The Seven Deadly Sins Remixed

Sometimes I ask myself why I just don't write about boring stuff like photosynthesis?  That way I wouldn't have to think so hard.  But alas, I obviously enjoy a little self-inflicted torture for your enjoyment, so let's see what I can spit out here. *taking a deep breath*

So those of you that engage in a little online chatter (OK, I admit, I'm only referencing Twitter.  I don't really care about those other sites), there is a culture or code of behaviour of quite readily revealing and even celebrating your vice of choice publicly. For some it's that peculiar green leafy substance that has it's own day of celebration (4/20) *cough* *cough* *wheeze* *choke*, for others it's a less festive but albeit similar in practice "The Cigarette", and for others (could quite possibly be referring to myself) it's a liquid variety that is usually best served on the rocks.  God Bless Henney.  But, what about the more serious vices that people indulge in?  Yes, we're talking about the Cardinal Vices, the most objectionable of vices, The Seven Deadly Sins.

GREED:

Also known as "avarice" is basically a sin of excess.  Wanting it all, or moreover wanting what's not yours.  To put this into perspective, I was thinking about monopolies this morning.  In the context of people or maybe companies that want to have such a tight grip on the market that others may not have a chance of penetrating the (open) market because a person or company is exploiting his/her control over the consumers and/or service providers. Here's an example: Could you imagine if there was only one chain of burger joints in the whole world?  You may certainly enjoy their burgers but with no point of reference because you have never tasted another burger.  So when one day another burger joint finally opens, the public in their desperation for alternatives to the mainstay burger joint (who sells good burgers by the way), go flooding to the new burger joint.  It's like a breath of fresh air.  Eventually it will normalize, and both burger joints can enjoy a healthy return due to the elimination of the monopoly, BUT the veteran won't wait.  They are a GREEDY bunch.  So, they threaten to put the cattle farmers out of business if they sell beef to the other burger joint!  Are you kidding me?  What the hell do the cattle farmers have to do with it?  They just want to sell beef, they don't care to whom. 

If you have ever wanted something all to yourself, and were not willing to share, and went to great lengths to make sure no one would ever eat beef unless you served it.....then you are a GUILTY AS CHARGED of the 1st Deadly Sin.

SLOTH:

Also in connection with "acedia" which is to neglect to do what one ought to do.  Where "sloth" describes more of an unreasonable laziness or apathy.  God gives us all talents in order that we have a set of built in skills by which to make a living at so we can take care ourselves or our families.  Example: There are many people out there who allow adversity or bad luck to stifle their progression, and do not find the courage within themselves to persevere.  So they rely on the encouragement (read as: faciliation) of others to make things happen.  In "Who Do You Ride" I spoke a little about bandwagoners who were happy to ride along the coat tails of the person who dared to use their talent to the fullest.  This sin is more about the absence of action rather than an act itself. "Sloths" usually have no type of noteriety as they are still thinking about what they want to do, instead of doing it.  

Let's put it like this, if you are pushing 40, and have never had a career/don't have a post-secondary education/don't have a family to take care of/and have nothing to show for the last 40 years, you are probably GUILTY AS CHARGED of the 2nd Deadly Sin.

ENVY:

Similar to greed, but greed is more material or financially driven, envy is more broad.  It simply means wanting something that someone else has, to the extent of wishing they it were taken away and given to you.  I speak on this a lot in my writing, because sadly, it is one of the ugliest of the Deadly Sins.  Why want what someone else has?  What they have might not be good for you once you have it. Yeah sure, your neighbour's new sports car looks amazing in the driveway, but the maintenance fees and insurance premiums are probably not as sexy.  The worst thing to do is ever begrudge people what they have out of envy.  Guaranteed, "karma" will kick in and then you'll never have the object of your sick and twisted desires.  In The Divine Comedy, Part 2 known as Dante's Purgatory, is where the punishment of having one's eyes sewn shut with wire for sinfully enjoying the fall of others is introduced.  

So to simplify: Doh look in anyone else's backayard.  Take care of your own garden!  If you have hated on somebody because you don't like what they got, you are GUILTY AS CHARGED for the 3rd Deadly Sin.

