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Jay E. Tria

Author Interview: Ines Bautista-Yao

Posted on November 22, 2015

I’ve been catching up on Filipino indie authors recently and one of my favorites is the awesome hybrid author Ines Bautista-Yao. I’ve read one of her books, a sweet romance called Only A Kiss, and fell immediately in love with her fluid prose and her heart-warming take on romance. This week, Ines has launched her new book called Just a Little Bit of Love, which is a compilation of three short stories set in the world of Only A Kiss. I’ve read all of these stories and love them (but I love Ina and John’s story On the Sidelines the best, okay). But if you need a little bit more convincing before one-clicking the book on Amazon, I asked Ines some hard-hitting questions (hihi not really) about her latest release. Check out the interview below 🙂

Book Review

Review: Vintage Love by Agay Llanera

Posted on November 19, 2015

26-year-old Crissy Lopez’s life is in dire need of a makeover. Her wardrobe revolves around ratty shirts and beat-up sneaks; her grueling schedule as a TV Executive leaves no room for a social life; and worst of all, she’s still hung up on the Evil Ex who left her five years ago.

When her fashionable grand-aunt passes away and leaves behind a roomful of vintage stuff, the Shy Stylista inside Crissy gradually resurfaces. Soon, she feels like she’s making progress — with a budding lovelife to boot! But the grim ghost of her past catches up with her, threatening to push her back into depression. To finally move on, Crissy learns that walking away is not enough. This time, she needs to take a leap of faith.

I’ve been seeing a lot of good things said about Agay Llanera‘s writing. I’ve one-clicked all her books since then, but it wasn’t until I grabbed copies of her print books at the Manila International Book Fair that I finally got to read my first Llanera book, Vintage Love. And wow, weren’t they ALL right about her.

Llanera’s writing makes me feel as if I’m reading about a friend, about someone I care about and that I am sincerely cheering on. And those were the feelings that stuck with me from the first few pages of Vintage Love. Crissy was a very charming hero, relatable and fun with all of her hang ups, her insecurities, with her little triumphs. This was a girl I knew, maybe even someone I’ve been myself at one time before, and I liked seeing her trying, seeing her make her mistakes and learn from them. It’s a sweet story that was very real, and I can’t wait to get back my copy of Once Upon a Player (from my friend who is also now clearly a big Llanera fan) so I can continue binge-reading this awesome author.

Vintage Love and Once Upon a Player are both available in print in bookstores in the Philippines. You can get the ebook versions on Amazon 🙂

About the author:

Agay Llanera is a freelance writer for television and video, and a published writer of children’s books. She is a member of KUTING, a private, non-stock, non-profit organization, which aims to be the Philippines’ foremost writers’ organization for children. Email her at agay.llanera@gmail.com and visit her blog at agayisagirl.blogspot.com.

Book Review

Review: Only A Kiss by Ines Bautista-Yao

Posted on November 19, 2015

When she was nine-years-old, Katie knew she wanted Chris to give her her first kiss. It wasn’t because she was in love with him (no way, he was her best friend! Besides, she was in love with his fourteen-year-old big brother), it was because she could make him do anything she wanted.

Besides, it didn’t really mean anything. It was only a kiss after all.

But then things started to change. They grew up. They parted ways and went to different high schools. And other girls and boys—well, just one particular boy—came into the picture, throwing their lives upside down.

Told from the alternating points of view of Katie and Chris, this love story between two best friends will tug at your heartstrings and leave you thinking how the simplest things can mean so much.

The first thing that got me about this book is the pretty cover. Then I read that the author started writing this after hearing ‘it’s only a kiss’ from the song Mr. Brightside. Being a fan of the Killers, pretty covers, AND the friends-to-lovers trope, I just had to get this book.

