Wow, a year is about to close again. It's crazy how time really flies. It scares and excites me at the same time.  Let's look at a rundown of what happened for this year:

#2016bestnine @katalinarosario

Aside from the savings I got from those offered from Booking.com, I still had extra savings because I did the purchase via Shopback! (If only I have known of this site earlier this year, I could have used this to book our accommodation in my recent travel to Seoul. Well I know where to go from now on!


Want more tips on how to earn more via Shopback?

Shopback gives you more bonus on top of the perks you get for shopping online!

• They currently have a Christmas sale! Click here to find out more! 
• Shop using your Visa card, and get 8% cashback on top of the regular cashback! This promo is only up to December 31, 2016.
• Earn an instant P100 when you complete your profile details.
• Refer 5 of your friends to the site, and instantly earn P1,500! For more information, click here.
• Get the ShopBack Cashback Button browser plugin to get updated on their latest discounts and promos! This is available on Google Chrome and Safari only.
• Get their mobile app! It’s available on Google Play Store and iTunes.

This shopping buddy will be waiting for you there!




Shopback PH
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Also available at:
Google Play | iTunes

I was so hyped because Coldplay will be finally coming to Manila for a concert on April 2017! However I was not able to get tickets because they were sold out just a few days after the official start of ticket sales. 💔

Yup, I am going to miss this once-in-a-lifetime chance to see Coldplay live in a concert. :(

To cheer myself up in some way, I decided to study Everglow, one of their beautiful songs, on the piano. I am still at the intro, working my way to the first verse.

It's my first time to publish a video of me playing the piano by the way. I initially recorded this because I wanted to check if  I have the correct hand form while playing the piano (all these years I'm self-studying, I might have been doing it all wrong).

So yeah, I'll be working more on this piece... to console myself a bit. #ILoveYouColdplay

A new Korean restaurant has opened in the metro featuring delicious Korean chicken recipe!

Oppa Chicken starts to take you on an exciting adventure as it opens its first branch in Portico, Pasig on November 28, 2016.

Original (Salt & Pepper), with crackling skin, salt and pepper seasoning. Available in 8pcs (P280) and 16pcs (P550).

Yangnyum (Oriental Sweet & Spicy), coated in spicy-sweet tangy sauce which is a Korean cuisine staple. Available in 8 pcs (P280) and 16 pcs (P550).

Ganjang (Oriental Soy Garlic), covered with sticky soy sauce and garlic notes that makes it a Korean fried chicken favorite. Available in 8pcs (P280) and 16 pcs (P550).

Snowing Cheese, crackling skin and cheese powder that gives a cheesy surprise for young and old alike. Available in 8 pcs (P280) and 16 pcs (P550).

Whether you are with family or friends, or dining solo, your hunger will thoroughly be satiated as all servings are aimed to fill big appetites. Thanks to Oppa Chicken’s generous platters and affordable prices, you can enjoy Chicken and Beer every night!

Discover new, exciting flavors and taste the adventure only at Oppa Chicken! 🍗

~o~

OPPA Chicken is located at Portico Pasig - The Shoppes at Portico Capt. Henry Javier St Brgy. Oranbo, Pasig City. Watch out for new branches opening up soon at The Fort Strip and Ayala Glorietta Roof Deck. 


Oppa Chicken | Facebook

Day 1: Gwangjang Market

I was so used to waking up early because of work. I was not surprised that I jolted awake at around 6AM the next day. I checked our Korea trip Facebook chat group - my two friends were still asleep. Well I knew this would happen, so I packed jogging clothes with me so that I could do early morning walks around the area of the guesthouse.  I got up and prepared. In a few minutes, I was ready to go out and explore!

I checked the Accuweather app on my phone. It displayed a single-digit number indicating the temperature. When I went outside, I confirmed that it was really cold - well, not that cold compared to last night at least.

My jogging outfit!

Because it was still early morning, some stalls were not yet opened and few people were there. I saw one stall that sells pajeon (korean pancake). I bought some for take out (it costs 5,000 KRW). Ahjumma even game some extra pieces and told me it was service (for free).



Satisfied with my food, I went back to the guesthouse to eat. I went up to the rooftop (yes our guesthouse has one!) with my pajeon and coffee that I bought the night before. The view up there was nice. I could see Seoul Tower in the distance.

