ahh-so-centric

2016 olympic finalists

2009-08-06T10:37:00.003-04:00

Logos for the 4 finalists to host the 2016 games. I'm liking Chicago and Madrid.

iphone dj mixer

2009-08-04T21:54:00.000-04:00

Digital wheels of steel? Nothing compares to spinning vinyl but these look cool.

magnetic arts

2009-07-26T22:04:00.003-04:00

DJ Honda feat. Mos Def | Magnetic Arts

bourdain does baltimore

2009-07-24T20:38:00.003-04:00

Anthony Bourdain visits my hometown on an upcoming episode of No Reservations. I always feel a pinch of pride when I see my old stomping grounds on the tube. One of the fun things about leaving your hometown is finding out what outsiders think of your hometown. Within the caucasian-dominated suburbs of jersey, I've learned the difference between "being from Maryland" and "being from Baltimore". If you are from Maryland, they envision rolling green suburbs, lacrosse, preppy people, Johns Hopkins, and tourist spots in the Harbor. If you're from Baltimore, they envision you grew up as a hoodrat rubbing shoulders with Avon, Stringer and Marlo. I'm exaggerating...but not by a lot.

Much of the reputation that Baltimore enjoys (or suffers from) nationally is derived from crime stats and TV shows. The majority of these TV shows are "urban": Fox's "Roc", NBC's "Homocide" and HBO's "The Wire" (all among my favorites). The one exception is FoodTV's "Ace of Cakes". Its refreshing to escape into the whimsy of Charm City Cakes instead of Bodymore, Murderland. I mean, what's happier than cakes?

kid cudi - make her say video

2009-07-23T15:24:00.000-04:00

raging phoenix trailer

2009-07-17T09:26:00.000-04:00

graffiti taxonomy paris 09

2009-07-16T14:55:00.000-04:00

evan roth's graffiti taxonomy project - paris 2009.

melbourne recital center

2009-07-15T15:30:00.000-04:00

Melbourne Recital Center designed by Ashton Raggatt McDougal.

sour video

2009-07-15T15:00:00.000-04:00

very cool music video shot entirely by webcams: sour's "hibi no neiro" (tone of everyday).

the lost tribes of new york city

2009-07-14T08:47:00.000-04:00

ultra thin digital booth chick

2009-07-13T22:58:00.002-04:00

ultra-thin digital booth chick in japan. 0.3 mm thick rear-projection film with microbead surface applied to 3mm thick glass.

Melanie Fiona meets The Illadelphonics

2009-07-12T09:47:00.004-04:00

Melanie Fiona Meets The Illadelphonics | The Bridge (A Live Remix Session)

stoptheworld

2009-07-11T09:09:00.000-04:00

Maxwell | Stoptheworld
Peter Bjorn & John feat. Wale, Young Chris & Rhymefest | Nothing To Worry About (Kickdrums Remix)
Major Lazers - Annie Mac mini mix

pingpong door

2009-07-10T22:22:00.000-04:00

pingpong door by tobias fraenzel.

reflection eternal

2009-07-09T09:42:00.000-04:00

Talib Kweli + Hi Tek-Reflection Eternal -Back Again-Vid Premiere

flashing lights

2009-07-08T23:33:00.000-04:00

cool paparazzi inspired interactive billboard by nikon launching its d700 model in korea. walking by it triggers flashing camera lights.

We Make It Good Mix Series

2009-07-07T14:55:00.000-04:00

Great collection of eclectic mixes at We Make It Good Mix Series.
WMIG Volume 09: Paul Devro
Rest of the series here.

nike air maxim 1

2009-07-06T15:20:00.002-04:00

nike sportswear's update on a classic. nice hand done quality to this vid.

virgile

2009-07-02T09:58:00.001-04:00

cool animation short: "virgile" by flying v (clément soulmagnon & gary levesque)

I Wanna Be Where You Are

2009-06-30T23:19:00.000-04:00

The Roots & Erykah Badu | I Wanna Be Where You Are (Michael Jackson Cover)

MJ tribute

2009-06-26T20:39:00.005-04:00

DJ Jaycee Mixtape: Michael Jackson - The Soulful Years
JPeriod Mixtape: Michael Jackson - Man or the Music

I was a typical 80's baby growing up on Michael Jackson, Prince and Madonna. What persisted beyond my infatuations with Purple Rain and Like a Virgin was my fandom for the Gloved one. I had an MJ poster on my wall. I don't remember how I got it or if I asked for it, but it was on my wall. He was rocking a multizippered red leather jacket from Beat It and his nose was only lightly operated on.

