Throwback Thursdays

Just a listen in on my playlist today...When las you hear these tunes?

CHINESE LAUNDRY - COLORS (sry for the bad audio)


CHINESE LAUNDRY - BROWNIN



MACHEL - WHAT THEY SAY THEY SAY


BUD - MAN AH BAD MAN


NIKKI CROSBY - I'LL LEARN TO WINE


Anyone want to sign my petition to bring Laundry back to the soca game? Aside from colors which was on a completely different wavelength hhis other songs were heeee-la-rious!

Who remembers Mona Lisa?
"Show yuh have a Benz, Show yuh have Beemer! Show yuh have a Lexxus..park up in yuh area!! Jump up an up an up!!"
Laundry I miss you!!

And It Continues...

So much thanks to everyone who commented on my last blog about Afro chic decorating wire bras. My friend emailed her on my behalf and seems like things are a go on that end :D.

Next up on the list are my boots and my monday waistband.

I plan to reuse my Monday boots from last year for Monday Mas again this year, but after last year's spray paint debacle i was in dire need of new tuesday boots. Just fyi....when decorating suede boots it is advisable to use FABRIC spray paint and NOT the regular spray paint. Lesson learnt! lol

I decided to step my game up a notch and go for wedge heel boots. I think I can handle it as my go-to pr of boots this last winter were wedges and I walked 20 mins to school in them on some mornings. It's really amazing the difference a wedge heel makes versus a regular heel of the same height. it feels as if you're wearing flats. I have narrowed my choices down to these three (see below) and will sleep on it and make a decision in the morning.

Amazon: $20.00

Go Jane: $30.80

Amazon: $22.99

My Monday belt will be pretty simple. It was inspired by the belly chains I've seen my Nigerian friends wearing. I just hope I'm skilled enough to pull off the design I have in mind lol. tomorrow I'm going to the bead shop to see if they have anything that will match Dubai. Hopefully I get these things out the way quickly so I can move on to my Monday headpiece!

The Quest for Monday Fabulousity:Pt 1

This is all i want...this style frame..decorated in my Dubai colors. So why is this whole 'find-a-wire-bra-designer-process becoming so gosh darned stressful?!

Now first off...TRIBE you should have made a wire bra option available. That would have definitely made things easier and I don't mind forking out an extra hundred or so US for said bra.

Secondly...why is it so hard to find a designer/wire bender to just make what you want. To date I have msged (or rather a friend did on my behalf to keep me anonymous :D) Darrel Bluze, Designing Daryl, Akin Ross and even the samba costumes guy.

Darrel Bluze is the designer of this frame and judging from his work he seems quite able to design what I need. He quoted me a price of $120US. I am based abroad and as he seems very hesitant to communicate via email this poses some problems. I emailed him initially and called when he requested, however after I sent a subsequent email minutes later based on our conversation he clearly did not remember who I was. He responded asking me to call him to discuss price etc, stuff that had already been settled during the first phone call :S If I was physically in trini I wouldn't mind taking a chance but I cant do much checking up from here so that option is out.

Designing Daryl told me his prices START at $125US. I sent him a photo of the frame I wanted only for him to respond saying basically that the design I wanted was shitty and he doesnt do work like that....I'm kidding! He didn't say shitty...just that his designs are 'far more elaborate'. Still contemplating this option....He told me to look at his designs that were featured on Saucy's page which I did. I kinda want something more naked than what I've seen from him so far. And I would feel kinda shame to tell him that, which is why I havent responded to him yet lol.

Akin Ross said his wire bra's are $185US and come with boy shorts and a matching neckpiece. Now I dont know where the boyshorts and neckpiece come in because I already have my extra bikini bottom and accessories lined up but w/e. $185 is definitely way...WAY out of my price range.

The Samba Costmes guy is not taking any custom orders... :(

So basically I am back at square one and contemplating just buying some wire and doing my own thing. If my last option doesnt pan out I just may end up doing so. In anycase I already have to make my own circlet/small headpiece since I got blanked from TRIBE. Not too sure why, as the girl just said 'the small headpiece is not an option for that costume' when i clearly didnt ask for it as an 'option' but an addition..o well...its honestly not that difficult to make one and trying to buy it from them was pure laziness.

BUT if anyone knows someone who would just make the bra frame I

want, no questions asked and no ridic price tag let me know!!!

