Alecza Marie.

24.

[aleczal]

19 Things I Did At 19:

I remember writing a letter to my almost 19 year old self hours before I turned 19 last year. I wrote down the things I wanted to tell myself and things I was proud of. I also listed things I wanted to do at 19 and reflecting back, I was shocked that I was able to accomplish most of them in only 365 days. Here are 19 things I’m proud of that I did at 19:

1) I travelled to Los Angeles alone to see a good friend of mine, to find who I am, to meet new people and to experience independence at the place where I feel like I truly belong.

2) I visited my home aka the Philippines to reunite with my family and friends who I haven’t seen  in forever.

3) I wrote a song in a hotel room at 7 AM in the morning and performed it at a social media tour 4 months later (literally a day after I got back from my trip to LA aka I did not get any practice).

4) I had a video go viral. Let me correct myself because i’m still in denial…VIDEOS. It’s plural. My mash-ups and covers on YouTube and Facebook went viral, reaching over a million views overall. I’m still in shock.

5) Went to a bar for the first time since 19 is the legal age in Canada. Then I realized i’m not a “bar” type of person. Just leave me at a concert and let me be.

6) I was given the opportunity to go backstage at a One Direction concert in San Diego, California (and then randomly met Louis Tomlinson while getting water) + I was also very blessed to be spat and poured water on by the legendary, Harry Styles at this concert. THANKS EMMY

7) I finished my first year of University with exceptional grades. Hard work goes a long way, i’m telling you even though half the time I was stressed (literally that’s what  i look like half the time when i’m doing work lol)

8) I met celebrities like Ariana Grande, 5 Seconds of Summer and Fifth Harmony.

9) I gained a Social Media internship position at a Pop Culture website/company that i’ve always been a fan of.

10) I attended a hiphop dance workshop and relived my days as a cheerleader. It’s pretty tough but I enjoyed it, and i’m continuing it for sure. 

11) I visited and travelled to New York City twice in a span of 2 months. I finally got the chance to visit Grand Central Station aka the iconic station from the first episode of one of my favourite shows, Gossip Girl.

12) I celebrated 4th of July in U.S soil, which is seriously something i’ve always wanted to experience.

13) I surprised people with a lot of things which is something I started enjoying because it makes me happy seeing people happy (ex. I went to the Philippines without telling any of my family back home that I was coming back, surprised my best friend Emma with a visit in LA, surprised my friend with gifts from Canada to the Philippines and etc.)

14) I started working out on a daily basis to tone my petite, skinny body.

15) I reached 5’0 foot. THIS IS ACTUALLY ICONIC FOR ME. I probably look tall in my photos but don’t be deceived, it’s probably the angle. Hence, this photo with my 5′8/5′9 friend, Em. Haha

16) I passed my driver’s license test. I’m a safe driver, trust me. Just make sure to fasten your seatbelt very tight when you’re driving with me, jk.

17) I visited a movie premiere and a television shoot in the Philippines, where I met one of my Filipino celebrity crushes aka Enrique Gil.

18) I stopped wearing make up on October 2015, which made me start appreciating my face bare naked. I’m much more confident now than I was before.

19) Dyed my hair for the first time. Ever. If you know me well, you’ll know that if there’s anything I care about the most...it’s my hair. I’ve always had this thought that once you do something out of the ordinary with your hair, you’ll damage it so it was definitely nerve-wracking for me. I have an obsession with my hair, to say the least. So, changing my hair colour was an iconic moment for me.

Now, i’m hours away from turning 20 years old. TWENTY YEARS OLD. I’m going to be an adult. I’m no longer a teen and it still sounds ludicrous to me. Isn’t it weird to think that the 15 year old Alecza who was once known for obsessing over 17 year old Justin Bieber is now turning 20? I can’t believe I have to face the realities of being an adult. Man, my teenage years went by faster than I expected. I still remember moving to Canada at a young age and having to leave everything and everyone who shaped me as a person. I don’t know what to feel about being 20. I’m scared, nervous and excited to see what’s in store for me. Maybe at 20, i’ll finally learn how to be more independent. I’m just praying that i’ll achieve the things I want to achieve and I do not care one bit if I have to work my hardest because from what I have learned in my 19 years of existence, nothing amazing ever comes easy. 

All I can pray for is success, love and happiness. Here’s to being 20. I’m going to travel more, make more music, take more risks, meet more people, do things way beyond my comfort zone, experience a lot more than just going to concerts, express more, love more, grow more as a person, write more. I want to expand my horizon.

 This is the beginning of a new chapter and i’m excited to share it with everyone. I can only pray you guys are too 

[aleczal]

ROWYSO Tour: A Night to Remember

Last August 25, 2015, 4 Aussie boys in a band called 5 Seconds of Summer wooed the hearts of Canadian girls as they performed a sold out show at the Molson Canadian Amphitheatre in Toronto. And of course, your girl right here can’t miss this amazing opportunity. I’ve seen these boys open up for One Direction quite a few times but I have never seen them headline a show.