As a very young child, I amazed my parents by mastering the VCR (Video Cassette Recorder for you young'ns) for the sole purpose of taping MJ's music videos. When friends and neighbors visited, my parents nudged me to perform. Not to sing, dance or repeat things learned in school - but to show off my VCR skills. Taping, "Time Taping", Record/Pause functions to seamlessly transition from one MJ video to the next. And of course I moonwalked with friends across the living room, through the classroom and around the playground. Even though I became disenchanted with him in the 90's, the Thriller-Bad-Dangerous era of MJ provided the soundtrack to my formative years.

How I Got Over

2009-06-25T09:25:00.000-04:00

The Roots perform their new single "How I Got Over" on the Fallon show:

tokyo time lapse

2009-06-24T14:06:00.001-04:00

courtesy of C-Scout Japan.

press hop

2009-06-23T07:26:00.000-04:00

kill too hard

2009-06-22T18:16:00.002-04:00

Wu Tang Clan | Kill Too Hard

20th Century Boys

2009-06-21T23:23:00.000-04:00

Saw Chapter 1 of this 20th Century Boy double feature at the NYC Asian Film Festival. Very entertaining flick. Wish I could've stuck around to see Chapter 2, but I had to meet up with friends. Chapter 3 is set for release in Japan later this year. This live action adaptation of the famed sci-fi manga was action-packed popcorn entertainment spelled with bits of humor delivered by numerous Japanese comedians in cameo spots.

leo's song

2009-06-15T15:33:00.000-04:00

leo's song: animation by impactist (kelly meador & daniel elwing)

Leo's Song from impactist on Vimeo.

superflat first love

2009-06-14T08:58:00.001-04:00

Takashi Murakami for LV: Superflat First Love

paper yeezys

2009-06-13T14:45:00.000-04:00

paper yeezys by filippo perin.

monster movie baseball posters

2009-06-12T08:59:00.000-04:00

cool baseball posters promoting the mediocre chiba lotte marines.

randoms

2009-06-11T18:58:00.005-04:00

n.a.s.a. (feat sizzla, amanda blank & lovefoxxx) "a volta" video:

The Alchemist feat. Maxwell & Twista | Smile
Clipse feat. Pharrell | I'm Good

power up and play

2009-06-11T08:45:00.000-04:00

Power Up and Play (via Deviantart)

deadline

2009-06-10T08:28:00.000-04:00

deadline: stop motion film by bang-yao liu:

1/2 aston martin

2009-06-09T08:40:00.000-04:00

aston martin cut in half. debut of the new dbs volante at cooper square hotel in ny.

hammertime

2009-06-08T15:20:00.001-04:00

haha: hammer pants dancers crash a hipster store and its tight jeans shoppers. this vid is promoting hammer's new reality show on A&E.

tetris furniture

2009-06-07T08:33:00.000-04:00

tetris celebrated its 25th anniversary. here's some tetris inspired furniture by stephanie choplin.

Up

2009-06-06T23:17:00.001-04:00

Just like "Wall-E" a year ago, Pixar delivers one of the best films of the year in "UP". These two films excel for the same reason: humanity. The animation is beautiful and technically flawless but it rightfully supports - and never overpowers - the emotional pull of the story. Carl, the 78 year old grump, is a wonderfully unusual choice for a protagonist in an animated film. Underneath his grouchiness, he delivers the heart and soul of the film through his faithful dedication to his recently deceased wife, Ellie.

The film opens with a youthful Carl meeting a spirited Ellie, who shares his dream of being an adventurer. Her boundless spirit and energy complements his reticence and brings him out of his shell. Its a cute and blushing scene, however the real heart of the film follows in a 10 minute wordless sequence which chronicles their relationship from childhood to courtship and marriage until old age. Compressing such a long period of time can come off as trivial but this particular scene perfectly celebrates the beauty of lifelong love without words. It is a heartfelt homage to growing old together and captures the little things in life which endear Carl and Ellie to each other. Truly one of the best sequences I've seen on film in a long time. We now feel the emotional motivation behind Carl's mission to fulfill his recently deceased wife's dream of traveling to a Lost Land in South America.

