Surprise Parties

No offense, there were a lot birthdays this past three day weekend. But just wait till March starts to roll around cause its gonna be massive. Mines is on the 5th that month and only if the damn leap year never took place, then the Heat visiting the Lakers could've been played on my 24th birthday instead on the 4th of March.

And a big shoutout to the homegirl Evelyn Valencia, who I used to sit next to in homeroom back in middle school, for not only her birthday next Monday, but for a very successful delivery as she gives birth to her second child.

Probably the only notable moment this weekend was the NFC Divisional playoff game between San Francisco and New Orleans, who both used to be in the same division before the realignment 10 years ago (damn, its been that long already?). One of the most wildest, zaniest, playoff games I've watched in forever. That shit was like playing chess with ping-pong paddles. The memorable part was when Vernon Davis made that touchdown reception at the final seconds, and many people are referring to it as "The Catch III". The first two "catches" were also done by the 49ers in the playoffs in 1982 and 1998. Very great upsetting game. Didn't think the Saints would lose to San Francisco, yet the Niners didn't lose that many games.

I'm gonna be going out of state for the first time in 6 to 7 years on some business, not a vacation, with two other photographers. I'll be departing on Thursday and return on either on Saturday or Sunday. Just what I totally need, a break from this broke ass gorgeous state and from reading comments by thirsty dudes who would raid some random hot girl that tries so hard to get attention on Facebook and other sites. Thanks for your time reading.

Twenty-Five Questions of Life

You know what, fuck the weekend recap. The first weekend of 2012 was basic typical mediocre shit except witnessing Tim Tebow's epic mindblowing performance with my pops in the NFL's first ever postseason overtime that lasted 11 seconds.

But its been a damn awile since I posted something else on here. I was browsing my homeboy Jeremy's tumblr page (http://pinoykid13.tumblr.com/ and happy early 22nd birthday) and I happened to see a list of 25 unanswered questions that was one of the posts on his profile. I remember when that shit would be on every conceded chick's Myspace every week back in the day and it died out since Facebook took over the rat races. With some time to spare, I decided to have some fun with it. Expecting over-exaggeration on these 25 questions? Hell yes.

1: Apart from tumblr, what do you like to do in your spare time? Answering these questions and Photography. I got rid of my Tumblr after using it for a month and a half

2: Name a favorite of each: food, drink, color. Pizza, Pink Lemonade, Black

3: If you married rich and your spouse gave you $100,000 a week, what would you spend it on? That will never happen, but if it did... Then a fully loaded 2013 Nissan GTR for me one week with a title the first week and I'll let the CHP speed chase me until they reach the California state boundaries , pay off her college tutition in $50 bills and at least 50% of (not off) everything at Tiffany and Co.'s catalog or whatever Kim Kardashian wears for her the next week so that she can't stop smiling, a Canon 1DS Mark IV and a Nikon D4 both with a 24-70mm 2.8mm lens (along with the CRAZIEST telephoto lens available) and a studio with strobes plus a $10,000 bonus each for my 5 of my many homeboys to start their own photography/filmaking business the other week, every size 13 Nike SB Dunks and some Air Jordan Retros at Flight Club LA and Flight Club in New York the following week and invest at a home in Beverly Glen on Mulholland Drive and only fly First Class at Virgin America, Virgin Nigeria and Virgin Atlantic until another recession starts. Oh and I'll buy out the front courtside seats from the bitch-ass talent agents for Lakers games at the Staples Center so that the Laker Girls can rest their fine asses on those seasts instead of floor and I'll make it rain at the Spearmint Rhino or Deja Vu until a stripper gets a paper cut from one of the Hundred Dollar Bills.

4: Name a favorite of each: book, movie, tv show. Book: If I Did It (OJ Simspon's book that was never out to the public,but I read a leaked version) Movie: The Big Lebowski or the Back To the Future trilogy. TV Show: NFL Sunday Ticket

5: If you were given the opportunity to spend 48 hours with absolutely anyone (living or dead), who would you spend it with and what would you do? Every girl that I hitted on since the Fourth Grade, 3 hours per girl

6: Name a LEAST favorite of each: food, drink, color. See number 2

7: What do you spend most of your money on? Junk food, 35mm film, and Pepsi at Lee's 4 Cocktails

8: What kind of underwear do you prefer wearing? Boxers

9: Name a LEAST favorite of each: book, movie, tv show. Anything that's NOT listed on number 4

10: If you were sat on a plane beside your favorite celebrity, what would you do? I'll show him or her the photo that I took of them at Roberson Blvd, Beverly Hills or The Grove back in 2008

11: What is the strangest thing you have in your room? (You are not allowed to explain why you own it.) Recessed lights. Not everybody has it

12: What is a weird habit you have, or people have told you have. (Weird, not bad. No nail biting or any of that nonsense.) Doing a photoshoot with somebody else's iPhone 4S with instagram filters(haven't tried it yet)

13: What would you consider to be the biggest insult to yourself? Walking out of my pops church during the offering collection cause my checks didn't come that week

14: What are five things you absolutely have to have in your dream house? a woman who cooks, a woman who doesn't cook, a third woman in case the other two doesn't work out, a 4G LTE network inside a home, and a heated toilet seat

15: If you could be reincarnated as any animal, which would you chose and why? A human so that I can see watch what I eat this time

16: Which band (current or past) would you want to go on tour* with? (*Travel with, not preform with.) Aftergloam, The Orange Rev and Darger De Milo (my friends bands)

17: Name a favorite of each: band, album, song. Its a long list. Trust me.

