2NE1: All or Nothing Manila

I'm a K-Pop concert addict. If anything, this is the only addiction I will admit to. Since I love K-Pop so much, I try to attend most K-Pop concerts held here in the Philippines. 2NE1's All or Nothing concert is definitely not an exception.

When I saw the tweets regarding AON Manila, my heart skipped a beat and I immediately told my 'chingu' (friend) about it. I was unemployed during that time so I was worried about not having money to buy a ticket. Well, of course, I still had money saved up but for the first time in two years, I won't be able to afford the seat that I long for. (Well, more like I'm not willing to shell out more money than what was necessary. I had to use my hard earned money well.) Instead of getting Lower Box seats, I got the cheapest ticket and got Upper Box. Not bad, since my aim was to listen to them perform anyway so the proximity isn't at all an issue.

But imagine my reaction when Sandara tweeted that Winner will be joining AON Manila. I went crazy! I was so excited! There were a lot of things to look forward to. For one, I miss Dara's krung krung-ness. I would love to watch her and her quirky personality once again. Also, I will be going to the concert, not only with my ever dearest K-Pop concert buddy, 'chingu' (friend), but also with some workmates and my chingu's siblings. In total we were 6 pax. It's my first time going to a concert with this number of people and just the fact that we were all going together made me even more excited.

So the day of the concert came. I tried my best to dress up a little bit better, because I knew from experience that there are a lot of fashionable K-Pop fans out there and I didn't want to look like just some passer by, not prepared fashionably. I also did my hair and makeup and I met up with my friends.

When I arrived at my seat, I noticed that my LED clappers were missing. I'm just assuming that people from the back stole mine. Haha, I know I shouldn't say anything without hard evidence but that's just really how I feel. I don't really see the logic as to how people at the back had LED clappers and people in front didn't have any. No worries though. Because we brought our own lightstick! Yay! Thank God! I didn't really expect to have a one-color ocean because we know that 2NE1's official color is hot pink (Please correct me if I'm wrong.) but their official light stick is white. Honestly, those two facts are confusing. If you ask me, white would have been the right choice if we want a monochromatic ocean. But since it was hard to provide white lights, we made do with multicolored lights. In the end, everything went well. It was fun to see the rainbow ocean we had all over the arena. Oh, and the place was full! I was happy to see almost all seats filled up. It was amazing.

The concert then started and everything just went by as a blur. I have videos to remind me of it, though. It was a long-yet-short concert. It ran for 2 1/2 hours but it felt like it only ran for 30 minutes. I wanted more but of course, as any other concert it had to end.

I loved all the songs 2NE1 sang. They also really performed well and I was really glad to hear their powerful voices and production. Another thing that I really liked was Winner's performance! They only sang two songs but it made me want to support them even more. They were amazing!

I will probably upload the videos I shot during the concert through my fancam youtube channel. I will also be embedding some of the videos I have already uploaded. Enjoy!

Note: If you will be taking any of the photos, don't forget to credit. That's all I ask.

C.N.Blue- Truth: First Impression

There are only a few artists that I listen to over and over again. If you haven't noticed yet, I have a wide range of interest when it comes to music that's why it's hard for me to just stick with one artist, even for just a week. Also, I almost always don't listen to an artist's whole album. I just remember the songs I like and I play that over and over again. I have, however, a few that I listen to (the whole album) over and over again. Epik High is one of them, as well as EXO. Another one is Juniel and of course, C.N. Blue! C.N. Blue is such a talented group, I can't even point out any flaw. They're good looking too! ;)

They recently released this song called "Truth" and I want to share it with you.

The melody is catchy, as expected. I've never heard any C.N.Blue song that disappointed me. It's always been a song that has a certain sound that lingers. For some reason, even though this was sung in Japanese, I still liked listening to it (and I will probably have this on repeat). Yonghwa's voice is flawless as always. I have nothing but praise for this song. I love it! Do you?

K-Pop Star 3 Finale: My Thoughts

If you've been following me for quite some time now, you would know that I'm addicted to this Korean audition program called K-Pop Star. Right now, I'm watching the third season. I loved the second season although I wasn't able to finish it (daebaksubs had to stop subbing because of copyright claims, etc. etc.). For this very reason, I had high expectations with the third. I expected to see fresh and new talents that I would root for.

