3 days to go and I'm almost ready to wine, whine, whyne!

Three days to go before I get on the plane for an early morning 5-hour plane ride to Piarco International Airport. My bags are loosely packed and there is a mental list of all the things I still need to do.

First, the skirt was made a couple of weekends ago. While visiting my ma in Brantford, we made a trip to the Fabricland which happens to be closing and having amazing sales and deals. Gold mesh fabric caught my eye as it sparkled under the flourescent, warehouse lights. Imagine that fishnet pattern glistening in the sun! I imagine it will make a decent skirt and give me a little bit of modestly. Ma helped me make a short skirt to wear with my scanty costume. At least the costume at Brooklyn's Carnival had a tiny skirt made up of strings of sequins. The least I can do is add a little bit of fabric to this rather small gold costume.

Second, the menu items of gluten-free foods is increasing. While baking cakes for my Ma's, sister's and niece's birthday party on Saturday (Happy Birthdays!), I bought a gluten-free, dairy-free cheesecake at the St. Lawrence Market and found a recipe on-line for a flourless chocolate cake. Thanks to this website I found a delicious chocolate cake recipe that is gluten-free. It tasted amazing! I am encouraged to find more recipes and bake more gluten-free goodies. While in Trinidad, I will be sourcing tasty gluten alternatives for people like me. I know that 'doubles' is my favourite Trinidadian food at the moment. No worries about gluten, just chick pea flour and chick pea curry. (I would make it with chick pea flour anyways.) Yum!

Next stop in three more sleeps is Trinidad and Tobago.

At last, I have my costume - eek! - February 23, 2011

Finally, the costume has been ordered. It feels so last minute. Usually, people who know they are going to Trinidad for Carnival have planned this for months and know exactly whose band they are jumping up with.

I just bought my costume today! There are a few friends in the same band so there's a crew for me to hang with and jump up with and that is good. We are jumping up with Showtime and will be the scantily clad people of "The Lost Tribe" in Showtime's "007 Colours of Green" band. I had a crew at Brooklyn's Carnival, which was totally last minute. At least, I'm a couple of weeks ahead of my game this time, rather than days. Brooklyn was mad fun though.

The Carnival costumes will be similar to the ones I saw in Brooklyn. Scanty. At least, that is what I saw, some were scantier than others. Yes, I know I'm making up this word but you should get what I mean. Most of the ladies were scantilly clad. But it's Carnival, what else do you do? There is only a picture of the costume that I ordered. We will see how it fits.

I feel good, though. I've been exercising and eating healthy. Socacize with Ayanna Lee-Rivears was amazing. The bootcamp sure did the trick to getting me ready to sweat, dance, jump and gyrate at Carnival. Wynn Fitness classes have kept me fit and personal training sessions have toned and strengthened.

Nearly ready to strutt my stuff and have a good time. Next thing, make a tiny skirt to go with the scanty costume. I am nothing, if not a tiny bit modest.

Getting ready for my trip to Trinidad and Tobago-February 17, 2011

Fifteen days to go! I'm counting down the days before my trip to Trinidad and Tobago for 2011 Carnival. It hasn't sunk in yet that I'm actually going back 'home' and I'm actually going to play 'Big People Mas'. Two weeks ago, I parted with some hard-earned cash to buy my ticket. It was probably the most expensive ticket I have ever bought to fly to Piarco International Airport but Carnival is likely the busiest time of year to travel to Piarco. I did it anyway, paid my fare.

I want to capture these moments so I'm going to blog about my trip, the before, the during (where possible) and after.

Next thing for me to do is buy my costume. Growing up in Trinidad, I never tired of the Carnival festival. It was always the best time of the year for me. Every year at school, we would make masks and design costumes and learn about our history, but we also got dressed up and had our own carnival right at our school. Every school does it, it is very much a part of the culture of Trinidad. One year, I was Queen of the Band at my school and my costume was lovely.

My mother is an artistic sort and loves this kind of stuff. She is also a fashion designer by trade and so took immense pleasure ensuring I had the best-possible-costume-ever. The name of my costume for the "Sweets" band was "I dreamt I was a cotton-candy". It was an excellent title and my mother did not hesitate to go over-board designing a headboard I wore on my shoulders complete with fluffy pink pillow, a billowy pink skirt that was like a canopy and a cottony head piece topping my pink striped pjamas. Of course, that year I won the school contest as Best Queen. Everyone, including Mom and me, thought that I should have entered the costume in the Kiddies Carnival. Alas, it was too late for that year, but next year?

When the next year I was queen of the band again, thanks to my mother's efforts, my costume, "Jewel of the Ocean" was entered in Kiddies Carnival. In addition to playing mas at school, I got the chance to jump-up on the biggest stage ever infront of thousands of spectators. It was exhilarating and scary at the same time. I loved being up on the stage and showing off my awesome oyster/pearl costume. The stage was huge and was hardly able to see the edge (my glases being removed to show off my glittery face-makeup), I was so afraid I was going to fall off! I didn't. It was amazing. One of my best Carnival experiences ever!

I'm so looking forward to jumping up as an adult in the 'Big People Mas'.