Moments when I am hit by Jamaicanstalgia...

I have decided to select moments in the U.S that take me back home to Jamaica. I decided to take a few pictures in an attempt to capture these moments and share it in this posts. However, not all the pictures were taken by me as unfortunately I am not in Jamaica to take some Jamaican pictures, but I managed to find some great shots nonetheless. So this post will be less for reading pleasure and more for viewing pleasure.

 My husband took the above picture of this butterfly outside of his work place a couple days ago....

It reminded me of our swallowtail butterfly in Jamaica.

Every time I go to Walmart I go straight to this Jamaican isle to pick up a few items.

This little section was like a Jamaican gold mine when I discovered it inside of Walmart. They even have the Shirley Biscuits available in this section.

Every time I go to Food Depot I go to this isle which as you can see, it is quite similar to the one inside Walmart

As a Jamaican, I grew up on D&G sodas and Grace products so I cannot help but get nostalgic when I enter these isles.

The above picture is of a Jamaican grocery store with Jamaican products in abundance. While the Jamaican section inside Walmart and Food Depot are only a fraction of this store, I'll take what I can get.

This used to be a Jamaican restaurant owned by a Rastafarian man near my home in Georgia. When it was up and running, the Rastafarian man would come out in the evenings and jerk his chicken on a real "drum pan" and it tasted great. I supported his business a couple times but eventually stopped because it was less expensive to cook my own Jamaican food than to buy it but it did remind me of home. The structure of this building is so similar to many small businesses in Jamaica that I just had to share this picture.

This little Jamaican shop in this picture is a classic example of many of the small businesses that is created from the innovations of our the Jamaican people.

The picture below is also a small business near my home in Georgia that offers products to those from the Caribbean among other immigrants but it reminded me so much of some stores in Jamaica that I had to include it.

The picture below is of a store in Jamaica and while there is only a slight resemblance to the one above it, you can see why I still think of Jamaica when I see shops like these in America.

My friend in Jamaica sent me this picture of our Jamaican market, of course the best place to get organic fruits and vegetables from local farmers in Jamaica.

 The flea markets that I have been to here in the U.S.A have a similar set-up and atmosphere. It is another experience that makes me think of home. Both these pictures below are showing particular areas within a flea market. You can also find a variety of other items such as clothing at both the Jamaican market and the American Flea Market

I really wish I had more pictures to display and compare on this blog but for now this what I have compiled. Enjoy!!! 

When Babies Hit That Unmentioned Milestone

Unfortunately, I have joined one of the many mothers out there that have discovered with great dread that their child has hit that milestone that we dare not mention to family and friends because we are either so embarrassed that our child is doing it, or we blame ourselves for the reason our child is doing it. I call it the "Potty Mouth" milestone...dum dum duuum.

I believe that the label is self-explanatory but let me expound on it nonetheless. The "Potty Mouth" milestone is when your child has reached that stage where they start picking up sufficient vocabulary to express themselves clearly. One or a few of the words that somehow find their way into your child's vocabulary are words that are not age appropriate and parents generally do not approve of the child's usage of these words. These words tend to be vulgar and obscene and can cause utter embarrassment if and when that child uses it in public.

To my dismay, my child has unfortunately hit that milestone. He only uses one particularly atrocious phrase. "Oh S...." but one phrase is enough to have me enter into "potty mouth" eradication mode which doesn't seem to be working at the moment might I add. It is quite stressful. Dad and I are now playing the blame game trying to figure out who he possibly picked it up from and we are both embarrassed to say the least.

My son has grasped the concept of that particular phrase so well that he knows how to say it with emphasis and he understands the circumstances that requires the use of such a phrase. He will say it if he drops something, or if his sister drops something. If he bumps into the wall or furniture, he will say it. If he sees another person accidentally hurt themselves he will say it as well. It is quite disturbing to hear especially because he is only two years old. Every time his dad and I hear our son  using the expression, we stop whatever we are doing to address it. We tell him "No, do not say that word." He grins because I suppose he thinks the whole thing is funny. Then a follow-up "sweetie you cannot say that word."

I hope he grows out of it for his sake. Thankfully, so far, my husband and I have been lucky enough to escape the disapproving glares of other parents but we know if our son continues, those glares are ultimately coming our way. Even though I am not certain that he picked up the profanity from us, we are still being extra careful with what we say around our children because the fact is, a child that is learning how to speak and is building their vocabulary believes that all words are innocent and doesn't understand the social implications of "bad words" until their parents make them understand the difference between normal words and expletives.

