My One Purple World

Japan = SMAP

2010-09-14T01:27:00.000+08:00

This is the only equation I know when the word Japan is mentioned. I will not think of Japan without thinking of SMAP and most especially Kimura Takuya, my impossible dream.

So when SMAP announced their live tour this year, I did not hesitate to call my friend Vic and screamed "they have a concert!!!". The year has been a hectic one and who cares if I will be doing a lot of twisting and turning to get myself over to Japan again. As they say in Japan "Gambatte!".

So on Sept. 3, with just a limited amount of yen to my name (I just came back from China a week before), I flew to Tokyo. The final destination is Osaka where Vic was waiting at our hotel. Like I always said, Japan is the land of my soul and as soon as I got off the plane, it felt not like home but more like a familiar playground. The first of my many train rides this trip was taking the Keisei line which will take me to central Tokyo in only 36 minutes! I was met by Mayo, who I've known for 5 years and is my surrogate at the SMAP Fan Club. She has warmly adopted me for the night at their Meguro ward home.

As you see it's a fangirl's home. Mayo loves Jerry the most. :D

On the morning of Sept 4, I went on my next train ride at the symbol of Japan's technology -> the Shinkansen or Bullet train! It was my first time to ride the famous Nozomi-san. As I sat on the train for the 2-hour ride, my excitement was so much that I thought I would break out in song "you can take a little holiday in the sun, take it easy have some fun" hahaha!

I arrived at Osaka after a 2 1/2 hour ride. As soon as I dumped my bags at Swissotel Nankai (http://www.swissotel.com/EN/Destinations/Japan/Swissotel%20Nankai/Hotel%20Home/Hotel%20Description), Vic and I immediately ran back out in the scorching sun and headed to our ultimate destination, the Osaka Kyocera Dome. We were awed as we approached the dome and realized its our 3rd dome concert (aside from Fukuoka Yahoo dome and Tokyo dome). We excitedly went straight to the concert goods area and temporarily lost ourselves in the lines.

The coveted concert goods stalls

The dome seats about 70,000 people

After a rather strict checking of our ticket source, we were escorted to the nose-bleed section equivalent to 7-storeys from the ground. It was a comfortable section though as the seats were the special box seats during baseball games. While waiting for everyone to get in, SMAP movie previews were being shown and their CMs. Ahhhh!!! Space Battleship Yamato! Takuya's upcoming movie in December. My early morning travel caught up with me and I fell asleep. I thought I was waking up to my alarm but realized the sound was a ticking clock on the screen.

The stage and arena.

When the dome was almost filled, a bunch of globe heads came out and mingled with the audience. Some shook hands, did body bumps, hi-fives and hugs! I've already read that SMAP was among these globe heads so it was so much more exciting for Vic and I to speculate who the members are. And of course sour-graped that we were not the lucky ones that had this rare interaction. This year, one of the nice touches to the concert was the CG effect on audience putting globe heads and faces of SMAP while we wait for the concert to start. It kept us busy and laughing.

Who could that be?

Then an awesome video of SMAP as astronauts came out signalling the start of "We are SMAP Live 2010". The opening song was This is Love, their newest single. Followed by old favorites Shake, Gambarimashou, Dear Woman remixed in a Japanese guitar style. I missed this! An awesome production that is truly a manifestation of Japan's technology and attention to details.

The sea of blue and green lights left side of the dome.

And the right...awesome!

I couldn't remember everything but another favorite is an arrangement of their old song Celery with an african tribal beat..oooh ganbatte iru yo yareru dake... Tsuyoshi's solo followed then back to group number with Bang Bang Vacance flooding the arena with balloons. And giving their Chinese fans more excitement with their upcoming Shanghai concerts, SMAP sang their biggest hit Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana in a chinese beat with matching costumes!

The MC talk was funny too as the guys talked about many male fans this year. Each member tried to call out the male audience who are their fans. Next was Nakai's solo. Vic and I were happy to see him back to his hip humping self doing his tribute Michael Jackson number. We missed the energetic leader! Goro's solo was cute because he had a lot of fan interaction with his virtual kisses on the big screen. By the time Sotto Kyutto was being sung, I was again going back to lalaland. zzzzzz....

I was jerked awake by the beats of Dynamite that segued to Five Respect. We missed that too! We love the video playback of their old concert video clips. Takuya at 18 was as charming as his now almost 38 year old self. Then Shingo had his solo. Vic and I had fits of laughter because we did not realize that the solo was in english!! hahaha!

The interlude for costume change were greetings of we are smap by Rain (yes the Korean star!), Lin Chiling (yes, Jerry Yan's ex!), Takeuchi Yuko and many more celebrities. When they came out again, they were wearing what will be one of my favorite outfits they had in a concert - green trench coats. They sang Lion Heart and OMG! the mics stands were glowing orange! :D

When they sang Orenji on the second stage near us, I cried once again. this song will always remind me that I made it again, that I was part of their music and I saw them live. A nice new song called Love and Peace segued to Takuya's solo Kimi no ma made which was touching at the beginning and then became extremely sexy. It's the white loose wifebeater I think. That's the culprit! And the toned upper arm muscles! LOL.

My body was hanging on the railings totally forgetting we were 7-storeys up!

There were many more special moments of the concert. It was almost 4 hours long! There are Korean artists that I love but I don't know if they can do something like this and do it for almost 20 years! While the superb technology of the finale was winding down, the 2 tops moment of Nakai and Takuya during Aoi Inazuma still lingered in my mind. And as the final bows were being made, Takuya's silent "thank you" gave Vic and I the resolve to come back for the next ones until the finale of their singing lives.

Mata ne!

Otsukaresama deshita SMAP no minna-san! It was a great show. It was all worth it.

Note:
Photos were taken by my Blackberry 8900 declared useless for its original purpose while in Japan but was very, very handy up there in the nosebleed section where no one was watching to throw me out of the dome for taking photos. The rest of the photos will be posted in my facebook page. :D

A Jampacked 2010

2010-09-13T02:06:00.000+08:00

How do I squeeze into one post what 2010 has brought me so far? I know visitors to my blog are disappointed that I have not updated but you will know why in the days to come.

Travels

Five countries, six separate trips. This coming Friday, 9/17, I will go on my 6th country and 7th trip. Taipei, Singapore, Hongkong, Mainland China, Japan and Korea.

Purple

I still love the color and in fact has added tons more to the collection as I go on my travels.

Fangirl Pursuits

I still am and will always be a fangirl. In fact, I have made a career out of it! Not just as a consultant but as a small business owner.

Day Job

Yes, the bread and butter still exists. The purple-themed office is still around. The hours have turned from day to night though which is one of the reasons why my brain is already dead by the time 12 midnight comes around and I attempt to write a post.

Family

I still have my playmate with me through all of these new things. He manages to nudge me out of bed everyday, feeds me and occasionally drives me to work while I catch some sleep. I also found time to have great bonding moments with family which I will post about later too.

Friends

Gained more! But also lost one very good friend who I am missing especially when I think about the stuff we could have done together with the fangirl business. Rest in peace Fran.

I will find the energy to post all about the above. I have a new mantra you see -> I AM SUPERWOMAN! I AM SUPERWOMAN! I AM SUPERWOMAN! Hahaha!

Marathon Update # 3

2010-01-24T01:10:00.000+08:00

I will not forget that Saturday. I was up at 6am to drive south from my place north (yes Novaliches to Alabang!) of Manila to man the booth of fangirlasia.com. At the end of the event, I drove to Bicutan, Paranaque to pick up my sister Teng then drove back south to Alabang for the homecoming party.

I didn't want to go to the party but the pout of my sister can be felt all the way to Shanghai , so I changed into a dress. It is with much appreciation that my car windows are tinted black. So after about half an hour, yours truly is now wearing a colorful peasant dress I have not worn since the silver wedding of Nanay and Tatay Gamab.

With Batch 84 schoolmate Universal Records' Ito Rapadas and my kuya Monmon Mitra, future Senator.

With Teng and her batchmates Maripit and Ruby.

I had fun. Yes, despite the exhaustion, I had fun seeing schoolmates and friends. I loved catching up with them and proud of their achievements and successes. Too bad I missed the homecoming organized by Batch 85 just this Saturday night. Even if I wanted to watch Kamikazee and Parokya ni Edgar, I wanted the rest time this weekend.

Thanks to the owner of the photos. I just snagged them at Facebook!

Marathon Update # 2

2010-01-24T00:26:00.000+08:00

So while I was getting stressed with the move to the new office, I was also busy with my new pursuit - Spinmanila.

Together with fellow fangirls, I joined Team Spinmanila with the objective of being professional fangirls. We wanted to bring our favorite asian artists to Manila as well as the most coveted goods fangirls consider as must buys.

I have not experienced anything like it in the 8 years that I have been a fangirl. The K-Pop convention that we attended to promote our webstore www.fangirlasia.com and sell merchandise was such a well attended event. Aside from our goods being sold fast, I had such a great time meeting and chatting with fellow fangirls.

Our flyer for the December 20th repeat of the sale.

Yes, the K-Pop Convention (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2927431&op=4&o=global&view=global&subj=568194993&id=622057102#/pages/Philippine-Kpop-Convention/132115926438) gig had a repeat performance last December 20th. This time, it was only fangirlasia.com who organized the selling event. Again, it wasn't such a bad day considering that it was only us there.

The site is now improved and the list of stocks on hand can be viewed. Check it out fangirls! www.fangirlasia.com

Marathon Update # 1

2010-01-23T23:48:00.000+08:00

It's been sooooo long since I updated my blog. I missed it but I couldn't find the time to update since there are so many things that happened to your purpleness since early December. So a mega-marathon of updates is in store for my blog friends. Are you ready? Here we go!

First off, the purpleness of my desk has moved to a new home last December 2009. From my 39F tower of Rapunzel, I am now at an 11F office, though big but it has no windows and sooooo damn cold! :)

That glass door is now covered with a layer of film.

And my purple stuff? Laid out nicely for everyone to see! :)

When laid out in my new desk, my purple stuff looked really nice and there's more space for new purple stuff! Haha! That was one of the things that made me excited about the move. :)

I've settled in and aside from the often crossing from one office building to another, I like our street. It is quiet and laid back. There's more opportunity to walk to lunch at one of the yummy restaurants nearby.

Let's see how the room looks months/years from now.

Where in the world?

2009-12-08T00:15:00.004+08:00

Where in the world can you find purple trash cans? :)

Can you guess? Send me a note! :)

SS501 Persona Tour Shanghai - Sidelights

2009-11-29T00:20:00.006+08:00

The last fangirl trip in Shanghai has tested my fangirl skills and maturity. One of the things that fangirls do is STALK.

When we arrived in Shanghai, stalking was not discussed as a must. We were happy to look at Hongkou Stadium (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hongkou_Stadium) by day. Even if we were not expecting to see the men rehearse, we still went to the stadium on Nov 13th just to find our way and not to get lost on concert day itself.

In the light (or gloom) of day, Hongkou was buzzing with activity. We were sidetracked a bit by the sidewalk sale going on. In a short span of time, Ems was able to buy a pair of boots, mittens and other pasalubong. Another thing that fangirls does is SHOP FOR MERCHANDISE . I was surprised that we did not do that right away but checked out what the local vendors were offering. Is that a sign of maturity? :)

One of the things that we were happy to see was the big concert billboard beside the stadium. We realized that we were looking at the ticket sales window. The I realized that we forgot to get our photo taken below this big billboard. Many overseas fans especially the Japanese were taking photos earlier. Are my fangirl skills in CAMWHORING getting stale? :(

During concert night, we were so happy that we were very close to the center stage and catwalk. Julie and I studied past Personas and realized that many of our fave songs especially the ballads were sung in the middle stage and catwalk so we bugged my brother-in-law Ramon to make sure we get seats near that area. Wasn't that a very skillful move? :)

And of course let us not forget what fangirl do all the time - BUY CONCERT MERCHANDISE! Surprisingly I kept to my budget. I only got the official photobook. Did I just become a mature fangirl? :)

Fangirls usually go crazy over unofficial merchandise. I actually only bought the ecobag, calendar and green light stick. The rest of the stuff in the photo below are gifts from Ssangchu Chinese fans who we bumped into after the concert. Is this another sign of maturity? :)

Or not? Because I couldn't resist buying the Boys Over Flower OST, Dong Bang Shin Ki's Rising Sun concert dvd and Close to you single (because Yunho is the featured member photo at the back cd cover). So I guess I am not yet as mature as I thought I would be? :)

SS501 1st Asia Tour Persona in Shanghai 2009

2009-11-22T01:56:00.003+08:00

Nothing beats a broken heart than a trip to Shanghai, China to watch the concert of my korean fandom flagbearers - SS501. Why I was broken hearted is another story though. It was basically the reason why I was not in the mood to post for quite a while.

Anyhow, last November 12th, I flew to Shanghai with fellow fangirls Julie and Ems. Our main objective was to watch the Persona Tour Shanghai stop of our favorite Korean group SS501. The 3 of us were adopted by my sister Teng and her husband Ramon.

As soon as we woke up the morning after we arrived, we embarked on our 1st adventure. Check out Hongkou Football Stadium, the venue of the concert. Despite this being my 3rd visit to Shanghai, it was my first time to take the Shanghai Metro. Nothing to it! We found the stadium without getting lost. :) We even had the time to shop for unofficial goods and crazy stuff like purple toilet seat covers (more on my next post). What we were not prepared for is the weather! 7 degC with high wind chill factor!!

So on concert day itself, Saturday, November 14th, we made sure that we were warmly dressed and ready for rain.

Hongkou Stadium at night is beautiful. The lights gave the place a commanding presence in the area with a capacity for around 30,000 people. Once inside the stadium, we were happy to see that our seats though not the most expensive, is the most strategic! We were near the center stage and catwalk! I couldn't contain my excitement because we will be able to see the boys without any difficulty.

Armed with our green light sticks, we braved the sea of chinese fans and found our seats. Our greatest discovery is that the chinese fans are so friendly and were surprised that foreign fans like us were in their midst. And they attempted to speak to us in English!

I have seen video clips of Persona from Seoul to Tokyo up to Taipei but nothing beats the feeling of seeing it live and in person. When the stage lit up with the opening number of Deja Vu, I couldn't help but scream by brains out. The boys, the boys are singing and dancing before my eyes. Well, almost before my eyes. Despite the welcoming smiles of the chinese fans, their concert viewing habits are not as welcoming. They were standing on the seats and we couldn't see the boys among the sea of light sticks, light boards and cameras.

We are not resilient Filipinos for nothing! With Julie's construction expertise, we put together a double-layer chair with yours truly precariously perched on top. I can now see everything!!!

I loved the numbers especially Four Chance and the tango arrangement of the song. I loved it that they sang half of their songs in the second stage and catwalk! They were so near!! And all of the boys were sooo pleasant and smiling. The energy level was so high even Kim Hyun Joong! :)

When Park Jung Min popped out from the riser at the edge of the catwalk, I screamed so loud that I think Jung Minnie heard it. He sang so well live especially the mandarin song wo de pengyou.

Another surprise was Heo Young Saeng. He exuded a quiet sexiness singing his solo song Nameless Memory. No wonder my other friend (and soon to be business colleague) Pin became enamored with his presence! :)

Of course maknae Kim Hyung Jun sings so well. He has the most distinct voice among the boys in my opinion. You will always know its him. He is still such a baby though even when he was trying to be manlier in his solo number.

