tell.a.vision

At this moment.

2009-12-21T22:38:00.001-05:00

WOW.

I (barely) danced in the hip-hop genre, but if I had the ability...this is what I'd aim for. Perfect partners, perfect lighting, perfect song.

Christmas 2009.

2009-12-21T21:59:00.003-05:00

Three days before Christmas.

Shopping is complete.
Wrapping is done.
Roadtrip down to New Brunswick for grease truck sandwiches done! (Grease truck sandwhich "Fat Fella" = cheesesteak, chicken fingers, french fries, mozzarella sticks, lettuce, honey mustard in one nice little package.)

Saying goodbye to Danica...sadly...done. She came to NYC, did what she had to do and is now headed back to California after two plus years in New York. But she now gives me extra reason to visit California...along with visiting everyone else out there (ahemLats&Paulineahem). I'll miss her.

Happy Holidays kids. Enjoy every moment.

CBS does care.

2009-12-07T20:28:00.001-05:00

Give her whaaaaat??? CBS has the BEST holiday PSA this year.

Joisi Shoa (too funny not to share).

2009-12-06T16:18:00.000-05:00

Jersey Shore: A Field Study

December 4th, 2009 | Author: Brian Moylan

Jersey Shore is like opening a tiny present to find it is full of diamonds, but diamonds made of booze, puke, fights, diseases, and discarded thongs. You thought this gift couldn’t get better, but it does. It really, really does.

Margaret Mead had the Samoans, Dian Fossey had gorillas, and the rest of us have the eight guidos onJersey Shore for the most important anthropological study of its day. MTV has chosen four men and four women to live in a house in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, which we hear is called “Sleazeside Heights” in the local vernacular. What is assembled here is not only excellent entertainment, but a breakthrough in media and the science of reality television as a whole.

What we’ve grown accustomed to are two types of non-competitive reality shows, both pioneered by MTV. There is the Real World species and The Hills species. Jersey Shore is descended from the former type, but is so unique in its evolution that it is a new creature onto itself. For a Real Worldicus Americanus to be a viable animal, producers are looking to cast easy to recognize “types”: annoying drunk girl, the slut, angry black man, the violent guy, the flamboyant gay, the sassy black lady, the country bumpkin, the religious zealot. Most of these shows feature a number of types that, when combined will be explosive. While the people go into the show thinking that they are individuals, they are quickly molded into their pre-written role thanks to editing, trickery, and a little bit of Stockholm Syndrome. The participants think of themselves as more than just a stereotype, but that is what they are to us.

The amazing thing about Jersey Shore is that it is comprised of only one very distinctive type—the guido—and it is a type in which all of the participants not only willingly identify, but glorify. They are not afraid of being seen as a stereotype because they want to be the big-haired, muscled out, tanned freak in a too-tight Armani Exchange top. While the rest of society may deride the guido, these specimens see nothing wrong with it, because they live in a universe where it is the norm. Based on the other inmates in the Sleazeside Heights zoo, there is nothing manufactured about these people. They do not possess the fame-seeking guile of the Speidis of the world, because their only aspiration is to be revered as the ultimate guido. Because of this, no coaxing into conformity with reality show norms is needed. All the cameras have to do is sit back and observe.

Their disconnect with the byways of mainstream society is especially observed in the environment in which they have been placed, a three-level shore house directly on the boardwalk. When some set designer from New York tricked it out for the show, he snarkily filled it with Italian flags, sparkly sofas, posters of Scarface, maps of New Jersey, tacky couches, and leopard print bedspreads. The residents find nothing kitschy or campy about this set at all. Instead of the intended irony, they only see “class” (see below).

We already met those on the other side of the glass, but lets learn a little bit more about their specific genus.

Angelina: She arrives at the house carrying all her belongings in trash bags, that makes us want to call her Trash Bags. However, she seems to take inexplicable joy in making sure the males of the house do not get to mate. Because of this, we want to call her Blue Balls. Trash Bags or Blue Balls, please help us decide. Maybe her aversion to the other males getting attention is because she has a boyfriend at home, so she is not getting any loving while she tries to stay faithful. She is complex, but lazy.

JWOWW: Is the human embodiment of Stripperella except she tries to cover it up by dying most of her hair brunette. The white pieces still show through, as do her enormous breast implants, which she displays in shirts that look like a glittery Ace bandage leisurely draped over two toddler’s heads. She is a slut who takes pleasure in making men want her and then making their lives hell. She is very dangerous when provoked. Also, we like to call her ShamWOWW because everything about her is fake.

The Situation: A prevalence of referring to oneself in the third person is usually a symptom of low self-esteem masked by fake bravado, and The Situation (real name: Mike) is a perfect example. He thinks that all the ladies love him, but he needs them to love him. His name describes his defined abdominal muscles, which he describes as a “situation.” The physical perfection he tries to achieve is meant to make up for lack of security he feels in himself. He appears to be a strong alpha, but he is really a sad, sad follower.

Snooki: If there was a Guido equivalent of a fag hag, it would be Snooki. She will do anything to please the men in her life, even though none of them desire her sexually. Also she resorts to extreme tactics when no one is paying attention to her. She clings to the outmoded standard of beauty that she claims to have created (”the poof”) even though her peers shun it. She also can not operate simple machinery.

DJ Pauly D: Has about the ugliest collection of tribal markings outside of the before pictures in a tattoo removal ad. Yes, it says Cadillac down his side, most likely so that the women who lie next to him in bed will have something to read. He has no morals when it comes to mating and will do anything for the attention of the ladeez. Once he finally blinds them with the aberrant scribbles on his skin, he takes them home where he marks their vaginas internally with his pierced penis. They will always bear the mark of DJ Pauly D—a herpes blister and labial scar from the cuts made by his Prince Albert. He also likes to fight.

Ronnie: Though smart when it comes to dealing with women, his size, bravado, and penchant for making fruity drinks belies a more “sensitive” side. “The Situation” can see the situation clearly and thinks that his romantic rival is in love with him. We can not say that he is wrong. Like most people hiding secrets, Ronnie is full of anger. That might also be the steroids, but we’re going with secrets.

Sammy: This self-described sweetheart is a Helen of Troy type. She needs to have men going to war for her in order to crown a clear victor. She likes to think of herself as the mothering type who will make a great cook and raise a big Italian brood, but she will never be able to settle down because the constant conflict does not work well with monogamy. However, she is still looking for the Darwinian ideal to bed her, and only the strongest survive. The weak can all die, for all she cares, preferably at her hand.

Vinny: Vinny has been ruined by his mother to thinking that he is better than he truly is. He feels that because he is young and educated he somehow has a leg up on his comrades. At the same time, he does not alter his conformity to their standards of appearance or behavior. He will eventually have a psychotic break where he will move to Vermont and try to reinvent himself as an organic, vegan farmer. He will fail and have to move back with his mother.

There are the creatures that we are forced to ponder. Of course, there are a few words that one must know to understand their sophisticated patois:

Classy: This is a standard of beauty and behavior to which all aspire. While the taste and requirements are subjective, the directive is absolute: one must be classy.
Trashy: The opposite of “classy” and includes behavior like taking off one’s thong in a hot tub, bringing people home from a club, and cheating on one’s boyfriend (but not one’s girlfriend). While the guido may refer to behavior in another as “trashy” that same behavior in oneself is often deemed “classy.”
Vibing: Getting along with and flirting with a member of the opposite sex.
Dogging On: Making out with or engaging in sexual tomfollery when in a public setting.
Pounding Out: Engaging in sexual intercourse with someone-hopefully in a private setting, but not necessarily.
Blow-out: The type of ornate plumage the male employs that requires a blow dryer and several tubes of hair gel to perfect.
Sluts: To men a “slut” is both any woman who wants to have sex with him and any woman who doesn’t want to have sex with him, which means all women are sluts. To the female it is all women other than herself. It can also be a term of sexual empowerment for a woman, unless applied to one who is not “classy,” then it is the ultimate insult

Now that we have learned their jargon, it is time to witness them in their natural environment.

Work: The herd is not allowed to merely live in house, they must also work at the Shore Store, a Boardwalk T-Shirt emporium that sells wares like hot pink booty shorts, air brushed tank tops, and Ts with sexual slogans such as “I shaved my balls today.”

Not everyone enjoys working, Trash Bags finds it tedious and tries to slack off at any opportunity. Vinny, who has the first disease of the season (sadly, pink eye) asks her to fill in for him, and she can only agree to work one hour. She is lazy.

The Situation enjoys a work situation, because it gives him a chance to show off. Vinny is an eager worker, but only because he needs to please a boss, who he sees as a substitute father figure. Because his mother plays such a prominent role in his life, he is searching for male authority to steer him the right way.

Landlord/boss Danny is a benevolent tyrant. He enjoys the kids, but he enjoys the money they make him even more. He will fire one, eventually. We hope it’s not Sneakers.

Hooking Up: Romantic entanglements are of the utmost importance to the young guido. Other than the gym and tanning salon, the bedroom is his most cherished habitat.

Here we see DJ Pauly D getting close with JWOWW, they eventually make out. The next night, they make out again, and JWOWW discretely hides their locked lips behind her hand. She has a boyfriend at home and she doesn’t want to cheat on him. She does not define “cheating” as making out with another man and seeing his pierced penis. Cheating is if she gets him off before she climaxes. If she uses a man for her own pleasure that is not cheating.

Blue Balls also has a boyfriend at home, which is why she has strapped a chastity belt on all the men in her immediate vicinity. The problem is her boyfriend hates her. Whenever she calls, he seems to be too busy for her. When he tells her that he is “in a meeting” and can’t talk, she repeatedly calls and gets his voicemail. This is grounds for dumping her. Please, please, throw out the Trash Bags.

The most complicated romantic entanglement is between Sammy Soso, Ronnie, and The Situation, who find themselves in a love triangle situation. Sammy Soso was initially attracted to The Situation, but found it to be a Soso Situation. After holding hands and “vibing” with him, she makes out with him in the club. Then she decides to make out with Ronnie. Naturally, this angers The Situation, because his self-worth is now shattered thanks to Sammy. He picks up the little pieces of his ego and flips her off. Because of his behavior, she sees him as weak and “dogs on” Ronnie instead, flaunting their relationship in The Situation’s room so that he will feel even worse about himself.

