The Music List I Shocked Everyone by Choosing

 Happy New Year Everyone! I know the year is not that new but I'll wish you a happy 2016 anyways.

As a Trinidadian woman of African decent, most people would think they know what kind of music someone such as myself would like. That's how stereotyping works unfortunately. R&B, Calypso, Soca, Soul, Gospel to name a few of the genres people may link with a person of my background. I mean every caribbean born person who happens to be black should be drawn to Soca and Calypso right? It's only natural!!! It's in our blood, it's deep in our bones, in our DNA. Newsflash... I'm one of those who will admit that that's not really my kind of music.  Well to be honest, there are some soca and calypso tunes that I find myself drawn to - David Rudder's "Trini to the Bone" and "Nuff Respect" and Kitchener's "Old Lady Walk a Mile and a half and she Tay-lay-lay" just to name a few.

"Nuff Respect" by David Rudder

And of course I love my gospel music. There are some songs, however that most would be surprised to here me say "Yeah I can't get enough of that!" Take a look at the list below to see if you might be among those surprised, or if you just want to see if you may share my taste. Now the music on this list varies widely so if you find yourself liking every song on there then we're soul mates... Ha- ha.

This isn't all of it but its a compilation of music that I enjoy in all its different genres.
Whenever painting or doing anything creative these songs are the go to group. Here are two videos from the list.  Are you surprised? Do you share my wide taste in music? You can let me know what you think in the comment section. Enjoy!

A Faulty Compass

I'm no love expert but isn't it extremely ANNOYING when you see someone going after the wrong type of person time and time again? It's like their internal compass is damaged and in their quest to find that special someone, they keep targeting the absolute worst people for them. It's annoying (not to mention embarrassing) to witness but even more annoying and tragic when you realize you are one such person. Mercy!!!

Constantly picking and falling for uninterested individuals? Always on the wrong end of rejection? Any bells ringing?
I was standing in a queue awaiting my turn to query the results of my final exams when I was forced to overhear a very awkward conversation between a man and woman. I can safely list it as both amusing and frustrating all at once. I knew the individuals personally and my heart went out to both of them. The guy had, for a while, been pursuing the young lady to no avail but it was the first time I had the opportunity to actually hear and see him make his move.

(Now please take note. I was not being nosey. I was actually forced to stand there and listen to everything )

As he began talking the young woman looked as though she wasn't sure he was addressing his comments to her. Then as it dawned on her that he was talking to her a frown of genuine confusion creased her forehead. He asked her a question about her personal appearance and what she did to stay looking "so good". When the answer didn't come fast enough, he proceeded to suggest the answers himself.

While he kept up his banter, all the while I kept saying to myself, "Dude can you not read her body language. It's clearly screaming LEAVE ME ALONE!!!"
She looked so relieved when it was her turn to make her query at the counter. All the while she was keeping her brief answers to him as polite as can be, she looked clearly annoyed and uncomfortable. How can people get it so wrong? What is it about some of us that cause us to be absolutely incapable of picking up on negative signals? Why was his compass pointing him to someone who, clearly from my vantage point, would never in a million years be attracted to his type?

HELPFUL ADVICE FOR "FAULTY COMPASS SYNDROME" SUFFERERS

I ask myself these questions because not so long ago I too suffered from this faulty compass syndrome (as I now refer to it). I was particularly attracted to young men who would never see me as attractive. My first signal should have been that I was the one doing the pursuing. Whenever I find myself, as the female, pursuing the male, I stop and take check of it. If a man is interested, he would do the pursuing and not the other way around. The guys I pursued were genuinely nice guys and didn't want to hurt my feelings so their hints were so subtle, but look at it this way. If within six months of knowing him, he has not asked you out or tried to spend time any time with you apart from work, church or through whatever club or organization you are associated, then he's never going to ask you out. To be on the safe side, I'll say keep your options open with him for up to a year, but let him do the pursuing while you lay low and observe (and by lay low I mean don't call him and don't constantly try to spend time with him when he keeps turning you down).

