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 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.

ARIH Modern Noodles in Vongole, Truffle Bulgogi, and Gochujang Butter

ARIH NOODLES HAVE FINALLY ARRIVED IN CANADA!!! 

After months of being exclusive to the US, ARIH Modern Noodles (a.k.a. BTS instant noodles) is finally available here. Granted, we only got 3 of the 7 flavours so far — Vongole, Truffle Bulgogi, and Gochujang Butter — but I'm not even mad about it because a) it seemed unlikely that Canada was even going to get them, and b) they're literally the three I wanted to try the most. (Note: I have not actually tried them yet. I got them and was just extremely excited about it.)

ARIH Modern Noodle in Vongole, Truffle Bulgogi, and Gochujang Butter

It looks like they'll be exclusive to PC retailers here; they were first seen at Shoppers Drug Mart, and I have also seen them at No Frills, which means they'll likely be available at Loblaws, too. Shoppers is retailing them for $9.99 which is definitely steep for a pack of 4 instant noodles, but Iris' dad got them for us on Senior's Day last Thursday, so we got a 20% discount on them. (Bless him, he went to five different locations before finding them.) And hey, $2 for a meal is basically unheard of in this economy, anyway.

Now, we're just waiting for the drinks. (Hopefully, they'll have zero sugar options by the time they come here.)

UPDATE (09/04/26): I have now tried them all. The actual noodles are EXCELLENT. Thick and bouncy with the perfect chew. (Assuming you follow the cooking times listed in the instructions, the noodles will always come out great.) This type of noodle works particularly well with sauces as it holds all the flavour, unlike soup noodles, which benefits from a thinner noodle to hold the flavour. The Gochujang Butter was, by far, the winner of the three for me — the spiciness of the gochujang and the creaminess of the butter powder work perfectly together. 

The Truffle Bulgogi was decent, but while I expected the truffle flavour to be quite artificial, I didn't expect just how sweet the bulgogi component was going to be. I actually needed a bowl of cucumber slices to cut the sweetness throughout eating it. With this one in particular, I do not recommend using the entirety of the sauce packet. I'd start with like, half of it, and work your way up. Finally, the Vongole was my least favourite, which surprised me because I thought it would be so much better. Might need to play around with the ratio of sauce to noodle, but the clam flavour was just TOO artificial for my taste. This was super disappointing since so many reviewers gave it such a good rating. But this is also the only flavour I only ate one pack of, so maybe I need to give it a second go...

Unboxing: The Body Shop Summer Haul

Okay, this is super random, but I was watching an ASMR video a couple months ago that featured some sort of relaxing sleep spray from The Body Shop, and I thought, "Wow, when was the last time I used anything from The Body Shop?" I would buy the odd loofah or hand cream in the 2010s, but had largely forgotten about this once ultra-giant bath chain from the UK. I remember I wanted to buy a couple things online during COVID, but saw that the Canadian website no longer offered online shopping or shipping, and I didn't care enough to do curbside pick-up at the mall, so I shopped elsewhere.

As an '80s baby born in Canada, The Body Shop was the go-to place to buy literally anything shower, bath, or skincare-related in the '90s and 2000s. (FYI, Bath & Body Works didn't come to Canada until 2008.) And this ASMR video reminded me that The Body Shop still exists, so I went to their website to see if they offered online shopping again. Not only have they revamped the entire website and made online shopping available again, but The Body Shop in Canada is now a fully Canadian-owned company! (Yay to supporting Canadian companies!) I had bought a variety of products because they were having a 40% off sitewide sale a few months ago, and I was incredibly impressed at the quality of quite literally everything I got. So when I got a notice that The Body Shop was having another 40% off sitewide sale for Canada Day, I hauled HARD. 

Guarana & Coffee Energising Cleanser, Edelweiss Cleansing Concentrate, and Vitamin C Daily Glow Cleansing Polish
Camomile Gentle Eye Makeup Remover, Camomile Jelly One-Step Cleanser, and Aloe Soothing Toner
Vitamin E Gentle Face Wash, Vitamin C Glow Revealing Microdermabrasion, and Peppermint Invigorating Foot Scrub
Banana Smooth & Shine Shampoo and Banana Smooth & Shine Conditioner
Shower Gel (750ml) in Mango, Satsuma, and Pink Grapefruit
Body Yogurt in Mango, Satsuma, and Pink Grapefruit
Dewberry Bath & Shower Gel, Dewberry Body Butter, Refreshing Passionfruit Shower Gel, and Refreshing Passionfruit Body Yogurt x 2

My face and body genuinely feel softer, smoother, and more hydrated after using their products (moving to a condo means using hard water, which means my eczema-prone skin gets even drier, itchier, and scalier), and best of all, I'm not allergic to anything! In comparison, I am allergic to almost all skin products from Bath & Body Works because of the scent ingredients they use. And I found out the hard way. I had developed little blisters on my hands that would itch like crazy and then pop and burst open into lesions and bleed out. I would get patches of eczema on my shins and forearms seemingly out of nowhere. And I had these for YEARS before an allergy test at the dermatologist determined that both Bath & Body Works hand soap and body soap were culprits. Suffice it to say, I would only go there to buy candles. And I don't use candles.

