E and I were among the thousands who went to their concert at the Mall of Asia. We were supposed to go to the first one but we were broke that time. Admittedly, I wasn’t exactly thrilled at the prospect of paying a thousand bucks to see the band when I used to see them a lot in UP. But I’m glad I went because despite the fact that we spent a lot just to see an ant-sized Ely Buendia and it was really a mosh pit out there, we actually had a blast.

We arrived at the venue around 6:30, an hour and half before the show started. They said the gates were open around 3 and we were supposed to go there early to secure our posts. I’m glad we didn’t because it didn’t really matter since the silver tickets we had were really far from the stage. You had to be at the VIP section to see the actual band playing.

Show started a few minutes past 8, not bad for a Pinoy band concert. I actually got turned off by the crowd who started booing while the MTV veejays were doing their obligatory spiels about the concert sponsors. And it wasn’t even 8 yet. Totally uncool moment for me. Try waiting for a big band perform at the UP fair and you’ll see what I mean.

The crowd went wild when the band kick-started with Magasin.

I was surprised that the band sounded really well. It must be those awful sound equipment in the past but I’m not a big fan of E-heads’ live performances. This time they actually sounded like their records, with a few twists. Ely was his usual devil may care self and Raimund was of course, the entertainer of the group.

There were three sets in all plus a bonus set at the end. The band played most of their hits and I really appreciated this since if you’ve gone to previous E-heads shows, you’d probably hear them play more of their experimental songs. Not that that’s bad but of course we love their old stuff. Like this one:

It was a fun night, definitely one for the books. My gut tells me this won’t actually be the band’s final set and I’m crossing my fingers for that.

Hajime mashite Myla desu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.

Watashi no blog desu.

Watashi wa nihongo ga sukoshi dake hanashimasu.

Jya mata!

The title of this post speaks for my current disposition. After almost two years of having to get up at 6 a.m., I now get a swing shift. Not bad, considering all the stress I’m gonna leave behind and all those stuff I could do in the morning. Yatah! I could finally enjoy the gloriousness of breakfast, hit the gym (as if!), watch Doraemon and learn Japanese in the morning. Juicy stuff to do.

I vacillate though at the thought of having to rearrange my life again. I hope this change brings something good. Wish me luck. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!

Over the Rainbow by Anne Murray

Meet Samshik, the same stuffed pig Kim Sam Soon had in the drama. It’s the cutest, most lovable pig I’ve ever seen and may become a reason for me to go vegan.

Thanks, E!

I’m sharing some of the food I’ve been feasting on.

Takuyaki

On weekends, E and I would go to the mall and eat Kuya Chito’s Takuyaki. Takuyaki is a Japanese snack made of vegetable and sometimes squid fillings, formed into a ball and drizzled with chicken or fish flakes, topped with mayonnaise and sauce. Yup, not exactly healthy but hey, they’re still made with vegetables so I figure it’s okay.

Bibimbap and Kimbap

I’ve been practicing my culinary skills with Korean dishes recently. The first Korean dish I learned to eat and prepare is bibimbap, which translates to mixed rice. My version includes ground beef, eggplant, carrots, sayote and fried egg. You can actually mix anything with the sticky rice. The key ingredient is the gochujang (red pepper paste), which you can buy in Korean grocery stores or at the Asian food section of your favorite supermarket.

Another popular Korean dish is kimbap, which is the Korean version of sushi. I love Japanese maki and sushi so I was thrilled to make my own kimbap. Mine includes canned tuna, egg, Japanese radish, carrots and cucumber. Below is a photo of the kimbap in Silla restaraunt in Timog Avenue.

Bulgogi, Japchae, Dubu Kimchi, et cetera

Last night, my officemates and I went to Silla and I got to try other Korean dishes. I loved the dubu kimchi (stir fried kimchi with tofu), which we also had in Gela restaurant recently, as well as the japchae (glass noodles) and the bulgogi with chicken, beef, pork and squid.

So there you go, my favorite dishes of the late. I wish everyone a food-filled weekend!

Recently, I realized how old I’m getting, not just because it’s getting more and more difficult to fit into my own clothes or that I’ve become more conscious of the fact that I already have some grey hair hiding somewhere. I knew I was getting old because I’ve been attending more weddings of people my age or even younger. That must mean something, right?

Anyway, I haven’t attended any other wedding before where I knew both the bride and groom. Usually I was either with the bride or the groom. This made Kim and Lou’s wedding more special to me aside from the fact that I was with my other old friends whom I grew up with.

During the ceremony, my friend James said he felt weird that our friends were getting married. We all knew each other since high school, some even longer than that, but we never thought that a wedding was in the works for Kim and Lou. I think it’s really sweet though. I’ve never seen Lou that giddy so I’m happy for both of them. No one deserves each other more than those two so I wish them a good life.

I’m sharing some of the photos I took from my phone. The quality sucks but it’s better than nothing.

For those looking for love, I hope you get the kind that these two have.

My friends from the office and I wanted to have some really good Korean dinner, so after work last Thursday, Hannah, Louie, Ailyne and her boyfriend Balong and I braved the rush hour traffic and headed out to Gela Korean Restaurant in Makati.

While inside the car, we were talking incessantly about several things but quickly became quiet when David Cook’s Time of My Life played on the radio. Team David Cook!

About an hour later, we finally arrived at Gela. It’s quite a small yet quaint restaurant near the red light district of Makati.

We went all Korean and chose to sit cross legged. Before our main courses arrived, we were served all sorts of kimchi and other side dishes. I love spicy food but I couldn’t finish the kimchi-ed Korean peppers.

We ordered some sangmyupsal, kimchi with tofu (I forget the Korean name) and some cold ham which was kind of like our own crispy pata.

