Taxi Etiquette

Being that I do not own a car I often find myself having to rely on hired transport to get to and from such places as work, school, the mall etc. I will go out on a limb here and assume that the majority of the Trinidad and Tobago population uses public/hired transportation on a daily basis and this assumption often leads me to wonder why there is such an absence of taxi etiquette.
In my opinion Taxi Etiquette (TE) is a combination of having awareness of yourself as well as having an awareness of your fellow passengers (as well as the driver) and respecting all who occupy the vehicle. These acts of respect and awareness include; keeping your body and luggage to yourself at all times, being mindful of how your actions will affect others in the vehicle and last but not least personal hygiene.

When travelling (by myself) I usually opt for either sitting in a single seat (maxi) or the front seat (taxi) but seeing that I was running late for work this morning I hastily jumped into the empty back seat (the front seat was taken) of a non-air conditioned taxi (another note in it self). Soon after a man came in and sat in the back with me and as we proceeded to drive off another woman came into the taxi as well. This left me sitting in the middle. The man who sat to my right passed his TE test with flying colours as the woman to my left failed.

To begin, I think I should mention that she was middle aged and over weight. This frustrated me as she seemed not to care that her handbag, right arm, right breast and stomach all sat on the left side of my body. This irritated me as the atmosphere was already humid. When I could no longer take her elbow digging into my hip I politely looked over and mentioned that she was causing me slight discomfort. After a bit of attitude she removed her elbow and jammed herself to the door (as she should have done to begin with).

But wait! It gets better! She received a phone call which she insisted on attending to via speaker phone and talking louder than she needed to. I would assume that this irritated the driver and prompted him to raise the volume of his radio to a ridiculous level which caused me to immediately develop a headache (which lasted for the rest of the day). I was more than grateful to come out at my stop only to reach in work to realise that I was smelling like a fried frog... HOW DEPRESSING.

So moral of the story, when using public transportation be mindful of others by keeping your arms, legs, breasts, luggage, body fluids and body odour to yourself!

How to be the Perfect Valentine (on a budget)

So its the month of love and as valentine's day approaches I have been thinking of some budget friendly ways to make your special someone's heart beat just a little bit faster.

1. The pen is mightier than the dollar - why not take a few minutes to list all the things that you love about your valentine? Let him or her know why you love having them in your life. This tip will work wonders especially if you are not the lyrical or writing type because your valentine will appreciate this gesture so much more! And... It's free! Hand written letters are more personal and carry more meaning but if you like you could get a little more creative and do up a letter or personalized card on your computer which you can then print, roll and tie with a ribbon or string.

2. Be Betty Crocker - baked goods taste so much better when they have the secret ingredient love! Make brownies or cookies (or what ever you are good at baking) from scratch! OR go buy a box of betty crocker mix! Either way, the fact that you got up off your ass to go to the grocery to bake sweet deliciousness, especially for him or her, will just melt your valentine's heart. You can even take it one step further and make those brownies or cookies into hearts with the use of a simple cookie cutter. If you don't have a cookie cuter you can use a knife to cut out hearts or words OR you can write heart felt words in icing.

3. Use your utensils - if baking really isn't your thing why not attempt to make his or her favourite meal? You can also google romantic dinner (or lunch) recipes and try your hand at something new. If you really cannot cook up a storm I am sure that your valentine would appreciate it just as much if you were to simply serve them a delicious bowl of macaroni and cheese! Believe me when I say IT IS THE THOUGHT THAT COUNTS.

4. Hand in hand - very few things are more romantic that a moonlit stroll. Why not go meet your valentine at their house and take them for a relaxed stroll around their neighborhood, or on the beach or even anywhere that is convenient but safe. While on this stroll hold hands and talk about the times you have spent together, pick a flower off a nearby tree and present it to him or her, sit on a park bench and look up at the stars. Try to limit the amount of attention you pay to your phone and focus on your valentine. He or she will surely appreciate your gift of time!

5. Be eco-friendly - instead of buying him or her flowers why not pick flowers? And I don't mean standing on the pavement and stretching over into someone's yard trying to yank a few branches off their tree before someone sees you! If you don't have flowers in your own yard, why not ask one of your neighbours who do. I am sure that they will love to sponsor you a few flowers. Bundle the flowers together and tie them together with a bow. You can also make your own vase by cutting off the top of a plastic bottle (a gatorade bottle is a good guideline for size) and then wrap the bottom half of the bottle in coloured cellophane paper (clear gift wrapping paper). Fill it with water and put your flowers in. Don't forget to add a little card!

