Inauguration Day 4 & 5: The Big Day in DC and Our Last Day in Philly

01.20.09 The Big Day

Trisha and I woke up at 3AM in the shitty Howard Johnson Motel in College Park, Maryland. We headed to 7-11 to pick up a Washington Post but they were running late that day so we just had to try to get it later. At about 3:30AM the road was clear and we were heading to the freeway entrance that was about a half mile for the Greenbelt Green Line Metro Station. The night before it took us about 3 minutes from the hotel to get to the parking lot of the metro station. The parking opened at 3:30AM but the second we got on the freeway we experienced the worst delay in traffic that we could ever expect. The delay was mainly due to the fact that there was only one entrance, with one person, that was accepting money ($4 to park all day). We are talking one person accepting money for 3400 cars. While we were waiting in line there was a dynamic message signs that said the parking lot was full at about 3:50AM. We just stayed in line cause we figured that was impossible and we didn’t want to drive to another station that would be worse. I even did calculations in my head:

1. 12 cars per minute (1 car every 5 seconds)
2. 2 cash collectors
3. 3400 car capacity

That is 142 minutes or 2.5 hours. So we figured we were safe. After getting off the ramp and getting into the parking lot road, we saw that no one was using the right lane so we jumped in it and it saved us a good hour. All in all, it took an hour and a half to finally get parked.

Trisha and I boarded the Metro Greenline at about 5AM and got to L’enfant Station at about 5:30AM. It was crowded but manageble. We headed over to the line that was for the Silver Ticket entrance. Problem was that the gate opened at 8AM. We stood in line from about 5:45AM to 8:15AM in freezing tempuratures (about 20 degrees that day). I was actually wearing two thermals, a hoodie, and two jackets on my upper and long johns, sweatpants, andjeans on my lower. Along with a beanie, ear muffs, gloves, and wool socks, I was still HELLAcold. It didn’t help to just stand in one place either.

After we got passed the gates we had to fight to get a good view, but after going back and forth between areas, the crowd ended up breaking the fence down andproceeding to closer viewing areas on the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial. We were standing on the second to lowest step in front of the statue that is farthest north. We were about 850 feet away from the podium. Check out the Google Earth schematic below:

We Were on the Second to Lowest Step Next to the Northern Statue

We were pretty fucking close considering the mall is about 2 miles long. It was a great experience and here are some photos that Trisha and I snapped while we were there.

First Shot I Took After Getting Into the Silver Ticket Area

The Capitol is Beautiful

The Capitol

The Capitol

Taking in the Winter Scenery

The Crowd Patiently Waiting, A Few Hours Until Showtime

I Dunno

The Capitol

The Crowd vs. The Capitol

Crowd was Crazy

WTF?

Trisha Trying to Stay Warm

Looking Back Down the Mall, Taken by Trisha

Prime Seating

Love this One

No Words

This May Have Been Through the Prayer Service

Ya Boy, Spingineer, Trying my Best to Thaw, Taken by Trisha

Obama Coming Out

My Favorite Picture by Far

Obama Getting Sworn In

Happiness

Need an Interview?

From the Steps to the Statue

Craziness

Experiencing the Crowd

WTF America? The Aftermath of the Inauguration at the Mall

After Obama’s speech, Trisha andI tried to head back to the Metro station but found ourselves stuck like sardines in a sea full of people. After twenty minutes and moving about 50 feet at most, we decided to head back into the mall. We didn’t know where to go to escape the mall. Roads were all blocked on the northbecause of the proceeding parade. Trisha suggested we take refuge in the Natural History Museum. We found out that everyone had the same idea and the museum was hella crowded. Every piece of wall to lean on was taken, bathroom lines were super long, and people made beds out of benches and floor space right in front of exhibits. It was too much and we decided to move on when we overheard someone say that 18th Street was the exit to allow people to move north of the mall. We left the museum and headed to 18th Street which was 16 blocks away from where we were originally (2nd Street).

Upon getting to 18th Street, we decided to walk north and look for a place to reax, sit down, and eat. We used yelp but it didn’t help, everything was crowded. We walked all the way up to Dupont Circle (a 3 mile walk total from our standing place during the inauguration) when we finally gave up and decided to try to head back to the car. Getting on the Metro Red Line was not bad but transferring at Chinatown Station onto the Green Line sucked. It was packed from end to end, where we thought entering on the last car would make a difference. No one got off until the last stop and me and Trisha hasdto stand for another 30 minutes. Upon getting to the car, I took a 5 hour energy and we were on our way back to Philly.

This was by far the greatest trip I ever had. It wasn’t relaxing, the weather conditions weren’t ideal, schedules were tight, and overcrowdedness exceeding any expectations I could ever imagine, but I loved it. As I explain it to everyone who asks, it was a journey, my first journey, me and Trisha’s first journey together. After this journey, I am eager to take my next journey and just wonder, who’s down to go on a journey?

Cost of Trip (Plane, Hotels, Rental Car, Transit): $1500 for Trisha and I
Time wasted in Lines, Waiting for Obama, on Transit, and Driving: 16 hours
Tempuratures Endured: 17-35 degrees Farenheit
A Huge Check on My List of Things To Do Before I Die: Priceless

01.20.09-01.21.09 Last Hours in Philly with A Stopover in Delaware

On the way back from DC, Trisha and I decided to stop in Wilmington, Delaware to eat and check out the city. We ate at a place called Corner Bistro after checking Yelp. It was a nice place and the food was decent even though it was in a strip mall. I asked the waitress what there was to check out in Wilmington and she pretty much said nothing. She said it was a sleepytown and everything was pretty much closed. Bars were here suggestion. We went downtown anyway and found out there really wasn’t anything there. Looking at some of the buildings you can tell that the city, at some point, been on the verge of becoming big but it just never happened. I will surely never go back to Wilmington and never suggest it to anyone I like.

After getting back to Philly, I decided to go to the Museum of Art to see the Rocky Steps and Statue. Trisha didn’t want to get out of the car which kind of killed the whole experience for me, so I ended up just taking pictures of the statue in front of the steps.

Statue in Front of Rocky Steps

Statue in Front of Rocky Steps

On our last day in Philly, we decided to knock out a couple things we missed earlier. First, we headed to the Reading Terminal tocheck out the Quakers or Amish (one of those) booths. We had breakfast at one spot that was really cheap but tasted okay. We then headed over to the University of Pennsylvania to get my firend Leo a Quakers pennant. He is a teacher and has pennants from a bunch of different universites hanging in his classroom (I will pick him up a University of Hawaii, Manoapennant this weekend). After that, we took a taxi to Rittenhouse Square which was a $7 ride for a 5 minute drive. There was nothing there that we couldn’t see in any other big city. So we then walked back to our hotel picked up out luggage and headed to the train station to head back to home sweet home.

Liberty Towers from Univ. of Penn.

Rittenhouse Square

Officially Leaving Philly

Inauguration Day 3: DC & Baltimore, The Day Before The Big Day

Trisha and I picked up the rental at Enterprise at 8AM and headed to Washington, D.C. right away down the I-95 South. Right after getting on the freeway in Philly we got lost and ended up in Camden, New Jersey, which is known for being America’s most dangerous city year after year. We got out of there quick and soon got back on the right path. There are a bunch of toll roads getting to the DC area and you could spend between $10 and $20 depending on how far you go.

Trisha and I got to the Minnesota Metro Station at about 11AM. We bought our fare cards to get to Capitol South Metro Station as well as our day passes for inauguration day. After getting off the Orange Line at the Capitol South Station we experienced some of the over crowdedness that we would see on inauguration day. Little did we know that this was nothing compared to inauguration day.

Capitol South Station

It was a mad house and tens of thousands of people, if not more, were picking up their tickets on this day. We had to get ours at the Rayburn House Office Building. There were two lines but with no direction or guidance we ended up standing in the hour line instead of the 20-minute line, which both went to the same place. In line, we had to stand in front of a group of annoying campaign workers that felt like they were something special and that they had some kind of special connection to Obama. One was an obnoxious older Jewish woman who had attachment issues with a younger mixed-race campaign worker that reminded me of a bootleg Barack. Another member of the party included a woman in her 30s with braces who made remarks about Asians and Hispanics that weren’t positive. I truly believed she thought she could say those things for four reasons:

1. She voted for Obama
2. She was attending the inaguration
3. She was married to a Latin man
4. She could talk Spanish with the worst gringo accent I’ve ever heard

Once we got the front of the line we found out the delay was due to a security checkpoint that wasn’t upgraded to accommodate the immediate increase in users. Finding the congressperson’s office wasn’t that easy either, Trisha and me got lost for about 10 minutes before finding the office. After getting the tickets, we were a little upset when we found out we were in the Silver Section, which was the farthest ticketed area from the capitol. It didn’t matter though cause we were there for the experience and soon got over it.

