June 29, 2002
Today the president gets a colinoscopy for about an hour. Dick Cheney will be president for an hour. Give me an hour an I'll show you some major damage.

The World Cup (that's soccer, or football, or futball) gets decided this weekend. I've surprisingly been watching. Maybe the rest of the world isn't crazy for idolizing the sport.
I'd watch Wimbledon, but it kind of sucks when all the good players lose in the first week.

The telephone tooth is on its way. Reminds me of the prank from the movie "Real Genius". "Kent, this is God."

Luan sent me a picture of his staff in Stanford. Luan is the only asian guy. Check out the ugly expression on the lady in front. She stands out being in the center of the picture while wearing black in a sea of white coats. And the girl sitting in front of Luan is hiding 2 oompah loompahs in her shirt.

Michael Vick & Aaron Brooks are holding their celebrity weekend next week. But this week Joe Smith is doing his thing. He's got a celebrity bowling tournament at the AMF bowling alley on Military Highway in Norfolk. I don't know who's going to be there or what time it is, but it's sometime today.

June 28, 2002
There's an online war going on right now that is only good for customers. Buy.com is specifically going after Amazon.com to steal their customers away. Amazon had announced last week that they are offering free shipping on all orders over $49, Buy.com retaliated with free shipping on all book purchases with no minumum purchase. They went on to guarantee to beat all of amazon.com's prices by 10%. I don't know how long this will last, but take advantage of it while you can. And if you don't read, it's a good time to start.

I want to let you know of a website from a friend of mine. LiquidMethod.com is Doug Clarke's website where he displays his artwork. He's amazing with a blank canvas. I remember at the AllSkool concert event at ODU a couple months back, Doug was drawing every artist he watched perform and had them all sign his artwork when he was done. He used to be one of those people at Busch Gardens that drew your caracature (sp?) but that didn't really show his talent. Check out all the celebrities he's worked on at LiquidMethod.com.

Kuya Tribe DJ's (DJ Kuya Dee, Delinger, etc.) will be spinning at Club Lagoon's (Under the Howard Johnson on 18th)this saturday (I think they are there every saturday now). As a special treat, the legendary DJ Rholi Rho of the 5th Platoon will be with them also. Rholi is a world renowned filipino DJ that is considered one of the best ever. I met Rholi in Boston a couple years back and then I got to hang out with him when he accompanied the Mountain Brother's at ODU. Those of you in the turtabalism scene know what I'm talking about.

John Mayer is returning to Hampton Roads. His last show at the Norva sold out quickly. This time he's going to be at the new Portsmouth Amphitheatre on September 4. Tickets go on sale to the public tomorrow, but I'm going to hook you up. You can go to the ticketmaster website today and buy the tickets before everyone else and get choice seating. You need a password, it's "wonderland". He puts on a good show for those who like his style of music.

Micheal Vick is holding some sort of celebrity weekend thing. I think there's a celebrity flag football game or something and a party. It's all in Newport News. I'm not sure about the details, but I can find out.

ESPN Radio 1310 in Hampton Roads is throwing a ice-skating party this saturday in Chesapeake. It's a little pricey: $15 for guys, $7.50 for women and children. But that includes rental and food. They also give away lots of stuff like tickets to Tides games and Amphitheatre tickets. Not too many people go to these things and almost everyone wins something. And most of these sport geeks don't care about concert tickets(Yes they are geeks). Gracefull as a swan, I skate like Michelle Kwan.

June 27, 2002
The fallout at WorldCom will probably be disastrous for thousands of people. I hope those of you in Northern Virginia are doing okay. I know some of you are working for UUNET, a division of WorldCom. Send me a note to let me know how things are.

The NBA draft is done, not much happened. The Lakers did pick up Kareem Rush. I believe he'll fit in perfectly. I was a fan of his play at Missouri and I'm glad he's now a Laker.

