Cosmopolitan Love...or Single Gal Stalking

Cosmopolitan love....the nice kind

So of course, no weekend away for the single gal would be complete without some single gal adventures.

First of all, I must admit that the quality of the man candy in Miami was really sub-par. I was really not impressed. I mean, sure it had been a while since my last visit, but where did all the semi-cute guys go? What I did see bordered on “America’s Most Wanted” and “Redneck Rehab” (thanks to my girlfriend, for exposing me to such amazing American pop culture as Redneck Rehab). I mean…wow. It was bad.

What I can easily say now with much confidence is that my stalkers are international. I mean, yes…I am a cosmopolitan stalker magnet. On this trip, I had my first Guyanese stalker (he had to have been Guyanese!!) and my very first Israeli stalker. The Israeli stalker was special. Not only was he mesmerized by the Trini hotness, but he was so gobsmacked that he scribbled his number on a piece of paper and urged me to call him. I have the number in the back pocket of my jeans – a souvenir of my international prowess – but no call was ever made. Not sure where ashy ankle, old guy stalker was from, but he kept staring at me in the store with this hungry, rabid look that made me feel like I was covered in honey barbecue sauce. Oh and let's not forget the Hispanic-American TSA dude who felt it would be remiss of him to not subtly or not so subtly "invite" himself to my hotel while he checked my landing card.

There were also some very strange social rituals brought on either by alcoholic overindulgence (God, I hope so) or just by simple insanity/lasciviousness. We went to the Clevelander at Marlins Park on Saturday night and wow, these girls were really high on life (insert sarcasm here). One girl was the obvious “star” with her antics which included dancing in-between the legs of the moko jumbie, then falling to the floor and thrusting her pelvis upwards in what is a dance only she knows. She also coupled this with some girl-on-girl action with another scantily clad psycho, who proceeded to grab pelvic girl’s rump, gyrate on it, and then when pelvic girl was on the floor doing the pelvic thrust dance, this one raised the already short skirt to gyrate over her. God only knows what this was about, but it was disturbing and only slightly entertaining. There was a bit too much of a Sodom and Gomorrah vibe going on here. Lol. Needless to say, in as much as the deejaying was a mess, this sideshow was the best entertainment for the evening.

Rest assured though, I was a mere bystander and spectator and your girl was nowhere in the fracas. Not sure where my passport will take me next but God, let’s hope the single gal adventures are more smurfy, and less Gargamel.

Read more »

Steam Room Magic

My own personal steam room - every day steam therapy!

Just got back from a weekend getaway in Miami. Well, besides the out-of-this world thunderstorms, the trip was lovely. I slept on the flight to Miami, and the flight from Miami and everywhere in between. So tired was I - this corporate life!!!

The best part of the trip besides spending time with friends?

Steam room magic!!!

I had booked my hotel around the same time I booked my flight about a month or so ago, and let me tell you, I made this hotel decision not on location, or cute pics but on the shower. The room came with a wonderful sauna type experience which every overworked corporate diva needs when on a much needed weekend away from stress and frustration. I swear, the relaxation that came after each steam bath was beyond description and priceless. I feel like a new woman.

Well until tomorrow.

Thank you to the wonderful staff at Hotel St Augustine, in Miami, not just for the exemplary customer service but also for the foresight in ensuring guests could have such luxuries (necessities??) mere steps away from their beds. Awesome!

Read more »

A Tale of Two Breasts - Kate's Breasts

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge aka Kate Middleton

The interwebs have been buzzing with the talk and the actual photos of Kate Middleton's ta-tas. So she went on holiday, took off her top and let her husband rub sun tan lotion all over her.

BIG DEAL!

What is our fascination with nakedness, or more specifically, celebrity nakedness?

Are we still so daft that somehow we think that celebrity body parts perhaps look different or are superior? Have we never ever in our lives seen a pair of female breasts? Did we think maybe her breasts were made of gold or diamond encrusted? Are we so hard up that our only avenue for ogling body parts is by checking out paparazzi photos in a magazine or online? How do Kate Middleton's breasts become such a hot ticket?

I mean, people have sent me the photos (why do people do this?) of Kate's toplessness and I must say, while not advocating the stalking of women to snap shots of their breasts, the secondary issue is that the breasts aren't awesome by boob standards. In much the same way, I did not get the buzz around her sister Pippa's bum, I don't understand this weird fascination with Kate's breasts. Yet all this hoopla - just because they are royal ta-tas? She was not royal a year ago and I am betting she has had them for a while.

But...I want to say that while some may argue that she should appreciate her celebrity status and thus be more careful of where she takes her top off, it speaks again to the baseness of society, where the female body has become a treasure chest (pardon the pun) for third parties, and where a woman's choice to do as she likes in private is questioned and attacked. A woman, princess or not, if she feels liberated in the privacy of her villa, to want to take her top off to get a tan, should be able to do so without feeling like she will be violated and exploited for profit by others, or chastised. How can anyone fault a still new bride enjoying an intimate moment with her husband - prince or not - in the privacy of their vacation home?

I think the entire thing is annoying and played out. I wish the media would find real news to report on.

Read more »

Packing: Every Woman's Nightmare

I hate packing.

Even though it may be a short trip, I still hate it. It can be so tedious, especially as a woman, cause we all know, we gals are planners and we can then become indecisive. We think ahead and over think. And we have different needs to men. They can wear just about anything and look any old way. We just can't!

But I am getting better and with all the airline restrictions now, it has become mandatory to just leave some things behind. Gone are the days I would have an entire mini carry-on just for my toiletries. But some good tips I have tried to stick to in recent years.

Choose a foundation colour - Especially if like me, you're an accessoriser and your blouse has to match your shoes and handbag etc. Stick to a colour family and take just the accessories you need for that colour family. Or...

Play it safe with the accessories -  You cannot go wrong with black or brown sandals/heels, and a simple necklace and some diamond/gold/silver earrings. Don't overly stress yourself out with the accessorising. Have you seen other tourists lately, waist pouch and all? Once you don't look like them, you have won half the battle already!

Bronze palette - always a winner!

The Toiletries!!! - Here is my challenge. My dressing table is like a shop. Anything you can think of is on there. You need lotions and smelly stuff and hair stuff and night time stuff and mouth stuff. lol. How do you decide what stays and what goes? Well, you can't. But hey, day cream can work as a night cream. So what if you smell like vanilla for the entire vacation? Do you really need to smell musky or floral too? Make vanilla your signature smell for the trip. You also cannot go wrong with a bronze eye palette. It goes with almost everything, so you don't need to take the entire makeup bag! MAC will not burn to the ground because you left all your minis at home. Do you NEED to exfoliate or do a glycolic peel? Do you?

Don't overdo it with the "just in case" items - This is the REAL problem. The "Oh let me take this blouse just in case we go to a club, and this one just in case it is cold that night". Then there are 15 extra tops in the suitcase that you NEVER wear. I am not challenging the "just in case" items but keep it rational!!!

Plan (sensibly and without neurosis) - You can either write it down or lay the clothes out - but plan the outfits strategically, so you know what you are going to wear when. And stick to it. This way you pack just what you need and don't over-pack. You need space for souvenirs and other things when you're coming back home!!

Let's see how I do with this. I can give it, but can I follow it???

Read more »

Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum!!! Lots of Rum!

My favourite rum - Angostura 1919
Photo credit: Lime.tt

Yesterday we went to the Day 2 of the three-day Angostura Rum Festival. Anyone who knows me knows I love festivals, and when I was in London, if I could make it, I would be at some festival, including their Rum Festival, which featured rums from all over the world. So when I saw this, I was already there. Hell...I mean, the word "rum" does it for me, so I was there.

The festival was aimed at showcasing our local rums and the amazing things one can do with them, as well as allow true rum lovers to understand the history of our rum and how rums are made, and our world-famous Angostura bitters. In case you did not know, Angostura bitters are as awesomely Trini as I am. Write it down. There were tours of the distillery, rum lectures, demonstrations with rum in both cooking and bartending, rum samples and Master Challenges for chefs and mixologists.

The heat drove me from the outside to the cooler activities on the inside, like the rum lecture, which surprisingly was not as boring as I thought it would be...ALTHOUGH...I did close my eyes for a couple minutes. That I blame on the free cocktails, the heat and a very taxing and tiring 5-day work week. But the presenter was engaging and very knowledgeable about his rum.

Daiquiri...mmmm
Photo credit: Lime.tt

The festival was okay. It was not quite what I expected after all the amazing reviews, but it was a good day out anyway and for just TT$50. There are very few things you can do for $50 so kudos!

It was extremely hot though and I wilted immediately until we got indoors, into areas like the rum shoppe and the cooking demonstrations, which I did not know you needed to buy chits for, but anyway...

Note to organisers: The entertainment was awful awful awful. Wow. We were not the only ones who thought so either, but then they were brought on so late that perhaps it was anticipated that people would be too drunk to notice and too spirit-happy to really care.

Read more »