What some women want...

After listening for years, here is the wisdom thus far: Some women want a wedding, while some want a marriage, some want a man that's already married. Some just want a man(companion) in their life, some just want a man to make a baby with, some want just the baby and not the man she made the baby with, some women want a man that's romantic, some want a man that loves her, some don't want a man at all...until they get old and realize their professional success won't suffice. The others are pretty much satisfied with where they are, wherever that is...

TRUE OR FALSE?

So today myself with the assistance of some friends on Twitter, Facebook and Blackberry Messenger conducted an informal survey: "Is it true or false that EVERY WOMAN has something about her body or a part of her body that she would change?" Of course one can guess the outcome, no then again maybe not everyone can accurately guess the outcome. I only received 7 False and yes A HEFTY amount of "True". Here is what got me though and I wasn't surprised about it; a lot, more specifically, majority of the ones that said "True" said that those who said "False" were lying. That to me shows a bit of envy and jealousy, for the fact that another woman has attained or claimed to attain physical security in herself. Also what it highlights is the selfishness of us humans in projecting our views onto the world. What many people over look is how we have been cultured through the influence of religious teachings especially from the Bible which advocate for the notion of imperfection (although I know the same Bible tells us how we were made in the image of God and fearfully made which is not pushed as much in my opinion) and that of the media (Hollywood and so forth). Why is it that we doubt the thought that man was made perfect in the light in which man was meant to be made, holistically, physically and individually?

Like Seriously?!

So let me get this straight...! Oh greetings! so as I was saying, here is hypocrisy showing its ugly head again in the land of wood and water. Lets talk about whats still being talked about...the video that showed the police killing the man in cold blood. Ok so that's wrong, point taken (Yes you see where I'm going with this already) but what of the woman (Miss Cherry Wilson) he stabbed to death moments before the police sent him on his way? People I am sorry but I have not a stone to throw on this one besides accepting the FACT that how the police went about it was wrong. NO NO don't tell me that's what everybody is saying because the truth is many are speaking of the incident as if he did not repeatedly stab her in the neck and chest, oh yeah how could I fail to mention that up until yesterday some people DID NOT even know he killed someone that day. I don't gamble (except with love) but I would bet my last dollar coin that if we heard the news that some man stabbed his common law wife to death and fled the scene we would all be mumbling and some shouting that "PEOPLE LIKE DEM DEH FI DEAD" well here it is folks, he's dead, and where are we? Yes that's right, sending the hero to the gallows. Wait wait, I AM IN NO WAY advocating  for the police and their crooked ways, no I'm just addressing this incident as is! http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Our-mother-s-death-is-being-treated-like-her-life-had-no-worth_785447

STORY TIME! GATHER AROUND CHILDREN - Drops of oil (story taken from 'The Alchemist' by Paulo Coelho pg 30-32)

A certain shopkeeper sent his son to learn about the secret of happiness from the wisest man in the world. The lad wandered through the desert for forty days, and finally came upon a beautiful castle, high atop a mountain. It was there that the wise man lived.

Rather than finding a saintly man, though, our hero, on entering the main room of the castle, saw a hive of activity: tradesmen came and went, people were conversing in the corners, a small orchestra was playing soft music, and there was a table covered with platters of the most delicious food in that part of the world. The wise man conversed with everyone, and the boy had to wait for two hours before it was his turn to be given the man's attention.

The wise man listened attentively to the boy's explanation of why he had come, but told him that he didn't have time just then to explain the secret of happiness. He suggested that the boy look around the palace and return in two hours.

"Meanwhile, I want you to do something", said the wise man, handing the boy a teaspoon that held two drops of oil. "As you wander around, carry this spoon with you without allowing the oil to spill."

The boy began climbing and descending the many stairways of the palace, keeping his eyes fixed on the spoon. After two hours, he returned to the room where the wise man was.

"Well,' asked the wise man, 'did you see the Persian tapestries that are hanging in my dining hall? Did you see the garden that it took the master gardener ten years to create? Did you notice the beautiful parchments in my library?"

The boy was embarrassed, and confessed that he had observed nothing. His only concern had been not to spill the oil that the wise man had entrusted to him.    

