Another Star Rises!

Digicel has done it again. Another star has been born from their hit promotional show The Digicel Rising Star Competition, a local spinoff of the American Idol. Christopher the girls' favorite from the beginning has walked away with the coveted first place in this well watched and well supported local programme.

It was down to the wire last week between the girls choice Christopher and the soul thriller Noddy Virtue who had to settle for second place even after "buying" out some vote from his fellow country people back in St. Elizabeth. It is said that Noddy kept various dances and even bought Digicel Flex cards for his fellow St. Bess patrons in order to secure votes. And votes he did secure as he knocked out the other two contestants Face and the Diva Dana. I must admit though Noddy can certainly sing, even better than Christopher to me and he also seems more comfortable singing on the stage. However Christopher cam out the victor as he certainly cropped up quiet a lot of votes over the past weeks to crush the confident Noddy Virtue.

Personally I was backing the Diva Daina as she is from my neighborhood back in Portland. I was a couple of years ahead of her when I was in high school. Boy has she blossomed into a beautiful young woman. I think I might be heading back to Portland! Face was not one of my favorites, but I think she has a lot of potential as a female DJ artiste. Bwoy dat girl did bawl like a baby when she got eliminated! She couldn't even finish her final performance.

This year's Rising Star competition was a step above last year's. And even the prize are better with the winner going home with J$1,000,000 and a record contract and the second place getting J$500,000 in cash and prizes. That's understandable because after seeing the success of the first Rising Stars several sponsors jumped on board to the aid of Digicel. These include: Pepsi, Knutsford Court Hotel and Kia Motors. And they surely didn't loose! They had their advertisements running on the most watched show in the history of Jamaican television. Digicel was the biggest winner however, since they had their network buzzing as the public texted or called in their votes.

On a sad note however, I must complain about two things. The first, is what were the organizers thinking? How could they have their final show at Emancipation Park? A show that was so widely watched and worst of a it was FREE. Dem nuh know seh Jamaicans live freeness? As a result of that dumb mistake the final show was rescheduled to tonight. You can read about that fracas by clicking here and also this link. The next thing is the host of the show. What the hell was Denise Hunt thinking and where did she get her wardrobe coordinator from? This girl has no dignity and has scared her fellow Jamaicans with constant torture every week when she puts on her outfits. Nothing is wrong with the close, it's just how it look pon har! Whoi even the thoughts of her in those clothes gives me the goose bumps!

Overall it was a good show with all major players winning in their own rights. Congratulations Christopher, Noddy Virtue, Diva Daina and Face for making it to the top. Let's see what Digicel has in store for us next year.

Have a great weekend everyone. I'll be at work all weekend so I might just drop on a pic or two for those who will still drop by.

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Stunner!

Mad Bull asked me on one of my most recent posts how I settled on the name Stunner. Well let me share my story.

Once upon a time long long ago in a land far far away...Just kidding!

The story behind the name Stunner is not as fascinating as Angry Dog's story. It all began a few years ago while I was going to Utech. I was on dorm at the time. Cash Money just came out with their song "The Number One Stunner". I seem to have taken a liking to the song. I played it almost everyday on my little (but powerful) CD radio. I even started to sing the chorus of the song all the while, "...I'm the number one Stunner, wha, wha,wha, what. The number Stunner..."

The next step in the evolution of the name came when I started to refer to myself as the Number One Stunner. My room mates and friends seem to like the name as well and started to call me Stunner at times as well as my dorm name (which I will not divulge, so don't even ask!). So that's how I came to be known as The Number One Stunner or as most of my friends say Stunner.

Let me take this opportunity to introduce my new profile picture as depicted in this post. So don't be alarmed when you see it.

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A Piece Of Mobay

Just wanted to share this picture that I took, while I was in Montego Bay, with you all. That's an Air Jamaica plane landing over the beautiful Jamaican coastline.

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Outlaw!

On Sunday afternoon a peaceful law abiding citizen became an outlaw! Yes I'm now a fully fledged criminal, waiting to pay for my alleged criminal activity!

It all began yesterday afternoon. There I was driving and cruising down the major highway coming from a wonderful weekend in Mobay, heading back to Kingston. I was cruising a a moderate speed, as I was not in any rush to go back into the dreaded city. When suddenly out of no where I was attacked by the feds! There they were in the middle of the road pointing a gun at me and ordering me to pull over!

"Good afternoon officer, how can I help you?", I said in a calm way. As he pointed the gun in my face he sternly uttered, "You were driving at 78km/h in a 50km/h zone.", while showed me the reading on the speed gun. Imagine my shock and disbelief! I could not believe this! There were no road signs to indicate the speed limit! Not even one! And poor me, playing it by the book, and driving within the prescribed speed limit for major highways in Jamaica (not highway 2000, which is a lovely 110km/h).

