RiRi is coming to Manilers!!! I still can't believe it! I wished for it a few months back and it came true. Now my next wish is to have a freaking ticket and willing friends to watch it with! Diamonds World Tour Manila is going to be on September 19, 2013 at SM Arena. I really wanna watch her perform live! I love tons of her songs. She's not my top favorite woman artist but she's on my top 10! It would really make me happy to watch her perform Rockstar 101, S&M, Only Girl, Hate that I Love You, Love the Way You Lie, Stay, Rehab, California King Bed, and We Found Love live. I freaking swear!!! Anyway, I chose What Now as my song of the week because it's my current favorite song from her latest studio album called Unapologetic. Enjoy listening and wish me luck in scoring tickets!♥
Sometime ago, more like ages ago, my family and I ate in Lugang's just opened(THEN) branch in SM North The Block. Every time I go out, which is rare because I'm a lazy bum, I try my best to eat somewhere I haven't eaten yet. That's sorta hard to do when I'm with my whole family because my little brother is a typical boy who always insists on his favorite fast food chains but luckily this time, maybe with God's help, I won the debate and we dined here in Lugang Cafe.
Lugang Cafe is a Taiwanese cuisine serving dining place brought here in Metro Manila from Shanghai and Beijing. It is recognized by Philippine Tatler's 100 Best Restaurants Awards and since it already have a couple of branches here in Manila, it clearly won Filipinos' taste buds.☺
Lime Green Tea something. I'm not sure and I can't find it in the web! Boohoo! But I loved it! I'm gonna choose this drink over again.
My family had been eating to different Chinese restaurants ever since I can remember! And soup is a must for us! Wonton Soup for starters, to heat the belly up! Though it's already sizzling here in Manila, it's still a must for us.☺
This is phenomenal! Steamed Pork Xiao Long Bao. Love at first bite! I think I can finish all of this in a seating! Last week when I went out with my mother to run errands, I almost forced her to eat here in Lugang just to order this but that didn't happen because my attention went to another cafeI've been wanting to try since forever, and that cafe won at the time so I'm gonna post about that experience soon enough.☺ Going back, you have to eat at Lugang! And you have to order this dimsum Xiao Long Bao. I don't even care if you order pork or shrimp or vegetable, just try this dimsum and see for yourself why I'm rambling. Haha!
I also cannot find the name of this viand anywhere in the web but it has curry. That's a little obvious, isn't it? :p I haven't mentioned yet that I ordered everything and since I'm in love with curry, I cannot pass on this yummm.☺
The reason why it's sooo hard to lose weight. Haha! Blame it on the rice. Fried rice for that matter. :D
Salt and Pepper Oyster. A very simple dish yet very tasty. And who doesn't love calamari w a twist anyway?☺
Dong Bo Pork Belly. This is sinful yet yummy! How can someone resist? The pork is cooked sooo tender, you won't have a hard time chewing! Heck, you don't even need to put pressure on your utensils when cutting it off. Green leafy vegy to balance it out a little. And the sauce, oh the sauce, it's like a fusion of awesomeness in a dish!☺
These steamed bun is included when you order the Pork Belly but since everyone in my family is a rice person, we didn't notice this one. Haha!
Oreo Ice Cream for my little brother. The serving was huge we ended up sharing!☺
Been a little busy these past few days with random stuff that's why I haven't been updating. Will try to catch up soon. For the meantime, it's time for my weekly song choice. And because I'm sooo hyped with Wanderland Music Festival, I'm gonna pick a song from one of the band that's included in the line up.☺
Up Dharma Down has got to be one of the best bands that existed in Philippine music industry. Their song lyrics and tunes captures the heart. If you haven't heard of them yet, go and listen to them. It's not a waste of time! And maybe you'll thank me after.
