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Obsessed with BTS' Retro Concept | Inside the BTS Season's Greetings 2021

Wednesday, January 27, 2021

2020 turned me into a merch monster.



Life pre-pandemic, I try as much as possible to steer away from buying material things. I used to say that I'd rather spend on experiences. 


But last year, when the world stopped so I can't travel, buy fan meeting tickets, or even buy new clothes, my attention zoned in to my fan girling.


I started buying new BT21 items for my "collection". I used to just get TATA so I won't get tempted with the other 8 characters, but now my OT7 heart just wants to collect them all!


I also started getting albums, while back then I am satisfied with just purchasing from Apple Music coz I don't have a huge space in my room for any physical copies.


Another first for me is getting a Season's Greetings. Kpop groups often release these boxes by end of year. Since I live in South East Asia, I bought from a shop that resells it for pre-order at higher price. I also received it a month or so later from date of release.



I have seen countless of BTS 2021 Season's Greetings Youtube unboxing from K-ARMYs even before receiving my kit. But holding my actual box, and exploring its content still has that kilig feeling! 


Sharing what's inside:


1. BTS Planner and Stickers  - This is the pinaka sulit inclusion for me, coz I know I will use this planner every single day of this year! 




Love the high quality photos!


2. Desk Calendar - I used to have a BT21 desk planner. For this year, I love the style where you can flip and choose the photo you want to display for the month.




3. 4x6 Photo - I got Hobi! I'm so happy coz perfect timing that J-Hope Day is nearing!




4. Making DVD - I haven't seen this coz I don't have a CD player! 😅 Digging the vinyl style to stay consistent with the whole theme.



5. ID Photo Set, Polaroids, Polaroid Stickers, and Polaroid Mini Album - I love the tiny detail of having ID Photos that are back-to-back (you can see each member's "duality"), and that they added an old school foam-cover mini polaroids album to this box! 







6. BTS Themed Masking Tape



7. Record Player Style Box, Round Mini Posters - Obsessed with this concept!





8. Retro Magazine Photo Book - Eye candy for every page. Again, obsessed!




I am not sure what big purchase I will make this year after vowing to take it easy after getting this Season's Greetings. But definitely not regretting this purchase because BTS' version of a retro themed concept is really on-point, plus the planner and calendars are actually useful! I also had the record player box displayed on my desk now, for instant good vibes!


I also bought this huge wall calendar, which I also really like. Even this one has that 80s vibe, but with huge photos of our fave boys every month (so they alternate as posters when the year ends).




I pre-ordered my set from https://www.aegyo.ph/ for Php 3800, which includes the wall calendar. You can get just the box for Php 2750, or just the wall calendar for Php 1600, although I think they are currently sold-out na. 

I like that Aegyo Korean Merchandise ships fast. I bought my BE album from a different seller, and my friend who got hers from Aegyo also received it a week or so in advance. They are a bit pricier compared to other Korea pre-selling shops, but you don't have to think about your shipping fee anymore since it's already included in the rate. Mine was even delivered on same day (via Lalamove) to ensure that everything arrives in good condition.


Freebies from Aegyo Korean Merch, Tiny Tan Notebooks:



Did the pandemic turned you into a collector too?

Hello 2021!

Sunday, January 03, 2021



Some might think that social media will just make you jealous, envious over others' seemingly perfect lives. But in my case, I see these new things, travels, and activities as goals, aspirations, and maybe even future opportunities. If they made it possible even at this time, maybe I can do it too!



On my last post, my bitter tone for the upcoming year surfaces (is there such a thing as a New Year Scrooge?) knowing that I can't plan anything like I usually do once the calendars are changed. 


"A new year doesn't mean that the virus will magically disappear". 


Honestly, at that time when I wrote this year-ender, I felt that planning something will only lead to heavy disappointments.



I am glad that I came across people on my feed living their lives amidst the crisis. Some a bit too much for my standards (for my parents' sake, I am still afraid of being overly spontaneous), but there are others that seem doable even for a cautious person like me. 


