I´m happy for your kind words. You both are such amazing friends!!^^ Thank you so so much! Though I wasn´t sad anymore, thank you, seriously. I will miss you not having you both next to me at class! So, I´ll be thinking of you while I´m working or kind of. I don´t know what will happen to me. Who knows!

What did I do this week? Actually, nothing special. Well, I did, but now that I cannot go out because of my parents, I don´t have anything to do but working! Yay! It is so much fun, so much fun!(Andrew Bravener´s words... haha). So! On Tuesday, my parents and my sister went to have fun to Murcia(some place in Spain where there´s beach... you know why they went there... Sunbathe?? no! They went to the beach only for 2 hours ¬¬ How lame is that? haha), and then, as I was going to be alone at home, I spent the day with some guy, and I had a great afternoon/night. The following day, I had to go to some stupid hospital to care about some kid who was ill. Not caring of him, actually, but I was "hired" to translate for some hours, 3 concretely. And I was paid, which was cool!!! I´m so sorry about the little kid :/ He got an epileptic crisis... In the afternoon, I met up with Lucía to film this video for Kris!! And after her leaving, I did nothing. T_T haha.

On Thursday morning, I had to go to work. I wake up at 5.20am, which wasn´t cool at all. T_T And in the afternoon, we went to have dinner at Hard Rock Cafe with Kris, cause it was her birthday!! She is already 19!!yay! And after having dinner, we went to sit down in front of the Royal Palace to "booze" haha. I didn´t drink but a glass and went back to home cause I had to work 4 hours later...T_T Not 4, but I had to wake up by that time... When I got there, my parents were already asleep, so they didn´t yelled at me as they usual do, and I stayed up late till 3. I only slept 2 hours and then... WORK AGAIN! T_T But yesterday, I slept 12 hours, from 5pm till 5(.20)pm, so... Cool! Though, now that I think about it... It´s not that cool, cause I got a headache the whole day...T_T

So, that was what I did this week. Fun, huh? And what am I doing tomorrow?? uhmmm... oh yes! Working. T___T

Have fun, people!!!^^

Then, I'm speaking at the PMA Digital Conference on Monday morning, at 11AM, in lower Manhattan.

There's also a small change that in two weeks I may attend Blogworld in Las Vegas - and also attend Buzzlogic.com exclusive Influencers party at the Hard Rock Cafe - but that's really still up in the air.  I also have a few other conferences to attend in NYC (Web 2.0), Social Ad Summit and OMNA - all within two weeks.

Exhausted just thinking about it.

Kany se ha sentado,
guitarra ámbar en mano,
a cantar.
Y el sentimiento
me invade.
Los pensamientos,
aquellos impulsados
por el gatillo del recuerdo,
vuelan a mil por hora
hacia aquellos días.
Hoy,
no queda más que resaca
y cenizas.
Gracias Kany.

(Escrito el 24 de julio, 2008, mientras Kany cantaba "Hoy ya me voy")

(Foto: Isaac Alonzo/Fotobonche)

Pe scurt despre incinta cu pricina: cea mai naşpa bere la draft pe care am băut-o de multă vreme. Mâncare ok, dacă îţi place stilul american cu sos de ăla de ketch up care îţi năclăieşte mâncarea. Servicii ok. O budă impecabil de curată.

Şi mai pe scurt despre incinta cu pricina: sunt alte locuri în Bucureşti unde să te simţi mult mai bine la banii ăia.

But many visitors to Japan are surprised to see the 自由の女神像 (Statue of Liberty) in Tokyo. Like the one in NYC, it was a gift from France.

I've seen the one in New York and, of course, the one in Tokyo (pictured above)...but I was surprised to learn (from this Wikipedia site: in English or 日本語) that there replicas of the 自由の女神像 (Statue of Liberty) all over the world.

How many of them have you seen?

+++

Wanna see some more various photos that I've taken at different times / places around Tokyo?

