favorites
Showing posts with label favorites. Show all posts
Showing posts with label favorites. Show all posts

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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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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My Best ELF Haul To Date!!!

In the past, I've scored great deals when shopping at eyeslipsface.com.  $10 hauls, free shipping with $25 back... all those wonderful stuff that virtually give you your order for free.  I held on to my last $25 gift card for the perfect moment - mainly, another one of those awesome "buy $35 get $25 back" promos.  But during their anniversary celebration, a deal came up that I just cannot refuse.

It was the 50% off ALMOST everything sale.  All items that are $3 and up are 50% off and on top of that, spend $40 and get free shipping with no coupon.  Aaaaand, I have that $25 on standby.  My mind went into shopping overdrive.  It's been a while since I made an ELF purchase and something told me that it was the perfect time to do it!



Here's the class photo (and yes, that is my actual bedspread lol).  If I were to purchase this full price, the total would be $79.  But with everything except the zit zapper (I always include one with every purchase) being half-price plus my $25 gift card, my total savings come up to... $72.  According to my invoice, I incurred $3 sales tax bringing my grand total to... $18, out of pocket.

Not bad.  Not bad at the slightest bit.  XD

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The 3rd Annual Josh Hutcherson Celebrity Basketball Game | 20140808

Belated Happy KCON 2014 weekend!  I skipped it this year.  My funds went elsewhere, namely a very pricey medical copay and... the best impulse purchase that my monies could buy.


The 3rd Annual Josh Hutcherson Celebrity Basketball Game.  It kicks off the yearly Nike 3on3 basketball tournament.  The event that I was going to fell on a Friday, also Roger Federer's birthday, which meant a half day at work.  Some people have their after-work clubbing.  I am willing to skip work all together for things that I love.  Truth.  This event benefits the Straight But Not Narrow organization, Josh's own.

AXS sent an email the day before the event with the schedules and rules and whatnot.  That totally threw all my plans out the window.  It broke my wee little heart to read "No cameras and no autographs at the Meet & Greet."  Darn, I had something very special for Josh to sign.  *sadface*  And the times also meant an even shorter half day at work.  Hey, at least I showed up.

I got to LA Live at around 2PM, a good hour before box office opened.  Already there were girls lined up so I surrendered to the sun and baked.  One good thing that happened while baking under said sun was meeting a fellow Filipina and fan, Alyson.  I admit, I go to these events mostly alone but the best times I've had are always spent in good company of friends and fellow fans.  I'm really happy that I met Alyson at this event.  We had so much in common, it was creepy.  BUT it made the whole experience so much more FUN.

I splurged on a Courtside VIP ticket.  Hey, it's for a good cause.  I attend free events all the time so I should pay for my fun once in a while, right?  Anyway, I had no idea what to expect.  I thought Courtside meant the first row of the bleachers behind some barricades but nooooo... the placement of our seats alone made the $260 price tag well worth it and so much more.


It also included a signed item.  It's a small basketball.  I forgot to bring my shopping tote so my poor - but large - shoulder bag was stuffed with said ball and two Straight But Not Narrow shirts that I got at the merch table.  We received wristbands with "VIP" on them and I felt a bit nostalgic.  Next day, Saturday would've been G-Dragon night at KCON 2014.  I once said that I will not miss a Big Bang or GD appearance in Los Angeles but alas... priorities.

The line to the actual Meet & Greet was also under the hot sun.  The struggle this time was not the risk of sunburn but in keeping both hair and makeup somewhat presentable.  This is a difficult thing, people, especially knowing that at the end of that line, you'll be meeting one of your current obsessions.  (Note: Obsession is a rather strong word but give me this pass, willya? It's been a long, long while since I had a legit crush on someone, celebrity or no.) It all held up okay, methinks.  Thank, Yevon!  (If you got that reference, we should be bffs.)

Cate-niss and Peeta, anyone? 

Super-duper thanks to the professional photographers for making me look good beside this incredibly good-looking man.  Look ma, he didn't have to stoop down for a pic!  ^_^
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The things I do for you, T.O.P.


T.O.P. is a rapper from BIGBANG.  As an actor, he goes by his real name, 최승현.  He's an extremely good-looking man.  And he's a damn good actor.  I mean it.

It started off with downloads of Iris and 71: Into the Fire.  I loved 71: Into the Fire so I decided to get it on DVD.  I saw a ~pirated copy of I Am Sam in LA Chinatown and since I could not find a decent download of it, I picked it up.  On a trip to Amoeba Music in Hollywood, I spotted the film edit for Iris.  I figured I should just complete the set and get 19-Nineteen.  And today, that film joined this growing collection.  I might still get an Iris DVD set, I don't care if it's pirated as long as it plays.  I was a huge fan of Alias and Iris has definitely reminded me of that.

I should mention that I also have a pirated copy of What's Up.  강대성 perfection while singing the Korean version of This is the Moment.  I saw that on Youtube and my hair stood on end.  I spotted that copy while vacationing in the Philippines.  I cannot find it online so I'll take whatever I can.


So what else am I missing?  Why Did You Come To My House with 승리, maybe.  But the whole movie is on Youtube, I think and Seungri had a small part in that.  At least in 19-Nineteen, he plays lead alongside TOP.  I'm still working on the BIGBANG DVDs but I'm happy with my BIGBANG-related movie collection.
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Goodbye, CSI:NY.


And there you go.  Nine seasons.  End.

I haven't been watching CSI: New York since Melina Kanakaredes left but I've had some good memories of this show.  I've watched four solid seasons -- survived that horrid Danny/Lindsay pairing, spent my precious time on an online forum thinking up possible character storylines (that sometimes came true lol... you sneaky writers), and wrote my longest and best fan fiction for the most natural pairing in the CSI-verse, Mac/Stella.  SMACked.  I was pretty into CSI:NY back then that it actually replaced CSI:LV as my favorite show for a while. 

But I just couldn't watch it without Stella.  Danny/Lindsay became a TV-family and that was the final nail on the coffin.  Up to the very end, I never liked Lindsay... I like her even less than Elena Gilbert.  But I loved Sid Hammerback, Sheldon Hawkes, Don Flack, Danny Messer, and of course, Mac Taylor.  Adam was one of my favorite lab techs in the CSI-verse... probably second to Archie.  I tried watching some with Jo Danville and she was okay. 

I saw them film once at DTLA's Spring St. and saw Sela Ward (who played Jo Danville) from afar; Eddie Cahill (who played Det. Flack) passed by our table at LA Cafe; and as pictured above, met Carmine Giovinazzo (who played Danny Messer).  It's weird to meet someone, an actor whose character you've written fan fiction about.  I don't think I wrote any CSI:NY fics after that lol. 

Now, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is the last one standing.  I've caught up with this latest season and even with a different-looking cast, it reminded me why it became my favorite at the first place.  I loved CSI:NY.  It'll always be one of my favorites.  Sending love to all the cast and crew who worked on it for nine wonderful seasons.
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