Curious Tidbits

First Official Professional Motion Capture Event

2011-05-23T20:19:00.001-07:00

Props to the folks at Green Street who just released their first video for their track, "Time Won't Change Us" off the new EP Don't Look Down. Check out the video below and if you haven't already download their album here. Trust me, it's worth it, and if you don't at least give them a listen I'm shaking my head at you.

Centurian Awesomeness

2011-05-17T21:29:00.000-07:00

I guess this is the 100th post on this shindig. Not sure how I even kept this going for so long even though the posts come at a regularly almost as often as San Francisco Giants championships (pun intended). It's been a crazy time since the beginning of the post so I'm going to hit back to post number one and see how far things have progressed or regressed:

Musical Tidbits:

"I'm listening to the new Death Cab album right now, "Narrow Stairs", and basically if you saw me 6 years ago you would dumbfounded to see how drastic of a musical choice in music I was listening to."

Did Death Cab's Narrow Stairs really come out that long ago? That's nuts. With the release of their new album it would be definitely a good listen to check them out this summer at the Williamsburg waterfront concert series. It's strange how out of the loop I have been with music. The lack of commuting that involves a radio hinders your ability to obtain new sources of music. Besides new electronic dance music tracks and Green Street beats, my music playlist could have been replicated 2 years ago and considered new.

Besides music much has changed. School life is over. Work life is in.

New adventures every weekend have evolved to monotonous grinding mixed in with the occasional sunshine from the ever cloudy overcast days that never go away.

But I can't be happier. Things have developed in the last 3 months that I really can't be mad about. New friends, meeting up with old friends, moving on up in work. Sun's out, snow's gone, rooftops are open. Things are looking good this summer.

What's in store I have no idea but I like where this ride is going for this summer. I've been getting less sleep but been fine. I've woken up happier (don't worry, was already happy to start with) than I was the day before. I'm excited to see where each day takes me.

From one risk to the next making moves career wise, life wise, soul wise. Stay tuned.

100 OUT!

The City of Brotherly Love

2011-04-24T21:37:00.000-07:00

I just came back from a weekend trip to Philadelphia to visit friends from high school. Armed with our high school senior video that dates back to 2006, I make the 2 hour trek down. Little did I know that based on what I did in the past two visits I had only scratched the surface of what philly had to offer.

For one thing the Cheesesteaks there are the staple late night food. I finally got a chance to take a bite from both Pat's and Geno's Cheesesteaks which were across the street from each other. All in all I have to say I would prefer Pat's over Genos, but only by a slight margin.

That was given; I knew that the best cheesesteaks were obviously in Philly. What I didn't realize was the food revolution that was going on in that city. The bistro culture I believe is stronger than - dare I say it - New York. I think the fine dining and white cloth uppity-ness that New York asks at times is stripped out of New York food. For every classic steak and potatoes chain restaurant in Philadelphia there were two to three restaurants in neighborhoods showcasing some fantastic food. While I did not come across any heavy Asian restaurants besides the Japanese/Chinese fusion joints, I was overwhelmed and really excited by the other types of food I was able to see. The Italian market was more robust than New York's little Italy, and the farmer's markets were fresh and cheaper than store-brand produce: as it should be (however not always the case in New York).

Obviously another plus is that the cost of food is considerably cheaper. What I also found was the prevalence of upscale bars and lounges. The nice medium between clubs and bars, these lounges were a nice place to get a fantastic cocktail without having to shell out your paycheck for one drink and the silly dress-code-matching-ratio-cover silliness of New York. I was pleased and revitalized about the sheer relaxed nature of Philadelphians.

What a great escape from New York. Believe me I love the city but there are times when one needs to take a break from the hustle and bustle of New York. You'd be surprised how nice it was to not have to walk through crowded sidewalks, side shuffle through numerous tourists, and worry about to pay through your nose for genuinely delicious food.

I didn't take any pictures - I was spending all of my time catching up with high school classmates - but I have this. The weekend was supposed to storm while I was there, but I'm glad that the sun cleared the air for the majority of my time there.

Rants of a 20 Something Year Old

2011-03-13T20:24:00.000-07:00

Too young to be old

Too old be young

Living a 25 hour life in a 24 hour day

Perfectly lonely but fiercely dependent

It's been a wild weird winter/early spring.

New things old things bad things good things

Sticking my neck out trying to get noticed

With great praise received in roles

but none in building bonds with some

Trying to find a place but running out of space

Without an answer I stare at this damn screen waiting for the notification

Recipe for Making a Bomb Christmas Dinner

2010-12-24T22:43:00.000-08:00

Very unorthodox Christmas, but if I have learned anything from Euro-snow nearly ruining our plans due to inability for Europeans to work without freaking out and running out of de-icing liquid, it is that Christmas is where family and good company is. So here in pictures is how I rocked the Christmas dinner and how you can too. No real quinessential "Christmas" roast but still good rustic food with some European and Californian influence. Hope everyone had a good one and enjoy the photos:

Portugese Kale Soup:

1. Add stuff

2. Put it in a pot with stock and simmer

3. Pour it into a bowl

Salad: put greens together and make a dressing. Straight forward:

Pasta with Clams and White Wine:

1. Get clams

2. Get Pancetta

3. Cut up some Parsley

4. Put stuff together, add some white wine and some hot pepper for a kick and serve

Duck Breast with beet roots and watercrest:

1. Get some foil, put the beets in there with rosemary, olive oil, salt/pepper, and balsamic and pop in the oven for 35 minutes at 400F

2. Once that's ready cook your duck and put it on top. Make sure you rest it so the juices redistribute into the meat.

Should be pretty straight forward ya? Haha. Anywho hope everyone out there is enjoy Christmas and having a wonderful break. Was going to write a post about London but got too lazy so just check the album on FB. Anywho, love peace and chicken grease.

To the Skies

2010-12-12T20:55:00.000-08:00

The boys at Green Street are back at it again. Fresh off their tour in Tokyo they come back to Identity Bar and give another dynamite show with some new beats. Now back with new mindsets as well as new friends (DJ Tomoko and Ucca in attendance at the gig) they're ready to show the world some new tracks this coming winter. Check them out here and watch out for them as they perform at 2011 South by Southwest in Austin TX.

Pictures from the show:

Facillitator of That Go Life

2010-11-21T12:38:00.001-08:00

The frequency of these posts have decreased significantly. It has truly been tough to keep updating this blog on a regular pace with work and life. All I can say is that I'm glad I took the GMATs near the end of September, because with the way life and work is going there would have been no way for me to find time to study.

This media industry life is a fast paced experience. Never working a 9-5, being able to work with everybody in the company. The competitive nature of building together presentations for pitches. And talking about it and drinking it until Kingdom Come with your coworkers. It is a very interesting dynamic in that my team, my office, my coworkers are all people that I genuinely and wholeheartedly enjoy being with.

Excited that my San Francisco giants won the World Series, anxious to see how my Sharks will do this season with some team roster changes, wondering how the English Premier League is going to turn out.

Meeting new friends, seeing old friends, losing touch with best friends. Drinking with coworkers, brunching with study abroaders, catching up with fraternity brothers.

Loving the leaves change color, hating the winds gusting harder, excited for the holiday season approaching faster.

Hating how this city is starting to lose it's novelty, hating that I have become just another person in the city working his life never realizing that he's in the capital of the world. Losing all excitement, losing all wonder that he works with builders that tower over his head. Then going out with friends, downing shots the bartender sends, eating food in the morning hours, waking up to beautiful scenes of the fall time sun beams. Sitting by the pitch on top of a pier playing soccer on the roof with the skyline to the south. Wondering where else could you ever find a place where the ambiance could ever match the place you're playing soccer right now.

Loving the city can't believe I live here, but realizing I've been here for nearly a quarter of my life. One day when I leave and pack up my things I will finally realize the city's grasp on me.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday wherever you are. Will try to get some posts in before the new year.

Love, peace, chicken grease.

THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT

2010-10-23T23:12:00.001-07:00

THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT! THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT!

I literally have no time

2010-10-06T18:54:00.001-07:00

to update this blog.

But while you wait listen to this new track from my folks at Green Street:

The Death of Organic Communication

2010-08-22T16:37:00.001-07:00

You see it everywhere, especially in New York City. Bistros, fine dining, fast food, outdoor bars. Like a quickly spreading epidemic I walk by these tables and see couples sitting having a beer, or food. But there is no speaking, no yelling, no communication. Well there is rather, but all on smart phones. Take a look again at your nearby restaurant and you'll be shocked by the number of people sitting face to face but on their smart phones - texting, BBMing, fbing, four-squaring where they are.

What happened to the love of sharing food with someone you love?

What happened to the joy of food?

In an era where smart phones are becoming as much of an accessory as lipstick or your watch, communication is becoming more electronic and interconnected than ever before. You can hold 34 conversations simultaneously on your phone while updating where you are all while learning the latest Perez Hilton gossip. But this activity becomes infectious, and this worries me as the sheer activity of live communication becomes second to what buzzes in your pocket.

You see it all the time, the table is silent but to the noise of fingers clicking on the phone. Why bother going out then? The premise of going out to eat, grab a bite, catch up with a friend has lost all its value and novelty as you drive your attention to your 2.5x4" screen. The idea of being able to physically engage with your companion all while surrounded by the ability to enjoy food is something special and one of the few times in life where you can just slow down and forget what else is going on.

The inner foodie in me kills me when I see it. So do me a favor, and for the sake of all food lovers, conversation lovers, and people lovers out there: turn off your damn phone. Things can wait for 60 minutes.

>>>EDIT>>>

Seems like CNN and Netiquette agree with me as well:

Article here

Perpetual Motion Door Stopper

2010-07-27T19:00:00.000-07:00

I can't believe its already been roughly two months since I started working. The life is live has hit the gas pedal and balancing work and leisure has been a tougher process than I thought. Go out too hard Friday and your Saturday is wasted recovering (not young anymore). But can't complain, fresh grad, employed, living in New York City.

Got the work grind during the day, GMAT classes at night, only time to run and exercise to clear my thoughts are early in the morning. I thought waking up at 6:30 each morning would be a struggle, but once you get into a routine its not so bad. Somehow I couldn't get this down when going to 8AM classes during school. Work has taken off, and I'm busy day in and day out. I can't complain, this industry is so exciting, fast paced and I love the environment I work in. From crunching the deliverables to talking to my bosses about my weekend and then staying late on failblog with my superviser - its a great mix of work and play. As busy as I am, its tough to stay on top of my GMAT studies. Quite frankly the task of taking another test sucks, and if I had a choice I would never want to take a standardized test again.

With all this that is my life I see stories pop up on my social networks or through the grape vine of my old high school classmates getting married, settling down. I really can't fathom the prospect of that at my age of 22. With the whole world left to see I couldn't imagine having to get tied down to a place, a routine, a situation and start thinking about a family. Quite frankly, I make only enough money annually to support myself. Which blows my mind to my high school classmates that are married and getting ready to have a bun in the oven. More power to you, but a certain part of me wonders shouldn't you have explored a little more before you made this big choice? At such a young age we have so much to live for - I for one still need to work in 2 more international cities before I settle down - so much we have yet to figure out about ourselves.

I can't complain about this fast paced life that I live; I love every waking minute of it. Only here can you learn how to manage with 4-5 hours of sleep a night and go at it hard the next day. But maybe its not for everybody, maybe people strive for that slow paced life. I would expect people to make one big circle. Go off to college, do some work or some other commitment abroad or across the country and eventually come back. Majority of them just stayed within a 30 mile radius of home. Looking back I wonder what I would have been had I stayed in California for school, went to a UC, just let things happen. I truly believe everybody once in their life given a chance should, no, needs to work in New York City. See if you can live it - I can't believe I've been doing it for 4 and 1/2 years.

Best news ever - Dad hooked me up with tickets to London in December. The excitement is absolutely amazing and I can't wait to go. Saving up now so I can get a Nikon D3000 and snap some sweet pictures. And writing about it. Yes. BOMB.

So anyway, live your life! Hold nothing back. Friends leaving, friends coming, Electric Zoo coming in a view weeks. Work the grind, make the cheeze, spend the cheeze, drink it away, rinse repeat. Enjoy the humidity, hate the cold, soak up the sun, exercise the head, mind, and soul. Get out of relationshits, learn to be independent. Learn how to iron a shirt, make your own stock, cook a steak.

Live the life you see fit.

Outtie.

Another World Cup Post

2010-07-06T10:37:00.000-07:00

The last World Cup post that I will be writing for the PHD World Cup blog. Real fun and informative stuff: check out the post here:

http://tumblr.com/x8ycup8as

5 More days until the final!

Growing Old is Getting Old

2010-06-28T19:24:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I was able to catch the recent Silversun Pickups concert with Steph Lo at Williamsburg via the Williamsburg Waterfront Summer Concert Series. If you are in the city and happen to have a free night, you should definitely check out a concert this summer there. Not to mention the fantastic view that you get of the Manhattan Skyline, some big names are coming to perform this summer including Modest Mouse, Weezer, and Keane. With my love for the band from SoCal I definitely had to pounce on the opportunity to see SSPU.

Luckily I found a friend in Slo who also shares a fondness for the music from these guys. They are as my friend coined it recently a "modern day Smashing Pumpkins". They've got a alternative beat and being signed by an independent record label Dangerbird they are able to keep their distinctive beat without pulling a sellout ala Yellowcard, Linkin Park, etc.

So you walk into the Williamsburg Waterfront after getting off the L at Bedford and you're confronted with this:
Absolutely gorgeous view of Manhattan - fortunately it wasn't super boiling out so it made for a fantastic venue. Add to it some fresh from the keg Brooklyn Lager Summer Ale and it was a recipe for a good night:
Brooklyn Lager has evolved to becoming my favorite beer of choice. There is something crisp and refreshing about it. I used to be a Sam Adams dude, but after living in New York for so long I have to stick to my guns and represent Manhattan.
Against Me! was opening for SSPU. Most of you will remember their hit "Thrash Unreal" that hit the radio waves. A great rocking band, was bummed that they didn't play "Stop!" for that was my favorite track on that album. Quite hilarious that a small little mosh pit formed to me and Slo's right during the concert, but for the most part it consisted of hipsters singing and dancing in a circle rather than causing bodily mayhem.
How far the once mighty have fallen. Remember Matt Pinfield? The once MTV VJ now Radio DJ was hanging out at the concert, and everybody was thrilled to see him - sarcasm.
The main event! Shame I couldn't take any pictures of SSPU playing when the sun set and the lights came out. My blackberry's camera isn't quite suited for that kind of picture taking. But no matter, the sound that these guys were producing were absolutely amazing. These guys can truly rock the mic and woo the crowd - from the head bobbing "Future Foe Scenarios" to the intimate and personal "Catch and Release", these guys played material from Pitkul to Carnavas to their newest LP Swoon. Of course one concert was not complete without playing "Lazy Eye", but my biggest surprise was when they busted the old track "Kissing Families". With the charttoppers "Panic Switch" and "Royal We" fit in SSPU's tracklist for the night was truly amazing - and Brian Aubert's ability to dictate the rhythm of the concert was fantastic.