                                                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As a man who pursues the woman, there are many signs that she is not into you. Please don't tell yourself "I love her and therefore I'm not giving up on this". You are embarrassing yourself and the woman you presume to love. Allow her reactions to guide you. If you cannot read body language (some of us in normal circumstances can but when it comes to matters of the heart, we become blind to the most obvious of signals) please interpret her myriad of excuses as a polite way of saying "NO THANK YOU".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am not on expert. This is simply my advice from my perspective and my experience.  All the same I urge you to proceed cautiously. I know there are many books and actual so-called experts out there who may advise differently. Just remember that the advice I am giving is from actual experiences I've had and the ways I've come to learn from these experiences.

Lastly, don't give up on love. The right person for you is out there. Opportunities present themselves all the time. Be observant and allow true love to take its course.

Away From Home and Back Again

Anyone who has been away from home for long periods of time would know how difficult it can be, especially if you have really strong relational ties - friends, family, spouses, significant others, etc. I love, love, love New York. It's such a cultural and diverse part of the United States. I had the pleasure of spending some time in upstate NY in a city within the Dutchess County area called Poughkeepsie. Some think that because its upstate that there's nothing to attract tourists there but I can tell anyone, you can really enjoy yourself there. There is so much to do and see. Returning to my opening statement, as lovely as it was spending time with my family and friends and travelling, seeing and experiencing all that it had to offer, I must admit I began to feel a little home sick.

As much as I love traveling and as exciting as it is to roam, I can never stray too far from home. I love my country of Trinidad and Tobago to that extent. So when talking about things to enjoy versus things that annoy, I would say traveling and visiting new places - definitely something to enjoy. Missing home - definitely something that annoys. Poughkeepsie - definitely something to enjoy. Returning home after some time away - I don't think the enjoyment scale can measure it! (ha, ha)

Here are some places in and around Poughkeepsie that I enjoyed and  simply have to share:

Scenic Places:

The Walkway Over the Hudson        
The Vanderbilt Mansion
Mills Mansion
River where we had family day


Shopping Areas

Poughkeepsie Galleria
Berlington
Sam's Club
Sephora
Kmart
Marshalls
Walmart



Eating Out

Brunch at Hyatt Hotel
The Culinary Institute of America
The Palace Diner
Thai Spice                                                                

Uno's Pizzeria and Grill

The Palace Diner

Vanderbilt Mansion in all its glory!

Between its iconic pillars

Picturesque shot of Vanderbilt Mansion

Posing with Justin Timberlake at Madame Toussaud's Wax Museum

Coming back Home

Although Poughkeepsie is a wonderful vacation spot and a place I thoroughly enjoyed, I started feeling like I'd been away from home for too long. I'm not the type of person to keep in touch with others while I'm out of town so I really began missing friends and family back home. I began to miss those old familiar places, the group of children I teach at my home church, in and around Port-of-Spain, shopping on Charlotte street, meeting friends on the "Lara" (The Brian Lara Promenade) things of that sort.

First thing I did when I got home was to call a few friends and catch up. I almost cried real tears when I saw how grown, how tall, how changed the children I taught had become in my absence. It just felt so good to be back. Even the house I lived in seemed to say welcome back. So glad to be so in love with the country of my birth. It's always good to have somewhere, some special place that you can call home.

When the World Sees Her!

More Black female Rolemodels - We need them!

This is yet another attempt at conscious poetry. The poem goes out to all females who are women of color and struggle against the strong tide of cruel hate (rasicm) that threatens to suffocate and strangle the brave fighters who dare stand against it.

When the World Sees a Black Woman

When the world sees a black woman rising

Young and beautiful and shining like the sun

They get scared

They are afraid

The only way they know how to deal with it

Is to throw their turds of toxic, putrid hate at her

But the hate never reaches her

She never feels it

Somehow an enigmatic shield envelops her

Against an invisible force field

the hate ricochets

returning to the source without ever touching her

What is this force field?

What is this invisible shield that protects her so divinely

It comes from the generous adoring souls who see her in all her beauty

For her resilience and her brilliance

They see her ingenuity

The sacrifice she has made for the next generation

Little black girls 5, 6, 7 years of age look to her with eyes full of love

With eyes filled with tears and hope but yes most of all love

And it is this love that forms her invisible shield.

