I never really considered myself a fan on Depeche Mode — they just have this aura of 'pop Euro-trash' about them, I think. But the other night I happened across a TV show documenting their career.
It turns out that I know, and like, more of their songs than I thought I did — dating all the way back to when I was in high school.
Their latest single, Wrong, is the first from their most recent studio album, 2009's Sounds of the Universe. While they band members have got to be well into their 90's at this point (kidding), they still manage to produce a classic Depeche Mode sound, yet wrapped in a cloak of modern post-electronica that still resonates in today's music scene.
It seems that I stand corrected … this is some pretty good shit.
As aptly noted on Gorilla vs. Bear, 'one of the best new records that no one seems to be talking about at all is No Way Down, the little 6-song EP from Sweden's Air France that came out several weeks ago on Sincerely Yours.
With that said: yes, this is some outstanding new music, but it's also some EXTREMELY poor timing for the album's release, considering the names of the band and the CD. Here's the first single, Collapsing at Your Doorstep.
Like CNN, I too have conspicuously avoided writing about the Iranian election debacle and resulting demonstrations. However, I'd like to think that my reasons for doing so are far nobler than the simple neglect shown by CNN's and the remainder of the mainstream media.
And once coverage actually began in the mainstream media, instead of covering the actual events on the ground, ironically, much has instead been made about how the Obama administration should continue to handle the situation. Many pundits (on all sides of the political spectrum) are claiming the President should lend more vocal support to the protesters.
Personally, I disagree.
Although the cause may indeed be just, it's not America's role to engage in internal Iranian politics at this stage. Indeed, in this case, discretion is the better part of valor. The New Republic, of all places, has an unusually coherent editorial in this regard:
the Obama administration has to be very careful about backing, or even placing great hopes on, someone like Iran's Moussavi and even on his impassioned followers. If we are seeing the beginning of another revolution–or structural transformation–in Iran, it is worth remembering that before the dust clears on this events, Kerensky can become Lenin and Bani Sadr can become Khomeini.
Personally, I hope the violence ends soon. And I also hope, like many Iranians do, for change. The Iranian people deserve it.
However, regardless of the underlying causes behind what is now happening on the ground in Iran, regardless of whatever personal attachments or feelings I or anyone else outside Iran may have to same, and regardless of how the international community chooses to react, what is now happening is the province of the Iranian people. Moreover, it is one of the most important things taking place in the world right now. And it should not - cannot - be dismissed.
I would suggest everyone keep up with Andrew Sullivan and other non-traditional media sources for updates.
Salon published an article yesterday about President Obama's ongoing attempts to redefine the healthcare industry back in the States. Apparently sensing a potential loss in their staggering profit margins, the healthcare providers and insurance companies back in the States ain't gonna go quietly:
Obama may have gotten big healthcare industry players to agree to talk about reforms, but now that things are actually moving, they're not playing along as nicely as the White House hoped they would. "Remember how [healthcare interest groups] all wanted a seat at the table?" one consultant working on the issue said. "Well, now they're all throwing their food."
As aptly noted in the article, the U.S. spends more money on healthcare than any nation in the world without much evidence that the quality of the care is any better.
Having lived outside the States for several years now without the 'benefit' of American health insurance, I'm starting to get a better grasp on just HOW true this is. And just HOW ridiculously overpriced, ineffective, and at times, simply bizarre, the healthcare industry is back in the States.
I'm had the need to 'sample' the medical industries in several Asian countries now, including those in purported 'third-world' countries — Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and India.
And while the range of medical procedures I've needed while traveling has ranged from a full-fledged operative procedure to simple medical checkups, none of those countries — NONE OF THEM — were so bound up in red tape and exaggerated costs as they are back in the States.
Indeed, even without the luxury of medical insurance for more extensive procedures and treatment (which I pray I never need), the costs for every treatment and drug I've needed so far cost pennies on the dollar for what the same thing would have cost back in the States.
Only after you've escaped the prison of the American healthcare system does it become crystal clear just how horribly that industry is raping the American public. Through years of unfettered access to Congressional representatives and Presidents, the American healthcare industry has entrenched itself in the American political and financial world so well as to possess the most coveted position of power outside the oil and banking industries.
It's not a question of partisan politics. It's a question of power and money. And as we will no doubt witness over the coming months and years, now that these rapists have become so entrenched, they won't go without a fight. And they won't go quietly.
Which is a shame, because I was thinking of returning to the States at some point.
As one would imagine, when I head out to the islands (with no electricity and no running water and such), I don't keep up on the news as much as I might otherwise. Indeed, over the past couple years, I've realized that I can gather most of the news I need from the surf report.
