O R I G A M I z o o

Top 5 2011

2011-11-06T22:27:00.000-08:00

I can't believe 2011 is almost over, and I haven't posted my Top 5 list. I decided to get on this, just in case I run into any of these ladies...

Rashida Jones

She's consistently on the list every year. She's killing it on Parks and Recreation right now.

Anne Hathaway

She has that regal look, is super funny, and isn't afraid to show off the babies.

Scarlett Johansson

I think she was on the list, then off, but since the break up with Ryan Reynolds, GAME ON!

Marissa Tomei

My cougar pick. Did you see her in The Wrestler??

Anya Ayoung-Chee

I was pulling for this chick the whole way in Project Runway and she won! And, she's hot stuff.

Band Alliteration Challenge!

2010-05-25T17:30:00.001-07:00

CHALLENGE:

From A-Z, name bands/artists that have at least two words that start with the same letter in succession.

A -Alient Ant Farm
B - Beach Boys, Beastie Boys
C - Counting Crows
D - Dr. Dre, Duran Duran, Doug E. Doug
E -Eazy E
F - Foo Fighters, Five For Fighting, Franz Ferdinand, Frou Frou, Furious Five
G - Goo Goo Dolls, The Go-Go's
H -
I -
J - Janet Jackson, Just Jack
K -Kottonmouth Kings
L -Lykke Li
M -Modest Mouse, Marilyn Manson, Melle Mel
N -
O - Ozzy Osbourne
P -Passion Pit
Q -
R -
S - Sam Sparro
T - Tony, Toni, Tone, Temper Trap
U -
V -
W -
X -
Y - Yeah Yeah Yeah's
Z - ZZ Top

Isaacs doppleganger!

2010-05-15T14:55:00.000-07:00

I found isaacs doppleganger in providence, rhode island!

-- Post From Marks Super Terrific iPhone.

Kick-ass ironing

2010-04-27T23:21:00.000-07:00

I just spent the whole second half of the Laker game ironing my clothes...and it is quite the chore. I saw this video on Arthur's Facebook page once and thought it was pretty awesome. I'm going to house it here for quick reference, in preparation for my next ironing party.

The Mark Gabriel Charity Fund

2010-03-24T11:08:00.001-07:00

It seems like every year, Charity Season rolls around and everyone is asking for donations. I personally feel bad that I don't have the means to support all of the charities and not-for-profit organizatons out there. To consolidate/ease the blow of the frequency of giving, I have created a fund that will set a limit of how much I contribute every year so that I can have peace of mind that I've helped where I could, and shouldn't feel bad about not contributing more.

As of now, the charities and groups that the Mark Gabriel Charity Fund will support are:

If you're intersted, feel free to chip in!

The new guys!

2010-03-21T14:38:00.001-07:00

The new additions to bahay Gabriel!

Muscles and Barkley!

-- Post From Marks Super Terrific iPhone.

Top 5 Governator movies

2010-02-01T17:47:00.001-08:00

I have no idea how me and Arthur eventually got into this convo, but here are my top 5 ah-nuld movies:

5. True Lies

4. Twins

3. Predator

2. Total Recall

1. Terminator 2: Judgement Day

And an honorable mention goes to...

Naga Naga!

2010-01-10T22:38:00.000-08:00

On the verge of getting sick yesterday, I stumbled upon Naga Naga Ramen in Pasadena with Staggs. I was a little weary of the quality of the ramen here, since it was in Pasadena, and it was a little trendier than a traditional ramen house. However, this place is pretty legit. They have most of the stuff that you're used to - chashu, miso, soy broths, all the fixin's, etc. - but they also have some pretty experimental ramens. Last night I had the Tomyum ramen which takes the Tomyum Gum thai soup and adds ramen noodles to it. I had to try and it was super delicious. They also had a different take on mango and sticky rice, making it into a sushi roll, versus the usual mango and rice on a plate. Good stuff and good times.

This is column worthy.

Yogurt Haven

2010-01-08T14:44:00.000-08:00

Have the sweet tooth late at night? Stagganopolis and I found this cool little spot off of Colorado and Eagle Rock Blvd. It's a self serve yogurt place which I'm usually not into, BUT they do have two differentiating factors that kick this place up a notch.

1) They make some bomb.com crepes
2) Outside of the Enchanted Tiki room at Disneyland, this is the only place that I've found that serves Dole Whip ice cream/sorbet

Check it out, I think they're even on twitter: www.twitter.com/yogurthaven

Support your local business.

Ch-ch-changes!

2010-01-08T14:41:00.000-08:00

Since it's a new year, and Mark lives in a new location, there are going to be subtle changes. The Places of Interest in Toluca Lake section will now be switched to Highland Park and surrounding areas, and Reasons Why Mark Gabriel might be a woman will be my running list of movies.

Thank you for your cooperation during the on-going construction.

The ORIGAMIzoo Web Communications Team

Happy New Year!

2010-01-06T22:40:00.001-08:00

Two years ago, I documented all of the theatrical releases that I watched throughout 2007 and at the end of the year, I had the Mark Gabriel Movie Awards (MGMA's). Non-existant prizes were given out for common categories, but the sample of movies was only limited to what I watched that year. I'll be bringing that back for 2010 and will have a running list of movies that I watch in the calendar year. Unfortunately, Avatar was released last year, so it is already out of contenttion.

In other non-related news. My cat has left me for greener pastures. She's left me for a man down the street named Ian Raymond. He wears rings on his fingers...all of them. Ten points if you can figure out the reference to that. If you see this calico colored cat in my neighborhood, make sure to give her a swift kick to the hind legs for me, for breaking my heart.

Lastly, the same new years resolutions:

1) More travel
2) Learn something new
3) Better time management

Oh, and pics of the house coming soon, shortly followed by a housewarming!

Meet chainsaw!

2009-11-17T23:44:00.001-08:00

I've just adopted a cat by defacto. Her name is chainsaw because my neighbor said that when she lays on your chest and purrs, it sounds like a small chainsaw.

She's going to be an outside cat, because I'm allergic. Ha!

-- Post From Marks Super Terrific iPhone.

Stand by your Manny

2009-11-09T13:53:00.000-08:00

This coming weekend promises to be one of entertainment, comraderie and good ol' butt kicking. Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotta will engage in fisticuffs this Saturday as the world waits with baited breath!