The poem speaks for itself but I'd still like to add these irresistible gems to drive the point home. Check out these tweets I snagged from twitter in relation to one of my favorite actresses - Candice Patton. Simply by portraying Iris West in "The Flash", she manages to inspire and influence a younger generation. 

What's Your Kind of Healthy? Part 1

What does healthy living mean to you? Can taking your health more seriously be boring or one of the most exciting journeys of your life? One of the things we can refer to when speaking of things to enjoy is a long and fulfilling life. To achieve this can mean many different things to different people. Some thinks its boring to even consider what it means to be healthy. Fruits and vegetables, drinking lots of water, going on a "cleanse", daily exercise, no drinking of alcohol, no smoking - it all just seems too much! Where's the fun in that? On the other hand others can't get enough of the healthy lifestyle. Vegetarians, vegans, athletes, dancers and people who crave and need the benefits of being healthy can all testify to the enjoyment they get from a healthy lifestyle.

Yet still another group of people wants a healthy lifestyle and think they can achieve this by ignoring the traditional rules of health. Maintaining a plus size by avoiding the stress of exercising and eating pretty much whatever they want equals a happy healthy life for this group. In other words, whatever makes them happy makes them healthy.

I address this topic because lately being a healthier person has become a real life goal for me. To live a long, and I mean really long (as in 150 years old) and happy life. I want to look good, young, beautiful. I want to be able to run marathons when I am in my fifties and sixties and beyond. If I am correct I do believe most of us do.

One motivation of mine is a video clip of a news broadcast I came across on youtube about a women in her seventies who looked to be in her late thirties. I'm not even joking. You can see for yourself in the clip below.

Consider the information from this clip:

+ She only eats fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.

+ All other foods are excluded from her diet which means she will not eat dairy products, meat      (including fish), breads etc.

+ She eats everything raw. Nothing is cooked. This means a lot of juicing is involved.

+ She grows her own food. All the food she lays on her table to be consumed is grown in her own garden and therefore inexpensive and without any harmful chemicals or pesticides we often have to worry about.

I know this may seem extreme but it is worth considering when we look at the benefits. There are delicious alternatives to enjoying this type of lifestyle. Apart from looking absolutely amazing in general, no one would ever guess that she was in her seventies. In addition to this, she never gets sick, doesn't have heart disease, high blood pressure or any of the other complications that come along with age.

Take a look at this next short video to see other views on this kind of lifestyle.

If I am to be honest I have to say I agree with Mr. Andrew Perlot and not "Mary Beth".

Let me know what you think about the two videos if you feel the need to vent and if not, I hope this gave you food for thought. I will continue to address the topic of what might be the right pathway to health in Part 2. Whatever happens make sure you consider and choose the right path for you carefully and wisely - one that will help you enjoy life to the fullest.

An Angelfish Painting: The Process through Pictures

Hi Everyone! It's been a while (not since January sigh!) but I'm trying to be a little more constant this time around. I've always wanted to share my painting process for all the art lovers out there. There's nothing like applying brush to paint and paint to canvas to ease the stresses of life. I find it therapeutic and I truly enjoy it. Feel free to let me know your thoughts if you paint as well.

So a while back I posted this picture on my Instagram (I also posted the finished picture there as well):

This was the beginnings of an angel fish. I'd like to show step by step how I got to the end of the painting through a series of pics I took throughout the whole process. I plan to do some other stuff with the background and add other subjects so I'll post the complete composition when its all done. For now here's the second picture step in the process:

I usually use acrylic paints on canvas. I'd like to try other mediums but for now acrylic on canvas was my choice. As you can see here, the fins on the lower half are almost done.

I managed to finish the body here but was still working on the fins underneath. Getting the colors to maintain that translucent orange look was a bit challenging.

Finally finished the fins at the bottom. Next it was time to tackle the tail. The tail on an angelfish is its most alluring most exotic feature. I really wanted to get this right.

Started out a little rough as you can see in the next pic but I kept at it.

With the tail finished, the last part of this gorgeous creature was the top fin.

The finished product, the end result, the goal!

I really liked how this turned out but I'm not finished. Look out for what I do to complete this painting. Hope you enjoy it!

