DC in MNL

Finally, I've already got the time to upload these Dashboard Confessional videos which were taken last May 27, 2010 when they had their concert at the TriNoma Mindanao parking.

If it weren't for the TriNoma promo in Twitter, I wouldn't be there enjoying Chris Carrabba's songs and pure hotness overload. So, I'd like to thank TriNoma again for giving me the chance to watch this concert! :D

Anyway, we had silver tickets so I only had the chance to take videos of the LED screen and besides, there's this huge pole which was covering Chris the whole time that he was performing that I only videoed the other band members.

Screaming Infidelities


Vindicated


Hands Down

Birthdays are never too late to be celebrated

Yesterday was the 18th birthday celebration of my good friend, Mel who had her birthday last month. There weren't much people since it was just a get-together. The night was made up of laughter, stories, food (this I wouldn't miss!), rockband, karaoke and tons of ice cream! And despite the fact that the lower eyelid of my right eye got swollen for some unknown reason I still cannot fathom until now, I HAD SO MUCH FUN AND FATS. Hahaha.

The mini banner my friend made for Mel with all of our messages.


Me and the birthday celebrant! :D


The homemade chocolate cake Rita ordered from here.

PS: Dashboard Confessional videos coming up! ;)

Such a happy post.

My day started out the usual although I cannot deny the fact that I was pretty much excited about seeing three of my really good friends today.

First thing I went to was at McDonald's Commonwealth to meet-up with my fellow U-Girls (© Glenda), Aly and Glenda, to discuss really important agendas. And as soon as we got finished, I went straight away to get my ever Dashboard Confessional tickets courtesy of Trinoma!

Moving on, the only plan that I and my friends had in mind was to spend our lunch time in a Korean restaurant in Megamall: Kaya Restaurant. Their servings were satisfactory, though. One serving can already feed two to three people. Haha xD

[I wasn't able to take a picture of the Sam Kyop Sal! :(]

Beef Bulgoggi (in layman's term: Korean beef barbeque)

Kalbi Gui (fried beef ribs marinated with Korean soy sauce)

Goon Man-Du! The best food I ever tasted there. (fried beef and vegetable dumplings)

Our next stopover was: ETUDE HOUSE! I finally brought myself something in there... which were eye patches. These eye bags of mine are such diseases already that I have to get rid of them ASAP (the truth is, before U-Kiss arrives here. HAHAHA I love them that much!).

It's the main building, is it? lol, sorry, I don't know what part of UST was this but this was the view from the College of Accountacy.

So, yep, we went out of our way to University of Santos Tomas because of such agenda my friend had to finish for the upcoming new semester.

PS: Much contentment flowing over here.

Random is my specialty.

Two friends have tagged me in Facebook wherein I had to write another note with 25 random things about me and I decided to just answer here in Blogger. So, here it goes!

1. I can't stand very cold weather for long. I get easily irritated with hot weather too! That should leave me a place where it's got a 21 - 25-degree temperature.

2. I've got no consistency in all things that's why I'm used to half-baked results of what I intend to finish.

3. Psychology was my first choice of course, not Information Technology, but based to my parents' "evaluation" of these two courses the former was chosen for the high salary I can earn in the future.

4. I want to be involved in everything... except serious relationships and the mafia.

5. Falling in love will be the last thing I would want to probably feel. I'm just not ready for it.

6. I have so many random and shallow "dreams" I wish to accomplish. One of that is to swim in an olympic-sized pool.

7. I'm very practical with money.

8. I had at least one crush on a gay person during the span of my 18-year-old life and I just met him last week.

9. I think I'll really make a good spy.

10. It's either I drink milk or pineapple juice in the morning.

11. There's a 20% out of a hundred for me to have a crush on a "tisoy" guy.

12. I plan my friends' gimmicks. The problem, though, is that when I get critically lazy during that day, I'm the one who won't come to what I planned.

13. I love blueberry cheesecake more than anything!

14. Frustration is in my blood. My father's a frustrated lawyer (he wasn't able to finish his law schooling) while I'm a frustrated photographer as of the present.