In retaliation, DJ Pauly Desperate, Vinnie, and The Situation bring three girls back to the roof and try to get it on with all of them. The Situation feels vaguely better about himself, but now that Ronnie is officially the alpha, he is uneasy about his status.

As for the complicated hook ups of Snickers, we will get to that in the next video.

Puking: This is a common occurrence among the members of the guido tribe and it is looked upon as an inevitability of their hard-drinking lifestyle, but as also the most foul act a human can perform. It is weakness, and weakness is not tolerated. It also creates “puke breath,” which is a deadly ailment that can cause death if it breathed on another guido. Puke breath to guidos is like holy water to vampires—something so profane it will melt your very skin.

Here we have Snooker’s new friend Robby, who she met at a club. He vomits when she tries to make out with him. This is either because he drank too much or because he finds her revolting. Maybe a combination of the two. After instructing him to hurl over the railing of the balcony and onto the sidewalk below, she goes downstairs to get a trash bag for him to vomit in. She doesn’t know that this is really Blue Balls’ luggage. When she walks him home, she will not kiss him because of his puke breath.

Just the day before Snack Cake herself got so blitzed that she vomited the next morning. No one would hold her poofy hair because they were afraid of puke breath inhalation. The puking was so severe, it made her late for her first day of work. When asked for an excuse by bossman Danny, she said, “I was in the bathroom,” because having him think she think she was taking an enormous turd is better than having him think she is infected with puke breath.

Drinking: Next to hooking up, getting drunk is the leisure activity of the guido. This usually allows them to hook up more freely, so it is a symbiotic relationship. Sometimes it leads them to want to hook up too much, like when ShamWOWW made out with DJ Pauly Shore at the club and then took off his wife beater, leaving with both his shirt and her pride. Apparently she needed to go eat ham, which is a cure for drunkenness. Also, if vomited up, it makes the puke breath almost bearable.

Also behaving badly under influence of alcohol was Snuffleupagus. She got so bombed that she took off her clothes and hopped into the hot tub with all the boys, where she was as unwanted as a Baby Ruth floating at a pool party. Rejected, she went downstairs where she tried to call her father on the duck-shaped phone that is the favorite communication device of the tribe. However, she could not make it work. After hanging up on her father several times, she also hung up on ShamWOWW’s boyfriend several times and some mean man who just kept screaming “Who is this?” at her. It was probably Ronnie’s “juice man” returning frantic pages for more T.

Vinny got drunk and dance with a fat lady, which somehow gave him pink eye. This has not yet been medically proven to happen.

Fighting: Give a guido enough testosterone and their muscles will swell, their dicks will shrink, and contests of superiority will be very, very likely.

This relatively weak fight started because someone was assessing the Situation. He didn’t like the way he was being looked at and blew his aggressors a kiss. Apparently making homosexual overtures to another male of a neighboring group is an incitement to violence (which may be why leader Ronnie keeps his love of the Situation a secret).

When one member of a pride has his pride attacked, it is up to all the male members to defend that honor, which is why the Situation got assessed, but Vinny got shoved, and DJ Pauly Dope responded with a punch to the nose. Thankfully the authorities were there to restrain him and quickly defuse the Situation by throwing him and his friends out on the street. Fights aren’t won or lost, they are only ended, either by bouncers of cops.

While this contest may be fierce, inter-tribal civil wars tend to be verbal in nature, especially between members of the opposite sex. Trash Bags and Robo-Cop Ronnie get in a tiff because he thinks she shouldn’t be cock blocking and she thinks that trashy girls shouldn’t be let in the house. Their screaming made no sense whatsoever, but was a bit of mild entertainment for an evening at home.

Communication Skills: Here are some of our favorite things that people actually said last night:

Sammy: “I’m the sweetest bitch you’ll ever meet, but don’t fuck with me.”

Ronnie: “Take your shirt and [the women] come to you like flies on shit.”

DJ Paulie D: “I don’t want to work, I’m a DJ.”

Trash Bags: “How is this girl getting in the jacuzzi in a bra. Wear a thong bikini if you’re going to wear anything. It’s more classier.”

Sammy: “I had so much respect for you guys until you got into the Jacuzzi with those sluts.”

Blue Balls: “That’s how we know we’re classy girls because we’ve been here two days with those guys and nothing has happened.”

The Situation: “This situation is unbelievable. You can’t even believe the situation you’re about to get in the situation.”

Trash Bags: “I’m a bartender, I do like, you know, great things.”

Snickerdoodle: “I’m the fucking princess of fucking Poughkeepse.”

The Situation: “Everybody loves me: babies, dogs, hot girls, cougars.”

Vinny: “I don’t care if you’re fat, ugly, 45 years old—I’ll dance with you.”

DJ Paulie Dude: “She wants to have fun and have a boyfriend. She wants to have her cake and eat it too. I’ll play that game. I’ll be that guy. I don’t care.”

Blue Balls: “If a girl’s a slut, she should be abused.”

Trash Bags: “I’ll cut your hair while you’re sleeping.”

More holiday 2009 spots.

2009-12-02T21:33:00.003-05:00

This spot from Walgreens was one of the smarter ones that came out this season. Straight to the point, good sense of humor and a talking snowman. Who wouldn't want to befriend a talking snowman???

Gingerbread.

2009-12-01T21:37:00.003-05:00

This Target spot is all sorts of crazy. But the its the exact crazy that really does start off the usual commercialized holiday season. Which, by the way, is earlier every year. I mean, holiday displays in September??

Friday the 13th.

2009-12-01T21:34:00.000-05:00

FRIDAY THE 13th: A NIGHT WITH THE COOL KIDS and MOS DEF from Creative Control on Vimeo.

Xmas 2009 ads.

2009-11-29T21:41:00.003-05:00

One of the better campaigns for this holiday season include the latest from Gap. Their print and television campaigns are definitely catchy and remind us of the in-house campaigns they put out a few years back. Anyone remember the khaki campaign?

Over the next few days I'll be putting out the newest holiday ads that have been catching my eye.

Thanksgiving.

2009-11-26T12:04:00.000-05:00

Suds.

2009-11-23T16:05:00.001-05:00

Things Consumers Don't Like

2009-11-23T14:04:00.001-05:00

Things Consumers Don't Like

Happy Monday.

2009-11-23T13:56:00.000-05:00

Boundless NYC from Kellen Dengler on Vimeo.

Pic of the day.

2009-11-21T21:51:00.001-05:00

commander-in-chief.

Coolest media gift 2009.

2009-11-21T20:47:00.003-05:00

this is the most clever gift i've seen for media buyers all year..

Mad Men Action Figure (yea we'll call it an action figure...shut it.)

pretty dope marketing product for a t.v. show, especially when it's a super rare premium only given to media buyers, which elevates this even further in my opinion. i even like the packaging quote, "collect all four mistresses!"

Well hello.

2009-11-21T11:59:00.004-05:00

finally found the time (and patience) to update this space. it's like changing into my workout shoes.

inspired by my cousin Adrian's hustle (tigerxtiger.com), i'm gonna try to blog as much as i did back in the xanga days.

Lolo.

2009-07-16T13:58:00.001-04:00

Hopefully, I'm this fly in 50 years.

Dear Life...

2009-07-11T00:32:00.003-04:00

It's time to re-start.

I miss the PUSO fam. I didn't even need haterade back then... What happened to me?

The King.

2009-07-01T22:04:00.002-04:00

So it took Michael Jackson's passing to make me come back and write out my inane train of thought.

I never thought a celebrity death would affect me so much and for so long. Often when you hear of a passing of a celebrity, you think about the tragic circumstances surrounding such a passing and you move on. But with Michael, I just keep thinking about his career and contribution to my childhood.

I didn't watch Michael grow up. He just existed when I was a kid. He was already a star whose records we'd play at family parties. Thriller came out the year I was born and well, that was it. Michael was just part of life as a kid in Queens. I really didn't become aware of exactly who he was and what he did until the Dangerous album.

Black or White and Remember The Time were television events. The newest MJ video was just something you needed to watch and talk about at school the next day. So it's no surprise that he was such a lasting influence on every pop/R&B act of my generation. When someone breaks into the business, you aim to have the career that Michael had. You aim to create the types of videos he had. You aim to have the endorsements and influence he had. You aim

When you think about it...he really influenced how we viewed music, race, culture and art.

When he met Quincy Jones, his music crossed genres and racial barriers. When he created the video for Thriller, he broke the barrier at MTV and changed the video artform. It just goes on and on.

MTV hadn't played any videos from black artists until Michael...from there he became an icon.

Thriller's singles are still the soundtrack to almost every party I go to.

Every dancer has tried his moves by watching his videos repeatedly.

He influenced every pop act of my generation and if it wasn't for him, none of them would have the types of careers they have. His career was the kind of career they aim to have. MJ is the bar.

Gone too soon.

Pretty wings.

2009-05-03T21:43:00.001-04:00

Dear Readers...

2009-04-09T13:14:00.003-04:00

Holy moly.

Blogger's block + laziness + lack of news = almost 4 months of inactivity.

Let's jump start this thing back up, shall we?

Obama plug.

2008-12-18T13:03:00.000-05:00

COMMENTS ARE WELCOME!

http://bemybiffle.blogspot.com/

Thanks.

HISTORY! YES WE...DID!

2008-11-04T23:09:00.004-05:00

Vote for whoever you like.

2008-11-03T14:36:00.002-05:00

I followed this whole election more closely than I ever had before...but kept my thoughts and opinions to myself. Within my own family is a huge debate on who is the better man for president...to the point of attacking the character of the person with the opinon! HA! I am a pariah! Just kidding...

No doubt, it doesn't matter who you vote for...it's important to just get out and vote.

No election in our lifetime will hit us quite so close to home as this one...

Click here for more videos from Vote For Change

K-Pop breaks the Western market?

2008-10-25T12:48:00.002-04:00

I'm not a fan of K-Pop, I don't even follow it closely...but damn this video is the business. The choreo is pretty dope. The song...well...it's danceable but pretty standard pop.

But the dancing. THE DANCING!

Hi.

