After watching a re-run of One Direction: This Is Us on HBO one weekend, I decided to seek out some of the songs I heard on the movie, particularly Change My Mind. This song from their first album Take Me Home is memorable to me. I particularly like the chorus mainly because of the melody and secondly the lyrics. It's romantic. I'm a girl, so I definitely fall for the I'll-give-up-anything-for-you lines. A part of the verse actually sounds like What Makes You Beautiful, which I somewhat like (what the heck is "somewhat"?).

I ended up getting all their album. From their latest, FOUR, I especially like--no, love--Stockholm Syndrome. For the melody, of course, not the lyrics! (CREEP-A-ZONE!) I'm not saying that Mr. Harry Styles, who took part in the composition of the song, is at all creepy. Just sayin' because he told in one interview that the song is about a nympho. See?

What I love about this song is how it feels like an 80s song, new wave-kinda-ace of base-kinda-MJ (because of the "oh!" I'm guessing). I actually can't describe it. I just like it.

Anyway, sharing with you this beee-oooo-teee-ful song.


PS. I think this was also the song that got leaked over the Internet before the launch of the album.

Last October 5, KNATION Music Showcase 2014 was held at the SMX Convention Center in MOA. It showcased 5 Kpop groups with the main act being UKISS. The other 4 were MPire, Bigstar, 4 Ladies, and Winners Crew (a dance group). I know of MPire and Bigstar because I've seen them on M Countdown, and Feeldog, leader of Bigstar, as a guest on KBS's Dream Team. This is the first time I've of 4 Ladies and Winners Crew though.


Anyway, I didn't know about this until 2 days before it was set to happen. My friend and colleague, Dompy, texted me and told me that UKISS will be in Manila (she knows I'm a KissMe). OMG! How could I have missed this?! I'm an 'effin useless fangirl. I haven't been reading Kpop news in a while and haven't been logging on to the Kpop Forums (OneHallyu in particular) because some crap at work was ongoing. But that was not an EXCUSE!

So, I redeemed myself and bought a ticket the very next day. I didn't even think about that hardship of commuting to SM MOA located at the other side of the Metro from where I lived. Since this was held at SMX, SM Malls sold the tickets. I thought about buying the VVIP tickets which cost PHP 4,200, but then settled for the VIP tickets at PHP 3,180 because I reasoned that the only I act really wanted to see was UKISS and that they will probably just be on stage for like 30 minutes (they were on stage for like 45 minutes).

I got there about 3 hours early because I wanted to look around the mall first and then buy merch at the Knation booths. I bought a lot of UKISS stuff like a lightstick, 2 shirts, posters, a bagtag, and a door sign. Yey! Finally, I have all my fave Kpop groups on my wall: SHINee, Infinite, and UKISS. Weeehoo!

I was also, finally, able to taste Melona ice cream. I was in Seoul in May and wasn't able to taste this ice cream. It was delicious! I want more! Need to find some Korean Mart near our house, fast!

The stage where groups performed Kpop dances

The merch section

The Faceshop's Photo Booth with Kim Soo Hyun

After, waiting for hours and going through a crazy, disorganized line (I was getting angry at management for not properly labeling lines for different ticket holders. They acted so late that the show which was supposed to start at 6 PM ended up starting at around 7:30 PM or even later!) I was finally inside the SMX Halls 3 and 4 and about to see UKISS for the very first time. I was so excited.

My UKISS stash.  Love the black shirt.

I enjoyed the parts before UKISS, but wasn't really into the other groups. So, when finally UKISS came on stage, I was shouting my butt off. I was placed perfectly to the right side of the stage where Kevin and Jun were always positioned in their dance routines. YEY!

Eli, Hoon, Soohyun, Kevin, and Jun (missing in photo: Kiseop)

I was filming the whole time, so I would have a remembrance of when and where I saw them first. Hopefully this won't be my last, and hopefully I will be able to get to them up close and personal. I was blown away by how good they were live and on stage. Unlike the previous groups who performed before them, UKISS' vocals were always spot on even if they were dancing so hard. Kevin's voice was so clear and strong and didn't even go off pitch (but who was I to tell, not an expert by any means). There was backtrack playing in the background but you can definitely hear that they were singing live. It was so obvious in that small, intimate venue. They should be bigger in Korea, sadly, they are not. But their international fans love them a lot, so they continue to make music.