As the sun set and the encore finished, I was truly blown away by these guys. If you have a chance to see them live definitely do so. If you have never heard of them I would recommend you give them a listen, especially if you're a fan of alternative music ala Smashing Pumpkins, Mute Math, Velvet Underground.

Add to that a delicious half-off hot dog from the Meat Hook and the concert experience was complete.

Oh but there was more, some schteins and bratwursts at Zum Schneider were in order. And as I left for home I can say for myself and Slo we left with full bellies and mind-blasted.

New World Cup Post!

2010-06-28T19:21:00.000-07:00

Added another post to the World Cup blog held by my company PHD. The link to the tumblr is below:

PHD World Cup Tumblr!

if you have a chance check out the other posts contributed by my other coworkers - some articles are really interesting and insightful.

Two more weeks of the greatest tournament on earth...

Blog Contributer!

2010-06-13T19:45:00.000-07:00

I have joined up on PHD's World Cup blog. Throughout the month we'll have updates everyday showing off any cool media, advertisements, elements of fandom, or just World Cup coolness. Follow the blog on tumblr - and in the meantime check out the post I just put up for them!

Transitioning to Filling out my Own W4's

2010-06-10T18:53:00.000-07:00

It's a little crazy now that a month ago I was walking and picking up my diploma. They called me "Kee W. Lo" and from there on out I was no longer under the designation of "dependent" on my IRS forms.

Graduation was a little nuts. To save you the trouble of expanding on everything that week consisted of "interviewing at multiple agencies looking for a job while trying to enjoy and celebrate your last week of school then being given a choice to pick where to work after you graduate and having to make an 11th hour decision while running on little sleep and having 8 people live in your apartment". Believe me, nuts it was.

After taking a brief trip back home it was a little transport back in time to when I graduated high school. Visiting the old food joints, the old soccer pitches, seeing old friends - it was a nice way to relax my mind before I went back to New York and got into the working world. I can't believe it was 4 years since I graduated high school.

So now here I am, with my official title as "Assistant Strategist" working for the media company PHD. I am trying to make my name now and try to see where this field will take me. I am excited, from first impressions my team sounds fantastic. And I'm excited to get ready.

But not as excited as I am for the COPA MUNDIAL. I hope all y'all are ready.

More to come when I am not lazy enough to post. Most likely will post a post-USA v ENGLAND match blog.

Chapter Closed

2010-05-12T21:17:00.000-07:00

I am a college graduate? Where did these four years go? Time goes back far, far too quickly in life.

More crazy and lengthened out post later. Have to let this all settle in and realization that I can't just hang out anymore.

Last Hurrah

2010-05-02T20:08:00.001-07:00

College is winding down and we hit graduation, one thing that we must do is check out one more show by Green Street. The boys have been making big moves for the last year, and I had to show some love for the guys by coming through. Look out for these guys, and like I always say you can check our their blog here. Pictures from the show:

'till next time.

Proud to be a Triathlete

2010-04-24T12:48:00.000-07:00

Well just finished my race today at the event in Long Island called the "Mini Mighty Man". Like before, 400m swim, 6 mile bike, 2 mile run. Real nice event and was so proud to finish it after the weeks of training that I put into it. Probably one of the most fun experiences I have done while in NYU. Huge congrats to my other training partners, Kat and Lindsey who placed 3rd and 2nd respectively in their age groups for girls. Real proud of those two.

Of course immediately after the race I got a KFC double-down, nullifying everything.

Mind Over Matter

2010-04-15T11:21:00.000-07:00

If you haven't checked my Twitter posts lately, I have been spending the last 5 weeks training for a mini-triathlon. I did it on a whim via Lindsey Fontana and its been a very tiring, discipline-testing experience. The event goes as follows:

Swim 400m
Bike 6 miles
Run 2 miles

My obstacles thus far has been the swimming for sure. Beyond that the other distances are very doable and simple. Cardio wise I have been able to do it no problem, its just that my body hasn't been able to keep up with the strain. Shin splints usually around the 1.2 mile mark really stifle me and I need to either pop some pain meds or work through it quickly before the main event on April 24th.

It has already costed me too much to buy the bike, register for the race, and so forth. Lets hope I can finish this last 10 days strong and power through this race. Will have pictures of the event up hopefully.

Worth the Online Reservation Struggles?

2010-04-01T11:55:00.001-07:00

I recently landed a reservation for a table at Momofuku Ko. If you guys haven't heard of the restaurant, it is restaurateur David Chang's flagship restaurant. With other shops such as Noodle Bar, Ssam Bar, and Milk Bar this one is the fine dining extension serving 2-Michelin Star quality dishes.

Reservations for this restaurant are nearly impossible to land as they are based on an online booking system. Much like getting concert tickets at ticketmaster you go on their site at 10:00AM to reserve a seat at their 14 person counter-side seating. By 10:00:05 most seats are gone and your frustration boils.

Luckily for me one of my friends, Felice, had a table that she wasn't able to go to. She asked me to take over for her and sure enough with little effort I was able to land a table at one of the hottest restaurants in New York city.

Took my friend Daniel there for a post-birthday celebration. It was a 10 course meal serving mostly fish. Apologizes for the crummy photos - they're not allowed in the restaurant. Here is how it started:

1. Black Pepper biscuit (top right): absolutely delicious, can tell the heavy use of the butter as the richness of the biscuit will take you over. Fantastically seasoned. Accompanying pork grind was crispy, a little salty and lacking of pork flavor, but overall pretty good. Moving down you had the sliced beef cheek which was accompanied with some various seasoning and mustard, though you couldn't really taste the effects as the beef was overpowering the taste of the accompaniments. Lastly you had the lobster and turnip cake, a tribute to your turnip "Lo back go" that you find in dim sum joints.

2. Sliced fluke with poppy seed and buttermilk. This was one of the weaker dishes. Fluke was a very delicate fish with a beautiful texture but quite ruined by the confusing poppy seed. They added a rough texture to the fish but did little to season or enhance the flavor. Buttermilk was very rich, and everything lacked the acidity to lift the fluke (splash of lemon or lime would have been great)

3. Third was Spanish Mackerel. This is how you do fish. Keep it simple. Flavors of the fish were clean and unobstructed by the garnishes, which in fact enhanced this dish. Fresh fish requires nothing, serve as is.

4. Toasted brioche with caramelized onions, greens, sitting on a reduction broth of something I can't remember. Fantastic dish. Salty soup mixed with the brioche and onions had the perfect combination of acidity, saltiness, as well as richness from the bread. Onions were sweet and blended perfectly with the dish.

5. Smoked Egg with Fingerling potato chips, Caviar. This is one of the signature dishes of Momofuku Ko, and I can see why. Perfectly smoked egg leaving the yolk soft and runny with the nice consistency. The fingerling chips were great, small crunchy and packed so much potato flavor without all the grease and salt. Mixing the caviar with the eggs was a great mix, but the highlight was a garnish not shown in the back which was a pickled onion side. Perfectly accompanies the entire dish.

6. Hand torn pasta with chicken and snail sausage garnished with chicken skin. Chicken skin was crispy, but didn't do much for me on the overall dish. Al dente pasta was definitely tossed in a mound of butter because that was basically all you can taste. A little too rich, sausage was nice but didn't really see the point of adding snail, might as well just call it chicken sausage.

7. Skate with cauliflower and almond milk. Skate was done perfectly, crusted skin on the underside. Almond milk had great consistency and the accompanying cauliflower was a great way to add crunch to an otherwise milky and rich dish. Simple dish, the best way possible. Few ingredients, don't mess with the fish, let it be the highlight.

8. Shaved Foie Gras with Lychee. Definitely the most innovative dish in my view. Usually you have Foie Gras cooked and placed in a delicate manner accompanying a dish. I have never seen it as a highlight and done in such a outlandish bold statement. Shaved it is overwhelming, and I was first off put with the sheer monstrosity of it. But after mixing it with the lychee and having the shavings melt and blend into the fruit it all made sense. Bravo

9. Duck Breast with Japanese turnips and pork pate. This was sitting in the oven and resting for nearly the entire dinner. Dan and I were just transfixed to the absolutely delectable protein. And when it was finally plated it was well worth the wait. Perfectly cooked and rested, all the juices remained inside the meat. And with the mustardy greens sitting on the bottom it was a perfect blend of the two. Japanese turnips were fine, and pork pate was salty and typical, but didn't know if it was necessary. Overall the duck was fantastic.

10. Last Dish: Penna Cotta with pine nuts and root beer ice cream. Bomb, just bomb. Thats all I can say. Never had penna cotta before and if they set quite a bar. Root Beer ice cream was absolutely fantastic. Great finish.

Overall it was a good experience, although I would be reserved to say it was worth all the trouble landing a reservation for. There are other restaurants that serve better counterside dining (see Le Atelier de Joel Robuchon), and other places with stronger dishes (see Per Se/French Laundry's Oysters and Pearls). Would I come back? With all the fuss of landing a reservation? Not really. Was disappointed with the lack of pork in the dishes (a David Chang almost fetish). I would say if someone invited me back because they got a table I would gladly come in the homes I would just get a heap's worth of pork belly.

Overall rating: 7.5/10

Till next crazy dining experience.

TWO DAYS LATER: Went to Noodle Bar to have their Fried Chicken. Comes with a Peking style like thin pancake with garnishes such as lettuce, parsley, and cilantro. Two whole chickens comes in southern-style or Korean-style. Now thats how you do fried chicken.

Recent Trip to Sun Exposure

2010-03-23T08:16:00.000-07:00

Just had Spring Break, can't remember the last time I was this excited to go home. Good food, great weather, just driving under the bright sun with the moonroof open, it was the perfect storm for a relaxing vacation. Packed up my bags with my buddy Jimmy and we made our way down to LA.

We did a roadtrip down from the Bay Area to LA. First stop was at San Luis Obispo and Pismo Beach.
The beautiful scenery and farm lands of California. Interlaced with wineries and rolling hills with mountains the backdrop - why did I ever leave this place?
Stopped by Firestone's in Cal Poly to have some Tri-Tip BBQ Sandwiches with some old high school friends that I haven't seen in a hot minute. I miss these folks, and I hope I can see them more often than not in the future. Home is always home, no matter how long or how far you go.
Next stop, Pismo Beach to go do some beaching and hanging out. Jimmy went out to ride some of the waves.

Not a bad deal if you ask me.
Crashed at my friend Queena's place for the night. Thank you thank you thank you for your hospitality.

Ate In n Out three times that week.... so bad.

EpicHello Laguna Beach.
Nice - driving along the California Coast line. The theme of this roadtrip.
Nice little lookout point we faced as we ate our burritos.
Friends
Crashed a night at my buddy Derik's. Good to see the brova again.
And the theme of SoCal, why it sucks. Traffic, traffic, traffic. Took me 4 hours to get out of there. The same distance in norcal I covered in 2 hrs 20.

Overall, nearly 1k miles of driving consisting of 16 hours. Phew, tired, but well worth it.

Precurser to Greatness

2010-03-11T11:14:00.000-08:00

So if you haven't already, download the new Crossroads EP from Green Street Records. The new EP is absolutely fire. Definitely something worth checking out, the long wait was so worth it. I'm going to set up a photoshoot with these guys soon, so stay tuned for pics.

  

The third track of the album "The Come Up" has a bar from A-live.
Know where it came about? Check out the video below




Skip to 3:30. Green Street TV Bringing you previews always to what comes.

Brunch with Slo

2010-03-06T14:06:00.000-08:00

On a fresh and sunny Saturday where temperatures have hit 50 degrees for the first time since the fall, I have to break my entire routine and enjoy the weather. Had a great time enjoying brunch at Five Points with Steph Lo aka Slo aka Bro. You can check out her blog for more about the food (which was awesome, get the Fennel-Pork sausage and Poached eggs) and especially grab yourself a Bloody Mary (which packs a punch - exactly how I like mine).

Eggs perfectly poached, just a bit runny and a bit undercooked to have that perfect ooey-ness (yes thats a word). Sausage was unbelievable, tomato sauce on the bottom perfect compliment to the dryness of the meet and eggs, and my god when you put all those components together you get a tasty treat.

Fantastic day today, and went it looks like it does below then you know you gotta spend some time outside and enjoy the sun.
Hope you guys are staying warm wherever you are, and if you're in New York, go grab yourself a weekend brunch. It can never go wrong - even if you were hoping to get fried chicken at Five Points but they don't serve it on Saturdays.

Cheers,
K

Crossroads coming your Way

2010-02-28T20:54:00.000-08:00

The boys at Green Street Records are getting close to the new release of their EP "Crossroads". Check their blog within the next two weeks to see when the release drops. There stuff is real ridiculous right now, got a sneak peek at the tracks while at the lab today:

I mean if this track didn't make it to the EP: you know when this drops its going to be fire.

Lately I've been Running on Faith

2010-02-23T10:57:00.000-08:00

To the very, very few who still read this blog and are upset with the lack of updates - I thank you for your patience and here you go.

It's been a surprisingly hectic last semester as a senior. I don't know how, as I'm only taking two classes - Drawing and Black/White Photography. On top of my part time and continuous recruiting for a full-time, I guess that makes up the majority of my week. But Tuesdays are great - because I get the day off and and just catch up on any loose work that I have.

Just listening to Eric Clapton's "Unplugged" album while trying to sort out some administrative work for the weeks ahead. Its a tough time, I love this city so much and I can see the days winding down as a college student. It's quite nuts to think that its almost been four years since I graduated high school and was on the path to becoming "independent". I still feel the same though - dependent on the parent's stipend and still living under the parents' roof. Same stuff, different place. Which is why I really missed the summer of 2009. I was the closest to being independent as I could be: paying my own rent, spending my own money, guilty-free recklessness on my own terms. I'm hoping I can attain that again, I am still looking to stay in the city - still looking to keep the story here in New York going as there are so many things I have yet to do.