2008-10-21T12:22:00.002-04:00

Call it a spark of inspiration. Or call it a random post because I'm sitting at work with nothing (important) to do.

After moving back to Queens last weekend, lots of things can come up and just make you kick back and go "hmm...that's interesting". Especially riding on the subway.

I figured I'd take this blog back in the direction I always wanted it to go. More personal...a little humorous...informational in my biased way...maybe even the occasional trendy anti-trendy post.

Welcome back.

LA was dope.

2008-09-24T22:33:00.003-04:00

Still wishin' I was layin' it out on the beach. Check out my, Lo's and everyone else's FB LA albums.

If I ever got married...this would be the wedding song...

2008-09-07T19:36:00.001-04:00

2008-09-04T12:47:00.000-04:00

Attacks, praise stretch truth at GOP convention

By JIM KUHNHENN, Associated Press Writer Wed Sep 3, 11:48 PM ET
ST. PAUL, Minn. - Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her Republican supporters held back little Wednesday as they issued dismissive attacks on Barack Obama and flattering praise on her credentials to be vice president. In some cases, the reproach and the praise stretched the truth.
Some examples:

PALIN: "I have protected the taxpayers by vetoing wasteful spending ... and championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. I told the Congress 'thanks but no thanks' for that Bridge to Nowhere."
THE FACTS: As mayor of Wasilla, Palin hired a lobbyist and traveled to Washington annually to support earmarks for the town totaling $27 million. In her two years as governor, Alaska has requested nearly $750 million in special federal spending, by far the largest per-capita request in the nation. While Palin notes she rejected plans to build a $398 million bridge from Ketchikan to an island with 50 residents and an airport, that opposition came only after the plan was ridiculed nationally as a "bridge to nowhere."

PALIN: "There is much to like and admire about our opponent. But listening to him speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform — not even in the state senate."
THE FACTS: Compared to McCain and his two decades in the Senate, Obama does have a more meager record. But he has worked with Republicans to pass legislation that expanded efforts to intercept illegal shipments of weapons of mass destruction and to help destroy conventional weapons stockpiles. The legislation became law last year. To demean that accomplishment would be to also demean the work of Republican Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, a respected foreign policy voice in the Senate. In Illinois, he was the leader on two big, contentious measures in Illinois: studying racial profiling by police and requiring recordings of interrogations in potential death penalty cases. He also successfully co-sponsored major ethics reform legislation.

PALIN: "The Democratic nominee for president supports plans to raise income taxes, raise payroll taxes, raise investment income taxes, raise the death tax, raise business taxes, and increase the tax burden on the American people by hundreds of billions of dollars."
THE FACTS: The Tax Policy Center, a think tank run jointly by the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute, concluded that Obama's plan would increase after-tax income for middle-income taxpayers by about 5 percent by 2012, or nearly $2,200 annually. McCain's plan, which cuts taxes across all income levels, would raise after tax-income for middle-income taxpayers by 3 percent, the center concluded.
Obama would provide $80 billion in tax breaks, mainly for poor workers and the elderly, including tripling the Earned Income Tax Credit for minimum-wage workers and higher credits for larger families.
He also would raise income taxes, capital gains and dividend taxes on the wealthiest. He would raise payroll taxes on taxpayers with incomes above $250,000, and he would raise corporate taxes. Small businesses that make more than $250,000 a year would see taxes rise.

MCCAIN: "She's been governor of our largest state, in charge of 20 percent of America's energy supply ... She's responsible for 20 percent of the nation's energy supply. I'm entertained by the comparison and I hope we can keep making that comparison that running a political campaign is somehow comparable to being the executive of the largest state in America," he said in an interview with ABC News' Charles Gibson.
THE FACTS: McCain's phrasing exaggerates both claims. Palin is governor of a state that ranks second nationally in crude oil production, but she's no more "responsible" for that resource than President Bush was when he was governor of Texas, another oil-producing state. In fact, her primary power is the ability to tax oil, which she did in concert with the Alaska Legislature. And where Alaska is the largest state in America, McCain could as easily have called it the 47th largest state — by population.

MCCAIN: "She's the commander of the Alaska National Guard. ... She has been in charge, and she has had national security as one of her primary responsibilities," he said on ABC.
THE FACTS: While governors are in charge of their state guard units, that authority ends whenever those units are called to actual military service. When guard units are deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, for example, they assume those duties under "federal status," which means they report to the Defense Department, not their governors. Alaska's national guard units have a total of about 4,200 personnel, among the smallest of state guard organizations.

FORMER ARKANSAS GOV. MIKE HUCKABEE: Palin "got more votes running for mayor of Wasilla, Alaska than Joe Biden got running for president of the United States."
THE FACTS: A whopper. Palin got 616 votes in the 1996 mayor's election, and got 909 in her 1999 re-election race, for a total of 1,525. Biden dropped out of the race after the Iowa caucuses, but he still got 76,165 votes in 23 states and the District of Columbia where he was on the ballot during the 2008 presidential primaries.

FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOV. MITT ROMNEY: "We need change, all right — change from a liberal Washington to a conservative Washington! We have a prescription for every American who wants change in Washington — throw out the big-government liberals, and elect John McCain and Sarah Palin."
THE FACTS: A Back-to-the-Future moment. George W. Bush, a conservative Republican, has been president for nearly eight years. And until last year, Republicans controlled Congress. Only since January 2007 have Democrats have been in charge of the House and Senate.
___
Associated Press Writer Jim Drinkard in Washington contributed to this report.

What was that?

2008-09-03T22:19:00.002-04:00

The Republican party has lost it. Get Giuliani off that stage. Did he just call all Muslims terrorists?

Obama '08 baby.

2008-08-27T17:14:00.001-04:00

Shine For Our People

Fundraiser for the victims of Typhoon Frank in the Philippines

Date: Friday, September 12, 2008

Venue: BLVD Address: 199 Bowery (between Spring St. and Rivington)

After-Party with music by DJ Get Live (www.myspace.com/djgetlive)
Doors 8pmShow 8:30pm21 and over

Make a difference and show your love and support for the Philippines as we gather together for a night of music, poetry, comedy, dancing, and partying to benefit the Typhoon Frank relief effort!
Typhoon Frank is considered one of the worst typhoons of the year, displacing over one million people and causing 4 billion pesos worth of damages to infrastructure and agriculture. A total of 557 individuals perished, and according to the latest reports, 101 still remain unidentified.
It has been over two months since the typhoon hit. Predictably, public attention has been diverted to other national issues. Away from the limelight, families still continue to suffer from lack of adequate homes, food and medical attention. We appeal to you to constantly remember our fellow kababayans still suffering from this tragedy.

One year older.

2008-08-20T11:55:00.002-04:00

Not sure about being one year wiser though. I'm really trying to be a better person and make up for all the past mistakes, misteps and bad decisions. Eh, we'll see.

Meanwhile, just taking the time out to enjoy.

RSVP reminder.

2008-08-01T12:43:00.003-04:00

Just a little reminder to RSVP for my Bay area readers (all 4 of you.)

Mr. Pausch still inspires.

2008-07-30T23:06:00.003-04:00

I am a week late with this but...

Randy Pausch, a man I never met...has inspired me with his example to continue to make the most out of everyday and to strive for even the most fantastic of human dreams even in the face of the most debilitating circumstances.

He passed last week but thanks to the millions of lives he affected, his message will keep going strong.

Choose to be Tigger.

From the folks at iDR.

2008-07-22T16:57:00.006-04:00

itsdesig nrelated.com
request the honor of your presence at
art unlimited
an evening of art, design, music,
photography and fashion
on saturday, the second
of august, two thousand and eight
at eight o'clock in the evening.
at
the fatlace store in japantown
1630 post street
san francisco
rsvp is required at itsdesignrelated@gmail.com
artists include:
Steve Ha, Phil Mamuyac, Marcus Ubungen, and Samuel Rodriguez
*
celebrating courtney's 27th birthday
after party to follow
itsdesignrelated.com

It's Pops, It's Art

2008-07-15T13:23:00.003-04:00

This is sick. And it really needs to come to New York.

My drive thru.

2008-07-12T11:24:00.000-04:00

BK Hip-Hop Festival.

2008-07-02T10:50:00.002-04:00

It's almost here...

Disappointment leads to resentment.

2008-06-25T22:44:00.003-04:00

I'm disappointed.

With everything I have going on right now. I can't help but feel disappointed with work, with my friends and family and with myself. I'm tired of doing the day to day and that rat race has finally caught up.

I tend to give a lot of myself and while I don't expect the same in return, it's nice to know that sometimes it does come back to me 100%. That hasn't been happening lately and because of it, my feelings of resentment are growing. It's painful for me to even think like that. I'm not that person who keeps track. But I'm spreading myself thin and I can't bring myself to let it out to those I usually trust.

Maybe I just need a good night's sleep.

Test shoot.

2008-05-30T15:47:00.002-04:00

Huge props to my boy who just made me look real good in a test photoshoot we did over Memorial Day weekend. He bought some new light gear and I was free to be the test subject. Check out more of his awesome work here: www.vincinati.com.

New York minute.

2008-05-18T22:35:00.004-04:00

One thing I will miss when I eventually leave New York will be the randomness that comes along with living in the city.

My latest trip to the Chop Shop included a run-in with a full production crew taping Talib Kweli's latest video. Maybe I'll show up in the video or be edited out but it's just another day in the city.

Night time is the right time.

2008-04-26T21:03:00.002-04:00

THIS still stands out as a defining moment in my childhood. I desperately wanted to be a Huxtable after this.

Lion fight.

2008-04-24T21:58:00.002-04:00

I finally found a lone copy of Randy Pausch's The Last Lecture. If you know about his story, you will find that he thinks of himself of a lion. A proud, strutting, boisterous lion.

On tonight's ep of Gray's, the residents all competed against eachother for surgical points in a hospital lion fight. The competition cutthroat and brutal.

This week at the office was a struggle. A struggle to keep up a high level of quality, a struggle to keep deadlines and a struggle to stay committed. But you know what? I'm not licking my wounds. At least I'm surviving the battle. It'll eventually get easier.

The day someone stops giving me shit is the day they stop caring.

Oh and I'm a Leo too. How about that?

