CityGirl

How cruel is CVM tv?  I should boycott their programmes!!  Can one television station be so inconsiderate? 

I’d basically resigned myself to the fact that I wasn’t going to be attending the Air Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival being held in Montego Bay later this month.  It was made easier by the fact that one of my best girlfriends is off the island and so I am spared the frustration of hearing her blow-by-blow plans for the festival.  The planned attire for each night, the fun she was going to have hanging out at our favourite resort in Mobay, the acts that she was going to see. 

When I heard her regretfully announced that due to an important event being held overseas, she’ll have to miss the Jazz Festival I breathed a sigh of relief and sent up a silent thanks  to Him for making my decision easier to live with.

I have deliberately avoided communications with the other girlfriends who I know are going.  Afterall there was no need to rub salt into the wound.

After back to back trips to the USA in November and December, dispensing of expensive gifts to loved ones during the xmas season, checking into favourite resort in Montego Bay for the New Years weekend, I thought I needed to ease up on the spending.  Add to that, anticipated escallation cost of my new apartment, construction which is due to be completed early this year,  planned USA trip in two months, tentatively planned trip to the England/Europe in the summer months, Jazz Festival was definitely not a good idea.

So I was fine with my decision.  Congratulated myself for being able to exercise restraint.  Consoled myself with the fact that the stock market index was on the rise and the money that I’m saving from not going to Jazz Festival (hotel and tickets) could boost my portfolio.

So what if I really wanted to see Earth, Wind and Fire?  And what if Kenny Rogers and Michael Bolton was going to be there?  The line up still wasn’t as good as last year when I saw John Legend, Air Supply, Patti Labelle, James Ingram, Morgan Heritage, Al Green and many more. 

Yep, I was cool.  Until CVM TV, that insensitive corporation decided to show highlights of 2006 Jazz Festival.  Sigh.  So I was reminded once again that Jazz Festival is really more than seeing the acts.  It’s the lyme, the atmosphere, it’s just being out of town for a long, fun weekend, sleeping by the beach during the days,  imbibing coconut rum and pineapple juice, pinacolada with rum,  wearing minimum clothes, ogling hot looking men who converged on the second city for the festival.   

And then there are the nights.  Nights filled with wonderful music, more ogling of hot-looking men, eyeing Jamaica’s who’s who, and who’s with who.

Unfortunately I’m unable to tear my eyes away from the tv, unable to switch channels, as distressing and painful as it is.   Who could switch channels when John Legend is on anyway?  Or Shaggy?  (and I’m not just talking about the music now!).  Who could switch channel when Air supply is on (now talking about the music).

So while watching, I’m mentally calculating how much the cost will be if I decide to squeeze in another event.    

If only I wasn’t so generous over the xmas season. 

Why is it that our beloved comedic actor Oliver Samuels has no ‘respect’? 

I’m reading the Sunday Gleaner where he wrote a tribute titled ‘Mi fren Charlie’ to  dearly departed Charles Hyatt and just cracking up with laughter even while feeling a little sad at the passing of another local cultural icon.

In his own inimitable style Oliver urged Mass Charles to hail up the otherJamaican theatre luminaries who have departed, such as Miss Lou, Mass Ran among other and then closed with, ”Tek care me eediat fren.”

Nice tribute.

Safe travel Charlie, go entertain the angels by regaling them with stories of when ‘yu was a bwoy’.

This afternoon on my way out, I saw a young man heading towards the front door of my company, obviously on his way inside.

I stopped and held the door open.  I was really expecting him to take hold of the door and then allow me to pass.  What was I thinking? 

He pushed pass me (still holding the door) without a backward glance.

Now I can’t say that if I got $10 for each time that happens, I’d be able to resign my job, but I can say that it would definitely pay a few bills.

I have found that this ‘malady’ isn’t just restricted to the uneducated or the lower income males though.   It reminded me of a ‘date’ I went on a few months ago.

The young man in question is a rising star in his company, Vice President of his area, frequently on radio shows advancing his company’s position on critical issues that abound.

We agreed on a particular time and I was dressed and rearing to go when he called half hour after the agreed time.  No apology for his tardiness, he advised that he’d be there in the next 15 minutes.  Strike one against him.

That should have been a warning but even though I toyed with the idea of telling him to stay home, he sounded so pleasant and friendly that I really didn’t have the heart.

Some time later (again past the agreed time) he called for directions.  After several phone calls (and apparently wrong turns) he called again to confirm that he was at the correct address and to advise that he was outside.

I told him to inform the security personnel who he was visiting and he would be directed to where I am.  A few seconds later I stepped outside. 

Surprised at not seeing his vehicle I called.   To my utter shock, the man was parked outside my apartment, in the middle of the road.   Obviously no one informed him that the decent thing when taking someone out was to go inside and not park on the street!    Wow, I wasn’t even requesting that he get out the car.  Apparently even driving inside the complex was too much for him.  Strike two against him.

Thoroughly pissed off, I picked my way (in my stilletos) outside to the car.   Masking my annoyance, we managed to have a pleasent conversation on the way to the venue where I was faced with a dilema.

