7 things I love about 2013

I started this year without a single resolution, yet I accomplished many things from my bucket list.

1) Japan Trip : Osaka-Tokyo-Kyoto

2) Found a new job (in a coffee shop)

3) Paid all my travel expenses with my own money

4) Watched CNBLUE live stage (world tour & arena tour in Japan)

5) Wanderlust hit 10,000 views

6) Met lots of nice new people in my cray blue world

7) Got to know myself better: an introvert. That statement had solved so many questions in my head.

What should I do next year? Still will be going without resolutions list and big expectation, but...

 I'm ready to turn some of my dreams into reality :)

(More than) Once In A Blue Moon

Let's go crazy! Do it, do it, do it now ~

Since I have fallen in love with CNBLUE's music last year, watching their live stage had been a priority on my bucket list. I already watched their concerts in Seoul and endless list of their Japan tour through DVD and videos in YouTube. They live act were so great and enjoyable. So when the announcement of their world tour (BLUE MOON) came up early this year, the only thing that went through my mind was: I had to go!

Part 1: Blue Moon in Singapore, where it all began..

Taipei was their 1st stop and it's not easy to reach Taiwan without a proper plan for me, but not too long after that they announced Singapore as their 2nd stop. Yeaynesss! The concert would be held on April 13th, but first thing first: I had to make sure to get the ticket. Thanks God I was able to buy it online through Sistic. After a madness battle with the web system problem due to high traffic in Sistic, I managed to get my ticket. It wasn't my first choice category but I didn't care as long as I had a reserved seat :)

Part of me knew that the concert would be awesome but since it's my first experience, I lowered my expectation. I had arrived at the concert hall, Singapore Indoor Stadium, an hour before the concert began. While waited for my cousin to come, I listened to their concert set list and I really couldn't hide my excitement: my feet won't stop moving, my heart beat faster, I couldn't stand still and wandered around.

I had got into the concert hall 10 minutes before it began, took a moment to the rest room, and when I came back the hall already went dark. Here we go! Their live stage was beyond my expectation, my affection has grew multiple times after watched their concert. I brought my camera inside, even though at the entrance gate the security asked me not to take any pictures and videos but they're not around throughout the concert, so... I recorded a few fancams ;)







The one thing I need from my fancams was a clear view of my fav CNBLUE's member, Kang MinHyuk, the drummer. He couldn't move around and stuck with his drum set further away from the edge of the stage, that's why I need my camera and a binocular.

I had a wonderful time during Singapore concert, then my crazy adventure started...

Part 2: Blue Moon in Bangkok, broke fan girl story..

Their next stop after Singapore was Bangkok. I didn't need a visa to go to Bangkok. Hmm.. should I go? After landed in Jakarta from Singapore, I texted my cousin: "I have a thought to watch their concert in Bangkok, shall we go?". Unexpectedly she responded my crazy question positively! Because the tickets were already sold out, we didn't raise our hope too high and started to look for fans who were probably have extra tickets to sale. I didn't know how the universe worked but it didn't take a long time for us to get those tickets. The seller is Indonesian too, so it's easier for us to communicate.
Two weeks later, we landed in Bangkok.

Since it was an unexpected trip, we're going on a really tight budget. Our plan was arrived at Bangkok on Friday night, went straight to our guest house and sleep, woke early in the morning on Saturday then rushed to the concert hall to grab the official merchandise and stayed there until the concert ended. The last one was going around Siam area on Monday afternoon while waiting for our flight back home at night.

To sum up, it wasn't a very happy and pleasant journey after all. We didn't have a chance to enjoy Bangkok tasty food, the security took my camera away when the concert started so I missed the first song, it was during that time when the gray dark cloud hanging above Yong Hwa's head so he was not as playful and chatty as usual and I couldn't watch their performance clearly since too many people blocked my vision (even though I sat in the vip area... x__x). But I managed to get all the official merchandise I looked for (except the MIA poster) and met the nicest people during this trip :)

Part 3: Blue Moon in Kuala Lumpur, I thought it was the last one..