I have seen other toddlers do it which proves that the "potty mouth" milestone is not as unusual as a few people might think. It is simply unmentioned by many parents and I can understand why. I am sure many parents like myself think to themselves "why couldn't he/she have picked up a word like auspicious, why a profanity?" but I suppose in the end, it happens and we can only try to discourage their usage of such inappropriate words or phrases and if that doesn't work, just pray they grow out of it. Dear lord, please let my son grow out of it!

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The Legacy Of The Stay At Home Mom

In this modern era, not many women want to be a stay at home mom. Many women prefer careers and school as opposed to being a full-time housewife. There is something fulfilling and motivating about taking the career world by the horns and conquering it. It gives men and women alike a great sense of accomplishment and prestige. However, some level of prestige is also attached to rich housewives who marry well and can afford to remain at home and organize their household and care for their children. In addition to this, there are the women who actually attempt to combine the best of both worlds and juggle career life with family life.

However, in this blog, I want to talk about regular stay at home moms who are not rich and are not interested in careers or prestige. The stay at home mom's whose lives are all about the home, the children and being the backbone of their family by keeping abreast the household matters. The ones that choose to be a housewife in order to ensure that the home is running efficiently for the benefit of her children and spouse.

When my first child was born and I realized that he would require special care even after he came out of the hospital, I started rethinking my feminist stand on stay at home moms. Prior to my children, I saw myself as a woman capable of conquering the career world, shunning the traditional view of women as nurturers and embracing the new age woman who could achieve anything that her male counterpart could achieve.

Post children, I began shedding my feminist skin and embracing myself as a nurturer. I began wishing that I did not have to work but could stay at home and give my undivided attention to my children and making my home comfortable for me and my family. I began seeing my job as a hindrance to my family life as it forced me to find babysitters that I knew would not care for my children exactly the way I wanted. When I came home from work, I would be so tired that my immediate reflex was to fall on the bed and close my eyes. Unsurprisingly, because I had two babies that are one year apart, going to bed early was never an option. I would end up going to bed around midnight and wake up every two hours to feed my darlings. By the time it was morning, I had to get up and get ready for work and do the process all over again. I was sleep deprived for a while.

Eventually, my husband and I managed to work out a schedule where we did not need babysitters and where there was always a parent with the children. Unfortunately, this did not help our sleeping schedule as we still had a lot on our plates like school and work. I continued to discuss becoming a "housewife" with my husband so we could cut some slack in our tight schedule.

While I am still working part time, I am looking forward to being a stay at home mom. I believe that the old fashioned moms back in the day had very good reasons to be content with being housewives. Investing as much time as possible with my children has yielded such great results that I know that if I were to be at home with my children all the time, their progress would be even greater.

Stay at home moms have this as their legacy. That is, being able to be with their children more often than working mothers. They get the opportunity to supervise their children more closely and to be more hands on with their children. This is not to say working moms are not great mom's too. However, based on personal experience, the less I worked, the more time I could spend with my babies supervising and teaching them things that have made them somewhat advanced for their age. The eldest baby is only two years old and already knows his ABC from a-z. He knows how to count, he knows his colors and he knows his shapes. He knows how to use my laptop and smart phone as well and is able to navigate his way to Youtube to look at his favorite learning programs such as The Mothergoose Club on his own. My second child who is only a year old is following in her big brother's footsteps as she tries to recite the letters of the alphabet as well as he does. She holds her fingers up when she tries to count and is also able to use the smart phone but not as well as her big brother. It inspires me to continue investing my time in giving my children basic education.

Even though this way of mothering sounds great, the fact is, we live in a day and age where many mothers choose to work out of necessity. Many mothers are either single parents, or the breadwinner of their families due to one thing or the other and as much as they would like to spend all their waking moments with their children, they are just unable to as the priority of providing for their families needs takes some level of precedence over quality time with the family. As such they find themselves bartering for time as it relates to their children. Thankfully, women have the superpower of being able to be a provider and a nurturer simultaneously and do get both jobs done and produce wonderful well adjusted children in the process which proves just how spectacular most moms are. Providing that I had the option to choose though, I believe I would want to be a housewife/stay at home mom for the sake of my children.

Overcoming My Facebook Addiction and Withdrawal Symptoms

I recently made the decision to deactivate my Facebook account and it has been a battle since as I forge ahead into the world without a Facebook account. I am relearning how to live my life outside of the Facebook realm of pictures, status updates, comments and likes. I had to readjust my state my mind to accommodate the switch from virtual reality to actual reality. It has been the longest three months of my life as ponder everyday on the benefits of not having a Facebook account in order to make myself feel better.

