(Via Failblog.org)

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I really enjoyed the place. Despite the fact that it IS a well-known tourist destination, Ubud still has a great 'vibe.' Ubud also has the 'Monkey Forest', a small nature reserve that houses a temple and over 200 long-tailed macaque monkeys.

It's obviously a very artsy place. But it also has a genuine spiritual feel — the people seem to be much more about living their Hindu faith than here in the south, where it feels like the faith has devolved into a Westernised characterture of itself.

It's a bit slower. The people seem a bit more genuine. The smiles more forthcoming. The people — locals and expats alike — seem less influenced by the whole tourist trade than down here. They're all just a bit … nicer! (a friend of mine says most of the expats living down south area look like someone just pissed on their face — unfortunately, he's right).

Additionally, I took the cycle for a ride 2-3 hours further north and it all just felt a bit like India SHOULD have felt (if that makes any sense). Also, I finally got the first good back massage ever outside of Thailand.

So, all in all, it was very nice.

I just went for a few days to scope it out, but I'll be heading back up again in the next week or so. I plan to be up there often over the next couple months (which are the rainy season here in Bali, and the surf isn't all that great). Instead, I'll do what I did last year this time, when I went to Sri Lanka and India — focus on my yoga practice (there are several really good yoga places in Ubud) while still going out for a surf every once in a while.

I've been told there are numerous OTHER places in the north of the island that are just as,if not more, laid back as the Ubud area. I'm looking forward to visiting them in the coming months. And I'm just really glad I decided to move to Bali — especially considering I'd effectively be a hostage right now had I stayed in Bangkok.

P.S. I've started taking pictures again and should have some from this Ubud trip up online in the next few days.

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After months of (in my opinion) useless demonstrations, things have been taken to a whole other level of insanity. Specifically, the anti-government group People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) has been leading protests against the government since May, accusing the government of being a front for ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and protesters surrounded the parliament building on Monday, forcing lawmakers to postpone their session.

Now, according to the latest from CNN:

Blasts at two Bangkok airports wounded four people early Wednesday, triggering the closure of the main international airport, authorities said.

The explosions come a day after thousands of anti-government protesters stormed the airports to protest the return of Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat from the APEC summit in Peru.

One blast occurred at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 5 a.m. (2200 Tuesday GMT), an airport official said. One person was wounded in that attack.

Continued protests caused authorities to cancel all incoming and outgoing flights there.

I know I kid a lot, but this is really fucked up — especially considering it's taking place in a Bhuddist country (and somewhere I called home as recently as last week).

For the first time in a while, I'm glad to be anywhere BUT Bangkok right now. All I can do now is hope for quick and non-violent outcome, and of course that all my friends in Thailand emege from this unscathed … soon!

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สักยันต์ - Sak Yant; Sak - meaning "to tap" or, "to tattoo", and Yant, meaning "Yantra". Originally derived from the Sanskrit word "YANTRA".

Through some sort of Google 'search engine magic', this site — and, in particular, the posts HERE, HERE and HERE — has become some sort of pseudo-authority on the sacred Bhuddist art of 'Sak Yant' tattooing.

The bad news is that, as I stated in the comment section of one post:

Just to set the record straight, I pretty much know jack-shit about EVERYTHING.

My admitted stupidity notwithstanding, people STILL continue to be directed here by the search-engine gods in their quest for knowledge about Sak Yant. My apologies, everyone.

The good news, however, is that I too know know how to use Google to find ACTUAL authorities on the subject of Sak Yant tattoos and have posted links in my above-referenced posts to ACTUAL sak yant authories. Moreover, one of my best friends in Bangkok actually did a video piece for the Bangkok Post (see below) about Arjan Noo, one of the best know Say Yant artists in the — having given Angelina Jolie her well-publicized sak yant tattoos.

