If it could’ve worked out in Yoko’s favour, maybe, just maybe she could give up her flight attendant post of 30 years and devote all her energies to fashion designing! For fashion designing is her passion, her “gift”! “But you can’t be everything,” said the bald-headed, bicycle-riding, always matching “eccentric” fashion designer.

She learned her lesson — that it’s not always good to plan. After investing over $40,000 in setting up a computer system and website to facilitate her overseas market so that her clothing could be purchased online, via the Internet, she ran into trouble — credit card trouble. “I wanted to do everything out of Trinidad…because when people see (my work) they say you’d go down good in London or Paris. But they’re (commercial banks) saying that apparently I need a million dollars to operate my business. So, I had to give it up,” Yoko said in an interview with People. She even cried over it. So, from now on, spontaenity is the key. “I don’t know what my destiny holds. I’m spiritual, I know there’s wrong and right and I always try to do the right thing. I know this is my karma.”

Yoko’s fashion designs to some, were “out of this world”, literally. It was futuristic, sexy, strong, dominatrix-type and “hookerism” according to her, and never really found its niche in the local market. Although, for more than 15 years now she’s been outfitting Prime Minister Patrick Manning through her wardrobe consultancy business. “But he’s so busy now that I can’t catch up with him. Ah looking for yuh Patrick,” was Yoko’s message to the PM. “My fashion always caused an impact, that’s for normal people, though, but others loved it,” she said. We’re talking about fishnet stockings, whips, spikes, studs and flourescent thongs she’d have her models don at her clothing line launches and gala events. The local leg of Miss Universe, some ten years ago, was the perfect showcase when she got to “bend” the rules. “They said no whips, no thongs but,” she smiled, “I was allowed to do sexy things and get away with it.” Sex and violence sells the most, she said, hence the reason she took that route in fashion designing. “I’m not going to compete with the rest of the world with pants, shirts and dresses. I did straight things but it wasn’t me,” she said.

You wouldn’t see her clothing hung on the racks of any store but Yoko wears them from time to time. When we sat down for our interview at Town Centre Mall, last Tuesday, Yoko drew the stares as well as eager fans who wanted to shake her hand, say hello and even have their picture taken with her. Yoko was dressed in all pink, with some grey. She wore a piece from her collection — pink studded necklace. The abdominal area was very visible since her t-shirt was cut at mid-rib. The abs are maintained by a strict routine of 1,000 reps per week. The years of body-building have paid off too! Complementing the tee was her pink trousers, pink Timberland boots and pink watch. Even her undergarments were pink, “can’t not have that matching”, said the very down-to-earth and energetic Yoko who is sometimes called a “freak.” Her signature look is the hood, that always has the public guessing as to how it stays on her head. “People have discussions about this thing.” She told her secret. “I use nothing.” Yoko allowed me to feel her head. “The short stubbles of hair are what holds the fabric firmly and it’s surprising that when I ride it doesn’t come off,” she explained. However, when you do see her with the cone and long braid in varying colours — that calls for some adhesive. “Contact cement, it hurts (for the first 15 minutes) but that’s what I use.”

Where did that idea originate? “From the movie ‘Shogun Assassin’. My sons — they love Japanese animation and in that show one of the characters had the cones and the hair and I tried it,” she laughed. Of course, it took a while, maybe years, for her sons Tomo, 23, and Dax, 21, to get used to the new hairdo. (Tomo’s name is Japanese meaning “friend” and Dax’s was taken from the book “The Adventurers”.) It all started when she shaved her head bald the very first time. “It felt wonderful. I loved it, but I had to grow it back for my kids. They would bawl. Yes, they were embarrassed,” said the 47-year-old. So, why would Yoko who could fittingly be described as Chinese/Creole (since her father is pure Chinese and mother Creole) maintain a bald head when her job as flight attendant requires having a full head of hair? She listed more reasons than I anticipated: “I’m clean and I don’t have the hassle of styling, half my hair is grey, the style goes with everything, I can do it (shave) myself which cuts time at the hairdresser and saves money.”

