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We waited a year for this weekend. AX2016 passes were bought on the last day of AX2015. And you guessed it, AX2017 passes are already bought and ready.

In my previous post, you will see that I had cosplay plans. Well... er... I only did one of them. Yui Hirasawa from K-On! on day 2. I wanted to do Mayuri from Steins;Gate but we had a late day on Sunday and I wasn't feeling it. Monday, Day 4, I went by myself and stayed at the venue for just 2-3 hours for my final walkthrough. Messing with a long silver wig while wearing a nightie-ish kind of costume... maybe next time. (I know it's possible; we saw a Menma from Anohana on Day 1.)

I did have fun as Yui. Some people noticed and took pics. I wish I had a giita with me. At least with that school girl costume, all I had to do is switch the wigs (and ribbon) for the other K-On! characters. Mayuri is still my favorite because I have an upa. I still have to try Taiga from Toradora. I've seen a lot of them over the weekend so I know it's doable.

We all need one. With all the stresses of work, adult life, school, and other stuff, a nice change of scenery is a good way of getting away from all of that.

I was due for mine and it couldn't have been timed better.

Ah yes, the obligatory wing shot. This was taken on my flight from ICN to NAIA. I couldn't take any from my LAX to ICN flight because we were seated in the middle rows. Never again. It was more cramped and uncomfortable vs window seats. Sigh. That was a long, miserable flight that I spent either asleep or watching through the whole Star Wars franchise. (I only got through A New Hope before passing out.)

We took Korean Airlines. As much as I love flying, I officially hate airplane food. Of all the airlines I've been on, KoreanAir takes the cake (lawl) of having the worst food. I thought Asiana had awful food. Ugh, this was worse. I was tempted to request yogurt at every meal.

However, KoreanAir has one of the best services. The flight attendants were so friendly and accommodating. They spoke good English - but hey, I did my best with my classroom Korean. Both parties appreciated it. On my ICN to NAIA flight, our row got a "flight attendant oppa" that made it hard for me to take a nap or concentrate on anything. Yes, I threw all shame to the South Korean airspace and took a stolen shot of him. And thanks to my Korean language lessons, I was able to read his name in Hangul. By the end of that 3-hour flight, he remembered my preference for pineapple juice. LMAO.

(The K-pop fan in me love riding Korean airplanes. Their audio selection is close sisters with my iTunes at home. And you can make playlists! So I filled mine with WINNER, Akdong Musician, Toy, Block B, Taeyang, and 2ne1.)

I get asked by many, "What do you do whenever you go back to the Philippines? Do you visit beaches or hike the mountains?" My short answer to that is, "I eat." And that's pretty much it. See, I'm a city girl and growing up, I'm all mountain'd and beach'd out. I appreciate it but frankly, I don't care for it. (Give me an opportunity to SCUBA dive though.)

Really, I just love going to malls and eating the things that I could not get here. Even the things that I could get here are waaaaaaaay better in the Philippines. Malls there are like Westfield malls on steriods. On every corner. And er... with USD, everything there is affordable. I think I bought 8-9 pairs of footwear? Heh. Here, you have to force me to buy shoes!

Talk about a last minute decision. I already had IMATS that same weekend. I heard about Anime Impulse on Facebook. Someone clicked "I'm Interested" and it popped up on my feed. I'm all for anime conventions, you know that. But at first, I told myself that I wasn't going. That I could not go. But what finally pushed me to go were two things:

Food trucks: Okamoto Kitchen and Seoul Sausage
Artists Alley

It's been a hot minute since I last had the Lil Osaka from Seoul Sausage and every single delicious goodness from Okamoto Kitchen. Seriously guys, I recommend everything from both trucks. Have White Rabbit Truck and Belly Bombz there with them and we'll have a feast! WonderCon maybe? Anime Expo? ;-)

And Artists Alley. It used to be something that I completely skipped. I didn't even venture into that area on my first Comikaze. Or WonderCon. Anime Expo, I saw the light because of a friend we were showing around. I bought my prized Yuyu Hakusho print and my wall has never been the same ever since. I asked my brother if he wanted to go and the first stop he checked out as the artist list. For $11 per person per day... we both decided to go.

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!

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. ;-)

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!

How was your weekend? Mine? It was fine. I met Mrs. Lovett and Sweeney Todd, the wizards Saruman and Albus Dumbledore, and oh yeah, a couple of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers as well as Brienne of Tarth. I fangirled the way I never had before. I revisted my childhood, met kindred spirits who understood why I think Tauriel is going to die or disappear; saw such inspiring efforts, creativity, and uniqueness. Not to mention, a little bit of K-pop thrown in the mix.

Who am I kidding? MY WEEKEND WAS FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC! It was a blast and it was filled with awesome people, things... everything. And I'm glad to have shared it with my partner-in-crime brother on his first con.

(This post will cover the first two days of this three-day event. My brother and I bought passes for days two and three but we went to the LA Convention Center to pick up our badges on the first day of the event, October 31, Friday.)

