My so-called life

It is November 2007, and I have finally decided how I am going to remember this year. Last year 2006 was the Year of Transition. This year 2007, has been, without a doubt, the Year of Surprises. I had things happen to me that I never once dreamed of. I started this blog (that, admittedly, I've severely slacked off on). I had my first experience of playing mas (okay, that's not really in the "surprise" category, but it did contain a ton of surprises). Now, I am a woman who takes NOTHING for granted (or at least I try to be), so when I express surprise at, say, tiefin a wine on that guy I had a crush on for a minute, well, that would indeed hold true. The reason why I would be surprised at something like that would require its own blog post - and I don't like to digress too much from my point - since I have just gone far enough already... On the not-so-pleasant side, this year was the first time I got fired from a job. But back to the pleasant side (grin), there's the biggest and most important surprise of them all - I finally discovered my Soulmate. In the last place I would have ever thought to look - literally my own backyard.
That said, I thought by now, toward the end of the year, I thought the surprises would have been over. (Those who view my facebook profile know exacltly where this is going). One November evening - the first to be precise - I was on the phone with my honey, asking him about a very serious conversation we had not two days prior. Background info: Though my babes and I have discussed marriage as a long-term goal, we never gave it serious current thought, until one day (late October), we were in our we're-exponentially-depressed-because-we-miss-each-other mood, and he just said "You know what? Why don't we just get married and I move up there". And I said "How about that, then?" And that got us thinking about marraige as a very real possibility. So, I brought it up again, asking if this is something that he is really serious about. He answered with a question. THE question.
Suffice to say that we are now engaged.
EN!
GAGED!
Yes, ladies and gentlemen - he is not my boyfriend any more. He is my fiancé!
Well, I must cut this blog post at this point, but there will be a LOT more to come - including how easy this was to break to Father dearest, who is just a ray of F&^king sunshine as always. Ah done!

Arm and Leg for Sale...

Well, they might as well be! Dem prices for the TRIBE costumes wayyy too much!!! Granted, it is a marginal improvement from last year - at least in terms of what I paid. On a side note, and I may be mistaken, but it seems as though some of the male costumes got a do-over. To that I say THANK GOD!! The Titania section, for instance, was indeed unkind to the male counterpart. It was bad enough he had to wear pink - he also had WINGS for a headpiece???? Wtf was the designer thinking?? Well, thankfully, an improvement was made, though it's still kinda blah...
But I digress (typically). My best friend in Trini sent me an email, loaded with repititions of the "f" word, having something to do with the fact that the costumes were a wee bit over-priced. This, from a young woman who, on more than one occasion, played with Island People.... who had, as I recall, way more stringent payment demands on thier masqueraders than TRIBE - or at least they did last year.
Now, if they relaxed their standards, and things work in my favor, I may make a switch. But of course, this depends heavily on (things working in my favor, plus) me liking the costume, and the overall price.
Furthermore, my spoilt behind wants to go home for Christmas AND Carnival ... I hear us Sagittarius folk like to have their cake and eat it too!! But throw in the costume price, plus any fetes I manage to go to... *sigh*... let's just say that numbers can be discouraging.
However, as I mentioned, the prices have marginally improved. It may well be possible to play... but only time will tell. Meanwhile, I need my damn arm and leg - so doh make me sell dem! Ah done!

The Sacrifice...

After my first experience of playing mas in 2007, I can certainly attest to the fact that not only is the whole entire experience positively intoxicating - it's also potently addictive. That said, it is with great regret that I must forego the 2008 festivities...
The primary reason is (you guessed it) finances. With the start of a new job, it is highly unlikely that it would be economically feasible to purchase the necessary tickets and costume. Sure, I would continue to monitor the sequence of events leading to the climax of this (admittedly) short Carnival season. I will do my best not to make snide remarks expressing my envy of those who do get to participate this year. lol

Now what...?

Yes... for those who were bored enough to stumble on my page, this is a new post. I miss writing in this blog a LOT, and so many times I wanted to post an entry, but things were happening that I doubted I was ready to share. Granted I still somewhat feel that way - but then it occurred to me that I probably would years later... so what difference would it make? lol
Just when I thought the surprises were over...
I guess there is no way to sugarcoat this, so I'll just blurt it out thoughtlessly - I lost my job. I can give all sorts of excuses and reasons and justifications for this, but the truth remains I am currently unemployed - and more confused than ever! To make matters more complicated, I took a vacation! Hence why some of you may have spotted me in Trinidad last month. Truth be told, although I can understand why most people would view doing such as an unwise move, I do not regret going back home. In fact, now I am seriously considering going back for good. However, I am scared spineless. Tons of questions flood my mind whenever I think about doing that. Should I go back, would I be doing it for the right reasons? How am I going to go about it? Should I look for a job there - while still here? What am I going to do with my stuff?? And here's the kicker - is this God talking? Or did I simply bring this upon myself as some sort of manifestation of my dissatisfaction with my life here in Florida? "For whom the Lord loves, He corrects," says the Good Book. Am I being rash for allowing my mind to venture that far, or is this the chance I have been waiting for?
The bottom line is that if I want to make this move, I want to do it right. I want to do it in such a way that I cause no-one any burden or shame (its bad enough I did that already by losing my job). So, instead of making it a one-time solution (because life is hard and unfair no matter where you go), going home is my ultimate goal. The question is when to make my move. I know Dave will have a prompt answer for that (lol). All I know is that so-called right time cannot come too soon...

