My Favorite Sites!

MFS! MFS! MFS! Here we go!

1. shitmydadsays

I get all giddy as I click away to this site every week for updates. I'm no twitterer nor will I ever care to tweet, but I'm a follower of this. Apparently Justin is a fellow San Diegan and he's in the process of having his tweets being picked up for tv. To go from unemployed and living with his dad to a possible five/six figure contract is not shabby at all. Ahh, if this is what fatherhood is all about, count me in!

2. latfh.com

A dream site for someone who's past time included "Scene Crashing". My friends and I would go crashing parties hosted by your modern day hipster/scenster and go around taking pictures with them. Met some cool people along the way as well as a lot of "You're drinking Fullmoon?That's shitty beer man, you need to go with the B.R (Pabst Blue Ribbon) everytime." Malarkey.

3. whythefuckdoyouhaveakid.com

Really, why? Enforcing mandatory vasectomies seems like a swell idea.

4. apartmenttherapy.com

I seriously can't wait to get my own house, so I too can create my very own sanctuary....first step: get a better job!

5. rottentomatoes

Many of you may already frequent this review site, but it offers heck of a better review of movies than people who suggested I see Paranormal Activity or 2012 (I won't get that money back nor can I rid myself of the shame, ever).

6. FUPENGUIN

Animals have never been more hilarious! The Animal Planet needs to get on this quick!

Nylon Pink's 'Lipstick'

Nylon Pink? The name sounds edgy and punk doesn't it? I was a little  curious when I first saw "Fwd: ***Alll Girl*** Asian Electro Rock band launches first music video!" on the subject heading of an e-mail I received from a friend. My thought process went something like "Electro rock and an ALL female Asian band? Cool, Represent, more power to them". But that went away as soon as I clicked the link to their video. I guess you can say they were going for an electro look. Sure, they were wearing nylon, lipstick, and pink colors, but the music, which is suppose to be the cornerstone of any band, was as synthetic as their name states and they were not an ALL GIRL crew.

The band starts off with lead singer Kaila Yu who also made an appearance in Fast and Furious 3 Tokyo Drift. Now a lot of you who fancy the import cars may also recognize the Taiwanese American from a car show or some JDM magazine. She first gained her notoriety as a car model and then moved on to be a Playboy model (no surprise there). The rest of the band members include DJ Shy on keyboards and turntables, Kit.E.Katt on bass, Theresa Houston on guitar, and rounding out with a Y chromosome carrier, drummer TJ McDonnell . Now each of these individuals personal accomplishments are not bad in their own right, but they just don't work well together as a unit. It's sort of like taking different types of candy and mushing them into one giant blob of icky.

I watched their music video for their single, Lipstick and although it may be okay to look at for a sec, something about it just didn't sit well with me besides Kaila's extreme use of an auto-tune throughout the entire song. They just seemed to reinforce the stereotypical Harajuku-cute-edgey-seductive Asian girl that you would see in the typical Hollywood portrayal of Asian women, such as Fast and Furious 3 Tokyo Drift. Now, I'm all for female empowerment, but not when it back tracks and labels people into boxes. Their Girl Power falls short because first off, contrary to the deceiving e-mail header I got, not every member is female (now The Spice Girls, they were Girl Power!). The video also brought to mind the notion of the "Dragon Lady", which has been a misogynistic stereotype of Asian women since the 1930s. For example, there's a part where they prey upon this white dude, led by their ferocious pack leader Kaila. Kaila brings the seduction, hyper sex appeal, and domineering prowess to subdue the unsuspecting hipster and orders her gang to beat him to the ground. Even her physical appearance sort of channeled a dragon-esque image with her dramatic, villainess makeup and metallic wings. Coincidence or maybe the UCLA Econ grad knew exactly what she was doing?

I commend their efforts and even give them kudos to the video because it was produced well, but the overall message fails to send a positive message to the APIA community and the society at large, not to mention the music scene. Now, I'm sure they'll appeal to a specific niche, like aspiring car models and people with Asian fetishes, but I don't think that it'll be enough to keep the band afloat.

