Mama You've Been on My Mind

Seeing Bourdain's recent Romania show made me look back on my trip there exactly three years ago today. On a short break from tour in Europe, I flew to Bucharest to visit friends who were residing there on a 3-year post for the American gov't. I knew this was my one opportunity to visit a country that isn't exactly on the top of my all-time essential places to go to in my lifetime.

But Eastern Europe conjured up a magical, mysterious and darkly romantic visual for me. I was thinking more of a classical antiquity, medieval and Byzantine feeling rather than Cold War imagery here. I mean, I was going to get to go Dracula's Castle. How cool was that?

A beautiful and tragic mix of decrepit old and shining new, it felt like Prague 13 years ago.. on the cusp of a major commercial, economic, tourist and cultural boom. I felt like I was at a tiny gig watching a brilliant band right before they broke and you knew that the next time, it wouldn't be as intimate, raw or brilliant. Yes that's what it felt like.

***

Descending into the freezing unknown. I was broken down from touring, dead tired from days of sleeplessness but the extreme cold excited me as to what was to come. First stop, Dracula's Castle!



After a flight, then a taxi, then a train, then finally a local bus to Bran where Dracula's Castle resides.



Perhaps I was wrong about Dracula (I can be you know, it's rare but it happens). Tourism was definitely in full effect with this tacky banner. Watch Tony's episode on Dracula's Castle. Deftly funny and depressing. It's a total sham! I've been played like a fool!



Who cares that Dracula never lived here? There's proof that he at least visited it once. Always in denial, one visit from the "Vlad the Impaler" justified MY visit. It's what I had imagined. So gorgeous. I remember taking the deepest freshest breaths of air.



With Bryan, one of the nicest hosts and friends one is ever so lucky to have.



Moi.



My friends posing in front of Romania's national (yet reliable) Dacia automobile and the Communist block cement building where we rented an apt for a day. Lovely isn't it?



I love this photograph. Back in Bucharest, also known as the "Paris of the East," or "Micul Paris," in the Old Center. You know how I LOVE Paris. Dude, I will go to every "Little Paris" that exists in this world.



I don't even want to show you the new parts of Bucharest or Ceauşescu's tacky tyrannical parts. I just love the old parts, the parts that seem like they will fall apart any second but won't. Those are the best parts.



I like to obsess on the cold and this was the coldest place I've ever been in my life. NY in the dead of winter seems like summer to this place. I still loved it though.



My hosts, Nam & Bryan with their dog, Devi, whom they adopted when they first moved to Bucharest. This is where Nam first introduced me to Yoga Nidra. Their next post begins this fall in Chennai, India! I guess I'll be going there sometime in the next few years as I've been fortunate enough to visit them at their every assigned post.

UWS

A last minute getaway weekend to the Upper West Side.


The view from Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery in the Time Warner Center. Their tomato soup and accompanying grilled cheese are on par with mine which is to say that it's delicious, just exquisite.


I had hoped that it would snow and I got my wish Friday night. What a treat for a Californian. Perfect little fluffy snowflakes...


One of the only three friends I saw was... Matt Wolf... He just made this awesome Arthur Russell documentary. All he could talk about was his big zit (see left side of his forehead) and not about how we had madly fallen in love with one another at Jeremy & Jamie's wedding last September. Insensitive bastard. I hope that zit scars.


A little bit of California in the Big Apple...


Went to the New Museum to check out My Barbarian's video installation, "The Golden Age." You HAVE to go. The New Museum is what all new museums should aspire to: gorgeous roof-top panoramic views of the city (which itself was worth the price of admission), perfect sized galleries, good looking bookshop and okay art. Hell Yes!


Dolcetto and yummy artichoke dip at Freeman's with Gigi.


The other friend I met up with was Arthur at the Met. It was just so easy to just hop across the park from UWS... F*** downtown... The new photography gallery and the Courbet exhibit are a few of the many new things there. It's just one of the best museums in the world.


