2020 review and hi, 2021!

I've missed so much posts over the holidays but with so much happening around and nothing much at the same time, I don't think we can blame anyone, including me, for this. For one, the pandemic is still ongoing here in my place and we still don't have vaccines for it of decent or good quality here 'til now. The rest of the world, especially the west and even Japan are getting vaccinated already. So there continues to be this fear and anxiety of going out unless we want to contract the virus that's already mutated in several countries and continents like the UK and South Africa. As for there being nothing much at all going on---a lot of us are still stuck at home either working from home or mostly doing nothing at all so, yeah. 

Heaven knows I have a lot of stuff to post on there but the lack of tripods around here keep me from really posting and no matter, I have stuff coming in over the next few days that has to do with that. Ugh. FINALLY! We'll be doing A TON of catching up over the next few days, weeks and months or so. Yay!

Meanwhile, let's catch up on some of life's going-ons today and see what I'd been up to since the holidays until now and a few other things that you might be seeing on this blog in the next few weeks or so.

A regular, slightly uneventful but family everything-laden holidays

My holidays are usually spent with family. That's just how I roll. It's how everyone goes on here in the Philippines because we're a family first country. And the Philippines wouldn't be it if there was no feeling of family or community in here.

It goes without saying, then, that I spent my holidays---all of Christmas Eve and Christmas day, my granddad's birthday last December 28 and New Year's Eve and New Year's Day---going back and forth from the city to the country side, 30-45 minutes away from the said city with my younger brother at the wheel of the Ford pick-up. Present in the drives is my cousin from the United States who's studying in college here for the time being and sometimes, my mom and dad. In those occasions, it's mostly me, my grandparents, brother, cousin and parents in my grandparents' home. It harks back to the old days when I'd go home there with a lot of family to spend the weekends when school's out for me here in the city so it's really just super nostalgic, yeah. That's basically 8 people spending time together in one huge, two-tiered house in the countryside still mostly, adequately socially-distanced from one another so it's been a kind of safe and healthy celebration of the three occasions somehow.

Of course there was a lot of food had, there's Noche Buena on Christmas Eve and Media Noche on New Year's Eve, and cake and ice cream on my grandad's birthday. Just...your regular, simple holiday and birthday celebrations. They only became closer to a party when we zoom called everyone in the SoCal and another family member in Texas so it's been so fun catching up with everyone so far, even just, digitally.

There were no trips to the beach even if a lot of it is just a stone's throw away. Well, just a walk or hike away, anyway. Nor was there a trip to the nearby waterfalls made like last year's so that's quite a bummer. These are usually what I look forward to when I'm in that place, Jasaan. Which reminds me I still have to take someone's offer to take me to the sandbar on there I've only been to once just for R&R-ing, professional beach bumming. I miss doing the latter this whole time we've been on the longest ever lockdown from all over the world. Yay, Philippines! Nay. It sucks to be here when you can't do the very thing people do here all the time: swimming, sunbathing and picnicking in really pretty, picturesque beaches and pools of the lot of resorts we have here and oh, backpacking to islands one has never been to which I had been planning for so long pre-pandemic.

But anyway, how about you? How did you spend the holidays this year?  

An equally, slightly uneventful few weeks of January 2021 at home, of course!

....because, really, what else is there to do when you can't backpack to an island you've never been to like Bantayan Island in Cebu and a few others?

I don't really have much to update on here because there's really nothing going on save for that catch-up with the best friend on discord one time early into January 2021 and me, joining my first Cupsleeves event for the Pentagon maknaes (the youngest members of the boygroup, Pentagon, namely Yuto, Kino, and Wooseok). so there's really, really just the in-betweens. Now's the time to start counting how many times I write really on here and you can even play the drinking game to it. LOL.

And this brings us to...

....the tiniest, most miniscule, simplest In-betweens

This pandemic period and it's accompanying, quite lengthy lockdowns have got us staying home, working from home, and even re-examining and reconnecting with ourselves at home. This has all been about self-discovery, a lot more self-love and should we be living with others like I do, spending more time with both extended and immediate ones. It's definitely a time for the in-betweens, the simplest kinds there is---those tiny details we tend to forget actually exist because we're too busy with the big things pre-pandemic like travelling, working away from home to earn our keeps and more.

So yes, basically late 2020 and 2021 is also all about the tiniest, easy to ignore and forget they exist in-betweens for me, namely:

• the ongoing addiction and attachment to Dutchmill's Soy Secretz in Chocolate Hazelnut. I buy about 4 solo boxes of it every two weeks or so. Maybe almost every week...hmn...
• there's also the attachment and obsession with cans of Mug Rootbeer. Sometimes, it's the whole bottle but mostly just the cans because I get them with Soy Secretz from Savemore, Capistrano, yeah. 
• in connection with the latter, I really like pairing 7-11's mushroom sisig siopao with Mug Rootbeer too. As someone who's not huge on caffeine---I only drink black coffee either iced or with bread on hand to dunk into it, very sparingly---I like Mug Rootbeer because it says on the can it contains no caffeine...so...yeah.
• ....on January 26, a day early into Pentagon Kino's birthday, I celebrated his birthday with the cupsleeves and A LOT of really fun freebies I got from SunriseBlissPTG on twitter. I registered for the cupsleeves event (CSE) and bought and paid for my cupsleeves and very fun inclusions or extras last December 2020 and received the package a day after Yuto's birthday so since I missed Yuto's birthday, I made sure to celebrate Kino's instead. Here's how this one went below:

So on the eve of the 26th, before Kino's day on the 27th, I had strawberry fruit tea with no add-ons from Chingkeetea. I'm not a huge fan of boba or whatever they put into milk teas and fruit teas like this so I asked for no add-ons. Boba in drinks disturb me a lot for some reason. The fruit tea aside, there's also DIY-ed vegan hamburger and avocado and banana toast on the other plate. 

I got the vegan burger from a seller in Talisay City, Cebu via shopee here: Veg-E Burger. The slices and pieces of iceberg lettuce, yellow onions and cucumber are from Savemore, Capistrano, the tomatoes are from our own stock of it at home. The bread for the toasts and hamburger bun are whole wheat and wheat respectively from a bakery I frequent that's right across the college I attended way, way back awhile ago. I'm a regular at the bakery so the people kind of know me in there. They know I love their freshly baked/cooked piaya in muscovado mostly so there's that too.

I've kind of missed the kitchen so it was cool to be there after a long while. I'll be spending some more of my days of the week in there for other dishes to make from time to time, yes. And especially now that we have a food processor here I asked my aunt and uncle to get my from the US. Yay.

I didn't get to go anywhere today, it's Wooseok's day now but I'm going to celebrate his birthday the simplest way I can tomorrow. 

This CSE is my first and it's also fund raising for a foundation so I have no regrets joining it and getting the cupsleeves. I'm definitely joining another one soon. I'm thinking...around April. There are a lot of my kpop idol favorites celebrating their birthdays on April and July based on my datebook for it. All-in-all, it's money well spent for a fun event I could do solo at home in this time of a global pandemic.

I'll try make the lay for the next CSE better and will probably get additional or extra cupsleeves, too. We'll see.

• ....in connection to the one above, I'm also currently, very much addicted to toast. Mostly it's avocado toast but it could also be just regular toast. So addicted to it that I'd even eat toast or lunch and dinner. lol.

• ....then there's the attachment to Burger King's plant-based burger meal, yep. I'm planning to get some more sometime soon. It's either this or 7-11's mushroom sisig siopao. lol.

• ....finally got to use my Sampleroom account! Here are those that came in the mail from last December 2020's transaction with them:

I'm usually not big on mainstream products since I have Human Heart Nature but because of Sampleroom PH, I finally got to try some I'd been eyeing from Watson's and some others. St. Ives is definitely a brand I can get behind. I love the soothing mask and the scrub is definitely fun to use 1-2 times a week! The Hygienix wipes are handy when you're travelling or out of the house for stuff. The only thing I don't like about Sampleroom PH however is how long they take to approve reviews. Mine still aren't approved until now and I don't think they'll ever approve those. Ever. I live in the south, well away from the NCR so I can't hand in the reviews at the allotted time they've given because it takes weeks for the products to get to me here---thanks, covid 19-caused delays in delivering packages---so yeah, I think this is one kink in their systems they need to fix. Some of us aren't exactly from the NCR so it'll take us more time to review stuff. 

It's against their regulations to have two accounts on there but I've signed up for another because I doubt I'll ever get my points back from them, ever. Heh. 

• ....journaling and datebook planning again, yay! I just have to have some photos printed out in some small sizes or so for the latter, yeah. I'll work on that one sometime soon. Tools of this trade include the Coffeebean and Tea Leaf planner I redeemed last December 2020---got it in fun light pink so yay~---and the Human Heart Nature Thrive journal. The journal is an anniversary one I'd been meaning to get way, wayyy back but I couldn't really get on with the price so it took me until the beginning of this month to decide to get it. It's buy 1 journal get 1 free so it's ALL GOOD.

The only qualm I have about this one is that some pages of it have biblical quotes in them. I'm agnostic and am more of a lapsed, non-practicing Roman Catholic---mostly an apatheist now---so I can easily ignore them. It comes with coloring pages but I'm not coloring them because I'd tried that before with the Bo's Coffee creative journal thing way back and I found out I'm not really into coloring stuff so yeah. And the dotted lines give you a lot of freedom to do anything with it. It's actually why I like this journal. When it works, it works.

• ....buying or stocking up on a lot of vegan stuff from shopee.
• my current favorites on this are:
• Jack's Produce Vegan Sardines in tomato oil/sauce, it's also available in chili oil, rice bran oil and corn oil
• Veg-E Tapa, also available are frankfurters, sausages, choplets, meat/meatloaf style ones, and hamburger (the one I used for the vegan burger above). I saw that the store I got this from has the vegan isaw ones so I might try that one next.
• and rereading a lot of my favorite Nora Roberts short stories. The ones she published on Silhouette anyway. My current favorites to reread: the Night Tales' Night Shift, Night Shade and sometimes, the Night Smoke...I've yet to get Night Shield and I saw someone on ebay have this so we'll see...hmn... oh and her Donovan Legacy's Entranced. I love Sebastian Donovan on there and like him among the three Donovan cousins so there's that. Ah...I'm looking to get the fourth one, Enchanted, too on ebay since I saw someone has this there too. I'll wait until I can justify actually getting those along with some three books of Sara Shepard's Pretty Little Liars I'd been eyeing, oh and a Washington Irving short stories book. 

