The Countdown Begins!

A few weeks ago I was so excited for the new year. I wanted to go out and dance the night away after watching fireworks from my Dad's house of course (I mean the view is literally breath-taking). But in the last 48 hours I've gone from "WOOHOO!! PARTY TIME!" to "frig new years" (my usual new years attitude) to a solemn one should be appropriate.

These last few months have been crazy for me and I think the best thing to do for 2014 to usher in my needed mindset is to do some much needed reflection. The plotting and scheming will be done while walking to work as the feet are lead by autopilot. If I do go out, trust me I ain`t gonna be mad! But before I go out and dance the year into being I want to take some time and ground myself.

I feel like rambling on, but hey, it`s new years eve or as we say in the Caribbean Old Years Night. Thank you for reading. I wish you security, lovingkindess, wholeness and peace in the new year.

Best wishes,
_V

Saving Some Mulaaaaaa!

A friend shared this on Facebook and I thought well this should be interesting!!

I'm even thinking maybe it could be done in reverse as well, start with $52 and work down to $1. But either way let's give it a try!!

_V

A Look Back

It's December and I'd like to pretend I am able to look back all the way from January at my most memorable moments this year...the truth I can't remember that far back on my own. Maybe if I have a conversation with some friends their memories will help to fill in mine and vice versa. I should try to change that in the new year. Oh well.

There are a few moments I remember quite vividly this past year that are worth celebrating:

• I graduated from university! Earlier in the year I would have said "I finally graduated from university" but I think that is a fairly negative statement to make about myself. Instead I am choosing to change the tone of the sentence and be more positive, celebrating the journey as well as the destination. See what I did there. The power is in your hand to be positive or negative about life's situations.
• I was able to celebrate my 26th birthday with family and friends, creating some lovely memories and laughter.
• I participated in a community dance project with a famous Montreal based dancer (so grateful for the opportunity!! Still rather excited about it). To get feedback about my dancing and to even learn about myself as a person, not just a dancer was amazing.
• I had to deliver some very sad news to many loved ones. But even in a time of sorrow, happy memories were made. Went to my first baseball game! Pretty lovely experience. Next goal is a hockey game. Even if I may not be able to see the puck I'm sure I'll have a grand time hahaha.
• This I took a plane and did not shed a tear. Every time I fly I always, always always always cry on the flight especially during take off and landing. One of the hardest flights to take because I had to pack up my life and move unexpectedly and not necessarily to greener pastures or better opportunities, but I did it and shed not one tear. I know the next flight I take I'll be asked to get off the plane because I'll be crying so much hahahaha. Jokes.
• I celebrated my first Saint Lucian Christmas after 5 years of being away from home. What a wonderful experience just being with family and family friends.
• Believe it or not, I had my first bite of black cake in my life this year. Still don't think I'll be eating it like crazy but hey, I tried it.

Those are just some of the many awesome and difficult things I had to deal with this year. I am thankful for all that happened and pray that 2013 closes peacefully. I also pray that 2014 opens with a grand celebration even if only mentally, for I know it is going to be a fabulous year for me!

Cheers

_V

Be Careful. Be Wise

One of the other thoughts that have been rolling around my head while typing my comeback post was that of receiving and seeking advice.


I recently tweeted that as a single woman I have decided to no longer give my friends in relationships advice. It makes perfect sense to me though. A friend who was/is (I really don't know his status to be honest) was the one who posted something similar on Facebook.

Why would you take relationship advice from a single person. After all look at their situation/circumstance.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that persons in relationships are to judge persons who are single (don't be judging me now!) but let's be logical. It's true you love your girl friend and she gets you but she gets single you, the you you were possibly before you got into the relationship. When you're in relationship true you're suppose to be yourself, but you also should compromise and all that other jazzy stuff. Try to work things out. Be respectful. You know what I'm trying to say. A single person easily says bleep it, I'm gone. Why are you trying to control me. I just wanna be freeeeeeeee!!! Okay, maybe not all single people, but you catch my drift.

The reason why I decided to shut my mouth and hold my corner was because I love my friends and want the best for them. If a friend comes to me and asks for my advice about relationship related things I tend to ask a lot of questions before I answer. And even when I answer I usually have my disclaimer "This is coming from a single woman who has spent that vast majority of her entire LIFE single."

I recently was in a situation and needed relationship advice (I'm still single for the record). When it came down to it, based on what I wanted I decided to ask a male friend who has been in a relationship for a few years for his advice. The advice he gave may have come from a single friend, but it may not have.

Think about where you want to be and seek advice from those who are where you want to be. If you aspire to be dentist, you won't ask a tattoo artist how to get there. Food for thought.

_V

Dusting off the cobwebs

It has been a long time since I used this blog. As new technologies and apps come out good ol' faithfuls get pushed to the side I must admit. A friend of mine is responsible for this post actually (big up yourself Nikita hahaha). She said she missed reading my posts so I thought hmm maybe I should write again. Then came the big question - what do I write about?

