What A Gwaan!

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

It's day four of me being unemployed, it doesn't feel too bad right now, as I feel like I'm just on vacation. However, despite the fact that I plan to enjoy these weeks, I still keep it in the back of my mind that this is not just vacation. Nevertheless, I have been trying to enjoy myself so far, and enjoying these days of freedom... hoping that they won't be too much as I still will eventually need to earn my daily bread. So what have I been up to? Lets recap...

Reggae Falls St. Thomas

On Saturday morning I was awakened by a phone call on my cell, it was my friend asking me if I'm not getting up to get ready for the trip. Yes, it was time for our traditional trip to Reggae Falls in St. Thomas. For several years now my friends and former coworkers make the trek to Reggae Falls for a big cookout in the riverbed and of course some swimming under the falls. So I jumped out of bed and got my self ready and we all headed out to enjoy a day at the river. The trip was great, a good day spent frolicking in the water, eating all kind of food and of course enjoying the company of friends.

On Sunday I had my first photo shoot. I was so excited and anxious about this photo shoot. Being my first, I didn't have much idea of what I was going to do. Furthermore, all I had was my camera and a speedlight on camera. Nevertheless, my model and I went out and made the best of the time as we both were amateurs. I took several photos and got quite a few good shots. I am hoping to get a remote and trigger for my flash and an umbrella set so I can get a bit more creative. I definitely will schedule another shoot when I get the equipment and do a real serious shoot. Sunday night it was time to head out with some friends to Hellshire for an evening of liming, fried fish and festival. It was a great evening, had some conch & crayfish soup, fried parrot fish, festivals and some cold Red Stripe to wash it down. Played some dominoes, chatted and rocked to a great mix of 80's, 90's and lover's rock music. Time certainly flies when you have fun, and by the time we noticed it was midnight. Unfortunately some of my friends have work (hehehe) and we had to leave before the "dashout time" called Preny's on the Beach. The worse thing is that the half naked girls started to come in already, suh yuh know dashout time did ready fi start! But I had to go home to, I didn't pack yet.

[beep, beep, beep] That was the alarm clock, going off at 6:00am on Monday, it was time to get ready to leave. I was so tired, as I only went to bed about 4:30am after packing since about 2:00am. I had an 8:00am flight to New York. So I jumped up and dash into the shower got ready and headed out to the airport. I had already done my Web check in after coming home from Prendy's, so I had up to at least an hour to arrive at the airport. I didn't get breakfast as I expectedAir Jamaica (soon to be Spirit of Jamaica) to be delayed. Surprise! They were on time! I had to run to catch the plane, as my name was being called over the PA system by the time I cleared immigration. So you know who didn't get to grab breakfast and of course Air Jamaica has cut out the warm breakfast they usually served. So all I had to eat was a cup of coffee in a Styrofoam cup and four tea biscuits that they served on the flight. That God it was no more than a thee hour flight!

So now I'm in New York, relaxing a bit, not much plans so far, just relaxing for this first week. I will not be doing much shopping this time for obvious financial reasons. However, I do plan to spend some of my dwindling resources on camera equipment as I am hoping to take my photography to another level... financial level too! I will let you know how that goes. You can check out my latest photos at my flickr page and let me know if they good enough for the money. Now I need to go visit some blogs before I start editing those photos from the shoot. Later mi peeps.

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D60 in the City

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Time Square New York (taken with the Nikon D60)

Wow, it's amazing how quickly two weeks can go by when you are on vacation! It seems as if it was just a few days ago I stepped on American soil, and look I'm about to shake off the dust from my feet and head to my country of citizenship. But such is life, I guess the saying is true, "time really flies when you are having fun"... or not at work! However, this is not the end of my vacation as I don't go back to work until another week and a half. So I will still have time to relax and enjoy my new Nikon D60. The GF will be on vacation too so I will have company to go on my excursions, and I have noticed that she is slowly getting used to... or should I say tolerate my insatiable desire to take photographs of every and anything I see.

Exhibit at the Metropolitan of Art (taken with the Nikon D60 - no flash!)

