Bacchanal Jamaica 2012- No Shock

Well yes, Bacchanal Jamaica is using the theme "Future Shock" for 2012. I'm guessing this refers to the shock I did not feel when I saw the costume pics; make note that there are no prototypes available at the mas camp.

The No Shock factor lies in the fact that there's no wow factor with the costumes which are recycled designs and colors; no shock at the website was not launched on the promised date; no shock that the registration process is slow; no shock that it's a cash deposit since there are no point of sale machines; no shock that there is only ONE booklet at the mas camp with poor quality pics for potential masqueraders to view, and no shock that Frenchmen does not have the best costume, But wait, there is one shock- the prices which have significantly increased....

The prices range from US$189- US$246. The bright side is that you can pay less if you take the crown option and not the headpiece. Wow, is that supposed to be a shock? we are so lucky (my attempt at sarcasm).

No shock, but I'm registered in Frenchmen's Supernova (in the pic) without the headpiece, which is US$226. Supernova is not my fave costume but it's either you want to be in Frenchmen or you want a pretty costume. No shock, but Frenchmen is almost sold out. 2 out of the three sections are sold out at the mascamp, but you may be able to get them online if the website ever launches. The remaining section is an awful red which even Digicel had to reject...I guess the ugly factor on that costume could be a Shock.

But not all the costumes lack the shock factor. I really like Smirnoff's Avatar (not the headpiece) and Observer's Encleadus. They are very contemporary and lack that "samaroo's look" (no offfense to Samaroo's). I also hear that Smirnoff"s Avatar is going fast. You can view the costumes on their Fb page.

• So if you are going down to register, don't wait to decide- please know your section before hand.



• Know your sizes- bra, bottom piece and hip (where you wear the belt).



• The downpayment is JA$7000 in cash only.



• If you are registering your friends, have their address, telephone, and email as well.



• The registration is at the new mas camp at Stadium north from 10am-3pm.



• Registration for the tshirt sections is not open.

T&T Carnival Picks

Most persons arrive for T&T during the week before Carnival Monday and Tuesday. There are so many options which seem to be growing and could become confusing. So far, these are the decisions I've made:

All Inclusive fete

For US$300, I am dying to know what the Ultimate Lime fete (at the Hyatt) will be offering. The reviews from last year were great and for the price, this has to be the best fete ever.

Regular fete

Honestly, you can't beat UWI Splash as a regular fete. You get the same venue and almost all the performers as Bacchanal Wednesday and Trini Posse, just at a lower price.

Carnival Friday pickI'm seriously thinking of doing Break Biche since I've heard good reviews and I'm all for day fetes. It's only TT$400 drinks inclusive, but has the same performers as Sunny Side Up.

Breakfast fete

In my opinion, Vale Breakfast is old news. My pick is Sunny Side Up (tics are available in Ja), but I'm also feeling UP. (I find that the promoters could have been more creative with the name.) But UP has Machel Montano as its headline act so they will pull a good crowd.

J'ouvert band

I am recommending Caesar's Army AM Bush on Saturday morning as an alternative to traditional J'ouvert. Since all j'ouvert bands have to go to POS, the uptown j'ouvert crowd may not like that scene so if you want to try something different, consider AM Bush.

Airline

Now doh start meh on Redjet and dey bull. These people cancelled my flight on Feb 5 and I didn't get an email or a phone call- nutten. No apology- nutten. I am not amused especially since the new date they gave me is later than I want to leave. The lesson is if your dates are not flexible stick with Caribbean Airlines.

Carnival Band

Everybody else will recommend Tribe, Bliss or YUMA, which is fine depending on what you expect from a band. I love the new band scene and since I do not hold any band loyalty, I'm giving K2K a chance this year. Someone described K2K's costumes as Tribe meets MacFarlane which is an ideal description so I'm excited to see the end product. I'm also excited about their Monday wear and make up packages.

Boots

My Carnival kicks boots were extremely comfortable and much cheaper than the piccadilly boots. I am also not feeling the decorating of the boots. It's probably just me, but I'm over the gems and feathers on boots- it's just over done. Carnival kicks will be delivering in T&T and you can also purchase the boots from a dsitributor in St James (868-622-7151).

Stockings

Cant go wrong with the good old Micles stockings. I would like to try the Peavey brand but I'm not sure about my shade. Peavey promises that these tights have a high denier so they are less resistant to runs. We'll see right...

