Free Mas for 2011

The Minister of Arts and Multiculturalism has announced that there will be free mas for carnival 2011. As reported by the Express Newspaper the Ministry will sponsor music trucks for the People's Band, the only requirement is that masqueraders create their own costumes and not use costumes from China. The Minister is hoping that this initiative will bring back traditional mas. In addition, it would give the vendors on the street the opportunity to make money because when the bands with costumes for $3000 and $4000 pass with their premium bars the masqueraders pass the vendors straight.

This is a noble idea in theory, but in reality it sounds like total garbage. What nonsense is this? They cutting cost and fire Fazeer Mohammed former host of First Up but have money to put music trucks on the street for people to palance. Seriously though, I hope the Ministry understands that a modern carnival band must have security to control and protect the masqueraders. In addition there are carnival celebrations all over the country, would the music trucks be distributed throughout both islands? The People's Band must be represented in Port of Spain, Arima, Arouca, Tunapuna, San Fernando and Tobago.

Finally, we as Trinbagonians are great entrepreneurs we must always admit that. If there is a way to create a scheme in something we will find it. What is preventing some entrepreneur from creating costumes in bulk and selling them to John Public? Or what is preventing an entrepreneur from buying the same costumes from China that the Minister is so opposed to and selling them to John Public to play mas in the People's Band?

I would really like to see the details of this concept finalized. I would also like to see the proposed cost of this initiative and the actual cost after the fact.

Would you be playing mas in the People's Band for carnival 2011? Do you think this is a good way to spend tax payer's money?

Scorch DDI Review

Yesterday I went down the islands to Scorch DDI. It was only after a good few drinks I realized that DDI was down the islands. Anyway that was one of my signature blond moments, its a good thing my friends and family love me. I am in a hot mess, because I can memorize the licence plate numbers of all the cars on my street but can figure out what DDI means.

Anyway the last couple of times I went out I didn't really have much fun. It was just a sad affair, boring as ever. From Zen, to 51, to Nikki Manaj I just felt like i am too old to be out this late taking night dew for no good reason. Now to truly paint a picture of how great Scorch was I have to describe my usual party behaviour. Usually I go to a party to pose and look cute. Yes I admit it I am poser. I like to look cute. At the end of the party I look the same way I did when I walked in and lord knows I don't dance. Very stooch, my idea of dancing is putting my hand in the air and waving it slightly.

Scorch was just right up my ally. It was day time so I didn't have to take night dew. I could have worn what I wanted, as there was no stupid bouncer telling me that I must be in heels to gain entry, a la 51. The only issue was hottt sun, but I viewed it as preparation for Tribe 2011. Anyway so minding my own business I started to dance and I even buss a wine. Then it started to rain and I did not even run for cover, I stayed in the rain dancing. When I tell you the vibes was real nice. I wine low, high, round and round, I wine to techno and all. It was pure niceness. Now once of the reasons that I don't dance much is because somewhere along the way I loose the beat and go off a bit. But the thing is since everybody was having a good time I felt confident that nobody would notice my outta timin wine. Now one day later I feel like I was in some aerobic class my body is aching. I never knew that wining was a full body workout.

Oh and how can I forget the guys. When I tell you the fellas came out in their full glory and of course it was raining so shirts had to come off. I have a feeling that active gym membership was the condition for entry into this event. I got whip lash from gaping, the guys were just divine. When I tell you, white, brown, chi nee, tall, short, even the chubby guys were looking good.

Do tell. Did you go to Scorch DDI? How was it for you?

Budget Day

Today is budget day in Trinidad and Tobago. It is an exciting day usually, however this year it is even more exciting, because today is the day that the People’s Partnership will show us what they are about and how they plan to do it. The national budget is an annual plan of how the government intends to earn money and how they plan to spend it. The budget is actually an Appropriation Bill and goes through the same process as any other Bill. As a money Bill it can only be introduced in the House of Representatives and it must be done by the Minister of Finance. Usually there is a limitation on the length of time a Member is allowed to speak, however during the presentation of the budget by speech the Minister of Finance no time limit is imposed. Simply because the budget is important business. The budget usually spans a number of areas including Tobago, Trade and Industry, Tourism, Agriculture, Energy, Housing, Infrastructure, Environment, Education, Health, Social Protection, National Security, Sport, Youth, Culture and Community Development. I am specifically interested in Health, National Security, Education, Youth Development and Trade and Industry.

