Raymond Padilla

Vaping Diaries #122: Grand Vapor Gab Villapana Interview

As a Filipino-American, I was thrilled that Grand Vapor owner Gabriel “Gab” Villapana came all the way from the Philippines to attend ECC 2013. I’m a big fan of Grand Vapor mods and atomizers (currently rocking a red Sentinel 3.5 and a gold-plated Trident). Gab had several goods on display at the show — the Prometheus Genesis-style atomizer, the Trident 2 dripping atomizer (ECC debut!), the limited edition gold-plated Sentinel, the limited edition sand-blasted Sentinel, the Sentinel v4, and more. Gab talks about the products he had on display, upcoming products, and the hot-button topic of Chinese clones in this ECC 2013 video interview.

Vaping Diaries #121: Five Pawns Rodney Jerabek Interview

Out of all the booths at ECC 2013, Five Pawns had the most impressive setup. The company’s booth was made from reclaimed prune crates and the employees were decked out in black vests. It made the booth feel like a saloon from Old West. Five Pawns had several things going on at ECC 2013. The successful Castle Long Reserve e-liquid got a second release and the upcoming Mixology line was teased. Five Pawns president and founder Rodney Jerabek talks about all the booth, the second release of Castle Long Reserve, what to expect from the Mixology line, and more in the video interview above.

Vaping Diaries #124: Space Jam ECC 2013 Interview

Space Jam is a Southern California e-liquid company that makes some creative juices and uses a fun sci-fi theme. At ECC 2013, I met up with Space Jam co-founders Aaron Pederson and Mike Crawford to learn more about the company. Being a nerd, I love the branding and names that Space Jam uses. Several of its juices feature the type of complexity that I love in e-liquids. For example, Omega is a mix of spiced peaches and cream that uses real California peaches. Aaron and Mike talk about how the company started in Aaron’s garage, how the “Flavor Bible” is used to make Space Jam juices, why a sci-fi theme was chosen for these products, and the timeless battles between Star Wars and Star Trek.

Vaping Ape Los Angeles Chi You Raffle Drawing

Here’s a fun video I hosted for the excellent people at Vaping Ape Los Angeles. The store held a raffle for a stainless steel Chi You mod by Style of Mojo. I was at Vaping Ape Los Angeles to host the raffle drawing. Customer Guillermo Cabrera won the raffle and gets a free Chi You. If you’re not familiar with the Chi You, it’s a hard-to-get mechanical mod from Korea. If you’re a vaper living in the Los Angeles area, be sure to drop by Vaping Ape Los Angeles or hit up the store’s web site for future raffles.

Please note that I’m available for store openings and hosting your daughter’s 18th birthday party.

Also, I couldn’t help but think of this while I was filming the video:

Vaping Diaries #120: Juice By Numbers Eric Silverman Interview

Juice By Numbers is a Southern California e-liquid company that eschews fancy names for numbered juices. The company’s first five products are #1, #2, #3, #4, and #5. Guess what the company’s next product will be called? If you said #6 then you’re a genius! In this ECC 2013 video, Juice By Numbers co-owner Eric Silverman talks about how a pair of friends started the company, his thoughts on crafting e-liquids, and his lineup of flavors.

Juice by numbers e-liquids are available at Vape Revolution, but I’ve noticed a handful of SoCal vape shops carrying the juices. Check out the video above to learn more about the company, its juices, and its upcoming flavors.

Andy Pettitte and Derek Jeter Pull Mariano Rivera

Here’s an awesome video of Mariano Rivera’s last game at Yankee Stadium. Manager Joe Girardi sent Rivera’s longtime teammates Andy Pettitte and Derek Jeter out to the mound to pull him from the game. Rivera initially reacted with an amused smile, but was quickly overcome by emotion. He has spent more than two decades in the Yankee organization, including minor league stints with Jeter and Pettitte. Knowing that he has thrown his last pitch in the Bronx and seeing two people that were with him every step of the way hit him harder than his vaunted cutter. The smile quickly turned into long hugs and lots of tears.

