This blog is designed for anyone who dares to dream BIG dreams or is interested in self-discovery: for a deeper meaning to life. It was not intended for the purpose of extending advice, but merely to share the author’s views on life. It is meant to take you on a journey of the mind, body and soul...to make you stop and think. Let’s explore together…
Tomorrow is Fantastic [Carnival] Friday here in Trinidad & Tobago. To many it's the lead up to the revelry of mas' in all it's splendour as the streets explode into a kaleidoscope of colour: the costumes (which all tell a story) adorned with beads, cloth, glitter and feathers coupled with the excitement and pulsating musical rhythms as masqueraders cross the Big stage. The festival was first introduced by the French settlers to this island around 1785 with fancy balls or masquerades and soon caught on with the slaves as history tells us it was a way for them to celebrate their new found freedom when slavery was abolished. Stick fighting and ole mas' (the latter which is a mini skit put on to "air" the grievances of the day as it pokes fun at some of the current affairs) are some of the more tradition legacies that we still practise today. It is a tradition rich in culture that has grown and exploded into a liberation for many people up to this day...as a way to free all of their stresses from the entire year which they look forward to with anticipation.
Many others use it to escape to the beaches and catch up with friends and family...like me. Yet others take to the streets and savannah to spectate and watch it all unfold...maybe I'll find the time to do that too...
Where ever Carnival meets you...please be safe and remember to Make it Count.
Have a good week everyone!! Is it me or did Monday just go by in a whoosh?!! The world is our stage as the days inch closer to Trinidad Carnival. Still not too late to take a flight down to take it all in...if not I'm sure it will be available online...will be posting links as soon as it's available.
On another note, I want to say a BIG THANKSfor everyone that has purchased copies of my new book Thinking out Loud. I really appreciate the support.
The world mourns another legend...this time it's Whitney Houston. I remember singing one of her hits: One moment in time at my primary (elementary) school graduation....I remember all the words to this day. The Bodyguard was one of my favourite movies...along with Waiting to Exhale. Someone just remarked on cnn that when you live a life in the spotlight everyone knows what you're going through at any given moment. I think that not all times this is true. These talented famous people get on stage and make appearances to wow the world and make us happy while making records and movies as part of their job, but no one really knows how they truly feel inside when they get home at night and shut the doors to the world. It's really sad indeed, that sometimes it's those with the greatest talent are the ones with the most pain and internal warfare and need the most love and support. Just a week or so ago it was Don Cornelius. It's sad to think that while they make sooo many people happy around the world...they can't find that happiness within to make the pain go away....really sad.
Their music and life's work are able to break down borders and traverse race, geography, languages, culture and religion....their music is timeless. Some of them however live a really lonely and tormented life and to onlookers it seems that everything is all glitz and glamour and everything is all well in their world but all that glitters is not gold. It's good to acknowledge the talent in others but always recognize the source. We (myself included) must live our life in such a way to nourish and keep connected to that source that we will always be able to let our talents shine for the world to enjoy. We must be able to surmount the fears, obstacles and temptations that may block us from our true path and connection to God which is the true and almighty source of all talent.
I'll leave you with the words of the Emmy award winning song that Whitney made famous in 1988:
"You're a winner for a lifetime, if you seize that one moment in time...Make it shine..."
- From One Moment in Time (1988) recorded by Whitney Houston and written by Albert Hammond and John Bettis.
Your music created wonderful memories for us all...RIP...definitely gone too soon.
In some countries it's well underway. Did you make it count?! Did you do everything you set out to do on Monday? Did we surpass our expectations or did we just do the usual to get by....what are you waiting for?!! It's not too late to score that touch down you've been doubting yourself about. Push a little harder and next time it'll be yours:)
Hope you had a good week.
Sometimes it's a roller coaster ride and the only thing you can rely on is your faith that all will work out well in the end. When it looks like those dark clouds are headed your way...walk with your umbrella and learn to dance in the rain and have fun without getting caught in the downpour!!! Don't let anyone rain on your parade because you've worked too hard and worth too much! Who's not glad for the weekend...let me see a show of hands (or retweets)!! Not me...I'm glad it's almost over and I can sleep in for two days!! Who's going to Misty Ridge?? Fatima?? (in trini)...Enjoy for me;P Was too late for tiks:(( but all is not lost. Whatever you're doing, wherever you're going...be safe and have a good weekend!! And remember to Make it Count!!
Have a great week folks. I trust that you had a good weekend and we're all recharged and ready to go! I know only two days you say but let's try to Make it Count whatever we're doing, where ever we go...that way Friday will come again before we know it;)
I'll leave you with a bit of inspiration to chase the Monday blues away!
Sometimes when I'm in a public place I "people watch." And at times I can't help but stare at the elderly. I've always wanted to blog about that but somehow I never got around to it...until now. When I look at them...their life flash before my eyes. I see history. I picture what it would have been like for them when they were young and what they would have looked like. What kind of life they had...spouses, children. Then I'm left with soo much sadness to see how time has brought on a whole other dimension to that person. What's even sadder is that in time I will be where that person is: aged...and some other youth will be looking at me in the same way. Sometimes I think I am too deep for my own good and I wonder if the average person thinks about these very distant and at times morbid thoughts of death and aging. For those of you that watched The Notebook or have aged parents, aunts/uncles or grandparents know what I'm talking about, especially when you look at old pictures from another time and place.
If you believe in the bible...then sometimes we may wonder how life would have been if Eve did not lead Adam to eat that forbidden fruit and people still lived to be 800 and 900 years old....not quite sure the origins of that whole aging story but just food for thought. What would we do differently? What would you do differently with your life if it was stretched out before you? Would you be caught up in vanity and "play yourself" as we say in trini. Or would you keep reinventing yourself to be the best person: daughter/son, mother/father, sister/brother, wife/husband, partner, friend, employee, citizen that you can possibly be? Would we seek to find our purpose and fulfill our true potential sharing our gifts and talents with the world? Would we cherish those persons we hold near and dear to us until it's time to part ways?
No matter how many years we are given to "live out" our time here on earth...how can we make the most of it? How many of us wish we had more time to do all the things we wanted to do...always putting off something for another day until we realize when it's too late that our time here is through? How many of us live our lives for other people...always trying to please someone else and sacrificing our own lives in the process? Some of our lives even get cut short before we are given a chance to give any of these things thought. That's why we have to live each day like it's our last and Make each Moment Count.
Can you relate? Feel free to post your comments. For more thought provoking musings get your own copy of my new book Thinking out Loudavailable here:
