BTS VLOG: V's Vlog — 3 Days in LA

Man, they are so lucky that Jin loves fishing. Frankly, I think being able to catch two fish so big that they can get over 100 servings of sashimi is more impressive than that insanely fancy house. Sigh, I love BTS food content. 

HAPPY JIMIN DAY 2026! 🐥

(Photo source: BTS Official X)
To Bangtan's King of Duality, ARMY's cutie sexy lovely, and my second ultimate bias — happy 31st birthday! Thank you for your unparalleled stage presence and charisma; for being the most captivating, elegant, emotive, and fluid dancer in the industry; for your intense work ethic and passion for performance; for your incredible care and love for your members and your fans; for your eternal kindness and humility; for your striking beauty that affects men and women alike; and for having the most angelic voice I've ever heard. You are the very embodiment of poetry in motion and it has been a pleasure watching you grow up. Here's wishing you an amazing birthday with as much love, humour, and beauty as you give to the world. 💜

Run BTS! 2.0: BTS in Toronto Ep. 2

Yoongi: "Why is this actually so exciting? I think pickleball might be our thing!"

Yoongi: "I just need to move as little as possible."

Yoongi: "I just stood there and still lost!"

Yoongi: "That really just now was really good. Honestly, that was pretty cool."

Yoongi: "I think we might've… finally… found a ball sport for us!"

You know, despite moving the least, I think Yoongi enjoyed pickleball more than anyone else.

Run BTS! 2.0: BTS in Toronto Ep. 1

• Yoongi speed-walking like a grandpa is the cutest thing I have ever seen. 
• Jungkook is truly a genius-level troll.
• Yoongi self-eliminating to avoid having to play a game is the most Yoongi-coded thing I've ever seen.  
• The unbridled laughter of these seven men playing children's games is the ultimate balm to soothe the soul. 
• Sorry, but poutine without cheese curds is not poutine. 
• Yoongi, Jin, and Jimin are wrong about avocados, but I guess everyone has to be wrong sometimes. 
• The "I'll think about it" debate is truly dependent on context. If a friend asked me, "Do you want to see the Backstreet Boys next year?" I'd reply, "I'll think about it," because I'd actually need to think about it. But if a co-worker asked me, "Do you want to go to the Christmas party?" I'd reply, "I'll think about it," but what I really mean is, "No."
• I love that "X-nailing" a mosquito bite is universal.
• I would 100% rather wash someone else than have someone wash me, unless I absolutely had no choice (like, as Namjoon says, I broke all my limbs). But if I were a BTS member? I could really go either way...
• I love that they've been idols for so long that they would have to discuss with their protocol team on how to handle a situation wherein one of their members turned into a zombie.
• My god. I haven't laughed this much in a very long time. My cheeks hurt. My eyes have sweat actual tears. I have missed Run BTS! so fucking much.

BTS VLOG: RM's Trip to Niagara Falls

I am so glad Namjoon found the time to do such quality Namjooning in Canada. 🥰🇨🇦

ARIH Dual Biotic Soda in Red Ruby Galore, Clear Lemon, and Peach Mango Horizon + Energy Drink in Tropical Wave, Lemon Crest, and Orange Hour

Okay, so ARIH's drinks were finally released in Canada at the end of August. This was actually sooner than I had anticipated since brands have to adhere to Canada's packaging (all wording has to be bilingual in English and French) as well as Health Canada's regulations (on top of approving all ingredients, they've added warning labels at the top right corner of all food/drink packaging if the product is high in sugar, cholesterol, etc.). Like the ARIH noodles, the drinks seem to be exclusive to PC (President's Choice) retailers here, like Loblaws, Real Canadian Superstore, and Shoppers Drug Mart.

I originally wasn't going to get the drinks because I thought they were going to be insanely high in sugar, but when Iris was at Loblaws getting them and asked if I wanted any, I asked her to take photos of the nutritional value tables for me. And surprise of all surprises — the Dual Biotic Sodas are only 20 calories with 1 gram of sugar and the Energy Drinks are only 10 calories with 0 grams of sugar (!!!). This is TREMENDOUSLY good news for those who are health-conscious, diabetic, or just watching their sugar intake in general. Basically: I CAN DRINK THESE!!!