Ticket Pick Up Line Wrapped Around the Block, Taken by Trisha

Captiol from the Line

Statue at Rayburn from Line

Patiently Waiting

After getting back to the Minnesota Metro Station, which was in the hood, we took off to Baltimore but not before having a good 20 people staring at us before getting to the car. There wasn’t really any Asians or Latins in the neighborhood anyway.

Trisha on the Metro

Before heading to Baltimore, Trisha and I stopped in College Park, Maryland to check into the Howard Johnson, which was a really shitty motel but we only needed it for a few hours so it was good enough.

Our first stop in Baltimore was Lexington Market, which was in the hood. We got in there and it was similar to Grand Central Market (GCM) but it had as many fried chicken stands as GCM has taco stands. It was shitty but not as bad as GCM. I ate at Faidley’s since Trisha said their crab cakes were supposed to be really good. I had a Jumbo Lump crab cake which cost $13 (WTF?) and it was good but not worth the cost.

Lexington Market

Faidley's in Lexington Market, Taken by Trisha

Baltimore's Best Crab Cake?

Here it is, Size of a Baseball

Eat Them Oysters

After eating, Trisha and I stopped by the Washington Monument. We snapped a couple shots and then drove down to Inner Harbor, which is Baltimore’s waterfront and main shopping, dining, and entertainment area. They had a lot of shopping which included the same stores that you could find at any mall or outdoor shopping area in LA. They also had something called Power Plant Live which had similar businesses as LA Live. I guess “Live’s” will be popping up in many cities in the near future.

Baltimore's Washington Monument, Taken by Trisha

Baltimore Houses, Taken by Trisha

Statue in Front of the Washington Monument

Washington Monument

Lion Statue in Front of the Washington Monument

Washington Monument

Church Next to Washington Monument

Statue in Front of Washington Monument

Snow Covered Car in Baltimore

Baltimore's Inner Harbor

Baltimore's Inner Harbor

Baltimore's Inner Harbor

Baltimore's Inner Harbor

At Baltimore's Inner Harbor

Trisha and I were hungry so we checked Yelp for good places to eat. We drove to Fells Point to check out some of the restaurants and bars. It was pretty dead over there so headed over to Greektown to check out a restaurant that was rated number one on Yelp. The food was too expensive for what it was and just didn’t taste that good. We wondered what Baltimore Yelpers were thinking.

Me and Trisha headed back to the motel in College Park, Maryland to get prepared for Inauguration day and sleep. I took some pictures of the tickets to share.

Two Silver Tickets

What a Souvenir...

Inauguration Trip Day 2: Philly

We headed out pretty late to get to an 11AM appointment for a tour at the Eastern State Penitentiary (ESP). My plan was to make a stop at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which is best known for the steps made so famous in Rocky, before stopping walking over to the ESP. Trisha had other ideas due to the 30-degree weather and blanket of snow on the sidewalks. So we ended walking to Suburban Station to get transit information so we didn’t have to walk to the ESP.

City Hall

Trisha and I at Love Park

Love Park

City Hall

Suburban Station in the Middle of Downtown?

Trisha and Snow

After getting to the ESP, we found out that our appointment was at 10AM but they would accommodate us anyway. Our group was large and the 10AM tour only had two couples, which would have allowed me more time to take clearer pictures. Even though the facility was falling apart the actual tour was very interesting and is probably one of my favorite tours.

Prison Door at Eastern State Penitentiary

Eastern State Penitentiary

Eastern State Penitentiary

Eastern State Penitentiary

Eastern State Penitentiary

Eastern State Penitentiary

Eastern State Penitentiary

Eastern State Penitentiary

Eastern State Penitentiary

Eastern State Penitentiary

Al Capone's Cell at Eastern State Penitentiary

Eastern State Penitentiary

Trisha and I went to Reading Terminal Market for lunch, which is like Grand Central Market in downtown Los Angeles but much cleaner. I got a Philly cheese steak at Carmen’s and Trisha got a vegan Philly cheese steak from somewhere. My Philly cheese steak was mediocre and Trisha wasn’t impressed with the vegan version.

Carmen's at Reading Terminal Market

Philly Cheese Steak Hoagie from Carmen's

Reading Terminal Market

Reading Terminal Market

Reading Terminal Market

We decided to check out the historical part of Philly since it was only a few blocks away from the Reading Terminal Market. Even though it was the winter, there was still a long line to tour Independence Hall. Trisha and me weren’t interested in the tour and decided to take pictures of historical landmarks without waiting in lines. We also saw the Liberty Bell, which was much smaller than we expected and didn’t really impress us. We tried to check out the burial site of Benjamin Franklin but the cemetery was closed, lucky for us there was a gated opening in the brick wall they gave us a clear view of the tombstone. People throw pennies on his grave for some reason but I don’t know why.

Independence Hall

Trisha and Barack

Liberty Bell

Independence Hall

Congress

National Constitution Center

GW

GW

GW and Independence Hall

Congress

Ben Franklin's Resting Place

Ben Franklin's Bust

Frozen Fountain and Brass Cat at Betsy Ross House

That's Philly

Trisha and I then walked over to Elfreth’s Alley, which is the oldest continuously inhabited street in Philly. The houses were pretty nice but the street was pretty narrow and I was wondering where residents park their cars.

Elfreth's Alley

Elfreth's Alley

Elfreth's Alley

Elfreth's Alley

Elfreth's Alley

We hit South Street to check out what many travel magazines called the hip spot in Philly. I was thinking it would be like Haight Street but it came off more as something between Melrose and Haight. It was snowing pretty hard when we went so our ability to explore a little was severely reduced. I got a Philly cheese steak with cheese whiz at Jim’s, which was supposed to be the best according to yelp, which rated Pat’s and Geno’s badly, but was just not impressed. The Philly cheese steak just doesn’t fulfill my desires like a street taco in LA. I will stick to Great Steak, thank you very much.

Jim's on South Street

Piggin' Out

It was the big Eagles versus Cardinals NFC championship game this day so everybody was draped up in Eagles gear. We didn’t know the outcome of the game until we for to Tir Na Nog Pub and Grill and saw all the Eagle fans sad and wasted. We sat down and watched the Steelers versus Ravens game but no one really was interested in talking to us at that bar.

Back to the hotel…

Snow Tracks

Inauguration Trip Day 1: LA to Philly

We had a 8:30 AM flight so we had to leave at 6:00 AM to get over to Union Station to catch the Flyaway bus on time. Trisha and I didn’t have seats together but asked the check in counter to seat us together and they did. The only problem is that we sat in the emergency exit row. We had a lot of leg room but our seats couldn’t recline…booooo!

We finally got to our hotel in Philly at about 6:00 PM eastern time. We are staying at the Windsor on 17th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway between City Hall/Love Park and the Museum of Art/Rocky Steps. It took a shitload of money for all the connecting trips:

1. LA Red Line from Civic Center to Union Station: $1.25
2. LAX Flyaway Bus: $6.00
3. Philadelphia R1 Regional Rail from PHL to Center City: $7.00

Total: $14.25 total per person. This is on top of the $15 per checked bag charged by crook ass United.

Out the Hotel Window

Love Park, All Blurry

Twiggy

City Hall

City Hall

After settling down for a second, Trisha and I took the Market-Frankford Subway Line from 15th Street Station to 2nd Street Station. It cost $2.00 each way to take the subway but there is a 20 cent discount if you buy tokens so we got some. On Chestnut Street, we went to Amada where we got 6 dishes along with my two beers and Trisha’s rum and diet and white wine sangria. The wait was supposed to be an hour but we ended up getting a spot at the bar. We chatted with the only Asian person in the room besides Trisha and he turned out to be from San Francisco too, obviously.

SEPTA 15th Subway Station

Westbound Train to 69th Street Station

Guy Singing on the Subway with Mic and Speaker...Famous Line: "I Know the Ladies Aren't Happy Cause They Aren't Going Home With Me"

Amada

Meters for Midgets

Even though the food was great, the bill came out to $120.00 for six tapas dishes, two beers, and two cocktail. Damn!

After Amada, we walked down Market Street to 5th Street and hopped back on the Market-Frankford Subway up to Spring Garden Station to hit up Silk City on Spring Garden and 5th. We waited for the DJ to come on and he turned out to be pretty wack. He was playing a bunch of indie and didn’t mix at all or couldn’t mix. He hyped himself up too with a light up “DJ Deejay ” sign (yes that was his name). But the white folks were feeling him so maybe it was just us, probably not though. We bounced fast after the DJs forth track and headed back to Spring Garden Station. On the way there, it started to snow a little bit but was short lived. It was funny cause I was wearing about 4 layers on my upper and white people were out there in t-shirts. It was 18 degrees out there!!!

5th Street Station Platform

5th Street Subway Platform

Railing at Silk City

Trisha at Silk City

DJ Deejay Unsets the Mood at Silk City

Philly Skyline from Spring Garden Station

After getting on the subway, we headed back to the subway and called it a night.

