New Year Resolutions

I think one of the most perpetuated myth/lies of modern society is the belief that people actually keep new year resolutions. I can safely hazzard a guess that, for the most part, most of them are out the window by the end of February. If I was a gambling man I would put a figure of say 98% where my mouth is. Don't get me wrong now, I am not saying don't, what I am saying is if you do, make the effort and make it reasonable and attainable. You hear everything from losing how many tens of pounds to finding a new soul mate to giving up smoking. Not saying they can't be done, but are they being done for the right reasons and is your heart really in it. I stopped making those things before I even started so I guess that's why I can proudly say that I never break them. If I were to make them what would mine be......hmmmmmm???? I have no idea. Maybe to help more around the house. Put the clothes and shoes where they belong. I don't smoke or drink (an ocassional beer). I know...focus more on school adnd stop the last minute assignments. Wish it were that easy. Yeah they are all attainable...do I really want to do them...nope.....will they be resolutions....nope....will I be any worse off for not making them....nope...don't think so anyway. So I save myself and those that have to endure the misery of me trying the heartache and pain.....yay!!!! Daddy not making any resolutions this year. I did some blog readings today and actually left a few comments on some new blogs. I have been really terrible in these last months. I haven't done any return visits nor have I welcomed any of my visitors.......no excuses so that I will make as my 2006 resolution...be courteous to my guests and be polite to visitors...go check out their sites since they were nice enough to check out mine. One and only one. Anyways have a Happy New Year and may 2006 be better to you than 2005.

Holiday Mood

Well to tell yuh the truth, I'm still very much in the holiday frame of mind. I'm not on leave and I have to report to office daily but........... The Christmas was good. I would be wicked if I said otherwise. I've had the rounds.....family dinner on Sunday (which was excellent) and visiting friends on Monday. Tuesday I decided to lay off a bit and never left home. I was feeling a bit under the weather and had enough time during all the merriment to be sick for a few hours, so I actually ran the gammit. A friend who I haven't seen in 5 years is visiting from the US and I'll make sure to see her before she returns. We used to interact a lot before she migrated and since then we have stayed in touch but just barely. the contact, limited as it may be, is not devoid of the friendship that exits and I will definitely make the extra effort to pass her way before the week is out. Last night the bloggers link up took place. It was a good evening as we got to know some of the bloggers a little better. In the roll call was: CaliJ, Stunner, Shotta M, Owen, Mad Bull, Dr. D, and Scratchie. Owen had to leave early and it was a pity. The remaining bloggers chatted up a storm over a few well earned drinks and you would have believed that we had all known each other since yesteryear. It would have been difficult to believe that I was actually meeting several of the bloggers for the first time. CaliJ, Shotta M, Stunner and Owen...I am pleased to make your acquaintance. The blogs will keep us in touch. At least one photo will come from Dr. D at some later date. The place was kinda dark and so photo taking was a chore but somehow we managed at least one good one. My only question and I'm sure the question on all the attendees' minds is...WHAT HAPPEN TO ALL DI WOMAN DEM???????? Not even one!!!!!! We had a total bull show (no pun intended). It turn out to be a stag session. Is it that the women are all show and no go? Well all I can say is...you lose :( The women are desserters, Benedict Arnolds. Anyways I not gwine dwell on that...a good time was had and I can say that I've met a few more people through what started out as random ramblings on a hidden piece of cyberspace. What's up for the weekend?...I have no clue. Maybe I'll just keep it quiet and chill with family, or maybe I'll go to the beach or something. I'll let the spirit decide when the time comes. Until then...take care of you.

Merry Christmas!!!!!

Just say to all who come my way...May you experience the Peace Love Joy and Hope that the true meaning of Christmas brings to us. May you find happiness in your lives, in your families and friends. May the spirit of this Holy Season stay with you throughout the years. To those who are not spiritually inclined....may you enjoy the holidays. Merry Christmas to All!!!!!!

Crying Out

Well people my blog is crying out......for neglect. I have been having a really busy time at work and being out in the open just isn't helping so I tried the night thing but then it's a competition with the kids who want to play Sims and Virtual DJ andMSN messenger so I'm left out in the cold. So I've decided that enough is enough...they can have the machine. I'm gonna go find something less interesting to do. Sleep...gardening...washing the car maybe. No :) I'm gonna buy a router and have an adventure networking my house. I'm pretty proficient with the computer but have never gotten into the whole networking thing so I figure that I'm gonna have a few mishaps but I'm gonna try it....worse thing that can happen is that it fails miserably. Other than that Christmas is coming and I'm not quite ready for it yet. I think I'm going to mount a demonstration this morning. My placard will read.."We want Christmas postponed..." Think it will work? I figure that if I get it pushed back by about a month I should be good to go. The last couple of nights has been spent updating compi which is also suffering from neglect. I reloaded everything last week but because the kids have been at it I haven't been doing the updates and so every time i turn on the machine it does a few. Last night it did like about 26. I turned off auto update and am going to do some reading because I don't think it needs every and any of the releases, so I've set it to alert me about available updates and let me choose which ones apply to me instead. Last night the updates and the antivirus were fighting it out for bandwidth with me chatting to friends online...a most annoying experience so no more auto anything....me run tings.

Oh...I decided to go to the mall on Saturday and part of Sunday.....nuff chaos. Luckily The family decided to go early. My early was like 10:00a.m. If yuh eva si di crowd :O I got parking in the 4th shopping centre (Tropical Plaza) and just stayed put for the day. (Oh there are 5 shopping centres joined together to make what we Jamaicans call the plazas. It is nowhere as big as the US malls but hey...we gotta work with what we got ;) The rest of the day was spent walking back and forth and trying to deal with gifts for the family type people.

Sunday I actually went to see King Kong. It's the 1st in a long while since I've been to the movies. School always came 1st. I like this idle time. I think it's the longest break I've had from classes since I started in 2002. All my exams were crammed into the 1st half of the schedule so it resulted in extra vacation time for me. The movies was......no comments. Not my style but not a bad movie either. All I can say is that the directors spent a lot of time getting up to the meat of the matter and then seemed to rush through the meat part to the dessert.

I'm going to pay some more blog visits later on, but in the meantime...take care.

I'm Baaaacckk

Greetings and hailage all Caribbean and International massive. I and I deh bout again. I finished my exams on Tuesday but as luck would have it I finished off my compi on Tuesday as well. :) Nah not true. I was the subject of a disgusting little insect type virus. My son apparently downloaded some music and whatever it was bypassed the firewall and did a number on the compi. I cleaned it off but it was still behaving a bit quirky so tech Scratchie went to work. New hard drive, reloaded and activated Windows XP and now in process of getting all my software loaded. Downloaded SP2 last night and auto update is doing something tonight so I am back on track it would seem. I ordered the laptop on 2 December with a slated delivery date for 29 December but guess what....our mailing system has gotten efficient. It is already in the island and I should have it in hand by Monday...all of ten days early. I was actually laughing at the situation just today. I had ordered 3 items at three different times....the laptop 1st then about a week later the carrying case for it and then a piece of software for the home compi. Guess what, the software arrived on Friday. (The last shall be the 1st I guess). The case came in yesterday and I hadn't heard about the laptop until this afternoon. Not to mention that the shipping manifesto shows that the laptop has travelled more than me all over the place. Dell has a wild network for the delivery of their products. The exams were not so bad. I am still awaiting results before I predict pass or fail. Typical case of the examiners trying to cover too much ground so they water down the content. Other than that I'm still tired nuh hell. Well I actually went to the shopping mall this week after my last exam. Things expensive nuh backside. Lots of people looking but minimal buying in my estimation. I saw a head line in a newspaper this week that accused JPS of putting out the festive lights. It stated that the public were less inclined to put up Christmas lights because of the exorbitant light bills. Somebody need to tell that to my wife and kids. Tree light up...verandah light up....grill light up.......every corner of the house have light. My daughter is a real gladice so she enjoys the season and I ain't about to kill her spirit. I'll just have to foot the bill later I suppose. Apart from that, my nephew tief ou his mother's van on Sunday and nearly kill himself...write off the van and leave them with a hell of a bill. We are glad he wasn't hurt but somebody needs to kill him for that. Not my son or my car so I just stand back and watch. Other than that...I'm baaaaccckkkkk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Exams!!!!

Everythig I have to say can be summed up in one word... "EXAMS". You guys will have to do without me until Wednesday. Until then.......take care. Had the first one yesterday. One will be on Monday and the final one on Tuesday. Yesterday's own wasn't too bad.

