CNN made me cry - Sandy Hook Tragedy

Sandy Hook teddy bears - remembering...

Today as I sat watching CNN, for a second time in as many days, the broadcast made me cry. No matter where you live or what you do, the senselessness of this tragedy is so beyond anything any of us could have ever imagined. I watched as families, friends and well wishers consoled each other. I watched as the school principal's husband spoke about his wife, and with him being much older than her, how he had believed he would be leaving their home to her and their kids and grandkids to enjoy. "I did not think it would be me. I don't think I can do this" before he and her daughter broke down. The President's own reflections and emotion as he called each of the 20 names of the angels whom "God has called home".

But it was the faces of the kids, who would not enjoy Christmas, would not receive the presents they had asked Santa for, who would not see another Thanksgiving or Halloween or birthday.

I celebrated my own birthday this week and believe me, this is something I never take for granted. This thing called life. As I sat in my hotel room on Friday night, coming from a night out, I cried for these children who will never fulfil the potential so many would have seen in them, and who would never marvel at the life moments that they would have created, the experiences and triumphs, the heartbreak and failures, the joy, love and happiness of a life well lived. As I reflected on my own life's journey and thanked God for the blessing, I thought of these little faces and the life snuffed out from their bodies too soon. Little Ana Marquez-Greene whose singing in a home movie, would now be limited to that movie. Or Jack Pinto who was a star wrestler, even at 6 years old.

Six years old. It is incomprehensible to me that someone would be so evil or so incapable of knowing better, for whatever reason, as to look into the eyes of the innocent and pull the trigger, ending a life before it had even started. I listen to friends - parents themselves - who tweeted and updated today that they held their kids tight before sending them off to school, not with the usual heavy heart of temporary separation, but with a heart filled with dread and terror. Is this the way we want to live? Is this the life we have promised our children? As a non-parent, is this a world I want to bring children into?

I pray for these families - both of the children, and the 6 amazing women who gave their lives to ensure dozens more could go home to their mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers. And for the remaining members of the perpertrator's family - victims themselves. The world mourns with Newtown. Our hearts break with this community, and my own prayers are with each and every family, and for the world we live in.

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LinkedIn or Link Up?: Woes of the Single Professional

LinkedIn Dating? Really?
Photo credit: Business Insider

Two entries in one day - how lucky you are!

I am sure many of you, at one time or another, have been virtually accosted by strange men or women on social networking sites, whether it is Facebook, or to a lesser extent Twitter (if you have a Twitter hook up story, please share). I have had friends of friends hit me up for dates and stuff on Facebook, though why they feel Facebook is a dating site is a bit beyond me.

However, I did not think that I would get date requests and be hit up on freakin' LinkedIn. LinkedIn - the social networking site for business. The site where you clean up well, with a nice professional looking photo, and you talk shop with your peers, try to make connections, and look for new opportunities. That was what I thought it was for. So imagine my dismay to find a connection request from some random guy, and a note that was anything but business-driven, unless the business he is in is matchmaking, pimping or soft porn. To make matters worse, he listed his actual job, and has a photo - though the photo itself was more Facebook party time, than business.

Is this what we have come to? Trolling any and every site for a hook up? Maybe he felt that he can find a good wife - employed and possibly a sugar mama type. But I was totally unimpressed. Totally.

Then I remembered this.




There is a REAL market out there for people looking for professionals as matches and I am not disagreeing with this, and this service does not open up all of LinkedIn for the lonely hearts out there which is good. I would then suggest people like Mr Wonderful sign up for this, and not use general LinkedIn as a meat market. Most of us are really not using it for that. Or are we???

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Great Pizza is Back: Bacco Pizzeria Italiana

The wood burning pizza oven
Photo credit: Bacco Trinidad

When my girlfriend and her husband decided to return to Trinidad from Italy, in addition to the warm and fuzzy friend feeling, there was also a deeper, more primal longing and sense of relief - the return of good Italian pizza.

Since they have left, we have improved on the Italian food front here in Trinidad, with places like Buzo and Emiliana, but in the Southland, if you wanted a pizza and did not want to drive, your choices were still nasty commercial American pizza (Pizza Hut, Domino's) or "face the oven" homemade pizza, which I had last week and it was great!

(My homemade pizza is da truth!)

Anyway, Bacco Pizzeria Italiana opened last night and before the first bag of flour could be opened, I was there with the troops. And believe me when I say, there is no bias or favouritism here, but the pizzas are just damn good. See for yourself.

