It’s hard to avoid the pull of Tel Aviv, a city rich with the energy of thousands of young people pushing to make something interesting happen. It’s also a place that’s very much in tune with its own history, and the complicated texts that make up the shared spaces are constantly being put up for revision. The tremendous sense of purpose here, coupled with the remarkably rejuvenating song of the sea, can make visitors and even the locals feel a bit off kilter at times. It’s like trying to decide between dancing for joy or falling into a long meditation on nostalgia in a cafe with friends.

For moments like these, there’s always techno . There are a number of ways to work one’s way into the core of a city, but dancing to trance music seems to be one of the most effective, or at least the most liberating. Moving from the hotel in Tel Aviv to the dance floor means crossing through multiple worlds, and the deeper edges of dance music suggest a journey that is entirely subjective. It’s a good place to be in Tel Aviv, where perception can insert new and important questions into the nature of things as they are.

It is always a pleasure to find something new in Singapore, and this eclectic and lively city is always moving and changing, so there’s always something new.  It’s one of the most exciting parts of visiting Singapore.  It’s almost as if this unusual city state were a measure of contemporary life, because it seems to run a bit ahead of the pace of the rest of the world.  There are many fascinating things here, and one of the most fascinating things is that if you return a month later, there’s even more than before.  There is a very lively local cultural scene, and there are also plenty of international entertainments always coming through.  It’s also a wonderful place to explore restaurants.  Singapore won’t disappoint, and even the most world wise traveler will love the tastes here.

Outside the restaurants, there is a terrific scene, or series of scenes, and it’s pretty fascinating to try to find your way around.  If you’re looking for shiny attractions that will appeal to a broad cross-section of people, there’s plenty to see and do.  If you’re interested in local or international art, there’s also a very lively scene happening here.  If you’re looking for goths, or punks, or tattoo culture, there’s that, too.  There may not be as much punk as you’d expect from a thriving urban culture, and there’s reasons it’s hard to find here, but with folk celebrities as outspoken as Chris Ho, there are signs that point the way to something pretty interesting.

He works as a dj, and can often be seen spinning under his name, and he also has a very interesting following under his other moniker X’Ho.  He makes records, and he rants a lot, and his rants, like some of his heros such as Jello Biafra, are very clever.  This is classic punk sensibility, where there is a message, and there is an intelligence to the whole design.  For those who don’t usually like the products of the subculture, this won’t be your favorite personality in Singapore, but it’s hard not to be very glad that he has the courage to exist, and the sense of humor to pull it all off.

It’s a huge weekend of music here in Barcelona. The other night, I had tickets to see the ‘Red Hot Chili Peppers‘. Barcelona was the start of their European tour. The concert was Fabulous! My friends and I squeezed our way right up to the mosh pit in front of the stage. This gave us an excellent view of the stage, we were so close, only 5 rows back. But, this meant we had the entire weight of thousands of people pushing up against us and we had nothing to hang on to, so we were feeling the stress, my feet were off the ground during most of the concert! My body turned against me and I fainted. Apparently, I managed to pass out in the center, so I was held up by all the bodies surrounding me, but me friends managed to carry me, well drag me, out of the crowd. Tell told me the yelled the whole way.

They took me to the medical tent, which was quite a show in of itself. The doctor was asking me so many questions, like, ‘Where are you?’, ‘How many fingers am I holding up?’, etc. I was completely alright, but the music was so loud that I couldn’t hear any of his questions, plus he was speaking Spanish! So, there I am knowing what answers he wanted from me, but I failed to communicate with him well in Spanish. I was laughing so hard, the doctor kept shaking his head. I finally managed to convey that I’m alright, by letting him know I’m staying at a Barcelona, Spain hotel and that I faint all the time, it’s nothing serious. He let me go back to the concert. We of course headed back to the same spot. It was great!

The next three nights, I had tickets to the music festival ‘Primavera Sound‘. This time I brought plenty of water, but I found that wasn’t necessary because there was no fear of heatstroke, the bands didn’t start playing until 10pm  and the final acts take the stage around 5am! I ditched the water for plenty of caffeine.