The lover’s month. There was no loving in my life this month. Not even nutritional consumption. Just work and sleep.

February was named after the Latin term februum, which means purification, via the purification ritual Februa held on February 15 (full moon) in the old lunar Roman calendar.

There was purification in a way for me. Not sure if it was the type of purification I was looking for.. :-/

…but anyway. WIKI-pedia says, January and February were the last two months to be added to the Roman calendar, since the Romans originally considered winter a monthless period.

I guess I can feel what the Romans were saying. Besides my Best Friend/ My Son’s Godfather’s B-day and Child Friend, Wetzel’s B-day. I don’t like Janurary & February.

As for 2011. January & February played their roles pretty well by buying time for me to prepare for what was coming ahead.

January came and went. 10 hour work days (on slow weeks), 6 days a week and with the random phone calls and emails on the 7th day. This is what commercial arts in big business is. Where you’re only as good as what you did yesterday and your friends are as only good as who you know. It’s been a while since I took my little hiatus. But I am back. Refreshed.

I had a good 2 year vacation. It was positive. Worked when I wanted to. Saw the world a bit. I got to spend a lot of time with my son, importantly. Having a front row seat watching him grow into a little person that he is. It’s priceless. I also spent time learning to grew as an adult, because I never had time before. I also got to know and understand compassion. It’s a strong thing. Only idiots would think otherwise.

In time, I grew a small friendship with my son’s mother. I never thought that would happen, but in a way… it couldn’t of happened in a better time. She’s in a great place now in her life, so I am happy for her. She was a “Ginger” beauty just like this one here.

Delayed castings and campaign production from other clients started popping up during this time.
No bueno, but things gotta get done, you know.

After the new year, I got the go ahead to hire help. It freed up time to focus more on the creative stuff. I like the chemistry in the Market Dept. It feels like the triple threat I had with Stens, Evan, & Melvin at PURE.

Good times!

Sweet and tasty cupcakes. Never thought you guys would make a dude so stressed. ha!

My dear friend Jen from FLOCK, FLOCK, FLOCK was doing a fashion gig Valentine’s Weekend and during the launch Magic week!

I was tired and sleep has been my new obsession as of late,
but I love her like a sista and came to support!

I love her Cello Dresses. I think she gonna be very successful with what she has going on with these dress styles.

The model was pretty cool. Wasn’t shy at all. Made the whole ice breaking process smooth.
The other girls were a bit shy. I think they were friends just helping out by modeling.

Stylist extraordinaire Skaught gave a helping hand.

I really didn’t know I was getting myself into. Or what this whole thing was about.

As I looked around, the environment definitely got me focused and motivated to take photographs.

All outfit were creative to say the least.

Some caught my eye as to how the dress was made. Really innovative in a way for dresses.

I approve.

Jen made 3 dresses, the other were by other designers collaborating in this event.

Jen & Flock Flock Flock’s cello dresses were the final dresses presented. I’d have to say, they were very striking.

Afterwards there were some parties and socializing going on, but fatigue kicked in and I cruised home and was in bed by 10pm.

In other matters of business and not personal. There were some pending projects that decided to jump into play while the craziness of my demanding work schedule still draining me like tick to a dog’s neck!?

I do have to tip my hat to these girls. I am a big supporter of the philosophy “Lead by Example.”
The blonde got off of work bartending at 5am & the other at 7am and made it in time for the photo shoot at 8am.

They made the best of it (as you can see)!

Wholesome goodness. 60 dishes lined up for your truly to make pretty and portrait them to the city of Las Vegas and Nation-wide. Stressful? Just a little.

Not to add the chefs breathing down your neck to make sure you don’t make their dishes look bad.

After food… then came beverage.

From Photography, Creative Design, and Layout. To text styling and print direction. Sugar Factory American Brasserie has the best Specialty drink on the Las Vegas Strip!

Sugar Factory American Brasserie has a private ultra chocolate lounge. With chocolates from around the world. They have their own separate drink menu from the restaurant. Chocolate influenced drinks. 14 total. I think 20 drinks for the restaurant.