PRIDE:

This is considered the "original sin".  When Lucifer started to challenge God because he thought he was all ah dat.....he lost his place in heaven and eventually became Satan.  So what's wrong with a little pride?  NOTHING.  Self-love is important.  You need to be able to motivate yourself and find strength within yourself, as relying on others could lead to disappointment. BUT tooting your horn without tooting the horns of others (especially if they deserve it) is a huge sin.  It could be as simple as not re-tweeting a very funny tweet to share it with your followers, to as blatant as not congratulating someone when they win an award.  Do you know why testimonials are used in advertising?  Because it is far more believable when somebody else gives you props then when you give them to yourself.  I like Tide detergent NOT because Tide said they were the greatest, but because of the millions of Tide users who shared their stories of memorable stain removal. *laughing at myself for the analogy*. 

If you have ever only spoken highly of yourself, and have not given credit to, endorsed, or co-signed somebody else that deserved it, you are GUILTY AS CHARGED of the 4th Deadly Sin.

GLUTTONY:

This is over-indulgence so severe it leads to wastefulness.  Originally meant to describe food, but now can easily refer to anything.  The theme of gluttony is so perfectly depicted in my all-time favourite movie Scarface, where Pacino's love of the "American Dream" was so great that once he achieved it, he was careless and wasteful at the height of his ascent.  Less glamourous however is when you've gone to Mandarin (or insert name of favourite buffet style restaurant here) and you know you are full after Plate 3, but shoot, you want to get your $21.99 worth so badly that you force yourself to have just a few more morcels of that slow roasted prime rib and squeeze desert in as well.  Good in theory, but when you've heaped your plate one last time and can only eat a mere mouthful, AND the button pops off your pants before you've reached home anyway, let's just say you are GUILTY AS CHARGED of the 5th Deadly Sin.

LUST:

This is best described as excessive sexual desires.  I'm not going to dissect this one too deeply as it is fairly self explanatory.  If you've watched porn, you are GUILTY AS CHARGED of the 6th Deadly Sin.  (Who's coming to hell with me?)

WRATH:

This is best described as excessive anger or rage.  Remember that time your flight was late, and thus you missed your connection and you screamed at the woman at the ticket desk....uh, yeah...that's wrath.  How about that time you were stuck in bumper to fender *cue Machel song* traffic and flipped the bird at someone who honestly had no more control of the circumstances than you did.  Wrath can rear it's ugly head in the form of impatience or revenge, usually fueled by an unreasonable desire to be "right".  When I was 17, my dad used to let me drive his truck to school which wasn't even super far from the house. One day, an officer came knocking on the door trying to connect me to a joyriding incident near the school that resulted in a tree in someone's lawn getting uprooted.  My parents didn't even give me the benefit of the doubt, and I was the victim of their rage *sigh* without any opportunity to speak on my own behalf. 3 weeks later when the police came back to inform us that another vehicle had been linked to the incident due to witness testimony, they NEVER apologized to me for their *ahem* wrath.  Being justified for "punishing" me was more important to them than my absolution. 

If you have ever flown off the handle when you probably shouldn't have, you are GUILTY AS CHARGED of the 7th Deadly Sin.

Final Thought:

Looks like we're all going to hell, so on that note, can I just revert back to my vice of choice and bring a case of Henney? 

A Lesson in Breathing

Inhale. *hold, hold, hold* Now exhale.  Repeat 5 times.  Feels good ent?  

(And NO, I am not talking about a cannibus related behavior that North America celebrated yesterday on 4/20).

I'm talking about "living".  Taking in what life has to offer.  No matter what curve balls life throws at you, it's important that you don't forget how to breathe?  How many of us have been waiting to exhale?

One of the best feelings after a traumatizing experience (i.e. break-up, job loss, death, um....heel broken on your favourite pair of stilettos) is the freedom from burden you experience.........once you're willing to let it go.  People hold onto their pain because it comforts them.  It is personal, and no one (if you don't let them) can take it away from you.  Unlike that treasured relationship that some triflin' floozy decided to macco, or when your beloved uncle was taken away from you suddenly in a freak car accident, you CAN hold onto your pain and never let it go.  And I think that's why so many people bask in their sadness. It's just easier then re-learning how to be happy again.

