Getting into Yokohama’s Pikachu madness


YOKOHAMA, JAPAN—Tokyo is a quiet city.

 Besides the sounds of trains on railway tracks, the pedestrians stomping on street crossings, employees shouting their oishi menu promos, and even the noise of crickets at night, the city of 13 million people generally lives in serene silence.

But that silence can easily be broken by seven syllables, said by a familiar voice that goes: “Pika-Pika-Pikachuuu!”

 You’ve probably seen viral Facebook videos of Pikachu mascots in droves dressed in different costumes. In their yellow tubby form, with an ever-smiling face and thunder-shaped tail, we see them walking in sync, waving hello and dancing—making them cuter than they already are.

Outside of your screens, these Pikachus can be seen in the city of Yokohama every day of the week starting Wednesday, Aug. 9. The Pikachu shows run until Aug. 15 this year.

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Confessions of a K-drama stan


One last episode, I swear.

This is possibly the most common lie K-drama fans tell themselves; and before we even realize it, we’ve finished one whole series in a single night.

If we could only list binge-watching a drama as a skill on our resumés, we would have done so—a long time ago.

Filipino K-drama “stans” (obsessive fans) all have that one show that made them ride the Hallyu—Korean Wave—along with the rest of the world. In the early 2000s, our local TV networks would dub high-rating East Asian dramas in Tagalog and these easily became part of our daily afternoon and primetime routines.

A bulk of them came from Korea. Who could forget about “Full House,” “Coffee Prince,” “Lovers in Paris,” “Princess Hours,” “Playful Kiss,” “Boys Over Flowers” and how much kilig these made us feel?

These were the shows we looked forward to in the latter part of our days—and are also the topic of our conversations come the next morning.
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Cookies that match your Butterbeer


Accio, cookies!

The moment I saw PRESS by Fully Booked post about their Harry Potter-themed cookies, I knew I just had to get my hands on them. I loved sugar cookies, after all, even if it stained your tongue with the crazy colors of its designs.
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YEIN redefines classic


YEIN is a siren. Her voice sounds delicate, often with a seemingly whispered flow, but her serene storytelling floods listeners with emotions. Her first digital album “5” is available on Spotify. Here, she talks about pioneering her genre, Future Classic:

 I just love to sing. I say what I want to and represent myself whenever I sing.

 I think these are what I do best even when I’m still so into so many art forms. I like combining them. I consider art as one—you can separate and categorize them, but eventually they are one in a big way.

 There are different stories in each and every song I write and sing. When I finish one, I listen to it and it makes me feel really peaceful—and I want people to experience the same thing. That’s why I think I try hard to bring in that kind of naturism feel, that kind of atmosphere into my music. I’d like to think that the tone of my voice could make them feel at ease and relaxed.
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The story on YEIN




“This is the best interview I’ve had on this whole trip,” I told YEIN as we stood up to wrap up our conversation.

And I really meant it. It was already our third day in Korea for the Universal Music press junket and we had five interviews with K-indie artists scheduled on that day alone.

I needed a translator for most of the interviews I conducted during the trip, which badly made me want to study the Korean language all the more. (If I knew the language, I wouldn’t have to wait for my K-drama episodes to be subbed, too.)

A lot of things do get lost in translation, and I can’t stress how frustratingly true this was in my case. I felt like the artists I spoke to were opening up about a lot of things I couldn’t understand but wanted to know about—there was interest in their tone and sincerity on their faces as they explained and shared their experiences. I couldn’t even ask the right follow-up questions. I had a time limit to be concerned about as well.
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Dibs on the Biebs


He may have dressed down his Hollywood glamour by sporting a comfy and relaxed style, but Justin Bieber is still a head turner with his effortless street swagger.