San Francisco Christmas Trip: 12.24.08 – 12.28.08

12.24.08 Christmas Eve: LA to SF to Suisun City to SF to San Carlos to SF

Trisha and I left at about 11PM on 12.23.08 and got to SF at about 5AM the next day. We rested a little that day before me and Trisha had to head back out to run errands. We first went to West Portal so Trisha could get some free coffee at Pete’s. I doubled parked cause parking is always a bitch out there. It’s funny how normal it is though to block a complete lane of traffic in SF. You can’t get away with something like that in LA. There were like two cars in front and behind me double parked too. We then headed to North Beach/Little Italy so Trisha could pick up one of two gift certificates at a restaurant for her parents. Next we headed to the Embarcadero to get another gift certificate after taking a stroll through the newly renovated Ferry Building. There are a bunch of restaurants in there that I want to try but just haven’t got a chance to yet. My mom also asked me to pick up some whole chickens at Boston Market since they were supposedly $1.99 each. This sounded to good to be true but I decided to entertain her request to get 6 chickens. I went to the Boston Market in Potrero Hill but it ended up being $38 for the first chicken and the meal and a second chicken for $1.99. I knew they were mistaken but it was all good. After we left, we headed back to West Portal, taking the long way down 24th Street in the Mission. I picked up a Crab Melt at Toastie’s and it was pretty good just pricey at $10.

At around 4:30PM, my mom and I headed to Suisun City to attend a Christmas Eve party at my cousin Ted’s (DJ Tom Solo) house. I checked the traffic and the usual route 101 to the 80 to the 12 was all red. I ended up taking the 101 to the 80 to the 580 to the 24 to the 680 to the 12. It took us 2 hours total where it should have took and hour and 15 minutes. My cousin Ronnie told me it took them two and a half hours taking the regular route except they left at 2:30PM. Before leaving at 8:30PM, I got to mix a little, eat some good food, watch the kids open gifts, take pictures, and catch up a little with a small segment of my family. There were 10 nieces and nephews at this party that I bought gifts for:

Kyle – Bakugan
Christian – Bakugan
Jared – Bakugan
Kelsie – Apple Gift Card
Bianca – H&M Gift Card
Angelica – H&M Gift Card
Jonathan – Hot Topic Gift Card
Linea – Limited Too Gift Card
TJ – Jacket
Skylar – No Mess Art Set

Kyle Smiling for the Camera

Tita Carmen and All Her Grandchildren

Mom Posing

Party Lights for Christmas?

Angelica and Kyle Getting Down

Skylar Happy to Get Her Gift

Christian and Kyle Getting Their Gifts

After, leaving Suisun City, I drove back to SF in heavy rain to drop my mom off at home and pick up Trisha before I headed to San Carlos. Trisha’s dad’s family was having their annual Christmas Eve party at Trisha’s uncle’s (Marshall) house. San Carlos was about 75 miles away from Suisun City so you can imagine how late we got their. Most people were already done eating and opening presents but we still ate when we got there. Trisha and I got two gifts that included food from her grandma and her aunt’s family. We also got a bottle of wine from her Uncle Vic. We soon left and headed back to the SF.

12.25.08 Christmas Day: SF to Pacifica to SF

After waking up late, Trisha and I played with her mom’s dog, Fozzie, for awhile but then went to open some gifts. Fozzie got to open his presents himself, me and Trisha too. Fozzie got toys, Trisha got clothes and accessories, and I got a 2009 Almanac.

Fozzie Opening His Gift

New Toy

Foz

So Happy

Huh?

What You Got For Me?

BeforeI headed over to the family house in Pacifica for the annual Christmas party, I dropped by my brother’s and sister’s house in SF. I dropped off gifts for my nieces and nephews:

Mikey – Bakugan
Marcell – Pokemon
Adrian – Ben10
Keilani – High School Musical Doll and School Set

I got to Pacifica early but it was okay cause it gave me a chance to relax finally and eat. After everyone arrived we got to catching up with each other and watched the Lakers vs. Celtics game which was a pretty damn good game. After watching Casino Royale we opened gifts. I got my cousins gifts this time:

Joseph – Upper Playground Gift Card and Face/Off DVD
Kris – Upper Playground Gift Card and Watermelon Hookah
Ian – Sports Authority Gift Card and War DVD
Adrienne – Cash
Kim – Cash
Vincent – Spiderman disc shooter

My cousin Joseph got me a bottle of Crown Royal and two glasses. I opened up the bottle and we shared it as a family. I was pretty much killed by the end of the night. I also got a polo shirt, thermal shirt, button up shirt, a charging station, wine, apple cider, chocolate and oatmeal.

Ian and Kim Enjoying the Movie

Adrienne and Kris Enjoying the Movie Too

Ian, Kim, and Tita Lu Watching

Brenda, Mom, and Tita Carmen Chatting It Up

Joseph and Ian Listening to the Stories

Adrienne Handing Out Gifts

Vincent Watching TV

After opening presents, I had to rush out and head to Trisha’s mom’s family party. I got there pretty late when they were eating dessert and drinking wine. I really only stayed for about 30 minutes which kind of sucks. They decided to call it a night and we headed back to Trisha’s house to end the night.

12.26.08 SF to Daly City to Colma to SF

Trisha and I decided to go get some brunch, so we headed to Brenda’s Soul Food on Polk Street, between Turk Street and Eddy Street in the infamous Tenderloin district. I guess we came at the perfect time cause we took the last table. The couple after us had to sit at the counter and by the time we left there were a good 15 people waiting outside where the place looked like it only seated 15-20 people. The food was pretty damn good. I got a oyster and bacon omelet with grits and watermelon ice tea, Trisha got a vegetarian omelet, and we got Bananas Foster french toast to share. The Bananas foster and grits were the best parts of the meal. I ended up talking to the guy at the counter when he saw our food come out. He was originally from Chicago but now calls San Jose home and it was his second time to Brenda’s.

Trisha at Brenda's

After Brenda’s, Trisha and I headed over to 24th Street and Harrison Street to check out the murals in this alley. I first saw this alley back when I was in elementary or middle school. I guess they are updated more often than I thought. It was a pretty cool sight and there were a bunch of tourists there from as far as Europe and Asia.

Birth...

Kid Fighting the Power

She

Essential

Cactus

After the Murals, I dropped Trisha off and set out to meet up with my brother James and sister Dee to bowl. We were going to originally go to Serra Bowl next to the Colma BART station but my brother called me asking me to get his extra car alarm chain cause he lost the one he had just then. I ended up bringing all the way back to SF and then we got a call that we were instead going to meet at Classic Bowl deeper in Daly City. We had more time to kill so me and James headed to Serramonte to check out the hats at Sport City. They got a shitload of SF hats in multiple colors and designs. James picked up the all white SF hat. We then went to Sport Authority and Big 5 to look for thermals, no luck.

When we got to Classsic Bowl, Mike (Dee’s husband) was already in line. I guess there was a mad dash to get in line for the special deal that goes on on weekdays. It was a $7 cover, $4 for shoes, and 25 cents per game between 5PM and 8PM. Bowling was me, James, Dee, Mikey (Dee’s son), Mike, and Ric (Mike’s friend). We played 4 games and my highest score was 170. I would have been the highest scorer for the day until Ric got 171 on the last game. Classic bowl has been infamous for being a Filipino hang out spot back in the day, now it seemed to be full of Chinese folks. The place also has a club that is supposed to be pretty good. When you walk in there you are pretty surprised that a club/bar like that could be in a shitty bowling alley like Classic Bowl.

Mikey Bowling

Watching and Waiting

After we finished bowling, we all met at Dee and Mike’s house in Colma, minus James, who never showed up. We just chilled and played the new Rock Band with the drums. It was pretty hard but Mikey, who is only 7, was pretty damn good at it and he just got it a month ago. Other folks came through as well, Gil and his two kids, Ric, Ranier, Marvick, Mason, Javie and his girlfriend Diana and son Max. Javie was a little kid that used to be on the block (Bertita Street) back in the day. He is now 21 and has a one year old with his girlfriend who is older than him. His son Max is really cute though and is Mexican and Chinese. We also ended up playing poker but I was out of chips quick.

Marcell and Dee

Marcell and Elmo

Marcell and Elmo, Taken by Dorothy Laughlin

Max, Taken by Gil

12.27.08 SF Sick Day

I woke up this day feeling real bad with a sore throat that kept me in bed and sleeping almost all day. I tried everything to get better including Vitamin C, Oranges, Noni Juice, soup, and more. Nothing worked. I ended up just eating pizza, drinking pepsi, and taking tylenol later and feeling better. I pretty much didn’t do anything that day except drop off a gift for my boy Karl’s daughter Karlyne and pick up Trisha from dinner in the Tenderloin. On our way back to her house, we stopped by her grandma’s house so she could give us food. It seemed like she really missed Trisha and was sad that she didn’t visit more.

