events
Showing posts with label events. Show all posts
Showing posts with label events. Show all posts

28

(I have not abandoned this blog. No way. I just slumped when I got to the 2nd night of KCON. Needless to say, I don't enjoy writing about stuff that I don't actually like. But life goes on.)

First of all, let me extend my belated birthday greetings to: singer/actor Constantine Maroulis, designer Nate Berkus, tennis player Tomas Berdych, singer and voice actor Minako Kotobuki, singer/songwriter Aiza Seguerra, and the Opening Ceremonies of the Seoul Summer Olympics. We all share one special date.

SEPTEMBER 17.

I am one of those people who make a big deal ON my birthday. That is my one day that is for me. Not catering to what other people want of and from me. It's my day. I will spend as much as I want, eat what I desire, do what ever that comes into mind. This past weekend was pretty awesome on my scale.

Having said that, I'm not big into actually celebrating my birthday. I rather have it low key... actually alone sometimes. I'm not a party person. I have "celebrated" my birthday with friends in the past but it's not a yearly thing. But hey, if they're okay going with me to conventions, why not.


Which brings me to this year's ~celebration. I spent my birthday at my first Long Beach Comic Con. This event wasn't even on my radar until I saw the guest list. One of my favorite voice actors, TROY BAKER, was going to be there. I thought, hey... it's gonna fall on my birthday and what a way to treat myself. 

I went there to meet Troy Baker and walked away with a few lovely things to commemorate my LBCC2016 experience. It's definitely smaller than what I'm used to but it was still fun. But yeah, I'm still reeling that I met Kanji Tatsu- I mean, Troy Baker lol. 

Hehe, yeah. Short girl problems. Funny, I'm actually writing an article about how I love being short and how it is "uncool" to do ... erm... that above. But in my heart of hearts... I make an exception. XD He's 6'3". I am... not. Oh well. 

 I originally wanted him to sign Kanji Tatsumi's arcana but we couldn't find it at home. Instead, my brother found his Catherine game. He voices the main character, Vincent Brooks. As usual, I wanted him to sign with his favorite line from the game. He said it was the long "Aaaaahhhhh...." Vincent says. LOL. And then he asked me which one I was, Katherine or Catherine. Well, I gotta keep it real and stick with the C, right? XD I told him it was my birthday so he added that on my autograph too.

He's so cool. I'm still over the moon about meeting him! I only get this way with fighting game players and voice actors. The Hollywood types, I can handle. 

 And oh, I bought a wand! My cheapo wand broke. Guys, when they say "The wand chooses the wizard," believe it. Central Curios has a lot of wands on display but I kept coming back to one. This dainty, almost unassuming thing of beauty. It's one-of-a-kind.

He also said something about the Cherry wood being strong or something about guidance... well, my mother's name is Cherry so I guess that's right on the money. I love the design on the handle; it's simple and oh boy, the smell of wood! I actually want another one so I might check out NerdBot Con next week. After all, I live five minutes away from the venue. Listen to the wandmaker talk about it here: Nerd with an Opinion. 

 I also found the most adorable plushie of Fullmetal Alchemist characters. I just couldn't pass it up. 

The store is called Wee Bit O' Freak. I first saw this Alex Louis Armstrong and to my surprise, she has the whole gang there. Yes, even Heymans Breda. I wanted them all. And I can tell them apart from each other which is so important to me. I can't even do that for some Funkos! She said she doesn't have Maria Ross and Denny Brosh yet. I wonder if she does other cons. I want to get my girl Hawkeye!

 It was a small-ish con, not really my fandom but dang, it was still so much fun. Artist Alley is still the place to be. Pass by multiple times because you'll never know. You may miss that one piece of art on your first pass. We certainly did. It wasn't a huge haul but we still loved it.

 Let's see who they have for next year~ 

 Here's to a wonderful 28th year of existence!
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KCON LA 2016, Days 1 & 2

KCON is a tricky thing for me to talk about because I like it and hate it at the same time. This is my 3rd non-consecutive time attending. I like that it's a convention about K-pop, a fandom that is not as big as the comic book types and the otaku. I like that one concert can have five or more acts. I like that it gives fans an opportunity to meet their faves, may it be a K-pop idol, actor, or online personality. I like that this year, they have food trucks.



But that's about it. Everything else, I either don't care for or dislike completely. I'm the simplest of K-pop fans. I stan 2-3 groups, passively listen to everything else, and only go to YG Entertainment (and Block B) concerts. So half the things at these kinds of events seem irrelevant to me. But I view it as discovering new things. And in that respect, KCON has not disappointed me. I've started listening to new or new-to-me groups as well as incredible indie artists that they've invited. Although there are some things that I dislike about this convention, I always end up enjoying myself. That, 우리 친구들, is reason enough for me to go every year.
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My First EVO - The View From Behind the Players' Seats

I... Where do I even begin?


