JayAre from Cali Swag District

In honor of Cali Swag District's the Kickback dropping today, I am posting my interview with JayAre from June 24th. 

It has been over a year since Inglewood, California's very own Cali Swag District dominated airwaves with their plantinum debut single "Teach Me How To Dougie." Fans will finally be able to get their hands on the highly anticipated Cali Swag District debut album Kickback.

This is a bittersweet time for members Smoove Da General, Yung, and JayAre. Their album will drop almost two months after the death of fourth member M-Bone. On May 15th M-Bone was the victim of a drive by shooting in their hometown of Inglewood. "[M-Bone] would want us to stay strong. We keep him in our head and in our hearts. He would want us to keep on going and making music." stated JayAre.

JayAre also shared that "it feels good" for the album to be coming out. He says that "80% of the album was already done before they were signed." And they added more tracks to complete the album while touring last year.

Making the album was "easy" stated JayAre. Adding that the "collaborative process is smooth. Once we like a beat it just flows." Fans will not be disappointed with Kickback. "No two songs are the same. The album is fist pumping music."

This Sunday, June 26th, Cali Swag District will be attending the BET Music Awards. They have been nominated for Best Group. JayAre hopes they win. "If we win I'm going to do something dumb on stage," he laughs. And they are all looking forward to the BET awards after party. However, tonight it is back to work for them. They will be performing in Texas continuing to promote their debut album Kickback out July 12th.

No Doubt Rocks

Gwen Stefani rocks. And not just because she is the singer of one of the greatest bands ever, NO DOUBT.

On June 7, 2011 I had the insane pleasure of being a part of Gwen Stefani’s charity event. It was a harajuku themed tea party to support the Save the Children. (Click the link below for more info.)

 http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6621121/k.3D08/Japan_Earthquake_Tsunami_Relief.htm



Not only did she donate $1 million herself but the event helped raise another $120,000.



Me and The Husband



Now if you know me and have seen my closet full of L.A.M.B. and Harajuku Lovers you might sense that I am a fan of Gwen. But if you are married to me than you really know what an insane huge fan I am. I try to keep the crazy to myself. No need for everyone to be enlightened of my obsessions.  So when this opportunity came along to not only support a great cause for those in need but also to meet my inspiration, I had to do it, no questions asked. I didn’t care how expensive it was going to be. I had to be at this event. Lucky for me I had a partner in a crime. Jenny I love you!



Jenny & I

The day I met Jenny, we became instant besties. We were at a bar sipping our drinks when she looks at me and says, “Is that a L.A.M.B. bag?” Now sadly most people I encounter don’t even know the brand L.A.M.B., so when she asked me my immediate response was “you know L.A.M.B.?” Which then led into a whole “OMG I Love Gwen” conversation which lead to “OMG I have every No Doubt cd I love them they are my favorite band” discussion. And we have been best friends ever since. So now flash forward to the auction to go to the charity event where you get to meet Gwen. You had to bid on tickets for the event. I had been monitoring the bidding for a week. The amount kept going higher and higher. And I was getting nervous. I had to go but I had to be reasonable. I couldn’t make myself poor doing this. It was late Sunday night and I texted Jenny with “how much money do you have? We are going to meet Gwen.” Jenny was in, so the next morning my duty was to bid and win.  Now there were multiple tickets so there were multiple bidding opportunities and the end times of the auctions were staggered. And being an eBay lover I was a pro at this. So I watched and I waited. Five minutes before the first group of tickets ended I put my bid in and I’m the highest bidder. Then with 10 seconds to go, bam, I lose. And I lose by a lot. And this happens about 5 more times in a row. Well now I am getting pissed. And now I am on a mission and I don’t care how much it costs at this point. Keep in mind while I am bidding, watching and waiting, I am also opening my mail. I am watching the last auction and I open my tax refund. And I look at the check in my hand and think “oh it’s on now!” With 10 seconds left I put in my highest bid and bam I WIN! I f***ing win. I start jumping up and down like a crazy person, running up and down the hallway with my puppies screaming “We won puppies! We won!” I immediately call Jenny and begin to scream with excitement all over again! This is the 2^nd best day of my life! (My wedding obviously being the first.)



We felt like Princesses.. dorky ones.. but princesses nonehteless



So now we are at the event and I still can’t believe it! We were even further elated by the fact that not only was Gwen there but all of No Doubt was there. This day could not get any better. We chatted with the band. We ate yummy food and drank delicious tea. We painted momji message dolls for the kids in Japan. We got pictures with everyone and Gwen even signed my favorite album Return to Saturn. And then we were treated to a private concert. They were so good that even my husband who is not a huge fan instantly became one. And I have to say I too was thoroughly impressed by the entire band.  I have met other bands before (Good Charlotte I am mostly talking about you) at meet and greets and they are rude and act as if the fans are bothering them. Douchebags. But No Doubt was gracious, friendly, and most importantly, so dam normal. I fell in love with them all over again!



