Monkeyrockworld

E’ uscito il mio primo articolo per il quotidiano indipendente online LETTERA 43 dedicato alla situazione non troppo golosa per gli omosessuali in Malaysia… il ban al gay pride Seksualiti Merdeka… le nuovi leggi civili anti-gay… insomma, tante belle cose per amare il paese adottivo dei miei ultimi 2 anni!!! Leggete il pezzo dal link qui sotto, una versione non-edited presto disponibile sul caro China/Asia Files.

Omofobia alla Malese

Altre novita’ riguardo la Malaysia: punto primo, mi sono finalmente laureato (per la seconda volta), e ora sono “Maestro nello studio di come i Cinesi studiano l’Inglese”. E’ stata una lunga avventura che merita un libro intero, chissa’ se mai sara’ scritto… in ogni modo, l’aver studiato in una Universita’ asiatica e’ una esperienza MOLTO PARTICOLARE che non so se mi sento di consigliare ad amici o nemici.

Alla fine dei conti, in ogni caso, e’ stata una esperienza rivelatoria e ancora piu’ intima con le menti (spesso malate) che popolano questi paradisi tropicali, che eleva il Monkey di un’altra spanna verso lo status di IRON BUDDHA.

Punto secondo, a Gennaio lascio il paese a tempo indeterminato. Novita’ sul grande progetto scimmiesco le troverete presto su questo blog… mutante… per il momento, leggetevi l’articolo sui gay e sperate di non esserlo in Malaysia!!

I am happy to announce the digital release of BRUTAL POKHARA’s first installment of extreme Asian music’s compilation… this collective based in the beautiful land of NEPAL has had the great idea of trying to collect a snapshot of what today’s extreme music scene has to offer in the greater Asian region… such a challenging task, I’d say, ended up with some non-Asian bands thrown into the blender for a balance.

Anyhow, if you are as curious as me to listen, and especially listen for FREE, to some unknown and hideous spew of Asian hostility, this is a great opportunity to start with. The beauty of this compilation lies in its (obvious) abundance of bands from the almost oblivious South Asian scenes;  countries such as Nepal, India, Pakistan (oh yeah) and Bangladesh are all represented, giving (at least to me) a first ever glance of extreme music crafted in such odd destinations for the average Western listener. (more…)

We left Matteo Tricarico in India, during his Travel For Aid odissey across Asia into Europe… after a short stint in Dubai, Matteo is now in Iran, a fascinating country full of culture, deserts and very hospitable people…

Before beginning this journey, I read on the internet diaries of other cyclists who travelled through Iran in the last ten years and their words reassured me since they all spoke highly of the kindness, hospitality and friendliness of Iranian population. So far, but I’m pretty sure that I will not change my mind; I can join in exalting these features of the Iranians. In the last eighteen months of travelling I could recall hundreds of examples people’s kindness and courtesy, regardless of the country where I was, I believe that in the case of Iran the “surprise” is due to negative image that the Western media give of this country. It does not seem possible that the citizens of an anti-western and traditionalist Islamic theocracy, where the Sharia is the law of reference, can be warm, friendly and even expansive towards Western travellers, who are supposed to be “infidels” trying to corrupt the local youth. The surprise to find so open and sympathetic people towards foreigners is the result of bias, combined with the prejudice, which comes from American propaganda, that  would like to submit to the Westerner rules this country that, among other things, is a  large producers of oil and natural gas and therefore it is to be stripped of these natural wealth … (more…)

Ok, year 2010 and the beginning of this 2011 have not been that prolific for Monkeyrockworld. Without getting into too many details, I just would like to say that having to deal with an Asian university flamboyant requirements and trying to jet start a freelance writing career, without counting house and “da wifey” administration, is not the ideal situation to sit down and write. I also didn’t travel that much, in the first place, although yes, I do have many reports about Sri Lanka and my return to China still to pen down. Anyways, what I care to write now is about something I got back in. I did not think this would happen, but eventually, it did: I’m back into the music scene again. It seems I cannot get rid of this passion of mine; for it is too strong to be neglected… so let it be. I did not think also that an apparently sleepy place like Penang could hide so much underground talent… I knew Malaysia was full of hardcore, metal and punk, but all those kids seemed like hidden under rocks until three weeks ago more or less, when I shot a few emails here and there resulting in fast ties with the cream of the crop of East Asian punk, some metal and hardcore scenes. (more…)

It’s impossible for me to write my blogs regularly these days. I am sure things will change, but you have to bear with my current situation. Too many things to do, and write, especially. Be patient, one day I will find the recipe for a balanced life of writing, earning the buck, and great world travel. Meanwhile, I just do the best I can not to let the best independent (and motherfuckin’) opinion on life in Asia to vanish in the internet limbo of  neglected sites.   By the way, let’s go back to Sri Lanka, that lovely tear-shaped island crying out from the bottom of India. My only regret was having visited in the midst of the Holiday Season, when prices and tourists soar higher, and higher, and higher. But besides having to shell out a minimum of 10 dollars a night for a double room with beds  mostly stinking like death put his head on the pillow and exhaled her last breath just there, it was a good trip. The island is small and compact, getting anywhere takes time, but the buses are very cheap, overcrowded and fun. I criss-crossed the place: if I had had an extra week, I would have made it up to Jaffna. It will be for the next time. (more…)

Here we go with the second and last part of Matteo Tricarico‘s report of a month spent in Taiwan volunteering for “Harmony Home Association” helping children with HIV/AIDS. Matteo is now back in Nepal and is heading westwards, down to India first, and into Pakistan and central Asia proper on his long way back cycling to Europe… Monkeyrockworld likes to follow and share his adventures, please show support too!!

The first morning I woke up late and after a quick shower I descended to the ground floor to the loud sounds of children laughing, crying, shouting, playing and doing what youngster’s normally do. What a wonderful scene presented to my eyes! These little human beings were just adorable, busy with their vociferous activities; some of them stared at me with their narrow eyes, looking with a mix of curiosity and fear to see a new face, long in shape, with blondish hair and a big nose between two wide eyes. (more…)

With awkwardness for my lack of writing, I am posting the new diaries from Matteo Tricarico’s epic trip from Vietnam to Italy. This is the report of a month spent working as a volunteer for the “Harmony Home Association” in Taiwan with HIV/AIDS children. As usual, Matteo’s insights are interesting and thoughtful, and hopefully will open some new contributions from yours truly Monkey, who has been quite busy lately and forgot to put pen to paper for your entertainment for a while… I’ll leave you with Matteo, so far.

Kathmandu, Nepal 15 Gennaio 2011

Everything begun here, in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu in mid-September 2010. I happen to be in this corner of the Himalayas as a stopover of a sporty-humanitarian journey, that is taking me riding solo on a bicycle from Vietnam to my motherland Italy, stopping on the way to visit centres for disabled people. A trip of about 30.000 kilometres in two years throughout South-east and Central Asia, Persia and Turkey up to the Mediterranean shores, following a flexible itinerary connecting dots made by the different institutions, hospitals, schools for disadvantaged young people. (more…)