Squandermania at the Mansion

*TEARS*




Disclaimer: Another non-political post

Don't talk and drive...

On your cellphone that is.

This from Prime Minister Manning during yesterday's budget presentation.

Now this is NOT a political post eh, I don't do politics or religion.

This is just my usual 2 cents.

All I want to know is which Ministry or independent body conducted the study that shows that the MAJOR cause of vehicular accidents in Trinidad and Tobago is people using their cellphones while driving...

And is not because of irresponsible people:

-Breaking the red light (allyuh realise how people does BLATANTLY IGNORE a red light now? Two, sometimes three car passing yuh whoosh!)

-Coming home til drunk do them part

-Getting they license and dey brand new car as soon as dey barely legal

I not saying that talking on yuh cell phone while driving is safe eh, by no means, we know most Trinis can't multi-task one fart.

How much times yuh driving behind somebody and wondering what de as it is dey doing so...why de ass dey doh drive dey damn car?...and is when yuh overtake yuh realise is de phone dey was on.

But there plenty other issues to address as well. Das all I'm saying.

And let we doh talk about who going to be monitoring and enforcing this. HAHAHA!

Anybody could tell meh who do the study? Please and thanks.

IP Band Launch:The Aftermath...

Date: Saturday 18th August 2007
Place: Jean Pierre Complex
Cost: $149 masqueraders and $199 non-masqueraders

This is what…Island People's 3rd year bringing a band? That sounds about right.

So me and the crew got there around 10:45ish pm, and after I scalp…err…sold two tickets outside, we made our way inside the venue.

Now IP is KNOWN for doing some impressive shit…so when I walked under the entrance tent and saw the zebra print projection on the floor that ‘rippled’ when you walked on it, I was suitably impressed.

But that was the only thing to impress me, because after walking into Jean Pierre nothing else that reflected the theme in a big way (save for the jerseys of the committee and the project screens with the IP logo animal print).

I dunno…I was expecting some thing MORE from IP.
Some bush hang up somewhere, waterfalls, ponds, SOMETHING besides the white bed sheets blocking off the seats of the Jean Pierre Complex. But anyhoo…

So we in Jean Pierre now and de place is HOT! *fans self*
Not the ambiance was HOT eh…just the air itself. It was real warm.
Heat in de place doh back back kinda warm.
On with the presentation now.

The stage was set with some painted cloth of a cityscape giving off what I assumed to be a ‘concrete jungle’ type theme.

The presentation started promptly at 12:00am, and we were greeted with the sound of traffic (horns blowing etc.) and some people in suits on stage…concrete jungle). Then the music changes to a primal beat and the business men and woman start jumping and prancing around in an ‘animalistic’ manner, while the voice over discussed what releasing your animal instinct involved…but you could barely hear him over the loud primal music.


This part of the presentation went on for about 15 minutes, which I thought was about 10 minutes too much.

FINALLY (amen!) they done de dancing bit and the costumes came on.

Like Mystique, I can’t remember the order of the costumes, save for Black Widow, which was first and elicited lots of “oohs” and “ahhs” from the crowd.


When Mr. Black Widow come on I saw what they meant by the men’s costumes were hot. Then meh girl with the cape turn rong and the place went up. Most people agree that Sonia Mack come real good.

My thoughts on the other sections: *refers to booklet*:

Dragon Lizard: I like the look of this costume. The colour and the headpiece do give you that reptilian feel.

Kingfisher: What really caught my eye with this costume was on of the models who was either having a seizure or attempting to samba dance her way down the runway. I still haven’t figured out what she was trying to do.
The costume itself is hot with its cage bra. Lots of feathers and I like the lil tufts around the legs.

Brown bear and Polar bear: Ick. Rewind, remix, throw way…do something with that costume besides sells it to people.

I say bring a Flamingo section or a Scarlet Ibis instead.

Portuguese Man O War: Looked like a jellyfish, loved the colours and especially like the look of the frontline.

Cheetah: Looked better in real than it did in the teaser. I like the working on the bra, which isn’t jut fur, but looks like some type of beading to give you that effect.

Zebra: Nice work on the bra, same as cheetah. LOVED the ladies frontline, and the male is my pick for best male IP costume this year.

Crocodile: Kinda plain except for the shell work on the bra, headpiece and arm pieces. Does this section have a frontline?

Red Tiger: OMG! That is one helluva brazilian wax!

Egret: Bleh. Dat jacket and skirt nah wuk. Remix.

Lioness: *yawn* I dunno what it is but this costume does nothing for me. Nice neck piece though.

