Carnaval Brasileiro, 2: photo tease...

Here is a small sample of what you'll soon be able to find on my flickr, and what I'll be talking about for the next who knows how long:










2008.02.26 UPDATE: Pictures up on Flickr!

Carnaval Brasileiro, 1: airport madness!!!!

First off, my trip was an experience that I needed, and will never forget. There aren't enough words, photos, drawings, or clichés to explain how good this was for me, and what it meant. I reaffirmed part of my identity, reconnected with part of my family, experienced my culture in all its wonder and its misery, saw some incredible places, people, events, and had an extraordinary time!
While I compile my thoughts and images, and try to organize how to best relate this experience, I'll start off with the obligatory complaints and stories about airports, airplanes, and flights; these are most fresh in my mind, I spent a lot of my time in Brasil up in the air, and it wouldn't be my blog with a bit of bitching thrown in...
I'm still waiting for one of my bags to be brought to my apartment. One of them did arrive, but that one was filled mostly with my Carnaval parade costume; funny how things work out. I don't fully comprehend how they could have just one of my bags, but the fact that it was the American side of the deal that screwed things up begins to fall in place with a lot of what I saw and heard in Brasil.
To wit, it was an idiot at the check-in at La Guardia who told me my bags were going directly to my final destination on my first leg of the trip, when I really had to pick them up at customs in São Paulo, then check them back in to Curitiba. Of course, I should have remembered that obvious exercise I had participated in through so many international flights, but in my excitement about going back home I followed the idiot's advice. Surely, there were plenty of incompetent people at the airport in São Paulo, and it was horribly signalized, but there were a few people who helped me with all their will. The woman at the airline luggage department immediately called a dispatcher to pick up my luggage and carry it through customs, and he even apologized for taking too long after coming through. I don't think I could find many people who take that kind of pride in their jobs in airports here. This gratitude for having a job, and willingness to work hard no matter the circumstances are qualities that are definitely a bit lost on me nowadays, but I do take immense pride in the work I do, one way or another. Is this a cultural difference, is it brought on by financial comfort, or what? I guess I have other thoughts and cases where some of these causes come into play, but I felt more comfortable and taken care of in Brazilian than in American airplanes and airports.
The Brazilian airlines always gave a little snack on the plane, no matter how short the flight; they explained exactly what was happening during delays (maybe even too much; I don't need to know which wire on the cooling mechanism of the galley is being fixed...), and were very helpful upon arrival at the airport. Compare that to the silence during delays, the lack of knowledge of airport officials, and the emphasis on security over everything else (including timeliness, comfort, service, and information) of their counterparts in the US, and I begin to confuse which country is so-called first-world. But that gap is narrowing, rest assured, and probably not for the better. I'll touch on that later as well.

And so I still wait, after having to run to catch my connecting flight so I could wait two hours before takeoff and another 45 minutes before landing for no apparent reason... ...only to have my costume but not my clothes... ...I guess I could recreate Carnaval in Washington Heights, but I need a bateria section.
And maybe a bit more warmth, from the weather and the people.

family cartography

Continuing preparations for my vacation to Brasil:
I've been making a google map of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo each; trying to find as many places of interest, restaurants, bars, etc., as I can. For Rio, I recruited my parents to help.
Little did I know they would also be including family history and places in their editing! It was great to find out which hospital I was born in, where my mom went to school, etc etc. My dad even included some jokes, historical background, and even poems about certain places!

here's the map for Rio!

my favorite musical!

Dancer in the Dark: excellent!
Björk: a bit melodramatic, but overall a great performance. It's a role that somewhat fits her shy, quiet, eccentric personality, so it makes sense that she would pull it off. Definitely worthy of a swan dress!
Musical numbers: unlike any I'd seen before, though I'm definitely not a musical buff (blegh!). I especially like how sounds from the background of the previous scene slowly materialize into a song. The musical scenes themselves are filmed in a slightly different color (different camera?), and the dancing seems to happen as if it were on the background, sometimes breaking into the forefront of Björk's mind. Reality breaks back into the scene slowly, not quite abruptly, and an actual event happens while the song is finishing. The scenes are really quite wonderfully set up and executed. Kudos, Lars!
Story: meh, interesting only because of how it is constructed around Björk's character's flaws. If she wasn't so intent on keeping promises, or so distracted at work, there would be no story. But it works for the purpose of the movie, this contrast between a harsh/depressing reality, and happy musical numbers.

Recommended!

*I should say though, that this is my second favorite musical; there's always Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Björk's got nothing on Gene Wilder!

discoloration...

