One Thousand Faces

142

2011-05-08T16:18:00.000-07:00

A wife who loses a husband is called a widow. A husband who loses a wife is called a widower. A child who loses his parents is called an orphan. But...there is no word for a parent who loses a child, that's how awful the loss is - Neugeboren 1976

Today is Mother's Day and I find my thoughts turning toward a mother that I do not know but whose pain and grief are the stuff of my nightmares. If you have children you know what I mean. Those late at night moments when you lie awake in a cold sweat worrying about real and imagined horrors that might befall your children and against which you are powerless to protect them.

Lucas' dad is brother to Jonathan #126. I took this picture of Lucas last year. It's just an ordinary image that does little to convey his cherub, gentle, spirit. Just a boy tired from a day playing in the sun, drinking his juice with his sister (not in the shot) but nearby. I wanted to take a few more photos but we didn't know each other well enough for him to open up to me. Still he was sweet and polite and looked directly at me. Not wanting to force a moment by asking him to pose, I moved off to photograph other kids who were playing nearby, thinking that I would undoubtedly get my shot of him another time.

This past January hanging out with friends I took pictures of some of their children. Once again Lucas was unavailable to me because he spent most of the day with the other boys splashing about in the pool. Boys and water are not a good combination for camera lenses so once again I told myself that I would take his picture another time.

There would not be another time. Lucas died in a car accident on Carnival Tuesday.

Lucas has forced me to face an unpleasant truth. You see, I am a worrier. I'm the helicopter mom who hovers about her child trying to sniff out every possible danger at every possible situation before allowing my kids to participate. Honestly I am ridiculous. The swim club Aunties have even banned me from accompanying my child to the pool. He goes with his dad. This tragedy has made me look at my fears differently. I understand that I don't control the universe. Would that I could but despite a parent's best efforts, random and senseless things just happen.

Should something happen to my own children tomorrow would I prefer my memories to be of them sitting on the side lines of life crippled by my fears? Or, will I prefer to have memories of a life they fully lived.

I looked at all the pictures of Lucas on Facebook. He is there with his sister, his uncle, his mom, his grand-dad Vladimir #127 . He is splashing in the small pool at Rampanalagas, visiting a horse farm, having a time in Tobago, sticking a bright orange tongue out to the camera. All testament to the fact that his life though short was full. Full of laughter and love. Ironically it is this love that makes his premature departure so difficult to accept.

To his parents, I'm thinking of you both today. My prayer is not that you find the strength to get over this, you won't; you can't. However I pray God gives you the strength to survive and go on and maybe one day even enjoy some sense of normalcy.

141

2011-05-01T16:19:00.000-07:00

Birthday parties are a blur of children but this youngster's wonderful caramel coloured eyes definitely got my attention. Destined to be a heart breaker that's for sure.

140

2011-05-01T14:53:00.000-07:00

The pretty mom of Xavier. One of my son's friends.

139

2011-04-04T20:34:00.000-07:00

Nikala was a pretty trainee at Valu Optical. My son was very taken with her after she let him peek through the machine to see the inside of his eye.

138

2011-04-04T20:28:00.000-07:00

A few of my photos were temporarily lost to me when my poor old pc died. I finally got around to transferring them from the old hard drive. This picture was taken last year when I went for my annual eye exam. This is my friend and optometrist Lara.

137

2011-04-02T10:04:00.000-07:00

136

2011-03-06T17:18:00.000-08:00

In just a couple hours traditional mas' characters like this little guy and others are gonna take to the pre- dawn darkened streets for J'ourvert (Jour ourvert) to start or open the carnival festivities in Port of Spain. From the Patois for "devil" and "molasses" the simple costume consists of short pants with a wire tail, horns and a pitchfork. In olden days they smeared themselves with molasses. Nowadays the whole body is smeared with grease, mud, paint or chocolate. This blue devil was spotted at my son's school carnival parade. Jab Molassies are usually accompanied by imps beating tins who attempt to restrain him by pulling on the rope or chain around his neck.They put on quite a show and try to scare onlookers by banging on tins blowing whistles demanding that you pay the devil in order to be left alone.

135

2011-01-30T18:39:00.000-08:00

Wow, some days I really suck at this. This was one such day. I hated all the pictures I took of Isabel who was incredibly gracious in spite of my atrociousness . In my defence I was distracted by all that chocolate. You see Isabel is a chocolatier and being in her home was like being in Willy Wonka's chocolate factory minus the crazy Johnny Depp. Isabel's chocolates are featured here. Go on check them out. All that yummy chocolate will make you forget that I messed up this picture.