Damien Hirst's iconic shark. I mean the new shark. I mean the new preserved shark.


The one of two supposed highlights of this trip was to go see Keren Ann at the Bowery... Hmmmm. Let's just say her t-shirt said it all (C A S H). It was underwhelming, too casual, too short, random song selection... For a modern day chanteuse, there was just a general lack of flair. BUT her voice sounded amazing, the guitarist/bassist offered lovely harmonies and I scored a nice table upstairs! I'll still buy her records though.

The Unbearable Boredom of a Blog

Venice on a Saturday nite. The Rob Stoner show at Mollusk. My surf friends. The rain didn't bother me. Nope, it didn't. Neither did the dogs and the drunk girls.



So rad. Awesome. Let's all scream out "Tequila!" at the same time. Drunk people having a good time. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that.


Mason, his gf and TED with some nice looking dogs. TED wanted to take the b&w one home with her. I was hoping she was kidding as she was the chauffeur for the night and I didn't want to be stuck with a dog in such close quarters driving back home to the eastside. Dude, me and pets (as in living non-humans) do not go well together... I'll have to recount the story when my sister got rabies from a puppy my parents got for her when she was 5... Not good. Not good at all.


Drew and I decided to bbm each other while standing one foot apart... in the rain...


Two Owley fans humming "Sara," the live version.


Kenny with his Sparks energy drink... otherwise he was going to pass out as he started out way way too early in the afternoon. Kenny, I didn't think you would go that route... Très très dommage. Kenny, you may put all those "monstrous" pics you took of me up on yours if you like now. Thx.

On the cutting edge of...

Here's me being edgy this evening at Family Bookshop, part of the Dublab crew doing our usual edgy thang. I tore it down on the mic and my playlist was so edgy, so funky, so groovy; totally out of the box in every sense. Afterwards, I had a nice chat with David, the proprietor, and ended up with these two books: Joe Boyd's "White Bicycles" and Georges Simenon's "Dirty Snow." Both are for research; part of my continuing education on being a tastemaker in all things edgy.


It was so edgy, so daring, so provocative that no one got it yet. We're so ahead of the game, it's ridiculous. Being edgy can give you an edge. Be edgy. Be fresh. Be sensational.

Have you voted yet?

If not, there's still time! This is what it means to be an American.

I got rhythm dude.

Played Rock Band on xbox360 tonight for a few hours, nonstop. It was the best thing ever, especially after my favorite quarterback lost today. I just had to let it out; sung to the top of my lungs to Blink 182 and Yeah Yeah Yeahs songs (I got a perfect score on the latter!) and beat the shit out of the kit to Chili Peppers and Rush songs. I can never go back to just plain old Guitar Hero now.


Doesn't this look like a kick ass band you would want to see?

Mom's Year

This year is going to be the Year of the Rat. I visited the folks this past weekend in Little Saigon to check out the Tết festivities. The market was already congested with local and visiting Vietnamese families (a lot of my relatives are coming into town starting this weekend and there'll be a new addition to the family(!), I'll explain in another post). There was an air of excitement, it was absolutely festive. Tết is a time of excess. I love this time of year. It gets super busy the week before Tết. People are stacking up on food, fruit, candy, flowers, trinkets and firecrackers in anticipation for the holiday.

I remember as a child, I didn't have to go to school on Tết. It was my parents' idea. So cool. And I couldn't wait to get those red envelopes. No school and you are rewarded with money? WTF? That's like the ultimate as a kid. Total dream. These days, it's the other way around now that I'm an "adult." Now I have to save up months in advance to give to the little kiddies. They expect a lot these days.

Vietnamese take great care to start the New Year out just right which means wearing new clothes, having heaps of food at home, getting rid of old debts, ill feelings, etc... My mom said I can't even clean as that's bad luck; I'll be sweeping out any good luck. This will be very hard for me to do since I love to clean. It's a compulsion of mine. Luckily, I just cleaned my place so it'll be good until after Tet. Goodness.