Anyways fingers crossed I get this wire bra situation sorted out asap so I can focus on my Mon/Tues boots and Monday wear waistband! Yes I said waistband...I did say I was going all out right ;)

Monday Wear for SouthBeach/Dubai

Monday Wear - South Beach/Dubai by CarnivalBaby featuring a bikini swimwear

Early bird? Possibly. But I do not want to end up like I did last year. I ordered my Monday Wear at the very last minute and wasted $70 on a gold bikini that looked more Charlotte street quality than anything else. Also ordered my boots at the last minute only to realise that they were suede and not leather/pleather (how could i overlook that?!) and I didnt have time to get the spray paint for suede before I left for Trini. For the record NEVER use regular spray paint on suede, talk about a hot mess!
This year I promised myself that I will be better prepared and that I'll have all my stuff in order by December...we'll see how that goes~

Of course I will not be chippin anywhere in heels, those will probably be replaced by gold wedge heeled boots. AND all this is still dependent on if I end up in TRIBE or not... What with all this time on my hands and Polyvore being my new toy I can see myself doing more of these little creations, especially as I just realised I can clip my own pictures so persons will be able to find the actual source for the item.

Peer Pressure

South Beach Individual

After Saturday's launch I was adamant that I did not want play with TRIBE next year. I felt a little pressured to buy frontline as their backline costumes look kinda blah and under-decorated. Quite frankly the only backline I like is Santorini and I played in Amazon last year so that's out. Even when it comes to the frontline costumes the only one I couldsee myself in is South Beach, and I think part of that is because I missed Carnival the year that Charmeuse was an option. Also, I am not a fan of how crowded TRIBE felt last year and was willing to give BLISS' alleged intimate vibe a try.

Fast forward to today. The same friend who said she got our link lined up and BLISS was a surety goes,

"I'm not sure I want the intimate experience, I'm checking with
our TRIBE link to see if we can pre-register"

*blank stare*

I am the only non-TRIBE loyalist in my group of mas playing friends and it didn't click that this could be a deciding factor until today. I would much rather go with BLISS or YUMA but thats not going to work unless I have company. So for now I have to keep my fingers crossed that BLISS' costumes blow TRIBE's out of the water otherwise I just may end up with them again next year. Le sigh!

What I want Pt 2

Customer Service and all that.

Customer service is right up there with costume design in terms of what I look at when choosing a mas band. I dont care how nice the costume is, it could be all blinged out with feathers comin out the wazoo but if a band is not organized I will pass on it.

Ideally I would like an easy registration process,as in just pick a costume, log on to the website on the day of registration and register for the section of your choice. A process thats probably going to become totally obsolete for people in my age group as more and more bands move towards committee registration and loyalty systems. In this area YUMA is most likely going to be the winner as BLISS and TRIBE's registration process is pretty much a 'who yuh know' scene if you don't have a TLC card. I am keeping in mind that YUMA said they do not want to increase the size of their band, meaning that if a lot of their loyalists..and they have A LOT of them as it is, register with them for next year it's going to really limit the no of new masqueraders that can get into the band.

Last year my costume cost exactly $638.00 US
Now when I spend that kind of money I expect a certain standard of customer service, which I got. I don't want to eat lunch late, or feel like I have to rush to the eating spot after crossing the stage to make sure I get food before it runs out. I also definitely want a guarantee that my band will be crossing the savannah stage on both days. Costume pickup should also be smooth, and if something goes wrong, cuz sh*t happens, I want to be able to rest assured that my band will find a good solution. Case in point last year when my headpiece went mysteriously m.i.a. at the mas camp. After confirming that it could not be found I was given a large headpiece at no additional charge and profuse apologies.

I want drink runners! And no I am not being a Miss Priss and demanding that people run back and forth in the hot sun all day supplying us. I want drink runners for that long wait to cross the savannah. Think about it, wouldn't that make sense? The drinks trucks always have to turn off at that point, so why not get people to walk thru the band with bottled water and shots down the hatch Scorch style. I know the bandleaders don't have much of a choice in terms of whether to have the drinks truck stay or turn off BUT they can look past that and fix the situation they do have. Last year my friend and I had to beg a piece of ice off somebody on the dj truck, no bueno. That combination of hot sun and alcohol is no joke ting!

