My BOOTS are here for Trinidad Carnival 2011!

And they are TOO gorgeous!   

A Chinese man said "those are AMAZING how did she do that? They look like a fairy tale!" lol!

They are also the only boots ordered in my size that actually FIT properly, putting shame to the Ebay and DSW.com orders which both had to be returned because they were not true to size…this is some cheap pair of Payless boots and they are QUITE comfortable…if I don’t break them in though the insoles and heel inserts I want to put in them for cushioning might make it a close fit.  But still at least wearable where the other too had no toe space with just my foot alone in the shoe!

These actually seem padded enough that I could maybe put in just the heel inserts and be okay, if it came down to it.

Now to wear the heck out of them around the house trying to break them in somewhat before I leave!  Gonna do all my remaining packing and preparations in these boots! Lol!  Thanks to Niecy's Custom Designs!

And in case you're wondering how I plan to pull this off with this costume:

Note the gold earrings and gold-tone shades...and as the Carnival Obsession divas advised me, blue and gold makeup baby!

And my makeup artist already has something along those lines up on her Facebook page:

This is Trinidad Carnival Costume Collection Week and the DRAMA and EXCITEMENT has BEGUN!

First things first though...why did I see THIS notice of GENTLEMEN'S BALL CANCELLED this Thursday night...you all remember this from TrinidadFeteTickets' fete lineup as the all-white affair that was well over $100 USD to attend...

*insert SHOCKED face here*

I think there were a few too many PRICEY fetes going on this week...we still emerging from recession here in the States and I'm just assuming here but they probably did not sell as many of those as they wanted!  

Now on to the collection stories...which are best read on TrinidadCarnivalDiary's Facebook and blog postings...and the comments too!  As well as on the walls of bands like TRIBE and YUMA.  I see people in some cases complaining about things that were announced as the company policy well in advance of registration...but other things that are giving people trouble, I saw coming from afar and decided to just accept that I can't have it all my way and change to a band that works for my schedule personally, nothing against the band cause I love it and the vibes...(yes I changed my mind ONE more time and went back to D'krewe to join the rest of my crew, be 99% in one section, and be in one of my #1 choice costumes for my first Trinidad Carnival!):

I had paid in full for this...but it wasn't painful to sell (and sold in a BLINK) because...

THIS was still calling my name...if you paid off one and still giving the other side eyes/wishing
you had the skills to play mas in 2 bands same day, you know you might want to rethink that lol!

Of course, now I have the tiny problem of gold boots designed to go with YUMA's Capricorn that I must now make work (or go get sneakers!) for D'Krewe's Tempo! smh My own little drama unfolding over here lol. Hopefully that's as bad as it gets for me cause I am very excited to see my costume!

In the middle of all that, I am still packing (just started yesterday), and trying to figure how much checked luggage charges I can afford cause I realize I might need one of my smaller suitcases to arrive empty to transport my costume back to the U.S.!  But it's all VERY exciting! lol!

It's packing day!

YUMAs! Boots for sale...for sections with gold!

From the seller:


These are sneaker boots and are for sale $250 TT, size 6.5, very comfortable, i guess they are mid calf boots, and and they would be ideal for Taurus, Leo, Gemini, Cancer, Sagittarius, and Oracle, all of which have hints of gold.

PLEASE CONTACT:
samariajoy@ymail.com

YUMA Vibe Collection Day Instructions: English and Trini Translations! lol!

From the YUMA Vibe Facebook wall...a little laughter, a little jokes, but all the way serious because the same questions keep being asked over...and over...and over...and over...again...and again!

Enjoy a laugh I know I did!

YUMA Vibe says:

Yuma Vibe is stating that the costume distribution centre is open to registered masqueraders only (to prevent congestion). If friends are coming with you to collect costumes they are invited to enjoy the ambience of Movietowne while masqueraders collect their costumes from the Movietowne Banquet & convention centre.