When d mout start runnin....

Now, we all know that with loyalty to one, there is a bias against the other. This fact is highly pronounced when it comes to patriotism. Personally, I haven't met a single Trinidadian that did not love their (our) country. That said, once Trinidad is under attack, one can't help but be put on the defensive. It takes a high degree of maturity to observe such attacks objectively, and even more so to agree with them (given that they are indeed true) when made by an outside party. Per Saucy's blog post this morning, I had to endure a list of scathing insults to our twin island republic on part of a self-righteous, opinionated Jamaican writer who seems to be fed-up with Caribbean strategic business practices. Now, I do not pretend to know all the facts that contributed to the issue at hand. No country is perfect, and as wonderful as I believe Trinidad to be, it is by no means an exception. If it is a fact that we dealt poorly with the Jamaican industry, we can't help but acknowledge such, and own up to such. However, once you start blaming other islands for your own financial mess (Barbados also took a hit in said article), then proceed to pick at every other UNRELATED circumstance (some of which occurred a long time ago.... Note to the writer: When it comes to arguments, KAIROS is KEY...look it up), one should wonder if said writer really had anything worthwhile to say on the matter.
Here are a few ludicrous statements that were made:
"In the case of Trinidad, nobody wants to live down there because there are poisonous snakes and no mountains."
Aren't mountains the first thing you see when you fly down here (from the North).... as a matter of fact, weren't they the first things Columbus saw upon discovering the island (from the South), which led to it's very name????
"Murder down there makes a speciality of mutilation."
As if murder rates are the last thing your country deals with... oh wait... aren't you worse off in that department???
"It seems to me nobody would want to go there, except another Trinidadian."
To you only, dear.... The amount of Jamaicans that run to Trinidad Carnival every year... and boast to ME about going when I couldn't.....
However, those are laughable, childish insults. Here is what upset me the most:
"What the Jamaican Government must now have realised are baleful consequences of the Amerindian heritage of Trinidad. They are not Taino but Carib, and those were cannibals. We were not, and it's not part of our make-up. Murderous today, but still not cannibal."
Granted this is the most childish of all statements, but this is downright disgusting slander. What does our Amerindian heritage have to do with our business practices? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! If you had to resort to that crap to justify your sentiments on the matter, I have but two words for you: "GROW UP!!!"
Whew! There. I must admit, part of me is wondering why did I bother giving this nonsense the time of day. Shoot, Saucy herself called this article "insipid", and rightly so. However, as a PROUD Trinidadian, I will not take any misguided insults to our country sitting down, nor will I keep quiet when stupidity and ignorance run rampant within my midst. Ah done!

Yuh know how long...????

Jed! I had a mind to do dis loooooong time now. I know, ah relllll stickin.
No scene.
Anywhoo, as some of you may have known by now, I currently reside in Tampa, FL. There are few, if any, links to real Caribbean culture here. That said, I was pleasantly surprised last November when there appeared an article about Trinidad Carnival on the Tampa Tribune. However, I had since misplaced said article (seeing that I had more trustworthy sources for Carnival info.... yes Saucy, I mean you...lol). I later found myself contemplating whether or not I should share the article, seeing that it was from an outsider's perspective. I began scouring the Internet for it, finding next to nothing... granted I had nothing to work with, since I had forgotten details such as the date, newspaper section (common sense guesses were just NOT cutting it...doh ask...ah shame too bad) and whatnot ... meanwhile refraining from even mentioning it, since I like to show AND tell. Soon, I give up, and devote my energy to more pressing matters...
... Carnival comes and goes...

One evening upon attempting to sort an amorphous pile of what I assume are important documents...

"... Wha de...? It was HERE de whole time?"

...Jed, if I had a DIME for every time I had a moment like this...
I check the website printed on the article (turns out, during my internet search, that I was looking in the wrong place altogether)... and discover, much to my tagrin, that I had to PAY for the article (?!!) . So, seeing that I own a scanner (thank God!), I finally save these newspaper clippings of this article, and now I share them with you...

Enjoy...

The Article reads as follows:

By Blane Bachelor
Tribune Correspondent

The Streets go crazy during Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival. It’s one serious, nonstop party.

Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago – It’s about 4 a.m, and a stranger is slathering my arms and legs with silver paint.
No, this is not some random, raunchy encounter (although the guy doing the slathering is quite cute). Instead, it’s preparation for a huge, pre-dawn parade called J’Ouvert, one of the highlights of what some say is the best street party on the planet: Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago.
Like every other aspect of Carnival, J’Ouvert (pronounced JOU-vay; it’s Creole for “daybreak”) is rooted on Caribbean traditions dating back to the 19th century. Slaves would mimic the Carnival parties, or fêtes, and the posh costumes of their French masters by dressing in rags and covering their faces in ashes.
My fellow travelers and I, too, have been warned to wear our most disposable clothing for the event – and it’s soon apparent why.
Sufficiently paint-smeared, we stumble through the streets of Port-of-Spain, the country’s capital, behind a truck fixed with huge amplifiers that jar the lingering sleep from our systems via the soca and calypso music blasted at ear-splitting decibels.
Almost immediately, we meet other revelers wearing devil-themed costumes and bearing pots of paint. Before long, color is flying everywhere, giving new meaning to the way Trinidadians describe themselves: “We the rainbow people,” they say, referring to their diverse cultural heritage.
Indeed, Trinidad’s ethnic mix lays the groundwork for one of the most welcoming celebrations in the world. Upon arriving in the small country, which is made up of the islands of Trinidad and Tobago, it’s quickly apparent that unlike Mardi Gras in New Orleans or Carnaval in Brazil, this extravaganza focuses on participating instead of observing.
Visitors, as they’re referred to here in place of the less-flattering term “tourists,” are not only allowed but also encouraged to take part in every event: watching steel bands practice, “playing mas” by marching in costume, and “wining” and “liming” – dancing and hanging out – with locals at every step of the way.
On the flight to this dot of an island, seven miles off the coast of northwestern Venezuela, it becomes quickly apparent that participants – both native Trinis and those who have become Carnival converts – take this party SERIOUSLY. I sit next to an American man who has been coming to Carnival for years and a Trinidadian woman who makes an annual pilgrimage to her home country for the festivities.
They’re part of the estimated 50,000 international visitors who pass through the country’s airport for Carnival, and are both brimming with excitement and advice.
“There’s nothing like it in the world,” says Ken, who lives in Atlanta with his wife, both of whom are admitted Carnival addicts. He warns a second later: “You can count on not getting much sleep.”
The evening we arrive, our group gets its initial taste of local culture at one of the huge fetes at open-air festival grounds around the city. By midnight, a light rain has started to fall, but it’s apparent nothing will dampen the spirit of this lively celebration. People are gyrating, singing, and swaying en masse to the relentless beats of a soca band onstage; by 4 a.m., I’m told, the party will still be going strong. We learn early that pacing yourself is crucial to survive the next few days of nonstop merriment, and when the sun beats down hot and unforgiving on the Kiddie Carnival the following morning, I’m glad I didn’t overdo it on the rum drinks.
Though Trinidad’s main costume contest, the Kings and Queens Competition, gets top billing, the junior version is not to be missed. In a colorful, vibrant parade that lasts all morning and into the afternoon, children of all ages sport stunning, elaborate costumes, from butterflies to dragons to mystical sea creatures. Each costume is as adorable and unique as the next.
Whenever I start to get bothered by the heat, I just look at the hordes of tots, seemingly oblivious to their stifling garb as they laugh and dance to the booming music. It is, in a word, delightful.
And when a pack of children enclosed in elaborate quilted ensembles that look like horses – complete with tall wooden stilts – trots around the corner, I can’t help but gasp. The children are elementary school age, yet they perch like Old World royalty at heights up to 7 feet. They’re followed by groups of even more daring stilt-walkers, who tower above us from at least 12 feet high.

Steel Panorama
Beyond the constant visual stimulation, the festival also is a feast for the ears. The steel pan, or drum, originated in Trinidad, and there’s no grander tribute to its spellbinding, distinctive sound than Carnival. Pan yards are free and open to the public throughout the celebration, and we drop in at several to get a firsthand taste of this mesmerizing music. It’s like having a front-row seat at an outdoor concert as bands squeeze in their final practice sessions before the big competition, Panorama. The music’s rhythms and melodies were intoxicating. The rows of players seem to be having the time of their lives as they twirl their mallets over as many as nine different drums.

