Month: October 2017

Diary Entry: The First Snow

October 23, 2017

Dear reader,

So, we had our first snow of the season on Saturday (10/21), and I almost died twice. I left the house to go buy water at Costco, and the light turned red, so I break and I couldn’t stop because the road was slick. So I made a sharp turn, and I lived.

The second time, someone almost t-boned me. I was driving by, and they tried to break, but they kept sliding, and almost hit me. Had I been going any slower they would have hit me, but I missed them by an inch because I saw them slide straight into the road behind me. Thankfully there was no one behind me, but I bet they were scared.

IMG_1899

IMG: the view from my bedroom window Saturday night.

By the time today rolled around, most of the snow was gone, but it’s still hecka cold up here. It was 19 degree Fahrenheit this morning, and I heard it was even colder in Fairbanks. Which I can barely imagine, so I’m glad I live in Anchorage at least.

40c8b35fe6a96308e2f3666316870d21b7beff7d_hq

Aside from the snow, I’m just filling out paperwork, attending classes, and working. As a hobby I’ve been taking pictures for Instagram, which you can see in the sidebar. I have two accounts, a manga account, and last week I started a personal account, so I can post pictures of my travels and stuff. (love_rinnn is my manga account, and rinnn_0315 is my personal)

So, there’s an update! Take care, and tell me something fun happening in your life down below!

Love,

Rin

5eced503c3d648e3481d5d32bbeff079014eca87_hq

NU’EST W – W. HERE Mini Album Review

October 19, 2017

nuest-w6

Dear Reader,

I’ve been a fan of Nu’est since I was fourteen (has it been that long ? (╥_╥) I feel old lol), and I’ve watched them fall, and now rise, and I’ve never been prouder to be someone’s fan! They’ve really worked hard, so I wanted to dedicate a post to them! Unfortunately (it’s bitter-sweet really), Emperor Hwang is promoting with Wanna One, so he couldn’t participate on this album, but I’m still giving him an honorable mention.

bb6794d977767e3fc67ffabbd9ec8b3a29c23690_hq

So, without further ado, let me introduce you to the songs~🌸

1. 하루만 (haruman)

Translated as “Just One Day” I see this as their love song to Minhyun with lyrics like “you left without a single word, what can I do about that?” Minhyun had to leave to be in Wanna One but “give me a little bit of time, just one day” and “stay by my side, just for today, I feel like I’m going to go crazy, but I’ll bear it, because you will return.” I felt so sad hearing this song, I miss Emperor Hwang too, but he’ll be back, one day.

It’s a slow song, with a romantic melody, fun beat, and dramatic drop beat!

Find the full lyrics here!

2. Where You At ⭐

 

I think this is my favorite song on the album, I will admit I was a bit skeptical when I first heard it, because it was so different from any of their older stuff, but it quickly grew on me! Now I listen to it all day everyday.

Plus, the lyrics are extremely nice and I relate, “while you weren’t here, my heart longed for you, now it’s bruised, black and blue” which is how I felt when they were away from fans while competing on Produce 101 Season Two, and also how I feel with Minhyun promoting with Wanna One. “I’m wandering here and there, looking for you
I run around, searching but I’m still only in my room,” seriously–me too.

The song is a calm melody with longing lyrics, and a boppy beat.

tumblr_inline_nplf49ll0j1sz75rz_500

Find the complete lyrics here!

3. Paradise (Ren Solo)

I felt like this was a song for fans, everyone knows how much Ren loves and appreciates his LOVES. So yeah, I mean it could be a song for someone special, but I know we’re special to him too, so I’ll just stick to that. “When I’m thinkin ’bout you, yeh yeh, you are my Paradise!” Oh thanks, what a precious bean 💖

The song has a heartfelt melody, and a flowing beat! Perfect for the times when you feel happy and want to listen to an equally happy song~

source1

4. Good Love (Aron Solo)

HAHAHA, this song is so American, it’s perfect for Aron! I don’t know why, but it’s so hard to find reliable translations for Ren and Aron’s songs! But either way, this was another song about appreciating someone, and how he loved the person in the song, and needed them, hence, he’ll give us “good love.” Which, is so sweet! Paradise and Good Love are tied for me in terms of best solo!

Good Love is a poppy song with a happy beat! Please give Aron some love, and give the song a listen!

4f262ebb76ae6dcdf40c652c66e0a353240a619e_hq

5. With (JR Solo)

This song is so emotional, JR is the rapper of the group, but he sang a lot in this song. Plus there is a choir in the background, and I was just so blown away by this song. I really felt this song was to Minhyun, because JR sings “I saw you shedding tears at the back, I turned away because I felt too cowardly to approach you.” Which, when Minhyun was the only one to make it into Wanna One, he cried so hard because he felt bad no one else made it in, especially JR because he was the most “promising” trainee. So, this song made me really emotional, and JR is such an angel that I can’t even.

The song is a slow and soft melody that will make your heart ache. You can really feel his feelings in this song, and you will ache with him.

Find the full lyrics here!

6. 지금까지 행복했어요 (Baekho Solo)

Ugh, this song is so good. (TW// death of family member) Baekho’s dad passed away this summer, and Baekho was surrounded by a controversy, which I’m going to say why, but this must have been a hard summer for him. The lyrics read, “I am not alone, you really don’t have to worry about me.” And “with how much of a child I always was, did I ever make you cry with my childish ways?” You can tell this is the song of a child to their parent, which I can empathize with as the oldest child of my family.

The song is a soothing song, with an angelic voice that will make you miss a loved one, or home if you live away from them.

Find the full lyrics here!

Bonus: from the Love Paint Mini Album

Daybreak – MinHyun feat. JR

Okay, technically this is JR and Minhyun’s song, but Minhyun did all the singing and JR did all the rapping, so we can all pretend this was Minhyun’s solo! I miss MinHyun a lot, but he’s promoting with Wanna One for the greater good, and I’ll just cheer him on until the end!

 

So, what’s my rating of the album? 10/10, of course! Seriously, all of the songs were really good, and they’ve worked so so so hard over the last six years, I’m so happy they’re finally experiencing popularity.

Buy the album on iTunes/ Google Play or find it on Spotify!

Thank you giving my loves a chance, and reading this fangirl rant! As always, see you next time~ Bye!

Love,

Rin

source

Diary Entry: Senshi Con 2017

October 8, 2017

senshi_con_2017

10.1.2017

Dear Reader,

I went to my first anime convention! Senshi Con is held in Anchorage every year, and even though it was a thing when I was in high school, I finally manage to make it like seven years later! Haha, it was a lot of fun!0.jpg

I went with my friend Sam! She drove us there, and then we walked to the event from the parking garage one street over. Neither of us have a sense of direction, and we may have gotten a little lost. It took us half an hour to walk to a place that should have taken us ten minutes… But I saw some interesting sculptures!

 

After we figured out we were going the wrong way, Sam lend us to the Dena’ina Center where the Con was being held (yes, I was the one who got us lost). From there we checked in (we pre-registered) and then walked into the venue.

the con.jpg

There were a ton of booths with art, trinkets, and merch! Between Sam and I, we probably spent $100 on just art. She has a thing for Boku no Hero Academia and it was EVERYWHERE. I got art from Kami-sama no Kiss, and Princess Mononoke!

There was also kpop merch, and I got cute folders of Nu’est and Teen Top, but they were both older from around 2012. I also got a Black Pink folder, which was their lastest comeback, As If It’s Your Last! I also got a cute plushy, and three enamel pins!

senshi con haul.jpg

After that, we went to the 5th avenue mall, and hung out for awhile. We ate a late lunch in the food court, which wasn’t very aesthetically pleasing, so I didn’t snap a pic of it for you… Oh, and we went into Hot Topic, Sephora, and Lush! We didn’t get anything, but it was fun looking around.

giphy1

I really enjoyed the con, we mostly looked around, and talked to vendors! I was able to find some new artists to support as well. When we went home, Sam wished she had bought more posters, but I’m pretty satisfied with what I picked up. Next year, I won’t be able to go, so I’m glad I finally had a chance to experience Alaska’s tiny comic con.

Anyway, that’s all! I went home and wrote a paper that was due at midnight, and made dinner for my little sister. The rest of that Sunday was pretty uneventful.

So, as always, thanks for reading! Don’t foget to follow me on all my social media, and I’ll catch you all later!

5eced503c3d648e3481d5d32bbeff079014eca87_hq

Question of the day: have you ever gone to a con? Tell me you experience down below!

Love,

Rin

The Travel Tag!

October 4, 2017

thr travel tag2.jpg

Dear Reader,

So, I was browsing the interwebs, and I found this cool tag! Of course, I’m not currently traveling, so I was looking for fun things to blog about. I was this tag here, and thought, “oh, that looks like fun!” Thus, without further ado, let’s go!

1. Where in the world are you from?

I grew up in two place– Alaska and the Philippines. I’m a biracial child, and my parents are what Alaskans call snow birds; meaning we leave the state when the snow arrives. Although, not so much these days, because my little sister and I are in University.

where you from

(source/source)

2. Have you been overseas? When/where? 

Aside from America and the Philippines, I’ve only been to the Tokyo and Taipei international airports! I plan on moving to either Taiwan or Japan after graduation though, so I’m really excited for that!

3. Do you prefer summer or winter? Why?

Ehhhh, this is hard. I actually prefer winter, but not the harsh Alaskan ones. I can’t stand anything below zero (degrees Fahrenheit), about twenty above is the coldest I’m willing to live through, so even if I don’t go to either Japan or Taiwan, I’ll go to somewhere where the temperature stays above twenty.

4. Summer or winter fashion? 

Winter for sure, I mean I also love wearing dresses, but I’ve always been more of a sweater weather kind of person!

bbe4ce4a61d18b885f08a85a4ab4cd38b8f9ef50_hq

5. Where is somewhere you would love to travel to?

Singapore! We were supposed to go when I was a preteen, but my immune system was acting up, and my mom decided not to buy the tickets. So, I’ve always wanted to visit Singapore since then!

6. Name your essential makeup items for the beach.

Sunscreen, lipbalm with SPF, and a cute cover-up! LOL to my conservative Pinoy upbringing because now I feel weird wearing a swimsuit without one… Even though I know it’s fine, I’m not fine. Kudos to the girls who are confident enough without one!

giphy-facebook_s

7. Are you currently saving up for a trip?

Yeah, I’m going to Florida with my childhood best friend this winter break (if we ever get around to buying the tickets lololol)! We went last year, but we spent a lot of time in the car because we went to Atlanta too. Hopefully this time we’ll get to see more of Florida.

8. Do you like/dislike traveling?

I loveeeee traveling! Especially the plane ride! I know it’s weird, but I love airports because it’s the ultimate cross-road; everyone is going somewhere, and it’s people from literally all over the world, it’s so cool seeing all the diversity!

9. Name a place in the world you’d like to shop.

Seoul, South Korea and Tokyo, Japan! I’ve always wanted to go to all the kawaii stores in Shibuya, and buy all the makeup in Seoul, so yeah, those two places!

10. What is your favorite accent in the world to hear?

Not to be a basic American, but I really like British accents! Australian accents are a close number two though!

11. How many countries have you visited?

Uh, four? No. Five, including Mexico when I was five!

12. Why do you travel?

I love seeing new cultures and experiencing new things! I’ve been traveling since I was a child, so I hate staying in one place for too long.

window_cropped.jpg

13. Favorite city or country?

Why are you asking me to chose???? All countries are beautiful and special in their own way, plus I have many more to see, how could I know?

14. Most memorable experience

My last visit to the Philippines was right before I started high school when I was thirteen, and right before we left we stopped in Bacolod to see my grandparents. We took a bus from there to see my moms friend in a nearby town, and my little sister was reading a book on my Nook. She took a step backwards to get out of the way of a group of people, and fell into a open sewer ditch.

I still laugh when I think about it, she was okay but didn’t smell very nice for a long time. Even after she showered several times.

15. Best item purchased

You got me, I can’t think of one specific thing. I like handbags, so I guess any of my purses?

16. Advice for those who want to travel but think they can’t?

I know it’s scary, and unfamiliar, but honestly it’s life changing. You get to see new places, and meet all kinds of interesting people! It’s worth every dime, nickel, and penny. Also, start small if you find it to intimidating. For example, go on a car trip to the state next to yours, or even to a city you’ve never been to!

giphy1

17. Preferred method of travel: planes, trains or automobiles?

Planes! Although, train rides are fun too! You get to see more of the country/state that way, and it’s faster than a car (sometimes).

18. Top three travel items.

Smart phone, book for the ride (audiobook if I’m driving!), and a bag to carry it in!

19. Hostel or hotel?

Hotels for sure. A hostel is cheaper, and you can meet some pretty interesting people, but I hate sleeping with strangers. Even if they were friendly, I’m always afraid I’ll snore too loudly and they’ll hate me in the morning…

tumblr_ono294nsz11radycto1_500

20. Are you a repeat visitor or do you explore new places?

A little of both, honestly. I feel like two weeks isn’t enough time to see everything there is to see, but it’s nice to explore new places too!

21. Can you recite your passport # from memory?

No, but kudos to anyone who can!

22. Do you read up your destination for culture history or safety or do you just wing it?

How can you not read about the culture you’re going to visit? A) it’s too risky you’ll offend someone if you don’t, and B) I’m always excited to explore a new place, so I always do tons of research before hand to see what that place has to offer!

23. Where would you recommend a friend to visit?

Go to Palawan, and visit the Underground River! It’s so pretty, I’m pretty sure I’ve been there over five times!

24. You’re leaving tomorrow and money is no option, where are you going?

Uh, back to the Philippines. Mostly because it’s been a while, and I want to visit again!

tumblr_obl32ahxuv1v0e4aao3_500

25. Favorite landmark you’ve visited.

This is so hard, I don’t knowwwww, they were all a lot of fun!

26. Beach or explore vacation?

I dislike the beach, because sand gets everywhere, and only Westerners like getting tanned. Also, as an Alaskan, I find the sun annoying, so explore vacation!

And that concludes my first tag! I tag anyone who wants to participate, and as always, thanks for reading, and I’ll see you in my next blog, later!

5eced503c3d648e3481d5d32bbeff079014eca87_hq

Love,

Rin

Travel Blog: Fairbanks Days 2&3

October 1, 2017

fairbanks day 2and3

Dear Reader,

So, we didn’t do much on the second and third days. Mostly homework, and I ran around UAF a lot, but I didn’t take many pictures because there wasn’t much to see. I had fun though, so that’s all that counts!

FullSizeRender (11)

This is about to become a food blog post, because that’s most what I got pictures of, lol. On day two, I had coffee with my friend, and we studied in the coffee shop for a bit. To be completely honest, UAF’s coffee is way better than UAA’s coffee.

We get our coffee from Koladi Brothers, which is honestly really weak. Just the other day, I had a caramel macchiato at UAA, and they burnt my coffee. It was gross, and I didn’t finish it. Which ruined my day, so thanks UAA.

Anyway, I also had this pastry puff thing that was layered with nuts and honey, and it was really yummy! After that, I went off with a different friend (my childhood best friend), and I hung out in her room for awhile. I lived in the dorms at UAA when I was a freshman, and the walls at UAA were hella thin. So you heard everyone’s business. It was the same, if not worse at UAF. Her neighbors were getting it on really hard, and I commented on it. My friend is pretty innocent, and she was all like “maybe they’re roughhousing.” GIRL. They were definitely doing the do, the nasties.

giphy

One thing that got me while visiting, was all the walking. Which wasn’t bad, but it was all uphill, which *wheezes* I am so not fit enough for. They had shuttles running on the week days, but you were on you own during the weekends. So that was an interesting experience. I lowkey wish they had told me head of time so I could have brought some better shoes. FullSizeRender (12)

I wore my black boot heels, I could have brought tennis shoes, but I thought it was going to be fine. I do most of my walking in heels, and I work in heels, so I’m used to walking on flat ground. But I had grown used to it by the time I went home, so I guess it wasn’t too terrible.

After spending some time with my friend, I went back to my other friend’s apartment. I ate dinner there, it was ham and beans soup, which was soooooo yummy. The best comfort food! We also had corn bread, which was subpar because she made it from the box, and she messed it up and it was too dry. Which made her sad, because she really loved cornbread. Then, after dinner, I watched as our other friend prepared her costume for a local anime convention, Senshi Con. She was beating holes into leather to make a pattern, so that was neat. Once that was over, my friend and I went back to her room, where I was spending the night. And that was the end of day two!

The next day, everyone had classes, so after we got coffee, I stayed in the library to work on homework (and blog). I actually got a lot of homework done, so that was nice! I had spent most of the Friday before getting homework done so I wouldn’t have to worry about it over the weekend, so I ended up working on stuff that’s due this weekend. FullSizeRender (13)

 

After that, I met my childhood best friend again for lunch, and the boxed sushi they had was actually pretty decent. I had a rainbow roll, and then some spring rolls. I

FullSizeRender (14).jpginstagramed a little, and then we finally took a shuttle back to her room. She had to work on getting her new cell phone set up, so we did that, and fought with AT&T for a bit.

However, at around 3pm, she had to go to class, so I said bye to her, and went back to my other friend’s dorm room. We were going to eat dinner in Fairbanks with other friends, so after she worked on her speech for a class, we left to go get Thai food.

thai

I had Pad Thai, and it had chicken and tofu in it, and it was probably the best pad thai I’ve ever had! It was honestly so good, and I would 10/10 recommend!

After that, we were supposed to go get crepes, but they closed at 7, and we weren’t watching the time, so we missed it… But that’s okay, the Thai food was really good!

After that, we went back to the dorms and hung out for a bit, but had to sleep early because I had a flight at 7:40am, and I needed to be up at six. I bought starbucks again at the airport, and they finally got my name right. The flight was pretty short and relaxing, and we had an awesome view of some mountains! Here’s a pic of that:FullSizeRender (19)

Overall, I had a lot of fun, and I would like to visit again! Although I don’t know if I’ll be able too, I’m glad I was able to make memories with my friends before my big move next July!

As soon as I landed, I had a 10am class, and even though I was a bit tired, I don’t regret being able to spend that extra night in Fairbanks. So, that’s a wrap! Thanks for reading everyone, and as always follow all my social media @love_rinnn, and I’ll see you in my next post!

5eced503c3d648e3481d5d32bbeff079014eca87_hq

Love,

Rin