My Kyu - my Kim Kyu Jong was the most hyper that night. Only later did we find out that he was sick. Way to go Kyu Jong! Among the 5 boys, Kyu is a "kyutie" that one will appreciate only when in person. His rapport with fans was so good. He seems to have lost weight but his solo number was still sexy. I can still remember his black wifebeater!

Of course the highlight for me was seeing with my own two eyes Kim Hyun Joong leader's solo Please Be Nice To Me. I did not expect him to show some skin but despite the freezing temperature and the plea of the chinese fans, he still did! That professionalism to stick to the show's flow despite the open air cold condition made me admire him more and made the trip so worth it.

The evening was even made more fun and memorable when the boys sang songs from their latest mini-album Rebirth. I was awed at the thought that I have seen them perform Love Like This live. Especially since the boys won their 1st Music Bank win for the song that day. We were screaming at the point of no return when the boys walked again to the center stage and sang Only One Day. They were soooo near!

My throat locked up when they even came nearer and sang Wang Du Ko. They were just a couple of meters away sitting on chairs that were slowly spinning for everyone to see them. Have you guys tried screaming with no sound coming out?! hahaha!

So when the encore part came and the boys came out in Persona in Shanghai t-shirts, I was dancing wildly in my chair - oops! I forgot I was perched on 2-levels. Without any care that my 43-year old body may fall anytime, I kept dancing to their classic hits Coward and Bye bye Baby Bye.

The memory of all of them running around near our area was so fresh still even after a week and now back to my daily life. Hyun Joong's pink ears was sooo cute, Kyu Jong's hyper dancing and running around with his Kyu's light board, Baby's funny animal headgear, Saengie in a red cap and Jung Min's bright smile, made me forget the chill of the Shanghai evening.

Congratulations to SS501 for a successful show. It made your 7,000 plus audience the happiest grean peas on earth. And it will surely make your TripleS grow and grow. Just keep being your happy and hard working selves and you'll go more places.

And I will most probably go with you..

SS501 Event Survey

2009-11-08T23:35:00.004+08:00

Did you guys watch Boys Over Flowers at ABS-CBN?

Did you like Jihoo sunbae? Jihoo sunbae is Kim Hyun Joong in real life.

Did you know that Hyun Joong is a multi-talented guy and that he belongs to this really cool group called SS501 (pronounced Double S 5-0-1)?

Did you know that SS501 is one of the most popular groups in Korea? And if you watched Boys Over Flowers, did you know they sang one of the most popular theme songs of the drama called Because I'm Stupid?

Did you know that the rest of SS501 are also multi-talented guys who does a variety of things like host a radio program, MC variety shows and are now venturing into acting? They are Kim Hyun Joong, Heo Young Saeng, Kim Kyu Jong, Park Jung Min and Kim Hyung Jun.

Did you know that currently SS501 is doing their 1st Asian Tour called Persona and have already performed concerts in Seoul, Tokyo, Taipei and this week in Shanghai and Hongkong in December?

The fans of these guys are wishing that they'd make Manila one of their stops. Do you want it to happen too?

Then please answer this survey to see if we really can make it happen. You do not need to fill up all information but we will appreciate it very much if you do. And what's in it for you if you do spend time to answer the survey? - You will be the first to know the details, the first to buy tickets and therefore choice seats. It is the organizer's way of showing their appreciation for the help.

So here is the link:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=iHN4dVJEYeoERulcJzAxhg_3d_3d

Please send the link to your friends who are not really online much but like to see the group as well.

Thank you and here is our battlecry:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLt1FgujhSs

Growing Collection

2009-11-01T01:46:00.003+08:00

It started with this...

And then these came along soon...

My collection is growing and growing. When I discovered SS501 earlier this year, I never thought I would be hooked as much as I was hooked with my other fandoms.

When the Solo collection cd came out, it was such good timing that Kai, one of my ohana was in Korea. Then my brother-in-law Ramon went to Korea during the time I was obsessing about Photo 501. UR Man was an additional blessing from him.

And then the Taiwan versions of older cds were released in the Philippines - all at the same time!

And the latest album, Rebirth just happened to arrive from Korea. I am waiting for the Taiwan version still. :)

The collection just keeps growing and growing...

SS501's Rebirth to be released in Manila too!!

2009-10-21T01:30:00.002+08:00

Warner Music, the Philippine distributor of SS501 records is set to release one of the hottest KPop albums of this year!

Warner encourages all SS501 fans, BOF & JoongBo fans in the country to buy their copies of the group's RE-BIRTH Mini album locally as they'll be releasing both the Korean and Taiwan versions of these CDs.

Korean version: SS501 Mini Album - Rebirth (Special Edition) (Limited Edition) The Limited Edition comes with a 100-page photo diary and 2 posters. Only limited copies will be out so please contact tripleSph.com to reserve a copy for this version.

Taiwan Version: Taiwan Limited Edition
A SEA Release Date: Nov 17, 2009
This configuration comprise of Album CD + Chinese subtitled DVD + 28-paged photo booklet with lyrics + Chinese lyrics +New music video of “Love Like This”(Chinese subtitle)+ Making of New music video of “Love Like This” (Chinese subtitle) 3-5 minutes +Korean Teaser Spot

PLUS! Prior to releasing the Re-Birth Mini Album, Warner Music will also release 3 of SS501's albums namely Deja Vu, Find and SUPER HITS. Fans can expect to see these albums at their favorite local record bars within this week or early next week.

So what are you waiting for? Place your orders now at tripleSph.com.

Pan de Purple

2009-10-16T00:01:00.004+08:00

Many will wonder... a purple bread?

Yours truly was of course ecstatic when I was given this pack by my sister-in-law Pam. In the Philippines, the bakeries of old have a staple bread variety we called "pan de regla" because the middle part of the bread is/was red. There are fewer and fewer of them who make these bread and in recent years, the middle part of the bread has become purple! Why? I have no idea. :)

The taste is not that fantastic. It's not too sweet and it is usually soft. But I love it and has loved this since I was young! And now I've rediscovered where to get my fix.

Oh and I have renamed it pan de purple. I even told the sales girls at Oven Maid (the bakeshop who makes them) that I call the bread pan de purple. And they don't seem to mind.

And the price? Per pack it costs Php 20.00 or roughly 50 US cents! What a steal! I can't wait for my next trip to my hometown in Paranaque for my next pan de purple stockpiling. Anyone care to try it? :)

SS501 CDs to be released in Manila!

2009-10-07T17:14:00.006+08:00

Philippine fans of SS501 (read Double-S 501) is all abuzz as news of the release of their cds Super Hits, Find and Deja Vu came out. Although there is no official word from the record label carrying the boys' cds locally, the release is most likely to happen this month!

I am personally happy to hear this because I have been wanting to get the boys' cds since the Hongkong fanmeeting but only managed to snag UR Man in Seoul through the kindness of my brother-in-law Ramon.

The Super Hits cd was released in Taiwan and other asian countries like Hongkong and Singapore. Find and Deja Vu were also released in Japan. Our source also said that the albums will not be re-packaged so we will get similar looking albums as the ones released overseas.*

I hope that all fans of SS501 including the fans of Kim Hyun Joong (the group's leader) more popularly known in Manila as Ji-hoo from Boys Over Flowers support this great move.

The rest of SS501 are Kim Kyu Jong, Park Jung Min, Kim Hyung Joon and Heo Young Saeng.

*Note: Local packaging is usually horrible. :(

Back to the birdcage..

2009-10-03T18:21:00.004+08:00

Since mid-September, I have been living in my sister's flat while my car is being repaired. For half a month, I was a privileged child living in an upscale place only 10 mins. from my office. I did not even feel the typhoon that flooded and devastated most of Metro Manila!

I do miss my birdcage and the comfort of my own little home. So with much gratitude and thankfulness for the generosity of my sister and brother-in-law, I now get ready to leave my haven and move back to my birdcage.

The purple luggage (of course!) has to be packed until its next trip. The purple Ikea blanket also has to go back home.

Thanks Teng and Ramon for a wonderful time at TRAG! :)

Random Gift

2009-09-18T21:07:00.003+08:00

Nope, it's not a chair for moi...but for my BB! A colleague at work one day popped in my office and presented me with that little box. Opening the box and taking out this cute purple phone chair brightened my day. These past couple of months, bright days are far and few so one bright day is hard to forget.

The Blackberry is a bit too big for the chair but I can sit it sideways and doesn't fall so yey! :)

It's not my birthday. And Christmas is not until 3 months away so receiving a random present is probably the next best thing to Christmas....or even better. The level of surprise is so much more. During birthdays and Christmas, you have expectations. Even if one is trying to live under the old adage of "it is better to give than to receive", there is still that small expectation that you will receive something one way or the other.

Thank you so much Ms.O. :)

If all the raindrops were Coca-Cola Zero...

2009-09-11T23:49:00.003+08:00

It's pissing rain here in Manila these days. I am always screaming expletives at the potholes especially along the EDSA, Manila's major highway.

Oh well, one of my consolation is my addiction to Coke most especially Coke Zero. And yay, I have a new purple Coke glass from the US. Thank you Elsa! :)

So to take away the niggling feeling of exasperation, let's all sing a Barney song with a little lyrics twist...

if all the raindrops were coca-cola zero, oh what a rain it would be
standing outside with my mouth open wide
ah,ah,ah-ah,ah,ah-ah,ah,ah-ah
if all the raindrops were coca-cola zero, oh what a rain it would be...

Keeping the Faith

2009-08-25T00:21:00.008+08:00

I was going to post something purple because I have not done that in quite a while. But after watching this excellent fan made video, I've decided to post about this group that I love listening to.

In Korea where they were born and raised, they are called Dong Bang Shin Ki. In Japan where they are now a huge act, they are called Tohoshinki. The rest of Asia calls them TVXQ.

Personally, I love their Japanese persona so I think of them as Tohoshinki. I love their Japanese albums and have not listened through 3 of their albums - Heart, Mind and Soul, Five in the Black and T. I will soon start listening to their 4th Japanese album, The Secret Code.

The Toho boys are composed of Yunho, Jaejung, Xiah, Mickey and Max. I am not going to write about the boy's history. A quick search in the internet will give you months' worth of reading material and videos clips.

I will get a lot of arguments from their die-hard fans (around 800,000 of them who are official members) but the boys are not exactly the most gorgeous in this world. But I myself will argue that they have the best voices collectively assembled in a group. They have interesting personalities but what impressed me the most is their quick and fast way of learning Japanese. I was not impressed by the language learning per se but from their determination to be mainstream and thus not letting go of the goal until they can now converse like natives.

Tohoshinki is so prolific as a group having released albums and singles on both the Korean and Japan shores. Not to mention their forays in China too! Aside from their outstanding vocals, the boys can also dance AND do both showcasing their lung power.

The group is now facing probably the biggest challenge of their career. Biting the proverbial hand that feeds you is both an act of courage and a death wish. I can only pray that the boys will overcome this and life goes on for us fans. And since I am not as talented as the one who made this video, I'd like to show my support to them via this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezvsD9HZv04

Goodbye for now..Kim Rae Won

2009-08-17T00:42:00.004+08:00

He finally went in to serve the army as is the obligation of all South Korean men. I will definitely miss his work because this guy is one good actor.

So see you in a couple of years Rae Won! Serve well and take care. =)

Sign me up for life!

2009-08-08T01:05:00.003+08:00

From cute...

...to smoking hot!!!

Kim Hyun Joong, leader-ssi of SS501 is going places. And it seems I'm signed up to tag along for life. Hahaha!

Photo credits: Kinghyunjoong.com and Baidu

President Aquino's passing and memories of a time..

2009-08-02T18:12:00.004+08:00

The passing of former President Corazon "Cory" Aquino yesterday, August 1st, is a sad day for the millions of Filipinos who embraced democracy and is continuing its fight to keep it two decades later. I never thought that her passing would bring a flood of memories for me and not just memories of Edsa and People Power 1 but memories of my life stories that I never thought would come back.

I have always been apolitical and it has always been one of the things that I remember my own mother tried her best to change. I left De La Salle University in September 1985. It was one of if not the most turbulent times for Philippine politics. The month before, President Cory's husband Ninoy was just assassinated. Amidst all this I remember that I was pre-occupied with going out with friends and just plain having a good time because I did not have to study anymore. What I forgot and now remember is despite the turbulence of the times, I was never afraid even if I did not know what lies ahead of me and what career path should I take.

My own mother who we fondly called Maming at that time, I remember now was also unafraid and maybe that is why I wasn't afraid either. Despite the financial difficulties that we were having then - my father (Paping) has just retired and is only getting his income from teaching golf, I had 4 other brothers and sisters who are in school, the political and economic turmoil, etc - my Maming was calmy keeping the family together.

February 1986, I was officially a bum for 5 months. When the call for People Power came, I remember my Maming packing all of us into our old Ford Fiera and headed out to Edsa. It was just another family outing is all I remember but now I realized how strong her conviction was and without so many words just showed us. Even with a string budget that the family was on at that time, Maming passed by a grocery store and bought boxes and boxes of juice drinks and packs and packs of bread. I don't know about my brothers and sisters but now I remembered that I never even bothered to ask why she was doing that. I just watched and sat at the back of truck. Until we got to Guadalupe along EDSA.

I never would think of walking from Guadalupe to Camp Aguinaldo even now. Alipin ako ng kotse. Ayaw na ayaw ko noon maglakad or mag-commute. But now I remembered that my Maming made me do it without even asking us. She just went down the truck, made each one of us carry as much as we can and started walking towards the throng of people in Edsa and giving away food and drink. We just followed. And stayed.

By just being there, I remember now that I learned so many of my life's lessons. Oh there were many more to come as the next 23 years passed - career, marriage, etc. But those times my eyes just absorbed it all, buried at the back of my head and have now been resurrected as the icon of those times died.

I also realized now that my Maming must have felt a connection with that housewife back then. Like President Cory, my Maming was both mother and father to 5 children most of her married life because her husband's profession required him to be away 90% of the year. And despite all of her personal challenges, she still had time and chose to make a stand.

My Maming who is now in heaven too has not cured my being apolitical. Wala pa din akong interest sa politika. But if push comes to shove, I think I learned that very important lesson well from my Maming and President Cory too. Kikilos din ako. I will most likely do something. Because it is not anymore politics but life and the future.

Rest in peace President Cory.

Rest in peace Maming. I love you and will always, always miss you.

Staring at My Purple Desk...

2009-07-23T22:44:00.003+08:00

Sitting in my office, yearning... yearning for my next plane ride... hahaha!

Since I will be stuck in Manila behind my desk for the next few months, I decided to share what I am staring at.... more purpleness!

Of course the muse of this photo is that yummy cupcake with purple icing from Sonja's cupcake in Serendra (sorry couldn't find an official website). I love this cupcake! But again, I cannot indulge all the time because of 'ye 'ol blood sugar.

Maybe when my sister Teng comes home in September. =)

Nothing Purple About This Trip...

2009-07-12T23:42:00.005+08:00

You heard it right, this last trip to Hongkong has nothing purple in it. None whatsoever! I did not buy anything purple. That is a first!

But I was happy with my loot nevertheless. It shows how diverse and wide my love for asian entertainment has become.

From Korea, of course the main purpose of the trip was the SS501 Hongkong Fanmeeting. That little credit card looking thing was the most expensive purchase - it was the ticket to the event!!!

From Japan (well originally Korea..hehehe), I finally got my most coveted concert dvd of Tohoshinki, also known as Dong Bang Shin Ki or TVXQ. I have been wanting to get their T Concert DVD filmed in Saitama and to find a marked down Hongkong release was a blessing.

