Friday, October 16, 2009

Quick Update


Well at looooong last I got it!
What is this 'it' that I refer to???

I refer to that elusive thing, called 'TRIBE Costume Receipt 2010'.

It was sent out on October 2nd 2009, to an emil address that I used waaay back when I first registered with TRIBE in 2005. I have updated my subscription since then..but seems that this is still linked there. C'est la vie..it's a good thing that I check that address once in a while.

It is confirmed I am registered in 'Osage'! Yippeee!!

Bring on gym time now!

p/s:- The pic is from Sauce's album from Tribe's launch...

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Karma and all that...

Saw this headline on Sauce's blog this morning "Not In with the In Crowd".
It confirmed the email that we saw sometime yesterday.

What amazes me, is that this 'social outfit' (love the term eh Sauce, taking a lil borrow) was MOST upset by having been informed on. The email suggested that the 'social outfit' was displeased and in the strongly worded email stated that people should be more concerned with others, and doh be so focused on themselves.
Now isn't that just 'the pot calling d kettle black'...wasn't the outfit trying to make a lil something off of other people heads?!

We live in T&T, and what this 'social outfit' was trying to do was a lil smart-man something. It could work, BUT just remember d islands small, somebody go know somebody, so be prepared to deal with d backlash when it comes.

My $0.02

Thursday, August 13, 2009

TRIBE 'Secret of Silk' price review

Ok ok, I'm late commenting on these prices.

Read Sauce's price list before going any further aight.
My forecasted average backline price was $3700, as stated in the previous post.

And checking average price I was actually higher than the average price...By my calculations Tribe's BL price (basic options, nothing added, small headpiece) comes in at $3635. Not bad, not bad at all. Well with d FL prices, I was waaaaaaaaaay waaaaaaaaaaay off, with only FL three sections (Osage, Lapis Lazuli and Zari) priced under $5000. NB:- a couple sections do not have a FL option...what going on with that?!

I do know that many people are absolutely agasht at the prices and some stating that they not playing etc, BUT putting all things in context I really think those prices could have been MUCH higher. I'm not stating that they're not high, they are doh get me wrong, but considering that TRIBE kept prices more or less unchanged for 2 years straight then it just makes business sense that they would have increased their prices somewhat to compensate for what would have amounted to a year of less than normal profits.

  • Sooo, will I register or not? Well I defintely am/will whatever (if pre-registration works, why not use it eh!)
  • Will I have company? At least two friends will be registering, not sure if in the same section...but that's irrelevant!
Now to make sure that my a$$ is in that gym as often as possible between now and February 2010.

I plan to pay off that costume by year end ...doh want that going over into 2010.

Thursday, August 06, 2009

The wait continues...

....and now the wait is on for the prices of the rest of Tribe's 2010 presentation.

As I mentioned somewhere before, each year I expect up to a 20% increase.
Which means I expect Tribe's backline prices to average just about $3700 (based on ALB's 2009 base price of $3150). Of course with bigger headpiece options, tankinis, collars, and of course if yuh go FL, den I think expect anywhere over $4500 minimum (and that's being very very conservative)!!

Soooo let's see how far off I am.

p/s:- I defintely agree with Jumbie, Mulberry is growing on me :-)

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

TRIBE 2010 - Secret of the Silk

Aight so TRIBE's 2010 launch has come and gone, and I am underwhelmed by the costumes.
Mind you, if ah playing it'll most likely be with TRIBE (as in like 90% positive), but seriously I was not AWED by the costumes.
The entrance: Nicely decorated, as it always is for a TRIBE launch...lots of themed cushions, pots, pillows, swathes of cloth. All very Oriental and Silk-themed. What's with the Digicel-thai dancers? Like the fans, wish I had one.

The layout: hmmm, a change from the norm, and that stage is SOOOO high! How people gonna take pics? Sooo many bars, nice :-)

The presentation: Like the idea of a little background, done by video(?), not sure 'cause from my position at the side of the stage I could not see :-( Costumes were paraded by models who did an ok job of showcasing the costume, they posed for pics, walked to both sides of the stage and posed in groups as well as individually. My only issue with the presentation: please please please someone tell these folks that they need to SLOW DOWN on that stage. Us folks in the audience are trying to take in the costume, but when yuh in a rush like that we almost get whiplash from having to spin in different directions trying to get pics.

The costumes: What can I say that hasn't already been said? check Sauce's review and Carnival jumbie's review. Don't really have much to add to those reviews, they pretty much said it all.

Do I regret attending the launch even though the pics were leaked? Nope, needed to see those costumes in motion in order to really appreciate them...especially since the lighting is not the best in some of those pics.

My favs in the lineup (backlines of course): Osage (hands down my absolute favourite), Mystery of Loulan (something about the colour combination), Xi Ling Shi (recylced Cotinga beads et al!!) , Tyrian Purple aaaand Mulberry is growing on me. Carmeuse is aight, but I wouldn't wear it.
My picks if I played FL or Individual: Mystery of Loulan (I would camp out in order to be able to register to play as the Super/Premium version!!), Xi Ling Shi (the cape of feathers, the dip-dyed cloth trailing to the ground, yep sooo would play in this), Osage (all those gorgeous feathers!) and surprise surprise Habotai (d corset version though)
So that's my opinion on Tribe's 2010 Presentation 'Secret of Silk'.
Since I've already heard that BL downpayment is $1500, I patiently await full costume prices...and hope that I am able to register in one of the sections that I picked.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

And the countdown is on...

With Spice's launch showcasing some pretty decent costumes, I eagerly await Tribe's launch dis Saturday.

3 days to go!

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Money, money, money


Root of all evil or not...money is a necessity.

Unless you live completely off the land, and off-the-grid, money is required to do jsut about anything and everything in today's life.


Why am I posting about this? Well I am at a point where I have to make a decision.

Do I play mas, or do I reallocate the money saved for Carnival to something else in my life?

I have expenses @ home that are making me wonder if I should ever spend another cent on anything other than the house. Eat out? Go shopping? egads...every cent spent on items other than for the house makes me feel sooo guilty.


Plus to top it off, I really really would like to resume studies next year. Yes ah knnow there's GATE and HELP to offset costs, but those things cover mostly only tuition. Ah still have to live dammit!



Sooo I am in confused. What to do? What to do?!!


p/s:- enjoy the pic of one of the cutest puppies ever!

Sunday, July 05, 2009

I Live...

Hey all..just a quick note to let you all know that I'm still alive.
Just occupied with work, and other stuff.

I hope to resume regular blogging in the weeks to come.

Take care all

Until later.

Saturday, May 02, 2009

REVLON Warehouse Sale...the Aftermath!

Let's see: We got there about 9.30am (yep I know, for a warehouse sale that was scheduled to start at 9am that was late) and saw a bunch of ladies (and a couple guys) standing about outside the gates. Inside looked like chaos! After about 15 mins or so, amid shouts and not so pleasant demands the gates opened and it was a mad rush.
There were signs but geez! It was stress and pressure to get to the front to see what was on the tables at all. Many people resorted to just picking up handfuls of items then stepping away and sorting. So after going thru the tables for face (why weren't there shades deeper than medium-deep?), lips, eyes, hair, skin and toiletries I reviewed my bag and headed to cash.

Cashing was an adventure all by itself.

One line devoted to cash sales only. About 6 lines for cash/linx/credit cards. And an express line for 1 to 10 items only. Sounds painless huh? There you would be soooooooo sooooooooooooo wrong. I was in line for almost 2 entire hours from 10:30 till I cashed at about 1pm…wait that’s more than 2 hrs! My bill for about 14 items inclusive of a body spray and body lotion was TT$307.

