Thanks to all who came out Saturday evening! It was a great time and we look forward to doing it again in 2 weeks with DJ Randy.

Pool Sharks

Yesterday I was treated to a private screening(and by private I mean Steve L. showing me on the computer at work) of the new video for local noise heroes Beast Infection.

*posted by Steven Parker

Kickin like (Pinoy)Chicken

"We brought you these Nike Air Force Ones back in July. Here are some new images of these kicks inspired by the Philippines. Nike made these as a tribute to Jose Rizal, a national hero of the Philippines and also pride of the Malayan race. These exclusive Air Force Ones have a limited release, only 500 pairs dropped worldwide. Kix-files has some available for $245.00."




We went to our favorite Flea Market hidden in the Poconos in hopes of finding the occasional come-ups so often associated with that place. Its been maybe five years now, that me and my girl have been hitting that spot up, a market that feels like a Canal Street in Mississippi. Memorable finds over the years include a neon durag($2), a Herzog boxset($20), Lars Von Trier's Dancer in the Dark DVD($5), Marc Echo Gummy Wallabees($20), a Set of Mandolin Strings($2), and my favorite find at this place was in 2003 when i found a deck of cards that look like they are nude brittany spears playing cards, but when you pull the card you get zapped with a huge volt of electricity(to the point where i've lost a few friends because of this gag). But the list of finds goes on. This weekend I bought a motorcycle skully with some crucial flames on it($2). Some deals are not so sweet. For example, a soft pretzel that would cost 35 cents in Philly was selling for $2.50 at the market. Even though they put it on a grill and gave us the option of "suicide mustard" on it, the price and the 15 minute wait in line was so not worth it.

We did however, find a truck selling American Apparel T-shirts for $2, and another guy had a van full of Jordans, Dunks, and AF1's for dirt cheap. I copped a hot pair of Gray/Electric blue Jordans for $40, and these LE Filipino Dunks(see above) for $30, which were selling on ebay last year for a pretty penny. I'm not a sneaker collector or Gearhead for that matter but I like having new shoes at good deals. There were also a plethora of skateshoes from IPATH and OSIRIS, I got nice blue Osiris's for twenty. I dont have a clue on whether the nikes are real or not, but boy do they look sweet(although I'll admit I probably won't wear the dunks unless I'm watching a Pacman fight, they're kinda nice to look at but rather ugly on the feet). I will have to consult with nerdy sneaker buddies of mine on whether or not this "heat" is legit. A friend of mine is already advising me, without seeing them, that the general rule is "if they're too good to be true they're probably not real" but that nothing is too far from being the real thing. Hmmm....kinda sorta suspect? posted by Jag

Classic Footy

The Gizzznerms with Darby Crash from Decline of Western Civilization DVD.

Why PAC is too ill

I know its supposed to be more of an Arts/Events blog, but I couldn't resist posting about my favorite boxing icon and ring sensation Manny Pacquiao. And we can call it an art. For anyone wondering about mine and the boxing world's obsession with Pac, here's one reason. Pac dismantling the legendary Eric Morales for the 2nd time, the same way he handled the great Marco Antonio Barerra (and I was there!:) You get every penny's worth for a Pacquiao fight. 2006's Fighter of the Year and ranked #1 Pound for Pound in that year. Excuse the annoying Filipino commentators as I couldn't find an HBO round 3 version. -posted by Jag

A Whole Year of being Straight Dirty.....

After you hear the phrase "Dirty 30" for a solid year, the buzz seems to spoil once you turn 31. Its like hitting 17 after the sweet sixteen, although those years are still too early to be considered some type of milestone of age. Year 18 or 21 is a big step(this of course is dependent on where you live I guess)....But 30 and every decade after seems more and more of a big deal. Like holy fuck dude you made it this far without cashing out! 31 has no cool catch phrase, just raised eyebrows from your younger counterparts. The older of your peers give a standing ovation for your induction to their club when you turn 30, but at 31 they give you more of a "Meh, at least we're not 40" kind of vibe. But I think what counts is that the initial phase of hitting 30 is a full year of figuring a lot of shit out, using all the experiences of your 20's to fine tune your plans and expectations for the rest of your 30's. You almost relearn to relax. See? 30 is the new 20 because its like a replenishment....just what you need after the seemingly dooming years of being 26 thru 29. Reaching the third decade, to some, spells uncertainty and midlife anguish, but these same years, to the motivated, are accepted and embraced as a big come-up, and yet another movement towards *some kind* of fullfillment. Special thanks to Jay-Z and also the kind Birthday Wishes from the $ Bitches With Money $. Also, stop by the renewed bar ERA on 28th and Poplar where I will be pondering even more, this mystical number thirty-one. Saturday night around 9:30ish. *posted by Jag*

Some Shots from Italy...part 2

View from the balcony of our hotel room in Milan. The spot was reeeally cute and close to everything....my only beef was that the info online said it would be 45 Euros a night which we thought was type dope so we stayed another night and when we checked out the bol said we owed 180....turns out that they charge per person so it was really 90 a night. An Italian thing? A Europe thing? Maybe a wack thing. Still not too expensive though for how nice it was, just caught me off guard. But what do I know I'm a babbling tourist.
Another shot of the Duomo Cathedral rooftop. Shit was like the Cathedral of Learning in Pittsburgh times a gazillionbub. Oh and in the Cathedral basement we saw 11th century bishop crowns and an ill corpse of Saint Borromeo.

RAWR......In keeping with the "Asiatic Lions of the Tropic Cult Asiatic Semi-Desert" infatuation.
Downtown Palermo hustle and bustle. With GPS tracking dictated by an authoritative Italian voice drilling a destra e a sinistra (turn right, turn left).....Didn't find out what all that shit meant till a day later.

Night falls in the city up North....While our friend 'American-Ass' Jen rapped to some random Ital who worked at a Bodega. The dude took her out for coffee then tried to take her to "Show her some T-shirts" that were down in a dark basement he had keys for. Must have been her newly inserted breast implants. She said "No, Grazie".

and......Lismania tunnel vision. I seriously couldn't count how many futuristic timewarp tunnels there were in Sicily. I also couldn't help but wonder how many Mafia victims lay buried in the concrete foundations of these tunnels! (Just relaying a joke the Sicilians there told me, I'm not stereotyping)

Some Shots from Italy...part 1

Acquedulce, Sicily

Cefalu, Sicily

The streets are even skinnier than South Philly's.
I will be adding more as I get bored.
Also, click HERE for good travel inspiration courtesy g vs. b *posted by Jag*

Rita Moreno -w- Animal

Had a recent convo this week about the Muppet Show. Thought I'd youtube the show to go back in time and rediscover how good it was. Animal was a beast while Rita was straight fire in this clip. *posted by Jag*

Views from Milano.

Brera

The Serrafini exhibit at the Museo de Contemporare in Milan. We've spent the last three days right in the city with the exception of a small trip to Lake Cuomo. The places are incredible!

Rooftop view at the amazing Duomo Cathedral, Milan. On the ground is a work outside the Kandinski Exhibit at the Civic Modern Art Museum right outside the Duomo.