Mr. Right or Mr. Right Now?

As a woman there have been several times in my life when I have felt that I was wronged by a man. However, is it really the man’s fault? Many times we as women meet a man who we know is no good for us, yet we continue in the hopes of some magic transformation. I am not saying that the sneaky lying men are not out there or that they don’t exist, because trust me they do exist. I am saying and admitting to the world that we as women create some of the heart ache and troubles that we encounter. For example, if you meet a man who openly tells you that he is not interested in a relationship at this time, then he isn’t. Nothing is going to change that man, unless you have a good script writer, director, producer and a hell of a theme song. So why stick around? Even if he does change his mind there is no guarantee that you are going to be the one he picks, because Lord knows you are not the only one that he is “not being in a relationship with”. It is ok to be alone, just move on. Use the time to do some abdominals and cardio because carnival is always just months away.

Then there are the men who we know are no good for us, we don’t even need them to tell us, we just know for ourselves. These are usually the really cute popular ones who like themselves more than God. The ones who live in their parents’ house, don’t have a dime saved, always by their favourite bar or liming spot, and always in the latest most expensive brand name clothing. This type of man is no good, simply because he is not interested in anyone but himself. He is never going to put any woman ahead of his lifestyle. Even if he commits to one woman he is not going to be involved financially, emotionally or even spiritually. However don’t get vex with the man, just see him for what he is. And that is the wrong man for you right now. He is not bad generally, he is just bad for you. Unless of course you are looking for penis escapades and want to have a good time then this type of man is just for you.


So ladies the next time you meet a guy and before you fall deeply in love and then go crazy on the man when it doesn’t work out. Ask yourself, is this really the right man for me right now?

Carnival Tabanca

In the midst of all this election drama I found myself with a Carnival tabanca. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon and like the happy, childless, single person that I am, I decided to take a nap. I dreamt that it was costume collection time and for some strange reason I could not collect my costume for myself so I asked my Mother to collect it for me. When I received the costume from my mom the bra was too small. Not at all a problem because I am playing in Tribe so changing it should be a breeze. Somehow though I forgot to have the bra exchanged so Carnival Saturday comes and I rush to Cascadia to see a line going down the hill. This is where you know it is a dream because everyone is calmly standing in the line and I was allowed to cut in midway. While standing in line it occurs to me that my friend registered me for backline and I had no boots. I began a mad plot of how I was going to obtain boots carnival Saturday evening and make a back pack all before carnival Tuesday. Then the phone rang and woke me up. It was such a strange dream but thank the good Lord that it was just a dream. At least this means that regardless of the election results there is hope because no matter what we will have Carnival 2011 to look forward to, to unite all of us one wine at a time.

The Prime Minister is no Fool

Sadly my prediction of the dissolution of Parliament has become a reality. I was wrong about the date for elections to be held. The Representation of the People Act mandates that a number of things take place prior to the election which would require thirty-five days. However the Constitution states that the election must be called within three months. Therefore the election can be anywhere between thirty-five days and three months from Friday April 9, 2010.

Our Prime Minister is not a crazy man and I think that this election is no fluke. It may seem like something out of the blue but it is not. The Prime Minister is going to use this election to get rid of some of the bad eggs that are in his party. I use the term bad eggs because usually looking at an egg you cannot always tell that it is bad. It is only when you attempt to use the egg you would realise that it is bad. For the last general election the PNM had a lot of new comers to the political arena, while many of the stalwarts were pushed aside. Many of the newbies won their seats because the PNM had a strong hold in the constituency and any PNM candidate would have won. The population vote according to the overall party they support, whether or not they think the actual candidate they are voting for will do well as a Minister.

The Prime Minister was left in somewhat of an embarrassing situation where if he admitted to having bad eggs in his administration it would bring his ability to screen candidates into question. The fact that there was no major Cabinet Reshuffle is testimony to the fact that little could have been done with many of the persons within the Cabinet. The Prime Minister was then left with no other option but to advise the President to dissolve Parliament for a general election to be held which could then be used as an opportunity to get rid of some of the persons within the party who were bringing the PNM into disrepute. Some of the trouble makers include the Flag Man, Gary Hunt, Nunez-Tesheira, who did not ensure that there was proper public consultation prior to the introduction of the Trinidad and Tobago Revenue Authority Bill. While Indra Sinanan Ojah-Maharaj and Roger Joseph were allegedly not representing their constituents well. With the trouble makers gone the Prime Minister could now make another attempt to win the hearts of the population while saving face. This is also why the Prime Minister has been walking around the country visiting various constituencies over the last few months because he has been preparing for an election.

What do you think about the upcoming General Election? Do you think a change in some of the PNM candidates would improve the running of the country? or Do you think another party is the answer?

