Island Soul City Dreams

I reflect. I analyze. I speak my mind. ~ I Keep it Irie ~

Archive for the month “August, 2012”

19 Aug 2012

Bitter Or Not, I Love That Taste

It’s one of the few things that gives me utter gratification whenever I get it in my mouth. I get a high from the very first taste, savoring it as it hits the back of my throat and I take that swallow. Then, I briefly close my eyes in the afterglow. Mmmmm, just writing about it now makes me crave for it. Yes, I am addicted to it.

For many years, I kept my addiction a secret. I used to think that people would deem me a freak if they knew how much I was into this thing. So when guys I dated inevitably found out, it was comforting to know that they had no complaints at all. In fact, my passion for this thing is so infectious that I’ve been able to convert a couple of boyfriends who weren’t into it. To the extent that sometimes, no matter what I was busy doing, once they were in the mood for it, they’d interrupt me to give them a hand with this satisfying treat. I’m flattered that they’ve all said they especially enjoyed it with me.

“It” can be bitter, but not like lemons!

I’m unsure of when I became hooked. Read more…

Posted in Tropical G-Spot and tagged Addicted to Tea, Benefits of drinking tea, History of tea, I Keep it, Maquita Peters, Teas, Types of Tea

12 Aug 2012

32 Comments

Proud of Our Caribbean Athletes: Deal Wid It

Jamaica’s World Record 4x100m relay team.

I am unapologetically patriotic to the Caribbean – the region where my grandparents, parents, most of my relatives, closest friends, and I were born. But I love this country in which I live and the opportunities it has afforded me, both to develop in every sphere of my life and to contribute to this nation. I am beyond grateful for the blessings that have flowed along my arduous journey since moving to New York almost a decade ago. It’s a place where I have no relatives, a destination I emigrated to from Barbados with nothing more than a dream to further my education and advance my career as a journalist. I began life anew in this big city with my last penny in my pocket and my haven, the only life I knew – thousands of miles away on a tiny island in the heart of the Caribbean Sea.

Having to stand on my own in a foreign country has made me stronger and more appreciative of the hurdles I have had to overcome to reap my current successes. This experience has also done something else. It has instilled in me a deep passion for this City and by extension country. Interestingly enough, more than ever it has also made me cherish my heritage – the background that honed the spirit, the character and warrior to stay grounded here. The more I embrace US culture, the harder I fight to cling to my Caribbean roots. So as the Games of the XXX Olympiad got underway, like most West Indians on and beyond Caribbean shores, my loyalty was to our athletes. Read more…

Posted in Roots & Culture and tagged Caribbean, Games of the XXX Olympiad, I Keep it Irie, Jamaica, Jamaican athletes, Keshorn Walcott, London 2012, Maquita Peters, Olympics, Ryan Brathwaite, Track and Field, Trinidad and Tobago, Usain Bolt, West Indian Pride, West Indians

01 Aug 2012

18 Comments

The Prince That Really Was A Frog

I was recently betrayed in the worst way by someone I trusted and about whom I cared deeply. It was such a hurtful ordeal, that for a couple of weeks, I blocked out the “world” and retreated to a sanctum of depression. Well, initially, it was utter depression; drowning in a sea of self-pity, beating myself up about what I could have done differently, wondering where I went wrong and asking the perennial question, “why me?” I was in dire emotional turmoil, almost beyond consolation. At such times, there are perhaps only two people in the world who can break that barrier to help me see any silver lining. It was inevitable that I’d reach out to them. But amidst all the storms of my life, I’ve always been able to find that inner strength, or, maybe it’s my faith to which I turn to begin to feel that calm. I’d end up doing so once again. Read more…