This Old House

I spent my early childhood in a little community in St. Catherine called Guys Hill. I have real fond memories of those days. It was a very humble community, what people would probably call ‘backward”. We were the only one’s in our little district in Waterford, Guys Hill who even had a freezer; we made very good money selling ice- I smile at that now.

I visit every once in a while. A lot of my family still lives there, like my Grandfather and Grandma and a hosts of cousins and aunts. I visited that old house recently. It was great being back, I really did feel like a kid again. I took some pics of the things I had in that house that I found there today. Things that still work! I couldn’t believe it. Like the old Piano that I spent so much time on. My grandaunt says I used to slip out of bed at night and make a ton of noise on that thing when everyone else was sleeping. lol. I don’t remember that but I believe her. I saw my favourite little teapot aaawww its so cute. I managed to steal it away  .

So many memories when I think about that old house. Everyone I shared that home with is gone now but all the things remain. When I step inside it’s almost as though I’m back in 1991 again smiling with my great grandfather and my grandaunt and getting licks for not wanting to take a bath, doing my homework in front of the tv, plaiting my grandaunts hair and helping her sew.  I should go back more often because that’s when I feel closest to the people I loved so much and miss even more!

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TALK Di THINGS -My NCB Experience

I'm a stickler for good customer service. So, I try everything in my power to not have to deal with people face to face, because customer service is really lacking in JA.So, I was rather happy as an NCB customer to have my midas card, my credit cards AND online services at my disposal. That meant- never having to go into the branch! Yay me! Right? Well, yeah, it means that UNLESS something horrible happens....*cue sensational music*

On a few occasions I have had to visit the bank. On this occasion I was rather annoyed by the fact that a vendor had run the transaction on my card more than once and debited my card twice. So, of course, I went in to rectify the problem. Whenever I have to deal with customer service, I'm always on the defensive, ready to go in and storm the place. ( I just cant help it, too many bad experiences). So, I went into the branch and the first thing that threw me off my war path was the fact that this customer service rep. was actually smiling and very pleasant and upbeat. Not the usual, "I have to be here so let's get on with it" demeanor I normally encounter. I explained my problem and and she was quick to apologize for the inconvenience even though it was no fault of the bank. (Here I am, starting to feeling less and less agitated) She continued to explain the procedure I would need to go through and helped me to fill out the required form, unlike some other places that give you a form to fill out while they deal with other customers. She told me it wold take about two weeks for the matter to be sorted out because the bank had to do their own investigations. Normally I would have been annoyed again that it would take so long but, the sincerely pleasant demeanor of the customer service rep. made me just say "Ok".(I was actually smiling at this point). Anyways I left the bank feeling calm amazed at how stress free the situation was. No long unnecessary waiting and no attitude from the customer service rep. Kudos to NCB, I thought.

People refuse to realize just how important customer service really is. Had I been met with a stoic or abrasive individual, things would have gone completely different and I might not have wanted to continue banking with NCB. And, would you believe that things actually got better, AFTER I left the branch? I was so surprised when, someone from the branch called me to let me know the matter had be sorted out and the money had been credited to my account! I was shocked. little ole me! I don't have a hefty account balance and I don't bring a lot of business to the bank, I thought only 'big shots' got that kind of treatment. I didn't sound it on the phone, but I was actually smiling widely when she called. So, of course, I'm even more likely to continue to bank with NCB because they know that customer service really matters and I can feel my account is safe.

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I Might Have Grown Up In A Cult

So...A cult by definition (affording to Oxford Online) "Is a system of religious veneration and devotion directed towards a particular figure or object". Now, usually, cults worship things or people outside of the normal realms of acceptance by the wider society...u know like those crazy koolaid, actually it was grape Flavor Aid drinking people...check out that Jim Jones Story Here.

Anyway so, about me and this cult now. We actually worshiped God, sang from regular hymn books, did regular things like pray, erect a church in plain view for the public to see, people could only have one spouse etc. etc. This probably explains why I, only in retrospect, have the inclination to think that maybe this one was a little bit more than it appeared to be. Why am I suspicious then, you might ask? Weeeeellll....there are these few little tidbits...