Of course, all this emotion and sentiment is balanced by the wonderment of his flying house and by bits of humor and physical comedy - most of which are delivered by the 8 year old stowaway Russell and their animal companions. While I think this film might be over the heads of children under 5 years old, it is certainly a treat for the rest of us.

2009-06-05T08:54:00.001-04:00

storm drains of sao pãolo.

couture sushi

2009-06-04T09:07:00.002-04:00

couture sushi? print ads by taku satoh design office for issey miyake's pleats please line.

treehouse diner

2009-05-26T11:01:00.002-04:00

Fantasy becomes reality: an actual treehouse restaurant in japan - naha harbor diner. via cyanatrendland.

independencia

2009-05-20T08:59:00.001-04:00

independencia directed by raya martin (official selection for cannes film festival) follows a mother and son during the american invasion of the philippines in the late 1890s.

ravage USB

2009-05-19T13:38:00.000-04:00

Ravage (of the transformers) has been reinvented into a usb flash drive. My favorite transformer as a kid was Soundwave and all of his transforming cassettes - including the dog ravage.

robocop

2009-05-16T13:03:00.001-04:00

great vid inspired by old-school video game graphics. set to kanye's robocop - animated by mykola dosenko.

randoms

2009-05-16T01:47:00.004-04:00

on the run

2009-05-14T13:23:00.001-04:00

brothersister's music video gets you in the mood to run.

lynwood rose mixtape

2009-05-12T14:06:00.001-04:00

Q-tip, D'Angelo & Raphael Saadiq form like Voltron to make a mixtape: Lynwood Rose: The Mixtape.

nintendo nes controller mouse

2009-05-10T13:30:00.000-04:00

this needs to go into production

star trek

2009-05-09T23:27:00.001-04:00

I wouldn't classify myself as a hardcore trekkie, but I'm very familiar with the phenomenon. As a kid, I grew up as a Next Gen fan and ignored the aging movies featuring the geriatric original cast hobbling around in progressively tackier starfleet uniforms. Picard was always cooler than the goofy Kirk. But, I still held a healthy respect for the iconic 60's reruns - largely due to the technicolor 1960s stylings of the future. Hard to resist Uhura's fro, alien chicks in beehives and miniskirts, not to mention the campy gadgets and sound effects.

JJ Abrams jumpstarts the franchise with an entertaining (if not predictable...but we're talking about Star Trek, remember?) plotline pitting the newly minted Enterprise against evil time-traveling Romulans. I'm usually wary of rehashes or prequels, but this movie captures the essence of the original series and injects a refreshingly new perspective supported by beautifully entertaining visuals and excellent casting. You really feel the pull of warp speed, while the lighting and sound effects combine to create an atmospheric quality to the action sequences. This is light years ahead of action scenes in the old Star Trek movies and tv shows - where they'd just shake the set and have actors fall out of their chairs during battle.

Aside from a couple of Dr. McCoy's canned lines, the actors enhanced the familiarity of each character without resorting to impersonation. Thankfully, Pike focused on playing Kirk rather than playing Shatner. I really enjoyed the formative years of Kirk and Spock as they make their way through Starfleet academy and meet their future crew. Of course, part of what made the original 60's series enjoyable and groundbreaking at the time, was the multicultural cast. While Uhura was somewhat limited, Sulu gets to kick some ass with his fencing skills. Quinto's Spock was spot on and Nimoy's Old Spock held a considerable and ironically emotional role, which will likely appease the hardcore Trekkie. Interestingly, the old-heads outnumbered the kids in my theater - and the majority literally applauded the movie as the closing credits rolled in.

