Likkle bit a everyting!
*YouTuber voice* Hi guys!
It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I hadn’t planned for it to go so long between posts, but as you can clearly see if you’re even a semi-regular visitor to this URL, things haven’t exactly gone as planned for ya girl this year at all. 🤷🏾‍♀️
Continue reading “So… Let’s Talk About 2018, Shall We?”The last time I wrote about food was in February 2017, when I had to chastise an individual who attempted to besmirch the good, good name of Jamaican cuisine with some awful travesty of a…dish. Today, I happily report from the other side, where I get the chance to big up one of my St Hilda’s High School classmates Jerene McKenzie, whose first cookbook, Jerene’s Eats: Caribbean Flavour – 14 Easy and Delicious Recipes That are Sure to Please, will be published tomorrow! The ebook is already the number one release in the ‘One-Hour Cookbook, Food & Wine Short Reads’ category, so don’t be shy—hit the link and pre-order to help keep it there!
If you’ve checked out her popular blog, Jerene’s Eats, and tried any of the recipes, you already know she is for real. I caught up with the busy wife, mom, blogger, chef-in-the-making, and now author to find out how she became a foodie, her writing and self-publishing journey, the foodies and chef who inspire her, and so much more. Have a taste! 🍲
a work in progress
And suddenly you’re just a body
the things you owned and prized
left to be cast or given away —
the books you read, plus the ones you never got around to
knickknacks and mementos you never could part with
jeans you swore you’d fit into again someday
new nighties and underwear and fresh towels
folded away in a bag in your closet
just in case you were ever admitted to the hospital
your favourite, well-worn Sunday church shoes
plus the new ones still shiny and spotless in their boxes
pictures from beach trips and parties and birthdays
and embarrassing candid shots
your signature smile or belly laugh flash frozen in each one
— picked to the bone by family and friends
desperate to hold on to a piece of you
even those who never bothered to hold you
while you were still a life
The rest will be thrown into bags and boxes
detritus left outside the gate
to await their own demise
Next you’re a memory
your best moments
in a looping highlight reel
played and replayed at future gatherings
and in dark and lonely hours
to help soothe the pain
Then one day there are no more tears
and slowly you begin to fade
your image disintegrating
drifting away on the wind
swirling around like ashes
returning to the earth like dust
a poem written under duress
I will not speak my fears
lest they become winged beasts
with mighty jaws
talons of steel
and eyes of fire
They will hunt me
crush my heart
lacerate my flesh
and make ashes of my dreams
I will not feed my fears
with dark wonderings
in midnight hours
to shroud my realities
beneath lies of the impossible
No
I will not give them life
I will suffocate them
under the weight of
thoughts and words that are
true, honest, just, pure, lovely
and of good report
For as I think in my heart
so I am
and I think I am brave
and strong
and brilliant
and I can do all things
If I have to eat the fruit of my words
then I prefer it to be sweet
to give energy to my spirit
and health to my bones
And I will spit out the seeds
that will grow into tall trees
to give me shade in my youth
and bear more fruit in my old age
I will not speak fear
for I shall have whatsoever I say
and what I want
and will have
is life more abundant
— for donalee, keresa and kendra
I don’t even remember how she first came to my attention, but I’ve been a fan of Marley Dias (pronounced dye-as, not dee-az) for the past two years or so that she’s been in the public eye for her #1000BlackGirlBooks campaign. I often say, not even half joking, that if my own future kiddo isn’t going to be as awesome as this girl or more so, I will not be doing the reproducing. I love bright, bold, articulate, adventurous, confident, proactive kids who seem like they know exactly why they’re here and just go about doing it. I was never that child, and I’m still not that adult, so I’m always fascinated by these prodigies and just want them to teach me their ways.
If you’re in the market for a new fragrance, or looking to find your signature scent, then you need to know Lucet Montgomery, aka Perfume Boss. I met Lucet in sixth form at St Jago High. She has always been all things glamorous and fashionable, so it’s no surprise to me that she’s ventured into the business of selling fragrances. In addition to her business, she also juggles motherhood and a full-time job, so she is one busy lady! I added yet one more item to her plate this week, but she came through for ya girl. Check out our chat below to find out some of her favourite scents and why she doesn’t like one of the all-time greats, get fragrance recommendations for spring and summer (Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are coming soon!), learn some dos and don’ts, and much more.
Continue reading “#FeatureFriday: Lucet Montgomery Is The Perfume Boss At Shop LueCity”
Tonight marks the end of an era as Scandal, Shonda Rhimes’ uber fast-paced, twisty, scandalous drama airs its final episode. Seven or so years ago back when it premiered, you couldn’t have told me this moment wouldn’t bring me to tears (I am very dramatic and I tend to stan at BeyHive levels for the people and things I love). I mean, I was OBSESSED. I was over-the-moon excited about the cast because I always thought Kerry Washington was severely underappreciated, and Columbus Short was too fine for words.
Y’all.
Y’ALL!
In case it’s slipped you, or you’re new here and don’t follow me on social media, I love me some Viola Davis and I LUH-UV me some Lupita Nyong’o. Borderline obsessed, but I am not ashamed. 🤷‍♀️ I’ve been dreaming about a movie with these two powerhouse queens since Luey (yes, I have nicknames for my BFF-in-my-head) came on the scene in 2013/2014, but I was still NOT prepared for the news that came across my TL on The Twitter about half hour ago. (Never mind that I’m supposed to be on a social media fast.)
On Monday, New Year’s Day, at around 3PM, I put my older sister Karen on a taxi to Half Way Tree so she could get a ride to Spanish Town, from where she’d get on another bus to Ocho Rios, then home to Brown’s Town. We talked on the phone briefly about a week later. I can’t remember what we talked about. Then on the 13th of January, at 7:04AM, I got a call from our aunt, who was crying and hyperventilating on the phone.
DISCLAIMER: This is not a new year’s resolutions post. Or maybe it is. Whatever. Here’s a look at some of what I’ll be getting up to in this blessed 2018.
1. See a therapist. Often. More than once a week, if she doesn’t tire of me.
Self care is priority numero uno for me this year. In as many forms as it may take. Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair, and 2017 was the hottest of hot messes. I’ve had my brushes with depression, almost deep dived (dove?) into the pit last year, and I’m sensible enough to know that professional help is needed to unpack all the baggage if I’m to have a decent life going forward. Please, please, please pay attention to your mental health. There is absolutely no shame in seeing a therapist or counsellor. Don’t let society’s messed up views on this matter keep you bound.
Written by Tracey 