Motives

Frank Ocean's 1st LA Show

2011-11-16T19:07:00.000-08:00

We'll see how long these videos will stay up until I'm sent a cease or desist letter.

Dark Times.

2011-11-06T18:53:00.000-08:00

Hope.

2011-07-13T21:58:00.000-07:00

USA vs. Japan

Sun 7/17 2:45 p.m. ET

The Summer Tip

2011-07-11T08:37:00.001-07:00

1. Janet Jackson - Got Till It's Gone (feat. Q-Tip)
2. Erykah Badu - Appletree
3. Eric Roberson - Been In Love (feat. Phonte)
4. Mint Condition - Let Me Be The One (feat. Phife)(Ummmah Remix)
5. Boyz II Men - Vibin' Remix (feat. Treach, Craig Mack, Busta Rhymes & Method Man)
6. Big L - MVP (DJ Premier Summer Smooth Remix)
7. Groove Theory - Tell Me Remix (feat. Brand Nubian)
8. Monica - Before You Walk Out My Life (Pete Rock Remix)
9. Mashonda - Hold Me (feat. Kanye West)
10. Raphael Saadiq - Body Parts
11. Mayer Hawthorne - A Long Time
12. Da Bush Babeez - The Love Song
13. Quadron - Average Fruit (10.4 Rogs Gradeschool Crush Remix)
14. Toro Y Moi - Freak Love (Freddie Joachim Remix)
15. Coco (of Quadron) - Sleep
16. Dwele - I Think I Love You
17. Maxwell - Sumthin Sumthin
18. Frank Ocean - Songs For Women
19. Jon B - Keep It Real (feat. Jay-Z & Coco of SWV)
20. A Tribe Called Quest - 1nce Again (feat. Tammy Lucas)
21. Outkast - In Due Time (feat. Cee-Lo)
22. Sublime - Summertime (The Pharcyde Remix)

peep the comments

I'm Back. Walt's Back.

2011-06-21T18:46:00.000-07:00

As for me, I'll be back to posting faster than you can say "Pollos Hermanos".

Rising Sons

2011-04-06T22:51:00.000-07:00

My homies in Hawaii are turning heads in the film making community and I'm proud to witness their evolution from their humble beginnings at Kinnick when they were making short films for the school, to actually helping out on set of major motion pictures and television shows. Peep their latest short film that won them a local filmmaking competition and after you watch it vote for them so they can get a crack at making an even bigger film.

Vote!

My Brother

2011-03-27T00:08:00.000-07:00

With all the crazy stuff that is happening in Japan and all the things that is happening in my life, it was difficult to compose my feelings on here. Last year, Haiti was shook to its core and I managed to blog about that. But when it came to Japan, a place that I will always call home I was at a lost for words. To see all the people succumb to the disaster was hard to bear not to mention the aftermath, the radiation from the damaged nuclear reactors that will leave a mark on the country for the next couple of years. My heart aches for the Japanese people, God bless them.

But what really brought me back to blog this entry was Dion.

No event in my life has had an impact like his passing. I will always feel that sense of loss, the feeling that something's missing. My friends and I are all grown up now. We laughed during our adolescence. We celebrated our graduation. We grinded (and for some of us still grinding) our way through college and now we're out making a living for ourselves. The speed of life is unreal and the growing pains are now an afterthought. But Dion still remains, his memory is still fresh and it is something I will never let escape from me. Naturally, I think "What If?" What if he was still around? What if he never left UNM? What if he was at Leslie's graduation taking pictures? What if he got wasted on our 21st birthdays? What if he went to Tahoe with us? What if I could give him a call right now and have him meet up with me at a bar and just talk shit, and the tab is on me? I could go on forever asking but it would be a waste of time. He would want me to keep the ball rolling and not look back. I hope he is proud of us. I can see him sitting in a chair just watching us and rooting for us as if he was at a sports bar. And that's the type of guy Dion was, he believed in people. He turns 24 today and we're celebrating like he's still here because he actually is. So here's to 24 my brother, keep shining.

We miss you always.

The first song I played when I heard he passed.

Golf Wang

2011-02-27T02:08:00.000-08:00

By no means am I hailing these kids as the second coming of Wu-Tang. They're carving their own lane.

I'm not a Wolf Gang warrior. With that said I'm enjoying what these guys are bringing to the table. Sure they talk about some dark twisted shit. Some of it, I won't lie, makes me cringe but these kids are bringing it. I appreciate the fact that they actually rap, and I can see some traces of DOOM, Aesop Rock, Early Slim Shady & several other veteran emcees. They make their own beats without much sampling, and Tyler's production has gotten the attention from likes of Lykke Li, Pusha T and many others. I definitely respect how they grinded their way up without much support from the hip hop blogs, the same people who claim to have their fingers on the pulse of this culture. It's a sight to see to say the least. I'm probably the only person in my group of friends who actually dig their shit. I can't say that I blame them, I can picture alot of people immediately turning their shit off once they heard what Tyler and'em rap about. But I've already accepted that they make it a competition to be as offensive and grimy as possible. They're just kids fuckin around. It's all chaos, there is no message. This shit is punk rock. I admit I was late on their buzz and instead of hopping on the bandwagon just to say that I have, I listened to their whole discography and I couldn't front on how fresh it was.

So with that being said, here's a compilation i gathered of odd future tracks that are easy to digest (its light on the offensive stuff) but showcases the kids talents. enjoy!

1. Drop by Earl

2. ElephunkCircus by MellowHype

3. Rolling Papers by Domo Genesis & Wolf Haley

4. Loaded by MellowHype & Mike G

5. Double Cheeseburger by Domo Genesis & Wolf Haley

6. Earl by Earl

7. Polyurthane by MellowHype

8. Chordaroy by Mellow Hype, Earl Sweatshirt & Wolf Haley

9. Couch by Earl Sweatshirt & Ace Creator

10. VCR/Wheels by Tyler, the Creator

11. CopKiller by Mellow Hype & Earl Sweatshirt

12. BlaccFriday by Mellow Hype, Tyler the Creator & Mike G

13. Orange Juice by Earl & Wolf Haley

14. Fuck The Police by Mellow Hype & Tyler, The Creator

15. AssMilk by Tyler, The Creator & Earl

16. Domier by Domo Genesis

17. Brain by Mellow Hype & Domo Genesis

18. Yonkers by Tyler, the Creator

*peep the comments*

Happy Birthday James Yancey

2011-02-07T13:46:00.000-08:00

from Okayplayer...

This is a one-of-a-kind project, and what I get out of it is something unique. It's made for the fans of his music, not J.Dilla 101 by any means. People who don't appreciate his music might not "get it" or look down upon it, but for me it's raw and honest. While watching, I felt like his colleagues were trying to find words to explain what made his music special but in all honesty, I don't think that it can be put in words. I KNOW I sound like some advertising message right now, but I really wanted to come and give support where it's due. B.Kyle put in some hard work to get this footage and went above and beyond to give it to J.Dilla fans. So, please enjoy the project...

"J.Dilla: Still Shining" from B.Kyle on Vimeo.

Real Deal.

2011-02-04T00:48:00.001-08:00

watch the ENTIRE video.

ROTFLMAO

Macmurry's favorite rapper.

2011-02-04T00:40:00.000-08:00

obvious nod to pharcyde. but i loved the way they synced cash prizes and shad making it rain. good stuff.

feeling-like-nothing-can-ruin-your-day music.

No Daft Punk. No Problem.

2011-01-19T15:39:00.000-08:00

My Bands

Year Three.

2010-12-25T02:42:00.000-08:00

Feels good to be back! I apologize for the long drought, but I was pretty busy this past semester. For the first time since middle school I received straight A's. Even though my classes were not all that challenging, it feels good to know that I can accomplish excellent marks in the collegiate level. My grades are also evidence that work has an effect on my performance. My hours were cut to the maximum and I was put on-call and with so much free time I utilized it to put some extra work in and i'm glad it paid off. Which brings me to the next topic I want to shed light on.