I gave my camera a test run in the city and at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Saturday and it certainly lived up to my expectations! The camera even took great photos in low light conditions without the use of the flash. I took photos like crazy! I was snapping away like an excited little child with a brand new toy! But aren't we all like that when we get something we have been wanting? The camera has a lot of features, settings and controls, so I have a lot to learn. I have been reading the manual to familiarize myself with all these new, somewhat overwhelming features. But I guess it takes time, so as I learn I will experiment. I still haven't gotten myself the zoom lens as yet so I am still confined to closeup photos and portraits. Until I get the zoom lens my nature photography which involve animals will have to be put on hold as wild animals don't know how to just relax and pose for a picture! I am still hoping I will get it though... almost US$200 which is a lot of money in these hard times! Now I hope I'll get random people to pose for me so I can practice my portrait skills... better yet, any volunteers?

Now I need to get to the worse park of travelling, packing. It shouldn't be hard this time I didn't do much shopping, even though I do have several food items complements of my mother, sister and a family friend. So I will just have to ensure that none of the suitcases are overweight... this time!

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Mr. Snowman and the Nikon D60

Friday, March 6, 2009

My first Snowman

Hail crowd of people! It seems as if I haven't dropped post in a while! So what have I been up to? Well, I went out into the snow that remained on the ground for some time after the storm, in fact there are still patches of snow all over the place. I just couldn't resist the opportunity to go out with my camera to take photos. However, my outdoor experiences were not limited to just photography as I made my first snowman.... Well I had my first attempt at making a snowman. It was a small one though, only about 9 feet inches (thanks Pepper) tall and I had to improvise to make his facial features. But it was fun nevertheless, I was almost a kid again... hmm, did I really grow up? You can see more of my winter photos at my photoblog.

On Thursday it was down into the city, to explore... well not really, I still had that Nikon D60 on my mind. It was over US$500, but I really wanted this camera. It took a while and some serious consideration, but I made up my mind to just get it. After all, a few hundred of the camera money was earned right here on this site... shhhh nuh tell nobady! I went to BH Photos down in the city to get my camera as it has been recommended by my sister and some of my fellow bloggers. That store was like a photographers heaven, the had everything a photographer, professional and amateur would desire... except my Nikon D60. I was crushed, now my dreams of getting my camera were dashed. As I walked along the cold New York streets, a bright light shone from the side of one of the tall skyscrapers, it was the J&R store! So I wasted no time and it was full speed ahead to J&R. Not getting the camera at BH was a blessing in disguise, as I got the camera at J&R cheaper and was able to hustle a camera bag for a discounted price too! I only got one lens though, the 18mm-55mm which doesn't have much zoom. So now I plan to get the 55mm-200mm telephoto lens as some money has found it's way to me (thank you Mommy and big sis). Despite having to use the viewfinder to take photos instead of the display screen, I love this camera, the picture quality is fantastic! So without further ado (drumroll), here is the new Stunner Nikon D60!

My Nikon D60 and Camera bag

Tomorrow it's off to the city once again, this time to take a small tour to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and other places. I wanted to check out Madame Tussauds Wax Museum as suggested by GC, but it's a bit pricey. So I will check it out the next time I head to NYC, possibly in the summer. Well it's late and I have a lot of walking later in the day and a lot of reading in the night as I have your blogs to catchup on. Likkle more!

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White!!!

Monday, March 2, 2009

A view of the neighbours yard and the street.

Yes that's exactly how I would describe outside when I woke up this morning. Snow was everywhere, and not just light covering, several inches of snow! Snow was on the walkway, on the ground, on the trees, on the roofs, it was even on the windows trying to come in! I saw snow the last winter I came to New York but that was nothing compared to this.

My boots surrounded by walls of snow

I think the snow was over 6 inches high as my Tims sunk deeply in the white puffy layer of fluffy snow. It is not that bad to me right now, but I feel it for all those people who have to get out of bed and make their way to work in hostile, hazardous conditions like these. The most I did was to go outside to take a few pictures, and even that was hard. I only went out twice to take pictures. Why twice? Well within five minutes my hands were so cold and numb i couldn't even feel the shutter button! I have a greater appreciation for my climate now, as the most I have to face is heavy downpours of rain in the rainy season. Snow like this only serves on purpose, for couples to cuddle in bed and find ways to keep each other warm (wink wink).

Things should be warming up be the weekend, and I really hope it does as I have a few places to go and a few things to get before I fly out of this freezer to warmer temperatures.

PS: I will be posting more photos on my photoblog.

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Up Inna Di Cold!

