EEE-LECTRIFYING

The always entertaining, breath-taking and death-defying X GAMES features the best, the who's who of the action sports realm. Every year, legends are made and superstars are born in this very unique spectacle. This year's 14th edition is no exception. Under the bright lights of los angeles, stars sizzled the stage but the brightest of 'em all was KYLE LOZA. Aka "the VOLT", the 22-year old orange county native won gold earlier today in the moto x event after pulling off the amazing ELECTRIC DEATH (Electric Doom Indian Air). The X Games is a weekend-long event, from Thursday July 31 until Sunday August 3. Stay tuned for more "oooh"s and "aaah"s.

Bronze. Gold (Loza). Silver.

Check out the video

PREMIUM PEEK

Living the "COOL" lifestyle is just one of the many perks of being in the business that we're in right now. Part of that is meeting cool 'cats in the business already, and I'm not talking about a bunch of nobodies here. Artesia-based clothing brand PREMIUM LABEL is reopening there store this coming friday, August 1 after almost a one year hiatus. Contrary to what people are saying, the brand temporarily closed down due to the fact that their clientele overseas is fast growing and prioritizing this was the no-brainer move. But now they're back. Bigger. Better. Meaner.

Yesterday, I was at the store just chillin' with C and Jeff. The spot is siiiick. I wish I had better pictures than what I have here but I didn't wanna leak anything. Hit up the store this friday to first-hand witness their new look.




PREMIUM LABEL
11632 Artesia Blvd,
Artesia,CA 90701

TUESDAY TREMBLES

Whew. That was a close one.

I was at the alstyle offices in anaheim, just trying to get our order for U.L.A.M when the "you know what" happened. It was crazy. People freaked out, ran outside the building like there's no tomorrow. Honestly, I think most of them were really just overreacting.




After that unexpected turbulence, pieces of the after-effects were just as shocking. Literally. At my branch, some small parts of the ceiling fell down, freaking out most of my co-workers. No one was hurt, thankfully, but to some, this experience was just too much to handle.

YE'S ABSOLUT WORLD

Some of you may have probably seen this video before since its kinda "old".. well, in the youtube world, a couple of weeks IS DEFINITELY old. Even so, I still enjoy watching this because of a simple reason- its KANYE WEST. Any thing that has "ye" written on it, i like. Coz he's cool like that, and anything he does is cool too. Kinda like the infamous King Midas - anything he touch turns to gold. Same concept here. You know what i mean.

ART WORKED

As you may have noticed, I finally got a banner up for this blog. Finally. I did the design myself, just so you know and it took some time to finish this 4th grade level sketch. Nothing fancy or cool about it though obviously. I just wanted it to have a more personal touch from me that's all.

ONLINE ONLY

Streetwear brand MISHKA NYC recently released limited edition collaborative tees through their website only. These online exclusives feature intricate artwork from both SKINNY DIGITAL and EVIL DESIGN. What can I say, I guess some things are just best kept secret.

MISHKA NYC's x SKINNY DIGITAL (The Oddity T-Shirts)


MISHKA NYC x EVIL DESIGN

SUPREME DISAPPOINTMENT

Yeah you guessed it.... San francisco's own SUPREME SOUL walked it out the stage and were ousted off the competition in this week's episode of ABDC. FYI: I'm not disappointed about supreme soul's performance. Not at all. It was hot. I'm not disappointed that they had to go head to head with super cr3w for this week's elimination battle. That was great. It was like watching the show's season finale, the way both crews ripped the stage. What I'm disappointed about was HOW AMERICA VOTED last week. I know, "the power is in our hands", but also remember that this is not a popularity contest. Top crews should be the ones who were very entertaining, creative and unique in their performances. With this being said, super cr3w and supreme soul should not have belonged in the bottom two obviously. C'mon now.

This week showcased the BRING THE BEAT CHALLENGE, wherein the crews were tasked to incorporate props within their routines, make beats using them, dance to those beats and still bring in some choreography in the whole mix as well. FANNY PAK, once again but not suprisingly, entertained the crowd and delivered another classic performance, PE style.


The band geeks of SOREAL CRU were able to play a fine tune with their own version of eve's tamborine.


The "bench-warming" boogie bots delivered a solid performance, despite feeling guilty and surprised on how america, once again, "saved" them from elimination. Towards the end of the show during the final judging, lil mama called out boogie bots and referred to them as a "not so entertaining group". I agree, she's right but her calling them out like that is whack.


SUPER CR3W is ballin' once again, as usual. Surprisingly, they were at the bottom two for the second week in a row, despite rave reviews from all judges. Hmmm... something here's ain't right.


Finally, despite having a killer performance, SUPREME SOUL had to be let go by the judges. Its like ali and frasier... both were good, but only one can survive this heavyweight battle. Too bad supreme soul is the frasier in this story. Whack.