Almost to the end of this post now... I'm still not entirely sure why I never really got around to posting about Chingkeetea on here. I should've done that one a long time ago since the number of times I frequent that place in a year is, to tell the truth, just a decent handful, but my friends and I have grown up alongside it from college moving forward so it's like, an established part of the typical Kagay-anon life here. Since I'm celebrating Wooseok's birthday simply tomorrow and thereby concluding this two ish weeks long celebration of Pentagon's trio of maknaes' birthdays, I'm posting more about Chingkeetea in the coming few days, yeah.

More posts will be coming soon because I'm waiting for a few things to come in the mail so...yay! 2021 will hopefully, definitely be more fun. Now if only our national government can do better and actually function better to manage this virus rampaging everywhere in our country now like how the rest of the countries are vaccinating their people day in and day out...yeah. I don't really expect much from them anymore. They're as dysfunctional and corrupt as can be up there.

one october 6 night with Pentagon at Prism World Tour at the TICC in Taipei

photos by yours truly

The reason I was in Taipei from October 5-7 last year, 2019, was this: Pentagon's Prism World Tour in Taipei. They had three set schedules for it in South East Asia and none of it is the Philippines so it was this, Taiwan, Hongkong or Singapore for me. I thought Taipei, Taiwan would be the cheapest and easiest so in about a couple months' time before the trip...maybe three, I'd already booked my plane tickets via Philippine Airlines, booked my accommodations a month or two weeks before the trip, and bought the concert ticket a couple days or so before I left Cagayan de Oro City for Taipei. Admittedly, it wasn't very easy and I felt my budget for Taipei was pretty short (I only used a 100 USD of 200 USD I'd brought with me, as pocket money) but everything worked well. Somehow.

This was my first kpop concert and it was just a bit outside the Philippines so yes, it was very memorable and precious to me. 

I'd worried about going to the concert on my own for a time because most of those in fandoms I know were going to Johnny and Associates' Hey! Say! Jump!'s 2-day concert at the Taipei Arena also near the area I was in. Yes, I was once a hardcore Jpop fan but not enough to go on and fangirl HSJ. Hah. But yeah, I knew some people that went there. HSJ's 2nd day concert was around the same night and time as Pentagon's only date there, at the TICC. Luckily, I didn't have to feel so alone there because some Filipino Universes had found out I'd gotten a Pentagon concert ticket and was headed to Taipei the day before the concert. I got to meet them after the concert. Though we were around each other for a while, hunting for a restaurant we could eat dinner in and just have fun chatting, bonding or so...we weren't able to find a restaurant to sit and eat and chat in. We decided to go our separate ways instead because some of us were headed home the next day. Others were going to other places like Jiufen to continue their Taiwan tour with. I was in the former group. My flight back home was at around 7 or 8 in the evening of the 7th. I SO wish I could've stayed longer because there's SO MUCH to see and do in Taipei and the vast country of Taiwan in general. Hmn...I'm hatching another plan of this kind in my head with some really good friends for next time. I'm getting the hang of budgeting and planning trips everywhere as of late. Maybe it's a sign that I keep on going even if I'm running myself broke (but let's hope not? It's tough being broke). Well, I can somehow get used to this sort of or partly nomadic lifestyle.

Anyway, I won't go in depth with the concert. Doing a part by part recount of what'd happened at the concert, what I'd seen and insanely dance to can be quite...tiring. Yes. So yes, let's not. I'll just go through the highlights of the concert along with pictures.

Above is my concert ticket. It's 4280 NTD, yes. This is Less than 150 USD which was, I thought, a good price already for such a good concert, by one of my favorite boy groups. This is actually why I'd decided to go. The concert ticket was quite...affordable. I'd already bought the ticket days before I left for Taipei so I just went to the 7-11 at the first floor of my accommodation there and got the help of the store attendant/cashier in printing this one out. Yep, it was quick! I hung around family mart next door, thereafter, to eat a lunch of an assortment of sliced fruit. Ugh. I so wish our 7-11 had these kinds of fresh eats. I'd gobble those up in a heartbeat...on a daily basis.

The management held contests for ticket holders to win in. I was told by the new friends that I'd won a signed poster. It now sits inside my closet of some everyday bottoms and dresses, still unrolled. I would love to have a lot of the posters I got from buying pre-ordered stuff framed. Yes. But moolah for it isn't enough, yet. Lucky are the others that won photos with Pentagon. One of my friends did. I may get lucky in another time...I hope.