RJ05

Well the final major event of the Jamaican Racing season was held over the weekend in the form of the Rally Jamaica 2005. The event had numerous sponsors including Petcom, KFC, and Digicel. These and other sponsors ensured the success of the event. I was a spectator for the New Kingston stage of the event. Building on the experience of past years, I arrived at the venue from 2:00p.m. for a 4:00p.m. start. That way I got to choose my viewing spot and a "secure" parking space in view of my perch. Spectators came alive at about 3:30 with the sounding off of the Digicel truck and the mc's fastest fingers game giving away free credit to spectators by calling out credit codes and having persons enter them on their phones. This final stage of the rally started at 4:00 with a drive through by the Clerk of the Course and the Opening Marshall. The crowd visibly shifted for viewing vantage points as the cars did their drive through and parade. exhaust gases filled the ait and there was a short break as they returned to the start. The crowd was treated to a mix of car and driver capabilities. from the lack lustre to the sublime. The event showed that there are drivers and there are DRIVERS and that there are cars and there are CARS. The crwod was hell bent on seeing WRC driver Didier Auriole at the wheel but after a quick run through of the cars it was obvious that he had retired. :( Anyway the show continued. The smell of tires and exhaust, the near crashes, the spectators and camera men who almost got creamed by the white GTI Swift/Cultus, the scream of the engines and the sound of blow off valves from turbo charged machines, the slides and the show boating by some of the drivers all ensured an enjoyable afternoon for most. Off special note was the presence of so many Subaru Impreza's both WRx and WRC's that dominated the line up.....GO Scooby!!!! Ok ok yeah there were a couple of Evo's too....maybe one or two. BTW, you Bajans should be proud. Your drivers did extremely well in the event. I guess we'll hear the scores later. I know they have been published (even prelims) but I'm just too lazy to go find them and most of you not interested anyway, yuh just humouring me. :) Panton needs another year in the Evo to get it just right. It was obvious from his lack of antics for the crowd. New cars always do that to you. All in all a well spent even. The stage ended with a display of automibile handling craftmanship by none other than Mr. Auriole himself in a car borrowed from one of the other competitors. And yes it was a Scooby. :) :) :) Watching these guys you realize that they are definitely in a different league. The Tall One said as we were leaving "I waited all year for this event and it was well worth it." I think I echo his sentiment. I was only able to catch one stage because exams are actually on Thursday for me and then Monday and Tuesday following so no driving all over Jamaica countryside to watch cars for me. Anyways I was just giving you all a hail and gone so till later.

Update

Well I took your advice..... Dudes getting a Dell. Stayed away from the Compaq. And the Acer, as alluring as the package was, the hassle to get it to Jamaica was just too much. Truth be told, by the time I pay shipping, handling, and mailbox charges it would have been way over my rounded up cash. Dell delivers it to my door with a one time shipping charge which they tagged to the machine. All things being equal I should have it before school reopens. I am being conservative because we in the Caribbean know how shipping goes during the Christmas season. The final major racing event for the year is underway here and I'm missing it. Schoolwork and exams are playing a major factor in this but "if yuh want good...nose haffi run". I may visit the New Kingston special stage tomorrow but the cross country thing never swing this year at all. Other than that.....I won my Kalookie match last night. I was too tired to even think about the game and just simply played by reflex, no planning and gues what...I beeat the ish out of the other guys and set a meeting new low total score of only 157 points from all the games. Other than that...idle weekend filled with study. Enjoy the rest of it.

Lights! Camera!....Christmas

 Well Christmas is definitely in the air....at least it is in New York. Last night I sat and watched the lighting of their huge Christmas Tree and it marks the beginning of the season in my neck of the woods. I swiped this photo from the WNBC site. Apparently they have a tree cam so if you want you can go there and see it live at any time. It was sooooooo much prettier in the night but I saved that picture at home so this will have to do.

I'm still not feeling the season but that will come too I guess. The last few days have been spent hunting for a computer. The one at home is working fine all be it 5 years old. But I had spent a lot of time and effort building it so it can still run with the best of them. Only thing showing some date is the processor and I'm not too worried about that since it is still pretty fast. I've finally decided on a notebook. Don't know where the cash is gonna come from yet but frankly, with these lots of presentations and group assignments at school the laptop is fast becoming a necessity and not a choice. I'm am tired of having to borrow them and beg and then end up still not getting the work done as how I would want it so I am gonna make the plunge. Choice right now is between an ACER and a DELL. I like the Compaq for looks but I've had bad experiences with their desktops in the past so not sure if I should chalk it up to "one of those things" and try them again. I like the ACER because all in all it offers the best package but then shipping to Jamaica is gonna be an issue...(an expensive issue I might add). DELL sends their stuff here so that won't be a problem. Which do you guys like Heard them debating in the news this morning about whether or not the newspaper carries too much about the violence and crime. It seems that one newspaper has vowed to stop carrying it front page. I don't want to quote since I haven't seen the paper as yet but apparently it is felt that by carrying all this stuff on front page it glorifies the dons. I can't argue with that. Frankly speaking I find the front page of the weekday papers depressing most mornings hence me not buying a during the week newspaper in years. I buy the Sunday Gleaner because usually the paper is a lot tamer then. Will it help?...Your guess as good as mine but it certainly can'thurt. I got my ham last night....yessssssssss!!!!!!!!!! Pork haffi deh yah fi di season. Sorry fi all di dread dem roun di place. Dem cyan call dun fyah pon mi if dem want....gwey!!!!!! Ham fi nyam!!! So last night I was reminded twice that Christmas is around the corner. Anyway I gone....have a great day.

Hey All

Well the week has been pretty much routine so far. Can't say I mind though. It certainly is a change from my hectic schedule of the past month. I had the privilege of attending a luncheon hosted by my organization for its pensioners. The food wasn't bad and it was nice to see some of the persons who had served the organization so well over the years and who have gone on to retirement. I knew quite a few of them, most in fact. Tells me I'm getting on in age here. In retrospect I have been here some 20 odd years since high school. Whoa!! lots of years that. Only when you see all these persons together do you realize how many persons have come and gone over the years, those who have migrated, moved to other jobs, retired or died. I can honestly say that I have seen almost a complete staff change since I have been here. Time............ I was watching the NBC news this morning and they have been featuring this man who shot and killed a policeman in NY during these past few days. I was so surprized to hear that Al Sharpton plans to visit the precinct today because he feels that it is irresponsible for persons who protest police killings of "innocent" civilians not to protest the injustice when a policeman is unjustly killed. Might be just a token visit but at least it is a balanced token visit. Honestly, I wish Amnesty International and Jamaicans for Justice would take a leaf out of his book. Usually you only hear them when one side acts up. Anyways I was just keeping it light today. Gone to do some reading so later.

Former World Rally Champion Richard Burns died at the end of last week, losing his battle with a brain tumor. More here. Burns was one of my favourite drivers and I have always loved how he handled the Subarus. He won his 2001 championship title behind the wheel of a Scooby but switched to Peugeot in his later driving years. He was 34. The avatar that I use on MSN is a model of his early Impreza WRC and one of the few that I have ever gone out of my way to search for and purchase. The sport has truly lost another great driver. Rest in Peace Mr. Burns. The sport will never be the same without you.

I deh bout...

Well I survived the onslaught of coursework. I figure that if you survive this semester then yuh can survive anything. The projects and presentations went pretty well. Some were better than others. and I found out that I did good on the test from last Thursday so one set down. Exams to go. Schedule isn't too bad. All being well I will be free of the campus by 13 December for about three weeks or so. We had a bit of disappointment in one presentation. A friend found out that based on the new regulations she has been placed on the "make good" list. This means she will only be allowed to clear up any outstanding courses before doing any 4th year courses. It put a damper on the presentation since anything she did between September and now has no value to her, including the presentation. She still went ahead and we did a reasonably good job. I'm gonna miss having her in class :( It feels kinda weird not having any schoolwork deadlines with everything crammed into the week gone. I'm gonna go chill tonight. Wifey wants to go idle so....... The Shorter One got a prize at her prize-giving yesterday. She was awarded for the work done in grade 8. She is so proud of herself and even insisted that I take her picture with the certificate. Later on in the year she will select subjects for her career hopes. She is giving out talks about medicine but keeps proclaiming about art. I kinda have to be hinting that she is to do what she likes and not what other people want her to do. She had told us that she wants to do designing and interior decorating. I suspect her friends are talking at school and she is being swayed. She does really well at art and catches concepts that I can only dream about. She hates the sciences, so unless she wants to do a new version of medicine that I don't know about......... Anywayz, I goin stop chat and go read a weeks worth of blogs so later.

