Brief Book Review: 50 Shades Series

Truth be told, I love reading fictions/fan fictions online. Some of my favorite pieces are yet to be published that's why I am a bit irked by a lot of the more popular published literary works that are sub par. I am by no means a literary genius, heck even my grammar is slowly disintegrating. But I do know what I like about reading books and other works of fiction.

It is no secret that I am not a fan of the Twilight series, I read all the books but was just left wondering "Why is this so popular?" When I first heard that the driving force or inspiration behind 50 Shades was Twilight, I just had to stay away from the book. I figured that it would just disappoint me, just like Twilight. However boredom struck and it was the only book I had that I haven't read before (I downloaded an e-book, didn't spend a centavo on it) so I decided to give it a shot. It's not like I had anything better to do.

For the record, I spent almost a month reading all three books. Yes, A WHOLE MONTH. The longest time I have spent in finishing a book. It wasn't terrible, it was eons better than Twilight, that's for sure. But it just didn't appeal to me. Don't give me the "maybe you are just not into BDSM or erotica" argument because I've read far raunchier things from fictionpress and AFF.

50 Shades of Grey was ok, it caught my attention but it didn't make me want "more" of it. It was the best book in the series, in my opinion. 50 Shades Darker was so-so, it was tolerable. The last book though, was unnecessary. They could finish the entire story line in one book, but maybe they wanted to milk it.

My verdict (if it wasn't clear enough) is that it is OK to read if you have nothing better to do/read. If you just want to pass time, then it might be ok. Oh, it's not for kids it is erotica let's not sugarcoat it and say it's a love story. It does have a love story but it's still a BDSM novel. On that note, if you are used to reading online fiction which are Rated M, it might also not reach your expectations of smut.

BIGBANG Alive Galaxy Tour 2012: Manila

I was excited about their concert since they started their poll on facebook about the world tour. I was so excited in fact, that my friends also caught the bug and patiently waited with me about information about the venue and the tickets. So pardon me if the post is mostly spazzing and not an actual review. There are brief moments when my logical self resurfaces but then my fangirl heart is just too strong, especially when the boys are breathing the same air as I am.




At the day of the concert (which was also my friend's birthday) we came early (at least by our standards) 3PM because the gates will open at 6PM (which opened quite late at 6:30PM). The concert started at around 8:15PM on my watch while there are literally still around a thousand people outside (more on this later). Many people apparently lined up the night before just to be the first ones inside the venue.

The concert was on a freaking Wednesday evening so my other friend had to catch up with us from work. We couldn't line up earlier because we had her ticket with us. Despite the horrid schedule, the concert was allegedly sold out so it's all good.

Right, my only concert hang up is that we missed the epic opening and the fist half of Tonight. If they opened the gates on time, my friends and I would've been inside the venue before the curtains dropped. PLUS they always stopped the influx of people because they were allegedly pushing each other, we weren't moving AT ALL at the back. It was VERY annoying. And could they really blame the crowd? The concert was starting yet there were thousands left outside. They only opened ONE GATE to accommodate 12,000 concert-goers, was that a sane decision? I think NOT. This was my fear before the concert, Ovation Production had a reputation of opening the gates late yet starting the concert with only a slight delay even if half of the crowd was still outside. It was a NIGHTMARE. They also didn't have a separate line for VIPs. Actually, they put Gen Ad, Lower box A&B, Upper Box and VIP ticket holders in just one line. It was CHAOS.

(the part we missed FUUUUU)



Once inside the venue, the first voice I heard was TOPs. It took every fiber of my being not to run and leave my friends behind. His voice was deep and silky smooth...just DIVINE. Right then, all the annoyance and hassle from the line and the sinking feeling that I missed the opening just vanished and adrenaline kicked in. I was jogging (yes I know, absurd) because I couldn't run and leave my friends but I had to walk faster to get to my seat. We were in Lower Box B section 205 row F. The view was surprisingly good and the boys were seemingly so near. I expected to see ant-sized BIGBANG but the view was so good, we can see the print on Taeyang's underwear. Yup, THAT close.

