In an earlier episode of The Fandesals Podcast (currently on Google, Apple and Spotify and also on YouTube), we discussed The Men Who Made Our Hearts Flutter. I decided to recycle an old post from an earlier version of my blog related to this. The Fandesals episode from Season 1 Episode 11 on Spotify is embedded at the end of this post. Enjoy!
It’s rare for me to be a big fan of any celebrity. I may like one celeb here and there but no one has ever made me go on the whole “showbiz fan” ride except for one actor: Dennis Trillo.
The first time that I noticed Dennis Trillo was in his role in the move Aishite Masu 1941. I thought his portrayal of Ignacio/Inya was amazing. I was such a fan of his performance that when I learned that he was going to make an appearance at a nearby mall, I had to drag my sister over so that I could have my DVD of the film autographed. I met and befriended a few of his fans from that day and it all just went super crazy from there. Dennis Trillo movies and TV shows became an addiction for me.
I watched Dennis Trillo in Mulawin (TV and movies) and in all the other shows where he was made into all sorts of supernatural or superhero characters, no matter how corny some of the shows may be.
In an earlier episode of The Fandesals Podcast (currently on Google, Apple and Spotify and also on YouTube), we discussed BTS. I decided to recycle an old post from an earlier version of my blog related to this. Here is an entry on my favorite songs from Min Yoongi, AKA Suga of BTS. Originally posted on March 2022. The Fandesals episode from Season 1 Episode 2 on Spotify is embedded at the end of this post. Enjoy!
As many of you may already know, I am a big BTS fan. I am also a big fan of one of their rappers, Min Yoongi, also known as SUGA and as Agust D. I’ve admired the lyricism of his work and the backing tracks that he uses for the songs he produces (along with him whispering “SUGA” on every track he works on. It’s like his signature as a producer).
Since March is his birthday month, I decided to share a playlist of songs that feature Min Yoongi as a rapper, songwriter, and producer. I want to share the songs that made me a fan and I hope that after listening to this playlist, you will be too!
Let me start off this list with a video of the song Agust D, which is the title track of his first solo mixtape. I love this track so much I play it via Soundcloud often. This isn’t available on Spotify or iTunes, so I am sharing this here from YouTube:
If you liked that first track, here are the songs on my Spotify playlist:
First Love - This was a song that moved me without even understanding the lyrics, even more so when I understood what it meant, which is something that I could (in a way) relate to. You could just feel the emotion and the sentiment in the song, and I loved the piano that went along with it.
Intro: Nevermind - SUGA wrote this song that was released in 2015. I loved the message of this song about doing what you want and not what people expect you to, alluding to his own personal success story of not doing what his parents expected him to and ending up with BTS.
Trivia: Seesaw - This is one of those rare songs where SUGA actually sings as well as raps. Written by SUGA himself, this talks about a difficult relationship where no one wants to be the one to initiate the breakup to be the bad guy, dragging things on and making things worse in the process. I loved the story of this song, which is surprising given the melody that makes it seem that it is a happy song.
Interlude: Shadow - This is another moving track from SUGA. I love how he is not afraid to get personal with his songs, particularly about how he now has the dreams that he has wanted and his fear of the shadow that comes with this success. I remember him talking about similar fears when he was having a conversation with Jin on In the Soop season 1 so I guess this still resonates with him in a way today.
Best of Me - SUGA is credited as one of the writers in this track. I loved his rap verse in this one so much!
Telepathy - In the first season of In the Soop, SUGA plays one of his songs to the rest of BTS. I later learned that this is one of the songs he played for them and they decided to record it as a group. It’s such a happy track about reaching out to someone you care about.
Cypher Pt. 3: Killer - A rap for the haters of BTS, this song is in the group’s first album. All the Cypher songs are amazing, but this one I think is the best one of all of them. If I’m not mistaken, SUGA wrote the lyrics to his verse in this one, which was – well – an eye-opener as I did not know about the whole Hong Kong thing until I looked up the lyrics to this one.
So Far Away - I thought that this was such a personal track that talked about one’s dreams and fears in life. Plus, I loved that it had a female voice in the track that makes me love to sing along to it.
The Last - I remember liking the sound of this song and the way he raps as Agust D on this one. After reading the translation I understood why the rapping was the way that it was as he told the story of his battle with mental illness, particularly depression, social anxiety, and OCD. I think it’s a very powerful song. I was blown away by it.
Give It To Me - Another song that is for the haters as he embraces the success he has in life. I love the beat and the hook of this one.
Moonlight - Again, another personal track that I like because it’s an honest take on his success and the doubts he still feels as an artist.
People - This is one of my favorite songs on his D2 mixtape. I like the message of this one and the backing track of this song.
Burn It - This is a song he did with the singer Max, who he collaborated with in the song Blueberry Eyes. I love the chorus of this one, and how it talks about burning one’s past and anything that has gone wrong with one’s life and starting anew (well, at least that’s what it meant to me).
Daechwita - This is one of my favorites from Agust D. It’s a song for the haters that uses traditional Korean music. I thought that it was a very creative move and it is one of those catchy songs that I just cannot seem to get enough of.
SUGA’s Interlude - This is a short song, but it’s still a meaningful one. Once you understand SUGA’s lyrics you see a side of him that is very introspective and personal, something that I often admire about his work.
Eight - This is not a SUGA song, but he is featured in the rap part of the song. He is also the producer of the track. I really like this one.
Wine - SUGA is credited as a producer and songwriter for this song, which talks about someone looking back on a past relationship.
You - A track produced by SUGA for Japanese artist ØMI. I didn’t think I’d like the song since he was only a producer on this song but like all the other tracks he has worked on, this had a sound that I enjoyed listening to.
My Universe (SUGA’s Remix) - This song was an instant favorite for me because of the message it sent that fits the times so well. As much as I love the original version, SUGA’s remix just sounds so much better to me.
Girl of My Dreams - When it was announced that SUGA would be on a single in Juice Wrld’s second posthumous album Fighting Demons, I eagerly waited for this song to come out on Spotify. SUGA’s verse on this song and the meaning of his lyrics just hits hard for me that I can’t help but listen to it over and over again.
What do you think of my playlist? I hope that you enjoyed listening to the playlist and learning about the songs as much as I enjoyed sharing them!
In an earlier episode of The Fandesals Podcast (currently on Google, Apple and Spotify and also on YouTube), we discussed the topic of our favorite workouts. I decided to recycle an old post from an earlier version of my blog related to this. Wow, I have come a long way since this was first posted in 2021! The episode on Spotify is embedded at the end of this post. Enjoy!
I read online that one of the things that can help a person prevent the infection of serious cases of COVID is regular exercise. During the start of this pandemic, I started exercising more regularly, something that my doctor would probably be happy to hear. I used to exercise a lot in the past, but after my thyroid surgery things just went downhill for me and workouts became sporadic to nothing at all. I was so frustrated that I would work out daily and not lose weight at all, so I stopped. It was only when the pandemic started that I found myself wanting to work out daily again.
In an earlier episode of The Fandesals Podcast (currently on Google, Apple and Spotify and also on YouTube), we discussed the topic of food we love. I decided to recycle an old post from an earlier version of my blog related to this. The episode on Spotify is embedded at the end of this post. Enjoy!
I was searching for seafood ideas and found some appetizer recipes featuring seafood. I found a recipe from Alison of Pint-Sized Treasures for Crab Rangoon and decided that this was the recipe that I was going to try. I changed up the crab meat and opted to use the crab sticks you can buy at the grocery store but other than that, the recipe stays the same.