Check out Nylon Pink's video, Lipstick

For more info. on the band visit them at myspace.com/nylonpink

There's Nosaj Thing!

Check this out!

Okay, did you see what I just saw and hear what I just heard from the video above? That visual test shoot alone was sensory bliss! Imagine what it would be like listening to an entire track or heaven forbid, an entire album? If you're a fan of Flying Lotus, I am more than sure you will thoroughly enjoy the magical elixir that is Nosaj Thing.

Gravitating from his settling grounds of Los Angles, Nosaj Thing has recently released his debut album, Drift. It features 12 tracks all jammed pack with space energy and the sensitivity that would tranquilize the wildest of hearts. Electronica, Experimental, Hip Hop, call it what you will, but it's the state of feeling that Nosaj evokes through his laptop and various other gadgets and gizmos that is so intricate and complex, it would probably take me a while just to learn the names. 

I first saw him perform live at the Second Year Anniversary Party for My Hollow Drum in Santa Ana along with other performances by Free The Robots. Both groups have APIA artists and they continue to grow a following in Orange County, L.A and the greater surrounding cities. With wires, speakers, and blinking lights of his tech tools, his performance was riveting from start to finish. If you have a chance to see him live, do it! Nosaj Thing will be touring around the U.S. and overseas, for information on his tour dates visit myspace.com/nosajthing.

And I'm Back!...sort of

alright, so i usually blog on other people's failures, but since i haven't been really observing worthy failures, i thought i should post my blog clips that were rejected from Hyphen Magazine. enjoy :D

Sorry friends :(

i'm on a hiatus, but i'll be back with more failures!

- vts

audio brainwash

i'm almost ashamed to say, but i really like the re-recorded song Jai Ho (You Are My Destiny) featuring the Pussycat Dolls. i know... shameful, shameful! damn it's catchy tune and uplifting beats! darn it's so bad, yet so good.

on to other news. who watches the watchmen? i did, last friday. i really didn't know what to expect exactly. i mean, i knew it was based off of a graphic novel and it dealt with superheroes. i didn't like it at first, but as the story unfolded i started to grasp the underlying theme behind it. this film investigates the image of the invincible superhero and takes them down from their ivory tower. it shows that they too have "real" problems and are just as vulnerable as the average civilian. i guess i don't have anything negative to say about the film, i mean it was well researched, constructed, and executed.

mtv's real world is a waste of time...F MINUS!

unusual sighting

i was walking outside today when i noticed something that i normally don't see flying gracefully in the sky above me. three seagulls were circling about here in the dessert. aren't seagulls suppose to be near the sea? it gave me a sense of relief for some reason...maybe because it reminded me of the beach.

F flat: i rear-ended a car while exiting a parking lot...f minus!

wait a hot damn minute!

a 13 year old father, a bat shit crazy woman giving birth to octuplets (6 kids prior), and a cat shit crazy throwing the biggest tantrum at an international airport in hong kong without being apprehended at all...what is the world coming to? is this just a small taste of the mayan calendar's prediction of an apocalypse?

F sharp:
i was thinking of going in disguise whenever i can sub, what do you all suggest?

F flat:
facebook gets a F MINUS because they want to screw it's users once again. yes, first they completely change the facebook layout and told us to "deal with it" and now this! screw you! i'd really like to throw a [book] at mark zuckerberg's [face].

he was singing about it all along

pop r&b heart throb chris brown was released after posting a $50,000 bail in LA after "allegedly" assaulting his current boo rihanna in his car after the clive davis pre-grammy event. i looked up double mint fun's discography and his latest album is filled with track titles that sound like they may reflect his violent alter-ego.

violence is never the answer and that's what deserves the
F MINUS....but, it's funny in certain contexts such as this:

c.b: hey boo, kiss kiss me.
riri: shut up and drive chris.
c.b: hold up, i'm gonna take you down if you don't gimme whatcha got!
riri: don't push up on me or i'm going to break it off and call for SOS!
c.b: what b****? you think you can run it? oh imma take you down!
riri: disturbia!