"Then go back and observe the marvels of my world" said the wise man. "You cannot trust a man if you don't know his house."

Relieved, the boy picked up the spoon and returned to his exploration of the palace, this time observing all of the works of art on the ceilings and walls. He saw the gardens, the mountains all around him, the beauty of the flowers, and the taste with which everything was selected. Upon returning to the wise man, he related in detail everything he had seen.

"But where are the drops of oil I entrusted to you?" asked the wise man.

Looking down at the spoon he held, the boy saw that the oil was gone.

"Well, there is only one piece of advice I can give you..." said the wisest of wise men. "The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon."

Threading the needle

Its been years since I have threaded a needle, did it recently and the experience came off as therapeutic. It evoked a sense of urgency (so the hole in my pants could be sewed) and patience. Patience because unless you're a Master Threader (if such a title exists, it sounds pretty neat you must admit) it requires some degree of stillness and precision. Stillness for the hand with the needle seeing it isn't necessarily the biggest hole and precision to get the snake through the hole when the opportune strike presents itself. It's as if you're moving fast but slowly. I thought about how much different or similar rather life is to threading a needle. The eye of the needle representing that small window of opportunity and having that stillness and patience to recognize when its your moment to move; being confused or in the case of some difficult threads that have split ends it makes it harder to go through that window of opportunity. Depending on how small that hole is, split ends may never make it through. Then there is the feeling of triumph (not really a New Year's Day celebration type thing) when you successfully thread the needle after some misses; similarly when you go through that window of opportunity after some misses (deserving of a New Year's Day type celebration); what tops that?  

Sunday Paradigm II

An awakened drunkard values being sober more than a sober man who has never been drunk
Its when you are truly prepared to live without anything you begin to value everything and chase nothing
Life is an experience we live through once but die within it many times
Don't confuse the man that is content with the one that is lazy; one smiles, the other wishes more could be done and does nothing
A lot of things divide us rather than unite us, but then who said unity was the aim of the day anyway
Politics leaves the noble restless the crooked free and the greedy adventurous
I wish Spain didn't win world cup
Curiosity killed the cat but gave greatness to the likes of George Alcorn, Emmett W. Chappelle and Albert Einstein
You came here will leave here so what will you do while you're here?
Dying while wondering "What if...?" is a miserable way to die...I haven't experienced death yet but I know I'm right
I really hope Brazil wins the next world cup
Laugh, think and laugh some more, share the thought share the laughter and value the days you cried so you laugh harder when you get the chance
Listen to all believe few and trust God
All emotions should be seen as necessary for a more fulfilling life
Neglecting or pushing aside the least desirable emotions is adding straws to the camel's back
Don't break now!

 

Puppet Master

So after reading the article in Sunday's Observer on the rich Jamaican under US probe http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Another-rich-J-can-under-US-probe_7726628 I couldn't help but remember what I was told in my teenage years by an elder "Drugs money run Jamaica". Now this gentleman was by no means a business analyst, or economist, so where did he get his authority from to make such a claim? Before I try to unravel all that lets speak to the obvious, Jamaica has a lot of retail stores and plazas!  I know Jamaican retailers overprice their goods, however, I wonder how some of these businesses are sustaining themselves when its evident just by observing that their selling power is little or non-existent? Please don't confuse window shoppers with buyers!! A number of organizations, not just in retailing have been and are staying afloat but how? (who cares right?) If we are going to REALISTICALLY address corruption, lets be practical! Oh just to declare, I AM NOT SAYING ALL BUSINESSES ARE INVOLVED IN ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES (had to do that for the critics). Regardless, my personal belief is that its nothing but dirty (blood, drugs, etc.) money that's keeping what we call an economy afloat. Prove me wrong and I will gladly correct my way of thinking. I found it amusing how Jamaica was all in a frenzy when the government claimed they were cleaning up garrisons (biggest joke since the idea that Obama was here to save the world) and Jamaicans quickly rallied around them and everybody became the modern day Malcolm X fighting and defending the cause. Now I really believe the man that told me "whatever project has to be done, the money can be found here in Jamaica, regardless of the amount". Yes oh land of wood and water!