Understanding the Folly of the Westallen Vs Snowbarry Warzone

OK, so I'm in the midst of trying to untangle myself from a serious addiction - The new "The Flash" TV show on the CW network. It's a serious one and I must say I am no stranger to addictions so I know when an addiction has grown to astronomical proportions. I really hate it when I become so addicted to a TV show that it seems to demand my every waking thought. I prefer it when I can control what takes precedence in my minds thought processes. It started off so innocently and now that the show is on hiatus I find myself going through withdrawal symptoms. It's crazy! One of the ways I cope with these "withdrawal symptoms" is by going onto any social media site, reading any article and watching any video or interview that has anything to do with the "The Flash" and that includes the worst of the worst fan made reviews of the show.

That being said, while I was crazily searching for these  "Flash" related entertainments, I stumbled on to some heavily toxic warzones. These warzones were based on the two leading women on the show and their fictional romantic involvement with the lead actor. Sigh! May I take a moment before I go on? Sigh!

This has been done countless times over the years with fans segregating themselves into teams as they ship two characters romantically. The first time I heard about it was during the "Twilight"trilogy - a teen movie saga based on books I neither understood or with which I never had any tolerance. Team this and team that. Urgh! The whole thing became a movement from which no living being could escape except you were a hermit in the mountains somewhere without running water or electricity. Even if you NEVER watched a single clip or read a single paragraph in the book, you were all too aware of the premise of the movies and their "ship" wars.

So here I was, watching, listening, reading and absorbing the ridiculous battles between what is now prominently known as the "Westallen" shippers and the "Snowbarry" shippers. "West" as in the character "Iris West" played by the beautiful Candice Patton and "Snow" as in the character "Caitlyn Snow" played by the adorable Danielle Panabaker. Then you have, of course, the talented and noteworthy actor - Grant Gustin - who fills the role of "Barry Allen" aka "The Flash". Call me old fashioned (I am not a teenager) but I do yearn for the good old days when we could just watch a show and enjoy it for what it is ... A SHOW!!! An entertaining, good-time-having, relaxation inducing, but also very fictional SHOW!

What is the definition of a show? Let's see!
Definition for Show: "A public performance that is intended to entertain people". Miriam-Webster.com

What is fiction? Definition of fiction: "Written stories about people and events that are NOT REAL". Miriam-Webster.com

Having said all this I am not oblivious to the fact that there is some measure of racial tension due to the fact that the character "Iris West" who was written as a caucasian woman in the comic book series, is now written as a black woman for the TV adaptation. This is not the first time shipping wars turned beyond ugly due to racial tension. Cases in point - the TV shows "Jane by Design" with Lulu and Jane, "Twisted" with Jo and Lacey, "Greys Anatomy" with Stephanie and April. Anyone with common sense could see that the teams were divided by race. This added a new dynamic to the shipping wars because it meant that you were only on a certain team or ship because you could relate to the the character of your preferred race. It really makes me sad when I see division among women of all ages and backgrounds because of race. Diversity is something to be celebrated. Unless you get your fix off of name calling and being sadistically mean, shame on you! All of you. I truly feel ashamed and sorry for all involved.

I get it! The show is exciting and addicting and entrancing, so much so that you cannot help but be engrossed. If I can get engrossed without hating some fictional character to the point where I want her off the show (people please, she's an actress doing what the directors told her to do and if you feel that strongly, it means she's doing an amazing job) or hate her followers to the point where I have to demean them in anyway possible then I am sure you can too.

Some advice for the guilty and the culprits who have stubbled on to my blog. Relax, Breathe and Enjoy. This is something to ENJOY. Celebrate the diversity before you and exercise some self-control. Stop getting so emotional. It's silly to allow something, that is meant to entertain and relax you, to do the complete opposite. Take thee or four steps back and rationally look at the situation from a distance so that you can see the whole picture. Don't give power to one awful commenter by refusing to take note of all the other beautiful comments about your chosen ship. Lastly, forget about the war and let us bring some measure of rational peace to something that has gone completely overboard. Remember it is just a SHOW. E n j o y!

Christmas is Over and the New Year's Almost Here ...

Hey there! I haven't posted in a while and I must confess that my blog was started because of a class project. But I've enjoyed it so much that I've decided to continue. So after a small hiatus, I'm back and ready to roll again. Hope you all had a great Christmas by the way. Mines was great!

