JAMAICA CARNIVAL 2017 - Do it for the culture

Jamaica is a country of polarisations. 

I thought for a while about how I would approach this post. I could discuss Soca* vs. Dancehall... uptown vs. downtown... inclusivity and accessibility... class, whiteness, browness, blackness... very valid and important topics that mean a lot to Jamaicans, but would probably not mean much to foreigners. Because in foreign white is white and black is black and brown is black, uptown doesn't exist and we all take public transport. 

I decided that's not what I wanted to write about, because that's not what the carnival week meant to me. 

All I wanted from Carnival was revelry, wildness and a likkle bit a freedom.

So leave any badmind at the door and come and have an adventure with me!

*(Please see the end of the article for a quick Caribbean Carnival vocabulary lesson)

If you're not from the Caribbean your experience of Carnival might be Notting Hill Carnival in London or photos of Rihanna & co. *whinin' on Instagram. 

The season long lead up to the big Road March (always on a Sunday) is a whirlwind of *Fetes, *J'ouvert parties and general madness. 

Up to a year before the Carnival week begins men and women are hitting the gym, going *Bacchanal parties and looking out for the next Soca song of the season. People take off time from work, some take out loans (yes, for real), and some save up all year to get on bad during Soca season.

Preparation can include, but is not limited to:

• Hair
• Make up
• Gems
• Nails
• Brazilian waxes
• Spray tan/ Body make up
• Road March Costume, plus shoes/boots & fishnet tights
• Tickets for pre-carnival parties (To name a few: Beach Jouvert, Town Jouvert, I <3 Soca, Private Ryans party, Ceasar's Army Party, Sunrise Breakfast Party etc.)
• Outfits for all the parties you intend to go to. (And we all know how Caribbean people stay, you can't wear any outfit more than once)

You get the idea... you're lucky if you don't need a loan. 

For the first time in Jamaica there were 4 different *Carnival Band options: Bacchanal, Jamaica Carnival, Xamayca Carnival and Xodus Carnival. 

All my friends were *jumpin' with Xodus Carnival - A new Carnival experience, a merger between Jamaica's own Dream Entertainment Ltd. and Trinidad's premier Carnival Band Y.U.M.A. 

We bought the costumes online via their website, but you don't receive the costumes until a few days before the big event.

How it all works is that you buy a 'package' that includes: 

• Your choice of around around 14 different Costumes (front line = more feathers, gems & money, back line = less feathers, gems & money) 
• Premium drinks included all day 
• Lunch (choice between Italian, Jamaican, Chinese) 
• A cute goodie bag with some treats like mini rum bottles, gum, chocolate, one sippy cup with straw for maximum drink mobility etc. 
• Fresh coconuts on the road
• A day long party, starting at 10 am and finishing in the night

So now for the photos!

Getting ready = My Victoria's Secret Moment

Finished! Costume name = X-ctacy Back line. 

One Appleton rum and coconut water, please!

(Not me or my photo, but it was too cool not to share)

Video from @xoduscarnival Instagram

Video from @coreymus Instagram

MY FAVOURITE 5 CARNIVAL SONGS:

KES - WORK OUT FEAT. NAILAH BLACKMAN

VOICE - FAR FROM FINISHED

MACHEL MONTANO - LIP SERVICE

VOICE - CHEERS TO LIFE

DESTRA - LUCY

CARIBBEAN CARNIVAL VOCABULARY

• Soca Music - Genre of music for Carnival, not going to give a lesson on this one, wikipedia is free. 

• Fetes - Soca parties

• Carnival Band - the group of people you are jumpin' with. You will all have costumes provided by the same company, drinks from the same trucks and will have lunch at the same spot. 

• J'ouvert - Large street parties during the Carnival season, usually involves colourful paint being thrown over the revellers.

• Jumpin' - Participating in the Carnival Road March, meaning you got the costume/ t shirt  

• Whinin' - Caribbean way of dancing, like in the videos above. NOT twerking.

• Bacchanal - A large party or celebration

• Tabanca - Feeling of forlorn sadness and longing when the Soca season is done and you have to go back to real life. 

There you have it. The Carnival tabanca is so real!

x o x o

Tasmin

SPRING FORWARD

Renaissance and rebirth, the earth comes back to life, the flowers bloom and the migrated birds come home…

After months of darkness everything begins to get better and brighter - it's spring time! 

It is difficult to write an uplifting spring time post today, as I am sitting in an office in London it is very grey, very drizzly and very cold outside this window. But although it doesn’t feel like time to put away my trusted puffy winter coat, the clocks went forward last weekend and the season has officially changed.

Perhaps as a reflection of these changes around me I too have decided it’s time for a ‘rebirth’. 

Last Friday I officially handed in my one month notice of resignation – that’s right - I took the plunge!

I decided that I have done my year with this company, and while I’ve had some amazing opportunities and learnt SO much, it was time to move on.

For the past week everything has been business as usual, but as April approaches my insides have started to get occasional ‘anxiety butterflies’ and I’m beginning to get both so excited and so terrified.

