Island People 2010 Review (4)

Hi Saucy

I chose to play with Island People for the second time this year for two reasons: I loved their costumes because they were a departure from the standard feathers and beads designs that almost everybody's doing, and secondly they were willing to kiss people's ass after last year. I've learned that the best time to catch a man is when's he's down or up and coming: to win you back he'll kiss your ass and still ask if that's enough. Usually things go in your favor. Twisted, but true. The result: I HAVE NO REGRETS.

Let me review, with a point system starting at 100 fun points and deduct from there.

Carnival Monday

I met the band on Ariapita Ave and things were just mellow. Security was up and alert. I was wondering who the celebrity du jour was. Hold up. There was none yet, the masqueraders were priority. Brilliant. I got a drink and pizza slices and checked out my fellow masqueraders in all kind of designs and saris with the cloth we got for Monday wear. Macfarlane for the sexy with some hoochy touches dahrling. Then some were just too cute like homegirl below.

I dub her D Kutchela fairy: awwww isn't she cute?

I observed that the look of the band changed from last year, as in lots more grown and sexy people playing. No teeny boppers a.k.a "lil chirren" (that's "little children" for the non-Trinis/West Indians) to run amok. There were mid to late 20-somethings, but mostly the 30 and over set. Grown folks having fun and it was beautiful. And trust me that changed a whole heap about the band's vibe and flow in addition to the band actually being more organized. There were signs on every music truck stating what sections should be where. This little detail did make a difference since no such thing existed last year and that resulted in a chaotic band.

Music truck with sign

Shurwayne Winchester up front singing, Hindu temple float and bridal hut float (I think) to the front. Kutchela in dey tail!

However, I have to take away some points for the absence of Hennessy. What??!!!! How the devil was I to drink my Red Bull? Nah man, I’m deducting 20 fun points for that. But then again, Mr. Johnny Walker Black was most present all day for both days. He flowed like water, no, he flowed more than water. Y'know what, I'll give back 5 fun points. I wasn't left thirsty at all on Monday. Nice. Music was on point all day. Double nice. Nearing the Savannah “stage” to Busy Signal on truck 7 as he “hot it, ‘ot it, ‘ot it” on the mike. Whatever dude. Vibes nice.

Lunch was at the Oval, no eating and running foolishness that the “lil chirren” called for in the past. We sat in the stands, we ate, we chilled. Lunch this year was indeed better. It’s not international gourmet but it definitely tasted better than that 'lau and low mein mush of '09. So for lack of fine style, I'll deduct just 5 fun points. I'm not a huge eater on carnival so I'm a little lenient on this.

Carnival Tuesday

Wow, is it possible to complain about a band being too organized? I got to Ariapita at around 7:35am and we heard that IP was long gone. Eh? IP did not play with the time. Jah!

I forgot all about breakfast at the Stadium. My friend and my carnival-thirsty behind decided to just meet the band on the road thinking they weren’t far, somewhere on the Avenue. Riiiiiight. They were already on Park Street nearing Charlotte Street. My crazy ass should have eaten the breakfast at the Stadium and then take the shuttle. And I heard later on from another friend that there was a spread of sada roti, tomato and pumpkin chocka, bake and salt-fish and a few other dishes I can’t remember. What an idiot I am. So I got mini-rotis as breakfast from the snack truck. Bummer. Later on a man was walking through the band sharing out single-serving plates of pholourie and mango chutney. Later on there was khurma and peanuts snacks. Theme boy! I would have like another snack truck to be located more up front for the other masqueraders up there, so minus 5 fun points.

I was loving the fact that people stayed in their section for the most part, until after the Savannah (then it was a mix up but that happens all the time anyway). And still get on with the jamishness. I was able to move through the band, return to my section and not be confused due to the signs on the trucks. Oh yeah, people actually stayed in their sections. Grown and sexy masqueraders were the business. Big people mas allyuh. Plus less people played in IP, and the band was better for it. Enough room to palance, parlay, and breakaway.

The costumes looked hot like the weather. They translated well in person. The frontline divas were werrrking their cage bras and nekkidness. Even Raja Aur Rani female costumes which I thought were hideous looked ok. Just ok. But the males were on point. Points for the guys. But I have to note that my Jaipur backline was a disaster for stockings. I absolutely loved my costume but that bling on the belt caused major damage. Bling + tights = ladders from hell. My tights were a shredded, I-was-in-a-catfight-with-Shenene mess, so much so that I HAD to take it off and go bare legged for the first time ever. Yikes!!!!

*note to self: must lose 100lbs by next year to forego tights. Current weight is 153 lbs. Goal weight minus100 is 53lbs. Surefire skinniness, y’all!!!!*

It felt weird being without my beloved tights but I got a lot more compliments without them so hey. We gonna party hard, hard. Whoop whoop, whoop whoop!

So to my calculations, IP lost 25 fun points. They earned 75 out of 100 from me.

This year was my BEST carnival in years. I had maximum fun. This should say it best : “Island People in d air, Island People in d air, Island People in d air, Island… I…I….I…”

Congrats to the other Lewis brother (the more organized one, not sure of his name) and Co. for taking the bull by the horns, reigning in the foolishness and making Island People the band it had the potential to be - organized and fun. I haven’t had this much fun since my Poison days. Yes I’ve had a string of bad to mediocre to ok carnivals since 2006. This year was totally worth it.

As long as this new IP management stays, I’m there God’s willing for 2011. Now let's aim for 100 points now. That means bring back Hennessey, more strategically placed snack trucks, and upgrade the lunch some more. I say this for the kind of price you're charging now, c'mon. So Mr.Lewis, I hope you're reading this blog eh. Don't let your brother run things again. Ever. Thanks.

Peace,

Carnivalcocoa

Mas Jumbies Jouvert 2010 Review (2)

This year as I did since they started, played J'ouvert with Brian Won Wong's Mas Jumbies. I was delighted to see that my review which I thought was going to be the first one, was actually trumped by a newbie to the Mas Jumbies family - welcome newbie. My review will be brief because having background knowledge on what it takes to actually BRING a band in the United States I will not want to sound in any way biased or try to have the validity of my review questioned or even mistakened for allegiance to said bandleader even if it is after all only J'ouvert.

My J'ouvert experience from start (collection) to end (drenced in paint and drunk) was an exceptional one! I arrived into Trinidad in the throws of distribution I believe and had both ordered costumes hand delivered to my door by none other than Mr Mas Jumbie himself! How is that for customer service, and I didnt even have to pay a service delivery fee (which if offered I would have taken) - hint Brian. Again, after looking at the costume which was neatly packaged in an eco-friendly labeled bag and contained all of the essentials for J'ouvert (which to some may be nothing lol - LIKE my colleague who has to be forced to wear anything lol) I was pleased to see that for the third year - the leap from traditional J'Ouvert costumes (read crocus bags and oil paint) has now landed on haute couture costuming fit for a 3am stroll in Port of Spain. This had me excited and I made a quick trip to Jimmy Aboud to get yet more stuff to add to this costume just cause I wanted to PALANCE in style!

The ROAD:

I left to meet the band at 4am (even though the form said 3am meeting point) I carefully read the route and as planned met them at the end of Chacon Street preparing to head to South Quay. This was perfect timing since (from reading the previous post) I now understand that there was some difficulty with the truck set up etc etc. After that the road experience was perfect, drinks were flowing and the vibe was awesome.

