Thoughts on Tribe's Wings of Desire

Firstly, I am no fan of Tribe so note that there will be biases in this post.  For instance, I had a smh moment when I saw that their promo video for the band launch featured no soca. Really Tribe? Sometimes I wonder how much are these bands and their cult following concerned with promoting and preserving Trinidad Carnival, but again, that's my bias speaking. They are not.  I also don't like that you have to get past a gatekeeper to register withTribe, but I don't blame the band for that, I blame these soul-less masqueraders.  Now if you think I'm being too harsh here, try observing a Triber or a wannabe Triber around registration time...the devil makes a mint off of them...

Anyways, I am not completely anti-Tribe, but will give them credit where it's due. According to costume guru, Saucy, Tribe does literal interpretations well for the bikini and beads crowd.  If you remember Ole time Something Come back Again (which was my absolute favorite), Birds of a Feather, Butterflies, Beasts, and Bacchanal, and Tribe 10, these were all fabulous overall presentations.  For this reason I thought 2015 's Wings of Desire, which was supposed to be inspired by the Victoria Secrets' angels, would be brilliant.

Overall, Wings of Desire is simply, boring.  I expected more of the Victoria Secrets-esque wings with more vibrant and new color combinations.  I do not agree with the tired arguments that the designs are not original, they look too Brazilian, they are too skimpy...blah blah blah.  These critics need to remember that Tribe's model is not based on being cutting edge or producing Minshall type costumes.  They are satisfying their market, the same way that Poison did several years ago.  And while I'm on the Minshall and MacFarlane type costumes, a lot of them weren't original interpretations.

My main criticism of Wings of Desire, is that overall, the presentation is boring, but if you look closely, there are lots to applaud.  I think it's superficial to say that all the costumes "look the same". If you are of this opinion, I urge you to look closely at Solange Govia's designs. Vice's body wear where the sleeve and the illusion panty are remarkable concepts.  Although I'm not a fan of the color combo on Crave, she got the wings right and the details on the bra and necklace cannot be ignored.

Another costume where the body wear stood out is Raw. Oh em gee, do you see that bikini cut???

My overall favorite costume is Anya Ayoung-Chee's Luxe.  She captures the Victoria Secrets' wings and her signature fabric cape is the ish.

Source: Trinidad and Tobago Carnival Costume Photos

But these specific details on some of the designs do not help with the overall look of the band. More importantly, these are Frontline costumes and they make up a minority on the road.  Furthermore, at this point we have no idea what the backline will look like, but I predict they will all be lackluster and a poor scaled down version of the Frontline.  Over the years, Tribe's basic backlines have deteriorated and look like little or no effort went into them.  And for the males, just accept that board shorts and armbands will forever be your destiny in Tribe....

Finally, I would just like to point out to people, especially those outside of Trinidad and Tobago, that Tribe is not the be all and end all of the Trinidad Carnival experience although it is represented as such.  There are lots of other bands that do not require so much effort to get in and offer more for their backlines. If you are not into the bikini and beads, there are other bands that offer more creative representations.  If you don't want to play mas with 5000-6000 people, there are smaller bands.  If you want a more elaborate male costume, there are bands for you.  If you want to pay less, you can.  The Trinidad Carnival is not as insular as it may seem to be...

Carnival Monday with K2K

K2K's 2014 presentation, "Vie: The Rise of the Sanctuary" aimed to use birds to depict a specific life virtue. So it was only fitting that we were asked on Carnival Monday to represent birds of paradise.  The costume consisted of a blue and black chiffon shirt with oversized sleeves to mimic wings.  The shirt was worn with our own black bottoms, whether shorts, leggings, or bikini bottoms. Unlike many other bands, K2K had uniformity. A lot of bands tend to forget that Carnival extends to TWO days; therefore (in my opinion) masqueraders should be costumed for both days. I know I've said this before, but I hate when everyone in a band has on their own "Monday wear".  No matter how fabulous your individual Monday wear might be, it does nothing for the band on a whole which ends up looking like ole mas.

Waiting to cross the downtown stage

I met the band on Ariapita avenue after they crossed the QPS stage.  The numbers were small, but the masqueraders were having a great time.

