dem people bout the place ya wun really feel dat bad an ya wun be suh willing ta pull ya pocketbook ta gi dem muney. So yea dem duz exaggerate nuff nuff. Trust me girl, you still young but I been around de block a few times an I kno dese things. To me, I feel 5 ta 8 million is enuff fa dem...but ya can still send de full 11 million an I wud sort dat out fa ya. Nuh need you worrying bout dat pun ya deathbed.
An dont you worry cause from de time i get this letter I was already praying fa ya cause ya is a real good kindhearted chile ...not like ya ol wicked stepmudda. Ya fadda , God rest the dead wud be too proud a ya.
Anyways try an mek certain dat ya send long the documents ta muh before ya drop down dead. Not dat i wishing ya ill but ya kno I hear this Osteoporosis is a silent killer. It duz work pun ya an ya wun even know when ya gone. An as de bible say time waits fa no man or wuman so let we sort dis out in the early.
Anyways girl looka try an remember ta lemma know who ya fadda was, an try an send muh de documents an de muney so I cud put the muney ta good use. Tek care a yaself an mek ya self right wid de maker. I gine pray fa ya doah.
Yours sincerely
Jdid.
Thursday, December 09, 2004
Wednesday, December 08, 2004
Wednesday morning
Made it to work today first time for the week. Still not 100% but got to do what I got to do. Actually made it in on-time too although I missed the bus. I swear the bus drivers plan to have their vehicles at the stop just when I'm two streets away and can see them. They must have spies watching to see when I leave home so that they can aggravate me by having me see them pass by. Punks!
that's ok though because using my knowledge of transit routes I've devised an alternate travel plan by doing the unexpected and going in the opposite direction to work. Thought I was going to have to wait for that next but didn't you. Suckers!
Anyway had some nice tunes to listen to on the way down. The Roots of G funk. Not bad at all. All those little samples that Dr Dre took for his production work on The Chronic, 2001 and even some old NWA stuff. Its always cool to hear the original stuff I think. Some old songs, not necessarily on this album, its like you can hear three or four sections that were sampled by different hip hop artists for different songs. Its like Rap Foundation 101.
Of course I got to work and my whole day went downhill...which is why I'm taking a short break to blog. There is this one project I'm on which comes around every two or three years and is the most unorganized event in the world. I'm just involved at the latter stages so not much input but when my turn comes then people try to rush my part like you wouldn't believe and I just have a really hard time not telling them to piss off.
Last time it went on and on as their revisions kept me busy for months till I seriously thought of quitting. This year everyone involved is new except for me and its the same b.s with new yout trying to make their little names for themselves by keeping things on schedule which cant work. I mean if a man supposed ta send me sumting in October and all like now dem aint send muh an my deadline if given the info mid-October was January they cant seriously think that holds now. Not happening. Then one man a try rush me bout tell the people send in the info. chupse! But if its not ready why should I rush them to give me unfinished stuff to make my life more difficult. He feel I is a half idiot or wha? Let them take there time and give me decent product. Like he never hear garbage in garbage out. I guess its unprofessional to tell someone to F off but boy sometimes I tell ya.
Anyways all dem got ta relax and wait for me ta do my part at my convenience. Black people have too much high blood pressure as it stands. I not adding to the statistics plus wait I was juss sick yesterday. Dem lucky we aint got summa dem bajan doctors up hayso dat wudda gi me two week off wid a mash corn cause dem wun see me fa a good three months from now......chupse
that's ok though because using my knowledge of transit routes I've devised an alternate travel plan by doing the unexpected and going in the opposite direction to work. Thought I was going to have to wait for that next but didn't you. Suckers!
Anyway had some nice tunes to listen to on the way down. The Roots of G funk. Not bad at all. All those little samples that Dr Dre took for his production work on The Chronic, 2001 and even some old NWA stuff. Its always cool to hear the original stuff I think. Some old songs, not necessarily on this album, its like you can hear three or four sections that were sampled by different hip hop artists for different songs. Its like Rap Foundation 101.
Of course I got to work and my whole day went downhill...which is why I'm taking a short break to blog. There is this one project I'm on which comes around every two or three years and is the most unorganized event in the world. I'm just involved at the latter stages so not much input but when my turn comes then people try to rush my part like you wouldn't believe and I just have a really hard time not telling them to piss off.
Last time it went on and on as their revisions kept me busy for months till I seriously thought of quitting. This year everyone involved is new except for me and its the same b.s with new yout trying to make their little names for themselves by keeping things on schedule which cant work. I mean if a man supposed ta send me sumting in October and all like now dem aint send muh an my deadline if given the info mid-October was January they cant seriously think that holds now. Not happening. Then one man a try rush me bout tell the people send in the info. chupse! But if its not ready why should I rush them to give me unfinished stuff to make my life more difficult. He feel I is a half idiot or wha? Let them take there time and give me decent product. Like he never hear garbage in garbage out. I guess its unprofessional to tell someone to F off but boy sometimes I tell ya.
Anyways all dem got ta relax and wait for me ta do my part at my convenience. Black people have too much high blood pressure as it stands. I not adding to the statistics plus wait I was juss sick yesterday. Dem lucky we aint got summa dem bajan doctors up hayso dat wudda gi me two week off wid a mash corn cause dem wun see me fa a good three months from now......chupse
Tuesday, December 07, 2004
Surprise
We can count the dough or kick a flow
or chill out watchin videos
or
actin really silly yo but really doe
all that can end...
Whether at the
bar with superstars
or cruisin in the trooper car
I really don't care
who you are
All I really need is a friend
A Friend - KRS-One
Ok well I had this great witty blog written yesterday about the surprise party my crew threw for me Saturday night but blogger decided to mess up and lost my entire post...not once but twice. Ok who am I kidding it wasn't that witty but still blogger shouldn't have taken me out like that.
Anyway, honestly this week I'm sort of in a pensive type reflective, analytical mood, guess there is a lot of crap on my mind so I'm not sure how many more blogs I'll be writing. Birthdays will do that to ya I guess. Plus this winter snow thing and the end of the year has probably gotten to me a bit as well, plus I'm still sort of sick so all this stuff combined and I'm about ready to hibernate or at least go into a cocoon for a bit. Will I, will I not, we'll see. A so it go. Some days lots to talk about some days don't really feel like sharing.
BUT. To get back to the topic at hand. Some of my boys and some of the girls as well threw me a little surprise party on Saturday. Now honestly I sort of thought something could be up since I'm not the trusting type and I've watched too many war movies to not think that an ambush is lurking around every corner lol but it was a very pleasant surprise.
Actually I think it left me a bit shook to tell you the truth. Not that I was surprised at the actual party (my spidy senses were tingling) so to speak just sort of surprised that my friends would go through the trouble of throwing the party. Its actually rather hard to explain. Should I go on? Yea why not I'm trying to explain it to myself too. I guess I'm more a loner and outsider than anything so even though I'm part of many groups I still feel somewhat not fully part. Plus even though I've been here in T-dot a million years I don't know if I'll fully adjust. Like part of me is still back in Bim, like I'm torn somehow. So I tend to keep my distance, hmm wonder if my official biographer who told me last week that I was becoming somewhat normal is reading this. J holla at ya boy! So anyways it was just sort of really nice to be on the receiving end of a party from my peeps. It actually feels really nice like you know since I've been here no one has really done anything like that for me so I'm sorta humbled a bit. Make sense. naa not to me. Oh well.
Anyway I got to give props to my bredren and sistren and the wife who planned it all and would have managed to keep it completely a surprise if I wasn't a conspiracy theorist who thinks that every action by his wife is one meant to kill him. People I tell ya de wuman is a CIA plant. Wunnah dont watch Alias? The wuman trying to bump me off, is true. If I disappear wunnah call crimestoppers and tell dem me wife do it. LOL
Seriously though I just wanted to acknowledge the folks who arranged the party and showed up at the party. Actually just wanted to acknowledge all my friends, in T dot, the US, yard, Bim, St Vincent, Taiwan, online wheverer you are. Thanks for the birthday greetings and the party and all. Makes a brother feel loved. Sniff sniff. I wud cry now but my tear ducts were welded shut in 91.
Bless!
Monday, December 06, 2004
Still Dreaming
Been a while since I had one that I actually remembered but here goes.
As usual I'm not sure where it all starts but I remember having this overwhelming feeling that I needed to be at work. Now in this dream my workplace looked like it was upstairs of the Headmaster's office at my old high school. LOL
Anyway so I remember having this feeling but I was only clearly cognisant of it when I was sitting behind an old wooden desk in a classroom. Again a classroom that looked like the ones I had at high school. However instead of high school students in their uniforms in walked university students (looked like 2nd or 3rd years ) and then a young University Professor I've actually had for a course or two came in. Only instead of teaching his usual science class he was teaching history. So I sat there acutely aware that I wanted to leave but afraid to move and disrupt the class. The teacher kept walking around and asking questions and I was thinking to myself these students are rather dumb that they cant answer any of these questions.
So after a while I just decide well its now or never so I started to pull my stuff together. Thought I only had a knap-sack with me but then realized I also had a half empty maroon suitcase and that a green tie with yellow globes and a black pair of underwear were on the ground. Anyway somehow I just ignored what was around me and I gathered my stuff, including what was on the floor, and left the room.
So now I'm on the outside and the place turns into my old residence building from University except that the office where I work is still the same spot (high school headmaster's office) but its directly attached to this building.
So for some strange reason I didn't want to walk directly into that office so I detour through the girl's residence which is like at the furthest point from where I'm going. Oh now I only have a leather knapsack with me as the suitcase has disappeared. So now I'm jetting through the building's lobby (and it was filled with children probably couldn't see as high as I be....Sorry random Nas line thrown in just for no reason) and climbing the stairs. For some reason I want to get to the 7th floor but everytime I go up one flight of stairs or another the door is locked and I'm walking in a very long fast rhythmic looping like stride (sort of like how some cartoon characters run)through another half empty lobby. Oh and I can see the outside of the building from the lobby. At various points as I run/walk the strap of my knapsack keeps getting caught behind me and pulling me back. Its as if the strap is too long and is trailing along the ground or flapping in the air or something but when I look at it , it appears normal.
Anyway this goes on for a bit impeding my progress until I'm sure that the whole place is a maze so I'm suddenly in the main lobby and know how to get out of the building so I leave going out the door by the library.
Outside I finally decide hey why not head straight for the office. Duhh! So I do. As I'm passing a driveway by the building I see this guy I went to high school with sitting in a jet black sports car with his younger brother (who also went to high school with us) and there are three pretty good looking girls in the car. I say hi and continue my walk (not sure if it was the looping walk again but I did have the whole knapsack catching on something incident outside again) but its only after I've walked a bit further up the street that they acknowledge my greeting. I would have usually stopped seeing it was someone I know but this guy has a reputation for being a bit shady (as opposed to mine which is of being shifty) so I try to avoid him as much as possible.
My eyes are focused on the white limestone blocks of the office I'm heading to and I'm thinking its only a two story building so why was I trying to get to the 7th story in that other part of the building as if those floors connected. Weird.