One of my buddies who used to work at Disney Consumer Products, just created a shirt for the occassion. It's pretty awesome, and it was even featured on Big Boy's website - http://www.radiobigboy.com/. If you want to support your local artist, holler at your boy, and I'll let you know how to cop one of these shirts.

Start of the season

2009-11-01T23:26:00.001-08:00

The official first game to start the season! Planned games this year-

Vs. Minnesota
Vs. Washington
Vs. San Antonio

I'm definitely not going to as many games as last year. :(

The lakers played the hawks tonight and won. I predict that we won't surpass 72-10, but I do think we'll repeat.

I love L.A.!

-- Post From Marks Super Terrific iPhone.

All NBA Injured Team (First)

2009-10-14T09:23:00.000-07:00

Every year, the NBA has what it calls the "All NBA First Team" and "Second Team." It consists of the best players at their positions...arguably the best of the best. They do it for the defensive category and the rookie category as well.

If the NBA had a starting five of great players that are always injured, these guys would win the award for the "first" team.

PG - Gilbert Arenas
SG - Tracy McGrady
SF - Grant Hill
PF - Jermaine O'Neal
C - Yao Ming

Honorable mentions that might lead the second team can be Shaquille O'Neal (abdominal and plantar fasciatus) and TJ Ford (that guy is always getting in some kind of life threatening injury).

LOST!

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

Here's the new print from Tann-O the Mann-O for Lost.

For more deets on the direction of his piece, check out his blog on my "Homies in the Gangsta Lean" section on the right side of my page.

I'm selling these from the back of my trunk if you're interested. You know where to find me!

Top 5 ABDC dance crews

2009-09-07T01:54:00.001-07:00

1. Jabbawockeez
2. Super Cr3w
3. Beat Freakz
4. Quest Crew
5. Fanny Pack

This season isn't as good as the last three seasons.

-- Post From Marks Super Terrific iPhone.

Coming out the woodwork!

2009-08-27T09:25:00.000-07:00

I've been getting a lot of communications lately about lots of different food vending trucks that are hitting the scene. It looks like the modern day roach coach is making quite the splash, and everyone is jumping in on it. The first truck that I heard about was the Kogi BBQ truck that took advantage of early tweeting before it hit the big time. In the last few weeks, a few more trucks have popped onto the radar. I'm going to keep a running list of these to see how many we net out with in L.A.:

Kogi BBQ - Korean BBQ meets taco truck
Baby's Bad Ass Burgers - Sliders served by Hooters-esque girls
Nom Nom - Viet banh mi and Viet tacos, that's dac biet girl
South Philly Experience - Philly Cheesesteaks to gizzzo
Lomo Arigato - Peruvian/Japanese fusion

The Near Future for the L.A. Lakers

2009-08-19T16:17:00.000-07:00

[writing assignment]

We’re in the late part of Summer, and it looks like the Los Angeles Lakers have made most (if not all) of the moves that they’re going to make before the season begins. To quickly recap, they didn’t re-sign Trevor Ariza who left for Houston, but in return they did sign Ron Artest. They re-signed Shannon Brown to two years for about $4M and were able to re-sign Lamar Odom to three guaranteed years and an option on the fourth year. They cut Sun Yue, sold some of their draft picks and have Adam Morrison and his contract lingering for another season. All in all, it seems that the Lakers made a lot of right moves this off-season. But what lies in store for Los Angeles’ beloved franchise? Optimistically, three or four more championships…in a row. Realistically, maybe only one or two within the next four years.

Below is the first of a series of analyses of how the Lakers franchise will shape out over the next few years -

Trevor Ariza for Ron Artest

This is a highly debated issue both amongst Lakers fans and non-fans. “Why would we trade Trevor Ariza? He’s a great role player, can hit the open spot up shot, has solid defense, meshes well with the team’s chemistry and overall has a good head on his shoulders.” All excellent points for Trevor, and I cannot disagree with any of them. However in Ron-Ron, L.A. gets a lock-down defender (All-NBA defensive team, NBA Defensive Player of the year 2004), instant offense (as needed) and lastly, what I like to call the “thug factor”.

In short, the thug factor is having that guy on your team that nobody wants to mess with because he looks a little mentally unstable OR he looks like the guy that nobody can beat up. It would be like having Deebo from Friday on your team. Good examples other than Artest are a Rasheed Wallace or a Paul Millsap. Last year’s Lakers did an exceptional job winning the title without the thug factor. In some years, one team might bogart these players in the league, i.e. the Portland Jailblazers (Trailblazers) in the early-mid 2000’s.

Now it’s arguable that Ariza has the brighter future between the two, and that Artest is a gamble because of his reputation for lashing out. These are both points that I agree with 100%, however, the one factor that needs to come into consideration is time.

Although Trevor has a bright future ahead of him, he is not super-star material. He’ll make his bread and butter as a defensive specialist with the ability to score in double figures, similar to a Bruce Bowen or Tayshaun Prince. He is not the type of player that can carry a team or build your team around. He is more or less the defensive piece to a championship team.

Intro Kobe Bryant. Kobe is the superstar on the team who is about to sign the last big extension of his career. It’s speculated that he’ll make somewhere between $86M-$91M over the next three years. I’m assuming the Lakers might try and lengthen that to at least four years. Kobe is currently at the peak of his career and will probably start declining in the next two years or so, which means the Lakers need to squeeze out as many championships out of their Alpha player while he still has the physical ability.

Ron Artest is in a similar stage of his career. He’s nearing 30 and has maybe hit his peak a few years ago, but his game isn’t declining at an accelerated rate. He has about four more solid years ahead of him before his game really starts going downhill. He can still defend the Lebron James or Carmelo Anthony on the other team without being outmuscled like Trevor (and sometimes even Kobe!) did during the playoffs and regular season. In addition, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom are in similar places of their player life cycle. These next three to four years have the Lakers core aligned to win a few more championships before the team has to rebuild again. And they will probably build around Andrew Bynum and bring in another “A” caliber player. At that point, a player like Trevor Ariza won’t make a huge difference.

The Black and White cookie

2009-08-05T11:30:00.000-07:00

There's an episode of Seinfeld where Jerry and Elaine are in the Royal Bakery and Jerry buys the Black and White cookie.