So tune in my dear friends to Channel 11 at 1:30 p.m. because today is the day that the PP government is going to put their money where their mouth is. What aspects of the Budget are you looking forward to today?

Ten Things I want the People’s Partnership to Do

I was thinking about our new Government and there are a few things that I would like them to do as follows:

1. Stop campaigning. You all won, unless the new PM hires Patrick Manning as her political advisor you all will be there for five years. Get cracking.
2. Eradicate Corruption – don’t know how. Just do it.
3. Ensure that there is succession planning in the Police Service to ensure that we don’t have to hire another foreigner to be Commissioner of Police.
4. Recognize that crime is a social problem.
5. Use social media to get the message out. I love twitter.
6. Criticise in private, Praise in public. Especially in relation to public servants.
7. Elevate the content of debates in parliament. Let the younger one say something.
8. Don’t just make laws, enforce them too.
9. Do the right thing. Everybody may not like it, but its a good start.
10. Treat every citizen equally regardless of political patronage or affiliation.

What would you like the People’s Partnership to do?

How come we continue to believe in politicians and their promises, when so many fail to follow through and keep those promises?

Recently in Trinidad and Tobago we have had a change in Government. We are now being governed by a new group of people. But how new are these people? And how different are they from the people that were there before? Politicians are elected or nominated officials who are supposed to represent the interest of the people who put them in the positions they hold. Let us think about the term House of Representatives. This implies that it is filled with Representatives, that is, persons representing us. When did we get the notion that these people were better than us in any way? They are supposed to be one of us chosen by us to represent our interest. How many of us feel that our representative truly represents our interest.

Every time this representative speaks they are speaking for us. They are not speaking for the political party. This is solidified by the fact that if an elected member of the House of Representatives leaves his party he can still hold his seat in the House. Why? Because we put him there and it is based on that authority he is a Member of the House of Representatives. So then why do we allow these politicians to do to us whatever they want? Is the system of choosing persons to represent us truly representative of the people in our society? Or is it just a bunch of sawaties coming together to seek their own interest to the detriment of the rest of us? How can we get them to truly represent our interest?

During an election we are presented with a candidate chosen by the political party. How do we know that the person is truly the best representative for our constituency? What gives the political party the right to screen candidates behind closed doors? On what basis do they accept some candidates and reject others? Are there financial considerations when choosing candidates? When did party politics become more dominant that representing the people? Section 47 of the constitution of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago sets out the qualifications for election as a Member of the House of Representatives, it states that a person must be a citizen eighteen years or upwards residing in Trinidad and Tobago for a period of two years prior to his nomination for election. Where does is say that the candidate must be vetted confidentially by a political party?

It seems that I only have questions. The more I think about it, the more I question it. So I end right where I started: How come we continue to believe in politicians and their promises, when so many fail to follow through and keep those promises?

Are Men really Dogs?

Time and time again I have had conversations with women where we get together and bash men. Going through our experiences and agreeing with each other that men are horrible little creatures. However, I am really beginning to wonder if men are really dogs? Or is it that we as women allow men to treat us any which way they please? Honestly, can a man really do anything to us that we do not want him to do? How many times have we had dealings with a man who is no good, yet for some strange reason we ignore the signs and continue to allow this man deeper and deeper into our lives.

Recently I received a call from an individual that I have known for a number of years. We have always had a flirtatious thing going but nothing more than talk. We exchanged the new communication number of choice, blackberry pins. That should have been the first red flag. Anyways so a few weeks go by and we communicate via BBIM and everything is good. Minding my own business Mr. Man starts to tell me that he likes me and he wants to see me, telling me we could meet for breakfast or lunch. That was a first for me because those are both daytime activities and I was wondering why not dinner. Well a breakfast date for me is out of the question because I usually leave home at 8 to get to work for 8 if you catch my drift. By lunchtime I am usually swamped doing things so I usually don’t get to leave the office. We finally agreed that we would go out for drinks. After all of the talk he gave me he stood me up, which I have no problem with because I was home in comfort.

The thing that irritates me the most about this guy is that his excuse for not coming was that he was sleeping. The following day when I told him that I was not pleased he could not understand why I was upset. Apparently I was just supposed to be cool with being stood up. Subsequently, yes I continued speaking to him via BBIM no doubt, he told me he wanted to check me home. The concept of men “checking” me at home is a little pet peeve of mine for a number of reasons. Most often when men visit you at home they come empty handed. The woman then has to entertain the man by providing drinks and food. In other words it is a great way to freeload. Additionally, no one sees us together so it is a wonderful trick for womanizing men. Now nothing is wrong with staying in, but doing so in the beginning of the relationship is definitely not good because it sets a precedent.

Based on this scenario, are men really dogs? I honestly don’t think so. At this stage it is totally up to me whether or not I continue to interact with this man and what our level of interaction would be. If I continue to “date” him and then in a few months he is still up to these tricks I would have no one to blame but myself. In which case he wouldn’t be a dog, he would be a smart man and I would be a damn fool.

What do you think? Are men really dogs?

Happy Independence Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago gained its independence in 1962, and 48 years later we are not doing too badly if I do say so myself. Prior to our independence we tried regional integration, which came to an end as a result of a referendum taken in Jamaica against the Federation. The Federation was made up of ten colonies and the great Eric Williams famously said one from ten leaves zero. Since that time we have grown and developed as an individual state. Our democracy has been tried and tested by a coup d’état and survived to become even stronger. In addition we have seen various forms of representation in our government and women have been playing an ever increasing role in the politics of our country. Our oil and gas based economy has had its ups and downs. As one of the countries that were subject to the strict Structural Adjustment Policies of international lending agencies during the late 80’s and early 90’s our economy has done pretty well since.

Today is a day to celebrate our freedoms, the rights given to us by the constitution and to be proud to be a Trinbagonian.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!

Happy Anniversary!!!

Time really does fly when you are having fun. I cannot believe that today marks the one-year anniversary of my blog. While it is only one year later, my life has changed so much since I started this blog. Last year I was sitting in a job with a nice office with a view of Port of Spain and assigned parking with nothing to do all day long. It was quite a frustrating experience and that frustration led me to create this blog. One year later, I have a new job that keeps me extremely busy and it is very challenging. This is due in part to my boss who does not miss a beat. She holds the bar very high and you have no choice but to meet or surpass it. This is testimony that we often meet obstacles in our lives that seem insurmountable, however with God, time, patience and diligence we can all move on past a bad situation. Originally, I created this blog to express my opinion on any given topic related to Trinidad and Tobago. I think I have stayed within my original mandate so to speak. I have used this blog to express my disgust, my appreciation and even give praises to my loving family.

One year later I still enjoy blogging, although time does not permit me to do it as often as I would like, I am going to keep on blogging for as long as I possibly can. Thanks again everybody for the support.

Biased TV 6 Programme on the 1990 Coup

Yesterday was the twentieth anniversary of the 1990 coup. This is an event in our history that I have always felt distant from for a number of reasons. The first is that I was out of the country at the time, and by the time I returned things had gone back to normal. The second reason was that I was very young so for me that was big people thing. As a result of this I have always enjoy coup stories from people simply because I have no story to tell. Minding my own business I realised that TV6 advertised a special feature to be broadcasted on the evening of the twentieth anniversary. The programmed was entitled News Special: 1990 Untold Stories – Cocaine, Conspiracy, Coup. This programme aired against the back drop of the Attorney General, Senator Anand Ramlogan saying that he was going to place the notice in the print media for the auction of the properties owned by the Jamaat-al-Muslimeen. As well as the announcement by the Prime Minister in the post Cabinet press conference that there would be an enquiry into the coup.

