What's in your wallet

Personally, all I carry is an ID holder.

Merry Christmas

Besides the Holiday Fire on the TV set, are you getting your heavy dose of “A Christmas Story” and “It’s a Wonderful Life?” There’s nothing like the Holidays- Vino, Food, Vino, TV, Vino, and Food. Merry Christmas and have a Safe New Year; "Be sure to drink your Ovaltine.”

J-Billion

I attended a party last night in SF at 111 Minna St.. They Showcased J-billion's new music video "CaliWay."

"CaliWay"-J Billion ft Spank Pops & 1 O.A.K from Vinroc on Vimeo.

Obama for a Gift

I was walking around the mall today and I couldn't stop laughing when I saw the special edition Obama Chia Pet.

Food for 5

I was craving for Korean food a few weeks ago so a couple friends and I went to a known spot called Brothers in SF. Do you think there's enough food for 5 people?

Academy of Art Student Showcase in SF

I went to the Academy of Art student showcase last night where the soon to be and current graduating class displayed their work. They had an assortment of interesting items.

I Got Grapes

After a hard night of drinking, I found a way to get up this morning to meet up with my family for a lunch at Mustards in Napa. I enjoyed a Faro Soup, Duck with an Almond Onion reduction, a bottle of Cakebread Syrah, 2 glasses of Mimosas, and an espresso. After lunch we headed off to Opus and V.Sattui.

Mixcrate.com brings "Community" back to the DJ

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - November 16th, 2009 – Mixcrate announced the official launch of www.mixcrate.com: an innovative and completely free, community based, site for DJs to share their mixes with peers and fans.

The feature rich, interactive, platform was designed as a simple to use tool to allow DJs to distribute their work globally on-line. The site has a built-in rating system and allows members to comment and leave feedback on any of the mixes they choose. DJs, who have uploaded their own material, can easily view a matrix of statistics on each of their mixes which include: number of times recommended, times played, times downloaded, and current number of comments.

In addition, to encourage a rapid dissemination of material, www.mixcrate.com has integrated tools that allow members to easily share the mixes with any of their contacts on the popular social networking sites, including Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter.

Chris Yee, founder of the Mixcrate website, describes the service as "... a music distribution platform that enables DJ artists and their fans to discover and share mixsets for the purposes of promoting DJs and their mixes online."

"The community aspect of DJing has been an essential part of what's been lost in the new age of digital technology...", says partner Genghis Mendoza. "We're creating a community for DJ's to share and learn; an environment that fosters interactions between its members. Those new to the trade, and the hobbyists, now have a safe place to gain insight from some of our legends. Really, it’s all about sharing and innovation."

For additional information feel free to contact our media relations at pr@mixcrate.com or visit www.mixcrate.com.

Latin Jazz

I went to Yoshi's in SF last night to watch local Musicians Pete Escovedo, Sheila E, and company. They had just got back from Washington playing for the President.

Commute

With the Bay Bridge closed off, my normal 2 hour commute home from work tuned to 1 hour. Because the bridge is closed off both in both directions, the extra traffic that I drive through in the Emeryville area was non existent - less cars heading in the same direction as I.
The drive was great with the exception of 4 cars that seemed to be lost. They must have been the only 4 people in the entire bay area who didn’t know the Bay Bridge was closed. As we all drove towards the closed turnoff to the bridge, the 4 vehicles slowed down. A minimum 1000 yards of open road was ahead of them as I tailed them at a speed of 40 mph for a few miles. Jerks.

Dinner and Kings

Posted for September 15, 2009
We got back to the hostel at about 7. After refreshing ourselves, we met up at the lounge area for dinner at 8. One of the guys suggested an all you can eat Parilla Restaurant. With 7 of us attending dinner we split up in two groups and hopped in 2 cabs. Written on a torn piece of paper, we handed the address to the cab driver that was given to us by one of the guys. When we got to the restaurant, we asked for a table to seat 7 while we waited for the other group to arrive. 10 min had passed and the other group had not yet arrived. The host went ahead and seated us. We sat down at our table and contemplated if we were in the right place. Both cabs had left at the same time but split up during the driver over. We then checked the address written on the torn piece of paper and notice two different addresses written on it - one on each side. We concluded the other group must have gone to the other restaurant so we decided to stay and eat. After dinner we walked around the marina a bit then headed back to the hostel.