6. Make it a wonderful world - as always it is much easier to find budget friendly store bought gifts for girls! Why not get her a $20 or $30 gift certificate from wonderful world? Almost any girl would love this, and even though $20 may sound cheap, TRUST ME, she WILL be able to get something for that price that she will truly like. Am I right ladies? This is a wonderful alternative to buying flowers which will wither away in just a few days.

7. Make it a public affair - this tip will depend on the type of person your valentine is. DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE ATTEMPTING THIS. I am sure that absolutely nothing will make your valentine feel more special than if you were to hand deliver specially made brownies, cookies, lunch, a gift card, hand picked flowers and/or a love letter to them at their place of work. THIS is guaranteed to get you some good loving! Lol just kidding... But you never know. Either way, this will let your valentine know that you are ok with letting others know how much you care about him or her.

8. Be friendly - this is probably the most important tip of them all! REMEMBER valentines day is not just about the person you are in love with, it should also be about the people you care about, such as your friends. Pay special attention to these people who have been there for you through thick and thin, especially those who may have ended relationships recently. All tips above can be modified to suit your friendly needs but the best tip to suit this would be to bake some cupcakes and pass them out.


I hope that I have been helpful in giving you some good budget friendly ideas to make this valentine's day special for you and yours. Remember valentines is not about how much money you spend but for spreading love.


Happy Valentines Day!!

Conventional Dating

Women have come a long way, I mean a LOOOOONG way, in the past 50+ years, and let me be the first to say that I am all for that. I commend it. I admire it and I can’t imagine having lived in an era where women couldn’t do (or didn’t have the option to do) what men could. However, I think that the problem with most women is that they say they want to be equals, but they don't want to be COMPLETELY equal. They want the liberty to be selectively-equal, i.e. choose which situations they would like to share responsibilities with men. I think that is connerie (bullshit in French). The way I see it if you want to ride a man’s horse you should scrape up the horse’s shit too (don't ride the horse but expect a man to clean up after it). And this is exactly how I feel when it comes to dating…

Up to a few short years ago (when courtship wasn’t just an old people’s word) dating took place when a guy asked a girl out. He would probably ask her parents’ permission, take her to a movie and probably have something to eat after that (all of which he would pay for by the way). Let’s forget the part about asking the parents’ permission and focus on the part where He pays for everything (cause let’s face it parents are no longer an integral part of the courtship process, in fact you're lucky to hear about a guy asking a father for his daughter’s hand in marriage…an entirely different topic in its own…)

So yes… he pays for everything. Now I have friends who claim to be die-hard feminists (DHFs), and those same friends also seem to be die-hard conventional daters (DHCDs). However their die-hard conventional dating is only based upon and centered on the he-pays-for-everything principle (HPFEP). Now, am I the only person who’s seeing that, that equation just does not and cannot ever add up?

I think that in this day and age, dating should not be solely based on the HPFEP. I think that as women we should proudly and willingly step up to the paying plate and cut those guys some slack. And this has nothing to do with inflation, and how the price of living has gone up, because even though back-in-de-day $5 or $10 could have gotten you 2movie tickets, 2decent meals and 2drinks (plus transport), back-in-de-day $5 or $10 dollars was a lot of money to spend on anything. The point is TIMES CHANGE and just as we have adapted currency-wise we need to adapt dating-wise as well.

I know girls who, if I even dare mention them paying to take a guy they interested in to see a movie, they will bawl bloody murder. They will act as though I have asked them to commit a crime that will surely land them in jail for the rest of their precious lives. They will ask what it is I take them for, and that if man want woman he should pay the bill. Come on ladies, sorry to say you sound ridiculous and stupid, even to a fellow woman as myself. I am not saying that women should always pay but I do insist that there be compromise.

If you have been dating a guy for a while why can’t you offer to take him to a movie, or offer to go Dutch (split the bill) or even offer to pay the transport (if you are travelling) while he foots the bill. What is so wrong with that? I must say, that I have never been a conventional dater, swearing by the HPFEP. I have always had it in the back of my mind that I am a university student. My parents mind me. I get an allowance every month. What should make me feel that I am so special for some guy’s parents to give him money to spend casually on me? Yes it is nice to be wined and dined and yes I do believe that men should treat their women, but ladies, by no means do I think that you should expect it all the time. Just ask any man and I think they will tell you that putting some sort of effort into the bill paying is a HUGE turn on for them and one that they definitely appreciate. Men, am I lying???