Reached the point when my friends raised their eyebrows: "what? are you going to KL to catch another Blue Moon concert? Are you crazy?" I don't know, maybe. I felt like I met my match, everything went so smoothly this time. Bought the tickets via Red Tix (easy breezy), got super cheap flight to KL, the concert hall was just a walking distance from my hotel, totally enjoyed the concert, and the blue boys blew my mind again this time. Still crave for more? YES.

I looooooove the sexy cutie hottie manly drummer!

Part 4: Blue Moon in Jakarta, one superb wrap up...

After the tragic cancellation of CNBLUE's Asian Tour: Blue Storm in Jakarta two years ago, during their world tour this year, the blue boys finally arrived and hold their concert in Jakarta! *SO MUCH WIN* 

Jakarta was their last stop for Blue Moon World Tour in 2013 and the ending of my cray cray adventure. This time everything went soooooooooooooooooooooo great, beyond my imagination. 

I got the chance to represent Kavenyou and write the full coverage for this event! I was able to attend the press conference and got free ticket (media ID) for the concert! *woot woot*

So that day finally came, the day when I saw the boys clearly with my own eyes, without a binocular glued to my eyes. The boys were look dashingly handsome as I imagine at the press conference. I couldn't take my eyes off of the drummer (most of the time) during that event. My excitement raised up when he looked back at me, I put on my brightest smile and wave my hand, then... he gave me his killer eye smile! OH MY GOD~ I treasured that 15 minutes event, one of my best days this year.

IMHO, Blue Moon in Jakarta was the best concert I've ever watched. The concert hall was the smallest one, but fully occupied, so the event felt more intimate. The boys gave the audience their post card set for free as an apology for Blue Storm tragedy, the crowd sang too loud and fired up their performance on stage as a result, plus plus too many warm fan services! My happiness multiplied thousand times when I heard that everyone I know whom watched CNBLUE's live performance for the first time (some of them not even fans of this band) acknowledged that they really enjoyed the show! 

Last note: CNBLUE will continue their world tour to America next January, maybe Europe after that. I'm still looking forward for the encore concert which usually hold in Seoul, so... is it really the end? :)

7 Scenes I Love From Chan Young & Bo Na

It's Saturday, time to post something I love about! Since I'm still on "ChanBo-I miss them-drama writer please make spin-off series for this couple" blues, I will share my 7 favorite lines or scenes of Chan Young & Bo Na from the recent ended K-drama, The Heirs. 

Warning: It's gonna be loooong.. and cheesy!

1) Chan Young likes to tease Bo Na (Ep 3)

Chan Young & Eun Sang took a picture together at Universal Studio, LA.

ES : Are you uploading it on your SNS?

CY : Yeah, to show you something cool.

ES : What is it?

CY : Count to three.

ES : 1, 2, 3

*Bo Na calling*

CY : See that? Isn't it cute? 

ES : Do you want to die? Do you want to see me get my hair pulled out by Lee Bo Na?

CY : Oh, that sounds fun!

ES : You're going to die!

CY : Wait a minute.. Hello? (answering Bo Na phone call)

BN : Hey are you crazy? Why is Cha Eun Sang there? What are you doing with Cha Eun Sang?

CY : I'm with Cha Eun Sang, thinking about you! What else would I be doing?

2) Bo Na lied, but Chan Young knew all the way (Ep 5)

Kim Tan (Bo Na's ex-bf) back to Korea, Myung Soo told her about the news.

MS : Hey! Hey Lee Bo Na!

BN : What's wrong? (while walked with Chan Young)

MS : Don't be too surprised..

BN : Don't blocked the hallway!

MS : Kim Tan is back in Korea!

*BN tried to hide her "oh my god" face, Myung Soo snapped a picture of her*

MS : Ahh, a crucial moment.

*BN made a gesture "you will die" to Myung Soo*

MS : (to Chan Young) You need to watch out.

