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Toscanini for ‘fancy-schmancy’ Dinner in Ocho Rios!

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Suga visited Toscanini in Tower Isle, St. Mary last week Saturday as part of her 30th Birthday festivities. Toscanini may not be obvious to find on the road at night, however it is at Harmony Hall. Toscanini is THE best, authentic Italian restaurant on the island. It has had famous visitors such as the Rolling Stones, Past American President Bill Clinton and more.

The staff is pleasant and the service is excellent and on point. How so? The wait staff is quite knowledgeable of the menu that is written in mostly Italian and are aware of possible substitutions that can be made based on what may or may not be available in the kitchen. They have the ability to make suitable suggestions and remain calm and courteous while doing so. They are quite attentive as well. A glass of water never goes empty.

Suga and her beau started with a tasty Marinated Marlin and flaming, hot Escargois a la Bourguignon. The Marinated Marlin was accompanied by a fresh garden salad. Toscanini sources most of their greens from their very own garden, get fresh fish from the fishermen on the beach across the road and fresh meats from the local butcher.

Rabbit Ragu and Coniglio Alla Lino (Rabbit with steamed vegetables and roasted potatoes) followed for the main course, which were delicious and so filling, they left no room for dessert. However, this was not Suga’s first visit so, the Chocolate Profiteroles is fully endorsed for dessert.

Owner and Chef, Pierluigi Ricci came out and greeted all guests and asked how we found the food. No complaints here, that’s for sure.

There is also a well stocked bar to order drinks from. Prices range from affordable to expensive, depending on whether you are ordering Chicken or Duck of course. Everything on the menu is good though and worth every dollar. Ambience is great, whether day or night with picturesque gardens and the sea nearby. Parking is adequate and if you want to ‘shampoo’ and hit the streets or go for a road trip for lunch or dinner, Toscanini is the place. However, always call before and make reservations or let them know you are on your way.

For your photo ops, do not hesitate to ask for Omar 😉

Ph: (876) 975-4785

Opening hours: 12:00pm – 2:00pm; 6:30pm – 10:00pm

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Rotaract Club of Kingston Painted All Classrooms at Four Square Basic School

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Suga’s Throwback Thursday goes out to The Rotaract Club of Kingston’s repainting of Four Square Basic School by Cassia Park on Labour Day, May 25, 2015. The staff, parents and Principal of the school assisted the club members, ensuring that they were fed and hydrated throughout the day. Kudos also to the Eastwood Gardens Youth for Progress Youth Club for partnering with The Rotaract Club of Kingston by sending volunteers on the day. The Rotary Club of Kingston assisted on the day as well.

So many hands coming together to make a positive impact. The kids returned to their newly painted classrooms on the Wednesday of the week that followed in a fresh, brighter, cleaner environment to learn and focus in.

Facebook: Rotaract Club of Kingston

Website: http://www.rotaractkingston.org/

Image from www.buzzfeed.com

Golden State Warriors win the NBA finals in Game 6 !!!

Image from www.buzzfeed.com
Image from www.buzzfeed.com

After leading the Pacific Division for the entire NBA 2014-2015 season and then the Western Conference Division in the Playoffs, the Golden State Warriors proved that they are the best team in the league last night in Game 6, winning the NBA Finals, 105-97. Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James had impressive stats as usual with 32 points, 18 rebounds and 9 assists but really fell short last night, missing many key shots with hardly any help from his team that was consistent enough to challenge the Warriors that led for the majority of the game. This will make the 4th NBA Finals that LeBron James has lost. Let us remember that the World’s Fastest Runner, Usain Bolt did not achieve that status by appearing on the track in the Olympic Finals and not winning the race, no matter how many Diamond League, World Championship or season race wins he may have.

Similar to last year, with the San Antonio Spurs’ commanding Championship win in 5 Games over the Miami Heat, the Golden State Warriors have helped to prove once again, that the TEAM wins and players contribute. Yes, the injuries of key starters such as Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love truly hurt the Cavs chances of winning this year, but the ‘Best Player in the World’ is usually able to elevate the level of the game of the players around him and makes them just as hungry for that ring. The Warriors showed in this series that they were the better and hungrier team from even Game 1 when they fought for that win with Irving still playing. Who wants it most wins!

