Some Songs that Rocked my Life!

Now yesterday a friend and I were discussing and listening to some old Rock songs that had influence on our lives in the past. Here are a few of those songs in no particular order:

Linkin Park - Numb






Simple Plan - Me Against the World








Evanescence - Bring Me to Life







Metallica - Enter Sandman






Green Day - Minority







Bon Jovi - It's My Life

Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit

Simple Plan - Perfect

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day is not just a day to eat Turkey and watch football. It has a meaning which has been unfortunately lost to many.

We should be thankful for all we have been given, not rushing out to buy random commodities we do not need.

We should be grateful for the family and friends that surround us. We should be sharing this day; remembering and making memories,  not wasting it away in front of a television or in a shopping mall.

We need to learn to appreciate what has been given to us. People are too greedy these days. Its not all about you, it should be about the greater good.

I personally try every day of my life to do good. If I see a 'neighbor' in need and I am able to assist in some way, I will. It's a personal choice on how we live life.  People need to realize we share this country and this earth!

Let us share it with all, be thankful for what we have and help those in need. Only then will you understand the true meaning of Thanksgiving.

With an open Heart,

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

Matty Di

Matty Di's Insight #1

Don't Overwork Yourself

I've realized recently I don't even know who I am anymore...
I can barely think straight, my life has become one big mesh of stress.
I understand that life is full of hardships and work can be one of them...
but it shouldn't be the only thing.
I used to go out with friends a couple times a week for drinks,
hit up a few parties on the weekends, visit with family, hang out with good friends,
as well as go to work and do the necessary.
Now I find myself getting home from a grueling day ready to pass out after ten to twelve hours, but instead of relaxing, I'm getting on my blackberry (ancient I know) or my laptop and continuing to work.
I find I have no more personal time. I wake up and check my emails while i'm getting ready to go to work, then I go about my long day doing my actual job, then I get home and CONTINUE TO WORK!
This cycle needs to end, if it doesn't end soon, I may completely lose myself.
When I was younger I loved to play the piano, write music, go listen to local bands, djs, etc...
Now I think about the times I did all these things, yet don't have the time to do them.
When I was in College I started doing community theater and fell in love with it, but now I wouldn't even attempt to audition because I don't have the time to devote to something I love.
This is NO life! My Insight is simple, Don't allow yourself to be overworked, don't let the little things go by.
Live Life, Don't just live in it!

Rave Fashion? 2013

I am not one to write about fashion... but New York Raver Fashion is as colorful as the lights and sounds you hear when attending one!

Rave Staple: UFOs!

One of the essentials to Rave fashion in the NY area is our UFOs (Rave pants).
Complete with pockets for all your rave essentials such as Glow Sticks, bottles of water, Etc...
You can purchase a pair of these at many online stores such as Bewild.com. 

photo credit - bewild.com 

You can even see some other versions of this traditional Rave pants for girls. such as the Girls "Hipster" Rave pants:

A New fashion trend over the past year has been the introduction of GLOW Spirit Hoods or Scoodies.

Electrik Graffiti has taken the lead on the UV reactive Scoodies:

With Electrifying designs of animals and characters alike, you may pick out or custom order your perfect scoodie. They are Uber warm and Super comfy, not to mention they are Bright, Colorful and a great addition to your Rave gear!

Photo credit - www.electrikgraffiti.com 

Photo Credit - Taylor Flash - 

Me wearing my first Kitty Scoodie from EG!

NOW IF YOU'RE A CANDY KID!  THE FINAL ACCESSORY TO YOUR RAVE GEAR IS OF COURSE YOUR CANDY! (KANDI) 

Candy, usually beaded bracelets and necklaces, is not to be bought in stores, it is made within the Rave community as part of rave culture.

There are a few brands that are marketing "Rave Kandi" and they are not within the spirit of true Candy Kids! Candy (Kandi) is often made for others as a sign of PLURR (Peace Love Unity Respect Responsibility).

