Thursday, March 18, 2010

SEA today


Well today my oldest son is writing the SEA examination.
For those of you who don't know what that is...Google is yuh friend.

And dis SEA Exam is not like the Common Entrance of my day some plenty years ago eh.
Is no multiple choice, yuh hadda write everything now, and it eh have no more Science and Social Studies either, is only Mathematics, English and Composition. The only thing that is the same is that you still have to write it in pencil.

So after 2 years of what seemed like never ending lessons, morning and evening in school and every Saturday in Trincity, hence my weekly sojourns to the mall every weekend (no I doh like Trincity Mall that much)...DE DAY is finally here.

De day that all parents worry over.
De Day that all parents stress over.
De day all parents fret over.
De day that the children look forward to ending so dey could go Movietowne with dey friends after de day over.

I remember it was just the other day when my child was born, then braps so he started first year, and before I blinked he was writing SEA.

This post is just to wish my big son good luck and just do your best!

(Just think I have to all this over again the next two years with the next one!)

Monday, March 15, 2010

And de Boleface Award goes to...

So I wake up Sunday morning and after giving thanks for waking up to see another hot, steamy day, I grab for Halle (my Blackberry).

I check out twitter for my news updates and of course check my Facebook account.

Only to see that Saucy has posted a link to Carnival Glitz Fan Page on Facebook that is using MY (SEXY) LEGS to pimp their sales of Carnival tights! Now this is MY personal photo which I sent to Saucy for her to use on HER blog eh, which she did here.


I eh go even talk bout the fact that they selling them tights for a ridiculous markup even after yuh convert from Jamaican to TT dollars.

I mean I could fully understand that yuh using that pic to sell yuh thing eh, cause dem sexy legs could sell PLENTY tights!

But yuh gone and take the photo from the www.trinidadcarnivaldiary.com site without permission (Saucy confirmed this) and use it on yuh Fan Page boleface so! Even though it have all kinda disclaimer saying that if you want to use the people thing, please send an email.

I subsequently sent a message to the young lady whose Fan Page it is and asked her to remove the photo of meh legs, please and thanks, which she did.

This is not the first time something like this has happened, (remember the Newsday episode?) and I'm sure it won't be the last. But people come nah man, just send and ask for permission nah, oh gosh!


Wednesday, March 10, 2010

D’Krewe 2010 Review – Carnival Tuesday

CARNIVAL TUESDAY

I got up at 4:30am despite my intention of waking up at half 5.

The time to meet the band was 11:00am. After having a bath and hastily shaving my legs, I made my way to my makeup artist, Rachiel in the living room. :)

Aunty Rachiel does my makeup for me every year and this year was no different. I had to wait for my sister in law who was getting ready to meet her band for 6:30am. While waiting I had breakfast of a ham sandwich and a hot cup of tea courtesy my mummy :)

The usual “leaving the house chaos Carnival Tuesday morning” took place, with the eleven or so of us getting dressed, adjusting costumes, putting on backpacks, being sprayed with sunscreen, grabbing bags and cups, picking up vex money and hiding keys in the flowerpot under the sink.

I was the last to get ready, and had to be laced up into my corset. After being laced up I could not breathe or bend, so my husband had to help me into my socks and then into my boots. I put on my headpiece and was ready to go!

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I got to the band, and the band was looking really good!

Unfortunately in the haste to leave the house, I left my arm twisties at home, I ended up getting one from the mas camp. I was happy.

The band made their way down to Ariapita Avenue, the costumes looking nice, the music sounding good. We arrived at the first judging point at Adam Smith Square.


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My section which was undoubtedly the best section in the band was second to last in the line up which didn’t bother me one bit, cause I does only be in my section to cross the stage anyways.

My only problem with the band on Tuesday was the actual lineup in terms of the colours, I found that the colours were too close in some instances. Like Hawk, Riptide and Desert. Anyhoo.

We crossed Adam Smith and made our way to Victoria Square. As usual, there were no judges at this judging point when we arrived and there was also no spectator control. We then slowly made our way to Independence Square.

After crossing Adam Smith, I attempted to get a drink by the bar. This proved to be unsuccessful. There were too many people and not enough bar. The one bar truck which was way too tall for my 5’4” was always crowded and jammed with people. I bought drinks (Coke, juice, water) for most of the day to save myself the stress and jostling.

DSC05100 DSC05097 DSC05093 On the way to Independence Square I found that the band was moving way too slowly so I walked ahead to see what was the holdup. There was nothing. The band was just strolling down the road and taking their time. I left the band and walked downtown to see some other bands and wait for my band. DSC05102DSC05124

After crossing the stage just after 1:00pm, we made our way up Frederick Street and I was wondering what was going on with lunch as no announcement was made and in the letter I got, I didn’t read anything about a lunch stop. I saw the bandleader (he didn’t need a tag like some others) and asked him about lunch. He told me the band was stopping on Hart Street so that is where I went.

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I was one of the first people to arrive to get lunch and was able to find a nice cool spot on a bench in Woodford Square. The lunch was rice, plantain (my favourite!), potato salad and a HUGE slab of fish. The food was tasty and my only complaint would be gravy. I like my food wet. Maybe some peas in a cup on he side would have helped.

