[Update] Dealing with Amazon Customer Service and Infinite's Over TheTop 1st Full Album

I realized I never finished about what happened to my Infinite Over The Top album, which I blogged about here. Just over a year ago, I had ordered a new OTT album through an individual seller on Amazon.com, but it had arrived clearly looking used. I posted this photo on my previous post about this; here you can see the crappy wrapping, how it's brittle, hard, and loose whereas Kpop albums always have soft wrapping that winds around the album like saran wrap. Of course this broke my heart and once again made me want to quit being an Inspirit for fear of having not-perfect albums, but I persevered and fought my way for justice (the cheesiness).

Amazon's policy is for the customer to first email the individual seller, and if the seller doesn't reply within a few days, you can contact Amazon's customer service directly. This seller of course ignored my complaint, so I called Amazon explaining exactly the problem, and how I could tell that this was not a new album as it was stated to be. Amazon said that they would try to contact the seller to work things out, but if it doesn't go through, Amazon itself will fully refund me, so Amazon would take the loss. After calling Amazon again, they told me that I can keep the album or dispose of it, and that they had fully refunded me my money exactly how I had paid for the product (via gift card and credit card).

Though I got my money back, I felt so upset for having a tainted Infinite album; if I already have this album, I'd also feel wrong to buy another, more legit, OTT as well. I still opened the album, and was frustrated by seeing the usedness of the inside: the CD had a stamp with Chinese and Japanese characters on it; I asked my mom, and it said something like "you have permission to use this." And lastly, my album isn't even first press despite this album having such limited quantity: first press has Sungyeol's name misspelled in his "thanks to" section, whereas his name is spelled correctly in mine.

By now this seller has such negative reviews on Amazon, and currently doesn't have any product listings, probably because the seller is now banned from the website. I hope my pervasiveness has helped customers from becoming victims of this horrible seller!

Oddly enough, a week later I received another package from this same seller. I think he accidentally sent me another package while the first one was still shipping, so before this whole fiasco. I opened it, and it was another OTT without the slipcase and with the homemade wrapping. I looked inside, ant this time there were two of those ridiculous stamps! I did play both CDs to make sure they worked, and they did (since apparently I'm allowed to -.-).

I definitely don't want to sell either of these albums, because that would be like ripping off another Inspirit. I don't think anyone would want to tarnish their collection with such an album like mine. I'm so sad since OTT is an especially important album to Infinite and Inspirits.

Moral of the story: basically, my albums are legit, they have the authentication sticker, and they're missing the slipcases; if I had bought this album marked as used, I wouldn't have made as big of a fuss.never settle on a product's condition that wasn't stated, and you should try to fix it by contacting the company you bought the product from! Though it may be aggravating to deal with, it is worth it to know that you tried your best in resolving the problem.

So I've had both of these albums for just over a year now, and I guess I was so ashamed about it being tainted that I never reviewed it. But I guess I will finally review it soon~

Sennheiser Momentum On-Ear Infinite Special Edition Review

This is such an exciting post for me, as I have finally purchased and received my own set of these gorgeous headphones! To start off, Sennheiser is a German audio company and one of its popular headphones are the Momentum On-Ear Headphones, which retail for about $120. Sennheiser collaborated with Infinite to release these same headphones, but an Infinite Special Edition where the headphone cups have Infinite's signature gold color, gold stitching on the headband, and comes with other special features. This entire set is only sold at Korean online site Auction, here, for 299,000₩, and only ships within South Korea. The site began pre-orders on October 29th, 2014 and released them on November 5th. Sennheiser has a brief article on the collaboration here.

It is really difficult to find these headphones if buying from outside of the country. Originally I was going to purchase this from an online store via Facebook, but that store was so aggravating that I didn't bother with them anymore and started to focus more on Infinite's many new releases during this time (Infinite F!). Kpoptown also originally had 10 in store at $359.90 + $63EMS, but after all this waiting, finally an eBay seller posted a listing right at $359.90 + free shipping. This seller had over 10 available and none sold yet, yet shortly after my purchase, eBay removed the listing. I was so weary of ordering from eBay when it came to such a grand purchase, but still I did receive a tracking number and my headphones arrived in just over a week!

