August 28, 2010
Mafia II
So I just finished Mafia II for the PS3 and let me say that the story is superb. If you're anything like me and like mafia or any rise to riches stories then this is for you. I rented it from Blockbuster a few days, but do I wish I brought it? Absolutely not. Crazy huh? The problem is, while the story isn't too short, there's not much to do outside of the story or once the game is beat. There aren't any side missions or a multiplayer component either and for $60 you want some kind of replayability. With that being said, if the price drops to something you feel reasonable for what I just described, then pick it up or do as I do an run over to your local Blockbuster, before they file for bankruptcy and close all the stores down.
August 23, 2010
For Whom the Bell Tolls
On Saturday, August 21, I attended Rock the Bells in San Bernadino, CA. The 100 degree weather and backed up traffic that turned a literal drive around the corner into a 45 minute endeavor created the perfect atmosphere for an outdoor concert. After standing outside waiting to get in, which was surprisingly short, I walked in and was greeted by a cloud of weed and cigarette smoke. As my friend and I walked towards the Main stage, we were soothed by the familiar sounds of Rakim's "Paid in Full." Some years ago I listened to that album, along with "Follow the Leader." I like Rakim's style and I admit he is the father of my current favorite rap style. Some of my favorite rappers being Nas, AZ, and Lloyd Banks. Yes, I said Lloyd Banks. Listen to Hunger For More and any number of his mixtapes and deny that he is the P.L.K., punch line king. The crowd for Rakim was small, as it was still early in the day and most of the attendees have not arrived yet, but he showed why he is a "real" MC with his control of the crowd with his lyrics driven by ahead of their time beats.
After Rakim's set was finished, we scurried over to the Paid Dues stage to see a pale, over weight bearded man that resembled Santa Claus. The first thing that came to my mind was, "What the . . .," but I stopped . . . because I listened. The deep bass in his voice mixed with inspiring and true to life lyrics made me feel something that most radio rap artists don't give you, their heart. This artist was Brother Ali and upon hearing one verse, I knew I'd want to hear more. This man's soul can be described as nothing short of beautiful. He interacted with the crowd in a very emotional and passionate way, revealing he's an overweight, partially blind, albino man from Minnesota. He's not ashamed of who he is and who he is is a great artist.
My friend and I noticed that the Clipse, who are my favorite duo, set time was taken off and replaced by an intermission; suffice to say, I was disappointed. We rushed over to the Main stage to see KRS-ONE perform "Criminal Minded," another old school rap album that I have. During his set, he looked over to the VIP section on the side of the stage and asked, "What is this? The VIP section and shit?" He then turned to the crowd in front of the stage and emphatically said, "This is the VIP section!" The crowd went crazy and I had to smile and laugh after hearing that. After one my favorite KRS-ONE songs, "9mm," he shared the story of how him and his DJ, who was killed back in the late 80s, met. KRS was homeless and his DJ, Scott La Rock was his counselor. Scott asked KRS what he wanted to do with his life. KRS said, "I want to be an MC!" Scott looked at him and said, "Man, I'm a DJ." That's how it all got started for this famous hip hop duo that created "The Bridge is Over."
After KRS-ONE's set was over, we hurried to the Paid Dues stage to see none other than Immortal Technique. I used to listed to him a lot in high school but stopped recently. I've always liked his music, but there's so much music out there I just stopped listening. With that being said, it was great to be reintroduced. His songs, like I remember, revolved around real issues and everyday problems while being very critical of the world we live in. This makes for some really good music, but just to hear this music, we had to pack ourselves in the overcrowded hanger like sardines. When you hear people say they couldn't move . . . this was it. It got so hot in there, a girl in the front row passed out. It may have always been some pills that she popped a few hours before, but I don't know. Immortal stopped the show when he saw this, jumped off the stage, and got the girl some water. Chino XL then carried the girl outside. Immortal then proceeded to talk about protecting the people. Would any artist do this? I doubt that, they'd probably just call security.