ARIH Dual Biotic Soda in Red Ruby Galore, Clear Lemon, and Peach Mango Horizon
I asked Iris to get me two of each flavour. Like the noodles, ARIH have only released three flavours for each drink type in Canada instead of all seven. (Hoping this is for market testing only and not the permanent line-up here.) So for the Dual Biotic Soda, we got Red Ruby Galore, Clear Lemon, and Peach Mango Horizon; for the Energy Drink, we got Tropical Wave, Lemon Crest, and Orange Hour. They're currently retailing for $2.49 per can, which is actually on par with independent pop brands and cheaper than most energy drink brands. Basically, I think the pricing is very fair, though I do wish they would sell them by case instead of by can. (Indeed, Iris, who also got two of each flavour for herself, had to place a total of 24 cans on the supermarket conveyor belt to be scanned and had to bag them all by herself. I did thank her profusely.)

Now, having had all of September to try these, I will say: I like the Dual Biotic Sodas more than the Energy Drinks. There wasn't a single flavour of the Dual Biotic Sodas that I didn't like, though the Red Ruby Galore ended up being my favourite. While the sodas are obviously carbonated, they have a very smooth, almost milky finish — closer to a can of Milkis than Sprite. I'm guessing this is because of the pre- and postbiotics in the drinks (basically, they help with gut health over time). I would definitely buy the Dual Biotic Sodas again. I hope they bring the other four flavours into the Canadian market at some point, though — Pineapple Drift and Apple Flare sound AMAZING.

ARIH Energy Drink in Tropical Wave, Lemon Crest, and Orange Hour

The Energy Drinks actually have 100mg of caffeine in each 355ml can, which is about the same as an average 8-ounce cup of coffee. (For reference, a can of Red Bull of the same size has 114mg.) The Tropical Wave flavour ended up being my favourite, but they all have a kind of bitter chemical aftertaste — not sure if this is from the coffee bean/guarana extract they use for the caffeine, or if it's from the sugar alcohols, or if it's from the postbiotics. (However, the Dual Biotic Sodas also have sugar alcohols and postbiotics and don't have this aftertaste.) The Orange Hour was the worst of the three in terms of flavour and had the strongest aftertaste. I do have to admit that I am not an energy drink person — I prefer to get my caffeine from coffee and tea — and I likely won't re-buy these, but I still prefer them to most of the other energy drinks on the market.

BTS EPISODE: ARIRANG World Tour in Europe Sketch

Sigh, watching any ARIRANG tour footage just makes me miss them all over again. Watching this also makes me sad because it just reminds me that both the banner projects and the light projects that were prepared for Toronto all failed so miserably. I know Day 1 couldn't be helped because of the weather, but no one seemed to remember the projects for Day 2, either. Hell, I didn't even get a banner for Day 2, and I think it was the first BTS concert that I have ever been to that didn't have ARMY holding up banners. THE. UTTER. REGRET. 😩

Run BTS! 2.0: BTS in Toronto — Preview

As someone from Toronto, it makes me feel strangely honoured that BTS has now filmed multiple Run BTS! episodes here over two visits (Episodes 69/70/71 were filmed in 2018 and released in 2019). I knew that they had quite a bit of free time while they were in Toronto back in August, judging from all their restaurant jaunts and the BTS staff's (and RM's) adventures in Niagara Falls, but I really wasn't expecting them to film anything official here so this is a delightfully pleasant surprise. Can't wait to watch Part 1 next Tuesday!

BTS EPISODE: ARIRANG World Tour Practice Sketch

Jimin: "It's fine, it looks good overall!"

Jin: "We're pulling it off!"

Taehyung: "We're just not in sync!"

Sigh, I can't believe the North American leg of the tour is over. Seven months of waiting and intense anticipation… and the concerts happened in the blink of an eye. It's been a month since they were in Toronto and I am still suffering from post-concert blues.