My proscuitto e funghi pizza

Salmone pizza

Diavolo pizza

There was a steady stream of pizza lovers coming in to the place but I feel like I need to say something here cause when one of the patrons who had ordered this awesome looking and awesome smelling pizza, called for KETCHUP, I thought I would jump over the table and strangle him myself. Trinis' fascination and sloppy habit of putting ketchup on pizza (or on anything for that matter), really bites me.

Other than that moment of lunacy, it was a lovely evening and now knowing that I do not have to brave the highway just to get a taste of Italy, I welcome Bacco and the Montis with open arms!

You can find Bacco Pizzeria Italiana at 183 SS Erin Road, Duncan Village, San Fernando.

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The Day Before December

December approacheth...

I cannot believe we are closing in on the end of 2012 already. With the last day of November coming to a close, and with bad memories thanks to JC Penney and their crap service, I look towards December with a mixture of hope and intense dread.

December is my birthday month, to start, and who does not like their birthday? Sure, there will be the nosy relatives who will remind me that I am one year older and still unmarried and childless, and that irritates me to no end. Still, it's my birthday so I always aim to make it a happy time, always grateful for making it to another year when so many people have not.

There are all these Christmas events I find myself having to go to - like children's parties (shoot me now) and hob nobbing events, which require dresses and self-restraint at all levels. Thankfully dresses are out of the way this time around but the events are still there and I will try my darndest to avoid half, if not all of them.

Christmas. Ugh. Even in searching for a Google image for December,all the images were of Santa, or some reindeer or an elf or some shit. I am trying to be a good soldier with the Christmas thing. I actually looked at...wait for it...Christmas trees today. I feel like I owe it to my nephew to make Christmas bright and happy, especially as my brother will not be home for Christmas. So I saw this little tree -a few feet high - and considered buying it and some decorations so we could have some fun putting that together and make some memories. I will get the tree next weekend when I go back.

But Christmas can be annoying and it can also be very lonely and it's a big MEH for me. I don't look forward to it. It's one of those holidays that seems to isolate single people, or people without kids. It's just another day for me and until such time as that changes, these day before December posts will be pretty much in this tone and with these sentiments.

Santa can go bite himself!

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Lunching Italian Style at Wild Olive

My Fettucini al pesto con pollo at Wild Olive Italian Bistro

It has been a while. So sorry. I always have the best intentions - a real mind and heart are willing but body is not type thing.

Anyway, one thing I do every day besides work, is eat. Food is just one of those things that you cannot escape unless you're a rock. A new Italian bistro called Wild Olive recently opened  in Chaguanas. I love Italian food, and it was closer to home than going to Port of Spain, so I decided to check it out for lunch on my day off today.

The welcome was warm (really sweet young man, who really should be put to work inside cause he is just too cute and adorable) and I chose to dine inside, but there is a nice patio area for dining if you wish. Inside was small but comfy, and I settled in with a menu cause I was starving.

All in all, it was not bad, though there were a few issues.

- Not sure if there was an embargo on the bread but 2 small slices of bread (not even as big as my clenched fist) in a basket clearly meant for at least 8 slices - just not happening. If it's one thing you normally get a lot of, it's the bread! So as hungry as I was, this bread left me even hungrier as all it did was open my appetite.

- The waitress had come to me seconds after I was seated which was good, but of course I had not even picked up the menu yet so I asked for a couple of minutes. This turned into about 10-15 minutes, after which I had to actually signal the waitress just standing idly by in the corner. I mean, c'mon... I must though refer to cute and adorable guy (the one who welcomed me), who probably noticed my annoyance from outside and came in to check on me. The dude's talents are being wasted standing at the little welcome area!!

- The eternal wait for the drink. I was prepared to wait for the food but how long does a sangria take to make? Judging by the fact that the drink and the food came together, I am guessing they planned it that way. Ummm...no. Bring the drink. Don't make me wait.

- I ordered the fettucini al pesto con pollo, which was tasty but very salty. Very salty.

- Not a very big deal but there was no offer of cheese for my pasta. Okay...it's a big deal. No parmesan? Nah man. lol.

The Trinirinha or as I call it, the Ice-a-rinha.
I had not even sipped this yet eh.

- I have not had a caipirinha since I got back from London, so the trinirinha on the menu had to be tried. It could use a bit more love (and liquid), less ice. If I wanted to pay $45 for ice, I would have asked for ice.

Great start, and I am sure they will get better. I hope they will. The menu has some great options, though maybe some pizzas would add a bit more variety for those who may not necessarily want pasta. The paninis are also a great start. I would visit again, but maybe after they have gone through the teething process.

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