Vibez
Now my friends and I can have fun anywhere, BUT a good overall hyped vibe is still needed on the road for carnival, especially when you're lazy and unfit like me, cuz I get tired fast! lol That said I was satisfied with TRIBE's vibe last year. I keep hearing about how great YUMA's vibe was but I have also heard about the food and stage crossing issues. I will give jack his jacket, I have never heard a band get so many positive reviews in terms of hype and vibes and 'omg i had so much fun'.

My other important issues are security and music/dj's
Needless to say I was a tad upset that Private Ryan played for BLISS and not TRIBE :( but we had some good dj's so that wasn't too much of an issue. Shout out to the 96.7 truck.

Security-wise PLEASE cut back on the stormers, I mean whats the point of having a rope if you're still letting random people jump in the band? After we crossed the stage on Tuesday I swear the band doubled in size! It was totally ridic and not to mention irritating as these stormers were very aggressive when it came to gettin a wine. I am also very paranoid about crime so something like that is a definite buzz kill not to mention NOT SAFE! I really hope that ALL the bands step up their security for next year.


So that's my 2 cents...well maybe more like a dollar lol

Woi Mas Trini Carnival 2K12

If I were to guess, this is a hint on Woi Mas' theme for Carnival 2k12. The only thing that comes to mind at the moment is 'X marks the spot' but a Pirate theme would be too easy...and a tad played out. Strangely enough I was really tempted to play in Skullduggery last year. Now don't get me wrong, I love my bikinis, feathers and bling, but I was weirdly attracted to their theme and just how different it was. If its one band I think will bring an original presentation that really sticks to the theme its this one, i hope they don't disappoint!





EDIT 07/12/2011
Just swiped this off a Woi Mas affiliate's page....seems as though the 'X' theme is mathematical. I can't even begin to guess at how they would portray this, also 'X' is usually an unknown factor which brings another slant to this theme....."Curioser and curioser!"

Oh and one of the powers that be at this mas camp needs to update their website info...or pay the website hosting bill. Shouldn't have www.skullduggery.com listed as the website on the fan page and its a dead link :S

"Take Me To"

So its official(ish) that TRIBE's theme for 2K12 is "Take Me to", Saucy was right as always!

Dear TRIBE:
Take me to Rio or Dubai or Vegas baby!!!! *Ready for mas again!*

TRIBE is playing with my emotions

No seriously lol. Just few minutes ago I tweeted about TRIBE not having any leaks or hints or anything this year. I mean everyone else is putting out teasers and they were staying mum. Its been driving me crazy!!!.

I guess they read my mind because a few minutes later up pops the flyer for their band launch on my facebook feed.



Now my mind is racing! My friend jokingly suggested TRIBE was about to have us chipping in flight attendant costumes lol. I doubt. I'm more thinking 'destinations' but didn't they sort of do that already with their 'Secret of Silk' in 2010? I don't know what else it could be...but they definitely have my mind in overdrive!

**Edit**. I knew I was missing out on someone's destination type presentation. I just remembered TRIBE's first band was 'Tribal Fantasy' in 2005. That was also the first time they had an Amazon/Amazonia section. If they really do destinations for 2012 it will be interesting to compare the two presentations. I also hope they avoid the Moroccan, Egyptian, Saharan etc costumes and styles that we've seen so many times over the years, from not just TRIBE but other bands like Island People, and really step out of the box and showcase other cultures/destinations. Of course all this is based on a big IF I am right about their theme!

YUMA Sneak Peek

So YUMA has graciously given all us rabid carnival fans a little peek into what their 2012 presentation has to offer via their Facebook page!

Bling with white looks promising, Bling with color not so much. I am excited to see the finished product tho! Carnival fever is starting again :D

'Bling with white'

'Bling with colour'

Check out the comments on their fanpage here

O The Uncertainty! (and tonight's disappointment)

Doing some deeeep digging in an effort to determine whether or not the 2011 Crop Over parade will be a two day or one day affair. The Trinijunglejuice calendar says 2 days but the official Crop Over calendar that I previously posted said one. Today i found out that last year the government of Barbados actually switched their emancipation holiday to the Tuesday after Kadooment Day but...there was still only a one day jump up so thats apparently irrelevant. I sure wish they would issue something official sometime soon so I could start looking at dates and tickets.