Free stuff from Allure?

2008-04-23T21:17:00.008-04:00

Hi Pudge,

Here's your little care package courtesy of lovely Allure! As promised, the Adriana Lima issue of GQ and your facial cream. I decided against the Snickers, don't want you blaming the extra 2 ounces of fat on me. *Besides, the beer we'd be having will go way over your quota! LOL =P

-Lo =)

I love free stuff.

Thanks from iDR.

2008-04-23T21:12:00.003-04:00

JD!
Thanks! For this opportunity. It's a pleasure to work w/ GILAS. I'm glad we got it all stared out. You've helped me start my "Angelina Jolie" crusade. Myself and iDR is around to help w/ anything.
Best - Courtney

Anytime Courts! Let's keep it strong.

2008-04-18T10:09:00.002-04:00

One of my favorites from back in my internship days...go and support the good folks over at FatBeats!

Brooklyn Hip-Hop Fest 2008.

2008-04-15T21:54:00.000-04:00

Brooklyn, NY- Brooklyn Bodega, the producers of the 2008 Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival, announced today that tickets for this year's festivities will be available Monday May 5th. This year's Festival includes a mixture of free, paid, indoor as well as outdoor events. As always Brooklyn Bodega has fought to keep the costs of all BHF events as close to free as possible. However, organizers are asking for a minimum donation of $10 to help support Brooklyn Bodega and the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival.

Attendees interested in attending multiple events will have the opportunity to purchase various packages that include entrance to ticketed events as well as premiums at free events. All information is available on the newly revamped www.brooklynbodega.com

Festival Finance and Production Director Ebonie Jackson, "We currently have 10 dates on our calendar and the most expensive donation package is $100. The smallest is $10. Our goal is simple. If you can afford to support us we welcome that love with open arms. If you cannot we still want you to attend as much of the Festival as you can. Financial barriers in cultural programming should be as low as possible. However we have to be pragmatic. This is an extremely expensive venture and without the financial support of the people this will simply not work." Even the highest ticket package the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival is still one of the best deals in summer programming. Similar events such as The Roots Picnic, Paid Dues or Rock The Bells have prices ranging from $50 to $125.

"We are giving you four free film screenings, two all ages outdoor shows in the most beautiful parks in Brooklyn, after parties, free food, free drink, free music, free gear. No matter how you look at it, it is a great deal," added Festival Executive Director Wes Jackson. "I love to see all these great artists playing New York but let's be honest not everyone can afford the prices. Especially brothers and sisters struggling to make ends meet or young families. We think you should be able to see "A" level Hip-Hop talent without breaking your bank."

BHF 2008 ticket donation packages:

SUPPORTER
$10 - premium ticket at Festival Main Date - Empire Fulton Ferry State Park, July 12th
$30 Family packages (4 premium tickets) for July 12th
$70 for a Group packages (10 premium tickets) for July 12th
-Premium tickets will be mailed directly to you and patrons will be given goodie bags while supplies last
-Group and family packages also include a free food and drink

FRIEND $20
One (1) premium ticket for Main Date July 12th
Complimentary food and drink on July 12th
Premium seating at Film Series
Complimentary food and beverage at Film Series
Goodie bag on June 28th and July 12th

BELIEVER $40
Two (2) premium tickets for Main Date July 12th
Complimentary food and drink on July 12th
Premium seating at Film Series
Complimentary food and beverage at Film Series
Goodie bag on June 28th and July 12th
Reduced admission at the July 10th after party at the Masonic Lodge, Brooklyn, NY
Complimentary Brooklyn Beer at the Masonic Lodge, July 10th and Main Day July 12th

CONFIDANTE $60
Two (2) premium tickets for Main Date July 12th
Complimentary food and drink on July 12th
Premium seating at Film Series
Complimentary food and beverage at Film Series
Goodie bag on June 28th and July 12th
Reduced Admission at July 10th after party at the Masonic Lodge, Brooklyn, NY
Complimentary Brooklyn Beer at the Masonic Lodge, July 10th and Main Day July 12th
Reduced admission at July 12th after party

VIP $100
Four (4) premium tickets for Main Date July 12th
Complimentary food and drink on July 12th
Premium seating at Film Series
Complimentary food and beverage at Film Series
Goodie bags on June 28th and July 12th
Reduced admission at July 10th after party at the Masonic Lodge, Brooklyn, NY
Complimentary Brooklyn Beer at the Masonic Lodge, July 10th and Main Day July 12th
Reduced admission at July 12th after party
VIP admittance all events
Business or personal listing in Festival program and on BrooklynBodega.com
And our eternal gratitude

Our main date, July 12th is open to the public but tickets are absolutely necessary. To register www.brooklynbodega.com click Join The Bodega and the process will begin.

Non-Premium tickets are NOT necessary for the Film Series and the Prospect Park dates
The after parties on July 10th and July 12th are ticketed. Tickets will be available via Brooklyn Bodega and the venues' box office.
Tickets will be released Monday May 5th but donations are more than welcome www.brooklynbodega.com/scr

Festival dates:
Saturday, June 28th - Lyricist Lounge, Brooklyn Bodega and Celebrate Brooklyn at Prospect Park - Live performances
Thursday July 10th - Final Film Screening
Thursday July 10th - After Party at The Masonic Lodge. Performers TBA
Friday, July 11th, Pre-Festival Party
Saturday, July 12th, -Main Performance Day at Empire Fulton Ferry State Park
Saturday July 12th, - Official After Party. Talent TBA
Film Series - June 13th, 20th, 27th and July 10th

Brooklyn Bodega
info@brooklynbodega.com

Esquire.

2008-04-13T15:38:00.002-04:00

As if my ego couldn't get any bigger...

Check me out on iDR.

Check out the Facebook group.

And now...vote for me.

FiRE press release.

2008-04-10T17:18:00.003-04:00

Extending some GILAS support for FiRE...

For Immediate Release

Reference: Valerie Francisco, Secretary General, Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment, 925-726-5768, fire.nyc@gmail.com

New York Filipinas Act Through Art

Women's Organization Calls Attention to Human Rights Violations in the Philippines

On April 19th, 2008, Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment (FiRE) will celebrate the first year by honoring Filipino American and Filipino women's talents and art. The anniversary of women's organization's first year in service to the Filipino community in New York is reflected by the cultural night's women-centered and women-powered night.

FiRE's first annual cultural show Diwang Pinay (literally translated as"Spirit of the Filipina"), focuses on the rich and growing Pinay art community in New York city. The show will feature Filipino women singers, bands, poets, dancers and visual artists. Pinays from all over the United States are also coming to celebrate the night in hopes to build a national network of Filipino women interested in art and activism.

Through a night filled with art and performance Filipinas will call attention to the gross human rights violations situation in the Philippines. In the past year, this issue has garnered international attention and Diwang Pinay aims to contribute to raising awareness in our community through Filipino women's art.

"No human rights case in the Philippines has yet to be solved. The disappearances, killings and harassment of community leaders and members have consequences for Filipino women," states Valerie Francisco, secretary general of FiRE, "As women work hard to combat the ill effects of landlessness and lack of jobs their partners, children, cousins, loved ones and sometimes even themselves experience the wrath of state violence."

The one-of-a-kind Filipino women's event hosts a special guest speaker, Emmi De Jesus, the secretary general of GABRIELA, a national alliance of women's organization in the Philippines. De Jesus will highlight the impacts of the human rights violations on Filipino women there.

Diwang Pinay promises to fill the historic Judson Memorial Church in New York City with the cutting edge artistry of young Filipino American women who, even thousands of miles away from their motherland, insist on connecting their lives here in the US to the lives of women in the Philippines.

"The first step to solving a problem is being aware that it is there in the first place," stated Jackie Mariano, an active member of FiRE. "I hope that Diwang Pinay serves as a wake-up call to all art-lovers out there. Art imitates life. While our art will depict our struggle, it will also depict our international solidarity."

As a member of GABRIELA-USA, FiRE is mounting a momentous event in initiating action around the human rights violations in the Philippines through showcasing Filipino women's art. Diwang Pinay will serve as a testament to the struggles and triumphs of Filipino women all over the world.

There will be a community reception on Friday, April 18 at 7:30pm at the Bayanihan Community Center, 40-21 69th Street in Woodside, Queens with Emmi De Jesus and the Filipino community in New York.

Diwang Pinay will be on April 19, 2008 from 6pm to 9pm at Judson Memorial Church, 55 Washington Square South in Manhattan, New York. General admission is $10 and a discounted rate of $5 for young people.

http://www.firenyc.orgFilipinas for Rights and Empowerment (FiRE) is a mass-based women's organization serving New York City and its surrounding areas. We connect the Filipino diaspora to the women's struggle in the Philippines. By bringing woman-born and woman-identified people together, we challenge pervading stereotypes and create self-defined Filipina identities. For more information, please visit http://www.firenyc.org . FiRE is a proud member of BAYAN-USA, an alliance of progressive Filipino groups in the U.S. representing organizations of students, scholars, women, workers, and youth. To learn more about the only overseas chapter of BAYAN, and the other organizations in our alliance, please visit http://bayanusa.org/

Tigger vs. Eeyore?

2008-04-09T23:20:00.001-04:00

Randy Pausch. Such a remarkable man.

If you caught the Primetime Live special tonight...you will know what I am talking about.

"The best part of the story will be told on my last day."

Choose to be Tigger...all day, everyday.

The big give.

2008-04-08T23:57:00.003-04:00

If you are and avid ABC viewer, you will no doubt come across rampant promos for their philanthropic meets reality tv show, The Big Give. The show, produced by Oprah Winfrey, follows a group of people each giving away huge amounts of cash to deserving folks who could use the extra cash to fulfill a dream, to ease a payment or to get through some tough times.

It's an ambitious experiment. But it works. At this point, the "givers" are not working towards a prize. They do know, however, is that they will be judged for their performance on tasks during the duration of the "tour". At the end of each task, they will be given an envelope that may contain a plane ticket for the next leg of their tour. This will go on until there is one final "giver" and at the end, Oprah will award the winner with some of her own cold hard cash.

