Blogged with Flock
This unique blog is Jamaica's very first blog. It documents the work and thoughts of Jamaican Philpsopher, Yannick Nesta Pessoa. I am an Artist, Graphic Designer, Copywriter, Poet, Social Advocate, Community Activist, Western Mirror Columnist and Legal Student. Follow on Twitter & Instagram @yahnyk. Follow on Youtube @ and Reply to yannickpessoa@gmail.com
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Monday, September 17, 2007
3 Things That I Love About Montego Bay
3 Things That I Love About Montego Bay
September 12th, 2007 by Galba Bright
September 12th, 2007 by Galba Bright
From the congested streets of Streatham in South London to the wandering goats and cows of Montego Bay is quite a journey. Robyn McMaster’s invitation to join Robert Hruzek’s My Home Town Meme is a lovely opportunity to reflect on 3 things that I love about Montego Bay, the tourist capital of Jamaica.
Animals At Large
I’ve lived about four miles outside Montego Bay for almost eleven years. I used to be awakened at abour 5:15 am by the daily “clump”, “clump” of cows’ hooves marching by my front door. This daily ritual was fascinating.
I learned that I never really get to “know” cows. I never had in depth conversations with them, yet I certainly learned to respect them. 
The Parish Council has since put an end to the dairy procession, yet I still see a grizzled goatherd tending to his goats from time to time. I really enjoy being up front and personal with animals in a setting that isn’t as structured as a zoo.
How To Use Your Naturalistic Intelligence
A relative recently visited me and revealed, to my amazement, that I had a veritable bird sanctuary in my back garden. Sure, I’d seen, heard and enjoyed some woodpeckers and the occasional owl resting hauntingly on a telegraph pole outside our house, but the variety of hawks, nightingales, doctor birds and doves that he expertly pointed out to me was quite amazing.
A Look Out Of The Window
As Montego Bay is a tourist city, people mistakenly believe that those of us who are fortunate to live in the city spend all of our time on the beach. This isn’t my story, yet I’m blessed that Mother Nature’s fantastic gifts are always front, left and centre for even the hardest working Montego Bay resident.
Every morning, I look across the Caribbean sea and experence a wonderful tranquil scene. On Wednesday mornings, a cruise ship eases it’s way into the Bay. My gaze at the same view in the evening brings me a fantastic crimson screen as the fireball red sun sets gently over Negril in the western part of the island. I often sit on the balcony, peruse the view and write my journal.
Building Out Montego Bay
The cows are no longer around because Montego Bay is a growing, developing city, although the downtown area is still congested and needs serious planning. The city now boasts major highways and new hotels stretch throughout the north coast of the island.
In essence, my three favourite things about MOntego Bay are Mother Natures’ blessings of the animal kingdom, beautiful and inspiring scenery and human efforts to improve the physical environment.
Thanks for indulging my off topic reflection. I dedicate this article to the memory of my good friend and visionary Jamaican urban planner, the late Arlene Dixon. Arlene played a major role in inspiring me to make the life-changing decision to move from Streatham to Montego Bay.
Her spirit of humour and her razor sharp thinking lives on.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
On the death of Sudsil: Ruminating on and Rummaging through the Vestiges of a world that has moved on
On the death of Sudsil: Ruminating on and Rummaging through the Vestiges of a world that has moved on...
"Aye yow yuh memba dem ole time zinc wash pan deh... aye when yuh did have the real ole time soap enuh just two grain out a di box, wah mi seh?!? two grain and the pan sud out... months yuh nun haffi buy no soap. Aye yuh memba dem soap deh the one weh come inna the box... missa sudsil. Dem now-a-days soap yah, blanca, breeze and dem new fandangles fab, dem a pih-yawwwwww, pih-yaaaaaaw soap, shuckuh-shuckuh, shake bag how much time and barely froth up... steups Sudsil a di foundation fi all a dem"
And so it is that with this real life monumental stereo (yet oh so) typical exaggeration, that our walk down memory lane begins.When?!? Just when did sudsil... just disappear? Yet it had been a staple of so many Jamaican households, so how did it exit our rigour routine of "shuc-uh-shuck-uh squish squish" without any notice, no fanfare, no big hullabaloo for the detergent that served us faithfully so many years.
