Florence in the rain (B&W Photography)

The Fontana del Nettuno in the Piazza della Signoria

Beautiful Florence was heavily hit by the rain on that day of my arrival in September. Even when the rain stopped the dark grey clouds were all over the city making it extra gloomy and sad. It was cold, wet and depressing. To make the matter worse, there were tourists everywhere- Chinese, Americans, Australians as if the whole world had decided to gather in Florence that day. I was very disappointed because I was really looking forward to capturing Florence’s iconic beauty in vivid colors and warm light. Although I had been taking pictures for hours since that morning, none of them turned out great.  This constant rain, such poor light and heaps of tourists everywhere made it very difficult for me to find inspiration. Then something clicked, while we were waiting for the rain to pass under a portico of an old building near the Ponte Vecchio . A light-bulb moment came and I switched my camera to the black & white mode immediately. I started taking pictures of anything and everything that was around me and began to like what I saw through my LCD monitor. (I know. I wish I could say “Through my lens” to make it sound more real-photographer-ish but my point is the images I took via Black& White mode looked amazing on the LCD screen and nothing like the reality I saw through the lens. Thank Heavens for digital cameras and their multiple options!!!) My creative juice started to flow after all and I went from shooting nada to capturing Piazzas.  Florence was no longer miserable and I felt that my black and white shots absolutely seized the melancholy mood on of this famous city on that rainy day. What do you think?

                                

A street performer in Florence

  

The Grammys 2011 (Review)

The Grammys this year is more about the performances than the awards.  Only ten of the 108 awards were given out during the telecast.  Talking about the performances, this year show has the best line up EVER in the recent Grammy history.  From Barbra Streisand, Mick Jagger to Rihanna, nothing really was more exciting in the world than watching The Grammys on TV at home. (And that’s what I exactly did today for about 4 hours non-stop, including the red-carpet of course!!)

The show’s opener was the biggest  vocal extravaganza (even bigger than the annual Divas Live in my opinion) featuring Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson, Martina McBride, Yolanda Adams and “the best new artist” nominee this year, Florence Welch of  the band “Florence and the machine” paying tribute to The Queen of Soul, Aretha Frankin. It was indeed crème de la crème.  With this performance, Christina redeemed herself (Recent national anthem fiasco, anyone?) with the spectacular version of Aretha’s “Ain’t no way”, Jennifer Hudson shined on “Respect”, poor Florence Welch looked out of place struggling to hold her own and even the country singer Martina McBride had a hard time being heard through the storm of big fat notes battle coming from Jennifer, Yolanda and Christina but in the end the winner of that screaming match was obviously the gospel great “Yolanda Adams”.  Can’t nobody mess with Yolanda who delivered the million dollar note towards the end that claimed the crown blowing away all others involved.  Aretha Franklin thanked her well-wishers and fans through a pre-recorded videotape. I wondered what she thought of her tribute which ended up being more of a vocal show-off by the individuals than a heartfelt homage. Nevertheless, I loved it!!!

And then there was GaGa, who avoided the red carpet because she was incubating in an egg, hatched out and performed her new song “Born this way”.   What a rousing performance! Great choreography and I love the line “Don’t be a drag-be a queen”. Classic!!!!  GaGa may not have the voice of Christina A but when she’s on stage, she always brings it! My favorite performance of the entire night and it was appropriately introduced by recently- OUT Ricky Martin (her song is about equality in society and celebration of individualism). It’s amazing what we can do nowadays in the mainstream media. Of course it is not fully-realized but we are gradually getting there. I mean, c’mon, who would have thought ten years ago that an artist can pull off a performance singing the lyrics like “No matter gay, straight or bi, Lesbian, transgendered life, I'm on the right track, baby, I was born to survive” at an event like The Grammys on national TV with millions watching??? A positive song and a great performance.

Also, Justin Bieber and his mentor Usher performed together (on stage together but performing separately) . This kid can sing and dance. It ain’t no joke that he has some talent. C’mon, most of us at his age were blowing spit bubbles sitting in the back of history class annoying the teacher and Bieber is collecting millions-both dollars and adoring fans. This isn’t funny. The best dancer in da house, however, was “Usher” and his style of dancing, so effortless and sexy. Backed by a huge dancing troop, he stole the show with his hit “OMG”.

