Bringing you back in the old times, Ilocos will surely leave you breathless with its sundry topography. It has that equal balance of fun, culture, and discovery. You have great places to see and explore throughout our stay! I got the chance to spend my weekend in Ilocos and its surely a time well spent! Everything was happening so fast that it was difficult to wrap my head around the whole experience. Nevertheless, it’s always a fun experience! Here’s a rundown of what happened during our 72-hour stay in Ilocos.
We took a van to Ilocos and spent almost 8 hours sitting, eating and sleeping. Finally! Touchdown Ilocos! We arrived at our destination with an unpleasant weather around 7:45 am. We had a little mishap─water rises and heavy rainfall. Still, that doen’st stop us from eating! The first order of business─breakfast! then headed off to Paoay San Dunes.
It was remarkably fun yet tiring when you experience KTV and sand boarding. After that, we headed to our hotel. Their we had peace and fun while the night goes by.
Around 7 am, we were lucky that the weather was quite peaceful at that time─we immediately went to our itinerary: Windmill, rock formation, Paoay church, zoo, and Vigan.
First stop: Have a look at the most famous Bangui windmills of Ilocos Norte. These windmills generate 40% of electricity and power for the entire Ilocos Norte, and it’s environment friendly!
Moving forth, It was really hot while walking for 30 minutes or more but the view of the Kapurpurawan rock formation was astonishing! (the sunburn was worth it).
After a day of exploring, we headed back to Paoay church and Sinking Bell Tower to freshen up and have lunch. The church was quite grandiose as if it wasn’t flooded yesterday.
Our last stop was the famous Vigan. The vibrant city is the capital of Ilocos Sur and one of the few surviving old historic cities in the Philippines. The nostalgic city bursting with kalesa and ancestral house inspired by Mexican, Spanish and Chinese architecture.
The streets were really lively! It was like you’re back from the Spanish Era. Even the restaurants and shops fit the vibe. Everywhere you look, you could see all kinds of things. Crowded people, historic buildings, and foods all filled the streets of Vigan.
As the night goes by, it was filled with people. We only had an hour to explore yet it was nice to see and experience new things! Our trip was quite unexpected filled with mishaps and adventures but that’s what traveling is! I can’t wait for my next trip to Ilocos!
Last March 3 was a day dedicated to KPOP fans as we stepped into Kpop Convention X at the SMX Convention Center, SM AURA in Taguig. It was extra exciting for me because it was my first time attending this kind of convention. I just love the vibe of this venue. From fan club booths, amazing lineup of talented artists, fanboys/girls, and KPOP music.
We arrived at around 9 in the morning. It was a pleasant day and everyone came prepared with their lightsticks and KPOP merch. The queue was quite long and had to wait for several minutes to enter the hall. The venue was filled with fans going to each booth, buying albums and merch and also to have a good time with fellow fans.
I, with my friend Vange, headed to the fan club booths. Each booth was unique and had different mini-games and activities for fans.
KPOPCON kicked off the con with various KPOP dance cover groups. Spectacular performances of BIGBANGS’s 2NE1’s hit songs “Fire,” “Can’t Nobody,” and “I Am The Best” and PHP’s BIGBANG’s hit songs “BANG BANG BANG” and “Fantastic Baby” that kept everyone up on their feet! Definitely the highlight of the con for me!
Dasuri Choi also performed at the con with Swalla that hyped and delighted everyone!
The event had many activities and contests for fans such as KPOP Singing Star and Dance Battle where fans showcased their incredible talents. Another segment is the KPOP-Look-Alike Contest where fans that resembles their idols gather.
Ending the KPOPCON X was the Kolors of Unity, a special PKCI segment where everyone raised and waving their lightsticks showed the colors and unity of every fandom at that time.
And that’s it for this year! I love everything about KPOPCON X. It was such a wonderful and meaningful event to remember.
Last November 11, I had one of the best moments of my lifetime—I got to attend one of the most wild concerts in Philippines. One of this is “iKON Continue Tour Live in Manila.” I kept telling my friends how much I had fun and how I missed the concert. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined to meet them in person too soon.
I was able to get a ticket despite having a slow internet connection. When I found out that I got the confirmation email, I almost threw my phone and tried to re-read the email a couple of times. Pinch me, I will see them perform live!