I discovered that Facebook was not only taking over my life but also that I was too emotionally invested into the social website and had to quit cold turkey. My Facebook addiction had gotten to a point where picking out clothing was difficult as I tried to ensure that if I took a picture that I wanted to post, it wasn't an outfit that I already posted on Facebook. It was so bad that I did not go out to enjoy myself, I went out just so I could post a picture on Facebook which by the way, everywhere was the perfect place to take a picture. Family Dollar which is only five minutes down the street from where I live, was one of the perfect place to take a picture of me being"out". It was shameful.

My husband was especially annoyed as he was the one that I had forced to take pictures of me enjoying myself "out". He would uncomfortably and quickly take the pictures hoping he didn't look foolish taking random pictures of me outside of places like Walmart. He would mostly deny my requests to take pictures of me out in public until I begged him with tears in my eyes to take my picture (exaggerating), but really, I would beg him until he took at least two perfect pictures of me which I would immediately post to Facebook. Needless to say, he is the happiest that I am now off Facebook even though he is so certain of my addiction he is doubtful it was a permanent move on my part.

I was so emotionally invested in Facebook that I would get into "Facebook debates" that would leave me heated enough to ruin the rest of my day. I would worry about how I was viewed by other people in my Facebook circle and tried as best as possible to appear perfect. I would leave certain information off my profile and add certain information all in an effort to create my perfect "Facebook life". It was ridiculous and occasionally I would feel ridiculous. In addition to this, I could not go more than a few hours without checking my account. Once I went three days without checking my Facebook account but it was only because my husband had bet me that I couldn't go two days without logging into Facebook and I felt challenged, therefore I set out to prove him wrong and I did. However, by the end of day three it was back to business on Facebook. 

Now that I am off Facebook, I still feel the urge to take pictures whenever I am out, but the urge is not as strong as it used to be. I do take pictures but I store them in my phone to show people that are close to me. I am back to repeating outfits without the fear of being found out and I have again begun to appreciate being out simply for the fun of it. Occasionally, I undergo withdrawal symptoms which occur when I take really great pictures of myself that I wish I could post, I get a little sad or agitated, but that feeling is dissipating with time. I also feel tempted to reactivate my Facebook account when my sisters or friends encourage me to do so. However, when I think of how much less pressured or stressed I feel without a Facebook account I decide that I am better off without it. It is still early and I am still within that probation period where it still could go either way but I am optimistic that I will continue in actual reality rather than virtual reality.

Let's Take the Killing of Black Teens Down To Zero

I began thinking that I was existing in the twilight zone when I stumbled across information about yet another teen, shot to death by an enforcer of "vigilante justice". Darius Simmons, 13 years old was shot to death by his 76 year old neighbor John Henry Spooner in front of his home after Mr. Spooner confronted and wrongfully accused Darius Simmons of stealing guns from the shooter's home. In fact, the man claims that he shot Darius Simmons "for justice" as he believed that Darius stole expensive guns to which he attached sentimental value. It is alleged that Mr. Spooner said he wanted to shoot the brother as well.

Mr. Spooner was convicted of First Degree Intentional Homicide, as with the help of a surveillance camera that captured the shooting on video, the prosecutors were able to prove that not only was Spooner sane when he killed the teen but that he also shot Darius Simmons with the intent to kill him.  This was easily proven when the video showed Mr. Spooner shooting Darius Simmons in the chest at close range and when Darius ran away, Mr. Spooner shot at him again and missed. Justice prevailed and Mr. Spooner was sentenced to life in prison.

I am extremely saddened by the savagery in this case. Another youth dying senselessly at the hands of an armed citizen again trying to take matters in their own hands instead of allowing the law enforcement to handle the situation. So many questions are now floating around in my head. Why did he accuse his neighbor of stealing his guns? How could  this situation have been prevented? Do we really need to revisit the gun laws within this country? Why are our black youths prone to gun related violence and deaths?

I firmly believe in the Second Amendment which is the right to bare arms, but there are clearly individuals out there who are abusing the constitutional right and making it bad for the other responsible gun owners that exist within this country. The right to bare arms is not the right to murder at whim. We cannot become a society of savages and barbarians. Let us make the Second Amendment count for something more than senseless murders for heaven sake.

I am also so tired of hearing about our black youths dying like dogs in the street. Whether it was done by someone of the same race or someone of another race. We need preemptive and preventative actions to be taken against such a phenomenon, as it is obvious that black youths are a high risk group that is prone to gun violence and gun deaths. The difficult question that faces our society is, what can be done?

As a mother of two beautiful black children, I worry about the security of my children daily, as all loving mothers do. I would do whatever it takes to protect my children from the dangers that awaits them in this dangerous and volatile world that we live in. I want my children to live to a ripe old age and not fall victim to hate crimes, gun crimes or even a life of criminality. What do I need to do as a mother to ensure this?