134

2011-01-28T14:02:00.000-08:00

Tracey is a Trinidadian multimedia visual artist living and working in Grenada. We met through blogging and when she was here in December she kindly brought me a little pressie. Yay! Click here to see what I got. I was a tiny bit nervous to meet her but we fell right away into an easy conversation while my kids invaded her home (my apologies) and were totally enchanted by her dad. Tracey herself is also a talented photographer who finds beauty in the ordinary little things you and I see everyday yet take for granted. Click here to check out the work of this talented young artist.

133

2011-01-28T09:24:00.000-08:00

This little lovely is my god-daughter. Here we have the pink hat again but Natassia decided to add earrings to the mix. Do you know of any little girl that doesn't like to play dress-up?

132

2011-01-28T08:33:00.000-08:00

131

2011-01-22T18:12:00.000-08:00

130

2011-01-22T18:02:00.000-08:00

129

2011-01-21T19:02:00.000-08:00

Katelyn is pint-sized so when she came out in Aunty Joanne's oversized hat, it was absolutely time to whip out the camera. Katelyn is big sister to Kellan (#37) and they both have the same large, dreamy eyes.

128

2011-01-21T13:33:00.000-08:00

127

2011-01-21T12:27:00.000-08:00

Vladimir is Johnny's (#126) dad and for a guy with Czechoslovakian parents he sure can put down a wicked curried duck.

126

2011-01-21T12:01:00.000-08:00

Johnny was the best man at our wedding. His birthday lime at a beach house in Toco has become somewhat of an annual tradition. The occasion is greatly anticipated by all (especially the married with kids set) who don't hardly lime the way we used to before. Okay, alrighty - who don't lime at all:-)

125

2011-01-21T11:05:00.000-08:00

Sasha is in her final year of college in New York and his working towards a degree in biology. She hopes one day to get her Phd in cell biology. When asked about a possible career she told me that Aids research might be her thing. She also told me that her aversion to environmental biology was the result of a spring practicum. The assignment? Collecting samples of muskrat poop in the middle of a frozen lake for a population study. Ewwww and brrr!

124

2011-01-18T12:28:00.000-08:00

123

2011-01-18T10:27:00.000-08:00

Aidan started off rather shy and not wanting to let go of Teddy. He eventually warmed to the camera but this one remains my favourite shot because how could you not love a boy and his brave Teddy. Too adorable!

122

2011-01-18T10:17:00.000-08:00

Tim is dad to Aidan (#123) and Anja (#124). he is Irish and always has a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. He has a great sense of humour which is very useful when a roomful of Trinidadians start giving you fatigue. Not only can he handle picong but Tim gives as good as he gets.

121

2011-01-18T10:09:00.000-08:00

Allison is my husband's cousin and Aunt to Isabelle (#29). She lives in Australia with her husband Tim (#122) . They have two children Aidan (#123) and Anja (#124).

120

2011-01-17T17:02:00.000-08:00

Doesn't Dahlia absolutely rock those curls? I was on the brink of giving up on an awkward growing out phase and contemplating just going back to straight hair when I saw Dahlia. I immediately took courage. Yes I definitely want my curls back!

119

2011-01-17T16:46:00.000-08:00

Gemma is a dancer. She has several agents who book jobs for her and her work takes her all over the world. She is married to Randall (#118) I had only ever met Gemma once before when I ran in to her at the supermarket maybe two years ago. We didn't speak then other than for me to ask for her photo which I never got around to taking. This time around though we were able to have a nice chat about her work.

118

2011-01-17T16:37:00.000-08:00

Randall is one of Tessa's (#113) brothers. He and his brother René are identical twins. To this day I still have a little trouble telling them apart. I have always found Randall to be the more reserved of the two so I was very surprised but pleased when he agreed to let me take his photo. Randall lives in London with his wife Gemma.

117

2011-01-17T16:28:00.000-08:00

William is a long time friend. He is super smart with a mischievous sense of humour which he uses when he doesn't want to engage in a pointless argument. Time has not changed the one quality that I admire most about William which is is his ability to stay real. He is never over awed by success. Prince or pauper he'll treat you with the utmost respect and as an equal. Will is married to Tessa (#113) and is dad to Leigh-Anna (#114) and Shannon (#115).

116

2011-01-17T16:21:00.000-08:00

This lady is mom to Tessa (#113) and proud Grandma to Leigh-Anna (#114) and Shannon (#115). She practically raised me during my teen years since I was more often in her house than my own home. I'm fairly ceratain she saw more of me than my own parents. Her home was my second home. Janice is originally from Grenada. When she went to Grenada to visit her family she took her children...and me:-) From her I learned how to open my heart to my own children's friends. Thanks Mom!