**UPDATE: Trinijunglejuice is of the opinion that despite last year's announcement of a 2 day parade (and the dates on their calendar) there will be a one day jump up this year.

SIDENOTE: According to the Honorable Minister of Planning, Economic and Social Restructuring and Gender Affairs, Mary King tonight, costumes pieces should not be imported because they can be produced cheaper in trinidad. O really now? Now quality questions aside, if that was the case wouldn't the bands have been producing these pieces locally to save themselves some production costs? I was honestly looking forward to speaking with Mr. Winston Peters tonight, assuming that this forum would be similar to the one I attended last year. Turns out it wasn't and Mr. Peters didn't even show. So my questions on the logistics of where the manpower for this proposal will come from, the issue of the likelihood that any additional costs incurred will be passed on to the masqueraders etc will go unanswered, for now.

ADVANTAGE VIDS:Tribute and Original

Just came across the tribute vid to Advantage, the 2011 Road March and hit that copped Machel that good good 2 mill winnings. The video was done by Trinitoons. Recognize that costume at 3:43 in the Original video? It's TRIBE's section in Baje International's 2010 presentation, Heaven to Earth!

TRIBE:Way of The Warrior 2K11 Experience

How funny that my first year playing mas my #1 costume pick, Tribe's Amazon ended up being my costume. Will be forever greatful to my friend and her links for this experience, cuz of course since around 2008 getting into TRIBE minus a TLC card is only possible if you have that good good pre-registration hook-up! Strangely enough I had no real intentions of playing mas this year, compared to other years where I registered and then sold my costume (will always regret not playing in Water Nymph!) or contemplated playing with other bands....and then said nahhh


So because I tend to b a lil blonde at times, silly me didnt let one of my friends pick my costume up, but instead waited til I got home to go collect it. Collection was smooth-ish. They go by this chit system that if applied properly would make sense, but on this day for some reason they waited til they had a lot of people present and then started handing out chits so of course everybody rushed and the expected ' we were here first and they get chits before us' arguments started with one particular woman threatening to 'get beetham on them' *bbm scared face*

Then a few hours wait for my chit no to be called, but after that things moved smoothly until....the TRIBE Distribution lady came out holding my costume box and NO HEADPIECE. Fifteen minutes later and still no headpiece but the very nice lady keeps coming back to reassure me that 'the issue with my costume' was being sorted out. Eventually she comes up with a large headpiece (i had ordered a small) and told me that it was on the house and apologizes profusely. Now while this issue was dealt with swiftly and promptly and I LOVED my new headpiece, other masqueraders were not so lucky. While I was there there were a LOT of Iroquois masqueraders who were upset about their missing headpieces as well as the guy next to me was somehow registered for a wrong section in error by TRIBE and had to take a costume from another section. I'm not sure what it was about this year, if by bringing out two bands maybe they stretched their resources too thin but from the get go there were quite a few hiccups.

I had a great time on the road Monday, and have absolutely no complaints, the wait to cross the stage wasnt too bad, drinks were flowing, my lunch (pelau) tasted great and OMG those cocktails they served after lunch were divine! Some people complained about the length of time we stayed at the rest stop but I honestly feel like for me at least that was necessary for me to last the rest of the day on the road.

Tuesday...blehh...the wait to get to the stage was borderline ridic, no fault of Tribe's I know but I really wish that the powers that be would allow the drinks trucks to remain with the masqueraders until they actually go on stage as opposed to turning off beforehand. My stage experience on Tuesday wasnt all that either. Monday they held my section back until the stage was clear then let us go all at once so we got that euphoric burst onto the stage. I jus remember feeling this huge release and understanding that yes THIS was what the savannah stage was all about, niceness! Tuesday....there was a truck mix up..they started letting Amazon on then Hoppa had to tell the security no and call us back. Then when we did get on you could barely hear the music for some reason...and i dunno..it just didnt have that climax like Monday. Also there were nuff BLISS masqueraders with us..chippin wit the band..inside the rope mind you, getting drinks by the truck..and crossing, yes i said it crossing the stage with us as well. Now my thing is, if you pay for the ultra exclusive experience, because TRIBE is too big and what not then STAY with your ultra exclusive band nuh. Then people wonder how TRIBE ran out of food monday. well obviously if BLISS folks were up in the mix there wouldnt be enough food because they simply didnt cater for that.

