Sophilicity

So if you know me, you'll know I'm the kind of person who enjoys trying out new food at new places. So being me, I decided to venture off around London and try out some food that I hadn't eaten before. I've always been a massive food fanatic - Sometimes I wonder how I even manage to eat so much and how I even manage to have the money to do so... But anyways... I'd been looking up food places to eat out for sometime, from online reviews to Instagram updates and I finally found a great place to try out. Have you heard of Bao? There have been many great reviews about the place so I wanted to give it a shot!

So a couple of months back, I went to try out the Bao located in Soho. Fortunately I was accompanied by my friend, Viet-Anh. Personally I think it is a really cute and comfortable place to eat out. Not to mention, there is also another Bao located in Hackney. The place serves the traditional Taiwanese bao in various styles as well as other Taiwanese dishes. With 6 different varieties of bao, I'm sure at least one would suit your liking! The servers recommended that you have at least 2 baos per person and possibly order some extra dishes.

I got the Classic bao and Fried Horlicks Ice Cream bao which I found were really interesting. Whilst I found the Classic bao was really nice (especially as the flavouring was good and I particular believe the classic had a great combination - I even wish I had ordered more) I found that the Fried Horlicks Ice Cream bao was just fried bao with ice cream inside (it was nice either way). One thing which was a downer for me was the fact the ice cream made it really difficult to eat. This was due to the ice cream continuously sliding everywhere and dripping down rather quickly. In result, I found my hands were really sticky afterwards because of the ice cream. I would consider the Fried Horlicks Ice Cream bao to be more of a dessert bao than something you would eat as a main. In the future, I hope to try the Fried Chicken Bao if I get a chance to go again (I'm not going to lie, the queues for this place is really long). Although, I'm not a massive fan of kimchi, I find that the rest of the content of the bao is suited to my liking and hopefully the overall taste will even out.

The cost of each bao was around £4 each. I found this to be quite expensive considering the size of the bao, but this may also be because of the content included in the bao. I usually buy char siu bao from a bakery in Chinatown, called Golden Gate Bakery. Char siu bao is barbecued flavoured char siu pork inside a bun. These usually only cost about £1-£2 in comparison.

Later during the day, we decided to have a change of taste. Rather than our typical Asian cuisine we decided to have a taste of Italian in Soho, thus deciding to eat at Vapiano. We had both been to Vapiano beforehand, and if I'm honest, I always get carbonara with linguine pasta. I've gotta love Vapiano because they even personally cut you some bread as a side if you ask them to. So many carbs though omg...

The place isn't too pricey, with the cost of the meal being under £10. They also have a unique system for the payment. When you enter the building, you are given a card. The way it works is that you line up in queues depending what you want. There are separate queues for each section e.g. pizza, pasta etc. They usually have the menus by the queues for you to check out what is available before deciding which queue to stand in. Also, I usually collect the cutlery I need beforehand along with a tray which is assigned by the queues (this just makes it easier to hold everything rather than holding one plate along with cutlery as well). After you've ordered your dish, they ask you to present your card. You place your card on the scanner and they place the amount you need to pay later onto your card. This is much more efficient as you don't have to worry about paying whilst trying to handle your food. Once you have finished eating you can go to the till near the entrance/exit and they will swipe your card and then request for your payment. They also offer some sweets by the tills if you're feeling something sweet after your meal. WARNING! Don't lose your card as I hear you can be charged for the loss of the Vapiano card, especially as your bill is placed onto your card after you order.

The great thing about Vapiano is probably the fact that they make your dish right before your eyes. I personally find it really intriguing to watch people cook especially if they have some awesome cooking skills - I definitely need to go to Benihana (where the chef prepares your dinner in front of you) when I actually have the funds to do so aha... Another great thing about Vapiano is the vibe is really calm and the low-lit location makes it very relaxing.

They've also got live music nights downstairs at Vapiano from 7:30PM on selected nights. They usually do 2 music nights per month, varying from Vapiano Soho and Vapiano Bankside.
For upcoming #pastawithsoul nights, check out the dates below:

April 7th - Vapiano Soho
April 8th - Vapiano Bankside
May 5th - Vapiano Soho
May 6th - Vapiano Bankside
June 2nd - Vapiano Soho
June 3rd - Vapiano Bankside

Here's a taster of what to expect from a previous gig at Vapiano:

So what are your opinions? If you've tried out these places beforehand, or plan to try them please write down your opinions below! I'd really like to hear how others have felt about these places, and hopefully I can update you more on some more food places when I have more chances to eat out!

Thank you for reading! Stay tuned for more updates about events and more around London!

14:11 No comments

If you have read my previous post on the Case of Hana and Alice, then you'll know that I also watched another film just an hour after. My second film I've chosen to review is Seoul Searching, directed by Benson Lee.

