Which way to Tokyo?

I was working at Motu Hawaii this weekend and ran in to a super rad tee shirt. My new found friend Josie was rockin it and said she picked it up at her work, Pink Zone in La Jolla. Pink Zone has other locations, so look them up online. I couldn't find the actual tee shirt online, so if you find it, please let me know. It would make a great gift for someone. The tag on the tee has the name "Monteau" on it. I looked it up for quick minute online but still couldn't find the tee. They need to make a guys version of it.

KIng's Paddle Sports: That's WasSUP!

Some of you will know, and some of you won't, so let me explain eS-yoU-Pee. SUP is the abbreviation for "Stand Up Paddle". Stand Up Paddle is the latest "not as NEW as you think" phenomenon in surfing and water sports. I'm not a SUP historian, so I'm not gonna go there. I know the guys in Hawaii have been SUP-ing for five years or so, and I also remember a few years ago when Laird (Hamilton) was all up in the surf news buzz for SUP surfing somewhere in CAli (Malibu I think). From my perspective, Laird was the one who revealed this thing and got everyone curious as if he was in the water on a UFO.

Another term for SUP-ing is "sweeping" due to the way one looks when they are standing and paddling in the water. I like that term, but I'm not sure if it's a disrespectful term, so I'm not gonna use it much until I know for sure.

A couple weeks ago I received a call from Dave Daum, designer, shaper and owner of King's Paddle Sports. One of our mutual friends had informed Dave that I might be capable of performing certain creative duties for his new brand of SUP Surfing boards. We met one morning to see if there was a fit, and two days later I was ok'd to begin designing his first run of print ads.

I teamed up with Scott Hancock from The Glue Network, an old friend with a habit of laying things out nice and clean, and we delivered a product Dave and the family were stoked on. It also looks like the door is open for more opportunities to help develop the King's brand, so I'll keep you posted.

I am so thankful for the work, and I'm stoked to be a part of this growing sport. Some surfers have mixed views on SUP, but that's mainly due to the fact that a wave can be taken over by SUPr's since they can get in to the wave a lot earlier than others. I think that we should all be able to share waves, take turns, and "cheehoo!" another surfer that get's a sick one. So as hard as it is, try not to be selfish out there no matter what vehicle you're riding.

If your curious about this sport, I have links below that you can click on to edumacate yourself. SUP-ing is a great full body/core workout, and many Hollywood stars and off-season athletes have invested in the equipment to keep in shape. I admit....I've had MANY chances to try but have not. I've been hesitant because I'd rather just catch waves and surf than spend time getting up and falling down, and getting up and falling down. I guess you have to start somewhere, and now that I'm gonna be working with SUPr's, I best man up and get my sweep on! I have no excuses!

King's Paddle Sports
Stand Up Paddle Magazine
Surf and Sail Stand Up Journal

Mozy Cafe, A great "after surf sesh" place to eat.

If you surf in N. County SD and build up that after barrel appetite, I super recommend that you get over to the Mozy Cafe. I have been there a few times, and most recently met my friend Kory Kinder their to have lunch and talk business. I always order the Tropical Burrito. I'm like that. If I like something, I order it over and over again. The Tropical Burrito has eggs, avo, black beans, jack cheese, AND plantains all wrapped up in a warm tortilla. One thing I've noticed is that when I order the same burrito, I get the same burrito. Another words, they have been consistent in the way they make and portion their food. This is a good thing. I have also heard that their Acai bowls are among the best, but I haven't experienced it for myself just yet. If you go and visit, Naomi will most likely be the one behind the counter serving you. Tell her that "Neens" says hello.

Mozy Cafe 698 N Coast Hwy101 Encinitas, CA 92024

Warning: Feed The Birds

I have a fear of birds. Not a real fear like some people I know, but I have a fear of being pooped on. So let me correct myself. I don't have a fear of birds, I have a fear of bird poop dropping out of the sky and splattering on my shaved head or trying to substitute itself for the new thing in natural face moisturizers.

This topic really hits close to home because in the last few months, three of my friends have been pooped on. Ryan was hit while kicking it at the park during a bbq. We were just catching up on things and then the next thing you know his plain white tee wasn't so plain anymore. Nastee! Good thing he rolls with extra shirts. No less than two weeks after the first bombing, the homies Vince and Brian got dropped on while we were cruisin the streets of the LA Garment District. Vince got hit on his black fitted rain stopper, and Brian caught some crap on his black Creative Rec kicks. Two in one day? Tragic!

This dramatic intro was written so that you can see how courageous I was a few days ago. I mean, I could be the next victim on the birdie hit list. So while I was shootin some photos of my niece and nephew on the beach, this crazy family rolled up with wonderbread bags and created a feeding frenzy of vicious seagulls just a few meters away from where I was. Even though I was horrified, I manned up, ran over to the crazy family and started snapping away. My first question to them was, "Did you get pooped on yet?" Sure enough, none of the bird feeding family members got pooped on. What the heck?

Go figure. You mind your own business, and birds just feel free to use your head as a toilet. You attract a hundred hungry birds with $2 bread and walk out unblemished. It makes you think....do these birds have a real agenda? They must know what they're doin. Maybe we should "Feed the Birds" and ignore all the warning signs posted in order to keep the peace. I too, got out from under the bird umbrella nice and clean, but I'm still gonna watch my back when I see birds flyin overhead.