Summary: Next time, I reaching about an hour before the gates open. Will also work in tandem with someone so we’ll take turns in the line…one of us will join the line while it’s still short i.e. less than 20 people, while the other continue shops or sorts out.

Some suggestions for the organizers:

logistics

  • another entrance/exit is needed.
  • try for somewhere cooler or have those cool-air fans
  • distribute water…it would be appreciated

display

  • it was nice having clear signs for face, skin, lips etc. However it would be nice to have signs for the different lines in the various categories like color stay, Almay etc

cashing

  • More cashiers!!
  • More cashiers!!!
  • More cashiers!!!!

security

  • 2 people checking handbags, SORRY skimming the contents of handbags, at a sale like this is ludicrous. Be very very grateful that most trini women are honest, ‘cause it would have been ridiculously easy to slip a lipstick, a couple mascaras and a bottle of nailpolish in the inner pocket of a handbag or slip an item in a jeans pocket and walk out unnoticed.

    Would I go again? about 90% certain that I would.

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Reface me...

I stumbled across this site this morning...Reface.me
According to their site "...Starting now there are two sites you'll need to visit every day to get your daily Facebook fix. reface.me is your source for all things FB, but we've just started so check back regularly for updates."
Since I am not an addict or obsessive about checking Facebook, not sure now much use I'll make of this site.

Time will tell. Check it out.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

aaaand I'm back!

..yeah right, I'm sure not many people even realised that I was gone in the first place.

Not much to report though.
I'm back out from a 10 working day which translated into 14 actual days. They weren't all that restful but I wouldn't trade those days for anything. Next time I'll try actually planning those days and not just letting them come as they may.

Saw this post on Sauce's blog and it's great that her blog is being noticed and appreciated for what it is. Yay Sauce...get on!

Looking forward to band launching season which should be upon us in a couple mths or so...sweet!

Monday, April 20, 2009

Quick Update

Hello peoples. Haven't posted anything for a while, so a quick wrap up of goings-on:
  • On my first official vacation in quite sometime. Not quite sure what to do with myself though. Been running around doing tonnes of things that I've not been able to do whilst working, but I'm hoping to get at least one or two beach days in!
  • Had a physical recently and the results almost put me into major depression. Suffice it to say I need to make some major diet changes. And work in some exercise....did half hour of low-intensity cardio this afternoon..yay me!
  • Have to do some car shopping...yep, yep. Need to gets me a new automobile. Now its just to get my a$$ in gear (whoops, no pun intended LOL!), go do some test drives and make a decision

That's it for now...hope I can write someting more cheery soon.

Monday, April 06, 2009

People with waaaaay too much time on their hands...

A fake Facebook page for God circulated a couple months ago (it may have been circulated before but I got it in email then aight!).
Now the folk at Msn tech & gadgets have done fake pages for other people.

Check 'em out.

Wednesday, April 01, 2009

TRIBE email: "C2K9 Thank you....Journey into 2010"

This is just one of the things that I like about TRIBE.
Acknowledgment that without people, they would be nothing.
It may be nothing more than just good P.R., but yuh know what ... it works! And it makes a difference.


Thanking you for 2009…
Journeying into 2010
To some, Carnival 2K9 is a distant fond memory of a Rollin' Road Party. To others, it's the beginning of a new journey venturing into new and undiscovered lands.
Once again, we would l like to extend our sincere THANK YOU for 'flocking together' and bringing our 2009 presentation of "Birds of a Feather" to life on the streets of Port-of-Spain. Without you, our Masqueraders, Sponsors, Service Teams, Volunteers, Committee Members, Family and Friends, we would have never taken flight. We could not have asked for a better 5th anniversary gift than your continued support. It was our pleasure providing you with
The Ultimate Carnival Experience, and hope that our impromptu Las' Lap was enjoyed by all.
We continue to be an innovative team that appreciates and understands the importance of your feedback, opinions and expectations. TRIBE continues to strive to provide new and exciting ideas and to make every moment, the most memorable.
2010 will be the year of discovery, where we follow a path to find new people, new cultures and new destinations. Our dedicated design team is in full creative mode and have already begun to bring their designs to life, and promises to make the journey well worth it!
MAS CAMP OPENING HOURS

Please note that our mas camp will be closed from

Wednesday 1st April to Monday 20th April 2009.

Our regular opening hours are:

Monday - Friday from 12 noon to 5p.m.

We are closed on weekends and public holidays.

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

Next...

Carnival 2009 has come and gone.
Faye-Ann Lyons-Alvarez created history by winning both soca Monarch titles, the Peoples Choice award and the Road March crown all while eight months pregnant. She then went on to complete her eventful February by having her baby on the last day of the month, or was it on the first day of March? In either case, she has had a 2009 Carnival season that tops most everyone elses.

Soooo... what's next?
Well, I'm back in the gym from tomorrow.
Did not get to the gym nearly as often as I should have for all of 2008 into January 2009 and it showed. My apologies to all who had to look at my out of shapeness on Carnival Tuesday. I just did not bother any more. No excuses, nothing...will be dragging my a$$ to the gym and doing my absolute best to matinain a minimum three-day-a-week attendance for the remainder of 2009 (Will be monitoring this and reporting on my attendance...hopefully).

Other than that it's Carnival tabanca, and the patient wait till band-launching season.

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Carnival 2009 - review

My review of everything Carnival 2009-related that I can recall.