PREMIERE BUZZ

As mentioned in this blog about a week ago, indie rock/hiphop duo SHWAYZE will premiere their show, titled BUZZIN', today on mtv... and they did. As expected, it was worth all the hype. In this week's episode, Shwayze gets the gig of a lifetime, but when his past comes to haunt him the glamourous life of this musician gets a little complicated. Oh yes, the roller coaster life of a rockstar starts here for California's newest, unlikely sensation.

Shwayze and Cisco (also collectively known as SHWAYZE) blazed the stage at a pontiac-sponsored event, their first big time gig.


Girls, girls, girls.


The pilot episode also featured a legal dilemma that Shwayze had to face. In the end, everything was resolved but not after being instructed to some serious hours of community service. Yes, some rockstars clean their own mess too.

RUNAWAY TRAIN

Once again we faced another road block in this "quest" for making U.L.A.M a reality... paperworks and legalities! Yeah, i know, it ain't that simple. But once again, NOTHING AND NO ONE CAN AND WILL STOP US. So we decided to spend all of today to finalize all paperwork needed to start up the business. All it took were stops at Santa Ana and Norwalk, plus a little luck of not having to stand and wait for hours. Blessed, once again. I'm really starting to think that a bright future is definitely ahead of U.L.A.M.

After a loooong and exhausting day, rewarding ourselves for a job well done was the least thing we could do. And that's exactly what we did. First stop: LA BREAKLESS in Santa Monica. Bro got this road bike off some garage sale and decided to have the folks up in LAB go check it out. It ended up being one sick bike I guess, with a promising fixie future. He was stoked about that. Next stop: KIM LOAN in Fullerton. The place itself looks a litlle crappy to say the least but the food is really the bomb and cheap too! (FYI: This vietnamese restau had been previously featured in kiko's blog waaay back). Finally, our last stop was at our local movie house, CINEMA CITY in Anaheim Hills. We went to see, what else... THE DARK KNIGHT! THIS FLICK IS DEFINITELY THE SHIT. No kiddin' and no-home (on Batman or Joker). A must see for sure.

And that was it. Sorry I don't have any pictures to show (and back up whatever the hell I just said up there). Just go check out mikko's blog, I guess he has some.

DAYS OFF

Sorry for not having any blog entries for Sunday and Monday, I just didn't found enough time and creativity I guess to come up with decent and worthwhile materials. With a semi-full time job, a hectic class schedule ahead and a small upcoming company to handle... the word "BUSY" would be an understatement to how busy really my life is right now. Its all cool though. Until somebody gets hurt, right?

THE REAL TRUTH

MMA? UFC? Not really ma' thing to be honest. But I guess its true that there's always a first for everything. Tonight's UFC match between Brandon "the Truth" Vera and Andy Reese proved to be that eye opening event for me. If MANNY PACQUIAO is Filipino boxing, BRANDON VERA is Filipino mixed martial arts - both taking pride and joy of who they really are. This new found interest of mine was a result of not "love for the game" (at least not yet) but more about being proud of a fellow countryman again making big splashes in a popular sport such as this. Check out the truth's profile here. Oh by the way, brandon speaks fluent tagalog - watch it here. Now that's knowin' your roots, son.

PICKS OF DESTINY

As some of you may know, me and ma' crew (shoutouts to mikko, june and kiko) are indeed the music enthusiasts. Guitars, ukuleles, cajons and a natural knack for unreal vocals and sick remixes (or covers) - that's all us. That's why after seeing this hot collabo (thanks, hypebeast) I was simply stoked. John Mayer and KAWS have teamed up to produce a collection of guitar picks featuring some of Kaws’ most recognizable icons. The release is further to be determined so be on the lookout for these.

AND SO IT IS DONE...

This week on ABDC, the 6 remaining crews danced to the music of dance icon JANET JACKSON. I honestly didn't liked the show 'coz of the theme (not ma' thang) and the weak overall performances of all groups. But it was still worth to watch, for sure no doubt. Here's this week's "better" performances...

FANNY PAK, this season's biggest underdogs, started the night right with "All Night (Don't Stop)".


SOREAL CRU heated things up with their own version of "I Get Lonely".


After all votes were tallied, former top groups SUPERCR3W and A.S.I.I.D. found themselves at the bottom two, both for the first time, much to the surprise of many. These two crews battled hard against each other, both coming up with really good performances. But at the end of the day, no matter how good both are, one had to go home. And this was the unfortunate reality A.S.I.I.D. had to face. So much for being "America's favorites"...

Super cr3w clawed and fought their way out of elimination to the tune of "Black Cat".


"IF" A.S.I.I.D. had only managed to keep their energy all throughout their performance, they would still be in the hunt to be america's best dance crew. Tough luck.

MUST SEE, MUST HAVE

No words needed for this one. Another one of those "no-brainer" deals.