At the beginning of the programme I instantly got vex because I realised the presenter was Sasha Mohammed, so they start bad already. Then it is stated that the PNM and the UNC governments made no attempts to enquire into the events of the 1990 coup and flashed to a video clip of Mr. Manning and Mr. Panday shaking hands. You would swear they were shaking hands agreeing not to enquire into the coup. Of course mention was made of the Prime Minister’s plan to have a Commission of Enquiry. Ms. Mohammed then interviewed a number of people including Imam Yasin Abu Bakr and the Attorney General in 1990, Mr. Anthony Isidore Smart. Generally I got from the programme that the presenter who is obviously a strong supporter of the People’s Partnership was attempting to place the blame for the coup on members of the NAR, while implicating Mr. Manning and Mr. Panday. I am no fool I have no doubt that there were persons other than the Muslimeens backing the coup. However, I was expecting the programme to be unbiased, and a true record of the events of the coup. Something for me to look at to gain a true sense of the events that occurred. Rather that it being propaganda and a political advertisement for the upcoming Commission of Enquiry. I guess from the title of the programme I should have known. Even the inclusion of an interview of Dr. Tim Gopeesingh who is a gynecologist claiming that he assisted the Prime Minister ANR Robinson. Unless the Prime Minister got shot in some part of his female anatomy how Dr. Gopeesingh got involved. Like I said earlier, I was not around so perhaps the man was the Chief Medical Officer or something.

I am looking forward to this Commission of Enquiry to see what information it uncovers. I am also interested to see what this Commission of Enquiry is going to cost the tax payer. The programme also alleged that the current levels of crime and violence in the country are a direct result of the events of the coup. This tells me that the Partnership Government is already looking for something or somebody to blame for why they cannot stop the escalating rate of crime. Imam Yasin Abu Bakr made an interesting point, he said that there are a lot of guns on the street and nobody in Laventille have any boat to get any gun so they have to be getting help from somewhere. He also expressed his intention to call names in the enquiry implicating a number of top government officials, politicians, and senior law enforcement officers.

So we shall see how the story goes. How do you think things are going to unfold?

My Favourites for Tribe 2011

It is that time of year again, Tribe has launched and the arguments have started. I am not too sure how Tribe registration is going to be this year but this is what I think about Tribe. I did not really give much consideration to Bliss because I got the impression that is the sawatie band so hopefully Max plays there or doesnt play at all. Let me say right off the bat that I got the pictures from Tribe’s Facebook page. I am not sure what the protocol is for reusing these pictures but I don’t want to get in trouble for plagiarism or copyright infringement. I also got one picture from Island People Mas. That being said I narrowed my picks to three options as follows:

I like the concept of the frontline of Mayan Eagle but the colour combination is a bit off. Mind you I could have been brain washed by Monique Nobrega because she designed Xi Ling Chi, which I played in and loved for 2010. While we are on this costume I wonder if the person modeling the costume has any effect on whether we like the costume or not?


After careful consideration I think I like Persian Gold the most, both the backline and the frontline. I like the relatively small headpiece and collar of the backline and the bra and belt are also quite nice.



As for the frontline I love the fact that the headpiece is like a tiara and I love the bra, belt, leg, arm and neck pieces. This is the same designer of Mystery of Loulan which I didn’t really like however, I must say I am really loving her contribution this year.
Xi'an, I must say it is different and it could only have been designed by Sandra Hordatt. The backline is nice however I do not like the headpiece and leg pieces. The frontline is way too skimpy for my liking even if I lose thirty pounds. Plus the frontline is a caged bra and I am not sure how that is going to work with big boobs. Finally my concept of a frontline costume is that it should be big and pretty. It must look outstanding and when comparing the backline to the frontline of this section you might as well save your money and go backline cause there is very slight difference and on the road non masqueraders will not notice. I have a serious problem paying more money for less costume.

This reminds me of Rays of Light of Island People 2009, where a sequined panty and a slightly fuller headpiece was considered frontline. After lunch when people ditch the headpiece they would just looked like a backline betty who lost her belt and is parading in a panty.

So there you have it. Like it. Love it. Leave it. What are your picks for Tribe 2011?