31 Days of Kindness Challenge

The last few months have been rough on most of us (at least for me). All you hear is the current recession, disasters, fighting and bickering around the world. This surely has dampened most spirits especially during this holiday.

So let us try to turn this around and end the year positively and maybe that will help us have a better outlook towards 2012. And that being said, I bring you.... 31 days of kindness challenge.

So what is 31 days of kindness? It is really simple, all you have to do is to do at least a one good deed per day for the entire month of December (hence 31 days). Now, most have a set of good deeds that you need to accomplish per day. Well, for this challenge.. you don't. Why? If you have to follow a set of deeds you have to accomplish, then you are almost forcing yourself to do it. And I don't want that. We already get to force to do things that we do not want to and I do not want to add to that.

How do you do this challenge?
Simple, just do a good deed

What am I hoping to accomplish?
I had a rough last few months and I want to end the year on a positive note. And I am hoping that this will inspire others who will then inspire more people and so on and so forth.

Let us end 2011 on a good and positive note.

Update: Oops, I forgot to add, if you want to share your random acts of kindness, you can do so by:

• Commenting on this blog post 
• Using twitter with the hashtag #31DaysofKindness
• Commenting on my Facebook Status 

Dec 01
-- Complimented someone on a great catch on an error
-- sent 39 $10 Gift cards to random people courtesy of Restaurant.com's Feed it Forward (you can also do so by going to https://feeditforward.restaurant.com/) 
Dec 02
-- Hold the door for a lady who was still 6 steps behind me
-- Gave a generous tip at both restaurants during lunch and dinner
-- sent 7 $10 Gift cards to friends + 33 to random people courtesy of Restaurant.com's Feed it Forward
Dec 03
-- Help a friend out
-- let a car come out of a driveway
-- sent 9 $10 Gift cards to friends + 31 to random people courtesy of Restaurant.com's Feed it Forward
-- help a friend understand a concept that I have not used since my college days  ^_^
Dec 04
-- Said hello to a complete stranger
-- sent 10 $10 gift e-cards to friends + 30 to random people courtesy of Restaurant.com's Feed it Forward
Dec 05
-- Help a colleague set up an mobile internet connection so that they could save money on their data plan
-- Gave recommendation on tablets/e-readers to a friend on what to give his wife for Christmas
-- Gave encouragements
-- Helped a friend by given pointers on how to proceed with their thesis
Dec 06
-- Aided couple of people with technology problems
-- sent 7 $10 gift e-cards to friends + 33 to random people courtesy of Restaurant.com's Feed it Forward
Dec 07
-- Fixed friend's laptop
-- sent 7 $10 gift e-cards to friends + 33 to random people courtesy of Restaurant.com's Feed it Forward
Dec 08
-- sent 9 $10 gift e-cards to friends + 31 to random people courtesy of Restaurant.com's Feed it Forward
Dec 09
-- gave directions to a stranger who was looking for an office
-- sent 40 $10 gift e-cards to random people courtesy of Restaurant.com's Feed it Forward
Dec 10
-- sent 3 $10 gift e-cards to friends + 37 to random people courtesy of Restaurant.com's Feed it Forward
Dec 11
-- help a stranger find an item in the store (I do not work for the store)
-- smiled at a stranger who smiled back
-- sent 3 $10 gift e-cards to friends + 37 to random people courtesy of Restaurant.com's Feed it Forward
Dec 12
-- gave directions to a stranger who was looking for an office
-- gave encouragement to a friend who is going through tough times
-- sent 4 $10 gift e-cards to friends + 36 to random people courtesy of Restaurant.com's Feed it Forward
Dec 13
-- gave encouragement to a friend who is going through tough times
-- sent 1 $10 gift e-cards to friend + 39 to random people courtesy of Restaurant.com's Feed it Forward
Dec 14
-- Change the water cooler at work on a bad back.
Dec 15
--  sent 1 $10 gift e-cards to friend + 39 to random people courtesy of Restaurant.com's Feed it Forward
Dec 16
-- gave my chair to a stranger in a restaurant
-- sent 4 $10 gift e-cards to friend + 36 to random people courtesy of Restaurant.com's Feed it Forward
Dec 17
-- gave direction to someone who was a bit lost
-- sent 3 $10 gift e-cards to friend + 37 to random people courtesy of Restaurant.com's Feed it Forward
Dec 18
-- bought coffee for a colleague
-- smiled at a stranger
-- help a pizza delivery person locate the person who he was bringing the order
Dec 19
-- help in wrapping 100 presents for less fortunate families so that they will have a Merry Christmas =)
Dec 20
-- finished a cookbook that a colleague asked me to help to create - colleague is giving them to their kids as Christmas presents.
-- sent 5 $10 gift e-cards to friend + 35 to random people courtesy of Restaurant.com's Feed it Forward
Dec 21
-- help an acquaintance with some computer-related problems
Dec 22
-- help in decorating for a Holiday party
-- sent 4 $10 gift e-cards to friend + 36 to random people courtesy of Restaurant.com's Feed it Forward
Dec 23
-- smiled at a stranger
-- sent 17 $10 gift e-cards to friend + 23 to random people courtesy of Restaurant.com's Feed it Forward
Dec 24
-- sent 17 $10 gift e-cards to friend + 23 to random people courtesy of Restaurant.com's Feed it Forward
-- gave presents 
Dec 25
-- help walk my friend's dog
-- gave presents
Dec 26
-- gave a stranger bus money so that he could get to his doctor's appt.
-- treated a friend to breakfast
-- gave a friend a pass to MoMa
-- let friends use my subway pass
-- treated new friends to drinks
Dec 27
-- help a friend fix their computer
Dec 28
-- help a friend with a problem
-- gave encouragements
Dec 29
-- gave gracious tips
-- help a friend with a computer problem
Dec 30
-- offered my seat to a stranger at the coffeeshop
Dec 31
-- shared gum with strangers
-- said Happy New Year to strangers
-- help stranger get up from sitting down on the street


Well, thats the year.. 31 Days of Kindness completed, hope you had tried to do the same. Happy New Year!

Recipe: Stuffed Mushroom

Thanksgiving is tomorrow and most of us will end up with leftovers. The ingredients for this recipe are mostly coming from leftovers. What you will just need are portobello mushrooms, pick ones that are more bowl-like.

Stuffed Mushroom

Ingredients

Portobello Mushrooms
Leftover Mashed Potato, Stuffings and Gravy
2+1 tbsp  minced Chives

Preparation
Clean the portobello mushrooms. Carefully break off stems. Finely chopped the steams. Make sure to discard the tough end of stems.
Heat up oil in skillet, place mushrooms caps hollow side down and let it saute for 5 minutes. Remove mushrooms and set aside
Heat up oil, saute mushroom stems and 2 tbsp chives. Mixed in mashed potato and stuffing and a little bit of gravy. Do not add too much or else it will become soupy. Saute for 5 minutes.
Arrange the mushrooms in a plate with hollow side up. Generously fill the mushroom caps with the mixture. Sprinkle with the rest of the chives.
Served with the rest of the gravy on the side.

Enjoy!

Movie Review: Immortals

Immortals, a 3D movie loosely based on Greek Mythology stars Henry Cavill as Theseus, a man who will lead the Athenian to battle against Hyperion (Mickey Rourke), the Heraklion King of Crete, who declared war against Olympus after the Gods fail to save his family from illness. Theseus will meet Phaedra (Freida Pinto), a virgin oracle priestess who foresee his future and Stavros (Stephen Dorff) a thief. Together,they will head to Mount Tartarus and try to stop Hyperion in using the Epirus Bow and unleash the Titans to destroy the Gods and Greece.

Immortals is a pretty interesting movie. It uses characters from Greek Mythology yet the plot and story is not based on the myth. The film's scenery, costume design and CGI was amazing. The fight sequence was choreographed well - almost taken from 300 - and with using 3D technology, you feel like you are within the film with every blood splatter and battle sequence even though some of them were almost unreal.

Most of the actors played their part really well. Henry Cavill did an excellent job acting and portraying Theseus as well as Mickey Rourke on his portrayal of Hyperion. The film's direction was easy to follow even though it was a bit slow.

