The Blogger's Soundtrack

The title alludes to Skyzoo's "The Shooter's Soundtrack" which was one of the top hip-hop releases of the year.  Straight up gully beats and lyrics - no guest spots and nothing radio friendly about it.  However rather than making a traditional 2009 Music Year in Review, I just want to recap my personal playlist of 2009:

Keri Hilson/Kanye/Ne-Yo - Knock You Down - Fell in love with the track after the first leak. "Til I met this pretty lil missile that shot me out of the sky"

Kid Cudi - The Sky Might Fall/Soundtrack 2 My Life - The Emo Hip-Hopper's Anthem. "I got 99 problems, and they're all b!tches"

Alicia Keys - Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart - hahah don't look too much into this, but this is a jam, as Al, Ar and Rol can attest to. I think we listened to it like 15x straight. Too bad the video is freaking weird.

Flo-Rida/Ne-Yo - Be On You - last year's camping song was Weezer's Heart Songs, and this was the dilly this year

Angels & Airwaves - Everything's Magic - because we rock out to this on Rock Band. Evokes memories of Sugarcult's 'Memory'. It's a hard-hitting Alt-Rock joint

Beyonce/Kanye - Ego Remix - I fault Mr. West for increasing the size of my ego, as well as every urban kid under 30, errr 35, for thinking that they posses mad swagger.  For real though, I need to have humble pie for dessert once in awhile.

Jay Sean/Lil Wayne - Down - Only because my lil godson Isaiah goes bonkers when this song comes on haha. He made Fel replay it like 10x in a row once.

Drake - Best I Ever Had - Las Vegas July 2009 - where a group of men became legendary.

Jay Electronica - Exhibit C - Helped me believe in hip-hop once again and cemented Just Blaze's legacy in the pantheon of beatmakers.

Jay-Z/J-Cole - A Star is Born - To continue with the Jay theme, this song probably got the most play from me on BP3. I like nostalgic verses.

Trey Songz/Ma$e - I Need a Girl Remix - I never really was a fan of Mase in his heyday, but he came through on his few guest spots this year.

Mayer Hawthorne - Just Ain't Gonna Work it Out/Maybe So, Maybe No - these pretty much personifies my 1st half of 2K9, and they're back to back tracks on the album!

Ne-Yo - Easy/Move Along - you didn't think I would leave out him yeah? But these were 2 unreleased joints retrieved from 2DopeBoyz weekly R&B post. I *heart* them.

So here is what's been dominating my earwaves in 2K9.  Maybe I'll come back with the traditional categories later on.
.

Giving 'em Eargasms With My Mellow Accent

Ever since my Bose earbuds died on me [note to readers: Bose doesn't make good earbuds], I've been half-heartedly looking for a new set of either earphones or on-ear headphones.  While there's way too much information on the web, I scoured head-fi.org and decided I was either going to cop the Klipsche or Sennheiser earbuds.  They tested the best, had the most bang for the buck and most importantly, were available at the Apple Store since I had credit there.  If you've seen the Beats By Dre buds, they're obviously an upgrade, but we all know how overpriced Monster products are and you could get equal if not better quality for a fraction of the price.  Being a financially shrewd person, these were definitely not an option.  Besides, I only had $40 store credit, while the buds I wanted ran around $80 for a total OOP cost of around $40 for the math impaired.

So I perused to the Union Square location and I mess around with the various headphones on display.  I checked out the Sennheisers, and yeah they sounded clean.  The overpriced Beats By Dre Solos were right next to them, and almost had a certain glow to them, so I just peeped them too - I had to ensure my due diligence was complete.  It should be noted when Norm visited last week, I tried on his BBD Studio editions, but those were too heavy and fragile for my sake.  Plus they were $300! Anyway the Solos had recently came out at a much more modest $180 [it sounds a lot by itself, hence the comparison to the studio editions lol] and once I put them on, I felt like this dude here:


They sounded clean. I primarily listen to Hip-Hop, R&B and Glee V1 and V2 so these are optimal for those genres. However I told myself I wouldn't fall for the hype. Cons included sound leakage [but for real, I would be the ones wearing them, so that's almost moot.  I remember when I got Sen-Dog, and a con was rear seating. I'm not gonna be sitting back there ya heard.]  My OOP budget was like $50, and these would run an additional $150, so the Klipsches are looking more promising.  I probably spent more time at peeping how I looked in them rather than the actual acoustics, but it only took me one song [Cudi/Ye/Common's 'Make Em Say' - the selections were limited] to know that I wanted them. If I were to cop the Sennheisers, I would've settled. And Reeg doesn't settle. And Reeg gets what he wants. And these were what I wanted, so I got them.  It seems like I need to justify my purchases, but the bottom line is that I dig it. Once a hypebeast, always a hypebeast.

.

My Christmas Wish List 2K9

I should've came with this list prior to the 25th, then I probably would've received something! Seriously though, even if I had this up for awhile I still wouldn't have got anything related. Anyway I wanted to do daily updates, and I just realized it's been over 3 weeks since my last entry. My bad. Please note everything not obtained from my prior year's [see my 2007 and 2008 ones here] still are to be desired, but they won't be represented coming up.   So here it is - my retroactive wish list:

Motion Sensor Garbage Can - My garbage can sometimes smells since it's not covered, but at the same time, I'm not sure I want to have it exposed.  When your garbage requires batteries, you're on some next level ish.

Sony Playstation 3 - I think it's time for a new console, but not for gaming purposes.  Although my screen has 720p limits, Blu-Ray still would look fresher on it.  I kinda dig the sleeker refresh of it too.

 

D Collection Toggle Coat - I need a heather coat, preferable a short form-fitting one with toggle connectors and a detachable hood.  And I think I found it!  I did try this one, but it fit a bit snug.  I guess I should just go up another size?

SkyGolf SkyCaddie - My depth perception seems to go away when I play courses that have heavy topography.  I would be a more disciplined golfer.  Only drawback is that it wouldn't help me around the greens.

Jay-Z Tickets March 24, 2K10 - I've never seen Hova show, as the Fade to Black DVDs don't count.  In fact, I don't even think I've seen a show with any of my brothers.  Maybe we could make it happen!

Nike Air Stab Foot Patrol - Yes these done came out 4 years ago but wasn't feeling them too much.  But now I'm on a hunt for them.  I mean pairs are available, just haven't really been on my grind.  One day.

Wustof Classic Black Knife - I bought a block of 1 man Henckels, and while they've done their job commendably these past few years, I feel its time to upgrade.  "All I need is one knife* /Nas voice.








I have a precedent for obtaining about half of my wish lists, so by the time the 2K10 holiday season rolls around, don't be surprised if I get these!  My bad this blogging session was uninspired - I have a tee-time in a few hours and wanted to knock this out.  Merry Christmas everyone!
.

Graze Anatomy

What's one of the first things I notice in a chick? It's probably not what you think. It's weird, when I was younger I zoomed in on the chesticles and the cheeks. But now, if she has a pretty face I go straight for the hand - then the T&A stuff. I dunno, I guess subconsciously I want to see if the girl is taken or not, since you don't want to get caught playing catch in another man's backyard. Don't get me wrong, I'ma still be staring, albeit discreetly, if it's warranted even if she has one on, as I can get in beastmode sometimes.

So yep, here are the body parts in order of my noticing: face, left hand, hair, grill, rack/buns [interchangeble, as I'm neither an assman or breastman, but rather a hybrid of both], hips, drumsticks [if she has chicken or turkey legs], toes, stomach, feets [would be higher, but not always noticeable], clavicle [if it's exposed], arms, and then ankles, but that's not to say the latter parts aren't important. Since I'm a great observer, I could process all of those after a few seconds. It might seem like a lot, but it's not really - think of the domino effect, as that's what the f__ I call a chain reaction.

Oh man, what a clever title name too.
.

What Time is It?

So I've been looking at timepieces lately, well, because theuglystick has and I follow him. 4runner? check. Mizunos? check. Taylor Mades? check. Ping putter? check. iPhone? check. Whatever SLR I'll cop [whenever that may be], I'll probably ask him what he got too! However he's more Asus than Apple when it comes to computing needs, and I'm more Samsung than Sony when it comes to televisions.

Anyway while window shopping on TimeZone [yet another zone to be in!], I noticed the following pic in the trading forum:



FYI this isn't the piece that I want, but I do what a chronograph automatic on a bracelet. But for real, look at that Owner's Manual. It's bigger than my whips! I'm not sure what I'm getting myself into. I don't know how the manual could almost resemble a phone book. I thought you could just set it and forget it. When its time for DST, you would just pull the knob and crank it forward or backward. If you want it to illuminate, then just depress a button. Maybe if you're paying that much, there's some crazy secret ish it could do. If I already have issues with my digital Nike sports watch, then I might have migraines if I get a grown-up piece.
Maybe there's different languages? It must contain every one, possibly even Hieroglyphics. Sigh...so much to consider.
.