I was hooked from the first sentence. I loved Katie and her easy friendship with Chris that just made sense, not because he was there, but because their personalities complemented each other in the best way possible. I loved seeing them grow up, watching them learn to date, deal with broken hearts and move on from childhood infatuation. It was like watching a vivid reel of the lives of these two people, up to the moment that they finally realized they were meant to be more than friends. The writing made this journey engaging and just beautiful. I can’t wait to read more from Bautista-Yao, and it’s great that she seemed to have heard my wishes and granted them! The author just released a collection of short stories set in the world of Only a Kiss, called Just a Little Bit of Love. Get it for only $0.99 now!

Tourism

Things to Do on a Fall Trip to Korea: Lotte Mart, Edae, Hongdae, Gwanghwamun

Posted on November 18, 2015

Day 5 and Day 6, our last two days in Seoul, saw us virtually penniless. Yeah, I guess we were not ready for this. But going around a foreign place with almost no cash on you teaches you important survival things. Like finding a place where you can use your credit card. OR learning to stop yourself from spending too much. Or teaching yourself to just look, maybe touch, but to NOT buy.

Lotte Mart. First stop of the day was Myeongdong’s Lotte, because we’ve been trying to catch this place open so many times now it’s not even funny. We went straight to the grocery for some pasalubong, then nipped through Duty Free to window shop some more. Then it’s off to dump the groceries at the guesthouse and roam the free cities of Seoul with our limited budget.
Hello to the man from the stars. Lotte Mall, Myeongdong. Photo by Ace Tria.
Ehwa University or Edae. It was a shame really that our funds decide to run low now that we were headed to the cheaper shopping districts of Seoul. Ehwa University or Edae for short is a women’s university, and thus is surrounded by streets upon streets of fun finds at good prices. I’m talking clothes that go as low as KRW5k to 10k, and coats as cheap as 30k. Dongdaemun is pretty much Edae’s bitch, and I wish we knew this sooner. Oh well, on the next trip.
Picturesque Ehwa University. Those glass walls house a library, cafe, among many other places we did not have access to. Hu. Photo by Ace Tria.

We managed to get a couple of things, then we hiked to the oh so picturesque university to just look at the autumn colors against the backdrop of that charming campus. Then we went back down the slope (not allowed to enter the buildings, sadly) to get our street food and bingsu fix, before heading to our next stop.

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Hongik University or Hongdae. This was easily my favorite stop last year. The energy in Hondae is infectious. And though we did not have the funds to scour the budget racks like we did last year, we went back just the same to take a leisurely walk around the streets, watch college kids have fun and be merry, and to catch the free shows on the pedestrian-friendly street.
Serenades are common while walking around Hongdae on a weekend night. Hongdae. Photo is mine.

Sadly, no one was doing a dance cover of any EXO song, but the performances we caught were pretty cool nonetheless. We also managed to find the university, which though not as pretty as Edae, was a cool sight too. Maybe next time we’ll try to find the Free Market.
Gwanghwamun Square, Gyeongbokgung Palace. Last year we took the free English tour of this palace, but did not manage to see the changing of the guards ceremony. This time I had a few hours free before our 9pm flight, so I took the chance to go to Gwanghwamun, explore Kyobo Bookstore (because I need to go to a bookstore, okay, even if I won’t/can’t buy anything), walk around the square and see King Sejong and Admiral Yi Sunshin, see the memorial/petition tents set up by the Sewol ferry families too, and then head to the palace gate and outer grounds to watch the changing of the guards ceremony.
Changing of the guards at Gyeongbokgung. Photo is mine.

Let me tell you, that ceremony takes time and effort! I mean you’d think the new guard on shift would just poke the exiting guy and say “okay dude, you’re out, I’m up.” But they have flags, marches, and inspections… they did not do anything half-baked in the Joseon era, for sure.

I took the train back and spent the last free hour I had back in Myeongdong, finishing an entire slice of chocolate ganache cake on my own in Twosome Place cafe. Myeongdong is where it all starts and ends with us when we’re in Seoul, seems like. And it’s not a bad habit to build. Will probably do the same things next time we’re in the country, but in different places. Walking until our backs and legs burn in pain, resting in cafes and downing large amounts of sweets and lattes, binging on street food and spicy soups, shopping for cosmetics, skin care and discounted clothes, snatching freebies and samples here and there. Maybe in Jeju next time. Maybe even Busan can tempt us. Either way we will likely still end up in Myeongdong, in some cafe or other, taking stock of another awesome trip while looking forward to the next one.