Kamlamania

The General Election that has been hinted by our wonderful Prime Minister has fed Kamlamania that was initially created by Mrs. Persad-Bissessar winning the post of Political Leader of the Opposition followed by her appointment as Leader of the Opposition. Everybody seems to be looking towards the new Leader of the Opposition to be the first female Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. Personally I am not a fan of Mrs. Persad-Bissessar. I have doubts that she can continue holding the majority of the members of the UNC in order to maintain her post as Leader of the Opposition. I remember all too well this was the fate of Winston Dookeran not too long ago. This is a party that has been through it all with Basdeo Panday always coming out on top. I am not quite sure that he is finished with the party and it would be interesting to see what his role in this alleged election. For the UNC to succeed at any General Election and to be a stable government in power there needs to be unity within the party. Currently this does not exist as there is the back bench of Ramesh, Basdeo and Kelvin, (Ramdeovin perhaps?) with Ramesh acting as a pseudo chief whip. Until the Honourable Kamla Persad-Bissessar can bring unity to her own party and truly lead the entire party as opposed to a small majority, I am not impressed. Because if she cannot control her own members how is she going to control the country. Luckily for her we still have some limited time before the Prime Minister unleashes the final bomb, the election date. This will give Kamlamania some more time to grow and hopefully emerge as a viable option for some change in society and not just be another mouth piece.

What do you think about the Kamlamania that is sweeping the nation?

Prorogation and Dissolution of Parliament

With election fever in the air there has been a lot of talk about the Prime Minister proroguing Parliament. At this time I would invite all citizens of Trinidad and Tobago to familiarise themselves with the Constitution of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is truly an interesting document and is the foundation of our society. When we do not know something for ourselves it is so easy for us to be fed lies and wrong information. We are currently in the Third Session of the Ninth Parliament of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Sections 67, 68 and 69 of the constitution outline the prorogation and dissolution of Parliament. A session of parliament is simply the yearly intervals between general elections. There can be up to five sessions, of which sessions one to four have to be prorogued with the fifth session being dissolved for general elections to be held. Parliament can be dissolved at anytime but it cannot go beyond five years to the date of its first sitting. Additionally the Prime Minister cannot dissolve Parliament, it is actually the President who dissolves parliament on the advice of the Prime Minister. Simply put prorogue is the term used between sessions and dissolved is the term used between elections. Therefore the Third Session of the Ninth Parliament of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago essentially means that we are in the third year since the last election and there have been nine general elections since Republican constitution was enacted in 1976. I just thought I would clarify some of the nonsense that has been printed in the daily news papers recently.

Election Date to be Announced This Week?

This coming Friday April 9, 2010 a motion of no confidence in the Prime Minister would be debated. This motion would be led by the Leader of the Opposition. The Prime Minister is the longest sitting Member of Parliament. Therefore he like Mr. Panday is no stranger to the world of politics. With the report of the Commission of Enquiry into the Construction Sector laid in Parliament today and a motion of no confidence looming, what better time to dissolve parliament and call a general election. The Prime Minister has previously stated that his hinting at a general election is no bluff and this week, either Friday or before would be the ideal time to dissolve the Parliament and announce the date for the general election. So look out people, because apparently the election is coming like a tief in the night. Since we are a follow fashion type of society I just have a feeling that our election would be sometime in early or mid May to follow our former colonial masters. I am thinking that perhaps May 10, 2010 might be the day.

When do you think Parliament would be dissolved to accommodate the impending general election?

Aiding and Abetting the Criminal Element

I received a message via Blackberry Instant Messenger recently that was quite disturbing. I had previously spoken about this application concerning matters of the heart. Now I want to address matters relating to crime. It has become popular now for people to send broadcasts messages via BBIM. These messages range from stolen items to fete and club promotions to protest on the Beetham. My issue is when the messages involve the activities of the police. The message I received and I quote “Police road block on the bus route by aranguez savanah”. It is a quote so I had to spell Arranguez and Savannah wrong. The average citizen usually does not know the reason for a road block simply because the police do not need to indicate the purpose of a road block. Even if the road block is routine and they are not looking for anybody in particular the point is to catch people who break the law. That is the job of the police which would assist in them achieving their mandate of protecting and serving. Why would you want to alert people of this activity? Is it that we as Trinidadians are friendly with criminals and we want to help them avoid the police?

There are several implications of this activity that we often do not consider. The first is that supposed there is a rapist driving along his merry way. This person has gone undetected for several years, however his insurance happens to be expired. Stopped in the seemingly innocent road block he is apprehended and taken to the station where he is charged and his fingerprints taken. These fingerprints then happen to match a series of rapes in East Trinidad. Would the rapist have been caught if he was alerted to the road block in advance? Now don’t in your mind say this scenario is farfetched because the point is that we should not circulate this type of information as the only people who benefit from this are law breakers. We do not know where this information would end up. We do not know the motives of many of the people around us. The police already have a difficult time staying ahead of criminals who do not have rules, regulations and laws that govern their operations. Please I am begging everybody to be responsible in the information that we disseminate. Once the information leaves us we have no control over where it would end up. Finally people should question the type of friends they have that would benefit from receiving a message of that nature and possible have a chat with the person about their illegal behaviour or distance themselves from the person.

