JOE'S BED-STUY BARBERSHOP...WE CUT HEADS
















following in the footsteps of famous baldies before me, i took up clippers and a mirror the other day and shaved my head.

not only is it a great way to beat the summertime heat, my friends think it's the funniest thing seeing me go from spiky-haired techno boy to bad-ass shaolin monk.

just be sure to keep the following things in mind if you decide to do the same:

1. SHAPE IS KEY: be careful! some people just don't have the right-shaped skull for a shaved head. it should be spherical and free of any cranial lumps. growing a goatee is recommended to balance out the entire facial structure.

2. DO-IT-YOURSELF: don't spend $15 at the local barbershop!!! with a pair of clippers and two mirrors, you can save that bit of cash for some food afterwards.

3. BE THOROUGH: just be sure not to leave any frosties behind. frosties are those few annoying tufts of hair that you may have missed the first time around.

4. ASSEMBLE CAPS/HATS FOR THE MOMENT OF REVELATION: it adds drama as well as crowd appreciation (oooh's and ahhh's) upon first viewing...sombrero's are a plus. it'll help to cut down on those mean summertime UV death rays as well.

happy head-hunting!!!

BACK TO THE MOTHERLAND



i always complain about how short my trips are back to the bay area, especially because it usually only involves a period of a week or two.

however, this time i lucked out and was able to escape home for close to a month!
not even the bad airline food, seemingly 10,000 VERY UNHAPPY babies, and gut-wrenching turbulence could dash my hopes.

looking back on it all now in retrospect, i can't help but feel like it STILL wasn't enough time for me to go around and visit old friends, duck into local hangouts, sample good eats, and escape this insane japanese heatwave.





i saw a fitting quotation from the honorable robert nesta marley hanging on a wall in my brother's house.

"Good friends we have,
Oh, good friends we have lost
Along the way
In this great future,
You can't forget your past
So dry your tears, I seh"

i've been blessed with wonderful friends, thankfully of which none i've lost to tragedy. it's people like them who keep me stable and keep me in check.
thanks, guys.


so in no particular order, here's to the madcap, whirlwind award tour back to the homeland:

BALL GAMES
nothing beats summertime hardball in the bay area...
whether it be the freezing nosebleed seats at an A's game, or the comfy confines of the Giants' SBC park, seeing barry bonds and co. go to work was divine.
and the garlic fries at SBC are mighty grubbin' as well!

SELECTA!!!
i was able to meet with DJ's, both new and old. big props go to MR. MOONLIGHT of the SILENT crew.
he's helping us distribute the PaRLaY 12" out in the states, and i had the privilege of finally catching up with him back in the bay area.
a talented musician as well as turntablist, you can catch him and his crew in action down at IL PIRATA.

a special "BO SELECTAAAA!!!" also goes out to my man TEKTITE, who will be joining us expats out here in japan within the end of the year.

i caught PHOTEK in action down by club 550, where sadly, the crowd wasn't as packed as i hoped it would be. nonetheless, he succeeded in pulverizing the crowd with thunderous amen breaks.


RIBBONS IN THE SKY

there must be a case of the wedding bug going around...
part of the reason why i was back in the states this summer was to watch my friends Jeff and Heather tie the knot.
not only was it a beautiful ceremony (so perfect that it made me SICK...gross!), it enabled me to hang out with peeps from my college days, some of whom i hadn't seen in over 5 years.



extra-special big-ups to:
DREW, PRINCE ROGER, DOUGHBOY, KEITH "nine-iron" ROBERTSON, and MAKO, as well as the entire california-ites crew.








FOR A RELAXING TIME...

i brought back a bottle of
SUNTORY whiskey for my brother. apparently, it's been quite a hit amongst his roommates as well as our mutual friends. like i've already mentioned, the best part of the trip was just being able to hang out and kick likwits with old friends.

things i noticed: everyone has protruding bellies (mine included), a stronger tolerance for alcohol, undying interest in ESPN, and nice cars...

thanks to: ERIC "blanka", JASEN, PARIS, and especially to my little bruv, NISEIKID (in every sense of the meaning, little brother, THANKS. i owe you big-time).



"What matters in life is not what happens to you but what you remember and how you remember it."
-Gabriel Garcia Marquez


it was a reunion of sorts with all kinds of different people...some i've known for more than 10 years, others i had met by chance.

seeing the gang brought back long-lost memories of college, and it just felt good to pick up the conversation where we had last left off. thanks for dinner...and you know it's ALL about the cheesy bread and oysters!!!

extra special gracias to LIZ, NOOGIE, SANDRA, MEL, and AMY. i'll miss you guys!!!




what was sort of surprising was seeing such a large japanese following at drum'n'bass events around the city.

although i'll be the first to admit that it's not exactly the world's most popular music genre (my brother compares it to heavy metal), i'm certainly happy that it's always had a niche amid the hustle and bustle of san francisco.

a whole lot of yoroshiku's to SAORI, SHOKO, NORITO, SATOMI, and YU-HEI.


THANK YOU EVERYBODY!!! GOOD NIGHT!!!