No doubt, this show turns out the waterworks. It's pretty inspirational to see these huge gifts being given...but it somehow takes away from the small things that can be inspirational as well. We all can't have cameras follow us around as we do things for other folks selflessly. That's just not going to happen.

But if it helps out philanthropic orgs and causes...then all the better.

Catch The Big Give on ABC.

Planet B-boy.

2008-04-06T16:11:00.000-04:00

Peep it.

GILAS update.

2008-04-02T00:20:00.004-04:00

Thank you to the Filipino organizations at NYU and Seton Hall for their support of GILAS. Both schools have been making our job much easier and we will be illustrating that in future posts. There is no doubt in my mind that this project will be stronger than ever in the coming months.

Also, thanks must go out to Courtney at iDR for featuring us in a future segment of her endeavor. For a preview, check out www.itsdesignrelated.com.

The New York group will also hold a networking fundraiser which is scheduled for April 10th.

You want tough?

2008-03-27T00:17:00.000-04:00

GILAS at FIND.

2008-03-20T01:47:00.002-04:00

Over this past weekend, I had the fortunate opportunity to combine new with the old. Jesse had requested that our current project for GILAS be represented at FIND weekend, our old stomping grounds.

As a delegate, you come in expecting different things than what you expect coming in as a vendor or outside organization representative. This past weekend made it very clear that FIND has been working since its' inception in 1992 and that you take what you can away from the weekend.

We've garnered a lot of PR and attention thanks to our efforts for GILAS, as well as make key contacts with kindred souls in the movement of Filipino-American culture and issues into the mainstream. (Shouts to FiRE, Ethnikroots.com and Manila Gorilla, among others.)

Watch out, there is an army out there ready to raise awareness, instigate change and school the ignorant.

THE EVENT.

Politics.

2008-03-13T13:11:00.002-04:00

Politics dominate the headlines. In the past few months I've witnessed a new dawn and a newfound faith in American politics. The primaries have been the most exciting so far in my lifetime and it's really exciting to know that history does not stand to repeat itself in upcoming years.

The Republicans have chosen their candidate. A man who can take it all the way to the White House and uphold certain Republican principles mandated by the previous president. John McCain has a great shot because he's "a liberal Republican" and doesn't represent the radical right wing conservatives in DC.

Then you have the Democrats who are still battling over super-delegates and important states. Clinton and Obama can comprise a "dream" ticket but neither is willing to concede defeat just yet and declare themselves number 2 to eachother. It's an exciting time, just as it was in the '92 election. That era was amazing. The golden age of hip-hop; the Rock The Vote movement; emergence of the young media saavy generation.

Now when every twist and turn just gets me all excited about politics... What happens? A sex scandal involving the governor of New York. Everything that turns people off about politics is included in this scandal. Man. As much as I'd like to be an optimist, I have to take everything I hear with a grain of salt.

Angry.

2008-03-12T23:22:00.002-04:00

Money is a motivator. So is anger.

I've been experiencing more anger. Call it stress or just pent up aggression, I'm pretty much pissed off at the drop of a hat. Keeping up with the rat race is hard, especially when I haven't had much chance to spend on myself as I'd like. Sure the gym is solitary time, but it's difficult when I got people waiting for the machine or the equipment after my sweaty self.

I'm beginning to think about what I really want. I might even need it more than I want it.

Now THIS is an endorsement.

2008-03-08T22:48:00.002-05:00

From Rolling Stone's latest issue:

A New Hope by Jann S. Wenner

The tides of history are rising higher and faster these days. Read them right and ride them, or be crushed. And then along comes Barack Obama, with the kinds of gifts that appear in politics but once every few generations. There is a sense of dignity, even majesty, about him, and underneath that ease lies a resolute discipline. It's not just that he is eloquent — with that ability to speak both to you and to speak for you — it's that he has a quality of thinking and intellectual and emotional honesty that is extraordinary.
I first learned of Barack Obama from a man who was at the highest level of George W. Bush's political organization through two presidential campaigns. He described the first-term senator from Illinois as "a walking hope machine" and told me that he would not work for any Republican candidate in 2008 if Obama was nominated. He challenged me to read Obama's autobiography, Dreams From My Father.

The book was a revelation. Here was a man whose honesty about himself and understanding of the human condition are both deep and compassionate. Born to a white mother and an African father, he was raised in multiracial Hawaii and for several years in Indonesia. He drifted through some druggy teenage years — no apologies! — before emerging as a star at Harvard Law School. He chose to work as a community organizer in the projects of Chicago rather than join the wealthy insider world of corporate law. And as a young adult, he searched, in the distant villages of Kenya, for the father and family he never knew.

As I read all this, so elegantly written, my mind kept rolling over: Might it be possible? Is there some fate by which we could have this man as president of the United States?

Throughout the primaries, and during a visit he paid to our offices, we have come to know Barack Obama, his toughness and his grace. He would not be intimidated, and he declined to back down, when Senator Clinton called him "frankly, naive" for his willingness to meet leaders of hostile nations. When one of her top campaign officials tried to smear him for his earlier drug use, he did not equivocate or backtrack. On the matter of experience and capability, he has run an impressive, nearly flawless campaign — one that whupped America's most hard-boiled political infighters. Indeed, Obama was far more prepared to run a presidential campaign — from Day One — than Senator Clinton. And at no point did he go negative with personal attacks or character assassination; as much as they might have been justified, they didn't even seem tempting to him.

Obama has emerged by displaying precisely the kind of character and judgment we need in a president: renouncing the politics of fear, speaking frankly on the most pressing issues facing the country and sticking to his principles. He recognizes that running for president is an opportunity to inspire an entire nation.
All this was made clearer by the contrast with Hillary Clinton, a capable and personable senator who has run the kind of campaign that reminds us of what makes us so discouraged about our politics. Her campaign certainly proved her experience didn't count for much: She was a bad manager and a bad strategist who naturally and easily engaged in the politics of distraction, trivialization and personal attack. She never convinced us that her vote for the war in Iraq was anything other than a strategic political calculation that placed her presidential ambitions above the horrifying consequences of a war. Her calibrated course corrections over the past three years were painful. Like John Kerry — who also voted for the war while planning a presidential run — it helped cost her that goal.
Although Obama declined to attack her personally for her vote for the war in Iraq, he did call it, devastatingly enough, a clear demonstration of her so-called experience and "judgment." He has also spoken forcefully about the need to break the grip of lobbyists — at a time when Clinton is the largest recipient of drug-company donations of anyone in Congress. Clinton could not address this issue at all, and neither will John McCain, who is equally a player in Washington's lobbyist culture.

Obama also denounced the Republican campaign of fear. Early in the campaign, John Edwards took the lead, calling the War on Terror a campaign slogan, not a policy. Obama rejected the subtle imagery of false patriotism by not wearing a flag pin in his lapel, and he dismissed the broader notion that the Democratic Party had to find a way to buy into this entire load of fear-mongering War on Terror bullshit — to out-Republican the Republicans — and thus become, in his description of Hillary Clinton's macho posturing on foreign policy, little more than "Bush-Cheney lite."

The similarities between John Kennedy and Barack Obama come to mind easily: the youth, the magnetism, the natural grace, the eloquence, the wit, the intelligence, the hope of a new generation.

But it might be more to the point to view Obama as Lincolnesque in his own origins, his sobriety and what history now demands.

We have a deeply divided nation, driven apart by economic policies that have deliberately created the largest income disparities in our history, with stunning tax breaks for the wealthiest and subsidies for giant industries. The income of the average citizen is stagnant, and his quality of life continues to slowly erode from inflation.

We are embittered and hobbled by the unnecessary and failed war in Iraq. We have been worn down by long years of fear- and hate-filled political strategies, assaults on constitutional freedoms, and levels of greed and cynicism, that — once seen for what they are — no people of moral values or ethics can tolerate.

A new president must heal these divides, must at long last face the hypocrisy and inequity of unprecedented government handouts to oil giants, hedge-fund barons, agriculture combines and drug companies. At the same time, the new president must transform our lethal energy economy — replacing oil and coal and the ethanol fraud with green alternatives and strict rain-forest preservation and tough international standards — before the planet becomes inhospitable for most human life. Although Obama has been slow to address global warming, I feel confident that his intelligence and morality will lead him clearly on this issue.

We need to recover the spiritual and moral direction that should describe our country and ourselves. We see this in Obama, and we see the promise he represents to bring factions together, to achieve again the unity that drives great change and faces difficult, and inconvenient, truths and peril.

We need to send a message to ourselves and to the world that we truly do stand for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And in electing an African-American, we also profoundly renounce an ugliness and violence in our national character that have been further stoked by our president in these last eight years.

Like Abraham Lincoln, Barack Obama challenges America to rise up, to do what so many of us long to do: to summon "the better angels of our nature."

Today was a great day.

2008-03-07T00:53:00.003-05:00

I couldn't go to sleep without posting on my recently neglected blog.

As of today, I am now legally able to operate motorcycles in the state of New York.
My foray into account management is proving to be a success.
I, along with my WM Vince, were able to scope out Mariska Hargitay taping an episode of Law & Order SVU.
Today's happy hour with Vince and Jeff just got me more excited about riding the bikes, but more so about riding the bikes up to Canada for this year's road trip. Toronto International Film Fest, here we come. For real this time!

Jabawockees.

2008-03-02T22:31:00.003-05:00

Jabbawockees! These guys are sick!

They've been around for quite some time and I'm happy they are getting the widespread props they deserve.

Brought me back...

2008-03-02T18:02:00.001-05:00

The Pink Tape v.1 | Mixtapes > HipHopDX.com

Way back to middle school. Man, those were some good times baaack in the day!

Iconic.

2008-03-01T16:06:00.002-05:00

When we go take classes at Broadway Dance Center, our usual instructor of choice is Geo because his style is street jazz meets video meets street. It's smooth choreography that takes a lot of technique. Plus his classes always fit into our after work schedules. So to our surprise, we see him and his crew killin' it on MTV.

Man, those classes are going to be packed for the next few months...

The boys on Facebook.

2008-02-29T23:15:00.003-05:00

Marty: Montreal 06....SO FUN, will never forget

Me: LOL, im the loser with the layers. AND A BACKPACK NO LESS!