Resolutions volume 2K9

Okay I'm trying to get a head start on these new year's resolutions. Previously I tried to delay my actual new years to coincide with the Chinese folk, but that never really worked out. I could easily blame Holiday hangover and year end work stuff, but really those are just convenient excuses. So let's switch it up and be proactive rather than reactive. Plus I'm ready for the year to end so I figure why not? If companies can have fiscal year-ends in the butt crack of summer, then my new year's could be a month ahead. Man it's past 1am and you might think I'm having problems sleeping. Hardly. I'm just waiting for Olivia Munn to appear on Fallon. She's so fly. And she just referenced Kid Cudi. I *heart* her.

Anyway I was brain-storming some resolutions, and aside from repetitive ones from prior years, it was more like a brain-sprinkle. I was stumped like a cut-off tree. "Resolutions" has a root word "resolute," which is derived from the word "resolve," which has Latin origin meaning "to loosen." And you just thought I was good with numbers. But yep, I need to loosen up - break the monotony I've created. In sports terms, being "in the zone" is a good thing. And having comfort sounds well, comforting. However, this comfort zone I presently find myself in is more like the twilight zone, and hell no I'm not referring to the movies. I'd guess I would be on Team Jacob though, or whomever the beast is. Ironically, my comfort zone is actually uncomfortable. "You gotta git up, git out and get something...don't let the days of your life pass you by" - first heard as a 15 year old listening to OutKast's first album, and it still rings true today.

Seriously though...I'm open to suggestions. Maybe I need to do something I've never done before, like work-out, or rock some Reeboks, or something crazy like that. I don't feel confined, yet I need a sense of liberation. I guess for anything new, I'd be Down like Amel Larrieux, Blink-182, Chris Brown & Jay Sean [the artists with said title currently in my iTunes. I probably should've just said Down, Down Down like DJ Quik - he's the only artist with that song name.] Anyway, I guess it's not good if your annual resolutions are recurring - what the heazy was done in the prior 365 days? You [me] need a way to hold yourself accountable, or at least see yourself make progress. Here is where you play a part - check up on me periodically please. I dunno, it seems the most successful sites are user-driven, so maybe i'll take a [foot patrol] stab at it. But for real, I have serious resolutions that I have that I probably won't share here. I know - I'm such a tease. But you probably could figure some out if you know me well enough!

The gym bag is packed. See you in my next installment.
.

Who's the Mac?

I don't like it when people say they can't cook. If you can read and follow instructions, then it's pretty simple. It's like if you could talk you could sing and if you could walk you could dance [word to Kweli via an ancient African saying]. Anyway since our Thanksgivings are generally potluck, I wanted to contribute the Mac-n-Cheese. After skimming through countless recipes and recommendations [sorry Tiff I opted for something else!], I decided on this one courtesy of Ina:

Grown Up Mac-n-Cheese

After seeing the title you might think it's a little too foo-foo [not sure of that spelling, but just say it phonetically], but it's not after making a couple adjustments. I didn’t follow the recipe to a T, as I didn't add bleu cheese [too stinky] and just used gruyere and extra sharp cheddar. And I substituted Panko instead of white bread crumbs. After incorporating my renditions, I've renamed it Grown Folk Crac-n-Cheese, and when combined with my Super Smashed Potatoes, makes for a lethal 1-2 punch. I can't lie, it was probably the best mac-n-cheese I've made, and I've made a few. And despite it's name, the kids loved it as well. Just a warning - gruyere is like $16/lb and the sharper the cheddar, the most pricey it is too! And when you got to feed an army, this was one costly dish! I spent more on this than the deep fried turkey I got last year haha. It was definitely worth it, as it complemented the other great dishes we had.

As a segue, I want to introduce my sister-in-law's and her friend's food blog:

It's So Yummi

Pay them a visit!
.

Lay[-off] Away and Away

So yesterday we had even another round of lay-offs, making this about 5-6 within the past 24 months. Yep I already lost track. While I'm grateful that I wasn't chosen [again and again], it makes you ponder what if. I already got let go once and it was a sucky feeling. If I wasn't in the wonderful world of accounting in the financial services sector, what would reeg do? First of all, I need to identify my passions. I kinda believe that cliché if you find out what you love, you'll never work a day in your life. Here are my choices off the dome:

Warriors Statistician: I could inflate my own fantasy teams' numbers, and at the same time discredit my opponents. My fear though is I would have to sign a disclaimer stating I wouldn't have any fantasy teams, since that would be a conflict of interest. So that got me thinking of being a Super Stat Geek, similar to what Daryl Morey does, and use those metrics of new age numbers to help the W's out.

Hip-Hop Historian: I was watching one of those VH1 behind the music shows, and there was a dude there. Underneath his name, it said "Hip-Hop Historian." Ever since I was like, how do you get that gig?? If I had a focus, it would be east coast, circa 1990's. I would do my thesis on that geographical area's era. This decade though I probably listened to half hip-hop, half other, but I was like 99% rapped up in the 90's.

Shoe Analyst: I could survey your kicks, tell you what to unload, what to keep, and what you should get. Critically analyze what you have and try to fill in the gaps. I figure a shoehead's girlfriend would be my target customer. She would say, "hey - I totally want to surprise my BF but I don't know what to get him! He currently has such and such." Then I come in, provide my fairness opinion, and the boyfriend would be totally stoked on Christmas day. I would also get a finder's fee if can provide the kicks.

I-Tunes Organizer: How many people have jacked up I-tunes catalogs? Naming conventions are all off and what not…the ish is irritating to look at. I could charge like $4.99 per 100 songs to clean up the titles, and I would add the artwork for free! I'll service both PC's and Macs even.

Golf Instructor: It may not seem like it lately, but I really do understand the mechanics of a textbook golf swing…I just can't translate it into my own performance. However I can easily see swing flaws of anyone, and can provide my 2 pesos of how they can improve. My approach would be more Phil Jackson and less Hank Haney, since golf is a very mental sport. Sometimes habits are really grained in, so I would try to fix certain hitches rather than reinventing your whole swing. Not everyone's jumper looks like Ray Allen's.

If you see my as anything else, I'm open to ideas!
.

Confessions of a Sneakerhead, 2009 version

Yes I'm still a shoehead, even though this is the first new pair I copped in fiscal year 2009. So Kram and I met up during lunch, strolled over to NTSF and bought our 10.5s. It felt like I was in HS getting the same pair as a friend haha. But I don't care, I wanted these ever since the final sample pics were released. Plus I didn't want to relive the fiasco of the original Bacons, where I strolled into Hazard Shoes on Burlingame Ave sometime in 2003 and had the shoes on my feets. At last second I didn't want to pay the $90 for some pink based kicks. Then if I listened to myself in 2005 when I wanted some pink kicks, I would've paid around $150-$200. If you click on the link, you'll see X's - but they were the bacons, the linens and the Dunkles. Now sellers are charging up to $600 for a pair. Don't they know we're in a recession??!

Anyway fast forward to 2009, and I'm not a fan of hybrid kicks or secondary collaborations, of which these both are. But these resonated with Reeg, and despite the inflated price tag of $120, I got them. As I was lacing them up moments ago, it woke up the [hype]beast in me. So welcome Air Max 90 Current Huarache PR to the fam. One day I'll have them OG bacons to join you though.

.

4 Months

Wow it feels wierd to be in this area. Once my comments section started to spam out, I figured I should revive this spot. Plus I've been talking to my blog crew and little by little they're unknowingly providing me with the energy necessary to update this lil page. Plus the boss is out, it's a short week, so here I am - trying to shake off the blog rust.

Where have I been these past 120 days? Probably in Emeryville. Oh you meant virtually? I've been around, occasionally updating my FB status whilst fighting the urge to sign up for a Twitter account haha. But I've been here, feeling an array of adjectives - comtemplative, retrospective, joyful, regretful, despairful, hopeful - I guess a lot more but these were the first to mind. But you know how some people have a woe-is-me attitude? I'm trying not to be like that, although I can't front - I'm guilty at times. Play the cards you were dealt yeah? Nope! Here goes my obligatory Kanye reference:

I ain't play the hand I was dealt, I changed my cards
I prayed to the skies and I changed my stars

So yep, my cards were changed, my prayers were voiced and I'm waiting for my stars to align. Of course it's never fast enough, but as long at it happens right? Instant karma's gonna get you, word to Mr. Yoko Ono. "A lot of your outlook depends on your attitude" - I got that off someone's page, and it's pretty apropos. When I look into my own crystal ball, I know I won't fall. After 30 years I'm built to be the dopest person I could be, in whatever capacity. I'm destined to shine!