So would I recommend it? If you are an action junkie and would not mind that the movie is not based on Greek Mythology even though the characters are. Then yes, you will definitely love this movie.

Immortals website

Rough weeks...can I blame her?

So ever since my ex chose work over me, I have had strings of bad luck. My phone reset itself thus losing all my messages and files. Then I lost power for five days, and when I finally got my power back, my kitchen sink decided to spew out and almost flooded my kitchen (luckily I was home). And if those weren't enough, I hurt my lower back playing ball (rarely happens) and got kneed on my thigh which is no bueno.

So can I blame her for all of this?

Hopefully no more bad things...

Things To Do During Power Outages!

Updated: November 4

Another power outage... and this time, its for the long haul. My power has been out three five days and might not get restored for another two days due to that freak snowstorm that pounded my area this weekend.

So putting a positive spin on things.. here are some tips to do during power outages

• Have a candle-lit dinner especially with your love ones. 
• If you are with a group, have one of those Dining in the Dark concept that has been popping up all over the place. You don't even need a blindfold since its so dark. And you do not have to worry about plate presentation.
• Of course if you do own an electric range, then no power means no cooking. Get some take-outs, mix and match the dishes. See what you can come up with.
• Clean out your fridge (which I will be doing soon) since most items will be spoiled after two days of no power. Remember, food is much cheaper than getting stomachache and needing to go to the emergency room. And if you are home when power goes out and know that it wont be back at least for two days, have a big food feast!
• During daylight, do some dusting around your place. Better yet, do a whole house dusting.
• Clean out your closet and dresser, donate unwanted clothes to charity. Remember the rule, if you have not worn something twice, that means you are not wearing them anymore. 
• For families, bring out the classic board games such as Snakes and Ladders, Monopoly, Sorry or Scrabble. You can also bring out Pictionary but it might be harder to play it during the dark. 
• If its warm outside, bring out the lounge chair and enjoy some fresh airs. Read a book when its still light out. If it gets dark and you are afraid of getting bitten by mosquitoes, get those repellents. 
• If its warm outside, invite friends over and just chill... 
• Read a book.. light permitting.. don't want you to ruin your eyes.
• Write and when I say write, I mean with pen and paper. Time to get back to the old school way of writing. 
• Think.. yep, think of the things you want to do with your life and see if you have achieve them. If not, think of ways to help you achieve those goals. Think Think Think
• Do some bbqs weather permitting and if you are permitted to do one. Actually, you can bbq even if its cold. You are satisfying your hunger while getting warmth - Two birds in one stone.
• Memorize lyrics to a song.. or songs.. so you will be ready for your next karoake
• Learn shadow puppetry... it should be fun... be creative

I am sure there are more options but the coffee shop I am in is closing so this is the end for the tips. 
I thought of more things to do in the dark since that's all I can do for now...

• Make your own candle - with all the melted wax you will be having, you can customized your candle in various shapes and sizes. And you are saving money for reusing the melted wax instead of buying new ones.
• If you live with your partner, there is one thing that you can surely do. The three letter word - S-E-X. And if its cold, what a better way to warm up by using each other's body heat. And the darkness will just heighten your arousal. And you are using more of your touch and feel sense rather than what you see. Could we say... hot!
• Board games are fun but you can also go for other games such as Rock-Paper-Scissors and Hand Slap but this are also light permitting games. 
• Meditate or do Yoga - you don't have anything to stop you now.

I'll think of more tips since it does not look like I will get power back soon.

Book Review: Under the Dome

I did this review a year ago and decided to republished it on this blog....

I finished reading Stephen King's latest novel Under the Dome last night. It took me awhile but I have a good reason - its 1,072 pages long - the third longest science fiction novel he had written behind The Stand (1,153 pages) and It (1,138 pages). This, of course, does not include the Dark Tower Series.

Anyway, the novel is set in the town of Chester Mill with population of 2,000 during the winter and 13,000 during the summer. Dale "Barbie" Barbara, an ex-Army lieutenant and now a cook at the Sweetbriar Rose, was going to skip town after a confrontation with Junior Rennie and his friends. Junior Rennie is the son of the second selectman, James "Big Jim" Rennie. As he was about to cross the boundary, the town is suddenly surrounded by an invisible dome cutting them off from the entire world. What follows was chaos with James Rennie, the power hungry selectman instilling anarchy by hiring Junior's friends and transforming the PD into his own private army. He didn't stop there as he started a propaganda against Barbara, who by then was promoted to colonel and given the authority by the president to run the town. Big Jim pinned the murders, violence, the illegal drugs and the dome to Barbara, making him the scapegoat for what was happening to the town. During the dome days, the children were getting epileptic shocks shouting messages. Little did they know that this messages were about an impending doom. During the Visitors Day, Big Jim sends some of his army to take back the propane tanks from the his illegal drug making facility. But Phil Bushey, also known as the Chef, and Andy Sanders, the town first selectman, made a stand and at the end, press the garage door button creating a huge explosion and incinerating the whole town. Those who survive the initial blast were killed by the poison air. In the end, only 25 survive the ordeal.

Under the Dome was excellent and enjoyable with Stephen King's style all over the entire novel. You will be intrigue at first which would make you want to read the book from cover to cover. The novel has a little bit of all from drama to action to comedy. The book is thick yet it felt lighter as you dive into it deeper. This book was initiated in the 70s and scrapped. But I am glad Mr. King decided to rekindled this idea in 2007 and came up with this book. The story telling was superb, the setting was almost real even though its science fiction. Overall, I would highly recommend the novel. And when you get it, be sure you have a lot of free time because you will have to do a lot of reading.

Title: Under the Dome
Author: Stephen King
Genre: Science Fiction
Pages: 1,072 pages  + 2 pages of Author's note

Publish Date: November, 2009
Media Type: Hardcover, Collectors Edition Hardcover and Audiobook
Publisher: Scribner
ISBN: 978-1439148501

Stephen King's website

Recipe: Breakfast Sushi

Who says you cannot have sushi in the morning? You can have it the entire day. Here is a simple recipe that you can easily make every morning.

Ingredients:
5 Roasted Seaweed sheet
10 oz Pictsweet Southwest Vegetables with Corn and Black Beans and Authentic Mexican Seasoning
1/2 cup Sargento Authentic Mexican Cheese Mix
1 Ham

Preparation:
1. Cook Southwest Vegetables with Corn and Black Beans as directed in the package.
2. Heat oil in a saute pan. Add in Southwest Vegetables into the pan and saute until all the juice evaporates.
3. Lower the heat. Add in the cheese and let it melt.
4. Meanwhile, place a seaweed sheet on a plate or cutting board. Place Ham on top of the seaweed. Spoon the vegetable-cheese mix.
5. Roll up the sushi, pressing forward to shape the sushi into a cylinder. Cut into pieces with a sharp knife.

Enjoy

Breakfast Sushi

Movie Review: Contagion

Contagion, a thriller about a deadly disease that rapidly spread across the globe being transmitted through fomite transmission and killed millions in a matter of days. As the disease spread epidemically, a group of international doctors races to find a cure and control the paranoia that was spreading faster than the virus.

Directed by Steven Soderbergh  (Erin Brockovich, Ocean's Eleven), the American thriller stars an ensemble cast led by Matt Damon as Mitch Emhoff, a Minneapolis man who's wife Beth (played by Gwyneth Paltrow) returned from a business trip from Hong Kong and dies but not before spreading the unknown disease along the way and even killing her son, Mitch. Meanwhile, deaths were being recorded from Asia to Europe and the World Health Organization sent Dr. Leonora Orantes (Marion Cotillard), an epidemiologist to Hong Kong to find out where the sickness originated. Meanwhile, Dr. Ellise Cheever (Laurence Fishburne) of the CDC sent Dr. Erin Mears (Kate Winslet), an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer to Minneapolis to begin their own investigation as CDC scientist Dr. Ally Hextall (Jennifer Ehle) figures out a vaccine before the disease spreads and kills more.

The movie is quite interesting but I expected more ump to the movie. The story line was easy to follow even though the movie was quite slow and could almost not be considered as a thriller. The plot lines were more involved with conspiracies ranging from biological warfare to government conspiring with pharmaceutical companies (sub-plot with Jude Law as Alan Krumwiede, a freelance journalist). Acting was excellent across the board and cinematography was amazing. But the film just did not even got near the level of expectation I had.