No one, however, would know it’s the same Yoko when the senior BWIA West Indies Airways stewardess dresses in uniform and her “slamming wigs”. “It takes me seconds to put on and looks better than half the hairstyles I see,” she said. Her passengers would often compliment her on her look even going as far as asking where they could purchase the hair products she uses to achieve it. She’s always stumped for an answer. When she stops over in New York for two days or so, between flights, and transforms her image she gets the comments on the street — “girlfriend you’re gonna hurt somebody” or “girlfriend you got it going on.” She goes shopping for just about anything for her Maraval home or her store-size wardrobe. Mind you, she’s got numerous shades of all colours in swim wear, winter wear, casual wear, work attire. When she wanders in children’s clothing stores it has nothing to do with her kids. “I do fit into that too,” she informed. When not shopping, or touring the Swiss Alps, or visiting Stockholm and Germany, Yoko is whoosing in and out of traffic on her mountain bicycle every day. “I don’t think I could ever get back behind a steering wheel,” she could barely remember the last time she drove a car. Of course, the time spent with her boyfriend, Courtney Lange, ranks high on her list. Courtney’s a naval architect, the only naval architect in the Caribbean and the two share one passion “he loves Trinidad just as much as I do.”

It is not every day that one gets up, sells everything one possesses and decides to go and do missionary work. But Alrica Elizabeth Stewart is no everyday kind of a woman. In fact, having risen to the rank of Acting Assistant Superintendent of Police is enough proof that she is a one in a million kind of person.

What would induce someone to leave material possessions and become a soldier for Christ is a mind bogling phenomenon. It’s all well and good to shout praises to God, Allah, Rama or whoever one worships and then recede into the comfort of one’s earthly acquisitions; but when one can actually leave one’s home dispossessed and become a winner of souls in a far off destitute land, that’s another kettle of fish. “It is my desire to help save the lost, at any cost; to be on the mission field is a challenge that I embrace, knowing that it has nothing to do with me but everything to do with God,” were the words of this quiet, confident woman — and what better place to start missionary work but at our own backdoor, Haiti.

“Haiti I’m sorry
We misunderstood you
One day we’ll turn our heads
And look inside you
Haiti I’m sorry…Haiti I’m 
sorry
One day we’ll turn our heads
Restore your glory.”

The words of David Rudder’s song is like a mantra in Alrica’s heart, having just completed a ten-day mission in Haiti where she adopted a young boy, Winley Nelson, from the Port au Prince orphanage. “The visionary leader sees what others do not see” was the theme of that mission, spearheaded by Pastor Frank Samadi and his wife, who had met Alrica while she was on vacation in New York and asked her to be part of their team. The pressure cooker is bubbling with an ochro and rice cook-up, Alrica’s favourite dish, while she has items out on display for sale. Looking at her anthurium lilies and orchids, she remarked, “I love things that have life because I love life.”

All of the 52 years possessions, including her extensive collection of potted plants, even the immaculate home in which she lived for 18 years, must be left behind. Why?  Before an early retirement from the police service, Alrica was accidentally shot in the forehead during a training exercise. In an out of body experience she believed that the doctor who attended to her was an angel for when he asked her “Who protects you?” and she replied “Jesus” he pointed to her and said, “You had better serve him.” He said this after he found that there was no medical reason why she lived. For her, this was the turning point in her life, having served judiciously for 31 years in the police service, of which nine of them were spent in the narcotics unit. “My family thinks I’m crazy,” she said. Her one and only child, 27-year-old Daymian Stewart thought that perhaps his mother might one day be the first woman police commissioner. But this Tobago-born, fashionable woman could only say, “The things that I once thought were of significance were no longer important to me.”  Having contributed towards formulating a regional curriculum for training for drug squads, she was not unhappy in the police service, but unfulfilled.  “Now, I am happier and more at peace with myself.”

