100 joys and 'Charlie' the barber

How great it felt, how great it always feels, to stand with pride as your nation's National Anthem plays in a stadium, its athletes standing on top of the podium and glistening medals dangling from necks.

I can never get used to it and it hits a soft spot every time.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Veronica Campbell-Brown started my day the way they ended the previous one, on a real high.

Congrats again ladies and see you in the 200m.

I must also say a big congrats to the 100m champion Usain Bolt and silver medallist Yohan Blake.

I hope that Asafa Powell is able to get over that injury.

For anyone questioning whether Blake's emergence has threatened his relationship with Bolt, they only needed to see them before and after their semi-final and final yesterday.

No beef in the camp

They did everything together on the warm-up track and were like kids in the mixed zone, even cutting in on each other's interviews. Blake even shared that it was Bolt who helped to get him calm and settled before the race - so no more talk about any beef in the camp.

I can imagine the excitement in Leyton last night as Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake secured Jamaica's latest medals at the Olympic Games.

You see, a group of us jumped on a train to the quiet town, located just a few minutes from the Olympic Park, to link Jamaican barber 'Charlie' yesterday morning.

The Gleaner's photographer, Ricardo Makyn, had made the trip before to get his haircut and swore by Charlie's skills, but what Mr Makyn didn't tell us was how much of a riot Charlie is.

Jamaican flags and other paraphernalia hanging from every corner of the small barbershop, an old Killamanjaro CD blaring from the audio system, colourful chatter and a few "choice words" from the Jamaican vernacular greeted us as we stepped through the door.

"Yow see some real yard man yah," Charlie exclaimed.

He spoke about everything!

From Bolt/Blake and the Olympics, Kartel and Shabba (Ranks) to Reneto Adams.

"Yow, when Adams talk mi 'fraid and a way a England mi deh'," Charlie said.

A customer calls, Charlie tells the person to get to the shop before a certain time because he will be closing early to go home and watch the Olympic Games.

Like most Jamaicans here, he is having the time of his life; enjoying every minute of Jamaica's sprinting dominance and appeal at these Games.

Did you guys hear about the drunken fan that threw a bottle on the track before the start of the 100m?

I don't know what exactly he was trying to accomplish, but a Dutch reporter told us that he actually got punched in the face for his troubles by a judo athlete.

How him 'fi wah mash up' the big race?