#Listen if I cannot play with the stickers like dolls then what's the point?

[alhaithams-big-naturals]

They're playing Uno....

[missaureus]

EXplOration in Manila Pt. 2

 My roommates finally arrived past 1AM. I was super drained but I still managed to put on my bear nail stickers while waiting for them. The moment I opened the door we were already squealing because we haven’t seen each other since my Davao vacation on January that year. We chatted randomly and eventually dozed off. We only had a few hours to be physically prepared for a hectic day ahead.

The concert proper was still at night but we scheduled to go to the mall area at 10AM to distribute freebies under Team Jongin PH. I was wearing heels and my feet were already crying. Obviously, I am not used to it and it was a poor decision. Cafes and restaurants near the arena were banning meet-ups and large groups who were giving stuff to concertgoers because it would obstruct other costumers. What would they expect in a day like this? We respect establishments and would not go out empty-stomached. But I cannot blame them. With that, we ended up being stationed in a wing way distal to the arena. 

Many familiar faces were spurting inside the café. I got to introduce to them using twitter usernames. It was hilarious. I even messed up with my other internet friends who I failed to recognize right off the bat! I felt so apologetic. Probably out of exhaustion, my sugar was depleting! 

Around 2PM, I had pasta and coffee as my lunch. I cannot indulge my palate that I had to share my small dish to a friend. My fight-or-flight hormone was doing its job generously that afternoon. I could not recall how much yards we had to stroll for unknown reason in and out the mall. 

After giving away those packed stuff, we took some pictures in front of the arena in groups. After that, we went back to the condo to freshen up and get ready to line up. With my sequence number, around 400, I was near the end of the line. Surprisingly, almost everyone in my area was from the province, particularly Bisaya. We finally realized how the provincial assistance failed us that year. Probably the worse experience I had due to the hectic announcements for the Manila leg. At that moment, a hint of regret was circling my thoughts. Was it a right decision that I did not bite that one under the table offer? I could have experienced a barricade line. I just ignored that bleak light of what-if.

Inside the arena, around 5PM, I was probably 5 or 6 lines away from the stage. It was way farther than my ElyXiOn stop but still a good and close view. There were still foreigners in our area. There was no sign of the event to start so I finally decided to listen to my feet’s plea --- to sit on the floor. The VIP area was more compressed than the first day. Thus, I had to stand in no time to reserve my spot. 

Around 6PM, the show commenced. The intensity of Filipino EXO-Ls’ heated cheer in response to the house rules was much more ear-splitting than yesterday’s. The setlist was not even rolling but one or two from our area were already dragged out, mostly foreigners. I swear, the level of security was not a joke this time! 

With the same pattern of Moonlight being played, it was a hint for everyone to mentally prepare. The 1st VCR played on the big led screens. The ghastly intro was beating in a rising intensity until the EXOs finally set foot on stage. By the time Tempo played, not only the lightsticks but also the phones were raised up high to shot fancams. I was so stressed I forgot how the moshpit game should be played. I had to brace myself for over 2 hours! People in the pit were starting to make waves out of pushing and eventually I had to stop my fancam during Transformer because the bouncers were barring my view when they were trying to catch another bull-headed fan pinpointed by Filipino fans. 

Due to the endless commotion, I was ushered to the side barricade and had the opportunity to step on the platform for a much elevated view. I was so afraid of stampede I did not dare to move an inch from my position. I anchored myself to the barricade. From there, I had a better view for Gravity which is a personal favorite. A choreography does wonder to a song!

Baekhyun came out with the backup dancers for UN Village after the 2nd VCR was shown. Undeniably, he appeared to be exhausted which was obvious when he let the fans sing most of the song at the end. The fans did not fail to par the energy of the song with its fanchant..

This was followed by the 3rd VCR then the powerful trio: 24/7, which played a huge part in my decision making of which ticket to buy. I was after Jongin’s position for this song. Unlike, ElyXiOn that each member had a fix spot every time they go scatter around, EXplOration was way opposite and random. All te members were so mobile throughout. Next, the general public’s favorite, Love Shot attacked. Followed by Oh La La La. 

