The next decade....what's in store?
Musings of a yamfooted traveller still trying to shake off those last 20 pounds as she treks across the Caribbean
1. I've gone to the gym for 13 days. Only took 1 day off.
2. I've picked up all my online purchases from Jamaica
3. I've gone to several cricket matches in Jamaica, one in St Kitts and two in Antigua.
4. I've seen the wind get knocked out of the West Indies' sails by two bad defeats
5. I've met several strangers who said "Oh, you're Yamfoot. I read your articles on CaribbeanCricket.com all the time!"
6. I had a very important conversation to clarify an incident which occurred years ago. Conversations are a good thing. More on that at another time.
7. I've not met any man who caught my fancy. But I'm not looking, remember? Actually, I shouldn't include that. People who don't know me will think I'm desperate, which is far from the truth.
8. I met a nice sociable kid who, like the Niece and the Nephew, made me wish I had had kids because I know I coulda turn out a great kid with my good parenting skills. Oh well, I guess I get to practice on the dogs in Jamaica. More on that at another time. The kids, not the dogs.
9. I've not used the squeaking bed.
10. I've lost a pound or two.
If I am flying, and the plane start to feel funny, I look at the flight attendant to see if she looking concerned. So when the plane movement started to take out the bottom of my belly tonight, I looked over at the FA and she was filling out some papers.
Back to relaxing then!
Coffee with regular cow's milk, is just not the same as when you have it with evaporated milk or cream! Caterers just don't get that! On the first day of the matches here, I told the lady to tell whomever that we need milk in the tin (that's how they tend to understand it). Day 3 and no evaporated milk. And two losses! Cho.
They chose this time of year instead of later to have the World Cup, cause they said it wouldn't rain. Well I guess no one can predict the weather really. I bet you anything in May and June this year, all around the Caribbean it will be dry.
And hotels would have turned their back on their normal business in favour of World Cup bookings for nothing.
Steups.
Back to the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground tomorrow again. Steups. Now I have to find other clothes. Steups. Damn rain.
Got a call around 9:15 last night. The police had called an important press conference at the Jamaica Pegasus, to inform media about new developments into the death of Bob Woolmer. The caller said they would more than likely be announcing that murder was suspected.
My heart started to race; my fingers trembled as I gave some last minute instructions to my nephew on how to copy music from my external driver to his new MP3 player. He and my niece started to ask me questions. Where was I going? Why? Wasn't the man dead already and we should just move on? They're too young to understand the implications.
The press conference was finished by the time I got there, but I listened to the tape recordings. Mark Shields didn't say or give away much, but enough to set the tongues a-wagging. Who killed Bob? There was talk about him finding evidence of match fixing and maybe he had to be silenced. Pakistan inexplicably lost to Ireland and in so doing, prevented themselves from going through to the next round.
But interestingly enough, Shields' announcement was made even before toxicology and histology test results were back. So why be suspicious? Shields said he had spoken to medical people further, and colleagues and so decided to inform Woolmer's wife and family about new developments, then the Pakistan team management, then the media to avoid speculation.
The mood is dampened. It's 11:08 and I haven't started to get ready to go to Sabina. Pakistan is playing Zimbabwe, after being instructed to do so by their Board. If it weren't for an important interview I have to do today, I would have stayed home and packed (and watched Oprah which I haven't done one day since I have been here!).
Anyway, I guess life goes on. I leave for St Kitts tomorrow, and I wrote in my journal last night that I am very happy to be leaving Jamaica with all that is going on. I don't know if that is wrong, but that's just how I feel.
I totally forgot that since recently, Jamaicans require a visa to go to the UK. I called the British High Commission on Monday to explain that I would be leaving the island on Thursday and needed my passport. They told me I could still send in the application.
Applications have to go through DHL or a travel agent. I chose DHL. Quick and easy. That was Monday. It reached the BHC Tuesday. Today is Wednesday. I just called to find out about my passport. The lady says it has been returned to DHL. So I ask if the processing of the visa application will continue and I would hear later whether I got the visa. She said no. It has already been done. Granted!
Wow, I am so impressed. I think when my US visa runs out in 2011, me nah go back to the USA because it's too much hassle for their visa. It's Europe all the way for me from then!
Who would have thought that less than 24 hours after sitting in a press conference with us journalists after losing horribly to minnows Ireland on Saturday, Pakistan's coach Bob Woolmer would be dead?
No one.
He was found unconscious in the bathroom of his room at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel this morning, by the housekeeping lady who went to clean his room. He was taken to hospital and never regained consciousness. The press release said there was blood and vomit. There are also reports that he had a medical condition. An autopsy will be done.
This casts a pall of gloom over what is supposed to be a happy exciting World Cup, since it is being held in the lands of Happiness.
Hope Bob has found his happiness after the stress of coaching the very unpredictable Pakistan team. Rest In Peace.
That's one of the photos I took of him at the press conference.
Here is what I posted on the cricket message board, where someone started a thread
There was more on Entertainment Report tonight. They interviewed a newspaper journalist who wrote the story, Lisa Hanna former Miss World and Carlene the Dancehall Queen.