Today marks the three year anniversary of Dion's passing. I can tell you that I have grown by leaps and bounds since. I'm a better person but i'm far from perfect but it doesn't hurt to strive for it. I learned three years ago that we should make most of our time here on earth and not waste it on negative energy or laziness. My Jazz history professor's last lecture this past semester reinforced this idea. I'm not rich, far from it. I don't have the money to buy gifts for all the people I care about, while this saddens me a little bit, I know that instead of material objects I'm more than capable in offering something else that's far more valuable and that's time. I can offer my time. Dion left too soon but he made most of his time and for many of his friends the memories he shared with us are golden. Whether it was a conversation over drinks or a pick up game or even just chilling watching TV, his time here is something I will always cherish. So while I'm still here standing on this soapbox, I urge you to give your time to your loved ones. Don't hold back and make sure you tell them how you feel because it can all be taken away in a blink of an eye. With all the people I've encountered over the years I try my best to be honest and if I had a falling out with someone I leave the door open for a reconciliation. Life is too short to feel negativity or anxiety over something. I still miss him to death. And I know his fam will never completely get over it, but I'm going to try my best for him and for them to not waste my time. Because if I did I'm only wasting precious minutes that he didn't have the pleasure of having, it's like throwing away food like nothing when there's kids starving in Africa.

Merry Christmas to you and yours. Love & Miss you Di.

03/25/87-12/25/1987

Sarah Barthel Hernandez

2010-10-13T17:35:00.000-07:00

Phantogram Live @ The Casbah San Diego, 10-09-10

I was blessed to see the street beat/ psyche pop duo live in person this past weekend. Their performance didn't convince me that they're going to be a force for years to come, I already had that notion before I stepped through the Casbah doors. Seeing them live only validated one thing for me....Sarah Barthel is my prototypical girlfriend.

Peep some of the interviews below to see what they're about. (2nd interview was horribly done in a middle of a concert performance, but Sarah goes over some of their influences).

G.O.O.D. MUSIC

2010-10-12T19:53:00.000-07:00

2111221324
Uploaded by yardie4lifever2. - Explore international webcam videos.

I leave Detroit rappers in fitteds....

2010-10-07T23:57:00.000-07:00

Decapitated.

September.

2010-10-01T21:18:00.000-07:00

You Cold Bitch.

2010-10-01T19:30:00.000-07:00

I'm sure my dudes out there has encountered one or two in their lifetime.

MP3: Right Click + Save As

a journey through hip-hop

2010-09-30T21:54:00.000-07:00

timberlake and fallon

Samantha x Nike

2010-09-27T16:54:00.000-07:00

Here's a little introspective piece on Samantha Alonzo co-owner of Fruition. She's cool peoples, and I was there when Fruition was just coming into it's own five years ago. It's amazing how much they have grown and achieved through the years and I'm proud to even be associated with them. But much props to Samantha on her Mission I'm Possible.

Remember This?

2010-09-27T16:01:00.000-07:00

Seeing Michael Vick kill the game makes me ecstatic, not to mention the universe is balanced once again.

Wake Up!

2010-09-27T09:18:00.000-07:00

John Legend & The Roots - Amex Unstaged Concert - Wake Up! (Arcade Fire Cover)

and if you got two hours to spare, here's the link to the entire show, directed by Spike Lee...

Unstaged

Chocolate Milk has never been stirred so well.

2010-09-26T14:06:00.000-07:00

Modern Family. Wednesday's 9/8 c.

Upcoming Shows

2010-09-26T11:00:00.000-07:00

Sarah Barthel of Phantogram

October 3rd - Black Milk & Fashawn @ The Roxy in LA
October 9th - Phantogram @ The Casbah
October 16th - Smoke Out Festival
0ctober 24th - Wiz Khalifa & Yelawolf @ The House of Blues Las Vegas
November 10th - Best Coast

Azulito

2010-09-26T00:11:00.000-07:00

It feels like a life time since BTH.

Jer, you f**cked up (J. Cole live @ UCR Block Party 2010)

2010-09-25T13:22:00.000-07:00

For the last ten years the quality of hip hop music has receded to the point where lyrics, at least well thought out ones, are few and far between. Lyrics are an after thought in the hit making process. Ignorance is bliss and today's casual rap fan would be satisfied with a track that has a beat that would bump in the club and a hook the ladies would like. For all I know, a rapper can fart on a track and if they have the two other elements they would be alright. Most mainstream rap songs are just incoherent stream of consciousness braggadocios ramblings. All these things have almost made me lose all hope in this music I grew up loving, until now.

I always wondered how it would be like to see Nas before Illmatic dropped, or Biggie before Ready To Die or even Kanye before The College Dropout. I've been to many shows but I can never say I was there to see the calm before the storm. Last night I was witness to something special, and I'm glad to be part of this dude's first official show out in the west coast. This is only the beginning...

Dead Presidents (featuring Riff)

Beautiful Bliss

A Star Is Born & Villematic (Peep the big ass bug that lands on his shoulder)

Scorcese Sundays

2010-09-22T18:24:00.000-07:00

tv>>>movies.

The reason why his name is an adjective...

2010-09-19T23:22:00.000-07:00

King Remembered In Time

2010-09-18T12:13:00.000-07:00

wow Ryan how can you let this guy slip under your radar?

I have no idea.

Well better late than never.

Big K.R.I.T. is Def Jam's latest signee. He hails from Mississippi and I'm pretty sure he's about to set off a supernova. Contrary to many people's perception of southern rappers, K.R.I.T. can rap his ass off, he's somewhat of a hybrid between Pimp C & T.I. And he is a beast behind the boards, his beats are more compelling than his raps and I'm not slighting his mic skills, his production is THAT good.

K.R.I.T. Wuz Here - Click To DL

I urge you to go ahead and DL his mixtape (which has a couple of references to Booby Miles of Friday Night Lights), play it in the whip and turn up the bass to 11.

Bonus: Here's 9th Wonder's first meeting with the guy. Peep his reaction.

Chuck Off

2010-09-11T01:12:00.000-07:00

Fat Ryan with some pornstars.

2010-09-11T01:04:00.000-07:00

The much delayed second AVN post.

Summer's End: The Cool Down

2010-09-06T09:21:00.000-07:00

Here's part two of my summer series. Enjoy!

1. Freddie Joachim - Fina Another Way
2. The Foreign Exchange - Maybe She'll Dream Of Me
3. Nujabes - Just Forgett
4. Erykah Badu - Gone Baby, Don't Be Long
5. Visioneers - It's Simple
6. Pharoahe Monch - The Light
7. Hidetake Takayama - Motion
8. Janelle Monae - Tightrope (feat. Big Boi)
9. Dom Kennedy - Watermelon Sunday
10. Dela - Dizzy
11. Kanye West - Devil In A New Dress
12. DJ Krush - Zen Approach (feat. Black Thought)
13. J. Dilla - Remember Remix
14. Pep Love - Pacific Heights
15. Mf Doom - Arrow Root
16. Atmosphere - Sunshine
17. Guru - Plenty (feat. Erykah Badu)
18. Pac Div - Don't Forget The Swishers
19. K-Os - Faith (feat. Drake)
20. Cee-Lo Green - Fuck You
21. DJ Krush - Day's End

Summer's End: The Cool Down

something to think about.

