This Weekend, I tried to be "Hip" and listened to Watch the Throne

Watch the Throne Album Cover

Musical Aside (Yes, I'm "theatrical" now. See below): I'm writing this post as I take my first few listens of Jay-Z and Kanye West's new collaboration album, Watch The Throne. FYI the first single, "OTIS," has special meaning to me as my boy O.K. coined this catch phrase years ago when Otis Redding randomly came on during an iTunes session. In the years since, I have taken this phrase GLOBAL. If you ever hear someone yell out "OTIS!!!" - think of me.


Obviously, this album is downright Amazing. Beautiful. Classic. There hasn't been an album this hyped in the past few years (No, Drake's Thank Me Later does NOT count) - and it's refreshing to have music not only live up to its hype but surpass it.


Initial "Watch The Throne" Thoughts:
1. Kanye's musicality shines through each song on this album. Whether it's the smooth "Made it in America" or the downright epicness of "Lift Off" - every song has its own unique 'Ye vibe. Take it to the stars!
2. By sound alone, I truly believe that this album couldn't wouldn't exist without Kanye's debatable hit, 808's and Heartbreaks. He seems to have channeled everything he learned from that experience and multiplied it by 10 - drumkits and all. I will defend 808's to my grave - so for all the haters, at least it made Throne possible.
3. Jay-Z still has it. As if there was ever a doubt. Call him Harry Potter, he's a wizard with words.
4. "Murder to Excellence" is my favorite song on the album. If  we could go back in time to when Mount Vesuvius erupted and a sea of lava was spilling towards Pompeii - this song could be played and the hot, molten lava would acquiesce to the greater Fire that is this song.

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Early August is upon us, and the constant partying that is summertime in NYC has been starting to drag on me (tragic, isn't it?). As it isn't quite time yet for the "24 hour champagne diet REMIX" associated with the end of the season - I've been looking for new ways to explore the city.

It's a well known fact that I never rarely travel above 14th Street on the weekends. I can be a lot of things - stubborn, "crazy," lovesick, funny - but "Hipster" has never been one of them. Eager to see what it's like, I took Urban Chique (patent still pending) to Williamsburg for Mr. Hyde's birthday. Degenerate stories aside (Oh, there are a LOT of them), here's Where Brooklyn's At:

Pros:

• I'm pretty sure Brooklyn is the only place where you can play classic 80's video games at a bar (Well, besides Dave and Busters, I guess. But I go there too much anyway). For our first stop, we stopped off at Barcade - whose name explains its very existence. Needless to say, the Iron Lung and I have googled how much it would cost to buy one of these machines for the apartment. We have to spend our bonuses somehow..
• Beer, beer and more beer. If you like to drink the potion as much as I do, this is the place to go. Dark Hofbrau!?! On Tap!?!? REALLY??
• You can wear as much plaid/flanel as you want and nobody will judge. Hell, I can even rock that backwards hat look I love and not get stares. #Win!

Cons:

• I don't know whether it was our group of downright degenerate Asian men or the lack of female companions, but I couldn't shake that feeling of being out of place. Remember on Nickelodeon they had that show about The Rugrats when they were in high school? Yeah, that's how awkward it felt sometimes.
• People in the BK must love to walk because places can be VERY FAR AWAY FROM EACH OTHER. Annoying? Check. Tiring? Yes. A walk that seems 10x longer because some friends need to be carried on a stretcher to the next bar? Duh.

While I had a good time in Williamsburg, I think I'm Manhattan to the bone. It's not so bad - At least we have Artichoke!!!

In MTN, in today's class Kru Phil Nurse gave us a speech about digging down and finding that inner energy that can propel you past your normal limits. Whether it's called chi or adrenaline or even rage - it's a place I want to get to. UFC champions like Georges St.-Pierre and Jon Jones have experienced what it's like to reach that place under Phil's tutelage and I want to accomplish the same.

Highlight of the Class: Finally being able to land a spinning back hand punch during some light sparring. Watch out, Warrior Dash. Hey Troll, Lovebird, Workaholic, Big Game Hunter, Ghost, Blackout and Femme Fatale - Get ready to lose this weekend. All it takes, is all you got.

Finally, I've booked tickets to see "Sleep No More" later in the Fall. How can anyone say no to voyeurism, masks, and Macbeth? Stay tuned for my transformation into an "arts lover" now that my attempt at being a Hipster was a fail. Stay tuned.