I tried to explain to the officer that there were no speed signs, I thus assumed it was 80km/h as the book said, and that I'm from Kingston and not familiar with the roads in St. Elizabeth so I wouldn't have known the speed limit without seeing a sign. But he was having none of that, he had no sense of reasoning. Not even a ounce! So he took my documents and wet over to another officer who took ages to write up the charges.

I was thinking for a while, as I waited patiently for my sentence, that maybe the wanted me to come out of the car and walk across the road and beg them not to give me the ticket and then there ultimate wish, that I would buy my way out of a ticket. But I was not, I'm a law abiding citizen, now outlawed by the wicked lawmen. I guess they were upset that I didn't grant them there wish as the outcome will show. Well, if they had offered I would not have refused because tickets nuh cheap in Jam down!

The officer then eventually walked over with my documents and the charge. I took my documents from him and took my own little time to secure them and put them away while he stood in the hot sun...bitch!

I then took the ticket book and reviewed. Then the horrible injustice slapped my in the face like a brick soaked in water! The bastard of an officer slapped me with a $5000.00 fine and took 2 pints off my driver's license! Oh the injustice, the badmindism, the wickedness of theses so called lawmen! So as off tomorrow morning I will be $5000.00 poorer, the price I pay for injustice!

With all this fresh in my mind and the sobering feeling of a cold Heiniken I decided to look up the qualifications needed to be an officer as I could not believe that these officers could not see reasoning and let me off with a warning or at least just the $5000.00 fine. This is what I found: http://www.jamaicapolice.org.jm/recruiting.html. No basic education needed! "Welcome to Jam Rock!"

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Gas Comic No. 5

Gas Comic No. 5

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Jamaica, Land Of Wood And Water... And Dance!

"SI DI DANCE deh, Ice him a do di Willy Bounce
Si di dance deh, Bwoysy a do di Willy Bounce..." (Bogle - All Dem Deh)

Yes, if yuh caan do di Willy Bounce and di Out and Band yuh a bat! It's the latest dance craze to hit the Jamaican dance scene. Patrons in every club and session can be seen at some point doing the Willy Bounce to a range of dancehall songs and the commands of the ever shouting selector.

Jamaica is has been called the sprint factory in the athletic circle but it has certainly earned another name for it's self, no not the murder capital of the region! The country of Jamaica has earned the title of "Dance Factory". It seems that almost every month a new dance is invented by one of the many and ever increasing dancers. On a typical club night will get your fill of a range of dances done by individuals and the dance crews. Patrons can be seen doing the Willy Bounce, the Out and Band and the Weddi Weddi.

The past two years have given birth to an arsenal of dances, spearheaded by the Energy God: Elephant Man and the late Bogle as well as other dance inventors like John Hype and Sadeiky. The names of these songs are as unusual al the moves that mimic many everyday actions. A few of these dances are: Scooby Doo, Shelly Belly, Row De Boat, Signal de Plane, Pan de River, Log On, Higher Level, Online, Sesame Street, Thuda Clap, Weddi Weddi, And-one and the latest craze Willy Bounce and Out and Band.

Jamaicans are certainly one creative set of people and we certainly know how to party. I am certain there will be a lot more new dances before the year ends. Well, mi gone practice mi moves! Have a wonderful weekend all.

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Gas Comic No. 4

Gas Comic No. 4

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Join The LFPTP Club

Do you constantly anticipate the next pay day?

Does your pay seems to finish before you get it?

Are your expenses always more than your savings an your pay?

Do you notice your money is finished and you cannot see what you have done with it?

Do you find that you can hardly save any money?

Do your dreams of achieving certain things seem to be nothing more than a mere dream?

Then you are eligible for the LFPTP (Living from Pay-Cheque to Pay-Cheque) Club!!!

Have you noticed how hard it is to save now-a-days? It's like the word save has disappeared from most people's vocabulary...I know it has disappeared from mine! How about you? It seems as if the normal day to day expenses have mushroomed into an overwhelming deficit on personal budgets.

Light, water, gas and most naturally everything else that is produced with the aid of these keep getting more and more expensive at an alarming rate. Oh and don't forget the wagonists who just jump on the price hike bandwagon to exploit poor people. And for the majority of the hard working persons, our pays remain constant or just barely increase by a dollar or two, which is negated by the continuous devaluation of the currency. That's not all folks, don't forget the constant robbery that we endure every month as the government deducts it's tax money that you work so hard for. I have stopped looking at that part of my salary advise, as it only makes me boil with anger and frustration. It's a miracle how we make ends meet...That is if we do.

It's a tough, or should I say tuff world out there and it seems to be getting tougher, rougher and harder every day! Right now it seems like a matter of just mere survival.

