Tamara Miller, a talented singer-songwriter and new friend!

Getting Blessed at the Big Buddha in Chalong

I am almost not sure where to begin with this post. I have traveled pretty extensively throughout the world and to be honest didn’t have the highest expectations of Thailand. There is no surfing there to speak of, so in my mind it started in a deficit. However, we had an amazing opportunity to travel there with some of the most incredible friends: Katie Deluca, Glen Cordoza, and Chris and Melissa Friedland. The six of us make up a diverse group and together there is no stopping the fun!

We started the trip off in Bangkok. Adam and I met the crew, who arrived a day earlier, and we made a plan to do as much as possible in one night. I could hardly keep my eyes open but forced myself to ramp up as I did not have the luxury of acclimating to the new time zone. I had one night to get it right. I had to dig deep, and my horse spirit carried me through.

We began our first night at the Sky Bar at Lebua hotel. This is where they filmed Hangover II. It is 64 floors above the city and the view in absolutely fantastic. I knew it was going to be a good trip when a friend from high school popped up on Facebook and said she lives in Bangkok.  Julie works for ASA, a company who charters Jets throughout Asia and Bangkok is her home base. I love seeing people from my small little home town and learning about the interesting things they do!

After our drinks at the Sky Bar, we hopped in a couple of Tuk Tuk’s and headed to Soi Cowboy. Soi Cowboy is one of the most visited red light districts in Thailand. The interesting thing about Thailand, specifically Bangkok, is the population of Ladyboys. Ladyboys are basically transgendered individuals. Some have had full sex changes. Some have male parts but dress like women, and some are half and half. It is estimated that between 10 – 20% of men are Ladyboys in Thailand. Upon arriving at Soi Cowboy, we got to take all of this in.  It is interesting to visit a country where this population of people is an integral part of their social landscape.

After a wild night in Bangkok, we traveled to Phuket. This was a nice reprieve from the intensity of the Bangkok chaos and we settled into our beautiful villa in the area of Nai Harn. Although Nai Harn is a much more relaxed environment than Bangkok, our time there was anything but relaxing. We made sure that every moment was jam packed with activities as we had less than a week to enjoy what Phuket has to offer. We took in sights from The Big Buddha, fed elephants, and watched a few Muay Thai matches.  Last but not least, we were lucky enough to charter a private boat through John Gray Sea Canoe for an amazing kayaking adventure. The staff not only provided us with the most incredible kayak tour, they also prepared some delicious Thai meals. Our sea tour was quite possibly the highlight of trip.

Enjoy this video below with some highlights from our iPhone footage!

Rock and Roll at BRC

I am excited to announce I will be performing my first full electronica show at the LA Burning Man Decompression party next weekend. LA Decom is October 13th in the Los Angeles State Historical Park. There are 10 stages at this event and I will be performing on the Groove Stage with Eion at 4:30 pm. The event starts at 2 pm at goes until dawn! I will be performing original remixes from my album Fly Free as well as some new material. Some of you know I attended my first Burning Man this year. As soon as I returned home I knew I wanted to get involved and immediately sent in my Press Kit for consideration for the LA Decom. I was happy when they offered me a spot! I hope to see some familiar faces there and meet some new friends too!!

I have included the Essential Information for the event but  for more information please go to http://laburningman.com/!

ESSENTIAL INFORMATION : Name: 10th Annual LA Burning Man Decompression Arts and Music Celebration

Presented by: The LA League of Arts

Date: Saturday October 13th through Sunday October 14th, 2012

Time: 1PM to DAWN (yep, we did so well last year that this year we are going till sunrise) Place: LA State Historical Park 1245 N. Spring St, Los Angeles, LA 90012 Website: http://www.laburningman.com

The Burn: The burn has been postponed till a safer time and place can be determined.

Ticket Price: cash at the gate only (no pre-sales) Creative Attire Encouraged (all children 12 and under are free)

There will also be a new ticket pricing structure.

$20 1pm-7pm

$25 7pm-midnight

$30 midnight – 2am (no entry after 2am)

Event remains pumping till sunrise. All Children 12 and under are free when accompanied by a parent or legal guardian

Children: LA Decom is an ALL AGES event. We encourage parents to have a good time with their kids. Please be responsible and aware of children around you. We can all have a safe and fun time together.