I won't be overly confident, and I will still respect my family, the protocols, risks, and other precautions the past year has forcefully ingrained in us. But 2021, maybe we can do these? :)



1. Learn acrylic art, latte art, pottery, etc.

In the past years, we are done with soy candles, perfume, Kpop dance, resin jewellery, and soap making to name a few. But as a self-proclaimed student of life, I am down with more classes as long as the school will assure that protocols will be met. Heck, I'll even accept learning from Teacher Youtube! 


2. Nature trips.

I was shocked the very first time I saw a non-throwback travel photo on my feed, then it became normal eventually. When lockdowns were softened up, others took it as a chance for a quick getaway from the city, or to getaway from their lives for the past 10 or so months. A beach trip seems fun but hassle (to me), but seeing a friend conquering a MOUNTAIN made my heart leap a little. Gusto ko to! I felt something that I didn't feel when I first saw sand and bikini photos.


3. Spend less, earn more.

This will be my last conservative goal for the year, something that I didn't see on the internet but I've been so guilty of last year when "add to cart" became my therapy. I hope that I'll be wiser when it comes to money, and I hope this will be my chance to grow my own business. 



I usually list up to 10 goals, haha, but I think these three are enough for me for now. Like how we thread through the new normal early last year like babies on their walkers, maybe we can build a life again this year--slowly but surely, careful but still moving forward.


BYE 2020!

Saturday, January 02, 2021

Wrote this on New Year's Eve, Dec 31 2020.




No plans of doing year enders for this %*#@ of a year, but my past blog entries appeared this morning on my Facebook memories and my senti self can't stand letting this year go by without proper closure.



Having forgotten how to write year-enders, I decided to read my 2019 entry first. I actually wrote a 2020 goals post, and even though I stayed at home 90% of the time since March, how funny that some of them I was still able to achieve, albeit in different form! 


(Purple Text - My early 2020, pre-pandemic self)



2020, the year you've seen different angles of my room for the first time! Haha! 

In photo: Celebrating Jungkook's birthday by joining 3 cupsleeves events; 

nowhere to go but still dressed up as Kdrama girl Ko Mun-Yeong for a brand posting; 

and a post-jog mirror selfie.



1) Health is Wealth. I am turning 34 this month, and have to reconsider my food choices, fitness life and even my sleeping schedule (kahit na Kdrama is life, haha). 



In April, I started having anxiety attacks, amplified most at night. I was super open about it on my Instagram stories, and received several advice to do breathing exercises. 


I started doing simple, Youtube-guided yoga, and finished a "21 Days of Abundance" meditation challenge.


Naalala ko pa nga I think 3 or 4 months since April I have an actual DAILY workout sched! I stopped at around August which up to now I am still regretting coz I lost the momentum fully. Few weeks ago, I started fixing my eating habits by going on intermittent fasting. Hope I can get my workout groove back this month.



2) Watch ASTRO and BTS Live.


Aside from traveling, concerts and fan gatherings are the things that I miss the most in my "past life". Luckily, I was still able to watch ASTRO and BTS concerts even with this pandemic!


My first online paid concert experience was BTS Bang Bang Con, then ASTRO's WWW. They even projected my IG photo post for the Aroha event segment! Wah!





Latter part of the year, I also watched the 2-day concert of BTS' MOTS ON:E, and was given the opportunity to be part of the virtual audience for Day 2!




Not a concert, but I also watched BTS: Break The Silence in SM Bacoor with my high school friend and her college circle. We are less than 10 during the pre-reserved private screening, my first time in a cinema after months in lockdown!



3) Go to a country I haven't been to.


The only thing on my list I wasn't able to do. But in January, I also visited to 2 cities in Korea that I haven't seen (Sokcho and Jumunjin). 




4) Shake up my wardrobe! I've been holding an online closet sale since last week to save up for my birthday trip. 


