Its that time of the year again when I don't need an excuse to not study but just have fun (not sure if I can do that this year)
I have been absent from blogging for months but now I am back and for good reason. My birthday is on 3 days, I am totally stressed out with my classes and studies, I was hyper-ventalating today in preparation for an exam, and I now wake up at 5am to study. Serves me right for going to an Ivy League school right!
Anyway, like I said, I am back and will do some posts regularly, like I use to. Now it is time for bed before the clock strikes nidmight and someone turns into a rat or something.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Memories: Happy Birthday Kalina!
It’s almost four years now since I have known Kalina and within that time, we have become fast friends. Of all the people I know in London, when I come for my summer visits, I spend more time with Kalina than any other of my friends. We have shared many good times and lots of great times over the years and I want to remember some of those times today, on the occasion of her birthday. A day, sad to say, even though I am in London, I will not see her. Kalina has been a wonderful friend and one I am happy for. She supports and believes in me unconditionally. Thank you K, for being a wonderful friend.
Following is a look at our years as friends in pictures, in random order, and not in the least a complete picture of the last four years.
Kalina and I pose for a pic on my farewell, July 2006.
One of us seem to have had too much to drink, the other too much to eat...can you tell?
The good old days...Luki, Kalina, Alex and me at my farewell, July 2006.
Kalina and I having a great time at the company's picnic, July 2006.
With Malaika at Nando's on one of our many trips there for lunch or dinner, 2005.
Office BBQ (which I am now famous for) June 2008.
Company's Christmas Party,December 2005.
Who can resist jumping to Linkin Park's music? "In The End' none of us can.
Chillin' out with a drink at the company's Christmas party, December 2005.
With some team members and some Mojitos at Wetherspoons at our usual haunt, the O2 Center, Swiss Cottage, N/ London. June 2008.
I must have said something really funny to get Kalina to laugh like that, but then, I am a funny guy, right?
With a friend Milos, have one on Oxford Street on a cold Friday night. June 2008.
On a beach in Northern Ireland, on our way to the Giant Causeway, March 2006.
Taking in the spectacular view from the cliff tops in Northern Ireland, March 2006
Following is a look at our years as friends in pictures, in random order, and not in the least a complete picture of the last four years.
Kalina and I pose for a pic on my farewell, July 2006.
One of us seem to have had too much to drink, the other too much to eat...can you tell?
The good old days...Luki, Kalina, Alex and me at my farewell, July 2006.
Kalina and I having a great time at the company's picnic, July 2006.
With Malaika at Nando's on one of our many trips there for lunch or dinner, 2005.
Office BBQ (which I am now famous for) June 2008.
Company's Christmas Party,December 2005.
Who can resist jumping to Linkin Park's music? "In The End' none of us can.
Chillin' out with a drink at the company's Christmas party, December 2005.
With some team members and some Mojitos at Wetherspoons at our usual haunt, the O2 Center, Swiss Cottage, N/ London. June 2008.
I must have said something really funny to get Kalina to laugh like that, but then, I am a funny guy, right?
With a friend Milos, have one on Oxford Street on a cold Friday night. June 2008.
On a beach in Northern Ireland, on our way to the Giant Causeway, March 2006.
Taking in the spectacular view from the cliff tops in Northern Ireland, March 2006
Salzburg Global Seminar: Night Out In Town
We went out one night of the week we were in Salzburg. We would have loved to go more often but we were too busy working on our projects to go out too often. Here are some of the highlights.
Joy plants a wet one on me while Bryan tries to figure out what he stumbled into.
Joy, Rosie (who will be at Columbia with me) Hans and I get together for a group shot.
Even quiet Jeffery made it out that night and joined Gaby and me here.
Hans, Rosie, Taioshi, Clara and Joy.
Clara, Gaby, Bryan and I pile in a cab on our way to the town,
Joy and I had lots of fun that night...
The party in full swing...Hilda is in the middle of the shot.
Pretty ladies all in a row...I really know how to pull them. Joy, Hilda, and Gaby.
The ever stylish Betty pose with me.
Joy plants a wet one on me while Bryan tries to figure out what he stumbled into.
Joy, Rosie (who will be at Columbia with me) Hans and I get together for a group shot.
Even quiet Jeffery made it out that night and joined Gaby and me here.
Hans, Rosie, Taioshi, Clara and Joy.
Clara, Gaby, Bryan and I pile in a cab on our way to the town,
Joy and I had lots of fun that night...
The party in full swing...Hilda is in the middle of the shot.
Pretty ladies all in a row...I really know how to pull them. Joy, Hilda, and Gaby.