Some of  highlights of my day:
1.  The shirt was lightweight and very comfortable
2. My makeup was fabulous
3.  Lunch and afternoon snack were provided
4. No problem to get drinks
5. The most vibesy sno-cone man ever
6. The DJ played nice groovy tunes throughout the day
7. The band won in the medium category downtown
8. There's just a nice familiarity among K2K masqueraders that I haven't experienced with other bands

No big complaints but:
1. There was no coconut water
2. We could do with a little more masqueraders
3. I really don't want to hear Nappy's "Big People Party" again....ever

After my first year with K2K, I never thought I would be singing their praises 2 years later.  I'm glad I stuck with them because it's been a lot of fun so far.  In a time where it seems that the bikini and beads rule the carnival, K2K is refreshing balance...

Planning for Carnival 2014

Band launching is usually an indication that you need to start planning for the upcoming Carnival season. For people outside of T&T, we don't have the luxury of waiting and need to make decisions quickly.  If you are in Jamaica, you may find this post useful.  So where should you be in your plans?

Costume
If you intend to play with one of the popular bikini and feathers bands (Tribe, Bliss, Fantasy, YUMA or Island People etc), you should have already registered for a costume and paid a deposit**. You should note that many of these bands have already reported sold out sections.  I've heard people in Ja, either boasting about having a "link" or asking about a potential "link" in the more popular Tribe/Bliss or Fantasy. Please be careful. Don't let your desperation cause you to hand over hundreds of US dollars to a "costume scammer".  Trust me, they do exist.  They masquerade as a friend of a friend's cousin-neighbor-colleague-girlfriend-uncle-niece....

I've also realized that there is a popular perception here in Ja, that if you go to Trinidad Carnival, you MUST play mas with Tribe, Bliss, or Fantasy.   I always urge persons to check out other options.  There are bands that offer a great costume and experience for less.  I am tired of telling people that Trinidad Carnival is not defined by these 3 bands...

****Saying that you are playing in a certain section of a band does not mean that you are.  When you have a receipt for your deposit, then you can update your social media status.

Accommodation
If you have not been offered free accommodation at a Trini friend's house by now, you should secure your own.  Hotel rooms are limited and expensive, and the more affordable guest houses tend to be booked by the end of the previous Carnival.  At this point, if you can't get a hotel or guest house, it may be best to contact a real estate agent.  You can also consider accommodation outside of Port of Spain.

Travel
At this point if you do the Thursday-Thursday, a ticket can cost around US$500 on Caribbean Airlines. Finalize your airfare as soon as possible especially with the current ridiculous exchange rate.  A cheaper alternative is Copa Airlines (through Panama).

Fete Tickets
I don't think you need to worry too much about fetes before the new year.  You should at least have some idea which fetes you want to attend, determine how much of your budget will go towards feteing, and how do you plan to get these tickets once they go on sale.  Also keep in mind that it will be necessary to get tickets very early for some events like Vale Breakfast and Beach House.

Diet and Exercise
Once you have registered for your costume, you basically should stop eating.

For first timers, it is important that you understand that Trinidad Carnival is expensive. Try not to get carried away with the hype. Carnival can easily cost you US$3000.  Decide what aspect is important to you- don't have Frontline taste with a Backline budget...or VIP taste with a general budget

Carnival Tuesday with K2K

As I said in the previous post, K2K definitely delivered for 2013. Their presentation, The Human Race was well executed, and there was a clear improvement in their management.  It was a brillant idea for them to begin on the Avenue, move to downtown, then to Picadilly greens (yes, we went to the Greens), and end at the QPS. Although our wait at the savannah was almost 3 hours, it was not as bad as some of the big bands. The blame here should solely rest on the NCC and NCBA.  Band congestion is a longstanding problem which has been getting worse. There's an entire year to plan for Carnival and you would swear they only began the week before. Lots of money was spent on retreats, consultants, breakfast meetings, staff, big salaries, consultations with stakeholders, and engineers and NOBODY came up with a solution? It is clear that all bands cannot cross the QPS stage on both days- let's start there....My solution is simply to let some bands cross on Monday and some on Tuesday...

Another issue on Tuesday was the internal overlapping of K2K's music which was extremely annoying.  Again, we only needed 1 music truck for a couple hundred people. Overall, I give big kudos to the Normans (and Peter) for going at it another year and ignoring naysayers like myself.  If you were looking for a band to get on bad and party the whole day, K2K was not that band, but if you were serious about parading a fabulous costume, yes, K2K is that band.  I had a great time and I loved that only one other masquerader and I wore the same costume.  What about next year? I hope so because I know it's going to keep getting better. I am especially considering doing a bigger costume in 2014 or the following year; it's about time right...