The obstacles are stacked against us. You are working for a company that is paying you minimum wage, as you are grossly underpaid. So you say why not start a business. That idea is shortly complicated when you realize all the red tape and legal fees as well as taxes that you will have to endure to start a business that has a 50% chance of being a total failure!

With all of this in mind, what are ambitious, hard working people to do? Well I'm still search for a way out. But in the mean time I am a part of the LFPTP Club! There are no dues of fees to pay when you join this club, because all a di club members dem a bruk pocket! You only need to be a hard working bruk pocket individual fi join! All you need to do is to help other members find a way out while doing your search. So remember the invitation is always open. Will you join?

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Gas Comic No. 3

Gas Comic No. 3

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Traffic!

Once upon a time not so long ago I could leave out of my house at 7:40 am and arrive at work at 07:55 to start my 8:00 shift! This was just a couple of weeks ago. How much the road has changed since September! Now I have to leave my house by 7:00 the latest to reach work! And I’m traveling from just up Arcadia to Half Way Tree Road.

The beginning of school not only heralds school fees, increased spending, trips to the stores for uniforms and school supplies but also TRAFFIC! I mean bumper-to-bumper traffic. Sometimes I wonder where all a dem vehicle yah a come from. It’s like a flash flood after a sudden downpour of torrential rain! I took the picture above this morning while on my way to work. I was at the intersection of Waterloo Road,Upper waterloo road and West Kings House Road. I want you to look at it closely. Do you notice that the stoplight is on green, but all the cars have on their brake lights? That should give you an idea of the situation I…Well most Kingston residents face every weekday morning.

The authorities need to come up with a plan to alleviate this growing problem. I think they should start thinking expanding some more of the roads in the corporate area as well as redevelop downtown Kingston with a good plan that will see a minimum occurrence of these types of traffic jams. Wi soon haffi walk go a work or leave wi yard from midnight fi reach weh wi a go early!

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Gas Comic NO. 2

Here is Gas Comic No. 2 as promissed. Enjoy!

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Back in School

Have you ever notice how for the first weeks of school yuh feel dunce? Come on don't lie a nuh mi alone!

Yeah it has resumed the long days of boring classes, the long nights of studying, the never ending projects, the countless tests and to top it off, the grand finale, Final Exams. I hate school!

Well what can I do, want a better job and to accomplish something in life so I am damn to the sentence of tertiary education...Or mi can go sell some drugs. I think I'll play it safe though and go to school. I might as well gear up for another year of unmanageable work trying to juggle school and work and my other activities without driving myself crazy!

I guess I have to put up with it if I want to improve my life. Wah di jingle seh? "Tinga linga ling the school bell ring and it's back to school again"!

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Emancipation Park, New Kingston

I was in my bed at about 2:00 am and could not fall asleep...Must be a bodily reaction from all the night duties I have been working. So I decided to write a blog (about 3:05 am), but for some strange reason not topic came to mind. Eventually, I decided just to share one of the many photos I have been taking. This and many more will appear on my upcoming website.

This picture was taken at the front of the Emancipation Park in New Kingston. Only if all of Kingston could look like this!

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Gas Comic No. 1

I will be sharing a series of gas comics with you my fellow bloggers, one comic every other day, for the rest of this week into next week. Here is the first in the series, Gas Comic No. 1.

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Bankruptcy And More Suffering: Our Sure Destiny!

On Friday night of last week I found out that my motor vehicle insurance had expired since September 1. Nevertheless, it was a weekend so I couldn't to Jack about it. So I pressed my luck and drove to and fro work over the weekend. I decided that on Monday morning bright and early I would renew my insurance to avoid the very long arm of the law.

Over the weekend I told my workers of my predicament only to be informed that I would be suffering certain financial woes as the insurance premiums have increased from 6% to 9% of the value of the car. A whopping 50% increase!!! I could not believe it! I worked out my insurance and the math was shocking. In disbelieve I tried to comfort myself in thinking this is only a dream. Well I woke up on Monday morning! When I went to the broker on Monday morning my insurance premium has sky-rocketed from $34,000 to an enormous $47000! This has certainly placed my finances in a critical shock! If motor vehicle insurance was not a requirement by law I believe a lot of drivers would not have it...I know I wouldn't.

Already on the bankruptcy band-wagon is the ever increasing gas prices! I think Petrojam and the gas retailers are having a field day in our wallets and purses. The gas price now stands at a ridiculous cost of over $51 per litre for regular. I know oil prices are going up. But here in Jamaica the retailers seem to be jacking up the prices more that they need to. They seem to be riding the wave of the oil increases and using it to make a killing off us drivers.

The gas increase has already begun to trigger an increase in other goods and services also. Everything seems to be going up and this is being blamed on the gas prices...ole waggonists dem!