This is the most low-key yet most exciting conventions ever. I've never experienced something like this in my so far short con-going life. I've gone to many events but I was never this excited, overwhelmed, lucky, ~blessed~, and grateful. I'm going to sound like a total weab but holy shiz, guys. EVO is definitely something else.

My only other experience with something like this is the Capcom Pro Tour Finals 2015 in San Francisco. We decided to go to that on a whim and oh boy, nothing prepared me for that. I thought that was enough "preparation" for a future EVO experience. Well... yes and no. I expected epic gameplay, witnessing great moments, and having a ton of fun. It was all that times a million.

I was so impressed by the fighting game community, not only with the "regular" people playing but also with the pros. They were so nice, unassuming, humble. Hey, they're people too. We, including myself at times, seem to forget that. Especially when you're sort of new in the "fandom". I fell off that when I was in high school because PS3 came out and we couldn't afford one at that time. Now we have one and then there's Twitch, Youtube, social media, online shopping, and two Madcatz fight sticks... bring it on! My brother is such an influence and an enabler. And I'm thankful for it. He had me watching a random tournament about two years ago on stream and since then, I'm hooked. The FGC has been one of the best - if not THE BEST - communities that I joined and it's been so amazing.
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Let's Talk About Conventions

I've been to two so far this year. Asian-American Expo/Anime Impulse in Pomona, CA and WonderCon 2016 that was held in Los Angeles this year. It goes back to Anaheim in 2017. Sigh. This weekend will be my favorite con, Anime Expo 2016. I waited a year for this. Yes, my brother and I bought tickets for 2016 on the 4th and final day of Anime Expo 2015.

And guess what... I'M COSPLAYING! Here's my lineup for this year:


I already went as Shiina Mayuri of Steins;Gate at last year's Comikaze Expo 2015. I originally planned to go as Mio Akiyama of K-On dressed in yukata but I decided to go as Yui Hirasawa instead. I'm going in their summer uniform sans the giita. I do have a Japanese school bag though. And for the final costume, I went back and forth between Menma of Anohana and Taiga of Toradora. In the end, I factored in how hot it's going to be and went for the simple white... nightie. That's pretty much what that dress is like. Taiga will have her turn. Probably at a convention later in the year.

Aside from anime and nerd cons, I also regularly attend KCON. It's a convention centered around K-pop and all that Korean hallyu goodness. It'll be at the end of July. I've been to IMATS, a makeup convention, three years in a row. And if possible, I might be attending Playstation Experience this year also... if it were to coincide with the Capcom Cup Finals again. I'm also going to EVO 2016 two weeks after Anime Expo. So you see, July is pretty packed. That's why it doesn't kill me to skip SDCC every single year. I just don't have enough energy for that battle LOL.
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Is this your first IMATS? Prepare to be overwhelmed!

I'm going to have an awesome weekend. I know it.

On the 16th, I have IMATS LA. On the 17th, I have Anime Impulse! It's going to be my first year at Impulse and THIRD at IMATS. I didn't write about last year but I sure had a lot to say about my first one. Note, the photos in this post are from IMATS 2015.


IMATS stands for International Makeup Artist Trade Show. It says "trade show" but it is open to the public on Saturday and Sunday with a pro-night Friday. I usually go on the Saturday, one of the rare times when I make an effort to glam up.

Having only gone to two IMATS previously, I'm not claiming to be an "expert". Although, I've been to quite a handful of convention type events. At the end of the day, these events are pretty much the same. It's an overwhelming feast for the senses, nothing can 100% prepare you for them, you'll walk away with much more than you planned, but you're going to enjoy the hell out of it.

I've had people ask me if I have tips on attending conventions. Some, specifically IMATS. I have some in my older post and looking at it now, they're pretty much the same. I'm trying to think of other tips that I may have that apply to the bigger conventions but really, IMATS is a sample size compared to Anime Expo or Comikaze. And IMATS is rather specialized so you can sort of anticipate what to see, what to buy, and who to see.

Also, I happen to live about 5 minutes away from the Pasadena Convention Center. Old Town Pasadena is my backyard. So I'm not too wide-eyed when I see how gorgeous Pasadena is. *wink* So if I sound a little bit jaded, this is bulk of the reason. LOL. Also, it's my 3rd time... surprise me, IMATS. ;-)
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2015 Iconography & Listography

Just when you thought that 2015-related posts are so last year... ;-)

I'm so pumped for 2016 but I'm forever grateful for all the things that happened in the past year. The good and the bad. I hope the good things will continue and all the bad things will get better. For you and for me.

I'll try something different. Iconography. I'm not exactly good at it but I'm testing out a website/service that makes it easy for Photoshop dummies like me. If you've noticed, I've been tweaking the appearance of this blog. A little change for 2016, yeah?

가자!

CONVENTIONS: 6.
I can't get enough of them. They're exhausting and I tend to spend much more than my budget - not to mention, adding to the clutter in my room - but I love them. I'm looking forward to going to more in 2016. Preferably, EVO 2016.

