Rodrigo y Gabriela - Tamacun (Live)



Hi guys!

Want to introduce yous to Rodrigo y Gabriela. They play guitar. Very awesome like.

Hes more classic riff, shes more percussion strumming Raul Midon kinds... and together they put on the best live instrumental show you will ever experience. I promise. Even though they are Mexican, they rock the house here in Europe everywhere they go, playing their own stuff along with Metallica, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. If you ever get a chance... GO (Dec 15, Chop Suey, Seattle, hint hint, nudge nudge, saynomore saynomore) Just watching her play makes me go crazy... that percussion slap strumming shit so freakin hard. So unreal its irritating... arghh.. soo good I want to punch a stranger in the face...

If you want to be more impressed how hard it is... watch the tutorial below..



Takeitease...

Back in my own bed

Again lack of posts while I was in Australia. Surprise surprise, To be honest though, as you all know by now, Im a lazy mo fo, and its extremely "climb mt. everest" difficult to blog when you are in a place like that. Hmm... its no contest comparing between sitting at a computer and typing to screwing around on the beach and enjoying some great cities... no chance, its like a main event of Lennox Lewis vs Manny Pacquiao... Giselle vs Hugo's Girlfiend on Lost .

Im back now though. And I dont think there is anything like actually sleeping in your own bed after being 5 weeks away. And really its a funny thing to say... because its not like ive been sleeping on floors and lodging in hostels.. quite the contrary, as Ive been lucky enough to be running the gamit of quality hotels for over a month, Pan Pacific, Hyatt, Swissotel, etc... which are all freakin amazing with beds the size of wrestling rings, breakfast in bed, flat screen TVs... but still. It might sound idiotic, but it was nice to come back to my own bed, even though its not as comfortable and I dont have maids that clean my room every day anymore. Its mine though and i dont have to live out of a suitcase, which is why it means that much more.

SO... Ozzie trip was kindof a balls up... I set really high expectations for myself by trying to get to Cairns and Brisbane and Whitsundays... none of which actually happened. I got called back to Ireland the moment I arrived in New Zealand, which was a fuckin bummer. oh well, what can you do. Had a whole 4 days of chillin in New Zealand though, between Auckland and Whakatane (which is amazingly pronounced "Fuck-a-tawny", instantly becoming my new favorite city of all time). In some ways the country did depress me a little... in terms of self awareness; everybody there was so freakin fit, running and kayaking and swimming n shit. Geez.. going to bed at 9pm, everyone waking up 6am to go for the morning run.. moms dads grandmas... even kids! I tell ya when I was 12, the last thing I wanted to every do was run. Running was not fun. Id run while playing sports no problem... but the only thing I ever woke up early for was Spiderman and his Amazing Friends.

And Melbourne was class, very impressed with that town, absolutely stunning. In many ways better than Sydney because it had more character and culture. Plus the shopping was gonzo savage. Randy Macho Man Savage. It was that good. And I never ate so WELL. Brilliant restaurant after brilliant restaurant... surprisingly a step up from the already sublime Sydney scene. Nicole would go shit-nuts. And with Rod Laver arena under my belt, I have gone 3 for 4 on the Tennis Majors. Only Flushing Meadows to go...

Not bad for a country of socially confident but concealed pompous lazy jerks. (I kid I kid. Well maybe just a little. The women are lovely)

Melbourne

Off to Melbourne tomorrow, and then Auckland Thursday. A few observations:

-Dont understand why when Irish leave Ireland, they frequent only Irish bars. Was at Scruffy Murphys in Sydney, and half the people were in Gaelic Football jerseys. I cant identify or relate to this mentality. Ronan has been drunk all weekend in Irish bars, getting liquored up with Corkman, Kerryman, Dubman, Donegalman, Mayoman, Galwayman... personally when Im away, I like to see the country Im in... call me loco...

-Asians with Aussie accents still mess me up. I will never ever get used to this. English accents, I can finally accept... but not this... it perplexes me beyond my mental boundaries... like just stop it...

