I'll be going to Los Angeles soon...

That undoubtedly means one thing - copious intake of In-N-Out Burgers. If you haven't tasted these iconic burgers and fries or worse yet, haven't heard of them, then what you don't know is hurting you. In-N-Out may be the best darn burger and fries available in the U.S. of A., maybe anywhere. If you happen to be in California, Nevada or Arizona then locate the nearest one and make a mad dash that way. You deserve it.

I will be staying at the Westin Bonaventure located right at the center of Down Town Los Angeles, CA. There in the heart of the business district 4 interconnecting glass towers of some 50+ floors stands high one of the most recognized and filmed hotels in California. And at $150 night it's a steal. You get some of the best panoramic views of the bustling city, the best bedding money can buy, and best bathroom amenities available. One whole wall is a floor to ceiling window. The king sized bed, adorned with 250ct thread sheets and goose down pillows and comforters, takes up most of the bedroom, but not uncomfortably so. Once you're done basking in the glory of your fit-for-a-king room, make it out to the center of the hotel. The sun will be shining in from the glass ceiling some 20 more stories above. As you look out across the enclosed opening in between all 4 towers you see exercise machines on individual floating balconies. A revolving lounge. Little stores and shops littered throughout this little city inside of a city. Feeling like a swim? Take a ride up to the 30th floor or so and it takes you to the heated rooftop swimming pool that overlooks Los Angeles. Did I mention they have intense water art complete with waterfalls and spitting dolphin statues downstairs in the lobby? This place is fantastic.

We will be taking a tour of Paramount Studios. Big hopes to see a movie being filmed. We will drive around the area near the studio to see Rodeo Dr, Melrose Ave, the Hollywood walk of fame and the Hollywood sign. Venice Beach, Manhattan Beach amd maybe Huntington Beach. We also plan on going to a club or two out there and eating some of the delicious food, besides I-N-O.

Any readers have ideas of some the happening places in Los Angeles for some 20 something hipsters? (What the heck is a hipster? Not a hipster) We like to dance to house music and we like great food and are willing to pay for it.

Anyone heard of Elevate Lounge? It's adjacent to Takami Restaurant. I've been thinking about heading there. There's house music, pretty big dance floor, drinks and ladies. That pretty much covers it right?

Official 100 Push Ups Challenge - to all of you...

Who's with me?

I was reading tiedtogetherwithasmile's blog and ran across this post which said she was doing the 100 push up training program. I dug in a little further and found out it was an awesome way to gain muscle/lose weight in 6 weeks. Now it can easily be done by ones self but it's so much more fun to do with others. So who's with me?

We'll begin together, on Monday July 21st and check back with each other each week. Every person starts at their own level. Oh, whats that? Bad shoulder? Bad wrist? Bad face? Bleh bleh bleh. Run through the easy to read pages and it will tell you how to do this with handicaps and still get the same level of results.

Let's do it! It's 3 days a week for six weeks. Come on, it's free and it's a break from the norm. Plus you'll be in better shape at the end of it. It's a meme of the physical challenge variety. I'm Marc Summers and this is Double Dare (get it, physical challenge, Double Dare? hehe :).

So since it's a meme I tagging people.

1) Miss Em
2) Alice
3) Susel
4) L.C.T.
5) Marianne
6) Emma Jayne
7) Tah-Daaa
8) Jersey

I would say Angela but she writes about the gym and cute boys she finds there all the time.

Awesome and Fantastic people only: ~Click Here~

Boring and lazy people only: ~Click Here~

(I realize this is a long shot, but I'm hoping somebody will do it with me.)

NEWS FLASH: DL The Alchemist for free on iTunes

Yep, that's right. Through the 14th. If you don't know what it is, download it. If you do know what it is, download it. If you don't care what it is download it.


The Alchemist
By Paulo Coelho; Read by Jermey Irons
iTunes Download - Approx. 4.25 Hours [UNABRIDGED]
Provider: iTunes
FREE: July 8th 2008 -July 14th 2008
An Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago travels from his homeland to the Egyptian desert in search of treasure buried in the Pyramids. Along the way he meets a Gypsy woman, a man who calls himself king, and an Alchemist. No one knows what the treasure is, or if Santiago will be able to surmount the obstacles along the way. But what starts out as a journey to find worldly goods turns into a meditation on the treasures found within. Lush, evocative, and deeply humane, the story of Santiago is art eternal testament to the transforming power of our dreams and the importance of listening to our hearts.

....We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming. Namely my post below since i'm trying to stir up a little bit of discussion before I post Pt. 2.

America the beautiful... the blithering idiots... Pt. 1

...OK not really. Although as evidenced by this video some undoubtedly are. I was highly offended at first glance of this clip. Offended that this was the foreign media portrayal of Americans. Offended that I didn't know, well really know, that when I speak to someone outside this country that they are most likely patronizing me because they feel like I have the IQ of a 6th grader or that I'm a narrow-minded bigot.