From Taiwan, I got the 3rd and latest cd of Jerry Yan, from the Taiwanese F4 (who fellow fangirls call our first loves). I was surprised and happy with this latest work of Jerry because he experimented with techno punk rock, a little hip hop and R&B.

And last but not the least from Hongkong and Macau, I got the latest cd of Soler and as an unexpected and added bonus, their 1st concert dvd. I adore their MV and would find a way to upload it for everyone to enjoy.

And okay, that little long thingy there with a photo is a bookmark of - - U-Know Yunho of Tohoshinki who I am giving a lot of love to these days as well. *shy smile*

My first taste of SS501 and finally Kim Hyun Joong in the Flesh!

2009-07-04T23:50:00.002+08:00

I was supposed to post something else but could not concentrate much as I was getting ready and excited about this fanmeet in Hongkong. Several weeks back I posted about my obsession with Kim Hyun Joong and his reality tv show called We Got Married.

Soon after that I was on youtube whenever I am not working or sleeping and got to know his group called SS501 who debuted in 2005 and is now gaining a lot of popularity in Asia. I was lucky to be part of their 1st Hongkong Fan Meeting with the help of a friend. Here goes what happened as cross-posted from soompi forums (http://www.soompi.com/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=105&view=findpost&p=13835248).

Hello everyone!!I just came from the Hongkong Fan Meeting and here's my account of that glorious July 1 day.

The event was held at Hitec in Kowloon Bay. My friend and I went there on the evening of June 30th so that we know how to get there and not get lost on the day of the event! It was a very intimate venue and I was already telling myself that even if I sit at the last row, I would be happy because I can still see them clearly from 200 meters.

On the day of the event, there were tons of fans not only from Hongkong but saw from China, Canada, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines and Australia. Showing the Philippine flag, my friends (6 of us) and I were subjected to photos from the press and one interview by Arirang Showbiz News. When we got to our seats, we cannot help but scream!!! My seat was 6 rows from the front!!!! And what's more the stage has a mini catwalk, the end of which is where we are. I told my seatmate that if anyone of the boys dare go to the catwalk I would die!!

The show started around 3:45 to no fault of the boys. Seems there were fans who did not have seats and some are complaining they cannot see the stay from way right or left. While the commotion is being settled, mvs of the boys were played and everyone sang along. The boys came out after the promo mv of the Asia Persona Tour.This is it!!! I only knew about the boys since February 2009 and after only 4 short months I was blessed to be able to see them up close. I love their outfits. Of course I suck at taking photos but I tried my best to concentrate but I always fail everytime. I was especially happy to see that HJL's hair is not curly that day!! Young Saeng and Baby were the same in person and in pics. Jung Min has a very thin face and looks healthier on screen. My revelation for the day is Kyu Jong. The boy is absolutely, definitely more gorgeous in person. Photos do not do him justice at all!!

Leader's nose is a bit red so he must have caught a cold but his eyes are to die for! He seems to be wearing colored contact lenses. I do not know cantonese and korean so I only relied on my friend who is learning korean and can understand some of what they were saying. One of my most favorite parts is the interview where the boys seemed to have ganged up on Jung Min. They all were asked to say something good and bad about each other and when it was Young Saeng's turn to talk about Jung Min - hahahaha!!!

The boys were soooooo playful that day. Jung Min and Baby were pretending to fight. Kyu Yong was pretending that the X board he was holding was a gun and was shooting Baby, etc. Then host asked the fans what we wanted Leader to do and I heard everyone saying dance sexy back but what the heck next thing we knew there was a guitar being brought to the stage. Kyu Jong acted as the mic stand and patiently waited while Leader took of his gloves.

For some reason the rest of the boys solo thing became aegyos. Kyu did a cute wassup, Baby did a cute Song Calling for You dance, Young Saeng did his now famous Gee dance and Jung Min did his cantonese proposal. Then they were handed roses. We thought they would be going down the aisle and give to girls but instead they did a raffle. I am so unlucky at these things. So each boy picked a number to take a polaroid shot with the roses. I almost fainted when they announced Section 2 - that's my section!, Seat 9 - god that's my seat number!, Row H - WTF!!! That's 2 rows behind me!!! Oh well. I was happy to see the boys hamming it up when polaroids were taken. All 5 ladies were lucky. One of them got the surprise of her life as many of you already know. Jung Min suddenly lifted her for the photo taking!!!

The singing and dancing was great. I am so happy that I got to hear them sing live most especially A Song Calling for You. After the last song, the boys left the stage for a moment and got everyone organized for the photo taking. 10 people up on stage at a time. Five seconds of opportunity. When the organizers sceream 1-2-3 Cheese and Snap, you do your thing with the boys...I mean pose. And posing could be having your arms around them like one fan did with Baby to which he gave a happy thumbs up. Or handing banners and stuff to the boys to hold for you. Or put your head near them and do the peace sign. The boys seem to be game.

When it was our turn to go, I was so nervous. I could not remember what I was going to say to whoever boy is in front of me. This was their places before the photo op. When we got up the stage, I landed in between Kyu Jong and Young Saeng. I had eye contact with Kyu Jong and told him in English we are from the Philippines and before I knew it the blasted girl shouted the count and all I could do was hold on to Kyu's shoulder and bent a little. After that we were herded away but before we left Kyu turned around and said thank you and bye. Then I tapped each boy on the shoulder as we went down. They were all nice and waved goodbye most enthusiastically Jung Min who was last before you go down the stage.

Sorry for the long post but I had to get this done before I forget. I will be cross posting this post in my blog and will also try to upload the dismal clips that I took with my mobile phone.

I am forever hooked and is now starting to scrimp and save for any of the Asia stops. My appreciation goes to girls at Triple S Philippines board, the ladies of Fly with SS501 who adopted us (we even have sample Tony Moly stuff and giveaways!!!) and produced those awesome seats. Also a shout out to fellow members in soompi from Singapore who were a row behind us. It was great meeting you!

Fangirl on a Road Trip!

2009-06-19T01:43:00.002+08:00

I basically spent the 111th Independence day of the Philippines sleeping.

So on the last day of the past long weekend, I was excited to have something to do...fangirling! Except I don't have to fly out of the country (yet) to chase after a celebrity I like.

So together with fellow fangirls, off we went on a road trip to a nearby province - Pampanga. We were intent on seeing local celebrity Gabby Concepcion who made a comeback last year to Philippine showbusiness.

The event was held at SM Clark in Angeles, Pampanga and SM San Fernando in where else but San Fernando, Pampanga. There were so many other events in Manila that we could meet him but well fangirls are always not concerned about the place or the venue. Our concern is if we will get to meet and greet.

While waiting for Gabby to arrive at the venue, fangirls resorted to an age old pastime - camwhoring. Pose here and there. We wanted to indulge in another pastime - shopping but there wasn't much time.

Of course we got our autographs and individual photos at the events! But what was cherry on the ice cream sundae was that we were allowed to follow Gabby and his entourage to their private dinner venue so we can do more camwhoring. Isn't that the coolest? I wish there is an opportunity such as this with my boys in Taiwan, Japan and Korea... sigh...

So anyway, the food was great. Lunch was good too even if Aling Naty's carinderia was just a second choice to Aling Lucing who closes her famous road side eatery on Sundays!

The restaurant during dinner is called C's and though the menu was a bit pricey for the average Filipino, it never is for a fangirl. After our super delicious risotto and pasta dinner, dessert was of course Gabby.

The company of fellow fangirls was great. The company of my playmate was great. A nice and accommodating artist (mabuhay ka Gab and thank you!) makes a really, really fun and fan day!!!

Purple Hunting!

2009-06-11T23:50:00.004+08:00

I was in a management meeting last Monday when my friend Norman texted me and told me about the Purple Hunt promo of Yahoo Philippines (http://ph.yahoo.com). I was booked the whole day and was dying to see what the purple fuzz was all about.

Finally, I managed to register for the promo. Keeping in mind that I need to get to one of the malls soon. The opportunity came the next day. I had to attend a briefing on AH1N1 at the American Chamber of Commerce (http://www.amchamphilippines.com/). On the drive there, I was so happy that their office is right in front of Greenbelt Mall (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenbelt_(Ayala_Center). So right after the briefing, I took a quick detour and went to see the booth.

Of course you will not miss the booth as its purpleness was right smack in the lobby of Greenbelt 3. I asked how to join and they said if I had a printout of the registration (which I did..hehe) then I get to have a free purple donut and the rubics cube type key chain. Yes!!!

And then I was asked to play this game using this purple wall. I was supposed to find the drawing that I pick in 30 seconds and I get to win an item. The more I find, the nicer the prize.

My eyes were not as fast as it used to be... so I only won a cute purple post-it pad. The highlight of this promo is a raffle of a car with purple graffiti! I want, I want!!! I wish, I wish...

This little Honda Jazz (http://www.hondaphil.com/) is such a cutie that I had to take front and side shots. Can you imagine me speeding around Manila in this car? LOL! And then if you get assistance on how to use yahoo mobile on your blackberry, you get another giveaway, this time a purple lanyard! Woohoo!

I had so much fun in just a few short minutes. As soon as I got back to the office, I took a pic of my loot and munched my purple Krispy Kreme (http://www.krispykreme.com.ph/) doughnut with a huge grin on my face.

YAHOO!!!

Visit the Purple Hunt booths of Yahoo! Philippines until June 18th. Check out schedules at the website.

Black & White

2009-06-08T23:20:00.003+08:00

Since April, my Mondays are Black & White days. This Taiwan drama is broadcasted every Saturday night, uploaded online every Sunday and subbed by a community of fans overnight ready for viewing online by Monday morning usually before noon.

I watch this over at vikki.net (http://www.viikii.net/channels/goto/blackandwhite). The concept of community subbing is sooo cool. Everyone who is a member and can translate may contribute to the project. The moderators have already timed the subs and left blank spaces for people to type the sub-title. How cool is that!!!

So anyway, I am so loving this drama. It's a police drama with Vic "Zaizai" Chou Yu Min (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vic_Chou) and Mark Zhao as leads. Zaizai is my favorite F4 of Taiwan. I have been following his career since I was introduced to F4 via Meteor Garden. From the broody Hua Ze Lei to the edgy and sexy Ling in Mars, the funny and quirky Xu Le of Wish To See You, Zaizai has evolved into the mysterious, multi-layered character Chen Zai Tian.

The series as of this post is at episode 18 with 6 more to go. Despite retaining his boyish good looks, Zaizai takes on a policeman with a mysterious past. The character of Chen Zai Tian is playful, loves women, he hates getting hurt, does not like shooting his gun but had a reputation for solving cases.

There are many new things that I've seen from Zaizai in this drama. Images such as sexy dancing on stage are memorable. But what made this one unique and worthy of an award is the depth of Zaizai's dramatic skills now. I knew he has a great comedic timing that is perfect for romantic comedies. Now I know that he can also make me cry!

Needless to say, this drama is one of those that I will be watching more than once. Aside from the great storyline, the cast is awesome and the direction and texture of the drama is very movie like.

I am excited for what Zaizai can do in the future. There is not one moment that I regret joining his fanclub as he is very good to his fans.

As Zaizai turns 28 years old tomorrow, June 9th, I wish him a Happy Birthday and all the best in this world. He deserves it. Zhu ni shang ri kuai le!!!

And watch Black & White everyone! =)

The Flip-Flop Update

2009-06-01T23:39:00.004+08:00

I lost one of a pair of orchid Havaianas flip-flops a couple of weeks ago when we went to visit my parent's grave. It was one of my fave pair which I bought in Singapore. I already lost another blue pair of Havis a couple of years back when we stayed at 8 Waves Waterpark.

So suddenly I felt I need a new pair. When I got home and was fixing my shoe cabinet, I realized I had more than enough back-up pairs. There was still another pair in my car which I forgot to bring up to the birdcage. All in all 13 pairs!

I could not resist this new pair. Glow in the dark purple!!! Well, I practically live in them so I guess another pair won't hurt. =)

Though I have a mix of brands (Reef, Old Navy, Dupe, Nike, Billabong, etc.), my flip-flop of choice are still Havaianas (http://www.havaianasphilippines.com/main/)!! Oye!

Obviously a McDonald's fan...

2009-05-23T03:07:00.008+08:00

I was going over photos to blog about when I spotted this photo of me in McDonald's Hangzhou, China with my nephew Joshua clowning around (or should I say declaring me the devil?) behind me when a thought (or should I say a theory?) dawned on me... I seem to have a McDonald's photo in most if not all of my travels.

So I tested this theory and revisited my travel folders the past 5 years and here's the result of all that sleuthing..

2009 March

Hangzhou, China

2008 October

Yokohama, Japan

I remember that day Kana, my friend Satoko's youngest daughter demanded that we eat at McDonald's. Apparently she does not get to eat as often as she likes because okasan does not think it's healthy food. Smart mother..

2008 September

Shanghai, China

In the old town of Puxi (read Pusi) where nothing in the area of food is familiar, seeing this McDonald's was a blessing when we needed sustenance for a bout of shopping. I realized that the pink tote from St. Kitts and Nevis (oh somewhere in the Carribean..) does not do anything for my color..haha!

2008 June

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

I died of laughter when I saw this because all the while I thought - no I missed out in Dubai! But no, not true. Trust my brother's friend Richard to take a pic wherever we stopped that day he picked me up at 7am to ride the bus and explore Bur Dubai and the Dubai Museum with me.

2007 November

Macau

I think this is the cutest of them all!

2007 October

Taipei, Taiwan

And no, we were not posing just because it's a McDonald's. This was the McDonald's were the last scene from the famous Taiwanese drama Meteor Garden was filmed. What can I do? I'm hopelessly a fangirl..

2007 June

Bangkok, Thailand

The most unique of all that I've been to. This one I did ask my Ena, my staff who travelled with me to take a photo of me and Ronald greeting everyone "sawadeeka".

2005 December

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

No photo from the exterior of the store, but the evidence is on the table. No doubting where me, Ochie and our Malaysian friends were.

2005 August

Fukuoka, Japan

And lastly, this photo from Fukuoka. My fellow geisha Vic took this photo to remind us that we were running out of money and can only afford a McDonald's meal. We were there to see SMAP's concert but did not realize that when the Japanese says their store is on sale..they really mean sale!!

All this talk about McDonald's is making me hungry. I wonder if someone delivers at 4am?? =)

Eeni, mini, mainimo!!

2009-05-14T00:04:00.005+08:00

I've been wanting to post about this but I'm still lazy....lazy as ever. All I want to do is watch dramas from my tri-nation fandom. And this chart seem to represent what I am pre-occupied with except for my SMAP fandom which is another story altogether.

In 2003, I discovered Meteor Garden which led me to discover Vic Chou, Jerry Yan, Ken Chu and VanNess Wu.

In 2005, I discovered Hana Yori Dango which led me to discover Matsumoto Jun and Oguri Shun.

Last January 2009, I got on the Boys Over Flower boat which led me to discover Kim Hyun Joong, Lee Min Ho, Kim Bum and Kim Joon.

I know I have it bad when I would watch something more than once. I think I have it reallly bad because right after watching BOF thrice, I dug out my MG dvd and started watching it again. I have a sinking suspicion that I will also dig out my HYD episodes soon after.

That bane of my existence "Youtube" also added fuel to the fire when people started posting videos comparing the 3 versions that led me to asking ME, who do you like best? My answer may change later (cop out! hahaha!) but at this very minute, here's what my heart tells me. From the bottom...

F1 - VanNess Wu vs. Hiroshi Abe vs. Kim Joon

Me - VanNess! Not because my love and support for him is unconditional because I do criticize his not so good performance but I still remember his Mei Tzuo after 6 years.