115

2011-01-09T17:48:00.000-08:00

Shannon is 5 and just as adorable as her big sis. I was quite taken with both girls and of course my camera loved them. Shannon was a little more interested in playing dress up with her pretty necklace. Still I found that both she and her sister were the easiest kids I have ever photographed.

114

2011-01-09T17:03:00.000-08:00

9 year old Leigh-Anna is Tessa's (#113) daughter. She looks a lot like her dad but that nose is unmistakably her mom's. She is very artistic and wow can she hold a pose so it is a bit ironic that the picture I chose is one of her in an unguarded moment. She wants to model and already has done a professional photo shoot for a clothing company. She had with her a doodle pad. On one page there was the writing prompt I wish... Can you guess Leigh-Anna's wish? She wrote, I wish I lived in Trinidad. Awwwwww, so do I hon:-)

113

2011-01-08T21:47:00.000-08:00

Forever! That's how long Tessa and I have been friends. She is Godmother to my first son (#2).We've shared secrets and had us some crazy adventures like the time ......wait we both have children now so I'd better not put incriminating evidence of our teenage escapades for own future teenagers to read someday. That kind of leverage could be disastrous! Tessa has been living in London for the past 10 years but even though there is the small matter of an ocean between us, we remain close friends.

112

2011-01-06T13:23:00.000-08:00

Keisha is mom to Zaidyn (#111)

111

2011-01-06T13:18:00.000-08:00

Zaidyn's dad is the youngest brother of a close friend of mine.

110

2011-01-01T08:40:00.000-08:00

She could get to be a hundred years old with a walker but she'll always be my little sister and the baby of the family. Donna-Maria is the youngest of my siblings. She lives and works in the British Virgin Islands and is mom to Leigha-Ceres(#21). If you are a millionaire with money to invest then boy has she got the hedge fund for you! She is Vice President of Fund Accounting/Administration.

Donna usually comes home for Christmas and as much as I might whine and complain about all the preparation that usually accompanies the season her arrival always chases away my bah humbugs.

109

2010-12-31T18:30:00.000-08:00

Kyria is CIA! She is Trinidadian but works in the British Virgin Islands as a Certified Internal Auditor. Earlier this year she also obtained certification as a fraud investigator. She is trained to examine data and can detect and trace fraudulent transactions. She also interviews suspects to obtain information and confessions. She is well versed in the law as it relates to fraud investigations and has even been called on to testify at trial.

Impressive qualifications. Now lets talk about those eyelashes. I never realized that Kyria had such amazing eyelashes. Damn do you know how many models buy theirs and stick them on. Those are not falsies but the real deal. I wonder if she bats those beauties at people before sending them to jail?

On yet another random note I found out that Kyria's mom is Hindu and her Dad is Muslim. Kyria is Roman Catholic. Religion can be a touchy matter for many but embracing all religions is just so typically Trinidadian that I just had to make mention of it. Conversion from one faith to another can be hurtful as a change of religion may be viewed by the rest of the family as a rejection of sorts. In this scenario no one feels slighted. Even better the family now celebrates three sets of religious holidays cause that's how we roll in Trinidad, best of all worlds.

108

2010-12-30T19:42:00.000-08:00

Folks from Corpus Christi need to stop telling me how boring the place is. That's no way to speak of your home town! I've been to Corpus and yes it's quiet but that can be a good thing right? These days it seems like Trinidad is just a little too exciting for me. Exciting for all the wrong reasons I might add. Matt I'll gladly swap for some of your 'Corpse Town' quiet:-)

107

2010-12-30T18:33:00.000-08:00

This little cutie clung to his dad, Matt (#108) when he first arrived but once he got in with the other kids there was no stopping him. I honestly don't think I've ever seen another 2 year old share and take turns as well as he did.

106

2010-12-30T16:44:00.000-08:00

Tritia (pronounced Tricia) is married to Matt (#108) and mom to Grae (#107). She has a beautiful smile and flawless skin.

105

2010-12-30T16:27:00.000-08:00

Ray is my husband's cousin. He lives in London and is the artistic Director for Sunshine International Arts. His work takes him all over the world most recently to Egypt. My favourite story from his frequent globe trotting is the work he did with women in a refugee village in Rajasthan, India. Ray spent several months working with the women in design and production to improve the standard of their traditional embroidery so that they could get better prices for their work.