And then my mind can't help but examine the many other comrade commodities that have passed from our lives without notice and the many many others that are now on the endangered species list. When last did you see a Comet matches box, A trout orange juice - the one that was in the tall black box, or that corn beef tin with the ranch in the background, and act mouth wash, carbolic soap is a scent trail u rarely pick up these days "informer soap", and Castile and Lux seem to be fading to the Saint Ives and Bath & Body works market invasion. When last did you use a Dax Hair oil? Man... when last yuh see the red thing in the platic bag weh look like tamarind and Kool aid weh pickney usually suck on? When last yuh buy a sky juice eeeh? As a matter of fact mi feel like comment on the demise of the TEENAGER COCKROACH, I don't know about Kingston but one time inna Mobay aye every weh a bare teenager cockroach, now not even a remnant? They say the roach will survive a nuclear holocaust, Mobay proves, he won't even survive modernisation and globalisation.
Speaking of which just the other day some people and I were speaking and it came up about lunch money and looking back I remembered, starting Cornwall College in 1992, my lunch money had been $20, $5 for Patty, $5 for Cocoa Bread (who badman still nah seh Folden Bread), $5 for box drinks (Sun Ripe) or $7 for a Cannings... when last yuh even see Cannings by the way now pickney all a get $500 fi go a school. And whappen to those big tall glass bottle Holiday and Fanta and Coca Cola bottles eh, whapp'm to all Dandy Shandy and even 7up, all fido dido?
YANNICK QUOTED ONCE AGAIN
Jamaica: Election postponed — till when?
Friday, August 24th, 2007 @ 21:17 UTC by Nicholas Laughlin
Even as Jamaican authorities continue to repair the damage done by Hurricane Dean, controversy rages over the state of emergency declared last weekend by Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller, and the postponement of the general election.As Jamaica House reported on Tuesday, the country’s two major newspapers, the Gleaner and the Observer, have both called for a lifting of the state of emergency declared on Sunday 19 August, arguing that post-hurricane conditions do not warrant this measure. Jamaica House suggests many Jamaicans feel the same way, and wonders if Simpson-Miller’s government has a political motive for prolonging the state of emergency — specifically, whether it is a tactic related to the upcoming general election originally scheduled for Monday 27 August...
The following morning, Yannick Pessoa noted:
Here I sit on the cusp of an impending hurricane…. The literary and biblical allusions cannot be avoided. Some say this is the first miracle of Portia, to reverse an irreversible election. By Tuesday 21, the Jamaica Elections 2007 Blog, maintained by the Gleaner newspaper, was reporting that the Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ) had decided on an election postponement, and ...
READ THE WHOLE THING AT GLOBALVOICESONLINE.ORG
NOW YOU CAN FOLLOW MY ADVENTURES further at: http://yahnyk.multiply.com , watch Yahnyk TV at http://www.youtube.com/yahnyk or just search for Yannick/yahnyk at youtube, then leave a comment or so nuh...
Playlist: Mika "Relax-take it easy", Sizzla "Ancient memories" "Sizzla on Gully Creature riddim," Junior Gong on the Gang war riddim "Fed the multitude", Bounty on Gang War riddim"OK",
THIS WEEKS GRIEVANCES: Why is the media still petting Beenie man, when him life gone to trash, and a calling it the Angeleenie Saga, like this a some Brad and Angelina or Bennifer (JLO & Affleck saga), And nuh him did call Bounty wife beater, cho... Beenie a di real iddy-boo. Alliance fi like, Yahnyk R the 1...
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Yahnyk TV --::-- TET: Wooing away some young lady
Follow the adventures of Old Man Tet as he wooes some young woman... with his charming wit... no claat... YAH RITE...!!!
Yahnyk TV: Ms. Eula vs JLP - part 1
Coming to you live from the streets of Jamaica, in Montego Bay, St. James, in the lovely community of Paradise Acres, we bring you lively funny and erstwhile public debates and deliberation on the Politics of the day... PNP vs. JLP and the recent TV debates. Starring Ms. Eula. Camera Man and Key Grip(I wonder what that is but its in all the tv credits)... none other than Yannick Nesta Pessoa... The Montegonian... http://yahnyk.blogspot.com & http://yahnyk.multiply.com...
