Happy Birthday Mr. Dennis Hall aka Sprangalang!

Happy Birthday Mr. Dennis Hall aka "Sprangalang"!

Mr. Sprangalang is one of the most colorful characters to surface on the cultural scene of Trinidad and Tobago. He is a very likable person and one who makes stinging commentaries on WACK radio 90.1 FM.


Sprang is loaded with talent and his comedic prowess is second to none. There are many comedians who possibly can make you "pee yuh pants" but there is something special about Sprang - I believe it is that he is so intelligent! In any case this is just an invitation to my friends to add comments about Mr. Sprangalang. Isn't it time we do something different? We can chat and laugh and carry on in Wack's Shout Box but what do we really know about our icons? Let us start something and let it begin with the lovable Sprangalang!

The next paragraph is a short biography that is available online on many sites but was borrowed from eCaroh. Recognition is given to the site here and one can go to the site to see the bios of other artistes whom I will feature for commentaries in future installments.

"DENNIS "SPRANGALANG" HALL first appeared on National Television Show "GAYELLE", as a character called "DRAXI" on an item called "Cultural Sprangalang", the name didn't stick. He wanted to be a teacher because he did not like what they were teaching children in school in Trinidad and Tobago. He did not become a schoolteacher, but he holds class on stage from observing trends and people. In his inimitable style, Sprangalang makes serious statements using humor.

Sprangalang is a comedian, historian, producer and recently, singer/composer. Popular and approachable, people recognize and call on him to perform in all settings. His work has a mostly Trinidadian character and lies in its extremely local nature. "By accident, or whatever, I recreate very near to the street" he says. That reality comes not just from acute perception, but from the ability to translate and communicate adroitly and humorously what he sees."
http://www.ecaroh.com/comedy_ent/comedy_biographies.htm.

Mr. Hall is now a part of the Ministry of Arts and Multiculturalism. This is one area that he can have a major impact because he has been and is still part of the music and arts sector of the society. He has contributed through various performances and has voiced his opinions regarding the direction culture should take in the country. We wish him well in this endeavor.

Happy Birthday Mr. Hall. LiveLong, LiveStrong and Prosper!

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"Canal Jockey"

Who said that you had to go to the Arima Race Track or to the Queens Park Savannah to ‘ride ah horse’ or simply to jockey 'yuh horse' to the finish line? Well if you had ah true Trini childhood you would have jockeyed your horse whipping and gesticulating that diamond shaped horse from some start point (usually where a stand pipe was located) or you would wait for the rain to fall and the ensuing drain off would create the ideal track to race 'yuh horse'. On a rainy day one had to be very careful not to lose your horse as the waters swirled down the drain.

Now we get to the horse - a work of childhood genius I tell you. First you had to know the right ‘wood’ to use but if you were smart enough you would have known that the wild hog plum bark was the best material to use to make your ‘horse’.  So after digging out a nice piece of bark you would need a good side walk to sand it down to the diamond shape.  Of course the smarter kids knew to bevel the edges just right.  A little smooth sandpaper to finish it off and you were almost ready to “head to the track”.

Aah, the final touch was the main trick to get a winning “horse”…. I know Trini, yuh saying it long time now and yes some hot candle to help it in the water. Now you were ready to race. The action was tight with everyone jockeying their horses and whipping the life out of our fingers and calling the race like Raffe Knowles.  Sometimes you would not only lose the race but also lose 'yuh horse' (after d'rain race) in the 'canal' and that meant you  were right back where you started – at the hog plum tree.
Photo taken from Cote Ci Cote La Dictionary.

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Alison Hinds - Thunda

Here she is fellow lovers of Alison Hinds - She is the original (the real) Bajan Princess! Alison can 'Roll It" with the best and can leave some of the better ones in the dust. She is an excellent entertainer - Enjoy!

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Radio Station Player

This is a DSA (Delinquent Shoutbox Announcement)
A  radio station player has been permanently placed at the bottom of the the webpage.  It is not meant to compete with WACK. I love WACK and respect what Kenny is doing. Please don't think otherwise. It is meant for those who wish to listen to other stations including radio stations from Trinidad. Just note that WACK also sells an internet radio player to listen to other stations. You can get a few other stations from Trinidad by typing "Trinidad" in the search area.

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Love/Hate Romance with Christmas!

For every child growing up in the islands Christmas is one of the best times of year. However, even though I looked forward to Christmas I also dreaded the work that I had to do before the big day arrived.