I remember him telling me how frustrating it was because at every step he needed to get permission from the men in the village to work with the women. Everything relied on the permission of the men. Etched in my memory are the pictures Ray shared from the arranged wedding of a young village girl who had been married to an older man. The girl in the photo was expressionless; she looked neither happy nor sad. I wondered at her thoughts on not having a say in her destiny. Her face in that picture gave nothing of her feelings away.

104

2010-12-28T17:48:00.000-08:00

Danny is going on a trip to the Kaieteur falls in Guyana. How cool is that? Lucky guy! He asked me of all people for tips on shooting waterfalls. Trust me Danny I'm the last person you should be asking for advice. I am really just a novice and totally suck at trying to explain the technical stuff. (Code for I don't know what I'm doing half the time.)

Anyway if I were fortunate enough to be going on such a trip this would be my advice....read, do lots of research, take practise shots of running water, even water from a faucet could stand in and get yourself prepared. Click here and here for great tips from folks who actually know what they are doing.

103

2010-12-28T17:30:00.000-08:00

Steven is the lucky guy who is married to Michelle (#33). He is the father of Luke (#35) and Scott (#36). Steven and his family very kindly agreed to be my guinea pigs and let me take some practice shots of them for a family portrait.

Right so I learned some very valuable lessons form that experience and I have way more respect now for wedding and family portrait photographers. Getting everyone looking at the camera together and smiling. Damn that shit is hard. Interestingly I found it to be less about technical ability and more about being able to manage and give direction to the group. Epic fail on my part but this is just one of those things that you have to go through the process ( and fail sometimes ) before you get better. Looking forward to applying what I learned on my next group shoot.

102

2010-12-28T16:39:00.000-08:00

Who Who is what Scott (#36) an Luke (#35) started calling their Nana because she would announce her arrival by calling out "who who" at the gate. In the sing song accent of a Trini the words have an up and down cadence. It sounds a little like, "you hoo". When I asked her name for the blog she immediately looked at her daughter Michelle (#33) and almost simultaneously they both said "who who!" Then they started to laugh. After spending an afternoon with Nana Who Who and her family I found out that she loves to laugh and is a whole heap of fun to be around.

101

2010-12-28T12:05:00.000-08:00

"OMG do I have a man for you! You have to get his picture," said one lady. "He is absolutely gorgeous."

"Perfectly divine," added another.

Hmmm... I wonder if Dmitrius' wife Michelle (#26) knows that her husband is the neighbourhood eye candy. I got A LOT of ~~advice~~ orders about how I should take this photograph. Make sure you get his dimples. Okay dimples. Check.

Dmitrius and wife Michelle have two children Sanaa (#25) and Adenike (#27) who are just as gorgeous as their parents and their photos count among my all time favourites.

100

2010-12-23T20:47:00.000-08:00

99

2010-12-23T20:08:00.000-08:00

Bryan is also Jamaican and works with Barry (#98). He is here in Trinidad studying to be an engineer.

98

2010-12-23T19:32:00.000-08:00

Barry is the the guy working the grill at Likkle, Likkle Jamaica. He is Jamaican and claims to make the best jerk chicken. When I approached him for this photo he feigned disappointment. "I thought you were coming to ask me out on a date", he said sadly. Sorry but I'm spoken for Barry. To which he replied, "" Ah but I can do something for you that your husband can't". Lawd have mercy! Sorry to disappoint you but my husband is an excellent cook, I replied sweetly.

97

2010-12-12T19:17:00.000-08:00

The best part of UpMarket is that it has put me in touch with people who like myself are passionate about food that is local, seasonal and sustainably produced. John is the head of the Trinidad and Tobago Goat and Sheep Society. Great now I have my hook up for fresh goat's milk from which I can make my own yoghurt.

96

2010-12-01T17:38:00.000-08:00

Another of the Dreamy Creamy Ice-cream Company's crew.

95

2010-12-01T13:58:00.000-08:00

Kimberly works with the Dreamy Creamy Ice-cream company. Unfortunately my allergies prevented me from scarfing down the many samples on offer:-( Still I did steal a tiny spoonful and it was so worth the box of tissues and a red nose. Just one complaint. This company is located in San Fernando. Maybe I can start a petition for them to open a branch in the North.

94

2010-12-01T12:51:00.000-08:00

Jada was chillin' in her stroller while her mom shopped.

93

2010-12-01T10:07:00.000-08:00

Looking at her you would not know that Gina is not Trinidadian. Gina's look fits in so well with the many racially blended people that you find all over this small island. Consequently I was very surprised to learn that she was born in Singapore. With a twinkle in her eyes Gina laughed and asked if I was expecting a short oriental lady. uhhhh.... yes :-)

How did Gina end up in Trinidad? Well while attending University in London she was swept off her feet by her Trini husband who was in turn probably swept off his feet by her glamorous good looks.