Since this goody bag is so important, I'm going to begin there.  I know I've been sounding "older" these days but I don't get what's the big deal with the goody bag. Poison never gave me any goody bag and all Legends ever gave me was the costume. Seriously, how many of these goodies do you actually use? Anyways, the goody bag was nice- cher mere samples, degree deodorant, sacha gift voucher, k2k mug, messenger bag, 2 local magazines, and a mini picnic set .  Good heavens! there was no soldanza plantain chips or digicel rags...dammit I want a refund. Oh and just for clarification- no one actually brought the picnic set on the road....

The costume for Skeptic was really nice but I thought it would have stood out more. Looking back at my pics, I looked a little like I was wearing a pink big bird outfit. In retrospect, I should have chosen something more slimming.  Yet, it held up really well even though some persons complained that the corset's zipper broke.  Luckily there was the option to lace it up. Unlike the Monday blazer, I was not hot in the the Tuesday costume.  Earlier that morning, I found the top hat and shoulder piece to be uncomfortable so I ditched them.  To my dismay, I was probably the only person in the section without these pieces, but bless the masqueraders who figured out how to attach that shoulder piece.  The one thing about K2K maqueraders is that they are very serious about their costumes.   Honestly, K2k's strength will always be their costume design and quality.  And yes, we were one of those bands wearing burkas on the stage. I want a refund for so much cloth....

Another improvement this year was the security. The band was pretty small so keeping masqueraders within the ropes was not too challenging.  But what I'm most uspset about is the lack of personal bodyguards.  I mean I paid over tt$5000 and no personal security?  I want a refund...

Like Monday, the drinks were not an issue.  The hubby who drank Hennessy was pleased that he was able to get it throughout the day.  This is in no way directed to any specific band, but the coconut water was flowing like it came from the skies...The disappointment was in the lack of an actual coconut vendor chopping nuts and scooping jelly...Please address this K2K...

We got the same chinese lunch on Tuesday from Wok and Roll and Church's chicken in the later afternoon.  However, we should be upset over the lack of snacks.  Every blasted band got soldanza plantain chips, and we got nada.  How can we play mas with only breakfast, lunch and a second lunch?  You are lucky some of us didn't pass out from starvation.  You need to do better. In fact next year we need a truck solely dedicated to snacks...

K2K chose not to have a rest stop. I mean how dare they torture us by having us on the road playing mas for the entire day with only a rest bus and a mobile spa.  How dare they didn't provide blankets for us to lounge.  Where were the makeup stations K2k? Shame on you. And why did our foot and shoulder massages in the mobile spa only last for 15 minutes? No facials? No body scrubs? We need answers or a refund...

The cher mere mobile spa

Okay, I guess by now you can sense my sarcasm.  I admit I was one of those masqueraders who obsessed over every little mas detail (just read my earlier posts), but is that what playing mas is really about? I don't get this paying for "an experience".  Besides an artistic costume, drinks, music, and good road management, what else do we want?  I think some masqueraders are getting carried away and missing the spirit of Carnival- what about that complete feeling of abandonment for those 2 days? The feeling that nothing else matters- just dancing, wining, and chipping to one of the best music in the world; there's no concern about work, school, bills, family issues or any other personal problems...Mas is also a performance- an embodiment of a character on the streets which becomes our stage while making powerful statements.  The legendary Peter Minshall put it best when he said that it's not about the literal costumes but creating ways to express human energy...

Carnival Monday with K2K

Carnival Monday 2013 will be one of my most memorable as it has been a while since I was so satisfied with a Monday experience.

I know that I swore up and down that I would never play with K2K ever again, but guess what, I changed my mind and I'm glad that I did. I was so wrong about K2K and I'm proud to admit it. The important lesson for me was learning that I stress too much and what a stress free carnival Monday it was.

Anywho, after getting my makeup done quite early by Makeda from Shades of Sugar, I was ready to meet the band on Ariapita Ave.  I was glad that K2K chose to start here and end at the QPS.  It just made sense because we never got caught up in band traffic.

Kudos to K2K for bringing mas back to Monday.  I really don't like this trend of individual Monday wear with masqueraders in the same band wearing their own outfit.  It just seems like an ole mas band because there's no consistency.  And even better, K2K didn't give us a tshirt or hot shorts, but a well tailored blazer to be worn with our own black shorts, bikini bottom or leggings.