In the period that I grew up in Trinidad one usually received a "caps gun" and a few rolls of caps that led to some good “stick em up games”. Sometimes the gift would have been water guns and if you were really lucky you could expect to get some clothing – a pair of pants and one shirt (if you were lucky). Other than the toys one always looked forward to the food. Oh man, cassava pone, sweetbread, homemade bread, ginger beer (non alcoholic made from the ginger root), sorrel drink, Peardrax, Cydrax and some Carib shandy. Of course one of the chores that I did not mind doing was the boiling of the ham. That was my job to boil the “tar ham” outside in the yard in an ‘oil pan’ on rocks with firewood – that was fun!

The parts of the holiday that I absolutely hated were the chores and other assignments. I had to clean the yard and that meant weeding the grass and sweeping all the mango leaves that made life difficult. Next I had the job to paint the outside of the house. I remember climbing that shaky makeshift ladder with the paint pan and brush – gosh I hated painting. The next job that I had and absolutely hated was the sanding and polishing of the furniture – oh my God I hated doing that as much as having to sand the wood floors and applying the polyurethane varnish.

I loved the good things about Christmas, the shows on television and the festive feeling with the parang bands coming to the house (no one really knew an entire song in Spanish but we did not care). It was a time for caring and sharing and to emphasize that point even people whom you had disagreements with came over and had 'a drink'. It was wonderful to be a child and experience the good things about the Christmas holiday period. It would have been better if I did not have the chores to do – what were your experiences?

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The Great African Scandal

This Blog is about things related to Trinidad and Tobago with emphasis on personal experiences that we had growing up in the islands. However, I recently came across a documentary while on the TriniCenter Website that I believe should be seen by everyone. Please take some time from your schedule, sit back and absorb the material presented. We are all part of the same village - one global village- we should all be concerned.

The Great African Scandal - kewego
The Great African Scandal

Keywords: exploitation ghana great african scandal

Video from blacktubeur

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Buss Head For "Grou Grou Boeuf"!

The shell is hard and inside is slimy with a very unusual taste. Indeed we are speaking about Grou Grou Boeuf (pronounced Groo groo gehff) and is also fondly known as  Banga.  The fruit cannot be obtained by climbing unless you like to be pricked and have a tendency to enjoy pain. In any case this tree was located in the yard of the Breakfast shed close to the Arima Boy’s Government school.

Every lunch time we would head to the breakfast shed to play because in the compound there were swings, jungle bars and the merry go round. We never had cause to try the food there because we always carried lunch to school. There were times when the "Groo Groo Beff" tree would bear fruit. One day things changed from fun to tears.

I have two sisters and one brother. One sunny day my sisters came to our school during the lunch period (can’t remember why they came over now). We started playing and ended up at the Breakfast shed. Some kids were pelting stones at Groo Groo Beff tree. There was a bunch of fruit and they were yellow. These fruit were not easy to dislodge. We got in the action pelting (all kids would try to get the fruit). Well one of the stones rebounded after hitting the body of the tree and smacked my sister on her head – Buss Head!

My sister screamed so much when the blood came down her forehead everyone came running over to see. I remember Miss Agard (school teacher) coming to her attention and at the same time chastising everyone for pelting stones at the Groo Groo Beff. My sis was bandaged up and sent on her way – my mother was not happy at all – that is another story.

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"Birthday of the Father of the Nation"

"Williams, Eric (Eustace) (1911–81) West Indian statesman. In 1955 Williams founded the People's National Movement (PNM), which won a landslide victory in the national elections of 1961. In 1962 he led his country to independence, becoming the first Prime Minister (1961–81) of the colony and then of the republic of TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO. An “empirical” socialist, Williams attracted foreign capital through tax incentives and, by skilful use of foreign aid, made Trinidad and Tobago the wealthiest Commonwealth nation in the Caribbean. He faced increasing militant opposition to his government before his death in 1981."

http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-WilliamsEricEustace.html

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Party On The White Line

Jessie at large in Trinidad

This title may not be appropriate but it sure felt good saying it and surely on the day the event took place it was really a party on the white line. For those whom are not familiar with “D Rim” just know that I recently returned home after spending a few years in New York and now work in the Arouca area – and that is where this event took place.

Arouca, beautiful Arouca boi yuh don’t know what yuh missing until you get back to the source the place of your birth. I had so much apprehension because of the bad reports we kept reading in the news paper about the crime and resulting deaths that I feared retuning home. However for the Independence Day holiday several business men and some old friends and the government Minister, Neil Parsanal organized this street blockorama. We had twelve bands performing from Golden Grove Junction to Lopinot road – it was like carnival. We owned the road giving us the right to party on the white line. We had the Laventille and T&TEC riddum makers performing at the Moon Rock Restaurant where I now work. It was great!

The event started at 5:00 pm and went until midnight. The entire event was well organized and well attended. People returning from the airport were pleasantly surprised with the music and jam sessions taking place – gosh I wish you guys were here to feel the vibes, to enjoy the thrill of listening to pan jamming one after the other from one junction to the other. The event was crime free with the police doing an excellent job. Some of the officers were well known in the district but on this day if you called them you were ignored that is until they dropped in to the bar to sneak a beer or take a strong one. I ent complaining, because they walked their beat and kept the peace and the result was no crime was reported. Crime is all over the world but it seems like we have it the worst in Trinidad – that is if you read the newspapers that seem hell bent on making the country look bad.

I know that I am all over and the party got left behind but this really bothers me because there is crime all over the world. The thing is just about everyone coming into the bar has his own interpretation of the law – they confuse everything and in the end make us all look like idiots. Since I returned home I can tell you that I am pleasantly surprised with the improvements that I have seen. I have to tell you guys this … I eh see no recession here nah… money flowing just the same way after Prime Minister Manning say loosen the belt…LMAO. Well that is my small report hope it helps to put things in perspective. Until next time, this is Jessie aka D Rim at large in sweet T & T saying so long for now.

This Story was submitted by Jessie aka D Rim

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What was the name of that song?

Imagine you turned on your radio/computer to hear the latest Soca rhythms and you just managed to catch a piece of a ‘captivating’ track and right there you decide that you have to get it - but what is the name of the song? I guess you will have to wait a while before you get to hear the name of the track and the singer again because not all the DJ’s/on air personalities provide the information before and/or after the song is played - this is a very frustrating experience for listeners.

There are so many new songs being released and played by the stations but very little information about the singer and song. Your next bet is to check the station’s website for a playlist, top ten/top 20 lists or a list of the most requested songs. Again frustration and you are left wondering how long it will be before you hear it again. Well there are options available.

You can log on to http://www.trinijunglejuice.com/socamusic.html where you will find a list of the latest/most popular releases with the song and artist listed. Oh and by the way, you can listen to the entire song.

So until the administrators of these radio stations organize their websites to cater to the web surfers and artistes they will continue to experience missed opportunities to capitalize on the web rave. In the end it results in another opportunity lost - 'no web hits' mean no advertising dollars will follow.

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The Vigil

When I was a boy growing up in Trinidad, I remember every evening after reaching home that I would leave and head across to my grandparents’ home. I would go and say good evening to my grandmother who would always try and get me to eat some food. However, I would always refuse because I had a ritual that had to be kept.

I would walk to the front of the house and sit on the street curb (a regular hang out spot for everyone, that drain only had water when rain fell). I would keep my vigil with my eyes focused in the direction of the Eastern Main Road. Then like clockwork just around 5:00 pm in the evening my grandfather would come walking down the street. He worked with the Ministry of Works as a chain man in the survey division. In his hand was his lunch kit in which he always left some food for me.

Yes I could have eaten hot food at home or at my grandmother’s home but that was our ritual and now that he is gone I fondly remember my grandfather walking home after work – those were the good ole days.

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Streaming Radio..Do You Have A Favorite?

In your estimation, what is the best radio station streaming service from Trinidad and Tobago via the World Wide Web? Just keep in mind that there are more than thirty stations at home with just about 20 streaming service via the World Wide Web - there is much to choose from with every taste satisfied!

Of course every station caters to a difference audience and some have a mix that just may appeal to your highly sensitive listening preferences. Some may choose a station because of the amount of local content played; others may gravitate to a station because of the topics discussed as is the case with many of the talk radio services provided.
Again others may be drawn to a station because it plays the music of a subculture of our very cosmopolitan society. Whatever drives you to listen a station may make it your favorite but that does not mean that a certain station can be deemed the best or the most commercially successful in the Twin Island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago? How can we determine that is very speculative at best?
Just keep in mind that most of the stations streaming their service on the World Wide Web may only have a community license and may not be able to cover the entire Island with their signal. That means that some people may have heard of a particular station at home but may not be able to tune in to the frequency (Trinidad and Tobago). The internet gives these stations an equal base to start - and equal playing field where the advertising revenue has not been a factor to date. As a matter of fact most of the businesses and radio stations (at home) have not figured a way to capitalize on this aspect of programming to date. Some have provided Web sites that sell items but haven't really earned advertising dollars from the programming as it relates to the international community.
This question that is asked here is geared towards people listening to the stations via the World Wide Web. In this case people will listen to the station simply because of the format provided and maybe because they want to hold on to something relating to the homeland – music, news, talk, politics or simply to keep in step with that which is going on at home.
Some people listening via the web live in communities where there are not many Trinidadians to interact with during the course of the day and to come home and listen to a familiar voice or Trini English can be a very relaxing experience. Whatever your reasons are just leave a comment saying which station that you enjoy listening too – just the station and a short note why you love listening to the station.
Support your station – let’s see which is the most listened to station on the World Wide Web streaming service from Trinidad and Tobago.

