Countdown to Carnival 2009!!

The countdown clock says days until 11 months and 27 days until Carnival 2009; we know that Mc Farlane will be journeying to Africa next year while Island People will be giving us a taste of Heaven and TRIBE will be flying high! Rumors abound about bands splitting up, breaking up or falling off the radar, while amid all that is the fact that once again we will have no stage for 2009. It’s time to start getting ready for Carnival 2009!!!

Now, I am, not going to say anything different that what I said when we started counting down to Carnival 2008, so here it goes:

Firstly, organize your finances. Every one has an idea of what prices for flights, costumes, fetes and accommodation were this year so give or take a 10% increase for 2009 and start working on that budget. List everything you need at an estimated cost and work out a financial plan so you will not be broke this time next year! If you have plans on joining a sou sou, putting aside a fixed amount monthly or using a bonus to pay for your costume do the necessary.

For those coming from overseas note the ridiculous prices for airfare that was quoted a month or two before Carnival; prices rose to over $1000.00 US and that includes those inter Caribbean flights as well!! When it comes to travel I always look for deals, bargains and sales. Keep on the look out for cheap airfare by registering for the “fare watcher” service at Travelocity.com or the “buzz alert” at kayak.com which will send you an email when airfare prices to a specific destination drops. I know of persons who purchase their air fare from as early as April for the following year! Of course this will only work if you know the specific time you will be in Trinidad, no use buying a ticket and you do not have approved vacation time off.

This brings me to my next topic; apply for your vacation leave in advance! My company has a roster that they send out each year for employees to indicate when they want time off and I know other companies do the same. Even if your company does not have this policy in place it does not hurt to inform the Human Resource department or your supervisor that you will be applying for vacation late January/ early February 2009. Mark it big and bold on a calendar and stick it on your desk so that when the time comes he or she cannot pretend that they were unaware of your plans, looking for excuses to deny you leave.

You can safely book accommodation in advance as most hotels allow you a window for cancellation, so it does not hurt to make a tentative reservation when you have your dates confirmed. Some of the more popular places are booked way in advance and especially those guest houses and apartments which see repeat customers every year. A good idea as well, if you are planning on visiting Tobago after Carnival is to book early, remember many Trinidadians escape Carnival and head to Tobago!

You know how we all like to wait LAST MINUTE to try and get into shape, myself included, how about starting the eating right and exercise program from now. That will give us all enough time to not only meet our target weight loss goals but also the extra time to try and maintain it. Then when we succumb to the occasional temptations like at Thanksgiving or Christmas our waistlines will be much more forgiving seeing as we would have already lost weight.

All of you suffering through winter time at the moment can barely think about spring far less summer, but keep in mind how difficult it was for some of you to get boy shorts in January. Therefore, when summer rolls around this year start shopping for Carnival. You don’t have to get all the trendy stuff but at least get items that are seasonal like sandals, flip flops, shorts, tanks and swim wear.

Though it may seem like 2009 is so far away, soon enough we will all be obsessing over costumes, waiting to register and going through the drama we love so much!

Mas on the road....indefinitely?

The following article appeared in yesterday's Trinidad Express:

Construction of the new National Carnival and Entertainment Centre will start in September, Culture Minister Marlene McDonald has said.

"Construction will start in September 2008 and we are hoping that by the first quarter of 2010 the Centre will be completed," McDonald told the Express in a telephone interview.

"The design is finished but we are just doing the final tweaking. We will then invite tenders and award contracts."

Construction of the proposed $450 million National Carnival and Entertainment Centre came to a halt last year because the design was being reviewed.

Prime Minister Patrick Manning had made the announcement of the work contract stoppage in November 2007, almost a month and a half after the Urban Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago (Udecott) said the Requests for Proposals for the project were to have been issued "in the coming weeks".

Manning then said: "The Carnival Centre is on hold because of the events of Carnival this year and the need to rethink the design in the face of all of that."

The Express understands that the original design incorporated the Parade of Bands in the Centre, but the Government is now considering keeping mas on the roads.

When asked to comment on this, McDonald said: "A few changes are being made which I cannot speak about at the moment, because I haven't yet sat down with the designer and Udecott to finalise the design." In February last year, former Culture Minister Joan Yuille-Williams said construction of the centre would not be completed in time for Carnival 2008. However, she said it would have been built by 2009.

While work is still on hold for the centre, work has already begun on the Academy of the Performing Arts, another cultural facility approved by the Manning administration.

SOURCE:
www.trinidadexpress.com

Now, I know that the proposed construction on the National Carnival and Entertainment Centre had come to a halt months ago and that the design was being "modified", however this is the first I am seeing that Government proposes to keep mas ON THE STREETS!!! Wasn't the original design modeled after Rio's Sambadrome, the design that Peter Minshall , and others, criticized so much?

I am not liking the sound of "keeping mas on the roads" at all! And shall update you all when I do some further investigating, in the mean time feel free to share your thoughts and comments about your experience with mas on the road for Carnival 2008.

Makeup Artist Review

This year I decided to go with a professional makeup artist for Carnival Tuesday, albeit I can apply makeup good enough to satisfy me on a daily basis, and have been doing my own makeup for past Carnivals I thought this year to try something and someone different. Added to that was the fact that the colours of my costume are not what I was used to wearing and as such would have had to procure eye shadow to match, so instead of buying more makeup that I will not have cause to use again the money went to the make up artist.

There are several professionals who do makeup come Carnival, I chose this particular one because she did a friend’s face last year and she also had an online portfolio that I could peruse and see what kind of job she did and what faces I liked or did not like. I made an appointment for 6:00AM on Carnival Tuesday, and along with Mystique and her friend we got to the location just after 6:00, late yes, but we were met with several masqueraders already waiting!!! The appointment system just went out the door. After we took our numbers we had nothing to do BUT wait, it was not like we could just say forget it as none of us walked with any makeup to do the job ourselves.