Notwithstanding, I HAVE heard about this whole 'global economic meltdown' thingy that's going on. And I heard from several sources — online, televised, written and otherwise — that there may be the stirrings of a genuine economic recovery starting back in the States.
But then I read this uplifting op-ed piece in today's New York Times, from where the above picture was pilfered. The authors claim:
We are sympathetic to the extraordinary challenge the president faces, but if we’ve learned anything at all two years into the worst financial crisis of our lifetimes, it is that a capital-markets system this dependent on public confidence is a shockingly inadequate foundation upon which to rest our economy.
On the bright side, although one of the authors, Mr. Sandy Lewis, was convicted on federal charges of stock manipulation in 1989, he was pardoned by President Bill Clinton in 2001 and had his lifetime trading ban overturned by the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2006. As such, he can obviously lend his talents towards fixing the current situation.
Umm … perhaps 'fixing' wasn't the bast choice of wording.
Regardless, I'm sure Prez Obama will think 'outside the box' to sort this whole mess out. Oh yeah, although he promised to change the whole paradigm in Washington, he IS still just a politician — and a Democrat, at that. Which explains why he 'handed over his economic policy to worn-out Wall Street gorgons like Larry Summers and Bob Rubin.'
Oh, okay. Well then, there must still be a whole bunch of other people who can still straighten this mess out from the outside-in, right?
I mean, consider Goldman Sachs' new adviser, Arthur Levitt Jr., the former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. He's gonna be helpful.
Oh wait, what's that you say? Levitt helped convince Bill Clinton to make two of the most important bad decisions that led to this financial crisis. So now he’s still around helping to liaise between Goldman Sachs and the government.
Oh … okay. Yeah, I see your point — we're all still pretty fucked. Okay then, I'm going back to the islands and stick to reading the surf reports.
Last week marked the [REDACTED] year anniversary of when I [REDACTED] and left the States to instead begin my inexorable journey down the long road back to the middle. To commemorate the occasion, I purchased an 8 foot Mini-Malibu longboard to replace the one I left in The Philippines last year.
I've got a fairly rounded out quiver of surfboards at this stage — appropriate for most types of surf I can get out here in Indo, and indeed, around the world.
True, I still need a nice longer gun for some of the bigger, hollower Indo waves. But the way I see it, I can still barely perform adequately on the boards I've got. So let's not kid ourselves — sure, my skill level has increased dramatically from when I first left my job, and I'm still best riding a longboard, but I'm never going pro on ANY length board. EV-ER.
That being said, I took the new longboard out for a spin today and realized/remembered that I essentially just started surfing last year or so. Before then, I was riding longboards almost exclusively. And while there are a whole slew of skills associated with longboarding, it is in no way, shape or form the same as riding a regular surfboard.
I honestly thought I'd enjoy going back to the longboard again, but to be honest — I found it a bit boring now that I've experienced the thrills of riding big hollow tubes, and actually WORKING the wave the way you can only on a shorter board.
My biggest problem in the water is still my ongoing frustration with myself more than anyone else in the water. With all my time in the water, I feel like I should be a far better surfer at this stage in the game. But like I just said — I''ve essentially only just started surfing about 1-2 years ago. I hope I can bring some of that realization with me when I go back out on one of my shorter boards and do a snap off the lip, or get another amazing barrel ride — with that huge 'whooshing' sound of the wave closing in behind and atop me.
It's all good, mate. Semua bagus, dan saya senang sekali.
So, as expected, I've kinda settled back nicely into my Bali routine of coffee, surfing, hallucinogens, catching up on movies and TV, and doing yoga. One small hitch, tho.
Seems I didn't scrub out a reef scratch I got out on the islands last month, and I went to the Doctor yesterday to take care of an infected abscess on my right calf. It should be good after a week of antibiotics — no worries for now, we'll see how it unfolds.
One of the things I've just seen/heard since getting back here is Lilly Allen's newest album 'It's Not Me, It's You', which came out back on February 9th (I live in Indonesia, it takes time for this shit to get to us, okay?). Anyway, I heard the first release, 'The Fear' last nite on Jimmy Kimmel. I swear this chick can do no wrong — there's a great mix of 80's synth-pop, current electronica production, and awesome tongue-in-cheek lyrics ("I am a weapon of massive consumption …"). Jeez, I so wanna marry this chick.
After a month in Timur Leste (East Timur) and Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, I'm back in Bali again. I'll probably be here a month or so, but I've got friends visiting from the States, Australia, and Asia for the next couple months, so I may be traveling a bit too.
I'll keep you guys up to speed, such as it is.
