some kind of amazing

The last day of 2016 is best accompanied by a yearend blog entry. I've been writing one since 2013 because I feel like I am formally bidding goodbye to another year through this. 

2016 HIGHLIGHTS

Here are the 10 things I'm truly thankful for for the year that was:

2016 LEARNINGS

Top 8 learnings for 2016:

• It's important to know what you want AND what you don't want... especially when making life-changing decisions.
• Take that leap of courage. It may start rocky at first but THINGS WILL ALWAYS GET BETTER. 
• There are still lots of things to discover, to learn, to love.
• Always believe in His perfect timing. Be patient.
• Make time for things that matter.
• The world is abundant. There is enough for everyone. Compete with yourself and strive to be a better you. 
• Choose to see the good in everything, everyone. Be kind. Always. 
• LOVE EVERYTHING.

(BELATED) MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!! I'm finally back with a South Korea trip blog entry! :) I hope you're all having an amazing holiday season! I want to blog about a lot of things (ehem GOT7 Fanmeeting in Manila ehem) but I should really finish my backlog of travel posts lol.

For previous South Korea trip blog entries, click here.

Continuation of Day 4 (April 16, 2016) | Nanta Show

After the DMZ tour, we boarded our tour bus that would drop us off at City Hall Station.  Around an hour later, we arrived in City Hall Station and from there we took the subway to Myeongdong Station. We decided to rest in our guesthouse first before heading to our schedule for the night, which was to watch the 8PM Nanta Show! Jj reserved our tickets weeks before and we chose the Myeongdong venue because it was more accessible for us. 

It was past 7PM when we braved the cold, rainy night to go to the venue. We did not bring any umbrellas so we got drenched while walking around the busy Myeongdong shopping street. It took us a couple of minutes to realize that we would really be needing an umbrella despite the layers we were wearing because our hair were getting wetter by the second LOL. Thank you for the street stalls that were selling cute transparent umbrellas!! We got the clear transparent one with yellow polkadots... (unnecessary info I know LOL)!



Anyway... located in the UNESCO building, the Nanta Theatre is easy to find. The Nanta Show is a non-verbal comedy show about chefs preparing for a wedding banquet. Aside from how the show has hilarious antics, what makes it more entertaining is how it involves dancing, acrobatics and audience participation. The 2-hour long show is also known for incorporating Korean traditional rhythm, Samulnori, in its presentation. There really was no dull moment during the show even when no dialogues were used!

Can you believe it? It's the last month of the year already! Honestly, I feel like 2016 went by so fast and so slow at the same time. Well... all the changes in my life throughout the year somehow make that feeling sensible. Let's save the details for the year-end blog entry! :)

Anyway, I just want to blog because a lot of things have been clogging my mind! A life update blog entry it is!

• Busiest work week of my life since I started on my new job. Getting into the groove of it, finally. This also explains why I haven't blogged about anything for more than a week now. 
• Yay to 770 likes in just a little over a week! Without inviting people at that! Magic!
• I will be going to GOT7's fanmeeting on the 23rd. Yes, 2 days before Christmas! This is my Christmas gift to myself. I cannot wait until I see my 7 boys again!!!
• B1A4's newest album, GOOD TIMING, is so good! I have it on repeat while I work. My favorite songs in the album are "A lie" (the title song), "Drunk On You", and "Melancholy." Bless your ears and listen to it now. It's available on Spotify!
• Yesterday, I pigged out. Stress eating! I rarely pig out these days because there's hardly any food establishments near my office (near = walking distance near). This is actually a good thing because I get to save and lose weight lol. Yesterday was an exception because I had lunch with my workmates in Pino then went to Grub Hub for dinner. I'll post the photos soon~ I'm too lazy to connect my phone to my laptop hehe.
• 21 days 'til Christmas! I honestly can't feel the Christmas vibes these days but I'm sure I'll be able to feel it soon. It's my most favorite season after all.
• Watch out for s blog revamp and the rest of my Korea trip stories. I have to finish all those before the year ends.
• Take a chance, take charge, take control!
• Smile, you :)

With the impact of Korean pop culture in the Philippines (Hallyu wave~), I am sure a lot of Filipinos have been wanting to learn the Korean language. Watching Korean dramas without subtitles and getting to understand Kpop lyrics without googling its translation sound rather pleasing, right? ;) Since I enrolled in a legit Korean language class last year, I figured I should blog about it so other people can get an overview of how it is like.

WHY DID I ENROL IN A KOREAN LANGUAGE CLASS?