Going back much, much earlier before the day of the concert, I'd arrived around 8 in the morning at the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. I had to rush to the accommodation to see if I could check in sooo much earlier than the scheduled check in at 3 p.m. but I wasn't allowed by the person-in-charge so. Apparently a lot of things like hotel/accommodations check-ins are often set at a certain mid-afternoon time. Even a lot of the businesses like malls and more in Taipei start out late. I found it difficult the next day to find a good place to have breakfast in...hmn... Basically, only McDonalds was open and accepting breakfast-searching customers (like me) at around 7 or so in the morning. I had to wait for my check-in time before I prepared for the concert wearing the dress that I wore from the previous blog post...and my VERY handy, super over sized that it makes me sooo happy and warm and cozy and fuzzy, every time I have it, denim jacket. It's a men's jacket, by the way. Anyway, back on topic...so because I had to wait until 3 p.m. to get into my room and check in so I could begin preparing for the concert about to happen that night, I just wandered around the neighborhood and chanced upon a tea and coffee house that allows people to make their own beverages all over their super cute pantry or kitchen. They also allowed food bought from outside. And...best of all? They allowed you to stay AS LONG as you'd liked in their cafe. You can basically do so much there like homework, work projects and more, undisturbed. It was such a cozy place. And because I was waiting for the time I can get into the room I'd booked, I missed the fans event that went on the time I was at the said tea and coffee shop. I could've gotten some freebie banners and more. Hardly matters now, I met wonderful people at the tea and coffee shop I was in and I enjoyed much of my time there. One of the highlights of my Taipei trip so far. I'll recount this again on my Taipei food post later.

Even if I'd missed the said fan gathering prior to the concert proper, a new friend was kind enough to send me off with a Yuto banner! Yay! He is my Pentagon bias and the reason why I got into Pentagon in the first place. But yeah, as with Da-iCE, I'd ended up liking all of 'em in the end. The fan organizers also had a balloon and unibong/mobile phone light event in some songs and some where we had to hold out the white banner and later, the blue and black one so all in all, IT WAS SOOO MUCH FUN! I'd so like to do it again. Yes! Needless to say, when I got home, I contemplated a second Pentagon Prism Tour date in Singapore but I'd already depleted my travel and concert money saved up so nope. Next time.

Highlights of the concert for me: Jo Jinho in Havana. So smexy for someone so small...he's their shortest and funnily, their eldest member. I mostly like Jinho because he's cute but he's giving me Yang Yoseob-vibes lately. I think he's trying to grow out his gyeopta phase now. All of Summ(:er)'s tracks performed was HEAVEN! And lastly...THE ENCORE. The encore had all my favorite songs: Thumbs Up! and Spectacular (스펙터클 해), to name a few. Of course, Fantasystic (판타지스틱) is my favorite from Summ(:er) and it was realllyyy rad to see and hear live.

It was a fun night of singing and dancing to what I could at the concert, all in all. 11/10, I'd do it all over again. Hopefully one day soon. (Or I may go to a Da-iCE concert soon, should all go well with something I'm doing at the moment, applying for another job tat pays better than my current job...somehow).

Up next in this Taipei trip series? Food. I'll be highlight vegan/vegetarian food there so wait for it! I already have the photos ready. Unfortunately didn't take much photos of the restaurants and stalls I went to. I'm an idiot, apparently. I plan to go back to Taipei again one day to do a proper food trip and some sight seeing or activities-filled one so yeah...one day soon. 

getting back in the game, let's talk fandom

Hi there, sort of boring...err...Sunday.

Lately, I find myself amassing a lot of things fandom (asian pop music, mostly) so this alone, I feel, warranted a post of it's own. This still has something to do with Taipei's trip last year, October 5-7, 2019. One of the groups mentioned here was the one I went to Taipei for.

A word of warning? This post is photo heavy although most of them aren't high quality...much.

1. Pentagon - Thumbs Up Mini-Album 
I purchased this one two years ago but it came early last year. I think it kept getting delayed. 
I'm not a huge fan of the main single, Naughty Boy, but the B-sides like Thumbs Up among others, are what make this album more full and satisfying for me. This came with a Jinho photocard and an invitation to a Pentagon event with Universe that I couldn't go to because, well...I'm in the Philippines. Maybe next time. I'll definitely try to make it to the Cube Ent. cafe when I am there around Seoul though. Hopefully soon. I've been hearing news that it's more difficult now to go to Seoul. :( They've tightened up some or so.

My favorite track from this album? Thumbs up, currently. I have it on eternal repeat. Kind of.

I am amazed by the all around-ness of Kpop albums granted this is my first Kpop-related purchase. I love the Japanese ones more considering I have lol's Fire! single, Miura Daichi's Right Now single and more (my Da-iCE purchases are also coming in this year so...) but the South Korean pop music stuff are definitely in a league of their own with album booklets that double as photo books. Meanwhile, I have to spend separately for Da-iCE's photobooks and more. RIP wallet, when it comes to Jpop. But Kpop also just about kills the monthly salary/wage as well. Life of an eternal fangirl...

