From Oompa Loompa to Glamazon!

Fierce as Tyra

I have a couple events coming up for which I needed formal evening dresses. Now that I am more oompa loompa than Tyra, I could not realistically depend on my stash of glamazon dresses in my wardrobe so I had made up my mind to face the store, face the horror of shopping for a dress. Now as I mentioned in an earlier post, shopping here can be traumatic. Add the fact that I am a wee bit (a lot) fatter than usual, I was definitely not looking forward to this.

It started off really shaky, but I would just like to say thank you to Peter Elias for saving a diva from potential dress failure. Not only did the store have dresses that looked halfway presentable, but all the dresses I tried on looked absolutely brilliant. I mean, the guy is not called the queen-maker for nothing. Having dressed several of our Miss Universe delegates in the past, I was really hoping for miracles. And yes...he still has the magic touch. I felt quite chuffed as the Brits would say, as I tried on dress after dress and got not just the "I am being paid to do this" accolades from the staff, but the genuine oohs and aahs from the other customers who kept asking for their size in the dresses I was trying, and from the husbands there with their wives (on the down low, of course...lol). It was fun. Shopping was fun again.

I could have bought all the gowns I tried, but woman cannot eat a dress when starvation hits, so I only got two. But I am happy...and for a moment, I did not feel like an oompa loompa but I felt like the diva I know I am.

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Wrath of the Titans - A Trini Girl's Opening Day Review

Sam Worthington as Perseus in Wrath of the Titans

Wrath of the Titans. If just to see Sam Worthington at his Aussie sexiest...and without the shorn lamb crop he sported in the first installment. Now he had shampoo commercial hair, more in keeping with how I assume a demi-god should look. Thank you.

I went early to avoid the crowd and since I had been waiting for this, I did not want to put it off til next weekend (no time tomorrow or Sunday).

The critics have given the movie so-so reviews, with some reviews being really horrible, but I always say, you cannot expect Academy award winning stuff from an action movie...or shouldn't.

Liam Neeson as Zeus, and Ralph Fiennes as Hades
in Wrath of the Titans

I enjoyed the movie. Besides the aforementioned eye candy, the movie was fun and the 3-D was great. Yes, it was predictable but so are a lot of other movies. But seriously though - when will Zeus learn that Hades is just not to be trusted? For the king of the gods, Zeus is incredibly naive. I won't spoil the movie for anyone by talking about the ending, but for a couple hours, I was not bored, I was visually stimulated if maybe not, intellectually challenged. But I doubt that was ever the real point of the movie. I think I will always be happy watching Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes kick ass, or just being as awesome as they both always are, and I absolutely loved that Bill Nighy was in it, albeit very briefly - and Sam Worthington? He just needs to show up basically.

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The Hunger Games - One Trini girl's review

Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss in "The Hunger Games"

I did not really know about "The Hunger Games" series before all the talk about the movie. Sad, but true. I did not have any real interest in the movie either, but between all the hype and my boredom, I went to see the movie today, ahead of the crazy, "never see come see" rush.

I enjoyed the movie. Though I was at first put off by the many comparisons to the ever annoying Twilight saga, I went with an open mind. Having tried once to actually watch Twilight - the very first one - and after failing miserably, I can honestly say, this was nothing like that. Nothing. The story was good, the acting was miles ahead and it was more than mildly entertaining. In short, I enjoyed it. Loved the Katniss and Haymitch characters - both well acted by Jennifer Lawrence and Woody Harrelson respectively. Not to mention, Stanley Tucci's larger than life, Caesar. And the eye candy effect - Liam Hemsworth as Gale. Even the men "awwwed" for him when Katniss did the whole "star crossed lovers" thing for the cameras and they showed poor heartbroken Gale. Awwww.

Will I go read the books now? Honestly I think I might. Though the movie did not go into great depth with regard to some of the obvious themes, I am sure I would enjoy how they are treated in the books - the gross divide between the rich citizens of the Capitol and the poor, starving people of the Districts being the obvious example, not to mention the exploitation.

Up next - Wrath of the Titans. Now that, I am excited to see! But have you seen The Hunger Games yet? Let me know what you think!!

Did you enjoy "The Hunger Games" movie?
	Yes
	No
	Have not seen it yet
	No interest
pollcode.com free polls

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Sushi Night Out

Sushi night out

Last evening, I decided to try the new More Vino outlet in San Fernando. Since I am already a patron of the original in the capital city, I was excited to finally try the Southern version - especially since it meant my commute would be less than 20 minutes.