I do not have the solution for these questions but my advice is for us as a society to unlearn hatred. Also, as black parents, we need to somehow equip our children with alternative ways of resolving conflicts that does not involve violent altercations and insults that can lead to dangerous situations or death. We need to caution our children against "bad company" and "dangerous areas and places" that can cause them to lose their lives. Clearly as parents, we can't supervise our children every minute of the day, however, paying attention to their after school activities and whereabouts is definitely a place to start. Our children need us to protect them and unfortunately, in some cases, we can't. However, let us take affirmative action and protect them as much as we can whenever we can through guidance, parental supervision and parental intervention. 

On a final note, please, let us allow the police do their jobs and handle situations like these. Let's not pull our guns out and gun down innocents. Community policing and community watch is more effective and safer when we allow the the police to intercede as the police is obviously trained and more equipped to handle dangerous situations. However, when we try to take matters in our own hands, we stand the risk of losing our own lives or jeopardizing the lives of others as is clearly shown in the case of George Zimmerman and Raul Rodriguez who both ended the lives of individuals in an attempt to take matters in their own hands. Let us learn from these examples.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2370063/I-killed-teen-Darius-Simmons-justice-Elderly-neighbor-shot-13-year-old-boy-says-shot-boys-brother.html

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57462584-504083/raul-rodriguez-texas-man-gets-40-years-in-prison-for-fatally-shooting-neighbor-after-claiming-stand-your-ground-defense/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBKogMxbRAU (please be advised that this is a video of Darius being confronted by Spooner when Darius was shot and killed).

Zero Tolerance For A Condescending Society

As my husband and I watched video footage of Rachel Jeantel testifying at the George Zimmerman's trial, I felt complete sympathy for her because of how she was mistreated by the defense. In fact, on her first day of testifying, the further along she got into the testimony was the more her testimony became a sinking ship of despair. It was painful to watch to say the least. There was nothing subtle about the derision and condescension that assaulted her on the witness stand. The defense did not spare her feelings as the lawyer attempted to portrayed Rachel Jeantel as a non-viable witness for reasons ranging from communication skills to her demeanor. As such, despite the wealth of knowledge that this witness had to offer as key evidence to the jurors, the fact that she was from the "hood" and lacked  a certain level of education and social graces, it was almost as if the fact that she was the last person to speak to Trayvon Martin did not matter. This is rather shameful.

Then, the aftermath of her testimony unleashed a host of rude and crass comments and her character was further place on the chopping block as the public honed in and attacked her language skills and her intelligence. It clearly does not matter to many that she prevailed under the stressful court circumstances and did the best she could in order to assist in proving that Trayvon Martin was a victim. It could not have been an easy thing to do, especially with the defense's lawyer being as condescending as he was being.

The horrible things that are being said about Rachel Jeantel are not funny and we should not punish her by ridiculing her so relentlessly. Rachel Jeantel, in my view is a product of her environment. Within her environment, there is more than likely a culture to speak a particular way and to use certain terms. There is even a culture to behave a particular way as well. I am a firm believer that one should take responsibility for their actions and this also applies to how a person represents themselves. However, when a person is raised a particular way, with limited exposure and guidance from other sources to influence their behavior, then one will find that that person will behave accordingly. My question is, since when did it become okay to turn one's nose up at a person that is less educated or less privileged?

The fact that this young lady lacks the social graces and education that would equip her with the skills to represent herself better in the court of law and also in the world is related to so many sociological and socioeconomical issues that prevail within poor communities and poor families that for people to even laugh at Rachel Jeantel is almost a sin. Society should be viewing Rachel Jeantel's circumstances as an eye opener as it relates to the issues and struggles our youths are facing and should be entering into a problem solving mode to evaluate and assist our youths. Instead of ridiculing them and tearing their character to shreds when they make an attempt to actually step up and and do the right thing as in the case of Rachel Jeantel who apprehensively accepted her responsibility and role as a witness and delivered as best as she could despite her shortcomings. The attacks she is experiencing is appalling and disgusting.

I am beseeching to society to stop being ridiculous and let us become more understanding and proactive as it pertains to our youths adversities. Let us not consciously choo

se to be a catalyst with these adversities but instead a good Samaritan in order to become a part of a change or movement that will benefit our children and young adults. Thank you Rachel Jeantel for your testimony and for being the looking mirror that society needs in order for us to see the extent to which we are failing our young people. Thank you.

Real men like curves, bones are for what???