Fetes
  1. Amnesia - as per my review it was great. Not fantabulous as in previous years but memorable. IP has to go back to the drawing-board with regards to the food distribution, but other than that it has always been a great fete. Rating 4 out of 5.
  2. WITCO ONE fete - what can I say about ONE fete that hasn't already been said. This was a FANTABULOUS, glorious fete! Can you tell that I had a blast? I love this fete. tickets were a lil difficult to obtain (thank you, thank you Q and S) but other than that this is a fete that I think will remain a fixture on my fete list...at least unless the price puts it completely out of my budget! Rating 4.5 out of 5 (it loses the half point 'casue the bathroom area could have been better maintained!)
  3. MovieTowne's Fiesta Plaza show - this was surprisingly good. We went the night Ventures performed. They are a band that seems to be suited to this type of thing. They did covers of lots and lots of current and past soca and calypsoes. Hits from Kitchener, Sparrow, etc, etc. They also did lots of non-Carnival related songs...all in all a pretty decent performance. and it was free to boot :-)
  4. Army - this is a fete that needs to be experienced to understood. Yuh either in General, or in V.VIP rubbing shoulders with the Defence Force top brass and other dignitaries OR yuh in the limbo of whatever they chose to call the in-between section (this year it was VIP). Marked difference in behaviour in the various areas...in general, people were removed bodily if even a lil scuffle broke out. People in VIP had to pay for drinks and food on top of the cost of the ticket...in V.VIP no tickets were purchased AND no money had to be spent for nothing! I think I went to this fete with like $20 in mih pocket. The performances are also usually decent at this fete...marked exception being KMC (dude u need to learn to perform!!!). My in depth review. Rating 3.5 out of 5
  5. AC 7 - not a fete people. This is a concert...a looooooooong concert! Lots of performances, lots and lots of lags in between. If yuh not willing to be on yuh feet for the duration head to the stands. Rating 3.5 out of 5
  6. TriniPosse - the cooler fete to end all cooler fetes. If yuh used to go Pier 1 cooler fete on Carnival Friday nite before it became a teenie-bopper thing (yes ah showing mih age dammit!!!) and like yuhself..this is d fete for you. Tickets ranged in price from $240 d early-bird price, to $500 from d usual scalpers. Walk with yuh own drinks, as much or as little as yuh want, yuh crew (at least 2 fellas if yuh cooler gonna b packed), eats, cups, a plastic bag (to keep ur area clean at least) and yuh set. Just make sure d coller gets there before 10:30 else it not getting it. Rating 4 out of 5. It loses points this year 'cause of part of HD's performance... HD come better dan dat nah, yuh cyah b berating d police (no matter yuh personal opinion) for doing their job.
Mas Experience - TRIBE
  1. Costume Collection - easy. Get to Cascadia around 1:30pm in a slight drizzle. From the various moves between waiting room 1, holding area 2, balance payment area to costume collection area I was amazed at the efficiency. We were done by 2:15pm...and this included a return by me to collect d forgotten collar! Impressive!
  2. Monday Experience - always great. No costume to bother yuh head about, just pure inhibited fun. We were on d road from about 12:30pm (TRIBE was crossing d Savannah 'stage') till about 7:30pm when TRIBE got back to Stanmore Ave. We parked on Sweet Briar Rd, which made it really easy to get into and out of Port-of-Spain...hopefully I can do this again next year.
  3. Tuesday Experience - Woke up around 5-ish. Bathed, dressed, put on sun-block, then had my mom do my make-up. She did a good job 'cause even at the end of the day my makeup was still there! Thanks mom muahhh :-) Anyways we got into Port-of-Spain around 8-ish, walked to Sweet Briar Rd again to meet up with a friend, then met the shuttle @ Stanmore. We were taken to where the band was on Charlotte St and the rains came!! Cold rain, before ah even jump a lil bit is not fun at all. Got d first of many Johnny and coconut water and we roamed. And roamed., and roamed. The only time I can safely say I was with my section was when we were crossing the 'stages'. Chipped, danced, took pics with various people (will send u your pics Sauce), and had a time heading to d savannah. The we crossed that non-stage...felt great. Met up with even more people, very glad that I put wrist-straps on my skirt 'cause there were minor mishaps with some with those skirts. Then it was on to the rest-stop. That rest stop is now TOO small for the band. there was major spill-over into streets around the square. And the rain...Jumbie mentioned it in her review and I tend to agree, TRIBE should think of using one of those massive tents the expos use and have those big a$$ fans all-over pumping in cool breeze. Believe me, masqueraders will be soooo grateful you'll have their loyalty for that lil effort alone! We didn't even bother with seeking shelter during the downpour andmy headpiece looked awful aftter the rain (it's recovered nicely now though). When the rain finally subsided and the band started moving on around 2-ish, we decided to look for other bands...other than Harts and Elements, where d hell was everybody else? IP I learned was on Park/Charlotte Sts, and had been there for sometime. Kaotic where were u? Spice? Pulse 8? Dream Team? We rejoined the band when they turned west onto Tragarete Rd just before d oval and continued the party down Pole Carew, east along Ariapita, north along Edward until TRIBE's trucks turned back onto Stanmore. Stayed with the trucks till mom etc found us, then headed home. Got home around 9-ish..and could not sleep. Thank God I was home Ash Wednesday.
SummaryI had a great time for Carnival 2009. Did not attend as many fetes as I usually do (4!!! I usually hit like 10 or something!) but still had a blast at those that I did attend. Army was d only slightly social one, and that cuase we were in V.VIP. I've learned that there will be limited feting with certain people, 'cause I do not like to be made to feel like a 3rd wheel especially if I did not want to be there in the first place. I can have a blast with only one or two people with me, and partying with an entire crew at Carnival time can be limited to cooler fetes (too much drama trying to synchronise more than 5 people for one fete..geez!)

So will I be on the road next year? That remains to be seen... if it happens it will almost defintely not be with IP (ah not going back there...twice bitten, a million times shy). TRIBE? hmmmnnn...if the band remains at this size then nope! Spice.../ Kaotic.../someone else. Who knows? We'll see what happens.

Looking forward to Carnival 2010.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

It's done ...


Carnival 2009 is finsished. Over, completed, passed...sigh!


Had a blast on the road, both Monday and Tuesday.

Began developing issues with my toe nail on Monday, so ended up wearing totally different shoes on Tuesday. Have a least one blister from where the collar of my costume rubbed, and seems as though my skin has reacted to being exposed to people and their sweat. But all in all these aftereffects are tolerable.


Will do a more complete review some other time.


Looking forward to Carnival 2010.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

2009 NLCB/bMobileSoca Monarch Results

The results are in:
  • Groovy Soca Monarch - Faye-Ann Lyons-Alvarez
  • People's Choice - Faye-Ann Lyons Alvarez

...aaaaand

  • Power Soca Monarch - Faye-Ann Lyons Alvarez

What a feat...all three crowns, the million dollar pot AND she's eight(8) months pregnant to boot!!!

Women Rule! whooo hooo :-)

Friday, February 20, 2009

Update - TRIBE's starting points

For all those who have already collected your TRIBE costume , please note the change in starting point for Tuesday:

PARADE STARTING POINT

CARNIVAL MONDAY: STANMORE AVE. START 10:30AM

CARNIVAL TUESDAY : STANMORE AVE. START 7:30AM


Repeated on Sauce's blog as well

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

2009 Valentine weekend recap


Whew ..what a weekend I had.
Started with Army fete on Friday night into Saturday morning, ended with rain, LOTS and LOTS of rain. Collected my costume and went AC7 as well.

Let's start at the beginning:

Army Fete: d safest fete in d world!
We got there around 10.30ish, entered via the entrance opposite TGIF around d savannah. Parked and then proceeded north and then east across the STAGE!! Yes people dat stage is there...it's not nearly as big as the previous ones, but who gives a SH!T..I just hope it dere come Carnival Monday and Tuesday eh...
This is either my third or fourth year going this. VIP or V.VIP, doesn't matter...it's a comp, so I not fussy once I didn't have to pay for the ticket. Oh an' as long as its not in general...dat crowd lil too big and boisterous for me.
An elevated platform viewing area...unobstructed view of the stage. Bar stools and chairs set up to allow for dining under the stars.
Corn coup, wings, bar-b-q, macaroni salad, bar-b-q pork, and other dishes that I didn't sample. Tents setup for if yuh wanted to sit under shelter (very very useful cause it started drizzling into the night). Lots and lots of drinks, I sipped on Alize all night :-)
Ok moving on from mih belly... d performances, can't recall the order of all eh so I'll just mention d ones that stood out for any reason. Iwer mash up as usual, Supa Jigga needs to stop wearing tights, some trini-dancehall artisite (didn't get his name), they all came on with KMC who in my opinion still needs to learn how to do a proper LIVE performance. He sounds sooo much better on CD or on d radio.
Destra:
was clothed for a change and looked good. Decent act, but for her 'Obsessive Winers' song Saucy wasn't there...why even bother performing it. Allison Hinds did her part well, but let's see here: Destra backside vs. Allison backside or Saucy's backside moving skills...come come Destra, yuh not even in dat race!! Destra and her band did aight...1st time I saw her perform live for the season so not bad at all. NB:- Saucy did come on by herself a lil later on.
Faye Ann, Bunji, Benjai, Scarface all came on with Asylum. 3suns also came on, and almost took over d act from Bunji et al. An honorary thing was given to Supa Blue, and I give him credit for attempting to perform a lil somethin' with Faye Ann...but to jump to the other part of a stage..after it had drizzle. Not well though out at all. Den to even suggest dat Faye Ann join yuh?! All in all good performance..it went on a lil too long though.
There were random acts thrown in like Crazy (?why?), Hunter and a couple others.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

AC7
What can I say about AC7 that hasn't already been said by other reviewers? It's a Machel concert when it all boils down to the nitty gritty. It started with Karma (missed most of that performance though), went on to have Ventures (who you should see perform alone..they're quite decent) with Benjai and Scarface (those two again!), up next was Shurwayne and Y.O.U. then d healine Machel Montano HD. It was all in all TOO LONG! I got bored waiting for Shurwayne to perform, then got bored again 'cause his performance just kept going on...den during HD's performance I kept thinking geez when is it gonna end.
For a show/concert dat I was not soo interested in attending in d first place, it was aight. not fabulous, not bad. And as for all d drama with MM and SW...I would have had a tiff with SW as well...just not in public as HD did.
Notice I made no mention of either food or drinks: nuff said!
Rating: 3 out of 5

Costume Collection: TRIBE - African Lovebird
Still had a balance to pay off, so we did our best to get there early. We made it by 1:30pm..not bad, not bad. Waited for a few mins under d tent in d car park, then was called in to the waiting area. Called to go pay, then collection of costume. Almost forgot about d collar for mih costume..had to go back to get it. We were out of there by about 2:15pm or so.

Jamboree
Doh laugh...dat's where I was supposed to be on Sunday evening (Ended up going movies instead LOL). Of course by now you know dat it was first psotponed to 2009-02-16, then a further update was sent out. It's been post-poned to Carnival Saturday 2009-02-21. Same time, same place. Nope I won't be there... Sorry!


What's in store for this week...God alone knows. Did my hair yesterday, it took sooooooooo long! But I likes it :-)

Thursday, February 12, 2009

2009 Costume Distribution


For the IP masqueraders...it is out.
Seems slightly compressed, and to me a couple days are gonna be lil congested with sooo mnay sections collecting on the same day. And I really hope no-one needs to do any alterations on their costume 'cause that schedule leaves little to no time to make arrangements for that, unless IP doing alterations on the spot. But the important thing is that the schedule is out.

As for TRIBE...I was @ Cascadia yesterday. My costume is out for distribution on Sunday February 15th 2009, but dread I want mih costume now!!! The ones that I saw last night were gorgeous!! *sigh* Waiting..but not so patiently LOL

Monday, February 09, 2009

Hopes dashed ...

My hopes for parading on the 'Big Stage' by d Queen's Park Savannah Carnival Monday and Tuesday have been dashed... *sigh*

*sniff, sniff* gonna go cry some some looong tears now, and then continue the mental and physical preparations for 2009 Carnival!

D Stage is back...

...or is it?

After complaining bitterly of not having a stage to cross on by the Savannah on Carnival Monday and Tuesday for the past two years (2007 and 2008), when I saw this blog entry by Wining Kriminals I was pleased, sceptical, and more than a little wary.

Went and checked out the article and sure amidst all the items mentioned this line stood out "...The stage is complete. It is 136 by 60 feet, which excludes the ramps which are 50 by 60 feet each..." Is it true?! Did it survive Panorama semis?? Anyone went Pan semis???

Need confirmation of if it'll actually be used... doh want to get all excited and happy for nothin'.

Picture coutesy Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday.

Thursday, February 05, 2009

Distribution Schedule - TRIBE

African LoveBird collection is on February 15th 2009, 1pm to 6pm @ Cascadia.

No cheques or crdit cards accepted.

p/s:- So, how come an email did not go out before this??


Edited to add: TRIBE's website is now updated with this schedule.

Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Commess in d place

Commess University
Stumbled across this website that's written apprently by a former student of Holy Name Convent Secondary (mih ol' high school). I presume she graduated before me, because of some items of history that she mentions experiencing back when I would have been like four(4) an' ting.

Anyways, take a read.
Once you get over the fact that EVERYTHING is written in dialect then you're ok.

It's interesting.

Monday, February 02, 2009

2009 Carnival update..part 2

Another update, this time not good news.

Due to the economic climate in the US one of my cousins has had to make the painful decision to not play mas for 2009. This hurt her tremendously as this would have been her first year being here for Carnival. Just a couple weeks ago she was sooo excited about coming in and even had her flight booked and stuff. At this time though, with her job in jeopardy she won't be here. To say I'm bummed about that is an understatement.

Another casualty is my brother. This would have been his first year 'officially' playing mas. He's always on the road with us (his sisters), or with his friends. He actually decided to play for 2009. But due to the timing of payments for his studies he is not able to play this year either.

This news sucks a$$...

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Carnival update...

So after seeing Saucy's post on Tights in stock I set off for Micles, Price Plaza yesterday.
That was an exercise in patience. Usually there are soooo many sales staff on the floor you have to keep politely tell them to take a hike. Yesterday was a whole other story...I spent almost five (5) entire minutes trying to locate a sales person.
After that the process of identifying colour, which by now I should know right? Anyways, colour determined...BTW my colour is salmon, size determined using that chart on the back of one of the display packs, then it was to locate my size in the stock. That was nerve-wracking.
  • Plus size normal tights - salmon: lots and lots of pairs!!! All too big for me
  • Normal tights - salmon in large: none
  • Low waist tights - salmon in large: none
  • Low wait tights, toeless - salmon in large: four pairs
I bought two(2) pairs. One for Monday maybe, defintely one for Tuesday.

Tights - check!

Monday, January 19, 2009

ONE fete - the aftermath

I went WITCO's ONE fete on Saturday night.
This is only my second time going this fete so I'm not a die-hard loyalist, but I'd heard about it for years from friends. The plan was to reach for between 5:30pm and 6pm...ensure adequate time for browsing all the food options, sample what was on offer and doh forget find a decent parking space. All I have to say is that d plan did NOT come off. We never left home till like 6.25 or so, which meant we never reached the Oval till just before 7pm. (this time it was my fault so ah can't make too much noise about it).
Designated parking was supposed to be in King George the 5th park...i stress on the supposed, cause very very few brave souls parked in there. It was a muddy, swampy looking mess when we got there. We made a block around the Oval and parked on one of the side-streets just south of the Oval...and there were security guards on patrol. Quite a reassuring sight.

Entrance: The ticket had a lil note on it stating that you should fill out the information on the back. The big white tent at the entrance had signs reminding that if yuh doh fill out d information on the back of yuh ticket you would not be premitted to enter. The du Maurier ladies at the gate repeated the same thing...so why did trinis think that they would be able to get in without filling in the information on d back of dey ticket??? If all d info was already filled in then entry was a breeze, if yuh didn't, wellll yuh had a wait for the one or two pens that were floating around. They made no joke about that information! After that there were the du Maurier girls in their red tube dresses greeting patrons. Not sure if they were there to distribute tokens or what, but by the time we reached they were only greeting people "Welcome to ONE fete...hope you enjoy yourself"

Food: I'll change from the last time and mention food now. Options were many: Indian, Chinese, Arabian, West Indian, Spanish, Off the grill (yummmmm!!), Suckling Pig, Arabian (another one), desserts and the list goes on. The smells were great. No I did not partake of samples from all of those booths. One or two though, do deserve special mention.
  • Off the Grill: I love ribs, I love barbeque, so barbeque ribs? I loved this booth!!
  • Then there was the geera pork available @ the Indian deliccacies booth.
  • Bake and Shark: I don't think this tent actually had a name but I dubbed it that cause that's what was on offer. Felt like I was @ Maracas with all the toppings available. Bake and shark was great, mango chutney, chadon beni (sp?), tamarind sauce as toppings...I need nothing else!

Drinks: OMG!! The assortment was mind-boggling. Weren't dedicated booths as in Amneisa but most everything was available. Bar services was by Angostura bar so of course the Angostura Cocktail bar was there. As a many time attendee of Triniscene's Cocktails I did not bother to try any of the cocktails available, but from the crowd that was around that bar it was a hit! I reaquainted myself with Uncle Johnny and his companion coconut water and had a nice buzz going for the night.

