You get that feeling when you read a story you wrote 2 years ago and can’t believe you actually submitted it to a teacher. Reading it to yourself is so embarrassing and awful. That feeling you get when you take another listen to the song you created with the very first BAND you were in. It sounds like a poorer version of CREED. Or that feeling you get when you blow the dust off some old photographs and cringe at the unsightly PANTS you used to wear to school. I at one time in my life have felt all of these feelings. And as PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON wrote in one of my favorite films of all time, Magnolia, “We may be through with the past, but the past ain’t through with us.” Ain’t that the truth? Because no matter how much I wanted to bury those old rave photos of me and my friends (mostly just me), I conveniently forgot that I originally made doubles and the same set is lying in a friend’s drawer somewhere bound to surface again at the most inconvenient time. So what better way to defeat fate than by beating it to the punch?
I’m beginning to post some of the older clips of What Mike Saw, which will inevitably count down to the first episode I ever made. These are going back to 2006 when we lived in a different time so that means embarrassing moments, embarrassing dance movies, embarrassing hair. I look like a Filipino IAN BROWN in this. But it’s okay because I enjoy uncomfortable situations.
This clip #7 isn’t quite to that level of embarrassment, yet, but features some shenanigans and a few celebrities. Most of them are B-rate (Tom Green) but none the less, nice to look at. And make fun of.
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Posted 1 month, 4 weeks ago at 6:45 PM. 5 comments
Growing up in WALNUT, I was surrounded by all types of Asians and ORIENTALS. I had a Chinese, Indian, and Paki within my group of skater friends alone. Most of my high school classmates were Chinese and Korean. If I were in more AP classes, they would all be Asian. One of my dad’s best friends was Vietnamese and another from Indonesia. I was part of the Halo Halo club, which is a Filipino-American club run by students. I had also danced in countless DEBUTS. My favorite restaurants in the city were a Thai place and a Japanese place. And maybe a Chinese place too if you count Panda Express.
But despite immersing myself into various Asian cultures, I never knew anyone with a Laotian background. The only thing I knew about Laos was the Laotian family from KING OF THE HILL. That was until NOP came into my life. It was a couple years ago while hanging out at my friend CODY’S housewarming party. Cody introduced me to him saying, “Dude! You’ve got to meet this guy. You two would get along so swell!”
Two years later, I’ve got the equivalent of a doctorate on Laotian culture. But I can attribute most of that to Nop’s best friend Vinh (also from VA). Vinh tends to find obscure ARTICLES on the internet about Laos and forwards them to his friends.
Celebrating your birthday is a special time. Since it comes only once a year, all the focus and attention is on you. So what better way to celebrate your birth than than by dedicating the entire month to you. Don’t mind if anyone else has a birthday in the same month. They can just come along for the ride. That’s what Nopvember is all about and so is the video below.
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Posted 2 months, 2 weeks ago at 7:14 PM. 7 comments
I don’t understand why Segways aren’t more of a phenomenon than they should be. Back in 2000, I saw a news feature on these innovative machines and I thought to myself, “The future has finally arrived!” I went out and quickly invested my life savings on what I thought was the wave of the future. I was an outspoken advocate for Segways and was out there spreading the word. Instead of walking to the park, why not Segway to the park. Plus you can roll over grass, dirt, and even feces without getting your shoes dirty. BTW, back then I was also a SNEAKER freak. So Segways gave me that advantage of keeping my shoes clean at all times.
Nearly a decade later, I have learned that this is just the beginning. I see Segways everywhere. Airport security, mall COPS, and even MOTHERS can be seen on Segways. It’s a miracle! If it took 10 years to get this far, imagine what 2020 will look like. Segway firefighters? Segway puppies? Segway at the X GAYMES? I like where this is heading.
I may have had a slight hand in the Segway Blowup. Four years ago I created a commercial for Segway as a marketing ploy geared for a certain demographic. It’s a bit French New Wave but I think it makes a statement for today’s working man.
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Posted 3 months, 4 weeks ago at 12:46 PM. 6 comments
Before a single follicle on your upper lip can be considered a MUSTACHE, before the cracks in your rough and scratchy voice can be sealed, and before those hairs on your nipple are considered legit, you must become a man. There comes a time in every boy’s life when he must make a major decision. This decision makes up whether or not this boy will stay a boy, or move on to the next level. But the task at hand varies from culture to culture, which legitimizes ones entry into manhood. The Jews celebrate a boy’s bar mitzvah for his transition. In Ethiopia, boys walk on top of cows’ backs naked for their transition. And here in America, every boy must know how to rewire their cable boxes to get free SPICE before they make the jump into manhood.
In the Philippines, I’m not exactly sure what path one must take in order to be free from boyhood. But I may have created a great method of creating men out of boys. I wouldn’t necessarily call the BALUT a delicacy. It’s practically street food since you can get it at any random street corner in the Philippines. And if you’re like me who prefers the street version of anything (tacos, ghetto dogs, cotton candy) then you are sure to love the balut. You may even consider it tastier than sunny side up. And more fun to eat as well.