18: Why is your favorite band your favorite? Cause its my favorite

19: How many concerts have you attended? Which was your favorite? Least favorite? If none, who do you want to see live the most? Does me attending the 2011 MTV Video Music Award's count?

20: What is one of your favorite song lyrics? (Who is it by?) "I think I'm Big Meech..." Rick Ross

21: Who do you ship? Ground shipping. UPS is expensive

22: What band merch do you own? If any, whose is it and when did you get it? If none, whose do you wish you owned? I once had Billy Idol's "In the Devil's Playground" CD autographed by him at the OG Tower Records on Sunset back in March 2005, but I sold it at Amoeba Records for 5 bucks.

23: How did you learn of the band that is currently your favorite? By the words of their mouth

24: What celebrity do you idolize the most? Used to be Ted Turner until he sold out Time Warner.

25: Which member from which band would you most want to lather in nutella? Which one again?

2011 Year in Review: Final Thoughts and first post of 2012

Oh God, what a year.

Alot can be said about 2011. There were many events and moments that I experienced which I would never see myself in. That's pretty obvious every year, but this is totally special and personal though. Last year was first full year that I had not had a vehicle under my name and to operate for the first time since 2005 and it was the first full year of living out of my parent's house. Signs of Independence as an adult.

It was also a year that I went to more parties and gathering events than any other year. I thought 2008 was the most that I went out, but thanks to my good friend Nicole Stetter, my relationships to establishing new friendships and expanding a mutual clientele has gotten greater, and it made a great role in my photography business. The more people I met, the more larger the networking got. One of the major examples was working with The Hear Gallery, which is a small group that curates art shows and books small local bands to different joints, bars, and venues in Los Angeles from the Airliner on Broadway to The Dragonfly on Sunset and the flagship venue, The Five Star Bar, on Third and Main. I had a fantastic time covering alot of the shows and getting to meet the people that were attending and to listen to some interesting tunes. Going to those shows just displays how a craft in music is performed in different rhythms from various diversities of the groups.

Out of all of them, Santoros is one of the best bands I ever seen perform. They are a Spanish twenty-something group from LA, and their music, to me, sounds like as if you were in a beach in Baja California or Ventura partying in a bon fire with a lot of palm trees and surfing at night. That's probably the best way I can describe it, but its really great. They're fan base is HUGE, for a local group. For example, they did a show at Nicole's house during the summer along with some other bands, including Darger De Milo, and her backyard was full with some of their fans. They rarely do shows in The Valley, and most of the fans who watch come from the outskirts of Los Angeles, to as far as Downey. It took me almost 10 minutes to get through the backyard that night. But despite leaving The Hear Gallery in May, I received a lot of experience from being with them, from the meetings at Frank Venadas' crib to being the very last ones to leave the venues in the middle of the night. I enjoyed it. Big thanks to Frank, Corina, Nadari, Art, Joshua, Shane, Uriel Jimenez and everyone else within The Hear Gallery. Wish y'all nothing but the best in the future.

Now I'll just recap the entire 2011 in just some one liners:

-Attended two of MTV's major awards shows

-stood next to Adriana Lima and Candace Swanepoel at The Grove, and got to witness Miranda Kerr in person

-Reunited with some people that I haven't seen since high school (thank you Cyndi for inviting me to your birthday and Danielle for letting me take engagement photos of you and Perry)

- met Andrew Bernstein, the legendary Lakers/NBA sports photographer responsible for your basketball cards from back in the day

-copped my first top the line Android smartphone

-drove alot of expensive whips, such as the new BMW X3, 2011 Mercedes-Benz GLK-350, every new 2012 Cadillac you can think of (except the V-series cars), 2012 Mercedes E Class coupe, Lexus RX 350 (which sucked), 2012 Chevrolet Camaro SS Transformer edition, Hyundai Genesis 5.o R-spec (one of the fastest cars I've ever driven), Hyundai Eqqus and a copule of Buicks, Fords and GMC trucks.

-went to the infamous SupperClub in Hollywood for the VMA afterparty and it was just too much

-covered a birthday party at the Ritz Carlton in Dana Point, Laguna Niguel. Totally upscale as upscale can get.

- I never said this, but I briefly appeared in a episode of America's Next Top Model which took place at The Roosevelt hotel. Not a fan of the show and have never watched one episode of it, just went to see the said models wearing bikinis in bathtubs. For those curious, it was episode 7 of the recent season

- Nicole Stetter's wild backyard party during the summer like I mentioned earlier.

-the number of baby showers I covered. Shoutout to my old friends Alberto Mujica, Beatriz Mujica, Marissa Mendoza, Gabriel Sanchez, Yvonne and Nestor for their new blessings. Also, shoutout to Kristy Giannino for her new daughter, despite missing your shower.

-The Hear Gallery's bands performing at Cheetahs gentlemen's club in Hollywood. 'Nuff said.

-Primitive's three year anniversary. Thanks again to Desiree, Alexis, Andy, Paul, Harry, Ashley, Erich and Erich Jr., Roxanne and Dawn for a dope summer Saturday afternoon in Encino.

- the 18 mile bike ride halfway through the Valley with my two homegirls Christina and Cecilia.

-my cousin Ikenna's graduation from Loyola High School. They shut down a portion of Venice Blvd just for the commencement ceremony.