The flower market gets bigger with each year. There's even going to be parade on Bolsa Avenue this New Year! Little Saigon is all you need during this time of the year. It's even better than being in Vietnam. I was gorging on everything; the food, incense, the flowers, the treats, the colors, the culture, the tradition. I love it so.




Yum yum rambutan. Yum yum muffin top.


Yum yum banh beo. The best may be found at Quan Hy.


Updated, these one dimensional paper clothes have gotten more stylish and modern; cool frames, mobile phones, flashy trainers... People burn these paper clothes as an offering to the dead so they too can celebrate with new duds for the New Year.


My family is going to attend this big cultural event NYE and my mom suggested I wear an áo dài. I'm down with that but really can't fit in any of my old ones so I was thinking of getting a new dress. Somehow I really can't really see myself wearing any one of these on the mannequins. I might have to try to lose weight so I can squeeze into an old one from like a decade ago. These are a bit hideous no? Could I rock it?



Went in for a spontaneous haircut. Told the lady to just chop it all off. Who cares. It'll grow back. Out with the old, in with the new.

Tunes I've been digging this past month.
1. Destroyer's Trouble in Dreams (OMFG, it's awesome. MY FAVORITE)
2. The Magnetic Fields' Distortion (I love Steven Merritt, so much beauty can be found through the noise.)
3. The Explorers Club's Freedom Wind (This is as pure pop as it gets and I love me some good pop music.)
4. Vampire Weekend, s/t (they're ready for grad school now.)

Give Up

On the most depressing day of the year.... I'll be playing the saddest songs...
__________________________________
TUESDAY, January 15th

DUBLAB & PART TIME PUNKS present…

GIVE UP meets A SAD, SLOW DANCE PARTY



sink into sorrow again with your selectors…

Ale
frosty
J.Mendez
Michael Stock
BennyShambles
Jimmy Tamborello
Sam Cooper
Ben Barnes
Anh Do
+ other sad sounding souls

inside = tear soaked slow dancing, all-night long
patio = a deeply depressing sound session

FREE / 21+ / 9pm-2am

La Cita
336 S Hill St, Downtown
Los Angeles, CA 90013

dublab.com
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...stop dancing & cry then start slowly dancing again...

The most amazing version of this song ever made...

Just me and my BB

Tonight, I was told that I should just date my Blackberry as I was so preoccupied customizing my new Curve during Project Runway and well, I didn't really pay attention to the show or anyone else. I sat still and did not join in dissing/praising the contestants and their (un)well crafted garments.

I love my BB. I thought about getting the iPhone but I'm just not ready yet... It's hard to let a good thing go and there's no reason to right now. Not when one is deeply addicted to bbm. I've had relationships and friendships flourish and crumble due to this... It's a gift that keeps on giving.

Six ways, one way, half a dozen the other...

Four things I've noticed since the New Year:

1. I like being the fifth wheel. It's a new experience to be by myself amongst two other couples. I'm digging it. I think I get more attention that way anyways...

2. I think I like coffee again. I've had 3 different kinds of prepared coffee in the last 24 hours! It's made me feel really jittery in a good way. It's never (ever) gonna replace my eternal worship for tea but it's comforting on rainy days.

3. I'm still loving Bonnie 'Prince' Billy. I love his new covers record, especially this song.

4. I just started getting into watching DVDs (since I got an all region/all format dvd player). I know, I'm really behind modern day in this regard; I'm usually more on top of it but somehow... I highly recommend this Scott Walker dvd.

Fondue & Light Fare

So I don't know how it happened so last minute but I threw an intimate NYE soiree at my new pad. There was fondue and light fare and I even threw some of the Seasonal Blues in there! Seriously, it wasn't that bad. It was my first party and luckily for the guests, it didn't end in tears. Thanks to Easy for suggesting it (the one who also suggested this blog fyi). I found out capacity was 24, a lot more than I expected.

[Thanks Ollie for the mix cd and Hack Man. I didn't know we share a love for The Pastels.]

