The Weather: Geneva vs Cape Town

Looks like Cape Town won't be such a bad place to be this week, at least compared to Geneva. Things are gearing up here...

Cape Town Update in Pictures

As promised, here's a little update in pictures. This is the hotel lobby area, very nice and modern setting. Check out the next pic and try to find Nemo ...



This is the beautiful congress centre we are working in.

Amazing monumental scenes (these won't fit in my living room...)

This is a funny sculpture. Somehow, I decided to call it "Zebra Crossing", fitting no?

And finally... We never go without food (or drink for that matter) at this meeting. Lost in the docks area of Cape Town, Panama's Jack is the place where we had dinner last night. Seafood platter with spiny lobster, calamari, shrimps, fish, mussels. Yum!

A concert with Johnny Clegg ... Who?

My next report from Cape Town. Tonight Johnny Clegg is giving a concert in the location where we are working (the big Congress Centre). We have been given 20 tickets and I am organizing a lottery as we have more people than tickets.

So my first step is to get people to tell me if they are interested in playing the lottery. That's when it becomes interesting...

Typical dialogue reproduced below:

- Hey, do you want to take part in the lottery for the Johnny Clegg concert tonight?
- Who?
- You don't know Johnny Clegg?
- Euh...
- Johnny Clegg, a.k.a. the "White Zulu", South African World Music guy, famous for putting together a mixed-race band while Apartheid was still existing.
- Sorry, no idea what you are talking about

My colleagues are either too young to know the guy or have no music culture. I wonder which ...

Maybe we'll end up with more tickets than people! Watch this space!

PS: You don't know either who Johnny Clegg is... check this!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Clegg

Safe Landing in Cape Town

I am in Cape Town since this morning. For once, I managed to sleep the night on the plane. OK ... with a little chemical help and a completely horizontal seat, so I have little pride... The steward has some problems waking me up at 4.00 (!!!) for breakfast. I hope I wasn't too gruff with him.

The hotel lobby area has a wonderful tropical aquarium and the decor is really cool. Watch this space for pictures! My room is OK but nothing to write home about. Enough space for sleeping and internet access. Honestly that's all I need!

Weather wise, it's typical Autumn weather: rain, temperatures around 10 C. Oh well!

Off for a quick kip before going to the office. More news soon!

The Best Song I Have Heard in a Long Time + New "Old" Mix

Finally found a little time to explore new music again (it'd been a very long time...). And I discovered a gem tonight: Northern Girls by Belleruche. Wow!

Check out the promo video or visit their MySpace page where 4 tracks are posted.

Way cool!

Oh and below the new "old" mix:

Mix January 2007

1. Lady Sovereign: 9 to 5
2. Mika: Stuck In The Middle
3. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang: I'm In Love With You
4. Jarvis Cocker: Don't Let Him Waste Your Time
5. Little Barrie: Green Eyed Fool
6. The Fray: How to Save a Life
7. Badly Drawn Boy: Journey From A To B
8. Bertrand Betsch: Les vents contraires
9. Beirut: Postcards From Italy
10. Peter Von Poehl: The Story Of The Impossible
11. Lodger: I Love Death
12. Just Jack: I Talk Too Much
13. Thief: Atlantic
14. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: Love Song no. 7
15. Cocoon: Tell Me
16. The Magic Numbers: Most Of The Time
17. Herman Dune: I Wish That I Could See You Soon
18. Andrew Bird: Heretics
19. The Deadly Syndrome: The Ship That Shot its Selef
20. Little: Chanson de filles