May 31, 2002
I want to say what's up to everyone that was at the Norva last night for N.E.R.D. It was a hot show. I was at the very front since I was one of the first people in using our "special" entrance. (I'll let you in on that next time there's something at the NORVA - some of you may already know about it). The 2 opening acts were good, they are pretty popular on the local scene. Spy Mob (N.E.R.D.'s backup band)then performed their own material for what seemed like too long. They sound like an early 80's pop/rock band circa Jefferson Starship, nothing like N.E.R.D. When they were done they took a really long time setting up the stage, Chad even came out and hooked up most of his stuff himself. They had lots of problems with the laser lights and that kept them from starting, but when N.E.R.D. took the stage the place went wild, at least I did as I usually do at concerts. It seems they all had friends in the crowd and that made this concert different. They were genuinely grateful up there for everyone in the crowd since it is their hometown. They did all their songs and their homegirl, and new citizen to Va Beach,Kelis came out for a couple songs (some of you know her as the girl that sings the hook to Old Dirty Bastard's "Baby I Got Your Money" among other songs). She's on the cover of Paper magazine this month (I smile when I click on that). They did all the songs on the album and it was all exciting.

There were a couple gripes I did have about the show. The main one was that they don't believe in lighting for the show. They were relying on a cool effect from lighted microphones and casting shadows through the lasers in the background. The problems with that are that their hands were covering the lights on the mics or the mics just weren't pointing to their faces. And the lasers were just not functioning right (hence the delay in the start of the show) so the effect of shadows was lost. Now we were left with a bunch of people playing music in the dark. It was okay for me because I was up against the stage, but they need to scrap that idea. The sound guy also had a couple issues, but that wasn't their fault. Overall it was a good time. If I didn't know them it would have been an average to good show, but just the fact that so many people were there to support them just made it so much better.
Here a the dates to the rest of their tour across the country.
I could go on about it, but I won't.

This morning I'm scheduled to be on the golf course. "You play golf?" some of you may be asking. The answer is yes, but it's not good golf. I'm learning, I'm not necessarily getting better though. If anyone wants to help me out, I'll be grateful. Good thing is that everyone else I play with sucks more than I do.

In the movies today, Sum Of All Fears comes out. It's a film in the Jack Ryan series based on Tom Clancy's novels. So far I've liked all of the Jack Ryan movies (Red October, Patriot Games, Clear & Present Danger). I'm just going to have to add this one to the list of movies I plan to see, behing Insomnia, About a Boy, Being Earnest, and others.
Undercover Brother also comes out today. From the previews it seems so corny, but so far I have heard nothing but good reviews from it. A few people have emailed me saying I will enjoy this a lot. Another one to add to the list. It's been a busy summer at the box office.

May 30, 2002
N.E.R.D. is in concert tonight in Norfolk at the Norva. That's the Neptune's + 1 with the band Spy Mob backing them up. They are kicking off their promotional tour and will be touring across the country to the west coast for the next couple of weeks. I guess that's why they were rushing to get Mr. NSYNC's album done the past couple of weeks. Tomorrow they'll be at the 9:30 club up in D.C. for you NOVA peoples. Hopefully they'll have some surprises or special guests lined up since they work with everybody. It should be a good show regardless.
I'll be at the Backstage Cafe before the show having dinner if anyone wants to stop by. I'm sure I'll see a bunch of you at the show, at least all the regulars that I always see.

Not much else in the way of news. I guess we can try another personality test. Since I'm on the subject of music let's try: Which female music star are you most like? It's female musicians because it's a link to women.com. I took it and I'm most like Christina Aguilera. Not bad, I guess. Let me know who you are most like.

I'm still working on those pictures, probably by the end of the weekend they'll be up

May 28, 2002
The long weekend is finally over and hopefully things will get back to normal for me. I still haven't had time to post any pictures but I'm sure I'll get them up this week. It just takes time for me to compress them and upload them. But for anybody who would like a burned CD with the pictures from the wedding, just let me know and I'll get one out to you immediately. I've got lots of them right now that I've been handing out to everyone that's been coming over to the house. There are about 250 pictures that I took and I've also added about 100 more that Nestor took. Just send me a note here.