I saw a post on my Facebook feed a few months ago that I found quite disturbing. It was disturbing to me because where as it was positive for the body image of the "curvy" female, it was such a negative blow to the body image of the "athletic" or  "skinny" female that I was motivated to blog about it. Let me go on record to say that my body type fits the spectrum of the "skinny" female so, needless to say, I found the statement quite offensive. The statement was something akin to, real men like curves, bones are for dogs. Now I completely understand that our culture has for a long time, revered a certain body type that does not necessarily glorify plus size women, so I understand that the statement was one that was a point for plus size women everywhere. In fact, with all the hits that the plus size women's body image has taken from the media and the culture itself, this statement was a long time coming.

However, I was always of the opinion that unless a woman is suffering from anorexia or obesity, all women are beautiful, whether they are athletic or curvy. And while I denounce the fact that most men will be attracted to a woman's body before they even consider exploring the woman's less superficial features such as her brain and personality, I understand that many men do have physical preferences that range from slim to voluptuous. This does not mean that either of these women are less appealing overall. I hate that some individuals, male and female alike, will insult one body type as a way of deflecting from their personal insecurities and real men like curves and bones are for dogs, is just that. A hurtful statement designed to boost the self esteem of the plus size female, while diminishing the body image of the slim female. Is this truly the way to go? Clearly not. It is also important that we understand that trampling the body image of the plus size woman is also not okay.

In an utopic world, people would understand that due mostly to genetics, bodies come in all shapes and sizes. One is not more beautiful than the other as long as the person is healthy. It seems many people missed that memo. Having a preference for one body type does not make the other body type universally unattractive, it is simply unattractive to the individual that has a certain preference. I have met men that love slim women, men that love in-between women and men that love voluptuous women. I have also met men that love all women. Insults are so unwarranted, however, when a person is plagued with insecurities, then the ugliness comes out and I am not talking about the person's physical features.

I have personally experienced attacks from plus size women about my body size that I found offensive. Things like,
You are too skinny
Why don't you eat more
Which guy would find you attractive?

I try to turn the other cheek or defend my weight by explaining that I eat like a horse and I have a rapid metabolism in the most euphemistic way that an offended person can muster. The funny part is, some of these individuals actually believe that I should be concerned that I don't gain weight as rapidly as others. The fact is, I love my body and I enjoy being "skinny", "slim", "bony", "athletic", you name it. I enjoy it so much that I nicknamed myself "slimazz". This does not mean that I think "curvy" women are displeasing to the eyes. Not at all. Together, we all create the diverse and wide variety of beautiful women.

Unfortunately, due to the media's continuous portrayal of "slim" as beautiful or sexy which as molded a culture that have shafted the plus size women, many plus size women are fed up and are fighting back with insults. The good news is, the media is evolving and things and times are changing. The media is now making an effort to be more representative in order to uplift the self image of women and girls everywhere. Let us as

females make a commitment to ourselves to be our sister's keeper by being less critical of each other's bodies
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Is The Secret Real?

I had the privilege of watching a documentary called "The Secret". It basically explains that you attract people and circumstances through the "magnetic action" of your thoughts. In other words, when you have  positive, self affirming, self uplifting thoughts, you somehow send out this energy to the universe and in return, great things starts unfolding in your life. Needless  to say, if you think negative, self doubting, self destructive thoughts, this energy is transmitted into the atmosphere and in return, you will incur the wrath of the universe. My question is: Is this real?

While watching the video, I started to reflect deeply on my life. I started to think about my successes, my failures and my overall life experiences and how these experiences may somehow have been dictated by my thoughts. I questioned whether or not my thoughts had the power to set the stage of my life and the role it played in scripting my life. I am aware that people make plans and goals and set out to achieve these plans and are actually successful in fulfilling their dreams, goals and aspirations, which adds some credibility to The Secret. However, does it only work with plans and goals? What about seemingly random events that occur in our lives? Have we attracted these events to our lives too with our thoughts? Have we attracted certain people to our lives with our thoughts?

I believe in God and his many blessings and I believe that I am where I am today because of God's divine plans. However, after watching The Secret, I sought to explore this mysterious phenomenon as it related to my personal journey. It had me thinking that there are in fact some things I thought long and hard about, religiously and actually watched that thought manifest into reality. I know that it sounds silly but snow was one of those things. Let me explain. Jamaica has a tropical climate and therefore it is almost impossible for there to ever be snow in Jamaica. I say "almost" because of our ever changing earth you never know how our climate may change some day. Anyway, as a young girl growing up, unsure that I may ever get the chance to travel, I used to fantasize about snow and snowy weather. I used to especially fantasize about it when they would burn the sugar cane that were cut from acres and acres of sugar cane fields and burnt residue would float in the air then fall lightly to the ground like snow, except that the residue was black. I used to wonder and wonder and wonder, would I ever see snow? Years later, living in Georgia, I find myself looking at the snow during the winter season, thinking back to my childhood of those days when I wondered about snow. Now, I am not so impressed and pray for light snow whenever I do witness these flakes floating to the ground.