All this preparation for the big opening! Friday, March 4th Kim Kardashian, Holly Madison & Mel B host the Grand opening of Sugar Factory American Brasserie at Paris Las Vegas. With an after party at/ and preview of Chateau Nightclub with DJ Sets by Havana Brown followed by Mariah Carey hubby, Nick Cannon.

The next day will be the Grand Opening of Chateau.

I never heard of Drake before until we booked him. I guess the guys has some hits. Here’s one of his tracks if you you’re interested.

Not really my style, but Chateau is sold out. The Chateau superpowers made the right decision.
All of March and April’s events are booked designed and complete, so stay tuned for what is upcoming.

This one will be interesting.

After the Sugar Factory & Chateau projects are off and going, the 3rd project is opening the following month.

After this I will be going on a nice long vacation.

Thanks for stopping by. Big Kiss from a cool one day, then freezing the next Vegas.

The arcades deep in the walls were designed as storage vaults but were used as prison cells during the civil wars in the 19th century; at high tide, the unfortunate internees were up to their knees in seawater.

These are 23 dungeons built between 1792 and 1796 in the city walls, which are more than 15 meters thick in this part. These dungeons were the last major construction carried out in colonial times and were destined for military purposes. The vaults were used by the Spaniards as storerooms for munitions and provisions, before they became jail cells. Today, Las Bovedas is a popular tourist attraction because of its traditional Colombian merchandise and vast array of souvenirs.

As years pasted, the prison across the way from my brothers old school were transformed into a cute little shopping area.

I still continued to take photographs on my iPhone using Hipstamatic (photo application).

Life size Chiva Bus!! Wiki-pedia says:
Rustic buses are old artisan modified buses used in rural Colombia and Ecuador where they are known as chivas (kid goats) or escaleras (ladders). They are used as public transport and more recently used as party buses in both countries. These are varied but characterized for being painted colorfully (usually with the yellow, blue, and red colors of the flags of Ecuador and Colombia) with local arabesques and figures. Most have a ladder to the rack on the roof which is also used for carrying people, livestock and merchandise.

Here’s it cropped in 6″x4″ format.

After our time spent at my brother’s old school (Playa de la Bovedas), we went home; relaxed, did some fitness, then went to visit some more of my father’s old friends.

My father was very excited and pleased to visit his childhood friend.
When we got there, we were welcomed delightfully with Chivas Regal and some h’orderves.

My father’s cousin (left) childhood friend (right)

After our stay, we went back to the hotel to escort my mother and son. Then ventured to one of my father’s old stomping grounds…

The place was jamming!!! The B-Roll on the footage from the link above doesn’t give the place as much props as it should.

The place was packed!!! Trust me! I am from Vegas and if I say it was packed it means packed!!

We were there for a couple of hours. Between the 4 of us we crushed almost 3 bottle of Club Havana straight, just on the rocks.

Then for there we decided to venture of and walk around the neighborhood where my father was raised.

This is my father house when he was 8 years old. Notice the homeless guy picking from the trash in front of the apartment. Classic!!

We continued to walk through the angry streets of my father’s up bringing. There was a moment where we thought we might have to trade blows with the natives, but my father and his cousin but the verbal smack down on them. It was pretty funny.

Our stroll was awesome. Something about walking through the ghetto without a worry in the world can be a bit breath taking to say the least.

We continued to stroll the streets of Cartagena, bar hopping, and hitting little lunch carts when the munchies started to kicked in.

I felt like Anthony Bordain from No Reservations.

Here’s a photograph with the flash activated and my figure half over it. It was not intentional.

We got back to the hotel pretty late. The paper delivery man arrived.

He was riding a motorcycle with the newspapers on his lap, using his chin to hold the newspapers together. Very surreal and a great ending to an interesting night.

The next morning we checked out of the Sofitel and moved to a better and more considerate place called the Santa Teresa Hotel.