tanning it up!

it is hotter than a witch's crotch out here and it's suppose to be WINTER?! gee whiz man, thanks to the previous generations who attributed to global warming (i'll exclude myself out of this category because i listened to everything captain planet told me), i now have to wear summer gear in the month of february...that is an F MINUS!

pretty soon, the earth's entire water supply is going to vanish into thin air. that's not fair! (i didn't intend to get a rhyme scheme going) i rarely drink soda. when people ask me "what do you want to drink?" or "what's your favorite drink?" i reply WATER without missing a beat, plain and simple. please try to be "green" as possible, really, not because it's trendy, but for the sake of the planet and most of all to quench my demanding thirst for sweet, sweet H2O.

next on my grading book: mr. michael phelps!!! so, sir. eight olympic freaking gold medals is in deep dookie because a photo of him smoking a bong was printed on an u.k magazine. i guess, now we know what else was making him eat 8,000 to 10,000 calories during training days, eh? yes, he might loose a few million in endorsements, but he's still a hero in my eyes dammit.

F MINUS for any person that judges him solely on that bong charge, besides he was just doing it to give other swimmers a handicap. oooh~ burn!

slumdog failure!

the film slumdog millionaire captivated every possible human emotion that exists. if you haven't seen it, what are you doing sitting on your toosh? get a move on! if you have seen & thoroughly enjoyed the film "city of god", you're going to like S.D.M.

so where's the failing in this blog? well that goes to none other than S.D.M director mr. danny boyle of the U.K. talk about exploitation? you know those kids who played the main characters of the film? well they're still living in the slums of mumbai and reports say they were grossly underpaid!

not cool sir boyle, for that you get a big, bold....F MINUS!

how many awards did your film receieve and still continues to rack in the dough? take care of the people who helped bring your vision alive.

doowop the mop

mtv's america's next best dance crew (abdc) is underway with another set of the same old dance crews from all over the country. what could be more exciting then this?

the unfortunate tragedy that is called lil mama... F MINUS!

it's almost like watching a baby walking around a well, you just don't know what's going to happen with that girl. you either show pity and wish you could help her or cover your eyes, but can not resist a good peek. not only does her eloquent use of the english language entertain me, which by the way i have dubbed "lil mama gramma", but her "frontin" meter is off the charts. she cried on the first taping of the season and i busted out in laughter because i thought she was trying to be ugly when commenting on a crew from her hometown (brooklyn, ny). the weeping and yowling was reminiscent of a dying giraffe and someone being "accidently" shot by dick cheney.

dear lil mama,

your lipgloss is not poppin, so please stop frontin. oh and please get a new stylist because you look like bow wow with a mop wig on.

sincerely,

vTs

bromance & an incompetent harpy

so i went into the masters and advanced credentials office @ the college of education to make sure that they had everything good to go as i prepare to fly into the "real world", only to be blocked by a wretched, shrew of a harpy named shani r. sims. that's right, she rightfully deserves an evaluation because quite frankly her attitude is for shits and her service grade should fall somewhere along the lines of, let's see..... F MINUS!

not only does she eat her own damn words, but she looks stupid. shut your face and yeah, keep stuffing it with that kfc chicken pot pie of yours while you're "working". not only is eating on the job unprofessional, it's disgusting watching you eat period. if anyone needs to get laid off because of the current economy, it shouldn't be the thousands upon thousands at these companies, it should be that "i don't know right from left" miss sims. you know what, you deserve a F MINUS in my grade book for the entire year.

in media culture news:

the mtv show "bromance" starring brody "what's his face" jenner....
F MINUS! nuff said.

vTs

the failing begins!

why not start a blog to make my mark on the magical monolith that is the internet? never mind formalities and syntax, matter of fact, screw it! as long as it looks and sounds nice. it is my disposition to use lower cases when i type, because i like to use the caps lock button for EMPHASIS! the instructor of the media culture now commences his grading.

aretha franklin sang at the president's inauguration today... F MINUS!

love that big mama and all, but that performance was sub(sandwich)par.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T dammit!

vTs