Pass the Coffee.....Ok give me caffeine, Any Kind

Hi guys, after this past week and a half I'm going into detox. Coffee and any caffeine drink have become my best friends. The amount of that stuff that I've put away in the last few days is unbelievable. I checked and I'm in shock so...I guess that makes me a junkie. Well this last week goes like this....Wednesday gone - major project due, Thursday gone - in course test, Friday assignment, Saturday - groups meetings from 11:00 to 11:00 followed by about 2 hours of work, Sunday 3:00a.m. to 7:00a.m. group assignment 9:00a.m. to 12:00 rest 1:30 to 9:30 group meetings and assignment. 9:30 to 2:00a.m. typing. Monday night group meeting Tuesday night presentation and major project, Today group presentation and major project, tomorrow Thursday major project.By the way I work so during the Monday to Fridays I am at work from 8:30 to 4:30. I am just counting down to tomorrow when the last piece is handed in. Exams start the 2nd week in December. That I can deal with. At least it is just the reading and not the assignments. Anywayz I gone again. I will have to catch up on the blogs another time.

Friday already...where did...............

Okay ....give it back.....somebody stole the rest of the week and didn't share it with us. Selfish...:( Well All I can tell you (from the little I remember of this week) is that nothing much happening here with me EXCEPT TOOOO MUCH SCHOOLWORK!!!!!! I sat down this morning and just wondered what will life be like when I don't have this school thing hanging over my head in just about 5 semesters time. (I stopped using years because it just sound too far away. 5 semester is really just about 1 and 1/2 years. This week was hell. One test and a major project. Project was extremely challenging since it was a discussion question and the material was based on opinion rather than text book research and publish kinda thing. The test was a test was a test. I got back some grades and I am pretty pleased with them so it is inspiration to keep going. I haven't failed anything to date so here's hoping that trend continues. My random thpought for the day was about hookers, whores, sex workers. I really wonder how they feel going about selling themselves to anybody who passes. There is no name no face no feeling just a sea of dollar signs and meat. :( It must be, to my mind a very degrading thing. I am told that some actually enjoy the lifestyle but I'm not so sure........... Have a great weekend all.

True Jamaican Virgin

A Jamaican ginnal named Countafeit is out playing football and gets hit >with >a high speed penalty shot right in the crotch. Writhing in agony, he falls >to the ground. As soon as he could manage, he took himself to >Doctor >Morrison and ask, "How bad is it doc? Mi goin' on mi honeymoon nex week and >mi fiance' is still a virgin in every way." Doctor Morrison tol him, "I'll >have to put your thing in a splint to let it get better and keep it >straight > It should be alright by next week." So h! e took four wooden tongue >depressors, made a neat four-sided splint and wired it all together. >Another impressive work of art by Dr. Morrison. > >Countafeit mentions none of this to his fiance Puncie, marries and goes on >his honeymoon having professed to Puncie that he is also a virgin. (bwoy >can >lie yu see!!!). > >That night, in the motel room she rips open her blouse to reveal a gorgeous >set of knockers. This was the first time he saw them. She said, "You are >the >first, no man has ever touched these breasts." She then removes her panties >to reveal her treasure, and again declares, "You are the first, no man has >ever been there" > >He whips off his pants and says, "Yuh t'ink dat a nutten? look ya, my own >still inna di CRATE!"

Tuesday

Hail all, well it's Tuesday again. This just sounds so repetitive. I'm sure it was Tuesday just about 7 days ago. Maybe we need to have a 14 day week and rename some of the other days so they don't come around quite so often...... It's OK the school work is just playing havoc on the ole brain. :D I'm not going crazy...I passed that stage long time. Anyway, I'm already at work working on one of my school projects so I'm not gonna stay with you today, just to say hail and I'm out. Before I go, I'm just taking this opportunity to introduce Slybabyk. She has passed through on a few ocassions and dropped comments but it seems that she now has a Blogger account. Yes, she is Jamaican. I seem to have lost my toolbar on this machine but it is visible at home so I guess machine error. She is linked on my sidebar so you can drop her some comments and let a lady feel welcome. BTW, Esso still up to their tricks so another JGRA deadline set for today at ten or more bangarang might gwaan. Later guys.

Last Night

No this not gonna be x-rated. Last night was Kalookie night. We got off to a really late start but hey all in the name of Friday night idling I suppose. Guess who won? ........No! not my wife or sisters or friends......yup....that's right.....MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!! How yuh mean that it can't be true?....what happen mi nuh name person too? ...... Is alright.....either say congrats or gweeyyyyyy!! By winning it means that the next round will be played here at my house. Means that I don't have to travel to the locale and when the game is over, I just throw out the guests and go to my bed. :) No don't leave, not because I tell yuh to gwey.....yuh can stay. :D Well I'm kinda tired. The Automobile Dealers Association had there car show this weekend. I went this morning to take a look at what I can't afford and have no hopes of acquiring in the near future but I love cars so I went. I think that that was a good enough reason to pay the entry fee and go fill my eyes. I wanted specifically to see the new Subaru Impreza WRX because I had seen photos of it and was totally disappointed. I'm glad I did...the car is a beauty. Sorry, wrong word....Scoobys are never beauties. The car look buyable iyah. Wish I had the cash. Except for a few bright spots here and there I was disappointed with the show. Usually there is a lot more fluff and flair to it. I think the show reflected the economy...nuff high price items and lots of consumers looking and can't buy. I got some tips on how to handle the interior of my current car so I have some stuff to go try out. The show presented quite a few of the higher end of the market and noticeably absent were the low to mid income cars like the Toyota Corolla and the Nissan Almera. SUV's and big models were the norm. For such big companies I was a little disappointed with the showings from the Nissan and Toyota dealers. I would have preferred a wider cross section....I note that space was a definite issue. Oh yes...there was an Evo IX on display :p My son was more impressed with the cars in parking lot than was was inside except for the WRX and the Evo of course. Other than that the Saturday was basically a spend with family kinda day. I don't have classes on a Saturday right now so it has been an opportunity for me to make myself visible on weekends. Can't say I miss the classes at all. Anyways I was just here telling you about my Kalookie win so now that I've patted myself on the back I gone :)

Registered!

Well I am once again a registered student of the Utech. I have been trying to obtain 1) my progression status and 2) my enrollment package for the past 6 weeks in total. About 3 weeks ago I finally got my report and requested my enrollment package so that I complete registration. I know it sounds strange to some people but it appears that the school deals with new students before trying to sort out the veterans. Because I also attend classes in the summer semester, progression cannot be given until the summer grades are posted so it results in us always being late in getting our stuff. So three weeks go by and no package. I checked three Thursdays in a row...nothing zippo zilch nadda none.....no package for Scratchie :( Last Thursday I realized that anybody who had outstanding fees was dropped from the computer system...package received or not. Of course, Scratchie blew his top at the poor defenseless girl in the office cuz she had attitude and I was not too thrilled about their style of doing things and already going beyond my responsibility by following up on something that I should receive as a course of routine. Hell, is my fourth year so yuh supposed to know the routine by now....student pass all courses....print package....student collect same and follow through on registration process. Not so easy as you might think. Student has to follow up on pass results...student makes sure results entered...student requests progression status...student requests enrollment package...student registers....student ensures registration complete...student ensures that system is updated to ensure enrollment. Maybe I should continue....student NOT getting paid to do work for Utech staff... Anyway, I decided to go there yesterday and actually got everything done without quarrelling or cursing or threatening or any of the good stuff. It went well and as the caption says.....I am now registered. I even paid the tuition :) Wasn't I a good Scratchie...round of applause please. Next dealings with school admin will be......Exam cards in December....listen out for more issues at that time...:) Later all.

Wednesday...Never Rains but.......

