The very first thing you experience when you land in India is its smell. The smell is hard to describe or explain, because it is mixed with so many different things; spice, incense, curry, diesel fumes, etc. This is actually my 3rd time to visit India, but the smell has been the same as usual, welcoming all the people equally and fairly.
When I was in Mumbai last year, I didn’t stay here long enough to experience nightlife, because I knew it was expensive to go out in this city (even though it is in India, Mumbai is a different world in terms of money). But this time, I have to do my job. So I went out to this live music café called “Blue Frog”. and what surprised me at most was the technology used to establish this atmosphere. It was such a shame that I never expected something like this from India before. But the price was as high as I expected and it got me so down. On the way back to the hotel, I was in the cab. The landscape that I saw from the window of the cab was completely opposite from the atmosphere that I was in at the club. I think nightlife is a symbol of your wealth and power in this city.
What I look forward from India is spiritualism that comes from its deep history and culture.
Saturday, 10 May 2008
Carneval - Salvador
What I felt on the last day of the carnaval was sadness. On the first day, I was kind of worried about the fact that it is a week long festival. But in fact, I never missed a day! A week went like a super sonic second! And today, it is the last day and I am very emotional. I don’t want to leave from this atmosphere where all the people are so passionate about having fun. I don’t wanna say goodbye to all those friendly people and all the axe music that I can’t get out of my head now.
There was a special guest on the last day. I can’t forget what Steph told me when we are watching the singer playing at the parade. “Imagine if you were him”. Yes, I was happy to see him at the carnaval, but he looked the happiest. Playing in front of 15,000 Brazilians party people must be something that you will always remember.
This one week of my life was something I will never forget. Everything looked shining and satisfying. It was simply priceless. All I can say now is ‘Obrigado Brasil!!!’ I wil be back!
There was a special guest on the last day. I can’t forget what Steph told me when we are watching the singer playing at the parade. “Imagine if you were him”. Yes, I was happy to see him at the carnaval, but he looked the happiest. Playing in front of 15,000 Brazilians party people must be something that you will always remember.
This one week of my life was something I will never forget. Everything looked shining and satisfying. It was simply priceless. All I can say now is ‘Obrigado Brasil!!!’ I wil be back!
Monday, 18 February 2008
Shanghai
It was a freezing day with fluffy snows. We had our second global Smirnoff Experience event here in Shanghai. The venue was called “Shanghai Sculpture Space”. This place is usually used for exhibition of art in Shanghai, but tonight it had changed its appearance for a huge party space waiting for Shanghai’s nightlife crowd patiently and quietly.
Once I got inside, there was an invitation to try one of 1320 different kinds of original cocktails made with Smirnoff vodka and areas with cutting edge technology and installation arts. Even though it was freezing inside the venue, it started to get hotter with the heat of the crowds.
The main hitter of the event was a band called HARD-FI from UK. They just got 1st place in the UK chart for their latest album “Once Upon a Time In the West”. So they are hot! At the press conference, I had a chance to do an interview with them. They told me that they were really excited to collaborate with the Chinese Shanxi drummers. Their concept of the live was “East meets West” as they said. Once they showed up on the stage, they harmonized well with the Chinese band. Not only their music was good, but also their skill to entertain the crowd was so nice. It was very satisfying live.
And of course the final act, DJ Sasha killed it! His melodious and beautiful sound made all the Chinese crowd dance and jump. He made me sure that the power of trance music is big anywhere in the world.
When I look back the event as a whole, I have to say that the Moscow event was different as it was a bit bigger. However, this is Shanghai. Their club scene has only just begun. Little by little, their art, music and the city are getting together. I felt the silent power packed in this city on this night.
Once I got inside, there was an invitation to try one of 1320 different kinds of original cocktails made with Smirnoff vodka and areas with cutting edge technology and installation arts. Even though it was freezing inside the venue, it started to get hotter with the heat of the crowds.
The main hitter of the event was a band called HARD-FI from UK. They just got 1st place in the UK chart for their latest album “Once Upon a Time In the West”. So they are hot! At the press conference, I had a chance to do an interview with them. They told me that they were really excited to collaborate with the Chinese Shanxi drummers. Their concept of the live was “East meets West” as they said. Once they showed up on the stage, they harmonized well with the Chinese band. Not only their music was good, but also their skill to entertain the crowd was so nice. It was very satisfying live.
And of course the final act, DJ Sasha killed it! His melodious and beautiful sound made all the Chinese crowd dance and jump. He made me sure that the power of trance music is big anywhere in the world.
When I look back the event as a whole, I have to say that the Moscow event was different as it was a bit bigger. However, this is Shanghai. Their club scene has only just begun. Little by little, their art, music and the city are getting together. I felt the silent power packed in this city on this night.
Tuesday, 4 December 2007
Bug experience in Mexico City…
It was before the announcement of our 9th member at La Zona de Combate, we were suffering from hunger so we decided to go to this restaurant nearby the venue. The atmosphere was really Mexican. I sat on the table and grabbed the special menu that was on the table. On the menu, it said “something in Spanish” and to me it looked like a dish of beef strings with some vegetables, because the quality of picture wasn’t so good. I was hungry so I didn’t even bother asking the waiter what exactly it was before ordering it. About 20 minutes later, the waiter brought me the dish. As soon as I saw what was on it, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The dish was full of bugs! Possibly grasshoppers…
I was hesitatant to have the first bite, but I had to! I was so hungry! I started pouring as much guacamole as possible to avoid tasting the bugs. But when you eat, you can’t just swallow the food. My Mom used to tell me that I have to munch at least 10 times before swallowing food. So I followed the order feeling all the legs and heads of bugs tickling inside my mouth.
Well, it was an unforgettable experience, which is never going to happen again. I hope.
I was hesitatant to have the first bite, but I had to! I was so hungry! I started pouring as much guacamole as possible to avoid tasting the bugs. But when you eat, you can’t just swallow the food. My Mom used to tell me that I have to munch at least 10 times before swallowing food. So I followed the order feeling all the legs and heads of bugs tickling inside my mouth.
Well, it was an unforgettable experience, which is never going to happen again. I hope.
Monday, 26 November 2007
Argentina
One of the things that I liked about the city the most is its food, especially the steaks of the Argentinean beef and local red wines. I was eating just steaks for almost of my entire stay. It was that good and juicy.
Speaking of Argentina, you cannot forget about football. I am a big fan of Maradona. There was a great opportunity for me to go see the international soccer match of Argentina versus Chile for the world cup qualification. And moreover, there was a huge open-air party on that night! Even though it was constantly raining when we were there, but the weather was beautiful only on that day.
The place was called “Mint”. It is a club but it is outside and huge! The main DJ was Tiesto who is on the world tour. When we got to the venue, I saw the longest queue ever!
Me, Steph, and Kareem squeezed into the queue. Once the entrance was opened, it was chaotic. We had to mosh and push people to get inside. But right after, we realized that it was impossible to do anything with all these people around. So I decided just to go with the flow of the crowds. And it worked better. Without using my power, I was able to move because people kept pushing me all the way through. But even when we got inside, the place was still packed for the entire time. Constantly I could feel someone’s skin touching me. And soon after, I lost Kareem and Steph. And I didn’t even try to find them because I didn’t want to get lost from my Argentinean friends that we came with. The impression that I got from the party was powerful, energetic, and passionate. It was hard to find people who weren’t dancing. And they kept dancing and dancing until the end of the party. So was I.
Even though the pitch condition was terrible from the raining, I enjoyed getting messed with all the dirt. It reminded me of those good old days when I was a child who had no worries but to have fun!
Speaking of Argentina, you cannot forget about football. I am a big fan of Maradona. There was a great opportunity for me to go see the international soccer match of Argentina versus Chile for the world cup qualification. And moreover, there was a huge open-air party on that night! Even though it was constantly raining when we were there, but the weather was beautiful only on that day.
The place was called “Mint”. It is a club but it is outside and huge! The main DJ was Tiesto who is on the world tour. When we got to the venue, I saw the longest queue ever!
Me, Steph, and Kareem squeezed into the queue. Once the entrance was opened, it was chaotic. We had to mosh and push people to get inside. But right after, we realized that it was impossible to do anything with all these people around. So I decided just to go with the flow of the crowds. And it worked better. Without using my power, I was able to move because people kept pushing me all the way through. But even when we got inside, the place was still packed for the entire time. Constantly I could feel someone’s skin touching me. And soon after, I lost Kareem and Steph. And I didn’t even try to find them because I didn’t want to get lost from my Argentinean friends that we came with. The impression that I got from the party was powerful, energetic, and passionate. It was hard to find people who weren’t dancing. And they kept dancing and dancing until the end of the party. So was I.
Even though the pitch condition was terrible from the raining, I enjoyed getting messed with all the dirt. It reminded me of those good old days when I was a child who had no worries but to have fun!
Friday, 16 November 2007
Moscow
The first time I visited Russia was 2 months before this trip. Then, I was working on a Japanese commercial as a production coordinator, so I had to take care of all the crew members, set up the whole schedule, locations and such. Basically it was just unpleasant for me.