This was an awesome baseball moment. If you disagree then you’re either an irrational Red Sox homer or completely heartless. Watch the clip (please), love it, and get misty.

Vaping Diaries #119: Rehab Vapors William Spallino Interview

One of the more unique companies I met with at ECC 2013, Rehab Vapors has some cool flavors and an interesting business model. The company donates 10 percent of its profits to detox-and-recovery programs. It’s awesome seeing a vaping company with charitable donations built into its business model. As for the flavors, Rehab Vapors has several interesting combinations that appeal to a broad range of vapers. Watch Rehab Vapors COO William Spallino talk about the company’s start, its approach to crafting e-liquids, the current flavor lineup, and more. You’ll also see one of the largest vaping devices made by man in this video interview.

Rehab Vapors e-liquids are available exclusively at Vape Revolution.

PaulSemel.com Babe Interviews: Melissa Joan Hart, Pauley Perrette

RPad.TV ally PaulSemel.com has posted a pair of interviews that you should definitely check out. First up is a vintage conversation with Melissa Joan Hart, who is famous for…you know, I’m not really sure what she does or did. I think she was on a sitcom when she was a teenager and did some Lindsay Lohan-type stuff back in the day. What I do know, is the she was a celebrity at a Sega Dreamcast event I went to back in the late ’90s and people are still talking about her, so she must be doing something right.

Paul also interviewed the super-cool Pauley Perrette, one of the stars of NCIS. The first part of a PaulSemel.com exclusive, this is a great interview that touches a wide variety of subjects. Pauley is an interesting person and Paul is a fine interviewer that developed keen investigatory journalism skills from his days working at Gene Simmmons’ Tongue magazine. That formidable combination made for an entertaining interview. Please check it out!

Vaping Diaries #118: Vapor Bombz Omega Steve Nguyen Interview

The Vapor Bombz Omega is a made-in-the-USA rebuildable dripping atomizer with some powerful features. At ECC 2013, I chatted with Vapor Bombz Omega designer Steve Nguyen to learn more about this RDA. In the interview above, he talks about the product’s features and design. The Vapor Bombz Omega is a versatile RDA that’s suitable for flavor fiends and cloud chasers alike. Thanks to its easy-to-use airflow adjustment, vapers that like both styles of vaping can quickly change the Vapor Bombz Omega’s performance to provide the kind of vape they want at the time.

I enjoyed this interview on several levels. Steve was very honest about what the Vapor Bombz Omega is and isn’t. Thanks to this interview, I bumped into my buddy Marie Alvarez for this fun clip.

Pokemon Origins Trailer

Pokemon Origins is a four-part animated series that tells the old-school story of Pokemon Red/Blue. While many fans of the Pokemon cartoons known and love Ash Ketchum, fans of the original game have a special place in their hearts for Red. Almost 20 years after the original game’s release, Red finally gets center stage in Pokemon Origins.

While some gamers might not be familiar with Red, they’ll see lots of familiar characters in Pokemon Origins. Professor Oak, Brock, Lance, Team Rocket Giovanni, Reina, and more will be in the show. The real stars, of course, are the Pokemon. While I’m quite fond of many Pokemon from the second generation and beyond, the originals are still my favorite. (In fact, one of my bathrooms is protected by a charmander and a charmeleon.) I’m really looking forward to seeing old-school Pokemon and the original characters from the game in Pokemon Origins.

The first episode is being released in Japan on October 2, 2013 to promote the Pokemon X and Pokemon Y games. The international release date for Pokemon Origins is November 15, 2013. It will be streamed through Nintendo’s Pokemon TV service.

Check out the Pokemon Origins trailer below and let me know what you think (please!). Are you excited for its release? Which original Pokemon starter is your favorite? Bulbasaur for the win!!!