The SYNOPSIS:

What Brian has achieved which is no small feat within Mas Jumbies is secured a place that people - whether local or visiting - can enjoy this ritual of early morning mas in a secured, comfortable, MOVING environment. His clientele is mostly foreign based and as such the need for clusters, pulling, tugging, pushing from here to there and the ever uncomfortable feeling of someone wanting to violate you is LOST once you meet with this band and begin your journey on J'ouvert morning. Now, I do understand that to some - without the pushing and pulling and everything else - they dont think J'ouvert is J'ouvert which would explain the number of people that no longer participate but c'est la vie.

The band is SMALL, the band is WHITE (I meant the paint used!) but what the band is - IS FUN! And once you are a fun person who is open minded, appreciative of the culture and have an understanding of what this artform means to Carnival and what Brian (as an artist) has transformed this medium to be, would be the best $55 - $60 US you would spend in your life. How is that for a charitable donation! He has made the artform much more acceptable at least to me! Many people think J'ouvert is about wearing anything you want and come out to have fun. But there were the days of Rabs Immortelle, Burrokeets and many others that traditional costume WAS A MUST! - I am glad that this is not lost!

Each year I thoroghly enjoy Mas Jumbies and this year was no exception. I would be remissed had I not say that financially I know this could possibly be a hardship for the management of a J'ouvert band irregardless of the size, so the need to want MORE PEOPLE TO JOIN would be something of a priority for the management of Mas Jumbies. I though would love to see the band stay the size that it is, but I am also one that likes when good things are SHARED - So I encourage all readers who feel so compelled, to join Mas Jumbies' facebook page, keep up with the good work that Brian has done with this band and come take a part of the J'ouvert experience. It is a lot of fun!!!

Mas Jumbies Jouvert 2010 Review

I signed up to play in Brian Won Wong's Mas Jumbies Jouvert Band.

Registration was as easy as breathing. Once I registered and pay-pal'ed my funds, I immediately got a confirmation email from Annette and a warm welcome to the band.

Once I reached Trinidad, and went to pick up my costume, I was warmly greeted by Lisa the contact person, Brian the owner of the band, and another artist friend who was there liming. They were very kind and welcoming. A lady who I assume to be Brian's mother was making accra in the kitchen. While Lisa went over the details of the band, and sorted out my costume and goodie bag, I munched on some delicious hot out of the oil accra. They even offered drinks! Belly full, I left happy and ready for jouvert.

Jouvert Morning.

The band was suppose to meet at 3am at Victoria Square, and move off at 4am. At 3:30am, my party arrived to a very quiet Victoria Square. Hearing no music, we thought the band has left us. But this was not the case. The music truck had apparently been tampered with by bandits and had been moved. The police were trying to locate our truck.

No worries. One of the committee members had their car parked there.

Music played from the car while we got slathered down in white paint and glitter and enjoyed bujol and bake, and coffee. It also gave us some time to see and chat with some old friends who were also in the band, and make a few new friends as well. The vibes were good, and no one was complaining.

Twenty minutes later, the word came. Our truck had been located, and we were going to walk from Victoria Square to Phillip Street to meet the truck. Even this part was fun. We were a band of colorful old time characters painted in white moving through town on a music truck finding mission. For me, it was all part of the jouvert adventure.

It took us about a five minute walk to meet our truck, and then it was on like boil corn!! We were on the move!!

When we first moved off, there was no drink truck, no security, or anything... just us, some good music, and great vibes... which I would have been quite content with. It seems as if the music truck escapade had thrown things off, but only for a little while, because once we were almost downtown near south quay, the security guys and the drinks truck found us, and they got organized. Things were falling into place, and an already good vibe had just gotten better.

I loved the costumes, and the feeling of old time market women, stick fighting men  really held the theme.

The band was small, but large enough for us to get on bad, and it had a good "family" vibe to it. I would feel absolutely confident in letting my children play jouvert with me in this band.

We even went downtown behind the bridge! I know some people would say that this was unsafe and the neighborhood is "bad", yadda, yadda, yadda.... But I felt in light of the theme we were portraying, Echoes from the Past,..... that nothing else could have been more appropriate than going to the place where the very spirit of carnival was born, and where the original market women and stick fighting men emanated from. That march behind the bridge took on a whole new spiritual feeling for me.. and what a great feeling it was.

Throughout the course of the morning, Brian, his family members, and friends, randomly walked through the band to ask if everyone was ok, and if we were having a good time. I assured him I was having a great time!

I am big fan of promoting Trinidad culture to non Trinidadians, and some members of Mas jumbies are worth a mention here.

There were three young ladies in the band that someone said were from Australia.

 From the time we located the music truck at 4am until I left the band at 9am, these young women jumped up, wined, jooked, and put a whole new spin on the song... " I winin on anything!".

 LOL. It was downright entertaining just watching them have a good time on their first trip to Trinidad carnival. They were grand, and I hope to see them back next year!

The size of the band of was perfect. We had a few stormers, but not overwhelmingly so, and I felt totally safe. The music was good, and the drinks truck ample. Customer service was top notch from beginning to end.

All I have to say is see you again next year Mas Jumbies!

Spice 2010 Review (7)

My Spice Experience.

Well, well, this was my first time with Spice, and I must say it was not an entirely rewarding experience!!!

Costume Pick-Up --- Horrible! Why oh why, on Carnival Friday, when everybody trying to pick up their costumes with "d quickness" to get home to get ready to go and "party hard", you are instead spending hours waiting to pick your costume? You had three cashiers (if that is what you want to call them) and only two taking cash, the other one only taking links and MC (not sure why they weren't taking VISA). How many foreigners you know have links? So most people came with cash, so why not make all the terminal take both cash and credit cards? That way you can move thru the payment part of your transaction quickly and smoothly. Now, unto the actual collecting of the costume. There was enough room to have the costumes organized by section and in alphabetical order, with 2 or 3 customer reps for each section, with the understanding that they "pitch-in" if other sections are busy when they are slow!!

My next issue- with the average cost of a costume costing US$600, couldn't you invest in one or two designated "SNACK trucks", instead of having someone (I think it was Anya's mother ) walk thru the band with a box of aloe pies? This distribution (as far as I know, it happened only on Monday) began at the front of the band, so I am not sure if the people in the last section even knew there were snack sharing!

Next, Spice is not a huge band (which is why I played with you), so explain to me, when the last DJ truck, which was DJ Enforcers, was constantly playing "catch up" to the rest of the band, which then means the masqueraders were forever running down the truck. Trust me, that was not fun.

Finally - How in heaven's name, you could take me downtown on Carnival Tuesday, after 6:00 pm (outside start getting dark), watch as we "Palance" over the stage, rush up to Independence Square, make a right on Ambercromby Street, and right in front of the Red House, tell me "thanks for playing with Spice", cut the music and dismiss security. Are you crazy???! You know how many unaccompanied, scantily dressed women were in your band, and you choose the heart of town as the place to end you band??? Not smart. Next year, you need to have a designated "end point" , which should be posted in your little handbook you distributed with the costumes. And speaking of end point, we need a parking spot for Spice bandmembers.

Bear in mind, that we are going through a GLOBAL recession, which has forced all normal thinking person to use good judgment when spending their money. Which for me translates to --- value for my hard earned money.

Spice 2010 Review (6)

I'm sending you this email as I have finally decided to voice my opinions on SPICE.I am a diehard carnival person and I have played in every large band in Trinidad to date I started in HARTS, THEN TO POISON THEN TO TRIBE THEN TO IP....so believe me when I say I know what service is and what a packaged deal and costuming entails.

THE GOOD.

Beautiful costume designs...unique at that and the registration/signing up process was a breeze. Music was great, nice people and a fun time. Warm smiles, great service inviting you to play ensuring to you that you will not regret playing with the band and that they are indeed the missing ingredient.