Well today was a really hectic day on the roads. Main event for today was the gas retailers strike called by the Jamaica Ggasolene Retailers Association as a heightened measure to pressure Esso into revising its pricing mechanism. As of tomorrow morning, not only will Esso service stations be closed, but ALL gas stations islandwide who are in support of the JGRA's call will be closed as well possibly for 2 days unless some arrangement can be brokered by tomorrow morning. Let me say that I totally disagree with this measure. Whereas I have no problem with the Esso dealers fighting for a better position and payoff, I think the move by the JGRA is irrational, unethical, uncalled for, irresponsible and illegal. I use strong sentiment against the background that the JGRA's issue is the dispute between Esso retailers and the Esso marketing company. If you have a problem with Esso then deal with Esso. Close the Esso stations and have Esso feel the pinch. If the stations not open then they lose money. How the rahtid can you implement a measure that will almost certainly disable an already battered economy. There were so many car scrambling for gas today that travelling in certain parts of town was next to impossible. Why are you holding the public at large for a dispute with Esso. The Fair Trading Commission has indicated that the JGRA's action is illegal and can be pursued in the legal system and, quite frankly, I hope that they are taken to court and fined the maximum fine of $5,000,000.00. It may sound harsh, but I do believe that it is time in this country that those who are given the power, authority and responsibility for the welfare of varying facets of our nation use their power responsibly and exercise prudence in the decisions that they make especially in a situation such as this where there are alternative measures that could be adapted which would have been just as fruitful. I would love to see the JGRA disbanded and declared an illegal entity but on the other hand I do believe in the trade union movement. I am however a realist. The days of the willy nilly "lock it down" are far gone although nobody told the JGRA this. We need to examine how we do things and how we resolve the problems that we encounter whether it is in dealing with the government, multi-nationals, marketing companies, employers or any other force of social political or economic existence. By now you can see that I am pissed and blowing my top......... Guess we all need to vent sometimes. Later all.

UPDATE: Strike called off but some stations totally out of fuel so shortage for a while.

Week in Review

Well I am still under stress with school so hence the neglected blog. I have a test this evening so this will be really short. What has been happening....nothing much to tell you the truth. between group meetings and housework and car cleaning and just plain ole loafing nothing much at all going on. Esso seems to be having an issue with their retailers or I think it's the other way around. Apparently there is some issue that the retailers have with the marketing company's pricing mechanism and the retailers are closing their stations in protest. Guess they are hitting them where it hurts. I had my own run in with an Esso service station on Thursday. I have copied the story from my post so parts of it may sound strange to some of you but I wasn't gonna sit and retype all of that so a little editing and walla: Last night I was on my way home from classes and was about to do my usual stop for weekend fuel at the Shell on the Boulevard but realized that they were closed (some bricks and stuff across the entrance and total darkness). Had to find some fuel quick, so I drove into the Esso at the corner of Molynes and Boulevard and told the attendant to fill tthe tank......wrong move...... One mind say check the cost and low and behold..... $53.7x for 87 . Had to stop the pump same time and pull out. Everywhere else have 87 for between $48.00 and $50.00 so why dem tiefing people still have it so high? I accept the blame because I should have asked first but just to let you people know...CHECK THE PRICES because some of these stations ripping people off. They don't post a price on the board so that you can see the comparison with other stations. Be on the alert people or your pockets will feel it. Esso seems to be a main culprit because there was no price at the one on the corner of Dunrobin and Constant Spring Road which was why I passed them in the 1st place. Still got caught anyway. Seperate and apart from that we have had some traffic fatalities since Sunday. On Sunday 2 bikers got killed on Highway 2000 near Old Harbour and yesterday 3 people got killed in a car accident. People...take it easyy on the roads. The police have vowed to step up their vigilance especially during Christmas. Seems we will be having more policemen/women on the roads. The Minister of National Security got the nod to beef up the force. I am not so sure this will solve the problem. Although if you look at it, it may mean more jobs and more security but we still need to tackle the root causes...too many illegal guns have gotten in here. We need to deal with that swiftly. Unfortunately I'm sure that nuff politics involved but......... Anywayz I gone do some work.....take care

Still Alive.....Tired like ....... but still alive

Hail up everybody, Well the tests and projects are still hanging over my head so this will be short. Did one on Thursday and have another today ...then one next week and a couple of major projects in between. All in the life of a student I suppose. Well I moved desks. It is a bit of a retro step for me in that I have done this job before but it is a step forward because it means I will get a little more $$$ at the end of the month so I will take the boredom for sake of that. The only problem is that where I now sit is right out in the open so no more during the day surfing and stuff...(not that I had much time for that before anyway). Things are quiet on the home front...except Spanish Town. Police killed an area don on Sunday and the place nearly tear down. I saw a photo on the front page of yesterday's Gleaner that would leave anybody in awe. http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20051101/lead/lead1.html I was trying to link it but it seems that half the Blogger toolbars are nowhere to be found so check the address above. Anyways, I hope everybody is fine....I've been reading but not really saying much. You all take care.

Holding a bit

Sorry guys, I know I have been absent but we go through this every semester. It's that time again....mid semester tests are right under my a_ _ ......let's call it my soul case. In addition each subject has a major project so time is of major premium right now. I promise to keep up the reading but the writing gonna have to take a short snooze. If I find a "must share" topic then yuh know how it go but not gonna log in just to tell you that the sky is blue.

And traffic is making things really miserable here at home. It took me an hour to move 2 block lengths from off Aldinton on to Hagley Park Road last night just so I could turn on to Woodglen. I am really sorry for the people ging all the way down Hagley Park Rd. because they were not going anywhere in a hurry. If it weren't for the policeman who directed me on to the right hand side of the road and allowed me to make my turn it would have been at least another hour in just that little section of the route. The shortcuts to China (potholes) aren't making it any better either. Some of those craters can swallow cars and SUV's whole.

Anyway I start chat and soon can't stop, so till later.......

Finally....

Well the rains have finally subsided. They started last Friday and fell consistently until this morning. The skies still seem a bit shakey but certainly not looking like what it looked liked over the past few days.

What was that?.....Seems we may have had our 1st ever tornado here in Jamaica. The geography people are a bit skeptical and the eyewitnesses are less than accurate in their descriptions simply because we have never had one of those things here at home. Whatever it was did some seriousdamage to a couple of houses in St. Catherine and one man said it sounded like a truck and dirty up the air wid bed and board and leaf and dresser.

Well I hear that I am being moved to a different section for a while. This is to act at a level above my current position. Yes, it means a little more pay for a while but it also means more headaches. We'll see how it goes.

I just heard that I still will not be having any classes this evening but I really don't mind. The roads are horrible following the rains and I not into the night driving on pothole riddled roads at all. Front end parts not cheap and besides, my car has on alloy wheels which can only be gotten as a set, so if one gets damaged yuh know is 4 haffi buy.

Haven't gotten to the blog reading yet but soon. Been busy trying to sort out people in crisis. We have staff in St. Catherine that have been cut off by the flooding and some spent 5 hours in traffic yesterday morning trying to get to work and several of them got here before daylight this morning trying to avoid the rush. This means that they will probably spend the better part of this evening sitting in traffic to get home. The management are considering letting them leave an hour earlier to alleviate some of the stress of the peak hour rush. Most roads are open again but only partially and yesterday saw 5 lanes of traffic trying to use 1/2 a lane. It ruff mi tell yuh. Hope it gets better today. It highlights the fact however that an evacuation method will not work since the routes that are blocked are the evacuation routes and is only so many of them anyway. Can you imagine 5 hours to move about 3 miles.

Anyways it could have been worse so I give thanks.

Later all...back to the slave labour.

Heroes and More................

Well, yesterday was National Hereos' Day here in good ole Jamdown. We have all of seven hereos to our credit. For those of you non-yardies they are: 1) Nanny of the Maroons 2) Marcus Garvey 3) Paul Bogle 4) Norman Washington Manley 5) Sir Alexander Bustamante 6) George William Gordon 7) Sam Sharpe. Have I gotten all of them. Think so. Each year the country pays homage not only to these spoken heroes but also to the many men and women who are, in their own right, heroes. These men and women who have served long and hard in their fields of expertise are honoured in a special ceremony held at the Governor General's residence on National Heroes' Day. This blog says thank you to you all for your dedication to this nation. On another note, well my mother returned to the island on Sunday. She is well and glad to be back to her own bed and tv and family and husband and high prices and......oh well you get the picture. Nowhere better than yard. Rain rain rain rain rain..........non-stop since Friday. Seems like we are in for more since Wilma doesn't seem to be going anywhere in a hurry. As long as she isn't a duplicate of "Wrong way Lenny" which moved eastwards instead of doing the usual west and up thing. I tried to walk in the grass on Sunday and sank in mud up to my knees. So I'll have a hell of a time explaining the two huge footprints in the lawn. Anyways I have a new recruit today so I gots to go early..... Later guys.....

The Little Piece of Jamaica that Flies

I saw one of our aircraft flying low overhead this morning and it looked soooooooo good. Air Jamaica is one little piece of Jamaica that takes the beauty and the glory of the Jamaican people wherever it goes. I got these photo through a Google search. The last photo shows the colour scheme of the older Air Jamaica era. Kinda dull and boring, nuh true? The latest colour scheme is depicted on the other 2 aircraft. It just struck me that few other countries can boast of an icon of their nation that is arguably the "most beautiful bird in the sky". Have an Air Jamaica kinda day.