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"Woman doh like Softman"

Is that true or is it that women prefer more direct aggressive men – a macho man, maybe? Well it is a fact that the modern day woman is very aggressive and knows what she wants. She may see someone and may be simply interested in a ‘booty call tonight’. Now we have the guy who simply wants to be cool and take the relationship ‘one day at a time’ in order to be a gentleman and be someone he thinks that the lady is interested in. This world has turned upside down I tell you. Long ago men were extremely aggressive and would attempt to get in the woman’s clothes as soon as possible – it was a matter of preserving one’s manhood and was a necessity that the booty prize was achieved ASAP.

Times have changed and now we have the advent of the “Softman” who can’t seem to press the right button to make things right. She wants me to be a gentleman or does she want a stud tonight? Can you tell the difference? Men are in trouble and it is very easy to get yourself in trouble by saying or doing the wrong thing – what should you do? Do you have the answer?

In Trinidad the term softman has a totally different meaning. It does not mean that you are not man enough to make the right moves at the right time it simply means that you are in a sexual drought and that your manhood is staring at the floor. Whatever, your perception of "softman" may be, it is a fact that men need to defend their honor and most of all their manhood. The dawn of this newly aggressive female has even made the pool of available women even smaller. As a matter of fact they are even more aggressive than their male counterpart while in the hunt.

Sofey, sofey or soft man as one would put it needs to reclaim his throne and be man enough to rise to the occasion. So as the societies change and women claim their place as co hunters in the dating game lest I can say is Man beware!

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Sawine Recipe

Eid Mubarak greetings are extended to the Muslim community from D'Lime Bacchanal box friends of whencockgetteet.com.  Now if you are feeling a little adventurous today  we hava a recipe for you to try. Now if you want to be a part of the celebration by sampling a traditional taste that is taking place in Trinidad today then follow the link and give the recipe a try.

The Simply Trini Cooking website has a recipe for Sawine at this address:

http://www.simplytrinicooking.com/2008/09/sawine.html

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Memories of Christmastime Past

I remember as a kid my father would come from work 'Christmas Eve' evening and started painting the living room with oil paint. My sisters would be sewing curtains, baking bread and cake. Ham would be boiling in a cooking oil pan (tin) on a wood fire between three stones in the backyard. We may be laying down new linoleum. A parang band of some of the neighborhood dads would be making the rounds serenading the neighbors taking a drink and eating ham. Kids would be bursting carbide throughout the neighborhood (we would spit on the carbide and seal the can then put a fire stick to it, then ‘POW’).
A steel band can be heard in the distance coming down the main road and we would drop everything we were doing and follow the sound of the iron and ‘du dup’ beating until we reached the band, take a chip until we reached our area and then return to our chores.
We would work through the night decorating the house with new curtains, balloons until Christmas morning and then enjoy a breakfast of ham freshly baked bread and hot cocoa. Children growing up in Trinidad all had clothes that got paint because the oil paint would still be somewhat wet to the touch overnight. The funny thing is that every time I smell oil paint I remember those few Christmas times particularly well.

Story submitted by: "California. Trini"

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A River Lime to Remember

As children we loved going to the forest to the river basin to splash around and just have fun. Gosh that was exciting when everyone decided to head to the basin – that meant cocorite too (one of my favorite Trini treats).

Now the thing about the basin that we head to was that if was around a bend with a very high bank that caused an echo for those beneath. This also meant that you could take the high route and look down at anyone bathing beneath without being seen. I guess you could imagine where this story was heading. Well one day a small group of about five of us (young boys) took the other route to get to the basin. It was a beautiful sunny day and the breeze had the trees swaying as if waving to us as we got closer to the basin.

As we approached we could hear sounds coming from beneath. Boys will be boys so we sneaked up to the edge and peered beneath. In the water below us were Mr. John and Miss Thelma (lord have mercy) her breasts were hanging free with Mr. John chasing her in the water. We were too damn excited and began to push to get a closer view. The pushing caused stuff to fall into the water. All I could remember was hearing Mr. John say: “All yuh modder arse”, we all ran off at full speed just like in Kitchener’s kaiso ‘Love in the Cemetery’ – we ran with ah zoom, zoom, zoom.

We all had scratches and busted feet (oh I forget to mention we did not wear sneakers to go into the bush those were for school). God bless Mr. John and Miss Thelma (both deceased now) but on that day they were like a rooster and hen in the yard playfully picking at the fruit of life.