You know when you were with serious masqueraders when most persons refused to take off the blazer even when we felt like we were baking.  At some points especially on Ariapita Ave, it could have well been a winter coat that I was wearing, but for the greater look of the band I ignored the river of sweat on my back and chest.

It was also a really smart idea to eat along the route without an official rest stop which ensured that the band kept moving.  Some persons found this to be strange and harsh, but I would remind them that rest stops are a relatively new phenomenon.  Back in the day (and yes I am old enough to use terms like "back in day"), we ate and rested while waiting.  I really don't mind this since the band doesn't lose much parade time and sometimes the long rest makes you more tired.

Our lunch was a large Chinese chicken or fish meal from Wok and Roll.  There was also pizza from Pizza boys.  Both options were good.  For me, the drinks weren't a problem as I only drank water and lucozade.

There was a huge improvement with security which I have to applaud.  There was even an extraction team.  As far as I know, there weren't any incidents.

My major complaints about K2K on Monday were firstly, the upkeep of the restrooms which weren't very clean and lacked toilet paper.  This was especially important in a band made up of mostly women.  I also felt that there should have been handsoap, which is not really a big deal to provide. My second complaint was the music.  I didn't like that the DJs played very few songs. In addition, at times when the trucks were too close, there was an overlap of the sounds which was just a mess.  For a small band we only needed one DJ truck.

Overall, the positives far outweighed the negatives.  I had a great time on Monday, and I maintain that for me, a small band provides a better experience especially when the band is serious about their costumes.  Again, I'm glad that I was so wrong about K2K.....

Different-ology

The suffix -ology refers to the " the study of"...so we can interpret Bunji Garlin's composition, "Differentology" to be the study of not just what is different, but what makes our Carnival and its music different.

I will never forget being in a class earlier this year at UWI Mona and a big time lecturer in response to my research said that she "hated" soca because it had no lyrics or depth and it only spoke about jump and wave.  Now being the only Trinbagonian in the room, I  was appalled and failed horribly at trying to convince her that this was not so.  Sometimes I feel like I always have to defend or promote soca not just because I'm a Trinbagonian but because of my lifelong love affair with the genre.  People don't invest a life time in a cultural product that is meaningless and without substance; we are passionate about it because we hear ourselves when we listen to it, and we see ourselves when we look at it...yes, it is different...

What Dr Big Time lecturer needed to do was to listen to Bunji's Differentology- a powerful voice telling a story that so many of us live, combined with a rhythm that speaks not only to the way we move or the wine, but the chip, the bend over, the leg lift, the lifting of the arms, the sip of the drink, the tilt of the head,the purse or biting of the lips, and I can't leave out that oh so sexy, but subtle "wine and glance back"...It's also about the guitar sounds that call on the spirituality of the experience, one that is immaterial and connects us through an unconditional love for revelry...it is different.  When the song asks " you ready?"  it doesn't simply mean if your make up is done, if you have your boots and monday wear or if you got your costume of choice...Carnival is much more than that. Are you physically, mentally and spiritually ready for the joys, vibes,  freedom, spirits, fete, friendships, disappointments and love...in fact, can you feel it now?

Live Yuh Life Like Yuh Playing Mas?

Academic scholarship has agreed that the ideas of Carnival and Masquerade speak to a temporary adoption of an identity different from our everyday lives- one that offers escape. The idea of "freedom to the flesh" has long been associated with the Carnival. Philospher, Mikhail Bakhtin suggested that the carnivalesque spirit offered persons from the lower classes relief from their oppressive lives. During their celebrations, they mocked the upper classes, and for a short time, they voiced non conformist opinions. It was indeed a time for humor and revelry. But at the end of the festivities, the workers had to return to the reality of their lives. Today Kees and David Rudder are asking us to live our lives like we are playing mas; let's carry this free spirit and abandonment outside of the confines of Carnival.