Anyway that's when I woke up.
As usual I'm not sure where it all starts but I remember having this overwhelming feeling that I needed to be at work. Now in this dream my workplace looked like it was upstairs of the Headmaster's office at my old high school. LOL
Anyway so I remember having this feeling but I was only clearly cognisant of it when I was sitting behind an old wooden desk in a classroom. Again a classroom that looked like the ones I had at high school. However instead of high school students in their uniforms in walked university students (looked like 2nd or 3rd years ) and then a young University Professor I've actually had for a course or two came in. Only instead of teaching his usual science class he was teaching history. So I sat there acutely aware that I wanted to leave but afraid to move and disrupt the class. The teacher kept walking around and asking questions and I was thinking to myself these students are rather dumb that they cant answer any of these questions.
So after a while I just decide well its now or never so I started to pull my stuff together. Thought I only had a knap-sack with me but then realized I also had a half empty maroon suitcase and that a green tie with yellow globes and a black pair of underwear were on the ground. Anyway somehow I just ignored what was around me and I gathered my stuff, including what was on the floor, and left the room.
So now I'm on the outside and the place turns into my old residence building from University except that the office where I work is still the same spot (high school headmaster's office) but its directly attached to this building.
So for some strange reason I didn't want to walk directly into that office so I detour through the girl's residence which is like at the furthest point from where I'm going. Oh now I only have a leather knapsack with me as the suitcase has disappeared. So now I'm jetting through the building's lobby (and it was filled with children probably couldn't see as high as I be....Sorry random Nas line thrown in just for no reason) and climbing the stairs. For some reason I want to get to the 7th floor but everytime I go up one flight of stairs or another the door is locked and I'm walking in a very long fast rhythmic looping like stride (sort of like how some cartoon characters run)through another half empty lobby. Oh and I can see the outside of the building from the lobby. At various points as I run/walk the strap of my knapsack keeps getting caught behind me and pulling me back. Its as if the strap is too long and is trailing along the ground or flapping in the air or something but when I look at it , it appears normal.
Anyway this goes on for a bit impeding my progress until I'm sure that the whole place is a maze so I'm suddenly in the main lobby and know how to get out of the building so I leave going out the door by the library.
Outside I finally decide hey why not head straight for the office. Duhh! So I do. As I'm passing a driveway by the building I see this guy I went to high school with sitting in a jet black sports car with his younger brother (who also went to high school with us) and there are three pretty good looking girls in the car. I say hi and continue my walk (not sure if it was the looping walk again but I did have the whole knapsack catching on something incident outside again) but its only after I've walked a bit further up the street that they acknowledge my greeting. I would have usually stopped seeing it was someone I know but this guy has a reputation for being a bit shady (as opposed to mine which is of being shifty) so I try to avoid him as much as possible.
My eyes are focused on the white limestone blocks of the office I'm heading to and I'm thinking its only a two story building so why was I trying to get to the 7th story in that other part of the building as if those floors connected. Weird.
Anyway that's when I woke up.
Sunday, December 05, 2004
Not too bad
Well first off thanks to all those who wished me a happy birthday. Respect! What can I say, it was a rather quiet day, just went out to an special art exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario came home and watched mess up vs the Celtics.
Yesterday I had my first pan recital (end of beginner class) on Tenor. It went suprisingly well.....Considering that I didn't know the bridge of the ending an hour anda half before the thing started, lol. Anyway it was a really easy song (since we're beginners) Oba Di Oba Da by the Beetles.
(verse)
6D C Bflat A C C(roll)
6Eflat D C Bflat (roll)
6F Eflat D Eflat F G
G F Eflat 2D Eflat D C Eflat D C Bflat(roll)
Chorus
((low) Bflat D F) x2 (oba di Oba da)
low Bflat D F roll Bflat roll
F Eflat D Eflat D C roll Bflat roll
Bridge
DD E F G (F G Bflat) Eflat G (low Bflat) D
background gets on with their thing come in on big G
DD E F G (F G Bflat) Eflat G
Bflat DDD Eflat D C roll
Ending
GG BLat Bflat G Bflat (rest 2)
G F Eflat D C Bflat Bflat
F
Anyway still rather tired from yesterday so I'll tell you about the rest of the day tomorrow.
Yesterday I had my first pan recital (end of beginner class) on Tenor. It went suprisingly well.....Considering that I didn't know the bridge of the ending an hour anda half before the thing started, lol. Anyway it was a really easy song (since we're beginners) Oba Di Oba Da by the Beetles.
(verse)
6D C Bflat A C C(roll)
6Eflat D C Bflat (roll)
6F Eflat D Eflat F G
G F Eflat 2D Eflat D C Eflat D C Bflat(roll)
Chorus
((low) Bflat D F) x2 (oba di Oba da)
low Bflat D F roll Bflat roll
F Eflat D Eflat D C roll Bflat roll
Bridge
DD E F G (F G Bflat) Eflat G (low Bflat) D
background gets on with their thing come in on big G
DD E F G (F G Bflat) Eflat G
Bflat DDD Eflat D C roll
Ending
GG BLat Bflat G Bflat (rest 2)
G F Eflat D C Bflat Bflat
F
Anyway still rather tired from yesterday so I'll tell you about the rest of the day tomorrow.
Friday, December 03, 2004
BornDay
I woke up early on my bornday
not twenty years
the blessings of adolescence left my body long time so always stressed and
my physical frame is celebrated cause I made it
through another year although life be complicated
got blogs 365 days annual plus some
be writing like a dumb dumb
some serious some just fun
Ok now that I've done as much damage to Nas' rhyme as I possible could I'll stop.
Its my birthday and I fyah de wuk fa de day. Going to just chill. Yep another birthday. Its been a tough year but I've made it through with the help of God and hopefully I'll be around to see a few more. As in all years had the good and the bad, the advancements and the setbacks. A so it go and inshalla (God willing) next year we will see some progress.
Is this where I had envisioned myself at this age. Umm naa but it could be worst and I cant complain too bad cause I still have my health...oh wait that went south this year too. cuhdear!
De wife say she wud get me what I want for my birthday. I was feeling all special an ting so but I wake up early early this marnin an still no sign of Halle Berry. Boy sum people duz get a fella hopes up and then ...........................................chupse :-)
What more can I say (Top Billing?) . I'd like to Thank God for making this possible, Big up to mom's and pops for raising me, ummm my manager, my producer, my ghost writers, my posse for having my back . Oh wait wrong speech.
Going to go enjoy this day. Try to juss relax.
Bless!
not twenty years
the blessings of adolescence left my body long time so always stressed and
my physical frame is celebrated cause I made it
through another year although life be complicated
got blogs 365 days annual plus some
be writing like a dumb dumb
some serious some just fun
Ok now that I've done as much damage to Nas' rhyme as I possible could I'll stop.
Its my birthday and I fyah de wuk fa de day. Going to just chill. Yep another birthday. Its been a tough year but I've made it through with the help of God and hopefully I'll be around to see a few more. As in all years had the good and the bad, the advancements and the setbacks. A so it go and inshalla (God willing) next year we will see some progress.
Is this where I had envisioned myself at this age. Umm naa but it could be worst and I cant complain too bad cause I still have my health...oh wait that went south this year too. cuhdear!
De wife say she wud get me what I want for my birthday. I was feeling all special an ting so but I wake up early early this marnin an still no sign of Halle Berry. Boy sum people duz get a fella hopes up and then ...........................................chupse :-)
What more can I say (Top Billing?) . I'd like to Thank God for making this possible, Big up to mom's and pops for raising me, ummm my manager, my producer, my ghost writers, my posse for having my back . Oh wait wrong speech.
Going to go enjoy this day. Try to juss relax.
Bless!
Thursday, December 02, 2004
White Men & Married Women
Are the reason that the Democrats lost the U.S election.
Its been a month now so I thought I'd revisit the subject. Actually was going to blog about the incident that I blogged on yesterday but I was reading some stuff on the subway on my way home and seeing its exactly a month after the election I figured it might be poignant.
Just something to think about.
According to an article in the Dec 6th New Yorker magazine if white men could not vote then John Kerry would have won by seven million votes.
There was also a key change in the way married women voted. In 2000 Bush got forty nine percent of the married women votes but in 2004 this increased to fifty five percent. Married women love Bush ...Interesting.
Forty Nine percent of Americans trusted only Bush to be able to handle terrorism (what do they put in the water over there?) and of those 49%, 97% voted for him which already gives him about 47-48% of the electorate. So basically what these stats are saying is that Kerry was always between a rock and a hard place.
Oh well!
Oh, just something I remembered that I wanted to throw in. Growing up in Barbados we had a saying when people were talking foolishness. We would say ya "talkin nuff bush" or "ya talkin a bundle a bush". Maybe we were being prophetic because isn't it ironic now that the President of the US is Bush and he duz really talk nuff nuff foolishness. :-)
4 more years. Lawd ave mercy!
Its been a month now so I thought I'd revisit the subject. Actually was going to blog about the incident that I blogged on yesterday but I was reading some stuff on the subway on my way home and seeing its exactly a month after the election I figured it might be poignant.
Just something to think about.
According to an article in the Dec 6th New Yorker magazine if white men could not vote then John Kerry would have won by seven million votes.
There was also a key change in the way married women voted. In 2000 Bush got forty nine percent of the married women votes but in 2004 this increased to fifty five percent. Married women love Bush ...Interesting.
Forty Nine percent of Americans trusted only Bush to be able to handle terrorism (what do they put in the water over there?) and of those 49%, 97% voted for him which already gives him about 47-48% of the electorate. So basically what these stats are saying is that Kerry was always between a rock and a hard place.
Oh well!
Oh, just something I remembered that I wanted to throw in. Growing up in Barbados we had a saying when people were talking foolishness. We would say ya "talkin nuff bush" or "ya talkin a bundle a bush". Maybe we were being prophetic because isn't it ironic now that the President of the US is Bush and he duz really talk nuff nuff foolishness. :-)
4 more years. Lawd ave mercy!
Wednesday, December 01, 2004
Stray Bullet
Let the trigger finger put the pressure to the mechanism
Which gives a response, for the automatic *bang*
Clip to release projectiles in single
file forcing me to ignite then travel
through the barrel, headed for the light
At the end of a tunnel, with no specific target in sight
Slow the flow like H2O water
Visualize, the scene of a homicide, a slaughter
No remorse for the course I take when you pull it
The results a stray bullet.............
....................
I'm coming for you little girl
Once inside I shatter your world
Swirl, no more dreams no hopes when I spray
You better pray, to the Pope or the Vatican
Before I go rat-tat-a-tat again
I'm mad again brother somebody's mother will be sad again
but, whose blue skies will turn grey
from the attack, of the Mac-11, I'm a stray, bullet
Pharoahe Monche - Stray Bullet
Well Sunday these lyrics almost literally came through for a little girl riding the bus here in Toronto.
Apparently some guys were having a discussion or argument on the bus and one of them get vex, pulled out a gun, and lik off some rounds and hit one other guy three times. As the victim tried to escape the gunman kept shooting and an 11 year old girl who was traveling on the bus with her pregnant mother was shot in the head.
