The internal musings of a disorganised mind.
I’m in a rut. I’ve been in a rut for a few years. Wondering what I should be doing with my life and what I want to actually be doing. I feel like a child being asked what I want to be when I grow up, and I answer, “I don’t know”. [Read more…]
So the final(?) tally from yesterday’s local government elections give the People’s National Movement (PNM) control of seven regional corporations, the United National Congress (UNC) keeps control of 5, one draw in Chaguanas, and one to be decided (Point Fortin, which would probably go to the PNM). The Congress of the People (COP) and the Independent Liberal Party (ILP) got no corporations. This gives the PNM a good win over the ruling People’s Partnership (PP).
The PNM winning the majority of corporations was not surprise to me. The PNM as I see it is under new management and may be making in-roads of regaining trust of the electorate. Many commented that Rowley’s demeanour was calm, and unlike of someone who just decisively won an election, but I can understand his mood. He had to have known that this win was probably more from serendipity than by any strategy or tactic. It was the split votes between the UNC/COP and the IPL that ensure the PNM’s success. If I was Rowley, I would take a look at the elections and determine how best to continue to grow the momentum.
I was surprised by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s statement that “We did not lose,” and this was a “People’s victory.” It was either that she was delusional, or that the objective of this election was not to win. I think it’s both. While it may be everyone’s opinion that KPB is clueless, I also believe that the objective of this local government election was to prevent Jack Warner’s ILP from winning. And they achieved that, so they are happy. It goes to show the loser politics being played out.
What was even more surprising was the ILP not winning more seats. With the amount of money being spent, and the gatherings, rallies, and commentary on social media, I was lead to believe that the ILP was doing well. I was wrong. It did bring me a certain joy that the people of Trinidad are not as naive and hoodwinked as I believed, unlike those folks in Chaguanas East. I won’t rule out the ILP just yet. JW did not survive in FIFA all that time by luck; he’s a brilliant strategist and may have other tricks up his sleeve. Too bad he never used his skill for pure good.
The COP losing their seats and control was unsurprising to say the least. Now, they have no voice, and off even less leverage against the UNC in the PP Government. Voters have realised that they are a spineless bunch, and that all their talk of change and new politics was just rubbish. They now have little place in the future of the political landscape and will now wither into nothingness. I don’t believe that even a change in leadership can help them now.
If we should take anything from the elections yesterday was that only around 25% of the registered voters turned out to vote. While turnout for local government elections is usually low, there was a 39% turnout in 2010, 38% turnout in 2003 and 39% in 1999. Therefore, yesterday’s election saw the lowest turnout in a little more than a decade. This is evidence of a disenfranchised population. What can you expect when you are forced to vote for the lesser of evils?
I hope that things will get better, but the cynical part of me knows otherwise.
So the real winners and losers of this election? Well the losers are the people for certain, with no real choice, we only have the illusion of democracy.
The winners? The media houses and their massive windfall of campaign money.
I have two children, both girls, aged 4 and 5 years old, and they’re a handful. They’re messy and untidy and often difficult to handle. Like all children, they like to colour and draw and make stuff. My wife usually leaves them to their own devices with all the arts and crafts items – paper, scissors, glue, sticky tape, along with an assortment of stickers, googly eyes and other fun stuff. At the end, there’s a huge mess, which drives me nuts. [Read more…]
I recently went to our licensing office in Port of Spain to transfer our vehicle of 23 years after we sold it. What a terrible waste of time that whole experience turned out to be. At the end, the vehicle was transferred but the time wasted just to do that task was horrible. [Read more…]
Twenty-three year ago in Trinidad and Tobago, a radical Muslim group staged an attempted coup on the democratically elected government of the day. The standoff lasted for six days, during which time the Prime Minister was shot, 24 people were killed and the capital city looted and burnt to the ground.
The criminals, the Jamaat-al-Muslimeen, never paid for that crime against the nation. The amnesty signed under duress was inexplicably upheld by the local courts, although it was thrown out by the Privy council. The criminals were, and still are, free as birds.
Many of the businesses in the capital did not survive. Some took their family members and left for greener pastures, others took loans to rebuild a city that many would say the government and authorities had forgot.
Fast forward to the present: this same criminal organisation held a march yesterday to remind the citizens of their “victory” that day. These criminals, who now hold property and riches, marched through a city that they almost destroyed 23 year ago, when they should either be behind bars, or dead.
They marched through a city that businesses had to struggle to rebuild. A city that is now fraught with crime, poor infrastructure, and smells of piss and shit. A city that is seemingly forsaken by the same authorities who approved that march. Such a slap in our collective faces!
We’ve really reached as a nation haven’t we? The officials who approved this disgrace should be removed. But I shouldn’t have expected any better. The lawlessness that we see take place every day in Port-of-Spain is an indication of the mentality of the T&T population to just take it as we get it.
We as a nation have failed if we can allow the power that they people seemingly wield.
The Trinidad Express had as its headline, “Outrage”. And we should all feel that way.
During the day, things can go horribly wrong at any time. The boss gets on your case; disgruntled customers cuss you out over the phones; or the kids drive you up a wall. You can’t always prevent these things from happening, but it’s a good idea that your day starts off on better footing.
Try these 5 activities every morning to help your day go a little better.
While any regular regime of exercise is good for you, exercising in the morning has been found to be an easier habit to create because there are fewer things happening to squeeze it out. Added to that, morning exercise has been found to aid weight loss, improve sleep and even boost your career.
Get in the habit of doing at least 30 minutes of exercise daily, even if it’s some light stretching.
Breakfast is said to be the most important meal of the day, yet, it is one that is regularly skipped by a large number of people. The benefits of a healthy breakfast are numerous. It can help you lose weight, improve your health and feel more energised and alert.
Make it a habit to eat a high protein breakfast every morning within 2-3 hours of rising.
I regularly meditate every morning for 5-10 minutes after breakfast. Meditation has been proven to reduce stress and improve attention regulation.
By meditating, you help yourself to focus and to better take on the tasks for the day.
I practice something called free writing, which is just writing everything in your mind. There’s no real right or wrong way to free write, but if at the end someone reads it and is utterly confused, then you’re probably doing it right. Set 15 minutes on a timer (I use my phone) and just write whatever comes to mind. At the end of the 15 minutes just stop, close the book and walk away. You can review what you’ve written at another time later in the evening.
Free writing early in the morning helps give you clarity and increase creativity. It’s a judgement free time to start your day.
Before you start your day, review the items that you have planned for the day, stating specifically what you want to achieve and by when during the course of the day. The effect of intention has been shown to improve self regulation allowing you a better chance of achieving your goals.
Your day should not include more that 3 large items to accomplish, interspersed with 2-3 smaller ones depending on the effort involved. It’s important that you don’t set yourself to fail with too many tasks.
Give these tips a try and let me know whether there is a marked improvement in your days.
If you have more tips, please share it in the comments below.