Kiseop saying his message to KissMes

Kevin the interpreter X-)

In the end, UKISS seemed very pleased with the adoring KissMes that Soohyun promised, "as the group's leader", to come back to the Philippines to a bigger venue for a full concert. They also cited that they held their very first concert here in Manila, so they are very thankful to the Filipino KissMes. Ahhh, I know UKISS love their fans a lot. You can tell how they appreciate the fans. They never forget, and that's what makes them worthy of my support and love. Nucks.

Ok, I never thought I'd see this one day: idol group members singing a crazy song and not being totally right in the head while doing so. I'd peg this right up there with Psy's Gangnam Style and Lim Chang Jung's Yeoboseo. However, the lyrics of this one is funnier, probably because of its truthfulness and simplicity. The song is catchy enough to make you want to listen to it over and over again.

Big Byung, translated to Big Bottle, is composed of N and Hyuk from VIXX, Jackson from GOT7, and Sungjae from BtoB. Talk about a bunch of misfits. They are so funny in the MV. Oh, and from the comments on this video, Kpop fans did not just liked it...they loved it. And they want more Big Byungs! I'm with ya, guys! I want more craziness.

"Why am I even in this group, that's the real STRESS!" ~ VIXX's N


If this group becomes a permanent sub-unit, someone suggested that the fandom name should be Thirsty or Bottle Caps. LOL. I vote Bottle Caps.

But before I even get my hopes up, it was said that this is just a random project they made for the show Hitmaker. Maybe they'd change their minds?

The temp group also made their appearance on the variety show Weekly Idol. Did I say they were hilarious? Can't stress that enough. Ugh, STRESS! X-)

As if I don't have enough on my plate already (plate of to-watch, to-come-back-to), I find out about this:

The Flash
The Smallville version of DC's The Flash. The series is about the origins of the fastest man alive, Barry Allen who acquired his unique ability from a freak accident.

Photo from: Hollywood Reporter

iZombie
Another zombie-apocalypse series? No. No way...It's not? Oh good. It's a procedural drama about a coroner's assistant who is really a zombie. She eats brains so she can remain human. Yes. Sounds familiar, eh? But interesting nevertheless. This reminds me--somewhat--of Moonlight where the main character is a private investigator helping the police capture the bad guys. That's not all, he's a vampire, and he drinks blood so he can live.

Photo from Hollywood Reporter

CSI: Cyber
Yes. Another spinoff from the CSI franchise. But this one deals with cyber crimes. And because I love CSI, I am excited to see this one. And also because I like Patricia Arquette. Medium, anyone?


Hieroglyph
Just because I like everything ancient Egypt.

Photo from Hollywood Reporter

State of Affairs
A CIA agent becomes the president's daily briefer, who is tasked to identify vital national security issues. Stars Katherine Heigl as the CIA agent and Alfre Woodard as the first black female president. Should be an interesting watch if you like Zero Dark Thirty and The West Wing.




Selfie
I am looking forward to this not because I like John Cho ever since I watched him on a Charmed episode. Not at all. I am not that shallow. The series is very current, as it is about a woman who suddenly becomes the center of attention (for the wrong reasons) when a video involving her went viral. She enlists the help of a marketing expert, who also happens to work in the same company as her, to fix her tainted image.


Forever
Do I like these kinds of dramas, or do I not? Seems like fighting crime means you have to be immortal, a zombie, a vampire, or a superhero. Can't we just be normal peeps? This one is about New York's star medical examiner, Dr. Henry Morgan (played by Ioan Gruffudd) who happens to be immortal. He helps solve cases and studies the dead so he can find the answers to why he cannot die.

Oh, come on abc! Really? You're going with "He's dying to know the truth"?

Constantine
Oh yes. John Constantine is back. The badass magician and master of the occult from DC Comics' Hellblazer. In the series, he plays an unwilling hero defending humanity against the forces of darkness even while he struggles with his faith and atones for his sins. Should be good considering I likes the movie version.



Gotham
Is it just me? Or everything here is based on DC comics? I'm not a fan by any means. I just happen to like the movie versions. The series though, is about Gordon's early days in the city's police force. It will also touch on the stories of several Batman villains, including Penguin, Riddler, Catwoman, Joker, Poison Ivy, Scarecrow, Hugo Strange, Harvey Dent, and Mr. Freeze.