Apologies on the jibberish that I call this entry, but at least I know what I'm talking about. I think I wrote a couple sentences...worked for a bit...added a few more lines...then finalized it. So my bad for the staccato flow.

Hope to see more of you soon, with the regularly scheduled updates.
.

Rafting & Camping by the River

Alas, I long overdue blog of my unfiltered thoughts. Remember the 3rd week of the month is the lull period where I can go home at the usual time, hence the blogging spree. So here is another E-Go Tripping installment [egotrip was an old hip-hop mag; these entries are online entries about my trips, so that's how you get e-go tripping].

Destination: Lotus , CA - homebase for Gold Rush Rafting.
Dates: July 18th-19th

- props to everyone showing up at Al's at 7:30a, since I told Jefe that time. And I ended up being the latest one there.
- Michelle - pre-camping MVP as she must've been a really good Tetris player
- Car 1: me, g, al, ar, rol; Car 2: jefe, jeff, mich, tiff b; Car 3: nick, dan, louise, tiff l, alex
- FYI the spots in my car were filled as soon as it was established I was a driver
- we literally drove a mile before we had our first stop - Tennessee Grill!
- had to play "Heart Songs" to start off the trip, as it bridged last year's camping weekend
- I think the Ajoste's fell asleep even before we hit the freeway
- potential song of the trip: Flo-Rida feat. Ne-Yo "Be on You" - not to be confused with Pee on You, which is can sound like if not listening to closely
- the thermometer on Black Starr rises expotentially as we continue on 80
- 2.5 hours later, we arrive at the site without getting lost!
- initial observations - no campfires?! uhhh we'll pass on the s'mores, since they weren't worth the $25K fine
- whoa…we got the whole campgrounds to ourselves
- who decided to build a canopy 2 feet away from the BBQ pit? luckily we easily moved it.
- rol and al pitched tents really fast. hehehe
- dan might outspeak the 2008 version - or not.
- note to self and future campers: make sure you have cooking tools! thanks to tiff l's resourcefulness, we had some tongs
- next time we're gonna have committees, and if they fail they'll suffer from something
- it was mad hot, but the river was mad cold initially. it was like a katy perry weekend.
- kingsbury brought out the whiskey again! but for real, that was pretty tasty. too bad we ran out =/
- dammit alan, you broke another chair. at least it wasn't mine this year
- what - no stories of dwendes?
- it's the return of Rappin' and Dancin' "I'm so horny and I need a hug" Jeff!
- why is everyone sleeping like before midnight, and not just tiff "how am I supposed to sleep?! l"
- I think we had enough space in the man-tent, yet nick stayed in the canopy all night. he was our watchdog.
- I hope Michelle's keys eventually be like the music group and surface
- day 2 was the rafting part!
- the safety tutorial was pretty funny…basically just lay flat on the water since you don't want your knees undercut
- we should've known our guide was a crackhead when his name was Steel
- we got flipped off the raft thrice. and I thought I was gonna die each time.
- once I was riding with the current and this boulder was approaching. due to my sharp survival skills, I eluded it.
- I'll just let the pics do the rest of the talking

Pics from Day 1 of Camping

AND...


.

Whoa...it's getting contagious

Whoa...the sabotaging is spreading. Instead of a Dan, now I'm a verb. I hope people regain spell check on their computers. Grrrrr.


.

eBay Inbox, volume Summer of '09

Life is like a box of eBay emails, you never know what to expect. So here is another edition of my crazy bidders and their comments/questions/inquiries:

Dear reegsta,

i get paid on frii can u hold em till then

- 5719sarah

Dear reegsta,

it must have been a mix up i get paid this fri im sorry lol

- 5719sarah

Hey Sarah, it's not that funny. Show me the $$! It's been like 2 weeks since the auction ended. Grrrr.

Dear reegsta,

can u call me asap at 215 668 xxxx my name is brian cuz i wanna by the case only

- acura7885

Hey Mr. Integra, I'm not gonna call you ASAP just because you want an accessory! Sheesh.

Dear reegsta,

Hey i was wondering if you can do me a favour and cancel my bid if bidding get over $145 i do relize i put my maximum bid at 165 but I don't really want to pay that but if you decide you dont want to cancel my bid when it reaches $145 that is no problem to me i will still pay you what I owe you.

- markjk1441

Yo Mark, please use a period! and I read that like 5x and still am unsure what you're requesting. And you shouldn't tell the seller what your max bid is. *Shakes head*.

Dear reegsta,

Hey hows it going ? First id like to say you have some great J's and I was looking and you sell some straight up solid sneaks. The reason im emailing you is i am (or was) a collector for a few years and i have decided to sell whats left of my collection- I was hoping you could tell me have you been getting fair prices for your J's ? I am a size 12 so im not sure if thats a good selling size or not but I see you have much experience- Thanks David

- shipley954

Yo Shipley, I'm not auctioning off consultations. JP! I actually gave him a legit response. Game recognize game.

Dear reegsta,

Hi Good Morning Reegan,

Sorry for the late reply (again, lol) don't worry just been mad busy at the hospital, too much drama going on. But anyway, will e-mail you FULLY detailing everything including payment schedules etc later this week etc...

Thanks.

(Please don't think that just because I don't commuicate regularly, that we're OFF for the deal... it's not like that at all.... it's just that some weeks ARE real busy for me being a hospital warden on night shifts!)

Anyway, will touch down with you over the weekend again!

:o)
- nike-air-max-95_in_london

Dear reegsta,

I'll happily chuck-on an extra 100 buck so that you receive 400 dollars for the sneaks when I come to pay in about a month or two (well, actually, it'll be 450 including the shipping!).

What do you say? Are you down with that?

You ain't NEVER gonna get some-one paying you even 275 bucks, LET ALONE the crazy sky-high 450 i'm offering you. And that's ACTUALLY true.

It's the time dude... nothing else, just TIME.

It all depends on just how ''desperate'' you are for the cash, because if you can hold-on for until, say, August/Sept/Oct, then that's kool, i'll hit you up for the 450 via PayPal at that time in the future, but if you need the cash RIGHT NOW (and at the moment, I'm seriously out of a dime!) then you're gonna get people bidding for prices MUCH lower than even just 180/200 bucks which is pathetic given the rarity of these 1998 Desert Red's.

Are you ok to work with me on this please buddy?

Please let me know, thanks.

any questions?? ask away!!

:o)
- nike-air-max-95_in_london

Dear reegsta,

Yo Regan 'sup, thanks for your message a couple of days ago asking me to advise you on the payment situation for these 95's - sorry that it's taken me slightly longer than normal to respond back, ut I've been kinda busy and this is the one of the only chances today to actually just sit down for a sec to update you on what's goin' on...

To cut a long story short (I can FULLY explain my financial and personal circumstances in a seperate e-mail after this one if you REALLY want me to....?) I'm abit strapped for cash at the moment (what with the credit crunch and recession etc etc, it's hitting us very hard over here in London), so very politely ask you for a substantial payment time extension to come up with the money for these Desert Red's.

I mean, you know, when I say ''substantial'' i DO mean exactly that... kinda like, about a month or two.

Yeah,I know that might sound kinda crazy to you, but as s gesture of goodwill and as a kinda-like, you know, ''token of my appreciation''

- nike-air-max-95_in_london

Wow. This is probably the longest drawn out eBay message I've seen. I might feel sorry for your HS English teacher. Anyway he sounds legit and I'm giving him the benefit of a doubt, considering he has AIR-MAX-95 in his username and appreciates the rarity of the shoes he's bought. And if he's throwing on another c-note on there, then consider them reserved.

Dear reegsta,

hey there friend

i love those shoes.how much you want for them to buy them right now?i give you 126$

- blakkheim25

Lol the funny thing is the current bid was at $125. and he's offering a dollar more. wow hold the presses. and mentioning we're friends won't get you a discount!

Dear reegsta,

Yo! Whats up man... I purchased some kicks from you in the past. You have some sweet listings but a little close to the first for me. Do you plan to relist if they dont sell? Sorry to see a savvy collector out the game... I feel alone in my shoe game, all the old school is getting out.

- dauniqueone

Dear reegsta,

Hey Home skillet! I thought these sold? I was going to bid when I mailed you but did not want you waiting for a week to get paid! I am watching some items now I dont know what to do.

- dauniqueone

Oh man I think I'd prefer friend moreso than "home skillet". Now I'ma a frying pan…yay. See, these dudes keep searching for advice. I think this dude just needs a hug.

Dear reegsta,

Hey, why are so many of your shoes in 10.5 and where
do you ship from I would like to buy two pairs.