It was fun. The sushi was great. It being St Patrick's Day, I also managed to take a day off from my Lenten abstinence from alcohol, and relax with some wine and cocktails, with some great girls, talking about love, men and relationships. I am still a very cool hybrid of Carrie and Samantha a la Sex and the City.

A couple things I did not like though -

I had booked a table for 3, and yet there was one menu. Now since I got there first, one menu was not a problem, but I did not think I would need to ask for 2 additional menus when my 2 girlfriends got there, and then get a bit of an attitude. What annoyed me was that the place was not that busy, so there should not have been a menu shortage, but apparently, menus are an endangered species in the place. I almost offered to pay for some photocopies!

Then, we are eating, laughing, hanging out. I appreciate attention from waiters or hostesses, but trying to take my plate, before I am even finished, and without even asking is just a bit rude. I felt like they wanted us to leave or clear the table, but again, people were not lined along the streets trying to get in, so what? Yeah...was not feeling that.

But other than that, the sushi was amazing and the night out was fun. The security guard told me I looked like a movie star. Pity, he didn't. Story of my life.

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Fat Jeans Nightmare

Too fat for my fat jeans

So as it was Friday, I pulled out a pair of jeans to wear to work yesterday. I did not want to wear the regular jeans because I find them too short when I wear my heels and then, lately, it has been causing some serious muffin top. So I decided, since noone cares, I would wear my "fat jeans". You know, the not-tight, not-fitted jeans a woman owns for crises like PMS-related bloating and some weight gain. These jeans are so big that after I bought them I had to have them taken in.

Yesterday, I almost could not get them on!!!

That is all I am going to say about this. I am meal planning again this morning and you bet your life, I will be getting stuff for soup and salad next week. I was too tired to go hit the walking trail this morning - it was a hard week but I am back on the beat from tomorrow. This was the last straw - the fat jeans debacle - but if this was what I needed to get my fat ass back in motion, so be it. If only to make myself feel happy again as well, cause right now, I'm not.

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Running into Trouble

Run, baby, run

A co-worker asked me today to go running with her and another colleague in the morning. I actually agreed to it in principle. In reality, I think I may conveniently forget my gym bag at home. There are only a few reasons

- My knee is jacked. I am not sure how or when, but my left knee is a mess and it hurts, and if it hurts when I walk, it will hurt when I run.

- I have not gone running, or walking or done any type of strenuous physical activity in weeks - WEEKS!! I know starting will end this drought, but my inner voice is saying I don't wanna

- But more importantly, the other co-worker who is encouraging us to go run is a beast. I don't mean the girl is not attractive, cause she is. I mean, she is a fitness maven. Hello? She does like triathlons and endurance type competitions and stuff. My idea of endurance is suffering through an entire episode of Keeping up with the Kardashians, or sitting in rush hour traffic. Why would I go set myself up for major, earth shattering embarrassment. She is the Xena, Warrior Princess, to my oompa loompa. 

I dunno.I know I neeeeeeeeeeeed to get back into my fitness zone but I am not motivated. At all. I did download some fitness, fat-busting songs onto my iPod but I just skip over them at my desk and listen to Muse and Adele instead. I am getting fatter by the day and soon I will be going to work naked if clothes get any tighter, but I am uninspired - for everything. Even for shopping trips. I have waited til ticket prices to the US and anywhere for that matter on Easter weekend are ridiculously expensive cause I don't want to be the fat kid on vacation. Whether it's trying clothes on or sitting on a beach - being the fat kid is not cute. I'm just not in a good place lately.

Brings me back to this run, doesn't it?

I just need a jump start.

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The Spinach Saga: A Trininista True Story

My awesome corn pie

See that awesome corn pie aka cornbread casserole? That's mine - fresh out of the oven on Saturday night. I had some for dinner a while ago. But...it almost did not happen.How can something as simple as a corn pie warrant an entire blog entry? This is how.

So after hours of slaving over a hot laptop on Saturday morning, trying to sort out my meal plan for the week, I came up with

- spinach rice
- stir fried veggies, mostly peppers, cause I felt like stir frying sweet peppers
- corn pie
- bbq chicken
- spinach and olive loaf, with the rest of the spinach
- doubles...just to try it

So I went to my neighbourhood Hi-Lo (supermarket) and spent the better part of 45 minutes debating whether I should get local spinach or bhagi, or the foreign spinach. The local spinach is way cheaper ($8.00 vs $20) but they just plopped a bunch of it in a bag...for who to clean?? Naaaaaaaaaaah. I was not cleaning that! I am lazy...bite me. I looked at that bag of bhagi and decided I was not going to do it. I decided I was not going to do the expensive bag of spinach either so with my cheap "occupy Hi-Lo" ass, I got some chopped spinach in a can. lol. Got some corn - both creamed and whole - some crackers, some yogurt, some trail mix, and some other random goodies.