I was tweeting the other day when my mom returned from a 2 week Caribbean Cruise and watching the joy in my children's eyes at the gifts she bought them, that I'd wished I'd known my family better.  Most of them are deceased.  My uncle (who died of a freak car accident - yes, I do sometimes write my own story.....*sigh*), my 2 grandmothers, my grandfather AND my great-grandmother died one right after the other over 5 years in the early 2000's.  I'm not sure how a family moves past that much tragedy.  And  I won't lie, I'm not sure if ours ever did. 

From having nothing at all, to having everything you ever dreamed of, life is full of ups and downs and everything in between.  It is sometimes tiring, and moreover, sometimes life can start to pass you by while your so busy trying to build it.  Then, out of nowhere, amidst the crazy rat-race, something (or someone) comes along and breathes life into you again.  Maybe it's learning a new skill, joining a new club, getting a new job, or meeting somebody really special, but whatever it is, comes at just the right time. 

We are so unreasonable with our fears.  We often (especially women) brow-beat ourselves with the voice in our head after a break-up that says "I'll never be this happy again.  No one will ever love me this much again in my entire life".  Don't you know that when someone leaves your life, it's simply to make room for someone even BETTER to come along.  This is hard to conceive in theory, but trust me, when it happens, you'll know. 

I breathed so deeply yesterday, that I almost choked.  (again, please no references to yesterday being National Weed Day).  The air was so clean, my mind so purged, and my spirit so lifted (do NOT say a word, lol), that I'm no longer waiting for anything.  I exhaled. 

Final Thoughts:

Of all the vices that are available to us, I found my drug of choice.  Looking out the expanse of unchartered territory (in this case it was Lake Ontario) and taking a long pull (of fresh,clean air). 

Follow Me : The Twitter Jam

Follow Me: The Twitter Jam Promo 2010 (Pt.2) from VEM TV on Vimeo.

In 2006, social media was revolutionized by an SMS based application known as Twitter. Absent were the boundaries that other social media platforms imposed whereby you could only be connected via mutual consent. Unless you are one of those control freaks that has a protected account, you can follow (or unfollow) any user as you please and interact with them without permission or restraint.

This 140 character micro-blogging can be likened to internet based “texting” or simply the largest chat room known to man. It has in many ways complimented or replaced other methods of communication, even so far as facilitating virtual relationships like never before.

From sharing of opinions, to sharing condolences, Twitter has become a newsfeed, a bulletin board, a water cooler, a therapist, and in many cases, an extension of ourselves (yes, thousands of us tweet before even brushing our teeth in the morning). The phenomenon of this social networking site is that it effectively unites people of similar interests, similar backgrounds and similar demographic while submersing us in a pool of users with different interests, different backgrounds and different demographics. The result is that we experience both the enormity of the world, while still being reminded how small it is.

On Friday May 28th, Diaspora Life (@diasporalife) proudly presents “Follow Me : The Twitter Jam” to be held at Toronto’s latest “it” spot The Vola Lounge located at 214 Adelaide Street West. Music will be provided by some of Toronto’s hippest and hypest including: Vertex Sound - DJ SPOONZ - DJ 2Nyce - DJ Creepa and Platinum Touch. The evening will be hosted by Kamakacci Juice (@Kamakacci_Juice) and Gellaine So Special (@GSPCL), and is sponsored by Spectacle Spotlight, Darling Nicky (@darlingnicky999), AtWuk Ent. (@MrAtWuk) and Dexter Seusahai's Tribal Knights (@tribalknights).

The purpose of this evening is to, much like Twitter, unite people of their own free will who share the similarity of the love of great music, great company, and a night out on the town, yet who may have otherwise NOT had a chance to do it together under one roof. This is your chance to meet your Twitter Heroes, Twitter Buddies, and Twitter Crushes live and in-person.

