VernetteOutLoud

Cheers to 2014!

This was my favourite video this year. And I hope you greet 2015 with this much joy, awe and wonder…and all the days thereafter!

Thank YOU with all my heart!

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

And as 2014 slips into 2015, I will say a prayer for you and yours, thank you for reading and supporting my little patch of internet. I have some big plans for this space in the coming days so stayed tuned.

But first…I wish you and your family a truly spectacular New Year!!

I toast 2014 with the words of Vernon Howard,

Do not be impatient with your seemingly slow progress. Do not try to run faster than you presently can. If you are studying, reflecting and trying, you are making progress whether you are aware of it or not. A traveler walking the road in the darkness of night is still going forward. Someday, some way, everything will… break open, like the natural unfolding of a rosebud.


Light, Love & plenty, plenty Passion!

This is happiness

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A hot cup of coffee…preferably with a little whipped cream.

 

 

NaBloPoMo December 2014

7 for Seven

Exams are over. I already know I have one re-sit in June next year and that’s okay. I know now where the gaps are and I know what to do to fix them.

Quick update on the challenges I am taking part in this month:
On Instagram I’m doing #DecemberReflections and that’s been fun thus far. And I am also taking part in this month’s NaBloPoMo: Joy. Now that exams are over…I can focus on writing to wind down 2014.

…every Monday, we post seven positives from the previous seven days of the week as a reminder of what we have so that the week starts out on an upswing. There is much truth in the belief that happy people attract good things, so it is important to start the week out right. Sometimes it’s the more grand, but other times, it’s the simple things.~ Key + Arrow

7 for Seven originated at Key + Arrow and now let’s get into my 7 for this week:

Picking myself up and moving on. My first exam, first thing Monday morning was bad. Really, really bad. I left the room pretty down. And I knew that I still had two left and I needed to get my head together to ensure that I only had one re-sit and not three. So I did what needed to be done…I left everything in that exam in the room and focused only on the ones left. I’m kinda proud of my ability to do that. Really proud.

Knowing what I need to “pick myself up.” After that horrible first exam I needed a “pick-me-up”. I found this little dessert place that totally did the trick.

…and on that note Salmon burgers.

Brunch with my blogging friends. There is a ritual developing with these two totally awesome blogger chicks I know. It involves hippie market runs, brunch and really good conversations.

Team spirit Trinidad & Tobago’s national women’s football (soccer for some of you) team narrowly missed qualifying for the World Cup last Tuesday. Though we lost 1-0 to Ecuador, our girls fought hard and out-played their opponents. However, goals win matches and such is life. But they still have my 100% support going forward.

Local art. I love art. I love creating art. I especially love and have mad respect for people who find the thing that moves them creatively and do it with passion. This last week I was fortunate to attend two events which showcased local artists. Art harder people! The world needs you.

My brother. Because he listens.

And there you have it. My hope is that by turning my focus to all that I have to be grateful for at the start of my work week, by sowing my own seeds of faith and gratitude, I can carry with me and reap the rewards of “positivity + balance + bliss” throughout the days ahead.

If you’re reading this, this is me blowing some glitter and confetti on you because you’re super blessed to have received the gift of another 86,400 seconds today, to spend any way you desire. What made you happy today? What are you grateful for? I would love to hear from you.

Because Tiramisu

Any day I have tiramisu is the best day ever!

Tiramisu Always Makes Me Happy!

It’s my thing!

Those yummy ladyfingers soaked in coffee liqueur wrapped in the gossamer blanket of ecstasy that is whipped mascarpone topped with oh so decadent chocolate…

I cannot do justice to the assault on my senses whenever I bite into a really good tiramisu!

In fact I am on a quest to find the very best the world has to offer. I will have it every time as long as it is on the menu! And if it’s not…I still ask…just in case.

For the uninitiated, tiramisu is an Italian dessert, which means “pick me up” or as I like to call it, “Heaven in My Mouth”.

So light, so creamy with just the right amount of coffee and chocolate…

This love affair started in the early 00’s when I went to work for a friend of a cousin of mine. This job was supposed to be a summer experience, until it turned into a nightmare. Thankfully it was a blessedly short one, since I left after a couple of weeks. The one shining moment during that whole ordeal, was that the owner of the company treated her female employees of which there were only 2 to a nice Italian lunch. For dessert, she ordered the tiramisu for us, and to this day I am still grateful. There can be some good in every bad situation!