-volunteering at Providence Tarzana Medical Center for 24 of the 27 Wednesdays last year. The food they had at the cafeteria was legit.

-launched a Tumblr profile that lasted only a month and a half. Got tired of it, but I might bring it back.

-shook Tommy LaSorda's hand with the 1981 World Series trophy next to him and received an accidental beer bath during the only game I attended that season. Got complimentary Dodger Dogs for that.

- I finally saw Erin Andrews and Sasha Singleton in the flesh.

-my 23rd birthday party in Burbank. Fucking epic.

-going to NBA All Star weekend in Los Angeles and taking a dope ass picture of Dwayne Wade. Wow.

- getting thrown in the swimming pool in my 50 Nike basketball shorts during the Fourth of July pool party at the homegirl Borrah Jackson's crib. Shoutout to Gerson and the Bootleg League.

-Occupy LA in downtown city hall. Surreal shit.

There were alot of other crazy tight stuff that I did, but those were just some of the majority of the notable ones. It was a bad year and a good year at the same time. Still bummed out that Steve Jobs is gone and that the job market hasn't improved sightly. It was also the second straight year that I didn't buy a pair of sneakers, cause the retail price for Air Jordans has shot up by 25%. Even though the sneaker game wasn't what it was when I got started in it 7 years ago, there are still some kicks that I've been going after. I couldn't believe that the Lakers got swept in the second round of the playoffs. They didn't win at least one game against Dallas. And all the wild surprising marriages and divorces, both celebrity and non-celebrity, makes the whole martial process look like a play thing.

As far as my New Years weekend, it was fun. I almost was gonna have a lame New Years Eve until I swung by my homegirls Amber and Carisa's place later that night. We dipped over to Lee's 4 Coctails and man, it was a scene there. The only thing that was worse was the DJ there that night, and he wasn't even a real DJ, just a dude who was conducting a sing-a-long on his synthesizer. They had the countdown on all the TV's and its a wonder to see Dick Clark still doing his thing every beginning of the year, which is why he's known as the "world's oldest teenager". On New Years Day, I did a photosession with my good friend Molly, who came here to the Valley during the holidays. We did the photoshoot starting at a scenic view on Mulholland Drive, the Santa Monica Place, The Santa Monica Pier, Pacific Park and the Santa Monica State Beach. Again that day was awesome, and I think I was the first photographer to do the very first photoshoot of 2012, way before all the other professional photographers did (except for the Sports Illustrated: Swimsuit Issue since their session are usually done in the fall). I'm gonna try to edit the photos using LightRoom 3 again.

Well, like I always say every year: just make the new year great, don't let it be great cause it may not turn out how you wanted it to be at the end. Thanks for your time reading this and have fun this year, lots of it.

Kickin' and Screamin'

Christmas weekend was decent. But the part about getting into a heated argument with my little brother after church and hitting on a semi-attractive woman 22 years older than me in Spanglish wasnt.

I spent those two days of it at two of my friend's house. I didn't receive alot of stuff this year other than a $75 Macy's gift card and a $50 check from my pops, but I liked watching my friends, their kids and nephews and nieces getting excited and watching their reaction as they unwrapped the presents they got. I also watched two films on TV during that weekend at their place: Horrible Bosses on DVD and A Game of Honor on my homie's Showtime On Demand. When Horrible Bosses came out during the summer, I thought that it was gonna be a piece of shit film with forced played out jokes and light bland acting. Plus I didn't like the concept of it as it came out during a time when people didn't have a job with bosses to bitch about, and those fortunate with jobs can't bitch about their bosses on their Facebook status. That was all before I watched this movie. After it finished playing, my opinion was different cause that entire film was funny as hell.

They should've made Jennifer Aniston a cameo in this flick and her acting in the movie is different as a minor cast member instead of taking lead roles as in other film. The plot of Horrible Bosses is slightly similar to Office Space, another earlier film that Aniston was also in, which relates to those fed up with their everyday jobs and the managers that signs their checks.

A Game of Honor is a documentary about the behind the scenes leading up to the annual traditional Navy-Army college football game that was played earlier this month (the same game that my homegirl Tina and I watched at Yardhouse in Newport Beach which I last blogged about). Its amazing and mind-thumping to see the new students at the US Naval Academy having to go through the intense disciplinary lifestyle and saying goodbye to their parents during the orientation. I got re-fueled alot more about responsibilities and respect from watching that documentary, from having to go defend and represent your country after finishing the requirements at the academy, as well as doing what it all takes to win a football game with your team members and showing your respect to those who gave you what you have from having to pull a lot of work and sacrifice just to put you were you're at in a fortunate position, just like the troops and soldiers have done for the past 225 years . If you're into the Armed Forces or know anyone who's served in the military and likes football, then this is a excellent film to check out. Major super props to the those in the Air Force, Marines, Army, Navy and the Coast Guard for doing so much work. I've been to military bases at Port Hueneme in Oxnard, El Segundo, Las Vegas, Sacramento and San Diego and just watching those in uniform had me thinking all the time, in a way similar to being in the same room with a traditional elder who's been alive for over so many years (at least 85) and still has perfect health. That's something you can't argue or debate about. Its untouchable. Forget money or politics in this, those are people just making lives better, and they're set for life for doing that. Again, thanks to those using their time in the military bases and the De La Torre's and Galvez's for the hospitality not just during the holiday weekend, but this entire year as well.

Another thing that was been happening throughout the holiday weekend was the release of the Air Jordan XI Concords colorway. In the last post I said that the release for this sneaker was gonna be wild with fights breaking out, AND I WAS TOTALLY RIGHT. Many people who've never collected expensive Nikes as a passion were surprised to see this occuring just for a basketball show, yet they fail to realize the whole meaning behind this shoe, not just because Michael Jordan wore it to win his fourth ring. It was the first (well second after the rare Nike Sky Force thanks to legendary east coast sneaker connoisseur DJ Bobbito Garcia from Its The Shoes) to have Patent Leather on a basketball shoe as well as carbon fiber on the bottom which has never been done before. Also, this was the first Jordan sneaker that Michael wore for his first full season in 1995 back from his first retirement. Ahmad Rashad debuted the XI's by wearing them during the Bulls playoff game against the Orlando Magic that summer before the Bulls 72-10 season on National television, which started the longevity buzz for the shoes, and in the finals during the 1995-96 season, the Chicago Bulls won their fourth title on Fathers Day that June, and it was significant for Michael cause this was the first championship that he won without his pops James Jordan to witness it, and there's a photo of him on the floor in the locker room that displays that moment. The XI's are Michael's personal favorite shoes, which makes it the most sought out Jordans of all time. That release from last Friday was nothing new. Everytime the XI's have been released (such as the Cool Grey XI from last year and 2001 when Jordan was in the Washington Wizards, the Space Jams XI re-release in 2009), there is always reports of chaos and fights in the shopping malls, but the Concords XI was another backlash.

The whole damn news media was in this all over the world. I knew that there was gonna be some shit that was gonna happen, but NOT LIKE THIS! Damn, there were fools who hid inside the malls just to get this shoe, with lines formed with over a THOUSAND PEOPLE, and I'm surprised many of them have the cash to get those sneakers, yet they complain and whine about fuel prices and not obtaining a job? Shut the fuck up man. And I'm saying to those who buy the shoes just cause its hot and everybody else will wear them with no knowledge of the origins of the shoe, or Air Jordans in general. What made this shit go to another universe was that some kid lost his life for those Concords and that's where the negativity come in. Yes, they were being sold for $180 which is a lot. As a sneaker enthusiast, I'm not surprised about the price. Its all about supply and demand. The hottest shoe plus greater interest in them from the consumer generates unimaginable profits for Nike, Brand Jordan and the resellers. Now because of this mess, Jordan Brand is being viewed by non-sneaker enthusiasts as "a company that creates expensive basketball shoes that people will die for", literally. There were lines EVERYWHERE, which shows just how serious the Air Jordan XI Concords. I didn't intend on getting a pair since I paid majority of my emergency savings to help pay for my little brother's rental car but, shoutout to the people who got them and have been planning on copping those XI's for the past year. To those who've never worn or owned a pair of Air Jordans such as those not earning income or the newsmedia, talk about something else and quit expanding the negativity for the Concords. They're just shoes, and don't be surprised if the same shit happens when the Columbia XI's get released next year, the shoes that Jordan wore at the 1996 All Star Game in San Antonio that year.

Well, all this talk about the Jordan XI's bring me back to my days of smelling a brand new pair of fresh Nikes. That's pretty much the main reason why my photography business name is JustForSneaks Ent. I created it during the summer of 2006 when I was creating a screen name for my account on NikeTalk, an underground sneaker forum. The JustForSneaks Ent. name (originally JustForSneaks07) came from a DVD that came out around the time of my high school graduation called Just For Kicks, which is a documentary about the sneaker culture and the history behind it and how popular it became over the years. I took that name and switch the word "Kicks" with "Sneaks" as a synonym. The 07 was for the following year 2007 and the Ent. part of the name is short for either Entertainment or Enterprises, or both, two of my core focuses. During that time was when it was fun and awesome to buy shoes and to get reactions from them by other people. I once got a remark from my 12th grade Goverment teacher when I wore my Zoom Kobe 1's to class, and he said this during class. Great feeling. Now I hardly buy sneakers, and I haven't got a pair in two years. But then again, the recession and the price hike of Air Jordans overshadow the reason.

I've always been into shoes for a long time. Started out with a new pair of Payless shoes twice a year in elementary, then Adidas and Converse from 8th grade to the middle of 11th grade. I never liked Nikes during the 90's until I saw Michael J. Fox rock the OG 1985 Nike Bruins with the red swoosh and of course the Air Mags in the Back to the Future trilogy. I though I was shit out of luck when I realize that Nike stopped making those since they came out of in the 80's but I saw that the Nike Dunk and Air Force 1's has been brought back for people to wear again during high school, and they were similar to the Bruins since they were also from the 80's and have a big ass swoosh on it. When I saw the price for them at Foot Connection next to the Red Robin at Northridge Fashion Center in 2002, I was upset and of course my parents wouldn't copped them for me since my allowance game was weak as hell. I got my very first pair of Nikes in March 2005 for my 17th birthday, which were the Nike Franchise Low. This is what it looks like...

Unfortunately, this was the only photo I have wearing them when I was in 11th Grade. I was shooting a short film at the Kennedy High school track field with the Canon ZR80 DV camera during my filmmaking days back in June 2005 during the last week of school. My friends and I spent the entire last day of school editing it. By the way, the blue Fruit of The Loom Shirt and Puritan Khakis were both less than $15 from Wal-Mart, plus the shoes which were $35 from the JCPenney at the Fox Hills Mall my aunt got for me totals to $50. I bought a pair of Air Jordan basketball shorts for $50 in 2007 once.

I'll probably make a separate blog about all the shoes that I've gotten and give you a history about them. I don't know when that will happen but probably after I buy my next pair of shoes, which is either the Zoom Kobe VII's or the Air Jordan White/Cement IV's that they're bringing back, which ever is first. The next post will give my final thoughts of 2011 and a recap of this past year, which I'll have up by the end of by tomorrow or on New Years Day this Sunday. Thanks alot for reading alot of this.

Soirees, Scrimmages and Scrooges

Haven't been on this shit in two weeks, so lets get on with the recap since then.

So two Fridays ago I had to go to a clinic in Hollywood for a regular basic checkup in the morning. I didn't feel like being there, but since the staff was really short with only one physician with a Ph.D and a grip of patients, I decided just to go and let the bloke get his job done instead of postponing it or flake out of it. Then later on, shit got really off-beat. Just after the doctor examined me which lasted less than two minutes, one of nurses said that there's a shooting outside on Vine Street and that we can't step out. The nurse had a very thick Filipino accent and I thought that she meant that there was a film production outside the clinic since the building is a block from Sunset and Vine, just walking distance from the Arclight Parking lot and the McDonald's in front of it on Vine and De Longpre Avenue (the clinic is on De Longpre). But instead, what she meant was that there was an ACTUAL shooting, WITH GUNS. I couldn't fucking believe it. I mean, what kind of demented maniac goes off on Hollywood and starts blasting in broad daylight. Didn't he learn anything from the North Hollywood shooting at the Bank of America on Laurel Canyon Blvd 14 years ago? (I was in third grade that time in school at Colfax Elementary, which is also in North Hollywood, but two to three miles south the Valley Village neighborhood)

We then were stuck in the clinic for two hours. I was playing just about every game that I let my friend's kids and nephews download off the Android market on my phone last month during Thanksgiving, until I got tired of it. Later on, I was then told that I could leave and when I stepped outside, I was like "Damn this can't be unreal". The cops shutdown De LongPre, Sunset and Vine so that they could do their investigation on the bloke who went wild on the street. It was weird cause I didn't hear any gunshots, and the clinic was close to the scene. Maybe the wall at the doctor's office were soundproof or something. I recorded the streets that were blocked off on video with my phone. The intersection of Sunset and Vine was empty with the exception of the news vans and the LAPD. I saw a journalist from KNBC channel 4 getting ready to broadcast the story and I took like two pictures of her on my phone, cause she looked hot. Plus those at the LA Film School and the staff at Amoeba Records couldn't go anywhere for a while. I took the subway instead of driving back to the Valley.

The next day, I read that they were gonna open a flagship New Era Store at the old Bathing Ape shop on Melrose on Saturday Morning, and that the first customers receive a free custom made fitted or snapback with the words "Los Angeles" embroidered on it. I used to be into fitteds from 2006-2008 and I haven't bought any since then thanks to the great recession. Would've gone and waited outside the store from 5 to 10AM to be one of the first customers, but instead I went to another store opening in the O.C. with a friend of mine. I had to go with her cause first of all, it was a year of us knowing each other. Nothing too serious or spacious. Just good friends since I first ran into her at the Kardashian Konfidental book release in Century City exactly one year ago. I've done this many times before with a lot of other female friends. And secondly, the store was at Fashion Island in Newport Beach. I driven past this mall three times this year and I've never been inside it before. Plus, I've heard a couple of myths about that place such as 50 something women who look half their age and that you can occasionally run into Kobe's wife there since she lives in Newport (I'll get into more of her later).

After 15 minutes of looking for parking, we went to the store where the opening was gonna take place. The place is called Casey's Cupcakes and Cappuccino's and its ran by this residental affluent hot chick named Casey Reinhardt. They had a ribbon cutting ceremony and unlike other ribbon cutting ceremonies that I've been to in the past, this one didn't have any excessive media press, just one photographer that they hired, which isn't me despite the fact that I did bring my Nikon N70 SLR with me. I took some shots of Casey and one with her as my friend went to go try out her cupcakes. It wasn't as big as I though it was since Casey appeared on TV. They're were about 25 women that showed up who looked like they want to spend the rest of their lives as rich single moms, and some of them brought their daughters to the event.

The mall is nice. Wasn't as I though it was gonna be, but the structure of place itself wasn't something that's new to me. Fashion Island is a lot like the Simi Valley Town Center mixed with Westfield Century City and parts of the Valencia Town Center after its expansion. I would've also thrown The Grove into the mix, but the buildings aren't that tall. The other thing about that mall is that its close by to the beach, so you can watch the sun set off to the coast from the mall. Its very cool. They were also constructing a movie theater, which is already opened right now, and after doing some research on it, the name of the theater is called Island Cinema and inside there's a five star like restaurant that you can go to before your film starts, and they serve Wine and Beer! So you can be a rich yuppie couple getting intoxicated before watching one of Steven Speilberg's two films that are out during the Holiday season, which are Warhorse and TinTin ( the OG cartoon was the shit). My friend and I then feasted at YardHouse while watching the Army/Navy college football game on their TVs, in which Navy defeated Army with President Barack Obama in attendance of course. The food at YardHouse is delicious, and this was my first time eating there. I got a pizza with some thin fries and a garden salad while my homegirl got the same thing. After that we then took some photos, including one in front of a big ass Pine Tree with some decorations on it (I don't feel like saying the word Christmas Tree). I was surprised that they have a Ritz Camera there at Fashion Island. I talked to the manager there and told him that I though Ritz Camera was bankrupt and out of business. He said that only the Los Angeles County locations are closed but everywhere else is open in a few locations. Back before I got into digital photography, I used to take my prints to the Ritz Camera in the Sherman Oaks Fashion Square where I worked that time and my little brother copped a the OG Playstation Portable that was being sold at that location. Finally we went to Macy's cause my friend had to try on some high heels. After an hour, we dipped Orange County and drove back to the Valley in LA County.

Then on Sunday, I shook over to Lee's 4 Cocktails to go watch some Week 14 games in the NFL and there were a few decent games. I was mostly interested in the Green Bay Packers V. Oakland Raiders contest, but it wasn't as interesting as the Denver Broncos/Chicago Bears game that was also on at the same time. That was the game of the week right there. Quarterback Tim Tebow getting his seventh straight win with team in a very crazy ending. Also the Sunday Night between the Dallas Cowboys V. New York Giants had very fantastic football being displayed cause the top seed for the NFC East was up for grabs that night, with the Giants taking the win. Major shoutout to the homegirl Carissa Blau for celebrating her birthday there which made the day more exciting.

Now during the rest of the week, which was last week, it felt like I already opened my Christmas gifts two weeks early. I was at The Grove taking some photos of Katy Perry launching her new fragrance last Wednesday. The event looked like it was completely over done, with a big ass stage over the fountains in front of the Pacific Theaters there inside the Grove. Plus there were a shitload of fans that showed up later. I got there early so that I can get a closer angle of her on stage but security kept moving us all the way to the back between the Cheesecake Factory and the Apple Store, and they left that space in front of the stage for the press and media. They weren't kidding cause there were several television cameras and press photographers, which I thought it didn't make sense until I found out that the event was being live streamed on the internet. I didn't really plan on being there since I saw her twice already but I had to pick up some prints at Samy's Camera and I had plenty of time to kill before the Christmas party that I have to be at starts.

Now this party that I went to, its located just not to far from Rio Vista School, the elementary school that I went to from Pre-K to First Grade. They referred to that area in North Hollywood now as West Toluca Lake. I spent the first two years of my life at an apartment just a block from where the Christmas party was being hosted at. I found out about it randomly on Twitter and after communicating with one of the people who promoted the party, they said that I can attend. I didn't know ANYBODY at this party. The people that showed up are in their twenties and they reminded me of my old co-workers at the Apple Store in Sherman Oaks just down west on Riverside Drive. It was hosted by this organization called Red Eye, where they go out to the community and give back to those who are disadvantaged and live in tough situations. The only thing I do know about this party was that The O.C.'s Mischa Barton was gonna host it, and she was a chill person to talk to. Everybody didn't go wild on her and to me, she was just a regular person. I didn't think that she would speak with a British accent since she spoke like an American on the show. But the coolest part about the party that got me by total surprise was that they needed a photographer to take photos of the event as one of the hosts, named Justin Mayo, announced after everyone showed up. I told them that I do photography right after he said that and showed him some of my photoshoots I stored on my phone. Justin them got relieved and then he sent me to another dude upstairs to receive the camera that I was gonna be shooting with. I though it was gonna be some old Canon EOS Rebel or a Nikon D3000 entry level DSLR. But instead:

THEY GAVE ME A MOTHERFUCKING CANON EOS 5D MARK II DSLR TO USE FOR THE ENTIRE NIGHT! WITH A GODDAMN 24-70MM F/2.8 LENS ON IT! HOLY FREAKIN' SHIT!!!

For those who don't follow up with photography or filmmaking that much, this camera has a full frame sensor with 21 Megapixels and it can capture full 1080p HD Video. Shit, you don't really need a flash with this camera since you can escape with fantastic low light shots in an ISO rating at least 3200 or higher. This is a top of the line DSLR that's WAY up high the bar. Plus, that camera was HEAVY. Weighed about 3 pounds with the lens adding the weight. I was holding about 4 grand worth of equipment that night and that shit is more than a recent Mac Pro tower. Photographers would give up their daughters tuition money just to get this device. Damn, I never used the 5D Mark II before and I ALREADY LIKE IT. The results are just too much, where it can save me less time in the post production in Adobe Lightroom 3. To me, this is just one of those rare ass moments, photography wise as well as social wise to party with some well raised adults my age, and Mischa Barton, who was one of the biggest TV Stars back when I was in high school. I even did a photoshoot of her with that camera that night. Jesus, and the trust that they gave me there was, for the lack of better terms, so awesome, I can't even put it to words. It was a excellent night.

That Christmas party wasn't the only rare moment that took place that week. I managed to score tickets to watch the Lakers practice and run a scrimmage in front of a crowd at the USC Galen Center that Friday. I was surprised that nobody else wanted to attend since I had a extra ticket, but fuck it, it was during a time when everyone was at work or taking some final exams. I even tried scalping it to this one girl but she backed out in the last second. To be honest, y'all missed out. For reals. I was in the front row watching the team shoot buckets and run some drills with Coach Mike Brown taking charge. Kobe Bryant came out last and when they showed his face on the video screen, I was wondering why he didn't come out with a smile or something. This was a totally different Lakers team to watch since Lamar Odom and Shannon Brown are no longer there in Lakerland. Lamar left on his behalf since he was originally involved with the Chris Paul trade to the Lakers that didn't happen, but he still wanted to be traded to a different team regardless. That entire shit got me upset, and what's more mindblowing was that Chris Paul got traded from the New Orleans Hornets to the Los Angeles Clippers, the city's other professional basketball team. Obviously, it threw off alot of people. For example, during the scrimmage, whenever Chris Paul or the Clippers were mentioned or shown on the video screen, every started booing and jeering, yet I don't blame them. But, on the positive side, the fans cheered like crazy in the Galen Center when Lawrence Tanter announced Ron Artest's new legalized name "Metta World Peace" for the first time. After the event was over, I then hit up the Burger King across USC to get some free fries since the restaurant was giving away their new cooked French Fries they introduced. It wasn't as wild as the ones they did back in the late's 90's, when the lines would be long for free fries.

I then went to a second Burger King in San Fernando to take more advantage of the free fries promotion and then I just found out that Kobe Bryant's wife Vanessa filed for divorce on my phone. I didn't see that shit coming and I WAS JUST WITNESSING KOBE BRYANT ON THE COURT IN PERSON WAY BEFORE THE NEWS BROKE! No wonder he wasn't happy when he came out during the scrimmage. I though he was set and loaded with his wife and two daughters. Fuck, it just shows that marriage is not easy at all, mostly towards the affluent notable figures. Maybe he got bored with her and they been together for a decade. I've been noticing that when some people are rich and young, they like to do things so fast that it dries out very quickly as they start to realize it. But hell, this ain't my business and Kobe may not be over it too much just as long as it doesn't affect his game play. Its gonna be tough for the daughter to deal with this now that their pops moved out of Newport Beach. And what's worse was that the Lakers lost to the Clippers during first preseason game in the Staples Center with the Lakers court on Monday Night, by almost 20 points. I was watching that game right after the power blew out in Candlestick Park during Monday Night Football between the Niners and Steelers, in which the score was 20-3 with San Francisco getting the home win and not allowing Ben Rothlisberger to make a touchdown.

So that has been my two weeks notice during the middle of December. I'm typing this from my pop's house which I've been staying at this past week. I've helped my little brother pick up and help pay for his rental car, a 2011 Toyota Corolla LE, since the bumper in his car got dented from a party he went to. Thankfully he's safe. And because I had to contribute for my little brother, I won't be able to get the Air Jordan Concord XI's that I've been focusing on since the Cool Grey XI's dropped last year, which I hated. Well, that chance is gone now. Looking forward to reading the stories about the crazy shit that might happen during this release rather than reading about those fools who's girl surprisingly spoiled them with those overhyped kicks that is worth the hype. Special thanks again to Red Eye and Mischa Barton for the party and everything else, and shoutout to Dr. Jerry Buss and the Lakers organization staff for hosting that free practice scrimmage viewing that may never happen again. Thanks for your time reading this and have fun returning your presents at Macy's or Target the day after Christmas, which happens to be my moms and little sister's 17th birthday.

Second Nurture

A post update on a Saturday? Hey, the Breakfast club had to spend the entire Saturday in detention 26 years ago.

I didn't recap my Thanksgiving weekend from last week cause I didn't feel like typing about it for some weird reason. It was just a regular occasion to me. Went to three different houses which involved alot of football watching and a lot of food, including the Turkey obviously. My friend Marlene De La Torre's daughter Yvonne gave birth to her second daughter on that Thursday as well, which made it alot more special and interesting since I was with their family for that weekend. Spend Saturday and Sunday taking photos of the newborn on film. She's very gorgeous, and I give my ABSOLUTE, ULTIMATE best to her, and her parents Yvonne and Nestor the very best in their new blessing.

Also, week 12 of the NFL was just another Sunday. Bad teams losing to good teams and Denver's Tim Tebow still getting criticized and ridiculed by football fans despite his 5 game winning streak. That bloke is still probably getting the most heat from the New York Jets fans after that insane 90+ yard drive his offense performed in the final minutes of that Thursday Night game. He might somehow get a close break from the Chicago Bears in week 14, but I have a obvious feeling that the "Tebow Time" run will shut down when they greet the New England Patriots the following week. But then again, both of those games are home at Mile High Stadium... I mean Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Remember when Sports Authority used to be known as SportMart more than 5 years ago?

That's it for now. Damn, this is the SHORTEST post I ever typed in a while. And last thing, I hope those who were affected by the power outage and the Santa Ana winds damage to their vehicles and houses around the Pasadena area this past week will get something rewarding by the end of the month. It just sucks to think about those who unfortunate and have to deal with that shit, especially around this time during the holiday season. Thanks for you time reading this.

A Back-Words Weekend Recap

I'm typing this blog post from my pop's house in Granada Hills. Right now, he's out of the country for a few days, including Thanksgiving. To you it sounds odd that one's parents won't be around to bake and cut the Turkey and digest the stuffing inside it while watching a ball game either taking place at Detroit or Dallas. I'm used to that already. Between 2000 and 2008, its mostly him or my moms who would spend the entire month of November traveling to Nigeria, and one of them would stay and have the traditional Americana Thanksgiving dinner. But since my pops got remarried three years ago, he's been hosting gatherings at his place where my relatives and cousins would swing by and I'd have conversation with them while on a full stomach.