The other good news is that there has also been some faily interesting information posted by visitors in the commentary of my posts, including this latest comment by ujalakali:

I have a sak yant tattoo and I am a woman. I made a kind of pilgrimage to bkk to get it done. actually, i would have gone to anyone, but ended up at arjan noo’s to get it done in the belief that women cannot be touched by monks–which arjan noo is not.

later a westerner with plentiful sak yant told me that some bkk temples will put sak yant on women.

here is my experience:
I only have one and was not allowed to choose it. this is important! i think you often dont really get to choose. you tell them what is going on with you (i was on my way to afghanistan so i recieved the protection yant) and they give you the one that is best. also, i felt that they strongly encouraged putting the yants in the classic places. AJ’s is in the normal place for a protection tattoo. they put mine in a slightly different place. they were very clear that they were not going to do anything on my lower back, even though i didn’t ask for such a thing. this was a clear rule.

one final thing–this is for real. everything changed for me after recieving the tattoo. come correct.

This is all I really know, that which is my experience–i dont know about the other yants and dont know what the experience is for men.

i have a question if anyone knows– are there rules explicit for women? as far as i can see the rules are mostly for men, so i just try to stay on the right path as i see it. but if there are ladies rules, i would love to know them! thanks!

As I mentioned in those comments:

… it’s my understanding that the ‘rules’ on Sak Yant (in general) is that you cannot have an actual image of the holy Buddha anywhere on your body, and that the yants themselves are not to be placed anywhere beneath the waistline (which, for obvious reasons, is considered unclean — that’s also the reason monks are not allowed to touch women, as they are alleged to be unclean … sorry girls, I’m just the messenger.

That being said, I can also advise all of you fellow tattoo enthusiasts (read: freaks) that obviously Arjan Noo himself does sak yants for women (although when I went for one, he charges foreigners — 'falangs' — about US$2,000.00 per, and presumably more if you're a celebrity).

Further, there was also a Malaysian woman behind me to get inked at Wat Bang Phra when I got my first sak yant. I assume she eventually got one there, although I didn't stick around to confirm it, and it's my understanding that women there are only allowed to get 'invisible tattoos' made with vegetable oil instead of ink.

Again, what the hell do I know, right?

So for those of you still interested in more info, you can go to the appropriately named Sak-Yant.com — it has just about everything you may want to know on the subject.

And who can (or want to learn to) read Thai, here's a link to Arjan Noo's website — actually, there are a bunch of links there written in English also.

Last, but not least, there's this: the VERY BEST news story you'll ever see about the subject — where my buddy, Desho Bernard of the Bangkok Post (a.k.a. Guru Bangkok), went to do a story on Arjan Noo and got tattooed instead:

That is all … freaks.

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I've mentioned several times just how iconic Facebook has become over the past year — and not just for the pimpled high-school masses, but also for me and most of the other ex-pats I know living abroad. It is THE simplest way to keep in touch with all of my friends and acquaintances, and also to find out if any of them will be around in any of the cities and/or countries I'm currently in or plan to soon visit.

In a word, it's easy. And as such, I'm an admitted addict.

But I think it's now gone way past the point of mere utilitarianism. Facebook has reached the point where it's just plain creepy. No, I take that back … it's really fucking creepy.

Example — over the past month or so, not only have I have been contacted on Facebook by people I used to know back when I was growing up in the slums of West Philadelphia (I don't care what anyone says, a neighborhood can still be a slum regardless of race, income or social status — hell, just look at the entire State of New Jersey), but I've also been contacted by my older sister's former schoolmates and several PARENTS of people I used to know back in the ol' hood.

I don't care what others say, but for me, that's just plain wrong.

It's kind of like clothes that have become fashionable — as soon as you see your mom wearing a 'FRANKIE SAYS RELAX' t-shirt, you know it's all over.

The problem in this case is that I never actually liked my 'FRANKIE SAYS' t-shirt (assuming, arguendo, I ever owned one). In contrast, I use Facebook on a daily basis … I am a SLAVE to Facebook. In fact, it's gotten to the point where my ACTUAL friends and I sit around and brainstorm about what we should write for out online statuses the moment we all return home. It's just THAT BAD.

This presents me with something of a conundrum: can I release my Amy Winehouse-like addiction to Facebook for long enough so that those people I've been avoiding for the past 20 years will either spill their troughs of bourbon accidentally onto their computers or, alternatively, so that they'll just forget about me (which I admit isn't the most likely scenario, considering it's already been 20 years and they're still harassing me)?

Yeah, it's pretty doubtful.

