Hello God....Is That You?

There is something really funny about being in a steam room and hearing the song, 'Misty' come on over the speakers inside the steam room. I mean...you are lying there, staring into the mist and the lights, feeling so hot you are starting to hallucinate...." God...God is that you?" you think to yourself as the steam rises and blurs your clarity from the inside out, creating this old testament, biblical atmosphere that you could expect to see Moses or burning bushes or fish with coins in their mouths at any time now. But then, upon waiting for the answer from the phantom Samuel moment you hear the melody " ...or it might be the sound of your hello, it's music I hear, I get misty, the moment you're near..." and then you are like. "Oh...it's not you God...it's the jazz police...there I go again...confusing the voice of God with the ever present jazz police."

The damn jazz police .... Can't live with them, cant live without them.

Holiday Tales

So Turkey is the most underrated country ever....Istanbul an even more underrated city. There is just so much history there, its incredible. Everyone will be happy to know, that even in my many lifts that i hitched with strange men while hanging in Turkey, not one of them turned out to be a human trafficker. In fact, those people understand something about service and hospitality to a degree that I never encountered in my life. What a treat...an educational treat...like a piece of dried mango...it's a treat but it's also good for you. That's
what a Turkish holiday is like. Its a treat but its educationally and historically good for you. Its also good for your taste buds. Rose jam...yum...Turkish delight flavored jam, the likes of which had yet to be discovered by my depressingly western palate. I had to bring a jar home, I couldn't resist. Then after Turkey there was Israel. OMG is all I can say....again and again and again. The place is addictive. The Arrows walked the streets of Jerusalem until our little feet just couldn't walk us anymore!! SO much to see. Such and inspiring city, with a bizarre mesh of religious and cultural clashes. You never know what's around the next corner. Whether you will be in an Arab neighborhood or in a Jewish one. Everything is so close together. I can go on and on about it. I just wish that everyone can go and see it for themselves.

Tel Aviv is also the most awesome city ever...SUCH good shopping. Eventually we had to run out of the Carmel market for our lives cause it was just one good deal after the next and we would have spent our entire budget on great watches, denim shorts and tv handbags. We had to just run for our lives...

But its back to SA for us now, working hard on new material, feeling stoked about life. I got the new Brad Meldau album/DVD delivered into my lap tonight. It feels like the hands of God himself just flicked it in my direction in this obscure corner of Durban, South Africa. It's really hard to get albums like this here. So I am in for another treat, but this time not a dried mango kind of treat, more like a waffles with cream and maple syrup kind. Mmmmm.....I am hungry again.

Turkey

So, I am at the airport in Istanbul,Turkey. Waiting for my gate to open so that I can fly off to the next stop which happens to be a quaint, beach town off the coast of Kusudasi. (also Turkey)I got to tell you, there is nothing quite like the feeling of seeing  Starbucks in the distance when you are in a foreign nation. It's like the embassy of familiarity. Some stability and security in an otherwise totally unpredictable and uncertain situation.
So, I sit here, sipping my warm latte and knowing it's going to give me the much needed boost after sleeping 3 hours on the 9 hour flight from Johannesburg to Istanbul. I wonder how I am going to get to my final destination cause it is still 3 bus trips away before I arrive. Maybe I should lessen a few catch phrases on the plane if the person next to me would be obliging and patient enough to try and teach me. Things like "Is this the bus to Kusudasi?" and " Do you think that guy looks like he could be into human trafficking cause I hate to judge but...he is looking a little dodgy...if I was you daughter, would you be stoked if I accepted a lift from a guy that looked like that...." Ja, I probably need to learn a few simple sentences like that.

Well anyways, my gate just started boarding, so I better go. Hopefully, I make it

Love
Pam

South Africa is so kiff!

South Africa is so kiff. When we make a special train that runs from the airport to the city centre, we have to give it a special name. Any other country would call it the subway or the train, but we are so chuffed with ourselves that we give it a special name, the Gautrain.
And honestly we have every right to be chuffed, the view of pretty country at 8:00 am this spring morning is way above average.

So I realized yesterday that i told everybody something about the SAMA's that we are actually not allowed to tell. In terms of performances and collaborations with anybody in particular it would be really great if you could just forget what you read yesterday because it is all meant to be a big surprise. So basically, about the SAMA's....you didn't see anything....you didn't see anything...(in a low, monotone, hypnotic voice like the penguins on Madagasscar)

Other than that, we getting hair done today, cuts and colours for the big night, here at Head Start on Florida Road. Best Ever! But in the distance I can hear a good coffee calling my name... "Pam....Pam....come to me, drink me, the secret of success is trapped within my percolated splendor and hidden within my hypnotic aroma....come to me...i will share my secrets with you..."

What's with the hypnotic 3rd person voices today??!!! i must still be tired, maybe i should go back to bed and try this whole thing a bit later.

sharks on the beach

Just when you think its safe to come out of the water, yes, the sharks are on the beach. Well at least that's how I felt this weekend on closing night of the 'Whosoevers' conference in Diamond Bar, CA. Seriously, after pouring my heart and soul out onto the people and without an ounce of energy left in me, I climbed out of the massive black escalade that we get to cruise around in when we come to LA. I walked towards the caution signs that were keeping our car firmly trapped inside the parking lot and began to move them out of the way, one by one in a desperate attempt to get protein and pajamas into my world as quickly as possible. On the last caution sign, I feel this overwhelming sensation of death pain crushing my finger, and oh yes, it happened, the caution sign had slammed onto my finger and sucked away with it any morsel of excitement or good temper that was hanging around and saving face for me in front of the delightful fans who stood watching this amusing scene play out before them. 'I am bleeding again!' I screamed in protest and threw the last caution sign onto the ground before huffing my way back into the car with very few happy endorphins remaining. Semi-jet lagged, I looked at Christie for sympathy who (herself focused on only protein and pajamas) empathized with the compassionate South African phrase, 'Ah shame' and then just flat-footed us back onto the road on the mission at hand, leaving me to fend the blood and the 'sprained finger agony' for myself. This is not the end, now with my index finger in a splint, today I am chopping lettuce, like a total douche with the sharpest, pokiest knife on the planet and, oh yes, I slice the top of my thumb open. I am now 2 little soldiers down on one hand.  So, moral of the story, just when you think the coast is clear, beware, its not over, the sharks are on the beach and they will find you and threaten your very existence. I hope this means there is a new song coming, please, some reason to validate the bizarreness of 2 soldiers down on one hand in 3 days. Something, anything....OUCH!!

I am trying to put a picture of my sad little hand up for you to feel my pain, but it is not looking promising. You just going to have to believe me xx