A few days before the event, I prepared a series of portraits from Killing Me Era. You can check my work HERE.
Come concert day, I, together with my new friends Noreen and Shiela, were all crazy excited about the concert (even though we’ve just met for the first time), I was really thankful that I had company throughout the day!
We spent almost the whole day strolling to find merch and freebies, iKON music being played all around the place—it still hasn’t sunk in that I was gonna attend the concert. My friends agreed to eat before entering the concert venue. As we walked, A number of black vans appeared, one of the vans window opened and fans saw iKON. Unfortunately, we are on the other side of the road. What a bummer.
At around 5 pm, we parted ways as we are not on the same seat section. the lines for different seats were quite long already, I was in Standing F with sequence number 58. We had to wait an hour for us to enter the concert venue. As we enter the premises, we hurried to our designated area and find a spot closest to the extension stage. By that time, I was in the middle of the pit, 7-8 rows away from the stage. It was cold inside and you can freely move your body. Several minutes later, it started to fill the concert venue. The standing pit was getting crowded, less spaced, and people started to push back and forth. We, at the middle, are getting pushed from left and right and it was really hell.
As the arena lights began to dim, the whole arena was a sea of red color. iKONICs in red shirts waved their Konbats (iKON’s official lightsticks).
iKON kicked of the concert with a bang! They started the show with “Bling Bling”, “Sinosijak” to “Rhythm Ta.” Those songs never fail to hype me, same goes with the crowd. Despite the push and pull happening at the standing pit, I enjoyed singing and jumping to the beat! It was really happening!
Then comes the introduction of the members. iKON greeted the crowd with their line “Get ready? Showtime!” A short ment proceeded, while iKON was taking a break, people kept pushing back and forth. Bobby saw the crowd and told to take steps back and avoid pushing, that was the time I got some space to breathe. All thanks to Bobby; Safety comes first! After the push and pull situation, I didn’t even realized I was near the extension stage. I was 3-4 rows away from it! Seeing them so close-up. I cannot express it in words. On the other hand, Jinhwan greeted the fans with “Mabuhay!” while waving to the fans. He even reminisced about how he lived in the country (in Davao specifically) for a while when he was in high school.
Then they performed with good summer vibe songs “Cocktail” and “Only You.”
After the performance, B.I and Bobby had a ment and competition together with the audience. Dividing the crowd into Team A and B (I was in Team B! Go Hanbin!), testing which side can sing “Love Scenario” the loudest. They couldn’t decide which one is the loudest but ended up playing jawi-bawi-bo (rock-paper-scissors) to determine the winner. BI wins and Bobby took the penalty by shouting “Saranghae” I love you without mic. Bobby really shouted with all his might that echoed across the concert venue.
Then comes “Perfect” serenading us with fine vocals of the members. Following with solo stages. First was Bobby, with “Tendae” from his album Love and Fall. I really loved that song and upon hearing it live, it was superb! Then B.I, with “One and Only.” Joining the rest of the members for “Anthem.” iKON is really coming to town!
Now one of the highlights of the show! Inspired by iKON’s performance on A Battle of One Voice: 300, thanks to the collaborative effort of different iKON fanbases, iKONICs raised their yellow fabrics while jumping and singing their hearts out to “B-DAY.” It was the wildest song that night. A sea of red and yellow poured the concert venue. The unity of iKON and iKONICs are truly remarkable! I was like in a rock concert.
As the night goes on, they performed R&B songs “My Type” and “Rubber Band.” A chill music after a hype song that eases the crowd.
During the ment, the members shared what they have done this year. Bobby said they improved a lot this year, proof of their 3 comebacks in a year, while Jinhwan said worked hard on his vocals. Yunhyeong said he worked on his face telling the fans in Tagalog words “Pinaghihirapan ko ang pagkagwapo ko.” Laughing afterwards. While Junhoe and Chanwoo, said they improved on their physique.
As they prepare for “Best Friend” stage, they picked who their best friend was. Jinhwan chose Bobby but Bobby already had Junhoe in mind. Donghyuk picked Yunhyeong while Chanwoo picked B.I. Bobby forgot Chanwoo’s name for a second! I was laughing when I heard that!