Anyway, have a good Monday night, everybody! Did you see the #supermoon tonight? It looks so bright!! 🌝 Also, wow!! Blogger has emojis now! 

P.S. I was supposed to write a semi-long life update blog entry complete with photos but then I found out that I had barely taken enough photos to actually post. I should really take more photos!! Then again, I love this format so all is well.

Oh, and thank you for reading this! :)

For some people, fangirling/fanboying over something is just a phase -- a phase that you are sure you'll grow out of as the years go by. Becoming a Kpop fangirl last January 2013, I honestly thought it would be just one of those phases. I was experiencing a rough situation that time and any form of distraction was more than welcome. Besides, I have always liked Asian dramas and culture since I was a kid so getting crazy over Korean idols was not really surprising.

The further I immersed myself in the Kpop fandom world, the more I realized that my crazy fangirling was not really a "phase." It has become a part of my lifestyle. I don't just fangirl when I'm bored or when I have to distract myself from the realities of life. Fangirling over Kpop is one of my inspirations to work hard, learn more, and to better myself. Knowing the stories of these Kpop idols -- how they worked hard during their trainee days, what they had to sacrifice in order to debut, and how they are continuously improving themselves, motivates me to "refine" the different aspects of my life.

I have always known that some of my interests are writing, designing websites, and reading books. I dreamt of becoming an author when I was little, had "web designer" as one of my career choices when I was in high school, and a large bookshelf teeming with books I read is testament to bookworm Leana. These interests are also tied to why I have a blog for more than 11 years now (writing + web design + storytelling). 

Along the way, I stopped allotting time for these things. School, then eventually work, occupied my weekdays. When weekends rolled around, I would often feel tired and would "reward" myself by not doing anything. It was a viable scenario at first -- work-filled weekdays and bum weekends. In the long run, however, it led to dissatisfaction and frustration. My life basically revolved around work and recovering from work stress. I was not doing the things I enjoy most because in my perspective, I didn't have enough time. 

Learning more about Kpop idols, I found out that despite their busy schedules, they still manage to compose/write songs, read books, go to school/university (!!!) etc. in their (very little) spare time. That fact made me feel ashamed of myself; if they have time, what's my excuse, really?

Now, it's my goal to read at least 30 books this 2016. I also opened somekindofamazing, my first ever public blog, for me to write more. With regard to making layouts, I actually had a "successful" layout gallery in one Kpop-related website where I made layouts for fellow Kpop fans. I'm claiming it as successful because I had around 4k+ followers and I got featured lol. That was back in 2013, when I just graduated college and didn't have a job yet. My web design goal is slated for next year.

Little by little, one step at a time, I'm going back to the things I love doing and improving my skills related to these!

Living the funemployed life the past months forced me to come to terms with my daily habits. I am a highly self-motivated person, yes, but like every human being, I have my lapses. As an overthinker, I have a tendency to be consumed by my thoughts which often leaves me feeling drained and tired. Because of this "mentally tired/drained" feeling, I would resort to being lazy and unproductive even if I haven't really accomplished anything significant for the day. 

Mindless web browsing is also one of the banes of my productive day. Ok fine, usually because of my fangirling! I can ignore my Facebook or Instagram for weeks (I don't even use Snapchat!) but I always have to check Twitter, YouTube, etc. for my fangirling needs. I'm working on that ok!!

Because of these factors, I figured that I should create a morning routine that would give way to a more productive and mindful day. I try to follow this routine as often as possible because it has been doing wonders in my everyday life.

Making to-do lists is a must for me so I can prioritize the things I need to do. I always make a to-do list the night before then review these tasks in the morning. I usually make 2 major goals (blog, work on something, etc.) then 2 minor goals (clean room, exfoliate, etc.). Numbering these tasks according to its priority enlightens me on what I should do first or if I lack time, what I can put off for another day. 

5.  Listen to music

After doing those "preparatory" steps, it's time to do my goals for the day! Having a morning playlist is an instant mood booster. I prefer calm, soothing music (Jack Johnson, Jason Mraz, John Mayer, Michael Buble type) so my go-to playlists give off that vibe. Since I'm also an avid Kpop fan, I love listening to chill, makes-you-want-to-fall-in-love, giddy Kpop songs when I work on my tasks. That kind of music is always my favorite, no matter what language it is!

After 8tracks has gone dysfunctional in the Philippines, I now rely on YouTube for my Kpop playlist needs. I actually have a 2016 Kpop playlist on YouTube lol! I also have Spotify and I browse through the playlists there if I'm in the mood for some Western music. I currently have a melOn pass because of GOT7's comeback (stream all day, every day) but it will only last for 30 days. It's kind of expensive (PhP 700+ pesos for 30 days) so after my pass expires, I'll go back to YouTube. I only buy a melOn pass when GOT7 has promotions because #GOT7trash lol.