We got back to the hostel and saw the other group. After a brief exchange in stories, we all joined a group that had started a game of Kings. 2 Decks and an epic game that made everyone stumble off their seats.

With everyone including my self already wasted, 3 of us decided to hit a bar. I called it a night at 5 am.

Air Show

Posted for September 15, 2009

I got out of bed at 11 and got ready to meet up with the gang. We made plans to eat lunch, head to the Zoo, then to Uru Recoleta to pick up my jacket. Leaving he hostel at about 1:30, we headed towards the subway and ate at a pizzeria. While waiting for our pizza, I noticed an Air Show was being televised. In doing so I notice something more in detail – the Obelisco which is one block away. I then started to wonder if it was live. It was. I mentioned it to one of the guys and we both walked outside to observe if it really was taking place. We walked half a block, noticed the large amount of people in the street, looked up, and sure enough, the Air Show was taking place right above our heads. It wasn’t very spectacular, an assortment of jets that fly by but nothing special.

After we finished our pizza we headed to the subway to the Recoleta area. We trekked it through the borough and made our way to way to Uru Recoleta. After I Picked up my jacket we decided to skip out on the Zoo and took a cab to Palermo. We didn’t walk around Palermo due to time and daylight constraints, but we did manage to make our way to a little area that had a few bars and a pool hall situated next to each other. We grabbed a couple tables and had a couple beers.

Dead People, a Jacket, and an Incredible Band with a Hole in the Wall

Posted for September 14, 2009
With my passport locked up at the hostel, a feeling of relief had dawned on me. I met up with a few folks from the hostel and headed out to the Recoleta Cemetery to see Evita’s Tomb. Like the Manila Cemetery, the tombs are above ground - Mausoleums. The major difference between the Manila Cemetery and the Recoleta Cemetary is the cleanliness of the area. The Manila Cemetery is dirty with the squatters living in the area. The Recoleta Cemetery is well kept – clean streets and no one living in the cemetery.

While looking for Evita’s tomb I made a comment in which everyone laughed. I said, “I’ve been in Argentina for 3 days and what have I done; I’ve been hustled, robbed, dunk, and saw dead people. What a fantastic holiday!”

After spotting Evita’s Mausoleum, we ogled at a few other tombs as we moseyed are way out of the Cemetery. Exiting the Cemetary, we were all parched and decided to grab a beer and a snack. With daylight dwindling, I split up from the group after the beer and burger and headed to Uru Recoleta – a leather store that Samantha Brown had featured in her Television Show. They were located just around the corner from where we were resting. I spent about an hour on designing my leather jacket then headed back to the hostel.


I met up with the group back at the hostel. We decided to skip out on dinner plans we had arranged the previous night to attend a Bomba Band Event. The event tuned out to be the best concert experience I’ve ever witnessed – and I was sober. To describe the event doesn’t serve justice and is one of those “got to be there.”
Basically it’s a percussion band with a conductor. The conductor instructs the band to play certain beats and rhythms, and like a DJ he’ll cut portions of the song and instruct specific groups to play segmented loops. The build up in tone, beat, harmony, and syncopation energizes the crowd to a point where a mash pit is created. Part of the build up included separate introductions to the Bass Guitar and Electric Guitar during the middle of the sets. Similar to a Rave, the event is held in a warehouse.


After the event we stopped by a hole in the wall and grabbed a yummy Choripan. When we got back to the Hostel, I shared a bottle of Vodka that I had picked on the way home from Uru Recoleta.