September was a good month. The Seoul Summer Olympics turned 26, I met a popular author, I finally got my hands on some stuff that I've been wanting for a long time, and yeah, it was generally a good month.

I liked so many things this month. I don't think I have a "dislike" even! Yay, positivity all around. But September was not so nice to my pockets. Well, that's my fault entirely but hey, these purchases happened during this month lol. It was package after package; so much that my brother began to question the amount of parcels I was getting. Some were free, from a survey service, and the rest were paid - on a discount, mind you.

It was rather easy to narrow down my favorites into 10. I mean, just look at my Instagram and you'll have a general idea. I try to mix things up but sometimes, I get into these phases. A friend commented one time that my Instagram page is rather bipolar, that she couldn't pinpoint any ONE interest to describe the whole collection. Hah! Anyway, let's get started with the list:

1. The Outlander TV series on Starz.
I don't think I ever talked about this. I'm relatively a new fan of the this whole 1700s Scotland and what came with it but my anticipation was just as great as the older lady fans. It is just so beautiful -- from the setting to the wonderful COSTUME (that got me inspired to crochet bigger projects) and of course, the casting. Sam Heughan is exactly the Jamie I had in my head while Caitriona Balfe (I will steal your name!) is Claire. SHE IS CLAIRE. I never watched a TV show on the exact day/time of airing in quite some time and you will find me in one corner of my room, curled around my iPad as I watch the show on the Starz Plat app. The #OutlanderWedding is EVERYTHING I could ever hope for. The TV show just went on hiatus and will be back on April 4. (To those bitching about the 6-month wait, this is NOTHING to a Sherlock fan. And if you're worried that the show will lose its steam, you have no faith. I'm getting off my soapbox now.)

2. Voyager and Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon.

I'm seriously in love and lust with the book series. I'm trying not to turn my book blog into a Jamie Fraser quote blog. There are just so many lovely words uttered by this man (well, from the author but hey). I'm currently reading the 5th one in the series, The Fiery Cross. My "least favorite" so far is Dragonfly in Amber which is the 2nd one. It wasn't as good as the first one, Outlander, while the next ones were AH-MAZING. These two are my favorites so far. Yes, these books are crazy long and complex but if you loved the first one, you just have to continue. It's so easy to fall for these characters, not just Jamie and Claire. Fergus and Ian share a soft spot in my heart. And wee Germain and young Jamie (when he was still a bairn) and even Jemmy are getting there also. I just can't get enough of these books. I still have three more to go on the main series; still not sure if I'm touching the Lord John ones though. Eventually. Maybe. I don't know. And I have a good number of them signed. And oh yeah, multiple copies of the first book. Och!

3. The Maze Runner movie.
As I mentioned in my full review, I met James Dashner. And I kind of agree with what he said that the movie is going to be better than the book. I enjoyed it so much, I watched it twice in one weekend! In fact, this was the only movie that I've seen in a cinema since Guardians of the Galaxy.

Speaking of GOTG...

4. Lee Pace.
He plays Ronan the Accuser in Guardians of the Galaxy, Thranduil in The Hobbit films, Calpernia Addams in the beautiful movie Soldier's Girl, the adorable Ned the Piemaker in Pushing Daisies... the list goes on! This last month has been all about him. I've been rewatching Pushing Daisies and how come they never make these kinds of show anymore? Sure it deals with death and depression but it's not dark like Criminal Minds (which I love, don't get me wrong) or some other procedural crime show. It's quirky and sweet and everyone on that show is quirky and sweet.

But I digress. Lee Pace is a wonderful talent. I got so excited when the official cast list for The Hobbit was released and saw his name as Thranduil. He's this big tall guy with intimidating eyebrows... just perfect for the Mad King, and Legolas' dad. His body of work is well-rounded (I forgive that one venture into the Twilight 'verse; at least he was HAWT in that) and I can't stop collecting them! The bulk of my purchases this month had been towards the completion of his filmography. Money well spent.

5. Alpacasso plushies.

I blame my brother for this. Last summer, he was watching Summer Games Done Quick online, everyday, all day. I get home and find him watching that. I watched a couple of them, especially the one for Resident Evil 2. In that broadcast, someone had an alpaca plushie. I wanted one. So I looked it up online and I just couldn't agree on the size for the price.

One day, I found a Tokyo Japanese Lifestyle store that carried this cute things! OMG, they were not cheap but at least I had them in my hands. (Honestly, I have no idea if they're originals but what the heck. I just want one!) Now, this pink "kiddie" alpacasso resides on the edge of my bed "guarding" my stack of Outlander books.

From the absolutely cute to the absolutely gruesome...

6. Hannibal TV series on NBC.
First of all, I don't watch it on NBC as it airs. I'm kind of late to the party. I planned to watch this when it came out but hey, two season went by and only now am I jumping aboard. Oh man, Mads Mikkelsen and Hugh Dancy! Thank Valar for European men! Mads' accent kills me, omg. And he has the whole dapper Viggo Mortensen vibe, both being Danish. The cases are as gory as they come, if not more. At least for primetime TV. I've finished the first season and am currently waiting for my season 2 DVD.

