Hello, Damon

Just because I’m not on Team Damon doesn’t mean I can’t fangirl over Ian Somerhalder. Ha! Unless you’re hiding under some rock, you probably know that Ian visited the Philippines this week. You also know that he was here for Penshoppe. But what you probably don’t know is that I belong in the minority, Team Stefan! Hehe. But stilllll, how can I let this opportunity pass?

So when my officemates learned that Ian would be in MOA yesterday, May 24, we started planning to go there, too. I almost didn’t want to go because of some reasons but I don’t know. I just can’t let it pass. Come on, it’s the one-half of the Salvatore brothers, I couldn’t NOT go.

And we did go! Kimpee, Ate Karen, their friend Sarah and I trooped to MOA along with hundreds more. We arrived at around 3PM and there were already so much screaming and the crowd was already so thick. We couldn’t think clearly and we were just running and went straight to the crowd. We couldn’t even pick a good location where we could see Ian better.

First, I just want you to see the crowd we had to face:

The little ones (including me!) had to exert so much effort just to see Ian. And we were pushed forward and squeezed and harassed and sweated like pigs. And I suddenly realize that I can never watch a concert while standing like that. I simply wouldn’t see the stage! When Ian came out, everyone was screaming. I couldn’t react because I couldn’t see him! I couldn’t even see the projector. I didn’t even know where he is. OMG. I hate being small. Tall people like Kimpee and Ate Karen didn’t even make much effort and clearly saw him. NOT FAIR HAHAHA. But I did see him after being pushed about 50 times. That’s when I started screaming, when I finally saw him and his grogeous face. Actually, I ended up screaming even when he still wasn’t there. I just got carried when I heard other fans screaming, okay.

AND OMG IS HE GOOD-LOOKING OR IS HE GOOD-LOOKING. Dayum, can’t believe he’s 100 times better looking in person!

Anyway, I now present to you the lousiest and blurriest photos taken that day. I had to take it all without looking at the viewfinder. I am not making an excuse for my photography skills because it’s lousy anyway. But I could at least complain that I hate my height at that very moment. Please forgive the photos with the cropped out body parts. I swear it’s not intentional!

I just kept on shooting and most photos came out like that. T_T

Happy Two Years, Jalex

It has been two years since we made it official. It certainly feels longer, maybe because the courtship took us more than two years. Haha. The point is, I’m glad to be here and to be happy and to ask for nothing more. I guess I’m pretty lucky to be this happy after two years of petty bickering and endless laughter.

Ever since I got in a relationship, people have been telling me to not take it too seriously. But I don’t think I can do that. I can’t look at Alex and not think that it’s real. Hee.

I’m just glad that it’s Alex that I chose. And I’m just glad that I’m the one he chose. (HEHEHEHE) I guess we’re pretty lucky that we chose each other. Haha. But seriously, I’m just glad that our choices had led us here, and I seriously don’t want to be anywhere else. I haven’t expressed it enough but I’m pretty luck to have someone like Alex.

Day Two in Seoul (Part 2)

Hello! This is the second part of our day 2! Like what I’ve said in part 1, it’s my favorite day from the trip.

After Insadong, we went to the nearest subway station, Anguk Station, and of course, my heart was racing at that point. We’re talking about THE subway. Riding the subway was on my Seoul to-do list because of a lot of reasons. 1.) The opening scene of My Sassy Girl is on the subway station. My Sassy Girl is my first Korean movie. 2.) A lot of scenes from fanfictions and South Korean internet novels happen on the subway. Internet novels used to be my life when I was in high school. 3.) JUST BECAUSE. Okay, I only had three reasons.

Anguk Station was quite lovely. I cannot remember which Exit we entered. It’s either 4 or 5, I think. Once we went down to the station, this wall full of artworks welcomed us. Obviously, it’s by different artists. They also used different materials and some even carved on the blocks. It’s amazing. I like how they seem to try and incorporate art in almost every available space.

We bought a T-Money card (W2,500) so that we could ride the subway. We bought it in a 7-Eleven store located inside the station. It’s quite easy to use T-Money, and all you have to do is reload as much as you want. The content doesn’t expire, too. You can also use the T-Money card when riding the bus! The reloading machine also has the option of having the instructions English or Korean. So we didn’t really have much trouble.

Since it’s our first time riding the subway, we had a pretty hard time making our way around the situation. Good thing we met a Filipino mother and daughter who were also going to Chumuro station. But I think even without their help, we’d manage just fine but it would definitely take us longer. Haha!

The Seoul subway system is pretty impressive. There are actually 14 subway lines that can take you anywhere in Seoul. One line even leads directly to the Incheon airport. There are also maps (in Korean and English) inside the stations so as long as you know where you’re going, you’ll definitely find your way. But we did get lost once haha. Also, the signs are in English! And they also give directions to the nearest landmarks. They made the subway system pretty easy for foreigners to navigate.

By the way, our destination was the N Seoul Tower. To get there, ride the subway and get off at Chungmuro Station (Line 3 or 4) and get out at exit 1. You’ll see the Daehan Cinema the look for the nearest bus stop. There are special buses that will take you to the top of Mt. Namsan where N Seoul Tower is located. We took bus #2 but I think you can also take bus #5. We also used the T-Money card to pay for our bus fare.

The bus was packed! But I didn’t mind standing during the whole bus ride. I think I was too happy experiencing so many things for the first that I really didn’t mind all the hardships we endured. Hehe. On our way to the top, we passed by these mesmerizing array of trees with so many beautiful flowers! I’d read about the walking trail on Namsan Mountain filled with cherry blossoms and forsythias and wanted to go there. But we could only pass by and watch in awe. It really was so beautiful. So if you have enough time, drop off from that stop. You can ride the bus again to reach N Seoul Tower but you can also walk. But it was quite far.

When we finally reached the last stop, we were welcomed by a large crowd! It was the most tourist infested place we had visited just yet. Oftentimes, we’re either the only foreigners or there weren’t much. There were still a lot of Koreans, though, especially couples who were way too cute, really.

The view was amazing! We still weren’t on top of the mountain, and had to walk uphill first. But the view was already so pretty!