2010-09-04T03:38:00.000-07:00

about a month ago, i had a long talk with someone i've known for almost 12 years. and for 12 years i've always looked up to this dude, he's a big brother figure to me. and after a couple of hours of real talking, i had to re-evaluate who exactly my true friends are. if i were to come up to someone i can call my true friend i shouldn't have to feel any angst when expressing myself or feel insecure to what he or she might think. i shouldn't have to feel that way. and i've been thinking...what if the reason why i've appointed some of these people as true friends is because we've known each other for so long? are you really my friend cause i've known you since we were kids or do you really got my back just cause of the person i truly am. i've come to accept that out of everyone in my circle, i'm very misunderstood. i got nothing but good intentions but unfortunately it rubs people the wrong way sometimes. at this point in my life i try so hard not to have a heavy heart and to cut through and transcend all the bullshit. sometimes shit just happens to me, i'll get wildcarded like that one time last year. do i deserve it? i don't think i do but shit like that seems to find it's way to my door step. i love my friends, and they don't gotta ask me twice to be there but i feel like i'm on the outside looking in.

that's it. i'm a lil drunk.

one.

Deadly Medley

2010-08-25T01:42:00.000-07:00

So Jay Electronica was suppose to be on this? But I think Elzhi takes the cake.

Gucci League Results

2010-08-23T01:18:00.001-07:00

Team Megalectronica (name subject to change)

I'm riding shotgun in Chris Johnson's whip to the championship.

1. (1) Chris Johnson
2. (24) Jamaal Charles
3. (25) DeSean Jackson
4. (48) Sidney Rice
5. (49) Jahvid Best
6. (72) Joe Flacco
7. (73) Dez Bryant
8. (96) Chris Cooley
9. (97) Mohamed Massaquoi
10. (120) Donovan McNabb
11. (121) Green Bay
12. (144) Gonzalez
13. (145) Bernard Berrian
14. (168) David Akers
15. (169) Chester Taylor

Grind.

2010-08-11T02:29:00.000-07:00

And to think, Jed and I would have notebook battles.

Dude has come a long way, keep up the good work.

This...Right Here.

2010-08-09T12:19:00.000-07:00

fin.

Caliversary.

2010-08-02T16:14:00.000-07:00

(photo taken with the hipstimatic app on the iphone)

It's been one whole year since I escaped Vegas. I look back at my decision with no regrets and honestly I'm more at home here in San Diego. I finally have my life in order and my priorities are as straight as they've ever been. And I can say that there's a peace here that I could never find back in LV and I'm not talking about the weather. But lately I've been feeling a little lonely. I got no family here and I've been working almost everyday trying to save up for a new computer. The only things going on for me right now is The Wire, comic books and the gym. I haven't truly enjoyed my summer, well except for Japan, and aside from that my daily routine hasn't really been dynamic. One thing about living here in SD is that I'm surrounded by people I've grown up with. Most of my friends here I've known for 10+ years and it's a blessing to have connections with these people for so long. But on the flipside I barely know anyone that's not from Japan or have no connection to Japan whatsoever. Other than my roommates I can't think of any friends I met without the assistance of a mutual friend. It's pretty sad, I'm a reserve and low key individual when I'm outside my comfort zone, in other words I'm shy. But with this upcoming semester I HAVE to change this.

I had a friend one time who just felt like she didn't belong and that she hoped that one day she could move without anyone knowing and she would arrive at some town she never visited before. And in doing so she could meet new people, perhaps even like minded individuals that would accept her for who she truly is. She wouldn't have to worry about people knowing her past or associate her with some other people.

Back then I didn't fully grasp her idea, but almost a decade later I can see where she was going with it.

Life should be constantly evolving, always dynamic and never stagnant.

Here's to another year under palm trees and clear skies.

- Mega over & out.

Leche Negra

2010-08-02T03:46:00.000-07:00

9/14 mark your calendar.

I Am The Stone That The Building Refused...

2010-07-30T00:00:00.000-07:00

I am the visual,
the inspiration,
that made lady sing the blues

I'm the spark that makes your idea bright
the same spark
that lights the dark
so that you can know your left from your right

I am the ballot in your box
the bullet in the gun
that inner glow
that lets you know
to call your brother "son"

The story that just begun
the promise of what's to come
and imma remain a soldier
til' the war is won (won)

God Of Thunder

2010-07-29T01:42:00.000-07:00

mmmm...natalie portman

Thor Trailer

Only if I had a DSLR.

2010-07-24T15:48:00.000-07:00

Daewoo Music.

2010-07-24T15:34:00.000-07:00

Teflon Don in stores NOW.

mid summer recap

2010-07-12T09:29:00.000-07:00

tuned into the world cup

wish i was that phone

my...

... was stolen :(

went to japan

got my iphone 4, but i had to go through this

and been working for weeks with no days off

next on this list:

Station

2010-07-06T16:51:00.000-07:00

my short stay in japan inspired me to post this.

Thousands of souls cris-cross each other like thread in a quilt
Chasing the iron horse, some with food in their mouths
Their legs are at a state of perpetual motion
They disregard the hazard signs: wet floor
Some with phones in their ear, others with headphones
Canceling the noise of the hustle and bustle
In the corner a woman is patting herself
She lost her ticket, like car keys in a sofa
School children in a single file line all wearing rain boots
Weaving through like a centipede
A homeless man sits against the wall
He raises his cup with both hands and shows his missing teeth
Escalator handrails are covered with residue
Gum, boogers, saliva and food coat the steel bars
Bedlam is painted from wall to wall
The aroma of hysteria is intoxicating

eyes on the prize.

2010-05-24T14:17:00.000-07:00

my next project.

Gizmodo's Review of Canon's Rebel T2i

this is probably the greatest nike commercial ever.

2010-05-23T16:25:00.000-07:00

and i'm not even big on soccer.

world cup coming soon in 3D to a tv not near you.

Count Your Blessings.

2010-05-21T00:06:00.000-07:00

Summer has finally arrived!

It has been an interesting past couple of months. I can finally say that I'm back into full-time student mode after being away from it for years. I've also adapted to living on my own, although I'm not eating as good, I've managed (gotta take cooking classes). For the past couple of weeks I've witnessed many of my peers are getting their diplomas and I'm absolutely proud of them. I can't help be a little envious though, haha. Because if it weren't for the many detours my life has taken, I would be walking right with them. I can't wait for the day when I'm done with school and start my career as a teacher. It feels like it was only yesterday we were all freshmen in college, still wet behind the ears and eyes open wide to the newness of college life. Now, some of us are already raising families, some are already on their grown-man/grown-woman steez making mad loot. Everything went by so fast and I'm a little sad that I couldn't take it all in and really appreciate it. But anyway I'm deviating from the main purpose of this entry. I just want to say congrats to the UNLV/SDSU/WHATEVERSCHOOLYOUGOTO class of 2010, keep striving for better and never be satisfied. Make room for me at the top.

Mike Songco, Corinne Pereira, Emi Horiai, Anna Maria Houshangi, Tom Monahan, Roanne Esteban, Sally Quang, Keithley Santos, Jennifer Wang, Kristine Guanzon, Krystle Ronque, Leilani Thom, Anna Yolangco, Kelleen Mendoza

* just noticed after typing all these names, that most of the graduates are female....my dudes, we really gotta step our game up

- Mega Over & Out.

The Gritty.

2010-05-20T12:11:00.000-07:00

San Diego was showcased on Gangland last week. It's interesting because whenever I catch it on TV they're always showing gangs in LA and everywhere in Cali except SD. In this episode they exhibit the inner workings of ~~Linkin Park~~ Lincoln Park Bloods. It's a trip to see that the same streets they show in this episode are the same streets I drive through a couple times a week. Even though our city has probably the best weather in our nation and it's a paradise living here for the privileged, gun shots and crack spots are only a stones throw a way. SD indeed does get gully.

Coca-Cola Loving Rapists

2010-05-19T23:49:00.000-07:00

she'd be screwed if her attacker had a fetish for vending machines.

Study W/ Me

2010-05-18T08:22:00.000-07:00

Are you busy cramming at your local coffee shop/library and your anxiety is at a fever pitch? I got just the thing to keep you mellow and level-headed.