Officially Day 1 in Argentina

Posted for September 12, 2009
I got up at 3pm hung over and hungry. I walked around downtown to get a better feel of the area and looked for a bite to eat. I had a Churipan (chorizo sandwich with chimichurri) – which was awesome – on one of the main streets then enjoyed an espresso in an outdoor seating café. When I got back to the hostel I met up with the folks I hung out with last night. We walked by the marina and had dinner. We ordered appetizers, 4 different meats, 3 sides, 2 bottles of wine, and desert. The total cost between the 3 of us: $35 US dollars….each.
Following dinner, the guys wanted to try to catch a college football game, but that was pretty much impossible. The only sports televised are Boxing, Tennis, and Futbol (soccer).

Walking around with no luck of catching a college game, we headed back to the hostel. We got back at about 1:30am in which I then began to contemplate whether to attend a house party I was invited to. During the pub crawl the other night, I held a conversation with one of the hosts in which he invited me to attend his birthday house party. With the other 2 guys calling it a night, I decided to hang out at the hostel instead. I thought that going to a house party alone in a city which I have no knowledge of, would be risky.

While hanging out at the bar in the hostel, I met some people: a couple South African folks attending a Mining Exploration Conference for their Geological Engineering program, a couple Australian folks, and a Brit. After a few drinks we all headed to the sister hostel located a few blocks away - Hostel Florida. The Hostel had a basement area which had a pool hall feel. 3 pool tables, a long larger bar, and a dance floor with a DJ spinning Reggaeton. We hung out for bit then headed back to our hostel. After another round of drinks and a couple games of pool at our Hostel, we ended the evening/morning at about 4am.

Temporary Passport Obtained

With the BS that happened yesterday, I stayed in the Hostel last night and drank with a few folks. The Hostel had a live band playing in the lounge area with free empenadas.

I got up at this morning at 8 am, had breakfast, and headed for the Embassy. It was a fairly an easy process: 2 forms to fill out and 2 passport photos. I didn´t have passport photos with me, but I was directed to go outside the embassy and to find a guy under a tree who would be able to take my photo. As soon as I got outside and crossed the street, I spotted an old man with a picnic chair sitting under a tree. He had an Old Skool camera and white butcher paper pinned on a tree. He told me to stand in from the paper, smile, then took my picture and processed the photos in a thick dark bag. He handed me my passport photos at a cost of 20 Pesos. After turning in my forms and photo, I waited half an hour and obtained my Temporary Passport valid for 3 months.

Just confused this time

Holy Craps, It happened again; this time my backpack disappears. I headed to the San Telmo Street Fair and walked in a cantina. I put my back pack down on the floor next to my feet. I reach over to the table across from me for the menu. As soon as I look down, my backpack is gone - vanished in thin air. I look around the cantina and it is no where to be found. There is only one exit out of the cantina, and still no signs of my back pack. The contents: My Passport, ASUS net book, Sanyo camera, Kodak camera, $60 USD, and the keys to my car. At least I still have my Panasonic camera and my wallet. Looks like I’ll be hanging out at the US Embassy tomorrow morning to retrieve a copy of my passport.

After filing the police report I headed back to the streets to try to enjoy the rest of my day. I ran into an artist who had some interesting paintings. I purchased one to take back home with me.

Dazed and Confused

Posted for September 11, 2009
I can’t believe the terrorist attacks happened 8 years ago. It seems like it happened decades ago but 8 years isn’t so long. With that in mind, I got hustled yesterday. Straight up ripped off.

After a long 18 hour flight, I got into Buenos Aires at 10 am. I checked into my hostel at about 1 and headed for the streets. I ate at a Parilla and had a 1.5 lb helping of steak with 2 empanadas on the side. Feeling delirious from the steak and long travel day/night, I walked along Lavalle St. - a pedestrian street filled with shops. As I walked along, there were various people handing out an assortment of pamphlets. I ignored a few and then took one for a gentleman. Feeling spaced out, he then started to talk to me and led me to bar. As soon as I sat down, 2 gals in Bikinis sat down next me and a few drinks were immediately set on my table. I responded, “Woe!!! Hey, what’s going on here?” The two gals massaged my crotch and said, “Take it easy, relax.” I immediately downed my drink that was handed to me, asked for the bill, and took off. 200 Dollars down the drain! With the exception of the overpriced connector I bought in Hong Kong, this is the first time I’ve been ripped off during my travels. I can only blame myself for walking around with my guard down. I guess the lazy kick back effects from Maui haven’t left my system. In any case, it was a wake up call and I’ve got my guard back up. Expensive lesson.