 Top Ten

The overall search from regionals to top ten selection was really interesting for me to watch since there were a lot of aspiring youngsters who had so much talent in them. Although not everyone I cheered for made it to top ten, I was still happy they were given enough exposure during the selection. Among them is Peter Han, Heong Jeong Hee and Brody.

 Something

 Kwon Jin Ah

When top ten was chosen, I was particularly drawn to Kwon Jin Ah and Something. Something didn't make it to the live broadcast. It was really heartbreaking as I wanted to see more of the duo. I really hope they get casted in an agency and debut soon. Kwon Jin Ah, however, did pretty well! She reached until top three and was eliminated just before the grand finale. It was such a pity since I really had this feeling that Kwon Jin Ah had the qualities of a K-Pop Star. I'm crossing my fingers, though, that an agency casts her and make her debut possible. I really consider her as the winner. Watch her perform Sunmi's 24 Hours here:

I only have one episode to go and I can't wait to find out who the winner is! I will be saving this post and get back as soon as I finish the whole program and find out who the winner is. I'm so excited!

[UPDATED!!!]

I just finished the whole season and was shocked to find out that Bernard Park won! I really thought Sam would take over because he always had a lot of fans in the background. Nevertheless, I'm happy for Bernard Park. I really wish he achieves his dream through this and get to help his family.

Another thing I was happy about is that all the contestants I liked were there in the finale: Peter Han, Something and Kwon Jin Ah (the winner in my heart)!!! Yay! :)

EXO-M: Overdose!!!

credits to owner

I haven't even typed out my post for the day on my main blog and here I am, on my drama blog, creating a post, when in fact, I don't have to. I don't know if you've seen the trend already but I basically blog everyday. I have two blogs that are currently active. This one and my beauty blog. Just to be fair and organized, I have decided to blog every other day for each blog. Yesterday, I already posted in this blog which means today is meant to be for my other blog. I was about to write down an awesome Sample Room review when I saw the news about EXO-M's performance of Overdose!

Due to the Sewol ferry tagedy, EXO-K's comeback has been delayed to give way for grieving on that very unfortunate incident. I completely understand this chain of events so I wasn't actually expecting any EXO comeback news until later but I read that EXO-M already performed the song through Global Chinese Music! I immediately watched it and (as I expected) I was completely taken over their performance. Really, 'someone call the doctor' please. Because EXO has really got me! Watch their performance below!

EXO! I want you! Luhan! You've got me! *fangirling*

I know I can be shallow at times. I like certain artists because they are physically attractive (so on and so forth) but one thing is for sure with EXO. They are not only attractive but they're also talented! I love their singing, dancing and overall performance. Also, I like their songs! They're one of the few artists that I like to listen to (the whole album). I can't wait for the mini album to be released. Keep it up EXO! I hope you come and visit Philippines again. :)

K-Pop Star 3: Peter Han

WARNING: Contains spoilers!

Over the past few days, my blog has turned into a reaction blog towards an audition program that I've been hooked to-- K-Pop Star Season 3. Since I did a long post yesterday when it was supposed to be a 'skip day' for me, I won't be writing long for today. I will just be sharing an eye candy that I found while watching the third season of K-Pop Star-- Peter Han!

 Peter Han with the Shorties

 Lower right corner- Peter Han

with Yao Weitao

I am extremely sad that he got eliminated, not only because I felt like he had all the star qualities needed to debut in the music industry but because I genuinely felt like his last performance was so much better than some of the people that were chosen as part of the top ten.

If you don't know who Peter Han is, then you better read on. He's basically a contestant in the aforementioned show. He's from Austria and he has a very nice musical background. If I'm not mistaken, both his parents are working under the musical field.

In my opinion, he's the most good looking contestant in K-Pop Star Season 3. I will be leaving you with one of his performances with another contestant, Yao Weitao (who also got eliminated), the good looking Chinese chef. While they can't take their eyes off of you (They're singing the song "Can't Take My Eyes Off You", I can't take my eyes off of Peter Han! Sorry for too much fangirling. Just let me be. Jebal. Hehe.

K-Pop Star 3: Hong Jeong Hee (홍정희)

WARNING: Contains spoilers.

I'm not supposed to write down a post today but I just feel so down, I have to let out these unfair feelings stirring up inside me. So as you probably could tell, I've been into watching K-Pop Star Season 3. Yesterday, I posted about Brody from episode 8, thinking she got really eliminated. It was a sad event but during that time, I think the judges were in the right position when they made this choice.