CY : (looked at Bo Na) What's with you?

BN : Huh? I was singing in my head. What did he say?

CY : He said Kim Tan is back in Korea.

BN : Who? Oh, the kid whom you saw in LA? Oh, but I wonder what name of the song was... The song I was singing in my head... I'm really frustrated that I can't remember the title, so I'm going to go and ask Ye Sol. Okay? (BN walked away)

CY : What song is it? GOD'S "Lie"? Big Bang's "Lie"? T-Ara's "Lie"?

3) Bo Na hated Kim Tan, she wanted to avoid him badly (Ep 6)

Kim Tan met with Chan Young at Myung Soo's play room. Bona walked in.

BN: Chan Young-aaa! 

*saw Chan Young with Kim Tan, she pretend to answer a phone call and walked out. Chan Young looked at her with a smile*

KT : I think Lee Bo Na still has feelings for me.

CY : Why would anyone avoid a beaten-up car out of regret?

4) Bo Na is cute, Chan Young loves it (Ep 7)

Chan Young and Eun Sang studied together at school library.

ES : Hurry and go, Bo Na might get angry.

CY : Bo Na doesn't get angry, everything about her is cute.

5) Chan Young & Bo Na glued to each other (Ep 12)

Chan Young & Bo Na entered the school gym for PE class together.

CY : Did you listen well in class?

BN : No, I couldn't because you weren't there.

CY : Look at you lying! (while gave a small pinch on Bo Na's cheek)

6) Bo Na & Chan Young's way to end the cold war (Ep 14)

Bo Na on her duty as an announcer at school broadcasting studio talking to Eun Sang and Hyo Shin about Chan Young .

BN : (to Eun Sang) Did you tell Chan Young that I've been reflecting?

HS : 2 minutes and 40 secs before broadcast.

ES : Last time, you said you wouldn't accept my directing.

BN : Hey! I thought you and Chan Young were friends. Didn't you hear anything about me?

ES : That's what makes Yoon Chan Young so manly, and such a nice person.

BN : Do you really want Chan Young and I to break up?

HS : I do, chatting is prohibited. 2 minutes and 10 seconds until broadcast. (he secretly turned on the broadcast button)

BN : Sunbaenim! Hey Cha Eun Sang! Can you tell Yoon Chan Young that I'm really reflecting on it a lot? Lately I've been suffocating, Chan Young is my air, without him beside me, am I able to breathe? I feel like I'm in outer space.. But then the broadcast... the light is on! Oh my God! Sunbaenim! No! (Chan Young and the entire school heard everything)

*Bo Na walked on school hallway tried to cover her face, bumped to Chan Young. She ran away*

CY : Hey, Lee Bo Na! Where are you going? I have something to say. (while tried to catch Bo Na)

BN : Don't say it! I won't listen to it! You're going to break up with me!

CY : That's not it, stop for a while!

BN : Don't chase me! I won't listen!

*Chan Young giggled and ran towards Bo Na*

7) Chan Young got jealous (3 parts)

 - Part 1 (Ep 17)

Chan Young, Bo Na, Myung Soo, and Young Do hung out at play room. Myung Soo talked about the DJ line up of a party. Young Do mentioned something about music and girls. 

CY : Girls are music.

BN : Then what type of music am I for you, honey?

CY : Hmmm.. Carols? 

MS : Death Metal.

BN : Come here, you deserve it! (tried to punch Myung Soo)

MS : If you take one more step towards me.. I'm going to steal you from Chan Young!

*Chan Young stood up and grabbed Myung Soo's clothes*

CY : What makes you think you said that?

BN : Heol! He got jealous.

MS : Heol! I got used.

- Part 2 (Ep 19)

Chan Young & Bo Na at Kim Tan's birthday party, surprisingly met Bo Na's brother. Chan Young thought Bo Na cheated on him.

BN :  Say hi, he is...

CY : Lee Bo Na! I knew you would do this, didn't I say I'll break your legs?