BTS — "Merry Go Round" Official MV

"Merry Go Round" is about pure desolation, melancholy, and struggling with depression — it's by far the saddest song off of ARIRANG, and one of the most profoundly sad songs from BTS in general. 

I wish that I could tell you that it's over

I wish that I could walk away from pain

My life is like a broken roller coaster

But maybe I'm the only one to blame

I can't get off this merry go round

It spins me around 

I do my best, but I can't slow down

This merry go round

And I, I can't get off of this ride

I can't get off of this ride

I try, this happens every time

I can't get off of this ride

Feel like I'm all grown up now

But I still got the same old doubts

Every day on this merry go round

Feel like I'm stuck on this hamster wheel

Oh, questions with no answers

Running through this maze

We're all just smiling 

Like everything's okay, everything

I wish that I could tell you that it's over

I wish that I could walk away from pain

My life is like a broken roller coaster

But maybe I'm the only one to blame

I can't get off this merry go round

It spins me around 

I do my best, but I can't slow down

This merry go round

And I, I can't get off of this ride

I can't get off of this ride

I try, this happens every time

I can't get off of this ride

Spinnin' up, down

Just round and round

I'm fallin' apart

Still bound to ground

Can't break out of these chains

My inner child cries out

I've had enough of this ride

Please take me out, ma

My bed is my coffin

My whole world feels like caffeine

Every day, walk into death

Can't I turn off this dream

'Cause I can't stop dancing

Just thinking and thinking and thinking and think

Thinking about how I should stop thinking

Round and round, are you happy?

Smile 'til the end for me

It took three months, but they finally released this MV for everyone. This MV was originally released for Spotify Premium members only, which was extremely disappointing because BigHit has never had to put BTS' MVs behind a pay wall before and I vehemently disagree with this practice. And I still refuse to pay for Spotify.

BTS at iHeartRadio Music Festival 2026: "2.0," "MIC Drop," and "FYA" Live Performances

Frankly, I don't care about iHeartRadio unless BTS is on, and fuck, they killed the stage here. I especially love the badass, hip hop-driven setlist, because as fun and radio-friendly as "Dynamite" and "Butter" are (and sadly, what they're most known for in the West), this is what BTS really is to me. I'm really glad that, after nine years, they still choose to perform "MIC Drop" — and the Korean version, to boot. (In the US especially, they usually perform the full English version, and it's just a subtle flex that they know they're so globally relevant that they can sing the original version.) Also, I don't know if it's because they're in the middle of their world tour right now, but they just fucking dominated this stage like it's their own concert and not performing as part of a music festival.

HAPPY RM DAY 2026! 🐨

(Image source: BTS Official X)

To Bangtan's fearless leader, ARMY's President, and the God of Destruction — happy 32nd birthday! Thank you for being the backbone of BTS, for your sincerity and integrity in everything you do, for your eloquent speeches and intellectual lyrics, your endearing clumsiness and awkward handshakes, your adorable dimples, and your passion for art, literature, and music. I hope you are staying healthy and happy, and are able to find solace and strength in your everyday life. Wishing you a peaceful, stress-free birthday with your loved ones. 💜

HAPPY JUNGKOOK DAY 2026! 🐰

(Image source: BTS Official X)
To Bangtan's golden maknae, the cutest muscle bunny in the world, and my ultimate bias — happy 29th birthday! Thank you for your incredible talent in everything you do, your admirable passion in performance and music, your genuine gratitude and love for your members and ARMY alike, your hilariously dorky sense of humour, your adrenaline junkie tendencies, your adorable bunny smiles, and your unparalleled perseverance and integrity. You may be the most talented person I have ever seen, and I am so glad I've been able to witness it. It has been 10 years since I first saw you, and it has been a pleasure watching you grow up into this humble, confident, sexy force of nature. You're in the middle of a world tour with your brothers during your birthday this year, a vast change from last year, but I do hope you find some time off to have an amazing day filled with joy and happiness and love on this last birthday of your 20s. 💜

BTS VLOG: Suga's Hiking Vlog in Switzerland

Firstly, Suga really should start a vlogging channel. He's a natural at it and can somehow make the mundane interesting to watch. (I also love the old-school, tacky editing. It's a huge part of the charm.) Secondly, how do people hike up mountains so casually? I would a) never make it to the end, and b) be in constant fear of tripping and falling to my death. If I don't get run over by a wild cow first. 