"The average person touches their face three to five times every waking minute... " 

Recipe: Vegetable in Plum Sauce

This recipe is for veggie lovers out there. I use four different vegetables in the mix and its easy to make.

Ingredients:
4 Plum tomatoes, diced
Bunch of Kale Greens, stems and leaves coarsely chopped
2 Red Peppers, sliced with seeds remove
6 oz assorted mushrooms
1/2 in of ginger, sliced
Pepper
Canola Oil
4 tbsp Chinese Style 5Spice Plum Sauce

Preparation:
- Heat oil in a wok or a deep saute pan. Add in ginger and saute for one minute.
- Add in tomatoes and peppers, saute for three minutes
- Add in Kale and mushrooms, toss and combine. Cover and cook for five minutes
- Add in plum sauce and pepper, toss for two minutes or until sauce is well distributed
- Serve as is.

You can also serve this with either rice or noodles. Or as a side dish to a poultry dish.

9-11 We Remember

It's been 10 years since the 9-11 attacks - and its still fresh in my mind what I did that day when the country was put into chaos due to the terrorist attacks. I wrote this poem the 1st year anniversary of the 9-11 attacks while sitting in the bus on my way to work.

Electric Zoo 2011

What a way to end the summer with Electric Zoo - New York's own Electronic Dance Music Festival held at Randall's Island for the third straight year. Made Event expanded the two-day festival to a three day event this year which meant three days of electronic dance music ranging from house to techno to dub to trance. But it wasn’t just about edm since there were quite a few surprise acts.

I kick off day one early, due to some uncertainties but made my way to the venue without any hassle. One of the changes Made Event did was adding more transport options to and fro the island. Instead of just having the city buses shuttling people, Made event added their own shuttle service as well as a ferry service running all throughout the weekend. Big props!

If you have not been to Electric Zoo before, you would not know the dust problems of the previous year. To keep it short, when festival goers start dancing, the air was filled with dust and dirt. And those can get into places you don’t want them to. You get the picture right?

Made Event addressed this issue by greening up the grounds as well as placing flooring on each tent. They also move back the main stage - creating more space and allowing festival goers to dance on pavement rather than on the grass. More room to roam and less dust flying all over the place. Major props!

The Main Stage sure looks bigger this year and was push back further to allow more space for people to dance around. And they got three humongous tents representing Sunday School, Hilltop Arena and Redbull Riverside. But I am not sure what Made Event was thinking when they place all the three tents parallel to each other and so close that you can easily hear the beats from each tent. And what happen to the School Bus?

So to begin my three day EDM journey, I stopped by Sunday School Tent or “Carl Cox & Friends take over Sunday School “ and caught Nicole Moudaber, the only female DJ I saw during the three day event. Her set was upbeat composed mainly of House and Techno tunes. And I also had a chance to meet her. Next up was BT on the Main Stage. The Godfather of EDM performed with his “Laptop Symphony” which included a live performance by Jes, a drummer and BT himself playing the keyboard while mixing. His set was filled with electrobeats and mashups dropping tunes such as I’m Feelin It In The Air (a tune he collaborated with Morgan Page, Ned Shepard and Sultan with vocals by Angela McCluskey) and a catchy new tune which I am guessing is entitled “Catch Me If You Can.” BT sang along to These Silent Hearts, The Emergency and Love Comes Again, a tune he collaborated with Tiesto. Jes performed Awaken and Made of Love, which was the finale to an amazing set.

Next on my schedule were Gaz and Markus so I headed to Hilltop Arena and got a chance to listen to Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano. The Dutch duo pretty much rocked Hilltop with a good mix of deep and funky house. Gareth Emery was up next and the tent suddenly got packed. Mr. Garuda opened with Vision by Ashley Wallbridge and continued on with a great mix of trance, house, dubstep and progressive tunes as well as tunes from his Northern Lights album. I was caught by a surprise when Gaz dropped Ben Gold’s Big Sky remix. Never thought I would hear this tune live. Gareth Emery close out his set with a dub tune - the Skrillex’s remix of Promises by Nero. Oh and CDJ didn’t fail this time.

If Gaz brought out Garuda, Markus Schulz brought out Coldharbour. There was a little glitch at the beginning of Markus’ set but that did not stop the crowd from dancing the entire time with tunes from his Coldhardbour, Dakota pseudo and a good mix of old and new tunes. Markus opened with Katowice and dropped Digital Madness, 507, Sleepwalkers, Rotunda and Saints as well as various Mashups (Lethal Traversing, Superstar Camshaft and Avion Skank) and Big Room Reconstruction (Caress 2 Impress, The New World). He ended his set with Outsider by Beat Service.

Got a chance to catch a breather before heading back to the Main Stage to see Moby. Now, Moby surprise me last year because I never expected that he could spin tunes so well. And he surely surprise me again this year with a set filled with House and Electro beats such as Fukkk Offf’s Rave Is King, Bassjackers’ Mush Mush, Bonsai Kat’s Egotripping and R3hab’s Prutataaa. And based on the crowd reaction, he had a sick set.

And back to Sunday School for Carl Cox. The Sunday School tent was the smallest of all the three tents and I feel like Mr. Cox should be in one of the bigger tents, if not, the Main Stage. But in any event, he still packed Sunday School with his massive bassline, acid house beats and hard style techno dropping tunes such as Rob Threezy’s Chicago on Acid, Joe Brunning’s Let Me See You Work and Josh Wink’s Higher State of Consciousness.This is only the second time I have seen Carl Cox live and he surely made me a follower.

Carl Cox

Sad though that I didn't get a chance to see Martin Solveig. He did not made it to the festival due to back injury that force him to cancel his U.S. Tour. Hope you get better Mr. Solveig.

Day one in the books. Two more days to go...

Second day was spend mostly at Hilltop Arena Tent with Zack Roth, Mat Zo, Sean Tyas, Simon Patterson, Andy Moor, ATB and Ferry Corsten. I did manage to make my way to the Main Stage to catch Sander Van Doorn and Above and Beyond.

Being the DJ when the doors just open must be tough since you are playing in a very sparse crowd especially in a massive tent. But the good thing about it is that you can experiment.That’s what Zack Roth did during his set mixing tunes like Off the System by Bambook, Rosetta by Rodskeez, Monotony by Nikko Z & Chris Mozio and Undiscovered by Lemontrip. What a set to start day two.

Next up was Mat Zo. I had high expectation from the 21 year old DJ from England because of his stunning productions. I might have set it too high but Mat Zo still had a good set dishing out tunes such as Vengeance Vengeance by Leon Bolier, Mokba by Cirez D and Ask the Cat by Heatbeat while mixing in his own tunes such as Superman, Frequency Flyer and closing with his mashup of Satellite Dynamics.

Next on my lineup list was the back-to-back set of Sean Tyas and Simon Patterson. I first heard them together at another music festival and was blown away. I think it was the best non-duo set I have ever heard. And I am glad I had a chance to see Tyas and Patterson together once more. They brought massive beats and melodies and seamless transition that would made you think that they do this regularly. Some of the tunes they dropped where Taxi, Ummet’s Reboot, Depeche Mode’s Personal Jesus and Tyas Remix of classic Suburban Train by Tiesto. And not to mention For the Most Part, a collaboration they did in 2009.

I made my way to Main Stage to catch Sander van Doorn’s set. SvD opened with Kendo and the crowd was instantly hooked to his set of trance, electro, and house music. He dropped tunes by Bassjackers (Mush Mush), Nero (Guilt), Tiesto (Work Hard, Play Hard), Alesso & Sebastian Ingrosso (Calling), Dada Life (White Noise, Red Meat) and Marcus Schossow (Acid, Festival, Champagne, B*tches) as well as his tunes - Reach Out, Koko, Drink to Get Drunk and Renegade.

Had to ran back to Hilltop to catch Andy Moor. His set featured vocal and uplifting trance. Mr. Moor opened with the Protoculture’s remix of Black is the New Yellow and proceeded with tunes such as Acting Crazy by TyDi, The Theme by Cosmic Gate and Fight the Fire, his tune with Sue McLaren. It was getting too crowded at Hilltop by the end of his set due to the next act (Skrillex) but I am pretty sure Moor made them know that he can throw it down hard. It truly was Less Talking, Moor Music.