I sat with my laptop and typed then cleared the screen then typed and cleared multiple times. Ideas that seemed great popped into my head and by the time I got home or got to the laptop to start typing they didn't seem that hot again. So I wrote nothing. What's different this time? Well, I don't know to be honest. Even as I'm typing I'm wondering if when I stop I'll just erase it all again or not. A waste of time? Not really. Gets the cobwebs out and the machine oiled up again. Or so I think.

There are quite a few things on my mind right now and as I babble on as per usual I'm trying to decide what to start with. Hmmmmmmmmm...I think I'll choose this:


December is a month of celebration. Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, eating, drinking and being merry or as close to merry as possible. As December comes to a close we begin to prepare for our fresh start, the big New Year! where we believe we get to wipe our board clean and start again. I think I may have said it here before but I generally loathe New Years. I always hear Celine Dion singing in my ears a new year is dawning and what have you done? Oh hush up Celine! I know I haven't really done anything. I know I'm not where I want or should be in life. I never understand why people always feel so excited for the new year. Maybe it's because in my reflection of where I want to go I look at where I have been and realised I haven't moved much. But every so often (at least once until now) I actually feel excited and happy about the new year. I feel that buzz inside of me where I think what am I doing for new years? I want to go out or I just want to celebrate! This coming year maybe it's the heavens saying I told you I got a plan for you! It's going to come into action, but I'm excited. I am looking forward to the celebration.

I don't do resolutions. I believe that if you want to change something do it the moment you think of it. I wanna eat better and get fit. Do it now! Waiting until January 1st to start eating more salad with less dressing, less starchy foods and more fiber won't work. If you think of it June 29th do it then. Each day is a new year. I do however, believe in plans! I think the reason why I am so excited for the new year is because of the plans I have in store for myself. Taking my fitness training to another level excites me. I'm not waiting for January 1st to start saving for my course. No. The moment I heard about the course and decided yes this is for me I started saving towards it. By the time the new year arrives I'll be well on my way to achieving my goal and that makes it even better. By using this head start I achieve a goal sooner and it almost seems easier. This keeps me motivated and moving forward.

There are a few other things on my mind, but I think I'll save them for another post or two. But leave a comment and let me know if you do resolutions. What are your goals for 2014? And are you looking forward to the new year?

Till you read again,
Au revoir!

_V

Swedish House Mafia - Don't You Worry Child feat. John Martin (Pete Tong...

Heaven's got a plan for me ;-)

The Way Forward

I have often felt like I'm in a maze but I can see the exit. I knew exactly where the exit was, and I knew the route in some areas, but many areas were still very unfamiliar to me. Every day is a learning process and an opportunity for growth.

For quite some time I knew that I wanted to be an Environmental Educator. I didn't know how I was going to achieve this but I knew it was my calling. I recently figured out that my next official academic step would be to pursue my Masters in Environmental Education and Communication at Royal Roads University. Figuring that out was such a joyous moment for me. The realization of this step also created yet another grey area which I had to shed some light on. How do I get from where I am now to Royal Roads?

Plagiarism is something I try my level best to avoid, hence I shall not claim this light bulb moment as my own thought process but as the resurfacing of an idea planted by my father. Many moons ago he suggested that I write for Saint Lucia newspapers, just little articles on environmental issues plaguing the country or region. I did not feel prepared to take on such a task because I felt very out of tune with what was going on in the country and region. However, in hind sight this, I believe, is going to be a valuable tool in securing a job and hence my spot at Royal Roads.

I have decided to build a portfolio of my own writing not just personal but educational. Surely this is an excellent way to work towards my goal.

As that light bulb came on, so did another. Although previously acknowledged it really dawned on me that I am losing my Caribbean culture. I dance with a close friend as part of a duo, Nafsi Dada, and looking back at the vast majority of our routines they have had a very Afrocentric aura. We are yet to do a Caribbean inspired routine. By Caribbean inspired I mean music and/or dance style.

The urge to develop my dance/choreographic skills has not been present until a few days ago. I began researching the "competition" if you may and I was not too impressed with that was available on Caribbean dancing. Jamaica has it on lock, yes, but that is with dancehall. In terms of southern Caribbean music i.e. soca there seemed to be only one woman who owned the arena. I'm not a hater. I'm just not fully impressed by her dancing. I shall spare you the details of my thoughts of her choreography and instead tell you about my personal challenge.

The desire to film choreography for Mongstar's Saint Lucia We Love has been steady. The problem was to develop the choreography itself. I struggled with getting something solid on the ground. I fiddled with the song for a month or two and still had nothing solid. I decided to listen to some other music from the region for inspiration.

I love my country but the truth is very little music produced locally has an international flare. Most of the music is thoroughly enjoyed and understood by Saint Lucians. I did stumble upon on song by Teddyson John (Take Over) that hit me the right way. I quickly got choreography done for the chorus of the song and knew this would be the one.