She is currently in hospital where its likely she will lose the sight in one eye.
What the? It just aint safe out there.
What's even worse is that many citizens of Toronto have adapted a 'see and blind, hear and deaf' attitude and although there were 40 persons on the bus very few witnesses have come forward so far. What is our society coming to? Is it fear of repercussions if you bear witness, is it an its not me or my family so I don't care attitude? Is it a anti-informer attitude? I'm trying to figure out why this is happening?
As the mother of the little girl said in a TV interview last night the perpetrator of this senseless act of violence need to 'hang from de neck.' I'd go further I say lik him wid the cat o nine first then hang him actually forget hanging lets take it back to some Biblical style or Islamic law, stone his ass. I may not be without sin but I sure would line up to throw the first big rock.
Too much lawlessness abounds in our society. The deterrents are too slight to stop this behavior. Maybe the shooter was one of the types of youths that I talk about here. They are too quick to pull out the heat like its a video game but this aint Halo, Doom or Grand Theft Auto my yout, is only one life God gi we to live so if ya get shoot game dun.
Which gives a response, for the automatic *bang*
Clip to release projectiles in single
file forcing me to ignite then travel
through the barrel, headed for the light
At the end of a tunnel, with no specific target in sight
Slow the flow like H2O water
Visualize, the scene of a homicide, a slaughter
No remorse for the course I take when you pull it
The results a stray bullet.............
....................
I'm coming for you little girl
Once inside I shatter your world
Swirl, no more dreams no hopes when I spray
You better pray, to the Pope or the Vatican
Before I go rat-tat-a-tat again
I'm mad again brother somebody's mother will be sad again
but, whose blue skies will turn grey
from the attack, of the Mac-11, I'm a stray, bullet
Pharoahe Monche - Stray Bullet
Well Sunday these lyrics almost literally came through for a little girl riding the bus here in Toronto.
Apparently some guys were having a discussion or argument on the bus and one of them get vex, pulled out a gun, and lik off some rounds and hit one other guy three times. As the victim tried to escape the gunman kept shooting and an 11 year old girl who was traveling on the bus with her pregnant mother was shot in the head.
She is currently in hospital where its likely she will lose the sight in one eye.
What the? It just aint safe out there.
What's even worse is that many citizens of Toronto have adapted a 'see and blind, hear and deaf' attitude and although there were 40 persons on the bus very few witnesses have come forward so far. What is our society coming to? Is it fear of repercussions if you bear witness, is it an its not me or my family so I don't care attitude? Is it a anti-informer attitude? I'm trying to figure out why this is happening?
As the mother of the little girl said in a TV interview last night the perpetrator of this senseless act of violence need to 'hang from de neck.' I'd go further I say lik him wid the cat o nine first then hang him actually forget hanging lets take it back to some Biblical style or Islamic law, stone his ass. I may not be without sin but I sure would line up to throw the first big rock.
Too much lawlessness abounds in our society. The deterrents are too slight to stop this behavior. Maybe the shooter was one of the types of youths that I talk about here. They are too quick to pull out the heat like its a video game but this aint Halo, Doom or Grand Theft Auto my yout, is only one life God gi we to live so if ya get shoot game dun.
Tuesday, November 30, 2004
God bless Bim
God bless bim on independence day
independence day
independence day
god bless bim on independence day
god bless bim we hope and pray
dis little little island in the middle of the sea
in the middle of the sea
in the Caribbean sea
dis little little island in the middle of the sea
it means the world to me
Barbados land of sun
Barbados land of sea
Barbados means the world to me.
God Bless Bim - Merrymen
Well its Independence day for Barbados. 38 years old today by my count (1966) so congrats to my birthplace.
Well not sure what to talk about today exactly but seeing as its Independence I guess it should be something related to Barbados. Ok, nothing's coming to mind right now so I'm going to have to wing it.
I find in general Caribbean people who go overseas to live, work, basically survive eventually become more nationalistic than the average person living at home. I guess its just something you do to preserve your unique identity when you are 'a foreign.' Something we do to feel proud. Our pride in country and our behavior and attitude are probably some of the best free advertisement that the Caribbean tourist boards get actually. I hope they recognize that.
We tend to try to keep the memories of home through association with our fellow men, listening to the sounds of home, going to the gatherings and speaking in our national dialects. To tell ya the truth to me nothing makes my day as much as walking down the street and suddenly encountering a random person with a bajan accent. It just takes you back somehow plus it helps you remember that you are not alone in this place as well.
Yet strangely enough as we here in the diaspora (yo never thought I'd get a chance to use that word) think of ourselves as more Caribbean or surround ourselves with the trappings of that lifestyle in order to retain our memories, as we become more nostalgic for the good old days, the opposite tends to be happening at home. Progress its called. So we do our thing here, survival, and in the back of our minds there is a longing for our island homes but its more the home of our memories than the home that actually exists today with the negatives of crimes, drugs and lawlessness. We only remember the good and try to ignore the bad. Not that we don't know that our homes are imperfect its just mainly the way memories and nostalgia works . Hey I'm not trying to cry down the Caribbean, I'm just saying that its not all sunsets and 'all fruits ripe'. The real is its just like any other place with the good and the bad.
Also to add to that some of us are here thinking we are sharing a brotherhood with our fellowman in the Caribbean but when we do go home for a vacation , to visit the family etc you notice the clear distinctions being made. For me I'm now a bajan-yankee or a bajan-canadian or a bajan-limey I just cant simply be a bajan. So distinctions are made in your foreign home and also in your birthplace. You are from but not actually of in whatever local you exist in. You exist in some grey blurred area between distinct worlds. Like Buju say "Things change". We no longer the same as those back home. Progress. Why cant I go back and simply be bajan or whatever nationality, why the distinction. My navel string still bury back there, I still born and raise back there with dem same folk that now making distinctions.
Oh well que sera que sera or a so it a go.
On another note in rambling through that (its not supposed to be no deep thoughts so don't read too much into it) some memories of Barbados just get in my head so I'll share them.
Things I remember. I think of the sea on mornings around 6 as the sun is coming up, of being surrounded by its cool waters. I think of fishermen hauling in 'moses' and the buckets of fish they have caught. I dream of snowcones and tip and run cricket. Rain beating on a galvanized roof, me sweating as I walk in the hot sun, liming in Bridgetown in front of Cave Shepard watching all de girls in dem nice work clothes looking real sweet at lunchtime but not giving ya de time a day cause dem looking fa big man wid nuff dollars.
Lunchtime you say? I dream of hot turnovers from zephrins, fresh salt breads, fishcakes, bakes , ackees (gineeps fa all wunnah people dat play wunnah gotta be different :-), gooseberries, fatporks, dunks, sugar apples, chilly plums, sugar cakes, glassies, comforts, black b**** (I not Eminem so doan cuss muh, dat is the name of a confectionery we duz have in Bim), bajan cherries, mauby, pudding n souse, sorrel.
Cutting the seeds out of fresh sorrel, picking green peas off the tree, cutting down breadfruit with a big stick wid a long sharp knife attached. Guttaperks, pelting rocks, catching minibuses which proceed to do the 'milkshake' and 'rock de cradle'. Cheapside market, walking through the Parliament building yard (cant do dat no more), walking through Swan street, Nelson street, Roebuck street, Palmetto square. Going up in the country to visit family, traveling roads with nuff blind corners and having to honk every two seconds. Rum shops with fellas dat is experts in talking foolishness and waxing poetically.
Playing cricket. Having batsmen ducking from bouncers, mastering the square cut. Going to Kensington oval. Marshall and Garner opening the bowling. Sitting down in the Grounds stand with all the old timers telling stories of the greats like Weekes and Worrell and also stories of Hitler Downes, Mannie Martindale and a whole bunch a fellas I never even heard of. Sleeping hard in the Kensington stand after lunch stretch out on the benches during regional games. LOL
Bush tea, aloes, ferrol compound , shark oil, mecurocomb, iodex, bengays balsam, and all the other stuff I used to have to use when I sick.
Calypso sweet sweet sweet on the radio; Gabby, Bag, John King, Kid Site, Sir Don, Classic, Serenader, Duke Check E.D shirt W.A.S, Cubba, Georgie Porgie, MADD. Kadooment, performing at NIFCA, liming in Oistins, going to the cinema and feeling to cuss people talking all through the movie....But it was all love still.
Too many memories so little time. So for these and all the rest I thank you Barbados.
Happy Independence.
independence day
independence day
god bless bim on independence day
god bless bim we hope and pray
dis little little island in the middle of the sea
in the middle of the sea
in the Caribbean sea
dis little little island in the middle of the sea
it means the world to me
Barbados land of sun
Barbados land of sea
Barbados means the world to me.
God Bless Bim - Merrymen
Well its Independence day for Barbados. 38 years old today by my count (1966) so congrats to my birthplace.
Well not sure what to talk about today exactly but seeing as its Independence I guess it should be something related to Barbados. Ok, nothing's coming to mind right now so I'm going to have to wing it.
I find in general Caribbean people who go overseas to live, work, basically survive eventually become more nationalistic than the average person living at home. I guess its just something you do to preserve your unique identity when you are 'a foreign.' Something we do to feel proud. Our pride in country and our behavior and attitude are probably some of the best free advertisement that the Caribbean tourist boards get actually. I hope they recognize that.
We tend to try to keep the memories of home through association with our fellow men, listening to the sounds of home, going to the gatherings and speaking in our national dialects. To tell ya the truth to me nothing makes my day as much as walking down the street and suddenly encountering a random person with a bajan accent. It just takes you back somehow plus it helps you remember that you are not alone in this place as well.
Yet strangely enough as we here in the diaspora (yo never thought I'd get a chance to use that word) think of ourselves as more Caribbean or surround ourselves with the trappings of that lifestyle in order to retain our memories, as we become more nostalgic for the good old days, the opposite tends to be happening at home. Progress its called. So we do our thing here, survival, and in the back of our minds there is a longing for our island homes but its more the home of our memories than the home that actually exists today with the negatives of crimes, drugs and lawlessness. We only remember the good and try to ignore the bad. Not that we don't know that our homes are imperfect its just mainly the way memories and nostalgia works . Hey I'm not trying to cry down the Caribbean, I'm just saying that its not all sunsets and 'all fruits ripe'. The real is its just like any other place with the good and the bad.
Also to add to that some of us are here thinking we are sharing a brotherhood with our fellowman in the Caribbean but when we do go home for a vacation , to visit the family etc you notice the clear distinctions being made. For me I'm now a bajan-yankee or a bajan-canadian or a bajan-limey I just cant simply be a bajan. So distinctions are made in your foreign home and also in your birthplace. You are from but not actually of in whatever local you exist in. You exist in some grey blurred area between distinct worlds. Like Buju say "Things change". We no longer the same as those back home. Progress. Why cant I go back and simply be bajan or whatever nationality, why the distinction. My navel string still bury back there, I still born and raise back there with dem same folk that now making distinctions.
Oh well que sera que sera or a so it a go.