Silver Fox: Everybody talking bout this HOT costume, and I just can’t remember it having an effect on me. It skimpay no tail, but that’s about it.

Ah miss out any sections? *counting* Okay das it I think.

So after the presentation we were greeted to Kes the Band feat. Nadia Batson who sang to a less than appreciative, but very much into posing crowd.
I jumped and pranced (not like the dancers who were on stage earlier) and had a good time.

Overall, IP’s presentation for 2008, did not convey the same sense of excitement as their presentation for 2007.

I thought there may have been a less literal translation of “Animal Instinct”.
I mean it’s so easy to think in the box for something like that, it would have been interesting to see a section portrayed as the concrete jungle or something like that.

But then again, that’s just me.
Thus ends my review.

Oh no wait…!!
How could I forget the eye candy?
Eye candy for the ladies was very limited I thought, but as per usual in Trinidad, the eye candy for men was overflowing.

P.S. Men, enough with the metro shirts, pants and shoes nah. Please and thanks.

For more pics of the launch check Saucy's pics or triniscene.com.

Betcha didn't know...

So from Carnival Sunday night, the crew assembles by my Mummy Chic in St. James.

The 'crew' is my mom's bff, my aunt (daddy's sis), another friend/aunty from the States and random other visitors who come and go at the house "Carnival Central'.

It's a Carnival tradition for me to do my aunt's nails to co-ordinate with their costumes while we watch the Dimanche Gras on television.

I keep it simple, as these are more mature ladies, and they absolutely love it!

Allyuh explain meh please...

...how Denise "Saucy Wow" Belfon having a children's show?

Exactly which one of her hits she going to sing? Hmmm...let's see...

Maybe Bicycle Wine...I mean lots of kids ride bikes.

Ahhh...Wine like a Dog..lots of kids have dogs too.

What about Kakalaylay?

Hmmm...Rose and de Stem?

Jammette perhaps?

Now I doh have nuttin with Saucy eh...I LOVE tuh see de woman perform.

Ah mean de woman could move.

I wouldn't mind taking some classes from she and all if she had dem.

But exactly what she go be singing and how will she be performing for these children, is what I concerned about.

Cause as far as I know, is only one kinda songs Saucy does sing...Rude.

And as far as I know is only one way she does perform...Lewd.

Oh gorm wait! Ah wonder what she going to wear!!

Anyhoo...the show is at the Jean Pierre Complex, I'm not too sure about the day, and tickets are available at Trendy Kids Arima and Capital Plaza.

photo courtesy newsday.co.tt

Carefree Hair Remover: GREAT on legs, not so great on armpits

A couple weeks ago, I bought this Carefree Hair Removal thingy at the Johnson & Johnson sale.

The girl SWORE it works great! So I bought it and tried it on my legs and it worked GREAT!

So I tried it on my pits yesterday...the actual creme itself smells kinda like relaxer and when I put it on it smelled really icky and made my pits tingle just a slight bit. I said well okay, it's a chemical, dat go happen.

After about 3 minutes, I used the no blade thingy to get it off and that shit started to BURN. I mean like WOW.

So I continued to scrape it off, (the hair was coming off nice and easy) until it was all gone, then had to jump into the bathroom and hurriedly remove the remaining creme and what not.

My armpits were still burning slightly even after I had washed the thing off. :? I didn't want to further aggravate it by adding deodorant, so I put some Vaseline under my arm, then applied the deodorant.

This morning I woke up to my pits burning again and starting to look like how they were looking a few months ago when they started mutating.

The instructions on the hair remover say nothing about not using it under your arms (thank goodness I eh try it on my poor vajayjay!), it just says for external use only, do not swallow, do not use on irritated areas, do not exceed 10 minutes application of you can get a chemical burn.

Works GREAT on the legs though. My legs are still smooth from a couple weeks ago when I used it.

Ronnie and Caro Band Launch: The Aftermath...

Date: Wednesday 1st August 2008

Place: Club Ambassador

Cost: $50 with invites and $100 without

Having played with Ronnie and Caro's section "Chutney" in Legacy this year, and having a fantastic time, I was glad to hear that they were coming with there own band for Carnival 2008.

So I made my way to Ambassador to take in the their presentation for C2K8 "De Gulf"

“De Gulf”The Gulf of Paria is a body of water located east of Venezuela and west of Trinidad. It is here that we find the “Five Islands,” known affectionately as “Down de Islands,” – Carera, Monos, Huevos, Gaspar Grande and Chacachacare. To visit one of these islands, you must pass through “De Bocas” ferociously turbulent water that has been known to turn the burliest seaman into a whimpering landlubber.