Please get your best duds ready to wear, and be sure to have your favourite Twitter app installed on your phone......there’s gonna be some tweetin’ going on for sure!

See you all on Friday May 28th....but until then, we wish you peace, love , and Twitter!

DRU HILL : The Dragon has Returned

On Friday April 16^th, 2010 Ian Andre Espinet, with his devout commitment to bringing true music lovers together under one roof to share not just a musical performance, but a musical “experience”, welcomed the city of Toronto into his home (well, not really his “home” but HOME nightclub located at 117 Peter Street in downtown Toronto) to partake in a momentous occasion....The Return of the Dragon.   

R’n’B lovers of all ages remember Dru Hill, the four man singing group from Baltimore, Maryland for hit songs like: “How Deep Is Your Love”, “Tell Me” and “In My Bed”.  Fronted by the charismatic Mark "Sisqó" Andrews, this group had a female fan base so large, that many a dude contemplated dying their hair bleach blonde just to get their girl to pay them some attention.  The original line up of Tamir "Nokio" Ruffin, Larry "Jazz" Anthony and James "Woody" Green, has gone through some changes, whereby Rufus "Scola" Waller joined the group in 2002 and left in 2008 as did “Woody”.  Today’s current 4^th member is Antwuan "Tao" Simpson whom they found in a locally based talent contest held in Baltimore, and based on his vocal skills from last night, the best man won.

If you’ve never been to a Soul Kitchen : Live Session before, what makes this event unique is that it is neither concert, nor dance club.  It’s both.  So, holding it down on the 1’s and 2’s (pardon the old school terminology, I do know it’s actually Serato), was Jester of the X-Caliber Entourage with The Voice of the Vibe – Kid Kut hyping the crowd through an exploration of R’n’B that took everyone to a fond memory of their youth. 

Highlights:

• ·         A good 15 years after the height of their musical popularity, Dru Hill still has “it”. Their voices were on point, and Sisqó can still bust moves that cause a little stirring of the loins.

• ·         The set-up of Home Theatre and Nightclub allowed for a very intimate performance where if you were the brave soul that decided to toss what looked like panties onto the stage, you didn’t necessarily have to have good aim.

• ·         If you are familiar with Ian Andre Espinet events, he is widely known for quick moving line-ups, reasonable event prices, and overall good organization.  Last night was no different. 

Lowlights:

• ·         In a set of unfortunate circumstances, Jazz missed his flight, and was absent from the evening’s performance.  While we instinctively think of Dru Hill as being 4 members, the show went on, and it would have been more problematic if Sisqó had missed his flight.

• ·         As this was potentially the last opportunity for many die-hard fans to see Dru Hill in person (as many of the ladies who were swooning last night may have been too young to have seen Dru Hill live in concert in the 90’s), it would have been nice to have had photo opportunities and/or autograph signings to quell those school day crushes.

Darling Nicky’s Final Thoughts:

As you get older, you may have some regrets that you never got a chance to see some of your favourite artists perform live, and then the moment is lost in time.  However, I have learned over the years that so long as the city of Toronto has Ian Andre Espinet to produce events, then NO musical moment is lost forever.  Short of bringing 2Pac and Biggie back from the dead.....anything is possible.  Respect The Name.  

Written by Nicky Phillips a.k.a. Darling Nicky of www.darlingnicky999.com

 

Could Your Lips Be Any Looser?

“The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.” - Oscar Wilde

“Gossip is the opiate of the oppressed” - Erica Jong

“Gossip is sometimes referred to as halitosis of the mind.” - Unknown

“Who gossips with you will gossip of you” - Irish Proverb

He said, she said, you said, we said.  (Sounds a little like the opening line of a Dr. Seuss book).  Gossip has got to be man`s oldest vice.  Older than smoking, drinking, and prostitution. (Ok, maybe not the latter).  But this behaviour of discussing other people's business whether factual or not, whether the subject is present or not, and with no regard of who the audience is, is as infectious a disease as oral herpes.  