What would lead an annual model for Phase In fashions to become happily involved in church planting, feeding programmes, skills seminars, radio ministry, crusades and revivals is simply Alrica’s own prayer, “I am available dear Lord to be used by you. “Being a Christian doesn’t mean that one should be old and dowdy, was her view; “God uses you as you are.”
Hence, it is with no precise destination, but simply “Wherever you lead me Lord, there will I go,” that she is operating by. At the end of this month, she would be off to New Jersey, then to Greece and then back to Haiti, perhaps. “There is a depth of poverty in Haiti, I cannot explain,” she said quietly; and repeats, while nodding her head, “I cannot explain…if I could make a difference in one person’s life, that would be enough.” Alrica admires Senior Superintendent of Police, Kathleen Weekes for her resilience, tenacity and boldness. Kathleen is the only woman in the world who heads a drug squad and who encourages her staff in a holistic manner were Alrica’s views. She is also of the viewpoint that “There is need for a spiritual awakening in the police service” and where everything else was tried and failed, maybe it was time to try God. And when we, in Trinidad, think we are poor, like Alrica did, we should see Haiti and help Haiti.
In the words of David Rudder:
“When there is anguish in Port au 
Prince
It’s still Africa crying
We’re outing fires in far away
places
When our neighbours are just burn
ing
They say the middle passage is
gone
So how come overcrowded boats
still haunt our lives?
I refuse to believe that we good
people
Would forever turn our hearts
And our eyes…away.”

The first time I saw Karen George was at an aerobics class in La Joya Sporting Complex. She stood out among the rest of us, that is, the would-be’s, could-be’s and semi-fit. She was unarguably the fittest person there and dare I add looked better than the instructor did.

Not recognising her as one of the newer faces on the fitness circuit, it was intriguing to find out that her spouse was the same weights instructor at La Joya, Damian George, to whom numerous congratulatory flyers, banners and newspaper adds were dedicated. He has been an instructor there for the past six years. Damian and Karen have been married for the past eight years. At first sight it is difficult to imagine that either one have been in the spotlight recently as they show evidence of nothing but humility. Participants of the Trinidad and Tobago team at the Eastern Caribbean Bodybuilding and Ms Fitness Championship, they both emerged winners in their respective classes. While Damian won the middleweight category of bodybuilding, Karen, not to be outdone, won the Fitness — short class category of the competition. In addition, Damian recently copped the Junior Mr TT title for a second year, winning the middleweight category and the overall competition.

With so much emphasis being placed on their professional achievements, one might think that their focus lies on nothing else. Speaking with them proves otherwise. Their passive mannerisms and nonchalant way of speaking of their accomplishments and accumulated medals and titles, turn into smiles when speaking of the involvement of their spouses in the same sport. Damian did not attempt to hide his admiration for his wife’s accomplishments. In just  three years, she has copped the Classic Physique 2002 title and several other smaller competitions locally. He says jokingly, “She has brought home all kinds of prizes, even a TV. I never won a TV so she must be doing something right.” Karen claims, “He had been trying to get me involved ever since we got married.” After five years, his attempts at her involvement led to her beginnings in the fitness arena. She then moved into her husband’s preferred area – bodybuilding. From his workplace and training base, Damian casually mentions that he has displayed his muscles in Florida, Venezuela and Washington.

Naming Darrem Charles as the person he would most like to emulate, his excitement peaks when he mentions his desire to get his Pro-card which would allow him to compete in competitions worldwide and at more competitive levels. He digresses to speak about his wife’s involvement in several activities. While he occupies himself with reading material on nutrition, weight training and fitness, Karen, an English teacher at Malick Senior Secondary School, teaches dance, weight trains for her own development, does gymnastics and gives extra classes on evenings. In spite of the hectic schedule, the couple still gives attention to their two children, Adrian (seven) and Vanessa (four). Damian insists his spouse manages everything. Karen says: “It takes a lot of organisation and making sacrifices.”

