The Kuya turns 5!
Andres is now five, and I like my wife, wonder where all the time has gone. I know that everytime friends and family see him they comment on how big he's gotten and it's true. And when you talk to him you hear how much he's grown as well. Thanks to all of you who came out to celebrate with him. The time change was funny because it hurt some people and helped others. It allowed me to get an extra hour of sleep after the gig we did on saturday night. Andres was so excited to see cousins and friends as well. The kids ran all over the house, in the backyard and played video games. Thanks to Mama Tess for picking up some kick-ass bbq sticks and props to my pops for cooking them on the grill all day. I apologize to all the vegetarians because I don't think we had any non-meat dishes.
Wedding Saturday Night
We did a wedding in Walnut Creek, or what others refer to as "The Creek" or "The WC", at the Marriott. Moe got the gig and the couple was actually already married, they were just having the reception for all the groom's family and friends. The groom lives in Japan but met his Hong Kong bride in Japan as well. The bride spoke very little English but she was very sweet and gracious when we did speak to her. The groom was a really nice guy, really amped up and couldn't wait for the dancing. Apparently he loves dancing so much he met his bride in a club. The reception was really nice but it dragged throughout dinner. Luckily, he gave us a HUGE music list with even some "must-plays" for the evening. He was a lover of late 80s-early 90s R&B/Hip Hop which made it even easier. What was a little tough was when it came to the dancing a ton of people came up with all kinds of requests, music that did not match at all. From R Kelly's "Step in the Name of Love" to Ricky Martin's "Livin' La Vida Loca", they were all over the map. It got to the point where we weren't even mixing anymore, just cutting a song in once it's over, one genre to another. The other thing was the actually dancing. Oh man... let's just say they were trying to cut up a rug with a butter knife. Even the groom who was a supposed "good dancer", "killin' me Smalls". All good though, the gig was a piece of cake, we met some nice people, the Serato is running really well (I'm not using it 100%, but we use it here and there) and I'm sure we'll get some other gigs out of it. Oh yeah, we rocked the ballroom so hard with the two 18inch JBL subs that a light from the ceiling popped out and nearly fell. The manager said that it could've killed someone. That woulda been scary. Oh, and I saw some chic leave the reception a little early crying. Don't know what that was about but she came back later in a better mood.
What's it called when you take second place?
Oh yeah, loser... I played softball again on wednesday but this time with my first team. We were the top seed in the league, only lost one game, but as usual, when it comes to the big time, we choke. I would have earned two new shirts this week and this one I would have felt better about after the way our monday games went down. Anyways, that's the last game of the year for me, unless there's a tournament that we get into but I'm looking forward to the break. My back has been killing me and I can really feel my legs getting sore especially the next day after a game. I'll use the time more with the family of course but I'd also like to get into better shape. Oh God, how many blogs have I talked about that, getting back into shape. Since the weather has been a little colder, we haven't been able to play as much tennis. I'm thinking about going back to the gym but really, all I need to do is get outside and run. I'll give that a shot.
We are the Champions!
I play softball on monday and wednesday nights in Benicia. On both teams it's been awhile since we'd one a championship. So this week I have two chances to come away with a new championship tee-shirt. Tonight, we won the first game in a rout, against a team that beat us earlier with a 13 run first inning, sadly against my pitching. I didn't pitch this game but I did have a couple of big hits. I'm also playing catcher which is an important position in this league since it plays a lot like first base but without the shots. For championship, we would have played my team that I play with on wednesday nights but they lost their playoff game. (Serves them right for not having me on the team!) In our championship game we got off to a great start on defense shutting them out if the first 3 innings while on offense we hit the crap out of the ball. When it got late into the game it was apparent that we were going to win. At one point the score was 20-3. Unfortunately we have guys on our team that like to talk s#%t, not necessarily to the other team but just outloud. It really gets on the umpires nerves and could potentially cost us games. It almost cost us the championship tonight because one guy got tossed, again we were up by 20 at the time, but he couldn't stop. I remember a game where we were losing 25-1, one guy was talking s#%t, the umpire called the game and gave us the victory, while we were down 24 runs. I was worried that it was going to happen to us this time. Luckily, more of us on the team got the point, got the rest of the team to understand and we won our first championship of the year. Luckily, this was the last monday night game until next spring so we did it at the right time. Wednesday night I'm in the same position and we'll try to do it again. We get a championship tee-shirt when you win it all. I'm looking to add to my wardrobe.
