Again, this is another quarter wherein I got distracted 😅. Honestly, I wasn't able to keep track of my progress for my goals lately (which is a bad thing, I know) but I'm slowly turning my direction to the correct path again. I know it's still a slow process, but there's progress nonetheless. I've also been back to keeping a bullet journal so as to keep a physical documentation of all the tracking and notes that I have in life.
🏃♀️ Career - schedule the training [3/10]
I am still currently in progress. It's essential I finish it as soon as possible, so I guess I'll have to spend every weekend from hereon to accomplish this.
🏆 Financial - go for positive figures [4/10]
I have switched to a better budgeting system, and I can feel that I am more conscious of my spending habits than ever because I can now effectively see the effect of them in the bigger picture. So I am continuing this scheme for now.
🏃♀️ Personal Development - attend a toastmasters class [3/10]
I have actually attended one toastmasters session. Although I have not participated myself, I have seen how sessions are done, especially on doing a tabletop topics contest. I am continuing the journey this year because I know harnessing my communication skills will greatly help me personally and professionally.
🏆 Spiritual - prep for milestone [4/10]
Yes, I did it! I welcomed that milestone with the kind of closure that I wanted to do. Thanks to great timing, I had some alone time as I underwent the transition. That's one moment that I will treasure forever in my life.
🛑 Educational - finish the book [3/10]
Unfortunately, I found my current method of reading that book not that effective for me in retaining all that useful information presented to me. I really need to set focused sessions for this so I could process the ideas more effectively.
🏃♀️ Relationship - end shifts early [2/10]
Having this habit is still a struggle for me, because I always tend to do overtime. But I am doing steps to make this process sink into my system because it's obvious what benefits this would entail for me and the people I care about.
🏃♀️ Physical and Health - knees [3/10]
Because of the chronic condition of my knees, I know I have to be more mindful of my physical activities. Although I admit I didn't focus that much this quarter on this, I'm proud to say I'm slowly establishing a routine to change this. 😀
Legend:
🏆 Finished
🏃♀️ Still in Progress
🛑 Aborted
🏃♀️ Still in Progress
🛑 Aborted
I just finished watching the film entitled "NiNoKuni" on Netflix. It has been sitting in My List queue for a few days now, and fortunately today, I had the time to finish it. I chose to watch it because of two reasons: 1) the title was vaguely familiar and 2) there is something Studio Ghibli-ish in the artwork. After finishing the movie (of which I super duper love the ending!), I had such strong emotions that I knew I had to write something about it on the blog (so here it is!). Although I admit most of the plot was already cliché, the ending touched something within me, and made me discover something that was parallel to my own belief system.
After watching the film I did some googling, and there I realized why the title was familiar to me -- the story is based on a video game, which I have seen in passing over at Humble Bundle and Steam sites (this was during the time I was searching for games to play, of which I found Little Nightmares). It was funny because I never realized this connection, not until I googled it today. I also had the impression that the artwork resembles that of Studio Ghibli because some of the characters of NiNoKuni resembled some Ghibli characters (ehem Yu ehem Howl). Well guess what, that's because apparently the movie was animated by the same studio. Even the soundtrack was composed by Joe Hisaishi, the same composer that did soundtracks for My Neighbor Totoro and Howl's Moving Castle. So desu ne! However, I realized after watching the film that there's no connection between the two worlds. But that didn't take away the fascination that I have for NiNoKuni. For me, it has it's own charm, something that cuts deep to my personal world.
Why was it relatable to me? That's because the theme of the film struck a chord within my soul, making me realize that I have to have the same resolve as Yu in the film to be strong and to succeed in some of the steps that I am planning to do in the near future. The film showed that same theme that made me love the book The Light Between the Worlds by Laura Weymouth. This film made me realize that I was going along the same thinking process that Yu followed in the film.
Spoilers ahead! If you haven't seen the film, I recommend you to stop reading now. 🤐
Sorry, I can't really discuss the point that I want to make without divulging how the movie ended, so here it goes... I just want to say that I was so happy that Yu did what he did in the end. My heart was aching for Yu to just stay, especially after Princess Astrid hugged him as a farewell gesture before he and Haru jumped to the portal back to their world. I was thinking "Hey Yu, just stay there! Your legs are okay in that world and this woman likes you back You'll have a better life there!". But when he turned around and joined Haru to jump to the portal, my heart just sank. And then the next few seconds of the film made my heart skip a beat.While the frame was focused on Yu's face while they were traveling in between dimensions, I was already screaming at my phone screen (that's where I screened Netflix) for him to just let go of Haru's hand and go back to Evermore world and be with Princess Astrid. So when his facial expression changed and he loosened his grip on Haru's hand and told him "Sorry Haru, I guess this is goodbye" (that's non-verbatim), I was screaming yes yes yes!!! 😭 I was so happy that Yu made that decision. The additional plot twist about Yu's true identity in relation to Haru didn't sway me anymore because I was just so happy for Yu!
I stand by the saying "pursue things that make you happy." At this point in my life, I have an idea on what will make me happy and satisfied. Although I am unsure if I would still feel the same way once I actually achieve that goal, I know now that I really wanted to make it happen. That's the resolve that I needed to be successful (just like in the movie). I know that doing this would mean leaving people that I deeply care for, but I knew I had to do the sacrifice, because I know these same people will also benefit on this decision that I am about to make. I also see the parallelism in the film -- this journey very well feels like I am going to another dimension, a whole new world filled with new people, new environment, and new scenery. And these factors really excites but scares me at the same time. But I know what I needed to do and I am on my way to my first steps to that destination.
I'm ecstatic to have seen this movie at this point in my life. I know now that I have that resolve to achieve this goal and just like in the film, this is my key to achieving my heart's desires. I believe that there's no such thing as coincidence. Universe, this is my acknowledgement -- message received. I'm on it. 😉
P.S. By the way, I also learned that Yu was voiced by Kento Yamazaki. Ahhh the feels!!! 😍
Another P.S., I think I have found my anthem for this goal and for this journey. Really, music comes to you in just the perfect timing.
Another P.S., I think I have found my anthem for this goal and for this journey. Really, music comes to you in just the perfect timing.
"It's an end of a decade, but the start of a new age." Taylor Swift, I'm borrowing that one from you.
Oh hello, here we are on this milestone. I've reached it. It's odd because I don't feel like I'm 30 (well how am I supposed to feel, really?). I have grown older, but I guess my mindset in life is still the same. It's kind of uncomfortable now that I'm in this age and I'm in my situation. Real talk: most women this age already has a family of her own. Well here I am, still not even getting one foot onto the door of the dating world. During the latter half of my 20s, I felt a bit down about this aspect of my life. But slowly, I learned that this is something that is out of my control. What will happen will happen. Bahala na. At this point, I just need to focus on things that will make me happy. I just have to make the most out of the set of the cards that life has dealt to me.