Performances: Even though we reached the time we did, we apparently did not miss any performances. Not necessarily in order and as I recall them:

  • First on stage was the Synergy soca star contenstant Chinee. Since his tune is the only one I hear outside of the show I presume that he is the most popular. Entertaining performance...one that should be seen.
  • Next up was KES with Nadia Batson. A solid performance all round, with Eclectik performing sort of as an intermission so that Kes could do a quick wardrobe change and allow for a change in pace. Just so yuh know there is a local verson to "Rum and roti".
  • The Red Man group. Yes yuh read that right...direct from Las Vegas the group that's been performing with Le Cirque du Soleil. Steupsssss! And they came on just before the headlining acts ...ALL the headlining acts. Steupssssssssss again! Could have done without this. Suffice to say their act was not well received, people used the time for bathroom braks, drink runs, to locate teir crew etc etc
  • Hunter: the guy of "yuh could bring it in a bottle" fame, and now of "Jep sting" fame. Dis guy can entertain. He came on stage by himself and mash up d place.
  • The Asylum Family: Bunji, Fay Ann, Benjai, Scarface et al. Last weekend their performance was overshadowed by the placement and they seemed slightly tired. This weekend though wow! Only downer to their performance Bunji did NOT perform his road-march contender (my personal pick) 'Clear D Road'. Faye Ann was great, pregnant and all :-) Bunji had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hands!
  • Machel and HD: Machel (in a silver/white Armani Exchange T-shirt and pants combo), Farmer Nappy (in a bright yellow something!), Zan (in a red and yellow get-up), Patrice Roberts and Benjai. Yes folks Benjai will be performing with both the Asylum Family AND Machel HD. A lil duet was done with Machel and Benjai, after which Machel said "All d media people asking mih questions...yuh see dis doh ask mih bout this!". It's Machel HD, so the energy was amazing! I think that 'Rave' has serious mash up road potential, cause it causes mayhem when it's performed! Liking the effect of the glow sticks and nitrogen fog during that performance...cooling effect if nothing else. The backup dancers deserve mention cause they perform some pretty amazing feats...and there are a couple 'thickies' in the mix :-)
  • Rachel Price: she was d MC...I am not a fan. I heard that she'd lost weight, and yes she did. She's almost half her original size, BUT it's not all firm! nuff said.

After seeing Kes' performacne from just about half way between the stage and the bars, I was coerced, dragged whateveh up in front the stage. So my experience of Machel, Bunji etc was from right up under d stage!! When the performances were done I was soaked from the skin out...this is the way to experience a fete. It counts as a workout if it's done like that LOL! But I need to get flat, closed toe-shoes though.

So anyways, even though I lost both sets of people I was supposed to be liming with, I had a blast at ONE fete. The only down to this night, other than that Red Man group, was the puddles of water, and occasional mud patches near the bathrooms from the earlier rain.

All in all rating 4.5 out of 5.

Amnesia: 4 out of 5

So what's the next fete?

  • 2009-01-31: Wicked in white (50% poossibility)
  • 2009-02-13: Army (70% poossibility...BUT no comps then this drops to 0%)
  • 2009-02-15: Jamboree (80% possibility)
  • 2009-02-21: Tini Possee (50% possibility)

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Chocolate and Caramel.. things that make you go mmmm...


I just love IP's description/narration of their 'Chocolate and Caramel' chapter of their 2009 presentation.

Suddenly my life crashes into someone else's, our paths cross one time too many...I find myself intertwined with a stranger I pass everyday… till now..."Hi"...was all it took...things coming together for reasons we sometimes can't see in the now...two things combined to add flavour to life's sweetness and bitterness...nevertheless I am living a life where two is sometimes better than one...it's the pleasure and comfort of unification...ahh… chocolate and caramel…the ultimate pair, the perfect bond of pure excitement...one small but precious taste of heaven's nectar.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

TRIBE makup options


For those of you that follow the Carnival blogs, will know of Carnival Jumbie's post yesterday and then The Sauce's post today.

I saw both, and being an advocate of "yuh never know unless yuh ask"...I emailed the artist about make up options for African Love bird. Yesterday I was politely but firmly told that " Right now i haven't received many requests for African LoveBird. If i receive a few more i will definitely do it . I will keep you posted". Cool...no problem, at least I got a response.
Sometime today I got another email from the artist stating " I have decided to do a package as I have received many requests. I will send pictures as soon as i put it together." Seems that there have been multiple requests since my own request yesterday.

However it happened... YAY!!! Can't wait for those pics :-)


p/s:- The pic is courtesy www.carnivaltribe.com

Monday, January 12, 2009

It has begun!

First off...Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to ME!!!

Aight on to the business at hand: I went Amnesia yesterday. After Island People cancelling amnesia in 2008, when I heard that this was back on for 2009 I planned to be there. I think I only missed the first year or two of this fete. It has always been good. And this year was no exception.
We reached about 7ish, yes yes ah know lil late...but say what we reach! We heard from a friend who was already there that the food distribution was a lil different, but that the drinks were spectacular. Sooo with that as our warning we aprked and entered.
Entrance: The 'Arrive Alive' people were there to greet you, asking who was the driver cause they'll be doing random breathalyser tests when the party dun. Didn't drive so I walked on by. Decor was not as spectacular as previous years. Pretty lights. Lots of promotional items at the entrance, dancing characters in masks an' ting. Decent, decent.

Drinks: wow! Lots and lots of bars. Margarita station, Baileys station, Jose Cuervo station, wine station...etc, etc Then there were the other bars for other drinks like the Hypnotiq, Johnny, non-alcoholic stuff, water of course and the list goes on. I was introduced to a drink (new to me) Smirnoff, Crnberry and Sprite...try it.

Food: WTF was IP thinking?! Ok I understand that is 2009, economy on the downturn etc, etc. But yuh charge people $495 if they bought their tickts early, God alone knows what yuh charged those who bought tickets late or bought from scalpers. At that price I expect lots of options. Food was served on trays by some 'servers' who seemed to think they were in some sort of 50m dash! by the time yuh notice that someone bringing out a tray, they zoom on by you and yuh left with just d wafting scent of something delicious passing by! Not cool, not cool. So trinis, being trinis positioned themselves close to where the servers were emerging and mobbed the 'servers' as they were coming out. Drama. Not impressed at all.

Performances: Ah said we reached about 7ish, which meant that we missed the first performance Kes. Means I'll have to catch them perform at some other fete. But we did see Machel HD and The Asylum family. All I have to say about Machel HD is WOW!!!! That man is amazing on stage...the energy, the vibe, each year is something different and this year well you have to experience it. Asylum family is always a hit. Faye Ann looks great as an expectant mum and for all you detractors "She is PREGNANT...NOT SICK!!"

So all in all Amnesia was a great first fete to bring on Carnival 2009.

Looking forward to the next one.

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

What's going on with domain names?

Yes I love Tech Republic's Geek Trivia...and this seriously reveals my nerd-tendencies :-)

that said, you MUST read this Master of your (top level) domain!

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

It has begun

Happy New Year people...All the best for 2009!!

In less than two(2) months it'll be Carnival Monday. If you haven't already made your list of things that are to be done, DO IT NOW!!

So far I'm planning to be at two(2) fetes over the next couple weekends (God willing): Amnesia on Jan 11th and ONE fete on Jan 18th. Total cost to attend these: $1100TT...I'll give you a moment to absorb that...They are both all-inclusives, and usually quite good, but waaaaaay that is a lot of money. Sooo if I don't see anyone till the week just before Carnival please understand. At this rate I'll probably attend a cooler fete and one other fete and fete budget DONE.