We had the pleasure of seeing Tribe perform next, now when I say this I mean just Q-tip and Phife Dog, but that's all that was needed. They performed their first album Midnight Marauders and some of their hits. I've only heard Low End Theory but I knew a few songs off their first album. Their performance was amazing, Q-tip controlled the stage like he created it. Him and Phife were able to work the crowd perfectly. During their performance, the perform one of their hit songs, "Scenario." One of the special guests for the evening revealed themselves, none other than Busta Rhymes! Busta was able to bring his energy out there and excite the crowd to no end. It was a welcomed surprise.
My favorite part of this exciting day had to be Wu-Tang performing 36 Chambers in it's entirety. This was the one album that was performed that I knew ALL of the words too. In addition, all 9 members were there except for O.D.B. of course, who was replaced by his son. Method man is as tall as he looks, RZA is super skinny, and Raekwon is a big dude. More importantly, the album is a classic and proved so when they performed it. They even did the skit with Method Man and Raekwon where they're talking about torturing each other. During the last song of the album, "Protect Your Neck," we decided to get a drink perform everyone else rushed over there. Of course, the line was still long. After they finished the song, I heard the familiar beat to a song made by a duo that's made up of one half Method Man. Yes, I'm talking about Meth & Red and the song is "Da Rockwilder." I was stuck in line and I'm still unsure if Red Man came up, but I wouldn't doubt it.
Snoops performance was the last and one that a majority of people were waiting for. The album has a lot of skits and each was presented on a screen on-stage. The albums aggressive and high energy. The crowd responded to this and was always excited . . . except during the sometimes fairly long skits. Snoop dedicated a part of his performance to his cousin Nate Dogg who's apparently still hospitalized. A remember awhile back Nate Dogg had a heart attack, but it sounds like his condition never improved. We left before Snoop finished to avoid traffic and as we were walking to the car, he started to perform "Ain't No Fun." Ironically, after we got into the car, a couple of girls walked up to us and told us they couldn't find their car and don't remember where they parked. They were probably so high they just didn't remember, but I told them to get in and managed to help them. All in all, it was a good day.
Disclaimer: I enjoyed every moment of my trip to and my time at Rock the Bells. I was merely experimenting with a writing style. For segments that seems like I was complaining, those things weren't even a problem. I had a great time and will be going back next year.
After Rakim's set was finished, we scurried over to the Paid Dues stage to see a pale, over weight bearded man that resembled Santa Claus. The first thing that came to my mind was, "What the . . .," but I stopped . . . because I listened. The deep bass in his voice mixed with inspiring and true to life lyrics made me feel something that most radio rap artists don't give you, their heart. This artist was Brother Ali and upon hearing one verse, I knew I'd want to hear more. This man's soul can be described as nothing short of beautiful. He interacted with the crowd in a very emotional and passionate way, revealing he's an overweight, partially blind, albino man from Minnesota. He's not ashamed of who he is and who he is is a great artist.
My friend and I noticed that the Clipse, who are my favorite duo, set time was taken off and replaced by an intermission; suffice to say, I was disappointed. We rushed over to the Main stage to see KRS-ONE perform "Criminal Minded," another old school rap album that I have. During his set, he looked over to the VIP section on the side of the stage and asked, "What is this? The VIP section and shit?" He then turned to the crowd in front of the stage and emphatically said, "This is the VIP section!" The crowd went crazy and I had to smile and laugh after hearing that. After one my favorite KRS-ONE songs, "9mm," he shared the story of how him and his DJ, who was killed back in the late 80s, met. KRS was homeless and his DJ, Scott La Rock was his counselor. Scott asked KRS what he wanted to do with his life. KRS said, "I want to be an MC!" Scott looked at him and said, "Man, I'm a DJ." That's how it all got started for this famous hip hop duo that created "The Bridge is Over."