So I was just chilling there munching on my warm pajeon while absorbing the view in front of me. Just a year ago, me and my sister visited Seoul Tower. Who would have thought I'd be returning again to this place? I was just all emo during that time, accompanied by my favorite music playing from my Spotify playlist. Later on, I was joined by Mel, carrying his own breakfast.

one of the exchange currency counters at the airport

Aboard the Incheon Airport Shuttle Bus - 6002! 💗
Our guesthouse, Cheonggye Haus, was located in Jongno, and based on our research, the bus that would have a stop there is bus 6002.

"6002" in Korean sounds like Yoochun. 😘

Based on Google Maps, our travel to Jongno would take around 2 hours. It was already past 10PM. Our estimate was right - we'd arrive at our guesthouse around midnight. Good thing we've already advised the owner that we'll be doing a late check-in. While on the bus, I messaged him that we were on our way already.

Jongno-4 was the nearest bus stop to our guesthouse. It was roughly less than 3 minutes walk from the bus station. When we got off the bus, it was soooooo cold! I was wearing 2 layers of clothing, and apparently it was not enough. Pulling our suitecases, we walked and crossed the streets to find our guesthouse. Thankfully, it was very easy to spot. Jaehoon, the guesthouse's owner, was already waiting for us when we arrived.

my room for the next 5 nights! (will be doing a separate review post about our guesthouse soon 😃)

And that's how our first night was in Seoul! I was happy that everything happened as planned (not much hullabaloo along the way) and we all arrived safely to our guesthouse.

Our Seoul trip was definitely now in full gear and ready to roll! 😁👏

~o~

Travel Notes:

• Compare exchange rates of different banks first before actually exchanging your money (check KEB vs Woori Bank). 
•  T-Money can be purchased on the convenience store at the airport (not sure if there are other stores who sold it there).
•  Wifi Egg can be rented at SK Telecom.
• There are different ways to go to Seoul from Incheon airport - via subway, bus, or taxi. The cheapest one is via subway. Research on what route works best for you. Here's a link of airport buses and their routes, which might come in handy. It will also be helpful to ask at your accommodation for the best way to get there from the aiport.
• Fare for 6002 bus is 10,000 KRW, Ticket seller will ask for your destination so be sure you know it. 

She actually has a very detailed tutorial video on what her thinking process is on publishing on IG. In that video, she mentioned that she goes through every detail of each photo, even up to the level of rearranging them so that on her actual IG profile, adjacent photos complement each other in terms of colors and composition. 😮 #wow

This is the goal of Speed Magazine's workshop - to teach SNS users how to achieve their #feedgoals. Of course each of us has our own type of goal on what we want for our profile, and this workshop was to guide us to that.

Because I arrived late 😓, I was only able to catch the second speaker for the workshop - lifestyle photographer John Austria of @SinoPinas, who shared his experiences as a photographer, and also gave us tips on how to create our own #feedgoal.

My take aways from his talk are:

• Find your brand, and stick to it. If you are interested in posting about travel, then go for it. If you are into food photography, then very well indulge in it. Just be consistent on your content.
• It's okay to break some rules. Photography is an art. You don't have to follow rules all the time (i.e. rule of thirds).
• Vsco is a nice mobile app to edit your photos on your mobile. I always see this #vsco tag on Instagram - so this is what it's referring to. His go-to filters are A6, S2, and SE3.

There was an activity after the talk, wherein the audience were tasked to take photos around the venue focusing on portrait photography. We were at Coffee Project, and it was perfect because every area of the coffee shop was IG-worthy! We grouped and partnered up and took photos of our respective activity partner around the area. See all participants' entries here!

The best part of being invited to events like this? The take-home loot! 😁 (p.s. I used the VSCO app to edit this photo!)


It was such a fun experience! Thanks a lot to Speed Magazine for inviting me to this workshop!

I found myself in Seoul again, this time for the Autumn season. 💗

I made a leap of faith. I clicked the 'Book Now' button and purchased the tickets.

It was an exhilarating feeling - being brave enough to actually get those tickets.