Today, however, as I was watching episode 12, my heart was wrecked, almost literally. This post is in tribute for this one talent who, in my opinion, should not have been eliminated- Hong Jeong Hee (홍정희). During the battle audition, Hong Jeong Hee was up against Bae Min Ah and Almeng, both formidable opponents for this 'make it or break it' round. They will be ranked in this battle. The one who goes first goes straight to the top ten contenders and the second place goes for a re-match. The one who goes last, however, gets eliminated. And as stated above, Hong Jeong Hee was eliminated. And for me, it was just unfair. I think this is one of the most unfair situations I have ever seen in my life. And yes, I may have exaggerated a little bit on this. It was so unfair that I didn't really find it weird that YHY couldn't control his tears during the announcement of ranking.

Let me give you a little bit of an overview of what transpired during this stage. In my opinion, Hong Jeong Hee did a really good job. YHY chose a trot song for her to sing- ballad style. During the performance, she was really able to showcase her abilities in singing. I especially liked the quality of her voice, the technique and interpretation. I think the song fit her really nicely and that she really put out a really nice stage, fitting for the said crucial stage. Just so you have an idea, here's an audio of her performance:

Just hearing the audio shows how good her voice is but if you like, you can also view the whole stage here:

You can watch starting from the 5:24 mark.

Now her rival for this stage would be, in my opinion, is Bae Min Ah. She did a really good job. I thought if they didn't particularly like Hong Jeong Hee's song choice, it would be Bae Min Ah who would get the top spot. But no, it was Almeng!

Now before all Almeng fans lash out on this post, I would like to clear that I have nothing against them. I feel that they are musically talented. They are very passionate and it really shows in all their performances. They produce their stage very well and arrange their songs perfectly. In fact, I have this high regard for Almeng basically because I feel that they are good, but not only because they are naturally good. It is also because they work hard to be good and it shows. The only problem during this performance was that Choi Rin's voice was not in its best condition. To better explain, you can watch their performance below and you would see that her voice cracked several times during the performance. There were also a number of times when her voice sounds like it's having a hard time coming out. On another note, without a doubt, the arrangement and lyrics were the best out of the three. But for this stage, their delivery was the worst. I mean, I could see the passion and hard work that was placed just to finish the performance. But the thing is, I don't know if I've heard it from other judges or in other audition programs, voice management (taking care of your throat) is a vital part of preparation for every performance. I agree with this because you will be judged on the delivery itself don't do it properly, your song and arrangement won't come out as good as expected. This was very evident in their performance here.

If you watch it objectively, it was obvious that their performance wasn't good enough mainly because of the quality of the voice that came out during the performance. Surely, Almeng has one of the most potential out there but more than potential, performance must be taken more into consideration. I just felt like they didn't deserve first place during this stage. I know how good Almeng is but if I just compare the two performances, Hong Jeong Hee did a lot better. For this very reason, I am sleeping with a heavy heart.

Oh, and to make it clear, I don't mean to say Almeng must be eliminated, because they are good and they will probably create great stages for the live performances but just judging from these performances, they were clearly last, in my honest opinion.

I made this post just because I felt that it was so unfair for Jeong Hee's part. What do you think?

K-Pop Star 3: Brody

Hi guys! I'm currently on a K-Pop Star mode. For the past few days, all I've been doing is watching K-Pop Star stuff. It all started when I found out about 2000 Won's "I Hate Seoul" MV getting released, followed by reminiscing Racoon Boys during season 2. Because of this, I have decided to watch the third season, just to see if the new contestants are as good (or even better) than the previous season. Right now, I'm on episode 8 and the only reason why I'm stopping is because it's already 12:40AM and I have to hit the sack. (Yes, I schedule posts just a few hours before it gets published. Haha.) For this reason, I won't be writing a long post like I usually do. Instead, I would just simply share this performance of Brody from K-Pop Star Season 3.

*SPOILER ALERT*

She was the youngest of all the contenders, it was such a pity she got eliminated. She has a lot of potential in her and she has that certain charm to draw in viewers. I really hope she doesn't stop and continue to head towards a career in music. For now, let me leave you with one of my favorite performances of hers, "Titanium".