I think the choreography is not difficult or thoroughly challenging in the sense of learning it. For me it was a push out of my norm and into a combination of traditional/folk dance movements mixed in with a bit more modern moves. I am hoping to have the video recorded next month and possibly released in July. I believe the routine and subsequent video will be of an excellent quality and will be enjoyed by many all over.

The belief is that this will be a diving board which I can use to explore myself as a Saint Lucian/Caribbean women living overseas through dance, as well as hopefully bringing in a bit of revenue and an opportunity to perform for other Saint Lucians.

I Will Not Let An Exam Result Decide My Fate||Spoken Word

Journey of A Thousand Wines and Cheeses

I have decided to embark on a mission to learn more about wine and cheese. I purchased a book entitled Cheese and Wine: A Guide to Selecting, Pairing, and Enjoying by Janet Fletcher (photographs by Victoria Pearson). In celebration of nothing really I went to my favourite little joint Le Petit Bar to have a glass of wine, some cheese and charcuterie.

My housemates and I shared a cheese board and a meat board. For the cheese I selected Fleuron described as organic cow's milk blue veined, semi firm, natural rind, Les Fromagiers de la Table Rone, Quebec, salty, mushroomy, grassy, slighty granular texture. My housemates opted for the Provincial Smoke - thermalized cow's milk smoked cheddar, made in Quebec, cold smoked in Ontario, Provincial Fine Foods, Toronto, smooth and creamy with a smokiness that doesn't over power the cheddar flavour.

For the meat board one housemate opted for Spicy Chorizo which is spiced Spanish style dried sausage and Pingue Prosciutto which was from Niagara Food Specialities, natural, ethically raised pork, cured and dried for a minimum of 16 months. For wine I chose a white wine - 2011 Normanno, Insolia.

I preferred the blue cheese to the cheddar, although the after taste of the cheddar was more pleasant than the blue cheese. The cheddar was a bit sharp for me, while the blue cheese was more mellow. Hands down the chorizo was more enjoyable than the prosciutto. The wine was a bit mild and fruity. Enjoyable but not greatly satisfying. I believe for white wines my preference is Pinot Gris.

Til I eat again
-V

One Isn't A Lonely Number

I had a tough day at work today. True I've had worse, but when you have to take a 5 minute break because you're crying, it's pretty tough. I had been putting off going to my favourite little bar downtown partly because I had no one to go with and the other reason was because I was too lazy once I was done work at 8. I decided that I would go tonight. No excuses. I needed a glass of wine and just to relax...and not at home.

Once my decision was made I asked a couple of people if they would join me, hoping that one would say yes. I never got a no answer from either but decided I don't care, I'm still going to go. My work day finally ended and I got a ride to my spot. Went in, sat at a table (not at the bar - my dad taught me that ladies don't sit at the bar) and ordered my white wine. I don't normally drink white wine, but every so often I crave a semi sweet white wine. Tonight was one those nights. I ordered a cheese and meat board with chicken liver and thyme and mullet.

My meal for one was exquisite. I thoroughly enjoyed my company. I didn't take the chance to think deeply about anything that was floating on my mind. I didn't take the time to sit and plan what I would do with my life. I just sat back and relaxed, let myself unwind and let myself be at peace. The spot soon got a bit too crowded for my liking so I finished up my meal and headed home. A lovely stroll in the snow while I told myself a story built on possibilities. After all, those are the stories I believe in the most.

It truly was an enjoyable time. I'm glad I'm not afraid to spend time alone, with myself. I'm not scared or embarrassed of having a table set for one. And I know someone probably looked at me and said to themselves poor girl has no one to keep her company, which is actually the contrary to the situation. I'm sitting there going lucky me, I get to enjoy my silence.

Let Yourself

Let yourself be 

inspired 

to create, 

to express, 

to be.

New Year. New You.

It's January 1st 2013. Happy New Year.

All around the world there are people celebrating, hoping, praying and possibly dreading a new beginning, a new opportunity, a new life. I've never been big on New Years, usually hate it because I sit and think "Well Shani, what have you really done with your life? Hmmm NOTHING!" This year I was working so I guess I didn't have much time to be my usual cynical and slightly depressed self. But seeing everyone else's excitement made me think as I often do.

Each day should be a "new" for you. Why wait until January 01st to do something. Every day that you are alive and able is a day of new opportunity, a day of growth. Every day is a new day to try something new, to get better at something, to become a better person. I don't wait for January to say I'm going to stretching every morning, or I'm going stop drinking regular milk (as much as possible) and start drinking almond milk instead. No. If I feel like I'm ready for the change today or tomorrow or seven months, twenty one days, three hours and forty nine seconds from today, I'll make it on that day. There's no need to procrastinate your greatness. Make the change in the moment as you think of it.

Challenge yourself constantly to grow, to change for the better, to be stronger not just physically but mentally, emotionally, spiritually and psychologically as well. Challenge yourself to become the person you've always dreamed you could be.

Why wait for a new year when you can have a new day!

-Empress Vee.