Have you ever found yourself envying other people to the point where it actually made you totally miserable? The neighbors, friends, celebrities, even family members all seemed to have something I wanted but didn't have. Whether it was the perfect body, the perfect height, the perfect job, a good looking man, money, popularity.  I've found myself in that position lately and it was getting to a point where I began to feel really bitter. Everywhere I turned someone seemed to be flaunting something...something I couldn't have. Urrgh!

Case in point my sister bought a brand new Macbook Pro recently and while we were on a Skype call with her, she pulled it out as a surprise. I wanted to die, especially when she said the capacity was 500GB. I looked at my old macbook laptop that I've had since 2010 with its 250GB (the white one that I got when snow leopard was the new OS). I've been dreaming of the new Macbook Pro with all its new features and capabilities and trying to save up for it for what seems like forever. To make matters worse my brother kept calling out and identifying all the new features as he looked it up on the internet. I repeat, I wanted to die. I really need it too...being a graphic designer it's an ideal piece of equipment for my line of work. She's not even a graphic designer, she's an accountant. Why does she have the good stuff??? WHYYYYYYYYY????

Maybe I'm being a little over dramatic but this is how its been for me for a while now. Always seeing other people with things i'd like to have or even things I feel more entitled to and suffering those pangs of envy that can eventually drive one insane if they allow it. Lucky for me I found an escape route away from this vicious, ongoing cycle. I tend to over think things a lot and sometimes it has a way of working in my favour. As I sat thinking about my battles with envy it occurred to me that there are many people in this world who are destitute and without even basic necessities. For every one person who made me bitter because of what they possessed, there were probable 20 people who didn't have half the things I possessed like a good education, a roof over my head, clean drinking water, a loving family.

The thought made me feel extremely grateful for what I had in my life but the more I thought about it I felt ashamed too. Here I was envying others for what I believed I was entitled to when there were people out there who were in need of things I took for granted. I knew right then that I wanted to help the unfortunate in some way. If I did something to help them I believed it would definitely take my mind off of envying others and at the same time perhaps bring fulfillment that would remove all bitterness and replace it with a healthier outlook on my life.

A NEW YEARS RESOLUTION

In the tradition of making new years resolutions, I'd like to publicly make one today. In light of my
current situation, I want to use my talents and skills to make the lives of others better, particularly those who are destitute for even the most basic necessities of life. Throwing out the envy and instead using what I HAVE to help others. As time goes by I'll give updates on how I progress with this and hopefully you may feel inspired to do the same. So happy New Year to you all and I hope you find a new year's resolution that you will meet with much success and that will bring you maximum satisfaction. New beginnings are always something to enjoy!!!

Collaboration with Face-tuh-Face and Artful Trini

Two brilliant, humble girlies sat before me as I prepared myself for an interview with them. Throughout the past few weeks I observed in awe and fascination as real, raw talent flowed from their blogs. Two fellow graphic designers yet students like myself. It was an opportunity I could not pass up and so I asked and they accepted to collaborate with me in a sit down interview.

Shanice Vitals of the "Face-tuh-Face" blog and Allison Padillia-Alexander of "Artful Trini": - two rising stars in the graphic design industry. I asked about their earliest memories in reference to art and they revealed to me how those memories shaped the start of a journey on which they now find themselves. As I listened to their stories, I understood their respective roads travelled and the discovery, excitement, fear and triumph that is inevitably attached since I too travelled a similar path.

Shanice's work speaks in edgy, rebel tones. She is determined not to conform or blend in with what she sees around her. On her blog she stated that her blog was a means to discover her own artistic style and in the process, find herself.  From my observations she is surely on her way to achieving that goal if she hasn't done so already. The concept involves depicting her self portrait in the styles of the artists she admires. Choices she makes in her prefered artists give insight into just how good and gifted an artist she has already become. One such artist is Sara Golish - a prominent up and coming artist.

The work of Sara Golish

Our collaboration involved Shanice agreeing to do my portrait in the style of this amazing artist. Here are the results.