But the Trinidad Carnival of today is outside of the realm of Bakhtin's theory. Does the contemporary Carnival protest in the same way as the canboulay, the kalinda, the early steelbands, the pissenlit or the calypso? Our Carnival is largely defined by high priced costumes, all inclusive fetes, all inclusive j'ouvert bands, and exorbitant cash prizes for the soca competitions. From my perspective, there's no culture of protest or resistance. If we look at other elements such as the dimanche gras competitions, steelband and traditional mas, there is very little evidence of oppression. What we do have are promoters, sponsors and band leaders setting high prices to attain this 'freedom'. We also have a culture of aspirants grabbing at middle class signifiers, which in turn feeds the pockets of these Carnival business persons. Where is the resistance to this greed? What matters most to these aspirants is that they got into a certain band or that they got tickets to one of the exclusive inclusive fetes. Some argue that Carnival can level social inequities. Can it really? The fetes and the road march certainly do their best to keep out certain people. Despite what we think, there's no "all ah we is one famalee"  in j'ouvert, the road march or in fetes.  In fact, the "all ah we" is only an extension of the middle class identity of the aspirant. Whether we like it or not, this is the Trinidad Carnival today.

The freedom can actually be a relief from the participants' everyday roles, but how oppressive are these everyday roles? The people who can pay up to US$1000 for a costume or US$200 for a fete ticket or who move from Carnival to Carnival throughout the year are living their life like they are playing mas. But what of those who can't afford this experience, those who live in actual poverty, what escape does the contemporary Carnival give them?

Bikini, beads, feathers and.....

Since Tribe, Spice and Fantasy launched, I'm tired of critics complaining about the lack of originality in the bikini mas, the loss of "carnival culture" due to the dominance of bikini mas, and the loss of "Trinidadianess" in the production and design of costumes. Now what is mas culture in Trinidad? There's no one representation as culture evolves and becomes different things at different times. The political, social, religious , global, and technological issues of the time influence how a cultural tradition is conceptualized, created and interpreted. Basically our society is changing and it is inevitable that Carnival like almost every other aspect of society will undergo change. However, I'm not saying the we discredit our traditional Carnival, but to accept that it has undergone change.

First of all, we have to accept that our costumes have been bikini based from the 1980s, which means that we have had almost 30 years of this tradition; so why condemn it? It is also a known fact that women have dominated Carnival during the same period, so it is expected that the costumes will remain in the bikini trend. Carnival has always been a site of resistance, mimicry, masquerade, revelry, gender inequality and identity transformation and none of these have changed in the contemporary Carnival.  In addition, modern feminism has moved away from the belief that in order for women to be taken seriously, our bodies must not be a distraction. As such women do not need to feel ashamed about their bodies.  For some, this can be a literal interpretation of a "freedom to the flesh" or " carne vale". What is also important to note is that as women lewdly display their bodies on the streets of Port of Spain, they are challenging their unequal status in everyday life. They ultimately decide who would be the victim of their vicious skills while "bracing" some men, and they are mostly to be found in the company of other women. Then they put on their best business attire for work the next day to continue in a job that paid for this freedom. The power to choose is the most important action here- the choice to display their bodies without fear.

The traditional Carnival has always been scandalous and in poor taste.  For example the pissenlit bands of the 1870s were about men portraying blood stained menstrual cloths which was a sure way to upset the Victorian ideals of the time.  Carnival also never used original ideas. The pre 1980s saw the precedence of sailor, Native American, African tribal, devil, and animal inspired themes; none of which are original. Carnival costumes "portray", so it must be based on an interpretation of a concept, thus it is subjective.  Carnival is a masquerade, thus we adopt an alternate identity. And where is it written that we can't recycle, reuse, revisit and reinvent? Fashion does it all time.  However I do acknowledge that bands need to start thinking outside the box and change up the game.  For years they've argued that the younger masqueraders want the bikinis, but I don't think that this is completely true since we've seen masqueraders supporting non bikini mas.

If you didn't get the memo, we are living a global economy. Ultimately, globalization, free trade, competition, bottom line ( and all the other economics jargon) will affect the business of Carnival, in the same way it has affected other industries.  This era has made many jobs useless, so why don't we expect it to do the same where Carnival is concerned? The fact is that it is cheaper and more efficient to produce costumes in China. Why is it then that we don't have a problem with all our souvenir key chains, fridge magnets, dolls, pens, tshirts, bags, pot holders, cups, mugs, coasters etc being made in China? And yes, there's very little need for wire benders for bikini mas ( i guess if they may be needed with the rise of the cage bra).   But I don't see the outsourcing of costumes as a "loss of culture". The technology of the culture has changed but it doesn't make our Carnival less Trinidadian.  The passion that we bring to Carnival cannot be imported from China or Rio; that passion is purely Trinbagonian. How we parade, wine, grind, let loose and throw our worries away is what we bring to the Carnival and imports have never taken that away from us, and we have not let them.