I went back to my hostel to take a nap after that incident happened. Feeling refreshed and my guard back up in full force, I headed for a Pub Crawl. I met a few interesting people and the lead singer of a band in one of the 4 bars that we went to. The name of the band is Laika. I forgot her name but I asked the lead singer if they were selling any CD’s. She walked over to her jacket, pulled out a CD, and handed it to me for free Dollars. AWESOME! Cute and very nice. I should have taken a picture with her!

I got back to my hostel at about 5 am with a couple folks from the pub crawl. We had a beer and conversed a bit before calling it at night. I passed out at about 5:30 am.

Last Night & 2 Pints

Posted for September 8, 2009
I went to eat at Mama’s Fish House in the city of Paia. It’s about an hour drive from Kaanapali/Lahaina. I ordered their special dish of the day: Moi Moi with mangoes, lychee, and vegetables in a black bean sauce. It was fantastic! After enjoying my meal I headed to Guri Guri in the Maui Mall. Guri Guri is a little shop that sells snacks and 2 flavors of their homemade frozen treat. With only 2 choices, I ordered a scoop of each – strawberry and pineapple. I killed both scoops of the Ice Cream/Shave Ice mixture and purchased 2 pints right after to bring back at the hotel to share with my family. I hung out pool side at the hotel. When in Maui, one must get this! Cost for the two scoops - $1.10.


With my last night in Maui, my family and I wanted to take it easy. We stayed at the hotel and had dinner at their restaurant - Ono - similar to what we did on the first night. The restaurant is situated in a large open outdoor area that faces the pool and ocean

Looking in from the other side

Posted for September 7, 2009
For an early lunch, I went off on my own and took the free shuttle to Front Street in Lahaina. Recommended by a friend of mine, Cheeseburger in Paradise is located seaside. I was seated faced in front of the ocean and ordered their original cheeseburger with bacon, a side of seasoned fries, and a tall beer with a souvenir glass. It was delish! After Cheeseburger in Paradise, I went to the gelato shop next door and ordered a scoop of the Big Island Mac Nut Crunch. I enjoyed it on a sidewalk bench facing the ocean. Feeling the food comatose after the Gelato, I headed back to the hotel and took a nap.

After my two hour nap, I meet up with my family at the pool. We were trying to decide what to eat for dinner prior. My brother in-law suggested BBQ. We agreed. We had dinner at 7 pm at Smokehouse BBQ Bar & Grill located kitty corner to Front Street. The food was great. We asked the server why people liked Mixed Plate and threw in that their food was so much better than Mixed Plate. He explained that the view and quantity is what tourists like – for the price. The exact reasoning I had conjured up earlier. When in Maui, I recommend going to this joint rather than to Mixed Plate. He then went off on talking about Maui, The Tourists, and the Locals.
In summary:

1. Tourist don’t know how to drive
a) They tend to cause most of the traffic accidents from looking at the sites rather then driving.
b) They drive to fast not thinking they’re streets are freeways
2. Economy hits them late
3. Filipinos run Hawaii (the service industry is mostly employed by Filipinos)
4. 90% of Filipinos in Hawaii are Ilocano
5. People will ask if you Ilocano rather than if are you Filipino
6. Hawaiians thought Ilocano was the country rather than the Philippines
7. Filipinos are more hard working that the Haoles
8. Japan won the war with complete ownership of all the resort prior to selling them off

More Fish Needed & Drippage

Posted for September 6, 2009
I got up at 5:30am to go SNUBA Diving. The dock for the boat is located about 20 miles away from the hotel at Maalaea Harbor. Check in at the port was scheduled for 7am. After checking in, the boat left port and we headed for the coast of Molokini. Including my self and the instructor, there were a total of 13 people SNUBA diving. Of the 13, only my sister and I were from my younger sister’s wedding party whom opted to SNUBA as the rest settled for the standard snorkeling along the coast. SNUBA is basically like scuba diving with the exception of having the Oxygen Tank attached on a small raft. The tube from the tank to the regulator (breathing apparatus) extends to about 25 feet and the raft floats along as you venture off underwater.