Just another sunday
On sunday we just had a wedding to go to. Nothing major, just one that's been in anticipated for the last 36 years! Andres' ninang got married at the Palm Event center and it truly was an unforgettable affair. Since we had a part to play in this event, we stayed in Livermore saturday night with OJRokk and Tin and UPSer. I enjoyed the late night pizza from Amici's on saturday. If you haven't eaten there you're really missing out. We went to the one in Dublin. Anyways, sunday morning the we three guys went to Stoneridge mall in Pleasanton to get some last minute items. Tin finished up her beautiful centerpieces and we all needed to get to the center by 1pm. Of course, we being Pilipinos didn't make it there till 1:30 but with all of the people helping out that day we got everything done in a snap. Moe and I did the audio for the ceremony in the wine cellar. It looked so beautiful in there with the wine barrels and the huge chandeliers lit up. It kinda reminded me of a Prince video but in really good taste. When it started and everyone waited for the bride you could just feel how special this day felt. As soon as I saw the bride I had a lump in my throat and my eyes started welling up a little. The ceremony went seamlessly, the rondalla played beautifully and of course they both said "I do". I played the role of emcee, which I was honored to do so, but I felt so nervous because all of our friends were there and I didn't want to screw it up. Since I wasn't deejaying that pressure of being the entertainment was off but I still had to provide cocktail music and dinner music. Donger, I have to apologize, that was my playlist at dinner, I swung and missed on a couple of those songs. Keep in mind, I'm trying to entertain some of the older Pilipinos in attendance, since I knew the band wasn't going to play any Englebert Humperdink. At least I gave them some during dinner. I even saw some of them singing along to the song. I did end up playing some music from my iPod for the breaks between the bands set. All I know is I never want to be an iPod dj ever again. I had to search for songs to play, then have them wait for the pause between songs until the song loaded. I even played by sheer coincidence two songs that the band had in their set. When I played Usher's "Yeah!" they all looked at me with a look of "Oh No!" They were cool with that though and just laughed it off. When the band did play they rocked it. If you ever get a chance to see the Cheeseballs in the city somewhere (I'd seen them at a club back in the day) you'll enjoy them. The dancefloor stayed full the whole night. One thing we didn't do, bride and groom, is give you a chance to speak to everyone there. I know that the night was full of everything but I should have remembered to give you the mic at one point that evening. I do know that everyone saw in your eyes that you were really thankful for all of those that were in attendance. Congrats again you too, thank you for letting us be a part of your biggest day, and we look forward to the baby shower, whenever that is (no pressure!)
Happy Birthday Alexa!
My God-daughter celebrated her 7th birthday on saturday and as usual the David family threw an amazing family. It's no mystery that Ledge knows how to eat but he and Aileen are such gracious hosts that they really take care of those who attend their parties. This one was no different. It was a Hawaiian themed party so there was plenty of shortribs and mac salad. All the kids seemed to have a great time and we were treated to the talents of Spirit of Polynesia. This group has been around for so long and I've had so many friends that were and are a part of their company. I've always enjoyed seeing polynesian dances. Although I've taken the "I'm not Hawaiian so I shouldn't do those dances" attitude (poor me, short-sighted, I apologize), I just seem more comfortable and more at home with folk dances of the Philippines. Hey, I married my wife partly because of it so you know I've benefited from it in more ways than one. What did surprise me was that they didn't have any male dancers. I remember a time when there were always males in the S.O.P performances. I know that if my life depended on it I could hop in there and learn all the different dances of the islands of the Pacific. My back might not agree with it but they aren't that difficult to do. Maybe that's why I'm stayed with Philippine folk dances. They can be so challenging that you just become determined to learn it and perform it at a high level. Not that polynesian is easy but I just see a higher degree of difficulty between the two types. I'm happy that my God-daughter is involved in polynesian now, but her mommy and daddy know that she's going to end up a Singkil princess one day.