If you're bored or if you're at work trying to avoid doing work, here's something to try. I never took an IQ test before so I decided to try one. I took the Ultimate IQ test and scored a 140. I don't know how accurate these results are. You can try it here. Pick the IQ test. Or take any of the other test. It took me about 20 minutes though. Also, I gave a false name and email address so I didn't get the full results.

For the fellas trying to impress the ladies with a gift:
Victoria's Secret is in the middle of their Semi-Annual Clearance Sale. Stock up on the gifts now for the future. You never know when you'll eff up and need something for a gift. Ladies go crazy over this sale. Also, silk panties make good hankerchiefs (inside joke there).

Blackbird Pond plays this Saturday in Virginia Beach at Hilltop.

I'm sure you guys don't want to hear me complain about American Idol again.

June 26, 2002
I've heard complaints about Micheal Duncan Clarke, a black guy, playing the kingpin in the new Daredevil movie. Now if that bothered people, this next storyline in comic books is gonna be making news. It seems that they are going to show the origins of the first Captain America to be black. Like the history of Tuskegee, Captain America will have been a genetic experiment done in bad way. The story is here.

The new Lord of the Rings: the Two Towers trailer is out. If you don't know about the books, there are a couple of spoilers in the trailers sort of.

Now I don't know what this is for or where it came from, but if you like the transformers, then click on this. It's a quick mpeg clip, but it's worth it. Makes me drool for a tranformer movie. From a guy just messing around with his animation software, he needs to get signed to create more.

Warcraft III for the PC comes out in one week. I've already started saving my money. I'm eyeing the deluxe edition that comes with a whole lotta crap.

June 25, 2002
For those who like watching sports videos, one of the most sought after video series has just released a new volume. And 1 Mixtapes have been in scarcity over for the past few years since it's inception, and this past weekend And 1 Mixtape volume 5 was released. They go for crazy amounts on ebay. It's only being sold in a few shoe stores. In the Virginia Beach area, only footaction has them. For anyone who likes watching street basketball players showing off must cop it. Better than the Nike basketball commercials with some of those people in it. I've been watching, and just wait till I get on the courts to do my behind the back and through the legs with one hand look away and dance crossover. You can't stop me!

Since I'm on the subject of basketball, the NBA draft is on Wednesday. Probably the most anti-climactic draft in years. The top 8 picks are already pretty much etched in stone. I'll still watch though. I love that kind of stuff.

For those of you who've heard the Krs-1 diss to nelly know what not to do today.

A Beautiful Mind comes out on DVD today. Definitely worth checking out if you haven't seen it yet.

American Idol (group #2 featuring Justin G) tonight on Fox.

June 24, 2002
Not much today, it's early on a Monday morning, so my head isn't really straight yet and I don't feel like conjuring up junk.

I want to say thanks to all that came out Saturday to Mike Lunasin's Bon Voyage joint. I'll put some pics up later. He's not leaving till Wednesday, so if you missed him Saturday, there is still time to catch him. He's driving across country in his brand spanking new Acura RSX.

Free movie tomorrow for those in Hampton Roads. They are showing the new Adam Sandler movie tomorrow at 7:30pm for free, but you have to pick up a pass at Prestige Auto Brokers on Princess Anne Rd (map) between 10am and 7pm (they usually give them all out early).

June 21, 2002
Ok so today is officially the first day of summer. It's the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year. Here in Virginia Beach it officially begins at 8:34am.

For the hip hop heads in NoVA & DC:
On July 2nd the Roots will perform at the 930 Club in Washington D.C. for the whopping price of $2. MTV will be taping the performance and airing it as part of MTV2's $2 Bill Concert Series!!! Tickets go on sale this Saturday (June 22nd) at the club's box office. There aren't many being sold so get up on it!

