Last Friday of 2006

Today is the last official working day of 2006... for most people anyway. I hope to meet with a colleague from the office to go through a project that is way behind shedule - hope that we get it done today once and for all.

It's also going to be the last weekend that would I would be free until about May 2007 so I am going to enjoy it to the fullest - God willing. On Sunday (New Year's eve) we are having friends over for lunch then in the evening we are celebrating the dawn of the New Year in style.

I must say it has been a great holiday season.

Karachi time

It's so hard to be working from the Caribbean with folks in Karachi.

They are about 11 hours ahead of us and I need the clock above to keep me on target. Lord, this is so hard as the night is meant for sleep.

I cannot get enough rest on evenings... there is a little kid who hates to know he can't talk with me after school. The telephone keeps ringing... it's driving me crazy.

Who would have thought - 38 day after surgery

Who would have thought after my last post back in July that I would have been undergoing major surgery any time soon. It's amazing the things that happens to us in this life.

Today is exactly 38 days since I did and the pain is now finally starting to fade. I'm still on sick leave but will be back out to work soon.

The little television in my hospital room.

Things I didn't know before this life-changing event

That there is something called gas pain.
That sitting would hurt more than standing.
That one day I would feel every bump in the road.
That laughing would cause me pain.
That I would hold a sneeze (too painful not to).
That I would not want a kid (five years old) in my bedroom - scared he would throw his toys on my stomach, or jump on the bed.
That I would not want to go to the Mall.
That I would stop drinking sodas, coffee.
That I would drink more than two glasses of water a day.
That the special someone in my life is heaven-sent.
That I would not be able to pick something up off the floor.
That I could sleep in another position, other than on my side.

Crop Over - an October post

I know this post is late - October but still wanted you to know that I managed to go to two events - Bridgetown Market and Grand Kadooment.

I did not purchase anything special at the Market this year, although I was thinking about buying a blouse from the Jamaicans... or a wonderful oil painting from a local artist.

Wanted to go to the stadium to watch the parade of the bands but ended up going down Spring Garden in the evening. It was still exciting but too much people.

Aren't the girls above lovely?

By the way, Barry Chandler and his "Flames" has won my heart as well. It's now my Crop Over 2006 favourite.

Crop Over - and I not following

Well it's Crop Over time in Barbados and I have not been to, watched, or listened to a single event.

The Party Monarch competition was held at the Soup Bowl on Sunday. Over 30,000 people went up there and I was busy following the war in Lebanon on CNN. When I got tired of that watched Madea's Family Reunion - I think I enjoyed it better than being at the East Coast with people like sardines.

Anyway a youngster from Bacchanal Time Calypso Tent called Barry Chandler, won the title - and I don't even know his song... it's called "Flames". I am really getting old because a few years ago I would have known almost every song.

My nice Bajan links
Used to be the band I played mass in and it's still my favourite - http://www.powerxfour.com/
My favourite tent http://www.bacchanaltime.com/
Official Crop Over Festival website http://www.cropoverfestival.bb/
Favourite lime http://theplantation.bb/

So much has happened - Sad time in Mid East

Well it's been quite a while since I've blogged.

The Trinis got kicked out of the World Cup - the Italians won.

A Texan billionaire called Allen Stanford is creating history in Antigua with his 20/20 Cricket Tournament - US$1 million for the winning Caribbean team. Man he is revolutionising the game - real excitement in the region.

While on the other side of the world Israel is bombing the daylights out of Lebanon, they want back their two soldiers that the Hezbollah took. Almost two weeks of madness in the Middle East. A CNN report on a hospital in Lebanon brought tears to my eyes - Lord, when you made man what were you thinking?

An Israeli artillery unit fires a shell towards Lebanon

And in Barbados the CropOver Festival is on and I have not attended a single event...

Will Trinidad & Tobago go forward

Well this is the day that will determine whether Trinidad & Tobago move into the next round of the Football World Cup.

The Soca Warriors face Paraguay this afternoon in the decider, but England still have to beat Sweden to make this Caribbean dream a reality.

If Soca Warriors win I am going out and buying a T&T flag and will wear something red until the next match.

Click here to follow the action

T & T to England lost but we are still happy

Click here for the Soca Warriors website

People danced in the streets of T&T’s capital, Port-of-Spain, yesterday after their team lost a hard-fought match to England, the small Caribbean country’s former Colonial ruler.

Though disappointed with the 2-0 loss, most nationals assembled in St James, dubbed “The City that does not sleep” for buoyant post-game festivities, happy that their team held the highly favoured England side scoreless up until the 82nd minute.

“We’ve come from being a country where nobody knows where we are,to being in the World Cup. We’re just glad to be here,” said Joseph Ghent, a network administrator, who partied in the street with thousands of other nationals decked out in the red-and-black T-shirts of their team, the Soca Warriors.

T&T, the twin-island Caribbean nation with a population of 1.3 million, is the smallest country ever to reach the World Cup Finals. It’s a fact that fills Michele Agostini, 36, with pride.

A win in its final group match against Paraguay can still extend T&T's stay in Germany but, win or lose, the "Soca Warriors" would leave with their heads high and pride intact.

CONGRATS T&T

Trinidad & Tobago made a magnificent World Cup finals debut on Saturday when they held Sweden to a goalless draw despite playing with 10 men for almost all the second half of their opening Group B game.

Congratulations T&T - hope you put your best foot forward again next week. The Caribbean is proud of you.

I'm back

After a long break I am back again. Stumbled across a website called success.org and I give it a 10 when it comes to information on developing one's self. When you get a chance check it out http://www.success.org/AP/. Hope when you do you would tell me what you think.

Remember those New Year resolutions I made in January? Well I have not kept any of them. Tomorrow May 1, is a good time to start again.

Rihanna has a new website

Bajan songtress Rihanna has a new website.

Click here to check it out.

Kudos BL&P

I wish all service industries around the Caribbean could be like the Barbados Light & Power Co. Ltd. Last Saturday there was a power outage and when I called the company - the most pleasant gentleman answered the call, he not only told me what the problem was but gave a time for the resumption of service. In typical BL&P style the power came back on sooner than he said.

Kudos to our power company! I wish my other Caribbean homes could take a leaf from your book.

Jill Scott in Concert - Fantastic

Went to the Jill Scott show at the Wildey Gymnasium and it was fantastic.... wanted to see Lionel Richie but I had to work, wasn't feeling well either.

Click here to read what the Barbados Nation had to say about the show. I agreed with it 100 per cent!

Big Nike contract for Rihanna

Just when you thought the DJ couldn't turn her music up any louder, Barbadian star Rihanna has landed two lucrative endorsement contracts.

The Def Jam recording artiste is about to be the US$20 million face of world-renowned sportswear giant, Nike – the first entertainer to do so – and will endorse a new line of trendy jeans for the JC Penny clothing chain.

At left: Our own cutie-pie Rihanna

Check her out on the Def Jam Recordings website.

According to Rihanna's producer and writer, Evan Rogers, who "discovered" her while on holiday in Barbados last year, the endorsements will take the 17-year-old's fairytale rise to stardom even higher.

"She's making history because she's the first ever non-athlete to endorse Nike, which has built a worldwide campaign around the first single of her second album," Rogers said of the Pon De Replay girl.

"The Nike campaign will include an online promotion and television commercial. It's a US$20 million worldwide campaign for Nike women's wear, and Rihanna will be the face of that campaign," he added, noting that the label worn by Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan and other sports stars would be launched with the 17-year-old next month.

You go girl!