During the waiting period some of us had breakfast that was provided, others finished dressing and we even made a trip to TRIBE’s mas camp (looking for our backpacks). After a long wait, and resigned to the fact that we were indeed going to miss the band leaving Stanmore Avenue, we eventually got called. The system was like an assembly line, and another makeup artist showed up to do colour, so the line started moving a bit faster but not by much. Upon entering the room I had foundation applied first, I walked with my own so the makeup artist used Revlon Colorstay, then her own products for concealer and powder. I also have to add that my face was already primed with Milk of Magnesia, the one tip I was given that worked wonders for Carnival!

Next it was off to get the eyes done at a another station, I liked that they asked what I wanted done and I was able to say I want it dramatic, with glitter and where I wanted my face decoration. The eye shadow application on the eyes was fabulous! I even wanted more lashes to the individual extensions I was wearing so they added strip lashes which were ridiculously ostentatious; I mean it WAS for Carnival right! After my eyes were done they added face jewels, lipstick and fix it spray; I was VERY pleased with the end results. One thing I do not like about some makeup artist is when they use contouring to shade the nose and this was not done at all. The makeup looked outstanding but the face still looked natural and not as if product was caked on.

The cost of $200.00TT included the lashes, face decoration, breakfast and even a little gift bag that included some goodies like Dior perfume samples, Dove face wash, eye shadow and lip-gloss; to me the price (and long wait) was worth it; if I had to purchase the lashes and face decoration myself it would easily cost $100.00TT. In addition if you wanted your face painted or individual face jewels added they were doing that as well.Interestingly enough there were many ladies playing with Harts getting their faces done along with many from TRIBE and even one guy! I also recognized some faces from the beauty pageant arena such as Nasma Mohammed and Lorca Gatcliffe. And after the long wait we did not miss the band, meeting TRIBE on South Quay with a few minutes to spare before my section crossed the stage

As for how the makeup held up on the road, my face decoration stayed on all day, they were not individual stones but rather the ones that come in a pack; my nose and bindi stick-ons did fall off however! The eye makeup lasted for the entire day as well, and since I used Colorstay foundation my makeup was not sliding off my face either, at the end of the day my face was still “on”. Of course I used blotting sheets to absorb the excess oil and reapplied powder at the lunch stop.

The difference with the professional makeup and doing it on your own is not with the product but the application; you rely on the makeup artist’s skill to choose the right colours for your skin tone and the ability to accentuate your features. I would definitely use this same makeup artist for Carnival 2009, but I am not going to reveal who she is in fear of having an even LONGER wait next year!! I hope all of you who chose to go with a professional were pleased with the results, and feel free to share your experience and the makeup artist you used (if you feel like sharing the identity) by leaving a comment.

Ladies whose faces were also done by the makeup artist I used:






Can you tell which one had her face professionally done?


PHOTO SOURCE:
www.carnivalscene.com
www.toronto-lime.com
www.watever.com

Boots by YOU!!

On the road this year I saw some really awesome boots, decorated by masqueraders themselves; gtwarrior and AA your boots looked FAB, send pics!! And for anyone else who also had their boots custom decorated, and would like to show off your creativity send me your photos at:
trinicarnivaldiary@yahoo.com

Here are boots done by bloggers Mystique, Bacchanalmas, lnolden516,AA,Tru, Squeezle,Sexy Panat & GTWARRIOR in that order (click on photos for large view)

Mystique- TRIBE

D Krewe

Kingfisher - ISLAND PEOPLE

Butterfly Bliss - TRIBE

Water Nymph- TRIBE

Apocalypto - HARTS

Amalthea

Black Magic

To those of you sending photos please leave a comment on how much the materials cost, how long the decorating process took and if you had any prior experience in decorating boots.

I.C.E. Carnival

Taking a break from all the Trinidad 2009 Carnival talk, as juicy as all the speculation is to share some information the I.C.E. Carnival Band for D.C. Carnival:

Mr Blaxx Goes to Washington

Press Release

February 19, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Fresh off a highly successful 2008 Trinidad & Tobago Carnival season, Roy Cape All Stars frontliner, Blaxx, is headed to Washington, DC.

While visiting the US Capital, Blaxx will perform his hits Dutty Crew, Breathless and much more at the I.C.E. Carnival bandlaunching and costume premier on March 15th. In addition to great highpower, musical performances, I.C.E. Carnival will also be showcasing costumes from their 2008 all-inclusive DC Carnival presentation, When East Meets West, at the event.

Based in Baltimore, MD, I.C.E. Carnival is the largest all-inclusive mas band participating in the DC Carnival. The Carnival celebration occurs every year in late June and features as many as twenty-five colorful bands. I.C.E. Carnival founder, Brian K. Jordan, aka ICE, stated, “As a proud transplanted Trinbagonian, I am so happy we were able to get one of the most consistent and dynamic Caribbean performers to come kick off our Carnival season. Hopefully, we’ll have a nice crowd to support and welcome Blaxx to DC at our band launching on March 15th.”

Persons interested in getting more information about I.C.E. Carnival, or its bandlaunching are encouraged to contact, Mrs. Germaine Jordan, I.C.E. Carnival Bandleader, via email at icecarnival@yahoo.com, or to visit www.myspace.com/icecarnival.

click for large view

Island People Review

Written by a Carnival Virgin!

This was my first time in Trinidad and my first time playing mas. My experience with Island People was great- mostly because of their obvious experience and organization.

It began with me picking up my costume @ the Jean Pierre Complex. Every section had designated pick-up days the week before carnival which cut down on lines and wait time. I received my Great Egret costume in a white box and also a cowboy hat for Monday and the headpiece for Tuesday. Possibly just as exciting as the gorgeous costume was the goodie bag!!! It was filled with snacks, samples, an Island People Animal Instincts bag, zebra-print umbrella, zebra notebook, and mouse pad. When I got home I looked at the bikini and realized that it was a medium (I’m a 36DD so that was not making it). I thought I would have to go back and make a scene but when I went on the Saturday and explained to a woman at the counter she did not make me wait in line and simply gave me the correct size- problem solved!

Carnival Monday the band left on time, I know this because my friends and I had to run to catch up. The bar was stacked, but the bartenders were not the happiest looking people- I made sure to say please and thanks as much as I could and they warmed up over the day. Lunch was not great- I asked for fish and got a veggie meal which was pasta salad and really over-cooked corn. I wasn’t impressed. However, a veggie burger made up for that and more drinks also made me forget about the not so wonderful food. Honestly, I think IP was the sexiest people I have ever seen. People were wukking, wining, and jumping from 10am on! I had the most fun and danced until my feet hurt to wicked DJ’s and hot music.

Day 2 was full costume and more fun. The food was better and I think bartenders had come to grips with the fact that we’d be asking them for drinks…all day. The whole band stopped for a lunch break and sweet reggae and dancehall kept people in the groove. My friend had to visit the first aid truck which had helpful people and benches to relax and cool off. Security was good until we got to St. James and then it got a bit lax, I saw nuff people jumping into the band but I’m from Toronto where jamming with any band is part of carnival so I didn’t mind at all- more jammishness! A friend was annoyed because she believes that if you pay money for costume you pay to party- but to each his own. As we neared the stadium where the afterparty was the band really heated up. I didn’t intend on going to the party but as we waited for a friend playing in another band we decided to check it out. Lots of over-drunk people and non-masqueraders, and it took 3 tries to get 2 beers- not too hot. Every masquerader got a ticket to give a friend but I think security was just letting anyone in. The music was non-stop soca and reggae so we jammed a bit and left just before it was over.

Overall IP was fiyah, I’ll definitely play with them again and will eventually play with Tribe so I can see the difference. The organizers deserve credit, it can’t be easy to deal with all these people but they pulled it off. This carnival virgin is satisfied!

As the Carnival world turns......the soap opera continues

Got this email in my inbox:

If you read Saucytrini's blog today, you may be wondering whether members of TRIBE are going their separate ways ... whether the band is splitting into two ... etc.

The situation is as follows:

For Carnival 2009, TRIBE will be offering masqueraders two options: an all-inclusive option and a non-inclusive option:

ALL-INCLUSIVE OPTION: Masqueraders will receive everything that they have been receiving since the band's inception: costume, drinks, food, etc.

NON-INCLUSIVE OPTION: Masqueraders will pay for costume only. However, costumes will be different from costumes provided in all-inclusive option and masqueraders will receive different colored wristbands. Masqueraders will also have the option of renting carts, where you (and your friends) will be responsible for supplying your cart with your own drinks (and food). Of course, costumes offered through this option will be less expensive than those offered in the all-inclusive option.

If this really comes to pass it is an EXCELLLENT business move by TRIBE. The waiting list for people wanting a costume was ridiculous this year, so what better way to not only make masqueraders who were left out happy but those who complain about not wanting all the “extras” and about the price can have more choice now.

On the positive side, I am hoping that this would mean the band is not as large as this year, but of course I can also foresee TRIBE 1 (original TRIBE) jacking up prices as you can always get a costume in TRIBE 2 for cheaper. TRIBE 2 sounds like it can work very well since Harts is a non-all inclusive band and was the only other band to sell out along with TRIBE. Once costumes are priced competitively, TRIBE can posie themselves to have a monopoly on Carnival! Ah the critics will have a field day!!

Anyway, as long as Super Mo Mo stays with TRIBE 1 that’s where I will be since I do enjoy my all-inclusive package and I lover her costumes. I can make a suggestion of which designers/section leaders can high tail it over to TRIBE 2 but I am thinking the smart move would be to still have the TRIBE trio,Gail, Lana and Monique design for BOTH bands!

I tell allyuh, I love Carnival, I love the bacchanal!!!!!

p.s. The Band I was referring to in the first paragraph of my "gossip" post yesterday is NOT TRIBE... I think that is a BIG enough hint right there!

And the gossip spreading like wildfire!!!

Which big band had an after Carnival meeting and saw one of the founding members storm out saying that they were parting ways for 2009? If this is true, I wonder if they are taking the band's name as well, seeing as the name is a brand unto itself!!


And, the talk is all about the split in TRIBE!! Or should I say alleged split in TRIBE.. on one hand I am hearing that some sections will be "running away" to form their own band, but the little piece of info the bird whispered to me since last year was that changes are in the works, when pressed for more information on if there will be TWO bands, I was told there can only be ONE TRIBE!!

So, now a twist in the story is that there WILL be two TRIBE's, one all-inclusive, the other not and two different sets of costumes!! Now if this is true can you imagine the two band H.O.s can now be H.O.ing in two different costumes of the same TRIBAL family!!!! Anyway, I think I will stick to my "original" TRIBE, band splitting OR NOT.

I tell you Carnival 2008 slowly fading from memory and the Carnival 2009 bacchanal NOW start!!

The idea of instant makeup might be a trivial waste of money for some; I mean what is so hard in applying some eye shadow right? Well, I decided to give the instant makeup that I wrote about from Coloron Professional a try, along with some other ladies who were willing to split a box. I got the colour “noche” which I used on Carnival Monday. The makeup comes on two pads that are already filled with eye shadow and the application is by placing the pad on you eye, pressing and removing. After removing the pad, the eye shadow is somewhat sticky so I used a brush to blend it a bit and the stickiness was gone leaving it with a consistency of powder.