  • 3 times at the Los Angeles Convention Center. I can tell you where the nearest restrooms are. WonderCon is moving to LACC in 2016, by the way.
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Playstation Experience / Capcom Cup 2015

For my final convention/event for 2015, I took my brother to the Playstation Experience. Specifically, the Capcom Cup Grand Final 2015. Oh boy. NOTHING could have prepared me for this.

So far, I've been lucky to have a good number of events happening within a train ride or two from where I live. I admire those people who actually travel to get to these conventions and concerts. I've met people from different cities, states, and COUNTRIES just to attend these things and see their favorite artists. I said before that I could never do that. But then again, I also said that "I wish I were that kind of fan that puts pictures up on my walls or the one who collects artwork in general." I sure ate my words on that one.

 Last year's Playstation Experience was in Las Vegas. This year, it was in San Francisco. December 5 and 6, 2015. I would've skipped it if it were just that; I don't have a PS4 yet so a lot of these things don't concern me. But they decided to hold the Capcom Cup Grand Finals on the 2nd day of the convention. And that... I'd travel for that. 

Plus, we have family up in San Francisco and it's been four years since I last visited. (FYI, exactly five years ago, I was in NYC enjoying the snow.) This time, I'm coming back with my mom and brother. And I finally went to Alcatraz Island. 
Obligatory. Obviously.
My brother and I also hit Japantown, San Francisco. As much as I love Little Tokyo in Los Angeles, I enjoyed Japantown, SF more. My brother loved that area too. There was a bookstore that carried some of the stuff in our wishlists. One casualty of PSX was my Juicy Couture purse. Girl problems, too much shit in one purse. Well, that gave me an excuse to purchase a new one. My first Tokidoki item... a Tokidoki Superfan Bowler bag. And she is pretty. 

But these are not the reasons why you're here, right? Playstation Experience. Capcom Cup. Right.

 I just admit, I'm fairly new to this whole fighting game community thing. Yes, I've played Tekken when I was a kid, along with Marvel vs Capcom and a little bit of Street Fighter. But I never thought that that could be as big as this. Prize money, sponsorships, endorsements... fanbases. My brother has been into this fandom/community for much longer and he actually plays games. I button mash. There's a difference. But I'm an awesome spectator. I can absorb information like a sponge. I've done that to the other gaming communities that I see my brother follow but not as deep as I went with the FGC.
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BLOCK B | Blockbuster US Tour [20151115]

I'm going to my final convention/event this weekend so let's get this out of the way, shall we?

Do you wanna be? BLOCK B!

Le gasp! They're not from YG Entertainment! And whut? I bought a VIP ticket? With a hi-touch? Yup.

This was my 2nd time at Club Nokia. I love this place. It's intimate, the acoustics are great, and I don't think there's a bad view. The last time I was here was for the Show Me the Money 4 concert in Los Angeles. I was down there in the GA PIT area. It was fun but this late in the year, I've run out of energy to show up super early so I'll be in front. At that concert, I noticed that the seats up in the first row balcony have pretty awesome view of the stage. This concert offered that also under VIP+ (1st Block) so I got that instead. I got to the venue about 30 minutes before they let people in and I was seated in no time. I still got my hi-touch but no crowding and craziness of the Pit.

Club Nokia plays the most random music before a show. We got classical music at SMTM4 and this time, we got movie scores. Well, I guess it fit because Block B's theme for this concert is "blockbuster". Films and such.
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Daniel Radcliffe,Hollywood Walk of Famer [20151112]

When was this again? Oh... November 12, 2015. And what date is it now? The 30th. Great.

Hey, I'm doing this mostly for myself. And for you guys too, I guess. Sharing is caring. This blog is kind of like my Pensieve. If you don't know what that is, gtfo of this particular post. I'm joking. Look it up and you'll know why that reference is appropriate.

Where was I? Ah Pensieve, right. Something special always happens to me when I go to events. I know each attendee has his/her own special moment. To them, that totally makes their day, week, month, year. I certainly have more than my fair share of that. I go to so many of these things and I don't want to forget those little moments. Not that I forget them, lol... my memory's pretty good when it comes to trivial things like that. ;-) It makes for good blog content, that's another thing.

But this intro is not why you're here. You're here for this:


And that's the end of this blog post. The end.

No, I'm joking. I have more pictures under the cut.
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Stan Lee's Comikaze 2015

I know, I know. It's mega late. I'm sorry. You know me. You know the drill. And besides, I'm doing this partly for me... so I can look back and relive this day all over again. And also for you. So you can enjoy it with me. (And I have two more recent events to recap. Yay me.)

I've decided that Stan Lee's Comikaze Expo is my favorite. I love Anime Expo too but Comikaze hits me right in the childhood feelz. The 90s kid in me comes back alive. And it's not just the superhero fan in me that is satisfied. Of course, there is pop culture but my video game, anime, and literary sides had their more than fair share as well.