J’Ouvert, the pre-dawn parade, is a sensory overload of the highest degree. We drag ourselves out of bed at about 3 a..m., bleary-eyed and sluggish. By 5 a.m., we’re covered in colored mud and dancing like maniacs through the neighborhoods of the city behind the music and drink trucks. The thunderous beats pounding through the neighborhood announce the rolling party in deafening defiance of anyone who dares to remain in bed.
Though I’ve slept for less than four hours, I get into the spirit of the festivities with a rum and pineapple juice. The cocktail instills enough courage to attempt the risqué, rump-shaking technique of the signature Carnival dance – the wine. Vanessa, a local, shows me the basic move: stand with knees shoulder-width apart, bend your knees, dip down low and gyrate your hips wildly. I apparently have it right because she exclaims: “Girl, yah sure dis yah fuss time at Carnival? Yah wine like yah a Trini!”
Each day’s activity builds up anticipation for the granddaddy event, the Band of the Year competition, although they’re not so much bands as organized groups of costumed participants. Ours is Tribe, a newer band that has chosen “What Lies Beneath,” referring to the underwater world, as its theme. We don our elaborate – but skimpy – hand-crafted costumes: a bikini and headpiece plus arm and leg bands, all adorned with hundreds of beads and designed to look like a fan coral. We take to the streets with thousands other revelers, who are also wearing little more than bikinis, beads, feathers and glitter.
All day, we “chip” – a form of short-stepping – through the streets to the beat of Carnival songs now etched forever into our brains. We alternate between rum cocktails and bottled water from the drink trucks edging along in the parade, a combination that keeps us hyped up and hydrated. Bit by bit, we work our way to the stage at Queen’s Park Savannah, a massive, open-air venue in the middle of Port-of-Spain. By 2 p.m., the moment has arrived – our band will cross the stage in front of the judging panel, which will award us points on how much spirit and soul we exude in a fleeting 15 minutes.
Before I know it, I’m swept up among about 2,000 sweaty, costumed partygoers, all booty-shaking and hip-dipping like crazed heathens. I can’t help but join the action, my hind side taking on a life of its own to the reverberating rhythms of the music blasting across the stage. It feels simultaneously shocking and liberating. Ken from the airplane was right – I have never experienced anything like this in my life. As quickly as we swarmed the stage, we were ushered off, another band eagerly taking our place.
Late that evening, we make our way back to the hotel, through streets littered with a mishmash of bottles and remnants of costumes, sipping our last beers and chipping to the fading soca rhythms. The next morning, we’ll board an early flight back to the United States, while locals head to churches to have their sins absolved and to promise good behavior – at least until Carnival 2007.

The Gift of the Written Word...besides the Bible

I love writing. I love reading other people's writing. I love the ability to describe emotions, people and places in such a way that allows the imagination to soar. I love reading other people's writing to allow such imagination to soar beyond the limits of my descriptive abilities. I also love reading my own writing to rekindle emotions felt as when they were first penned (or in this case, typed). On that note, I was perusing my blog and came to an incredible realization - when it came to what Saucydiva called my "personal musings", all what I wrote about at that time culminated with my experience with Dave (yes, he is named now...lol). Serenity? With Dave, I certainly found it. Direction? (From my post "My take on 2006... fears of 2007"). My resolve to take the CPA exam, under serious question in that post, is now strengthened with the hope of coming back home... Love can make you do some crazy things, can it? I couldn't help but chuckle at the line in the "Ah feelin it" post - which goes quote "if only ah could find a sweet Trini man to wine on come Carnival Tuesday (too bad Kees taken)".... how about I got BOTH! And more!!!
As of right now, my time is too limited to further express my amazement on how everything fell into place to, well, change not only my perspective, but my life! I will, however, point out the fact that Dave is into writing himself (since this post is about the written word). If you think I'm gushing about my newfound (INTENSE) love, check out his blog (which, he says, I inspired... and has since named me his "muse"... go figure...an entire chain of inspiration has begun...lol). It's called "Dave's Corner". (The link is under my "Some Links" section). It really helps to know that the feeling is indeed mutual. God is good!!! If it turns out that it is indeed Him talking, I should be back home within the year! As in all things, only time will tell. Ah done.

Do not boast about tomorrow.....

So says the Good Book. And I found myself doing just that. Boasting. Thinking that I had it all figured out. I just KNEW how Carnival would turn out... romantically speaking, of course. I doubted I would meet anyone that I would seriously like. I knew that even if a "fling" started, it wouldn't be anything much. "Emotional attachment" and "long distance relationships" were curse words to me. I would even laugh at the thought of me falling in love...
... After the post below, you can clearly see the total opposite occurred. Not "something slightly different". Not even a "material altercation to the plan." No! TOTAL OPPOSITE!!! I'm talking head-over-heels-crazy-in-love-wanting-to-marry-him-and-have-lots-of-sex-and-babies kind of feelings here. Enough for me to...gulp... get into a long-distance relationship. Not consider. Not contemplate. Straight up GET into one! I swore I was too old for this shite! I thought only naive and desperate people got into those. Yes, ladies and gentlemen. I am now serving myself a hearty helping of humble pie. Because now I understand what it's like to be so in love that you will do ANYTHING to keep that connection. All through carnival, this man has been soooooo good to me. And the thing is we only intended to lime ONCE! We ended up liming every single day since I called him (save Carnival Monday). I guess that's because as we got to know each other, we saw much of ourselves in each other. It is really uncanny how alike we are...
But I digress. I can go on and on how much we enjoy our cheesy expressions of affection (no, YOU hang up! I miss you MORE! I miss you times infinity....baby if you're reading this...sorry...couldn't resist ;-) ...) . But what I love most is how safe and secure I feel around him, how he makes me laugh, how I can just be myself around him...and not really wonder "oh, how would he feel if I said this?". Could this be the real thing? Could something so natural, so euphoric, so FATED... NOT be real? I guess Jay-Z put it best in "Excuse me miss" - "Either [he's] the One or I'm caught in the Matrix" lol
And why do I say "fated?" Granted, your life is about choices, but when it came to him, I seemed to have made all the right ones, because EVERYTHING just fell into place for us to be together. To get into details would be exhaustive.... though me and my babes recount such details practically every time we talk!
Well, I knew my Carnival experience would be rewarding, but WOW!! Now I have an extra set of memories to cherish! God has been too good to me!