"Gossip" essentially is the practice of sharing something you like, about someone you don't.  And EVERYONE reading this has either been a "gossiper" or a "gossipee".  (Actually, you cannot be one or the other, because one who gossips TO you, will also gossip ABOUT you).  Gossip is not necessarily a completely bad thing.  Without it, celebrity fame tanks would run on empty.  I mean would Kate Gosselin have scored a spot on Dancing With The Stars if the public hadn't gossiped about her, and proven her to be relevant in today's popular culture?  The juiciest gossip is of course the "who slept with whom" gossip.  Juicy only because unless you have photographic proof of two bodies intertwined in naked contortion; a conversation, a passing of business cards, even a shared meal does not a sex scandal make. So often times the instigators of such rubbish wind up with oozing, dripping, egg on their face when their story is proven a fake.  

Gossiping is also highly (and unfairly) associated with women.  But trust me, di man dem can chat!  Whether it`s to bring someone else down out of jealousy, or to give themselves a self-proclaimed forward, dudes don`t hold back either.  I must say, there's nothing more sexy than listening to a man break down the shortcomings of their friend over coffee and dessert (read as: biggest eye stab ever).  

I've always wondered why certain aspects of a person's life are gossip-worthy, while others are widely understood as "off-limits"?  So it's ok to discuss a person's sexual practices, but NOT ok to discuss that the same person is also dying of cancer? Is it because when one chooses to gossip, it's really less about sharing factual information about the subject, and more about using it as a popularity tactic? 'Cuz heaven forbid you should ever be caught telling the TRUTH!  That just wouldn't be exciting enough. 

Gossip as I said earlier, is not always a BAD thing.  Slander and libel are.  The country has spent the better part of 5 months gossiping about Tiger Woods (and while his sexcapades may have been heinously in violation of his marriage vows) a lot of what was said and discussed after the fact had little to do with golf or his marriage.  That said, his return to golf at this month's Masters became one of the most highly anticipated returns of our time, because the chatter kept him relevant even though he hadn't swung a golf club in over 20 weeks.  Conversely, a headline worthy claim that 50 Cent is Gay (which by the way garners 1,390,000 Google hits when I search it) is hardly even worth mentioning on Twitter.  

Final thought:

If yuh like to chat so much, why don`t you chat about this:

• Obesity in children is on the rise. 
• We shall in Canada soon be paying taxes on things like food groceries.
• The world`s tectonic plates are very active, and we are seeing this in the increased number of earthquakes.
• Soca is the happiest music on Earth (shameless plug for the cause).
• Ask yourself when was the last time you said something nice about someone, and meant it.

Besides, no one really likes a person with loose lips.  (on ANY part of their anatomy......lol).

The PAIGE Invasion: Ms Paige on "And The Beat Goes On"

As many of you tuned in on April 9th at 8pm to "And The Beat Goes On" live on ThatChannel.com with Nikki Clarke, your homegrown (and by that I mean Toronto) soca songstress sat down with Nikki and chatted about her current endevours, and gave a wonderful performance of her 2009 hit "Man Fi Borrow".

Watch the show here! (Ms Paige was the second guest interviewed)

Grass is Brown on the Other Side

 

“The grass may be greener on the other side of the fence but you still have to mow it.” - Unknown

 

In a generation plagued by "instant gratification" and "envy", the concept that no matter how good you have it; someone always has it better is one of the most vile eroders of human integrity.  This almost uncontrollable interest in  what "other" people have either in their possession, have achieved, or are experiencing can be the catalyst for a downward, spiraling, plummet to jealousy.  What prevents us from just being satisfied with our own journey?

 

Light Green

Your friend, whom incidentally happens to work in the same field as you, lives in the same neighbourhood as you, and is roughly the same age as you, somehow always seems to have a better car than you, takes more Caribbean vacations than you, and has a more active social life than you.  The more he/she tells you about what latest trek they made to this or that sunny destination or that they have (once again) traded up their perfectly good set of wheels for the latest model Infiniti, you can't help but develop a growing sense of resentment as you reflect on your last vacation (a family trip to Minnesota.......5 years ago) or stare out the window at your Dodge Caravan (read as: the official vehicle of Soccer Moms of North America).  While outwardly, your friend may appear to be living the good life, take note that he/she has NO spouse, NO children, and NO pets.  So, how unreasonable is it that their money can stretch in places that yours cannot?  

