Journalists, or PENs For Hire ...

I looked with some interest at the headline of today’s Trinidad Guardian, which indicated that there is a mass exodus of media ‘personalities, a.k.a. journalists, all of whom seem to be heading blithely into Governmental service.

Interesting …

Whatever happened to being paragons of virtue and the ‘voice of the people’? what happened to the need to investigate the wrongs and bad habits of the government and all concerned with them – be they contracts, persons of interest, hidden agendas?

Is it that these things are only important when certain people are the targets?

Interesting …

So … apparently now that ‘everything is right with the world’ we have a huge chunk of the media moving in to governmental service … what a bleepin joke!

It is now blatantly obvious that anyone can be bought for a good enough price, even members of the 5th estate.

Case in point: I have been watching with avid interest, along with some of my fellow observers, the interesting goings on and behavior of two PROMINENT members of the current Cabinet. It would seem that some people cannot walk without having their hands held, and others cannot walk without having hands to hold. Be it at the airport, the parliament, public meetings, from one car to the next … these two act like kindergarten buddies. Seeing as how the photographs have been appearing in every single daily and weekend newspaper produced in Trinidad and Tobago, I find it rather strange that nothing has been written about this situation. However, had this been the former Prime Minister’s wife and another member of the former Cabinet, there would have been such a furor brought to life that it would have been heard all the way in North America.

Why the double standard fellas? Where are those investigative minds that you’re all so proud of – the same ones who for the past few years have been reporting blindly and then printing tiny page 1 and 2 apologies for slanderous comments?

Have you now learnt the error of your ways? Or is it that this regime pays better? Inquiring minds want to know.

Has it occurred to any of you ship jumping jokers that you’re following the scent of a dangling carrot in order to keep you silent? Are you aware that you have joined the ranks of the government propaganda machine – the same machine that you raged against, a short few months ago? It just strikes me as passing strange that you’re all willing to become the right hand men and women of this crop of ‘stooges’ but you weren’t willing to do the same for those who went before.

Tell me … how are you going to spend your thirty pieces of silver – the ones who gained when you sold your collective souls and sold out the people who look to you for opinions and advice. Is it that we are all going t have to stay tuned for the Department of Information weekend programming to know what’s going on in sweet T&T?

Dare God I hope not.

To say that I am disappointed is a major understatement. To say that I’m surprised would be a lie.

Tread lightly gents, and know that the people that you will ignore on the way ‘up’ are attached to the same asses that you will have to kiss on the way back down!

WTF!!!

Friendship is a funny thing. There are times when we need to stretch to accommodate the baggage that might sneak in, and there are times when we need to contract in order to keep our perspective and sanity.

I’m trying to figure out where I am in a particular friendship, and I just had a WTF moment.

As the adult on record in this get up, I’m wondering if the age difference is causing a significant shift when it comes to things like translation and understanding. Maybe it is that I’m expecting too much from the individual, but the difference is not so insurmountable that common sense cannot and will not kick in.

Why is it so easy for some of us to be obtuse and hurtful to the needs of many of us? Is it just me or is it that it feels like paranoia has become the norm for some of us? Why is it so easy for some of us to be mean spirited and bitter towards the achievements of the majority of us?

I know that I’m asking a myriad of questions, and I know that many of those questions are rhetorical. By the same token, there are really some of us who can cause amazement to hurt the brain.

Example.

I’ve been attempting to pursue a particular course for the past few months, and someone whom I now recognize as a bandwagonist announced that they would come aboard and we would stay the course together, and use our ‘existing’ buddy system to lessen the ‘pains’ as it were.

I believed them when they said that they were ready. I made myself available to them, and I did what I could to introduce her to the tenets that she would need to follow…

Why then … at the end of it all … are they attempting to make me feel that this is somehow my fault?

Hindsight is 20/20 vision and I’ve put a few pieces of the puzzle together.

This isn’t about me. It is about them and their baggage, and I refuse to be the trash guy. It’s about their decisions and their priorities and until they come to the point of acknowledging that there are changes to be made, then they will continue to wallow in their ‘ignunce’, and that’s just the way it is.

I will do what I need to do for me and that’s it. When they are ready to handle their shit, they will do what needs to be done for them – plain and simple.

We all need to be adult enough to do what we need to for ourselves, and by the same token we need to be adult enough to take the responsibility for the fucked up decisions that we sometimes make, thereby avoiding the stupid blame game that we seem to always want to play …

And that’s my take!

Truly Loving Me...

For centuries we had been taught that the proclamation of love of self was egotistical and taboo. Today however, we find ourselves in a place where we are told that it’s okay to be a little selfish for self, and to shout it from mountain tops.

My take on it? Everything in moderation.

That being said, I really do believe that we cannot love ourselves enough.