A male YUMA says:

IN OTHER WORDs...
"enjoy the ambience of movietowne"
go watch a movie or get something to eat doh mind YUMA business

"registered masqueraders only" 
doh feel cuz yuh have ah auntie cuzin neighbor uncle bredda sista son daughter playin you could come an just macco the scenes an beg for a costume nah refer to the ambience of movietowne.

(to prevent congestion)
yuh doh want a yuma security forcing you to go an "enjoy the ambience of movietowne" NAH not kool

·  17 people

I LOL'ED!!!!

What To Pack For Your Trip to Carnival

From my friend Fleur and her Carnival Obsession group started on Facebook...do not feel you need to carry EVERYthing on this list (I for one will never take extra feathers, after paying several hundred USD for a costume I am not helping decorate it, that's what I paid the band for!), but make sure anything you see and want/need -- or haven't thought of -- that will ensure a great carnival experience is packed so you are ready to rock and roll as soon as you step off the plane at Piarco!

Things to pack on your Carnival trip

Time to get serious I need to start to get my stuff together for Trinidad Carnival.

Things to pack on your Carnival trip

The Carnival Diva Edition

Make up kit (maybe a little extensive)

Foundations

Translucent Powder

Bronzing Powder

Eye Shadow Base

Concealer

Water Proof Gel Eyeliner

Liner pencils

Eye Shadows 

Powder Blushes

Lipstick Color

Lip Liner Pencil

Lip Gloss

False Eyelashes (bring the drama)

Eyelash Adhesive

Eyelash curler

Concealer brush

Gems

Spirit gum

Face Glitter

Glitter adhesive (you can use clear eyelash glue Duo is a great brand )

Water proof mascara  

Q-tips

Brush cleaner

Makeup remover

Oil blotting sheets

Toiletries

Shampoo/conditioner

Lotion

Baby oil

Sun block (the strong stuff I don’t care if you black or white)

Epsom salts (to soak your feet after the jammin')

Razors

Shaving cream

Contact lenses paraphernalia

Nail clippers

Nail fill

Body wash

Deodorant

Toothpaste

Sunglasses

Tweezers

Band-Aids

Allergy kit, if needed

Feminine hygiene products

Prescription medicines

Birth control

Condoms

Vitamins

Wet wipes

Health boosters such as Airborne

Hair

Shampoo/conditioner

Weave glue

Wig cap

Head tie

Silk scarf

Boddy pins

Hair ties

Brush

Comb

Gel

Hair products

Mas players list/ Costume repair kit

Glue gun

Glue stick

Safety pins

Velcro tape

Double sided tape

Needle and thread

Mas boots

Innersoles

2/3 pairs Mas tights low rise (dancer tights) 

Extra Sequins and feathers

Capezio Ultra Soft Tights (comes in plus sizes); $10 - $15 at Amazon

Technology Packing List

cell phone

iPod(s) or other player’s

digital camera and memory card

video recorder

laptop, netbook, iPad, kindle...

GPS

For all the above: batteries, chargers, cords!

Unlocked gsm phone

Kodak EasyShare C183 digital camera, available at Walmart.com etc.

Miscellaneous

Maps of the area

Reputable taxi services

Notebook/journal

Guidebooks--buy the best! It's a small investment, compared to the cost of your vacation.

Ziploc bags Use for toiletries, makeup  wet swimsuits,  

Binoculars

***Tickets to the fetes

Feel Free to add

I will add:

an itinerary of where you plan to go morning, noon, and night each day...and an outfit selection plan for each so you know what to pack!

Also, copies of important documents such as passports, licenses, flight itinerary, guesthouse/hotel contact information, and a HARD COPY of contact information for people you plan to link with at the carnival as well as all the contacts in your phone in case the phone is lost or stolen...should email yourself a scanned copy of everything so worst case, if your luggage disappears you still have access to major paperwork!

Let your banks know which country you will be in and what dates BEFORE you leave so that they don't suspect fraud and freeze your account if they see charges racking up in a foreign country all of a sudden!

A memory card for your camera with the MAXIMUM gigabytes of memory!  Don't want to run out of memory far from a computer!