Moral: 

What others have in financial riches, YOU have in familial riches.  Companionship and children are priceless gifts.  YOU win.

Medium Green

 

Unless you're a pompous ass, most of us have some kind of body image issues (men and women alike).  Height challenges, weight challenges, stringy hair challenges, and so on.  Even when we look "aight", we can't help but take notice of those around us that just seem to pull it off better than we do.  How come the dress on that giant billboard at Yonge and Dundas doesn't look the same on me as it does on that model (no.....seriously, I have that dress and I am still steupsing!)  Even with dieting, nipping, tucking, sucking (in), nothing seems to make you feel as proud of what yo' momma gave you, as "pretty face" over there.  Truth is though, some of those people that you admire for their beauty, have missed out on so many of the basic pleasures of life trying to maintain that artificially fabricated "look" of appeal, that they've sacrificed ever experiencing that near orgasmic feeling when a perfectly cooked morcel of steak (YES, I said red meat mutha fcuka!) touches your taste buds.  

 

Moral: 

You only get to live once.  Eat beef, drink wine, be merry.  And screw a Size 2.  Strut your stuff, and trust that dudes like their women like their bikes......with handles.

 

Dark Green

 

The object of your desire is unfortunately "off the market".  Afterall, everyone that wears a ring must be blissfully happy, right?  D'oh kill me!     

In "The Geometry of Love" I spoke on the concept that at best you will only ever have a partner that fulfills 80% of your needs, as introduced by Tyler Perry.  But don't forget, we live in a world of immediate gratification and moreover, sometimes those that meet 80% of your needs choose not to.  Often times, what appears as wedded bliss on the outside is estrangement on the inside.  If you are someone that thrives off mental stimulation, and your partner peaks at Call of Duty 4, there might be an issue there.  Or if you are someone that appreciates live theatre, and your partner prefers Blockbuster, *sigh*, well, you get the idea. What a person experiences with one person, could be very different when experienced with you.

 

Moral:

Don't envy what is not yours.  If it's meant to be, it will be.  

Final Thoughts:

I have a perfectly "imperfect" life.  I'm too busy watering my yard to worry about what anybody else has in theirs.  Besides, go ahead a flip a tuft of sod over. Don't you know that grass is always brown on the other side?

 

 

REVIEW: Tribal Knights 2010 Band Launch "Hollywood: Glitz and Glamour"

TRIBAL KNIGHTS 2010 BAND LAUNCH

“Hollywood: Glitz and Glamour”

The 2010 Scotiabank Caribana Festival season officially kicked off with the first band launching of the year on Saturday, April 10th, 2010 with Dexter Seusahai’s Tribal Knights.  Held at the beautiful Grand Luxe at 3125 Bayview Avenue, 1200+ supporters and potential mas players congregated to witness the revelation of “Hollywood: Glitz and Glamour”.  

To get the crowd in the spirit of the night, an all-star line up of DJ’s including Stylus Soca DJ of the Year nominees Marxman and Soca Sweetness who rattled the floor like an earthquake with their mega-hit sets, DJ Jason Chambers (of the Attitude Sound Crew and Flow 93.5) laid down a sweet reggae set, alongside Goldfinger and Loudmout Chiney who were all there to get us ready for the feature presentation.

Having been backstage earlier to check up on the models prior to showtime, and being engulfed in a sea of feathers, beads, jewels, glitter, sequins and fishnets,  when E-Man (Kingdom of Soca, Afropan) stepped out to MC the evening, even my anticipation had peaked as I wanted to see Hollywood come to life on the runway.  In a stunning tribute to all the “glitz and glamour” that we associate with the movie capital of the world, Marilyn Monroe led off the 9 sections that were revealed as the crowd cheered for their favourites.