BTS World Tour: ARIRANG — Tour Merch Haul

BTS World Tour ARIRANG merch. There are ARMYs that waited hours and hours for it. (People literally started lining up for merch at 2:00AM for the public merch sale last Friday.) But my friend Iris got the VIP soundcheck package for Day 1, so she got access to VIP shopping which has a separate merch booth just for VIP ticket holders. And she got there at 8:00AM on Saturday, so not only did she get all the merch items we wanted, but she only had to wait in line for 30 minutes. (Most items have a limit of one per person for this tour, but I wanted the items that she didn't want and vice versa, so it worked out perfectly for us.) So, thanks to her, I didn't have to line-up for merch at all for this tour. It's like karma finally paid me back for having had to wait dozens of hours for merch at all their previous tours. (Yes, I did treat Iris to lunch.)

Here's what I got:

BTS World Tour ARIRANG Charcoal Zip-Up Hoodie — Front

BTS World Tour ARIRANG Charcoal Zip-Up Hoodie — Back

BTS World Tour ARIRANG Charcoal Zip-Up Hoodie — Detail

BTS World Tour ARIRANG Sweatshirt (North American Exclusive) — Front

BTS World Tour ARIRANG Sweatshirt (North American Exclusive) — Back

BTS World Tour ARIRANG Sweatshirt (North American Exclusive) — Detail

BTS World Tour ARIRANG Black Tour T-Shirt — Front

BTS World Tour ARIRANG Black Tour T-Shirt — Back

BTS ARIRANG Deluxe Vinyl (Color ver.) — Front

BTS ARIRANG Deluxe Vinyl (Color ver.) — Inside

BTS ARIRANG Deluxe Vinyl (Color ver.) — Vinyl

BTS World Tour ARIRANG ARMY Bomb Plush Keyring

BTS World Tour ARIRANG ARMY Bomb Plush Keyring

BTS World Tour ARIRANG Tour Stamp — Toronto

BTS World Tour ARIRANG Tour Stamp — Toronto

BTS World Tour ARIRANG ARMY ZONE Gift (Toronto) — Member Photocards

BTS World Tour ARIRANG ARMY ZONE Gift (Toronto) — Member Photocards

Despite being able to get all the items I wanted, I will say that the pricing was ATROCIOUS for Toronto. Even with the currency exchange, the pricing here actually ended up being higher than the retail prices on Weverse Shop Global plus shipping costs plus duties. Which means, yes, I spent just under $800 after tax on SIX ITEMS. This is, of course, on top of the ticket price for a floor seat ($845 after tax per ticket, and I went to BOTH days), transportation ($75 just on Uber there and back on Day 1 — I decided to drive to the subway for Day 2), and water ($15 per can per day — which is highway robbery even if I refilled the shit out of that can). So, all in all, I spent just over $2,500 for the entire weekend — and this is without the cost of flight and hotel for going to another city. 

Do I regret it? No. Would I do it all over again? ABSO-FUCKING-LUTELY.

BTS World Tour: ARIRANG in Toronto — Day 2

(Warning: This post is long and photo-heavy.)

So, Day 2 of the BTS World Tour ARIRANG in Toronto.

Iris and I were exhausted from Saturday because, on top of the concert itself (during which I carried my ARMY Bomb in one hand and my phone in the other to take a million videos and photos during a RELENTLESS, TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR), walking 15,000+ steps in the rain is TIRING AF. Luckily, we didn't have anything to do but watch the actual concert on Sunday, so we decided to get to Rogers Stadium for 6:00PM, leaving just enough time to get the ARMY ZONE gift (we were hoping it might be different from the member photo card set on Saturday, but it was the same), line up to get into the fan zone, and go through bag check and ticket scan. I will say, despite it raining for most of the day on Sunday, by the time we got to Rogers Stadium, the weather was PERFECT. The sun came out, the sky was clear, and it was a mild 22°C. (It was like the weather gods wanted to reward us for being SO GODDAMN SHITTY the day before.) And at 8:00PM, BTS got on stage and the rest was history.