On another note in rambling through that (its not supposed to be no deep thoughts so don't read too much into it) some memories of Barbados just get in my head so I'll share them.
Things I remember. I think of the sea on mornings around 6 as the sun is coming up, of being surrounded by its cool waters. I think of fishermen hauling in 'moses' and the buckets of fish they have caught. I dream of snowcones and tip and run cricket. Rain beating on a galvanized roof, me sweating as I walk in the hot sun, liming in Bridgetown in front of Cave Shepard watching all de girls in dem nice work clothes looking real sweet at lunchtime but not giving ya de time a day cause dem looking fa big man wid nuff dollars.
Lunchtime you say? I dream of hot turnovers from zephrins, fresh salt breads, fishcakes, bakes , ackees (gineeps fa all wunnah people dat play wunnah gotta be different :-), gooseberries, fatporks, dunks, sugar apples, chilly plums, sugar cakes, glassies, comforts, black b**** (I not Eminem so doan cuss muh, dat is the name of a confectionery we duz have in Bim), bajan cherries, mauby, pudding n souse, sorrel.
Cutting the seeds out of fresh sorrel, picking green peas off the tree, cutting down breadfruit with a big stick wid a long sharp knife attached. Guttaperks, pelting rocks, catching minibuses which proceed to do the 'milkshake' and 'rock de cradle'. Cheapside market, walking through the Parliament building yard (cant do dat no more), walking through Swan street, Nelson street, Roebuck street, Palmetto square. Going up in the country to visit family, traveling roads with nuff blind corners and having to honk every two seconds. Rum shops with fellas dat is experts in talking foolishness and waxing poetically.
Playing cricket. Having batsmen ducking from bouncers, mastering the square cut. Going to Kensington oval. Marshall and Garner opening the bowling. Sitting down in the Grounds stand with all the old timers telling stories of the greats like Weekes and Worrell and also stories of Hitler Downes, Mannie Martindale and a whole bunch a fellas I never even heard of. Sleeping hard in the Kensington stand after lunch stretch out on the benches during regional games. LOL
Bush tea, aloes, ferrol compound , shark oil, mecurocomb, iodex, bengays balsam, and all the other stuff I used to have to use when I sick.
Calypso sweet sweet sweet on the radio; Gabby, Bag, John King, Kid Site, Sir Don, Classic, Serenader, Duke Check E.D shirt W.A.S, Cubba, Georgie Porgie, MADD. Kadooment, performing at NIFCA, liming in Oistins, going to the cinema and feeling to cuss people talking all through the movie....But it was all love still.
Too many memories so little time. So for these and all the rest I thank you Barbados.
Happy Independence.
Monday, November 29, 2004
Awadagin
Last Tuesday night I went to see Awadagin Pratt perform.
Now I really don't know too much about classical music, I'm strictly hip-hop, soca and reggae with a little Sarah Vaughn, Coltrane and Miles thrown in the mix but I really enjoyed this guy's concert even if the Star's reviewer said that he was overwhelming and too attacking in his approach. Like whatever dude! I bet you cant even string two notes together. chupse! Full a big speech criticizing big man and aint got no skillz.
Classical music isn't my thing though. I mean I don't know a waltz from a jig, the only concerto I know is Buccaneer's Skettel Concerto (and Brand Nubians Concerto in X minor) and the only symphony I familiar with is Part 1 and 2 by the Juice Crew; "Listen closely, so your attention's undivided. Many in the past have tried to do what I did. Just the way I came off, man I'm gonna come off. Stronger and longer, even with the drum off." In fact most of my classic music moments are associated with Bugs Bunny cartoons or when I'm at Kennedy or Bathurst station and they piping it into the subway but I still felt this concert.
Actually I went mainly because I was showing some support for the guys that brought him; Proteus World Music. Good people!
In essence this was my first concert where they didn't frisk you at the door. :-) Ok I'm exaggerating but this was my first classical concert with a real professional classical musician. I've been to a couple of amateur concerts when family members were playing with a little orchestra but it was free and I only went so they wouldn't confuse me night and day about supporting them. Plus I went in the back and fall sleep hard hard but don't tell nobody. I mean really how dey expect muh ta stay awake when the music aint even got no words? Ah mean is it too much to ask for even a "throw your hands in the air" a few "lawd a mercy!" or somebody in the background shouting out "come wid it!" every now and then. Unless hmm maybe they wanted me to break into a little freestyle over some Brahms or Beethoven; "check it check it uuh check it yo yo yo! when I compose this verse like Beethoven with the fifth, I give praise to the lord for giving me this gift , now I might drink a fifth on that I plead the fifth, mcs who wanted to battle come fourth then left fifth......"
Anyway enough foolish talk. Awadagin played Liszts sonata in B minor and Beethoven's Emperor concerto. Don't ask me to hum or repeat it fa ya doah. He played it with more energy and expression that I would have expected from a classical performer (which is probably why the reviewer felt he was overwhelming). Dude was really feeling the vibe. I mean at some points he almost had classical music sounding rhythmic.
I personally liked how the man played. Awadagin brought energy to the stage and rhythm to the piano. I'm giving him props. Now if only he would do a collabo with Buju or Ghostface Killer I would be he biggest fan. :-)
Now I really don't know too much about classical music, I'm strictly hip-hop, soca and reggae with a little Sarah Vaughn, Coltrane and Miles thrown in the mix but I really enjoyed this guy's concert even if the Star's reviewer said that he was overwhelming and too attacking in his approach. Like whatever dude! I bet you cant even string two notes together. chupse! Full a big speech criticizing big man and aint got no skillz.
Classical music isn't my thing though. I mean I don't know a waltz from a jig, the only concerto I know is Buccaneer's Skettel Concerto (and Brand Nubians Concerto in X minor) and the only symphony I familiar with is Part 1 and 2 by the Juice Crew; "Listen closely, so your attention's undivided. Many in the past have tried to do what I did. Just the way I came off, man I'm gonna come off. Stronger and longer, even with the drum off." In fact most of my classic music moments are associated with Bugs Bunny cartoons or when I'm at Kennedy or Bathurst station and they piping it into the subway but I still felt this concert.
Actually I went mainly because I was showing some support for the guys that brought him; Proteus World Music. Good people!
In essence this was my first concert where they didn't frisk you at the door. :-) Ok I'm exaggerating but this was my first classical concert with a real professional classical musician. I've been to a couple of amateur concerts when family members were playing with a little orchestra but it was free and I only went so they wouldn't confuse me night and day about supporting them. Plus I went in the back and fall sleep hard hard but don't tell nobody. I mean really how dey expect muh ta stay awake when the music aint even got no words? Ah mean is it too much to ask for even a "throw your hands in the air" a few "lawd a mercy!" or somebody in the background shouting out "come wid it!" every now and then. Unless hmm maybe they wanted me to break into a little freestyle over some Brahms or Beethoven; "check it check it uuh check it yo yo yo! when I compose this verse like Beethoven with the fifth, I give praise to the lord for giving me this gift , now I might drink a fifth on that I plead the fifth, mcs who wanted to battle come fourth then left fifth......"
Anyway enough foolish talk. Awadagin played Liszts sonata in B minor and Beethoven's Emperor concerto. Don't ask me to hum or repeat it fa ya doah. He played it with more energy and expression that I would have expected from a classical performer (which is probably why the reviewer felt he was overwhelming). Dude was really feeling the vibe. I mean at some points he almost had classical music sounding rhythmic.
I personally liked how the man played. Awadagin brought energy to the stage and rhythm to the piano. I'm giving him props. Now if only he would do a collabo with Buju or Ghostface Killer I would be he biggest fan. :-)
Sunday, November 28, 2004
Every dog has his day
Mine was almost last night.
Came really close to winning the domino tournament last night. Made it to the finals for the first time since May 2002.
Smallest turnout we've had in a tournament since maybe 2001 but hey who am I to complain. I've been having bad tournaments since 2002. In fact I don't think I've made it past the first round of the playoffs in about 2 years. Hey never said I was good at dominos. lol
Anyway we ended up with a total of 8 teams last night down from the usual 16-18. In the prelims me and my partner didn't do too well. We lost both sets 6-3 and 6-4. That gave us a number 7 seeding for the playoffs so we played the number 2 team. Now this match was the most satisfying as we played one of the most boasy men in the history of dominos. The man so confident his nickname is "King". Now before I go on let me say that I can barely understand two words out of this bredren's mouth. I mean I really don't have a problem with Jamaican accents .......Except for the King. And don't feel is cause I bajan ya know because some of his bredren from yard have also complained that they cant understand what the man saying either. LOL
I remember once having that problem with some fellows in Barbados. They were from St Lucy or some northern parish and for a town boy like me I just couldn't figure out what they were saying......And you know you can walk from St Michael to North Point in 1/2 hr cause the island real small infact one day I throw a big rock from Bridgetown and hit a fella in Holetown. Nuh lie!
Anyway I have to pay close close attention to pick up what the King saying but all I know is the man mout full of chat. So we start the set (playoffs go to 10) and him and his partner run out to a 2-0 lead and talking away a storm most of it just registering as a mumble to me cause I cant concentrate on deciphering the man chat and play at the same time. We rally back, then went past them and led 5-2. They switch sides. We win one, they win two games so its 6-4 and we losing the momentum. All the while now the King and his partner starting to cuss one another about why King should always pose how this one a play like domino novice, how him partner shoulda switch 5s instead a bringing back the blank etc. Me and my partner just calm calm. I posing my partner running serious security for me like if him name Brinks. We end up winning 10-4 and the bwoy dem was in shock. It was jokes. The men tell the King "you nuh real Domino King you a Burger King!" Biggest joke of the night.
After that we moved on to the semis and played the team that beat us 6-4 in the prelims. They had scraped past the team who had beaten us 6-3 by a score of 10-9 in that last round. There was no real drama or big talk in this set just some steady dominos. This set they started out 2-0, then I remember we started trading games and it was tied at 5-5 and 6-6. Suddenly so we pick up the pace and hit the accelerator (ie draw nuff nice card dem!) and won the next 4 games. Talk about stress. This is serious game ya kno. Real real emotional and stressful.
So we made it to the finals. Called wifey who I was supposed ta link wid to head home and said I'm in the finals. The woman was in shock lol.Guess that says a lot for my skills.
Anyway the guys we played in the finals, beat up on us 10-6. Interesting set of guys this. Found them really difficult to read (yea like I'm a master reader of dominos right!). Plus its like the men play drunken style domino. How many Heinekin can these guys devour and still play. I swear they were getting better with each drink. Then again our luck also ran out at that stage so it didn't help much. Couple of games we get pass of the pose and had hand with so much holes it look like Swiss cheese. Oh well, they had won their semi 10-1 so 10-6 wasn't bad I think we put up a decent fight.
All in all I cant complain. It felt good to get back in the finals. Going to miss next month's tournament but I'll be back in 2005....maybe. Or maybe I should go out on a high.
Came really close to winning the domino tournament last night. Made it to the finals for the first time since May 2002.
