Falling onto Love…

...And literally sitting on it. In my personal library I have tons of books and magazines on science, technology, art, design, French, Spanish, cookbooks, religion, fashion, advertising, etc. I also have books on Lurve, not Love, LURVE. I read Mars and Venus, and The Rules books… and I never had a boyfriend.

The Rules 1 and 2 written by Ellen Fein and Sherrie Schneider, are my favourites. While they tell you how to get Mr. Right, they were a great confidence boost, and I have never felt better about being myself around men. As a young woman who grew up with a single parent, I yearned to be loved by men, and growing up I had many, many crushes, the most recent being about nine or eight years ago. He was tall and handsome and had muscles, and personality wise, girls, he was almost perfect. All in one package. I did not matter that he was of a different race, it never occurred to me that race is a huge factor in getting married. Of course, he got married and that was that. I must admit, the tears explained the horror, when I found out that my being black had a lot to do with not being a “consideration”.

The Rules taught me all I needed to know, and why (1) You should NEVER call men (2) Don’t try to change men, my personal favourite (3) Don’t date married men. (4) How to deal with rejection. Some women will say this is so old fashioned, so let me ask you this: Why is it, that some women are able to have happy marriages, while others cant keep their hub’s from straying, or have to grovel to keep their marriages together? If a woman run after a man and she marries him, does it mean happy ever after? Now I know that you are thinking: “Pissssshawwww! There are so many, ‘How to Get-A-Man,’ books.” That is true, some of the authors may be too bright, using big words, or psychological grammar. However, The Rules are easy to understand, and are quite applicable. You may want me to tell you more, but I won’t. What I will tell you though is that I don’t look like Miss. Universe (more like Gabourey Sidibe), and men feel comfortable talking with me, I am not initially attracted to them, because I know what I want, and when I want. Its called Confidence. And you believe me, I can carry a conversation, without falling in LURVE.

I don’t know if they are being currently being sold in Trinidad and Tobago, but some book stores take orders. Here are the names of the books:

The Rules-Time tested secrets for capturing the heart of Mr. Right and The Rules 2-More rules to live and love by, both written by Ellen Fein and Sherrie Schneider.

And no, you can’t borrow my books . LOL

Millicent

Sometime ago, I reviewed a movie called Rosewood, and in that review I mentioned a story by Merle Hodge called Millicent. Well I finally found it:

Millicent

Enjoy!

Pictures of old Trinidad & Tobago

I found a website some time ago, and it had some remarkable pictures of Trinidad and Tobago. I do not claim copyright on them, but they are so precious I decided to post them here, there are some more, as I keep finding them, now when I get the links I will post them at a later date.

It is just something to get away from the daily turmoil of life in this country. Enjoy!

CafféLatté Magazine's Favourite Movies

Do you ever watch movies and you tell yourself, "I have to see that again...and again?" So here are a list of our favourite movies and their (lead actors) not in any particular order:


The Aviator
Leonardo Di Caprio
This movie is based on Howard Hughes' life and his struggle in early Hollywood and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. There was also talk that he was bipolar as well. However, Di Caprio was so into his role as Hughes, that at one point we forgot that we were looking at Di Caprio. Great Movie! The entire cast was perfect! Martin Scorsese was the director.


Ray
Jamie Fox
We were really excited to see this movie about Ray Charles, who although blind, made sure the world never forgot him, our favorite part: Him refusing to play to a segregated crowd in Georgia. A very bold stance. Jamie Fox, played Ray Charles with a near perfect symatery that is unparalleled in auto-biographies. Also starring Regina King. Oscar Win for sure! Directed by Taylor Hackford.


The Blind Side
Sandra Bullock
We do not know why Julia Roberts was considered America's Sweetheart, as far as we know, Sandra Bullock is that sweetheart. There can only be one. In her Oscar winning performance, she played the ballsy Leigh Ann Tuohy. Quinton Aaron played Michael Oher, and we feel he should get recognition for his part because without him Sandra would be looking crazy. Just saying. We barely recognized Tim McGraw, but when we realized it was him, standing ovation was due. Directed by John Lee Hancock.


Deliver Us From Eva
Gabrielle Union, LL Cool J
Cheesy to some people, but not to us. It was kind of low key and, we guess low-budget, but as an A.A movie, we were glad not to see, gang-bangers, baggy-pants basket ball in a ghetto setting and lots of baby-mamas. What we liked were a very classic setting (that some men can probably relate to). A story about four sisters, all married except one (Union), the eldest and most protective over the other three. Her three brother-in-laws are terrified of her, so they decide to set her up with a romantic interest (LL Cool J), so that they can be left alone, with their "women folk". Not going to spoil the plot. Have a look, and let us know. Directed by Gary Hardwick.