I have had great tiramisu experiences at restaurants here in Trinidad & Tobago. But by far the best experience has been at Aioli Restaurant. It is faneffingtastically fabulous! And I go there just to have it. But it is so special a treat…it must be for a special occasion. To be savoured. To be lingered over. To be shared with extra special company! It.is.that.good.

While the restaurant experiences are good, nothing compares to the homemade tiramisu prepared with the care and attention of skilled hands. I am blessed with two friends – Kathryn & Chantal who make a killer tiramisu. If they both weren’t already taken I would “put them in house!”

I have tried my hand at making it (obvs) and if I do say so myself it came out great…but somehow I felt that making it myself, demystified the dessert and its sexy allure was dimmed a bit. Tiramisu is an experience!

Ha! I am a fool aren’t I!

And just a note to those who like to substitute ingredients (cake for ladyfingers, ugh!) – STOP IT! It’s no longer tiramisu if you’re using vanilla pudding for mascarpone. **CoughWildOliveCough**

Tiramisu in its purest form is as close to heaven on earth you will get!

 

 

NaBloPoMo December 2014

7 for Seven

Happy December!!!

2014 is truly on its way to being history and it has been quite a year thus far for me. I am back in exam mode this week. So today’s post will be short and sweet.

I am also taking part in a couple of challenges this month only now as I think about just how busy December gets I might have bitten off more than I can chew…but hopefully I wont choke half-way through.

On Instagram I am taking part in #DecemberReflections for the entire month. And I am also taking part in this month’s NaBloPoMo: Joy. Today I choose

My gratitude practice, this weekly 7 for Seven…this attention and witness I give to all that I have to be thankful for brings me so much Joy! It is hard to be anything but thankful. This is what I do when I am feeling down…I review my 7 for Seven and I get the whipped cream on my coffee!

So without further ado,

…every Monday, we post seven positives from the previous seven days of the week as a reminder of what we have so that the week starts out on an upswing. There is much truth in the belief that happy people attract good things, so it is important to start the week out right. Sometimes it’s the more grand, but other times, it’s the simple things.~ Key + Arrow

7 for Seven originated at Key + Arrow and now let’s get into my 7 for this week:

Getting my coffee just right. I have coffee pretty much everyday…but some days I might get the measurements wrong for some reason and it might not taste as good. But this week I was 7 for 7 on great coffee brews.

The start of Advent. Happy New Year to those observing the Advent calendar. This is a time for introspection as we prepare for the birth of Jesus.

Business stakeholder meetings that turn into a fruitful networking opportunity. I had the privilege of being seated at a table with some fantastically awesome people. It’s mind-blowing sometimes what some people are doing right here in Trinidad.

Quality time with my family. This week my sister celebrated her birthday and my aunt and uncle also celebrated 54 years of marriage. We have so much to be thankful for. Here’s more celebrations like these.

Faith. I thank my mother every day for introducing me to God because if not for her and the example of faith she set, I don’t know what my life would be like today.

Prayer. Again this week. I had somewhat of a little ‘miracle’ happen on Sunday. I usually attend Mass at a church that is not really a “community” church. Meaning, it’s not my community. So I just attend Mass and leave. There is no socializing after Mass or getting involved in church activities. Something I have been avoiding since my mother died for a number of reasons. I was late for Mass at the church I usually go to so decided to go to the one which is right around the corner from me. Now understand, the reason I don’t go to this church is because it is a community church…so I expect it to be filled with families and everybody knows everybody kinda parishioners. I got the Mass time wrong and was about half hour too early, I was about to leave but decided to sit in the car for a bit and pray Day 2 of The Immaculate Conception Novena. While praying I decided I wasn’t going to leave and I would just go back inside the church and stay for Mass. When I got inside, the first thing I saw was an Immaculate Conception Statue. This was after praying for a sign. So there you have it.

Community churches that move my soul. I sat at the back of the church and observed a family of four – mother, daughter and two small boys. I don’t know what it was about them, but watching the boys interact with their mother and the daughter who appeared to be in her teens displaying her teenage angst, reminded me of family and two women I love and miss dearly. It was moving and while my tears reminded me why I avoid “community” churches…they also reminded me of how much love I have had in my own life and how much love I have to give.

And there you have it. My hope is that by turning my focus to all that I have to be grateful for at the start of my work week, by sowing my own seeds of faith and gratitude, I can carry with me and reap the rewards of “positivity + balance + bliss” throughout the days ahead.

If you’re reading this, this is me blowing some glitter and confetti on you because you’re super blessed to have received the gift of another 86,400 seconds today, to spend any way you desire. What made you happy today? What are you grateful for? I would love to hear from you.