First Time Purging?

Clutter seems to accumulate effortlessly but somehow it requires great effort to de-clutter…unless you are forced to do so in a rather creative way.

I was forced to, when I got up at 5.oo a.m. to a completely flooded house.  Wednesday morning, I got up at 1.30 a.m. thereabout, for some reason I could not go back to sleep. As I laid on my bed, I heard what sounded like rain, so I remained under the covers until it was time to get up to get ready for work, never questioning the legitimacy of my conclusion.  As I swung my legs off the bed, and hopped off the bed, there was a splash and I was standing in almost 2 feet of water!    

As I made my way out of the bedroom I realised that the source of the water flow came from the bathroom.  Immediately my mind started working overtime trying to determine how this catastrophe happened…what did I do or not do. I recalled coming home the evening before to “dry” taps, which it appeared, was the case for most of the day if not all.  I remembered it was the bathroom tap that I opened when I discovered the dried taps, it must have been that I forgot to close the tap back…or maybe I just took for granted that water would not return…

Now routines and habits are a heck of a thing…and those are the shit that my evenings are made of.  There are certain things that I have grown accustom to doing which has become second nature to me.  I never had to consider the consequences those routines and habits would have should something like this happened….not until I had to!

When I get home on evenings, after the usual stuff…eat, shower…relax…I get into my assignments which require me using my laptop…the laptop which I leave on the rug in the living room charging for the next day…get the picture?

Earlier in the week I was on the hunt for my passport, took out my accordion file with all my personal documents and intended to put it back where it belonged but it remained on the rug in the living room too! Yup…

I swept water throughout the entire house for at least 4 hours, had to solicit help to get the rug out the house and furniture removed in order to complete the task at hand.  By the time I was done I threw out four, maybe five bags of rubbish which consisted of bank statements from 2012 all the way to 2015, pay slips for the past four years, receipts for items I brought over the years,  school papers and assignments from secondary school and a few other items I can’t recall.   

I was forced to de-clutter my living space, something I had intended to do, at different times throughout the years but never got around to it….and obviously kept adding to it!  Now that I have, it’s so much clearer and spacious, easy to move around and more pleasing to the eyes. 

Flooded corridor!!!

I am not sure, now that it’s all gone, why I held on to all that crap for as long as I have…they were things that were no longer useful to me or my future, things that no longer added value in any way, things that I out grew over the years, memories that I no longer enjoyed in some cases…but yet I continued to make place for them.

I think that we as humans accumulate things…different things that seem important to us at the point in time; things that are sentimental in nature or just represents an era in our lives…and while that is important, it is also important to remember that every day we experience new things, met new people, create new memories and find new things that represent us or things that become important to us for one reason or the other….if we don’t rid ourselves of the old stuff, the stuff that no longer add value to our lives, we can never have room for the new things that can.

Having de-cluttered my physical space (by force) it’s time to make new memories…experience new things!

 

 

My First Real Experience with Science

I don't know about you but I always had two subjects that, well if I say I got low grades for,  that would be a gross under statement...Maths and Science was never my cup of tea. Went through my school years and always found a way to escape Science....Maths not so much...but Science I always found a way out...until recently.

 

So a few years ago I decided that my life wasn't complicated enough...that having a social life, being able to go to the gym, maintain a healthy diet and enjoy my alone time wasn't the way to go....it was time to get serious and qualify myself in the field I currently work in!

 

I enrolled myself at the College of Science, Technology & Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago (COSTAATT) in the BSc. Mass Communications Program. Now you have understand Costaatt's degrees are very holistic in nature so that when you complete the program you are not only knowledgeable about your specific field of studies but also about History, Introduction to Sociology, Psychology, Comparative Literature, Religion and the list goes on. I must say that most of these core courses I find enjoyable because my interactions with them in the past has been limited and in some cases I had no prior knowledge.

 

This semester I came face to face with Natural Sciences, there were no more avoiding this...I just had to man up and deal with it!  Its primarily meant to be an introduction to all the various areas of sciences...physics, biology, integrated science etc.  all of which I never had much interest in, now however,  I had to muster up some degree of interest if I wanted to pass this course....and since failure has never been an option to me...I had to change my perspective and develop a tolerance level for this thing called Science....sighhh

 

Four journals, one group assignment, numerous TedED videos and PPTs later...and I have to say this Science thing is growing on me....let's see how the semester ends shall we... 