12.28.08 SF to Solvang to Santa Barbara to LA

We left SF at about 8:30AM to be able to beat some of the traffic heading back to LA. We took the 101 this time to be able to make some stops on the way. On the way to San Luis Obispo where we planned to switch drivers I got a ticket by CHP for going 82 MPH. This sucks cause I just got a ticket and did traffic school on the 118 after field work. This means I get points and higher insurance premiums. My insurance premium already went up almost $500 since I started living in downtown. It seemed like the CHP cops were desperate to meet that end of month/year quotas. There were two motorcycle cops with there radar guns and the second me and the other car took off they started taking speeds immediately. The cop didn’t even waste any time asking me what speed I was going, he just wrote it and gave it to me.

We stopped in Solvang to see this Danish Village that we heard about from older family members and in the movie Sideways. We got there and we were both not impressed. We ate at Paula’s Pancakes and thought the food was worse than mediocre. It’s funny cause it was rated better than 4 stars on Yelp.

After Solvang, we went to State Street in Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara wasn’t that impressive either. We walked all the way down to the beach and just didn’t find much to do. It was beautiful out there and I am sure that there is a good night life scene after seeing a couple cool looking bars, but just nothing to do that wasn’t shopping or eating.

We then headed back to LA on the 101. We bypassed the 101 section through the Hollywood Hills since the google maps on my blackberry said it was hella backed up. Instead we used the 118 to the 5 to the 2 and took the streets back to the house. Vacation over…

Playing Catch Up…12.04.08 – 12.07.08

It’s been awhile since I wrote a real post. Problem was I came home from SF last Friday and had The Come Up the next day. Then I was sick from Sunday until Tuesday. After recovering from my sickness, I was working to finish up my Bay Area rap mix for the podcast which should be posted mid-week. These podcasts will mainly be posted here and on The Come Up Events blog. Our submission was rejected from itunes so we are relying on blogs to get our mixes out.

Lets catch up…

Thursday, 12.04.08

SIPA Sessions

I headed to SIPA to get down on the turntables. Me and Laurent got some time to beat juggle and scratch. Surprisingly, Laurent had two students now. One was a repeat student and the other was a new student. I actually met her at Diggin Sunday because she was diggin my music. I guess she was interested in learning how to do what we do. The session was good that night but I had to leave early to meet my girlfriend.

Laurent & Wessam

Laurent

Laurent Teaching His Students

Downtown Lights

Me and Trisha signed up to take a walking tour of Downtown LA holiday lighting but we were running so late that we could not meet up with the group. We drove over to 4th and Main to hopefully catch up with the group at 4th St between Main and Spring where the lights were very impressive. There was one problem, they didn’t go that way and we waited there for a good 20-30 minutes.

4th Street Lights

4th St Lights

Harlem Pl Alley

Harlem Pl Alley

LA Live

We decided to park the car close to the 7th St Metro Station to take the Blue Line to Pico Station. We found out later that we only parked about 15 minutes away from LA Live and taking the Blue Line from 7th St Station to Pico Station took about 20-25 minutes including the walk from Pico Station to LA Live. We also passed by Staples Center and got me thinking why I have only been to one Clippers game and one Kings game both in the nose bleed section. A new priority of mine is to get close to court side tickets to a key Lakers game. I am not a Lakers fan but I know the game will be exciting.

Walking down to 7th St Metro Station

Staples Center

Anyways, back to LA Live. We were not really impressed withwhat LA Live had to offer as of yet. Most of the businesses promised weren’t open yet and it was not that large of a complex as we expected in the time we were anticipating its opening. They also had this fake light Christmas tree that was cool but not as good as the real thing. I would prefer a tree like that in Rockefeller Plaza in NY. Most things were closed that night for private receptions since it was opening night but there were only a few places open for business including ESPN Zone, the Conga Room, Nokia Theatre, Nokia Lounge, and Bowling. We heard that Britney Spears was there an hour before we got there but we didn’t really care. I guess I will give LA Live another chance since everything is not open yet. I have to admit that I am waiting for Yard House to open so I have a place to go to to satisfy my thirst for beer. ESPN Zone will be cool too for games as long as they stay open long hours.

Fake Christmas Tree at LA Live

Crane LA Live

Lots of Flash, But is There Any Substance?

Slick Escalators

Office Space at LA Live

Slick Lights

View from Upstairs

Weird Performer at LA Live

Friday, 12.05.08

The Shrimp Head Sucking Posse

At work, we decided to go have lunch at Grand Central Market to get several pounds of cooked shrimp with the heads on, of course. The group included Sinuhe, Jade, Camelia, Muna, June, Manuel, Marco, Angelka, and myself. We went to Maria’s and got 5 pounds of shrimp (3 garlic and 2 diablo). We also got 2 grande fried tilapias (prepared in the same way Filipinos prepare it), and a pound of salmon. I swear we waited for about 25-30 minutes for them to cook everything but it was worth the wait. When we finally got to sit down and eat, Jade showed us all the correct way to eat the shrimp. Stick the head in your mouth, suck out all the juices, spit the headshell out, and then eat the rest. It is really good and I hope to bring some homies from outside of work there to get their grub on.

Maria's at Grand Central Market

Maria's Menu

$6.49/lb With the Heads On and They Fry it Up For You at A Minimal Cost

Maybe Next Time

Sinuhe Waiting

Modelo While We Wait

Jade Posing

The Pound I Was Eating

Yummmm!!

Jade Will Probably Kill Me For Posting This One

Post-Large Meal Cancer, Camelia, Muna, & Jade

June, Angelka, & Mint Chocolate Chip

Sinuhe, The Big Payback

After Work Drinks at the Liquor Store

Myself, Marco, James, Sinuhe, and Alberd left work and went to the liquor store to have some beer. It is a store that sells liquor but also offers tables for people to dine on lunch, snacks, cheese platters, and drink alcohol. They actually charge more for those who decide to drink in store rather than take you liquor to go. They do have Happy Hour before they close at 7PM which is $4-$5 for a pint or 22 oz. beer. It is actually more expensive to buy small bottles. So I got a bottle of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale cause I felt like having a hoppy beer. It was good as usual as we watched the Lakers kill the Wizards. After one pint and two wax covered cheese varieties, we left. James, Marco, and I went to my pad to use the bathroom before heading to Kike’s Tacos. Problem was that Kike’s was not open yet and we didn’t realize until we got there. I guess the early darkness threw me way off. We ended up driving to a Taco Truck next to the Walgreens in Echo Park. I had 4 tacos: cabeza, lengua, tripas, and some meat from the back of the ribs of I forgot what type of animal. I have never been upset with any meats I have tasted in a taco except the tripas (tripe). They deep fry it but it taste pasty/chalky and the flavor is not too pleasant. It was almost impossible to chew as well and I ended up just swallowing pieces whole. Yukkkk!!

True Beer Lover, Check the Closed Eyes to Enhance the Taste Buds. Sike

You Got to Open Your Own Shit Here

Saturday, 12.06.08

I had a lot planned for this day, Pacquiao/SIPAfundraiser, Scoops Tasting Challenge, watch UCLA vs. USC game, watch Pacquiao vs. De La Hoya fight, and check out the Block Party at 4th and Main St in Lofttown Los Angeles.

Pacquiao/SIPA Fundraiser

It was a fundraiser where a portion of the profits from Pacquiao t-shirts and silent auction went to the SIPA foundation, which you all know by now if you read my blog. It was at the Montalban Theatre, which was a makeshift Nike Store for the weekend, in Hollywood (Vine and Selma) which made it a bitch in regards to finding parking. I had no change for meters and lots were charging flat rates when I was only planning on staying for 30 minutes or so. I ended up parking on Hollywood where they have the new machine installed that take credit cards. I didn’t really know how to use it and paid for a full hour ($3, I think). We decided to check out Hollywood since we haven’t really been there since about 2003. Hollywood didn’t change much since then except for Hollywood/Highland. Just a bunch of souvenir stores, smoke shops, tattoo shops, suit shops, urban wear shops, memorabilia shops, and Scientology Centers. I was not surprised but that’s Hollywood.

Pacquiao is the Man

Pacquiao is my Height, Weighs 25 Pounds Less, and Can Knock Me Out in One Punch

Dance Crew at the Montalban Theatre

Capitol Records in Hollywood

Scoops Tasting Challenge

After Hollywood, Trisha and I went to Scoops for a tasting challenge to benefit an organization. We got 10 scoops for $10 and we had to guess the flavors to win a shirt. I was just there for the ice cream, even though I believe in donating to good causes, I had no prior knowledge that it was a fundraiser. We ate all we could before it started to melt and got nine out of ten of the flavors right, oh well.