F2 - Ken Chu vs. Matsuda Shota vs. Kim Bum

Me - *wrestles with self* ..... Kim Bum!! But Ken is just a hair behind. Yi Jong is just too cute, the premise for his playboy character must have made it for me or is it his 1-2-3 move?

F3 - Vic Chou vs. Oguri Shun vs. Kim Hyun Joong

Me - *tears out hair*....*rolls on the floor thinking*... ahhhhh!!! it's a freaking tie between Vic Chou and Kim Hyun Joong. For Oguri Shun, I think the deal breaker is when Rui got into that priest outfit. It was totally horrible. Both Zaizai and Hyun Joongie (notice my affiliation with their nicknames? hahaha!) are first time actors in the drama but Zai's Hua Ze Lei and Hyun Joong's Ji Hoo are so good. In real life, their dry, quirky humor seem to be the same so to play the gentle and quiet characters that they played says a lot for their talent.

F4 - Jerry Yan vs. Matsumoto Jun vs. Lee Min Ho

Me - *screams*...*bites pen*...*walks around my little birdcage*...*tears out hair some more*... *gulps down more coke zeroes that I shouldn't be having at 1:00am*... both are arrogant enough, both are violent enough, both are handsome and gorgeous enough but it's Jerry Yan's Dau Ming Zi that still pulls me. I absolutely love Lee Min Ho's Gu Jun Pyo but Dau Ming Zi was dorkier when he had to be (I can still remember that little dance at the salon) and his love for Sancai seem to be unfaltering and unwavering.

So there! I finally bit the bullet and made my choice. The bottom line is that I love all 3 dramas. I love hugs and kissing scenes which HYD did not do much for me. I love how the friendship of the boys seem to be tested and MG and BOF showed that to me. The concept of being rich was just improved over time - rich, richer, richest is how I see it which is great.

The Taiwanese started the pan-Asian craze for this timeless love story. The Japanese showed they can do justice to a story from one of their own and the Koreans despite the tough act it followed raised the bar some more. Whoever will remake this story has a huge job at hand.

*Photo matrix credit goes to the one who beautifully made it and which I stole and forgot where. Let me know if its yours so I can properly credit. Du Bu Qi, Sumimasen, Mianhe.

SIDE NOTE:
Since then I have watched each and every work of Jerry Yan up to his latest Starlit.
I've seen each and every work of Vic Chou up to his currently airing Black & White (which is soooo good, worthy of a spazz another time).
Too bad Ken does not do dramas anymore but I've seen most of his acting work.
Except for Kung Fu Chef which I have not laid my hands on I've seen all of VanNess's work.
I've seen a lot of Matsujun's work and will be watching Smile soon.
I love many of Oguri Shun's work especially Hana Kimi and even bought his photobook.
I've seen Kim Hyun Joong's We Got Married reality show stint for I don't know how many times (damn youtube!)
And I'm looking forward to the work of the rest.

Fangirls are the original vampires....we never sleep! =)

Purple Loot from China

2009-05-01T00:08:00.002+08:00

I was sooooo lazy the past couple of weeks! Yup, lazy all around. The only thing I was good for was staring at the computer screen and watch videos.

Until I realized that I have not posted my latest loot and new additions to the purple world. Now, this is not everything but like I said, I was lazy to take pics. I bought a purple leather belt (I'll post my belts next time) and a plum winter jacket too!

I was happy to find a new mobile phone. I saw this back in September last year but did not buy it because I was already broke. Six months later, it was still there! And marked down by 20%. I guess we were meant to be.

And everyone now knows that I am crazy about Uniqlo. Well, the Uniqlo store in Super Brand Malls in Shanghai did not escape my purple-wandering eye. Picked up another pull-over and a pair of socks.

And then while waiting for my brother-in-law Ramon get off work, we discovered Askul ( http://www.askul.co.jp/) which carries anything and everything. There I found my first ever purple paper puncher! I picked up a couple of purple post-its as well. I'm gonna explore this website more and see if I learned from my Nihonggo classes.

And of course, accessories! Those wooden purple earrings sold by folks from Chinese Mongolia are just so unique. For RMB 5.00 (Php 35.00), they are already a steal. The purple crystal jade was unexpected because you don't see them all the time. So when we went back to the jade shops in Yu Yuan Gardens, I just had to grab it.

Sigh...I guess I'm off shopping for a while...until the next cool purple thing comes along! =)

2009-04-20T23:58:00.004+08:00

Just celebrated another year of blessed being. A simple life of work that I love and people that I love.

And because I am enjoying my Korean wave, it is just fitting that I toast another birthday with a bottle of Soju. There's always a first time to experience things and my first encounter with soju made me want to sample it another time.

Thanks to Ochie who gifted me with the soju and who also helped me celebrate.

To everyone else in the world who has a reason to celebrate like me..CHEERS!!

It Must Be Love...

2009-04-16T00:52:00.005+08:00

I should have been uploading and blogging about my latest trip to China.

I should have been studying my Nihonggo lessons.

I should have been working.

But all I did the past week since the Holy Week holidays was watch, stare, drool and spazz over.. KIM HYUN JOONG.

I watched his We Got Married stint (30 episodes!) twice. I googled and read everything I can on him. Watched everything that I can on youtube and everywhere else.

So I guess this must be love..again.

Ahhhh, I'm a hopeless fangirl. Falling for the smile of this beautiful boy and his witty charm.

To know more about Hyun Joong, check out http://mysugoi.wordpress.com/2009/03/30/kim-hyun-joong/

And to know more about We Got Married which is a variety show that paired celebs to pretend they were married, check this out http://ssangcho.blogspot.com/

Oh and did I mention that this adorable boy is multi-talented as well? He acts and was just in the hit tv drama Boys Over Flower. He sings and is a member of the group SS501 (read double s 501). He dances (I won't go into how sexy and good he dances here). He plays the guitar. And has his own special way of folding paper cranes...

Not posting links to the above. Go search him out for yourselves.

Photos China Trip 2009

2009-04-05T02:30:00.005+08:00

Been back in the bird cage for a week now. I was either too tired or too busy to upload pics but to those who are interested, here they are...

Part 1
http://gigidm.multiply.com/photos/album/50/Shanghai_Again_March_20-21_2009

Part 2
http://gigidm.multiply.com/photos/album/51/Hangzhou_China_2009_March_22

Check back for more photos in this post soon!

In the meantime, this is one of my favorite photos of me and playmate for life Butch. It captures the joy of us travelling together, the winter chill and the excitement of what we were about to see (and his orange nail polish *sigh*). Ahhh...when will be the next time?

Missing the Shanghai Winter...

2009-03-29T23:40:00.003+08:00

They said it's officially the first week of Spring, but the week I spent in Shanghai did not feel like spring at all with 43 degF weather. And do I miss it!!

The minute we got out of the airport yesterday, the 90+ degF Manila heat enveloped me. I suddenly had colds from the change of weather. And did not want to leave the comfort of my aircondition at home to do any chore but being away, I just had to do go sweat it out at the grocery.

I remembered that long walk we did at East Nanjing Road in the middle of the day and though it was tiring, I was not soaked in sweat. I couldn't imagine doing that here even under the shades of buildings of Ayala Avenue, the main business street in Makati where I work.

Well as the song goes "back to life, back to reality"...

Note: Posting photo links soon!

Hello again China!

2009-03-23T02:21:00.004+08:00

I am back in China and loving it!

Arrived from Manila, Friday night, the 20th and flying back on the 28th. As usual, home in China for the next few days would be my sister Teng's home at the Emerald in Pudong, Shanghai.

This time, my playmate for life Butch is with me and travel buddy Ochie who I missed in 2008 travels, are with me.

We are having a great time and have done a lot of things in the past couple of days. Saturday was jampacked with activities and sightseeing. We went to the Shanghai Ocean Aquarium, the Oriental Pearl Tower and watched the ERA Intersection of Time show at the Shanghai Circus.

Then on Sunday, we went on a road trip to HuangZhou, another province just 2 hours away from Shanghai Pudong area. We went up the Leifeng Pagoda then rented bikes and enjoyed the sights around West Lake.

I will be blogging about my experiences and posting photo links as soon as I get back.

Playmates

2009-03-18T00:43:00.003+08:00

It's a staple in many of my past Christmas wishlists.. part of my shopping list wherever I am in the world.. part of my family and friends' shopping list wherever they are in the planet.. unsuccessful..

Until I stumbled upon these playmates at an obsure branch of National Bookstore (http://www.nationalbookstore.com.ph/), I thought no one had the imagination to produce purple bookends.

I loved that the bookends are a pair of boy and girl images. My friend Ochie found me bookends in the past but they are on the lavander/mauve shade. This one is screaming purple and my birdcage need new ones to hold on to the growing collection of dvds and cds that my real life playmate and I have collected.

As one of James Patterson's (http://www.jamespatterson.com/) psychotic book character said .. "happy, happy, joy, joy.."

ARGH!!!!!!!!

2009-03-13T01:24:00.004+08:00

It's been sooo long since I last posted anything.

I was mad at myself for watching too much of Jerry Yan's (F4) new drama Starlit last Sunday that I missed the only day that I can post something.

I was having a horrible week - long hours at work, saying goodbye to people, atm fraud victim, sleep deprived...

Thank god I found something to make me laugh as the weekend draws near and the thought of getting my hands on a vodka bottle is making me drool, shake and most probably forget to study for my Nihonggo lessons.

What are playmates for right? MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Happy Friday the 13th!!!!

Takeshi Kaneshiro..Perhaps Love?

2009-03-01T23:43:00.003+08:00

I was catching up on the movies that are in my "to watch" bin. Decided to check out this movie that my sister brought me back from Shanghai.

Perhaps Love is a 2005 movie (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perhaps_Love) which reminded me of Baz Luhrman's Moulin Rouge. Before anything else I was amazed at the quality of a blue ray dvd. I've been watching too much online streaming video that I forgot how good a super clear dvd is to watch.

And since the dvd was so clear, I was amazed at how gorgeous looking Takeshi Kaneshiro is..still. Takeshi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takeshi_Kaneshiro) is not new to me. I have been a fan of his for quite some time now and have seen many of his works in Japan, Hongkong and China.

I loved his Japan tv dramas God Give Me More Time, Golden Bowl and Love 2000. I watched his Hongkong movies Anna Magdalena and Tempting Hearts. I loved his movie Turn Left, Turn Right. I even have a documentary of his travel in Scandinavia (?) or was it the North Pole? And more forgetable is this american movie he made called Too Tired To Die with Marisa Tomei.

I knew Takeshi is talented and versatile but one talent of his I kept forgetting is that he can actually sing and that was my revelation in Perhaps Love. Since the story within a story plot of the movie is a musical, Takeshi did a lot of singing in this movie.

Takeshi did this movie when he was 32 years old and I just could not help making screen captures of his beautiful face. I remember seeing a photo book of Takeshi in Shanghai last September and I wonder if the book is still there when I go back. I hope I have enough money to buy it. Otherwise his huge Armani billboards inside Shanghai Pudong airport will have to do for now.

Cellphone Pouches anyone? :-)

2009-02-22T15:43:00.003+08:00

Yesterday, I met up with fellow fangirls and had a belated exchange of Christmas gifts.

When I got home I was putting things away when I realized that I received quite a number of mobile phone pouches last Christmas. They are sooo cutesy I can't bear to use them!

Alright, i have a confession to make..i actually don't use pouches! LOL. I start using them but end up keeping the pouch away after some time.

And the ironic thing is that me, yours truly, who lives in one purple world, DOES NOT OWN A PURPLE MOBILE PHONE!!! I have to correct that soon. But for the meantime, these little cuties will have to stay in my drawers or else Kaliena will inherit them soon.

My New SMAP Concert DVD!!

2009-02-17T23:48:00.003+08:00

I was sooo happy to see Mr. EMS (Express Mail Service y'all) a couple of weeks back. He came bearing the package I have been waiting for - SMAP's concert dvd!

Last Sept. 30, 2008 was the memorable day that I went to Tokyo to watch this concert that is now immortalized in a dvd. I can now re-live the fun, the excitement of seeing SMAP live again.

I picked the red SMAP shop version instead of the original concert theme of black, white and grey because I wanted to remember the SMAP shop which has opened during the Christmas holiday season in Asakusa, Tokyo. It is opened only on limited time and I've always wanted to go to one but unless I ditch my Kamp (I would be disowned by my siblings!), I won't be able to.

I have always been thankful that I am a fangirl. I've invested so much on it for pure escapism but the therapy works and I remain a happy girl.

And this will not happen if not for the generosity of my japanese friends Mayo and Minori. They braved the cold winter to line up at the store and make a trip to the post office just to make a girl thousands of miles away really, really happy.

Mayo to Minori, hontou ni arigato gozaimashita. Futari ga saikou desu!

The most romantic guy in the world!

2009-02-15T20:28:00.002+08:00

Feb. 13 evening, my nephew Spade (age 9) kept asking in hushed tones me and his Tito Butch to promise him something. The next day is Valentine's Day and he wanted to buy his mom flowers.

It was actually a bit difficult to do because we were bringing my sister Teng to the airport early and I had to go straight to my Nihonggo class. But what Spade wants to do just touched his aunt's (that's me!) purple heart so I agreed to be his accomplice.

The next morning, Spade woke up really early and was ready even before everyone. I whispered to him if he had money and he said he had enough. His mom thought he was just going to a 7-11 to buy his favorite slurpee. After dropping off his Mama Teng at the airport, we went in search of flowers.

It wasn't easy since it was 8:30am. But a determined boy is really blessed because we found some. He got his mom 6 white roses as white is his mom's favorite color. When we got home, he hid outside and asked that we wake up his mom. When his mom got to the gate wondering who was looking for her, Spade handed her the flowers and she promptly wept.

As I took this photo of the memorable occasion, I thought to myself that lucky would be his future girlfriend and wife. And lucky his folks as Spade is growing up knowing a lot of love.

Addicted...to Coke!

2009-02-07T10:24:00.002+08:00

When I was little, my dad used to work for San Miguel Corporation, then the local partner of Coca-Cola in the Philippines. My most favorite of his benefits was our weekly supply of Coke Products.

I remember waiting anxiously every weekend for the Coke truck to roll by. The minute the truck turns the corner to our house, my brothers and sisters would be jumping up and down and waving our arms.

Thank God for Coke Light and now Coke Zero I can still indulge in my Coke addiction even if I am already a diabetic.

I am so much more happier drinking my Coke with my purple glass! I had to have one and to have one you have to drink tons of 1.5 liters. :)

I knew this was a rare time where Coke had a purple promo item so with haste I happily drank 1.5 liter bottles to get the caps that I need to exchange (six 1.5 liter bottles!!!) for one glass.

Mission accomplished!

Missing my Nihonggo Class...

2009-02-01T01:41:00.003+08:00

L-R: Eliard, Kristine, Ian (my teacher!)

L-R: Ian, Peachy and yours truly

My Nihonggo 1 class at the Ateneo de Manila University (http://socsci.ateneo.edu/module.php?LM=articles.detail&id=1233201522593) ended last January 17th. In the beginning, I was apprehensive because i've never been to a "class" in years. I was also expecting to be the "oldest" in class.

But after 3 months of 3-hour Saturday classes, I adjusted well, learned a lot and made new young friends. Now I want to move on to the next course but it seems I have to wait.

My last day of class was such a fun day. We had our final exams, then ate our potluck food and watched a japanese drama while our sensei (teacher) discusses some use of words. It was the coolest!