Because I'm more updated on Kpop music than mainstream Western music, below are some of my current favorite tunes:

(yes these are the "chill, makes-you-want-to-fall-in-love, giddy Kpop songs" I was referring to)

John Park - Thought of You (my 24th birthday song because this was playing in K-Town while I was having my birthday lunch!)
GOT7 - Let Me (this isn't a Leana Tiu playlist if GOT7 is not involved lol // not a title track so no official MV but please buy GOT7's latest album!)
JUN K. - Think About You (JYP Nation love!)

I will be making a Kpop playlist soon so I'll just add more songs there!

There are times when I am not able to follow these 5 steps religiously. I still try to do this routine as often as I can, though, because it changes my mindset and it motivates me to do whatever I set myself to do.

Also, since I'll be having a regular work schedule again soon, I actually need to revise this morning ritual. I shall talk about that another time. :)

Thank you, Lord, because You always direct me to where exactly I should be, to what my heart truly desires :)

I read my 2015 yearender blog entry this morning and it still amazes me how I've been continuously receiving the blessings I have been hoping for since the start of 2016. I may not have completely figured out how I got here or where I will go from here but what I do know is everything is happening in my favor, according to my heart's desire, and I am exactly where I am meant to be :)

To letting things be, having faith in the unseen, and choosing kindness, peace and love. ALWAYS.

Here's to everything :) 

Proper blogging real soon, promise! Hello October! Thank you for the beautiful start :)

To live a more intentional and loving everyday life :)

Continue creating and believing, Leana. Don't let yourself succumb to laziness and restlessness!

I'm revisiting my personal quest and I'm planning to modify it because I want to lessen the time I spend on mindless web browsing. Updating my Dayre account every day, as stated by my initial personal quest, would be counter-productive. Let me think about that a little bit longer. Hmm... 

Anyway, I just want to clear my mind off these things so I "blogged." 

Proper blog entry soon! :) I LOVE YOU!

Just a little bit of personal blogging for now. The rest of my South Korea trip is still on the works plus I have Kpop fangirling blog post ideas. I hope you watch out for those!

Life's been pretty uneventful lately... except that I celebrated my 24th birthday last Tuesday and Jinyoung celebrated his birthday last Thursday lol. Yes, Jinyoung and I's birthdays are 2 days... and 2 years apart. He's younger than me by 2 years. I told myself before that my ideal guy's age should be either of the following: same age as mine, 1-4 years older OR just a few months or a year younger (tops!). But since Jinyoung is  2 years younger than me, I adjusted my age range ;) Seriously!! Ok, I'm just your typical fangirl lol.

Fine... let's get on with the photos :))

Our 3rd full day in South Korea started later than usual since 1.) we had no major activities scheduled in the morning and 2.) we wanted to sleep in lol. Two jam-packed days really did our body good and a sound sleep was more than welcome. Jj, being the master planner that he is, allotted this day for our Kpop Pilgrimage (lol) so it was kind of a ~chill~ morning. If my memory serves me right, we woke up at around 9am and after taking a bath and all those necessary preparations, we were able to leave the guest house at 10:30AM.

I also have to say that I was beyond excited for this day's plans because finally, I would be living one of my fangirl dreams! Traveling to South Korea is one of those (breathing the same air with the Kpop idols hello!) but actually seeing the entertainment agencies where my biases usually are is another thing!! For your reference (lol), I am a JYP stan, Jodie is an SM stan, and Kwik is a YG stan. Perfect! 

{Back to regular programming}

For brunch, we ate in the McDonald's branch near Myeongdong subway station. It's my goal to eat in the McDonald's of every country I visit so I can try their local menu.


Right after brunch, we rode the subway to Cheongdam Station then from Cheongdam Station, we walked to the JYP Entertainment building. This blog served as our guide.

안녕하세요! Hello! How are you? Kumusta?

As a fan of Korean culture, I guess it just follows that my routine is based on well, the Korean skincare routine. It was early 2014 when I decided to delve into skincare, all thanks to the flawless (seemingly poreless!) skin of all these Kpop idols and Korean actors/actresses I've been exposing myself to. 