10 Scoops

Trisha Going Gaga Over All That Ice Cream

Little Kids Loving the Ice Cream

UCLA vs. USC Game

Although we had season tickets for UCLA football, we didn’t know how hard it was to free up most of your Saturdays to go so in the end I only went to the Tennessee and Stanford games. We had to sell the UCLA vs. USC tickets to make some money back for all the tickets we couldn’t sell since nobody seemed to want to go to a UCLA game for a cost. We ended up going to the Arts District to find a place to watch the game. No one had the game on. But after walking into a closed e3rd steakhouse, we got the guys to let us sit at the bar and watch the end of the game. It was horrible though because UCLA was losing 28-7 to USC. We left the bar unhappy but moved on. Before leaving the Arts District, we stopped by Crazy Gideons to check out what the hype was all about. Honestly, everything was crap and all outdated.

Out the Side View in the Arts District

The Skyline from the Arts District

From the Stairway in Crazy Gideons

Pacquiao vs. De La Hoya Fight

Although Sinuhe invited me to watch the fight at his pad in San Pedro, I was lazy to drive and we had plans that night in Downtown for the Block Party. That was a big mistake because we watched the fight on illegal live online streams. But everyone was getting shut down. There was one guy who kept starting new streams after being shutdown which allowed me to watch the fight in 4 short segments. I did get to see the 8th round though when they pulled De La Hoya out of the fight. Pacquiao defeats De La Hoya and I could hear the Filipinos in the Philippines go crazy from Los Angeles. I was very proud at that moment that we had another Filipino to represent our culture’s talent. If you guys didn’t know Filipinos are usually good at:

1. DJing
2. Swagger
3. Dancing
4. Boxing
5. Singing
6. Looking Fresh to Death 24/7

Downtown Lofts Block Party

All I have to say about this was WHACK!!! What happened to the real downtown residents. It was just another event taken over and exploited by hipsters. No one was coming down from their lofts. They were coming from their cars since they just drove from Malibu or the Hollywood Hills. It could have been a cool event with all the restaurants adding tables outside on the street, live bands and DJs, art gallery showcases, and a beer garden. Too bad…I will stick to the Downtown Art Walk, diversity is better than uniformity, in regards to style in this case. After leaving the block party soon after we arrived, we stopped by Pershing Sqaure to check out the skating rink and holiday lighting along the way home.

From Pershing Square

At the Citi Bank Plaza

Sunday, 12.07.08

Shopping

I needed to shop for an outfit for my company Christmas party and Trisha had to shop for gifts. We started at Ikea where she got a mugs and plates for her grandpa. I picked up a picture frame so I could finally out up some shots in my bathroom.

We then went to Glendale where I picked up a pin stripped vest and trousers for $50 at H&M. I wanted the blazer but they ran out of my size. The blazer was only $50. Hopefully they restock my size before Friday so I can get everything altered in time.

Trying it On in the Fitting Room

After H&M, we went to Carousel, a Lebanese Armenian restaurant, on Brand in Glendale. The food was good. I got yogurt kebabs and Trisha got a vegetarian dish. It only came out to $43 with tip after which was unexpected since the restaurant was pretty nice inside.

We finished up out shopping day with a trip to Glendale Galleria. This place was sooooooooooo crowded. We just stopped by Macy’s so Trisha could find pajamas for her grandma, she didn’t. We also stopped by the Apple store to see some of the Ipod dock/alarm clocks. None worked how I wanted them too when I tested them. Some alarms turned on the Ipod but had the volume at 0. Some didn’t allow you to use the Ipod to wake up. No success this time.

LA DWP Holiday Light Festival

We checked this out since we never did before even when we lived on Los Feliz Blvd off the 5 Freeway. It was cool but was definitely a one time thing. there were a few impressive light pieces but most were mediocre if not awful. I liked the Golden Gate Bridge and the entry/exit light tunnels, but not much more. It also rained once we got to the end before we had to turn around and walk back.

Tunnel of Lights

More Lights

Trisha & More Lights

Holly

Wood

The Golden Gate Lights

Wrap Up
The weekend was fun and eventful and it made me happy to get out of the house, especially since I spent most of my time with my girlfriend. Some great events are around the corner, including the free secret location Common show I got tickets for and my company Christmas party. Also, The Come Up Crew will be putting out our second podcast highlighting Bay Area Rap: Old and New featuring me, Spingineer, and Dumlao. If you are interested in checking out our first podcast, which was 90s hip hop, go to the music page on my blog or the podcast page on The Come Up Blog.

I’ll be back soon…Peace.

Day 7, 8, & 9: San Francisco

Day 7: Quality Time with Mom and Siblings

I planned to spend the day bringing my mom to places that she wouldn’t have gone to otherwise. We started out by heading to Fisherman’s Wharf to have lunch at Joe’s Crab Shack. I really wanted whole crab from the vendors on the street but it was raining and we both just wanted to sit down and relax away from the rain. She also told me that she always wanted to go to Joe’s so I wanted to make her happy. It was pretty damn good. We got the Steampot for 2. It came with 2 clusters of dungeness crab, 2 clusters of snow crab, 10 pieces of shrimp, new potatoes, and two pieces of corn for $44.99. Not bad for that much crab at a sit down restaurant.

Mom Getting Ready to Grub

Steampot

Joe's Lights

Out Joe's Window

Joe's Chairs

After Joe’s, we went to the newly renovated Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. We got there at about 2PM and the second we stepped on the first step (after the 10 minute walk from the car in the rain) an announcement came on saying that tickets were sold out for the day. This really sucked because it pretty much ended our day. The new Academy of Sciences is supposed to be state of the art. It has a new Planetarium, a living roof, and a multi-story rain forest. The planetarium is supposed to be the best part. I guess I will plan another trip with my mom when I go back for Christmas. I will just buy my tickets online next time.

Later that night, I went back to Dee and Mike’s house to eat, drink, & chill with them and my brother James. But James never ended up coming through, which sucks. Instead Mike’s homies, Lil’ John and Gil came through to kick it. We had ribs and rice for dinner which was pretty satisfying and cost only about $5 to feed everybody. After dinner, we went to the ghetto store (they call it the yellow store because if the sign, but it is really called Quick Pic Market). I tried to get a six pack of Negra Modelo and Anchor Steam and they were charging $23. We decided to just get a twelve pack of Tecate (Budweiser of Mexican Beers). Lil’ John brought his own 40 oz of 2-11. I had a bad experience with a 40 oz of 2-11 back in high school. It involved a pretty girl, a lot of vomit, friends laughing at me, and passing out in the back alley. I guess the shit hit me that hard. When Gil came through later on in the night, we went back to the yellow store to get some real liquor. We picked up 375 mL of Johnnie Walker Black Label. We each had two glasses on the rocks and it wasn’t bad for a cheap whiskey. We also listened to the new San Quinn album that our sister Carol’s boyfriend Dex produced some tracks on. His beats were pretty good and me and Mike decided to try to check out his studio before I headed back to LA.

2-11, Taken by Dorothy Moyrong

Johnnie Walker Black Label, Taken by Dorothy Moyrong

Mike Having a Taste, Taken by Dorothy Moyrong

Gil Drinkin and Chillin, Taken by Dorothy Laughlin

San Quinn Album, Taken by Gil

Lil' John & Mike

On the way home, I tried to get some late night grub at McDonald’s or Taco Bell/KFC by the house but they were closed. The next closest was Jack in the Box on Bayshore in Hunter’s Point but the lines usually get really long over there so I decided to just try to sleep off my hunger.

Day 8: Thanksgiving Day

I woke up this morning feeling dizzy and with a huge headache. I needed to get out quick to go see Mike and his brothers and friends play football. They called their game the Turkey Bowl since it was Thanksgiving. They were playing at Alta Loma Park in San Bruno so I could get some breakfast at Jack in the Box to fill that need from the night before. I felt hella better after getting something in my stomach and I was ready to snap some shots of the game. These guys play football every week and sometimes they play tackle but that was not an option this time around. They ended up playing with a half dozen Polynesians who were huge and were looking to crush some bones. They ended up playing flag football and the yellow team won.

Pre-Game, Filipinos in the Front, Polynesians in the Back

Pre-Game, Mike

Pre-Game, Marvick

After the Snap

Running the Sideline

This Shot Was So Funny, Dude Looked Hella Scared

Capture the Flag

Marvick After the Catch

Head to Head

Wide Receiver

Nice Catch

Moving the Ball

Block and Move

Those are Some Big Dudes Coming at You

Those Polynesians Were Huge

Swatted

Hike

Marvick Getting His Flag Taken

Waiting

After going home and getting ready, my mom and I headed to Marie Calendar’s at Serramonte (Serramanila to all the Filipinos) to get some pies. We tried to get custard and pumpkin but they ran out of custard so we got french apple instead. We headed to Pacifica and picked up a bottle of Crown Royal and a six pack of Newcastle.