Gina is a certified accountant but food has always been her passion so now she runs her own business and makes the most incredibly, decadent and delicious truffles. To find out more about Gina's truffles click here.

92

2010-11-30T19:02:00.000-08:00

Isabella and I had a nice chat while she ate her ice-cream cone. She used to have a dog named Zero but had to get rid of him because he was too much trouble so now she has a cat named Rocket. Quite understandably she was a lot more interested in her ice-cream than she was in having her picture taken. Yet, she was such a good sport about it, even though she really hates taking pictures because her mom takes pictures of her all the time, and it bugs her, cause it's usually when she is in the middle of something fun.

My own son runs in the other direction whenever the camera comes out which made me think, how many photos do you have of yourself at this age? There are maybe ten of me at this age while I probably have 100 of my son in his first week of life alone. Kids today must be under a lot of stress in this digital age of parent paparazzi. So yes I did notice that the focus in this picture was off but I decided to cut her a break and leave her to her ice-cream.

91

2010-11-30T18:32:00.000-08:00

Martin was at UpMarket helping a friend. I'm glad he also decided to help me out by letting me snap his picture.

90

2010-11-09T17:42:00.000-08:00

After living abroad for a number of years Janet decided it was time to return home to Trinidad. Inspired by London's famous Borough Market and others like it in the US she established Upmarket.

What is Upmarket? It is a fabulous space where entrepreneurs, artisans, people who grow, rear or prepare the food that they sell, gather together. There are also importers of shoes, clothing and handbags with truly unique items on offer.

Upmarket is special not because of the variety of products for sale but the opportunity you have to speak directly with vendors about their products. The market is made up of a community of remarkable individuals, all of whom are passionate about their goods.

Let me introduce you to just a few of the people that I met and if you want to go check them out yourselves you are in luck because the next Upmarket is this Saturday. Click here for the details and tell them I sent you - you might even get a discount. LOL! Okay so most likely NOT but you can still tell them I sent you.

89

2010-11-08T18:19:00.000-08:00

Nicole invited me to her home to take pictures of her family. She is a graphic artist and takes some pretty awesome photographs herself.

I'm sure you have heard of the theory of six degrees of separation? Well more and more I am convinced that in Trinidad there is only one or two degrees of separation. Just look at your friends on Facebook. I bet you would be hard pressed to find one Trini friend with whom you don't have at least one friend in common.

There is a painting in Nicole's living room that was painted by her good friend. It turns out that this good friend is married to the brother of my good friend. It's a small world after all.

Although we had only just met, when we were done shooting Nicole and I put down a marathon talk session. You know, the kind of conversation that if you are out with your best girlfriends the husbands put on their resigned faces and head for the bar. John my apologies!

Nicole and I talked and talked and TALKED. About what? Everything and nothing, I swear. We even did one of those of those farewells where you say goodbye and walk out to the car and then chat for another hour! Nicole the ole' talk was nice. We go talk:-)

88

2010-11-08T18:14:00.000-08:00

I am always impressed with youngsters who can confidently relate to adults with the right amount of camaraderie yet respect. Sydney is very attentive and takes the responsibility of being a big sister to Dylan (#86) quite seriously. Her mum Nicole (#89) shared some amusing anecdotes about her. From these stories I gather that Sydney is a determined young lady with very creative problem solving abilities. She is extremely resourceful will find or make a way!

87

2010-11-08T17:23:00.000-08:00

John jumped right in to be my assistant with the reflector. John is an engineer and I saw some of that engineering mind at work in the way that he worked out my lighting for me. I didn't even have to tell him what to do. He even suggested a scenario that I hadn't thought of for lighting his wife Nicole. I have a suspicion that he may be a photographer himself. He didn't say but he did keep us entertained with his guitar while Nicole and I chatted.

86

2010-11-08T17:11:00.000-08:00

Sweetness. And that's all that needs to be said about Dylan. Mum let me hold her and honestly I just breathed in all that baby softness and delicious baby smell. She is hands down the most calm and and contented baby I have ever met. Makes me think that maybe, just maybe....heh heh. I can dream, can't I?

85

2010-11-08T12:24:00.000-08:00

This is not the picture I intended to post of Bria but I'm experiencing some not entirely unexpected difficulties with my ~~dinosaur~~ computer. After a year of me ignoring a certain error message it has finally decided that enough is enough and refuses now to speak to me at all. As a result a few of my pictures are being held ransom within the temperamental beast until the technician can sort it out.

