HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

To one and all! Have a safe one!

Trendytt.com - The Review

Yes I’m back! And yes I now it's been a while since I've updated.

As usual there is never a dull moment in my life, so after dealing with my aunt's funeral...Christmas decorating for offices...trying to decorate and "put away" my own house...collecting boots every weekend…planning my office Christmas party which is today…I have only now managed to come up for a small bit of air!

So on with my topic.

My friend Wuzdescene sometime in all the madness that is my life sent me a link to a website Trendytt, along with the message “yuh eh see de two of allyuh playin de arse wit allyuh jewellery!” (As some of my readers will now I used to dabble in doing my own jewellery). Anyhoo...

So I went and maccoed…err…checked out the site and I was very impressed. And I am not one who is easily impressed eh let me tell you!

The site itself is well laid out and aesthetically pleasing.
No setta ting all over de place like some of dem crazy sites around, and it real easy to use.

The items range from watches and rings to handbags and are gorgeous and well priced.

Being impressed as I said, and being an absolute watch fanatic, I found myself signing up earlier this week (Tuesday I think) and ended up purchasing these two fab! new watches to add to my collection.

So my order was placed and I waited for my items to be delivered (They promise delivery in 3 days). I thought to myself “Ah ha! This is where it go fall dong!!”

Well look who went and make me a liar!
I got a call yesterday (Thursday) advising me that my items would be delivered the following day by 9:30am.

Lo and behold, at 9:35 this morning a gentleman comes to my office to see me, (I was totally clueless as I had completely forgotten all about the delivery) and my two gorgeous new watches were delivered. I paid my money (yes, is cash on delivery, satisfaction guaranteed!) and got the opportunity to speak with Mr. Michael Blake, who is the man behind Trendytt. Yes, I said the man, not the woman.

Michael is a very TALL, well spoken gentleman who told me that this is not his full time job, and he used to sell his jewellery out of his home before. The items on the website are all in stock so there is no waiting for anything to be shipped.

Michael is the one who actually selects the pieces and his wife is the Admin.

What I like about the Trendytt, is that only a few items are brought in so is not you, the marish and the parish will be rocking the same item.

I told Michael that he would definitely be seeing me again as I plan to be a regular shopper at Trendytt :D

My 200th Post...

It seems quite appropriate that this, my 200th blog post, is dedicated to my late Aunt Margaret who passed away yesterday afternoon after a long battle with breast cancer.

Though Margaret is old enough to be my mom, she was my Carnival liming partner. From Moka to Flour to Fire to ONE, we did it all. The only thing we did separately was play mas.

Rest In Peace Aunty. You will forever be in my thoughts.

Doh buff meh please...

I've received a couple of emails asking what ever happened to my Mac Farlane review.

Well the story is this, I typed up my review all good and everything, and due to no fault of mine (I say blame Bill Gates), I lost the file.

After typing close to 3 pages, I just wasn't up to doing it all over again...sorry.

My Carnival Nightmare...

It was Carnival Monday....I woke up late, and didn't have my Monday costume with me and had to wear my Tuesday costume...*gasp* Went for my boots and I hadn't finished them...*faint*
Met the band at the side of the road and started to get dressed in public! The band left me still dressing and I bounced them up just as they were finishing crossing Adam Smith Square and got a jump with the last section. **YAYY!*But then the band decided it was getting too late and dark so they turned around and went back to the mas camp!
*wake up in cold sweat*

Africa - The Aftermath in Pics...

Date: Saturday 11th October 2008
Location: Chaguaramas
Time: 5:30 A.M.