Confessing to her husband’s possessiveness when it comes to displaying her toned bikini-clad body, the more open and relaxed of the two jokes that, “He’s always on the lookout to make sure no one is taking his wife.” His passivity matches his wife’s sense of calm and control, which becomes unease when asked to take his picture. Even with bulging biceps and impeccable pecs, he asks almost distraughtly, “We don’t have to pose in our briefs, do we?” Being in the same field certainly gives them common grounds of communication and as Karen says: “It’s a lot of fun most of the time. We get to go out together to different places and that’s always nice.” Naturally neither could refrain from emphasising the importance of sleep, rest and proper nutrition for anyone interested in becoming involved in becoming fit, especially to compete. Expressing no desire to quit anytime soon they both have a long way to go but support one another enough to get there. Although the fitness field consumes a significant part of their lives and their schedules are usually demanding and tight, the ‘arrangement’ allows them to see each other often. It is a luxury that many couples fight for and they are one couple that certainly fit together very well.

Among the many talented and beautiful girls in TT, Shivana Ragoonanan stands out as one of the youngest female pannists to accomplish so much in so little time. Her attachment to the tenor pan has brought her both fame and fortune. Shivana who is just 17 years old was the youngest performer to take the top prize of a Peugeot 206 car on TTT’s Mastana Bahar in 2001. Too young to have a licence at the time, the energetic teenager gave the keys to her father, Dinesh Ragoonanan. Today Shivana is one of the most sought after musicians in the country.

This young lady lifted the name of her village having taken the top prize in the television programme. Promoters from many parts of the world have been knocking on her door for contracts with this Trinidadian pannist. Dressed in an old jeans and eating an apple she cuts a lovely picture even in casual clothes. One had to be reminded that this is not a beauty queen but an accomplished musician. She smiles warmly as she sat down at her home in St Helena Village, Piarco to talk about her life. “As far as I could remember I knew about the tenor-pan. My father was a pannist and he owned an instrument. Therefore I heard the sound of the steelpan as one of the first instruments ever,” she said. Shivana explained, “Even as a child I grew to love the East Indian songs my father would play on the pan. To me it was sweet, melodious and rich. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the sticks to play my own tune.” At the age of five she remembers having to use a chair to reach the pan and playing her nursery rhymes. She later would try to emulate her father and play the tunes he would play. As she grew older, she became attached to the pan. With help from her father she learnt the notes and that set the pace for the start of a lifetime journey as a musician .

 She remembered her days as a primary school student at St Helena Hindu School, when she asked to enter the instrumental category of the Baal Vikaas competition and was turned down because the pan was not accepted as an East Indian instrument. She decided to take up the keyboard and prove that she could play an instrument. She was able to reach the grand finals of the Baal Vikaas playing the keyboard. She pointed out that her  father Dinesh was a member of the Tunapuna All Stars Steel Orchestra and he later joined with music director Indranath Harrilal to form the Nada Sangam Steel Orchestra of the Datta Treya Yoga Centre of Freeport. Automatically Dinesh roped in his two daughters, Shivana and Sharana into this steel orchestra. Sharana who is 16, is following in her sister’s footsteps and learning the notes of the pan to play the many new tunes that are now coming out off Bollywood and the local artistes in the country. Going back to Shivana, this passionate musician said that she believes that the general public of Trinidad and Tobago doesn’t look at the pan as a great instrument. “I believe that people generally think that the other instruments such as the keyboard and the guitar or the synthesiser are somehow more important than the pan. Somehow they don’t see the pan as an instrument that can add to the general beat of an orchestra. And this is sad. The steelpan has a distinct sound that is different from any other instrument I ever heard and it certainly can add to the sounds vibrations of any orchestra,” she said.     
  