Carnival 2015 updates to the list:

5 Hour Energy (1 or 2 cases)

Gel mask (can be refrigerated or kept in a small cooler of daily ice in your room to sleep with and eliminate puffy eyes if, like me, your eyes get puffy when short on sleep! Not at all sexy for your fete pics and you don't want to be hiding out behind sunglasses 24/7 after your first day of extended Trini-style partying!)

A couple handheld wave-able versions of your nationality's FLAG so you can jump and wave and represent where you are from for carnival!

TRINIDAD CARNIVAL 2015 UPDATE (TAKEN FROM ANGELAPANAMA.COM):
Bug Spray & Sunblock [2015: CHIKUNGUNYA VIRUS IS CARRIED BY MOSQUITOES!]
The mosquitos in the Caribbean are trained assassins. They laugh at your mediocre bug spray & then they eat you alive. This is the method that worked for me and Paco and saved us from the usual “eaten alive by flying ninja assassins” scenario:
Step (1) Apply an oil or lotion based bug repellant
Step (2) Apply spray bug repellant [ENSURE IT CONTAINS DEET]
Step (3) Apply Sport SunScreen Spray (sport being the key word)
Step (4) Bug repellent bracelets on the wrist and ankle

Seems extreme, I know. Maybe you are one of the lucky people that mosquitos don’t bother.Even if they don’t bother you, don’t skip the sunblock. I have a friend that never learns and always spends the week after carnival peeling and looking like he has leprosy.

Jouvert
(1) Draw string backpack - Your jouvert band may or may not give you a backpack, come prepared.

(2) Zip lock bag for your important ish. Nothing worse than having to run from the water hose cause you have your cell in your pocket.

(3) Baby oil – gone are the days of having blue skin after jouvert , Cover yourself in baby oil and the paint will fall right off. Now I am not a fan of carrying around open containers of baby oil. I feel like they are bombs waiting to explode all over my ish. So I buy the travel size for each jouvert. I don’t open it until I arrive at the jouvert & then I dump it.

D'krewe Boots: Tempo!

Hmmmmmmmmm....

Costume: D'krewe's section Tempo; Boots: Ebay

Tempo; boots: DSW.com

Carnival Boots: Before and After Pictures!

Remember these boots?

Before Niecy's Custom Designs:

After!

Yeah I know...HAWT! :-)

They were designed to go with this costume:

But hmmm that pretty gold can go with some costumes I see coming in my future! lol!

Trinidad Carnival 2011: International Soca Monarch Ticket Outlets!

Come watch Machel Montano, Iwer George, Bunji Garlin, Fayann Lyons, Destra Garcia, and other soca stars battle for King of the road (2011 Soca Monarch)!  Came across this while cruising D'krewe's page!

From the International Soca Monarch Facebook page and website:

International Soca Monarch Ticket Outlets & Prices

BMOBILE INTERNATIONAL SOCA MONARCH &
PLAY WHE GROOVY SOCA MONARCH COMPETITIONS 2011
Hasley Crawford Stadium Friday, 4th March 2011 Start time: 9:30 pm
TICKET OUTLETS: By Districts

Port-Of –Spain  Vibes - 66 Prince Street – 625-7070 Cache – Prince Street – 627-2258 Tee Tee Vais – 54 Prince Street – 483-4402 Cleve’s – Frederick Street – 624-0827 Bhagan’s Drugs – 625-6209 De Gallery- 77 Woodford Street – 628-3363 In Excess – Aboutique Mall Simon’s Musical Supplies – St. Vincent Street Promenade – 625-6412	BMobile Flagship Stores  Westmall Brian Lara Promenade, POS Trincity Mall DSM Plaza, Chaguanas Library Corner, San Fernando
Morvant  Square One Restaurant – 674-3212	Westmoorings (Westmall)  Cache – 633-5907
Trincity (Trincity Mall) Cache – 640-0341 Vibe 66 - 640-0000 Bed Quarters – Industrial Estate - 663-4000	Chaguanas Xtra Foods Supermarket – 665-7550 Shades of Ebony, M0ntrose Mall - 222-7229 Mohammed’s Bookstore - 665-2959
St. James  Crosby’s – 622-7622 Kam’s Music World – Long Circular Mall – 622-4327	Arima Michelle’s – 667-3927 Bhagan’s Drugs Store -667-1791 In Excess – 664 5968 Hearty Foods Supermarket – 664-2839/0360
San Juan  Croisee Pharmacy Jugan’s Grocery & Feed Depot – 638-4474	Sangre Grande  Economy Supermarket – 668-2038 Grande Pharmacy
Tunapuna  ETC – 645-1011	Toco  Radio Toco
Santa Cruz  Uncle Beddoe’s Supermarket – 675-2228	Grand Bazaar  Xtra Foods – 662-8157
Curepe  Bobby’s Bar Manhattan Lounge	Couva  WM Peter’s & Sons Gas Station – 636-4519 Carol’s Pharmacy – 636 4801
San Fernando  Michael’s Bookstore – Library Corner (next to Crobsy’s) – 653-1166	Princess Town Mohammed’s Bookstore, High Street – 655-2915