BN : Go ahead, they are yours anyway.

CY : How could you say that while linking your arms with another man? Unlink them right now!

- Part 3 (Ep 19)

Bo Na & Eun Sang met up with boys from another school to discuss about their partnership for broadcasting club. Kim Tan & Chan Young came and interrupted.

X : You have a good personality. Do you have a boyfriend?

KT : Honey? (to X&Y) She's married. Can't you see what's going on? Leave.

Y : We didn't even discuss about the festival yet.

X : Let's just go for today, (to Bo Na) I will call you back.

CY : Don't even think about it.

*X & Y out of scene*

KT : Lee Bo Na! What are you doing with my girlfriend in broad daylight?

BN : I'm speechless.

CY : (to Kim Tan) Why take it out on her? Eun Sang's not exactly Mother Theresa, she craves men.

ES : Yoon Chan Young! Stop making stuff!

BN : (to Eun Sang) Why are you yelling at Chan Young?

KT : (to Bo Na) You have no right to speak.

BN : Don't talk to me, I'm not your girlfriend.

CY : Then stop seeing other boys.

KT : Damn right.

OH MY GOD, they're too cute and adorable! I had to bite my pillow to bear their cheesiness.

I heard a news that SBS will be airing The Heirs Christmas Special next Wednesday. Whoa! I'm rooting for another ChanBo's lovey dovey moments!

Have a lovely weekend! XOXO :)

(pictures taken from Heirs Official, DNBLUE, and my own caps)

7 Things I Love About 윤찬영

The Heirs has ended last Thursday. No more longing for my midweek happy pills : the most lovely and adorable screen couple on drama land, Yoon Chan Young & Lee Bo Na. But even before the drama started almost 3 months ago, based on the character description, I already put a close attention on Yoon Chan Young. Pardon my affectional biased for the actor, but maybe from the list I've made below, Chan Young's truly the boyfriend that every girls want.

1. He's a top class student (and class president too)

2. He has the ultimate killer eye-smile

3. He's a supportive and loyal friend

4. He's just a middle class boy, surrounded by the richest kids in town at school, but he gained everyone's respect because he's smart and have a good attitude 

5. He loves his dad for life, a son to be proud of

6. He can cook

7. He's (the most) a sweet, loving, charming, endearing, and faithful boyfriend (...I've ever known)

You'll be missed, Yoon Chan Young x(

(pictures' credit tagged on logo)

7 Things I Love About Coffee Shop

YELLOW!

I stucked with work the whole weekend, so I'm taking a day off today to regain my energy :)

1. There's always be a comfortable corner for a loner visitor

2. Warm and homey atmosphere

3. The right place to be more productive (working or having a quality talk with best friends)

4. I able to drown in my own world for hours in a public place and no one complain

5. There's no weirdo here, there's only a bunch of different types of people

6. Cozy music

7. Good coffee, great gulp, sweet munch, savory bite. Anything.

See you again when my week come to an end!

(image is taken form Pinterest)

7 Things I Love About Saturday

HELLO! :)

I have decided to post the "7 Things I Love About ..." series every weekend

Admit it, we do love weekend more than weekdays, don't we?

That's why the phrase "TGIF" exist.

1. No alarm sound in the morning

2. Introversion time

3. TV series marathon

4. Brunch on bed

5. Long date with my mac

6. Night out with some good friends

and I don't need to worry for staying up late because...

7. Tomorrow is Sunday

See you in 7 days!

(image is taken from Pinterest)

Travel to Japan : OSAKA (Castle, Dotonbori, Bay Area, Umeda)

Two clear sunny days in Osaka! Beyond happy!

Landed at Kansai International Airport around 8.30 in the morning, I decided to take a bath at KIX Airport Lounge (terminal 1, 2nd floor, north side). I paid 500 yen for the shower room and an extra 420 yen for a towel. The staff gave me a coin for using the shower room and they rented the hairdryer for free. They have 5 shower rooms with a dressing room inside. The water in the shower room flowed for 15 mins, but I allowed to use the dressing room and powder corner as long as I need. It was a great place to freshen up after spend a night on the plane.

