Easter Week Update

Fortunately, Alison L. booked me for her July 9th wedding reception right here in rustic Plainsboro! That will be a nice one. Our meeting at Barnes and Noble went fairly well. Don't forget to get back to her with a playlist.

I also with relative ease closed a party for Monday May 23 - a semiformal dance/awards dinner for the UMDJ Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. The fee is $300. The venue is a hotel in Somerset and about 200 people will be in the house.

Over the weekend, I spent some time preparing for the Hamilton Sweet 16 party for next Saturday. Added some new discs to my collection to facilitate the requested playlist - Weezer Blue Album, Led Zeppelin Best of Series (awesome stuff!) and No Doubt (the Singles 92-03). This should be a fun party. It's a rock/classic rock/alternative rock theme, but with no hip hop /disco/R&B.

Next Sunday's wedding reception for the Palisadeum still has a long way to go with planning. The bride and groom are running behind. One way or another, it must get done!

I burned some music for Caruso-Mas onto TDK medium - they were not working on his car CD player or DJ CD player. Disappointing! I haven't had that problem. In the meantime, I'm going back to Fuji.

Ma Warina is back in the Philippines. Her travels were relatively smooth. It was harder than expected to get a flight to Tacloban due to the Holy Week traffic in the Philippines. She made it back in time to take the Holy Supper. Our visit to the INS in Newark was a circus and ultimately a failure. Charlotte has to go back on April 4th.

Charlotte and I also took our Holy Supper this past week. The preparations and services were serious and stern. It was an emotional time.

Today Zachary and I had a nice play session and chat - he was in a bright, friendly mood. He is in a nursery rhyme state of mind. His singing is pretty good!!

Re-watched Road to Perdition DVD with Tom Hanks and Paul Newman over the weekend. Great story, cinematography and soundtrack.

Another Allison - Hot Lead

A Friday evening e-mail quote request came in this evening from a certain Allison for the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Senior Awards banquet in Somerset at the DoubleTree Hotel. She thought that my website was informative - a nice compliment! It's for Monday, May 23rd, the day after I return from Las Vegas. I quoted her $300 for 4 hours plus an extra hour of overtime if she needs it. Let's see how it goes!

This evening, Char and I watched Euro Trip - a funny American Pie-style coming of age comedy. It was light and had some good laughs. Brought back some pleasant memories of my European travels in France and Germany. Yes, I would love to go back for more. This weak dollar is ashame though. There was one parody scene where they take $1.80 and parlay it in Eastern Europe into unimaginable luxury.

Don't think that I wrote it up, but last Sunday we saw HOSTAGE in the theater with Bruce Willis - great film! It was nice to have a quiet night out with my wife also.

Next Monday I'm off from work to take Warina to the airport and Charlotte to Newark for her visa processing. I have many errands to run tomorrow morning, the biggest of which is cutting this shaggy hair.

Today, I scheduled a power meeting for next Wednesday with Caruso-Mas.

Business Developments

First of all, BLOGGER has a new policy that allows non-account holders to post comments to blogs. This is an open invitation for y'all to make a comment or two.

This week has been good. The opulent Franklin Lakes birthday party is back on for June 25th! I negotiated a slight fee increase and they seem enthusiastic to have me back. This is the guy who lives in a fortress with Benzes and Bentleys and holds what looked to me to be a $100,000 party.

Next, I received an inquiry for a July 9th wedding reception right here in Plainsboro! That would be great. The bride's name is Allison and she sounded nice on the phone. I'll meet with her on Sunday.

The mystery man, Frank, got back to me, apologized and claims that his fiance will contact me this week to seal up all of the details and leave a deposit.

Myra and Jay are going to come out to my party in Hamilton on April 2nd to check it out. I have had good results with those who see me live as opposed to listening to descriptions of what I do.

With business going well, I ordered some new lighting equipment his week. Part of it arrived already, but the crown jewel arrives next week.

The WMC conference in Miami is starting. All of the international DJs are descending on the town, with a ton of parties and exhibitions. Wish I was there, as this cold, lingering NJ weather bites!!!