After several minutes, the realization sank in - I will be travelling alone to Seoul. The idea of it made me excited and frightened at the same time. But I knew I would survive anyway, as this would already be my second time to visit the city. There were several months to prepare. However after a few hours of contemplating, I decided to see if there are friends who would be also travelling on those same dates. So I rounded up with friends to check. When I asked my thesis mates if they wanted to join me, they were thrilled! They then bought plane tickets as well on the same night I asked them about it. Talk about impulsive buying, right? 😁

One of our few photos together during the trip. 😁 #ThesisSeoulMates

I realized this was our first time to travel together, and it's already to an international destination! We've really leveled up! Usually the three of us would just meet up to eat out in malls, or sing at the karaoke, but now, we are travelling to Seoul! Even though we don't get to bond that much anymore these days (we work in different offices), with these two, it's always as if time didn't pass when we see each other again.

All of us were busy with work, so we didn't have time to actually meet to plan stuff for this travel. From arranging our visas to planning our itinerary, we did it all online. It was like we were in college again doing our thesis. We had our notes uploaded on Google Docs, collaborating on our travel checklist and itinerary.

Before we knew it, the day to finally travel to Seoul has arrived!

Even though this is my second time in Seoul, there were still a lot of firsts for me during this trip.

First time to experience Fall! 😄

As usual, this is going to be a series of posts (expect loooots of photos!). My first travel to Seoul was during Spring. Now, the season is Autumn! This time, I didn't visit any KPOP-related spot, because honestly I didn't have anything to explore anymore (our itinerary last year have already covered most places). I wanted my travel this time to be a relaxed one, just chilling around and enjoying the sights and sounds (and food!) of Seoul. 💗

A good friend recommended me this book, and I could just remember how enthusiastic he was telling me about this. He told me this book is making a buzz online. I got curious, so I know I had to read what this is all about. Apparently the book is set in a dystopian future where a virtual reality game called OASIS exists. Our protagonist, Wade Watts, is one of the thousands of online players of this game.


With just reading the first chapter of the book, the gamer in me became alive. Disclaimer: I am not a hardcore gamer, okay? I never got hooked on those RPGs that was released in recent years. The last one I religiously played was Pokemon Yellow Version (don't judge me 😑).

Speaking of Pokemon, the recent hype, Pokemon Go, had this "cheat" that will enable a player to get a Pikachu early in the game. I knew these cheats are always present in games. As early as playing Contra on the Family Computer, that Konami code was always used by me and my siblings so that the character will have extra lives on the start of the game. It was through this book that I discovered that there is a term for those "cheats" on games - these are what they call easter eggs. Game developers put these easter eggs on purpose for the players to discover during the game. It really adds fun to it, right? This is my greatest take away from this book.
 
Well, back to the book - the setting of Ready Player One is actually close to the future I imagine. In that world, people are isolated from socialization in real life, and are just locked most of the time in their rooms, living in the online virtual world of OASIS. It's sad and frightening at the same time. It's hard to admit, but this is already happening now. The level of engagement into the virtual/online world is just not as bad yet compared to what's described in the story.

Lots of references were made on 80s pop culture, and I couldn't relate that much honestly. Although, somehow I understand how this book has become a hype, to specific audiences, those that could relate to the games, music, and movies that were mentioned in the book. It might have felt very nostalgic, I could just imagine.

I didn't get hooked immediately with the book. I was already half-way when I stopped reading it for a while. I started to read Coraline first, then resumed reading the book after. The story became more interesting when the hunt for Halliday's Easter Egg had progress - how Parzival was able to crack the clue of where the first key was, and when his avatar's name got displayed as first place on the scoreboard on Halliday's site. It was a signal that the race to win the game had began.

It's kind of refreshing to actually realize that Cline was able to contain the very detailed world of OASIS in a single book. You know how things are these days, books of this kind usually come as a series. There's a disadvantage with a single book of course - the story gets finished immediately. I still wanted to know more about what will happen to Art3mis and Parzival. 😁

It's been a long while since I felt this kind of excitement with reading a book. I was actually always looking forward to being home so that I could continue reading! Even if I was already very sleepy, I was still looking at the book, trying to decipher the words on the page. There was an instance that I literally fell asleep while reading. 😅

The book will be having it's movie version next year, 2017. It will be directed by Stephen Spielberg! This will be huge, I'm telling you! I just cannot contain my excitement for this!


