The new bacchanal venue !!!!?

With the soca season slowly creeping upon us and with the shutdown of Mas Camp, the place we’ve come to call HOME for Bacchanal, the question that fills the air is “Where will Bacchanal be held now?” The word on the street and from good sources is that Bacchanal will be held at the National Stadium’s car park. (Although yet to be officially confirmed)

If this is actually the new venue for Bacchanal, I’m curious to see how they transform it to somewhat resemble Mas Camp, a place we have become accustomed. Another aspect of this venue that I hope is being looked at is security. Being so close to certain communities I hope the safety of patrons is taken into consideration as it’s a factor being considered by many.  Once measures are put in place to ensure that people are safe, I have no problem with this venue, it’s a good choice. (Y)

With that said, I don’t care where, As long as it’s Soca... I’m there!

Will I be Dreaming this year ?

Well, Dream Entertainment has announced the date of their annual party series, Dream Weekend, to the shock of many. The announcement of the date was not the only shocker, but it was revealed that this year would be different, instead of a Dream WeekEND, it’s actually a Dream WEEK… (August 1^st -6^th) This sparked a huge discussion on twitter but all arguments surrounded the thought of accommodations for that period and the cost of the season bands and persons getting time off from work.

I was a bit perturbed by both sides of the discussions. One side complained about how much it’s going to cost overall, and the other side complained about the persons complaining and that if they can’t afford it, they should keep quiet.  With every action, comes a reaction, and with that information being thrown out there, I’m sure the first thought was MORE MONEY! But on the other hand, to venture to Negril has always been a taxing journey, something that some people are used to, and some, if they can’t afford it, they avoid it. For the persons who can afford it, I think they do have a right to speak out about the reality that they will be spending much more.

Back to Dream Week, will I be making the journey this year? I am not sure at all! A lot of factors to consider when I look at it , I have to think about Accommodation + Season band + Transportation + Gas Money + Food money + Clothes money = $$$$$$ (Not for the usual 4 days, but 6/7 days). Do I really want to take up all that money, to just party for one week, when I can use that money to party in Kingston for two months. On the flip side, as someone mentioned “you cannot ascribe a dollar value to a party EXPERIENCE”, think of it as paying for a great experience & memories, which in itself, is priceless.  If you have never been to dream week/end and you’re now faced with what will be a steeper price tag, think of it as paying for an EXPERIENCE that you’ll never forget. I urge you to start saving!

The more I think of it, the more I’m leaning toward NOT going, why? I have experienced all that the Negril weekend has had to offer and I’m not sure if I want to fork out THAT MUCH money this year. It’s ‘Been there, Done that’ for me and I’m not going to go just to live up to the ‘hype’ or impress people, as seem to be the case with some persons. If I make the trip, it would just be as a getaway from Kingston, not so much for the partying.  With the added days which equals MORE MONEY for an experience I have already had, I don’t think will be dreaming this year……………………………….. BUT! That’s the same thing I said last year, and guess where I ended up? lol 

It’s still early, and all information about the week/end has not been released, so I’m waiting to get all the details, and then make my final decision based on that.

RANDOMS

Some ‘uptown’ people need to get off their ‘high horses’ and leave people alone who choose to voice their opinions on whether or not they want to fork out THAT MUCH MONEY. Not everyone is a spendthrift like you to just ‘dash weh money like dat’.

If you knew from day 1, that you could not afford going to negril... well, you SHOULD have a seat.  

I didn’t enjoy dream weekend last year... the parties were TOOO CROWDED and UNCOMFORTABLE, the waiting for a shuttle… SIGH! Do I want to spend so much more, for all that again? That’s my main concern.

Usain Bolt's Tracks and Records

Having opened its doors last year, Usain Bolt’s Tracks and Records have become a hit among Jamaicans with the ambiance they provide, as well as the food.  It became great competition for other restaurants/chill spots with its implementation of technology. Innovations such as interactive tables where you can place your orders or check the latest on twitter and Facebook, A big screen T.V to watch featured sports and touch screen T.Vs to play games.