Lisa Hanna say when she won miss world, that was one of the first things the organizers sat her down and talked about. It was also in her contract that she could not get pregnant.
The funniest of them all was Carlene the former/first/ original Dancehall queen who was never too shy to wear skimpy clothes and put her puunaaaany on show.
She seh dat how...
1. The woman not married (Miss Carlene have a baby for Beenie Man...dem nuh married)
2. Is just one year, why she couldnt wait. Is not like seh har body clock ticking.
3. She hear seh is fi a new boyfriend
4. She shoulda get punished. It wasnt enough for her to just give up the crown, there should have been a consequence.
Now I know y'all not concerned with the fact she have to give up di crown.
Oounu want to know if...
1. Like Dukes say "The man tell har he guh jes ress de head pon de outside."
2. The condom broke
3. The pill didnt work
4. There was no pill nor no condom
The fact of the matter is....if you have sex, you can get pregnant, whether you using birth control or not.
and further, is not none of oonu biznis. the girl do what she have to do ie give up di crown. Let her deal with the internal wranglings she might be having at supposedly failing the public.
I think people are disaapointed because I understand she was a very nice girl, very bright and outgoing and bubbly. Much like Terri karelle who went before her. So people thinking dem accidental tings (any of oonu who tink that was planned, think again) dont happen to nice upstanding ppl like Miss Lawrence.
I hope she is strong mentally to deal with all who going to open dem mouth. I wish her well. Dat is going to be one raas good looking pickney.
I suppose if you have sex, there is the possibility of pregnancy
How I planned and plotted and longed for this day to come. It's the start of the World Cup. Not football Dr D. That lovely game called cricket.
I applied to a US university for admission in 2003, specifically with the four year course (PhD) in mind. When I deferred enrollment until 2004, in order to take up a short term training contract (search the site for 'PhD' and you will find the stories), I knew I could not be away at this time, and so told the university 'thanks but no thanks'. Ok, is not only that....the course was not the right one for me.
So now that day has come. I am watching the West Indies in the opening match against Pakistan. Everything from a spectator perspective has gone well.
The atmosphere is fantastic. The weather, perfect. And West Indies are not in such a bad position so a victory is quite possible. Here are a few pics....
Brian Lara leading the troops at training yesterday
Horses on patrol on South Camp Road, blocked off from the Deanery and North Street ends.
For all you old timers....Lawrence 'Yagga' Rowe takes in the action in the Press Box
In my online shopping frenzy the other day, I bought two pairs of the same exact jeans. A 537 Levis Low Flare. I had no clue what i was buying really, so when it came I had to figure out how to wear them without looking terrible.
One was a size 16 and the other a 14. One for now....the other for in a few months weeks time. The first thing I had to do was have the waist taken in. Maybe I am just shaped oddly, or maybe them jeans people don't know seh black negro people bottom is a healthy size. Spencer's did that for me and I made the tailor take it in tight....or so I thought.
It's a stretch model so a couple hours after I arrived at cricket, I had to be drawing it up. That's encouraging.
Then there was the problem of the underwear. What would I wear under there? The smallest i have is a size 14 M&S which fits like a bikini bottom. That wasn't low enough, so found the first bathrooom to roll them down so my a**cheeks wouldn't show when I bent down.
So tell me....those of you who go low all the time.....do they make special undies for pants like these? An' mi nuh wear thongs aka b*tty floss!
One of the reasons I am glad for these breaks is that I get back to Jamaica for Pilates. You've read my many posts about how great it is and how great the teacher is. Everytime I come back to a class, the teacher says "Michelle! You're back!). I missed the class on Tuesday because that's the day I flew in and the class is at 10am.
Wednesday evening I was there and as I flexed and pointed I thought how, were it not for this blog, that first timer would have been just another random Kingston Girl. Welcome to Pilates! Stick it out. In 6 weeks, with at least 3 classes per week, some cardio and modified eating, you will see results.
It was also in an exercise class, this time in Grenada, where, were it not for this blog, that girl in the large T-shirt, would have been just another Ying Yang girl.
All hail the power of the blog.
....That previous post wasnt completed! I started it the night before I departed Grenada. So on Monday night, after I came home far too late from work, I saw the toad or tree frog (the tiny ones tittilayo...nothing to be afraid of) and came to do the post and then said I really needed to pack.
So I left the computer and of course when one has a 6am flight, doing a blog entry before one leaves is just not on!
What I was going to go on to say is that the lizard comes in through the bent screen at the kitchen window, and have no idea where the tree frog comes from. I dont see the frog in the day and I don't see the lizards in the night, so they are on shift I think. I am away until 30 March (Jamaica, St Kitts, Antigua back to Grenada) and they are going to have a grand ole time while I am away. I will have much lizard droppings to clean up when I return. Which brings me to this question.....
.....do tree frogs deficate?
I have friends living with me...
....One, sometimes two toads and a couple of cute lizards. Every night I come home to findd the tods in the kitchen sink. The lizards are day time creatures
