I had always loved a poui tree especially the yellow variety. I remember that there was a pink poui tree outside of the School Hall at Bishop Anstey High School. I got to enjoy that tree long after leaving school because as a member of the Lydian Singers, we used to practice in the School Hall three times a week. The poui is one of Trinidad and Tobago’s iconic and spectacular flowering trees. The yellow and the pink varieties are common in the country but some years ago, some

In this segment, it is my intention to nourish your soul, motivate and empower you on a regular basis. “Fun gives you a new outlook. It helps you expand your mind and your spirit” Taken from Iyanla Vanzant, “One Day My Soul Lifted Up” I have been following Iyanla Vanzant since she had made her debut on “The Oprah Show” in 1998. I had bought one of her early books, “One Day My Soul Just Lifted Up” in June 1998. (I wrote the date on it! Lol!) Ms. Vanzant gave practical advice t

“Because of the Lord’s great love We are not consumed For His compassion never fail. They are new every morning; Great is your faithfulness” Lamentations 3: 21-23 So two Thursdays ago, our refrigerator “conked out” on us! Alas! Three days later, the service/repair men informed us of the harsh reality that the compressor was defective and it would cost us $3,500.00 to replace and install a new one. My entire brain went into shock because our refrigerator was way less than 10 y

SHARE CULTURAL RECIPES A good Trini fried bake/float My mother-in-law, Mrs. Maureen Morales, was an exceptional cook. According to Trinbagonians we would say that she had a “sweet hand”. She was known for making the best “buss up shot” and curry that any one could find. She was also heralded for the best pelau, float and “dhal pies”, her very own creation. She made whole wheat dhalpuri on a commercial level, a big hit with customers. This was another one of her inventions in

Convergence and Divergence about food in Mandela’s autobiography and Brand’s Memoir. Two weeks ago, I was very excited to share with you a summary of a book, “Doing Life with Mandela: My Prisoner, My Friend” by Christo Brand with Barbara Jones which was gifted to me by my cousins, Junior and Lystra Boyce. On their last trip to South Africa, they had met the author, Christo Brand and had the opportunity to interact with him. Junior described Mr. Brand as “a cool and warm fello

In this segment, it is my intention to nourish your soul, motivate and  empower you on a regular basis. My signed copy “Don’t even allow yourself to utter the words, I can’t,  Delete them from your vocabulary. And every time a negative thought comes into your mind, toss it away and replace it with a positive idea.” (pg. 62) “Staying centered in each moment puts you in charge of your life… Serenity is a gift you receive the instant you begin to dispense with life’s clutter… ”

When I was growing up, we used to start the Lenten Season in Tunapuna A.C. School by singing the famous Anglican hymn, “ Forty days and forty nights ”.  I remember being in Teacher Elsie’s class and singing lustily this hymn and looking forward to starting the Lenten season.  The 1 st  and 3 rd  verses stood out to me as follows: Verse 1.         Forty days and forty nights  Thou was fasting in the wild             Forty days and forty nights