Halloween 2009

What to say about this brain twisting, hair raising, fun filled experience? It was absolutely amazing! This year Halloween started on a Thursday and ran into a Monday. Ewwww one might say, i say YESSSSS!!!! Thursday night we were greeted with the Black Heart Halloween party at Vin De Syrah wine parlor, located in downtown San Diego. Black Heart is a rapidly growing clothing company and SD Cadillac club. This intimate night was shared with a close knit group of friends, women, and freaks from all over SD. Here are some images:



There were all sorts of costumes; Indians, aliens, boxers, and even CJ Parker from Baywatch showed up to dance!





Then came Friday. Oh Friday! There were no costumes this night just debauchery with the boys as we invaded North County and got loose with a few myrtles. Here's a little taste of that:




Saturday was Halloween. How i love Halloween. We went to the Prado in Balboa Park, San Diego. A massive event put on by two buddies of mine and their company DJ Here. If you have not checked out this event be sure to next year. This was a glorious night full of dancing and friendship, capped off with an after party at the W hotel downtown, followed by an after party at a friends house................9pm Sunday after a Chargers victory over the Raiders and brain cells non existent i found my bed, wait Kristin's bed. However, the boys being in fine fashion as they always are, made it to Deadmau5 playing at the House of Blues. What a weekend and what a life. Don't ever go changing!!

R.I.P Bryan Lee Makinson

Bryan hearing of your passing has left me in complete shock. If anything i want you to know, you are someone i want to see again. Thank you for your hospitality while visiting in Indonesia and thank you for being a friend i will never forget. How good were those waves we got at Bingin?!?! Ill remember that day forever. How good were those talks reminiscing about back home!?!? Your the guy and i only have great images of you in my mind. I didn't know how to react at first hearing about your death but as days pass by and waves continue to roll in i see that this is how you wanted it. You were happy when i left you and in my mind you are happy still. A funny feeling tells me you must have planned it this way. You always knew how to exit. Keep smiling Bryan and when i decide to exit, be sure to show me around heaven. Just like in Indonesia, knowing you, you for sure have a few little secret spots your holding on to! Aloha my friend.

Just another San Diego Morning

This was a fun little morning spent with my good friend Ryan Clancy, Daniel Hopkins and myself. Plenty of surf but for once not a million zeeks on my spot.

Bali is BAGUS

September 7th I took my first surf trip to Bali, Indonesia. A magical island located in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean. This tiny island possess some of the worlds top surf breaks with waves like changu, padang padang, uluwatu, bingin, impossibles, nusa dua, green bowl........just to name a few. Ever heard of the place? Well anyways my trip started in LA. 13 hours later i arrived in Taiwan or Taipei international airport. Taiwan is a very nice place where everything is clean and people are extremely generous and polite. I had to stay the night in Taiwan before I left for Bali at 10:00 am in the morning the following day. I stayed in a nice hotel in a very industrial place, but in the end all i needed was a bed. From Taiwan was a 5 1/2 hour flight to Denpasar, Bali. This flight was easy though because the nice people at EVA Airways bumped me up to First Class! Landing in Bali energized and frothing I met up with Rie, a local girl from Indonesia who is dating my buddy Brian. Rie took me on a whirlwind adventure meeting everyone in Uluwatu. After 100 Mades and 50 Wayans i knew remembering names was going to be easy. Just pick one or the other! The traveling took a lot out of me so i just got my room, unpacked my gear and called it a night. I'll have day two posted soon when i can think of good things to talk about....

End of the Summer in SD

Now that I have returned back to reality after an amazing trip to Bali, Indonesia, its time I update this shit. Whats been going on in the life of George? Well after leaving the surf school in August for my surf trip, I went on a two week party binge with friends. This is what that looked like.... We hit up two of my favorite night spots in SD frequently, El Dorado on Broadway and Voyuer on 6th ave. Both great fist pumping spots with a dash of hipster and a whole lot of chicks. Not to mention DJ sets like Bloody Beatroots and Steve Aoki. Oh you want more? Here are some more images from those crazy nights..... As you can see the nights were long and days were short. Sleep was overrated but i knew that i needed to get this out of my system after a busy summer and knowing that a relaxing vacation was just around the corner. I will have those Bali photos up soon so you can froth on what was going on there, along with great stories to combine. So to all that have been waiting for my return, Aloha and "I'm back bitches!!"

Pacific Surf School Launches new Websites

If you have never surfed then you don't know the feeling, but if you want to learn while having fun i know the school for you! Pacific Surf School located in Mission Beach, San Diego has just launched three new websites. With surf camps in Santa Monica, Los Angele's, Hawaii, San Diego, Costa Rica, and Bali, Pacific Surf School is your #1 international and local surf school. Not to mention i am one of the instructors there. Don't just believe me we have the honors and accolades to prove it. With awards given for best surf school, people's choice award, friendliest staff, etc..... the list goes on. The new sites to check out for lessons year round are; pacificsurf.org, alohasurfergirls.com, and surflessons101.com. From any of these three websites you can sign up for trips, camps, lessons and just an all around good time. Hope to see you surfing this summer!!!!!!!