I only used one pad on both eyes, so you can reuse the makeup more than once. The end result was a nicely blended, well applied eye makeup that surprisingly stayed on all day and was super easy to apply! As to if it is worth it, well if you have no clue about applying eye shadow and want one of the more vibrant colours or the patterns I say go for it! My friend was pretty happy to use the Sunset Beach to match her Lady of the Lake costume on Tuesday as she is not an expert in applying any kind of makeup, for instance. Otherwise you can easily do it yourself IF you are someone who is adept at applying eye makeup!!

Surprisingly I saw several ladies wearing the Zebra print on the road in both Island People and TRIBE and it looked great!!!

Coloron Zebra on the website:



Coloron Zebra on the road!

My boots review

Last year I had customized boots made by Natalie, and owing to the fact that I got the wrong foot measured they were so uncomfortable on Carnival Monday that I had to resort to sneakers on Tuesday. This year I decided to buy my boots online, and found a very cheap pair at Amazon.com for $15.00US, with shipping it came up to just over $20.00. The only issue I had was with the fur, but that I easily removed, which left the boot very comfortable as it was not fur lined inside.

The heel was perfect; a wedge of just 1 inch, and the boot on the whole was extremely comfortable. I had bought these boots my exact size, and was worried they would be too small for insoles. Thankfully I did not need to use the insoles as they fit very well, and I just wore socks on Monday and my feet were not sore, aching or cramping at all. In hindsight I would advise anyone to buy your boots a size bigger in the event that you do need insoles.

A few weeks before Carnival, while planning my Monday wear I decided to get another pair of boots for Tuesday, that pair I bought at shoeocean.com and the price was $25.00. Those boots were shipped to a friend who brought them for me as she was coming to Trinidad for Carnival. My Tuesday boots were also flat, with a 1 inch heel, I got those one size bigger and used the Dr Scholls Heel and Boot insole, I felt as if I was walking on cushions, they were SO comfy! Those insoles were a Godsend as I did a lot of walking on Tuesday!

My Monday boots I decorated myself since I figured I would not be in costume anyway, and my Tuesday boots Afro Chic decorated as I wanted a very good job done and a boot that was not ostentatious in decorations as my costume was elaborate enough. When I decorate I really have no limit on what I will put on my boots! I think my Monday boots looked great, never mind I only used ONE can of silver spray paint and not two as Afro Chic advised, I was being frugal as my Carnival extras spending was steadily mounting up! Of course if these were my Tuesday boots I would have handed them over to Afro Chic as she is an expert in spray painting!!

These are how my Monday boots turned out:

Original boot with fur & without the fur,which I removed :


After, spray painted & decorated:


Finished boot with Swans Down


On the Road!

The decorations on my boots lasted all day for the most part, I am missing one or two gems. These boots will be my footwear for 2009, God's willing, as they are now broken in good and proper. That saves me headache of having to find boots again! I noticed many, many, many ladies wore boots on the road and I was VERY happy to see that. My friend wore the flat, soft Ate Logo boots and said they were SUPER comfortable, not to mention they already came in gold/bronze. So, let me know how was your boot experience, if you tried them for the first time this year (or not); where did you buy your boots, the cost, how did you choose to decorate, comfort on the road, and will you do boots again or go back to sneakers, photographs are welcomed!

For photographs of my Tuesday boots visit Afro Chic’s FAB Carnival Footwear page on facebook, and you can also check out examples of footwear she did for other masqueraders on her Fab Boots blog. I predict next year she will be swamped with orders, especially for the customized sneakers, so you guys better get your foot in the door early!

It Stays!!!

Now I have featured many products that have come in handy for Carnival preparations, some being rather essential for surviving the elements, gravity and the stress on your feet. Today I will introduce to you the Butt Glue:

Once an urban legend of Beauty Pageants, the Butt Glue has surfaced to be featured as a secret weapon against the dreaded "riding up" of your bikini bottom! One very creative blogger used fashion tape to replicate the job of butt glue, which worked until she had to use the toilet, since she did not have extra tape to reapply. The beauty of the but glue is that comes in a handy roll on size of 2oz, small enough to toss in your pouch for reapplying as necessary.

Of course, the wedgie issue really affects those ladies who chose to go stocking less, inadvertently falling prey to lascivious photographers as pictured below:

A simple solution to this problem would be to 1. wear stockings or 2. wear thongs, hopefully both at the same time! However for those who are prone to doing none of the above, add Butt Glue to your list of Carnival Essentials for 2009!

PHOTO SOURCE: www.playcarnival.com

Frontline Faux Pas ....

Triniscene.com now has photographs of Island People Mas on Carnival Tuesday.While perusing the galleries, since I did not get a chance to see the band on the road myself, I noticed that headpieces for frontline for Silver Fox and Great Egret looked diminished in plumage!!! Now this particular feature is what made the costume so attractive to me, being a lover of the ostentatious headpiece, and if I had paid for the FABULOUS feathered frontline headpiece I saw at the launch and got this version I would have been SURELY pissed… but that’s just me!

At the launch.....


On the road......


At the launch...


On the road....


On a more positive note, Man O War frontline looked absolutely stunning, it added some much needed colour to the monochromatic band! LOVED IT:

Other photos can be found at:
www.carnivalpower.com
www.playcarnival.com
www.toronto-lime.com

On the road with Brian Mc Farlane's Earth..

Many thanks to redtide for this review:

My Carnival experience with Brian Mac Farlane's Earth

First of all I must give many thanks for this blog I have not been back to Trini / Carnival in 14 years .This blog has been very informative and a must read for me daily. Please keep up the good work.

As pointed out earlier it has been a minute since my last Carnival, being away for so long I wanted to play a real mass .....IP ,TRIBE and others doh pong mey to hard I just wanted to wear big mass. As seen on the Internet you all doh make nice mass for us guys.