Peace & Love,
MKP

This Weekend, Armageddon Hit NYC

Note: I finally understand why people pay Geek Squad so much money. Fixing your computer (Windows errors, hardware errors, viruses, etc.) is not only a SOLID TEN on the annoying scale (right above doing dishes), but it's also one of the most confusing things on the Internet. Lessons Learned? 1) Reading technical forums is horrible. 2) Dealing with any kind of "service manual" is harder than sitting through Ashley H's constant insecurity on The Bachelorette. 


This past weekend reminded me of the Lloyd Bank's classic, Fire. Banks' lyrics - "We on Fire / Up in Here, it's Burning Hot / We on Fire" - perfectly describes what its felt like to live in New York as of late. Can anyone imagine being in Times Square in 100+ degree heat? Not even Chicken & Rice would be worth it. Now, I don't want to be that guy who says "called it" out loud (do I do that?), but we are definitely in Stage 4 of Summer - see an earlier post for reference.

While on the Hip Hop note, last week I went to an old-school Joe Budden concert in Brooklyn. While he definitely mailed in his performance a bit (had a fan rap a whole song for him), I can't deny that I had a good time. He might not be the best lyricist, or have good radio "musicality", but he's someone hip hop fans can and should appreciate. Can't wait for Rock the Bells in September or the release of Watch The Throne - The initial reviews on the Jay-Z, Ye album (released at a party earlier this month) were craazy.

In MTN, my weight-loss goals are starting off to a good start. I am starting to get more serious about it -along with the sport as a whole. Especially enjoying learning all of the Muay Thai techniques now that I can finally handle the cardio aspect of the classes. All I need to do to reach my goal is continue to tell myself my new motto - "All it takes, is all you got." (Warrior Dash 2k11, here I come. Taking bets as the 4:1 favorite.)

Finally, I'm not sure whether or not True Blood has gone off the deep end a la "jumping the shark," but it's certainly getting close. While the past few weeks episodes have been entertaining - they also been somewhat disturbing (in a good way?). Normally, there are very few things to get excited about on TV in the Summertime - no football/basketball, most shows going off the air, etc. But to a TV junkie like me, it's nice to know there can still be things to look forward to. I'll be watching next week.

TV Quotes of Summer 2k11:

• "BREED, GHOST DADDY. BREED." (True Blood)
• "I'm doing this, FOR ME." (Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition)
• "These men go through the toughest training the world" (Surviving the Cut - every episode. The show details basic training for some of the US military's most exclusive units. Very inspirational.)
• "I'm definitely falling for Ashley." (Every Bachelor in The Bachelorette)
• "I just can't get over Bentley." (Ashley H, The Bachelorette - it's messed up, I know.)

Peace & Love,
MKP

Today, Follow my Lead

Note to self: Next time, take better care of your computer!! Remember all of those times that Windows told you NOT to shut down because it was doing something important? I somehow seem to always blatantly disregard the warnings...


The end of the 4th of July marks the last "work" holiday for the foreseeable future. It's a sad, sad time for all post college adults as they realize that an awesome vacation will probably consist of a 3-day weekend trip that always seems to last a day too short until Thanksgiving (shouldn't we schedule "catch up" days into our vacation plans anyway?)

For my 4th of July weekend, I did not make the usual trip down to the Jersey Shore (although from what I've heard it was too serious for me anyway) and instead went to Orlando with my family. I've been to Orlando, literally every 2-3 years since I was a kid for one reason or another (#X-10) and in that time period have ridden/seen/visited every attraction possible. (Rankings? #1. Universal. #2. Disney. #24. Sea World). But Alas, I discovered two new things:

1. Harry Potter World is amazing. Butterbeer is as good as they describe it in the books.
2. Americans love $3.99 all-you-can-eat breakfast buffets. Including me, although I can't pound pancakes like I used to.

On Friday Night, Tommy Boy, BKing and I checked out some actual muay-thai fights at the Beacon Theater in Midtown. A few people from our school, The Wat, were fighting (and did quite well actually, one of our instructors won his third title belt.) . It was incredible to see people really going at it, and there were definitely some Oooohs and Aaaahs from the crowd. It made me wonder if I would ever get to the point where I would want to fight. A crazy dumb interesting thought?  If I invited everyone I knew would I be nervous? That or supremely overconfident.

Hip Hopically, I just got tickets to see Joe Budden perform on Friday in Brooklyn. I've seen him before as a part of Slaughterhouse, but this will be my first time seeing him as a solo act. No hip hop fan can deny his flow talent and the fact that dude is HILLARIOUS on Twitter (follow him). A few people are amazed he's still around since releasing "Fire" and "Pump it Up" like 10 years ago. Check the dude's mixtapes, he might be the best rapper out there right now. Which is debatable, but I'm willing to defend it.