Total cost, breakdown
Air Asia round trip (includes airfare + taxes and terminal fees + baggage + travel insurance)		9,350.00
Accomodation		7,525.00
Subway/bus/taxi/entrance		3,246.20
Food		7,525.80
Shopping		Secret
TOTAL COST, FALL IN KOREA 2014		27,647.00

Tourism

Things to Do on a Fall Trip to Korea: Noryangjin Fish Market, KBS Building, Yeouido Park

Posted on November 18, 2015

Day 3 was another day trip of sorts as we crossed over to the other (dark? Not really, hihi) side of the river for a day of fresh (live!) fish, trolling around the KBS building, and an hour or so to rest our tita bones with the view of autumn colors to relax us.

Noryangjin Fish Market. This was on Tin’s list and oh boy were we happy to have gone here. Noryangjin is supposed to rival Japan’s Tsukiji, but I won’t be able to tell the winner really since we only ate outside Tsukiji and didn’t venture the inside market when we were there last August. We explored Noryangjin though, and as a word of warning, this is not a place for fancy/open shoes and squeamish stomachs. A lot of moving, swimming things around, and then they are slayed on the spot, I am not even kidding. The market folk are friendly enough, and if you know how to haggle (like my Divisoria-trained sister), you should be able to get a lot from your budget. Don’t expect hole-in-the-wall level prices for your lunch though. What happens here is you pay for the seafood first on the first floor, then the stall would have a runner to lead you to one of the second floor restaurants, where you pay separately for the cooking.
Looking for the market. Look for the trucks bearing market goods, or better yet just follow the fishy smell. Noryangjin Market. Photo by Ace Tria.

Looking for Noryangjin Market. Photo by Ace Tria.

Runner from the market led us here. Noryangjin Market. Photo by Ace Tria.

Not the full spread, but here you will see the baby octopus sashimi, fresh uni, and another fish served as sashimi. Noryangjin Market. Photo by Ace Tria.

The three of us had 4 pieces of abalone (grilled), 4 pieces of scallops (grilled), one giant fish (half sashimi, half grilled), 2 uni sashimi, and 2 baby octupi for sannakji/sashimi served with unlimited lettuce and kimchi, and that entire meal set us back KRW40k each. The freshness and taste was awesome and totally worth the price and the fishy taste on our clothes after. Side story: after we agreed on the price of the fish, the guy smashed the fish’s head three times with his metal rod, right there on the market floor in front of us. Not something we will forget in a hurry.
KBS Building. After our market trip, we took the train a few more stops down and got off at the National Assembly Building station. A few meters walk and a sherbet stop later, we were in the KBS building, where we found the entrance to the free walking tour. Free, because you pay nothing, and free because you roam the place by yourselves, guided by a map. It was great that we were the only ones roaming the floor, so we got to play with being newsanchors/TV personalities/directors and such with no interruptions.
Reading the Hangul news really slowly at the KBS Building, Yeouido. Photo by Ace Tria.

Tin playing producer at the KBS Building, Yeouido. Photo by Ace Tria.

Walking the KBS tour. KBS Building, Yeouido. Photo by Ace Tria.

Chilling with the boys of 2 Days 1 Night! KBS Building, Yeouido.

Watching a short clip of Autumn in My Heart and trying NOT to cry. KBS Building, Yeouido.

“Taping” our show. KBS Building, Yeouido.
Yeouido Park. Just outside was Yeouido Park, and standing on top of the KBS stairs, it’s already a breathtaking view. We meant to go to the Hangang Park so we can see the river, but that was on the other side of the city and we were tired, okay? So we trudged to the one in front of KBS. A lot of things you can do there with the locals, such as jogging or hiking. There’s even a bike rental place. But we found empty benches and just SAT there, people watching and yes, resting our tita bones while the wind wasn’t too cold yet and with the fall colors as our company.
Fall colors. The view that welcomes you once you exit the KBS building.

