A student of Fine Arts at CAPE level, she experimented with painting and photography in her formative years. In 2009, she danced with Blackout, the winning dance troupe on TT’s #1 Dance Crew. It wasn’t until enrolling at SVA in 2012 did she begin to delve into the world of film.

“Film school was a very inspiring place for me,” she says of her tenure at SVA, noting that she was among artists from varying disciplines and took a range of classes in photography and painting, despite Film being her major. “It was a very free space and the curriculum was designed in such a way that I had a lot of room to experiment and figure out who I was as an artist.”

At SVA many of her classmates were fascinated by her nationality, which she attributes to a natural curiosity about films, coming from a country with a new and burgeoning film scene. She says in her four years of enrollment, the material she consumed throughout her courses included film genres from Bollywood to Samurai – “but I was not shown a single film from [our] region.”

She believes times are progressing though, with films such as last year’s hit Moonlight creating space for screen time with diverse actors, stories, and social commentary that are relatable to people who look and live like us. And as a filmmaker herself, she is not hesitating to take up the mantle to bring such representative and poignant stories to the screen.

This year, her short film, Short Drop will make its local debut at the trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff), running September 19-26. Produced as her thesis film for her final year at SVA, Short Drop was written at a time when Maya felt exceptionally homesick.

“I wrote the script during a summer when I was not able to make it back home,” she shares, adding that during the same period she discovered various international films that shone because of the naturalism of the performances, which further inspired her. “I wrote Short Drop with the intent of depicting Trinidadians I knew and missed in a way that was real, natural, and honest.”

The film follows a lonely man who is mistaken for a taxi driver on the bustling streets of Port-of- Spain. Reluctantly, he agrees to transport his “un-passenger” only to find his vehicle host to a variety of characters.

“Most of the film takes place in a car and follows various conversations an isolated man has with his passengers,” she elaborates. “My aim was to tell a simple story that evoked the spirit of people here in TT.”

The film won a pre-production grant at SVA. The creative process was also helped along by Maya’s academic mentor, Academy Award winner Chris Newman, whose special interest in the film was intensified given he is the parent of two adopted Trinidadian daughters. After a tech shoot in New York with her cinematographer, Maya and some students from SVA flew to Trinidad to begin production.

“I had a team of troopers working with me to get this film made. Things went wrong everyday but they kept pushing and everyone was just thrilled to be in the Caribbean making a movie,” she says of the hiccups expected on any film shoot, including tricky weather conditions and the use of multiple car batteries to light the car’s interior that would sometimes die before all required takes were captured.

She describes the film’s production as one of the greatest learning experiences she’s had as a filmmaker thus far.

She also praises the film’s star, Albert Laveau, and upcoming actors Jeanine Lee Kim and Kyle Richardson for their performances that required them to reach outside of their comfort zones. “Many of the actors had a theatre background or no acting experience so it was great when they were able to relax, be themselves, and forget that they were being filmed.

“It tells a simple story about human connection with characters that are familiar and relatable. Short Drop SUNDAY 10 September 2017 ISSUE 330

feels like a slice of life and I hope that people enjoy it.”

While the film is yet to make its TT debut, it has shown at international film festivals including the Martinique International Film Festival, Cascadia International Film Festival, Action on Film Festival, and Carifesta.

“Many people have been touched by this film since it started the festival circuit,” Maya says of the public’s reception and connection to her work. Even before such recognition from festival-goers, Short Drop won the New York Women in Film Award at SVA. Maya recalls at the award ceremony, Alexis Alexanian, president of New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) – an organisation essential in representing women, finding them opportunities, awarding their efforts, and the archiving and preservation of films – spoke of the necessity for the inclusion and recognition of women in film.

“I remember sitting in the audience agreeing with what she said… and then, the next moment, she announced the organisation had chosen to award my film,” says Maya of the moment that caught her completely off guard. “It was an absolute honour.”