Is it JUST me or Bob Dylan always sounds like he needs to clear his throat but some higher power is telling him NO, he can’t? No matter what, his performance won him a standing-O. So I wondered, maybe, if you stay long enough in the business and don’t die, you get some solemn respect from your peers regardless. A legend that he is, I wasn’t impressed nor would I call that singing???? It sounded more like gurgling. Horrendous!

One of the hottest performances of the night belonged to Cee lo green who had a monster hit with “Fuck you” (otherwise known as “Forget you”). He spiced up his act by dueting with the Oscar-winner Gwyneth Paltrow on stage with full of puppets performing together. It was indeed a party.  Gwyneth, without missing a beat, provided the theatrical touch to the already dramatic song.  Is there anything else that this woman cannot do? An actress who sings, how fabulous!

Since we are on the same page of “Singing”, I have to say I truly believe that Katy Perry should hire a vocal coach ASAP. If that was some unknown girl, NOT Katy, singing that song, she sure would have collected plenty of tomatoes and rotten eggs. Luckily, it was Katy Performing in a striking glittery gown; therefore, bad singing didn’t matter. The audience simply ate it up. She looked pretty though.

Rihanna, on the other hand, has improved her vocals though and she looked arresting in that beautiful big gown (whoever it is by-I’m guessing “McQueen”). The crowd went wild when Eminem came up on stage and Ri Ri dramatically climbed up the stairs to join him in singing of their hit “Love the way you lie”. It was all good until this lesser known singer Skyler Grey (who, by the way wrote “love the way you lie” among other hits) totally upstaged her with much better vocals. Ouch!

Mick Jagger was there too giving his very first Grammy performance. One wonders why the hell he never performed at the Grammy before after all these years. He nevertheless, and unlike the aging Dylan, brought the house down. What an entrance and what a rock star!!! He appeared on stage and within a nanosecond, he owned it already. The crowd was at his feet. Personally, I don’t like him or his music but I thoroughly enjoyed his presence and performance.

Once Kris Kristopherson appeared on stage, my heart was beating real fast already as I could easily and already guess who he was going to introduce, the one and only Barbra Streisand.  I thought she was going to sing “People” but she did a touching rendition of “Evergreen”. It was a good choice as it was arguably the most celebrated song of her career and a timeless classic. Nearing the 70 years of age, her voice certainly has stood the test of time, still beautiful and quite clear, although this time it showed the signs of wear and tear when going for top notes. It didn’t’ matter because it was her heartfelt delivery and unique phrasing that brought tears to the audience. Eva Longoria, Cyndi Lauper and a bunch of other A-listers were seen wiping their tears. So was I (sniff-sniff). Then something unexpected and inappropriate happened. They sent the presenters, outrageously dressed Nikki Minaj and Will.i.am to the stage to announce the next award which in my opinion, spoiled that precious moment. Everyone was celebrating Ms Streisand’s return to the stage tearing up in applause and all.  Can’t they wait??? What the f*^k indeed!

In terms of the awards, the night’s biggest winner was the country trio “Lady Antebellum” with 5 awards. I agree that their song “Need you know” is a very good song but five awards including both Record and Song of the year??? I mean, Seriously? Gaga, who won three in total,’s acceptance speech was great and she blurted out “oh shit” (the same thing happened with the “Album of the year winner “Arcade Fire” when one of the band members uttered “Holy Shit”) which I’m sure will be cut when it airs again on repeat. The prestigious “Best new artist”, won in the past by Cyndi lauper, Natalie Cole, The Beatles, Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera just to name a few, went to relatively unknown, Jazz musician, “Esperanza Spalding”. I honestly have no idea who she is or what her music is like but based on the background music of hers they played when she won, the awards voters must have sided with talent this year not popularity (Hence, Justin Bieber or Drake). And I’m very happy that my girl, Fantasia, won her first Grammy for “Best Female Rn’B vocals”.

I love this year Grammys, it’s just delicious- strong performances, diverse batch of artists, lots of surprises and most of the awards went to the deserving artists.