After waking up at 4:00 o'clock this morning and just reaching home, allyuh will get my review after I sleep and get up later... *yawn*

Mac Farlane speaks about Africa

Unveiling the sections

Dancers at the start of the presentation

The 19 sections of Africa are:

SECTION 1
MASSAI LION HUNTERS
from
KENYA/TANZANIA

SECTION 2
YORUBA MASQUERADERS
from NIGERIA

SECTION 3
FEMALE: KASENA WOMAN
MALE: BATAKARI WARRIOR
from
NOTHERN GHANA

SECTION 4
MASSAI RED DANCERS
from
KENYA/TANZANIA

SECTION 5
BERBER FESTIVAL DANCERS
from MOROCCO

SECTION 6
SURMA COURTSHIP
from ETHIOPIA

SECTION 7
THE DAMA SPIRIT DANCERS
from MALI

SECTION 8
FEMALE: HAUSA
DANCER
MALE: NOBLEMAN OF THE EMIR’S COURT
from NIGERIA

SECTION 9
SHAI WOMANHOOD CEEMONY from GHANA

SECTION 10
YAAKE DANCERS
from MALI

SECTION 11
SACHIHANGO HUNTERS
from ZAMBIA

SECTION 12
FULANI WOMAN
FULANI HERDSMAN
from MALI

SECTION 13
ELEPHANT MASK DANCERS
from
CAMEROON


SECTION 14
HIMBA BRIDE & GROOM
from NAMIBIA

SECTION 15
GOLI MASK DANCERS
from THE IVORY COAST


SECTION 16
RASHAIDA BRIDE & GROOM
from THE
SUDAN

SECTION 17
KOMO PERFORMERS
from CONGO

SECTION 18
ZULU WARRIORS
from SOUTH AFRICA

SECTION 19
“AFRICA, HER PEOPLE, HER GLORY, HER TEARS”

Art at the Oval...

IP Registration - The Aftermath

Well it's been nearly three weeks since I went to register with Island People, but I figure I would still blog about my IP registration experience.

After too many band launches to count, endless visits to mas camps, I am playing with Island People for 2009. Yes...de same band who try to brainwash meh in dey launch!

Anyhoo...having decided I was playing in IP the next thing to decide was what section to play in..DUH! The one the named in my honour of course!

By the time I decide I going to register in Afro Disiac though, the next morning on the website, what could greet me but a SOLD OUT! I was real disappointed cause none of the other sections really caught my attention like that one.



Upon hearing of my dilemma, and knowing how much I liked this particular costume, a friend of mine made some calls to someone who made some calls (yuh know how it is in Trini) and I got that all important text "we going to the mas camp tomorrow to get you in, bring yuh money and come!" (well it eh say dat exactly eh, but I done delete the evid...err...text already).



So YAYY!!! I reached to IP mas camp the next day with my money in hand.
Walked around, took some pics of the costumes, which up to that time I had not seen up close other than at the launch. Costumes looking nice and I getting excited. Some looking even nicer than I first thought!
While waiting, I tried on some bras and bikini bottom to make sure I had the right size and then went to the person who would sign me up.


I signed up both myself and a friend (if yuh have the strings pull them right?) in Afro Disiack...one big headpiece, one small headpiece and backpack. So I'm signed up and I waiting for my receipt.



But I keep looking at this next costume (not saying which) and the more I look at it, the more I love it! The costume is calling my name ever so quietly...*whisper* "Ayeceee...ayyceee"
The FL is simply gorgeous. Love the backpack, love the headpiece!
I do a quick consult with my friend and they say "Go for it!" So my Afro Disiac registration form is torn up and I register in my [undisclosed] section. :D

Registration on that day was a breeze and took less than 15 minutes. After taking my info I was sent to the cashier and paid my money, collected my receipt and I was set.

So Carnival 2009 look for me in IP! If you think you know what section I'm in, select it in the poll on the right hand side of the page.

.Island People in de air!!!

And the favorite monokini is!! *drumroll*

With an overwhelming 35 votes...TRIBE's Spangled Cottinga!!


Followed by Spice's - Melilot Blue (not for the big boobies people though, sorry) with 15 votes

And in third place is Island People's - Heavenly Skies

The blue monokinis have it!