THE BAD.

I went to collect my costume with my girlfriend and 2 of her friends the costume collection was pretty fast, we were then told to proceed to the table with a pretty girl with gold locks gave us information on where to proceed. We proceeded towards the collection table where a very pleasant young lady assisted. My girlfriends’ costume couldn’t be located and had to be made from scratch as there was no box with her name on it. We waited patiently as the young lady I believe her name was Whitney found sizes ensured everything was suitable for my girlfriend. My question to spice is why should your staff have to be looking for costume sizes when we registered with the band the first week when registration opened?? The second problem arises...my girlfriend ordered a 34A AND THE BRA GIVEN LOOKED LIKE A 34DD!!! This was rectified after waiting for your staff to do some serious hunting. Why were sizes so off? The same time we waited to collect another young lady was very upset to be told that the XS bikini bottom she ordered was not available and she would have to go with a MEDIUM and she would have to hang on to see if an XS became available!!! WHY SHOULD SOMEONE HAVE TO WAIT FOR SOMETHING WHEN THEY PAID FOR ONE PACKAGE IN THE FIRST INSTANCE? We proceeded to the alterations table where I witnessed the nasty Trini side of females.

I’m not sure how your staff are trained but they should be informed to KEEP PERSONAL MATTERS TO THEMSELVES. My girlfriend was having her belt altered by a young lady by the name of Rebecca who hastily tried to cut and glue costumes with the aid of a glue gun and I’m quiet sure she is not a trained costume maker. She hastily glued stones and velcro to belts while gossiping with another young lady from another station. This I realized as she wasn’t paying attention to what my girlfriend was saying to her regarding the belt but rather gossiping and whispering about another young lady behind us with the young lady at another station. My girlfriend became highly annoyed and had to ask her if she was listening which she didn't reply because she was too engrossed in conversation about the young lady standing behind us. I asked one of the girls behind the desk the names of the 2 young ladies and I was told REBECCA AND NIA.

Are these 2 young ladies owners of the band? Spice, do you to a customer service session with your staff? Are your staff allowed to blatantly ignore paying customers? Is this your level of professionalism at which your staff is hired? After waiting 45 minutes at the alterations my girlfriend got fed up and said she will get her stuff altered by someone else. Why was the advertised jewelry and accessories not available? This is what was promised and yet all your staff could say was sorry it didn't arrive and serve BS WITH A SMILE? No refund was awarded nor a better substitute given!

THE UGLY

The band was to meet at 9am on carnival Monday! That time is wayyyyyy tooo early to meet on Monday! My friends arrived at 930am to meet not a single note of music not security people at the meeting point. The band moved off the vibes was nice. Getting to the rest point at QRC was brutal. It felt as though the masqueraders were cattle being herded into a fence! WHY HAVE ONE SMALL BOTTLE NECK TO CHECK ID BANDS OF HUNDREDS OF PPL? Getting to the food tent to get a choice was another ordeal. 3 or 4 tents serving meals was not practical when you have 2500 plus hungry masqueraders! To my surprise there were no drinks available at the tents; I asked the band leader to be told the drinks are outside I told her the security told us we can’t go outside HER RESPONSE A SHRUG OF THE SHOULDERS SORRY!

In sweltering heat you have your PAYING MASQUERADERS SUFFERING AS THERE IS NOTHING TO WASH DOWN THE DRY TASTELESS FOOD??? Later I discovered a bin with water only to be told by others that the water is hot!! Now tell me SPICE WHY WASNT THIS THOUGHT ABOUT? Why not have several bins or BETTER YET 2 TENTS DESIGNATED FOR DRINKS? The band is not the size or magnitude as TRIBE OR IP that you couldn’t put personal touches for your masqueraders in mind! Maybe you should put that note in mind for next year!

Asking the bandleader's mom for assistance when forks ran out was a waste she looked at me as though I was asking for my $2800 plus my girl friend's $6000 refund a look of disgust her response...IT DOH HAVE ANY RIGHT NOW YOU HAVE TO WAIT AND STORMED OFF!

Tuesday the band looked beautiful, again some consideration should be made for frontline masqueraders imagine asking someone on the truck if they can hold my girlfriend’s headpiece to be told sorry sir we were informed that we cannot hold anything for anyone! In all the yrs playing mas I have never seen that done!! I asked and official who told me to go talk to the driver and he may be able to assist!

Spice, I think this year you bit off more than you can chew! Money was clearly on your mind and not the promised package to your loyal masqueraders!

TRIBE Carnival 2010 Magazine

See details below, available from tomorrow, Wednesday February 24th for purchase:

click to enlarge

SPICE Carnival Band... The Good. The Bad. The Ugly

I could write pages and pages on my experience with SPICE, but it would be infused with too many emotions. I will attempt to keep my emotions out of this and speak strictly on the facts.

The Good.

- Spice employees customer service. EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT. I am speaking of the workers, not the management of the band.

- I would like to give a special thanks to the following people. Their help, concern, and just over all customer service was outstanding. Some higher ups in the band should take a hint from their workers.

*Miss Goldie Locs who worked at the second stop of collection. She has a head full of blond locs which she wears tied back. Always smiling with a twinkle in her eye.

*Marina who just sat and listened to me gripe without interruption, and showed true concern in the middle of all of my woes. I did not complain to her initially. She saw me standing up looking like I had lost my best friend and came over to ask me what was wrong.

*Leah... a beautiful spirit hands down. Great, great, customer service, always with a smile and a kind word.

*TAMMY! A total inside joke with me and one the workers. Every time I heard someone call her name, and saw her reaction, it provided a round of giggles for me. A sweet young lady and much appreciated.

Beautiful costume designs, (if they would have carried through on some of the actual prototypes). But still no denying, the costumes were lovely, and looked absolutely fabulous on the road.

The Bad

- Costume collection could be a bit more organized especially for foreign masqueraders

- Foreign masqueraders need more time to collect. Not just one or two days before carnival, in case there are any kinks that need to be worked out.

- Delivering costumes true to the prototype on costume collection day.

- Truly listening to the customer and giving them a voice. Listening would help to resolve conflicts easier than blowing off a customer's concerns, and really ticking off the customer.

- Issues with my costume, which were eventually resolved to my satisfaction.

- Well constructed costumes. The same costume which was adjusted to my satisfaction and that I was totally in love with. completely fell apart by noon on Tuesday. (My head piece literally broke into 3 pieces). It killed my vibes and left me quite sour.

The Ugly.

Bringing a mas band is a HUGE undertaking, and I have a much respect for the time, dedication, and planning that must go into producing a carnival band. I can only imagine the stress and pressure that band leaders are under, come carnival time, to meet the many demands from all sides (customers, the band leaders association, etc) that is required of them. All of these factors could easily a frazzle a person's nerves and make them a little "short". But what I find MOST UNACCEPTABLE is just flat out disrespect to a customer whose hard earned money is driving your business.

The women at the last point of collection was assigned to check costumes against receipts, and hand out wrist bands, and back packs. I was told she was the Band leader's mother. She had to be the rudest nastiest person I have ever encountered.

There was an issue with my costume, so I was told by another member of the spice staff, who I will call GENTLE, to proceed to the last table and collect my things, then to come back to see her. When I proceeded to the last table and passed on the message from GENTLE, Band leader mom blew her top and said this was incorrect.

