Independence Weekend Accident

So apparently something was going on by the Gasparillo stretch of the Solomon Hochoy Highway, because there were four separate accidents in that area on Sunday, this is according to the Trinidad and Tobago’s Newsday Online. The most disturbing of the stories is one in which a one year old baby who was being held by her mother in the front passenger seat of the vehicle died. The story even indicates that the couple has a ten year old son and prayed for this second child who was born prematurely and spent one month in an incubator in the hospital. Now, how much of a front seat “ho” do you have to be to want to sit in the front seat with your one year old? First off one year olds are active and should not be so close to the driver because they can be a distraction. These distractions could be very simple from singing to making cute baby noises to throwing a toy so they should really be in the back seat especially if the two parents are in the car together. A child sitting in the front passenger seat is something that we in Trinidad love to do quite comfortably. Some parents even say the child don’t like to sit in the back. First off the child don’t pay no damn car loan and is therefore in no position to decide where they want to sit in the car. Something is probably wrong with my parents because I did not have a choice. The back seat was mine, I could not sit in the front, and as a matter of fact I sat in the back seat until secondary school. And the thing is that I did not venture to the front seat on my own I was told that I could now begin sitting in the front seat. I don’t remember ever crying to sit in the front seat because it was just one of those things that was not negotiable like bedtime and homework before tv, my tears would have been wasted. I have to remember to thank my parents for being “bad” and making me sit in the back.

These same children who cry to sit in car seats or in the back seat take them to America and the parents would force them to sit in the car seat because it is the law. In the US they don’t even allow you to take the baby out of the hospital without of a car seat. They have an option where they loan you a car seat until you are able to obtain your own. But Trinis watless no ass and just do whatever they want. I have no sympathy for Shamila Lolita Ramjit (dead) and Ivan Ramjit (hospitalised) because they were irresponsible parents. It is amazing that their first child lived to ten. They had foresight to put the cake for the baby’s birthday on the back seat but not the baby. Now the mother and the baby could have been sitting in the back and died the same way who knows, but the right thing would have been to sit in the back with the baby. I am waiting to see how Trinis would somehow choose to blame the government by possibly saying that a law should be passed to make car seats for children mandatory. That is shit in my opinion because there are several other personal safety laws that we Trinis don’t obey for example the speed limit, seat belts, drinking and driving and several others. Trinbagonians are just lawless and like to do our own think and avoid accepting responsibility for our actions. The constitution gives people the right to have children but that doesn’t give everybody the right to be parents. Hopefully other parents would see this and learn from the example but I somehow doubt it because baby Nevi was not the first and would definitely not be the last.

Ms. Emris goes to St. Anns

Today’s Trinidad Express Online reports that Ms. Emris would be sent to St. Anns for a psychiatric evaluation. But the Trini in me want to know what is this unforgivable sin that she committed that caused her to jump off a moving vessel. Thankfully she is getting the help that she needs.

Woman Jumps off Ferry

So I reading the Trinidad Express Online again because I refuse to pay Two Trinidad and Tobago Dollars for a document that would become outdated in less than twenty four hours. There is an interesting story of a woman Emris Simon jumping off the T&T Spirit because she allegedly committed some unforgivable sin. First off the story indicates that the vessel left Tobago one hour and twenty-five minutes late. So that means Ms. Emris had that much time to pray and ask for forgiveness or at least come up with a better suicide plan, one that would not inconvenience others. For someone to seriously attempt suicide they must be in some sort of personal turmoil battling with their inner demons. But I do not care what any psychiatrist or psychologist says but I think suicide is selfish, especially when it is a failed attempt that costs other people time and money. Can you imagine feeling so bad about life that suicide is the only way out then to wake up and realise that not even that you could do properly. i know i would feel like a turd.

In this specific instance the vessel had to be stopped, members of the crew had to disembark in a life raft, possibly putting their own lives at risk to save someone who obviously did not want to be saved. The vessel which was already behind schedule was made even later and I can well imagine how pissed the Trinbagonians onboard were. Upon arrival in Trinidad there was an ambulance waiting for Ms. Emris to take her to hospital to receive treatment. So imagine somebody somewhere calling for an ambulance and not getting assistance because an ambulance park up on the port waiting on Ms. Emris. Not to mention somebody gone to the Port of Spain General Hospital to receive treatment because they value their life and want to live and has to wait or be turned away because there are no beds available because Ms. Emris resting comfortably in a satisfactory condition. I was expecting in the story that she would have been taken to St. Anns to be evaluated. This is exactly why in some countries suicide, attempted suicide or assisted suicide is treated as a criminal matter. In ancient times many societies frowned upon suicide and the person’s estate was confiscated by the state or the person was not afforded a regular burial. Obviously if a person is successful they would be beyond the boundary of the law.

