Christmas Vacation.

Happy Holidays!

Vacation, one of the few things that separate people from animals. The time when you can drop the worries and take it easy and simply relax.

One of the best things with winter is Christmas and one of the best things with Christmas is the vacation. And to get the most out of the Christmas vacation one should be where there is snow, family and friends. Which makes it logical to go back to the old country in the north. Soon I'm heading to Sweden to celebrate Christmas. And since I take my vacation serious The Best Stuff I See will be back next year.

But don't worry, I guess you haven't read all that's in the archives. Some of the favorites this years must be The Garlic Tea, Afghan Opium, Revdes, The AK47 and of course The Good with Fall series.

With that said I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. And before we know it it's 2010 and The Best Stuff I See will be back stronger and better just like all of you.

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The Pre-Party

Get Ready.

The party before the party. Not something to be underestimated.

I so simple, just tell a few people that you're having a Pre-Party and before you know it there is a bunch of people talking and drinking in the living room. The true power of the Pre-Party is that it doesn't have any of the pressures that a normal Party or WG-Party might have. The people at a Pre-Party are more likely gonna be people you know or friends of friends. This fact creates a very relaxed environment. A place where a lot of good conversations take place. Or perhaps a nice drinking games.

It doesn't have to be a lot of people there for it to be good, after all it's "only" a Pre-Party. And just like the foundation is the most important thing for a house The Pre-Party is for a night of partying. The Pre-Party is truly the foundation on which great thing can be built. If you have a good time there what ever happens afterwards will surely be good.

So have a Pre-Party! Get some friends and friends of friends together. Have some nice conversations, drink some beer and listen to some music. And when the mood is on top hit the town. There's also the chance that the Pre-Party turns in to The Party. It has happened before and it's always bin fun.

Enjoy the weekend! The Best Stuff I See will be back on Monday with more good stuff. And remember that Berlin really is the place to be. See you out there...

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Good with fall. Part 1.

The Flea Market.

There are a few things that are actually good with fall and that the weather is beginning to turn into crap.

One of the nice things to do in fall is to go to flea markets. The old things, the people, the whole set up works better when the leafs are turning gold and the air is a bit chilly. The mood is something special when you get up on a Sunday with a flea market day ahead. Just drinking a coffee to get yourself up and then going straight to the restaurant for brunch. Brunching in Berlin is like a hobby for some people and the interest in this way of eating had given the city a good supply of affordable brunch menus. That all-you-can-eat mentality really works in the city.

After you have filled up on to much food and to little drink it's time to go to one of the many flea markets. And the Berliners love their flea markets. You can find them on Saturdays but on Sunday it's for real, then it's business. And people have stuff to sell. Maybe people got a bit crazy and bought to much stuff in the 80's or they simple need the money, because flea markets are big business.

If you pick the right one you will get a nice mix of normal people selling off their memory's and professionals with € signs in mind. But some of these pros are artist trying to get by or young designers that want to get there brand going. It's that mix, a smoke, a cup of coffee and the fresh autumn air that makes the Flea Market one of the really good things about fall.

The only hard thing is to manage to get up to make a day out of it. I'm usually to hung over to walk out the door at 10 in the morning on a Sunday.

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Monopoly City Streets.

Googleism.

Two days ago Google released a world wide edition of Monopoly. You can buy any street that appears on google maps. After you get some streets the building begins.

So far pretty straight forward, but here's the twist and also a bit of a odd thing. You can play dirty, you are even encouraged to play dirty. I was surprised that monopoly would allow you to demolish other people's houses. And that you can without a problem put a prison or bio-hazardous factory on other players street. I guess Google and the Monopoly franchise view the world as a dog eat dog place. Which is not to strange for a company that thinks that all you need to stay out of prison is a small piece of paper with get-out-of-jail-free-card written on it.

This might be a really fun game later on as more players join and as time passes. I just like that fact that I own one of the fancier streets in Stockholm and one of the cooler streets in Berlin.

I might just go and party on one of my streets later this evening.

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Friday Night.

Step Out.

Ah, Friday nights. What would we do without them?

Berlin is a big city. Not the biggest one but certainly not the smallest one either. But when comes to party's and clubs it has a certain something that is hard to describe. It's fast but relaxed, it's beautiful but dirty, it's one of a kind.

Take a good WG party, it's an art in it's own. This is what you do. You want a lot of space for dancing so take the furniture out of most of the rooms and place them in one room that will be locked. Get a sound system hooked up and have one of your DJ-friends to play the music (most people know at least one or two DJ's). Go over the lighting and try to get that club feeling going. Then just fill the bathtub with beer and the fridge with vodka. Invite 100 or so people and the party is well on it's way. And if the cops don't come a knocking at 4 in the morning then you have done something wrong.

And when it comes to clubs in this city they are many, loud and electro. The Berliners love electro music. Why? Well, they love to dance and electro is good music to dance to. As simple as that. The list of clubs is long. And on the side of the clubs comes the special events that are held in old factories or on roof tops or any other good place. A couple of clubs that you might want to visit are Watergate, Tape, Berghain, Yaam, Icon, Tresor, Pic Nick, Cassiopeia and KulturBrauerei. But before maybe one of the thousands of bars.

Thats where I will be tonight.

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Cappy Cap.

Superior fit.

Hats come in a lot of shapes, colors and styles. And here is the undisputed king of baseball caps. These caps are no longer what you wear to support you home team in that true American pass time. Well of course some do but the majority has them to look good. New Era has bin around for a while now and I would guess that's because they make the official caps for the major league. But in the last couple of years they have moved there focus to make an enormous number of different caps. There are thousands and thousands of these.