The deafening shout from the crowd was breathed out when EXO started talking for the 1st ment. They individually introduced themselves with matching hello Philippines and mabuhay greetings. Finally, Monster! This was a stage missed out last ElyXiOn. I was happy to finally witness it live. The members then scattered on the main stage for Oasis. The led screen was an art it was dancing gracefully with them. Breathtaking!

A solo stage by the leader, Junmyeon, followed. Funnily, they were now confident to rip off in an oversea show excluding Japan and China. With that, the crowd was expecting so much from Been Through. The moment Junmyeon exposed his chiseled abdominal muscles, the crowd went crazier that the shouts reached the roof the arena. 

Finally, a ballad song! Jongdae entered the center stage and the light bulbs were simultaneously falling like stars. He sang Lights Out too perfectly and I commend the crowd for understating the sole assignment during this stage --- to stay silent to appreciate his vocals. The lights were already reflecting towards my tears pooling in my eyes. 

The SeChan duo then took over the stage after the 4th VCR. They entered the scene with their bigass luggage as props. They were playing with What a Life and Closer to You. After that, the rest of the members joined with Falling for You.

A brown couch was dragged to the center stage for Wait stage. This ballad number was so heartwarming when the crowd sang along with the EXOs as if it was a duet. They appeared relaxed. Literally, feeling at home vibe in the living room.

The 2nd ment started. SeChan playfully pointed their microphones to the fan to let then sing some parts of What a Life. As expected from Phixos, we are remarkable to the group as the loudest crowd among all hosts. The rule will always be, we do not do fanchant, we sing the whole song haha! The leader then teased Baekhyun with his sexy choreo in UN Village. Baekhyun did it  which made Chayeol crazy for it! Randomly, Jongin danced the sexy choreo of Been Through followed by Junmyeon. Out of nowhere, the crowd cheered loudly for Jongdae’s name suggesting for him to be next in line to do the steps. He was generous enough to do both choreos while singing Lights Out lol I swear they were so chaotic! After that, Sehun did it too! Chanyeol was not getting any free pass and the crowd cheered for his name next. He was crazy that I did not already care for his self-image at that moment. He did his own version of rolling hills and the crowd had gone mad for it! He eventually went near each member to grind at them lmfao! Guess what! Except for Baekhyun!!! Jongin had a secondhand embarrassment for this guy and even threatened to punch him. To end the chaos, the leader finally introduced Power as the next song. It was so fun there were also fireworks-like effects during the break dance part which was serve by the leader, supposedly it was Kai’s part but the members cheered for Junmyeon to do it this time. 

At this point, I was a battery at 2% already. I almost forgot what was next in line. A Kai solo! Jongin entered the main stage with the back up dancers, he was wearing a vest with nothing underneath it and a cap! To be honest, I loved his get-up on the first day more but the experience of him much closer to me is the best! I did the fanchant, I tried religiously but his performance was jaw-dropping that I kept on losing my focus, I went silent while covering my mouth! Surprisingly, he opened the only clothing coving his upper torso that finally exposed his amazing physique! By that time, I already got unleashed, I am still sorry for that crispy FUCK on my fancam hahhahahaha! 

Bad dream and Damage were performed on the main sage. I actually was not able to give my full attention to it because my phone notified I was out of storage. Out of impulsivity, I deleted all of my applications thinking that it would save me until encore stage. After that, EXO danced to the legendary title tacks in a form of a medley, Growl, Overdose and Call Me Baby. 

The 6th VCR was a hint that it was about to end and I went emotional. The boys playfully performed Unfair and On the Snow. The latter song is nostalgic. It is vivid how Jongin was enjoying this stage, wearing a black shirt and pants with his cap placed backwards.  SeChan were so cute during You give me yours, I'll give you mine part when Chanyeol gave the maknae a bouquet of flowers. The fans started throwing lots of stuff on stage, the floor got crowded. 