Nothing Going On

Well life this week seems to be relatively mundane. Nothing too much going on in my neck of the woods and I kinda like it that way.

I've taken up a kalookie on a weekend just for relaxation. I learnt this game many years ago but had stopped playing. I guess my escapades will continue until I get tired of it or until the schoolwork gets in the way again. I have managed to place a consistent third on the last two ocassions that I have played. This week I hope to move into a better spot. Eight of us have been playing regularly and the fun and games have continued well into the wee morning hours. We are now looking at shifting to a different night and earlier times so that we aren't making our ways back to our respective homes when is only dog barking out on the road. Wifey, who is new to the game, won on our first play night and came in fourth last time.

On a diferent note, the Students' Loan Bureau has had consistent problems with loan recipients who refuse to repay the sums owed after completing their course of studies. The fund is a revolving one and therefore any non-repayment is actually taking the bread out of some other child's mouth. Arguments have been put forward about the rates of interest being too high and the service they received and.......... the list goes on. The fact of the matter is that you got the money and you knew the repayment rates so why complain now. Regardless of the service you received you got the money you paid your school fees and you are now making good returns on the investment you made...pay the money. Bottom line is that there really is no excuse.

They have now begun to publish the names and photographs or the delinquent borrowers in the daily newspaper. Now I am sure that other organizations are similar to mine and I know my management is watching those lists like hawks. I have no problem with the list being published, provided that all the groundwork is accurately done to ensure that people whose names are published are delinquent borrowers because that could lead to some serious embarrassment on the borrower's behalf and, I can state categorically, loss of jobs in some arenas.

I have also heard of people who have gone in and paid their entire balances upon requesting an outstanding balance status and several months later are told that they remain delinquent because the amount calculated was incorrect. My view is that the calculating officer should be held accountable (financially and otherwise) for that type of error. I wonder what the legal profession would say about this. One way of protecting yourself is to obtain a loan discharge document. I fail to see how you can tell me on one ocassion that I have completely repaid your money and then tell me some days later "oh sorry you still owe me because I haven't finished with you yet" and "I am going to put your name in the papers because you don't pay me". I think that amounts to extortion. What you think.

Anyways, enough chat from me. Later all.

Don dead

Well things have certainly been heating up in here since morning. On the news this morning there was a report that a car occupied by a political figure Babsy Grange was shot up and one of its occupants died from wounds. She was not hurt.

In another news item Chubby Dread, an area "leader" or don as they are more commonly known was shot and killed near to one of the island's night spots early this morning. This has kinda sent downtown into a reaction mode. Any time one of these dons gets killed the whole area feels the after effects. Places mysteriously burn down and other area activists end up stuffed into barrels etc. So everybody gone into extra careful mode today especially down by my office which is at the outskirts of the community in which he operated.

The third news item is of a fire in the shopping arcade downtown. I guess the 1st reaction for the don's death. Who knows. At this point one may also add...who cares. It is so unfortunate that these situations have become so common place in modern Jamaica. My view is..as long as them leaving innocent people alone...them can gwaan kill off themselves.

As for me,...well all I can say is that I am exhausted. School taking its toll on me. Circumstances may also change at work but I will let you all know how that goes as soon as all is confirmed. It may mean that my computer related activities may be restricted and reshuffled and my blogging may be reduced to those days that I am at home early but we'll see.

Anywayz I want to wish you all a great weekend. Take care till later.

Mid Week

Hi All, Blogger has been messing with me for two days. I had my first in course test last night. I can't say how I did. Results will tell I guess. The assignments are coming fast and furious so I will need to get organized or get swallowed up by them. I finished my brake repairs (or as much as I set out to) on Saturday. It was a real easy swap and I got it done in about 90 minutes. And YES! the car stops ...yes! before it crashes into anything. I tried to take some photos but the camera looks like it's definitely on the last now. I will salvage what I can and post about my project later in the week. Other than that, things are pretty much OK with me. Back to work.

Art Critique

Well here is the critique I promised so long ago. I saw something similar on Dorna's blog and promised to post it so here goes. Equus

The sculpture I have chosen to critique is entitled “Equus”. The sculpture forms a part of the artwork in the Caribbean Sculpture Park at the University of Technology. The Sculpture Park showcases several artistic pieces from artists across the Caribbean. The Artist The sculptor’s name is Lance Bannister. He was born in Barbados where he currently resides. Lance Bannister is a doctor by profession and is noted in his homeland for creating art from discarded car parts. Some of his other works, including his interpretation of Rodin’s “Thinker” and Jurassic Park, are located in a park called Iron Gardens near to his practice in Barbados. The Sculpture “Equus”, as the name implies, resembles a horse reared up on its hind legs. The word equus is defined as a genus of animals that incorporates horses zebras and such like animals. The piece stands approximately nine feet tall and is made entirely of welded metal and for the most part is constructed using discarded car parts. The entire work of art has been painted silver and is mounted on a rectangular base that has been so constructed to allow the horse to swivel 360 degrees. It falls under the genre of realism. The piece is undated and is identified solely by an erected metal plate denoting the name of the artist. The backbone of the sculpture is one inch corrugated steel that has been bent to take the shape of the horse. The underside of the frame is constructed of metal bars which appear to have been auto motive stabilizer bars. The horse’s head is formed using two control arms welded together side by side. The eyes are made of ball joints and the ears are pieces of muffler tubing that have been cut and welded to the control arms. The gaping hole that forms the mouth of the animal has been filled with a crankshaft sprocket that realistically resembles bared teeth. The neck, backbone and tail are made of automotive tappets of varying sizes. The ribs of the animal are molded from what appears to be varying lengths of trim pieces. These pieces form a rib cage that provides a 3 dimensional aspect to the sculpture. The thighs and buttocks of the horse are constructed again using four control arm pieces welded together. These provide the natural form required at those points. The legs of the horse are made from connecting rods of varying sizes welded together and ending in pistons that form the hooves of the horse. The hooves have been mounted on ball joints to enable slight realistic movement in a light breeze. My Impressions It is evident that much thought and planning has gone into the creation of this spectacular piece of work. The pieces have been chosen to complement each other and to provide a realistic dimension to the sculpture that enhances the viewing pleasure of the audience. In the absence of any literature surrounding this piece of work one is forced to examine it from the onlookers point of view. The horse, throughout history, has been a symbol of freedom, power and strength, speed and agility, transport, beauty and reliability. If we recall in mythology the horse has featured prominently in a variety of ways. Odin’s steed was depicted as having eight legs, Apollo’s chariot was drawn by stallions, the centaur which was half human half horse and probably the most famous was Pegasus the winged horse. In ancient Chinese tradition, the horse’s symbol was one resembling an arrow or spear which symbolized direction and purpose. Egyptian kings owned horses as a sign of wealth and freedom. The Caribbean is defined by the melting pot of other cultures as its people, from their many backgrounds, influence the evolving of a unique culture of its own. Each island, though different, is joined by a common thread. The horse, I think, brings this common thread to bear. It defines the strength, agility, ability, beauty and the majesty of a people that at one time were slaves. For me the horse carries a different significance. I am essentially what one would call a car fanatic. I have always been intrigued by their mechanics and the power of their engines. Each part must fit precisely where it was intended to fit. Today, two of the most powerful cars carry the horse as their symbol; the Ford Mustang and the Ferrari line. These cars have been designed with the beauty, strength, speed and power that modern engineering can afford them. The description that is given to these machines is remarkably similar to that of the Caribbean people. Car parts for me have always simply been used and discarded. Some can be rebuilt but for the most part they are destined for landfill. I find it intriguing that someone could find use for old discarded junk and by taking it a step further to use their creativity to produce such a strikingly recognizable and well-proportioned piece of artwork. I am drawn to the sculpture possibly because it is designed and constructed around something that I find quite relaxing and interesting. I am awed that someone would even think to use material in this way. I am elated that instead of being thrown down to destroy the environment that someone has found a usefulness for waste material to make it beautiful again in a different way. Conclusion Equus is by no means a perfect sculpture, nor do I think it was intended to be. It was left in its form to show the molding of its pieces from their origin. The artist has however placed a high degree of significance to minor details. He instead pays close attention to proportioning and adds some realism by including moveable parts. This is evidenced by the inclusion of teeth in the sculpture and the use of ball joints. If one were to examine the symbolism, its very design and construction represents a creativity that is indigenous to the Caribbean. It represents the rising of a thing of beauty from what was once seen as trash. “Equus” is indeed a Caribbean symbol. Its place among the other works of art in the Caribbean Sculpture Park is well deserved. It is a true representation of the people of the Caribbean region, creative, majestic, powerful, strong but most importantly free.