- neazy2

Oh Neazy I don't know…maybe because that's the size I wear?! That's like asking why does Polo only sell Polo clothes.

Dear reegsta,

Yah thanks that'll workout. shoot me your email address. Again Im sorry moneys a little tight right now.

- djes11_916

This dude bid $240 for some kicks but backed out. You should've never bid on them if you don't have the loot! It worked out though, since I actually sold them higher the 2nd time around.

Dear reegsta,

Please cal me about your set of Pings. I have a few questions but I am ver interestd in buying them. I am a very honest and outgoing person and look forward to your call thank you. Ross Blankenship

- rossb03569f1

I'm glad your outgoing Ross. But this isn't a match.com auction, it's an eBay one! And he low-balled me, so I eventually sold it to the highest bidder.

Dear reegsta,

Hello there Regan and hope all is well.

I already sent my payment. Kindly double box the shoes when you ship it out usps express mail. May I also request that it be declared as GIFT and valued at only $30 so I won't have to deal with exorbitant custom duties and taxes. I actually know the customs people in my city and since my uncle works as a customs police, they told me to have it declared that way so they won't have to charge me the taxes but only the minimum $20 tax.

Thanks a lot and looking forward to getting the tracking number. Have a nice day

- saviourfriendjesus

A guy with this username couldn't have been a fraud. He was based in the PI and I felt bad [for like 2 seconds] for selling a $300 pair of kicks over there. But how come every Filipino is connected to someone official? Like a mayor or in this case a post master.

Dear reegsta,

gibt es denn schuh auch in gr. 43,5 ?

- sweet_tlik_choclate

Ummmm yeah. I still don't know what that means.
.

Ish I Love…and Hate

Nothing can ever be perfect, so here are some appreciations and their drawbacks pertinent to Reeg:

Mint.com - love how it organizes all my finances…hate how it reminds me I should be saving more
Travelling with a Golf Set - love to play while on vacay…hate lugging it around and paying extra for it
Coffee - love how it feels when it touches the lips…hate the subsequent coffee breath
Cereal - love the crunchiness and how I never can just have one bowl…hate how I have to scarf it down so it won't get soggy
Facebook - love how a lot of people I know are on it…hate how it's a time-murderer
Kicks - love that I still have 150ish pairs…hate that I still have 150ish pairs
Mexican Food - love the taste when I eat it…hate how my stomach reacts soon after
Photography - love how it can capture the moment…hate that I can't take decent pics
Online Chatting - love communicating with alternate methods…hate how it takes away the face-to-face interaction
Lauren London - love her natural beauty…hate that she got knocked up by Lil Wayne!
.

Underrated in Hip-Hop Goes To…

Babyface! I had this blog for some months in the making, but dude comes hard [pause] since I first heard him bless hip-hop laced tracks. Let's rewind to peep the hip-hop section of his resume:

- This Is For The Lover In You - both the original and remix. "Yo 'Face, on the real was the honey looking laced?!" And if you can have a remix with Ghostface to have a 'Face and 'Face collab [just missing Scarface], then it is indeed official.

- Always be My Sunshine - off the underappreciated In My Lifetime Vol 1. I know Jay made the song, but without 'Face singing the hook, ish wouldn't be the same.

- There She Goes - a Neptunes beat at their peak, and tells the story of a dude falling for a chick. Definitely relatable and one of my fav 'Face songs ever.

- Stressed Out - not of the ATCQ or UNLV variety, but another Neptunes laced song. Not as dope as the aborementioned one, but a decent track anyway.

- Comfortable - yes this track was circulating for awhile before finally officially appearing on the Carter III. But 'Ye + Wayne + 'Face= my favorite song off the best selling rap album of 2008.

Okay maybe his sample size isn't as big, and maybe I'm biased because before there was Ne-Yo, there was Musiq. But before Musiq, there was Babyface! "The Day" got constant spins on the discman. Peep the songs dude has written: Top 100. Ne-Yo has awhile to get to his song-writing level. Anyway, bottom line - more hip-hop artists should utilize Babyface. If I needed an R&B dude to do my hook, I wouldn't call Justin or John L or definitely not Akon, but it would be Kenneth Edmonds for sure.
.

Raising Arizona

Heard it was kidna chilly in the Bay this past weekend, so good thing G and I [no Joe] headed out to the desert to primarily peep the Grand Canyon and see what else the land of the Sun [not the Rising Sun - that would be JP]. Because I can't write full-on sentences just yet, as I'm easing back into blogging shape, here are the Reeg Notes:

- passed the fat test again! had to cinch up the seat-belt on the plane
- I knocked out even before we took off
- Long arse line at Hertz forced them to give us a half-tank return instead of a full-one. Stupid me over-estimates and returns it at 3/4 full
- Why are car rental taxes soo expensive? Booked a $19/day rate, ended up paying ~$36/day WITHOUT insurance
- I still never pay for additional insurance…I think my own policy covers everything when I drive
- If there's no game in town, then PHX seems deserted, and not because its in the desert
- We were able to get a private tour of the US Airways Center since they don't offer public ones
- Stoudemires > Majerles. I think I might need to eat at every NBA namesake restaurant
- Damn its hot
- Not yet ready to check in the telly, we went outlet shopping. I bought a jacket. MLIA
- The Biltmore was a dope resort area. Now recently part of the Waldorf=Astoria collection, no Gossip Girl
- They boast 36 holes, 8 pools, and countless amenities situated on 29 lush acres. We probably ventured over 1 acre
- Is there a grilled cheese renaissance? The one at Roosevelt was pretty tasty
- I can't fathom a car in PHX without AC
- Pretty much an easy 3 hr drive from downtown PHX to the GC. And I'm grateful that the G6 had an AUX output for my iPod. Well G's, since she played DJ on the way up, got my singing musical tunes =|
- Paid $25 for our car for access, which was slightly more than the $12 individual passes. But controlling your own destiny is worth it
- The first view-point was foggy, so that was pretty ominous. Looked like the city of Daly City could fill the Canyon
- Soaking it all in, the Grand Canyon is aptly named. Shoot, they should rename it the Grandest Canyon
- Pictures, maybe even with an SLR, don't do it justice. It's an amazing spectacle
- My folks visited the GC last week. Darn, we could've went together [/sarcasm off]
- Peering off the cliffs made me think how much it would hurt to fall off
- Yes - the sun is coming out!
- Book that caught my eye in the gift shop - "Death in the Grand Canyon" - good thing I saw it after the hiking!
- We only drove through Sedona…wanted to see this sunset there and experience the metaphysical healing of the vortex sites, but there was a downpour compounded with lightning. Doesn't help that you're driving 10mph sideways on a mountain. I wish I had Black Starr
- Delux Burgers - a must stop in PHX. Ish was poppin' on Saturday night and it was in the middle of a strip mall, next to a Safeway haha
- Morning Glory Café - I found a greater Monte Cristo than Mama's. Official like a referee with a whistle, and I didn't care that flies were hovering all over it
- We were lounging by the pool, and there weren't any towels. But since it was so hot, we got up and dried up without the need for one
- G wouldn't let me wear my goggles to the pool, even though I have sensitive eyes
- Next stop: The Botanical Gardens with the Chihuly exhibit. This was situated right next to the A's preseason field, so semi-wood for Francis and Jefe
- Chihuly had dope pieces…I didn't know who he was, but he's the cat responsible for Bellagio's ceilings. Collective "ahhhh" now
- Dinner was mobster-style at Durant's Steakhouse. Nope, it's not Kevin's establishment, but darn good
- Crab Mac N Cheese - yumm. Well you add crab to anything and it'll be better. It's the seafood equivalent of bacon
- Thx Liza & Jeremy for switching tickets! We went from coach to first class in a heartbeat
- Senator McCain was a few rows to the left, to the left, everything you own in a box to the left
- We left in the 8th when the D-Backs were up 7-1. The Padres score 6 runs in the 8th and 9th and win it in the 10th
- Dang the car rental place is far from the airport
- We're back home…nice and chilly when we land!
.
Here are the pictures:


.

Now it's really sabotaged!

Again...she can't spell my name right. Now I'm a whole 'nother person!


.

I'm Still Alive

Damn since I have nothing pressing to do at work, I'd figured I'd recessitate this piece. Sorry Reegspeak, you've been treated like the redheaded stepchild these past few months. Not sure what to blame it on - I guess you can place it on the gol-gol-gol-golf. And Facebook too…them are primary time killers.

So let's see…what have I been doing the first months of being 30?? I guess the same crap I was doing in my late 20s, except blogging less lol. Anyway here's a rundown of the past couple months sprinkled with some random thoughts:

- I'm not yet packed for PHX, and I leave in like 18 hours. Got my list ready though.

- Monterey was awesome. Pics are found here:
From Edward
From Gerald
From Henry

- I saw a band live whom I knew virtually nothing about - The Virgins. Kinda Strokes-ish? I'm not too good with my rock comparisons.

- The 2 music acts prior to that were Blu and JEW. I think I need to alternate my black and white music.

- Just created my summer schedule. If you want a piece of me let me know already. Dates are getting filled.

- Thanks to you guys to still visit this page.

- RIP Wayman Tisdale and that Dolla dude who got gunned down at the Beverly Center. That's why I shopped at Fox Hills Mall when I resided down there.

- Kanye coming correct in the 2K9. Sounding hungry like his pre-College Dropout days. The Ego Remix, the Knock You Down song, the Kinda Like a Big Deal verse, Maybach Music II, Flight School, Poke her Face remix and the years not even halfway over!

- Now if Kanye appears on any track with J-Mac aka Jesse McCartney, I think I'ma spaz out.

- And last Kanye blurb - I still want a pair of them Air Yeezy's [the blk/pnk as featured in the Knock You Down vid], but I don’t have $700 laying around. FML.

- Here goes the FML copy-cat site of the week: My Life is Average. Actually some pretty funny stuff there.

- Anybody want to go camping this summer? Was recently looking at pics from last years trip - good times like JJ Evans.

- It seems the 5th dimension bloggers are in another dimension, since it surely isn't the blog zone.

- Fighting the Twitter urge. Sike.
.

I'ma Golf Nut

Check out my scheduled tee times for the next 4 weeks:

Saturday, April 25th - Sharp Park, Pacifica, CA
Sunday, April 26th - Sharp Park [depending how Saturday goes though]

Saturday, May 2nd - ______ [always gotta play the day of a Pacquaio Fight]
Sunday, May 3d - Hiddenbrooke, Vallejo, CA

Friday, May 8th - Del Monte, Monterey, CA
Saturday, May 9th - Pebble Beach, Monterey, CA

Friday, May 15th - Calippe Preserve, Pleasanton, CA

Plus I might get sick *cough cough* during a weekday for another round!

Golf is like crack. You fiend for it [thinking/talking about it frequently], gotta get all related paraphanelia [got new clubs/shoes/balls], steal for it [took clubs out of my dad's garage] and you look for things to cash out to play some more [selling my excess crap]. Oh well, at least its not actual drugs, but it probably costs just as much lol.
.

I Either Bought Something Really Useful or Useless

So last weekend when it was all sunny, we rode along Ocean Beach and mad people were out. Royce had this little speaker thingy that was attached to the water clamp on his bike frame, and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. So I just bought one right now:













iHome Bike to Beach Speaker System for iPod

I don't usually purchase items spontaneously, but considering I've been biking once the past 5 months, I'm not sure how this one is gonna pan out haha. It originally retail for a Benji but I was able to cop it at more than half off, so I just pulled the trigger. But all good, if all else fails I could just use it at my desk, since there's an AC adapter included. Shoot, I used [and still have] my old bike lamp as a flashlight - works wonders. So I think I'll get value out of it.

It'll be like D-Bo's character on Friday when he's on the Cruiser, but not really. I suppose I gotta ride more frequently to get my money's worth!
.

Some of my Plaques Still say Reagan

Grrr, this chick ALWAYS can't get my name right! It's not like I have a Thai last name or anything either. And these were just the last few emails I received...it's been going on for YEARS. I'm gonna start replying to her emails by dropping off the second T. Watch.


.

The World You Love

In honor of the JEW concert like a month ago, here goes something that captures my mindframe:

The World You Love - Jimmy Eat World

I'm in love with the ordinary;
I need a simple space
To rest my head,
and everything gets clear.
well I'm a little ashamed for asking
But just a little helps,
It gets me straight again;
Helps me get over it.

It might seem like a dream
But it's real to me.

Don't it feel like sunshine after all?
The world we love forever gone.
We're only just as happy
As everyone else seems to think we are.

You should see the canals are freezing,
You should see me high.
You should just be here,
Be with me here.
It doesn't seem there's hope for me,
I let you down.
But I won't give in now,
Not for any amount.

Don't it feel like sunshine after all?
The world we love forever gone.
We're only just as happy
As everyone else seems to think we are.
.

The Back 9: Golf Etiquette Tips for Weekend Hackers, Part II

Since I was overdue for a Ploomy piece in quite some time, I felt it was appropriate to finish up something I wrote almost a year ago. Especially since the golf virus is going around, I knew it was time. It might not be pertinent to everyone, but here is is anyway!

The Back 9
.

The Madd Blogger

It kinda sucks that all these micro-bloggers pretty much took over the blogosphere. Are people's attention spans not capable of taking in more than 140 characters at a time? WTF is a tweet anyway? Only Tweet I know is that one singer who Missy put on a few years back. And I know I'm guilty of pasting notes into Facebook, but I've learned. All of you blogless people using FB to put up a pseudo-blogs need to recognize the real. Shoot truthfully if you don't have an actual blog, then I'm not even tryna read what you wrote. Yes I'm mad doggie. I don't know why, but all these 60 second blog thoughts kinda bug me. I know I don’t have anything substantial to say usually, but I've created my own space, generated my own followers and retained my own readership. It's pretty easy to have instant followers when you add everyone you vaguely know on these social networking sites.

I'm tired of reading pointless, forced and statuses that are trying too hard. My ish be more John Blaze than that. Yes I've toiled in the virtual world trying to carve my niche via my weblog, but damn, its getting oversaturated up in here. I liken it to American Idol syndrome, and just because there's a medium, it doesn't mean you could sing! Just as essays morphed into articles, then into blogs, then into status updates, then into tweets, then what? Actually, I'd rather see just one word updates. Maybe it'll improve our collective deteriorating vocabulary. Kinda like how albums nowadays rely on a song or 2 with a catchy hook, micro-blogs are ruining the art for me. Your voice is muddled among the other commoners vying for my attention.

So…I wonder how long it'll take me to sign up for twitter?
.

___silog Appreciation

I haven't concocted a list in awhile, and I figured one about food can help me escape my blog rut. Anyways I've eaten a lot of [fill-in-the-blank]-silog dishes in my lifetime, so I can consider myself an authority on the subject. For those in the dark, Silog is a hybrid term to mean fried rice and fried eggs [at least that's how I understand it.] And my ideal combination is garlic fried rice [typically from the prior day], over-medium eggs, tomato [with them pink salted eggs as a bonus] and with vinegar as a condiment. After you have all that, you could plug in any type of meat or fish and you can enjoy a meal! These dishes are typically meant to be had for breakfast, but thanks to places like Lucky Chances, we can enjoy them 24 hours a day.

Here are Reeg's favs in order:

01. Longsilog - Served with Longanisa, which is a sweet [duh] Filipino sausage. This stuff is potent. You could brush your teeth 3 times and exhale a burp the next day which would smell like longanisa still.
02. Tapsilog - Seved with Tapa, which is a dried cured beef. When I want a somewhat healthly, protein laced meal, I'll opted for this. Avoid if you don't like chewy meat and beware of extra sticking in-between the pearlies.
03. Bangsilog - Served with Milkfish, which translates into bangus, which is not to be confused with BangBus. If I prefer a seafood version, I'll choose this, and I prefer the one near Lake Merced that we had during that one fantasy draft. I didn't eat for 24 hours after that!
04. Spamsilog - Served with Spam. I'll never order this at a restaurant but best believe I'll make it once in awhile haha. I'll include grilled onions and substitute ketchup for vinegar, then I'll mash it all up so I can enjoy a cornucopia of edible delights with each bite.
05. Tosilog - Served with Tocino, which is usually a sweetened cured pork meat. If I'm not worried about my cholestoral count for the day, then I'll order this up. It's reddish in color but it's not red meat. Beware though, since often times pieces could be more fat than meat, but at least you get to enjoy the juiciness of it!

And as a bonus, here are Reeg-approved Silog spots:
- Lucky Chances
- Sinugba
- Ongpin
- that aforementioned spot around Lake Merced

I'm sure there's more, I just can't think right now since I'm pretty hungry. Note to self: don't write about food whilst thinking about dinner.
.

The Birthday Recap

Now I'ma 30 year old blogger. Anyway this past week of birthday festivities was pretty fun and enjoyable. Let's hit rewind to see what happened:

Monday - My old manager and my favorite auditor treated me to lunch at Manhattan Cafe. I didn't even know there was a Cheesesteak spot that was walkable from work! Anyway I didn't have high hopes for this place, but it gets bonus points for serving Coke Zero out of the fountain. To recap: I got a Philly Cheesesteak in San Francisco named after a burrough in New York. Good stuff.

Tuesday - Happy Mardi Gras guys. While trying to enjoy my final day of being in my twomps, I also needed to figure out what to sacrifice for lent. G took me to BIX, where my indecisive self ordered the Prix Fixe menu and G ordered the Kobe Beef. We flanked our order with Truffle Cheese "Croques," which isn't your ordinary grilled cheese! Anyway I had my last Diet Coke to wash it all down while enjoying a fine dinner. It was kind of weird though, since the dude put my jacket on me as we were leaving, like he was Fansworth Bentley to my Puff. Anyway I just slid him a couple Washy's.

So we proceeded towards G's whip and that's where I received my gift. So big THANKS G for getting me an 8GB iPhone and for Jeff for upgrading it to a 16GB! I'm picking it up this weekend guys, so hope these blogs will be more frequent haha.

Wednesday - The Big 3-0 arrived. Honestly it felt kinda weird. The age gap between me and my siblings went away like Keyshia Cole's gap in her grill. We're all in our 30s now! Yikes.

So starting in 2009, our work went away with celebrating birthdays because that $20 cake is killer on the P&L. But since I'm special and all they decided to get one for me haha. It was a mocha-chocolate one from Andersen's [not Arthur] Bakery. I requested to leave early so I could make it to the most crowded mass ever, which would be Ash Wednesday at Saint Augustine. You would think the Pope was there, but nope, it was only me.

G then cooked my dinner that I requested - blackened catfish with grilled asparagus. It was really good and I probably still have crap in my teeth from the seasoning [j/p kids - believe I stay flossin'].

Thursday/Friday - I don't remember doing anything different so I guess it's back to the ordinary!

Saturday Morning- Woohoo time for the real celebrations to start! Thinking about wanting to do something physical for my birthday, I just said screw it and let's book a tee-time. Sorry non-golfers but I'm a grown man now, no need to climb walls and stuff haha. So myself, Francis, UglyStick, MosJef, Down with the Kingsbury, Pan Jr, MethodMik and Team Seabass ventured down to Burlingame to play 18. It was a rough start, as I started in the rough on the first few holes. My score ballooned to a 48 at the turn, but I calmed down a bit and sunk a couple putts in the back, posting a 48-39 for an 87. Guess I'll take it.

But the highlight of the day had to be MosJef jumping out of a haywire cart, slipping on a slope and soiling his pants haha. Damn you had to be there. Luckily Eric had a pair of jeans in his cart so he was able to change. OMG probably the funniest thing I've seen on a golf course.

Another warning: Make sure Mike doesn't drive the golf cart in the parking lot, otherwise he'll run into your parked car.

Saturday Afternoon - Gorrilla BBQ. Hands down the best BBQ place in the Bay Area. It even has G's stamp of approval. Just know that 45 minutes really means 1.5 hours. Go and order the ribs, brisket, chicken and hot links. And even the Mac N Cheese was hella good.

Saturday Night - I wanted to go somewhere simple and nearby, and thanks to Rach's swaying we went to Tropisuneo in Yerba Buena Lane. The food was pretty flavorful and the prices were fair [well what do I know, I didn't pay]. The drinks were good and they even had one named the Duende, which I totally forgot to try haha. Their dessert too was good, and their giant Cinnamon Toast Crunch pieces and Fondue stuff fulfilled me, or maybe it was just the BBQ from the afternoon?

Afterwards we proceeded to Azul, and I don't remember much. Thanks to the pics though, it helped me vaguely remember the evening. I do remember seeing Mike in the bathroom line, and I gave him that "I'ma yack and you hit my whip earlier so let me cut" look. And thanks dude, I think I couldn't hold it much longer. So big thanks to everyone that came out and shared a drink with me. I guess Arv is the only brother who loves me haha.

So we hopped into MosJef's whip and headed out to G's, where we crashed. And I think I got up every hour to go suka. Then G started to frequently suka too! Just like in Stand By Me when they all yacked after the pie-eating contest, but we actaully made it to the toilet at least. So each time we went Jeff had to hear it since he crashed on the sofa haha.

Sunday Morning - My family scheduled brunch at Park Chow's, and I was crazy hungover like a drunk horse. I don't know how I drove there, but I managed since G couldn't make it due to her being gone too. I mean who's birthday was it?! Anyway I get there, can't really eat abut I managed to get some calories in. Ryan gives me a bottle of Grey Goose for my present and I almost yacked upon sight, but I held it in. I also received more Apple money since my Apple fanboy transformation is now complete!

Whew, so that's my 30th celebration thus far. It isn't over until we have a DSK night as the capper.

So thanks guys for the 100 Facebook messages, thanks for coming out to Azul, thanks for breaking bread and sharing a drink with me, thanks for organizing everything for venues to restuarants to invitations, thanks for answering my questions, thanks for making it out to the golf course and the 2 course BBQ meal, thanks to the fam for your presents, thanks for being a homeboy and homegirl, and thanks for making my 30th a memorable one!

Enjoy the pictures! Hopefully they'll be up on FB this weekend.


.

Bonus Day

In one of those questionnaires I've done, I've stated Bonus Day is probably my favorite day of the year. Generally we would receive a Memo sometime in January and we would get a deposit early February. This year January came and went without a memo. Anyway I figured with all the troubles that the financial services industry was having, I should be grateful just to be employed. Which I am don't get me wrong.

Because we have a revolving door of managers here, I got a pseudo-review yesterday from a potential new manager, which seems to be the norm around here. I mean with the way we do things, they should be called previews and not reviews. She didn't have my self-assessment survey [which was sterling btw], so there wasn't really anything to talk about! I wanted to keep my streak alive of being the top rated person in my department haha.

Then we started discussing compensation and we had a raise-freeze, which was expected. The company had pay cuts for VPs, directors, MDs and senior MDs. Thank goodness I'm not one of them [/sarcasm off]. They aren't gonna give people raises when they're getting cuts! Then we discussed bonuses and I actually was selected for one, since apparently discretionary doesn't mean guaranteed haha. Obviously it was a fraction of last year's, which was smaller than the prior year. So it's like decreasing income [which is better than negative income - yes that's an actual term used]. Yay - my bonus jumped into the cold part of the ocean. Part of me is like "woohoo" I got something, then another is like "that's it?" But that's how it is with money though - it's never enough!

In prior year's I was quick to splurge on something, since it always coincided with my birth-month. This time I think I'ma just save it for a stormy day. Anyway I've treated myself to enough toys last year to last awhile.
.

Year of the Gentleman Tour

I'm tryna knock out blogs like I'm a boxer. So obviously this blog is about a month past due, but oh well. Roland, TiffanyBlue, Michelle, G and yours truly attended his show in Oakland a few weeks ago. None of us really venture out to the 'town so we drove through a hood part to get to the Paramount Theatre. Once we got there, it was pleasantly nice, since it was near Lake Merritt around their downtown area.

Anyway the show started with this group called Electric Red or something. OMG they were horrible. They were like 4 Adina Howards, except with a 1/4 of her talent. You know how JJ Fad had that 'Supersonic' song? "The S is for Super and the U is for unique...?" They had a song called 'P***y" I think, that went like "The P is for Power and..." blah blah. OMG they were horrible, both vocally and visually and content-wise. We came too early.

Grammy nominee Jazmine Sullivan performed next, and some the crowd was feeling her. To me nothing really differentiates her from the countless other Neo-Soul artists out there. Yawn.

Then came the headliner! Woo-hoo! Thanks to Share-Bare for clarifying an exclusion I initially missed on my playlist. Anyway since I'm old now, my memory may be a little fuzzy, so if I might have some in the wrong order. His lineup for the day was:

01. because of you
02. lie to me
03. nobody
04. single
05. so you can cry
06. so sick
07. mad
08. stop this world
09. do you
10. irreplaceable*
11. spotlight*
12. take a bow*
13. let me love u*
14. make it work
15. go on girl
16. sexy love
17. miss independant
18. closer

We all bet what song he was going to open with, and Roland actually won. What he won, I'm not sure haha. After a few songs in, it did seem like he was gonna sing the whole YOTG album! Yes, he even performed the latter 1/3 of the joint, of which I don't really play. He had a lil storyline to preface most of his songs, and I pretty much knew what he was gonna sing!

However the more he talked about girl problems, the more I questioned his heterosexualness. I mean I'm sure he's had GF's in the past, but so did Lance Bass. He went on to sing some songs he wrote, which I already knew [duh!]. If you're able to pen "Irreplaceable," how straight can you be?