ACT I: Setlist

1. Hooligan
2. Aliens
3. Run BTS 
4. They Don't Know 'Bout Us
5. Like Animals
6. FAKE LOVE
7. SWIM
8. Merry Go Round

Jimin performing "Aliens"

Jimin performing "Aliens"

BTS performing "Run BTS"

BTS performing "Run BTS"

V during 1st ments

Jin, Jimin, V, RM, and Jungkook during 1st ments

BTS performing "Like Animals"

Act II: Set List

1. 2.0
2. NORMAL
3. Not Today
4. MIC Drop
5. FYA/FIRE Medley
6. Body to Body
7. IDOL 

Jungkook performing "NORMAL"

Jungkook performing "NORMAL"

BTS performing "2.0"

BTS performing "2.0"

Suga performing "Not Today"

Jin performing "FIRE"

RM during 3rd ments

Encore: Set List

1. Come Over
2. Butter
3. Dynamite
4. DJ Spin That (Toronto Day 2): 00:00 (Zero O' Clock)
5. DJ Spin That (Toronto Day 2): Outro: Tear
6. Please
7. Into the Sun

BTS during encore

Jimin during encore

BTS during final ments

BTS during final ments

BTS during final ments

Fireworks!

Same set list as yesterday, of course, with the exception of the "DJ Spin That" segment, during which Toronto Day 2 got "00:00 (Zero O' Clock)" and "Outro: Tear" — which might be the most perfect song pairing of all time within the BTS discography. For those who don't know, "Outro: Tear" is a song written by the rap line about BTS' near-break-up in 2017. We all thought it was a song about a terrible romantic break-up for years, until Suga revealed in an interview that it's a song written by them to each other, and it became even more heart-wrenching. "00:00 (Zero O' Clock)," released two years after "Outro: Tear," is a song of hope and renewal; the day always resets at midnight, so no matter how bad things get, we can start over again. It was the pairing of these two specific sub-unit songs — one sung entirely by the vocal line and one sung entirely by the rap line — played one after the other, especially now that they're all back together after the military, that made this segment the most poignant of any date on the ARIRANG tour. Toronto truly got something special this night.

On that note, it seems like all the confetti and fireworks that they couldn't launch on Saturday night because of the rain was released in its entirety on Sunday. There was a point when there was so much confetti in the air that it looked like a total white-out and you couldn't even see the stage. And it was the perfect ending to a glorious BTS concert weekend. 

As per usual, you can view all my video clips from this concert on my Instagram. 

BTS World Tour: ARIRANG in Toronto — Day 1

(Warning: This post is very long and photo-heavy.)

THE DAY HAS COME. BTS WORLD TOUR ARIRANG HAS FINALLY ARRIVED IN TORONTO. 

Without having merch to worry about (my friend Iris got everything for me through VIP shopping), I decided to get to Rogers Stadium around 4:00PM because I wanted to stop at ARMY ZONE first and didn't know what the line-ups would be like. Toronto is, so far, the only stop in North America on the ARIRANG Tour that got an ARMY ZONE — it's basically a booth set-up for ARMY Membership holders to get a free gift. (FYI, our gift was a set of exclusive photo cards with TORONTO printed on the back.) Of course, I didn't have to get there nearly as early as I did because there was no line-up at all by the time I got to the ARMY ZONE booths. Went straight to a staff member, showed my concert ticket and my membership card, and got my pack of photo cards within 2 minutes. (Turns out, the line-ups are typically at opening time with virtually no-line ups later in the day.) Of course, I still had to wait for soundcheck to be over at 6:00PM to meet with Iris. Which meant I had 1.5 hours to kill. (In order to preserve my phone battery, I literally vaped and people-watched for over an hour. Even I am impressed with myself.)