During the last hour of my 20s, I reflected everything that had happened in the last 10 years of my life. Sure, I never thought I would be able to travel to places I only dreamed about (Seoul! Tokyo!). I never thought that that job interview, where I just dragged myself into attending to avoid being blacklisted, would be my second home for most of my 20s. I never thought I would be travelling alone to another country. I never thought I would be getting a tattoo. There are a number of things that I never dreamed of doing, but I did. That just shows that I have to trust myself and the Universe. I just have to allow life to surprise me in different ways.
This is also the decade where some repressed childhood trauma came pulsing back. I was so confused at first, why these events that happened so long ago were still affecting me until now. Reading online resources, talking to a professional, and listening to podcasts (especially this one) made me aware of what was happening to me. I learned (in a painstakingly slow process) that what I was experiencing (and still experiencing, as sometimes the flashbacks are as fresh as if it all happened yesterday) is normal and not something that I should be ashamed of. I am not a victim. Upon listening to that Eve's Drop podcast episode, my respect to ex-radio DJ Delamar just became more apparent. I could relate to her experiences, and the defense mechanism that she has built for herself for the years that followed mirrored mine. Until now, I am still in progress of fixing that mindset. I can't change a long-time habit overnight. This is still a developing story.
Getting that tattoo was my way towards self-care that I so need to give myself moving forward. For the longest time, I am myself's worst enemy. This tattoo will be my life-long reminder that I am able to do great things on my own for myself. I can enjoy life in solitude, if things come to that. During times that I will feel down, I will remind myself that music will be my anchor. This art has been my lifeline during times when I was down. Most of the time it worked -- it did lift my spirits up. As long as I live, I will turn to music to heal my soul. ♪
Age is just a number, and this is a stage in my life wherein I feel the magnitude of truth this statement holds. Happy 30th self. 🎉
There are a lot of things to be thankful every year, and so here I am doing my traditional year-end post for the blog! I am so glad that even after all these years, I am still writing stuff on this blog. I still have A LOT of backlog posts to put out here (heh just look at the travel log). Don't worry, I am still doing them. I might be posting them in a very delayed fashion but they are sure to be published to the world.
So what happened to my 2019?
One "milestone" I achieved for this blog was the move to Wordpress. I've had that thought for a while and this year, I finally decided to make it happen. I did appreciate the many cool features that Wordpress has, but after a few months of being in that platform, I've realized that it was not the one for me. So before the year even ended, I went back to Blogger. I guess this experience thought me that it's okay to explore things because it allows you to learn what you want and what you don't want, and that's good in terms of making decisions for yourself. So yeah, lesson learned this year, Blogger is the perfect platform for me!
My fangirling adventures for Taylor Swift continued, as I followed all her activities for her new album "Lover." I almost bought a physical album when I visited Target (during my business trip in the US) but decided I'll just have the digital album (to save me some bucks 😅). I have to say Taylor Swift is my most loved artist now (err The 1975 comes second now... sorry boys). She will be doing her Lover Fest tour this year, and I just hope she comes here in the country for a show. 🙏
Of course one of my greatest accomplishment this year is my solo trip to Tokyo. 🗼 It was the most magical adventure of my life so far. It all feels like a dream now, which is kinda ironic because I have affectionately called that trip my "9-day dream sequence." That's also when I got my first tattoo, which will be my constant reminder that I am enough, that I can do wonderful things for myself, and in the case of tough times, music will always be there for me to cheer me and lift me up from my heavy emotions. It was also during this trip that I learned that it's possible to fall in love with someone in a day. I thought these emotions only existed in movies, but well I have experienced it myself so I guess it's closer to reality than I initially thought.
I also learned that it's even possible to get emotionally closer to my current circle of friends at work. I even earned new friends all because of my Clow Cards. I still have not written this in the blog, but I have been doing readings for my colleagues at the office. Although we don't really take this seriously, it's amusing because the readings match their current issues in life. One colleague even told me that he felt goosebumps while we were doing the reading. We've done readings for several people now at work and through these activities, we even got closer because in some way, we have shared our heart's deepest concerns with each other.
In terms of the concert scene, I must say I was not that active this year. I was able to see the following artists this year: Jesse McCartney, The 1975 (of course!), Lee Seung Gi (of which I haven't blogged yet 😅), and joan. There were a number of artists that I had to pass for this year, but I promised myself I will attend their concert next time they come here (I'm looking at you IU 😢). I still don't have plans to see a concert next year. I guess this is because my finances are going towards bigger investments now #priorities #adulting.
There are still a lot of untold stories/lessons on the blog for this year, of which I am briefly jotting down here:
- I have proved to myself that I will be there for my family during the toughest of times. I will drop everything to be with them and to help them out as much as I can.
- I am independent and I can do things on my own if I wanted to (great things can be achieved through research).
- There are people whom I will continue to block from my life even though I have already forgiven them. This is my way of protecting myself and my mental health, because I know now that this is the best set up for me. I don't get stressed and I don't have to set expectations from the other party.
- I acquired a Google Pixel 3a (thanks to my friend Darcy)! And the camera is just amazing! I have also acquired a lot of (material) stuff this year, which just made me realize that technology is really amazing (the Chromecast, bluetooth headphones and mouse).
- I found a new spiritual path that I could follow from now on. I am still not fully immersed into it, but the Universe has been doing its ways to lead me back to the right track.
- I have proved several times that I would really never approach a guy that I like. 😭 Delamar, a radio DJ that I follow, has said recently that "Love is for the brave." So hmm I guess it's not for me? 🥺
- Great food tastes best when in great company.
- It's a very nice feeling to know that someone is concerned and checks up on you if you've arrived home safely.
- Expensive food doesn't follow that it's good food.
- My parents find joy in the simplest of things.
I am looking forward for what's up in 2020. More investments, adventures, and travels! ❤️
A little intermission...
Before I dive into my wonderful experience during the concert, I just want to mention visiting a shrine after dropping my shopping items (that I bought at Takeshita Street) at my hotel and before going to the concert venue...
I have been very into visiting shrines and temples during my visit in Tokyo. I've been to popular ones like Sensoji Temple, Meiji Shrine and Arakura Fuji Sengen Jinja Shrine, and also to lesser known ones like Ushijima Shrine near Sumida Park and Kanda Myojin Shrine in Akihabara. I got drawn to these places because I am interested about the beliefs that surround these temples/shrines and so as a new soul visiting these places, I wanted to know about them, experience the atmosphere in these places and also at the same time, pay my respects.
One aspect that I got curious about these temples/shrines is the fact that I could offer specific prayers/requests for each of them. Well, I am a bit embarrassed to admit that I devoted some of my time visiting some of Tokyo's "Love Shrines." I have never had a romantic partner (ever!) and so when I learned that there are shrines dedicated to accepting romantic requests, why not ask the help of the deities to finally let me meet my man? 😅 And so I bookmarked websites like this for future reference.