All in all I must say my entire experience was awesome

I had purchased my costume, in section Wind of Horror six months in advance making the collection process easy .I did so on the same day of my arrival from Miami. it was very hassle free at the mass camp I showed some id and left with complete costume in hand in less than 15 minutes.

We played a mud mass on Monday . They gave each masquerader four yards of cloth to wear which ever way they liked I only used 10 inches of it as seen in the picture. The band met up at the park close to the mass camp where the they had the 5 half drums of mud bubbling over some flames ready for disposal. they also had the mud mobile during the day for reapplication as needed . The day was just PURE FUN and hassle free and to end it all it started pouring rain when the band was passing QRC on the way back to the mass camp on Monday night........who say they have no God? if carnival had done that night I would be 100% contented and happy.

On the drinks we only had beer, soda and water complimentary which was good by me because I'm not a heavy drinker . I later found out you could of purchased a wrist band for the premium drinks but again I was good with my beer. I know drinks flowed freely on both days, I have not heard about anything running out even the hard liquor. In fact on Tuesday night they were giving it all out to ANYONE in the band after we crossed the savanna stage.

On Tuesday the Band look ICE HOT complete 180 from the mud on the Monday .
Brian had Rosalind Gabriel children section bringing up the rear of the band these kids were stunning, drop dead gorgeous in their costumes .........but then again we talking Trini Children so all yuh already know that.

The band left at 7:30ish crossed Adam Smith Sq, them proceeded DT that's when we bounce up TRIBE by the Red House I was too happy for that. I left Earth with wings on tow getting caught in some sidewalk trees to walked through Tribe to see who I could see because a lot of my friends played and tried to convince me to play with Tribe but remember ........I wanted big mass .

OMG I was in the land or beads and feathers I have never see so much nice women collectively in one place, my camera was starting to feel the stress. I stold a few wine here and there and chatted with a few people I have not seen in ages then returned to Earth ....no pun intended.

We crossed Down Town, rested at the Cathedral for about 45 minutes crossed Piccadilly St and was stopped to let Island People through by Charlotte St, I never see so much rope in my life I now know what 20 mile of rope look like remember it's been 14 years, they didn't use rope back then. I was also amazed by de amount of trucks, come on people a whole truck for ice cream? I stopped counting at 22.
izzz all good do all ya thing.

What amazed me most about Earth was how dedicated the masqueraders were we talking about going across the savanna stage around 7 PM and the whole band was about 95% intact, sectioned and in full costume,even the kids were troopers I never felt more proud.

The moral of the story is I had a wonderful first time back experience with a band that was totally about the masquerader and for sure I will be back with Brian Mac Farlane next year

thanks for letting me give my two cents

Redtide
Miami

Bootleg Nymph?

I remember the stories I would hear of bootleg costumes being pirated by friends who had that lone friend that did not secure a costume for whatever reason. Rumour has it that these industrious ladies, and/or gents, would make a trip to Samaroos after collecting their costume and try their best to whip up as close a likeness of the "real" costume for the plagued friend. Some persons in the business of making mas for certain bands were also alleged to be selling costumes on the side, hence the reason that some bands only give mas makers pieces of the costume to make and not the entire thing, spreading the job out so no one person can create an entire costume.

With costumes now coming in from China, and bands having materials designed specifically for each section it is a bit harder to replicate some of the he costumes on show. However this Water Nymph pictured below looks curiously different from all the other Nymphs in that section.

Now I am not casting aspersions of bootlegging, but really why is this costume so conspicuously different, yet can easily blend in to the casual observer? Is this the Water Nymph "secret section" perhaps? If anyone knows please enlighten me as to why THIS costume is not like any other!

Water Nypmh?


Masqueraders in Water Nymph


Carnival Tuesday photographs can now be seen at www.triniscene.com!

PHOTOS: www.triniscene.com



EDITED TO ADD THE FOLLOWING EMAIL IN RESPONSE TO THE BOOTLEG QUESTION:

Hi Saucy,
In response to your article on the bootleg costumes, i think it right to explain.
First of all, my name is Richard, and i am one half of the design team at Richard Anthony Productions & Concepts, an event and costuming company based here in trinidad .
We have been responsible for designing and creating for both Tribe and Island People Mas for the past four years.

Our strongest designs have been geared towards the male costumes for IP Mas and their frontline females and female headpieces.

On the matter of the Water Nymph costumes, THEY WERE NOT BOOTLEG.......LOL!
Allow me to Explain, We- My family,Friends And I-decided to play mas with Tribe this year. We originally liked the water nymph and we are close to Gail Cabral, so we called and asked her to do a frontline version of the costume, if you noticed our wings, both the male, female and our huge individual did not bend or break or crumple, and they were different, although our costumes did look similar that was to avoid pissing anyone off by going too elaborate, you know the usual as in the "Green Water Spirit" section, in hopes of not causing any trouble for the Tribe team, So please do not label us as bootleg if you look closely you can see the ID bands on my cousin's wrists and all of the other 17 ladies/gents in our group. And the big individual that was featured in one of the pics on your site, _OCANUS, The Water Nymph_ placed first in the male category.

I do applaud your concern and feel free to investigate with the bands mentioned about us, you did not meet us at IP Mas viewing because we were out of the country at that time, and keep doing the great work, i love your blog , we're on everyday

--
Richard

OK, so there you have it, the question has been answered! I only saw this one photograph so I had no knowledge that there were several others in this version of the costume. Apologies to the young lady for the comments that were directed in  ignorance! 