Bria is # 83 Gina's youngest child and sister to Joseph #3 and Bailee #84. She goes to the same nursery as my youngest son. She is such a doll.

84

2010-11-05T14:07:00.000-07:00

83

2010-11-05T13:54:00.000-07:00

Gina asked me to take her picture after she saw her husband #4 and son #3 on this site. While taking her picture I learned that she is the cousin of a good friend of mine. I can see a family resemblance for sure in that smile! We had a lovely afternoon with Gina and her family and of course my son got to play with his best buddy.

82

2010-11-05T13:16:00.000-07:00

My brother's eldest child. When did this happen? I mean I have been looking at her on and off at least weekly for the past 13 years. Can someone please tell me when she morphed from cherub cheeked baba into statuesque creature. Jennai looks more like her mom but every once in a while a certain tilt to her head and I can see my brother in there too.

81

2010-11-01T21:56:00.001-07:00

80

2010-11-01T21:53:00.001-07:00

79

2010-11-01T21:50:00.000-07:00

Lisa-Marie is the daughter of #78 Lisa

78

2010-11-01T21:44:00.001-07:00

77

2010-11-01T21:31:00.001-07:00

76-b

2010-11-01T16:17:00.000-07:00

I know he is not looking at the camera but I like this shot of Nickolai playing his guitar. Feel free to agree :-) or disagree by clicking the stars. Don't forget to rate the other pictures on the site and vote for your favourites.

76-a

2010-11-01T16:14:00.000-07:00

Some months ago I was supposed to photograph a wonderful jewellery designer called Denise. Unfortunately both Denise and I were unhappy with the way her pictures came out. Instead this is Denise's friend who was there with her the day I went to take her picture.

Nickolai is a singer and guitarist for the band Gyazette. He is totally hot with a megawatt smile. LOL. I know that I have embarrassed him by saying that but there is something completely dreamy about a guy who plays the guitar and can sing. Sigh. Husband, I know you read this so take note; just buy the guitar we’ll talk later wink wink;-)

Nickolai is used to being on stage and it may be the reason he was so comfortable in front of the camera. I love that he was totally open to my ~~crazy~~ creative suggestions. Click here to find out more about Nickolai and you will see that he is an artist as well as a musician.

75

2010-10-31T21:12:00.000-07:00

Laureen seems to be the kind of person who takes things in stride. She isn't easily ruffled. Maybe that calm aura is the secret to her youthfulness. She has 5 kids y'all! Or was it four? Whatever. She looks like she works out in the gym everyday. For that reason alone I should hate Laureen. And as if that wasn't enough she cheerfully responded to my enquiry by informing me that she pretty much eats whatever the heck she wants. No way right?

74

2010-10-31T21:07:00.001-07:00

73

2010-10-31T21:02:00.000-07:00

Andrew is dad to Jonathan #64 and Joshua #74

72

2010-10-22T19:54:00.000-07:00

71

2010-10-21T18:41:00.000-07:00

Have you ever thought of changing your name? All my life my surname has been mispronounced and misspelled. As a child I was sometimes teased. I have close friends who to this day don't know how to write my name. You know who you are (I hope y'all feel guilty now that I've told the world how little you actually care for me!)

So you would think that I hate my name right? Well no, I actually love my name. I love it so much that I kept it even after I got married. It never once occurred to me to ever change it. I love the meaning of my name and its history I am connected because of my name. It has helped shape my identity.

At first glance you might think that Melchezedek is an ill-fitting name for a little boy. It is a Hebrew name that means "righteousness is my king." Yes it's a mouthful but there is such strength in the meaning, don't you think? I like to imagine that his parents carefully choose this name for him hoping that he would connect and identify with it's meaning. I certainly do hope that he lives up to the potential of such a powerful name.

So what about you? Do you like your name?

70

2010-10-21T17:42:00.000-07:00

Jada has such an interesting face with features that are so unique. I was quite captivated by her.

69

2010-10-21T14:48:00.000-07:00

Kwesi didn't mind hamming it up for me.

68

2010-10-04T18:07:00.001-07:00

67

2010-10-03T21:54:00.000-07:00

Dad to princess Gabriel #66. Most of you will probably recognise our former minister of national security. Many would have formulated opinions based on his life as a public figure. I don't know Martin on a personal level but because our children were in the same class, I have had the opportunity to observe him with his daughter. I can tell you that he stood with the rest of us parents in the sweltering noon heat as our kids demonstrated their P.E skills at open day. There was never a motorcade or a security detail heralding his arrival, only a lone driver who remained out of sight until it was time to leave. Regardless of what you may have thought about his tour of duty as a minister he certainly gets points for being a good dad.

