I'm no Nostradamus but like everyone else in the kingdom of this world I can still hope and wish–however unrealistically. For the year to come I'm hoping for peace on all fronts: domestic, local, regional and international. Give peace a chance, fussing and fighting could take a break.
I don't want to see any more graphic videos of gruesome beheadings, local schoolchildren beating each other, or man beating woman or children. I would like to see more compassion in every human sphere, which translates into people across the globe recognising each other as sister and brother and not as moving targets for extermination or exploitation.
Locally we could start by honouring and respecting our elders–while they're still alive. Which means icons like jazz guitarist Fitzroy Coleman, jazz-calypso pioneer Clive Zanda, and Creole fiddler extraordinaire Stanley Roach should be introduced to the national community, their physical needs be taken care of, and most importantly, their life work in developing our culture be documented and completed. Zanda has written down all his compositions–a priceless part of heritage–but is in no financial position to make this legacy available. Are we going to lose this through indifference and neglect?
Now I come to the last laugh, but anything is possible. I would like to see the T&T public service serving the public, rather than treating it as an irritation, or an obstacle to nail polishing and bacchanal chat.
As for me, I'd love to see and hear Afro-Cuban pianist Omar Sosa playing at Tobago Jazz, or better still, headlining a diasporic festival at venues like Ortinola Estate, Big Bay Sans Souci, Mount Tamana.
And since I'm wishing–how about getting my status here regularised, after nearly 30 years, and then house and land? No harm in dreaming.
–Simon Lee, writer/cultural commentator
Respect for nature, and each other
I wish for myself the same I wish for everyone: good health, prosperity, love and laughter for 2016 and beyond.
To take things a bit deeper, I would like to see Trinidadians/Tobagonians respect each other more in all aspects of our lives–in public, on the roads, in our homes. I wish that we would respect our environment, our wildlife, and our country as a whole. Let us all try to be more conscious of the environment, respect the beauty that this country has to offer and stop leaving our garbage wherever we go!
We should try to understand our ecosystem and spend more time off the beaten track, only then can you realise why we have to be conservationists in our own land. We are blessed with an abundance of world-class wildlife, and we are blessed with stunning natural beauty as well. Let us respect our country and be stellar exemplars for our children.
Let us not let the physicalities of life define who we are. Trinidadians were at one time one of the friendliest people. We can go back to that. Let's practise humility and kindness. Let us be goodwill ambassadors, not just to tourists but also to each other. I firmly believe all is not lost.
Let us move into this New Year with confidence and happiness. Stay optimistic, keep moving towards accomplishing those goals, and keep those dreams alive.
–Wendy Rahamut, cook/food columnist
Cute shoes, world peace, and liposuction
"All I want is peace on Earth and a really cute pair of shoes," says Suzy Toronto, the creator of fun, irreverent affirmations and pep talks, which appear on calendars, mouse mats, key rings and coffee mugs. I couldn't have said it better.
New Year dreams and wishes should include the high and low, the unattainable and the right-there-for-the-plucking. While we wait for our super powers to kick in so we can solve all the troubles of the world, we can have some fun too. And fun is always so much closer when our toes are sparkling in some magnificent showstopper works of art.
Women do not need to apologise for craving the pleasures of perfect heels or killer no-iron gowns. After all, how can we hold up half the sky if our feet are killing us and we are trapped in last season's knock-offs?
Nothing inspires the human mind like the impossible. Tell us we can never fly, walk on the moon or find the right shade lipstick for our complexion, and we will die trying to prove ourselves wrong. We all need our impossible dreams, so we can keep pushing past the artificial boundaries that our own fear imposes upon us.
So I dream for world peace and an end to gang violence like everyone else. I give of my time and money to charities because I want to end child abuse and discrimination against people with disabilities. But I still want a new roof and to convert the garage into an entertainment room with the sound track from Phantom of the Opera playing on my Bose sound system.
I want our roads paved and a gentler, kinder education system that praises curiosity and individual gifts instead of perpetuating gender stereotypes, rote learning and general humbug. But I also lie awake at night picturing how that hammered silver Rachel Ross bangle would look on my elegant wrist.
Trinidadians are lucky. We can postpone reality for another six weeks until after Carnival. While we ponder and wonder about how to cope with low oil prices in our lopsided economy, we can work on how to squeeze into the feathered bikinis and look good on international television.
So here's the last farewell before we have to grow up all over again. Happy New Year, Merry Carnival, have a drink on me. And never give up the hunt for the perfect pair.
–Elsa Wrench, fashionista and lifestyle columnist. Sing your odes to yesterday at wrenchelsa@hotmail.com.