One of the things that I have encountered with fellow full figured women is that we put off loving ourselves until we get to ‘that point’ or ‘that size’. The message that needs to be heard is that we must love ourselves in our current skins … love yourself for the beautiful, vital, intelligent, sensual and sexy woman that you are. There is really no need to wait to love you! It’s YOU after all. If we don’t love ourselves, how can we expect others to love us? The only entity that loves us unconditionally is God, and we are supposed to be perfect in His eyes, and we really are not – not by a long shot. So if He loves us the way we are, why then can’t we just follow His lead?

Love yourself enough to get over the hurdles that you face, particularly those that have to do with self image. Every imperfection is precious; every pound worth loving enough to be released (I know that sounds funny but bear with me).

I always recall the words of a particular boyfriend who, bless his heart, was trying to make me feel better about being a big girl, when I was particularly down. He said “You’re not fat … there’s just more of you to love.” At the time I giggled through my tears and kissed him my thanks. I have been grateful through the years for those words.

How many of us really look at ourselves in the mirror? Most of us are experts at looking only at what is and when necessary. We skip over the arms, and bellies, and thighs … it’s too painful to watch for many of us. What we NEED to do is take a good, long look at the goddesses that we are and look at the thighs and bellies and full boobs and appreciate our sized sexiness, because we ARE sexy!

Then and only then can we see where the changes that we sometimes crave can be made. And please, don’t aspire to be skinny; aspire to be HEALTHY.

I am 55lbs away from my goal weight and I know that with hard work, God’s grace and - Lord help me (:D) - Lee, I will get there! And it’s all about being healthy, because I know I will never be skinny … nor do I want to be.

I love my boobs and hips and butt; I just know that the extra weight isn’t ideal for me, however ‘comfortable’ it may seem to be. So basically, I love me enough to get up and get moving on my journey…

Thanks my take,
The Changeling.

A Review of At Last... - Through the Eyes of a Friend & Her Daughter.

Hi there,

The following is an email that I received this morning from my friend Dani. I have to say that it was indeed heartwarming and as such made me smile. It’s nice to know that people are paying attention to the things that you’re doing…

Hi Donna,

OK, this is gonna get your underpants all knotted up now!!!!!

I AM JUST NOW READING… CONTINUOUSLY FROM COVER TO COVER – NOT START – STOP… AT LAST!!!!!!!

I must say that I can’t stop!!! Might I add it’s nice to be able to read
something with life like situations and characters that my 12 year old and I can sit and discuss and not be bored and I don’t have to be afraid that there might be something in there that I might not want her to learn just yet.

As you know she is beyond her years so she is not interested in the
Twilight Saga. She thinks it’s for boring little white girls with nothing
else to do but believe in Vampires. She also thinks that books and movies like those open doors for spiritual warfare so she’s not missing anything.

Anyways… The entire book is easy to relate to. The characters are real and the situations life-like and current.

I have to make a recommendation to you as a friend though. Explore doing an adaptation for screen/stage.

There is great potential between the covers of At Last. I think that the options are limitless. I don’t know exactly what the ramifications of such a project would be but I am telling you that now in the Caribbean we are holding our own in the film industry and now is a good time for you to get your piece of it.

We have the film company here and I’m sure you can get assistance and guidance from them.

Look it up Donna…possibilities exist we just need to uncover them.
Jah-mai said you should do it too. She said you could be the local Tyler Perry lol!!!!!

GO FOR IT GIRLIE!!!!!

BTW… if you’re not interested…I want to play Greer (teehee).
OOOOOOHHHHHH……..and that guy from Soul Food (the series) who is married to the light skinned sister from the show and in reality he is part German (chocolate) (I think she means Boris Kudjoe here folks :) )…he could be my Tre’ yummmmmyyyyyy. :)

Best Regards

Danielle Nieves
Marketing Assistant
CCN TV-6
Express House
35 Independence Square
Port-of-Spain

Strut it Girl ... You Know How to Use it!!!

Somebody needs to explain to me what all the noise is regarding the beautifully body painted skin of La Toya Woods, our representative to the Miss Universe 2010 contest.

Pardon me but I find it a tad difficult if not down right impossible to take all of this noise and hoorah seriously, particularly from a country that has two nationally sanctioned days of ‘Bare Naked Ladies’ – well almost – on display on an annual basis!

This tin whistle noise about Ms Woods’ supposed nakedness goes beyond me. When I first heard the furor, I was led to believe that our queen took it upon herself to get up close and personal with a paint artist and a photographer in order to ‘make a point’. After taking the time to do my own research, I have learnt that the photograph was SANCTIONED by Universe International, and in fact formed a part of La Toya’s Universe portfolio of OFFICIAL photos … as did the photographs of ALL OF THE CONTESTANTS … AS THE PHOTOGRAPHS WERE ORDERED UP BY THE FRANCHISE HOLDERS – and I mean the INTERNATIONAL FRANCHISE HOLDER HIMSELF!

Heads up peeps! She didn’t have a choice, and seriously, even if she did have a choice, bravo for her, because she knew how to use the assets that were given to her at birth.

The photo is tastefully done … the woman is wearing pasties … and her skin tone just screams for art!

