Thunderstorms,Trinis, Gems, Boots, Bunji & Faye Ann, a Chick with a Huge bottom, and no Kamla...

After recovering from an embarrassing hangover, I was able to get my makeup done at Face Forward which came out really well....big up to Sharon and Krystal! I still didn't feel 100% so I took a nap and met the band on their way to the lunch spot. Talk about rain....one piece of thundershower...big up to all the girls that waterproofed their feathers! The Frenchmen lunch included Chinese and grilled items...I still wasn't feeling so hot so I didn't eat. Back on the road, I stayed close to the Renaissance truck with DJ Smoke and Alicia the Duchess. Bunji and Faye Ann was also on this truck so there was a lot of vibe. The music was current and I didn't have to hear the same 10 songs. The highlight was the performances from the power couple who delivered song after song....bess. And talk about trinis; nuff trinis on the road, on the truck, performing, Mcing; DJing...I mean the only Trini that wasn't there was Kamla.

Later in the afternoon we got a couple wings with bread or crackers which was a life saver since I didn't eat the lunch. I chased the wings with lucozade which was my drink for the day so I was sober and energized. After the wildness in Half Way Tree, we had the best chip down Knutsford Blvd, again with Bunji and Faye Ann on the mike. At mas camp, I collected my dinner, jumped in a taxi and went home. After all the fuss about the costumes, closing down the wall on the Bacchanal Fb page, refunds, reselling of costumes etc.. people did have a ball. Everyone looked like they were enjoying themselves even after the rain had completely washed away make up and eyelashes. I didn't see much of the other sections since I didn't really leave the Frenchmen section but Frenchmen's 2 sections looked the best. The green in Avalon and the purple in Shangri la stood out over the other costumes. The most diappointing were Capetian and Digicel's Ming Dynasty....no surprise there right.

Can you say gems and boots. It was like a bedazzler exploded that morning! Gems, gems and more gems...small, medium, large, on the face, on the body and even on lips...my word, Samaroos would be proud. And then there were the boots in varying colours, styles and height. So it's safe to say that the Jamaican masqueraders are moving with the times and it's now left up to Bacchanal to update the costumes designs. We need back packs, tails, collars, bigger headpieces, less plume feathers, more creative color schemes and bras that fit. Now the bra issue was a big problem that I hope that somebody plans to fix next year. All Bacchanal has to do is provide sample bras from the supplier during registration so that women could select the correct size because these bras were obviously not standard sizes.

Personally, I had a great time. My corset was FAB. I bought it at Sincerely Yours in Trinidad for TT$400 and it is most comfortable corset I've ever worn. It's pretty easy to cover the corset with fabric using a glue gun and use applique and gems that match the bra. To top it off, I had a GORG collar made by Carnival Diva that complimented the costume really well. It was very light and easy to carry. My pouch from Bacchanal Divas held all of my necessities and was coincidentally made from the same fabric used on the corset. I'm glad that I ordered a size 8 boots from Carnival Kicks because they fit like a 7.5 but had enough room for the toe protectors and the insoles. My Micles stockings did not rip!!!! This miracle could be attributed to the plastic gems or the short time I spent on the road; It's so in tact that these could be worn again.

Despite all the costume problems and my hangover, this was one of my best carnivals in Jamaica. The music was bess, my costume was comfy and the crew had vibes....

Check out some photo albums here, here and here.

Machel Friday and Saturday...Advantageous!

Attending the Lime All Island J'ouvert on Friday was kind of iffy since this was their first event I've attended but once Machel was going to be there...I dey! It's a good thing I got there really late because the party was LAME, the music and selector were LAME and worst of all there was the false advertsing of free drinks in VIP. Not even the bar man knew that the drinks weren't free. The explanation given was that it was a Smirnoff sponsored event so only Smirnoff and Red Bull were free...wth! But it's a good thing I'm a vodka drinker so it wasn't a big deal but why would you only have 2 bartenders especially when they were obviously on a go slow. The other fail in VIP was that there were no restrooms. You had to walk all the way to the back of the venue to access the 6 toilets provided for the entire party.

But the VIP was on a platform with good viewing access to the stage; we also had seats and tables and jerk from Scotchie's. A little after 2am, Machel came on with the band and his dancers....he reall mash up the place with all his hits from this year and earlier...The crowd got into a frenzy when he did Big Truck, Footsteps and Mad Bull. Big up to girls like Brithany Dookie and her bend over skills; but an even bigger kudos to the chick from the crowd who proved that she could match Brithany's skills. The most improved award should go to Patrice Roberts...my girl, why were you holding back all these years? And what a slamming body! Zan and Nappy did performed their usual songs giving the set variety. Overall, Machel saved this party but I wouldn't expect any less because he's the biggest soca artiste in the world!

The next night we were off to Bazodee. After last year's disappointment, I didn't expect much but I was happy that Frenchmen masqueraders got the tickets for $5500 instead of the regular $6000. We got there around 10:00pm and there was the typical crowd. By now, I could identify the usual Frenchmen suspects (I guess they could say the same about me). Alicia the Duchess from Trini delivered all the hit soca songs sharing the spotlight with DJ Smoke- the music was bess.

I got my Trini food first- doubles, bake and saltfish and roti and later on I had the barbeque pigtail (it sell off). This year the Johnnie was flowing which didn't end up being a good thing for me. However the dessert station had been significantly cut down and Haagen Daz was absent...no scene because the Johnnie was flowing.

We eventually moved to dance floor which had mucho vibes. I was surprised that Machel came on for an impromtu performance but then bradap! no Machel! Apparently he fell off the stage allegedly being shocked by one of the generators....???

The only downside of the night was the power cut and Machel's short performance. We eventually left the fete around 2:30am although I had planned to leave at 1/1:30am. The only thing I would regret was not counting my drinks cause did I feel it a couple hours later....

And the Prep Begins...

My Jamaica Carnival week was supposed to start on Wednesday with the I Love Soca fete at Devon house but after an almost 3hr wait for my costume at mas camp, I did not feel up to it. I had a headache and was extremely upset. I did not get the belt that I ordered; Bacchanal claimed to have ran out of Frenchmen armbands and I would get my band on the day of the road march...which did not make any sense to me because we know that on Sunday no one will be doing so. To top it off, miss thing CSR needed a serious attitude check. Bacchanal, please hire CSRs who are informed, efficient and can work well under pressure and don't tell me crap like"I'm just helping out" because guess what? the costume is not free...well you know that I had to tell her that I don't care about her working for her free costume...

By Thursday I got my belt adjusted by a seamstress for JA$1000 (wth!) and got the items to decorate my corset. By this time, I'm feeling better and thinking about going to Frenchmen Blocko but I also want to wake up to watch the Royal Wedding (yes, I'm a sucker for weddings). But my fete friend also had to wake up early so we decided to just settle for William and Catherine (my girl drop the "Kate" yes).

I took a nap after the wedding and decided to try mas camp for the armband because the guidelines clearly stated that persons without bands will not be allowed in the band even in the costume. So I got my band and even collected my boots from Carnival Kicks. The size 8 boots fit my size 7 feet really well with enough room for my insoles and toe protectors. They gained mucho points by bringing the boots to Jamaica to reduce the ridiculously high shipping fees....

At this point, I had my boots, my belt, armband and my corset was being decorated. I also had my VIP tics for the Machel show later that night so I was really pumped cuz nothing could be better than getting a good dose of Machel....