Tickets are also on sale at:
Caribbean Prestige Foundation for the Performing Arts - #66 Prince Street, Port-of-Spain
Contact us at: 624-2134; 623-0986; 627-0947.

ADVANCE TICKETS:
Silver: $230.00 [TTD]
Gold: $420.00 [TTD]
Platinum: $680.00 [TTD]
***Energy In The City***

QUESTION:

reports are that one can get tickets cheaper online. where online is this option?

ANSWER:

www.socamonarch.net - you must be a member tho, member have special prices. [Note: become a member here]

QUESTION:

ok what's the difference with each ticket? are all the sections seperated? Gold -> Platinum?

ANSWER:

yes those sections will be separated. Gold is food inclusive and Platinum is all inclusive with a premium bar.

QUESTION:

Are these adv ticket prices what cost will it go up too if tickets aren't purchased right away?

ANSWER:

 ticket prices are only increased the day before the show, please refer to the images on this page for the prices.


***adding this post to my Trinidad Carnival Bible!***

1 YUMA Leo Male For Sale, Size 30/L!

***SOLD***

1 LEO MALE COSTUME, 30 WAIST, L SHIRT, FOR SALE. 

Original buyer said he has a family emergency and can't play mas. 

Costume available until actually sold.  I have references so feel free to ask.  

I am in the United States if you are not comfortable handling this ENTIRELY by email and wire transfer/Paypal, thanks for looking and good luck finding your costume!

Trinidad Carnival 2011 and Jamaica Carnival 2011 Updates!

• YUMA has released the 2011 costume collection schedule--band members check your email or contact info@yumavibe.com!  Masqueraders IN Trinidad must pickup on the scheduled days for each section, and the mas camp is CLOSED Carnival Friday.  Masqueraders abroad can have someone pickup their costume on their behalf (see the email for documentation needed!) or pickup on Carnival Saturday, March 6, 2011 (please note the Mas Camp open/close TIMES!).

• Bacchanal Jamaica is now selling tickets to Jamaica Carnival's official opening night at Mas Camp, as well as season passes.  From Facebook: 

Tickets for Mas Camp are $1000 AT GATE / $800 PRESOLD - Season passes for all 9 are $12,000 - Appleton and Smirnoff: $1000 will get you 7 drink chits.  

They are also now on twitter!  @BacchanalJa

• D'Krewe has a Facebook photo album tour of the mas camp up so you can see both outside and in!

• DreamTeam Carnival announced which sections are NOT sold out:

• TRIBE announced TRIBE Ignite, an annual carnival Thursday (Thursday before carnival) fete:

• IslandPeople announced their fast-track pre-payment deadline for the full balance of costumes is Saturday, February 19th:

• HARTS reminds their masqueraders that the pre-payment deadline is (coincidentally) February 19th:

• Ronnie & Caro says the whole band will be wearing ORANGE on carnival Monday:

• Roam Mas is giving everyone a chance to win a free costume!

And I'm sure there's more, but I've been sick all weekend and need to rest my head for a back-to-gym session in the morning! :-)