-After being in Australia, dreading even more the return to India. DREADING... like ive said before, good with a backpack... absolute crap when on business with luggage.

Hopefully after NZ, Ill get a chance to checkout Surfers Paradise, Cairns and Whitsundays. Surprisingly no pictures yet either. Im being so so so lame... but up until Friday its been all business mode. Now just settling into take a break and recover mode... it kicks ass on Business mode.

Gortu Mortu, whats the score? 4-2

I just read my last few India posts. I was a little morbid. Not to say India was terrible or anything but a few unfavorable factors added up that my will could not overcome and thus destroyed my soul... Let me review:

-India is in the middle of a dengue fever and malaria epedemic, so I was constantly applying DEET, deathly afraid of getting bitten by mozies. When we were in the country side, I wasnt as scared because it was a bit safer and cleaner, but in Kolkata (or is it Calcutta?), we wouldnt even leave the hotel unless there was a fire. Only then is it safe, because the smoke would drive them away, styles....

-The beauracracy in India is unbelievable. Obtaining my Visa was a complete nightmare, as the Indian Embassy in Dublin is the most useless Embassy in the whole world. Why even it exists, I have no clue, because they refuse to do anything for you. And then dealing with guards once in India was headwrecking. At the Airport for example, there were guards stationed at the entrance, and when it was time to leave, they wouldnt let us in because our tickets were for a different date. I tried to explain that we had flexible tickets and that we changed our departure on the phone with Singapore airlines but they were having nothing of it. I couldnt even go to the Singapore airlines desk, because it was IN the airport... and we were still OUT of the airport. Complete rubbish, since when do you need a ticket just to enter the Airport?. When we actually somehow got past those guys... there was another guard to enter the Checkin area. He wouldnt let us in either... ridiculous!!!

-Everyone in India has a moustach. Even some girls. And I dont trust people that eat with their hands and have moustaches.

-I was expecting, at least semi-frequently, for moments when music would start playing and crowd of people to form up and break out in coreagraphed dance, lined up, with girls on one side and guys on the other... but this didnt even happen ONCE! Incredible... bollywood lies.

- At the paper mill guesthouse we had no selection and ate the same food for every meal, everyday. I was CRAVING Macdonalds after 4 days.

Never so relieved to be back in Singapore and then now Sydney. Felt like shit the whole time too because the food made me piss out of my ass 12 times a day. Between that and the sweating 5 Litres a day... I cant believe I only lost 6 lbs. I was hoping for much more.

Kolkata

Im pretty drunk.... and if there is One thing I learned in India for the first time... never ever get pissed drunk when you have diahrea because when you pee... you seem to loosen other bodily functions unknowlingly....

so I hear... not based on personal experiences.. nuh uh..

Indian Times

This is my first and only post from India. In the Assam region at the moment... No internet access, no mobile access, no outside world access, no craic... not impressed... depressed...

I better go leave now and slit an artery...

The Four Floors of Whores

Im in Singapore again just arrived; this place is quickly becoming my second home town. The trip over was really rough though because of a current spell of sinus infection, so it felt like my eyes were going to pop out for extended stints, which is as rough as things can get when you sit in the front bus (Sometimes I like to entertain myself and peek through the curtain to check out the plebs sitting in the back. Poor souls, look like bloody sardines back there)

So 2 flights of the 14 are done on this Boston marathon of trips. 12 more to go, its like I just rounded the corner of the first turn... Here are the trip deets: weekend in the Singapore (now), then Week for India job, then week off, then week for Australia job, then week off, then week for India job #2, then weekend in Singapore, then go home. For some of the time during the weeks off Im deciding between going to two locations, either Philippines or New Zealand. Tough call, really, Itll be a game time decision.

This time Singapore, I decided to stay at the Orchard Hotel. The infamous Four Floors of Whores is across the street. Or, uh... so I heard. Dont know nothing about that though... just been told by people... complete coincidence... definitely..