As soon as the boat anchored on the coast of Molokini, the SNUBA group was divided in two groups of 6. I joined the first group. I strategically joined the first group so I can eat and drink immediately after. The SNUBA/Snorkel package included an all you can eat and drink meal (beer included). As I got into the water I had troubles with my mask and weight belt. Water kept leaking in my mask and my belt wasn’t heavy enough. I signaled the instructor with hand gestures of my issues while under water and we both went up. He made the adjustments and I was good to go. I immediately swam into a school of fish and moseyed around under water. There were tons of sea urchins in which the thought of eating Uni had crossed my mind. I saw a sea cucumber and ogled at the coral. After the 30 min session ended we were immediately instructed to head back to the boat. As I got out of the water I took my regulator off. In the process, I spat out a large amount of flem/loogie that had collected in the regulator and in my mouth. When I got on the boat, my legs were a little wobbly, but I immediately adjusted when I got my beer and burger. The dive was cool but would have like to see more fish. Aside from the one school of fish, the water was bare; although we did see some turtles on the way back to the harbor.

When we got back to the hotel, I headed for the pool. I swam a bit and basked in the sun till dinner. I had dinner at Sensei with my family. Sensei is located in the Kapalua Golf Course 5 min north of the hotel. The food was fantastic. We had several different sushi and sashimi plates. On the side, I had Blue Fin Toro to my self. After dinner we went to the Ritz Carlton and had a drink.

With my cousins spending the last night in Maui, I decided to introduce them to Kalimotxo (cal – e – mo – cho). We meet up at my sister’s Suite after they got their hennas done. We finished 3 bottles of wine for the Kalimotxo mixture. They asked where I had learned it (Spain) and said they’d make it for their friends. They enjoyed their drinks. One of my cousins only enjoyed one glass due to his gastronomical issues caused from not being accustomed to a drinking marathon. He had sharted earlier in the evening and was feeling leakage on his tail end. (I’m laughing as I type this!)

Crispy

Posted for September 5, 2009
I had long day of swimming and basking in the sun. My face is burned, my arms and back sore from Surfing, Splashketball, and good old fashion swimming.

Getting up early to hang out poolside has become my morning ritual. I hung out in the pool all morning with a short 30 min swimming session in the ocean. My sisters, brother in-laws, and others all showed up at the pool. We had a great time on the waterslide and a session of Splashketball.

After hanging out by the pool and the beach, my family and I went to Lahaina for a surf session. On the way, we stopped by Safeway to pick up some snacks. I got some Fresh Ahi Poke, Pomegranate Juice, and Chips. The Fresh Ahi Poke was off the hook!

With my family taking lessons, I rented a board and booties from the shop they were taking lessons from and surfed on my own. I had a terrible surfing session due to the board I was using. I needed a longer board. I originally asked for a 7’8” board. The guys said I should use a longer board, so I pointed at the 8 footer. They looked at me as if I should go even longer. I should have listened.

After surfing I headed to Front Street to walk around a bit. Front Street is the main street in Lahaina that’s filled with shops and restaurants. I met up with my family afterwards and headed to Mixed Plate for dinner.

Dinner at Mixed Plate was ok. Aside from the ocean view, large servings, and the price, the food was just ok. The coconut batter shrimp was the highlight of the meal. The BBQ meat was just ok.