Yahnyk TV: Tickle Puss vs the Labourite
Old man Tickle Puss, is on a tirade about the debates, the "chiney man" aka Dr. Horace Chang, plus lots of anti JLP rhetoric aimed at the store patron a JLP advocate... all at Lime Tree Lane-esque, Paradise Acres (Norwood's peaceful sister), Montego Bay, Jamaica.
Starring: Ashton "Tickle Puss" Beckford as Tickle Puss
Directed & Produce by Yannick Nesta Pessoa of Rastar Studios
Camera Man: Yannick Nesta Pessoa
Starring: Ashton "Tickle Puss" Beckford as Tickle Puss
Directed & Produce by Yannick Nesta Pessoa of Rastar Studios
Camera Man: Yannick Nesta Pessoa
Hurricane Dean or Hurricane Portia: Not changing nooo course...
Don't mind my use of the double negative yes Yannick does have a better grasp and command of the English language than you so you don't need to correct me... ha... and my vocab... come on pack up yuh bags... anyway I digress...
Here I sit on the cusp of an impending hurricane, the signs are evident it will becoming, I knew it from the very beginning, just sensed it. Or maybe it was the ominous looming sounds of distant thunders on the high seas. Like a warship, a massive vessel full steam ahead with all cannons cranked and aimed at us. I can imagine it, over vast Caribbean seas, dark, thick, rich, like a market woman with a tantrum. Landfall Jamaica will no doubt see what it has never seen before.
The literary and biblical allusions cannot be avoided. Some say this is teh first miracle of Portia, to reverse an irreversible election. Some say it is the armageddon (hmmm the hyperbole) a result of global warming, nuclear testing and mankind's wicked ways. An act of God some say. Pastors are no doubt praying so that it can veer south, and claim credit for acts of nature... silly folk...
Well Yahnyk TV will be bring you the reports, photos, videos and battalion of info, if I survive...
May the King follow you all the days of your life, till/if we meet again... in this life or the next... this is Yannick Nesta Pessoa reporting live from the Gideon battlefields from the frontlines of Jamrock... Some bwoy nuh know dis, dem come around like tourist... (that was my jab at those in the diaspora and off the rock)....
Here I sit on the cusp of an impending hurricane, the signs are evident it will becoming, I knew it from the very beginning, just sensed it. Or maybe it was the ominous looming sounds of distant thunders on the high seas. Like a warship, a massive vessel full steam ahead with all cannons cranked and aimed at us. I can imagine it, over vast Caribbean seas, dark, thick, rich, like a market woman with a tantrum. Landfall Jamaica will no doubt see what it has never seen before.
The literary and biblical allusions cannot be avoided. Some say this is teh first miracle of Portia, to reverse an irreversible election. Some say it is the armageddon (hmmm the hyperbole) a result of global warming, nuclear testing and mankind's wicked ways. An act of God some say. Pastors are no doubt praying so that it can veer south, and claim credit for acts of nature... silly folk...
Well Yahnyk TV will be bring you the reports, photos, videos and battalion of info, if I survive...
May the King follow you all the days of your life, till/if we meet again... in this life or the next... this is Yannick Nesta Pessoa reporting live from the Gideon battlefields from the frontlines of Jamrock... Some bwoy nuh know dis, dem come around like tourist... (that was my jab at those in the diaspora and off the rock)....
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Billie Holiday - Strange Fruit
Southern trees bear strange fruit,
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze,
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.
Pastoral scene of the gallant south,
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,
Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh,
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh.
Here is fruit for the crows to pluck,
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck,
For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop,
Here is a strange and bitter crop.
The new Song I'm Pennying these days... Actually mi a do a likkle look back pon all mi drug inclined or psychotic empresses, Dinah Washington ( mi retro fantasy girl... JUICEY) and Nina Simone and Billie Holiday (mi retro Halle berry fantasy)
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root,
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze,
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.
Pastoral scene of the gallant south,
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,
Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh,
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh.
Here is fruit for the crows to pluck,
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck,
For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop,
Here is a strange and bitter crop.
The new Song I'm Pennying these days... Actually mi a do a likkle look back pon all mi drug inclined or psychotic empresses, Dinah Washington ( mi retro fantasy girl... JUICEY) and Nina Simone and Billie Holiday (mi retro Halle berry fantasy)
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