However, on happier terms - I've fallen in love with photography. Not digital, I mean back to old school the essence hunker down and do everything manually photography. Its an absolute trip - I spend hours on end in the photolabs and darkrooms just playing around with stuff. Once I have some awesome pictures and negatives to show, they will definitely go up on here. In the meantime, I had some free time so I took pictures of some plants that lie in my apartment. Cheers and until next time - hopefully I'll have some cracking news for you.

I apologize

2010-02-16T22:21:00.000-08:00

Have been super busy - haven't found time to really update this. Will do for sure once things get settled and I have some time on my hands.

In the mean time check out my boys at www.greenstreetrecords.blogspot.com and watch out for their new EP "Crossroads" coming out soon.

Recollection of time in Hong Kong

2010-01-06T08:50:00.001-08:00

Phew, now that the recovery is nearly complete, looks like its time to write about my trips to Hong Kong. Finals was over like nothing and after hanging around the city with my best friend Derik Kumagai, it was time to return home for a quick pitstop before heading over to Hong Kong.

Here is what I got for Christmas:

Excited to play this game on the 7.1 once I get home, but my parents threw the audible and gave me this:

Super fun, and saved me on the flight to Hong Kong because of the dude who blew up fireworks on the plane. Therefore, 14 hours, no TV, no movies. The NDS saved me. Kingdom Hearts FTW.

To save the trouble of writing a humungo long post, as well as saving your time from reading it all, I will try to give you the Sparknotes of my trip:

Thanks to my cousin Alex for supplying the good photos in this post:

My beautiful godmother

Party people - these guys rock.

Asia is MAD CROWDED

My great aunt and godmother just politicking while they knit together

Family

Eating everything I could have imagined (twitpics on my twitter). Eating at Michelin Star restaurants, hole in the walls, just bomb Chinese food. Partying with Aussies, Americans, Asians, beautiful people inside and out. Bought enough electronics and games to last me the next year. I always enjoy going back, I was so excited to go back this time and it definitely did not disappoint. That city has got me by the horns, and it wasn't for the fact that the somg there gave me a horrendous cough, I would go back in a heartbeat. Only regret is that I wish I took more pictures, but that required way too much effort.

Thank you again, for every person and part of the Hong Kong experience that made it just a fantastic time, and until next time I go back, stay classy and maybe clean up the air a bit. For the people, I'll see you when I see you.

Initiating Hibernation Mode

2010-01-05T22:14:00.000-08:00

This was the last thing I said before I partied my last night in Hong Kong:

"Dear body, please hold out for another 10 hours, and I will do anything you please from then on out"

So it happened, and since sitting at the airplane gate (which I almost slept through boarding) I have slept 18 of hte last 24 hours, and will sleep some more after.

Big blog post coming soon.

Economic Decisions relating to Opportunity Cost of Time Consumption

2009-12-13T09:37:00.000-08:00

I will update this blog as soon as I free up some time that is being occupied right now by studying for finals which I dislike. Just a little over a week and this whole finals business will be over for good (no finals next semester). Definitely expecting some big posts this winter break, including my trip to the motherland - Hong Kong.

Punishment of Aggressive Pressure Changes

2009-12-11T08:03:00.000-08:00

Thats what I call "SUPER EFFING COLD". Punishing! Wish it stayed warm like it was for the previous 2 weeks.

Reminiscence of Past Congregations

2009-11-28T02:24:00.000-08:00

Happy Late Thanksgiving everybody. Got to spend a few days back home in California. Besides the odd-black friday weather, everything has been great. It was definitely rewarding to spend some time back home, get away from the city and relax. However I think I would have been able to enjoy it more had my ankle been less busted; should probably get it checked up soon.

On another note, been using my new ThinkPad that I look to replace my Macbook Pro as my day to day use computer. Its great so far with Windows 7, the other very cool thing I got is the Zune HD. Not really a Black Friday deal on it, but so far it is absolutely cool, and way better than the iPod.

'Till I return to the city.

Climate Conditions Leading to Endorphin Release

2009-11-22T11:28:00.000-08:00

All the more reason to be excited to go home for Thanksgiving:

Woo hoo!!!

Snaps from Green Street's performance at Gallery Bar

2009-11-21T18:57:00.000-08:00

Here are two pics from the event that the people of BeatCakes organized. Green Street rocked Gallery Bar on Thursday 11/19. Video of the performance coming soon, but keep tabs on Green Street's blog to see when the next time the guys are performing in New York again.

Green Street newest album "Chess Moves" its available free for download. Show these guys some support, and spread the word if you like their music.

Battle Studies First Impressions

2009-11-09T21:35:00.000-08:00

Just received the leak for the album "Battle Studies", the fourth album release by John Mayer. He tweeted the okay to listen, and I have pre-ordered my copy so I am within my bounds to write.

I was trying to find words to describe this album, and I will have to steal a page from the Rove interview he did in Melbourne a week or so ago, calling it a "confessional". The lyrics for each song definitely play to that theme, and the beats as well as the guitar and songs rarely go to the extremes that Mayer is more than capable of doing. This album is definitely a departure from Continuum, for better or for worse I'm not entirely sure.

Most of the songs have a very slow beat that emulate the feeling you get driving down a California highway during the sunset as you contemplate your future. Songs talk about loneliness, commitment, and personal vindication echo loud in this album.

While the album lacks the big punching hits that were interlaced in Continuum such as "Belief", "Gravity", and "I'm Gonna Find Another You", Mayer tries to bring back some of the old love by doing a cover of Cream's "Crossroads". First heard when he played it live with Clapton in New York about a year or so ago, it is a cover that I feel tones down the pure raw energy and ridiculousness that Cream's original had entitled it to be. It almost seems that Mayer could have definitely let loose on that song but restrained.

While the lack of big guitar jamming hits may turn off some to refer Continuum as Mayer's best release, Mayer's songwriting has definitely taken a new step. Songs that used to be talking about running through high school hallways has evolved to a grown adult dealing with issues in himself that others deal with as well. No matter what celebrity status he gains, the emotions in the lyrics as well as songs can relate to any adult today.

I'd have to say his collaboration with Taylor Swift, "Half of my Heart" is a great song with substance, and an addicting guitar chord with a splash of a nice riff. Much like his previous collaboration with Alicia Keys, Mayer knows how to work both voices into a song. "War of my Life" is another track to note in the album.

In conclusion, Battle Studies is definitely a different direction for Mayer's music. Continuum may have set the benchmark, but Mayer might not have been able to replicate that greatness no matter how much magic potion he had. This one is more personal, more emotional, and much like the album title says its a study and interrogation of his inner self and its shortcomings.

Altogether, 7/10 ranking. Compared to the other albums I'd rank them like this:

Continuum: 9/10
Heavier Things: 6/10
Room for Squares: 5/10

The world needs more of these guys

2009-10-29T17:13:00.001-07:00

Just came across this DJ called Nujabes. Straight from Japan, this guy is straight up dope. real nice beats.

Serious Adrenaline Boost

2009-10-20T13:08:00.000-07:00

Ever feel tired? Need a pick me up? Need to finish up this paper or run those flight of stairs? Forget coffee listen to this track:

Heat it Up when its Cold Outside

2009-10-18T10:35:00.000-07:00

My boys at Green Street Records just release out a new rough draft track that they've been working on. Check the song out:

the boys are spitting fire right now, with their success just getting bigger and bigger. Watch out for these guys, and if they roll through your town come through and show them support.

You can check out Green Street's page here

Quick Update

2009-10-17T08:52:00.000-07:00

I find that I have no time to do this. World is being rocked with school, interviews, and any othe random events going on. Interviews are interviews, school is school, and now its getting cold outside.

Sharks aren't playing that well right now, inconsistency is killing us. Going to the Sharks vs Rangers game on Tuesday, contemplating not wearing my Sharks jersey. But I should show my pride, no matter what the scoreboard is.

Went to a Chromeo concert last night with my friend Steph Lo. Never really heard about these guys until a week ago, and these guys bring back the groovy-synth beats of the 80s. Really cool music, was definitely jamming to these guys when I was studying in the library.

Check em out:

Excitement is Overwhelming

2009-09-29T18:13:00.000-07:00

Can't wait for the new hockey season to begin. And I'm actually quite happy with how my team drafted this year, going to be a breakout year for Danny Heatley.

Probably have to click on it to view.

Serious bouts of Soul Searching

2009-09-27T00:15:00.000-07:00

It is this time, with the drops of rain falling from the sky onto the streets late at night on the empty streets in the depths of the late night morning that I can unwind and reflect on what has been occurring the last few weeks.

Serious changes have occurred beyond the rejection from AMEX. I've been moving on, but in that time some choices have been made by myself and I am still looking back on it whether they are the right choices are not. Bridges were burned, ties severed, all to make a point in which I am not entirely sure anymore was worth making. But at the end of the day I made the choice, and I have to stick to it and take whatever consequences and outcomes that arise from it.

Given a passion that I have, whether its making a point or an interest, I do it 100%. I become overly stubborn, unable to open up the tunnel vision to see whats around. It leads into bouts of douchebaggery, asshole-ness, and down right horrifying gratifications. But it is something that is part of me that I can not change and will not change. Passion is what drives me, its what motivates me to succeed, motivates me to push the boundaries and push myself to a new level. But that passion at times can be misguided, and lead to negative consequences.

The direction I have chosen in the last few days I can not see as regrettable. I must move on. I have done much damage that pains me even now. It is uncharacteristic of me to every extent. But it is what it is, and life will go through its natural cycles and come in full circle.

For those who have been affected, I can not take back the wreck I have caused. I accept whatever outcome may come. My passion had taken over, and it has led to an irrational, brash, and distasteful but it is something that is a part of me and I must live with. Hindsight is 20/20 and it pains me to realize what personal harm I have done, but no words from me can mend the bridges I have burned. And with that I will try to move on, and wish you the best in moving on as well.

The Balance Between

2009-09-11T08:24:00.000-07:00

Got the call from American Express yesterday. Didn't get the offer. Was absolutely floored when they told me, and for a second was like Derek Zoolander where he walks up and accepts the award even though Hansel actually won it. I thought somehow throughout the entire call they were turn and actually give me an offer. But as I sat on it for a few hours and after talking to my Dad (props to family, love your family, and they come through for you) I realize that this non offer could be great in return.

I have no regrets after all this. I had a fantastic summer and busted my chops and did everything I possibly could, and I wouldn't have changed any actions I did. The team I worked for really had no say in my hiring, it was up to HR so I can't hold any grudges against them. I loved working for them, and plan on seeing them in the future.

My dad reminded me that life is all about ups and downs, its never a one way street. I remember him telling me "its better than you didn't get an offer, then life would be too easy for you". And you know what, he was right. Easy street would be fun, but this is a way for me to shapen up, to toughen, to bounce back. People are not defined by the good times, but what they do during the bad times. Thats what separates the true leaders.

So I'm going to take that in stride and apply for jobs again with some great working experience under my belt. I thank AMEX for really allowing me to discover what I want to do with my career, what specialty of marketing I really want to do.

On another note, I worked right next to WTC everyday, my window faced ground zero. I live 2 minutes from the twin towers and the memorial. Even though I haven't lived here all my life, I feel just as close to this city as any New Yorker. Don't use this event's name in vain, give it the proper respect it deserves, and never forget.

Revertion to Academic Mentalities

2009-09-07T19:35:00.000-07:00

Can't believe classes start again tomorrow, this summer has gone by so quickly. Not just the summer, but this past year. A year ago I was going through London orientation as well as the first week of classes. I miss those days where I would go out and party recklessly, and then during the day really absorb everything about London and Europe.

I really have been poor in updating this blog because I really have been all over the place and busy this past summer. The internship was such a fantastic experience. Working with American Express was rewarding and the people were fantastic. If you ever get a chance to cross paths with that company I would really recommend you to do so.

I hear back from them this week and I am really quite nervous. I think I left with the best impression that I could leave for that company and the rest now is really out of my hands. Lets just hope the dice roll my way.

Problem is now how do I get back into school mode? I have almost forgotten how to do that. Going to classes, not having projects, no meetings, no powerpoint decks to present. Kind of a weird feeling. Not to mention the fact that I have 8AM classes all week, not going to be a fun time.

I've moved to a new pace, down in Battery Park. I really like the digs - its nice, quiet, peaceful. Far from campus, but sometimes I like it that way, away from all the hustle and bustle.

Here are a few snapshots of what was such a fast 4 months:

More to come, but about to have a drink.

Green Street coming at you from every side

2009-09-07T11:22:00.000-07:00

Check out the new cover art I just made for the upcoming single for Green Street. You can check out their stuff here.

Keepin' it Fresh

2009-08-19T11:04:00.001-07:00

Yo I know its been reckless since the last post. When I get down do it I will update it this later, but for now my boys at the Green Street Gang just released some new ish. Real fresh - check out Ren's beat.

Get their album by clicking on the picture below:

Video Recollection

2009-07-16T15:07:00.000-07:00

Just in case you missed it....

On Top of the World

2009-07-15T17:50:00.000-07:00

If you guys missed out, Green Street performed in NYC at Webster Hall on Tuesday night, rocking the crowd for a rocking 45 minute set. Footage of the concert, along with Green Street TV Ep 3 coming soon. Here's a photo of what you missed, or if you went, a reminder of how rocking it was.

For past episodes of Green Street TV go to TC&W Productions' youtube channel. And check out their myspace and their blog at www.greenstreetrecords.blogspot.com

Rekindling the Incineration

2009-06-28T18:53:00.001-07:00

If my plug didn't convince you to download the new Green Street album, check out this old video that was released a couple months ago.

GSTV ep 3 coming out soon, stay tuned.

The Boys are Back in Town

2009-06-24T19:06:00.000-07:00

Not sure if you heard the news, but the US shocked the #1 national team in the World, Spain, with a 2-0 win in the semi's in the Confederations Cup. The Confederations Cup is a makeshift cup that was established a couple decades or so back, bringing in the winners of various FIFA tournaments (Euro, Gold, World Cup, etc) to one big winners tournament. As the Confederations Cup unfolded this summer, the US had a very unconvincing group stages campaign. I thought they weren't going to make it past the group, let alone past Spain, who had been playing phenomenal as of late.