I still had some business to be done before went to the train station. I took a quick visit to the post office (terminal 1, 2nd floor, south side) to pick up a mobile wifi that I rented from Japan Wireless. After that, I went to the tourist information booth (terminal 1, 1st floor, center) and bought Osaka Unlimited Pass (2 days, 2,700 yen). What did I get from this pass? A lot. Not only unlimited use for Osaka subway (exclude JR trains), but also coupons to enter lots of attractions in Osaka for free! What kind of attractions? Osaka Castle, Tempozan Ferris Wheel, Umeda Sky Building Observatory Garden, HEP Five Ferris Wheel, Santa Maria Cruise Ship, and so on. Super great value!

subway ticket, guide book, and coupons (p)

Since I couldn't use my Osaka Pass to ride JR trains, I still had to buy the ICOCA card at JR ticket office inside Kansai Airport station. I chose to buy ICOCA+Haruka roundtrip package for 4,000 yen. I used ICOCA card to ride the JR Train and Haruka for the airport express train. I managed to reach Fukushima JR Station with a quick transit on Tennoji JR Station, about an hour journey from Kansai Airport Station.

wasn't it obvious if I choose Hello Kitty? (p)

Kansai Airport Station (p)

I stayed in J-Hoppers Osaka which located just 5 minutes away from Fukushima JR Station. I haven't asked for some help yet, but a very nice japanese man willingly showed me the way to the hostel. Strangely, a random grandma who's riding a bike also gave my friend a pack of KitKat along the way. We're so moved by their kindness :')

J-Hoppers neighborhood, near Fukushima JR Station (p)

Ayaka, J-Hoppers' staff, cheerfully welcomed us and gave us a little bit early check in to our room (yeay!). Since my group consisted of 6 people, I booked for 1 double room and 2 twin rooms (3,000 yen/person/night). Our rooms located on the same floor, the 4th floor. J-Hoppers doesn't have an elevator and the stairs are quite steep. Since I only stayed for a night, I decided to keep my big luggage in a storage room. It's almost 1 pm, so my friends and I decided to grab a lunch in the neighborhood and rushed to Osaka Castle. 

Our first meal in Japan and we chose... Yoshinoya. Classy and convenience. I had a bowl of curry with potatoes, carrots, and rice for 330 yen. I never worried about buying a drink while eating because just like in Korea, all restaurants provide refillable drinks (ocha/water) to their customers for free :)

We had arrived at Osaka Jo JR Station around 2 pm and went through the garden for about 30 minutes walk before reached Osaka Castle. We didn't mind to walk since the weather was so nice and the garden was undoubtedly beautiful.

Panorama shot on our way to Osaka Castle (p)

Osaka Castle (admission: 600 yen)

yummy mango ice cream! (300 yen)

Group shot day 1 (p)

The sun almost set when we left the castle. Our next destination? The hippiest area in town: Dotonbori!

We took the subway and get off at Namba Station. 

The area is well known for dining place. You also can find the famous 'Running Glico Man' LED billboard in this area. Attached with Dotonbori, you can go walk along at Shinsaibashi shopping arcade. You can find almost everything here. Near Dotonbori, there's an area called Amerikamura. A friend of mine said Amerikamura is Osaka's Harajuku because of their similarities. Unfortunately, I couldn't find this area easily and my friends didn't look excited to visit it, so we decided to go back, grabbed a dinner, then called it a night. On our way back to Dotonbori we accidentally found the main road of Amerikamura though, but we didn't have a time to pay a visit.

Shinsaibashi Shopping Arcade entrance (p)

It was almost Halloween when we went to Dotonbori. We spotted lots of people in their costumes. Too bad I was too scared to take some pictures of them :( 

On the next day, we had our breakfast at McDonalds in Fukushima and I couldn't help but notice that the seating layout was specially designed for individual use. What a big difference.