Now I can understand how these little mishaps in communication, can occur. But instead of telling me that what GENTLE had told me was incorrect and I would simply have to wait, she lambasted me! Trying to keep cool, I told her I was only going on the directions that GENTLE, her band worker, had given me. She then stormed away from the table, walked over and proceeded to give GENTLE a tongue lashing. GENTLE was sweet as sugar, because she quietly took the tongue lashing, and even came over and apologized to me for the misinformation and on behalf of Miss Nasty Band Leader Mom.

I know it takes all sort of people to make the world go around, and I understand that not everyone has a sweet personality, but my goodness. When you have a pit bull, you use it to guard the gate, not to mind the baby. Each person should have their place, and this woman should have been stuck in a back office counting the money, instead of dealing with the paying customer.

That was the single most unpleasant thing about my entire spice encounter.

Designers mess up, costumes fall apart, miscommunications happen. There may not be enough chairs at the rest stop, food may not be good, security may have glitches... but for my hard earned money, that I could be talked to like I was a beggar on the street asking for a free costume, and not a hard working, paying customer whose business should be appreciated is unforgivable. At the end of the day, if Spice would have handed me a brown paper bag with a smile, humility, and courtesy, and told they messed up... I probably would have paraded the streets of POS in full paper bagged glory with no gripes.

It is no fun to be handed the too too special of the day on a silver platter, and be expected to think that this behavior is ok. Well it is not okay, and I can take my money and my self respect elsewhere in the future.. because if I wanted someone to too too on me... I could have that done for FREE

Makeup Artistry By Kirk Thomas, The Review

With the popularity of Kirk Thomas soaring after last Carnival season this year my makeup appointment on Carnival Tuesday was even earlier than last. In spite of the hour I had to be at Crobar there were ladies there before me as I met some who had a 2:30AM spot just finishing up when I arrived. There was a delay owing to some previous tardiness by a client so I was pretty happy to have an early appointment because the 15 minute wait did not really affect my schedule at all.

Once again I loved the location of Crobar that Kirk used this year, there were some other makeup artistes who were also doing faces at the same location as well, because it is pretty close to Stanmore Avenue where TRIBE departs from. And once again I was TOTALLY in love with what he did with my face! I am not going to show you the  state I arrived in or even the transformation that took place when I left but I was so excited over my look I was bouncing in my chair when my face was done. Best of all is that I was able to tell him the look I wanted and he was able to give it to me, making sure I was satisfied.

It is not only about having gorgeous eye makeup or gems, the face is literally transformed using makeup techniques leaving you wondering who is that much improved stranger staring back at you when you are done:

Before

During 

After

Before

During 

After 

Ladies On the Road 

Still Going Strong At Night!

These Ladies were shy about their "before"

I was also pretty pleased with the longevity of the makeup; Kirk used a primer called "Absence" that was supposed to control the sebaceous glands to prevent oiliness during the day. Technically I cannot say if the glands were controlled completely , however personally my face was not a total oil slick, even under the hot sun. One of the bloggers I met asked how was did my face remained so "dry", this at midday when the sun was at it's most brutal. And, I was removing my face gems when I got home, they held up ALL day so I was pleased that the investment in professional makeup translated into a well made up face all day.

Of course Kirk would be my makeup artist of choice for 2011( I am hoping he has room for me as I know many ladies were booking him for next year even before the end of Carnival 2010! ) as another Carnival leaves me TOTALLY  happy with the work he did. I saw many, many ladies with gorgeous faces on both Monday and Tuesday so send in reviews of your makeup artist; were you pleased, how did the makeup hold up? Email :trinidadcarnivaldiary@gmail.com.

Many thanks to the lovely "models" featured in today's post who allowed me to use their photographs!

TRIBE 2010 Review (3)

First time playing mass... first time in Tribe!!!

HI Saucy... From the day after Tribe's launch in July I was DAILY viewer of your blog so I decided to share my first experience with you..

Costume

Silk of Rajasthan.... LOVED IT..

Monday

After arriving at the Hilton around 9 am ( I requested an early check in) and being told that my room would not be ready until 3pm...I passed some time at the Rituals in the Hotel lobby until it was about 10am. According to Tribe's booklet that was inside of my costume box, that I read cover to cover MANY times, it stated that the band's "Parade Time" on Monday was at 10:30am.

Consumed by anxiousness I left the Hilton around 10:15 and made way by foot down to Stanmore Avenue. I got there around 11:00am..(stopped to talk to friends along the way)

when I got there I was supprised to see that the band was still stationed at Stanmore ave. now being the amateur that i am, i told my friend with me which was her first time in Tribe as well that "I am pretty sure we'll leave in a few" and so we did...

As the trucks moved...a smile from ear to ear appeared on my face.. this was It... it was the start of my very first Carnival Xperience...

Chippin 1,2,3 and Stop 4,5,6,7,8... chippin 1,2,3... and so on.... I was a little perturbed by the lengths of the stopping in between.. however it gave me time to look through the band to spot anybody I knew.. because it was just the two of us... also I didnt know how long the stopping was suppose to take but eventually I realised it wasnt suppose to be THAT long..

Paid no mind to it.. we made our way onto Charlotte Street... I ran into a few relatives and was having a blast... my girl and I soaked up every moment...we palanced, we chipped, we screwed the light bulb and we had a time...but all this action and we were in the same spot!!! (infront of the hospital)....

A little while after, things started to move.. then announcement came on to move to the right of the truck.. and with much compliance my "group" and I moved... RIght.. it was time to cross the "STAGE"

"People are you readdy, we Palancing in this Parrtyy!!!" I started jumping from the time i heard that... 1,2,3,4-- and they let us go... jump jump.. wine wine.. every piece of energy I had in me came out with the wine/s, jump/s and side to side palance I did... we crossed and I said to my girl.. this is the best feeling ever!! and its only Monday!!!

then I looked @ my watch!!!!

It was AFTER 2pm!!!!!- we both had our body paint appointment @ Murray Strt. for 3pm so we made a decision go leave the band, head to Hilton check on the room and head down for the paint and the join the band after... walked back up to Hilton to be told that the rooms were being cleaned and there is a 1 hr. wait... hungry and already tired we went down to the restaurant for lunch... we had the "dreggz" of the buffet and got a call by the time we were finished that the room was ready..

Now. rushing ....we got ready and made way to murray street.. arrived ontime, got the paint done and then to our DISMAY the guys tells us.. I hope you all not playing for the rest of the afternoon or else the paint will run off because it needs to set... we complied and went back to the Hotel and had a little R& R for the rest of the afternoon.

Before going to bed i set the alarm for 5am and said to myself....TOMORROW IS THE DAY!!!!...

Tuesday

Beeep , beep @ 5am--- hit the snooze button- didnt get up till 6:30....

although the booklet said tuesday's parade time was at 7:30 my girl and I realsied they meant 1hr - 1hr 1/2 later!!!So we got up got ready and got some b-fast at the restaurant.... we went back to the room to put on the costumes.. heading out from the room to the car park, we saw masqueraders in their BEAUTIFUL costumes heading down to the Savannah.. the excitement built up in me..

We got down to Tragarete rd. around 8:30 am...the band was still there..we quickly looked for our section, which was apparently non existent. the sign lady was there with a few persons behind her.. we went to the front of the band and met up with a couple of friends who said they were standing on the side but @ the front to see everyone and when Silk of Raj. came on they would join.... so we stayed with them for the VERY LONNNGGG period of time until our section came up.. we quickly joined in and chipped along park street.. however the wait on Charlotte street just like Monday was the WORST!!!!