靖国神社 (Yasukuni Shrine):

ミルクスタンド (Milk stand) at a train station. (If you buy a drink at one of these, it comes in a glass bottle. You stand there and finish the drink, then return the bottle. You're not supposed to walk off with the drink):

In a supermarket:

The 大船観音 (Oofuna-Kannon) statue near 鎌倉 (Kamakura):

The first Hard Rock Cafe, Tokyo in 六本木 (Roppongi). When I came to Japan, it was the only HRC in Japan. Now there's eight or nine around Japan, iｎcluding two more in Tokyo (well, one of those isn't actually in Tokyo...the Hard Rock Cafe, Narita Tokyo is in 千葉県成田市 (Narita, Chiba) near Tokyo.

Actually, I don't eat at HRC.

At 三渓園 (Sankeien Gardens) in 横浜 (Yokohama):

The Hard Rock Café has been turned into a rolling boulder gathering no moss, but plenty of onlookers. Although Oscar nominee Angela Bassett has been already spotted at the DNC convention, rumors of her appearance within the Hard Rock are misinformed. In fact, the surging crowds outside the brassy entrance doors are eagerly informed that they are all lying in wait for a brief glimpse of even bigger stars, if the police escorts will allow it. According to Denver security, Oprah and George Clooney are hosts to a gathering inside the Rock, although with all the cops surrounding the building one might think it was Obama and George Bush instead.

Nearby on the 16th Ped-Mall, religious protestors abound in a renewed presence. With signs calling for "War on Mormons," "Guns for nuns" and "Follow Jesus" these activists are slowly followed by cautious police, hoping that no arrests will have to be made so close to the Invesco rope-drop. Up a few blocks on Curtis St., religious protesters wielding huge yellow banners are quietly rerouted to the sidewalks in front of our hotel, so as not to protest directly in front of the Federal reserve bank branch.

Up further on Curtis, "No Snowmen Left Behind" protestors have left ice sculptures out on the street corners and in front of The Curtis itself. The ice snowmen sculptures are symbolically standing out in the full sun, "gently twisting in the wind" for all environmentally-concerned delegates to see and reflect upon. Perhaps the dignitaries further down the block at Baur's Restaurant are smiling at the sight. Although it is unclear just who is currently enjoying a wet lunch at Baur's, the black limo with Time-Warner magazine placards plastered discreetly on the windows makes one wonder if we'll see these snowmen in Time's Sept 1st issue.

Back on the Ped-Mall, the Republic Plaza is calm and surprisingly vacant, no protestors here, at the moment. However, just steps away the large Starbucks has a strong police presence outside, as many of the delegates from the Sheraton Hotel across the way come here to chat and watch the protestors walk past.

Outside the Virgin music store, protestors are calling for an end to amnesty for immigrant workers. Up the street outside the, now, legendary Hyatt Regency, protestors with Immigrant Justice are gathering together to make their walk around the Colorado convention centre. Inside the Hyatt, the hotel's Strata Café, located in the lobby offering full-length window viewings of the nearby protestors, congressional handlers and delegates sip sleek drinks while sitting on even sleeker high-backed chairs or leather benches.

Walking back to the hotel, one might sniff occasionally, trying to figure out if they have a cold or if there is some sort of odorous protest in progress. The later is true on the corners of Champa St. where activists calling for the legalization for marijuana give off a familiar musty honeydew aroma.

Finally shuffling back into the hotel, one immediately notices that the courtyard is now fully energized in anticipation of Obama's acceptance speak at Invesco. Many of the fourth floor windows are covered in Obama placards and signs reading, "McCain, mores of the same."

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• Afternoon musings from Denver
• Protestors, traffic and security

2 cups orange sherbet or sorbet

1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

1/4 cup milk

1 spring of fresh spearmint

Put the sherbet ,juice and milk in a blender and blend for 15 seconds or just until all the sherbet is smooth.

Pour the orange freeze into a tall ,chilled glass. Place a sprig of fresh spearmint in the top and serve immediately.