Free instrumental E.P.'s from Freddie Joachim (No really, I'm not pirating this. It's actually free on his site)

A.M.

Getaway

Movie Of The Year

2010-05-11T16:10:00.000-07:00

I'm In Love.

2010-05-04T00:26:00.000-07:00

Co-Co-Co-Coachella 2010 (Pt. 2)

2010-04-28T02:00:00.003-07:00

(continued)

FLEA! My personal favorite performance of the weekend.

*BONUS*

They won't allow embedding this video, but here's a clip of a guy so wasted at coachella that he has to fight his flip flop to get it on his foot. Shit has over 2 million hits.

Wasted Guy @ Coachella 2010

Co-Co-Co-Coachella 2010

2010-04-23T20:12:00.001-07:00

(Pictures courtesy of Mitzie Hugo)

On April 16, 2010 I embarked on a 3 day journey in the desert of Indio, California. At the conclusion of the 3 days, I emerged a changed person and not because it set me back financially, no. Coachella launched me beyond the clouds and left me enamored with the vibrant surroundings, live music and great company. Coming into 2010, I knew the Lord had plenty of good coming my way and Coachella 2010 was a massive comet surging through the galaxy, it's the type of feeling that doesn't come around too often. I'm no stranger to music festivals. I'm a veteran of 3 Rock The Bells events, but Coachella was my first multi-day festival. Even though I had an idea of what to expect, nothing could have prepared me for what was yet to come.

I was lucky enough to stay at a condo about a mile and a half away from the poIo fields and I was fortunate enough to stay with some cool people. Although I didn't chill with them as much as I would have liked, I enjoyed their company. Shout out to Rachel, Sam, Los & Carlos, Ashley, the UK couple (forgot their names), Ben & Tom. I was solo for the first two days, and I surveyed the field, hopped from tent to tent and submerged myself in the sea of festival-goers. I survived on frozen bottles of water and granola bars and succumbed into buying the occasional bratwurtz, gyro or cup of Heiniken. I breathed in the chaos in the form of second hand weed smoke and I became one with everything under the sun. Oh yeah, the music was good too :).

I honestly didn't fully appreciate the festival until the third day because I finally shared it with a group of people. You can't truly reach the full potential of a music festival if you're by yourself the whole time. It has to be shared, simple and plain. There were times in those first two days where I asked myself, "What am I doing here alone?". A part of me could not help be but a little sad, knowing that if my friends had come with me it would have taken my experience to a whole 'nother strata. But on the third day after two days of horrible, horrible cell phone coverage (AT&T, next year you better step your game up. You had a damn mobile command center truck at the festival and my phone was STILL stuck on the GSM network almost the entire time, I probably could of had better signal with two cups and a piece of string) I finally caught up with Anna and her friends, Mitzie, Angel, Jody, Tom & Jack. And they are awesome... It sucks that I didn't meet them in Vegas when I lived there but nonetheless I had the best time weaving through the crowd and sharing the moment with them. I also won't forget when a certain somebody literally fell out of her top, hahaha. Saw the whole thing in slow motion.

I can continue to articulate the 72 hour experience and inject even more superlatives and details but it will never truly reflect how epic the weekend really was. It's a shame that I had a broken camera with low battery for the festival (which is the straw that broke the camel's back; i'm getting a panasonic gf1 or a canon s90, dammit) but when life hands me lemons... I'll paint that shit gold, so i made best with that broke piece of crap. Below, I borrowed some footage (besides Passion Pit & The XX, both vids were captured by yours truly) of some of my personal highlights of the festival. So ladies and gentlemen here is the abridged version of my epic and life changing Coachella weekend.

(Didn't catch Miike Snow, La Roux, DeadMau5, Bass Nectar, Gil Scott Heron...sadly)

....continued on the next post.

R.I.P. Guru

2010-04-23T19:54:00.000-07:00

I was about 10 years old when I picked up my first Gang Starr album. Back then I traded in my Goosebumps for The Source, XXL & Rap Pages. Up to that point, Puffy had the game locked and I decided to go against the grain on my next purchase ( it was actually my parents' purchase, damn parental advisory sticker). I won't lie, part of the reason I wanted Gang Starr's "Moment of Truth" album was that they had the coolest name. I was a 10 year old kid ready to turn his back on all the Will Smith's, Puffy Daddy's & Mase's of the world. I wanted to bump something my peers couldn't grasp or understand. The title track was my favorite at the time and back then I didn't really appreciate Primo's production as I do now, what captivated my attention was Guru. The moment he spat, "It's lonely at the top in whatever you do..." I knew the shit was official. I'm definitely saddened by his untimely passing. His voice was instrumental in leading me to that real authentic, no additives, no preservatives good ol' Hip-Hop. It's unfortunate that him and Primo couldn't push the bullshit aside and collaborate again. It feels like a lifetime ago since The Ownerz.

So this goes out to Guru, rest in peace.

Off To Coachella!

2010-04-16T01:42:00.000-07:00

Air Attack of Bean Bombers

2010-04-16T01:35:00.000-07:00

almost forgot how funny Bryan Cranston was. breaking bad has made him into this dark character who has gone off into the deep end and he plays the part so convincingly. but this takes me back to his days as malcom's pop, enjoy!

Sense of Smell w/ Bryan Cranston from Bryan Cranston

brace yourself for the main event...

2010-04-09T00:46:00.000-07:00

i've been patiently waiting.

i posted a trailer of nas x damian marley almost a year ago, but finally we see a release date: MAY 25TH.

And to top it all off I'm going to their show 5 days later with the homies.

Tell me this won't get you excited by the end of it.

Still not comfortable with the Little Wayne guess spot on their LP...we'll see how it goes.

I Left My Heart In San Francisco

2010-04-08T10:38:00.000-07:00

Mayer Hawthorne's rendition of Tony Bennett's ode to the West Coast's east coast city.

Exhibit C: Boondocks Season 3

2010-04-05T00:15:00.000-07:00

Jay ~~Elec-Yamukah~~ Electronica x Huey & Riley

I'm back spittin that "He Could Pass A Polygraph"
that Reverend Run rockin adidas out on Hollis Ave
That FOI, Marcus Garvey, Nikki Tesla
I shock like a eel
Electric feel
Jay Electra

5 Months later and that Exhibit C still goes HAARRRDD!

UCLA JazzReggae Festival

2010-04-03T15:11:00.000-07:00

click here for more info

Galactic Empire State Of Mind

2010-04-01T14:19:00.000-07:00

*dies*

Women's History Month Compilation

2010-03-30T01:23:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, Jer asked me if I could compile a cd with respected female singers (except for John Lennon) to commemorate Women's History Month for his writers club event. Here's what I came up with:

Joan Jett

1.One Step Ahead by Aretha Franklin
2.Bad Reputation by Joan Jett
3.Video by India Arie
4.Ur A WMN Now by Otep
5.Woman Is The Nigger Of The World by John Lennon
6.After Laughter Comes Tears by Wendy Rene
7.L.E.S Artistes by Santogold
8.Flow by Sade
9.Glory Box by Portishead
10.Don't Know Why by Norah Jones
11.In the Waiting Line by Zero 7
12.Blinking Pigs by Little Dragon
13.Ex Factor by Lauryn Hill
14.Piece of My Heart by Janis Joplin
15.On & On by Erykah Badu
16.Somebody Loves Me by Ella Fitzgerald
17.Trouble Sleeping by Corinne Bailey Rae
18.Call Me by Blondie
19.Bachelorette by Björk
20.The Very Thought of You by Billie Holiday
21.You Know I'm No Good by Amy Winehouse
22.Superwoman by Alicia Keys

click to dl

Happy Belated Di.

2010-03-29T22:46:00.000-07:00

Hoogerhuis Residence, March 27, 2010.

Finally...(Pt. 1)

2010-03-26T00:13:00.000-07:00

AVN pictures.