According to Maya, statistics show that female directors make up a mere seven percent of the Hollywood film industry, which often leads to a lack of honest and heartfelt representations of women onscreen. “There’s a certain amount of empathy and humanisation that goes into creating these fictional characters,” she says of movies made and directed by women, as opposed to the stereotypically over-sexualised or muted roles many female characters play onscreen.

Historically, the roles of women in film – whether behind-the-scenes or in front of the camera – has been reduced and even completely erased. As Maya explains, “Many women-directed films have gone unrecognised over the years because of problematic power structures within the industry.” She says open conversations surrounding this imbalanced gender dynamic is what is needed so girls and women are not discouraged from entering the industry in the future.

“It was obvious at school that this industry is a boy’s club. However, if the work is good, it speaks for itself and I only hope young women can continue to exceed expectations and challenge the norm.”

Maya is one of these women: capturing moving images that translate stories that are contemporary and tender in a societal context that rings true for our country and region. “I want Trinidadians to see themselves onscreen and appreciate many of the things that we tend to overlook,” is what she hopes the work she creates will evoke.

Short Drop is not her first film and it won’t be her last. Her next movie will be titled She Paradise, a coming of age story about a Trinidadian teenage girl named Sparkle who seeks an escape from her lived reality through dance. Production is set to begin in 2018.

She says there are countless stories left untold about TT and our experiences, and this notion excites her to create. “My work is about what I’ve observed and experienced firsthand,” she says of the stories she tells and the importance of their earnestness.

“I’m happy that young women are showing their work at this year’s festival. The work is good and we to need to make sure it gets out there so more people can see it.

“My only hope is that people stop and think when they’re looking at a film I’ve made and leave the theatre having really felt something.”

For a list of screening times for Short Drop ahead of the ttff 2017, visit www.ttfilmfestival.com

Carrageenan.

Are you a label reader? If not, it’s time to get started.

Spending just a few more minutes in the grocery every visit scanning labels may actually not only save you money on your bill, but also save you massive amounts of the same on your health bills later on.

What is Carrageenan? Derived from seaweed or red algae, this food additive is as ubiquitous as your ex during Carnival season – and you will find it used in foods as an emulsifier, binder or thickening agent as it has no other real nutritional purpose. You may think that seaweed is good for you and as it’s derived from the superfood, it should also be beneficial to your diet when in fact, it may be sending you to your grave.

It’s been linked to:

• Large bowel ulceration

• Ulcerative colitis

• Foetal toxicity & birth defects

• Colorectal cancer

• Glucose intolerance and insulin resistance

• Inflammation

• Liver cancer

• Immune suppression

• Promoting the growth of abnormal colon glands, which are precursors to polyps

But there are conflicting studies and the history of the additive has been one of near bans followed by prevailing conditions of approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other organisations. In 2016, however, the US National Organics Standards Board did vote to have it removed from the list of additives allowed in organic foods (after first allowing it in the early 1990’s)

According to The Cornucopia Institute, “Animal studies have repeatedly shown that food-grade carrageenan causes gastrointestinal inflammation and higher rates of intestinal lesions, ulcerations, and even malignant tumors.” But a 2014 article published in the journal Critical Reviews in Toxicology pointed out that “due to its molecular weight, carrageenan is not significantly absorbed or metabolised by our bodies, which basically means that it flows through your GI tract like most other fibers and is excreted in your feces.”

Studies on food additives, however, are immensely difficult to control when you think about it. For example, seaweed and red algae are not uniformly created in the first place so that each creation of carrageenan will also vary. Studies of the substance are also done on rats and pigs and yield very different results for each species. Additionally, administering it via food, or via water or via intravenous blood dosages will also all yield different results. There are also two types of carrageenan: Undegraded is approved for human consumption while degraded (also known as poligeenan) is not.

In 2001, Dr Joanne Tobacman, author of a full study on the additive, pointed out in the official journal of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the following, “The widespread use of carrageenan in the Western diet should be reconsidered” due to evidence that “exposure to undegraded as well as to degraded carrageenan was associated with the occurrence of intestinal ulcerations and neoplasms.”