Some of you may have seen the hilarious movie Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back. In the movie the duo check out a website on the internet called moviepoopshoot.com. Well the creator of that movie has Grand Opened Moviepoopshoot.com to the world. It'll be a site that focuses on entertainment such as movies, CD's, comics, and other things. There will be new stuff daily. Hmmm...sounds like a novel idea. I can't help but feel that I have been a positive influence on Kevin Smith (he's a biter). If you don't want to check out his page everyday, I'll probably been stealing the highlights from it anyways.

Wild On! Philippines tonight at 10pm. Be there!! (remember that?)

Mike Lunasin's going away party is tomorrow around dinner time at my house.

June 20, 2002
Here in Norfolk, the George Washington battle group of the Navy is shipping out for a 6 month deployment. One of my boys,Gil Ordonez (recently married),leaves with them this morning. He'll hopefully be keeping up with this website so I can keep him abreast of what's going on here. We'll be emailing each other also. It looks like I'm now going worldwide. For those of you who would like to send any messages out to him, let me know, and I'll relay it out. Good Luck Gil.

I believe today is the first day of summer, the summer solstice. If it's not today it might have been yesterday, or tomorrow, I don't know. It is the longest day of the year, meaning the sun will be shining longer today than any other day of the year. It's really cool to have the sun out at 8pm.

This Friday night June 21 at 10pm, the E! channel's show Wild On! will feature the Philippines. I know lots of you watch it(in fact some of you just won't leave the House Of M.E.N. when it's on, even at 2am). It replays again at midnight and then again on Sunday at 2am. They are looking for a new host, apply online and maybe you could be the next hottie to travel the world. Thanks to DJ SpaceAce for the info.

I'm upset at the show American Idol. Those of you who saw it last night should know why. I'm just upset at the American audience for letting me down. Democracy has been abused. I'm not going to get into it right now. If you saw it and are also upset, go here.

June 19, 2002
Most of you may be wondering when I'm going to update some of the other parts of this website. I don't really know, I just get lazy sometimes but when I feel like it I will. I got ambition but no motivation. Also some of the stuff just hasn't changed. I haven't really had anyone to go all googly eyed over so my infatuation of the moment hasn't changed. I do take suggestions. (I saw a Knight's Tale again the other night and Shannyn Sossamon is still sexy to me.) And for the Elbert vs. Luan debate(I'm killing him in votes), we haven't really argued about anything too much lately since he's been travelling the country. We did "quibble" over a couple of things, but nothing worthy of a post. We have had a couple of interesting conversations I'll probably put up soon.
I'll be visiting him next month so we just might fight over something worthy to put up. I found out that in addition to my California trip on July 11, I may be making a return trip to Atlantic City towards the end of August. I got it down this time. I went in with the wrong mentality last time, this time I know how to win. I'm gonna conquer that Devil Town this time.

Those of you on the Westsyde, I need stuff to do in the Bay Area.

June 18, 2002
I'm going back to Cali.... It's official (well sort of, I haven't told my work yet) I'll be heading to the left coast next month. I will be heading to the San Jose/ San Francisco Bay Area on July 11 for 10 days. I'll be visiting family, Luan, and the soon to be Californian Mike Lunasin. I'll have more details about this later.

Speaking of Mike Lunasin, those of you who know him should be aware that he is moving to the Bay Area next week. He's in the Coast Guard and they have sent him to man the waters of the Pacific. There will be a going away party on Saturday at the House of M.E.N. and if you're a friend of Mike's, you're invited. Let me know if you'll be coming so I can let you know the particulars. There will be food (I'll have Rice Krispy Treats and probably my special top secret recipe - General Tso's chicken).

This past weekend I received a lot of email from people asking for the trick where you fold a $20 bill to show the twin towers and the pentagon. Here's the link to that trick as well as other stuff. So please, no more emails about that.

For those of you in Hampton Roads - Free Movies!!: Ledo Pizza & Pasta at Hilltop North Shopping Center is giving away free passes from 11am to 1pm today to see MIB2 on July 1. And for the kids, Greenbrier Chrysler-Jeep on Military Highway in Chesapeake is giving away tickets for Hey Arnold! from 10am-6pm today and tomorrow. These passes usually go quick.