Oversized tees with structured sleeves, ripped baggy jeans and cool snapbacks—these essential pieces to channel that inner Harlem swag are finally here. Inspired by Bieber’s latest album and his current style, local fashion brand Oxygen has teamed up with the pop star himself to come up with one of the edgiest streetwear collections to date.
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The local flavors of Locavore


Filipino food is something we’re all familiar with—but it’s always a welcome surprise when these well-loved and familiar dishes are prepared at a higher level.

Our local cuisine is nothing short of a gastronomic adventure. While other cultures tend to stick to their salt and pepper garnishes, ours lean toward more complex preparations. But even as we can indulge in Filipino food in the comfort of our homes, Locavore is a good option when we want something a little bit super to our usual dishes.

The restaurant’s name is quite a giveaway to the kind of food that it wishes to present, and more importantly, represent—food that is loved locally, with ingredients that are locally grown and produced.

Locavore is proud to be local—and it’s obvious in its reinterpreted all-Filipino menu.
The restaurant currently has branches in Kapitolyo, Pasig, and Forbes Town Circle, Taguig.
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Innisfree haul


It was a few years ago when my dad brought us home huge-ass facial washes from this Korean cosmetics and skincare brand Innisfree. He told us it was a popular brand loved in Korea, and until now, it still hasn’t set up its own flagship store in the Philippines—which I hope will change soon.

Before using the wash my dad gave me, I did a bit of research on the brand, making sure it was cruelty-free and made for sensitive skin. And lo and behold—it is!

Innisfree has an all-natural philosophy, and is, in fact, Korea’s first natural brand. That means majority of the ingredients they use are extracted from natural and local produce, while their pigments are derived from minerals.

The brand prides itself of using natural ingredients from Jeju island, which is known for its pristine environment. There is fresh air, fertile soil, and unpolluted waters in the island. Its green tea, volcanic clay, camellia oil ingredients, among many others are sourced directly from Jeju.

Another reason to love the brand is its green causes. It has collected over 8 million Innisfree bottle containers from its patrons for recycling, and continues to promote the use of eco-friendly materials like recycled paper and soybean ink for its packaging.

It took us months to finish the 300-ml products my dad had as pasalubong, and since it was such a bang-for-the-buck buy, I was determined to bring home another bottle—among many others.

My first day in Seoul made me realize I had forgotten my makeup kit at home, but that just gave me an excuse to buy more than what I intended, and even try out their basic products.


I now present my Innisfree haul:
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The DΞΔN’s list


At Greenplugged Seoul, DEAN is a headliner—and hours before he even occupied the music festival’s Sky stage, the crowd on the standing zone begins to thicken, waiting for him to take the reins from his fellow hip-hop and rap artists. As DEAN begins his sound check, fans start cheering, while some are even close to crying.

The sun usually sets late in Korea, and as it melts on the horizon with hued streaks of orange and pink, the stage’s screen replicates the psychedelic colors, cueing the alternative R&B artist to start serenading the hyped crowd as the hour finally enters the night. The clock turns to 7 o’clock, and DEAN’s music begins to play.

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Greenplugged Seoul is the next big international music festival


It is the beginning of summer in Seoul. On a weekend, people from the city flock to Nanji Hangang Park, a perfect space to seek shade under the trees as the spring breeze still lingers, with scenery that breaks the concrete horizon.

Tents were set up all over the park’s grounds, and its green carpets of grass were replaced with colorful mats and rugs. People brought their bikes, scooters and skateboards, while others carried picnic baskets.

On the weekend of May 21, the park was host to the city’s version of Coachella, and we discovered every Korean musicophile’s top secret: the Greenplugged Seoul Music Festival.

 It was a celebration of (and testament to) Korea’s massive local and independent music scene. It was an epic experience with four major stages and three minor sets located all over Nanji Hangang Park. On its eight straight year, the two-day Greenplugged festival featured a total of 65 artists in an all-local lineup.
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Park Hae-jin in ‘Man to Man’ isn’t the man to fall for


Love is merely a tactic of deception. For a secret agent, it is said to be the most powerful shield.