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An Invitation To Participate

Hey guys I know that we all have fun participating in the Wack Shoutbox and now our very own Chat Box aka Shout Box. Our "Bacchanal Box" is unique because there is no police to chastise anyone for that which is said in the box. All that we ask is that let common sense prevail - in other words just be nice. Ok here is the deal I want you guys to begin participating in the blog.
Sandiego Lee aka SDL has already submitted a post and I also have a draft written by Jessie aka DRim. Please submit your stories and I will post them - we are witty people so let’s have some fun with this. If you choose to write a serious article then by all means do so. Ok so you don't like to write well you can submit a photo or photos which will be shown on the sidebar (left side) as the "Pic of the Day" or just beneath as a slide show with "Chill with the Clips" So join in and participate - it is our community blog. Send your articles or photos to onesapodilla@gmail.com.

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Gone, But Will Never Be Forgotten - RIP!

Happy Birthday Monty! 09/19

You left us too early - Gone but not forgotten - we love you 'So Much'

We know you are still "Wacking" with Us!

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Hot Ice!

The very best Palette used to come to the neighborhood in a box cart pushed by a vendor known as the Palette Man.

Now those palettes were the very best that a young child could get on a very hot day in the Island. The ringing bell was a signal that we needed to scrape every penny (and it was big and round eh – one penny equaled 2 cents eh) and it was races out to the road to catch the palette man before he passed by.

OMG, the peanut and coconut palettes were the very best ones and they were all wrapped in a white paper with that stick jutting out. These palettes were cylindrical in shape and was sweet and easy sucking oui – oh the joys of childhood.

Now every child in the area had one fun thing that they looked forward to after purchasing the palette. We begged for a piece of Hot ICE – what in heavens’ name is this? It is the ice that kept the palette solid – no refrigeration needed her e. By the way that was the standard back in the day eh. The Palette man also had fun with us… “Put out yuh hand…” What do you think happened next? If you were not quick enough, the ice would stick to your hand and give you a good burn… yes it did!

The hot ice was dropped in water and it was ‘smoke in the water’ until it fizzled away – the Good Ole Days Pardna!

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University of Calypso

The CD is available at Heads Up International
http://www.headsup.com/albums/3168.html
http://www.concordmusicgroup.com/albums/University-of-Calypso/

Get it ... It is a keeper!

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Love and Licks Doh Mix

On a serious note, if you are in an abusive relationship - GET OUT - dat is not love! Don't feel guilty and that you owe anybody anything - you are not responsible for your abuse - abuse is just wrong.  Life is too short to be beaten down into submission, love is giving and caring so if you know someone who is in an  abusive relationship reach out and help that person. We don't want to deal with "ah coulda, shoulda" because it just may be too late.

See the link below for "The Signs and Symptoms of Child Abuse"  many children may be experiencing - knowledge is power... watch,look,listen and report "dem bastards".

http://www.cyberparent.com/abuse/childabuse.htm

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Delicious 'Comess' in De Kitchen

When I was a very young Trini many moons ago my brother and sisters liked going into the kitchen and experimenting with the sweet stuff. As a matter of fact all the kids in the neighborhood used to experiment and come up with similar treats. One should take note that the following mixtures all started when we graduated in  t'iefin' milk and sugar (yummy).

Black Poof was one of my favorite treats. We used to take the cocoa powder and mix it up with either Frico or Klim (powdered Milk just in case yuh don’t know) and add some brown sugar and the result was heaven and coughing too eh (if yuh greedy and want to eat too much too quickly).

Black Ting was another that was somewhat messy but even better than Black Poof. We took Milo or Ovaltine and mixed it with condense milk and a little powdered milk for body and what a delicious mess that was … Yummy. Of course we were screamed at on more that one occasion for 'wasting' the Milo but in the end the craving and delight was even better that any "clout or coco tap" we received as punishment.

Hey what ‘comess’ did you create back in the day? Drop a comment or two or better yet put together a short paragraph and I will post it here for you. You can send the draft to trinizagada@gmail.com.

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The Day I Kicked Death in the Behind!

As a school boy I could not wait for the school break smack in the rainy season to come. From the time the rain started we would head to the streets and play football, race our bark boats in the canals and go raiding mangoes, plums or whatever fruits were in season.

I could remember one rainy day none of my friends came out to play so I took off by myself to go mango hunting about 1/2 mile from home. To get to the mango trees I had to jump over a ravine that by now was gushing with water. I jumped over the "raveen" but it was too wide and I fell in. The water started immediately to drag me down stream, by the grace of God I grabbed on to a little tree on the "raveen" bank and pulled myself out to safety.

Needless to say, mangoes were not a priority anymore, I headed home never sharing this experience with anyone until recently.

Story submitted by: "California. Trini"

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Parang 2009 is here!

Parang season is back and WACK901FM.com has all the shows covered and streamed for your listening enjoyment. Indeed you can enjoy parang "in the cold" and feel at home while away from home.

Lock on to Wackradio901fm.com to listen to your parang favorites streamed for your listening delight.