I have planned to walk by a shrine that coincidentally is just walking distance from the concert venue. The place is called Tokyo Daijingu Shrine. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take any photos of my visit because of a lot of factors, the main one being me feeling disappointed because I wasn't able to make the most out of my (once-in-a-lifetime) visit there. Upon arriving there, I learned that there weren't any English translation amongst the signages there. I tried looking around first and I must say there were lots of things to check out -- there were the usual amulets and also small papers that you could write into. If only I could understand Japanese! I found a pamphlet in English, and so I took one and searched for a spot to sit so I could delve more into it. At that moment, I felt that there was hope for me for in this place. There were a good chunk of information in the pamphlet, but nothing that I needed at that moment (🥺💔).
I stayed there for a few minutes to just do some people watching because there were several people there, and I was the only foreigner. My buffer time is running out so I just decided that hmm things weren't just meant to be so I just have to let things be. I still paid my respects though. I lined up at the Worship Hall and did the prayer ritual (which mainly consisted of clapping, bowing, and tossing coins to the offertory box). As I said my requests, I prayed the deities would be able understand me despite the language barrier LOL. After that, I started my walk towards my next activity for the day -- the concert! 😁
I have planned to walk by a shrine that coincidentally is just walking distance from the concert venue. The place is called Tokyo Daijingu Shrine. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take any photos of my visit because of a lot of factors, the main one being me feeling disappointed because I wasn't able to make the most out of my (once-in-a-lifetime) visit there. Upon arriving there, I learned that there weren't any English translation amongst the signages there. I tried looking around first and I must say there were lots of things to check out -- there were the usual amulets and also small papers that you could write into. If only I could understand Japanese! I found a pamphlet in English, and so I took one and searched for a spot to sit so I could delve more into it. At that moment, I felt that there was hope for me for in this place. There were a good chunk of information in the pamphlet, but nothing that I needed at that moment (🥺💔).
I stayed there for a few minutes to just do some people watching because there were several people there, and I was the only foreigner. My buffer time is running out so I just decided that hmm things weren't just meant to be so I just have to let things be. I still paid my respects though. I lined up at the Worship Hall and did the prayer ritual (which mainly consisted of clapping, bowing, and tossing coins to the offertory box). As I said my requests, I prayed the deities would be able understand me despite the language barrier LOL. After that, I started my walk towards my next activity for the day -- the concert! 😁
And now we go back to the main topic of this post -- the concert!
But again before I delve into the details of my concert experience itself, I want to talk (or write?) more about the two main elements of this post: my college friend and John Mayer.
Reunion with Ate she -- my mentor and friend in college
As soon as I have locked the dates (and my plane tickets!) for this Tokyo trip, I messaged two of my closest friends in college -- ate She and ate Kristel. Ate She has been based in Tokyo for years now, and we've always toyed with the idea of going there to visit her. Now that my plans have become a reality, I informed them right away! Even though ate Kristel didn't really had plans to travel, she was encouraged then to plan one so the three of us could meet. Ate Kristel's travel plans did come to a reality,but because of some things and another, her dates were pushed to June. So as saddening as it was, I had to accept that we won't be able to travel together. But still the good news -- I'm going to meet ate She!
Ate She and I were boardmates in college. She is a few years above me, in a different course but under the same department. Looking back, she had been my mentor then. We've spent countless nights in the boarding house's study area emotionally supporting each other in our acads. She was also the one who introduced me to UP Astronomical Society, the only org I treated as my family. She is in Tokyo pursuing a PhD (because that's how hardworking she is). She was actually in a very hectic schedule then because of her thesis, so I was just so thankful she still was able to spend some time to watch the concert with me.
And who is it? Oh the start of the night -- John Mayer ❤️
Ate She and I were boardmates in college. She is a few years above me, in a different course but under the same department. Looking back, she had been my mentor then. We've spent countless nights in the boarding house's study area emotionally supporting each other in our acads. She was also the one who introduced me to UP Astronomical Society, the only org I treated as my family. She is in Tokyo pursuing a PhD (because that's how hardworking she is). She was actually in a very hectic schedule then because of her thesis, so I was just so thankful she still was able to spend some time to watch the concert with me.
And who is it? Oh the start of the night -- John Mayer ❤️
So how did I arrive in this situation of attending a concert in Tokyo? Well, the Universe's serendipitous powers made me discover that he would be having a concert within my travel dates in Tokyo. I have never seen him live (the last time he visited Manila was in 2010). I like his music. I'm not really an avid fan that followed his activities, but he's one of those artists that I would want to see live in case he visits the country again. But now that I had this opportunity to see him in Tokyo? Like, why not? I have also dreamed of attending a concert abroad (I was interested in going to a Lorde concert during my first trip to the US, but decided to back out because it might be dangerous for me to go alone, and also it would be expensive to commute to the venue from my hotel, note that this was a pre-Lyft era). Attending this concert would actually be hitting two of my goals in one stone!
Remember that couple that I should have been travelling with in Tokyo? They were supposed to be my concert buddies here. They were actually the one who encouraged me to push the plans of going to the concert. We've already bought our tickets before they decided that they would not be pushing through with their travel plans. So I was left with two extra tickets. I already have plans with one, since I would be inviting ate She for the concert. I paid for her tickets instead. This was my way of treating her at that time. She didn't know that I didn't get the tickets for free, hmm but I think she doesn't read the blog, so she wouldn't know this 😝. At that time, I just wished for good karma from the Universe, of which as of this writing I think I have already received in some way or another.
Remember that couple that I should have been travelling with in Tokyo? They were supposed to be my concert buddies here. They were actually the one who encouraged me to push the plans of going to the concert. We've already bought our tickets before they decided that they would not be pushing through with their travel plans. So I was left with two extra tickets. I already have plans with one, since I would be inviting ate She for the concert. I paid for her tickets instead. This was my way of treating her at that time. She didn't know that I didn't get the tickets for free, hmm but I think she doesn't read the blog, so she wouldn't know this 😝. At that time, I just wished for good karma from the Universe, of which as of this writing I think I have already received in some way or another.
I actually had two dilemmas at that time:
- I hope they would honor me to claim the tickets, because the transaction was made under my friend's name. we just printed out supporting documents, in case (her passport, the credit card used in the transaction, and an authorization letter from her). This is the first time I'm attending a concert in Tokyo, so I was not sure how strict they were. So I was really crossing my fingers that everything would go fine. My friend told me if the worst case happens, she'll just ask a refund. And still if the worst worst case happened, she'd gladly give back the money I paid for my ticket, which of course was really really kind of her to consider. So I really prayed that our tickets would get honored. 🤞
- I still had one spare ticket. Initially my plans for this were one of the following: a) sell it at the venue on concert day, but that would be considered as ticket scalping, which is illegal, b) give it away free to one lucky lucky fan that's there on the venue, c) invite Carl, the guy I met at the Klook tour the previous day. Although I admit
I really wantedI would be very glad to see him again, it might get awkward. Plus it would mean I needed to divide my attention between ate She and Carl, which I am never good at (it drains my social energy so I hate it). There's also a high chance he'll decline the offer because of course he would have plans on that day too (I knew he would leave on Friday that week), and I was afraid of rejections LOLOL.
