Let the games begin!

There’s something about the Summer holidays that always has me reminiscing about my childhood days.

Weekends were always the best because there was no Summer camp to attend. My siblings and I could finally relax and enjoy each other’s company.

One thing we did almost every weekend was play board games – something I actually miss doing and something children rarely do today. 

Some of the games we played were Checkers, Guess Who?, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Snakes and Ladders, Pictionary, Memory, Trouble, Scrabble and Monopoly.

Monopoly was always our favourite. I can’t tell you how many times we’d carry the game into the next day.

I think it's time I host another Games Night before the Summer ends.

What was your favourite board game growing up?

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When you get a chance, please visit my friend Tyrone’s blog. His posts are insightful and very thought provoking. See his blog here.

Thanks for reading and keep smiling :) 

These Three Words

Trayvon Martin. Dead at age 17.

Mike Brown. Dead at age 18.

Eric Garner. Dead at age 43.

Sandra Bland. Dead at age 28.

Four individuals who never thought their lives would end so soon.

Four individuals who made plans for tomorrow but their tomorrow never came.

Four individuals who never got to say good-bye to the ones they loved.

Once upon a time we believed that death was only for the elderly. That is no longer the case and has never been the case.

As I read more and more about these high profile police brutality cases and hear about the deaths of loved ones and acquaintances, the more I realize that death is a respecter of no man.

Growing up, my Mom always told me to never be afraid to say these three words:

I am sorry.

I forgive you.

I love you.

If you knew that you weren’t guaranteed tomorrow, how many of you would apologize to those you’ve wronged?

If you knew that you weren’t guaranteed tomorrow, how many of you would tell your enemies that you forgive them?

If you knew that you weren’t guaranteed tomorrow, how many of you would call your family and friends and tell them how much you love them?

Don’t allow pride, grudges or malice stop you from making your wrongs right.

Do what you can today because you don't know what tomorrow holds.

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When you get a chance, please visit my friend Tyrone’s blog. His posts are insightful and very thought provoking. See his blog here.

Thanks for reading and keep smiling :) 

Hello HOT Lanes!

I haven’t spoken to one person who isn’t fed up with these stupid HOV (High-Occupancy Vehicle) lanes. Our twenty minute drives have now turned into an hour or more just because we don’t have a minimum of three passengers to drive in the fast lane.

Half the time, these HOV lanes are empty because everyone is stuck in the other two or three lanes driving bumper to bumper. 

Then there’s the fear of disobeying the HOV lane rules because of the $85 or $110 fines that have been put into place.

I was really really really hoping that things would go back to the way they were after the Parapan Am games. 

Well that was wishful thinking. 

HOV lanes will soon become High-Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes. It’s been said that only the Gardiner Expressway and the Don Valley Parkway will have them. 

Motorists that don’t have enough passengers will have to pay a toll to drive in these lanes. 

First they charge us to drive on the 407 ETR and now this!

Don’t you just love how our  Government is always finding new ways to suck more money out of us?

What are your thoughts on the Government charging us to drive on the future HOT lanes?

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When you get a chance, please visit my friend Tyrone’s blog. His posts are insightful and very thought provoking. See his blog here.

Thanks for reading and keep smiling :) 

The many uses of Coconut Oil

I bought a bottle of coconut oil last month. For the past few weeks I’ve been reading on how beneficial it can be. For the next 4 weeks, I’ve decided to put it to use and try the following:

1) Hair Mask – I’m always looking for new ways to keep my curly locks looking healthy and shiny. I’ve read that you should use a generous amount of melted coconut oil after shampooing your hair. From there, twist your hair into a bun and leave it in for 5 minutes before rinsing. This will help keep your hair moisturized and give your hair a nice shine.

2) Cuticle Softener – By applying a small amount of coconut oil to your cuticles, it will help strengthen your nails.

3) Under Eye Cream – The one thing I hate the most about myself are the bags that are always under my eyes. I’ve tried cold cloths and cucumbers but never got any results. Applying coconut oil under your eyes should help reduce some of the puffiness.  

4) Body Scrub – Mix a half cup of either sea salt, brown or white sugar with a half cup of coconut oil for an exfoliating facial and body scrub.

5) Shaving Cream – Smooth some melted coconut oil on your legs and shave away.

 I’ll follow up in a month with my results.

What do you use Coconut Oil for?

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When you get a chance, please visit my friend Tyrone’s blog. His posts are insightful and very thought provoking. See his blog here.

Thanks for reading and keep smiling :) 

The Best Weekend of My Life

If I could go back to one weekend in my life, it would be the weekend I met the late Rubin "Hurricane" Carter and Johnnie Cochran Jr.

Here’s my story.

