Unboxing: My Christmas 2021 Haul

I got some Christmas presents! For myself!

Basically, I had some intense retail therapy sessions over the past month, you know, to practice self-love or something, and I used Christmas as an excuse.

Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max 256GB in Silver

Firstly, I finally got myself a new iPhone 13 Pro Max, which I actually wanted to get for my birthday last month but the 256GB silver model was sold out EVERYWHERE, so I had to just keep checking Apple to see if there was a location I could reserve it at. It finally became available at my nearest Apple Store just in time for the holidays, so I snatched that baby up quick and traded in my iPhone 11 Pro Max.

BTS x Casetify "Butter" iPhone 13 Pro Max Cases
BTS x Casetify "Melted Butter" Floaty Case for iPhone 13 Pro Max
BTS x Casetify "Pancake Medley" Case for iPhone 13 Pro Max

Obviously with a new phone comes new phone cases! Okay, not gonna lie, I bought these BTS x Casetify "Butter" phone cases for the 13 Pro Max before I even secured the phone. The collab cases were released in October and I HAD TO HAVE THEM, so I just bought them because I knew I was going to get the 13 Pro Max anyway. I might be the only person who buys phone cases for a phone they don't have yet, but as if I would miss out on BTS phone cases featuring butter and pancakes... 

Saint Laurent Black Grained Calfskin Monogram Bi-Fold Wallet
Saint Laurent Black Grained Calfskin Monogram Bi-Fold Wallet
Saint Laurent Black Grained Calfskin Monogram Bi-Fold Wallet

I had worked quite a lot of OT over the past two months and as a result, I thought I would finally splurge on a YSL wallet. I wanted something classic and compact since I've been wanting to downsize my purse, but would still hold my essential cards, cash, and coins. This one checked all the boxes. And thus, it became the second designer purchase I have ever made in my life. (The first one being the Miu Miu wallet I bought over nine years ago.) I've never been someone who collects designer items (let's be real, I spend all my money on BTS instead), but I'd been using old, worn out Kate Spade wallets that I bought at the outlet store years ago and I thought, "I DESERVE THIS."

Nespresso Vertuo Next Matte Black
Nespresso 12-Capsule Discovery Set
Nespresso Coffee Capsules (Left to right: Double Espresso Chiaro, Diavolitto, Altissio, Il Caffè, and Jamaica Blue Mountain)

Then I finally splurged on a Nespresso Vertuo Next machine. One of the first things that you'll learn about me is that I love coffee and need it to function. I had had a Keurig several years ago but wasn't impressed with it since every single cup, regardless of brand or type of coffee, never tasted the same as its original format. (For example, Starbucks or Tim Hortons K-cups are never as good as getting it from the store.) So I gave up on the automated coffee makers and went back to manual ones, and have just been making regular drip coffee for the past five years.

But my workplace has Nespresso machines, which I use almost everyday, and every single cup I make — whether it's espresso or coffee — is always excellent. They just produce a richer, better quality cup of coffee. There's no need to fuss around with adding an exact amount of water per cup — you just pour water into the big reservoir, and the machine will automatically dispense the perfect amount of water depending on the capsule you use. So I'd been eyeing Nespresso machines for the last couple months. And finally, I saw that they were offering $100 off all of their machines! Which includes a free discovery pack of 12 capsules! And a $25 off voucher for 50 capsules! So I got a brand new Nespresso machine, a 12-capsule discovery pack, and 5 boxes of capsules for under $150. I AM SO EXCITED TO MAKE COFFEE EVERYDAY.

Dr. Martens Sheridan Combat Boots in Black
Kamik Rogue Mid Waterproof Winter Boot in Black
SoftMoc Topanga Black Lace Up Ankle Boots

I also got myself some new boots from SoftMoc. 'Cause it's winter. And they're cute.

 BTS x AmorePacific Laneige "Permission to Dance" Lip Sleeping Mask
Fresh Sugar Lychee Eau de Parfum and Sugar Advanced Therapy Recovery Lip Mask
Anastasia Beverly Hills Sultry Eyeshadow Palette
Anastasia Beverly Hills Lash Brag Volumizing Mascaras and Brow Wiz Skinny Brow Pencils in Medium Brown
Marvis Toothpaste in Whitening Mint, Classic Strong Mint, Aquatic Mint, and Jasmin Mint

I did get some Christmas gifts from my friends, too. Two jars of the limited edition BTS x AmorePacific Laneige "Permission to Dance" Lip Sleeping Mask (it's BTS, it's purple, it's gummy bear-flavoured, and I've been using this lip mask for years, so obviously, I AM OBSESSED). A 100ml bottle of my favourite Fresh Sugar Lychee Eau de Parfum and a jar of Fresh Sugar Advanced Therapy Recovery Lip Mask. The Anastasia Beverly Hills Sultry Eyeshadow Palette plus three Brow Wiz Brow Pencils, plus two tubes of Lash Brag Volumizing Mascara. Four tubes of my favourite Marvis Toothpaste (seemingly random but I mentioned it in passing to my friend one day, so she snatched up four for me because she saw it on sale at The Bay).