Allison's talents are also undeniable. The detail in her drawings are mind-boggling and has earned her compliments and high praise among her peers. A particular work of art produced by Allison entitled "Aquatic Globe" caught my attention because of the concept. It made me realize that she could quite easily become a concept artist. It's a glass globe (the kind that usually has a winter scene in it with the snow falling) but with a beach scene. The vivid color and the details were so magnetic. She revealed to me in our little chat that she sometimes dreams about the concepts of her art projects before fleshing them out. I was intrigued by this since I would give anything to be able to dream in such a way. Allison's talents include arts and crafts where she not only draws but makes things with her hands and also looks for objects on which to express her unique style. As with Shanice, Allison also agreed to do my portrait in her own style. Here is the result.

I really love these two portrayals. For more on these two rising stars, watch the video below of our chat together where many things about these artists are revealed.  Definitely something to enjoy!

Enjoyable Collaboration with Crafty Food Bloggers!

Marina's delicious carrot bread and tuna dip

Delicious, nutritious food. Who can resist! The thought of hooking up with some of my fellow food bloggers for a collaboration had me so excited, I could hardly sit still. I love food, especially when the food is not only savory and appetizing but also vibrantly healthy and good for you. I wasn't alone in my passion for this topic. Leston Paul of the popular blog "Creative DiversityTT" shared my excitement in doing the collaboration. Last but not least, the very talented photographer Kieron Anthony of the blog "Roadtoprotog" became a welcome addition as we came together to create a very special video about food!

We filmed the entire event as a food-show with two very eager hosts and two very talented cooks/foodies. Our guests were Marina Rivas
of the blog "Marisol Cooking" and Krystal Leah of the blog "Trini Vegan" (Hoorayyy for vegans, the healthiest people on the planet!). The video is packed with information about a healthy lifestyle and cooking with passion.

All the bloggers and collaborators

We really enjoyed making this video and hope you will enjoy learning from it as much as we enjoyed making it. Coming to the end of the video Leston and I tasted the dishes and both were so good that I couldn't stop eating. It was really a treat learning from these talented chefs and I will definitely be trying out the recipes they shared on their blogs. Let me know if you can relate to what our two food bloggers were saying in the two part video below and if you have any questions, feel free to post in the comments section!

Krystal Leah's amazing Vegan Pizza!

YOU CAN VIEW PART 2 OF THE VIDEO BY CLICKING HERE!

Interracial Relationships Part 2 - Fun Collaboration with 'ABC Storytelling'

Yes folks! This has been a long time in coming but it's finally here. The second part of my exploration of interracial relationships focuses on interracial relationships right here in Trinidad and Tobago. This time around, zooming in on this issue in my own country gave me opportunity to collaborate with a fellow blogger by the name of Anietha Charles. She is an amazing storyteller and hugely talented illustrator. I'll talk a little more on Anietha Charles and the collaboration in a bit. Such excitement!!!

I decided to explore IR's in Trinidad and Tobago because while doing research for part 1, I realized that there is very little said about it here. The most I could find were a few articles (about three) and they were from students like myself. There was probably one newspaper columnist who dealt with it as well. Videos were also scarce. I found one youtube video and it was from a UWI student. I couldn't say anything about how Trinbagonians feel about IR and so I chose to research the information by conducting interviews with the people of Trinidad and Tobago and recording it, thereby raising more awareness on the subject. This led to the video below, which can be seen as a general snapshot of how people in this country feel about IR's.

Over 30 people were interviewed in the course of one day and while the responses were varied, the prevailing attitudes were very similar. My camera guy, Zamfir Khan (a really cool guy. Please check out his blog) and I traversed COSTAATT university (College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago) and also the streets of down town POS to conduct the interviews and found many compliant folks who gladly gave their opinions. I really enjoyed the process.  I learned a lot and that day. After a hard day of canvasing the streets and conducting interviews I can say I am truly proud to be a Trinidadian.

There were, of course some sad discoveries. One of the students from the college mentioned that she had a friend who was a girl of East Indian decent who was romantically involved with a boy of African decent and that the parents of the girl were "kicking against it", as stated in the words of the student.  I won't pretend to be totally naive. I am aware of the racial tension between the people of East Indian decent and the people of African decent in this country but what I found to be interesting is that this mindset is primarily with the older generation. The young people of both races aren't thinking like their parents and grandparents. The younger generation have no hangups, no divisions and no reasons to be divided. They opt for unity and togetherness and that is very promising for us as a nation. So overall I must say that compared with other nations like the US and the UK, we are doing pretty good on the racial front, particularly where interracial relationships are concerned.