The views from the hotel were amazing.

After we checked in, we went upstairs to the rooftop and got some brunch.




The are some incredible views from that roof top.

After brunch, we went back to our rooms and had our little siestas. During brunch my father spoke about this little restaurant. It’s one of those “hidden treasures”. So we planned to voyage our there for dinner…

…by foot.

That evening on our way to the restaurant, we past through a lot of different areas of the Old City.







When we got to the place, there was a great aroma.

Great music and Great food. My father told me that this pace has been opened for 40 years.

After dinner we started walking back to the hotel, but this time we took another route.

On our way, we past by the church where my brother had his 1st communion. A huge church!
If you ever go to Cartagena. Stop by the restaurant across the way from the church. It’s called San Pedro. Incredible food!! For real!

The next morning was the last morning to enjoy before we head back to the USA.

We all decided to do the tourist thing, so I took photos of everything I came across.






We came across a Bortaro sculpture. Everyone that was there was crowding around to take photos of the sculpture.

We had our minds somewhere else.

This lady hustled me for $5 bucks, because I took a photo of her.

Since I paid her the cash. I made her take a photo with him.

and him!



My pop.

The famous Paco’s (bar). If you were a republican in politics around the late 80s. You might of heard of this place.

funny.

funnier

silly.

sillier.

very cute.

Cartagena is a beautiful and cost efficient city to visit on vacation. If you’re a couple, single, or family.
A really great place to check out. Beaches, Great Food, and Great Scenery.

I will be definitely be back!!

Thanks for stopping by.

In 1984, Cartagena’s colonial walled city and fortress were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

I am very happy to present to you the Approved Creative Sketches of the Version 2 Sugar Factory website that is now in Development and will be replacing the current site that is up now.

Sugar Factory is an up in coming confectionery company that has hit the U.S. by storm about a year ago. Their signature product the Couture Pop is endorsed by celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Britney Spears, Pussycat Dolls, & Spice Girl, Melanie Brown (AKA Scary Spice). Sugar Factory has made themselves very well know in the candy business as well in Pop Culture.

My vision for each page was if you were actually at a candy store. An overwhelming abundance of sweets flashing in your face. Like you can almost grab them from the screen.

And of course having the Celebrity element to support the products.

Oh!! A BIG Congrats to Simon & Jonathan (Sugar Factory’s Dynamic PR Duo) for their show Kim is doing for them!

This Page is one of my favorite parts of the V2 web site.

Basically this page lets you create your own candy gift basket from over 40 items. Pretty intense!! Thank God we have my boy Seany on the team! Sick programming skills that kid has!

In the last blog I was talking about inspiration and what sparks an idea. With this project I listened to a lot of these guys and watching Dexter. Don’t ask me why, but it was like we all had this crazy connection. ha!!

I love Dexter. I am so addicted.

Right now, I am working on some design projects for Hello Kitty and Holly Madison. If you want to know what is driving the inspiration. I am reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (incredible by the way) and listening to a lot of these guys!

Anyway. Thanks for checking me out. I hope all of you are well and enjoying the nice weather.

Talk soon!

From the last post, I spoke of upcoming projects. Well, as exciting as it seemed at first, it was one of the hardest things to accomplish. Maybe I am getting old? Or maybe I am losing the drive that I had when I first got into the biz? Either way I needed to suck it up and commit. No pain, no gain. So they say.
3 months of hard work. Put the social side away and grind it out.

I knew I had to show and prove, because the decision I was about to make afterwards would be a big one. I really don’t know what to expect…. (To understand what I am referring to, you’ll have to read on).

This year came and went…! Seems like yesterday, my little boy was just learning how to walk. Now he plays tennis, soccer, and whips my tail at Mario Cart.

Kids are the most precious things ever. I never thought I would ever be at a Christmas recital, singing along to “Feliz Navidad”, let alone having a child. He definitely drives me to work harder and to be a better person.

While the recital goes on, I get emails, emails, emails…. Duty calls, like an evil sub-conscience…. I decide not to reply.