Marty: at least you aren't pointing backwards with both fingers. and what is Vince doing..the wave?? and it looks like LJ is laughing at your backpack.

Vince: yea who wears layers in a hot summer day with a large backpack and sweatin' bullets ...LOL
kenny with the fingers and his side man bag...and thats bout it!

JD: Kenny and his manbag + two finger point = douchebag.
awesome times. canada part two: toronto film fest? make it happen.

Kenny: like you nigs should be talking,
what you holding there jd a bag of lollipops
nice rocky pose vince.

JD: 1. vince ain't on top of no steps.
2. jus call me the candyman. what i got in the bag is actually your mom's thong, too dirty to put in the backpack.

Kenny: HAHAHAHAHHAAHHAHAHAHHAHAAH

AA
sat, bitch slapping session

Can you feel the love?

New logo.

2008-02-29T22:47:00.003-05:00

After planning a long term project, it's satisfying to see the effects of all the efforts of those involved. I've got to give muchos props to Courts at itsdesignrelated.com for the new GILAS logo she created for the project. A peek at the new artwork...

Project 365.

2008-02-23T19:43:00.002-05:00

Some folks have asked what my new tag means. In the beginning of the year, it meant that I would challenge myself to find the determination to post every day of this year. Doomed from the start, really.

First, there are 366 days this year due to leap year. And my past few posts have been uninspired. I hate to admit it but it seems like a chore to post something with actual content. I think I'll have to restart this idea and really refocus on 365 posts that will inspire me when I read it during my old and gray days. You know, next year. Jokes.

Suprisingly, I'm finding inspiration in sitting down and watching the first three seasons of Entourage on DVD thanks to my sister, who gave it to me for Christmas. Friendship and the adventure through success. Through out all the bullshit, all you have are the people you grew up with. Nothing uninspiring about that.

With that said, I'll try to be a better blogger starting..... now.

The Put-put.

2008-02-22T23:13:00.003-05:00

My car has been with me since for the past 16 years. I only started driving her when I went away for school and she's been with me through thick and thin.

I affectionately call her my Put-put. Even my friends ask, "how's the Put doin'?

Speeding tickets, two break-ins, three towings, a breakdown in the middle of a busy intersection...she is still standing. Part of me wants to leave her under the bridge with the keys inside but she's been reliable through the years.

Kind of makes me feel bad when I choose to drive my sister's car instead of her. It's like I'm cheating...

Gigi.

2008-02-21T00:26:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite choreographers, Gigi Torres. Amazing.

Jack of all trades, master of none.

2008-02-20T23:54:00.004-05:00

Everyone builds up a part of themselves to overshadow other little things that may not be as sparkling as what's built up. And lately, I find myself guilty of that. In the spirit of being real with folks, I gotta admit...I'm pretty much lost.

Jack-of-all-trades and master of none. My interests and my attention span is all over the place and I wonder if I'm really the disaster I currently think I am. I am incredibly difficult on myself and I sometimes disregard small successes and brush them off as one time occurances. I'm kind of stuck in a rut.

As much as I hate to admit it, I feel left behind. And it's true. I have been left behind and now I'm stagnant. I lie to myself...even on this blog. I haven't really advertised this one since I've started it, only because I don't write for others, I write for myself. I feel slight comfort in knowing that I'm able to post some deep thoughts with an air of anonymity. That this is only one side of the story that I rarely let others see. I can say dumb, opinionated things and not have to defend them further than what I type at that moment.

I feel like starting over, and I even thought about the "what ifs". The feeling even seeped out in an e-mail to a friend where I expressed how awesome I think it would be to just leave New York without any warning and not come back. The reply back was, "if you ever leave without telling me, I will hunt you down and rip your face off."

She cares.

The snob effect.

2008-02-20T22:38:00.003-05:00

Came across this...

A new study has some humorous comments at Mac owners' expense, but reveals some serious market trends

Mac users and Mac-loving analysts often use phrases like “the halo-effect” to explain increased sales of Mac computers and OS X due to iPods and iPhones. Now, the stock market site The Street has created a humorous video analysis that offers up a new explanation for this and more commercial phenomena -- the "snob"-effect.

In the video, The Street says that on average Mac users surveyed were discovered to be “self centered, arrogant, conceited” and truly "snobs". The site says this has many real commercial ramifications, so all jokes aside, the "snob"-factor warrants serious attention.

Mac users, apparently concerned with self-image, were found to buy tooth-whitening products at a far greater rate than PC users. Mac users are also more likely to visit Starbucks, buy organic food, and own hybrid cars. Furthermore, Mac users buy on average 5 new pairs of sneakers a year, well above the average for non-users.

Mac users prefer notebooks to desktops, station wagons to SUVs. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Mac users prefer "green" products, even at a higher cost. Perhaps more surprisingly, Mac users are quite law abiding and are more likely than not to pay for music -- perhaps more due to the popularity of iTunes than their moral inclinations. Mac users are more satisfied with their purchase than PC users.

Interestingly, people surveyed with an "open personality" were found to be 60% more likely to buy a Mac. Some of the more esoteric observations on Mac users character are flattering, others aren't. Mac users were found to be more liberal, socially and politically. Mac users are also less modest and more assured of their own superiority.

The interesting part about The Street's video, is that while obvious poking a bit of fun at the Mac crowd, it does illustrate some practical market trends that can be exploited for the benefit of more effective advertising and marketing to the growing crowd of Mac, iPod, and iPhone "snobs".

Hopefully there won't be too many hurt feelings, and await a possible comment from Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs.
DailyTech.com

...Yep. I knew it. I was a snob all along.

First week after a break-up.

2008-02-19T20:49:00.001-05:00

Ironhide.

2008-02-17T22:24:00.002-05:00

Kids got some cool toys these days. I bought my baby nephew some stuff for his birthday and I ended up keeping one for myself.

We're all connected...by Lats.

2008-02-16T23:30:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago I had dinner with my good friend Michele. Aside from the usual catching up, we went into how everyone was connected. In a group of Filipinos you are bound to find a long lost cousin. Take our example:

Michele and I became friends in college.
Michele's mother is a dentist and treated Lats back in the day. (WHO IN NEW YORK DOES NOT KNOW THIS GUY?!)
Michele now goes to NYU Dental School with Ashley.
Ashley is our friend Christine's cousin from California.
Ashley's boyfriend is Brian.
Brian went to high school in California with Danica.
Danica and I met randomly at Lats' birthday party in 2007.

That's just the tip of the iceberg. It's funny how folks seemingly unrelated to eachother are connected. Just thinking aloud.

Oh, Barry.

2008-02-15T23:21:00.003-05:00

Even with and extra day this year (leap year), it sure is flying by pretty damn fast. Next thing you know I'll be up in grad school and living in a new city! Crazy.

But before that we may have a new president. This man may lead us into the most important years to come....behold:

AWESOME.

WM in the car.

2008-02-15T00:15:00.002-05:00

This type love, 2008.

2008-02-14T22:30:00.001-05:00

Bringing back an old favorite of mine for 2008.

Letter to 18 year old JD.

2008-02-13T23:52:00.003-05:00

The youngn's I've contacted to become involved with GILAS are bringing the heat with ideas and excitement that they're making me wish I was there age again. Sure there are things I wish I did differently, much differently.

But duh, I know that the sum of my experiences yadda, yadda, yadda.

What would I say to my 18 year old self?

Hi Juan David.

Twenty-five year old JD here, just looking back on the days when the "real world" was all new to me...er, you. Us? Well, here's some words of advice for what you are thinking/will eventually think about...

As far as classes go, don't take that Chemistry 103 class along with the Biology 105 class at the same time. You will regret it. Put off your writing requirement until second semester of freshman year. Overloading on credits on your first semester in college looks great on paper...but come finals time....you will thank me. Make sure to visit the sociology department early on because it will be your eventual major after a lot of flip-flopping with the sciences. Although you will have the pre-reqs and the skills to take them to the next level, chemistry will not be the road you will take, though it never hurts to try. The folks will be less than thrilled but they'll come around and support you.

Foster your creativity man! You tried a bit in high school but college is a good time to shine in that aspect. Socially, you'll definitely grow from the shell you lived in during high school. Joining the swim team as a walk on sounds like a good idea now, but just a warning that you may hate swimming later on.

You'll eventually pledge and cross into a fraternity. Make sure you watch out for the brothers who are there for the parties and associate yourself with the brothers who are there for the actual brotherhood. A lot of flack will be put on you, but with the support of the brothers, you'll be able to deal with much more than you thought.

The whole name thing. Okay, Juan David gets shortened to JD during pledging because it seemed ridiculous to one brother to recite our full name during the pledging process. Especially the hell week episode. You'll find out...

Do not brush off PUSO as a cliquey group of Filipinos who live in their exclusive world like your experience in high school. You'll have your chance to change a lot of the ideas of membership and during your senior year, you will find your true passions because of the organization.

You'll meet a girl and dance around a relationship on and off for quite a long time. Seems like you will be together forever, as with all feelings of love. You'll fall in love but she will destroy you. Not purposely but things will no work out because of circumstance. Two years will pass before you speak to her again...but maybe love is sweeter the second time around. I'm still tryiing to figure that out.

Try not to wear the manpris so much freshman year. I know it's the style, but you will look at pictures from that time and really regret following that ugly trend. And don't dye your hair. Ever. Please. That's a mistake you'll regret for a week. Get the clippers ready.

After college you'll have a lot of fun enjoying a newfound freedom. But once you hit the ground running at your first job, you will ask yourself, "DA FUCK? I WENT TO COLLEGE FOR THIS?" Remember that feeling. The rage will help you get through the tough times.

By the time you turn 25, you hope to be wiser, but you realize that you're just going to be just as clueless as you are now at 18. Sorry.

Thanks.

Obama is so hip-hop.

2008-02-12T22:30:00.004-05:00

Never has a candidate polarized a party during my voting lifetime. A few months ago, there would have been no doubt there was going to be a new Clinton White House. Now with Obama gaining ground in the past few months, it has become evident that a change is gonna come.

Clinton-Obama. Obama-Clinton. Clinton is banking on experience and establishing policy goals going into the nomination. Obama's policy is outlined on his website but his campaign is built on inspiring speeches. It's a tough decision for the Democrats.