Photos courtesy of Low

Evelyn Lin

Kayden Kross

Asa Akira

Kara Tai

...stay tuned for part 2.

lilo

2010-03-26T00:11:00.000-07:00

happy birthday!

Lost Tapes: Me, Annie & Di

2010-03-22T13:27:00.000-07:00

Yokosuka summer of 2006

100 Blocks & Walkin' (Pt. 3)

2010-03-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

fin.

Lost Tapes: Frosty

2010-03-22T01:15:00.000-07:00

100 Blocks & Walkin' (Pt. 2)

2010-03-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

back to cookin'

2010-03-20T20:25:00.000-07:00

Yup!

Nujabes

2010-03-20T19:54:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O0kuoiAm2A

I was on twitter in my biology class zoning out from my professor's lecture when I caught word that producer extraordinaire Nujabes passed away. I admit, I'm not familiar with the man himself but I only know his music and I'll tell you, his music is a thing of beauty. When I listen to his production I feel that it's almost too ethereal for this world. With so much cynicism and corruption polluting our planet, Jun Seba's production is a crack of light in the dismal and despondent sky.

I don't know how to react if Primo or Dre were to transcend their physical states and I hope I'll never know. Light one up for Jun.

R.I.P.

100 Blocks & Walkin' (Pt. 1)

2010-03-19T18:08:00.000-07:00

Come take a walk with me...

Photos by Alyssa Domingo

Can't Front...

2010-03-18T16:52:00.000-07:00

He's actually kinna nice.

Diggy - Made you look Freestyle (Flow Stoopid) from Diggy Simmons on Vimeo.

sorry jojo but your little brother is better.

They're serious.

2010-03-13T09:08:00.000-08:00

escuchela... la ciudad respirando

2010-03-10T11:12:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeTnog5RRQo

Not to downplay Hov and Ms. Keys ode to NYC, but my interpretation of the city fits along the lines of Blackstar's description. Sure the bright lights would be the source of inspiration for many, but I find beauty in the simple things. I see the ordinary hustle and bustle of an average New Yorker as inspiration because as so many have said before if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere. I see cities as living and breathing entities and I appreciate the aesthetics they have to offer.

ETA: 24 hrs>

Cash Rules Everything Around Me

2010-03-08T01:07:00.000-08:00

My horrible rendition of Wu-Tang's classic.

Hip Hop Karaoke every first Friday @ Onyx.

Making The Cromartie Trip.

2010-03-07T13:08:00.000-08:00

I'm leaving San Diego on Thursday to New York up 'till Sunday. This trip has been a long time coming since I've always felt that I was an east coast soul living in a west coast body. I can't wait to bump Nas, Mobb Deep & Biggie while I trek through the city.

"Cromartie was an All-Pro in 2007 and will team with Darrelle Revis in the Jets' secondary, making them possibly the best cornerback tandem in the NFL."

PPPPFFFFFFFTTTTTT!!!

ESPN you clearly don't watch Charger football. You can pair Revis with a mannequin and they would be the best cornerback tandem in the L.

Mega's Rundown.

2010-03-06T19:46:00.000-08:00

here are some things that have tickled my fancy so to speak.

my mythology class has really amplified my anticipation for this film.

h.t.m.i.i.a is my favorite new show. i can really relate to the characters in it because for one thing i used to have aspirations in pushing a clothing line. also, i dig how the characters are on their grind hustling, which is exactly what i'm doing day in and day out. and last but not least, it takes place in the greatest city of the free world, NYC. h.t.m.i.i.a is literally a poor man's entourage which makes it much more interesting. oh yeah....shannyn sossamon is in it :)

lately i've been taking a huge dose of little dragon. yukimi nagano's voice is amazing and the jazzy-electronic-lounge back drops are a change of pace to my usual regiment of hip-hop and indie. i'll definitely be checking for her at coachella.

with so much music coming out this year, the gorillaz have crafted one hell of an album. i believe that plastic beach is so far the album of the year. appearances from de la soul, little dragon, mos def & lou reed, to name a few help the gorillaz take the listener on a tour of their strange but majestic getaway. can't wait to see them perform "glitter freeze" live!

if i had better access to the internet, i would be blogging my heart out in regards to the many moves the chargers are making. it sucks to see us rebuilding when we're favorites to win it all year after year. it's been said time and time again that on paper we have the best talent in the league, but that's as far as we ever got. i'm really excited about who we're going to pick up in the draft, and i hope we get a stud running back and an immovable NT. but what i really wanted to say was i appreciate everything LT has done for San Diego. aside from tony gwynn, i think LT would go down as the best athlete our city has ever seen. it sucks that we couldn't get a ring for him and that he couldn't retire with the bolts but i wish him the best in wherever he goes and he'll forever remain a charger in my eyes.

Blue Collared Worker

2010-02-14T21:57:00.000-08:00

Salutations!

I've been meaning to blog for awhile now but it's hard to find time to sit down and write when my schedule has been so hectic. I really haven't been this busy since I went to UNLV and worked at a bank at the same time. Everything's going well, money is coming in, bills are getting paid and school isn't so demanding. But I know in a couple weeks my classes will turn the heat up and I'm going to discover how difficult it is to juggle my priorities. As of right now though, I'm actually satisfied with my job. I spent many years answering phone calls, wasting my time behind a desk. And now I'm actually doing manual labor and staying on my feet, even breaking a sweat at times. The pay isn't nothing to be excited about, but it's a job! And jobs are scarce right now and it's cool to finally not be bored at work.

But in other news today is V-Day. Sad to say but my little glimmer of hope went pitch black... sucks right? All I can do is brush it off and remain optimistic. Mega's making moves and there's no time to waste.

I mentioned earlier that money is coming in. Now that i'm actually employed I can finally save and cop coachella tickets and maybe even save for a camera! Speaking of which, i'm sorry my blog doesn't have any original photos or anything but maybe in a couple of months I can be up there with Low's, Riff's and Doug's. In the mean time just keep reading. I'll make sure to have more material once I get internet at my crib so I can stop stealing signal from my neighbors. Shit is 56k speed, I can't live like this anymore!

Mega Over & Out!

Bumpin:

Burnt CD's.

Equalizer

2010-01-31T20:01:00.000-08:00

My last post was full of optimism and promise. And within the past two days, order has been restored to the universe. My car was broken into and my 160 gb ipod was taken along with my auxiliary cable and ipod car charger. Ain't that a bitch!?!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIy3Y_lESgE
The chorus of this D'Angelo song echoes my sentiments exactly.

To whoever took my ipod, you struck the jackpot asshole! There's not a single megabyte of free space on there. You basically got a library that touches every genre of music. You didn't just take an ipod with strictly top 40 hits, you took an Ipod filled with rare tracks and b-sides. You got Michael Jackson demos, the new Sade, Nas & Jay-Z discographies, Incubus covers, Live shows from Bob Marley, Lou Reed, Lauryn Hill, and Maxwell. Because you took my Ipod I won't have the chance to truly discover the brillance of Pavement, Pinback, Beach House, and Spoon during my downtime at work or when I workout. With that said, I applaud you on your boldness. Because if I ever catch you, I will cut off your fingers with rusted shears. You son of a bitch, enjoy my music and I hope you die a horrible death.

Blessed & Thankful

2010-01-29T17:58:00.000-08:00

One think I've learned about myself is that I'm easily adaptable to change. No matter what the status quo, I work with what I have and thrive at the same time. Life is full of curveballs and I've experienced so many that I can even feel when the tide changes, metaphorically speaking. I thank the Almighty for bestowing that trait in my DNA. To MacGyver myself out of these hardships is something I take tremendous pride in. See, I was unemployed for the past several months and I had to stay put while every resume and application I turned in was sucked into an abyss and I would never hear back from these companies. Sure I was in school, but I only took two classes and there really wasn't more to that. I hated my last jobs but they all gave me that sense of purpose, not just to make paper but waking up in the morning just so I can help a customer. That was my purpose.