Have you seen the making of the video with Beyonce? Did you see her work that hoola hoop slow? GOODNESS!!! Funny, I was just hooping it up this past weekend, we have much in common. (Side note- Neptunes produced the song hence CHAD BLOW YA HORN NOW).

American Idol (one of my guilty pleasures) tonight & tomorrow.

June 14, 2002
Today is Flag Day. I'm not anti-patriotic but I don't know why we need a holiday for the flag. Usually I celebrate it on another day, July 4.

Yesterday was crazy. I tried to watch an afternoon baseball game for the Norfolk Tides (our minor league team) but I got stuck in traffic at the stadium for over an hour in 90+ degree heat, with the worst humidity, in my car with no A/C. I was dying. All these people were trying to get to the game also. And when I finally get there, there was nowhere to park. All of the lots and all of the garages within walking distance were full. I was hungry, thirsty, and drenched in sweat and I was in no mood for an outdoor baseball game anyways. I grabbed a sandwich somewhere and just went to the mall and watched a movie instead. I just wanted to be in an air conditioned room.

I watched Insomnia, the thriller with Al Pacino & Robin Williams. It was directed by Christopher Nolan, who also did Memento, one of my favorite movies of last year. Insomnia was a good movie, but not as good as Memento (but few movies are). It didn't have that edgy feel that Memento had but it was still really exciting. It has an interesting plot that really hasn't been done before. It's a who-done-it but the audience knows who-did-it almost immediately. The trick is how to pin the crime on him, or how will he get away. Really different and psychological.

While I'm on the subject of movies, American Adobo is still around in Virginia Beach. It did however switch theatres. It moved across the street to the Pembroke Mall theatres. It's worth checking out if you have nothing else to do this weekend.

Don't forget - Sunday is Father's Day.

June 13, 2002
The Lakers won it all. No surprise there. I'm happy. Now no more basketball.

It's a big week for golf aficionados. The U.S. Open kicks off today with Tiger Woods as the favorite. To celebrate, here's a Miniature Golf Game for you to play at home or in your cubicle at work. Even if you hate golf, it's something to keep you busy while you pretend to work.

I condensed this page some by moving the old news to their own archives. March 2002 news and April 2002 news can now be access by clicking on the months at the top of the page under the links banner.

In news for the nostalgic: According to He-Man.Org He-Man is making a comeback to television. The Cartoon Network will start airing a new series staring the 80's hero on August 16.Here's a trailer of the new cartoon. It is different from the original.

June 12, 2002
Sorry I've been away for a while, but work has been kicking my @ss. I haven't been able to do much while I'm at work because of some craziness.
I'm working on that American Adobo review. For those of you in the Virginia Beach area, hurry to Columbus Regal Theatres to watch it because it doesn't look like it's going to survive past this week.
Here's a quickie for now: I recommend this movie, but only barely. It's a good movie but some of it does drag. I'll admit that there are times during the movie where I was just really bored. There's a lot going on as the movie follows the lives of 5 filipino friends but it doesn't really go in depth with any of the stories. The movie is mostly in tagalog and it does lose something in the subtitled translation, so I didn't exactly read everything and used my limited skillz in tagalog. However, I did relate to several of the situations and at the end I found myself smiling, and that's always good.

