Hello friends, I hope you’re keeping cool and hydrated! If you’re anywhere in the Philippines right now, chances are you are feeling The Heat and oh god, how are you keeping your lives tolerable these days?? Please share tips. Anyway—the heat has not done any wonders for my writing haha as expected, but here we go! Some updates from the second half of March and the entirety of April—just came and went, didn’t it? Hope it’s been kind. -k
Some notes for end of March
Spent the Holy Week baking in the literal sense at my parent’s house. It was so hot, ohmygod, and because it was an actual house the only place with airconditioning was the bedroom, but then the rest of the house i am telling you it was exactly as any piece of meat on a samgyupsal grill would have felt. My empathy. ANYWAY: Started Shogun—compelling and exciting! Please no spoilers yet, because I’m still convincing C to get on it with me.
Twice announced their fanmeet with Oishi on June 1 in Mall of Asia and it has been a crazy, UTI-inducing month-and-a-half?? FOR REAL. Japan is in the future doing digital raffles for stadiums that could house 50,000 people while we in the Philippines are out here, doing SCRATCHCARDS inside snack packs. what in the actual sweepstakes hell.
April, which came and went
Spent C’s birthday this year apart, BUT we were in Singapore for IU the weekend after to celebrate! When we heard that Oishi was doing the fanmeet on the same day as IU’s concert in Bulacan, we immediately pivoted to the Singapore show, and we are so thankful we were there. She is SO GOOD LIVE. It’s my first time to watch her show and C’s second one (she was able to catch her Golden Hour tour in Seoul the last time AND IT HAD HOT AIR BALLOONS. how lucky.) and oh my that bass drop in the Holssi opening—I really felt it in my chest. Plus—IU dancing so cutely and in tiny! Her stage was also so so good—I can’t wait for those watching in Bulacan to see it because Philippine Arena is HUGE, much bigger than Singapore Indoor Stadium, and even then it was already THAT GOOD. ALSO ALSO — IU’s live stage of “Love Wins All” is The Live Event Of The Year. If you could catch it, do catch it. It really hits different.
Speaking of live events — oh god the BINI ticketing was a bloodbath. They had to open Day 3, so I guess it’s a three-day ending to Pride Month??? Anyway, happy to be meeting BINI in what seems to be their DTNA era. Pantropiko Day was amazing tbh. Plus, I have already managed to sit down and focus to memorize their faces and their names. Nice. ALSO: their songs are such earworms that people in the office are unabashedly singing them out loud—and once, I couldn’t resist singing along. TRUE STORY.
A friend got appointed as Supreme Court Chief Communications Officer and nothing has so starkly reminded me of my age than this particular announcement—not the 40th milestone birthdays I have attended, nor any updates from my friends’ children who are also growing up really fast (though one time, over lunch at work, one my oldest friends told a story of how he gets teary eyed watching his sons get taller sksksksk WE ARE HERE) but yeah. One day, the Supreme Court of your actual country tells you that hey your friend Jobert from college got appointed chief comms officer and you’re just sitting there editing your Instagram reel from the last concert you went to and it really puts things in perspective lmao.
Ended April at the beach! Went with C, the college girlfriends and their SOs and kids, to a quick and hot getaway. Cocoons at Club Laiya is charming and straightforward if a bit small—literal cocoons, shared showers and rest rooms—but it has a pool and the beach is good, and the food is good and reasonably priced. Plus not as crowded as we had feared, given the season. It’s just—it’s really hot everywhere, and the beach is no different haha.
PS I am still forming an opinion about Taylor’s latest album TTPD. It’s been a lot to go through, admittedly, and when it dropped I was on the way to Singapore and it wasn’t particularly… arresting? Like production-wise, it felt like I’ve heard it all before, but I’m re-listening to it and now the lyrics are already available on Spotify and I’ve come to the conclusion that… Taylor is like a movie that is better appreciated with subtitles?? does that make sense also I really like So High School. lmao.
From the Internet
Mina likes reading subtitles HELP HER
“Babe, tingnan mo tong nasa 4 o’clock ko / “Babe, ala-singko na” - my smartwatch has failed me
Even the kpopsapphics account got confused with Momo and Jihyo, apparently. I get it.
Nayeon for Waterbomb Seoul, 7/7. I don’t know how it works. God bless you guys, we will await fancams.
Turn Jihyo’s mic up please.
Speaking of 2004 feelings: Good Luck Babe by Chappell Roan, that is all.
“Overheard in Makati: Sa sobrang single niya, nung nalasing siya, nagdrunk call siya sa Globe.” GRABE KAYO sksksks
Noting briefly Mina’s Fendi shoot in Paris and Jeongyeon for GQ. THIS IS MADNESS.
And one last thing: HOY RAUL!!!
I wrote this while the temp was 35-deg in the house HAHAHA. oh god, but also—I love my sunny days. Here’s to staying hydrated!
XO,
K
Set me back about 20 years—no, for actual real, sent me back to literal 2004, summoning very specific feelings. dear girls, when I said I like being in this space because it makes me feel young, I didn’t mean that young lmao.