2010 so far has been bountiful. In a span of only one week: I got a new place, a new job and a new semester to keep me busy. I'm even interested in somebody new, ain't that something?

Life is good = God is Good.

My new gig is sweet. For those of you that don't know, I got a job at the airport.

Shout out to this guy:

Let me tell ya, my job shits on any office job I've had in the past. They might have paid me more but I never really genuinely liked talking to customers on the phone (Call Center Chronicles). Now I unload and load airplanes. And the best part is the free flights! I can finally go somewhere other than Vegas!

It's hard work though, and it seems like it'll get you in shape after a couple of weeks but no complaints on this side.

I hope my experience can be a testament to how optimism and prayer can work wonders. Because no matter how bad a situation or even how stagnant a situation is, there's always tomorrow. One of the best things in life is that you can start over the moment you wake up with the sun in your face. Just some food for thought for you out there. Well I'm going out to celebrate, it's been a looooong week!

Mega Over & Out.

Bumping:
Corinne Bailey Rae - The Sea
Sade - Soldier Of Love
Mobb Deep - Hell On Earth
Poor Righteous Teachers - New World Order
Little Dragon - Machine Dreams
Little Dragon - Little Dragon

Once Again Back Is The...

2010-01-20T16:18:00.001-08:00

Incredible.

I apologize for taking so long to update this thing but my laziness got to me and I felt I didn't have anything new or fresh to say. But due to recent events such as Nick Kaeding's choke job, tornadoes in LA, and the devastation in Haiti, it was only fitting for me to come back and vent. 2010 is here and I honestly feel that this will be a good year. I really can't explain it but there are things going on in my life that are simply out of the ordinary. I'll be vague and just say that I'm excited. I would be excited for a possible Super Bowl berth for my Bolts but due to a spineless kicker, I'm not going to see it in 2010. As good as the Chargers run was, I couldn't shake off that feeling of something going wrong. And in the case of San Diego sports teams, the wind tends to blow in that direction, or in Kaeding's case, wide fucking right. The little league world series champs benefitted by sticking with Chula Vista as their hometown instead of San Diego, and it was the best decision they could of ever made. Because if they stitched on San Diego to their unis they would of Charger-Styled themselves.

For those that don't know, Charger-Style is a word created by myself and friends to describe the act of shooting yourself in the foot. I'm thinking this word will eventually reach the lexicon of casual sports fans and achieve enough notoriety to be included in the dictionary with a lightning bolt right next to the definition.

I'm brutal, but tough love is the only way I can cope with the heartbreak.

On a more serious note, my thoughts and prayers go out to Haiti. Over the past couple of years, natural disasters of epic proportions are reoccurring around the globe. And even the Philippines, the land of my parents birth, suffered flooding months ago. But none of those recent natural disasters compare to the destructive earthquake that has left Haiti in ruins.

I'll admit that there isn't anything in my life that connects me with Haiti and I don't think I even know someone of Haitian descent but the havoc in that country really struck a chord in me. It's been reported that thousands upon thousands are dead in the streets and as a third world country, it's hard for the people to even help themselves. So I donated to both to Yele Haiti and the Red Cross (FYI: I've read that a portion of donations to the Red Cross aren't directly contributed to Haiti relief and that portion just goes to the Red Cross itself). I'm an unemployed college student and I gave what little I had, so for those of you who are reading this, chances are you might be in a better financial situation than I am. So there's no excuse not to give. You might say, people die everyday so what? Well the death toll is in the thousands and people are starving, some with their houses on fire and some don't even know whether their loved ones are dead or alive. That dollar you don't donate is a dollar that can provide medical assistance to those that need it. That same dollar could be used to bring a meal to those who are hungry. That same dollar in your pocket could be used to rebuild a home. Just let that marinate and I'm sure you'll do the right thing.

Sorry for sounding preachy but we're all living on the earth together, we might as well help each other.

(Hops off soap box)

Enough about things in the papers.

I'm on the move again. This will be my 9th change of address in the last four years. I've been so accustomed with moving that I don't bother to put up posters or fully unpack my boxes. So if ever I become a fugitive on the run, I'm fully prepared. At this time I don't know where I'm moving to exactly but there's a couple of houses/apartments I lined up for myself. The first room I was interested in was in a house near my apartment complex here in La Jolla. The owner of the place was a 50 year old Persian man named Mustafa, and he lived with two foreign exchange students, one from China and one from Japan. They had their own little United Nations going on there but a friend of mine theorized that Mustafa had a fetish for college boys specifically of Asian descent, I laughed at this theory but in the back of my mind I was like, "Hey, he can't be that far off with that statement." But hopefully I'll find a nice place within the next week and I pray that my roommates aren't douches. Wouldn't it be funny if my roommates were similar to the cast of Jersey Shore or Growing Up Gotty. Can you imagine an Asian dude in one of those shows?

But anyway thanks for reading and I'll make sure to keep this updated for you.

Mega over & out.

Currently Bumping:
Corinne Bailey Rae - The Sea
Pavement - Slanted & Enchanted
Radiohead - In Rainbows
The Residents - Open House
The XX - Self Titled

Day #730

2009-12-25T00:01:00.000-08:00

The Charlie Brown Christmas Special is my gold standard on how Christmas is done. There's also Mr. Hankey (South Park), Santa's Little Helper (Simpsons), and even The Grinch but it pales in comparison to what Charlie Brown's Christmas means to me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKk9rv2hUfA

Preach Linus.

But 730 days ago Christmas Day took on a whole new meaning for me.

From that day forward, Christmas Day became a reminder. I'm reminded of Dion and of our own mortality. I still think about him everyday and I still rock the bracelet, but Christmas is the end all be all of reminders. Christmas for me has never been a carefree time, at least not in this decade. My feelings for Christmas never resembled to those made for TV specials. But I'm glad that this time around I'm taken cared of and my mom is doing well. At the end of the day, that's all I can ask for. I hope that you at least think about Di on this special day. If you see his family let them know he's still on your mind. Even though their son can't be here, they could be happy to know that his memory still lives on and that his impact still resonates in our lives.

Merry Christmas to You and Yours.

Mega over & out.

instead of coal...

2009-12-16T01:56:00.000-08:00

i mostly just want a job really, all this is wishful thinking...

NBA 2K10 for XBOX 360

Mega Man 640 GB Hard Drive

A New Leather Wallet (something that's not tacky or bought from Walmart or Target)

X-Box Live for a Year

Books:
Preacher Graphic Novels (starting with Volume 1)
Walking Dead Graphic Novels (starting with Volume 6)
Chuck Klosterman novels (IV or Sex, Drugs & Cocoa Puffs)
The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead
Kurt Vonnegut novels (Slaughterhouse Five or Breakfast of Champions)
Calculus for Dummies
Upstarts! by Donna Fenn
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
Anything Raymond Carver
Jeffrey Eugenides Novels (Middle Sex or Virgin Suicides)
John Updike (Any of his Rabbit books)
Native Son by Richard Wright

Northface or Penfield Down Vest
Black or Grey American Apparel Hoodies
Grey Levi's 501 or 511
APC Denim

Canon s90

AVN TICKET :) and 1st place for my fantasy football league (HACKSAW JIM THUGGIN)

Albums Of The Year

2009-12-09T23:44:00.001-08:00

I don't blog as much as I used to. It's not that I'm busy or anything, it's just that I don't have anything interesting to blog about, nor do I want to regurgitate posts from other blogs and pass them as mine. But one thing I still continue to do is listen to new music and 2009 sadly was kind of down year. I listened to alot more indie and other genres and kind of chilled on hip hop in general. So with no further adeu...