Here are some of  the categories that you will hear:
Anunciacion (coming of Christ),
Nacimiento (Birth of Christ),
Serenale (we arrive, time to party),
Despedia (oh gosh, time to leave already),
Joropo (similiar style to a Spanish waltz) ,
Manzanares (A Venezuelan waltz)
Soca-Parang (we had to put the kaiso twist to the ting).

The categories listed above were sourced from:

http://www.tntisland.com.parang.html/,

www.aingram.web.weslevan.edu/parangdescription.html

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"The Birdie" - Music Downloads

So you say you love the music of "The Birdie" but just can't seem to find the tracks that you loved to listen to 'back in the day' and would simply like to get a few special 'chunes'.  Well my friends here is a link to 645 tracks available for download.

By the way, the music downloads are not free but the cost per download is very reasonable and you can listen to the tracks before making a purchase. Every download will support the artist so jump on the link and look for the tracks you missed so much. If you find a link that you believe others would be interested in please drop a line or simply reply to this DSA (Delinquent Shoutbox Announcement) and I will post the link/message.

http://www.rhapsody.com/the-mighty-sparrow

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Cut Arse For Hog Mango

That is just wrong… nobody should get licks for mango – especially Hog Mango (the other Rose Mango). “That was ah cut arse boi”. Now these were different times and licks was a given for any kind of behavior that was deemed to be inappropriate. It should also be noted that if our neighbors caught us in nonsense they had the right to give us a 'tap" and it we complained then it was more licks at home (because we should know better).

Well as I reflect about that memorable day, It was early one Saturday morning that Cheezy and I decided that we were going to the Bacra Johnny (local whites) Sawmill to get some wood to build a Pigeon Coob (coup). Now Cheezy was my next door neighbor and childhood friend who always seem to get me in trouble - I never learned and feel in with his nonsense every time. We made our way past those pot hounds that continuously made a nuisance of themselves and ended up at the sawmill. I could hear the band saw singing as it ripped apart the logs to create sheets of wood to be sold at the hardware stores. We searched through the discarded pieces of lumber and came up with just the right pieces for our project.

We tied up the wood and were on our way home when the heavens opened and the rain poured to the earth. I remember saying to Cheezy: “I eh going through dat rain, If I get wet meh modder go cut meh arse.” So we decided to shelter from the rain in a yard that had a “Hog mango” tree that was ‘laden’ with ripe mangoes. Well we thought we were lucky because with the wind and rain mango started falling from the tree. Man we had ah time; We ate mangoes like they were 'going outa style oui'.

After the rain eased we headed home and took the wood to Cheezy’s back yard with plans to build the coup. Everything was fine and we went about our business (being lazy and hanging around the house). Later that day while hanging out at the pig pen at Cheezy's home I heard my mother calling me. Boys will be boys so I jumped the chicken wire fence and went to see why my mother was calling. Oh gosh this is hell I remember thinking because right there she was with her hands on her hips looking pretty upset. Yes it was the owner of the mango tree where we sheltered the rain.

When my mother started to talk about the mango I was adamant and did not respond to her questions regarding the 'the mango skins' that littered the yard next to the entrance of the lady's home. Eventually I blurted out,"Me eh thief no mango and  iz hog mango too".

Lordy who told me to say that! The licks started right there and I could hear the lady saying 'that is enough, that is enough'. As it turned out the lady was not upset that we ate the mango but we ate so many that we forget to clean up the mess we made in her yard. To be honest we never had any intention to clean up anything and that cut arse was well deserved.

Photo Source:http://www.search.co.tt/trinidad/food/mango.html

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Guest Posts

  1. The Day I kicked death in the behind submitted by Sandiego Lee (SDL)
  2. Memories of Christmastime Past submitted by Sandiego Lee (SDL)
  3. Party on the White Line submitted by Jessie aka D'Rim
  4. The Waterman (Water Police) submitted by Sandiego Lee (SDL)
  6. Ribbons. Post created from notes submitted by Iva Ashford
  7. Trini Cartoon - Vendor Rivalry: Link submitted by Richard Ramlogan
  8. 11 Reasons why Trinis cannot be Terrorists. Sent by Brandon David
  9. Love Hate Relationship with Elementary School submitted by Sandiego Lee (SDL)
10. Scorned and Descriminated by Both Blacks and Whites  by Giselle
11. The Rosy Mango that fell in the Picker Patch submitted by Sandiego Lee (SDL)
12. "Gorilla's" Mango Trees by Kati1998
13. Trini Myths by Sandiego Lee (SDL)
14. The Lady in Black by Paula M. SDL's wife

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Mango Days

When I was a boy growing up in Trinidad I loved eating mangos. Arima where I grew up (was born in South), had a variety of mangoes that I loved. In my yard we have three Julie mango trees and one special mango that my father grafted. He took a turpentine mango and Julie mango and grafted both – a very unusual mango with a very unique taste came from that – I crave the taste of it. On the boundary with the neighbors we had one mango lone (the good type) and the other was stringy that stuck in your teeth (a little sour also). These mangos are like the Haitian Totot mangos. We also had one we called mango teen (I never liked the taste of that mango). To the back of the yard on another neighbors lot were different types of mango rose and one we called Hog mango (a type mango rose) but it was a little different.