I know I've been slow with my movie reviews lately but I've just been too busy to write them. I've actually seen a bunch of movies lately and I've got a little something to say about all of them. But here's a quick rundown on some of what I've seen and what I think:
Spiderman: Loved it!!! True to the comics!
Star Wars - Episode 2: I'm a star wars fanatic so I'm biased. A good time for me!
Unfaithful: It plays like a Lifetime channel movie until the end. But the last third is original- Diane Lane & Richard Gere are good in this.
Changing Lanes: Not as good as I expected. I thought there would be action and deceit, it was more about morals and doing what's right.

Speaking of movies, here's a clip of the Conan O'brian show where his puppet dog is joking all of the Star Wars fans in line. This is the theatre where I almost watched the movie in New York. (After seeing all the people in line, I'm sort of glad I didn't go there). It's about a 5 minute wmv file so don't click on it if you can't handle it. It is hilarious though.

I'm starting to believe that I am the one who is responsible for taking down all of these file sharing companies. First I was a napster addict and the Record Industry (RIAA) shut them down. Next, got hooked on Morpheus to only have that taken away from me (that new version is not Morpheus to me). Now I am starting to get into Audiogalaxy and the RIAA is targeting them next. I just want to warn you Limewire users that I'm coming there next.

In a related matter, Eminem's new album "The Eminem Show" is now out. Although I'm not too crazy about the themes of his songs, they are still lyrically sound and the rhyme structures are genius. I've had a "preview" version for a couple of weeks now and I've been listening to it nonstop. He's toned downed some of the songs, but there is still a lot of bashing of his mom, wife, and pop stars. It was supposed to come out in June, but they pushed the date up twice due to all the "previews".

May 27, 2002
I hope everyone's enjoying their day off on this Memorial Day. It's the end of an extremely busy weekend for some of us. Mike & Rachel's Wedding was an entertaining gala. (My theatrics to entertain even cost me a pair of glasses as they got crushed on the dance floor after my "breakdancing"). Those that went know what went on and those that didn't probably don't really care so I'll spare the details, but I'm going to post pictures soon (really, I am - I'm still sifting through the New York/ Atlantic City pics). I just have to sort through 300 pictures and probably start up a new site to get more web space for all the pictures. The newlywed Jose's are now on their way to the Bahamas for the next few weeks. We did so much even after the wedding and then on Sunday that I'm going to spare everyone the details. Hopefully things will slow down back to normal now.

Now on another note, Chad Hugo and the rest of his N.E.R.D. crew are going to be in concert this Thursday (May 30) at the Norva in Norfolk, Va. Let me know if anyone else is going so I know who to look for there.

May 24, 2002
I'm in the middle of a very hectic day here at home, some of you know it as the House of MEN, but right now its Wedding Central as we are 24 hours away from a big wedding for roommates Mike & Rachel. I don't have much time to write here as I am busy ALL DAY. Next week should be better and I'll be back to give you lots of links to keep you busy in cyberspace. But right now this wedding is taking up most of my time and for those attending, I'll see you there.

This Saturday is the big wedding for Mike & Rachel and for those of you going, I'll see you there. Wedding at St. Gregory's Church, reception at Doubletree Hotel at the beach.

While I was away, I want to congratulate my cousin Gilbert for the birth of his new child. Also my other cousin Hazel Baylon Mariano also gave birth to her little one. I'm not sure yet on the names but I'll get back to you all on that.

May 15, 2002
Today is the day of my trip to Atlantic City/ New York. I haven't even left and I'm already tired. I spent all day yesterday scrambling, just doing errands and getting things straightened out before I leave. And on top of that, it was my Parent's 30th anniversary and I had to find them a present. Sleep was out of the question and for some reason everywhere I went I was stuck in traffic (and I went to a lot of places).
I'm at work right now (it's 2am) and once I get off at 8am it's just more craziness.
Well around noon today I should be on the road north towards Atlantic City, ready to gamble my money away. Thursday & Friday - I'll be in the Big Apple. Saturday & Sunday - Back in Atlantic City with Mike Jose & others joining us to celebrate his final weekend of freedom. For those of you who'd like to reach me, I'll have my phone on me (If you don't already have the number, then you probably don't need it). I probably won't be checking my email while I'm away and this website is scheduled to be down from Friday to Sunday. But I'll be back Monday hopefully with lots of good stories and pictures to share. I don't know though. When I was in New York 2 years ago for a F.I.N.D. conference, I had to drive a huge 15 passenger van through Manhattan on a Friday evening during rush hour. It just brought the evil out in me. Now I see why some New Yorkers are so rude. This time I'm going for pleasure though.