I mean this was my first yr of playing mas but I just wanted to tell ppl.. "get in yuh damn section!! so they can stop wasting time organizing ppl in sections..so we can cross!!!" Finally it was time.. but i was thirsty as hell because the drinks truck left us and turned onto Keate Street.. and well the wait from keate street till the judging point was about 45 mins.. so I went to a vender to buy a bottle of water... $20.00 for a bottle of water!!! Yes.. $20 for a DASANI!!!

I was a bit hesitant to pay that price but then the announcement "Get ready Silk of raj. its your time!!!" came on, so I dashed the money at the lady without question and found myself behind the sign lady... as soon as the guards released their hands... all my previous complaints as listed above DISAPPEARED!!! It was the Best feeling of freedom I have ever had !!! The side to side palance and the onlookers cheering.. it was FANTASTIC...

After passing the judging point at the Savannah my cousin came up to me and said stop walking so slow.. we need to get to the park to catch a blanket...so check my girl and I speeding toward the park with my few relatives and friend in tow ready to get a blanket.. lo and behold!!! NONE AVAILABLE..

With no energy to get angry, we found a spot at the northern side of the park and had the DELICIOUS lunch with gr8 dessert.. however every other bite had a crunch with the amount of dust flying round.. but that was ok. We had food from the international booth. whoever catered... NICE :)

Ok so my belly was filled and ethnic fatigue started kicking in... I saw a girl with a cardboard box and begged her for 1/2.. once I had the piece of box, my girl and I took a 45 mins sleep ......Then music to my ears.. OK Tribe lets go... "leh we go down the road, go down the road.. Carnival in the air..."- Patrice Roberts..a faint cheer spread throughout the park and ppl started getting up.. I got up washed my face and shook the few specs of grass off of me and I was READY!!!!

We made way though St. Clair, Tragarete rd.. and then Ariapita Ave.The wait on the ave was the worst but that gave me time to GET ON BADD!!!I said to myself.. its the end of the day.. and all I had was the time remaining, its time to use this stopping to my advantage.. I chipped to the top of the band, made way back down to the end and back up to the top!!! It was fantastic.!!!

The security really showed their purpose when it started to get dark as stormers saw an opportunity to get into the band.. however access was QUICKLY denied!!! As we crossed the judging point by Adam Smith Sq. i realised that this was the end of Carnival.. I soaked up everymonent with my friends and relatives.. and made way back to Stanmore!!!

Despite all my complaints about the stopping and everything about Tribe.. I WILL play with them next year again!!! The security was Xcellent as well as the music and the overall VIBE of the band..

Thank you Tribe for Making this Carnival Virgin's first time experience a tremendous one!!!

TRIBE 2010 Review (2)

Hello Saucy,

I'm a huge fan of your blog and felt compelled to provide you with my feedback of Tribe for 2010.

Registration

What a nightmare! I stayed home on the first day of TLC registration with 4 top pick costumes in mind. As I tried to "pay" on line, I repeatedly received an error message. Yet one by one the costumes were sold out! When Tribe finally advised that the servers had crashed and registration would cease, the majority of costumes were sold out. I sent an email to Tribe that night expressing my frustration and asked them to advise of recourse in the situation. The second day of registration, I again received an error message when trying to pay. I eventually was able to register in Eri, but still sent an email to Tribe as I would have liked to switch to another section. I was advised that my request would be sent to the production team. Email after email and call after costly call to Tribe revealed a big fat nothing. Tribe never responded to me, and I had to call them to find out I was stuck in that section.

I was particularly pissed off as a relative of mine was able to "pre register" herself and a large amount of friends who were not TLC in a section.

Costume

My costume was picked up for me and when I arrived in Trinidad immediately tried on the costume. Quite honestly the costume was pretty, but overall the band looked lop sided. Some sections looked fresh and new (ie Loulan, Charmeuse), and sections like Eri and Lazuli looked, well, dated. In addition, the head piece was not balanced. It constantly fell forward and I had to deal with stones in my eyes.

Service

I've always been a supporter of Tribe for it's service and attention to detail. To me, it's worth the money, especially for security. Lunch was tasty as always and drinks were great.

Review

Overall Tribe is my number one pick for bands because the vibe is great and service is excellent. I do hope the band does a post mortem and review feedback from outsiders as well as masqueraders. The registration fiasco in my eyes has hurt the band's reputation and registration for 2011 has to be overhauled.

TRIBE Feedback

Each year post Carnival I always do my "Dear TRIBE" letter, as I did last year, pointing out areas that as a masquerader I think could be improved for the overall benefit of everyone. Since my critique will be the same as in 2009... TLC registration needs to be revamped, size of the band is overwhelmingly too big, more toilets needed at the lunch stop I will not rehash those points. Suffice to say that many of those concerns were not addressed for 2010, hopefully they will be for 2011.My letter today has to do with the attitude of the section leaders who cannot take criticism over their designs, the ones who found their way on the blog to personally attack me because of my personal opinion concerning their costumes.

Dear TRIBE, I have been your biggest supporter from day 1, I have always defended the band and my decisions for choosing to play with TRIBE so much so that I have been labeled as biased. My credibility has been attacked by accusations of being paid by TRIBE to write this blog as well as that I only give TRIBE  favorable reviews because I get a free costume with the band. As we both know this is not true and the year 2010 has seen me, your biggest  supporter, become enemy # 1 in the TRIBE camp.

In spite of all that I still played in the band this year, as you can see I rise above that pettiness because as a paying masquerader I  do not put the fact that I write this blog ahead of myself to get any leverage; see how cooly I accepted the fact that my section was last this year? I expect the same considerations that are given to all masqueraders  who spend their hard earned cash on a costume and I will choose to support whichever band I see fit until I am turned away, victimized or  discriminated against for the fact that write this blog.. .and, well that will be a whole other topic!

The gag order you put on me and this blog is fruitless as you can see, the fact is TRIBE news is BIG news and you get enormous publicity every time I write something about the band. Case in point is the huge boost in  popularity Spice received by the controversy surrounding their numbers that was hotly debated on this blog; the truth is there is nothing like bad publicity. So for 2011 you need to ease up on hounding staff members unfairly and incorrectly accusing them of giving me information. There is nothing you can do in stopping information getting to me because it always does from all over; people just LOVE to talk and they just LOVE to talk to me! Relax, roll with it and enjoy the fact that your band is getting talked about constantly and you band will have even more demand for 2011, don't you think?

As for certain designers in the TRIBE camp getting upset over my costume review for 2010, as designers they really need to grow up!  I am just ONE person with a point of view, surely that point of view did NOT cause the band to lose masqueraders because the band sold out anyway. I do not have any personal agenda against or dislike for anyone, as they seem to think. Being a masquerader for so many years, I know what costumes I like from what I do not like, that may not necessarily be  the same as someone else but alas those other people just do not happen to have a blog to express their opinions. Not to mention the older I have become the more discerning  are my tastes in costumes.

I have never flinched when costume prices increased year after year, I have always justified paying the price for the costume I want because I have a holistic approach to what the value of the costume means to me. However I think for the price of costumes in 2010 the actual product was not up to standard; I mean really who sat down and approved some of those costumes in a costume critique is beyond me. Some of the designs looked unfinished and like and afterthought and was no way in line with the standard set in years before. I was happy to see ,though ,that post band launch some costumes were giving a sprucing up so that tends to make me feel that some designs were indeed rushed.

So, as stated many times before good designs get great reviews, bad designs will get the reviews that they are due regardless of the fact that the band is TRIBE. One would hope that honesty is appreciated more than ass kissing, which I never do for the record, and that the critique would only help to position the band as being a leader in not only good service but also good costume design seeing as the actual product of the "ultimate all inclusive experience" was not so ultimate for 2010. The saving grace for me this year was that I absolutely loved my costume and that I had a great time on Monday. I know certain things were beyond the band's control on Tuesday however the size of the band is certainly a factor to be considered for 2011. Ideally I would hope the band actually DOES split in two, that would make things very interesting indeed!