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Whhaaiiiii it cowl! I know I posted about how Jamaica was cold a few weeks ago, but that was like being in 96 degrees in the shade compared to the temperature here in New York. At first when I came up here, it was very cold, but it just seem to be getting colder and colder as the days progress. Yesterday, I heard on the news yesterday that a cold front was heading to the New York area and today it certainly did! It even started from Saturday evening. The forecast even went as far as predicting a snow storm, 6 to 13 inches of snow! I woke up to flurries on Sunday morning but I keep hearing the worse is yet to come. So as I sit here in the warmth of the house, I am gearing up myself to see more snow than I have ever seen before. So if that materializes, then you can expect to see quite a few snow pictures, heheheh.

Last night I had my first visit to Red Lobster and I totally enjoyed it! The food was great, and I ate my belly full. I had a dish which comprised of grilled salmon and shrimp fettucini and mashed potatos. I had to ensure I limited my intake of shellfood as I am somewhat allergic to shellfood, so I had to mix my seafood. This was preceeded by ceaser salad and some of the tastiest buscuits I have ever tasted. To wash this down, I had a tall glass of mudslide. It was certainly a feast, so much so that I couldn't even deveour the entire main course. I hope this doesn't throw me too much off course with my getting lean diet. I hope all of what I'm eating don't make me put on too much as I have not even done one act of exercise, not even in my mind!

I haven't done much shopping, just a few items, as I didn't plan to do much shopping. I am still hoping to get my Nikon D60, but parting with so much cash these days is making me have second thoughts. Later this week I hope to go down to the city to check out some camera stores. Until then I will keep considering and budgeting and watch the snowflakes accumulate.

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Closed!

Saturday, January 17, 2009

It's now even more official than it was before when I saw the news on TV, Circuit City and circuitcity.com is closing down. I actually believed when I saw the news, but the reality really hit me today when I went searching the idea of the price for a new printer. I went on their website at circuitcity.com only to find the page in the picture above with the opening statement below.

Circuit City would like to thank all of the customers who have shopped with us over the past 60 years. Unfortunately, we announced on January 16, 2009, that we are going out of business.

Please check back later for updates about the status of our website. In the meantime, we hope the information below will help answer most of your questions.

It was so, surreal, one of the biggest electronics retail store in the USA is really shutting down. One more piece of evidence to show how bad things are in the US and the world economy as businesses not only cut staff, but are also shutting down. I can just imagine all the people who will be out of a job as Circuit City is a very large chain, 567 stores in fact, with many employees. I remember they even opened a store in the Bronx while I was vacationing in New york just last summer, and now this! It's a really frightening how this economic downturn is progressing with no end in sight.

On the flip side though, if you are looking to buy some electronics and on a serious budget, as we all are, then now is the right time to buy from Circuit City. They are having liquidation sales at all of their 567 stores. hopefully I can source a deal for my camera and a new printer at one of these sales is the stores in the are of new york I normally visit haven't closed down by now.

Despite the short term apparent benefit for me with the liquidation sales, its a frightening prospect seeing such a large, seemingly strong store closing its doors and leaving so many people without their daily bread.

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Back from Foreign!

Friday, August 15, 2008

Yes my friends, as indicated by the song above, my tour in "Foreign" has come to an end and I'm back on Jamaican soil. Isn't it so fascinating how much time flies when you are on vacation and having fun? Now I'm back on the rock and with not even a second to spare as I am back on the daily grind for Backra Massa bright and early Saturday morning.

My Flight down wasn't too bad, where time was concerned. I had a connecting flight at Montego Bay and I experienced only an overall delay of about one and a half hours. The flight from New York to Montego Bay was operated by North American Airlines, an let me tell you I have never flown on a plane that made so many scary noises! I staying far from dem old plane deh! I even experienced some serious turbulence that spilled about a quarter of my coffee and mimosa! One thing I have noticed though from my flights on North American and Delta Airlines is that their pilots don't fly as gently as our Air Jamaica pilots. Maybe it's just my imagination, but those pilots rough wid the landing. An Air Jamaica "loyal" passenger like me not used to such rough treatment.

Anyway I have work in the morning suh m nah tarry!

