Shoot Happens

Yesterday was something else, but I'll get to that shit later. Right now, I'm gonna recap the last two weeks so far.

About two Saturdays ago, I went with my uncle and his family to Fullerton to help him cover a wedding that was taking place at the Howard Johnson Hotel next to the 91 Freeway. At that point, I was just at a wedding for my homies Eric and Jessica's ceremony a few weeks prior to that. I went as a guest instead of a hired wedding photographer, even though I did take a few photos that day. Yet, its been a damn while since I helped out my uncle in his photography business. He was originally going to rent a mini van since his Xterra that we'd always roll in got crushed last year, but there wasn't any available at the car rental places in his area in the Antelope Valley, so we all managed in his wife's Toyota Yaris on the way there.

When we got there, I got kinda disappointed at the scene where the ceremony was taking place outside the hotel. They held it at a small ass patio right next to the swimming pool, which was occupied of kids swimming and some couples making out on the poolside. It was even hard to move around and to try to get some decent photos since it was a small space. Honestly, they could've held the event inside the banquet hall where the reception was about to take place. After the ceremony was the worst part. All the invited guests was getting in the way taking photos of the wedding party with their mobile devices and iPads. Also, we didn't even get to take personal photos of the bride and groom by themselves together. Same thing happened at the reception. Everyone was going nuts trying to get a snapshot of the Newlyweds and part that pissed me off the most was that they were CHARGING FOR DRINKS! What the fuck?! Even for a bottle of water was like 2 or 3 bucks.

I wouldn't call this the worst wedding I've worked at, cause I've seen worse managed ceremonies in the past. I got 80 bucks for it, but I didn't give a fuck. Wasn't really to amused of it even if I was a guest instead.

The next day I went to this place about 5 to 10 minutes from my house called The Vaping Section. Its a vendor shop where they sell vapors, which is tobacco-free Electronic cigarettes that's becoming popular so far this year. Inside, they have a lounge with a mounted flat screen TV where you can chill and "vape" as they say. They held a grand opening and I went there to not to vape and not only cover it, but to finally get to meet Filipina import model Christine Mendoza, who was gonna make an appearance there along with a another model. The Granada Hills Chamber of Commerce was also there to do a ribbon cutting ceremony for The Vaping Section so that it can be "official". I met another photographer there and most of the staff that works there and they'll all young twenty-somethings who look like very close siblings, but they're all chill nice as hell. However, when Christine showed up....

WOW, JUST..... FUCKING DAMN!

I met alot of models in the past few years, but Christine was on another level. Her looks in body in person is fantastic, but her personality and voice is even WAY MORE FANTASTIC. I admit, she's an Angel. The comments she writes on her instagram photos are legit and on point all the time. This was similar to when I met Justene Jaro at my first trip to Primitive three years back, but the only difference between the two events was that I didn't know that Justene was gonna be at Primitive since I only went to see Paul Rodriguez, but I knew that Christine was gonna be there. Damn, she was nice and sweet. I took as many photos as I can of her, which I think every photographer would want to do of course. That was a tight moment right there. Thanks again to Christine Mendoza, The Vaping Section staff, the Granada Hills Chamber of Commerce and photographer Ezekiel Choi for being cool on that day. Here's a photo of my and the sexy Christine Mendoza taken by Ezekiel Choi. I was wearing Primitive Apparel's "Exhale" t-shirt with her on it.

Later on that week, it was mostly working the night shifts, getting pulled over for the first time in 4 years for not making a complete stop and also watching the WorldWide Developers Conference that Apple actually livestreamed for once. Out of all the past WWDC conferences I've seen, this one was quite decent above average. The company is naming their next operating system of OS X after California landmarks instead of the "Big Cats" that they've been doing for the past 11 years, with its next release called "OS X Mavericks". They showed off some new features but I won't get into that until it drops. Then they showed a quick teaser of the new updated and upcoming Mac Pro. That shit is little, way shorter than the current Mac Pro tower. Finally, they got to the new iOS 7 update for the iPhones and iPad (as well as the iPod touch) and this motherfucker got some plastic surgery done. The interface looks COMPLETELY DIFFERENT, kinda like a preschooler's Samsung play tablet or something soft. Might as well have to get used to the new look on my phone once the updates comes in the fall. Hell, iOS 7 even features Siri has an option to speak in a dude's voice. Weird.

