“The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what
you desire to appear.” Socrates
An elderly carpenter was ready to retire, he told his
employer/contractor of his plans to leave the house building business and live
a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. The contractor was sorry
to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a
personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his
heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior
materials, it was such an unfortunate way to end his career.
When the carpenter finished his work and the builder came to
inspect the house, the contractor handed the front-door key to the carpenter.
"This is your house," he said, "my gift to you." What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was
building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to
live in the house he had built so poorly. So it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted way,
reacting rather than acting, willing to put up less than the best. At important
points we do not give the job our best effort, then with shock we look at the
situation we have created and find that we are now living in the house we have
built.
If we had only known, we would have done it differently. Think of yourself as the carpenter, think about your house each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall, build wisely it is
the only life you will ever build. Even if you live it for only one day more,
that day deserves to be lived graciously and with dignity.
I am looking at a wall with a sign mounted that reads, "Life is a do-it-yourself project... Your life tomorrow
will be the result of your attitudes and the choices you make today."
Try to always remember this prayer:
Dear Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I
cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardships as
the pathway to peace; taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I
would have it; trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to
His will; that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with
Him Forever in the next.
Maybe it's the cloudy afternoon conditions with intermittent showers and the chirping of birds here at Chalet du Stilwell, but for some reason I am unable to explain why my thoughts are continually disrupted by memories of Negril and the words of an old reggae tune 'From My Little Cottage in Negril' by Duane Stephenson. For my readers further a field, here are some quick facts about this piece of paradise on the West-end of Jamaica. Negril is a small beach resort town adjoins two Jamaicanparishes, Westmoreland and Hanover. Downtown Negril, the west-end cliff resorts and the southern portion of the so-called "seven mile beach" are in Westmoreland. The beach's length is the stuff of legends, it's actually little more than four miles in length, but tourists and travel writers insist on the "seven-mile" label. The northernmost resorts on the beach are in Hanover Parish. Some may find this little bit of history about Negril quite humorous, here goes: The name "Negril" is a shortened version of "Negrillo," as it was originally named by the Spanish in 1494. The name is thought to be a reference to the black cliffs south of the village. Another version of the origin of the name Negril is: There was a vast population of black eels along Negril's coast and the Spaniards called the area Negro Eels which was shortened to Negrilo and then to Negril. Although Negril has a long history, it did not become well known until the second half of the twentieth century.Negril's development as a resort location began during the late 1950s, though access to the area proved difficult as ferries were required to drop off passengers in Negril Bay, forcing them to wade to shore. Most vacationers would rent rooms inside the homes of Jamaican families, or would pitch tents in their yards. Daniel Connell was the first person to create more traditional vacation lodging for these "flower children" when he set up the first guest house in Negril - Palm Grove. The area's welcoming and hospitable reputation grew over time and the first of many resorts was constructed in the mid to late 1960s. The first hotel in Negril was the Yacht Club by Mary's Bay on the West End. I bet $10, most reading this blog didn't know all that (LOL), don't feel too bad though, I didn't ether thanks to wikipedia and my wondering thoughts about that cottage in Negril today.
For years, Negril's beach has been rated as one of the top ten beaches in the world by many travel magazines. The north end of the beach is home to the large all-inclusive resorts, and to the south are the smaller, family-run hotels. This combination gives the Negril area a large variety of rooms, services and prices. South of downtown Negril is West End Road, known as the cliff area, which is lined with resorts that offer more privacy. These areas offer easy access to waters good for snorkelling and diving, with jumping points reaching more than 40 feet high. That Negril is still fairly underdeveloped remains a significant factor in its undoubted charm. Well enough of the history lesson, meet Elaine Sanrantakos I'll let her take you on a 6mins walk on the '7 mile Beach'.
So where are some of the top spots that you must see on your next trip to Negril... Check these out
With so much to do I still cannot stop agonizing over the fiasco in Montego
Bay regarding the misuse of our most precious national symbol. By
now every Jamaican home and abroad have heard, seen or read about the drama
which unfolded after the swearing in of the newly appointed Mayor of Montego
Bay, Glendon Harris. I am still in shock and awe to the extent that my stomach
churns at the gall and ineptness of some of our public officials.
It
should disgust every Jamaican that politicians in Montego Bay have sought to
play partisan politics with one of our most treasured national symbol, what is
even worse is the appalling and repulsive stories coming to the surface as to
who told who to do what, comes more and more to the surface. Truth is though,
personally it matters not about he said and she said, leaders must lead and be
held accountable.