2. Sunggyu's Post Cards and Photocards 
I got these from Shopee thanks to the bff and someone who likely went to Gyu's last concert, Shine, way way back before he went away to serve at the SK military/army forces. (He's back now after 18 months of being away from us so YAAYYYY!!!) Anyway, these are, like, DIVINE because I currently have an obsession with platinum-haired Kim Sunggyu. If only I could rock the same hair color as well as he does. /lesigh.

Infinite's Kim Sunggyu is a current and still ongoing obsession of mine because of not only his full album, Shine, but also because of his variety TV work. The Genius, for one, is one show I will keep on repeat because of how smart he is on there. And of course, many others.

As of this writing, one of the photocards is at the back of my phone and on a wallet I sometimes take with me on whatever trips out. Hmn...

3. Pentagon - Genie:Us
2019 was the year when I amassed everything Pentagon and this was the second purchase I had since the previous one, Thumbs Up! They rarely let me down music-wise hence why I've been constantly getting their mini-albums or so.
Shalala is likely my favorite from here along with the music video for it. And I love, LOVE Round 1 as well though just a bit lukewarm with Spring Snow. I love the stages for the latter though.
As per usual, this came with cool stuff plus an invitation to an event with Universes (their fans' collective name) but alas, as I am in the Philippines...no way can I ever get to that one. Also, it comes with a post card of, I think, Shinwon's arm in a raincoat or so. Hmn...

It also came with some sort of bookmark. I think this one's Kino or...someone else. Hui? I'm not sure. It could also be Yuto though. I'm amazed by the inside of the booklet slash photobook. It's pop-up style and so cute and pretty!

I'm not sure who I got as a photocard for this one. I forgot...I'll unearth it somewhere later.

4. Pentagon - SUM(ME:R)

Hands down, my current favorite of the bunch and therefore the one Pentagon album on eternal repeat for me on a daily-ish basis.

The contents of this one is the best and even my friend/s confirm so. If there's anything I'm devoted to, it's finding gems like this mini-album that's summery and sunshiney and warm. (I actually became a fan of Golden Child because of this...if that's any sort of help or indication of...stuff...) I love everything in this album from 접근금지 (Humph!) to Round 2. But my favorite will have to be 판타지스틱 (Fantasystic, I think?) as it is the best BOP in there~

And whoopy yay! That's a Yuto photocard, yes, and a Yanan post card. I kind of miss him, yes.

5. Pentagon - Happiness

Not pictured but this came to me from Japan. And to anyone interested in getting Japan releases from Pentagon among others, you can go here and request it: @kg_0917. 

I haven't listened much to it but know that I enjoy the music video/pv for Happiness a lot. It's sooo mood for me along with Da-iCE's Damn It. The freebie is a poster and it is immaculate. I'd like it framed, by the by along with other things.

6. Miscellaneous everything from Japan including Da-iCE's Fake Show single (also got Da-iCE's Best album...)

Da-iCE. When it comes to them, I'm usually Hanamura Sota-biased so most I got were Sota everything including a clear file or two I have no idea what to use for. I thought they were big-sized bromides. Hmn...

Also, some fashion magazines, err, well, a Vivi because I love Vivi. And finally, a Junon! Yay! Another one is coming in the mail yet along with a secondhand but still functioning Instax cam I got at a good deal. Er...low price of 3000 JPY! A seriously good deal, like...seriously. 

Not pictured, Da-iCE's Best album that came after. It's a 2-4 CDs in one sort of thing safely nestled now in my music fandom corner nook of the bedroom self with the others.

7. Golden Child's Re:Boot full-length album

My first Woollim Entertainment purchase. Yay! This is also the most recent purchase of mine that was just delivered in early this month.

It's not the whole thing and these are just pages of the booklet plus that Jaehyun photocard but I was awestruck by how tall this one was. It literally took up my shelf dedicated to the fandom stuff and...it also towered over three of my Pentagon albums that were...comparatively just a tad bit smaller.

Anyway, these are just pages showing my favorites: Bomin looking regal, there's also Joochan in pretty pink hair (congratulations on him rejoining Golden Child after recovering from injury! this is late but yeah...it still stands), and Sungyoon/Y.

What I liked about this one? It came with a 2020 calendar so this pretty much stopped me from buying or looking for one of Takeuchi Ryoma's or some other as I have already retired Pentagon's Season's Greetings from 2019. Problem? The calendar doesn't have anything I can use to hang it somewhere to unlike Pentagon's Season's Greetings. I'm too afraid to ruin it so it's just sitting at a desk as of this moment, still unopened.

Still others I got for fandom's sake and being a random fangirl, Infinite Kim Sunggyu's platinum haired 20cm doll I have yet to find clothes for. It came with freebies so, yay~

Others to come soon: the Produce 101 Japan fanbook, Da-iCE's Back to Back single, JO1's (from Produce 101 Japan) single/s I haven't ordered yet. I also have yet to get Produce 101 Japan's Fanbook plus or volume 2. And JO1's single, Protostar. It's for pre-order yet and comes in three types so RIP money. Hmn...I'll pre-order this one, maybe next month. 