The local if not national news was all abuzz, as there were some ("surprise, surprise, surprise!") arrests of protestors at the Civic Center Park. The protestors demonstrating there wore black, tattoos, piercings and bandannas... as well as quite a lot of crass epitaphs and sloppy sarcastic slogans. The bandannas were more than a fashion statement, they were wore as protection over their noses for fear of tear gas while marching arms locked in arms, but the worst that was used was some pepper spray. The mantra of the protestors located there was "food not bombs". As with any maxim including the word "bombs," the police had plenty of unsheathed automatic assault rifles with rubber pellets ready to go when the protestors made their move.

Returning from Pepsi was itself a battle for Algiers, with re-routes for all the convention shuttles and further continued traffic congestion.

Back in the hotel, we drifted into a much needed sleep while accompanied with the light jazz program coming from a sonorous grand piano in the ballroom. The music was coming from the Nevada delegation's continued strident takeover of the hotel. At least they were far better behaved than a smattering of delegates who murmured their disapproval of former Iowa Congressman Jim leach during his initial remarks. It should be noted that Leach appears in the peak of health and surprisingly energized in this, his road to perdition.

The evening convention was just the tip of the non-frosted iceberg that the DNC provides for its own, with rallies for Planned Parenthood spilling out onto the sidewalks around Larimer Square and parties for many of the states being hosted along the gambit of 16th St Mall-to-Union Square (and back again).

One cotillion the Iowa delegation is unlikely to see soon will be the Secret Service's unpublicized self-congratulatory gala, provided they find time to have one. Certainly there were enough plains clothed officers at Pepsi to take over a small Latin American nation. If the tone and actions of the protestors do not change soon, perhaps it is safe to say they would feel more at home in a disorganized failed state, Columbia, Honduras or John McCain's campaign.

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• Denver Wants Delegates to See the Old and the New

Watcha think?! I kind of like my style on the rocks.

Btw. If your getting bored with margaritas or cosmopolitans or gin&tonics, try the Espresso Martini drink. Puurfect for those nights when you feel you need a wake up kick, or just love coffee.

I just finished a guest spot with Dal Richards(I've blogged about him in the past) and his Orchestra at the Pacific National Exhibition. It was really fun to play with a big dance band with horns and saxophones and the whole deal.

This weekend I'm playing a Charity benefit for the Kelty Patrick Dennehy Foundation. This Foundation does great work for teenage suicide awareness, treatment and research. My song on my CD, My Beautiful Boy, was written for the Dennehy's when their son Kelty took his life at only age 17.

Labour Day long weekend, my base player Kaitie Sly and I are off to Powell River to play at the Sunshine Coast Music Festival.

Sept 5-10, I'm going to Toronto to play a reception at the Toronto International Film Festival. The reception is at the Drake Hotel on Queen St. West, one of my favourite places in Toronto. I'm also doing a set at the TIFF's Canadian Music Cafe which will be at the Hard Rock Cafe.

Sept 19, 20 I'm doing another Film Festival, this time in California, the Temecula Valley International Film Festival and Musicfest.

Sept 24, 25 I'm playing in the Okanogan at the 2nd Annual Rockanagan in Kelowna, where the sun always shines.

I've also got a lot of private parties and corporate gigs throughout the month, so I'm really going to have to pace myself. And mostly, I'm somehow going to have to carve some time out to write more music. I LOVE this business.

Sam występ nie powalił mnie na kolana. Myślę, że głównie z powodu miejsca. Hard Rock Cafe to nie jest zdecydowanie klub na takie koncerty. To nie jest klub na jakiekolwiek koncerty. Przynajmniej dla mnie. Snobistycznie i drogo... Taka stołówka w wersji high-life. Piwo po 11 zł. Mnóstwo przypadkowych ludzi. Klub jest reklamowany jako miejsce gdzie można zobaczyć najbardziej niebywałe pamiątki rockowe... Jeśli gitara Borysewicza jest niebywała to ja przepraszam. Muzyka puszczana w klubie też daje dowód na to jakie to miejsce. Niby hard rock a leci Pink. Chyba mam jakiś problem ze sobą jeśli to jest hard rock.