(c) Courtesy of Google Images

To be honest, I actually was not very fond of 5 Seconds of Summer, neither were my friends. We first saw them open up for One Direction way back in 2013. We sat through their whole set and the only time we sang was when they performed Teenage Dream by Katy Perry. Somehow, we still weren’t impressed. I guess the reason why is that we weren’t really huge fans of their genre…which I believe is pop punk. I honestly don’t know how they started growing in me. I just remembered one of my friends asking me if i’m going to see them in concert (I guess they had a tour after touring with the 1D boys). My immediate response was “No. That’s so random, why would you ask me that?”. I’m definitely swallowing those words now because if I could see them again in concert, I would drop everything i’m doing and go without even hesitating.

(c) Tumblr Images

What’s your favourite 5SOS song?

From their non official releases to EP songs to their album, my ultimate favourite song is and will always be “Everything I Didn’t Say”. It’s a really sad song but I guess it’s one of the songs I could relate to.

Who’s your favourite 5SOS member?

To be honest, i’ve had a lot of issues picking one. They’re all nice and funny, but they all have other distinct personalities that make me love them more. I actually had a little crush on Luke (since I first saw them at 1D). I have to admit, he’s probably the cutest out of all of them. But if I was being honest, Calum is my favourite.

Why is Calum your favourite?

I can see myself in him. He is definitely the guy version of me. If you ever watch 5SOS interviews and if you ask my friends, they can easily tell you that I am definitely the Calum in our group (we’ve actually had that talk already). And I can’t go wrong with a bassist who can sing, right?

Moving on, yes I did meet 5 Seconds of Summer and no I didn’t know about it. There were actually a lot of issues leading up to this concert because I was supposed to go with my other friends, but due to a mix of plans…everything went downhill. Luckily, one of my best friends (Emma) was there to pick me up after everything fell apart. A week before the concert, my friends and I were all still suffering from post concert depression since we all just went to the One Direction concert. Until August 25, 2015 came. All morning, you best believe I was listening to every possible 5 Seconds of Summer song. Then, Emma texted me…literally 3 hours before I left my house that we (Emma, Nikki & I) are meeting 5SOS. I was so confused. I really thought she was joking because I know that 5SOS doesn’t have any meet and greets for this tour. She said that it’s a special meet & greet for the band and their staff’s family and friends. Somehow, her sister (Thanks Kat!) managed to put us on the list for it. Emma actually knew about the meet & greet a week before the show, but she didn’t let Nikki and I know til hours before the concert because it’s much more exciting! (she always does it and I have the same reaction every time).

At around 2:20 PM, I drove to the train station because we’re supposed to meet the venue at 3:30 since the SoundCheck is at 4:30. As soon as Nikki and I reached the venue, they wouldn’t let us in because they needed to see our concert tickets, which was with Emma at that time. It was a very complicated process but we managed to get in 20 minutes later.

Then we got our wristbands for the meet & greet and then our lanyards to get into soundcheck. The soundcheck had about 100 fans in total so it was very intimate. As soon as the boys walked in, my heart automatically started beating fast. They looked so beautiful, it was honestly breathtaking. There were a lot of funny moments that I really wish I got on camera but videotaping was prohibited. The band played Heartache On The Big Screen, which was picked by Calum (he was supposed to pick something that’s not on the setlist, so I don’t know why he picked that song). They sounded amazing, obviously. Then they sat down and had a little Q&A portion with us. The most memorable question that actually made me laugh was when this girl went

“As you know, Drake ran through the 6ix with his woes”.

After she said that, the boys stopped her and went “the 6ix? What’s the 6ix? And what are woes”. Everyone was so confused so we literally lost it and started laughing because we couldn’t believe they don’t know that song as it’s very popular right now. They had a whole conversation with everyone about the 6ix and what woes means…it actually sounded like a Canadian history class was going on.

After the soundcheck, we had to wait for an hour to meet 5SOS so we interacted with a bunch of other fans. It was pretty amazing to see that there are fans that take the time to travel from the States to Canada just to see 5SOS. Dedication at its finest! When 7:00 hit, we headed to where we’re supposed to meet the boys and at that moment…best believe, I was freaking out. I couldn’t believe i’m finally meeting them. When I met Michael backstage at the Jonas Brothers concert in LA (back in 2013), I was pretty contented with it. I was happy that I’ve met one of the members of the band. 

Never in my whole life did I think, I would ever meet them together. Ever. 