Armi Millare's voice has got to be one of my favorite voices ever. Florence Welch, Ellie Goulding, and Lana Del Rey level in my preference.♥ I'm really not good with music genres but I guess UDD is an indie rock band, and they're amaaaaaazeballs! I haven't seen them performed live yet that's why I'm soooo happy they're part of the Wanderland line up.☺ Hey, it's not yet too late to catch this amazing band plus 10 wonderful bands more. You can still get tickets for the first ever legit music festival in the Philippines. See you there!☺
Music is like eating food. Have a taste of everything first then you can choose what you love or hate the most afterwards. What you're gonna ask for more, and what you'll never gonna take again. I get skeptical look because I can go from mainstream to indie in a heartbeat with equal enthusiasm. I just happened to like variety, it makes my escape(earphones on, reality off) more fun and more me. I'm kind a moody and a little bipolar so there are some extremities on my music choices. Anyway, I'd been putting more on the not so mainstream side songs here so I'm changing that now. I'm gonna share My Love's amazing track from his new and brilliant album called The 20/20 Experience.☺
This song is one of my favorite from JT's new album, and that video is awesome! Love it! I like this song alongside Strawberry Bubblegum, Pusher Love Girl and That Girl. Maybe I've listened to these songs for a hundred times already since the album was released. Anyway, have you heard that there's going to be a Part 2 to the album? It's crazy! I'm sooo excited for that Part 2 to be released late this year.☺
When I was informed last February or March that Lawson, a British pop/rock band, is coming to Manila, I instantly said I'm sooo watching them! Because I love them, they look good! Right? :D And that's not all, their songs are really good for my opinion. My cousin introduced them to me and I instantly liked them after listening to their songs. As the date of their arrival approaches, my plans changed. I decided not to buy a ticket for their gig anymore because I have something else more important to buy. I was so bummed that I'm not going to see them!
Fast forward to April 9, 2013, my cousin(who introduced me to listen to Lawson) and I decided to go to Eastwood City without tickets or without even planning on buying one. We hoped to just hear them play live and that'd be enough. We were surprised that we saw them perform! We saw Andy Brown(vocals & guitar), Ryan Fletcher(bassist), Joel Peat(lead guitar), and Adam Pitts(drummer). We arrived in Eastwood at past 8pm and then a few minutes after we arrived, they started playing! Isn't that meant to be? OMG. I wanted to faint! Haha. Anyway, here are my videos. I'm a little far from the stage because as I've said, I don't have a ticket(prudent much?), but the sound quality's good sooo enjoy watching or listening.☺
Early on, when I'm just starting to listen to them, this is one of my favorite songs from their album. And I'm happy that they performed this!☺ They showcased 8 songs, 2 covers(Moves Like Jagger & Don't You Worry Child) and 6 songs(Make It Happen, Gone, Learn to Love Again, Taking Over Me, When She Was Mine, & Standing in the Dark) from their first ever album Chapman Square.☺
All four of them made my night! I loooove the part when Andy and Joel danced Ryzza's cha-cha. And I can't help but laugh when Andy changed some of the lyrics of Maroon 5's Moves Like Jagger, especially the line "moves like Ryzza." They were having so much fun on stage that it rubs off to the audience! I was smiling the whole freaking time like I'm a fool. LOL. And I'm not gonna be able to sleep if I'm not gonna tell you this, Andy's soooo gorg! Actually all four of them are really hot but Andy's just my favorite member. Like, I'm not even kidding! I'm stunned until now!♥
Foreign artists love when fans or audiences sing the lyrics right back at them during gigs or concerts, and it's a perfect match because Filipinos love to sing and not just that, we sing the right lyrics at the right tune! Oooh, I really love the sing along part in any concert I've been to!☺ Anyway, did you notice that they sound like they're recorded? Yes, they're that good! And I'm so happy I got to see them for free(Haha!) before they get extremely famous because I'm pretty sure when they come back here in Manila, they're gonna play at the Smart Araneta Coliseum or SM Arena already and their ticket prices is gonna be crazy! Mark my word, love.☺