So where will you find this commonly?

Everything from dairy including whipping cream, chocolate milk, ice cream, sour cream, cottage cheese, squeezable yogurt to dairy alternatives including soy milk, almond milk, hemp milk, coconut milk, soy desserts, soy pudding as well as in sliced turkey (and it’s even used to clarify beer).

Best advice? Skip it. As always if the food you are eating isn’t Close to Source (C2S), avoid it and honour yourself and your body with some actual seaweed punch – just skip the milk if it’s not fresh or make your own almond milk.

When a mature woman does her makeup, the overall goal is usually to create a smooth, lifted, youthful appearance. There are certain trends nowadays that can really cause a more mature face to look droopy, dull, wrinkled and gaunt.

As we age, the skin’s collagen and elastin production slows down. These helps to give skin its plumpness and stretchiness. With depleted levels, skin becomes more prone to wrinkles, sagging and dryness. Always hydrate the skin adequately.

If texture is an issue, you might want to consider priming to smooth the skin and create a more uniform canvas. You should avoid thick, matte foundations because they can settle into lines and wrinkles, accentuating them and causing the skin to look lack luster and dry.

Opt for sheer, luminous finishes. If you need additional coverage, use a concealer. It should also be noted that your under-eye concealer should match your skin tone. If it’s too light, it can actually highlight your under-eye bags and amplify the texture there. Personally, I like to use cream blush as opposed to powder blush because it sits better on mature skin.

When it comes to blush colour, you might find that wines, mauves and dark colours can make you appear gaunt, and bright pinks, oranges and reds can make you look garish. Opt for softer versions such as rose, coral and peach to liven up the complexion in a more natural way. Heavy contour or bronzer can also have a similar effect, so use sparingly.

I don’t recommend powdering the face. If you have oily skin, you can powder lightly on the forehead, nose and chin but avoid any areas with wrinkles or lines. Do not bake! Baking on mature skin is a cakey, cracking nightmare waiting to happen. If you want to set your makeup, opt for a setting spray over a powder.

If your eyes have become uneven with age, your lids have become hooded or droopy or you have any sort of _ ne lines, wrinkles or crows’ feet, you may want to avoid winged eyeliner. It may end up being an odd shape or downturned, which will actually make your eyes appear droopier, thus making you look older. Instead, you can apply a pencil eyeliner at the roots of your lashes to make them appear fuller. Since lashes tend to become thin with age, this will help to create definition and the appearance of thicker lashes.

You can make the liner a bit thicker at the outer corner of your eyes to create a lifted effect.

Don’t forget your brows! Similar to lashes, if you create fuller eyebrows, you’ll appear more youthful. Avoid adding too much dark eyeliner or eyeshadow under the eye, as this will visually pull the eye downwards.

When it comes to eyeshadow, you should take the utmost care in blending; Harsh lines will be all the more unforgiving. Contrary to popular belief, shimmer isn’t bad, but overly frosty, metallic shadows can accentuate texture.

Similarly, pastel and matte eyeshadows can appear dry and chalky. The finish that will be the most flattering is satin. It’s not as flat as a matte and not reflective like metallics. There’s a subtle, natural luminosity to it.

Your lips are the next area that age likes to toy with. Lips can lose fullness and develop wrinkles which will cause your lipstick to feather. You can line your lips with lip liner to reduce feathering and recreate the appearance of fullness, but I’d avoid going overboard for the sake of looking unnatural. If your lips are thin, bear in mind that dark colours will make them appear even thinner.

Also consider that matte lipsticks will dry the lips out causing wrinkles to become prominent. That means liquid lipsticks are a no-no! Opt for balmy, sheer, moisturising colours. Sometimes nude lipsticks can be a bit much for a more mature person. If you want to do something nude, try to add a touch of pink or peach to the nude colour to liven it up.

With a little customisation, these tips and tricks can take years off your face. Feel free to experiment and find a happy medium that satisfies your personal tastes while helping you to look your best!

In the 21st century, with the bombardment of the internet we buy into the hype and indulge heavily in whatsoever may be the current rage.