Równie dobrze Scott Kelly mógłby wystąpić w supermarkecie. Też znalazłoby się parę osób w temacie, a reszta może by się zatrzymała na chwilę pomiędzy wypakowywaniem koszyka a sprawdzaniem promocji na ulotkach.

Koncert Scotta na pewno lepiej wypadłby na jakimś festiwalu. Możnaby się położyć na trawce i posłuchać plumkania na gitarze... Ewentualnie w klimatycznym klubie gdzie zagrałoby światło... Tak to wypadło to dość marnie. Takie rozczarowanie na początek, ale myślę, że dziś panowie nie zawiodą.

Udało mi się zrobić parę zdjęć:

Scott Kelly podczas występu

Josh Graham (Neurosis, A Storm Of Light), ja i Dave Edwardson (Neurosis)

Scott Kelly i ja

A little less than two years ago at my place: a friend connected his iPod to my stereo and started playing Paolo Nutini's album "These Streets". I was immediately impressed by this young Scottish man's expressive and unique voice. I downloaded the CD and it became one of those albums that you never get sick of, no matter how many times you listen to it.

Even in Switzerland, at least before I came to San Diego, Nutini wasn't too well known, though a couple of his singles were regularly being played on the radio (Last Request, Rewind, New Shoes).

Then, thanks to Facebook's iLike, I received a notification that he would be playing at Hard Rock Cafe's 10th Anniversary. I had to go!

I was kind of surprised that Hard Rock Cafe would have a relatively unknown artist perform on their 10th Anniversary, but of course I was thrilled about their choice!

And I didn't leave disappointed: it was a great concert!

When we saw one of the band members drinking wine on stage in the middle of a song, my American friend noticed: That's how you tell they're European!

Well, it was nice to see a little bit of European flair at a very American Hard Rock Cafe.

Preţurile sunt uşor ridicate, însă merită fiecare bănuţ. Terasa e mărişoară, spre Lacul Herăstrău. Au şi un magazin cu suveniruri şi în el este expusă o chitară făcută din pin-uri (insigne). Pe toţi pereţii sunt instrumente muzicale, discuri, încălţăminte şi haine care au aparţinut ba Tinei Turner, ba formaţiilor Queen ori Beatles.

Mie mi-a plăcut. Mă mai duc. Şi recomand oricărui om care s-a săturat de mâncare prost gătită, servire în doi peri sau muzică dată prea tare.

I'm just returned from a 2-weeks holiday in Sharm, precisely in the Sheraton Resort & Villas, near Naama Bay. First of all, this is a tourist little city center, seems like Rimini, with a lot of pubs, casino, discos. You can walk through it thinking to be in a playground. Among these, the must-see are:

1. Hard Rock Cafe;
2. Pacha;
3. Dolce Vita;
4. Sharm El Sheikh Naama Bay Casino.

For the first one we don't need to spend so many words, there are many of them spread all around the world and Naama Bay must have one. The second is a disco in which seem you can enjoy yourself a lot. I have only seen it from the outside and I believe it is very little, but feedbacks are very good.
The third one is another disco, very attended by Italians. My hotel animators organized group visits in some evenings for go all together.
Let's talk about casino: there are many of them. The first one you can encounter is located on the journey from airport to Naama Bay; the second, the one listed, is located instead in the center and has a distinctive boat shape.
There also must be an Umberto Smalia discos there, very attended by Italian VIPs.

EXCURSIONS
Absolutely to be tried is the classic Moto trail in the desert. On a 500 cc quad you can scamper by night in the desert (if you select that one, but you can also try it during day time), passing through the Eco Valley, come across Arabian camels (dromedaries), stop at Bedouins tents where you can drink a tea "resembling" Lipton one and stop waiting for the sunrise. The marvelous scenario offered by the sun rising from desert dune is priceless.