Episode 2 opens this weekend, and since I was going to be in New York I figured I would watch it in Times Square. It turns out that there is a digital theatre showing it, and digital is how George Lucas prefers the audience to watch it. I just bought the tickets online and I'm comfirmed to watch it Friday at 3pm in Times Square. It opens Thursday, and being the Star Wars Freak that I am, I would have checked it out on opening day, but Thursday is already filled with David Letterman, the Lion King on Broadway, and other stuff.

I want to congratulate Luan Nguyen for surviving his first earthquake in California. It was a doozie for an earthquake virgin - 5.2 on the Richter scale, of course the natives just brushed it off like it was nothing. They didn't even pause during the hockey game in San Jose.
Just a note for friends of Luan's: He's just been asked to stay at Stanford for another 3 months and he has accepted. He'll be there at least till September. I've been trying to update the debate question on the Elbert vs. Luan page, but since he's been away, there hasn't been much to argue about. But he's coming home next week and I'm sure we'll argue about something. I've added some more pictures of him in my Yahoo! Photo Album.

For those of you in Virginia Beach this weekend, check out Blackbird Pond(alternative rock) and Straight Bent (reggae/ska)at club 757 (formerly Calesa's) Saturday night at Haygood Shopping Center on Independence Blvd. They're 2 local filipino bands that are pretty good.

In the video game world, Sony has just dropped a bomb on its competition by announcing they will drop the price of the Playstation 2 by $100. To counter Microsoft will soon announce a drop in the price of the XBOX, although they are losing money already from the $299 price tag. This sort of screws Nintendo who marketed the GameCube as the cheapest of the 3. I'd been holding out since we already had a PS2 in the house, but now it looks feasible to add to our console collection.

See you all next week!!!

May 13, 2002
I'm going to let you all in on a secret. Now this secret doesn't exactly matter to me because it's about Justin Timberlake of NSYNC and I'm not a fan. But hey, it's something I've come across and I'm rewarding you guys with top secret info for reading this little 'ole website, especially those of you who live in the area.
Okay now... INVISO-TEXT ON! (for those who don't know what to do now, take your mouse, and highlight the next couple of lines that appear blank...then like David Blaine, something magical happens)
Well most people in Virginia Beach have heard that Mr. NSYNC is in town working with the Neptunes on his new solo album, what they don't know is where he is and what he's doing. Last week he was spotted on the block and a couple of other places at the beach ( with his very big bodyguards). I'm not supposed to tell anyone the name of the hotel he's staying at, but it's the one with a Swan Terrace Restaurant inside, owned by a famous person, and is across the street from the Shoney's I used to work at. (those of you who know me should be able to figure that out). It also rhymes with the words "Flounder's Fin". I'm not too sure about which studio he's recording at, but it's most likely MasterSound Studios off Princess Anne Road (near the Witchduck Intersection) in Virginia Beach or Wyndmark Studios (right off Northampton Blvd) in Virginia Beach. Word is that he's becoming really friendly with the Neptunes and wherever they are expected to be at, Justin will probably be there too.
Now if you're in this area, don't be telling everyone you know about this, or at least don't mention where you got this info from.

WARNING: Stupid Comedy Link
Here's a new version of the "Peanut Butter Jelly Time Video". This time they add that "Let Me Ride that Donkey" song. IHere's the first version for those of you who missed it.f you are like most people and didn't like the first video or just didn't get it, then don't click on that and get on down to the next paragraph. For some reason it just makes me laugh. Corny booty shaking comedy.

I was just informed that my website (as well as all of geocities) might be down this coming weekend from May 17 - 19. That just coincides with my trip to Atlantic City/ New York, so I wouldn't have been keeping up with it those days anyways.

May 10, 2002
Saturday is ODU's graduation. I know a few people who are graduating and I want to wish them all well. ODU will be webcasting the event for all who want to see.