Meeting up with ate She
So I've set up to meet with ate She at a landmark near the subway within the concert venue area. We were chatting and all in Messenger and she was telling me that her train would arrive at the subway at this specific time. It was an interesting statement because that would only apply here in Tokyo (or in any place with an efficient subway system). Anyway so I found my waiting spot on a sidewalk seat outside a Starbucks cafe. It was already around 4-5PM I think and the wind was chilly. 🥶 I could still recall the cold breeze I experienced while waiting for ate She.
When she messaged me that she had just gotten off the subway station, I eagerly waited for her. She was crossing the street from the subway on the other side when I first saw her. It's so amazing because even though we haven't seen each other for years (for sure my appearance changed a lot, I already had glasses on, and it applies the same for her), it took only milliseconds for us to recognize each other. We grinned and we gave each other big bear hugs. 🧸🥰
We talked and did some catching up while walking towards the concert venue. She told me about her life here in Tokyo and how hard it was because of all the stuff she needed to do for her PhD. I like listening to other people's stories more than me sharing my own. So when she asked me how I've been, I just told her: "okay naman, ganun pa rin" (same same *in an exaggerately high tone* lol my friends know this mannerism of mine). She asked me about my lovelife (ugh ate She wala 😭). It was funny because she thought the guy I always had photo with is my SO. I immediately knew who she was referring to, and I told her (while laughing hard) that that is Krishan, one of my closest friends, and he's gay. That idea really made me laugh! Well it did kind of made sense from an outsider's point of view. So to clear things once and for all -- no, that guy is not my boyfriend. I don't have a boyfriend, okay?
When she messaged me that she had just gotten off the subway station, I eagerly waited for her. She was crossing the street from the subway on the other side when I first saw her. It's so amazing because even though we haven't seen each other for years (for sure my appearance changed a lot, I already had glasses on, and it applies the same for her), it took only milliseconds for us to recognize each other. We grinned and we gave each other big bear hugs. 🧸🥰
We talked and did some catching up while walking towards the concert venue. She told me about her life here in Tokyo and how hard it was because of all the stuff she needed to do for her PhD. I like listening to other people's stories more than me sharing my own. So when she asked me how I've been, I just told her: "okay naman, ganun pa rin" (same same *in an exaggerately high tone* lol my friends know this mannerism of mine). She asked me about my lovelife (ugh ate She wala 😭). It was funny because she thought the guy I always had photo with is my SO. I immediately knew who she was referring to, and I told her (while laughing hard) that that is Krishan, one of my closest friends, and he's gay. That idea really made me laugh! Well it did kind of made sense from an outsider's point of view. So to clear things once and for all -- no, that guy is not my boyfriend. I don't have a boyfriend, okay?
We reached the concert venue while happily chit-chatting. We searched for the counter to claim online tickets. The staff that was stationed at the lines gave us the directions. Good thing there was no line when we arrived. And so I handed the transaction voucher together with the supporting documents that I brought. I tried to explain to the staff that it was my friend who bought the tickets and I was claiming it on behalf of her. I watched the staff as she looked through my documents and matched my friend's name with a list on a notebook. After a few minutes, she handed me our tickets. YAAAAY!
As soon as I got the tickets, I messaged my friend back home that we were able to successfully claim our tickets!
Now that the first dilemma was already out of our way, we needed to face the next one. What should we do with the extra ticket? Ate She thought for a while, and asked me if it was okay to message a friend she knew lived nearby. I said of course! I didn't want the ticket to go to waste. Upon a few minutes of messaging, she confirmed her friend was free and could attend. I felt relieved, at least we would be making another person happy with the concert ticket! Apparently her friend was from the same university as mine. They were orgmates back then, and he was there in Tokyo undertaking his PhD also. I was very happy because things are settled now! We could just relax and wait for the concert to start.
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| Happy me at the concert venue. (📷: Ate She) |
The concert was set to start in ~2 hours, so we still had time to grab dinner. We arranged to meet with ate She's friend in a ramen house nearby.
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| We passed by this gorgeous park with beautiful Sakura trees! I was still at awe at how beautiful this city is. |
Ramen at Fukumen Tomo
(resto's twitter handle :@hukumentomo2009, as stated on their door)
Ate She just randomly searched for a high-reviewed ramen place in the area, and so we landed upon this hole-in-a-wall ramen place called Fukumen Tomo. There were only less than 10 seats available inside. This kind of ramen place is quite common in Tokyo. Based on the Google reviews, usually a long line would be seen outside the door, so we were lucky because there was no line when we arrived. We just had to wait for a few minutes because all the seats were occupied.
(resto's twitter handle :@hukumentomo2009, as stated on their door)
Ate She just randomly searched for a high-reviewed ramen place in the area, and so we landed upon this hole-in-a-wall ramen place called Fukumen Tomo. There were only less than 10 seats available inside. This kind of ramen place is quite common in Tokyo. Based on the Google reviews, usually a long line would be seen outside the door, so we were lucky because there was no line when we arrived. We just had to wait for a few minutes because all the seats were occupied.
Ate She's friend arrived before we got inside. His name is Rusty. He's a few years younger than me. His aura felt nice and it blended well amongst the three of us, so I didn't have a hard time adjusting when he arrived. It felt like he was also a long-lost friend that I got reunited with also. 😀
When we finally got inside, I noticed that all of the signages were in Japanese. Good thing their ticket machine had some English translations. Ate She mentioned that every restaurant should be tourist-friendly, especially since there's an upcoming Olympics to be held in Tokyo in 2020. We ordered ramen and settled on our seats (if I remember correctly, one customer transferred to another chair to allow the three of us to sit adjacently huhu the people here in Tokyo are just so kind!). The seats immediately face the kitchen. Only one cook was there taking the orders. As he got our tickets stubs. he asked us something, but since we couldn't understand any Japanese, we weren't able to answer properly. I felt that he felt frustrated, but took our orders nonetheless. At that time, I had no idea what that was about, until I researched about this ramen place. According to this blog, the cook usually asks the customer's preference for the soup base of the ramen. I guess he just prepared a "default template" ramen for the three of us.
This is the ramen he served for us. It tasted good!