Now men, if you thought that you were gonna get away without a bashing, stop kidding yourselves (love yall lol). The down side of feminist dating is that some of you don't know how to appreciate a woman footing the bill. Let me make something clear; if a woman decides to treat you, if she pays for the movie tickets, splits the bill, pays your transport and even throws in a little extra something (either all in one date or on different occasions) by all means do not turn into a nasty stinking dutty good-for-nothing piece of shit that decides to never pay for anything again! Because believe me, if a girl sees that for the past two or three dates she has been stuck with all financial responsibility with no effort on your part, she will probably NEVER think to feminist date with you EVER again and you would have surely lost a good woman. I will admit to having been in a situation like that and though I can laugh about it now, trust me, I was f#

Acrostic Poetry

An acrostic poem is a poem where the first letter of each line spells out a word (downwards). Below is an acrostic poem whhich I have written. ENJOY!




You Are My


Alas!
Perfection has graced this earth
Hands entwined lovingly
Reaching deep within the soul of another
Oh, how I long for you
Day after day
Intoxicated with your love
Scenes of what we could be
Invade my heart and soul
As I wait for you
Come to me, my love.

Seen but not heard

Little girls must be seen but not heard
And i dont know why
But it brought tears to my eyes
Everytime that she said this to me
Because it always made me question
"Who am I?
And why arent i important enough to be heard?"
Arent my cries just as devine
Or am i to be cast aside
Only to be paraded as a doll
Beautiful, with nothing worth saying
Pretty, yet of a lesser mind
And maybe i shouldnt be crying but
I cant shake the feeling that
I'm being gagged and binded
But if only you can hear my thoughts
Then maybe you would love me more
But little girls must be seen but not heard
So maybe i shouldnt be a little girl anymore
Maybe i should become a woman
Spread my wings and fly
With words that are colourful enough
To create a sky of endless possiblilites
Words that are no longer words
But visions that give hope to a brighter tomorrow
But for now
I cant program my mind
To be someone that i'm not
And if speaking my mind means that
I'd be punished, belittled and shunned
Then i guess this is goodbye
Because no woman made history
By being quiet
And you maybe thinking that i'm crazy
For wanting more than mediocrity
But only shooting stars can break the mold
And before i leave this earth
I want to leave my mark on this world

Men are DOGS... Women are BITCHES...

Life is a cycle...so is love and heartbreak. One stone thrown into a pond, creates ripples that move outward, affecting everything that the vibrations of its existence touches...

Take for example:

Good boy meets bad girl... bad girl used to be a good girl who happened to be with a bad boy... bad girl got hurt and now decides to treat good boy as the bad boy treated her...good boy gets hurt...good boy turns into bad boy...bad boy is a dog...

Good girl meets bad boy... bad boy treats good girl as bad girl treated him...good girl gets hurt...good girl turns into a bad girl as well..bad girl is a bitch


We are all equally responsible for the mess that our relationships seem to be in... simply put... Men are DOGS... Women are BITCHES... THAT'S why we go so well together...

Michael Patrick O'hara

I sit here
In the dark
as i wait for you
going over the events of the past few weeks
envisioning your smile
longing for your touch
knowing that you too long for mine
but it does not make sense
none of it does
as you tell me that i wont undertand
and you are right
i wont
i dont understand how so many months of
love
and openiness
and acceptance
can be thrown away
no explaination or excuses
not even a sign
and i am left here
alone
by myself
without you
to face the world yet again
on my own
with out you
trying to fogure out what could i have said or done
that drove you to abandon me
although you assure me
that your decision
YOUR decision
had nothing to do with what i am or what i am not
and it kills me to think
that you yourself may be grieved by this sudden turn of events
and i wonder what may have happened to you
or your friends
or your family
that could have driven you to such a drastic action
because this does not seem like you
i was not expecting this
anyone but you
any other person BUT you
would i have attributed such a selfish
thoughtless
hurtful act
but not from you
and still
even as my heart hurts
and my soul pours unto the emptiness and harshness of realty
and even as the tears come slow but thick
and even as the sadness covers me like a thick blanket of desperation
i cannot help but love you
i cannot help but wait for you
i cannot help but hope that one day you will find me again
and maybe this time
i will be beautifull enough
intelligent enough
loving enough
to make you stay