7. signed books and my Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook.
I admit, I've been neglecting my Kindle Fire HD lately. *sadface* I still like it but I'm just so madly in LOVE with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook. I even use it to watch my shows and movies; something that I don't even like doing on the iPad. The reading experience is pretty much the same on both platforms but with the added bonus of being able to watch videos on the SGT4N as well as the freedom of the Google Play store, I currently prefer my newest baby. My two complaints are the 8gig built-in memory and the lack of cover art when the file/book is "side loaded" or uploaded to the external SD card. My Kindle Fire HD has 32 gigabytes of built-in memory and all the books have cover art whether they be mobi or pdf.

As for signed books... okay, I've been half-cheating and half- well, making an effort. I have signed copies of Diana Gabaldon's Drums of Autumn, The Fiery Cross, and Written in My Own Heart's Blood. I also have one of Inside the Maze Runner. Two of them, I actually met the author and had them sign and personalize it for me - Maze Runner and MOBY. The other two... I bought them signed. And on a discount! XD As you can see in my alpacasso picture, my Outlander books are hardcover sized. Except my Drums of Autumn copy. The listing said "paperback" instead of "mass market paperback," the smaller form, so I assumed it was the trade paperback size. Turns out, it wasn't. It was the smaller one. But signed. No complaints here.

I got spoiled by it that I got The Fiery Cross signed too. I'm looking to get the next one signed as well but looking at my options, it's too expensive. Maybe I'll just buy a trade paperback with a different cover, other than that solid colored one. (I swear, this post is not an Outlander love letter LOL.)

For the last three, we go to food.

8. "rummy bears".
Malibu coconut rum + gummy bears = RUMmy bears. And they are so cute when fully saturated. I need to make a new batch. It's just my brother and I who eat them so one pack lasts us for a good while. I have a nicely sized mason jar from the 626 Night Market to put my bears into. I have a pack of gummy worms waiting in the wings and half a bottle of Malibu so we'll see how well the worms take to it. ;-)

9. Brookside Dark Chocolate, Pomegranate.
It's pricey but one large bag will last you a while. Plus, I got mine from Target using that Cartwheel app; I got 5% off or something like that. This stuff is so addictive! A co-worker brought a smaller bag to work one day and we demolished that thing in 15 minutes flat.

10. Kit-kat Green Tea flavor.
The most sought after flavor of all. And I have 2 1/2 bags of it waiting for me. XD It is as amazing as a lot of people are saying. An acquired taste for some but it's still soooo good. Different, but good.

So those are my 10 favorites for the month of September. It was a very month for food and Outlander it seems! I wonder if any of these will carry over to October. ;-)

That means, I do too.

Next time I travel to South Korea, I'll make a special trip to the Olympic stadium. I wasn't only born on the same general date, September 17, even the year is the same, 1988! XD

I had a blast last night celebrating. Drinks galore and just fun stuff. Movies and gifts will have to wait for the weekend though. That's okay. At this point in my life, I just need a TV and an Apple TV. Hah!

I'm not one to post pictures of drinks on my social media but seeing that it was my birthday last night, here you go...

Dave and Buster's has some awesome Kamikaze shots! ;-)

And here's my baby Keurig Mini Plus in the color RED. I got him from Bed Bath & Beyond. And he came with all the bells and whistles! I luff him.

Man, it took me a long time to decide on which Keurig system to purchase. At first, I kind of wanted the usual ones with the water reservoir but I'm the only one who regularly drinks coffee in the house. They're tea people and hot water usually comes via the microwave. Even so, the big Keurigs are way out of my price point, considering the K-cups and whatnot.

So after researching and reading/watching reviews, I settled with this baby. And I love it!

Also, Happy 4th of July 2014!

I told myself that I wasn't going to take pictures of the Rose Bowl fireworks show this year. But no... my trusty Samsung Galaxy S3 camera phone took a beating. Yes, I just used my phone for these pics. Last year, I used my actual camera and it was just too much work. My phone has served me so well as a camera; taking awesome selfies with ASkars and Chris Evans to name a few. It took such gorgeous fireworks pictures on normal setting without them looking like white blobs in the air.

So good that one of them ended up on Pasadena's Instagram page, @enjoypasadena!

This year's show felt shorter and less BOOM than previous ones. But hey, I got my kettle corn. ;-)

More pictures after the jump.

My first Starbucks of 2014! And it tastes like medicine.

There was a time in 2013 when I swore off this overpriced coffee chain for at least 4 months. Then I began craving the Green Tea frappuccino and caramel frappuccino with no whip and that was that. I had an early clock-in at work today so I decided to treat myself... and try something out.

On Tumblr, I've seen "pranks" like giving the barista a different name on your Starbucks order. I read one who gave the name "Voldemort" and what was written on his cup was "He Who Must Not be Named". How I wish my baristas are as geeky as that. I get so anxious when planning to do something out of the ordinary and end up chickening out lol.