We got to the Pacifica family house early and had to eat a little before the meal. When my grandma was dropped off my ready-wheels we put out the ramp that Marshal built so that we could get my grandma in the house. When everyone got there they asked us to take some pictures of the food and with our grandma in front of the food. When we were done taking pictures, my grandma managed to grab a lumpia from the table before she was wheeled away. She hates the food at the nursing home so I guess she couldn’t wait. The lumpias were extra good for some reason too. There was a good mix of Filipino and traditional Thanksgiving food. I pretty much stuck to the Filipino food cause my Tita Lu makes some good ass Filipino food. After dinner, me and my cousins Kris, Jojo, and Ian finished the Newcastles and half of the Crown Royal.

Later, me and my cousins, Kris, Ian, Jojo, Adrienne, Kim, Kelsie, Bianca, and Elanie went to the park next door to throw the football and some frisbees around. I couldn’t really throw the frisbee for shit. I got the hang of it later on though.

After burning off some calories, we headed back into the house and finished the Crown Royal. I was pretty gone at that point and we were going through my laptop to find hip hop samples. We were singing along the new lyrics to the old songs. My cousin Jonathan, who is usually really quiet, got really chatty when it came to talking about music. He is really musical and he plays three instruments (guitar, drums, and something else). I thought he was a straight rocker but he knew about raock, hip hop, old soul/funk, and even electro and B’More. When he was younger, we brought him to some gigs and just let him get on the turntables to move the record back and forth at the end of the night cause the girls thought it was cute. He didn’t know what he was doing but it was still to the beat and you could tell he had the music in him.

At the end of the night, Ian and his mom, Tita Irma, dropped us off on the way back to Oakley.

Deep Fried Turkey from the Chinese Restaurant, Didn't Like It

Lumpias and Some Other Stuff

Day 9: Last Day in San Francisco

This day started off real late and with a huge headache, again. I was hungry so me and my mom walked to Taco Bell/KFC. On the way there we passed by the Cow Palace, which is a indoor event building. It used to be the premier place in San Francisco for events like WWF, Ringling Brothers, car shows, and concerts. The problem was that its entrance was a block from the entrance of the projects with two liquor stores in between. People would make the mistake of parking in the neighborhood instead of the venue and you guys only know what happened next. Nowadays, the Cow Palace doesn’t hold much and is comparable to the Los Angeles Sports Arena. You may have wrestling there but with luchadores, instead of concerts you may see Christian healing events, a bunch of liquidation sales, and motivational speakers.

Before getting to Taco Bell/KFC we passed by a new multi-story apartment building that used to be “El Rancho Market” and was the place we always used to go for groceries. When you look around at all the businesses, they are changing to Chinese establishments. Just in the seven and a half years that I’ve been gone, my neighborhood, Visitacion Valley, changed from predominately Filipino, Black, and Samoan to Chinese and Hispanic. Filipinos and Blacks are moving to Fairfield, Suisun City, Oakley and beyond. Samoans are still there in the same numbers but most of them live in the Sunnydale projects and will be displaced when they are shut down in the next five years. There was a “South Pacific Islands” restaurant next to Taco Bell/KFC that I wanted to try but I didn’t have cash. I will make sure to try it before all the Samoans are gone.

After we ate, I went home and slept for a long time after taking some allergy and headache medicine. I got picked up later by Mike and Dee and we headed to Dee’s mom’s house before heading to Dex’s studio. I had some mongo and rice while I waited for Dee’s mom, Betty, to get home. Mongo is a mix of lentils, meat, bitter melon, and ginger and is really good. When Betty got home the first thing she said to me was “Wow, Paul you gained some weight.” That sucked but she said she liked it and it looked good so I guess that wasn’t a bad thing.

Mongo and Rice

At Dex’s studio, we listened to some unreleased tracks that didn;t make the cut for San Quinn’s new album that were pretty good. There were also some tracks on there with Krondon, CNN, and Killer Mike. The Krondon track was pretty good too. Dex’s workspace was pretty nice. He had a lobby, office, and and recording studio. In the studio, he had a shit load of keyboards, a DJ set up, a sound proof recording booth, and everything else needed to produce beats and record music. His weapon of choice was Sony Acid but he also had Reason and Pro Tools if needed. I got on the turntables (1 Numark cd/turntable hybrid, 1 1200, and a Vestax 06) but didn’t really get to shine that much. The turntables were just not up to par. The needle on the 1200 just wouldn’t hold.

Dex, Mikey, and Carol, Taken by Dorothy Moyrong

At Dex's Studio, Taken by Dorothy Moyrong

Me on the Turntables at Dex's Studio, Taken by Dorothy Moyrong

My Niece/God Daughter Keilani Messing With the Turntables

Mikey at Dex's Studio, Taken by Dorothy Moyrong

After the studio, Mike and Dee dropped me off at the airport and I headed back to LA on Virgin America. Virgin’s planes are dope and you get free cable while you are on your way to your destination. I got back to LA to a hectic arrival area. I got on the 9:30PM LAX flyaway bus to Union Station at 10:00PM. When I got Union Station, my girlfriend Trisha picked me up and we headed home, finally.

Sleep…zZZZZZZ…zZZZZZZZ

Day 4, 5, & 6: San Francisco

Day 4:

I didn’t do much this day. I woke up late and breakfast was already out of the question. My mom and I were gonna go have lunch but we were going to bring my grandma lunch at the nursing home in the Millbrae area. We brought her some Filipino food and chilled with her for about an hour. She is in her early 90s and is in the nursing home because last December she passed out, fell face first, and dislocated her shoulder. There is no one to take care of her at her house in Pacifica so she had to go there. She will be coming home for Thanksgiving though but just for the day and then back to the nursing home.

I kind of hate going to the nursing home because you feel really bad in there. You walk in and almost all the old folks just sit in the hall and they stare at you when you walk by as if you should be coming to see them. Even when we are sitting down with my grandma in her room, old folks come by and just stare at us. It is a little weird but I endure it to see her. She hates it. She hates the food. She hates the help. She hates that other old folks there will steal her food. But mainly she hates that she can’t be with her family as much as she wants to be. We all hate that she is there too but no one can be home all day to make sure she is safe.

After seeing my grandma at the nursing home, my mom and I headed to “The Avenue” in Downtown San Bruno to get some grub. I always want to eat at a place that is not in LA. I stress this to all my family and friends who seem to keep offering places likes BJ’s, TGI Fridays, and Chevy’s as a legitimate place to dine. We ended up going to this Middle Eastern restaurant that was pretty good. The problem was that I got a huge food coma after eating there.

A Bite of Falafel

We left the restaurant and headed to Tanforan Shopping Center so I could pick up some jeans at Old Navy. But I was suffering from the food coma and I had to take a 30 minute nap in the car to try to re-energize. After getting inside the mall, I was like “fuck looking around let’s just get the stuff and go.”

After getting home I thought I was in store for another boring night until my boy Karl (DJ Panik) called me to tell me he was at his parents’ house in SF. This was perfect because their house was a block away from me. I headed over there and we just got in to DJ business talk. He hooked me up with some music videos for the whole VJ thing and we talked about opportunities to get on in SF or the Bay. He offered me his slot for a massive teen party in the East Bay on the Saturday before Christmas. It would be held by the Bayfunction Ent. crew and would expect about 1600 teens. I would be down but I don’t have the leave at work to stay in SF for a whole week again, and I wouldn’t want to anyway as you read in my last post. He then told me about getting a booth for HIN (Hot Import Nights) in the Southern California area. The problem was that it would take promoting and that flyer returns would dictate pay.

Should I?

Later, me and Karl went to Roma Pizza on Mission St. and Amazon St. for a pie and beers. We bought the large house special but could not finish half.

The night was over…

Day 5:

This was probably my most non-vacation day of the week so far. I woke and my mom made me take measurements of the lower level of the house. She recently evicted a tenant who was pretty much mentally disturbed. The lady filed a lawsuit against my mom. My sister was working for a law firm at the time in Honolulu and found old cases where the lady tried to pull the same shit on previous landlords. She always sued for the same amount, had the same statement, and accused the landlords of threats and trespassing. My mom finally got her evicted a few months ago but the damage was done. The lady snitched my mom out about building code violations. My mom has some illegal apartments downstairs (as most houses in San Francisco do) that my dad built to help her make more cash to help pay the bills. Now my mom has to bring a bunch of things up to code and can no longer let one of the rooms be inhabited. It’s crazy cause I grew up in the room they deemed unlivable. Shows how much they know.

My mom also wanted some shots of her and the dog, Daisy, in her new garden area. It was built by her friend Marshal, who lives downstairs in the unlivable room a couple of days out of the week. He only pays my mom about $200 a month to live there and keep his belongings there but he does a lot of handy work for her in the house and backyard. He has also done work for my extended family and has become a family friend. Sometimes it seems like he is the help though. He was even at both my aunt’s and uncle’s funerals last year to help set up the food on the viewing days. Yeah, we eat after the viewing and rosary almost everyday until the funeral.