Bring on Carnival...I can see that people are gonna have to be innovative/creative finding ways to enjoy themselves this Carnival without breaking the bank. I look forward to seeing some of that famed trini creativity.

Sunday, December 28, 2008

2008 is ending

This was a pretty decent year.
It's not yet time to do a full recap but yep 2008 was aight.

In a little over three days we'll be into 2009 (or 2kwhhine as some are calling it!)
Soooo have you begun thinking of your 2009 New Year resolutions? Have you?

I'll be back in a dcay or so with mine.

Laters

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Why?! why, why, why?!!!!

Ok, so yes I knew that with the economy around the world in the shambles that it is, things for Carnival 2009 would be expected. Yes, I was prepared for fete price increas, just as I was prepared for costume price increases.

With regards to costume prices, at least for TRIBE I was pleasantly surprised that costume prices did NOT go up by the margin that I had anticipated. However that said, it seems like people have decided to recoup these losses by the fete price increases.
Take for instance Witco's ONE fete. Last year, 2007, those tickets cost $250. This year, 2008, it cost anywhere from $300 to $400 depending on when you bought your ticket (no ah not putting what scalpers were calling for those tckts on the day! Suffice it to say you could have bought two or more tickets at the origanl price aight! steups). An increase of between 20% to 60% from 2007 to 2008. Now for 2009 a lil birdie has said that ONE fete tickets are to cost $600! A full 50% price increase in this time of economic turmoil!

WTF?!

Friday, December 12, 2008

Having one of 'THOSE' days?


How to Turn Around a Bad Day at Work


from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Bad days happen to all, when you just wake in a really bad mood, when something (or nothing) has made you angry, sad, frustrated, disappointed. You still must rise and go to work, but you’re already seething. You try to work, but somehow every angry, dissatisfied client conspired to complain to you on the same day. Everyone sounds incredibly stupid and is out to annoy you. Luckily, here is what to do.

Steps


  1. Accept your bad mood. Being in a bad mood is not that bad! Trying to force yourself to cheer up is much, much worse. Fighting bad moods only prolongs them, so if you’re mad or sad, be mad or sad. This does not allow rudeness and unpleasantness to innocents, it just means you need to recognize and accept your mood in order to be able to do something about it.
  2. Tell others. Others will notice if you try keeping your bad mood secret with a happy mask and will wonder if they ticked you off. Tell them you are not having a good day. Simply say, "Listen, I’m in a really sour mood today. I’m not sure why, but it’s nothing you've done. If I do bite your head off, I'm apologizing in advance."
  3. Look inside first. Successful people aren't always the smartest, but have acquired emotional skills, and rely on being able to recognize and to deal with one's own emotions. We tend to think that a bad mood is always caused by something or someone else (like trying to deal with a difficult boss). Bad moods aren't always connected to obvious, external factors. Perhaps you just slept poorly, are getting the flu, or are just having a bad day. Don't try to justify a bad mood. Instead, try to look inside yourself first, in order to ascertain possible precursors to your emotional state.
  4. Remember the good stuff. When you’re in a foul mood, everything is bad. But the good things you appreciated yesterday, when you weren’t as annoyed, should be there - you just forgot them. Spend time considering at least one or two things that aren’t all bad (something you look forward to, a person you like, something nice that happened recently) and be thankful for that.
  5. Let it pass.. You’ve been in a bad mood before. It passed, so will this. It’s no big deal. If you can't shake the mood, simply wait it out.
  6. Take some quiet time. To avoid doing or saying something you might regret, withdraw a little if you can. Walk during your lunch break, sit and work someplace quiet. Take a long bathroom break. Consider going home early, or taking the day off.
  7. Start your day over. Why wait until tomorrow to start your day over. Do it now. Leave your desk, or where ever - leave - decide to start over, as if you slept. Return to work with a fresh attitude. This really works, more so with practice.
  8. Leverage Your Next Good Mood. Once the bad mood wear off, and you feel better, figure out what helped: was it a thought? a song? a friend? an event? When the next "red zone" comes, you will have developed an array of techniques to pull yourself out.


Tips


  • If you have one bad day after another, you may need to do something more. Your job might be bringing you down; you may be suffering from stress. You may even be dealing with depression. If you think this may be happening, do something, talk to someone.
  • As a preventative measure, do something so that a day starts well. Get a coffee, or some juice, and sit with a friend for 15 minutes. Or, start the day with a nice walk or any physical workout. A good start may help you to glide more easily over any bumps to come.
  • Get physical! Go to the bathroom and jump up and down, breathe very deeply, take a quick walk at lunch or to the gym. Get that workout. Kick-starting endorphins is a natural way to better moods.
  • Make sure that you are not living on sugar/candy bars. Quickly roller-coastering blood sugar levels can be unpleasant.
  • There are some who, whether they admit it or realize it, enjoy being unhappy, and resist efforts to be cheered. If this is so, there is not much that can be done, until you admit it to yourself.
  • SMILE for 10 seconds and think of something that really makes you smile to get your mind of the problems.
  • Find a great song, and let it take your mind off of your present state.
  • Laughter is priceless. Find a funny video, e-mail five friends, asking for their best joke, watch little kids play and laugh!
  • Sometimes, you have to "fake it 'til you make it." Saying, "This is a terrific day" sometimes helps, at least see the possibility that it could. Think positive thoughts!
  • Just smile. You may not feel like it, but just forcing yourself to smile may send signals to your brain that things aren't so bad. You may be surprised to feel your mood lighten a bit, in as little as 10 minutes or less!
  • Watch taking work home with you, literally or mentally. Give yourself a fighting chance by taking care of yourself and drawing boundaries between work and personal time.
  • Make your home and family your safe zone and priority. Your career shouldn't define you as a person--figure out what does and you'll be a step ahead!


Warnings


  • Don't make huge decisions when you're in a bad mood - financial, emotional, etc. Let the negative state pass, before you choose poorly.
  • Avoid blaming others for what you may be guilty of. If a loud phone conversation annoys you, consider your own conversations before saying something.
  • This is not the day to "finally" let someone know what you think about him/her. This is time to write those things down, to get them out, but not to act on them, until your mood brightens.
  • Bad mood days are like downward spirals. Resolve within yourself that tomorrow will be better, and do what it takes to make it so.
  • If there seems to be a long string of bad days at work, and depression is a part of your life, check to make sure that medications are still working properly.
  • Never quit until you have another job (preferably a better one!). It's tempting to say, "Take this job..." but if you're struggling this much, take it as a hint to start broadening your horizons. The job world is like dating--people already involved are more appealing. Use this to propel yourself to success.
  • If you do quit, leave on good terms--burning bridges limits your options. "Living well is the best revenge." Leaving with class costs nothing and may pay off with good references and an open door if your new enterprise sours.


Related wikiHows




Sources and Citations





Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Turn Around a Bad Day at Work. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

I am shells' procrastinating soul

In less than 90 days Carnival 2009 will be upon us.
In less than 50 days I will celebrate yet another birthday.
In less than 30 days Christmas 2008 will be here.

Am I prepared?
For Carnival: uh nope. Costume has only had downpayment paid. Have not been inside a gym in months, have not bought ANY accessories or anything to be used for Carnival Monday wear. However, I do plan to pay off that costume before the end of 2008...will provide an update when it has been done! Gym wise: there is a plan (and motivation) for me to commence spinn sessions at very least twice a week until Carnival. Last time I did that many spinn sessions all my clothes started falling off of my slimmer frame LOL. Monday wear: hopefully I'll get some inspiration from the many mnay websites, or magazines something. I'm not that creative but I think I can manage something.