Overall, it was a great summer popcorn flick movie and I look forward to some original stories that can now evolve from the alternate universe created within this story.

lebron crank yankered

2009-05-08T13:35:00.001-04:00

de la soul - forever - nike+original run

2009-05-05T13:52:00.003-04:00

De La Soul | Forever

audi d7

2009-05-04T11:29:00.000-04:00

concept car with electric engine.

nike RT1

2009-05-04T11:27:00.000-04:00

Copped these from Ubiq in Philly. Cleaner (more affordable) alternative to the Yeezys. Real Marty McFlyish.

victorious

2009-05-03T11:13:00.001-04:00

Manny Pacquiao's fists were fast and furious - putting Ricky Hatton to sleep before his head hit the canvas. It was such a devastating knockout that you expected the skinny Chris Tucker from Friday to jump on Hatton and screech "You just got knocked the f*ck out!"

firekites chalk animation

2009-04-30T11:42:00.004-04:00

tokyo stereographic projections

2009-04-29T15:25:00.000-04:00

cool tokyo stereographic projections by photographer Heiwa4126

real life pacman

2009-04-29T15:22:00.001-04:00

pacman gear

2009-04-28T15:16:00.003-04:00

Get nike'd up for Manny Pacquiao's upcoming fight. nice site and I like the Philippine flag inspired "MP" logo.

Murakami x LV

2009-04-27T13:05:00.000-04:00

Multicolor Spring Pallet store design.

randoms

2009-04-26T19:52:00.000-04:00

Novel | Song Cry II
Malik Yusef feat. Kanye West, Common & John Legend | Magic Man

clipse - kind of a big deal

2009-04-22T07:47:00.000-04:00

Clipse feat. Kanye West | Kind Of A Big Deal

pacman bobblehead

2009-04-21T09:53:00.001-04:00

Manny Pacquiao bobblehead promoting the SF Giants' Filipino American Heritage celebration night on 4/21.

pizza or rice?

2009-04-20T18:41:00.004-04:00

I felt somewhat uncomfortable when my coworker told me that her friends adopted a Chinese baby girl. You'd like to give adoptive parents the benefit of the doubt, but I always wonder about the motivation behind it all. Is it a form of cultural imperialism? Madonna always had a fetish for people of color and she's continually building a family that resembles the rainbow coalition. Angelina Jolie seems to see it as a philanthropic extension of her "UN work".

How about the non-celebrity people around us? Do they want an exotic trophy baby to parade around the community? Do they see themselves as righteous do-gooders rescuing a poor little unwanted soul? Racial stereotyping plays a part in coloring choices and shaping expectations. Are adopters expecting their Asian baby to be a "model" child - smart (math & science of course), quiet and obedient?

Equally interesting is how the adoptive parents act around Asians in public? In my community, some parents are somewhat self-conscious in two different ways. Some caucasian parents (I'm generalizing because most cases in my area involve caucasian people) have acted cautious around me - perhaps wondering if I'm passing judgment. In contrast, some other caucasian parents were beaming with pride and made a concerted effort to catch my attention as they strolled their adopted Asian baby in front of me. I guess they wanted to make a point that they're doing good for my culture (even though I probably don't share the same ethnicity as their baby). Interestingly, the baby usually stares at me too. I always wonder if the baby recognizes that my face kind of resembles his/her own face...

So why did my coworker's friends want to adopt a Chinese baby? Well, the mother had a difficult first pregnancy and an equally difficult time dealing with their infant son. Ok - I could understand that as a reason for adopting. But before I could ask why Chinese, my coworker blurts out that the couple simply wanted a Chinese girl. And especially the guy - he's always wanted a little Asian girl. My coworker tells me that the guy would see a little Asian girl in public and say to his wife "She's so cute...I want THAT!" Creepy. Yellow fever on red alert. I seriously hope this isn't some fetish being played in a disturbingly wrong way. And "wanting THAT" - is he talking about a baby or a rug?

So the asiaphiles traveled to China to pick up their little Asian girl. They expected the orphanage to be full of squalor with dirt floors, but were pleasantly surprised to find a nice operation. They were also expecting their new child to be a "demur little china doll", but found out their new daughter was just as much of a "little monster" as most American kids can be. I'm hoping the little girl makes them go apeshit.

