오렌지 키스 : fourth of july

fourth of july

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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.

And also...

HAPPY FIRST ANNIVERSARY, 오렌지 키스!

Can you believe it? A year! Yay! I've kept an LJ blog actively for five years in the past but I was a kid. I didn't make sense half the time and honestly, I didn't always knew what I was talking about. It was also very random but what makes 오렌지 키스 special is that I'm more focused here. I feel and sound smarter. And I am more passionate about the many things I fawn over.

So thank you for staying with me through the makeup reviews, looks of the day, Korean topics, geeky stuff, rants, and all the other randomness at 오렌지 키스. Please look forward for many more to come!

An extra Look of the Day picture after the jump. Rocking the blue eyeshadow for the first time. I like it a lot.

And the journey through 2012 continues...

I love it when things creep up on you. I love discovering new things. I wasn't looking for anything really. It's like... they found me.

A lot of firsts happened during the 2nd half of my 2012. First KPOP concert, first time to go back home to the Philippines after 3 years, first birthday party in 15+ years. I also crossed out a couple off both my wish list and bucket list. So many good things, so much love happened in these latter months.

But I have to say the highlight of it all is the epicness that was the BIGBANG Galaxy Alive Tour... experience. I find myself still pinching myself. Did that really just happen? It's not just about the concert... all the other good stuff that happened. My fangirl moments. It felt so good being able to lose your cool like that. I haven't done than in a loooooong time. I do know exactly how much I spent on the whole thing but I don't regret a single cent. It was a birthday and Christmas gift to myself. Sometimes, when I listen to Fantastic Baby, I forget that I actually saw it performed live in front of my very eyes five times. And when it hits me, I turn into mush. It was so awesome and humbling to witness such talent from those guys. I hope I get to see that again.

BIGBANG came as a surprise to me. Back in high school when the Asian wave hit the Philippines, I was attracted more towards CPOP and Taiwanese dramas than the Hallyu wave. Only very recently did I hit my head and realized how rich and high quality it is. And it's a good thing that 2NE1 and BIGBANG were the ones that reintroduced me to KPOP. I realized that I still dislike some of it (I initially did not like the overly manufactured sound KPOP had. Some groups still have that today, unfortunately). The talents from YG Family are definitely top-notch and I would gladly listen to them any time. (EPIK HIIIIGH!!!)

My decision to go to the 2NE1 concert was completely impulsive and I am glad I went after it. I've never had so much fun at a concert! That was my first taste of a KPOP concert. I did all those things... sang along even if it meant butchering the lyrics, dancing the correct choreography and all. I didn't get a lightstick but it was okay. I did get two at the BIGBANG concert though and oh boy, how fun was that?! XD

Other concerts I went to are both at the Hollywood Bowl. I grew up listening to Barry Manilow music and I finally got to watch him live. I pretty much melted during Weekend in New England, one of my favorite songs of all time. I also went to that Filipino celebration thing. I enjoyed the Pinoy talents enough but I pretty much lost it when Black Eyes Peas (sans Fergie) and PCD Nicole Scherzinger took over the night. Speaking of Black Eyed Peas, I saw apl.de.ap and will.i.am twice this year -- at that Hollywood Bowl thing and the 2NE1 concert. Yeah, they closed the show with the girls.

November, I went back home with my mom to the Philippines. It was bloody hot but it was nice to see family and friends again. Nothing like the warmth and love of the people you grew up with. And the food... you can't beat food in the Philippines, I'm telling you. It's also in the Philippines where I got my first BIGBANG CDs. And my new makeup love, Etude House. If you look at my stash, one would think I went to South Korea instead of the Philippines!

December gave me two of my most anticipated movies: Rurouni Kenshin live action and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Sure I saw Rurouni Kenshin during my flight to the Philippines but in December, I saw it in the cinema with my brother. Then watching The Hobbit with my two favorite geeks before flying back to the US. I ended up watching both movies multiple times.

So that's it for 2012. I had so much fun. It was a long rollercoaster ride and I still don't want to get off. But I have to move on and hope for better things to come. I hope 2013 holds bigger and better things for me. Unlike the previous years, I have plans this time. We're not getting any younger and I think it's about time for me to work out something in my life.

See you on the other side!

Happy Fourth of July!

I am not American but I am thankful to be living in this great nation. God bless America!

I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him. ~ Abraham Lincoln.

As in previous years, my mom and I headed over to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena to watch the fireworks display. We don't actually go in the stadium; you can watch the pyrotechnics from the outside grounds. Come early to see the sideshows, food kiosks, or just have a picnic while waiting for the sun to go down.

This year, a couple of my friends from work decided to watch with us. It might sound strange but whenever we hang out in Pasadena, I have a slight feeling of pride whenever they enjoy myself in "my" city. I hardly have any friends in Pasadena so when they come up here, I always hope they enjoyed it, made the drive up worth it.

So that is it for now. I should be uploading a bunch of these pictures on Facebook but I'm notoriously lazy when it comes to that.

Salutations,

Happy Blogiversary, 오렌지 키스!

Happy 4th of July, 2013!

Second half of 2012: KPOP

Happy birthday, USA!

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