Most people are unfamiliar with the balut. It’s basically a duck egg only a couple of weeks old. Give that thing a few more days and the bird would crack out of its shell. But the incubation process is shorted by which the balut is created. So when the shell is opened, you essentially see a bird that was almost ready to burst open to hatch.
Last year, I thought it would be fun to bring a couple of baluts to my friend’s house who was hosting the PACQUIAO/DE LA HOYA fight. In honor of Pac-Man, three people were up for the feast. Little did I know that when I bought the eggs from my neighborhood Filipino store Seafood City, they had to be boiled first. I literally thought you could pick up the eggs off the shelf and eat it right then and there. In the video below, you will literally see the evolution into manhood right before your very eyes. Not to mention the defeat of salmonella or any other egg infested disease that could have been acquired. If you ever see a balut as shown in the video below, know that it is NOT supposed to look like that. These guys really could have gotten sick.
This one’s dedicated to Manny. I wish him luck because he’ll need it. Anyone who has been following 24/7 on HBO knows this may be his toughest battle yet. And he needs to stop messing around with corrupt politicians so that he can focus on fighting.
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Posted 4 months ago at 8:37 PM. 9 comments
Just as HUEY LEWIS did with MARTY MCFLY, we’re going “back in time”. We’re going back to a simpler time when it was okay to be passed out drunk in the streets while your friends mock you. Back to a time when it was sanitary to scam on random girls you meet in a crappy bar. Back to a time when sporting a MULLET was okay and you wouldn’t be ridiculed for having one. Fortunately we all had to grow out of that phase of our lives and even though those were great times, we should be glad they’re over.
What Mike Saw #11, which is a more current representation of the times, will be made next week but before we visit the new era, we must take a look back at part of a decade that seems ages ago. For those of you in this, I’m sure that you don’t even remember these particular moments in your lives. But hopefully these memories do come back and hopefully you won’t be too embarrassed by them.
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Posted 4 months, 3 weeks ago at 12:28 PM. 7 comments
I’m proud to claim that a few years ago, I invented the term “shiny shirt club”. A shiny shirt club is any club with a one-word name (Mood, Pulse, MAMI, etc.) frequented by bros with SHIRTS that shine. But the shine doesn’t just stop at the shirts. The luster gets carried on in everything from the hair, to the MUSCLES, to the bling. The GIRLS are pretty fantastic too. It’s pretty simple really and we’ve all seen them because we’re constantly bombarded with their exclusive appeal and sweet looking FLYERS. However I never really get invited to these clubs because of the way I LOOK but that’s fine by me. I’m comfortable with who I am.
I must admit though that I am jealous of my brother who took the label one step further, for our people (ORIENTAL), and called the Asian clubs, “SHINESE Shirt Clubs.” Damn that’s good. And that is something I am fond of and wish I were completely apart of.
This is the 10th episode of What Mike Saw. It’s been three years since I put one together. This video is dedicated to all the “Shinese” shirt bros. And it’s also dedicated to the NBA, which I miss very very much.
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Posted 5 months, 3 weeks ago at 12:29 PM. 11 comments
A lot can happen in three years. Back in 2006, anyone who’s anyone was listening to a prepubescent Jonas Brothers. Everyone I knew had an ANGULAR haircut. Not me. I opted for the BOWL. And the biggest television show of that time was American Idol. The only thing that’s really changed about that show is the SEXUAL ORIENTATION.
It’s been three years since I did a What Mike Saw. Even though I haven’t put anything together since then, it doesn’t mean that I’ve stopped recording. I’ve been capturing EVERYTHING. So don’t worry if you can’t remember what happened that one night you drank so much you woke up in the SANTA’S VILLAGE parking lot with your underwear on backwards. I can probably help you out.
The video below was the very last thing I put together back in 2006.
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Posted 6 months, 1 week ago at 4:34 AM. 2 comments
Oh ANONYMOUS CONTENT how I miss thee. You were probably the greatest 9-5 job anyone could ask for. No matter how late I came in, you were there to greet me with a huge smile. Often times, my vault buddies or even myself wouldn’t come in weeks at a time you still embraced us with open arms.
You kept us plump and healthy with your overstocked pantries full of delectable treats like granola bars, trail mix, candy, and even cup cakes. And then when it was lunch time, you fed us with a meal so large we often couldn’t finish leaving us with an entire meal for dinner.
To tell you the truth, we stayed even after our shifts were over. You know why? We loved your selection of large conference rooms stacked with the greatest audio equipment with matching flat screen television. NBA? Of course. Wimbledon? No problem. Spice? You betcha.
I honestly can’t think of one thing I did not like about you Anonymous Content. Your pay kinda sucked but it was well worth it. So with that, I leave you with this. My tribute to you Anonymous Content and how I productively used my time.
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Posted 10 months, 1 week ago at 8:41 PM. 6 comments