Momji message dolls that we painted. They were shipped to kids in Japan.

I want to thank Gwen Stefani for putting on an amazing Charity event. And I want to thank No Doubt as a whole for being amazing, for bringing Jenny and I together, for putting me in a great mood when I rock out to you daily and for inspiring me to be creative in any outlet and to learn to play and create my own music. Much love!





Gwen, Adrian, Tony, Tom aka No Doubt



Puppy Love

I stumbled upon this and had to pass this along. If you are interested in getting a puppy or currently have a puppy you must read this. Enjoy :) 

I AM YOUR PUPPY

I am your Puppy, and I will love you until the end of the Earth, but
please know a few things about me.

I am a Puppy, this means that my intelligence and capacity for learning
are the same as an 8-month-old child. I am a Puppy; I will chew
EVERYTHING I can get my teeth on. This is how I explore and learn about the world. Even HUMAN children put things in their mouths. It's up to you to guide me to what is mine to chew and what is not.

I am a Puppy; I cannot hold my bladder for longer than 1 - 2 hours. I
cannot "feel" that I need to poop until it is actually beginning to
come out. I cannot vocalize nor tell you that I need to go, and I cannot
have "bladder and bowel control" until 6 - 9 months. Do not punish me if
you have not let me out for 3 hours and I tinkle. It is your fault. As a
Puppy, it is wise to remember that I NEED to go potty after: Eating,
Sleeping, playing, Drinking and around every 2 - 3 hours in addition. If
you want me to sleep through the night, then do not give me water after
7 or 8 p.m. A crate will help me learn to housebreak easier, and will avoid you being mad at me.

I am a Puppy, accidents WILL happen, please be patient with me! In time I will learn.

I am a Puppy, I like to play. I will run around, and chase imaginary
monsters, and chase your feet and your toes and 'attack' you, and chase
fuzzballs, other pets, and small kids. It is play; it's what I do. Do
not be mad at me or expect me to be sedate, mellow and sleep all day.

If my high energy level is too much for you, maybe you could consider
an older rescue from a shelter or Rescue group. My play is beneficial,
use your wisdom to guide me in my play with appropriate toys, and
activities like chasing a rolling ball, or gentle tug games, or plenty
of chew toys for me. If I nip you too hard, talk to me in "dog talk", by
giving a loud YELP, I will usually get the message, as this is how dogs
communicate with one another. If I get too rough, simply ignore me for a
few moments, or put me in my crate with an appropriate chew toy.

I am a Puppy; hopefully you would not yell, hit, strike, kick or beat a
6-month-old human infant, so please do not do the same to me. I am
delicate, and also very impressionable. If you treat me harshly now, I
will grow up learning to fear being hit, spanked, kicked or beat.
Instead, please guide me with encouragement and wisdom. For instance,
if I am chewing something wrong, say, "No chew!" and hand me a toy I
CAN chew. Better yet, pick up ANYTHING that you do not want me to get
into. I can't tell the difference between your old sock and your new
sock, or an old sneaker and your $200 Nikes.

I am a Puppy, and I am a creature with feelings and drives much like
your own, but yet also very different. Although I am NOT a human in a
dog suit, neither am I an unfeeling robot who can instantly obey your
every whim. I truly DO want to please you, and be a part of your
family, and your life. You got me (I hope) because you want a loving
partner and companion, so do not relegate me to the backyard when I get
bigger, do not judge me harshly but instead mold me with gentleness and
guidelines and training into the kind of family member you want me to
be.

I am a Puppy and I am not perfect, and I know you are not perfect
either. I love you anyway. So please, learn all you can about
training, and puppy behaviors and caring for me from your veterinarian,
books on dog care and even researching on the computer! Learn about my
particular breed and it's "characteristics", it will give you
understanding and insight into WHY I do all the things I do. Please
teach me with love, patience, the right way to behave and socialize me
with training in a puppy class or obedience class, we will BOTH have a
lot of fun together.

I am a Puppy and I want more than anything to love you, to be with you,
and to please you. Won't you please take time to understand how I work?
We are the same you and I, in that we both feel hunger, pain, thirst,
discomfort, fear, but yet we are also very different and must work to
understand one anther's language, body signals, wants and needs. Some
day I will be a handsome dog, hopefully one you can be proud of and one
that you will love as much as I love you.