15. I dance, I sing. I haven't tried acting yet.

16. Some puppies scare me.

17. Baggy pants are the last things here on earth that I would wear.

18. I hate it when someone downloads too many things at the same time.

19. I'm sweet, not just romantic.

20. I can't live without my friends.

21. I learned Mandarin last year but didn't have the chance to understand it thoroughly.

22. I quit my university's chorale because of too much pressure.

23. I rarely win raffles but when I do, I get lots of things from it.

24. Blogging has been my venting machine.

25. I've been told that I looked like Jolina Magdangal (when I was just a kid... maybe because of my "bibbo" attitude), Jennylyn Mercado and Katrina Halili. All of these, I can't figure out why. Io nce had that "artista" dream when I was young, too!

From a fangirl's heart.

(I'm sorry but I'm telling this early as now: if you hate KPop and the fangirls/fanboys who keep singing 'em songs even a little, please don't push through reading this.)

Frankly, at first look and being a lazy person that I am, I simply had no interest of reading it when she sent it to us over Facebook inbox because it was simply too long for me to read. As soon as I skimmed through it, though, it gained my interest and read it.

Now that the long-awaited date of the First Kiss concert is fast approaching, I might as well share with you how a friend has written her piece of mind during U-Kiss' first visit here in the Philippines and how it could possibly convince more people to watch the concert. It has wowed quite a number of people already --- to those who have read it, at least --- because of its touching content and outstanding grammar.

I tried hard not to mind the heat that much.

Glancing at my watch, it said that it was only 8 o’clock in the morning, yet the weather’s already inevitably hot. Late March days (it was March 28) always proved to be merciless - and I am not just talking about the summer’s broil, but of the circumstances as well. I have just gone back from Mass for it was Palm Sunday, and I was making my way to my dorm when I received a text from my roommate, who I will be meeting later on.

“My block mate just called me to say that the people outside SM Annex are continuing to pile up. There was a line formed already by 7 am – we have to hurry! We will not go as planned (which was a 10 am meet-up), I’m actually about to leave now.”

And so, before I knew it, I was picking up random clothes from my closet and I was heading out the door.

By 9 o’clock, I arrived outside SM North Annex. While waiting for my roommate and my other friend, I was able to meet the most courageous, relentless and tireless people I have ever come across to. It certainly looked like everyone was there for a reason and each person I spoke to was genuinely interested in U-KISS. In all honesty, at that time, I only knew little about U-KISS – I was there more for the experience of fandom and to accompany my two friends, who are fans. I was curious, though. I have been religiously following Alexander and Kevin’s All About You segments in Arirang channel, and having watched them made me want to know U-KISS even more. I guess being afforded of a little history/background on the group makes everything more fascinating to me.

And by 10 o’clock - somehow the Annex never looked as packed and chaotic as it did that moment. It was Sunday morning, the gates have just been opened and already, there were people jammed into every last spot available in the four-cornered Annex area. You walk through the long line of guards and you will see angry fans squeezed between two metal barriers. Then you walk a little father, and there are those newly-arrived fans who do not mind waiting. You turn another corner, and there, you will find the fans who choose to squat on the floor, drawing their attention into something else – either by eating or listening to their U-KISS-filled iPods. The Annex is clearly where you get a sense of the various aspects of fandom.

The screaming, the pushing, the carefully-written Korean fan signs billowing out of almost every hand into the suffocating crowd - all these were caused unbelievably by U-KISS. People in all ages coming together and chanting harmoniously for U-KISS - something about witnessing this just stuck with me.

It was very really interesting, after mythologizing this experience from my mind, to be actually living in it. Truly, the whole scene at SM North Annex is much more chaotic, more dramatic, than I expected.

I would probably never forget how loud the crowd roared when the “Bingeul Bingeul” MV was being played on the screen. The air became thick with a sort of otherworldliness, thick with passion. Maybe I was just being nostalgic, but until now, a part of me cannot fully wrap my mind around the idea that this sort of phenomenon could happen.

Still, when you’re there, it’s wholly understandable why this mall tour is such an important event for so many people. The first time I saw the jam-packed crowd, I was really overcome. It astounds me to think that I became a part of history that will forever mark the Annex – and of all the burdens and joy, that go along with it.

What would have to be the biggest testament of the fans’ love for U-KISS was the waiting time involved – 7 hours at the least - with majority of the people standing up on their toes because there was simply no more space left and skipping meals so as not to lose their place in the crowd.

Taking all these into account, I waver between thinking that this would have to be the most special experience in the world and the most traumatic. Only things I love very much can inspire that much passion and disappointment in me.