On the other side of the scale how is the salary doing? Well as always no increase! Everything else is going up except my salary. And even if an increase is given, it doesn't even match the rate of inflation!

I can see the future now. Oh yes...Dark and gloomy, BANKRUPTCY and more SUFFERING!

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Macka Diamond Exposed!!!

I stumbled on this revealing photo (fortunately I may add) of local DJ artiste Macka Diamond (formerly Lady Mackerel) performing on stage while browsing through a site I found on top5jamaiaca.com.

I must admit that from that angle her body looks rather good! Mi did haffi tek a good look pon da one yah! I can just imagine the excitement of the photographer and the patrons who were in a position to see this exposed look of Macka Diamond.

Macka Diamond has been having great success on the local seen here in Jamaica with a string of hits that have the crowds moving at stage shows and all the ladies chanting "Money Up!!"

Some of her hits include: 'Try Wid Him', 'Teck Con', 'Make Dat Money' and the biggest hit that really pun her on in the limelight 'Done Already'.

With outfits like the one above and the lyrics of her songs Macka certainly will continue to please both men and women alike. Wah di lady seh? "Money Up!!"

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Word Varification Enabled

Just a note. I have enabled the Word Varification for the comments. It seems that dreaded spam has infiltrated my blog.

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Jamaica Back To Normal: The Days After The Shutdown.

On Tuesday most of Jamaica came to a halt, business places were closed, the normally congested roads were as quiet as midnight only punctuated by a few passing vehicles. Workers and students stayed home except for the brave, or foolhardy ones who if they didn’t have their own vehicle were stranded as the JUTC withdrew its bus service for safety reasons. The widely publicized JLP organized protest was on.

Although the “Island wide” protest was not well supported it was enough to shut down the country as the gas riot of the 90s is still in our minds. The demonstration was for the most part comprised of several roads being blocked with debris, old cars, tree trunks, old stoves and fridges and in some areas burning tires (I call all of this the "Road Block Kit" – because mi nuh know weh dem people yah find all dem tings deh on such short notice. It’s as if they have it stored with a sign saying, “Remove contents in case you need to block road”). The protest was supposed to make the government aware that they are oppressing poor people and that they are not governing the country properly. It seems this was sparked for the most part by the latest increases and the new tariff granted to the JPS by the OUR. Other claims included the rapid increase of inflation and the unavailability of jobs.

But what did the protest achieve? The government has not announced a drop in inflation nor I have not heard of any plans to create new jobs. The NSWM has announced that they will now need an increase in their budget to remove the contents of the Road Block Kit used to block the roads. Since most business places were closed there was a loss in revenue and hence a loss in the tax money for the government. And we all know who will have to fill that gap! One thing I’ve noticed about this protest, based on the TV coverage, it was mainly persons who just wanted an excuse to block the roads and who don’t seem to have a job…well formal job, hence they don’t pay taxes and of a certain educational level. No wonder why they always feel that they have to mash up the countries infrastructure to prove their point.

My views: The protest was didn’t accomplish anything positive. The only way to make things better in this country is 1. People need get a good education 2. A change in the attitude and values of most Jamaicans and 3. A government that has the countries best interest in mind and not the personal interest of its members.

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JPS Rate Hike Follow-up

I was browsing through The Jamaica Gleaner website when I stumbled upon this drawing. I immediately remembered two of my previous articles on the unjust and heartless rate hike they have imposed on poor people and I just had to share it with you all.

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New Look for Stunner's Afflictions!

No! Don't leave!

If you are looking for Stunner's Afflictions you are at the right place. I did some remodeling to improve the look and feel of my blog. I think this is a much better design than the one I had before. But the interesting articles are the same and as time goes by they will get even better.

So everyone please continue to enjoy my blog and even more so now with the new look. Thanks for the visits so far and as always I'm looking forward to your visits and comments.

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Katrina Hits Hard

First of all let me extend my condolences to those affected by Katrina.

When I first heard the news of the hurricane hitting the south coast of the US I did not imagine that the situation would escalate to such a magnitude.

I heard on the news that there was a mass evacuation of the south. I said to myself at least these people had some sense to leave from that "disaster waiting to happen" place, which at some places was several feet below sea level.

I was shocked when I heard that so many people were still there when the hurricane struck. Then came the news of the damages, the loss of lives and now the anarchy and suffering in the affected areas. When I saw the pictures from the air I was wondering if it was a replay of the tsunami in the Philippines.

Then I started to reflect:

With all the technology and human wisdom we have we are still subjected to the power of nature. It took only one powerful hurricane to destroy a city and several towns and to reduce civilized communities to scenes of anarchy and suffering.

This shows us that no matter how rich, powerful, pretty or wicked we are...we are still like specks of dust on a scale.

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