Now don't get me wrong, being put back into contact with all there old acquaintances hasn't been ALL bad. Shit, I admittedly joined a Facebook group especially for my old neighborhood. I did so voluntarily, perhaps out of a sense of morbid curiosity — something akin to slowing down at the scene of a car wreck.

Part of it was in furtherance of my own personal introspection. I'm keeping the contacts because I wonder if these people I grew up with see me now the same way I still see them — 20 years gone. And I wonder if they've any concept of what I've been though and how I see them in their lives. Does it really fucking matter?

Also, I recognize that I'm looking at the old pictures they post, not with a sense of melancholic nostalgia and regret, but with a return of the grim determination I had when I first left for college — to prove what I already knew was true — that I was better than they were.

And while that selfish determination has mellowed a bit over the years, I am admittedly enjoying this resurgence from the past just a bit too much.

Mort likely than not I am enjoying the cruel satisfaction that comes from hearing about all these people who peaked in High School (and with whom I never really got along with) — just hearing about how … mundane and … well, ordinary their lives turned out. While mine (for now, at least), in contrast, has and continues to be a journey and adventure that I absolutely treasure.

There is also another bright side to the whole Facebook creepiness that satisfies my more Buddhist tendencies, which is that, in addition to most of the knuckle-draggers I knew from back in the day, there are scattered about them several other gems who also took their lives into their own hands after 'back in the day' ended and they focused on bettering themselves (through travel, advanced education, or otherwise).

And who knows, maybe these folks make all the other nonsense tolerable. Or maybe Facebook IS just really creepy … it's still too early to tell.

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But, as always, I was also able to visit and spend some time with my friends in Bangkok (whom we sorta affectionately call The 'Bangkok Brat Pack' — I'm Judd Nelson). And while it's nice to back to an island pace, I already miss my friends in Bangers. I really can't describe just HOW lucky I've been in meeting the people I have in the past couple years (and beforehand too). My friends in Bangkok are simply amazing people and I love them dearly. I don't know what's gonna happen if and when I ever have to return to the States. I really don't.

But that time is (hopefully) some time away still. And I'm back in one of the most beautiful tropical paradises in the world. And I have friends here, as well. So my goal is to try to continue to enjoy myself as much as possibly in the midst of missing my Bangkok friends, and so much doom and gloom elsewhere.

On another note upon which I plan to expand later, I've recently been contacted on Facebook by a number of people I grew up with back in Philly. It's both interesting and a bit disconcerting. I haven't thought about many of these folks for a long time, and while it's interesting, I'm not sure exactly how I feel about having to explaining myself all these people I left in the dust decades ago — especially considering I've been doing it here — publicly — for the past several years.

We'll see how it unfolds. I'm going for a surf.

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(Via my buddy Desho at Guru Bangkok).

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And now, courtesy of my very own Alma Mater, comes this latest 'shocker' from (unfortunately) still President George W. Bush:

'Two in the pink, one in the stink' — Yep, this final bit of sophmoric idiocy sounds about right.

(Via College On The Record and Deus Ex Malcontent)

P.S. And no, it's NOT the Sun Devil 'Pitchfork' sign — which, when I was attending, was the index, middle and ring fingers held up as a 'III' pitchfork, not the shocker.

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I figure it's the best way for my friends and family to see some of the truer elements of the places where I'm traveling and living, and aso a hell of a lot easier than sitting down and writing out something for the blog (which, as we all know, would significantly eat into my much needed 'nap time').

I'll probably start in the next couple days, so stay tuned.

P.S.: In addition, I've also added few new links:

The first is to a Mina I Bangkok, a blog recently started by a Swedish friend of mine writing, coincidentally, about being a Swede living and working for a non-profit here in Bangkok.

The second is Where Was I?, another new(ish) blog written by former CNN'er Jacki Schechner (between her and Chez, I'm trying to cover most of the former CNN'ers from Miami — no, Rick Sanchez is NOT next).

And the third is to Yoga Elements, my yoga studio here in Bangers — possibly the best studio I've been to in my life. If you're ever in Bangkok and need a good yoga studio, check them out.