All that changed today. I have to be honest, I gave the US little chance of beating the Spaniards today. I thought the difference in skill, creativity, and the Spanish's ability to hold possession would be too much for the US to control. But the US finally stepped up and played their style that brings them success. From what I heard in the commentary and watching the highlights, the boys gave it their all. They might not be as skilled as the Spanish (actually they aren't by a huge margin, see: Torres vs Dempsey, Puyol vs Bocanegra, Xavi vs. Donovan), but they relied on what gives them success: teamwork, hardwork, and solid defense.

Will this spark interest into soccer? No. Will this trend of pulling off upsets (1950 vs England, 2002 vs Portugal and Mexico) lead to a more consistent winning results vs top teams? Most likely not. But we can definitely enjoy the night. Not sure if we can pull the same effort against Brazil, but it shows the potential of the US team. We may not be the most skilled, but these guys work their tail off, and they never give up. This is the true definition of a team, who will give their hearts and bodies and throw everything on the pitch for the success of the team. Guys who will take that boot to the knee for their teammates. Guys who live and die by the whistle.

Its a shame that Bradley won't be able to play in the next game, but we can only sit back and see how far the US can go from here.

Re-Evaluating Life's Priorities

2009-06-23T20:05:00.000-07:00

Before I begin, here is my plug for my boys from Green Street Records. Download their new album, "Chess Moves", now for free. I've been listening to their new stuff for the last day or so and its definitely an album to listen to, real nice blend of hip hop and jazz. You can check out their blog by clicking on the picture below.

Anyway, with that aside lets get to other things.

Just said goodbye to my friend James who will be traveling to Korea tomorrow night and eventually going to Kazakhstan for a 6 week missionary trip. I was there to help him out with a little philanthropy before his travels. I wished him the best before I left, and made sure that he knew that I respected what he did.

In a time when the finding a job is tough, struggling to make ends meet is even harder, James quit his job to do this mission trip. Moreover, the guy cleared his checking account to support his own trip, which is a volunteer trip. For him to give up the stable money payment and do something that he has a passion for may be considered stupid especially a time like this, but I totally respect the man. I respect him for giving up everything to pursue something he feels strongly for, whether its by god, conscience, or any other motivation. To take a risk like this should be revered, when 90% of us would never even consider doing what he is doing.

So as James leaves on his flight, I wish you the best of luck in what lies ahead for you. I know my donation for you is not much, but I hope you can get at least through the first 4 weeks with food before you have to get creative. I support you in what you do, and though I may not be religious, I'm glad that you've found something that drives you so strongly, something that I can confidently say the majority of the people in this world haven't found. Be safe, come back with stories, and may you spread your word.

From one brah to another:

Safe trip my man!

Day to Step Back and Recognize

2009-06-21T16:57:00.001-07:00

Hope all of you got the time to take some time today to say what up to your dad. Give them a ring and let them know you appreciate everything they do for you. Got a chance to call my dad today, always nice to talk with the guy. For sure the most intelligent, resourceful, creative, driven, and inspiring person I know, along with being one of the funniest people I know.

If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have been able to get the money from work to afford getting these:

Got a pair of those bad boys this past weekend from Best Buy. The sound quality coming out of these things is absolutely unreal. I just wear it now and listen to music regardless of if anyone is in the house or not. Its like a dance club in your head, no lie. Noise cancelling too so I don't hear anything outside, not even thunder.

Man... how quickly do I realize that as quick as you get that cheeze you blow it, so gotta get back on that grind soon.

Buena Suerte Carlito

2009-06-20T16:14:00.000-07:00

This is a post just to wish you a good farewell, Carlos Tevez. You were a fantastic player for the Red Devils and scored some of the most important goals in the last two campaigns to secure Man United's success in winning trophies. Its a shame that we didn't show you as much respect as you deserved. Your work and dedication to fighting until the end was appreciated by every single United fan, and your work ethic is hard to match. Though you will be sorely missed, I hope that the next team that you find can give you the respect and appreciation that you rightfully deserve. Its a shame that we had to get some bloke with a horrible slick back comb and useless drive and energy, but you will always be a Devil in every Red Fan's eyes.

Cheers and good luck.

Curious Tidbit for the National Past Time

2009-06-15T18:22:00.001-07:00

So here's a very interesting tidbit for you all:

WATCH OUT FOR MY BOYS.

"Running down the wing, here United Sing, 'au revoir Ronaldo'"

2009-06-11T19:13:00.001-07:00

I haven't been able to put any posts down in a while, main reason due to work. In a nutshell, work is busy at times, its loose at times, but the people are always very nice. I like what I'm doing and I'm excited to see where my project takes me. But anyway, onto more important issues.

Along with the rest of the world, I have witnessed the horrific, conniving, classes Ramon Calderon step down and Florentino Perez take over. Once I saw that happen, and the discussions he had along with his ambitions to sign all the best players in the world, I knew that United's hold on Ronaldo would be slipping. Once Kaka signed for £56 Million (roughly 80-90 million USD), I knew that Ronaldo would be next.

And I wake up this morning with dismay to see the numbers posted up by Los Blancos in order to grab Ronaldo. £80 million pounds for the former Ballon D'or winner, 40 goal scorer. It looks like The Galaticos is returning to the days of Zizou. And while Ronaldo's skillset will definitely be missed in the next season, there is plenty of positives to look at with this transaction.

1. For one thing, Ronaldo near the end of the season was a cancer to the team. Much like Terrell Owens to all the teams he played for, Ronaldo was becoming less of the team player and more of the attention whore that his off-field antics warrant. I thought his fit he threw at the Manchester Derby was because he wanted to stay on and prove to the gaffer that he could play, a fighting spirit. But his attitude after that was just trash, and much like to Beckham's end at Old Trafford - if you mess with the gaffer, you're out. Its better to have him out than stay.

2. Lets not forget that Ronaldo didn't leave on a Bosman Transfer. Thats when he leaves for free, when the contract is over and the player freely moves between teams. £80 million pounds, in the words of Lupe is a lot of "cheese". With that money we can definitely reinvest in the team and recruit some fantastic players that can more than compensate for Ronaldo's absence. Lets consider the players that United could spend that money on.

- Carlos Tevez: he is the first player that we need to absolutely sign and get in a long-term contract. I was never happy with the signing of Berbatov, he just doesn't fit in with our quick, free-flowing attack. He's too slow, his tempo slows the entire rhythm of the team down, and he's not tough in the air and given his role as a target man he's useless. Tevez is a workhorse, and fits so well together with Rooney, who will now be the go to number 10 (and considering his performances for England I am so excited to see him play). He may not have scored as many goals as Ronaldo, but he has scored so many important goals for United at the most crucial times (goal against Liverpool at Anfield in the 07-08 season) he is the new Soklsjaer. I know he's frustrated, but we must show him the respect that he deserves and sign this fan favorite. Spending the required £25 out of our £80million will be crucial if Fergie wants to win the League for the fourth year in a row.

So that leaves us with £55 Million left to spend. Lets go with the most likely signing for Fergie if he should sign Tevez to a long term deal.

- Antonio Valencia: the winger from Wigan will be a solid replacement in the right side. He definitely can't replace the offensive attack of Ronaldo in one go, but he could definitely provide more cover on the right side in defence and back tracking. The guy has good potential, and though he may not have the goal-output he poses a dangerous threat on the right side and can deliver those killer balls through to Rooney or Tevez to run onto and finish. With his valuation at around £17 million, Steve Bruce would be more than willing to at least give his prized winger to his old manager. But now he's at Sunderland, so they will probably bump up his valuation. Lets assume that because everybody knows about Man United's purse, he gets sold for £20 million.

That leaves us with £35 million to spend. Now here's where we can get creative. That amount of cash is enough to buy the top players around the world. Lets take a look at the two we should focus on.

- Franc Ribery: We know this guy can play. After being discovered in in Berlin while playing for France in the World Cup, he has tore it up in the Bundesliga for Munchen. He is that attacking midfielder that we need, who can realy control the tempo of the game and change it entirely with one strike. He would be a great player, a better team player, and a better passer than Ronaldo. However, rumor has it that he's in talks with Madrid (Perez definitely is spending more this summer), and his valuation set by Munchen is £63 million (apparently set by a bid that United launched for him a few weeks back). Doesn't look possible that we can afford him.

Lets then take a look at how else we could spend the £35 million.

- Karim Benzema: If we could sign this guy, it would be a blockbuster trade for United. The striker has so much upside its just unreal how he is still in Ligue 1. In the games that I saw where he played against United in the Champions League last year, the guy has so much strength with the ball that he even held off Vidic. And the strike that he scored with against United at home in the first leg was a superb and sublime shot, being able to slot that shot with such a little window between Vidic and Ferdinand showed the potential of this great player. This guy is still young, only 21, he should be the priority in new signings once we lock down the other guys. It is true that he is a striker, but he is more than capable in playing on the wing, or we can switch our formation to a 4-3-3, even though we haven't had much success with it in the past.

So with these players, say we are able to sign Tevez, Valencia, and Benzema. I was thinking about this all day, and look at the potential line up that we could throw at opponents during the season.

Now look at that. Brown can still be a solid defensive right back, not as attacking as Rafael, but once that player develops he will be the next Gary Neville for the team. I really liked the way Fletcher has turned into his own this season. He's become a great defensive midfielder and it was unfortunate he wasn't able to play for the Champions League final last season in Rome. He can pair up with Carrick quite well. Benzema can play well with both feet and can be that winger, or slide up and be that third attack in front with Tevez and Rooney, who will be running circles around the competition. If Berbatov plays, he can probably fill in Tevez's role, but like I said before, I really don't see how his style fits into United's attack. Valencia can be that great passer on the right delivering great through balls or taking players on down the line.

That lineup is still very, very competitive without Ronaldo. We won't have those 40 yard screamers or those crazy set kicks (think goal against Portsmouth last year at home), but this team can play better together and attack together, and will score goals.

Lastly, for Madrid, they've spent so much money (and will spend another 37 million for David Villa) for attack they have forgotten about their defense. Sergio Ramos is not a defensive player, he is a attacking wing back. Pepe is not the type of center back that can anchor a defense like Cannavaro could. They need help in the back and in the midfield, and with the spending they are doing right now all teams know that they can get inflated prices for their players. A player like Xabi Alonso could cost up to £25 million thanks to Real's inflated prices.

Last note, the last time a big player for United was sent to Madrid - David Beckham - United picked up a young 17 year old from Sporting Lisbon who would later take the Red Devils to their third European cup. Now that Ronaldo's taking off to play for Madrid, there is also another young 17 year old that started appearing on the United First team this past season, including scoring that crucial 3-2 game winner against Aston Villa. His name is Fredrico Macheda.

over and out.

Humbling Gratitude

2009-06-01T17:36:00.000-07:00

To everybody who wished me a good day I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I wish I had more time to add posts but I'm getting really busy now with this work thing and just enjoying the outdoors since its finally nice out. But thank you, thank you, thank you. Really lucky to have made so many great connections and friends these past 3 years in New York City and to be able to keep connections back home.

Succuming to the Web 2.0 Cult Invention of Instantaneous Updates of Current Surroundings

2009-05-22T08:20:00.000-07:00

So.... the full extent of summer has resulted in me completely immersing myself in all of Web 2.0 and its horrible offerings. Noticing that my Facebook status updates have become more and more like Twitters... I have decided to proceed with the next logical step. Quite... quite embarassing. I hope I don't... make this a daily habitual thing.

The link to my Twitter

Update on The Summer

2009-05-16T15:52:00.000-07:00

Well, school has finally ended, and I have had time to move out of Union Square into the Financial District, where I'll be living and working this summer. I am really grateful to have been able to find a place that is really close to where I work, along with having one of the most breathtaking views in a room, just as good as the view of the City that I had in London. Thank you kate again for lending the room.

Well unfortunately this year academically has just been very underperforming. To be honest, my expectations of upperclassmen classes were just interesting. I thought that as I got rid of the GE's I would be able to take more classes that interested me, but that never came. I still have to get through the burden of the classes that make a "well-rounded" person. Sometimes I really hate being a liberal arts student, I wish I went to more of a specialized school, but hey one year left what can you do. The only saving grace I have is that I will hopefully be able to take a Studio Art Minor next year. My only wish is now to do damage control on the grades and make sure nothing too drastic happens.

Gotta love summer, the weather is getting warmer, the sun is shining. The same old same old of drab classes and little motivation to even stimulate your mind is over. I am jumping into something new, and I'm excited, nervous, and anxious all wrapped in one ball. Until then, just sit back for the next week and relax. Get back into shape, get rid of the love handles, and enjoy the view out of my window, while saying goodbye to all the friends going home for the summer, or in case of the summer, for good.

Never Forgetting Where you Originated, and how you developed those idiosyncratic tendencies.

2009-05-10T11:25:00.001-07:00

Finals are halfway through, just wanted to take a moment to stop everything and wish a very very warm Mother's Day to my mum. She g-checked me when I was being reckless, encouraged me when I was doing well, was there when I was buggered out, and is still the best soup-maker I have ever seen. I thank you for being there for me even when I was a punk for those years between middle school and high school, and I will try everything to make it up for you for being a fantastic mom.

For everyone else out there, take some time off and call your mom, she'll greatly appreciate it.

Pez did a great song to sum it up:

Setting off to Finish What They Started

2009-04-30T15:24:00.001-07:00

So A-Live and the rest of the OnTrak and Malado family are off to UMass Amherst this weekend to perform for UMass' Spring Concert 2009. They'll be opening for Lupe Fiasco and rocking people of their feet with their music. If you missed my previous post, A-Live won the Battle of the Bands competition a few weeks back and gets this opportunity to be the opening act for the concert. If all goes well A-Live will be approached by Lu and he'll go "So A-Live looks like you are able Cool It like me". Best of luck to them. Here's how they got there, in the form of Green Street TV: Episode 2 "The Road the Lupe"

If you like their performances, and like the song "Cloud 9", help the guys out by doing them a favor. They are entered in a competition to get signed by an independent record label, and the winner is decided by internet participation. Please go to Song Joust, type in "University of Massachusetts" under the search query and click on the track "Cloud Nine" when it pops up. The more votes, the better the chance of getting signed. Spread the word!

'till then, its off until finals are over.

