Not part of a "sea" or an "ocean" this time, but part of a galaxy. #exo #exoluxion

A photo posted by Athena (@agothena) on Jun 12, 2015 at 8:31am PDT

THIS IS REAL, YES, IT'S HAPPENING. I AM GOING TO WATCH EXO LIVE IN MANILA. THIS IS NOT A DRILL, I REPEAT THIS IS NOT A DRILL.

When rumours of EXO'luXion coming to the Philippines first came out, I was pretty skeptical because Manila already missed out on The Lost Planet, and the encore concerts in Seoul were slated for this December. Precisely the reason why I made sure that I would watch the Taipei leg of the tour. So can you imagine my outrage and excitement when the announcement for EXO'luXion in Manila came out? Probably not. But I can tell you it was full of "THEY'RE COMING HERE OH MY GOD DO I HAVE MONEY NO WAIT I ALREADY WATCHED EXO BEFORE SHOULD I STILL WATCH WHAT IF THEY SING ANOTHER FILIPINO SONG?" and a bunch of other incoherent, overly dramatic gurgling in front of my poor, poor laptop.

I was torn, of course, because I've already watched EXO twice– once in 2012 during SMTown, and once last June for the Taipei run of EXO'luXion. Do I really need to watch them again? And once again, my brain fired back with "WHAT IF THEY SING ANOTHER FILIPINO SONG" and I am weak. SO WEAK. So naturally, faced with a dilemma, I turned to my trusted friends hoping that at least one of them would be my conscience. 

I quickly learned that none of my friends are conscience-material.

With advice ranging from "Manood ka na." and "You have the money, the time, people to go with, and you want to go anyway, so go." to "THEY'RE ALREADY COMING HERE NO NEED TO GET ON A GODDAMN PLANE" (Toreja, 2015), I realized that literally, nothing was holding me back and YES. I WILL WATCH THIS CONCERT. 

Psyched as I was, I completely forgot about the torture that is TICKETING. Getting tickets for EXO'luXion Taipei was a nightmare, considering how Taiwanese fans are much more enthusiastic than Filipino fans and that I spent HOURS going to 7-11 and back home because only a limited number of tickets are released per hour. At some point I gave up buying tickets, but at around 7pm, I lucked out and still managed to get not-entirely-terrible seats. 

Luckily (?!), the concert was sponsored by Globe, so subscribers were given a chance to register and get promo codes to the ticket pre-selling a day before the actual ticketing. So, obviously, I registered as fast as I could, and glared at my phone whenever a message that had nothing to do with the promo code came in. Luckily enough, my friends and I all received our promo codes on time.

I bought my (and my friends') tickets at SM Masinag, and it was a much more pleasant experience than buying in Taipei. Okay, so I was stressing out a lot, but who can blame me? There was this one lady who was insisting on buying tickets without a promo code that she spent 10 minutes arguing with the ticketing lady, WHO PROBABLY HAD ENOUGH ON HER PLATE DEALING WITH OVERLY EXCITED AND FRANTIC FANS ALL MORNING, and all I could think of was the seats slipping through my grasp with each minute wasted. Eventually, she left and well, I was left worrying about the other fans who took a REALLY long time to choose where to sit. You know that feeling when you're in a really long queue in McDonald's and then when it's the turn of the person right in front of you, that's when they start thinking about what they want to get? It was that kind of feeling. 

So here I am with an important piece of advice to fans who plan on going to concerts: Have a plan. A Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, and so on. Chances are, if the artist or group you want to see are pretty big acts, tickets will sell out fast. The more time you spend thinking of which seats to get, the more seats are getting snatched up by someone else. Also, it's consideration for those who are queued up behind you. Got it? Got it. 

Moving on, though I was late to the ticket pre-selling by two hours, I still managed to secure tickets in our preferred area. Lower Box B, holla. Honestly, any other seats would be too far, or too expensive. Yo, EXO, I love you with all my heart, not my wallet. 