Once on our seats, we dropped our bags, fished out our lightsticks and cameras just as Hands Up was starting to play. For lack of better ways to put it, the seats were just like benchmarks to indicate our number. We didn't get a chance to sit during the concert. The energy was so high that even during brief intermissions with videos flashing on the screen, we weren't able to sit.

(Ok, I watched the fancam just now and all coherence I had left, flew out of the building...I guess I am not yet cured. T.T)

Anyway, the concert layout and sequencing of the concert was very well planned. The transition from one number to the other was seamless and the boys were fantastic. There were problems with G-Dragon's microphone and perhaps his in-ear piece because he kept on coming back to the booth at the left stage to talk to the technicians. It was also said that on the way to the back of the stage, he hit his head. It was probably not his best concert day. But it doesn't mean that his performance suffered. I was so surprised that he allowed people from the Lower box A seats to touch his face (fine not surprised but really envious) and they were all trying their best to speak in English and some broken Tagalog that perhaps Dara (a.k.a Sandara Park) taught them. There were also complaints that the sound system wasn't good though the sound was clear in our area (except for GD's from time to time). With that said, I hope MOA Arena fixes the problems with their sound system. It was a point of concern for many concert-goers for other events as well.

The only number I was able to record fully. I wanted to call the other videos as "floor cam" since the floor seemed to be the focus of the shots. >.< Sorry, I wasn't really paying attention to the camera, I was busy with the performance. DISCLAIMER: I wasn't the one screaming there. I swear.


I remember clearly when GD threw his jacket in my section and all the people were like moths to a fire; we (yes, me included) were all gravitating towards the projectile trying to catch it. It seemed really funny for me because it was playing in slow motion before my eyes. The jacket fell literally two rows in front of me. If I stretched out and used my long lightstick, I would've been able to fish it out. LOL Wishful thinking, those girls would've jumped on my lightstick and injuring another person for a jacket isn't my thing. He was so demure. I mean, he looked like a little princess. The way he spoke in Tagalog left me giggling like a little girl. GD wasn't handsome, he was so pretty that I feel sorry for my lack of femininity. His reputation for transitioning from a high note to low note didn't disappoint. His vocal prowess isn't to be trifled with even if he insists on being called a rapper than a singer. He, along with his band mates are true artists.

TOP was almost always in our section. Like seriously, he seems like perfection personified. I never thought a man could look so good. I am sounding like a teenager with raging hormones right now but that man seriously isn't normal. I could see him pout, show his "bingu" face, stare at us with that your-ovaries-will-explode gaze and it's a miracle that we didn't implode. He received the loudest scream from the crowd from girls and boys alike. Too bad we weren't able to succeed in the Mission for his birthday, though. T.T His baritone was tantalizing that it seemed to pull strings in my non-existent heart.

Seungri, our dear dear maknae, was dubbed as the "bias list ruiner" in their world tour. TV and pictures do not do him justice. His voice sounds 1000x better in real life than in recording and he is so adorable with his fan service. He interacted with the crowd a lot and it was very sweet of him. It was later revealed that he got a small panda doll in exchange for his jacket, the owner of the jacket is a really pretty young lady. Way to go Maknae and your eagle eyes! LOL

Daesung's smile...oh his smile. I was really curious if his smile was a angelic in person as it was on TV/print...it was much better. Seeing him smile made me smile, it was infectious. During his solo, Wings, he didn't have wings. Which was a bummer but the stage was pretty small and it would've been difficult to move around with them on. Needless to say, he also didn't fly. If the harness broke I bet thousands of VIPs (the name of the fan club) will get injured trying to break his fall. In retrospect, I am glad he didn't sing "Baby Don't Cry" because I would've probably cried if I heard him sing that live especially after all he's been through.