Yep, I've been spending so much on fandom lately that I need to get a higher paying job so, yeah, I'm going to toil on this one tomorrow. I have somewhere to be after the work shift tomorrow so wish me luck? It's for the future of myself I have in mind...yet.

playing sarah bailey the natural born witch for halloween 2018

white t, h&m. vest, vintage. skirt, mixed berry in dumaguete city (old). random knee highs from 2016-2017 trip to California, USA. heels, zalora (sold out on the site, unfortunately). backpack, seocndhand gucci from dumaguete city.

It's been a very long time since I posted a random slew of self-taken photos for this personal space of mine. I miss it so. Anyway, yes! Halloween!!! It's my favorite time of the year. Christmas feels like such a draining season for me. It drains one of money (because it's gifting season, yeah...) and well...energy. I do like the celebrations that come with Christmas but they wreck a ton of things so...I'm NOT at all that fond of this time of the year, to be really honest. At the back of my mind, I'm aware that I really do hate the Christmas season but I'm becoming more aware of how much I really do so now.

Sarah Bailey from the Craft will always be my aesthetic for Halloween. Classic American school girl looks like hers and Serena van der Woodsen's on Gossip Girl season 1 are those I have been fixating on for a while now. The Craft is a cult classic witch movie of the 90s and I'm not kidding when I say I still remember every scene of it in my head. My favorite is when the four went on an excursion to the fields to cast spells and of course, the last part, Nancy vs. Sarah. Sarah...I've always loved her effortless style and her natural-ness as a witch the same way I love Serena Van Der Woodsen on Gossip Girl season 1 for her carefree character so...well...that figures a lot of things that's me and about me. Also, for reference on where I got the idea to dress up as Sarah as, there is this photo below of the 4 on The Craft:

photo taken from here

I think Sarah is the easiest to dress up as on Halloween. All you really need is a skirt that's pleated---it can be a plaid skirt or a plain one will do as well---and heaps of necklaces of different sizes (I am admittedly a huge stan of layering one necklace after another) and a vest and you're done! Knee high socks are, of course, mandatory as well. And the wedges...well, they were scored from Zalora Philippines on one of their sales.
And speaking of Zalora Philippines and sales, I currently am waiting for their 11.11 sale for something I've been keeping my my on, on for a while now.

Anyway, yes, Halloween. What did I do last night's All Souls' Day night and last weekend? Last weekend, I went out with 2 girl pals to Lifestyle District. It's where the workplace, that I currently work at, is located. The place has a lot of bars, restaurants and cafes and it's, probably like, one of the best places to be in the city during Halloween. There's always something going on there like the Halloween Costume Party we originally planned to join when we passed by the notices for it. It's only because their registration for the contest ended early that we didn't make it into the contest. Memorable part of the night is Jigsaw from a movie franchise, Saw, I following us around and my friend hugging him not once or twice but thrice. For the record, I am never a fan of Saw and the rest of its movies and I do not plan on touching this one either...in this lifetime. I like really horror movies with ghosts and maybe some monsters of the South East Asian and Asian Lore in general. I'm not a huge fan of gore movies that to me, are pointless anyway. I would watch 90s trashy slasher films, however. Those are my thing as the amount of blood there isn't as much as when you compare it to Saw movies and even, maybe, hmn..., say Texas Chainsaw Massacre. 
At the end of the night of fun, I've decided that as Lifestyle District is such a good, good place to eat and drink in, I would say 31st Bistro's hot chocolate is high up there among drinks and food I've tried. I would go and visit 31st Bistro again probably on another weekend after work if only to get their hot chocolate again. The pina colada at this other bar closest to the office building is...well...err, their tequila sunrise is better. The alcohol content on the pina colada was just too high. I haven't been much of a drinker since long ago, in the dim dark past as a Master's degree student and even in undergraduate college. I am, however, happy to report that after one glass of that awful pina colada, I still had the tolerance to liquor in me that keeps myself from getting too drunk towards the middle of the night. I now know what to avoid on their cocktails menu. All in all, October 27 was a fun night with the two gal pals.

Last night, as I was alone and still am alone and being my hermit self at home, I had the South Korean cable channel, TVN on, on TV while I watched about two episodes of The Guest, a kdrama recommendation for the Halloween I found on a Soompi article I stumbled on early this week. I fell asleep in the middle of the third episode so I was never able to finish the thing but it sure is an interesting watch. It's about evil spirit possession and the tag team of a lady police officer, a rebel-y shaman and a very serious exorcist priest makes it all the more interesting. I wonder how it's going to play out in the end...? It has 15 episodes and I'm down to finishing the whole thing this weekend along with other creepy, Halloween appropriate tv shows and films I like to watch this time of the year. Yes, I watched it while I was alone at home with just 8 to 9 dogs outside and an indoor pet cat. The mum is in Jasaan, at the grandparents with the cousin; the dad, with his high school friend, is in Zamboanga City until Sunday since around Thursday this week; and the sister-figure went home to Medina for stuff... I survived a night of fright as I always, regularly do. I'm someone who can handle scary stuff well even at night but I'd probably freak out in a haunted house attraction in amusement parks... Hmn... Well, we'll see...
By the way, The Guest is an OCN drama and OCN never really disappoints me with their thriller, action police dramas so it's worth the watch for mystery lovers like myself. The supernatural twist is just as good, I guess. I don't mind it and I like supernatural twists anyway. Or this could just really be me. Haha.