What else...there was no announcement when the trucks started pulling off after lunch, so lo and behold by the time we get ourselves together the last truck is announcing that its leaving. Now this truck had some difficulties rounding a corner and ended up getting left behind, but the masqueraders that were left waited on it. Now imagine our surprise when this truck starts speeding off leaving us to literally run behind it to catch up to the band. and that set the trend for the rest of the day cuz from then on it was either the band not moving at all or they speeding :S. BUT I still had fun, I mean neverending Johnnie, sexy TRIBE men and that god send that is the TRIBE cool zone was all i needed to keep me happy lol. Until the storming started...I dunno if security was only hired to work until sunset but after it got dark had rel unsavory band-less types all up on the truck and smack in the middle of the sections as if they pay they money too. meanwhile security chippin right next to them holding the rope...make sense to u? no right.

O and as for my costume...smh..stuff was falling off before I even tried anything on. Monday Wear moved from an option to a necessity simply because there was no way that costume could have taken two days of jammin. I was chippin on the road and shedding beads all over lol. Thankfully not in obvious places but..yeh...better glue next time por favor!

Now being the unfit lazy person I am I just couldnt make with the after party, but kudos Tribe cuz the security to get in were not playing games, talking about 5 diff ppl checking your bands b4 they let you in and party had bare vibes, next yr when i'm a lil more fit I will take full advantage lol

All in all I had a great time BUT I really hope TRIBE takes note of what their masqueraders are saying and get these issues addressed and fixed in time for next year. And note I said addressed because to me it seems that they have been strangely silent post-carnival in light of all this feedback that they have been getting. I mean can we get a little email self saying that you guys acknowledge there were glitches and are working on them? That being said...I look forward to bigger and better things from TRIBE for Carnival 2012. Even with these little issues they are still my #1 :)

Carnival 2k11 Updates

1) Well first and foremost my ticket for Trinidad Carnival 2011 is officially booked and paid for! Now bein the hot foot, half mad child that I am, I booked a one way ticket. This is because my school's spring break is the week after and i rel dont see the point of coming back to DC for two days of school. shhhhhhhhhh dont tell my professors lol

2) Savannah Stage
Now apparently i rel not cut out for this blogging thing, as you can see i havent posted anything on Miami Carnival (which was a BLAST) yet but more importantly apparently i was sitting on a scoop looong days now and failed to be the first to post it lol. So back in September I attended a function at the Trini Embassy here in D.C. to see what my Minister of Health Ms Therese Baptiste Cornelius and Minister of Arts and Multi-culturalism Mr Winston 'Gypsy' Peters had to say. and well...apparantly he had a lot to say lol. First thing was that we would be getting a stage for Carnical 2K11. *screams* Now this is going to be my first time playin (adult) mas and swear I could ask for a better welcome. I didnt think it was possible for me to get ANY more hype than i already was but...well...this surely changed that lol

3)People's Band
So basically he wants to set up a free band...as in in his own words 'we provide the music, you come in yuh costume'. Now at first glance to some (not me) this sounded fun. a nice cheap way to enjoy Carnival. But to me all i thought was 'good lord somebody gonna get shot' i mean think about it. when you pay for a costume you also pay for security, who gonna provide security? the government gonna take my..well your taxpayer money to provide security for some random unnecessary ruff n tuff band? or will there b no security? worse again. Who gonna b the dj? Who gonna pay the dj? Are these people going to be allowed to cross the band....I dunno. I am just rellll skeptical that this can be pulled off while ensuring that no crime comes from it or that it does not disrupt the experience of the people (like me) who actually paid nuff money to be on the road. time will tell......

4) Two Carnivals
So Gypsy also wants us to have two carnivals, saying that Tobago's carnival basically doeant make much sense being the same time as Trini's and it should be moved further down in the year to fill in the gap between Miami Carnival and Trini carnival (October to Feb/March) As someone who is currently suffering from serious carnivl withdrawal this re-scheduling makes sense, however I cant help but wonder how the Tobago people feel about that as basically if they wanted to participate in Carnival they would have no choice but to hop a boat and go to Trini...something to think about


Anyways thats all i can fit in for now, must go finish up some work...and look for Monday Wear lol