Make a Stage...

So I'm a little late with this one but the Honorable Minister of Arts and Multiculturalism, Winston Peters aka Gypsy announced last week that the savannah stage has returned and judging of bands will take place inside the Queens Park Savannah. I'm sure there were screams from mas loving Trinis all over the world...The stage is so important to many masqueraders who live for this climatic moment every year. It's where we perform and it's where our masks become reality...


I remember my first stage experience with Legends (now Legacy)...and how excited I felt as we made each step from the hospital on Charlotte street to the savannah. All the exhausion seemed to disappear at this point. After passing Memorial square, it felt almost real as the DJ now switched to the real road march tunes Iwer's, Carnival Come back Again and Superblue's Pump Up, asking us to make our selection for the stage...we screamed for Iwer. The bandleader, Big Mike then redistributed standards to those who had left it behind or didn't bring it at all due to its uncomfortable nature. Everyone who played with Big Mike back in the day knows how important a standard was to him! In true Legends fashion, they opened with some kind of dance performance in line with the theme followed by the infamous strong men and rude girls' section. We stood behind the human barrier waiting to burst through and enjoy those 15 minutes we had paid our TT$850 for, sat 6 hours to get our hair braided, applied several packs of silver loose glitter, used portable toilets throughout the day and exhausted the 32 shots in our cameras.....it all led up to this moment.....

Bliss Carnival 2011!

So I'm finally registered in BLISS....I can't believe that I've abandoned my "spicequeraders"...but sometimes you have to go where your wallet leads. It's cheaper for me to play with Bliss and I really love the Titans costume more than any costume in Spice. I also don't mind giving a new band a chance to see what they have to offer....

Bliss has a very non traditional process for costume registration that worked well for me especially since I'm not in Trinidad. They asked that you send them an e-mail indicating your top 3 costume choices and your measurements. A week later a response is sent with online payment guidelines. Two days, after payment online, a receipt with your downpayment, sizes etc. is sent.

The second option in true Tribe style, is to register through a committee member. Once this person provides Bliss with your registration information and e-mail, they will send you the information about online payment. I also heard that they did have unadvertised registration at the Carlton Savannah hotel in September. I know I've said many times that I will not play in Tribe again because I'm not into the rush and fight down and line up to get into the band and if you do, it's you and thousands of people, hundreds of trucks pack up tight tight on Carnival Monday and Tuesday...I not in dat! But Bliss' registration was pretty easy and their website even shows that Caprica is still available (another one of my fave costumes). The band is also quite small and promises an intimate experience....I'm all for this! So Same Vibe different Tribe!

A couple of weeks ago, Bliss sent me an e-mail with specific requests for measurements so it seems that it's more that a small/medium/large/xlarge standard fit but they want to ensure that the costume fits well. I was unable to respond then because I need to purchase a measuring tape....You know things are bad when the only measuring tape you have in your house can't make it around your hips......

Trini Carnival Fete Calender 2011!

Whey all the Fetes is for Carnival 2011 has posted a Carnival Fete Calender for 2011 on facebook. I am so excited because it reminds me how close Carnival is! This season is a long one so the options are greater. All I could think of are outfits, linking with my friends and how the hell I'm going to fund this!

I won't be there until the Wednesday before Carnival so I can't enjoy the earlier fetes. So far on my list is Girl Power (cuz my Mom loves this fete) on Friday and Sunny Side Up on Sunday morning. I'm still not sure about Thursday and I really want to try a new Friday fete.

Kudos to David Wears for this FB group....Ensure that you join the group because he gives much needed info about tickets, prices, reviews and other updates about fetes.

******JANUARY 2011******
Saturday 8th January 2011*
TRIBE ICE (Insane Cooler Experience) - Jenny's Carpark, Cipriani Avenue.

Sunday 23rd January 2011*
Trinity College's Soka In Moka - Trinity College, Maraval - 4pm

Friday 28th January 2011*
St Francois Girls College Annual All-Inclusive - St John’s Hall, Wrightson Rd, POS - 4pm

Saturday 29th January 2011* Blazin' Soca (Fire Services Fete) - Wrightson Rd, POS - $125 TTD*
Hysteria "D Crazy Cook-out" - Chaguaramas*
Outta De Blue - QRC All-Inclusive - QRC Grounds - St Clair, POS*
Chutney Soca Monarch Prelims

Sunday 30th January 2011*
Island People Amnesia

******FEBRUARY 2011
******Saturday 5th February 2011*
Dunhill ONE Fete All-Inclusive - QP Oval*
Bishop Anstey All-Inclusive - Bishop Anstey Grounds, POS - 4pm*
Chutney Soca Monarch Semi's

Sunday 6th February 2011*
UWI Annual All-Inclusive Carnival Fete- UWI Grounds (St Augustine) - 2pm