Don't forget about Mother's Day this Sunday. This is one of those made-up Hallmark holidays, but it's probably the most deserving. To all the Mothers out there, Happy Mother's Day.

May 9, 2002
I want to again say Congratulations to Ron Villanueva for being elected to City Council. I don't think many people realize how monumental this is. There's another article in today's paper, this time it's all about him and his "grassroots" campaign strategy. (Really good article, with lots of quotes from people I associate with.)

My little trip to Atlantic City & NYC is less than a week away. We're going to be celbrating Mike Jose's last weekend as a bachelor. Things are coming together and I am almost set. As an added bonus, I got a phone call yesterday from the David Letterman show asking if I'd like to be in the studio audience when I get to New York. So be on the look out for me and Nestor on Thursday Night on Late Night with David Letterman - guests are David Duchovny and turntablist The X-ecutioners (who will always be known as the X-men to me). I'll try to cough a lot so you'll know it's me.
Also on the agenda for Thursday, May 16:
Be outside the Today show (scheduled guest -Natalie Portman)
Check out ground zero
Be outside of MTV's TRL (scheduled guest - THE CAST OF STAR WARS: EPISODE 2!!!!!) that's tentative and it may even be taped outside of NYC. I gotta find out, but I do know Natale Portman is spending the day in NYC promoting the movie (as if it needs promotion).
If anyone else has a suggestion of what else we can hit up, let me know.

May 8, 2002
Congratulations to Ron Villanueva for becoming the first filipino Councilman of Virginia Beach. Ron won the chair to city council in what several news programs are calling a surprising upset. Here's another story on his win that shows his campaign was not based on money but rather his community. He pretty much won it on the filipino vote, and that is really shocking. I guess Ron's strategy of campaigning at all the filipino parties, picnics, and fiestas worked. He also got a lot of younger voters on his side. He was on Radio Station 96X yesterday joking around trying to get some votes and said he'd work for the younger citizen and one thing he's working on is free parking at the beach! But the filipino community is still the basis of his campaign. Sometimes the filipinos in this area are hard to figure out, but when I was watching the news and saw all these filipinos at the polls (and I'm assuming that they were voting for Ron). And driving around all the neighborhoods you can find his signs in front of all these filipino homes(lots and lots of homes- including mine). Makes me kind of proud. And it couldn't have happened to a nicer friend whose just starting up his family. Those of you who know him could see this coming, as it's probably just the first step in his political career. Maybe now I can get that street light on my street fixed.

Pepsi announce that it's introducing a new flavor - Electric Blue Pepsi. I don't know about you, but to me that's a disaster in the making. Just like New Coke and Crystal Clear Pepsi, this one doesn't seem to have a chance. They said they've done research, but I think common sense should have over-ridden the research. I don't know, maybe I'll love it. They're trying to respond to the new Vanilla Coke, which I am waiting for. I love me some vanilla soda. I go to the waffle house all the time and always get their vanilla coke. And Pepsi is coming off the success of Code Red Mountain Dew. But Blue Pepsi? We'll see.

May 7, 2002
It's Election Day here in Virginia Beach. For those of you living here at the Beach, Ron Villanueva is up for Beach City Council, try to vote for him. Find out what he's all about HERE. Here's a guide to everyone else. Try to get to your local polling place. If you don't know where to go check here.

I'd like to announce the GRAND OPENING of the STORE here at my website. It's just a little something my roommate Nestor and I are messing with. Here we have some shirts, mugs, mousepads, etc. We plan to have lots of stuff with a filipino theme, stuff that'll make you say - that's cool, I think I'll buy something. Right now we just have one design, one theme - BALUT! In the future I'll have stuff that might actually relate to my website, but for now it's just our duck egg. Nestor is sort of tweeking the design still, so if you buy something, it may become a collector's item as the image may become a rarity. Other items in production - pork siopao and the barrel man. Let us know what you think, or if you have any other ideas, we'd appreciate the feedback. Come On and BUY SOMETHING or at least spread the word. (note: we don't really get to set the prices, so don't send me hate mail about the costs.) Also check out Nestor's Big Mahal products.