But the present that my brother gave me takes the cake.

Autographed BTS You Never Walk Alone album (front)

Yes, it is an autographed copy of BTS' You Never Walk Alonealbum, signed by all seven members.

About a month ago, he texted me out of the blue to ask me who my favourite BTS member is and what my favourite BTS album is. I told him that Jimin and Jungkook are my biases and my favourite album is You Never Walk Alone because it's the Wings album but with "Spring Day" and "Not Today," which makes it the ultimate queen. He tried to be all smooth about it and told me, "Well, Jungkook is obviously my bias because of his incredible soothing voice," and, "My favourite album is Skool Luv Affair. All the tracks are great, so I obviously can't pick a favourite..." I was like, "Chris, I've been an ARMY for years. Stop Googling shit and reciting the BTS Wiki page." I mean, I did find it suspicious that my 36-year-old brother, who is most definitely not an ARMY, tried to converse with me about BTS all of a sudden. I figured it was for a Christmas gift. 

Autographed BTS You Never Walk Alone album (back)

But I would never have expected this in a million years. As it turns out, he asked some of his business partners in Seoul to see if they had any connections to BTS. And as it turns out, one connection has a connection who has another connection. And he somehow procured me a completely authentic, fully signed copy of my favourite BTS album. I don't know how much it cost him, but I will surely be buried with this album. And in case you're wondering, yes, I did buy a shadow box frame for it so I can showcase its magical aura.

Suffice it to say, this has been the best Christmas, ever.

Unboxing: BTS x Fila Merch

So, after many, many months, all my BTS x Fila merch finally arrived:

BTS x Fila DNA Tote Bag in Black
BTS x Fila DNA Tote Bag Patches
BTS x Fila DNA Tote Bag in Black
BTS x Fila Festivo '91 IDOL Shoes
BTS x Fila Festivo '91 IDOL Shoes in Black
BTS x Fila Festivo '91 IDOL Shoes (Details)
BTS x Fila Festivo '91 IDOL Shoes in Grey
BTS x Fila Festivo '91 IDOL Shoes in Grey (Details)
BTS x Fila Run BTS! 100th Episode Anniversary Sweatshirt (Front)
BTS x Fila Run BTS! 100th Episode Anniversary Sweatshirt (Back)
BTS x Fila Run BTS! 100th Episode Anniversary Headband (Gift with Purchase)
You know, I've always been very indifferent to Fila. It's just never been a go-to brand for me, maybe because I've never been that big on athleisure in general, but I've always gone for other brands over Fila since I was a kid. But always trust BTS to convince me otherwise.

Photolog 2020: Day 99 of 366

So, I did some shoe shopping. Originally, I just wanted to buy a pair of ankle boots to replace my old ones. Those boots became my favourite and most worn shoes, ever. I can stand in them for eight hours a day and walk comfortably in them for at least five kilometres. They have the perfect amount of height to elongate the legs, and the right amount of arch to keep my posture straight. They're casual enough to wear with jeans and hoodies, but still appropriate to wear to work. Thus, I wear them almost everyday. Except there's rips on the "vegan leather" now, I've had to use super glue to fix the soles, and they're so scuffed up that they don't even look black anymore. Still, I couldn't bring myself to throw them out until I could find something as similar as possible. So I went on to Call It Spring to see what ankle boot styles they had available this season.

Call It Spring "Piperr" Ankle Boots
As it happens, I found these particular boots that are almost identical to my other ones, except in a canvas material and without a zipper. Not dealbreakers, since I mostly care about the style and the fit. But they were also $70, so I decided to wait until there was a sale, 'cause Call It Spring always has some sort of sale going on (I swear, they're like the Bath & Body Works of the shoe world). Lo and behold, they started their sale a week later and the boots went down to $32. I immediately added them to my cart.

Call It Spring "Tukums" Lace Pumps
Call It Spring "Emelya" Ankle-Strap Heels
Then I figured I should take advantage of the sale. 'Cause that's what any smart person would do. So I decided to look for some heels to wear to my friend's wedding (and thus any subsequent wedding I am invited to). My criteria for heels is that they're black, not too narrow, and with a heel that's 3 - 3.5 inches. Basically, high enough to look dressy, but also comfortable enough that my feet won't break or bleed after standing for five minutes. I couldn't decide between these two styles, so I just got them both. I mean, they're cheap, they're black, and I don't care about trends, so I figure I can wear these to whatever function that requires a dressier shoe. (Which is good, since my friend had to postpone her wedding until next year.)