I'm coming from the generation who's very first important election in 2004 immediately made us politically indifferent and made us feel that our votes ultimately did not matter. Now that we have entered the workforce, we have a better understanding of policies and political processes. Still, we have not been let down enough to be realists. We are idealists. We want to see the best in our new leader and I believe Obama represents a new ideology. I mean, his critics judge him on his speeches. That his whole campaign is flash and celebrity. WHAT CANDIDATE HAS NOT USED THIS TACTIC I TELL YOU? The first Clinton campaign banked on that very same ideal.

It's an exciting time. With that said, I believe there will be a resurgence in activism just as there had been back in 1992...the height of the golden age of hip-hop.

Frank151 advocate.

2008-02-12T00:59:00.000-05:00

Video courtesy of thenewpop.com

Pimped out.

2008-02-11T22:55:00.000-05:00

This past weekend I had the pleasure of being invited to man the GILAS info table at the Womensphere Conference. And by man the table, they meant just that. I was straight up the only dude in the room.

Daunting as that may sound, I had a good time. It was a success and I was able to connect with several powerful women in CEO and other managerial positions. I was basically pimped out since they thought I would be able to attract a large audience for GILAS purposes. Yeah...that sounds about right.

It's been incredibly busy for me lately that I've let my diet and exercise routine fall to pieces. However, I'm determined to get back on the proverbial horse and get back in the game. I should stop making sorry ass excuses and just do it!

Filipino dance crew...but where are the Filipinos?

2008-02-08T23:17:00.000-05:00

This group has been around for years! But it's funny to see that the ones repping them on TV aren't exactly "kababayan". Still, props to them for repping the culture!

There is now a PUSO Day?

2008-02-08T00:14:00.000-05:00

After our GILAS presentation at last week's find meeting, I was able to re-connect with the current PUSO e-board at Stony Brook University. I now know that I am unable to identify any of the current membership, thus making me officially "old".

Several e-mails have been exchanged and I am now invited to speak to the current membership about GILAS at what is now called "PUSO Day" on February 22nd. Can you imagine that? Stony Brook now has a day devoted to PUSO. What a long way from the fledgling days of Tomas Trinidad in 1994. As far as invitees go, Steve and Ann are both invited to speak as well. They both served as president of PUSO in 2005 and 2006 respectively.

As I look back on my days in the club, I remember the great times and my amazing friends. I also remember the nightmare of dealing with the bureaucratic red tape to release our budget in time for PUSOFest and FIND weekends. It all came screaming back with that one invite to talk to the newest members of the family.

I have always looked at it that way ever since I was a freshman back in 2000. Although I did not feel fully part of the family until a period of time; once I did, it was dope. Many goals were set and there are too many accomplishments to mention, but I am so proud to be part of something that has grown to such proportions.

During my senior year, I could not have survived leading the organization if it were not for Christine, my VP and founder of the original PDC; Lovelyn, my secretary who finished my sentences before I even had the chance to think them up; and Brian, my treasurer who managed to pull off crazy things with our limited budget. These guys were my trusted e-board. Every task I could not complete myself, I delegated to them and they found ways to get it done. There was my cabinet of quad reps and special offices created just so more people could get involved. They made the club what it is today. Even the membership...they displayed solidarity and strength at every event and repped us and eachother to the fullest. For that I am so thankful.

Going back, I remember there was a PUSO Friendster, the PUSO Xanga, the MySpace...and now currently a Facebook group. Ahh to go back to those days! Well, I clicked around and I found my last message on my last day of finals at Stony Brook... Tear.

and so it ends...
props to everyone for making the 10th anniversary year of PUSO the best one ever!!

to the current e-board and cabinet: we did it. we set the base for the next 10 years so be proud of that. without you guys, these events, meetings, parties, and roadtrips wouldn't happen.

to next year's e-board and cabinet: be prepared for a long and interesting journey. i'm really excited for all of you and i'm glad that i'm leaving the club in excellent hands. i will definitely be watching!

to the members of PUSO: yeah, we became a family over the course of the year and i'm happy to say that i can call each and every one of you a friend. rolling to FIND 30+ deep was something that was really exciting to see. there is no doubt in my mind that you guys will be able keep up the participation, the creativity and friendships that i have seen this past year.

to the founder of PUSO, Tomas Trinidad: if it wasn't for you, none of this would be happening. you set the stage for the Filipino prescence here at stony brook. thank you for coming to the bbq and hanging out with us crazy youngns.

you have all seen me at my worst and at my best. throughout all my yelling and screaming, my drunkeness, etc...you've all stuck by me no matter what. it has been a great year and i'm sad to be leaving at this point. you all made me want to be a freshman again so i can enjoy what's coming to all of you in the future.

i've never been this passionate about an organization and i'm glad to find people just as passionate or even more so than i am. it's been a trip.

good luck guys, i love you all! this is your prez, signing off...

JD Generoso

PUSO President (#10) 2003-2004
PUSO Secretary 2002-2003
FIND D3 Co-secretary 2002-2003
PDC 2002, 2003, 2004
"live it. love it. be it."

I'm going back to Stony Brook. I wonder what that will be like...

Bum leg.

2008-02-07T23:04:00.001-05:00

I threw out the cigarettes. To have them on my person when I felt stressed was just too much temptation. My self-control goes to hell when it comes to that. What gives?? Weak!

Tonight, I've effectively injured myself during this new sprint workout Vince has me on. My first day and I give myself a cramp to end all cramps. I'm lucky I didn't rip anything because that would not be a pretty sight. I have to say, I do feel better aside from the new bum leg. I was able to take my aggression out on the bag at the gym and who knew that I'd end up yelling and grunting louder as my last set came to an end. That felt especially great.

I must give credit where credit is due though. If it wasn't for my WM, Vince, I'd probably be sitting on my ass and gaining an insane amount of weight. Last year we made pacts to just really push each other to become better men at everything. Sound body, sound mind. I really think that motivation and extra push is working out positively.

Oh, and Happy New Year for those that are celebrating today.

Old habits die hard.

2008-02-06T22:20:00.000-05:00

Uh. After all these years why is this the habit I pick up again?

Super duper Tuesday.

2008-02-05T23:29:00.000-05:00

What a day!

On my way to work, the subway was full of folks and kids cutting work and school to hit the tickertape parade for the Giants. I copped some free posters from Sirius radio and spread the love around the office.

I finally made some headway with my clients and hopefully everything goes according to plan for these campaigns. The stress will be worth the results. I hope.

The next step in getting back on track after a few weeks of being stale, will be trying out the new routine. I wanted to get to 200 lbs., so I will have to hit the gym hard in the upcoming weeks. I'm off my schedule already in 2008!

Best news I have today is that I voted in the primary. The results are slowly coming in but it's looking good!

Super Tuesday 2008. What a day.

And for those, like me, who were torn between Obama and Clinton...this just made it much much more difficult...

The ad agency dilemma.

2008-02-04T23:18:00.000-05:00

Okay. The Super Bowl was the second most watched American television program. It eclipses every televised sporting event there is, even the Olympics in the USA. So, this year, it aired on Fox.

Word on the media side is that Fox's S&P really fell hard on the salespeople. For example, GoDaddy.com was forced to withdraw one of their SB spots featuring Danica Patrick for using the word "beaver".

The game was amazing, the ads...not so much. Fox raked in about $260 million in ad revenue from the 63 30-sec spots available. However, nothing stood out. It was all cutesy, ho-hum types of commercials and rehashings of ideas beaten to death years prior. Even the beer companies didn't bring the heat.

And Naomi Campbell hawking SoBe water? Do you really want that woman repping your brand? Whoever green-lit that creative should be dealt with...

I only worked on one SB spot but that aired locally in the southern US. Nowhere near a national spot during the 4th Q., but media people work incredibly hard to get these creatives on air. Without us, the agencies would be nothing... At least that's what I like to pretend.

Anyway...from a creative standpoint, Courtney has some thoughts... Check it out.

Maybe I should work on my time management...

2008-02-04T22:07:00.000-05:00

Last night's Super Bowl was the talk of the town today. I hit the ground running at the office talking to everyone about the game and how most of the office pretty much partied until the early morning hours at the expense of work.

Needless to say, Monday was much more manic than normal. Coupled with some early morning snow and unending tasks at the office, I had one hell of a day. Sometimes I find it difficult relax on days like this, I get worked up and become increasingly difficult to deal with. At least I admit it. It's a fault of mine that I'd like to change but by nature I shut down all common sense and go into auto-pilot.

And the exact thing I promised myself I would never do...I did it. I brought work home with me. Or rather, I sent myself an e-mail of files so I can work on them.

There aren't enough hours in the day for me to do everything I'd like and that's frustrating.

NEW YORK GIANTS: SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS!

2008-02-03T22:15:00.000-05:00

YEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAH!

I'm just Jesse's boy.

2008-02-02T17:30:00.000-05:00

There is nothing like walking down memory lane with one of your boys. Last night, Jesse and I had the task of addressing the current FIND District 3 general body meeting. We got to talking about how funny we're still on the FIND grind after our first FIND D3 experience all the way back in 2000. Can you imagine? It felt like decades ago.

Naturally, we took shots at eachother's age and experience. That's what friends are for right?

I could have easily brought up how he played his sax at Mr. Philippines 2004, but I kept that to myself. After all, he did say that I was pushing 30 and that I've been around for years and years. I'm just glad that at his age, the memory is still holding up! =P

All jokes aside, D3 is bigger than back in my day (I can't believe I said that!), a time when I was D3 secretary. These kids have the opportunity to do major things within the district. I even had the chance to reconnect with the current PUSO e-board at Stony Brook. I'm now assured that PUSO is in good hands after I graduated.

While FIND is doing well...GILAS is headed for bigger things than we thought with the support of the various schools in the district. With the proposals at the meeting, there will be a lot of work to be done towards our goals with GILAS and Ayala Foundation USA.

Donuts!

2008-02-01T11:44:00.000-05:00

JAY! Where you at son?!!

Fool's paradise.