The master of the hard court, Roger Federer was down two sets and looked like he was going to fail miserably in the third set when he was broken back by his opponent, 20th seed Gael Monfils of France. He was tested almost to the limit. I had but given up in the 4th set at match point for Monfils. But Roger Federer will not go down easily. Showing true grit, steel-strength will, and endurance, he bounced back to win the match in 3 straight sets. The 9th time he had to go through the same situation, 2 sets down.

2 sets down, the players on a break before the 3rd set

Wonder what he was thinking here. Probably how to get back into the game.

The crowd wait with baited breath at the Arthur Ashe Stadium

Double match point with Federer serving to stay in the match. Totally nerve wracking, heart-attack inducing.

Saved the 2 match points to even out the scores.

The variety of shots was amazing. Volleys, net plays, drop shots, cross courts, lobs, down the line...it was like the whole US Open played out in that little rectangle at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. Both players went after every shot and Gael even flew a few times! The big guy could sideline as a flying superhero. Really. And the power behind his every shot...I don't even know how he can sustain that. Add it to his antics on the court, even I'm exhausted. And I'm just watching him!

Federer, ever the elegant player, stayed cool. For most of the match, that is. He did dish out a few frustrated outbursts in the 3rd and 4th sets. At one point he even slammed his racket on the center of the net. Something he rarely does. It was the first time I've seen him lose his cool. As a fan--YES I AM A BIG FAN--I felt frustrated, too. I couldn't even follow the full match (I was at work, but I was keeping tabs via USOpen.org's slamtracker) because it was killing me! Federer was killing me. Aaaarrrrggghhh! At the 4th set, I had to leave the slamtracker watch.

I went back to the game when I saw that they had gone into a 5th set. Whew! The great Roger escaped losing by a hair! By a freakin' hair. And once he evened out the field, he took the driver's seat all the way to the finish line. It was absolutely amazing! Just one of the many reasons why I love this game.

On to the Semis for the Fed Express (Photo from USOpen.org)

I took this style quiz from Drop Dead Georgous Daily and my result is:

This is the cover of my ebook

Rating:  * * * *

I wanted to give this a 5 out 5 star rating because I really enjoyed the book. Proof of that is the length of time it took me to finish the book: 2 days. That's despite of the fact that I have an 8-5 job and a total of 4 hours commute to contend with.

However, I have some reservations about the it. Yeah, it was quite funny and entertaining. The premise of the story is a bit different from the paranormal novels I've read so far. And the characters are very likeable.

Charley was snarky, witty, apparently beautiful, and a grim reaper. Yeah, kind of reminds me of, first, Bleach (you know, soul reaper), second, Grimm the TV series. But they have totally different takes on the reaper job. Me, I always thought they collect souls, in a bad kind of way (read: Grim).

Meanwhile, Reyes--I know, I know it's a funny name, add that to being Filipino where Reyes is a common surname rather than a first name--was as mysterious as they come. Nothing is known about him except for that brief encounter with Charley some 10 years ago. And he's been described as dark, tall, brooding, and super hot. In fact, I can imagine him as looking like this:

Actor Jason Behr

And if that is not proof enough that most of those who read the book are probably in love with him, how about this image that's on the Internet:


Ok, Reyes Farrow is hot. But that didn't make me like the book more. :D

I just thought that, as one review in Goodreads said, a thousand wisecracks does not make a novel. And I agree with that. It was amusing at first, but if every bit of thought and comment that pops out of Charley is a wisecrack, where is the fun in that? After a while it got a little too old. Makes you wonder if someone really can think that way EVERY FREAKIN' TIME.

And I just cringed at the almost end part when Charley was describing the universe and et al being formed. Ack. Skipped most of it. It was way too cheezy for me.

Anyway, I think it's a good first novel of the series, and I wouldn't mind grabbing the second, third, fourth...wait. Is there are 6th book already? Hmmm.

Lately, I've been finding myself giving up on a book halfway through. One of the main reasons is that I keep thinking I will be able to guess what will happen next--and I do most of the time. And that kind of wanes my enthusiasm a bit. Ok, by a lot.

Then I realized that maybe I need to change genres. I've been reading contemporary romance novels for the last 2 months and I think I'm getting a little critical of the way the characters act. Talk about taking things too seriously. Hello.