1.    Paparazzi – Black, Section Leader: Shelly
2.    Glitz – White and Silver, Section Leader: Gail
3.    Arabian Nights – Blue and Gold, Section Leader: Noel
4.    Rodeo Dreams – Pink and Yellow, Section Leader: Dexter
5.    Indulgence – Blue and Brown, Section Leader: Shawn
6.    Showtime – Orange and Green, Section Leader:  Ann-Marie
7.    Glamour – Blue and Purple, Section Leader: Astra and Natalie
8.    Champagne on Ice – Gold, Green and Yellow, Section Leader: Dexter
9.    Moulin Rouge – Red, Section Leader: Candice

So let’s take a look at the night on a whole.

Highlights:

•    Going first has its advantages.  As this was the lead-off to what will be a  series of upcoming band launches for the 2010 season, there is a certain added impact that comes from being the first to launch.
•    The Grand Luxe is a spacious and attractive venue that allowed the event to both serve as a true fete and fashion show.
•    The models were as gorgeous as the costumes.  EVERY single one of them had perfect ass(ets).
•    Every section strongly supported the theme of “Hollywood”.  The costumes spoke for themselves.

Lowlights:

•    The evening got started a little later than advertised, and there were a few patrons unable to wait until the end that missed seeing the runway action.
•    Security had to intervene when a few patrons failed to respect that the “official” event photographers require the right of way in order to get the best photos of the models for publication.
•    The only visual entertainment while we waited for the show to begin, were a few stray “winah boys” who crashed the stage.  (Actually, it was very funny!)

Darling Nicky’s Final Thoughts:

Although the rest of the bands have yet to launch, it is clear that Dexter Seusahai’s Tribal Knights has set the bar high for the 2010 season.  The teamwork, dedication and creativity were evident as an evening that has been many months in the making was shared with a crowd of dedicated supporters .  Perhaps the only thing that could have topped the evening off any better, would have been if Jay W and Blaze had come out on the runway themselves and “palanced” us all the way home!

Written by Nicky Phillips a.k.a. Darling Nicky exclusively for www.tribalknights.com and  www.darlingnicky999.com

Darling Nicky does the Tribal Knights 2010 Band Launch

Darling Nicky presents Tribal Knights Band Launch 2010 "Hollywood: Glitz and Glamour"

As the Caribana season unleashes, Dexter Seusahai's Tribal Knights Band Launch of Hollywood: Glitz and Glamour was the FIRST to reveal their 9 sections on April 10, 2010.  Lots of people came out to support and witness the magic of Hollywood and I tip my hat to all the gorgeous models who participated in the show.

Be sure to check out my event review coming Monday April 12th, 2010 on www.tribalknights.com and www.darlingnicky999.com 

FIREFETE: A Palancification on Easter Saturday

2010 Trinidad Carnival Road March and Soca Monarch Champions Jay W and Blaze palanced down di place at Sound Academy on April 3rd at Firefete - The Fireworks Edition. Be sure to follow them (and me) on di road this year at the Scotiabank Caribana Festival with TRIBAL KNIGHTS!
 

The DJ Chief Birthday Celebration

I don't normally use my site to promote parties (unless they're my own), but in this case I had to make a huge exception.  

My good friend DJ Chief (a few months ago and shared with the world that he could handcuff me to the dancefloor anytime he wants) is celebrating his birthday (along with a few others) on FRIDAY, APRIL 23rd.  He has a great line-up of DJ's joining him including Lindo P (my yaad King), Jester (It's Not a Joke), D'Bandit and DJ Whitegold.  The hilariously talented Jay Martin is hosting, and my big "kid" (lol) Kid Kut will rip the mic alongside Muzz. 

It's happening at The Hard Rock Cafe at Yonge and Dundas, and you can get $15 advance tickets by contacting djchiefmusic@gmail.com or jusblaize@gmail.com

It will be a great party!  Promise!