Taeyang, the ball of energy. I swear he's like the very hot and sexy version of the energizer bunny. He just keeps on going and going and going...what can I say about him? He was the most difficult to take a picture of. Seriously, he's all over the place in the best way possible. His smile, like Daesung's, was beautiful (understatement, I know). His voice was velvety smooth and very wonderful to hear live. He was the one who started it all for me. I heard his song while Channel V was on the background and I instantly fell in love with his voice.

It's been over a month since the concert and the feeling I get from remembering the events of that night still leaves me smiling like an ignoramus. And I do not mind it one bit. I hope the next time they hold a concert here, the circumstances would be different; that everyone will be able to enter the venue on time and technical problems are left to a minimum so that concert-goers like me would barely notice.

Waiting...

this was in my drafts...I do not know what this is about. LOL but that cute rolling panda is still a winner. >.<

It's been a LONG time...

It's been a while since my last post, I just didn't know what to write about. My current "freelance" state isn't really doing much for my bank account. LOL

I watched a concert for the first time in my life last month, October 24, 2012 with my friends. It was a kpop concert, I never imagined myself liking pop music much less Korean Pop music but there I was, dragging my friend all over the place until the show began. I will blog about it, albeit incoherently, later.

To get rid of the post-concert depression that fans around the world experienced, I decided to read the "in" novel these days, the Fifty Shades trilogy. It was entertaining yet I think there are more publish-worthy fictions online. Will write a very brief review later as well.

In other news, I REALLY want to go visit Korea and Japan. I recently achieved my childhood dream of visiting Cambodia earlier this year and it was beyond my expectations. I might start a travel blog soon too, as requested by my friends. They have been joking that for an unemployed person, I sure travel a lot.

Well, I guess that's it for the intro.

Kpop and Reading...

In the past, I used to read while listening to music. In fact, I cannot study or read a novel without listening to music. It was my way of drowning out reality and immersing myself in my alternate world. I must say that in the past, I used to listen to rock music; OPM and Japanese Rock which seem like the perfect catalyst for my goal.

In recent months however, I started listening to Kpop particularly BIGBANG. I am so hooked on their music that my friends even find me weird. (In my defense, I also do not know why I act like this. LOL) Anyway, I started reading a new book again after months of withdrawal and I decided to change the music that I listen to while reading. We all know that kpop is widely different from rock music but I never would've guessed how much different it's result would be to my reading habit.

I could not focus on my reading while listening to kpop...not at all. Well I guess it's because trying to read while trying not to dance like a lunatic is difficult and miles apart from reading while bobbing your head (with rock music).

While writing this, I had to stop multiple times because I get distracted by the playlist. My conclusion is that listening to kpop while trying to read or write DO NOT go well with me. I prefer to listen to kpop while playing a game or while chilling, but not while trying to perform tasks which require full concentration. In addition, I will revert to my old playlist while reading or writing. :)

This is in no way bashing kpop...put yourself in my shoes. Try listening to this

while trying to ready a novel by Shuzaku Endo. LOL 

Confessions of a K-pop Noob: Fanwar Woes

Tired of getting caught between two fighting fandoms? Well, so am I.

Confessions of a K-pop Noob: Fanwar Woes

Salute to Doplhy: One of Philippines' Most Talented Artists

Truth be told, I wasn't a fan of Dolphy Quizon's comedy when I was young. Although I grew up watching "Home Along da Riles", some of his skits didn't really reach me. Perhaps it was because of my young age, where only the Flintstones and the Jetsons were able to tickle my funny bone. However some time between my adolescence and adulthood, I came across his old films. There I was able to see the genius in his comedy and the art in his drama.

Most people pay tribute to him because of his comedy that they neglect to respect his artistry. Dolphy is not just a comedian, he's a beautiful actor. His film "Markova" was the first film of his that I saw that has depth. It delved into historical facts and human aspects of war. His acting, along with his children, were so impeccable that I couldn't help but shed tears. Then I was able to watch "Ang Tatay kong Nanay" which gave me goosebumps. Because of Dolphy, I always want to cry whenever I hear the song "Send in the Clown." It just gave the song a deeper and more concrete example.