Beware of Using Fake Names

Yesterday at the local Starbucks across the street from Princeton University, I ordered a Vanilla Latte. The barista, as per procedure, writes the customer's name on the cup in a black wax pen. When asking my name, I answered "Horatio" - as in Horatio Kane, CSI Miami. She was amused by the name and made some joke that I did not understand. Then, a Princeton student started asking for details about Horatio, the historical character. I was quickly in way over my head, and was forced to reference the historical character, Horatio Kane of CSI Miami! My cover was almost blown. I just smiled, grabbed my latte and exited the Starbucks.

Get Ready for the Palisadeum

In terms of DJ stuff, it was a mixed week. I booked one wedding reception for April 3rd up in Palisades Park at the Palisadeum Dae Won. The groom is a 43 year old Korean and the bride of Chinese descent, age unknown. It was an easy sale; they read the website, asked some easy questions on the phone and signed on.

That Chinese-American prospect, Jessica, decided to go with somebody else. These face-to-face open ended discussion meetings at coffee cafes have not went well this year. Perhaps I should try a new cologne.

On the positive front, I had a pseudo-booking for a wedding reception, April 30th, up in Clifton. Groom's name is Frank. He said that I was hired, but hasn't followed up on his end of the bargain. Plus he called from a cellphone with a blocked number. He claims to be a DJ himself and is going to provide all of the music on discs ahead of time. That would be pretty easy. I'll give him a week and see if he comes around. Shouldn't I have confidence in humanity?

This winter is dragging on. I am really craving some warmer weather. The family went to TGI Friday's on Friday night. On Saturday night, we ate in and then played No Limit Texas Hold Em' with guest Gregg W. It was a fun time, and one of our clan won. Tonight, we returned to TGI's and then watched the movie HOSTAGE with Bruce Willis. I rate it an enthusiastic THUMB's UP. Excellent plot and action.

4th Wedding Anniversary

Today, March 8th, marks my 4th wedding anniversary to my wonderful wife, Charlotte. It's ashame that we had a snow storm followed by an icy chill. We enjoyed an extra large pizza from Aljon's, watched American Idol and then enjoyed the movie PAPARAZZI on DVD.

In an era marked by marital strife and discontent, I feel blessed to have a good marriage with a nice wife and handsome young boy. Hopefully, many more wedding anniversaries await us!

My parents were kind enough to give us $100 towards dinner as a present. My dad took me out to lunch at a Chinese place called Mrs. Chow's to deliver the card. I appreciate my parents a lot for doing this.

The Sales Cycle

Last week, I had 6 inquiries - a mixture of weddings and other parties. 5 of the 6 are on standby. The sixth coincided with my Las Vegas vacation so I referred that to DJ Caruso-mas. He thinks there's a good chance that they'll retain him for their May 21st wedding. He's having a good May on my account. Bad luck in that May 14th and May21st are my vacation time, but those are the breaks!

Received paperwork from Bethanis family for Sweet 16 after a long delay.

Booked today a wedding reception for Frank of Clifton at full rate for April 30th!

The calendar is starting to fill up for the summer, but there's still much work to be done.

Day on the Town in Manhattan

My mother-in-law, "Ma Warina" will be returning home to the Philippines after a six month stay at our place. It was appropriate to show her an unforgettable day in "my New York."

We drove in, a straight sail through the Holland Tunnel (unprecedented!). After struggling to find parking in Greenwich Village, we settled for a garage on the corner of Kenmare Street and Mulberry Street, on the outskirts of Soho and Little Italy. Charlotte was delighted during our stroll down Spring Street to spot retailers like Chanel, Burberry's, D&G, Diesel and Movado. This was a nice substitute for doing the 5th Avenue walk of shame.

After an hour or two of strolling Soho, we hopped on a C train, departing at 42nd Street, Times Square. Needing a bathroom break, we posed as guests at the Westin. The Westin lobby featured dark woods and these large, translucent drapes that blew ever so slightly. Next, we found a delicatessen with table service one block off of Broadway. The food was excellent! We all enjoyed soup, then wraps - Warina and I had the Paris wraps (turkey breast, lettuce, cheese, apples) and Charlotte had a Chicago wrap (roast beef, onion, bacon and more).