This raises the issue of mental health care in Trinidad and Tobago. This is an area of health care that is surrounded by stigma and discrimination. Trinis have a thing that a person has to be crazy to see a psychiatrist or psychologist. These and other myths about mental illness make members of the public scorn persons they perceive to be suffering from a mental illness. I am also guilty of ignorance when it comes to the issue of mental illness. The Canadian Mental Health Association has some interesting easy to read information that could shed some light on this matter. Hopefully Ms. Emris would get the mental health care that she needs to help her to recover.

Police Car Tief

So I minding my own business reading the Trinidad Express Online and I was really trying not to say anything about this but the Trini in me I have to say my piece. How is it that a young seemingly sane man could pick up the government vehicle and go joy riding with it. I would really like to know what he was thinking. Did he think that he would not get caught? Well it really was that he simply did not think. Four months into a job you still green in most organizations people would still be on probation so they don’t even want to mash ants. This nut tief the vehicle and gone joy riding. He should not even be on suspension he should just be unemployed under some sort of twenty-four hour evaluation watch in St. Ann hospital because he is obviously a crazy man. i confused. I dont even know what else to say but I love my Sweet TnT.

Your contribution to crime in sweet T&T

Trinidadians love to complain about the crime situation in Trinidad and Tobago. But how many of us realize how much we ourselves contribute to the crime. There are some ads that I love in the daily news papers entitled “Fix the Me in Crime”. The little things we do on a daily basis that are against the law. Driving on the shoulder, littering, illegal parking, blocking the intersection when there is nowhere to go.

Every police officer standing on the shoulder so that we don’t use it as an additional lane is one less to treat with “serious” criminal offences. The police force and other protective services that we have are only so big and are constantly facing challenges of resource shortages. when a man or woman abuses their spouse a police officer has to get involved in some why once a report is made to the Police Station.

Then there is the other angle where Police officers are sometimes not assisted by members of the public. If you do not work with the police then they cannot do their jobs effectively. For example we are aware of certain things happening in our neighbourhoods and we as responsible citizens do not make a report in the nearest police station. Police cannot be everywhere for obvious reasons and we have to do our part to help them.

I am of the view however that a lot more can be done by local law enforcement to reduce the levels of crime and violence in this country that I love. But I have no control over the decisions taken and the policies implemented to reduce crime. So for now what I can do is take control of myself and be aware of the little things that I may be doing to make the situation worst and put a stop to it. Even with our friends and family we have to encourage them to do the right thing. Too often doing the wrong thing is glorified while doing the right thing is frowned upon.

Things to consider when looking for a Job

The Job interview is a time to determine whether or not the organization is the one of choice to be employed with. Many times we get caught up in the need for a job and are afraid to question our prospective employers. The actual call for an interview means that some basic requirements for the position were met. An interview should be considered a meeting to discuss possible employment with a company. Too often in interviews the prospective employer provides vague information and when asked questions they skirt around the answers. The thing is that a change in job is a big step. This is the place where most of our waking hours would be spent, and it is important to ensure that the environment is a comfortable one in which to operate. There are important questions that must be answered before accepting the offer for employment or even moving on to the second round of the interview process.

In most instances when applying for a job whether on www.caribbeanjobs.com or responding to an ad in the daily newspapers such as Express there is some sort of description of the position. It is important to ask whether this description was final or whether adjustments would be made. This description as simple as it may look is essentially the future job description. It is what the employee would be required to do everyday for the next two to three years or even more.

Time on the job is a touchy issue. Some employers expect employees to work strict 8-4 hours with one hour lunch with a system to monitor time spent on the job. This is extremely ridged. For me personally, I dislike strict working hours because I will work whenever and do whatever it takes to get the job done. It is difficult to have my time monitored with no concessions allowed and then be expected to work extra for no additional compensation. To me something is definitely wrong with that.

The benefits package is muy imporatante (my form five Spanish teacher would be proud of that inclusion). This would include salary, bonuses, pension plan, health insurance, after school day care, parking, lap top, mobile phone and gratuity to name a few. Now a question that interviewers love to ask is how much money you want. At this point knowing the company and the position that is being offered an answer should be ready to just roll off the tongue. It is also critical to get fair compensation for the experience and knowledge that we employees would be bringing to the organization.