Born This Way (Lady GaGa) (Single Review)

Every diva with a huge gay following has an inspirational anthem in which they simply sing “believe in yourself”, “No one can bring you down” and “You’re beautiful and the greatest”. Whatever!!!!  Mariah has “Hero”, Whitney has “The greatest love of all”, Christina has “Beautiful” and even Katy Perry has one called “Fireworks”. And guess what??? Finally, Lady GaGa’s got one too. The first single from her eagerly anticipated new album which will be out in March is called “Born this way” and this will please her hard-core fans around the world (BIG TIME) especially those in the GLBTQ community. Along with her signature electro beats, Gaga declares “No matter gay, straight or bi, Lesbian, transgendered life, I'm on the right track, baby, I was born to survive”

Well done, Gaga! Catchy chorus, universally relatable message (“I'm beautiful in my way, 'Cause God makes no mistakes I'm on the right track, baby. I was born this way”) and high energy dance music, this is a winning formula.  “Born this way” certainly will be heating up the dance floors around the world. NO DOUBT! You just can't escape Gaga!

21 (Adele) (Album Review)

If the divas of yesteryears like Diana Ross, Barbra Streisand and Whitney Houston are celebrated for their colorful glittery frocks, big long notes that they sing and the larger than life personalities, these diva new breeds such as Amy Winehouse, Lady Gaga, Duffy and Adele should be noted for their eccentric style, non-conformist lifestyles, edgy vocals and devil-may-care attitude. One prominent new generation diva, Adele’s second album “21” is a real gem. It is in fact far better than her debut “19”. Here’s the simple reason why you should buy this album, her killer vocals and her brilliant song writing. This two-time Grammy winner possesses the bluesy edge of Etta James and the soulfulness of Aretha Franklin. On this album, she deals with the issues of love mainly about “falling in love” and “losing the love”, co-writing 11 out of the album’s 13 tracks. Of course she sings about LOVE understandably for she is 21. That’s what the 20s are for, no?  From start to finish, the album has cohesion and a nice flow. Her smoky vocals soar on “Set fire to the rain” and she talks about the aftermath of a heartbreak on the soul-bearing “Take it all”, both equally impressive. Most of the tracks are either piano driven or acoustic heavy with influences of country, rock n’ roll and blues music genres.  “Love song” boasts such simple lyrics and it reminds us listeners why less is absolutely more. 

She sings “However far away I will always love you 
                However long I stay I will always love you 
                Whatever words I say I will always love you”

Her delivery is heartfelt and touching. The first single, the break-up anthem “Rolling in the deep” has an infectious chorus that won’t leave your head for weeks. To be honest I’m humming it right now. I just can’t get it out of my head.
“We could have had it all, 
(You're gonna wish you never had met me), 
Rolling in the deep, 
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep), 
You had my heart inside of your hands, 
(You're gonna wish you never had met me), 
And you played it to the beat, 
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)”

It’s so refreshing to see someone who has a unique quality of voice and is also able to write songs with lyrical depth. Her considerably-improved vocals and her poetic libretto are fully displayed on songs like “Turning Tables”, “Someone like you” and “Don’t you remember”, three of my favorite songs. And I believe “Rumor has it” could do well as a single. It’s upbeat and has this 60’s rock and roll vibe. It’s totally old school without sounding old. This song will surprise music fans and critics around the world just like the way Amy Winehouse’s Rehab did a few years back. This album will and should sell because of one simple reason, GOOD MUSIC. It’s about time we embrace an artist for her talent and craft not for her publicity stunts and commercial mainstream efforts. This album like its title “21” will make you want to become 21 all over again  celebrating the joy of love and the pain of heartbreaks. Brava, Adele!

Cycling Through Ubud

I was not very happy to get up early that morning.  It was 7am and I felt so tired, having had a very late previous night singing Karaoke with friends. I nevertheless pulled myself together, packed my bag and went to my friend’s villa where hot Nespressos lattes were awaiting me. After our small coffee session, 7 of us hopped into the mini-van and took off to Ubud, the cultural heart and soul of Bali. Nearly two hours in the van not only gave us a chance to share laughs and chit-chats also a glimpse of the locals’ day-to-day struggle with the heavy traffic. You really have to be a skilful driver to survive on the mean streets of Bali whether you are on the motorbike, bicycle or car. 