We saturate ourselves with trending products until the new and next comes along… because isn’t it true in makeup that popular brands work better than unpopular brands? What is beauty makeup anyway? Does it follow trends and patterns? Sometimes when a person can answer these questions drawing on more than 35 years’ experience in the beauty industry, it makes a difference — one learns more… because life is not just about the end result but is about appreciating how the end result came about and why… isn’t it? The answer to everything makeup In the beginning (1981), Ephraim Hunte’s skill as a makeup artist grew from his experiences on _ lm, runway and magazine editorial productions.

His works have graced many high profile publications like Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Women’s Wear daily and Essence and he has worked on many celebrities including the late Whitney Houston.

Since 1998 in Trinidad, Ephraim Hunte has been forging a legacy with his makeup training institution, the Ephraim Hunte International Makeup Academy, utilising the Ephraim Hunte method of applying and teaching Beauty Makeup. He has formulated his custom blend of powders, concealers and foundation which are personalised for all skin tones.

His exclusive line EHC- Vamoose, is specialised as a waterproof correction formula for various hyper and hypopigmentation skin challenges, like birthmarks, melasma and vitiligo.

The Ephraim Hunte International Makeup Academy teaches these corrective foundation techniques to students in its Professional Courses, which give each student the necessary platform to face daily obstacles with various skin types. The principle of the programs is rooted in the general science of balancing facial features to bring about the desired beauty enhancements for each person. But, the overall aesthetics conform to the classic or trendy desires of today’s beauty needs. The field of beauty makeup offers many avenues of makeup artistry, from natural facial enhancement to makeup Fx. These can be explored at Ephraim Hunte International Makeup academy under the tutelage of Ephraim Hunte and his internationally trained and certified instructors.

• Opened Ephraim Hunte International Makeup Academy in 2001, the first International makeup artistry school in Trinidad and Tobago.

• Ephraim Hunte Productions specialising in beauty and fashion teaches the Ephraim Hunte Method of makeup artistry.

• Creates customised foundations, concealers, powders called Ephraim Hunte Cosmetics and Vamoose waterproof foundations, concealers, powders [sold exclusively at EHIMA

] For more information or to register call: 1-868-637-3363/ 1-868-743-2031 (WhatsApp) South Trinidad contact: Natasha: 1-868-704-7528.

Visit Facebook at: Ephraim Hunte International Makeup Academy Instagram: ephraim_hunte

After seven years in the making, the local band gave its first full-length concert last weekend.

Freetown was formed by two friends and spoken-word artists, Muhammad Muwakil and Lou Lyons, in August 2010._ They started with a simple need to create music. Since then they’ve had many opportunities: starring in local films such as God Loves the Fighter, having their music played in other films, such as The Cutlass, and being highlighted at various campaigns and events such as an anti-violence launch, Not Normal and the anti-violence against women campaign, Leave She Alone.

Muwakil, the lead singer, explained that the concept of Freetown Collective was inspired by his hometown, Belmont, originally known as Freetown.

In the nineteenth century former African slaves who had bought their freedom, or others freed by the Royal Navy after the abolition of the slave trade went there to “find freedom”.

To Muwakil it’s a powerful concept. “That there were people who were our ancestors who were not enslaved, who from the get-go were free and had that mentality of being free men and women, and had children who were free and had the mentality of being free in an enslaved space.” Freetown Collective linked this to modern TT society and another vision of freedom, where they wished to reform that idea of freedom. Muwakil explained, “It has to start with yourself and then the people closest to you, and then with your neighbours and with your community and by extension, the world.” Both Lyons and Muwakil, although of different religions, the former, a Bobo Shanti and the latter, Muslim, have been influenced by Dr Cornel West, African American philosopher, political activist and social critic, and says Freetown evolved into a reflection of his teaching, “Justice is what love looks like in public.” _Muwakil said they take any opportunity they get to go into communities or be part of campaigns that highlight the negativity in society.

