Keeping the Faith

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

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!

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..

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...

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...

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!

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!

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!

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

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

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...

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!!

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

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! =)

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...

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

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...

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!

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

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.."