I got a close-up view of Bobby and Junhoe dancing. I can see how they’re enjoying themselves on stage. Then comes Jinhwan, who was left without a partner in a unicorn onesie, running and dancing happily around the stage.
iKON also performed the songs “Everything”, super mega ultra-hit song “Love Scenario”, and their latest release “Goodbye Road.” I still cannot believe I saw the performance live! I really like Goodbye Road’s fine choreography the most!
Anyone who attended cannot forget Yunhyeong’s strong impression! “Manila, sigaw!” filled the arena with cheers and screams that made the members surprised and awe.
One of my most favorite song performed was “Killing Me.” The song and choreography are on point! You can really the dark sexy concept. Last but not the least, “Freedom” was the perfect way to end it! It has a pop-punk feel with that line “You don’t understand!” Jumping till my legs hurt! As what Bobby said “All we need is Freedom!”
Preparing for encore stage, iKONICS prepared “Project Iridescence” that filled the concert venue with colorful lights forming a rainbow using phone flashlights while singing “Don’t Forget.” I didn’t get a photo or video of it because I was mesmerized how beautiful the arena was! It was precious to see how the members reaction. I almost cried to how beautiful the show was, iKON and iKONICs singing “Just For You” and “Don’t Let Me Know” surrounding the concert venue with the colorful lights.
Their ending ment was full of ‘thank yous’, how they really felt so extremely happy to see PH-iKONICs after a long time. Ending the show, iKON performed “Love Scenario,” “Dumb and Dumber” and lastly “B-DAY” to the encore stage. B.I even got a cloth and waved it while performing. The members all splashed waters to the crowd. I was blessed by Yunhyeong, Junhoe and Chanwoo. The hype of the members until the last performance while fans jumping and screaming was truly commendable. It was truly fascinating to become a part of it!
I saw how they really cared for their fans like Bobby telling the fans to step back and avoid pushing each other, Hanbin kept checking each fans face as if he is memorizing all of them, Yunhyeong and Jinhwan trying their best to say Tagalog words and all their fan services! Overall iKON has strong stage presence that can really hype the crowd and leaving them breathless as they leave the concert venue with post-concert goosebumps.
It was a surreal experience to me; being a part of the red ocean. This was my first K-pop concert but the experience was beyond my expectation. The bar for my concert experience has been set too high. That’s iKON for you!
Before Sam Baron broke Odin’s curse on the witches to become the first son born to a witch and the hero of the Legends of Orkney series, his mother was a young witchling growing up in the Tarkana Witch Academy. In this first book of the prequel series, the Witches of Orkney, nine-year-old Abigail Tarkana is determined to grow up to be the greatest witch of all, even greater than her evil ancestor Catriona. Unfortunately, she is about to fail Spectacular Spells class because her witch magic hasn’t come in yet. Even worse, her nemesis, Endera, is making life miserable by trying to get her kicked out.
When her new friend Hugo’s life is put in danger by a stampeding sneevil, a desperate Abigail manages to call up her magic—only to find out it’s unlike any other witchling’s at the Tarkana Witch Academy! Witchfire is meant to be green, but Abigail’s burns bright blue, something that’s bound to get her into trouble. After a competition is announced to see who can bespell the most powerful creature, Abigail enters the swamps, only to be snatched up by an Omera, a powerful winged beast capable of tearing Abigail to pieces. This one is a mother with a stubborn hatchling that won’t hatch—and if Abigail can’t find a way to help, Big Mama may just decide to eat her! Fortunately, Hugo arrives in time to help Abigail discover the truth about her magic: it was given by her father, Rigel, the morning star. Rigel was once a mighty warrior named Aurvendil and companion to the mighty Thor.
Rich in Norse mythology, The Blue Witch is the first of a fast-paced middle-grade series in which Abigail and Hugo must also travel to the Netherworld, along with a glitch-witch named Calla, to rescue her nemesis and save herself from being kicked out of the coven.
I received this book as an advanced reader’s copy and I thanked Mrs. Alane Adams for giving me one! I really enjoyed her works and instantly fell in love with Norse Mythology ever since the Legends of Orkney series, when I was working for my thesis. You can check my work featuring my thesis “An Animated Series Adaptation of Legends of Orkney: The Red Sun” HERE.