The Color Purple
Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover
Surprise Director is Steven Spielberg! Can you believe it? This movie was well written, well directed, a solid acting cast: Oprah Winfrey, Margaret Avery, Rae Dawn Chong and Dana Ivey. Everything was gold in this movie. 11 Oscar nods, 11 wins and 8 further nominations later, this is our most watched, favorite movie of all time. However, we wonder if Danny Glover as Albert was a good thing, he played the character to a "T", but we honestly feel that his later character in other movies were tainted by this movie. Sad. This also applies to actress Dana Ivey who played Miss Millie, the mayor's wife who 'forces' Oprah's character, Sophia, to be her cook.


Corrina Corrina
Whoopi Goldberg, Ray Liotta
You all must think we love Whoopi Goldberg...and we do. She is a fantastic actress. There is so much warmth and chemistry in this movie, we fell in love and believed it too. CafféLatté Magazine fully recommend this movie, as we are all about interracial couples. While you are probably itching for us to tell you the plot, we will not, you have to see it yourself. If you like Something New with Saana Lathan and Simon Baker, you will absolutely love this movie. The stunning, now grown, Tina Majorino, plays Molly Singer. Directed and Written by Jessie Nelson.


What's Love Got To Do With It
Angela Bassett, Lawrence Fishburne
Ike and Tina Turner: The story of why men who beat women will always look like douche-bags, no matter what they say or how much talent they have. We don't think, we need to explain this movie, but we do need to say that karate lessons is in order. Directed by Brian Gibson.


Roots
Multiple Cast
Highly controversial is this movie/t.v. series. What is the big deal? A very valid reason as to why racism needs to be flushed down the toilet. We may recommend this one, but the Big "C" word stopped us, Controversial. Directed by Marvin J. Chomsky, John Erman, David Greene and Gilbert Moses.


Spiderman
Tobey Macguire.
The first and only. Lisa Marie, even took her grandparents to see it at Movietowne. Her grandmother liked it. The grandfather said, "You took me to see a man in a tight outfit swinging on a rope in public?" Dont' worry he loved it, but will stick to his Westerns. Directed by Sam Raimi. Written for all these decades by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.


Imitation of LifeLouise Beavers, Fredi Washington, Colette Colburn
Directed by John M. Stahl. This movie must always be watched with a handkerchief, ... and an asprin. Tears flowed like water throughout this movie. We loved Louise Beavers. Alas, she was only allowed to play "mammy" throughout most of her movies, given the time period, however, we will not excuse Hollywood for this. And Fredi Washington, one of the most beautiful, but maligned actresses to grace our screens, for real. She was bi-racial with green eyes and black hair. Many believed that Peola and Fredi were one and the same, but this is not true. Again, another gifted actress swallowed by the dank cloud of racism.

Cartoon Animation:


The Iron Giant.
Directed by Brad Bird. Part two, where is it?


Pochantas.
Directors: Mike Gabriel, Eric Goldberg. Mel Gibson's voice in John Smith's 2D body, Hhhhheaven!


The Treasure Planet.
Directors: Ron Clemments, John Musker. A true swash-buckling adventure way before Pirates of the Caribbean.


3D Animation:


The Incredibles.
"Monsieur Incroyable!"- Bomb Voyage. Directed and Written by Brad Bird. This guy is good! See The Iron Giant.


Surf's Up.
Directed by Ash Brannon, Chris Buck. Chicken Joe is voiced by Napoleon Dynamite. The water graphics were the first thing that drew us to this movie. Exceptional.


Robots.
Directed by Chris Wedge, Carlos Saldanha. "You can shine no matter what you are made of."-Bigweld. We like Aunt Fanny and Fender (Robin Williams).


Meet The Robinsons.
Directed by Stephen J. Anderson. It was a real tear-jerker for us. The graphics was so-so, but the storyline was priceless: Keep Moving Forward.


Ratatouille.Directed by Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava. Unwittingly, we are big fans of Brad Bird, it seems. So, Mr. Bird what next animation do you have for us? We are ready.


Cars.
Directed by John Lasseter, Joe Ranft. I could not conclude without this special mention.

All the Directors and Actors info were gathered by IMDB at www.indb.com.

Taxi Driver HBY and I going to Woodworking class

Yesterday, I waited almost 45 mins to get a taxi to Woodworking class, in the end I sat in the front seat of a very saucy Taxi Tanty. Wearing a larger-than-her-size yellow shirt, a pair of jeans, sneakers and her hair braided in corn-row braids, she was all too willing to talk about life, learning, young people and, women-who-like-to-show-their-bra-straps-and-wear-tight-shirts-their-one-long abdomen-divided-into-five muffin-top-rolls. *wheeze* We spoke for the whole ride and she told me the importance of, Learning Something New. Sometime this month, she will be starting Electrical and Plumbing classes. "As I Tobagonian, I am a very hard working woman,... I speak to all those young men on the corner, they give does hug me and give me bounce an ting. Girl, I have to talk to young people because they are the face of the future and they need to be guided." "Young women must dress properly."
She also told me:
"Dress Properly as a black woman."

"Have goals in your life, and work towards them."

"Save, so that you can always have money, my mother used to tell me, if you make 5 cents, save one or two cents and spend the rest wisely."

"Keep learning, it will make your brain sharp."

"Clothes is for comfort, not for style."

"You ever see a chinee woman in high heel shoes? I gone down town, all dem young woman in high, high-heels later in life, they will have back pain and give the doctors all their money, chinee woman walking in slippers and they have 3, 4 business, I have a ting, I does only buy shoes for comfort and not in the 400-500 price range.Yuh hear wha' ah say? Good. So, I am a black woman, and thinking like a chinee woman. Tink like dem, save yuh money."

Of course, I requested to see her again, she said, " I does allways wuk dis route, once yuh coming here you will see me." I paid and thanked her, and I am glad I got to class late. She really made my day, and was very encouraging. I got renewed energy to continue doing my Woodworking course.

Pacman & Zombies

Do you remember when Pacman was all the rage in the 80's. I used to love that game, but I had to wait until my mother go to the shop so that I had an opportunity to play it. After some time, playing Pacman and the bedsheet ghosts began to fade. Then came Street Fighter, which featured over-muscled men, busting some karate chops, although I doubt they could move like that in the real world. Also, there was Mortal Kombat, which was so violent that parents began to protest. In primary school, it was not unusual to witness, children kick-ups at lunchtime and recess, bawling "UPPER-CUT!" I think it sounded more like, "APRICOT!" Or some crazy stuff like that. I never played the latter games though, actually, I witnesses some boys playing those games, so much shouting and hollering, and their faces, so filled with hate and vile.

Today, we have games like, Resident Evil, Left 4 Dead, Dead Vacation? You got my drift, I mean Zombie games. And you have options, to either be a "dead zombie" or a "living survivor". The living survivor usually carry guns or machetes, or bazookas, and the dead just shuffle along, all virusy or like the Left 4 Dead game, a very special "active-dead" like the Jockey, the Spitter or the Tank. The violence in these games make Mortal Kombat, look like Pippy Longstocking, and Pacman to be something like Strawberry Shortcake (?) or Rainbow Brite. Just YouTube them, you will be shocked.

There are many cases of violence in the world today, some of it so gruesome you wonder, "what were they thinking." I wonder if people doing the killing may at some point feel that they are killing zombies, coagulated blood splattering all over, only, that they are not playing a game, but taking the life of a real living, innocent person. I wonder if, these games are like a training field, crimes against humanity. Some people believe that there maybe a coming zombie apocalypse (this I don't believe), and we must prepare for it. *Sigh*.

The kind of crazy things happening in the world today, I wonder if people even realize that compared to 20 years ago, things have gotten much more worse.

Just a random thought from CafféLatté Magazine.

I don't have anything to say today....

Which is so funny because I really thought I did. Maybe, later. Right now I am really tired. Long day tomorrow.

Anyway have a look at this funny photo I took in Valencia.

Having a blast at Pepper

And I can't complain. Of course it is temporary with the stress on the temp. I could not believe I actually got up, early, mind you, and went to have Pepper. Well, I finally got a shot to show Pepper Advertising my Indesign talent, it was small indeed, but I felt so proud to be in an actual advertising agency with some cool people. I was a bit shy, and nervous, but after all the years, of being told that I could not achieve my goals, I am at Pepper Advertising! Last night I could not even sleep, and even though, my stint is temporary, I will miss those new faces that I met today.

However, I want to thank the few people who just gave me alot of encouragement to "Keep Moving Forward": My mom, who is my number one fan, and she never gave up on me: My grandmother, who is very tough and brave and bought me my jacket since I had no money, I planned to wear it to an interview. She tells me that bad things do happen, but it is how you get back up shows your true worth. And she is a perfect living example of this. My sister, T, who has to deal with me and my artistic "fuzzles". Yet, I love how she is so classy through it all. My grandfather, who is a never ending emotional support to my grandmother and I. My other sister M, who is so outspoken and gorgeous! I really miss you Melly. And, Carey, who was so understanding, and she hired me as a 'baker for a day' (Thanks Katharine T!). I did not know that baking was so wonderful, now I understand why I see so many Italian-looking lovable guys holding a pizza in a logo, laughing and smiling.