I have met a lot of artists who take up performing for fun, but cannot perform. When U-KISS came in, everything just stopped – they had that rare quality, that star appeal which we cannot define, and they can definitely perform.

And when U-KISS made everyone who came out to the show scream and dance to their music, I could not be more obnoxiously happy that this was the first mall show I have ever been to – for it was only then that I felt and realized how much cross-cultural love for music can mean something to a person/group of persons.

The showcase had been so much fun, especially the fan services, but my favorite part of the whole tour was the fan signing event. It was announced beforehand that due to the increasing number of fans, they have to settle with the first 300 who were able to purchase the Only One album. My number was 419.

However, we got a wonderful surprise – and before we knew it, numbers exceeding 300 were being called to come up onstage! It was only a matter of time until I found myself literally lost onstage. Yes, with the effortless creatures called U-KISS.

It must have something to do with looking at those seven perfectly chiseled faces, but there seemed to be an unspoken submission when you are in the presence of U-KISS. Because of this, the respect that I have for U-KISS just increased tenfold. Stardom can do its worst, but on a current form, I do not think it is not going to trip up U-KISS.

How amazing was it to have certain expectations of them, only to be proven that they are as special as you imagined? What resulted of course was a head rush of discourse in my mind as to whatever might make the boys interested in what I have to say. I told myself to not stare too hard. But I stared anyway.

People who know me would probably think that given my life in the limelight as a theater actress and performer myself, I rarely get star-struck anymore. However, even if I get to be with celebrities from time to time, I still have a case of the nerves.

This can be seen on how I would probably never be able to live down my walking past the U-KISS guys whom I only used to see on YouTube videos, making eye contact and shaking hands with Kibum (Eli was my favorite though), and then realizing I was literally standing right in the center of the stage, not knowing what to do after having my U-KISS album signed. I would never be able to live down how I turned around, claimed my free poster, and pretended like I did not just get tongue-tied.

And so there I was - hands up to cover my blushing cheeks, my eyes wide with astonishment – waiting for my two friends to get off the platform. They had their own stories to tell, and we could not help but erupt into a fit of giggles. I swear I was grinning the entire time I walked out of the Annex until the second reached home.

- Glenda dela Peña

You might think that this is another long composition, like I did, of a self-confessed Korean pop fangirl but it's more than that.

PS: My grammar abilities felt mediocre during this post. Heehee.

When in doubt, read.

The books I still have yet to read this summer and most of these were a part of my book collection for almost one year. It's either I always doze off when reading these or I simply get lazy. Just don't ask me why but I'm determined to finish all the books in my mini-library with much comprehension.

Anyway, from left to right are "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffengger, "Rant" by Chuck Palahnuik (this man and his books, I have known through Ate Patti and The Fight Club), "At First Sight" by Nicholas Sparks and "The Winner Stands Alone" by Paulo Coelho.

For the past 3 nights, I've been reading this book: "Summer Lovin'" by Carly Phillips which title matches the summer season quite well. And, nights? Yes, I have this really good cycle going on around me during vacation... morning 'til afternoon, I'm so much of an internet lurker while at night, just before I sleep, I simply just read books!

Whatever, I just wanted to share this with you guys, that's all.

Few photos from a hundred.

The other day was yet another girl bonding time with 5 of my high school friends. A photoshoot, dancing sessions for my friend's debut, Shakey's pizzas and a taste of GSM Blue. It has been an awfully long day of fun and laughter... no doubt.

Finally managed to do a mini hair flip!

Some lamp post I took a shot of when my friend got
her turn during the game we were playing.

Check out this video we made! My friends even had to do impromptu acting during the whole song. Our random choices of songs included "The Climb" and "Shots "at first but then we decided to just have "Flavor of Life" by Utada Hikaru because the first two were so common already.

(c) Jec Canaberal and Frances Lim for the pictures

Cars and the repairs

Cars were never my thing and I wouldn't care more about them. I barely even search the net about the latest ones compared to my friends who are so updated with this topic.

On another note, I'm more interested on how to tinker mechanical objects since one of our cars , a Toyota Camry, is only a second-hand one and usually, my father would take it to the auto repair shop every weekend because it's engine is failing lately. During the first time I ever went there, I was quite fascinated on how these employees of the shop work and one time, when I was a just a kid, I wondered how these things work especially that thing where cars were put and raised in order for the technicians to work on it.