Whether you like it or not, culture evolves.  Some of us may feel a sense of loss because we are always nostalgic about the past. What is more important is how we use the technologies of change in the interest of our people. We may no longer need wire benders but there is potential for new entrepreneurial and artistic skills. Why aren't we marketing Carnival to tourists? What is wrong with a 2nd Carnival in Tobago? Why aren't we hiring qualified persons without political affiliations to run various Carnival bodies?

And since we are on the topic of the government- they can ensure the preservation of our Carnival history through education in schools, preservation of artefacts, support for re enactments, training, regularizing imports, quality assurance, upholding consumer rights, support for research and documentation, a Carnival institute, and I can go on....

My point is that we can use inevitable change in our favour to create and sustain the Greatest Show on Earth...

***pic of Fantasy's costume from Trinidad Carnival Diary's page on fb

Carnival Next Year?????

After a severe case of Carnival tabanca, I've had time to reflect on my 2011 Trinidad carnival experience to see what I can do better for May in Ja or next year in T&T...

Probably I should lose weight; people with flat tummies and no love handles, don't have to worry about corsets, or costumes that cover up their front area which limit my choices. But I really did love my costume, whether the wholepiece option , bikini or monokini. I would have selected the costume even if I were 50lbs lighter.

But the problem with the wholepiece is that it's really hard to maneuver when you have to pee...so if I don't lose weight (most likely I won't), then a corset is a better option.

Again, what's with me and these damn belts? I thought I learned my lesson about these hanging gems but even without them, the belt still ripped my tights....Probably the width of the belt was the problem so what do I do....forget the belt? sigh

Talking about tights; Micles tights are always reliable and reasonably priced. I tried the toeless which is a better option than the footless. Because of the wholepiece, I selected the regular waist instead of the low waist which comes in the "Silky" brand. Although Micles claims that the "Silky" and "Micles" brand are the same, I saw a difference in the salmon shade because I wore "Micles" toeless and Monday and "Silky" regular on Tuesday and saw a clear difference with the "Silky" having a "white" tinge that I hate. I will NEVER go stockings free so Micles please get these shades right next year! I am considering trying the Peavy brand that are worn by the Hooters girls but there's too much trial and error with a brand I've never worn and will have to purchase online. Check out the Hotlegsusa website for pics.

The Shoekeepers boots were so uncomfortable this year! My Picadilly boots I bought in 2009 were so nice with a nice cushy sole that I did not even consider another brand this year. The boots were cute and I loved the bronze colour but after a couple hours, even with the insoles couldn't save them, so you just lost a customer Shoekeepers. I'm now going to experiment with Carnival Kicks for Ja carnival. I'll let you know how those go.

The Monday wear situation still sucks for me. It is now an indisputable fact that costumes cannot hold up for 2 days, so bandleaders don't even try and convince me to wear a part of my costume on Monday with shorts. I don't understand why other bands that cost the same or less than Bliss offered some kind of Monday wear. Even when I played with Spice, I didn't get why we had to pay an additional cost for the Spice tshirt. However, I saw persons in really creative outfits on Monday. Maybe I'll get something customized for my Monday wear next year.

I LOVED my makeup on both days! It was a great decision to have make up done on Monday and Tuesday. I kept asking myself, why hadn't I done this in the past???? I would never go without professional makeup on both days...EVER...I mean my Monday pics are so fab because of the make up so big up to Makeda from Shades of Sugar!

Weave, weave, weave!....A lot of people kept asking me why I wanted hair extensions/weave; even the sales rep at Hair it Is, was reluctant to sell me hair. Yes, my hair is medium length but I wanted it LONGER! I also wanted a different look. I had to eventually settle for a 14 inch because it was hard to get human hair in a longer length. The hairdresser who put it in suggested that I try the actual ponytail extension in the future which will be easier to do myself and I will get it in longer lengths. I think I'm going to look for a 20 inch ponytail for Ja. Ponytails can be chic, require little maintanance, and are practical for Carnival. There is no worry about sweating out your hairstyle or water damage (assuming you got bought that good hair).

I've already mentioned that I'm not sure who I'll be playing mas with next year. I do get caught up in the hype over the big bands during the launch season and love the bougie nature of the all inclusive bands, but I need to remember that my love has always been for the MAS, to parade in a lovely costume, and have a great time with my friends. Lunch stops, premium drinks, toilets and monday wear were never priorities. I'm now looking for a small band with a great FL or individual costume where I'll be treated as a masquerader and not just a customer....