Get to the cashier, unpack my basket, swipe the cardy card, hand over my eco-friendly, re-usable shopping bag to the bag packer guy. He had a packer buddy and they were both yapping away and taking their time to pack my bag - like I had nowhere else to be. Finally, after what felt like eons, they were done and I grabbed my bag with my stocks and went home to get my cook on.

Get home, and put my rice on with some caramelised onion and garlic, and with a bit of chicken stock and go into my bag to get my "make do" can of spinach. Wait. Where is my spinach?? I checked the bag about 5 times and there was no green tin. Went to the car to see if it had rolled out of the bag onto the floor. Nada. Come back inside and check the bag one more time before letting out a slew of expletives. Then realised, wait...where is my corn? Where is my trail mix? My seasoning? My yogurt? WTF!!

Livid!!! Pick up the cell-u-lar. Ring ring.

Hi-Lo, how can I help?
Yes, (give them the story)
Hold on.
(without warning some bright young man comes on) Yeah?
Who is this?
Yeah?
(LIVID) - (repeat story)
Well, yuh will hadda come back. Bring your bill and ask for the supervisor.
(LIVID...rice is on the stove, spinach-less; hurricane rain and winds outside...who was going all the way back to the mall for some spinach??)

I hung up.VEX.

Pulled on a hoodie and some jeans and contemplated this turn of events as my sad, spinach lacking rice sat on the stove and my casserole dish lay hollow and empty, and my rainy Saturday plans for cooking my lunch for the week, were near death. Slammed the door and stormed out in the rain like a hater - doh need umbrella cause I so vex. Jumped in the car, and with a squeal of brakes, drove to the closest grocery - having to drive through rain and traffic and having to deal with dotish people, and then having to pay $5 to park my car for 5 minutes! Of course my little country grocery had no Del Monte Chopped Spinach in a can, but they did have corn.

Anyway, got back home, calmed myself, and finished my spinach-less rice with a tomato and some bodi (google it), and made my casserole, which despite of everything was perfect.

Fast forward to today...this is where the ting gets exciting.

Drive to the so and so Hi-Lo after work. Made sure I was looking real corporate bitchy. Face set up like a beast. Get there with my bill and the little blue pen ticks next to all the items that somehow never made it to my bag. The supervisor lady checks her book and then finds nothing better to do than tell me

"These items not in the book"

Silence ...as I waited for grace, patience and reason to wash over me, cause my blood pressure was already rising. Sensing danger, she called another lady, who then goes with my bill to find Mr Singh (not his real name). Where did she go? Wait for it.

To check the CCTV footage from Saturday!!!

Allyuh serious?? This woman and her Mr Singh sat in this little back room for the next 15 minutes looking at footage to prove that I really did not get my $9 tin of spinach!! I could hardly believe it. Me - dressed to death, looking executive swanky with my $450 handbag, would REALLY come into Hi-Lo and rip them off of a $9 tin of spinach?? Not even some steak or wine - but SPINACH??

Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.

After one 15 minute phone call to a friend describing this comedy show, Miss Lady reappears and asks...wait for it...

"Miss, what were you wearing on Saturday?"

My response, out loud cause I could not hold it back any longer: "Lady...you serious??"

"Yes, we not seeing it. The tapes doh be clear and we doh see good."

Soooo...you had me waiting there for 15 minutes when you knew all along, the tapes were useless? Woooo...this was exciting!! It's a good thing I was looking like a professional woman cause I was just about to go ghetto inside there, yes. I mean, can you imagine the scenario if I had gone on Saturday in my hoodie, ripped jeans and flip flops? They might have called police for me!!

W
T
F

By this time, the thing was getting ridiculous but she, happily for her and Mr Singh, was a real gem and she said "Just go get your items and I will bag it for you."

I am beyond words right now. I will never ever take my eyes off the bag boys again...in life. Never.

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Bored

I have tried many times to post over the past few days but have had nothing to say really. My life has suddenly become quite dull - filled with work, being tired from work, sleeping, cooking and reality tv. I'm actually trying to think of a meal plan for next week. I have done burritos two weeks in a row and while they were splendid, I am not doing it for another week. And in terms of reality TV, I have limited my boredom fillers to Basketball Wives (featuring a bag of hot mess train wrecks who aren't even real basketball wives), Ice and Coco (Coco is a tanned, inflated mess, but they are a cute couple) and sometimes, Khloe and Lamar (she is my fave of the annoying trio, and I get to see the best Kardashian of all, Rob).

I'm bored really. Bored with the island. I get bored really quickly so here I am. I am (supposed to be) planning an escape for the Easter weekend but have made very little progress with that. I am so ambivalent to the world around me, it's not funny. I am not sure what this is, but it has gripped me, in a strong vice-like grip. The options for the weekend were the Big Apple and the Big Papi - or whatever the real moniker is for Miami. lol. I just need to get off my ass and do it already, or guess what? I'll be bored over Easter.

And completely random observation -shea butter oil smells so nice. I have been using it in my hair for a couple weeks now and the smell...mmm...I wanna just lie in bed and smell myself all day long.

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No Neck-idness Allowed!!

Over the past couple weeks, a few people have commented on various necklaces I have worn while out. Since I have not done a Fashion post in a while, I thought I would share these necklaces with you - just because I can. I love necklaces. Love. I think I have a pretty awesome neck. lol. So I like to dress it up ever so often. So here we go...

So first is this multi-hued necklace.

Multi-hued bead necklace

The photo probably does not do it justice, but this one is quite a conversation starter. Hmmm...you actually get a better look at it from this obviously cropped photo of me wearing it at a sporting event.

It really is pretty

Yeah. That's much better. Quite a few people like...no...love this necklace. Maybe because I see it all the time but I don't quite understand it. I mean I love it but I still smile at the reaction it gets. I typically pair this with black, blue or purple, with simple earrings and eyeshadow in various shades of blue. My mother actually bought me this necklace - one of the rare times her tastes and mine have been in happy alignment.

This one I bought when I got back from London...

Earth toned braided necklace

... and it is really gorgeous and goes well with my earth toned outfits. It's pretty great - I really love it - and it always gets compliments. I tend to wear it with brighter hues or earthy hues.

I don't like wearing yellow gold by itself cause I just love silver and platinum too much, so when I feel an outfit calls for gold accessories, I go for a two-toned accessory approach instead and this necklace is gorgeous and just perfect for that.

Two-toned flat necklace - great if you want a bit of pop!

It's great if the blouse or dress is a low scoop neck or strapless.

I bought this one for an edgier look so I tend to wear it more at night. It's silver and black leather - heavy-ish, but totally awesome.

Silver and black necklace - evening look

I am really lazy with earrings for everyday life. For evening - formal evening events, I will do a conversation piece type earring and go bare on the neck. For going to the movies or the bar, I buy larger earrings on occasion but on a regular day, I am happiest with my diamond studs and not much else. And rule of thumb really is - if you are doing a chunky necklace, keep the earrings really simple. There is nothing worse than seeing overdone accessories, with overdone makeup as well. Ugh.

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Prince Charming: The 2012 Version

Yes. I have never proclaimed my love or changed my Facebook relationship status to identify my love, but I think it might be time to do so. It's great when you finally find something real and reliable - trustworthy and delivering performance every single time. So I felt I should show a little appreciation and show him off for the first time. You guys are so lucky.

My faithful Prince Charming - the slow cooker, or crock pot

Isn't he fantastic looking!? Yes. My slow cooker is my Prince Charming. Not only is it trustworthy but when I am tired and need to whip up something delicious and nutritious without slaving over a hot stove for hours, he answers the call. I just dash stuff his way, turn him on and he does all the work, so that all I need to do after a nap is get a plate and dish it out. So at 6am, I dragged myself off the bed and popped everything in, and came back to bed where you can still find me. What man you know does this??

This morning I am doing burritos again for the work lunch for the week. I did them last week but with beef and they were awesome. This week - carnitas burritos! Today, I am doing some pulled pork and my Prince is doing his thing in the kitchen. I have already done the rice, and I am also making the wraps from scratch since I could not find any pre-made wraps in Hi-Lo yesterday. I am also wrapping baby gifts, for a birthday party I have to go to later this afternoon, and going over a presentation on reputation risk intelligence I am doing over the next 3 days at work. See how varied my life is? Pork burritos, baby gifts and high falutin sounding corporate presentations? I am the perfect 2012 Princess!!

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