I was speaking to a friend from Australia, who had just come in from feeding her pet kangaroo and practicing her boomerang toss, and we were discussing the world view on Americans. I was sharing a story of a guy from Australia who came to the States to visit this American girl whom he had met online a few years ago. Ironically this guy had a huge disdain for Americans and seemed to carry that chip on his shoulder the entire visit. Whenever we engaged in a conversation it always started off cordial but then he always digressed into some tirade of unfounded slandering of America/ns.

I was telling my Aussie friend, while she was wrestling a crocodile into submission, that it seems to be popular among those outside the U.S. to "strongly dislike" Americans. She said that she shares the same school of thought and is on the bandwagon of not thinking much of them. I became passionate in my response to defend my countrymen/women saying, "Not all of us are narrow-minded and lack a perspective limited to the U.S." She thought I must have had that speech rehearsed. She then sent me the following video as an example of why she feels the way she does. Without further ado, here is the video:

Chasers : War on Everything - Americans

I want to hear the thoughts of everyone who watches this. Especially since I have a few readers from other countries. Please note that this post was written tongue-in-cheek. I'm actually quite fond of the person I was talking to about this and we had a very intelligent discussion about it.

Additionally, I sent this video to a list of people from my email contacts. I will post some of their responses to it and my personal take on this subject in a follow-up post.

Please share!! Racist or bigoted responses are not necessary.

Happy 4th of July - I'll be gone this weekend.

I'll be in on the rooftops of Brooklyn watching fireworks, the beach of Jersey shore the next day and then the Pocono mountains. I probably won't get a chance to get on the internet so have a safe and happy 4th those of you who live in the States and those who don't have a good weekend.

Mabuhay! <--(That's Tagolog for Live long or Peace.) The terribly cloudy pics are of last years fireworks seen from the rooftops of Brooklyn.

Captain Caption #1:

Ok guys, here is an attempt to do something fun. I want to have a caption contest. Who can come up with the best caption for this picture? Just a one liner is fine. Whoever wins gets a 1973 Buick Regal engine part. It's mint. If this goes well maybe I'll do one once a month or so? Thoughts?

Eight Things Meme

OK Jersey, here goes...

Eight things I am passionate about:

1. Learning. I love to learn. I randomly dip into intriguing subjects and just absorb the information like a kid in a candy store. I don't necessarily have particular subjects that I like more than others, it's just whatever grabs me at the time. When I was a kid I took it upon my self to learn everything I could about planets. Then I moved on to Dinosaurs and had such an extensive knowledge at 5 and 6 that I started a club where I was the president and taught a new Dino everyday. I taught myself how to draw all of the Disney characters at 7. Adults would pay me to draw things for their kids. I've taught myself some basic Japanese (the only thing I know how to say now is "No", which is important if a Japanese girl tries to take it too far :). Now I'm teaching myself Tagalog (a Filipino language) and I'm studying dance again. A few months ago I was learning everything I could about graphic and web design, before that production and the film industry.
2. Dance. I've been dancing since I was a kid, but nothing serious. When I was 16 I realized I had a natural rhythm and started studying different dancers like Michael Jackson, Fred Astaire, and BBoys. My main style of dance is Hip Hop. I went on a dancing sabbatical for 3 years but am practicing daily again. I used to go to L.A. every year to compete and meet up with other dancers. I plan on taking some jazz and tap classes to freshen up there too. No matter where I am I find myself practicing moves or articulating moves in my head, discreetly of course. And Jersey, like you, I dance in the shower (mental images are go)... always practicing.
3. Cooking. I love to cook. I'm a natural chef like Ratatouille the Rat or something. With just some of the basic knowledge of cooking that I've garnered from watching cooking shows, something I've done since I was a kid, I have this innate sense of how to season and prepare foods properly and deliciously. I can't imagine what would happen if I actually went to a culinary school. I also love feeding people, so that goes hand in hand with my loving to cook. If I have the chance to I will probably cook something for you. I'm also the rare guy that loves to go grocery shopping... yay me!
4. Money. I have this insatiable desire to be rich and powerful. Disgusting right? I subscribe to Forbes just to read about these rich and powerful people and hopefully pick up a thing or two. One of my goals is to be on the cover someday, not even joking. There are trillions of dollars out there that exchanges hands daily, both physically and digitally. All I need to do is come up with a product or service that reroutes some of that wealth to my bank account. I once heard that money has a sense. If you are someone who will take care of it and use it wisely it will be attracted to you. If you are the type of person that uses it carelessly it will be repelled by you.
5. Filipino Martial Arts. Arnis De Mano, Modern Arnis, Eskrima, Kali. I have been studying the Filipino martial arts for about 8 years. I am part Filipino and love that part of my heritage so I took it upon myself to study the ancient fighting styles of the Philippines. We're BAMF too, let me tell you. We once held off an entire Japanese army with bolo's, rattan bastons, espada's y daga's and stifled the Japanese occupation. There were reports of some pinoys getting shot with high caliber rifles and pistols and not even flinching! That's BAMF. Mabuhay!(Live long or Peace)
6. Books. Until a couple of years ago I would usually have my nose in a science(NOT SCI-FI), business philosophy, economic/money sense, biography or personal development books. I have been reading much more fiction lately. I have tons of books. Probably... over 100. I have not read all these, but I do feel smarter just having them. I love reading and as a kid would spend time in my room reading anything I could get my hands on. As a kid I read the Bible, the dictionary and science books as they were readily available.
7. Family & Friends. Admittedly I am a terrible friend. I hate that I fail as a friend on so many levels. Sometimes I'm a terrible son too. (My mom and dad might argue that I'm always a terrible son ;) I do love and appreciate the people that are always there for me. JNS, one of the dearest people on earth to me, I'm gonna marry that girl one day. My brother Jonathon, also one of my best buds. VJC is one of my best friends. SH is my boss, my mentor and has taught me more about being the best person I can be than any book I've read or class/seminar/lecture I've ever attended.
8. Fashion. I was deliberating on whether to put this here. Then I looked at the rest of my list and said, "WTH I'm read like a homo-geek anyway so why not." :) I love looking good. I am usually the best dressed of my friends, and think myself quite sexy. I spend a lot of time ruminating on what I should wear. Even if it's just shorts and a t-shirt, I'll change three times to get the right look. I am not a high end fashion label whore like but I have my brands and I'm loyal to them. Banana Republic is my number one store. Abercrombie is another favorite of mine. I also love J Crew and the Gap. I HATE A|X, Ed Hardy, and those other Guido brands. Yeck! I also get compliments on my hair quite a bit, but I'm never happy with it.
   