It is here that you will see “Wildfish” Manta Rays that can seat four men as comfortably as a couch, sharks galore, grouper, and of course “Jellyfish.” Along “De Gulf” the “De Mang” (Mangrove) protects the coastline with its gnarly roots and dense marshland. A little inward you will also find the Caroni Swamp, one of our wildlife sanctuaries where you’re sure to see “Scarlet Ibis in flight,” one of our national birds whose resplendent plumes get their fiery colour from the shrimp on which they feast. The dragonfly or “Battimamzelle” of local parlance abounds here too.It was in the calm waters of “De Gulf,” legend tells us, that daring “Pirates”
of old have their anchors laden with seaweed sought refuge for their ships and a
convenient place to bury their “Treasures.”

Today “De Gulf” gives us treasure of a different kind: black gold – oil. Join Ronnie and Caro in celebrating “De Gulf.”

Getting to Club Ambassador at about 8:15pm, I found that the turnout for the launch was pretty good. The actual showing of the costumes began just after 9:00pm and we were treated to views of the nine sections (7 of Ronnie & Caro's and 2 outside sections).

My favorite section was De Mang.

I LOVE a blue costume, and the combination of the bronze/brown colour and the blue, as well as the detail on the costumes, had me very interested.

Other sections that I liked/caught my attention were:

Down De Islands: Turquoise blue and silver! Hot! I like the bra and belt for this costume.

Moonlight in de Bocas: Blue, green, purple and gold. I don't like how they executed the headpiece...it seems a bit slapped together, but it is a nice costume.

Treasures: Gold and yellow. Never played in that colour combo before, not sure how good it would look on me.

Jellyfish: Pink and silver. I like the shade of pink, the backpack of the frontline go humbug yuh from tiefing a lil wine.

Batimamzelle: Bronze, gold and brown. I LOVE the colours. The wings on the frontline...not so much. That will be difficult to manoeuvre through town with dem wings. But it will look nice on the road.

The remaining sections: Wildfish, Pirates and Scarlet Ibis were okay, they just didn't appeal to me. I like the colours of Wildfish (orange, yellow and green) but I don't like how they are put together on the costume.

For more costume pics, you can check out Ronnie and Caro's website. (which was up and running the night of the launch!) and of course, Saucy's blog.

Right now I'm about 90% sure that I'm playing with Ronnie and Caro, if only because I played with them this year and know they provide good service and great costumes.

But I'm still leaving that 10% for anything else that may catch my eye and suit my pocket.

So lewwe talk about colour...

So I taking in TRIBE band launch pics on Saucy's blog and ah noticing something...it lacking in melanin. Bad. De darkest thing is that black section Sahara..oops, I mean Black Magic.

Allyuh telling me dey couldn't find a couple people of darker hue to model their costumes?

It have a shortage or something that I doh know bout?

I could direct them to some nice friends of mind who coulda model fuh dem, all they had to do was call meh.

And when ah mention it on Saucy message board, ah hearing dat people "choose to ignore it", some dotishness bout the lighting can't capture the darker skinned models (OH GOD DOH KILL MEH HERE TODAY!) and just excuses.

The best word to describe that is pathetic yes. No amount of excuses could excuse why dem models was so high colour.

The next hot mess is this Synergy TV Supermodel.

Same thing though not as prevalent, as they have some darker skinned models...but again...yuh mean tuh say when allyuh choose/cut people de darker people just didn't make the cut?

Okay fine.

But I could walk down Frederick Street NOW and show yuh some nice looking men and women who, if they had chosen to enter the competition, could be the next Synergy TV Supermodel. (HA! Dat supermodel title is a next setta foolishness).

Yuh could look at the models here.

And like the people who they pick went to school in August? Is how all ah them speaking badly so? Ah mean dialect is one thing...but them just sounding horrible. I hope they giving this season some speech therapy or something.

One last thing before ah go...Synergy stop tiefing ANTM styling with allyuh show nah.

Be original.

pics/images courtesy www.triniscene.com and www.islandevents.com

Resting on my laurels...

Doh ever say Afro Chic didn't teach yuh anything...

From Yahoo! Answers.

It means you are relying on previous accolades or successes.

Laurels were once given as an honour for achievement--think of Roman senators wearing crowns of laurels. One who "rests on his laurels" is content with present, or past achievements. Though laurels are positive, one who rests on them is considered lazy.

The job hunt is back on…

Not in full effect, but it is.