Benson Lee based this film off a time back when he was 16 years old, where his parents decided to send him to Korea to attend a summer camp in 1986 to learn about his Korean Heritage. He lived in the US (California I believe) but was of Korean descent. Many international students gathered around the world to attend this summer camp to develop their knowledge of their Korean heritage. Every individual was unique with their own individual personalities. Rather contrasting yet overall everyone managed to get along. The director believed this was one of the projects he had managed to create, but working on it for 16 years to be able to finally release it he was ecstatic. He believed it turned out better than he had expected. It should be showing in the US and Canada this coming to the cinema in summer, and for Europe and supposedly Asia it is still to be discussed. But hopefully the year after.

The film is actually more westernised than you may think as he was influenced by 80's films such as The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink, and the film itself was based of his own experiences with some exceptions to the storyline. Indeed it was a film which you could identify yourself with in many ways but it was an interesting development of the plot line.

One of the characters, Klaus, happens to be a friend in real life who he is still in contact with over many years (supposedly 30 years to be exact), and he has yet to see the movie. Benson said himself that he didn't want Klaus to watch the movie online through a link. Instead he would prefer that Klaus could be there in person as a member of the audience in front of a live film screening. He would be able to watch a production based of their lives right in before his eyes and know that it was created by a friend.

The film actually went through a whirlwind of a journey with various story arcs for each character with interesting relationship developments throughout. At times I found it incredibly hilarious and I even cried a little and got rather emotional at some scenes. I definitely have to say Klaus was one of my favourite characters, and the actor himself I found pretty cute. In a sense, he kind of reminded me of myself, being a very reserved character and not exactly one to break boundaries... The German-Korean actor, Teo Yoo who played Klaus was also born and raised in Germany (specifically Cologne).

The director said, he found he was most like the main character, Sid, saying he was quite the rebellious type at that age. Sid was played by Justin Chon, was also born and raised in California, similarly to the director. Some of you may recognise him as Jeff Chang from "21 or Over" or Eric from "The Twilight Saga".

I believe the choice of actors for the film were well-picked. From what I have researched most of the actors were from the countries which they originated from in the film. This made it more realistic as the actors had personal experience of how they were brought up based on their surroundings. After seeing the film, I don't think I would change any of the actors, maybe because I just enjoyed the way they were portrayed. For someone who was in the UK, I definitely had to laugh at the British stereotype, with one the girls in the film coming from Britain, specifically Wimbledon. She was dressed in tennis gear, and already I knew how this was going to turn out aha!

After the movie, the viewers were all lucky enough to also be able to participate in a Q&A with Benson Lee. I was overhearing a conversation, and the person next to me was asking me about the film and also talking about the director who happened to be sitting in the same row as us. Knowing I was teary-eyed next to strangers was indeed an experience, but I don't regret attending alone. From the Q&A I was able to find out a lot more about Benson Lee's life, and how his life was referenced throughout the film,

Honestly, it is definitely one to watch for me, I would actually watch it again! For now, I am anticipating the day when it is available in cinemas in the UK and I'm totally going to drag my friends to watch with me! For now, I suggest checking out the trailer below:

Anyways! Totally keep an eye out for the film release in the UK cinemas! The film itself only came out last year in 2015, but I hope you enjoy it if you have a chance to watch it. If you do get the chance and you happen to read this post, comment below on your opinions. I'll reply to every comment for sure! Thank you for reading, and make sure to check out the next post!

20:17 No comments

So I actually love films so if I get the opportunity I try to watch a film at least once a month. I was fortunate to receive complimentary tickets to the Asia House Film Festival this year! If you've been tuning into my blog you'll know about my recent attendance at The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme, which gave the opportunity to watch some Japanese film showcased at the ICA.

I decided on choosing films which I found most appealed to me, and it was incredibly convenient to find that the two films I wanted to watch were at the same location, on the same day, about an hour's apart from one another. Honestly with the travel costs in London, it was great knowing I didn't have to travel to London twice for two films... Although it may seem a bit much to watch two films one after another - Like how do you even remember everything that happened? Fortunately, I actually have a pretty good memory for these things! Wish it applied for other things... Like studying...

So for this particular post, I will be reviewing my first film, which happens to be The Case of Hana and Alice otherwise known as Hana to Alice satsujin jiken. If hadn't worked it out already, yes it's a Japanese film. It also happens to be an animated film, although it uses a rather different animation style than what we usually see of typical Japanese anime. This animation technique is called rotoscoping.

Check out the trailer below:

I realised that you may prefer the English subtitles for those who don't understand Japanese like myself, here is the trailer with English subtitles from the San Diego Asian Film Festival:

So if you don't have time to watch the trailers, you be wondering what is the film about?
Well, the film begins with a girl and her mother who recently moved into their new home. Her mother is divorced, and the main lead, Tetsuko Arisugawa (Arisu or "Alice" for short) is a middle school transfer student. Since transferring to the school, she becomes a victim to bullying to which she seeks comfort in dance, something which she used to enjoy in the past.

What are my opinions about the film?

Well honestly, I found their friendship rather interesting, like Hana and Alice they all demonstrate their strengths and weaknesses. I felt their friendship was very unique in a way but I can say that both individuals were very supportive of one another. An example is shown below with Alice hugging Hana to comfort her.

