Highlights of my Weekend-Nicki Minaj at Sumfest and Tribe's Band Launch

Well Nicki Minaj cuss at Sumfest..big surprise! I'm not excusing her behavior or her disrespect for Jamaican laws especially since she was warned, but come on, it's Nicki Minaj; have you listened to any of her songs??? If your show is supposed to be family friendly, you don't hire a hard core rapper. Profanity in rap is like half naked girls in rap videos. In Trinidad, Minaj was also featured at a show put on by the Ministry of Sport and Youth in October which was geared to the young persons. She was also chastized for her use of profanity but no legal action was taken. Again, why would they hire someone whose songs are for mature audiences? Based on the highlights I've seen of Sumfest, the show didn't need Nicki Minaj, and R. Kelly was not missed. Jamaicans support their own and there's no need to use international artistes to draw a crowd, especially when we saw great performances from Tanya Stephens, Cocoa Tea, Beres and Bunny Wailer; this is what Reggae Sumfest should represent- a quality Jamaican sound.

So after the Minaj incident someone wrote on Twitter (shameless plug, but follow me @cutedougla17) that Trinidad and Tobago will never let a Jamaican artiste get away with cursing at a show. Wth? How Trinidad and Tobago reach in dat? steups...This is another peeve of mine...dat is between Nicki Minaj and the Jamaican court....I mean how much beating we'll have to take for Kamla's statements and the purchase of Air Jamaica? There are about 1 million people in the Republic who don't care about these things and have much love for Jamaica (me included).

Nicki minaj wore an animal print outfit for her performance which made me think about Peter Elias' Johannesburg costume from Tribe's "Take me to" 2012 presentation. A notable costume designer once criticized the entry of fashion designers such as Elias into carnival but I don't see the problem. Elias designed one of the most original costumes in Tribe's collection using the animal print material to create the monokini...love! I'm not sure why Tribe chose to feature only Frontline and Individual costumes on Saturday night, and no backlines, but Elias' design has only one option- no Fl or BL. I don't know why people are getting all hyped that the costumes are not original and they expected more yada yada...is Tribe, if they had a garbage bag theme, the band will sell out the same way. But one thing, dem costumes nekkid...This presentation should be called Take me to the gym; or take me to get on the HCG diet because these FL costumes are not for size 4 and up so be prepared to alter your body to fit these designs if you don't have the body already....

And on the local front, Amazon Kindle rocks! If you don't use any electricity, Jamaica Public Service will still send you a ginormous bill; FLOW increased the cable rates AGAIN, Vybz Kartel will be doing a reality dating show (apply if you are into gollum look alikes) and I could no longer get my yummy frappuccino at Susie's in Barbican since they're closing down...I mean that's the best frapp ever and their other branch is inconvenient for me. Anyone booked a RedJet flight to Jamaica yet???

** Nicki's pic from urbanislandz

Not Much to say About Spice...

I don't know what's up with Spice but their costume presentation for next year can just be described as "blah". It seems that 2009 will remain Spice's best year. I wish I knew what's going on with the band but something is not happening. I suspect that part of it has to do with the loss of Richard and Anthony because the costume designs have certainly done a nose dive. Don't get me wrong, they are not horrible but they're just generic. I'm most disappointed with the lack of color in next year's presentations. What's up with all the blue? Some people have described the designs as "safe" which is correct. The presentations we've seen from Bliss and YUMA this year, and from Tribe's recent launch should have been a wake up call for Spice yet we see the standard Spice costumes. I've always liked Anya and I felt that she had a fresh perspective on band leadership but my girl is not a designer.

My favorite section is Ayamara simply because I love the combination of the burgundy and white and the FL is gorg. Also worth mentioning is Siriono which was designed by Leasel Rovedas and does not have feathers. It looks okay although I'm not a fan of black costumes. Overall Spice continued their trend of blinged out costumes, but with skimpified bottom pieces so I'm sorry for the Heavy Ts. Again, the saving grace for these bands are their prices and extra options. Spice does the corset well, which is great since most women do not look like the models at the launch...so when are you going to post these prices Spice?

