I took a trip over to Krabi about a month ago, and had wanted to make it there since I arrived here, but just never did. So I went with two of my friends here, Paup and Rose, and two of their friends who were visiting from Bangkok. Aside from the simply stunning landscapes of the Krabi area, other notes included:

• Listening to Britney Spears latest album Blackout as we left Phuket to head over there. I’ve always been one who carefully selects road trip music to get my mind primed from some exploring and when I sat down in the car and heard what was playing on the stereo, I immediately yelled “What the fuck?” to myself. Luckily the horror ended soon there after.

• After having agreed that we would were going to drink poolside before going out that night, we went to buy some brew at “7″. When I opened up the fridge door at the shop, I grabbed four double-deuces: two Tigers, two Heinekens…for myself. When my friends opened up the fridge door, they each grabbed two 12oz. Changs. I have drank with them plenty of times before, but I guess we had different visions for what that particular afternoon and evening were going to entail.

• Consuming said beers that were purchased and then proceeding to be completely hammered by the time we ended up at the bar later that evening. Drank bucket after bucket, chilled out to the music that was playing well above the designated level of safe decibels for one’s ears, and fell into the bushes as I tried to get into the car to go back to the room. Somehow, I can recount everything…at least I think so.

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Top Five Saints-Related Happenings

1. Baumgartner and Jeanie wedding – Congrats!
2. Berto and Fern’s first child – Congrats!
3. The One EK’s beard – Al Borlandish!
4. Isaf’s intention to visit The Kingdom – Word!
5. Esperanza mashin’ up the ATL – Nuff Respect!

Top Five Esperanza-Related Happenings

1. Barbalho visited during his honeymoon and it was unbelievably strange to have a fellow Saint hanging out on my side of the World. Of course, I initiated his arrival by taking him directly to Bangla Rd. where, after saying we’d only have some casual beers while chattin’ it up, we proceeded to end up at the strip club buying shot after shot and drink after drink, stumbling down to Tiger Disco and having the ladies flock to us, and finally putting D-Bar in the incredibly awkward scenario of having to explain how he got a hickey on his neck after one night out in Patong on his honeymoon. Classic. Nuff respect for the gifts that were given to me by the Esperanza crew. Pimp threads, delicious ATL-brew, stickers to spread the word in Thailand (check The Hope Over Thailand section), and the sickest cufflinks I’ve ever owned. Saints forever!
2. The Stomp and Stammer show looked like it was fantastic. Sounded like a recipe for drinking far too many Sierra Nevadas, smoking too many cigarettes in that alley, rocking out to some fine ATL bands, stumbling over to The Yacht Club, and not remembering a whole lot the next day.
3. Where the hell are the NYC pictures from October? I want to see some evidence of The Big Apple Takeover!
4. The new shirts in the teaser post look awesome. I got a good laugh over how backwards things are here. You’re debuting winter-themed shirts and I’m getting psyched that the weather will be nice all summer. You’re writing top five song lists for wearing multiple layers and drinking on the porch and I’m writing top five song lists for lounging on the beach and sippin’ drinks in 85-degree weather. Crazy. Anyways, my favorite is the police badge shirt. Can’t wait to rock that bad boy after it’s in production.
5. The annual trunk party had me all fucking sentimental when you sent out that post. I remember chilling out at the first one, picking up some new shirts at a discount price, giving The One Squat a dollar tip for being a swell guy, forgetting Blaire Brooks’ name, being pissed that you didn’t carry ‘Bring Back The Point” in men’s brown, admiring Squat’s shower curtain, talkin’ with Karlo, bullying the jukebox at Fontaine’s with The Skatalites, drinking Sweetwater Festive Ale and Sierra Neveda Celebration Ale, and having a splendid time with some friends and thinking to myself that it was gonna be one of the last times that would happen for years since I knew I was departing the ATL soon, but hadn’t shared it with anyone yet. Well, hope it was all a resounding success and keep up the work fellas.