After experiencing bouts of extreme job-related malaise, I decided to take things into my own hands (again) and start back sending out those job applications.

To this end, I have sent out 3 applications for the month of July. Two were agencies, (that want you to pay a fee and send in your photo, references etc…been there, done that), and one was in the newspaper, and I sent out that one last Friday.

On the advice of a friend, I called them (the newspaper ad) this morning to find out if they got my application and they said no, to send it again. Lo and behold, when I was sending it again, another friend hailed me out on Google Talk and when I told them what I was doing and who I was sending it to, they said they knew someone at the company and would mention me to them. Trinidad too choonky again…

So I’m happy at the moment. :D

I’m not resting on my laurels though, (das a real funny saying eh? “resting on my laurels”…anyhoo…) and I’m still on the look out for a new job.

I’m currently pursuing my LCCI Marketing diploma, with exams in November (studying fuh dat go be a next toree in itself, since meen like nuttin name study) and the lecturer told us in class last week, that we shoulda started studying like yesterday!

So if I missing in action more so than usual, it probably means I’m studying. Or maybe not.

Two random things I just remembered…

And they can be added to my 10 things about me list.

1. I got knocked down by a car once.

I was holding my first born who was 6 months old at the time.
The driver didn’t see me because he was busy talking to the people in the backseat.
I saw him coming at me and couldn’t move out of the way in time.
So I turned my body away from the car while hugging my baby on me.
I hugged his head and held him close to my body.
When the car hit me I fell to the ground and ended up with some cuts and bruises.
Nothing happened to my baby though.

2. When I was about 7 months pregnant with my first born, I got locked in the bathroom stall at work.
The lock on the stall had been giving trouble for several weeks and we had told them about it but no one took us on.
I used to avoid going into it.
But this particular day, I had to pee really badly and it was the only stall available.
So I got in, peed, and could not get back out.
While I’m not claustrophobic, I don’t particularly like being in small places.
No one else was in the stall and this was in the days before every Tom, Dick and Harry had a cellphone with them at all times, so no one knew I was locked in.
I took some tissue, wiped the floor just inside the door and the floor just outside and slid under.
Then I washed my hands and went and reported the locked stall to the supervisor.

No stories about my second son because I was more careful then. LOL.

Small update...

As some of you may know, when it comes to Carnival I take my feteing and partying VERY seriously.

I am the one who organises the where we going? who playing in dat? how much fuh tickets? etc. And most times when people cannot find tickets or tickets have been sold out or just decide last minute where they want to go, I am the one they call.

So to this end, for Carnival 2008, I WILL be the one to call esp for those last minute feters.
Working on the blog layout now...so stay tuned for more info on that.


Also in the works is FAB!Carnival Boots by Afro Chic...
Working on a business plan as we speak/type... :D

Is natural hair back in style?

This was the question posed to me by a woman last Friday.

I was minding my own business as per usual, on my way to a meeting and this woman stops me to ask, "Is natural hair back in style or something?"

The look on my face probably said it all, cause she quickly added, "because you're the third person today who I've noticed with their hair natural and it looks so nice. One was in a ponytail and one was like yours (mine was in my usual for work, a huge afro puff)."

She then went on to explain to me that her hair is natural as well (she had in braids) and she just didn't know how to wear her hair or what to do with it, as it was thicker when she was younger and now it's a lot finer etc etc etc.

Being the ever gracious Afro Chic that I am (LOL), I told her that for me going natural wasn't about style and was more about just getting rid of my relaxer and spending money to go do my hair every 6 weeks.

I told her also that there are lots of resources on the internet that she could go to and get lots of information on what to do with her hair. I suggested the only two I could remember off the top of my head Motown Girl (which helped me out a LOT in the earlies and even now) and AfroBella.

The woman seemed extremely grateful to have her question answered and kept gazing at mine and telling me how beautiful it looked.

I finally had to excuse myself cause he was going to make me late for my meeting.

Let's wait and see...

I love reading blogs about people's experiences with their natural hair.

It's especially helpful on days like today when I feel like cutting off my hair. Yes again.

The last time I cut off all my hair (big chop #I've lost ocunt) was in October last year.

Since last colouring it about 3 weekends ago, I've decided to give it a rest from the colour for a while.

My hair's texture is just not feeling right somehow these days, and I think it's because of the colouring.

So I'll give it a rest and wait and see.


Some hair blogs I discovered recently:
http://thebigchop.blogspot.com/
http://kinksandnaps.wordpress.com/
http://kinksandnaps.wordpress.com/