Some days ago, I tweeted this:

I saw this on a Buzzfeed post and it seemed harmless enough. I mean, "Primrose" is a normal-sounding name vs Voldemort LOL. But it still took me 4-5 days to go through with it. Heh. I don't get Starbucks everyday and hell, making a fool out of myself is not a motivation to get one.

But I did it. Sans the "I volunteer" part. My barista did it for me.

Barista: What can I get you?
Me: Let's try the Caramel Flan latte. Venti. No whip.
Barista: All right. And your name please...
Me: Prim. (I tried not to fidget.)
Barista: Maria?
Me: No, Prim. Primrose.
Barista: Well then. I volunteer to make your coffee for you.

Heh. That didn't feel as stupid as I expected. And oh, I had to pay cash so she won't know that my name is not really "Prim". I wish it though... "Primrose" is a pretty name.

That was fun. I might pull this off again - using Primrose this time - the next time I crave Starbucks. But never again with this Caramel Flan flavor. Something in it tastes like medicine. I'll stick to my favorites.

I could not find an "End of 2014" survey that is not about books. So I might as well use the one I filled up last year. It should be interesting to compare answers.

What did you do in 2013 that you’d never done before?
Dyed my hair! And I'm keeping it red. And KCON!

Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I made good with one: to start formally learning a foreign language. I did that for roughly six months then I plan to continue on my own. I've acquired a couple of books. Especially next year... we're going to South Korea!

Did anyone close to you give birth?
I won't say "close" but some school friends had babies this year.

Did anyone close to you die?
Again, not close but some people that I knew.

What countries did you visit?
None. I will remedy that in 2014.

What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013?
A better-paying job. Again. But to be fair, my job in 2013 paid better than the one I had in 2012. If it follows the pattern, I hope to get a better job in 2014 with all the benefits.

What date from 2013 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
December 2, 2013. Not just because it's my brother's birthday. It was the red carpet premiere of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. I cannot gush about that event enough.

What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Hmm... being able to have short but straight conversations in Korean. :) It was a once-a-week, two hours per day class in a span of six months but I did okay in that short amount of time.

What was your biggest failure?
I try not to think of those.

Did you suffer illness or injury?
It seems that my voice is not going with me in 2014. At least, it's going to be late.

What was the best thing you bought?
The Hobbit: The Unexpected Journey 5-disc extended DVD set. This brings me so much joy.

Whose behavior merited celebration?
Pope Francis, I guess.

Whose behavior made you appalled?

If I answer this truthfully, I'll get a lot of hate. It's not a fandom thing... it's a real life thing for a change. I guess I'll just keep that to myself.

Where did most of your money go?
DVDs. Bath and Body Works. Hot Topic. Especially around the Black Friday weekend. And yeah, KCON.

What did you get really, really, really excited about?
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug premiere. I never saw this coming. LOTR events were always either NYC or NZ. Finally they have something for LA and I dropped everything just to be a part of it. Twelve years is a long time to wait. No more.

What song will always remind you of 2013?
2013 is more about movies for me. I listened to the same bunch of songs and even the 2013 releases didn't stand out to me that much.

Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) Happier or sadder? Happier.
b) Thinner or fatter? About the same.
c) Richer or poorer? Richer.

What do you wish you’d done more of?
I wish I wrote more. Even fan fiction. Especially fan fiction. ;-) And crochet. My stash of yarn is growing faster than I can stitch. The season for crocheted goods isn't that long. And oh yeah, watch more movies.

What do you wish you’d done less of?
As always, spend. But no regrets!

crocheted good season is not very long.

How will you be spending Christmas?
I spent it up at the Hollywood sign!

What was your favorite TV program?
Storage Wars. I'm not even kidding. XD I could watch HOURS of this show. The original one, not the Texas spinoff.

Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I actually scratched a name or two off that list this year. Improvement!

What was the best book you read?
Enders Game by Orson Scott Card. And I have to say, The Maze Runner by James Dashner. Serena by Ron Rash is a contender but I didn't breeze through that as easily as the other two.

What was your greatest musical discovery?
I'm still very much in my K-pop bubble but I'm slowly coming back to indie, folk-y music, thanks to Spotify. Sophie Madeleine is one of those finds.

What did you want and get?
An Amazon Kindle Fire HD! Don't get me wrong, I love real books and my nook isn't bad. But I really wanted a Kindle for the longest time. I have Kindle apps on my phone and iPad but being the dedicated tech person that I am, I needed a separate Kindle. And I fulfilled last year's answer to the next question, a new MacBook Pro!

What did you want and not get?
A new iPod. Still debating whether to get the Touch with the camera on the back or the Classic. Leaning more towards the Touch though. It's an extra camera for events and whatnot.

What was your favourite film of this year?
I have a list. In no particular order:

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Pacific Rim
Catching Fire
Thor: The Dark World
Gravity

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 25 and I was at work. I planned to go to NYC and watch Orlando Bloom in Romeo and Juliet but no dice.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013?
Sweaters and boots. I finally got one of those Converse boots. And some very cute white Doc Marten-looking pair from Forever 21.

