Can you believe it has been ONE YEAR since the California leg of the ALIVE TOUR? Whoa. And I never did post my recap of the 2nd night, right? Heh. That's something for tomorrow. I hope. ;-)
There's nothing like a K-pop concert. And there's nothing like a BIG BANG concert. I've been watching their concerts in Japan and Korea and I never expected anything less. This was so much fun, so much energy, and so much talent! I don't think I've ever seen anything like it. Even after KCON.
I surely hope that there will be a next time. YG, please make it happen. Bring the rest of the family this time.
Whenever I hear the word ELECTRO, the first thing that comes to mind is GD&TOP's High High. Why?
What in the world is GHETTO ELECTRO anyway? I don't think anybody actually knows.
But as much as I love GD & TOP, this is not what this post is about. A few days ago, I stumbled upon these new Maybelline Baby Lips. I've only seem them in one Rite Aid so far. I picked up three of them after looking up the colors online and now, they're happily introduced to my existing collection of Baby Lips.
I love these. They are tinted lip balms that do not feel heavy no matter how much you slather on. My favorite is Cherry Me, on the far right end. Oh, I just realized that apart from Cherry Me, every tube here is limited edition. I'm not sure if the Electro line is limited edition but for now, that's what they are.
I wasn't lying when I said my phone cover is 싸이 오빠 doing the dance. I got this little cutie and yes, I'm not ashamed to use it. I still like listening to 강남 스타일. Way better than that Harlem Shake thing, honestly.
This is like having a little friend with me all that time. A pocket Psy-oppa! Now if I can only find a BIGBANG one... ;-) I like these rubbery cases more than the harder ones. They're easier to locate in my bag and they make my phone easier to hold. Although I remove this whenever I have to pull out my phone in Koreatown... ㅋㅋㅋ...
As I've mentioned before, I do have a job. Money's money but my days are boring. I don't have anyone to talk to so sometimes, I end up talking to myself in English, Tagalog, Spanish, and Korean. If anyone was around to hear me, they might think I've lost it.
아이고... 나 심심해. Ano na naman kaya yan? Ah whatever. *co-worker comes in to check something* Si, muy bien. Gracias. Me gusta soda, por favor. Gracias. Okay. 진짜 피곤해요.
I would've added Japanese but everything gets muddled up in my head sometimes. Ah polyglotism.
Since I don't get to stay home all day anymore, I don't have much time to study much anymore. I've resorted to make notes and schedules in Hangul. Even passing time practicing my writing like so...
For me to do that, I must've been so incredibly bored. I even Instagrammed it. XD Yeah. I mean, I like that my job is so light; it didn't have the pressures of my previous one but still, I miss the company of other people whom I can easily talk to. The reason why I lasted long with that other job was the people. The pay on this other job is way better so I guess that's one good thing about that. I'll just take this to further build my Korean vocabulary so I can express myself a bit more and a lot better.
The highlight of my week is my Korean class. With work and school, I pretty much lost my time to rest - weekends - but I'm not going to give up my 한국어 크래스. 재미있어요. But yesterday, I met up with my VIP friends for some KBBQ at my favoritest place, Castle BBQ #2. It's the perfect place to take them because of the K-Pop MVs they play all day. And of course, they played a BIGBANG playlist while we were in the middle of our meal. And 2NE1. And GD&TOP. Funny, when they played Baby, Good Night, all of us got "affected" somewhat. Let's just say we were the loudest table during that song. LOL. I'm glad for the soju in front of me.
I mean, I dare you not to be affected by this. TOP's fully clothed but it's hotter than any nude guy. And the last part? Shoot me, I'm a GD&TOP shipper. ;-)
After food, we headed to Koreatown Galleria to burn more money. LOL. Gaaah, I just enjoy spending time with my VIP friends. It's kinda cool that I met them at the BIGBANG concert and yet we kept in touch. I don't know other people in my circle who like K-Pop and it's just so fun being with them; seeing how excited and how into it they are.
The Music Plaza at Koreatown Galleria is like my kryptonite. Sure, I only care about YG artists but whenever I see a YG artist's album, I make grabby hands at it. And mind you, I don't do CDs anymore but I love DVDs. I prepare to say goodbye to at least $120 every time I go there. 아이고, thankful for my boring job, ei? XD Last time, my damage was three items. This time, it wasn't so bad. ;-)
Fangirling is still an expensive hobby and when I'm older, I might laugh at my younger self. But I love it. No regrets. The 2011 BIGBANG BIG SHOW is one of my favorites. Plus it has Secret Big Bang. The 2011 YG Family Concert LIVE CD, I already have the songs but really, you pay for the photo book. I originally wanted to pick up the ALIVE Making Of... or something like that but it's in Region 3. Until I find a surefire way to bypass the DVD region BS, I'll skip that for now. Although I really really want that. Same story with the YG Family Concert DVD. Region 3. But I guess that's a blessing in disguise. If these are in no-region format, like the BIG SHOW is, I might end up broke. Hahaha... in moderation, as with all vices, right?