 

 

FirsTime Jazz Experience

Peer pressure can be positive or negative…and my first time at Jazz on the Hill was born out of positive peer pressure! 

For weeks leading up to this event the hype and anticipation which was created by the tasteful, exciting and teasing adverts used to market the event captured my attention.  I thought, very briefly, every time the ad played on radio on my drive to work, “this sounds like it’s gonna be a good event...” and I’d remind myself to look into getting a ticket and see who I could get to go with me.   This went on for all of three weeks or maybe more, much like most of my feeble attempts to socialise.

Annalean and I at Jazz on the Hill

But of course, every thought you send out into the universe has the potential to become a reality….so two days before the event,  I got a phone call from Annalean, my friend, liming partner, confidant; inviting me to the event.  I was all ecstatic and rearing to go…after all it’s been weeks of me putting this out into the universe right?

This is where the positive peer pressure came into play…

The day came about, and I had lost my enthusiasm for an evening out; in true form I had changed my mind so many times throughout the day, it wasn’t funny at all.  Who the heck was Avery Sunshine?  Was this thing going to be a sit down affair?  Was I going to be bored thirty minutes there? Those were some of the questions I asked myself in an attempt to justify the lack of zest for an outing.

Annalean, however, insisted that I get up, get dressed and go to the event…and she wasn’t accepting NO.  She showed up at my home to help me dress and took me to Jazz on the Hill…

Now, I am a “soca baby”,  I love soca, carnival and especially the “All Inclusive” events…so while my interactions with other genres  of music was somewhat limited, it was more so with Jazz music.  However, I decided to keep an open mind and embrace the experience. 

It was a “Wear White Affair” theme, so almost everything was white! The setting was in keeping with what was advertised, the ambience was perfect for a cool Sunday evening and there was an array of activities happening in the form of visits to the various bars and food stations.  

Old and new friends

As I walked in, I saw familiar faces which I had not seen in a while. I reconnected with my girl JD and met new people by the end of the evening.

It was show time now….the headline act was about to take the stage….Ms Avery Sunshine if you will…never heard of her, had no experience with her music and was totally ignorant to her ability to deliver a stellar performance.  This lady had not just me, but the entire crowd on their feet moving to her music, she was so interactive and engaging, she literally brought the house down!  I was in awe at her talent, her ability to draw in her audience and to make jazz music so intriguing. 



Avery Sunshine doing her thing...

The night wasn’t over yet, we still had some local and Caribbean talent to enjoy in the form of Farmer Nappy and Arturo Tappin; both of whom I was familiar, one more than the other.  Nappy is a soca artist so of course I had more than enough experience with his music to at least have an idea what to expect, Arturo Tappin, however, I did not have prior experience on which to draw, he is a smooth jazz and jazz/reggae saxophonist from Barbados and while I have heard of him many times, I have never had the pleasure of seeing him in action…and a pleasure it was indeed!  He is simply amazing and a definite crowd pleaser…

I was glad that I fell victim to peer pressure in this instance because the experience was an eye opener for me as it allowed me to experience music in a brand new way and develop an appreciation for Jazz in a way I would never have had in the absence of Jazz on the Hill…

                                                                                                           

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First Time at Wakeboarding...

There was a time, not too long ago when I was very active and fit but then school and life happened so I fell off the wagon big time.  Recently, I saw a girlfriend put up a new profile of her doing what looks like an exciting water sport, so immediately I enquired as to how I would be able to try this.  Now I have to mention, I do have some degree of Aqua phobia.

So two or three  weeks later, I was in the water trying this seemingly fun and exciting activity.  You know how sometimes you look at things on TV…and think to yourself “that looks easy…I sure I can do that” until you actually do? Well that is the exact thing I experienced!

For those of you who are not familiar with Wakeboarding - it is a surface water sport which involves riding a wakeboard over the surface of a body of water. It was developed from a combination of water skiing, snowboarding, and surfing techniques. The rider (me in this case) is usually towed behind a motorboat at a speed that is informed by the board size, rider's weight, type of tricks, and rider's comfort.

First Experiences in Abu Dhabi...

Travelling to Abu Dhabi was one of the most rewarding experiences I have had to date… the experience made me question the meaning of familiar things and I had numerous first experiences.

I think I experienced some degree of a culture shock when I walked out the airport and begun my journey to where I would be staying.  In Trinidad we aspire to achieve “big houses”, it is one of the things by which success is judged.  By the time I got to where I was staying I had seen so many majestic structures which they called homes I was in awe…Trinidad most certainly did not have such big houses.  They were mostly brown in colour from the sand and not very shapely and seem to be owned by many!   It made me question our measurement of success.  