Utilization of Natural Light Sources

2009-04-26T18:53:00.000-07:00

So it was a fantastic weekend, with the weather great and the sun shining. It was a shame that most of my Sunday was sent catching up on work, but the reason was because Saturday I spent my day at East River Park basking in the sun and partaking in some olympic festivities. Not the ones you're familiar with, like shotput, 100M dash, triple jump. But more of pushups with someone sitting on you, sit ups while doing chubby bunnies, the lot. The only regret is only getting a quarter shade tanner, but like working out, tanning is a journey not a destination. Just have more areas to work on. So after the festivities I was able to watch some of my friends play basketball. I should have taken pictures looking back on it, because the theme is the same everytime:

1. Group of my friends ask if they can play next game
2. The other people say yes, and look at them with a puzzled look because all of my friends don't look like they can ball.
3. They realize that Derik Kumagai just broke their ankles three times while doing a 360 reverse layup after pickpocketing them in the defensive end.
4. They realize that this 6 foot 3 160 pound Yao Ming fake wannabe thats scrawny as a stick just swatted your shot, twice, in a row.
5. They realize that this short puny Indian kid named A-Live is draining shots in front of them.
6. They get angry because they realize that they're down 5 buckets to a group of rag tag bamas.
7. Game over, our side wins.

Got to love city ball. Next time I'll get some pictures of those games up, but these will do:

'twas a good weekend. Green Street TV Episode 2 coming soon, just finishing up a few things.

Relishing the Emergence of Natural Lightsources

2009-04-24T12:22:00.000-07:00

Outlook for this coming weekend and continuation into the next few days:

Go outside, its going to be nice this weekend. Weekend pictures will be up soon, along with Green Street TV Episode 2: The Road to Amherst

California boy is too excited to go outside - later.

The Underperformance of Life

2009-04-20T15:40:00.000-07:00

So in the morning after the Sharks blew it once again (touchy subject), and are booking a one way ticket to Chokesville, the rain has decided to pour once again into the stressed out lives of NYU students. In the weeks before the final people are stressing, weather decides to be crummy and dump on us again. How great. Along with my umbrella getting obliterated by the 25mph winds, I decide to do curious thing and check the weather back home. Horrible, horrible decision. Lets compare shall we:

New York ^

Saratoga, CA ^

Mmm, as the common person would say "FML". But not entirely F, just a little sucky. At least my registration went through with no dramas; don't know how I'm going to be surviving doine 8AMs all week but.... we'll figure it out as we get there.

If its sunny outside and you are reading this instead of going outside, I yell in envy at you.

Overpowerment of Extracurriculars leading to Infatuation with becoming Photosynthetic

2009-04-19T19:57:00.000-07:00

So its Sharks hockey season so I am very excited to see my Los Tiburones compete for the cup yet again. I'm going against all the naysayers that we're chokers, I know we're down 1-0 in the series right now but we will come back, we have to. There is no reason why we can get past those stupid dirty Ducks from the South of California, which I like to call the OCrap.

Among other things, yesterday was Relay for Life. Great event, great spirit amongst the mates, and we came out with two awards. Third for team spirit which I find highly suspect, since there was no other team like us come 2AM. Second was the second place finish in the Olympic Events. Had we had things bounce our way, we could have easily made it to the top, but what a great comeback from my boy D-Rock to hold it down on the last leg and catch up in the final leg.

Great finish, and the weather is finally turning out, was able to go out and get a little sun in Battery Park. Not a bad deal. So as you can see these extracurriculars have taken over most of my time. The nice weather has really compelled me to go outside much more, just for the sake of absorbing more sunlight. Walking around the island instead of taking the Subway, the lot. It's been great. This coming weekend will be another great day of sports fest. Pictures will be up soon, along with Green Street TV Episode 2.

Go outside, enjoy the sun.

"I'm not a Businessman, I'm a business man"

2009-04-09T14:41:00.000-07:00

Well, the boys of OnTrak along with my boy A-Live from Green Street Records performed in the Battle of the Bands competition in UMass-Amherst. How confident (and potentially sacrilegious) it was for us to buy the celebratory pieces before even performing, but thats how confident the boys where. After a little bit of drama in the beginning sound checks trying to figure out what song to play, the boys were ready and rocked the crowd. After three rounds of competition, initially starting with over 60 applicants, OnTrack finishes on top, winning the coveted opening slot for the Spring Concert for UMass-Amherst on May 3rd, 2009. The lineup includes Girl Talk and the man himself, LUPE FIASCO.

One of the few rappers that I truly respect and admire, this is a great opportunity for the boys. Not only do they get to open for him, but they have the likely opportunity of performing with him on stage together. Not a bad gig. Here are some early preliminary pictures. The video will be up soon.

Me and A-Live

The Real Life Entourage: Mr Dev, Chilly, and A-Live
Getting famous

Green Street and OnTrak, taking over.

Once I have time to edit, will throw up the video. Until then, check our A-live's blog:

greenstreetrecords.blogspot.com

Mister Dev's blog:

misterdev.blogspot.com

Chilly's blog:

chillyray.blogspot.com

Intersection of the Crossroads of Maturation

2009-04-01T21:12:00.000-07:00

I had a little time on my hands, so I decided to go through my old photos that I was able to salvage on my defunct hard drive and I came across this photo. I had a little fun with it on photoshop to edit it to show what my mindset is right now:

March has quickly come and gone and I'm now in April, theoretically the last month before finals. How quick was it that this semester has passed; not too long ago I was taking the tube to Bank to go to a "Seeing London's Architecture" class in London. I really do miss those days, as I had much less to worry. Everyday was Carpe Diem, a new adventure. But even if that was merely half a year ago (already? Amazing) I feel so much older, so much more overwhelmed. The nature of studying abroad gives you a fantastic opportunity to become young again, to have no worries and to escape from everything that you were tied up in and live for the moment.

Now that I'm back here things have arisen and have hit me hard like a brick wall. In a little over a month I will have finished my third year in NYU. High School feels like such a distant memory, and I feel a much different person having come out to the city and lived for three years. Some things have changed about myself, some things haven't. Looking at myself now I ask myself whether I would have expected myself to be where I am now when I was stepping out of my door moving into my freshman dorm for the first time. Have I grown as a person? Have I expanded my mental intellect not just in academics, but through experience and interacting with new things, people, and environments? Have I made my parents hopeful for the person that I will become?

People continuously told me that you need to enjoy your time in college, because it is truly the best four years of your life. I was apprehensive to believe them to start, but looking back on it now I can not agree more. College gives you the pallete with unlimited colors to paint your own picture on any medium. You are given the chance to live independently without having to worry about the extraneous expenses and costs that come with it. But as I slowly realise that my time in Eden is slowly drawing to an end, I have to look forward and see where the journey I have set leads me.

I am hearing back from American Express soon (hopefully, bearing no unfortunate fallacies I can not foresee) about my projects that I get to select for this coming summer. The more I dwell on it the more I realize that my summers are starting to evolve into the once blissful escapes of academia to the limited opportunity presented to me to shine. The difference between the two are startling. The summer after senior year of high school my biggest worry was wondering which sandwich deli to hit for lunch. Now its wondering if my performance earns me enough creditbility to be considered for full-time. The circumstances have changed, but I don't feel like the game has.

This leads back to the picture above. It was a picture that I took during the World Cup Finals in Berlin. France was playing against Italy and the game went into sudden death penalty kicks. Grosso is setting up the ball for the kick that eventually hands the trophy to the Azzurri. The kick that he took defined the person he was for the entire tournament, for his entire career. He could have been the David Trezeguet, who missed his kick when it hit the crossbar and gave Italy the smallest window required to win the match. Grosso scored the game winner against Germany to send his team to the finals, and here he was again required to make the spot kick. Relating to myself I feel like I am coming into crossroads into this kind of situation. If I am given the ball, what will I do with it? What actions will I partake that define me? Will I be the one that slots it in side left corner, or the one that lets his opportunity slip away? This summer I feel will be a huge defining point in my life, not just for the fact that this is the first job that I have found on my own, interviewed on my own (with some prepping from fellow friends and family), and received on my own. Not just for the fact that this is the first time I'll be working away from California, away from home. Not just for the fact that I will be eventually/hopefully making more money than I have in the last 19 years combined. But ultimately, the fact is that I've been given all the tools necessary to become truly independent, to become an adult, to be able to truly define myself outside the realm of my parents.

I've got only one more year of college left, what will I do with it? What can I say is the best thing I got out of college? Was academics the most important thing that I got out of everything? I don't know, and I'm at a point in my life where I really don't know what will happen next. I am anxious to work, to test out what its like working in "the real world" if there is one. I am hungry to learn what it requires to live independently. I want to know what it takes to be self-sufficient.

Am I ready? I have no idea. But all I know is that if I get the golden ball like Grosso did, I sure as hell hope I know what to do to make the best of my opportunity.

After much struggle, it has finally arrived.

2009-03-27T12:22:00.000-07:00

Well, after much struggle, hard drives crashing, re-editings and importings and such, I have been able to release episode one of Green Street TV. I've been working with these guys, trying to help them out and get their name across the videoweb. They are the guys that I respect, trying to create good music that really relates with people's minds right now. They aren't just any other group, they are able to blend good beats with really thought out lyrics. So, TC&W Productions is back, and eager to bring you more episodes from the Green Street Crew.

Green Street TV: Episode One Part One (HD)

Part Two (HD)

Hope you guys enjoy it, will be bringing episode 2 soon as I make a quick trip up to Boston hopefully.

Consolation in Living in Minimal Resources

2009-03-21T10:32:00.000-07:00

Well, my hard drive failed on me this past spring break, so my luck with electronics this semester has been quite poor, but what can you do. There comes a point where you can't mope about the 360GB of data that you lost (I hate Mac) and all the music/video/photos you try to restore (I hate Seagate), and just have to move on. Shame that my video project got lost, but I'm going to pull off one of those TC&W, Senior Video marathon sessions back in the days of high school.

If anything, I've learned a couple things from this experience. One is to always, always, back up your data because you don't know what can happen. Second is that, fortunately I recovered my photos and music, and my videos are salvaged back home, but you know, there are other things to be fretting about, but this is not one. Its sunny outside, I am enjoying my time with good people, thats all that matters, everything else is marginal.

Anyway, I managed to take some pictures in my time off, enjoy. They're all a little bit photoshopped, turned out pretty nice I think. And video will be up soon I PROMISE.

Music Sample for the Upcoming Release

2009-03-04T14:16:00.000-08:00

Here's a tidbit on what I've been working on so far. This is a 16-Bar that my dude A-live dropped for the upcoming episode of Green Street TV. Check them out at their blog, or their myspace page. Check it out, all green street videos will be in HD, so remember to change the settings for optimal viewing pleasure.

Conclusion of Extreme Hypertension and Overexertion of Emotion

2009-02-20T11:48:00.000-08:00

I got an offer today, from American Express to work under them over the summer in their Open Division, which works with Small Businesses. I am relieved, and overcome with various emotions that this is all I can write before I scream in the computer lab with joy.

P.S. My computer is broken, I want it back soon and when that is up, I can finally put up that video I've been meaning to edit.

25 Facts

2009-02-09T21:40:00.001-08:00

Due to pure popularity and pressure.

1. The mere fact that I'm doing this points out that I am a complete sucker into peer pressure, as after constant tags in other notes I have finally accepted the fact I can be an outlier no more.
2. For a while in college I was known as "the guy that always wears hoodies" and "the bagel kid".
3. I wear my rainbows everywhere, in snow, rain, and extreme hotness.
4. I have this weird permeation of heat that comes out of my hands, and therefore people like to grab them when its cold outside.
5. I used to think the reason why I never got tanned was because I only ate Vanilla and not Chocolate, until I ate Chocolate and realized that it was all lies.
6. I don't cross my eyes anymore in fear of what my mom said when I was 6 that my eyes will stay that way if I do it for too long.
7. I clean out the bowl of rice at every dinner because I was told for every kernel remaining would be a zit on my face - apparently that doesn't really work because I have blemishes the size of craters.
8. My dad tried really hard to get me into tennis, which included dragging me out to the courts on Saturdays. I hated it and gave up after 2 weekends, my dad was really upset.
9. I played violin for 10 years, and I never got past Suzuki book 5. I have forgotten how to read music.
10. When I was in 7th grade I went to Taco Bell and ate Two Gorditas, a Chicken Soft Taco, and a Burrito. I felt a sense of accomplishment until my sister called me a fat ass.
11. I went through a phase where all the music I listened to had to include someone screaming in the chorus. See: System of a Down, Linkin Park (before they sucked), Powerman 5000, Slipknot
12. I had a mushroom bowl cut for 5 years, and I rocked it. I was finally pressured into getting it cut when I was the last kid in school to still have it in 7th grade.
13. One time in sixth grade I let out a huge fart in class when I bent down trying to pick up a pencil. I was sitting behind a girl that I liked, she never talked to me again.
14. One time in 5th grade a girl peed in her pants during a test. The teacher made us swear that no one outside the classroom would know of it. By break the entire 5th grade knew - you're welcome.
15. On that note, one time in summer camp when I was 8 I was in DZ Zone going through the obstacle course and ball pits. I peed myself in my pants while crawling through the tubes, and passed through 4 girls with a trail of pee behind me.
16. I really enjoy cooking, I use it to compensate for my lack of gift-giving, and ideas for gifts. I watch cooking shows, and I love cooking for people. Come a barbeque, I'll be more than happy to cook.
17. One day in New York I ate Lamb over Rice for two consecutive meals. I felt like my stomach was being torn into shreds.
18. Once again into peer pressure, I joined DSP because all the cool kids were doing it, and felt the obligation to do so also.
19. One time a girl flashed me in third grade, I was shocked to see that she looked exactly the same as me under the hood.
20. When the Christmas claymation shows would come on with Rudolph the Red nose Reindeer, I used to be scared shitless from the Abominable Snowman.
21. I have this weird OCD where in my facebook all my details have to be in clean numbers. ie: photos of you: 500, tagged of you 450, friends 250, from nyu 175 etc etc.
22. I hate it when you're out eating and two people order the same dish. Dare to be different
23. Apparently from the consensus of others I have a voluptuous buttocks region. This puzzles me because where were all these comments years back. It didn't just appear, so I have a feeling that they are all liars wearing some weird butt-accentuating goggles.
24. I clogged my bathtub in my dorm room twice this year in a span of 6 days. I think my suitemate hates me. The first time was because I dropped my soap bottle cover into the drain and couldn't get it out. The second time was because the very cover that was put there to prevent blockages from happening again got stuck in the drain. You're welcome.
25. I used to have a rolley backpack in 6th grade, I think thats why I got turned down by a girl when I asked her out.