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Black Kids is an American indie rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. The band's debut EP, Wizard of Ahhhs, was released to critical acclaim in 2007 and was followed by Partie Traumatic in July 2008. Rolling Stone included Black Kids on their "Artists to Watch" list in 2007, and they appeared on the BBC "Top 10 Sounds of 2008″ poll.

Yeah, I know they've been around a couple years now, but due to my traveling I'm a bit out of touch with the music scene, and these guys are only now starting to get popular out here in Asia (perhaps it's the Asian fascination with all things "80's" … everything except Bruce Willis, of course).

I like the band. And it's great to see a new generation picking up the melodic tunes from the 1980's (especially after the considerable simplification that's taken place in the mainstream music industry over the past 20 years), and while imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, many of the songs from the Black Kids debut album sound almost exactly like The Smiths and The Cure.

No, they are not the most exciting new prospect out there, but they've got incredible energy, and some of their newer songs show a greater diversity of direction As such, they have the potential not only to become a great indie-pop band, but also to redirect the entire pop music genre away from simplified, over-produced joke it's become in recent years.

Take a listen …

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When I first started writing this blog a couple years back, it was ostensibly for three reasons: (1) to practice my narrative writing skills, (2) to provide a public outlet, however small, for all my outrage against the American political and social landscape, and — what I considered to be — the unfortunate state of my life in general; and (3) to make fun of Britney Spears.

Now, considering the fact that I am in the midst of a 3 year 'surf sufari", Americans wholeheartedly voted against the Republican, neo-conservative agenda that has been poisoning the world for the past 8 years, and that Britney Spears will apparently be successful in conducting her comeback number 23, that leaves me with just 'working on my writing skills' as the main emphesis for this blog.

And anyone who has been reading this dribble (like the above, for example) can tell how THAT'S going … yah, not so well. Ever since I left the States in an effort to find the perfect wave, my writing has become pretty stale, and fairly one-dimentional.

In fact, it's much worse that that. It's not just my writing that has become one-dimentional, it's my entire being. And while I enjoy the idea of simplifying my life to the extent where I can focus my energies into only 1-2 things that are really important to me, it's now reached a level where I can't even speak to people — good friends of mine — unless the conversation is about surfing or yoga for surfing (okay, so maybe 1 and 1/2 dimentional).

It has taken the election to sort of rattle me out of this self-induced slumber — I never thought I'd again be interested in politics, or anything else for that matter. But I guess recognizing you have a problem is the first step in correcting it — isn't that what they say at all the 12 step programs?

Yeah, I'll think about it. In the meantime, I'm late for my yoga class, so if you'll excuse me …

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However, that being said, it's time to move on.

And what better way is there to move on (other than returning to the frozen wasteland from whence thy came) then by picking up some worthless Battlestar Galactica memorabilia!

Don't get me wrong, I am most definitely NOT a Battlestar Galactica nerd fanboy. I'm just hoping to pick up a Cylon Number Six — I heard they're selling for pennies on the dollar!!

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It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.
– President Elect Barack Obama

It's over. Finally. Thank FUCKING god!

After a seemingly endless election cycle, the race for the next President of the United States has finally been decided. And regardless which of the candidates had won, there now exists a light at the end of the tunnel that has been the George W. Bush presidency. The nightmare — for Americans, Iraqis, and countless others worldwide — will soon be over.

Even better, and more overwhelming news is that the American public — whether due to huge voter turnout, shifting demographics, or the presence of sheer logic — managed to overcome whatever fear, bigotry or hatred they may have to elect the right person for the job at this particular point in history:

President-Elect Barack Obama.

Personally, I didn't think they had it in them. I never actually thought it would happen. And I had resigned myself to be a reluctant ex-pat "American" for years to come.

Unless you're an American living abroad during the past 8 years, you probably don't understand the magnitude of the decision made today back in the States. Even despite the 2004 election debacle, most people worldwide (at least those I've met and heard about) continued to believe that Americans — while unbelievably DUMB — were, by in large, still good people that somehow fell under the thumb of an evil, dictatorial ruler, and were simply awaiting someone (or something) to lead them to better days.