However, it wasn't only that. I used to always have a fantasy where I would travel to another country where no one knew me and where I knew no one. I fantasized that I would perch myself somewhere foreign, somewhat isolated from my family and friends in Jamaica and build a life and a legacy. I fantasized that I would find love there, and many people would grow fond of me in that foreign country. It wasn't something I counted on happening, it was simply a fantasy I reverted to whenever I felt stagnant or misunderstood. Years later, I find myself doing just that. Living in a land of strangers, acclimating myself to a new culture and new people, far away from my loved ones in Jamaica, unafraid and without regret, because deep down, maybe it was what I wanted all along, more than anything else. To break away from a trajectory that seemed more destined to a trajectory that seemed less destined. I am living that life. Of course, many of my loved ones in Jamaica do not completely approve because of what I left behind, but in a way, my thoughts and energy teleported me to my current space in time and experience and it was bound to happen.

I have even close friends of mine where I look at their lives today and remember how they used to innocently tell me of their fantasies in secrecy, not plans or goals, but whimsical fantasies. I look at their lives today and I am in shock just how much their lives reflected their whimsical thoughts as a child. It is actually really something interesting to reflect upon.

Everyday I go to work, I try really hard to think happy thoughts and to transcend those happy thoughts to my work area and to the people around me. Some people ask me, Charm why are you always smiling? Why do you always seem so happy? Many people have theories which I laugh at but the truth is I just want to have a good day. I really do and I want others to have a good day too. I find that when I go in with a smile on my face and a good attitude, my day is so much easier at work. On top of that, many people look forward to working with me. Right then and there, my thoughts about having a great day at work infected the atmosphere and affected the people around  me, where my job becomes more manageable and the people that I work with become ten times more likable.

I wonder about my future and I see myself in a place career wise, I fantasize about it very often and I see myself there. I don't worry about where I am today because I see myself being successful in a particular career field even though my path seems light years away from that particular space in time today. I believe it will happen. I am not advocating the secret but I am adding to it's credibility. However, I believe in a higher Being within our universe that sees all thoughts and all desires and is the key to manifesting thoughts into reality. That Being in my book is the catalyst to The Secret.

Whether The Secret is real or not, I do believe that positive thoughts empower the state of mind and transforms a person's demeanor and attitude into one that is motivated to achieve anything. Ultimately, with an empowered thought process and an empowered attitude, we attract people with similar mentality to our lives and then with all these empowered minds combined, manifesting their thoughts into reality, I believe that a positive  cosmic reaction will unfold.

Let's Talk Jamaican

As a Jamaican blogger who studied Language Communication and Society at the University of the West Indies for the three years I devoted to college (unfortunately did not make it to the my fourth and final year), I believe that it would be remiss of me to not do an entire blog in Jamaican Creole and so my dears, I shall.

Mwose peeple believe seh Jamaican Creole ar patwa a nuh one real langwage becaw to nuff peeple it soun like "bastardized english" secanly, it nuh have a consistent an official writing system dat dem set in stwone, but mi deh yah fi tell yuh seh, chru research an study, di Jamaican Creole did deem by nuff Jamaican scholas fi be one langwage. Di scholas dem seh is a language becaw it have it own grammatical strutcha and if we did able fi decide pan a consistent spelling system, we cudda transcribe it. Fun and joke aside, we even ave extra featas like proverbial sayings an even shawt han weh we cyan apply to texts ar di hash-tag dem ar social website status pwose, if yuh get mi driff. Pan tap a dat, we av a couple word weh almwose indigenous to di creole langwage.

Anyway, jus fi introduce yuh to di likkle gramma weh mi learn bout mi vernacula lanwage in a college, mi a go give unuh some a di example dem.

Alrite, firs aff, fi some strange reason, Jamaicans nuh pronounce di en a some a di word dem. Simila to French weh di ending letta dem eda nuh get pronounce ar dem silent. Derefore, we seh tings like

An=and
Fren=friend
Gramma=grammar
Mwose=most
Wha=what

Alrite, dat is enuf pon dat, yuh get mi driff. Nex, mi a go lis di word dem weh specific to we langwage. Mek mi tek dis time fi infarm unuh seh some a di word dem cudda travel fram West Africa when di slave dem did ship ova to dis side a di worl. Okay, nat fi digress.