They've expanded the convention to occupy the structure closer to Staples Center. The convention floor was more spacious, especially artist's alley, and the meet-and-greet area was separate from all the chaos of the exhibit floor. Some people felt that this year was smaller but I thought it was just spread out to more floor space. Like last year, I didn't go to many panels but I absolutely loved artist's alley. I admit, I did shell out more $$ this year but then again, I didn't know what a goldmine artist's alley was last year. Remedied!
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BIGBANG MADE Tour in Anaheim, 20151004

I did have this ready and waiting shortly after I posted the Los Angeles recap. But I decided to wait and post it on TOP's birthday (in Korea lol)... a month after the event.

This time three years ago, at the same venue, we "celebrated" TOP's birthday on stage. Seungri has a video of it shot on a Samsung Galaxy S3. We also sang to him the previous day but our November 3 is November 4 on the other side of the world which is his actual birthday. He flew to NYC to be with his family immediately after the concert, I heard.

It was so special to us that we could do that. The whole ALIVE Tour was special to me. (I didn't post a wrap up for the 2nd night because that was the only concert where I didn't take a lot of photos. Just the encore but I only had my phone and I was kind of far away.) They did Monster and that was enough for me. At least, I saw it performed live twice.

Yes, I posted a similar picture for the LA recap.
The MADE Tour has its own kind of special. Mainly that bridge thing stage extension and the best pit experience ever. I didn't opt for the Ultimate VIP but I got my money's worth for Bae Bae and more.

I don't know about you but my mother understands the importance of being to a concert 8-10 hours early. Especially if you have a general admission ticket. And in general, I want to be crazy early for these things. Get it out of the way, you know, then have the whole day sitting there and waiting. Fans took it upon themselves to have some sort of organization and together with staff, they tried to have a number system for both the general line and per ticket tier. I got there at around 10-ish and without the people cutting in line to be with their friends who got there earlier, I was the 357th person in line and 124th with the Bae Bae ticket. Already. My actual ticket/wristband read somewhere in the 140's but that's fine. The pit had more than enough breathing room for both Ultimate and Bae Bae as well as guests and special VIPs. You know, the actual very important people... not the fandom name lol.

I love soundchecks. My November 2, 2012 soundcheck was all kinds of special. It involved G-Dragon. That was the first time when I truly experienced "fangirling". This time, I knew what to expect and was pleasantly surprised at the layout of the pit. We had our own little den in between the main stage and the extended stage. And unlike the Floor, we didn't have to push and shove and fight for a good spot. I situated myself at house left right under the left bridge thing. And oh boy, was it the best decision ever.
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BIGBANG MADE Tour in Los Angeles, 20151003

Who takes more than a week to recover from a concert? This girl.

But cut me some slack. I went to two BIGBANG concerts in two days. Not to mention the live tweets, videos, updates on social media for the following concerts in Mexico and New Jersey. I had more than 1000 photos to comb through, a couple of surprisingly good videos, and screencapping said videos for more pictures. And oh, uploading them to FB and Youtube.


This was the farthest I've ever sat for a YG artist concert. I've always been pit or the seated area right next to GA Floor. I could've done better seats for the same price but dang, we were right across from the stage. Center!

Really, I could've gone VIP here also. But I had my rockstars with me. I mean, who goes to a K-pop concert with their mother but not as chaperon? My brother, who is a non-K-pop fan, went with me too. I was happy that they were game to experience this insanity with me - and see my total K-pop fangirl side as well. My wallet wept for a minute but it was all worth it, seeing how they enjoyed it and hearing their feedback on the whole show.

tl;dr My mom is a fan of Taeyang and her favorite BIGBANG songs are Fantastic Baby and Haru Haru. And she thinks, as everyone in this good earth does, that TOP is excessively good-looking. My brother loved the staging and lights. He liked Sober and Daesung's voice. It warmed my heart to see that he made an effort to remember their names and match it to their faces. I have the best family ever!


Honestly though... my VIP ticket for the Anaheim concert could've paid for all three of our seated tickets. No regrets, though. Absolutely none.

If you go back to the ALIVE TOUR concerts, I was in absolute overwhelmed fangirl mode. I would kiss the ground that they walked on. And my preparation started about a week before that concert weekend. This time around, I was calmer... older... wiser. Yes, I was still excited to see them in concert but having seen them twice before (3 times for G-Dragon), I was able to keep my head on straight. With the exception of some crazy screaming and jumping, of course. ;-)

I'm especially excited to see this tour because of their new songs. I love all of them. Bang, Bang, Bang is the song of 2015. Then there's Eyes, Nose, Lips. I've seen this twice live from Tablo and now, I'm going to see this live from the original artist himself, Taeyang. Twice! And of course, I would not miss another live performance of YG's national anthem... Fantastic Baby. I have so many feelings for this tour/set list. Also, this could be the last one for a while with them starting to go into military service. Sigh.