Needless to say the person who sent me the message to me got an earful. Admittedly she was not aware of the implication of transmitting the message. So my friends fix the ME in criME and stop making the work of the police more difficult.

Good Luck SEA Students

Today a little over 17,000 primary school students would be taking the Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) Examination. This reminded me of my big day. The amount of pressure that this test places on children is unbelievable. I wrote this examination when it was still common entrance and a place was not guaranteed to every student. There were various possibilities that could come from the exam including failure, not passing for a seven year, or five year school. This is too much pressure for an eleven year old to endure.

My experience was quite interesting in that the night before the exam I did not sleep. This by the way was my first memorable case of insomnia, which is something that has plagued my adult life. Tossing and turning the night before the exam I was thinking of all sorts of things as I was quite nervous about doing the exam. Needless to say on the day of the exam I fell asleep while writing the essay, which was the first section. The sleep I got during the exam was probably better than the sleep I had gotten the night before. I awoke to the sound of the bell signaling the end of that section of the exam and I had only written two paragraphs. The sad thing about that scenario was that the person supervising my room was my neighbour whose daughter was my friend. The lady saw me sleeping and did not wake me up. Anyways I went on to do the rest of the exam without major incident.

I passed for a five year secondary school. I remember being a bit disappointed but I was grateful because I honestly thought I was going to fail. My neighbour’s daughter who was writing the exam that year for the second time passed for the illustrious St. Joseph Convent a seven year school. This whole thing about five year and seven year schools is nonsense because in seven year schools entrance into the A’Level programme is based on performance at CXC. However at the time of common entrance I was given the impression that it is was a guaranteed placement. Strange enough the young lady and I ended up in the same Senior Comprehensive School to do A’Levels. Essentially what I am trying to say is that please don’t put any undue pressure on the students. Even if the results aren’t what we as parents and adults would like all is not lost. Keep in mind that many times what we want for our children is often what we did not achieve for ourselves so while we may want the best it is important to love and support our children regardless of the outcome.

I wish all the SEA students the best of luck today.

Water Problems in T&T

This morning when I woke up it was raining. I don’t know how long it had been raining, but I was thankful for the rain. Although I am thankful, I am not naive to think that fifteen minutes of rain fall is going to solve the water problems in the country. I was thankful for the rain because I hoped that it would have extinguished some of the bush fires that have been burning for almost two weeks now, specifically the one on the southern side of the Beetham. I have been blessed in that I do not even have a tank and I always have an uninterrupted supply of water. Also strange enough my main problem would have been low water pressure but during this period of water restriction the water pressure has been excellent. Being mindful of the fact that there are a number of people who are without a regular supply of water I have followed the instructions of the Water and Sewage Authority. I have not washed my car, wash down my yard or use my hose for the year. However I cannot say the same for some of the people in my neighbourhood. Imagine that people are simply getting up in the very early hours of the morning to water their plants using a hose. This is not even a kitchen garden, I am talking about decorative plants and lawn. The beautiful thing about lawn grass is that it would withstand drought, winter and other harsh conditions and when the environment returns to conditions conducive to its growth, it grows back. Amazing isn’t it? The fact that people are getting up in the very early hours of the morning to wet their plants using a hose it tells us that they are aware that what they are doing is wrong. Pretty soon even the areas that traditionally had a constant water supply would be affected and these are the same people who would blame the government for not providing water.

How has the water shortage in the country affected you? Do you think that members of the public should report water wasters to the WASA Police?

Blackberry Instant Messenger is the Death of Traditional Romance

Forgive me if I am old, but I grew up in the age prior to cellphones. Cellphones became popular after I left secondary school. Recently thanks to Bmobile and Digicel the Blackberry has become the cellphone of choice for the masses. BBIM is an application that facilitates blackberry to blackberry messaging at no additional cost as long as both devices have a data plan. So for the last three years while I had five people in my BBIM contact list I now have about thirty. It has now become a trend when you meet a new guy to exchange pins instead of phone numbers. While this may be the modern thing to do, I think it takes away from the romance of a new encounter. Dating has actually been reduced to random disjointed messages. This is annoying on several levels. First Bmobile has proven itself to be probably the most unreliable mobile network in the universe hence there is no guarantee that the messages would be delivered in a timely manner, if even delivered at all. Secondly it allows womanizing men to carry on multiple conversations with various members of their harem. Therefore you no longer have the undivided attention of this man while chatting with him or in person because he is constantly tied to his phone. Third, men no longer feel the need to even pay for a phone call to make contact. And do not be fooled ladies the savings from these calls would not be seen in an improvement in the quality of dates. Finally, BBIM makes people think it is ok to message you all hours of the day or night. As opposed to a call where you would have to think about what the person may or may not be doing prior to placing the call. There is a reason that Machel did not sing “BBIM me anytime you want” and Jah Cure certainly did not sing “If you need a lover BBIM me”. That being said the next man to pick up the phone and call me I feel I will instantly fall in love simply because it has been so long. How has BBIM affected your dating life? Do you prefer dating life with or without BBIM?