JERRY: Oh look Elaine, the black and white cookie. I love the black and white. Two races of flavor living side by side [mumble?] It's a wonderful thing isn't it?

There's a pretty funny site called Homies and Honkies that has a collage of awesome duos throughout time who are the essence of the Black and White cookie. There are even stretches of the imagination where ethnicity or color were never given, but strongly implied, such as Lion-O and Panthro from the Thundercats. We never knew Panthro was "black"...but in actually, I think we did know. Interesting!

Anyhoo, it's a great stroll down memory lane. You'll see amazing tag teams like Karl Malone and John Stockton (Utah Jazz), Danny Glover and Mel Gibson (Lethal Weapons 1-3), Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson (White Men Can't Jump) and even Michael Jackson and Michael Jackson!

Who knew?

2009-07-27T23:01:00.000-07:00

I was in Japan last week, and caught this band called The Telephones. They're a super catchy band that reminds me a lot of Hot Hot Heat. They're super good, and I think I'm going to buy their albums...as in actually purchase their music through a legit medium.

Here's the song that caught my attention while I was there. It's called Monkey Discoooooooo.

Hooked!

2009-07-14T11:08:00.001-07:00

When I initially bought my iPhone, I told myself that I would only download apps that were for utility, so that I emulate Penny from Inspector Gadget, when she pulled out her computer/book. I've downloaded a ton of these apps that help me find my car, tell me what restaurants are around me, emulate a room commander remote and even a tool that tells me when women menstruate. One thing I also told myself is that I would not download a lot of games.

One month later, I have arcade basketball, air hockey, table tennis, bowling and even beer pong! The latest game I downloaded is Geo Defense. I have to say that this game is the SHIET! It is considered a Tower Defense game where you have a few different types of weapons to stop "creeps" from reaching your base. Weapons include lasers, canons, tasers, missile launchers and vortexes, all at your disposal to blow up the bad guys.

I found this app slickdeals, because it's currently on sale for $0.99 in the app store. It's usually $3.99, and has a really good rating.

If you need a game to pass the time, or play while you're on the pooper, definitely check this out for your iPhone.

IMAX

2009-07-02T18:49:00.001-07:00

Transformers onbthr big screen. I talked to an employee here once and he dogged the ANC Burbank saying that it wasn't a real IMAX. We'll see if there's a diff.

-- Post From Marks Super Terrific iPhone.

Test

2009-07-02T15:07:00.000-07:00

Testing the blog from the mobile. 10 points if you can guess where I ate lunch.

-- Post From Marks Super Terrific iPhone.

The Onion

2009-06-25T09:24:00.000-07:00

I stumbled onto this site after reading an article that my roommate sent me. It's a pretty funny site, and this article was pretty funny. Check it out.

Mental Note - 6/19/2009

2009-06-19T10:42:00.001-07:00

Movies to watch:

Summer Hours
Moon
Tokyo!
(500) Days of Summer
Departures
The End of the Line
Whatever Works
------------------------

Drag Me To Hell
Terminator Salvation

Mr. Sandman

2009-06-13T13:08:00.000-07:00

Growing up in a Filipino household, I've always been proud to practice cultural pluralism, as opposed to assimilation. One example is that there have been words in Tagalog that I know how to say, that I don't know how to translate into English. It wasn't until high school that I was able to identify singaw (sing-ow), as a canker sore.

Another word that I still haven't been able to nail down is muta (moo-ta). In English the closest thing to it would be eye boogies. I asked Staggs what the proper English word for it was, and she didn't have a concrete answer, but told me that it is what's left when the Sandman pays you a visit at night. Normally, the Sandman brings you good dreams by sprinkling sand in your eyes, but she brought it a step further, implying that the Sandman was a jerkn and the eye boogies are the result of the Sandman pooping on your face.

So without further adieu, we are adding that to our list of entries of awesome names for gross sexual acts. When you give someone "The Sandman", you drop a deuce on their eyes.

Lastly, below are a few more infamous Sandmen...

Writing Exercises

2009-06-11T11:22:00.000-07:00

For the past few months, I feel like I've been getting a little more dumb every day. Guilty pleasures like reality TV, tabloids and online commerce have made me feel stagnant and not as sharp as I used to be.

I was reading an article and Will Smith said something along the lines of, (paraphrasing) "If you read and run everyday, then that day was productive because you've made an effort to better yourself both physically and mentally."

I can honestly say that I have not been productive on both fronts for the last few weeks. However, my daily reading intake has increased, and it's basketball season again, so I'm making an effort. In addition, I've challenged myself to do small writing exercises to try and keep me sharp. The only drawback is that I have problems finishing things that I start.

I originally started writing a player profile for Los Angeles Lakers player, Trevor Ariza, but didn't end up finish it. I decided to do a short "free write" type exerise as a baby step to writing longer things.

----------------------

Particles in Motion

Everyday, we pass each other -

Merging on the freeway,

Finding our gate at the terminal,

Standing in line at an amusement park,

And on the way to work.

We run, walk, stop, sit,

And talk.

We stop, drive, rush and bike,

To get from point A

To point B.

And along the way

We interact.

These interactions spawn new directions

And new destinations

That mean everything and nothing at the same time.

But in the grand scheme of the universe

We are constants and variables in life’s equation.

A means to an end – balance.

And in its simplest form, we are just, particles in motion.

-- Mark Gabriel

Zack Attack!

2009-06-09T16:58:00.000-07:00

You gotta give it up to Mark Paul Gosselar for doing something like this...

In related content, this is just as cool...

NBA FINALS!

2009-06-05T16:00:00.001-07:00

I was fortunate enough to get tickets for Game 2 of the NBA Finals. After watching the Lake Show clobber the Magic in Game 1, I have a good feeling that I'll be going to a championship parade this year. Although it's always a little concerning when one team blows the other out in the first game. It can do a lot in terms of the mentality of approaching future games, and there's always the fear of a team becoming lackadaisical. Nevertheless, I initially predicted that the Lakers would take this in 6 games, but after last nights killing spree, I'm calling Lakers in 5.