Here are my top albums of 2009 (in no particular order, except for the first album listed).

albums of the year:
phoenix - wolfgang amadeus phoenix (personal favorite)
rick ross - deeper than rap
raekwon - only built for cubin lynx 2
passion pit - manners
j. cole - the warm up
jay-z - blueprint 3
eminem - relapse
the xx - xx
animal collective - merriweather post pavillion
maxwell-blacksummersnight
fashawn - boy meets world
pac div - church league champions
brand new - daisy
soja - born in babylon
nicolay - city lights 2: shibuya
mos def - the ecstatic
dj quik & kurupt- blakqout
harlem shakes - technicolor health
zee avi - zee avi
mayer hawthorne - a strange arrangement
ryan leslie - ryan leslie
kid cudi - man on the moon
the tones - dreamtalk
wale - attention deficit
grizzly bear - veckatimist
tanya morgan - brooklynati
method man & redman - blackout 2
the dream - love vs money
melanie fiona - the bridge
lil wayne - no ceilings
lupe fiasco - enemy of the state
alicia keys- the elements of freedom
clipse - til the casket drops

Just Helpin' Out

2009-11-24T03:41:00.000-08:00

Skipping Thanksgiving dinner to camp out at your local Best Buy?

Well let me help you out so you can avoid the heartache and headache of the Black Friday hysteria.

The link below lists all the items, from LCD TV's to Laptops to DSLR's, that are on sale and where to get'em. Best Buy, Wal-Mart & Fry's are the most popular places to shop but there are places like Staples, Target & Sears that have great deals as well but with less hype.

Good luck on getting what you want!

Where To Go On Black Friday

Young Buck

2009-11-19T09:55:00.000-08:00

So far, the most exciting player in the NBA this season.

_____ ality

2009-11-11T11:36:00.000-08:00

empire state of mind (take 2)(minus lil mama)

2009-10-29T20:31:00.000-07:00

appreciate the close ups, those pants are gratifying :)

what are you doing with swizz beatz?

ROFLMAO

2009-10-29T02:20:00.000-07:00

Bangs The African Emcee

mos, thought, marshall

2009-10-27T20:38:00.000-07:00

3 of my top 10 emcees decimating this cypher

Feeling Like The 2nd Mouse

2009-10-24T04:49:00.000-07:00

My Dudes.

2009-10-21T20:47:00.000-07:00

Happy B. Day to two of my close homies.

Cheers to 22.

ahwnn, til' infinity.

Damn Good Album

2009-10-14T16:37:00.000-07:00

For fans of Blu & Exile's below the heavens, consider this the sequel.

I know, I know this isn't a Blu album (though he is featured on one song) but Exile continues to display why he's one of the freshest beatsmiths out there. Not to mention Fashawn can actually hold his own on the mic.

01 Intro-2:19
02 Freedom-3:09
03 Hey Young World f. Aloe Blacc & Devoya Mayo-4:08
04 Stars-4:31
05 Life As a Shorty f. J Mitchell-4:24
06 The Ecology-2:44
07 Our Way f. Evidence-3:34
08 Why-4:29
09 Samsonite Man f. Blu-5:15
10 Father-3:27
11 Sunny CA f. Co$$ & Mistah F.A.B.-5:42
12 Bo Jackson f. Exile-2:58
13 Lupita-4:23
14 When She Calls -4:21
15 Boy Meets World-10:03

easily one of the best of the year, up there with raekwon & jay's cd's.

*u know where to find it.*

whoo-hoo!

2009-10-14T14:07:00.001-07:00

Asian Vs. Asian

2009-10-14T06:20:00.001-07:00

Just Too Funny

Dumbfoundead!

Thank You For Calling: Call Center Chronicles

2009-10-14T03:00:00.000-07:00

Needed to know the amount in your savings account? Wanted tickets for the new Cirque Du Soleil show? Did you need assistance in setting up your Internet service?

Then chances are you could have spoken to me on the phone.

In the course of the last three years I was employed three times by three different call centers. Pretty much all my work experience is in the call center field. I like to think of myself as a patient individual, it takes a whole lot to put me into my 6th gear. I don't even recall ever going that far, but for the most part I'm an easygoing dude.

However...

When I sit down in my cubicle and take that first call, there's a 50/50 chance that my easy-going-ness will be thrown out the window and excessive use of the mute button and curses under my breath will take over.

"i enjoy this job" face

The wonderful thing about the job is that a customer will say anything to a rep over the phone that they won't even dare say in person. Ain't that great? It's like when they're on the phone their conscience goes on vacation. The result: many grey hairs. Some customers already get angry from the moment you pick up the call and during my first couple months on the job I realized not to take it personal....but there are some motherfuckers that just thrive in pushing buttons and I was unfortunate to have a couple of those a month.

The bank gig I had was the worse.

There are two things in life that concerns all people the first one is their relationships, either family or friends. The second is $$$$ and when a bank or credit union isn't handling their money right (10 times out of 10 it's usually a customer's fault, overdrafts, bounce checks, so on and so forth) their heads go right through the ceiling. Most of my violent calls in the last three years was from that gig alone and as time went on I was kind of immune to their verbal abuse. I actually found it pretty amusing. It's like they thought yelling could actually make their situation any better. Sorry, but yelling at someone who handles your money is like yelling at someone who handles your food, you just don't fuck with them.

There was this one lady who would call almost everyday to ask for an overdraft fee reversal. Our credit union would allow for two reversals a year but since this lady was very adamant and violent over the phone, she would beat us into submission. If we told her we couldn't give her another one she would throw a fit and claim that they didn't give her a hard time last time. Even our manager couldn't get through to her. She simply would not take no for an answer. If you told her something she didn't want to hear she would just cuss up a storm. This lady had a mouth of a sailor who had Tourette's. I found out the hard way. It was two weeks into my job when I received her on the phone. I knew I was in for a treat when I pulled up her account. Everything was marked in red. Her account was on the negative side and it seemed that she was overdrawn by a utility payment. When I explained exactly what made her account go over, she started yelling as if it was my fault. Up until her call I never received an irate customer and lucky for me I had public enemy number one on the line. I tried to calm her down and told her that ATM deposits usually take longer to process than ones that are done within the branch, but do you think that stopped her? OF COURSE NOT, she was aiming at the jugular, she asked me if I'm new and that she doesn't trust her account with somebody who just got out of training. I couldn't even defend myself; she would just cut into my sentences with reckless abandon like those jackasses on the shoulder lane of the freeway that try to cut into your lane during rush hour. While she was yelling her brains out, I held down my mute button and pretended to argue with her under my breath. I felt like a music video with the curse words edited out. I had no choice but to hand the call over to my manager, who also was sodomized verbally by this horrible, horrible lady. Six fee reversals and six psychologically abused call center reps later, our branch manager had no choice but to cancel this lady's account. My first experience with a nightmare customer introduced me to the ugly side of call center work, something I would be very familiar with from then on.

Another interesting member of our credit union was the infamous QVC lady. I was pretty convinced from the jump that she wasn't really all there, like she was senile. She would call about the same issue almost every week and whenever one of us had her on the line, we would stand up and say, "QVC LADY!” Her deal was that she would order items on QVC but they would charge her for additional items. You would think that a normal person would stop shopping at QVC if they continued to tack on these additional purchases, but lucky for me she wasn't normal. She was the type of person who would eat Mexican food and get diarrhea only to come back the next day and order another plate of carne asada fries. This lady actually made me think that there are some people out there who just want to terrorize us agents. Like they wake up and the first thing they think about is calling Tom at the bank to see what buttons he or she can push today. Deep down I just wanted to tell her to,

STOP WATCHING QVC, better yet STOP WATCHING TV!

Save us all the heartache.

I eventually quit that first gig.

A couple months later I would find myself back in the call center business, this time I would be into the sales side. No, it wasn't cold sales where I would make outbound calls to those poor unsuspecting people. Quite frankly, I think cold sales is a cut throat business. Usually "no" means no, but in cold sales, "no" means you have to jam the product down a person's throat, it's not the noblest thing to do.