Smallest turnout we've had in a tournament since maybe 2001 but hey who am I to complain. I've been having bad tournaments since 2002. In fact I don't think I've made it past the first round of the playoffs in about 2 years. Hey never said I was good at dominos. lol
Anyway we ended up with a total of 8 teams last night down from the usual 16-18. In the prelims me and my partner didn't do too well. We lost both sets 6-3 and 6-4. That gave us a number 7 seeding for the playoffs so we played the number 2 team. Now this match was the most satisfying as we played one of the most boasy men in the history of dominos. The man so confident his nickname is "King". Now before I go on let me say that I can barely understand two words out of this bredren's mouth. I mean I really don't have a problem with Jamaican accents .......Except for the King. And don't feel is cause I bajan ya know because some of his bredren from yard have also complained that they cant understand what the man saying either. LOL
I remember once having that problem with some fellows in Barbados. They were from St Lucy or some northern parish and for a town boy like me I just couldn't figure out what they were saying......And you know you can walk from St Michael to North Point in 1/2 hr cause the island real small infact one day I throw a big rock from Bridgetown and hit a fella in Holetown. Nuh lie!
Anyway I have to pay close close attention to pick up what the King saying but all I know is the man mout full of chat. So we start the set (playoffs go to 10) and him and his partner run out to a 2-0 lead and talking away a storm most of it just registering as a mumble to me cause I cant concentrate on deciphering the man chat and play at the same time. We rally back, then went past them and led 5-2. They switch sides. We win one, they win two games so its 6-4 and we losing the momentum. All the while now the King and his partner starting to cuss one another about why King should always pose how this one a play like domino novice, how him partner shoulda switch 5s instead a bringing back the blank etc. Me and my partner just calm calm. I posing my partner running serious security for me like if him name Brinks. We end up winning 10-4 and the bwoy dem was in shock. It was jokes. The men tell the King "you nuh real Domino King you a Burger King!" Biggest joke of the night.
After that we moved on to the semis and played the team that beat us 6-4 in the prelims. They had scraped past the team who had beaten us 6-3 by a score of 10-9 in that last round. There was no real drama or big talk in this set just some steady dominos. This set they started out 2-0, then I remember we started trading games and it was tied at 5-5 and 6-6. Suddenly so we pick up the pace and hit the accelerator (ie draw nuff nice card dem!) and won the next 4 games. Talk about stress. This is serious game ya kno. Real real emotional and stressful.
So we made it to the finals. Called wifey who I was supposed ta link wid to head home and said I'm in the finals. The woman was in shock lol.Guess that says a lot for my skills.
Anyway the guys we played in the finals, beat up on us 10-6. Interesting set of guys this. Found them really difficult to read (yea like I'm a master reader of dominos right!). Plus its like the men play drunken style domino. How many Heinekin can these guys devour and still play. I swear they were getting better with each drink. Then again our luck also ran out at that stage so it didn't help much. Couple of games we get pass of the pose and had hand with so much holes it look like Swiss cheese. Oh well, they had won their semi 10-1 so 10-6 wasn't bad I think we put up a decent fight.
All in all I cant complain. It felt good to get back in the finals. Going to miss next month's tournament but I'll be back in 2005....maybe. Or maybe I should go out on a high.
Friday, November 26, 2004
yada yada yada
Just some random items/ stuff wandering around in my head.
Item #1
So conversation overheard at the gym last night
Guy #1: So when's the last time you sweat?
Guy #2: Last night
Guy #1 with a twinkle in his eye: ouuuuh!
Guy #2: New positions
Guy #1: You'll have to show me sometime. ha ha ha
Is it me or was that somehow a tad bit disturbing. I mean I don't want to get ban from traveling to London like them want do wid Buju and man like Vybz but still something not right deyso. That's all I'm saying.
Item #2
Why is it that some women with no assets persist in wearing low rise jeans? I aint implying nothing too serious here just asking a question dat is all. By no assets I aint just mean that your backside aint big or as curved as J-lo. No I mean when it completely devoid of curvature, like when ya could draw a straight line down ya back straight down ya backside all the way down your legs. Dem aint fictionnnnnnnnnnn the pants drop down roun dem ankles if them walk too fast.
Item #3
All the talk about ham over at the Doc's website mek me go in the supermarket last night to do some advanced scouting on my Christmas ham. So far the pickings aint as bad as last time but I aint truly satisfied. The search continues...I will keep allya informed. All the talk got me craving sorrel too. Going to buy a package this afternoon in Kensington Market. Actually I might have some here but you can never have too much of a good thing.
Item #4
Started back playing squash despite all the aches and pains. Got to try to stay in shape. Strangely enough haven't gained weight with all the crap I ate whilst moving (fries, burgers and pizza for about a week) but the overall appearance could be better. This year has been terrible for my health actually. Between injuries and illnesses I haven't been able to get a decent run in the gym at all. I getting old, boy. Its all downhill from here.
Item #5
Stayed up late last night to watch the Lakers vs Sacramento game. Lakers lost yeaaahh! Man they look pretty terrible. Its like Kobe and scrubs.
Item #6
Had our first snowfall in the new home. Luckily it wasn't much and it melted quickly. Not looking forward to shovelling at all
Item #7
Have always been a fan of the Strictly the Best reggae cds from VP ...until last year when they condensed it down to one cd (#31 if you're keeping count) a year. It seemed rushed and not as vibrant as the previous offerings. Still I bought this years offering yesterday. So far I'm not even sure if I've heard half the songs on there. I think VP records needs to go back to the drawing board on this concept. Could say more but will save this for its own post.
Item #8
Holy crap! Having a house in a Toronto suburb means getting a million flyers in your mail at least twice a week. I mean seriously its just incredible. I got like a good 20-30 flyers in my mailbox yesterday. Good gosh people think about the environment.
Item #1
So conversation overheard at the gym last night
Guy #1: So when's the last time you sweat?
Guy #2: Last night
Guy #1 with a twinkle in his eye: ouuuuh!
Guy #2: New positions
Guy #1: You'll have to show me sometime. ha ha ha
Is it me or was that somehow a tad bit disturbing. I mean I don't want to get ban from traveling to London like them want do wid Buju and man like Vybz but still something not right deyso. That's all I'm saying.
Item #2
Why is it that some women with no assets persist in wearing low rise jeans? I aint implying nothing too serious here just asking a question dat is all. By no assets I aint just mean that your backside aint big or as curved as J-lo. No I mean when it completely devoid of curvature, like when ya could draw a straight line down ya back straight down ya backside all the way down your legs. Dem aint fictionnnnnnnnnnn the pants drop down roun dem ankles if them walk too fast.
Item #3
All the talk about ham over at the Doc's website mek me go in the supermarket last night to do some advanced scouting on my Christmas ham. So far the pickings aint as bad as last time but I aint truly satisfied. The search continues...I will keep allya informed. All the talk got me craving sorrel too. Going to buy a package this afternoon in Kensington Market. Actually I might have some here but you can never have too much of a good thing.
Item #4
Started back playing squash despite all the aches and pains. Got to try to stay in shape. Strangely enough haven't gained weight with all the crap I ate whilst moving (fries, burgers and pizza for about a week) but the overall appearance could be better. This year has been terrible for my health actually. Between injuries and illnesses I haven't been able to get a decent run in the gym at all. I getting old, boy. Its all downhill from here.
Item #5
Stayed up late last night to watch the Lakers vs Sacramento game. Lakers lost yeaaahh! Man they look pretty terrible. Its like Kobe and scrubs.
Item #6
Had our first snowfall in the new home. Luckily it wasn't much and it melted quickly. Not looking forward to shovelling at all
Item #7
Have always been a fan of the Strictly the Best reggae cds from VP ...until last year when they condensed it down to one cd (#31 if you're keeping count) a year. It seemed rushed and not as vibrant as the previous offerings. Still I bought this years offering yesterday. So far I'm not even sure if I've heard half the songs on there. I think VP records needs to go back to the drawing board on this concept. Could say more but will save this for its own post.
Item #8
Holy crap! Having a house in a Toronto suburb means getting a million flyers in your mail at least twice a week. I mean seriously its just incredible. I got like a good 20-30 flyers in my mailbox yesterday. Good gosh people think about the environment.
Race based Stats
What are you selling us the creator dwell in us
I sit in your unknown class while you're failing' us
I failed your class 'cause I ain't with your reasoning
You're tryin' make me you by seasoning
Boogie Down Productions - You must learn
One of the issues in the local news in Toronto last week has been the collection of race based stats for schools in this area. Basically the thought is that the drop-out rates, pass rates and achievements of students has not been uniform across racial groups and that for whatever reason students of certain ethnicities (blacks, Portuguese and some other ethnicity I don't remember were mentioned) are not being done justice.
The need to collect stats was placed to a vote last week at a Toronto School board meeting and was passed by a slim 11-10 margin. Actually it should be a big issue but discussions involving race here are usually seen as somehow not being politically correct or at least not something we really should be discussing in the public forum so while it made the news it wasn't as big a brouhaha as it could have been.
So what's this all about. Well from my vantage point I'll deal with the black kids. Many black kids are failing, are dropping out and are being failed by the school system. Or as Royston James puts it in last Friday's Star "We already know that too many black kids are failing. Too many black kids are being suspended and expelled. Too many black kids are dropping out of high school. Too many black kids are graduating without passing the Grade 10 test that's required to get them the high school diploma. Too many black kids are hanging around the 'hood, not in college. Too many black kids are selling drugs. Too many black kids are at the detention centers, and in jail, and in prison, this very minute."
Like KRS-one asked "Why is that?" and how does collecting stats help us solve this issue? Well in my opinion the collection of stats here doesn't really help us at all. Don't we already know pretty much that certain ethnicities are failing more than others? Do we need really exact stats to tell us this? The issue should be why haven't the numerous recommendations made over the years to improve the school system been put into place?. Also are we sure this failure thing is a race issue moreso than a socio-economic issue? Do we collect data on the income of the families who have kids failing? Maybe more black kids are failing because more black kids are from the lower end of the socio-economic scale ie poor families.
Will these race stats be helpful? Wont they just place another unnecessary stigma onto the shoulders of black students if it is shown that they are failing or dropping out of school in disproportionately high numbers compared to other races? I mean us black folk already have many stereotypes to contend with , ingrained beliefs as to our academic ability which have been passed down the line from generation to generation. Wont collecting race based stats add another stereotype? Wont these stats give teachers an opt out clause for why their black class is doing poorly when it could just be that the teacher isn't putting in the effort to assist his/her class or that there is just something inherently wrong with the system?
What is the point? What if it is found that lots and lots of blacks are failing what then? Have the powers that be decided what the next step will be?
Now also from my viewpoint while the school system holds alot of the blame for the failure of black students we ourselves as a community are far from blameless. I remember when I was growing up education was a thing of value. Parents saw it as a way for their children to get ahead in life and make a better living than they (parents) had. Hence parents were generally very strict about school attendance, discipline and performance.