I found it hilarious watching Alice's antics, for example: she tends to jump to conclusion and does stupid things e.g. she tails the wrong person. But through tailing the wrong person, which let's be honest... The situation seemed a bit dodgy... But the result was actually rather sweet and endearing. I find that it conveys Alice as a kind-hearted being and quite talented - examples of her talents include her skill for dancing.

As for Hana, I find that she is rather intellectual... Well.. Until romantic interests are involved... Her relationship between a guy shows that she tends to assume certain comments which even Alice finds rather weird. Examples include assumptions that the guy loves her despite the trouble she makes.
I found the storyline to be quite predictable but the rumours circulating around the plot were interesting.

I hope you enjoyed my latest blog post, I'm still catching up with a lot of event blogging since I have a lot going on right now, but hopefully I'll be up to date by the end of the month! Stay tuned!

For more information about Asia House, please check out their website below:
http://asiahouse.org/

And for more information from Asia House about the previous screening of "The Case of Hana and Alice" you can check out the information below:
http://asiahouse.org/events/time-case-hana-alice-hana-alice-satsujin-jiken/

12:07 No comments

If you guys have read my previous post, you would have known about the extra exclusive I managed to get with HISTORY. I feel like every fan has a dreamt of having this opportunity to be able to hang out with their favourite group, and although I can't pick a favourite out of all the K-Pop groups I listen to, I can definitely say I achieved the dream for at least a day!

I think the first thing I've got to say is, how did I manage to get this opportunity? Well because of my blog I was able to work backstage at the concert, completing errands as well as doing concert photography. This led to the next day, where the manager had requested for me and my friend, Katy who was the interpreter to show them around London. For those who attended the concert, you might have remembered them mentioning that they would be going around London! Sihyoung told the fans that if they saw them they must come up to them and say hi!

So the day began around 9AM. Katy had already gone to the hotel and met the members whilst I met the rest of the group at the station for 9. Unfortunately, we were missing Kyungil and Yijeong who went to meet friends for the day. We purchased 9 travel tickets, and distributed them to the group.

Our first stop was Westminster. The one attraction which probably is most known in London is none other than Big Ben. I remember Sihyoung asking me later on about how to spell Big Ben aha. But it's unfortunate it had to rain on our tour around London, but it's not London if there is no rain... Dokyun was lovely and offered an umbrella to me and Katy but we both politely declined. Also by Westminster, we managed to get a view of the London Eye which was across the river.

#bigben#London#England#Europe

A photo posted by _KimSiHyoungram (@kimsihyoungram) on Feb 22, 2016 at 4:26am PST

Last London -> paris c u again - hello Goodnight

A photo posted by _KimSiHyoungram (@kimsihyoungram) on Feb 22, 2016 at 2:52pm PST

We began walking towards Whitehall gardens, with Jaeho getting excited to see green grass that he even got someone to take a picture of him posing on the grass ahaha. At one point we even had Sihyoung imitating a duck which was an interesting sight...

Eventually, we took a group picture of the whole crew and HISTORY excluding Kyungil and Yijeong at Whitehall Gardens.

As we began to walk towards Trafalgar Square, we happened to walk by the Corinthia Hotel and Katy mentioned how she was friends with the manager. The manager also happens to be a big fan of HISTORY and even offered free rooms for them to stay. She unfortunately couldn't attend the HISTORY concert because of work.

We arrived at Trafalgar Square and HISTORY saw the fountains and began looking for coins to throw into the fountain. Katy had to stop them, explaining as that wasn't the purpose of the fountain despite there being some coins in the fountain already aha.

We proceeded towards the National Gallery walking through different rooms of the gallery. I don't think I've ever actually explored the National Gallery properly so it was a good chance for me to look around with the group.

Eventually, we decided to take a break as everyone went for toilet breaks and waited for the rain to settle outside. There was a discussion amongst the members and Katy and I had some help from Katy to talk to them here and there. Dokyun and Jaeho asked about my age, and were really shocked to find out I was only 18 years old. They also asked what year I was born in, and I said I was born in 1997 making me a 97 liner. I remember awkwardly introducing myself in Korean, and they also asked me whereabouts I was from, to which I answered I was born here but I'm from Vietnam.

We began making a move towards the entrance with Sihyoung attempting to put Korean money in the donation box despite it saying only Euros and British Pounds and another currency only aha. So generous of him either way. The group was divided again as everyone went to go for another quick toilet break before we left, leaving me to be responsible for Dokyun, Jaeho and Sihyoung - the pressure was real and without Katy I wasn't too sure what to say myself aha.

We walked towards the side, as I was standing up awkwardly not knowing what to say. Sihyoung who had sat down on one bench with the other two members sitting on another began a conversation in English with me. I'm actually really surprised at how good his English is, although it isn't perfect he did really well. He asked me similar questions to what the others had asked earlier e.g. Where are you from? How old are you? etc. The other members answered for me saying I was 18 and born in 1997. He responded saying I was very young aha. He also asked me whether I do this as a job, and I was like nope, I'm actually a student. I remember saying student in Korean which is "학생" pronounced "hagsaeng”. He also asked me about my subjects in which I responded saying I took media. He asked me to sit down beside him - I was still awkwardly standing around aha... Before he attempted to explain in English about how he believed artists and workers are all equal and how believes everyone is a friend (which includes me - I think that was really sweet him to say). He told me to treat this day as fun experience rather than work. I got so distracted I didn't realise Katy was calling me to which they found the rest of us later as we got ready to leave.