Mom's Garden Area

Mom and Daisy

After taking dimensions, we drove to my cousin Eric’s house in Pacifica so that my Uncle Mel, who is a civil engineer, could take the dimensions and draft them up professionally. I could have done it myself, but my mom is to impatient to wait for me to get back to LA. I also picked up my Pacquiao shirt but it was too small just like my Upper Playground shirts. I told my cousin Ted to get me a large instead.

Uncle Mel

While at Eric’s house, I enjoyed the view that they had of the deeply vegetated hills of Pacifica. It’s something you don’t really see in metro areas.

Out the Patio Door

Veggie

When I got home from Eric’s house I called my sister Dorothy so I could go hang out at their spot in Colma. I headed over there but I had to make a stop at the ghetto liquor store in the worst neighborhood in Daly City. I bought a six pack of Negra Modelo and a “Cutty Bang” cocktail set. It was funny, they has a whole bunch of ziploc bags that had the ingredients to make single serve cocktails. But most of them are ghetto concoctions that you never heard of like cutty bang, apple jack, go dumb, and a bunch more. You also get a tall styrofoam cup to drink it from (think Lil Wayne). I actually bought it to be part of my white elephant gift at work. I wanted to give a joke gift this year after being the final reciepient of the one last year. I got a huge pair of pink ladies’ underwear, a pack of cigarettes, a $5 gift certificate to McDonanld’s, two cans of malt liquor, and a bunch of scratchers.

Cutty Bang

I got to my sister Dorothy’s (Dee) house and my brother-in-law Mike and his boy Neel were watching the Packers vs. Saints game. I was just talking to Dee, drinking a beer, and taking pictures of the boys Mikey and Marcel (Dee and Mike’s kids). Dorothy is a year older than me and we have the same dad but different mom’s. When Neel left, me and Mike were just catching up while Dee was taking 150 shots on my camera. She did get a really good one on there of her son Marcel though.

My Nephew Marcel

My nephew Mikey, Taken By Dorothy Moyrong

I Like This One of Marcel, Taken By Dorothy Moyrong

Representaz, Taken By Dorothy Moyrong

Night Over…

Day 6:

Today, I was determined to get to Huf and True. I left the house after 11AM and headed to Upper Playground to exchange my shirts for a larger size. I found residential parking but street cleaning was in 10 minutes so I had to get in and out quickly.

Next, I headed to Huf. Good news was that I found parking right on the corner of Hayes St. and Octavia Blvd. Bad News was that the meter cost 25 cents for every 10 minutes, change only. I paid for an hour but when I got to Huf they didn’t have t-shirts or hats anymore, just shoes. I guess they moved all the apparel to the Sutter store downtown. I left quickly and tried to see what else was around, nothing. I ended up eating at Flipper’s Gourmet Burgers to make use of some of my meter time.

I took off and headed to Haight St. I found parking on the corner of Haight St. and Ashbury St. in front of Aardvarks, still 25 cents for 10 minutes. I went to the True shoe store and clothing store but didn’t find anything. They charge way too much for everything (think of Workmen’s on Melrose in LA). They even had the Pacquiao shirt I got for $6 more. I wasn’t fucking with them. They suck. Why do I even go in there every time I go back and almost never buy anything. They would probably try to sell me a $5 bill for $7 if they could. Instead of getting ripped off by True, I ended up buying a Upper Playground shirt at Crossroads for $8.50 and it was in pretty good condition. I also got a pair of Air Max 90s on sale at Shoe Biz for $63.

Later, I went to the downtown Nordstrom with my cousin Joseph so he could pick up some items since he got a 33% employee discount that day. He told me I could look around but I didn’t need to cause I know I can’t afford anything at Nordstrom. I just went along so that me and him could catch up a little. I didn’t know before, but he actually moved in with his girlfriend, Camille at a place in the Sunset district. But when we got back to my house he parked in my driveway, since my mom let’s him, to go stay at his parent’s house for the night, which is two blocks away from my house. Parking is a bitch in SF, you guys already know from the last post.

An hour later I got picked up by my sister Dee and brother-in-law Mike. We met up with my brother Philip, his wife and daughter, Sherril and London, my sister Carol, and her boyfriend Dex. We had dinner at Val’s in Daly City. It’s funny cause we all have passed by this place a million times in our lives but just never ate there. The only reason we ate there was because Dee’s co-worker’s husband owns the place. The food was good, but pricey. I got fried prawns instead of steak because I hate steak. Steak is just not good to me so I never get it. Probably because I like my meat well done.

While Mike was at the ATM

Over dinner we talked about my sister Michelle in Honolulu, my brother Harold who is AWOL since last year, and my sister April who married Phil’s best friend and moved to Dallas with her four kids. We also planned a trip to Vegas in March since me, Dex, Mike, and Phil all have our birthdays that month. London cried a lot during dinner too but Dee told Phil to show her Barney or Elmo on youtube on his iphone and we watched that crying stop quickly. At the end of dinner we actually got free dessert from the owner, but it was just ice cream.

Dee & Phil

London & Sherril

Phil & London

After dinner, Dex and Carol told me to pick up the new San Quinn album because Dex (Dex Beats) produced a few tracks on it. San Quinn is a veteran San Francisco rapper and his been putting out albums since 1995. He is a legend to San Franciscans and is comparable to Joe Montana, if you listen to Bay Area Rap.

After Dinner Scenery

End of night…

For anyone reading this who is confused about my siblings:

Dad: Lawrence Lee Laughlin (Irish)

17 Kids

First 4 children Unknown

Woman: Unknown Mom #1 (Mexican)
Larry
Eva (deceased)
Mike

Woman: Minda (Filipino)
Philip (30 years old)
April (29 years old)

Woman: Katie (my mom-Filipino)
Michelle (28 years old)
Paul (25 years old)

Woman: Betty (Filipino)
James (27 years old)
Dorothy (26 years old)
Carol (25 years old)

Woman: Unknown Mom #2 (Filipino)
Harold (25 years old)

Woman: Rowena (Filipino)
Renz (11-13 years old)
unknown name girl (unknown age)

My dad got a lot of kids and I got a lot of siblings. Michelle is my full blood sister, but the rest are half. Me, Michelle, Phil, April, Dorothy, Carol, James pretty much kept in touch. But now that I live in LA, Michelle lives in Honolulu, and April lives in Dallas it seems harder for us all to get together like we did this night.

My dad may have been a womanizer but he gave me more family which is a good thing to me. For those who might wonder where my dad is now, living like a queen in the Philippines with his wife and youngest kids.

End of Day 2 and All of Day 3 in the Bay: Pacifica to San Francisco

Me and my cousin Kris got our haircuts at Joe’s Barber Shop in Pacifica. The Vietnamese lady does a real good job and a lot of people always go to her. No one ever goes to her husband unless they want a fucked up haircut. I got a 3-2-1 fade and lined up. My cousin Kris got a 2-1 fade and line. I make it a point to always see this lady every time I am in SF. I’ll probably see her on my way out to next Friday.

Fader

Kris and I had dinner at Round Table Pizza at Linda Mar Shopping Center in Pacifica. This isn’t your regular pizza joint. They have a lot of booths for family style dining, a full salad bar, juke box, arcade, and big screens. I remember going there when I was a kid and I loved it. They also had a shit load of 49ers memorabilia all over the wall which brought back even more memories. Me and Kris shared a medium Artisan pizza but I was still hungry after. I had to get a mini meal at McDonald’s after. I also took some pictures around the house when we were just chillin. When I got home, I took some more shots around my mom’s house too.

Old School Shots of My Grandpa

Orchids

Daisy

Quaker Oats Dawg

Day 3 was kind of whack to start off. I woke up pretty late and wanted to get breakfast. I was out before 11AM and I had no plans until 3:30PM. I was headed to this place named Superstar to get Topsilog (Filipino food) for breakfast. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any change to feed to meter so I went to Roxie’s, a corner market that makes great sandwiches (especially anything on hot dutch crunch bread). I was trying to parallel park outside and couldn’t manage. In the process I was embarrassing myself in front of entering patrons. I would have to stand in line with them for 5-10 minutes and feel like they were laughing at me on the inside, so I took off. I decided to eat at Joe’s Cable Car. This place is pretty highly regarded by SF residents and visited from people from all over the world. It was a sit down restaurant and I was sitting by myself. I got a Country Burger (with over easy egg), fries, and a soda. It was really good but the bill came out to $22 with tip at the end and I felt like “all that for a burger, fries, and soda?”