The Unexpected...

I hate Valentine's Day with a passion. I think it is such a pretentious excuse for draining people's wallets for the sake of various companies' last frantic dash to meet fiscal sale-figures. Okay, as far-fetched as that was, my resolve is only strengthened by the annual exchange of annoying clichés-of-romantic-gestures such as chocolates in heart-shaped boxes, flowers, teddy bears with magnets in their noses so that when they connect they "kiss" (oh please! Instead of spit they might as well be swapping snat - sorry I had to say it), and so on. That said, this Valentine's was no exception - well, that's how it started. I was so far removed from all notions of "romance", and I was certain I would end up having dinner with mom that night. Things turned out quite differently.
There's a guy friend that I was limin with for the past couple of days and by V-day I have grown to enjoy his company quite a bit. Apparently, the feeling was mutual because he asked me to go to dinner with him - in a Chinese restaurant within walking distance of our respective houses. Well, the whole time, we were just laughing, talking, laughing, eating.... just having a good, down-to-earth, un-pretentious time. Long before the evening was over, I told him that this was the most fun V-day I ever had. His response - "That's sad." Now that's what I'm talking about!
Honesty, NO cheesiness!!!! Oh, and was there a kiss at the end of the night? Nope. That's because I was still far removed from all notions of "romance." I just knew that what we had was completely, and mutually, platonic. Sure, we have been aware of each other's existence for about 8 years (he was more friends with my sis) and I always thought he was cool, but we never really hung out like that before. We discovered that we are, well, two peas in a pod (so much for not being cheesy). In short, we just clicked. The next night, at the TRIBE fete, things got a bit, well, hotter. We were drinking, dancing and having fun (as usual), then, dry so, ended up making out. We've been lovey-dovey ever since. But I guess that's what Carnival does to you. However, I know that this newfound connection is deeper than that, and I also know that though I've been dreading my departure date long before arrival, this, um, romance will certainly make that departure all the more heartbreaking...

Ah reach..and bacchanal done start!!!

I am finally in sweet T&T!!!! And boy, where to begin, man?! These past couple of days have been very enjoyable. However, it wasn't without its fair share of bacchanal. Of course, it started from de time I land in dis country!! Cyah expect nuttin less!!
Well, on Sunday 11th, landing in T&T was a joy that had a "I'm-so-intoxicated-I-look-like-I-indulged-in-more-than-my-fair-share-of-narcotics" smile plastered on my face! :D I eh go lie - ah was relllllllll bazodee when I landed, jed!! However, all bazodeeness get kill one time as I went through customs. My anxiety evaporated all my patience as I stood in that line, thinking about seeing the folks on the other side of the arrivals gate, about going home and seeing yet more family members, then seeing friends, then gettin meh costume and so on... I was extremely antsy!!Fortunately, my acquired maturity (and my camera - for a brief moment) kept me from practically bawlin down de place! However, upon clearing customs and purchasing duty free alcohol (which, needless to say, is a MUST), the next hurdle was...da da dum!...Baggage Claim. It wasn't finding the bags dat was trouble, it was those damn people at the "something/nothing to delcare" lines - the ones who make up the final obstacle to your euphoric escape into sanity, freedom and loved ones embraces. The problem was that I was one of many overexcited passengers who failed to sign BOTH sides of the immigration form (which is embarrassing, really, since I am usually good at that sort of thing), and of course there was a belligerent so&so who publicly points this out, and points at the sign that points this out (which I glanced at, but ignored nonetheless... I did not even have de sense to walk wit a damn pen!). So, imagine my level of patience at this point! When I finally cleared that Godforsaken area, I was mumbling to myself that only one thing can cheer me up at this point... only to find it wasn't there! There I was, glancing about expectantly, then frantically... no mom. No-ONE! Well, all maturity and reason went out the window!!! Now ah vex!! It took a few minutes for some God-given sense to sink in for it to dawn on me that perhaps something had to have happened. So, after dragggggin my 60lb bag and my 10lb carry-on to the food court to eat and calm down, then draggggin dem back to the arrivals area (gathering a few bewildered stares along the way) I managed to borrow a cell phone to call mom (since mine is foreign). Turns out she and her boyfriend were involved in a car accident, and that she was now at the police station taking care of paperwork and what not. Needless to say, my annoyance immediately transformed into concern. Thankfully, no-one was hurt - jus vex. They were nearby, and the car was still operable, so I managed to get home in the same day. Boy!!! Bacchanal!!! An I eh hit one fete yet!!!! All in all, I am thrilled to be home, and furthermore, that all involved were safe!!! Praise God!!!