Upcoming Antcipation

2009-02-09T07:25:00.000-08:00

Semester has been crazy, have had absolutely no time to sit down and just distance myself from everything and just stretch out. Is a good thing, is also a bad thing. Still shamelessly unemployed, still in the school grind. However, something big is in the mix, was in Brooklyn on the set to get some footage done.

Stay tuned, when I can get the time to get it all together get ready.

Stressful Intermediaries between Life and Sustainability

2009-01-25T09:45:00.000-08:00

This is a very tough time for not just me but all Juniors, as recruitment season is in full swing and applications, resumes, and cover letters are flying all over the place like Continental flights across the nation. I can't spend that much more time on talking, but besides that New York is great, back to playing soccer again, back to not spending a lot of money during the weekdays, and back to normality in a sense. Just wish it was a little warmer...so the soccer fields would melt over and not have layers of ice on top.

Anyway, until the overflowing tide of anxieties mulls over.

Soundcheck

2009-01-15T16:44:00.000-08:00

Inspired by Aaron Axelson, here are a list of musicians, bands, and music that I have been listening to lately that goes beyond the House music that I fell in love with while in London. Armin Van Buuren is a given, Kaskade is great also, but here are others.

Ippazzi: always loved these guys, have been listening to them for a while.

This is a snippet of a song "Judging Me" from their new album that is coming out soon, check them out. If you are in the New York City area, they're playing at the Bitter End on Jan 24 and in mid-Feb. I would recommend you to check them out, I might be out too.

www.ippazzi.com

Dizzy Balloon: these guys are straight out of Piedmont in the Bay Area. College aged kids that just play some fun music to rock the box. Heard their concerts are nuts, too bad they haven't explored out of the bay just yet. Did a cover of My Parachute Won't Open, pretty funny but good stuff. Here is their hit "Raise a Glass", performed at Not So Silent Night this past December

their myspace is www.myspace.com/dizzyballoon

Pez: Like the previous post, heard this guy while in Australia. The song "Festival Song" is an absolute trip, really good stuff and the kind of music that you want to roll down the windows of your car look out at the sun and just stroll down the straightaway at 10 miles an hour.

The rest of his album is quite good, different beats and a variety of rhythms.

www.myspace.com/emceepez

Green Street: of course have to support my brah in the music scene. Will be doing some video collaboration with the group hopefully so I gotta give them some kind of exposure to the rest of the world. These guys remind me a lot like Pez's festival song. They just recently performed at a show with good success, so hopefully A-Live will listen to my constant bagging on him to release some finalized stuff.

Check them out:

www.myspace.com/greenstreetrecords (Odyssey and Essence are my favorites)
www.greenstreetrecords.blogspot.com for their latest releases.

Erin Bode: I first listened to her when I was in St Louis in a Jazz Club. Her voice was so pure, so crisp that I could not stop get enough of her. It was such a soothing, relaxing, and great tone and so simple, really liked her music. They really jammed out with the jazz and I loved it. This is the type of music that if you had some really nice speakers pop in the cd and really let the sounds resonate and its purity take you over. Her stuff is really good, still mostly known in the midwest though. Hopefully she can make it big and get to New York and perform at the Blue Note, that would be great.

www.erinbode.com

she's got some free music on there that is really good stuff, one of my favorites is "Chasing After You". Here's one of her songs, Holiday. Don't mind the pictures.

Well I should probably get back into packing for New York. I have no idea how I am going to keep everything under the weight limit. Hopefully I won't be charged. Honestly its quite tough, given the fact that it was 70 (23C) outside today and I'm going to New York where it hasn't peaked over 20F (-6C) in the last week. 'Till then, keep listening and support local music.

Aussie Summer Recollection

2009-01-10T22:52:00.000-08:00

Well, just spent a short stint in Oz seeing some family and some old friends. Got to enjoy the sun even if it was only for 3 days, got in a game of golf, and stumbled across this really cool beat while down there. Good 'ol Aussie Rap.

The song is "Festival Song" by Pez

Repentance for Lack of Dividends

2008-12-25T21:34:00.000-08:00

Well this year I was not able to get any presents for my family, I know epic fail. As a consolation I offered to cook dinner for my family, which I might make into a yearly tradition as this was the second time I did it. Well here is what I cooked:

First Course:
Mixed Salad with Scallops Wrapped in Bacon

The scallops were held together by rosemary stems.
They were drizzled with a lemon vinegarette.

Second Course:
Lamb Rib Chops with Young Potatoes and Asparagus in Red Wine Au Jus reduction

Lamb chops season with salt, pepper, garlic, and ginger.

Reduction done with red wine from Portugal

Final Course:
Simple Yogurt parfait with plain yogurt, raspberry jelly, granola and blueberries.

Dinner was good, now bracing myself for the impending food coma.

A very warm Christmas wish to all

2008-12-25T10:27:00.001-08:00

Hope all of you have a great holiday season full of good stuff and presents. Decided not to write a last post about London because going through all the stories and memories will just get me too depressed. But ... as I look out my window in California I realize that its never going to be as good as my view of the City that I had outside my room in Kings Cross.

Someday I'll be back.

Stereotype Disintegration in Cork

2008-12-20T01:45:00.000-08:00

So after one night of pubbing and clubbing in the streets of Cork, this is what I have learned about Irish people.

1. Not all Irish people like Guinness, in fact some people think its disgusting.
2. Irish girls drink Coors Light instead of Guinness
3. Irish guys like Japanese cars and drive Nissan Skylines
4. Some Irish people have never heard of Irish Car Bombs.

Lastly, the porportion of hot girls to ugly ones here its ridiculous. In one night at the club (Club Havana), I saw more beautiful looking girls than my entire semester in London. Not only that, the club's music was better than 95% of the clubs I went to. Cork doesn't make any sense, and me and Ben realized that as we stood just in awe and in puzzling shock of the situation that we saw.

Along with that, in our trip to Kinsale, the port town south of Cork the day was absolutely beautiful. Having great seafood by the pier and enjoying some nice pints at pubs that are 300 years old, there was not a spec of rain that dropped on us the entire day.

Cork is great, but doesn't make any sense, I don't know if my impressions of Ireland will ever be the same. Pictures will come up soon.

Reflection Depression Deflection

2008-12-13T03:22:00.000-08:00

As great as the story of London goes, there has to be an end, and what better way to end it then the way I did last night. Ministry of Sound - great club, student night, great discounts. Was there dancing for four hours with everybody, didn't matter who, just whoever at NYU that just wanted to shake it and let it loose. Didn't dance to a single song with lyrics in it, just pumping beats and base. So many great stories, so many beautiful and caring people, so many memorable moments. This term has been absolutely fantastic, and once I get more time I'll figure out a way to comprise it into a series of photos.

To everyone who made London such a fantastic experience, I thank you. This place is truly a beautiful, lively, cultured, sophisticated city with so much history and tradition. No where I have lived comes close, or ever will.

Celebration of the Commencement of an Underperforming Term

2008-12-10T13:54:00.000-08:00

Meh, grades wise this semester didn't go well, but hey what can you do. Bounce back next semester. But for now time to CELEBRATE! Going to find a club that plays this song and stay there the entire night.

Overconsumption of Nourishment

2008-12-03T16:37:00.000-08:00

Went to Amsterdam this past weekend. It was a great time to be spending the Thanksgiving weekend with my boys from Saratoga. Finished off with a great Thanksgiving dinner at Bodeans (they do Thanksgiving in London), then hit up some pubs before flying over to the land of Vices. Stayed in the middle of the city, everything was within walking distance. It was good to spend a weekend with the boys.

Went to the Van Gogh Museum, Anne Frank House, and Heineken Brewery. The beer was as fresh as can be, and the Extra Cold Brew was absolutely perfect. Even got to pour my own tap and learn how to pour the perfect Heineken. Good stuff.

I also ate way too much, probably gained a little bit of weight.

Over the Hump, Crashing back to the Real World

2008-11-22T18:39:00.000-08:00

Well I have found that I have no time to even update this routinely, given the hectic schedule that I have been on. But as the time winds down in enjoying a fantastic semester abroad, reality has finally hit me, and the work that comes from going to school has finally caught up. But before that, one of the best things I have done was embark on my fall trip throughout Iberia.

The first stop was to Barcelona where although it was raining for most of the time, was still a fantastic city with a crazy nightlife. The place was so different from what I have been used to, with the old town rising up with fantastic old architecture and close quarters. The people were so friendly, and the coastal area I could only imagine during summer being so great and enjoyable. Being able to step into the Picasso museum was also another plus, being able to see his early works was definitely one of the highlights of my trip. I really like his stuff, and brings me back to the time where I was doing art myself.

The second stop was into the heart of Spain, into Madrid. The capital was fantastic. It was the culture that I was really enjoying. The idea of siestas were awesome, the nightlife where it doesn't start at a ridiculously early time like London, the Tapas, oh man the TAPAS. So good. The Spanish food is so colorful, so vibrant, and the flavors so bold. I was trying to describe the difference to my friend. The best analogy I could think of was that French food was like riding in a Rolls Royce, it gently lets you into its nice interior of plush leather and refined colors, and while it drives it simply glides and takes you from point A to point B on a bed of clouds. Spanish food is like stepping into a hot rod during the summer, with black interior so your butt is on fire. The huge engine in the front with 230498230948 pounds of torque pulls you forward and blasts you down the straightaway. You are getting beaten up by all the wind hitting your face but you love every minute of it.

Madrid was great, the Sangrias were great, and of course had to visit Santiago de Bernabeu. Also got to go to the Renia Sofia museum, which was really cool because they held a lot of Impressionist paintings including stuff done by Dali and Picasso. Really good time, could have stayed there the entire day, wish I could. The Spanish hospitality continued here, really nice people, all willing to help even though they didn't speak English at times. Got away with knowing my California Spanish, barely.

Last stop, and my favorite stop, was Lisboa Portugal. I was really happy I came here last, as the weather finally turned for the better and it was nice and sunny. The city of Lisbon was great, really family-oriented atmosphere and people here were very welcoming. The seafood was great, lots and lots of shells and Pork too. I wish I had more time to try out the different foods here. But I was able to bask in the sun and really enjoy myself.

The last day of the time at Lisbon was what really set things off. I had the day to myself, and I went on a walking tour organized by the hostel. During that time, I was able to go to a terrace that the tour guide knew that was his favorite spot. There, because Lisbon is really a city upon hills quite like San Francisco, the platform was on the top of a roof but accessible by foot. It was great, lights stringing up in the air with music coming out the speakers stationed on poles. Plush couches for people to sit on overlooking the water. It was a great place, and I can only imagine how bumping that place would have been during the summer on sunset during the hot hot days. There I was able to sip on some red wine and really take everything in. I really enjoyed myself, and it was a surreal escape. Here I was, 20 years old, travelling on my own, sitting in a place very few people know about and enjoying Portugal. Six months before I was sitting on the BART commuter train going home, now I'm sitting on the couch overlooking the water. The people I was able to meet while on my walking tour came from all walks of life and different areas. I was able to speak with students, grad students, lovers, back packers. Everyone's story was different, and it was amazing to really get to meet everybody. I remember meeting a guy from Northern England. He's not rich, but he saves money here and there and travels around the world. He's single so he doesn't have a family to support, and he is able to travel to various countries throughout the year. This guy, from Northern England, knew Japanese and carried a book of languages in his backpocket. To be from such humble beginnings, and yet be so well travelled, and hear some of the stories he had - the most memorable one while in Budapest - really inspired me to one day be able to do that. I loved Lisboa, I loved everything about. The architecture, the family-atmosphere, the view, the weather. Fortunately, my time with Lisbon isn't over, as I'm going back after school finishes.

Being back in London after Fall Break was good. Got to hang out with Dad and get some free food, along with going to the Arsenal Manchester United Match at Emirates

Well thats about it for that game. Manchester United didn't have the wanted result but its still early in the season so nothing too crazy to fret about. But the escape that Fall Break provided is now over, and the work has finally caught up. Being able to enjoy the little time that I have left here does not coincide with academics as I have found out. Which is a shame, because NYU in London is a scam and anyone considering doing it in the future should look for programs in London outside NYU. Probably cheaper, and you won't have to be stuck in on the weekends desperately finishing papers and projects. But regardless looking back on it now I wouldn't change any experience.

I have done more things this semester than I have in the last two and a half years. Travelled to various places, experienced different cultures, and met some fantastic people along the way. The experiences hopefully I can keep with me when I return back to New York, and along with the people I have met in London. It is a shame that the only hiccup to this semester will be the fact that I am not doing so great in my classes and my averages are going to falter. But the thing is, I took a risk taking 3 electives and 18 credits. I have spent more time in the library, doing research, writing papers, and finishing my sketches (for "Seeing London") than I have in all my other semesters combined. I wasn't used to this kind of academia - Economics was midterm midterm final, and thats it. But this was good, even though at a very expensive price. Got to learn things I wouldn't have in my Economics class. Learned a lot about London that I wouldn't have just by walking on the streets.

I learned about Chavs, Lorries, what its like on the Night Bus at 3AM, how the Brits love chips with everything, why things are so, Politics of then, politics of now, pub culture, what it means to support your club, race relations, the history of London as a city.

But more importantly, I learned how to make connections again, how to be open to everything, how to be receptive, how to communicate how you feel, how to live.

I have one more weekend open, and I'm spending this Thanksgiving weekend in Amsterdam with my friends who I have been with since the days of Argonaut Elementary. And from then on its cramming and trying to finish everything on time. Its going to be tough, the temptation to experience London "one last time" and not get cooped up in a room overlooking the skyline at the City is tough, but at the end of the day I am still a student. To be perfectly honest, I am quite ready to get back to NYU. I miss the lecture atmosphere, my Econ class, how I don't have to spend hours and hours in the library. But I don't want to leave London, it has treated me really well at the expense of my wallet, but it has treated me well.

More to come, lets hope I survive with all the work that has bit me in the ass.

On another note, how about my Sharks huh? First in the league with 35 points? 17-3-1? Ballin', my dude Devin Setoguchi is tearing it up! Undefeated at home, makes me want to run back to the Shark tank right now and watch them play

Throwback to the old days

2008-11-22T12:46:00.000-08:00

Hella good.