Had McCain (his own qualifications, or lack thereof, notwithstanding) been elected, or even had Obama not been elected by the wide margin of victory it now appears he will win by, I'm not sure how much more other citizens of the world could have taken. I honestly feared the rest of the global community may have turned on regular American citizens, in general.

Thankfully, that is a concern I now don't need to confront.

Instead, a majority of Americans have proved worthy of the trust freely bestowed upon them by the rest of the world. A world which now has the ability — rightly so, in my opinion — to justify their decision in that regard. And for the first time in a very, VERY long time, I'm proud to call myself an American while traveling and living abroad.

Today, I am a true American patriot.

Again, those of you who have never been in my position may judge, heckle or otherwise condemn my feelings as simply riding the "Obama Bandwagon". However, those of you who do so don't know how it felt to be traveling around Indonesia and having to deal with the looks of utter contempt on the faces of previously friendly locals upon hearing where I'm from. Nor did you have to constantly distance yourself from the country you love simply because it has been so utterly PERVERTED by the evil whims of one man (or one party). Or to do so simply so you won't get 'taken for a ride' by the local authorities because you're an American (one time in Costa Rica, the only way I got out of a 'ticket' was by saying although I was American, I still hated George Bush — they loved that).

Regardless, I feel like a huge weight has been removed from my shoulders, and from the world's collective conciousness. I can lift my head high again — something new to me during my only recent tenure living abroad — when saying where I'm from, who is my President, and acknowledging that my fellow Countrymen (and women) voted as they did:

For change. For peace. For logic. For balance. For everything good and right that the United States of America is supposed to embody — proving that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth.

Granted, this comes with a huge amount of responsability to place on the shoulders of any one man. But President-Elect Obama asked for our trust, we gave him our trust, and now I can only sit back and hope he continues to earn our trust — and the trust of the rest of the world.

UPDATE: I just saw this article over at the Huffington Post written by William Kole — an American living abroad in Europe — echoing the sentiments voiced above, and by seemingly every other expat American I know.

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Now I know what my Halloween Costume is gonna be. I'm just wondering if anyone OUTSIDE Texas and Missouri would find it more entertaining than disturbing.

P.S. I'm actually celebrating Halloween the 'Old Fashioned Way' — I'm back in Railay, enjoying some great tropical weather, some good climbing, and a cocktail on the beach. God, I love this place.

P.P.S. Hey Dee, everyone here is STILL asking about you. What the fuck, did you buy all the people here new cars or something?

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I know the tone of my blog of late has been less than optimistic, to say the least.

Rather, when I've posted at all, those posts have reflected the high anxiety of the world financial markets, the vitriolic advancing of the U.S. Presidential election, and my own general frustration about my continuing inability to find my place in the world.

As my friend here has told me, tho — get the fuck over it. There's nothing much you can do about those things. But I am living in tropical paradise (of sorts) with immediate access to some of the best surfing in the world. I've enough money left to live like like royalty here for the next year, at least — so suck it the fuck up.

There is little reason for my high anxiety right now, expecially considering my current locale and my daily routine of surfing and eating cheap Indonesia food.

Ironically, I feel that much of this is tied to the fact that, for the first time in several years, I have cable television and internet at my home — incuding access to international news networks. I have, until now, been fairly segregated from the nightmares being broadcast 24 hours a day on these chanels.

I can't help but feel that my immediate access to these outlets hs at least SOMETHING to do with my growing unease and anxiety. I really think I ned to lose the television again, and by implication, admit that my parents were right: "Television rots your mind" — especially during a U.S. Presidential race.

And that doesn't even include all the political ads we don't have to put up with here overseas. I can only imagine how miserable the people living back in the States must feel — being constantly innumdated with bad financial news and bitter campaign politics.

Yep, I've got it pretty fucking good over here.

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I find myself sitting in yet another of a long line of coffee shops offering free wireless internet in a successful bid to make me pay an outrageous amount of money for a simple cup o' joe. Only I'm not in Miami, or Singapore, or Boston, or even Bangkok — I'm in Bali (Seminyak, to be preceise).

While I generally try to avoid the pricier resteraunts and cafes, I've grown accustomed to dealing with such Western-inspired capitalistic touches over the past couple years in order to maintain at least a minor level of connectivity with the rest of the Western world.