I decided – I’m moving to New York City! I haven’t figured any thing out just yet, there’s no big plan or system that I’m sticking to. All I know is: I’ll find an apartment in Brooklyn and as of May I’ll be there.

I’m feeling so optimistic about the future, and as a continuation of my 2017 vibes:

"It's never too late to be whoever you want to be. I hope you live a life you're proud of, and if you find you're not, I hope you have the strength to start over"

http://islandgyaldiaries.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/new-year-movements.html

SPRING WILL BRING:

London cherry blossom

Long days of sunshine

The sun is shining when I wake up for work, and its still shining when I leave the office. This is big news guys. The sadness that is spending your life in darkness is almost over! I feel like a Game of Thrones character – the Long Night is ending!

Spring wardrobe – skirts, dresses, sunglasses!

Ask any Caribbean girl and she will tell you how much she hates wearing clothes all these layers of sweaters, scarves, thermals blah blah blah. 

Spring time in London is a very "in between" season. Leather jackets/trench coats/light outerwear, tights and umbrellas are still essentials. 

CHECK OUT MY WISHLIST PAGE FOR SOME INSPIRATION

Easter treats – Chocolate, Spice bun, carnival

You know you're Jamaican when this pic makes your mouth water - searching google for a photo of bun and cheese makes you realise that bun is not photogenic 

Disclaimer* That Carnival body and chocolate/Easter bun + cheese definitely do NOT go hand in hand.

P.S

Guys, my carnival blog post is ‘bout to be lit. Stay tuned!

Tasmin

x o x o 

EAST LONDON EXPEDITION- ETHOS

This post was written by my friend, Dr. Viva. She's a recently qualified medical doctor and a fellow Jamaican girl in London. 

We normally do fitness adventures together, but honestly on this occasion I was just way too hung over to even leave my house!

She very kindly did a quick review of Ethos Gym in East London. 

Enjoy!

So decided to try a new gym this weekend, ventured east for a change. 

Ethos is a very impressive gym overall, and an interesting concept. They have yoga, TRX, spinning and barre based classes- all with a bit of a twist ("Warrior", "Detox" etc). They also offer nutritional services, general "wellness" services, and a cafe with food and smoothies. They have pay as you go class option (£20 a class), or you can buy a block of classes, or a monthly pass for £120 for 8 classes OR you can go in it through class pass - so quite a few options

The location is great- right in Spitalfields Market which is 5 minutes from Liverpool Street Station. The set up is quite "open" and relaxed, lots of glass and open windows makes it seem bigger than it is 

In terms of the class- I did a ballet barre blast class. I was expecting a chilled but challenging barre class but was pleasantly surprised (I say this in retrospect, at the time I was nursing a hangover and on 3 hours sleep). The class was hard AF. It was classical ballet music, and all ballet technique, but at a faster pace in a warm (hot) room. There was more cardio (think jumping and high speed leg lifts), with resistance bands for added boost. I loved it. I'm a past dancer and it was taught by an excellent and clearly very experienced instructor who I really admired. (She even sent us music and choreography after the class). I sweat more than in a spinning class (alcohol allllll gone) and felt sore but energised and well stretched. 

Overall-  very different and cool gym, with variety of classes (my next one to try will be a TRX personally). 

Peace out east London, for now... 

photos above from google.com/images

LA MAISON HERMES & PUIFORCAT

We travelled to Paris on a 5am train to the hidden silver workshop of Hermes and Puiforcat. The manufacturers had  invited us to see how the silverware is created, and the meet the artisans who craft these beautiful objects. 

Once one understands the time and craftsmanship that goes into making luxury goods (from handbags, cars and watches etc.) one understands why it must cost so much. It takes around 10 years to train to be a silversmith, and the love of their craft translates into the pieces.

We were given our tour by Hermes' top Silversmith - a friendly and passionate Frenchman that didn't speak any English, called Arnold. 

We were greeted by tea, coffee and fruits in a workshop. The walls were covered in tools and equipment that have been specially made by the silversmiths for the Puiforcat silverware. They have been using tools like these for hundreds of years with little changes. 

These silversmiths make all the tools and products by hand. They curve the silver by beating it with hammers, using heat, fire, polishers and acid until it is smooth and mirror-perfect. They engrave the metals using microscopes and free hand drawing. It’s a time consuming but magical process. 

We were lucky with the timing of our visit. The artisans had just completed the silver coffee and tea service in the photos below. This design was first created for Emperor Joseph I the King of Germany - only 10 have been made since its first production in 1759.

This set took a year and half to complete and retails for approximately 500,000 Euros!

The latest collection - Puiforcat Orfevre-Sommelier, is a collection of wine glasses and decanters that were designed by Puiforcat, London based designer Michael Anasassiades and 'World's Best Sommelier 2004' Enrico Bernardo.

We visited Enrico Bernardo's Michelin star Parisian restaurant, IL VINO for a meal paired with wines selected by the sommelier using the new collection.

Scallops 

Truffle something or other

Lobster 

Citrus sorbet

Then full of food we travelled back to London on the 4 pm train, un merveilleux mercredi!