Moving on, this site, RepairPal, which is designed to help car owners understand about their car problems have been, I think, based on my observations on the website, very helpful. And putting endorsements aside, it's very much accessible and to know what I'm talking about: (sorry for the blur! You can visit the site here.)


A wide variety of common cities which has updated contact numbers of various auto repair shops and, of course, the common auto repair problems. When I showed this website to my father when I opened the website the second time around because of Blogvertise, he said, "Okay ah! (This is cool!)" He immediately checked out the "check engine light" which was the most usual car defect we can get these days next to the car doors malfunctioning.

With these repairs that seem to go on every weekend, I advised my father to just buy a new one... perhaps the newest Camry model?

Excuse the fangirl.

(top) The four of us: Glenda, me, Aly and Jamie
(bottom) With me are Aly and Glenda

I never thought a KPop gathering would be so much fun-filled especially if it's a first time.

Last Saturday, my friends and I went to our first ever gathering, one that was organized by the U-Kiss' fan base here in the country, KissMePH. The gathering's purpose, mainly, was to unite all U-Kiss fans all over the country before First Kiss, the very first concert of U-Kiss. KPop fans here are really lucky that they choose the Philippines instead of Korea as the venue of the concert.

The program did not start immediately at 1 PM, the proposed start time, but it was a time for the fans, like my friends and I, to view the booths present there who, at the same time, were selling KPop stuff. There were these big posters of each of the members and fans were just crazy to take pictures of themselves with it.

At around 2PM, the hosts of the event had games and icebreakers. Aly and I joined one of the games which was the infamous "Pinoy Henyo." We were the fourth team to play it and Aly was made to guess "NH Media" (U-Kiss' entertainment company). At first, everybody (we had eyes to see everyone's anxious expressions. Haha!)

Aly: Tao ba 'to?
Frances: Nope (it wasn't just a person but a group of people, I thought)
Aly: Grupo ng mga tao?
Frances: YES! (imagine my face when she asked that! Anticipating to win the game)
Aly: NH Media?
Frances: OO! OO!

She guessed it for 12 seconds! As winners, we got a CD and a button pin.. each. The program went on for more hours. Song and dance contests were part of it.

1 The U-Kiss CD that we won during the "Pinoy Henyo" game. (The pin isn't in the picture.)
2 The U-Kiss shirt that I won from the raffle.
3 Gathering ticket
4 The bookmark with Ki Seop in it (the guy who gave the lootbag was just nice!)
5 The lootbag where the freebies were put.
6 Pin that was included in the lootbag.
7 Some card that was like a "thank you" card which was given to us.

And so, moving to the highlight of that day... we made a shoot for a video that's supposed to be sent to U-Kiss in Korea! How awesome was that? It started with my friend's friend who works in PEP. He asked her to produce some ideas on how the video would go and we're just all game for it that we immediately thought of some concept. So watch out for the video! Teehee. I just don't know if they're gonna post it or something before the concert.

Frankly, though, I didn't feel any confident that day because of that monthly visitor but that video was such an opportunity to have more "exposures" (MEHGANUN?) so screw it! This is for U-Kiss!

Oh, and by the way, if you still don't have tickets yet for the concerts, call Ticketnet now @ 911-5555! I wouldn't post those ticket prices here... what's the website for!

PS: Lookie who got her Super Junior photobook already!

Mothers to the right, elections to the left

These paper cards the kids made (yes, including me) for our mothers.

This year, Mothers' Day seemed like a rest day for all of us except, well, for those who work in malls and those from COMELEC who are organizing the much-awaited 2010 elections.

Our family had a small celebration of Mothers' Day. The irony, though, was, it was the mothers who prepared our delicious food when it should be practically the fathers and the children who should do them. I didn't take pictures of the food (carbonara, chicken, steak and tiramisu! xD) because of the glutton that took over me. (WHUUZZ)

We visited our grandparents' grave. Yes, grave... ok. I'm missing my grandfather a lot since my grandmother was gone a long time ago already. And as for the evening part, we had to go through the traffic that clogged Mall of Asia. During the long ride, I tried to take a picture of that huge globe-figured thing over there and here was the result: (so much for a globe eh?)

I was slightly fascinated by the result, though, since it was a first time.