I've been lucky enough to go to a ton of games this season, including a lot of playoff games. It's hitting my bank pretty hard, but I figure if this there is a year to go to a shitload of Laker games, this is it! And after every game I tell myself that I should make signs for the next game, but I never get around to it. Seeing as this will probably be my last game of the year, I finally made some signs!

The Lamar Odom sign flips, and although it was my idea, it came from Staggs' inspiration of having a candy related sign for her favorite player.

Health providers on this side of town...

2009-05-19T14:10:00.000-07:00

I thought I would be a team player when looking for a primary care physician (PCP), and pick a doctor that was "in the community", meaning party of the Filipino community. I went with Dr. Lansangan who has been my PCP for the last two years. I always wait until there are a few things wrong with me before I see her, so that I can maximize every visit. And after every visit, I leave with the feeling of this was a "good, but not great" visit. This time however, was horrible. In short, the waiting in the lobby is long, the waiting in the patients room is long, and I could have given myself the same evaluation that she gave me. The doc herself is really nice and polite, but the analysis and the whole waiting game was infuriating. On top of that, you have to pay for your time there in terms of parking fees.

On a happier note, I would totally recommend Blackstone Optometry for anyone looking for an optometrist to go to. Dr. Cheng is a really nice guy, they have a ton of hip frames there, and they are uber punctual.

On a totally different tangent, after I went to the doc's office, I headed to the bank and dropped my prescription on the floor. And I think this guy picked it up, followed me all the way to the teller line, and politely gave it back to me. If it is this fellow below, then I will make a conscious effort to stop making fun of him and his movies.

Places to go in Toluca Lake...

2009-04-19T19:01:00.000-07:00

If you are in, or around Toluca Lake, and need some highlights, I'm going to post some pretty awesome places to visit. Today's spotlight is Ernie's Tacos on Lankershim (it's technically NoHo).

Ernie's has some delicioso Mexican food and if you go on the right nights, they have a trio that plays live music in the bar area. And if you go on a really special night, you can be a witness to some creepy dude trying to pick up on a girl and her date. Ernie's is pretty low key too, so there's never a long line, and there's a parking lot and street parking.

New York 2009 trip in a nutshell

2009-04-14T01:13:00.000-07:00

Top Five 2009

2009-04-09T23:29:00.000-07:00

It's time to refresh the freebie list for 2009! Last year's list included Vanessa Hudgens, Kim Kardashian, Rashida Jones, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Ramiel Malubay. The last name is always one that is questionable, as I try to fill it with a rotating reality start that is somewhat local. After some thoughtful debating with myself over the last few weeks, it's not surprising to see that some of my Top 5 freebies from last year made it to this year's list as well...

1. Rashida Jones
Still hot and her career is blossoming. Plus, Staggs said that if I can ever convince Rashida Jones to come back to the apartment, I've got the green light for the threezy!

2. Kim Kardashian
She has been on and off of the list more than anyone. But you can't say no to that giant butt.

3. Scarlett Johansson
She always has good taste in tops to wear.

4. Emanuelle Chrique
Sloan (E's girlfriend on Entourage) is kind of a wildcard. Regardless, she's hot stuff.

5. Kina Grannis
The #5 slot is always saved for a lower level celebrity...someone who is more of a reality star at the time and somewhat local. Kinna Grannis is an artist who won the Super Bowl commercial contest last year and who is also what I would consider a "viral celebrity." She's a great musician, and as my buddy Pierre always says, "she totally eye fucks you while she plays."

Poker Face

2009-03-26T15:59:00.001-07:00

My roommate and I were having a conversation a while back about the song Poker Face by Lady Gaga. I think there is some hidden meaning behind the song but I'm not 100% sure.

Anyhoo, I've come up with my own definition of Poker Face and it is when someone is going to get bukaked, and they do not change their facial expression throughout the whole experience. That person stares down genitalia as the rain comes down and doesn't flinch at all. That my friends is a Poker Face.

Here's another good poker face

Who's Bad?!?

2009-03-18T00:28:00.000-07:00

Stagganopolis and I went to the House of Blues on Sunset this past Saturday for one of the best shows that I've been to in a long time. Who's Bad - The Ultimate Michael Jackson Tribute band, put on quite a fiesta this past weekend. They only played one show in California, but if you ever get the chance to see them live, definitely do it. What's nice is that they play straight covers, no reinterpretations or reiterations to a different style...just the real deal.

Side note, if you are practicing lent this year, a good lunch/dinner alternative is The Best Fish Tacos in Ensanada. It's a tiny taco place in Silverlake that has fish tacos for $1.50 and shrimp tacos for $2.00. That's all they have...except for a bunch of different salsa.

Hot Chocolate

2008-12-11T22:19:00.001-08:00

WARNING: This could be a pretty gross entry

A couple of months ago, I brought home a can of whip cream and my roommate asked me what it was for. I replied with "hot chocolate," and she responded with, "what's a hot chocolate?" The interesting is that my roommate and I have a very humorous relationship and she was expecting some kind of explanation similar to a Dirty Sanchez or Cleveland Steamer. But alas, it was literally for hot chocolate. Since then, it's been a running joke for those who have heard the story.

About a week ago, I challenged Andrea to come up with the dirty definition of a hot chocolate. To paraphrase her genius answer, it includes the passing of diarrhea from one butthole to another butthole. Completely grossed out, but incredibly impressed, I was absolutely sure that this could never happen.

A few days ago, I found evidence that it has already happened and is documented online. I will not post the link because it's something that a lot of people shouldn't see, especially those with weak stomachs. But, if you are curious, you may want to do a search for scat.

Net net, gross.

STAYCATION

2008-11-20T00:30:00.000-08:00

staycation (noun): Staying at home during your vacation instead of traveling to a pleasure destination. This can be caused by high gas prices, or just a shortage of money.

Day 3 just ended of my staycation week. So far it's been great. I'm taking all of the money I would have spent on a vacation somewhere else, and enjoying it with local activities. Yesterday included golf and the Lakers vs. Bulls game. Today was Disneyland. Tomorrow might be Wicked. Friday is a poker party. Saturday is Disneyland again. And Sunday is brunch.

Good times.

Side note, I haven't shaved all week to see how far my facial hair would come along. Figuratively speaking, if my facial hair were to be compared to some other guys regular hair, I would be the equivalent to someone with inverse culdesacs. I'll let you figure that one out.

