#Nostalgia

I have just been updating my website: www.melissaclissold.com So, I've had to look back at this blog (which I have now placed under the subtitle "Ye Olde Blog" on my website). It honestly fills my life with joy (this design, these colour choices, the fonts - oh boy!)

Anyway, I don't really want to delete "The Walkabout" EVER because it means quite a lot :). For a while, it truly was a good way of expressing myself, sharing some ideas, and just exploring the world of blogs. Plus, it feels fun to still say "yeah, I have a Blogspot still." :)

I haven't been writing or publishing much online (here and there) - but, if you happen to come across this blog post, head over to my website. I'm going to attempt to publish more of my musings there. We shall see.

Peace and love.

Melissa

#BlackLivesMatter

Song of the Day

Israel Vibration - Poor Man Cry

Music

Hi everyone!

So I have a few music pages which I am and will be updating more regurlarly in the next months. If you could follow/like me it would be much appreciated =)

Here they are:

Facebook Page   
Soundcloud Page
Bandcamp Page   
Reverbnation Page


You can download my one and only available song (I am working on adding/recording more) for free on Soundcloud and Bandcamp or for a price you name on Bandcamp. If you download from Reverbnation 50% of earnings go to Fender Music Foundation. I will change this charity regurlarly.

I am currently based in Ankara, Turkey so if you would like to get in touch send me an email at melissaclissold@gmail.com

Song of the Day

This is such a beautiful tune. My Brazilian friend Julia introduced her to me. 
(Sidenote: You should check out Julia's photography  - she is incredibly talented.)
And the song...

Pascuala IIabaca Argadoña is a Chilean composer and singer from Chile. She uses piano and accordian to accompany her voice.

'Pascuala Ilabaca Argandoña es una cantante y compositora chilena, destacada por su voz y el acompañamiento del acordeón y piano en sus canciones. Su obra ha sido descrita como “composición contemporánea, las tradiciones étnicas del mundo y la raízfolclórica chilena.”¹ También es parte de Samadi, un grupo de música étnica iniciado en 2005, que recopila repertorios de India,África, Latinoamérica, Medio Oriente y Europa.' (Wikipedia)

Song of the Day

St Germain - Rose Rouge
(Album: The Tourist)

Song of the Day

Bonobo - Between the Lines (Album: Black Sands)


Well we can't change the world
We sure can change the way we live
We can't only take 
Also got to learn to give

People corrupt 
'Cause they don't understand
There's book of truths 
And a book of lies 

Think with your heart 
Read between the lines 
Things aren't always how they seem 
We got to make the best of it 

Eye for eye 
Tooth for tooth 
Sometimes we're blind 
We can still see the truth

Well we can't change the world 
We sure can change the way we live
We can't only take 
Also have to learn to give

Sometimes we're lost 
Sometimes we're blind 
Think with your heart 
Read between the lines

Song of the Day

Judge Not - Bob Marley
"Judge not, before you judge yourself"
Bob Marley's first ever recorded single. (1962)

Quote of the Day

Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno
''One for all, all for one'', more known as ''All for one and one for all'' - The Three Musketeers

Quote of the Day

"The more man meditates upon good thoughts, the better will be his world and the world at large" - Confucius

Nneka - Concrete Jungle

I managed to get a hold of this album last year, two years after it's release, thanks to a friend of mine who recommended the song 'Heartbeat' which blew me away straight away. Since then I've been listening to Nneka pretty much all the time and have absolutely fallen in love with her latest album 'Concrete Jungle' (2010), her music and her voice.

Nneka, a beautiful young and talented Nigerian-German woman (aged 31), not only has amazingly diverse rhythms and melodies in each of her songs but she also sings about issues that truly matter - poverty, loss of spirituality in the modern age, greed, the problems that persist in the African continent and subjects that touch everyone's heart and soul.

Her music makes you want to get up and move as well as think about problems that persist across the globe. Her album is about fighting for who you are and not denying your history or giving into pressure. There are such a mix of genres in this album ranging from soul, rap, reggae, hip-hop, acoustic, blues and she has successfully managed to combine these genres together to create a very funky sound. Listen to it and make up your own mind. Turn that bass up and enjoy!

Although I love the entire album, my favourites so far are Suffri, Walking and Come with me.

I recommend this album to everyone who wants to wake up from a comfortable yet ignorant sleep, in order to open their eyes to what's really going on in the world!

No one has said it so well in a while...
or should I say sang it...

Quote of the Day

"Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can't ride you unless your back is bent." 

- Martin Luther King, Jr

Quote of the Day

Fight for yourself!

Check out my first properly recorded tune! 
Mi primer canción hecha ya!!

Thanks y Gracies a Pau Arbones Sala for percussion and Lluis Morilla Bigas for guitar and Agusti Casedmont for letting us use his home studio in Palafrugell! =) Couldn't have done it without you guys.