If you haven't watched K-Pop Star Season 3 yet, I suggest you do. It's just as good as the previous season, if not better. Oh, and there's an eye candy for the ladies out there so that's a plus. And yes, I am talking about Peter Han. (I'm not even going to deny it. Haha.)

Oh, and today's Good Friday so I would love to leave you with this quote by Augustus William Hare. "The cross was two pieces of dead wood; and a helpless unresisting Man was nailed to it; yet it was mightier than the world, and triumphed, and will ever triumph over it." This is just one of the top ten quotes to share about Jesus Christ to commemorate his crucifixion. Other quotes are found in International Business Times. Be sure to read it if you have time. God bless everyone!

UPDATE + SPOLERS

I am now at Episode 10 and WOW! Just WOW! Brody wasn't eliminated after all... She was casted in JYP! Yay! And Peter Han??? He's still sooo good looking, I can't even... ;)

Prime Minister and I + 2000 Won's I Hate Seoul: My Thoughts

Prime Minister and I isn't actually a new drama. It started late last year and it already ended two months ago. I knew about it from week one and I immediately watched it as soon as english subtitles were released. The sad thing about it, however, is that during that week, I didn't find the story to be amusing enough for me to actually finish one episode. Yes, you heard me right. Although the genre of the story is romantic comedy, my favorite, the story itself didn't appeal to me. It's not that the pace was too slow for me but I just didn't really like watching the show because of the main lead. Just to clarify, I have nothing against each of the leads. Although I am not familiar with Lee Beom Soo, I can see that he's a good actor and he does his Prime Minister role quite well. Yoona, on the other hand, has always been one of my top SNSD members that I admire. She's pretty and she acts well. This brings me back into revealing why I was so uninterested of the drama when in fact, individually, both lead actors were great. Two words. Age gap. I don't actually care about their age gap in real life but physically, they look so far apart in that category that I didn't feel the chemistry at all.

Yesterday, however, I did not have anything to watch so I tried viewing the drama again. I'm a firm believer of second chances (in giving a certain drama my attention) and I'm glad I did. Now that I'm watching it for the second time, I don't cringe at the age gap anymore. It's still too early for me to judge the drama as a whole but so far, so good. I'm planning to watch more episodes. I'm still on episode 3 so I can't really comment much on other aspects of the drama but I think it's worth the time. It's entertaining enough for me and I'm planning to finish the whole drama in the coming days especially since I haven't really decided on what to watch as replacement for the now finished "Emergency Couple". Oh how I miss that drama!

Something that I ought to mention in this post is the plot. The story is all about Nam Da Jung, a writer from a tabloid news spread called Scandal News. In an attempt to get a scoop on the youngest nominee to be the prime minister, she got herself tangled in a scandal with the nominee, Kwon Yul! To settle everything, they both ended up in a contract relationship with each other.

I suggest you try it out and watch it with me. I actually want buddies to watch it with. Oh, and if you already watched this, let me know if you find it any good. But please, no spoilers. I can't accept that. Haha.

On another note, I would like to share a new song that was released a few days ago that I just came to know about today. The song is by 이천원 (2000 Won), a duo group from South Korea, whom I knew from K-Pop Star Season 2 alongside Akdong Musician and Racoon Boys. They were among my favorites that season, including the other two mentioned just now. Anyway, 2000 Won got eliminated in the middle of the competition, seeing as Akdong Musician was the grand winner but it's just really nice to see that they have actually debuted despite having been eliminated. I particularly liked them because I knew they had talent within them to break into the K-Pop music industry and this song proves me right. I just hope they make it big and the promotions for this particular song goes well.

Here's their music video so you guys have an idea of what I'm talking about. It's entitled, "I Hate Seoul".

And here's a shout out to my good friend, Jade who's just moved to UK. Hit me with your adventure stories as soon as you can, okay? I can't wait! :)

Real Man (Korean Variety): My Thoughts

So recently, I've been into this Korean variety show called Real Man/ Real Men. I wasn't really sure what to expect from it except that the setting was in the military. The reason why I decided to watch it in the first place is because of Super Junior's Henry. Somehow, all the news I've read regarding the show is all centered in Henry. (Or it could be because I only read the news when I see Henry's name in its title.) It was interesting for me to read about some of his 'adventures' in the military especially when he was just starting and his friends tricked him into believing all the lies they said about the army (bring cash for weapons, red caps are the managers, knowing girl groups is a no-no, etc.) Recently, I've read about him calling SNSD's Tiffany to score some points from his superior and that's when I finally decided that I must watch the show once and for all. Good thing there are subbed versions for me to enjoy.