We're part of history!

2008-11-04T20:51:00.000-08:00

I remember when I was in grade school, I would read things like the attack on Pearl Harbor and how we'll remember it as the day of infamy. The women's suffrage movement that allowed them to vote. And even towards the latter part of our history books, the Vietnam War.

It's nuts how within the last decade, we've experienced things that will definitely make it into history books and that kids will ask us what we were doing when these things happened. We'll be able to look back and say where we were when 9/11 happened, when gay marriage became legal, and most notably, when the United States elected its first President of color.

It's awesome how we are a part of history.

On a side note, a lot of the things that we thought we would have in the future are coming up today. Will.I.Am was being interviewed via hologram on CNN tonight. And it looked just like what we envisioned in Star Wars when the Jedi's or the Sith Lord would communicate to someone else via hologram. These are really exciting times.

On a side side note. I came to the conclusion that helmets are not the most flattering accessory.

Don't let it happen to you!

2008-10-27T14:44:00.000-07:00

Evidently, the future of this country may lay in your hands. Don't let what "happened to me", happen to you.

In lighter news, check out this International Teaser Trailer for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince! It's awesome!

One of those guys

2008-10-27T11:20:00.001-07:00

I've officially become one of those guys this week. You know when you're making a right turn into a parking lot or at a cross section, and you see the biker on your right side, who you kind of have to wait for before you make the turn, and it frustrates you because even though they're going pretty fast, they're actually going kind of slow in relation to your car. I have become that biker.

Today was my first day biking to work. I live a shade under 7 miles away and it took about 34 minutes on side streets to get here. There were a couple of interesting things on the way in...

I definitely need to get a helmet. I think karma is going to get me back big time after almost hitting two pedestrians (one biker, one skater) last week
I was inches away from road kill
On Riverside, in between the Studio Lot and Sonora/Victory, it smells like horse shit because everyone there owns a horse and it's right next to the Equestrian Center
This could be pretty scary riding back after work in the dark

"Wha-wha-wha-wha-whats your fantasy!"

2008-10-17T17:45:00.000-07:00

I think this might be the busiest sports season that I've had in my life. I'm currently in 1 NFL Fantasy league, 2 NBA Fantasy leagues and spearheading the football pool in the office.

It's amazing how many people play fantasy sports. I think this year, one of my leagues is going to have a live draft party (like Knocked Up, where Paul Rudd's wife thinks that he's cheating on her, but he's actually sneaking out to his Fantasy Baseball parties).

TV Programming

2008-10-03T10:31:00.000-07:00

This is the first year that I've watched both the Presidential debate and the Vice Presidential debate. I think that I (and maybe the rest of generation Y) have reached that age where we can really understand what's going on with our country, and how important it is for us to choose the right leader. I was somewhat "in the know" in college, but never really understand the gravity of the situation. Now that I'm out of school and working in the "real world", things like taxes, plans for the economy, health care, the war, etc. directly affect the way that I'm going to live. This is definitely a sign of "growing up" and I think what reassures it is that I went from listening to Big Boy in the morning to listening to NPR on the way to work. Nuts.

On the lighter side of TV programming, I think the usual line up is what's in store for this fall -

I'm also thinking of catching -

- 30 Rock
- Mad Men
- Entourage
- Fringe

On a side note, I've been watching a lot of TV online. There's a great site that has SNL, The Office and Family Guy episodes on it - http://www.hulu.com/. I haven't been up to date with Family guy, but I watched a few episodes online, and it's still one of my favorite cartoons. Here's a sample from one of the episodes from Season 6 titled "Love Blactually."

Love her (or him) to death...

2008-09-23T23:59:00.000-07:00

Every now and then, I'll hear phrases in the office that have a totally different meaning than they would outside of the office. One specific example is "love her to death." Usually when I hear this in the social setting, people often refer to what they like about a person, or something that the person does, that they love. It's also usually used very superficially because I don't think that people that genuinely like someone ever says they love them to death.

However, in the office, I've interpreted "love her to death" as, "I can definitely tolerate and even somewhat like this person on the personal side, but I can not stand working with them." In almost all of the cases that I've heard this phrase used in the office, there is always the inevitable but that proceeds it.

*note all hers can be substituted for hims

Peep this, if you've ever been a victim of 419 fraud

2008-09-22T11:05:00.000-07:00

Back in 2003, I was trying to sell my extra guitar speakers online and a fellow from Nigeria who "owned a music shop" was interested in buying my speakers. It was basically a scam more popularly known as the 419 scam, that I fell for.

If you have 30 minutes and 11 seconds, check out this clip from This American Life. It talks about internet vigilantes that get back at scammers -

If that doesn't work, the audio file is here.

Good find, Arthur.

Top 5 Zombie Movies of the New Millenium

2008-09-16T14:04:00.001-07:00

In addition to yesterday's post about Braindead, the Top 5 Zombie Movies of the New Millenium are (in no particular order) -

Dawn of the Dead
Shaun of the Dead
28 Days Later
Resident Evil Trilogy (that's kind of cheating)
Fido
Diary of the Dead (runner up)

And if you're interested in preparing yourself for a Zombie outbreak, I would recommend two books, both by Max Brooks -

The Peter Jackson that you might not have known...

2008-09-15T15:01:00.001-07:00

Before The Lord of the Rings and King Kong, the highly acclaimed director, Peter Jackson, directed a movie that was truly ahead of its time. Before Elijah Wood became frodo, and before Jack Black captured a giant gorillla, there was a Sumatran rat monkey that was the catalyst to 1992's...

Filled with everything from a priest mastered in the martial arts to the undead humping to a giant naked mother zombie, Braindead can be described as Night of the Living Dead meets Alien meets Psycho meets Thriller. This was one of the goriest movies I've ever seen. It has entire rib cages being ripped from bodies, heads with the spinal cords still attached, the use of a lawnmower as a weapon and of course, a love story to tie it all together. What's really crazy is that I don't think there were any guns in the whole movie. All of the zombie killing was used with conventional weapons. In addition, the leading lady was a woman of color which is just as amazing!

Deer in headlights

2008-09-12T11:19:00.000-07:00

I haven't done a ton of research during politics this year, but I thought this was really entertaining.

My favorite comment on this was -

FOR FUCK'S SAKE?!?!?! How the fuck are people supporting this nonsense?!
I can just imagine a notecard in her pocket.
Side A: Terrorists
Side B: Hell bent on destroying America

For the full article, click here

Art

2008-09-08T00:33:00.000-07:00

I have a lot of wall space in my office and I've recently been looking into getting art to fill this space. Instead of buying art from famous artists that have died or that are "big" right now, I've decided to invest in pieces that were done by some of my artist friends. So far I have two pieces in my office -

Hinderaker Hall
Mark Gabriel
2004

X-Men
Eric Tan
2008

I'm looking to add more pieces from my friends that include -

The Battle of Bangkok
Rich Tuzon/Eric Tan
2005

It's Okay to be Different
Kelvin Nguyen
2008

and one from this guy.

Support your local artist.

It's Electric!

2008-09-03T16:34:00.000-07:00

I'm having my murse (not a male nurse) cleaned right now, and have had to transport all of my essential belongings in my pockets. It wasn't until recently that I've realized that I carry way too many electronics. I came to this conclusion when I had my mobile devices in my pockets, and was thinking of buying a camcorder. The contents of my murse which require a battery are -

cellular phone

blackberry

digital camera

nintendo DS

iPod touch

bluetooth

This coupled with the numerous electronics we deal with on a daily basis is a recipe for the black shakes. I'm wondering if getting an iPhone could conceivably cut this list in half...

good for you

2008-08-29T09:40:00.000-07:00

A while back, me and Staggs went to the HaHa Cafe in North Hollywood, and there was this really good comic there who did a really good set that included relationships, sex, people showering together, etc. He also did a really short joke on how when people say "good for you." In short, he said that when people say "good for you", it's just like saying "fuck you. i don't care." I totally agree with that, especially when the "good for you" is accompanied by a smug look on the face.

Top 5: Breakfasts

2008-08-27T13:35:00.000-07:00

I was pretty hungry on the way to work this morning and was inspired to do - Top 5: Breakfasts. It was interesting that all of my top choices included eggs. It made me wonder if that is because eggs have become synonomous with breakfast, and we are engrained with that combination since birth. Without further adieu, the top 5 (in no particular order) -

Corned beef hash with eggs and garlic fried rice

In my opinion, the best way to have this is with the eggs on top of the corned beef, over easy. Then you pop that yolk and let it run all over the corned beef. The odd thing is that I prefer canned corned beef versus the real deal.

Steak and eggs with hash browns

I'm not too picky with the kind of steak that is used in this meal. T-Bone, NY Strip...whatever works. But you do have to either get the eggs over easy or sunny side up, so that you can poke the yoke and let that sucker drip all over the steak. And it goes really well with either a steak sauce or good ol' red rooster hot sauce.

Crab Benedict

The first time I had one of these was in Santa Barbara and they did something that was like a crab cake benedict. The second time I had one was in Toluca Lake and Chez Nous and they used dungeness crab and piled it over a croissant. Both ways were really good, and it's probably the perfect Sunday Brunch choice.

Longsilog, eggs and garlic fried rice

You can get this at places like Max's of Manila or Lucky Chances Casino and Restaurant, and it's good, but it never has that same taste as when your folks cook it. This is probably one of the worst things to eat (health wise) because the longanisa bathes it it's own oil and you have to either get the eggs over easy or over medium. I would say over easy if you don't have the salsa to go with it, but over medium if you do. And you have to have a side of vinegar to dip the longanisa in. Definitely.

Spam, eggs and rice

This is classic if you were brought up in a working class family. I remember my dad used to make this (and still does) and it would be awesome on Saturday mornings. I still find myself making this, but has anyone noticed that the price of Spam has gone up quite a bit? Sometimes I have to opt for the Champ when I'm in a budget crunch. Nonetheless, this one pretty much stands the test of time. I figure I'll be cooking this for my nephews sometime soon.

I just noticed that after writing this, my breakfasts consists of meat, eggs and rice. Interesting.

Fun stuff about China

2008-08-20T18:08:00.000-07:00

I was in China last month for a business trip and have some fun tid bits that can be interesting or at the very least, some things you can bring up when shmoozing with co-workers.

Firstly, the Great Wall of China is unreal! It's a crazy feeling to just stand on a piece of history that has really stood the test of time. Just to think that hundreds of years ago, there were battles fought on this wall, and a bunch of people died defending it or attacking it. It's nuts. When we first got there, I thought we were going to hike up to the wall, but our guide told us it would take at least 2 hours. So instead, you take a lift (like a ski lift) up to the top.

From there you're free to walk up and down the wall and take pictures, and all of that jazz. Now walking up and down the wall is no stroll in the park. Since it follows the ridges of the mountains, it's like hiking up and down rolling hills. I thought I was going to pass out from heat exhaustion. I've never sweat so much in my life. I think we only walked up about a mile or two and walked back. You can't tell in this picture, but my shirt is pretty much drenched. The wall itself is about 4,000 miles long and is the only man-made structure that you can see from space.

Instead of hiking back down the mountain after an exhausting two hours of walking the wall, the Chinese have come up with a clever way to get back down. You can either a) take the same lift down, that you took up or b) tobaggan down! I did the latter which was really fun, but could have been funner if you were allowed to go really fast. Unfortunately, I have zero tobagganing pics.

Another awesome thing to see in China is Forbidden City. It is right across the street from Tianmen Square. Forbidden City is where a lot of the royal families built their temples, houses, gardens, etc. This place is huge! I started taking a lot of pictures, but figured that when I looked back at them, I wouldn't remember were I was since they all look very similar. I think that I heard that none of the peasant people were allowed in the Forbidden City, and it was restricted to just royalty and their servants. That's a big place for just those folks. Here's a picture of the moat that surrounds and protects the city. Again, this was during a really hot and humid day in China, and my shirt is drenched in sweat. But you can't complain because all of that sweating has to be good for the baby bump. Oh and if you ever go to China and you pick up one of the maps from the hotel, the scale is really odd. On the map, Forbidden City looked so close to where we were staying, but it ended up being like a 30 minute walk!

Other than that, there was Olympic fever everywhere, seeing as we were there right before the Olympics started. One of our guides said that they made all of the people and businesses around the Bird's Nest vacate for the weeks that the Olympics were in town because they didn't want that extra traffic to be there during that time.

A few last notes. A lot of the people that I encountered who spoke good English there had hidden agendas. They might try to get you to come to an "event" that their "university" is throwing, or they might want to give you "English/Chinese lessons". Be weary of these people. I was naive and thought that people in China were just that nice. And definitely try the Beijing duck (also known as Peking duck). You can either put it in this English muffin type bread, or wrap it up in a this thing that looks like a tortilla, but it's made out of egg roll wrapping. Oh, and if you're thinking of watching a movie, it's a totally different experience. The ushers there seat you, and you don't have to worry about following along, because most of the movies are subtitled in Enlgish. How awesome is that?!?!? We watched Red Cliff which can be described as Kingdom of Heaven meets Lord of the Rings.

Next up: Japan

The Top 5

2008-03-12T07:32:00.000-07:00

There was an episode of Friends where Ross and Rachel made a top five list of celebrities that it would be okay to hook up with. I constantly have a revolving lists of celebs, but I think I have a pretty solid five so far. I wouldn't go as far as to laminate my list, but I would go as far as to blog about it. The winners are (in no particluar order)...

Vanessa Hudgens

She's pretty cute, and she's half filipina. She's local and from the press that's come out so far, she might want to get nasty.

Jennifer Love Hewitt
She's probably fallen off of a lot of guys' "to-do" list, but I'm keeping her on mine. She's received a lot of heat lately about getting fat. I don't agree, and I'm cool with her getting a little thicker. She has a great rack and a great personality to match. And she's very local. I've actually seen her in Hollywood, and I think she shops at the Best Buy in Burbank.

Rashida Jones

I think seeing Rashida Jones in her corporate yuppie wear from The Office is pretty hot. She played a really great role in the show. Besides the fact that she is also a model/musician, you may not know that she also graduated from Harvard and practices Hinduism. So not only does she play roles that I think are really cool, but she's also a smart hot girl with musical talent that can probably beat me in any debate or discussion, and sing me songs afterwards as a peace offering.

Kim Kardashian

I mean, let's state the obvious. The booty is glorious. Her hooters aren't bad either. I think she's somewhat local as well. She's made the list, strictly for the booty.

For more info, watch the video of her and Ray J.

Ramiel Malubay

This is the American Idol girl from Season 7. She's Filipina, she's cute, and for the time being, she's local. She sings really well, and I'm a fan of her asymmetrical hair. There's been some news that there are photos of her grabbing her friends' boobs. Who hasn't done that?? Anyways, she sings really well, and she's got a body karate.

Spice Girls in L.A.

2007-12-09T22:40:00.000-08:00

I attended one of the last Spice Girls concerts in history. They performed on Dec 7 at the Staples Center in L.A. My cousin was able to procure tickets for this monumental event.

In short, it was everything that I expected it to be. They played all of their greatest hits and even suited up in some of the original costumes from when they were big.

I'll definitely have to say that the Spice Girls' breasts were glorious that night. Actually, they were all in really good shape, and they were looking mighty fine.
I also kind of feel like I've lost that Spice Girls magic. I definitely am not crazed like I was back in high school, but it was good to see that other folks still were. I think Staggs had the best line of the night when she said something along the lines of the girl fans still wearing the same clothes to these concerts as when they were younger, but nowadays they're just a little larger.

Once again, I was very impressed with the turnout of public commuters on the subway. Definitely a good sign for the growing L.A. community.

Word.

I love L.A.! (We love it!)

2007-12-02T23:33:00.000-08:00

I have tickets to 3 Laker games this year -

vs. Orlando - 12/2
vs. Boston - 12/30
vs. Phoenix - 1/17

I wanted to watch five games, and these are three of the five. The other two were San Antonio and Houston.

Tonight me and Staggs took the subway to the game. I think it's great taking public transportation around, especially in a place like Southern California which really lacks a great public transportation system. But it is nice to see that a plethora of people do use the subway, and it makes me feel more urban. It's a lot better than waiting an hour in traffic to get home.

Hooray for public transportation, and good luck to the Lakers that lost tonight.

Sebastian's - The Kitchen Nightmare

2007-11-07T23:59:00.001-08:00

Below is an email I sent to a local blogger that was looking for posts on Sebastian's Restaurant, pre and post Kitchen Nightmares.

I’ve been to Sebastian’s once, before Kitchen Nightmares had debuted. They had great salads to offer and it was really good.

I went to Sebastian’s tonight to join in the celebration of the restaurant being featured on Kitchen Nightmares. I’m a Toluca Lake resident, and am a huge supporter of local businesses. I was surprised that Sebastian’s had available seating for tonight, because it looked really packed inside, and I assumed that they would close off tonight to friends and family. I was both delighted and excited for the night. Unfortunately, the service and food was nothing to be excited or delighted about.

My date and I came in just as Kitchen Nightmares started. We arrived at 8:55pm and we’re seated at approximately 9:05pm. Our order was placed by 9:10 and from there we sat and watched the show from our table. I ordered the lobster and crabmeat ravioli, and my date the Shrimp “Nicky” pizza. By 10:00pm, the show had ended, and the only service we received was one refill on our water. The party to the right of us, was seated approximately 15 minutes after we had been seated. To our left, the party had been seated 5 minutes after them. All of us in parties of two.

In short, both parties received and finished their food before we were even served the complimentary appetizer that we were offered. I’m highly suspicious that the party to our left received the pizza that we had ordered, and the staff was rapidly back-pedaling to catch up. My date and I had set certain exit times if we had not received our food. Our appetizer arrived at 10:24, one minute shy of our walk-out time of 10:25. From there, we set 10:37 to receive our main dishes. The ravioli arrived (warm, on the verge of being cold) and the pizza followed ten minutes later.

All in all, the food was sub-par, the service was miserable and the experience brutal. I was so excited for this revamp, and now I’m left disappointed.

I was such a supporter.

- Mark

New Found Glory - From the Screen to your Stereo Part 2

2007-09-23T20:23:00.000-07:00

I was given the new New Found Glory CD by one of my co-workers. I'm definitely a fan of covers solely for the fact of having the ability to sing along to songs that I already know, to a bands reinterpretation of that song.