I love this book showing a new side from the Legends of Orkney universe. I’m really curious about the life of the witches back when I was reading The Red Sun, especially the characters’ Abigail and Endera Tarkana.
The Blue Witch is another tale of adventure and magic based on Norse Mythology. A prequel to Adam’s series,”The Legends of Orkney”, that focuses on the story of a 9-year-old young witch, Abigail, in the Tarkana Academy. It got a wonderful mix of adventure, friendship, and witchcraft!
Abigail Tarkana was a really cool Heroine archetype—she’s clever, unique and brave. I loved getting to know her life inside the academy, from the various classes and students to the magical creatures (its like Harry Potter), and as well as how she learned about the truth behind her origin and magic.
The other characters are full of personalities! The bully Endera (the most horrible witching in the Tarkana coven) along with her two cronies’ Glorian and Nelly. The curious and supportive Hugo (a balfin boy who becomes her first true friend), and Calla (a glitch-witch whose power never manifested). The teachers and creatures also gave a wonderful color, which gives humor and tense to the story.
The plot is a rollercoaster ride—full of ups and downs, it’s full of interesting events that leaves the reader tense but super excited to keep turning the pages, from Abigail’s classes to the adventures of Abigail, Hugo and Calla into the netherworlds. I loved how the book incorporated the myth tale of Rigel, a bright blue star that comes to earth in the shape of man—a interesting connection to the Norse Mythology.
The Blue Witch, rich in Norse Mythology, is full of magical tale and adventure filled with interesting characters, magical spells and mysterious creatures. It follows Abigail in growing up and becoming a blue witch. I cannot wait for the next series of this book!
After meeting a strange dwarf in his garage and finding out his substitute English teacher is a witch, twelve-year-old Sam Baron travels through a stonefire to the magical realm of Orkney where he finally learns the truth about his past: his mother is a witch and his father is a descendant of the Norse god, Odin.
“The Red Sun” is the first book in The Legends of Orkney, the spellbinding series of adventure fantasy novels by Alane Adams. It follows Sam to the realm of Orkney where witches, wraiths, and other menacing creatures cause serious peril to the unsuspecting Sam. Now, it’s up to him to save his friends and all of Orkney from a cursed red sun. Can a young witch girl named Mavery help him?
Drawing on Norse mythology, this fantastical story will enthrall middle grade and tween readers with a taste for adventure. As Sam grapples with dark and dangerous elements from his past and confronts his own simmering anger over long ago events, “The Red Sun” sears with wild imagination and breathtaking moments. Follow “The Red Sun” for the high-flying magical ride of your life.
I happen to stumble across this book when researching a topic for my thesis. At first, I was mesmerize by the cover (kudos to the cover artist) and the fact that it was a fantasy adventure based from Norse mythology which is quite rare compared to Roman or Greek mythology—It was a love a first sight.
This book is a tale of magic, adventure and friendship based on Norse mythology and Umatilla tradition. If you like the works of Rick Riordan and J. K. Rowling then you will definitely love this fast-paced coming-of-age book. The Red Sun is a bit dark where the struggle between good and evil and finding one’s true self. I was so immersed with the novel that it keeps me reading and reading until I reached the end because the book is very intriguing in every chapter.
The character Sam Baron is quite interesting. A son of a witch and a son of Odin. He had to faced serious decisions and learn from his mistake and grow throughout the series. My favorite character would probably Mavery! A carefree and fearless young witch who accompanies Sam through his adventure.
The plot is interesting—the turning point and cliff hanging chapters keeps me from reading until the end. Every part makes sense. I hope the second book will have parts with sorrow scenarios that will melt my heart and love the characters more!
The author gave a cast of interesting characters. I would love to see them developed as individual characters in a bit more details as they help or the protagonist throughout their journey in the realms of Orkney. The Red Sun is packed with full of humor to Norse mythology along with its action packed and captivating adventure. A must read book!
Also Don’t miss the 2nd novel of the series,“The Kalifus Rising (The Legends of Orkney #2)“.