…Cabo Wabo!! Uno, Dos, Tres Tequila!! Mas Tequila! Hey! Mas Tequila!!

Cute little place there at Miracle Mile Shops located inside Planet Hollywood.

This 10,000 square foot Cantina got transformed into a Sick Rock & Roll Venue.

Sammy Hagar and Friends christened this place with a good old rock show!

Couple of weeks back Sammy came by to inspect the place and surprisingly jammed out with the House band. This was one of my favorite shots.

That night, was 2 days after I thought I had an ulcer. Luckily Mr. MRI says, “No Ulcer”. Doctor says I need to eat 3 times a day. I tend to eat 1 meal a day if my work schedule is very active. It was definitely an eye opener.

While following Sammy around, I was wondering how am I going to design the creative for Eve Nightclub if the place is still an empty drywall shell….?

Times like this is where lots of music and movies like “Breakfast at Tiffany’s“, Goldfinger, & “Eye’s Wide Shut” come in handy. Not that I am getting elements or copying fragments from these movies. It helps me clear my head and there can be something said or done to spark inspiration to come up with conceptual ideas.

I am a big collector of movies, music, & books of all genres. I am starting to watch more and more older 70’s flicks. Almost like a obsession. ha!!

I am very pleased with the creative designs & branding for Eve. Stunning & original stuff. No clip art here, kids.
Wait til the full website is up and running. Competitors, watch out!!

The grand opening party for Cabo Wabo Cantina was surprisingly a great time. I was shocked how great this event became as things went on.

Country Music Singer, Kenny Chesney came by to support Cabo Wabo and Sammy! They sung a bunch of songs, people were going nuts for Kenny Chesney. I hardly watch any television, so I didn’t know who he was…..

When I saw this, I started looking online to know more about Mr. Chesney. I guess he won a Grammy? Wow! Pretty cool. He was very nice by the way. This is where I started to get pumped about this event…!

Vinny Paul!!!!! Fucking Vinny Paul!! For those of you that don’t know Mr. Paul, he was the drummer Insane Metal Band (and high school favorite) PANTERA!! Oh the dude next to him played bass for Van Halen. But Vinny Paul!!!! Cowboys from Hell!! Love that record!

Vinny Paul and Michael Anthony got on stage with Sammy and turned the party up another notch!!

Cabo Wabo Cantina in Las Vegas has such a cool vibe. The staff is good looking, they have great drinks,
and their food is pretty good!
My favorite is the cheese quesadilla.

These are some approved lifestyle shots for publication reviews.
Anyway. Sorry for the A.D.D. Back to the grand opening event.

The drummer from the Red Hot Chilli Pepper also came by to support!

He got on stage as well. They performed some ChickenFoot songs…
All around the event was a blast to attend, as well as to work at…

With one project opening done, it is time to move to the next one.

Eve Nightclub, located in the enormous CityCenter Las Vegas.

I had to rent 5 spot lights for this job. I am satisfied how the images came out.

The job was from 7pm to 3:30am. It took time, but it was worth the effort.
I was dead the next morning… ha!!
My schedule is somewhat of a unique schedule, but I make the best of what is dealt to me.

2009 was an interesting year for me. Some bad times, very trying… Physically and mentally, but somewhat educational and pleasant. I met up with and spoke to some old friends and people that I thought I would never see or hear from ever again. I got to help a mentor and good friend get back on the road to success, when people thought he was gone & out for good.

I am in the process of turning the page into a new chapter in my life. I recently just put my house on sale and accepted a job as creative director for this place. Check out the Video. Pretty interesting.

http://www.whollywoodresidence.com/ is a beautiful place.

It’s definitely going to be a change for me. LA is a different place than Las Vegas. I think when it comes to commercial arts LA is the next level. I am looking forward to developing more in what I do and as well as raising my boy in a more cultured environment.

It’s a challenge, but if you never try, then you’ll never know.

Thanks for reading my rant. Take care and talk soon.

