Maybe completely desecrated is not the proper term to coin it but I did appreciate the book better than the actual movies in the Percy Jackson and the Olympian series. I mean, it has a lot of potential to be as huge as the Harry Potter franchise story-wise. Uncle Rick's writing is something that is so engrossing, inclusive, innovative and fun. I cannot help but admire his wit and the way he presents old Greek and Roman mythology and tradition in a fun and modern way. It is presented in an enjoyable and comical  way that even though there is violence (you know how mythology is) and the way demigods are conceived may confuse the hell of the younger readers, the flow of the story is easy to grasp. Moral and relevant lessons include acceptance of one's disability, exposure and acceptance to/for the LGBTQ community, love, trust, friendship, family and faith. The Trials of Apollo spin-off is also a hell of a fun ride (it is currently on its third installment and I am loving every bit of it.)

But what exactly went wrong? Timing, perhaps? The world is not ready for another fantasy-driven series (and because Harry Potter is so huge that the general public tend to compare the two.). They are not ready for another teen hero. Most of my bookworm friends loved both HP and PJO series, though and that is all I need to know.

I love Logan Lerman and the other artists and to be honest I think they were perfect for their roles (Alexandra Daddario did kick arse!). Whether it is the promotion, the production team itself, or maybe the way they have presented the plot that it felt lacking to some? I don't really know. I enjoyed it back then (I remember rocking hard to Fall Out Boy's My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark when it has played during the film, I wasn't aware that it was a part of the official soundtrack) and if they are to reboot it, I am down for it, too. I look forward for the series to redeem itself. 

Maybe the world is ready now? (Netflix, come on! Do it!)

***

I decided to update this book challenge. It's been years and yet I am still halfway through it??? I hope I could update it often. We'll see.

April x

2018 is a great year for fangirling and music and we had the chonce (you know I had to) to see two of the five lads from One Direction (in separate concerts) namely Harry Styles and Niall Horan and they both did not disappoint. Their style and genre are different but they have both delivered as we all know they would.

Hazza's aesthetic has always been the 70's and his set has more of that rockstar vibe. I am an old soul meself, that is why even though the lyrics from his debut album may not appeal that much to me, and that I don't find it as honest and genuine as what he would describe them (honestly speaking), I do admire his passion and I liked the self-titled album enough for me to try to get a hold of the ticket as soon as the event is announced. I even went as early as 7AM to queue surprising some of my Harry stan friends as they all know how much I love Zayn more than the others and yet I would not mind giving maximum effort for us to get a good view of the stage from our standing pit then.

Our favourite Irish boy, however, bared his whole soul and heart with all those heartstring-tugging lyrics and acoustic/alternative rock vibe. (Who hurt Nialler? The world may never know). And I really looked forward to hearing everything from Flicker as those are my kind of jam. I chose a seated area for our location because his set is chill and that you just vibe with it without body-slamming and stuff.

I enjoyed both concerts and I also loved getting to spend my time with my friends whom I know appreciates them just as much (and my cousin who is a major fan as well).

I just hoped the bouncers would learn the difference between a non-pro/point and shoot camera and a DSLR because it is such a hassle to try to argue and explain to them every now and then. It spoils the whole experience as they would threaten to confiscate or kick you out of the venue even though you have paid for it and basically you are following the guidelines that were posted. Not that I'd capture everything because I am more of the be in the moment kind of concert-goer too but we all have those favourite songs that we would like to watch over and over, is what I am saying and them having to interrupt you is really a pain in the arse.

That didn't stop us from enjoying the concerts, though!

***
HARRY STYLES LIVE ON TOUR
SM Mall of Asia Arena
Manila, Philippines
May 1, 2018

The setlist:

Only Angel

Woman

Ever Since New York

Two Ghosts

Carolina

Stockholm Syndrome

(One Direction song)

Just a Little Bit of Your Heart

(Ariana Grande cover)

Medicine

Meet Me in the Hallway

B-Stage:

Sweet Creature

If I Could Fly

(One Direction song)

Anna

What Makes You Beautiful

(One Direction song)

Sign of the Times

Encore:

From the Dining Table

The Chain

(Fleetwood Mac cover)

Kiwi

***

NIALL HORAN: FLICKER TOUR IN MANILA

SM Mall of Asia Arena

Manila, Philippines

June 10, 2018

Hello, all! So while slacking with the Japan trip blog, might as well update a couple today as I have missed writing (sort of) and I have not been doing this in a while. It is not that I have been so busy because it's been a pretty chill life with bouts of anxiety attacks once in a while (I mean, nothing too exciting except living the daily life, I guess) but yes, life.

Being friends who've met only met online, residing and working far from each other, I am glad Rhiane and I still find time to meet at least once a year (twice if we are lucky) and catch up like the previous get-together activity has happened only yesterday. It usually starts with me messaging her or vice versa out of nowhere since we are the kind who don't get to talk every day, but you know the usual "Hey, are you free this coming [insert date]? I  haven't been to [insert place/museum] so...wanna hang out?"  with an itinerary that goes like:

(1) hearing the Sunday mass in the morning (it's the only day that we could meet because of our schedules)

(2) going to a museum (We've been to the National Museum and explored some 3D museums together) or whatever activity that we have decided to do

(3) going on a food trip, hanging out and basically hangout the whole day. 

There may not be a perfect friendship to exist in this world but our kind of low-maintenance friendship is perfect for us. A friendship requires effort on both parties for it to work and it's been nearly fifteen years and we are still making it work so it's really a win for us. I am glad to have her as one of the friends that I'd trust my life with if a situation would ask me to. (I am such a sap but it's the truth haha). 

ANYWAY, so for this year's art escapade we went to The Dessert Museum!

The place is very accessible as it is located on a hotel near the largest mall in the country so basically people flock in the area. It is very Instagram-worthy although the free desserts are basic for my taste. (Also, the lack of chocolate basically concerns me knowing that it is the preferred dessert of most people that I know? And it's a dessert museum, so I was expecting more? I didn't check the website prior to heading there apparently.)

The aesthetic will give you a run for your money somehow. We did have a good time and took as many photos that we hardly noticed that it's already been two hours. It is also nice to note that the staff are friendly and most of them would even help you have your photos taken (and you can purchase some of your photos at the souvenir area, too)

Here are some of mine (as taken by Rhiane):

***A PHOTO SPAM, you've been warned***

We capped the day off feasting with some Korean food and Taiwanese tea (as I go on with my matcha fix) and talking about anything under the sun. We all deserve that chill kind of day spent with our friends. Til our next museum adventure!

***

***

THE DESSERT MUSEUM

Location: Unit 124, 126, 127a, S Maison, Coral Way, Conrad Hotel Manila, Mall of Asia Complex, Barangay 76, Pasay, 1300 Metro Manila

Contact No.: (02) 838 7927

Entrance Fee: 799.00 php (walk-in), 699.00 php (online booking)

Japan isn't just the land of Totoro and matcha but of.... *drumrolls* the boy band, Arashi. 

Well, given their status (fifteen years since debut and they are still as famous as ever), meeting them at random and/or getting to score a ticket (when you are not a Japanese native) to one of their shows is almost impossible. But going to Japan and taking pictures of every Arashi promo/stuff that we see is very much possible. And so, we took the chance to do it!

READY?

Here we go!

You are my SOUL! SOUL! 

いつもすぐそばにある

ゆずれないよ　誰もじゃまできない

体中に風を集めて　巻きおこせ

A・RA・SHI　A・RA・SHI for dream

LASTLY, the best one yet:

Tsukushi Makino vibing. #hanayoridango #domyoujiditoname #wherenayou

A post shared by April Ann (@aprilskelter) on Feb 19, 2018 at 3:03am PST

In our defense, we did not see the "Don't take pictures" sign on some of the places that we've been to (especially in the Shibuya stretch) before taking them. *facepalm*

すみません. ごめんなさい(or not). *winks*

April x

Documenting the whole Japan trip in one single blog post will take so many characters and be so awful long and since I cannot get to summarizing everything yet (still reeling from the fact that one of our dream travels has actually happened), I decided to put it up bit by bit. This post  is especially all about my favourite food to consume in the world: MATCHA!

Matcha is made by grinding young tea leaves and is said to have more nutrients as you are having the tea leaves instead of having just the extracts from its leaves (from a normal green tea). It is packed with antioxidants, boosts metabolism and burns calories. Matcha also:

(1) Enhances mood and aids in concentration
(2) Calms the mind and relaxes the body
(3) Prevents disease
(4) Lowers cholesterol and blood sugar

I'm making up for the long time that I have not been posting with short blurbs like this one (also, while drafting a proper blogpost recap of our Japan trip last month. A filler, kind of). It has been a year since I got my current baby pet cat (last March 3rd) and I think it is but proper to dedicate one for him!

Happy birthday slash anniversary, my baby Jon Snowbell! x

I like cats because they are low maintenance pets, occasionally cuddly, moody but they can generally fend for themselves. Jon is named by apparently a Game of Thrones character. He's got the Bell in his name in reference to my previous baby Ginger Bell (run free, my dearest) whom died of old age in 2016, days before I am scheduled to go back to the home country from a quick stay in Singapore. (The saddest thing.) But I have Jon now so, I'm doing well.

Seeing CNBLUE for the very first time caps off my concert enthusiast life on a high note in 2017: it's everything I have ever wanted and more.

And...that fact is what's making it quite surprising that I have procrastinated with this update that it has already overlapped Jung Yonghwa's military enlistment (he's already enlisted last March 5th) but better late than never, right? I am just so glad and I still can't believe that it has happened(!), that I was able to see all them for the first time and probably the last at least for a couple of years since the other three might enlist soon, too. (I look forward to seeing Kang Minhyuk in his Manila fan meet sometime this coming May, though).

I think it is necessary to reiterate how they are one of those few Korean acts that I actually listen to, own merch and physical CDs. It's not that I am not into the Korean music scene because I enjoy listening to anything (I've been listening to BTS because of my mate, too, see), but I guess you could say that I find their music special among others. So many things have happened since I've made a BOICE/CNBLUE appreciation post (you could read it here) and looking back, I could confirm now that they are it for me and I don't regret getting into their music.

So, the concert. It's everything. They've exceeded all expectations and they gave it their all (given that it is also the last stop of the Between Us tour). I was so hyped since they've started the night with Radio that I didn't realise that it was the Korean version and I was singing the Japanese one.


Fun fact: It is actually Radio (and Go Your Way) that has made me decide to give them a listen, which is weird because a good starter would be I'm a Loner or Intuition or Can't Stop but that's just me haha. It's from the Wave album, a Japanese release.

They all have that certain glow, an end of the tour glow, probably and it is so infectious. How to stay fresh like Kang Minhyuk, though? My baby.

I mean, look at him? (I am whipped AF, I know. The maknae line, Minhyuk along with Jungshin makes me suffer the most... but in a good way.)

KANG MIN-HYUK PARIN MGA MAMSH HAHAHAHA pic.twitter.com/TkAh5kEX7v

— April Ann (@AprilDeGuzman) December 9, 2017

Seeing them with my friends is also the highlight of the night. (Dianne being one of those whom I know have supported them from the start and she's also one of the reasons why I got kind of hooked) Good music and fangirling is even better when shared, eh? We even went to Gabe Norwood's restaurant prior to watching the concert and that's like hitting two fandoms/faves in one go. Time well spent.

#CNBlue #BetweenUsInManila levels/classifications by your girls (ahhhh last night’s been really fun, thanks to you) LODI level: Jung Yong-hwa Kilig pero wag pahalata level: Lee Jong-hyun How to remain fresh after two hours level: Kang Min-hyuk Pagod but no no no level: Lee Jung-shin Hagardo versoza na ako pero nagsusumigaw na pula parin ang lips level: GG22 / GG23 from Maybelline’s mars Gigi Hadid Collection #ZaynBakaNaman

A post shared by April Ann (@aprilskelter) on Dec 10, 2017 at 4:54am PST

They've also come in so prepared with all their Tagalog banters, and Yonghwa took it to another level: the LODI level.

WHOEVER TAUGHT @JYHeffect PETMALU AND LODI I DON’T KNOW IF I SHOULD CURSE YOU OR THANK YOU, BUT THIS WILL DEFINITELY HAUNT ME IN MY DREAMS TONIGHT.

We had so much fun!! You’re the ultimate LODI Yong-hwa, that’s for sure haha #CNBLUE #BetweenUsInMANILA @ime_ph @philconcerts pic.twitter.com/ZB2a0jIYPj

— April Ann (@AprilDeGuzman) December 9, 2017

Only you, Yonghwa. Only you.

With the energy and performance level to match that of Bruno Mars (I am not even exaggerating), they are so good at hyping the crowd up (see Coffee Shop + Cinderella fancam below, credit to the rightful owner, you're a legend!)) but I am most impressed with Royal Rumble. I didn't even like it that much on record but Yonghwa makes it so.... (add whatever good adjective that you could think of, I'm lost for words) when performed live? I don't know, man. I don't know anymore.

Royal Rumble isn’t a fave but THEM GUNS (AND THAT VOICE) Daaaaamn Yong-hwa #BetweenUsInMANILA pic.twitter.com/p2LpysGYRX

— April Ann (@AprilDeGuzman) December 9, 2017

And of course, Can't Stop (also one of the favourites)

Jong-hyun’s part in CAN’T STOP is forever iconic (also, there’s something about Yong-hwa smiling in here that I can’t quite figure out, parang ano e hehehehe basta haha) #BetweenUsinMANILA (this is for you, moja @rhoannie13) pic.twitter.com/VXxcQxNLUR

— April Ann (@AprilDeGuzman) December 10, 2017