Bubba's Birthday and Christmas Holiday 2008 Redux

2009-01-25T01:50:00.006+08:00

It's almost the end of January and today is Juan 's (fondly called Bubba) 4th birthday. Bubba is the 9th and youngest of my nephews and nieces. He has such an adorable smile.

We have not bonded much as everyone wants to hug and kiss him all the time (to his annoyance sometimes..too bad you are the youngest babe LOL) but we will have our sweet time one day.

Happy Birthday Juan Alejandro!

And while I was scrounging around for a nice photo of Bubba I saw this one just the two of us at the pool in Canyon Cove Resort Nasugbu, Batangas. I suddenly missed everyone and promptly reminisced about that super fun holiday season.

For the rest of the Kamp's holiday season photos head on out to http://gigidm.multiply.com/photos/album/48/Kamp_Braza_Holidays_2008

Sidebar: I love that new mauve/plum tankini I picked up in Dubai last year. Too bad I'm too shy to have a photo taken of the whole suit..hahaha!

Mr. Shower Bug

2009-01-23T00:33:00.005+08:00

I was taking a shower the other day when suddenly "thunk!", something fell on the floor. It was my shower bug!

I did not realize that the thing has been there since I moved to the birdcage. It was one of the earlier gifts of my boss from the US.

The poor thing's antennae broke and now it is back at work blaring sounds from the radio and telling time with a taped up antennae.

Another realization is that it is probably my most taken for granted, unappreciated purple possession. To think that if the bug could see and talk, it would tell everyone how I look naked! LOL! It would also tell everyone what I sing in the shower..oh well you all probably know I must sing japanese or chinese songs half of the words I don't understand. And of course, he will tell everyone that I sometimes strike up a conversation with the guy on the poster just opposite the shower stall (Kimura Takuya of SMAP!).

So to you my dear shower bug - sorry! gomenasai! dui bu qui! I will strive to keep you in good condition and make sure you have batteries and nicely stuck on the glass wall. Please continue to keep me company in one of the most mundane but necessary task in the world. :)

Musings...

2009-01-17T18:33:00.003+08:00

It's been a while since I posted an entry. I was lazy, I was uninspired and basically was thinking of my purpose in life this year.. I've never done much of this because to me I just focus on my career goals and travel to as many places as I can. Somehow 2009 made me sit down and think what I wanted to do for the year..and with my life.

At this time last year, I was running around crazy at work getting ready to fly to Taipei for the F4 album launching and mini concert. I realized that I'm not inclined to do much fangirl travel this year as the previous years.

With my family being here during the holidays I decided that I'd see as much of them as I can even if I have to fly where they are. So I'll give the US a shot this year because I badly want to see my nephew and nieces.

Career-wise, I'm happy where I am but if a better opportunity comes then why not? Health-wise I am intent on being a good girl this year and do all those check-ups I so dread. LOL!

One thing will not change though...this world of mine will remain PURPLE!

Welcoming 2009 with more purple!

2009-01-03T01:23:00.002+08:00

Hello 2009! Hello new additions to MOPWORLD!

I received so many new purple stuff from family and friends. But these are a few of my favorite things. :)

Hello new beaded hanger, notebook, hi-tech pen and bag fab from Mayo. I absolutely love the hanger. And the ink pen that can be erased. That little notebook is a Print (brand) notebook whose "mommy" version is in my collection too.

Hello jibbets! I bought my purple crocs during my recent Japan trip and it only had one jibbet. But thanks to fellow purple person Ochie, my crocs now has a family.

Hello new tops, new bag and beauty stuff! Oh and I also love my new mobile pouch because it can now carry my two mobile phones. I've been wanting something like this to use for travel. Thanks to Ramon and Teng and Tatsi for the tops, Denver and Pam for the bag and my HR girls for the girly beauty stuff.

Though I would like to continue to put a little color in my life, additions to mopworld are always welcome with wide open arms.

More Reason to Celebrate...

2008-12-29T01:08:00.003+08:00

After my sister's Gift-Giving project, I found that there's more reason to celebrate this season...

My brother Denver surprised us with his arrival last Dec. 22nd. He flew in from Dubai, UAE which makes it 4 Kamp Braza siblings in Manila. Our parents would be very happy in heaven as this is the first time in 2 years that the 4 of us were in one space and time. Wish we could make it 5 Kampers but there's still a next time...
My purple world grew..much more! Pics to come. =)
Seeing old friends in the old neighborhood. Christmas Eve was spent hearing the traditional mass at our old neighborhood's open air chapel. It was great to see old family friends and exchanging quick updates on our respective lives.
Spending 3 days at the beach with my whole Kamp. Loved that we got to spend time to bond with each other and just be together.

This season is fast becoming one the best for me...

Oh and lastly, 3,000 + visits! Thank you to all my friends who bother to drop by and check up on purple-crazy me. I love you all! & And keep coming back please!

And before I get mixed up again in the merry activities leading to New Year - Happy, Blessed 2009 to all of you out there!!! May your Kamp flourish and be continuously blessed in the year to come.

Indeed the season of giving...

2008-12-24T02:42:00.003+08:00

My youngest sister Maria (Tatsi to her 9 nephews and nieces) came home for a month-long vacation from Dubai and one of the things she has planned is to do a gift-giving to the slum area near our community. She raised funds from her generous friends in Dubai which she used to prepare 500 bags of basic staples like rice, coffee, canned goods and noodles.

She enlisted the help of the whole Kamp (our pet name for the Dimaano family and relatives) from shopping for the goods to packing them assembly line style into individual bags and giving away claim tickets to each family in the squatter community she chose.

And finally on Sunday, December 21st, Tatsi rented a closed van, packed the whole Kamp into a couple of SUVs and we're off to distribute the goods.

The day was extra special since Kamp Braza Shanghai (our other Maria in the family and her husband Ramon and son Joshua though not in this pic) also flew in for the holidays. They were promptly recruited and were just so happy to help out.

The line was already long when we arrived. Tatsi, Ramon and our uncle Jolly took the front. My husband Butch, sister-in-law Pam and nieces Selina and Ysabela took the middle while my sister Teng and my nephews, Joshua, Spade and Juan took the rear.

Our youngest "volunteer" is only turning 3 years old. And what did I do? Took pictures, patrolled the immediate area to make sure only those with claim tickets get near the gift giving line.

It was such a humbling experience for all of us. It made us happy to be of help even with just this little thing and made us appreciate the many blessings that God has bestowed on our family.

It made all of us proud of our dear Maria Lourdes to have thought of doing this project. She was able to really bring the meaning of giving to each and every member of the family down to littlest member.

We hope that we could do more next year and do it together with our dear family members who are far away and who we miss so much.

From Kamp Braza (the children and grandchildren of Paterno Braza Dimaano and Erlinda Dimaano) to all the Kamps in the world, may you all be happy kampers this Christmas and for the rest of 2009.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

MALIGAYANG PASKO AT MANIGONG BAGONG TAON!

I'm in BAG Trouble!!!

2008-12-07T15:57:00.005+08:00

Yes, i am in big bag trouble! I was not into luxury bags before but this year, two bags caught my eye and I just could not say no to their purple beauty..

I saw this bag in the Ferragamo store in Dubai last June just a few days before I was leaving for Manila. I fell in love with the shape and the color (obviously..LOL!) and said to myself that I will save up to get me one of these soon.

A couple of weeks later I received a call from my sister with only just this question "Ferragamo is on sale, am i buying this for you or not?"... never before was I subjected to shopping pressure than this! With a deep breath, a huge swallow of air and 2 seconds of thought, I said, y-y-yess!

I had to wait for my precious for almost 6 months and finally just a few days ago, it is now in my hands! I am loving it. Though it looked small, it is roomy and could fit my humongous wallet and make-up kit.

And when I thought that would be the only expensive handbag that I would buy, never did I expect that one day in September, I would find another precious again.

Kamp HQ (my family in Manila) went to the cemetery to visit my Maming's grave to commemorate her birthday and voted to have dinner afterwards at the Alabang Town Center. After dinner, we all broke into mini groups to do some shopping. I was just tagging along with my sister-in-law Pam when she called me to join her in this store and pointed this Kate Spade beauty.

Once again, I was stunned and awed! I already imagined myself going to work with the beauty in my arm. I sat down and shook my head. I was going to Shanghai in a few days and does not have the budget to spend. But they have a credit card 3 months to pay interest free promo and my sister-in-law Pam is the biggest BI (bad influence for y'all who are wondering..hehe) in the world so a half-hour later I came out of the store with a new bag.

I'm broke but I'm happy... I have been humming this Alanis Morissette song Hand in my Pocket for the last two days. Hahaha! I have accepted my handbag fate. That I will probably add more and will eventually have a tiny collection.

I know my sister Maria/Des will protest and ask why do they have to be purple. I will try NOT to buy all purple bags... I will really try! :-)

Twilight, The Movie..Lessons from/because of/as a result of..

2008-12-01T00:10:00.005+08:00

I had to add "the movie" because I have not read the book and will probably not read it just like the Harry Potter books. But the late bloomer that I am does not close doors because who know..2 or 3 years from now..:)

So anyway I went to see the movie today at Trinoma and here are some of the things that I have learned from watching the movie and events that lead me to watch it.

1. I have learned that husbands, the likes that thrive on action movies even the B-ones, may like and anticipate this kind of movie. I cannot forget the face of playmate Butch when he was watching the movie trailer the other day. I guess it's the "action" in what Edward can do in the movie that made him turn to me (a non-fan of the vampire genre) with pleading eyes and asking me if we can watch.

2. I have learned that as one grows a bit older, one's energy can get zapped after a trip to the supermarket and then on to the movies. So what better way to regain your energy than sleep and snore your way through the tons of trailers and commercials before the actual start of the movie! And don't forget to tell your movie partner to wake you up when the movie is about to start.

3. I have learned that Och, my best girl who went with us to the movies does not like the movie as much as the book because a lot of the girls who are crazy about the book were crazy about the movie as well. My fangirlfriends basically stalked the movie theater and watched more than once! I thought I was the only one who thought Edward was either constipated or drank animal blood turned bad for breakfast at that scene where they saw each other for the first time in class. Hahaha!

4. I have learned that I will never be cured of being a hopeless romantic and a sucker for plots that also portray strong family relations. Nevermind that I saw this nice touch in the movie with the Cullens. Concepts such as unconditional love, accepting who your family member loves as part of the family, and distance never becoming an issue as long as you reach out and talk to family members often - always top my list.

5. And finally I've learned that this sentence that I picked up from an email forward is so very similar to Bella's character (and to some extent mine) that the words kept repeating in my head especially after Bella said her last narrative in the movie.

Email:

"As I mature, I learned that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is stalk them and hope they panic and give in." - author unknown

Of course the word "stalk" is taken under the context of hounding, bugging, begging (?), conniving, etc.

Bella:

"I know what I want" (when Edward refused to turn her into a vampire).

I suspect without reading the rest of the books that Bella would do her best to stalk Edward to give in to what she wants.

And so in the spirit of hoping someone's object of affection gives in one day, I accompanied Och to the salon yesterday. Because my personal take on this matter is that one must look nice while one "stalks" because one must be ready if the object of one's affection does give in. Hahaha!

Twilight, the movie website - http://twilightthemovie.com/

The day we were asked..deal or no deal?

2008-11-23T22:10:00.004+08:00

My celebrity batch mate Jon Santos invited me and several of our batchmates to be his "kapamilya" (members of his family) as he joins the US syndicated show Deal or No Deal hosted by Kris Aquino on ABS-CBN.

Everyone was excited because we will get a look at how a game show is put together and of course, we were excited that Jon will play and hopefully win. I was especially excited because it was going to be my TV debut. LOL!

So one afternoon in late October, we all gathered at our famous doctor batchmate's clinic Faces and Curves (http://facesandcurves.com/) and headed out to ABS-CBN. It was such a big production determining who rides with who and who will bring which car as there were like 20 of us including a couple of spouses and children! So we took a few seconds to take pictures. Of course I was in full purple glory for my tv debut. =)

So there we were at the ABS-CBN compound. While waiting for our turn to do the "taping", Jon treated the whole tribe to Starbucks. It gave us the chance to chat up a storm and catch up on each other's lives. We also spoke about what Jon's threshold of happiness would be if faced with the question of whether to deal or not to deal.

After a couple of hours, we were finally ushered inside the studio and into Jon's dressing room where we waited for another half hour. This TV business (and I guess the whole entertainment business) consists of a whole lot of waiting. =)

So while the celebrity contestant figured out his outfit and puts on make-up, we his cheering squad continued to chat and laugh and well, did some make-up retouching as well for what are those big lighted mirrors for?

And after a nerve-wracking 30 minute show where thankfully I did not have to give a number, the batch celebrated Jon's win with this photo in the main stage.

And Jon's generosity yielded our batch fund a good amount of money which we can use for our next charity activity. We capped the day with a sumptous dinner at Little Asia in Greenhills - yum!

Thank you Jon for another unforgettable experience. And thank you for your generosity!

You may still catch Jon together with Candy Pangilinan and John Lapuz at their "Spooftacular Showdown" at the Music Museum on November 28 and 29, 8pm.

Paping..

2008-11-20T00:29:00.002+08:00

Happy Birthday Paping!

It's been two years since you left. I miss you and Maming.

I love you.

36 years old and gorgeous as ever...

2008-11-13T22:32:00.004+08:00

You are the sunshine of my life

That's why I'll always be around

You are the apple of my eyes

Forever you'll stay in my heart

Happy Birthday Takuya!!!

so unoriginal..so cheesy..so trite..

so true.

The Purple World Has Expanded Again...

2008-11-09T00:46:00.003+08:00

Hah! You guys think that because I was busy with my fangirl pursuits, I wouldn't have time to further enlarge my purple world? Wrong! While I was watching, screaming and buying fangirl souvenir items, I also did some purple shopping.

A trip to Japan will not be complete if I don't indulge in a few pens from Muji (http://www.mujionline.co.uk/index.asp?). In fact, it was my first purchase together with SMAP's latest album from Tobu Shopping Mall. I horde up on Muji pens wherever I find myself near one. I found more pens in this nice store along Ginza called Toy Park. I loved their shopping bag so I kept it for obviously purplish reasons.

The purple sweatshirt from Uniqlo (http://www.uniqlo.com/jp/) is just one of the few purple pieces that I got. Thanks to my travel buddy Vic, I was introduced (to the dismay of my debit card..) to this wonderful store called Uniqlo (read Yunikuro) which is everywhere in Tokyo and Yokohama. Their prices are totally reasonable even for Philippine standards. And yey, they have sizes for relatively (hehe..) big girls like me.

Now those nice Tombow pencils were a gift from Vic. I was actually mulling whether to buy them or not when she beat me to the cash register. Thank you and I love you Vic! Hahaha!

The purple Pringles (Tomato Mozarella) is new to our eyes so we were munching on this variation during the trip.

The craziest purchase I made was this gorgeous toy camera I found in Roponggi Hills. The Holga 120N Medium format plastic camera (http://www.freestylephoto.biz/holgawood_camera_formally_known_as_holga.php) is something that I could not resist. It was impulsive and crazy to buy something which will probably just earn a nice place in my shelves. But I absolutely love it and will play with it with my nephews and nieces. Hope I get the film installed right because I can't remember the last time I used one!

The goodies with the camera were not my purchases but wow did it expand the purple world some more! Thanks to my new friend who goes by the online name of Jasmine, I will never know that stuff like Grape Chocolate existed in this world.

And finally I got a Crocs Prima in grape (naturally) because I've always wanted to buy one and surprise of all surprises it was a couple of hundred pesos cheaper in Tokyo than Manila. Did not realize I don't have a pic but here's what it looks like - http://www.shoebuy.com/crocs-prima/190623/473396?cm_mmc=yahoo-feed-_-none-_-none-_-none.