Back to Main Stage for Above and Beyond, the trance superstar was off to a great start dropping tunes from their Group Therapy album such as Prelude, Sun & Moon, You Got to Go and Thing Called Love as well as some classic tunes such as Home, Buzz and On a Good Day. Sadly though, their set got predictable half-way through.

I took a break after their set, grab some grubs before catching Andre Tanneberger, or better known as ATB. ATB had a sub-par performance at electric zoo last year. But that totally change this year mixing his classic hits like Ecstasy and 9AM with tracks from his Distant Earth album. ATB got the crowd going with his showmanship urging the crowd to bring the noise level up and kept the crowd moving throughout his set.

And finally, the last DJ for the second day is Ferry Corsten, one of the famous Dutch DJs in the world. Festival goers got attracted to his up-tempo, big room trance and house sound. And he surely did not disappoint the crowd with a great selection of tunes such as Reboot, Madagascar and Down Under while interjecting his own tunes such as Feel It, Check It Out, Punk, Take Me and Beautiful. He got the crowd singing when he drop the Bootleg version of Scientist and surprise everyone dropping Bart Claessen and Tom Fall’s bootleg of Massive Attack’s Teardrop.
He closed out his set with the massive hit, Made of Love, a tune that would forever be embedded in my brain. I just wonder why the second day headliner, Guetta, did not close out this day?

Day two is finally over, will I have enough to last day three?

Ferry Corsten

With my sore feet and raspy voice, I headed to Randall’s Island for the final day to the festival. This time - it will be moslty trance.

The day started at the Redbull Riverside tent with Jaytech dropping melodic tunes to kick start the day. The Anjunabeats artist dropped a good mix of tunes such as Daquiri’s Lily and Boom Jinx & Andrew Bayer’s By All Means coupled with his own tunes such as Djembe and Groove Nova and a remix of Eternal Sequence. Next up were Finnish duo Super8 & Tab, part of the Anjunabeats family. The duo opened up with their remix of Days and proceeded with a good mixture of trance and progressive tunes. They surely surprise me when they dropped two classic tunes - Above and Beyond’s Can’t Sleep and Paul van Dyk’s Nothing But You. Overall, they surely got the crowd pumped and ready for some more sets.

There’s no party without Arty and it surely was. The 21 year old blew up Redbull Riverside Tent with his set of mashups, remixes and collab tunes not to mention the amazing the L.E.D. display that lit up the tent. The crowd was so intense that security had to start dousing cold water to battle the summer heat inside the tent. He opened with the Myon and Shane 54 mashup of She Gave Strangers Happiness and played tunes such as the Eric Prydz remix of Personal Jesus, Dash Berlin remix of Not Giving Up On Love, First State Bashup of Koko Prutataaa and his remix of New York New York . Arty dropped his tunes such as Kate, Around the World and Rebound, a tune he collaborated with Mat Zo. He also dropped mashups such as C’Mon Me and You, and Catch the Flashback. He close with a classic tune, Tiesto’s Adagio for Strings. Arty surely set the standard for the rest of the festival.

Needing a break, I headed up to the Main Stage to catch Calvin Harris. Started a bit slow but he picked up the tempo with electro-house tunes that got the crowd fist-pumping through Awooga, Flashback, Miami 2 Ibiza, I’m Not Alone, You’ve Got the Love and Bounce. I think Calvin Harris got bitten by the classic bug as well as he dropped Darude’s Sandstorm during the middle of his set. The king of Electro-pop close out his set with Feel So Close.

I did not know who EDX was before today and it was just by a chance that I happen to check his set out. EDX had a good mixture of trance, progressive and house tunes. I only caught the last half of his set where he dropped tunes such as Kaskade’s mashup of Angel on my Shoulder Reaver 76, Nicky Romero’s Remix of Flash and the Avicii Remix of Drowning. He got the tent shaking when he dropped the Hardwell’s mashup of Prutataaa At Night.

Arty set the bar for the Redbull Riverside tent, Michael Woods upped that bar with his progressive and tech-house set. He got the crowd singing when he dropped Otherside vs. Metrum and Kaskade’s mashup of Move For Me vs. First Aid. He got the crowd jumping and fistpumping through Zero 76, his remix of Bounce, I Wish and Bullet. He ended his banging set with Black Strip.

They are back together again - Gabriel & Dresden, the next DJ up on the Redbull Riverside Tent. The duo open with Ascending, the first track on their album Mixed for Feet Vol 1 and continued with their mashups of Beautiful Good Dream, Tracking Civilization Down and Dust in the Control Room. They surely got the crowd singing with As the Rush Comes. I did not stay the entire set though as me and my friends want to take a break before making our way to the main stage for the grand act of them all.

We made our way to the main stage during Afrojack’s set. This Dutch DJ drop some pretty sick tunes such as Silvio Ecomo & Chuckie’s Moombah with Daft Punk’s Technologic and Aerodynamic and Alesso & Sebastian Ingrosso’s Calling. He dropped a new song before closing out with R3hab’s remix of Give Me Everything, a mashup of Replica and Rolling In the Deep and Tiesto’s Maximal Crazy.

What a way to close out a music festival with the number one DJ in the world, Armin van Buuren. The headliner of the third day and I would say the best I have heard Armin this year. He totally blew me away with his set composed addictive trance tunes. He opened with Mansion and proceeded in dropping tunes such as Rotunda, Vengeance Vengeance, The Blue Theme, Viking and Terrace 4 A.M. that got the crowd dancing throughout the night. He got the crowd singing with Fallen Angel, Not Over Yet and These Silent Hearts. The highlight of his set was when the pyrotechnics and confetti rain down on the crowd when he dropped Shogun’s Skyfire.

He dropped his mashup of Beautiful Ashes before closing his amazing set with another mashup - In and Out of Love vs. Raw Deal. And with the crowd, including I, chanting “One more song.” Armin came out and dropped This Light Between Us. I was just mesmerized by his set and ended up with wobbly legs and a coarse voice but it was worth it. And let me say this: This is How You Close Out A Festival!

Armin van Buuren

Another Electric Zoo ends, another great festival in the books. Wish they would do something about the Water Stations since the lines can get pretty long. But at least I did not have to worry about dust and dirt that much this time around. Best sets goes out to Armin van Buuren, Arty, Ferry Corsten, Andy Moor, EDX, BT, Carl Cox, Moby and Michael Woods.

Best set goes to Armin van Buuren followed by Arty, Ferry Corsten, Andy Moor, EDX, BT, Carl Cox, Moby and Michael Woods.

Update: TranceHub adapted my Electric Zoo Festival review and you can read it from here

Irene Aftermath

Im writing this entry in a Starbucks near my place, the reason, Hurricane Irene or Tropical Storm Irene. Nope, I didn't lost power but I lost all my communication outside the world - well, not entirely all since I could still talk and text. But I had to drive here just to be able to connect to the Internet.

And I am not alone. I got to Starbucks and its a mad house. Here is the funny thing, no one lost their power during Irene's landfall. I didn't lose power not it even the lights flickered when the storm arrived on Saturday night till Sunday morning. The sun eventually came out by Sunday noontime that I even decided to go for a run around the neighborhood just to see the extent of the damage brought by Irene (which wasn't that bad). But the wind surely picked up in the afternoon, if I am not mistaken, gust of about 40-50 mph. I was literally running with my eyes looking both ways and ears perked up just to ensure that I wont be caught by a falling branch or even a tree. I got home safely but I could definitely here the winds pounding the trees.

So this morning, I woke up happily knowing that power was still on and there are no downed trees where I live. But then I found out that I lost my TV and Internet service. I was ok with it at first since I was going to work but I got to work and found out that we have to turn around since there is no power at work and they wont let anyone into the facilities. And thus, I ended up at Starbucks with my trusty laptop on hand to do some work.

Downed tree near my neighboorhood -
guess I wont be running on this street for awhile

Found out from a fellow seated beside me at the patio that he lost power since 6pm last night and that he only lives one street away from me. We scour online to check out our local power company and there is was, a message stating the at least 26,000 residence have lost power in our county and some wouldn't get their power back till Friday due to the extensive damage done by Irene. At least he had a good outlook for this, he was going home and drinking all the beers in his fridge before they get warmed. (LOL!!)

So I should not complain too much since at least I have power while most will not have it till Friday. And we all thought Irene didn't do damage - we all thought wrong.

Update: Here is a tree and lawn uprooted around my neighborhood.. woow!

Recipe: Tortellini with Spinach and Tomatoes

This is an easy to make recipe since I used store-brought frozen tortellini and pasta sauce while still incorporating   tomatoes, garlic and onions I got from a farmers market.

Ingredients:
10 oz frozen tortellini
24 oz Pasta Sauce (I used Mushroom with this recipe but you can use plain if you prefer)
1 large Yellow Onion
1 dozen Grape Tomatoes
6 fresh basil leaves
1 large bunch Spinach leaves, cleaned and drained
2 tsp oil

Preparations:
1. Prepare tortellini as instructed in package.
2. Meanwhile, diced onions, slice the grape tomatoes in half and chopped the basil.
3. Drain tortellini when its cooked
4. Heat oil in a pan. Saute onions, basil and tomatoes for 5 minutes.
5. Add in spinach leaves and saute for a one minute. Cover and cooked for two minutes or until the spinach leaves are wilted.
6. Add in the cooked tortellini and saute for a minute
7. Pour in pasta sauce. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
8. Sprinkle with some basil flakes

Tortellini with Spinach and Tomatoes

Variation: if you want to add meat, you can diced bacon or ham and saute it with onions and tomatoes.

Enjoy!

The Good..The Bad.. The last two months

The last three months have been a roller coaster ride for me. I let in someone to my life only to lose someone else.

In June, I met a girl almost out of coincidence. What happen was that there was a DJ playing at a club and it happened to be my special day. But I was planning a trip that following week so I was contemplating of skipping checking out the DJ days before the event. But the day of the event, somehow, I have a feeling that I should just go and enjoy the event. So I went and little did I know that I will be in a relationship with the girl I met that night. It seems like we were meant to meet that night since she followed a friend of mine to the club and I am glad she did.

Everything was going well until I received a phone call in July about my dad's deteriorating health. His health was up and down, one day he is alright, the next day he does not know anyone. And then the last week of July, my dad passes away - cancer being the culprit. That was a tough one.

Those two months were indeed a roller coaster ride..

He is gone.. He is in peace.. He live a great life..

My dad is a fighter every since he was young. Being the eldest in his family, he was task to take care of his own family when his dad died while he was still young. I still remember the stories of how he started working right after high school - foregoing basketball (and he was good at it) and college - and just work so that his siblings where able to go and pursue a better education and live a good life. 

My dad wasn't rich but he just had enough to give my mom, and us a good and decent life. We didn't have fancy clothes, cars or house but he was able to provide us with a happy life. My dad was hard on us but he was so that we could grow up to become stronger person especially me. I still remember playing a game of hoops against his team. I went for a layup and next thing I know, I was on the floor on my back and the first thing he said... Get Up, Its Your Fault!. I never fully understand why he didn't ask me if I was alright or whether I was hurt. And I was hurt for the fact that he thought it was my fault. But I think I know why he was that, he wanted me to be tougher and stronger. To fight when I need to and stop being too shy and timid.

Even though he was tough, he always had that softer and gentler side of him. I still have fond memories of the whole family sitting at the dinner table and just laughing while we all share a common meal. Or the family time on Sundays where we would just go to a restaurant, preferably a buffet, and just eat and eat and eat for hours that I think the place would close down because of us or head to the province to relax, swim and drown ourselves in seafood (btw, my dad was a seafood connoisseurs.)

Now he is gone, he didn't get a chance to see how I have become. I know he would have been proud of me.

He is gone.. He is in peace.. He live a great life..

Rest In Peace Pops!

Cirque Du Soleil - O

"O," a Cirque du Soleil production is the third Cirque show I have seen. The theatrical production was breathtaking with various acrobat acts and aquatic tapestry. The production resides at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. 

Directed by Franco Dragone and conceived in 1998, O uses one of nature elements in their production - water. The stage is a 25 feet deep pool with lifts that allow performers to do their various acts whether it be in water or on land as the stage transforms into a pool or a dry conventional stage. O follows Guifa who's adventure transports him into another realm where all his dreams comes true where he meets Eugen, the guardian of the theatre, Le Travesti, the Masked Thief, L'Allume, The Zebras, the Comets and Aurora.  The L'Allume is man who seems like he does not care that he is on fire.  Reading through the Cirque guide, Mr. Ray Wold, who portrays the fire starter has been in all 'O' production since Day 1. 

The show is filled with acts from synchronized swimmers to world-class acrobats. Some of the acts include the Aerial Hoops where performers are suspended in air only using circular hoops to do their acrobatic acts over the pool.  Then there was the barge with eight gymnast performing acts that included balancing on each others body parts - I remembered one part of the act where three performers balance each other on each other but in such a way that you thing it was unreal. Then there is the Bateau or an aerial ship that was used for aerial cradle and parallel bars where the performers fly and catch each other. 

Since the production does require time to change stages, O has two clowns who are friends. They started showing up right before the show starts acting out different skits throughout the theater such as pretending its raining and opening an umbrella with a hole. They surely had a comedic act to the show especially when they are floating around in a submerged home. 

Another act that I truly admire was the contortionists and the duo trapeze. But I think the breathtaking act was the High Dive act - jumping as high as the theater down to the pool in precise areas that got the crowd stuck on their seats. 

So if you happen to be in Las Vegas, go and check out Cirque's O and you surely will not be disappointed. 

Cirque du Soleil site

O site

Bellagio Hotel site

Las Vegas

Vegas Baby!!

Markus Schulz at Pacha

Markus Schulz came back to New York City for another edition of his Global DJ Broadcast World Tour. And he surely didn't disappoint churning tunes for five hours right inside Pacha New York City.

I got to Pacha and the crowd was already being treated to some progressive trance with Zack Roth and Jason Jollins manning the decks together. Both DJs surely pumped the crowd up with thumping beats.

Then Markus took over the decks at 1AM and started with the tune Katowice under his alias Dakota and part of this new album Thought Become Things II. He would end up playing a couple more of Dakota tunes such as Sleepwalkers, Koolhaus, Capetown, and of course Sinners. He played Sinners twice, playing the original first then the remix later. Other tunes he played were:

• Skytech - Sirens
• Beat Service - Outsider
• Zombie Nation - Kernkraft 400 (Chris Schweizer Bootleg Mix)
• Arnej pres. 8 Wonders - X (Space Rockerz Remix)
• Artento Divini pres. DTC vs. Delerium - Lift Off Silence (Markus Schulz Mashup)
• Mario Hammer ft.Asheni - Life Before the Earthquake
• Sander van Doorn vs. Afrojack & R3hab - Koko Prutata (First State Mashup / Markus Schulz Edit)
• Armin van Buuren ft Christian Burns - This Light Between Us (Markus Schulz Big Room Reconstruction)
• Markus Schulz - The New World (Super8 & Tab Remix)
• Markus Schulz & Justine Suissa vs. Tomcraft & Jerome Isma-Ae - Perception in the Redlight District (Markus Schulz Mashup)
• Who.Is - Cryptanalysis
• Skytech - Sirens
• Klauss Goulart - Turbulence

He then closed with his remix of Rank 1's Breathing. My feet was hurting and my calf muscles sore - it just mean I had a great time dancing all night long.

And I even got a pic with him 

Lunar Eclipse

Full Lunar Eclipse happen today, June 15, 2011. It was heralded as the longest and deepest total lunar eclipse seen in more than a decade.

It was mostly visible in Asia, some parts of Europe and Africa. Luckily, Google and Slooh partnered to broadcast a live feed of the Lunar Eclipse. These are some of the screen shots I got. Prior and during the eclipse

Recipe: Crab Omelet Sandwich

I love to make breakfast especially during the weekends when I don't have to wake up early for work. This morning, I made me a Crab Omelet Sandwich. Sounds fancy huh? Nah, it is really easy to make.

Ingredients:

2 large eggs

1/2 cup Monterrey cheese
3 parsley stems
2 Trans-Ocean Crab Classic, Leg Style
1 tsp salt
2 whole wheat bread slices

Preparation:
Heat oil in a skillet.
Add eggs in a bowl. Beat vigorously for 2 minutes. Add in Monterrey Cheese. salt and a leaves of one parsley stem.
Add mixture into the skillet. Let it sit for until the first hint of setting begins. With a wooden spoon, start to scrape the eggs from the edge of the pan to the center, forming large soft curds. Continue scraping your spoon along the bottom of the pan to redistribute the eggs as they cook.
When the eggs look wet but are no longer liquid, gently mound the eggs into the center of the pan. Let is sit for 20 seconds before transferring it to a bowl.

To prepare the sandwich:
Place the slice bread on a plate. Top the bottom slice with some parsley leaves, then add scrambled eggs, top with the two crab legs, before topping it with some more scrambled eggs and the bread slice.

Enjoy

Crab Omelet Sandwich

Movie Review: The Hangover 2

Hangover II, the sequel to Hangover follows Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), Alan (Zach Galifianakis) and Doug (Justin Bartha) as they head out to Thailand for Stu's wedding. Stu's plan was for a subdued party but little did he know that what happen in Las Vegas will happen again. This time, they woke up in a dingy hotel in Bangkok and lost Stu's soon to be brother-in-law, Teddy (Mason Lee). Phil, Stu and Alan  - along with Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong), now have to retrace their steps and figure out where Teddy is before going back to the island where Stu is set to marry Lauren (Jamie Chung).

I had high expectations before seeing this movie. Sequel should be more entertaining that the first right? But at the end of the movie, I was a little bit disappointed. 

Hangover II followed the same premise as the first one: Out of hand party - wake up the next morning without any knowledge of what happen - missing person and get an animal involve. At least this time, it was a monkey and not a tiger. 

The roles of each character was pretty much the same. Phil being the leader of the wolf pack, Stu being the one who has a different personality when he gets booze up and Alan being the reason why the night goes haywire. At least this time, Doug wasn't the one missing.

Don't get me wrong though, the movie still had funny moments with different scenery and more raunchy. But they could have added more to make it different from its predecessor. If you have not seen it, you are better off when it comes out in DVD or Netflix

Rating: 6 out of 10

Li Na - French Open Champion

History was made today when Li Na beat Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 7-6 (0) to become the first Chinese player to win Grand Slam Single Champion. It sure was a long time coming as Li Na came to the tournament seeded number six and played a great tournament trouncing her opponents in each round to get to the finals to face defending champion Schiavone. Both ladies played a great final and the second set was a battle. 

Getty Images

Dance Parade NYC 2011

Amazing diversity as seen to different dance styles...

Gareth Emery at Pacha

Gareth Emery

Gareth Emery finally made it to Pacha New York City last friday, May 13, 2011, 13 months after Mount Eyjafjallajökull exploded and its volcanic ashes halt all air flights in Europe, and he surely rocked the place out.

Gareth Emery

His three-hour set was a great mix of progressive and melodic trance couple with house tunes. He came in at 1 AM (Jason Jollins opened and closed that night) and open with an intro edit of his tune Arrival with Brute Force. He played tunes from his Northern Lights album and Northern Lights Re-Lit album as well as other DJs and some mashups and remixes. Some of the tunes he played were:

Ferry Corsten - Feel It Above and Beyond ft. Richard Bedford - Sun and Moon (Club Mix) Nadia Ali - Rapture (Gareth Emery Remix) John O'Callaghan ft. Betsie Larkin - Save This Moment (Gareth Emery Remix) OceanLab vs. Gareth Emery - On A Metropolis Day (Myon & Shane 54 Mashup) Ferry Corsten - Punk (Arty's Rock N Rolla Remix) Zombie Nation - Kernkraft 400 (Chris Schweizer Bootleg) Marc Simz - Forbidden City (Heatbeat Rapture Mashup) Steve Angello & Faithless - Knas Insomnia 2011 (East & Young Mashup) Lange & Andy Moor & Komytea & Tiesto - Lethal Stadium Four (Gareth Emery Re-Edit)  Diddy Dirty Money - Coming Home (Dirty South Remix)

Gareth Emery ft. Brute Force - Arrival (Ashley Wallbridge Intro Edit)* Gareth Emery ft. Activa - All Is Now Gareth Emery ft. Roxanne Emery - Too Dark Tonight Gareth Emery ft. Lucy Saunders - Fight the Sunrise Gareth Emery ft. Lucy  Saunders - Sanctuary** Gareth Emery - Global (Jordan Suckley Remix) Garreth Emery - Exposure Gareth Emery vs. Markus Schulz ft. Jennifer Rene - Citadel vs. Not The Same (Armin Van Buuren MashUp)  Gareth Emery vs. Motorcycle - As The Exposure Comes (Gareth Emery Mashup) Gareth Emery (ft. Mark Frisch) - Into The Light Pendulum vs. Rank 1 vs. Nic Chagall vs. Wippenberg - The 100 Islands (Triarchy Edit) Andain - Beautiful Things

*Opening Tune **Closing tune

And he closed with his tune Sanctuary with vocals from Lucy Saunders. Just an amazing set, I have never dance this much for awhile and I could surely tell because it was a rough walking back to Grand Central Terminal to catch the train back home.

Will to Win

Double calf cramps after jumping towards the hoop - on the floor withering in pain, calf muscles were throbbing and hard as a rock. First thing I ask…
“Did I made the shot?”

That’s determination, perseverance and the will to win..

“No matter how difficult the goal the triumph of willpower over weakness will gain success”

btw, the basket went in and I won the game for the team.

The last time I had double leg cramped, it was also during a game of basketball in 1999. Before the game, I decided - since I know I wont be playing too much - to play a pick-me-up game with some people. Little did I know, I had to play most of the game when our forward picked up two quick fouls. The double cramp happen late in the game...

The game was a tooth-and-nail game. Every basket counts and we were up against a better team. We were in the zone and I read the play - overhead pass from left to right to their shooting guard. I ran and leaped trying to steal the ball but I knew it was a mistake. Once I landed, I was writhing in pain on the floor with both my calf muscles hard as a rock and pain shooting up. I think I shouted every curse word there is as I lay there with my teammates and friends trying to calm me down and move me. The game was delayed for 10 minutes as they were unable to move me easily since every time they try, pain shoots up my legs. Some even though I broke my legs but luckily wasn't. They finally was able to move me but I stayed on the floor laying down while a girl friend and a teammate watch over me. We lose that game and surely felt disheartened but a game is a game, you win some, you lose some.

Above and Beyond at Best Buy Theater

Above and Beyond came to New York for their Group Therapy Tour and played at Best Buy Theater. Opening the night was Zack Roth with his mellow beats before Jaytech took the stage and got the crowd pumped up for Above and Beyond. A&B came out and open with a very mellow tune. Paavo and Jono started playing anjunabeat tunes such as Mat Zo's Superman and Ad Brown ft. Kerry Leva - Memorial (Maor Levi Club Mix) coupled with some other tracks such as Tiesto & Mark Knight's Beautiful World as well as their new and old tunes such as Breaking Ties, and their new single Thing Called Love.  The sad part was Jono had to leave because he wasn't feeling good so Paavo took over the next two hours and he surely had a mixed of tunes from Mat Zo & Arty's Rebound, Ferry Corsten's Punk (Arty Rock N Rolla Remix), Kyau and Albert's Be There For You (Mat Zo Remix), Super8 & Tab ft. Julie Thompson - My Enemy (Club Mix) and of course Sun and Moon. Paavo even dropped a classic - Paul van Dyk's Nothing But You. Paavo then closed out with their tune Sun In Your Eyes before coming back out and doing an encore. And surprisingly, I knew which tune it was before it was played - Above and Beyond pres. Oceanlab & Gareth Emery - "On A Good Day (Metropolis)"

Ferry Corsten at Best Buy Theater

Ferry Corsten was at Best Buy Theater on April 2, 2011 and his set was amazing. I had a chance to meet him before his set and he is a cool guy. He answered everyone's questions and even share a laugh or two with us. Afterwhich, I had a chance to watch his 4-hour set at the VIP area where Ferry dropped new and old tunes. He came out as Hardwell was ending his set with Cliff Coenraad's Oh!Mega (Bootyshakin Remix) and started off with Kyau and Albert's On My Way, Sander van Doorn's Koko and his new tune Feel It. His set was a great mix of vocal, progressive and uplifting tracks. He played Gareth Emery's Citadel (Super8 & Tab Remix), Markus Schulz ft. Jennifer Rene's Not the Same, Amuri ft. Melissa Loretta's Unconditional Love, Leon Bolier's Capetown, Sunny Lax's PUMA (Mat Zo Remix) and Yuri Kane ft. Melissa Loretta's Daylight (DJ Feel Remix) mixing it with his own tunes such as Once, Fire, Beautiful, Minack (tune he collaborated with Armin van Buuren) and Brain Box. He also had Betsie Larkin come out and sang Made Of Love live which was amazing. And for his encore, he played Radio Crush.

Miami Videos

This is most of the videos I took when I went to Miami for Miami Music Week

This includes videos from A|X Store, Anjunabeats, Ultra and A State of Trance

Good Deeds = Good Things

I always say that doing good deeds will lead to good things. I mean it doesn't happen all the time but it will eventually come back and give you good karma. Take for example two weeks ago, I was at Ultra Music Festival and Avicii was playing at the Main Stage. I was just behind the barricade when Avicii's assistant started handing out Avicii merchandises included shirt, button pins and CDs. I got a shirt easily and when he pass by again, I got a button pin. But I gave it to the girl behind me because she was trying to get one. She said "Thank You" and told her friends how nice I was giving it to her. That happen two weeks ago.

And here is were it led to a good thing. Last weekend I won  a contest from GenXGlow contest which I didn't expect to win. The prize - a Meet and Greet with Ferry Corsten, a Dutch DJ who was in town for a concert. Not only did I got a chance to meet him, I got him to sign his album as well as watch his show in the VIP area.

I also like stories of good deeds. Like a friend of mine who gave her pass so that her friend can see and take a picture with Ferry Corsten while he was at her town. So what I did, I got Ferry to sign an autograph for her because she was nice enough to sacrifice her chance to make her friend happy.

So you see, doing good deeds do lead to good things. It might not happen as soon as you do the deed but it will eventually happen

Tofu and Corned Beef in Plum Sauce

Tofu and Corned Beef in Plum Sauce

So two weeks ago was St. Patrick's Day and I bought some Corned Beef, cooked the entire thing but only are half of. The other half I stuck in the freezer and forgot about it. Anyway, I finally had a chance to used it, infusing- Irish and Asian tradition together to come up with this dish.

Ingredients:
1 cup diced cooked corned beef
1 cup diced extra-firm tofu
1/2 cup shredded red onion
a bunch of spinach
1/4 cup 5 Chinese Style 5 Plum Sauce
Oil

Preparation:
1. Heat up oil in a large skillet. Add in onion and saute for 2 minutes.
2. Add in corned beef and tofu. Saute for 5 minutes or until tofu is browned
3. Add in the spinach. Saute till spinach is wilted.
4. Pour in the Plum Sauce. Lower heat and let it simmer for 3 minutes.
5. Serve while still warmed with white rice.

Dash Berlin at Webster Hall

Dash Berlin was at Webster Hall last Saturday, March 19, 2011 and his set was massive. He got the crowd going - singing, dancing and fistpumping from the start until the end. He had a good mix of tune starting with a Disarm Yourself Intro Edit then straight to Till The Sky Falls Down before mixing his own tunes with various tunes for other DJs.

He played his remixes of Never Said Goodbye by Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren, This Night by Filo & Peri and Audrey Gallagher, Reverie by First State and Sarah Howells and Medina's You and I as well as tunes like Arty's Rock N Rolla Remix of Ferry Corsten's Punk, Gareth Emery's Citadel, Calling by Tydi & Audrey Gallager, Cosmic Gate's Fire Wire and Exploration of Space and Come On by Tiesto and Diplo.

Dash Berlin dropped his own tunes as well such as Surround Me, Till The Sky Falls Down, Janiero, Man On The Run and of course closing with my favorite tune, Never Cry Again which got the crowd all singing and me, emotional. Then of course, I started shouting "One More Song" and the crowd followed and he didn't disappoint by playing Waiting with Emma Hewitt.

Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

Updated: March 20 - Some Good News... 

On March 10, 2:46 PM (Local Time), Japan was struck by a 8.9 magnitude earthquake - the largest quake in Japan's history and fifth most powerful to hit the world. The epicenter of the quake was offshore - 125 kilometers (80 miles) off Japan's east coast and was 10 kilometers (six mikes) deep. But within minutes, the quake unleashed a seven meter (23 feet high) tsunami  along the northeastern coast of Japan. The tsunami traveled six miles inland walloping everything on its path including cars, trucks, buildings, infrastructures as well as large fishing boats and other vessels. It also toppled electric poles, smaller buildings and set up fire all over the affected areas. Videos of the tsunami was aired all over the world and you can just see the destructive power of the tsunami - Video, Video, Video, Video, Video, Video, Video. And its aftermath - Video1, Video2, Video3, Video4, and Video5.

The quake was followed by aftershocks after aftershocks with largest detected was a 7.0 magnitude. The lastest aftershock was a 6.4 magnitude that hit the east coast of Honshu at 10:15PM local time (March 12, 8:15AM EST). The most effected was the coastal city of Sendai in Miyagi prefecture (Video1, Video2 and Video3).

Photos of the destruction: Globe and Mail, BuzzFeed, National Geographic

• a Massive whirlpool was recorded after the quake off the coast of the town Oarai in Ibaraki Prefecture on March 11. Video
• Japanese public broadcaster NHK has reported more than 900 people killed and 700 missing as of Saturday, March 12, 4:17 PM local time. March 13 - more than 1,800 people have been confirmed dead including 200 bodies found Sunday along the coast. The death toll has reached 4,313 as of Thursday, 1:09AM Tokyo time, according to the National Police Agency Emergency Disaster Headquarters. The Agency also reported that 8,606 people are missing and 2,282 were injured. The death toll as reach 6,911 as of March 18, 8:44pm Tokyo with at least 10,316 people still missing. Japan's National Police has increase the death toll to 7,197 people as of 10:30AM Saturday, March 19 Tokyo Time. As of Sunday, March 20, the death toll has risen to more than 8,600 people with still 12,800 still unaccounted for. 
• March 13 - Authorities estimate that more than 10,000 people died during the quake. The surge was due to the reports that more than 10,000 people were killed in Miyagi prefecture. 
• March 13, 10:38 PM EST - Kyodo News Agency reports that approximately 2,000 bodies have been found in Miyagi Prefecture. 
• The earthquake triggered tsunami warnings and alerts for 50 countries.
• CNN reports that Japanese authorities have declared nuclear emergency in five of its nuclear power plant when the cooling systems were damaged due to the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami. Prime Minister Kan has ordered the evacuation around the area of the nuclear power plants. The most damaged was the Fukushimi Daiichi plant with an explosion reported to be its pumping system failing in the plant's Unit 1. They plan to flood the reactor containment structure with sea water to bring the temperature down to safe levels. Video, Video, 
• Iodine tablets are being distributed to the surrounding areas as a precaution after an explosion in Fukushimi Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
• March 13 - more than 180,000 people have been evacuated and up to 160 people may have been exposed as Japan officials raced to staved off multiple reactor meltdowns. 
• March 13, 11:20PM EST - Hydrogen explosion occurred at Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant Unit 3 on Monday, March 14, 11:59AM Tokyo Time. People withing the 20 kilometer (12 mile) radius were ordered evacuated. Link 
• March 14 - An "explosive impact" occurred Tuesday morning at Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant Unit 3.
• March 14, 10:38PM EST - Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano has said that the fourth reactor at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant was on fire and that more radiation was released.
• March 15, 5:00AM Tokyo - Tokyo Electric and Power reported a new fire was discovered in the northeastern corner of Reactor 4
• March 17 Tokyo Time  - Japanese military helicopters begun dropping seawater onto nuclear reactor trying to avoid a full meltdowns while plant operators have indicated that they are close to finishing a new power line that could restore cooling systems.
• March 18 - Kyodo News reports that Japan's Nuclear Safety Agency has raised the severity level of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant from 4 to 5 on an international scale of 7, the same level as the Three Mile Island accident in 1979. 
• March 20 - Reactors 5 and 6 were brought under control cooling temperatures to acceptable levels. There is also progress in reconnecting the units to the electrical grid. Once the emergency is resolved, the government plans to scrapped the entire Fukushima Daiichi power plant. 
• More than 215,000 people are living in 1,350 temporary shelters. Since the quake, more than 1 million households have no water and 5.1 million homes were without power. As of March 18, about 380,000 evacuees were staying at 2,200 facilities according to Kyodo News.
• March 13 - Prime Minister Naoto Kan said electricity would be rationed while rolling blackouts to several cities. 
• A oil refinery in Ichihara, Japan caught fire. Video - March 13: Oil refinery is still on fire 
• Kenneth Hudnut, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey said that the quake move Japan's coast by 8 feet and shifted the Earth on its axis (Link).
• March 13 - a 60 year old man swept 10 miles offshore was rescued by a military vessel.
• March 13 - "This is Japan's most severe crisis since the war ended 65 years ago" - Prime Minister Naota Kan. Video
• March 13 - Japanese officials raised their estimate of the magnitude of the quake to 9.0. 
• March 14 - U.S. Geological Survey has upgraded the deadly quake from magnitude 8.9 to 9.0 confirming what the estimation of Japanese officials.
• March 13 - A volcano in Kyushu spewed ash and rock on Sunday. 
• March 13 - Some 10,000 people in the town of Minamisanrikucho have not been accounted for - one of the hardest town hit by the tsunami. Video, Video, 
• March 13 - AIR Worldwide, a risk modeling company, estimates that the earthquake will result to insured losses of nearly $35 billion, making it one of the most expensive catastrophes in history. Link
• March 13 - Video showing minutes before tsunami swept through the town of Kamaishi in Iwate Prefecture which holds the Guinness World Record as the town with the deepest breakwater at 207 feet deep and stretches 6,430 feet. (LA Times)
• March 13 - Another raw footage, this time in Kesennuma city, Miyagi Prefecture 
• March 13 - Videos of devastation in Sendai - Video, Video, Video
• New video of tsunami turning Sendai Airport into an island
• March 13 - Before and After images of Japan - Link
• March 13 - Reuters reports that Japanese firms have halted production due to the quake. Reuters
• March 14 - New Videos of destruction brought by the Tsunami - Video
• March 15 - a 6.1 magnitude aftershock was reported at Honshu, Japan at 11:06 PM Tokyo time (10:05AM EST).
• March 16 - ten aftershocks were recorded Wednesday, Tokyo Time, with magnitude being 5.0 and higher.
• March 18  - Japan had 262 aftershocks of magnitude 5 and higher, a record number in Japan's history according to Japan's Meteorological Agency. Link
• March 16 - Emperor Akihito address the nation on Wednesday marking it the first time in its history that an emperor addressed the nation in crisis on television. Link
• March 16 - Tsuna Kimura, a quake survivor, escape the raging tsunami by bike. Video
• March 16, 6:15PM Tokyo - Kyodo News report that 80,000 Japan Self-Defense force and police personnel have been mobilized for the relief efforts.
• March 18 - Kyodo News reports that Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners donated 100 Million Yen to the Japanese Red Cross. As of Friday, 123 countries and 33 international organizations have offered assistance. 
• March 18 - This is truly sad, 30 school children, between the age of 8 and 12 years old,  at Kama Elementary School are still waiting for their parents to pick them up. MailOnline News Report
• March 19, 10:30 AM Tokyo Time - NHK reported that a young man was pulled out of a wreckage alive in Kesennuma without any serious injuries. Something to keep hopes up to find more survivors. News has been retracted, the man has actually been in the evacuation center and just happen to go back home and slept in the wreckage.
• March 20 - Grandmother and grandson were rescued after 9 days under a collapsed wooden home. Link  

Ways to Help

• Red Cross - text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 from your phone or visit their site
• Global Giving - Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund
• Save the Children
• International Medical Corps - text MED to 80888 to donate $10 from your phone.
• Salvation Army - text JAPAN or QUAKE to 80888 to donate $10 from your phone
• Mercy Corps - text MERCY to 25283 to donate $10 from your phone
• Convoy of Hope - text TSUNAMI to 50555 to donate $10 from your phone
• AmeriCares

Google has launched the Person Finder: 2011 Japan Earthquake to help connect people

I will continue to update this blogpost as this tragedy continues...

Social Media Experiment

A thought came into my mind while I was watching No Reservations. What would happen when I shut down social media for a couple of days? Would anyone notice it? And can I consider my social media friends as real friends?

So I conducted a Social Media Experiment. The experiment is whether my twitter followers and/or facebook friends would realize that I was gone. Like most experiments, it will only work when you have a supporting facts. I have been using Social Media since the days of Friendster or AIM. Now, I mainly used Twitter and Facebook.

I have been using Facebook since it was made public in 2004 usually to reconnect with my high school and college friends. I do communicate with my Facebook friends either by posting on their walls or through Facebook message. Right now, I have amassed 319 Facebook friends.

As for Twitter, I have been tweeting since the last quarter of 2008. One could say that I am a "tweetaholic." I usually average at least 15 tweets a day which has resulted into a total of 31,000 tweets since 2008. If it was not for a Twitter glitch, I would had 50,000 tweets already. All that tweeting has resulted into 529 followers.

Combining Twitter followers and Facebook friends, I should have a total of 848 social media friends. But of course I don't communicate with all 848 social media friends. So I will assume that I interact with only a third plus subtracting family, relatives and really close friends, I will be down to around 250 social media friends that I interact. Still a high number but lets see what happens.

I started the experiment on during the beginning of the week. The last tweet I sent out was on Monday, March 7 at 10:04 PM and the last post on Facebook was on Tuesday, March 8 at 7:50 AM. And I went silent...

Tuesday pass and nothing. No one noticed that I haven't tweet nor posted something on my wall.

Wednesday came and I got two tweets looking for me. Now those tweets happen to during the span when I usually listen to a radio show online and do track listing. After that, it was all quiet at Twitterland. Same thing at Facebook. That night I theorized that the only time my social media friends will look for me is during the broadcast of two radio show online - Global DJ Broadcast and A State of Trance.

Thursday came and my theory was right. I had one social media friend look for me but was rebutted by another tweet which kinda caught me by surprise. It was basically like a "who cares if his not around" tweet. I had two more who look for me during the latter show which I normally tweet a lot. On the Facebook side, a friend finally posted a message on my wall looking for me after 32 hours of not posting anything. That friend was also the same friend who was the first one who tweeted looking for me.

Friday came and no tweet nor wall post.

I was pretty disappointed with the outcome of this social media experiment. I would have thought that I would have gotten at least 10 messages concerning about my whereabouts. But I didn't fill out one hand!

So now I could answer the three questions I had at the beginning of the experiment.

- What would happen when I shut down social media for a couple of days?
Nothing at all. It did make me realize how invaluable my tweets are or my existence in social media. On the positive side, it allowed me more time to work on other things that don't require tweeting or posting messages online.
- Would anyone notice it?
If you do a percentage on the number of social media friend looking for me versus the total number. It would come to a measly 2% and if you did the total number of social media friends, it doesn't even break the 1% mark (.589%). So theoretically, no one will notice if I stop using social media or even disappear except maybe when I become famous or become an important person.
- And can I consider my social media friends as real friends?
Based on this experiment, I could say that I cannot consider social media friends are real friends. Real friends would have been looking for you if they don't hear from you for awhile. But then again, everyone might be busy with their own lives that I can't expect them to look out for me. I could probably consider only one as a real friend, the only person who was the first one to look for me in Twitter and the only one who posted a message on my Facebook wall. And that person does not even leave in my town, let alone in this country.

So what's next? Well, I continue with my life. I cannot let this experiment deter me from using social media.

I broke my silence this morning....

.....time to tweet away