When we finally got inside, I noticed that all of the signages were in Japanese. Good thing their ticket machine had some English translations. Ate She mentioned that every restaurant should be tourist-friendly, especially since there's an upcoming Olympics to be held in Tokyo in 2020. We ordered ramen and settled on our seats (if I remember correctly, one customer transferred to another chair to allow the three of us to sit adjacently huhu the people here in Tokyo are just so kind!). The seats immediately face the kitchen. Only one cook was there taking the orders. As he got our tickets stubs. he asked us something, but since we couldn't understand any Japanese, we weren't able to answer properly. I felt that he felt frustrated, but took our orders nonetheless. At that time, I had no idea what that was about, until I researched about this ramen place. According to this blog, the cook usually asks the customer's preference for the soup base of the ramen. I guess he just prepared a "default template" ramen for the three of us.
This is the ramen he served for us. It tasted good!
I noticed that the soup tasted saltier as I slurped down the noodles. I also noticed that the chef was asking something to the other customers, and upon their reply, he refilled their ramen soup. And so I had this conclusion that this was how the ramen should be consumed -- with soup refills. But since we couldn't understand each other, the cook might have just ignored us. LOLOL.
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| Upon further googling I learned that this is one of Tokyo's very sought-after ramen place. I really need to learn Japanese to make out most of my experiences in this country, eh? 😅 |
And so with our bellies full of great ramen, we walked towards the concert venue to meet John Mayer!!! Wohoo! Stay tuned for my next post! 😍
A few months ago, me and my friends/colleagues went away from our usual Saturday routine and travelled to the busy streets of Binondo to try the food of several famous restaurants there. We've been planning this trip for months. Finally, things came into place and our plans finally pushed through!
💡 It's easier to commute than to bring a car.
This was the deal in our group's case. You may still bring a car but you'd still park it somewhere and your group would still need to walk around. So my advise is just commute -- just ride the LRT and get off at Carriedo station. From there, most of the restaurants are just walking-distance. Aside from commute being easier, you'll also have more peace of mind instead of worrying about your car.
Our planned itinerary was to visit these 12 restaurants (reference: spot.ph)
Stop #1: Shanghai Fried Siopao
This is the nearest one from LRT Carriedo along Ongpin street. For me, this was the perfect starter -- each of us purchased one fried siopao. It tasted so good! 😋 It reminded me of the street food that I got to try in the food night markets in Taipei.
Stop #2: The Original SaLido Restaurant
Just across the siopao store, we went to our next restaurant, which was located on the second floor of the building. There were only a few people when we arrived (maybe because it was not yet lunchtime?). They were mostly Chinese people. I have to say they have poor service. You have to be patient with the servers. Even though there were only a few customers around, we had a hard time getting their attention for our requests.
Stop #3: Wai Ying Fastfood
My initial impression with this restaurant is that it is really famous. There was a waiting line outside, and I've seen more than one group that arrived and was specifically searching for the restaurant. They left eventually when they saw that the waiting line was too long. It might get confusing if it's your first time visiting the restaurant. There's a separate sign and stall that only accepts take-out orders, while the door beside it is the entry for the dine-in customers. We were initially approaching the take-out counter. Good thing we were guided accordingly by the staff.
Our group was guided to the second floor wherein more than 5 tables are available. Since we already knew what we were ordering, we wasted no time looking at their menu. But if you need it for reference, here it is. 😊
Lan Zhou La Mien was closed, so we walked to our next prospect restaurant...
Stop #4: Masuki
Our group was starting to feel full already, but we still proceeded to the next restaurant on our list. Since mami is their expertise, we ordered their chicken and beef mami.
We also ordered their siomai (which was huge!). We didn't like it either.
Stop #5: Shin Tai Shang
We needed to take some break from eating so we just visited this store famous for snacks and pasalubong. We ate some mochi and I bought some drinks for myself.
Stop #6: Eng Bee Tin
We were still full so we further deviated from our planned route and proceeded to another famous stop for snacks and other goodies! Eng Bee Tin is famous for their hopia. Since this was a large store, there were lots of other items that were not commonly found in other stores. I bought some egg pandesal, xiao long bao, and asado roll for my folks back home. I recommend all of them! My parents loved the pandesal. I super liked the asado roll. I would definitely buy these again when I come back.
Stop #7: Dong Bei Dumpling
At this point, we felt we were ready for another round of (light) meal, so we proceeded to this place well-known for their dumpling. I knew then that this one is indeed famous because there was a line at the front of the store. After waiting for a few minutes, we were able to enter the store.
At this point, we were all so full already so we decided to call it a day lol, but still of course we still have room for desserts! We checked our maps to check for nearby cafes and we landed to...
Stop #8: Cafe Aquatica
This is a small cafe just across the St. Lorenzo Ruiz church. We were lucky because there were tables and chairs available for our group (there were 7 of us). It was a relaxing place because the cafe had aquariums with little fish and they were playing some Enya tracks in the background.
A simple google search will tell you that doing a food trip in Binondo is a thing. Binondo is Manila's Chinatown so most restaurants that we visited were of the Chinese cuisine. If you are planning to do a food crawl in Binondo yourself, here are some tips to make your experience as enjoyable as possible!
💡 The more people in your food crawl group, the better!
Since we knew we would be visiting a lot of restaurants that day, our plan was to order a few dishes in each restaurant and just share. This way, we would be able to try all of the food without getting full immediately. This technique is easier if there are a lot of people in your group of course!
💡 It's easier to commute than to bring a car.
This was the deal in our group's case. You may still bring a car but you'd still park it somewhere and your group would still need to walk around. So my advise is just commute -- just ride the LRT and get off at Carriedo station. From there, most of the restaurants are just walking-distance. Aside from commute being easier, you'll also have more peace of mind instead of worrying about your car.
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| This is the map I created as guide for our group on the restaurant stops that we would be visiting for our food crawl. |
Our planned itinerary was to visit these 12 restaurants (reference: spot.ph)
Shanghai Fried Siopao
The Original SaLido Restaurant
Wai Ying Fastfood
Lan Zhou La Mien
Masuki
Shin Tai Shang
Dong Bei Dumpling
Café Mezzanine OR Chuan Kee Chinese Fastfood
Eng Bee Tin
New Po Heng Lumpia House
Quick Snack
Sincerity Café and Restaurant
Stop #1: Shanghai Fried Siopao
This is the nearest one from LRT Carriedo along Ongpin street. For me, this was the perfect starter -- each of us purchased one fried siopao. It tasted so good! 😋 It reminded me of the street food that I got to try in the food night markets in Taipei.
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| Shanghai Fried Siopao (Highly recommended! ⭐) |
Stop #2: The Original SaLido Restaurant
Just across the siopao store, we went to our next restaurant, which was located on the second floor of the building. There were only a few people when we arrived (maybe because it was not yet lunchtime?). They were mostly Chinese people. I have to say they have poor service. You have to be patient with the servers. Even though there were only a few customers around, we had a hard time getting their attention for our requests.