"Box Update"
The game I learned in Chi and upgraded NYC Style has has officially joined the ranks of the 'Best Games to Play at Parties" list - along with Pong, Kings, Flip, Boom, Never and Buffalo (which apparently has been in play for years by a group of older NYU alum). I thought about posting a picture of it to get people more interested in what it is and how to play - but you'll probably just have to see for yourself. When you play.

Don't blame me, blame The Box.

Peace & Love,
MKP

This Weekend, I Went to Chi-Town City

Have you ever had one of those weekends when you look back on it a few days later and realize the following?

1. I spent more money in the past 3 days than I did in the past 3 weeks.
2. Most of the people I met probably think I'm insane. (For reference, see this Wikipedia definition)
3. I need to invest in Segway (The Segway Tour was the best part of the trip)
4. I consumed > 4,000 calories per day. Including McDonalds. #epicmealtime
5. AND IT WAS SICKKKKKK. (with "SICKKKKK" being defined as a) no puking, b) having pictures to remember and c) having things drawn on you when you are sleeping) 

Usually a "good" weekend in New York may consist of one, two or maybe even three of the above points. However, this past weekend visiting Chicago, I may have pushed the limit. In the end, I think I made some really good friends and have a few craZ stories. (shouts to Spike, Brawl & My Hero for hosting me! Love you guys, I know I'm an absolute terror dream to live with.)

Now that I've had a few days to digest and really think about it, I wanted to try and compare life in New York vs. life in Chicago to see if I could ever live there myself.

IMHO:

#1 - Degenerate (nyc lingo) vs. Delinquent (chicago style)
Fun Fact: Both places have a word for guys who like to party.

The truth is that I'm beginning to realize more and more that Filipinos are pretty similar everywhere. In both places, guys just love to rip-on each other and chill and take whiskey shots. It obviously always makes for a great time. Both Chicago & NYC folk like to party.

(In other news, I learned this awesome new game called The Box that I will soon be bringing EAST! stay tuned.)

That being said, since a lot of people in the Chicago area live in the suburbs and need to drive into the city to party (It befuddles me.). And since we're all responsible young adults (sometimes), NYC wins.


#2 - "Sports Craziness" - Cubs vs. Yankees
One of the first things I did upon booking my trip to Chi was looking up tickets to go see the Cubs play at Wrigley Field. Even though I really don't consider myself a giant baseball fan, I can appreciate its history & significance. The place is really beautiful. Chilling in the park and sipping Old Style was a memorable experience for me.

They were also playing the Yankees which was pretty crazy. There were a looot more Yanks fans than I expected. I wore a fitted cap, but there were definitely a lot of people in full gear. But nothing beats Cubs fans, who love to drink during the games.


#3 - "Fatness"
Chicago deep dish pizza? Probably a bit overrated.
Chicago style hot dogs, mustard, relish, a full pickle, tomatoes, onions and peppers)? Weird, but good.
Hot Dougs? Amazing. (anyone who has ever had it can attest)
Still, can't ever beat Chicken & Rice.


#4 - "Architectural Beauty"
 jk. who really cares. although for the record, nothing in the world compares to New York.

#5 - "We're Just Ordinary People"
It's a well known fact that living in New York numbs you to a lot of things. I honestly believe it's the only city in the world that nothing ever surprises you. Think about it. Homeless man relieving himself on the subway? eh. Couples pushing the limit of public decency in a back alley at 3 AM? big deal. Someone getting mugged/robbed/shot outside your apartment? it happens.

Now, compare this to life in the Chicago where people are just generally nice. Call it the Midwestern charm. But would anyone in New York really go 30 minutes out of their way to drive a friend and his stranger friend home? Doubt it. (+1 Chi-Town)

All in all, I loved Chicago - but I don't think anything compares to New York. 

Crazy start to the summer, I wonder how it's going to end.....

Peace & Love,
MKP

This Summer, Will be Epic

Note: My computer has been on the fritz the last few weeks so I haven't been able to update as much as I would like to..so to all of those drunken bromances - what we do in life, echoes in Eternity (name the quote and I'll buy you a cookie).

June has officially arrived in NYC and that can only mean one thing - it's summer summer summer time. The Summer (Summer will now and forever be capitalized. And no, this is not an OC reference) brings a lot of amazing things to the plate when you live in the City. There are the Soho Girls walking around lower Manhattan in their sundresses, high heels and sunglasses that cover half three-quarters their faces. There are the Bros, who walk around Murray Hill "Wolfpack" style, sporting bright striped polo shirts, DEP hair and an occasional barbed wire tattoo. And let's not forget the RIVAL ASIAN GROUPS who love to play "Red Rover" as they traverse Broadway/Chinatown, linking arms and walking in a seemingly impenetrable line of gossip, foreign languages and bubble tea.

As an NYU veteran, I've been around the city the past few summers and can officially break it down into five stages:

Stage 1 - Nice Weather = 24 Hour, Champagne Diet

Usually around late May/early June, this stage brings back Outdoor Drinking. You can tell it's this stage of the Summer because you will receive the following text on a Tuesday night - "It's nice weather, LET'S DO THISSS." Other qualities include: not checking a jacket at the club, creating a "Movies I Need to See" list and re-discovering a love for Blue Moon..

Stage 2 - I don't care if we live in NYC, I still want my TAN

People like to be tan in the Summer, city-dwellers or  not. This stage is classified by beach visits, laying out in Central Park or playing basketball outdoors. You know when you see someone at work Monday morning whose face is completely sunburned but you play it off by saying something nice like "you got a lot of color this weekend!"? Classic Stage 2.

Stage 3 - I hate people.

Tourists invade NYC  and bring with them everything that vexes someone who lives in the City. Lines for anything, 2 hour waits @ Shake Shack, strangers asking you for directions on the subway, men wearing visors, etc.

Stage 4 - Apartment Lockdown

Instead of trying to explain this one, I'm going to go Nostradamus on you and look into the future. Guaranteed Tweets to occur during stage 4 include:

• "FML IT'S SO HOT"
• "WHY IS IT SO HOT"
• "My air conditioner is broken, WHYYYY"
• "I'm not leaving the apartment, EVER AGAIN"
• "Wahhhhhhhhh someone please bring me an ice cofee :("

Stage 5 - Crap Summer is ending = 24 Hour, Champagne Diet REMIX

Around late August, there is the slow realization that Summer is ending and Fall will slowly but surely set upon us. It's been drilled into our brains since elementary school that while Summer is a time of fun & craziness, Fall brings back work and responsibility. And you know what college/post college young adults say to this? THIS.

For the record, we are the transition between Stage 1 and Stage 2. I hope to have a great Summer with good eats, amazing friends and memories to last a lifetime. Summer 2k11, LET'S DO THISSS.

In MTN, my next biggest challenge is to cut weight - my goal is to be in the low 170's range by the middle of the Summer. Ever since I've gotten back on a regular workout schedule, I've slowly been gaining weight (muscle, I hope). While I normally wouldn't mind, I'm afraid that if I continue to gain I'll lose some speed in my punches/kicks. This means cardio cardio cardio - I've been trying to take some of my Muay Thai classes back-to-back to get a better workout too. Don't forget - I'm still the Biggest Loser Champion (see one of my other posts for an old picture).

In other news, I've been to Atlantic City two weekends in a row. While this may make me seem like a complete degenerate (a status which I adore, gimme the belt baby), I have learned some valuable lessons. I may be a few hundred dollars poorer, but knowledge is power. Just do me a favor friends, next time we are at the Casino, remind me of these rules should I forget them.

(I'll continue to add to this last as I get older. Shouts to Mrs. Cooper, Predator, the Boss, Troll #1, Shaolin, Doctah, Zordon, Apollo 11, Air Jordan, Ke$ha and Nanny McPhee. Day & Night All Day)

MKP's Gambling Rules

Rule #1: Always, always, ALWAYS gamble with women. The other guys at the table will love it, you will love it, and they bring luck. (When was the last time the - "I went to AC with a bunch of my boys" story actually had a happy ending? Usually, it ends with a) a tamed down version of the Hangover the next morning or b) trying to chase girls at 3AM because you forgot Rule #1)

Rule #2: Time passes so quickly in the Casino, don't even bother trying to plan out the next day. I kid you not, it's like backwards Inception because where hours feel like minutes. Thus, when it's 8AM and you stumble back to bad, realize no one is going to be functional the next morning. It's just not happening.

Rule #3: Even if you have your own special game, the Sex and the City slot machine is fun. Because no matter if you're a man, woman, grandma or child you will always end up thinking - Why thank you Machine, I would LOVE to pick out Samantha's next outfit!

Finally, happy belated/early birthdays to One Love, The Queen & Zordon!

Peace & Love,
MKP