Needless to say, the purple world is once again happy, happy, joy, joy!!

The Longest Hangover..

2008-11-01T19:52:00.005+08:00

One month since I flew out of Manila and 24 days since I came back, my soul is still back there..in Japan. My longest travel hangover ever!!

Maybe because I had the ultimate fangirl experience of watching both SMAP and F4 in one trip..or that I've met fantastic people..or that I just love Japan period. It does not help that I now go to my Nihonggo classes every Saturday and study everyday. I would still catch myself staring into space and remembering everything.

After a busy couple of weeks, I finally downloaded photos I took with my mobile phone (which incidentally died on me yesterday). I can still remember the excitement I felt as we neared Tokyo Dome last September 30th. It was my first time to attend a Tokyo Dome concert and despite the rain, I was so happy to look around. I even wanted to ride the roller coaster if the weather was good (though it did not stop many folks. The coaster kept on operating despite the rain) but I chickened out. Next time...

I braved the rains and did my concert souvenir shopping. I was a good girl and did not bring my camera. I did not want to go through the hassle of leaving them and claiming later. It was a good decision because with 80,000 people trying to leave the dome at the same time after a concert, claiming something might take me forever.

I was overwhelmed with happiness after the SMAP concert that I forgot to take a quick photo with the stage behind me. Thank God I did not forget to snap a shot of me with my concert buddies - Minori, Minori's oneechan (sister) and Vic, whose face almost did not make it to the frame. Gomenasai Vic.

And of course my F4 concert experiences in Yokohama and Tokyo. Both times I was pretty much sitting by myself. I can still remember my excitement to find the arena. It was my first time in Yokohama and I did not get lost. And I cannot forget my 1st night arena seat which gave me a great view of everything especially the boys.

So obviously I can still blabber non-stop about the experience. I am definitely getting the SMAP concert dvd when it comes out on Dec. 17. I am hoping and hoping aloud (paging the folks who produced F4's Japan Tour!!!) that F4 will also come out with their own concert dvd.

Watching the concert dvds and reminiscing about my special trip will probably shut me up...or not?! =)

So many men...so little time

2008-10-25T22:27:00.004+08:00

17 days after I got back from Japan, I have to admit that my soul is still back there. And while browsing through the tons of photos I have, I was amused at how many men sightings are in my photo folders.

Not only was I busy spotting Kimura Takuya or watching concerts of SMAP and F4, I was also diligent in spotting many other Japanese actors/idols who I have some sort of liking to. Gomenasai Takuya. Gomenasai Zaizai. Gomenasai Vanness. Gomenasai Jerry. Gomenasai Ken. Please forgive my wandering eyes.

For the rest of the men sighted by mopworld, please head on out to this site: http://gigidm.multiply.com/photos/album/47/So_many_men_so_little_time..._

Kimura Takuya..on my mind

2008-10-15T23:02:00.004+08:00

For the past 4 years, Kimura Takuya has been tattooed in my mind. So it's no wonder that when I was back in Japan, all I was pre-occupied with when walking all over Tokyo.

This one I spotted Sept. 30th while walking in the Shinjuku area. It was raining but I did not care, Vic just had to take my pic in the rain!

This next pic was taken in between buildings! We were walking through Harajuku St. last Oct 1 when I spotted this big billboard. I had to click the camera just at the right time because it was a busy street and cars zipped back and forth. Success!!
And on our walk back, I was happy that we were taking that road. So with quick fingers, travel sister Vic had to take this shot. LOL!
We spotted this Fujitsu shop across the street in the Ginza walk. Again, it took all effort to take a clean shot!

And then we spotted this "mojakura" billboard towards the subway exit to Roponggi Hills. I loved this shot of me taken by none other than Vic, my travel sister.

And would I have insisted to my host family that I would like to see the Sankaku-hashi bridge if not for Takuya's 2004 drama Pride? Of course not! But no self-respecting member of Takuya's harem will miss being on this bridge if they find themselves in Yokohama.

And who would have thought of going to the Parliament building and have their photo taken in the middle of the street if not for the memorable scene in Takuya's latest drama CHANGE?

And I couldn't go home without seeing Odaiba and Fuji TV. It was a no brainer choice between Fuji TV and Tokyo Tower. Hahahaha!! Fuji TV is the home studio of Takuya and his group SMAP and their long-running variety show SMAPXSMAP.

For 2 years, I have envied Ochie for her pic in this mini-set of SMAPXSMAP's Bistro. So when I sat down and had my pic taken by Rachel, I felt such satisfaction that when we left Fuji TV, I said to myself "I am ready to come home".

There are more photos of billboard sightings which just goes to show what sort of "superstar" Kimura Takuya is in Japan - huge! For the rest of the photos, please click the link below.
http://gigidm.multiply.com/photos/album/46/Kimura_Takuya..Tattoed_on_my_Mind

F4 Japan Tour 2008 in Tokyo...One More Time

2008-10-10T00:30:00.005+08:00

One more time, I went to watch F4's concert this time in Tokyo last October 7. I was still alone in my stand seat but not exactly because May and Rachel were just a binocular away.

Nippon Budokan was a bigger venue than Yokohama arena and that night, it was packed to the rafters. Congratulations to the boys! My only complaint is that stand-o audiences did not see one part of the stage because of the venue design.

So I was there on my East-Row F-Seat 14 chair and was pleasantly surprised that one more time it was Zaizai's side during the opening number. I don't know exactly how to describe it but the boys seem "genkier" that night. Maybe because the opening show blues are gone? Or they had the chance to get drunk and do some bonding in between concert dates...whatever...they look more harmonious.

Everyone was gorgeous that evening but I'd like to especially note that Vanness dropped the eyeliner and was therefore drop dead gorgeous. LOL!

So one more time, I want to complain that we can't see the stage below us but one number we were all surprised when Jerry went on the crane and was like soooo near us. From then on I stopped silently complaining and said to myself that the production folks already thought of it and compensated.

One new thing in the show was Vanness singing a Japanese r&b song acapella which I find really sweet and cool. Then before Ken sang Lalala, he said he hurt his arm and couldn't wave it too much. Awww... poor baby! He was the one who always told his fans "safety first" and he wasn't careful. Despite this he proceeded to push the sleeves of his t-shirt and showed his *chokes* arms. It don't look hurt to me...

When Zaizai's broadway number came on, something was obviously wrong with the center revolving stage. After Zai's number, the show stopped for about 10 minutes due to technical difficulties. What is admirable about the japanese fans, actually everyone there including all gaijins like me was that no one complained and patiently waited. I took that opportunity to chat with my seatmate.

The show was announced to be resuming shortly and all I could think about was what will the boys do to compensate. I know the Japanese for their pride in the quality of their work. They must do something..and voila! Zaizai came out again with his fingers doing the number 1 sign and everyone went wild. He did his number all over again! Wow!

The show is pretty much the same as in Yokohama except that this time, I appreciated the dance sequence of Vanness with girls. They were very sexy and Vann baby, you were meant to dance with women..

During the Memory Pieces number of Jerry, everyone was so amused when the tiger mascot carried Jerry piggy back style! Jerry himself was laughing and couldn't sing properly for a few seconds. That was fun!

Zai-Ken fans would also be happy to hear that during Qing Fei De Yi, Zai and Ken air kissed! Then Zai did the rabu rabu wave with Jerry. That was fun too! The conversation between them (though I have no idea what they were talking about) seemed to be candid and not scripted. When Zai asked Jerry to introduce the next number, Jerry said in English "ladies and gentlemen", then he wanted to speak in Japanese but was still thinking in english because what he said was "next wa" - Japenglish! He then said the right words "tsugi wa Vanness!"

Again, for some reason I find the numbers of Vanness sexier this time around. I had goosebumps when he took off his hat and shook his hair (maybe he would cut it shorter again..) during Listen to Your Heart. One more time, I will say that I love the boy to bits but the hair and goatee does make him look older than his 30 (already?!) years.

We, stand -o people were again blessed when the next guy on the crane was Zaizai for his japanese songs. He was in front of us sooo long that I had the chance to scream "Zai, mahal kita!". Who cares if he heard me and knew that was I love You in Tagalog. Hahaha! I just wanted to shout my love..

Jerry sang, in my honest opinion, One Meter better this time around. No twinkle, twinkle little stars on the piano this time. And were those real tears because my heart felt like it was being squeezed with how the number seemed to be so sad.

One more time, I enjoyed Zaizai's Mama Shuo (thanks to May). But then something caught my eye that made me amused though no one seemed to care - the spelling of the word boarding was wrong! It was spelled "boading". Hahahaha!!! Again, who cares? The cute bazooka distracted me from proof reading the whole thing on the projector screen. =)

More show of genki-ness when Jerry gave Zai a kiss and a rose (isn't that a Seal song?) during their duet. Jerry yasashii ne...

One more time, Show Me Your Love was a great number. Zaizai was shaking his butt nicely, Vanness and Ken worked the crowd singing closely to the crown and throwing kisses!

As they sung Goodbye, I was again in tears because this trip is coming to a close and I am not only saying goodbye to Japan but to F4 and the many friends who spent time with me - Mayo, Minori, Minori no onechan (gomen ne I forgot her name), Chicharu-chan, Satoko, Sakura, Kana, Yuichi-san, Eve, Yoke-chan, Winnie, Pyo, Michi, Sylvia, Naomi and Jasmine.

The show was made more special because I was already going home and not seeing the Oct 8 show and as I told my seatmate who is now a new friend, Manami, she gave me the pen light as a souvenir to take home. How could I stop crying?

The boys came out one more time after the encore because no one simply moved from their seat. They said their goodbyes and thank you's one more time with Zaizai bowing for so long at each part of the stage. That was really kakkoi. Again, how could I stop crying?

It was only when I was hustling out of the venue and I felt someone pat my back and said daijoubu (it's ok) that I stopped crying. Kyoko, from Kobe who I bump into everywhere from Taipei to Yokohama and now Tokyo was behind me and saying kiotskette kudasai (be careful). I laughed and told her that she should be the one to take care because she got hurt during the stampede in Taipei last January.

So one more time, goodbye F4... so long my boys. Until the day that I would say "hao jiu bu jian".

Note: Thanks to May for the correction of my chinese pinyins. =)

F4 Japan Tour 2008 in Yokohama...All to Myself

2008-10-04T16:56:00.003+08:00

Last night, I had F4 all to myself at the Yokohama Arena because I ended up watching the kick-off concert of F4’s 3 city, 7 show tour hitori ne – alone. For some reason whoever was supposed to watch with me did not show up.

I was even excited to go to the arena from where I am staying in the suburbs of Tsurugamine, Yokohama. I arrived at Shin-Yokohama (some 8 local train stations away and 5 subway stations from downtown Yokohama) at 5pm. My ticket said gates will open at 6m and show will start at 7pm. Since I was early and hungry, I decided to find a good place to eat and gladly found it not far away from the arena.

I was back at the arena as the gates were just opened. Following the throng of people, I went about finding my seat. My F8-39 seat was a lower level seat on eye level with the stage. My SMAP concert arena tickets would still be “the” arena ticket for me so far in my fangirl days but I’m not complaining since the venue is not as gigantic as the Tokyo Dome. I can still see them clearly without having to resort to binoculars.

Lights went off at 7:15 pm and the show started. The concept of the introduction was legends and knights. There were 4 legends from the North, South, East and West. I could not remember who is which because I was focused on the entrance of each member from the 4 ends of the stage. The member nearest me was Zaizai. Perfect! =)

Opening number is obviously Waiting for You. All 10,000 plus ladies in the house went wild. Jerry was handsome and looking cool. Zaizai was his usual smiling self, gained weight (sexy...) with his blue hair. Ken thank God shaved all the hair on his face and looks healthy (he is not fat! just filled out nicely with a tiny belly..hahaha!) Vanness on the other is buffed as usual and for some reason looks like the Asian version of Prince. I love the guy but he just went a bit overboard with the eyeliner.

After Waiting for You, F4 sang the old familiar Can’t Help Falling in Love with You. A flash back of all their most popular music videos were shown and then Ken came on for a solo. He sang a song which I could not remember the title (something about a new day) and Lalala which everyone was happy to sing along with. Then Zaizai came on to do his solo of some jazzy song with a cute choreography. Yes folks, Zaizai danced! After the upbeat number Zaizai sang Missing You. Next to come on is Jerry introduced via a little boy fantasy concept singing a newly arrange song which again I could not remember the title (Memory Pieces! It was my LSS the whole day today..hahaha!). The cute number ended with a lucky fan getting a cute and big Winnie the Pooh teddy bear from Jerry.

Zaizai came on to fill in a gap and asked the audience to do the wave and then Vanness came on to do a solo. He sang a song I like (Mama?) with back-up vocals, then another ballad and finally segueing to Listen to Your Heart. By this time, the boy (oops, he’s already 30 now!) has already thrown his top away. I was actually waiting when he would do it. =)

Then it was Ken again. And to my surprise and delight, he tapped danced and sang a jazzy version of Ai Bu Ding Tian. The guy obviously used his idle time well because he was just perfect tapping away. I just wished he practiced the dance while singing because there were times that I could not hear his voice from gasping for air. Nevertheless he deserved a huge applause which the crowd did give. Ken’s next number was well-timed because he sang an acoustic ballad in English. Folks, sorry about my many senior moments. I will just edit my post later when I’ve done a little digging in my files.

Up next was Zaizai again singing two Japanese songs in a row – his own Wherever you Are and the national romantic ballad of the Japanese I Love You. The Japanese ladies in the house, which is most of them, can only exclaim sugoii! If he forgot even a word of the songs, I did not notice. Then there was about 3 seconds of dead silence and Vanness came back on singing something about Lucky Love with a guest DJ/rapper who I don’t know (hahaha!!). It was Jerry again after Vanness and sang (was it? it is!) One Meter. My ears ached but I forgave him after a second because he was just looking so hot!! =) After his gut wrenching song he walked over to a piano and played a bar of the scintillating Twinkle, twinkle little stars moving on to his cover of the Japanese version of Wo Ke Yi (part of Mars OST). While singing this song, the trailer of his new drama Starlit was being played at the big screen. It looked like its going to be a good drama.

I never thought I’d hear Mama Zuo sang live but last night Zaizai delighted his fans with his airport where in the world theme number. Aside from dancing, Zaizai went on a harness and did back flips and all sorts of flying antics. It became my favourite solo of the show!

As the show seem to be winding down, out came Ken and Vanness singing Wo Bushi F4 rock version! It was a fantastic number and fantastic to hear them singing Zaizai’s song. And then Zaizai popped out of center stage wearing a hospital jacket...of course everyone guessed that he will sing Jerry’s song from the drama. Suddenly Jerry came out also wearing the hospital jacket so the whole arena went wild because they sang duet. It was such a great segment that it became my favourite group number of the whole show.

Then the boys sang old favourites from At the First Step and Season of Fireworks. Thank you speeches followed and finally Goodbye from the latest album. As they disappeared from the stage, the crowd kept on clapping and chanting F4. We knew they would come out again. They have not sung the F4 global anthem!

They all came out at my side of the stage and I almost fell off my seat with how tight and skinny Zaizai’s jeans are. Both he and Jerry were wearing jeans and boots but Jerry’s was a bit loose. I would have died twice if Jerry was wearing skin tight jeans too! So of course they sang Can’t Lose You and Meteor Rain as the encore numbers. Now it’s perfect.