I watched American Idol on Fox last night and I laughed so hard. The show is sort of like Pop Stars or Making the Band but they are searching for the one person who will be the next big star. They tried this in the U.K. and the winner is now treated like Micheal Jackson over there. The runner up is even a hugh star. I never heard of either one though. But back to the show, they auditioned about 10,000 people and they told them what they really thought. If you sucked they let you know. I couldn't believe the number of people who thought they had talent. I can't sing and I know I can sing better than them. The main judge, Simon Crowell(a BMG Record Executive), is British and really harsh when it comes to judging. Paula Abdul was also a judge, and the third judge was Randy Jackson, V.P. of A&R at Columbia Records and has performed with NSYNC, Madonna, Elton John and Destiny's Child. Here's one example of their judging after a terrible singer tries out:

Paula Abdul: Thank you but your not hitting all the notes and you need more confidence. You should hire a singing coach and gets some lessons and then try out again.
Simon: No! Save your money. 1000 singing lessons cannot help you. When you get singing lessons you need a little bit of talent. You have none. You shouldn't audition for anything ever. You were horrible.
-------(another example)-----
Simon: You were extraordinary. Unfortunately it was extraordinarily horrible.

It's on again tonight at 9pm, but I'll be watching the Lakers wrap up their NBA championship title.

Tonight in Norfolk, there is a Meredith Brooks concert at the Norva. I get tickets for $2 but I'm not planning to go, I don't care much for her. But if anyone else wants to go, let me know, and I'll hook you up. I'll even spot you the $2... so hey, a free concert.

June 7, 2002
Happy Birthday Ilani Bugarin!!!
Lots of stuff on the agenda for this weekend. Aside from celebrating Ilani's Birthday, I'm going to be busy the next couple of days. Today I'm going to be checking out American Adobo. I'll let you all know if it's worth checking out. You should probably just check it out anyways for yourself. I should have something up here about the movie tomorrow morning.

The big gala in Norfolk known as Harborfest is this weekend. I'll probably be downtown on Saturday evening checking it out and staying for the fireworks at night.
But after the fireworks, we'll be rushing to a TV to check out the Tyson vs. Lewis fight. If anyone has plans to watch, let me know. We're trying to squeeze it in after Harborfest.

In other sports news, there's a big horse race this weekend too - the Belmont Stakes. I'm usually not one to watch horse racing, but when I was in Atlantic City a couple of weeks ago, I got caught up in the excitement of the Preakness. Now the horse that won that race has a chance to make history by winning the triple crown. I would have bet on the race, but when I picked up a race sheet I had no idea of what to do. Oh well, at least I saved a couple of bucks.

In keeping of the topic of sports, the NBA playoffs are in the Finals. My beloved Lakers now have a 1-0 lead on the NJ Nets. Hopefully they won't get complacent and they'll beat the ish out of the Nets. Sorry Nets fans, but it looks hopeless.

June 6, 2002
Okay, now about this American Adobo Movie that is opening here in Virginia Beach on Friday. Some of the reviews compare it to the Big Chill and Like Water for Chocolate. The trailer does show it's got a lot of dramatic situation. It surely didn't try to avoid an R rating. It stars some big name filipino stars and Paulo Montalban (of Brandy's Cinderella fame, and to the geeks reading this, Mortal Kombat the TV series). Anyways, I'll be watching it Friday, and I'll let you all know how it is. I'll post a review for it as soon as possible, ahead of all the other movies I've already seen and have yet to post reviews for (I know I'm getting lazy). The list is growing still as I'm adding Sum of All Fears & Undercover Brother to it.

I am fiending for some adobo right now. I checked out the recipe at the movie's website. There are so many other ways to cook adobo, the national food of the Phillipines. Here's a list of other filipino recipes that includes several adobo variations. The best thing about filipino food over Chinese food is the fact that after you eat, you're not always looking for a good public toilet.

June 5, 2002
This friday, another filipino movie opens here in Virginia Beach. American Adobo, as you can guess by the title, is a movie about filipino americans. Following in the success of the Debut, the movie is trying to target the large filipino population in the area. Just like the Debut, the length of the run in Virginia Beach is dependent on the number of people who come each week. So check it out early so you don't miss out. It starts playing at Regal Columbus 12 Cinemas in the Pembroke area this friday. Check out the website, it explains the movie a little, and they even have a recipe for adobo on it. From what I've heard, it's not as good as the Debut, but it still works. It's a different kind of film though. More about the movie tomorrow.