During the last ment, I befriended the person in front of me who is a Chanyeol-biased. We shouted in chorus Jongin’s name while raising a gom banner but unfortunately he did not respond. We just kept on laughing! We tried it to Chanyeol while waving a banner of him and he waved backed to our area enthusiastically using the doll he picked on the floor. While the others were busily doing their individual messages, ChanKaiHo were so bust playing with the coiled spring, I swear they were kids! 

During Jongdae’s part, the audience started chanting Walang uuwi! We also did this last ElyXiOn and finally this time it was already translated back to the boys! They kept on saying that they enjoyed the night so much with the fans and shamelessly said it was way better that yesterday hahaha! I had to agree. They said that they would love to come back to the Philippines for a concert and a vacation. During Sehun’s part, he secretly asked the translator how to say “Walang uuwi!” and Sehun said it back to the crowd cutely. Finally, after a year!!!

The leader finally introduced the encore song, Smile on my Face. The confetti were starting to rain and feel our faces. The harmonization was heavenly that I almost cried. To be honest, I was sad but happy at the same time. The boys then arranged themselves on the moving platform. Until the last time, Sehun kept on saying Walang Uuwi!. They faded before my eyes, it was surreal! Thank God for letting me see them twice in a row! 

I looked for my friends in the pit and cried in unison! We took pictures outside the arena with some of our friends and decided to look for a place to eat. It was actually raining cats and dogs as if heavens knew how heavy my heart was that it was finally over. 

We went back to the condo with my packed order hahahaha I do not know what was into me that I did not touch my food. I just quenched my thirst bottoms up with a soda full of ice! I was so silent after that hahahaha. 

We slept around 2AM after consuming our fancams. The next day, we had breakfast in Naynay’s condo. Hnnng I miss her food! After that, we parted ways with my condomates and met some of my friends also before heading to the airport.

It was raining. The weather turned my departure more melancholic that it should be. But when I reached the arrival area, I was so touched my whole family came to fetch me. Thank you for supporting me and my happiness. Thank you for allowing me to have this memory when I grow old. 

This is my youth.

[creaturecarnival]

Gogomaggedon Part 2

[Part 1]

It’s time for part two of our Gogo’s Crazy Bones Series 1 and 2 review! Let’s-a go!

Name: Helly

Description: The fastest Gogo. His helmet helps him to go breathtakingly fast.

Ability: Continuous Sprint

Now, I would like to point out here that the way Helly’s head tapers in the back is actually something that all Gogos share to some extent, but apparently his is just that much better. I really dig the Nidoking-like finger nubs, and I love that they made him a cyclops. I think the only thing I can really think of that I’d change would be to make the flesh-colored parts black, so the eye looked like it was peering out of darkness. But what helmet-based character design wouldn’t be improved by the tried-and-true eyes-in-a-void look?

3/5

Name: Heled

Description: He robotized his brain to think super fast.

Ability: Mental Dexterity

… ᵃⁿᵈ ᵗʰᵉⁿ ʰᵉ ᵗᵘʳⁿᵉᵈ ʰᶦᵐˢᵉˡᶠ ᶦⁿᵗᵒ ᵃ ʳᵒᵇᵒᵗ. ᶠᵘⁿⁿᶦᵉˢᵗ ˢʰᶦᵗ ᴵ’ᵛᵉ ᵉᵛᵉʳ ˢᵉᵉⁿ. Oh hey, didn’t see you there! I was just muttering to myself under my breath. Nothing in particular. Anyway, it would seem that physical speed was not enough for Heled, and he opted to “robotize” his brain. That’s some mad scientist shit. I respect the dedication. Not much has changed in terms of design, but just replacing the cyclopic eye with a red visor is enough to bring this design up a notch for me.

4/5

Name: Skull

Description: He looks mysterious and when you least expect it, he'll do something funny to make you jump.

Ability: Spooky Skills

Skull is a chibi skeleton. That’s all I got, honestly. He’s just nice to look at! 

4/5

Name: ...Skull???