The above is a picture of 2 Candy Kids Taking the Biggest Step of their Life, Marriage!  

But Notice how they still wear their Candy(Kandi) as a sign of respect for the community!

Fluffies

For the adventurous girls who like to show off some legs but not too much, Some bootie shorts and stockings paired with some Fluffies is always the way to go:

You can find an assortment of Fluffies and other gear at iheartraves.com 

Photo Credit - Iheartraves.com  

PLURR

PEACE, LOVE, UNITY, RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY

EDM Favorites (Electronic Dance Music)

Electronic Dance Music (EDM) has been a part of my life for over a decade.

There are so many genres that now fall under EDM. From Disco to House, from Hardcore to Dubstep, the Electronic genres have spun off in so many different directions that its hard to keep track at times.
I'd like to introduce to you some of these genres, and hope that you can enjoy a spin on music.

Metropolitan Cafe - A Review

Metropolitan Cafe 

8 East Main Street, Freehold, NJ

Metropolitan Cafe

On Saturday night, January 5th, 2013, my friend and entrepreneur, Jene Ryan and I went to dinner is quaint Freehold NJ.  Freehold is a about a forty-five minute drive south of New York City and is a small town that offers a large mall and some local restaurants in the main street area.

Jene had picked out the Metropolitan Cafe, a New American restaurant with a Pacific Rim flair. 

When we walked in, the hostess on the left quickly greeted us and advised us that there was an hour wait for a table. With some hesitation, we decided we would wait by the bar and have a couple drinks and wait. 

As we walk in, there is a small lounge area to the left with some seats for people waiting for tables and ahead on the right is a long wooden bar, jam packed with patrons.

We find a seat over in the lounge and I go grab two drinks from the bar. The bartender was attentive but when they ran out of the rum that I requested, he substituted the house rum and neglected to tell me. I don't think he thought I was watching but I let it slide not to cause a scene.

I then sat down with Jene and started to discuss her new business venture, Society of Chic.

To our surprise, within a half an hour, the hostess came over and advised us that our table was ready.

Yin & Yang Dumplings

We had started with the Yin &Yang Dumplings, which were a mix of pork and shrimp in a traditional dumpling. 

While at the table I ordered a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon, rather than deal with the rum debacle again, and it went nicely with my main course and Ms Jene had a rather nice glass of Bailey's Irish Cream on the rocks. 

Cheers to a Prosperous 2013

Our main course had come and looked quite delicious.

Jene had ordered the Spicy Girl roll, which consisted of pepper tuna, avocado, scallions and mango, topped with salmon and a spicy sauce. I had to sneak a bite and it was delicious and fresh.
Next time I come I will definitely have the sushi.

I on the other hand had gone with something off the standard menu and tried the Prosciutto wrapped Sea Bass with a Chambord-Balsamic glaze and a side of asparagus rice. The fish was cooked perfectly and the mixture of the prosciutto and the fish along with the glaze went well. The waitress had recommended the glaze on the side and she was correct, it was very overpowering, but just a little went a long way and made the flavors blend together well.

All in all, this cozy upscale yet casual restaurant in the heart of Freehold township really has a nice flair and well prepared food. Aside from the snafu at the bar, I'd give the Metropolitan Cafe a B+ rating.

Jene Ryan - Owner of SocietyofChic.com 

Matty Di

Check out Society of Chic - Your One Stop for Modern and Vintage Clothing!

Chocolate Haven

Chocolate Haven

Max Brenner - NYC

I was walking with a friend one day in Manhattan and we hadn't yet eaten on our random trip to midtown for beads at a small hole in the wall shop called BeadKraft. If you are an avid jewelry maker, or a kandi-kid, this place is for you.

As we were walking I remembered someone telling me of a place where you could get Chocolate Pizza.
Once mentioned to my friend, without hesitation we were on our way to Max Brenner's, at 841 Broadway, between 13th and 14th, just half a block down from Union Square.