---------------------------

This shouldn't be a reason for voters to lose patience, though. It's very touching how the people who're already in the voters' line for 2 or more hours now... it just shows that, in one way or another, we (not only those who are capable of voting today) are knowledgeable of what are country is going through and that we want change.

And since I'm so tired of voicing out my political opinions to my parents, here's an election humor @alexderossi (Alessandra de Rossi, a Filipina actress) retweeted from @kbrosas (another Filipina entertainer).

Is it Villar, Noynoy, Gibo or Gordon? My family says Noynoy, I say Gibo.

To the beach, we went!

So, last long weekend our family packed our summer clothes and went to the beach for once! To.. Morong, Bataan! I really love it there: clear waters, white sand and beautiful scenery.

Anyway, I posted some pictures I've taken during the trip. (Gahh, I'm such a frustrated photographer)

Dambana ng Kagitingan

I had too much fun experimenting with the aperture mode of the camera.

My trying-hard bokeh

The crab-like figure my cousins made and played around with at the beach.

The calming beach.
(Note: the two people there are both guys just in case you'll
call them opposite-gendered couple or.. whatever xD)

Hungry for Words

While my father was picking out stuff in the grocery store just hours ago, I couldn't help myself but to think that another school year's coming up and I, still, cannot believe I'm already stepping up to my second year of college.

There's so many reasons why I can't believe that I passed my first year. I barely couldn't even pass my Algebra and Calculus long tests during the first and second semesters, respectively. Thank you, though, to these considerate teachers who have noticed my efforts during boardworks despite failing my test papers. Then there's English wherein I had the strangest teacher ever. Physically, she's normal, very normal but everyone in my class (and in others' too) think she's crazy or some word nicer than that. She gave us three papers to work on during each semester during the year so we had six. We blamed her for everything. Who wouldn't anyway? But when I look back on it, I still think of her as someone crazy, inconsiderate but really, on the brighter side, I think she's just helping us cope up with what college has still to offer us in the coming years.

Moving aside those low-unit subjects (those only had 3 units each), my course was never easy. At first, during that summer before, I thought "chicken lang yan!" Modesty aside, I thought I was so good in any computer work: I was one of the fast typers in my batch when our teachers had some contest about it, I finished my final projects in our Computer subjects in each year level in high school easily and I made good presentations during class. I just loved the computer that much. Those thoughts were put down the drain when I entered the middle part of the year. Information Technology was all about Logic, Math, constant programming practices, help from upper class men and strict-but-very-considerate teachers combined. Of course, there were also my friends who still managed to laugh with me even though we're all having the tough times of our lives.

I was on the verge of shifting courses and schools when I thought of quitting. Throughout the second semester, there's this side of me who couldn't help but "meditate" on my deeds: what have I done wrong, why am I failing and... the most painful question of all, am I really go to turn to someone more stupid as I grow older? But there were also the thoughts of pushing myself harder to my goal at that time which was only to pass my first year in the university. "I CAN'T QUIT!!!" That statement helped me to realize that if I quit, one way or another, I'm going to be a quitter. So, everytime I thought about leaving the school and my course, there's those three words that seemed to always follow.

The months passed and summer came. I couldn't enjoy the first few days of April because I was anxious for the release of my grades. Not to mention that I had a hard time accessing my grades online for two reasons: I haven't passed that paper the registrar's office asked the people who had warnings during the first year for their grades (I got 2.74 during the first semester. Only a 0.5 less from the retention grade for the whole year.) and I wasn't able to pay my library dues before summer. I couldn't sleep during those days, worrying that I might receive the first huge shock of my life when I see my grades. Finally, I got over being lazy in paying those library dues and went to school a day just before Calculus remedial classes started and on my way home after, I was that nervous (the kind that would give someone a heart attack) to see my grades and my parents' reactions.

Fortunately, though, as I've seen my grades, I felt relieved and I immediately computed for my GWA which was the most important other than my parents' reactions. I passed Calculus, having a passing grade, a higher grade in English and a programming major subject and a far GWA from the retention grade.

Now, I'm more than thankful. I made through my first year, my supposed-to-be adjustment period for college and second year is a few months ahead of me. Moreover, I was able to prove to myself that I can't just quit in just a snap. I still have got to try harder! And besides, as our ate's and kuya's from IT would tell us... "Wag kang mag-shift. Phase lang yan. Kaya niyo yan!"