After KRS-ONE's set was over, we hurried to the Paid Dues stage to see none other than Immortal Technique. I used to listed to him a lot in high school but stopped recently. I've always liked his music, but there's so much music out there I just stopped listening. With that being said, it was great to be reintroduced. His songs, like I remember, revolved around real issues and everyday problems while being very critical of the world we live in. This makes for some really good music, but just to hear this music, we had to pack ourselves in the overcrowded hanger like sardines. When you hear people say they couldn't move . . . this was it. It got so hot in there, a girl in the front row passed out. It may have always been some pills that she popped a few hours before, but I don't know. Immortal stopped the show when he saw this, jumped off the stage, and got the girl some water. Chino XL then carried the girl outside. Immortal then proceeded to talk about protecting the people. Would any artist do this? I doubt that, they'd probably just call security.
We had the pleasure of seeing Tribe perform next, now when I say this I mean just Q-tip and Phife Dog, but that's all that was needed. They performed their first album Midnight Marauders and some of their hits. I've only heard Low End Theory but I knew a few songs off their first album. Their performance was amazing, Q-tip controlled the stage like he created it. Him and Phife were able to work the crowd perfectly. During their performance, the perform one of their hit songs, "Scenario." One of the special guests for the evening revealed themselves, none other than Busta Rhymes! Busta was able to bring his energy out there and excite the crowd to no end. It was a welcomed surprise.
My favorite part of this exciting day had to be Wu-Tang performing 36 Chambers in it's entirety. This was the one album that was performed that I knew ALL of the words too. In addition, all 9 members were there except for O.D.B. of course, who was replaced by his son. Method man is as tall as he looks, RZA is super skinny, and Raekwon is a big dude. More importantly, the album is a classic and proved so when they performed it. They even did the skit with Method Man and Raekwon where they're talking about torturing each other. During the last song of the album, "Protect Your Neck," we decided to get a drink perform everyone else rushed over there. Of course, the line was still long. After they finished the song, I heard the familiar beat to a song made by a duo that's made up of one half Method Man. Yes, I'm talking about Meth & Red and the song is "Da Rockwilder." I was stuck in line and I'm still unsure if Red Man came up, but I wouldn't doubt it.
Snoops performance was the last and one that a majority of people were waiting for. The album has a lot of skits and each was presented on a screen on-stage. The albums aggressive and high energy. The crowd responded to this and was always excited . . . except during the sometimes fairly long skits. Snoop dedicated a part of his performance to his cousin Nate Dogg who's apparently still hospitalized. A remember awhile back Nate Dogg had a heart attack, but it sounds like his condition never improved. We left before Snoop finished to avoid traffic and as we were walking to the car, he started to perform "Ain't No Fun." Ironically, after we got into the car, a couple of girls walked up to us and told us they couldn't find their car and don't remember where they parked. They were probably so high they just didn't remember, but I told them to get in and managed to help them. All in all, it was a good day.
Disclaimer: I enjoyed every moment of my trip to and my time at Rock the Bells. I was merely experimenting with a writing style. For segments that seems like I was complaining, those things weren't even a problem. I had a great time and will be going back next year.
Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.4
August 17, 2010
Top 5 Dead or Alive
Towards the end of my work day, I pull out the trusty Evo 4G, I always work more than 8 hours so no talk about me slaking. I open my engadget app and see that sony has released two new PS3s with HDDs larger than the current models. This reminds me that today was their press conference at gamescom. I was excited to hear about any new announcements but boy I sure was in for a surprise.
There were many announcements today, from what little I've read so far but my favorite has to be Mass Effect 2 for a few reasons. It is one of maybe 3 games that are exclusive to the XBOX 360 that I'd want to play and own. Mass Effect 2 received excellent reviews, much higher than it's predecessor, and it contains elements of my favorite game genres. I love having the ability to choose in a game and Mass Effects give you that all the time. Also, I'm a huge RPG fan, so the upgradability of characters attracts me the this gem of a game. It comes out in January and I will be getting it.