Now my coworker is hosting a birthday party for her own daughter and not suprisingly, her friends want to show off their new Asian baby. My coworker worried if the planned lunch of pizza and burgers would be okay for the new Chinese girl. "You don't think I have to bring out rice and vegetables, do you?" I told her to stick to the plan and there's no need to bring out chopsticks.

dokugyunyu - stop motion with wolf & pig

2009-04-14T11:11:00.000-04:00

bruno 9li - the spirit of brasil

2009-04-13T11:05:00.001-04:00

utada come back to me video

2009-04-09T14:25:00.004-04:00

Complex mag has a nice entry on 7 youtube Utada videos with her commentaries. Her new english language album "This is the One" is pretty decent.

kid cudi - i poke her face

2009-04-05T23:19:00.001-04:00

Kid Cudi feat. Kanye West, Common & Lady Gaga | I Poke Her Face

video game cupcakes

2009-04-04T11:29:00.000-04:00

Cupcakes inspired by Space Invaders, Super Mario and PacMan.

michael lau - gardener toys

2009-04-03T13:03:00.000-04:00

These figures got some swag. They can strut on your desk for $90.

1970s Japanese electronics

2009-04-02T13:00:00.002-04:00

Check out the spaceage tv set. I love looking at old electronics.

diego bernal for corners

2009-04-01T10:18:00.003-04:00

i'm a little late on this one but Diego Bernal's "For Corners" is a great instrumental tribute record to Dilla. Its available for a free download here via Anti-Pop records.

mulatu astatke

2009-03-31T10:10:00.000-04:00

nice ethio-jazz track:
Mulatu Astatke & The Heliocentrics | Masenqo

1934 BMW R7

2009-03-30T09:42:00.000-04:00

If I rode bikes, I would be on this one. Pretty futuristic for 1934.

celebrity twitter ecosystem

2009-03-29T14:00:00.000-04:00

Pretty cool graphic in NYT.

n.a.s.a gifted video

2009-03-28T07:47:00.000-04:00

Nice animated video for n.a.s.a - gifted (feat. Kanye West, Lykke Li & Santogold):

tesla model s electric sedan

2009-03-27T11:08:00.004-04:00

This is a nice looking electric car. Plus it has a huge touchscreen in the dash. Interface is a little clumsy but I like the features.

pac-man tv

2009-03-26T10:27:00.000-04:00

Boxing champ Manny Pacquiao takes over your TV in soap operas and commercials.

we fight/we love / buggin out 09

2009-03-26T07:52:00.003-04:00

Q-tip feat. Kanye West & Consequence | We Fight/We Love (Remix)
Consequence feat Kid Cudi | Buggin' Out '09

Consequence & Kid Cudi - "Buggin' Out 09" from Three/21 Films on Vimeo.

sneaker tokyo

2009-03-25T10:09:00.000-04:00

Must have book for sneakerheads: Sneaker Tokyo from Shoe Master Magazine. I've been on hiatus from the sneaker game but I might have to cop a pair or two when I hit Japan in August.

Uniqlo UTxJapan Game

2009-03-24T09:32:00.000-04:00

As an old school video gamer, I approve of these tshirts. Love those old 8-bit vector graphics.

q-tip does uniqlo

2009-03-24T09:31:00.001-04:00

twouble with twitters

2009-03-23T07:32:00.000-04:00

erik parker

2009-03-22T11:23:00.000-04:00

Currently showing at the Paul Kasmin Gallery in NYC. Crazy colors and imagination in these portraits.

tokyo!

2009-03-21T17:18:00.002-04:00

Trailer for the upcoming movie Tokyo! Directors Michel Gondry, Leos Carax, and Bong Joon-ho share three separate stories set in the city.

your logo makes me barf

2009-03-20T08:39:00.001-04:00

Funny site (for design nerds) collecting all the horrible logos out there.

tomoo gokita

2009-03-19T14:16:00.003-04:00

Great works from Japanese painter Tomoo Gokita's Champion Carnival show at ATM Gallery in NYC.

periodic table of fonts

2009-03-17T22:52:00.000-04:00

for all you font nerds. courtesy of cam.

lush life

2009-03-16T22:50:00.000-04:00

Nat King Cole | Lush Life (Cee-Lo Remix)
Novel | Makes You Happy
Keri Hilson (feat. Kanye West & Ne-Yo) | Knocks You Down

sakagura - the hidden jewel

2009-03-15T10:25:00.006-04:00

Entering Sakagura sake bar (211 East 43rd street between 2nd & 3rd ave.) in Manhattan is like being in on a delicious little secret. Partly because there is no visible street signage. Partly because it is located underground in a basement of a nondescript office building. We actually walked by it without knowing - and we clearly weren't alone as I noticed others following our same mistake.