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My quest to keep my wallet until the day I died came to an end last Sunday. Here is the rundown. I was watching the New England game around 10 o’clock in the morning and had my door open to let the fans push the air out. I dozed off on the couch during the game. I was awakened at one point to find a lady in my front room milling about. I asked her what she wanted and she asked me if I wanted her to clean my house. I refused the offer and told her to be on her way. What I did not discover until about 8 hours later, when I wanted to go to the gym and started looking for my wallet, was that she swiped one of my most coveted possessions, the wallet I have had for 11 years. Fucking bitch.

I don’t know what to say, but theft has hit me hard. Of course I want everything back including the 3,000 baht, my credit cards, and my driver’s license, but if she just would have left the wallet, it wouldn’t have hit me so deep. I was even going to do a photo essay of my wallet titled “Hope I Never Lose My Wallet” that would document it going from the completely haggard and homeless-looking state that it is currently in to having it repaired and reassembled by the seamstress that lives around the corner from me. Looks like that idea is gone forever. Along with my fucking wallet. Fuck me.

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December 26th marks the third anniversary of the Indian Ocean tsunami. Much love to all who either lost family or friends, or were displaced by the catastrophic event.

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Did anybody take note of how insanely bright Mars was during the third week of December? One glance toward the clear night sky and you’d be able to spot it in an instant. If you missed it, then just wait a few years and the orbits will cross again, but, then again, Mars might look totally different at that time since reports state that there is a 4% chance that an asteroid will impact the red planet on January 30th. Hopefully it’ll happen since that would make for some amazing revelations in that field and be exciting to boot.

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The Top Rankin’ Hi-Fi is offering this collection of jazz works by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej as a present to all for Christmas. I absolutely guarantee you have no idea what to expect from this album and I absolutely guarantee you will be pleased with the output of sound. Merry Christmas and Long Live The Jazz King!

H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej – H.M. Blues

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The Top Rankin’ Hi-Fi has intentions to head back into the studio in the near future to crank out some more episodes. Unforeseen circumstances contributed to the lack of episodes throughout this past year, but the vaults have since returned and will produce more enjoyment for your ears soon enough. Assuming, of course, that the original two did that in the first place. Upcoming journeys include lounging on the sands of Brasil, sleeping on the streets of Brooklyn, rollin’ dice in the alleys of Detroit, a late night train ride through Isaan, and stargazing in the Kalahari.

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Dive into the Tru Thoughts vault and come out with as many free records as you want. Not familiar? Get familiar.

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I was at my computer the other day and my neighbor was outside having someone install a new stereo in his truck. After an hour or so, the job was complete and what song do I hear filling the streets as he tested the system out? That’s right, fuckin’ Sultans Of Swing! I immediately went outside and gave him the thumbs up for his choice. Anyone who has spent time with me at a bar (Northside Tavern) that has this song on their jukebox will know it is one of my all-time favorites.

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Ironically, I can simply paste the beginning from my second to last post, back on September 21st, right here since the circumstances have come full circle since then. So…..Finished working at The Evason Phuket on Tuesday, December 18th. It’s moving on to the next endeavor, whatever & whenever & wherever that might be remains uncertain as I write this.

Yeah so job wise, I spent the past two and half months teaching at The Evason Phuket which is a resort located on the southern end of the island in Rawai. I taught four classes there including front office, housekeeping, food and beverage, and a general class for all departments.

I really enjoyed working there, but it turned out to be quite a bit more work than I thought it would be. My friend, who placed me there, gave me some resources, but after meeting my students and understanding their level, I realized that most of the materials were far below their abilities. So, it was up to me to prepare roughly 80% of the lessons for the 10-week course.

One thing I discovered quick about teaching is that if you haven’t prepared your lesson then the class will end up being way more difficult than it should be. I only had to wing it on a few occasions and that was in the first two weeks when I was researching topics to cover and more or less figuring what works and what does not work when conducting a class. Once everything was more or less planned out, then all the classes went smooth.

All of my students told me they really liked coming to the classes (of course they got paid to come also, but nevermind that) and, more importantly, were benefiting from doing so. The human resources staff also told me they enjoyed having me on board. Unfortunately, the course finished up and I recently found out that they would not be doing the course again largely as a result of it being high season here. That’s fine though, I’m thankful that I was given the opportunity to gain some experience there.