After lunch, we proceeded directly to the Majestic Theater for a viewing of Phantom of the Opera. It was the first time for this show for all of us. While waiting outside the theater, we felt cold with the wind blowing down the street and the sunlight hidden away. Inside, the theater looked grand and historic. The seating was very tight with zero legroom (worse than coach seating). We were in the orchestra section under this canopy to the left- the view was good, but there were several scenes where the phantom was high above the stage where we lost sight of the action. It was an excellent show with wonderful costumes, strong musical performances and an interesting plot. We are not ashamed to admit that we didn't completely understand the plot and that all of us enjoyed 5 minute cat naps. We will be renting the movie shortly to fill in the blind spots. My favorite set was the misty lake with the candles; next, the Phantom's dark chambers, and third, the huge staircase for the start of the second set.

We left the theater at about 4:40 and decided to kill some time in Times Square. There was a semi-nude cowboy in the middle of the road taking photos for money. The sidewalks were thick with people. We dropped in the Virgin Megastore, and I was highly pleased by the broad musical selections. I picked up several selections. Next, we struggled to find a cab on Ave of the Americas, but eventually succeeded. Our driver, of some African nationality, was fast and aggressive. We made it to our restaurant in less than 10 minutes. Regrettably, this cozy restaurant in the Village could not accomodate an additional guest, so we had to pick another place. I waited to meet the mystery guest, while the others, including 'joiner' Gregg W., went on to our replacement restaurant, "Alfama", a Portuguese restaurant at 551 Hudson Street (p 212 645 2500).

I retreived the mystery guest Qian (pronounced "Chen") and brought her to Alfama where a cozy table for 5 was waiting for us. The others, all with the exception of Ma Warina who had met Qian, had not seen her in several years. The menu was compact but with delicious selections. Appetizers included pumpkin soup, caldo de verde and octopus. Entrees included grouper, lamb, fancy sardines and filet mignon cooked on a hot stone. Gregg W. and I both enjoyed the filet mignon which comes out raw, but then cooks right in front of you. The benefit of this technique is that you can cook each piece to perfection, and it is hot and delicious for each bite. At some point, Qian leaned in and began cooking pieces of lamb on Gregg W's stone. I enjoyed a medium bodied Portuguese red wine for $8 a glass called Don something that was velvety smooth - I need to research the name of this vintage as I would buy a case.

One culinary anecdote from Alfama - another table ordered a spicy Portuguese sausage. The fumes coming off this sausage hit our lungs like hydrocholoric acid, inducing coughing. Other patrons were also coughing. The windows needed to be opened for 5 minutes. After the windows were closed, there was some residual zestiness to the air, but the effect soon passed. For future diners at Alfama, I dare you to order this sausage!!!

Qian will be graduating from Baruch with a degree in accounting in May/June 2005. She promised to come to the Boro and cook us a genuine Sichuan meal soon.

Next stop was a 10 minute walk to Arthur's Tavern, a cozy little jazz club with a wide variety of patrons, ranging from yuppies to crusty old timers to Coyote Ugly-style bartenders. The jazz trio with a piano lead that we had hoped to see was touring in Seattle, but the replacement group was a trio led by guitar. They were excellent, with the lead guitarist having a cool, smooth style - making it seem easy. The stage area was tiny, and customers sat directly in front of the pen on a countertop. The drummer was in the zone. Beverages included coffee, cranberry juice, Heineken and Corona.

We concluded the evening with delicious desserts and cappucinos at a local venue around the corner from Arthur's. Everything was top shelf, particularly the chocolate souffle and vanilla ice cream. Wow!

At some point during the evening, Gregg W. and I made three separate phone calls to Mike Z. to register our TRIPLE CROWN points. At one point, Mike called back and I heard the sound of a flushing toilet. Crass indeed!

Qian was gracious enough to drive us back to the parking garage in her Lexus. Problem is, we couldn't find it. It took about a 30 minute seach, two rides past the seedy Carousel Club and three calls to the parking garage to locate the garage. The good news- just $18 for the day! We also exited the city easily and without incident. I was home in bed at 12:15 AM!

