The year is quickly coming to an end and I've started to see social media posts about resolutions and changes to come in the new year. The ever so popular one is that of 'New Year new me', when people say this it's as if they believe that the new year will automatically just push them to make changes in their life. Changes that they refused to make a month ago, a week ago or even a day ago. The new year brings with it the same days and months the only difference is how you decide to allocate it. What we need to focus on is planning our moves silently than advertising them to the world. Because often times you won't see the numbers offering to help you with these changes but you will see them appear to laugh if you fail. For the new year it is my hope that we will decide to start focusing on doing than saying, focus on true happiness that's vanity, focus on being genuine than keeping up appearances, focus on living than just making a living. Let us focus on perso

I've always been a fan of school challenge quiz, both at the primary and high school level. I enjoy watching my local programmes more than I do internal ones. Every night I ensure that I tune into the TVJ Junior School Challenge quiz program and no matter what my day was like, seeing those children exercising their analytical skills brings nothing but joy to my soul. Just to see them smiling with pride as they get their answers correct and also remaining composed when they come up short on the answers. It gives me hope that there is still some good in my country and it encourages me to keep on hoping and doing my part to shape the minds of the youth of Jamaica I want to encourage each and every Jamaican to support our young people. Watch the activities that they are engaged in and let them know that they are doing in a good job whether they are victorious or not. What we say to them today has a lot to do with who they become in the future. Our country already has too much nega

I haven't blogged in a while but how could I sit aside and not speak on the recent issues affecting my nation. Things happen from time to time that are beyond the control of anyone but our reaction to when these things happens is what shows the metal from which we are made. There in lies the major problem with the leaders of our country. They have little or no proper communication skills and it starts with the prime minister herself. I tune into the news every evening and follow updates on social media sites as it relates to the issues of the country. The prime minister is always more vocal when it comes to showing her power in relation to the opposition but so weak when it comes to the affairs of the country and communicating with the people who she claims to have nothing but love for. As a young lady in Jamaica I'm worried about the future of my nation and what it will be like for my fellow young people. At school we aren't safe, walking home from school we aren't saf

So I woke up this morning feeling like a big dark cloud on a sunny day. Have you ever just felt down out of the blue because of disappointments from years ago? When I woke up this morning tears came to my eyes as I lingered on the thought of why bad things happen to good people. You can give your very best to the world, treat people with kindness and never expect anything from them in return. I was always told that I will always be blessed for the good I have done. When will this blessing come exactly? I started to think about how easy it is for people to be mean towards me and how hard each day can be when  the world seems to just be out to get me. I started to ask myself what I ever did to deserve any of this and no answer comes to mind. I've simply just been handed a bad hand in life and apparently there is nothing I can do about it. I'm not writing this to seek sympathy from anyone. I'm writing this to see if I'm really alone in this world. Do you ever feel like no

Today, is being celebrated as heroes day here in Jamaica and for many of us it's just a day to get off work and have some fun or get some rest. Do we really understand and appreciate what our heroes sacrificed for us? This question brings me back to the issue of whether or not history should become compulsory in schools. I believe that our children need to learn about where they are coming from or they will have no knowledge where they need to be in the future. Far too many Jamaicans find our culture to be boring and spend too many hours lost in other cultures or feeding on empty materials. However, for one day every year we get up and say how much our heroes mean to us and post their images. I stop and wonder from time to time how knowledgeable my fellow Jamaicans are when it comes to the work of our heroes.  This heroes day I implore us to take up a book and learn about the people who did so much for our nation and then try to emulate their wisdom. If our heroes were alive

I attended  basic and primary school in the heart of Spanish Town. I then went on to attend high  school in Kingston. Through it all I remained in Spanish Town and for almost 24 years I've called Spanish Town, Jamaica my home. The stigma attached to my community is known worldwide and not much is expected of the people who call it home. Despite the odds against us several high achievers have emerged from Spanish Town. However, I'm not here to focus on Spanish Town today I'm here to speak about the struggles of young people in Jamaica. While the leaders of my country are busy arguing over apologies, having elections and making decisions about prions,our country is falling apart. Young ladies are being attacked and killed, young men with dreams of making a difference are being killed , young people are graduating with qualifications but no job opportunities. Our leaders have all these visions of hope but apparently our safety comes last on their list of priorities.  Walk

The question asked in my blog title will probably upset many Jamaicans and lovers of Jamaica but the question really needs to be asked. I've noticed that Jamaicans will look at the headline of an article or read the first sentence and simply start to sate their opinions on the issue despite not reading the entire article through comprehensively. Jamaicans are very hard working people but can be very lazy when it comes to reading. On my way to and from work each day I read a book on my journey and I'm looked upon by others as if I'm doing something out of the norm. Without a thirst for knowledge how will our country even make steps to improve? The lazy attitude when it comes to reading and comprehension will be the reason why we continue to choose the wrong representatives to lead our country. What brought on this question was the recent proclamation by the British Prime minister that a prison will be built in Jamaica to accommodate Jamaicans serving term in Briti

