Thoughts of a minibus traveller

The Japanese composer, Kochi Utaki said if you listen intently, you can hear the songs that the wind sings. One of the composer's students Yuko Aoki played the piece on the Steinway on the National Cultural Stage. Yuko Aoki is teaching music at the National  Music School, She and three of her students played the piano during the first of a series of concerts planned by the National Music School. There was no indication on the programme about the dates for the other concerts. I did not know that there Japanese piano composers. Yuko Aoki's work in Guyana is through the Japanese Aid agency.  The programme was not printed clearly - there is something about the whole Department of Culture which has this mix of 'this is the first time we do it' with the 'talent and potential which could kick off'; Someone in the Department of Culture must know that the simple black on white works best for programmes with plain fonts. Don't make things too fancy. A woma...

"why you delete the comment" the man asked me in a message. I had written and then deleted a comment under the post , something which I have been doing quite often. I have also started to write comments and then remove them, and then hit 'Hide the post' on the post which keeps popping up temptingly with plenty discussion about issues. There is enough studies around about the madness related to social media.. and the kind of behaviours and attitudes which seem to develop in normally nice human beings. One day I was scrolling up and down the feed and wasn't sure what I was looking for and then seeing things from a week ago and then I felt like I woke up and wondered what the heck I was doing. Then I 'unfollowed' a very bright young man whose most recent comments showed a vicious side which I really could not deal with and whose thread I kept stalking to see the comments from a  loved one who no longer talks to me and who is not a facebook friend and...

The man hasn't aged much in the 15 or so years I have seen him selling oranges. I had stopped buying because the quality wasn't good. Sun was hot and I was disoriented by the things on my mind. I bought some from him. He was inside the stall in the shade, eating. 'yeah man, tek how much you want.. ".  I paid and he said 'Tek care of yuhself". I said 'pardon' and he repeated louder, firmer.. "tek care of yuh self" I guess things were showing .. the inability to deal with the different things and the failure of the 'break' to bring any transformation. Saying no.. to going to an  event to mourn and celebrate the life of a wonderful woman because every time I thought of facing the people and walking through to be ignored and I couldn't deal with it. Saying no to the other request for help to join  a struggle ongoing but which needed to be dealt with before things got worse. Saying no to a normal duty and mind whirling as I cou...

Woke up as the rain was falling , place cold but these days rain doesn't create nice deep sleep since the 2005 and other floods. Bladder is full and I know that I can't sleep back easily and get up to go and empty and that also creates some energy.. I know I am not going to sleep back for just now.. look at clock and think of the loved one who used to call on the way home and the conversations we used to have at this time which I thought were good but apparently were not.., and the other loved one who reconnected and then disconnected but in a good way sleep comes.. eventually and next thing a gentle enquiry is a brutal reminder that I am not in control of anything no matter how  i struggle to think so.. Body is stiff.. can't move much and even though movement through the morning chores loosens up a bit.. .. sugar reading is too high and I have that on my mind.. walking on eggshells is also another thing which clenches the body.. trying to avoid confrontations and fl...

Wake up and realise that the moon and the planets are out of sync and that the urge to lie and do nothing is greatest. Body is full of stiffness and pain and mind is clouded. Things fall out the hand and I realise that I need to focus on the fingers to hold things to get things done. I cancel a couple of things because I can't see myself moving to get to them. Heat is on and yoga cannot be done so easily as the stomach is never empty because water is always needed , even if a half glass or so.  Yoga is best on an almost empty stomach. Tightness in some places and mind is rumbling. The invitation which is simple comes and I have to turn it down because I can imagine the loved one's glances away from me or the look of contempt or the look of fear and uncertainty. I am glad though there is another excuse as the venue is not one I would go to .. but still the invitation comes and reminds me when I should be looking ahead and not remembering. Random questions about 'how...

(I do not smoke nor have I ever used ganja in any form.  I am also against the consumption of alcohol. I have advocated that it is better to use ganja than alcohol since anecdotal evidence and medical and social research seem to indicate that alcohol has caused greater harm than ganja has ever done. However, many people mix their substances and it is not as easy as saying one rather than the other. I advocate abstinence from narcotics like ganja and alcohol, I do not advocate prohibition. ) 'Short man, leh de big man sit down outside nah" the driver asked the man waiting for me to go in the car A hot Saturday afternoon - there is one car at the gas station in New Amsterdam . I am the last passenger. I am lucky that I don't have to wait long. The driver is cheerful guy, tall , wearing shades. He doesn't look like he will fly to Georgetown. A young man is in the front seat. I fold myself up between an elderly woman 'Gran' the driver calls her who has ...

Strange morning as I have to run an errand and then run it again. I jump in a bus - conductor is a pleasant guy who always smiling and so but never do anything about the music in the buses which he works. I notice the Jehovah Witness literature on the shelf in front of him. "Are you a witness?" He gives the nice big smile "Nah,.. I like to read.. these are good things to read" "That's good man.. " "Yeah.. I learn that tattoos is against God, Christians shouldn't have tattoos.. " I thought of Witness I knew who is in love with a man who he said has really nice tattoos. I said nah man, it depends on the tattoos.. you can praise God with the tattoo ? He continued smiling.. No.. you shouldn't marke the skin.. "And this thing with the blood transfusion.. that you could mix the DNA and you could become the person whose blood you get... and if you is a good person you could become a bad person" I said man, blood tra...

Place hot and there is lime and water there .. but mental health issues and I succumbed to the condensed milk purchase for the first time in almost 8 months .. I remember the cart on the hot Boa Vista street when I asked for the limao drink . The man blended some pulp with ice, water and then he asked me when to stop pouring in the condensed milk... I haven't had it again since then. I squeezed a nice round lime in the blender. I grated off some of the skin. Put some cold water and ice and then well put condensed milk in but enough not to be binging and with consideration that this is too much. I saw recipe which said to add sugar on top of all of this. So the thing is nice and frothy. According to a teenager, it tasted like liquid cheese cake. Condensed milk tastes nice with passion fruit too. The condensed milk started to curdle as the glass warmed up..but it was still nice and refreshing and different. I could have added essence of course.. 

(Image butchered from the invitation image shared around for the opening ceremonies) President Granger smiles down benignly from the large 3 dimensional piece. The raised part is composed of screws. It is like sculpture and it must have taken a lot of time for the artist Shimuel Jones to do.   The piece is called 'Chronicles of HE Granger'. The screws are arranged to create the face of the President. The background has newspaper on it. By the time I come to see it, I had already seen the paintings of President Granger, and former Presidents Burnham and Chung. I was a little nervous - another artist had a portrait of President Granger prominently recently in another exhibition.  I was wondering if the artist were trying a thing thinking of party paramountcy and loyalty to the supreme leader and so on. No artist in the exhibition had bothered with the other Presidents of the past. I remember one artist in another painting with a face which looked very much like former presi...