We left the gallery but the group split up again temporarily as Jaeho, Sihyoung and a few others got distracted by a street act. Sihyoung once again started giving Korean money, and the street act was saying "안녕하세요" which is pronounced "anneonghaseyo" which you may otherwise know as "hello" in Korean. They were rather amazed and took selfies with the guy - Katy was talking about how Sihyoung doesn't seem to stop giving money to people aha.

We proceeded to Piccadilly Circus as we arranged for everyone to separate into small groups to have their own free time around. For most of them, they went shopping around Oxford Circus and Regent Street whilst Katy, the concert agent, Dokyun and myself went to Costa to have grab something to eat and drink. We arranged to all meet back at 12.

The concert agent was lovely, he treated us all to food and drinks, and I remember saying "감사합니다" or "kamsahamnida" to the concert agent, which supposedly translates to "thank you very much". This led to him asking me whether I speak Korean and I replied only a little aha. I think I was struggling quite hard as the 3 of them were talking Korean amongst each other and I didn't really understand much of it to say anything - the concert agent assumed I understood everything...

Unfortunately, Katy had to leave so we said our goodbyes, whilst the other two said thank you before we set off to the meet at the meeting point. The concert agent said he will now be prepared to speak English since I wouldn't be able to help much with my Korean aha. Whilst we waited for the others to return and the promoter/organiser to meet us, we took a selfie with the concert agent's selfie stick.

As everyone slowly returned with the addition of the promoter, Xavier, two fangirls appeared in front of us. They were really excited and happy to see the members but the concert agent stated they weren't allowed to take pictures with them.

Meanwhile, Xavier and I prepared to find somewhere to eat, and since the members wanted to eat meat, the concert agent and the Xavier managed to make a compromise. We ended up eating at the Angus Steakhouse in Piccadilly Circus. I was about to sit down, when the concert agent pointed towards the seat which happened to be next to Sihyoung. I don't think I've stated this yet, but Sihyoung is actually my favourite member from the group aha! We both sat down and shared a menu with each other, discussing between ourselves what was good to eat.

As everyone raised their drinks, Sihyoung clinked his drink with mine saying "cheers, friend" - Aha I was secretly dying inside, but who wouldn't if an idol acknowledged you as a friend. Everyone proceeded to enjoy their meals, and trust me I struggled trying to cut my steak... It was awkward and I think a few of them had noticed... Ah well...

With music playing in the background, Adele happened to come on with the song "Someone Like You". I love that song aha, actually anything by Adele is amazing. Sihyoung asked me whether Adele was from here and I agreed, but somehow both unintentionally ended up singing to it - can I classify that as a duet because if so, I would literally have to say "OMG!" because that was a worthwhile moment. I think he realised I could sing too and supposedly mentioned it to Jaeho who was sitting beside him. I hope I sounded okay...

Once we finished our meals, we proceeded to go towards Tower Bridge. Thank you Google Maps for saving my life in these situations. I was really worried about the journey since I didn't want to mess up since I was the only one there who knew London well enough. We went underground, and if you've seen Sihyoung's Instagram, you'll notice me! Sihyoung attempted to pull a Harry Potter moment as he put up his umbrella underground and slammed against the wall - I really think we should of taken them to King's Cross aha.

9 3/4 platform?

A video posted by _KimSiHyoungram (@kimsihyoungram) on Feb 23, 2016 at 6:57am PST

The tube just arrives after Sihyoung's attempts to go through the platform wall. We get onto the tube as Sihyoung attempts to "surf" on the tube. A lady was looking at him and trying not to laugh, as the concert agent explained saying he was a famous Korean comedian ahahaha!

As we begin to walk towards Tower Bridge, Jaeho taps me on the shoulder and asks me in English where the toilet is, so I went to quite a few places asking about the nearest toilet - such struggles, whilst I responded to Jaeho in the minimal Korean I knew to make sure he was okay and more. I'm not going to lie, if I never listened to K-Pop or watched Korean dramas I think this would have been much more difficult aha.

After we find the toilet, we return to the others who are taking photos by Tower Bridge. You can see below some of the members posting photos of Tower Bridge:

London☔️

A photo posted by Kim Jae Ho (@jaehogram) on Feb 22, 2016 at 5:36pm PST

짧고 굵게 ...나도 런던갓엇어😆

A photo posted by 나도균 (@dog.yun_gram) on Feb 22, 2016 at 3:55pm PST

#London#Europe#tour

A photo posted by _KimSiHyoungram (@kimsihyoungram) on Feb 22, 2016 at 7:28am PST

I even managed to capture some pictures of them at Tower Bridge as well, including the manager. To be honest, as Jaeho and I arrived later, I only managed to get mostly pictures of Jaeho, but he looks like such a model aha. Everyone was making poses, and borrowing Dokyun's sunglasses to look cool.