To the crazy bird feeding family, it was nice to meet you. If you would like to see more photos of your feeding adventures, shoot me an email I'll send more photos to ya. I'm glad you guys got out of there without getting shot! hello@neensmarketing.com

Makeup City

If you aspire to be a makeup artist, please do yourself a favor and go visit the homie Loli Romo. She'll hook it up, teach you all you need to know, and send you off certified so you can do yo thang. Check the flier for info on how to sign up for her classes, or click on this link to hit up the website. Tell her "Neens" sent you. (Loli, I'll be seein a comish check in the mail, right?)

Feelin the "Bleu's" Boheme

I met some friends at the Bleu Boheme on Saturday night. Prior to this, I had never heard of this enchanting restaurant located in Kensington (SD). Ambiance, food, and service are the three most important things...right?

Well the ambiance was amazing. A source of light in every room were candles with hot wax dripping onto cooled candle wax mounds that grew as the night went on. Fire hazard you think? Nope. With brick walls and polished cement floors, being inside this place made me feel like I was the Count of Monte Cristo. Very classy, romantic, and chill.

Next was the food. I couldn't really pronounce the French dishes on the menu, but I could sure eat the dishes as they were served. I'm sorry to not have the names of the dishes handy, but I just told you that I struggled with the names. EVERYTHING is good, as long as you like the ingredients that the dish is made with. So if you don't eat escargot (like me), don't order it and expect it to please your taste buds. (If you like escargot, I'm sure the Bleu Boheme cooks it up just right.) I had the Salmon placed on a flaky pastry bed with carrots and veggies sandwiched in, and mashed potatoes on the side. Melted in my mouth!

Great ambiance and great food can spoil easy without good service. The place was packed when we stepped in, so the four of us ended up sitting at the bar where Ramon served up a storm. Not only was he taking care of us, but I watched him take care of everyone in his section and I could tell he was on top of it. Another worthy mention is that no matter how much we drank, our water glasses always seemed to be full. This credit goes to the gentlemen working with Ramon. Thanks to him I pee'd five times during the course of our meal. So the service was very pleasing!

We capped it all off with a perfect "Neens" sized portion of Chocolate Mousse (say it with French passion), and I didn't want to leave. All they need in that place is a jacuzzi and a place to sleep. I would never leave. So go visit Ramon at Bleu Boheme. Tell him "Neens" sent you.

Bleu Boheme 4090 Adams Ave, San Diego, CA 92116 619.255.4167

P.S. Every staff member from the hostess to the other servers were all super warm and friendly. I just wanted to mention that to ya because they deserve the recognition.

Purple Reebok Sighting

I love shoes. Don't you? For the third time in a week I found myself working out of Pannikin (Del Mar, CA) and ran in to a nice pair of purple Reeboks. They just caught my eye and I couldn't help but ask the girl wearing them if I could take a picture and drop them on my blog. Sometimes I wake up in the mood to wear the kind of outfit she was wearing.....neutral and mellow top and bottom, and some LOUD shoes that scream at people passing by to go with it. I heard them purple Reeboks scream at me from across the room! Check them out right HERE.

(To the studying girl: Thank you for your participation, I really hope you don't mind.)

Set It Off 3

On Friday I had the honor of hanging out with some friends down in South SD for a youth outreach organized by Sonny (of P.O.D) and Voltage Youth. It was a super fun event with lots of the younger generation hanging out and lookin all steezy. Sonny called up all the homies and organized mad giveaway prizes including skate decks, shoes, and clothing from many of your favorite brands. Vince and I rolled up with a few boxes of Crush and Kreed sunglasses to add to the pile. I love gatherings like these. There are so many opportunities to take tons of photos of many beautiful faces. If you're interested, click on this link to check the album for more photos.

The Tom and Gerry Show (I mean "Shirt")

I was working out of Pannikin in Del Mar, CA a couple of days ago and noticed this dude wearing a shirt that is worthy to be blogged about. I asked him where he got it, and he said it was an Ando & Friends shirt that he bought at Thalia St. Surf Shop. Why didn't I know about this already? So "BIG UPS" to Ando & Friends for the design and concept, to Thalia St. for carrying product that fits their store, and to Grant for buying something worth wearing. I'm sure that many of you who don't know about this shirt would be stoked to know that it exist. Go get it.

Side Note: Grant Bostrom is the stranger that I met shown in the picture. It turns out that he's in marketing and we know some of the same peeps. The world is getting smaller.


http://www.thaliasurf.com/
http://www.andoandfriends.com/

I left "the left"

What a crazy Cali winter. Yesterday morning I checked the surf in Carlsbad. It was offshore, 80 degree air temp, and glassier than a Lens Crafters store. (cheezy, i know) Needless to say I got my share of waves as the tide was coming in. I knew there was going to be a sick window of fun as the tide filled in, and I also knew that I had to go. I "responsibly" exited the ocean, and upon exit started to notice the magic left off the jetty starting to come to life. Every grain of sand needs to be in the right place for this little left to work, and it was. It was little, but it was beautiful. A solid overhead barrel for a bodysurfer, and an entertaining waist to chest high line for a surfer. So I left "the left". I took a photo of it for you.

Transition transition TRANSITION

Thanks for checking in. For the most part this will be the extent of my blog for now. I'm working on a blog concept and putting all my energy in to that. Hopefully it will launch soon and maybe there will be some stuff on there that interest and entertains you. Nothing fancy, but I leave you with the photo of bacon wrapped hot dogs with grilled onions from an LA street vendor. You are either salivating or grossed out right now. Super yummy for a hot diggity dog lover! BTW- A "hot dog" is the only kind of "dog" this filipino has eaten. Don't listen to those asian urban legends, and if you do count me out! Hehe.