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Ten Years Later

Published by Justine

I’ve been reading Sweet Valley ever since I started with primary school. I remembered the VERY first Sweet Valley Kids book I read and it was #6, Lila’s Secret. Ever since that time during first grade I wouldn’t stop reading all the of Sweet Valley books. I basically grew up with it. Sweet Valley Kids, Sweet Valley Twins, Sweet Valley High, Sweet Valley University, Sweet Valley Senior Year, Sweet Valley Junior High, The Unicorn Club, you name it, I’ve read most of these books! Imagine my surprise when I knew that Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later was officially released yesterday. I remember vaguely reading about Cody Diablo doing a remake of the series for this year or next and I was also excited about that. Anyway back to the book, I’ve been reading early reviews from buyers and it seems like it isn’t very good? WELL I DON’T CARE. I’m a huge fan of the franchise and I’m definitely reading it the moment I get my hands on it.

It’s now set in New York, and it seems like it has a Gossip Girl meets Pretty Little Liars feel. Since I immensely enjoy those shows, then I will definitely enjoy this book series. The old characters are back, and one thing that surprised me the most is the Steven Wakefield, the infamous Wakefield older brother.. is gay. I don’t know what to make of it, I thought he had always been a goof in the books so I’m definitely excited to see what’s in store for his character this time. Another review said that it’s like they never left high school.. all the more fun to read! I mean aren’t high school dramas the best? Exaggerated, overly self-centered.. just my usual cup of tea. Far away from the real world and all its intricacies. Can’t wait to read it soon.

QOTD: How often do you use the phone to call?

Published by Justine

This smartly-written article from The New York Times titled Don’t Call Me, I Won’t Call You came to my attention a few days ago on twitter. It made so much sense that I realized, I don’t call people anymore either.

I remember back in middle school when I used to sprint to the phone the moment it rang because I KNEW it was for me. Now, even if I were the only one left at home I wouldn’t bother picking up the phone at all, or take ages to reach it. My mobile is used for BBM, Twitter, emails, IM and Facebook most of the time. 80% of my prepaid top-up is used to activate my BIS and only 20% (sometimes even less) is used for extra credit or in case of emergency. Sometimes when my phone rings I don’t even bother to pick it up unless told beforehand that I was gonna get that call. I guess the reason why I knew I wasn’t gonna last in my previous job because it involved calling a lot of people (I worked in a recruitment firm), and I was kind of fed up with it at one point. It’s not that I’m not social, the purpose of phone calls have just been less significant. Most of my calls come from family and it’s usually just to confirm something or to tell me why I don’t reply to BBMs or messages or to confirm whether those messages have reached me or not. Given the chance of course I would love to work in a recruitment firm again, but I would definitely prefer meeting people face to face rather than spending time on the phone with them.

This visual example is my call log. I took a screenshot just 10 minutes ago and my last call was 2 days ago. Four of who are family and one which is my best friend. Sometimes I even ignore my phone when somebody calls me and don’t even bother to see who it is. I just silent my phone when ringing, turn it upside down and text/IM/email/BBM them to ask what’s up a few minutes after they call. This particular paragraph in the article totally made sense:

Receiving calls on the cellphone can be a particular annoyance. First, there’s the assumption that you’re carrying the thing at all times. For those in homes with stairs, the cellphone siren can send a person scrambling up and down flights of steps in desperate pursuit. Having the cellphone in hand doesn’t necessarily lessen the burden. After all, someone might actually be using the phone: someone who is in the middle of scrolling through a Facebook photo album. Someone who is playing Cut the Rope. Someone who is in the process of painstakingly touch-tapping an important e-mail.

Even when it comes to friends and family outside of the country calling has become more awkward than Skype in my case. It’s much better to video call than to call per se. Of course, under some circumstances it’s easier to dial the person and call them. When typing becomes tiresome, when you’re in a rush or your message is better communicated by saying it.. for me that’s usually my call to err.. call.

So tell me, how often do you use your phones to call or receive a call? Personal use of course.

2PM, Finally!