Overall, I think this album is all right. Firstly, I am not the biggest fan of New Found Glory covers to start off, but I do enjoy listening to them nonetheless. I feel like a lot of their covers stick to the safe techniques of a pop punk cover. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but they do it with all of their songs which makes the album boring at times.

The three best songs on the album would have to be (in order) -

Stay (Lisa Loeb)
Crazy For You (Madonna)
It Ain't Me Babe (Johnny Cash)

What's great is that Lisa Loeb is actually singing in her own cover. Overall, NFG had a lot of good artists making an appearance on this record - Chris Carrabba and Adam Lazzarra.

It Ain't Me Babe isn't even a great cover, but it's a great song making it very likeable.

Overall, I'm going to give this one a C.

Harry, post mortem

2007-08-16T23:18:00.000-07:00

WARNING! SPOILERS FOR HP7 IN THIS BLOG!

I called it. I called it when Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ended. I said that Harry would have to die to save the world...the world being the wizarding world in this case. But, I did not think that Harry would come back to defeat Voldemort. That was pretty kool.

Second, I knew that Severus Snape was a good guy! Sucks that he died at the end, but he sure was a trooper. I really liked how JK wrote in all of the memories that Snape had, wrapping everything up real nice to end the books.

Third, I called out the fact that there was going to be a huge fight. Pretty much the Death Eaters vs. everyone else. And there sure was. The last battle was pretty long and spanned like 4 chapters or so.

The whole Deathly Hallows integration to the Harry Potter story was excellent. The Horcruxes and the twist at the end was excellent. Dumbledore not being as virtuous as we thought he was was excellent. Hermione and Ron getting together was kind of a given...but the playful flirting during the book gave some comic relief. The fact that so many important characters in the book died, was really excellent.

I could have however, done without the 19 years later. That was ehhh. I'm sure that that was JK's way of giving closure to everything.

I wonder what JK will include in her next book. I heard that it was going to be like a Hogwarts History book...maybe like Hogwarts: A History, by Bathilda Bagwald.

is harry voldemort?

2007-08-07T01:04:00.000-07:00

So I just finished another round of chapters, the latest being Bathilda's secret. And it threw me in for a loop at the end of the chapter when Harry started tripping out after Nagini attacked him.

But, it also someone supports my theory that maybe Harry does things unconsciously. I also think that I might be reading and interpreting the book wrong. But whatever.

More chapters!!!

Is Harry Tyler Durden?

2007-08-05T19:40:00.000-07:00

So I've just completed "The Thief" chapter. It looks like Harry was able to see what Voldemort was doing to Gregorovitch, the wand maker. I did notice though, that when Voldemort was talking to Gregorovitch, he was talking in third person. What if somehow, Harry is the person that is torturing these people? In some way, shape or form, what if he disapparates, and unconsciously does these horrible things to people, only to think that it's Voldemort? Or what if he doesn't even disapparate, he just somehow magically doubles himself so that there is an unconscious Harry and a conscious Harry at the same time. It's very far fetched, but it could be a possibility.

Also, I think that the person that stole whatever Voldemort is trying to get from Gregorovitch was Lockhart. He was the Professor for Defense Against the Dark Arts in Harry's second year. And what if the thing he stole is already a Horcrux, and that's why Voldemort is trying to get it back???

This is the shit

2007-08-05T13:00:00.000-07:00

JK Rowling knows how to end chapters. For reals.

I've swayed from my 2 chapters/day diet, and am up to 4. I can't help it...the end to each chapter makes you read the next one.

Harry Potter reflecting real life

2007-08-03T00:06:00.001-07:00

I just had this crazy theory. It looks like there are a lot of train wrecks lately, especially with female celebrities like Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears, etc. and there are also some pretty bad catastrophes happening like this bridge going down in Minneapolis, and this other bridge collapsing in Northern California.

Now if you remember back in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, the first chapter or two had to do with the "other minister." The book actually took you more into the real/muggle world by introducing the Prime Minister of Britain into the story. And in that chapter, the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, advised that the war in the magical world was bleeding over to the muggle world. Bridges collapsing, typhoons happening, and heavy fog were all reprecussions of the war going on in the wizarding world. In addition, Death Eaters were putting more and more people under the Imperius Curse, having them do things that they would not normally do.

To tie this back to current news...what if there really was a wizarding world? And what if it was really hidden in plain sight? This is going to sound like a stretch, but what if to Muggles like us, Harry Potter was a best selling book written by JK Rowling about a boy wizard and his journies, but in reality, Harry Potter was more like an almanac or documentary of what is really going on in the world, but hidden in plain sight. What if the bridge collapsing in Norcal and Minnesota were consequences of a battle. And what if there are wizards and witches living among us, that are being hunted by Death Eaters. What if Lindsay Lohan's ex-assistant's mom is a public figure in the wizarding world, but Lindsay is under some kind of Imperius Curse that makes her try to harm this lady? The list can go on and on...

Nuts? Probably.

Harry Potter Notes

2007-08-02T00:19:00.000-07:00

I've read up to Chapter 5 on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. This will be a frequent journal documenting my speculations, theories, guesses and whatever else that I can think of. If the first five chapters of this book are an indication of how the rest of the book will turn out, it should be the shit. There has already been a battle and death.

So far, I think that Dumbledore is dead, but I think that he can still communicate with Harry. At the end of book 5, Voldemort was able to possess Harry. I think Dumbledore will be able to do something similar to that whether it is using Harry as a host, or simply communicating with him. Maybe even Sirius can do it too.
Thus far, Snape looks to be on the Death Eaters side. He's attacked the Order and he's already shared vital information to what the Order plans to do. But I think somewhere in the end, he'll eventually be on the side of the Order...maybe at the end when there's a showdown with Voldemort.

Harry has been pretty bad ass so far. And I think Lupin has been too. The whole seven Harry Potter's chapter was intense. I'm limiting myself to 2-3 chapters a day. I want to savor this one.

test

2007-07-12T00:08:00.000-07:00

testes 123, testes
this is a test. and i think it works.
things to include -
too many options
ridiculous number of golf accessories
consumer products shaping the quality of movies
reviews - transformers, harry potter, spider-man, the l.a. lakers