P.S. BTW, no more posts about surf spots — EVER!! And I'm making all prior posts private. I met a bunch of Euro's who found out about my spots by reading this blog. Talk about shooting yerself in the foot, mate.
I'm in Dili, East Timor getting a new Indonesian tourist visa. After a 12 hour bus ride from Kupang to Dili, it looks like I'm gonna be here a few days. I waited at the Indo Embassy this morning for a couple hours, and now I need to wait another couple days before they issue the visa itself (which I'm told is fairly quick, all things considered).
There's pretty much NOTHING here but UN and NGO personnel mucking up the place. But apparently, there's some good diving spots in the area — which I plan on checking out if any places take me despite the fact I left my dive card back in Bali. We'll see how it plays out.
Other than that, it really is kind of a bizzare little world here. It's your typical 3d world shit-hole (excuse my Euro-centric judging), but the cost of everything is absolutely through the ROOF. Whereas I can get a pretty nice room in Bali (of all places) for about US$8 per nite, here in Dili, the cheapest I could find was for US$23 — and I'm sleeping in a converted shipping container (no joke — it's actually kinda cool[ish]). It's like being back in Hong Kong — only without the style, nightlife, and well … civilization.
On top of that, they've got the second biggest Jesus statute in the world here (let's here it for the Portugese — the first biggest Jesus statue is in Brazil, ANOTHER former Portugese refugee camp).
It's another one of those places with a really strange vibe going on — the locals still have a kinda 'subservient mentality' from the many years of Portuse and Indonesian abuses here, and from what I've heard, now the UN people have kinda continued with that tradition a bit.
It's kinda sad to see almost everyone FROM here look away and down, instead of smiling and waving — or even trying to sell you stuff like they do everywhere else in Asia. It's kinda sad.
I'm still getting my bearings, but I don't think I'll be here too long this time for it to make a deeper impression. I plan on heading back to Indo first thing after getting my visa on Wednesday — I don't think I could afford to stay here much longer.
With an area of just over 5,600 square kilometers (just over 2,170 square miles), the island of Bali is fairly large — nearly 10 times as large as Manhattan. And three decades ago, the Balinese economy was largely agriculture-based.
But now, tourism is the largest single industry. And tourist season is in full swing.
So, in addition to the 3.1 million or so natives, the 1 million or so other domestic workers (from Java and other islands), there are about 2 gazillion tourists roaming the streets, clogging the roadways, and otherwise kooking up the surf. And while it's good for the locals (they need the tourism money) and it's nice to see the new faces (sorta), it's also still getting just a bit much for me.
After one of my good friends broke her leg in 2 places this week when she got hit by some kook on a motorbike, and after I went surfing out at Uluwatu's a couple days ago with about 100 (no joke) of my closest 'friends and family', I remembered my initial plan when first moving to Bali — I wanted to use this island ONLY as a supply point and a 'stepping stone' to those other spots in Indonesia I TRULY love.
So I'm going someplace a bit calmer for a while.
First, I'm heading to Dili (East Timur) for a visa run, then I'm going back to Pulau Rote — about 1200 square kilometers, with an estimated total population of 100,000.
The village where I'm going (pictured above), there's no internet, no running water, and the electricity is turned on for about 6-8 hours per day. The tourist population is limited to other silly foreigners looking for surf and quiet. And there's not much to do besides surfing, sleeping, and the occasional jalan-jalan to the next village.
Hold all my calls, I'm gonna be off the grid for a while.
Anyone who knows me or who reads this blog (especially recently) knows that music plays an incredibly important role in my everyday life. I listen to my iPod on my motorbike, while shopping, or just walking around — pretty much any time I'm not in the water surfing, really.
In addition to forming the soundtrack to my life, that same music also reminds of the places I've been to and the people I've known over the years. And depending on the situation, any particular song can simply jog an insignificant memory or, in some cases, remind me of something so radical as to momentarily turn my world upside down.
Today at the coffee shop, I heard 'Jesus, Etc.', from Wilco's 2002 masterpiece, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.
The CD came out soon after I first moved to Miami. It was just after the September 11th attacks, I was working as a lawyer for someone who turned out to be one of my better friends for the next 4-5 years, my sister and brother-in-law just had their first child, and I living with my beautiful and brilliant (now ex) girlfriend in a small one bedroom apartment in South Beach.
Looking back, it was one of those glorious transitional periods we don't often recognize while we're in the midst of them. I don't think I've ever been closer to what I think I want than I was at that particular time in my life. I suppose I'm lucky to even have had that. But it hurts to be reminded or what I had and what I lost.