Thinking about why I like Mass Effect, I also thought about my all time favorite games. These games had a great mix of story and excellent gameplay. These are in no particular order:
- Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3)
- Uncharted 2 (PS3)
- Jak 3 (PS2)
- Final Fantasy X (PS2)
- Red Dead Redemption (PS3)
Of course I like plenty of other games like anything from the Ace Combat series, Street Fighter, or any of the Gundam games that came out during the PS2s hay day, but these are the ones that are constantly in my mind due to their addicting nature and story that made my brain go into overdrive or just flat out made my jaw drop. So those are my top five, dead or alive. Well, till next time . . . . PEACE
August 15, 2010
Rock the Bells
I got my ticket to the Los Angeles show of Rock the Bells. I'm definitely most excited to hear all of the 36 Chambers by Wu-Tang performed, to hear what songs the Clipse perform, and also to see what Ms. Hill does. I've never been to Rock the Bells before or a legitimate concert so this should be pretty fun.
As for this weekend, it went well, I definitely can't complain. Some people I've probably seen for the last time this past weekend. As I got older, I learned an important lesson: Don't always hold back on friendships. Get to know people, because you never know how long you have with them. That's not saying that you should immediately tell them all your deepest and darkest secrets, that's for crazy people, but don't be afraid to share some of yourself. I think I did do that for the most part. I don't like saying goodbye, so to them I'll just say, "Till next time friend."
As for this weekend, it went well, I definitely can't complain. Some people I've probably seen for the last time this past weekend. As I got older, I learned an important lesson: Don't always hold back on friendships. Get to know people, because you never know how long you have with them. That's not saying that you should immediately tell them all your deepest and darkest secrets, that's for crazy people, but don't be afraid to share some of yourself. I think I did do that for the most part. I don't like saying goodbye, so to them I'll just say, "Till next time friend."
August 10, 2010
Taco Tuesday
Hey all, went to El Gringo's after work for their Taco Tuesday special. Basically, it's a buy one taco get the second one free as long as you get a drink. Most of the tacos are below $5, I think me ordering two blackened chicken ones cost $4.75. So add a $2 drink and you have a great reasonably priced meal. I don't believe most can fathom the size of these tacos, but let me use my descriptive talents to help you visualize. Imagine a flour or corn tortilla that's used for a generously sized burrito with so much meat, lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese inside that it's hard to wrap the taco around and pick up. I finished both tacos but . . . I shouldn't have. it was way too much, but it was very good. Plus, it's good to hang with people from work who are fun to be around. Well, till next time . . . PEACE.
August 1, 2010
Exposure
Hung out with my friend Ryan Basilio today in Walnut, pretty good seeing him after his Euro trip. I got to mess around briefly with his camera, a Canon EOS T2i. The first this I noticed is the styling, I don't really like it much, but that's probably because I'm a Nikon fan. It's a fairly light camera, I use a Nikon D5000 so I was expecting a little more weight. It feels really good in your hand, it has a fairly long grip which is always welcome. The LCD screen on the back is AMAZING. I can't emphasize that enough. You can really tell what your pictures look like because the screens so sharp and most importantly it takes great pictures. Overall, I really like the camera and wouldn't mind having one. In the midst of this camera testing, I found out how to increase the exposure time on cameras by using Ryan's camera. After I got home I tested it on mine . . . . I think I found a personal style.
Camera testing aside, it was a nice day and was glad to hang with my friend. His family was very welcoming and I was able to be myself around them, plus I think I found another person going to Rock the Bells this month. I'm very excited for that.
Below you'll find my first attempts at increased exposure. I used a laser pointer and increased the exposure in a completely dark room, so after I hit the shutter button I proceeded to write what you see on the wall. Of course I wasn't sure how it would turn out but it became good for a first try, I think. BTW these were all done in one take.
Camera testing aside, it was a nice day and was glad to hang with my friend. His family was very welcoming and I was able to be myself around them, plus I think I found another person going to Rock the Bells this month. I'm very excited for that.
Below you'll find my first attempts at increased exposure. I used a laser pointer and increased the exposure in a completely dark room, so after I hit the shutter button I proceeded to write what you see on the wall. Of course I wasn't sure how it would turn out but it became good for a first try, I think. BTW these were all done in one take.
 |
| First Increased Exposure Attempt |
So how did I do?
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