Finally, Friday has gotten here.....

Well today is Friday and I'm really up to my neck in work. I got the last of the parts needed to complete my cars brake system upgrade. By now you can probably tell that I'm more than comfortable in troubling things on the car. I decided the other day that instead of just servicing the braking system that I was gonna make it better.

Well joy of joys...Nissan uses basically the same type of system throughout its model line-up. So I bought some used calipers and rotors and have reconditioned them with new washers and got the rotors cleaned and cut. These have come off a newer Nissan Sunny/Sentra for you US people (remember mine is an old model 1991) and are slightly larger and much improved for stopping power. So next step is installation...coming on Saturday to a Nissan near me :) . I'll let you know how it goes...or you may read about me in the local papers.

Next project will be either bodywork and paint (which I can't do myself) or engine swat to the famed sr20 (sr20det is known to provide major smiles in Nissan circles) which I can do with some help but will probably take the easy way out and pay a mechanic to do it with me standing over his shoulders to make sure it is done right.

You are wondering why....well just for the heck of it really. Used parts are cheap here and in relatively unlimited supply so most people opt to use them instead of new parts. Secondly, cars are expensive so most people hold onto their cars for really long periods. In my case I am paying some really serious school fees so I opted to buy an old car and eliminate the loan repayments until I see myself clear. So until then I just have fun fassing with it. Unlike the US, leasing is not an option that we have so it's buy or nothing.

Anyways this is my last car related post for a while since I know I only speak to a small segment of the visitors here but sometimes we kinda have to write for ourselves...nuh true?

You all have a great weekend and I'll try post over the weekend (if I can wrestle the computer away from the children).

Driving in Jamaica

BASIC RULES FOR DRIVING IN JAMAICA 1. Turn signals will give away your next move. A real Jamaican driver never uses them. 2. Under no circumstance should you leave a safe distance between you and the car in front of you, or the space will be filled in by somebody else, putting you in an even more dangerous situation. 3. The faster you drive through a red light, the smaller the chance you have of getting hit. 4. Never, ever come to a complete stop at a stop sign. No one expects it and it will result in you being rear-ended. 5. Never get in the way of an older car that needs extensive bodywork. The other guy doesn't have anything to lose. 6. Braking is to be done as hard and late as possible to ensure that your ABS kicks in, giving a nice, relaxing foot massage as the brake pedal pulsates. For those of you without ABS, it's a chance to stretch your legs. 7. Never pass on the right when you can pass on the left. It's a good way to scare people for a laugh. 8. Speed limits are arbitrary figures, given only as a suggestion and are apparently not enforceable in Kingston. 9. Just because you're in the right lane and have no room to speed up or move over doesn't mean that a Jamaican driver flashing his high beams behind you doesn't think he can go faster in your spot. 10. Always slow down and rubberneck when you see an accident or even someone changing a tire. 11. Learn to swerve abruptly. Jamaica is the home of the high-speed 'dally', thanks to the KSAC, which puts pot-holes in key locations to test drivers' reflexes and keep them on their toes. 12. It is traditional in Jamaica to honk your horn at cars that don't move the instant the light turns green. 13. Remember that the goal of every Jamaican driver is to get there first --by whatever means necessary. I got the above from a friend so I'm sharing it with you guys.

Hey....?????

Hey, where did the weekend go? Mi nuh understand, I just start enjoy the likkle break from work and wha?????.....back to the ole grind cuz is Monday again. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm all for an eqyal sharing of time...Three days to work, three days for relaxing and the one day the Lord requested from us. :) Think it would work out?

Well, let's see...where do I let you guys into my weekend? Well I had an airport run on Saturday morning. My mom left for Ft. Lauderdale to stay with her sisters for a few weeks. She was terrified of the flying but went none the less. Everytime she has to fly the jitters kick in from all three weeks before. She goes anyway. The afternoon was spent hunting for a dashboard for the car and installing it. It is an older model but with school and all the other "must do" stuff changing is not an option so fix it haffi gwaan. I found one at a good price but the colour was wrong. What the heck, beggars can't be choosers. So I bought a few other trim pieces to do a colour swap. What I did was just change out some of the inserts to match the dashboard and walla...you would think it was by design. So I now have a burgundy and dark grey interior. I was skeptical at first but it looks good all together. Took me a while to get the old dashboard out though. Nuff hidden screws. Yes, I do the work myself. The Tall One helped me get the new one in with some "precision persuasion", namely some bitch lick. Finished at about 11:00 p.m. on Saturday but it done.

Yesterday was church, supermarket and home. I guess the tiredness is from the heavy duty mechanics on Saturday. Other than that nothing much happening on the Rock that affecting me. This morning in traffic an idiot taxi man driving like an ass almost sideswiped a few cars trying to pig his way through traffic. The jackass finally made one too many cut ins and hit a woman's van. I kinda smiled because he chose to do so right in front of the policeman. Sorry for the lady but the damage looks superficial. His car being lower suffered a lot worse. I hope they throw the book at him...fassy.

Anyways I gone so have a great day.

Dream Car Gar...........

I really don't have much to share with you this morning so I thought I would post about something I like. The photos above are of the various models of the Subaru Impreza WRX. The one on the far left is the 1999 (version IV I think). Some of the more detailed-happy among you may be able to tell the difference. That shape started with it's introduction in 1995 or there abouts and remained relatively unchanged until the 2000 model year. In 2001 the design was changed and the new bubble eyed model was introduced (second photo). This model was, in the eyes of the Scooby fanatic, a step in the wrong direction. Although Subaru's have never been good looking cars they were at least acceptable and their performance figures made up for any shortcomings in the looks department. Subaru listened to their customers and the falling sales figures and the headlights were changed in the next model year (third photo) for the European market and the subsequent year in the American market. The early model WRX was not available in the US as the requirements for emissions and other performance regulations were not easily met by this powerhouse.

The final photo is the 2006 WRX. Chances are there will be very little differences. The early model machines carried a 2 litre turbocharged engine in a flat 4 boxer design. The lastest model's displacement is up to 2.5 litres but the engine design remains the same.

These machines have been my fantasy ride from their introduction. Even today I still prefer the original shape of the car to the latest model. I think it had more finesse and was more pleasing to the eye. Alas owning one of these remains a dreamand will remain a dream for a long while to come. Brake pads for my Nissan runs at about J$600 whilst I have seen guys paying upwards of J$50,000 for a set of pads for these babies. Heck after two pad changes I could buy another Nissan.

For now I just look, admire and dream.....one day one day.........

Later guys.

R.I.P. Martin Park

Wales Rally GB, 16 - 18 September 2005, started with a bang this year, the second year in it's new slot. Traditionally it closed the rally season in November but was moved to accomodated changes to the sport and the line-up. Tradegy struck on the second stage of the final day when Markko Martin's Peugeot crashed into a tree hitting the passenger side of the car killing his 39 year old co-driver, Martin Park. As a mark of respect, Peugeot withdrew it's other entrant, Marcus Gronholm from the rally.

Citroen driver, Sebastian Loeb, opted not to win the rally under such tragic circumstances by deliberately checking into a stage control point late, earning him penalty points and thus placing him in 3rd place behind Francois Duval and Petter Solberg. A win for Loeb in Rally GB would have meant an overall win in the drivers championship.

Michael is survived by his wife Marie and 2 children. Rest in peace Michael, you died doing what you loved. Motorsports worldwide will miss you.

Wednesday is here...already?

The week has kicked into high gear and my mind is still on the weekend.

Well things aren't too bad here. I checked my progress online and I'm pretty OK where results are concerned. I mentioned that I may have had a problem with one course (yes the one with the Nigerian). Well it seems that some things are changing at the University. I was told that he is no longer in charge of the course. Apparently the stunt he tried to pull was the last straw. I am yet to confirm this so at this point I treat it as rumour. I requested a review because the intial posting was for a failure. It seems that all my grades were not included initially and the last check is that I have passed the course with a C+....my lowest grade yet but hell is a pass and as long as I don't have to resit nothing I ain't complaining. I have one grade yet to get. I know I passed that course so I am just awaiting the grade to see what my gpa stands at. It was 3.7 but with the C+ it may fall a little but not too badly.

I missed classes last night. I was just not up to it. I forgot my glasses yesterday and still had to function at work. The reading was taxing and by time I was leaving for school the headache was just too much to bear. So I went home to try to sleep it off. That didn't work. The place was just too hot. Anyways, I am fine this morning. I need to find my rear end up to school this evening because we have a project that needs to get going.