Mang Dolphy has a knack of bringing characters to life. Be it in comedy or in drama, he brings the necessary  colors to his character. He is an artist worth remembering and respecting. The nation, not just he entertainment industry, lost a very inspirational person but his legacy still lives on.

My world is a better place because of your artistry. May your soul rest in peace. It is now time for you to shine your light in the next life. Thank you.

On the Word "Justice" in the Philippines

For the larger part of my life, I have dreamed of becoming a lawyer. Unlike many people, I did not want to become a lawyer because of the title. I wanted to be a lawyer because I wanted to contribute to the justice system. As young as I was, I hated injustice but I also hated pretensions of justice. Justice for the sake of punishing someone for a crime, is not real justice. 

Shortly before graduating from college, my dream slowly disappeared. I was disillusioned. Being able to clearly see how "students" of the law bastardizes the very foundation that they stand on based on their whims made me believe that "Justice" is just a word that politicians throw around to get sympathy from voters. I was sick of seeing powerful politicians hiding behind the law to escape their accountability. 

In recent years, I was able to see that not only are the "poor" people victims of injustice but also those who come from rich and powerful backgrounds. People like our Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is now a victim of politics in the justice system. Dirty politicians make calculative decisions based on the public opinion, especially when the National Elections is just around the corner. 

I do not want to put the blame on the politicians for the death of my dream, but I would like to point my finger at the very politicians that use the word justice to bastardize our Constitution and make idiots out of the masses who placed their beliefs in them. Solons are supposed to be law makers, not law breakers. 

My Love Affair with Kpop

A couple of years ago, I was a big "Kpop Hater." I just didn't see/hear what all the hype was about. I mean, what do the people like with auto-tuned songs? Girls acting all cute and lip syncing to sickly sweet melodies and dancing like high class strippers? Boys trying to act cute and manly at the same time (and failing miserably) are really not my thing. I was (and still am) a Japanese Rock fan. That, for me, was real music. Their fan service did not fall short of my expectations and my fan girl heart was satisfied.

One group changed that stigma for me. In the past, my friend would recommend kpop songs to me, ones in Japanese to suit my palette. This, however, only backfired miserably. If I wasn't told that it was in Japanese I would only believe that it was still in Korean. Needles to say, she failed in converting me. One day, as I was watching Channel V, I saw a Music Video of Aoyama Thelma featuring SOL. I had no idea who he was, but his style completely captured me. A couple of days after watching the video, I still cannot get him off my mind, so I searched for information online. I was too shocked to find out that he was Korean, a member of a Kpop group at that! I was at a loss for words. But since I didn't like prejudice, I decided to search for his solo songs on YouTube, I did not bother with his group (LOL). I was hooked. The way he sang and the way he moved was legit. I became a closeted fan of Taeyang a.k.a SOL. For some time, I only looked at him. Then I found out that his group sang an OST for a drama that I was fond of. It was stuck in my head for days when I first heard it.
It was only this year that I accepted my fate as a VIP (BIGBANG's fanclub name). I was captured and I do not want to escape. Their songs are beyond any Kpop song I have listened to (c/o my friend). Their live performances are actually live and not lip synced. Their energy is so contagious that you cannot help but want to dance along to their songs. It is precisely because of this that I want to watch them live in concert. And I feel so lucky that after a short while of becoming a VIP, they announce that they will include the Philippines in their Alive concert tour. Now the only problem is, MONEY! LOL Nevertheless, see you there! Mark my word! haha

With this, I will leave you with two of my favorite songs at the moment.

Haru Haru
  

Love Dust
  

Movie Review: No Other Woman

I know it's late, but I still want to make a review of this oh so popular film. My friends kept on bugging me to watch it so with the power of facebook, I was finally able to understand their infatuation with the film.

It was wonderfully directed. I never would've imagined myself cheering for Cristine Reyes. Because of all the news/ gossip about her, I was never a fan. For the first time, I actually wanted Derek to get snuffed. The script was creatively structured so that we will remember most of the lines. The locations were well-suited for the scenes. The wardrobe, apart from the "barney party", was so enviable!