For some reason maybe the potential for a better life proposed by an education never seemed to have materialized for us black folks and it seems to have trickled down to our general attitude towards schooling. Hence we have a big set of lawless yout with chips on their shoulders acting a fool and not even trying in school whilst their parents sit back and do nothing. Or is it that the parents are too busy making ends meet to put in the effort required to guide their children? Whatever it is we are not doing our part by being vigilant about what the youngsters are doing and how they are performing. Pay some attention folks.
The school is only part of the problem the community must shoulder its fair share of the blame.
Come on people wake up.
Thursday, November 25, 2004
Dey mek muh shame
Suh shame I cant even look wunnah in the eye taday den.
I remember one calypsonian saying that "Carnival is Bacchanal and Bacchanal is Carnival" well substitute the word carnival with cricket and you would have accurately defined West Indies cricket. Everytime I am convinced we have turned a corner or there is at least no way things can go bad at a particular juncture I am rudely jolted back into the reality that the code by which West Indies cricket operates is synonymous with Murphy's Law; " Anything that can possibly go wrong will go wrong."
Its really disheartening to a fan like me to have to deal with West Indies cricket. Sometimes I duz get vex and want to give it up, actually scratch sometimes make that frequently or nuff nuff nuff times. Sigh!
I mean how something as seemingly simple as signing a contract to go to training camp can suddenly turn into what could potentially be the biggest labor dispute in West Indies cricket history is beyond me. Didn't the Board know that various players were signed to C&W contracts before they signed a contract with Digicell? Couldn't this issue have been solved without all the drama? Any of these people ever hear of discussion and compromise?
All that is happening is that West Indian cricket, its management and players are making themselves look like royal jackasses in the eyes of the world while we the fans look on with feelings of sadness, bitterness,anger and frustration. And all this coming not long after we managed to finally hold our heads up high for the first time in quite a while in celebration of the win in the ICC tournament. One step forward two steps back as usual.
Is it too much for us fans to ask that the WICB be run professionally? Is it too much to ask that we try to settle issues amicably? Is it too much to ask that the organizations involved do their due diligence beforehand so that these disasters do not arise in the first place? What kind of incompetence exists in the WICB anyways?
Here we have a situation where 15 players have been removed from the list of 24 invitees to training camp and will not be allowed to tour Australia because they failed to sign contracts. They failed to sign the contracts because of a disagreement with one clause which is seen as a bit heavy handed. Basically its about well its rather complicated actually dealing with the rights to intellectual property, competing cellphone companies and probably much much more depending on which association is speaking at the moment. Check this link for the Players latest statement.
Anyway of the 9 players left only two were probably guaranteed spots in the final squad so basically we will be sending a B team to Australia and its not like our full strength squad is that great to begin with anyhow. Oh well maybe the team sent will be able to gain some experience and contribute something useful in the future. Actually of the 9 players that signed apparently one is the vice captain of the Players Association. So much for solidarity in the ranks.
We have heard many times about the insularity in our cricket and how the team was divided seemingly along national lines. This divide of players who signed contracts and those who didn't also isn't good for Windies cricket. It can only add to the divisions in the team when this debacle is finally resolved. Of course there is rumor that the signees may back out and support the guys who didn't sign. Can you say lawsuit!
So how will this situation be resolved? It has gotten way out of hand. Can it be resolved? Is this the end of West Indies cricket? Nope! Counter to popular belief West Indies cricket is still more than Brian Charles Lara so West Indies cricket will continue. However this incident could be a disaster which causes as much damage to Windies cricket as natural disasters have done to the region of late. A disaster from which Windies cricket will take years to recover.
And is what we really fighting bout when ya look at it carefully? We fighting over which phone company name going on a man jersey. Boy I real shame fa true.
I remember one calypsonian saying that "Carnival is Bacchanal and Bacchanal is Carnival" well substitute the word carnival with cricket and you would have accurately defined West Indies cricket. Everytime I am convinced we have turned a corner or there is at least no way things can go bad at a particular juncture I am rudely jolted back into the reality that the code by which West Indies cricket operates is synonymous with Murphy's Law; " Anything that can possibly go wrong will go wrong."
Its really disheartening to a fan like me to have to deal with West Indies cricket. Sometimes I duz get vex and want to give it up, actually scratch sometimes make that frequently or nuff nuff nuff times. Sigh!
I mean how something as seemingly simple as signing a contract to go to training camp can suddenly turn into what could potentially be the biggest labor dispute in West Indies cricket history is beyond me. Didn't the Board know that various players were signed to C&W contracts before they signed a contract with Digicell? Couldn't this issue have been solved without all the drama? Any of these people ever hear of discussion and compromise?
All that is happening is that West Indian cricket, its management and players are making themselves look like royal jackasses in the eyes of the world while we the fans look on with feelings of sadness, bitterness,anger and frustration. And all this coming not long after we managed to finally hold our heads up high for the first time in quite a while in celebration of the win in the ICC tournament. One step forward two steps back as usual.
Is it too much for us fans to ask that the WICB be run professionally? Is it too much to ask that we try to settle issues amicably? Is it too much to ask that the organizations involved do their due diligence beforehand so that these disasters do not arise in the first place? What kind of incompetence exists in the WICB anyways?
Here we have a situation where 15 players have been removed from the list of 24 invitees to training camp and will not be allowed to tour Australia because they failed to sign contracts. They failed to sign the contracts because of a disagreement with one clause which is seen as a bit heavy handed. Basically its about well its rather complicated actually dealing with the rights to intellectual property, competing cellphone companies and probably much much more depending on which association is speaking at the moment. Check this link for the Players latest statement.
Anyway of the 9 players left only two were probably guaranteed spots in the final squad so basically we will be sending a B team to Australia and its not like our full strength squad is that great to begin with anyhow. Oh well maybe the team sent will be able to gain some experience and contribute something useful in the future. Actually of the 9 players that signed apparently one is the vice captain of the Players Association. So much for solidarity in the ranks.
We have heard many times about the insularity in our cricket and how the team was divided seemingly along national lines. This divide of players who signed contracts and those who didn't also isn't good for Windies cricket. It can only add to the divisions in the team when this debacle is finally resolved. Of course there is rumor that the signees may back out and support the guys who didn't sign. Can you say lawsuit!
So how will this situation be resolved? It has gotten way out of hand. Can it be resolved? Is this the end of West Indies cricket? Nope! Counter to popular belief West Indies cricket is still more than Brian Charles Lara so West Indies cricket will continue. However this incident could be a disaster which causes as much damage to Windies cricket as natural disasters have done to the region of late. A disaster from which Windies cricket will take years to recover.
And is what we really fighting bout when ya look at it carefully? We fighting over which phone company name going on a man jersey. Boy I real shame fa true.
Wednesday, November 24, 2004
The day after Tomorrow
I watched that movie on Monday night , well actually just parts because all I wanted to see was the special effects. Storyline was quite crappy.
Anyway boy it look like we having a real Day after Tomorrow type year in the Caribbean this year. Hurricanes, Earthquakes , Floods a fella just cant get a break.
First we had the hurricanes that lik down Grenada, Caymans, Haiti and parts of Jamaica and the Dominican Republic. Now we have an earthquake that hit Dominica (someplace different from the Dominican Republic fa all wunnah dat doan know) and Guadaloupe this week and it seems like the torrential rains not stopping at all in Barbados this week and since everybody know Barbados flat flat flat is only a matter of time before the whole place flood away,
Boy Caribbean people musse wicked bad to be encouraging this sort of wrath from God. Is smite ya get smite nuh? Liks in ya backside! No but seriously it just as the saying goes when it rains it pours and in Barbados' case literally. Its just been one natural disaster after another. And God forbid that the underwater volcano Kick Em Jenny ever decide to erupt because all a we in the Eastern Caribbean goose cook.
Lawd ave mercy!
Anyway boy it look like we having a real Day after Tomorrow type year in the Caribbean this year. Hurricanes, Earthquakes , Floods a fella just cant get a break.
First we had the hurricanes that lik down Grenada, Caymans, Haiti and parts of Jamaica and the Dominican Republic. Now we have an earthquake that hit Dominica (someplace different from the Dominican Republic fa all wunnah dat doan know) and Guadaloupe this week and it seems like the torrential rains not stopping at all in Barbados this week and since everybody know Barbados flat flat flat is only a matter of time before the whole place flood away,
Boy Caribbean people musse wicked bad to be encouraging this sort of wrath from God. Is smite ya get smite nuh? Liks in ya backside! No but seriously it just as the saying goes when it rains it pours and in Barbados' case literally. Its just been one natural disaster after another. And God forbid that the underwater volcano Kick Em Jenny ever decide to erupt because all a we in the Eastern Caribbean goose cook.
Lawd ave mercy!
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
Free Range Chicken
So a new West Indian restaurant opens up near to my workplace. Now I work close to Chinatown so most of my lunches are some sort of Asian food, especially when I go out with the other staff. Of course there are a few West Indian food places close to me too that I occasionally frequent (note the turn of the phrase occasionally frequent, makes no sense eh?) and infact just the other day I introduce some fellows to the roti. Just doing my part for cross cultural exchanges.
Anyway a new spot opened and I am all about at least giving a bredren a chance to show me what he got. So I found this place last weekend but I wasn't hungry then so I told myself I would check it out today. Now today lunchtime was short for me because I had certain appointments to keep so from saying that I should have known not to go to a West Indian place but my head bad so I went anyways.
Now I could make this blog about the some of the questionable service that you get in certain Caribbean restaurants but I don't want to paint all with the same brush...At least not today so I will not mention the fact that they didn't acknowledge my presence in the restaurant until I was there nearly 10 minutes. No, what this blog is about is the fact that they decided that since they offering FREE RANGE jerk chicken they can jack up the price on a jerk chicken lunch to 10 dollars when you can get it at the other places for anywhere between 4 and 7 dollars.
10 Dollars? I know allya saying that is Caribana prices when the fellows does make you pay two three times the usual price for a little piece of food on the road like if the chicken name soca chicken or road march fowl and duz come with a pre-packaged with a lil' costume so you can jump in a band . I mean even a little patty and cocoa bread on Caribana day duz be real real expensive. So if you aint have big pockets eat before you left home on Caribana. I warning you.
Infact, true true story, I hear that one year the calypsonian Rupee was down Caribana and he was getting real real hungry. This was before he was a big soca star ya know and he pockets was on E. Flat and empty. Anyway a Jamaican fellow selling some food see he out there half deading and decide ta have pity on he. So he call Rupee over and hand him two bakes and Rupee was so glad to see the bakes that he jubilantly responded "Thanks for the festival". After two bites of the bakes, he then realize wait that sound like it could be a tune ya know and next thing ya know the man had a big song and he did a soca star taking bout 'Thanks for the festival, thanks for the carnival' . See how things duz work out? Now in case ya slow or ya bajan which aint the same thing and ya aint get the joke, what we bajans duz call bakes is basically the same thing Jamaicans duz call festivals give or take one ingredient. So now you can all let out a collective ohhhhhh!
Anyway as usual I digress. Now I don't see why a man got to pay 5 dollars extra for a pieca chicken just because somebody decide to write FREE RANGE on a menu in front of it so I had to leave the restaurant. I mean when I was growing up we used to raise chickens free range in the back yard because it was cheaper than buying from the supermarket and now you telling me that FREE RANGE more expensive that the supermarket regular chickens?