The Body Shop, which is celebrating their 50th anniversary (!!!) this year, is still supporting, utilizing, and emphasizing fair trade, ethically-sourced ingredients, and women empowerment. Not only that, but no one's doing scents like The Body Shop, which are pure, nostalgic delights. One whiff of Satsuma, and I am brought back to Christmas morning when I was 8. A sniff of White Musk, and I am in Grade 9 taking the subway to school. Of course, I picked up some newer items I'd never tried before as well, like the Guarana & Coffee face cleanser (it's apparently "for men," but I'm happy to report that it smells amazing and leaves my skin feeling clean and baby soft), Camomile jelly cleanser (takes off all my mascara and sunscreen like a cleansing balm but with a much more fluid, bouncy texture), and the Vitamin C face scrub (not harsh at all despite being called "microdermabrasion" and leaves my skin smoother than ever) that have officially entered my repeat buy list.

I'm sorry I abandoned you for so long, Body Shop. But I am back, and I am here to support you again.

Unboxing: Jin #RUNSEOKJIN_EP.TOUR Official Tour Merch

JIN TOUR MERCH HAUL! 

Jin #RUNSEOKJIN_EP.TOUR Official Merch — Check Shirt

Jin #RUNSEOKJIN_EP.TOUR Official Merch — Check Shirt (Detail)

Jin #RUNSEOKJIN_EP.TOUR Official Merch — Check Shirt (Detail)

Jin #RUNSEOKJIN_EP.TOUR Official Merch — S/S Routing T-Shirt (US Version)

Jin #RUNSEOKJIN_EP.TOUR Official Merch — S/S Routing T-Shirt (US Version) [Detail]

Jin #RUNSEOKJIN_EP.TOUR Official Merch — S/S Routing T-Shirt (US Version) [Detail]

Jin #RUNSEOKJIN_EP.TOUR Official Merch — Wootteo Keyring

Jin #RUNSEOKJIN_EP.TOUR Official Merch — Tour Keyring and Tour Mini Charm (Newark Version)

Jin #RUNSEOKJIN_EP.TOUR VIP Gifts — VIP Laminate Pass + Lanyard, Acrylic Pin Set, and Fanny Pack

I had pre-ordered the oversized Check Shirt and Tour Keyring from Weverse Shop Global in June, but I did pick up a few things at the concert: the S/S Routing T-Shirt (US version), Wootteo Keyring, and Tour Mini Charm (Newark version). (I thought I exercised a lot of self-control, if I do say so myself.) I received some gifts with my Soundcheck VIP Package as well: a VIP laminate pass and lanyard, an acrylic pin set, and a silver fanny pack.

Jin Ramen Mild T-Shirt

Jin Ramen Mild Noodle Pack and Noodle Cup

There was also a huge Otoki Jin Ramen booth inside the venue (not sure if they're a tour sponsor, but Jin is — appropriately — the current spokesmodel for them) where they were giving out free gift bags to all the VIP that included a blue Jin Ramen Mild T-shirt, a pack of Jin Ramen Mild, and a cup of Jin Ramen Mild. (Coincidentally, I just picked up a six-pack of Jin Ramen Mild cups last week. Not because Jin is the spokesperson, but because it's genuinely delicious.)

Gifts from ARMY!

And, of course, there were tons of ARMYs giving out free goodies — handmade beaded bracelets, keychains, buttons, dozens of photo cards, ticket bookmarks, a plethora of candy, the most adorable BTS ARMY pens, scrunchies, and even bottle openers! Truly, BTS ARMY is the best fandom in the world. (I'm only slightly biased.)

Unboxing: BTS x Despicable Me 4 Figures

So, um, I pre-ordered these last August and they shipped out in December to my Korean forwarding address... and I kinda forgot about them until my BTS Island figures arrived. So I realize this unboxing is exceptionally late, but they're all still available for purchase so this post isn't completely redundant yet!

BTS x Despicable Me 4 Figures — Outer Boxes

To be honest, I'm not like, a die-hard Despicable Me fan, so I didn't even know a fourth movie was coming out until this collaboration was announced. And even then, I wasn't really sure how BTS was related to this movie franchise. (I looked it up: there's a new character in DM4 named Poppy Prescott who loves BTS. Which is fair. She has a BTS phone case and a "Butter" poster on her wall, and they also play "Dynamite" in one of the scenes.) But I've always loved the Minions, so when I saw that they were releasing figures that featured BTS as Minions in the "Permission to Dance" MV outfits, I had to get my hands on them. Resistance was futile.

BTS x Despicable Me 4 Figures — RM, Jin, and Suga
BTS x Despicable Me 4 Figures — J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook

All the figures come packaged in yellow (Minion yellow, if you will) with clear cellophane windows in the front. Each member has his own distinct box with his name and his Minion character illustration on the front. Each figure comes with a white foot stand. The figures measure 6.6cm to 7.8cm tall, and are made of PVC and ABS plastics. Each figure retails for ₩32,000 or $25.18 USD on Weverse Shop Global (and, as mentioned, they are shockingly all still available for purchase!).

BTS x Despicable Me 4 Figure — RM
BTS x Despicable Me 4 Figure — Jin
BTS x Despicable Me 4 Figure — Suga
BTS x Despicable Me 4 Figure — J-Hope
BTS x Despicable Me 4 Figure — Jimin
BTS x Despicable Me 4 Figure — V
BTS x Despicable Me 4 Figure — Jungkook
BTS x Despicable Me 4 Figures(Top row, left to right: RM, Jin, and SugaBottom row, left to right: J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook)

Now, granted, unless you're very familiar with BTS' "Permission to Dance" MV, you probably won't be able to tell which BTS member is which in their Minion form. But I will say that the designers really got down the hair and outfits to a T so any ARMY will be able to recognize these fellas as BTS, and that is what counts. (Also, these are just cute AF. Funko also released BTS x Despicable Me 4 figures, but they actually look kinda creepy so I'm still debating whether I will get them or not. We shall see. The BTS figure collector in me might cave.)