Now, I’ve discovered that there are guys who will walk around to the passenger side and open the door.  And then there are the guys who don’t.

Based on the start of the evening, it really shouldn’t have difficult deciphering which category my date belong to.  Still I didn’t want to assume.  

 A flash bulb went off in my head and I fumbled with my shoes.  I thought that if I pretend to ‘fix’ my shoes I’d be spared the embarassment of looking silly while waiting on the door to be opened for when the date has walked off (this has happened before) and I wouldn’t run the risk of offending the (hopefully) galant young man if he did come around to open my door.

So much for hoping. 

My date was standing waiting impatiently. Oh well. So we start walking towards the place. It still surprises me that a lot of men seem not to know the proper way to walk with a lady. Apparently he  was one of those not in the know. So, there we were walking on the street with him walking on the inside instead of the other way around.   Another strike against him.

Maybe they should have a Taking Out A Lady 101 class for guys when they reach 5th form or something.

The date was doomed before it even started.  He called every day for the next two weeks. 

Needless to say, I ignored all his calls. 

Ps:  I wish someone could tell me how I can change the font colour. 

There are some really boorish men out there and I hate them!

Why is it that when some men (yes, those of the boorish persuasion) see a woman driving a big vehicle, they immediately assume that she can’t handle it?  They don’t make those assumptions with other men!

So today’s a typical example.  I drove my sports truck into the parking lot of the bank that I was going to do business in.   Having spotted an empty spot near to the entrance, I stopped, lined up the vehicle and was about to reverse in.

“Hey yu cyan back een so, yu ago lick the cyar!” someone hollered.

Now, I’m definitely not aversed to getting help when I need it.  There are times when I have difficulty seeing the area, car nearby etc and I’d ask someone if I’m fine. 

Today wasn’t a situation like that.  I had a good view of the spot I was going into.   I was so pissed that it took everything that I had not to respond with some $!@#!$.   If he thought there was some risk of me hitting a vehicle and had pointed that out in a polite manner it wouldn’t have been so bad.

Anyhow, I ascertained once again that I was indeed fine, stared daggers into his chest, uttered a silent curse and continued parking.  Wretch!

On a more pleasant note:

There’s a Jamaican girl in Donald Trump’s The Apprentice this season.  Her name is Muna Heaven.  Yeah!  I hope she doesn’t embarass us by being an Omarosa!  Sundays at 8pm on NBC is now a must-watch.

Update: 1:41am

I just went on the bloggie awards site and voted for this blog in the photo category. Nomination closes later today, so hop to it!

I no longer do resolutions.  They seem too temporary, like they’re made just to be broken. 

I have affirmations or themes to guide my actions.  The themes for 2007 are:

a) Embracing challenges and facing fears and

b)Maintaining and building relationships.

I think it’s important for people to see themselves as a bit of a work-in-progress.   It really doesn’t mean that you hate yourself or there’s a deep-seated dissatisfaction.  It’s really about accepting that you’re not perfect, recognising flaws and working on them and just generally improving ourselves.

The improvement doesn’t even have to be a major transformation.  It doesn’t even have to be academic like doing a Phd. 

It can be as simple as being more honest in dealing with people or be more accepting of others’ differences.  Or picking up a new hobby, learning a new skill. Simple things like that.

So this year I’m going to run towards the things that I fear.  Some of these phobias are recent and have literally created a prison around me.  Like my fear of driving over Flat Bridge and along the BogWalk gorge.   Or my fear of heights which has prevented me from travelling on the Portmore Highway.  I heard someone mention that it’s high and as a result I’ve kept my distance.   Enough already, I refused to be confined to Kingston in my driving.

I’ve always tried to be objective and honest and I’m going to try even harder this year.   However this ‘honesty’ has costed me a close friend in 2006.  Like everything else, there’s need for balance.  Even while being truthful, I need to be cognizant of the fact that some ‘truths’ are difficult to accept.  So I need to be more sensitive to people’s feelings.  Especially those that you love and want to keep.  I’ve always found this balance difficult to attain.

A good friend of mine who’s much older shared with me her pain over remarks that her 20 year old son made to her.  I listened to her, and thought about the times when I’ve said hurtful things in anger to people that I love and winced inside with regret.  I’m going to make a conscious effort to be careful about the things that I say when I’m angry.  The spoken word can’t be recalled. 

What’s the point of hurting the people you love just for a few seconds of satisfaction anyway?  You feel terrible as soon as the anger has dissipitated.   So that’s why relationship is going to be another focal point for me this year.

On another note:

I have been using this week to chill, catch up on blogs that I haven’t been able to read over the holidays,  visit blogs from people whose comments I haven’t acknowledged.  It’s such a pleasant surprise to check out the blog of a ’new’ visitor to your blog, spend some time reading, realize that you like it and having decided that you’re going to add it to your list of frequent reads, check out the person’s blogroll.  Only to find that they’ve linked you already.  Thanks Adrian. I like reading you too