For me, UBTandR is a great hang out spot, especially on a Wednesday night when they host ‘Eats, Beats and Tweets’. Great food, Great music and you get to watch your tweets on the big screen. The music is always good, courtesy of Dj Narity, you might even forget where you are and start dancing. Overall, UBTandR is a great hang out spot to either eat, drink, hang out with friends, or all of the above. Make sure you pay them a visit.

Okay, let me start talking about the food, and what’s good to try:

1) The Mac n cheese cottage pie

This is my FAVORITE! I LOVEEE IT ! I have to get this on every visit! It's baked macaroni and cheese and under that, stewed beef .. I'm drooling just writing about it. 

 2) Wings Galore 

A good choice if you're there with friends, or if you're just VERY HUNGRY and wanna have 12 pieces by yourself. You have the options of mixing it: Red stripe bbq, Sticky jam Asian, Golden scotch bonnet or jerked buffalo. I usually stick with the bbq. 

3) 'Swimms' Galore 

Grilled jerked shrimp skewers, peppered shrimp and coconut and cassava crusted shrimp with pineapple and sweet and sour sauce. A friend of mine had this recently and I had to steal a few, it's really good. Stay away from the peppered shrimp! Unless you can manage. 

 4) Chocolate coffee decadence

For dessert, this is a good option choice. 

And for something to sip on, try the Yardie Cosmo. The Jamaican version of a Cosmopolitan. Appleton rum mixed with orange liquor and Cranberry juice. (Y)

Things you should know:

* The items are a bit overpriced!

* For me, service is usually good.

* Try to get one of the interactive booths, to make your dining experience better.

* Free Wifi 

* The Menu, it's like a twist on the regular Jamaican dishes. 

Contact Info

Usain Bolt's Tracks and Records

Marketplace

Telephone: 906-3903

The Excitement and Drama of BNM (Fiction Uncensored)

January 4^th, 2012 marked the first staging of Brand New Machine (BNM) , a regular event at Fiction nightclub, and although I don’t usually give reviews of club events , I HAD TO TALK ABOUT LAST NIGHT!

First of all, let me say that BNM was a hit, and for me, was a good way of setting the stage for future Wednesdays.  The music and overall atmosphere had everyone excited, but the drama that took place, took the night to new heights!!!!!!!

So here’s what happened!

Soooooo, I’m there partying, only to see two GROWN MEN… who looked like they have grandchildren at home, FIGHTING!  I have no idea what started it, I only saw people scattering while I went for a closer look… Two grown men shoving and hitting each other, while the bouncers tried their best to pull them apart and escort them out the club! Everything went back to normal as we all continued with our fun… You thought that was it? Nooope!  Exactly five minutes later, another, completely different fight.

This fight, was like the first one, had no idea why it started, only saw people scattering, two women fighting, one being thrown to the ground and bottles breaking. Shockingly, the girl who had the upper hand in the fight,  was attacked by 4 men who seemed to be defending their defeated female friend, FOUR MEN attacking one girl! SMFH! The bouncers tried profusely to break this up and kick them out. What made things worse, is that while this fight was going on, an innocent female patron got ‘gun-butted’ in the head. Apparently, the fight was happening too close to her, so she was easing them off and a certain ‘hot-head’ for whatever reason, decided to use his gun and hit her in the head… I hope those girls are okay. I heard that the matter was reported to the police. My question is, WHAT THE HELL WAS A GUN DOING IN THE CLUB? Aren’t patrons searched? I know that ‘REGULAR’ people are searched, so this could only mean that it wasn’t a ‘regular’ patron like me and you, it was someone ‘well known’ or VIP. Sigh.  Have to give the bouncers props though, they were overworked last night and did their job in trying to stop the fights and getting things back to normal. 

It’s as if everyone felt ‘hype’ last night. I got annoyed with the men popping champagne and wetting up other people, I thought another fight was about to happen when a guy splashed a random girl with champagne, messing up her hairdo,  although it didn’t seem to be intentional, the HYPENESS! I was further annoyed with the ‘Money Pull-Up’ ... Imagine, one song being played about 8 times, back to back *Blank Stare*

Apart from all that, it was a really good night that I enjoyed. Not because of the fights per se, but the ambiance prior to and after these happenings, was a great one nonetheless. I can’t blame fiction for the fights, but a weapon being in the club and a patron being hit with one, could have been prevented, so something needs to be done to prevent a re-occurrence.