Friday 11th February 2011*
Bacchanal Factory (Bazodee Friday) - Pier 1, Chaguaramas - 9pm

Saturday 12th February 2011* Blue Flame All-Inclusive - Blue Range Courts*
"Fete With The Saints" -All-Inclusive - St. Mary's College ( POS) http://www.cicpsu.org/*
Chutney Glow

Sunday13th February 2011*
Yorke All-Inclusive - UWI* Bel Air All-Inclusive - La Romain*
Soca Monarch (Semi-Finals)

Wednesday 16th February 2011*
Carnival Under The Trees - The Normandie

Friday 18th February 2011*
Central Bank All-Inclusive - Central bank - 8pm*
Ladies First - Pier 1, Chaguaramas - 9pm

Saturday 19th February 2011*
Wicked in White - QP Oval*
Licensing Fete -* WASA Fete - St Joseph*
Gal Farm - Venue T.B.A.*
Chutney Soca Monarch - Skinner Park

Sunday 20th February 2011*
PANORAMA SEMIS!!!!!*
Friends of Blood Bank Fete – All-Inclusive* University School - All-Inclusive

Friday 25th February 2011*
Misty Ridge – All-Inclusive – Hadeed Ranch* Wild Meat – All-Inclusive –Tunapuna*
Army Fete - QP Savannah

Saturday 26th February 2011*
Campus Carnival - All over UWI!!!*
Fatima College All-Inclusive -*
Karma Sutra 9 – Country Club, Maraval – 10pm*
Chutney Brass

Sunday 27th February 2011*
Friends to the Max All-Inclusive (form. CAREC– All-Inclusive) – 2pm*
St George's College All-Inclusive - School Grounds*
T&TEC Soca Shoka– St John’s Complex*
Kari People All Inclusive - YWCA, St Clair, POS

Monday 28th February 2011* (PNM) Fete – POS – 9pm*
Mardi Gras- 10pm

******MARCH 2011
******Tuesday 1st March 2011*
Eyes Wide Shut – Queens Park Oval – 9pm*
Zante – Macqueripe Rd, Chaguaramas – 4pm

Wednesday 2nd March 2011*
S.O.S. -Dutch Inclusive (La Flor)– The Anchorage*
Bacchanal Wednesday

Thursday 3rd March 2011*
Beach House – All-Inclusive – 2pm -8pm*
Escape to the Sanctuary – All-Inclusive Salybia – 11am*
TRIBE Ignite – Venue to be announced - 9pm*
UWI Splash - Chaguaramas*
New night time fete - more info soon

Friday 4th March 2011*
Island People Girl Power – 9pm*
Privilege ‘RISE’ – All-Inclusive – Moka, Maraval – 9pm*
Blue Range Cooler Fete – Diego Martin - 9pm* Break Biche -2pm*
Soca Monarch Finals

Saturday 5th March 2011*
PANORAMA FINALS - 7pm (steelband competition finals)*
Trini Posse Fete – Bowen Marine Hanger, Chaguaramas*
Island Style INSOMNIA – Midnight*
Dawn, Sunrise In The City – Jenny’s Car Park - 2am*
Lions – All-Inclusive – Lions Civic Centre (Port of Spain)

Sunday 6th March 2011*
D’Original Breakfast Party – Diamond Vale, Diego Martin – 3am*
Mania 2010 – Free Drinks - Country Club – 10pm*
Sunny Side Up Breakfast Party – Palm Avenue West, Petit Valley – 4am*
Dancing In the Sanctuary – All-Inclusive - Windsor Road, Valsayn – 11am*
Brian Lara – All-Inclusive – Chancellor Hill, Queen’s Park West – 2pm*
Harvard Club All-Inclusive Fete – Harvard Club, St. James – 4pm*
Is Just A Fete (TASA) – Queen’s Hall, Port-of-Spain*
Cotton Tree Foundation – All-Inclusive – Spanish Acres*
DIMANCHE GRAS - calypso finals, king & queen of bands costume finals

Me and my Crew

I've always played mas with crew...I even remember the 1st time I played, one of the most important aspects was getting a crew together to decide to play in the same section. That year, it was pretty unanimous that Unity was our section of choice in the now defunct Legacy. For a couple years Poison then became our band of choice, even with some of the crew opting for different sections Being with these girls made the experience a lot more fun...Some of my closest friends today came out of these mas crews.

Today, I can safely say that there's no crew...Some became die hard Tribers, some have abandoned playing mas together, and some have gained new priorities. There are a few people I consult about band or section choice but I found that they have lost the zeal. The high cost of costumes and the rush to make a decision have deterred some of my crew. My first year with Spice reunited me with some of the crew and we had a blast...but by the second year, the cost became a problem and I was alone but I had fun. This year the crew from Spice is silent although they have voiced that they were very disappointed in Spice's costumes but no alternative have been proposed....So my crew may be reduced to 2 next year again...me and the bf.