Then he came with his hits, and his closer was obviously "Closer." Take another look at the list, and I was deeply saddened that he didn't do "Can We Chill!" Grrrrr! I mean he even made a video for it! Considering it was one of his faster paced songs, and he did "Do You" and "Make It Work" from the same album, I was certain he was gonna perform it. But no he didn't =(

But regardless, it was a dope show, like a 100x better than Musiq's. Unfortunately I couldn't boogie as much as I wanted to, since a few rows back my sisters and female cousins [and Lorilie!] were sitting directly behind me! Oh well, at least I came out of there with a free Ne-Yo poster hahaha.
.

Happy Birthday Day

Whoa so its finally here. I just want to thank Tiger Woods for waiting 8 months and debuting again on my birthday. That's a cool gesture Eldrick! I also want to thank the Roman calendar for making today Ash Wednesday, to remind me that I need to fulfill my resolutions and habits that I mentally put forth in the beginning of the year. I want to thank Mark Zuckerberg too, for if we didn't have his medium, then I wouldn't get a fraction of the greetings on Facebook. I thought about giving that up for lent, but I wouldn't be able to function haha.

Anyway, here's some crap I'm trying to do, starting in Lent. Some will be sacrificed these 40 days, other's will try to be a livelihood thing.

- I'm giving up Carbonated beverages! It went from Diet Coke, to soda, to this. I had my last diet coke at BIX last night, and it was $4, so that was a sign haha.

- To exert some physical activity 4x a week. I bought a foam roller, I have the perfect pushup [although mine's probably looks irregular], have a gym downstairs and a gym membership. To be fair, I've included golf here. So what, I'm in my 30s already.

- Not to buy any clothes/gear/kicks. Well let me specify, to not spend add'l money, since I have quite a few gift cards left. I got my birthday 'fit the other day, not to be confused with my birthday suit ladies.

- To sell 40 items already in my possession. I think this is feasible. I have random crap laying around that I could liquidate.

- To commence studying. Well, we'll see about that!

- Try to improve self. Whatever that means I'm for it. It feels like once in your 20s, you could eff around and stuff. But I'm 30 now, and honestly it feels that I need to start playing chess rather than checkers.

Thanks everyone for the greetings thus far! Phone calls, texts, IMs, wall posts and in-person, and even more thanks if you chose more than one avenue!
.

Happy Birthday Eve

So I have less than 12 hours to accomplish everything I wanted to do by the time I turn 30, and boy have I fell short. Slightly disappointed, but then again I did outline some high goals. But I guess it's time to rewrite that goal book or simply turn that 30 into a 35. Or maybe a 33, since that was Jesus's amount of years, and homie accomplished a lot.

But you know what? I think I'm on the right track even though I haven't hit a few benchmarks. A .300 hitter could still be a Hall-of-Famer. It's like running a half-marathon. It would've been nice to do it in sub-2, but I'll take a 2.5 hour pace. What matters is that I ran the damn thing. So my goals are just delayed and are still on my radar, its just a matter of putting the pedal to the floor.

Another thing I just want to emphasize is to focus on what I have rather than what I don't. And I think I have a lot! By no means am I talking about material things, but in terms of stuff that makes me happy - a loving fam, caring friends, being employed now, gas in the whip, matching socks - I'm grateful for that ish!

I think regardless of how old I am I'm gonna be a kid at heart. I often say that I'm always gonna feel like this due to having 4 older brothers. Certain times I need to man up, and I believe I do, but I should let the kid out of me more. I think we all should!

And despite not reaching some goals by the time I was 30, oh well! Think about it - we only chose 30 because it's a round number. I can't think of any other significance there is to it. It's not that much of a landmark year people maybe it out to me. It just has a "0" at the end. But you only turn 30 once! And same with every other year guys.

On the real though, the 20s have been my best decade, and it'll only get better from here.
.

Dear ReegSpeak,

Sorry, I've spending a lot of time with Facebook lately, so I've been kinda neglecting you. Just so you won't feel out of the loop and to the ReegSpeakers that don't frequent FB, here are 50 things folks might not know about me. Most of it is stupid, and some of it is stupider haha. I'll go on a FB hiatus one day...

01. I love leading zeroes and always add them when I can.
02. When I grab a newspaper, I never ever take the top one b/c I'm scared its incomplete.
03. I blogged loyally from 2002 to 2005, then took a 3 year hiatus and started again last year. Similarly Jesus has a few years missing in the New Testament, I have a few years missing on ReegSpeak.
04. I have every SLAM Magazine from #1 [that Larry Johnson cover] to #100, and even the regional covers too.
05. I once shot a 77 at Sharp Park Golf Course in the summer of 1997, but haven't been south of 80 in years.
06. I have long hairy toes, and I was once nicknamed L.T. [for Long Toes] by someone who's actually on my FB friend list.
07. My frosh suitemate was named Keegan. Regan and Keegan - how cool.
08. I love goat meat [Kambing in tagalog]. Like seriously love it. I probably was a hunter in my prior life.
09. I read magazines from the back to front. If I wasn't a hunter, I was probably a Japanese kamakazi in my prior life.
10. I maintain a mental bucket list and only reveal them until the goal actually came to fruition or materialized.
11. I question the 'best by' dates and 'expiration' dates of a lot of food products. I mean if its 'best by Oct-08' that means its at least good by Jan-09 yeah?
12. I have an empty bottle of Cristal in my kitchen that I’m saving for my first rap video.
13. I love watching American Greed: Scams on CNBC.
14. I went to Ballet School when I was around 5 years old, which explains my gracefulness. I was still the hardest dude there though. So yeah, I had ballet lessons and golf lessons as a youngin but not swimming lessons - go figure.
15. Before the Internet, I used to transcribe my favorite rap songs and type them up in WordPerfect on my old 386.
16. At one time, I had every Kenny Anderson basketball card that ever existed. A big middle finger goes out to John Starks!
17. I matriculated at UC-Santa Barbara before even visiting the campus.
18. The Count of Monte Cristo is one of my favorite stories. Something about vengeance makes me happy.
19. I won a burrito eating speed contest b/c I could chew faster than a squirrel. Freebirds FTW!
20. I bought records without having turntables. Buying for the future I guess.
21. The itchiest part of my body are my nipples.
22. I always always need to read something when its time for #2, even if I wake up in the middle of the night for those 4am bombs and my contacts aren't on and such.
23. Contrary to belief, I've never owned a pair of Nike Cortez, Guess overalls, a Starter Parka or Cross Colour jeans. I had them suede Ellesses though.
24. I once got a parafin wax while waiting in the PI and it was one of the worst pains my feet ever felt. They sure were buttery smooth afterwards though.
25. Some may already know about all my kicks, but I also have mad socks too!
26. I really don't have much free time on my hands, but you might think otherwise based on my internet habits
27. One time on the solo drive back to UCSB, I wanted to see if I could make the trip back without getting out of my car. But I really had to pee-pee after drinking a bottle of gatorade. So I just said screw it and took a piss in the [wide-mouthed] empty bottle, which was partially inspired by that scene in Dumb & Dumber. So I never did get out of my car during that trip.
28. I've seen Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera live, but neither Nas or Jay-Z.
29. If kicks/hip-hop/hoops were the only categories on Jeopardy, then I'd be Ken Jennings.
30. When I rap along to songs, I skip the expletives, even if I'm by my lonesome.
31. I once scored a double-eagle on Fleming's 5th hole, which odds are estimated at 1 million to 1. Yes, even rarer than a hole-in-one!
32. I never had my own room until I started paying rent.
33. I haven't used a brush or comb in the past 6 years, nor do I own any.
34. I once acted in a play as the cross-dressing gay Asian version of Anton in an adaption of "Men On Film" from the In Living Color show. I wore some pleather girl pants and some leopard top haha. It was quite possibly the most embarassing thing I've ever done and hopefully will never show up on YouTube.
35. I once plaigarized one of my brothers papers [Ryan obviously] and received an A, after being inspired by Ben Seaver selling Carol Seaver essays from Growing Pains.
36. I have every bank transaction itemized on Microsoft Money since 1998.
37. I've probably seen Spaceballs over 50 times but the Star Wars only once or twice.
38. This numbering methodology was partially inspired by The Roots discography.
39. I once yakked on my roommate's bed. Sorry Eric.
40. My UC application was returned to me because I put "02/25/97" as my birthday rather than "02/25/79." No wonder why UCLA [my first choice] didn't accept me!
41. I brush my teeth in the shower, and sometimes I spit out onto my package, which feels kinda good.
42. I saw Tiger Woods [at a US Open qualifier at Lake Merced] and Lebron James [at a AAU run] when they were both 16 years old. Coincidentally, they share the same birthday [Dec 30th].
43. I once ordered 6 pairs of Jordans from Finishline but received like 20 pairs. I didn't feel bad because its not my fault that had poor internal controls. This was before Sarbanes-Oxley went into effect.
44. I always check for my name on those Inter-Office envelopes that get passed around work, to see if I've been through that envelope before.
45. I once killed a bird on the 3rd hole at Harding with a piercing drive down the middle, and once hit a man on the 18th hole with an errant approach shot. Different rounds however.
46. I met Boyz-II-Men at the Manila Airport, but never saw the pic that we took with them.
47. I probably read every NBA boxscore ever since I could read, as I always read The Sporting Green in the car ride since 1st grade.
48. That above along with watching scrambled television is probably the reason I have poor vision.
49. Thanks to my older brothers [well maybe just Jon], I saw my first pr0n flick when I was 5 years old and wondered why the guy's "pee" was gooey haha.
50. I've never smoked a cigarette or even took a puff of one in my 29 years of living. I'm going for immortality!
.

Another Peep into my eBay Inbox

Man, and I thought I was particular with my threads! Check this one out:

Dear reegsta,

Hi there, sorry for the delay. I've just sent you my payment for the brand new Pac Man Tee via Paypal. I know you have quite a few of these tees, could you please pick the one with the PERFECT quality (no craftmanship defects, good quality print, and graphic is centered, not off the the side, etc.)? PLEASE!! My sincere apology for my pickyness. I really like this tee and want to have the PERFECT one. Thank you very very much for your kindness and sorry for the troubles. Much appreciated!!!

- 501boy

This is in reference to those Pacman shirts that I've been selling. Okay let me get this straight, homie is asking for the perfect mass-produced shirt that was made in China by some pre-teens. Does he want Manny's autograph too? Is he gonna take a measuring tape out and calculate how centered the logo is? Is he gonna test the pigmentation of the various colors? Does he not realize that it's just a screen-printed tee that probably cost $3 to make? If that? Shouldn't he just be happy the sleeves are the same length and the words are spelled correctly? It's not like he bought an Armani piece and is getting an Alfani item instead. But I'll appease him, and give him the shirt that has the gold star next to the "inspected by" sticker hahaha.

Go Pacman!

Here is another curious email I received:

Dear reegsta,

what's up? a friend of mine is doing a blog on bo's and he wanted a couple of pics and pple to talk about their love for his kicks. you came to mind when he asked me if I knew any other bo jackson fans. if your down you can contact him at sneakraddict@gmail.com

- bknowbles

I was like "how do you know I'ma Bo fan?" when I am, but I don't really express it. He came back with:

Dear reegsta,

yeah i always watch different sellers items that ive saved and i see you have alot of heat specially bo's. great vintage by the way so if your interested hit him up at sneakraddicts@gmail.com his name is jaya. thanks

- bknowbles

Apparently what I sell impacts what people's perceptions are of me! Whew good thing I didn't get caught up selling used girl's panties or something, otherwise the Catch a Predator dude would've been on my tail! But anyway I should just forward my Ploomy passion piece about kicks and call it a day. I dunno though, each new time I read that I wish I wrote it differently. Oh well.
.

Stuff Accountants Like

This is one of those "damn he beat me to it" sites! Meaning a rough idea was brewing [I mean I referenced stuff white people like a few times], but it never materialized. Anyhow since I never worked in public accounting [for the better or for the worse?], I can't really relate to a few of these declarations. But for the most part, the list is on point haha.

I could think of 30 other things to add to this list, like loving Diet Coke, using 10 different highlighters and stacking accordian folders, but I'll save those for another day.

Although Kram forwarded me the link, I'ma go ahead and post it since he's still working on his year in review, which will hopefully go up sometime this year. C'mon, the 5th Dimension is collapsing guys!

So accountants and non-accountants alike hopefully will enjoy it. Bookmarked!

Stuff Accountants Like
.

Stackin' Dishes

So G and I had made some sinagang na baboy last week sometime. If you're on FB then you probably knew when I wrote about having some leftovers. It turned out pretty good I might add. I remember first making it during college and having to use a knife to piece the meat hahaha. But now I think I have it down pat, as the meat is tender and the gulay complements well and it has an extra kick of sourness. Really I think eating at Tribu made me realize Filipino food is easy to make, hence the number of dishes I've subsequently made. So if anyone wants to sinagang battle then I'm down!

Here's a pic of the food. I actually prefer it in a bowl, but G likes to drink soup off a plate apparently:


So we're all done eating and she brings her dishes to the sink then I bring mine. Apparently it's a big deal how I placed it in the sink vs. how she did. Who cares when it'll end up in the dishwasher anyway! But it bugged her so much she had to take a snap and send it to her folks. I guess I don't have to tell you what side is mine.


Is it really a fault if her side looks like an actual setting still and mine looks like a rendition of Jenga? Now it makes me want to jack up my dishes because it annoys her hahaha.
.

Waiting For the Day to End...

Jacked from Miss Tiffany Blue:

What color are your socks right now?
Khaki, as they obviously are matching my pants, which elongates my legs.

What are you listening to right now?
Unreleased Lupe stuff on Imeem, and I didn't have to specifically play that to answer this!

What was the last thing that you ate?
Beef Chow Fun from Chung King with The Ugly Stick!

Can you drive a stick shift?
[chick in Boyz N the Hood]I can learn...if you teach me.[/chick in Boyz N the Hood]

Last person you spoke to on the phone?
Tim Zohr, just brokering a customer for his tickets for 2nite's Dubs game

How old are you today?
29, same as the last 334 days

What is your favorite drink?
Freckled lemonade from Red Robin. Not really my fav, but just the first to come to mind.

Have you ever dyed your hair?
Nope, but I have some died hair.

Favorite food?
Totally not a fair question, as I love everything. Although ethnically, I like Filipino food the best, but I'm slightly biased.

What is the last movie you watched?
Uhhh hello I just wrote about it!

Favorite day of the year?
Bonus Day, but I'm not sure if I'm gonna celebrate that in 2009 haha. If not, then the first day of the NCAA hoops tourney.

How do you vent anger?
Generally I'm one to keep it in, or just vent through this very page.

What was your favorite toy as a child?
Legos and Transformers.

What is your favorite season?
Season of Love, word to Rent. But really I'ma summer dude.

Cherries or Blueberries?
Cherries! I went to SI afterall.

Living arrangements?
Messy, but solo at the moment.

When was the last time you cried?
When I cut a really mean onion the other day.

What is on the floor of your closet?
A carpet! haha jp. Clothes closet - a dresser. Shoe closet - shoe boxes

What did you do last night?
Ate at a Pagan restaurant for foodie, then went home and watched The Office on DVR, and received a random call past midnight from an anonymous extended family member who became a fan of my page.

What are you most afraid of?
Failure and loneliness, ironically, I hope to fail at being lonely.

Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers?
Cheese and spicy, and might as well throw bacon, grilled onions and some shrooms on there too!

What is your favorite kind of dog?
Maybe a Pit Bull, but I don't think I'd ever own one.

Favorite day of the week?
Hump Day, only because its the only day that has a nickname.

How many states have you lived in?
Only 1 physically, but I have lived in various states of mind [and for the record I'm not talking about drugs here kiddies]

Diamonds or pearls?
Pearl necklace FTW! Naw jp, if Prince could give both then so could I.

What is your favorite flower?
Star Gazing Lilies, since that's the one I seem to buy when that blue moon arrives.
.

Slumdog Rupee-aire

my favorite scene from the movie!

So G and I just had a dinner and a movie night since we're trying save money. But we spent over $100 on food, the flick and the parking! There was probably a reason why I just go to that one Korean BBQ spot if I eat in J-Town, its because sushi there is way overpriced! I think I paid $18.50 for a 4 piece spider roll and a spot aptly called Fuku Sushi - well right back at you! Just now I'm reading the yelp reviews and I saw like 10 1 star reviews in a row. Eff that place dammit. We should've just went to the Sundance Bistro or something.

Anyway we trekked back to Kabuki to watch what all the hype is about. I vaguely heard about the flick's premise - someone from the slum village gets picked on their version of Millionare and somehow keeps on advancing. Then it got all the awards on the Golden Globes which further piqued my interest. Lastly Indians are still Asians so I wanted to support our fellow ethnic people, so it was a wrap! Although Notorious came out the same day, we're waiting for the shootings to settle down before watching that.

I don't want to blow it up or anything, but its pretty much a must-watch movie. The storyline was pretty unique as well. I mean I don't think I ever saw a movie based in Mumbai [fka Bombay], so the setting also made this a stand-out. The character development and plot and acting were all top notch. And I didn't even mention how fly Freida Pinto is! Damn she should change her name to Freida Ferrari.

But don't listen to me vouch for this movie. My former co-worker who was born in India recommends it, so listen to Bheem. I wonder if Anup was watched it too? But anyway, this movie could've very well been set in Manila, so I'm hopeful for the PI to get their Slumdog one day.
.