Ilyia Kaushansky

Went to my first Russian party in San Francisco yesterday. I have to say that I was impressed. The club was really nice( which was a surprise - many nightsclubs in San Francisco look like dumps compared to clubs in Toronto ), the music pretty good( mostly Russian dance and house ), and there were lots of great looking women. People were well dressed, and smiling which couldn't be said about Russian parties in Toronto. I got the impression that Russians in San Fran have adapted much better to local lifestyle than Russians in Toronto. Overall I really enjoyed the night, and I think will be attending more of these parties in the future.

All I can say is WOW . I'm not generally a big fan of house music, but this set has not left my playlist for the past month or so. 2.5 hours of dark, dirty, electro house; incredible ! Here is the tracklist: 01. Pastaboys - Tribute 02. Audiofly - Science Fiction 03. Vintagent - Rock N Roll 04. Dj Marbrax - Freakin 05. Tiga - Louder Than A Bomb 06. ID 07. Beginerz pres Def E - Wipe Those Tears Away (Vocal mix) 08. Steve Lawler - Illectronic Music (Vocal mix) 09. Mark Knight + Martijn Ten Velden - Acid Test 10. Mylo - Destroy Rock N Roll (Tom Neville mix) 11. Motel - Feel The Rhythm 12. Trophy Twins - Anarchism (Disciples of Sound & Kid Lopez mix) 13. Funky Green Dogs - Reach For Me (Steve Lawler mix) 14. Tommie Sunshine - Head To Toe In Drag 15. T-Total - Give Me Funk 16. Didier Sinclair and Chris Pie - Heavenly (Sharam Jey Club mix) 17. Max Linen - Flashback (D Ramirez mix) 18. Boombox - The Slam 19. Live Element - Dont Bring Me Down 20. ID 21. ID 22. God...

As you may know I arrived in California on July 27th, 2005. But what you may not know, is that today, on August 13th, 2005 was the first time that I prepared food on the territory of the United States. The natural question would be - "What did you cook?" The answer is simple: a hot dog.

Yesterday I finally moved into my newly rented apartment in San Francisco. It is a small bachelor apartment(or studio as they call it in the US), but I think it will suit me just fine. The view from the balcony (I'm on the 27th floor) is absolutely gorgeous. Unfortunately San Francisco is often foggy, so I usually can't see very far. I really like the place so far; and it feels great finally living in a place of my own. Surprisingly, I even feel motivated to keep it clean; this never happened to me before. Am I maturing ? Yesterday I also made a trip to Wal-Mart to purchase various products that are essential for living. It's incredible how much stuff there is ! Anything from forks and spoons, to shower curtain and garbage bin. I spent nearly $150, and will probably need to make another two or three trips. Right now the apartment feels somewhat empty. Out of furniture I just have an air-mattress, and computer desk. Not even a chair to sit on. Hopefully this will change over...

It's been almost a month since I've returned from Ibiza, and so I think it's time to post a few pictures. Unfortunately there aren't many, and even fewer that are suitable for public display. Tuesday night. On the way to Pacha nighclub, where Junior Jack is spinning house. It was our first club night in Ibiza. Pacha was fun, but I think we should have went to Amnesia instead(Armin was spinning Trance there) Wednesday morning. This picture was taken around 8AM, soon after me and Vlad returned from Pacha. We weren't done partying yet. After changing, showering and having a little breakfast we were on our way to party at Space nightclub, where we danced till noon. On Sunday night we went to San Antonio to watch the sunset at Cafe Del Mar. It was pretty cloudy and we got there late, so we didn't see much. And so we drank. A lot. Soon after I found myself singing Elvis Presley - Hound Dog at some bar in San Antonio. Taken monday morning. After singing Elvis, we went ...

And so, I have arrived in California. The first week here has not been easy. I arrived on Wednesday, July 27th and my first mission was to open a checking account at an American bank. That part was easy; the problems began when I tried to put my money into it. Back in Canada, I've decided that instead of bringing cash into US, I'd make a money order and then deposit it as soon as I open an account here. Unfortunately, Bank of America decided to put my money order on hold for a week, which has really screwed up my plans to get an apartment by the end of the weekend. Nevertheless I spent the next 3 days looking at apartments in both San Francisco and Mountain View(near work). What I soon realized is that housing in Mountain View is both cheaper, and better than housing in San Francisco. The downside ? Mountain View is BORING. And by boring, I do mean boring. There is absolutely nothing here. Finally, on Sunday I've discovered a fairly decent place in San Francisco. It is only...