Its been a month and a half since I slept over at the house, where I spent the majority of my middle school and high school years at while sharing a room with my little brother until I moved back from spending the summer at Oxnard in 2006. All my siblings have moved out the past few months and they haven't stopped by here in a while, and its been already over a year since I moved out to Sylmar. I got here yesterday morning before the rain started to pour like crazy and watched the Green Bay/Tampa Bay game on the big screen HDTV in the living room. I turned it off after the third quarter cause I was feeling really tired and I'd wanted to go lie down on my old bed in my old room that I haven't slept on in a while. I was gone in some random lucid inception-type dreams for a few hours. I woke up later and order Papa Johns pizza cause there wasn't anything good in the kitchen and watched Sunday Night Football while feasting on the $17 extra large pizza that I ordered, and that shit was worth it. The New York Giants were supposed to win that game but they got picked off at the end by one of Philadelphia's defense around the two minute warning, and also they had Vince Young at Quaterback since Michael Vick is out. To me, that was an upset that the Eagles won that game at Giants Stadium... I mean, Met Life Stadium (seriously, fuck corporate stadium names). I didn't watch the rest of the games during week 11 cause they were all too predictable and bland, just like this entire weekend.

Saturday was another ordinary day. Nothing really happened and a lot of people other than my pops are out of town also. Went to my church to catch the last few minutes of the sermon. When it was finished, I went to the potluck room, then went home five minutes later. I was originally gonna go with my brother to a church either in Simi Valley or somewhere in the 818 like Van Nuys or the one next to his place in Canoga, but he didn't want to get out of his bed when I called him that morning which led me going to the one near my house. The rest of the day was just editing and touching up on some photos.

Now the day before on Friday, I attended the opening day of the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show. The showrooms were all the same like last year, just with newer cars, but I didn't really care about it that much. I only attended to test drive every car that they had available outside this year. Before I did that, I ran into Tanner Foust who was talking to some of the other attendees in the Lobby. I met him last year with my homeboy Jeremy while we went to a taping of the American version of Top Gear. He did recognize me for a bit and told me that they're still filming some episode. After talking to him for a bit I went to go drive some whips.

The test drive took up a lot of my time. I drove every car they had except the Dodges, Toyotas, Chryslers (I really wanted to drive in the new 300c and the Challenger), Kias and whatever new compact car that Mitsubishi had that's not named the Lancer. Its not cause they suck, but there wasn't that much time and all the test drives end at 5PM. The whips that I did try out was all the GM cars from Buick, GMC and Chevrolet. They had Cadillac there also, but I driven their cars SO MANY times this year that I'm already used to them. They only difference was that they had the entire V lineup for the attendees to drive and I was like WHAT THE FUCKING HELL?!?! I was told months before that the V cars can only be test driven at a closed course track due to its INSANE RIDICULOUS HORSEPOWER OUTPUT PERFORMANCE that made the CTS-V the fastest American production sedan in the world. I never driven their V-series and that would've been my opportunity to do so, but I didn't wanna risk getting pulled over in downtown while burning fuel with over 550 horses. If this was at the desert or someplace completely open, then I'd drive it, but not in the city.

I did however drove the Chevy Camaro SS Transformer edition. That shit can fucking scream. I'd had TOO MUCH fun driving it. Yes, its fast and all, but that was my first time driving a Camaro. I knew the SuperSport was gonna be quick beyond my expectations. One of the funnest cars I've ever drove. I then drove some Lincolns and a couple of Fords. The REALLY stepped it up the Explorer. My parents used to have the second and third generation Explorer, and I wanted to see what the new one look like. The dashboard and the navigation panel looked like absolutely nothing than the previous models, and plus the SUV now reduces emissions and has a decent EPA rating from Ford's Ecoboost technology.

Then I made my way to the Hyundai section and the cars that they had were no fucking joke, especially the 5.0 R-spec Genesis Sedan. Jesus Christ, that whip can FLY! I also drove the Equus Ultimate sedan that has gotten a few talk since it came out and that car was the sleekest, swagged out vehicle I've ever driven since I rode in my uncle's BMW 750LI three years ago. That car has SO MUCH TECH. Cameras on the side of the cars, a control console entirely built into the back seat, a refrigerator and a fucking massage feature for the back seat. That blew my mind, hell I could've rode in the back seat instead of driving it. Shit was Birdman in a Maybach status. Finally I drove the Elantra and already fell in lust with it. I'd recommend that over a Toyota Corolla, a Nissan Sentra, a Ford Focus and a Chevy Cruze that took me away in interest until I drove the Elantra. 10 years and 100,000 mile warranty on this car? You can say no to it, real talk. I didn't drive the Sonata cause I didn't feel like it, they didn't have the Genesis Coupe to drive and I forgot to check out the new Veloster. Shoutout to Hyundai Motors for doing whatever they doing to get to change people perspectives on considering automobiles and making them enjoyable to drive and major props to the staff at the LA Auto Show for another great experience this year.

When it got dark, I wanted to eat at the ESPN Zone just a block away, but the appeal didn't seen to catch on me since there's no NBA season for now. I always go there whenever there's a Lakers game taking place across the street, but not this time. So I left and just walked over to the Five Star Bar to see Darger De Milo perform for the first time without my friend Nicole Stetter. They actually did great as an all male group, no changes to the rhythm at all. Talked and mingled with some of my friends there who attended the Five Star bar and then went home after Darger De Milo performed. I didn't stay till the placed closed like I usually do, but I was at the Los Angeles Convention Center all damn just driving and looking at cars that I'll never obtain.

I'm sure you notice that I've gone backwards in this weekend recap. I don't even know why I did that, but from looking at it, the unorthodox chronological order went from worst to best. Thanks for taking your time to read this and enjoy the Thanksgiving week.