After the Tower Bridge experience, we made our way back to the hotel as I attempted to explain different sites such as the Shard and other attractions. Sihyoung was taking selfies with the group on the tube as well.

Once we had returned to the hotel, all the members were reunited again, as I greeted the other two members. Everyone went to collect their suitcases and luggage as the drivers appeared to take them to the airport. As I began to leave myself, the concert agent called my name, saying goodbye to me and thanking me for everything. Sihyoung who was standing by the car also noticed and also shouted in English, telling me to be careful as well as thanking me.

The experience was something completely different, something which I've never done before, but it honestly was an opportunity of a lifetime which I don't regret taking. Let's be honest here, I had some major post concert blues and I couldn't stop getting HISTORY songs out of my head. This experience will never be forgotten and probably one of the best experiences so far this year! Thank you to everyone who made this opportunity happen for me, I'm truly grateful! Thank you for reading!

14:07 8 comments

So I've been thinking carefully how I would structure this post. Should I be formal? Should I be professional? I decided I'm gonna try my best to be informative, try to be as professional as I can but I wanna be myself and include my own personal experiences through this post. I'm actually really behind with posts recently, but it has been a very busy month. February was only 29 days yet I did so much that I don't even know how I manage to recollect it all.

I feel like quite a few people know by now, but if you didn't, I was given the opportunity to work at the HISTORY concert. This includes working as a concert photographer as well as backstage with the members themselves. Here's an overview of the day working backstage, a personal exclusive from me to you!

So I started my day arriving at 1PM with my volunteer group, Charlotte and Tom, excluding Kat who was going to arrive later on. We had a bit of a struggle let's be honest... We didn't know how to open the door and we were told to enter the back door... Which was actually the stage door... But I won't go into too many details to be a complete drag. We were standing in the office watching the CCTV camera, when suddenly a large group of fangirls ran out of the queue and we knew there and then HISTORY had arrived.

Now what can we say about first impressions? Well to be honest, we were all a bit awkward at first since we didn't really know what to do or say, but who would when you were only a few metres away from Korean idols. Sihyoung made an interesting first impression as he asked in English whether there was a smoking room, yeah... I found out a lot of the members smoke which was interesting... But from what I've heard a lot of idols smoke so I shouldn't be too surprised.

Anyways, we went off to complete some errands from collecting lunch from a Korean restaurant which I had ordered from a couple of hours beforehand, but yet we still managed to have a miscommunication, but hey Bibigo I still appreciate your service, you managed to prepare all your food in 15 minutes and the members seemed to have demolished the food by the time we went off to buy drinks for them.

So who did we actually interact properly with out of the HISTORY members? Turns out Charlotte and I made our first encounter with Yijeong who happens to be the youngest member. You might be wondering, what did you even talk about? I can't exactly say it was much of a conversation due to the language barrier but it did start off with Korean greetings before Charlotte managed to work out Yijeong plays Heartstone - Shout out to all those Heartstone players aha! He managed to point and show us the game on his phone and he seemed rather happy about it aha!

Kat arrives meaning we have our whole team here so we begin sorting out the merchandise to sell for the concert, good teamwork guys. I think our Maths skills are on pointe! Can't forget the awkward encounter with the guy who we thought worked at Vue but actually he was working at the O2... Oops.

By this time our group had split once again, Kat and Charlotte going to get change for the merchandise, and Tom and I getting medication for the one of the members - Don't worry they were fine, just some minimal muscle pain and headaches, the usual. By the time us two had gotten back, Katy the interpreter had arrived - also another friend of mine aha! But, the Korean concert agent was offering drinks to us in Korean, but we politely declined. He responded, with the help of Katy saying "Why would you decline something that I offer to you?" and told Katy to pull a straight face whilst doing so, Tom replied smoothly saying "well we bought it for you guys to enjoy" - Well done Tom, you saved us aha!

Grabbing some lunch at Ed's Burgers before the concert was due to begin. I returned preparing my camera for the interviews. Let's say the interviews were incredibly eventful. We had a mix bunch of interviewers and I also got to learn a lot about the HISTORY members through the process of each interview.

I think the most memorable interview question from me, would have to be from the interviewers of BeatCraze. Why may you ask? Well, for one of the questions they asked about whether HISTORY knew about any British slang... The responses weren't what I was expecting and I couldn't stop laughing, and the follow up to the question made me emotional indeed. The HISTORY members mentioned phrases like "water" and "Harry Potter" in British accents, to what they deemed to be British slang. BeatCraze eventually taught them some British slang, and a phrase which they could possibly use for their fans (which HISTORY had asked about). They learnt "init" "bruv" and the phrase for their fans was "wassup, bruv".