Oh Monday, Monday, Monday!!!!

Wherefore art thou, oh elusive concrete-idea-for-Carnival-Monday-wear? This is a dilemma many a masquerader is facing (indeed, this post is due to today's "Monday Wear" post by Saucy). For those of us in large bands that do not provide Monday wear in spite of the price they charge for their "all-inclusive" amenities (*cough TRIBE cough*), the dilemma is indeed overwhelming. Or at least frustrating. In any case, I have no damn clue what it would be. I guess I'll throw something together at the last minute. However, the last thing I want to feel on the climax of this festival is panic!
I have seen quite a few interesting ideas thrown out there. Some people want to be plain, with a cute baby T and shorts. Some want to go all out sexy. One, in particular was just silly - Buublenut's post on wearing a cow-print tie and cow-print shorts (hilarious!!!). Needless to say, she was just kidding. ;)
I think I would be creative with it. For instance, I could cut up an old blue T and tie it in the back to fit nicely. (I've done it before...twice..and loved it both times). That would save money, though I would still have to buy shorts! Plus, I could decorate my old sneakers by spray painting them gold and maybe glue on some blue/orange crystals on them so that I could wear them Monday and Tuesday to match my Imp costume (this would probably be done in Trinidad, though). I dunno! I'm going insane with these crazy ideas!
At the end of the day, all that matters is that I am comfortable and that I enjoy myself, even if I end up wearing a damn paper bag!!!

Upgrade!!!

Well, I was adding caiso queen to my links section, and I decided that it was time for a makeover. The blog just didn't feel like, well, "me." So, I had to do something about it, and here it is! Hope you all like it as much as I do!
The countdown continues!!!!!
:D
And, yes, I will be coasin de green yarn strong strong!!!

Well, you can't have EVERYTHING...

So, Panorama finals is in Skinner Park this year. Some people weren't too happy wit dat, but as Iwer put it in his tune "It must work":
We's Trinis!! (though the way he says it just cracks me up!)
But, it seems as though, during the semis, the judges decided to take some revenge, because this year, only ONE south band made it to the finals! And it wasn't even my resident band Skiffle Bunch. (Which is just too bad, cuz Professor arranged for them this year, and then, once I arrived in Trini, it would have been like old times) *Sob*
Here is the article from Newsday listing all the Panorama Finalists for 2007
http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,51898.html

Well, I'm not going to waste this post crying over spilled milk. I'm STILL going to Panorama finals!! Shucks man! It woulda been nice to play, but daz what next year is for (God willing)....

Ah feelin it!!!!

Boyyyyyyyy!!!!!!! Just when I thought I had de Carnival fever!
FIVE MORE DAYS BEFORE AH COME DONG!!!
Soon, it would be touchdown in sweet sweet Trini!! And I cyah wait!!! A friend sent me a mix CD of all de HOT C2k7 tunes. Now, iz one ting to prance about in meh bedroom like a mooks listening to Toronto-lime.com. Is quite another when yuh blastin de tunes full force in your car on the way to work!! Doh mind all de other drivers on de road rel watchin meh funny funny when dey see dis mad 'oman jammin to her soca! lol. Jed!! I was smilin all mornin when ah reach work!!! Lol.
Soooo much to look forward to!!! Seeing family, good friends (even enemies so yuh could coas real hard on dem on how DAMN GOOD yuh lookin..j/k), ex-boyfriends (so yuh could coas real hard on dem on how DAMN GOOD yuh lookin... :D). Lol. There's fetes to look forward to, real lime to look forward to (especially de bloggers lime!), real drinkin (lol)...and...um....I tink I forget someting....hold on, eh....
.........
..............
..................
........................
................................
.....................................
............................................
.....................................................
............................................................
..................................................................

MAS ON DE ROAD!!!!!!! Boyyyyyy!!!!!
If ah could only meet a sweet Trini man to wine on come Carnival Tuesday (too bad Kees taken lol)!! And tell me why after considering Sahara Jumbie (then choosing my Imp costume - which, truthfully, I like better than SJ) I hear Mr Montano in dat section! >:-( Steuups... No scene - ah probably cyah handle he waist in the (very) unlikely event we ever end up in some close proximity on de road anyhow....lol....
All in all, I am looking forward to having the time of my life for my first experience!!!

FIVE MORE DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

.... And the costume for Carnival 2k7 is.....

Fireman would have been nice, but I got no response from carnivaljunction.com. So, this one I will keep. Ah tell yuh dat website is de devil!! Lol
I know I'm throwing in the towel a bit too soon, but to be honest, I like the costume enough to avoid any further confusion. Ah done know Trinis and their tendency to make things oh-so-slightly more difficult than need be (this is from experience, of course...). So, Imp it is. Next year, I'll try to organize meh stuff from early o'clock!

carnivaljunction.com is THE DEVIL!!!!!

Daz a reaaaaaaaaaaal tief head website, dread!!!!

Oh gorsh!!! See, the thing is, I bought my Imp costume, and I like my Imp costume. It's just that I like Fireman and IP Sacred Sand even more (just like everybody else, I'm sure). Now, ah just read Saucy blog, and TRIBE sayin for resold costumes, new names must be submitted by Friday Feb 2nd. Now, ah doh want no set of confusion here. De fetes and mas is enough bachannal for me!! But I reaaaaaaaaaaal like dem costumes, boy! Should I take the chance and get them? What allyuh tink????

De next ting is that Imp is more expensive than the other two costumes! On top of that, I live in the U.S, and I eh comin down until Feb 11th! So, to be realistic, I probably saltin when it comes to selling this costume - not only because of the price, but also because I paid it in full already. Now, ah fussin because I requested the IP Sacred Sand costume on carnival junction website before settling (yes, I admit, SETTLING) for Imp. I knew that if I didn't act quickly, I wouldn't be playin mas at all! Now THAT, I can't have. Well, I might as well post something on Carnival Junction. Who knows, maybe I might get something after all!!! It's worth a try.....

At the end of the day, however, none of this really matters. If I end up playin wit Imp, it isn't the end of the world. Like I said, I do LIKE my costume. However, anything you LOVE is worth fighting for. So, here goes...

A thought....

It's just one of those moments when you're either dead on with a really good point/observation, or just plain delusional. This, I hope, leans more to the former. I cannot recall exactly what conversation me and my dear Shanny-Poo (as I like to call her) were exchanging which lead me to this thought, but this is more or less what came out:
Me - You know, it's weird..
Shanny Poo - What?
Me (not sure how to phrase it) - You know how it's like when we look at movies, and go "Oh my goodness! That's so real!"
SP - Uh huh
Me - And when it comes to our lives, we sometimes say "Oh my goodness! This is just like the movies!"
SP - Okay, if I was high on pot right now, you'd be scaring me...
Me (laughing) - Hahahaha!
SP (laughs)
Me - It's just so strange that we have movies that depict reality so well that we have now confused the two.
After that point, I made some comment which mirrored the "which-came-first-the-chicken-or-the-egg" analysis which, when discussing real life vs art, shouldn't even be a question. While there is a symbiotic relationship between life and art (what is art without life/what is life without art?), there is no doubt that artistic expression stems out of our life's experiences. So, why the confusion?
I primarily (but not totally) blame the phenomenon of "suspension of belief" - the attitude you assume prior to watching a movie. This suspension is almost automatic, because it is a mentality that has been developed throughout our lifetime. We know we are going to view a fictional tale of whatever genre, be it romance, comedy, fantasy, horror, etc, and not to fully accept what we see as "truth", or better yet, "real." The trouble is that in so many ways, we are already disconnected to what is happening around us, so that suspension of belief has become a constant state of mind. As a result, we tend to equate certain troubling/traumatizing events to the "fake". Even sweet, sincere moments are labeled as such. Maybe I'm making much ado about nothing. Like I said, it's just a thought.....

Confused.....

I am feeling so much right now, but can scarce find the words. Last week, my uncle suddenly passed away. He left behind his ex-wife (my aunt on my mother's side), a step-son and two daughters. This happened without so much as a warning, and it has had a HUGE effect on me. Of course, there was shock and sadness - such emotions compounded by the fact that I was still coming to terms with another recent death (my then 22-yr old cousin, who was shot in May 2005). I am normally a sympathetic person, so at times like these, I HATE feeling sorry for myself when I know there are people closer to the deceased than I. I know I deserve to grieve, but my heart goes out to those more deeply affected.
However, yet another emotion plagues my heart - guilt. I am very much looking forward to Carnival, but in light of this tragedy (to put it lightly), I can't help but feel disgusted with myself at my selfishness to still want to enjoy Carnival. I know how misguided that sounds, but that is how I feel. I'm sure the root of my guilt resides in the fact that I did not attend the funeral, when I did want to go. However, I refrained from calling my family too much for two reasons - one was that when I first heard the news, I called my aunt, then my cousin (his daughter), who, I was told, refused to speak with anyone at that time (totally understandable). I figured I'd let the dust settle, so to speak, before I called again. The second reason was that as much as I wanted to be there for my family, I didn't think I could yet handle myself while being in the presence of this tragedy- meaning that in the funeral, when the reality of the situation would really hit home, I probably would have needed more comfort than I could provide them - not an appropriate position. I called this Saturday, which, I then found out, was the day before the funeral. They live in New York, while I live in Florida. If I were within driving distance, then I really would have no excuse for not attending. Nevertheless, I STILL really have no excuse for not going. Forgive the dramatic language - I just detest times like these. I'm probably not at my most rational at the moment, but I really feel like I should get this off my chest. Friends reassured me that my looking forward to going to Trinidad was not selfish, that life goes on and I should still enjoy my time here on earth, and I know that they are right. My best friend here suggested that I should go to New York to, if anything, at least clear my conscience. But even that seems selfish! Maybe I am being a coward. Maybe I'm beating myself up for no good reason at all. I am so confused and angry and shocked - in short, fucked up! I can't be mad at God, for I know that He has all in control. But that still does not comfort me. That may be because I am angry at myself. What should I do????