Large Scale Experience Recollection

2008-10-28T14:37:00.000-07:00

I have finally found some time to explain whats been going on for the last month. The fun of studying abroad wore off and right as things got fun, the work caught up and started tearing me apart. After two rounds of midterms, papers, and presentations, things are finally in the clear for now at least for a week after fall break next week. Whoever said that classes abroad would be easier are full of crap, classes are definitely harder here. And the grades that I've been receiving are going to make a huge dent in my averages. Looks like I will have to take the L for this term and just work harder when I get back. It's quite hard at times to realize that your honeymoon vacation away from school gets a shot of reality when you get handed a mark with super slashes through it and a poor grade, along with comments that make you feel like you have nothing remotely intelligent to contribute to academia.

Given that, I guess I have two choices. Either mope about the fact that I'm going to fail, or just have a great time while I'm out here. You only study abroad once, so you might as well make the best of it. Grades are temporary, stories are forever. And in these last months I have been lucky enough to go through some once-in-a-lifetime experiences in and out of London. Things that I could not give away. You talk about life lessons, go abroad. I've been able to get past the bumps on the road, and been able to live on. Go out, enjoy London, share it with friends.

And now as we roll into November, I have started counting down the remaining days that I have out here. I don't want to look in that path, but its the big elephant in the room, and I know that my days are getting numbered and it will be back to reality soon. Back to New York, back to the real world, back to school, back to all the baggage I left behind.

Lets get on with whats been going on:

1. First of all I have beaten up my laptop so much that even my Mac now gets the blue screen of death. Along with that I have busted the "a" and "x" keys, so I have a keyboard that looks like its been beaten with a hammer.

2. I was able to go to the Royal Albert Hall to listen to a concert. Jason Mraz was performing so I figured it would be a good time to check it out, along with writing a paper that I had for that building for my "Seeing London" class. Well, suffice to say the grade on that paper was rubbish, but at least the concert was good.

The beautiful Royal Albert Hall

Inside.

The clearest picture that I could get from my seat at the concert.

3. I went on a school trip to visit the land of the scousers in Liverpool. Along with getting all the history of the Beatles and enjoying the interesting Liverpool nightlife, I was able to visit the Kop and take the tour. There's not much there, the area is in the process of gentrification, but yea...as a fan of United, I can't get myself to say I'm extremely fond of the place.

Random statue on beach

Penny Lane with Jimmy.

It was at this point that I decided that I had to go to Old Trafford or else I would have commited a cardinal sin.

Luckily I did.

4. Lets get to the best part of my study abroad semester, and most likely the best experience of my life. My journey to Old Trafford. My major goal this term was to get to the Theatre of Dreams and experience what it was like sitting with 75000 other fans screaming for your club. It was a serendipitous time too, as I just received my first marks for this semester and found that my paper was found to be "Average". Being pissed and moping, I check my email to find that I landed tickets to the game, for free. Being so short of time I could only drag one friend, Jimmy, and bless his soul (being an Arsenal fan) decided that it would be okay to come experience Old Trafford with me. So we hopped on the bus to Manchester and watched the game. It was a great weekend, with my only regret not having a pint with the crazy Irish guys from Cork that we shared a hostel with. Those guys were definitely fun, and even more fun to decode what they were saying through their heavy accents.

The main entrace at the North Stand

Jimmy, being the great friend that he is, came out to watch the game with me, know what he was doing was sacrilege to his pride in Arsenal. We had great seats, just 16 rows from the corner flag, with all the goals being scored when United was going in our direction. Great night, 3-0 over West Brom Albion.

The beautiful stretford end the next day on my tour.

5. I guess it was my time to repay Jimmy also for his kindness in coming to Manchester with me, so in a few weeks we will be going to Emirates to watch a Carling Cup game. However, before that he and I took a tour of the place, just to see what it was like. I have to say, totally different that Old Trafford in a sense it was way more corporate, definitely a money making machine that stadium.

Not as great as a name like Old Trafford.

Players tunnel.

Emirates makes 31 million pounds a year just on the corporate boxes alone, crazy stuff. Thats worth one Dimitar Berbatov!

Well I guess to update the checklist:

Here's the new list:
- Get those Manchester United tickets and go to Old Trafford - Done
- Find that go to club/bar lounge - narrowed it down, found some nice places, but I am getting
scared that my go to club might be Cheapskates....
- Try the London Curry - did it, was great, so delicious.
- Have dinner on the Thames. - In planning stages
- Find time to go to Paris for one weekend. - probably won't happen.

What else has been exciting is being able to share my experiences here with not only my friends from NYU but also from home. Along with the guys that are studying out here come the friends who have come out to visit. Connie and Dora recently came out to visit and I took them all around London, and had some great fun. Greg should be coming during Thanksgiving break, and we should be hitting Amsterdam that weekend, so we'll see how that goes.

Anyway, long enough update. Not sure when the next time will be, but until then, realize that you only have a short time to live, so make the best of everything that comes your way. Life gives you speed bumps, its how you accelerate out of them is what matters. I am fortunate enough to say that my time here has more ups than downs, and I'm a little upset that my time has started to wind down.

Two songs that I have been playing constantly that sort of suit my mood right now, for various reasons.

"A Beautiful Mess" - Jason Mraz
"Stitched Up" - Herbie Hancock with John Mayer

Anyway, take care.

Weekend Pilgrimage to The Theatre of Dreams

2008-10-19T18:22:00.001-07:00

This is where I was this past weekend:

More about the trip and everything since the last post later, once I get through this next round of crazy papers, presentations, and sketches.

UK Update 2

2008-09-22T16:11:00.001-07:00

I honestly have no time to write blogs. I am either out, drinking, playing futbol, eating, reading, sleeping, or travelling around drawing. Somehow I squeeze time here and there and put up some photos. So here we go, here's what has happened since the last time

From finding out what GMT finally means (Greenwich Meridian Time), to going to the Prime Meridian, to going up to the London Eye, to the Thames Festival, to Saratoga people in London, to going all around the outskirts of London to finally being able to watch my first Premier League match, to going out almost every night, I doubt I will finally have a time for when things settle down. Which is great, although I will probably lose a couple years of my life doing this. But everything has been fanastic, besides the obliteration that my wallet has taken as a result of it. Gone to the craziest places (IceBar London, Maya London), to the most historically exquisite (St. Paul's Cathedral, Church of St. Bartholomew, Kew Gardens), to the suburbs and areas in which I normally wouldn't go to as a normal London tourist. I am trying to take everything in and really try to experience life as Londoner, along with meeting new people along the way. It has been a fantastic time. I wish I was back in New York, there are elements that I miss - Lamb and Rice, 24 Hour Subway, the US Dollar, DSP - but there are some things that are just so much better out here. Short list:

1. The Chips, or Crisps, out here are just astronomically better. Walkers > Lays, all day.
2. Beer is better, even the Natural Ice equivalent out here (Carling, Carlsberg) is still better.
3. Pubs - enough said.
4. Salt and Malt Vinegar over Chips (Fries) is the best idea ever.
5. The metropolitan atmosphere is amazing - with old history blending with modern, its just not comparable to any other place.
6. Tipping - you don't have to tip as much. At the bars, you don't even need to. If you're at dinner, 5-10% is customary. Awesome.
6. Football, football, football, football. I love the sport, and every day is a new story about football. It is just so easy to play a pick up game at the park, its a beautiful thing where the fields are lined for football, not baseball or American Football. And I've taken a liking to Rugby, which is just crazy those guys.

Well last time I had a list of to do's, here's an update:
- Watch a Premier League match - DONE
- Get at least some kind of soccer going on a real pitch with my boots on and group of people
knocking the ball around. - DONE
- Find that "go to" restaurant - TOO EXPENSIVE TO EAT OUT
- Find chopsticks for eating - DONE
- Get some kind of Fall Break intinerary punched out. - DONE, WALLET R.I.P.

Here's the new list:
- Get those Manchester United tickets and go to Old Trafford
- Find that go to club/bar lounge
- Try the London Curry (I know, its pathetic I still haven't done it yet)
- Have dinner on the Thames.
- Find time to go to Paris for one weekend.

'till then.

It Costs Twice as Much to Play in the UK

2008-09-02T16:39:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I've finally got some time to get back to this after a whirlwind two weeks of traveling and getting used to living across the pond in the UK. Classes just started this week and I can definitely feel that these classes are going to challenge me in much different ways. Equations have been replaced by essays, problem sets with readings. Poop is going to hit the fan unless I'm on top of it. Its nice that all my classes are in the afternoon so I don't have to wake up early, considering that the walk to class is ridic - 30 minutes at California pace. And with me carrying my gym stuff its just exponentially heavier and sucks. But to recap, basically these last two weeks have been spent with my family and with new people and trying to set my feet down in a new environment.

I arrived into Heathrow and instead of doing the tourist-y stuff that you would normally do, me and my dad just tried to get acclimated to the London atmosphere in the terms of a Londoner, how to live, how much prices are, the cost of living. After buying a rice cooker and sim card I knew that it was going to be a rough semester in terms of the funds. But, things look good and I feel comfortable in London. Its completely unlike New York, its got a character of its own that I can't describe right now, but I'm sure I will be able to in a few weeks. After doing all that, it was to Scotland in Edinburgh where it was just me and my dad. It was great, it was rare for me to spend so much time with my dad one on one, and it was truly a fantastic experience to share with my dad, and definitely a good "bros hanging out" sesh. Because my sister and mom weren't around, we even got to steal a day and sneak off to St. Andrews to play golf at the home of golf. Here are some pics to recap:

After spending time with my dad it was time to move into NIDO and start my life at NYU again. It was a whirlwind of activities and little sleep as I was meeting new people, going out, doing orientation, sleeping little, spending lots, and doing it all over again. Its been nice, meeting some NYU kids that I didn't meet before and kind of getting in touch with the guys that I didn't talk to over the summer that I knew before. The next step now is to step out of my comfort zone even more, to go beyond the familiar and into the new. I'm looking into joining some competitive football (as they call it here) clubs and seeing if I can meet people that way. And then maybe meeting some new people in the classes that I'm taking. With all this and planning for weekend trips, football games, signing up for gym memberships, groceries, other intangible costs, and you can see that its been a wild ride for the first few days. But now that I've got the routine down hopefully things will slow down a little bit. I'm just afraid that I won't - and I probably won't - have enough time to really do all the things that I want to do. At least I got tickets to the Manchester United/Arsenal match at Emirates on November 8th, super wicked. Anyway, first week of London with NYU pictures:

Lets hope the next time I'm back on here I have made some kind of progress in the goals that I have set before you:

- Watch a Premier League match (planning on going to Fulham vs. Bolton)
- Get at least some kind of soccer going on a real pitch with my boots on and group of people
knocking the ball around.
- Find that "go to" restaurant
- Find chopsticks for eating
- Get some kind of Fall Break intinerary punched out.

As always, have fun and stay classy.

Initial Impressions of Life in London

2008-08-21T13:13:00.000-07:00

London is hella expensive. That is all.

Emotion Jumble

2008-08-19T17:57:00.000-07:00

So, the six fast weeks back home in California is now over. I gave up on doing the salad-a-days, junk food just tasted too good. Work was good, the sun was great, besides the one hiccup of getting sick for a week and my gym routine getting sort of thrown out of whack, it has been a great summer. Its really crazy to see that four months have nearly passed since I walked out of my last final in Econ and breathed a sigh of relief in what was the most busy semester thus far. I'm hoping to take that semester and flip it upside down and have an easy going semester in London, and not worry too much about the humungo thrashing my wallet is going to get. As I get packing for my three months abroad I feel exactly the same way as I did in New York. Miss it, had a blast, felt good to be in a different place, had to leave right when I begin to settle down and get comfortable.

The feelings that I had when I left New York now evolved to my longing to leaving California. I was getting used to the quiet life, running outside in the hills, driving wherever with the window down and enjoying the fresh air. It was nice to be home, to sleep on my own bed, to have home cooking, to have good Mexican food, to have the things that make home so ....home-y.

I had a deal with myself to try to finish playing GTA IV before I leave for London, but I don't think I can finish it. I think I have about six or so hours left of gameplay in the game and I'm just not in the state of mind to finish it. I've spent the last thirty minutes just looking outside, looking at the green trees, the blue sky, the cool wind blowing through my window. It was so weird, a few weeks ago I was not used to such quiet, and now I have finally gotten back around to enjoying the nice, slow-paced, quiet life.

Realistically speaking, I'm only going to be in London for three months. I am hoping that I have a blast and get opportunities to travel and watch some English Premier League matches. I shouldn't get too emotional about it, but I think its a knack I have for places that I get comfortable in, I don't want to leave. I didn't have this same feeling last year when I spent the summer back home, probably because I spent four months back home and was ready for the hustle and bussle of New York. I was only here for six weeks, and I was just hitting the groove in really just loving the suburban life all over again. The round of goodbyes and "lasts for a few months" have come and gone, all I can do now is look forward to the UK and Europe. Flight is tomorrow afternoon, time to pack more. Hopefully I remember socks.

Time to Retire the Storage Box

2008-08-10T22:56:00.000-07:00

This weekend marked the retirement of my 300GB Maxtor One Touch external hard drive. This guy has served me for 4 years without ever missing a beat and going through all the torture I put it through, whether it was editing videos, playing music, putting games on it, editing photos. I've dropped it, carried it around the world, tripped power chords and it has still stayed alive. It was time, I needed more space to put in media and I had an inkling that he was feeling tired and was about to blow any day. And with the given deals at the local computer supply store I couldn't resist getting a new one.

So this weekend I bought the new baby, a new external storage unit. Basically when my suitemate last year had 3 1TB Western Digital drives stacked above his computer, I knew that my hard drive felt insignificant. It was time for an upgrade and I finally got the time this summer to get myself a new Seagate FreeAgent. I was really looking forward to getting a 1TB drive myself, but the marginal price difference between 750GB and 1TB was staggering, and I felt the 250GB I can sacrifice. Anyway, I wonder if this guy can last the 4 years that the Maxtor has. We shall see. After finally reformating the entire thing (shitty OEM software) to FAT32 so I can use it on my notebook and Windows PC's, I'll let you know when I fill up the drive.

PS. I promise to write a serious post, I just haven't gotten around to finding the time. Too encompassed in getting Niko Bellic out of the drug game and making his own straight cash.

Musical Reconnaissance

2008-08-06T10:38:00.000-07:00

Update on what I've been listening to lately. Mostly stuff picked up on the radio and stuff that is catchy. And by catch I don't mean M.I.A "Paper Airplanes", I can't stand that song. Any chorus that doesn't have words and has sound bytes instead does not deserve to be on the radio. Anywhere, here are some good stuff that you should bless your ears with:

The Raconteurs

Jack White lends his vocals to this band, really cool, different kind of rock sort of.

Flobots

One of maybe three "rap" type music artists that I have on my iPod. Highly political, but very good.

Rebelution

These guys are from Santa Barbara and bring in that Ska music ala Sublime, Less Than Jake, Slightly Stoopid that bring in that Long Beach punk rock flavor. Really good stuff.

Weezer

This song is so catchy I can't get it off my iPod. Weezer's new album is rocking, not bad at all.

And in light of my latest revisiting of Ska music I've started listening to much more Rebelution and Sublime. Man, even though they've been gone for so long their stuff still rocks. I love their songs, have some great stories behind them. Any Sublime collection is not complete without What I Got:

Authority Evasion and Intervention

2008-08-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

So basically last night, as I was just strolling around at night trying to find something to do I realized that I was just burning through gas and decided that it was time to call up one of my friends and see what's good. I called up my buddy Jacob and decided that we should go to a strip club, which was halfway across town. Ridiculous I know, but I was bored and needed some excitement. So to save gas I picked him up from his place and we went together. Got to the strip joint, had a decent time, splurged on some cash and got a private dance in the back room. Jacob was just hanging out and after a while it got late so I decided to just go home.

As we were going home I kind of got the itch to drive relatively fast so I started barrelling down the straightaway streets, basically going through every yellow. All of a sudden a big hill comes down and I push the pedal and fly, only to find below there were 4 cars waiting at the light. I slam hard on the breaks but it was too late, I slid into the cars and smash into a cop car in front of me. Freaked out, I jet out of there and go through the intersection, with Jake holding on for dear life.

Basically, the cops start going after me and I realize that my car is getting beaten up and I don't know how much longer it could take. That question was answered when I went over a fire hydrant and sent the car flying. Now the car is upside down and I pull out my SMG holding off the cops as they come in waves. Jacob was getting upset that he has to pull out his gun and help, because he was just expecting a chill night. Anyway, SWAT teams come into our position and we were cornered - behind us the pier and nothing below but water. Running out of ammo, I realized that I was stuck and Jacob was slowing running out of bullets. Without much other choice, the cop throws us to the ground and cuffs us - all from a traffic crash. Should have never drove fast, should have just called up Michelle and went out and played pool.

- Niko Bellic

Photification

2008-07-29T16:31:00.000-07:00

A recent Hawaii trip summed up in photos, no words. Photoshopped just a little bit.

Giving Hip Hop a Second Look

2008-07-29T11:12:00.000-07:00

I usually hate Hip-hop. I don't like its vulgarity, don't like its aggressiveness and the topics it discusses. I find it hard to relate to. But, these guys are good. I'm tight with one of the rappers A-live, who starts talking in his rap-lingo sometimes which I don't quite understand. But what I do understand is that he makes rap that is different from what you hear on the radio, and its refreshing in a scene full of gat's, weeds, blunts, stunnas, and ballahs. Take a listen, and if you like them spread the word. These guys deserve to be recognized. Check out their myspace, sample their stuff.

The Light Burns Bright Through the Headphones

2008-07-16T21:24:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago John Mayer released a 2 CD music recording of a performance that he put at the Nokia Theatre in LA last summer. The concert was for benefit, with ticket sales going to charity. I was jealous personally that I wasn't able to attend, as it was a three set performance. It began with John's acoustic set, with just him playing some selected songs with just him and the guitar. The second set was with John Mayer Trio, where John Mayer teams up with the super talented musicans Steve Jordan and Pino Palladino. The last set is John's full band where he performs tracks with a full set of brass, drums, the whole lot. Once I got a hold of the video and audio for this performance I was blown way by it all. It is a seriously fantastic compilation, whether you're a Mayer fan or not. This has been the most hit playlist on my iPod during my long commute to work and I haven't gotten tired of it at all. There are no new songs, but yet they sound so refreshing. His acoustic set takes me to a relaxing place, while his JMT and Band sets really blows you away.

Whether you were turned off by him when he sang those sappy "Wonderland" songs or hate the way his face contorts when he sings, I would seriously implore you to at least take one listen of this compilation. If anything, he does a great cover of "Free Fallin'", which has just jumped into my lists of songs that I can just lay back and look at the sky. John has progressed so much as a musician, he doesn't have to satisfy the pop requirements and he beats as his own drum. He has began to create his own with the guitar, a style that is distinct like Clapton's slowhand delicacy or Jimi Hendrix's loose riffs. If anything, the lyrics in his songs have really hit me, as they are more than just trash that the radio will like. His lyrics explain a story, a story about his life, a story that you can relate to, relate to your story. Mayer doesn't speak through him, he speaks through his lyrics, his guitar. And this compilation really exemplifies it. Give him a chance, and I'm sure your opinion of him will change. Even if it doesn't make you a fan, its plain to see how he has changed from when he first came out to now.

Here's the video to "Free Fallin'"

Salad Freshness Intervention

2008-07-09T11:50:00.000-07:00

So after months and months of eating salads in New York I have bought some groceries from home and began making my salads at home. It is to make up for all the packets of Top Ramen and Spam & Egg - over rice meals I made during summer school. I feel like I need to purge myself of the oily junk fat foods and clean my insides through eating more fruits and vegetables. Not that I'm going to take away meat from my diet, I'm just going to do this thinger where I drink a glass of OJ (w/ calcium, I found that I'm lactose-intolerant this past year) and eat a bowl of salad when I wake up. I can't help but snack throughout the day, so I bought a huge box of Sun Chips and munch on them when I'm bored, along w/ Mrs. A's salsa with tortilla chips. I thought eating salads everyday would be hard, as they were in New York, but I forgot how much better California produce is. I don't mean to be conceited, I'm just letting you know that there's better stuff here in the golden state. I remember telling my friends in the east how I missed California avocados, but I never realized how much better they were than the ones I was getting at Trader Joe's in New York. They're sweeter, tastier, and just hold together better. I ate a bowl of salad and was just aghast of how much better tasting everything is out here. Man on man, no wonder vegetarians are so happy here, they don't have to sacrifice much (well, except for the whole meat thing). I have to say, I really miss California produce, and not to mention its about 2/3 the cost of the produce in New York too, and 50000000 times better. This is about as tree-hugger, save the earth, go green as I will go. I think I'm going to go eat a barebeque tri-tip sandwich now.

Love, Peace, eat more avocados.

Embracement of Internet Popularity Cults

2008-07-08T20:26:00.000-07:00

New Weezer music video for the song "Pork & Beans". You might have already seen it, but its a cool video for a cool song.

Pork and Beans - Weezer

Zesty Flavorful Pairment

2008-07-07T23:54:00.000-07:00

Once I got back to my neighborhood grocery store I immediately went to the produce section and got a couple tubs of Mrs. A's famous Salsa. Its one of the best tasting salsa's I've ever had, much better than the stuff by Pace and Tostitos. Mrs. A was an art teacher for my high school, and she used to bring a few tubs along with chips to class once in a while, and the entire thing would be devoured in minutes. Everytime you open it its fresh, and the wide opening is great for any size chip. Basically I've been munching on that and I've forgotten how much I missed having that salsa. Its really bomb, and if you guys are near any local grocery store or Whole Foods in the Bay Area, be on the lookout for Salsa Buena. Support local foods, support organic salsa, support Mrs. A, munch on some tastey salsa with your tortilla chips.

Skyline Revelations

2008-07-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

So I'm back home now, and as I sit in my unfamiliar room sitting in my unfamiliar chair in front of a monitor I'm not accustomed to seeing, I'm left listening to U2's "New York" realizing that I'm no longer in New York, and it's back to suburbia for me. I sit in my room at home which is twice the size of my room back in my dorm, and yet I feel less at home here than I was on floor 14 overlooking Union Square.

When I was still in high-school you'd be shocked to find me living in the east coast. I was all about staying in California. My sister went to school out east but I dared never to go that far. California was too comfortable, too perfect, too ideal, to hard to leave. And yet, the closer I got to graduation the more I wanted to get out the Golden State. Not so much that I hated the place, but I wanted to branch out, try something new, experience new things. I wanted to write a new chapter, and carry along with me great stories that I would be able to joke about over a bonfire back home.

But now, halfway through my college years I have difficulty defining where my home is. Is it the place where I grew up, or the city which I have fallen in love with? Is it the comfortable, quiet, sunny suburban lifestyle that I was so accustomed to, or the hustling, loud, obnoxious, concrete jungle that I have come to grown accustomed to? As I packed my belongings to go back to California for the summer, it finally hit me how much I had become a part of New York City, and how I have embraced the place. I caught myself staring outside my window just watching the cars go by, the people walking in and out of traffic with a purpose. And as I sit in front of the computer monitor, my window is open to the street, and yet I hear nothing. No car noises, no yelling, no police sirens. I feel more antsy here than in the city. The quiet is unnerving, different, something I haven't heard in months. And I begin to feel this weird feeling of homesick, and yet I am theoretically "home". But each time I come back to California, I feel home is slowing drifting out of this place and more so into the city which I spend the majority of my time in.

I remember getting countless advice from adults when I was ready to set off for school in the east coast. "Do everything you possibly can, because college is the best time of your life", "Don't let college pass you by". I took these words for granted, and as 2 years have gone by I have yet to do two-thirds of the things I was looking forward to doing when I arrived. If it wasn't for me staying in the city over the summer, I wouldn't have even done one-fourth of the things I want to do. Also have to give credit to the fact that I did the majority of the stuff 4 days before I left for California. Yankee/Shea Stadium, Shake Shack did those. Hanging out w/ my friends watching the games at the bars, did that. Hoping around and not getting back home until day-rise, slogged through it. Yet, the list is never checked off, I have so many things I still have to do.

I think what kills the most is the connections that I've made with the city in and of itself. I've got friends, commitments, classes, teams, dates, credit card bills, sleepless nights, puke remains, lamb & rice joints, late night drunk-food stops here. I didn't just go to school in New York, I became New York. And it has changed me so much. I remember coming back after one year and having family friends comment on how much older I looked. I don't know if I matured, but New York I knew had to play a part. The place chizzles you, makes you tougher, more self-dependent. And it definitely matures people much quicker. I remember having a talk with friends over a few drinks about how much different they are now compared to their friends back home. They've got finance/marketing jobs in the city, paying their own rent, doing things on their own, while their friends are still working at the local grocery shop bagging stuff. I'm not saying either is better, but its just a different lifestyle. New York has changed me so much its hard to adjust back to the California lifestyle. I tell people I'm working at a hedge fund back home, and very few understand what that means.

Things are different here, sometimes for better (the weather is to die for back home), sometimes for worse (I just want a FREAKING PIZZA AT 2AM). I'll probably be in my California groove in a few days, but right now I am missing New York unlike any other. Not just the city, but my friends there, the commitments I made, the memories. New York is a special place, and I'm bummed I won't be back there until January.

Enough emotional nostalgia, better things. Watched the Rays sweep the Boston Red Sox on the plane back home, those guys are legit. Been rocking out to the new Coldplay album, you guys should take a listen to it, no matter what you previously thought of them give them another go. Horrible day for Bay Area fans, losing Brian Campbell to the Chicago Blackhawks, and Baron Davis to the LA Clippers. Next time I know Timmy Lincecum is being shipped off to some other team. Someone hold my hand now.

Over and out, and pinch me.

Musical Tidbits

2008-06-29T01:48:00.000-07:00

In the wee hours in the morning before the sun rises, as my music is playing through iTunes and my speakers, I've come to realize how much my musical tastes have changed over the years. It became even more apparent as I was at the Karaoke Bar, realizing that the songs I picked no one knew the lyrics to. However, for the most part the more "older" songs I picked, the more people knew the lyrics and joined along. Believe me, after having to sing "Float On" by Modest Mouse alone you sort of get the idea of where to turn next.

As you're young you listen to what everyone else is listening to. As you grow older, you being to develop your own taste and start deciding whats funky and whats sucky. The stuff that you used to jam to during your middle school dances become retarded, and you realize that there's shit that's not on the radio that is awesome, and shit that's on the radio blows chunks.

I'm listening to the new Death Cab album right now, "Narrow Stairs", and basically if you saw me 6 years ago you would dumbfounded to see how drastic of a musical choice in music I was listening to. I had my rap phase, and right around 7th-8th grade was my angry-music time. Slipknot, Powerman 5000, Disturbed, the lot. Fuck sakes, I was listening to stuff that would just be loud. But thats over and done with, and I've regained my sanity and started listening to normal-er music.

Basically these are the dudes this past 12 months that have rocked my playlists and really got the groove going. My friend told me that this shirt totally suits me, but I really don't think so. I'm not those elitest underground cockbags, I just like stuff thats different, and if its nice regardless of being mainstream whatevs, the more listeners the better ups for these guys.

Silversun Pickups:

These guys totally rock. The first song I heard from them was "Well Thought out Twinkles" and I've been grooving to them since. These guys are the new Smashing Pumpkins, and if you had to have one song on your playlist from them, it has to be "Lazy Eye".

Mute Math:

Listened to these guys in concert last October. Probably one of the best performances I have ever seen. These guys bring so much energy to the stage its hard not to want to jump into a crowd of people and start a mosh pit. They can somehow mix so many kinds of music together it's amazing sometimes the music they amalgamate together. From electronic, to guitar, to reggae, to insane drum solos, the lead singer's voice molds to every direction they take w/ their songs.

Ippazzi:
These guys I picked up in local New York. They're recent grads of NYU. Something different about them is they got a dude who can rock the guitar paired up w/ a poetic rapper. Weird, but somehow it works. Listen to their stuff here. Gotta listen to "Funk Jam", "After a While", "Go Away"
http://www.ippazziband.com/listen.html

The Tellers:
These guys are fun. They are just fun to listen to. They're from Belgium and I picked them up on the soundtrack to FIFA08. Just two dudes just having a good time and buggering around.

Of course, if you want something more well known check out these albums, worth your time:

Jason Mraz "We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things"
Augustana "Can't Love, Can't Hurt"
Coldplay "Viva la Vida or Death and all his Friends"
The Shins "Wincing the Night Away"
Spoon "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga"

Cheers