Another excursion I tried is the Old Sharm visit, passing through Naama Bay. If you go there I suggest stopping at Melody. It is a Pizzeria recommended by my village chef in which you can eat a very good pizza (at least, they say so; I, get used to eat my Neapolitan pizza, had found it so so, not so good, but not so bad).
For what concerns the market, I suggest watching out. Seems like walking though Piazza Garibaldi in Naples. And take into account that there aren’t cops around. If you remain in proximity of the enter or close to the main road, you won’t have problems (I was walking with my girlfriend when we left the main group), but if you get into one of the little orthogonal alley you have to open your eyes.
For what concerns shopping in the area: an Egyptian SIM, absolutely suggested because otherwise you’ll pay a lot of money in phone calls. I paying 2 euro per phone with the Italian SIM, talking less of a minute. I heard about a boy that has paid about 300 euro only using the phone.
And don’t forget watching papyruses shops; personally, I adore them and I had spent 40-50 euro of products! The best shop is located just near Melody; the first you come across moving from pizzeria to market. Avoid other shops. Usually, they sell only useless garbage that you can find in every immigrants stall here in Italy.
Obviously, I putted this trip in excursions, but no one prohibits you getting a taxi and going alone. You will loss only few guide babbles, but no more. And taxis are cheap: starting from my village and going to Naama Bay costs 3.50 euro for departure and 3.50 for the return. Very important: bargain the price first. Remember that they see you like and enormous moneybox to squish as more as they can. Generally, the first price they shoot at you must be divided per 2, or else 3: then, bargaining, you’ll arrive at the right price.

Another interesting excursion is the Cairo visit, watching the fantastic piramids. My village proposed 2 offers:

1. With bus;

1. With aircraft.

The first option has a price of 85 euro/person and the trip lasts 5 hours at departure and 5 at return. Very tiresome, but cheaper.
The second option has a price of 200 euro/person and the trip lasts 50 minutes at departures and 50 at return. Faster, but expensive.

Then we have Ras Mohammed: I haven’t done it, but I regret it. I think it is very fascinating. So: you start with jeeps, with drivers (pilots?) flashing in the desert jumping on dunes to gratify and enjoy tourists, then you arrive at the first stop where you can leave jeeps and mount Arabians camels. The walking takes place near shoreline, admiring the splendid coral barrier and the rich fauna. Then you will take a launch pause, tasting fresh fish fished during the same day (and it isn’t difficult, you could fish with bare hands considering how many fishes are present). When launch ends, the second part of the journey continues with a visit to a series of places, with Old Sharm once again.

And further more: the Glass Boat. Many people find this excursion to be garbage, but I disagree. Sure, I’m “an out of chorus voice”. Practically, you get the bus near your village, arrive in a short time (obviously, it depends on location of you hotel/resort) to Naama Bay, get aboard this glass bottom boat with a series of wood trusses nailed together in a way that amaze you on how it hasn’t sunk yet. At departure, you’ll sit down all around the glassed bottom admiring the coral barrier in some precise spot, where the boat will halt a bit. Then you can do some snorkeling (swimming with mask and nosepipe) watching flora and fauna in first person. At the return you move upward in order to watch landscape and beaches.
All will be recorded by a boy that will try to sell you the VCS/CD/DVD for 10 euro (it contains both the excursion recording and various Egypt clips. Saying that no one wants it is useless).
Ah, and when you get aboard another boy will take some photo shots and will try to sell them to you when you return to beach… at 2 euro/cad. My laughing when I heard the price worth more of thousand of answers. And it also is the solution considering the insistency of some Egyptians. This excursion costs 10 euro/person e many people complain about it littleness (littleness of excursion, not price). Bah, I don’t think the ratio quality/price is so bad. I liked it.

Some other: Tiran Island, Abu Gabul, other that I cannot remember. In some of them it is possible to snorkeling, in other, instead, you can really immerge, with all necessary equipment. Considering the beauties of drops, it has to be suggested.

Last night, Priest played a mini-set in Eddie's honor last night at the Hard Rock Cafe ala Times Square, NYC — and all had a good time.

Happy 25th Eddie! Who says Metal doesn't age well?!

Here's a sample of the festivities below, launching it off with "Electric Eye." Nice:

Damn, KK and Glen are underrated guitar players.