Love,
Your Puppy

May be posted, reposted, cross-posted and used with permission as long
as credit is given.
Copyright 2000, by J. Ellis - Southern Shadows Rottweilers.
http://hometown.aol.com/shadowsara/

No Strings Attached

Last night I had the pleasure. No wait. I had the luxury of sitting on my fat ass and wasting an hour and a half of my life watching No Strings Attached. I know what you’re thinking. “But Marta, isn’t this your blog about your favorite things? No Strings Attached is a favorite thing?” And my response to you is, no. But what is my favorite thing is how this is such a fantasy movie even though it is not a fantasy movie. (I am about to give away the ending so if you haven’t seen it I would stop reading….. NOW). While I am tearing up like a baby when Natalie Portman’s character confesses her love for Ashton Kutcher’s character I start to just laugh. I laughed hysterically. Let’s be real for just a moment. In real life if Ashton and Natalie were sex buddies it would never end this way.  Trust me I have been there. I mean my friend has been there. And this is not how it goes down. In reality, the movie would end with Ashton in bed, eating potato chips and crying while watching Mean Girls.

Yup Mean Girls. And yeah I did that. I mean my friend did that. Because we all know that in a relationship when one person is all about it and the other is not that NEVER changes. And as much as I criticize this movie for being full blown fantasy I think to myself do I really want the movie to end realistically. And again my answer is no. Has anyone else seen Remember Me? That movie sucked. And it wasn’t because the actors were bad or the cinematography was eh. It is because it didn’t end happy. The minute Robert Pattinson’s life comes together he dies. Well who the hell wants to see that? We see that every day on the news or among our friends and families. So while, No Strings Attached is definitely no Oscar winning movie, it is a nice little fantasy movie to escape to when you have bills, errands, dishes or laundry on the brain. Would I watch it again? No. But I am not begging for an hour and half of my life back. And lately with movies, that’s all I can really hope for.

Britney Spears Premiere: Hold It Against Me

Britney Spears premiered her video today for "Hold It Against Me" And I fell in love with her all over again.

To steal from TLC this video is crazy sexy cool but most importantly sexy. Wish I could have the black outfit at the end of the video. Super delish! And let's be real who hasn't wanted to kick their own ass sometimes?

Enjoy the video at the link below!

http://vevo.ly/f8CxBV

I Heart Obey Clothing

One of my favorite clothing brands is OBEY. Not only do I love them because they make awesome clothes for both men and women that both my fiancé and I enjoy but they also support important causes.  They launched OBEY AWARENESS to educate and generate funding for various causes. Their latest cause is Feeding America.

 Both shirts can be purchased at http://www.metroparkusa.com/ or http://www.obeyclothing.com/

When you purchase one of these shirts you are not only financially helping the cause but you are also spreading the word.

Feeding America is the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity.  Their mission is to feed America's hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks and engage our country in the fight to end hunger.

Each year, the Feeding America network provides food to more than 37 million low-income people facing hunger in the United States, including 14 million children and nearly 3 million seniors.

Our network of more than 200 food banks serves all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, securing and distributing more than 2.5 billion pounds of food and grocery products annually. Those member food banks support approximately 61,000 local charitable agencies and 70,000 programs, which provide food directly to individuals and families in need.

You can learn more at http://www.feedingamerica.org/.

You can learn about the other cause OBEY supports at http://obeyclothing.com/#/awareness/.

Help a cause and look good too.

Looking Forward to 2011

I told myself I was not going to write this. I was not going to do the cliché thing of talking about what happened in 2010 and how 2011 was going to be so much better.  I became bombarded with blog after blog declaring what people learned in 2010 and how they were going to bring that knowledge into the New Year. I became increasingly dissatisfied. Everyone seemed to say the same thing. These blogs were filled with those classic sayings about how they learned to leave the past in the past. And how a person’s wealth is measured by how many friends they have and not how much money they have blah blah blah. Try telling that to my electrical bill. Therefore, I decided that I needed to write this blog in order to tell you exactly what I learned. And not shower you with philosophical moral b@$%sh#t.  

Here goes.

In 2010 I learned…

That dieting sucks. I now know why every actress smokes because I would much rather risk lung cancer than have to stomach anymore plain dry chicken with another dam veggie.

That when my dvr screws up and does not record my tv shows I become a cranky bitch.

That great friends are really really hard to come by. You must be a great friend to those who are great to you.

That when people do a few nice things for you a year it does not make up for all the other bad stuff they do the rest of the year.

That you can get punched in the face over the most moronic insignificant absurd reason so never keep your mouth shut especially when you are speaking the truth.

That I don’t like sushi. Sure I can down a spicy tuna roll or two but why torture myself.

That I do not know why I continue to get talked into stuff that I do not want to do.

That no matter how much I tell the boys of the house which towels go where in the triple divided laundry basket, they will never get it right.

That I am truly ready to get married and settle down. I am over drinking until 2am and would much rather stay up reading because I can’t put the book down.  And this is the first time in my life when I picture growing old with my boyfriend now fiancé that  I get an instant smile on my face instead of world ending  tunnel vision.

That people are super duper lazy. Most successful people are not innately talented or smart they just actually do what they talk about doing.

So here is to 2011! This year I will become a happy happy wife. I will be even a better friend to my true friends. I will rid myself of those that bring me down. And most importantly I will do what I always say I am going to do. Cheers!