When having a Korean dinner, you have to have a really good appetite because there’s just so much food. Good thing appetite is one thing we don’t lack. While we were busy filling ourselves, we noticed someone familiar…

After about an hour, our table looked like this.

All in all we had a fantastic time and satisfied our craving for all things kimchi. Next food agenda: sushi!

Oooppss, we’re taking a break…I’ll be back…

Back to iBlog. The topic right now is problogging or blogging as a profession. I haven’t really thought of blogging as a career option but hearing about some bloggers who are earning more than I do makes me think twice about becoming a full time blogger. In the meantime I’m looking for some ways to earn online. My latest project is Hallyudorama.com which features episode guides of Korean and Japanese dramas. It’s a joint project with my friend Hannah and we’re hoping it would pick up steam soon.

Next topic is about photoblogging. I would love to photoblog but being cramped in an office five days a week makes that a bit more difficult. Meanwhile, here’s a picture of Ederic, Josh and myself just hanging out here at the iBlog. Hope everyone has a fab weekend!

Prior to that I was a big fan of the 2004 Korean drama Full House with Song Hye Kyo and pop star Rain. I liked the predictability of the characters in Korean dramas. Sometimes you need things like that in your life. After Full House, I didn’t really get to see a lot of other k-dramas just because there was too much to see and too little time to while away. I went through the Grey’s Anatomy, Prison Break, Heroes and Lost phases in my TV life and after a while I just grew tired of the long seasons where characters constantly break up, get back together or die in the end. What I loved about k-dramas is that they finish the story in just one season. No cliffhangers. No season 2 letdowns.

Then came Coffee Prince, which I absolutely enjoyed. The story was cute and the actors were surprisingly good so I got hooked. I even have the full soundtrack on my iTunes. My friend Hannah, who’s like the Asian drama guru in our office introduced me to other dramas like Goong or Princess Hours, which I also enjoyed and the Japanese adaptation of the manga Hana Yori Dango. I think I finished seasons 1 and 2 of HYD in less than two weeks on top of everything else I had to do for my graduate classes.

Now, Hannah and I are obsessed with the Japanese adaptation of the manga Hanazakari no Kimitachi e or Hana Kimi, which is about a girl who pretends to be a boy. She enters an all boys school to meet her idol, an athlete named Sano Izumi. GMA-7 is airing the Japanese version while rival ABS-CBN is airing its Taiwan version. I absolutely loved the Japanese version though I haven’t really seen the Taiwan version so I reserve comment for now, on which is better. However, I might be biased because I’m a big Oguri Shun fan. Shun played the role of Hanazawa Rui (Hua Ze Lei in Meteor Garden) in Hana Yori Dango. He’s not really a gorgeous actor but there’s just something about him.

Albeit only forwarded to his mailing list, I was thrilled to receive an e-mail from one of my favorite writers, Paolo Coelho.

Below is the Christmas tale he wrote for his columns. Feliz Navidad!

Our Lady’s Juggler
by Paolo Coelho

A medieval legend tells us that in the country we know today as Austria the Burkhard family – a man, a woman and a child – used to amuse people at Christmas parties by reciting poetry, singing ancient troubadour ballads, and juggling. Of course, there was never any money left over to buy presents, but the man always told his son:

“Do you know why Santa Claus’s bag never gets empty, although there are so many children in the world? Because it may be full of toys, but sometimes there are more important things to be delivered, what we call “invisible gifts”. In a broken home, he tries to bring harmony and peace on the holiest night in Christianity. Where love is lacking, he deposits a seed of faith in children’s hearts. Where the future seems black and uncertain, he brings hope. In our case, the day after Father Christmas comes to visit us, we are happy to be still alive and doing our work, which is to make people happy. Never forget that.”

Time passed, the boy grew up, and one day the family passed in front of the impressive Melk Abbey, which had just been built.

“Father, do you remember many years ago you told me the story of Santa Claus and his invisible gifts? I think that I received one of those gifts once: the vocation to become a priest. Would you mind if now I took my first step towards what I have always dreamed of?”

Although they really needed their son’s company, the family understood and respected the boy’s wish. They knocked at the door of the monastery and were given a loving, generous welcome by the monks, who accepted the young Buckhard as a novice.

Christmas Eve came around. And precisely on that day, a special miracle happened in Melk: Our Lady, carrying the baby Jesus in her arms, decided to descend to Earth to visit the monastery.

All the priests lined up and each of them stood proudly before the Virgin trying to pay homage to the Madonna and her Son. One of them displayed the beautiful paintings that decorated the place, another showed a copy of a Bible that had taken a hundred years to be written and illustrated, while a third recited the names of all the saints.

At the very end of the line, young Buckhard anxiously waited his turn. His parents were simple people, and all that they had taught him was to toss balls up in the air and do some juggling.

When it came his turn, the other priests wanted to put an end to all the homage that had been paid, since the ex-juggler had nothing important to add and might even mar the image of the abbey.

Nevertheless, deep in his heart he also felt a great need to give something of himself to Jesus and the Virgin. Feeling very ashamed before the reproachful gaze of his brothers, he took some oranges from his pocket and began to toss them in the air and catch them in his hands, creating a beautiful circle in the air just as he used to do when he and his family traveled to all the fairs in the region.

At that instant, the baby Jesus, lying in Our Lady’s lap, began to clap his hands with joy. And it was to young Buckhard that the Virgin held out her arms to let him hold the smiling child for a few moments.

The legend ends by saying that on account of this miracle, every two hundred years a new Buckhard knocks on the door of Melk Abbey, is welcomed in, and for the whole time he remains there he warms the hearts of all who meet him. #