Thanks to my friend for literally handing me this book, because I know this title would go unnoticed if I see it among those displayed in the bookstore. That's why they say - don't judge a book by its cover.

This book was one of those titles I just randomly pulled out of the shelves of a bookstore. For this one, I'm quite glad I did it.

*read with caution, as this post contains spoilers!*


It was not a hard decision actually, because Coraline is written by one of my favorite authors, Neil Gaiman. I'm drawn to dark creepy stuff, and Gaiman's literature perfectly captures my taste. A quick Google search tells me that this book was published in 2002 (why didn't I hear of this before?) and this is his first book for children. I've already read his other children's title The Graveyard Book and I thoroughly enjoyed it, so I had high expectations for this book. 😃

Praises from other authors were written in the first few pages, most of them saying that Coraline is thrilling and a spine-chilling story. It so happened that I only had time to read the book every night before bedtime. I thought this might be a bad idea (as the story might make me spawn nightmares), but well I still went for it.

I was in for a dreamy eerie ride.

Like the plot of the Narnia books, Coraline gave off that same feeling of thrill for an out-of-this-world adventure. Curiosity as a child sometimes leads us to wander off to some places, and it happens that for our heroine, it's a place she's in danger and needs to get out immediately.

But the danger was not imminent - she had her choice to accept it, and that's what really gets me. That "other mother" treated Coraline the sweetest way possible, presenting her the offer to be her child. She just had one condition - Coraline has to stay in that other world forever.

After reading the book, I wanted to tell Gaiman - really, this story is for kids? 😨 As an adult, I see this book as a bit disturbing, in so many different ways. But of course for children, I guess, they would also comprehend the book in a totally different way.

I'll have to commend Coraline - she was an extraordinarily brave girl. If I got to be in her position, I don't know what might have happened to me. I might have been hypnotized by the other mother the minute she saw me on the other world, and I won't be able to get back to my own world. 😅

I really like Gaiman's writing style, especially those subtle points teasing the audience that the protagonist is in danger, and that this "sweet" person has other dark motives in mind. It makes the readers uneasy, making them hooked on what would happen next in the story. Also, just when you thought Coraline was already safe back on the other side of the door, something further haunts her. That part really just gave me the creeps.

If ever this story makes it to a big screen adaptation, I hope Tim Burton directs it.
(UPDATE: OMG, wish granted! The film was shown in 2009! 😃)

Really, just be careful on what you wish for. 😊

I'm so happy that it's becoming a trend today that all those 90s bands are coming to the country for a concert. One of these groups that I got the chance to see live is The Calling, who performed at the Mall of Asia Arena on November 11. This is their first time to perform in the Philippines.

I think I was around high school when the band was at the peak of their popularity. All their greatest hits (Stigmatized, Adrienne, Wherever You Will Go, Our Lives) were part of my life going through adolescence (and you know how complicated that can be, with all the hormones and emotions involved).

I just love them. And I cannot believe I was going to finally see them live.

Me and my sister got the cheapest tickets available for that concert. When we arrived at the venue, we immediately noticed that there were not much of a crowd around - no people were rushing to the arena with us compared to other concerts we went to previously. Entering inside the arena, the MOA staff told us that we don't need to go up to the Gen Ad section. All tickets were upgraded to Lower Box. When we got to the LB section, we realized why. There were not much people in the arena, and it's only an hour to go before the show starts.
Somehow, I knew it would turn out like this. The band is not that popular today (only 90s kids would recognize them, and maybe a few from the younger crowd who got to discover them on streaming sites). It lowered my spirits a bit, to be honest.

Oh well, the show still must go on. There were two local band frontacts for that night - Bonifacio Republic, and another band that I didn't catch the name. I liked more the latter band, just because they performed an awesome guitar cover of the Game of Thrones opening theme. :p

The show's front acts

peeps at the tech booth #howtobeyoupo

We were around the same distance from the stage as we were during the Switchfoot concert. I saw most people from the Lower Box station were starting to move down also.

After a few minutes, the band finally came up on stage!



We were so near the stage that I am able to see Alex Band's facial expressions, as well as the rest of the band. It really felt surreal.