D Krewe Review

Written by Bacchanalmas:

Upon arriving at the mas camp on Friday 25th Jan we was greeted by some very pleasant and helpful staff, well appointed and clearly displayed costumes; making further payments was a breeze and seemed very organized, they were even giving complimentary water and beer, the only downside was our section “Fantasy” was meant to be for collection on Thursday 31st Jan but had been scratched out on the notice and put back to Sunday 3rd as you can understand we were not happy collecting a day before Carnival! VEX? Yes very, but luckily I called the section leader and had arranged that he drop all 26 costumes to my guest house on Saturday instead, now bear in mind most of our bookings were done from registration started in September.

Ok so Saturday arrives costumes were meant to be delivered at 5pm finally at 8pm they turn up! Here is when the real drama begins I had about 15 of the girls waiting on the costumes to try them on etc when we realized all the belts were either too big or too small. Being too big I can work with ,cut down and re apply the velcro but not too small, as 3 people were 40" or 42" waist and the biggest belts they had only measured 36" or 38", so they had to be sent back for larger ones to be made. Then a larger problem arose, that the Bras were all 32-38 back and either B or C cups, when I tell u we had a lot of girls either ranging from a 32DD up to a 38H yes they were supplied wit the 38C bras! Now you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know a nipple ain’t gonna get covered if you a 38H, so they explained to us they had issues with their suppliers in, wait for this, CHINA and they didn’t notice the bras were wrong until they arrived 2 weeks before carnival!

Anyway the rep from Mau bro's section told us he would go get some larger bras and be back to try sort this out; by 10pm he was back with a lady I believe was from Trini Reveller's with some larger bra's that I believe came from the "El Imperio de Cortes" (blue option) section yep I pay attention to everything! We were told these bra's would be stripped down and re applied with the correct fringe and appliqués and would be delivered Sunday morning at 11am along with the belts and other missing pieces like leg bands and oh wrist ID bands which we did not get either.

Well after returning from insomnia a lil worse for wear 11am arrived and went and no costume pieces arrived as promised by 1pm. I was calling them to try finding out what was going on, I had numbers for 4 different people and all were either off or just ringing out! I got so vex me and my friend who was going to collect his FORBIDEN costume decided to go down to the stadium and see what’s going on.

Upon arrival there I met my 2 other friends who were collecting their TANTRIC costume they were told their costumes will not arrive until 4pm! My friend who was collecting FORBIDEN was told his costumes wont arrive until 8pm (bear in mind costume collection is meant to be 1pm-8pm) to be then told no the costumes may not arrive at all! Anyway back to the FANTASY section, I went to the booth where they were distributing from and spoke to the section leader who told me to wait here for a min he would see what’s going on 45 minutess passed and the man finally came back after much frustration.

He took me into some back room and handed me 3 of the 8 bras hat needed to be re done but on inspection the bra's were exactly the same as the Trini Revelers section just with some flower appliqué added I also got the belts and missing arm pieces but I was still missing 5 bras, by this time I am getting real vex and short with the man he is yet again promising me to bring the bra's to my place at 5pm. I was like this is crazy! So in the mean time I go and start trying to get ID bands for 26 people (yes this is where I wasted 2 and a half hours of my day) after finally proving all the costumes were paid as they had no record of payments for half of them oh and they ran out of goodie bags too! I was so vex I decided to leave. I met my TANTRIC friends again, guess what they got they costumes but they were told the headdress option they chose and paid extra for is not available due to headdresses not arriving so they had to settle for the head jewelry option! Also one didn’t get the full body under garment option either she later received that Monday night on the road!

I went home and broke the news to the girls that they would have to wait longer and I continued doing the amendments on the costumes and gluing back what was already falling off 5pm came and went yet again no call nothing and they still un-contactable so my friends got so vex they went down there with their full costumes to get a refund 3 out of the 5 ended up getting the bra's the same as the Trini Revellers ones they jus took them because they wanted to play mas so bad! So they took them home and amended them their self meanwhile my other friend in FORBIDEN is still without costume and he found out 3 of his female friends were having the same problems but at about 11pm he gets his costume incomplete but a costume none the less the girls had to get refunded.

I won’t talk about carnival Monday as I was horizontal for most the day after jouvert with severe hang over! But I did make it out onto the avenue when the band was passing and jammed for a few hours and it was nice vibes and drinks were flowing!

TUESDAY MORNING one thing I never want to do is cross the big stage at 8am talk about no vibes I still got sleep in my eyes lol. After crossing the stage and the band begun to grow it became apparent that there was a severe lack of security and no rope to separate from public. I made my first visit to the bar to order a “hard drink” I asked for a white rum and coke a large one! I was told there is no rum I WAS LIKE WTF we in Trini no rum? I went round the other side the truck and asked again to my amazement they guy lifted down not one but a full case of OLD OAK WHITE RUM and removed a bottle and poured my drink! I was like why these people being so dottish? Anyway as the day progressed the vibes was getting nice people were getting drunk, we were approaching the food stop by D Krewe mas camp, which was a little school. Imagine this, about 3000 masqueraders clambered into this tiny lil playground, almost killing each other for food! I was looking around, all the staff and security were tucking into their meal; I go outside to sit down and eat and get some shade. 10 minutes later one my friends in CLIMAX came and sat down and said “I jus had to go into St James and buy a bake and some roti” I was like why, don’t you like the food? She replied the food done, nothing left, and I was like this isn’t real.

As the band re assembled we headed down towards Ariapita avenue judging, the band had grown a lot by now mainly general public who were also freely being served drinks from the bar without question we passed the 2 judging points and headed to town by about 7pm. I was starting to feel unsafe and the security seemed like they had consumed half the bar which by this point had run out of most popular drinks so I couldn’t look for them for protection I decided to call it a day and head home!