Like last time, I bought two separate light sticks to commemorate this event. (One was free the last time but I bought another one that looks exactly the same for night 2.) It's the new version so one was white and the other was black. The light reacts to the beat of the music but I still had it one solid. The "anytone" mode looked so dim.


I love that they play MVs to pass the time. Perfect for people watchers like me... the crowd screams even at music videos. There was this teenager in the row behind ours who screamed bloody murder every time GD comes on. She was a silent, crying mess for the rest of the actual concert.
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SMTM4 Concert in LA!

I know. It's been almost 20 days since this event. It's 7 days away from my next K-pop related event. Forgive me. It's been a trying September.

I could not contain my excitement when they announced the Show Me the Money 4 concert tour stop in Los Angeles. My Inner Circle heart was cheering that I will finally see someone from WINNER but it wasn't yet meant to be. Finalist, Song Minho, had other engagements and had to skip out from the whole tour. BFF Zico from Block B wasn't going either. But that's okay; I saw him at KCON not too long ago.  (And I might see him again in November. I have to see the ticket perks and prices before deciding.)

 But the real reasons why I was so hyped up were... Verbal Jint and Jinusean. Meeting Tablo for the second time in the same year was a very welcomed icing on the cake. I've admired Verbal Jint's music and lyrics for a long time. I think he is a fantastic human being and to see him perform live... it took so much from me not to tear up. Who the hell cries at a hip-hop concert?! I almost did. I'm a YG stan so I'm happy to meet anyone from YG. Jinusean was one of the first ones and their song, 한번 더 말해줘, is my JAM. It's so catchy with a sort of old school 90s feel to it. Not to mention it brings me a tad bit closer to two of my favorite shows, Superman is Back and Running Man. (Upon rewatching more episodes of RM, I realized that I've met more guest stars that I initially thought.)

 My love for Tablo's talent (and the rest of Epik High) knows no bounds. I could not pass up the opportunity to see him again. That alone paid for my ticket. Among other things, of course. Jay Park and almost all of the AOMG crew were there. San E and the sole representative of Team ZiPal, Palo Alto were there too. Heck, even Dumbfoundead was there. And if anyone from YG was there, Danny and Ben Baller would be too. I wish Danny and DFD joined the hi-touch event lol. (More on that later.)

 I admit, I'm one of those who paid attention to SMTM4 because of Mino. Not gonna lie. But I stayed because of the other rappers on the show. I was familiar with some by way of collaborations with other artists that I know and some I'm glad I found out through the show. I do not care for Western rap/hip-hop that is playing on the radio today. AT ALL. (I've been known to say that "If it is in English, I might not listen to it. I don't know 90% of the songs on the radio today.) Most of it is empty and it's like who can spit out senseless shit faster. Make up words along the way, why don't you. It's not for me. My interest in American hip-hop ending some time before 2010. But that was when my love for K-hip-hop resurfaced. Yes, I don't understand most of it but you can just feel the passion and emotion in their voices. Look up the lyrics and you'll see that it's not empty made-up bullshit. It actually speaks to you. 

 (A marvelous example is LeeSsang. Do yourself a favor and listen to either Hexagonal or Asura Balbalta, look up the lyrics, and try not to feel sad and cry.)

 Anyway, enough with the sales talk. 
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Show Me The Money 4 in LA!

Powerhouse Live
2015 is the year the Hallyu gods smiled upon me. I thought it was 2012 when 2NE1 and BIGBANG came to the US. It was followed by 2013 with my first KCON. 2014 introduced me to WINNER but that year, I went back to my Hollywood world. Not much going on in my K-pop life... just my hoarding of anything WINNER lol.

I thought 2015 was going to be the same. I got more into conventions and anime and nerdy things. That is... until Epik High went on their North American tour. That got the ball rolling. From there, BIGBANG announced their 2nd world tour; I went to my 2nd KCON (2, 3). And if that wasn't enough... Show Me the Money 4 is coming to Los Angeles.

[I'm this close to kiss the ground where I currently reside. LOL.]

If you've been following this K-drama, you will know that WINNER's Song Minho is not only one of the contestants, he's also in the Final Two. Apart from being an idol rapper (and it seems like a part of him is not ashamed of being one in front of all these established hip-hop people), he has history as a young underground rapper by the name of Hugeboy MINO together with Block B's Zico. He actually calls Mino his "most treasured dongsaeng" which warms my heart of hearts.

MNET's been very dirty in this show, rather questionable at times. There were moments - no, whole episodes - where there was nothing but secondhand embarrassment. Sometimes, they air 90% drama and only 10% of talent. They clearly play favorites. I don't deny that Mino is their favorite since Day 1 because Mino's been involved in another MNET talent reality show that was really successful, Who Is Next? WIN. But they also screwed him up so many times. Until the very end, mind you. Either Mino wins and everyone thinks it's just because he's YG. Or he loses because everyone hates him. Poor baby.