What kept you sane?
Fandom. Lately, I cannot stop talking about either The Hunger Games and/or The Hobbit/LOTR. And good books. I've been using the hell out of my Kindle Fire HD since I got it and I'm lucky that my picks have been good ones.

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Josh Hutcherson. Shoot me. He's younger than me but hot DAMN, when he's in Peeta mode.... he's hot as hell. He's cute as himself too but add my automatic sympathy for Peeta, I can't handle it. And yes, I have a pillowcase with his face on it. Two of them.

What political issue stirred you the most?
That Napoles debacle in the Philippines. Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago PWNED!

Who did you miss?
My dad. And my brother. It's times like this when I need someone to geek out with.

Who was the best new person you met?
Our red carpet premiere group is growing. :)

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013:
Just have fun. And acknowledge the signs. -- ditto!

Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

I know... I know. I haven't posted anything in a while. I need a kick in the butt.

But here's one update. My hair. It's red.

I used the Clairol Herbal Essences Color Me Vibrant in 44 Paint the Town.

Other updates about my life since turning 25:

KCON! What to expect? If you know me, I'm a true blue YG stan. So what am I doing at a weekend-long convention where there is only one YG representative?

I HAD A FCKING BLAST! I'm so glad I went and I would go again next year if it's accessible to me like this year's. I had so much fun walking around, seeing so many things, meeting people, and seeing celebrities in person!

I had a whole outfit planned out weeks ahead of time. But I scrapped that the night before. The only thing I kept in my plan is my nail art. Messy as heck but what do you expect from an 11:30PM rush job? ;-) Inspired by Dara's Do You Love Me nails. Salamat po, ate Sandy!

Up to the time I had to leave, I had no idea what to expect. I actually didn't know much about KCON until I finally got there. I didn't know how to get to the venue, that one. The perks don't mean anything to me. And I didn't know how the convention worked. Was it like Comic-Con? What's the food situation? Schedules? Ahhh... going in blind here.

When they said that VIP1 and VIP2 registration starts at 8AM, I should've obeyed. You see, I got there at around 9-9:30AM. The line stretched the whole length of the stadium.

I was in line for 2 hours. The general ticket line went by faster than any of the VIPs. Actually, the VIP1 line was the slowest. IDGI.

Anyway, I got in eventually. And I have to thank my 미샤 비비크림 and her SPF42. I may have a scoop neck-shaped sunburn on my chest but my face is untouched. I totally forgot sunscreen but at least it's not so bad. I'm not peeling lol. It doesn't hurt lol. It doesn't bother me lol. Two days under the sun and I only have that burn to show for it. XD

The VIP2 package included a swag bag - KCON light stick, pin buttons, post cards, etc. - and scratch cards (peel-off cards, actually) where you can score any of the following: red carpet viewing (I got a "sorry"), autograph signing (also a "sorry"), and viewing session. I scored a viewing session with f(x). Don't get me wrong, I was excited. I like f(x). But I was also a wee bit disappointed. I woke up that morning so confident that I the K-pop gods will be in my favor and gift me with seeing GD the day before the concert (where I will see him anyway). I guess not. But GD isn't the only reason why I went to KCON. Really! Hehehe...

I was honestly looking forward to the food trucks, especially Seoul Sausage. I may love K-pop but there are days when Food Network is the only thing I watch. As you know, Seoul Sausage won the 3rd season of The Great Food Truck Race, the season I was most passionate about. I couldn't wait to see them and taste their food. And of course, I love food truckin'.

The only thing on the menu that day was the spicy pork sausage and while I'm not fond of spicy foods, I enjoyed it a lot. I think I'm building a tolerance to spice thanks to that Cheetos Cheesy Salsa Mixups that I love so much lol. I ate half and saved half for my mom who is also a Food Network fan. Hahaha...

This is a fangirling photo that doubles as an outfit of the day.

After eating, my friends and I decided to see what was there to see. And there was a lot! Workshops, games, outdoor stages, booths, more food... it was crazy. The energy was high and it was fun just being in all of that.

Some people were by the entrance with signs saying that they're willing to trade so-and-so pass for another one. Some were even buying/selling for upwards of $200. I was happy with my f(x) one but when it seemed like the YGods were still smiling over me. A girl was trading her G-Dragon pass for an f(x) audience pass, the one that I have. I snatched that puppy up faster than anyone can say "Hot Summer". I hands were shaking and my heart was beating so fast!

I mean, I was literally jumping. So happy! From there, I knew my KCON experience was going to be fantastic. (Yes, I am easy to please lol.)

Saturday was a hot day and I decided to drop by some panels until it was time for GD. The Vintage K-pop panel caught my eye not only because I was genuinely interested in it but... Danny 오빠 was one of the panelists. Joining him were 차유미 of Baby VOX and DJ Koo. The lady from Soompi was the moderator.