Ins and Outs: You may come and go as you need during the day, but after 6pm we can not allow re-entry once you leave. Wristbands will be removed. State Park’s rule. (of course that does not stop you from buying another ticket to get back in)

Parking: We request that everyone park at Union Station. Parking is available in the Gateway Center Garage located under the Patsaouras Transit Plaza. The entrance is on Vignes Street. The daily rate is $6, with a 30-day limit. Payment is accepted using cash and major credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, and American Express). The parking garage is patrolled regularly by security officers making it the safest place to park in the area. You can either walk from the train station 5 blocks or ride the Metro Gold Line North ($1.50) from Union Station to the China Town Station, just one stop up the line. The entrance to the event is approximately 100 yards from the China Town Station.

Items Not Allowed In: Per the parks request, security will be searching bags before you can buy your ticket and enter the event. Please do not bring with you Illegal Drugs, Alcohol, Weapons, Explosives, Markers, Spray Paint, and GLOW STICKS (glow sticks are evil). We would also prefer you not bring anything that leaves a lot of MOOP like feather boas.

Pets: Your furry friends are permitted at the event, however they must remain on a leash at all time (state parks law) AND since this is a Leave No Trace event, you must pick up after your pet leaves something from their behind. (or any moop really that your pet leaves behind).

This is a Leave No Trace Event! We encourage Radical Self Reliance, Radical Self Expression, and Radical Inclusivity! We present to LA a Gifting economy that encourages Decommodification! Our Civic Responsibility and Communal Effort nourish active Participation by all attendees! Become a part of the beauty and culture that is LA BM Decompression! ~)’(~

It was a star studded event and definitely action packed! We started the night off at the VIP reception on the patio of the Malibu Inn. As the evening progressed, we moved inside for the awards ceremony. There were awards given out in many categories and we had the pleasure of seeing some amazing live entertainment.

Just a few highlights included: Samantha Ronson performing her single, Chasing The Reds, and receiving her award for best New Album by a female artist from none other then Richie Ramone of The Ramones.  Seth Riggs, “vocal coach to the stars” received a Lifetime achievement award for his groundbreaking work in vocal training.  Nick Richards and Boys Don’t Cry brought down the house with their famous hit I Wanna Be a Cowboy and received a Legend Award. Lee DeWyze, season 9 American Idol winner also performed a single from his new album.

Last but not least, legendary country artist Glen Campbell was honored with the Lifetime achievement award. He closed the night out with his band whose members include Glen’s own children. Glen is suffering from Altzheimers and was presented the award by famous actress Jane Seymour and her husband  director James Keach. James is currently filming a documentary on the country artist and his journey battling his disease. The final performance by Glen was bitter sweet as you witnessed his daughter calling out the first line of the verse in order to help him remember the words to his own song. It was a lovely display of family, music, and the ties that hold us all together as a community. Hearing that guitar picking that made him famous was honestly quite magical and the whole room came alive upon hearing that incredible music!

The one thing I have certainly learned is the things people judge you for are the things that they dislike about themselves. After all, they have worked hard to stuff these feelings deep down into the corners of their soul. When they see you so comfortable exposing those areas of conflict for them, they will find all kinds of reasons to dislike you. You see it all the time. If a girl feels less pretty than another girl, she will point out how fake the girl is, or dumb, or generally try to point out any flaw she can get her finger at. My personal favorite is when a girl feels insecure to wear clothing that would show too much skin. Instead of admitting she is self conscious about her body, she prefers to exclaim how slutty other girls dress, and how inappropriate she finds it. I think to myself ” The lady doth protest too much.” This behavior has always been pretty bizarro to me. I’ve always really liked to find the things I love about people and then try to focus on letting them know I see them shine.

I am not saying I have never felt jealous or insecure. I have. I will be the first to admit that I have felt sad and diminished by certain people and their energy. It’s human and part of the earth experience. The idea is to acknowledge it. You must tip your hat to the part of your consciousness that reminds you are human and subject to all emotions related to that state of being. Instead of trying to jump up and say, “Look at why I am awesome and they are not!” Why not say, “Wow that person is really amazing. He or she makes me feel a little self conscious.” Let it be and then embrace the feeling. Move on and feel satisfied that sometimes it just is that way. Sometimes we just feel self conscious. It is ok. Don’t run. Just feel it and then let it go. A child does not naturally run from their emotions. They fully commit to what they feel and then they let it go. Here is a great article on just that.