Before switching to a more rigorous routine, I only know 3 skincare steps: 1.) wash face with facial wash (that was my term for it lol) 2.) use toner (alcohol-based) to further clean my face 3.) moisturize. That was it! My family never had acne-prone skin so I was not really conscious with whatever I put on my face. I still had the occasional PMS zit breakouts and I got blackheads on my nose, though. Anyway, since I started using Korean skincare products, I noticed that my face got smoother and brighter. My pores were also less noticeable and the overall skin tone of my face evened out. I also received compliments from people with regard to how good and healthy my skin looks so I believe that counts as proof that my routine works (for my skin).

A note, though. It literally took me months to collect the products I'm currently using, more so follow a routine religiously. Also, I don't always use all these products, which means that I try new ones if I get the chance. My skin type is combination-oily. More oil accumulates on my T-zone (nose, forehead, area around the mouth, chin) but I noticed that my whole face produces more oil when the weather is humid. I also target making my pores smaller. Knowing your skin type and what areas for improvement you would like to target is a must before formulating your routine and buying products!

DAILY SKINCARE STEPS:

Here goes the Miyajima Island leg of my trip, which deserves its own blog post. This might be lengthy. I hope you enjoy!

CONTINUATION OF DAY 3 (March 11, 2016) | Miyajima Island + Mikuniya Guest House

Before I start telling stories about our Hiroshima City and Miyajima Island adventure, I would just like to mention that THIS IS THE HIGHLIGHT OF OUR WHOLE TRIP. These historical and cultural places were the reason why we bought the JR passes, why we woke up at such ungodly hours and why we basically just travelled for a total of ~10 hours to and from Tokyo to reach these destinations. DEFINITELY WORTH IT, THOUGH. Without a doubt. 

Alright.

DAY 3 (March 11, 2016) | Hiroshima City

Our 3rd day in Japan started by waking up at 3am (!!! yes, 2am in the Philippines!) and leaving the hotel before 5am to catch the 5:06am train to Higashi-Kanagawa Station. From Higashi-Kanagawa Station, we took a 9min train ride to Shin Yokohama Station and from there, we rode the Hikari 493 Shinkansen to Hiroshima Station. The Shinkansen ride lasted for around 4 hours so that meant ~sleep time~ for us. It was also a good thing that we reserved seats beforehand, thus, getting seats beside each other and ultimately, being able to sleep freely and with #noshame. Yes, that was supposed to be a run-on sentence.

I used Hyperdia to "review" the actual route we took on our way to Hiroshima Station. There was no way I would have remembered those details. Besides, Hyperdia is awesome. It saved our butts from getting lost when we were in Japan.

Nica and I's sleep deprived faces! I didn't even bother fixing my shawl-turned-weirdishlylongscarf! Also, look at the station sign behind us. We rode that 5:06 train ride and we were already in the station at around 4:50AM. Early birds! 

A little over 12 hours in Japan and we found ourselves awake at 6:00AM to go to our next destination: Gala Yuzawa Snow Resort!

This was a must-visit place for us because 1.) it does not snow in the Philippines and we wanted to see and experience snow and 2.) it was just a 75-min bullet train ride from Tokyo Station! Making the most of the winter season in Japan AND making the most of our JR passes... how timely and convenient!

We reserved our 8AM Shinkansen seats to Gala Yuzawa Station the night before (when we arrived in Tokyo Station). We got to the station a few minutes before the arrival of the bullet train so we had the chance to grab some convenience store snacks for our breakfast "meal".

Off to Gala Yuzawa Station via the Max Tanigawa Shinkansen~

Our train just arrived! We just had to take a photo before boarding it, and with it as the background because...

I love documenting my travel stories. Not only do these keep me motivated to save up for my next trip, my stories also remind me of all the amazing things that have continuously been happening in my life. 

That is why even though it has been more than 2 months since my Japan trip, I will still blog about what happened. For the record, I have been blogging about Japan since weeks ago so that is 2 consecutive posts of ~actual blogging~. Small progress is progress! I apologize for the delay still. 

DAY 1 (March 9, 2016) | Sotetsu Fresa Inn Kyobashi and Shibuya

We arrived in Narita International Airport at around 2:45pm, Japan time. First plan of action after immigration and baggage claim was to get our 7-day Japan rail pass. We then proceeded to the Narita Express train which would be our ride to Tokyo Station.


The duration of the ride from the Narita International Airport to Tokyo Station using the Narita Express was around an hour. When we reached Tokyo Station, we looked for the exit nearest Sotetsu Fresa Inn - Kyobashi, our hotel for our first 2 nights in Japan. We got lost while we were looking for the exit because Tokyo station is one big place. It also did not help that Tokyo Station is one of the busiest railway stations in Japan and the continuous influx of people was more than a wee bit overwhelming.