A crew is important but never depend on them to have a great experience...you can even consider meeting new crew members.....

Family, Celebrations, Food and Funerals

Unfortunately, my bf's grandmother died about 5 weeks ago here in Jamaica. I was then able to experience the rituals involved in a Jamaican funeral which is an interesting research subject. The most shocking aspect was that the funeral was held 4 weeks after the death. This delay allows for family members from all over the world to get time off from their jobs and fly in. It also allows time for the family to get the large sum of money needed for the funeral. The relationship between the "foreign"family and the local family during the planning stage is also noteworthy. The foreign family sends a list of demands for the funeral that they believe are in good taste and can't be left up to the home based family such as the type of coffin, the style of car to be used as a hearse, options for a mourning car etc. It is assumed that the home family cannot make such decisions since in most cases the overseas family will cover most if not all of the cost.

Once the date for the funeral has been set based on the approval of the foreign family, there's much back and worth about the details of the funeral...who will read the eulogy? tributes? verses? sing? dance? pall bearers? do we need a glass chariot? (yes, a glass chariot), who will host the nine-night and the repass? etc.

On the week of the funeral, it's all about finding accommodations for the foreign based family, as well as getting them from the airport. This task can difficult because everyone comes in at different times and depending on the size of the party and their luggage, it may require more cars or more living space. Once family members are here, it also means getting them around Jamaica to see all the people they need to see and feeding them their missed local dishes on a regular basis.

Before the funeral, a nine night is held where family members and friends visit the home of the deceased for several nights. The nine night I attended was not so much like a wake but more like a "session". Yes, there was the traditional tent with people singing hymns but there was also a DJ and a live band that led the singing of the hymns. In addition, there was a lot more than the staple fish and bread but drums cooking pan chicken, a big pot of manish water, curried goat, roast breadfruit, fried chicken, rice and peas, green salad and dessert.

On the opposite side of the food, a complete bar was set up with red stripe, guiness, smirnoff ice black, soft drinks, and hard liquor (mostly wray and nephew white rum). It's safe to say that the family, friends, neighbors, friends of the neighbors, friends of friends, friends of the family and everybody else did not leave hungry or thirsty.

The following morning we were at the funeral for a service which lasted almost 3 hours. However I was told that this was a very short service because it can last up to 4 or 5 hours...wow... Following the burial, we headed a family member's home for the repass or gathering for family and close friends. Food is also served at a repass but like any large event with free food, greediness is always present...and no offense to my church going peeps but church people is the greediest people in the world...I've seen it too many times to say it's just a coincidence. Imagine the church had their own bus to transport their congregation to the repass even though most of them did not know the deceased. And they eat their belly full; even asking for seconds and plates to carry home for their families! and without any shame! don't you feel ashamed or a little guilty for imposing on an intimate family gathering and eating food that was not catered for you????

Greediness at a funeral is not specific to Jamaica ....there's just shameless greedy people all over the world and I hate it! But i did enjoy seeing the family get together and celebrate rather than mourn their mother and grandmother. It made me think a lot about family in Trini and how much I take them for granted sometimes...life is short and unpredictable...so let's make the best of it and appreciate all of our blessings :)

The Frontline Wallet

YUMA's Taurus is one of my all time fave Frontline costumes. It really does epitomize the fabulousness that a FL costume should portray: the large plume feathers, a sensible and attractive mix of colors and a non traditional bikini top. A FL costume should also provide distinctive details on the belt, headpiece, as well as on the neck, arm and leg pieces that sets it apart from the Backline version.... It shouldn't look like the BL costume with more feathers. If you opted for this FL, I hope that you got all of the pieces; I don't think I would like it without the backpack. However it would set you back TT$4790+ TT$1200 (for the backpack). As I told a friend...if yuh want Frontline costume, yuh betta have Frontline wallet!....

This Carnival Rewine Fete Now has my Attention!

After trying to find out about Gems Jamaica....I was still hesitant about their Carnival Rewine party. But then I found this in my inbox:

EVER HAD "BAKE & FISH" ?, HOW ABOUT DOUBLES, OR CORN SOUP.......DELICIOUS TRINIDADIAN DELIGHTS ON SALE BY CUDDY'Z SPORTS BAR.

I'm guessing that the "Bake and Fish" is an alternative to bake and shark...but the doubles and corn soup...wicked! I've had trini food from Cuddyz (owned by Courtney Walsh) and it was really impressive. I know that the manager is trini so these dishes should taste like they're supposed to. So most likely I will be checking out Rewine, not just for the music but for the food....