Collaboration with Anietha Charles

Anietha - a graphic design student - is such a talented individual. When I discovered her storytelling capabilities in addition to her artistic abilities, I was blown away. During my interviews I allowed the interviewees to tell stories about how IR couples they knew, met each other. I asked Anietha if she could illustrate these stories so that I could add them to the video. She did a fantastic job and I was so glad for the opportunity to work with her in such a way. As mentioned above she also writes a blog which is entitled "ABC Storytelling". Check it out here and look out for other fun collaborations coming soon. 

  

Street Harassment and A Funny Way to Deliver the Message

Shoshana Roberts 
(Source: news.com.au)

Remember the blogpost I did entitled, "The Way Women are Treated by Men in Sweet TnT"? In that post I spoke about the negative way some Trinidadian men approach women in our country and in return, received many responses from Trinidadian women who said they could relate to the issues raised. Well this is a follow up to that post. I recently came across a video of a woman who, in an attempt to raise awareness for this issue, walked 10 hours through the streets of New York as a social experiment. With a hidden camera on the back of a man who walked in front of her, recording every moment of the daunting 10 hours, the results were overwhelming, far reaching and ongoing.

The director of the video was a man by the name of Rob Bliss and the woman who agreed to be the bait for this much needed exposé was Shoshana Roberts. I found out that in America, the issue is termed "Street Harassment" and has been the source of public conflict for some time. But that conflict reached its climax when Rob Bliss and his team released the video of Shoshana to raise awareness that would hopefully put an end to    street harassment.

The video seen above shows Shoshana walking through the streets of New York as several men try to get her attention with unwanted responses ranging from a simple "hello" and "smile" to men following her and asking for her number. Men so bent on getting her attention that when they said something to her and they didn't receive a  response from her they began asking her if the reason she didn't talk back to them was because they were ugly. The video depressed me so much that I knew I had to address it. This is an issue so profoundly disturbing because it infringes on a person's right to walk the streets in peace without being bombarded. It's kind of like being ambushed by a swarm of bees or mosquitoes. But these aren't unruly insects, these are men, people who have no regard for a person's right to privacy, and no respect for women or themselves. Shoshana herself agreed to be in the video because she has been a victim of this many, many times.

I used to respond when I was younger but when I realized my level of comfort while walking the streets ebbing away I knew something was up. If you are saying hello to one random person then you should say it to all.  Why not say hello to every single person you see. Old men, young children, the homeless, businessmen in their shinny suits ... EVERYONE! But no. You single out one person who is attractive to you and then, whether she likes it or not, you make sure she sees, or hears you. If she exercises her free will to not respond, then something is wrong with her.

The video is linked to a movement to end street harassment called "Hollaback!" You can learn more about the video here and more about Hollaback here.The director of the whole experiment said it was exhausting to be around and to watch as guy after guy targeted Shoshana. The worst part of this for me was observing the comments of the men who viewed the video. It has been reported that after featuring in the video Shoshana recieved rape threats. Here is a small indication of what men think of the video. After featuring a snap shot of the video on my facebook page to promote the post, I received this unwelcome comment from a fellow facebooker.

In addition to these comments were the video parodies that mimics the original in a bid to make it sound as if women are making a big deal about nothing. I really laughed at this one.

Here is the best responce to the video above.

So to all the parodies I have some video responses of my own. Check out these videos. The first is a link to "The Daily Show" where he addresses the topic of street harassment using one of his associates - Jessica in a segment called "Jessica's Feminized Atmosphere". Click here to view. (Wait a few seconds for the commercial to finish) The second video below is aptly named smile and hails from a youtube channel entitled "The Get Go".

These videos made me laugh so hard! Anyway, after all the hollaballoo, let us remember that at the base of this subject matter is the issue of human dignity and respect. The women who support the street harassment movement are ordinary women. They love to be complimented and told they are beautiful, but compliments have their place and time. Let's learn to respect and honor each other as we go through this journey called life.