The last song. Encore. Everyone's favorite. The band members said in their past interviews that this song is the epitome of what sound they're going after. And I can't be more excited with their next album! I'm crossing my fingers on seeing them again, soon. Maybe next year? Aaaah, I love these lads especially Andeeeeeeeey! :p LAWESOME!!!♥
I'm fat. Like fat fat, not the kind of I'm-fat-but-nobody-else-can-see-my-fats. I think that when somebody sees me, that's what they think first. "She's fat." And I don't blame them because I am, and I'm not ashamed. But I should be. I know better now. I always thought it's in the genes, but then I realized it's more of my way of thinking. I do not exercise before, I do not limit myself when it comes to eating. But then it takes a toll on me. I get sick easily and often. When I get drizzled by day or night, I instantly get colds. When I'm so sad or stressed, I get ill. Tons of stuff like that, that made me think "Oh no! I'm gonna die young!" And I don't want to die young! For God's sake, I wanna travel more, watch concerts, get married, attend reunions, have kids, grow old with my partner, see my nieces and nephews grow up. There's sooo many things I still wanna do. That's what triggered my motivation to start eating healthy and start working out.☺
I just started a few weeks ago so there's no visible changes YET. But I'm positive I'm gonna lose weight and be really healthy. I posted these stuff to be motivated. It's more for myself than for anybody else so that when I lose the fire I have now, I can read this and be motivated again. I'm not aiming for Victoria's Secret angels bodies, I'm so gonna be happy with a decent weight that can make me wear whatever stuff I wanna wear. Being able not to buy the clothes you wanna buy because there's no available size for you is the worst thing ever. I swear! I already lost a couple of pounds, but I'm still obese I reckon so I'm not gonna stop. Like ever! Not even until I achieved the weight I want. Because I'm gonna maintain that personal ideal weight of mine and I'm gonna have dozens of selfies without my double chin or my big tummy. Haha!♥
I'm so ashamed of myself that I only got to know Emeli Sande last January. I can't believe it, she's sooo good she deserves to be known by everyone. What I meant by good is not just about her singing ability, but her writing ability as well! British people are sooo talented, they make me wanna go to London pronto. Haha! Ticket, visa, and pocket money, please!!! :p
So my song for this week is the first ever song I heard from Emeli Sande. I heard it in a UK radio station that I listen to from time to time because I admire the presenter. LOL. Is there such thing as too much honesty? :D Anyway, Grimmy introduced me to Emeli by playing this song on his Breakfast Show on Radio 1. And I heard her sing this song live while watching the Brits 2013. She won big awards like British Female Solo Artist and British Album of the Year at the Brits so listen to her! Check her out!☺
Yes, I'm melodramatic and I'm obsessed with songs like that. And so far, that type of songs are taking over the music industry at the moment like Bruno's When I Was Your Man, RiRi's Stay, or Pink and Nate's Just Give Me A Reason. I like listening to songs that makes my heart break or songs that gives a little pinch. Haha! A little masochist, aren't I? Haha! Listen to all of her songs, they're amazeballs!♥
It's official! I'm attending the first ever Karpos Wanderland 2013 on May 18. It's the premiere of what's going to be a legit annual music festival in the Philippines! You can describe Wanderland of Manila as a toddler-Laneway of Singapore or baby-Coachella of California. This is going to be my first ever music festival and I'm so excited not just because of the first-time-feeling but because I'm seeing The Temper Trap and Neon Trees live as well! Ticking stuff off my bucket list is my most favorite thing to do in the world!☺ I've liked both bands for a couple of years now. I discovered Sweet Dispostion from (500) Days of Summer while Animal from a radio host here in Manila that plays the song everyday in his show two or three years back. When I first heard both songs, both bands simply won me over. They sound very different but that's what I like most about music, it's not just about the beat or sound, but it's also about the lyrics and can also be about just the right feeling you get simply from listening to some songs.♥