Of course, the most logical thing to do when one is lost is either to find a map or ask around. We decided to go with the latter and asking a local did lead us to the exit of Tokyo Station. (Can I reiterate how kind the Japanese are!!) When we got out of the station, man, it was freezing! We only had 2 layers of clothing on and some scarf to shield us from the wind and rain. We found out later on that it was 6 degrees Celsius that time but the RealFeel weather is at -4 degrees Celsius! Good thing there was an underground mall near Tokyo Station so we passed through that. We also had a heater appreciation moment because hey! heaters aren't really things you value in tropical Philippines (lol).

Last March 9 - 15, 2016, I went to the Land of the Rising Sun! It was my first time to go to Japan and I’ve been anticipating for this trip since the start of the year. As a fan of East Asian/Southeast Asian culture, Japan was definitely one of the must-go to places in my list! 

It was still winter in Japan when I went there and since I’m from a tropical country (what’s up Philippines!), I needed to prepare the clothes I’d be wearing for my 7-day trip. Spring was approaching and we would not experience the worst of the winter season BUT I’ve always had low tolerance for coldness (literally and figuratively LOL) so I had to pack lots of thermals, sweaters, and coats. Better be safe than sorry! 

{not the actual weather during my stay there, i took this screenshot just now lol}

I added Tokyo, Niigata, Hiroshima and Itsukushima in my weather app places because these were the places I was planning to go to. My excitement made me check the weather of these places almost every day! I managed to predict what the weather would be like during our stay there because of this. The temperature actually got colder during my stay because of the wind and rain as compared to the days before my trip. I wouldn’t have known there would be chances of rain/snow showers if I didn’t religiously check the weather. 

2.) Prepare my OOTDs for the rest of the trip and write these down on my notebook. 

Cold weather = more clothes = heavier luggage! Bringing a heavy luggage would not be a problem if you have a big baggage allowance. My baggage allowance was more than enough but I would use public transportation (Narita express train!) from the airport to the hotel. The hotel I would stay in was a 5-8 min. walk from Tokyo station so lugging heavy baggages was not an appealing idea… AT ALL. I also always tend to overpack so I HAD TO DO THIS. Doing this was genius because there was never a day where in I got anxious over what I would wear when I was in Japan. It also lessened the anxiety of thinking I forgot something to pack because the notebook served as my guide/checklist. Awesome possum! 

In the end, I brought a medium-size luggage and a cabin-size luggage. Inside the cabin-size luggage was a backpack I would use for the Miyajima Island overnight leg of my trip. I had also planned to store my Japan goodies/shopping haul in my cabin-size luggage and backpack because based on my friends’ advice, you would not resist shopping in Japan! (Please take this advice seriously. I seriously filled my cabin-size luggage and backpack to the brim with Japan stuff to bring back home.) 

Also, if you’re curious, my everyday OOTD consisted of a thermal/heattech sweater, thermal leggings, sweater, coat, pants/leggings, scarf, beanie and rubber shoes/boots! 

3.) Purchase a Japan Rail pass (if necessary) 

If you’re planning to venture out of Tokyo, getting a JR pass is very cost effective. I availed of this because I was going to Hiroshima, which was a 5hr ride away from Tokyo (a combination of bullet train and subway/local train rides). Since going to Hiroshima would involve a couple of bullet train rides, getting the Japan-wide JR pass was worth it. If you are not going out of Tokyo or would just stay in areas such as Osaka and Kyoto, the JR pass is not recommended and would come off as expensive. 

You can read several blogs on whether or not you’ll be needing a JR pass. Here’s a link to one of the blogs I read before! 

P.S. The JR Pass is for tourists and is NOT available in Japan. You need to purchase it before leaving for Japan! 

4.) Prepare necessary documents 

Passport (valid for at least 6 months before departure)? Check! 

Japan visa? Check! 

I also photocopied my passport bio page and Japan visa and placed it on different locations (one in my handbag, one in my luggage) for security purposes. 

5.) Research on the must-buys in Japan 

I did this so as not to buy unnecessary things. Some of the must-buy things in Japan (because of the affordable price or because you wouldn’t easily find these anywhere) are rubber shoes (Asics, Onitsuka), cosmetics and skin care products (!!!), kawaii clothes, gadgets, G-Shock watches and chocolates (!! matcha-flavored and ROYCE!!). 

Now that those are settled, it’s time to go to Japan! I hope this blog post somehow helped you prepare for your trip. Actual Japan trip posts to follow! 

 I MISS JAPAN!