Call It Spring "Northelle" Slip-On Sneakers
And then I also decided to get some slip-on sneakers. Just 'cause I like slip-ons. And they're cheaper than Vans. So, yeah, that's how I ended up getting four pairs of shoes for $125 (after tax!).

Photolog 2019: Day 100 of 365

My Puma x BTS Basket Patent Sneakers arrived today! These were released last September, and because I'm an incredibly dedicated ARMY and have also always liked the style of Puma's Basket shoes, I was all set to buy them. (BTS actually designed a pair of shoes previously with Puma called the Turin that I thought were quite hideous so I didn't bother with those at all.) My good ol' friend Mr. Jaewon was selling them on his IG shop so I asked to order a pair from him, but he said I should try seeing if they were available in stores here first because they were an international release. So I looked at several different shoe stores that carried Puma and even called various retailers, but none of them carried this collaboration. I then found out that they'd only be sold at Puma freestanding stores. And all of the ones in Toronto have closed down. (We only have the outlet stores now, so they don't carry new or limited edition products.) Of course, several weeks went by and I convinced myself I didn't need them. But then last month, Mr. Jaewon put them up on his IG store on sale for $65 (the original retail price was $114). And it just so happened that I needed new sneakers, 'cause I started walking about 3km a day for my health and I was using my 15-year-old DC skateboarding shoes (that are now totally ripped at the heel). So, I thought, "It's meant to be!" and promptly DM'd him to order a pair.

And yeah, that's the backstory of my new sneakers.

Photolog 2018: Day 298 of 365

New bootswag, 'cause new season means new shoes. (Also 'cause my old boots were literally falling apart — like, I had to use Shoe Goo — and Call It Spring was having a sale.)

Converse x BT21

BT21 announced their collaboration with Converse two weeks ago, and I was beyond stoked. Converse has been my go-to sneaker brand for nearly 20 years now, and I pretty much wore them exclusively from middle school all the way into university. I wear them a lot less now, of course, because I'm usually in ankle boots for work, but as I just threw out 8 or 9 really old pairs of Converse a few months ago (some of them had full-blown rips on the sides, and others had mud stains from wearing them at outdoor concerts, so I'm not sure why I even kept them), I'd been meaning to get myself some new ones. So this collaboration — a collection of three different Chuck Taylor All Star designs, two low tops and one high top — was really just a happy coincidence since collecting BT21 has become a sickness hobby of mine. But as I was looking up the release date for them, I found out that this collection is exclusive to Line Friends stores in Asia only. So I immediately DM'd my BT21 merch guy in Seoul (he's really become my merch guy for all things BTS because he's extremely reliable, very efficient, and always goes the extra mile).

Because nothing was going to stop me from getting in on this.
Converse x BT21 Black/Black Chuck Taylor All Star Low Top
Converse x BT21 Multi/White Chuck Taylor All Star Low Top
Converse x BT21 Black/White Chuck Taylor All Star High Top
Converse x BT21 Embroidery Patch Pins and Multi Laces
My merch guy messaged me back saying he could get some for me, but that he'd charge me $115 USD each plus shipping. Seeing as the most expensive pair (the high tops) were going for ₩99,000 (about $88 USD or $114 CAD), I told him I'd buy all three pairs from him if he could obtain them. So he messaged me back to confirm the shoe size I wanted, and said he'd be in touch. On July 27, the day the collection launched, he messaged me with a photo of the boxes of shoes in BT21 bags, and a caption saying, "Got your Converse today." (Almost sounds like a drug deal, doesn't it...?) So I paid him as soon as he sent the invoice, and he shipped them out the next day. I'm telling you, this dude is the most reliable merch seller I have ever come across (I found him on eBay, actually, with a 100% selling rate for 14 years, so I knew he was legit — but he's been my go-to seller since he waited in line for four hours at the Line Friends store in Seoul for me back in January just to get me the exact BT21 merch I wanted). The shoes actually arrived from Seoul on Friday, but I wasn't at home to sign for them and didn't have any time to go to the post office this weekend, so I had to wait until today to pick them up.

I am incredibly happy with these sneakers, and they're actually even nicer than I expected. They come in these adorable sliding special edition collector's boxes; each pair of sneakers comes wrapped in a black BT21 canvas tote bag, with a little plastic zip bag on the side that includes eight embroidery patch pins (one for each BT21 character) and two sets of laces in different colours (the high-tops come with three sets). So. Fucking. Cute. These were sold out at all locations (including the official online stores) within the first day of launch and are going for $250+ on eBay right now, so you know, I think I got a pretty good deal.