terremoto

to all my socal folk, i know you just felt that...if not, we just had an earthquake. it occurred at 11:42am, it was a magnitude 5.6 with the epicentre being chino hills. certain cell providers are down including mine...so stay safe!

update: there's been a couple 3.8 aftershocks.

more info @ USGS here

where the sidewalk ends

For many reasons, including the ever increasing price of fuel, but mostly due to my brakes needing repair, I had the pleasure of walking home from work today. Let me preface this by saying that the walk itself, despite the many years that have passed is far too familiar to me. You see this was a walk (both in parts as well as a whole) that I used to encounter on a daily basis during junior high. The walk from shoemaker which at one point was school (whitney) and is now work (best buy), through the cerritos towne center and to the library was a staple of my early adolescence, and as I strolled through the windy cerritos sidewalks, I was flooded with memories of youth, innocence, rebellion, sexuality and sheer joy.

If those sidewalks could speak, they would have some serious and absolutely ridiculous stories to tell. As I walked I not only thought of the memories that I had made along this very path, but I also thought about how newer and younger generations were probably enduring the very same angst and excitement which we all deal with at that age, and in many ways forever will. The only difference being that youth brings with it a certain naiveity, after all what I complained about at that age, paled in comparision to any of the "real" issues facing me today. But obviously that is only in retrospection because, despite all that is told to you when you are young regarding how easy you really have it, you cannot fully comprehend it until you find yourself at an age when you can look back and think "life was so much easier then".

And so as I continued to walk, I was transported back to that age as specific moments like walking in the rain, messing around in the bushes, taking the cow, prank calling on pay phones, the library itself and overall tomfoolery seemed almost tangible. Of course much like youth, it was fleeting, in the sense that my fast paced walking seemed to pass these locations as soon as I spotted them. But the walk itself, was in a sense a bit of momentary time travel, one where my feet met the footprints of my past and reminded me that I am still here for a reason, and that no matter what I may complain about now, it is up to me to continue walking towards my goals and towards a brighter future.

fin.

power

childs play

Believe it or not, the US Army was so impressed by toy maker Lund and Company's Hydrogen Fuel Rocket that it has hired the toy manufacturer to develop a more lethal version of the rocket. It will be called Variable Velocity Weapon System and will be capable of switching from lethal to non lethal and could be ready in about 18 months.



After reading this I instantly thought of a childhood film whose subtext has remained as vividly engrained in my brain as the story itself , 1992's "Toys". After his toy maker father's death, Robin Williams must deal with his military uncle who is left in charge of the family toy factory. The uncle quickly begins to discontinue and cut certain areas of the factory while focusing on highly restrictive secret projects.

His secret projects were definitely prolific as he was using video games to train children violent and strategic military tactics. The games were very similar to the standard and popular video games which have become staples of every gaming console known today. He was also working on actual toys which were being manufactured as weaponry: tanks, rockets, helicopters.

It just seems so eerie that a film which I saw as a young boy has seemed to come full circle into 2008 with the idea of toys as potential weapons for the military.

ABDC!

if you're not watching it, you don't get it. once you get passed the douche known as mario lopez, you truly are witnessing sheer talent.

this season is all about fannypack!



if you've missed any, watch full episodes here

iPorn

as if i needed yet another reason to want the new iphone 3g (unfortunately i must wait till im eligible for an upgrade unless i want to pay the FULL price of the phone, damn you blackjack 2!!!)...it turns out that a company by the name of iRoticNet is one-upping playboys "iplayboy" content for the original iphone by taking advantage of the phone's fast 3g connection and has announced plans to offer an adult video destination specifically for the iPhone 3g!

for about 10 bucks a month you will have access to huge amounts of content from many studios, including UNLIMITED access to hundreds of full length movies and more than 1000 clips, all from the comfort of the ever surmounting all-in-one device known as the iphone 3g. so much for hands free, california!

oh cruel iphone 3g, how you taunt me so, and now even moreso than before!!!

chuck taylor

i love this music video because it contains three of my favorite things: chucks, julian and santogold...and the track is pretty hot! it was put together for converse's 100th year anniversary after pharrell and julian started talking about doing something together.
enjoy...



para mas informacion including a free download, click aqui

party bus

so my boy steve decided on a party bus for his cumpleanos this year. and after some pre-lubing at his pad, you can imagine how fucking amusing it was when it pulled up with the words "party bus" straight up posted on the front of the car...just to ensure that the drunks would not confuse it with any other bus.