No boy, I aint paying no extra money for no free range chicken.
Plus how am I to really know is actually free range chicken you serving me? Just because you put the words free range in front of chicken that don't mean it true. Why I could name this blog Pudding and Souse and today I still writing about chicken. Ya see what I mean?
I mean you have any proof that the chicken is free range? Show me some photos of the chicken out in the yard running round, show me a video tape. Show me the chicken ID, passport, Citizenship card, something so. Show me he ancestry and sirehood, he pedigree. Give me a letter of recommendation from Farmer Brown extolling the virtues of said chicken who roamed the free range.
Show me a detailed listing of this chicken's dietary habits. How am I to know that he wasn't eating the same stuff they feed to the non-free range birds? How I know that the farmer wasn't feeding the chicken the good stuff but the chicken like some folks who would pass up good cook food for McDonalds used to sneak out to the non-free range hangout to eat some of the other food? Prove it to me. If you cant prove that to me then why should I pay extra just on your say so.
Let me see the chicken alive so I can interrogate him about his activities and dietary habits. You Mr Fowl, is it true that on the night of October 25th you were seen eating non-free range food? IS it not also true that you were in fact head of a fowl ring of undercover birds who dealt strictly in the smuggling of non-free range food to the free range birds?. We have video to prove it. Show me some ID, tell me some stories of your days on the free range. Prove to me that you are infact a yard fowl.
Anyway I hope you get my point. I not paying no extra just on your say so that it is free range because all I see is a pieca chicken on my plate and I cant tell who he mudda was, who he father was or where he grow up so is juss you word that he free range and I aint coughing up my hard earned coppers just so.
Anyway a new spot opened and I am all about at least giving a bredren a chance to show me what he got. So I found this place last weekend but I wasn't hungry then so I told myself I would check it out today. Now today lunchtime was short for me because I had certain appointments to keep so from saying that I should have known not to go to a West Indian place but my head bad so I went anyways.
Now I could make this blog about the some of the questionable service that you get in certain Caribbean restaurants but I don't want to paint all with the same brush...At least not today so I will not mention the fact that they didn't acknowledge my presence in the restaurant until I was there nearly 10 minutes. No, what this blog is about is the fact that they decided that since they offering FREE RANGE jerk chicken they can jack up the price on a jerk chicken lunch to 10 dollars when you can get it at the other places for anywhere between 4 and 7 dollars.
10 Dollars? I know allya saying that is Caribana prices when the fellows does make you pay two three times the usual price for a little piece of food on the road like if the chicken name soca chicken or road march fowl and duz come with a pre-packaged with a lil' costume so you can jump in a band . I mean even a little patty and cocoa bread on Caribana day duz be real real expensive. So if you aint have big pockets eat before you left home on Caribana. I warning you.
Infact, true true story, I hear that one year the calypsonian Rupee was down Caribana and he was getting real real hungry. This was before he was a big soca star ya know and he pockets was on E. Flat and empty. Anyway a Jamaican fellow selling some food see he out there half deading and decide ta have pity on he. So he call Rupee over and hand him two bakes and Rupee was so glad to see the bakes that he jubilantly responded "Thanks for the festival". After two bites of the bakes, he then realize wait that sound like it could be a tune ya know and next thing ya know the man had a big song and he did a soca star taking bout 'Thanks for the festival, thanks for the carnival' . See how things duz work out? Now in case ya slow or ya bajan which aint the same thing and ya aint get the joke, what we bajans duz call bakes is basically the same thing Jamaicans duz call festivals give or take one ingredient. So now you can all let out a collective ohhhhhh!
Anyway as usual I digress. Now I don't see why a man got to pay 5 dollars extra for a pieca chicken just because somebody decide to write FREE RANGE on a menu in front of it so I had to leave the restaurant. I mean when I was growing up we used to raise chickens free range in the back yard because it was cheaper than buying from the supermarket and now you telling me that FREE RANGE more expensive that the supermarket regular chickens?
No boy, I aint paying no extra money for no free range chicken.
Plus how am I to really know is actually free range chicken you serving me? Just because you put the words free range in front of chicken that don't mean it true. Why I could name this blog Pudding and Souse and today I still writing about chicken. Ya see what I mean?
I mean you have any proof that the chicken is free range? Show me some photos of the chicken out in the yard running round, show me a video tape. Show me the chicken ID, passport, Citizenship card, something so. Show me he ancestry and sirehood, he pedigree. Give me a letter of recommendation from Farmer Brown extolling the virtues of said chicken who roamed the free range.
Show me a detailed listing of this chicken's dietary habits. How am I to know that he wasn't eating the same stuff they feed to the non-free range birds? How I know that the farmer wasn't feeding the chicken the good stuff but the chicken like some folks who would pass up good cook food for McDonalds used to sneak out to the non-free range hangout to eat some of the other food? Prove it to me. If you cant prove that to me then why should I pay extra just on your say so.
Let me see the chicken alive so I can interrogate him about his activities and dietary habits. You Mr Fowl, is it true that on the night of October 25th you were seen eating non-free range food? IS it not also true that you were in fact head of a fowl ring of undercover birds who dealt strictly in the smuggling of non-free range food to the free range birds?. We have video to prove it. Show me some ID, tell me some stories of your days on the free range. Prove to me that you are infact a yard fowl.
Anyway I hope you get my point. I not paying no extra just on your say so that it is free range because all I see is a pieca chicken on my plate and I cant tell who he mudda was, who he father was or where he grow up so is juss you word that he free range and I aint coughing up my hard earned coppers just so.
Monday, November 22, 2004
NBA its fan-tastic
Or is the new slogan like EA sports' you're in the game?
On Friday there was a crazy brawl in the Detroit vs Indiana game. Fans throwing food and drinks at players, players responding by rushing into the stands swinging away like WWF wrestlers. In a word bedlam.
So the punishment has been handed down by commissioner Stern. Ron Artest suspended the rest of the season, Jermaine O'neal 25 games, Stephen Jackson 30 games, Ben Wallace 6. Well there goes the heart of the Indiana Pacers squad and with it any real hopes for this season. Was it a deserving punishment? Yes and No.
On the one hand yes because this melee has brought the league into disrepute. Players should stay on the floor, fans in the stands. Fans already think that most NBA players are a bunch of selfish, overpaid thugs but now they are taking this behavior to the paying fans in the stands. Not acceptable. One does not pay the price of NBA tickets these days to go get one's head caved in by the players.
On the other hand, there was a fight on the floor, players were already hyped and upset and then they are assaulted by fans. I can understand why Artest would charge in throwing those 'bows. He felt threatened he reacted in the spur of the moment.
Fans need to respect players and players fans. Its that simple.
A little closer to home, the Raptors beat the Spurs yesterday with just 4 points from Vince Carter. Who would have imagined that? Vince just doesn't seem to be playing with intensity and just doesn't seem to be involved in the team first concept that the new coach Sam Mitchell is preaching or is it just that the trade rumors have affected his play? Whatever it is I think it is time for Vince to move on. I aint mad at him. His time just simply is up. His heart is no longer in the game in Toronto, his excitement has dried up and the fans are not coming to see him. In other words he is no longer our franchise player. Can he be a franchise player elsewhere, revive his career? Quite possibly so Toronto needs to explore that option to better themselves and also to give Vince a chance.
Do we trade him to Portland for Shareef? My thoughts are a bit divided on that. (Lack of sleep has me waffling on everything this morning) Shareef will bring the points but his natural position is power forward, the same as Chris Bosh so I can see Shareef retarding Bosh's development a bit if brought in. Still it might not be a bad deal given that Shareef's contract is up at the end of the season.
Oh well, Vince respect due, you did alot for the franchise, you were the man, you gave us some wins and some respect in the league with your earlier play but like a rapper who cant follow up his debut album you've "fallen off". You don't dunk, you don't drive, you've become a far less accurate version of Reggie Miller playing on the perimeter and most important clearly you upset the fans by demanding a trade. You have lost our love and loyalty as was shown by the fact that you've been booed this season. I've already spoken on this whole issue with the trade so I wont repeat myself but Vince like O.C said 'times up'.
On Friday there was a crazy brawl in the Detroit vs Indiana game. Fans throwing food and drinks at players, players responding by rushing into the stands swinging away like WWF wrestlers. In a word bedlam.
So the punishment has been handed down by commissioner Stern. Ron Artest suspended the rest of the season, Jermaine O'neal 25 games, Stephen Jackson 30 games, Ben Wallace 6. Well there goes the heart of the Indiana Pacers squad and with it any real hopes for this season. Was it a deserving punishment? Yes and No.
On the one hand yes because this melee has brought the league into disrepute. Players should stay on the floor, fans in the stands. Fans already think that most NBA players are a bunch of selfish, overpaid thugs but now they are taking this behavior to the paying fans in the stands. Not acceptable. One does not pay the price of NBA tickets these days to go get one's head caved in by the players.
On the other hand, there was a fight on the floor, players were already hyped and upset and then they are assaulted by fans. I can understand why Artest would charge in throwing those 'bows. He felt threatened he reacted in the spur of the moment.
Fans need to respect players and players fans. Its that simple.
A little closer to home, the Raptors beat the Spurs yesterday with just 4 points from Vince Carter. Who would have imagined that? Vince just doesn't seem to be playing with intensity and just doesn't seem to be involved in the team first concept that the new coach Sam Mitchell is preaching or is it just that the trade rumors have affected his play? Whatever it is I think it is time for Vince to move on. I aint mad at him. His time just simply is up. His heart is no longer in the game in Toronto, his excitement has dried up and the fans are not coming to see him. In other words he is no longer our franchise player. Can he be a franchise player elsewhere, revive his career? Quite possibly so Toronto needs to explore that option to better themselves and also to give Vince a chance.
Do we trade him to Portland for Shareef? My thoughts are a bit divided on that. (Lack of sleep has me waffling on everything this morning) Shareef will bring the points but his natural position is power forward, the same as Chris Bosh so I can see Shareef retarding Bosh's development a bit if brought in. Still it might not be a bad deal given that Shareef's contract is up at the end of the season.
Oh well, Vince respect due, you did alot for the franchise, you were the man, you gave us some wins and some respect in the league with your earlier play but like a rapper who cant follow up his debut album you've "fallen off". You don't dunk, you don't drive, you've become a far less accurate version of Reggie Miller playing on the perimeter and most important clearly you upset the fans by demanding a trade. You have lost our love and loyalty as was shown by the fact that you've been booed this season. I've already spoken on this whole issue with the trade so I wont repeat myself but Vince like O.C said 'times up'.
Sunday, November 21, 2004
On the Roof
Long day. Went out last night didn't get home till 5. Woke up at 9. Yep still not the longest sleeper. Repotted two more plants, watched The Chronicles of Riddick on DVD. Its actually not that bad a movie. I kind of like it.