The key is to look for the 211 street address and you will discover a small Sakagura sign hiding in the corner of the office lobby window. Upon entering the lobby, we followed a series of discreet signs leading us down a concrete slab stairway into the underground. I mean underground in every sense of the word. You can imagine a Fight Club cracking bones behind one of the closed rooms in this minimally lit, grey walled boiler room type of basement. But when you open the door to Sakagura, the boiler room disappears. New York and its midtown hustle disappears. Entering the door is like walking into a portal to Tokyo. The suspense and effort in locating Sakagura is rewarded with a warm atmosphere full of buzzing patrons and sweet smelling food.

The traditional Japanese interior is dimmed in warm golden light complementing its wood furnishings. Even the bathroom is cleverly hidden in a hut-like structure which blends into the wall like another secret passageway. We sit at the bar in front of shelved rows of sake and below a shinto altar which hovers high on the corner wall. Food is served izakaya style (small tapas dishes specialized to complement sake and other drinks). A good percentage of the customers are Japanese and the atmosphere is noticeably merry (thanks to the sake) and refreshingly unpretentious.

Of course, this whole secret location plot line would not work without great food and Sakagura delivered wonderfully on every little plate. Highlights in our sampling included the super delicate fluke carpaccio drizzled with olive oil and garnished with plum paste and salmon roe. Quality and freshness were top notch and the fish roe literally melted in our mouths without any fishy smell. The Chawanmushi was an equally luxurious cup of melted egg custard infused with shiitake mushrooms, ginko nuts and chicken topped with ponzu sauce. More hearty fare included a harmonious bowl of sliced sashimi mixed with kimchi over rice. As the judge of Japanese authenticity, my wife approved of every single dish and couldn't find one misstep. And she's a tough judge too. Meanwhile, I got tipsy from sipping fine sake from the Niigata region. Supremely smooth with a sneaky buzz effect. The to-die-for dessert was the impossibly rich yet lightly refreshing black sesame brulee. Truly one of the best desserts I've ever eaten.

Undoubtedly quality of the food and sake promotes the bar far more effectively than any street signage. As I emerged back onto the Manhattan streets and disappeared into the unknowing sea of pedestrians, I felt like keeping the Sakagura secret to myself, but the experience was so satisfying that I found myself itching to share it ... discreetly, of course.

erickson enriquez

2009-03-12T15:22:00.003-04:00

nice artwork from filipino artist erickson enriquez.

yoshitomo nara

2009-03-11T11:22:00.005-04:00

Yoshitomo Nara has a solo show at the Marianne Boesky Gallery in NYC until March 28. He was recently arrested for graffiti in the Union Square subway.

soil & "pimp" sessions

2009-03-10T10:15:00.003-04:00

Soil & "Pimp" Sessions is an energetic jazz fusion band from Japan. Love their sound.

tomokazu matsuyama

2009-03-08T10:35:00.005-04:00

Imaginative shapes and color by Tomokazu Matsuyama. Gallery show at the Joshua Liner Gallery in NYC.

livestrong "stages" campaign

2009-03-08T09:49:00.007-04:00

Last year, I participated in Lance Armstrong's Livestrong event in Philly last year and was blown away by their organization and passion to fight cancer. The "Stages" art campaign promotes this movement and features a diverse roster of artists including Shepard Fairey, Kaws and Yoshitomo Nara. It will debut in Paris during this year's Tour De France. Below is Fairey's art mural honoring Armstrong and James Jean's yellow chalk art for Livestrong.

you got served

2009-03-07T10:00:00.008-05:00

Are your choices of service professionals racially motivated? Some of us people of color seem to dance the fine line of wanting to support minority-owned businesses and wanting to get good service from whoever can provide it at a good rate. But what about even simpler daily choices? For example, if there are 2 open cashier lines at the grocery store, do you make a decision on physical appearance or race? We know this is the case for our prejudiced caucasian brethren. Personally, I would try to observe which cashier appears to be quicker, more competent and friendly. But if there is no clear distinction in those categories, I would probably gravitate towards the person of color. Why is that? Unspoken kinship? Playing the percentages? Reverse racism (haha)?