Although a job description is provided there is a need to get a practical sense of what a typical day on the job is like. This would help to give a sense of the culture of the organization and the type of working environment. If there is a significant difference between the formal job description and what actually happens in the workplace then some sort of adjustment would be needed. Attempting officially or unofficially to talk to someone working in the organization would also provide insight into the organization. It would give a true sense of how things work. Many times employers present a perfect picture of the organization and it is their job to do that because after all they are trying their best to get us to accept the job. It is just like courting, you not going to tell your future life partner that you don’t wash, clean, cook, bathe or brush your teeth because the person will go running. It is after the person falls deeply in love that the true side is shown. it is the same with employers.

Essentially when looking for a job it boils down to being a typical Trini macco while seeking our own interest because no one else would do it for us.

CXC Results

Young boys and girls around the country are receiving their CXC results today and I can only imagine the feelings of anxiety they would be experiencing. Many of them would have gone to countless hours of extra lessons and sleepless nights in an attempt to achieve the goal of the coveted one or distinction. The average age of the student writing the CXC exams is 16-18. I personally believe that this is a time in life to be happy and joyous. Parents, teachers, family and friends put an incredible amount of pressure on students to succeed. This may be fine but to what end. There are student who are afraid to collect results because of the possible outcome. CXC would be the first major exam that many of these students would have taken since SEA, which in itself is madness. Exams are tricky beasts, in that if you woke up the morning with a stomach ache or if rain fell and you were late it may affect your performance. I know for a fact that I do not do exams well. I hate them with a passion and I do not think that they are a true representation of a person’s ability, but we have to do it because our society recognizes it as acceptable form of performance measurement or assessment.

I want to explore as a parent, student or friend if a child does not get the grades desired by all there are options. The student can repeat the examination, which can be done in a number of ways. The student can go to the On-the-Job Training Programme to get a job for a one year period and repeat the exams in January or June of the following year. The student can go back to a secondary school and repeat the entire form five year. The former option allows for the individual to gain some working experience while figuring out what the next step in life could be. In the end we are all going to the same place to become responsible adults contributing to the good of society. Take for example your friends who went to the prestige schools got ones for CXC and A’s for A-levels didn’t we all end up in UWI or some University together struggling to get the same degree.

I am in no way against education at any level. However if a student does not excel at the traditional mathematics, physics, English, Biology then maybe the parents and need to review whether the child is following the right path, because everyone has a view for their child to be a doctor lawyer or an accountant. But that is not possible nor is it realistic. There are several other professions that are quite viable. For example, have you ever seen an attorney going to court with their hair in a mess? After that attorney makes their money they have to then give it to the beautician or barber. I am of the strong belief that my hairdresser makes more money than me and she is happier too because she works for her damn self and keeps her own hours.

With the results of young students you may know being announced. Keep one thing in mind that the child did their best and that is all that matters. The world is not going to come to an end. Everything will be just fine.

Sex in Commercials

The original heading for this post was Sexual Innuendos in Commercials but after meditating a bit I realized that they are not even innuendos it is just too blatant. I am noticing a disturbing trend in some radio ads that I have been hearing. I am an avid listener of the Red 96.7 morning show. Those guys are the best and are always guaranteed to put a smile on your face to start the day. Of course I am jealous that they are having so much fun and they are still getting paid to do it. But that is a different story.

The main culprit and in my opinion the most annoying is Boomers. I guess we could say that Boomers is the local Subway. I must add here that I have never eaten at Boomers. The commercial starts off with a woman in a very seductive voice asking “Have you got the balls?” The guy responds “Who me? I am not sure what you mean.” This tells me that he and all think she talking about something else. I mean how is it that they came up with that for a meatball melt sub sandwich commercial. It does not even make the sandwich seem enticing or tasty. However I am not really sure which culture the ad was supposed to be targeting because maybe somewhere in the world “balls” are considered tasty.

I think corporate citizens need to be cognizant of the subliminal messages that are being sent in their advertising. They cannot realistically expect that these things would not have an impact the youths of our society. I am big and I have sense. But can you imagine a child hearing that commercial and going to school and asking a fellow student or even a teacher very innocently but in the same seductive voice “Have you got the balls?”

The other culprit that is worthy of mention in this nonsense is Full Throttle Energy Drink, which is a product of the Coca Cola Company. But I guess the old adage sex sells is being maximized by Corporate T&T. This is where I have to remind myself that I love Trinidad and have faith and know for sure that we are better and more creative than that. Pretty soon we would have to be giving parental advisory ratings to commercials. Boomers would of course get an NC17. I would hate to see the television version of some of these ads.

Why is your Tattoo distracting me in work?