I didn't get to finish the whole panel but the bulk of what I saw was so YG, it was like watching a YG panel instead of the actual topic. The moment Danny Im sat down, he just won me over. I could not help but get a bit trigger-happy. I also shot some videos but the camera I used picked up a lot of noise so I'd rather not share.

"What is this? Look, they recycle name tags."

Can we talk about this hotness for a second? I mean... remember the article I wrote for The One Shots? Maybe there is some truth at the thought that darker skinned East Asians are viewed as sexier than their paler counterparts. Uh-muh-nuh. I just... okay, calming down now. ㅋㅋㅋ...

It was a rather interesting panel. These three guests are already considered K-pop industry veterans and what they've experienced were different than the K-pop we know today. They compared the "training" then and now, how they entered the business, and offered advice and insights to those planning to follow their footsteps.

When asked for "advice for those who want to pursue K-pop", both Yumi and Danny said to "learn Korean". Being Korean-Americans, they spoke more English. As Yumi shared, "I speak more Korean now than back then when I was a trainee. Even simple interviews where hard." For Danny, "I was lucky I had Teddy with me." And quite the opposite, DJ Koo said through the interpreter, "These two wanted to learn Korean. I wish I improved on my English," with everyone bursting into laughter. (I actually understood what he said even without the translation. Pretty proud of myself for that lol.)

Now, if Danny wasn't enough YG for you, the next question was a kicker. They were asked which they think is the best K-pop artist of today... or something to that effect lol. Here is what Danny said semi-verbatim (I took a video but I ain't sharin' it):

There's so many talented people from all the groups and I think... one thing I always thought was we really have a lot of talented people. For me... I think it's gonna sound biased but - LAUGHS - for real, especially with Big Bang. [Not because they're YG] The reason I do like them is because [...] they have a lot of variety that stands out, you know. Even right now, they're doing so many solo projects and stuff like that and even ventures besides music. So instead of being just a whole group together, they kinda just, you know, sometimes [the personality comes out through their own styles].

Oh you can tell 오빠 is more than just biased. He's proud of his 후배들. DJ Koo seemed to agree, mentioning G-Dragon and giving him massive props. And if that wasn't enough, Yumi went on to say that she likes 2NE1 and thinks they're unique.

I had to leave shortly after that - I swear, it wasn't on purpose - to go lineup for GD's session thing. But before I did, one other question was, "What is the thing that you miss the most about being an idol?"

Yumi shared something about getting fanmail where the sender would tell them about her day, how their music touched her. Yumi said it was nice to be a part of someone's like like that, no matter how small. Danny said he missed being on stage. And oh, "We never shut the door [to 1TYM]". How fcking cool would that be?!

On my way to the GD session, I saw Lydia Paek. The YGods were giving it their all to me that day. Fresh from a YGfied panel with Danny Im to bumping into a YG songwriter on my way to a G-Dragon audience session. The only thing that can top that is.... well, a TOP appearance! XD

I ended up near the back of the line but that's okay. I still got to see him. I admit, I paid more attention to taking pics than what he was actually saying so thank goodness for fancams.

It was definitely G-Dragon up there and not the adorable 권지용. Diva. Dude, he didn't even look at the audience properly and didn't speak much English at all. He sat there, half facing the interpreter, with his sunglasses on and a grim expression on his mouth. He did crack a smile when we sang him "Happy birthday". But whatevs, dude. That's G-Dragon for you.

One thing that I regretted at the ALIVE tour is that I don't have a decent photo of GD. He's so active, my phone's camera is not fast enough for him. But now that he was on his ass, I had some nice ones even with the distance. (Yes, I watermarked this one. I know how bitchy you K-pop crazies can get. Heh. But I'm not saying you can freely take the others.)

I still had some hours to kill before Day One ended so like a moth to a flame, I found myself at the Food Truckin' Through LA panel. I eyed this panel ever since the schedule was released and it's definitely my favorite out of all the ones I attended.

But before that, I sat down a bit to Instagram a GD pic. When I looked up, bam... straight into Danny오빠. And oh, Mina Kwon was with him. OMG. 미안해요, 오빠, 언니. It didn't hurt. I was too shy to stop and ask for a photo though. DX Anyway.........

Food trucking is HUGE in the Southern California area, especially Los Angeles. I love food trucking and have sampled a good number of them these past years, either from seeing them parked somewhere or going to actual food truck gatherings. I even had my whole family into it. And you already know of my Food Network obsession, yeah? Got it? Good.

The panel was moderated by Seoul Sausage's Yong Kim. With him were his brother Ted Kim, Bellybombz's Youngho Yoo and Albert Shim, and Marcos Martinez of East LA Tacos. I didn't catch the beginning of the panel but I caught a good bit of it. I admit, I was so excited to see the Kim brothers. I wanted Seoul Sausage to win their season from the first episode. And they seemed like really fun guys. Needless to say, I acted like a complete fangirl.

