hey friend, thanks for opening! and just like that, the first six months of 2023 have already come to pass! the insanity of it all, indeed. this month, happy to report that we stayed put! oh god, this I think is the first full month in four months that we didn’t have any major travel. our backs thank us, truly. so—just some notes from a relatively boring month, thank you for indulging! -K
June came and June went—we’re entering the second half of the year now, and before we know it, it’s Christmas. I don’t know about you, but it’s ridiculous, how much time we simultaneously still have and no longer have. Do you ever get that feeling—that everything just slips past? I get it all the time.
I feel like I constantly have no idea where I’ve been—though yes, I did spend most of June in the office. I wonder when I’d stop noting RTO as if it’s an anomaly lol when it’s been obviously the norm for the past couple of months and a half? Maybe it’s residual trauma. It took a bit for me to stop wanting to bring my work tools home for fear of being locked out of the building again. That said, I’m slowly regaining my pre-pandemic energy levels—it’s not easy being constantly around people again after over two years of just being around one (1) person!
Some Personal Notes
+ Spent Independence Day Weekend with my siblings! It’s been a while since we were all together just for the sake of it, and owing to our impossible scheds (*side-eyes TWICE*) over the summer, we were unable to go to the beach this year, but no matter. Ate our weight in gold, etc 10/10 will recommend doing again.
Incidentally, also met up with our mom’s college friend Tito Gil who was in Manila for a wedding! I had seen their recent batch reunion photos on Facebook (they went to Cebu for college together) and felt a bit forlorn; my mother would have loved those reunions, just saying. I probably would have tagged along (for the food and the hotel, definitely).
+ Anyway—Pride was this month, too! We went to the Makati one at Circuit, joined the generally peaceful march around Kalayaan and nearby areas, stayed for a bit of program and called it a day. This was hella smaller than the 2019 one—70k packed together in the rainy Marikina stadium—but we enjoyed it nevertheless! We look forward to the next ones.
+ Also, also: met up with the girls for the rare midweek holiday to cap off the last week of June! Nothing beats tita chika as the most appropriate way to end 1H 2023 hahaha—and we even have Mary Grace photos to prove it lol.
Some TWICE notes for June
So, I mean to do this massive summary thing at the end of TWICE’s 5th World Tour—we’ve tracked this concert from its kickoff in Seoul in April, to its Osaka leg in May, and we’re going to see it end at Philippine Arena in Bulacan (of course) come September.
This note-taking wouldn’t be complete without taking tabs on the other venues—as of my last accounting, TWICE has played 23 shows in 13 cities—7 of them in the US, the last one being before a sold-out crowd at the Metlife Stadium in New Jersey, one of their bigger venues in this tour. By the time they cap this tour off in Bulacan, they will have played 34 shows in 20 cities, including venues in Australia, Canada and Europe, where, if I remember correctly, they are all performing for the first time.
Which is, you know, not bad for an 8-year-old group—after coming together in 2015 after the survival show “Sixteen”, all TWICE members renewed their contracts last year, beating the infamous 7-year itch, and they look on-track to keep going after they mark their 8th year milestone officially in October, considering they have already announced four encore shows in Nagoya and Fukuoka in Japan in December.
Also, except for that one unfortunate time that Jeongyeon and Dahyun had to miss the Seattle show in Tacoma Dome due to COVID, the tour appears to have gone well, with the members staying in high spirits throughout the shows.
The energy is what keeps us coming back. C and I caught the other shows when we could, captured through Instagram and TikTok lives by fellow Onces, screaming and shaking in their delight, in all of their lowres glory.
Of course, it’s technically illegal; it’s madness.
In any case, this was how we watched the shows in Melbourne and Sydney in May, as well as the US concerts in June, some of which began far too early in the mornings, given the time zones (who the hell watches a concert at 7:30??). I’d wake up to all-caps tweets on our shared stan twitter feed—Onces updating the rest about what songs Twice played for soundcheck, whatever casual things they wore while at it, and of course, who was clingy with who. At which point I’d turn to C to shake her fully awake—look at this, what even is Mina wearing???
By the time I get to the office, there would be a livestream link—maybe Instagram, maybe Twitter, maybe Tiktok even; I’d pull it up on my phone, and wait for my computer to boot up. My officemates have already caught me watching this same show over lunch a couple of weeks prior—why the hell am I watching it again??
That’s actually a very good question. Thank you for asking.
Believe me, there is method somewhere in this madness; a plausible explanation I could latch on to, many many years later, when I look back at these post-pandemic years: Hey, remember that time we were so obsessed with TWICE we practically toured with them? There was so much merch—
Alas, the explanation is yet to come, as I am still in the process of looking for it. Perhaps it’s one of those things that one can only explain after. And I am not yet in the after, so.
So here we are. Not that I’m in a rush to get there. People say all sorts of things about fangirling when you’re older; fortunately, when you’re older, you actually could afford to care less (and spend more lmaooo jfc) so yes. What a combination.
Anyway, I’m writing this a day before their US leg’s final stop at Atlanta in Georgia. I wonder what their surprise announcement is going to be???
Also TWICE—
Anyway, because these girls are INSANE, these things also happened in June:
MiSaMo promos - TWICE’s Japanese members Mina, Sana and Momo are debuting as a sub-unit in late July, and they dropped their pre-release ‘Marshmallow’ on June 15th. Jesus christ, Momo’s deep register here???
Jihyo’s solo is coming!!! Jihyo has been touring with “Nightmare”, a new song that was widely initially speculated to be included in her upcoming solo, and they finally dropped the teasers announcing it. Jihyo’s first mini album, “Zone”, is coming Aug. 18th. As Jihyo stans first and foremostly, we are beside ourselves in anticipation. (They ‘soft-launched’ a trailer??? After the MetLife concert, but people were so distracted as it was already time to leave, and no one was able to film it well??? LOL it also hasn’t been released officially, so we’re still on standby as well for that drop.)
Anyway, here’s a Nightmare fancam from their Melbourne show:
Once 4th Gen fanclub. This has been a long time coming! We’ve been waiting to join the fanclub for forever, and I’m glad we’re finally getting an opportunity to—first dibs at concert tickets! Live shows! Etc etc but mostly we’re here for the pre-sales lol gastos enabler sksksksks
This was the promo teaser and we are CRYIN THE ASPECT RATIO—
They may be losers, but they’re my losers, so whatever. Take my money!!!
Speaking of taking our money: Just a brief note about the TICKETING BLOODBATH IN GENERAL IN JUNE. I swear, umikli buhay ko mga dalawang oras combined because of all that ticketing stress and sa lagay na yun, si C talaga ang nagtawid ng lahat ng ticket purchases namin hahaha. SM Tickets, you will have your comeuppance, I swear to God.
Anyway ayun lang! I guess I should pack this in. If you’ve reached this far—thank you for always indulging! :) See you next month.
XO,
K