After lunch I got a call from my mum and dad, they were on Independence Square, so after using the Wee Wee truck to freshen up, I went looking for the parents. Mac Farlane looked really nice in their full costume.DSC05140

I headed back to my band on Frederick Street, where we then proceeded to Charlotte Street and settled in for a LONG wait. D’Krewe crossed the Savannah space/stage at approximately half past 8, after spending some 4 hours on Charlotte Street. I did not stay with the band during this wait though, but went to meet my sons who were waiting for me up by the Savannah. I chilled with them a bit, walked along and saw some other family and friends and then bounced up the parents in MAc Farlane yet again, as they were a few bands behind us waiting to cross.

Now the four hour wait wasn’t so bad for me, as I sat right on the pavement just in front of NAPA and got to see Trini Revellers, Legacy, Genesis, Ronnie and Caro, All Stars, We International, Showtime, some traditional mas, as well as some other random bands I had never heard of with some dubious looking costumes.C2K10 Tuesday 217

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After we crossed the stage, I waited for Mac Farlane and chipped home with the parents sometime after 9:00pm, my latest Carnival Tuesday in REAL years!

Overall I had a great time with D’Krewe. Some of the things that I think D’Krewe should look at improving on are: the number of and the height of the bars and the number of people actually making the snocones, one man is just not enough by any stretch of the imagination.

Again, I must say MUCH thanks to Carnival Kris (MUAH!), thanks to Angeli for accommodating me at the last minute and a big thanks to that band that didn’t want me or my money cause if it wasn’t for them I would not have had the opportunity to play in the BEST Carnival costume EVER! Yes, ever!

This was one of my favourite costumes…Loved it, loved it, loved it!

It needed no adjustments and was the same as the prototype and was SUPER comfy.

Who would have thought that after such a disastrous Carnival Sunday, that my Carnival would have turned out so great?

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Friday, March 05, 2010

D'Krewe 2010 Review


This is my review of D'Krewe.

Now after the series of unfortunate incidents on Carnival Sunday night (read the 3 posts before this one if yuh lost), I had to go find a costume. I visited Ronnie and Caro and Legacy/Jhalwa looking for a costume on Carnival Sunday night and came up with salt, so I went home feeling just a tad bit plenty depressed.

Having just about resigned myself to not playing mas, I visited Trinidad Carnival Diary to vent and share my story on the chat box. It was while chatting there I got a bbm from Saucy who wanted to know if I wanted a costume in D'Krewe, specifically Kindred Spirit (hell yeah!).


Long story short, Carnival Kris who is also on the blog, hooked me the heck up and I got a call saying to get my ass to the mascamp, which was right around the corner from me.

Twenty minutes and $2500 later, I had collected my Kindred Spirit costume! WOOT!WOOT!!
(Of course, being me, I had to ask if the frontline was still available).

I then hastily made my way to Samaroo's to get some material to cover my corset. Unfortunately, at 10minutes to midnight Samaroo's was closed, but no biggie, I figured I would figure something out.
Costume collection: A breeze!!


Carnival Monday
D'Krewe gave us about 4 yards of material, which I spent a few minutes on Monday morning turning into a tunic trimming it out with some braid and gems.
I paired my tunic with blue boy shorts from a couple years before and a top underneath it.
I also made a matching bag from some silver material that I had purchased previously and sprayed my white knee high boots silver.
I think the overall look was really cute, if I do say so myself...and I do. :)


The band was scheduled to meet at 11:00am (I think) and I left home just around that time and walked around the corner to meet the band on Pole Carew Street.

Now this would be my first time playing mas by myself, as I usually play with at least one or two family members. Even though I didn't really know anyone who would be playing, I was thinking it would be a fun experience, no worries.


As I got to Pole Carew Street a guy in the band watched me and told me I looked so regal. (HA! Ah tell yuh ah was looking good!) That started me off on a good note. The band moved off about 1/2 hour after I got there. While waiting I had a snocone from the snocone truck and of course I must have my Coke on the rocks!

We were moving slowly down Pole Carew heading to Ariapita so I took the opportunity to walk forward a bit to see what was up. Up to the front of the band just behind the King costume I saw the Kindred Spirit Individual and had a serious case of "why dat wasn't me!?!?!" :( That costume was fantastic, I dunno why the person didn't come out on Tuesday...dey could well give me the thing to parade for them! Anyhoo...

We were right behind Dream Team's Gems of the World, who was waiting for Island People to pass. I ended up walking through IP on the avenue looking for anyone I may know and did see a couple friends and took some pics. IP looked really good (but smaller than usual) on Monday. Loved the cloth they got, loved what the ladies did with them!



I also saw Mac Farlane on the road and got to see my mum and dad in their crocus bag Monday outfits. The Mac Farlane peeps real get on with the cloth too! All kinda fancy ting! And if yuh see dem palance papayo! Mac Farlane peeps get the prize for Most Coordinated Palance, they should rename them Mac Parlance...nobody would think that was an "ole people band" if they saw them.

We hit and crossed Adam Smith and Ariapita (no judges there, why?) and made our way to Independence Square. I stayed with the band, for most of the day. My brother and sister in law left the band they played with to come check me when we were on Park Street. I saw one of my girlfriends from the bank in the band and took a chip with her for a while.

We got an afternoon snack of a chicken sandwich which was tasty enough, just before we hit downtown. After we crossed the downtown judging point, I waited to see Mar Farlane (and the parents) who had done some kinda magic and were now behind us.

After meeting up with my parents, i decided that I would cut my Monday short (it was about half 4) and head home. We jumped into a taxi on South Quay and headed to St. James.

Carnival Monday: Not bad at all! 6.5 palance out of 10.