Pickney=children
Nyam=eat
Nuff= plenty
Mumma=mother
Madda=mother
Fawda=father
Puppa=father
Galang= go away
Mawga=skinny
Duppy=ghost
Mucky-mucky=nasty
Swawty= unattractively overweight
Wagga wagga=overweight
Sketel= classless female or vulgar female
nuh=not or do not (mi nuh nwoh=i do not know)
deh= there (ova deh so=over there)
unu=you guys, you people, It is a collective word for a group of individuals (unu too wicked=you guys are too wicked)

Di next reason dem deem Jamaican Creole fi be one langwage is di uniqueness a di gramma

Insted a adding "s" fi pluralize we nouns we just add di word "dem"

Di two brodda dem fava dankey.

We nuh add "ed" fi indicate pawse tense, insted we use di word "did" fi indicate pawse actian

Shi did nyam piece a di cyake caw shi did ungry.

Fi futa tense, we use di phrase "a go" ar "gwen"

Mi husban a go travel a foreign nex year.

or

Mi gwen go to di shop later

Okay, next lesson. We ave di article dem. A couple a dem is

Di= The
Dese=these
Dat=that
Dwose=those
Dis=This

An dis a go soun a likkle mix-up, but "dem" in a di Jamaican creole can use as a article to, plus as a pronoun.

A dem tings deh mi nuh like y'nuh. Weh we use "dem" like "those"
 Dem peeple deh  nuh like dem. Inna dis scenario, mi use "dem" like one article and like one pronoun. "Those people there, do not like them."

Anada ting, we pronounce an spell some a di word dem different from di english counterpart. Fa example:

Likkle=little
Miggle=middle
Tings=things
Saggle=saddle
Maggle=model
Tanks=thanks
teef=thief

Anada ting, mi waan fi trow in some a di shawt han to

dwl=dead wid laff
kmt=kiss mi teet
kmn=kiss mi neck
twy=tek way yuhself
boabdl=buss out a big dutty laff

Las, mi waan trow in a couple a di proverb  and di sayings dem

Chicken merry awk deh near
Ottah den ten fyah side
Bad mine wos dan obeah
Dawg nyam yuh suppa
Empty bag cyaa stan up
Every mickle mek a muckle
bun a fyah
syake a unu
if yuh caan ketch quaco ketch im shut

So, dere is nuff mwore lessens fi learn but mi cyaan incorporate dem in a one blag, but as a Jamaican mi did affi blag bout we langwage, an as a previous langwage an communication myaja, mi did affi advocate di creole as a langwage cuz even some a we own peeple look down pon di vernacula an nuh even acknowledge it as a real lanwage but is alrite. Fi dwose dat understan, tank yuh fa reading, fa dwose dat nuh understan, tank yuh fa reading anyway an pleese feel free fi read di res a mi blag. :)


http://www.jamaicans.com/speakja/patoisarticle/jcan_short.shtml
http://www.golocaljamaica.com/readarticle.php?ArticleID=4788

Zero Accountability

The verdict of the George Zimmerman's case was read today and the emotional effect was resounding. "Not Guilty". It was a bitter-sweet moment. Bitter for the parents and supporters of Trayvon Martin. It was sweet for George Zimmerman as he was determined by jurors to be a free man. However, it may also be bitter for Mr. Zimmerman, as his life has been altered on so many levels. There is no doubt that many people in the African American community are now demanding a pound of flesh from George Zimmerman as they believe that justice was not served today. As such, it is more than likely that there are many potential vigilante justice enforcers which are possibly threatening the security and life of George Zimmerman which cannot be healthy for George Zimmerman's peace of mind.

From a personal standpoint, I am disappointed by the verdict as I am one of the many people that believe that George Zimmerman overreacted to the situation by killing Trayvon Martin. I believe that George Zimmerman should have simply adhered to the dispatcher's instructions and desist from any form of pursuit which would have ensured the safety of all parties involved. I am saddened that a certain level of profiling from Zimmerman made him improperly rationalize that Trayvon Martin was an unsavory character and ultimately led to the senseless death of the teenager. I believe that the confrontation between the two men was forced and unnecessary and George Zimmerman should not have tried to take matters in is own hands by following Trayvon Martin.

I do not know what the future has in store for such a controversial occurrence within our history but I am uneasy about where we stand today in terms of the justice system, civil rights, racial undertones and public security. The fact that Mr. Zimmerman was found not guilty today is sending a message that "community policing" has no accountability when things go morbidly south. It was determined that no crime was committed by Mr. Zimmerman who was enforcing the "stand your ground" law, even when he clearly defied police advice. I am beyond perplexed that this loophole is the only justice that prevailed in this case and is the legal loophole that earned Mr. Zimmerman his freedom.