But that doesn't really matter now. He's top 2 and I've read somewhere that only the top 2 contestants are going on the US shows. So that's Basick and Mino. At this point, I don't care who wins... I like them both and I'm going to see my word genius fave Verbal Jint perform live. And oh, Tablo for a second time in less than six months. Yeah-yuh.

The organizers said that Zico will not join Mino and Paloalto on the tour. Yes, I did see him with Block B at KCON but to see him with his precious dongsaeng on stage together would've been a dream. Being the huge ZiPal team stan, I hope Tablo jumps in if ever they'll do moneyflow ... or have Mino join them for Born Hater. Tablo, MINO, and Verbal Jint all there and play BI's chorus bit... they've done that song with less members.

 Also, Jinusean will only be doing the Los Angeles show! A-yooooo! I don't get what they're doing on this show but I love them, okay? Sean 삼촌 is my bb Daehanie's favorite. And here's the obligatory "Jinu oppa is hawt". (He shares the same name as WINNER's Kim Jinwoo but I can call Jinu "oppa" while Jinwoo is my dongsaeng.)  I don't know how to feel about San E only that it gave me a smidge of pleasure seeing Mino diss him (and MNET) for that Black Nut fiasco. I'm not the biggest Jay Park fan when he "raps" but I like a couple of his "singer" songs.

I would've liked a few more contestants to come along but... logistics. WINNER even has a Japan tour date on the same day at the NYC show. Poor baby. He's going to be so tired and I don't think he'll have time to sight-see. Maybe he can do that when he has his WINNER members with him... on their own world tour or a YG Family Concert? *wink*

I got the P1 ticket, of course. Like with my previous VIP ticket for the BIGBANG Alive Galaxy Tour, I got mine straight from Powerhouse Live which means I didn't pay the nasty service fee from AXS/Ticketmaster. It's going to be first come-first serve so I have to be there early to get a good spot. Ya know, shrimps like me need all the help we can get. And according to Powerhouse, there will be a special fan service event planned out! Yes, fcking please!

So there you go. Another event to add to my already eventful 2015 calendar. Hopefully, all goes well and I can meet Mino... that will tide me over until I meet the rest of WINNER.

EDIT:
The show is now going to be at Club Nokia LA Live. YES!
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KCON LA 2015, Day 3

I know, I know. It's been more than a week after KCON NY/NJ which means even more weeks have passed since KCON LA but only now am I putting up my Day 3 recap. Whut... I'm busy and lazy at the same time, okay? Plus, after the monster recap of Day 2, I didn't have the energy to dive right in with the final day. But I'm here now. What else can you do? ;-)


Aaah, the calm before the cray. By Day 3, I really didn't have any more plans at the Expo Hall. I was all bought out and I mean, how many times does one go around a small-ish convention floor? (Although I did regret not buying the TOP bear, Japan version. Oh well.) Most of my day was spent sitting down next to an outlet. I've learned my lesson in Day 2... never trust a power bank. Mine failed on me at 47% battery and I had to turn it off and then put it on ultra battery saving so I can call my ride after the concert. Yes, I'm anal when it comes to my gadget's battery life. I flat out panic when I reach below 50% with no charger.

I didn't go to any panels anymore. I was interested in one, something about traveling to Seoul on a budget but I got lazy getting up and making my way to LACC that "early" when all I really had planned was the 7pm concert. I would've loved to put in my 2 cents about my "16 hours in Seoul" experience. Plus, it was moderated by Professor Oh again.

Day 3 meant Block B. The day before, my AliExpress order finally came in. Just in fcking time for the final day of KCON LA. Why was I so excited? Well, I was able to represent Zico's most precious dongsaeng...


Song Minho of WINNER. The other one that I got is for Kim Jinwoo. I got to wear that about a week after KCON. (PS: In my head, it's always "Zico-hyung"... ala- Mino, but the funny thing is, he's not even an oppa to me LMAO.) But really, I was just too excited that there's YG on the front of the shirt. You bet that I went ahead and got the other 3 WINNER members. Hee!

And it was an awesome choice to wear this particular shirt. As I was sitting somewhere, charging my devices, minding my own business... and actually listening to Verbal Jint, I heard a familiar beat. (I was actually trying to tune out the events on the main stage because... well... let's just say that if you're not BIGBANG, please don't even try to cover Bang, Bang, Bang. The song, I mean. The dance is fine.) In between songs, I heard the first few bars of I'm Him. What are the fcking chances of this song being played at KCON while I'm wearing a Song Minho shirt?! The Hallyu gods love me.
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KCON LA 2015, DAY 2

In my KCON ticket post, I might have said that it only took one reason to tip me over the edge. I decided to just fck it and attend this year's KCON because Ki Hong Lee of The Maze Runner movies was invited. Along with Daniel Henney and Kim Soohyun, the actor lineup actually was the reason why I decided to go. And hey, I might as well go to the concert. At least I can say that I saw Super Junior live. (Psst, Mr. Simple is my forever guilty pleasure.)