May 5, 2002
Since we are in the middle of the Spiderman Movie Weekend I thought I'd mention other comics to film. This is just for you comic book geeks and movie freaks.
First up is Daredevil. A great comic book which was brought to prominence through the writings of Kevin Smith. This film has Ben Affleck as the title character.
Next up is The Incredible Hulk directed by Ang Lee. Last week there was a press conference on the start of production and they released a teaser trailer. For those of you in the Bay Area, they are casting extras for this movie. Here is the application.
There are rumors of other comics that I've heard but the projects have not had much progress. The On/Off/On/Off Superman movie is now back on but there are still lots of discussion about the script and the director. They are asking Brenden Fraser to play the role. (Brenden Fraser?WTF?)
The Punisher movie is pretty much a go. I don't know much about this, just that they are trying to make it NOT like the stupid early '90's version with Dolph Lundgren.
Lastly, Stan Lee is still trying to make a Fantastic Four movie. This has been in talks for years but with all the CGI technology recently developed, this one looks like it will happen.

May 4, 2002
I want to say good luck to Lisa Apelizan as she partakes in the 24th Annual Elizabeth River Run in Norfolk today. It's a 10k race , to you and me - that's a little over 6 miles. Someday I'm gonna try it, but right now I'm just not fit enough for it. My homey Luan is into all that running and I'll admit that once you're at the race there's an excitement that makes me want to try. But I know after a couple miles I'd probably be hating it. For now, I'm just gonna let Dance Dance Revolution whip me into shape. I'm planning my own marathon on that game next week, I really need to build my stamina. For those of you who do like to run, the Beach is hosting the Rock & Roll Half Marathon later this summer, which is a huge event. Also this is the inaugural year for a new Marathon on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. They will have a marathon span across the whole 24 mile bridge. That's for you fitness freaks. Walking is more my style.

Speaking of Luan, he's in the Bay Area of California right now working at the Stanford Hospital in their Radiology Department. He sent me some pictures and I have created a folder for him in my Yahoo! Photo Album called Luan's Travels.

May 3, 2002
This weekend I'm going to try to relax. Not much on my agenda. I plan to watch Spiderman sometimes this weekend, hopefully a matinee. Early reviews have been good, but I'm still going to be skeptical and not get my hopes up - Remember that it's a movie that started from a comic book. And that is usually a recipe for disaster.
Sunday is May 5, or if you know your espanol, Cinco de Mayo. I almost never celebrate, but since it does fall on a weekend this year, maybe I'll head out somewhere.

I've got a trip to Atlantic City coming up in 2 weeks (I'm also hitting up New York for a day). I'll let you know more about that later. But if anyone wants to join the bunch of us going, just let me know, the more the merrier.

May 2, 2002
Spiderman comes out tomorrow.(That sounds gay) The Spidey movie with all it's CGI effects finally starts off the summer movie season. Growing up, Spiderman has always been my favorite superhero. I even enjoyed the campy 80's Spiderman movie. Get this, the plot of that movie - Spidey has to stop the villain from using an atomic bomb to blow up the World Trade Center.
Once I was Spidey for Halloween. I guess you can say I'm real excited about this. I'm just worried about the cgi turning this movie into something cartoonish. CGI seems to be taking over the movie world. I even heard that they are creating a new Bruce Lee movie using CGI to bring Bruce Lee back from the dead. His family has already okayed the project. Here's a little on that.
Only 2 more weeks til Episode 2. These people have been waiting with excitement.
TVGuide has just released their list of the top 50 shows of all time. Their pick for #1 -- Seinfeld. I loved that show, but the #1 show of all time? What about I Love Lucy (#2)? They say it's due to the intricacies of the scripts and the way it had become a cultural guide. Other notables - #5 The Sopranos,#8 The Simpsons, #18 Cheers, #21 Friends,#22 ER, #27 Sesame Street, # 28 The Cosby Show, #41 Buffy.

May 1, 2002
I added some more pictures to my Yahoo! Photo Album. New are pictures from the AllSkool Concert Event at ODU, Mike & Ivy Engagement Party, and a couple from Releina Alegre's Baptism.
Well today is May 1, and it's a holiday, May Day, for most of the world. I guess it's like our Labor Day. But many people in the U.S. seem to have made up their own holiday - National Call in Sick Day. I didn't make that up... I also went to work today.
It's already May and I know it's gonna be a busy month.