I am liking the theme for 2011, hopefully we do get stellar costumes and not so many bruised egos giving me ( little old me!) the "stink eye". Good luck and looking forward to the start of band launching season "Warriors".

TRIBE 2010 Review

This was my first experience in Tribe, and after hearing many glowing reviews over the years I decided to see what this hype was about.

Costume collection

It was probably the smoothest I have ever encountered in my life having played mas in several different bands. It was a well oiled machine efficiently run, and almost military like in its execution. This to me left a very good impression on me as to what to look forward to on the road.

The costume for the most part was well made with the exception of the head piece which was a bit problematic for me.

Large headpieces are nice but, securing it on your head is quite another issue which i think is something designers need to look at becuase many masqueraders with large headpieces (myself included) had problems with it blowing off, or falling down on our faces. some were able to handle this with grace, while others were not so lucky...

Carnival Monday

The vibe in the band was good. I have a tendency to roam on my own to see what happens throughout, and I have to say the band seemed very organized on Monday. Drinks were flowing, people were having a good time, and everything went well until we passed the savannah stage and passed the cipriani exit .TRIBE was stuck for about 45 minutes…this gave me a good opportunity to have a look at the band, and it was only then I realized how truly massive it was. It stretched for miles. I would estimate that there were about 4000 people on that day. In the back of my mind I dreaded what Tuesday would be like but say what I was having a good time! Copious amounts of water and Gatorade for me to drink, so I was good.

One thing though, a friend of mine told me that he encounted a small skirmish with security who almost put him out because the tribe insignia on his id band ,was rubbing out, and he was accused of having a false id. Immediately I had a look at mine and the same thing was happening. I wondered if I too would be accused of having a fake ID, and also wondered how many other masqueraders if any had the same issue. I think this is something the management of tribe needs to look at, if only to ensure that their masqueraders are not falsely accused and have to suffer embarrassment of being potentially thrown out. They are actually opening themselves up to some serious litigation.

Back to Monday…

The rest stop was nice, food was decent and plentiful and most importantly tasty. For me sitting under a shady tree in Jackson square to re-energize was better than resting my backside on some random pavement somewhere. However there seemed to be no real indication as to when the band would get going again, the rest was overly long and I was most tempted to take a power nap.

Anyways, the band continued along onto tragarete road and down pole carew street onto ana and ariapita avenue…that was when I felt ram cram. I spent most of the time outside the ropes than in, trying to get some breathing and wining room because it felt like a Jamaican bus during rush hour!! Sardine like!!. When tribe got to the avenue I stayed a bit and left to meet my pick up as I was already too tired.

Tuesday

That was a whole debacle in itself…I am not going to get into the details of why I met the band so late but all I have to say is thank god I was not stuck on charlotte street. I met the band when they were at memorial square (well at least my section) and it was messy to say the least. Cramped, hot, sweaty and pushy people everywhere. I tried to make the best of it however when it came to finding a drink truck??? They did a Houdini on me!!! I could find none, all gone….so I had to rely on 6 dollar inflated price blue waters to keep me from fainting in the sweltering heat. Perhaps the band needs to look at keeping 3 drink trucks on keate street or something…so that at least masqueraders can get their drinks in close proximity to the band

The dj’s tried to keep the vibes going and that they did, but when you expend energy you get thirsty not so??? So waiting for over an hour in 1 spot jamming and nutten to drink will eventually make you frustrated as hell…and that I was.

Again, I spent most of the time outside the ropes than in the ropes walking up and down looking for some shade.

Eventually the band got moving. I was glad yes but then things got a little worse after the “get in yuh section call”. I won’t blame the band for this, but I would criticize some of the masqueraders themselves. People got in their sections yes, but almost everybody wanted to cram to the front and to the left where the cameras were and they didn’t care if you had a large headpiece, a front liner or if you were an individual or if you had on a floor member costume. Oh jeez, I mean not everybody can go to the front right????

After a while I got exceedingly frustrated and anybody who pushed me, male, female, dog, cat or rat, got a reactionary shove once I was shoved. Imagine a male masquerader tried to push his way in front of me, when there was no room, and when he shoved me to move back had the audacity to smile and say thanks?!?? *woosah moment.*

Anyway the only relief I got was when the individual and then the frontline was allowed to parade in front of the judges first, which was just fine for me. I had room to play myself. And even then, before they let us go infront the judges, I was being jostled by other masqueraders to get to the front. I think there is a big difference between exhuberance and outright unmannerly behaviour, and surely some of these ppl were just plain unmannerly. I could understand excitement and anticipation but taking that to a point where it causes discomfort to others? Methinks not.

The band took a total of 1hr and 35 mins to cross but I wanted to see all the sections and I could tell that there were a lot of thirsty, tired masqueraders…Loulan, poor masqueraders….everybody and their tantie with costume or not, wanted live palancing…that’s all I will say about that.

The rest park by the time I got there was a mess, no room to sit, garbage strewn everywhere despite the fact that there were ppl there to collect discarded containers. Food collection was relatively easy and like Monday the food was also tasty and plentiful, loads of starch though but as I said it was tasty and well cooked

Not enough toilets tribe!!! And well serving ppl lukewarm Gatorade does not cut it either!!! I didn’t even bother to venture near the pampering center or whatever it is called as it was incredibly crowded as was to be expected but I would have preferred if there were more toilets available for people to use.

For the most part I just relaxed until it was time to move again.

It wasn’t bad though this time around, until we got to pole carew street , there were people lining the streets creating some incredible congestion in the band and it became somewhat uncomfortable, and again found myself outside of the ropes. As we got close to the avenue it got worse and by then I had had enough so I said my goodbyes and left

Conclusion

I would give TRIBE a B for overall experience, but if they don’t do something about their numbers they are going to self destruct. It is true that they have created a hype that makes them a very popular band among the masquerading public and everybody wants to play with them but sometimes things get to a point where it becomes too much to be bearable..I doubt very much that tribe would want a logistical nightmare on their hands so I suppose in their post mortem they might have to look at ways of further reduction of numbers or creating 2 separate entities.

To be honest in all my years of playing mas I never exhibited loyalty to a particular band and this experience in tribe wouldn’t make me start either. Lets see what happens at band launchings for 2011.

Theme 2011....

So, sources have indicated to me that TRIBE will be playing "Warriors" for Carnival 2011.

Somehow I am excited by the theme, I do hope there are a lot of ethnic looking, multi coloured, feathered, beaded and gorgeous costumes for both men and women that incorporates less bling and more organic materials! This could be a pretty interesting theme, looking forward to the interpretation.Can you just see it now?

Rio Carnival 2010

Spice 2010 Review (4)

Ok, so my review of Spice will be restricted to my costume collection experience since others have already reviewed the road.

Upon arriving on Spice mas camp before 12 on carnival Saturday already displeased because collection for overseas masqueraders was so late, my friends and I were issued numbers and escorted into the ballroom. Even after being some of the first to arrive we endured a 3-4hr wait before we finally collected. We were told that the reason for the long wait was that the online systems were down and the payments had to be processed manually. Fine, no problem. Stuff happens, so we sat patiently and waited our turn. Unfortunately however, some impatient folks who came in after us did not feel the same way and decided to disregard the number system and place themselves in front of everyone who had been waiting patiently. This, predictably, led to some chaos. After FINALLY making it through the chaos we were allowed to enter the space for collection. 