Thanks to everyone who has supported me throughout this process of musical self-discovery...there are many of you!

Hope you enjoy my first attempts at getting some stuff recorded. As a lot of you may know, I was singing in a band, Soul Dimension in Palafrugell and have got to thank them from bringing out the reggae in me too. Gracias a Pifa, Xavi, Xavier, Anna, Paco for convincing me to sing with them!

Also Thank you a Palafrugell La Vinacoteca for letting me perform my first gigs there and anyone who came to see me! You helped a lot with the confidence! 

Hope you enjoy and looking forward to any kind of feedback! 

Much love!
xxx

Truth and Rights

"You know the truth and rights - teach it to the children" - Johnny Osbourne (1980)

Quote of the Day

"The religion of the future will be a cosmic religion." - Albert Einstein.

Food for thought

Following on from the other day regarding my discussion of food. Here's a caricature I quite like:

The hamster says " And when you eat it do you also use a mask?"

Quote of the Day

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning." - Albert Einstein.

Some thoughts on food...and local produce.

Living in a small town in Catalonia for the past year has taught me a lot of things...

One of those things being the importance of buying locally produced goods as well as ethical consumption.  The following is by no means an exhaustive discussion of this subject, but more a personal reflection as this topic can be discussed forever and a day. I will however mention a few articles, videos, books at the end of this post if you would like to explore the subject further.

I started my journey into learning about ethical alternatives to consumption, especially when it came to food, whilst I was in a lecture on the topic of Anthropology of Food at SOAS and I remember something that has stayed with me in particular.

http://www.maria-brazil.org/

It was regarding a banana.

Yes, a banana, one of the most potassium rich fruits in the world that most athletes devour to give them a burst of energy.

A perfect morning snack.

Also the subject of two characters of a children's favourite TV show. See: 'Bananas in Pyjamas'.

Now, we all know that a banana doesn't magically appear on the supermarket shelf.
A banana in fact has a story - and all food that we eat does.

Note: Unfortunately many children probably do think that banana's grow on supermarket shelves or may not even know WHAT a banana is - no fault of their own... See 'Potato or Tomato': Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution).

The way human beings interact with food has changed drastically. Not only are we not teaching future generations WHERE fruit and vegetables come from, WHERE their steak comes from (and with animals it is a different story. See: my article 'Meet your Meat') but we are not teaching them  HOW they are produced, WHY we buy food in supermarkets and WHAT they are good for.

I mean the amount of problems that exist regarding food nowadays is what I would probably call INSANE. A system of instant gratification and over consumption has left us with problems ranging from global warming, destruction of nature and our natural interaction with plant/animal life, GMO crops, unfair trade regulations, paying more for ORGANIC food that isn't ridden with toxic pesticides etc. etc. etc.

Where did all go wrong? And when did we forget that a plain old banana has a long, at times, painful story...in order to reach our mouths?

Where was it planted? By who? Which country? Who was the middle-man that allowed it to be shipped across the globe? Then the other who decided which supermarket chain it would go to? What mark-up price will it be sold at? Is the farmer who planted this banana being treated fairly?

The questions are endless. So, in fact, when we bite into that banana, we are biting into a lot more than we realise....until we start realising that we ourselves are part of a long long chain in this system of global trade and consumption. We can either choose to ignore this fact or we can choose to face it and realise the consequences of our actions and buying habits.

I think it's important to realise our own place in global market and trade system; and make ourselves aware of the many initiatives currently across the globe trying to raise light to issues that has been kept in the dark. It's a complicated topic and there are many sides to it...

Luckily enough for me there is a fresh fruit/vegetable/cheese/fish market everyday in this town of 22,000 and that allows one easier access the food produced in the area. But not only is it about going to the fresh food markets but also buying from smaller shops scattered around that help support the local economy (especially in times of crises such as this). And these CAN be found in every city (most of the global human population, for the first time in history are living in cities).

I think it's important to realise we can all do our bit. Often people think that because they cannot be 100% ethical as EVERYTHING we buy has a story (from the clothes we wear, to the toothpaste we use, to the phone we text on) then there is no point.

www.CartoonStock.com

I disagree....if we start learning about ourselves and the things we CAN do, then it is just a matter of taking baby steps and deciding WHAT is really important to us, others and the world. We cannot deny that we are indeed a global world much more connected than ever before. The more we deny this fact, the more we are shying away from a reality, of which, if a blind eye is turned, I fear will tear us away from our own humanity. We are after all 'what we eat'...

 The consumption of a banana suddenly becomes much much more.


THINGS TO LOOK AT:

Bananas: A 2009 Swedish documentary directed by Fredrik Gertten about a conflict between the Dole Food Company and banana plantation workers in Nicaragua over alleged cases of sterility caused by the pesticide DBCP.
Top 10 Genetically modified crops
Local produce and healthy eating
Fair Trade website

Quote of the Day

The Four Seasons

All beautiful...