So which one should I pick? Well first of all if you have a favorite team then pick that teams cap. I live in Europe and here we don't give a crap about baseball so here it doesn't matter. But for the ones in the US this could matter. Don't pick one that has to many colors, it might seem cool now but after a week or two that screaming green is not going to be so much fun. And off course it's hard to match with your clothes. If you wear more white than black, pick white and the other way around. And make sure that you get the right size because you can't change it. Get it a bit bigger if your thinking about growing longer hair. But it's good quality.

If your looking for one here in Berlin, check Hackescher Markt where the New Era Flagship store is located. They have a good selection.

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Vacation.

Going to the old country.

It's time for vacation. Ah, vacation. Soon I will be heading towards the beautiful Småland in the south of Sweden. My days will consist of sleeping in, fishing, swimming, drinking wine, eating nice food and most importantly spending time with my family.

Just look at that picture. Sweden can be so beautiful in summer. If you ever get the chance to go, all I can say is -Take it! Take the chance and see the nice towns and go for a hike in the woods. Swim in one of the thousands and thousands of lakes or head towards Stockholm and party your ass off. That's what I'm gonna do.

As I mentioned the other day, I will not be able to post next week but I will try my best to do so the week after. So take care and if you really need more "stuff" then take a look in the archives. There's a lot of good post back there.

I will be back soon...

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Family Guy Monopoly.

Straight from Spooner Street.

It might be summer and everybody is thinking it's all just about hanging out in the sun or chilling at the beach. At least we all wish that it was like that. But we all have to come to terms with the fact that summer has rainy days as well. And what can you do on a rainy day? You guessed it. Boardgames.

Monopoly was one of the first boardgames I really liked. Either it that has something to do with the strategy part of it or it's my evil capitalistic side showing it's face. Gaining capital and trying to bankrupt your friends. So what better way to do that than trying to establish your own monopoly in Quahog.

A couple of my roommates they also like boardgames. Apparently they play quite often. This being the off season, I haven't seen them play yet. That will change when autumn gets here. Then it's gonna be time for Trivial Pursuit. That's when years of to much TV really pays off. I'm a master of useless knowledge.

And remember after the rain the sun always shines.

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The Hip Flask.

The secret stash.

Do you party? Do you hunt in the darkness? If the answer is yes then this should be a part of your gear. A clean silver/leather flask to be carried in your pocket. Fill it up with your favorite spirit and you're set for any opportunity that might appear.

The closest liquor store might be to far away. You might lose the money and card you brought with you. Even if this would happen you can still keep your cool. The same as for the cigarette case I wrote about some time ago.

With that said, I want to wish everybody a nice weekend. Take advantage of the summer weekends. They only come around so often. Have a good one and I will be back next week.

Carpe Diem motherfuckers! ;)

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The Boom Box.

The Ghetto Blaster.

It's high time to bring out the Boom Box. The old school blaster that makes the old folks turn there heads. I'm not talking about a portable stereo but like in the picture, a box in silver with two decks and clean speakers.

Think about it. When was the last time you saw one? When ever that was it was to long ago. A blaster is not only very clean it also brings a nice sound to any outdoor activity.
Hook up your mp3 player and it's hard not to start moving.

Sure, you might think that it's gonna be heavy to carry or that you will have to pay for a lot of batteries. Small problems. On any Boom Box you should be able to attach a strap so that you can carry it like a sports bag over your shoulder. And if the strap has some nice colors it's just gonna make the box that much better. I would get one in rasta colors. Or a color combo that fits to your sneaks. That leaves the batteries. Easy, just buy rechargeable ones. And when you can, hook it up with the cable.

The beach, the park or just walking around in town is so much better with a Boom Box. So let's fill the world with music.

Remember to send a message on what you think or suggestions on posts. You can also follow me on twitter or YouTube. And if you like what you see then digg, buzz and mixx this site.

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Kicker. Fussballspiel. Foosball.

Kick It!

When Harold S. Thornton came up with the idea for this game back in 1923 I don't think he knew that his invention would eventually become a contender for the best bar game. I must say it does have the potential to be a permanent feature in any respectable bar. Even if the so called "high society" will always see it as a working class game.

The game is simply fun. And without even knowing it you find yourself playing with new people. There for this is not just a game of technical skill it's also a game of social skills.

Here in Berlin the "Kicker" is common and there are good players all around. To keep up I have to start my training, especially after a humiliating defeat last Saturday. Or maybe it was a lack of teamwork that made us lose. Then again it could also have something to do with the alcohol.

Anyway, my training will begin tomorrow.

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Coraline

Be careful what you wish for.

"An adventurous girl finds another world that is a strangely idealized version of her frustrating home, but it has sinister secrets."

Coraline is a animated movie that uses different animating techniques to create something, hmm... strange. But it is a interesting alternative reality. One to easily get lost in. And I guess that is what this is about. Don't get to lost in an alternative reality! You might not find a way out. Or it's no more than a Alice in wonderland telling kids not go to far from there parents.

And I am sure that some might like it so much that they watch it 420 times...

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GTA 4

Virtual Gangster.

Tires screaming as the car runs trough the streets. The gun in your hand, it's all about the all mighty dollar. Time to cash in.

I know that this games has bin around for a while, but the best is the best. And seeing it in a store the other day reminded me that not long ago the game was released on PC. Sure the PS3 has it's charm but I always liked it better with a keyboard and a mouse. That's where I first played one of the GTA games. Back when it was truly you playing one of the bad guys in cops.

The game also pioneered the concept of a "free" world, a place where you did not have to do as instructed. A city in which you can go anywhere and do anything. I always wished that they would expand this part of the game to make almost a city simulation. I do think that GTA 5 is going even more in that direction. But a GTA 5 is probably gonna see the day of light exactly when the PS4 hits the streets. Wonder why?

Just the cover makes this a game a must.

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