Episode Eleven: Tales of the Three Continent: First Stop: Oceania

It was an epic vacation nine months in the making.  I figured that this past winter break would have been the last full winter break that I’ll ever have: next year, it’ll be time for cumulative exams, and then the following year, I will be rotations; the year after that, it’ll be the “real world”, so I decided to go for one last hurrah, and back in March, I bought my one way ticket from San Francisco to Sydney.  When it’s all said and done, five weeks in all, my passport would have gotten stamps from Australia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Bahrain, France, Czech Republic, Turkey, and United Kingdom, my credit cards maxed out, and my memory filled with unforgettable encounters and experiences. 

And it almost didn’t happen.  As usual, my lateness almost got me into trouble.  My flight was leaving at 10:30pm, and why was I still packing at 8:30pm, with my taxi waiting outside my apartment?  My flair for the dramatics? My constant need for blood pressure-raising thrill rides?  Luckily, there was a long line in check-in, and not that long of a line through security, so I made it in the nick of time.    

Sydney:  the land of the “nice players” and a long-lost friend

My vacation started out nicely.  The plane was half-full (hey, I’m that kind of person) and so, I had the whole row to myself, a luxury that I was more than happy to have, given the fifteen hour non-stop flight from San Francisco to Sydney that I was about to embark on; all that I was waiting for was my complimentary drink services and I would be on my way to a jetlag-free flight.  The baby three rows behind me had other ideas.  After the fifth wine bottle, I was able to succumb to the beckoning call of my nicely arranged impromptu bed (take that, crying baby!), waking up after 8 hours, just in time for breakfast, followed by more wine and more sleep until I landed in Sydney Sunday morning.   

After figuring out Sydney’s public transportation system, I was off to meet up my long-lost friend, the same girl that broke my heart six years ago.  I haven’t spoken to her in years, but I heard from a common friend that she’s in Sydney, finishing up her nursing degree, and so I thought it would be nice to catch up after all these years; I mean, we were really good friends before, and a friendship of quality is a terrible thing to waste.  I thought it was going to be weird between the two of us; after all, I basically cut her out of my life.  But it really wasn’t; it was just like the good ol’ days, reliving our freshmen year memories as if were just yesterday that we last saw each other, with no hint of weirdness.  I guess four years have given us both perspective and distance to review what had happened, and realized it was water under the bridge, so to speak.  Not to promulgate clichés, but I guess time does heal everything.  

Here’s where I first encountered Australia’s “nice players”, as my friend warily refers to them.  I met Andres through CouchSurfing.  We exchanged emails for a bit beforehand, and got each other’s contact info, and have decided to meet up once I arrived.  We even texted back and forth, and tried to meet up, but in the end, it didn’t end up happening.  I mean, what was that all about?  Granted, I was only there for 3 nights, and I had a packed schedule as it was, so maybe we’ll just chalk that up as missed opportunity. 

I’m not a big “tourist” traveler, but one thing that I did that was quite tourist-y while I was in Sydney was that I did the “Bridge Climb” at Sydney Harbor Bridge, through the suggestion of my friend, Fugs.  It was a good experience, something that I’m glad that I did, but it’s something that I will not pay 200 Australian dollars for again.  In essence, you scale the bridge, the cars, trucks and trains below you whizzing by, while being strapped to a cord dressed in a get up suitable for space travel.  Of course I had to document this, forking over 40 Australian dollars to buy the photos, commemorating my crowning achievement .  My reasoning was, if I could afford to pay that much to climb it, what’s another 40, huh?

Melbourne: am I back in San Francisco?

I have been told that Melbourne has a very unpredictable weather pattern, but I figured it’s the summer, and it couldn’t be possibly cold in Melbourne in December, could it?  Well, let’s just say I was glad I brought a coat with me. 