I added Carey here because I judged her so wrong on so many levels. But when we were baking in her kitchen, wow, it was amazing. We spoke while baking at 90 miles an hour. And she is good too! So get to know people, by doing things with them, you will be amazed at how you all fit together like a puzzle.

So, my stint at Pepper Advertising, is very encouraging. I did not do it alone, and I just want to say that there were many people who supported me, and my heart just beats for them. So you all are my first official CafféLatté Magazine awardees, because without you, this blogger would not be so confident.

The Blind Side with tears of joy

Let me say that I am so happy about Sandra Bullock winning that Oscar, and to think she beat Meryl Streep in Julie and Julia. Sandra did a fantastic job! The guy who played Michael Oher was adorable, his name is Quinton Aaron, and his smile was infectious.

I think that we need to see more movies like this (The Blind Side), where people start from the bottom and rise to the top, because they are very encouraging. Now I don't expect you to start moping around for some rich white lady to scoop you up into her BMW, and her mansion. This movie tells us that things do get better with time. Sometimes, it feels like you are going down a hill that leads to a large a large hole at the base, but you do not know what is in that hole. Mabye, there is a trampoline in the hole, so you bounce out before further damage could be done. Or, there is a net to catch you. Or there is a monster... anyway, the thing is that you do not want to fall into the hole, so you start looking for ways to avoid falling into the hole by grabbing at anything stable to hold your weight.

In the movie, Michael Oher is heading into the hole, but before he goes, sadly, into it, Mrs. Leigh Ann Tuohy, reaches out her hand and catches Michael, taking him into her home and her heart, making him a very productive person to society, and the NFL. Of course, there is her family who goes along with her, since she is the mother, and a strong one at that. And guess what, he is black and she is white, I know I will get sassed for admitting this. I have read instances where people said that if you adopt a child it should be of the same race, and couples who decided to broaden their vision by adopting a child of a different race are pressured to 'give' up that child, to take an 'acceptable' one. Not Mrs. T. She was willing to lose her friends, and get an $80 salad at a restaurant near her home, than give up Michael. Despite his race, she loved him, even visiting his mother in the projects to tell her that she is willing to care for him. A wonderful movie, that I will watch again before I go to bed.

The Blind Side was directed by John Lee Hancock, and written by Michael Lewis. I give it 5 stars and Rate it G.

When judging people...

Think that if you would like to be judged by those same people. Everyone needs a chance to prove themselves, that is, to prove the type of persons they are. Do you look at people, the way they dress, the books they read and their facial expressions, and tell yourself, "Ha, I know you better than you know yourself." These days, I have met men who are positively, full of ego tell me, "You don't know you like I know you." Say what? How would they know me? I have been single all my life.

I tend to give people second chances, but if they screw up yet again, I am wary about third chances. There is a saying, "Fool me once, shame on me, fool me twice shame on you." Fool me ten times, then I am a real idiot.

Take people who are eccentric. In Trinidad and Tobago, we call them mad, and, we laugh at them. I would have you know, they are some of the most smartest people I have met, but, because of not being normal, they are shunned. There are many types of mental illnesses, some of them are caused by, I guess, childhood experiences, others by stress, and still others by constant harassment, and you can name many other instances. I am no Psychologist, so I can't really say what can be done to help these folks. What I can say, is that they are interesting to talk to.

I once met a lady who had two personalities, like a Jekyll and Hyde sort of character. When she was nice, she was really likable, sharing, hugging, laughing, smiling, the most happiest person in the world. When she stopped taking her tablets and the electrocution wore off, something sinister came out. Cruella DeVill had nothing on this woman. Her sarcasm, is legendary, and her words can cut up vegetables to make soup. When dealing with her, I had to forget that this mean old crow does not exist, or is not real. Another lady I know, sometimes does not speak for days or weeks, she writes everything on a pad, in great detail. One homeless guy in the city speaks in a British accent. Although, I will not call him crazy. One lady is very gifted in Mathematics, but she walks around with her items in a baby's bag with pastel colors, and, I think, rabbits sewn on the front. I have even heard of a bright young man losing his mind. I honestly believe, that at sometime in their lives, many people feel like they are losing their marbles on account of the problems they face on a daily basis, some people can handle it and they juggle their marbles, others have a very supporting family, and yet still, some just fall and their marbles roll everywhere.

So, don't judge people, empathize with them, remember we are all imperfect humans full of flaws, and trying to survive.