The Price Is Right!
Friday, the wife stayed home and we were supposed to work on a project for an event she has coming this week. We "kinda" worked on her project but we spent more time at the outlets looking for a couple of gifts for my God-daughter, Alexa, who's turning 7. We went over to Tommy Hilfiger, knowing that they would have cool clothes for kids and lo and behold we found cool clothes. I struck the best deal though, one that I haven't found in a long time. I went to the 50% off rack in the back, looking for some cool button-downs, short and long sleeve but didn't find any. What I did find was a nice sportcoat that just happened to be my size. It's navy not black which is a nice twist for me since I already have a black one. The price was originally $179 reduced to $99 on the tag. So I'm thinking, hey, $50 for a Hilfiger sportcoat is pretty good. I bring it to the register, hand it to the guy and ask him to just check the price. He looked at me kinda longer than normal after seeing the price and then asked where I found it. I told him and he was shocked saying he was looking for something similar. He did the check when we rang up our other items and then told me the price. $29.99 he says and I say oh hell yeah, I'll take it. Then he says, you're getting this jacket for $14.99. I shoulda went to Reno right then and there. At least Cache Creek.
Schmooze it or lose it
Last night I did a gig with Likha at the Asian Art Museum in SF for the Ayala family art foundation (or something like that). There was a great crowd that assembled of people of all different backgrounds. Likha has actually done several events here so this was nothing new to them but since I've kinda left the gig circuit this was my first in a long time. We had a respectable performance, some delayed music transitions and whatnot, but all in all it went well. We were then invite to see works of several famous Pilipino artists which were beautiful. It was a little crowded though and people seemed to be just milling and not really reacting to the art. I heard a lot of conversations but not about the art or the artists. Later, we then made our way upstairs where there was food and alcohol. The food was great (they even had lechon!) and the alcohol was mainly wine. It was a well-dressed crowd and although I only knew our Likha peeps I felt like we fit in just perfectly. Since I really don't know the "Who's Who" of the Pilipino community in the Bay Area I'm sure there were several. And I'm looking forward to the next time I can hob-knob with the best of them.
Upcoming wedding gig
I met with someone who is getting married on November 5 and they're having me DJ their wedding reception. Actually, they are having a "fake" ceremony on November 4 in their backyard as a reality show is going to re-do their whole backyard so that they can have a ceremony in it afterwards. They really wanted to be able to invite all of their friends so they decided to do a "fake" wedding in the backyard and not tell the tv show about their wedding plans for the next day with the "real" wedding. If you ask me it sounds like some kind of a sitcom all in itself. All we need now is "Mr. Furley" to walk in and ruin the wedding and open his big mouth to the producers of the tv show. The wedding reception that I'm going to be a part of is in Oakland at Cafe Verbena on 11th and Broadway. It's actually an office building but there is a restaurant in there with a huge lobby for businesses. We went there last night and met with the groom and his sister to take a look at the spot and I was really impressed as was the wife (mine). They're going to do an outdoor ceremony, weather permitting, and the patio is surrounded by beautiful buildings in downtown Oakland. You almost forget that you're in Oakland at that point.
Are you ready to rock?
Saturday night I deejayed a party for our HOA admin, Vivien, whose son-in-law turned 42. It was a house party and they wanted to do some dancing and some karaoke so I obliged. As the party went on and the dancing began, I started with my Celebration mix and stayed with the R&B theme. Once in awhile they would do karaoke. I even started it up singing "My Girl" which got the room singing along with me. Then as the night went on and the dancing continued I got more and more requests for some 80s modern rock, Oingo Boingo, A-ha and the like. While in Vegas I noticed that a lot of deejays played some 80s rock and it got a good jolt out of the crowd so I decided to give it my own shot. That set it off. From then on it was Van Halen, Led Zepplin, Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi. I even played Rick Springfield's "Jessie's Girl" which was huge. Everyone played their air guitar, all the ladies were singing along and the dancefloor was packed. I'm going to bust that out at another party. I'm not sure where but it worked. In Vegas the dj started with Kelly Clarkson's "Since You've Been Gone" and then mixed "Jessie's Girl". That was an awesome mix. My buddies and I were jumping up and giving him a standing ovation for that. I told him that I was stealing that mix and we all laughed. I'm not going to do that but I'm definitely going to open up the genre and fit it in somewhere.