One of the most popular terms these days is that of the sidechick. What is frightening however, is that women are quite happy with playing the runner up position in a man's life. So,the title of this post is how to be the perfect sidechick. No, I don't approve of any woman playing that role so the answer to being the perfect sidechick is to not be one at all. A woman should never feel comfortable being second place in a man's life and a woman should never accept that their man has another woman on the side. It's not the men who have made this term popular it's the women who accept the position and even take it a step closer to brag about it. Any woman who brags about being second place in a man's life is a woman who has no worth and a woman who believes that her man can't help but keep another woman on the side also has lost her worth. If we as women get up and realize our value and not accept these terms then people will stand up and start taking r

Whether we like it or not we have to come across someone either sooner or later. There are times when we become so frustrated with even seeing another human cross our path. There are those who pretend like things are picture perfect all the time and they love everyone every single day. Today, I'm here to break that pretending nature and to say confidently that about two or three days out of the week I would rather not see or hear from another human being. I'm that person who feels best when I'm in my own company but I do enjoy the company of a selected few. So this blog post is entitled how to solve the biggest problems with people. Everyone has problems with someone every now and again and if you say you don't you are probably the biggest pretender on earth. What I do to solve my biggest problems with people is to avoid them and clear my mind. I try to understand their reasons for why they are the way they are, I also try to place my self in the situation to see h

So you've just started a new relationship but he is reluctant to post anything about you on his social media platforms. You get frustrated and the first thing that pops into your mind is that he is being unfaithful for he is ashamed of you. Is it that important for the world to know about the new love in your life? Do you need to share every aspect of your relationship with the world? Like the question stated, it's your relationship not the entire world therefore the world needs to know nothing that takes place in your relationship. The need to put your love life out there often comes from the want of social media validation. We want people to see that we are in love and we want them to be accepting of the love that we have found. Many of my readers will pause right there and disagree with me but that is indeed the truth even if you don't want to accept it. Some of us spend more time on the social media portrayal of our love life than we do on the actual relationship. What

Do you remember those old time romance movies and those fairytales that left  us concluding that love is always a beautiful thing and we all have the perfect soul mate out there? Well, welcome to the real world where relationships fall apart just like that and the perfect person on paper is never the perfect person in reality.  The thing is we expect long lasting relationships to be a reality when we already have issues with everyday interactions. The way we relate to each other on a day to day basis has broken down over the years. Based on how older generations speak about their times it was as though respect for self and others was the most important thing. Women respected their bodies and men appreciated a good woman. In our generation now women fall for vanity and men get lost in the swing of hips rather than the goodness of the heart. So are happy relationships a myth? Well no they aren't but they are becoming harder and harder to find. The next thing is the laziness that we h

Let me start off firstly by saying my hair is currently in a state of transition. I've been transitioning from relaxed back to its natural state but I'm still not sure if I will take the ultimate step and cut off my relaxed ends. The natural movement is a beautiful movement to see. I love seeing our ladies embracing their natural hair textures. However, what I can't stand to see is the hatred that they show towards those ladies who have opted not to go back to their natural textures for whatever reasons.  Natural hair ladies are always quick to say that men shouldn't be focusing on their exterior but on what's on the inside yet still they spend all their time speaking down on the physical exteriors of ladies with relaxed hair. Please ladies don't forget that a couple months ago or years ago you were fully contented with your relaxed hair and would question natural hair girls for not doing the same. The next issue I have is when natural hair girls put

Isn't a beautiful feeling when we see our Jamaican children dressed in their Jamaican colours with their smiling faces. It really is a beautiful sight but the sadness always comes to the fore front for me. Our children know little or nothing about our culture. They find it boring but they lose themselves in the culture of other countries. Something needs to be done to ensure that our children are fully aware of the Jamaican culture. If something isn't done what kind of future will we expect for our island? Who will be the story tellers, the folk singers? Everybody wants to sing songs of foreign lands but don't even know the words for our own native songs. The hard work of those who paved the way for us is quickly being erased. Many tourists to our shores are more knowledgable about our island than most of us are and they do this without losing the knowledge of their own home lands. Schools need to make Jamaican history compulsory in schools. Children should have to be taugh

The first thing that pops into the mind of most people when I think about Spanish Town, Jamaica is crime and violence. Majority of the times when you tell people that you are from Spanish Town they automatically assume that you are caught up in some form of illegal activities. Starting high school I was told that since I'm from Spanish Town I must have seen people being killed or I must have bad man friends. The same label followed me to university as well and the sad part of it all is I just got used to it.    I attended the St.Catherine primary school in the heart of the capital and had to deal with the crime and violence several times. It grew with me until the point where it didn't move me at all. The fact that I attended high school and university in Kingston meant that I had to travel late hours at night. The fear was always with me as I didn't have any friends who lived in the same community as I did. However, I overcame it all and grew to become accepting o