Melbourne bore a lot of similarities with San Francisco, from the unpredictable (usually cold) weather, the diverse neighborhoods, and the beautifully rich architecture that give Melbourne its unique flair.  My friend Kieran (whom I met through CouchSurfing) met me at the train station, and as soon as I dropped off my luggage, he whisked me away to a zine launch party at a rooftop bar, hobnobbing with the Melbourne artsy-fartsy crowd, while enjoying the crisp Melbourne evening with drinks in tow, made possible by an open bar hosted by the zine launch. The “nice players” were nowhere to be found here, to my delight. 

For my tourist-y quota, I decided to drive down the Great Ocean Road.  When I planned the day trip, rain wasn’t in the forecast, and lo and behold, as soon as we reached the beginning of the Great Ocean Road rain started to make its presence known.  At first, I was grudging it a bit (I was wearing shorts and flip flops), but soon enough I gained an appreciation for the unique way the mist-covered surroundings looked like as we made our way through the Great Ocean Road towards the Twelve Apostles, impressive rock formations off the coast (in reality, there’s only like 10 of them left, the others swallowed up by the ocean).   Afterwards, looking through our photos, the rain gave the terrain a richer green hue, so I guess, I couldn’t be as mad at the rain for “ruining” my road trip.  On the way back, we traveled through the rain forest, and we saw some koalas in the wild; those lucky creatures sleep sixteen hours out of the day. 

Perth:  where the sun lives

Aside for that one sunny day in Sydney, Perth was the place where I got my well-deserved sun in Australia.  I didn’t have much expectations of Perth; the only reason I included it in my travels was to visit my friend Kris.  I knew very little about Perth, only that it was the capital of Western Australia, and that there are exceptional outdoor trails suitable for hiking and biking.  And I would say that out of all the places that I visited, Perth was the place that I enjoyed the most, precisely because I had no expectations.  It helped that I enjoyed great weather while I was there (28 degrees Celsius and sunny throughout my stay, and rarely going below 22), so I was able to enjoy all the outdoor activities Perth had to offer.

It was great catching up with Kris.  I met him three years ago while I was traveling in Spain, and we’ve kept in contact ever since.  He amazes me with the amount of resolve that he has; he’s gone through a lot, and still is going through a lot, and yet he manages to stay afloat and keep positive; he inspires me to do the same.  I also met up with Rod, a fellow CouchSurfer and a bull rider (he has videos on YouTube), who taught me how to throw an elbow punch.    

Stay tuned next week; Part Two details my travels around Asia.  Photos are available for viewing at my Facebook page; I think that pictures are worth a thousand words, and they can tell a story better than I can. 

Episode Ten: I am... Sasha Fierce CD Review

this was written last year, but I have forgotten to upload it here:

Beyoncé’s “double” album, “I AM…Sasha Fierce” is the newly Mrs. Jay-Z’s third solo project, following the success of “Dangerously in Love” and “B-day”.  Her concept for the third album was to provide her most “personal” album to date.  

On her MySpace page, Beyoncé describes the concept for her double disc: for I AM… , she reveals to the world who she is “underneath all the makeup, underneath the lights, and underneath all the exciting star drama.”   And “Sasha Fierce” is the “fun, more sensual, more aggressive, more outspoken side and more glamorous side” that comes out when she performs on stage. She goes on to say that the double album allows her to “take more risks and really step out of myself, or shall I say, step more into myself, and reveal a side of me that people only know me see.”

It’s on the I AM… side of the album that Beyoncé takes the biggest risk by straying away from what has made her successful: the 808-heavy, beat-driven, club-friendly songs; instead she picks up where she left off with “Irreplaceable” and “Listen” to produce a different sound compared her previous album.  With influences ranging from folk songs, acoustic rock, and alternative rock, I AM…Sasha Fierce is Beyoncé’s foray into further blurring the rock/R&B genre, and this is her attempt to get to the Whitney/Barbra Streisand status. 