The day these headphones were announced, just shortly before the pre-ordering time, some members of Infinite (Sunggyu, Woohyun, Hoya, Sungjong) wore these headphones while at the airport. But also, Sungyeol wore these during Myungsoo's solo at That Summer Concert 2 Day 1 back on August 7th! Wow, to think these were already made back then, and were right in front of Inspirits' eyes and we didn't even know it~ I just wish that the members would use these headphones more, just so I feel more...connected with them!

My package came wrapped with a few layers of bublewrap. The label says that it's 1.5 kilograms. I just held this package for a few minutes, astonished that I actually had these in my own hands!

The box itself comes with a foam padding wrap. I'm not sure how these are actually shipped within Korea though.

Here is a closeup of the caution sticker holding the padding together.

The box is so huge and so shiny and reflective! Infinite's Over The Top era logo is so gorgeous. It is about 10.125" x 13.5".

One side of the box even has Woollim printed on it.

The backside has information printed really small about Sennheiser's company information, copyright information, and the order number, though I don't know the significance of this.

I was really weary about getting fingerprints on this outer cover, but it's actually not really prone to fingerprints. The cover slips off easily. So far there hasn't been any protective seal, so really anyone could have opened this before sending it to me.

Taking off the cover reveals a random foam layer that's really short, the box containing the headphones, and everything else below that.

Removing the foam and box, underneath is the photobook and then the headphone stand, both embedded in its respective layers. Sadly the larger layer is made of cardboard and ripped at the top sides. The bottom layer where the photobook is made of foam with a black velvet top.

This headphone box is even more gorgeous than the exterior box. It's the same type of box as the exterior box, where the bronze outside is a slip. It's about 8" x 9".

The side reveals the limited edition specialness^^ I love how Woollim is printed in big everywhere, and then SM is only printed in the fine print. There is also a two year warranty, but that probably only applies to those in South Korea.

The backside, along with the sides, is matte black has information, all in English, French and German, (mostly everything so far has been in English) about the headphones, the two cables, and the carrying case. The top stats that the cable with the remote is for Samsung devices, but at the bottom it says it's for iPod/iPhone devices...the remote cable is for Android devices though.

The other side of this slip case has similar information of the backside of the exterior shiny slip case, with the order number printed again on the other side. While this is a German brand, it is still made in China...though overall it still seems like nice quality. The bottom of the box has this same information.

Taking off this slip reveals a matte black box with a lid. The side has a QR code that takes you to a page with two functions: to verify that it is a legit Sennheiser product (by ensuring that the QR code matches the unique code on the security seal above it) and product information (which said that this page was not found). This box also finally has two protective seals, just to know that this really is a new product and no contents inside this box got switched out by anyone.

Taking off the lid reveals the carrying case carefully protected by foam.

Underneath the case is a packet containing the metal serial plate and three pamphlets of information.

The information is about the Momentum On-Ear Headphone series, a quick guide including info on the remote buttons on one of the cables, and a safety guide.

The metal serial plate comes in its own plastic bag inside the greater plastic bag. It's oddly horizontally elongated but still so gorgeous. The front has the headphone name and the serial number at the bottom; I got 206! I'm surprised and so happy to have such a low number especially because I bought mine two months after being released, and a significant number for me as well. On the Sennhieser site, it said that they made 1300.

The backside has the engraved signatures of all the Infinite members.

The top of the case has the Infinite logo and name in the center. The top and bottom of the case are made of a velvet material. The zippers are made of plastic and say Sennheiser on them. There is a beautiful silver contrast stitching; I don't know why they chose silver when the headphones and stand both have gold contrast stitching.

The inside of the case has a net at the bottom to store the two cables. This case is pretty big compared to Beats Studio Headphones, since the case is as big as the headphones whereas Beats can fold to save space.

The headphones come inside this bag and already with the remote cable plugged in. The headphones go into the bag head first, with the ear cups at the opening of the bag. And then the ear cups go at the top of the case where the zippers are when you store it. This set of headphones comes with a remote cable that is compatible with Samsung devices (including my K Zoom, which I'm happy about because my phone isn't compatible with so many things). The instructions are in the pamphlet. It also comes with a regular cable with no remote that you can use for any device that is suitable with a typical 3.5 mm plug.

Here is the stand with the headphones, ready for display! The stand has the Infinite logo on the base and Infinite printed in the front. The base also has gold contrast stitching around the border. The stand is roughly 11.5" tall and the metal stand is built at an angle to balance the weight of the headphones.