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| Bagnet (So-so.😗) and Chami (Recommended! 👍) |
Stop #3: Wai Ying Fastfood
My initial impression with this restaurant is that it is really famous. There was a waiting line outside, and I've seen more than one group that arrived and was specifically searching for the restaurant. They left eventually when they saw that the waiting line was too long. It might get confusing if it's your first time visiting the restaurant. There's a separate sign and stall that only accepts take-out orders, while the door beside it is the entry for the dine-in customers. We were initially approaching the take-out counter. Good thing we were guided accordingly by the staff.
Our group was guided to the second floor wherein more than 5 tables are available. Since we already knew what we were ordering, we wasted no time looking at their menu. But if you need it for reference, here it is. 😊
Here are the dishes we tried:
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| Roast Duck Mami (Highly recommended!⭐) I love the soup so much! The richness of the flavor of the duck can be tasted on the soup. 😋 |
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| Curry Beef Siomai (Highly recommended!⭐) I love curry and this is my first time to try it with siomai. It's a perfect combination apparently! |
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| Hakaw (Recommended! 👍) |
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| Cold HK Milk Tea (So-so. 😗) It tasted like tea with lots of evaporated milk. |
Lan Zhou La Mien was closed, so we walked to our next prospect restaurant...
Stop #4: Masuki
Our group was starting to feel full already, but we still proceeded to the next restaurant on our list. Since mami is their expertise, we ordered their chicken and beef mami.
I don't know if it's because we don't have much appetite already, but we didn't really enjoy these dishes that much.
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| Beef Mami (Recommended! 👍) If I was not that full, I think I would be able to fully appreciate the beef and the mami. |
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| Chicken Mami (So-so. 😗) I compared it to the Beef Mami, which was more flavorful. This one tasted bland. 🙁 |
Stop #5: Shin Tai Shang
We needed to take some break from eating so we just visited this store famous for snacks and pasalubong. We ate some mochi and I bought some drinks for myself.
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| Organic Soymilk (Recommended! 👍) This one really tasted like melted taho! |
Stop #6: Eng Bee Tin
We were still full so we further deviated from our planned route and proceeded to another famous stop for snacks and other goodies! Eng Bee Tin is famous for their hopia. Since this was a large store, there were lots of other items that were not commonly found in other stores. I bought some egg pandesal, xiao long bao, and asado roll for my folks back home. I recommend all of them! My parents loved the pandesal. I super liked the asado roll. I would definitely buy these again when I come back.
Stop #7: Dong Bei Dumpling
At this point, we felt we were ready for another round of (light) meal, so we proceeded to this place well-known for their dumpling. I knew then that this one is indeed famous because there was a line at the front of the store. After waiting for a few minutes, we were able to enter the store.
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| Kuchay Dumplings (Highly recommended!⭐) This is one of their specialties. I super loved it! It was flavorful. |
At this point, we were all so full already so we decided to call it a day lol, but still of course we still have room for desserts! We checked our maps to check for nearby cafes and we landed to...
Stop #8: Cafe Aquatica
This is a small cafe just across the St. Lorenzo Ruiz church. We were lucky because there were tables and chairs available for our group (there were 7 of us). It was a relaxing place because the cafe had aquariums with little fish and they were playing some Enya tracks in the background.
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| Peppermint Mocha (Recommended! 👍) |
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| Sansrival Cake (Highly recommended!⭐) |
And that ended our food adventure! We were so full but satisfied all the same. There were several restaurants that we still weren't able to try, so I guess we need to do a part two of this food crawl trip! If it pushes through, for sure I will document it in the blog again. Until the next food trip! 😜
On this day of my trip, I battled with myself on what my life priorities are. Originally, this day was allotted to going to Tokyo Station to check out the Pokemon Cafe. However, I rechecked the other activities that I wanted to do in this trip, and one of them is shopping! I realized I didn't have much time for this because I had specific appointments I would need to attend to on the following days to come. This is the only whole day left that I have "free" time. So I dumped my original plan and went to Takeshita street instead! This is another perk of doing a DIY trip -- you can do last-minute changes to your plans to suit your needs. 👍
Along Takeshita Street
And so I went my way to Takeshita street, a long street lined up with lots of stores! I realized I have been in this area when I visited the Meiji Shrine. This was the street where all the people from the subway walked towards to.
There were lots of cute stuff everywhere! I felt like I was back in Insadong in Seoul because of all the artsy stores in this street. This tourist area has been in my to-visit list and looking back now, I think I did the right decision. I wanted to visit this spot because I learned that there are lot of crafty stores and a lot of 100-yen stores like Daiso. This is the perfect place to get some stuff to give back to my folks back home!
The Daiso shop that I visited had multiple floors. I was so hyped looking around. It was so unlike the shops that we have in the Philippines, which consisted only of small stalls in the mall.
If you love Studio Ghibli (like I am!), these craft stores would be heaven for you. There are lots of merch available and you will never run out of Totoro stuff toys. I would love to purchase all of them, but I had to hold back from burning my money. 😅
Corndog Snack Break
When travelling, one tip I got is if I see a long line for food, I better check it out, because most probably, the food is great! And so when I stumbled upon this scene while waking down the street, I decided to queue in. I'm a fan of corndogs, and since I still didn't know where I would eat for lunch, I decided to why not have this for a snack.
Transforming into an Otaku
As I continued my journey along the street, I found some stores filled with anime merch, and I found myself entranced by them. I felt like I was 11 years old again as I found this section dedicated to my all-time favorite anime -- Cardcaptor Sakura!
Line Store Stop
After completing my visit at the shops at Takeshita street (with my hands heavy with shopping items!), I started walking towards the nearest subway. Along the way, one store caught my attention: this Line Store! I super adore the characters in the LINE app so I thought of stopping by to check out the items available.
I would have loved to see Pikachu and the gang and to hang out with them at the cafe, but I really needed to accomplish my shopping list!
Along Takeshita Street
And so I went my way to Takeshita street, a long street lined up with lots of stores! I realized I have been in this area when I visited the Meiji Shrine. This was the street where all the people from the subway walked towards to.
There were lots of cute stuff everywhere! I felt like I was back in Insadong in Seoul because of all the artsy stores in this street. This tourist area has been in my to-visit list and looking back now, I think I did the right decision. I wanted to visit this spot because I learned that there are lot of crafty stores and a lot of 100-yen stores like Daiso. This is the perfect place to get some stuff to give back to my folks back home!
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| It was such a joy shopping at these 100-yen stores. There were lots of items in all categories you could think of. |
If you love Studio Ghibli (like I am!), these craft stores would be heaven for you. There are lots of merch available and you will never run out of Totoro stuff toys. I would love to purchase all of them, but I had to hold back from burning my money. 😅
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| Panda lovers would surely love this section here. 😍 |
Socks Hoarding
One item that I enjoyed shopping here are socks! 🧦😍There were lots of varieties and colors and styles to choose from! I saw this one store that sold any 3 pairs for 1,000 JPY. I really enjoyed looking and choosing amongst all the designs available. I think I bought 9 pairs, and I am using them well today. Although I think I should have bought more because I always use insole socks. Next time, I'll buy more!