To all of the supposed Trini purists who are gasping and clutching their chests and up in arms against it … SHUT UP! You are the same ones who walk through Port of Spain on Carnival Monday and Tuesday with your cameras and video cams, all in the name of ‘recording the spectacle for posterity’, and then on Ash Wednesday you email all of those pics to your horny-ass buddies … trust me, I know what I speak of. You’re the same bunch of ingrates – and I speak here of the men – who yell at your daughters for their teeny weeny costumes, but lust after their girlfriends who are wearing the SAME costume! Not nice…

Get a grip people and give the girl your support – she needs it. Be proud of the fact that there’s a Trinidadian woman out there who makes body paint look good – and I don’t mean the minuscule muscle woman who does it every Carnival Tuesday in her husband’s band for camera time and effect – I mean the one who is waving our flag high in Las Vegas, and trying to reclaim our pageant glory.

As a size-sexy woman, I WISH I had the guts to do it, but uhm … one step at a time okay???!

For Dan ...

A star of friendship
That glittered just out
Of my periphery
But not for long
Boldly you strode
Into my line of fire
And you gave just as
Good as you got
Matching me word for word
Joke for joke
Put down for put down

A wicked little sprite
With shining eyes
And a bag of naughty pixie dust
That’s what you are
You slipped in thru my laughter
And left tiny, muddy footprints
On my heart…

And now … just when
I’ve grown accustomed to your presence
You’re going to disappear from me
Taking your laughter with you
Leaving me bereft
Of your antics
And longing for sparkling
Pixie dust and white toothed smiles
Often imagined but not seen

I will miss you
My muffin man
I will miss you
My mischievous Prince
Though it lasted
But a Cosmic hour
I will forever cherish
The budding of our
Friendship flower
And anticipate the day
When we truly meet
Face to face
And heart to heart

Be well, be happy
Be free, be loved

Farewell …

Doing PENance in The Food Aisle ... HI Prices, LO Quality

I’ve been a loyal, card-carrying member of the Hi Lo Food Stores for as long as I can remember. It wasn’t just about the points and the prizes … I have been in Hi Lo’s corner since before the days of ‘FOLLOW DE RED ARROW AT HI LO’

There was a time … not so very long ago … when I boasted to all who would listen about the fact that their prices were better than Tru Valu’s and that the shelves were stacked better than many of the other markets.



Well…

The thrill is gone.

I went to Hi Lo Four Roads a couple Saturdays ago, in search of ingredients for a couple cakes that I had to build for an order. I looked at the baking shelf in sheer horror. The prices were between $5 and $8 more than those at Tru Valu. I even mentioned this to two members of staff who were on the lane. One of them shrugged her shoulders and said to me that members of staff had spoken to store managers about the recent pricing and that nothing was being done.

That’s when I remembered my mother’s annoyance when a couple months ago she spent over eight hundred dollars at the West Moorings branch and she had no idea what she had purchased. Faithful customer that I am, I still continued to think of the two situations as a fluke.

This Sunday morning, however, when in a state of bewilderment I walked out of the Four Roads branch with approximately three large bags, having just spent slightly under four hundred dollars, brotha the bloom was so off of that rose.

What the hell is going on with the Canning’s Group of Companies – the parent company of Hi Lo Food Stores??? Is it that the WANT to be priced out of the market? Could it be that they are searching for such exclusivity that pretty soon their own staff won’t be able to spend there?

This is ridiculous!!! There is no need to pay the exorbitant costs for vegetables when Canning’s has their own farms – something I might add, that they have boasted about in the past. How can it be that a couple blocks up the Diego Martin Main Road at West Bee’s it is possible to purchase 6 cartons of Green Butterfly Evaporated Milk for the special price of $30 and that special is not available at Hi Lo … in fact I believe that the cost of evaporated milk has soared to almost $6 a carton. Have I mentioned that we’re talking quarter litre cartons here?

How is it that three packets of macaroni can be had at West Bees for $10 dollars but not at Hi Lo? Whatever happened to specials???

You have dubbed yourself the nation’s favorite food store. Guess what? That shit no longer holds water. Have you not noticed that the month end lines have dwindled? Try doing a little sneak shopping at Tru Valu on a month end Friday and see the lines wrapping around lanes like ‘back in the day’ at Hi Lo. And it’s not just on a month end anymore. You can find those long lines on any given day. The transition is almost complete and in a little while from now Hi Lo will be a thing of the past, and that would be so sad.

What makes it even scarier is the fact that the budget has not as yet been read for the upcoming fiscal year and as such I shudder to think what the near future holds for food prices across the board.

Something has to be done, because points and prizes are no longer enough to hold on to your customers Hi Lo … better can and MUST be done.

Go back to the days of comparison shopping – when replenishing staff would go to other markets and compare so that the prices were better controlled.

Have a heart for your fellow citizens – those whose salaries have not been increased, even though their food costs have. Do the math and attempt, as the other members of the Supermarket Owners Association have, to find the middle ground.

Don’t make me come get yo ass!!!

Fix this and NOW!!!