A Jampacked 2010

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 # 2

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

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

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!!!

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.