Then went up on the roof to clean the gutters. Took about two hours. Now I'm afraid of heights so this was quite the adventure but my motto is if its got to be done , its got to be done. While on the roof meet the other neighbors. Seem nice enough I guess.
Cooked. First time using the new kitchen to cook a full meal for me so it was kind of weird. More laundry, watched star trek enterprise, my 3 -4 hours of sleep catching up with me so I'm snoozing as I write. Damn wife trying to kill me with the blasted cleaning products. She is starting to piss me off.
Oh before I go let me tell you about last night. Excellent night of dominos and karaoke and charades. Actually not that excellent but I was able to drop two six loves and not get any and although I refuse to play charades its kind of funny watching West Indian people play. Imagine someone chose to give us a charade where the answer was actually 'Stamina Daddy' . How the hell does one sign for something like that. LOL
ok Tomorrow back to the serious topics.
Then went up on the roof to clean the gutters. Took about two hours. Now I'm afraid of heights so this was quite the adventure but my motto is if its got to be done , its got to be done. While on the roof meet the other neighbors. Seem nice enough I guess.
Cooked. First time using the new kitchen to cook a full meal for me so it was kind of weird. More laundry, watched star trek enterprise, my 3 -4 hours of sleep catching up with me so I'm snoozing as I write. Damn wife trying to kill me with the blasted cleaning products. She is starting to piss me off.
Oh before I go let me tell you about last night. Excellent night of dominos and karaoke and charades. Actually not that excellent but I was able to drop two six loves and not get any and although I refuse to play charades its kind of funny watching West Indian people play. Imagine someone chose to give us a charade where the answer was actually 'Stamina Daddy' . How the hell does one sign for something like that. LOL
ok Tomorrow back to the serious topics.
Saturday, November 20, 2004
Rainy Saturday
As I sip from my sorrel tea and relax I'm just going to drop a few lines. Right now I'm listening to some old dancehall Pocoman Jam, Maddy Maddy Cry, Hot this year and Mr Levy's Dancehall Rock. Its going to be a busy day today. Actually already has been. So far this morning I've re-potted 4 or 5 house plants, seasoned some chicken for dinner tomorrow and started a bit of laundry. Yep I'm straight domesticated.
Actually kind of like the plant stuff. I think its a reflection of my upbringing as both my godmothers were some serious plant persons. Its interesting what you learn while not really paying attention but now I think I've almost like this stuff. Like when we bought the last plant, think it was a croton, my wife suggested that we get the plant people to repot it for us. Sacrilege! I was seriously offended. lol. Anyway, right now I'm more into the house plants than the outside stuff though maybe because I can grow some tropical type stuff indoors. I'll leave the outdoor plants to wifey ...And since she's going to be out there anyways maybe I can throwin the lawn no extra cost.
Also been listening to Eminem's new album, its not that bad. Not classic but better than the last one. He seems a bit less cocky on this one though and I'm not sure that's going to help his image. Actually at times he just seems to be really apologetic which really doesn't play well in hip hop. Oh well, overall about 3 mics maybe 3 and a half if I'm going by the way the Source rates stuff.
Anyway about to run off to Steel Pan class in a bit. Got a recital in three weeks. Nope I'm not the musician in the family but its fun and the Steel Pan is a really sweet instrument. Right now I"m learning to play the tenor pan but I learned to play the Double Alto earlier this year. I'll give you all a bit of inside info; if you want to learn to play then the tenor is way easier than any other instrument. Double Alto sounds better though but its tough. Got to find my sticks.
So pan class will take up the bulk of my day then I've got a birthday party for a friend to attendlllllllllll. Should be nice because these events are the only time I see certain folk. So its a night of dominos and apparently we got some reggae kareoke cds so "once selector fe select some big tune fe me, I man fe chat nuff lyric pun de mic dem. seen! lawd a mercy, wunna 'ear me!" once I've had a drink or two that is lol.
Still kind of pissed about yesterday. Its actually funny because it takes alot to get me pissed. I'm usually Mr yea whatever, no emotion and I kind of like that so now I'm mad at myself for being mad. Silly aint it. Oh well.
Anyways going to go get ready to bounce. And gonna take my Pete Rock, Ed OG cd which I bought because my man told me the tracks were nice. If they aint I'm looking for a refund kid. Just kidding!
Hope everyone is safe out in cyber land.
One love.
Actually kind of like the plant stuff. I think its a reflection of my upbringing as both my godmothers were some serious plant persons. Its interesting what you learn while not really paying attention but now I think I've almost like this stuff. Like when we bought the last plant, think it was a croton, my wife suggested that we get the plant people to repot it for us. Sacrilege! I was seriously offended. lol. Anyway, right now I'm more into the house plants than the outside stuff though maybe because I can grow some tropical type stuff indoors. I'll leave the outdoor plants to wifey ...And since she's going to be out there anyways maybe I can throwin the lawn no extra cost.
Also been listening to Eminem's new album, its not that bad. Not classic but better than the last one. He seems a bit less cocky on this one though and I'm not sure that's going to help his image. Actually at times he just seems to be really apologetic which really doesn't play well in hip hop. Oh well, overall about 3 mics maybe 3 and a half if I'm going by the way the Source rates stuff.
Anyway about to run off to Steel Pan class in a bit. Got a recital in three weeks. Nope I'm not the musician in the family but its fun and the Steel Pan is a really sweet instrument. Right now I"m learning to play the tenor pan but I learned to play the Double Alto earlier this year. I'll give you all a bit of inside info; if you want to learn to play then the tenor is way easier than any other instrument. Double Alto sounds better though but its tough. Got to find my sticks.
So pan class will take up the bulk of my day then I've got a birthday party for a friend to attendlllllllllll. Should be nice because these events are the only time I see certain folk. So its a night of dominos and apparently we got some reggae kareoke cds so "once selector fe select some big tune fe me, I man fe chat nuff lyric pun de mic dem. seen! lawd a mercy, wunna 'ear me!" once I've had a drink or two that is lol.
Still kind of pissed about yesterday. Its actually funny because it takes alot to get me pissed. I'm usually Mr yea whatever, no emotion and I kind of like that so now I'm mad at myself for being mad. Silly aint it. Oh well.
Anyways going to go get ready to bounce. And gonna take my Pete Rock, Ed OG cd which I bought because my man told me the tracks were nice. If they aint I'm looking for a refund kid. Just kidding!
Hope everyone is safe out in cyber land.
One love.
Friday, November 19, 2004
Vex
Crush, Kill, Destroy, StressJust had to deal with someone I didn't want to deal with. My former super. Sigh! (ok before you go any further I'll apologize if my language is a bit colorful but I'm really upset right now and I wanted to let off some steam)
Organized Konfusion - Stress
I'm vexed, fumin, I've had it up to here
Phife - Scenario
Went to turn in my keys for the apartment, had to clean up the place and all that before doing that so I've kept them for a while, and knew that it was going to be some b.s with this dude.
First thing, I knew he was starting to act a fool from the day I went to reserve the elevator for the move. Usually folk reserve the service elevator for like 3-4 hrs, he was giving me grief for wanting it for two hours on a Sunday. He was on some shit about how we will be waking up folk with the move and he's had complaints about people moving on the weekend. I said fine but recognize that the weekend is the only time that you can generally get your friends to help you move and its not like we've asking for the elevator at 7 in the morning, we're starting around 10. Anyway very grudgingly he allowed us to use the elevator. Anyway that was my first sign that he was out to cause me stress. He said we had to come get the elevator put on service at 10 precisely because he was busy that day. Fine, we followed the rules, wasn't trying to cause any drama.
Ok, as we finished the loading of the van we got him to take the elevator off service. Still not trying to cause any ruckus. So then he sees this old wooden futon frame that we brought down which was broken and which we wanted to throw in the garbage. We were leaving it behind the elevator by the recycling bins where everyone else was leaving their old furniture and stuff. Nope, cant leave it there he says, if not he will charge us for moving it. Have to call the City and arrange pick up. Again , no drama, wifey was visibly upset by this b.s but we played it off like ok cool. We're moving so whatever.
Anyway we cleaned the apartment a couple of days after the move. Did a pretty bang up job of it too I might add. Only probably forgot to clean the oven but considering that in the process of cleaning the fumes from all the cleaning agents almost killed me literally and I am now on medication because of that shit then what's one f'in oven versus my health.
Also I called the City and guess what they said? Oh all you have to do is leave the frame outside and when we come to pick up the garbage we'll get another truck to come grab it for you, no problem. See no worries. No need to be overly dramatic.
So we moved the futon and awaited pickup.
Ok fast forward to today. I come in to return the keys and dude starts off about my leaving the frame. I told him I called the City as you told me to and this is what they told me to do. He starts with this whole line about the building getting fined and they will charge me for leaving garbage rah rah rah. Oh and going on about maybe I can go and break it up and put it in the garbage. Look guy I know I don't dress in no suit and tie but I'm on my way to work, I am not dressed to go behind some garbage and try to break apart anything at the moment. The City said they would pick it up so I'm leaving it.
Anyways so I'm still like ok you know what I followed the instructions, so if there is an issue just give me the property manager's number and let me talk to him because obviously you are pursuing a line that isn't seeing my point about following the instructions. I mean I'm wondering what all this is about. I've never done dude anything, been nothing but courteous to this guy, haven't been a pain about fixing stuff, haven't been causing any drama in the building, but since we turned in our notice dude's been mad hostile.
Anyway guy continues on, all but ignoring me, getting ready to mop the lobby or something while I'm still waiting to get this over with so I exhale and inquire are we going to do this or what cause you are being mad disrespectful and like you I have a job to do so lets get this over because I have places to be.
So we go do the inspection of the apartment. Now the guy is going on about this needs cleaning and that needs cleaning although we all know they aint going to do jack before the next tenants come in. I'm like what the !!! You are trying to make it seem that we left the place a pig sty! Come on now, we left the place in a hell of a better condition than we got it. We cleaned everything down, I patched even the frigging nail holes in the walls , we swept, moped, dumped garbage, cleaned fridge. Aside from the Oven the place is on point. So we got into an argument about the state of the apartment and I'm standing there with a cup of hot chocolate in my hand daydreaming about what would happen if I was Mary Woodson, the hot chocolate was a bowl of grits and he was Al Green. F'it I've been so pissed I just realized I forgot to eat my bagel. Son of a !!
Anyways thank God I'm a peaceful brother because this bitch was on last nerve and I was able to refrain from doing something I'd regret later. Too many black men in jail already son, so just breathe! Just stay cool, he's just being an asshole, but he's not messing with me or my fam physically so I'm going to let it slide. So, he wrote down his crap, I questioned him on it, I got the building managers number, I handed in my keys, its done.
Someone just asked me how much of the drama I think was racially motivated and you know what although I cant prove it and I'm not one to cry wolf or nigga at every incident I cant deny that I got the strong feeling that there definitely was a bit if not alot of that involved. Anyways cant prove shit so f' it, shit happens, we survive. We livin this til the day that we die, Survival of the fit only the strong survive.
Forget Industry Rule 4080, its not just record company people who are shady. To all the shiesty landlords and supers. f' all yall.
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