66

2010-10-03T19:50:00.000-07:00

It seems to be every little girl's dream to have a princess party. Gaby is well suited to the part. She is a delicate little thing with a dainty voice and exquisite manners.

65

2010-10-03T19:21:00.000-07:00

64

2010-09-27T06:23:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted anything here recently and I do apologize but for the next few months I will be dealing with a family situation.

My 2 year old needs to have surgery. We have been told that the procedure may have to be done abroad.
As you can imagine, I have been somewhat distracted and my focus in now on gathering as much information as possible so that we can make the best decision for our little one. It doesn't mean that I'm quitting this project it's just that sometimes life takes precedence.

Here we have Jonathan. He is not happy. His expression is exactly how I feel about this development in my life except that adults are not allowed to pout. So today Jonathan will do my pouting for me. Lucky for you because honestly my 'vex' face isn't nearly as cute.

63

2010-08-14T23:08:00.000-07:00

Nadia is an accomplished young lady who was one of the bridesmaids at my wedding to her cousin Marcus. Denise ( #62) is her mom. I'm trying hard to remember what she studied at University and failing miserably although her graduation picture is stuck up on my mother-in-law's fridge (sorry Nads).

I know she is super intelligent but maybe my memory failure about her scholarly accolades has to do with the fact that it's outshone by her sunny personality. Nadia radiates a positive energy that is hard to ignore. She is warm, friendly and beautiful. I know. You want to hate her right? See the thing is you can't cause she's just so darn personable and sweet. She and her brother Tariq always impress me with their ability to be comfortable in any setting, mingling with anyone of any generation.

62

2010-08-14T23:01:00.000-07:00

Denise's youngest (Tariq #61) is 18 years old, yet when we turn up unexpectedly at her home, would you believe she has extra pajamas for our two-year old. She also feeds us dinner even though it's the first day of Ramadan and she and her family are fasting.What does that tell you about Denise? I'll give you a clue. This picture is Denise just in from a hard day at at the office.

Did you guess that Denise is Super Woman?

I wish she would tell me her secret because I most definitely do not look like this at the end of a work day. For those of you who are curious feel free to google Hagrid for my after work look. Denise does it all and she does it with style and grace.

Oh yeah, I forgot to say that this is my husband's cousin and just so we are clear, she makes the world's best curried duck. EVER!

61

2010-08-14T22:53:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that I have known Tariq since he was 4 years old. He is all grown up now but he's still the same sweet kid, excuse me, I mean young man:-) I don't know many 18 year old guys who would want to hang with their 5 and 2 year old cousins, do you?. Okay so maybe he didn't actually want to, but he agreed to, and was a sweetheart about the whole ordeal. My eldest son adores his cousin so he was beside himself with happiness when Tariq agreed to hang with us at the Playdium. On the way home Saël fell asleep in the car awaking as we parked to ask why we hadn't brought cousin Tariq home with us!

60

2010-08-13T20:43:00.000-07:00

This is my cousin. I can count on one hand the number of times we've actually met. The first time she was only 3 years old and cute as a button. We met again a few years ago years ago. She was still cute and into Barbie dolls. Last month she was in Trinidad for the day in transit with her mom(#59). She is no longer cute; she is gorgeous! And she has traded the Barbies for something else that starts with b.
Boys?
More like books.
Keep an eye on this one as she destined for greatness.

Chloé is a principled young lady who isn't easily swayed by peer pressure. I like that she is not afraid to stand up for what is right. I don't want to embarrass her but I have to tell you that she told me a story that touched me greatly. Chloé you made me so proud to be related to you! Muah!

59

2010-08-13T20:31:00.000-07:00

Last month my super fabulous Aunt and her daughter were in transit for one day on their way back from my cousin's wedding in Canouan. This tiny Caribbean island is only 3 and 1/2 x 1 and 1/4 miles. Current population is about 1,100. When I was a child this is where I spent almost every July/ August vacation. Paradise.

Mariella is my dad's (# 1 ) youngest sister. She is an accountant. She left Canouan to work and study in New York but now owns and runs a health care business in Corpus Christi, Texas that was started by her sister Ann. These days she has traded her jet setting NY lifestyle for a quiet life of domestic bliss in Corpse Town (her words not mine:-) punctuated by travels abroad when she gets bored - which is often.

Mariella is a self assured, somewhat flamboyant and plenty outrageous which makes her a whole heap of fun to be around. I have the best time when hanging with her even if we do nothing more than lie in bed and talk. I always end up laughing when I am with Mariella.