The people were friendly…kept most to what was familiar to them but engaged in conversation whenever Debra was out and crossed paths with them.  The women are exceedingly beautiful and the application of their eye make-up were spot on.  I thought that I would have experienced some level of discrimination or unwarranted negativity but my experience was far from that.  I have to mention that the men looked regal in their traditional wear and omg their hands and feet were well kept...and when I say well kept...I mean well kept! 

My Camel and Me!

I was told, no…actually I was warned about my dress code…but what I came to realise and appreciate is that while Abu Dhabi is Islamic they understood that for them to be one of the most sought after Tourist destination they would have to make some adjustments and I think they were successful in that they were able to find a balance which allowed they to achieve their objective and maintain they deep seated traditions.  So as a tourist I was able to wear my fitted jeans and tops which is what I packed!

I saw a bit of Dhabi in the movie Fast Seven but it did not do justice to the magnificent architect that resides in Abu Dhabi and Dubai!  It was fascinating to see some of the standing structures…there were a coin building close to where I stayed which upon first sight was awesome…when the sunset provided the backdrop for this building it was a sight to behold.

Debs and I on our Desert Safari

There were so many sites to see and things to do and as would be the expectation, tourist activities were expensive but I was able to go on a Desert Safari which surprisingly enough I had to wear a sweater to keep warm; petted and rode a camel which I found out is nothing like riding a horse, did Dune Bashing which was scary and excited all at once; visited the Great Mosque…omg this is a must visit location if ever you go…the experience was breath-taking; and of course I explored the malls which included the Al Raha, Yas and Dalma Mall…while at one of the malls, Dalma Mall I think, we were in a party store (which is what party stores ought to look like) I hear a trini soca playing on the radio…imagine all the way in Abu Dhabi I got a soca to wine to…"Who let the dogs out" – was the song. I also did some of their popular restaurants and ate some unusual stuff which I really can’t pronounce far less to remember how it’s spelt.  I saw ice cream made in the most unique way with what sounded like a rhythm out of Trinidad!

Did I mention I went to Ferrari World…one word…amazing!

In Full Abu Dhabi Wear

I saw and experienced so many things that has shaped my view and understanding of the Middle East, it was a very worthwhile adventure!

My First Time in Abu Dhabi

I have come to appreciate the concept of experiencing things for yourself before you cast a judgement and my recent trip to Abu Dhabi gave me my new for appreciation!    For as long as I could remember, travelling to the Middle East has been laden with negativity and misconceptions however based on my own personal experience I can correct the misconceptions…

I have been known to make decision on a whim and I have to admit there is some truth to that!  Earlier this year, seemingly out of the blue, I decided I need a break from the monotony that was life and school.  Thought of a Caribbean experience but, what the heck, if I was going to do this I might as well do it big....so I decided to go to London for a couple months and in between that time hop across and spend some time with my girlfriend and her family in Abu Dhabi!

The whole idea of London was familiar as it was not a first time experience for me.  I had been to before and have loads of family living there so it was no big adventure.  Abu Dhabi…now…that was definitely going to be an adventure!

It’s amazing how people have opinions and preconceived notions about things they’ve never experienced.  Notwithstanding, the fact that Abu Dhabi in and of itself has certain stigmas.  So, before I left I was told all sorts of things, given all sorts of warnings from the few people who knew what my whereabouts were going to be in the future…my dress code seem to be of grave concern!  “Make sure you cover up when you get there, before you get thrown in jail…jail there different” was one of the stern warning I received.

New Things....

Welcome New Things

Experiencing things for the very first time can be scary and empowering all at once.  So many of us get caught up with the hustle and bustle of everyday life that we forget the importance of embracing new experiences...we forget that the soul and spirit thrive on new experiences.  We deprive ourselves of the feelings that comes with each new experience no matter how insignificant it may seem at the time.

 

The aim of this blog is to share new things I will experience over the next few months and give some insight into the impact the experience have on me. 

 

I'm sure we're gonna have some crazy scary...fun loaded moments!!! 

 

There are loads of things I am yet to experience  - from outdoor to indoor activities, restaurants and simple things like yoga and meditation so its going to be an interesting and exciting journey....

 

I wonder what my first new experience is going to be....any suggestions?