One recent customer service experience (even though it didn't involve choice), made me think of this issue. Recently, I purchased an HDTV and called for Comcast to hook up the system. A Hispanic technician named Carlos went about his business, but once we started talking, he opened up about race. "You know some people in Cherry Hill and Medford (surrounding affluent areas) they're WEIRD!" I chuckled, saying that money makes people funny. Carlos replied, "Its not just money, b. I've worked in Brooklyn houses that cost more than these homes. And those homeowners were cool. But here, they watch over you with an eagle eye. My partner is African and he rested his hand on the wall while wiring. The homeowner, this white lady, yelled at him to take his hand off the wall cuz he might break it. It was a concrete wall! Concrete aint gonna break! Then she told us DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING. I mean aren't we all supposed to be the same - all human? They bleed like we bleed." We shook our heads at the story and lamented on others as he wired the back of the TV. Eventually we simply rationalized that all people don't think like us and moved on to more cheerful topics. Then almost as an appreciation for our bonding, Carlos hooked me up with some additional services for free, exchanged a soul-brother handshake and left for his next appointment. I wasn't expecting to talk race issues with the cable guy, but it convinced me to ask for Carlos next time I needed help. Bottom line is to get the service completed, but isn't it icing on the cake to have someone who relates to your experiences?

Getting service from fellow Filipinos goes both ways according to my parents and elder titos & titas. They are affluent high-achievers, so maybe its a class issue. I've seen them happily tsismis-ing (gossip & chitchat) with fellow Filipinos who are servicing them. But I've also heard them caution against patronizing Filipinos when it involved serious matters. And if anything went wrong, they would jokingly perpetuate typical self-mocking stereotypes of the lazy, corrupt, fun-loving but incompetent Filipino.

I've only had two bad experiences with Filipino service professionals. Each time, I couldn't stop myself from bitterly retelling those old ingrained stereotypes. One incident involved a middle-aged Filipino tax accountant who came across more like a familiar uncle during our consultation. We shared laughs and bonded as he wove long-winded stories of the homeland and joked about his americanized kids. Meanwhile, he misinformed me out of a refund and into an audit. Afterwards, I echoed the taunting words of my dad, "Ohh, that's what you get for going to a Filipino. Too busy joking and tsismising to get things right. Don't pick a Filipino next time."

Another incident involved a Filipino ticket agent who messed up my airplane tickets, forcing me to run back and forth twice through the Las Vegas airport to correct it with another agent before catching a plane almost as it lifted off the ground. I verbalized the same reaction to my wife, "Damn Filipino messed me up. Talking to me like we were fam. That's the last time I use them." The positive experiences outnumber these incidents by a wide margin, but its so easy to fall back on those catchphrases.

on sale at amazon

2009-03-07T09:21:00.000-05:00

Anyone buying these?

the office

2009-03-06T21:17:00.001-05:00

Read an interesting article in NYT about IBM proceeding with undisclosed layoffs despite being one of the few companies to post 1st quarter profits. One laid off engineer claimed that the company was using the recession as an excuse to layoff employees and mask increased outsourcing. Somebody get Lou Dobbs on the phone.

To say we live in uneasy times is a gross understatement. My company announced that the layoffs are finished for the year, but its hard to believe such proclamations when the health of the company is uncertain. You can project a certain percentage of losses but what if the drop exceeds that percentage? The emptier parking lots and vacant desks are daily reminders of the unease. So is seeing certain employees working multiple jobs to pick up the "slack".

Is your company shitting on you because of the economic collapse? And are you taking it because you're just happy to have a job? Interesting time in office life everywhere...

adidas urban art guide for iphone

2009-03-05T14:05:00.000-05:00

Featuring the city of Berlin. Cool if they expand into other cities. Preview video here.

nighkee serie

2009-03-04T23:34:00.000-05:00

Work by French artist Phoks. More here.

kaws nymag cover

2009-03-02T09:47:00.000-05:00

Kaws does New York Magazine's cover for Best of NY 2009 issue.

brilliant tv show title sequences

2009-02-26T15:03:00.003-05:00

Smashing Magazine has a nice roundup on 20 Brilliant TV show title sequences.