In case you're curious, I was the one who ruined things in the end — I left when she suggested that we buy a condo together. The typical commitment issues, I suppose.
Until the end, our relationship was fairly solid. But like all couples, we fought on occasion — people tend to grind on each other, especially when they live together. But also until the end, we always seemed to resolve things — mainly because, although she was younger than I, she was also far more mature (and intelligent). She usually did something to appease my ego while still getting me to see her side of things — effectively diffusing the conflict with little skin off of her nose.
After one of those fights, she bought me a copy of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot — one of her favorite new releases at the time. Although I had heard her playing it in the apartment, I hadn't really paid it much attention. But she handed me the CD wrapped in a piece of paper with the simple hand-written words:
OUR LOVE IS ALL OF GOD'S MONEY
She took the CD, sat me down on the couch, and played the song from where the lyric came — Jesus, Etc.. Then she sat down with me and put her head on my shoulder while we listened together.
To this day, I can't remember what we had fought about, or (besides the obvious) why that particular act of kindness immediately resolved the conflict. All I remember is how loved and comfortable and just … good I felt at the time.
But now, with the passage of time and additional experience, things are different. Now, and particularly today, when I heard that song, and that particular lyric, it was like getting the rug pulled out from under me. Because now, in comparison, I just feel lost.
Sure, it may just that's the loss of blissful ignorance talking. But it stings just the same — and then the melancholy comes over me like a warm blanket.
Continuing with the trend towards turning this blog into little more than a soundtrack to my daily life in the islands (and pilfering the best of the songs posted on KEXP's Song Of The Day), here's the latest tune I can't stop listening to — it makes for great driving music, great surfing music and, right now, great just-about-everything-else music.
It's pretty brand new-ish, Gui Boratto's "No Turning Back", from the 2009 album Take My Breath Away. It's been a while since I've heard something new from the electronic music front — it's good to know there are still some people producing great new electronic music.
In honor of the newly baptized 'Swine Flu' pandemic emanating from the great State of Mexico (the 51st, I believe), I thought the following tune from one of the most unappreciated bands from the late 1980's — Big Pig, may be appropriate.
The song is Breakaway, and for those of you under the age of 25, the video is from the opening credits to one of THE best movies of all time — 1989's Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (ironically, the clip is from a Spanish dubbed version of the movie).
Enjoy … and keep the hell away from me, you infected bastards.
I pulled a muscle in my shoulder/neck really bad the other day surfing and it's gotten to the point where I've resorted to taking muscle relaxers and Panadol in an attempt to get the muscle to stop spasming. So, needless to say, I don't feel much like doing anything right now, let alone writing a post.
With that being said, I'm also getting bored just surfing the web, searching for a nice NGO gig, and laying around being high on muscle relaxers. So, in times like these — we compromise. Here's a music video of Hallelujah The Hills' 2007 single, Wave Goodbye To Massachusetts.
The video looks like a fan-authored version and kinda sucks, but the song is awesome.
Today epitomizes one of the many ways Asia is so different to the States.
Today — or rather, this evening — the electricity in the entire towns of Legion and Seminyak — two of the biggest tourist and/or expat locales here on Bali — lost electricity for most of the afternoon and evening. Indeed, it is now about 8:30 at night, I'm at at a coffee shop working off a generator, and the electricity is still not on back in my house.
Chances are, nobody in a position of power (no pun intended) has even been alerted yet to the fact the electricity is, in fact, not working. Granted, the electricity goes out here on a fairly regular basis, but only for 15-20 minutes at a time — most likely due to overloads in the power grid. But the last time something like this happened for an extended period of time (a power pole went down on my street), it took most of 1.5 days for anyone to even START working on repairing the problem (and another 2 days for the power to eventually return — by which time, I was already gone to Bangkok).
Yes, California is also now prone to 'revolving power outages'. But the outpouring of righteous indignation and immediate demands for assistance I've witness there whenever THAT happens is absolutely ridiculous — even by California standards.
In contrast, here in Bali, nobody even seems to notice. Or care all that much … besides us Westerners. To wit, while the local family from whom I rent my villa took the outage as a call to make it an early evening, I simply had to get to a coffee shop and the internet, lest I be bored to death by the presence of candles and silence.
Sure, I like to play Asian, and I may raise my voice in defiance every once in a while, but as soon as the electricity goes down, my true colours come out. Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get back to my iced late and the latest episode of The Daily Show — who knows if I'll have my HBO back on when I get back home.
After 10 years of practicing law in the bowels of various soul-sucking U.S. law firms, I sold everything but my surfboard and a laptop, and moved to Asia in a desperate attempt to reclaim my soul.