Why do people get tattoos in places where I would see when they are dressed in work attire and then get vex if I appear to be more interested in the Tattoo than whatever work related matter they talking about. I am sorry but if you want me to focus on you then don’t have a tattoo in a visible area. Secondly if you have to put it on your neck, forearm or calf make sure I could read it at a glance. That means that it should be in large block letters not tiny cursive looking like a six year old practicing in a Vere Foster.

I have no problem with tattoos in general. I myself do not have one and will not get one. But in the workplace it really could become a distraction. Because the macco Trini in me every time I see the individual I have to take a peek until I figure out what the tattoo says. But hey I guess this could add some excitement to my day.

Twelve Year Old Raped by Sixteen Year Old

So this morning on the news (red 96.7 and corroborated by a similar story on Express Online) there was a report of a 16 year old boy raping and sodomizing a 12 year old girl. I don’t even know where to start. Let me start with the ages 16 and 12. Where did this 16 year old boy get the thought in his head to rape somebody? When I was sixteen, I will admit sex was on my mind but I certainly wasn’t bold face enough to demand or take it from somebody who did not want to give it to me. What are we coming to? Now I always have to bring things back to my life as it is the one that I know best. This exact time of the year when I was sixteen I was anxiously awaiting CXC results, working my first job and begging to go out occasionally. Don’t be fooled to go out I have to answer, who, where, to do what, why, for how long, where the other children’s parents, and what their parents do for a living. Sometimes after the interrogation to leave the house I tired and just want to go and sleep.

I have to ask the obvious, where were the parents? These were obviously two unsupervised children. At twelve I went nowhere by myself unless it was to the toilet and I could not even stay long because there would be a knock on the door to ask what I doing so long. So I ask where were the parents of the 12 year old? However I put no blame on them as yet, because something about the story sketchy I believe some details are missing.

Now I believe the mind of a rapist is a very sick and demented one and for a 16 year old to rape someone it says a lot about him and his environment. It tells us that he as little or no respect for women or girls. It tells us that he does not have God in him life, whether Jesus, Allah, Jehovah etc. It also tells us that he has too much idle time on his hands to become obsessed with sex or rape fantasies. It also tells us that his parents did not instill the fear of God in him that they would buss his tail if he embarrasses them or the family. It also tells us that the young man himself could have been the victim of some form of abuse himself and is just acting out what was done to him.

All we can do is pray that this young woman overcomes this turbulent time in her life and receives the required counseling that would help her to readjust to become a teenager (because she is not one yet) and later contribute positively to society. We also have to pray for the young man and hope that he could be rehabilitated. Those of us with children, make a call to find out where they are, what they are doing and who they are with because things don’t seem to be as nice as they used to be.

Nepotism in Trinidad

As a Trini we all have at some point been on the sour or the favourable end of some type of nepotism. Nepotism is so engrained in our culture that we look for a link or hook up before going through the proper channels. Now is this good or bad? And how can it be avoided in a society as small this one?

Now I think nepotism is good to a certain extent. For example I may have a friend who is qualified for a particular job and I may be in a position to ensure that my friend gets hired. But there are instances where favouritism is pushed too far and people are placed in positions that they either have no clue about or are simply not qualified for. I know for a fact that I have benefitted on several occasions and will, without a doubt give someone I know a chance over a complete stranger. But where does it stop?

There are times when nepotism is so bad that it is almost impossible to get something done unless you know someone in the department or agency. Sadly this is usually the case in many government agencies. There are numerous horror stories of persons trying to get their passport or birth paper to no avail. Now I draw the line at nepotism when it comes to the delivery of government services, especially because these services cannot be provided by an external party. Additionally some of these services that are provided by the Government are essential to conduct business in our everyday lives as law abiding, tax paying citizens in this country.

Now nepotism in private entities is a whole different issue. I will use the example of the pre-registration issue in the Carnival Mas Band Tribe. As far as I know Tribe is a private entity and is free to do whatever with their registration process. As a paying client or customer you have a choice not to partake in the provision of their service especially since there are several other options to play mas.

Nepotism in our little place called T&T is like many other things, we have to take the bitter with the sweet. When it is favourable to you take it and smile, when it is not cuss as much as you can and hopefully you will get what you want. It is part of we culture and it helps to make us lovers sometimes or haters other times of sweet T&T.

Dating in Trinidad

As a young single woman in Trinidad I have found myself many times on a date and wondering to myself while smiling sweetly at my companion how the hell I end up here with you. This one guy in particular started things off bad before the date so I have no one to blame but myself for the eventual outcome.