For my birthday: should I or shouldn't I do something for my birthday? Ah not talking d family thing, or the lime with friends thing. I talking something memorable, something different!!! We'll see, or rather my financial situation will determine what, if anything, happens.

Christmas: again NOPE. I had a budget, I did (stop the snickering!). Somehow said budget was forgotten. Said budget would have included savings so that I would not be reeling from the one-two blow of paying for a major car service and car insurance on the same day!!! Said budget would have had a portion for birthday/holiday spending. Hmmmmmnnn wonder what that budget looked like. Gots to go dig that up. Hopefully all the automatic trasfers that were setup earlier this year covered some portion of what I need now. Have to find those balances!!!

So yes, I procrastinate. I am one of those who can and most likely will find an excuse not to do something today. I am lazy, trust me on this, I am a lazy soul. This is a life-ingranined habbit that living with a Type A personality mother and brother and close to OC-level neat freak sisters has not cured me of. It's chronic!! Could be my way of rebelling from all that structure...who knows.
I do have moments though, where I wonder if I have a split personality 'cause I can be frighteningly organised and efficient on occasion.

*sigh* I do feel a hyper efficient episode coming on. Heart beat speeding up, thoughts racing at a million miles per hour...all signs that my body is gearing up to be in uber-organised mode for a while. Let's see how long it lasts!

p/s:- yes the title is a 'Fight Club' reference. Wonder how many people got it.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Another sad day in T&T

Personally not much depresses me more than reading in the newspaper or hearing on the TV news of a woman/man being killed during or after a domestic dispute. Or hearing that a child or children, left in the care of another child/children was hurt or died. Or hearing that a man took the life of his child/children and then his own after a domestic dispute.

WTF is that all about?!
I have never, ever been in support of children being left in charge of other children. Children are NOT adults. And while many kids (think back to when you were a kid) think that they know sooo much, they are still kids. No child should be given the responsibility of taking care of other children. That is insanity! Where were the parents? The guardians? In the case yesterday it states that the children's mother was/is a single parent. Nothing wrong there. What disturbs me is that she had no problem with her 5 year old child having the responsibility of taking care of his younger sibling on the way home from school. A FIVE(5) year old with responsibilities other than playing, colouring, learning to interract with other kids, learning to read and write?!!! Are we living in some twilight zone that I wasn't aware of?

Domestic disputes: I don't deny that sometimes spouses get into arguments. It is natural, it happens. What I can't understand is that sooo many people seem ok with the expectation that violence is a natural outcome of such disputes. It is not acceptable in anyway or at anytime to hit one's partner because of an argument. It's the "if I can't have you then no-one can" way of thinking and that to me smacks of some serious mental problems...ah lie?
Then to top it off by killing a child because of such a dispute...cowardly. Everytime I hear of such things my first thought is ...'if you can't handle the stress of the situation seek help. Seek counselling (thank you Elder's for those sessions on what counselling really is all about), talk to someone: a priest, a friend, a family member, someone you are comfortable with, someone! Why kill an innocent child?!'

My $0.02...I could go on, but I have to do d people dem wuk.
Laters

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

History has been made!!!

As at the time of posting at 12:24am TT time the US Election results:
OBAMA 338 vs Mc CAIN 127

I have witnessed a histotical milestone

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Change...are they ready for it?

I tried, I really really tried.
I did not check the online polls during the day @ work, I refused to monitor the state by state opinion polls.

...then I got home.
I've been checking every 15 minutes.
What have I been checking so?

Unless you've been living under a rock, or been on some other planet yuh know I talking about the US elections. My preferred source of this one of the most addictive drugs of choice is via Yahoo!'s US election dashboard

But you can check it out at Msnbc or any other news website.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Some really really great news!

My good friend has had her baby!
A bouncing baby boy, all of 8lbs 4 ozs.

Soooo happy for her!

Congratulations chick!!!

The Good and the Bad...the Happy, the sad

Well, well....

The Good and Happy
What a week so far, and it's not even over yet.
I got my results from that PMP exam. Yep, already!!! I passed and am sooooo happy! That was a drain on energy for three(3) months and get seriously intense. But it all paid off. I can write may name with PMP after it LOL
Now to figure out how to break into the Project Management job market and get out of this helpdesk/support type of thing. I am tres bored with this job, and I've been here less than a year...sigh!

The Bad
Went to my doc and did not get news that I liked. I am officially weighin in @ 150lbs. That almost made me cry :( All I wanted to do after hearing that was just curl up and cry! Sooo what's on the agenda now: Flicking live in the gym. work out like a fiend three(3) maybe five(5) times per week. I may even be able to make it six(6) days a week...it's not like I have anything else to do with my time anyways.

The Sad
Do I sound slightly bitter, and bordering on depressed? Why yes I am. I don't eat all that much, and I don't eat unhealthily but I gained all that weight. grrrrrr...life sucks.

Before I get into some seriously maudlin ranting I'll stop here.

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

It's been a loooong time

As the title says, long time no blog.
Been busy, with launches, studies, social-life (or lack thereof)

Anywhos, not gonna bore you too much... here's a quick update:

  • Attended band launches for TRIBE, Island People Mas and Elements
  • Officially registered to play mas for Carnival 2009 in TRIBE's "Birds of a Feather" presentation - "African Lovebird" section
  • Best of these launches (the fete) - Elements. TRIBE second, IP a distant third.
  • Best of these launches (the presentation) - TRIBE. IP was ok, that song with the chapter names was AWFUL!!! Elements could have come better
  • Best of these launches (originality) - Island People Mas deinfitley wins this with that 'moving stage!!!' TRIBE's 'birds' in cages was decent. Elements could have done more considering that 'Vegas theme!!!
  • Best of these launches (ticket price) - IP wins this @ $150 per ticket (prev masquerader nah!). TRIBE was second @ $220 and Elements was most expensive.
  • Best of these launches (value for money) - Elements wins with d multitude of free drinks that were on offer (ALL drinks were free!!!). TRIBE also had free drinks, but I didn't partake of much sooo other than the Cocktails I cyah really comment on this. IP comes in a distant thrid since drinks were 2-4-1 specials, good drinks eh but it competing with free drinks soo
  • Best of these launches (overall) - TRIBE!! I biased eh so doh quarrel with me! But I have to say that a couple friends got sick after attending TRIBE's launch soooo it loses points for that.
  • Began studying for the PMP exam...My God that is a lot of reading. 12 chapters geez an ages! I finish d book, but mih brain feels like it's fried a couple circuits now and then. Looking forward to that exam on 2008-10-20. Should be able to cool d brain a bit after that.
  • Social life has dwindled to almost zilch. Causes: hmmmmnnnn still to be determined, though I have my suspiscions.
  • Went to our annual Mayaro weekend, though this year it was in Tobago..so it became 'Mayaro HD: Tobago the new frontier!' This was aight, as usual there was a lil bacchanal (no long weekend with that many people would be normal without some issues right?!), I got sick raging fever an' all. Lots of alcohol, lots of time with friends, lots of time spent in and around a pool, more than 4 hours at the beach...downsides: that boat ride! Next time I going by plane.
  • Monitoring that crisis looming in the US..take a read of this article. These people have got some issues to resolve!
  • Oh and I resumed gym attendance...first time since August 19th 2008. Not bad, not bad...felt great. Aiming for three(3) days a week attendance minimum.

That's all for now.

Wish me luck in my exam and the run up to it which begins in earnest this evening!

Laters

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Golden rules for finding your life partner

Received this in my email this morning.
Now, I'm not a believer in marriage for marriage sake, but for persons who enter a marriage to be in a
long-term committed relationship with your partner, AND wish to legalise their union in the eyes of the country/state then yeah I'm for that. But if you're getting married because it's the norm, and it's the 'right'-thing to do after dating for x years then nope I don't condone that, especially if only one party is really interested in getting married: IMHO the second scenario is a recipe for divorce/separation after a few years.