But as soon as I got here as a member of the Smirnoff Ten, I realized the situation was going to be very different in a very good way. I mean 5 star hotel, wonderful food and beautiful drinks. At first I though I was being punked. The view that I saw from the roof-top of Ritz Carlton left me speechless. I never thought I would see Moscow from this perspective. It is such a fancy and aristocratic city.
But what was the most unforgettable thing was indeed the “Smirnoff Experience” party. I am a big fan of Faithless and the main hitter of the event was Faithless! I even got a chance to interview with them before the show. It was just amazing to see their live show after listening to their concept of how they prepare for live acts and how they made it happen to collaborate with the Russian orchestra. I was so deeply into listening to their sound. And I could see all the Russian people enjoying every single moment of them playing. They were the most energetic and passionate I ever met. The girl that I was talking to was so energetic that she couldn’t stop dancing while she is saying something to me.
Overall, Moscow event showed me the new perspective of Russia that I haven’t seen before. And I really made sure that the best way or place to get to know people is at the party!
But as soon as I got here as a member of the Smirnoff Ten, I realized the situation was going to be very different in a very good way. I mean 5 star hotel, wonderful food and beautiful drinks. At first I though I was being punked. The view that I saw from the roof-top of Ritz Carlton left me speechless. I never thought I would see Moscow from this perspective. It is such a fancy and aristocratic city.
But what was the most unforgettable thing was indeed the “Smirnoff Experience” party. I am a big fan of Faithless and the main hitter of the event was Faithless! I even got a chance to interview with them before the show. It was just amazing to see their live show after listening to their concept of how they prepare for live acts and how they made it happen to collaborate with the Russian orchestra. I was so deeply into listening to their sound. And I could see all the Russian people enjoying every single moment of them playing. They were the most energetic and passionate I ever met. The girl that I was talking to was so energetic that she couldn’t stop dancing while she is saying something to me.
Overall, Moscow event showed me the new perspective of Russia that I haven’t seen before. And I really made sure that the best way or place to get to know people is at the party!
Monday, 12 November 2007
TAKASHI’S BLOG ON LONDON
Welcome to the city of paparazzi and gossip papers filled with the news on every living celebrity and Princess Diana… and Chelsea and Manchester and Liverpool...
My name is Takashi. I’m from Tokyo, Japan. Yeah, I am one happy Japanese boy chilling in the London tube station heated like a sauna! I’m looking for a pint of Guinness. I just got the announcement that I’ve made the final eight. Now I can feel my heartbeat pumping faster than ever and my mind just cannot stop thinking about the whole new year of adventure. One thing that I am sure is that this journey will definitely bring my life to higher level. A journey that has an infinite possibility to maximize my potential. A journey of an endless discovery and the constant unfamiliar. There is no way to refuse it!
As I look back at my days in London and the audition process, I realized that the stronger you believe in your faith, the more possibility you get to make things happen. I won because I believed the most. I won because I gave up everything to win this contest. I even had a deja vu experience twice and felt the destiny to be a part of the Smirnoff Experience. And look… I am the Last Smirnoff X standing indeed!!! And the rest of the members are just looking good!
I am ready to get the bloody hell out of the city and let the wind control the path of my future. Who knows what’s gonna happen throughout the whole year? And I simply don’t need to know about it. Life is better when it is more unpredictable. So all I can do for now is to keep my eyes wide open and keep a positive attitude for totally original experiences… in our next destination… Moscow!
Cheers!
Takashi
My name is Takashi. I’m from Tokyo, Japan. Yeah, I am one happy Japanese boy chilling in the London tube station heated like a sauna! I’m looking for a pint of Guinness. I just got the announcement that I’ve made the final eight. Now I can feel my heartbeat pumping faster than ever and my mind just cannot stop thinking about the whole new year of adventure. One thing that I am sure is that this journey will definitely bring my life to higher level. A journey that has an infinite possibility to maximize my potential. A journey of an endless discovery and the constant unfamiliar. There is no way to refuse it!
As I look back at my days in London and the audition process, I realized that the stronger you believe in your faith, the more possibility you get to make things happen. I won because I believed the most. I won because I gave up everything to win this contest. I even had a deja vu experience twice and felt the destiny to be a part of the Smirnoff Experience. And look… I am the Last Smirnoff X standing indeed!!! And the rest of the members are just looking good!
I am ready to get the bloody hell out of the city and let the wind control the path of my future. Who knows what’s gonna happen throughout the whole year? And I simply don’t need to know about it. Life is better when it is more unpredictable. So all I can do for now is to keep my eyes wide open and keep a positive attitude for totally original experiences… in our next destination… Moscow!
Cheers!
Takashi
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