This place is no stranger to tourists and New Yorkers alike. When you walk in there is usually a long line and without a reservation you could wait up to an hour easily on a Saturday afternoon, and longer into the evening.  As you walk in there is a large vat of chocolate just enticing you to continue. We get on line and I put my name in and the hostess kindly asked for my cell phone number so they can text message me when my table is ready. This is the first and only place I have gone to that used this technology and I thought it was great. She said it would be a forty-five minute wait, but since they would text me, I could go anywhere in the area as long as we got back within ten minutes of receiving the text message.

Since we had time, we walked up to New York Costumes, Halloween Adventure , a block down Broadway to get some ideas for next Halloween. As we started walking to the back of the massive Halloween shop, I noticed I had already received a text message from Max Brenner's letting me know my table was ready. This was a surprise as only twenty minutes had passed.
We rushed back to get our seat and our journey into the chocolate world had begun.

They sat us near the front, at a small two person table, a little away from the rest of the crowd which was nice since the place was jam packed with tables and people. As you sit the waitress brings over two sets of menus. The first menu is the regular food menu, the second is their iconic chocolate menu.
We looked at each other and instantly pushed aside the regular food menu and went straight for dessert.

Our waitress was this young, really bubbly yet real college student from the local area. She knew exactly why we came to Max Brenner, the Chocolate. She showed us a few of their recommendations and let us explore the menu on our own.  Before she left, we ordered our drinks, which I had the Dark Chocolate Mocha.

We had decided to start with an appetizer of Classic European Chocolate Fondue.  You get to choose two different types of chocolate along with a caramel sauce. We had decided to go with both Milk and Dark Chocolate to "MAX" out our experience. As a main course we had decided to with the Chocolate Pizza, topped with marshmallows and bananas.

Dark Chocolate Mocha

Shortly after we ordered our delectable dinner, our drinks had arrived. My dark chocolate mocha was one of the best chocolate-coffee combinations I've ever ingested. It was sweet, chocolatey and  creamy,  with just the right amount of espresso. It definitely warmed me up on a cold Manhattan evening.  At times I wasn't sure if it was hot chocolate or coffee it was a perfect blend of the two. Too top it off they serve it in this adorable Hug Mug, which is designed to fit snugly between both hands with a smaller end to drink.


Just as I was starting to enjoy my Mocha, our first course had come out, the Chocolate Fondue.

Chocolate Fondue

The chocolate fondue was accompanied by two bowls of yummy goodness. One bowl had strawberries and bananas, while the other had marshmallows, Chocolate chip cookie chunks and Brownie bites.

This was definitely some of the best chocolate I've ever eaten, and definitely was the nicest display for fondue I've been presented with. It had a little bit of everything.

As we sat enjoying our fondue, our Chocolate Chunks Pizza arrived.

Chocolate Chunks Pizza

Now we had ordered it with Marshmallows and Bananas, but you also have the option of Peanut butter and hazelnut bits as toppings.  As had already been going to town on the fondue, we didn't know what we should eat next. Not to mention, we were already getting quite full.

I decided to improvise, as I love my Dark Chocolate and The pizza was amazing... what if i combined the two?? So I drizzled the Hot Dark Chocolate Fondue on top of my Chocolate Chunk, Banana and Marshmallow pizza.

Chocolate Chunks Pizza drizzled with Warm Dark Chocolate 

If one thing couldn't be better than the last, I was wrong, it was amazing. I might even suggest they add a Dark Chocolate Pizza to their menu. It was so delicious, but sadly I couldn't finish it. I couldn't bare leaving it, so I took it home in a doggy bag. I'll admit it wasn't the same eating it at home, but it would have been a shame to waste.

I must say my trip to this Chocolate Haven was definitely worth it. My friend and I often talk about returning on our next trip into the city. I hear the food at Max Brenner's is excellent as well but the Desserts are definitely one of my top picks in New York City.