BUZZWORTHY

Aside from featuring big names such as Jay-Z, Usher and Fall Out Boy, music entertainment juggernaut MTV is also known for its keen eye on the low-key, upcoming artists. Perfect example is their "buzzworthy" mention of not-so-famous hip-hop/indie group SHWAYZE. You’ve probably heard Malibu rapper Aaron Smith’s — he goes by Shwayze, so that mystery’s solved — musician/producer/BFF Cisco Adler’s wraps up this very unlikely duo, whose latest hit “Buzzin’" is shaping to be this year's summer jam (trust me, you’ve heard it). In addition to playing this summer’s Warped Tour, celebrating their breakthrough video’s 1 million YouTube views, and readying their debut album for release on August 19, Shwayze’s also prepping for the premiere of their new MTV reality show, entitled, quite simply, Buzzin. The future looks bright for these 'cats fo' sure. Better stay tuned.

YOU DIG?

Educational and funny at the same time. Definitely worth checkin' out.

BLESSED

U.L.A.M is grateful and deeply thankful for EVERYTHING that has happened to us so far. I'm not naming any names but i'm sure you guys know WHO YOU ARE. THANK YOU, FO' REAL. This is definitely one of the best days of my life... Definitely THE BEST DAY for our young, upstart brand.

HUF SALE, SALE, SALE!

SF based brand HUF is currently having a month long online sale of almost all of its goods. I really don't know the reason behind this, but having a sale in most cases means a surplus of products for a retailer and a good deal for buyers. I heard rumors though that operating costs (*wink* rent) for huf's downtown sf store has gone waaay up and that they're just gonna keep one of the tri-stores in order to limit expenses. I dunno. Regardless, I just love being the bearer of good news.

KICK. PUSH. COAST.

The Ferrari skateboard features a seven-layer Canadian maple board and stretches 79 cm by 20 cm. The skateboard also has black 54 x 36 mm polyurethane wheels, blah, blah, blah... who cares? ITS A FERRARI SKATEBOARD! This is efffin' sick. For under 200 bucks, you can get this prized memorabilia only at the ferrari store. And oh, it comes in a stylish red nylon carry bag too.

FAST AND FURIOUS

In this week's episode of ABDC, the seven remaining groups were introduced to the speed challenge, wherein the assigned music transitions from a slow start to a revved up version towards the end. The difficulty of the task at hand was obvious, as powerhouse groups like SUPERCREW, SOREAL CRU and BOOGIE BOTS struggled to keep up with the up tempo pace. As usual, this blog highlights the best performers every week. Here are tonight's big winners...

It's all cops and robbers when A.S.I.I.D got down and dirty to 'Dangerous' by Kardinal Offishal.


FANNY PAK once again entertained the crowd as they took us to the craziest prom ever to the tune of Mariah Carey's "Touch My Body".


Surprisingly facing elimination for the first time, the boys of SUPREME SOUL partied like rockstars and clinched a spot at next week' show. Mr. Sparks also mentioned that this was supreme soul's best performance, by far.

MOM'S DAY

Today is my mom's birthday!!! I think she turns 51 today, not sure though. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM! I LOVE YOU!

BOOKWORM

To those 'cats who know me well, seeing me with a book in hand would not be a surprising scene to witness. Why? 'Coz I LOVE READING! (1) it keeps me "mentally fit" and (2) satisfies the inner geek in me. (That's right, i said it! What?!)

My book collection. I mostly read fictional novels. Yes, even harry potter!


James Rollins' bestselling novel "THE ORACLE" is the newest one i got. Currently working my way through chapter one...

LEFTOVERS

"I just can't get enough". That's why i'm serving up another helping of the SF experience for today's blog. Here are some random, non-sense pictures i took during the entire trip.

Bro and June, chillin' at the hotel...


... while i was busy updating this awesome blog! Yes.


This china town store sells a lot of shit. Over 10,000 of 'em i guess.


OMG... I want this!


Oh yes, the man himself.


'Sup BANANA BOY?!


A little kid's paradise.


Hyphy pink and lime green houses... only in the 'bay.


A cool, slanted building effect.

THE HEAT IS ON

Besides the weather, the girls and the 'spots, HOT things in southern california also include forest fires, unfortunately. I am a tree hugger myself [not so hardcore though like the others] that's why it bothers me to witness huge fire-covered land areas burning for hours. Yesterday, this was the scene along the 57 freeway. Bummer.

U.L.A.M.

IF THERE'S A WILL, THERE'S A WAY. At 7:05 PM earlier today, it just happened. After weeks of troubles, disputes and roadblocks, we finally got what we were waiting for... a good break. Some of you might know what i'm talking about... but to some who don't, just wait and see.

BIG BANG THEORY

4th of july is always F-U-N for me (and the whole fam). I guess 'coz it gives a valid reason to have fireworks, booze, loud music and tons of food all at the same time. Nice.





On top of celebrating our country's independence, here are more reasons why july 4 is always an awesome day for me...

... its my "tatay's" (grandpa) birthday... he just turned 88!
... iIts my "ate" (aunt) tina's birthday too!
... FIL-AM FRIENDSHIP DAY! I guess its that one day of the year when we commemorate the so called "alliance" between americans and filipinos. Actually, more of a "pimp-hooker" kinda relationship in my own opinion.