Published by Justine

2PM was the reason why I got into k-pop. 2PM was the reason why I started to listen to Korean songs excessively. 2PM ignited the very fangirl in me that I thought did not exist. 2PM made me open my mind and eyes to singing and dancing Asian boys in which I used to laugh and poke fun at just a few years back. 2PM is a reason for a whole lot of things. After 15+ months of excessive fangirling, I finally saw 2PM. All six of their glory. Last December I already saw Jay Park, so SEEING all seven of THEM live and in person was quite unbelievable, sort of felt like a dream. I’m gonna go all major fangirl in this post and release my inhibitions, as it needs to be relished. I went to the event with my bestfriend, 3 Korean friends, my little sister and cousin.

2PM as a whole: It was surreal. Since they only performed 4 songs it’s hard for me to say what I feel. It was like a dream! Everything went by so fast. One minute I was singing, dancing and shouting along with everyone and basking in their glory the next thing I knew they were saying their goodbyes and performing their last song, 10 Points out of 10. I was afraid that they would be dressed horribly with overly made up faces but everything was perfect. Their outfits were all black: black pants, black wifebeaters and studded vests, hair not outrageous and makeup just the way it’s supposed to be.

JUNSU: That fucker is so good at mindfucking. He may appear to be the least good-looking out of all the guys but it doesn’t mean he ISN’T. Bitch looks good and works it well. He brought the stage yesterday with his singing and his overflowing charisma.

NICHKHUN: He was the one who didn’t shock me the most. Probably because it’s a given that he’s got the most beauty in terms of physical appearance–so let’s say he just about met my expectations.

TAECYEON: My first bias. He was definitely handsome, more handsome in real life. Some friends thought I was gonna go back to liking him because there have been countless stories and fanaccounts that stated the minute they saw Taec in real life that was it for them, and they were hooked. Sure, I still love him.. but that didn’t happen to me. He had flawless english and brought the house down with his ab-teasing and growl. Loved his growl!

WOOYOUNG: The number one in my heart. Considering he doesn’t even posses anything I like in a guy, he became my ultimate favorite out of all the boys. But I’m not here to talk about that. When I saw him I took a good look, and I fell even more in love <3 despite my known abhorrence for Asian men with blond hair. His was done very tastefully and definitely fit him. I did disagree with someone from one of the fanaccounts I read though, who said his hairstyle was the worst. Sorry miss, I beg to differ. Not to mention how great he sounded. I always believed that Wooyoung sounds the best on record and Junho sounds the best live.. but I actually loved the way Woo sang that night.

JUNHO: It was pretty surreal seeing him. Something about seeing the two youngest which shocked me the most, but I’ll get to the most youngest later. Junho held his notes really well. He looked the most serious out of all the members, but I’m guessing because he was shy and probably felt overshadowed by his hyungs. So very him.

CHANSUNG: Chansung was the first guy I knew out of all the 2PM members so it’s just fitting that I was most awed by him. I almost couldn’t believe he was right before my eyes. I guess being in a constant fangirl state for over a year does that to you. It was fortunately unfortunate (yes very contradicting) that his microphone was one of the loudest and being known for the–here I go again–“least best” singer, I knew his voice was real. Good job, Chansungie.

Photos from bff:

A reunion: me, Kimie and Noemz before the show started. I hadn

Taec was really feeling it.

Photos from the BlackBerry Indonesia official Facebook page:

Wooyoung, Khun, Junsu, Chansung working it.

La la la la la la la, pretty baby.

Saying goodbye 🙁

I don’t have a lot of photos because the event didn’t allow SLR cameras, and even if you had a media pass JYP Entertainment (2PM’s company) didn’t allow anyone to be in the media pit during 2PM’s set. After being a fan this long I know how much pricks they tend to be, but there are times I’ll never understand the reason why.

My bestfriend was with me, so she took most of the photos while I was going crazy. I didn’t stay in the front either and boy am I glad I didn’t. Apparently the pushing was intense and a few girls had to be brought back because they fainted. Thanks to my trusty Steve Madden wedges I was able to see the boys JUST FINE and enjoy it all along. I feel sorry for some of the fangirls though.

This time last year at the peak of being in this fandom never would I ever have imagined to see all of them a year later. SEVEN of them. Yes even their ex-leader Jay Park (read fanaccount here). I’ve really come full circle and I couldn’t be happier. Rest assured I’ll be supporting all of these boys until the end of their career, or even beneath that.

[youtube]ZturAbvZUdA[/youtube]

I really need to see them again, once is really really really not enough. That was the best fancam of the show, and showed how crazy all the Indonesian girls went.

Did I mention the event also included Shontelle, Taio Cruz and Suede (the headlining act)? The whole BlackBerry event really had the most eclectic mix of artists. After 2PM’s set we were so tired so we grabbed something to eat and came back just in time for Taio Cruz’s set, which was disappointing to say the least and Suede, WHICH WAS AMAZING. Brett Anderson is a rock god.

Photo Dump: Sondre & Corinne

Published by Justine

I promised myself I was going to blog about this because it was a great night (not to mention pretty interesting). Sondre’s set for Java Jazz was set to start at 10pm and by 9:40 we were still running in the streets to hail a cab. It was a long walk til we finally found one and since my bff‘s house isn’t too far from the venue we asked the cab driver to speed up. By the time we got to the venue, Sondre had JUST started! The downside was of course, we couldn’t really see from the back because of numerous heads but thankfully it was a half-seated event. At first I was scared of going up to the front (my experience with crowds and my fear of it) but we managed to squeeze in ourselves just to get a clear view of Sondre. The acoustics on the other hand, is amazing. With me, it’s not much about seeing musical acts live firsthand, it’s more of getting to hear them sing live.. because it’s what mostly draws me to them in the beginning. Okay I better stop talking, here are my photos of the night, most of them straight from the camera. I almost didn’t have time to write about the whole thing, let alone editing photos =|

Waiting for Corinne.

This was during the beginning of her show, we were at the back and the lights were spectacular. One point of the show I just layed down and enjoyed the music.

Even though this isn't a very good photo but it shows here how amazing the lighting (AND ACOUSTICS) were. Good job Java Jazz.

We went closer to the stage as the night went on.

Both shows were amazingly great that I was actually surprised. I thought I was satisfied with just hearing them on my iPod because I prefer rock or pop concerts but there’s so much more. So much honesty, sincerity and beauty in their music and the way they deliver it. I can’t believe I call myself a music lover to only realize this. Having said that, I really really wanna thank both of my bestest friends in the world for dragging my ass (and buying my ticket) to watch this show.

General Retrospect

Published by Justine

I meant to post about a pretty awesome weekend where I watched Sondre Lerche and Corinne Bailey Rae and attended one of my closest friend’s wedding but I’ll get to that later. Work has been sorta biting my ass this week (well except for my rest Monday–had no work that time), I’ve hardly had any time to sit down in front of a WP page that when I found a chance I grabbed it straight away.

I was sorting out my backups folder when I found a couple of old blog posts that I had saved and it got me thinking how my writing was so much better then. These days when I blog I’m always finding it hard to construct sentences in my head to tell a story or describe something. For example this morning while I was taking a shower, I suddenly thought of things to write about and had them saved up in my head. Of course the minute I turned the shower off all the thoughts went off with it. I sometimes wish I had a drafts database for when I’m saving for something major to write. There’s twitter, but sometimes they go far beyond 140 characters. I needed to let that out. It’s very frustrating. In other news, March has been an awesome month for me so far, last weekend’s events left me huffing and puffing on Sunday.. Pho and a non-working Monday was the cherry on top. This weekend I’ll be at the beach, next weekend is another concert I’m getting to watch and I am very excited because it’s k-pop related and after that I’ll be going to Singapore for a couple of days.

Speaking of March, it’s officially Lent. I don’t know how many times I point out that time flies by too fast, but here I am again doing just that. I got “ash-ed” yesterday thus marking the start of abstinence. For the first time in many years I am actually committed to giving up something and that is white rice. Relying on my willpower on this one, because it’s either brown rice or no rice. I will get far with this one, and I hope to make sure of it.