To bike or not to bike? Yeouido Park.

Titas of Manila resting, Yeouido Park. Photo by Ace Tria.

We ended the day back in Myeongdong, trying to catch Lotte Town (and ultimately failing), but having a grand time anyway strolling the streets, gorging on street food.

Flavored spiral of potatoes. Yum. Myeongdong. Photo by Ace Tria.

Street food happiness care of spicy eomuk. Myeongdong.

Chimaek and a book. Songs of Our Breakup in Two Two Chicken. Myeongdong. Photo by Ace Tria.

Photo credits to Ace Tria. Songs of Our Breakup is on Amazon and Buqo. Print version available here.

Tourism

Things to Do on a Fall Trip to Korea: COEX, Sinsadong, Dongdaemun Design Plaza and Market

Posted on November 18, 2015

Day 2 had us crossing the river (via the train system of course) and heading to the Gangnam side of things before heading back for some alien-level architecture and Divisoria-level haggling.

COEX, Hyundai Department Store, SMTOWN Artium. COEX mall had been under construction for the longest time and Tin was hell bent on seeing it, so we went there to literally window shop. The travel budget didn’t really cover too many LVs, see? Hehe. The in-house Hyundai Department Store had a few events (sales) though, and after a few minutes of looking at stuff we headed to the adjacent SMTOWN Artium.
Spotted a fan-sponsored birthday greeting for EXO’s Chanyeol in one of the train stations. Photo by Ace Tria.

f(x) goodies at the SM Artium. Photo by Ace Tria.

Human peg, Krystal of f(x) endorsing Keds at the SM Artium. Photo by Ace Tria.

Essentially it’s several floors worth of fangirling, boasting of shops of idol merch, a cafe, studios and even a place where you can get your pictures taken “with your idol of choice.” I’m happy we found this place when we were no longer at the height of our fandom, because those things do not go cheap. But it was a fun field trip!
Sinsadong Garosugil. Next thing on the itinerary was to look for the Sinsadong Garosugil (tree-lined street), which is literally a street lined with gingko trees and trendy shops and oh so many cafes. One thing we noted though was that there seemed to be a LOT of cosmetic surgery places there too, and there were a LOT of patients walking around with their plasters wrapped around their jaws and their noses and taped on their eyelids. Quite an interesting sight. Anyway, we were running on emergency fuel already, so we looked for a hole in the wall resto first before resuming our walk. There we found the flagship LINE Store!
You don’t need to buy anything. Just come here for this. Ace and Sally at the Line store, Sinsadong.

Maybe that’s Jessica? Along Sinsadong, Garosugil. Photo by Ace Tria.

Me chilling with pandas. Sinsadong, Garosugil. Photo by Ace Tria.

Songs of Our Breakup hanging with Sally at the Line Store. Sinsadong Garosugil. Photo by Ace Tria.

Sally and Brown and friends were there, as in giant fluffy version of them that you can hug and get pictures taken with! So much cuteness! After that we stopped at a Coffee Smith shop, which is this awesome outdoor, two-storey cafe setup for a dose of sweet potato latte and pumpkin latte. The taste of fall, yum!

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Dongdaemun Design Plaza. DDP was closed last year when we found it, but we caught it earlier this year. The big thing housed exhibits and shops inside, and we were able to look around a little bit before going back out to gape at the buildings again. Because really, that sight is what you come here and endure the nippy air for.
Dongdaemun Market. We went out and were met with a cluster of street food stalls (hurray!) so we got our eomuk fix again before heading inside Hello apM, which is one of the many 168-style malls in the area. My sister was on the hunt for a winter coat and we found an eonnie willing to haggle it out with a bunch of English-only foreigners. She got the coat down from KRW88k to 60k, and we bought one each (purchases we were happy about until we went to Ehwa, but that’s for another post). Tin was also able to find Taiyou bus merch for her nephew, though looking for that was a greater challenge for us. Note to self: find out the Korean word for ‘toy.’