Las Vegas

It is difficult not to be impressed by Vegas. That said, if you are not a gambler, you might find the place boring after 24 hours but you should at least see it once in your life. By day but mostly by night. We could not resist a ride on that crazy rollercoaster at New York New York. We are not too familiar with fairground rides so we definitely thought that it was worth every second. That said, some of those seconds seemed very long and we were happy the ride did not last for hours.

Picture of the Week

Usually Monday is the day where I post my record(s) of the week. If I had to choose some tracks this week it would actually be the trio of singles that have been in my head lately: Flobots 'No Handle Bar', Ladyhawke 'My Delerium' and Esser 'I Love You'. But as I am in the bay area vicinity - and instead of purchasing my usual fix from Piccadilly Records online - I thought it would be more appropriate to post the picture of the great Californian institution that is Amoeba Records. If you find yourself in San Francisco or L.A. please do yourself a favour and visit those places before they disappear...

Snow

After all those past days filled with sun who would have thought so much snow would fall within such a short time. The picture above is not a black and white picture but exactly how it looked like this morning when we woke up. Needless to say that the snow was already starting to melt when the sun decided to appear and while hitting the road we quickly found ourselves under blue skies and autumnal heat again.

Grand Canyon

As Grand as the name suggests! It was impressive the first time I went there some long years back and I continue to be gobsmacked by the majesty of the place. The hike down the South Kaibab trail led us to encounter the famous mule train at the aptly named Ooh-Aah Point. The sun eventually showed its face and we were in for a treat during the whole trek. It is amazing how things quickly changed and it was only a matter of minutes before the first snow of the year decided to fall over the park. It was a magical and sublime moment.

Death Valley

It was a long drive down to the Death Valley but it was worth every minute. We spent the night on the outskirts since the weekenders booked out the only few rooms available in the area and had to return early this morning to make the most of this very unique park. It is the driest and hottest valley in the United States. It is also the lowest with its bottom reaching 85 meters below sea level. This season is probably optimun as the highest we got today was 24°C. In summer the average for both July and August is 46°C which means that you can easily have some peaks well over the fifties. Actually, the hottest temperature ever recorded in the United States was 56.7 °C at Furnace Creek, during a sandstorm in July sometimes in 1913.

yo-SEM-it-ee

Over 4 hours drive from San Francisco, we reached today the northern tip of the Sierra Nevada. The Yosemite park is gorgeous in all seasons but I admit that it is really enjoyable to take advantage of less crowds, cooler temperatures, beautiful blue skies and autumn colours at this time of the year. We did not see any bears as we did not stay long enough to explore the park anyway but we could still feed our eyes and memories on the glorious and classical views over the valley, the Half Dome and El capitan as you can see from the picture above.

Golden Gate

I remember the emotion that ran through my veins the first time I saw the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco over a decade ago. It was like a dream come true. This bridge gloriously stands over the San Francisco bay and its International Orange colour particularly makes it stand out loud and clear against a perfect blue sky. It was an intense pleasure to have the opportunity to return here today and it just confirms the position of this corner of the world in my Top 5 of cities I'd love to live in if I had the choice (up there with Barcelona, Manchester, Tokyo and New York).

Cable Cars

If there is an image that identifies automatically with San Francisco (apart from the Golden Bridge of course) it is the Cable Car coming up or down its steep streets. Even though it is more of a tourist attraction than a public mean of transport used by the locals it remains highly iconic. The San Francisco cable car system is the world's last permanently operational manually-operated cable car system in the world.

04 November 2008 (historical)

We could not have picked a better day to land in San Francisco. And what a long day! Crossing the dateline made this very special day last for nearly 48 hours! Unlike France where you have an official projection result at 8 PM revealing the face of the new President on TV, here things are more uncertain and gradual. Therefore, expectations build up and you do not have an immediate explosion of joy but we could feel the happiness growing in the streets. The picture above translates this emotional and blurry moment after that long day that lead us to live such an historical event.

Record of the Week: Various Artists 'Veros Artis Volume 2' (Dissident)

What's new this week? Aeroplane's remixes of Grace Jones? Pet Shop Boys produced 7" for Sam-Taylor Wood? Arctic Monkeys Live at the Apollo lavish Box Set? Even though I already own all the records featured in this CD on 12" vinyl I will pick up the Veros Artis Volume 2 compilation from the ever amazing Dissident label. A great way for all of you, who do not own a turntable (or two), to finally lay your hands on The Invicible Scum remix of that instant classic from Binary Chaffinch ('Flase Energy') or Ali Renault.

It's Dim Sum day!

Today is Sunday. In Hong Kong it is Dim Sum day. If Cantonese sunday Dim Sums have exported well as far as Melbourne for example, good ones are still difficult to come by in Singapore. Some weeks ago we enjoyed Crystal Jade at Takashimaya, but for something a bit more 'real' we discovered Victor's Kitchen at Bugis today. It has the usual Siew Mai (steamed minced pork dumplings) or Har Gao (prawn dumplings) and also steams some lovely custard buns as the close-up in the picture above shows (like in the Moon cakes you even have a piece of yoke in the middle). And everything is cooked on demand to add to the freshness.

