Seoul Searching

I have delayed this blog for 2 reasons.

Reason number 1: School has taken up most of my schedule, therefore, I have procrastinated.
Reason number 2: I am going back to Seoul.

Seoul, South Korea, is the hub of KPop, KHorror and Koreanovellas. But I for one, became hooked not just because of these reasons, but I have been to Seoul myself. I could proudly say, my stay in Seoul for 5 days have definitely left an imprint my heart and my mind. Like what my good friend Ergem Augusto said: "I have been Koreanized!"

Before you go to Seoul, a must-have for any traveller is a VISA. Without it, you cannot go PERIOD. If you plan on shopping there, prepare your WALLET. Seoul is beautiful, but the cost of living is a bit high so I suggest not only to pack your bags but also your wallet.

South Korea boasts of great places like: Nami Island (where Winter Sonata was shot), Jeju Island (where Secret Garden was shot, though I haven't been there personally) and Busan (the gadget capital of South Korea). These places are accessible by bus, train or car (if you could rent one).

Despite my 5-day stay in South Korea, I LOVE the place. And I really do plan on going back there. As for photos, I will be posting them next time I decided not to become lazy about it.

A visit from the Martha Stewart of the Philippines

Last Tuesday, SPOON had the most entertaining visit. It was none other than Ms. Tessie Tomas of Teysi ng Tahanan. I remember her from my childhood as Mrs. Barbara Tengco of Abangan ang Susunod na Kabanata. My, she’s ageless… Her guest appearance on Spoon definitely lightened the afternoon. I also watched her show Teysi ng Tahanan, where she reminded of Martha Stewart. She shared to everyone on the set that she'd make sure that the ingredients are surely followed, because she acquired this trait from her mom. Here are some photos from that shoot:

A glimpse into a critique’s life

Few weeks back, Tuesday gave the SPOON set a special treat. It was a guest not to be taken lightly for he critiques shows and movies. I’m talking about Butch Francisco of course!!!!

He came in the set, even if he was tired and he was enjoying every minute of the shoot! Talk about nonstop energy! He told the staff that he’s an avid fan of Spoon (which of course was a compliment). Saying: “Once you’ve watched Spoon, you’re addicted…” He even shared some tidbits about himself that he usually does not divulge to everyone. I’ve learned myself that he has lived a simple life and he had gone through trials himself like any other individual. Cleaning other people’s houses just to get by while surviving Harvard! (Not an easy feat I tell you!) It was a definite learning experience for me meeting him and I guess, for everyone as well. Here are some photos from the shoot:

The heat is on SPOON!

Who doesn’t love Broadways?!?! From Les Miserables, Cats, West Side Story, and the list go on. One of my favorites of all time is Miss Saigon, as of April 2009 the 10^th longest running Broadway musical. This Broadway tells the story of two fated lovers Kim and Chris before the Fall of Saigon. But enough about Kim and Chris… My recent SPOON visit focuses on one of Miss Saigon’s cast: Gigi played by none other than Isay Alvarez.

It was fun to know some tidbits about her personally. She even shared the moments when she stayed in London and people from production made it possible that her daughter joins her there! Imagine that?!? I won’t spoil more details of that episode shoot. Just watch it this coming SPOON episode. Here are some photos from that shoot:

Night out with the Queens...

She has survived…

Spoon’s guest last Tuesday was special. In every way, she has battled it out and had survived cancer. And Bibeth Orteza has shown that despite the illness she has survived. I admire such bravery for I have read about so many cancer patients on the newspaper, some even succumb to their end, some even have lived to tell the tale, but in the end, it was the support of family and friends that kept them going. For me she’s a hero and a queen. A queen who has survived a battle against cancer and lived to tell the tale and share to others.

Talk of the Queens

After Ms. Bibeth Orteza’s taping, the red carpet was rolled out for another queen. It was Ms. Evangeline Pascual who later graced our sets with her presence. A former beauty pageant titlist holder, she shares to everyone that it’s not easy being in a beauty pageant. Not only do you have to have the looks but the brains as well. She was giving out advice on the subject of pageants: how you should stand, talk, walk among other things. I actually learned a lot from her (not that I wanted to join a pageant myself). She was really smart and beautiful both inside and out (no wonder she won!)

Here are some photos from that shoot:

Blogging at the mall... traipsing with the camera

Friday, your last day of the week and next to the weekend days. But as of the moment, something is taking place at a nearby mall. Ah yes! A blogging event hosted by Internet’s pop culture guru: Azrael Coladilla. So I was there along with the Convergence team to cover the event (I was there to blog about the event). Would you believe if I told you that even a grandpa participated in the event?

Oh well, the Convergence team asked some of the bloggers about their blogs and I was happily taking photos of the event. A lot of people were there to surf their hearts out. Wifi is free so everyone joined in. And there’s even a free laptop to be given away. So much for just hanging out at the mall… I hope this happens at the mall: Everyday…

Being a blogger myself, having the essentials in blogging is a must: laptop, wifi connection and a cozy place to stay and just lounge, blog my day away. I guess being at the mall, won’t just be a quick stopover at the department store to get what I need, or be at the grocery to buy my food. Next time, I will remind myself to bring any wifi enabled gadget the soonest time I head to the mall. Good reasons why I should hang-out there more often.

Here are some photos from that day:

Night at the Met Museum

I was lucky to go with the TRiBE team again. And this time they were invited by the Israeli Embassy to the Metropolitan Museum in Manila, to feature one of their renowned photographers.

I’ve always been fascinated by Israel. The place, the people, food and the scenery were just among the reasons on my short list why I wanted to go to Israel. And attending this kind of event from the Israeli Embassy is a privilege and it gave me a glimpse into their fascinating sceneries and people through the photo exhibit. Before the event started, Mr. Zvi Vapni, the Ambassador of Israel was interviewed by the team about his favorite photo in the entire exhibit.

While taking photos of the event someone tapped my back, and when I turned to see who it was, Señor Jose Rodriguez, Director of the Instituto Cervantes was there smiling and asking in Spanish:

“You’re here, who are you with, are you by yourself?”

“Mi hermana,” I reply smiling and then pointing to my sister.

“Ah, muy bien. It’s good that the event is being covered by TV and you’re here. Good to see you. Catch you later,” he said laughingly. He’s a jolly man, that señor.

Over-all, the event was great! Made me want to go to Israel for real! I enjoyed every bit of the event and the photos taken.