I usually come out of these cafes carrying a slight yoke of guilt hanging from my subconcious, considering I've just spent more for a cup of coffee than a local person makes in a week. And lately, at the same time, I've also managed to gain a slight twinge of self-pity because I've lost so much money over the past month or so (due to the current financial crisis).

It's an interesting perspective I've somehow manage to maintain despite my obvious good forture. Indeed, due to some decent investments and the assistance of my family back in the States, I've managed to maintain a life abroad without the need for employment going on 3 years now.

While I once thought I would be able to continue in this way for another 2-3 years, it seems the end may be in sight.

However, this unwelcome clarity of vision is not what, or how, I envisioned my time living abroad would devolve into. Rather, I thought I would be able to live as I've been doing for at least 4-5 years, and eventually go back to the States with a renewed sense of eergy and optimism — looking forward to a triumphant return to the workforce — on my own terms.

But I don't feel like that … at least not right now. Instead I feel like I've had the rug pulled out from under me just as I was starting to get my balance back.

I feel cheated.

Yes, there are millions upon millions who are in much worse shape than I am. Yes, there are a large number of people who have lost most, if not all of their life (and retirement) savings. Yes, there are people here in Asia who have lost their jobs and homes and now worry about about where they and their families will get their next meal.

Yes, everyone is getting hit hard right now. But that does not change the underlying sefish human emotion of: "Yeah, that's them –this is ME!"

I know there are far, FAR more bitter pills to swallow, but this one is particually difficult for me right now. I've already tightened my belt. I've already prepared for an uncertain future. I'm living in Southeast Asia where my biggest daily expense — rent and transportation included — is a cup of coffee. And it STILL doesn't seem to be quite enough.

I know I join a chorus of millions, perhaps BILLIONS, when I say: "I just don't know what else to do to protect myself in the midst of this mess, except to hope that it ends soon."

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Ahh, we laugh because it's funny, and we laugh because it's true (sorta … ish).

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Nuff said.

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• I left my Bankcard in an ATM and it was gone when I checked back 2 minutes later.
• I got stopped by the cops for allegedly speeding — while other Balanese were passing me on both sides.
• I had to pay a taxi driver 5 times what we orginally agreed or he threatened to drop me in middle of nowhere late at night coming from airport.

Of course, these have been nothing more than mere inconveniences, but they still have made this move particularly irksome.

First, although I've been in Indonesia — on and off — for most of the past year, I must remember that this area of Indo (and Bali, in particular) is NOT the 'First World' … or even Thailand or Rote.

I lived in Bangkok and Singapore for the better part of 2 years and I NEVER got harrassed by the Police. Never!

Indeed, the Police in Thailand and Singapore were more of a help than a hinderance (as they should be). But I have been hassled here in Bali twice so far in the past 10 days, essentially for being a foreigner from whom they can extort money.

The same goes for the locals here. I have been 'worked' and otherwise taken advantage of by a number of them in the past 10 days simply because I needed help and they knew I had no other options. And this is supposedly a Hindu island that believes heavily in 'karma'. If so, that explains why many of them are still stuck in a shitty life.

However, during my entire time in Bangkok (which is heavily Buddhist), I was NEVER 'worked' to the extent I have been here lately — by taxi drivers, merchants, cops, my landlord … everyone! Yes, some say that 'bargaining' is part of their culture here. Possibly, but the utter greed and disrespect and anger I've encountered lately I've NEVER witnessed in other areas of Indonesia I've visited (except maybe in southern Sumatra). Like my friend Sean here said, the peple here look like someone just pissed on their face.

I know that I have to deal with the change of environment … which will come in time. But for now, I miss Bangkok (and Rote, Indonesia) terribly. I miss the smiling faces and the sincere desire to help, with or without the promise of money. I miss the gentleness and desire to avoid conflict (I think they actively SEEK conflict here).

Perhaps my initial assessment of Bali was right … it's a shithole. Perhaps I'm just overreacting to a few bad eggs and I need to give it some more time — which I will. I also plan on exploring the rest of this island — which I've heard is MUCH different than this area.

But for now, I just feel like ranting. So I will.

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