Link the Weak: Blog Edition

Alright let's see if I can jump-start this thing back up again. This is a list of 7 of my favorite blogs that I read on a regular basis from most checked to least. If you don't have any blogs you read regularly, try some of these out and see what you think, this stuff is gold. If none of these fit your style, no worries, there's tons of other blogs out there that should fit your interests. So here they are:

1. Swim At Your Own Risk -- Nearly every ocean/marine life related story to hit the web with a focus on sharks.
2. Badass of the Week -- Shit is ridiculous, makes me laugh every time. You've got to read at least one of these stories to get the feel for this blogger.
3. I New Idea -- Daily updates of crazy and inventive designs/products. really gets you thinking sometimes, other times it make me feel retarded for not coming up with that idea in the first place.
4. Oddee -- Just strasight crazy shit from around the world. Tons of articles to look at and read. Definitely worth a visit.
5. The Hoop Doctors -- These guys know basketball. Check this for all the big NCAA and NBA stories as well as a fair amount of offbeat stuff.
6. Engadget -- The tech blog of the internet. Posts are made constantly so you're always in touch with the latest electronics.
7. Web Urbanist -- Really itneresting website dealing with urban design and art. My favorite articles are the ones about abandoned buildings.

Source: 2leep is like a blog compiler, taking all of the best stories from a large collection of blogs and putting them on one page for your easy viewing pleasure. Check it out if you're too lazy to look at individual blogs.

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Now playing: Common Market - Nothin' At All

Mariner Game 8/26

Hey guys (or anyone who reads this). Sorry about the hiatus, I've been busy with college and summer work for school and my idea well for blog posts is running dry. So I thought I'd share with you a recent personal experience.
I headed up to the Emerald City for the Mariners game on August 26th with a few of my friends to see them beat the A's into submission (we won 5-3). Our seats were four rows up from the right field wall, right where Ichiro plays. Unfortunately, Mr. Suzuki was benched for this game, so we had Bill Hall in the outfield, who didn't play bad at all. Then, out of nowhere, John Cust of the Oakland A's, drives a moonshot into the stratosphere that lands about 10 feet away from me. I wound up being on TV along with my friends, check the link below. I'm the tall guy just to the right with a white t-shirt. You can see my friend Sam in a tan shirt running for his life out onto the stairs haha.
All-in-all it was good stuff and a great game. The more I see Seattle, the more I want to just stay there. Hit up my facebook for photos.

Video.

Also, expect a Bumbershoot review coming up (I'll be there on the 6th).

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Now playing: Above and Beyond - Anjunadeep:01 Pt. 1

"Gigography" and Bumbershoot 09

Ever since I joined this site Songkick, I've been more dialed into music than I ever have. So I thought I'd share my "gigography" as they call it and let you in on some of the upcoming shows I'll be at.
1. Kanye West @ the Rose Garden: This show wasn't all that great because I'm not a fan of Kanye. His opening acts were alright though. He had Lupe Fiasco and NERD which were both, in my opinion, probably better than Kanye himself. The lighting and stage and everything was pretty cool though. At the end of the show Kanye ranted about all his haters and how he was the best. My conclusion is that he's a douche.
2. Lil Wayne @ the Rose Garden: As with the last concert, somebody bought these tickets for me. As my musical taste has evolved, I've come to like Weezy less and less. But at the time, he was one of my favorites and I thought he tore the place up. His opening acts were trash, but he practically blew me away with his epic show. He played some of his best songs and had a ton of guests come out and lay down some bars with him. Overall, a good show, but an overrated artist. Side note: the guy behind me got a lap dance haha.
3. Dead Prez @ the Roseland Theater: I found this concert through Songkick. This venue wrecked the greatness of Dead Prez. The concert was 4 hours long with 3 hours of opening acts and no seating, all standing. By the time Dead Prez came out, I was ready to go home. The sound system also sucked ass. M-1 had to cut a few songs short because the mics were squealing so bad. Dead Prez is a great duo, but the Roseland Theater is a terrible venue.

Now, here's what I've got in the works for the coming months:
1. Bumbershoot 2009 (Sept. 5-7): This is a huge music festival in Seattle that happens each year at the Seattle Center. The groups that are playing that I want to see are Common Market and Swollen Members. It's a three day festival, but I'll only be there for one day (Sept. 6th). Check the website for details, it's going to be legit.
2. D. Black CD Release (Oct. 3): This is going to be a normal venue up in Seattle at the Vera Project (a local spot for underground music). I haven't really heard of D. Black, but Common Market will be there and Prometheus Brown is hosting it, so it should be a pretty chill venue. I'm not sure if I'm going to be up for making the trek to Seattle again though.

Comment and share some of the venues you've been to, and come to Bumbershoot in September.

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Now playing: Zion I - Caged Bird Pt. 1 (feat. Brother Ali)

Khmer Krom

Sorry about the hiatus, been busy with school stuff and camping.
Last Saturday I had the opportunity to race in one of my first Asian American Dragonboat Association sponsored events: the Bon Om Tuk Festival. The dragonboat race was at the Port of Commencement in Tacoma, WA. There were only 15 teams and my team was a combination of my team, Sundragons, our alumni team, Sundragons PLUS, and a few other teams from the Portland metro area called One Race Wonder. We took second place in both the mixed and open divisions behind Khmer Krom; the reigning champions of the venue. Despite the overpowering Cambodian soundtrack and deafening bass, the place wasn't that bad (I like a good bass, but 9 hours of this shit was too much). After seeing all of the Khmer Krom signs I decided to check it out.
Turns out the Khmer Krom are the indigenous people of Southern Vietnam who have been oppressed for decades both politically and spiritually (they practice a different form of Buddhism than the majority of Vietnam). Their struggle began when they lost a civil war in 1620 and were forced into the Mekong Delta. As time has progressed, their oppression has grown with the addition of the Khmer Rouge in 1976 who has been driving the Khmer Krom from their ancestral homelands. The Vietnamese government does nothing to help these people.
Now you know about the Khmer's struggle, so next time you see one of their organizations, Khmer in Action for example, help them out.
Here's some photos from the race.
P.S. Join us on the waterfront for the Portland Dragonboat Races on September 12 and 13.


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Now playing: Atmosphere - Painting

Link the Weak: Sunday, August 2

I have to post this a day early because I'm leaving for a week tomorrow. So here's your links for the week, weak.

1. Japanese Rice Field Art -- This shit is crazy. You think crop circles are whack? Check this out.
2. Shai Agassi and Electric Cars -- This guy knows what's up when it comes to alternative fuel for cars. Check out his video and listen to what the guy has to say; it makes sense.
3. XKCD Comics -- Some people read a ton of online comics, but this is the only one I check. I think they're pretty cunning, judge for yourself.
4. Pufferfish Photo -- I've always been fascinated by the ocean and all the crazy things in it. This is a pretty awesome photo.
5. Blind Man Regains Sight -- Just read the story, this is insane. Doctors can do some crazy shit nowadays.
6. World Without Us -- A cool, simple time-line of life after humans. Put in perspective the damage we've done.
7. Rock-Wall Living -- Check out how these two roommates kick it.

*Bonus: Download the track "Coo?" off of the Blue Scholars' upcoming EP: Oof! for free.

Source: Digg.com is a great source for not only news, but offbeat stuff as well. If you hit the site daily, chances are you'll find something that peaks your interest. You also have the ability to rate news up or down (digg or bury).

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Now playing: J Dilla - Anti-American Graffiti