The ever stylish Betty pose with me.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
My London Friends: Kami
Kami is a trini like me and we became friends quite by chance, but that is another story. We managed to spend quite a lot of time together whenever I am here and this trip was no exception. One of the highlights of my trip here was my first ever visit to Wimbledon and Kami and I made the trip. I was literally a dream come true for me as well as for Kami and we had a fantastic day, plus the weather was great, one of the best days ever for Wimbledon this Summer. We even saw Wimbledon legend Martina Navratilova giving an interview. It was a day well spent...I should do this every year when I come to London.
My London Friends: Kalina
Kalina and I have been friends from the first time I came to London in 2004 and we have remained friends over the years. I usually spend more time with her than anyone else because we work together, we go to movies every week together, and add to that regular visits to restaurants (Nando's) and pubs. Here is a look at some of our times together in London.
The Nando's experience, Kalina ready with a feast.
Putting my mouth where my food is, showing how it is done at Nando's.
Kalina's bf Ross joined us on this evening at Nando's for fun and food.
Two friends, a close up of our brilliant smiles.
Being the huge Lord of the Rings we are, Kalina and I made it a point to see the stage production before it closed in London and move on to Germany.
Waiting for the Balcony to be opened, we had some other fans get a shot of us.
Posing in front of one of the posters, the show was one of the most spectacular that I have ever seen.
The Nando's experience, Kalina ready with a feast.
Putting my mouth where my food is, showing how it is done at Nando's.
Kalina's bf Ross joined us on this evening at Nando's for fun and food.
Two friends, a close up of our brilliant smiles.
Being the huge Lord of the Rings we are, Kalina and I made it a point to see the stage production before it closed in London and move on to Germany.
Waiting for the Balcony to be opened, we had some other fans get a shot of us.
Posing in front of one of the posters, the show was one of the most spectacular that I have ever seen.
Birthday Galore: London 2008
I had the opportunity to share and evening with these two couples on the occasion of a pair of birthdays. (I think I was only asked so I would take pictures)Being the odd one out I was happy to be the unofficial photographer and we all had a good time over dinner and drinks.
The two couples, two set of best friends, a perfect evening.
The birthday couple, Shazarra and Jody: the reason for the evening.
Neisha and me pose for cute picture.
Shazarra, Neisha and me smile for the camera
Shazarra and Neisha, best friends in primary school back in Triinidad, the found each other in London after being out of touch for years.
Pete and Jody, best friends since they were thirteen, share a laugh
The two couples, two set of best friends, a perfect evening.
The birthday couple, Shazarra and Jody: the reason for the evening.
Neisha and me pose for cute picture.
Shazarra, Neisha and me smile for the camera
Shazarra and Neisha, best friends in primary school back in Triinidad, the found each other in London after being out of touch for years.
Pete and Jody, best friends since they were thirteen, share a laugh
Saturday, July 26, 2008
In Memory of My Father: 22 Years Later
Today is exactly 22 years to the day my father passed away, but I can still remember that morning as if it were yesterday. It was a morning filled with fear and uncertainty when we got that phone call from the hospital. As the day unfolded, many events played out, most of them best left unmentioned.
For most of my life when my father was alive, I never had a good relationship with him. This was mainly because I wanted him to be what I thought he should be. I used to hate him with a passion and I harbored these feelings for many years. being young, naive, and uneducated, I was unable to understand the man he was, and the circumstances that made him the person he was. I only saw all the negative aspects of his personality and focused on them entirely.
Looking back now, after all these years, I can now see how wrong I was in judging him for things he was not responsible for. Life was not good to him as a child growing up without the love and protection of a family. He endured years of abuse at the hands of relatives and villagers who took advantage of the fact that he was fatherless, and without a mother for most of his young life. He was worked hard and given food and nothing else. Even when he eventually lived with his mother in his early teens, the abuse continued. By this time he was scared physically and emotionally for life. These are just the surface of what he endured and some of the events that shaped his life as a young man.
After years of abuse, he could only react to what he had learned all those years. Eventually he fought back the only way he knew how, with violence. By the time he got married and had children, he did not know how to love and provide for them because he was never loved and provided for all his life. As children, we experienced his anger and violence over the years. I was fortunate to be spared much of that because I was very young. From those early years of my life, I can recall very little, but I do remember when the turning point came in my father's life, and as a result, in our family as well.
Both my parents became Christians when I was around nine years old and I can still remember that night. There was an immediate change in my father. He went from being an angry and violent man, to being a father who did his best to provide for his family the best way he knew how. The first thing he did was to begin building a proper house for us to live in. He was a hard worker and with his lead, we practically built our house on our own. He provided food, shelter, and clothing for us, basic necessities we never really had before.
During my early teenage years, I never saw the good in him. I was a confused teenager who wanted to experience life and felt restricted by my father. During this time, all my feelings of hatred and anger toward my father resurfaced and I wanted to get away from him as much as possible. When I was sixteen, I became a christian and my life, as well as my point of view changed drastically. I began for the first time, to see my father in a new light. I slowly began to understand him and what he had been through, and those events that had shaped his life and personality.