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Dark Knight

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

So after seeing the trailers that flooded the TV screens and the Internet, reading the countless comments and reviews, I decided I wanted to go to the movies to watch the much hyped Dark Knight. I had great expectations going to see this movie, after all the trailers were fast pace, heart pumping and action packed. And the reviews were enticing, not to mention the huge turnout at the box office, this movie must be the best thing since Spiderman!

So on Saturday I went to the Cinema in the Cross County Shopping Center to watch this most touted summer block buster. Well, after watching the movie, I was speechless, not because the movie was so great, but because I don't really know how to describe the movie. First of all it didn't live up to my expectations, based on how the media, trailers and reviews hyped it up to be. I expected more action scenes and some kick-ass fighting scenes, but that was not fulfilled. The overall story line was good, but the only problem I had was the extremely minor role Two-Face played in the movie. The movie wasn't boring, yet it wasn't exhilarating, as it was just enough to keep you interested from the beginning to the end.

The late Heath Ledger, as said by many, did put on a good performance as the Joker. It was kinda weird watching a new release with a dead actor though. This new interpretation of the Joker was definitely different from what I was used to! He was pretty darn demented and evil, but a very clever mastermind, who brought Gotham to its knees.

Overall, I think it was a pretty decent movie. Even though it did not live up to my expectations, I didn't feel like it was a waste of money to watch it at the cinema. If you wanted to go to the Cinema to watch it, you should go as it's not a bad movie and of course i am not a professional movie critic. I give it a Stunner rating of 3.5 out of 5, partially due to it's failure to live up to my expectations.

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Passenger's Log, Air 'Always Delayed'

Monday, July 28, 2008

04:15 am: Stunner's alarm goes off and after snoozing the alarm for 10 minutes I finally get up out of bed. hop in the shower, make some coffee, check and double checked, then it was off to the Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA).

06:15 am: I arrived at NMIA, and was greeted by an everlasting check-in line that seemed to never end. So being the Stunner I am I stepped past than pathetic line. Well, no I'm no big shot at the Airport and no I can't afford Fist Class. The night before I decided to try the Air Jamaica Web-check-in, so I proceeded to the web check-in line which only had 3 persons it. While in the line I received a text message that the flight to Montego Bay was delayed by 1 hour. Yes, travel savvy Stunner signed up for light notification. One hour delay was no biggy, I was expecting that so it was off to the waiting lounge. My, my NMIA has certainly changed, escalator, elevator, conveyor belt! Wah, we have first world airport deh though!

08:30 am: The plane taxi's down to the runway and we were off to Montego bay to catch the connecting flight to New York! Stunner still has a smile on his face.

09:30 am: The plane arrives at Sangster International Airport and I'm sitting in the departure lounge waiting to board the next flight. An announcement rings out on the PA system, "...flight number 'now delayed again' will not be leaving until 11:00 am, Air 'Always late' apologizes for the inconvenience." by this time passengers have started to quarrel and bicker in true Jamaican, Air Jamaica passenger style. But not Stunner, I expected this, I just plug in my cell phone's headset and listed to some Fame FM and chatted on the phone to my friends.

11:00 am: Another announcement rings out, "... flight number 'delayed even more' will not be leaving until 4:30 pm, Air 'Always late' apologizes for the inconvenience." What the ra.., by now the tiredness has started to set in and I'm crossed nu ratid! Well, at least I wasn't the only one upset as several passengers started to voice their opinion about the dutty, tinking ... I mean Air Jamaica.

12:00 pm: Another announcement rings out, as Air Jamaica being bitten by its conscience decided to treat us to lunch. Well it was the least they could do for such an unreasonable delay. frankly I would prefer a half of my air fare back! But for this cash strapped airline, that would definitely be a resounding no. So we were off the the Sunset Jamaica Grande Sunset Beach Resort, 5 bus load of hungry, tried, frustrated passengers. I was really hoping it would be lunch and bed, but that too was just a dream, as I had to just settle for lunch. Well, wanting to get my money's worth stunner made full use of his day pass arm band. Lunch buffet style, I sampled a bit of every thing! All the meat, all the starch, all the vegetables. When i was done, it was back for the pastries, then the fruits. Nope, arm band nuh done yet, the bar was open and so was my appetite and off to the bar I went. By 2:oo pm Stunner was fast asleep on one of the chairs in the hotel's lounge area, gut full, back slumped down in the soft cushion, head phone in ears, one foot on my hand luggage (primarily for security reasons, lol), and a half glass of Amaretto Sour on the table.