So you can't find the time or you just rather turn on your television screen and watch a movie. Well, there is nothing that can bring you greater comfort and bring your imagination to life than getting lost in a good book. Don't have the money to travel or you have a small social circle? A book can give your mind the opportunity to travel around the world and fall in love with various characters.   Step 1📍 Find a book that appeals to a certain situation that you are facing in life. Start off with a book that is relatable. A book that perhaps will give you guidance to deal with a situation or to overcome a problem that you are facing. Step 2 📍 Don't rush yourself. Take the time you need to get into the frame of my mind to become a lover of reading rather than having to force it. Start off reading a couple pages a day until you get yourself in the rhythm and before you know it you will develop the habit of reading. Step 3📍 Form book clubs so that you will have others to en

You spent sleepless nights, worked several jobs, borrowed millions in loans. You stand on that glorious day to collect the fruits of your hard labour. You are ready now to take on the real world and let your mark be seen. Pause! What did university really prepare you for? You don't know how to do some of the simpliest things in life. How do you look about housing? How do you look about insurance? How do you know when you are getting the best deals? Who do you run to? You run to your parents and they ask you if you didn't learn all of this in school. Throughout the many years of your university life you learn many things as it relates to passing your exams to get your degree but when it comes to practical things for everyday life you are still clueless. When you get lost in your university life you need to remember that the real life is going on all around you and it will not wait for you to play catch up. The next thing you are faced with after graduation is the la

For many years I heard about to kill a mockingbird but never had the opportunity to read the book itself. A couple months ago I decided to read literature books that I never read in school and were just laying around the house. I came across to kill a mockingbird and fell in love from the very first page. Harper Lee use of imagery and creativity with words captivated me from the very start to the end. The book has motivated me as a writer to learn to step out of the box and now allows me to learn how to make every single character's story as intriguing as the other. The talented Harper Lee's work is what is needed in writing today. Many authors have fallen into just grabbing any attention first and foremost rather than bringing a beautiful story to life. If you haven't yet read this beautiful book I encourage to do so now. The young characters in the book showed me that the youngest of individuals strength can capture the hearts of an entire community. Thank you Harpe

   During the recently concluded World Championships Jamaica celebrated with our athletes for their great performances. On several occasions however, some were criticized for failing to deliver medals.i sat down and read the feedback of some of my fellow brothers and sisters. The thought then came to me, are we more critical of our athletes than we are of our political leaders. The super talented Javon Francis was criticized for not carrying the 4*400 team to a medal, despite running the fastest leg of anyone on any of the teams. We have our political leaders on the other hand who continually make promises and pretend to be caring but never live up to their promises. They are however still given other chances to continue to disappoint or their disappointments are quickly forgotten. If as Jamaicans we are going to be critical of anything we should choose to be more critical of those who have control over the affairs of our beloved country. Our athletes train everyday, make sacrifices to

For a week or two when Olympics and World championships takes centre stage the entire Jamaica is sent into a sea of excitement. We can't contain ourselves as we wake very early in the mornings and stay up late at night to support our athletes. The streets are filled with Jamaicans showing just how much our athletes mean to us. For that week or two, the problems that face our country are forgotten. Feuding amongst political parties is forgotten, social barriers are forgotten and the only thing that matters is ensuring that we get to watch each and every event that our athletes take place in, While watching the championships we can see the Jamaican colours in the stands each and everyday. The pain and struggles that we face each and everyday are placed behind us as we stand up and beam with pride as our athletes place our country on the world map. Over and over the negatives take centre stage but when our athletes dominate the front page the true strength and loving Jamaica

  Amongst the numerous accounts of the negative behaviour of young people in Jamaica, several Jamaican young people continue to stand out and are making their mark being felt both locally and internationally. Today, I sat down with poet and author Christena Williams to get some insight into her life and how much poetry means to her.    -Christena Williams What was your family background like growing up?   I grew up in Portmore otherwise known as “ sunshine city ” in a small community with my mother and three brothers as my dad left us when I was about one or two years old. He moved out to live with another woman leaving us practically in an unpaid house, bills unpaid, no furniture and such so you know we were what you would call poor. I however didn’t know that we were poor because my mom a disciplinarian was very strict with us. We were not allowed to visit neghbours   house as I think she wanted to protect us. She  didn’t want  us  to feel ashamed of ourselves and our circumstances.