“Wherever we see an opportunity for us to create balance where there’s an imbalance, we will work towards that. We utilise what we believe in and if we can use the music to create a balance, then we’ll do that because for us that’s what it’s about.” They agreed, “The artist is a reflection of the time and also, an answer to maybe some questions, if possible,” and said people should voice their thoughts.

Muwakil wants the Freetown Collective community to know: “If you seeing something in your head, don’t think that yuh mad: go after what you see in your head. You might not achieve the exact thing you that you see but I guarantee that on the way you would become something that you’d never dream that you would become.” Their concert emphasised their journey over the past seven years and their improvement, and introduced some of the new music from their upcoming album, due to be released after Carnival next year.

Shuttling these little lords to their holiday activities was beyond tiring.

My ‘I am’ and his sophisticated palate had me stuck in a hot kitchen making snacks from scratch. Does it make sense to make marshmallows at home when it is so cheap in the grocery? Well the six-year-old gourmand I have, won’t eat store-bought anymore. He left the best for last: the last weekend, he just had to have custard tarts (of course made with fresh eggs, milk and no custard powder). Poor me! Imagine me scouring the internet for a good custard tart recipe and when I finally had success with Macanese custard tarts, only to be told I need to make them more often (you mean I have to go through that again?).

If you have ever tried to make Chinese puff pastry you would understand my suffering. In the last two months, I’ve become quite skilled in both French and Asian baking techniques (croissants and savoury moon cakes anyone?).

If he didn’t say he is going to become a paediatrician, I would start researching culinary schools for him. After all, he can already tell the difference between Jasmine and Basmati rice (if only I was joking).

Whatever happened to children entertaining themselves? For God’s sake, I have like a thousand channels and my son was still bored out of his wits. I guess he didn’t inherit my couch potato tendencies. When I was a child, we had two choices, TTT or Channel 9, and that was iffy, and I could zone out on just those.

When I got older there was AVM, so we had three stations instead of just two, which was revolutionary! Now this little scamp has the world of entertainment and he’s still bored. At his age, I would have given my right arm for Disney Channel or Nickelodeon, but he’s bored.

Now there is no time for parents to rest, or even get a little ease to catch their breath. In spite of my having to shuttle my little lord and master halfway across the island for his autism camp, after a month of extra music classes, I still had a better time of it than my sister. There are two swimmers in her family so her mornings, evenings and weekends are spent shuttling them to and from practice, special training and meets.

I’m griping but I feel privileged that my son and nephews have the support and resources to ful_ l their potential, many children don’t. I know of other parents that struggled to get their children equipped and suited for this new school year.

Things are extremely difficult financially for me but with careful planning and lots of penny pinching I am able to facilitate my son’s dreams.

Many parents can’t even do that much.

Now that a new school term has started and I can hand my precious little emperor over to his teachers, I look forward to returning to more than a shadow of my former self. There is time again to take a breather and to have a conversation with someone other than a six-year-old. Because my son attends a special school, I only get a five-hour window but it’s more precious than you can imagine. In that time, I can write a paragraph or two, get some housework done, do a load of laundry, prepare a meal, and catch up on the news and my manga (don’t judge me, manga is a legitimate form of art), all before the little dictator – I mean, my beloved son – comes home from school.

Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy my son’s company. Like me, he is a real character and like his deceased grandfather, he is a real clown and can be guaranteed to make you laugh. It’s just two months of being surgically attached to him can really drain a girl. His return to school is something I’ve really been looking forward to.

Although I will miss snuggling under the sheets and watching cartoons during rainy weather while we gorge on nachos and popcorn, we can still do those things on weekends.

I see pictures of mothers online celebrating the beginning of the school year. My favourite was one lady relaxing in the pool with a glass of wine in hand, while her sullen children, dressed for school, look on. I wouldn’t go that far but I totally get it. I’ve never seen a zombie regenerate in any of the cheesy sci fi flicks I watch but I’ll see it over the next few weeks as I relinquish my mombie status. See you on the other side.

This is because of a slow-down in metabolism, the body’s natural calorie-burning ability.