The Jamaica National
Flag was first raised on Independence Day, August 6, 1962.
It signifies the birth of our nation. The Flag brings to mind memories of past
achievements and gives inspiration towards further success. It is flown on many
triumphant occasions, showing the pride that Jamaicans have in their country
and in the flag itself.
Design
A bipartisan committee of the Jamaica House of Representatives designed the
Jamaican Flag which consists of a diagonal cross with four triangles placed
side by side. The diagonal cross is gold; the top and bottom triangles are
green; and the hoist and fly (side) triangles are black.
Symbolism
“The sun shineth, the land is green and the people are strong and creative” is
the symbolism of the colors of the flag. Black depicts the strength and creativity
of the people; Gold, the natural wealth and beauty of sunlight; and green, hope
and agricultural resources.
Code for use of the
Jamaican Flag
The Jamaican flag should
never be allowed to touch the ground or floor. It should not be flown or used only
for decorative purposes on anything that is for temporary use and is likely to
be discarded, except on state occasions.
The flag should never be
smaller than any other flag flown at the same time.
When the flag becomes
worn and must be replaced, burn it.
Do not place any other
flag above or to the right of the Jamaican flag, except at foreign embassies,
consulates and missions.
Do not raise any foreign
flag publicly, unless the Jamaican flag is also flown, except at foreign
embassies, consulates and missions.
The flag shouldn’t be
draped over vehicles, except on military, police and state occasions.
So while the
investigations continue into this matter, the public should
absolutely not forget about this transgression of elected public officials and
hold each responsible person’s feet to the fire until the required action(s) are
taken.
"What's right isn't always popular. What's popular isn't always right" - Howard Cosell
Every year I tell folks, the best event in Jamaica, sports
or otherwise is Champs!
I could make a list of the things that makes it
the best but I won’t (list too long). I will say though that when you stack up,
seeing people you have known for more than half your life; all the high school
crushes that grew up, got married and yes got fat; rekindling memories of
champs past; watching big men and women behave totally silly keeping the rivalry
alive and oh yes, seeing Jamaica’s future Olympians & World beaters on
show.
Hats off to Inter-Secondary Schools’ Sports
Association for always outdoing themselves and with the exception of a few
officiating errors which caused three events to be run as time finals, this
past staging was truly special in many ways. The events were on time, the
opening ceremony had flair and touch of difference with the flash mobs in the
stands, the team’s double lap run and the kids must have been delighted to see
dancehall mega stars – I-Octane and Agent Sasco performing live.
On a few occasions during the four days I was asked
by persons seated nearby, “how do you do that, you’re always on your blackberry.”
My reply was simply, “yes I am!” in my head I was also thinking but didn’t say,
“Mind your own damn business!!!” What I was doing however was watching and
sharing via blackberry messenger, champs with my old track buddies; Roger Shaw, Martin Dawes, Robert
& Chantelle Shaw and Laurel Smith who with the exception of Laurel lives in
Canada. Champs gone global, they were watching the event live via the internet
courtesy of Sportsmax and CVM TV and that allowed us to have a live
conversation daily on what was happening at Champs. That, along with tweeting
all day long forced me to cop a squat (sit) as close as possible to the media
pool, so I could charge my phone at least twice daily.
Asafa Powell & Usain Bolt
In 21 years (not including my years as a
competitor) as a spectator, coach and spectator again, I have seen the birth of
many Jamaican athletic careers from as early as age 12, in other words this is
where it all began for; Danny McFarlane, Davian Clarke, Gillian Russell, Veronica
Campbell-Brown, Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell, Shelly-Ann Fraser and before them Donald
Quarrie, Merlene Ottey, Juliet Cuthbert, Raymond Stewart, Gregory Megoo, Etlyn
Tate, Beverly McDonald, Wintrop Graham. I could go on and on but the length of
this post would be an exhaustive list of just names.
At this years’ staging of the ISSA Boys & Girls
Championships there is again a plethora of talent on display and I dare say, we
few... yes we humble few who get the chance to see these kids every
year sometimes don’t understand or appreciate what we are blessed with year after year. Among the more than 2000 competitors from all across Jamaica,
it is my considered opinion that Michael O’Haro – Calabar High, Jahzeel Murphy
– Bridgeport High & Delano Williams – Munro, Simoya Campbell – Spalding
High, Desreen Montague – Edwin Allen & Shanice Porter – Manchester High - are
in that special breed of talent that are destined for great things. I am telling
you now, wherever you are reading this, say I told you so!!!
