Welcome to the Cesspit For Your Lives

Sometimes I wonder if I walk around with that plastered to my forehead...
Now don't get me wrong, I almost enjoy being a dumping site, I feel like people only tell their real issues to people they trust and consider close friends. But it amazes me just how many people are comfortable enough with me to do that! It's ridiculous, really. And I've heard it all, I mean it, not that I'm gonna let out any secrets here of course, but there's nothing you can tell me that will cause me any genuine surprise... I'm sure of that.
My friends have started to notice too. Sometimes something big may get out and they'll tell me about it: "Hey OMG did you hear..." And usually my response is now:  "Yeh they told me..."

Now myself and several people have a couple theories concerning this phenomenon. Perhaps I'm just a super friendly and trustworthy person. Or maybe I just tend to accept more crap than the average person because I have my own issues to deal with but use dealing with others' as a distraction (Hmmmm O.o).
One thing's for sure.... when you come to me... I CANNOT JUDGE YOU. I can advise, give my opinion, but I can never say what you did was wrong. I don't know I guess it's just that if you mustered up the courage to tell me something personal, who am I to turn around on you and crush you?
Oh and I'm a super great listener! I rather listen than talk, and I've realised a lot of the time, my friends feel better by simply talking about their stuff. You don't need to respond because most  of time, your response won't mean much. But empathy is much more powerful than sympathy.... try it...

But yes I've realised that waste disposal is a dangerous business. Full of things that must not be repeated, sticky situations, and delicate responses. And while it'd probably be wiser and all-round healthier to stick this sign up...

I quite enjoy the one that's up right now... :)

Carnival

It's Carnival season! You know what that means! Wild parties, lots of drinking, half naked women (or the occasional half naked man :P) dancing through the streets and sex.

Fun huh?

Carnival's not really my thing... at all. It's a bit too crazy and it's nothing like it originally was (before my time). Apparently there used to be this funny little thing involved in Carnival, a long time ago. It's called...hmm... ah yes... CULTURE. Buy hey, who am I to complain right? I mean Carnival it what puts Trinidad and Tobago n the map! Plane-loads of insane foreigners eager for the wildness. What happens in Trinidad, stays in Trinidad after all.

Components of Carnival:

- Parade costumes (no not the fun cute marching band parades) - As prices go up materials go down, to the point where you're paying thousands of dollars to dance in the streets wearing nothing but a sparkly version of a bra and panties or a pair of shorts for the guys. These are usually picked up by the vagrants around the capital who seem to have their own parade  going on after Carnival. Don't ask me how those get on the streets - you'd think with that little clothing you'd at least try to keep it on :P

-Music - The traditional Calypso music has in recent times ben replaced by the fast paced, jumbled nonsense called Soca. I mean why would you listen to social commentary in the form of song when you can listen to the nonsensical ramblings of 'singers' who seem to have nothing in their vocabulary except - bumper, whine, flag, wave, jump and 'hand in de' air!'
But we can't forget the Chutney Music. Don't ask me what the  indian community was thinking when they invented this - probably about rum, seeing as it's the main focus of most of the songs. And there is almost always a subtextual meaning to the songs. Here is one that is not about rum but definitely has a subtextual meaning.

So my plan for this Carnival is to hide away in Freeport with some relatives. We'll just hang out and tell jokes etc. We always have a good time...