For me D Krewe has a hell of a lot of work to do I know it’s the first year but they have been several sections in bands for years now. I saw too many flaws in the band and that’s without touching on the fact half the sections didn’t look like what was presented on the website this is most noticeable in the scaled down version of both climax miniscule frontline and backline.

I hope this info has come across as intended, I did try to display both positive and negatives but the negatives heavily out weighed the positives!

I will be either back to Tribe (I still got my TLC) or Island People I as feel they are gonna step up!

BACHANALMAS

TRIBE Magazine update..

The TRIBE Unleashed 2008 Souvenir Magazine is NOW AVAILABLE at the following outlets:

TRIBE Mas Camp - Opening Hours: Mon to Fri 12noon to 6pm

Crosby's - Western Main Rd. , St. James

Kam's - Long Circular Mall

Rhyner's - Piarco Int'l Airport

The following branches of HI LO Food Stores :

* NORTH: Glencoe, West Mall, St. Ann 's, Maraval
* EAST: St. Augustine , Arima ( Ridgewood )
* CENTRAL: Chaguanas
* SOUTH: Gulf City

Overseas Masqueraders: Keep posted to the website for further information.

Cost: TT$50

Souvenir Photos

Carnival 2k8 photos are NOW available at the Mas Camp. (See schedule below):

* Sat. 16th Feb - 12noon to 5pm
* Tues 19th - Thurs 21st Feb - 4:30pm to 7pm
* Sat 23rd Feb - 12noon to 5pm
* Tues 26th - Thurs 28th Feb - 4:30pm to 7pm
* Sat 2nd March – 12noon to 5pm

Photos can also be ordered from carnivalscene.com

For further information, please call 333-8635.


Carnival 2k8 pics can be viewed at:
www.carnivalscene.com
www.trinijunglejuice.com

And here is.. THE BLING!

This year my Carnival preparations included pimping out a H.O. cup (which we later termed the “bling cup"). The cup started life as part of the Bmobile Panorama Lime package; subsequently Bmobile would give away thousands of these cups at fetes, goody bags at the airport and to all Island People masqueraders so I am sure many of you are now in possession of this cup, which can be used for pimping out next year if you so desire!

Anyway, Mystique was the first to come up with the brilliant idea to use this cup as the base for blinging out, and her cup was actually the very first one to be decorated. The metal of the cup made it great for apply decorations with a hot glue gun, and the handle has a neat feature which can clip on to a string or in my case my pouch.

For my cup I used about 180 gems, sequins, braid and swans down for the “fluff”. Hey, it was a H.O. cup so I pimped it out good! The decorations stayed on surprisingly well, none fell off or came loose as I had feared, even with cold drinks poured inside of the cup. At the end of the day my fluff did become wet, in hindsight it was not a practical design element though it did add to my bling factor!

My Bling Cup!

I absolutely loved my cup as the TRIBE cup I got in my goody bag did not match my costume in any way and this cup added to the overall Frontline H.O.ness! Thanks to Franny for this wonderful idea, but apart from Mystique, Afro Chic and myself sad to say I did not see any other Bling Cups on the road! When you ladies are frontline H.O.ing it out you cannot do it half way, you have to go all the way. The job of a frontline H.O. entails having your makeup on point, FAB footwear, cute pouch and now add a H.O. cup to you list for 2009!

Afro Chic's Bling Cup

Mystique's and my bling cup on the road:

Evolution Review

Thanks to one of the ladies who reads the blog for this Evolution review, please, keep the reviews coming, I would like to hear everyone's thoughts on their Carnival exeperience regardless of the band you played with.

Hi,
I love your blogspot.

My friends and I played with IP for last 2 years, didn't go back for obvious reasons. Anyway, we decided to give Evo a shot. Saw the costumes, love at first sight.

Evo. had problems, obviously, ( they new & they sold costumes down to the wire):

1. Most popular section (Teal), costumes were not packed, head pieces ran out, but they delivered eventually.
2. Costumes for 1 section never arrived ( they put masqueraders in another section, some got refunds). Another section was distributed on Carnival Sunday (way too late). I think all the other sections were ok.
3. Problems with food distribution on the road.

BUT, but, on the upside:
1. Mas camp officials were extremely pleasant & welcoming (nobody ain't roll they damn eyes at me or suck they teeth, NO "nasty-tude"),
2. The road music was the BEST I've had in a while (long time I ain't wine so, the DJ and them well show off), we heard soca from everyone, old & new!
3. The music & drink trucks moved at a nice, reasonable pace (I didn't sprint like I was in a DAMN 100m dash with Maurice Greene),
4. We ended around 8:30 pm on both day, which was sufficient time for "jamming" on arbitrary street corners (No lies & excuses about "unexpected traffic & stuff").
5. They eye candy was good, the vibe was nice!

They may have bitten off more than they could chew, but they gave a whole hearted effort to ensure that we enjoyed Monday & Tuesday. I am sure Evo. will try to work out their kinks so that their next production will run more efficiently, after all some 3-year old bands have done worse ( ok that was my last pot shot, maybe I'm still bitter about last year)!

It was good stuff, we had a ball!

Mas Jumbies Review

Written by Squeezle:

Overview:

Mas Jumbies (www.masjumbies.com) was conceived by Brian Wong Won, a Trinidadian artist based in Florida. His 2007 J'Ouvert offering was called 'Diable' and my boyfriend and I had such a wonderful experience participating in that presentation that we decided to play in his 2008 band entitled 'JAB'

Costume ordering (price range US$42 to US$60 all-inclusive):This being only the second year that Mas Jumbies has been in existence,they have yet to form the type of following that results in a mad rush for costumes. So I knew I could afford to take my time making a decision about what section to play in. I was torn between the Jab Rouge and Jab Noir for some time, but eventually decided on Noir because of the
impact that our black costumes made last year. The ordering procedure (done via PayPal) was entirely painless and trouble-free, and Brian even gave us a US$10 discount on our costumes, presumably to reward our loyalty. Whatever the reason, his generosity was greatly appreciated.