Due to my upcoming trip to Brasil (just one week!!!), I've had to renew my passport, buy almost $2,000.00 worth of plane tickets, i've bought a ridiculous costume for the Rio de Janeiro Carnaval parade, i might buy more inconspicuous shoes (sans the swoosh) and a more easily transported bag (backpack?) to make my trip easier and possibly safer... ...but this one topped all of the silly travel preparations I've had to make:
I'm getting a yellow fever shot! I have to do so because there have been some recent cases in the state of Goiás, which is near Brasília. I'm only going to Brasília for a couple of days, but you never know. The things I do for Niemeyer...
Here's a map showing endemic zone for yellow fever in South America:
UPDATE: got the shot. I had to go in at 3pm, because they had to open a 5 dose vial that only lasts for an hour after open. So four or five people have to be there, or else the dosages are wasted. Still, it cost me $75.00! So now I'm immunized (effective in 10 days for the next 10 years), and i have a yellow card to prove it!
But the cost made me think a little about all of the diseases in third world countries, and how much it costs for each individual vaccine; I know this specific one is more expensive, but it is difficult to finance all of these medical expenses in countries where tere is not nearly as much money to begin with...
not to mention uncurable diseases like AIDS.
Sigh; well, at least I'm immune to one of them. Hooray for me.

naked time!

Damn! Today was No Pants Day, and I missed it! That's what I get for working on Sundays...
Meanwhile, in Union Square, pantless subway riders converged to celebrate the occasion!

mondo music festival

Went with Jonathan and Chris to Hiro Ballroom for the Mondo Music Festival last night, and saw some amazing bands!
First off, it was Burkina Electric. This group comprises of three natives of Burkina Faso, one German, and I think one Austrian (I couldn't quite figure it out, because they kept joking about where they were from). The music itself is quite interesting, in that they mix traditional vocals, lyrics, and rhythms with electronic sounds, distortions, and equipment. The instruments include an electric guitar, a digitalized table of some sort that works as a sampler (i really wanted to get a closer look at this instrument, it was an intense piece of equipment!), drums, and a pair of "wands" that trigger different sounds and rhythms depending on their position relative to each other. Meanwhile, the singer, Mai Lingani, has a captivating voice, is beautiful, and can really move. She dances along with a couple of choreographers, although one of them was sick and did not perform last night. The dancing ranges from tame rhythmic bobbing back and forth to what could be best described as tribal interpretive dancing. There were a lot of quick, expressive motions involved in the dances, making for a theatrical presentation. And a lot of the basic steps reminded me a lot of samba and other Brazilian dances, which is just the dose of nostalgia I need in the midst of deadline, and right before my trip :P All in all, it was a great experience. I would recommend checking out their website, even though it's not extensive, if only just to hear the two songs they have on video there.
Next up was Zemog el Gallo Bueno. I don't have much to say about these guys. They annoyed me. I don't really like to trash talk people that are working hard to make a living, but damn, this was disappointing. It was Latin music, mostly the party salsa/merengue hybrid stuff that involves a lot of call and response and yelling. It was not very original, most of the beats seemed very very similar, and the singer was definitely not as good looking as in the first band. He was like a Puerto Rican version of the lead singer from Creed, and it seemed like he had the same self-adulation as that guy. Really not a good time; or maybe I'm being too bitter.

The next band, Jose Conde Y Ola Fresca, was also a latin music band, but they were quite a bit more talented. Their music had different beats and melodies, the singers had good voices, they knew how to engage the crowd, they knew how to do great solos (they even borrowed the best member from the previous band, the bassist, for the night); just a better band. Not to mention By this time Chris was good and buzzed, but he still would do nothing but bob his head (what is it with midwesterners and dancing?). Jonathan and I were starting to burn up the dance floor; it was only a matter of time before we started moving up to the front and bumping into everyone around us. All we needed was for the music to go up yet another notch.

And it did. Budos Band is absolutely fantastic! They're a bunch of guys from Staten Island who play AfroSoul music. The horns, oh the horns! Every single one of the 12 member carries his own weight, and the music really grips you and makes you move... ...I completely zoned in, and wasn't paying attention to anything but me and the music for a solid hour! Just feeling it, moving to every beat, to every toot of the horn... ...it probably looked like I was having a seizure to everyone else, but what the hell do i care? It was the first time in months I had this intense of a moment with the music, so I just rode it until they finished. The type of song didn't matter either; they had slow songs, ominous songs, happy songs, hyper songs... ...I was moving to it all. I would HIGHLY recommend picking up some of their music!

Budos Band- Budos Band II

Search for Mondo Music Festival; I don't know how often they'll have this, but I would try it out every time! I'm definitely adding Burkina Electric and Budos Band to my musical library, and would never turn down an opportunity to see Jose Conde (and his LEGO t-shirt, hehe) live again!


Musical bliss.