Victor's Kitchen at Sunshine Plaza, #01-2191 Bencoolen St, Singapore

Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am-9pm

Chef's Special

Despite the fact Singapore Airlines screen up to 500 inflight entertainment possibilities I usually never use it since I spend most of my flights sleeping. I might also be picky but there always is at least one or two movies I wouldn't mind watching. From their latest selection I was pleased to see a Spanish movie called 'Fuera de Carta' from Director Nacho Garcia Velílla starring Javier Cámara. It is a perfect Spanish comedy playing with clichés as only spanish can without being boring or too vulgar and remaining very witty. I am not sure which countries this movie has been screened at but if your local cinema happens to screen it you will definitely spend a very enjoyable hour and half.

Canteen - Great British Food

Back from London but I had to write a few lines about an interesting restaurant. Everyone (in France) is always bashing British food. While it might not be as varied or refined as French food, I have always objectively defended it as what people usually know are only the greasy fish'n'chips or the weird jelly dessert combinations. Suffice to branch to a modern restaurant serving traditional food like the Canteen near Liverpool Street and your opinion about the subject might change greatly. From the yummy roast of the day, through the pies or the classic bangers and mash the menu is a list of what British food really is about. And do not skip the dessert list!

Tate Modern

It was a lovely day in London today while the snow was falling in France. I took my nephew around to discover that great city. It is quite interesting to rediscover a place you know well with somebody who is seeing it with some fresh eyes. While it is charged of personal history and checking places that have long disappeared (it is sad to see that 2007 definitely killed the music industry - whatever happened to the record stores vibe on Berwick Street?) it probably took a different meaning for him. The ever wonderful Tate Modern was housing an amazing Rothko exhibition (his late period) and I urge you to visit it if you find yourself in London. to be honest, that was actually my real excuse for the trip.

See you next time

Bye bye the countryside and see you next time! it is amazing how quickly time flies. I hardly had enough time to reconnect with my native environment that I am already travelling away from home. A brief stop in Paris tonight and I am off to take my nephew along to London tomorrow. I already took him a few times when he was a kid but it is his first time as a teenager. I have not been there myself for a couple of years neither. It is always interesting to rediscover a familiar city through someone else's eyes though.

Foie Gras

You might not find the organ on the above picture appetizing but believe me, once cooked it is a delight. Many know about Foie Gras and also are aware of the awful way geese and ducks are force fed to produce a huge liver. I have to admit that if I think too much about it is taking my appetite away but it was very interesting to take the opportunity of being in my native village to visit the local Foie Gras producer as my Mum went to buy a fresh liver. After marinating in salt (fleur de sel) and pepper it will be oven cooked in a terrine for a delicious result.

Record of the Week: Air France 'No Way Down'

Rewind. 26 May 2008, a new EP from that mysterious Swedish band called Air France was released as an electronic format over the internet through klicktrack. Two years before that they already had issued another EP that caught my attention 'On Trade Winds' and that is still available through emusic or iTunes. Of particular interest was a bizarre take on Lisa Stansfield 'Reel Around The World' retitled as 'Beach Party'. If you missed both these Eps or if you want to get them on a physical format, here is your chance as they are now compiled into a full album. To give you an idea about their sound I could try and compare them to Boards of Canada, Lemon Jelly and the Avalanches. But the best probably is to give a listen through MySpace.

Autumn Specials

I do not know much about it but now definitely is one of the mushroom seasons at the moment. It seems to be truffle season in the southern central part of France and Italy but one thing is for sure is that there are many mushrooms in the fields and woods around my village. While walking I spotted quite a few different models. Some of them I know and some others I do not. the above picture is part of the latter category. I have no idea what they are but they certainly stood as a happy and united bunch in that field!

France profonde

We like to call it 'Deeeeep France' both reluctantly and affectionately. The fact is that having lived here as a teenager has never been easy but I am quite attached to the place and it can be beautiful for a few days in all seasons really. At the moment we are having a late Autumn. The colours are not quite yet this beautiful array of browns, goldens, greens, yellows and reds but when the sun is out there is nothing nicer than enjoying the countryside and its pure air with a digestive walk after a delicious French meal.

Oh joy!

I personally find long day flights to be a bit more tiring than night flights as my body clock usually is not in a sleeping mode. But that is valid for long flights like the Singapore-Paris leg that is nearly 14 hours. The plane was really empty today which made such a difference. Only a handful of people in Biz and maybe 50 passengers in Economy. That gave us the impression of flying a private B777 with more air hostesses than you could ask for. As a result the service was even better than usual and I can say I had the best beef in the sky ever. So tender. The food generally tends to be better out of Singapore rather than out of Paris strangely enough. Overall, a very enjoyable flight.

Wallpaper

I have been getting this Wallpaper from Various Production over a year ago and it is still sitting there confusing anyone who peeps over my screen. I do not know how often people change their wallpaper and I also know that it is not my company's policy to allow personal wallpapers but it has always been difficult for me to digest my corporate's logo since I also use this laptop for my own purposes.