When the boys walked in the meet and greet lounge, my friends and I’s reactions were literally straight up “THEY ARE SO TALL”…. and that was coming from my tallest friends. I did not expect Luke to be 6’4. I did not expect Calum to be tall either. I honestly thought Calum was 5’7/5’8. But no, this kid is in the 6’0 foot range. I was so nervous to walk up to them so when it was our turn, I had to be the last one to enter (and also because we planned who we’re gonna stand beside. Emma loves Luke. Nikki loves Ashton. I love Calum, therefore it worked perfectly!) When we were walking up, Emma hugged all of them but as soon as she reached Luke, she stopped walking. Which is why, I ended up just hugging Michael and Calum in the beginning. It was pretty funny though. Michael was so adorable when he said hello and Calum was just beautiful when I looked at him. He asked “what’s good” and I was like “nothing”. In my mind, however, I was thinking “everything’s good because you’re right in front of me”. Ashton and I tried to reach out for a hug behind Nikki and Calum (that was actually so funny), up until the photographer yelled for us to take the picture. Before taking the picture, I literally yelled “I’ll hug you later, Luke”. Then we took the 2 photos, as soon as it’s over… I swiped my hand into Michael’s hand so I held his hand for about 2 seconds while I was looking back at him. Then I ran up to Luke and went “I didn’t get to hug you earlier”, then we hugged and when I walked away Luke said “i’ll see you later”. Yes, Luke. I will see you later but I don’t know if you’ll see me in the crowd but, okay you do you!

When we reached our seats, Hey Violet was already playing! Their set went on for about an hour. Before 5SOS came on, the amphitheatre played songs to pump us up…the crowd was silent, until Drag Me Down by One Direction started playing. That was probably the most incredible thing to witness!

3, 2, 1…. and the boys are on! They opened up with End Up Here and best believe, everyone was screaming the lyrics! My favourite part of the show was when they sang She’s Kinda Hot (which is one of their recent singles). During that part, you can see that everyone was just jamming around and literally head banging during the chorus. 

Also, of course, I’m not gonna skip the part when they sang Amnesia. I’ve always been obsessed with Amnesia, it was actually my friends and I’s 2014 summer song. I know, that’s so depressing but last year was the start of our obsession with 5 Seconds of Summer and Amnesia was one of their biggest hits in 2014. It was so emotional and the way they performed it was very intimate. It was definitely a performance to remember! They also sang unreleased songs like Disconnected, which I believe sounds very similar to Change Your Ticket by One Direction and Girls by 1975. The show ran for about two hours and i’m not gonna lie that was probably one of the longest concerts i’ve ever been to. I’m not complaining though! The show ended with She Looks So Perfect and a cover of What I Like About You. We had to leave during What I Like About You in order to avoid the crowd traffic and we needed to catch the next train home.

Honestly, out of all the concerts i’ve been to this year, this may have been the best one! It may be because it’s my first time seeing them headline a show or not, but it was definitely one for the books. I can’t believe everything that happened that day, from the time I woke up to the time I left the concert venue. I still have one of the worst post concert depressions right now and it’s been 2 weeks since the concert. I strongly recommend everyone to go check out 5 Seconds of Summer if you haven’t heard about them and I also strongly recommend everyone to see them on tour when you get the chance! I was never into pop punk, but these boys changed my mind about the genre. I’m so excited to hear their new album and i’m definitely looking forward in attending their future tours.

Before I end this post, I would like to extend my gratitude to my friends, Nikki and Emma + Carly and Elza for spending this unforgettable day with me. To Kat, for helping us that day despite the fact that you had to work. Best of luck on the rest of the tour! To Emma’s family for providing us with an access to the show! And of course, to the boys of 5 Seconds of Summer: Calum, Luke, Ashton and Michael, for making August 25, 2015 a remarkable one. I wish you all the best and success!

[aleczal]

A Letter to Myself

Dear 18 year old me,

This is it. You're hours away from letting go of the phrase "I'm 18 years old". It's going to be hard, it's going to take a little while for that to sink in. But I hope you know that age doesn't really matter. It's within you, if you want to grow as a person. Despite everything that happened these past few months, please be proud of yourself for staying strong, for trying your best to find yourself and for being the best person you can be. You've met amazing friends in your 18th year and you stayed friends with your high school friends. Although long distance is the worst thing ever, keep in touch with them when you're 19 and til' you die. Those people will be your bridesmaids at your wedding (way to think of the future haha). Find someone who will appreciate your beauty, effort and all the risks you will take for him. Maybe Justin Bieber or Harry Styles, I don't know. And although I know it was a hard decision for you to step back from music, I'm pretty sure everyone, especially your family, are proud of you for putting education first. Keep in mind that there's nothing more beautiful and powerful than intelligence. There's always time for music, and when opportunities come, don't forget to take them and if you have to drop everything, do it. Huge opportunities only come once in a lifetime. It's your 19th year, Alecza. You're almost legal. Have your first legal drink at a fancy restaurant with a few of your favourite people. Watch a movie as a VIP. Watch a concert at the 19+ section in a concert venue. Go to a casino for the first time but don't waste your money (that could go to concert tickets lol). Buy a lottery ticket and pray for the best. And hey, who knows maybe 19 is the year you'll finally get to say "I finally met One Direction". You're free to do anything, but keep your feet on the ground and never let freedom intoxicate your mind. It's your 19th year. Go party. Study hard. Fall in love. Go to more concerts. Meet more people. Make music. Get some good rest. Travel more. 18 was a crazy year, but let's make 19 crazier. Cheers to the freaking year!!!!!!!!!

xoxo,

Your-almost-19-year-old-self