Additionally, the reproductive system prepares to close up shop and levels of oestrogen, progesterone, and growth hormone further decreases. Fortunately, strength training can help rebuild muscle and produce more human growth hormone, both of which keep your metabolism running as fast as (or faster than) it did when you were in your 20s.

Research from the Harvard School of Public Health shows that people who lift weights put on less belly fat as they age than cardio enthusiasts.

While any exercise will help you burn calories, strength training gives your metabolism the biggest boost after your workout ends. When weight training is coupled with cardio your fat burning ability is amplified, this translates into a greater number of calories being burnt.

So how do we wave away the under-arm flaps? The following exercises will assist you in getting rid of the cellulite on your arms and reducing the appearance of loose skin. Consider doing this workout for at least two days a week, three days a week maximum. Do not do this work out every day as your body requires recovery time.

Complete three sets of 12 reps for each exercise.

Focus on using proper form, and don’t worry about completing the exercises at a quick pace.

Tricep dips If you are working out at home, place your arms on a chair or bench and elevate your feet by putting a stool under them.

Steps
• Assume the starting position by placing your arms behind your back, gripping a bench or chair.

• From the starting position, slowly lower yourself.

Keep your body upright and your elbows, tucked close to your sides.

• Concentrate on lowering your body only with the triceps. Ensure that your elbows are at a 90-degree angle.

• After this, push your body back up using only your triceps.

• Repeat.

Tricep kickbacks For this exercise, you will require two light dumbbells. If you don’t have any at home, you can use one-litre bottles filled with water.

Steps

• Hold a weight in each hand.

• While you are standing, bend your knees slightly, keeping your back straight, and bend forward slightly. Your body should be almost parallel to the floor. Keep your head up and your arms close to your sides such that there is a 90-degree angle between your forearm and upper arm.

• Keep your shoulders locked to your sides while extending your arms back. Focus on the contraction of your triceps only.

• Hold for two seconds and lower your arms to the starting position. Avoid swinging your arms.

• Repeat.

Triceps pushups This is a challenging exercise. If your arms are not yet strong enough to lift your entire body weight consider letting your knees rest on the floor for the modification. As you get stronger consider lifting your knees off the floor.

Steps • Place hands directly below shoulders, feet hip-width apart. Keeping elbows pointed back and as close to your sides as possible, slowly lower body to the ground.

• Once your chest touches the floor, press back up to a straight-arm plank. Be sure to keep core and legs engaged the entire time.

If this is too challenging, modify by dropping down to your knees.

Triceps extension This is an amazing exercise for triceps and helps to make the triceps stronger and more toned.

Steps

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.

• Hold a dumbbell with both hands, with the thumbs wrapped around it for better grip.

The dumbbell should be held behind your head, and your palms must face the ceiling.

• Your upper arms should be close to your head. The elbows should be close to your eyes and perpendicular to the floor.

• Lower your upper arms until the weight is touching the upper part of your back. Don’t move your elbows. Keep them locked close to your ears.

• Use your triceps to raise the dumbbell up with your arms fully extended over your head. Exhale as you do this.

Standing bicep curls This exercise targets your biceps. This is a basic movement that hits your arms very effectively! It’s a beginner-friendly exercise, one that anyone can perform with any amount of weight. This exercise can be done one arm at a time or both arms at once.

Please note, do not use your back to swing the weight. Use a weight that’s light enough for you to execute the exercise with perfect form.

Steps • Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and slightly bent to relieve stress from your lower back.

• Grasp the dumb bell/weight in your left hand with an underhand grip. Begin with the weight hanging straight down. Now, keeping your elbows in at your sides and stationary, curl the weight straight up.

• Hold for two seconds, contracting the bicep muscles.

• Slowly return to the starting position.

Complete a set of 12 then switch to your right hand and repeat. Do three sets of 12 per hand, if you are using both hands simultaneously then complete three sets of 12 total.

Always remember that exercise has many rewards with absolutely no negative side effects once you perform them with good form and listen to your body’s cues.

