the maze runner
Showing posts with label the maze runner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the maze runner. Show all posts

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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미안해. 나는 거짓말했다.

I'm sorry. I lied.

I'm going to KCON 2015 in Los Angeles after all. ^.~

If you've been reading my posts for the past few months, you'll gather that I'm almost exclusively a YG fan. Meaning, I tend to favor the artists from YG Entertainment over other acts/agencies. But unlike other "stans", I don't treat them as gods nor excuse them for things they do that the public frown upon. Yet I can't deny that their stuff are really that much better than majority of the stuff out there. I can't bear to listen to some K-pop songs, let alone follow groups that are made up of 48615 members.

Having said all that, I am open to expanding my horizons. I do like a handful of non-YG talents. More the songs than the artists themselves. I will listen to the songs/albums but don't ask me the names of the members. I've ventured out of the YG building many times and found favorite tracks from other artists. But at the end of the day, I come home to YG.

Last year, G-Dragon was at KCON 2014. I didn't go. I was exhausted the day before because of the Josh Hutcherson charity basketball game. As much as I respect GD's talent, nothing - NOTHING - can replace that experience. (Read all about it; click the link.) And like the previous one that I attended, KCON 2013, GD was really the only reason why I wanted to go. But it ended up being such a YG experience! And Missy Elliott feels, no less. ;-) I never got around to writing about the concert night with all those acts. I had something to say about the rude fans of ~other artists but I think it's a good thing that I never talked at length about it. Let's just say that YG fans will never do that to your idol. At least BIGBANG is still one unit after all these years.  #kanyeshrug

This year, there's not a YG act in the lineup. But I'm going anyway. I have a handful of Sistar songs in my iPod. Sistar19's 있다 없으니까 is one of the loveliest songs ever. One of my earliest guilty pleasures is Mr. Simple by Super Junior. I also like Sorry Sorry. If you're a K-pop fan for a couple of years, you should know Shinwha. Without them, your bias wouldn't be there too. Zion T. made an appearance in GD's song 너무 좋아 in the Coup d'Etat album. And if you know Zion T, you should also know Crush. I thought Spring, Spring, Spring by Roy Kim was cute when it was released. Then he followed that up with a song called Love, Love, Love. Oh-kay. And I can't leave out the biggest reason (out of this lineup) why I decided to go to the concert nights... Block B. Nillili Mambo is so hot up to this day. I don't have a clue what it means but I've listened to it on repeat from time to time. If they are to do that live, that's my ticket right there.

 (If I haven't mentioned the artist, that means I don't know them. I may have a clue but I probably haven't listened to their songs. I'll get around that eventually. I have two more weeks. Suggestions? The video message from Monsta X is so freakin' adorable though. Such tourists! LOL.)

 But it's not the artist line up that finally pushed me into buying that ticket. It's the ACTOR LINEUP. Daniel Henney. I don't need to say anything else really. Gimme my Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders now. Kim Soohyun... every one in my workplace watched My Love From the Star. I watched the first episode but as the lazy ass that I am, I haven't gone past that LOL. But hey, it would be cool to see him... maybe it'll make me watch the rest of the drama. And yes people... Ki Hong Lee...  Minho from The Maze Runner. I knew he was coming but what convinced me to go too was the panel. That's the only panel that I was interested in. I can get there and line up the whole day if needed. And besides, I know the Los Angeles Convention Center better than my own backyard. For $25 for all 3 convention days, that's a STEAL compared to the other conventions that I go to. 

 I think I scored good seats having just bought them two days ago. Level Premier P3. I'm not after any artist engagements but if I have a free one, I'll probably go for Block B. If not, I might just give it away. I'm actually looking forward to the concert now. Not looking forward to mingling with people but I'm good at keeping to myself anyway. Where is the open mic room when you need it? On second thought... no, no open mic rooms for KCON please. Hee!

 So yeah. An expensive spur of the moment decision. I hope I don't regret it. See you, KCON 2015 LA!
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September Favorites!

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. ;-)
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The Maze Runner (2014)




This is one of those full circle moments where related things happen immediately right after the other.  I watched this movie for the second time - yes, twice - on Sunday the 21st with my brother and mother who were also with me during the James Dashner author signing event at Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena on September 12th.  Aaaand both of them have finished the trilogy whereas I've only read the first one.  It was like with Angels and Demons; all 3 of us read the source material and were looking forward to a discussion about the movie.

During his Q&A, James Dashner joked that he thought the movie was better than the book.  I figured he was saying that in jest to sell the movie and understandably, he was excited.  I shared his excitement because I enjoyed The Maze Runner a lot.  It started off slow for me but in a genre flooded by "strong young female lead characters," we needed to hear from the boys.  Thomas, Minho, Newt, and the rest of the Gladers filled up that void.

I always thought that The Hunger Games movies were better than the books.  Shoot me, it's true.  But did I agree with Mr. Dashner?  Is the movie better than the book in this case?  Yes and no.  There were parts of the book that I felt were important that were left out.  On the other hand, I also understood why they had to take the liberties that they took with the movie.

The Maze Runner to begin with is a rather complex book.  It's not one of those "spoon-fed" YA novels where the author tells you instead of shows you.  It has a lot of words that only make sense in this particular 'verse.  It started off slow with a lot of explanations - what is what, who is who, where is where. Right off the bat, Thomas, our main character, seems different. He's not as passive as the other boys.

I like how the actors brought the characters to life.  I particularly enjoyed Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) and Minho (Ki Hong Lee). The screen lights up whenever either of them are on and man, they are so awesome to watch.  Kaya Scodelario who plays Teresa looks like a Bella Swan double.  She was just... there.  Much of the stuff they left out of the book had something to do with her.  Blake Cooper as Chuck was just delightful.  It's like book!Chuck jumped off the page on to the screen.  The other Gladers were like Teresa... they were just there.  There's this one kid who had lines but for the life of me, I could not remember his name.  Eh.  And as for Thomas (Dylan O'Brien), he was okay.  I never had a clear picture of Thomas in my head anyway.

What I liked the most was the editing and pacing.  For a movie with "runner" in the name, they did well on the pace of the film.  The book runs a bit slow and steady but that might not translate well on screen.  In that case, I agreed with one huge change that they did for the adaptation. The actual running sequences were great.  The maze came alive on screen very well.  Minho, oh oppa... XD  The actor portrayed that confident but not cocky demeanor so well.  I also liked their costumes.  It felt functional and every main character had a distinct look.

However, I pictured a different look for the Grievers.  In my head, it was a cross between a jelly blob and Final Fantasy VIII's monster, X-ATM092.  The ones in the movie, I thought, were too skinny and small.  They were fierce but rather smaller than what I expected.  But hey, what do I know?

Overall, I genuinely enjoyed it.  It's no Hunger Games but it is more enjoyable than Divergent.  Would I watch it again?  Absolutely!
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