Shivana said that she has a strong attachment to the pan, so much so that many times when she is down for some reason she tries learning a new song on the pan and this exercise really helps her deal with disappointments in life. As an upper six level student of St Augustine Girl High School, Shivana studies science subjects. Her room is filled with many books for her studies. But in the corner of her room stands the tenor pan. The instrument that really gives her fulfillment in life. Shivana wants to record her tunes on CD. She would like to do some original tunes  incorporating the other musical instruments but with the pan in the lead. “It would be something that is uniquely Shivana,” she said. Sounds like the name for her dream recording. She laughs heartily on hearing herself. “  ‘Uniquely Shivana’ Oh my God it does sounds good!” she exclaims. She noted that she has not chosen a career as yet and she isn’t thinking about any particular job at this time. “I don’t want to think about being a doctor or lawyer. After exams I would decide what exactly I would do in life,” she said.

Cynthia Matthew celebrated a special birthday on July 3rd.  On Sunday July 6 son, Kurt, who was visiting from New York and daughter, Nicole, invited her to lunch at Valpark and then to visit the Art Exhibition at the Top Of The Mount, Mt St Benedict.

On arrival at the Top Of The Mount, a most surprised Cynthia was greeted by a roomful of family, friends and former BWIA colleagues, waiting to have tea with her.  Tara and the St Theresa’s Choir accompanied by Maurice Connor welcomed her with “Happy Birthday.” Sister Terese Dookeran blessed the laden tea table.  Tea was an enjoyable and delicious meal which set the mood for the informal programme of tributes to Cynthia interspersed with performances by the choir, flautist Aliston Cooper and pannist Yohan Chuckaree.

Barbara Achat, Zelia Young and Claire Newallo spoke on their relationship with Cynthia during her 35 years at BWIA as an executive secretary; Wendy Doon, Pat Charles and Kurt spoke for the extended family; and Val Mohammed, Joyce Cockburn, Lucita Barrow and Mayotte Nelson spoke for Cynthia’s wide circle of friends.  Absent from the festivities was eldest daughter, Cindy, who lives abroad and could not be here to celebrate with her mother.  However, Kurt and Nicole, on behalf of their sister, spoke of the deep love the three had for their mother, who replied in her own quiet style. Manager of the facility, which is located at the highest point of the Mount, Adrian James, certainly achieved what he had set out to do. He provided simple but good meals in a beautifully decorated dining room from which there is a view that is second to none.

On a hazy January morning way back in 1953, Lester Armoogam left his home at Claxton Bay to witness his first Test match between West Indies and India. Little did he know that 50 years down the road he would have seen 123 Test matches.

The 63-year-old Armoogam a successful contractor from Claxton Bay is one of the most ardent West Indies cricket fans of the game in the region. Armoogam remembered his first game: “At that time I was just 13 years old and was more curious than anything to see a Test match and all the stars of the West Indies and Indian teams. I was very excited that morning to visit and Oval and when I reached into the ground I fell in love with cricket and the relationship has just grown stronger and stronger every passing Test match.” “That excitement that I felt on the morning of the match still remains with me up until now and I felt that same way during the last Test match I saw between the West Indies and Sri Lanka at St Lucia.

Armoogam has visited all the Test playing countries except Bangladesh but will put that to rest as soon as the West Indies makes a Test tour to that part of the world. The affable Armoogam missed the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup finals earlier this year in South Africa saying that he was more willing to visit at the end of the year when the West Indies will play five Tests against South Africa. “One day cricket is great but for me the Test match is the ultimate form of the game. I will prefer to take in a Test match anytime in rather than a one day international.” Armoogam is happily married to Jean the sister of former Trinidad and Tobago player Chiki Sampath. They met at church in Tunapuna 43 years ago and have been together ever since. Jean makes some of the trips with Armoogam and her presence on a long overseas tour is a thrill to West Indian cricketers. On these trips, Jean usually prepares home cooked meals for the players who visit their hotel to take in the feast.