Mount Batur, Bali's famous Volcano

Fortunately, we were welcomed by a cool and lovely weather by the time we reached the famous Mount Batur. We took some group photos with the volcano in the background and headed down to the bike park thereafter.We  picked  up our bikes there and soon afterwards our cycling adventure began. We followed the tour leader as he took us through a small village with lots of trees and temples. At one spot, we paused and looked at the trees with hanging coconuts in which human placentas were buried as part of a Balinese ritual. We also learned that it is the only village in Bali that practices this tradition.

Cycling for me was not very smooth in the beginning as I completely had no idea how to function the gear system plus the roads were bumpy and wild. I ended up being the last biker to arrive at the first resting spot. Of course, the other members of our group teased me constantly and questioned my physical endurance. (But hey, I was never that street kid doing stunts in the neighbourhood with a BMX.)

Balinese Rural Living

Later on, we found ourselves in another small little village. Our tour leader took us to this little Balinese house and showed us, according to him “a lower-class Balinese family house”. His choice of adjective “lower-class”, although I knew he probably meant “modest”, made me very uncomfortable especially when said in front of the family. He went on to give details about the functioning of the house, showing the kitchen in which chickens were roaming around and the part where the married son resides with his family, the family temple that they all have to take care of on daily basis and the place where they buried the placenta of the baby and so on.  

As I became more comfortable on the bicycle, I started to enjoy the ride.  Charming rural setting and friendly people along the way especially the children who never failed to say “Hello” to us while passing through the villages. Those smiles on the faces of Balinese toddlers and young children made the arduous bike ride on the bad roads such a worthwhile experience.

Balinese Children at School

Besides, it was a good cardio exercise but I also knew that I’d have to pay the price the next day. To be honest, I made a mistake by going to the gym and doing the squats the day before and it sure didn’t help my life on the bike that day either. My leg muscles were all aching rhythmically. I however soldiered on till I got to the beautiful vast paddy fields where I was rewarded with a Julia-Roberts- in-Eat- Pray-Love moment. Cycling through a stunningly lush green setting was indeed a memorable one, incredibly movie-like, as a matter of fact. 

Beautiful Bali

Finally, we reached the Bali Elephant Safari where we had lunch while watching Australian families riding on the slow-moving poor elephants. The restaurant was quite clean and the food was decent. It was of course tourist style buffet (which I hate).  I knew there’s usually not so much to expect from meals like this but how can u possibly mess up a simple” fried rice”. (Or am I asking too much?)

After lunch, we changed ourselves into more appropriate water-friendly gear and headed down to the river Ayung for our next adventure, the river rafting. Having gone through this experience in the same river a year ago, I was quite relaxed and looking forward to go through it again. Dressed up and ready-for-action in my most favourite swim wear, a life jacket and a helmet provided by the company, I went down over 600 steps down to the river where the rafts were docked.  Poor, Poor me had to sit down for a while to rest my trembling knees upon arrival. (Gosh, I’m an old soul, Am I really 26???)

Then we hopped onto our rafts and carefully listened to our guide’s instructions. “Forward” means “ paddle forward”, “Backward” means “paddle backward”  (Very Simple!) and the most important “boom boom” means we are about to hit some big rocks. Then we set off and braved through the big boulders and rough water. We were screaming and splashing water using the oars to the other people from other rafts. There were Taiwanese tourists who got totally bullied by our two rafts, dripping wet with cold river water. Good thing, it was not a rough ride at all times. We had lovely breaks simply floating on clam water and therefore we got to enjoy such magnificent natural Balinese landscapes: mini waterfalls, cliff and beautiful resorts that appear along the way.   

A cloudy day but it was so pleasant and cool that during our calm-water moments, I couldn’t help but wonder what it must be like to just float away endlessly with a bottle of champagne while enjoying the beautiful leafy landscape. (The only problem would be getting the refill once that bottle is gone!) 

When rafting was over, we once again climbed up over 300 steps to get to the restaurant where nice cold beers were waiting, thankfully. We sat and watched the video that the camera man, who followed us with his own raft (sometimes ahead of us!) recording journey in the wild all throughout.  I bought a picture of us in the raft with which cost 35000 rupiah which is about 4 USD. Not sure what I’d do with that picture later on but hey, tourists do silly things and buy crap all the time, no?  

The way back home was vague. I did not remember much.  Only that I slept like a baby all the way.