MVP Andre Iguodala also demonstrated the strong desire to win and for everyone to remember his name after this series. He came off the bench to begin the Warriors-Cavs series and only started in the last 3 games. Note that he is the first player to be honoured as such without starting every game. He was able to guard LeBron James impressively. When Iguodala was on the court, James was only able to shoot 38.1% from the field. He tied with 2014-2015 Season MVP and teammate, Stephen Curry to score the highest points on their team last night with 25. He is one to watch next season especially after he learns to shoot some free throws.

Suga congratulates Golden State for winning their first title in 40 years! Congratulations also go out to Coach Steve Kerr for his 1st Playoff finals resulting in winning the Championship and kudos to his coaching team as well.

This season was highly entertaining. Can’t wait for the 2015-2016 NBA season!

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Suga Enjoyed her Birthday Cake from Sweet Mischief!

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Throwback Tuesday to this cake from Sweet Mischief! Givin’ Suga some suga 🙂 They are right, it is not just cake, it’s art! San Antonio Spurs Logo on point. Very tastefully done. The chocolate balls around the cake were divine. The cake? You know, most well decorated cakes are dry on the inside, but not this one. It had a nice, moist, rich chocolate flavour. Well done and surely Suga approved!

Sweet Mischief info:

Yvette: 876-442-1319; Allison: 876-363-4442; Natasha: 876-481-9904

[email protected]; facebook.com/sweetmischiefja; Instagram@sweetmischiefja; Twitter@sweetmischiefja

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The Jamaica Pegasus kept up high standards for the WICB/WIPA 3rd Annual Players’ Award Function

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The WICB/WIPA 3rd Annual Player’s Award function was held last Tuesday, June 9th in the Ball Room of The Jamaica Pegasus with Cocktails at 6pm, Dinner and Ceremony at 7pm. Which function starts on time in Jamaica?! This one started before time! Kudos to the organizers and MC Michael Hall for keeping it flowing. He did his best seeing that there were no menus or programmes given to guests.

Special guests included Lady Allen, Minister of Tourism and Entertainment, Dr. Wykeham McNeil, Sirs Richie Richardson, Curtly Ambrose, Andy Roberts, Everton Weekes and Clive Lloyd. Ambassador Courtney Walsh and WI Coach, Phil Simmons were also in attendance, along with members of the Australian team here for the test this weekend versus the West Indies.

Dinner started with a nice, creamy Pumpkin soup with Jerk Chicken spinners! Interesting right? Then came a fancy, well presented raw Vegetable salad followed by a lovely main course. I can officially say The Jamaica Pegasus Hotel is no longer one of those hotels that you go to for a wedding, graduation or awards ceremony etc. and you get mediocre food including cliché stuffed Chicken Breast that may be overcooked and dry. Instead, I got a meagre serving of Lamb chops BUT a healthy serving of Snapper and Yam Run Down. Everything on the plate was flavourful and delicious with wine to complement it all. A small piece of tasty Cheesecake with Chocolate on the side, completed dinner.

Since guests were served on time and each course was in quick succession after the other, we were allowed to enjoy greetings by the Presidents of the WICB and WIPA, Dave Cameron and Wavell Hinds respectively topped off by a fabulous speech by Guest Speaker, past WI fast bowler, politician and minister of the church, Sir Wesley Hall in the mean time. His eloquence, use of vocabulary and ability to captivate the audience’s attention was sensational. He went over his time I am sure, but with his stories, humour and words of inspiration and encouragement to current cricketers, it was a pleasure to listen for more. He reminded players that talent alone doesn’t earn success, but work ethic and discipline as well. There is also no ‘I’ in team, the team wins and players contribute. Wise words by Wes. I surely hope the young and upcoming cricketers walked away from the function with a totally new, fresh, positive outlook. I surely would.

The West Indies Women’s Cricket team were congratulated for winning the ODI series, 3-1 on their Sri Lanka tour as well as the T20I series, 2-1 earlier in May this year. Good job ladies!

The event was aired live on Sportsmax and another channel. IGL, ICWI, Grace Kennedy and other sponsors were thanked for their support. It was a pity that a lot of invited or expected guests did not show, leaving many empty seats, as the event provided a pleasant reminder of the West Indies and quality players in its hay-day and highlighted current and upcoming talent. The Ashe Performing Arts Ensemble gave a vibrant, refreshing performance to close the night. As this event is young, Suga expects even better next year.