That's neither here nor there; my 2nd call center gig was for MGM Mirage show reservations. Our company sold tickets for all the shows under the MGM-Mirage umbrella, which covered 2/3 of the Las Vegas strip. With the invention of the Internet, I thought our call center would not be as busy, since there was a website to make reservations. I was wrong. The call volume far exceeded my previous job and a sales call can take less that five minutes to wrap up. We were trained to know everything about our shows, we had to know what they were about, the auditorium set-up, the run-time, if it was appropriate for children, prices for certain seats, etc. It was a much glamorous job than being yelled at by a customer regarding their checking account. Not to mention, the perks for the job were awesome. We received free tickets for these shows so we can familiarize ourselves with the product we were selling. Our lunchroom had fountain drinks. Various restaurants around the area catered us every week. It was the dream call center job.

But like all call center work, everything that glitters ain't always gold.

Calls went on at a frantic pace. There was a strong emphasis to meet our goals, which included call time, % of calls that made a sale, % of calls we cross sold another show. Almost everything was monitored. Like I mentioned earlier, I was surprised that we had a high volume of calls even though our website was easy to access, so it was a no-brainer that a bulk of our phone calls came from much older people, people who were very much intimidated by a computer. The elderly ones were tough calls to handle. I had to have the patience of a Zen Buddhist monk. Instead of purchasing any show tickets, some of these elderly folks loved to converse, as if they only wanted a friend to talk to. I talked to one elderly man from Minnesota and we covered everything from prostitution to the Minnesota Vikings. Our wonderful and insightful conversation lasted for 47 minutes. I knew that there was a chance my call was being monitored but the guy was very interesting and I didn't feel like selling any Mystere tickets at the end of my shift. The best calls were customers who knew exactly what they wanted, these calls could clock under three minutes without any hiccups. I would also love picking up the phone only to hear dead air on the other end, sometimes instead of hanging up, I would stay on a dead air call to avoid getting another call. Flirting over the phone, though prohibited, was a favorite past time of mine. If the customer sounded like she was cute, I would engage in small talk and asked them what brings them to Vegas. I one time had a customer who proclaimed she wanted to marry me.

You never know what to expect working at our call center. There are some people who were real ass-clowns. They would call and ask for some bogus shows, some would even ask if they could speak to Criss Angel. Someone even asked if we had tickets to the new Iron Man movie. Although these calls were interesting, it ticked me off to know that I could be making a sale. There were calls that found it's way to my phone on my worse days, days where i felt like hauling my computer monitor through the window. These calls eventually led me to the manager's office. In a span of a week, I hung up on a customer and called another one an asshole (with the call on mute) while the call was being recorded. The funny thing about it was that the previous weekend I was told that I would be promoted to a show and restaurant agent. Show/Restaurant agents had the ability to book restaurants and eat at those restaurants for free, which was probably the greatest perk at our work. So when I was called in for my unacceptable behavior, I was demoted. They took away my promotion before I had the chance to receive it. I felt like a Cubs fan that got to see his team make the playoffs, only to be swept out of contention. I was fairly depressed after they demoted me, I could only blame myself. After that I really stopped caring about my job, any hopes of a promotion was thrown into the sewer and another shot at one would take at least a year. About 2 months later, the MGM Mirage like every other casino on the strip suffered from the economy and employee cut backs were in full effect. The show reservation agents were at the top of the list of people to lay off. I went into work one afternoon and when I clocked in, they immediately told me to meet up with VP in the back room and they handed me my walking papers.

My third call center job took me to AT&T. I went several months between jobs, surviving with my unemployment checks and my tax return. With my funds dry, I was lucky enough to get an e-mail from AT&T in response to the application I turned in around the time I was laid off. I had completely forgot I actually turned an application in, so it was a pleasant surprise to see opportunity make it's way to my doorstep. Unlike my training sessions at my previous jobs, AT&T made sure us applicants were scared shitless. They had a zero policy on almost everything, you couldn't be seen with a cell phone, not allowed to eat at your desk, you can't be a second late, etc. I'm surprise they allowed smiling. The trainers tried to instill in us that our place of work was an East Asian sweatshop, but to my surprise it wasn't anything like that on the floor. It resembled my previous work, but calls had the tendency to go on for long periods of time. I shadowed an agent in a middle of a four-hour call. Four hours, that's pretty much half of an entire shift. The caller I was listening on was an Asian man who had trouble with his Internet connection. The language barrier was definitely the reason why the call extended out that long, but the person I shadowed had the patience of a saint and when the customer was off the phone messing around with his cables or his computer she would calmly do a page of sodoku. I wasn't so afraid of the job after that.

The job itself was very challenging. We were trained on connecting and setting up networks, configuring routers, just basic troubleshooting for Internet connectivity. When a person had problems getting online, we were trained to troubleshoot the obvious things first, like if their modem is even connected or if they bypassed the router and connected the modem directly to the wall jack. It might insult someones intelligence if i asked them if their modem is connected to the wall, but truthfully I found out most of the problems can be solved if customers check all the simple stuff first. But obviously this isn't a perfect world, and if it were the case, my story wouldn't be so interesting. These customers have to make things harder than they should be. Case in point, there was one woman who swore she knew everything (#1 type of caller I hate the most, if they know so much why call in the first place?). She was experiencing some inactivity with her Internet connection and she claimed that it has been going on for several days now. She said that they sent a technician out a couple days prior and the technician told her that she should be able to get a connection. I told her that I would be happy to help her out and get her connection up and running. I asked all the probing questions, just the simple stuff. It turned out she had a router hooked to the modem. Generally we try to isolate the router before we go any further with the troubleshooting. I asked her kindly if she can disconnect the router just for troubleshooting purposes, she insisted that the router isn't the problem.

I made the "I enjoy this job face".

So after asking her kindly multiple times to take the router out, I can sense the frustration in her voice. So I proceeded with the troubleshooting. I told her if nothing else from here on out works, then you definitely have to remove the router. So I took her through the troubleshooting process. Ruled out almost every possibility, I told her to restart her computer a couple of times. An hour and a half later, still no resolution.

This was my breaking point.

I gritted my teeth and tried to calm myself down. I looked at the mirror on an empty desk and took two deep breaths and I smiled. While I had this big grin on my face, I asked the lady politely again to remove her router and that it is the only thing we haven't checked out. She reluctantly agreed and explained it was a pain kneeling on the floor to remove her router. I wanted to tell her she was a pain the ass, period. So she removed her router and her Internet connection miraculously came back. I wanted to yell into my headset,

"I TOLD YOU SO!"

I couldn't help but talk down to her a little. I said, if we had just disconnected the router in the first place we wouldn't have had to be on the phone for this long (one hour after my scheduled time to go home). After I helped her set up her connection, she just hung up on me and didn't give me a chance to ask her about the quality of service I provided or if she had any other concerns. Honestly, I'm glad she hung up the way she did because I couldn't stand talking her for a minute longer. I would rather play Russian roulette with an automatic.

I'm a true believer that no one past 60 years of age should use the computer. People that old should not have any business moving a mouse, as far as I'm concerned. I once had a man who didn't know what his space bar was, even after telling him it's the largest button on his keyboard.

That deserves another "I enjoy this job face".

After five months at AT&T I left the company to move here in San Diego. I vowed never to return to answering phones. Now it’s hard for me to find a job that isn’t a call center gig because all my work experience is call center work. I’ve had my share of heartache and frustration through the years. When I call my bank or order something by phone, I try to be as polite as possible because I know what they’re going through. Believe it or not, they’re probably giving me the “I enjoy this job face” too.

Birthday Trifecta

2009-10-11T23:52:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to Liz, Leeto & the newly legal CorinaLou.