Sold most of my bags and clothes at the start of the lockdown, and haven't fully replenish my closet since. Most of the stuff I bought this year are either loungewear or BTS related pieces, so nashake talaga ang wardrobe ko! 😂




5) As mentioned earlier, be more active again in my blog. Bring back the 2017-2018 Anagon blogger! 



Wala ako masyado nasulat this year, but I'll give it to myself for finishing my 20 Days in Korea travel blogs.


I also took the 25-day Instagram challenge this December aka IGMAS, which in a way felt like doing micro blogs. Will take that as achievement nadin for this year!



Recorded the most mundane everyday happenings, my Bangtan Budols, and my 2020 achievement as a fan girl: Be featured as an ARMY in Readers Digest! 



6) Personal Project: Travel in Korea for a month. And record daily activities in vlogging format.


Something that I am thankful for this 2020 was that I was given the chance to travel to Korea for 20 days before the lockdown happened. I am thankful now that I pushed through with this trip, I was even planning on delaying it for Spring para di masyado malamig. 


There are days when I have flashes of memories from my Seoul goshiwon-life (small rooms in Korea), and can feel that bottomless pit in my tummy from travel and adventures sepanx.

 


Unfortunately, I wasn't able to vlog during this trip. I did have IGTV posts for most of them, some I posted while I was still in Korea!




7) Personal Project: Attend at least 5 random classes and workshops (art, cooking, etc). 


Before the lockdown, my friends and I were able to attend a soy candle making workshop! Ang saya nito because it was a time when the Crash Landing On You Kdrama was all the rage, and scented candles became "in" because of Yoon Seri! Haha. We were supposed to attend a latte art class, but that one was cancelled and refunded na huhu.


Enter our favorite school for 2020... COURSERA! Ang dami ko naging "schoolmates" sa Yonsei University because of this website discovery! I finished 2 basic Korean language courses by dedicating my mornings to just this.



Not classes, but this year I also had the chance to revive my passion for crafting. There's diamond painting, embroidery, beads, air clay, digital art, actual painting, travel memories photo books, etc. 



(skipping to #10)

10) Start a long-term business.


I made my own Hobi inspired bracelets, tapos nagka keychain version pa sya, tapos naging customizable. I was busy with these things for several months which made me happy and accomplished.



Thank you to the first person who sent me a DM asking if I can customize a JHope bracelet for her too. She was in quarantine for testing positive with Covid, and these little things made her happy.

Before her message, I was just giving away these bracelets to my friends for free!


This year, I was also able to pull-off 3 cupsleeves events (CSE) @ home. I was participating in so many BTS cupsleeves events during this pandemic, minsan 3 at a time pa for one birthday, but on my 8th I decided to create my own. 


When Jimin's birthday was coming last October, my initial target was just 20 participants. I ended up with 50! We kept growing for every event, with 130 during Jin Day, and the most recent, 156 for Taehyung Day!




In short, I just want to be healthy in all ways, to have a purpose for my social media presence and not just post because I am pressured to, to have a quality and loving community--and create something of value to people who choose to follow me, and to be stable financially so I can do more and be more for my family. 



Grabe yung goals ko when this year started. I can feel in my tone that I was so hopeful and determined to make 2020 the best! Now I can't even think of anything uplifting to end this post, knowing a new year doesn't mean COVID will magically vanish. 


But from the bottom of this wornout heart, thank you for the experiences that toughened me, thank you for teaching me to appreciate what's in front of me, and to SEE what is truly important when things that are seemingly permanent can be taken away in an instant. 


I also learned to see myself beyond all the layers I've built around myself the past years--without all the travels, stripping off my work, who am I? Staying at home in this big "world reset" made me think a lot about these things.



Happy New Year guys! No goals yet but will try to pick up my journal one of these days to self-reflect privately. Will continue praying for everyone's health and happiness. ❤



In photo: Packing boxes for shipment with the help of my parents during Jin day (October), 

We had 4 birthdays at home in 2020! Ako lang ang naka birthday pa sa labas (December), 

and me crying over Dynamite MV when I first watched it during its Youtube world premier! (August)