I'm no stranger to lining up and waiting. I've waited 8+ hours just to see actors. I was interested in two panels from the Day 2 schedule, one of them was Ki Hong Lee's panel. The other one was the Hallyu Culture Shock Q&A hosted by KWOW's Professor Oh. In past conventions, people have started to line up hours before a panel. I knew that Ki Hong Lee's panel is going to be a big one so I timed my schedule around that.


I got to LACC early to have lunch from one of the food trucks. I love Bibigo and since there wasn't a The Return of Superman representation, I had bulgogi 비빔밥 and 식혜. My bbs 대한, 민국, 만세 love 고기 and 밥, and in a recent episode, 민국이 cried over spilled 식혜. Yep, I'm overthinking things. At least, my ringtone is the triplets' theme song. (No joke!)

After a quick lunch, I went straight to the assigned room. I was one of the first 10 people in line. Kudos to those who had the same idea as me. XD A Soompi panel was still going on. The staff lady kept saying "Sohm-pi" instead of "Soom-pi", I thought she was saying zombie panel that first time. Anyway, I did some reading while I was waiting. The line started to get longer and longer until, the last I heard before going in, that it was almost all the way across the building. Yes, he might not be as huge as the other K-pop acts but he's got Hollywood creds. And I'm sure a lot of those who wanted to see him were The Maze Runner fans.


I definitely am a fan of that series. I met James Dashner when he was doing promos for the first movie. The 2nd movie, The Scorch Trials, will come out September 18th, a day after my birthday. And I told him that! Oh you know me, I won't pass up a chance to talk to a famous person. ;-)
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KCON LA 2015, Day 1

Let me just get this out of the way... I cringe at the non-word "feelz". And to have these celebrities, especially Daniel Henney say it out loud? No. Just, no. But Daniel Henney is hot.


 We meet again, Los Angeles Convention Center. This time, 안녕하세요? We're scheduled to see each other at least one more time this year. 

 Having skipped last year's KCON, I was sort of not expecting much from this year. I didn't really know much about the featured acts (although I'm familiar with some of their songs). I don't have a particular fandom included in the lineup. And they're not really informative as to which vendors or booths are going to be there. 

 My previous KCON was a hot mess. Literally and figuratively. It was an outdoors event. Even the panels were outdoors under tents in the sun and wind. The booths were under the baking sun and there was a lot of walking, almost hiking around the venue. I enjoyed it for the most part but not the sunburn on my neck thinking that it wasn't going to be that hot. Silly me... it was in the middle of summer. It felt more like a flea market than an actual convention. That was one of the reasons why I skipped KCON 2014. I already had an all-day outdoor event the Friday before KCON weekend and I just didn't have the energy to do another 2 days of concert. Even if G-Dragon was there. Sigh.

 This year, GD wasn't in attendance. The only YG Entertainment people there were Danny Im and apparently, Masta Wu whom I totally missed. Grrrr. But you know me. I find YG in all places. My haul from Day 1 - from the rest of the weekend actually - you'd think that I went to YGcon instead of KCON. Not to mention that MAJORITY of the songs I heard over the weekend are from the YG playlist. From BIGBANG to Hi Suhyun. I'm not kidding. I heard Bang, Bang, Bang more times than when I play it for my own enjoyment. Dude, I even heard High High. The guy who looks like Crayon-era GD was there, saw him all 3 days; I spotted him within five minutes of getting to the venue for Day 1. And oh, I wore my Alive Tour shirt and a Song Minho '93 jersey on Saturday and Sunday. I guess I did good as a YG stan. ;-)

 But at the end of the day, YG was a no-show at this concert. JYP and SM were there as well as other agencies. That's okay. I like Sistar and Block B. And if you don't know Super Junior, you must be living under a rock. I wanted to see Shinhwa live because they're like, one of the first ones. And oh, I'm curious to see if Roy Kim is as adorable in person as he is on screen. ^_^

 So are you ready to "ignite your feelz"? (Ugh.) 가자!
So, KCON is now a 3-day INDOOR convention with a concert on the last two nights of the weekend. Indoor. Thank the lawd! Having said that I wasn't expecting a lot, I was kind of impressed at how it now looked like an actual convention rather than a Sunday morning flea market. They occupied the smaller side of the LACC, the place where panels are held during AnimeExpo.  I wasn't as familiar with this area as the bigger hall but at least I knew where the restrooms were. Those that weren't crowded hahaha.

 Even though this was the smaller of the two wings, there was still a lot of space left over on the floor. I mean, they could've made the Main Stage bigger or put it somewhere less crowded. It was near the Tous Les Jours, TVN, and MNET booths and they're always crowded. Add to that the crowd that gathers waiting for the next Main Stage act... it becomes a congested area vs the rest of the floor which was mostly empty. I'm not expecting ala-AnimeExpo where the bigger expo hall is filled to the edges. Just a better spacing. Lesson learned for next year, hopefully?