36 is the new 50
Oh I feel so old. When we got in from Vegas on Friday afternoon it was after a night where we were up till 5am and the sun was coming up. We had to check out by 10am, get to the airport for a 12pm flight and travel all the way back to Vacaville. I did enjoy our last night in Vegas though. During the day, since we got a late start from being up all night Wednesday, we went to the outlets where I shopped for an outfit to go out in. I didn't bring nicer clothes, no dress shoes and no button down shirt. My buddies were so prepared that I knew I had to turn it up a notch since we were going to Wynn's club, Tryst, which is the new hot spot on the strip. I bought 2 jeans at Ecko, new shoes at Skechers and a shirt at Banana Republic. Still not quite the outfit I'd have preferred to wear but something I can get away with for the money. We made it to Wynn at about 11pm and stood around the line waiting for something to happen. Our buddy Chris who is a firefighter used his "clout" to get us past the VIP line and into the club. We still had to pay, 30 bucks, but I think it was worth it. The club was amazing. It had a three-story waterfall cascading to a pool with the surrounding tables, dancefloors and bars. The music was decent, a mix of old school hip hop and new hip hop. House music later followed as we left the club. I didn't dance with any ladies since the majority were "Professionals" or as the theme was called, "Industry Night". That meant that most people were working in Vegas in some kind of entertainment capacity. We were neither so we bailed for Mist in Treasure Island where we were the night before.
Hanging out in Mist I decided to chat it up with the dj. There was a moment where the music just kinda cut out there and we all looked at him as he smiled and pointed to the computer. He was using Serato but with a Toshiba laptop. I made my way over there and told him he needed to change to a Mac. At that point we just chopped it up. He told me he worked 7 days a week when he first got there. Then when he made "residency" in the casino he was down to 6 days a week. He asked me where I spun at and I said at restaurants here and there in the city. Yeah right! Maybe at private parties but never as a resident dj. Someday...
Back in the Bay Area I met up with the wife and made plans to make it to Tin's b-day party in the city. We went back to Vacaville, got some rest and then made our way back to SF. I brought some of the guys who went to Vegas to her party just to meet some new peeps and get one last hangout night with the guys. Karen made some great Mojitos that night and we enjoyed them thoroughly, translation: too much. We got a late meal at El Farolito's. The wife and I shared a super quesadilla with carne asada and I also ordered a torta sandwich with steak. Mmmmmm.... The wife had to drive home after I stubbornly said I could do it. We pulled over after the Bay Bridge and she drove all the way back to Vacaville. Thanks honey.
I'm still feeling it up to today which is Monday as I finish this post.
Da Fellas!
Hey ya'll, greetings again from Vegas. We've been having a cool time down here chillin' out. Tuesday when we arrived we mainly hung out in the hotel taking in the amenities. Thanks to Ms. Paris Hilton for putting together such a lovely suite. Wednesday we had a great lunch at the buffet in the Mirage. I think there will be a return visit to this place when we come back. We also played some golf out past Summerlin. We got a great deal on the web for this place which was actually in an area where we looked for a house back when we thought about moving down here. Would have been pretty nice but I'm glad we are where we are now. At night we went to Treasure Island planning to go to Tangerine where some FHM girls were supposed to be. We ended up in a bar called Mist and just hung out there. (I'm being a good boy, wifey!) Played some craps when it became apparent that Tangerine was just a sausage fest/sword fight. Actually came up with a little money since a roller that we called "Boss" rolled some good numbers. (UPSer, you woulda loved it...) Exciting stuff there. As you can see from the pic, we had a bottle of Petron so I enjoyed that tremendously. Props to HeavyJumbo for that. Back at the hotel we went on bantering about with each other, letting the alcohol take over. I made myself a glass of Ketel1 and water and as I sat in the chair I awoke to quiet as all of us fell asleep. As I type I see my glass sitting there untouched with the lime floating on top. Maybe I'll drink it, maybe not...