That said, this article was a good read.


FINDING AND KEEPING A LIFE PARTNER

Golden rules for finding your life partner by
Dov Heller, M.A

When it comes to making the decision about choosing a life partner, no one wants to make a mistake.Yet, with a divorce rate of close to 50%, it appears that many are making serious mistakes in their approach to finding Mr./Miss. Right!

If you ask most couples who are engaged why they're getting married, they'll say: "We're in love"; I believe this is the #1 mistake people make when they date. Choosing a life partner should never be based on love.

Though this may sound "not politically correct",there's a profound truth here. Love is not the basis for getting married. Rather, love is the result of a good marriage. When the other ingredients are right, then the love will come. Let me say it again: "You can't build a lifetime relationship on love alone"; You need a lot more!!!

Here are five questions you must ask yourself if you're serious about finding and keeping a life partner.

QUESTION ..1:
Do we share a common life purpose?

Why is this so important? Let me put it this way: If you're married for 20 or 30 years, that's a long time to live with someone. What do you plan to do with each other all that time? Travel, eat and jog together? You need to share something deeper and more meaningful. You need a common life purpose.

Two things can happen in a marriage:
(1) You can grow together, or
(2) you can grow apart.


50% of the people out there are growing apart. To make a marriage work,you need to know what you want out of life! Bottom line; and marry someone who wants the same thing.

QUESTION ..2: Do I feel safe expressing my feelings and thoughts with this person?

This question goes to the core of the quality of your relationship. Feeling safe means you can communicate openly with this person. The basis of having good communication is trust - i.e. trust that I won't get"punished"; or hurt for expressing my honest thoughts and feelings. A colleague of mine defines an abusive person as someone with whom you feel afraid to express your thoughts and feelings. Be honest with yourself on this one. Make sure you feel emotionally safe with the person you plan to marry.

QUESTION ..3:
Is he/she a mensch?

A mensch is someone who is a refined and sensitive person. How can you test? Here are some suggestions.
Do they work on personal growth on a regular basis?
Are they serious about improving themselves?
A teacher of mine defines a good person as "someone who is always striving to be good and do the right ";.So ask about your Significant other:What do they do with their time? Is this person materialistic?
Usually a materialistic person is not someone whose top priority is character refinement.

There are essentially two types of people in the world:
(1)
People who are dedicated to personal growth and
(2)
people who are dedicated to seeking comfort.
Someone whose goal in life is to be comfortable will put personal comfort ahead of doing the right thing.
You need to know that before walking down the aisle.

QUESTION ..4: How does he/she treat other people?

The one most important thing that makes any relationship work is the ability to give. By giving, we mean the ability to give another person pleasure. Ask: Is this someone who enjoys giving pleasure to others or are they wrapped up in themselves and self-absorbed? To measure this, think about the following:

How do they treat people whom they do not have to be nice to, such as waiters, bus boys, taxi drivers,etc..

How do they treat their parents and siblings?

Do they have gratitude and appreciation? If they don't have gratitude for the people who have given them everything;

Can you do nearly as much for them? You can be sure that someone who treats others poorly, will eventually treat you poorly as well.


QUESTION ..5: Is there anything I'm hoping to change about this person after we're married?

Too many people make the mistake of marrying someone with the intention of trying to "improve"; them after they're married. As a colleague of mine puts it: "You can probably expect someone to change after marriage for the worse" If you cannot fully accept this person the way they are now, then you are not ready to marry them.

In conclusion, dating doesn't have to be difficult and treacherous. The key is to try leading a little more with your head and less with your heart.

It pays to be as objective as possible when you are dating; to be sure to ask questions that will help you get to the key issues. Falling in love is a great feeling, but when you wake up with a ring on your finger, you don't want to find yourself in trouble because you didn't do your homework.

Another perspective...

There are some people in your life that need to be loved from a distance..

It's amazing what you can accomplish when you let go of or at least minimize your time with draining,negative,incompatible, not-going anywhere relationships. Observe the relationships around you.
Pay attention..
Which ones lift and which ones lean? Which ones encourage and which ones discourage? Which ones are on a path of growth uphill and which ones are going downhill? When you leave certain people do you feel better or feel worse? Which ones always have drama or don't really understand,know,or appreciate you?

The more you seek quality, respect, growth, peace of mind, love and truth around you...the easier it will become for you to decide who gets to sit in the front row and who should be moved to the balcony of your life.

An African proverb states, "Before you get married,keep both eyes open,and after you marry, close one eye"; Before you get involved and make a commitment to someone, don't let lust,pity,desperation, immaturity, ignorance, pressure from others or a low self-esteem make you blind to warning signs. Keep your eyes open,and don't fool yourself that you can change someone or that what you see as faults aren't really that important.

Do you bring out the best in each other?
Do you compliment and compromise with each other, or do you compete, compare and control?
What do you bring to the relationship?
Do you bring past relationships, past hurt, past mistrust, past pain?

You can't take someone to the altar to alter them.
You can't make someone love you or make someone stay.

If you develop self-esteem, spiritual discernment, and "a life"; you won't find yourself making someone else responsible for your happiness or responsible for your pain. Seeking status, sex, and security are the wrong reasons to be in a relationship.

WHAT KEEPS A RELATIONSHIP STRONG ARE:
1. TRUST
2. COMMUNICATION
3. INTIMACY
4. A SENSE OF HUMOR
5. SHARING TASKS
6. SOME GETAWAY TIME WITHOUT BUSINESS OR CHILDREN
7. DAILY EXCHANGES (meal, shared activity, hug, call, touch, notes)
8. SHARING COMMON GOALS AND INTERESTS
9. GIVING EACH OTHER SPACE TO GROW WITHOUT FEELING INSECURE
10. GIVING EACH OTHER A SENSE OF BELONGING AND ASSURANCES OF COMMITMENT

If these qualities are missing, the relationship will erode as resentment withdrawal, abuse, neglect, and dishonesty; and pain will replace it.

Happiness keeps You Sweet,
Trials keep You Strong,
Sorrows keep You Human,
Failures keep You Humble,
Success keeps You Glowing,
But..........
Only God keeps You Going!

Friday, June 06, 2008

Carnival 2009 - New Bands on the block

There are a few new bands coming out for Carnival 2009.

Of the three, Spice sounds most promising, and their costumes definitely look hot, especially loving the bra design on the 'brown sugar' costume. :-)

Definitely looking forward to band launching season which began July 4th 2008.

As usual for more Carnival news, reviews and pics check out Sauce's blog.

Amazingly on point...remind you of anyone?!


The Nerd Handbook

Read it.
Digest it.
Maybe read it again.

I am amazed at how eerily accurate this is...


I LOVE IT!

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Job update

As mentioned here in my Welcome! I used to work as a "Consultant".

Now though it's not true. I've changed jobs -again! This is my fourth(4th) job in ten(10) years. just typing that made me feel old!!

Now, my official job title is "Applications Analyst" or "Business Systems Analyst" depending on who you speak with.

Soooo let's see how this one goes

FYI: New Band on the scene for Carnival 2009

Yep: it's true.

One of the new bands to be on the roads for Carnival 2009 has launched. Their name "Elements"
It seems though that it's just been a quick, hey-this-is-me type intro, and nothing substantial.
As stated, I wish them luck, and really do hope that they do turn out to be a viable alternative and that it's not all hype, and 'smoke-and-mirrors'.

"Revelations" - by Saucy

"Elements Launch" - by Carnival Jumbie