The weather started off pretty great — warm and sunny. Over the next hour, there was a little drizzle here and there, but nothing crazy. Rain was in the forecast for today, so I had brought two waterproof ponchos with me and put one on just in case. By the time 5:30PM rolled around and I went to line-up to get into the stadium, it started raining. By the time I got through bag check and ticket scan and walked into the stadium's fan area to meet with Iris, it was pouring. Thank god I already had my poncho on because I would've been soaked within a couple minutes. Of course, by 7:00PM, the thunderstorm started. Lightning streaked across the sky, a weather delay warning was put up on the big screens, and the people that were already seated in the metal grandstands were asked to head outside of the stadium for safety. 

Obligatory ARMY Bomb photo (In the Rain edition)

By 7:30PM, with the delay warning still in effect, the security was allowing those of us with floor seats to go into the stadium. So Iris and I — who had seats in different sections — went off into our own section entrances. By 7:50PM, even though it was still pouring rain, the venue made the announcement that the concert will go on as planned. I gotta say, it really speaks to the dedication of BTS and their staff to continue with the concert. I mean, I know that cancelling a concert results in a plethora of losses — for BTS, their company, and their fans — but honestly, artists have cancelled concerts for much less. And man, I am so glad the concert went on, because torrential downpour or not, it was FUCKING INCREDIBLE.

ACT I: Setlist

1. Hooligan
2. Aliens
3. Run BTS 
4. They Don't Know 'Bout Us
5. Like Animals
6. FAKE LOVE
7. SWIM
8. Merry Go Round

BTS performing "Hooligan"

BTS performing "Aliens"

BTS performing "Aliens"

BTS performing "Aliens"

BTS performing "Aliens"

BTS performing "Run BTS"

BTS performing "Run BTS"

J-Hope performing "Run BTS"

BTS during 1st ments

Jimin during 1st ments

Jin, Jimin, and V during 1st ments

BTS during 1st ments

BTS performing "Like Animals"

RM performing "Like Animals"

RM performing "FAKE LOVE"

Jin performing "FAKE LOVE"

J-Hope performing "Merry Go Round"

Act II: Set List

1. 2.0
2. NORMAL
3. Not Today
4. MIC Drop
5. FYA/FIRE Medley
6. Body to Body
7. IDOL 

BTS performing "2.0"

BTS performing "2.0"

BTS performing "2.0"

BTS performing "2.0"

Jungkook performing "NORMAL"

Jungkook and J-Hope during 2nd ments

Jungkook during 2nd ments

Suga during 3rd ments

J-Hope during 3rd ments

RM during 3rd ments

Encore: Set List

1. Come Over
2. Butter
3. Dynamite
4. DJ Spin That (Toronto Day 1): Outro: Wings
5. DJ Spin That (Toronto Day 1): DOPE
6. Please
7. Into the Sun

BTS during 4th ments

Jimin, V, RM, and Jungkook during 4th ments

J-Hope during 4th ments

Jungkook and V performing "DOPE"

Jungkook and V performing "DOPE"

Jungkook and V performing "DOPE"

BTS during final ments

BTS during final ments

We've seen them perform in rain before, but never like this. BTS gave it their all in a fucking TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR, which made the experience truly unforgettable for everyone involved. I wasn't sure how I was going to like the 360 stage but it gave everyone in the stadium equally amazing views. I didn't think there was a particular side that they favoured — they even changed the choreography so they would be facing all four directions throughout a song — and all members made sure to spend time all around the stage and on all four ramps. Plus, RM in a Maple Leafs jersey, V in a Canada hat, and the rest of them with Canada patches sewn on their shirts made their Canadian visit a little more special. They acknowledged, more than once and by more than one member, that they know we've been waiting over ten years for their return to Toronto and they're so happy to be back. While there has been criticism of HYBE continually treating their Canadian fans as less than their US counterparts, tonight was proof that they love us and love being here.

I can't wait to do it all over again tomorrow.

As per usual, you can view all my video clips from this concert on my Instagram.