Sari Organic. 7:30 AM.  

You have to get there early to get the good seat and take in the mountainous views before they're closed off by the clouds. 

 Tacked photos cover some walls...

Sorry. I ate my bowl of fresh fruit, homemade yogurt, homemade bread and jam before I could pull the camera out. It's that good...

Full belly, he gets all of the leftovers...

 Canang Sari on the steps in front. Don't mind my shadow : )

Therapies Son - Rose Red Rose thanks to the tasteful ears of Transparent Records and Michael's iTunes: ) it's a weird video and totally awesome song!!

I just started listening to some of my old tunes again. Finally charged my iPod that has just been sitting around forever, and this magical tune - Au's rr vs. D from my brother Sean started playing...

Purple lotus...

 Three new koi fish...

 Being freed to meet their new fish friends...

All because I can't get a puppy or some other cuddly critter. Fish are cool, right??

Fish song!! Power Animal - Better Water

An artist named Frazer Anderson featured in Hello Bali magazine. Born in Perth and now residing in Sydney, he tries to combine the physical world with his imagination, and came up with these awesome installations.

Article on an anonymous traveller...

Crafts from all over Indonesia, with the presentation provided by Threads of Life, and Indonesian textile arts center. They work  towards: sustainability, restoration, empowering women, and conserving nature. A must see when in Bali and definitely worth scrolling their website! Ikat, Batik, natural dyes, and hand weaving...

Offering outside our house...

 

some had fallen...

but that's nature and that's life...

 and with all of the beautiful things in the world, it's worth it!

And Happy Thanksgiving! (My favorite US holiday!)

Song? Yes. Beach House - D.A.R.L.I.N.G.

 The best part of a Kinder Joy

 is not just the chocolate...

 But

 it is 

 the

 surprise!

And I don't care what anyone says about my singing, I sound awesome when I'm singing along with Meryl Streep to this solo from Postcards from the Edge. (another great film, with Shirley MacClaine!)

Today

Tonight

Goodnight! (Selemat Malam!)

And my bedtime lullaby? Air France - Collapsing at your Doorstep

I've tracked down director and photographer Michael Lawrence for a chat on the recent "Short Order Cooks" music video release for Boston-turned-Brooklyn based band Emil and Friends. Sitting high in the trees surrounded by flowing rivers and abundant rice paddies, Michael's jabbing away at his computer keys and scratching at his scruffy beard. I think the hills in Bali might be having an effect on him.

How are you feeling today?
I'm sitting in a treehouse in Bali, so I'm feeling good.


What do you have going on in Bali besides treehouse chilling?
I've been working on the finishing touches for my first published photo book, Waves. It was shot over the past four years in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. So it feels good to see the finished project after so much work. 


That's cool, congrats. So, you're in North Sulawesi now?
No, I'm working on the photo edits in Ubud, Bali now. I was in Sumatra and Mentawai this last week photographing the after effects from the tsunami with SurfAid International. It was a grueling process with a lot of time spent on a rocking boat, but it was  pleasure to work with such a great organization. The people in Mentawai still choose to smile after all of it.


Wow, so you're all over the place with work these days. I thought Bali was a place for relaxing and yoga classes. 
I don't find my work to really be work, I enjoy doing it. It's sort of cathartic. But I guess the gods of Bali are telling me to slow down. I dropped my motorbike yesterday and got a few scrapes that'll take a week or so to heal.


Ouch! Well, to keep your mind off the road rash, I'd like to know what your favorite thing is in Bali and if you plan on ever returning to the US.
Early morning bike rides, when it's still cool outside, and the only sounds are roosters. It's quite different from New York. 


That's for sure. And as far as heading back?
Right now I'm really happy with the way of life here. I've been lucky enough to work on a lot of really cool projects, so I won't put a date on it, but I'm sure I'll know when it's time to move on.


And how do you plan to celebrate the Emil and Friends release?
I don't know, I don't tend to celebrate things like this. Maybe I'll take a day off and go to the beach. I was talking to my friend Sahil over at Transparent the other day, and funny enough it had originally leaked over a year ago. Exactly November 17th, 2009. So in some ways, it's felt done for a while. But it's cool to see it up and getting some attention.


What inspired the spandex onesies and balloons?
Emil and I were in this divey bar in Southie, and after a few pints of Guiness we started to sketch out ideas on napkins. An hour later we came back to the bar and Emil was dressed in a spandex onesie and from there the idea took shape into what we see now. There was an Indian head dress at one point, but it didn't work too well with the running and horse riding, so we lost it.


Brave man to walk around South Boston in a red onesie! 
Yeah, we got a lot of looks. One guy thought his drum machine was a calculator and he followed us for four blocks reiterating the point with a bat in his hand. He was yelling, "It's a fuckin' calculatuh!"


Sweet, you've got that Revere/Boston accent down! 


And for your seeing and hearing pleasure, check out the funkadelic "Short Order Cooks" music video directed by Michael...

Also, see Mike's tsunami pictures and donate to Surf Aid.

CHICHI (she she; ie: chic) is a line of clothing that will be out January 2011. My influences for its debut include: the sleek, minimalist style in Asian countries and 70s Americana, with comfort and versatility being number one. Let's say Wes Anderson meets a young Goldie Hawn, they high five, a spark ignites, and boom, there's CHICHI! 

(On a side note, I love Goldie. Private Benjamin and Cactus Flower are two of the best movies ever.)

Turn up your speakers and listen to:

Yelle - Je Veux Te Voir

Yelle - Ce Jeu

Nighty Max - Tree House

It's been a slow and quiet day. I love those sometimes.

 

It's almost night out. She's smiling in this picture, but in the other one she's not so happy about the camera in her face. I never mean to make anyone uncomfortable, but I guess we all have those days when we don't want our picture taken...

I like the trees and clouds in this photo. Black and white looks really cool too. There's so much gorgeous color in the original, but the b&w helps to appreciate other elements of a picture that can get lost in color.

Rice paddy terrace farming. See them working there at the top?

Sometimes blurry pictures work...

One man working, one resting.