I fell in love with these guys on Britain's got Talent. Seriously, they're brilliant. They didn't win, but they didn't need to. I'm sure they'll be a success.
This was their very cool semi-final performance:
I'm definitely a Sheeran fan, but these boys killed this one too:
And here's their BGT final. I think my favourite of the lot:
Overall, a nice Sunday soundtrack. Keep an eye out for a record that I'm sure will be coming up!
This video is full of so many things that I LOVE! Advertising: good! Dogs: good! Terrible singing voices: good! Every time I watch this I love it more and more. Happy Sunday!
Ok, so I'm a little behind with this, I know. But I think this is definitely the coolest video out right now. It also helps that the song is damn catchy!
This is the first year that I will not be going home to my little island in the sun for Christmas. This year will be new and different and exciting all the same. But there are a few things that I'm certainly going to miss from home. Most of them are food... surprise, surprise. These are the things that define Christmas at home for me.
Ponche Crema
Mmm... Ponche Crema! This is a little bit like American Eggnog, but very very alcoholic and infinitely more delicious. It is rich and creamy, and with a perfect sprinkling of nutmeg it just tastes like Christmas! You can find a recipe here. I must stress that it wont be any good unless you use a proper West Indian dark rum, preferably Cockspur. Don't even try to use Bacardi! Throw that shit down the drain!
Pastelles
Mmm... Pastelles! So this is a Trini/Venezuelan dish. There is a similar Bajan version called Conkie that you can read about here. Really I prefer the Trini version (and this is the only time you will ever see me admit to anything from Trinidad being better than Barbados). The filling is a mix of meats, heavily spiced and finely minced. It's then covered in a cornmeal casing and wrapped in a Banana leaf. From mid-December to mid-January my family eats these for breakfast at least twice a week. Pastelles really make me feel Christmassy!
Parang Music
So I really love traditional Christmas songs- Jingle Bells and Let it Snow and all the usuals. But these songs don't really tend to be party songs. No one ever jumped up to the dance floor for Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. At home we need something to dance to! We always need party music and Parang fills this space for the Christmas season. Most Parang songs, just like Calypso, are filled with suggestion and innuendo. Parang is funny, fun, festive... oh I just love it!
Breakfast
Ok, so Cadbury biscuits obviously are not West Indian. Or even very Christmassy for that matter. But this very tin of biscuits means Christmas to me. You see, my family is a bit obsessive about presents. We're all pretty much grown, but still are up before 7 on Christmas morning to see what's under the tree. This means that there is no time at all to make or eat breakfast. Instead, a nice big tin of Cadbury Biscuits gets opened and we all gorge ourselves on chocolate while wrapping paper and ribbon gets torn to shreds!
Christmas Ham
Mmm... Ham! Turkey is not the holiday meal of choice at home. It's ham. A nice big pig leg, honey glazed, covered in cloves... my mouth is watering just thinking of it. My Dad has one of these electric carving knives that whirs and buzzes as he carves our ham. The noise of the knife plus the smell of the ham is like a magnetic pull to the kitchen. We often eat it faster than he can carve!
SORREL!
Of all the things that mean Christmas to me, of all the delicious things that I love, none compares to my absolute obsession with sorrel. I LOVE sorrel! This beautifully red, fragrant juice is the most wonderful thing that December has to offer. A glass of sorrel with my pastelle in the morning, a vodka-sorrel to match my party dress in the evenings, sorrel-tinis getting mixed up on Christmas Eve... oh my oh my oh my. Many of you know what I'm talking about, but for those of you who have never had the pleasure of this beautiful drink, I cannot even describe to you how nice it is! It's like nothing else I've ever tasted. And if anyone reading this can tell me where I can get sorrel in London you will be my new best friend! Seriously, I'll bake you something delicious.
If you're looking for more delicious Caribbean eats, head over to Skip to Malou* today for some more perennial dishes!
Our lovely little island became its very own nation state on November 30th 1966. We didn't have a silly war or anything... we just asked politely like the decent folk we are. So today we mark the 45th anniversary of Independence. 45 might be middle-aged for human beings, but for a country I'm pretty certain its the equivalent of being a teenager. Which means we're still cool and fun; no back pain or arthritis.
To celebrate I'm bigging up some fabulous Bajan talent! Here's Cover Drive's Twilight. Nothing to do with vampires, don't worry.
I must say, Amanda is looking fairly sweet in this one. Boys looking nice too. Hope everyone is waving their blue and yellow today!
TWO muppet posts within a week?! Too good to be true? These aren't the Jim Henson kind though. Catchy song, fun video, but probably not appropriate for the wee ones...
This made me smile. Hope it's had the same effect on you!
Last week two great new music videos hit the internet. In six days, one of these already has over 11 million views on YouTube. The other, a mere 2 and a half million in comparison. You've probably already guessed that the first one is Rihanna's We Found Love ft. Calvin Harris. This video has gone viral on a massive scale! I'm always ready to big-up Ri-Ri and I actually do think this video is very cool (and also a little scary).
But it's really the other one that I want to share with you. It's Ed Sheeran's Lego House. I think it is brilliant! In case you haven't seen it yet, I don't really want to give away the ending except to say that it is unexpected and hilarious and just pure class. Watch it! I've seen it again and again and I laugh every time.
Many of you who know me personally already know that TWO gingers in one video... it's practically porn for me! Go ahead, judge away... I'm not slightly embarrassed that both of these boys are on my celebrity crush list.
I promise this is the only time I will ever link you to a Daily Mail article. It has good pictures, and that is why I chose it. Pink Floyd is re-releasing re-mastered versions of all of their albums. In case you don't know this (shame on you) their 'Animals' album featured a picture of an inflatable pig flying over the power station. To commemorate that album and to get some hype for its re-release, they put up another pig! Flying pigs = just plain funny. I live real near to Battersea now and so I got to see the big ole ham in the flesh. I think it's a clever PR move. Did any one else see her?
Fellow-blogger Malou has just started an incredibly cool series of posts called Windows to the World. She's borrowed the idea from somewhere.. and frankly, I'm jealous I didn't think of it first. Each post is a photo taken through a window from somewhere in the world with a short caption. Today is Dubai. Can't wait to see where she will take us next week!
It is Wednesday. So that means it is time for my weekly recommendations. No reading this week though. Just listening. In the spirit of being home and being local and all that, I wanted to big-up de Bajans (highlight some local talent). In the last five years or so there has been an explosion of musical talent on our island. We've always had the soca artists many of whom are extraordinarily talented. But this new surge is really a diversification of genres represented by bands at home. My home-friends will know all of these. But for those of you across the pond and elsewhere, I hope this introduces you to some new favourites.
So I think all these artists are really cool. I hope you do too. Of course, can't big up local talent and forget this girl. She is an inspiration. And I can't help but think that her massive success has in some way driven all the guys above. Also, amazing video!