Shorter Layover

Posted for September 2, 2009
I got to the airport at 7:30 am for my flight to Honolulu with a connecting flight to Maui to follow. It turns out my flight was delayed till 11am which mean my layover will be significantly shorter. Flash back:

A couple weeks ago I received an email notice stating my reservation on my plane tix had changed. I called the airlines and they had told me that my connecting flight from Honolulu to Maui had been cancelled and was rescheduled to 5pm; so they went ahead and changed my itinerary to:

Leave SFO to Denver at 7am
Denver to Honolulu
Leave Honolulu at 5 for Maui

My original flight was:
SFO to Honolulu at 9am
Honolulu to Maui at 2:10

I told them that I’d like to keep my 9am flight. Why the heck would I want to go to Denver then to Honolulu? That didn’t make sense to me at all. They responded with, “You would have a shorter layover in Honolulu.” I then told them I don’t mind waiting at the airport. I’d rather be at the airport then taking a longer flight path.”

More at the Westin

Night life in Maui does not exist, in Kaanapali that is. The bars in and around the resort close down at about 11. In addition, the drinks are way over priced. But, I guess you’re paying for the atmosphere: a beach side resort with Tiki Torches strategically placed, a large man made pond with Flamingoes, Cocktail birds, Coy Fish , and man made waterfalls, located on an island with mild weathered ocean sea breezes, swaying palm trees, and clean ocean blue waters, with Hawaiian music softly playing in the PA system.

I went to bed early last night after having a long drinking day. I got up this morning at 6:30 and headed for the pool. I relaxed all morning drowning my self in my headphones poolside while reading up on my next trip scheduled for Thursday Sept 10: Argentina. I then met up with a couple folks and went to the beach for a quick swim. After swimming we headed to the Whaler's Mall Food Court next to the hotel we're staying and picked up a Hawaiian Panini.

I headed for the room at about 1:30 and got ready for my sisters wedding. After getting ready I took pictures with my family in my sister’s Room Suite. Located on the 10th floor (1 below the Penthouse), it’s got an awesome view of the resort and beach. One side of the suite overlooks the ocean in which it looks like the water is entering the room. After a few pictures I headed to the church for the ceremony located in Lahaina.

The ceremony started at 3 and ended at 4. After a several photos I headed back to the hotel for the Reception. Looking for the room where the Reception was to take place was a challenge. After asking around and meandering through the hotel, the exact rooms for the Cocktails and Ball Room was identified. I spoke to the host and she said there was a sign in the front lobby. I took a look at it, and it was a tiny sign that can be easily overlooked.

I met up with the DJ before joining my family in the Cocktail Area to set up my netbook for the Slideshow/montage. I forgot his name, but he’s originally from the bay and was going back to SF for a gig at MILK on Haight St., scheduled for Tuesday night. I completed my set up and met up with my family. I had a blast in the wedding. It ended at 11:30 pm.

Westin

The Westin in Maui is freaking nice. It’s located on the beach of Kaanapali. They’ve got an awesome waterslide and 4 different pools. I got up at 6am this morning and had breakfast with my family. After, breakfast, I headed to the beach and swam in the warm, clean, blue ocean then hung out at the pool. While at the pool, I raced a friend of mine for the fastest time down the waterslide and won. My Prize - a free cocktail! Drinks started at 10 am. Pic above is my Godson – Nico.

On the way back to my room I saw a gentleman in the lobby conducting a free Basic Ukulele Class. He also provided the Ukes for the lesson. I joined in and strummed along as he instructed a few keys. With the few keys he instructed, we played a few songs. I told the instructor I have a Student Ukulele at home in which he then asked if I wanted to take a look at the one he was using. I eagerly said yes. His Ukulele is double stringed and had a real deep tone to it. I asked how much his Uke is and he said $1500.

Good Weather in SF

A couple friends decided to host a picnic at Crissy Field today. The weather was great during the early afternoon then got a little chilly as the day progressed. I decided to take the Golden Gate Bridge back home, so I drove through 3 bridges today: the Bay Bride, Golden Gate, and the Richmond Bridge.

Giving Thanks

I hung out with the old crew last night and had blast. At the end of the night, I had a broken phone(thanks Rob), clothes that smelt like dog poo(thanks ginger), and memories of good times(thanks guys).