Armoogam is especially close to Guyanese batting maestro Shivnarine Chanderpaul who was spotted from an early age. The well off Armoogam started sending cricket equipment for the left hander from the tender age of 13. Up to this day they maintain a very close relationship and when Chanderpaul is in Trinidad he regularly visits Lester. Armoogam said whenever he leaves home he never feels lost. “I am treated first class by the West Indies players when I show up on tour. They are always checking out for me, finding out whether everything is fine with me. This is the relationship I have with the players and when they see me on tour they are happy.” Due to his extensive travel Armoogam has also made friends with players from opposing teams. “Players from opposing teams know me well and I have made friends with a good few of them. I love cricket and when I am around the artists of the game, I feel very fulfilled.”

Armoogam also threw in his piece on the pending election of a West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) president: “I am not happy about the way the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) handled the matter concerning Willie Rodriguez. They should have supported the local boy and Lequay as the Chief Executive officer (CEO) should have done some research on Chetram Singh. Now don’t get me wrong, Chetty and I are personal friends but Lequay should have checked to see whether his ownership of a racing pool would have affected his functions as president of the West Indies Board.” Armoogam was also very confident that the West Indies team would perform well on their upcoming tours. “That man Brian Lara is a model to the world. He has come back in as captain and shown what he is really made of and this must be recognised. This man will lead West Indies cricket unto greater things and we will all rejoice.” These days Armoogam is just sitting by anxiously waiting for when play is called for the tour of Zimbabwe. 

“After we lost the third Test against South Africa on that 1998 tour, I went to my hotel room and could not stop myself crying.” The words of the great West Indies cricket supporter Peter Matthews speaking to People about his experiences as a well travelled West Indian supporter.

“We went down to South Africa for our first full tour down there and the team were expected to gave a good account of themselves. However we played badly and I still think that we defeated ourselves on that occasion.” “After losing the first Test, I thought well a fight back is coming along somewhere. The second also went through the door and after the third was lost I could not help myself but to cry for hours. It really hurt, we wanted to come down here and gave those guys a cricketing lesson. What was also hurtful was the support we got from the locals and they were very disappointed that their West Indian heroes let them down.” Matthews— with the tallest hat in world cricket— made the trip to South Africa to support the West Indies team but suffered the ignominy of seeing the West Indies whitewashed in the five match series. “At the end of the third Test I left everyone at the ground and returned to my room where I had to let it out. Such is my passion for West Indies cricket. “I am going back down there at the end of the year and I am going for revenge. The scene is set with Brian Lara back as captain and the young pacers rearing to go at the South Africans. They are in the re-building phase and mark my words, we are going to rough them up.” “Not enough could be said of the great Brian Lara, he has shown the world what a gem he is. The man is one of the greatest to play the game and this time around I know he has something special in store for the South Africans. The fourth Test at Newlands will be Lara’s 100th Test and something is sure to play.” “I would not miss Lara’s 100th Test match for anything and I am getting the feeling that he has something special to gave his fans.”

Matthews has been an ardent West Indian supporter since the end of Gary Sobers’ career and has been with the team ever since. “Towards the end of Sobers’ career I started to follow the game and saw the great Rohan Kanhai, Viv Richards and Clive Lloyd,” said Matthews. His passion for the game grew and he started traveling around the West Indies 15 years ago to support the team. As his career as a businessman took off, Matthews became more comfortable and he started to travel further, reaching London and South Africa. He has steered clear of Asia for fear of sickness and violence but would like to visit ‘Down Under’ to take in cricket there. Looking forward to the tours ahead, Matthews said: “I was very happy to see the boys get a victory over Sri Lanka, I thought that if our boys had believed in themselves a little more they would have taken apart the Australians.” looking at the four tours ahead Matthews said that  the West Indies could climb up to number two if they beat South Africa and any of the other two teams.  “With some hard work this team can climb up to be number two and replace South Africa. What we need to do is pull a victory over them at home, which will be very hard. The team however has the capability to topple them.” Matthews can be seen at cricket grounds all over the Caribbean with his hats standing way above the others. His voice is regularly heard urging the players on and he will be looking to scream in delight in South Africa later this year.