Now, the job hunt begins. Especially considering that the other business I was involved in, The Compound Phuket, recently had to postpone the project we were working on. Yes, the company name is taken from Compound, off Howell Mill, since my friend, Wes, was one of the owners when he lived back in the ATL. Fortunately we were not developing another Eurotrash club to be avoided at all costs, but, rather, a property in the Chalong area that was going to contain nine villas. However, building costs per square foot went up recently and he was forced to wait until a few years from now to make the project happen or just abandon it all together.

I’m not sure where I will end up in the near future. I’m entertaining a position in Trang, Thailand and a position at the InterContinental Hotel in Bangkok. Completely opposite lifestyles for both of those places. Other prospective destinations include both Lijiang and Yangshuo in China, or I might just stay put here in Phuket. Again, uncertain would be the best word when it comes to all this.

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Maintaining and compiling the Top Rankin’ Hi-Fi archives proved to be full of peaks and valleys this year. Record collecting was a limited endeavor, not because of the complete lack of record stores in my area, but because of the lack of a dedicated Internet connection and the lack of a computer throughout parts of the year. However, enough time was spent being connected to allow me to grab a hell of a lot more than the most folks out there. It actually became completely necessary when the archives were out of commission for nearly four months and I was left with only the albums on my iPod and whatever else that I pilfered.

The disappearing act was an event which made me realize how much I treasure my music collection. I had settled on moving forward in life without my vibes, but it was a difficult pill to swallow and resulted in a deep feeling of sorrow. Luckily, the collection returned, however it took some knocks along the way and came back with tracks missing here and there whose individual discovery has been taking jabs at the completist in me as of late. Better to have 90% than O% though.

Well, during the down time, I managed to score plenty of albums that actually were released in 2007 and, even more so, fistfuls of gems from the past. Here is a rundown of the 2007 releases that destroyed the soundsystem this year…and some other lists.

Top Five Hip Hop Records

1. Y Society – Travel At Your Own Pace
2. Black Milk – Popular Demand
3. Blue Scholars – Bayani
4. Ohmega Watts – Watts Happening
5. Brother Ali – The Undisputed Truth

Top Five Funk Records

1. Orgone – The Killion Floor
2. The Heliocentrics – Out There
3. The Budos Band – The Budos Band II
4. The Bamboos – Rawville
5. The Quantic Soul Orchestra – Tropidelico

Top Five Reggae Records

1. Gladiators – Studio One Singles
2. Tim Armstrong – A Poet’s Life
3. The Revolutionaries – Drum Sound
4. Studio One Records – When Rhythm Was King
5. Keith Hudson – Nuh Skin Up b/w Brand

Top Five DJ Records

1. Lack Of Afro – Press On
2. Burial – Untrue
3. Oh No – Dr. No’s Oxperiment
4. Lanu – This Is My Home
5. Belleruche – Turntable Soul Music

Top Five Indie/Punk Records

1. Panda Bear – Person Pitch
2. The Avett Brothers – Emotionalism
3. The Black Lips – Good Bad Not Evil
4. Gallows – Orchestra of Wolves
5. Dr. Dog – We All Belong

Top Five Jazz Records

1. The Nostalgia 77 Octet – Weapons Of Jazz Destruction
2. Bonobo – Live in Budapest
3. Orchestra Baobab – Made In Dakar
4. Yesterday’s New Quintet – Yesterday’s Universe
5. The Hot 8 Brass Band – Rock With The Hot 8 Brass Band

Top Five Compilations

1. Jazzman Records – Florida Funk: Funk 45′s From The Alligator State
2. Jazzman Records – Sister Funk Vol.2
3. Ubiquity Records – Super Cool: California Soul Vol.2
4. Soul Jazz Records – Brazil 70: After Tropicalia
5. Stones Throw Records – Peanut Butter Wolf: B-Ball Zombie War

Top Five Records I Already Had In 2006

1. Explosions In The Sky – All Of A Sudden, I Miss Everyone
2. Lily Allen – Alright, Still
3. Talib Kweli & Madlib – Liberation
4. Do Make Say Think – You, You’re A History In Rust
5. LCD Soundsystem – Sound Of Silver