I can hear so many people saying to themselves right now. “Easy for you to say! You are so confident. You have so much going for you.” Sure I have some wonderful things happening in my life. But so do you! It’s all relative. We all have our challenges and our highs and lows. The point I am trying to make it that nobody gets out of here without going through this journey. Even Lady Gaga admits she still feels like a loser at times.

Why am I writing about this? I guess I am writing about this because I see so many  precious little girls and boys who are already becoming plagued by these insecurities. My nieces and nephews who are already learning the rules of human compare and contrast. Unfortunately, they are simply modeling the behavior of their parents, teachers, and guardians. Very few of the people “in charge” even realize that they are simply passing this oppressive behavior on to the next generation. They are rarely teaching their children to honor each other. They don’t show them how to lift each other up and celebrate each others gifts. Even when it is the biggest gift you give yourself as well.

Burning Man 2012 Art Installation

This is what they made us shout at the top of our lungs. Of course not before we hit the big metal cow bell and made our customary dirt snow angels on the ground. If you have no idea or comprehension of what the heck I am talking about, I am of course referring to attending my first Burning Man! The former action items are a right of passage for any “virgin” or first time Burning Man attendee. Although the joke in our camp was that really this is my tenth year of “burning” as I shelled out advice to others as if I had been attending for a decade. It’s not like I was trying to pretend I wasn’t a newbie. I was happy to proclaim to anyone interested that this was my first year. It was just that it felt like home for me and I just got it from the moment I left the pavement that things in this world operate on a slightly different vibration. A vibration that is not too far from my normal crazy!

If you have never gone and have toyed with the idea and just need something to tip the scales, let this article be that weight. It was amazing, miserable, glorious, eye opening, infectious (in a good way;), marvelous, profound, simple, and so many other adjectives that describe life changing experiences. Maybe it was because I went with three of the most amazing people I know, my husband Adam and our dear friends the Friedlands. Maybe it was because the timing was right and I was ready for this amazing artistic festival. Maybe it was because clown blood runs in my veins and I felt I was among my people. Whatever the reason may be, it was truly a wonderful time. Check out this article and video where you can read about and see our friend Michael Worry’s “DiscoFish!” We were happy and honored to be a part of the DiscoFish/ Love Puddle Camp and fortunate enough to have a great view of the Man burning from the top of the Fish! Thanks Love Puddle and DiscoFish!!

Burning Man Art Car DiscoFish

These guys must be super creative!!

Wailea Sunset Maui Hawaii

I just got back from a week long adventure in Maui. It is always difficult to leave the islands as I truly feel like Maui is a second home for me. I had such a great time with my bestie Katie Deluca who is preparing to depart on an extended stay in Thailand this year. I look forward to meeting her and her boyfriend Glen Cordoza out there in October.

I was so happy that there was a decent size south swell and I got to surf one of my favorite south shore breaks known as Dumps.

South Side Maui "Dumps "

We also had the pleasure of attending the 2nd annual Republik Music Festival, featuring G-Love, Slightly Stoopid, and Steel Pulse. I am a big fan of Reggae music but there is something special about attending a reggae concert on Maui. It’s a perfect setting to feeling those irie vibrations.

G-Love Performing "Drinkin Wine"

Steel Pulse "Rally Round"

Katie and I made a trip out to Hana which is one of the most beautiful places on the planet! I always feel like I am in real Hawaii when I go to Hana. We hiked around the cliffs, monkeyed around the jungle, and enjoyed the sound of the rain pouring all night long.

Nesta Rae Showing her true colors!

Katie Deluca Hana Maui

Another wonderful surprise was running into the Fragoso Family at the beach and getting to hang with them! Sarah’s brother Mark and I rented a few long boards and helped everybody catch some waves. A fun time was truly had by all!

Hand stands on the beach.

On my final day I got to paddle out with long time friend Tim Sherer of Goofyfoot Surf School and catch some waves. I was one of Tim’s first female surf instructors in Maui when I lived there years ago and we have remained good friends. If you are planning to travel to Maui and have never surfed, I would highly recommend a lesson with the GoofyFoot Crew!

Hopefully I will be spending some more time on Maui in the coming years as it is truly such a special place.. Until next time, Aloha!

Sunset in Wailea