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| This is the store where I bought my socks. Go visit them too! |
Corndog Snack Break
When travelling, one tip I got is if I see a long line for food, I better check it out, because most probably, the food is great! And so when I stumbled upon this scene while waking down the street, I decided to queue in. I'm a fan of corndogs, and since I still didn't know where I would eat for lunch, I decided to why not have this for a snack.
It took a while for me to reach the front of the line. I noticed that the line grew longer as the minutes passed by. I guess the curiosity of the people got them to go in line too!
I purchased one corndog, got myself some serving of mustard and ketchup and searched for a spot to eat. There were no seats for customers since it was just a stall, so I followed the cue from the people around and just stood nearby and started munching my corndog. Apparently it had melted cheese (I'm guessing mozzarella) inside. Ahh it was so good! It was a bit messy to eat, but I was able to finish it all. I thought it would feel awkward being alone and eating this, but I felt like most people were just minding their own businesses, and so I was able to relax and focus on my eating. 😋
Transforming into an Otaku
As I continued my journey along the street, I found some stores filled with anime merch, and I found myself entranced by them. I felt like I was 11 years old again as I found this section dedicated to my all-time favorite anime -- Cardcaptor Sakura!
Usually it consisted of a few shelves only, but it was okay. I still enjoyed looking at all the merch available. I was still in search for the Clowbook, but my luck was not with me again that day. I already tried searching for that in Akihabara but I wasn't able to find one. Based on my research online, the Clowbook is considered a rare merch because Cardcaptor Sakura was launched more than a decade ago. It only came back into the scene because of the new Clear Card arc. As for the Clowbook, because it is already a rare item, it might be expensive. But oh well, I was leaning towards the acceptance that I might not be able to find one, and that I should just move on from fangirling because I'm already too old for that. Plus, even if I do get to purchase one, what would I do with the Clow Cards? (editor's note: just you wait my dear, the Universe has a plan for you!)
Most of the anime I saw there were not familiar to me, so it was such a joy to stumble one that is close to my heart. I found this Gachapon Sailormoon. It costs 400 JPY to draw a random toy so I only tried once. I am so happy to get the crescent moon wand! 🌛
Most of the anime I saw there were not familiar to me, so it was such a joy to stumble one that is close to my heart. I found this Gachapon Sailormoon. It costs 400 JPY to draw a random toy so I only tried once. I am so happy to get the crescent moon wand! 🌛
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| I just noticed that "no photography" sign. Sumimasen. 😅 |
Line Store Stop
After completing my visit at the shops at Takeshita street (with my hands heavy with shopping items!), I started walking towards the nearest subway. Along the way, one store caught my attention: this Line Store! I super adore the characters in the LINE app so I thought of stopping by to check out the items available.
I liked the message of these bags above because I somehow got to relate to them at that moment. You are not alone -- yes I was travelling solo, but that doesn't follow that I am lonely. I guess at this point in my trip, I have already assured myself that I enjoy my own company and that I get to savor these precious "me time" that I am spending here in Tokyo. Keep calm and keep calm -- having a panic attack while in this trip is one of the things I worried about myself. But good thing, all that I experienced so far was just feeling relaxed and being in the moment. There were some slight mishaps along the way earlier that day though. There were black people (I'm guessing they were the Nigerian folks being mentioned in the Japan travel forums that I was in) randomly inviting guys on the street, and leading them somewhere. Good thing no one approach me while I was there because I don't know what I would have done. There was just one guy that slammed to me while I was walking, and he didn't even said sorry or anything. I just glared devilishly at him (he didn't look back at me) and I walked furiously fast to the opposite direction. I also double-checked if something went missing from my items. Good thing nothing was gone. Good thing I only encountered those group of people in Harajuku.
After that quick visit at the shop, I headed to the subway to go back to my hotel and drop my shopping items. I was set to meet someone I know from college later that day because I invited her to watch a concert with me tonight! Yay! Super excited to write about that on the blog. Stay tuned!
After that quick visit at the shop, I headed to the subway to go back to my hotel and drop my shopping items. I was set to meet someone I know from college later that day because I invited her to watch a concert with me tonight! Yay! Super excited to write about that on the blog. Stay tuned!
After that life-changing tour at KKDAY, our bus dropped us off on the same stop at Shinjuku. It was early evening already. I exchanged thank yous with Carl and then we parted ways (I hope he heard me say goodbye 😅). Then, I was alone again.
I folded my umbrella and placed it at the stand by the entrance. I noticed all of the other umbrellas placed there looked similar to mine. They say it's common incident in Japan to have your umbrellas stolen because people unintentionally grab the wrong one. Praying that it won't happen to me, I tied a knot with the button of my umbrella to mark it from the rest of the pile.
Upon entering, I recognized that the setup of the restaurant is similar with Mendokoro. Good thing I already had some ramen house experience. Upon spotting the ticket vending machine, I knew what I must do.
It was a busy Wednesday night. The place was almost packed. I felt comfortable with that, because that means I won't stand out. I think I was the only foreigner inside LOL. I spotted an empty chair and settled there. I then handed my ticket stubs to a staff, and eagerly waited for my order.
As more people arrived in the restaurant, the noisier the place became. There were lots of chattering and laughter here and there. I remember -- on my left, a guy and a gal were happily chattering, while there was a solo man on my right. At that point I thought it would have been fun to eavesdrop on their conversations. Too bad, my Japanese skill is not at par to do that.
The noodles' texture was something new to me. The flavor of the soup coats the noodles upon dipping and the taste was just a match made in heavenly taste buds. The meat also tasted so good (my heart is aching while writing this... I badly want to have this tsukemen again now). It's so tender and flavorful. And the eggs...😭 The yolk was just as soft as I liked it to be (I am really torturing myself now huhu I wanna teleport to Tokyo!!!)
Good thing I didn't eat that much throughout that day. This meal was heavy!
With a happy heart and a super satisfied tummy, I finished my meal. I didn't know what I should do with my bowl and stuff so I was waiting for others so I could observe. I saw one customer place the bowl on the counter top in front of him. So that's what I did. I wanted to say "thank you for the food!" but since I didn't know how, I just said a soft arigatou gozaimasu and went on my way outside the restaurant. 😅
I'm happy to confirm that my umbrella was still there. I opened it up and started walking towards the nearest subway station. It was still chilly. While strolling along the busy Shinjuku streets, I went all emo mode again and just contemplated on all the wonderful things that happened today. Everything were all slowly sinking in.
