Hip-Hop From the Land of Fire: PRoMete - Sonu Görünməyən Yol

Talk about perfect timing.  After all of this A-Team love, I was thinking this week that I'd like to be able to promote a H.O.S.T. affiliated track.  Then, what pops in my inbox, but an email from a former PCV (and current Caspian Dreamer) tipping me off to the fact that PRoMete (of the H.O.S.T. clan) just dropped a new track.

Its catchy-but I guess you could expect that when you're straight up ganking the instrumental from the Ratatat remix of Kanye's 'Diamonds of Sierra Leone'.  Still, its a listenable track, and helps me get my H.O.S.T. fix as the weather once again rebounds from winter.  Check it out below.

Hat tip to Aşiq Timo of the Caspian Dreamers for what's up.

PRoMete - Sonu Görünməyən Yol (which translates as 'Can't Be Seen At The End of The Road')



Previous Hip-Hop From The Land of Fire: Kavkaz Clan

Happy Day Off..err, I mean Women's Day!

Today is International Women's Day, something that the US doesn't celebrate but many other countries, such as Azerbaijan, do.  Its similar to our Mother's Day-lots of bright potted flowers for sale and pink boxes filled with chocolate.  But, there is one small detail which makes all the difference in the world: its a day off.  Yup, the 8th of March is an official holiday in Azerbaijan, and any reason that gives me a break from school is certainly a reason to celebrate, let alone one for such a worthy cause.

So, Qadımlar Bayramı Mubarǝk* to all those important women in my life.  To my counterpart Tamilla who is the best counterpart one could hope for in Azerbaijan.  To my site mates, Glendene, Lannea, and Kelsey who are hardworking in their service and fun to hang out with.  To my landlady, who thankfully has realized she has far more sense that I have.  To my Mom who appreciates the fact that my landlady has recognized this.  And to my friends and family, here and across timelines who are always there to support me and occasionally laugh at my jokes.

*Happy Women's Day

Hip-Hop From the Land of Fire: Kavkaz Clan - Show Must Go On

I like rap.  I like Queen.  So, how could I say no to a combo of the two?  On 'Show Must Go On,' producer, Synaps, used an awesome sample from Queen's 'The Show Must Go On'.  Kavkaz Clan hasn't gotten much love on Hip-Hop from the Land of Fire yet, but this track could change that.  This release is the highlight of the week.

Props to RapRock.Az with the post.

Kavkaz Clan - Show Must Go On

Previous Hip-Hop from the Land of Fire: A-Team - Bǝzǝn

Quick 'Happy March' Post

Its nice its finally March.  By this point everyone knows my feelings on February, but the fact of it actually being March is a big cognitive shift. Even if it snows, its just March snow, spring snow, the snow brought in with the lion that will soon leave like a lamb.  March is here, winter is over, my last winter in Azerbaijan is done.

And that feels very good.

As the drudgery of winter ends Volunteers around the country awake from our sleeping bag hibernations and begin to ready ourselves for project work.  Spring, just like in nature, is a season of renewal for us: softball practices begin next week and conversation clubs can resume in our heat-less schools.  There's enough sunshine to make us all feeling happy about this country again and projects laying dormant throughout the winter emerge again.

I'm also glad March is here for another reason.  During the spring holiday I'll be traveling with my parents and grandpa to Prague and Vienna. Basically, since January I've been saying its only a few weeks away, but now that I'm in March-its actually only a few weeks away.  I haven't seen family since August and I'm really glad to visit them (and the first world) again.

A couple random things:

1) Currently the Azerbaijan Youth Softball League is raising money for its grant.  I don't think I've promo'd a grant we're raising money for-I don't really like the idea of trolling for money, but this is a very large project and I really like that its given Khachmaz the ability to participate in softball tournaments with teams around the country.  This grant pays for our, and all the teams, travel to tournaments.  If you've been entertained by my softball emails, or simply think its hilarious that Josh is actually and willingly playing softball, consider donating a few dollars to the Peace Corps Partnership Grant HERE.

And you can find some softball photos HERE.

2) I've changed my blog to dedicate an page to Azerbaijani Hip-Hop.  Currently, I think I'm the only English speaking blogger of Azerbaijani Rap.  Oh yeah, I'm a total tastemaker.  Check it out above or HERE.

2012-2 Months In: Goal Update

Before the turn of the year I was speaking with a friend about effective goal setting in 2012.  We talked about the fact that personal goals and professional goals are really the same thing, we're just better at evaluating and making progress on our professional goals.

Too frequently, the goals we set for our personal life are vague and go unmeasured.  Furthermore, there is little follow up on our commitments; its easy to dismiss a goal because we're never going to confront ourselves with the fact that we haven't achieved it.

So here's a quick update on where I stand on the goals I set out at the beginning of 2012.  Read the goals in detail HERE.

1) Establish My Own Wake-Up Time.  For the past month I've been setting my alarm for 7:30 for weekdays and 9:00 for weekends.  I may (do) hit snooze a couple (a few) times, but my body is beginning to recognize 7:30am as my wakeup time.

2) Focus On My Hamstrings.  Yes, the body awareness is there.  Yes, they are still tight as hell.  This is more of a theme in my practice, not really a goal I guess.

3) Practice Yoga 5 hours a week.  My average for the last 8 full weeks is 4.74 hours a week.  However, that also includes a week of travel where I practiced no yoga; taking that week out of the equation, my average is 5.41 hours.

4) Learn Turkish.  Yeah, this goal isn't really going well.  I'm about 4 chapters into my book and stopped.  The difficulty is, for me, learning a language is very time intensive and I really don't have that much time.  Also, learning a language, for me, isn't fun-its homework.  So its very low on my priorities of what I want to do after a busy day.  If progress is made here it will be in April and May.

5) Prepare for effective job hunting.  Not yet.  Have been keeping notes about a new resume, but haven't started this project yet.

6) Read 'The Brothers Karamazov'.  I'll finish this week (I'm on page 725 of 776).  I'm really enjoying it.  In Slaughterhouse Five, Vonnegut writes 'everything there [is] to know about life [is] in The Brothers Karamazov'.  I get it-it feels like it touches on everything, that at some point or another in it, it discusses everything.  I highly recommend it (get the Richard Pevear translation-it makes a difference) and certainly see myself reading it again in my life.

7) Go to an Azerbaijani Rap Concert.  I went, I saw, I blogged (HERE).  Super bummed about the fact that H.O.S.T. and A-Team are playing a concert in Baki this Sunday and I have an unbreakable commitment.  Inshallah, I'll get to see both before I leave.

8) Buy new iPhone and MacBook Air.  This is a December goal.  Feel free to send me Christmas/Birthday presents of Apple gift cards...

9) Meditate daily.  I've begun this practice and enjoy it.  I'm not at daily yet, but pretty close, for the month of February I got 15 minutes in 22 of 29 days.

So there you have it.  I think I'm doing pretty well so far, the things that I can 'accomplish' I have/will quite soon and those involving establishing good habits are well in the making.

Did any of you set goals for 2012?  How are they coming along?