Another neighbor two lots over had what we called mango John (white inside) – very nice tasting mango. One that I loved pelting down was mango splash. Mango Splash had the thinnest seed that I have ever seen in a mango but that mango sweet for so. Now close to the Eastern Main Road and opposite the Public Cemetery is the Bakra Jhonnie Sawmill (local whites). In that saw mill had three types of mangoes. One was the Belly full (that is the biggest mango ah ever see in meh life). The other was strange and I can’t recall the name. However, there was one that had the shape of the mango long but when ripe it became red. That mango tree was on the bank of a ravine that passed alongside the saw mill and near what we called ‘gravel park’ (where we played soccer close to Reid Lane) and down to the train tracks into Samaroo Village. That mango is a very special mango because if you are not careful when peeling it the milk from the skin of the mango gave it that peculiar name of ‘mango scratch mouth’. If you picked it from the tree and peeled it the way most people do back home (with yuh mouth) and the milk touches your skin it becomes an itchy episode. We used to pick it and put it to get ‘stale’ before eating it. But boys will be boys and we always had to take ah chance and pay the price for it.

Mango Dou douce and mango starch – yummy yummy! These mangos had small seeds especially mango Dou douce, sometimes yuh could put two in yuh mouth at the same time. Starch mango is really nice – meh mother in law has a tree in their yard on Pro Queen Street in Arima. Now mango is boss and so expensive that thieves walking in yuh yard and taking it – and yuh better keep quiet about it yes boi.

Mango Calabash was also a nice one but I liked it half ripe, I never liked it when it was fully ripe. The one thing I hated  was to soften the mango until inside was mushy then pierce a hole and suck the mango juice out – I hated even seeing it done.

Those were the Good Ole Days my friends and talking about the good ole days that is a topic that we will talk about in time. How about bringing back the ole time days? The late Nappy Myers sang a beautiful song bearing that name. Levi Myaz (Myers) did a wonderful remake of his father’s classic; I highly recommend this masterpiece – get it, listen and reflect.

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Buss Bamboo

Boom Boom… “Nah, nah, nah that bamboo sounded louder than mine… heat it up more come on blow and make that bamboo sing”.

Boom… Arghhh. What happened, yuh ok? This was a classic case of over exuberance because the bamboo back fired and the result was roast manicou.

Bamboo 'boom boom' season was the best back in the day. We used to head down to the forest to get our bamboos from one of the finest bamboo patch that I knew of in the bush. That area is now a housing settlement and the bamboo is gone. The older guys would tell us (a learning process) which were the best bamboos to use to get that loud booming sound.

Later on I learned how to hollow out the joints and cut the hole to the right size to pull the trigger on the shot. Of course you needed some pitch oil and a flam-beau to work with during the night (it was best done at nights to emphasize the boom). It was a drum (well boom conversation) back and forth we went until we were too tired or our ears were ringing from the booms.

Today that is considered a noise nuisance and it controlled by laws and more than likely ‘sophisticated neighbors’ who won’t tolerate it anymore.

Leave a comment or drop a line at: trinizagada@gmail.com

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When Skater and Trolley were King!

If you were one of the lucky ones and you lived in an area where the street in front of your home was paved with good ole asphalt mix (not black pitch eh… that used to melt under the hot sun and was soft around mid day) then you probably had a skater or had fun in groups with a good ole ‘Trolley’.

Kids back in the ole days were very creative and selective pieces of wood were cut and put together with door clamps and bearings from car wheels to make the classic skater. Damn they were noisy on the paved road surface but we had loads of fun racing. If you did not do a good job with the construction and one of the clamps should dislodge while racing then the result was a classic ‘white man’ bruise… gosh those hurt.

The Trolley was another one that really got everyone hurt at the same time. The construction was simple; a long piece of wood that could seat at least four persons behind the person steering the contraption with bearings used as wheels was used to race on the road. The trolley was guided with ones feet on the front axle (pushing left and right) or with rope tied on either end. Power came from behind with a long rod anchored to the back and as many who could hold on to the rod pushing.

It was a race that usually ended with one or both Trolleys crashing in the drain or simply toppling over spilling everyone on the road (yes some ended up with ‘white men’… but we sure had fun. The older guys would push so hard to cause the driver to lose control and that usually happened if a corner was involved.

Damn, those were the ‘Good Ole Days’.