Last September, we decided to head to La Union for a little sight-seeing and a reunion with some friends to celebrate their birthdays. La Union is famous for the beach town of San Juan, the surfing capital on this side of North Luzon. This province is a great place to travel for non-surfers and surfers alike. There are also many interesting places worth visiting apart from its famous surf! Here’s a rundown of how our trip went!
We decided to meet after class and eat before travelling. After a 4 hours travel by bus, we walked to the hotel as early as 5am. Upon arriving in La Union, I was impressed by how clean and well-maintained the places are.
We booked two nights in the Flotsam & Jetsam Artist Beach Hostel (thank you Gyanna) to finally get a decent sleep. My friends and I were so happy because everything is hippie and has a free-spirited vibe. The bamboo walls, outdoor mats and bean bags, witty signs, and a balcony where you can see the beach—we couldn’t stop taking photos!
First thing, we were all starving so we hurried to a local store in San Juan. The food tastes really good especially the longganisa and bagnet.
We weren’t solved with breakfast, so we went to Olas Banditos, a local Mexican restaurant, for some delicious burritos and fries! Make sure you try their burritos as well! Too good. After the feast, we made our way to the beach! The coastline is blessed with glorious sunset views. With its cool breeze and white sand makes it a fun and chill way to cap off the day.
At night, people at Flotsam and Jetsam hang in the yard to drink and have a good time through good music and social interaction. We killed some time at the yard and watch the night disappear.
Day 2 in La Union. We started the day a bit late so we headed to the beach. My friends tried surfing. The local residents are so helpful and friendly—they assisted my friends in learning how to surf and make the experience worthwhile! I enjoy sitting on the beach, where all the stress slowly drifted away as I was consumed by the natural beauty of the beach.
At around 4-5 in the afternoon, we headed to Gyanna’s house. The place was huge like a resort! From a baskteball court to a nipa hut, it was truly a paradise. After the tour, we had a dinner with her family and spent the night out.
Last day in La Union, we moved to the famous El Union Coffee but unfortunately it was full of people. So we just had lunch at a Japanese restaurant (I forgot the name) but I remembered their salmon! It was really good.
Every great trip must come to an end—but it doesn’t have to stop there. Our days in the beach were spent chilling in our rooms, swimming, and of course eating. Trust me, we didn’t want to leave. A great way to detached yourself to the busy world. Thank you guys for this amazing trip!
Photos by me | Taken using my iPhone 5S | Edited using Lightroom and VSCO
Ahhh, Junior Year. It’s been 3 years already being a college student. It’s a great time to look back at what went well and didn’t in the past 2 semesters. My Junior Year was filled with ups and downs, happy moments and disappointments, and of course a lot of sleepless nights and work. I got to meet so many talented people and made new friends (thanks to electives), work with a lot of new tools and softwares, initiate to lead people, attended different events and seminars, work in a company and see how life works outside the campus. Looking back, it has been a heck of an awesome year.
Here’s a little recap of how my junior year went:
Choosing what elective – Photography, VMA, Fashion, Game Development etc. These are some electives you can choose from. I’m glad I was able to get my chosen electives and learned a lot (Thanks to my professor Sir Norman!). For 2 semester, you are required to choose one elective you want and I suggest pick what you really want and should help you in doing your chosen thesis for next year.
First semester: Photography, Packaging, Exhibition Design, Visual Merchandising Arts, and Web Design.
Second semester: Advertising Simulation, Photography, Fashion, Events, and Game Development.
Met talented people – I am grateful to meet creative and talented people from my batch. seeing my block mates excel from different fields opened new insights, perspective and opinions that helped me as an artist and student.
New school year, new software to learn – This year, I enjoyed learning to use various adobe creative suite like Dreamweaver and Muse from web design class. Animate, Indesign, Premiere Pro, and After Effects from my game development and production electronics media class.
Events, seminar, musical, concert, you name it! – Though my schedule is busy and the events might not always sound super appealing, attending various events might help inspire you and learn new stuff outside the classroom. It can re-energize you from your daily routine of academics.
Cutting? Cutting. – During junior year, a lot of work load will come and sometimes you cannot manage your time. I remember when too much work led me to skip class or orientation just to finish that certain plate/s.