03:00 pm: I was awakened by a fellow passenger, as the buses had arrived to transport us back to the airport to catch the 4:30 flight. After waiting about 15 minutes for the stray passengers who seemed to have forgotten about their flight and wondered off on the hotel's property, the bus finally rolled out.

04:00 pm: After circling the entire airport to get the liquor I purchased at NMIA I was in the departure lounge once again. Why did I have to circle the airport? Well as I had purchase liquor I had to leave it at customs before leaving the Sangsters Airport. When I arrived from the hotel, I had to check-in again, go through security, proceed to the waiting lounge, go through the gate, down the arrival ramp to customs, up back the arrival ramp in the opposite direction of the arriving passengers and finally back through the gate and to the departure lounge.

04:30 pm: I finally boarded the plane with my fingers crossed that there will be no more delays, as I have experienced a delay, before, of an hour while seated on the plane.

05:00 pm: The plane finally taxi's down to the runway and finally after a nine and a half hour delay, I was on my way to New York.

Now I really think I need to kick Air Jamaica to the curb and as Owen said, leave this "abusive relationship" and fly with another airline. Dutty, tinking,...

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Di Plane Land!

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Finally, I am in New York after e lengthy delays caused by Air Jamaica kept me at bay in Jamaica for a ridiculously long time. Yes I know what you must be saying, "But it's Air Jamaica, what do you expect?". Well, yes I did go to the airport expecting the flight to be delayed, but not as long as it did! I will give you that story on Monday. But I'm glad I reached safely and now it's time for me to explore and shop New York style, even though I am on a strict, meager budget. Until Monday you can enjoy my theme song for the trip, Richie Spice, "The Plane Land".

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NY Here I Come!

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Can you hear that? Can you feel that? Can you see it? Well if you can't then you don't have it right now! What the hell is dat bwoy Stunner talking about? Well, as of today I am officially on VACATION!!! Yes my friends, no work, no reluctantly leaving my house to go to my place of employment, sleeping as late as I want, staying up as late as I want and the time to do whatever I want including just lazing around. Well, this is my second vacation of the year, the first I spent it in Jamaica so now it's off to New York! So I will be leaving the rock bright and early tomorrow morning destined for the Big Apple.


I think though that sometimes, I am a sadistic person who love to inflict pain and suffering on myself. Well, I must be, because once again I am taking Air Jamaica, which means I will be subjecting myself to the possibly of lengthy delays and the resultant frustration and aggravated mental state. Fortunately I can convince myself that I am not as being a struggling young professional (just like the phrase), Air Jamaica had the best price of all the airlines at the time for the period I wanted to travel. So due to my financial disadvantaged state, I have to pt up with the Air Jamaica foolishness to get to my destination.

Delays or not I have to get up by 5 am for my 7:30 am flight, yes that's the cheapest fare I could get as Air Jamaica flights have different prices for the same day. So I need to go pack... no mi nuh pack yet. Since I am on vacation, I should have more time to blog, well... between shopping and having fun. So until I next drop a post, wish me a safe flight!

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Rich Bitch!

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Everyday I read the news about American rich people and celebrities I get pissed. The latest is the case of New York real estate mogul Leona Helmsley and her pooch Trouble. According to the New York Post, Helmsley died and left her dog with a $US12 million trust fund! What the hell! How the hell does someone leave a mutt a $US12 million trust found? It's a damn dog! This creature doesn't know how to appreciate $US12 million, he can't invest it into real estate, buy flashy cars or go shopping for designer clothes! However, this crazy woman deiced to instead of using this money for a worthwhile purpose that would benefit so many people, yes humans, who are suffering and in need of some financial help she decided to give it to a dog. But wait, it gets better, or should I say worse!

Trouble does not stay in a little kennel like most dogs, oh no, this pooch lives in a 28 room Connecticut estate! [How much rooms does your house have?] If you think you pamper yourself and enjoy the finer things in life at times, you are wrong my friend. Why? The estimated cost of caring for Trouble, which includes security, medical care and grooming, is well over $US300,000 a year! [How much money do you spend on yourself a year?] And get this, no Pedigree for this bitch as Trouble chows down on meals prepared especially for her by chefs!

It appears that Trouble has made herself some enemies and have been receiving death threats. As a result, her paid caretakers have taken several drastic steps to protect this rich bitch. Trouble was flown by private jet with her security team to a Helmsley property in the Sarasota area, which I doubt is less that 10 rooms! While at her hideout this 4.5 pound dog is guarded by a rotating security team!

Now things like these just rally get me ticked off! No it's not bad mind, (hehe... well maybe a little) but all this is just ridiculous! So much money being spent on a dog! And so many people out there suffering, including yours truly! The sad thing is, I'm sure other rich people and celebrities waste tonnes of cash on their pooches, including the biggest coke head Paris Hilton. Is it that the richer you get, the crazier and dumber you get? Is it that the ore money you get the more dumb things you find to waste money on? Dem tings here just mek man cross star!

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SNOW!!!

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Click on the Image to Enlarge

Yeeaahh!!! I got to see snow! I know I sound like a likkle Frighten Friday, but I don't care, at least now I can say I have experienced snow. I didn't come up expecting to see snow any at all, even though I was hoping I would, because everyone told me that snow usually don't start falling until late December, or early January. So I contented that I would just settle for the cold and the look of the trees.

Even with this in mind, I still was following the weather forecast, just to see if their was any chance of snow. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the forecast called for snow on December first. But even with that, you know forecasts can be wrong, so I didn't get my hopes up! But this morning, the forecast certainly came true and it definitely snowed! So of course you know who garbed on some winter gear and went out to experience snow for the first time in his life! And an experience it was, a very cold one, but I did enjoy my brief moment in the cold snow. The forecast calls for more snow tomorrow and some rain, so things should get more interesting!

Today was a quite and lazy day, as I stayed home, ate and slept, I going put on some serious weight! I will have a lot of work to do when I get back to Jamaica. But Friday I went on the road to do a little shopping and watched the movie, The Mist, which is another story. And yesterday I was on the road all day yesterday. I went to one of my Mother's friend to have brunch, toured Harlem a bit and went up to Cross County to do some shopping. So I guess today was a rest day I guess, to recuperate. So my vacation hasn't been going on too bad so far at all.

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Whoii Cowl a Bite Mi Shut!!!

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Yes, I said it, cold a bite mi! As I stepped out of the airport the cold of late autumn was there to greet me with wide open arms! Not even in my freezer of an office, compares to the cold I feel while I am here. I haven't done anything so far since I came up here apart from trying to stay warm and eat all the food I can't afford when I'm on the Rock! But I have mustered up the courage to head out into the cold, so tomorrow I'll be on the road to soak in some of the frigid weather. Yeaahhh!

No I'm not out of my mind to be freezing my ass of in New York, instead of relaxing in the warm sun on the beach in Jamaica. But you only live once, and I have been on the beach countless times, but I have never been in New York in the cold time, so it's a new experience. At least I can write this down in my book of experiences, although I doubt I'll get to see snow. I really wanted to see snow though, but trying to get a cheap ticket with the vacation schedule at work later in the year was impossible. But I hope to make th best of my cold NY vacation! Anyway likkle more, mi gone unda mi blanket and comforter!

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Transform!

Thursday, July 19, 2007

So I finally went to the theater, to watch transformers the movie. As usual I don't go to watch a well anticipated movie in the first weeks of the movie's release, since I can't deal with the crowds and the sold out movies. So I opted to wait a little. I have to admit the movie was good, I enjoyed every moment of it, from the start to the finish. Transformers had a nice combination of comedy, romance and action which all mellowed in together to make a nice movie.

I was certainly not going to make this movie a 27" viewing, not just because of the hype about the movie or the attractive trailers, but because Transformers was my favorite childhood cartoon. I used to play transformers when I was little with my friends, and of course we all used to argue about who would be Optimus Prime. I even had a transformer toy that I played with until it disintegrated.

Although, I was hoping for a little more in the fight between Optimus Prime and Megatron, I still wasn't disappointed in the movie at all. They actually did the movie justice, else they would have to answer to me! Overall, Transformers was a great movie, and I am not the only one who shares that sentiment as this was the first movie I have ever watched at a theater that received an applause. I will give Transformers a Stunner's Rating of 4 out of 5. If you haven't watched it as yet, go see it, you won't be wasting your money.

Well I have nothing much more exciting planned for the weekend, as I, unfortunately, I will be working all weekend. So your duty is to have enough fun for me too. Enjoy your weekend! In the mean time here are some more pictures of my vacation.

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Back a Yaad! And Politics Is Here to Greet Me

Friday, July 13, 2007

Yes mi peeps, I'm back on the rock and back on the slavery... I mean job. The vacation was great and well deserved, but as they say, "all good things must come to an end." Time certainly flies when you're having a good time! Now it's back to work, stress, bad days and having to get out of bed to go to work. But life goes on. I'm now looking forward to my next vacation sometime in the next four months, hopefully. I'm not sure what I'll be doing as yet though.

Well politics is certainly the pick of the day everyday since I came back! Sista P finally decided to blow the trumpet and ever since then the foolishness has certainly increased exponentially! I was hoping I would have been on vacation away from the island during the weeks leading up to and including the elections. I just can't stand the foolishness and senseless acts that takes place in the country during election periods. All kind of attacks, shootings, stoning, beatings and destruction of property. Even yesterday on my way to work I saw a buss, with people adorned in a certain party colour, ran the red light right in front of me. Why can't we have civilized elections like many other countries, including some of our own Caribbean neighbours. But the violence is so entrenched in our political culture I just don't see it changing anytime soon. Maybe it's the lack of education of the masses, the general indiscipline of the people or manipulation, the politicians or a combination of all these factors that make our elections overflow with violence and bloodshed. Anyway, it seems I'm stuck here during the "silly season" well more like "mad season", so I just have to try and stay safe, even though I know I will have to drag my ass to work on election day. I would much rather lock myself in my house and watch the events unfold on my television.

On a more pleasant note, here are a few more shot's I took while was on vacation in the US.

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Two Weeks Down, One to Go!

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Yes that's exactly what has happened, my vacation is quickly blowing by in the wind. Before you know it I will be back in Jamdown and back on the slavery...I mean back at work. Well nothing like the previous level of excitement transpired this past week. I spent most of the week shopping, all over the place, from one store to the next! It's a wonder I have any money left, nuh worry i am a responsible shopper. But there is still one week left to go and still more shopping to be done! You must be saying, fi a man yuh can shop sah! But my shopping is not like...no offense to the ladies... female shopping where one wonders around aimlessly for ours before buying a few things, if anything is actually bought. Oh no I have my list ready, and I know what I want and when I see it and the price matches my pocket, I man buy it!

Yesterday I wend down in the city to... yes shop, and of course take a few... well take some pictures. I will post a few in time. I had a nice time in the heart of Manhattan and surprisingly had some close encounters with nature. What? Wah nature deh inna di city, you ask? Well nuff, there were the pigeons that swooped down at my feet waiting on crumbs to fall, there was a squirrel that came by for his share and of course the countless little green aphid-like bugs that bomb rushed me and tried to steal my food! See, nuff nature! Well I tired, so I man going get some shut eyes and will check out your posts tomorrow. Here are the shots of the cave as promised.

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Ask A Korean! News: KFC - Not from Kentucky

Friday, February 9, 2007

There are so many delicious Korean foods, but you probably wouldn't have guessed that fried chicken is one of them. Well, Korean fried chicken is really unlike any other in the world, and it's finally available in New York. The New York Times carried an article about Korean-style fried chicken places that are now popping up in New York, and it's currently the third most emailed article in the Food Section. Here is a snippet of the article:

"For crunch, American-style fried chicken relies on a thick, well-seasoned crust, often made even thicker by soaking the chicken pieces beforehand in buttermilk. When that crust is nubbly and evenly browned, and the chicken meat is cooked through, the chicken is sublime. But too often, the flesh is still raw when the crust is cooked, or the skin never cooks all the way through, leaving a flabby layer of skin between the meat and the crust.

Korean-style fried chicken is radically different, reflecting an Asian frying technique that renders out the fat in the skin, transforming it into a thin, crackly and almost transparent crust. (Chinese cooks call this “paper fried chicken.”) The chicken is unseasoned, barely dredged in very fine flour and then dipped into a thin batter before going into the fryer."

After the chicken is fried, Koreans either eat it plain or have it basted (not drenched!) with sweet and spicy garlic sauce. It was one of the Korean Family's favorite foods, and it's finally available in New York!

Naturally, the Korean and the Korean Girlfriend will visit one of them tonight. See you all at K-town.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@hotmail.com.

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