Featured Artist/ Shay

Friday May 1st the Essentials crew including Pat, Shay, Shay's lovely lady Mandy and myself all headed up to L.A.'s HIVE gallery to support our talented friend Shay. Shay was honored as the featured artist this evening and blew doors off the place. His unique style using oil paint is unmatched at this event. Some say its similar to Dali! You make your own opinions, mine is with my buddy! Go get em Shay your going to be rolling in FAME!!! Check out Shay's website and other works of art at shayvisions.com.

Coachella 2009

Wow! Truly the one word I can use to describe Coachella this year in Indio, CA. A three day music festival with top name bands headlining each stage. Stand out performances by Chemical Brothers, Travis Barker & DJ AM, The Crookers, Joss Stone, Boyz Noise, Ghostland Observatory ect.....



The set up of the venue is unreal. Miles of green trimmed polo fields, jam packed with thousands of fans mobbing each gargantuan art piece and concession stand. Psychedelic poppy arrangements and lightning shows, listing just a few of the eye popping scenery that overwhelms you as you stroll through the masses.



Night time is a completely different feel! Light shows attack the sky as Electro bands take the stage to wow the googly eyed spectators. Freaks, hippies, 9-5ers, families and teens all mosh together in this unique atmosphere. Not to mention your surrounded by palm trees everywhere you look. If you have never checked out Coachella, I suggest that you make 2010 the year you experience the show!!!!!!

Music has its effect on me

On a nightly basis I lye in bed, awake, due to the fact I have music playing in my head. I can do nothing but think of these songs and reflect on how much they effect me. Some nights I think of soundtracks that would go well with action sports movies, other nights I think of songs that would go well with credits. I flash through songs that I would want if i had a video segment. Tonight all i can hear is THRICE. I love THRICE, especially their acoustic music. Something about them brings me back to high school when I used to mob around LJ with my buddy Henry who introduced me to them. Either way tonight I am thinking of THRICE so I thought I should just blog considering I am awake right now and leave you with some of their songs I really enjoy. So enjoy a night in my brain.

Good bye Hawaii

I originally thought it would be hard to leave this place. When I was younger I dreampt of moving to Hawaii and surfing for the winters. Now that I have accomplished that goal my outlook is different then what I had expected.
From the beginning I thought I would come here and never want to leave, so when I boarded a flight to oahu in september of '08 I had already said my goodbyes and wished everyone a happy life. What I gained from my experience is how much I truly love where I come from. I cant wait to get back to normality; socializing, working, surfing, and hanging with friends. I am not saying that I am ready to get sucked back in to what I was doing but I am ready to see my city. I want only to pause and re group before I take another pluge to a spot somewhere else in the world. So good bye Hawaii. I will be seeing you again sometime!

HIC pipe trials go off

Sipping my coffee and looking at the swell patterns on my computer this morning, I knew it was going to be a good day at pipeline. 10-15 foot swells coming out of the north west with easterly winds. Always a good sign.

I gathered my board shorts, towel, and water jug. Loaded up the 6'6 on my scooter and off to the races. Pulling up to the Volcom Houses at 9:30am I was waiting for my tide. Low going high. Puttering up the path I could hear the sound of an announcer blaring across the beach. HIC was holding the pipeline trials for 2009.

Bummed I was unable to surf, with most spots closing out, pipe was all I was thinking about. Not disappointed, due to the large swells and great surfing that was going on I whipped out my camera which I always keep on me. Here is a little video from the action today. I am just going to have to wait for my surf session tomorrow morning. Which will be MACKING!

R.I.P EMERY

February 2,2009 justice was finally served in the death of friend, and local La Jolla surfer, Emery Kauanui. Emery was 24 yrs old when he was beaten to death in front of his home on Draper avenue in San Diego May 24, 2007. Leaving behind two brothers and a mother to mourn his loss.

Emery was a good guy; funny, cocky, and full of life. He dreamed of starting a charity where inner city children would be able to learn to surf and escape their rough environment. A religious man, Emery spent Sunday's in church and spoke of the power of god.



Meeting Emery when I was fourteen years old, we had the ocean in common. We ran in different crowds but kept a friendship through the years. Surfing together regularly in La Jolla and partying around town. I was very sad to hear of the death of Emery on May 28, 2007. I remember clearly, surfing Big Rock, a local wave in San Diego, when I noticed a white wall with, "R.I.P. Emery" painted in huge black letters. I had heard nothing of the incident and when I asked a friend what the tagging was all about I felt a sad rush of emotions. This was the second time I had lost a friend. Both I had kept little contact with, yet a friendship that was always strong when we were around each other.



When news started coming in and I found out the whole story I was very upset. I knew Seth Cravens and the crew of kids he hung out with, we all went to high school together. It made me sick to hear what the argument was about and the fact that Emery lost his life over it. So over a year has passed, justice has finally been served. Seth Cravens was sentenced 20 years to life today. Now, Seth will have time to sit and repent on his actions and hopefully mourn for the life he has taken. Emery is greatly missed and the community bounded together for a paddle out to remember the Hawaiian surfer.



I miss you Emery and hope you look over me from heaven. It isn't the same surfing in La Jolla on a good day, knowing that you should be out there with us. I feel as if you are still out there and we will keep you in our hearts. Aloha buddy!