Throughout the years, the popularity of wigs has fluctuated and currently, wig wearing has experienced resurgence not only as a fashion or replacement for hair-loss but as a means of protecting one’s own hair.

These days, wigs come in a variety of colours, textures and price-points. Human hair wigs are of course made from human hair, most commonly from Asian donors. The hair is treated for pests and sometimes it is chemically treated to give it a particular texture or colour before it is made into a wig.

Synthetic wigs are made of mono- or poly- _ lament manmade fibres. These fibres are usually made of acrylic, polyester or polyvinyl material and mimic the look and feel of actual hair. Synthetic wigs are usually less expensive than human hair.

Gone are the days when only stage performers, people experiencing hair loss or grandmothers under their church hats, wore wigs. Wigs are worn so that one can experiment with different colours and textures without damaging your own hair by using chemicals, heat and excessive manipulation.

Wigs can be partial, where you leave some of your own hair out to conceal the wig or they can fully cover the hair. A very popular type of wig is made of lace. Wigs can come with a lace closure for middle or side parting (approximately four square inches), a lace front (lace at the front from ear to ear), lace around the perimeter of the wig or a wig can be a full-lace wig. The different types of lace wigs give different degrees of versatility to the wigs.

A lace wig when properly applied can look like the hairs are actually growing from the scalp.

You can consider wearing a quality synthetic or human hair wig for several reasons.

1. If you are currently experiencing hair loss due to stress, genetics or for medical reasons such as chemotherapy.

2. To give your hair a break from the constant manipulation and styling that causes split ends and breakage.

3. If you are growing out your hair from a short style and you’re experiencing that awkward phase when your hair is neither long nor short.

4. To try a new colour or shorter style without actually colouring or cutting your own hair.

The next time you feel frustrated with your own hair, or feel limited with the things you can do with your own hair, try a wig, you might like it.

Today, to say that Sharntelle McLean has conquered her fear of the water is an understatement in itself. She’s moved from fear to love, embracing her aquatic life first as a young, non-competitive swimmer following in her sister’s footsteps at Benny’s Swim World from 1989-1995, before moving to La Joya Torpedoes under the same coach, Ronald Corke, where she would first enter the competitive aspect of the sport.

She wasted no time in making her first national swim team (along with her sister) for the Goodwill Games in Suriname less than a year later, while she was a student at Mucurapo Junior Secondary School where her training routine started as early as 5am and was followed by more practice immediately after school (as she attended the morning shift), homework and a full training regimen in the evening; several times a week.

After her move to South East Port-of-Spain Secondary, she made her first higher level team for CCCAN in Medellin, Colombia but had also made the team for CARIFTA which was boycotted that year. By the time she pursued A-Levels, she credits the support of her friends and her family with helping her keep a sense of balance.

“My mom would encourage me to go out on the weekends as she believed in having that balanced approach to life. I had a good enough balance especially since I had a core group of friends, both from swimming and non-swimming areas. There were five of us, there’s still five of us and a handful few more made along the way,” she says with a smile, “and sometimes if I was travelling for competition they would keep the notes for me. Every so often if I fell asleep in class, they would have my back too.”

Moving on to South Carolina University to read for a degree in Accounting, Sharntelle went on to compete at the Division 1 Collegiate level, rubbing shoulders with World Record holders both in-training and in-competition, while also maintaining her place on the President and Dean’s lists and graduating Cum Laude with Honours. The highlight of her in-pool career, however, would be the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece.

“To be back at the very home of the Olympics, was unforgettable. I was thankful to be there to experience that. The competition aspect; there are no words to explain the feeling when you walk out on deck. I just zoned out the crowd and went into ‘blinders’ mode, but you can’t help but still take it all in. Then there’s the Village, very athlete friendly, all the food available to you, the games rooms, recreational facilities and more. It was also a very beautiful city to explore which we were able to do after the Games.”