I'm now already half-way the dream sequence. I can't wait to share with you the rest of my experiences in this journey. ❤️ Stay tuned for the rest of my Tokyo posts!
It was extra chilly that night. It was drizzling a bit, and the wind was blowing like crazy. I was uncontrollably shivering because of the sudden drop of temperature from the warm heater in the bus to the chilly city night air. I tried my best to continue walking to my next destination. I have planned to check out a ramen house a few streets away, and also to check out some drugstores along the way to search for the stuff I needed for my currently-healing tattoo (it was getting itchy like crazy). I stopped at two drugstores, walking along the aisles of body soap and lotion and searching for that specific brand that my tattooist recommended me. Finally, after several photo-shoving at the drugstore staff (showing them the product photo and brand name in Japanese) and blabbering 'doko desuka?', I finally found them! I'll give more details about the tattoo-healing routine that I followed on another post 😊.
Dinner at Menya Musashi
After walking for several more minutes under the drizzly and windy weather, I finally arrived at the ramen shop! I actually got confused for a bit because the entrance was not that obvious, and there were only Japanese characters in the signages. I had to check Google to verify if this was the place. |
| Imagine seeing this sign at a gloomy night in Tokyo. As always, Google saves the day. 😅(📷: Google Maps) |
Upon entering, I recognized that the setup of the restaurant is similar with Mendokoro. Good thing I already had some ramen house experience. Upon spotting the ticket vending machine, I knew what I must do.
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| Good thing the vending machine had English menu. I survived. 🤟 I ordered Tsukemen and some black tea. |
As more people arrived in the restaurant, the noisier the place became. There were lots of chattering and laughter here and there. I remember -- on my left, a guy and a gal were happily chattering, while there was a solo man on my right. At that point I thought it would have been fun to eavesdrop on their conversations. Too bad, my Japanese skill is not at par to do that.
When my order finally came in, I realized I ordered two tamago by mistake.😅 But meh, it's okay. I LOVE EGGS! This was my first time to eat tsukemen. I watched some videos over at Youtube on how to properly eat it and I was excited to finally do it myself. On a tsukemen, the noodles are separate from the soup. To eat it, you scoop some noodles with your chopsticks, dip it into the soup, then slurp up!
On my first bite, I felt like rainbows and flowers bloomed around. It tasted so good 😌😍😙(I realized I might have been smiling dreamily while munching the noodles). I have not tasted anything like this. I was so happy at that moment.
I thought -- this is the reason I work hard in life: to be able to travel to places and experience good food like this.
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| This is the first and best tsukemen I've had. (please excuse those splatters of soup 😂) |
Good thing I didn't eat that much throughout that day. This meal was heavy!
With a happy heart and a super satisfied tummy, I finished my meal. I didn't know what I should do with my bowl and stuff so I was waiting for others so I could observe. I saw one customer place the bowl on the counter top in front of him. So that's what I did. I wanted to say "thank you for the food!" but since I didn't know how, I just said a soft arigatou gozaimasu and went on my way outside the restaurant. 😅
I'm happy to confirm that my umbrella was still there. I opened it up and started walking towards the nearest subway station. It was still chilly. While strolling along the busy Shinjuku streets, I went all emo mode again and just contemplated on all the wonderful things that happened today. Everything were all slowly sinking in.
I'm now already half-way the dream sequence. I can't wait to share with you the rest of my experiences in this journey. ❤️ Stay tuned for the rest of my Tokyo posts!
I think I just experienced a precious moment with this band.
Joan (stylized as joan) is an indie pop duo (composed of Alan Thomas and Steven Rutherford) from Arkansas. Their music style is similar to LANY and The 1975 (now I know why I like them LOL 😂) but they are continuing to make a name for themselves, especially here in the Philippines. The band was previously part of the Wanderland Music Fest this year and they are starting to build a fanbase here because this time, all thanks to Karpos Multimedia, they are holding 7 shows around Metro Manila. I wasn't able to catch them during Wanderland, but fortunately, I finally saw them during their first show at Glorietta, Makati.
They shared the stage with another featured band named Honne. I didn't know anything about that band though. Also, I had no idea which one of them would come up on stage at first. To my surprise, it was joan who opened the show. So I guess Honne is the more popular one, eh? I found this an advantage for me. At least I won't need to wait that long to see them. 😅
And this is the moment I treasured the most -- seeing the band I like before they're famous. When they performed, not much people were screaming, and not many cameras were up and recording them. People were just listening to their music. They're curious so they were silent. I was one of those proud fans who sang along to their music. I love all of their songs so I couldn't help but just sing and dance to them even if I was the only one in the crowd doing so.
With every song they performed, more people clapped, more people cheered. And I was just so proud of them during that moment.
Ahh, I remember my journey as a fan of The 1975. I first saw them live when they still just had one album out. Now they have 3 and already very famous around the globe. I just want to cherish this moment with joan when they are still my little secret.
I want to have more intimate shows with them in the future. Come back to Manila again, please. ❤️
Joan (stylized as joan) is an indie pop duo (composed of Alan Thomas and Steven Rutherford) from Arkansas. Their music style is similar to LANY and The 1975 (now I know why I like them LOL 😂) but they are continuing to make a name for themselves, especially here in the Philippines. The band was previously part of the Wanderland Music Fest this year and they are starting to build a fanbase here because this time, all thanks to Karpos Multimedia, they are holding 7 shows around Metro Manila. I wasn't able to catch them during Wanderland, but fortunately, I finally saw them during their first show at Glorietta, Makati.
They shared the stage with another featured band named Honne. I didn't know anything about that band though. Also, I had no idea which one of them would come up on stage at first. To my surprise, it was joan who opened the show. So I guess Honne is the more popular one, eh? I found this an advantage for me. At least I won't need to wait that long to see them. 😅
And this is the moment I treasured the most -- seeing the band I like before they're famous. When they performed, not much people were screaming, and not many cameras were up and recording them. People were just listening to their music. They're curious so they were silent. I was one of those proud fans who sang along to their music. I love all of their songs so I couldn't help but just sing and dance to them even if I was the only one in the crowd doing so.
With every song they performed, more people clapped, more people cheered. And I was just so proud of them during that moment.
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| When Alan played the opening chords of i loved you first, I melted on the spot. I super love that song, and now I'm seeing it played live before my eyes. |
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| This duo creates the loveliest tunes. |
I feel that they will make it big sooner or later. I'm just so happy that I got to see them this close (thank you to the Universe because I was at the right place to be able to be as close to the stage as possible). Currently they have 10 songs, and I love all of them! Check out their tracks below!
Ahh, I remember my journey as a fan of The 1975. I first saw them live when they still just had one album out. Now they have 3 and already very famous around the globe. I just want to cherish this moment with joan when they are still my little secret.
I want to have more intimate shows with them in the future. Come back to Manila again, please. ❤️