Eight things I want to do before I die:

1. Visit Asia. Japan (Tokyo, Okinawa, Mt Fuji), China (Shanghai, Hong Kong, The Great Wall), The Philippines (Manila, Quezon, Cebu)
2. Visit Europe. Um, All of it. Every square mile.
3. Financial Independence. I really do want to be rich and powerful someday. When I am I will probably be giving money to causes bigger than myself, that's how I want to make a difference.
4. Make a difference. See 3.
5. Be completely accepting of the person God made me. I am always wondering what it would be like if I was an apple instead of an orange. Asking myself, "What if I was born into this situation?"or "had taken this direction in life?"... I just want to be the best orange I can be. All sweet and juicy.
6. Become fairly proficient at Japanese and Tagalog. See 1.
7. Own several successful businesses. See 3.
8. Either marry JNS or remain a hot sexy single and rich bachelor all of my life. And maybe be a single father, because kids are great and so are single fathers.
   

Eight things I say often:

1. "What up Yo" mainly as a parody of my non-hipness.
2. "Brrr freaking muda" When I'm cold.
3. "How much?" I once asked this question in my sleep. Evidently I don't like spending too much money on any one single item.
4. "I'd like a student/senior citizen/good customer discount for that please *smile*" I really say that to about everyone I purchase from. Usually after they ask, "Can I get you anything else?" I've gotten a discount several times too. "Ask and you shall receive." The best advice I ever got as a kid.
5. "What scotch's do you have?" I'm a huge huge fan of scotch. Single malts and blends. Johnny walker is my favorite fiscally attainable brand, but I like Balvenie, and Glenrothe's as guilty expensive pleasures. I also enjoy some Irish Whiskey's as well. Bushmills Black is tasty.
6. "You my little kiki gurls?" I repeat this in rapid succession when doting on my dog, Kiki.
7. "You come here often?" Just kidding.
8. Movie quotes and or funny sitcom quotes. Especially Will Farrell. My favorite hit or miss is "Ze gogglez! Ze do nozhing!" because not everyone knows what it's from.
   

Eight books I’ve read recently:

1. My French Whore - Gene Wilders Debut Novella
2. The Woman Who Wouldn't - Gene Wilders follow up Novella
3. Search Engine Optimization for Dummies
4. Multiple Streams of Income (I've read this probably once a year since I bought it.)
5. Sly Moves - Workout book
6. Modern Arnis: Remy Presas
7. Harry Potter
8. Cook Books
   

Eight Movies I have seen Eight times:

1. The Karate Kid
2. Superman 1 (well most of them)
3. Top Gun
4. Talladega Nights, Elf and the rest of his films...
5. Batman Begins
6. Tommy Boy
7. Spanglish (This was the only DVD I owned for a while and with no cable to boot)
8. The Notebook, Titanic, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, The Sweetest Thing... NONE OF THESE BY CHOICE.
9. Young Frankenstein best movie ever. :)
   

Eight people who should do this meme:

1. L.C.T.

2. Angela

3. Miss Em

4. Classy Fabulous Filipino

5. Stream of Consciousness

6. And...

7. how about...

8. YOU!