Anyway, music recommendation because I kind of miss doing so lately:

I'm still waiting for Pentagon mini album to arrive... I'm getting kind of tired of waiting but I'm keeping the patience in. I think I ordered it about a month ago or so...
Yes, I'm stuck on both songs and especially on Just Do It Yo that I have on repeat with this one:

I'm currently conflicted with whether I'm getting Golden Child's Wish mini album or Infinite's Kim Sunggyu's Shine live album he released, as a farewell gift to fans, before enlisting in the military. I'll probably not get Golden Child's album yet and will stick to Sunggyu's granted I've been falling in deeper with him sine stumbling upon The Genius season 1 where he displayed his savageness and top notch strategist skills in. 
At first, I found it difficult to get into Golden Child's Genie because it felt not as bop-y as their Let Me that they released before this. But this impression was probably because I was listening to it without the headphones or earphones. It became a quality bop, characteristic of every Golden Child release so far since their debut, when I ended up playing it on eternal repeat with the headphones and/or earphones on. Yep. Never really shoot down a track as boring and bland before getting a closer look at it using the appropriate audio tools---lesson learned at that time. 
Also, Produce 48's I*Zone's La Vie En Rose is the best debut so far among all three Produce 101 franchise groups (including season 1 and 2). If you haven't gotten into it yet, now's the best time to get into it so GO! But yes, I'm still not much a fan of female groups...so...yeah.

Bonus, two things I find useful nowadays that they hardly live my bag now:

Australian make-up brand is climbing up the top of my favorite make-up brands list with these two lip liners. I don't really use the cream lipstick and other lipstick variants as much these days so I'm living with lip liners and tinted lip balms and cheek and lips stuff lately. I find them the most convenient to use in the office and out.
I got these when with the 1000 Php gift checks I got from SM Supermalls' 60th anniversary twitter contest a while back so, like, double yay! I didn't spend as much on make-up among others then. 

Ah yes, until the next post then and in which case, I don't know when that will be but hopefully soon. In the meantime, you can follow me on instagram for some timely updates here and there. I'm not a very consistent instagrammer either.

white in the summer heat

dress, zalora (similar). boots, something borrowed via zalora.

There's something dreamy and utterly comfortable hanging around the grandparents' or any other rooftop for that matter, in this dress and I'm coming to like the boots so far though I have my eye on others now from Zalora I'm planning to get next time. As to when that next time is, I'm not sure. Well, this dress...I'm aware it's deadly hot outside and even inside nowadays here in the Philippines because it's summer but the fabric this is made of is pretty light though it looks heavy here so it's ideal to wear even then. Or you know, sometime when the sun is about to set and when it has. It might be cooler in this by then. I think this is just perfect for dinner dates for one.

1 week spent at the grandparents outside of the city of Cagayan de Oro felt too short for me. I should spend more time there somehow some other time. There's so much to do there, especially help around the house as they have yet to find their own house help plus there are also other places there to frequent like the park/plaza in the upper part of said town, Jasaan. Other than that, I'd really like to go to a beach or two from there even if it means just having to commute. The island of Camiguin is very accessible from there as the port of Balingoan is just so, so close. So much to be had there, I suppose. The town, Jasaan, is just never boring though it's been such a long while since I get to go home there and spend so much more than a weekend there. I'd also like to re-visit Southern Leyte where most of my grandmother's family are. The beaches there are majestic and I say this in a non-kidding way. I guess these places marked me as a beach lover since young as these are where I grew around in other than this city I'm currently in that's so close to the sea, too. 

Anyway, yes. Next time.

It's Saturday night tonight so here's one of many I'm currently listening to and unwinding with, tonight:

Yet, another version or performance of Shine from Pentagon bbies. I mean babies but I find spelling the word as bbies just more convenient plus I usually call "my" 'baes' as bs anyway for convenience's sake and because I never liked following anything, especially fandom trends on how to call these men I fangirl/stan on a daily basis. Yeah, I call them biases but I only use this one fangirling term/vocab once in a while or so, so... Anyway, back to this one from KCon Japan earlier this week which was held in Chiba Prefecture's Makuhari Messe...what matters here is the fanchant. THE FANCHANT! They're big in Japan apparently but I'd like say it's not because they frequently are there, they're not. They reportedly have high physical CD sales there with them topping Tower Records' chart and the Oricon daily (or is it the weekly? I'm not sure...it could be both...). 