Costume collection:
I almost feel like I should omit this portion because Brian once again went above and beyond and delivered the costumes to our hotel himself. From what I understand, costume distribution was being handled out of an apartment complex in Cocorite, which would have been easy enough to get to if we needed to pick them up ourselves. It must have been quite a scene in there, and the macco in me was secretly wishing I could have gone over there to take a look. Maybe next year.

The costume components included a headpiece, necklace, short sarong, arm bands and optional standard - matching body paint is provided at the meeting area. Also included were a plastic whistle, metal spoon (I think everybody knows what that's for) as well as small Mas Jumbies towel, a map of Port-of-Spain as and detailed instructions about the meeting area and route.

J'Ouvert morning:
It seems that Mas Jumbies created quite a splash with their 2007 presentation, because our numbers had swelled from 35 masqueraders to about 150 this year. I had heard that the majority of the band would be foreigners, so I was very curious to see how the group would fare on the road. The band was to assemble at 3 a.m. at the back of Victoria Square for a warm-up session with the DJ and tassa band, featuring Irish coffee among the many beverages available, and we were then scheduled to roll
out at 3:45 to make our way to the judging point in town. We arrived at around 3:20 to find a group of masqueraders applying their body paint, while being served the advertised Irish coffee, as well as other beverages and snacks. However, the DJ truck and tassa bands had yet to make an appearance. I have to say this was expected, as this is a new band that is experiencing some growing pains and often has to depend on untested sources for their supplies, entertainment, etc. This was in no
way preventing us from having a good time liming, drinking, taking pictures and chipping around serenaded by the drinks truck's sound system, as Brian and his team made frantic phone calls to locate the missing DJ and tassa band.

After over an hour of waiting, we finally got word that the DJ had made it into Port of Spain and the band was ready to move out. The tassa band was still nowhere to be found, and we later learned that they had been stopped by the police because they had no permit to take their truck into the city at the hour they were travelling. Had they entered Port of Spain earlier (as they were instructed to do) they would not have run into any problems. So the band made a beeline for South Quay accompanied by the DJ truck and an impressively burly group of security staff. The many Germans, Americans and Canadians in the band were having quite a time and most of them were chipping and wining like native-born Trinis in no time at all. Of course there were the few very amusing exceptions, but that only added to the fun.

Since our massive stormer experience of 2007, Brian had taken great pains to make sure that security would not be an issue for us this year, and the staff was totally on-point, complete with ropes surrounding the masqueraders just like a big-time 'pretty mas' band. While waiting to cross the judging point, we were entertaining the crowd, and each other, with our antics and generally having a fantastic time. I was hard pressed to determine which section was the most badly behaved. Jab Bleu, two sections behind us, were throwing down some lewdly hilarious dance moves, but I think that the Imps, in the lead section, were outdoing them with general wildness. We got quite a reception from the crowd, who must have been impressed not only by Brian's avant-garde depiction of jab-jabs, but also with the wining skills of some of these foreigners.

Of course it was the one masquerader who was 'skipping' down the road that got the most news coverage. But we must have made quite an impact in our first year of competition, because, I'm very proud to announce, that we, in our first year of competing, placed THIRD for J'Ouvert Band of the Year!!!!

The band then made its way through Independence Square and headed down Abercromby Street. At this point, the drinks truck ran out of Carib, so we switched to a canned rum and cola beverage (the name escapes me) which was quite tasty. I don't think Brian had anticipated the large group of last-minute masqueraders, or the immense alcohol capacity of this mostly European crowd, so it came as no surprise to me when stocks started running low. And anyone who thought that these masqueraders had exhausted their bag of tricks was in for quite a shock. This is where the bad behaviour really escalated. One of the Imps hijacked a passing mud band, stole a bucket of mud and proceeded to anoint any and everyone in her sight. After a few minutes of this, the mud bucket was finally rescued by its rightful owner, but the Imps were not to be daunted. Having spied a large puddle of mud in the street, some Imps then embarked on a mud wrestling/wining escapade on the asphalt that had the rest of us doubled over with laughter (and questioning the sanity of German people in general).

After passing Victoria Square again, Mas Jumbies planned to head back east for another jaunt. But at this point the sun was clearly visible, and the numbers of upright masqueraders had been reduced to about 60 or 70 people, so we decided to make our way back to the hotel to see about the business of washing off the paint and mud and making ourselves presentable for Monday mas. I was somewhat reluctant to leave, but I desperately needed some rest, and the drinks truck supplies were running dangerously low and I didn't want to be around the Imps if that bar bus'. I have no doubt that they would have overturned the drinks truck and drank the gasoline out of the tank!

So with the sun rising quickly behind us, we walked along Tragarete Road back to our hotel, speculating as to what Mas Jumbies has in store for us in 2009. Brian has told me some of his ideas, which I will not divulge without his permission, and they are certainly ambitious and quite appealing. I will only say that if you plan to play in this band in 2009, I hope you look good in red!

TRIBE Unleashed 2008

The TRIBE 2008 Souvenir Magazine is now available for purchase at the Mas Camp on Rosalino Street. The cost is $50.00TT and I was told the magazine will also be available at Hi Lo supermarkets. No word on sales being made available to overseas masqueraders as was done last year.

Anyway, the Magazine has LOTS of photos (they boast over 1001) Black Magic and Goddess of the Chase scoring six pages of photographs each! I spied many, many people I know in the magazine including dougla_1, AnaleieseF, Kevianne, Icahwait,SexyEyes,tommygirl, dctrini,trinigee,amprincess, lethal batty crew along with several of my friends!

If you want to see who else is the magazine you need to get your own copy!