My friend in Isis collected her Isis costume and was pleased with everything except the bra size which was off (she requested a B and received what looked like a DD) When she inquired about it she was told she had to return the next day to exchange the top. Huh? Not sure why, but determined not to fuss she agreed. Same time the gentleman with my receipt returned with a backline headpiece in his hand and a box on his arm. Before he could open the box he apologised for taking a while and explained that he had some trouble finding my costume. I informed him that it was a frontline costume and he went back to look again, apologising and saying that must have been the reason.

 His second trip back produced a FL hp which he handed over with more apologies. While investigating the hp he opened the box to show me the costume and to my surprise, there looking back at me was a bl belt and bra. Once again, I had to 'firmly' inform the gentleman that my costume was FL and NOT backline, and def not a mixture of both. More apologies and a few minutes later he returned with a booklet and a confused look on his face. He opened the page to the prototype and asked if that was what I had been expected. Well.. yes, that's what I paid for, of course its what I expected! He walked off to consult with another comittee member and returned to tell me that my costume was "on the way". HUH?? "On the way from WHERE?" One look on my face sent him off to talk with the bandleader to "find out what was going on".

 He returned with more apologies, an explanation about the costume being "stuck in traffic around the savannah", a request that I return the next day, and an apologetic band leader. Several apologies and assurances that my costume would be there "bright and early" sunday morning, and I collected my headpiece, wristband, etc, and left confused and somewhat frustrated.

Upon my return on Sunday morning I explained to the gentleman at the door that I was there to collect my costume and nothing more, so I was immediately escorted to the collection area without any wait. My friend got her bra exchanged with no fuss, but I was not to be so fortunate. After explaining the situation to one of the young ladies helping with collection she took my receipt to a committee member who then took it to the band leader who brought it back to me with MORE apologies. This time I was told that my costume was on the way from Chaguanas. HUH????? "What the hell is it doing in Chaguanas when it was around the savannah yesterday? Did it go for a drive?" More apologies, more assurances that it would be there within the hour, but at this point all of this meant nothing at all to me. I received the same the day before and was not at all comforted by the apologetic smiles and explanations. (Up to now no answer about why it was in Chaguanas and not at the hilton) .

Hours later I returned to the Hilton to find the place in chaos with people trying to purchase/collect costumes last minute. Refusing to wait another minute I located a comittee member and explained the situation and requested that he located the band leader since I would deal with no one else at this point. His response to me was "does she know you by name?" HUH???? "If my costume is not here she WILL know me by name, trust me!!!" Off he went into the ballroom to locate the band leader (they were not letting customers in at this point) and he returned FINALLY with my costume. Opening the box had me (almost) forgiving Spice for my 3 trips to the Hilton and 2 different stories as to why it was not there when it should have been. A family member who was with me however commented that the glue on the costume seemed to be "still warm" and seeing that a few pieces seemed to have not been stuck on completely, they might just have been right. Another rumour that I heard going around the ballroom from some of the ladies helping with collection was that I was the only FLer in my section that wanted to remain in the advertised monokini the others wanted to "switch out". (something I overhead while watching them play 'pass the receipt' on sunday morning) Whether or not that is true is no excuse for me to have to wait until Sunday evening to receive my costume, especially after I registered since August.

 In the end my costume was beautiful and I loved it, despite the few minor changes made (a different shade of pink, which I loved, and a backline cape which I didn't bother to wear). It was also a bit heavy, because of all the stones covering it, and my hp was my biggest gripe as it kept literally falling over or flying off my head on the road. The fit itself was fine, but the feathers themselves seemed to weigh down the cardboard holding it together. I did however receive extra pieces, a backline belt and foot pieces which I wore instead of the regular ol' boyshorts, and that I definitely appreciated. The road was decent and I ended up having a ball. But please Spice, do something to reinforce your headpieces, and don't give ANY of your masqueraders the run around for a costume they're paying hundreds of USD for, months in advance. A little notification about the situation would have been better than 3 trips to the Hilton and poor excuses.

Spice 2010 Review (3)

So for carnival 2010 it was decided that I go leave my Pulse8 carnival band and try something new. So after reading up my reviews on www.trinidadcarnivaldiary.com and hearing from people that played in diff bands in 2009 etc etc we decided to join SPICE. It is an all inclusive band that had a ok first year in 2009. bla bla bla etc etc etc here's the summary

Registration

So when we decided on the "ISIS" section I think it was only 4 fellas playing for sure. Then the day to register a couple girls decided to play also. Unfortunately the females were already advertised as sold out. Couple calls to spice PR oman (who we knew from before) and we eventually got through with the extra costumes required. In the mas camp itself it was smooth sailings. Couple complaints though - 1) no male prototypes in the mas camp (2)No visa in the mas camp steupssss (3) you couldn't touch female prototypes in mas camp . Nothing too serious and we were in and out in 30 mins (real thing to sign though and had to swipe link card separate for all the 7 people registering . And like they does pre order everything down to size cause when I was there there were only about 2 size 34 pants left and very few SPECIFIC sizes left .Same thing with the females - like they does order a specific number of SIZES in each size way before carnival. So instead of catering for say 100 men and 100 women the does cater for 30 A cup women , 30 B cup etc etc etc . Not sure if thats the best system but watever yes

Collection

Ah breeze Carnival Friday. We reach , we pay , we talk shit with all 4-5 people we had to deal with. All 4-5 people were polite and friendly and we were out in 30 mins. Some partners who when later had to wait lil longer but again , this part of review just focussing on my experiences . MY costume was pretty well made. The waterproof thing for pockets was nice but too much velco there cause them thing was hard to open so hardly anyone I knew used it (maybe woulda come in handy for car keys though).

D Road

Monday I meet the band 11:30 thanks to my jouvert experience and I met up with band couple hundred meter from where they started (supposedly at 9) . Now by this time those who reach at advertised time were not in best of moods cause they had a long wait without music or rum or security . Maybe 9 in kinda unrealistically early ...... ok I take that back . NINE in morning after jouvert IS TOO EARLY. FIX THAT SPICE !! Tuesday start time might also need to be revised .Oh yeah and where the azz  people was supposed to park to meet ah band Charlotte Street ??? Maybe ah lil clue in the package would help. And who knew about them shuttle from King George Park? If you shuttle to venue how you was supposed to reach back. maybe the car parks by Despers could be rented out .. maybe. Like Pulse8 spice doh give we no Monday wear so iz all kinda thing on the road Monday . The music trucks were generally good.MerryPerry was my fave except for when they try to play effing techno on the road for them 5 min interval every few hours. "I gotta feeling" is ah big song but I rather hear ah Nigel and Marvin, Iwer or Preacher before I hear TECHNO on the F***ING road carnival time . But guess machel, kes and sherwayne does do it in their sets so who iz me - I'd exercise the right to go to the "assassin truck" behind them .

Organization

The food organization was okish. I'm sure menus probably tasted better than others (I doh eat much on the road ). But probably  more tents, chairs and ENTRANCES could be provided . SO why the hell must standard bearers take ah rest so often on the road ? Like they can't just give the standard to someone else who not tired. And why is it that for long periods of time the standard bearer for sec 3 be 50ft behind the one for sec 4 .?Like nobody in the organization notice that. And why must the band get so spread out soo often. if ah truck in the back stop they cant stop the front truck from going up too fast to keep the band in ah order . Come on Spice its 2500 people not 800 . Why the rope people couldn't keep up with the first few sections soo much????? When all the "extraction Crew " operating as the "GATE" to cross a stage for section number ten the people in section #1 does be quarter mile down the road with not ROPE and NO REAL SECURITY . Arapita Avenue was the wuss wuss - not only Spice fault but the security there just has to be MUCH BETTER. Also when section #1 ready to cross ah stage maybe ALL the trucks could announce that the band gonna cross the stage cause sometimes people in the back out of section didn't realize that people in the front were crossing a stage .

With all that said SPICE was still ah good band -I get drinks right through, good dj, goood vibes for ME on the road. But now I would point out a major peeve that has to do with a friend of mine

COSTUMES

The FL in ISIS had some big plumes all over head piece. It's the ADVERTISED headpiece on the website and even on the front page on the official spice handbook. It was a HUGE headpiece. People pay real money to carry around this huge head piece - I think it was too big but say what if thats what people pay money for FINE. So sometime for whatever reason SPICE decided to make the headpiece "lighter" , "Smaller" or easier to carry . People who pay for the oversized head pieces were only told this when they went to collect. WTF !! Is only prob 10 FL people you had to contact to inform about CHANGES to ah costume they PAY for . Mrs SPICE PR WOMAN - least you coulda do was call, give part refund something. And then to go on the road and see ah bandleader with HUGE plumes modeling for all to see is like rubbing salt into the wounds . And y'all also made changes to Caspian Sea FL without telling people before hand what yall were doing BIG STEUPS . If I pay for ah 30ft long living room table whoever better bring me ah 30 ft living room table (doh tell me after, you cut it short cause it cant fit in my house ) . People pay money spice and I want to play with y'all again but I want the costume I register for and what I see in the mas camp and thats only FAIR .

Dats all for now!

Harts Carnival 2010 Review

Another Carnival has come and gone, and yet another Carnival experience. My heart was set on playing with Spice because the service was great from registration, to collected, to the road experience. However, the whole Pay Pal issue and me having to run down Spice to find out about my registration did not sit well with me; so I made the ultimate decision to change bands. Band of choice: Harts, section of choice: Brazilian Fiesta (Orange). Now I have heard the stories of Harts being uppity, and me with my dark self I was worried. But I always say it is up to the person that to the experience worth while.

REGISTRATION AND COLLECTION

I must say registration was an ease. I did mines online since I currently reside in Arkansas. The day after I submitted my registration online, I was contacted via email to confirm that my registration was received and that my selected costume choice was secured. The only thing I did not like was that after the money was withdrawn from my account, a second transaction was done to make up the difference for what was not taken out during the currency conversion. Since it was nothing more that about $14.00, I made no fuss. Anytime I sent Harts an email regarding costume options and remaining balance, I received a prompt reply answering all my questions. Collection was also an ease, paying off my balance and making sure I had everything took about ten minutes. When I saw my costume, I fell in love.....not only was my head piece humongous, but the costume itself was beautiful. My only problem I had with my costume was after having a baby three months prior, my breasts was slightly too large for the bra but I came prepared with some bra extenders...so that and all was small thing.

CARNIVAL MONDAY

The band left promptly from its designated location at 10:30 AM. Music was nice but I did not like the fact that they played each song twice in a row before going on to the other one. I must say that Harts knows how to party, I do now know how these people found they way on top of roofs and walls as any building along the route was subject to be dance on. That one I cannot blame on Harts, as some homeowners were having problems with this. After making circles (yes I said circles) we finally stopped for lunch at the square (sorry I don't know the name of it), and it was every man jack and woman jack for themselves to find a space to sit and eat. I was apart of "D Rum Shop" and the selection for lunch was beef pelau, which just was okay. I am not a big drinker but their selection was some of the best, and the bar never buss. The only thing I could not understand is how you don't have coconut water (the ultimate chaser). The rest of the day was okay, the only thing making it exceptional was the motivation from the crowd, the fact that we circled a block before we moved on was quite irritating and the stopping for long periods of time drained my energy.

CARNIVAL TUESDAY

By the time I met up with the band they were crossing Park and Frederick Street. We chipped all the way to Queens Park and the only time they started to play palancing music was right before we crossed the "stage." Getting people into their respective sections was a hassle as they did this about 15 minutes before crossing, and it was quite annoying to hear the announcer repeat all 25 sections (with a detailed description of the costume) about six times in an attempt to get everyone situated. After the Savannah it was a free for all, stormers had a time enjoying the experience that I paid for. The route became a drab, and after a while I became quite bored with the band. If it wasn't for the masqueraders who kept the energetic vibe going, I do not think I would have enjoyed myself as much. Lunch on Tuesday was very disorganized, as it took almost half an hour before we could get lunch. It also pissed off to see that people who were not apart of D Rum Shop eating lunch and enjoying drinks that I paid $700.00 for. Another issue that I had was the as the stormers stormed, security selected who the wanted to storm and who they wanted to put out the band. In my eyes a stormer is a stormer and all should have been put out, aint no pick and choose about it.

I must highlight this (since I see it as unfair and not putting the mas player safety first):

I played with my friend from Haiti and during the course of Tuesday, she strayed from me some how. Now keep in mind that this is her second time in Trinidad and she does not know Park street from Princess Town. Went to the first truck and informed the security that I needed to make an announcement to find a person. He directed me to the second truck. Gone to the second truck now and ask another security personnel and he took me to the mike man on the truck who said that they did not do announcements (mind you all day they paging people and what not). I flipped the mike man off, verbalized and expletive and as I was walked off, a female security who was apparently aware of the entire situation came to me, apologized for the rudeness of the mike man and took me to the proper truck (holding my hand throughout). Now the man on the third truck assured me that he would make the announcement.......lets just say that I am still waiting. Now how fair is that to me?

OVERALL EXPERIENCE

All in all Harts was just OKAY. Would I ever play with them again: maybe but it would not be my first choice of Carnival bands. I could not help but feel a certain "vibe" from other masqueraders and the photographers, lets just say that I was not the first, second or third choice when it came to Harts photographers. Crap, I know I am not the skinniest (shoot I love my baby fat and how it made my bumper spread) or the lightest thing alive but I do think my personality was vibrant enough to take a couple photographers. The feeling was very uneasy and it made it uncomfortable at times. The other thing I do not understand is why parade beautiful costumes that no one can see other than the Savannah crowd....I would have loved to parade and get on bad for spectators along the Avenue or even down town. But now I know that Harts is not the band if you are looking to do this. I still cannot get over the "stares" that I felt as I paraded through the band, but you know what I could care less because I pay my money and I played my mas.

Trinidad and Tobago Carnival 2010 Photos

These links are for all of you anxiously seeking Carnival photos online, and if you have any links to share please leave a comment:

http://www.facebook.com/digiceltt?ref=pymk

http://www.degrind.com/photos.htm

http://www.zorce.com/zorce_gallery/v/biglime/carnival2010

http://www.flickr.com/photos/izatrini

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kibwe

http://www.toronto-lime.com/pictures/index.htm

http://www.flickr.com/photos/liam_shane/sets/72157623451190606/

http://www.mayarobeach.com/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/37791102@N00/sets/72157623337230953/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23654434@N07/sets/72157623455890014/

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=193697721034

http://www.flickr.com/photos/37791102@N00/sets/72157623328389369/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34164041@N00/sets/72157623449967536/

http://www.carnivalscene.com/

http://www.trinisoca.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=201145

http://www.triniscene.com/tsv7/galleries/

http://www.trinipulse.com/entertainment/galleries.php

http://www.trinijunglejuice.com/junglejuice.php

http://www.block868.com/gallery.html