Vegas Baby, Yeah!!!
What up ya'll? I'm chillin here in Sin City, hanging out with my old buddies from high school. Botz had to cancel his trip to P.I. so we made this a consolation prize. HeavyJumbo got us an amazing room at the Hilton on the strip. It's got several plasma screens, 2 bedrooms, kitchen and a beautiful view. Unfortunately, it's facing old Vegas and the Stratosphere but when you're 36 floors up it's all good. We're planning on just hanging out and playing some golf. I don't know if I'll gamble but I do want to do some shopping at the premium outlet they have here by the strip. I miss my wife and kids already and look forward to seeing them on Friday when I get backl but for now I'll just chill with my buds. Get at me if you need anything down here.
The Smack Was Layed Down this weekend...
I was one busy man this weekend from Friday through Sunday. Friday I went to the A's game and witnessed the exorcism of the team's futile attempts in their playoff games in the last 12 years. They had not won a playoff series since '92, long time. The tailgate with friends before the game was great. I saw some old friends from back in high school. Weird how they all tell me I still look the same even after the 50 extra pounds I've added. The Coliseum crowd was great, loud and into each pitch. I have to give them credit because the feel in Oakland is a lot different from San Francisco. The Giants have a lot of old fans, literally, which makes for a more educated but quieter crowd. In Oakland, it's more like a high school/college atmosphere with all the different chants. I can't say I prefer one over the other because they both have their positives but from the first pitch I myself got caught up in the "Let's Go Oakland" chants.
On Saturday I had the gig at lunchtime. I have one complaint. The gentleman who was a "DJ" turned out not to be one but someone with a lot of music on some harddrives. He bragged about how much music he had, how many music videos he had and that he was a big fan of the 70's rock scene and 80's pop scene. None of which had anything to do with the crowd that was assembling at this party. This was a wannabe ballroom/line dance crowd. Here's my one complaint. Someone's children were supposed to do some hula dancing and they practiced the night before. When they asked me for the music I said I didn't have it and that no one gave it to me. They assumed that I would have it. When the guy was asked if he had it, they realized that his music was not the right one as well. So he tells them that he want me to earn my money and was basically inferring to me that I should have it. I told him that it was not my responsibility to provide their music and that all performers I know do not rely on other people to have it for them. I was pissed at him at that point because that was his line from then on, "I want this guy to earn his money." He didn't know that I had already offered a discount to them and was doing this on the cheap as a favor to a family member. Even after discounts that I give I still try to give 110 percent. It turned out I had one song that they could use, Hukilau, the girls performed (they sucked) and any other requests anyone had, I was more than capable of handling them. I never heard from him again.
That night we then had our party for Rich which was the bomb. I was a little worried because guys were dropping out left and right. We had four guys there from the time the girls made it but they didn't start until more guys showed. We had a great bunch of party-going gentlemen, made the most of an hour and a half with the entertainment and then partied until the wee hours. I was hurting though after all of the alcohol.
Sunday I was supposed to get to SF around ten in the morning but I didn't wake up until 10am. The Niner-Raider game was at 1pm and UPSer and I didn't get in until the end of the first quarter. After some lively banter between Niner and Raider fans the home team prevailed (Yay!), we went home happy and no one got hurt. It was really a memorable weekend for me.
Tomorrow I Am an A's Fan!!!
Ok, so most of my life I've been a big Giants fan, rooting for them since I was 4 years old. Tomorrow, Friday, I'm attending my first A's game. I want to say my first A's game ever, but I coulda swore I went to the Coliseum for a baseball game a long time ago, not sure. If the A's players were Giants they would rule Northern California but since they've played stepchild to the Giants even with all their World Series championships they just don't get the recognition they deserve. So I for one am going to make the trip to Oakland, root for them to sweep the Twins and maybe make it all the way to the World Series. I still can't find myself switching loyalties but I can appreciate a team that wins with what little it has and has fun doing it. So for that tomorrow I am an A's fan.