Now for the characters. My friends said that Anne's character had redeeming factors towards the end. Well, yes. In some way, I understood her character while at the hospital. But for those who were saying that it was not Kara's (Anne's character) fault that Derek cheated on his wife, I'm sorry but I cannot agree. Provided that she didn't know that Ram (Derek's character)was married when they started flirting with each other, she new that he was married BEFORE THEY STARTED the affair. So she cannot feign ignorance. Ok, malandi siya. She didn't want to be in a committed relation ship, fine that's her choice! Ram is incredibly HOT, she thought he was single. FINE. But upon knowing that he IS in a committed relationship (i.e. MARRIED), kahit gaanong kalandi ung HOT married dude na un, married parin siya. OFF LIMITS. Go look for some other flirty hot dude who is not married and is willing to play. I'm sure marami dun sa tabi-tabi. Being hot and loaded doesn't justify being a mistress. Sabi nga sa movie: Ano mas mahirap kalabanin? Putang Mahirap o Putang Mayaman? PAREHO LANG SILANG PUTA. She backed off. Admirable? HELL NO. It would've been admirable if she didn't start the affair in the first place. She gave up, because she knew she lost.

Ram. No debate here. All my friends despised his character. But it just goes to show the reality that no matter how much a person loves his partner, as long as they are weak to temptations, they will cheat. Having a rich and smoking hot lady come after him is a huge stroke to his deflated ego. It's good that he returned to his wife. But he got the easy way out by getting into an accident. He was let off the hook too easily. You say that he already felt bad enough by hurting 2 women? That's his fault. Malandi siya e.

Cha. I really applaud Christine Reyes' acting here. In her afternoon drama, I find her acting to be quite flat and sometimes sharp, walang sakto lang. So this was a big breakthrough for her, IMO. I loved the scene when she confronted Ram about the affair while at the resort. You can see her pain and her anger. If I was emotional, I think that scene would've made me cry. The throw down was just a bonus. LOL

No Other Woman is a near perfect example of why I love movies from Star Cinema; great acting, captivating script, brilliant directing and production, and they try to think outside the box. They do not limit their actors to just playing the sweet, sexy, lovable characters. In one movie they are the lead, in the next they are the spiteful villains you would love to hate. They enable versatility. So why is it not perfect, well for starters I didn't love the ending. It was fine, but it wasn't my cup of tea. The storyline was already used in Aga's movie with Maricel Soriano. The approach was different, but the theme was the same: cheating husband repents and is forgiven.

My Rating: 4 out of 5.

Writer's Block...Again?

It's been a long time since I last posted on this blog...or any of my other blogs. Been busy with life. >.< A lot of stuff has been piling up and they have left me in no mood to write. Most of the time I just want to escape from reality and writing these days just makes me want to rant. I don't want that. I want to remove all the angst from my heart and mind. How will I do that? Meditation makes my head hurt. LOL Exercise makes my body ache. Talking about my problems just makes them seem more real..for once, I want to escape. But I know my problem will just get worse once it catches up to me. Since I was a kid, my parents taught me one thing: RUNNING AWAY IS NEVER AN OPTION. So time for me to exercise I guess. LOL Feeling helpless is not my thing so, until I find a solution, I will just have to roll with the punches. I Know I can find a way through this shit. I just need to find the flush...

The Evils of the Internet 1

The internet is a very useful thing these days; it keeps you connected to families and friends from far away, aids in fast information dissemination, and mostly entertains people. However the internet has made the world smaller and therefore a single insensitive comment can be blown up into disastrous proportions.