58-b

2010-08-08T19:15:00.000-07:00

At the zoo, this lovely young lady saw me taking pictures of my kids and asked me to take her picture. Teenage years are typically very awkward and uncomfortable so I had to chuckle when I saw this posted on Kerlice's (pronounced Kerleese) Facebook page. I LOVE MYSELF. I DON'T kNOW 'BOUT U BUT I FEEL I IS IT. Clearly Kerlice doesn't suffer the typical teenage angst about her self image. Good for her!

58-a

2010-08-08T19:11:00.000-07:00

Nothing new here. As usual I can't decide. It's a good thing I can count on you to tell me. Do I keep the colour or the black and white version of Kerlice? Click on the stars to vote.

57

2010-08-02T20:41:00.000-07:00

I love it when kids come up to me and ask me to take their photo.

56

2010-08-02T07:56:00.000-07:00

Ingrid is on my husband's route and he always fills up at the gas station where she works. He wanted me to take this picture because she always takes the time to chat with the children in the back seat of the car while she pumps gas. She sure was surprised that day when I jumped out and asked to take her picture. I think I'm getting braver about approaching people.

I am really amazed that this quick shot came out so well. This picture has not been edited. It is straight out of the camera. I can't begin to describe how incredibly grateful I am to everyone who has contributed thus far to my project and hopefully to my progress.

55

2010-08-01T13:00:00.000-07:00

Of the three friends, Judy-Mae was the least approachable of the soap sisters and kept giving me a skeptical side-ways glance. Oh boy this was not going to be easy! There seemed to be no winning her over and then.... just when I was about to give up....SUNSHINE! Look at those twinkling eyes:-).

54

2010-08-01T12:51:00.000-07:00

Another talented soap sister.

53

2010-08-01T12:49:00.000-07:00

Carol and her friends (sisters) make , scented soaps. They call themselves the soap sisters.

52

2010-08-01T12:37:00.000-07:00

This is technically not the best picture that I took of Sean as the background is too distracting. However of all the shots this is the best capture of his expression at the time. Here he is cool, relaxed and easy going.

51

2010-07-30T14:18:00.000-07:00

Tinisha was such a good sales lady, fun and a little bit outrageous as she hawked her mango products. She's from Tobago and she made everyone smile.

50

2010-07-30T14:14:00.000-07:00

Veronica came all the way from Grenada to take part in the mango festival. Her jellies and fruit rolls are phenomenal! She has some very creative ideas for using her products in desserts. I found it hard to tear myself away from her stall - of course it could have been because she just kept giving me sample, after sample after delicious sample. Read my review of the event here..

49

2010-07-30T14:11:00.000-07:00

One of the friendly faces I encountered at last week's mango festival. Maria was there helping her sister Veronica. Their stall was very busy and I appreciate the time they took let me snap their pictures. A review of the Mango Festival is over on the food blog. Click here.

48b

2010-07-29T10:17:00.000-07:00

This is my favourite of Adrianna because of the intense look in here eyes. What do you think? 48a or 48b? I have added a new feature where you can easily rate the pictures. Wait. It takes a few minutes to appear right below the comments. Do you see it? Help me make up my mind by clicking the starred rating button. Tell me which one should stay and which should go. HELP me out. It's just one click. Easy. In fact go ahead and rate them all as I'm also putting together a best of 1000 faces. I know which ones I'm head over heels in love with and I'd be thrilled to see your picks for best of the lot.

48 - a

2010-07-25T19:37:00.000-07:00

I love the catch lights in her eyes. This is Adrianna the other belly dancer at Suzette's (#38) fundraiser.

47

2010-07-25T19:26:00.000-07:00

By nature I am not an effusive or gregarious person except when I am nervous or talking about something that I am passionate about. My friends will tell you that I am very moody and introspective. I live in my head a lot. No kidding. Denise got a double dose of my chatter about my passion for photography intensified by my inherent nervousness about talking to strangers. Groan, I'm sure she thought I was a babbling idiot. Was I even speaking in coherent sentences?

46

2010-07-25T18:09:00.000-07:00

When I saw her eyes I immediately thought of that famous 1984 National Geographic photo of an Afghan girl with green eyes. Melanie was one of the performers who entertained us at the Fundraiser tea party for Suzette (#38 ). She is a belly dancer and was super calm and composed while waiting to be called up on stage. Melanie was very accommodating but unfortunately the light, or rather the lack of it was not. As a result the shot I was going for could not be realized. Sorry Melanie.I know you are all wondering. I just had to ask. No they are not contact lenses.