CloseUp Forever Summer: Alesso in Manila

I've been so busy that I'm posting this entry really late. I just wanna share our Alesso experience at the CloseUp Forever Summer held in Globe Circuit City last April 5.

I got a free ticket from one of my bestfriends who got it from Unilever. I went there with my friends who love to party. Some of them even flew in from Bacolod and Iloilo just to party as Alesso spins live.

Had lo load up with a medium-sized bottle of Bushmills Irish whisky prior the show as the drinks in the venue would be very expensive and a lot in demand. So we got in during the set of DJ Ace Ramos, one of the country's sought after DJs, and also a friend of ours. Next who played was Helena, but I wasn't really familiar about her so I didn't really pay much attention during her set. I spent that time mingling with my friends instead.

my boy buds: Dennis & Arvin

Bushmills

at first I thought I was drinking alcohol, but it was purely juice LOL!

it was my friend Ecel's birthday

Then it was Alesso's set. The crowd went crazy, most especially the kids. Well by kids I meant, the high school and college students who were all dressed up like "close to naked"  (for girls) and like "macho without the muscles" (boys) LOL. I wonder why these kids are in a rush growing up. But I'm glad that even if I am 10 or more years older than them, they still look older than me. HAHA! Well that's probably because I wasn't in a rush when I was their age. Anyway, Alesso was good and popular but quite overrated. I think he's a hype these days 'cause of his music that has gone mainstream and is being continuously patronized by the youth. He produces EDM (electronic dance music), which I can say is actually today's music. To my ears it sounds like an electronic pop, pop house, progressive house pop, techno pop or something like pop + (insert another genre here). EDM is one of the genres I listen to a lot, and that's probably why I came out to attend this event.

fireworks :)

Alesso

top from H&M, shoes from Vans

party peeps!

my bodyguards: Puch & Elmer (LOL)

My driver and PA: Arvin & Dennis (LOL)

 But I must admit, I felt ecstatic as Alesso played "City of Dreams" and "If I Lose Myself", my top two faves. Of course, there's "Years", "Calling", and his collaboration with Calvin Harris, "Under Control". He also introduced his latest mix, "Sweet Escape".

Manila-Bacolod-Iloilo friends

Alesso's set took more than an hour. He was then followed by Deniz Koyu, the last DJ to perform that night. I wasn't really much familiar of him before, but I was surprised how good he was when he played there. Since a lot were not familiar of him, 20-30% of the crowd has already disappeared before he even started his set. But I was glad my friends and I stayed 'cause we enjoyed dancing to his music. With 30mins left on his set, my friends and I already left to avoid traffic. We also headed to Rufo's Famous Tapa at Makati Avenue for some quick early breakfast.

Now officially ticking Alesso off my must-see DJs list. Must now continue my quest for Hardwell. :)

VOTE for ANGELIA ONG as MS. MANILA PEOPLE'S CHOICE 2014

Hi everyone, I hope you could support my good friend, Angelia Ong as she joins Miss Manila 2014. We'll need your help so she could win the People's Choice award.

To vote for her, just type, MManila 9 and send to 5656 (Smart and Sun subscribers only). 

Coronation night is on June 24 at the PICC. See you there!

Please spread the word! Thank you so much!!!:)

Top 5 Reasons Why You'll Love HEADWARE

Headware is definitely a must-have! Here are the top 5 reasons why you'll love Headware:

5. It chooses no gender. No matter what your gender is, Headware is for you!

4. There are many designs and colors to choose from.

3. It's very useful, most especially for those who love the outdoors.

2. It is a fashion statement.

1. Hey, there are 21 ways you can wear Headware!

For more info, visit www.theheadware.com

Thanks Headware!:)



xoxo,

city girl

Clean & Clear: Certified Made for Teens

Thanks to Clean & Clear for this colorful loot!

Clean & Clear is certified made for teens!

Clean & Clear Foaming Facial Wash

With antibacterial ingredients that are effective in drawing out impurities for a really clean and refreshed face.

You'll love the rich lather that is really gentle on the skin so it doesn't leave you feeling dry.

Clean & Clear Fruit Essentials Brightening Lemon

This unique gel formula contains anti-bac ingredients that fight teen skin problems (like pimples, blackheads, and oil) without drying your skin. Plus it has lemon bursting beads that brighten overall skin tone leaving your skin so bright.

Clean & Clear Fruit Essentials Energizing Berry

This unique gel formula contains anti-bac ingredients that fight teen skin problems (like pimples, blackheads, and oil) without drying your skin. Plus it has berry bursting beads that leave a fun sensation on your skin, leaving your skin energized.