So why have I singled out these six when there are
so many talented kids on show. Well there is an old proverb that says: “All men are born
equal but all men don’t remain equal” It is of course my subjective view point
but I will give you some facts and comparisons to stew on.
Michael O’Haro is a 15 year old who already stands
well over 6’3” tall and has already personal bests of: 100m – 10.73 || 200m – 21.36 || 110mH – 13.74. At 15years, Usain Bolt 200m PB was 21.73secs ran
at the 2001 IAAF World Youth Championships in Debrecen without the sprinting
mechanics or form that O’Haro has shown to date. O’Haro is being guided and
coached by the very experienced Michael Clarke who is credited with guiding the
high school development of names like Michelle Freeman & Juliet Campbell in
the mid 1980’s and since then; Rudolph Mighty, Edward Clarke, Ramone McKenzie and
Oshane Bailey just to name a few.
Jahzeel Murphy – is an 18year old sprinter who has
all the makings of a world beater. Admittedly having run sub 11secs from age
14, he should have been further ahead on his development curve already. I
hazard a guess that the absence of a systematic training regiment in his
earlier years may have been the obstacle there. Murphy if you have never met him is raw
sprinting talent, stands at about the same height as Yohan Blake (World 100m
Champion) with a sprinting technique and top end speed like Raymond Stewart.
Murphy’s personal bests are: 100m – 10.27 || 200m – 20.97.
Delano Williams – is a 19 year old young man from
the islands of Turks & Caicos who came to Jamaica to attend High School at
Munro. This young man maybe the first of my three selected male athletes to
actually compete the Olympics in London 2012. Delano has already achieved a ‘A’
qualifying time for the London 2012 Men’s 200m with his 20.53 done earlier this
year at the Western Championships held in Montego Bay in February. As far as we
are told, he is actively seeking acceptance from the British Athletics Federation
to represent that country and I can’t think of a reason they won’t grant him,
after all it’s not like Britain is awash with sprinting quality. Williams personal
bests are: 100m – 10.34 || 200m – 20.53
Well onto the ladies, Simoya Campbell and Desreen
Montague have made mince meat of all comers this season in the 800m & 1500m.
To put their meteoric rise into perspective, at last years’ Champs,
Simoya won the Class II or Under 17 800m in 2:11.24 while Desreen was second in
the Class I or Under 19 800m in 2:09.01.
This year both are competing in the same class, the record at champs for
the 800m class 1 is 2:03.81 both Simoya and Desreen had already run 2:03.07
and 2:03.18 respectively at the trials to select Jamaica’s team for the 2012
Junior Carifta Games in Hamilton Bermuda. Suffice to say, the records weren’t
broken at champs 2012 but the superior talent of both young ladies was on show
for all to see. Simoya won both events with Desreen not too far behind and a
dare say, there will be a lot more to come from both… watch out Kenia Sinclair
the young turks are bringing the fight to your event. After breaking the nine-year-old Girls Class 1
high jump record with a leap of 1.86m on Friday afternoon, Manchester High's Shanice
Porter was expected to go after the National Junior Record 1.88m set by
Kimberly Williamson, the athlete she defeated en route to the record. Instead,
the 18-year-old Porter who won Jamaica's first global long jump gold medal at
the IAAF World Youth Championships in Lille, France last year and whose
previous personal best was 1.85m set at Champs last year, decided to pass on
the NJR and save her legs for the long jump event on Saturday which she also
won with a record leap of 6.50m. Beset by injury most of this season, Shanice
only opened her season two weeks ago at Central Champs; one can’t help but
wonder what she will do later in the year when she is fully fit.
In all I enjoyed the 102nd staging
of ISSA Champs immensely it was a blast and although Team Fortis (Kingston
College) didn’t win, I am reminded of our motto: Fortis Cadere Cedere Non Potest
which is latin for; The Brave May Fall but Never Yield. Congratulations again
to Calabar, don’t get too comfortable with the Mortimer Geddes trophy, we’ll be
back next year to collect it.
When the carpenter finished his work and the builder came to
inspect the house, the contractor handed the front-door key to the carpenter.
"This is your house," he said, "my gift to you." What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was
building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to
live in the house he had built so poorly. So it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted way,
reacting rather than acting, willing to put up less than the best. At important
points we do not give the job our best effort, then with shock we look at the
situation we have created and find that we are now living in the house we have
built. 
