{FOOD} SMOPER CHICKEN

According to its company profile in JobStreet.com, Smoper Chicken was founded in Korea in 1989 and has rapidly grown to be one of the most popular Korean restaurant chains, having over 800 locations across the country. So basically, it’s Korean fast food fried chicken.

Its first branch here in the Philippines happened to open right across our office building. At first, I tried the food out of curiosity and to my surprise, I found the fried chicken as something new to the taste. Much different from McDonald’s, KFC’s and Max’s. The sauce – either of the three, original (sweet and spicy), spicy or soy-garlic, is directly glazed on the chicken. Since it’s opening, I must say that I had frequented the place for lunch and/or dinner. I thought, if I’m gonna eat McDonald’s I might just instead eat Smoper… XD It is much like Bon Chon, another Korean fried chicken restaurant, except that I haven’t tried Bon Chon yet so I don’t have any points of comparison. But I put my bet on Smoper. Why? Continue reading until the end.

I tried to check what makes this Korean fired chicken different from the usual and I discovered that Korean fried chicken is actually fried twice so the result is different from American fried chicken, Smoper fried chicken skin being crunchier and less greasy.

As a matter of fact, I ate there this lunch before I wrote this post and when the cashier asked me if there are any other I’d like to order aside from chicken meal, I suggested that vinegar should be readily available upon request because that’s how Pinoys eat chicken skin to begin with. I so wanted to order chicken skin or chicken pop corn but since there’s no vinegar, I didn’t... =D By the way, their chicken skin is really tasty. The sauce that accompanies it is a bit too fancy (LOL) though the choice of sauce is really nice.

SO! You must be wondering by now what is so Japanice in this blog post?? As it seemed too Koreanice~ Well, here it is.

One lunch time, I was at the counter placing my order and the Korean lady owner approached me..

Her: “Thank you for coming again! Weren't you here the other day?”

Me: “Yes, I was.”

Her: “I remember you because I thought you're Japanese…”

Me: *tears of joy*

O-HA?! XDD

P.S.

The other day, I came over for lunch with a friend who I wanted to get to try Smoper and the lady owner gave us coffee jelly (not in the even in the menu) for dessert on the house~

Smoper Forever?

=DD

The fries are yummy too~!




Food Trip

 


I just realized... Did they give me chicken this last time or was that chicken pop corn??





Recruiting friends to come over? LOL



Another recruit? My chicken afficionado friend~ XD



{EVENT} KISUMAI PH First Gathering

Hello everyone! Sorry for the extra long hiatus (for anyone who’s actually following this blog). I can’t believe I don’t have a single blog post for the month of April... Hmmm… Considering that I missed attending Ozinefest 2012 because of an outing (which by the way was fun, no regrets) and that the academic term ended so I was quite busy submitting papers, I guess the hiatus is legit? =D

This particular blog post is a bit over due. KISUMAI PH held its first gathering last April 28 in Astoria Plaza in Ortigas.

***WAIT***

What is KISUMAI? 

Wikipedia identifies Kis-My-Ft2 (Kisu Mai Futto Tsū, "Kiss My Foot Two") as a 7-member Japanese boy band under Johnny & Associates. Their name comes from their members' names: Hiromitsu Kitayama, Kento Senga, Toshiya Miyata, Wataru Yokō, Taisuke Fujigaya, Yūta Tamamori and Takashi Nikaidō (ni is Japanese for the number 2). The group was a former Johnny's Jr. unit and debuted August 10, 2011. The unique feature about the group is that all its members do tricks and acrobatic moves on rollerskates.

***RESUME***

XD

Of course, I came and it was the first ever J-Pop gathering that I attended. Although I arrived late and left early, I really enjoyed the company of the girls. Had I not left early, I would have chatted with them more and definitely learned more of Kisumai. Well, needless to say, I must have had listened and watched lots of Kisumai music and vids then. I'm really looking forward to the next gathering. I admit that I'm not really "that" knowledgeable and updated as regards these boys or should I say, not “YET.” ^___^

I was expecting to meet other fanboys but I was the only one who came. Good thing a chibi fanboy (refer to the pics) was also there so I was not totally out-of-place~ hahah I was amused with the photos that the girls posted all over the room. I really thought, “Ibang level talaga ang fangirls..(sabay nganga).”  LMAO

We had tuna onigiri (rice balls with tuna fillings). They played guessing games and gave away posters and magazine pages to which I knew I had no chance of winning but I tried nonetheless and actually won magazine pages with ARASHI on them. XDD

It was fun and I wished I had more time with them to witness their spazzings and flailings. I’ve always been amused on how fangirls do those~ =D

On a last note, I was invited to be one of the admins of KISUMAI PH~ ^__^

It’s really exciting and I’m looking forward to becoming a full-pledged admin and to working with the girls. It’s really nice for them to add in a boy “dimension” in Kisumai Ph. =D They were likewise very supportive of the KIS-MY-BOYS cover group that I’ve been trying to form but this is where I’ll cut my blog post short. XD Until next time and hope us good luck for KisumaiBoys. ^_^

Chibi Fanboy Amir

Let the games begin~

Neo-mosaic :D

Focused. Everyone wants to win!

Group Pic

 

With Kisumai PH Admins

 

Taipi PH? XD

Kisumai 2nd Single PH Release and TamaMatsuri Convention

The very much awaited and anticipated “sequel” of the Philippine release of KIS-MY-FT2 or Kisumai’s record under Universal Records Philippines was held last Saturday. Kisumai’s second single, “We Never Give Up,” was simultaneously launched at Odyssey Megamall and Astroplus The Block. I opted for Odyssey since an anime convention was also scheduled on the same day in the same mall.

I purchased a bundle of the VCD Version A and the Concert DVDs with photo book for Php 2000.00. The cashier tried to convince me to get the two other versions of the VCD (Versions B & C), to which I only replied with a dry laugh. heheh.. Well, I do l like Kisumai but I’m not a hardcore fanatic. I’d like to show support to J-Pop in PH by purchasing their releases. While I love the music, the fashion and the dramas, I’m not really on a die-hard fan level (even to the point of memorizing the bio-data of the artists). =D That is also why, I wasn’t able to answer any questions of the fan club admins conducting games on that day except for the game on naming a drama where a Kisumai member starred. LOL I wanted to answer my favorite Ikemen Desu Ne but another got to answer first so I answered Risou no Musuko instead. Really nice I got to participate in that simple program.

I would likewise do the same as soon as Arashi gets to launch their records here in PH or for any other J-Pop artist for that matter. ^_^

As expected, I wasn’t drawn to win one of the three portraits raffled for those who purchased a bundle. >_< Never had any luck with lottery and the likes. 

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to watch the Kisumai dance cover performance of the fan girls that afternoon as I went up the mall and went to TamaMatsuri, an anime convetion held by De La Salle University students. Oh, how I love the Solan Bushi performance. It's a Japanese festival dance. I learned and danced it when I was in Kanzawa, Ishikawa during a cultural exchange program. *sigh* It was nostalgic.

The con was so-so. The usual merchandises. A number of cosplayers. Some bands. But there is something new... TAROT CARD reading!!! LOL I asked for two rounds of reading. XD One for a "general" prediction and the second about........... ROMANCE! hahah I picked four cards to represent my four prospects (believe me, I wanted to pick eight but I got shy). XDD What was I told about? Nah~ You don't honestly believe I'd share that here, right? =D

But it really gave me a good laugh. 10 for entertainment value! *_*

Back to Kisumai, I just can't wait for their third single and first album to be released here in the Philippines. And oh, wish me luck on my attempt to form a Kisumai cover group.

:3

Dressed Up and All Ready!

Kisumai PH

  

The much-coveted portrait XD

Jump Shot!

Solan Bushi Performers

 

Tarot Card Reading

Whut??

Concert DVDs

We Never Give Up

{FOOD} Ramen at Santorini, A Korean Eatery

Yesterday was quite the food trip. I, with some company, went all the way to the vicinity of the University of Santo Tomas in España Boulevard to look for a Korean eatery named "Santorini." Googling the word, one will find that it actually is a name of a Greek island. Why a Korean restaurant is named after a Greek island is an entirely different story. LOL

Anyway, this "computer shop-looking" restaurant is more than what it appears from the outside. Immediately after stepping in a tiny room that accommodates six tables, one will be overwhelmed by not only posters of Korean artists but also various messages and doodles of customers (fans we can safely assume) spread all over the walls of the premises. While I am not a K-Pop fan, I can say that the place although it tends to become cramped is really very cozy. A television is tuned in a K-Pop cable channel (I dunno which channel cuz again I'm not a K-Pop fan >_<) which everyone in the air-conditioned room can conveniently watch (and spazz at if I may include). 


I ordered a ramen as my main dish then we had tuna and cheese gimbap on the side. Gimbap or kimbap is a Korean dish made from steamed white rice (bap) and various other ingredients, rolled in gim (sheets of dried seaweed) and served in bite-size slices. It’s much like the Japanese dish maki (futomaki/makizushi), only that gimbap isn’t served with wasabi and is just dipped in soy sauce. Well, gimbap afterall is derived from the Japanese maki during the Japanese occupation of Korea.


Their ramen was a WIN~ It's just spicy enough and with lots of eggs. The noodles are well-done and not soggy. Very tasty and nice to pair with the gimbap. It made me want to eat ramen there during the rainy season. The soup was hot and spicy that I so wanted to order a bottle of soju (didn't though, I was with some minors that's why >_>). For a hundred pesos per bowl of ramen, I'd say that it's reasonable and very affordable for students in the area. A roll of gimbap, that's 10 slices, is priced at 110 to 150 pesos depending on the type.


With a television in the shop, going solo will be no problemo. Manang waitress though seems a bit grumpy. XD I suggest she loosens up before she starts turning off customers. She was kind enough to take our pictures though. The best part is that the ahjumma, who I think might be the owner or at least the cook, was very nice to thank us for our visit. I'll definitely drop by again when I get the chance and grab a bottle of soju on that next visit. :D

See those "post-its"??

Spicy ramen

Itadakimasu~!

With chingu chingu

J-POP FEST: The Grand Event

The event that I had long awaited for months and that I highly anticipated with so much zeal and excitement was finally held last Sunday. The J-Pop Fest dubbed as a “Grand Event,” unfortunately, was a complete and utter disappointment that I had to recover for one whole day from the trauma of disenchantment. It was not worth the long wait.

My dear readers please don’t get me wrong. Saying whether an event, the J-Pop Fest for this matter, is a success or not is one thing. Meeting expectations is another thing. While I am definitely not in the position to give an “official” evaluation or anything near it, I believe that as an event-goer (especially someone who was so hyped up and promoted the event to the utmost reach that I can), I am entitled to my two cents. Events are for the audience and participants to begin with.

I and fellow PAOtakus started arriving at the mall around 2 to 3 in the afternoon. I started having a bad feeling about going inside the venue hall when I learned that there aren’t much booths inside. The admission fee is a whopping Php 175.00 after all (conventions are usually pegged at 100 only, organizers are already overboard when they charge 120 to 150 for the same venue) so hesitation is inevitable especially for students. While some decided not to go inside, I went in with a few others. That’s how we support events in the first place! We should go inside the venue hall and pay the admission fees. Con-goers usually just hang outside the venue, they get to meet their friends anyway which is the reason why they go to events. At any rate, I expected that there is something “new” given that the fee is “out-of-the-ordinary” but I was mistaken. There was no value for money at all. There were not enough booths. I can’t find any merchandise I can purchase. There were only 8 or 10 sellers there. The fan club booths were likewise scarce. There were only 5 or 6. And I really can’t fathom the absence of an Arashi fan club booth in a J-Pop Fest! XD

It’s a good thing though that at least I met the Facebook page admins of Kisumai PH. I wrote on the freedom wall err.. tarpaulin and played two of their games. I saw the Hong Kong version of Kisumai’s concert DVD that will be released here together with the WE NEVER GIVE UP PH release in two weeks time.

All right! Back to the event, we struggled hard to make the most out of our money although there were those who left really early. By early I mean leaving shortly after going in either because of boredom or to avoid fatigue. It’s a J-Pop event and we’re supposed to watch and listen to J-Pop performances; however, how are we supposed to do that if there is a lack of chairs, benches or seats? I mean we can all stand up watching for an hour or two but a program which includes 17 dance showdown groups, 15 bands, another set of club face off dance groups, special performances and a very long roster of J-Pop singers that stretches for about 7 to 10 hours is entirely a different thing to endure. I think if there were not much booths and the event will solely be anchoring on performances then they might have as well held it in the cinema just like the J-Pop Fest Kick Off Party last November 2011, at least then the audience are comfortably seated for hours.

I honestly think that the kick off party was a lot more celebratory in comparison with the recent “grand event.” The kick off party was a lot more festive. Unlike it though, the grand event had a battle of bands. The bands were all good. Two PAOtakus were the vocalists of MYO’HAKO band which played a song of K-On’s After School Tea Time. Thanks Kei for greeting PAOtakus before playing! :D

Also, as much as I hate to compare the J-Pop Fest to the Asian Pop Fest held last year where J-POP fan clubs also performed, the grand event was really wanting of more planning – effective planning and execution at that. There was really something terribly wrong. While there are a lot of contestants, they were not fully appreciated because attendees had to leave due to time constraint. Much to my dismay, I was not able to watch the dance performances of those from Arashi Philippines and that of the dance group of another PAOtaku. Goodness, they only got to perform at 9:30 in the evening – that’s mall closing time. I and the gang need to sit and eat, we were unable to return to the venue. I wondered if there were still people around that time. Even the ramen-eating contest had to be scrapped due to lack of time. I got to exchange SMS with one of the performers and she’s likewise frustrated by the fact that the schedule wasn’t followed. Well, during events time flexibility is a must and expected but to get the whole line up of performers and the program itself messed up is a different story. She hoped that given the number of participants, runners-up should have likewise been declared. It’s a morale booster so that next time, these people still do have the “inspiration” to join such events. Apparently, only winners for each category were announced. Again, I was unable to see this part of the program and I was only able to take a handful of pictures (see here).

If I were to rate the event, I’ll give it 2 out of 5 stars. “A” for being able to organize and follow through with J-Pop Fest but effort should not end there. If an event will have to be held then it might as well be a “full-blast event.” It was postponed a couple of times before it was finally scheduled this March. The expectations and exhilaration were built up well and strong so you can only imagine the broken-heartedness I had.

Naturally, I want more J-Pop events held and I for one would continuously support these programs and occasions to the utmost extent that an individual fan can. We all do know that this period is just the advent of J-Pop in Ph but it is no excuse to produce half-baked events. I applaud all the organizers, participants and attendees for making the recent event possible. Let’s hold on and persist promoting J-Pop.

Kisumai PH Booth

Harajuku Fashion

Sellers

Kisumai PH

PAOtakus

PAOtakus

Myo'Hako Band

{COSPLAY} Fairy Tail: Jellal Fernandes

The 5^th Philippine Cosplay Convention (PCC) was held at Robinson’s Manila this past weekend. Much to some PAOtakus’ surprise, it was only held for one day. PCC was usually held for two days. Anyway, there were still at least a dozen PAOtakus who met up at the event and of course, a crowd of con-goers graced PCC. It doesn’t have admission fees to begin with so it is only natural. However, there is always this feeling that something is lacking whenever an anime convention is held at Robinson’s Manila (either PCC or TAGCOM). I can not exactly point it out but there really is a different feel... Perhaps brought about by a different kind of crowd? Whatever it is, I always liked the fact that there are lots of foreigners in this venue and they really are amused of the cosplayers.

I decided (last-minute) to cosplay Jellal Fernandes at PCC. I had five days to prepare for this cos. I call it as some sort of an almost impromptu cosplay. Impromptu cosplay would be like using readily available items either everything you need or partly. In the case of Jellal, I already have some of the items I need while I still need to get the rest.

I always make it a point to prepare for cosplay months or at least a few weeks ahead. By prepare, I mean the costume, weapons and other items must already be complete at least a few weeks before the event proper. However, for this instance, I intentionally decided to cosplay a new character less than one week before the event just to see how it will come out. For a change.

I was “generally” fortunate to have my Jellal cosplay push through at PCC. I got white pants, a pair of boots and the black sleeveless turtleneck-like shirt. I needed Jellal’s coat from season two (the one he took from the wind-element magic user), obviously, this coat is the thing that needed to be custom-made. I asked the tailor if he would be able to finish the coat four days before the day I will be claiming it. He was positive and so I provided him the materials. But then as I had expected, the coat has not even been started yet on the day I was about to claim it.

NOTE: This is the illness that MOST, if not all, tailors and seamstress share. You give the job order ahead of time but they will only attend to it on the day you will be getting it and if you’re there watching them. If you are most unfortunate, they will have forgotten your costume all together and will give you tons of excuses. That is why it is most advisable to have your costumes made ahead of the event especially if the costume is detailed or complicated.

At any rate, the tailor was able to sew it the whole morning till noon on the day of the event. I know he’ll make it considering that Jellal’s coat isn’t complicated. I have to admit that it’s really irritating given that I have provided enough time for the thing to be done. But then, we likewise have to accept the horrible mystery that surrounds dressmakers. Again, refer to the above note. >_<

As for the hair, I tried looking for on-hand wigs to no avail. I was ready to color my hair with washable blue hair spray. Luckily, I was able to find a good-quality blue wig in one of the merchandise booths. Actually it was Kaizen, a PAOtaku, who first got to buy the same wig for his Kaito cosplay. I felt like I have Siegrain or Mystogan with me. LOL

Special thanks to Kaizen for doing a job well done on my face tattoo. It was Jellal’s tattoo that really worried me the most. Good thing Kaizen was game on doing it. We used a pencil eyeliner for the outline and a liquid eyeliner for the filling.



Flame of Rebuke



Abyss Break!
*Toyed with PIXLR*

Jellal and Siegrain err.. Mystogan er.. Kaito XD

With PAOtakus

PAO 18th Meet Up @ PCC

With the talented tattoo artist, Kaizen :D

Character: Jellal Fernandes

Series: Fairy Tail

Photographer: Kaizen

Convention: 5^th Philippine Cosplay Convention

Venue: Robinson’s Place Manila

{COSPLAY} Bleach: Uryuu Ishida

As for my first cosplay article, there is no other cosplay of mine that deserves to be featured first than the last Quincy, Uryuu Ishida. I can still recall the excitement way back in 2007 when I planned on cosplaying Ishida. Bleach was quite the anime back then when it was aired on local TV specifically on GMA 7. I like his personality, his built, his weapon, his power – I just like the entirety of his character. I chose Ishida for my first cosplay back then not only because of my bias but also for practical reasons. As a newbie cosplayer, I wanted a costume or character that is simple and easy without compromising my personal preference on the kind of anime character that I have a liking. Ishida, I thought was perfect. And he is still now.


I had the costume tailor-made and used it in our office Christmas party in 2007 with the theme of “White Christmas.” Ishida’s wearing white after all, it’s like hitting two birds in one stone: having a costume for the party and I can start cosplay from then on. However, it was not until in 2009 when I actually attended a con and cosplayed Ishida. Moreover, it was not until in 2011 that I was able make my props, that is Ishida’s quincy bow. It was likewise my first props-making project and I’m really proud of the finished product.


So what is it I love cosplaying Ishida practicality-wise?


1. I need no wig. I need not color my hair.


2. I can go straight or even commute to the event venue in my cosplay attire. You see my Ishida cosplay has three layers – the polo, the long vestment and the scarf. I can actually just wear the polo on my way and just put on the rest for “full battle gear.” XD Believe me, I wore my Ishida cosplay in the office a couple of times already.


3. There’s no hassle whatsoever. The costume is not hot at all, very light and can pass off as casual clothing. Except of course until I started bringing the Quincy bow and swaying it around.


For those curious on how I made the bow, here’s how:


1. It is made out of a carton box and a roll of masking tape.


2. I used a broomstick as the skeleton or frame inside the bow to make it sturdy.


3. White all-purpose paint and blue marker for the finishing touches.


I think I might be retiring my Ishida cosplay. Well, after all those years it’s about time. But if there would be a Bleach group cosplay then I guess cosplaying Ishida once more won’t hurt.

Uryū Ishida is a bespectacled teenager of average height. He has straight, chin-length raven-colored hair that frames both sides of his face and is fair-skinned with blue eyes.

Rihito Regen!!

Spirit Arrow!

Ichigo to Ishida

Hirenkyaku

Props-making

"For the pride of Quincy."

Character: Uryuu Ishida

Series: BLEACH

Cosplayer: Hiro

Venue/Convention: Various

Photos: Various photographers (can’t even remember who took unless there are watermarks)

Costume: Commissioned Tailor