So excited, he doesn't even have any idea.

I was expecting it to be interesting but it did so much better than that! I find myself tearing up numerous of times because I've been laughing too much. I don't know why but Henry's character is so comical, sometimes I even wonder if all of it is real. I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if it's scripted but fellow SJ members vouch for his innocence regarding army life that even though it's hard to believe how clueless he is, I still do! He does unbelievable things I've never imagined one could actually muster up to do inside the military but sometimes, his baby face just makes me believe he's completely innocent about the world.

Dad, I'm right behind you! :)

Another thing that I like is his relationship with his 'Appa (father)'. It's nice to see him getting support from other guys since I really think if he doesn't get any, he wouldn't survive. I like that Park Gun Hyung has always been taking care of Henry as if it was a part of his nature to do so. (If you think you've seen Park Gun Hyung before but can't seem to remember exactly where you've seen him, think "Innocent Steps" or "I Do, I Do". That might help.) He doesn't get mad at him, understands him and always tries to teach him 'the ways' in a way that Henry would understand- because Henry is such a baby. Don't get me wrong, though. I love Henry and I think he's cute and being a military baby doesn't make me like him any less. :)

Currently, this is my favorite reality show of the moment. I have a few more subbed episodes to watch and I just can't wait to finish them all and continue watching out for new releases. I'm more than ready to laugh some more. Bring it on, Henry! I'm ready.

Have any of you watched this show already? Or are you planning to? I wanna know your thoughts!

A Pink "Pink Blossom" Mini Album: Review

For the past two days, I have been listening to A Pink's latest mini album called "Pink Blossom". It was released last March 31, 2014 with seven tracks, one being an instrumental. This is the perfect background music for when I'm reading romance mangas. I don't know why but all their songs seem to emit a romantic feel, which I surprisingly have been loving lately.

I gotta be honest with you. I'm not a big A Pink fan. Although I have big respect for them for not going with the "sexy concept" trend, I'm still not familiar with all the members and I don't have enough knowledge on the group's total personality. They have been in the industry for a while but I haven't really listened to their albums as much as I listened to this one. So basically, what I'm trying to say is I really really like this album compared to the previous ones. I have high hopes regarding this album and I really hope that they get the recognition they deserve for this.

There are seven tracks and I would like to share my thoughts on each track, in a regular netizen's point of view, who doesn't understand the Korean language. I won't be looking for english translations so I will just comment on how it sounds to me.

1. "SUNDAY MONDAY (썬데이 먼데이)" 

This is probably my favorite track in the album. I love the acoustic feel/ sounds of the song. It matches A Pink's vocals very well. I don't exactly know what the song means (too lazy to search) but it emits a very romantic feel. I like to put this track on repeat.

2. "Mr. Chu (On Stage)"

Their title track that has been released a few days ago. It's a very catchy song that I always end up singing along with. I love the transition of different parts of the songs right from the verses to the chorus. Oh, and have you seen the MV??? I love it! All the members look so fresh! I wonder if it's possible for me to also have the same feel- fresh and youthful. (Frustrations activated! LOL)

3. "Crystal (크리스탈)"

It's the type of song that would make you take a step  side by side while listening to. I also like the transition of different parts of the song and the harmony of their voices are quite pretty to listen to.

4. "Fairytale Love (사랑동화)" 

This gives me that drama OST kind of vibe. I personally like how their voices came out in this particular song because it doesn't sound too small for my taste. (I don't know if I'm even making senses with that comment. Haha)

5. "So Long"

This has got to be my second favorite track of the list. I like the sound, their voices and I feel nostalgic everytime I hear this. I don't even know what the song means but when they say "Do You Remember", it actually stimulates me to think of different memories.

6. "Mr. Chu"

Practically the same song as the On Stage Mr. Chu, except for some added accompaniments and added song duration of a few seconds.

7. "Mr. Chu (Instrumental)"

A nice instrumental so you can definitely make a cover in no time.

I've been loving the concept so much that I actually made a makeup tutorial inspired by their Mr. Chu concept!