I saw him as my father who loved me and provided for me. I realized he did not really know how to show that love because he himself had never been showed love. In the next few years, i began to appreciate him for the change he had made in his life, and for the tremendous effort he was making to be the father he wanted to be.
I wanted to tell him that I loved him but I never knew how. I came close many times but I never did. I just did not know how. When my father died, I was filled with regret because I never showed my feelings for him. I never let him know how much I appreciated him, how much I admired him, how much, in many ways, I wanted to be like him, strong, confident, and proud. I wish I could turn back time and tell him I appreciate him for being my father, and for all he did, and tried to do for us. It is my single biggest regret to this day and something I have to live with for the rest of my life.
Today, at this point in my life, I wish he could see me and know how far I have come in life. I wish he could know that I am back in school and on my way to graduating from college. I wish he could know that I think of him and all that he went through in his short life. I wish he could be here to celebrate my life with me, to experience my joys and triumphs, to look at me and tell me he is proud of me. I can only wish.
Today I remember my father.
For most of my life when my father was alive, I never had a good relationship with him. This was mainly because I wanted him to be what I thought he should be. I used to hate him with a passion and I harbored these feelings for many years. being young, naive, and uneducated, I was unable to understand the man he was, and the circumstances that made him the person he was. I only saw all the negative aspects of his personality and focused on them entirely.
Looking back now, after all these years, I can now see how wrong I was in judging him for things he was not responsible for. Life was not good to him as a child growing up without the love and protection of a family. He endured years of abuse at the hands of relatives and villagers who took advantage of the fact that he was fatherless, and without a mother for most of his young life. He was worked hard and given food and nothing else. Even when he eventually lived with his mother in his early teens, the abuse continued. By this time he was scared physically and emotionally for life. These are just the surface of what he endured and some of the events that shaped his life as a young man.
After years of abuse, he could only react to what he had learned all those years. Eventually he fought back the only way he knew how, with violence. By the time he got married and had children, he did not know how to love and provide for them because he was never loved and provided for all his life. As children, we experienced his anger and violence over the years. I was fortunate to be spared much of that because I was very young. From those early years of my life, I can recall very little, but I do remember when the turning point came in my father's life, and as a result, in our family as well.
Both my parents became Christians when I was around nine years old and I can still remember that night. There was an immediate change in my father. He went from being an angry and violent man, to being a father who did his best to provide for his family the best way he knew how. The first thing he did was to begin building a proper house for us to live in. He was a hard worker and with his lead, we practically built our house on our own. He provided food, shelter, and clothing for us, basic necessities we never really had before.
During my early teenage years, I never saw the good in him. I was a confused teenager who wanted to experience life and felt restricted by my father. During this time, all my feelings of hatred and anger toward my father resurfaced and I wanted to get away from him as much as possible. When I was sixteen, I became a christian and my life, as well as my point of view changed drastically. I began for the first time, to see my father in a new light. I slowly began to understand him and what he had been through, and those events that had shaped his life and personality.
I saw him as my father who loved me and provided for me. I realized he did not really know how to show that love because he himself had never been showed love. In the next few years, i began to appreciate him for the change he had made in his life, and for the tremendous effort he was making to be the father he wanted to be.
I wanted to tell him that I loved him but I never knew how. I came close many times but I never did. I just did not know how. When my father died, I was filled with regret because I never showed my feelings for him. I never let him know how much I appreciated him, how much I admired him, how much, in many ways, I wanted to be like him, strong, confident, and proud. I wish I could turn back time and tell him I appreciate him for being my father, and for all he did, and tried to do for us. It is my single biggest regret to this day and something I have to live with for the rest of my life.
Today, at this point in my life, I wish he could see me and know how far I have come in life. I wish he could know that I am back in school and on my way to graduating from college. I wish he could know that I think of him and all that he went through in his short life. I wish he could be here to celebrate my life with me, to experience my joys and triumphs, to look at me and tell me he is proud of me. I can only wish.
Today I remember my father.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Canada: Baby Emily and Family Reunion
Paying attention to everything auntie Molly is saying.
Getting a nice oil rundown from grandma...what more can a baby ask for.
Grandma knows how to make this baby laugh.
The four family members hanging out at the mall, close to Camille's house.
Safe and comfortable in mummy's arms.
Daddy and baby Emily...they spend a lot of time staring at each other.
Molly at the mall, beautiful picture.
My long lost uncle Benjeman, one of my mother's only two siblings. I have not seen him before that weekend for over ten years
Baby Emily being held by her uncle Anthony, her dad's brother
Camille, the younger of my two sisters, and Jason, baby Emily's parents.
The family reunion. The first time in 10 years all of us have been in the same room together.
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