Oh yes, it's a music fest so there are tons of artists from abroad and from here! I just focused on The Temper Trap and Neon Trees because I like them so much, I'm so glad they're coming here, and even more glad that I'm attending!☺
I've been reading stuff that says the ticket price's too expensive. But I personally think that thought depends on how you perceive things. Imagine watching 11 bands in a price of 1 plus seeing arts stuff that's going to be showcased in the festival? That's a freaking catch! Don't think of me as a spoiled girl who gets everything she wants because I also get that it's so damn hard to put out that amount of money and poof it's gone. So it all boils down on how much you want to watch the bands or if it's worth your money. Wanna know my take? You can read blog posts or like photos all you want but being there is a different story, being the one who posts the moment of the experience is a good feeling. And looking back after months or even years is bliss!♥
So internationally, I'm obsessing over the 2 bands above while locally, I'm also so excited to watch Up Dharma Down! Armi Millare's voice is heaven! So there, I know 3 bands; Actually I know 4 because I'm aware of Nada Surf because of One Tree Hill. I always prep myself up before concerts so I'm gonna prep myself up with this festival by trying to listen to some of the songs of other artists who are included in the line up, just to get to know them a little.☺
I hope to see you there! Buy your ticket! Go! Push! Let's prove everyone that it's more fun in the Philippines and let's have the best time of our lives that day! Deal?!
So basically, this post is a catch up one, a long overdue post which happened 3 months ago or you can probably say last freaking year. I do believe in the saying late is better than never sooo read on, love. :p
I love hole in the wall places. They're not crowded, they're cheaper compared to other popular places, the service is good, their wifi's working perfectly and most importantly a lot of HitW places has passed my palate. If you wanna read my HitW P1, click here.☺
I'm not the one who discovered this place but my co-Sunday group friends; They ate there once and decided to held our mini-Christmas Party 2013 there. It's located at Gil Fernando Avenue, Marikina City.
♪ My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard; And they're like, it's better than yours. Damn right, it's better than yours. I can teach you but I have to charge. ♪
The milkshakes are one of the reasons why you must check the place. I can't remember the names or flavors of these milkshakes but I can remember that I wanted to have another glass after I consumed mine up.☺
They served a pretty decent salad, the dressing's nice and the presentation's appealing to the eye. This salad is a pretty good choice for body-conscious people out there!☺
"We all need to make time for a burger once in a while."
Yummy burger meals that costs Php 100-150. A good catch considering this already has chips(FRIES! Trying to be British. LOL) and an iced tea.☺
Is your stomach grumbling already? Prepare because pasta's comingggg. :D
♪ They said I got five in a pasta bowl, but don't go against Nicki impossible. I'm the king, do what my wrist more popsicle. ♪
Planning a trip to Alexei's already? Haha! You can never go wrong with pasta. They can fill you up like crazy. There are a couple to choose from Alexei's menu and so far from what I'm seeing from my photos, so good right? I know you may be thinking that what looks good doesn't necessarily mean tastes good but I cannot remember anyone having leftovers from their plate; And that's a good sign, right?☺
And this, my love, is what I ate that night. I can remember that the salmon's a little dry but the sauce won me over. It's so good, I finished everything! I highly recommend this!♥
There's always room for dessert. The world gets a little better after a spoonful of sweets.☺
And just like what I said, it was our mini-Christmas party and these are our exchange gifts. I gave a watch, and I got a clock. Sooo cute!♥
The whole Sunday group before everyone else came.☺When I'm with these guys, laughing is like breathing or blinking and happiness consumes my whole being that even after we separate ways, my eyes are still twinkling.♥
This ain't very evident in my daily life but I'm in love with literature. It amazes me how words can struck some strings deep within. And some lines or verses stay in our hearts forever. I wanna share one poem I came across while watching a movie a while back and I can't seem to shake it off my mind. It's by E.E. Cummings and this is how it goes...
I carry your heart,
I carry your heart with me;
I carry it in my heart.
I am never without it:
Anywhere I go you go, my dear;
And whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling.
I fear no fate;
For you are my fate, my sweet.
I want no world;
For beautiful you are my world, my true.
And it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you.
Here is the deepest secret nobody knows;
Here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud,
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;
Which grows higher than soul can hope or mind can hide.
And this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart,
I carry your heart; I carry it in my heart.
I don't know about you but I dig this poem, it's a confession of love. It's so romantic, I wanna cry! I read over the web that this is used in a lot of weddings; I can't blame them, this is well written and it's just outpouring with emotion. I'm so touched by it I decided to post it here on my mind's sanctuary, this blog.☺
Last December, I made a post that I'm watching my most favorite band in the world. And that, my friend, already happened 2 days ago--03.31.13.☺ I ticked off 2 things from my bucket list that night: I watched the concert alone(but not lonely, soooo far from being lonely) and I saw The Script perform live. I still can't believe until now that has happened. I loved every bit of it and I wouldn't trade the experience for the world!
The Script is an alternative-rock band from Dublin, Ireland; consisting of Danny O'Donoghue as lead vocals, Mark Sheehan as guitarist and backing vocals, and Glen Power as drummer and backing vocals. They're known for their smashing hits like Breakeven, The Man Who Can't Be Moved, Nothing, Science and Faith, For the First Time, and the recent ones like Hall of Fame, If You Could See Me Now, and Six Degrees of Separation.☺
I didn't have the best seat of the night but I got a pretty amazing seat nevertheless, just not front row and center. Ambitious much?! Haha! All the videos or photos in this post are mine otherwise stated. And please don't expect high quality videos or photos because I only used my phone to capture some parts of the show. And I was singing my heart out and jumping up and down so you can hear my voice in some parts and the videos are shaky. Haha! Anyhoo, enjoy watching and reading!♥
They started with the song Good Ol' Days followed by We Cry and then this, Breakeven. This is the song that made me fall in love with them, and just like what they say; the rest is history.♥ It's sooo surreal to watch them live because I know all their songs and there had been a couple of moments in the show that I wanna cry but I fought back my tears because I'm not gonna stop crying when the tears start falling. Oops, rhyming moment there! Haha ☺
After the heartbreaking song Breakeven, they inserted Science and Faith which is appropriate for what they're going after, a roller coaster ride of emotion for the fans.☺
Don't mind my screams, I'm so embarrassing but I can't not(yes! cannot not!) put this video! You know, I can't! Haha! All throughout the night, we sang along but this is special because all the people, I mean everyone, knows(knew) the lyrics of The Man Who Can't Be Moved by heart. I had goose bumps while singing along, the crowd was amazing. The Script was spectacular!(SCRIPTACULAR!!!)
A song about love and loss, but not about the love The Script's songs are usually about. One of my favorites from their new album #3. I can totally feel their pain and love, I admire Danny and Mark's courage to write something this personal!
One of the reasons why I love The Script is because the lyrics of their songs tugs in your heart. Whether you can relate or not, it stings a little, doesn't it? Hah! :p Anyway, Before the Worst should be right before If You Ever Come Back but they didn't perform IYECB. I was so affected at the time because I love that song and I wanna hear it live, I assumed it will be part of the set list because it'd been included in their past shows but apparently, they omitted it for the SouthEast Asian leg.
I got this photo from The Script's official twitter page. Every show they have, anywhere in the world, they take a photo with the audience as background while doing or wearing stuff that represents the place where they are. And since it was Easter Sunday that day, they'd been appropriate with bunnies while Danny wore a Manny Pacquiao jacket and gloves. Cutie pie lads!☺
This part of the concert right here is mind blowing. Well, mind blowing for Marvin, the guy on the other end of the phone. Haha! Danny and Mark asked the audience to call their ex and give the phone to Danny for him(and us! Haha!) to sing to that ex. That's a brilliant touch and I commend whoever thought of that trick. Soooo good and unique!
They gave their all. I'm super satisfied with everything! And Danny spent a lot of time in the fans' reach, and that's surprising because I've been to a pretty decent number of concerts and international artists just don't get off the stage all the time and Danny did it like he doesn't care at all with the fans' touching his body, holding his hands and arms and not letting go, forcing a hug, or trying to get a kiss. I'm sooo impressed!♥
I love tons of their songs, but this is at the top of the list. I'm so in love with this song and the video was short because I just wanna feel the song, sing, and enjoy. I will forever love For the First Time, and if you haven't seen yet; Its' music video is my favorite from all The Script's MVs! :D
The shakiest video ever because I was walking, tiptoeing, and screaming at the top of my lungs to see Danny a few inches away from me. I'm so happy, I was stunned! But I got to see him for a few seconds because he passed through in front of me. He's sooo gorg, I wanna faint! I can't believe he's single! Haha! This is the first part of the 2 song encore, and Danny showed up at the side of the coliseum. My side! Woot! I'm so happy with the ticket I got!♥
This video is not mine.☺ But it showcases For the First Time, You Won't Feel A Thing, Hall of Fame, and the "encore-after-the-encore"-only-in-the-Philippines-Good-Ol'-Days-repeat.♥ They're so generous for doing another song after the fans shouted "We want more! We want more!" They were supposed to get out of the stage after Hall of Fame like in every other show they did for #3 World Tour but they performed another song and still gave their all! Maybe they like their Filipino fans' reception that's why they did that. Hands down!☺
They totally made up for my sadness from omitting If You Ever Come Back from the set list. I have No Words but I felt like a Millionaire and they're in my Hall of Fame. See what I did there? :p
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS:
**Danny's twirls. I paid to see that and I wasn't let down! Saw Danny twirling for a couple of times and there's one moment that he twirled for 4x consecutively. Ugh! How can I move on? Haha
**All throughout the show, Mark keeps on throwing the guitar peaks he used to the audience. Lucky fans! It's like he has dozens of guitar peaks in his body!☺
**Glen's drum stick twirl before or during a song. Don't you just love men who plays musical instruments and they're good? Ugh!♥
**Mark and Danny chugging San Mig Light. Mark won!!! And Danny poured his leftover beer to his head/face. Badass!
**I find it funny that Danny's wearing an Ellen briefs. Haha! Saw that detail when they took a bow. :D
**I really can't get over the encore after the encore. Totally memorable for me and I hope for the lads too!♥
♪ Oh, we'll remember this night when we're old and gray; 'Cause in the future these will be the good ol' days. ♪
I'm totally gonna watch The Script again when they come back. I hope they do soon! I'm still so high up to now from that buzzin' night two freaking nights ago. I really don't know how to get over their "amazingness." They made me dancing on air happy! That feeling is rare in my life these days so I'm very thankful.♥
I'm back!☺ And my coming back post is a Song of the Week! Woot!♥ Since it's April Fools' Day today in this side of the world, I can't think of any other song than this one from The Temper Trap...
If you don't know them, where have you been? Are you living under a rock? Yes, I'm kind a judging you! LOL. They're an uhh-maaaaazing Australian band!☺ I knew them from (500) Days of Summer movie. Aaaaand, they're coming to Manilaaaaa on Maaaaay 2013 for the first time everrrrr! I'm so annoying with my letter-deficiency. Haha! :p Going back to the hot topic, The Temper Trap's headlining the first ever Karpos Wanderland Music Festival in the Philippines together with other uhh-maaaaazing bands internationally and locally.☺ For more information regarding the festival, I'm gonna make an entire post about that. Soon. Pinky Promise!☺