 There wasn't many vendors. I'm not talking about the Korean brand sponsors. Their area looked well-put together. The other booths, including the fanclubs... the layout was kind of all over the place. Not all of the spaces were occupied and each "block" was far apart so it made the floor feel kind of empty at times. Again, I'm not saying it sucks. It's just that coming from someone who's experienced bigger conventions, KCON could've tweaked things a bit to make the space work better for them. I hope they took notes for next year. I did like that they had LACC instead of the outdoor locations.
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ANIME EXPO 2015



Guys, I think I have a favorite convention. Yes, out of all the events I've been to that is nerdy and geeky, Anime Expo has absolutely won my heart. I enjoyed every single day, every second of it. °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°

At first, I was kind of hesitant because my scope of anime is more of the older ones, classics to the early 2010s. I know nothing of the on-going and newer ones. My preferences are slice-of-life and music anime. I've watched my share of long-runners such as Yuyu Hakusho, Fullmetal Alchemist, and Rurouni Kenshin. I was a kid when Sailormoon R was released. And having a Japanese aunt meant that I had a Sailormoon related gift every Christmas until I was old enough to braid my own hair. I played and enjoyed video games and JRPGs. I felt I could keep up with it but at the same time, what about the newer crowd?
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#EPIKHIGHLA [20150529]


My HIGH is EPIK. UBER EPIK.


And it still is. Normally when I see a band in concert or meet a celebrity, I tend to stay away from their music and films for about a week after the event. It's too fresh and my feelz are still too strong. But with Epik High, nope. I was listening to their Pieces, Part One album on my way home and all their other stuff days after. Sure, it took me a while to get to this blog post but I've been listening to them (and BIGBANG's new songs, duh) nonstop since last Friday's concert.

You all know me as as K-pop fan. Scratch that, a YG fan. So it makes sense that I like Epik High, right? Ehhhh... well... I've liked them even before they signed with YG. Back in the Woollim Entertainment days, remember those? That's the closest that I'll ever get to SM Entertainment. I stumbled upon Swan Songs, the particular track was Fly. Then Elements. I couldn't understand a smidge of Korean back then but I remembered Epik High. I already know that Ride was going to be my favorite song from them. It was not until Remapping the Human Soul and the magical song called Fan... and my whole musical perspective changed.

If I were to be 100% honest (and yes, I'm not a saint lol), I put Epik High about a hair's width higher on my list than the whole of YG Entertainment. When they joined the agency, my life became so much easier. XD Fangirling all in one go. Plus all the possible interactions. You already know about the BIGBANG/EH special stage from years ago performing my favorite song ever, right? Oh so ominous. Now, Tablo had written so many songs for other YG artists and the most important thing is that they have a home that supports their ideas and an avenue where they could share their music.

Epik High is one of the few artists - not just in Hallyu - that I could really tell are super passionate with what they are doing. They always are creating, sharing, collaborating. And yet, they are super humble. It warms my heart reading Tablo's posts on how thankful he is throughout this North American tour so far. Big Bang and 2NE1 were able to tour the world with a huge machine behind them but with this Epik High tour, it feels more organic and personal. I'm very sure they also have YG monies supporting them but fans in North America wanted to see them and without much hype and fanfare, they made it happen. (EPIK shoutout to SIVA Group. You guys are rockstars!) Their dreams are coming true. OUR dreams are coming true as well.
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Ramen Yokocho Fest [20150329]

Yokocho means "alleyways to the side of the main street". That wasn't the case for the Ramen Yokocho Fest held at the Santa Anita Park last 28 and 29 of March.

(I do realize how late this post is but hey, I'm lazy and I'm doing this for free on my already short free time. But hey, I hope you enjoy and I hope it encourages you to check this event out next year.)

I found out about this event last year by accident. I was checking in at Yelp and I happen to find myself on the website, checking off my notifications. This was right there on the top of the page. I saw that it was held at the Santa Anita race track and I clicked that "I'm In!" button.

I love this event because it not only showcases ramen houses in the US but they invite authentic ramen makers from Japan. That's the main reason why I wanted to go. Last year, my mom and I only tried 3 and two of them were US-based. One was Shin-Sen-Gumi. I've always wanted to try it. (In fact, just two days ago, the fam enjoyed an amazing ramen dinner at the Rosemead branch!) The other was from Las Vegas and it had this milky broth that actually had milk. It was strange but I loved it the most out of the three. The third one was this strong one from Japan. I forgot what it's called now but it was good too. Last year's event ran rather expensive because it was $8 per bowl and it was a small-ish serving. My mom and I shared and we weren't full by the end of the 3 bowls.

This year was the same. Entrance was $5 and it was $8.50 per bowl. The fifty-cent increase was justifiable because the bowls and servings were bigger this year. I had to share that with my mom AND brother. Also, we tried FOUR bowls this year. All of them from Japan.


It was an intensely hot day for a bowl of ramen, let alone four. But it was delicious!
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