Today is St. Patrick's Day. I'm supposed to get my drink on but I already did that yesterday with 5 shots of soju. Give me vodka or soju any day and we'll be best friends.
On a side note: I've taken the LA Metro trains/bus every single day since Monday, March 11. I have a whole week of work next week so it looks like it's going to be a full 12 days straight. Who knows, I may have plans on Saturday after school also. ;)
Any fangirl knows this. From un/official merchandise, audiovisual products, concert tickets, traveling to get to the concert venue, dressing up for said concert, and for some... language lessons, fangirling can be preeeeetty expensive.
I don't fangirl over everything but when I do, I go all out. The last time I did that was more than ten years ago with the Taiwanese boyband, F4. I went to all of their concerts/appearances that were accessible to me, got all of their CDs and concert videos and dramas, and I even went for unofficial merch. Fast forward to 2012. The country of origin is South Korea. The talent... BIGBANG.
I've sung my praises for these 5 boys so much already. Looks, style (sometimes questionable LOL), talent (no question on that point), creativity (duh)... 대박! In a short period of time, I went from casually knowing of them to being a VIP 'til whenever. I spent almost a thousand dollars during their ALIVE tour stop here in Southern California - tickets, merch, and everything - and I don't regret any of it. I've made new friends, discovered so many cool things, and I think there is no monetary equivalent for the memories and experiences that were made on those two days.
But for everything else, you need money, sadly. Money that you don't always have. ㅠ.ㅠ Yesterday, I hung out with some of the fellow VIPs I met during the concert and we went to Santa Monica Pier. We had Thai food (Santa Monica, familiarize yourself with AYCE KBBQ) and walked the pier. The street acts - or as Taeyang would say, "unknown artists" - weren't very many or very good while we were there. But we had fun. Laughs, memories of VIP night, BIGBANG, and other stuff also. After that, we headed over to Koreatown.
While in the car going to Koreatown Galleria, I said that "I will be walking away with a CD or two." And I did. Two CDs and one DVD set. My bank account is hurting a bit but I did cross out two things from my wish list!
G-H-E-T-T-O E-L-E-C-T-R-O ... 미칠 지 모르죠 말리지마 here we go...
I've often wondered if that made any sense. Maybe to GD&TOP but not to me. What exactly is "ghetto electro" anyway? (According to Urban Dictionary: Originating from Korea, it was first heard in the mythological
pairing of a dragon and a white-haired extremely good looking man.) ㅋㅋㅋ! So here we go. GD&TOP, Volume 1 and BIGBANG Special Edition aka Tonight Re-release. *hugs them close to bosom*
When I went to the Philippines, I hoped to purchase these. But alas, I only saw Still Alive and One of a Kind. I know that Koreatown has them but I was not sure about the price. Music Plaza at Koreatown Galleria has everything. I think all of BIGBANG's discography from 1st Single to Still Alive and most of the solo stuff in between. I didn't see Heartbreaker; if I had, I would've gotten it also. And my mind just exploded. I mean, merch overload (I don't go for unofficial merch anymore, btw.) After all, I do have a penchant for completing filmographies and discographies. I mean, I have all of BIGBANG-related songs on mp3 but if I have access to the physical CDs (which I almost always never play), I would like to have those. So........ when's my next trip to Koreatown Galleria? LOL, I might walk away $200 poorer then too. I thought of getting the Alive - G-Dragon edition also. But I already have Still Alive - Daesung edition. Mainly, I wanted to get the first one because it is GD edition. Had it been TOP edition, there's no question. However.... erm, I watched an unboxing video later when I got home and I think I can live without Alivefor now. After looking through what else was there, I've decided that I will be prioritizing the concert videos assuming that they are in the correct region format lol. Between Tonight and the re-release BIGBANG Special Edition, I opted to go with the latter. Mainly because of my absolute love for Love Song. And man, this album has one of the more creative packaging. As for GD&TOP, Vol. 1... uh, duh. They're my ultimate bias and that album is just pure genius. And they go all out with the pictures. I think you're paying for the packaging and photos more than the CD itself. Not that I'm complaining. ;-)
I also wanted to get Tablo's Fever's End but then I saw something else that ate up my non-existent budget. (타블로 오빠, 사랑해요. I'll be getting 열꽃 some time soon.)
This bad, BAD boy. It nearly killed me last night when I was watching it. Oh the memories! It definitely took me back to those two amazing nights in Anaheim. They still wow me with everything they do. And really, the talent still blows me away. They have so much fun on stage, with each other, with the VIPs... the work and dedication they put in to everything (thank you, making film segment). And special mention to Seungri's solo stage. Uh, why wasn't the solo stage in California that hot? I mean, he was hot, yes, in this... all dirty and wearing that tank top and all? Jeez, I had to pick up my jaw off the floor! That alone made every penny I spent worth it. So that's how I spent my President's Day. I also got a poster for my troubles. I've since watched the concert DVD twice and I just can't get enough of it. How I wish the California shows were recorded. I'm pretty sure they were but probably only for YG people's enjoyment. Ah to relive all of that... <3
Happy Valentines Day, everyone! Whether you celebrate or not, make the most out of today!