I just cannot deal with people on youtube saying their popularity is because they go there every month or so when the reality and thing is, they do not. Their primary target is still their own South Korea considering 8/10th of the members are born and raised South Koreans. The 6 SK mini-album releases are proof enough their focus is SK much more than Japan (although I wish they would focus a bit on Japan as well because my Pentagon bias is Yuto...and I'm known for loving Japan unconditionally somehow...I can just wish though...). Anyway, so those 6 mini-albums come with showcases before their records' dates of official release and they've held more concerts in South Korea than they've ever done so in Japan (and anywhere else for that matter). People who say their Japan popularity is because they are there every month is...quite farcical I can't with idiots claiming this one to be fact. They're being extra stans. Pentagon's 'underrated-ness' in South Korea can be attributed to a lot of things but primarily because the SK pop music scene as of this time is overly saturated with girl groups and pop groups that release good pop music on a monthly basis or so. It's easy to overlook a group like Pentagon there that offers so much more than what meets the eye when there's SM Ent's NCT, Woollim Ent's Golden Child, and others like KNK, Astro, SF9 etc. I even admit to liking Golden Child/Golcha aside from Pentagon. Thing is, I like the way Pentagon starts at the bottom and casually, steadily rises to the top at their own slow and sure way. I think their rise to the top will be faster than BtoB's when this one released Missing You on their 6/7th year of being an active male idol group. I'm hoping it'll be as fast as Beast, now Highlight's meteoric rise to the top during Fiction and Fact (Fiction era) but I'm not all too sure either considering there's too much competition (Astro seems to be that one group that debuted the same year Pentagon and SF9 did that is reaching the top faster than the others...) yet. But all I can do is monitor every promotion they do anyway. I'm sure they'll be quite popular in SK in time to time. 

Some fangirls/fanboys are just so extra sometimes, making them difficult to deal with and especially get along with. Ah well, fandom life...rather, life of a fangirl and music enthusiast.

Also, I just read on twitter that Avicii just recently passed away, at 28 years old too young. May he rest in peace. I enjoyed his 2013 full album release, True, and it still remains my favorite work of his to date. Wake Me Up is still a work of art for me until now.

catching up and with a good music recommendation to boot!

t, sm savemore. shorts, secondhand lowry's farm. boots, something borrowed via zalora. bracelet, lc by lauren conrad.

Lot's of catching up to do on here. I just came from a week stay at a small town my grandparents' home is in and it was relaxing in some way. I was there with the cousin and playing house hermit most of the week, from Sunday until just last Saturday. Other than hermit-ing, I also had a couple of halo-halos, the second one being from a well-known restaurant in the area, Carloise Restaurant. Everything there, in Jasaan, Misamis Oriental, is walking distance so it was a welcome change of pace and environment being there. It has definitely been a good rest from the city that is, Cagayan de Oro that's just 30-45 minutes away by car/vehicle or public transport. I love being there and would spend another week with cousins and the grandparents again soon.

Yes, more outfit and random photos post coming from this point on granted I also had a pool trip with the best girl friend yesterday to somewhere nearby and cool. Yay~ As to said pool trip...I'd go back there in a heartbeat. Yes!

And here's what my currently listening to mood says:

It's a recent release from this group, Pentagon that's been active since October 2016. I got into them thanks to clips of Pentagon Maker on youtube. Before, I had been thinking I'd slowly get myself more to know Woollim Entertainment's Golden Child since I enjoyed their 2 mini albums so much and would put some of the tracks on repeat on my mobile phone's music player but then I came across a Pentagon Maker clip---probably of Yuto's since Yuto is my main Pentagon bias---and the rest, as people say, was history. Plus, I checked out all of Pentagon's music releases and yes, I drowned some more into their music and now I'm an official Pentagon fangirl. Part-timing Universe seeing as I'm also a part time-light and a full-time a-i for Da-iCE. I know, I fawn over more South Korean and Japanese boygroups now, right? Yes. My fangirl twitter account is testament to that and it's now quite a mess in there. Haha. Well, it's just full of Pentagon, Highlight and Da-iCE retweets with a bit of AAA, SOLIDEMO, lol and Flowback in between as well as some E-girls here and there since I love my LDH girls too especially when they release really good bops.

I haven't updated on a lot of house music and some western indie and some non-indie pop music yet since kpop especially is keeping me busier these days. And yes, if anyone is asking, every Pentagon mini-album release, since their debut in October 2016 are worth having including the newest one from them, Positive, released just this month. 

Anyway, Monday. I have a few things to do. Pentagon music has been great help for me keeping my head above the gutter...

sweater weather and messy hair

sweater, forever21. slipdress, urbanoutfitters. boots, rubi by cotton on via zalora (similar). clutch, diy from a bag gifted by aunt.

Typhoon Basyang (local Philippine name thanks to PAG-ASA), please go away. I'm not exactly the biggest fan of sweater weather but it's here, we're here, at least until the typhoon goes away, that is. Needless to say, I spent it drinking a large mug of milk tea and some iced (decaf is usually all I can manage) coffee.

Today's music:

Something sunny to ward the gloominess of the day/night away. Golden Child has released two of the most solid mini-albums in the kpop industry so far. I'd recommend getting it if you can. Everything in the two mini-albums, from the bops to the mid-tempo tracks to the ballads are superb and flows so well from one track to another they're both just a treat to the ears. I've been playing both mini-albums on itunes on repeat as of late.