February 2002, I finally sat down to watch “The Hurricane” starring Denzel Washington. After watching it, I told myself that one day I would meet and interview Rubin “Hurricane” Carter and Johnnie Cochran Jr.

October of that same year, I was sitting in my News Class at Humber College when our News Director came in. He told us that there was going to be a conference hosted by the Association In Defence of the Wrongly Convicted (AIDWYC) in Toronto. There was going to be an opportunity to interview Johnnie Cochran Jr., Rubin “Hurricane” Carter as well as a few other individuals who had been wrongly convicted. He wanted to know if anyone wanted to cover the story. I was the first to volunteer and got the job.

I had a month to prepare myself. I needed to master my interviewing skills – the one skill in my Radio Broadcasting course that I hated the most.

The weekend that I had been anticipating had finally arrived.

Mr. Cochran had promised me earlier that day at a media conference that I could interview him before his big speech that night.

After ten minutes of chasing him around, he finally noticed me, stopped what he was doing and told me that I could proceed with my interview. After I asked my first question, I forgot about all the other questions that I had prepared to ask him. My interview turned into a five minute conversation with a man that helped free so many individuals who were wrongly convicted.

I was on cloud nine.

                             

The following day, I got to sit down with Rubin “Hurricane” Carter. Mr. Carter told me his story about how he and his friend, John Artis, were convicted for triple murder in 1967. He spent 22 years in prison for a crime he never committed. He was released in February 1988.

Before we said our good-byes, he autographed my copy of “Hurricane: The Miraculous Journey of Rubin Carter” written by James S. Hirsch.

  

Not only did I meet the two men I had said I was going to meet, I also mastered the art of interviewing and got to write and produce a half hour radio documentary titled, “LIFE” on the stories of those I had met who were wrongly convicted.

It was a weekend that I will never forget.

What is one memorable weekend that you will never forget?

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When you get a chance, please visit my friend Tyrone’s blog. His posts are insightful and very thought provoking. See his blog here.

Thanks for reading and keep smiling :) 

Popsicles: The Ultimate Summer Treat

Growing up, popsicles were my ultimate Summer treat. My Mom always bought a variety of popsicles; the Original Brand (cherry, orange and grape), Triple Rocket popsicles, Del Monte Real Fruit popsicles and my favourite…Creamsicles!

She always told us not to go crazy and to make sure they lasted until the next shopping day.

Do you think we listened? Not a chance! We would have 3, 4 or 5 popsicles each per day. Those popsicles that we were supposed to last for two weeks were finished in a week or less. 

Sometimes when we ran out of the store bought stuff, I would make homemade popsicles with my siblings. We knew nothing about those fancy popsicle molds back in the 90’s so we used our ice cube trays. I can’t remember whose bright idea it was to save our popsicle sticks but they sure came in handy when we were ready to make our own.

Most times we used whatever juice mix was in the freezer or Kool-Aid to make them.  The odd time we would add fruit to fancy them up. They were quick and easy to make and ready in a few hours.

Today, I think I will grace my freezer with a box of popsicles. If I do, I’ll probably have at least 3 a day and I guarantee you they’ll be finished in a week or less.

Some childhood habits will never change.

What was your ultimate Summer treat growing up?

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When you get a chance, please visit my friend Tyrone’s blog. His posts are insightful and very thought provoking. See his blog here.

   

Thanks for reading and keep smiling :) 

My Happiness Project: Binge Watching

I’m in month seven of my Happiness Project.

Last month’s resolution was supposed to be Doing the things I love: Read, Bake & Play. Unfortunately, things took a different turn and I didn’t get to do much of those things. Since I’m on a reduced teaching schedule this month (yeah for Summer holidays!), I have all the time in the world to catch up on my  baking, reading and playing.

That Dessert Night I had to cancel last month, it’s going to happen by month end.

July’s resolution is to quite simple – I’m going to be a Binge Watcher this month. For those that know me well, I’m not a fan of television. I think spending endless hours in front of the tv is a waste of time – hence the reason why I refuse to pay for cable.

Since it is the beginning of my Summer holidays, I thought to myself, why not do something that I wouldn’t normally do…like spending endless hours watching tv.

No, I’m not going to call Rogers or Bell and sign-up for cable but I just might sign-up for a free month of Netflix. I’m going to finally catch up on some of the baking shows I used to watch and I still have five seasons of Fresh Prince to get through.

I might as well enjoy my two months of freedom because before you know it…BOOM…it’s September and I’m back to my regular schedule.

 What resolutions have you made for this month?

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When you get a chance, please visit my friend Tyrone’s blog. His posts are insightful and very thought provoking. See his blog here.

   

Thanks for reading and keep smiling :)