Then on the following Sunday, I had to go to my ex-boss's studio in the Burbank Town Center to help take some Father's day family portraits. The last time I was there was back in October of last year. It was steady throughout the day. We had about 10 families that came in to get their photos taken. Got 100 bucks for that day, so it was no big deal. Its fucking crazy how just exactly a year ago I got hired and started to work at my ex-boss's former kiosk at the Topanga mall, which only lasted until Labor day that fall. After that, he calls me occasionally as a back up, but not all the time. I went to the Hooters across the street after work for dinner, but the place was full and the waitresses and servers are fine, unlike the staff at the one in Hollywood that I wet to in the past. But what fucked up the mood of Hooters nowadays, especially when I went to that Burbank location on that day, was that there were several families there. I know its because of Fathers Day, but not to be offensive, people taking their grandmothers and kids there doesn't  make sense. That's just me. After a 2 minutes waiting, I dipped and went to the In-N-Out across the street, and that place was also full. Then I looked at the Baja Fresh right behind there. Its been forever since I ate there, so I walked over there and that place was empty with a few people. There was a family there feasting and one of their kids was shouting offensive comments to a group of foreign women that walked in and the family got the fuck out of Baja Fresh with embarrassment after the women looked at them. That was fucked up, especially on Father's Day.

I'm not a fan of holidays. I mean, I'm cool with my pops and all, but I don't know. Whenever I think of Father's Day, immediately, I start imaging people who never had a father in their lives, or those who've had fathers that walk out later in their lives, or those who's pops have that deadbeat asshole stereotype personality. I guess that's why they let school out before Father's day so that they wouldn't recognize it in the classrooms like they do with Mother's Day in May, cause at least there's 1 or 2 kids in a classroom who don't always see their pops. Or maybe I'm wrong on that estimate. I think everyday should be Mothers Day and Fathers Day, without the Hallmark business bullshit. When I got home that Sunday night, my pops and I had some little dispute, but it wasn't heated or serious. I didn't even get a chance to say Happy Father's Day to him on that day. Its just another day. Again, that's just me. However, I appreciate the real Fathers out there working and grinding their asses off everyday for their families, for reals. I care about my parents and all, and I thank them for everything and I keep them in my mind every second, but I just fucking hate holidays.

Now on to yesterday.

I started out by driving around the West San Fernando Valley. I picked up my first customers from the Macy's at the Topanga Mall and as I got there, Volkswagen was holding a test drive event at the parking lot there. Its been a year since I last did one of those, with the Cadillac XTS at The Grove back last June. After I took care of my customers, I came back at check out the VDubs that they had to try out. I haven't driven a Volkswagen in a while, so it never hurts to experience something different. I first drove the 2013 Volkswagen GTI. I wanted to record the startup of the GTI through Instagram's new video capturing feature that was just released on that day, but that shit confused me for a bit, so I just recorded the startup on my iPhone's  regular video camera. The car is very sporty and quick. Makes me feel like I wasn't driving a Volkswagen at all. They made me go around the Topanga mall,, so it pretty much lasted about less than 4 minutes. I also tried out the new Volkswagen Passat mid-size and went the same route. At the end, they gave me a American Express gift card as a small reward and I went inside the mall to cop some stuff for a while. I even checked out the new American Apparel they had inside, and that place is smaller than the other ones I've been to. I used to wear a grip of American Apparel t-shirts back in 2008 when it was cool at the time. I wanna check out their factory in downtown Los Angeles one of these days since I go past it every now and then.