Makeup

I'm not sure if I'm going to opt for K2K's makeup. If not, I'll stick to Makeda from Shades of Sugar. She's done my makeup for 3 years and I'm always satisfied.

I'm officially excited for Carnival! See you there!

K2K's Monday Wear

OMG! My wish has been granted! K2K will be providing fabulous options for Monday wear as a part of our costume package. The fabric aspect of the costume is complimetary, but the accessories and undergarments will be available for purchase at the mas camp. The band is also offering makeup and airbrush (for an additional cost). I love that they are providing us with these options even if we have to pay for it, which reduces the stress of having to look for additional monday wear and carnival services. However, I do hope they have sufficient artistes to cater for the number of masqueraders without long and frustrating lines. Did I mention how excited I am????

You can view the entire Monday wear album on K2K's Fb page and learn more about the designers in this article in the Trinidad Express.

I Love Soca- Dec 21st

So yes, the soca continues in December in Jamaica with the I Love Soca fete on Wednesday December 21st. I think this event has picked up and already has a following. I am confident that the music will be very recent since this crew is always in tune with the new soca. I will not be there but I fully endorse this one...

Soca Vs Dancehall

Soca in December in Jamaica is slowly becoming popular, so I decided to check out the Soca Vs Dancehall fete at Morgan's Harbour on December 3rd. The fete is new to the Ja soca scene but attracted the usual soca crowd.

On arrival, the venue was empty and the music lame. Again, I will stress that Sparkles Disco and Omar C are weak soca DJs. So the music was pretty lame with poor track choices. When I saw DJ Smoke from Renaissance, I was really happy because he is way better than those two. The venue filled up a bit and the music picked up. Smoke had the crowd's attention with latest soca and hip hop. By the end, you could hear persons shouting "soca! soca!", which made me smile :)...there had been a clear winner.

I love the venue although it is a bit out of the way. I also appreciated that although it was a drinks inclusive affair, there was the option to purchase higher end drinks.

I can see a future for this party if the promoters step up their marketing and probably get some prime sponsors behind them....

Anya's Take me to the Runway

Well Anya Ayoung Chee really took us to therunway with this design for Tribe's 2012 presentation. Boy, what a piece of nekkidness but it sexy for so. The design doesn't really stand out as original, but I like the colours. It also has a pocahontas feel with the materials and design of the headpiece. But my fave part of this costume is the cloth which really gives it the "Anya" touch. The word is that this is a VVIP section in Tribe, which is not surprising. Do not get ahead of yourselves believing that because you like the costume, you may get in the section....I don't think so. And well done to Tribe for getting creating further hierarchies in a band that is at the top of the hierarchy. So all those masqueraders who felt like they crossed a barrier to get into Tribe, you ain't reach yet; if you get into this section...let me know

Costume 2012- Check!

This has to be the latest I've registered for a costume since 2002, but I'm glad that I'm finally with costume. I've said this many times on the blog, but I don't want to rush into purchasing a costume without thinking it through carefully. But that's not a luxury for everyone, as so many people rush into registration with a fear that they may not secure a costume. I've realized that I should not condemn anyone who registers for a costume in July because this is how the game is played. And if you don't like it, you play in a band outside of the game. But the downside is that these bands do not appeal to your friends and no one wants to be in band with people they don;t know. I mean everyone we know is in Tribe, Bliss or YUMA right?

Anywho, so I just visited the K2K Alliance's website, selected my sizes and added the costume to the shopping bag; checked out, entered my credit card info and that was it. I then received my confirmation for payment two days later through email. Did I mention that I got the costume that I wanted, Dead Sea III Frontline? No fuss no muss. The frontline cost TT$5160 or US$860 with a US$400 deposit. I must also add that any questions I had were promptly and pleasantly addressed by the designers.

However, the website only allows you to pay for one costume at a time since you could only add one item to the shopping bag, and I have not seen an option to pay the balance online. I am also awaiting the decision on Monday wear. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for something because I'm not into stressing about an outfit for Monday. Let's just be honest, costumes are no longer meant to wear on both days so I want some black cloth, a tshirt or something...

So basically I'm excited to see what the costume will look like on the road and maybe I'll meet some new friends. And don't be afraid to sell your YUMA costume if you are having second thoughts because you will have no problem finding a buyer.....