The adventures of Roseternal

Yes, we really did save the best jazz for last. Tonight it was very relaxing with beautiful people who came out to close the festival with us. The Rumors lounge in hotel Krasnapolsky was set in the perfect ambiance and captured every visitor that stepped in. Again Bruut! did a great job. The energy and fun that they had on stage found its way to the crowd. They were enjoying it so much that I had to ask for an encore. As tired as they were, I understood later that they had a hectic day, they did put the same amount of energy in every song. And as I said on stage -I was the mc of the night- in the past days, they really won not only the ears of music lovers but also their hearts. We will certainly miss the men in suits. Part of the public in Rumors / Hotel Krasnapolsky. The last two hours of the nights were in the hands of the musicians that came out to close the festival with a jam. It was the youth that first took the stage. They were jazzing themselves into the hearts and ear...

From my point of view, the jazz festival reached a high peak these two days. We had our main event tonight by the poolterras of hotel Torarica, who has been our jazz partner for years now. Denis Lapassion from French Guyana. The scene was simple, just a few candles that were romancing the night a little. But again a lot of people came out to enjoy the lineup, which started with Denis Lapassion from French Guyana. I was stunned when I had a short talk with him, prior to his performance. "In my country other than a jazz festival every two years we have no other jazz concerts." I can't believe my ears. But Denis gets a lot of invitations to perform in the world. I was glad to hear that. As a great pianist, it would be a great lost if he couldn't share his gifts with the world like he did this past weekend with us. And the fact that he sold quite some cd's proofs that Suriname loves his music. Also because it comes close to our kaseko jazz. The guys in suits t...

Without a doubt. 't Vat was today the place to be for the Suriname Jazz Festival. The place was packed with people. The vibe that they shared and the energy coming from the performers made it a night worthwhile. A lot of people were surprised at what they were hearing and seeing. Some of them had plans to drop by and continue their evening. No such thing, because the energy was too powerful to leave. This young lady gets some inspiration to play the piano. As board members, we had a packed day. Which started with the early setup, workshops from noon till 18.00 hours and performances that started a little after 7. I had my own proud moment. The youngsters that participated in the workshop Honoring our Jazz legends did a great job paying tribute to the jazz legends and great musicians Suriname has. We did them proudly for sure. It was a pity the sound man did not do a great job. The first two songs were such a poor presentation due to the bad quality of the sound. I was pissed...

Let me tell you something. There were two perfect things at the 2nd day of the Suriname Jazz Festival 2013. Guests are enjoying the jazz outside Spice Quest: Jazz in the street. 1. The scene was a beautiful setting. Guests were welcomed by torches in front of the restaurant, where also a big screen and seats were waiting for those who wanted to enjoy the jazz in the street. Inside the candles and some more torches completed the look. You couldn't think otherwise than that it would become a romantic jazz evening. 2. That's exactly what happened. You see, Mr. Randy Corinthian and his sax...sigh...oh boy. When he started to serenade the woman in the public one by one with his song 'New Place' the mutual love for the night was complete. Randy was sweating it out..okay also because of all the lights on stage, but still, he worked so hard with his band. It was the perfect touch to the romantic jazz evening. And yes, I was also serenaded...double sigh... Look a...

I'm really that hyped over what happened tonight that I just can't get to sleep yet. The 11th Suriname Jazz Festival started officially and the scene was just right. Picture this: a small cafe, in a small street in the middle of the city. The podium was set across the street with the beautiful and peaceful palm garden in the back. And two main things for the night: jazzy tunes & happy people. Aaaaaahhh...what a moment to experience. The public enjoying the opening night. The evening started with some great news. Next year we can invite jazz groups from Guyana & Haiti. And maybe again from Brasil (like last year). Add that to the groups from Holland and de USA and our own guys...next years event will be even bigger. But back to tonight. The youth started out with some nice songs. The public was enjoying it while they had some good wine, our Parbo Beer (just the best beer in the world) and juice with Malibu. Who drinks that by the way? After an hour the internat...

I'm tired..really tired, but luckily not extremely tired, because through all the tiredness I will still need to enjoy the 11th Suriname Jazz Festival here in Paramaribo. We had months of planning. Jan, Charlene, Jean-luc, Sergio and me. This year we started even earlier just to be sure we would finish all the work in time to be able to slow down the pace in october. Who-ever told that fairy tale that doing preparations like that, is possible is living in Wonderland. Really, it doesn't matter how early you start, the work ALWAYS piles up when the event is almost there. So with that in mind we kept on going, getting all those hurdles out of the way. And today the day the festival starts, we managed to put together a five day festival in five locations. Find all the information here or on facebook . Today I got a phone call from a business partner/friend. She said: "Rose I think everyone is enthusiastic. There is really this buzz going on. I hear people planning their...

As the circle of life goes on, so does the extra weight your gaining without 'noticing'. Suddenly one day the favorite skirt or dress doesn't fit anymore. You put it aside and just think that miraculously it will fit again one day. A trip to the store is next, because your wardrobe needs some 'weight' as well. And so the story continuous. Over the years you solemnly pledge to start eating healthy, minimize the junk and start exercising so you can return to that favorite skirt. No such luck. The skirt stays in the closet as a still reminder of how it once was. No idea where to start since you are constantly hearing a lot of stuff about different kinds of diets. The worst of them all: you start eating again just like before the 3 months. Than why all the hassle? But than I learned about Body by Vi. Two times a day you shake and you still can eat everything you want. Well, not exactly everything. The first thing that has to go is the sugar. No sugar whatsoever. Oka...

In life you always meet new friends. That's a fact. What's also a fact is that you connect at once or the connection takes time to grow. Either way, the best way to keep that growing is to spend time together. And so I met some great people I had to work with executing a new initiative: the Moengo Festival of Music. We came together by chance and started bounding in a funny way; through the work that needed to be done. It was all hands on deck. We had to since some people who promised to be there weren't. And although everyone had it's own job we stepped in, without thinking, to help each other out. During 3 days we had to get up early in the morning and went to bed the next morning. Yes, after the festival hours we sat down to chill and laugh. One by one everyone was leaving for their room. Oh..our rooms, since we hooked up 2 or 3 peops in one room. In the end we were tired, but the job was done. And not just done: the festival became a huge success. Wanna see: chec...

For ages I wanted to start my own blog. Never got a chance to. As a journalist I always encounter the most wonderful things in life. Wonderful yes, even the crazy, emotional, scary and painful things are wonderful. It's just the way you put it. And I like to do things my way: positive. You know why? Because in the end everything has a message. You just need to have the eyes to see it. A process that takes years to develop, but once you have them they are a blessing. So this new kid on the blog will share her experiences with you. That is of course if you want to be part of it. Feel free to comment, but please keep it clean. Feedback is always welcome, because again that's how I grow. No not literally, haha..for that I have the delicious food my mom is preparing me every single day. Moms food is the greatest! Ehm...no MY moms food is the greatest. But that chapter I will share with you another day. So what do you think of my try-out? Odi (means greetings in my native langu...