Comedienne, Elva.

Elva Allison Ruddock is a comedienne with an atypical view on life.

She believes that we were not put on the earth to work until we become sixty -the traditional age for retirement.

In fact, the only usual idea she subscribes to is the matter of keeping her age private.

So radical is her view that she is currently on what she calls early retirement. With this schedule, she is a substitute employee for her old job (a financial services company from which she resigned in 2006), filling in whenever someone goes on vacation or if a season increases the work load, which gives her lots of time to do other things or do nothing at all.

"I live in Elva Land," proclaims the Kingston born Portmore resident who is the second of four children by parents, Egbert and Ruby Ruddock.

Weekly performances

Hers is a tale that saw her and her three siblings featuring in weekly performances at home since their modest upbringing was devoid of televised entertainment.

"Everyone had to perform on Friday evenings. Every week some one else would be in charge and you had to do everything; so if you came up with a play that had five characters then you had to play all five roles," she explained, claiming also that "I am the least funny of my family."

But that was just one way that the emphasis on self-expression - which would later make her famous and happy - was used by her parents to socialise their flock of four.

"We never had much money but we were encouraged to speak our minds and be creative. If we went out with Daddy and wanted to use the restroom, we would have to go ask for ourselves because he wanted to teach us independence. We used to have to read The Gleaner aloud to the neighbours."

Little wonder

It is little wonder then - though at the time it surprised her - that when she performed for the first time in 2005 at the Caribbean Comedy Festival in Washington, she was an unscripted performer who became an instant hit.

Dead wid laaf

Her first experience on stage: "Dem tell mi mi have 15 minutes and mi nat even have no material, mi just say 'my name is Elva I am a Jamaican and mi wear wig' and di people dem just a ded wid laaf and mi just talk and then mi just see the light flash fi seh mi time up. After the show, people come backstage and tek picture and a man pay mi fi just being a Jamaican. I thought 'this is fun' and it's been like that ever since."

Though she does not perform much these days, Elva believes she is fated to experience that audience with whom she will just not click.

"I am yet to experience the audience that will boo, but I expect it to happen as it has happened to the best of the best."

One audience that she has definitely won over is the Full House Friday fans.

Sensation

The radio show, which is aired on FAME FM on Friday mornings between 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., has made her into something of a sensation among the station's listeners. For her, this is a perfect channel as she gets another vehicle to air her many opinions on life.

The usual segue from a hit radio show is the opportunity to voice commercials and emcee various events. One such opportunity for Elva was provided by the organisers of the Guinness Sounds of Greatness competition, who invited her to host Jamaica's first 'clean sound clash', an activity of which she speaks highly.

"Sound clash is a beautiful thing, and mi feel seh if the selector dem can get the Guinness message, juggle when you need fi juggle and talk when a time fi talk, cut out the nastiness and mek people enjoy dem self everything woulda goodÉ mi feel se di people dem a get it and mi like that," she explained.

Though her final task related to the competition will be on Saturday, November 15, at Mas Camp when finalists Rebel T take on Bodyguard, that's possibly as much as her future is planned.

When quizzed about it, relationships and children her response is unoriginal on the one hand and Elva-esque on the other.

Future: I live each day as it comes; the Father will give me what I need when I need it. I don't do the long-term planning. Mi mother say mi a di most ambitionless pickney she have.

Children and Marriage: I don't plan on having any children because I don't believe in 'babyfather' and I don't see myself getting married cause I don't think there's a man out there that can understand and deal with me. I am not even looking. Why buy the bull if is just oxtail you want? Bull a go need barn and special grass and all dem something deh.

In Elva Land, life is perpetually on "chill" mode, early retirement is normal, there is no future, and when it comes to work she quips "I work like a site man. When mi bruk mi go look work, other than that mi just kick it."