The Chief Rocker wants to give you a prequel to his birthday vibes with his latest mixtape: Party Patrol (click to download)

The Two-Faces of Love and Hate

 

“Those who hate most fervently must have once loved deeply; those who want to deny the world must have once embraced what they now set on fire.” - Kurt Tucholsk

“You cannot hate other people without hating your self” - Oprah Winfrey

“Hatred is the coward's revenge for being intimidated.” - George Bernard Shaw

If the country's census numbers were based on the number of faces people wore rather than the number of physical bodies that lived at a specific address, we would surely have a population explosion.   I remember in high school, how difficult it could be when your core group of friends was 3, because there would always be the friend you spoke with, and the one you spoke about.  Sadly, even as you get older, these tendencies to believe there is strength in numbers still exist.  Think about how cult leaders are able to grow their flock of followers.  The people they reel in are normal, sane, scrupulous individuals, but who with the right amount of pressure and emotional blackmail would believe the Earth was square if you convinced them hard enough.  

There was a girl at my junior high school that everyone fell over backwards to be friends with because she wore all the right clothes, had "good" hair, came from a wealthy family, listened to all the right music, and completely set the mold for what the "popular" girl would look like.  64 students in our grade put her on a pedestal and evaluated their own self-worth on whether this girl acknowledged their existence or not. When she had a slumber party, you were considered "elite" (although little did anyone realize her mom told her to limit the number to 8, and that your being invited had less to do with whom she rated as popular, but that she would deliberately invite a mix of people so that each could learn from one another).  People spent so much time trying to imitate and emulate this girl that I remember one day walking into gym class, and noticing that 12 out of 14 girls all had the exact same Tretorn running shoes and Cotton Ginny shorts on that the girl had worn the week before.  The funny thing, as I was not particularly a "follower" by nature, I was painfully aware that as much as this girl was the undisputable "it" girl, that all of her so-called followers begrudged her all the things they adored about her.  Her looks, her wealth, her intelligence, her life.  One "queen bee" in training even tried to sabotage her by starting vicious rumours to tarnish her reputation.  As the lone black girl in my entire grade, I rarely got caught up in what I called the "Valley Girl" shenanigans, but rest assured, the lesson about "never judging a book by it's cover" never rung more true than when I (in confidence) learned the truth about that girl.

Her family was indeed wealthy because her father, an intelligent real estate agent had made some very wise decisions in business (having been a European immigrant who started off penniless), and he worked 7 days a week, 20 hours a day.  So while they had wealth, she never saw her dad.  She was indeed beautiful, but in large part due to her mom being a former model, and pressuring her to live up to very high expectations.  She was indeed intelligent, but while peers assumed she was off skiing or "cottaging" every weekend, she was actually fast-tracking her way through school and ultimately graduated with honours a full 2 years ahead of her class.  So while she walked through that fine line of being loved and hated because of what people "perceived" about her, she was busy investing in herself, so that she did not have to depend on anyone else to take care of her (once the alcoholism killed her father, or the cancer took her mother's life). 

It's really amazing to me how many people pass judgement on others without really knowing what their journey is.  6 of those Tretorn wearing girls from 8th grade had abortions the very next year in what was their first year of high school.  Not unfair to say that it was an indicator of how little they focused on themselves, and how much they focused on the wrong things.  When we compare our lives to others, we put limitations on who we can actually be.  When we make assumptions about others, we look foolish when we have to admit we were wrong. And when we go to extremes to sabotage others, we spend the same amount of time emitting negative energy on a single person, as we could emitting positive energy uplifting a whole movement.  

Final Thought:

The Obama's were the people's "heroes" so long as they were "just in the running".  The moment that they were elected to the White House, the tabloids changed from "Yes, we Can" to "President cheats on First Lady" or "First Lady writes erotica to cope with President's neglect".  I mean honestly, even if those ridiculous claims were true, is it really anybody's business if Michelle wants to write some steamy novels?  Good for her, I'll be first in line at the book signing.

 

Darling Nicky does FIREFETE!

On Saturday April 3rd, 2010 I (along with some near 2500 others) found ourselves at Sound Academy for CVR Entertainment's Easter Saturday installment of Firefete - The Fireworks Edition. With performances by Skinny Fabulous, Patch, Ronnie McIntosh, Patch, Jay W and Blaze, Iwer George, KMC with Red, White and Black and the amazing Destra Garcia, Firefete set the place on FIRE!

Please check out my "official" event review on www.dancehallsoca.com