Pulse 8 - HOT HOT HOT!

Unfortunately I was unable to attend Pulse 8's band launch this weekend as planned as my office was relocating over the weekend, and I had to be on site.

Sorry guys :(

The website isn't up as yet but some of the section names are:

Spicy Wasabi
Bush Fire
Caliente
Explosive Ember- A Hot Bite
Pepper Pot

Ronnie and Caro Band Launch Bakkanal - The Aftermath

Date: Friday 29th August 2008

Place: Club Ambassador

Cost: $50 past masqueraders, $100 non masqueraders

Thanks to Saucy, I had collected a pass for myself and a guest to attend the media launch which was scheduled from 8:00pm-100:00pm.

For reasons yet to be explained, there was no media launch. We waited and waited and nothing, except some not so warm hors 'douvres and an open bar. No announcement was made or anything. Quite a few of the media personnel present left before the presentation began.

This is after I was hustling home, missing my getting my hair braided, and hustling back into town to get to Ambassador.

Anyhoo, Saucy left and I stayed to see my band's launch.

Even though I love at least one section in every band launched so far, I was waiting until Ronnie & Caro launched to decide where I would be registering this year.

The launch eventually got started around 11:30pm which was soon after the MC, Allison Hennessy arrived. Caro opened the presentation listing the band's achievements of this year including First Place in Medium Band of the Year and Most Colourful Band.

Allison came on next to introduce the costumes.

The band's theme for this year is Bakkanal and focuses on the bacchanal of Carnival.

The first section up was Panorama

There are three female version of this costume, a backline, a frontline and an uber(?) frontline. I'm not sure what they're calling the different versions of the costumes.

THis costume is okay, but no WOW factor.

Chutney Soca Monarch

Another section with three female versions of this costume. I liked the more traditional interpretation of this costume.

WASA fete

I thought that this reminded me very much of Down the Islands form last year's presentation as it is the same shade of blue although a variance in the execution. As a blue costume it is just pretty. I thought that the name for this section could have been different though.

Soca MonarchThis was the first section of the night to make me go "Ohhhh". It's a very vibrant shade of orange, but I think that it needs a little more contrast.

Green with Envy

The frontline for this costume had an interesting detail where the fan could be attached to the back of the belt and made into a bumsee bustle.
I don't understand how the section Green with Envy falls into the whole Carnival is Bacchanal

theme.
The chick who modelled the frontline costume real throw me for six with the off colour shoes though.

Dimanche Gras

I love the detail of the bra and belt in this section.

The frontline was another that has a convertible fan/bustle piece.

Calypso Fiesta


I like the bra and belt desing of this costume, but not neccessarily the headpiece and backpack which reminds me of the design for Angel Fish of last year.

The backline headpiece of this costume consists of a mask, nd I do not like masks for Carnival as they block my FAB! makeup.

Cockfight
Another section with three versions of the female costume.

The backline has fallen victim to the feathery crotch and nipples, the frontline is okay, bu tagain with the featery nipples and a mask as well. I did find the uber frontline costume was portrayed very well by Miss Soowan Bramble. She really got into it, and with a bit of tweaking (and clipping of boas) this costume could be one of my favorites.

This section's male costume is the worst by far.

Blue Devils

The models for this section REALLY got int the whole vibe of what they were portraying.

I like the idea but I do not think it was well executed. I say more horns and less feathers. And fix that sad looking backline tail. I also thought the wings on the frontline looked a bit flimsy.

Overall I felt very underwhelmed by the presentation as I was expecting that much more from Ronnie & Caro this year. WHile the costumes are not ugly, I think some of them fall short of being fantastic.

The men's costumes are all very standard and consists of a fedora with four feathers, a neck piece and arm piece. Very generic.


Shortly after the presentation I left Club Ambassador and made my way home.

I give Ronnie & Caro's 2009 band launch 6 boas out of 10.