Serato coversion nearly complete
On Saturday in Stockton I played at the wife's cousin's party. I played more than I thought I was going to because I thought it was more for the bands than me but I was wrong (not the first time nor the last). We were a little late coming to the party but there weren't a ton of people there yet. I got to patch into the bands audio which was cool so I didn't have to bring the whole package, just my CDJs, mixer, laptop, harddrives and the Serato. I really wanted to use the Serato this time because I didn't know what to expect. I just don't want to be an iTunes, press-play DJ and the Serato allows you to avoid that. I had to play everything from ballroom to line dancing to 80's modern rock to disco to alternative to swing/lindy hop. There was such a variety of requests that I was on my toes the whole time. You might notice that I didn't list hip hop or rap. The one time I threw on some hip hop, Promiscuous Girl, the celebrant's dad came over and asked me to change it. Even though all the girls came out to dance to it the family preferred no rap or hip hop. That's actually probably another story. But anyways, my bad... So back to the Serato, it was the first time I was able to use it without it freezing up. Big thanks to GCDC for fixing my Mac. I was able to transition from regular CD to Serato seemlessly. The next step is to make the switch to turntables. I've been practicing at home with the MKIIs which is a lot of fun. I suck at scratching but I can still mix pretty good. I'm considering bringing them to the party this weekend just for the hell of it.
Here's what I came up with
"As far as a weakness is concerned I would have to say it is my resistance to saying no. I have a tendency to take on multiple tasks when asked by associates for assistance when they can be spread out evenly and effectively. I feel an obligation to help whenever asked but it also expands my to-do list. "
Weakness?
Ok folks, need a little help. I'm filling out a questionaire for a job and it's asking what is my single weakness. I know that you're supposed to show a weakness that's really a strength, a positive weakness, but I'm drawing a blank. Any thoughts?
Kariput or what?
This coming weekend on Saturday I have a gig in the daytime in Napa, for a wedding anniversary. I got referred to this through one of the wife's cousins on her dad's side. It's her boyfriend's family so I thought it would be nice to give them a family rate, even though I'm not really related. Part of my problem is I'm too nice when it comes to gigs that I try not to "overcharge", whatever that means. The reality is I'm unemployed, this is my business and the work I do and the investments I've put in are more reason enough to not give discounts. Nevertheless, I proposed a more than fair price and even after that the woman I was dealing with still tried to lowball me. They had someone who was a deejay but out in San Diego, was coming to the party, and would like them to have input and maybe even play music. If all they needed was a soundman I would be fine with that. He can do whatever he wants but it still shouldn't change the rate because it's already discounted. After our initial conversation she said she would get back to me and decide what they wanted to do. I hadn't heard directly from her but I did hear from the wife's cousin not too long ago that they still wanted me to be apart of the event. It's now less than a week away and I've yet to hear from the woman who I spoke with but again I'm assuming all is set. I put a call into the cousin but didn't hear from her just yet either.
We all know it's in our people's makeup that we always look for discounts. I'm cool with that and I do it myself. But it get's really frustrating when you think you're giving someone a great deal and they just aren't seeing it your way. Sure I could have told them to find someone else but at the same time I'm realistic that they probably aren't going to find a better deal especially with what I offer and am capable of producing. I'm trying to help out a "family member" at the same time. Plus, how can you put such a big event in the hands of the lowest price available? In this business you really get what you pay for and last I knew people don't throw big wedding anniversary parties every year. If I hear later this week that they found someone else that'll be cool with me but at the same time I just feel that if all they are trying to do is save a buck, then why bother to have a stylish event in the first place?
Update: No sooner than I press "publish post" I get the call from the woman and we're all set for Saturday. She was very gracious and although there is another "deejay" he is non-Pilipino and runs off of a laptop (hmmm...). I'll still be more in control of the tables. I feel a lot better now.