Burn After Reading

Definitely not the best movie ever made and definitely not usually my cup of tea but I have to admit I had a pleasant time watching this new flick from the Coen brothers (O' Brother, Big Lebowski, Fargo, Barton Fink, etc...). It is good to have at least a few directors that do not necessarily fit in your typical Hollywood mould. It is also good to see this great skewer of actors playing offbeat roles. I would certainly recommend this movie if you want to spend a quality popcorn hour and a half (but do not overdose on the popcorns though).

Fernando Botero

The Art exploration continues in the streets of Singapore. I was telling you about Niki de Saint Phalle the other day so here is one of the Botero sculptures. This one is temporary but there are quite a few of his sculptures in the streets of Singapore. Whoever is in charge of the Art commisionning for Singapore City must have had something for Botero. Actually, I read somewhere there was an exhibition organised by the Singapore Art Museum some 4 years ago and featuring at least 20 of his pieces. At over 1 Ton each, it is possible Singapore preferred to purchase them rather than paying for the shipping back and forth. (Probably not the case, but anyway...)

Record of the Week: Lucien Caine 'EP1'

From Manchester with Love...

Even when you think you heard it all Manchester comes up with a new groundbreaking Artist. This week sees the release of Lucien Caine's first ep proper. You might not remember the electronic band called Alpinestars in the early 2000 but this guy was part of that band. He then went on releasing a 12" I would qualify as a bridge between his electronic previous sound and his new singer-songwriter-with-a-twist new sound called 'Coco'. He has now found his own identity and the single you can purchase this week is the first in a series of 4 that will be released this year.

You can visit his page and listen to some of his tracks at MySpace.
You can download his tracks for a fee at 7Digital, iTunes or emusic.
You can purchase the real thing on record at Piccadilly Records or Rough Trade.

Monkey Say Monkey Do!

I still have quite a lot to discover in Singapore. We just went for a stroll in MacRitchie Reservoir park and were amazed by how extensive the primary forest remains. We made a 10 kilometres walk in the middle of the virgin forest. If not the heat and the thunderous threatening weather, I am sure we could have walked much more than this. Wildlife is extensive considering we are in the middle of a highly developed urban environment. Squirrels, goanas, birds and of course monkeys. Most surprisingly, contrary to many other places we have visited in Asia, monkeys in Singapore are quite frightened of humans. It is probably due to the fact that it is strictly forbidden to feed them and fines are hefty if you are caught doing so. In Bali, for exemple, monkeys are quite aggressive and do not hesitate to come and steal from your pockets.

Art in the Streets

You could be forgiven for thinking you are in Paris. The Niki de Saint Phalle composition you can see on this picture is one of the numerous Art pieces currently displayed in the streets of Singapore. You have some imposing statues from Fernando Botero, numbers from Robert Indiana, characters from Jean-Michel Folon and other pieces scattered around the busiest streets of the City. It is quite amazing to observe the hordes of pedestrians passing by without even noticing what is on display. Shopping seems to be much more interesting...

Opera Gallery

Hidden in a corner of Ngee Ann city (Takashimaya on Orchard) you can find the Opera Gallery. It has branches in Paris, New York, London, Venice, hong Kong, etc... and is very active on the Arts scene. It is quite amazing though to discover some Picasso, Dali, Calder, Miro or Vlaminck in a small gallery like this. If it were Europe, you would have to queue and purchase an expensive ticket to view these artworks, but as it is in Singapore, it is for free and there is hardly anyone visiting the gallery.

And now for something completely different...

I am only using the famous Monthy Python quote to describe this incredible project called "Tokyo!". I had the opportunity to see it for the first time today and it is at the image of this incredible city: gritty, unique, different, difficult to describe and better experienced. It is composed of three shorts directed by the ever offbeat Michel Gondry (Interior Design) a simple and normal story inspired from a comics that suddenly goes awry, the too rare Leo Carax (Merde) starring the extraordinary Denis Lavant in a role that could not suit him better and an insight on one of the many japanese phenomenons (in that case, the hikikomori) as seen by Joon-Ho Boon (Shaking Tokyo).

Indonesia

It is probably one of my last official missions to these surrounding Indonesian islands. It has always been interesting to visit these places but I definitely can't picture myself living there. That's the 'Port' of the main city, Balai, and the facilities you see here are at the image of the rest of the existing infrastructures. Such a culture shock just over an hour away from Singapore. Exotism is enjoyable when it is for pleasure but when it is work related it can be quite tiring and frustrating.

From Nowhere to Nowhere

Everytime I take a ferry out of Singapore there is, most of the time, a boat going from / to Nowhere. I first found it strange and I was then explained one day that there were boats going to International waters for gambling purposes. Gambling is still illegal at the moment in Singapore even though they are currently building huge casino complexes. Anyway, it is always mysterious to have boats going nowhere. Imagine yourself being at the airport and seeing planes adverstised as going nowhere! You would really wonder what is hidden behind this, wouldn't you?