FMFA 2014 Experience: Day 3 Cancelled

The trip could've been perfect, but FMFA Day 3 got cancelled and it kinda ruined everything. It was cancelled even after it has already started due to some deaths of attendees that occurred the previous night. Apparently, some people got overdosed on party pills at the ASOT650 night so the Malaysian police insisted on the cancellation of Day 3. They even promised to give us a refund of 1/3 of the ticket price. However, we didn't think Day 3 was worth 1/3 of the total ticket price because it was the day with the most loaded and the best line up supposedly. If I would assess, that's worth 60% of the ticket.

the commotion outside the event grounds

Anyway, we just decided to move on from what happened so we all headed to Bukit Bintang to have some food trip. From there, some of us headed back to the hotel while some of us checked out Zouk. Apparently, it's too crowded there so we just ended up at an Irish pub for a chill session. I was surprised to see how expensive the liquors and cigarettes there. I think it's because it's a Muslim country and that they discourage vices. We even became friends with the Filipina waitress there.

in the train on our way to Bukit Bintang

Bukit Bintang

streetfood dinner

group photo at Petronas

our first out of the country trip together

Petronas Twin Towers at night

third wheelin' this couple at an Irish pub

Ate Mylene, the Pinay waitress all dressed up for St. Patrick's

The next day, we transferred to the Arenaa Star Hotel, where Angelia and Mark checked in 'cause they're staying at KL longer. Then we had lunch at a nearby cafe called Lokl and they served us really good food. Anyway, a Chinese friend I met in Seoul who's based in Kuala Lumpur met up with me there. She took us in the hawker's place in Bukit Bintang at Hotung in the basement of Lot 10 Mall. She said, that food court houses the best food  choices from all over Malaysia. Since she wanted us to try the best ones, she took charge in ordering food and even paying for the bill. In fact, it's an advantage that we went there as a group because we got to try and share more dishes together.

Lunch at Lokl

my friend June from KL

the best dishes of Malaysia under one roof!

After our early dinner, we went shopping at H&M (one of my mandatory stops in every country I go to); then we headed back to the hotel, got our stuff, and went straight to the airport to catch our flight back to Manila.

off to the airport

It's not one of the best trips I had, but I realized, fun really comes from the people's you're with. Sometimes it's not about what you do and where you go that matters most, but who you're traveling with. I was just thankful that I went there with a fun-loving group of people so the cancellation of Day3 wasn't really that bad at all.

I couldn't present much in detail how much I've spent on this trip like how I used to do in my previous travel posts, but so far, I was actually able to survive with a really low budget. Here's a quick rundown of my expenses in peso:

Airfare - Php 7,000
Festival Tickets - Php 5,000
Hostel - Php 1,500
Food, Transpo, etc. - Php 5,000
Replacement Battery for my Camera - Php 2,000
Shopping - Php 1,500
Total: Php 22,000

And of course, thanks to my friends for some free food and booze.:)

I'm not sure if I would ever plan again a trip to KL, but probably my next trip to Malaysia will be just to visit Legoland and that might happen in one of my trips to Singapore soon.


xoxo,

city girl

FMFA 2014 Experience: Day 2 - A State of Trance

The second day of the music festival is usually the most awaited event because it is ASOT - A State of Trance, which originated from Armin Van Buuren's radio show. This show has been going around the world. I'm glad to have been a part of ASOT 650: New Horizons in Kuala Lumpur.

Just before entering the venue, my camera lost its battery (it might have been dropped accidentally) so I just used my iPhone 5S in taking photos and videos. I didn't want to dwell on my lost battery so I just enjoyed the rest of the night. We met more new friends, including Dominik, a young German guy who's on an Asian trip that time and decided to attend the festival. We invited him to visit the Philippines soon as well.

The highlight of the night was the awesome performance by Armin Van Buuren. It was also touching that he dedicated a few minutes of his set for a prayer for the passengers of MH370 and their families. We also had a chance to have a photo taken with Paul Van Dyk. It was really a crazy fun experience! I am now officially a big fan of Armin!

OOTD (cropped tops, shorts, sneakers, flower crowns)

our first out of the country trip together

OOTD

mandatory flag photo :))

Andrew Rayel

the one and only, Armin Van Buuren!!!

more of Manila friends

'cause my friend Mags is such a PVD fan

Malaysia, Germany, Philippines

PVD!!!

And that's FMFA Day 2!

xoxo,

city girl