4th of July Weekend

Janelle Monae taken by Yvette (classic), originally uploaded by joeytoofresh.

Funky BBQs.

And Janelle Monae.

I love accidental music discoveries. I’d heard about her through OKP, but being wary of some bad OKP recommendations before, I wasn’t quick to pick up on her stuff. She blew me away. Raw energy topped w/ punk-ska, J-pop, brand new heavies style hat sounds familiar but is completely her own creation. Wow. I was so excited that I grabbed Joe’s camera and messed around with the settings. The pic above is the result and I think it captures the hyped up adrenaline of Janelle and the crowd. I also think being able to capture the flash was a nice touch.

Check her out: Janelle Monae

Turkey Day 2007 (minus the turkey)

IMG_0245.JPG, originally uploaded by vettie vette.

Joe and I started off the evening by making the trek from Park Slope to the Upper East Side. We were supposed to be there by 5:45, so I made sure we left by 4:45 in case the trains were running late. We were promptly greeted at the door by my niece Sophia and my cousin Anton. Sophia’s parents were busy in the kitchen prepping all the food.

As we got our coats out of the way, Sophia’s mom, Ate Carla, emerged from the kitchen to announce that there was no turkey.I was not surprised nor disappointed. Filipinos eat all types of meat, but turkey just isn’t a top choice. So this year at my cousin’s house the centerpiece was boneless ribeye steak and roast chicken. The meal was a mix of Filipino, European, and American fare.Who can beat that?The starters were two types of pâté – salmon and beef w/ truffle. The salmon was okay – but the truffle was to die for. Then we had a bowl of molo soup aka Filipino wonton soup. The trimmings included haricots verts, two types of dressing, and two types of sweet potato. After stuffing ourselves silly – we cut into the dessert. Joe and I brought an apple tart, my Tita Lou brought pumpkin and pecan pies, and my cousins picked up a plate of sapin-sapin from Krystal’s. My sister and her friend Amy pitched in a couple bottles of wine.By the time we finished eating and catching up it was already 2 am!A wonderful meal to end a whirlwind of a month…

Yo! MTV Raps

Vettie Vette and Ed Lover, originally uploaded by vettie vette.

After an hourlong wait in line, I made it into the PUMA YO! MTV Raps Party. They were premiering the new YO! MTV Raps collection which features limited edition shoes for Big Daddy Kane, Doug E. Fresh, MC Shan, and Ed Lover and Dr. Dre. Unfortunately, they were not selling the shoes in the store and were only offering weak versions, but the party was fun nonetheless. Black Moon performed and Evil Dee provided all the music for the evening. A group of cats were rockin’ old schoolnowinfashion 80s gear, making me wish I’d kept my fluorescent windbreaker. Furthermore, I was able to accomplish my one goal for the night – a picture with Ed Lover.