The best of New York is a delight. We had a great day!!!

Heating up Some Prospects

Tonight I met with a bride, Jessica L., in New Brunswick to discuss a possible gig on Saturday, June 11th. Meeting seemed to go well, but you never know with these. She's interviewing one, maybe two more DJs. It will be a classy afternoon wedding up in Weekhawken near the Lincoln Tunnel. Her husband is American; while she is Asian-American with a family of Chinese descent. I tried to promote the merits of my service, be friendly, but not overbearing. She'll probably decide by end of March.

A separate groom, Khan, has expressed some interest for a possible April 30th wedding in Freehold. He seems concerned about discovering any hidden extras in price. Perhaps he's had a bad experience of being baited and switched? This lead seems for real though. He has requested some Greek music, so I should learn some more in case the talks get more serious.

Finally, a certain Andy J. has requested a quote for a birthday party for late March in Plainsboro. I think it's for his daughter's 13th birthday party, but can't be sure. Also followed my e-mail with a phonecall (no answer, left on voicemail). These three steaks are on the fire, and hopefully at least one of them will turn into a booking!

i-Pod Type Parties

Inspired by an article on Yahoo about these i-Pod parties where participants pack their i-Pods and play a short set for the party.

I made a pact today with Mickey Finn and "the Deacon" that we should hold music listening parties where each participant is able to bring 20 minutes of music for all to enjoy. There would be some pre-listening introductions, the music itself and then post-review. The overall concept would be for us to learn about and enjoy musical selections that we ordinarily might not have reviewed.

To supplement the experience, I am suggesting that we play the music on a good quality audio system - like mine! You know how a good system brings music to life, right?

Let's see if these musical purists will stick to the script! They will be very surprised too when I don't bring some banging techno track as my first example.

So many projects for 2005, and it's already March!

Wine Tasting Mix 2005

The other night I live recorded my Wine Tasting 2005 Mix, a continuous mix which is the sequel to the 2004 Wine Tasting compilation. I recorded this on Audacity software, then exported to WAV file and burned from Windows Media Player to CD. The audio quality was sufficient, but the snares on Snoop Dogg's DROP IT LIKE IT's HOTT sounded fuzzy.

Track Listing / Genre

Masquerade - George Benson / Jazz lounge

Sing Low- Diana Schuur / Jazz Lounge

Everything's Gonna Be Alright - Jamie Myerson / Loungey Drum n Bass

Sixth Sense - Josh Wink featuring Ursula Rucker / Smooth House

Kiss Me (don't be Afraid) - Deep House

Confessions - Usher / R&B

Slow Motion - Juvenile feat. Soulja Slim / Hip Hop Slow Jam

Karma (Reggaeton mix) - Alicia Keys / R&B and Reggaeton blend

Step in the Name of Love - R. Kelly, R&B

Let's Get it On (remix) - Marvin Gaye / R&B

Who Am I? (smooth remix) - Beenie Man / Reggae

Drop it Like it's Hott- Snoop Dogg and Pharell / Hip Hop

I Want Your Sex, pt 2- George Michael / Pop Dance

Baby Don't Hurt Me - Haddaway / 90s Eurodance

After the Soma- Nigel Richards / techno

Polygons- David Alvarado / techno

Poetry - A Guy Called Gerald feat. Ursula Rucker / house / avant garde

We'll have to see what the critics says. Their homes are likely littered with past CD mixes and compilations of mine. Who knows how often that they are listened to? But I do enjoy listening to my mix tapes, and learning from them. It builds up critical listening skills, leading to improvement.

The Oscars

I was happy to see Jamie Foxx take home the Oscar for best actor, although Leonardo diCaprio has consistently been putting out good movies. Sorry Leo, you'll just have to weep with Giselle and all of that money you bring home! Foxx gave a heartfelt speech to his deceased grandmother. What is that tattoo on the back of this scalp though? Hilary Swank won best actress and Million Dollar Baby won Best Picture. Clint Eastwood also won Best Director.

QUESTION-
Does your industry have an equivalent of the Oscars? If it did, would you be nominated for an award?