It doesn't get any better than both Yaos in one place.

Witty and Waxman, new couple alert!

Stacy with the Tibetan Singing Gong my folks got me for Xmas.

70s soft rock cardy duo

ds & Jen A. made an appearance even though they were both under the weather. Thank you very much.

It wouldn't be a party without TED.

This wasn't really taken on NYE but it sure felt like it. My bestest high school friends reunited for one night last week, Phuong and Kristen. Super rare, super super.

Feel the New Beat

I don't do resolutions. They are trifling, stagnant, meaningless. It's about what you do, not what you say. It helps if you can do both at once but that rarely happens.

You already know what I've been into last year so there's no need to do a top 10 best shows/best songs/best art/best books/best games/best films/best eats/best places/best friends etc...

But when I think of last year, here's what I remember:
soz, california, geriatric, cuddle up, delicious, acoustic mainlines, mint and ginger, seasonal blues, and yum yum, piggy's bum

Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Merry Christmas!

Warmest Night of the Year

Time has flown by quickly this December and it's only mid-month! Here's a quick summary of what's been happening in my world:

Ezra and I dj'ed this Kiehl's event which gave me the opportunity to wear my Owley glasses again. I played one Xmas song which got me into the spirit of the holidays. Oh yeah, I was feeling the Holiday Cheer.

I had to report for jury duty and this time around, I was fully prepared, even psyched to be called in for a case. During the morning orientation, the judge's speech was deeply inspiring...

And because I truly wanted to be on a case this time around (there is no duty of good citizenship more important than jury duty), I wasn't called (mais oui) and was released by day's end. I've fulfilled my jury service.

There was Folkhands' Unfitney's Birthday Bash which was a hot mess all around. One thing that stuck with me was when I was introduced to this blond hair girl, she commented how I had the most beautiful "Asian" hair. wtf? Who says this kind of shit nowadays? wtf?

Happy Birthday Folkhands. Glad I got to spend it with you.


Colin took me to see Richard Hawley. It was awesome and I decided that rockabilly ala English is okay with me. Totes. And the best thing happened that night. I had heard through a friend that Bob Lind (yes, one of my heroes) was going to be there and perhaps play with Mr. Hawley?!?! As I was walking into the Troubadour, I ran into Ian and he introduced me to Mr. Lind!!! Apparently, Hawley is producing a new Lind record! It was the ultimate fan encounter experience, just totally out of nowhere. Just like when I had met Anthony Bourdain last year, I was 'tarding out like you wouldn't believe! The show and what happened just reaffirmed to me that older guys are the shit. If you look like this, please contact me as I'm interested...

An absolute stunner...
olderguys.mp3

I went into Dublab and completed Part Two of my "To the left, to the left" set which I did earlier this year. The title is rather ridiculous but here you go. It should of been called this instead... I will cry at Christmas...

Part One
Part Two
tracklisting

You're welcome, tis' my pleasure... This goes out to Trumbull and Hartford... Merry Christmas!

Coldest Night of the Year

Nothing much to report this month, just trying to get fit and smart, playing records, buying stuff, drinking loads of tea (& vsop) and pigging out as usual. The best thing I'm doing is converting my favorite records from analog to digital on my new USB turntable I just bought. This is good winter music...

V. Bunyan's "Coldest Night of the Year.mp3"
Y. Ono's "Remember Love.mp3"

One Stop Pop Culture Shop

On the first of the last month of this year, on a lovely chilly LA evening, I stopped by the opening of the one-month only pop up Rhino Records retail shop. I wanted almost everything in there (well 70% of it)... just in time for the holiday season. During my college years, I used to go to Rhino Records all the time when it was in Westwood ...This caught my eye. Weighs a ton and looks so good, this is what I want for Christmas.

Jimmy & Carlos, the Dublab DJs joining in on the festivities.

"Green Mind" and "Where You Been" next to "Psycho Candy," The Germs and Coltrane. What is there to say about this? This reminded me of my new BFF.