It's always good to be able to give back and I believe that once you are blessed you should always bless others. So I invite you all to take advantage of my free promotion and please leave reviews   The poet's escape http://www.amazon.com/poets-escape-journey-beautiful-important/dp/1515010961/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1436631343&sr=8-1&keywords=The+poet%27s+escape

Birthdays,graduations, marriages and other eventual activities in life have come and gone. You were there to celebrate each and everyone with your child. There are others who are just starting out on the parenting journey or they are in the middle of it. I'm here to offer a little advice to parents who believe they have figured it all out. I'm not a parent but I have parents who I still live with so I still have to interact with them pretty frequently . I have come to the conclusion that, back when my parents were growing up the physical needs were the only thing that mattered to parents. As long as they fed their child and sent them to school that was enough. Well, there is more to parenting such as the emotional needs of a child. Some parents might be saying to themselves at this point that a child shouldn't be having emotional problems as they are just children. You provide your child with beautiful gifts, shelter, food and clothing but you neglect them when

For many of us each day of our lives is simply just a repetition. We go to school, we go to work and we have little or no time for anything else. For those of us who don't own our own business we put our all into helping others achieving their dreams while we hope and hope that one day we will be able to do the same. If God forbid you were to die today, what would you be remembered for ? Would you have accomplished any of your life goals? There are so many people who are burdened down with the load of carrying the dreams of others that it eventually kills them. The joy that many of us dream of should be something we live each and everyday. There are relationships that eat at you every single day and instead of lifting you to higher heights it brings you lower and lower. There is no time in this already limited lifetime to be stuck in situations that eat at the little joy that you may have. The same can be said for friendships. There are friends who only come to you with bad news, t

My life is my life and your life is your life. Simply put we need to spend more time focusing on ourselves. Everyday we come across people who see, to have life figured out. They have the perfect house, job and family.  However, do they really have everything figured out or are we just being fooled into thinking they do? Yes, there are people who have figured things out and are living out their dreams but there are those who are simply putting on a show tho let the world believe that they have figured it all out. This show will fool the world but it will do nothing for you. There are individuals who put so much effort into pushing the perfect images and telling the perfect stories of their life but put little or no effort into actually putting some truth to these images and stories. At the end of the day the truth will always come out. You are the one who will actually have to live with the true state of your life. Those who you put on the show for will just continue to look on in from

For majority of us everyday we log into a social media platform or several social media platforms. We use these platforms to get entertainment, information and to communicate with people. However, are we placing too much importance on the lives that we see on display on these sites. It's very troubling when I see young people making people who they know nothing about their relationship goals, family goals and whatever else kind of goals. A beautiful picture can hide the most horrifying realities. I mean it's okay to look up to people but it's not okay to mirror your life entirely off the life of another. What happens when that individual or individual breaks up or faces some serious family crisis will your life also fall apart? Are you unable to stand alone without the perceived fairytale concepts you believe in on social media sites? We complain from time to time about how self absorbed people are in the world yet we are the ones who continue to feed the desire that they h

So, I haven't shared my thoughts wth you in a while and that's primarily because I was busy working on my latest poetry book which is now available on Amazon. I've always been a lover of poetry but I never believed that I could one day become a really good poet. Today, I'm here to say to you that you should never give up in your dreams. This year I self published two poetry books of which I'm very proud. If I had listened to the doubters and the voices in my head I would have given up on poetry years ago. It's very easy to stop believing in your dreams when the world is fighting against you and telling you that they are pointless or you should choose another path. You were born with the desire to achieve something and you should always work towards it regardless of what the world tells us. I gave up a couple times due to negative feedback so of no feedback so at all but somehow I got up and continued to push. I've improved on my poems more and more each day

To all my readers and bloggers alike by now you would know that I'm a poet. I write a poet basically everyday to fuel me through my days. I published my first poetry book couple months ago and I just published my second book yesterday. I look forward to your support and I guarantee that you will love them here are the links  Book links The poet's escape http://www.amazon.com/poets-escape-journey-beautiful-important/dp/1515010961/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1436631343&sr=8-1&keywords=The+poet%27s+escape The voice of Jamaica http://www.amazon.com/Voice-Jamaica-highlight-conditions-currently-ebook/dp/B00UMD9HUY/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1436632100&sr=1-1&keywords=The+voice+of+jamaica

Each and everyday we wake up and most of the times we are thankful for life. We interact with people on a daily basis, either at school, work or just a hello or bye to a stranger. We are able to form perceptions about those we meet either by how they look or their actions. How much good do you encounter on a daily basis? How many people do you come across who you can genuinely conclude to be a good person? I've come across a lot of individuals throughout my 23years on this earth and at first I believed the world to be completely good. I always look for the good in an individual and try my best to embrace the bad or inspire change. Eventually, one gets tired of trying to search for the good in someone. More and more each day I've come to realize that the world is filled with so many pretenders. There are those who will pretend to be knowledgable in certain areas to win your trust, there are those who will pretend to be a good friend so that you will feel comfortable around them