You can check out the BeatCraze interview here below:

http://beatcraze.tumblr.com/post/139815979129/160221-history-interview-in-london

As well as another interview by KultScene with HISTORY:

http://kultscene.com/history-so-talented-come-to-nyc/

After the interviews, we had a short break before the concert began, the members started getting ready in their concert outfits and makeup with the help of their stylist and makeup artists. Kat and Charlotte were getting ready at the merchandise stall whilst Tom and I got ready to follow the members for the start of the concert.

As we followed the members out, the members entered through a separate door whilst Tom and I walked to the front of the stage, standing in between the barriers holding back the fans and the stage. One of the benefits of working as a photographer is probably having the best view of the stage.

I was really happy to have the opportunity the be able to listen to all the songs I really wanted to listen to, that included all their main songs as well as additional songs from their album and their latest Japanese single.

HISTORY Concert Song List

(from what I can recall and reference - in no particular order):

Dreamer
D-Day
Easy/Torn Apart
Tomorrow
Why Not
Because I Love You (Dokyun's Solo)
What Am I To You
Psycho
Lost
Beautiful, My Girl
Might Just Die
Goodbye Please Stop (Yijeong Solo)
Nobody Nowhere
The Manual (Dokyun x Jaeho) (Eddy Kim cover)
Baby Hello (Sihyoung x Kyungil x Yijeong)
Liar
Ghost
Tell Me Love

Do comment below if I've missed any in my list! It would be great to have the full list aha!

Honestly, I've really enjoyed listening to HISTORY and knew of them since debut, however I never actually became a massive fan but after listening to them live I can't fault them and I feel like it has opened my eyes to a lot of their songs. Especially their album songs, I think my new favourites include: D-Day, Easy and Baby Hello. Personally, I also loved Dokyun and Jaeho's cover of Eddy Kim's The Manual aha.

You can view a slideshow of the photos I collected during the concert below:

I actually took over 1000 photos in total, and narrowed it down to just over 200 photos which I considered the best, I had to pick "Might Just Die" as the slideshow soundtrack - I literally can't seem to get it out of my head at the moment since 2 weeks ago aha!

Can't forget the selfie that the group took with the London audience, credits to the HISTORY Facebook page:

You can find me sitting in the front on the right by Sihyoung's hand aha...

I think the HISTORY talks were also incredibly interesting, from the talk of ideal types with some very awesome fan service - the hug between Yijeong and Kyungil was so cute omg... And we can't forget Jaeho being called out for being a casanova back in Korea aha!

HISTORY's Ideal Types

(from the London concert):

Dokyun: A nice girl with a pretty smile
Yijeong: The leader is my ideal type (referring to Kyungil)
Kyungil: I like girls... I like someone who likes me
Jaeho: I think British girls are pretty...
Sihyoung: I like girls who look good in denim jeans

After the concert ended, the merchandise group were incredibly busy, they managed to make over £2000 selling the t-shirts and posters. Well done team! Meanwhile, I proceeded to preparing for the Meet & Greet shoot, as the VIPs were getting ready to in groups of 10 to have their photograph taken with the group.

From hugs, to holding hands and gift exchanges, the fans seemed to have a great experience having their group pictures. Although it was very busy and we were limited for the time, the girls including me, Katy, Kat and Charlotte managed to handle the Meet & Greet session whilst Tom covered merchandise. I think the moment which scared me the most was the possibility of my camera running out of battery... Although it was very close to running out I was incredibly fortunate as my camera just survived till the end of the Meet & Greet.

The volunteers excluding Tom, had an opportunity to also take a picture with the group. It was a great privilege as the manager took a picture of the group with me, Kat, Charlotte and Katy. Everyone more or less got to stand next to their favourite members whether it was by coincidence or it was organised I'm not too sure myself aha, but it turned out great.
Here's a picture of us 4 with HISTORY:

After the Meet & Greet we went back downstairs towards the dressing rooms as we began getting ready to leave. Before we left, we had a few laughs here and there, at one point Yijeong was laughing at Charlotte laughing hysterically... Oh my! Kyungil managed to catch on to me and Kat making stereotypical British accents towards Charlotte which resulted in him laughing as well. And of course, we can't forget Kat's joke about it being past Charlotte's bedtime, and Charlotte freaking out over the time that she had to awkwardly ask Kyungil for the time on his phone aha!

Overall it was a great experience, the volunteers even managed to get a selfie each with Kyungil excluding myself. I don't think I could be more grateful for the opportunity, especially as an individual I managed to gain so much experience and develop many skills through this opportunity. Thank you so much to the promoters and Arpeggios Entertainment!

Thank you for reading, but don't miss out on a second exclusive with HISTORY coming soon! I hope you enjoyed reading my eventful concert experience with my friends and I hope you check out HISTORY if you haven't already! Catch you guys again soon!

22:21 3 comments

So I've never actually tried writing a movie review before, but it's always good to try and expand your skills aha! First of all, I received a complimentary ticket to go and see one of the films at the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme at the ICA yesterday. I was fortunate enough to pick a film suited to my schedule and something in which I was really interested in! I found the perfect film!