Life of an Intern – We also held our On-the-job training where I tried to work for 2 companies but later transfer due to clashing of schedule. A Japanese and a Western animation studio. It gave me a different perspectives when it comes to animation and the industry.
OJT hunting was fun! going to various places just to walk-in or even get an interview, waiting for an email response every hour, overjoyed expression when a company responded from your emails, Weekly consultation with your adviser then heading to your company. These are some moments I could remember but it taught me a lot of experience and environment on the animation industry.
A few more days and senior year will start, how time passes quickly. Cheers to meeting more amazing people, making new friends, trying out new things and mistakes (and learning from them), sleepless days and nights and making the most out of my thesis year.
It’s going to be a rollercoaster ride.
Photos by Kara Cabarle, Jae Valencia, Gyanna Yumping, UST COMACH – CFAD Unit and me
How do you punish an immortal? By making him human. After angering his father Zeus, the god Apollo is cast down from Olympus. Weak and disoriented, he lands in New York City as a regular teenage boy. Now, without his godly powers, the four-thousand-year-old deity must learn to survive in the modern world until he can somehow find a way to regain Zeus’s favor. But Apollo has many enemies—gods, monsters, and mortals who would love to see the former Olympian permanently destroyed. Apollo needs help, and he can think of only one place to go . . . an enclave of modern demigods known as Camp Half-Blood.
While I was having my On-the-job-training, I read another Percy Jackson Series. I really enjoyed books by Rick Riordan about mythology infuse with modern times.
This book is another tale of adventure, friendship and love based on Greek mythology, that focuses on one of the Gods of Olympus. The character Apollo seemed cool, funny and vain (you know the God of sun). I was also impressed on how Rick Riordan features diverse sexuality, how Apollo remembers that he loved Daphne and Hyacinthus, Nico and Will etc.
I like how the character development of Apollo over the course of the story from meeting Meg, a demigod who will help apollo (self-centered God turned mortal) to seeing his children (a very sympathetic friend and father).
The author gave life to characters with unique personalities while adjusting to the modern era is really fascinating. Trials of Apollo is a fast-paced, action-packed and full of humor that will surely interest any young readers! I cannot wait to get my hands on the second book!
Also Don’t miss the 2nd novel of the series,“The Dark Prophecy (The Trials of Apollo #2)“.
Beside the bars of España Gate lies the olden “Beato Angelico Building”, known for its famous name, College of Fine Arts and Design or CFAD. It currently sits near the España Boulevard and along the delicious and affordable food that lines the perimeter outside the campus. The college does not only occupy the whole establishment, yet rather, another art (and science) course, College of Architecture, partakes half of the structure. And because of this, both of the art courses has certainly formed a friendly bond among its students for untold ages.
The College was once from the College of Architecture and Fine Arts (CAFA) founded in 1946, which in turn descended from the College of Architecture in 1930 and the College of Fine Arts and Design in 2000.
In 1785, the Dominicans made the first attempt to invest in art and painting with academic value and formal presence. They re-established their fine arts school with the primary goal of meeting the ever-present and increasing demand for good Catholic artists in 1935. Thus became one of the Estudios de Adorno that existed in the University of Santo Tomas, Ateneo de Manila, and Colegio de San Juan de Letran. From 1935 to 1939, students may choose from the first two areas specialization, Interior Design and Public School Arts.
Timeline of UST College of Fine Arts and Design:
1935. Opening of the Fine Arts Department.
1936. Produced the first three (3) graduates in Fine Arts (BFA).
1946. Opening of the School of Architecture and Fine Arts (two departments combined into a school, separate from the Faculty of Engineering).
1952. Opening of the Department of Painting and Sculpture (under Prof. Francisco Monti).
1954. Interior Design offered for the first time.
1958. Produced first graduates in BFA major in Interior Design and Advertising Arts.
1974. A two-year certificate course in Commercial Arts and in Furniture Design and Construction Supervision were also offered.
1973. College of Architecture and Fine Arts Batch 1973.
1978. Industrial Design was added to these programs.
2000. Separation of the College into two-the College of Architecture (CA) and the College of Fine Arts and Design (CFAD).
2003. Transfer of the two Colleges to the Beato Angelico Building.
The Hidden Oracle (Trials of Apollo #1) by Rick Riordan
Marvin Camara 