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Trini Egg Have More Yellow

Yes Cro Cro sang about it, but everyone knows that common fowl eggs have more yellow that the eggs in the US – ENT!!??

This post is not really about the yellow in the Trini eggs but then again we could have a discussion about that however, I want to talk about Trini Treats – you know the ones that you craved when you were a child growing up in the homeland. Hold on now, I think the same could be said for all Trinis living abroad. Someone you know is coming for a short visit and the question is, “Wha' yuh want me to bring for yuh?” This person obviously did not listen to Cro Cro …

So how about some anchar (not amchar eh...lol) and cuchella to make this foreign food taste better – that is a start but then again we need to get something for that sweet tooth. Maybe some red mango or red plum the sweet one and the peppered salty one will do. Hold on now we also need some toolum, sugar cake (not the cut up coconut ones …yuh know bring dat too), kurma (I like the crunchy ones) and when yuh in the airport get some doubles please.

Well we can’t forget the classic parched corn with brown sugar and cinnamon aka Chilli Bibbi (too much too quickly and yuh will be coughing up a storm). Oh gosh and before I forget we need some sorrel or ginger beer or better yet some ponche a crème to wash all of this down. Gosh Trini Treats are the best!

Well I ent bashfull eh but can you please bring me a box of Royal Castle chicken with the crinkle cut fries. Lordy dat is the best after a few Carib (and yuh head just right) and lots of ketchup eh. I don’t want to be too long but I am sure you know where my brain is heading. Drop a comment or two or better yet put together a short paragraph and I will post it here for you. You can send the draft to trinizagada@gmail.com.

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Arima Tonight, Sangre Grande Tomorrow Night

Come go... Arima tonight, Sangre Grande tomorrow night. Did you know that this classic was sung by Houdini way back in 1931 (Cote ci Cote la - Trinidad Dictionary). It is considered a classic 'lavway' or ole-time calypso.

Growing up in Arima was a wonderful experience for me and this song was one that just about every Arimian knows - I can't vouch for the now generation whom are caught up in Hip Hop, Rap and Jamaican Dub.

We always say bring back dem ole time days but as we are aware time waits on no man. Let us cherish our memories but we can hold on to a piece of the past by purchasing these classic recordings and playing them back for our children to learn about our past music.

I have been perusing web pages for music and video about motherland Trinidad and have found a few 'memorable ones' that I have already purchased. You can go to Film Baby at this address: http://www.filmbaby.com/. Just put Trinidad in the search area and you will get a few items about the homeland that you will absolutely want to purchase.

I recommend that you purchase this special DVD entitled Calypso Dreams that is also available at http://www.calypsodreams.com/. This film is a winner and one that you will cherish and play for your friends over and over again.

If you find a site with some good information on the homeland or some place where we can obtain some of the classic music just respond to this post and I will highlight it in the Blog.

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When Cock Get Teet/Trinizagada

This blog is a collection of stories about growing up in Trinidad during the "Good Ole Days". Yes that was many, many moons now; I want to take this opportunity to record some of the things I did as a child that is simply not part of the fabric of present day Trinidad. This can be loads of fun if you, yes you reading this now, decide to become involved. How can you become involved? Just write about growing up in Trinidad or simply something that you believe people should know - just keep it clean. I will edit it and post it under your name or a name that you prefer to use. Your post(s) will be listed under guest posts but will be posted the same as every post on this site. Just send your thoughts to ananda2456@gmail.com. The blog will expand and also deal with any subject as it relates to Trinidad and Tobago so if you see something on politics don't be surprised.


This bit relates to the Wack Radio Shout Box (www.wackradio901fm.com): Trinis have a penchant for exaggeration - Yuh t'ink? Well I have heard people say so many things that have caused many a raised eyebrow or two... "Chat boxes" are notorious for such event and the Wack Shout-Box is special (for Kankalang aka mischief). You can say what you want without a face to reveal your devilish side - ent Trini!

On the side bar of the blog I have included two online Radio Stations for your listening pleasure. Both stations broadcast out of England (Flagz Radio and Tempo Radio). Wackradio is a problem to stream as well as TNT PanRadio. There is also a video player on the side bar that I will feature a video that I like.  Please note that apart from the main page that you view there are other pages available for your viewing. Some are featured on the menu bar while others can be found on the side bare under the heading "Pages".

Hey use the chat box and have fun and maybe we will see some of the famous Trini attributes come to play and have some fun with it... (this has been moved to a new blog www.dlime.blogspot.com)

Addendum:
Please note that the name of the blog has been changed to Trinizagada.  This was done because of problems encountered by the Search Engines that returned 'porn' material because of the keyword "cock" in the original name of the blog. As a reminder note that guest posts are welcome ...send them to ananda2456@gmail.com.

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