Later that night, I went to the DLT's to watch game 7 of the NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs. There were a lot of close games through out the series, but in this particular game, the scoring difference was tighter than some bloke's ex-girlfriend in Apple Bottom jeans. It was really addicting. Got me hooked and focus throughout the whole time. I knew Miami was gonna win the finals, but that game looked like they weren't since the Spurs were balling out of control in the American Airlines Arena that night.
At the end the Heat won their second straight title and alot of pissed off fools on Twitter were going angry and upset over Miami's win. Again, I wasn't surprised of the Heat's win and now that 30 something win streak will make the season much more relevant, but regardless, out of all the finals I've seen, including the Lakers finals, this series was what world championship games are supposed to be displayed. I actually enjoyed it for once. Hell, there's even a film coming out next week called The Heat starring Sandra Bullock ad Melissa McCarthy, which has nothing to do with the team. Even those who don't give a fuck about both teams seemed to enjoyed the basketball athleticism throughout the finals. Thanks again to the De La Torre family for inviting me again and thanks to Marlene for the Barbecued Ribs that night.

Finally, as I was watching the NBA Finals post-press conferences, I learned while browsing through my phone that Kim's newborn is named North West. FOR REALS?! NORTH WEST?! No offense, but what kind of hipster-ass Illuminati type name is North West? Seriously, North West? I don't even.... North West though? At least the media is having a good time with this just like LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and the rest of their teammates celebrating and clubbing the previous night after the game. That family is gonna be relevant for the next 18 to 21 years.

Instagram For Video shitting on Vine, Miami Heat's repeat, spending 50 bucks on two pairs of shorts at American Eagle Outfitters, getting paid to drive German vehicles, and North West. One of the strangest and unusual Thursdays I've experienced, all on the official first day of Summer. Thanks for your time reading this. Stay cool this summer.

First Weekend of Summer

Instead of the weekend, I'll just recap the past full week.

I stopped by at Los Angeles Pierce College last Wednesday just for the fuck of it since I had too much time on my hands that day. that's where I took a few classes between 2007-2009 and I haven't stepped inside that school in about a year and a half or two. As I got in, the place looked almost foreign and unrecognizable to me. There were so many changes and construction around the campus and it wasn't like since the last time I was there. The school was empty since the Spring Session just finished. As I walked around, I started recalling so many mad memories during my times here. Few of them were good, yet many of them were not good that I should've improved on. For example, I once got into a heated argument with the school's only photography instructor there. I wanted to transfer some photos I took at the Fiesta Lakers event in 2009 from my SD card to my flash drive on the Mac Pro's there cause I sold my black Macbook a few months prior for cash (it was a rising peak of the recession then) and I didn't have a legit computer at my house that time. He gave me such little time to transfer them and being that those photos were large file sizes to move, the bloke got impatient and then that's when the fireworks went off. Never stepped inside that room after that moment. Other than that, Pierce College looks brand new. The refurbished up to date buildings make me feel old for some weird reason since I'm used to the old style of the campus. Here are some photos I took off the T-Mobile G2.

The old cafeteria used to be there, which is being replaced with this building. I once had a lunch date there with this Russian chick that I kept seeing while riding the Orange Line since I didn't like parking my car at Pierce. The food was alright, but she was on her SideKick III 50% of the time.

My first time seeing this fountain there, AND THERE WAS STEAM COMING OUT FROM THAT SHIT! Major upgrade.

A statue of Pierce College's mascot, the Brahma Bull. Again, this is something new that I've never seen there before.

These stairs are no joke, and it leads up to this...

My favorite spot of the whole entire campus. A scenic view area to see 3/4 of the San Fernando Valley, next to the performing arts building where I took an Acting course there once just for extra units. Unfortunately, they closed it off due to ANOTHER CONSTRUCTION PROJECT. WOW. I used to invite females up here several times in between classes or whenever a class was cancelled.

