tvN KPop Starhunt 2 Philippine Auditions

Sup guys!

I know this is a little late but I haven't blogged in almost 3 months and that pretty much sucks like no other. I am feeling a bit hyper right now and I wanna blog about something but I just couldn't find anything new to talk about so I decided to just let you know how my KPop Starhunt audition went.




KPop Starhunt is a reality talent search on TV that looks for fresh KPop talents all around Asia. It is hosted by MNET and produced by Cube Entertainment, one of the most successful talent companies in South Korea, which manages 4minute, BEAST, and G.Na. They will pick two winners from each country and bring them to Korea for intensive training. Luckily, my country was one of the participating countries in the said competition and I was able to audition for it.
The online auditions in my country ended on September 4th and I was able to send them at least three videos and an audio file because I was just that paranoid that they wouldn't get it. But two days after the deadline, I received an e-mail from them and informed me that I was shortlisted.
Basically, they had online auditions and chose the top 150 people from thousands to get to the shortlist and advance to the 1st Round of the auditions. People who didn't get in the top 150 were still able to showcase themselves via walk-in audition at the ABS-CBN in Quezon City. Still, the feed backs from the walk-ins were pretty bad because their judges were tougher. There were almost 300 walk-ins, and only two made it to the Top 17.
Since I was shortlisted, it was easier for me to showcase myself because we were allowed to use audio materials for our dance routines, unlike the walk-ins. However, it was really nerve-wrecking to sing, rap and dance in front of the judges: Ms. Hapee Sy, Mr. Park Jae Hyun from Cube Entertainment Rookie Department, Mr. Kim Jong Min from MNET, and Mr. Eddy Tan from tvN. It felt like the whole world was on top of me.



The photo above is the setting in the studio where the 1st round took place. The judges sat there.
They called in auditioners by 3 people per batch. When we got in, we were asked to introduce ourselves and get on with our performance. I told them I was going to sing, dance and rap. I was only able to sing the chorus part of my piece, rap the first verse of my rap song, and dance the first verse of my routine. I was satisfied. After our performance, they immediately announced who got in and who didn't. The two of my batch mates didn't make it, and I was jumping with joy when Mr. Eddy Tan told me, "You, we will see you tomorrow in the 2nd round."
He sticked a "KPop Starhunt 2" sticker on my back and gave me a t-shirt.



Apparently, 17 people were picked to advance to the 2nd round of auditions, which was held in Glorietta Activity Center the next day. Two of them are from the walk-in audition, and the rest were shortlisted. My friend, kuya Val Libea, also made it. He is the Jay Park of the Philippines, as we name him.



Last season, Rince Cajucom from the Philippines bagged the 1st place in the KPop Starhunt. I was able to meet him last April 1st at the Kfest in Meralco Ave. because we were both guest performers and judges. We met again at the audition venue. He also watched the whole audition process. It was nice of him to come because he actually showed support for the new hopefuls.

After the auditions, the top 17, with me included, were called to the studio for a brief interview. The Korean crews were kind of fond of me because I answer their questions in Korean as much as I could. I also took a picture with the two of the staff and Ms. Hapee Sy.

Unfortunately, the next day, I wasn't able to get to the Top 2, who will be going to Korea to train. But I am definitely happy for Sheila Ona and Liah Flores for making it to the Top 2! Make the Philippines proud!
It was heart-breaking at first, since this was my only wish on my 18th birthday last September 5th, but I eventually understood that they were looking for something that I don't have and maybe a criteria that they actually need for the show. I made new friends and that is one of the reasons why joining contests is good. Not only you get to increase your experiences in stuff like that, you also get to expand your network by knowing new people. I even made friends with peeps from Pampanga! Shout out to Pearl, Star and Hideki!
I am happy that I tried it out. I would have regret it if I didn't. It was a great experience and I will definitely try out again next season.
Oh and by the way, the show airs in October 2012! For more information, visit their website here.
That's all for now, guys! I hope I come across blog-worthy events in the near future because I really enjoy talking about stuff.
If you want me to talk about something, please feel free to leave a comment below!
Sincerely,
Karla Maye Carreon

My Kanta Pilipinas Audition Experience

So today was the Kanta Pilipinas Audition at SM North Edsa. Unfortunately, considering my credentials, I was turned down.

Let me tell you guys something about me. Last July 2011, I joined the World Championships of Performing Arts in Los Angeles, California, and was awarded with four Silver Medals, making me a Multi-Silver Medalist. Recording companies in LA also showed interest in me, but due to my brief stay in California, we had to turn it down.

My dream didn't end there. That same year, I went back to the Philippines to join Pinoy KPop Star, held at the Korean Cultural Center, and got the grand prize. By winning the contest, I became the Representative of the Philippines at the KPop World Festival that was held in Changwon, South Korea, organized by one of the biggest TV Stations in Korea, KBS. Giving everything I've got, I bested 21 teams from 16 different countries and brought pride to my country.

Just today, my self-confidence suddenly plummeted to earth when I got rejected at the Pre-Screening of Kanta Pilipinas. See, I've been preparing for this audition ever since I saw the TV Ad, which was aired, like, two months ago. I've put in a lot of effort in preparing for this audition. I've always wanted to make it here in my country. And it shocks me more than anything to think that I flunked already at the first phase. Come to think of it, I am a Multi-Silver Medalist at the World Championships of Performing Arts, and a KPop World Festival Grand Champion in the Vocal Category, not bragging or anything, and I got rejected at a NATIONAL COMPETITION. Can you imagine how I feel? It feels like they just spitted on my trophies and medals.

The pre-screening was held at the "parking lot", which means no one would be able to hear your voice clear with the blowing horns of jeepneys surrounding the area. I've been auditioning for contests since forever and this was the first time I ever experienced this kind of system. I don't think it's fair. Plus, they didn't even take a look at my application form, which I think is pretty necessary when it comes to auditions like these. To add to that, I don't even have any idea who the judges were. I mean, who are they to reject me and the others?

Look at Charice. She wasn't appreciated that much when she was here. Now that she made it to the international spotlight, everyone is proud of her. I'm not saying that we shouldn't be. My point is that Filipinos in the Music Industry should LEARN how to appreciate REAL TALENT and not as a last resort. Hindi niyo papansinin sa Pilipinas, pero pag sumikat sa ibang bansa, todo angkin. Wag ganun.

Just to let everyone know, everything is fine with me. If they didn't like me, then okay. I'm not gonna push myself. But Kanta Pilipinas failed at the audition. What more if it's the actual show? The show hasn't even started yet, but it gained a lot of haters because of the pathetic audition system.

Today, I lost my faith and all my hopes for the Philippine Music Industry.

My Acts Academy Class Card

So I attended my first KPOP Dance Class at the Acts Academy yesterday and look what I got. My class card.

I know. Sorry for my crappy hand writing. Blame the crappy pen.

So far, I've only attended the KPOP Class. I only have 11 more until I finish all my sessions.

Yesterday, we started on Bubble Pop by Hyun A, which is a very fun routine. I came 10 minutes early, and I thought I was the only one who enrolled for the KPop dance class. After 10 minutes or so, another student arrived, and another. Basically, there were only the three of us. I'm expecting four today since my friend from the Inspirit group on Facebook will be attending later. Finally, someone to talk to while on breaks.

And I also have to remind myself to bring a water bottle. I don't wanna buy a 15 peso bottled water again. It's not in the budget.

KPOP World Festival 2011 in Changweon, South Korea

It's been weeks! And I feel really bad for not updating my blog right away. I've got so much to tell and share. So to be organized, I'm going to split my story into days. See, we had activities everyday, and it was so hectic that we we're sleep deprived. It was an amazing race kind of competition. Although I didn't really feel the competition. Quite irony.

I'll start off by sharing that I won the Pinoy KPOP Star 2011, held here in the Philippines last October 8. Result? I will represent the Philippines in the KPOP World Festival this December. And December came without me feeling it. It flew real fast but I was thankful that my song wasn't that hard compare to the songs I sang in the World Championships of Performing Arts. A once every three days practice did it.

Day 1 - Manila to Seoul

We took off at midnight on Asiana Airlines, bound for Incheon Airport in Seoul, South Korea. It was exciting since it was my first time flying on Asiana, let alone going to Korea. Although the excitement I felt didn't actually show on my face because it was midnight, and I needed sleep. So I slept all throughout the flight, and when I woke up, we had arrived.

The moment I stepped out of the aircraft, I felt like I entered a really huge freezer and started shaking. Was it really this cold? I looked at the bright side that it's only the air conditioner that's doing this, but I asked ate Jenny, one of my insulja, if the outside temperature was that cold too. She said, no, the airport was actually using heaters. I dropped my jaw. It was the coldest place I've ever been to, and it was shocking that the outside temp was colder.

When we went out to the arrival area, two guys wearing black jackets with a big "STAFF" print on their backs were holding a camera for filming, and a big sign that says, "KPOP World Festival 2011. Welcome to Korea!"

So you see, I was only wearing my Hello Kitty jacket and a scarf. Basically, if I go out wearing only those, I'd freeze myself to death.

We waited for a few minutes for Vietnam. Their flight is close to ours so I guess that's pretty wise, waiting for them. When they arrived, I felt really bad for myself since they all wore things that looked really KPOP-ish: printed jeans, Bruno Mars hat and other stuff. While me, I sat there, wearing jeans, shirt, jacket, Chucks and nothing else. I looked like a typical human being. xD

So we headed out to Yeouido Hotel after Vietnam's arrival. The staff were nice enough to lend us their jackets because the temp was really out of this world! Well, at least for a Filipino like me. We don't have winter seasons, so my body was really sucking the cold air like mad. We traveled for like an hour on the bus with Vietnam, and on the way, they kept on talking. It was the most interesting language I ever heard. Eventually, I learned that in Vietnamese, the tone changes the meaning. That explains a lot.

We arrived at the Yeouido Hotel at around 6am, without any proper sleep. Before I tried to sleep, I scanned the television in the Hotel room with ate Tech, and found a channel that plays music videos. There they were, the INFINITE. I'd no idea who they were, no idea that I will be as addicted to them as I am now. I watched them as I slept, ignoring the fact the I have to wake up as early as 12nn for lunch.

The next day, a.k.a. 5 hours later, my insulja's woke me up and we assembled at the lobby with the other participants from other countries. The lobby was jam packed with people wearing orange jackets: jackets that were provided to us by the organizers. The lobby was full of people I had only seen online. I've watched some of their performances through Korea.net and I was a bit shaken because there they were, a few inches away from me. Some were practicing their dances, but most of them were just sitting and waiting. Just like me.

We ate lunch at a buffet. It was one of the most neat buffets I've ever been to. The ambiance was so nice, and I'm thankful for the heaters. I stuffed my face with unfamiliar food and we left afterwards.

Back to the hotel room, we were given time to practice our pieces BUT with a camera filming us. It was a bit embarrassing because I've never practiced with a stranger holding a camera before. But after a few minutes, I eventually got the hang of it. I danced, I sang, I fangirl-ed in front of the cam, saying a few Korean phrases from time to time which makes the interviewer a bit hyped up and also a bit disappointed that I couldn't hold a Korean conversation. It was fun though. After like 20 minutes or so, she left our room. That was in the afternoon, and the next schedule wasn't until that night, so we had free time. We went to Yeouido park, and to the family mart, and that was the first time I ever tasted the heavenly taste of Banana Uyu.

I had two bottles that day, or three. I can't even remember.

That night was the elimination. Only 10 out of the 21 teams are to perform in the finals, so we had an elimination. I sang Byeol by Youmi, which was also my contest piece, and I'm happy that I sang it well. Although I was a little bit embarrassed for forgetting what I was about to say before I perform. >.< It was in Korean, and I'm a Filipino. I guess that's considerable.

So yes, the other teams got a lot of exposures because a lot of media men gathered around them. I sat there, waiting to go home. Haha. I was tired, and I lacked sleep. So I wasn't really showing myself off. We had dinner before going back to the hotel. And before I shove myself under the sheets, I finished a bottle of Banana uyu, and a bar of Hersheys: a little reward for myself for doing a good job.

Day 2 - Idol Mentoring and Announcement of Finalists

The next day, we woke up late. We were told to gather at the lobby at 8am, and me and my insuljas woke up at 8am. So we didn't have time to even process that we were already awake. We went down the lobby and went out for breakfast.

That afternoon was the best afternoon of my life. We went to the Starship Entertainment building to meet a few stars. Sistar, Boyfriend and K.Will. So when we arrived, we went straight to the training room, and the staff told us to dance. They played Sistar's So Cool and just right around the chorus, the Japan team, who were standing across the room, started screaming. I wondered why, so I looked at where they were looking. They were looking at the door, screaming and shouting, and I saw Dasom peeking. DASOM! The girl from Sistar. When the other teams started noticing her, everyone freaked out! So the staff let the Sistar in, followed by Boyfriend and K.Will. I was really starstruck.

(I'm the one with the bonnet.)

I screamed at the top of my lungs, but then I remembered that the finals will be on the next day, and if ever I got in, I would perform. So I saved my voice and just flashed my biggest smile with my left hand hiding it.

They started talking about things I never understood. They talked in Korean without any translators, so I just stood there and smiled and nodded and laughed. Awkward.

The downside was I never got a picture with Sistar, K.Will and Boyfriend. It was not allowed. Although other teams got a picture with some of them. I wasn't just that delinquent enough. Haha. Afterwards, we were divided into two, and I was in K.Will's group. Quite right because K.Will taught us to sing properly and gave us a few tips. He spoke in Korean, and I'm happy there was a translator.

I was with teams Vietnam, Chile, Poland, Germany, England, USA and China.

After the mentoring, they announced the finalists! It was scary! I was so nervous and I was shaking. They called in the first, second, third, fourth finalists. Still no. Fifth, sixth, seventh. Nope. I lost hope. Only 10. ONLY TEN. And we were, what, 21? I started thinking about what to post on Facebook. An apologetic status, maybe. I was composing a speech to say to my parents, a speech apologizing for not doing my best. Then they called in the eighth, and my heart stopped when they said, "PHILIPPINES!" I slipped and landed on the floor because of joy, forgetting everything I thought of.

When the announcement was over, I hugged my insuljas and started crying. My eyes were leaking so bad. Everyone flashed in my mind: my parents, my sister, my grand parents, my titos and titas, my cousins, my friends. I thought I would totally make them proud. After crying, I started dancing I Am The Best of 2NE1 with my friends and red eyes. We were totally the best. Media men gathered around, and started asking questions. How do I feel? What can I say? I said everything I felt in rapid English. It was one of the happiest afternoons in my life.

That night, we were off to Changweon and we traveled for 5 hours. Before I slept on the bus, I finished another bottle of banana uyu. God, I love it so much.

Day 3 - The Finals

We arrived in Changweon and slept a bit. After a few hours of sleep, we woke up for breakfast, and set off for the Changweon Town Tour. We went somewhere very traditional. Traditional houses and other traditional stuff. I enjoyed it. That was also the time when I started making friends with the other teams, particularly Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Vietnam and France.

After the tour, we left for the dome where the finals took place. There was already a long line of audience, waiting to enter the dome. The fun part of it was when we acted like we were the KPOP Stars, and those were our fans. We wore shades, and hid our faces and shouted "HIDE! Paparazzis are everywhere!" It was sort of true! Media men followed us wherever we go, so it felt somewhat real. It was fun times.

We started the technical rehearsals and the sound system was really good! After my rehearsal, I was called to the dressing room for my wardrobe, make up and hair style. Then, rehearsals again. Afterwards, I rested, and drank tea from Steven, from NYC. I thanked him for it because it really helped me open up my throat. I waited for the event to start, with interviews from time to time. The show started without me knowing it, so I freaked out! I was like "It's starting already?! HOW COME I DON'T KNOW!?" Haha. So I went to peek at the stage, and there were KPOP Stars already performing. I thought I should prepare already. So I said my little prayer of thanks, and asked for support and guidance.

When it was my turn to perform, there was the INFINITE behind me. I didn't know that they were next after my performance. (I'm spazzing while I'm typing this part. Srsly.) I got up on stage and started performing. The audience was HUGE! More or less 10,000 people were there. It was the biggest audience I ever had. It was also heart warming since they were waving their light sticks to the beat of my song. I bowed after I finished the song and went down the stage. My insuljas hugged my tight and gave me a thumbs up for a good performance. I was contented. I thought, even if I don't win, I'm happy that I got the chance to perform on a stage like that, and in front of a crowd like that.

I went to the audience to join them watching INFINITE perform Naekkeo Haja and Paradise, and seriously, I died. They were so handsome! They were so good! They are what I call REAL performers. They were charismatic, and I was under their spell. After their performance, I went to the backstage to see them, and fortunately, I got a picture with 성규 and 성열!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! I'm so happy.

INFINITE were so nice. I said, "Annyeong haseyo, can we take a picture?" and Seong Gyu and Seong Yeol nodded with a smile and said, "Where's the camera?" with a very funny accent. Haha! They were so cute! And so kind to their fans. *cough*Unlike Boyfriend*cough*. And I totally freaked out when ate Tech told me that while I was performing, all of INFINITE members were watching my performance real closely. O___O I am so happy that they were paying attention. And I just realized that I should be happier since they actually know of my existence. They actually know that I exist and there is someone like me. At least I have a little space in their memory. Haha.

So yeah, when they announced the winners, it was funny because they said everything in Korean. So all of the participants had no idea what they were saying, except for Steven from NYC, who was fluent in Hangeul. Otherwise, the rest of us looked at each other with questioning looks. They announced the Philippines and Kazakhstan last, so we assumed that we were the champions. Confetti covered us, and Ring Ding Dong by SHINee started playing.

After the event, a bunch of media men gathered again, with numerous cameras and lapels, and our translators around us- Ate Jenny, in my case. They asked the most common question, "How do you feel?" Of course, I had only one answer to that. I was so happy. So happy that I made another big win, and so happy that I made my family and the whole Philippines proud.

We had dinner at the fifth floor. Not really dinner. There were only finger foods, so I helped myself on barefoot. I couldn't take my heels anymore. I wore it all afternoon and all night, so I gave it up. Good thing ate Tech was kind to let me borrow her shoes. She wore my heels, and I wore her shoes. Haha. Another series of interviews occurred, and the questions kept on repeating that I memorized my answers to every one of them.

When we got back to the hotel, most of the participants were all worn out. But me, not really. I invited some of still hyped participants to the noraebang, or KTV. I said I would pay for it, as a little treat for winning the contest. We went to the noraebang just across the street and sang our lungs out. From 11pm, to 4am. We were crazy. It was so fun. I never thought we would be THAT close to each other.

Day 4 - Back to Seoul and Seoul City Tour

The next day, we went back to Seoul and had a city tour. Seoul was super cold that day. It was -4 degrees celsius, so we had to really cover up ourselves and stay warm. So we kept on talking and chatting and laughing, which actually made no difference because the cold was really going mad by the second.

Of course, the media never left us. I guess we had interviews every 10 steps, and we were told to say We Love Korea and We Love KPOP a hundred times a day. It was tiring, but we really do love Korea, so it was fine. We toured the palace in Seoul, and left for Myeongdong.

Myeongdong is like Seoul's down town. Shopping centers were there and it was the best place for tourists like us. So I went straight to the CD store to buy albums of my favorite KPOP Artists. I bought Sistar's, SHINees's, and 2NE1's albums. I purposely didn't buy Boyfriend's album maybe because I have a little hate with them. Haha. Just a little.

After that, we went for dinner, and the saddest part of the event happened. We had to leave each other already, and we didn't even have time to say our proper goodbyes. What is time?

They brought us to the traditional Korean house for our Hanok experience. It was okay. It's like living in the past in Korea. The temp was cold, but the warm flooring of the house made us feel better. We shared the house with NYC, LA, England, and Prague: Steven, Tara, Cherelle and the sisters from Prague. We didn't sleep that night. We just talked, and laughed and pigged out because the fridge was packed with food and drinks!! FREE FOOD! YAY. I ate two cups of noodles, bunch of oreos and drank coffee... in the middle of the night. We shared experiences, and talked about our countries and our accents. It was sooooo fun. That's why it really broke my heart when we had to leave Korea the next day.

Our flight was in the morning, so we weren't able to say goodbye to the others before we leave. It's so depressing. We only had almost 4 days with each other. Time flew so fast. I had made so very good friends with them, and I am hoping that I will see them again someday, somewhere in my whole lifetime. I promised the gang that I will meet them again before I get married. Not so harsh because I thought "before I die" first. But oh well, I miss them.

Overall, the KPOP World Festival didn't only give me such good experiences, but it also gave me such good friends from different places around the globe. It was only 4 days, but it was the best 4 days of my life and I would trade a memory to live it again.

Please watch the KPOP World Festival on December 30, 6pm Korea Time on KBS2. It will be a 2 hour special and I'm really looking forward to it!

Merry Christmas everyone!

SHINee's Taemin

Okay. I'm currently in a trance. Lee Taemin of SHINee is just so.. I don't know.

First, I'm not really a SHINee fan, but while I was at the Korean Cultural Center, they have this big LCD screen on the wall with SHINee's Lucifer Music Video playing. I was like, "WHO IS THIS HOT GUY WITH LONG BLOND HAIR?" He dances really oh-my-gosh-ish and his voice is like DOPE!! I hate to say this but I think I'm fan girl-ing over him. And he is like what- 18? HOORAY. Finally, someone awesome near my age. *Insert hysterical laugh here*

Second, he looks like Kamiki Ryunosuke, except that I think he is taller than Kamiki, and MORE TALENTED. <3

So, I guess I'm gonna have to say good bye for now to Devon Bostick, until the Diary of a Wimpy Kid 3 comes out. Lee Taemin, you are love. 사랑해대민!

Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder

A lot of you may have heard of this disorder, and there is also a possibility that you haven't. The name of the disorder is pretty much self-explanatory: people who have this disorder is hyperactive and impulsive, and most of the time, smart. It takes a lot of effort to deal with people with ADHD, because they are unique and special. I was going to say weird, but no, I realized they are not weird. They are not abnormal. They are what I call people with ADHD. It's just another classification of human beings for me. And having no ADHD doesn't mean you are normal. It's that you are a few percent more stupid than people who have them.

I have a 9-year-old cousin who has this disorder, and his tantrums on a daily basis is getting on my nerves once in a while. But I realized I should know better. I came up with the idea of dancing silly in front of him, which actually works. It immediately changes his mood from whining to laughing hysterically. Sometimes, it fails, since he would realize that he looked stupid by laughing while tearing up, and he would shout at me saying, "I HATE YOU! What if someone else sees me laughing while crying?! They'll think I'm crazy!" I love the fact that he cares about what people would think. On the contrary, he shouldn't be shouting that loud if he really did. But most of the time, my plan pulls off.

Yesterday, my aunt, the mother of my cousin who has ADHD, got home from work and told us about what happened to her in the Jeepney on her way home. She said she was almost victimized by the las-las gang. Las-las gang is basically a group of thieves who have the same lame and stupid strategy of stealing your things. They would sit beside you in the jeep, and start slashing on the hems of your bag that will let them able to get your things. My aunt was nearly victimized, thanks to the passengers of the jeep who were mostly men. They were aware of the blade that the culprit held.

So there, that was my aunt's story yesterday. The good thing was that her things weren't stolen, and the downside was that we shouldn't have told it to my cousin. It got on his nerves, he raged, shouted, whined, screamed, went upstairs, shouted some more, went back downstairs, shouted some more, and went back upstairs, and shouted some more. I was going crazy. Even if I was in the bathroom taking a shower, I could hear him curse those frustrated thieves. I was thinking he freaked out like that because it's either he didn't want anyone touching his mother, or he hate criminals. Perhaps both.

When I was done taking a shower, I wasn't surprised at all. My cousin was all calmed down, and there he was, watching Kung Fu Panda and inviting me to watch it with him. That was one of the good things about people with ADHD. They immediately forget they were in a bad mood.

I was wondering if I also have ADHD, or I am just a crazy freak trying to look like I have it because of Percy Jackson. I assume I don't have it. Because if I did, I would have shouted at my cousin when he shouted at me in the first place.

First Lady of the Republic of Korea Kim Yoon-ok Meet and Greet

So I met with the South Korean First Lady the other day and I was so spazzed! It was such an honor to perform for the first lady and I'm really glad she liked my performance.

"The girl who sang a while ago has a very soft and beautiful voice. I hope to see her perform again when I come back here in the Philippines."

That's what the translator said.

There was a meet and greet at the first part of event, where we were able to ask the first lady a few questions we had in mind. (I asked her if she knew any Filipino words, and she said she wasn't prepared. Haha.) Well, all of the other people who were invited in the event could definitely speak in Korean. I was a little bit out of place when they started talking to the First Lady in Korean, so I just laughed and clapped. Talk about awkwardness.

The second part of the event was the mini concert, where I performed first, and I was followed by the Off Crew Limits from Bulacan. Those guys were so dope.

Then, to end the event, we had a picture taking, one formal and one candid. The First Lady was so cool that she did a candid pose! Plus, she said she wanted us to be comfortable around her. She clearly didn't want awkwardness hanging around.

The odd part of the event was we weren't allowed to take pictures with her using our own cameras. So I haven't had any. But, fortunately, someone was able to take a photo when the performers, basically me and the Off Limits Crew, were asked to take a picture with the first lady. How lucky are we?

So there. That day was really spazzing, seriously.

KPOP World Festival 2011 @ Korea.net

The website is officially up!

You can view the website here: KPOP World Festival 2011

As you click the link above, it will direct you to a website, and make sure you check out the Cheer Messages page by clicking on the second option on the home page of the website!

This is the Cheer Messages page where you can cheer for you favorite Team!

And CHECK. THIS. OUT.

PHILIPPINES IS LEADING! FTW!

Here are all the teams from all countries by the way.

And this one is my profile. You can view this on the website by clicking on the thumbnail below the "Philippines."

Alright. Notice my age just beside my name? It says I'm 18. Great. I'm an official adult in South Korea! And oh, my name is not Yumi. I remember that one of the commentators missed my name and thought my name's Yumi. Yumi is the singer of the song I sang, by the way. But oh, never mind.

I would like to thank all the people who left a cheer message for Team Philippines. Thank you so much guys. The online voting starts on November 21 and please, for goodness' sakes, please participate and vote for team Philippines! By voting, you'll get a chance to win amazing prizes!

That is all, folks. Much love from me. <3

Korea, here I come!

It's been weeks since I updated my blog. But here I am again!

So last October 8, I won the Pinoy KPOP Star 2011 in the Korean Cultural Center in Taguig. Here's the article by Jonathan Hicap of Manila Bulletin.

http://mb.com.ph/articles/338812/teen-jeddah-crowned-pinoy-kpop-star

It was a tough competition. All of the other finalists were so good, they sounded like they were Korean themselves. I was a bit conscious about myself because I was the only one who couldn't cope up with the rest of them. They were all like talking about KPOP singers that I'm familiar with, but never really heard them sing. I know the names alright. But I've no idea who they are.

We were 13 all in all. We were supposed to be 15, but 2 other contestants got disqualified for some passport issues. I felt bad for them. Anyway, we were 13 and I was the 9th contestant. The program went on smoothly but then there were some technical problems with some finalists. I think there was something wrong with their MRs. And guess what? The finalists who had technical problems were the finalists BEFORE me, and AFTER me. I was so tensed. It's like the bad luck skipped and missed me. Well, not really bad luck, but you get the point.

This is my performance that night. I sang Byul by Youme. This video is by Ate Dang, one of the awesome finalists on that night.

I was wearing a dress from Freeway and shoes from Payless. Only the shoes were from Saudi. Haha.

Now, after winning the title Pinoy KPOP Star, I'm gonna have to go to Korea this December to compete with the other teams from other countries. The event is called KPOP World Festival and I know it's gonna be so exciting. I just got the itinerary yesterday and the most exciting part of it was the Idol Mentoring! KPOP stars will sort of teach us stuff before we head to the finals. I just really hope 2NE1 will take part in it.

So there. That's just about every big event that's happened since I came back here in the Philippines.

PS: My mom got me a new Acer desktop. The downside of it was I can't seem to use it with an internet connection. The monitor goes blue. Basically, I use my aunt's mac book.

The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel Collection

YAY for my book collection of Flamel! I bought The Necromancer the other day and finished reading it last night and I had a total blast. Although I feel really bad for some of the characters because they had a terrible fate, I know in the end everything will be well.

So in the photo above, you can see the first four installments of the series which I have read already. I've read The Alchemyst and The Magician last December and The Sorceress around February this year. It just so happens that I got so busy since March up to August that I haven't had a time to buy and read the fourth book. The other day, we went to the bookstore and bought The Necromancer, which I have been eyeing on since May, together with the Do-It-Yourself Diary of a Wimpy kid for my cousin in the Philippines, 'cause I'm flying back home in a week!

All I can say about the fourth installment of the series is that among all the books from the series that I've read, this book is by far has the most excitement, thrill and romance in it. Well, not really romance but I got to discover that Elders also fall in love. I once thought they don't find these kinds of emotions useful and productive but yes, I found out that they can fall in love. In this book, a sudden turn of events also occured. I won't give away much of it, but I think it broke my heart when Aoife, twin sister of Scathach, had gone into a distant Shadowrealm just to pull the monster Archon, Coatlicue, with her and is gone forever. What makes it more sad is that she did it for her sister.

WHEW. I won't talk anymore. I tend to give out spoilers so, I'm zipping my mouth. Haha. That's just about it.

Pinoy KPOP Star 2011

I auditioned for Pinoy KPOP Star 2011 and some of the other contestants are against me because:

1. My video is a year old.

2. I have decent recording equipment.

WHAT THE HECK? SERIOUSLY? Let me give you my answers.

One, my video may be a year old but to tell you the truth I STILL SING THE SAME WAY I DID IN THE VIDEO. I sing the song almost every time. You don't know how much I loved the song. And if your concern is the views, it isn't the basis of the Popularity Award. According to the Facebook Page, the finalists' entries will be posted on the page, and the one who gets the most number of LIKES, as in FACEBOOK LIKES, will be awarded. And to clear things, I AM NOT AIMING FOR THE AWARD GUYS. If you want it, it's all yours. I'm not even aiming to win this competition. I just wanna try something new. I've been joining a LOT of singing competitions lately and this will be the first competition that I'm gonna join with a Korean song. So this is new for me.

Two, is it my fault that my dad tried his best to support my singing and provided me with the equipment I need? Seriously, guys. Even though it's not a live recording, THERE WERE NO EFFECTS USED. Yes, I did some overlays but it IS STILL ME. It is STILL MY VOICE. The back ups you hear? It's still me. And if you think it's unfair for those who don't have the equipment, it's not. They don't judge us by our equipment, they judge us by our voice quality, style and pronunciation. This is a singing competition, not a recording equipment competition for goodness' sake.

Why does everybody sees me as a cheater and an unfair contender? WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU GUYS? Why don't you just be happy for me? I'm a Filipino. We're all Filipinos. This freaking crab mentality is messing with us.

My 17th Birthday!

So I woke up this morning and got my Facebook exploding because of wall posts, comments and messages from my friends and relatives greeting and wishing me a happy birthday. I saw this coming, really. This happens every year if you have a Facebook account. Haha. It's very heart warming to know that there are a lot of people who would spend a few seconds of their lives just to stop by and post something on your wall. Some posted a simple happy birthday and some wished me good luck in life and in my career. Oh, and some also said they missed me. I missed them too, if they only knew.

Anyway, I am very happy right now because not only my friends and relatives greeted me a happy birthday, but also Devon Bostick, my favorite actor of all time.

My birthday is totally complete. :') This is a chance I get once in a while. It's not every time you get a reply from a Canadian celebrity. And not just a reply, it's more special since it's a birthday greeting. He is the first ever most famous celebrity who replied to me. And I love him because he tweets his fans and make them feel special in special occasions like this. Not the "love" for a boyfriend or whatever. It's the "love" for, like, a friend. I'm not dreaming of having him as, you know, a boyfriend. I'm a FAN. That's just it. Nothing more, nothing less. Just trying to clear things up because some fan girls tend to dream about being Dev's girl but pffft, not gonna happen. And I'm not one of them. I just thought he's the kind of dude I should be making friends with. I'm sort of a Rodrick Heffley at times. Haha.

And now I'm thinking, my cousin, Sid, will be so happy about this. I told him I have a contact with Devon via Twitter, and he's such a big fan of the wimpy movies. He couldn't believe the power of Twitter. Haha.

Anyway, THANK YOU SO MUCH TO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO GREETED ME A HAPPY BIRTHDAY! This is my 17th birthday, which marks my 17 years of existence (does that even made sense?). Thank you, God, for giving me another year in my life. I'm gonna prove to you that I'm your child. :)

I can't believe I'm already THIS old btw. It seems only yesterday when I entered high school, and I was 12. Dang, now I'm 17. That was 5 years ago! Time flies so fast. I have to stop and take a look around. I don't wanna miss it.

Matt Rivera on Twitter

Okay so I've been freaking out a while ago because Matt Rivera greeted me an Advance Happy Birthday on Twitter!

AAAAND I promoted him and we talked like close buddies do. I am so freaking out. I mean, he's such a nice guy, replying to his mentions on Twitter. I hope I make friends with him. He's got swag.

Different time zones suck big time.

Don't you think having different time zones with your friends and family sucks so much?

I live here in Saudi Arabia, which is GMT+3, and almost all of my friends left for the Philippines. Most of my relatives live there too and some of my friends are in the US and Europe.

I was chatting with my girl best friend a while ago and I really did suck at math. She asked me if I'm gonna be online for the whole day today and I told her no, I'll be off by 3pm here, or 6pm there. I added only 3 freaking hours to the local time here. I was stupid I didn't notice it should be PLUS 5, not 3. Time difference blows my mind.

And just last August 22, a boy best friend of mine left for England, which is 2 hours earlier than the local time. He hasn't tweeted me since 23. Do you think it's the time difference or something else?

Plus, my friends in Delano, California have been sending me text messages via Viber and I'm not receiving them at the right time. It's always delayed. And it's almost the total opposite. When I wake up in the morning, they're getting ready for bed. When I'm getting ready for bed, they're just about to start their day. What sucks more than that?

Lastly, this mental relationship with Devon Bostick is getting harder and harder every minute. He tweets early in the morning, while I sleep soundly. And when I'm awake, he stops tweeting and starts filming Diary of a Wimpy Kid 3: Dog Days in Vancouver. Just the other day, he tweeted A LOT of his fans. And you know what I hate about it? I wasn't online. I wasn't on twitter. I was even sleeping. He tweeted them at 8am, I woke up at 11am. Geez this is heavy.



Basically, time difference sucks more than anything.

Writing stories.

I get frustrated. A LOT.

I've been blogging for years and been writing a lot of different stories since I was 7. Now I'm 16, I always get this frustrated feeling of not finishing a single story line. It's either I get a writer's block, I get lazy or I'm out of words. Every time a good story line comes up, I start writing and eventually get stuck in the middle of the story, clueless of what would I wanna write next. I hate it so much. At this moment, that feeling is coming back at me again. The feeling that I wanna write a story. A story about my dream last night. It was actually an awesome dream to base a story from. I never would have thought of anything like it at all. Only I don't know how to start it off, or how should the story go beyond what I dreamt of.

Oh well, I guess I better try writing about it anyway. It might end the way I never would've expected.

Chocolate topped Biscuits!

Made these yesterday because I was bored. And hungry. And bored.

Ingredients:

Butter (like 2 teaspoons. idk I just eyed on it.)

1 bar of Cadbury milk chocolate or any chocolate

Biscuits

Procedure:

1. Put the chocolate and butter in a small bowl (make sure the chocolate is chopped to pieces so it'll melt fast) and put it it in the microwave. Let it melt for 1 minute and stir it every 15 seconds to avoid burning, 'cause burnt chocolate sucks. It smells so bad, trust me.

2. Get the melted chocolate from the microwave (be careful 'cause it's gonna be hot) and stir it again to achieve the consistency you wanted.

3. Top it on your biscuits, and if you fancy, put on some sprinkles or small marshmallows or whatever you like. You can also put it in the refrigerator to harden the chocolate (it tastes better).

It's easy. Easy as 1-2-3. ;)

My Los Angeles cap. :(

Lost this cap in Bakersfield in California. :( I loved this cap so much. I bought it in a store in Macy's in Los Angeles for $10. And I lost it for some serious reason: my fingers were shut stuck in the car door by my friend in Delano. It was epic. It hurt, but it was a funny remembrance from them. Haha. I still can't get over this cap however.

Tween Hearts? SERIOUSLY?

Okay. Are you guys familiar with this TV Show on GMA, Tween Hearts? If you are, what do you think?

What I think about it is..

SRSLY? Is there even a school in the Philippines with a uniform like theirs? Long sleeves with blazers, short skirts and long socks. Are you guys kidding me? The Philippines is a tropical country. We don't need long sleeves with blazers as a uniform. We don't wanna sweat our armpits like heck.

And the bullies. Personally, I haven't experienced being bullied since it's not really a thing Filipinos do. But in Tween Hearts? They're like, wth? Obviously they are copying whatever they saw in Korean and Japanese dramas. Srsly, guys. I haven't encountered anyone who is as mean as the girls in Tween Hearts. ANOTHER THING is that not everybody can relate to whatever the story is trying to tell. If you watch the show, there are teens who, like, go to starbucks or whatever coffee shop that is, and sit and chill like they have no life. And all they're talking about is their LOVE LIFE. I CAN'T EVEN. ASDFGHJKL. There are more important things to talk about than that kind of shit. It will be more relevant if they are talking about saving money just so they can pay their tuition fees or even buy a book they'd love to read. Typical teenage Filipinos don't do it like them. Tween Hearts dudes aren't doing it right. They don't even act like a Filipino.

AND YEAH, some of the the actresses and actors are like, 13 years old? 14? Whatever. Our generation sucks. We should be thinking about our STUDIES and not LOVE LIVES. We should be thinking about paying back our parents because they are giving us a favor sending us to school. We go to school to LEARN, not to flirt. I mean, it's a good and normal thing to have a crush on someone or even fall for them, but you have to know your limitations. Crush, love, no problem. But making your world revolve around it? That's no good. Basically, the show Tween Hearts, which everyone finds very nakakakilig, very inspiring, very funny whatsoever, is actually a bad influence on teens, well, at least in my opinion.

C'mon GMA. I've been watching your shows for years. Please give us, teens, some TV show we can learn something from. Something that'll make us do our best in school and in other aspects of our teenage years. Please don't make us expect for a love life like that. Make us expect for a good future ahead of us. Inspire us to be good citizens of the Philippines, and not some happy-go-lucky ass who doesn't know anything but Starbucks, boyfriend/girlfriend, gimicks, and some other unnecessary shit. Hope you get my point.

No hard feelings. Just saying.

PS: I'm not hating on the show. I just think that there are A LOT OF ROOM for improvement.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules

You're probably wondering if this movie also sucked like the first one. I thought so too. I guess we were wrong. Thank goodness I was bored in the plane to Abu Dhabi and I decided to watch this movie. I had too many options, Kung Fu Panda 2, Sucker Punch, Wall E, etc. But THIS one caught my attention. I saw the movie poster and there was Greg, standing right next to someone SEXY. It was Rodrick, his older brother in the first movie who made his life miserable. I was like, "This guy's something." And so I watched it.

And from that day on, I've developed this irrevocable obsession over Devon Bostick, a.k.a Rodrick Heffley. Devon, why'd you have to be so badly awesome and cute? He's 19 btw. Turning 20 this November 13. Just saying. Haha.

Anyway, this is a must watch movie since it's a story about sibling rivalry, which is one of the most common problems of parents these days. You gotta love it. It's comic, realistic and funny as heck. Sometimes sexy because of Devon Bostick. ;) And oh, watch this and you will know about Rodrick's rules to an easy life. I'm sure it works. LOL.

World Championships of Performing Arts 2011!

This is a late post, so sorry!

Any, I got back here in Jeddah just last week, on August 4, from Los Angeles, California. I had a blast in the worlds! It was an amazing experience and I would not trade it with anything. It was my first time in joining an international performing arts competition and it really was a memorable event.

I arrived in LAX on July 14 and spent the day in Delano, where my family's friends live. The next day, we went back straight to LA, to the Westin Bonaventure Hotel, where the worlds took place. I was a bit late. When we arrived, the registration area was empty! Well, of course the staff were there, waiting for late registrations. So I went in and told them my name. The funny thing is, they thought I was in the Junior Category because of my freaking height! I know. If I wasn't in the mood, they would have got into my nerves. And I think that's a good start, them noticing me because of my unusual, usual for Asians, height.

That day, I met the delegates from Qatar and the rest of the Philippine Team. Unexpectedly, they were nice. One of my expectations is that other teams will be awkwardly mean to me, but no. They even became my buddies in LA! Now, I sort of miss everyone of them.

Whew, I don't know if I can tell every single detail about the worlds but one thing I know is that I enjoyed it so much. I won 4 silver medals for my 4 entries. I basically flunked one of my entries because of some reasons, I failed to sing it. I was so sorry. Haha! But I'm happy with what I got. I'm proud with what I achieved. I gave one of my medals to FAME, Filipino Artiste Migrant Ensemble, my org, to thank them for the support and love. Without them, I wouldn't have made it in Los Angeles.

That's me with Hariette and Glee Nette, from Qatar and the Philippines. More photos on my Facebook!

I would like to thank everyone who supported me in this competition. Thank you so much for all your support and just so you know, you all are my motivations to keep on singing. Thanks to my parents who pushed me to the top, scolded me when I don't practice, and kept on raising my spirits. To my fans, thank you so much for the lucks and congratulations and love you've given me. To FAME, thank you so much to all of you. You guys are my second family here in Jeddah. And also, to God, for giving me this talent to make my grandparents happy, especially my lola, who just undergone a surgery yesterday. I can't describe how touched I am when I learned that she listened to my songs right before she went into the operating room. I am happy that the surgery was successful. I hope she recovers as soon as possible. :)

That's all folks! Have a good day and God Bless you all. <3