2008-01-30T00:32:00.001-05:00

Every so often I find something that just speaks to me. It taps into my raw emotions and makes me sit within the confines of my mind, thinking to myself, "man, that's some real shit." It has been a long time since I've cried over...anything, really. I think the most significant time I cried was my final speech as president of PUSO in 2004. I gave everything to that organization and saw the culmination of four years of effort come to an end. It's been a while since I have felt like that... Well the next few lines got me thinking again.

A says this:

"prior to this week, during random nights i would find myself suddenly obsessed with how many myspace friends we had, or how many hits my website was getting, or how many gigs we had booked, or how much money i had in my bank account. i've never liked numbers, and it's not just because i suck at math. really, numbers can be evil and make you forget everything that you value. i'd sit and lament in front of the computer screen, mostly frustrated with myself for being so superficial (so mortal?). and then i'd ask myself--if it's really about the "how much" and "how many"--then really. how many? how many hits, or bookings, or dollars until i'm satisfied? i asked myself that question again today, as i watched the plays on our page shoot up by the minute. and the fact is, things that don't matter will never be enough."

They never are.

Uniqlo mixplay.

2008-01-29T22:31:00.000-05:00

SPEECHLESS. What a great branding idea, (the elements!??!) Choreo is SICK wit it!

C'mon Madison Avenue? Let's move out of the SuperBowl mentality and come up with some RIDICULOUS ads.

State of the Union 2008.

2008-01-28T22:54:00.000-05:00

So what did you think of the State of the Union...that is, if you tuned in?

Unstable economy and an unfinished war? It is time for the Democrats to come strong and lay out a bold agenda. Let's get over those obstacles!

You know Bush was thinking "legacy" when he was speaking. Tsk.

JD's blog tour of New York.

2008-01-27T23:15:00.000-05:00

I have been blogging a lot about my friends lately...so to break the monotony, I bring you my version of an interesting Q&A in the latest issue of Theme...

Brief bio, occupation: I am a twenty-something bachelor living in New York City. Currently working as a media buyer and planner for a full service advertising agency in the Financial District. I share an apartment with my sister in the borough of Queens, actually still living in the same neighborhood where we grew up. The best is yet to come.

Length of time in city: For the most part, I grew up in Elmhurst, Queens (QB son!). It was interrupted by my father's tour of duty for the U.S. Army. Therefore, we moved to Seoul, Korea; then Frankfurt, Germany; next was Landstuhl, Germany; landed in Manila, Philippines and brought it full circle back to Elmhurst in NYC.

Eating and Drinking...

Favorite high-end restaurant: SAPA. Not only because I closed it down solely for an HM Crew Sunday brunch...but really because my friend is an apprentice chef there. Just kidding. It's a mixture of pan-Asian cuisine with a French twist. The ambiance is hip, airy and oozing with hipster pretentiousness. However the staff is awesome and the food is succulent.

Best deal restaurant: SEA. Located in Williamsburg, this restaurant was the stand-in for that LA restaurant in the opening scenes of Garden State, where Zach Braff's character was a struggling waiter. It is a Thai restaurant that serves generous portions of tasty food for street meat prices. Their Thai Iced Teas are dope and the wait staff is quick on their feet. It's high end for the 'broke as a joke' crowd.

Best street food: Chicken and rice on 53rd and 6th by the Sheraton Hotel. More often than not, you will find my friends and me waiting in line for Halal food. Definitely will sober you up as you inhale it but make sure you stay away from the red sauce. It goes in red and WILL come out red, if you know what I mean.

Favorite cafe: It's not really a cafe, it's a diner. I love Coffee Shop. Coffee Shop is in Union Square serving as a standard chrome-laden diner. However there is a basement lounge complete with ultra-mod furniture and laid back grooves.

Best bar: Stay NYC. It's my favorite bar. Ever. If I'm not at a birthday party or some club thing...you will find me here. I've been going there for years. The manager knows me, the bartenders know me, the bouncer knows me and my friends by default. Cheap drinks, there is ALWAYS a excellent roster of DJs and well, the female bartenders are pretty cute. It's basically where all of us Queens heads hang out now that we're all grown up and don't chill at Hoffman Park anymore...

Read...

Best store for books and magazines: STRAND on Fulton St. It's not as commercialized as Barnes & Noble or Borders but that's the charm of it. It's the haven for the college set and you'll most likely find yourself lost within the stacks and more than happy to stay lost going through their catalog.

Shop...

Best boutique: Brooklyn Circus in Brooklyn. Street meets upscale by way of the underground. I am a fan of what's going on in urban wear these days and they carry designers you've heard of...some you haven't, but you will definitely leave with a full shopping bag. Runner-up: Brooklyn Industries...their cuts and lines are classic but they use the craziest materials and designs. Workmanship is top-notch.

Favorite are space/gallery/museum: PowerHouse Arena in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The last time I was there was for the STAX 50th. Hip-hop museum, hipster art space, underground bookstore. You just feel inspired. Period.

Favorite outdoor space: The Heliport by the South Street Seaport. During the summer I eat lunch here and watch the helicopters take off and land. It's a great escape from the doldrums of the office. And to think...you have the Brooklyn Bridge as a backdrop. Gorgeous.

Sightsee...

Best touristy thing to do: Take the New York Sightsee bus tour. There are two big companies in NYC that do this double-decker bus thing... But if you must...that tour will cover a lot of ground in on sitting. Definitely a must for first-timers. Or just go eat a hot-dog at Gray's Papaya.

Things only a local does or knows about: Shake Shack in the park on 23rd and Madison, I say no more. Also, only New Yorkers know where the open restaurants are in Chinatown after 2am in the morning.

The must-see thing in your city: Hands down...the Brooklyn Bridge.

Events...

Best events in each season: Okay, we have all four seasons. So during the spring, there is the Easter Parade on 5th. During the summer months we have the Macy's 4th of July fireworks. With the onset of fall we have the Tribeca Film Festival and then with winter there is the Rockefeller tree lighting.

Tips...

How would you spend a day off in your city?: Sleep. But if that's not a viable option, I'd hop onto the subway and ride downtown to Union Square. From there I'd walk down Broadway and window shop, probably making my ways to different sneaker joints I know of. Maybe grab a fresh choco beverage from Max Brenner's and pick up some vinyl records from a sidewalk vendor. The flea market by the Tower Records has a great selection of hats, shirts and accessories from Parsons and FIT students. I would even wander over to Washington Square Park and chill under the trees if it's warm out.

Best websites for local info: itellavision.blogspot.com. In all seriousness, www.nymag.com is a valuable resource for tourists and locals alike.

Okay. Hopfully you enjoyed that read...now, tell me about your town...

Hood rich birthday.

2008-01-26T14:11:00.000-05:00

Happy 25th Lats!

2008-01-25T16:41:00.000-05:00

Dear Lats on your 25th year of existence,

I still have not forgiven you for the time you could not "turn on" your camera when I had Vanessa Minnillo in my arms at the Maxim party we went to back in 2005. The only proof I have is your word and the memory of her supple body pushed up against mine. Here is to hoping you've learned to work your camera since.

Regards,

JD of Fedora Crew, MySpace hollering division.

Best e-mail this week.

2008-01-24T22:16:00.001-05:00

Can't hate on a picture compilation ciculated around this week.
My fellow Elmhurst head and my best friend, Lats.
Mike.
Miguel.
Marty.
Kenny.
LJ.
Jesse.
WM! Vince.
And a nice safe one of me on my 24th birthday.

Another Frank production.

2008-01-24T13:03:00.001-05:00

If ya'll will be in the city tonight...

Wednesday that feels like Sunday night before work on Monday.

2008-01-23T22:23:00.000-05:00

Today was tough. It wasn't a great day but it wasn't horrible. I've experienced horrible days. At the end of everything I just sat back and felt like an asshole. The headache just isn't helping much either.

Anyway.

I got rid of some more of my furniture in the apartment. So now it's starting to look like an unfurnished dorm room. Out with the old and in with the new. Once my bankroll is somewhat stable, I will be able to afford that chair from Kartell. What can I say, I have expensive taste. (Really, I'm just a poser who has a semblance of style and an eye for design. T00l!)

Weird doesn't begin to illustrate what's running through my head. I don't even know what I'll eat tomorrow but all of a sudden I'm caught up with what I'm going to be doing in the next few weeks, months and even next year. I'm trippin' for no good reason. One of those days I guess, where I pretty much need to be mad. There are folks who wake up in the morning and decide what they will be...and I decided I will be a jerk today and get all twisted up with shit that normally does not phase me. Bah.

I didn't even hit up the mall on the way home to finish up a birthday present like I was supposed to. That's....unlike me. Maybe it was too much of that green tea cake from two weeks ago. One-fourth of which is still untouched in my fridge.

Music shopping.

2008-01-22T22:14:00.000-05:00

I've been known to walk up and down the aisles of record stores looking around for interesting album covers. And based on those covers, I'd buy the album no matter what genre of music. So far so good. Cover artwork tends to reflect the feel of the album itself and speaks for the music at the initial point of purchase. Isn't that a goal of good design?

1. Brendan Benson - The Alternative To Love. Overall the artwork looked interesting, blocks of images on top of eachother suggesting musicality of the artist. The font used was quirky and made me think of those old Schoolhouse Rock cartoons. The music itself was rock/pop from the UK and I believe one of the tracks were used in an AT&T commercial.

2. Bittersweet - The Mating Game. Think James Bond crossed with Nikka Costa. Psychedelic artwork reflecting some laid back grooves of a solid duo. I really liked the album even though I'm not a fan of electronica. It really echoed the old school credits of the Sean Connery-era of Bond films. Oh, and they're featured on Grey's Anatomy and the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.

3. Mattafix - Signs Of A Struggle. Simple photo of the duo in a disheveled living room. The photo popped among the others surrounding it and I grabbed it without even reading the album credits. It looked interesting and I wanted to know more. What I found was a great trip-hop album also from the UK.

Point of the story...I think I like album artwork coming out of the UK.

The desktop screenshot.

2008-01-21T23:57:00.000-05:00

I am one vain mofo.

Fantasy career, part 304.

2008-01-21T23:28:00.000-05:00

In yet a different lifetime, I could have been a clothing designer.

I like Vane. They balance a very fine line between high end pieces and urban streetwear. The cuts are clean and the lines are classic. It's the execution that is pretty amazing.