East LA Tacos serves up a fusion of Mexican and Korean tastes. They have a sauce called "KoMex" and they claim that it's "definitely hot". If you survive it, your meal is free. Marcos Martinez shared a story where a female customer braved the KoMex sauce and totally lost it. She puked all over the place but she did like it and, "has come back since." Hahaha! I'm a chicken so it's either mild spice for me or none at all. XD

Bellybombz have sliders and Korean-inspired chicken wings on the menu. I planned to try it out during KCON Day Two but I didn't get around to doing so. I'm currently looking around for them. I have seen them before but my "fear" of spicy foods has kept me from trying more Korean food.

The Seoul Sausage guys shared some stories of when they were on The Great Food Truck Race. Ted said that in the first episode in the LA area, they wanted to attract customers so he pretended to be a K-pop star. LOL! Then he followed it up that it's a "KCON joke". Hahaha, idk if that's true or not but hey, anything to get the customers in, right? [EDIT: I rewatched the first episode of season 3 and... YES, THIS ANECDOTE IS TRUE.]

During that panel, the Food Network fangirl and foodie in me came out. They asked if any of us go to food trucks on a regular basis. A few hands were raised but even more said that KCON was their first food truck experience. When they asked which trucks we've tried at the event so far, I yelled out "Seoul Sausage". Hahaha... no shame at being a fangirl, yeah? After all, we were all fangirls (and fanboys) at KCON. Youngho Yoo asked what other food trucks we've tried. Some mentioned the other trucks at outside - Tornado Potato, Dogzilla, etc. I said the Nom Nom Truck. "I haven't seen them around lately," Youngho 씨 said. Nom Nom has been closed for some months now. Temporarily. He also asked me how I found out about them and I said, "The show (Great Food Truck Race)."

"That's one way to get your name out there. Join a show." LOL. I felt embarrassed for a second but hey, if being a fangirl gets you noticed... why not? :)

"Go check us out. G-Dragon loves Seoul Sausage!" Hahaha! I'm sure Joe Hahn of Linkin Park does but GD? I wonder if he's tried any of the "local wares" other than In'n'Out. You're so touristy, GD.

East LA Tacos said that if we visited their truck and mentioned that we were at the panel, we get a free taco. I wanted to but I had to go somewhere. Never say no to free food! XD

The panels were all done but the dance party was just starting. I made my way back to the outdoor stage and got something to eat. The food buying situation is tricky. You have to have to buy food stubs and they have to be exact because vendors cannot give out change. Aish. I had so much left since all I ate was that spicy pork sausage from earlier. So I decided to get something sweet.

I know of Tous Les Jours from my vacation in the Philippines. But instead of getting a pastry, I tried their mango shaved ice. It needed more milk in my opinion but it was good. Shin B was partying up on the stage and after that, the DJ played some good ole K-pop for everyone to dance to. Some people knew the choreography, especially this one fanboy who danced to SM songs better than anyone else. An awesome surprise was when the DJ played TOP's Turn it Up. I also caught Dynamic Duo's meet and greet from a ledge overlooking the event area. Some fellow VIPs were hanging out there also and we had a good friendly conversation. I never caught their names but they said they're from Sacramento and like me, they got their tickets after the GD announcement. See, I'm not the only crazy one! XD

As Day One came to a close, I admit I did have a TON of fun. At first, I had my doubts. I knew next to nothing about these other acts... will I be able to have fun and get my money's worth... will I be able to stand these hardcore K-pop fanatics? A huge YES. 네. 대박! I was telling my mom on the ride home that I was so glad I went. It's an awesome experience to not only get all the K-pop I can handle but also feed the foodie in me. Not to mention the KPTB (K-pop Powers that Be) made it extra YGfied for me... 고맙슴니다. 정말 고맙슴니다.

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. ;)

This moment deserves its own post.

Around lunchtime today at work, I successfully had my first full conversation in 한국어 outside the classroom. I ordered 갈비탕 to go. Not a word of English from the moment I stepped into the restaurant to the time I left.

I feel pretty proud of myself! It's not my most confident of moments, unsure of my pronunciation and accent, wary if I read the Hangul correctly. But I went for it and I did it. I probably sounded strange but the lady was too kind to just get on with the program and actually spoke to me in Korean even though I obviously am not Korean.

There are two 한국 식당 - Korean restaurants - near my place of work which makes me so happy. One of them is 양반설렁탕 (Yang Ban Sul Lung Tang). I was in the mood for something warm so I decided to try this place out first for their soups.

As soon as I got in, I had second thoughts whether to practice my Korean or not. The place was filled with ahjussis having lunch. I stood at the door for a second and then when someone greeted me with a lively 아녕하세요, I had no second thoughts giving it back.

Then the waitress said something in Korean. I only picked up one word which was 여기, which means "here". I figured she was asking me whether I'm eating "here or to go". She repeated "여기" and I said 아니요, "No". Therefore, I was having it to go. ^^,

"어니, 메누는 있어요?" (Big sister, do you have a menu?) She smiled at my attempt and handed me the menu. "갈비탕 주세요." (Rib soup, please.) She took down my order, told me how much and asked me to sit somewhere and wait. Or at least, those were the words I picked up from what she said to me. Then when I got it, we exchanged the one phrase I felt sure about, "감사합니다. 아녕하세요." Bowing.