birthday boy: stephen



lights, flashin



why you trying to hide with the whiteys senor patron?



a trio of drunks



sitting on a tree...k-i-s-s-i-n-g




what's a party bus without some dancing



and "whatever" she has in that little sandwich baggie



it all got a little too messy after we landed at the club...so ill just leave you with this



fin

the infrastructure will collapse

as cliched as it may sound radiohead is definitely one of my favorite bands of all time. and though im still contemplating buying sum overpriced ebay tickets for their upcoming show (despite my admiration for them i'm still a broke ass with ever mounting debt!) what i saw today is definitely making my credit card itch.

i came across their new video for "house of cards" which is not only an amazing song, but as is the norm with their video history thus far, the video is amazing. turns out that no cameras nor lights were used, instead they implemented two technologies to capture 3d images: geometric Informatics and velodyne lidar. all of which basically means the director used lasers to capture the images which were then turned into data points.

and making it even cooler, google is basically promoting the video, and technology implemented in this cool website which shows you the making of and also lets you do some of your own visualization.




fin

straight up representin

do you lovelife?

hawaii v2.0

now here is what i have lovingly dubbed hawaii v2.0. this was the part of my trip which was definitely much more representative of actually living and partying in honolulu. and especially in terms of drinking and clubbin, was much more indicative of my estilo.

night one just so happened to be 4th of july, and so flasks in tow, and with the electricity in the air



the journey began...

introducing the breezys:


jules, sammie and cindo

starring in
honolulu nights.



afterwards....
a mere walk...



and a drive



and we were dancing, drinking and pretty much plastered...well some of us slightly more than others.
(this is where i would have inserted a drunk ass shot of myself, but unfortunately or rather fortunately one does not exist...so use your imagination!)

so enjoy this instead




there was so much dancing and drinking in fact, that the night is pretty much a blur...
but the morning light brought entirely new fun and adventures.



so with the sunshine shining...



we indulged in some thrift store "shopping", mostly laughter, though some tears were shed, and of course poke!



and then the highlight of the day was the beautiful sunset at the spitting caves





the next day was pretty fucking chill...riding in the bed of sammies's truck (which is somehow legal in hawaii, despite the irony of all the click it or ticket signs posted alongside the freeway) we got a much needed rubdown, smoked a blunt and before i knew it was time to head back to the north shore.

but not before some serious grubbage



and some more beach time.



it feels like soo much was crammed into these 2 days, that this blog could have gone on an on, but thankfully there was not enough pictorial documentation necessary to illustrate more details. but i really did have an amazing time, and made some new friends which is really what life experiences are all about.
special thanks to julie for all her hospitality.



fin

keepin the country, country

one of the beauties of the north shore is how undeveloped a lot of it really is. aside from a huge resort most of it is still pretty country, i'm talking overgrown plantlife, areas with no concrete sidewalks, very few modernization in terms of architecture, and of course the solidifier of a true country environment: a lack of starbucks at very single corner.

further adding to this vibe, are a few buildings which have been abandoned and im assuming condemed. these buildings simply stand there amongst the landscape, stripped and exposed with a strong ironic beauty. while they are roofless, windowless, and just completely delapidated, they still seem so loved and taken care of in the sense that they have yet to be completely bulldozed and that tourists, much like myself, are immediately taken in by their beauty and compelled to photograph them.

one such building is crawford's convelescent home.










fin.

mahalo

well unfortunately oahu has came and went. and now i find myself a bit shell shocked to be back at home and grudgingly settling back into reality. however the trip was amazing, i believe that for the short time i was there i had a great mix of tourist attractions AND actual local nightlife. you see my trip was essentially split into two vacations. this blog covers the "first" part which was dedicated and catered to the tourist in me, soaking up all the natural beauty which the island has to offer:

snorkeling @ hanauma bay





jungle expedition at kualoa ranch (where they film LOST!)






beach hopping up and down north shore





touring the dole plantation





and even hitting up waikiki beach for the obligatory souvenir shopping at the international market place




though i did miss certain attractions such as pearl harbor, kayaking, and macadamia nut banana pancakes due to the "second" part of my trip, i did see as much of the island that one could see in a 4 day period. and though it was a given that the trip would have its low points, i must say that hawaii really does live up to its hype. this trip was not only inspirational in terms of its beauty but the island itself did seem to awaken something within me that i hope will last far longer than the memories i have made. and so with that said i must add a huge mahalo, for all that i experienced during the trip.

stay tuned for v2.0

fin.