 JTBC’s “Man to Man” creates a lead character that isn’t hard to fall for—and that is exactly what makes him more dangerous.

Ghost K (Park Hae-jin) is a secret agent for South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS). His missions are never simple, and being a spy limits him to no geographical location. For the government, ghost agents like him are neither dead nor alive.

 This ghost agent can lie on impulse without detection. He does not have a name he can call his own, and knows he fights battles in the shadows no one will never know about. He’ll never be the type of hero the public will see on the front page of a newspaper, but there is always a possibility that whenever it is threatened, he has kept the nation’s peace and order in place for one more day.


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Explosive flavors at LAVA



One of the things I keep a tab on is places that offer ice cold Tiger beer.

The Singaporean lager is popping in our local restaurant scene and I am very pleased to announce that LAVA Timog is one of the few that carry this brand. I love this drink, and it’s always one of the reasons why trips to Singapore are always welcome—Tiger beer is available on tap!

But that’s not the only reason why I’m writing this blog post solely dedicated to LAVA, a comfort food nook that you should keep under your radar.

When one hears of the restaurant name, you immediately look forward to a molten cake dessert—but let me just stop your sweet-tooth drooling there. LAVA takes its name after the most important part of their kitchen: Lava rocks.
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Letters for Ladies


March is over but celebrating women never had an expiration date.

Behold, there’s an ongoing initiative called Letters for Ladies by Keds Philippines to culminate International Women’s Month where each one is encouraged to send out their feel-good and supportive messages to every woman out there.

Whether it’s a personal message you want engraved in your head (and in your heart), an empowering quote, or even an inspiring story you wish to share, write it down now! The beauty of these messages are not only discovered through the words used but also the sincerity it holds.

Here’s my Letters for Ladies message: You deserve all that you think you do. (This is somehow inspired from HONNE's Gone Are The Days.)


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‘Logan’ is the Wolverine film you’ve been waiting for


You’d think after traveling back in time and preventing the Sentinels from ever being invented in “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” Wolverine would have created a present time that is safe for mutants.

 But 50 years later—and as seen in all X-Men movies—there never seems to be a safe time to be a mutant. In the year 2029, the X-Men are already close to becoming a myth. Their stories are only remembered through comic books, while the genetic line of mutants is known to be extinct.

 The heroes we know of are gone and the ones left are undignified. In “Logan,” after 17 long years of playing the role, Hugh Jackman is more Logan than he is Wolverine. The world’s most famous mutant is known for his regenerative powers that combined with the most powerful element known in the Marvel universe, Adamantium, renders him indestructible.

 But here we see the lead character as we could have never imagined—aging, vulnerable and becoming more human in the process.

 And this is exactly what sets “Logan” apart from the other Wolverine films. It makes us briefly forget the hero that he is, and connects us more to the human he has slowly become—with all the chinks on his armor showing.
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10 things I loved about ‘Logan’

   CAUTION: SPOILERS AHEAD   

**
 If you wish to read a nonspoiler review,  
click here.


There’s no doubt that Wolverine is the world’s most famous mutant, but in the fan-favorite hero’s third film feature—and may I add, the best X-Men film I’ve seen—Logan is a stranger to the audience.

Sure we still see his scruff and arrogant exterior, but complex themes are explored in the film—with impermanence, purpose, legacy, and family, among them—making Logan more human than he is mutant.

The film is intensely intimate and primal compared to the numerous X-Men films that came before it. Even with the thrills and excitement over grotesque scenes, the emotional magnitude that surface from the character relationships are neither diluted nor overshadowed by the superhero action.

Here are 10 things I loved about 20th Century Fox’s “Logan”:

   IT’S FUCKING R-16   


It’s about damn time we stop censoring who Wolverine is and what he is fully capable of doing. “Logan” is unapologetically brutal with an equally unapologetically amused audience.
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