Remember Ren & Stimpy. They were the pioneers of "rude" cartoons. They developed the genre before Beavis & Butthead, and way before South Park. They are going to be making a comeback. Yeah, more powdered toast man!!

Speaking of comebacks, Atari is working on a new/old console. They are going to be marketing a $20 console that plays games like Centipede, Asteroids, and Missile Command. Check out the news.

June 3, 2002
Hope you guys have had a chance to check out the new album at GroveStreet. I'll be adding more NYC pictures soon and I may add some of Nestor's Wedding Pictures. I've got LOTS of pictures and it takes time to post them so try to be patient with me.

It's tuesday, new music day.
(okay, I'm going off about music again) Today was supposed to be the official release day for the Eminem CD, but it's been out for nearly 2 weeks now. If you like him, you'll like this album. I love Dr. Dre's production and he has expanded the topics of his songs a little. There's a lot about his love for his daughter, he even has her sing on the last song.
It may seem like nothing good comes out today, but on the contrary, there are a few hidden gems for the open minded. Released today are Soundbombing III, DJ Shadow, Doves, Scratch (human beatbox of the Roots), Me'Shell NdegeOcello, and Dirty Vegas.
My main pick this week is: Soundbombing III is part of a great series of a compilation of Underground Hip Hop. The previous version released 2 years ago is one of my favorite albums of the past 5 years. It's put out by the once powerful, but now flailing, RAWKUS records, who are known for their street savvy artists. The Roots, Mos Def, Skillz (from VA), and other renowned "underground" artists.
Most of you will recognize Dirty Vegas from the song they have in the Mitsubishi Eclipse commercial. It's the annoying one with the white girl popping in the car.
The Doves are a cool alternative group that doesnt' get the respect they deserve, but the music is so intricate and smooth. Good white music. Hear some samples here.

In other music news, here's a review of the N.E.R.D. concert in Philly this past weekend. It appears that Norfolk was treated to something more special because Chad is not touring with the group. Here's a review of the D.C. show. And here's an article that our local paper wrote about them.

Here's a story on Elektra in the new Daredevil movie. Jennifer Garner is Elektra but some of you know her as the Alias chic. The story also says that Coolio is in the movie.

June 2, 2002
It's June, time for the NBA finals. The Lakers are in it again. As a HUGE Laker fan, I am so into the playoffs. They BARELY made it this year. I can't watch the games because these close games are giving me heart attacks.

I went to a picnic for Ed & Lani Deguia's baby on a hot and humid Sunday afternoon. Jaelyn DeGuia turned one this week and for those of you who know Ed & Lani know that they had to do some sort of fun party. The picnic was full of games not only for kids, but also for the adults. The partnership of myself and Mike Lunasin almost pulled out a win in the water balloon toss. It came down to one final toss that we did not get. It doesn't matter, it was all fun. I cheated for some of it anyways by using my shirt to catch the balloon. Those of you there may have seen it. I do want to congratulate my homies Mike Jose, Gerry Reyes, Ryan Yoder, and "the anchor" Nestor Lunasin for taking it all in the TUG OF WAR tournament.

I finally posted most of the pictures from Mike & Rachel's Wedding. I've got a new album up at GroveStreet and you'll also find some of my NYC pictures there. I'm still working on those. When viewing the pictures, you'll come up to a list of albums to view. Click on the [INFO] link to the left of the album to best view the pictures. I've broken them up into subdivision and it will be easiest to go through them. Also when you get to the thumbnails of pictures, it may be best to go to the pull down menu on the upper right of the screen and choose to view the pictures in ASCENDING order so you can view the pictures in the order that I took them. I still have CD's for those of you who want some as they have more pictures than I posted in the album. Also if you want a specific picture, just email me and let me know which one and I can send an original, unaltered version to you.

Thanks to my cousin Acey for the help with the pictures. Check out his "COOL" website. Some of you Britney fans may become addicted to his site.