What’s a new Beyoncé record without a little controversy?   Beyoncé’s lead single off of I AM…, “If I Were a Boy”, a certifiable smash hit, was originally written by BC Jean, and produced by Toby Gad (also produced Fergie’s “Big Girls Don’t Cry).  Word has it that Toby Gad originally produced it for Ms. Jean, and ended up shopping it to major labels without success, and that Beyoncé’s strong-willed father/manager, Matthew Knowles, stiff-armed Jean to agree to give up the rights to the song, and apparently, to placate the up-and-coming singer/songwriter, a studio duet recording is going to be arranged for both Ms Jean and Beyoncé.  You can check out Ms. Jean’s version of the song at her website, at www.bcjean.net. 

Her other current single, “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on it)”, has stirred a mild controversy on its own.  Her video for this single apparently features a transvestite.  I don’t see the big deal out of it, and if it were true (this is still an unsubstantiated rumor), she’s one hot mama.  But the video itself, an homage to Bob Fosse’s “Mexican Breakfast”, is quite great, with its excellent choreography and its jazz dance influences. 

One thing for sure, this girl’s on the top of her game, and she intends to stay on the grind and has no plans on letting up.  She plans to release a Spanish version as well as video anthology for this album early next year (February 2009), in addition to a 110-day World Tour. 

Here’s the skinny:

The Good:  There are numerous outstanding tracks from each part of the album.  The aforementioned “If I Were a Boy” has definite cross-over appeal, and has the potential to achieve the same success as “Irreplaceable” did.  “Halo”, the scheduled second single, is produced by Ryan (OneRepublic) Tedder, and features heavy drums, claps, and the piano, the last instrument being one of the central elements of I AM....  “Broken-hearted Girl”, is where Beyoncé shines.  From the same team that brought her international success (Stargate) in “Irreplaceable”, and with Babyface, Beyoncé beautifully sings the verses with vulnerability and resolve.  I would’ve loved this to be her second single.

From the “Sasha Fierce” side of the album, there are definitely some banging single materials there, aside from “Single Ladies”.  “Sweet Dreams”, leaked months before as “Beautiful Nightmare”, has that electronic feel that is a bit different from her previous sounds; I can see this going big in the international charts, and dominating the dance club airplay.   “Video Phone”, produced by Shondrae Crawford and Sean Garrett, has that Southern Crunk feel to it, and in my opinion, should have been the second single from this album.  My favorite track from this album would have to be “Diva”.  This Lil Wayne-inspired track is driven by her free-styling syncopation, almost rap-like, singing. 

The Bad:   Seriously?  11 tracks for the standard edition disc?  In today’s tough economic times, how exactly are you going to entice Hockey Moms, Teeny Boppers, and Ghetto Fabolous to cop your disc with that miniscule amount of tracks?  At least the deluxe edition is a little better, with 16 tracks. 

As for the tracks, I could’ve lived without “Ave Maria”.  She sings it beautifully, but I just felt that it was lacking something; I found myself snoozing after listening to it.  “Smash into You” seems like an album filler.  The Jerry McGuire-inspired song, “Hello”, is a big schlop-fest.  It did nothing for me, and it seems half-baked. 

The Eh:

“Ego”, from the deluxe version, is the scheduled second single from the Sasha Fierce album.   This up-tempo, old-school throwback produced by Elvis Williams and Harold Lilly (who produced Alicia Keys’ “You Don’t Know my Name”) seems a bit weak to be a second single, but perhaps, to spice it up a bit, rumor has it that Kanye West will be doing a remix; that ought to be interesting. 

“Radio”, produced by Jim Jonsin (who produced T.I.’s “Whatever You Like” and Danity Kane’s “Show Stopper”), seems a bit simplistic, though it definitely has that radio-friendly vibe to it.  Maybe it will grow on me on multiple listens.  

Final Verdict. 

Beyoncé apparently recorded over 70 songs over a course of a year for this album, before whittling it down to the 16 tracks.  This is her first album without any collaborations/duets, and sure there are some obvious hiccups, but for the most part, she delivers.  Go ahead and cop your copy of I AM…Sasha Fierce, available now on iTunes with a special bonus song “Why Don’t You Love Me” and in your friendly (and rapidly disappearing) big box stores, and online mp3 retailers. 

B/B+