As I run outside of the arena to catch my trains, I thought to myself that though it was the first show and there were some off key singing the overall grade for the show in my opinion is excellent. The costumes were not too over the top. Although the stage is simple and set up like a cross, overall direction and production design was good. Visual and hydraulic equipment were used very well and they did not scrimp on hiring back-up dancers. The band is of course from Taiwan and all are friends of Vanness. The re-arrangement of their old songs was fantastic.

Congratulations F4! Wish to see you...in Tokyo.

** Sorry no photos. Cameras were not allowed too.

SMAP Concert..Yume Janai (It's Not a Dream)

2008-10-01T00:56:00.004+08:00

I was not so happy to arrive in Tokyo yesterday (Sept. 29). Aside from the rains, the traffic from the airport to our hotel killed me. We wanted to try and get tickets to the Sept. 29 concert of SMAP but after checking-in at our hotel at around 5:30pm, tired and have not eaten since 9am, all we can do was drop our bags at the hotel and find something to eat in the Ikebukuro area.

After successfully finding a McDonald's (hahaha!), we decided to just get to HMV to get our copy of SMAP's latest cd Super Modern Artistic Performance. Once back in the hotel, I surfed local tv and much to my delight, there was a replay of an old Pussma (Kusanagi Tsuyoshi's show) episode with Kimura Takuya guesting. I set about preparing from the next day and promptly fell asleep.

Tuesday was another rainy and gloomy day. Plus temperatures suddenly dropped to 16 degrees (61 degrees) which for Filipinos like me is already collllddd! Vic, my SMAP buddy and I are so excited to get to Tokyo Dome but we had to content ourselves going to Shinjuku unti it was time to get to the Dome.

We knew we had good tickets but we did not realize just how good!!! The saying that good things come to those who wait is true in this instance. C-17 is an arena seat right in front of the right hanamichi (stage). 10 meters away from any of the SMAP member who would come to that part of the stage. 5 rows from the railing. What can a fangirl do but scream and jump when we were ushered to our seat! I mean sugoii! Wow!

The show started at exactly 6pm and lasted for a wonderful 4 hours!!! Talk about value for money, even if we had to fly to Japan to watch it. It was really great value. I have only been to Sample Bang in person but have watch all of SMAP's concert on dvd and I must say that they have exceeded themselves in terms of concept for this show.

I liked their horizontal walk on harness during the opening number. I loved the vampire concept which they've taken to the sequence break clips. The songs were spaced out well to give the boys the time to breath and allow them to dance beautifully. And most of all, I loved the arrangements of old songs..like the jazzy Tomadachie, Say What You Will. I closed my eyes amidst 55,000 people in the Dome and just enjoyed the music. Also the lullaby rendition of Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana in the sequence clip..

Now the main reason that I was there is this member called Kimura Takuya. With a stage so big, my eyes were literally glued to Takuya. Since we are in front of the right stage, were always excited to see him sexily sashay (there's no other word for it, believe me!) down the catwalk to our area. We saw every bit of facial expression, stared him down from head to toe. I especially remember the time he just popped out in front of us during Keep On. He was just gorgeous. Of course, I couldn't stop screaming when Takuya did his solo Style..he was wearing a lilac T-shirt with his green pants! Again, a purple person can only take so much! The description during the individual intro was soooo apt - sexy, wild and hotstuff!! He is the only Japanese who looks gorgeous in an American Indian outfit with a feather on his hair. I just don't know how he does it.

But then I also get to enjoy the other members. Especially since they insist on coming to our side of the stage. One member I enjoyed in this concert is Tsuyoshi Kusanagi who is actually my least favorite. I love his Sou Desu number. It has a catchy tune and dance moves that were so easy to follow. Plus other SMAP members were backing up. All the time in this song Takuya was in our side (sorry can't help but remember again..hehe) asking everyone to do the dance with him.

Aside from songs from the new album, I was happy to sing old songs like Sekai Hitotsu Dake no Hana, Yozora no Mukuo, Sonomama, Aoi Inazuma and many others. When I heard them sing Orenji, I couldn't help the tears from flowing. It is one of my favorite songs. I was just so overwhelmingly happy. I can only tell my Japanese friend Minori in halting words..ureshii..san nen..mattemashita. I waited 3 years to see them again and the difficulties and challenges that I had to overcome flashed before me.

I was back to singing along and dancing when another favorite was sung - Original Smile. I thought the show was finished after Arigato but then there was a second encore. This time, Takuya rode the crane on top of us. Suddenly he dropped his drinking bottle!!! My heart stopped beating for a second..could it be? Unfortunately it dropped directly behind us.

It took us 30 mins to get out of the Dome and into the train. And in the rain! I did not care about getting wet but I just had to take off my cardigan and put it over my bag of concert goods. As I take pictures of my loot, all I can say is that IT IS NOT A DREAM!! I came, I bought and I watched.

And it won't hurt to dream again...

TOKYO AND YOKOHAMA, JAPAN - Ikimasu!

2008-09-29T01:05:00.002+08:00

It looks like it's going to happen.

The ultimate fangirl's dream.

Two boybands, 3 (hopefully 4) concerts in 10 days. Two sets of concert goods to buy.

Meet ups with fellow fangirls from all over the world. Immersion with a japanese family.

I am off to the airport in a couple of hours.

Heaven.

Bye for now..SHANGHAI!

2008-09-20T14:00:00.005+08:00

I had a great time getting acquainted with Shanghai, China. From the Pudong International airport, I felt a fangirl's welcome when I saw several huge lighted billboard of Takeshi Kaneshiro.

There were many impressions that the city gave me but none of what I expected. It is cosmopolitan, huge and throbbing even under the watchful eye of communist China. There's just a lot of people but many are fashionable and young.

The city is very commercial with all forms of enterntainment from an opera house, cinemas, and tons and tons of shopping.

Of course the most important thing of all is that I like the new kamp my sister and her family has made in this part of the world. It is warm, cozy and there's more to discover the second time around.

So i'll be back. And will definitely sample what this city has to offer. And with more Mandarin words in my vocabulary..definitely.

For the rest of the pics, head on out to http://gigidm.multiply.com/photos/album/39/Ni_Hao_Shanghai_vol.1 and http://gigidm.multiply.com/photos/album/40 and lastly http://gigidm.multiply.com/photos/album/41

Shanghai, more random discoveries

2008-09-13T00:38:00.002+08:00

So on our 2nd day in Shanghai, there are more new discoveries...

Chocolates are 3x more expensive than in Manila. Too bad Hershey's does not have a store in 'ye ol hometown.
If it's a foreign brand, its bound to be more expensive than most probably anywhere in the world.
The concept of "diet" soda in McDonald's or other fast food chain is not yet known. The city is simply not diabetic friendly.
Amidst the dozens of modern shopping malls, stores around the Yu Yuan Garden in the Puxi area are to me still better.

Still no photos. Mopworld inconveniently forgot to pack her camera usb connector. Duibuqi. :-(

Enjoying Shanghai...

2008-09-12T00:57:00.002+08:00

After Day 1 at Shanghai, here are random thoughts about this huge, huge city.

Pudong International airport looks no different than NAIA Terminal 3 except there are huge, huge (that's my buzzword today..LOL) framed photos of Takeshi Kaneshiro modeling for Armani.
That I love my sister's home in The Emerald and thinks that this is where Show Luo and Barbie Xu shot scenes from Corner with Love (my Chinese friends who visit this site, tell me if I am wrong please).
I now have huge, huge respect for the concerted effort of not giving out shopping bags for anything you purchase. So prepare to carry all your stuff as is or be poorer by at least CNY 1.00..better yet just don't forget to bring your environment friendly shopping bags. =)
That despite the huge, huge business of imitation (aka fake) products in this country, the Shanghainese people would rather be caught wearing no brand items than carry/wear imitation goods.

Posting pictures soon. More thoughts later...

Ni Hao, Shanghai!

2008-09-07T01:45:00.005+08:00

While I twist and turn and get my requirements ready for Japan's nail-biting visa application process, I have an opportunity to de-stress in China's largest city in terms of population - Shanghai.

I will have the chance to bond with my sister Teng and her family. They recently moved to Shanghai from Copenhagen, Denmark and has settled in this posh expat neighborhood called The Emerald (http://shanghai-emerald.com/) in the growing metropolis called Pudong.

I am looking forward to seeing the world famous Pudong skyline and other attractions that Shanghai is famous for. I'll see if I can squeeze in a little "purple" shopping. =)

So I'll post again when I get back and will tell you all about this new adventure. Now if only I can remember where I kept my Mandarin dictionary...

Attempting the Impossible...

2008-08-30T14:54:00.004+08:00

I am one of those who have crossed the great fandom divide and love both SMAP and F4 or F4 and SMAP. It was unthinkable before for these two groups to share the same space and time. SMAP is from Japan, superstars, unreachable. F4 is from Taiwan, newer to the scene, phenomenal.

But after F4 guested on SMAP's long running TV show SMAPXSMAP, all thoughts of them intersecting was shot to the heavens and well I went with the shot to heaven. LOL.

F4 is having their concert run in Japan and the avid fan that I am wants to go. But my world again was turned upside down when SMAP announced that they will be having their live concert run more or less on top of F4's run dates.

A fangirl must do what a fangirl must do. Watch both. I have waited a long time for the chance to see SMAP again. A long time to have the chance to go back to Japan.

And so I am attempting something which I thought was impossible. I am in the process of twisting and turning to make things happen. And I hope that all the gods will be with me again.

Kamisama mo ichido onegai shimasu...

Beijing, Beijing, Wo Ai Beijing

2008-08-25T01:52:00.005+08:00

Time does fly when you're having fun. I was working long hours the past couple of weeks and my only therapy to tone down after 12 or 14 hour days was watch olympic games. I enjoyed the volleyball, swimming, diving, some tennis, some basketball and some athletics.

After the closing ceremony which by the way is another fabulous production, I will miss the Olympics and wish London the best of luck in 2012. Beijing would be a tough act to follow.

And just like the opening ceremony, there are images that I will remember forever in my mind but most especially the tower of memory that kept me ooohhing and ahhhing as the human tower formed itself into many things.

Not only images, but now and most of the world who watched the number where Rain from Korea and Wang Lee Hom from Taiwan sang together with other Chinese performers, we can hum this tune that is my last song syndrome for the day... Beijing, Beijing, wo ai Beijing...

**photo credit to http://www.china.org.cn/olympic/node_1114380.htm

The New Orly Diva

2008-08-17T23:09:00.001+08:00

Me! I am the latest Orly diva. Thanks to my sister-in-law Pam who bought me my own bottle after using her bottle several times. Guess she got tired of me borrowing..hahaha!

Seriously, I was balking at the price tag of this bottle. But when 2 weeks, 3 week later my nails are still the same, I was convinced that it is worth every peso.

Of course no purple person will stop at having one color so I went in search of more Orly's. I was so loving Orly's websites. You'll know why when you follow the links *winks*.

Online Store: http://www.orlydiva.com/index.htm

Corporate Website: http://www.orlybeauty.com/

My online shopping will definitely extend to nail products.

And my nails will never be the same .. it will be more gorgeous! Hahahaha!

Awesome Opening Ceremony

2008-08-09T23:30:00.003+08:00

The Beijing Olympics had an awesome, awesome opening ceremony. Many may disagree but in my lifetime of watching Olympic games, this one held me in awe the most. I was just facing the tv but my mouth was wide open as if i was in the Bird's Nest stadium.

The richness of the Chinese culture was utilized to the max and paired with the latest in technology, the result was an astounding show. The fireworks alone left no doubt that China is one of the best in lighting up the sky. They lighted up a whole city!!

This is my favorite part of the ceremony. Li Ning, running on air towards the olympic torch and chasing the scroll as it opens.

Kudos to the Chinese Olympic Committee and most especially, the citizens of the the People's Republic of China. The many years of effort and preparation paid off. I can't wait for the closing ceremony. =)

Photo courtesy of http://www.china.org.cn/olympic/node_1114380.htm. Xie xie ni!

One world, One Dream!!!

And I thought I did not buy purple stuff in Dubai...

2008-08-03T02:27:00.003+08:00

I did buy a few! From the top..

I bought that Indian flats after my Bur Dubai adventure with our friend Richard. It's a very comfortable pair and I've worn it a couple of Fridays at the office.

I love my bedroom slippers from Ikea. It was actually my arrival gift from Tatsi and wears like a pair of socks.

Now that watch... took me a couple of days to decide to buy. It is actually not very expensive but I saw it when I was just a few days away from going home which means I am running out of cash! Hahaha!! So a couple of days before I left for Manila I bugged my brother Denver to walk with me (and it was a long mall walk..sorry Daddy Dab) to Aldo Accessories to get this piece. My brother was so astounded because he thought I was mulling over something very expensive.

Those decorated jewelry box and pencil case are exquisite finds. I love them because they are unique and has that touch of Arabic design. They were on sale so I did not have any 2nd thoughts of buying. Also on sale were those nice purple jewelry accessories.

And will Gigi travel anywhere without buying notebooks? Never happened yet. That gorgeous bundle of paper was from Borders and now I realized is one of the most expensive thing that I bought during that trip. It's the Thai silk material I guess...

And the last thing I bought was a bunch of souvenirs and that refrigerator magnet was one of them. It was just so cute that I had to buy alternative items because I hogged my own souvenir from someone who was supposed to receive them. =) If that was not a case of purple desperation, I don't know what is it.

Wu Chun's and Calvin Chen's Stalkers!

2008-07-26T23:37:00.007+08:00

********photo taken down as requested by an anonymous comment************

It is a quiet weekend for me and as I was scrounging around for photos of what to blog about, I stumbled on this one sent by fellow fangirl Eve.

These girls were what remained after that hectic weekend of Chun's and Calvin's visit. The boys had dinner at Abe in Serendra. As they ate, we had dinner and waited by the fountain. It was funny because we were all posed to try and have one last photo and that space in front was supposedly for them. =) Too bad we did not succeed...

But it was still a weekend to remember. I can't wait for September to roll along so I can shop for anything and everything Feilunha in Shanghai. =)

P.S.
Again, thanks to Eve for the pic.

Back to Purpleness - Purple Watches!!

2008-07-24T23:07:00.006+08:00

I am not a watch person. All my watches are cheap ones that I found during my travels or gifts.

The one on the far left was bought in the Bugis flea market, SGD 5.00 =)

Next to it was bought in the sidewalk of Tsim Tsa Tsui in Hongkong, HKD 10.00 =)

That cute flowery watch was given by my travel buddy and resident brat Ochie in Puerto Galera, Philippines (not Boracay Island as previously written, sorry Och).

The purple Timex (http://www.timex.com/) watch on top is my weekend and beach trip staple. To order an extra strap, I had to wait for 6 months!! It's my most expensive watch, PHP 1,700.00 =).

Cool beans, right?!

Icing on the Cake

2008-07-19T01:06:00.006+08:00

Group photos with Wu Chun and Calvin Chen!!

It was a surprise. Announced at the very last part of the Meet and Greet. Everyone could not stop screaming at the thought of going up the stage and having their photos taken with Chun and Calvin. Never mind if in a group. It was still an exciting experience.

Thanks to Eve (beside me kneeling in front) for sending these previous and unforgettable photo.

Weekend with Wu Chun and Calvin Chen

2008-07-14T23:08:00.003+08:00

It has been too long since any Taiwanese artist came over to the Philippines. The last I remember was Jerry Yan in 2005 for the Bench event in Cebu,an island province south of Manila.

So when I heard about Wu Chun and Calvin Chen coming over to promote their drama Romantic Princess, I dusted off my fangirl shoes and went chasing.