Let's see...according to my Goodreads track, here's what I have been reading lately:

• Can't Stand The Heat (Recipe for Love #1) by Louisa Edwards
• Love Unscripted (Love, #1) by Tina Reber
• The Alien King and I by Lizzie Lynn Lee
• Scot on the Rocks by Brenda Janowitz
• Sex Snob by Elizabeth Hayley
• His Brother's Bride (Banks Brothers Bride, #4) by Rose Gordon
• Her Best Friend's Brother by T.J. Dell
• Propositioning Her Brother’s Best Friend by Sam Crescent

Now, I'm reading another romance novel, Falling For the Ghost of You by Nicole Christie. Where my mystery, adventure, Indiana-Jones-type novels? I need to get some James Rollins into my system again. Or Maybe an Andy McDermott. Or a Matthew Reilly. Anything, just not another love story.

After rediscovering K-pop this year (I say 'rediscovering' because I've known Kpop for a while, but didn't really care for it as much before), I have to say I pretty much like songs from boy groups. I find their songs are better suited to my tastes, plus their voices are not pitch-y (meaning, it doesn't irritate the hell out of me) like the girl groups. I admit it's also because I'm female. But that doesn't mean I can't appreciate girl groups. Proof of that is Spica. I love their new song so much I'm posting it here. The only other Kpop video I blogged about was SHINee's Why So Serious, and I LOVE that group. Seriously.


Tonight by Spica

Tonight. Tonight is the night
geutorok gidaryeotdeon urimanui sigan oh yeah
Tonight. Tonight is the night
kkumcheoreom neowa naega hanadoeneun i bam oh yeah

mam gatji anheun sesange dapdaphaetji
deungdwiro neukkineun siseoni chagawotji
geurae nan andwae motae pogihal ttaejjeum
nae ape jjan hago niga natanangeoya

jeo meolli barkge bitnaneun jeo byeolbit
eokkaereul dudeurineun baram
modu nareul bichwo dasi kkumeul kkune
naeil achim tteooreuneun taeyangdo
seororeul wihae kkok jabeun son
dasi nal ireukyeo naneun noraehane

Tonight. We feelin so high
jeo nopi haneullo Fly fly fly kkeuteobsi naraolla oh yeah oh

hanbeon deo Hi-five urineun jukji anha
seonban wi motnani inhyeongcheoreom ulji anha
dagachi Get up. Stand up. bukkeureoma
urin da juingong iljjik jibe gajima

jeo meolli barkge bitnaneun jeo byeolbit
eokkaereul dudeurineun baram
modu nareul bichwo dasi kkumeul kkune
naeil achim tteooreuneun taeyangdo
seororeul wihae kkok jabeun son
dasi nal ireukyeo naneun noraehane

Feels good nuneul gama
Feels good mwoga boyeo?
Feels good geuge baro neoya It alright~ Oh~

Turn it up. Burn it up
modu nareul bichwo dasi kkumeul kkune

jeo meolli barkge bitnaneun jeo byeolbit
eokkaereul dudeurineun baram
modu nareul bichwo dasi kkumeul kkune
naeil achim tteooreuneun taeyangdo
seororeul wihae kkok jabeun son
dasi nal ireukyeo naneun noraehane

modeun geosi dallajyeosseo
neowa hamkkehaneun i bam
nunbusige areumdaun Tonight is the night.

You won't hear teeny-weeny, cutesy, pitch-y voices here. Goes to show that what they're saying about the group's talent is true. I hope they do make it big, especially now with the support of Lee Hyori.

The recently concluded 67th Golden Globe Awards, I must say, was a success. In that, many of my favorite people and show won, and because I laughed at almost everything Ricky Gervais said. What made him even more funny was his shameless, shameless plug on his own show and movie, The Office and The Invention of Lying.

For "Glee-ks" like me, Lea Michelle, Jane Lynch, and Matthew Morrison's loss in their respective categories was replaced with a more rewarding honor, Best Television Series for Comedy or Musical. This certifies that Glee is not just a flash-in-the-pan TV series, but a show worthy of all the hype and praises that it garnered over the last 13 episodes.

Of course, one of my favorite come-back star, Robert Downey, Jr., won for his performance as ace 19th-century detective Sherlock Holmes. I have yet to watch this movie, so I will reserve my comments for later. Although, I am quite sure that he brought the old stodgy Sherlock Holmes from the 19th century to the 21st century with his dazzling and witty portrayal.

For a complete list of nominees and winners go to the Golden Globe's official website: