i am now a quarter of a century old.
damn.
life has flown past me as i've gotten up in age.
seems like when i passed from high-school everything accelerated.
i don't quite understand what happened through that transition?
i look back to when i graduated university.
it feels like a year ago, if that.
but in reality it's been 3 years.
3 years?!@ what?
sure i've done a lot in that short time,
but i don't see 3 years going by as if i merely blinked.
and now here, in jamaica, a year has passed like nothing.
only one year remains and that freaks me out.
i feel i have only just settled in.
i'm not ready to leave yet.
i have a life here.
i have people i care about
and people that care about me.
time is ridiculous.
this year i want a time machine for my birthday.
let me know if you can work something out.
thanks.
Sunday 30 May 2010
Sunday 23 May 2010
a jamaican wedding
i took part in my first jamaican wedding this weekend. my friend stephanie was the bride. we hosted her bridal shower the night before… little sleep was actually obtained. at some point there was christmas music blasting through the speakers… but nobody could manage to turn it off. morning came too soon. and so began the process of getting ready and enjoying the last moments of her singleness. we piled into the car, all squeezed in. reminiscing of the night before and of their past times. radio blaring 50s ska and oldies. it set us off into a ridiculous fit of laughter. it was quite a site to witness: a rainbow of colors squished together, the bride in the the passenger seat, white fabric overflowing in every direction. we arrived at the church. we dislodged ourselves and made our exit, leaving the bride and maid of honor to reminisce and share their last moments.
the wedding was small and sweet. the couple appeared happy and blissful. and so the ceremony carried on and followed to the reception, which was rained out for about 45 minutes… simultaneously during the drone of the rain, phones buzzed sending messages about a possible war breaking out in kingston. after the madness of the news, the rain halted and so the reception recommenced. dinner. toasts. our musical tribute. yes, i sang with my friends. our dedication to the bride. it was a stellar moment, although the song got mixed up, after a month of dedicated rehearsals. luckily no one noticed, and so we were praised and applauded. the evening soon came to a close. my head spinning from the lack of sleep and all the past days' events.
the wedding was small and sweet. the couple appeared happy and blissful. and so the ceremony carried on and followed to the reception, which was rained out for about 45 minutes… simultaneously during the drone of the rain, phones buzzed sending messages about a possible war breaking out in kingston. after the madness of the news, the rain halted and so the reception recommenced. dinner. toasts. our musical tribute. yes, i sang with my friends. our dedication to the bride. it was a stellar moment, although the song got mixed up, after a month of dedicated rehearsals. luckily no one noticed, and so we were praised and applauded. the evening soon came to a close. my head spinning from the lack of sleep and all the past days' events.
Saturday 8 May 2010
seize bp
Possibly the greatest environmental disaster in U.S. history ...
Who will pay the price?
The government of the United States must seize BP and freeze its assets, and place those funds in trust to begin providing immediate relief to the working people throughout the Gulf states whose jobs, communities, homes and businesses are being harmed or destroyed by the criminally negligent actions of the CEO, Board of Directors and senior management of BP.
200,000 gallons of oil a day, or more, are gushing into the Gulf of Mexico with the flow of oil growing. The poisonous devastation to human beings, wildlife, natural habitat and fragile ecosystems will go on for decades. It constitutes an act of environmental violence, the consequences of which will be catastrophic.
This was a manufactured disaster. It was neither an “Act of God” nor Nature that caused this devastation, but rather the unmitigated greed of Big Oil’s most powerful executives in their reckless search for ever-greater profits.
Under BP’s CEO Tony Hayward’s aggressive leadership, BP made a record $5.6 billion in pure profits just in the first three months of 2010. BP made $163 billion in profits from 2001-09. It has a long history of safety violations and slap-on-the-wrist fines.
It is imperative that the government seize BP’s assets now for their criminal negligence and begin providing immediate relief for the immense suffering and harm they have caused.
Click here to sign the Seize BP petition. Visit www.SeizeBP.org!
Who will pay the price?
The government of the United States must seize BP and freeze its assets, and place those funds in trust to begin providing immediate relief to the working people throughout the Gulf states whose jobs, communities, homes and businesses are being harmed or destroyed by the criminally negligent actions of the CEO, Board of Directors and senior management of BP.