- although I was pretty young and details are a bit less than forthcoming, I have recollections of large gatherings in a field in the middle of the night singing and dancing and chanting. What we sang, chanted and danced about I can't seem to remember. At the time it seemed quite normal to me and I would never question my dear Aunt about such things-I trusted her wholly and completely.
-Then there was the blessing of THE CHAIR. I know every church blesses new furniture that comes to the building. A prayer and a little spiel is customary and accepted. THIS blessing of the chair however, well. First off, it lasted all day. The next thing is, it happened at my house (I probably neglected to say how deep in this cult my family probably was, with one of the main churches being in our yard and all.) There was a crown! I have nothing more to say on that one.

-Like every other church, we had different branches. Lots of different branches in different parishes. What was a bit peculiar, and this might just be me, is that fact that the people were separated in church. There were three rows; one for men, one for women and one for visitors. Children sat in an upstairs balcony area monitored by what I call church babysitters. What's that all about? Anyways
-There was also the wearing of the white uniforms by women. That's not so strange. What really got me was the fact that if anyone ever got wind of any 'sin' committed, you would be relegated from pureness and had to wear plain clothes! You were too unclean to wear the usual whites! Ha! You had to repent of your sins and I'm too young to know what you had to do to get back to pureness.

-The killing of the animals is another thing that.....

Hmmm guys, this is getting long, you guys will have to check back tomorrow for part two....

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Things I learnt Over the Weekend

People should really strive to learn something everyday, no matter how small and insignificant that 'knowledge' may be. So I learnt some very 'important' things this weekend and as usual, because I do love you all so much, will share my new found knowledge.

1. Point and shoot cameras are just that. You point, they shoot. They are however, not think and shoot cameras. So despite every effort to make it jump out of your handbag or purse or whatever else and take a shot of a wonderful candid moment all by just reading your mind, it just won't. You will actually have to point it to shoot it. sigh.

2. Peter Phillips Disco really sucks! Unless of course you are over 50 years old! I should be very dissapointed at myself for expecting anything different really.

3. Clothes that bleed in the wash will always, always only bleed onto your favourite shirt, or skirt or favourite anything that happens to mistakenly find itself in that particular load. I swear it goes around looking for your stamp of favouritism and says 'yes this is the shirt i will bleed on today!' ugh....stupid clothes.

4. I used to believe ants go around searching for home under clothes lines. There is always an ants nest under clothes lines in grassy or dirt areas. Today I was most shocked to find that ants do not actually need the dirt or the grass, they apparently just go around searching for clothes lines! I was quite happy today with the thought of hanging my clothes out on a line that had as its base, concrete, because I was rather sick and tired of being bitten by ants in the grass at my old place. Needless to say...my happiness was short lived as I found at my feet a bevy of ants right under the clothes line and no where else. So what I learned from that was; Ants like clothes lines...

That is all...

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Here's Your Sign

If we could all wear a sign, wouldn't that just make life a whooooole lot better? Then people wouldn't have to go around wondering what kind of person they are dealing with and, oh, how much less stressful life would be....Here are a few signs I think would get sold A LOT. If it was mandated by law, which I would gladly start the petition for, I'm pretty sure as a "sign seller" you could become a millionaire selling these:

BUTU-basically classless, dark, backward, fool fool and oh how many there are out there. You can usually tell by the way they dress and sometimes you have nothing to go off until they open their mouths and you wish you had never struck up an conversation to begin with.

Stupid- How many times I'm listening to conversations or around people and thinking to myself "here's your sign". I find a lot of stupid people work in customer service. Sometimes I think it's a requirement. The other day i walked into Digicel and asked for a car charger...the rep said they didn't have any and then asked me if I tried Digicel. Im looking at her like, ahm, wait lemme go outside and check the sign again. I decided to play along and ask her if she had the number she then said to me 'no I should check the directory"....Here's your sign!!!!!!!!!!

Cocky- Ok, so don't you wish you knew before you started to talk to someone like that, just what the conversation would be like? Confidence is a great thing but dear lord, moderation in everything, please I beg of you people.I don't need to know all your accomplishments. It's like those Bing  adverts, have you seen them? (here's a link to one) For a cocky person,. every word is a link to an accomplishment they just must tell you about. Oh, how annoying.


That my dears is my rambling for today. come back soon to see what else goes on in this head of mine.

That Bill Engval "song", "Here's your sign" was my inspiration for this post. Its not really a song per se but its kind of like...well here it is go check it out for yourself....

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