Our plan for that day was exploring Osaka Bay Area then went to Umeda for the Floating Observatory Garden at Umeda Sky Building. The sky was so bright and clear along with pretty cool weather. We couldn't ask for more :)

Tempozan Ferris Wheel (admission: 700 yen) 

Santa Maria Cruise Ship (admission: 1,600 yen)

Japanese kids: cuteness overload

Group shot day 2! (p)

On our way back to Osakako station, just a across the street from Tempozan Ferris Wheel, we saw a little cafe called "Kuma Cafe". There's a big big teddy bear on its patio that drowned our attention (Kuma means bear in japanese). In the end my friends decided to try its matcha latte. I'm not a big fan of matcha, so I preferred to have a hot of cafe latte instead.

those lotus biscuits are so yummy! judge by a caramel maniac like me (p)

I didn't take many shot at night since my camera has very low quality to snap a night shot. Our last attraction destination in Osaka was Floating Garden Observatory in Umeda Sky Building (admission: 700 yen). You can see the view of Osaka City from the open observatory deck, 173 meters off the ground. The see-through elevator and escalator enough to make me shivered. I'm a acrophobia (fear of heights), that's why I didn't ride the ferris wheel even though I have the coupon to ride it for free :3

To close the night we chose to walk from Umeda Sky Building to J-Hoppers (10-15 mins walk). We found a curry restaurant called Coco Curry along the way and it's now become our fav curry place!

Big plate of chicken cutlet curry and chicken salad to share!  (p)

Late that night, we rode the Willer Express night bus to go to Tokyo from Willer Express Bus Terminal in Umeda Sky Building. In my opinion, using the night bus is good deal if you want to save more money. Not only you just have to pay about 1/3 amount of Shinkansen fare but also save accommodation expense for one night. It's a win-win solution for budget traveler like me. But be aware that you might experienced a sore body on the next day, since you have to sleep in sitting position for a very long journey (about 9 hours from Osaka to Tokyo). 

We're ready for Tokyo! (p)

We're getting around in Osaka using JR train & subway. Click here to download the map. Even though there were times when we felt unsure to choose the right platform in JR train station, there's always a helpful station officer around that would assist foreigners like us. I'm impressed with Osaka's hospitality :)

We used the ICOCA card to ride JR trains and our Osaka Unlimited Pass for subway. Here's the details of our train & subway journey in Osaka:

Day 1

1) From Kansai Airpot to J-Hoppers: take JR Haruka Limited Express train from Kansai Airport Station, get off at Tennoji JR station, transfer to JR Osaka Loop Line and get off at Fukushima JR Station. 

2) From Fukushima to Osaka Castle: take JR Osaka Loop Line train from Fukushima JR Station and get off at Osakajokoen Station.

3) From Osaka Castle to Dotonbori: take Subway Chuo Line (green line) from Tanimachi 4-chome Station to Hommachi Station, transfer to Subway Midosuji Line (red line) and get off at Namba Station.

4) From Dotonbori to J-Hoppers: take Subway Misoduji Line (red line) from Namba Station, get off at Umeda Station, transfer to JR Osaka Station (Loop Line), get off at Fukushima JR Station.

Day 2

1) From J-Hoppers to Osaka Bay Area: take JR Osaka Loop Line train from Fukushima JR Station, get off at Bentencho Station, transfer to Subway Chuo Line (green line) and get off at Osakako Station.

2) From Osaka Bay Area to Umeda: take Subway Chuo Line (green line) from Osakako Station, get off at Hommachi Station, transfer to Midosuji Line (red line) and get off at Umeda Station. 

There's a pedestrian underpass behind Yodobashi building that will get you to Umeda Sky Building. 

grab both maps from Japan Guide

I started making a v-log for my journey. It's my first attempt and the result wasn't that great but I'll learn more in the future!

Sayonara Osaka! :)

(p) pictures courtesy of Purti :)