After seeing all the changes there, I walked over to the Westfield Promenade to try on a couple of Levis 501s at the Macy's there, then chilled at the Barnes and Noble there and read this one book which has OG photographs of some youth and young adults skateboarding in Southern California back in the mid to late 1970s. Very similar to Lords of Dogtown and most of the kids featured on the skatebords had long natural (yes, natural) blonde hair and rockin' a pair of old school Vans which also fits the vintage California lifestyle. Then I walked to the Westfield Topanga Mall up on Owensmouth Avenue and just walked around the mall like usual. Nothing special happening there that day, other than seeing the Sony Style there being closed down. One of only stores that I like checking out at the Topanga Mall has always been the Sony Style, and most of the items there are not being displayed. I saw employees inside just cleaning up the store inside. Damn, now I have to go all the way to the Sony Style at the Beverly Center or the one at the Americana at Brand in Glendale.

On Thursday, I witnessed (pun intended, I guess) the Miami Heat winning their second World Championship by defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5 of the NBA, and Lebron James getting his first title that shuts the whole world up. Everyone was upset that he won a ring, saying that it the playoffs was an inside job for him or shit like that. The best part in my case is that I no longer have to hear those "Lebron will never have a championship ring" jokes anymore. They were amusing for five minutes but then got quickly dried out after that. What I didn't like was that Mike Miller of the Miami Heat didn't get the Finals MVP, which Lebron James received, since he hustled his ass on the floor by dropping Ray Allen-type 3 point field goals. I said the same thing about Ron Artest when he made that one desperation 3 pointer towards the end of Game 7 two years ago to give the Lakers the advantage to win the series, yet they gave it to Kobe Bryant instead. Thy have to let the non-big names receive the MVP for once in my opinion. Other than that, regardless if the NBA is worked or scripted from assumption which I doubt, congrats to Miami and especially to the Thunder for displaying their talent and performance despite them not winning. By the way, I kinda dislike Commissioner David Stern. Hell, one of the first two acts he did as becoming commissioner was announcing Michael Jordan's name in the 1984 draft and fining him 5'Gs for rocking his original Black/Red Air Jordan 1s as it violated the dress code then cause of the shoes colors.


Speaking of Air Jordans, I finally copped the White Cement IV's the next day. I 've already told the story about these shoes several times on my previous posts back in February. Drove all the way to Flight Club LA straight from work via 405 Freeway southbound Mulholland Drive, Laurel Canyon Boulevard, Santa Monica Boulevard and Fairfax Ave just to get these since I got paid very nice that day. Reason why is that they were doing construction on the Wilshire Blvd off ramps which I usually take to go to West Hollywood from the 405 freeway. Surprisingly they had parking available on Fairfax Avenue that day since its always hard to find. Was about to get the Size 13 but that shit was $400. Fortunately, they had a size 12 which was a $50 difference less that turned out to become $350, and plus they fit more comfortably than the Size 13. After I got the sneakers, I then walked over to Diamond Supply Co. down Fairfax to purchase one of the t-shirts there. Last time I bought a shirt there at Diamond Supply a year ago, the workers there acted bored and uninterested as if they didn't drink coffee or something. This time they were showing kind courtesy and displaying excellent customer service as I asked for the size of the shirt I wanted. I was about to stop by the Beverly Center, but I decided to rush back home to the Valley. Took Coldwater Canyon instead of Sepulveda Blvd to avoid the wekend traffic there, as well as the effect from the demolition of the Wilshire Blvd offramps. Stopped at Best Buy to purchase two blu-rays, which I kept one of them now cause the other wasn't working on my pops Blu-Ray player due to firmware issues.

By far the shoe of the year for 2012. Celebrities, models and rappers were rocking these all over the place since February, more than the Air Yeezy IIs and the South Beach Lebron IX's. Fuck, even Neil Patrick Harris from How I Met Your Mother was sporting the OG's back in 1989 from his Doogie Howser M.D. days.