200,000 gallons of oil a day, or more, are gushing into the Gulf of Mexico with the flow of oil growing. The poisonous devastation to human beings, wildlife, natural habitat and fragile ecosystems will go on for decades. It constitutes an act of environmental violence, the consequences of which will be catastrophic.
This was a manufactured disaster. It was neither an “Act of God” nor Nature that caused this devastation, but rather the unmitigated greed of Big Oil’s most powerful executives in their reckless search for ever-greater profits.
Under BP’s CEO Tony Hayward’s aggressive leadership, BP made a record $5.6 billion in pure profits just in the first three months of 2010. BP made $163 billion in profits from 2001-09. It has a long history of safety violations and slap-on-the-wrist fines.
It is imperative that the government seize BP’s assets now for their criminal negligence and begin providing immediate relief for the immense suffering and harm they have caused.
Click here to sign the Seize BP petition. Visit www.SeizeBP.org!
Monday 3 May 2010
house, tractor, trailer, rum, people = party
witnessed my first house moving this weekend. from jess' veranda, there sat jess, benjee and myself, sitting in awe of half a board house teetering on a tractor's very narrow trailer. people in the wobbling house, waving. the whole crew popping open a bottle of white rum. it was a rare and awesome site to witness.
everything was illuminated
a surreal sense of calm fell upon me last night..
after a long weekend of joy, life and death; then coming home to stress and a feeling of animosity. just as all of this was taking over again, something happened.
i opened my email to find a letter from my brother asking for support and a hand in the complications and frustrations of life. basically everything became illuminated and came to realization as i wrote to him.
i hadn't quite finished and i suddenly felt truly happy deep, down inside.
inner peace found, even if for just a passing moment.
it was beautiful.
the world isn't saved.
i don't know the secret meanings of life.
my problems and stresses haven't disappeared,
but for that moment in time all was hushed, all was full of love and it sparkled.
after a long weekend of joy, life and death; then coming home to stress and a feeling of animosity. just as all of this was taking over again, something happened.
i opened my email to find a letter from my brother asking for support and a hand in the complications and frustrations of life. basically everything became illuminated and came to realization as i wrote to him.
i hadn't quite finished and i suddenly felt truly happy deep, down inside.
inner peace found, even if for just a passing moment.
it was beautiful.
the world isn't saved.
i don't know the secret meanings of life.
my problems and stresses haven't disappeared,
but for that moment in time all was hushed, all was full of love and it sparkled.
Sunday 2 May 2010
break the cycle. break the mold.
we are all humans trying to make sense of this life and the world or whatever this is. we can't always take things at face value because we are all very different and unique. some things which work for a few, don't work for others, and vice versa. the way in which many parents were raised is bipolar to how many see themselves, myself included, what they have worked to become and how they've chosen to live. not every family clicks, but love is what it is about. wanting the best for them. accepting them, truly. i tell them this daily. i love them despite their ups and downs. i accept them as humans. i want them to find their happiness and bliss; life is too short.
we don't fully understand what this life is… so even more reason to live it fully. i have learned a ton from living in jamaica, but the one thing that has really made an impact on me is the death rate here. the dozens of funerals, wakes and nine nights i have attended. family and friends i have talked to who have lost those closest to them. life is so precious. it's too short and can be taken at any second. you should strive to live without regrets. i have seen those closest to me live with too many and still reminisce about them to this day. i chose to make a conscious effort to fight that. because of this i might not be the dream child my parents had idealized, but they shouldn't be surprised… they wanted my brother and i to be free thinkers, independent, …; they molded us for this. whether on purpose or by chance -- this is who we became.
we don't fully understand what this life is… so even more reason to live it fully. i have learned a ton from living in jamaica, but the one thing that has really made an impact on me is the death rate here. the dozens of funerals, wakes and nine nights i have attended. family and friends i have talked to who have lost those closest to them. life is so precious. it's too short and can be taken at any second. you should strive to live without regrets. i have seen those closest to me live with too many and still reminisce about them to this day. i chose to make a conscious effort to fight that. because of this i might not be the dream child my parents had idealized, but they shouldn't be surprised… they wanted my brother and i to be free thinkers, independent, …; they molded us for this. whether on purpose or by chance -- this is who we became.
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