First stop was the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Through my friends in PAL, I was able to gain access to the arrival lobby of the airport. With a handful of Filipino fans and a bunch of overseas fans, I finally saw the boys in person for the very first time.

Second stop was the very short Meet the Fans event at the ABS-CBN studio compound. I was laughing so hard when we got to the line formed outside the studio because I was probably the oldest fangirl there!! After waiting for more than an hour, the boys finally made an appearance for about 15 mins. We couldn't hear what they said because my photos indicated they said a few words but the screaming was just too loud.

And then late lunch at the Grams Diner at The Loop (which is inside the studio compound) to watch the boys' guesting at E-Live, an entertainment talk show. After our meal, I went home to wait for their appearance at Pinoy Dream Academy, a reality talent show. The boys did not disappoint me when they did a duet live. It was my first time to see them perform live and now I look forward to more.

The following day Sunday, I was able to attend their Meet and Greet with the ABS-CBN folks through the kindness of my former officemate and friend, Dennis who's talent, OJ Mariano was asked to be a guest in the event. After the event, we had the chance to literally chase Chun and Calvin all over Manila as they did a quick tour of Luneta Park, Rizal Monument, Bay Walk and the CCP complex. It quickly dawned on me that my fangirl shoes never did any car chase in its home court! This was actually the first time as I usually run all over Taiwan and Hongkong.

Last stop was at Serendra, the hippest place in Manila today. While the boys had dinner at Abe, we had our dinner just across the restaurant at A Different Bookstore. I realized that I can still eat without blinking and looking at my food as my eyes were glued to Abe's door for any signs of activity.

We were hoping to get one last photo with the boys, but they were just too tired (or already had a few rounds of drinks...hehe) and dragged away by their security team. Nevertheless, Chun's very endearing "sorry" was enough to cap an otherwise fun weekend.

Which made me only so eager to get to Tokyo for the F4 Concert! I heart these boys unconditionally...

For the rest of the photos, head on out to http://gigidm.multiply.com/photos/album/34/Weekend_with_Wu_Chun_and_Calvin_Chen and http://gigidm.multiply.com/photos/album/35

And for videos, posted my unartistic video clips at the following youtube links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TH_Dhaqblz8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odoFtkhY2FA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8pYtdaqpAU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJFx77ejnu8

One Year and 5 months...

2008-07-05T09:56:00.004+08:00

Is what it took for me to finish one book!

The saga started in February 2007 when I brought the book with me on a trip to Singapore. 5 trips and 4 countries later, I finally finished it.

Sad and pathetic...

Because I used to finish one paperback within 24 hours...8 hours if it is a James Patterson book.

Not because the book is not good. It was actually...but...

I guess a lot of things distract me now in my enjoyment of reading. Probably the busy work schedule, the even busier fandom activities, maybe the travels or the addiction to the internet and the onset of blogging?? Or ALL of the above!!

Despite this, I will continue to buy books. I will keep them in my shelf until the day that my feet gets tired of chasing my idols, or i have already travelled to my satisfaction or my back could not stand sitting up and typing stuff on my blog or ALL of the above. =)

A Happy Purple World!!!

2008-07-02T23:12:00.003+08:00

A happy purple world to all! I was surprised to see that I already have gone over the 1,000 mark for visitors. Isn't it the coolest?

Keep coming back friends! And wouldn't it be good to comment and chat in here?

Maraming salamat! Thank you! Arigato gozaimashita! Xie xie ni! Terimah Kasih! Kansamhamnida! Shukran!

Highlights of Dubai Holiday Part 3 (Final)

2008-06-28T21:28:00.005+08:00

There are 2 major highlights of my Dubai holiday that will wrap up my long-winded posts - the texture of the city and the people that made the trip more fun!

Like I mentioned a couple of posts back, one of the surprises that I had was how beautiful, modern yet retaining its arabic influence, the city is. Aside from Ibn Batuta Mall, I also will not forget Mercato with its meditteranean facade.

I will also never forget Dubai Creek which is the backdrop of the city's character. Like any great city, the creek is the lifeblood of Dubai. It always made me feel a tinge of despair that my own country's Pasig river is actually dead. I loved my abra (arabic for thid little boat) that ferried people from Bur Dubai to Deira and back.

I was intrigued with this cruise boat and promised myself to take a cruise in the creek next time.
Despite its smallness, the Dubai Museum is a must stop for any tourist. To me, what was awesome was how this city is serious about growth despite the short history it has as a city and economic force in the region. No wonder many nationalities would want to ride that wave of determination and settled in Dubai.

And the trip won't be as memorable if not for the people that I have met. It was my first time to meet anyone from Bosnia. Elmir and Sabina were fun dune bashing mates. We had a great time exchanging bits and pieces about our countries' culture.

I will never, ever forget my one and only interaction with a guy in a kandura. Fahd was our source of irritation when he picked us up from the mall. But he turned out to me full of adventure and thus fun.

The friends of Tatsi also added color to the already colorful trip. I was happy to see Hilary (formerly Rona) married anew and settling happily with her new husband. I was happy to see Ann again after our first meeting in Manila last December.
Kathy is also one of my sister's kookiest friends. I was happy to see her in both nights that we were drinking at Jebel Ali Club. May katawanan at kakulitan.

I will also never forget the day I spent with Anne, who used to be with me in my F4 escapades. I have not seen her in two years and I'm happy that she's alright despite missing the Philippines and wanting to leave the UAE.

Last but not the least, is Richard (aka Kitty Kach). He was so kind to bring me around Bur Dubai and become my photographer despite the 110 degree heat! I will never forget our lunch at the Orient (tama ba?) restaurant with the Pinoy menu.
Well, that's it. My purple world has widened and in fact, has mixed with other vibrant colors this time around. I am now focusing on my next destination. More of that in the next couple of months. Back to grind and scrimping...scrimping...

Highlights of Dubai Holiday Part 2

2008-06-22T01:30:00.002+08:00

The sightseeing was great but the shopping was also awesome. I will not forget that the first thing I bought was not in Dubai but in Abu Dhabi Marina Mall.

Dubai is purple heaven! I remember posing in front of this furniture store because I absolutely loved the sofa.

I will also remember the shopping malls and how fabulous they are. No expense was spared in the flooring, in the themes and decor. My favorite of all is Ibn Batuta Mall. Each entrance of the mall has a theme like this one. A Chinese junk in the middle of the mall? You better believe it...

This entrance to Ibn is also fabulous. I was just not able to take a photo with the huge elephant just behind this wall because everyone was just taking photos.

And then there is the Dubai Festival City mall. I was astounded to see a marina behind it. Sail in, park your yatch and then go shopping? You better believe it...

Aside from the malls, shopping is also surreal at the Gold Souk. I have never seen anything like it. Two blocks of shops with nothing but gold in their windows. Gold and more gold!!! And the wooden canopy added the local flavor to the shopping experience.

One must be ready to do serious shopping in Dubai whether one's poison is the Dubai outlet mall, jewelry or the luxury brand stores. Despite maxing out my credit card and my making a big hole in my wallet, I will be more prepared next time.

In the meantime, my supplies will have to last until the next visit. And pray that I can stay away from Manila shopping malls. =)

Stay tuned for the last part of this highlight series. For the rest of the photos head on out to http://gigidm.multiply.com/

Highlights of Dubai Holiday Part 1

2008-06-15T01:31:00.003+08:00

After being back at work for a week, I can only reminisce about the great holiday I had in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

I can still imagine Bab Al Shams Desert Resort and Spa (http://www.jumeirahbabalshams.com/) as it is the very first place my sister took me. While we went on the road trip, I got a glimpse of Dubai and the vastness of the desert it thrives on. And then the oasis that was Bab Al Shams. I love the gorgeous pool with the desert on the background.

I also will not forget my first taste of Arabic food at the Al Hadheerah Desert Restaurant (http://www.jumeirahbabalshams.com/dining/al_hadheerah/). Walking through the desert from the resort was a romantic experience even if I was walking with family. The beauty of the desert sand can be seen by the lighted pathway and the lights of the restaurants from afar elicited excitement as we got nearer.

Of course the desert safari was exhilirating and soooo much fun! Dune bashing, Bedouin camp, belly-dancing, henna tattoo was offered as part of the tour ran by Net Tours (http://www.nettoursdubai.com/index.htm) especially if you have a good 4x4 driver like Fahd.

And then there was the trip to the capital of the UAE, Abu Dhabi for the Lost Highway concert of Bon Jovi. Fandom + Family always make a great combination. The long drive, the heat, the hours of standing, the 3 hour traffice to get out of the parking lot was all worth it just to hear Living on a Prayer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uNbV2s0QCc).

The fun did not stop there. Checking in at the uber elegant Jumeirah Beach Hotel (http://www.jumeirahbeachhotel.com/) was an unforgettable experience. The hotel designed to resemble a wave was awesome, awesome! As soon as we entered our 19th floor room facing the Arabian Gulf with the all-suite Burj Al Arab in view, I was jumping and I mean jumping for joy. Lunch at the lobby, dinner at Der Keller, lazing around at its private beach, will all be etched in my memory.

I'm off to watch more youtube of the May 20 concert...Part 2 coming up!

See You Again Dubai...

2008-06-03T21:58:00.002+08:00

I fly back to Manila in the morning and my memories of 17 days in Dubai is filled with my bonding moments with my brother Denver and sister Maria Lourdes. They have made this trip really, really awesome.

I will go back home to Manila inspired and dreaming again of the day that I can come back to this city made home by many Filipinos because indeed here they can enjoy the best that life has to offer.

There are many more stories to tell about this trip. For now, I leave this photo of Dubai Creek as I say to Dubai...See you again. I will definitely be back.

Thank you Daddy Daboy.

Thank you Tatsi.

And thank you to the many new friends I've made and the old ones I've met.

Shukran Jazilan. Baaraka alahu fik.

Dubai Surprises

2008-05-30T07:00:00.003+08:00

Being new to the middle east, I knew nothing of it except that its landscape is mainly desert. What surprised me was the beauty of the architecture not only of the buildings but the homes as well. Mediterranean, yet retaining arabic and modern touches.

This photo is a shot of the Jumeirah part of the city which is my favorite of all areas so far. My thoughts as I rode the bus one of my bored days here is that "I could live here"...oh no! hahahaha!!!

The next surprise is food. I have not tried much arabic food but I discovered that I like most of them like falafels, kebabs and the yummy variations of rice. I am not a fan of lamb but there are always variations of dishes in beef or chicken.

And if you get tired of Arabic food, this place is also haven of other kinds of food as well. One good restaurant is The Noodle House (http://www.dubai-eating.com/13981.htm) which is part of the Jumeirah brands. The food is asian fusion and the service fabulous. Try their Chicken Sweet and Sour, the Crab Fried Rice and the Spicy Shrimp. Yum!!

Last but not the least of course is the shopping. Dubai is shopping heaven!! Period!! For girls like me who are Asians but not Asian in measurements, Dubai is a place where we can max out ye 'ol credit card and still feel good. I've shopped all over Asia and the best I could find are shoes. But in Dubai, I can find everything from underwear, trousers, tops, blouses, you name it they have sizes for girls like me.

Aside from all the branded items, Dubai now has Dubai Outlet Mall where I could buy branded stuff for 1/3 of the price in regular malls. Needless to say I went crazy.

The running list:

6 pairs of shoes
5 pairs of trousers
6 blouses/tops
a bunch of underwear
a purple tankini (at last!)
a purple watch
notebooks
accessories

5 more days before I go back home...I dare not think what else I would find.

Why Dubai?

2008-05-26T03:51:00.003+08:00

Going for my first ever long holiday (defined as 15 days or more), I've decided long ago that I would go to Dubai, United Arab Emirates first. Many would wonder why Dubai when there are a lot more interesting places to visit and spend my hard-earned money.

I only have one reason and its because of these guys who I miss dearly. Yes they come home to Manila once a year but its very different to be with them in a place they've called home for several years now.

My sister came to Dubai 5 years ago while my brother 2 years ago. They have built careers for themselves which I am sooo proud of. With my parents gone and being the eldest, I am privileged to be the recipient of their generosity to see the best of Dubai and the other Emirates.

I also got a glimpse of how they live and met the people that they work and play with. I've had several suprises which I will post later.

Of course icing on the cake was seeing the desert for the very first time. Standing with my loved ones in the vastness of these red dunes was an experience of lifetime.

Would seeing snow for the first time be next? :-)

Terminal...Purple Style

2008-05-20T05:06:00.005+08:00

I almost thought that Dubai, United Arab Emirates was going to be just a planned holiday...simply because of a huge mistake.

I was supposed to fly out of Manila on the 14th of May. I was on the visa check line when I found out that it already expired. The next option was to be a chance passenger and that's where my 2 days of hanging out at the NAIA Terminal 1 started.

After much crying and self-remorse, I started my vigil on Friday, the 16th. I thought my new visa was going to be handcarried from Dubai but it did not happen. I was there from 4pm to 6pm.

I was back the next day early at 12nn because I wanted to make sure I get in the stand-by line. The tension that I felt for the next 12 hours was something that I've never experienced in my life. What made it bearable was the support of the PAL Operations staff who were very helpful.

I did not get in the 6:50 pm flight of May 17th despite the full force presence of the team. Though it was disappointing we were still hopeful because there's still the midnight flight. While waiting for the next flight, I had a pizza dinner with the team and took this photo to remember my bonding with them.

Another 6 hours of waiting and sitting around the small office happened. I was so bored that I even showed these people who were strangers just a few days ago my family and trip photos. And they were so kind as to indulge me and my craziness.

When I heard my name called to get a boarding pass from the Emirates people (codesharing with PAL), I felt like a won the lottery and was jumping up and down with Jack who was assisting me that day. Last on the immigration counter and boarding gate, I finally landed in Dubai on the morning of May 18th.

I am so grateful to the men and women of the PAL Operations Team for the extra mile most especially Ms. Yssa (who met the person who handcarried my visa from his flight and ran all the way to the standby counter to hand it to me) and Jack (who escorted me through immigration).

You guys were awesome and will never be forgotten. Maraming salamat!

Living on a Prayer

2008-05-15T20:07:00.002+08:00

With all the tragedy that has rocked Asia recently...Myanmar, Sichuan province...my life story seem insignificant.

But I really feel that I'm living on a prayer...and I just wanted to give myself a big GANBATTE!! JIA YOU!! HWAITING!!

The story later...

Mother to most...Maming to me

2008-05-11T02:11:00.003+08:00

Mother, Mom, Mama, Inay, Nanay...are just some of the common terms used to describe women who bear children and raise them.

To me and my 4 siblings, she is Maming. During these months I remember my Maming especially as we lost her in April 2000 and Mother's Day is usually just around the corner of this date.

She was a character...a self-made woman who made something of herself despite poverty and limited education. A life worthy to be made into a film. For some reason the funniest story that I was just telling my colleagues at work this week was the "mangoes story".

One summer, my Maming brought home a couple of kilos of mangoes. My siblings and I fought because of it as we were all mango monsters and wanted an extra share. My Maming was so mad at us that she yelled, told us to stay put and not move from where we were. She came back and plunked down one "kaing" (a big basket) of mangoes in front of each one of us and made us eat the whole thing because we were greedy she said.

What was funny about this story is that I remember myself in tears, crying and saying sorry and I've had enough and will she please let me stand up already...but despite this I still ate I think more than half of the big basket!!! Hahaha!

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers who had to raise children like me. Special greetings goes to my sister Teng and sisters-in-law Jenny and Pam who all had to raise the second generation of this family.