Anyway, work calls so I'm off. We'll chat some more later.

Tuesday...another day another......

OK, today I am kinda bored. nothing much going on around but as I always say, sometimes quiet is good. Sometime I think the media don't have anything to do because some of the things that make front page .......this article for instance. Granted i thought it was kinda crazy but then again I guess it better than the shoot up and kill. I wonder what Kami would have done if she were the principal.......let's use our imaginations here......... Anyway enough crap from me this morning. I have schoolwork to go do so later all.

Oh Wow!

The attached photo, taken from the Jamaica Observer September 13, 2005, is that of Miss Jamaica World Terri-Karelle Griffith. You can read more of their article here.

I saw an interview with Miss Griffith over the weekend and the caption of my blog could be her pet phrase. She used it so many times during the discussion. I hasten to add that I mean this in no dissenting way. In fact I am actually quite taken aback by the atmosphere created by this young lady, a trait so very rare in modern society. She possesses the ability to captivate the audience simply witha smile. The photo above does her no justice. She is what I would describe as a natural beauty.

The interview allowed her the freedom to articulate her command of language and her ability to think and reason.

Terri-Karelle is a past student of Campion College and hails from Portmore St. Catherine.

She is 23 years old and is studying to be a veterinarian at the University of Cuba.

I have attached a copy of another interview for your viewing:

Why did you decide to enter the competition: "Initially because of family and friends who were always encouraging me to enter, because they think I have the potential to become a Miss Jamaica World. Apart from that, I look at the competition as a door to many opportunities, apart from exposure, it helps with personal development. What is your best quality: "I have been told it is my personality. I have a bubbly spirit. I am always the one to relax everyone, and the one to make everyone feel welcome. I am very passionate when it comes to people." If you could change one feature or thing about yourself what would it be: "I wouldn't change anything. Many of us have so much to give God thanks for. We always find faults with ourselves, if not physical, it's emotional, and we need to stop and think that there are a lot of people who are missing so much more ... So I have to be grateful that I can see, speak, feel." Why do you think you should win: "I think I should win because this is a competition that looks for the best package, and it's not just beauty, it is intelligence, eloquence ­ she has to have a personality. I have all of that, so I would be a very good candidate to be Miss Jamaica 2005." Name one difficulty you have faced in the past and have overcome: "Very recently, despite my confidence, I was still self-conscious, and imagining myself parading on a catwalk in front of people, it just wouldn't happen. Entering this competition and saying 'you know what, I can do this', and shedding myself of that insecurity, I believe it is a serious difficulty that I had in the past and overcame." Give one word to describe yourself: "Bubbly" If you could have lunch with one person, who would it be and why: "His Excellency Sir Howard Cooke. I always wanted to be a veterinarian and at eight years old ... I wrote him a letter saying I wanted to provide for strayed animals in Jamaica. I didn't like the fact that they were being mistreated, so I wrote him a letter telling him that, and the fact that he was kind enough to grace me with a reply I don't think words could express how appreciative I am." Name one beauty queen you look up to and why: "Jade Fulford. I was a fellow classmate of hers, we both attended Campion College and I knew Jade and she was very shy and always quiet. I was so overwhelmed and proud to see how she burst out of that shell, and outdid herself, and I think she represented us to the best of her ability." How does being in the competition affect your career goals, and will it affect them if you win: "Regarding my career goals, I really don't see the competition affecting them. I am a focused person, and I do intend on finishing my career. I see this competition as a way of improving self. Should I win, I would have to defer for a year ... and there won't be a problem deferring my career for one more year." What is the most important job that someone could do: "I believe that is parenting. It is a clich�, but everything starts from the home, and I believe that parents have the hardest responsibility to their children, and ultimately to society. How they raise their children is an idea or reflection as to how these children will be when they become adults and what their roles will be in society."

I do not know how she will do in a contest that many persons feel is biased towards blonde hair, blue-eyed contestants with the ocassional cultural and racial diversity thrown in for good measure. What I feel is that this young lady is the first in a long while to represent the true image of our island. How will they accept the natural hair and person is anybody's guess.

Win or lose, she is Miss Jamaica World, the best that Jamaica has to offer and I implore you to represent us well.

Best wishes.

Idling Post

Well since I had nothing better to do today I sat down and went through the list of stuff that was on Small Island Girl's blog and swiped it for posting here. I went to great pains to go through all 200 items and made them relevant to me.

The Bold ones are the ones that apply to me but I give you credit if you read them all.

01. Bought everyone in the pub a drink

02. Swam with wild dolphins

03. Climbed a mountain

04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive does a BMW count?

05. Been inside the Great Pyramid

06. Held a tarantula.

07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone

08. Said "I love you"and meant it

09. Hugged a tree

10. Done a striptease

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Stayed up all night long, and watch the sun rise

15. Seen the Northern Lights

16. Gone to a huge sports game

17. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa

18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables

19. Touched an iceberg

20. Slept under the stars

21. Changed a babys diaper

22. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon

23. Watched a meteor shower

24. Gotten drunk on champagne for sure!

25. Given more than you can afford to charity but it always worked out

26. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope

27. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment

28. Had a food fight

29. Bet on a winning horse

30. Taken a sick day when youre not ill hell yeah

31. Asked out a stranger

32. Had a snowball fight

33. Photocopied your bottom on the office photocopier my breast hehehe

34. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can

35. Held a lamb Does a Rabbit count?

36. Enacted a favorite fantasy

37. Taken a midnight skinny dip

38. Taken an ice cold bath

39. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar

40. Seen a total eclipse

41. Ridden a roller coaster

42. Hit a home run

43. Fit three weeks miraculously into three days

44. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking

45. Adopted an accent for an entire day

46. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

47. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment

48. Had two hard drives for your computer (Still do and always will)

49. Visited all 50 states

50. Loved your job for all accounts

51. Taken care of someone who was shit faced

52. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

53. Had amazing friends

54. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country

55. Watched wild whales

56. Stolen a sign

57. Backpacked in Europe

58. Taken a road-trip

59. Rock climbing

60. Lied to foreign governments official in that country to avoid notice

61. Midnight walk on the beach

62. Sky diving

63. Visited Ireland

64. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love

65. In a restaurant, sat at a strangers table and had a meal with them

66. Visited Japan

67. Benchpressed your own weight

68. Milked a cow

69. Alphabetized your records

70. Pretended to be a superhero (the joys of childhood)

71. Sung karaoke

72. Lounged around in bed all day

73. Posed nude in front of strangers

74. Scuba diving

75. Got it on to "Lets Get It On" by Marvin Gaye

76. Kissed in the rain

77. Played in the mud

78. Played in the rain

79. Gone to a drive-in theater

80. Done something you should regret, but dont regret it

81. Visited the Great Wall of China

82. Discovered that someone whos not supposed to have known about your blog has discovered your blog

83. Dropped Windows in favor of something better

84. Started a business

85. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken

86. Toured ancient sites

87. Taken a martial arts class

88. Swordfought for the honor of a woman

89. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight

90. Gotten married

91. Been in a movie

92. Crashed a party (which teenager hasn't?)

93. Loved someone you shouldnt have

94. Kissed someone so passionately it made them dizzy

95. Gotten divorced

96. Had sex at the office

97. Gone without food for 5 days

98. Made cookies from scratch (those things came out rock solid)

99. Won first prize in a costume contest

100. Ridden a gondola in Venice

101. Gotten a tattoo

102. Found that the texture of some materials can turn you on (Stockings babeeee!!!!)

103. Rafted the Snake River

104. Been on television news programs as an "expert"

105. Got flowers for no reason

106. Masturbated in a public place

107. Got so drunk you dont remember anything

108. Been addicted to some form of illegal drug

109. Performed on stage

110. Been to Las Vegas

111. Recorded music (part of my music ministry)

112. Eaten shark its a staple in Trinidad bake and shark

113. Removed - Im not telling that one [???]

114. Gone to Thailand

115. Seen Siouxsie live

116. Bought a house

117. Been in a combat zone Does Tivoli Gradens count?

118. Buried one/both of your parents

119. Removed - Not telling this one either [wtf??]

120. Been on a cruise ship (Just for a day)

121. Spoken more than one language fluently

122. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone

123. Bounced a check

124. Performed in Rocky Horror

125. Read - and understood - your credit report

126. Raised children at the moment

127. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy (ain't giving up my model cars for nothing)

128. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour

129. Created and named your own constellation of stars

130. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country

131. Found out something significant that your ancestors did

132. Called or written your Congress person

133. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over

134. more than once? - More than thrice?

135. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge

136. Sang loudly in the car, and didnt stop when you knew someone was looking

137. Had an abortion or your female partner did

138. Had plastic surgery

139. Survived an accident that you shouldnt have survived

140. Wrote articles for a large publication

141. Lost over 100 pounds

142. Held someone while they were having a seizure

143. Piloted an airplane

144. Petted a stingray

145. Broken someones heart

146. Helped an animal give birth

147. Been fired or laid off from a job

148. Won money on a T.V. game show

149. Broken a bone

150. Killed a human being [pfft, whos gonna answer THAT?]

151. Gone on an African photo safari

152. Ridden a motorcycle

153. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100mph

154. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced

155. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol

156. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild

157. Ridden a horse

158. Had major surgery emergency cesarian while asleep

159. Had sex on a moving train made out though

160. Had a snake as a pet

161. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon

162. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing

163. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours

164. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states (lived in the Bahamas for a while)

165. Visited all 7 continents

166. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days

167. Eaten kangaroo meat

168. Fallen in love at an ancient Mayan burial ground

169. Been a sperm or egg donor

170. Eaten sushi

171. Had your picture in the newspaper Only my name a couple of times

172. Had 2 (or more) healthy romantic relationships for over a year in your lifetime

173. Changed someones mind about something you care deeply about

174. Gotten someone fired for their actions

175. Gone back to school

176. Parasailed

177. Changed your name

178. Petted a cockroach

179. Eaten fried green tomatoes

180. Read The Iliad

181. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read

182. Dined in a restaurant and stolen silverware, plates, cups because your apartment needed them

183. ...and gotten 86'ed from the restaurant because you did it so many times, they figured out it was you

184. Taught yourself an art from scratch

185. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

186. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt

187. Skipped all your school reunions

188. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language

189. Been elected to public office

190. Written your own computer language

191. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream

192. Had to put someone you love into hospice care

193. Built your own PC from parts

194. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn;t know you

195. Had a booth at a street fair

196: Dyed your hair

197: Been a DJ

198: Found out someone was going to dump you via LiveJournal

199: Written your own role playing game

200: Been arrested

Today is....?

Well today is Wednesday. It also marks the last day of my vacation. So tomorrow morning bright and early I will rejoin the ranks of the working class. Can I tell you, I am not really thrilled about it at all.

My new supervisor is a "yes" person and is constantly kissing the director's ass. This puts lots of undue pressure on our unit as we are always assuming duties which should be assigned to more appropriate sections. What to do. All I do now is get a things to do pad and line them up and complete them as best I can. If they say that one is more critical than the other then I just simply shift that one around.

Well it looks like I cleared all my 3rd year courses. The one I was worried about has been passed so I am good to go.

Those of you who venture here will notice that I totally ignored the recent happenings in New Orleans as well as the demonstration last week here at home. This was not oversight. I have very strong views on demonstrations here at home. You see, in Jamaica, the hoi polloi have only been taught two things when the word demonstration is mentioned. Those are 1) get a poorly written placard and 2) block the road with burning debris. They don't know any other way. There is no such thing in their minds as a peaceful protest. As a result the outcome of that "peaceful" demonstration was mayhem disorder and violence. Don't get me wrong I don't disagree that there are issues nor am I pro-government but to set loose a set of uncontrollable mob on society is not the way to go. If that is what the JLP has in store for us as a nation then we are indeed doomed as a people. I think it is time that our political leaders desist from using the poor and outcast as pawns in their game and sit and devise policies and practices that will work to the benefit of Jamaica. I can honestly say that right now we have no leadership. What saddens me is that we also have no alternative since I see both parties doing not a damned thing to make our country any better. We are struggling for infrastructure and for the sake of political gain you set the citizens to burn tyres and destroy property productivity and the very infrastructure that we are trying so hard to maintain and may I add are already fighting a losing battle with. Is it me alone that thinks we just kinda gone mad somewhere in the middle there.

Personally I think the JLP should be held accountable for any expense that arose from the demonstration and I think the leadership should be charged with insighting riots and made to face the courts for their wanton disregard for the nations well being.

Anyways, enough from me. Take care all.

Monday

Well I'm down to the wire where leave is concerned. I go back to office on Thursday morning and believe me I am dreading it by the minute. The week end was quite uneventful. Doc celebrated his 42 birthday on Saturday and he shares birthday with my brother-in-law who also happens to be another classmate of mine from high school. We were to meet up for a round but plans never got going so....... I wasn't too unhappy as I had a bad headache on Saturday night and another function that I was to attend also got bunned. Sometimes the good Lord tells us to stay put for His reasons so I stayed home Saturday night and slept.

What the heck does all of this have to do with the photo I posted?...Not a damned thing. This young lady was on an interview this morning on one of those talk shows and I liked her so I searched for her photo and posted it. She is Eva Longoria. Some of you may have seen her from the remake of the tv series Dragnet and she is also on some daytime tv show or the other. She reminds me of Roselyn Sanchez. She did a pretty good interview. Nothing thought provoking or anything like that. Just well answered questions and well spoken. So I thought I would share her with you this morning.

The Tall One has his 1st official day of class at his new school this morning so I dropped him off at school. So far he seems to be looking forward to it. We'll see.

Anyways not much from me today. Gonna go catch a shut eye and then......... 

 

Well Here I am.....

Hi all, This is a long overdue post. I finally got hooked up to the DSL system so things are much faster and at a break even over my dial-up connection which I had discontinued a while back in anticipation of my new service. The service took over a month to get installed not for the sake of not trying but there was an issue with my phone line. Anyways , that was sorted out on Sunday.

Then this machine started to act up. I was able to get online earlier in the week and then just a series of errors and report requests. I think the kids have put too much of anything and everything on it. It has loads of space and boy are they using it. Things are now at a point where I think I may need to scrub it and create profiles for them and limit the space they have to do their stuff. The repair methods only seem to go so far and no more.

Well vacation is mostly been work. Home work but work none the less. The Tall One did 8 exams in June and passed them all. He has been enrolled at EXED Community College to further his studies. He is technically oriented and unfortunately most of the grade 12 programmes don't cater to his field of study so comm. college it is. For those who don't know community college is like a gap closer between high school and university. He wants to do construction technology which involved building, technical drawing engineering and other like areas of study. I am a little concerned about the location of the campus but sometimes we have to step out of our comfort zone I guess.

So I spent the last week getting all the stuff he needed together and getting uniforms and registering and........ In other words...no rest yet and only one week of vacation to go. Oh well.

I revamped the blog but I'm not sure I like the new colour scheme. I guess maybe I'm used to the black. We'll see. What do you guys think? Back to the black or stay with current or keep looking?

Well school restarted last week and it looks like it will be a good semester. I have actually started my specialization courses so all my courses this semester are related to my major and minor (Human Resource Management and International Business respectively). We'll see how that goes.

Anyway I gone do some blog reading. Later all.

Well I finally did it......

Sorry guys, I know I've been missing in action. I am on leave. I had to fight tooth and nail to get it but I got it. I will be out of office until the 15th of September. I am still awaiting my internet connection at home so posting and reading will be difficult. I borrowed a connection but it weeeellllllll slooooowwwwwwwwww!!!!!! It took almost 5 minute just to log in here. When I am finished I will see how long it takes to publish this.

Well school has resumed and the 1st week was pretty good. I have a new tutor for one subject and she is a looker. Really pleasant to torture yourselves by for the three hours that I will spend each week in her class. Lecturers like that makes classes worthwhile.. :) Seriously though this year begins my specialization years which means that all my courses are now specific to my final degree. So for the next 2 years I will now focus on Human Resource Management and International Business. No more Econ and Accounts...well not in any detail anyway.

Other than that nothing much to report. It is really good to be out of office though...the place starts to get to you after a while. I'll be in touch though and try not to miss me too much while I sit on the beaches of Hawaii and drink my pepsi.......roooooight there goes that imagination again. But I am at home for 2 weeks and enjoying it.

I will visit the blogs later when there are less people logged in cuz I am an impatient smaddy....this thing too slow.

Addendum: Well guys I am really sorry to have to inconvenience you all. You will notice that I have turned on Word Verification. I posted this thing 5 minutes ago and the spam started so I deleted them and added this thing but it takes a few seconds longer to comment. It was either this or sift through the tons of crap. And besides I don't think Kami, Camp, Small Island Girl, Dorna, Sunshine, Yamfoot or any of the other ladies needs advice on how to enlarge their penises so I think this makes for an easier life for all.