Today, the former national swimmer is now a national coach and recently saw four swimmers move from her club to the University level and has been striving to impart her own unique ability to manage athletics and education on to those in her care. She brings the diverse coaching skills she garnered from coaches like Ronald Corke (who encouraged her to pursue coaching), Anil Roberts and the late Michael Lohberg, with whom she trained in preparation for both the 2004 Athens and the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Her students have also seen success at the recently concluded Goodwill Games and CCCAN and she was also able to dive right back into the pool and represent TT recently at home as she recalls, “Being a part of those winning teams, it’s fulfilling in its own right; seeing these students excel at life in and out of the pool and stay clear of the negativity that exists around them, that’s amazing. Being able to get back into the pool in front of my home crowd and compete (at our National Aquatic Centre); that topped the icing of the cake that is my career as a swimmer.”

Speaking of cake, Sharntelle also loves baking – breads, in particular, but also learned the tricks of homemade sponge cakes and marble cakes from her grandmother. She also loves hairdressing, something she points out she learned from a young age as she had her own ‘opinions’ on how her own hair should be styled. “My mother would kill me for saying that,” she says with a laugh.

Today, while great strides have been made in swimming nationally, she believes there is much more that can be done. “The Association is aiming to bring all aquatic sports under one umbrella, which is the start of creating an organised pool of talent that we can draw from and channel towards more elite training programmes. The difficulty today is the balance – something that I had to learn, coming from the ground up as a swimmer and also as a coach.

“We are dealing with children who are in extra lessons sometimes as much as four evenings a week, so where do we have time for other activities like swimming? Yes, parents want children to be educated and there is more pressure to perform but we really do have to bridge the gap between the two. Perhaps to show the value that sports brings to everyone and later on an elite training school for advanced athletes that combines the two would work?” she asks.

He began writing poetry in 1988 but did not perform until 1995 at the Islamic Resource Society (IRS).

He admitted that he did not know he was performing spoken- word poetry until he met fellow artist, Anthony “Nth Digri” Banfield, online in 2004.

_In 2005, he founded the Roots Foundation, inspired by The Power of Words, an annual emancipation lecture hosted by the IRS.

He also began writing a newsletter called Reflections of Our Oral Traditions. Solwazi said he founded the organisation “to provide a platform for unrecognised and uncelebrated poets to be heard.” _Eight years later, Solwazi created the Cascadoo Caribbean New Voices of Spoken Word Festival, a week-long project that originated out of a desire to provide a voice for the youth.

He felt spoken word was the best way to do it since it is “used as a medium of self-expression, realisation, storytelling and stress relief.” Solwazi said Cascadoo was “providing a global platform for cultural exchange,” adding that it was the main event the Roots Foundation hosted in an attempt to get spoken word recognised as a “catalyst for social change.” _Michael Logie, a Roots ambassador and spoken-word artist, explained that the Cascadoo project sought to directly engage youth, “especially those who are underprivileged or deemed delinquent by society.” Spoken-word artists from around the world were contacted and flown in to take part in the festival. These artists visited institutions such as St Jude’s Home for Girls, the Youth Training Centre (YTC) and the national library, Port of Spain, where workshops were held on the art of spoken word, storytelling and positive self-expression._ On the last day of the festival, local and international spoken word artists performed at the Santa Cruz Green Market and later at the Centre Point Mall, Chaguanas.

The variation of pieces, which were based on issues such as home, identity, racism, crime, standards of beauty and black excellence, attracted large crowds.

_Solwazi hopes that Cascadoo will continue to grow, engage more young people and expand into the Caribbean Brave New Voices, similar to the United States’ Brave New Voices festival, in which Roots members could take part.

Brave New Voices is an annual international festival that was started in 1998 by Youth Speaks Incorporated.

_Solwazi said the goal of the foundation was for more youth to have a voice, to be heard, to express themselves without violence and to be acknowledged as positive attributes to society.

American spoken-word artist and ambassador of the Roots Foundation, Lamont Carey said the foundation and Cascadoo “create a safe space for youth to dream with their eyes open as they live an experience they didn’t know how to bring to life.”