Here's a video I took talking about the IVs and everything else. 

Fucking glad I finally got them. 

Next day on Saturday, I went down to Hollywood to meet up with Gianna Michaels (yes, the adult star) at some novelty store on Hollywood Blvd. There were two other stars there that I've never heard of before, but I wasn't concerned about them. Before that, I stopped by Amoeba Records on the other side to see if I can sell the Moneyball Blu-Ray that I bout the day before, which was the Blu-Ray that I had issues with. I picked Amoeba over Best Buy, not only because I was close to where I need to go, but Its also because I misplaced the receipt. I REALLY didn't want to sell this movie, but the screen on the TV was black for 10 minutes after I pressed play. So I gave it to him and got $3 in return. Yeah, I know, that was totally bullshit but I didn't want to give it away for free. Then later I met up with Gianna, and took only three photos of her... with her clothes on obviously. That meeting went by really short and fast but then again, the San Fernando Valley where I grew up my whole life is know for people like her.

I then later jetted on over to The Grove to test drive the new Cadillac XTS sedan they had there. All I can say is that the car is really nice. Just another luxury car to me, only with some interesting tech. First of all, the gauges are digitized like the Lexus LF-A gauges. Second, they have what its called the Cadillac CUE where the touch navigation screen has a menu display featuring icons similar to an iPad. I kinda think General Motors over did it with that feature on the XTS. There are even other automobile manufacturers that have their navigation  systems in which you can check your Facebook updates on it. WHAT?!?! Major plus for the insurance companies I guess, unless if there's weekend traffic and nobody on the freeway is moving that causes the driver for nothing to do other than to... check his or her Facebook status. Man, do I really hate that site, but I bitched about it on my previous posts several times admist the recent events that the company went through (instagram acquisition, Facebook's initial public offering, Mark Zuckerburg's marriage to Priscilla Chan) since I last posted here back in March. And I'm about to approach my  five year anniversary this Sunday of joining that site back on July 1, 2007. Time fucking flies. By the way, here's a video I took of the startup for the XTS, where it shows the digital gauges. 

So afterwards, I finished driving around Fairfax in the new XTS, which feels like driving a CTS mixed with the Ford Taurus SHO that I drove at the LA Auto Show two years ago, and then the staff at The Grove gave me a $10 AMEX gift card just for driving it. I remember when I got a $25 AMEX gift card for driving a 2010 Kia Serento when it came out back in March 2010. Stayed at the Barnes and Noble there and read another photography book there, only this time it featured epic portraits of A-list celebrities for a photographer named Michael Thompson (not the Showtime Laker from the late 80's, only which it was spelled Mychal Thompson). His work is actually great. Got some motivation from reading the entire book. Went back to the Valley to eat at The Habit in Encino, but I stopped by Primitive first to talk with their awesome staff there. Shoutout to the homegirls Ashley and Irene over there. Feasted at The Habit by using the AMEX card and then headed straight to my pops house to rest. 

FInally on Sunday, I did some typical sprucing up around the house and then for the rest of the day played most of my vinyl collection of out of print, hard to find 80's albums (not bragging because its true). I then later walked to O'Melveny park in Granada Hills to meet up with my Aftergloam family there since their member Elvis gave out an open invitation for anyone to come and hang out. Its been months since I was last with them, but we made use of a good time by playing soccer and ultimate Frisbee simultaneousley. Then I listened to some amusing stories that they were telling and then we all went home two hours later. 

What a great way to start of summer. Couldn't ask for anything more better that weekend. Oh and don't forget to find me on instagram.I didn't mention it on her since it on Android came out while I was on hiatus from updating this blogsite. My username is: justforsneaks07. I'll leave a few comments on your photos once you start following me on there. Thanks for your time reading.