Top Five Records Discovered This Year

1. Soundway Records – Ghana Soundz: Afrobeat, Funk, and Fusion in 70′s Ghana Volumes 1 & 2
2. Melvin Jackson – Funky Skull
3. Marva Whitney – It’s My Thing
4. Ike Turner – A Black Man’s Soul
5. Paul Gonsalves – Boom-Jackie-Boom-Chick

Top Five Records To Be Released In 2008

1. Rancid – Untitled
2. The Lions – Jungle Struttin’
3. Giant Panda – Electric Laser
4. Dr. Dre – Detox
5. Clutchy Hopkins – Walking Backwards

Top Five Records I Have Not Listened To Yet

1. Jazzman Records – Carolina Funk
2. Soul Jazz Records – Studio One Roots Vol.3
3. Orlando Julius – Super Afro Soul b/w Orlando’s Afro Ideas
4. Numero Records – Eccentric Soul: Twinight’s Lunar Rotation
5. Native – Rockstone: Adventures With Lee Perry At Black Ark

Record Of The Year

Federico Aubele – Panamericana

The first time I put the needle on his debut album, GranHotelBuenosAries, I knew I had discovered one of my new favorite artists for years to come. His sophomore effort follows in the same tradition with slightly more vocals added and the results are astonishing. His delicate blend of intricate Argentinian vibes with roots dub makes for lush compositions that hit deep inside and induce explosions at the synapses. It’s a source of contemplation and reflection making for a harmonious state. Federico Aubele has the ability to harness a special energy and those who feel it know it.

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Latest idiot move includes getting ready to go to the gym one day and misplacing my card to get in. Looked around the house for about ten minutes or so, but no luck. Called the gym and asked if I left it there the last time, but no luck. Finally just left to go to the gym. Stretched out and started to run, and, while running, I could feel that something was different with my shoes. Stopped the treadmill, and after thinking to myself “No way”, I took my shoes off only to find my card waiting for me right there. After cracking up at how moronic the whole scenario was, I thought about the saying “Right under your nose” and never thought it would be possible to take a step down to “Right under your foot”. Fuck me.

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theGoLdBrick.net has officially begun to get the gears revolving to produce more content. Excuse the extended hiatus, but, hell, that’s the way it goes sometimes.

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Barakas – Stabilo Bossa 12″
Various Artists – Killer Jazz From The Groove Merchant
Cat Power – Jukebox
Cesaria Evora – Cabo Verde
Y Society – Travel At Your Own Pace
The Whitefield Brothers – In The Raw
Various Artists – Red Hot + Riot
Various Artists – Sister Funk Vol.1
Bob Dylan – Theme Time Radio Shows
Lack Of Afro – Press On
Fela Kuti – Beasts Of No Nation b/w O.D.O.O.
Bruce Springsteen – The River
Afro Cuban All-Stars – Distinto, Diferente
Los Zafiros – Bossa Cubana
Various Artists – Hotel Costes
Mishka – Self-Titled
YNQ – The Joe McDuphrey Experience
Saru – Downtempo Dojo
The Slackers – Better Late Than Never
Yabby You – Jesus Dread 1972-77
Jah Stitch – Original Raggamuffin 1975-77
James Brown – In The Jungle Groove
Son House – Father Of The Delta Blues
GB – Soundtrack For Sunrise
Silhouette Brown – Self-Titled
Belleruche – Turntable Soul Music
Various Artists – Ubiquity Cookin’ Series
Kashmere Stage Band – Texas Thunder Soul

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Back in November, ESPN was showing the Coaches Vs. Cancer tournament which is held to benefit The V Foundation. Not only was it great to see some back-to-back college hoop games, it was refreshing to be reminded of Jimmy V’s speech from the 1993 ESPY Awards. One of my favorite speeches ever and it moves me every single time I watch it or listen to it. If you have no idea what I am talking about, then take 10 minutes out of your day to watch it. “Va fa Napoli, buddy!”

Don’t give up, don’t ever give up! Bless you Jimmy V!

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