**This pic of Ayamara is from Trinidadcarnivaldiary

and That's What's Up.....

I haven't done a post in a while probably because there hasn't been anything interesting going on and too much of life. I'm just going to give a synopsis of some of the things I've learnt in the last couple of weeks:
My major lesson was learning that people lie and act the fool for no reason. I know that there are liars in the world but I feel that the workplace probably provides the best context for lying. Because I experienced one piece of lying that took me for six. You see when people lie on me and that lie could affect my money (small money but money all the same), it pisses me off. And what is there to gain? not a damn thing! ie nothing tangible but apparently they are happy in knowing that they affected you in some way cause their own job doesn't take up a lot of their time. And this may not be a shocker, but the biggest set of liars are those who wear the church on their sleeve...

On the same point of the workplace dynamics- being young, female, qualified and generally happy are not good qualities. It seems that if you do your job well and don't act like it's the basis for your entire existence, you will upset some people who in turn is going to act the fool and tell lies on you. There are some people in the workplace who make it their business to watch what you wear, drive, monitor where you going; who you're going there with; how much money you spent there; they monitor who is yuh man or who they think is yuh man and make these observations a part of their daily duties.

My take on a job is just that- it's just a job- a part of my life- not my life. And on that note I don't buy into people who claim that they have a job that they love so much that they don't feel like they are working....rubbish!

Now on to more important lessons- Lychee Martinis are the bomb! I had them at The Mahogany Bar in Devon House but they're super expensive. Thank you to Cannonball Cafe, my official thesis writing centre, for letting me use their facilities and WiFi. They have a really good cappuccino and crab back salad. The staff is really friendly as well. I also discovered a great alternative to Hellshire fish at So So Seafood on Holdborn road. I had the escoveitch fish for lunch which was yummy, but the bammy wasn't anything to write home about. Last weekend I eventually had the oxtail at Mtenn which was worth the wait; wish I could eat there every Saturday!

I need to mention the fashion and beauty lessons- I got a couple pairs of Bridget's Sandals during their July sale but I still don't get what was on sale because I paid a whole heap of money for something that was supposed to be on sale. Uptown Jamaicans are very big on their Bridget's; so it's very fashionable to own a Bridget's....when in Kingston...do as the Kingstonians do...right? I'm also now into eyebrow threading which I get done at Nylorac in Barbican Centre; it's way more costly than waxing and lasts about the same time but the results are better- will never wax again! I'm also into the Shellac nail polish which is a better alternative to acrylic nails. I could never get into acrylic nails because they take forever and it's too much of a commitment. I got my Shellac nails done at The Face Place (a very posh salon). It's basically a new age nail polish that uses UV technology. The polish remained fresh for the 2 weeks and did not smudge or chip. They're completely dry by the time you finish your manicure; you could even open your wallet and take out your debit card smudge free. I took them off with acetone and my nails were not thin or damaged. However Face Place does not carry a wide variety of colors so it only works if you're into the natural look.

Well that's what I've been up to for the last 2 weeks; will try to update the blog more often....Oh and Btw, RedJet got permission for the Trinidad-Jamaica route!!!!

Tribers...allyuh ready?

Although I am not a big Tribe fan, I am excited to see how their 2012 costume concept comes to life for their launch on July 23, 2011. I am even more excited to see how crazy people will get to secure a Tribe costume. It's clear that Tribe has staying power; no matter how expensive or overcrowded this band gets, it just seems to attract more and more people. And even with the advent of new large bands, it has not lost its appeal. The few people that do decide to migrate to these new bands are quickly replaced by masqueraders who are willing to sell their kidneys, house and mother in a heart beat to secure a costume. Even after people complain about Tribe, they then find themselves 5 months later with a severe case of Tribenesia, fighting to get back in the band they swore never to play with again....