This tragedy is a reflection that there is something wrong in the system that we live in and the more we justify anomalies like this through the justice system, is the further away we continue from fairness, accountability and in this case respect for life. If nothing else, we should make Mr. Zimmerman accountable for the loss of life that occurred because it was his thoughts, motivation and actions that allowed the circumstances to transpire and thus led to the death of Trayvon Martin. I believe that Mr. Zimmerman brought trouble and death to Trayvon Martin by chasing after the teenager when he could have clearly avoided the confrontation that was set in motion by his behavior towards the young man. It was not Trayvon that went after Mr. Zimmerman, it was the reverse. Therefore Mr. Zimmerman should have been held accountable for the result of the confrontation.

Unfortunately, the court system has spoken and Mr. Zimmerman was not held accountable for the results of what took place that night. I pray that this is not the final "say so" on the matter and that some form of accountability for Trayvon Martin's death will be enforced.

 

The Peachtree Road Race!!

The  Peachtree Road Race!!

You can say that I started from ground zero yesterday at the 2013 AJC Peachtree Road Race yesterday as it was my first time participating in such an extraordinary event. It was absolutely amazing. I unfortunately was not a runner this year, however I was one of the volunteers and I must say, the feeling was exhilarating. I felt  so wonderful being a part of such grand affair that I know I will be doing it again next year. I am still deciding on whether I should run or volunteer. I am going towards running because it seems like such an exciting life event and life accomplishment. It requires the mind and spirit to dig deep, find the inner gumption and self motivation to challenge oneself to conquer a 10K feat. Whether I run or volunteer however, I believe it will be quite a fulfilling opportunity.

I got up a 3:00 A.M that morning so my husband and I could arrive at our assigned location which was water@finish, which means distributing bottled water at the finish line. We decided to get a relative to drive us to the location and drop us off to eliminate some of the traffic issues. We got to our location at the Grady High School and picked up our volunteer T-shirt (which was beautiful by the way) our Home Depot Apron and our Waffle House discount key fob from the check-in area. By this time, I was so excited I barely heard the instructions on how to get to the water@finish location. Needless to say, my husband and I got lost and spent 10 to 15 minutes finding the spot which was on a field area off the road and marked with blue balloons. We eventually did and discovered that about six other volunteers had arrived before us. They were already setting out the water bottles on the tables. We met with our chief coordinators who I believe were a married couple. They were so friendly and funny that they made the atmosphere lighter and brighter despite the rain that plagued the event. The bad weather also contributed to significantly less volunteers showing up as well but clearly the weather couldn't discourage every body and so, the show went on.

There were about 6 tables arranged in an oval shape in six areas and the objective was to fill the tables with water bottles and stack the remaining unopened packs of bottled water under the tables so we could replenish the water bottles once the 60,000 runners cleared the ones on top of the table. My husband and I set to work with our box cutters in the drizzling rain. We laughed, we talked and we worked until we had filled all the tables at that particular area. Then we started on another area. When we were finally finished, we went back to the first set of tables and waited patiently for the thirsty, exhausted and sweaty runners to start flooding the field.

After about half an hour to forty-five minutes they started trickling in. First the elite female runners, then the elite male runners, then EVERYBODY! The waves of runners just got bigger and bigger where there were almost not enough hands to hand the bottled water to these water seekers. Some of the runners helped themselves to the table. It was a remarkable sight to behold and I loved it!

There were all kinds of runners. All of which had personal reasons and motivation to run. Since it was the fourth of July, many of them wore costumes designed like the American flag or ran with the American flag. There were people dressed like super heroes. My husband and I laughed at Captain America. There were firefighters which had me baffled because I know it wasn't easy to run 10K wearing such a bulky uniform. There were runners running in memory of the Boston bombing. There were international runners and runners of all ages. I believe I saw one Jamaican runner which was a moment of pride for me. They all seem to have a distinct look of gratitude on their faces as we handed them the water. Some of them even took the time to say thank you for volunteering which made my volunteering experience all the more worthwhile. It was phenomenal.

We kept handing out water until it was time for my husband and I had to leave, I literally had to force myself to leave because I was enjoying myself so much.I wanted to stay until the end but my husband and I had other pressing engagements and sadly could not stay for the finish. But the experience was awesome to say the least and gets a thumbs up from me. I will definitely be back.




http://www.11alive.com/news/photo-gallery.aspx?storyid=297624