This morning, I saw an article on Yahoo! that a UCLA undergrad student quit school because of death threats and whatnot due to her racial slur on youtube. She dissed the Asian community for talking on the phone while in the library. She might have a point there, the library is a place where people study (well, sometimes people sleep there too...ehem) and therefore should be kept relatively quiet. However she used the recent catastrophe in Japan as an example of why those people were using the phone. If she understood that they were calling because they were checking up on their families' safety, then why upload a rant on a VERY public venue? Why not just ask that person to take the call elsewhere? I don't know if she just wanted to get attention or if the is really just insensitive but what she did made her appear stupid to a lot of people, not only Asians. She is an undergraduate student of Political Science in a very prominent university in one of the most powerful countries in the planet, I do not think that she is really stupid in general but her actions reflected that of an ill-educated person. I would like to think that they were taught manners in school and as a multicultural country I expected her to be more accepting of cultural differences. But I guess that was expecting too much.

She also mentioned about the Asians having to adapt to American manners because they are living in America. But why are most Americans in Asian countries still living like they were in the US? Like they are better than the host country? I actually agreed with her on some level but she should also be fair in her judgment. If she is claiming that we (Asians) have to adapt to their culture, then their expats should also adapt to the Asian culture. It's only fair and logical that way.

Regardless of her rant, I still hope that she continues her education so that her mind can be opened to more possibilities. I hope that a proper education can let her mind, heart, and soul be awakened to the beauty of diversity. The one that her country so proudly boasts of...

Lesson? Well, do not blabber in public without thoroughly thinking it through. Everything you say or do can be blown up into a full scale war that can destroy your life. What is humorous for you might be offensive to others, that is why you should always think of being "politically correct." Asians in general are very sensitive when it comes to their ethnicity, so be careful of what you say.

Link to the original article.

Thought of Horror

When my dad was watching/listening to DZMM teleradyo, I was slightly amused at how AWESOME their music was. My dad was tuned in to Dr. Love. In case you don't know, it plays old music, the type our grandparents used to listen to.

After two hours of the show, I was finally able to recognize ONE of the songs so I happily shared it on my FB page. My aunt commented that she was also listening to the show all the way in New Jersey. She said that she grew up listening to those songs and in the distant future, my cousins and I will be the ones listening to the same radio station and reminiscing. This made me think: what will be the classics of my generation? Then the scariest thought entered my head...will it by Miley Cyrus and Justin Beiber music? Dear Lord NO!

In a musical perspective, comparing The Beatles to The Backstreet Boys is like comparing Creme Brule to marshmallow. Is my generation so artistically challenged that the music of the 60's still overshadows the present?

When I thought that I could include the music of Nirvana and Guns and Roses in my generation's list, my siblings cruelly pointed out that I wasn't born yet in their heyday. I wasn't even lucky enough to buy an album from those bands.

Don't even let my begin with OPM which is virtually nonexistent these days. Cover songs and remakes are all I hear from our local "artists" today. Sad but true. Even our band scene is slowly dying with the news of disbanding abound.

It is truly disheartening for my generation. We still have time! Please make good music that can topple the musicality of the songs of the past. Popularity is nothing if the art doesn't last.

YouTube Video: Bruno Mars - Grenade

I just ADORE Bruno Mars. The fact that he is part kababayan has nothing to do with this at all. Long before his videos were flooding the TV, I have followed his songs online. He just has this amazing voice and beautiful songs with melodies and lyrics to die for.

However I must say that I am not a fan of this song, Grenade. The musicality is still there, but the lyrics just doesn't do it for me. Listen to it yourself...



I don't want a man to die for me...I want someone who will strive to live WITH me. (Mind you, WITH and not FOR)

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: No Where is Safe

I can't wait to watch this movie!! Two to go, bitter-sweet emotions.

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: No Where is Safe

Are You Peter Pan?

Are You Peter Pan?

Do you refuse to act your age? Do you still want to play around even if you are already old? Then you might just be Peter Pan...like me.

Mariah Carey is Pregnant

Mariah Carey is Pregnant
Finally, the good genes of Mariah Carey will be passed on to the next generation.

Will Justice be Served?

Will the Vizconde family ever find peace?

Will Justice be Served?

Singing at The Top of My Lungs

Singing at The Top of My Lungs

Learn to not be afraid of criticisms. Live your life the way you want to...it's yours after all.

Love in Technology

Love in Technology

Finding love on the internet, is it really wise?