So normal thing meet a guy exchange numbers and we talk on the phone a bit before going out. So in conversation prior to the date he tells me that he is of the opinion that when he dates Indian women they are usually more willing to pay as compared to young black girls who usually expect a man to spend his money all the time. Now being a young black woman myself I was offended and took the opportunity to put him in his place. I told him that as far as I know dating or courting as I would like to call it is an opportunity for a man to show me that he can provide for me and any offspring that we may produce together. How in God’s name do you expect to provide for a family if you cannot provide for a date which involves a meal and some form of entertainment.

Now I want to be very clear these cheap, irresponsible locho men are the worst kind. Because I am sure if I was an Indian woman the fable would have been the opposite. Mind you this is a grown man in his late thirties seemingly intelligent, reasonably good looking but just full of tricks. It is not that I expect that a man must spend his money all the time but oh gosh try to impress me in the early part of the relationship a little bit.

Now stupid me still went out with the man because obviously I am a sucker for punishment. My date complained that the bill was $277.00TT at Fridays and did not tip the server. Needless to say first and last dates rolled into one are the best. I love my Trini Men they are so innovative and never cease to amaze me.

Employment in Trinidad and Tobago

I do not understand and I am constantly baffled by employers in Trinidad and Tobago. There is some history that I must get into before I could make my point. A few years back when in his Budget Speech the Honourable Prime Minister announced that the government would bear the full cost of tertiary education tuition I was one of the few people who were not pleased by this initiative. I must admit though that I may have been selfish in wanting the government to remain paying for only half of the tuition cost. The reason for my point of view is that I felt that this initiative cheapened the entire tertiary education system in Trinidad and Tobago. As no longer were persons committing to programmes because they really wanted to do it but more because they could now afford to do it. In my opinion it caused people to attach little value to the tertiary education experience. Institutions were then in a mad rush to enroll as many students as possible in order to cash in on the governments payment.

Now as a University student myself at the time I was really disappointed with this initiative because I was always one of the students who demanded quality in what I paid for. Now this GATE initiative brought with it the belief that school was free. But exactly what is free, there was no direct cost to the student but in the long run we as citizens would all be paying for it. Whether we pay for it by our monthly pay as you earn tax contribution or by not getting the health care system we need because money is being spent on tuition. I personally saw the difference in the performance of some lecturers, as there were no explanations given for missed classes, and extra assistance that was already minimal ceased.

Now bear with me as I tie this into my frustration with employers in Trinidad and Tobago. With the large number of degree holders persons in society I don’t know if employers feel that they now need make a degree a requirement for some existing jobs. For example how is it that it a requirement to have a degree for a job that entails photo copying and filing. Now any University of The West Indies student would be familiar with photocopying on the ground floor of the library waiting in line and the machines sticking and stealing your money. But come on, no student when sweating on fourth floor of the library (literally because the AC was not working for some time) did not envisage using their three year degree to photocopy, type and file. How are the young ambitious people of this society expected to be challenged to achieve their full potential. This is the situation I find myself in currently. Now don’t get me wrong I am nicely compensated and I am grateful to God for that great compensation but come on we can do better than this. Needless to say I am employed in the public service. So I am here feeling like I tiefing the government money in these times of a looming recession. The sad thing is that if I am sitting here with little to do how many other people are there in this same building who are also being paid well to do little or nothing at all. Now let us expand that how many people do you think there are in the entire public service sitting around doing nothing and being paid tax payer’s money. Now I have two options I could sit here and do nothing and be a tief or I could look for another job and quickly escape this torture. I choose the latter.

Introduction to Blog

I must be honest my decision to start this blog was based on the fact that I usually have a lot to say and lately I have a lot of time on my hands ( I will explain the reason for the extra time in a later post). This is just a forum for me to express my sometimes crazy thoughts on any and everything that I see happening in my country. For example: Why the Ministry of Works and Transport started working on the Bailey bridge in Macoya in the rainy season again? Which Carnival band are you playing mas in? What Section? Why Boomers feels the need to use sex to advertise a sandwich?

Now this may turn out to be a phase or it may turn out to be something longer, who knows. But I will continue to express myself for as long as I enjoy doing it. Now there are some topics that I will not discuss simply because I have no interest or clue about them, these include but are not limited to Sports, mechanics and some others. Essentially I can only talk about what I know or what I feel I know.

Now like a true Trini I intend to voice My Opinion. About whatever I feel like. I am not doing this to please anyone or to gain friends I am really doing this out of pure idleness. The rationale and content for the blog may change over time but the one thing that would always remain constant is my brutally honest opinion.