Happy Birthday Peru!!!

Today's Peru's Independence Day and we're celebrating our country's 184th birthday! A holiday, a military parade, the yearly president's speech and the official acknowledgement by the World Intellectual Property Organization (part of the UN) of Pisco as a Peruvian Geographical Denomination or "Appellation of Origin" (read an automatic translation of the news here) are the highlights these days. We're so happy about WIPO's decision, that the Main Fountain (on the Main Square in Lima) was filled with 2,000 liters of Pisco for everyone to enjoy it!

If you happen to have a Pisco bottle offhand, don't hesitate and try it, either straight (without even ice, as the purists proclaim it should be drunk), or on any of these recipes.

Enjoy a good Pisco and shout aloud "Happy Birthday Peru!"

Kampai!!!

Pay-per-play

Yes, we all knew something like this was happening. Otherwise, how could some artists as JLo, Killer Mike, Outkast and others be so successful?

Two days ago it was unveiled a pay-per-play (pay-for-spin or whatever you want to call it) scheme in which Sony BMG and other three Record Companies were paying DJs (with XBoxs, Walkmans, travels and other free stuff) to play some of their songs more than a certain number of times.

One of the unveiled documents sent by a SONY BMG's Epic Records to a colleague at Epic read: "Two weeks ago, it cost us over 4000.00 to get Franz [Ferdinand] on WKSE. That is what the four trips to Miami and hotel cost . . . At the end of the day, [David] Universal added GC [Good Charlotte] and Gretchen Wilson and hit Alex up for another grand and they settled for $750.00. So almost $5000.00 in two weeks for overnight airplay. He told me that Tommy really wanted him to do it so he cut the deal."

Another Epic employee who was trying to promote the group Audioslave to a Clear Channel programmer asked in an email: "WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO TO GET AUDIOSLAVE ON WKSS THIS WEEK?!!? Whatever you can dream up, I can make it happen."

One more: a promotion employee unhappy with the times assigned for spins of the song "I Drove All Night" by Celine Dion wrote this internal email: "OK, HERE IT IS IN BLACK AND WHITE AND IT'S SERIOUS: IF A RADIO STATION GOT A FLYAWAY TO A CELINE [DION] SHOW IN LAS VEGAS FOR THE ADD, AND THEY'RE PLAYING THE SONG ALL IN OVERNIGHTS, THEY ARE NOT GETTING THE FLYAWAY. PLEASE FIX THE OVERNIGHT ROTATIONS IMMEDIATELY."

Sony BMG agreed to a 10 million dollar settlement with NYC, and it's expected that the other Record Companies will do the same soon.

Let me just ask if you think that an investigation like this could be done in Japan. As you know, giving gifts to business partners is a usual practice in Japan. How much money do you think local record companies spend on gifts to Japanese DJs...? I mean, how else could local radios air so bad and silly music?

Ok, ok, not all radio stations are the same, and I must recognize that my musical taste is not necessarily the same as a Japanese's BUT, do you think I'm wrong?

Can I smoke it?

Sorry but not. The Magic Grass is not pot, is a band. Check their website and, luckily, you'll be able to listen to their songs... but only if they find how to post them to their blog! (Tip for my friend MBGMaster: check Internet Achive... it may help)

If you're living in Kyoto (and are between 20 and 50 years old), and if you like R&R, you may also like them. If you're fond of Backstreet Boys sorry but they're on the other side of the road.

Let's finish as my friend the MGBMaster (a) Jose-FU: cheerios!

Last Semester Week

Oh! So busy these days! Classes are finally over, and we're on exams week. Nothing interesting happening here, except for my last exam that was in Japanese. Professor, I can't read well Japanese - You can't? Well, gambatte ne... Good luck!

Next week the semester will be over, and I'll be able to post a little more. See you then!

Live 8

Live 8... Wow! Very cool concerts indeed! (Still watching the re-broadcastings…) I have nothing new to say that has not been said a hundred times by now. If you care about, sign on the Live 8 list...

I have listened “Every Breath you Take” so many times that I found the slightly rewritten version for Live 8 really thrilling. Try to imagine Sting singing aloud against a backdrop of pictures of G8 leaders…

Every breath you take
Every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take

We'll be watching you

Every single day
Every word you say
Every game you play
Every night you stay

We'll be watching you

This time we'll see
If our democracy
Is just a game you play
No matter what we say

Every move you make
Every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake

We'll be watching you

Now, watch the video on the AOL Music web page. Click 'Every Breath You Take (LIVE 8)' on that page (sorry, no direct link) to enjoy this one-time version…

A Long and Relaxing Weekend…

I still remember life in Peru. I used to work for a huge international corporation, and I had a cell phone available for entry calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And I actually did receive many calls between 12pm and 6am, as well as many others on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. I used to believe it was ok, for I felt important. This company cannot survive without me, I used to think. How wrong I was! I’ve been in Japan for 16 months, and that company is still working… without missing me!

Time flies, and now I’ve arrived to the conclusion that there’s nothing more important for me than my own personal space. I mean, a time and space completely different from the time and space I spent at work or at the University, a time for me and my family, a time to do whatever I may need or want to do. So, for now on, I’m trying to keep University and home apart. I can stay at the University for as long as I need to everyday, and I may come on a weekend if there’s something really important to do (like a meeting, an exam or so), but usually weekends are mine. And that feels good.

Saturday I had a meting at the University (a “semi”, as they’re called), but after that I was back at home connected to AOL watching Live 8 (repetitions still available at AOL Music website!), and Sunday I was following Formula 1’s Magny Cours race and later continue reading a giveaway Ian Rankin book… Nice weekend!

Sometimes I regret not being back in Peru, having drinks on nice bars or dinners on expensive restaurants, none of which I can do here (for they are SO expensive), but then I realize that here I’m much more relaxed, without that 24-7 cell phone. And you know what? THIS is life…

I hope that all my friends whom are still working at that company one day will find out this by themselves… for their own mental sake!