Hip-Hop - Form vs Substance

I know, I know. What de hell someone called "Trini" doing writing a post about Hip Hop? Well, being "Caribbean-American" (as much as I HATE politically correct labels, it is one I am forced to adopt given the present circumstances...but that is for another "discussion") puts me in a unique position to appreciate the relevance of all sorts of musical expression within the African Diaspora. That said, I (along with every other living, breathing person that appreciates this genre of music) have a few grievances with not only what is has become in the scheme of things, but also in the minds of its listeners and naysayers alike. The principal grievance is simply how people have come to define hip-hop.
A couple disclaimers:
1. I do not claim to know the exact origins of hip-hop. What I do know is simply hearsay from more informed sources (namely, my sister who did a research project on this matter).
2. I am not going to give any history lessons except what is already common knowledge (e.g references to the TransAtlantic Slave Trade, or what I'd like to call "The end of humanity as we know it"
The way people have come to know hip-hop is (summing it up in my own words) a degenrate form of music which promotes violence, mysogyny, materialism, and just plain foolishness - such promotion being further encouraged by "the powers that be" to continually, if not permanently, supress the elevation of the black race. Now, there is some truth to this statement, except for one key thing - hip-hop is NOT to blame!! Yes, it has become a marketable franchise through which such negativity is broadcast. Yes, there are negative images of black men and women. Yes, all these so-called artistes are blabbing about are nice clothes, cars and other material things. However, it is not the genre itself CAUSING this problem. It is merely a channel, a convenient means through which certain members of an age/ethnic group can be easily targeted to promote these self-destructive ideals. Hip-hop, when used, and not ABUSED, is a beautiful thing, just like sex, prescription drugs, sweets and the like. It is one of many genres of human musical expression, which can relay creativity as well as destruction. I am so sick and tired of people alluding only the negative to this beautiful form of music. I love hip-hop. I love the melodies, clever rhymes and socially constructive subject matter which spawned it. I love the artistes (with TALENT and something worthwhile to say) that continually nurture it with positivity, newness, freshness and, above all, LOVE!
In my humble opinion, to truly love music is to embrace all genres - hip-hop, alternative, rock, ska, reggae, dub, calypso, soca.... all! Exploring all these beautiful varieties of an art form which excites the senses while attempting to explain the essence of our existence is also part of the adventure of discovering oneself, and to judge a genre of music as "degenerate" and allude all that is negative about a race to it is to sell oneself short. (I hope that last bit made sense).
All in all, while I do believe that hip-hop has gone a long way off track, it is NOT dead - it's just being ignored. There are still people out there who promote positivity, love between a black man and a black woman, creativity and the like. It is not the music "the powers that be" are selling - it is a mindset. Don't blame hip-hop for violence, mysogyny and ignorace. These forces were present waaaay before hip-hop was even conceived. Ah done.

The Young and the classless...

"Sistahs Behaving Badly" - an audacious, distasteful, and DISGUSTING website promoting black women as over-exposed, classless drunks who will do ANYTHING to get attention. Granted I am not surprised by it. Sex is indeed an integral part of Carnival (which, in and of itself, explains why over 3/4 of the Trini population are Scorpios...lol), but there is a time and place for that, NEITHER of which are during Carnival on de road, or in other words, IN PUBLIC!! The thing that upsets me most, however, is that sleazy, sneaky waste of semen taking rude photos of women who were not even aware they had, um, themselves, photographed!!!! I would love to say that if I cetch dat fool runnin up my business with his camera, after I am through with him he will never have children again in life!! However, I'm sure more than half the unsuspecting women "photographed" told themselves the same thing, but they were too preoccupied with doing what the hell they came to do in peace (meaning, having a good time and minding thier own f**king business) to notice that shit. (***fuming**). What the f**k ever, yes! If I end up on dat site, is only one reason - I am none the wiser due to enjoying myself. I tell you, this is one crazy planet we livin on. Yes, Carnival is a time to get crazy - but NOT NASTY!!! There is my 2 cents on the matter. Ah done.