Weekday Update

As of right now, I'm currently in the middle of a packed agenda for today. I just came back from the YMCA in Porter Ranch, courtesy of the 1 week free guest pass, and now I have to drive over the hill to pick up customers at LAX Airport for the rest of this Tuesday. I haven't been into the Y (as they now call it) in 12 years. I went to take advantage of their gym by lifting weights and running on their treadmills, cause I don't want to build up calories by sitting on my ass in a Prius for about 12 hours a day, so I'm only doing this just to keep the body active. The uninteresting part is that I have to stay away from fast food joints and Mulberry Street Pizza for a while and focus on a consuming healthier stuff and drinking lots of water.

I thought that I would take the time to keep this blog relevant and update y'all on some quick things. I have been very busy as usual for the past several days. I just got a new printer/scanner/copier at the new Wal-Mart in Simi Valley, which is across from the Walgreens that I used to do security at 4 years ago when it was being built. I was actually coming from Ventura Country to escape the Valley for a bit and then I chilled at the San Buenaventura State Beach as I was there. Man, I used to go there all the time when I lived in Oxnard back in the Summer of 2006. Before I went to the 805 (Ventura County's area code), I was in Malibu, and then I was planning on taking the Pacific Coast Highway all the way up to Ventura County, but the tires on the Prius were almost and I didn't feel comfortable driving on the PCH in that condition, so I just stayed on the 101 Freeway to get to Ventura. After that on my way back home, I took the 23 Freeway to the 118 Freeway and then that when I decided to cop the printer. It's kinda unusual for Simi Valley to have two Wal-Marts within a 2 mile radius, but to each is their own.

As far as the new printer, I really like it. Its extremely fast in printing Microsoft Word documents and scanning the images is alot clearer than my old printer/scanner. I got it for $60. They had one for about 40 dollars I think, but I wanted a printer with a bit more performance. I could've got that same model for a lower price during Wal-Mart's "Black Friday" sales next week, but I don't feel like staying in a long ass line and risk getting ran over by some mothers who only live off their ex-husband's credit cards once the doors open. Plus, nowadays, the stores now open on Thanksgiving Day instead of the following Friday morning at 6AM. Well, all I can say is that the economy for the past few years has done some interesting shit in corporate businesses. Now that I got a decent printer, my schedule is gonna be more compressed than before.

Here are a few images I photographed from that day..

Stopped at Malibu for a bit while driving on the PCH from Santa Monica.

The Pacific Ocean along with the sunset from San Buenaventura State Beach

An Ansel Adams-ish type image of two women strollin' along the coast

Seagulls just flyin' and chillin' as usual

The HP Deskjet 2542 printer/scanner/copier and some I picked up after coming from Ventura, along with some photopaper (which I got from the Target behind the Wal-Mart) and regular printing paper. 

Some of the images I tested out printing of some friends I photographed.

I also copped a desk lamp from Wal-Mart as well.

Here's a video I took demonstrating the printer by printing out a high resolution image I took of Miley Cyrus at the Bolt red carpet premiere I covered 5 years ago, back when I doing paparazzi work.

Speaking of which, here's another video of I took on the red carpet covering the Bolt world premiere. Damn, already 5 years ago this week. Time fucking flies.

Anyway, like I said, just wanted to give a brief update so far. I still have several photographs I'm working on. Just halfway there finishing up on Allegra Figueroa's's baby shower which I'm currently touching up, then to scan and touch up two birthday parties I photographed this summer, and finally to develop and process my friend's kids Halloween parade photos and a my friend's daughters birthday party I took pictures at. So much work, but it gots to be done. If you're not doing something, do anything. Thanks for your time reading this.

That Was The Same

After this past weekend, Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook is all like: "These fucks bought the same phone... AGAIN!"

Apparently, the new iPhones, the 5s and the 5c models, were released last Friday. Both of them replaced the iPhone 5, which is the current mobile device that I have. I watched the keynote presentation that introduced the devices and to be realistic, there wasn't that much of surprises. 

Most of the features on the phone were already mentioned and leaked out by the Apple rumor sites since the iPhone 5 was introduced a year ago. They were spilling out stuff like Apple is supposedly making a cheap plastic version of the iPhone, which incase is the iPhone 5c. Then they also said other stuff such as the next flagship iPhone is gonna come in gold. I didn't believe that part at first, but apparently, Apple did released a gold version of the iPhone 5s. In other words, about at aleast 80% of the information on the rumor sites are legit nowadays. I remember back when the late Steve Jobs was around and back during my days working at the Apple Store 5 years ago, rumor sites were just rumor sites. At that time, if they did leak something from Apple that was legitimate, then they would have to scrap that design prototye and start on a new one. It mostly coincides with their notebooks and iPods, but with their cell phones, they have to show the actual products months in advance so that the Federal Communications Commission and the government have to approve it before it sells. 

I checked out both iPhones the day after it was released and to me, they were pretty much the same as my current iPhone 5. I think the difference makes more sense if you're into fast graphics First Person Shooting games on the device now that it comes with the new A7 processor, but other than that, its still the same device. The only new feature that got me interested was the ability to shoot slow motion video on the camera app thanks to its ability to shoot video footage in 120 frames per second. That shit was tight. 

The iPhone 5c in person does look like a kids toy, and it also looks like an iPod Touch with a big ass case. I really don't see too many people using the iPhone 5c. I think they should've released that phone to lower end, affordable no-contract providers like Metro PCS or Virgin Mobile, so that it can really distinct itself from the high end, rich-looking iPhone 5s. I think what they also should've done is make the Gold color only exclusive to one cell phone company like AT&T, who were the original providers for the iPhone since day one. Yet, that won't happen cause according to Tim Cook, he and the company wants that device to be accessible and used by more people thank before. In other words, he just wants to kick Samsung's ass alot in sales and numbers now that Samsung is significantly popular and releasing a different device every other week or some shit like that. Finally, the Touch ID feature is very suspect. Imagine being passed out and your girl takes your thumb like a detective and uses it to unlock your phone, just to see all the half naked chicks that you liked on your instagram profile. It can be done. 

Would I purchase the iPhone 5s? Not right now. I'm still cool with my iPhone 5. The only think that fucked up the interest were the predictable leaks and the lack of features on the 5s. I really don't anyone should jump ship from the 5 to the 5s (or the 5c of course). Hell, the 4s is still a good ass phone, but to each it own for those who want to stay on top of technology nowadays. Time to get used to seeing alot of fake looking rich women holding the Gold iPhone 5s as if it were some fashion accessory.

So what else happened this month?

-The Los Angeles Dodgers clinched the National League West to become the division champions. Then they went adult swimming at the swimming pool in Chase Field after defeating division rival Arizona Diamondbacks to clinch the title that day. Why the hell would Chase Field have a swimming pool at a baseball field? For those rich fucks who aren't interested in watching the sport? 

-Miley Cyrus still making headlines by dressing up as a methamphetamine experiment gone wrong from an episode of Breaking Bad during one of her live performances and photoshoots. Her pops seems cool with it, I assume. 

- The video game Grand Theft Auto V released last week, which made a billion dollars just three days after it dropped. Not into video games that much anymore, but I'd rather have that game be launched at the same time as the upcoming Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 to make it more special. Now fools will be delaying homework assignments and date nights in exchange for pretending to hi-jack numerous cars by driving them off the cliffs and rivers. 

-Drake's Nothing Was the Same record came out today. Like the iPhone 5s , that album was leaked weeks before it dropped. I was playing as I typed it, and it was really decent. I liked the progression and creativity of the beats and rhythms more than the lyrics that will be re-quoted more times than the transcript of The Big Lebowski. His crew had opened up a pop up shop on Fairfax last week to promote the album, by giving away free t-shirts. I didn't plan on attending this, but I had to drop off somebody in Hollywood and I thought I check it out just for the hell of it. When I got there at around 3, the time that it was scheduled to be opened, I knew there was gonna be a long line, but NOT A LINE THAT WAS EXTENDED AROUND AN ENTIRE BLOCK.That shit was like camping out for a pair of Supreme Vans down the street or something. Majority of the kids in line came from Fairfax High School across the street. After wasting two hours with the line slowing moving, we were all informed that the t-shirts were sold out. Later on, we also learned that Drake himself made a brief appearance and everyone started going to the back and chasing the black Chevy Suburban that he hopped on with his posse. I didn't see him that day, and like I said, I wasn't planning on seeing him that day. A brilliant marketing publicity stunt pulled off well. 

Anyway, thanks for your time reading this. Enjoy the rest of Autumn. 

Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll in Wonderland

The Disney Channel is a hell of a trip. By the way, who the fuck is that gay looking fool in the background of the Demi picture? Lucky bastard.

Driving that Holiday Road Again

Yes, I saw Christina Aguilera last week in Hollywood getting her star in the Walk of Fame and yes, I randomly got pulled into a VIP section at the Saddle Ranch at Universal Citywalk to party and take photos of a dude who's celebrating his graduation from a Barber College.

Those two were probably the most interesting things that happened to me last week. I was gonna write about all that in detail this past Saturday using the Double space outline, but it didn't look great. So I erased everything that I spent 70 minutes typing and manually separating the lines, along with the photos I was gonna add. But honestly, I don't really like to post photos that much on here, except for only just out-of-the-blue one liners that I made up dealing with that particular day's current events.

Anyway, I finally checked out the Los Angeles Auto Show this past week. There were some positives and some negatives. The positive parts were the females showcasing the new cars being displayed. They looked attractive, as well as some of the whips. One of my favorite cars that were on the showroom was the Nissan Ellure concept sports car and seeing the Lexus LF-A in person for the first time. The also had this custom made fine tuned two door Toyota Camry that was inspired by NASCAR. Another car that they had on display that I liked is the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, which is the FASTEST domestic American sports cars in the world. The engine, which you can see through the small glass on the hood only on the ZR1, is the LS9 Supercharged V8 that goes to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds. That's FUCKIN' QUICK FOR AN AMERICAN CAR!

This is where in the negative comes in. You can sit inside majority of the cars the had at the event, but not cars like the ZR1, along with the Audi R8 and the Nissan GTR. I wanted to sit inside the ZO6 Corvettes instead, but there were too many fuckin' people wanting to take turns. That was the same for the 3.8 Liter Hyundai Genesis Coupe V6 and the 2011 Nissan Maxima, two of my other favorite imports. I mostly sat inside some Infiniti models, the new Acura ZDX crossover SUV, and pretended like I was driving manual on a Honda Civic two-door coupe. They also let people test drive some cars from Fords model line. They had all of the cars they produced, including a 2011 Mustang that was customized with aftermarket rims and other parts.

The test drive part should've fallen on the positive category, but again, too many damn people wanted to drive the Mustang as opposed to the other cars, including the new Ford Taurus SHO, which stands for Super High Output. I only drove two cars, the F-150 and the Taurus SHO. The F-150 felt like driving my mom's Ford Explorer, except that this truck is a bit larger, and it had a lot of options that should've been a comeback of the discontinued Lincoln Mark LT pickup, which was also made by Ford. The Taurus SHO was a very awesome car. The black girl who was instructing the test drive with me inside the sedan made it more awesome, and made the ride more comfortable by driving over 300 horses on the Streets of LA around the Staples Center and the Convention Center. That car is very underestimated, even though Ford discontinued it back in 2006 and brought it back last year as part of the Detroit company's rebuilding process.

When we got back to the Convention Center, the line for the Ford Taurus SHO was LONGER than the line for the Ford Mustang, and I can see why from the test drive I just did.

I didn't stay too long for the entire convention cause I wanted to get back to the Valley before the traffic got ridiculous on the freeways and all the roads. Unfortunately, I spoke WAY too soon. The freeways were getting packed and all the streets and roads were on a gridlock. No surprise here, cause that means the unofficial start of this holiday season which will last until January 2nd, since New Years Day counts as it. Theses photos I took below was when I was on Foothill Blvd coming from my place in Sylmar heading to my pop's house in Granada Hills for Thanksgiving. Later on that night, I went to Nicole's place for a little pre-Thanksgiving housewarming party.

By the way, Thanksgiving went well yesterday. Mostly family business obviously. Spent majority of the time watching movies on Netflix with my cousins. The thing I didn't like that the movies weren't available in High Definition, but the quality is still decent. It was fun though. Plus, I just found out that my pops got Toy Story 3 on DVD the day before. I wanted him to get the OG version on VHS back in 1996, but he only rented it. I remember playing it like 10 times on the weekend that he rented the home video cause I was VERY addicted to that film that time. I had all the toys from Burger King and this one kid at my school had a 1996 Toy Story calendar that had me in amazement. Unfortunately, my parents wouldn't buy it cause that shit was $14.95 plus tax, which is expensive for a calendar. I haven't seen the third one yet, but I'll give it a chance when I get the time since I saw the first two both in theaters on its original release dates in 1995 and 1999. Many people, including some dudes, told me they cried at the end, but to me, that's sounds bullshit.

By the way, fuck Black Friday. That shit is one of the core reasons why that many people don't know the true meaning of the holidays. Hell, there were fools camping outside Wal-Marts for 24 Hours celebrating Thanksgiving out in the damn cold before the store opens. And why the fuck is it opening at midnight? I remember going with my moms to Wal-Mart back in the day around my Junior High School years for black friday. We got there when they opened at 6 AM and escaped the store with EVERY ITEM that was on sale. The crowd wasn't that crazy when we got there. Now when you go there, its like camping out for a pair of limited Air Jordans in 2005 or a meet and greet to see the main cast of The Twilight Saga or some shit like that. Every year, there's at least 10 stores in Southern California that has a news story about some pregnant mother getting into a fight with another pregnant mother or a some old dude getting ran over by crowds and fight breaking out. Yet, the recession is still going on and I think they should have these type of prices everyday instead of the day after Thanksgiving. But again, those greedy white-collar corporate suit bastards want more money, which is what the holidays are now mostly about in certain people's minds. I really don't like talking about this every year, but its very obvious as you look around. If I lived in small town that I've never heard of before, then this whole holiday shopping (I don't like to say Christmas Shopping cause not everyone is Christian) frenzy would be completely foreign to me. Now I have to endure this holiday marketing crap until the first week of January.

One more thing before I forget. This may sound very juvenile, but MILEY IS NO LONGER UNDERAGED!!!! Is that why their parents were splitting up? Now all the single thirsty dudes of all ages will get to sleep very well. Hey, its a fact. I'll let these photos I didn't take make you decide.