-mrLarios

I tend to absorb a whirlwind of things, break it in and ride the fuckers like Pecos Bill rides one of those tornadoes in the tall tales I used to read when I was little.

Holly Madison. Ha!! Monica. You’re funny….. Anyway.

For those of you who like Nightlife or going to clubs. If you happen to vacation to Las Vegas, go to this place!

Recently I had part in creating the VIP Table Module for their website. Click on “VISIT” and see for yourself.

From photography, video, interface design, creative, and motion effects. I am lucky and grateful that the guys from XS gave me to opportunity to work on this project. The talented programmers at URvenue handled the database engine and back-end programming.

Here are some photos from the shoot I did for the website.

I am very pleased with the outcome.

So with a Popular Candy Company, a Bar Opening in 3 weeks, 2 Nightclub openings, directing a short film, preparing my house to be put on sale, raising the “lil Gov’ner” (my son) and finding time to party seem tough??

I am not going to lie, yes it is.

With these projects in the works and deadlines short as they always are, I had to disappear from society to clear the head.

BAJA CALIFORNIA (Mexico)

The city of Cabo, San Lucas. Beautiful city! Hard working, loving people these citizens of Cabo are.

Good cigars…

This decal was hand painted of course! I love to see people put time in effort with the little things they have to use and create. Anyway…

The thing that made this vacay special was that it was a family trip!

This is my aunt and uncle. My uncle has been a great inspiration to me as of late. He’s been fighting cancer for almost 2 years now and he hasn’t kept it from taking the smile off his face!

We went fishing together. Caught over 70lbs of Yellowtail Tuna. He caught 2 and my pop and I caught 1 each.

We hung out a lot and went to many different places. The place I had a kick going to was the small town of San Jose.
My uncle like doing that HDR photography stuff. It’s cool, I guess.

Dirt roads, dogs kicking it taking siestas, old men sitting outside drinking Pacificos, and small Mom and Pop restaurants.

If you ever end up at the town of San Jose, Los Cabos. Hit this place up!! Insane Food!!!

Oh! This guy came along for the ride…

He has fun. As long as he had his ice cream…

This was the look he gave me when I told there was no ice cream…
You can see my reflection from his eyes. (canon 24mm L) ha!!

A little Tilt Shift’ish effect with the lens… I was messing around.

The vacation did help out. I am back in action. My head hasn’t exploded yet.
When stress comes knocking, I think about going to my “Happy Place” (Fight Club).

This is my happy place. I even have a photo. All I need now is my cute penguin.

Well, it’s late (2:15am). Bedtime. Cheers!

This past weekend Holly Madison, star of the reality show, “Girls Next Door”, and from the Las Vegas act “Peepshow” came by the Sugar Factory store for a signing.

Here are some of the photos I took for Sugar Factory to send to media.

Alcohol does some funny things to people. It can be kind at first, it can mean as well. The part I dislike is how it makes you feel the next day.

As I am finishing up brunch and my buddy Bo gets back to work, I start looking around and I start to daydream about what I have to do this week coming up…. Gilbert Yvel.

MMA Fighter Gilbert “The Hurricane” Yvel.

I am a big MMA fan! I am very familiar with this gentleman and what he does to his opponents.

For example: (View at your own discretion)

That day I was feeling a little similar to what that man was feeling after the fight…. just kidding. I didn’t feel well thou.

The shoot was set up by Gilbert’s Jujitsu instructor John Lewis.

John Lewis trains with a lot of the professional MMA fighters, like Chuck Liddell, BJ Penn, Randy Couture and so on.

To be successful in this sport you have to train and train and train. Always have to be on you “A” Game.

It really is a full time job for most of these guys. 8 hours days. 5 days a week. Or maybe more.

Being intimidating I am sure is a plus as well.

But honestly, Gilbert was great. Funny, laid back, and a bit soft spoken.

I was very confident that the photo shoot would be a success.

Business as usual.

Looking back at the “silliness” the happening in LA, the state I was in, and how I was gonna make it back to Vegas in one piece.