However if I'm honest, I didn't get off to a very good start... I arrived 20 minutes late for the showing, but was fortunate enough to still come in. I thought I'd missed about 20 minutes worth of the film so I went home later and rewatched the beginning - turns out I only missed about 6-7 minutes of the film! Anyways, it was a bit of struggle since entering the film late meant it was really dark and really difficult to find seats since most of the seats were all filled up and my inability to see didn't help. Fortunately, some people in front of me found some seats so I just sat beside them. If you're wondering, yes I actually went to go and see a movie by myself. Why do you ask? Well, when I first got the tickets I was just focused on getting them to be able to write something new for my blog readers! But by the time I realised I was going by myself, most people I knew were busy or well... Broke. I'm not gonna lie, it was an interesting experience going to see a film all by myself. And it wasn't even as bad as I thought it would be aha.

Anyways, onto the film. To summarise the film (I apologise for my terrible summarising skills) it's basically about a group of high school kids, who developed an interest in music in which they decide to start a band. Meanwhile, there is a guy (Hikaru Oshiro) who runs a bento shop with his mum and his wife, they also have a daughter (she's super cute). So you might be wondering? How do they link? Well, the group of high school kids who have a band, find they have nowhere to practice, so Hikaru decides to build his own studio as there aren't many available that are suitable for aspiring musicians who are high school students (which is highly relatable as many high school students wouldn't exactly have money to pay for studio time with studies etc.). Although, the usage of the studio is free, there are certain conditions which the students have to follow to be able to use the studio.

Honestly, I found this film incredibly inspiring. For teenagers, it's the time where we start trying to discover our dreams, with many of us having to decide our subjects, our career choices and more, I feel this film is highly relatable. It's also difficult to follow certain dreams due to obstacles similarly to the film where they encountered struggles such as trying to find a practice space for them to work hard and become pro. For me, as this is a musical film, I can highly sympathise with the fact that the music industry is really difficult and I honestly love music but decided to stop because I didn't believe I was capable to go any further so I stopped after secondary school. Although, I do consider music as a hobby nowadays. This film taught me to persevere with my dreams, and that you won't make it anywhere if you don't even try to do it and just assume you can't do it. This film is incredibly motivating in a way and shows how despite some of us believing adults may not understand us, this film taught me an adult's perspective, believing that there will always be someone who will support you and your dreams if others do not.

Overall, I really enjoyed this film. The music was interesting to listen to and the plot line was really intriguing, with a few laughs here and there aha. Although I can say some of the plot line was sort of expected for me, but that might be me watching too many Asian dramas and movies aha. I'm not going to lie about one thing, I totally did cry over the movie. At one moment, I felt that one tear drop slowly falling down my cheek before slowly they started to fall continuously. I'm not sure if I was the only one, but I felt I connected with the movie in many ways which may explain why I might have been so emotional. I believe if a movie is something which brings emotion and is something that allows you to identify yourself, it means it's a worthwhile movie.

What was interesting to find in the credits was that the film was inspired by a true story of the late, Hikaru Nakasone. Also, I totally enjoyed listening to Stereopony during the ending credits, I didn't realise they sung the song "Arigatou" at the end till it was mentioned in a caption. Thank goodness for English subtitles and captions aha. Stereopony were a great band, and it's unfortunate they disbanded... However, I still highly recommend taking your time to listen to them! Plus, the ending song is definitely a song I'll add to my playlist from now on! But for now, take a chance to check out the song below:

Thank you guys for reading! I hope I convinced you to try checking out this movie, because I highly recommend the movie!

11:33 2 comments

Here's for another update on another event which will be touring the UK! So I'd heard about this film programme through my email subscription with The Japan Foundation after I signed up them a while back when I first went to Hyper Japan a couple years ago or so. Other than the random subscriptions from stores I have a tendency to read my emails quite thoroughly and it's always interesting to see what's currently going on! I know a lot of people have asked me how I manage to find out about all these events, trust me emails and social media is the biggest place to find events!

The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2016 is not something to be missed! With 14 various films to be screened of all different genres, there's an opportunity to pick a film which entices you. Or maybe even pick a film completely different from your typical preference and learn to like something new! The films are also screened on different dates, some of which are screened more than once at a specific location so if you missed out on one, there may possibly be another screening to suit your schedule.

So what exactly are the locations involved in the programme?

We've got 13 different locations from the UK!

London - 5th February - 11th February @ Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA)
Leicester - 6th February - 26th March @ Phoenix
Bristol - 8th February - 27th February @ Watershed
Birmingham - 8th February - 21st March @ Mac Birmingham
Derby - 12th February - 14th February @ QUAD
Sheffield - 14th February - 29th February @ Showroom Cinema
Aberystwyth - 19th February - 24th February @ Aberystwyth Arts Centre
Dundee - 20th February - 28th February @ Dundee Contemporary Arts
Edinburgh - 22nd February - 28th February @ Filmhouse
Kendal - 25th February - 24th March @ The Brewery Arts Centre
Exeter - 2nd March - 23rd March @ Exeter Phoenix
Nottingham - 18th March - 24th March @ Broadway
Manchester - 20th March - 24th March @ HOME

As you can see, the tour will commence in London at the ICA, But what's use knowing dates and locations without knowing what films are screening, right?
(Credits to AsianWiki and MyAnimeList for the photos and the ICA for the movie descriptions)

The Cowards Who Looked To The Sky - An emotionally-engaging film that rotates around an illicit affair between cosplaying housewife Satomi and high school student Takumi. Acclaimed director Yuki Tanada’s masterpiece is a bold expression of the inner lives, hardships and cooped-up feelings of individuals in modern day Japan.