The headphones are so gorgeous and high quality! Here you can see that the right side says Infinite (the other side says Sennheiser), the gold contrast stitching on the headband, and the special copper gold color on the ear cup made especially for this edition. The simple colors, metal, and exposed wiring makes for a contemporary and sleek design that I just love. The headphones came set in the shortest setting, and I'm figuring out how to adjust them to make them a big longer. Because of the design, you can slide them to be very long or very short, which gives a large range. On most headphones I use the smallest setting, but here I'm not; so for those with very small heads, this pair of headphones is perfect. They feel so comfy too, I really like wearing them! The cuffs easily move and stay at any angle (like they're not fixed in a certain position), so they really contour well to your head, yet they're still really durable.

And the headband is very thick and cushy, but feels like it'll never wear down; it is so high quality! And of course the sound is stellar. When I listen to my Infinite songs, there is so many more components that makes each song so much more complex that I never noticed while using my standard Apple ear buds, iHome, or even TV sound system via Apple TV.

And lastly, the photobook. There are some super rare ones where one member signed the front cover or inside page of the photobook (I've only seen about four online; also thank you to the anon for the tip!). The entire photobook is very high quality, with the covers imitating a crocodile texture.

The photobook has 11 pages made of thick card stock, filled with photos of Infinite modeling the headphones. It includes one group photo, three photos with 2-3 members, and seven individual photos that include printed autographs. The backside of every page includes this watermark.

This is the complete set! Wow, after so much back and forth on whether or not I should buy it, I'm so glad I did (and I'm so glad I waited so long to get a really good deal)! While the headphones are such a big markup from the original series just because it's a limited edition, it is so worth it for Inspirits! Especially because Inspirits love listening to music, there's nothing like listening to music, especially Infinite's powerful songs, with high quality headphones. If you have any questions about the headphones, the information packets, comparing these to competitor Beats Studio headphones, or anything else, feel free to ask below!

Infinite Pepsi Scratch Ticket

The Pepsi Pep Concert on November 15th, 2014 had performances by Infinite, Beast, Apink and Girl's Day. To get free tickets, I think throughout the month of September you had to buy an Infinite Pack at fast food chain restaurant Lotteria (they're roughly $10, which is so expensive for a fast food restaurant!), and the meal pack would come with a booklet with a scratch card. I went onto the Pepsi Concert website (http://www.pepsievent.co.kr) and I think you can also get tickets through convenient stores as well, but it was kind of confusing. Anyways, because I'm not clear about this process at all, I'll just reveal that booklet that my friend gave me!

There are seven different Pepsi lottery tickets, one per Infinite member. My friend got only two Hoya cards, so she gave me one! Wow, blond hair Hoya from the Last Romeo era!

Here is some information about the lottery.

Here's a page of all the members! I didn't know all the members would be included in each booklet, so I'm so happy about this. Also it looks like there was a page that was torn to the right, so I don't know what that is...

I think this back page shows the prizes one could receive through this lottery. (It says 700 people for the concert and 100 people for the speakers, but on the website I think there are a total of 5000 people who can win each of these prizes).

It must be nice being able to receive all these free Infinite goodies from endorsements! If I lived in Seoul, I'd probably gain so much weight buying all these Infinite Packs and just trying to collect all the members' tickets.

South San Francisco: Paris Baguette

This new Paris Baguette branch in South San Francisco opened in October 2014 and is the centerpiece of the strip mall Westborough Square, with its circular atrium grandeur.

I am so sorry for the super blurry photo...I was just so excited to be back at a Paris Baguette, since it was my staple cafe while studying abroad. The inside is quite spacious. This is half of the inside, and the left wall is lined with display cases. The beginning (not shown) has the trays and clamps for you to grab all the fresh bakery items you want, from the long table (shown).

Many of these items I didn't see while in Seoul, but some looked familiar. Above are croissant donuts, very creative! My favorite was this long, twisted sweet pea pastry, which was so sweet and delicious. On top of the table are jams and little bags of other bakery items. At the end of the table are refrigerated items like sandwiches.

Here is a closeup of one of the displays on the left wall. These are gift box sets, which cost about $10 and up and are really fresh, with expiration dates just a few days away. The top is traditional Korean snacks while the bottom are castella rolls which are also sold in Seoul. At the end of these display cases are refrigerated drinks.