So here I am. Way, way too excited at the prospect of seeing my boys again. The Taipei concert was fun, but honestly, as a Filipino fan, it would be much more AMAZING to watch here in Manila. Though Filipino fans don't really get to do successful fan projects during concerts like the Korean, Japanese, or Taiwanese fans do, the Philippine crowd is unparalleled when it comes to sheer energy and volume. Forget fanchants. We'll sing along to the whole song, because that's how we do it. Orayt. Rakenroll to da world.

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Thursday, December 17, 2015

My friend, Kleo, just turned 18! She had her debut last September 27, 2014 at the Vivere Hotel in Muntinlupa. Of course, there was no way I wouldn't attend even if my friends and I had difficulties getting a ride. Who am I to pass up a chance to see my friend all dolled up and dressed in a gown? Aside from that, it was also a chance to meet up and have fun with some friends I haven't met in a while so here I am with another photo post! TL;DR: Less rambling, more images.

The party was held in the Ballroom of the Vivere hotel. The place was absolutely beautiful – most especially the fixtures on the ceiling. The walls of the ballroom itself were covered with mirrors so it gave one the feeling of being in an enchanted place. The lighting only added to that "magical" atmosphere, but it did make it a bit difficult for me to get decent photos.

Alex and Marty posing with the Kleo standee by the entrance.

The party was fun, and everything seemed so well prepared. There were video messages from family and friends who couldn't make it, videos of Kleo at a photoshoot, and slideshows with photos of her growing up.

Tari using Marty as a desk while she writes a dedication for the debutante.

My friend, Alex, and I on the "hotseat".

I found her version of the 18 Candles particularly interesting because it was so different from what the 18 Candles traditionally are supposed to be. For the 18 Candles, the assigned guests were grouped by how they were related to Kleo, and made to sit with her onstage while they answered questions Kleo chose for them. My friend, Alex, and I sorta represented our group of friends, PDX.ing, and were told to answer the question "If Kleo were a cosmetic, what would she be?" We ended up answering that she was an anti-aging serum because of her youthful, child-like looks.

A ferris wheel with candy. All parties should have one.

There was also a candy bar filled with marshmallows, gummy worms, chocolate and more! Needless to say, quite a lot of the guests kept coming back for more.

The party lasted well into the night with people on the dance floor, and of course the debutante took centre stage. She looked so happy that night so I'm sure that it was truly a memorable day for her. Happy Birthday, dear baby girl!

Cheers for Kleo! 

Kleo and the Pedestrians.

"Tingin sa itaas!" Some people didn't get the memo.

Trying to go for a Teleserye concept. 

Taray pose with PDX.ing girls.

The One Direction pose is a tradtion. 

Kleo with her blockmates. 

"Let's take a photo while we're still fresh!" 

PDX.ing family photo on-stage.

A trolley packed with gifts. How about that? 

The struggle to take a family selca is always real. 

But the love in those smiling faces is more real. <3 //cheese

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Sunday, September 28, 2014

For most Filipinas, the 18th Birthday or the debut is the biggest event of her life (next to her wedding, of course). And just last week my cousin, Abby, celebrated hers in Ysabel's Garden. To celebrate her coming-of-age, I decided to put up a photo post! I'm not much of a photographer, but I tried my best. Heh.

The theme of her debut was "Winter" and so the set up was mostly whites and blues. I loved how the chairs were made of transparent material, almost like they were made of ice.

Don't you think the lace patterns kinda look like snowflakes? 

The cake was made by a family friend. Apparently, there were a few problems with the fondant because of the rainy weather but it still looks fantastic!

Look at the glitter and sparkles. Personally, I am a sucker for glitter and sparkles.

Abby and her escort as she makes her way to the stage. 

You'd be hard-pressed to find a debut where there is no singing or a performance from a friend.

Getting her make-up touched up after dinner. :) 

With the three cuties who helped out during the 18 Roses.

Here is my younger brother as one of the 18 Roses. 

Of course, what would a debut be without the debutante having a number of her own? 

Obligatory thank-you speech near the end of the festivities. 

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Saturday, September 20, 2014