A Farewell To Jinu - After developing an unusual ‘money allergy’, Takeharu (Ryuhei Matsuda) leaves the city for a remote village aspiring to live without using any money – will a completely zero-yen life be possible? The long-awaited new film by playwright, author, actor and filmmaker Suzuki Matsuo (Otakus in Love).

The Letter - A portrait of two brothers, Tsuyoshi and Naoki, torn apart when Tsuyoshi accidently commits murder. Despite the good intentions behind the crime, Naoki begins to despise his brother for the trouble he caused. A film exploring the toll a crime can have on the offender’s family.

Pecoross' Mother And Her Days - A heart-warming comedy exploring Japan’s ageing population through the story of a dementia-suffering mother and her manga artist son, who faces the reality that his mother must be moved to a nursing home and begins to discover more about her past.

Cheers From Heaven - An emotional drama based on the true story of Hikaru (played by Hiroshi Abe), an Okinawan “bento” (lunch box) shop owner who, whilst battling a terminal illness, devoted himself to helping a group of young aspiring musicians follow their dreams.

Noriben - The Recipe For Fortune - After leaving her jobless husband, Komaki tries to make ends meet by opening her own "bento" (lunch box) shop and offering inexpensive but undoubtedly delicious food. A heartfelt story of a woman’s journey to independence that is guaranteed to whet your appetite!

Uzumasa Limelight - An award-winning film telling the admirable story of Seiichi, a ‘kirareyaku’ actor whose main role in samurai movies was simply to be killed-off. When the studio where he works decides to discontinue its samurai epics, Seiichi finds himself at a loss.

I'll Give You My All... Tomorrow - Fed-up forty-something Shizuo (Shinichi Tsutsumi) quits his job to embark on a reluctant pursuit to follow his dreams and eventually realises his true passion in life: Manga! Without much preparation or any skill, Shizuo begins work on his masterpiece…

Being Good - Tasuku (Kengo Kora) is a new primary school teacher who discovers one of his pupils is being neglected, whilst in the same city, a woman who appears to be a good mother can’t help hitting her own child. A heart-wrenching story of people caught in downward spirals by director Mipo O.

Tale Of A Butcher Shop - An award-winning documentary about the Kitades and their family-run butcher shop in Kaizuka City (outside Osaka), where they have been raising and slaughtering cattle, and selling their meat in their small shop for over 100 years.

A Japanese Tragedy - Director Keisuke Kinoshita creates a bleak portrait of the social realities of the postwar existence through mother Haruko’s story of self-sacrifice as she struggles to raise her materialistic-minded children after losing her husband in the war.

The Elegant Life Of Mr Everyman - A ‘salaryman comedy’ about Eburi, who drunkenly promises to pen his clients a masterpiece and who must stay true to his word. Featuring animation and audacious editing, this idiosyncratic and inventive classic film is a timeless treatment of life in postwar Japan.

Anthem Of The Heart - Young girl Jun loses the ability to speak after feeling her words cause her trouble. One day Jun is grouped with students at her high school and needs to put on a musical – will Jun be able to find her voice? A charming animated story from the creators of the smash hit movie Anohana.

Miss Hokusai - Set in early 19th century Japan during the Edo period, this animation by Keiichi Hara (Colorful) brings to life the story of O-Ei, the daughter of ukiyo-e master, Hokusai. Often contributing to his art whilst remaining uncredited, this anime is a tribute to the woman overshadowed by her large-than-life father.

However... four lucky locations will have the opportunity to meet special guest, Yuki Tanada!

Yuki Tanada is actually a director for one of the many films which will be showing throughout the programme! She is the director for none other than, The Cowards Who Looked To The Sky. Don't miss out on the opportunity to meet the special guest for this year's programme at:

Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), London - 6th and 9th February 2016
Watershed, Bristol - 8th February 2016
Phoenix, Leicester - 11th February 2016
QUAD, Derby - 12th February 2016

But as a Londoner myself, I feel like you shouldn't miss out on an ticket deal with the ICA!

The ICA are providing you the opportunity to buy four tickets for the price of three!
(£33 for four full price tickets, £24 for four concession tickets, £21 for 4 members tickets)
ICA's 4 for 3 Ticket Deal

Don't miss out! Since there are so many films available for screening, purchasing tickets ASAP for the films you're most interested in would be the most beneficial! If you can't choose between films why not watch as many as you can? With the offer provided by the ICA you are given an extra advantage in enjoying the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme!

For more information check out The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme website below:

http://www.jpf-film.org.uk/

Don't forget to also join the Facebook event page below!
The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2016

20:20 No comments

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