At the center of the store is the cash register, and above that are TV monitors with an elaborate brunch menu for items such as

In the back of the store and to the right are all small tables, which were filled with customers when I visited during the early afternoon. The front also says they offer wifi and that they're hiring...how I wish I could work here and sample all the pastries!

There is also a reward system, where they give you a card (like one of those parking validation tickets) and they slide it into a machine after every $5+ purchase to print new information onto the card every time. So all your rewards depends on this one card.

To the left of the counter area is the cake display. Their cakes look so beautiful, especially the elaborate coffee mug cake, second from the right on the top! They're really becoming a diverse bakery that doesn't just focus on on-the-go snacks, but also they're expanding to have special Christmas cakes made to order for the holidays. There is a pamphlet on the counter with all their special cakes and gift sets to really push for these higher end items.

I'm so happy to see more and more Paris Baguette branches opening up in northern California, and I'm especially happy at how high end they look, keeping up with the style of those in Korea! (This is in contrast to The Face Shop, where the shops in California look like really run down, mom-and-pop hole-in-the-wall shops). I hope soon they'll start opening up more stores throughout the West Coast.

Infinite F: Koi No Sign Single (Type B) Review

I ordered Infinite F's Japanese single, Koi No Sign (Type B), from an individual seller on Amazon.com that is based in Switzerland, called uniqueplace-usa for roughly $23 total. It took two days to ship and 15 days after that to arrive, which isn't so bad especially during the holiday season. My album arrived just in a paper envelope with a bubble wrap lining, yet it came in practically pristine condition, so I'm very happy with it.

I explain more about Infinite F and their Japanese single in this post here, so now I'll just elaborate on the specifics for this Type B version. This album has the same dimensions as Type A and Infinite's Inspirit single. As you can see, the album has a nice matte finish, whereas Type A has a glossy finish. I was very harsh at the poor quality of Type A, and though Type B is virtually the same, I'll be nicer (probably because this came in such good condition unlike my Type A that was damaged).

On the clear wrap there was a sticker in Japanese stating that this version contains a CD and a 32 page photobook.So the first press limited edition Type B comes with the CD and a larger photobook than the other two versions.

I absolutely love the album cover of this version, with the three boys in cozy sweaters lying in a fake jungle-like setting. And the "Infinite F" is nice with a silver sheen to stand out from the colorful background.

I like how the foresty background continues onto the back cover as well. The tracklist is on the top right while the technical information is at the bottom.

When you open it, the background continues onto the inside left cover and both sides of the photobook. The photobook isn't attached to the album and there isn't anything to secure it, so it's completely loose. I really don't like this formatting, because it just doesn't seem safe when I put it on my bookshelf. The right side is completely black, and underneath the CD is a faint "Infinite F."

Inside the first page of the photobook is the random photocard and a slip of paper for Japanese Inspirits.

This time I got Sungjong's photocard; this photo is the same image from the Japanese Type A photobooklet. Though Myungsoo is in three of the five photocards (there are two group photocards and one individual photocard for each member) I can never seem to pull Myungsoo.

Here is a closeup of the paper.

They advertise this as a 32 page photobook, but only 25 of the pages have photos in them, and the rest are either blank, the tracklist, the lyrics, the credits, or the two covers. These photos are different from Type A, but I'm not sure about the normal version. The first 14 pages are from the jungle/sweater photoshoot, with three of the individual photos the same as the Korean single, then eight pages are from what I believe is the normal version photoshoot. I really like this section because they include the photoshoot of Myungsoo wearing that oversized white buttondown, Sungyeol in the houndstooth suit and Sungjong in that striped suit, and these photos weren't included in the Korean single. The last three pages are from the Type A photoshoot, and Sungjong's photo and the group photo from this shoot are the same as the Korean album. Sungyeol's photocard is also the same as his photo from this photoshoot in this book.

While the photobook is nice and varied in photos, they're just overall too similar to Infinite F's Korean single. I miss the older Japanese Infinite albums where the photoshoots were completely new and just for the Japanese version. In the end, if I had to just choose one version to get, it'd be Type A with the DVD since the contents of the DVD are so fun, cute, adorable, and overall amazing and content that isn't in any other version, since it's the only one with a DVD.