Me, I'll be spending my day watching Simon Baker get his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Yes, I will be pretty much alone but not sad. Never sad. It's been a while since I've been to Hollywood Boulevard, I might as well take my time there. I'm kind of hoping that Simon Baker's co-star in The Mentalist will be there, Owain Yeoman. He was in Generation Kill and you know about my book, right? :) If not, then that's fine. I love these Walk of Fame ceremonies. I've been to three so far. (Still kicking myself for that one time that I decided not to go and then Viggo Mortensen was the guest speaker. I fail so hard.)
I might do some retail therapy while I'm out of the house. My folks will be watching Toni Braxton later tonight. I might just end up spending the rest of the day watching my Korean dramas. I don't mind a 최한성 chasing after me at the airport, telling me "가지마!" Or... I could go to the Universal Studios. Ah, whatever. I'll love myself today. Erm... not that kind of loving oneself, you perv. ;-)
So anyway, that's my greeting. I'll leave you with a sexy song from my ultimate bias, GD&TOP.
No work day again. I wish it were like this all the time... a day off every week at least. I'm getting to the point that I'm ready to go home before even getting to work. Is it a sign that I need to move on? Haysss...
I took advantage of today to renew my passport. And since the Philippine Consulate is in the same building as my favorite Korean BBQ place, Bulgogi House, I wanted to finally treat her to KBBQ as well. But it seemed that the universe is against me today.
We got to the consulate and man, isn't it the slowest service ever? The people are so unfriendly, bordering on rude even. And slow... as... hell. Even the other people waiting were rude -- cutting in line, being so demanding. Guh, and wtf are your wardrobe choices? Some of the people there were like... *skin crawls* Who told them that they looked good in something that went out of style in the late 70s? Lady, you look like you're 45-50, at the very least. Stop dressing up like you're 16. White daisy dukes, white thigh-high boots, tank top that emphasizes your muffin top... look, I know you're probably showing off your tacky butt tattoo but please spare the rest of the world. NOT. ATTRACTIVE. Ano bang iniisip ng mga Pinoy na ito?Walang ka-class at wala ring taste. Ugh. [Yes, I'm hatin'. LOL... whatever, Pinoy din ako noh.]
I know these government people are overworked and underpaid. I know the feeling. But damn, this is special kind of slow. So you fill up forms online, show up at the consulate with the finished forms. All you need to do is to have your photo taken and pay for it. But no... you are basically forced to register for absentee voting. You cannot say no. WTF. I have no intention of voting in any Philippine election. No, thank you. Filling up that form and waiting for my turn for processing was a waste of my time. And you know what, the wait stretched on to almost 3 hours. I was stuck there in the waiting area having no choice but to watch some gaudy and badly acted afternoon drama. And this dude who's probably impersonating Flava Flav with his large round holographic pendant had the gall to cut in front of me. Sir, you are not a big shot you think you are. Go wait in line just like everyone else.
So I get my turn and the processing guy is just... oh man, not even engaging. Okay, absentee voting. You force my hand, watch your voter turnout falter. But on the other hand, they can cheat easier that way. Who's to know whether this overseas Pinoy actually voted or not. Whatever.
Then finally we got to the photo area. There are two guys processing everybody. But they take at least 15 minutes per person. Why? Okay, these two are from some province and they speak some dialect. It is some kind of coincidence that most of the applicants speak the same dialect. Geez, I'm not bitching because I don't speak a dialect but please, you are wasting other people's time by exchanging gossip and whatnot for at least 15-20 minutes. This shouldn't have taken more than 5 minutes. Check the damn information, input it, take the photo, and that's it. I could've done more productive things in the 4 hours I wasted waiting for my turn.
I thought that my saving grace would come in the form of KBBQ but no.... they're closed for today. -________- Buh-mer. My mom and I ended up in Chinatown. I even joked to her that we should eat at Little Tokyo instead since we started out our day at Koreatown and we'll be heading to Chinatown anyway for a bit of retail therapy.
Our go-to Chinese place is Won Kok in Chinatown. It's not the prettiest place but damn, their food! And it's cheap too.
I managed to get my hands on a pirated copy of I Am Sam, a Korean drama. T.O.P. is on that show, or shall I call him Choi Seung Hyun. I love that he uses his real name in his acting even though the rest still call him T.O.P. of BIGBANG. And man, this guy is a really good actor. He's not trying hard and it's not over the top. And I'm not just saying that because I like the guy. He was great in his movie 19 with Seungri. It's amusing to me that all the guys of BIGBANG are rather good actors.
I thought of also getting Secret Garden and IRIS, another show featuring TOP but I already have digital copies of both shows. I Am Sam is a bit more difficult to locate so I just went ahead and got it.
I should also mention that the stall I got this from was playing BIGBANG songs. My mom stopped and watched the MV for Baby Goodnight by GD&TOP and she said that the boys were prettier than the girls. That, I agree.
lord of the rings. k-pop. marvel cinematic universe. the hunger games. sherlock. harry potter. csi. criminal minds. anime. fighting games. final fantasy. running man. jrpg. generation kill.