Guh, I blush whenever I recall what I did/said back there. Aaah, I still can't believe I had the balls to do it. Two-three months of language work and here we are! I had a spring in my step as I made my way back to the office. I felt really good. The food was great also. It had 3 kinds of 김치, which I didn't touch, some noodles to put into the soup and rice. LOVED IT. It is a bit pricey and there was so much food. One day, I'll go there with a friend or my mom and we'll just share the food.

Ahhh, I just... wow. I can see it. I can see myself speaking the language well enough to survive going to South Korea for a holiday. 언젠가...

Song of the day: Lee Hi - It's Over.

Who doesn't like AYCE K-BBQ? All you can eat Korean barbeque. Heaven for carnivores. I'm glad that Los Angeles has a great Koreatown but I have been spotting KBBQ restaurants in other places also.

But what is KBBQ? Well, here's Bongja 할머니 for explanation:

I've tried a lot of KBBQ places here in Los Angeles, one in the Temple City area, and one in the Philippines. Every place tastes different and I do have a favorite one.

My former co-workers and I frequent this place in Koreatown called Goong. Then they changed the name to Bulgogi House. And what do you know, they changed the name again to Castle BBQ #2.

A Yelp review that sounds so true about this place goes like this, "If you don't mind waiting 40 minutes for really good KBBQ, this place is for you." And it is across the street from the famous BCD Tofu House, where K-Pop stars tend to visit if they are in the area. I'm not a huge fan of BCD, except for their tofu. I like Castle #2 BBQ way more. Especially their brisket and marinated 불고기.

An upgrade of sorts that they did to the place was playing K-Pop MVs. I mean... if you are a K-Pop fan, you won't mind the wait because you'll be entertained by BIGBANG, 2NE1, SNSD, Beast, etc. I don't mind waiting for my pork belly strips to cook while watching Crayon by G-Dragon. (The last time I was here a few days ago, they played Blue, Monster, Crayon, and Don't Hate Me in a row. I think that was enough time for my meats to cook haha...)

Their Korean wait staff are really friendly. And no, I did not need to bust out my restaurant Korean to order. ;-) I do leave a little 감사합니다 on my paper place mat before I go. But the best thing about this place, apart from the K-Pop MVs, is that they have a $9.99 menu. Most KBBQ places I know have a minimum of $16 for lunches and $25 for dinner. This place has $10, $13, and $16 menus... all day. Just pick your meats. I'm pretty happy with the $10 selection so if you're on a budget, this place is for you.

And oh, make sure you wear clothes that you are not doing to wear again the next day. Chances are, your clothes and hair will smell like brisket by the end of your meal. ㅋㅋㅋ~

OO-KOOK Korean BBQ is one of those $25 places. There's one near where I live and when we tried this place out, they just opened for business. They gave us so many 반찬 and surprisingly, not all of them are 김치. They do have a nice variety and for $25, we made sure we made... well, ate the most out of that.

I love their marinated 불고기 and their LA 갈비. And whatever that egg-ish yellow paste 반찬 is... I love it. I did manage to practice my Korean numbers while I was there because the guy assigned to our table preferred writing down the item numbers instead of the names. Eh, no biggie.

As for a 갈비집 closer to Korea... Seoul Garden at The Block, SM North EDSA.

I went here to meet up with a couple of good friends from elementary school. I must say when they invited me to meet up for lunch, I was quite touched. I mean, I haven't seen them in close to ten years but they still wanted to meet and spend some time together. And they're fellow VIPs so that's always a plus!

It's like a hotpot/buffet type of system at Seoul Garden. You get to pick your meats and other food items from a center table, as well as your drinks and desserts. They provide you a jug of broth for the hotpot in the middle of the grill. They have mild and spicy meats, vegetables, corn (!!), tofu, and even cold cuts like hotdog and ham. It's not like the KBBQs here where they bring the meat of your choice to your table. I mean, you still cook your own food but yeah, you have to stand up and get your meats yourself. I don't remember how much it cost but it was definitely in the PhP500 above range.

So there you have it. Have you tried other KBBQ places? Do you have any recommendations? I would love to try out your favorites!

맛있게 드세요!

ANIME EXPO 2016

A Much-Needed Break

Anime Impulse at the Asian-American Expo 2016

Stan Lee's Comikaze 2015

KCON LA 2015, DAY 2

Ramen Yokocho Fest [20150329]

COMIKAZE EXPO 2014! [Part 1]

September Favorites!

The Seoul Summer Olympics turns 26.

I'm a Keurig parent!

Happy Blogiversary, 오렌지 키스!

Starbucks Names.

End of 2013 Survey

I'm still alive. And red!

KCON 2013 DAY ONE: A Very YG Day

March 10-17, YG Week

Ordering Food in Korean

갈비집

CATE.

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