Some winners of the night were as follows:

Under 19 Team of the Year – Guyana

Under 19 Player of the Year – Shimron Hetmyer

First class Team of the Year – Barbados

1-Day Cricketer of the Year – Denesh Ramdin

Test Cricketer of the Year – Kraigg Brathwaite

T20 Cricketer of the Year – Samuel Badree

Emerging Cricketer of the Year – Jermaine Blackwood

Womens’ Cricketer of the Year – Stafanie Taylor

Men’s Cricketer of the Year – Sulieman Benn

Lifetime Achivement Award (WICB) – Chetram Singh

Lifetime Achivement Award (WIPA) – Renford Pinnock

Rally round the West Indies!

 By: Gabrielle Williams

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What a weekend of Sports!

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Serena Williams kicked things off winning the French Open vs Lucie Safarova 6-3; 6-7; 6-2, thus achieving her 20th Grand Slam title as she battled with a bad case of the flu. She chases Steffi Graf with 22 Grand Slam titles at the top of the Open era. Keep it up Serena!

Then came the UEFA Champion’s League final with an exciting match between Juventus and Barcelona. The result? Barcelona won 3 goals to 1, including a winning goal by Luis Suarez and another goal to seal the deal in the last minute of stoppage time by Neymar. Tevez did not show up for Juventus at all that day. Congrats Barcelona. Well played and kudos to Gerard Pique’s great display of defence.

Minutes after came the Belmont Stakes, where American Pharoah won the big race!  He won the Triple Crown since he won the two other big races in the season, i.e. The Kentucky Derby and the Peakness Stakes. Why is this a big deal? This has not been accomplished in 37 years! A horse came close last year, winning two of the three with much anticipation to win the third at Belmont but failed to deliver. Congrats to Jockey, Victor Espinoza and trainer, Bob Baffert for winning their first Triple Crown. American Pharoah led the whole race and stretched his lead toward the end as eager spectators’ eyes turned into dollar signs as he crossed the finishing line first! The millions of dollars on that race was unreal.

Yesterday morning, the favourite, Novak Djokovic took a loss to Stan Wawrinka in the French Open final in 4 sets. Novak will have to wait another year before attempting to win the full set of major titles. Congrats Wawrinka for winning his 2nd Grand slam title, 4-6; 6-4;6-3;6-4!

To finish off the weekend, The Warriors and Cavs battled in Golden State where the Cavs came out on top with a 95-93 win in overtime. LeBron James failed once again to make the game winning shot during regulation, however he had amazing triple double stats for the night including 39 points! It was Delladova who was able to make the crucial shots to clench their win. Curry had a sloppy night and so did the rest of the team in my opinion, excluding Klay Thompson that definitely had a great night. The series is now tied 1-1 as they head to Cleveland for Game 3 on Tuesday.

Don’t you all just love this season?!

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Michelle Obama’s #GimmeFiveWorkout !

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Have you seen Michelle Obama’s Workout video? It’s awesome. It is a #GimmeFiveWorkout video campaign to encourage healthy activity.

The video incorporates a diverse mix of Cardio, Core/Ab work, Arm work, Legs and Butt work! Plyometrics, Weights, Resistance and Kick-boxing all in 5 minutes. You can do it too.

Great example displayed by the First Lady. We don’t see any signs of consuming McDonald’s there! Go Michelle!

See the video by clicking the link below. The demo is just over 2 minutes:-

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/lonnae-oneal-seeing-the-michelle-obama-workout-video-i-finally-get-it/2015/05/22/2308df6c-ffd4-11e4-833c-a2de05b6b2a4_story.html

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Help Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) to move from Earth House to Earth Cottage

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JET is scheduled to leave their current location on 11 Waterloo Road to 123 Constant Spring Road by the end of this June. Hon. Gordon Butch Stewart and the Sandals group have generously donated to the use of their Earth House location for the last 13 years and are thankful even though Butch may be finding other use for the property soon.

As JET will now be renting an office space, they will need donations to assist with this unbudgeted move.

Please click on the link provided below, organized by Booster, and make your donation today no matter how big or small. Their goal is to raise $1000USD and they are currently at $525USD with 4 more days to go!

https://www.booster.com/jetismoving?utm_source=fb_share_desktop&utm_campaign=jetismoving&utm_medium=fb_share_on_donation_campaign