If you thought this was just another Series 2, think again! Remember when I said Series 1 had a gimmick? Well, this is it, baby! Series 1 included 15 “Wanted” and 5 “Most Wanted” figures, which were alternate paint jobs of a select few Gogos. Look at this epic gamer bro! I really love the hot pink on gray here, and the controller positioned like the D-pad and buttons are his eyes is a really cool visual. The fact that he’s also a skeleton is pretty kickass as well, and so I will bestow upon him my first perfect rating!

5/5

Name: Sker

Description: He's naive and everything seems weird to him.

Ability: Curiosity

Sker on the other hand… I’m really not a fan of. I think he could really stand to have a mouth of some kind or at least do away with the weird asymmetrical nostrils. Also, where the inclusion of rib-markings on Wanted Skull upped the cool factor, here it just grosses me out and reminds me of Machop, which for me is not a good thing. Sorry Machop/Sker fans!

1.5/5

Name: Angiru

Description: Tell Angiru your secrets and they will be safe forever.

Ability: Keeps secrets

Doodoo-doot-do-doo-dootdoot-doot-doot! It’s a haunted doll watch. I love Angiru. That big ‘ol head? It’s full of secrets. I’d tell them mine for sure. They seem like they’d be a good listener. As for the design... look, I just like creepy button-eyed dolls. I blame Coraline.

4/5

He’s also got a Most Wanted form and WOW! What a fresh look! Even though these sticker pictures are not usually 100% emblematic of the actual quality of the product in question, I just cannot get over this paint job.

5/5

Name: Angor

Description: Night mysteries are no secret to Angor.

Ability: Insomnia

There’s something really hilariously sad about the one-two combo of the description and ability, like Angor is referring to themself in the third person, trying to sound all broody and mysterious, when actually they just have a hard time falling asleep. I also kind of love the framing of a sleep disorder as an “ability”. All that aside, Angor is a nice take on the Angiru mold, even though it doesn’t exactly leave much room for interpretation, with the button eyes pretty much dooming any new takes to land squarely in “haunted doll” territory, which means in this case, a haunted doll that is also somehow a vampire. 

4/5

Name: Umu

Description: Likes to visit the swimming pool everyday to think up new ideas.

Ability: Intelligent Swimming

Other than the fact that his name makes a funny face, there’s not much I can really say about Umu. I do love me some semicircular half-lidded cartoon eyes, but that’s kind of all their design’s got going for it. Maybe if there was a little more detail on the upper half of the head instead of just a big white whatever, I’d be neutral, but as it is, Umu’s design is just a bit lacking.

2.5/5

Name: Tai-Umu

Description: With the points of his mouth-star he chews the hardest things.

Ability: Star Scream

Ooh, what a glow up, though! Initially, I read the star shape as a nose, like a star-nosed mole; and while I think I’d prefer if that were the case, I like it as a horrifying all-consuming maw as well, even if I’m not even sure how to read it as a mouth at all. I wish him the best in his attempts to gain supreme leadership over the Decepticons.

4.5/5

Name: Aiko

Description: The Gogo with the best sense of smell. Can detect a smell from a mile away.

Ability: Wonder Nose

Smelling, huh? Alright! I would’ve assumed their thing would’ve been more electricity-related, given the jaggedy lines, and I actually thought of them as a Pikachu-adjacent electric rodent (just gettin’ all the Pokeymans in this review, I guess) when I was but a wee Crazy Boner. They’ve got a pretty cute little face, though, with lovely beady teardrop-shaped eyes and stylized flourishes adorning their skin.

4/5

Name: Koku-Chan

Description: He must go to the barber everyday because his hair grows while he plays.

Ability: Manic Hair

Yeah, this one’s not doing it for me. I don’t like how the mouth fuses with the hair, or whatever’s going on with that shape down there. The head-shape really doesn’t lend itself well to reinterpretations, either, with the nub where Aiko’s nose was making for a rather ugly bump on Koku-Chan’s chin that interrupts a design that I think would be okay otherwise.

1/5

That’s all for part 2! Thanks for reading!