Joe's Cable Car

After Joe’s, I headed to Hayes to hopefully pick up some gear at Huf, but I couldn’t seem to find parking. I didn’t want to park in the hood (Fillmore) either, which was a block away. I left and went to Haight and Fillmore to check out Upper Playground. I actually found parking about a block away on Waller and Fillmore within 3 minutes of looking. Upper Playground is dope. They had this new line of shirts that were made up city teams with taboo mascots. There were the Miami Kilos with a razor mascot, San Francisco Panhandlers with a homeless guy with cup mascot, Los Angeles Diablos with a devil mascot, and the New York Pickpockets with two fingers slowly pulling some bills mascot. I ended up buying 3 shirts which came out to about $80. Afterwards I tried to go back to Huf, no luck finding parking again.

Taken from the Car on the Way to Huf

Next, I headed to Market and Portola to get a shot of the San Francisco skyline. After that, I went to check out my old elementary and middle schools which were both just down the block. Then I headed over to Diamond Heights to check out more views of the house lined hills of SF. Later, I ended up at St. Paul’s Cathedral in the Mission Dolores district. The church’s exterior was pretty impressive. Then I headed to McClaren Park to get some shots of Visitacion Valley but none of those really came out that good.

No Parking Here

SF Skyline

Looking East

My Old School Elementary School, Rooftop

Proof

Rooftop Middle School

Sutro Tower from Diamond Heights

St. Paul's Cathedral

St. Paul's Cathedral

St. Paul's Cathedral

St. Paul's Cathedral

St. Paul's Cathedral

St. Paul's Cathedral

My time to kill adventure was over, now I was headed to Pacifica to my nephew Kyle’s birthday party at Sea Bowl to see all my cousins, their kids, and my aunt and uncle. I also had to get a digital record pool DVD from my cousin. Two birds with one stone, you know. So, I had to take some shots of my nephew TJ because my family says that he looks like me when I was a baby. I don’t see it but everyone agrees. I also ordered a Pacquiao shirt through my cousin for $20. It has his face on the front and a Filipino flag on the back with some Filipino Pride wording. I may just get my ass beat with this on in LA.

My nephew Kyle Blowing Out the Candles with his Cousins

My nephew TJ

Me in Toddler Form and My Late Uncle Jac (Jacinto)

Rules at Sea Bowl

My Cousin Ted (DJ Tom Solo) Ordering More Pacquiao Shirts for the Family

I left Pacifica to pick up my mom in SF. We were going to a birthday dinner for my Tita (aunt) Lu at Oriental Seafood Restaurant on Noriega, east of Sunset in SF. The food was pretty good and I finally got to taste the inside of the crab (nothing special). The only thing that was weird was how the bathrooms were in the kitchen. I went to the bathroom and saw how filthy thr kitchen was as well as a compost bin in the bathroom. My little cousin Vincent is so hyper that he just couldn’t stop playing the whole time. He even had to blow out the candle on the cake with my aunt.

Name is Right There

My Little Cousin Vincent

Appetizer?

Tea to Neutralize the MSG

For the Soup

My Tita Lu and Cousin Vincent

B-Day Cake

After

After dinner, we went for ice cream at Polly Ann on Noriega, west of Sunset in SF. I got a scoop of Turkish Coffee and Caramel Oreo. They were good, but it seemed that I was full from dinner so I didn’t even finish it. I think I saw an old friend, Freida, there but I didn’t say hello cause it didn’t seem like she recognized me and the last time I approached an old friend I got the “where do we know each other from again?” line. 10 years people.

Polly Ann for Ice Cream

After resting at home, me and my cousin Kris went to Milk Bar on Haight and Ashbury in SF. The party was called Flava of the Month. It was a special tribute party to artists that passed away recently, like Biggie, 2PAC, Left Eye, Big Pun, and Luther Vandross. I really only went to check out the bar that everyone has been telling me about for years and for Shortkut, Apollo, Vinroc, and Swift Rock on the turntables. I only got to see Swift Rock and Shortkut because me and my cousin felt really sick while we were drinking. I think it was the amount of greasy ass MSG heavy Chinese food that we ate plus the ice cream. We both felt like yakking. Milk was fucking dope though. Shorkut killed it with his tribute to fallen artists. You should have seen the whole room go wild when he played Mac Dre – Too Hard for the Fuckin Radio. Everybody was singing along. There were some Latin chicks next to us that kept making eye contact with me and my cousin to ask them to dance and we would have if we were not feeling like we were. My nose was hella running too and I had to go to the bathroom like every 15 minutes to blow it. I usually get major allergies when I come home to SF because my mom has a dog and I am allergic. But back to Milk, it’s fuckin dope. Drinks are average and expensive at the same time. Beers are $5 and hen and coke is $10. You see what I mean when I say average and expensive. I am a little mad that I didn’t get to see Apollo and Vinroc go on but we were feeling like shit. We will try to hit up Milk again, maybe for the reggae club. If not, when I come back to SF.

Flyer Front

Flyer Back

Office Potluck, I-5 Freeway, San Jose, and Pacifica

At work yesterday, my office had a Thanksgiving Potluck, where some people brought dishes from their countries of origin. We had Mexican, Iraqi, and Chinese dishes along with traditional American Thanksgiving food. The best dish was the shrimp ceviche, Sinuhe (my co-worker) Style, which was just shrimp in a lemon/habenero pepper sauce with cut tomatoes, cucumbers, and so on. My second favorite was the Iraqi meat and okra dish which was in a tasty sauce, prepared by my co-worker Muna. Before the shrimp actually got to the serving table, Sinuhe and I had a few to show people that it was okay to eat raw shrimp. Shit was hella good.

Directions:

1. Bite shrimp up to point where headshell ends.
2. If you get legs in your bite, eat them anyway.
3. Suck the juices out of the headshell.
4. Throw the headshell out.
5. Realize what you have been missing in life.

Throughout lunch we made sure that we convinced all the weary to eat the raw shrimp and no one was unhappy with the dish after they tasted it. Some of the girls were even saying that they loved to suck the head, which turned into something a lot nastier, but you know.

Shrimp Before Preparation

Had to Test a Couple to Make Sure it Was Safe to Eat

After You Bite It and Suck the Head

Final Preparation

Manuel Chopping Tamales

Jade Hiding Behind a Semi-Consumed Nacho Chip

Jose Waiting in a Chow Line

James Stole Jade's Spotlight

June Getting Some of That Good Ass Raw Shrimp

I left work at 3:30 yesterday to head up to San Jose with my co-worker Manuel and his boyfriend Leo. We actually took the 2 to the 210 to avoid traffic. We passed by the aftermath of the fires in Sylmar, which humbled us all a little bit when we saw houses burned down to the ground. I was taking shots in the car on the way up but most of them sucked. I liked this one though.

Power Poles from the Car

Even though I am from San Francisco, my friends need to go to Saratoga in the morning so I asked my cousin Kris, who lives in downtown San Jose while he attends San Jose State University, if we could spend the night there. When we got there, Kris and I started fucking with the Hookah as I drank a can of MGD: Charcoal Filtered…yum…sike. We were also blowing some smoke bubbles with the contraption in the “WTF!!” picture below.

Directions:

1. Take a hit of the hookah.
2. Dip the half bottle into the bubble soap.
3. Blow the smoke into the mouth of the half bottle and make a bubble.
4. Twist your wrist and pull the half bottle away.
5. Watch your smoke bubble and be proud of your achievement.
6. Go to the bar and get wasted.

So after smoking the very thick hookah, we decided to go to the bars in Downtown San Jose. The first bar we went to was playing rock music mixed by some unknown DJ. The music was way too loud but the beers were reasonably priced ($5). There was no cover either. The second bar was better but similar because they had no cover and $5 beers. The music and the DJ was better at the second bar. I wish I had names of these bars but I don’t pay attention to that shit. Downtown San Jose is a pretty cool place to party, even on a Thursday night, with a bunch of newer bars and clubs.

Hookah Biiiiiiaaaaaaaattttttttcccccccchhhhhhhh!!! j/p

Have You Ever Seen A Bubble? Have You Ever Seen A Bubble On Weeeeeeed?

WTF??

I decided to take shots in and around my cousin’s apartment. Here are the results.

Proper Storage Protocol & Beer Bottle Recycling

Yeah, its a Iron, And...

10 to Follow. The Eyes are Watching you.

Kris and I went to go have breakfast at this spot across the street from SJSU. I got a huge plate of hash browns, eggs, toast, and sausages for less than $4. It was pretty good too. We then took a little walk through SJSU to a statue of the scene from the 1968 Olympics where Tommie Smith and John Carlos gave the Black Panther salute while they received their Gold and Bronze medals, respectively.

At a Restaurant Across the Street from SJSU

Salt & Pepper

Black Power at SJSU

You Heard Me the First Time

After getting back to my cousin’s hometown, I wanted to try to take advantage of the great views offered in Pacifica. I didn’t get much this time but I will be in the Bay Area for a week, so I will have my second chance. I did get to see a castle style house or building that was out of nowhere.

At the Castle in Pacifica

Pacifica Pier from the Castle

I Wish!! Artwork in Pacifica

First two days in the Bay almost done…