I was very motivated to make project a successful one.

Hello. It’s been a while since I had anytime or ambition to sit down and write/post thoughts, work, and so on. So for the people that used to read some of my posts, please accept my apology.

I am a admirer of the simplest things. Yes, I am a commercial artist and it’s my job to be innovative, but being innovative on a daily basis can fry the brain, believe it or not. I guess that is why I enjoy the simplistic things in life.

As weeks pass like days and months like weeks. Working in the fast pace industry of advertising and marketing, especially in entertainment. Time flies and you don’t know where it has gone. It seems like yesterday I was creating the branding PURE Management Group….

Ahem….

This cutie is my “M”.

Yesterday during morning tea, we spoke about photography with models. And how a photographer knows if a model is photogenic or not. I told her to start, it’s all about personality. Nothing more. Just being comfortable with yourself. Then you move from there!

By the look in her face, I felt that she didn’t believe me. So I told her to stand be the window and push her hair back……

And Voila!!

It was so great to get out of Vegas!

Before I started my voyage I had a very important objective to accomplish.

The opening of Sugar Factory’s 1st Boutique located inside the Mirage Resort in sunny, but really hot right now (112 degrees today), Las Vegas.

All the hard work is starting to pay off it seems. I am very proud of the guys behind Sugar Factory! They’re really incredible individuals when it comes to their profession and what they do.

All around the event was a success! Lots of press national press came out for the opening. Some familiar faces rolled by to do some interviews as well.

Ran into my old friend Mark. He interviewed Kim for this piece. We chatted for a bit and got straight to business when the guests arrived.

The event got a lot of press which is good news for sure!

My favorite person was Bethenny.

She’s in some show called Housewives of NYC or something. I never heard of it before, but then again all I watch is this, since I do have a 4 year old. Anyway, she was so nice, so flirty. Man she worked the crowd and photographers and they loves her for it.

At the end, everyone had fun. The crowd, the media, and the Sugar Factory staff.

Well, that scratches another event. I am really happy that everything went to plan and a great job by the management for being on point with everything.

I have a much respect for them and the administrative team that was hand picked for Sugar Factory.
They really know how to make people comfortable in any situation.

That sums up the evening before my journey.

Sometimes people look at me and wonder why I chose to work on a candy project coming from one of the best nightlife organizations in Las Vegas…. Well, I believe in helping others to be successful is good for the spirit…..

But I am also working with one the best Nightlife organizations in the US as my 2nd job.

It’s hard work trying to save this economy.

But some people have to do it!

Thank you for taking the time to read my rant.

Cheers from a “Hot as a Pizza Oven”, Las Vegas.

Recently I met up with my close friend, Chef Adam Sobel and Chef Rick Moonen of RM Seafood.Burgers were on the mind that day. Burgers, Burgers, Burgers.

Now, anyone that can cook for themselves, can make a burger. But when guys like these make burgers…well, lets just say they definitely don’t make an average burger:)

The destination was at a friend of Chef Moonen’s House.  This lady had the most loveliest house. Vintage, 1960s. She had the most amazing book collection that I have ever seen outside of a library.

She had rare autographed books from Charles Lindberg…..

to Truman Capote…
Almost each room was covered with bookshelves, stacked with books. I thought it was incredible.

This one room, I bet is every chefs dream. Every single book was a cookbook from late 1940s to recent. Years and years of cooking knowledge all in one room. Amazing!! Oh! Ha! These are 2 images put together. As you can see by the weak photoshop blending on the back book shelf. ha!! Careless… I know:)

Anyway. Back to the burgers. The objective was to create a beautiful burger. Perfect seasoning, fresh veggies, quality meats, etc. Everything was quality for this design presentation.

Once everything was cooked. We needed to prep the burger for the shoot.
Chef Moonen making sure everything was good to go!

And finally it was my turn to catch the burger in all its beauty!!
Beautiful! Tastey! Colorful! Art!

Thanks for stopping by!