Nothing Can Stop Me From Loving
February 14, 2010 § 1 Comment
My mind is still trying to process today’s events, because there’s simply too much to handle.
It started like this.
I came home from having a late dim sum lunch with some other exchange students with the intent to take a nap, but decided to spend some time online first. This habit proved rather fortunate this time because LC asked me over Gchat whether I saw SHINee when they arrived in Hong Kong on Friday. It is probably important to note here that SHINee has been my favorite group for a while, and for me, seeing them in person would basically be the equivalent of a hardcore Bulls fan shaking Michael Jordan’s hand.
Naturally, I completely freaked out. I had heard that they were coming to HK but didn’t know when or why. At the time, I was also on the phone with Cebu Pacific Air trying to book a flight to the Philippines; I started cursing audibly at my computer. Rosaline, who was attempting to take a nap, glanced over at me and popped out of bed when I told her why I was so agitated. My call failed shortly afterward and I didn’t bother calling back because I was too busy looking up information online. Thankfully, I was able to find this:
I immediately ran next door with my laptop to ask my friend from mainland China to read it to me. SHINee was performing in a mall for Chinese New Year in SIX HOURS?! [So much for having dinner with Nadia and meeting her boyfriend.] I HAD TO GO. There was one slight inconvenience:
Getting to Tuen Mun wouldn’t be a problem, but the last train to leave would be at 12:04AM, whereas the show was supposed to go until midnight, according to the customer service lady I called. She also told me that the show’s tickets were given to certain customers of the mall and were all gone. Annoying, but I could work around it. This is the schedule I crafted for my evening:
5PM nap
6PM paint nails [yes, this is important & indeed took an hour]
7PM get $ from bank in case I need to bribe someone to get in
8PM go to subway station
9PM arrive in Teun Mun
1030 SHINee OMFG
[Note that nowhere in there is “dinner,” because at the time I still wasn’t hungry, and before & after the show I was too stressed traveling to a strange place, so I basically had Mountain Dew & Coke Zero for supper.]
Rosaline couldn’t come with me because she was spending time with her family, which is what normal people do on Chinese New Year’s Eve unless you’re an orphan like me. No matter; after a month of being in Hong Kong, I finally feel comfortable enough to travel by myself. I followed my schedule exactly, except I didn’t go to the bank because I spent an extra hour trying to research how I would get home. There really were no other viable options, so I figured I’d pull a Cinderella and get out of there before midnight, since being homelessly stranded is really not a good way to spend a holiday.
Prepping the fans by playing MVs
Tonight’s weather was some of the worst that I’ve experienced so far in HK. The clouds drizzled heavily and the wind blew so hard that it was actually better to close my umbrella than have it get blown inside out. Luckily, the sky was clear in Tuen Mun, where I wandered around for half an hour trying to locate the mall. I finally found the right building after calling the rather unhelpful customer service guy twice. Even then, I couldn’t find a feasible concert venue amongst the crowded shops, but the cheering voices led me to the correct spot in the heart of the shopping plaza.
Despite my time squandered while lost, I arrived an hour early. A great crowd of teenagers had already gathered on the sidelines of the stage and the balconies of the two upper levels. It was just like being in Korea: screaming fangirls waving SHINee balloons and black cardboard signs splashed with the names of their favorite members. It’s a good thing I look young, because I was pretty sure I was the oldest one there. The girls in front of me were shorter, and I was doing fine blending in until the one whose butt I kept accidentally touching turned around and asked me a question [perhaps related to that, but it sounded like she was asking if she was blocking my view]. I was thus outed as a non-Cantonese speaker, and the young girl next to me actually asked if I was a SHINee fan [LOL].
I’ve seen this on YouTube!
It hurt to watch the lucky people with tickets settle into their seats, but getting to watch this kind of event for free is a pretty rare occasion. The stage was a tiny one in the middle of the mall in the middle of nowhere — this is where SHINee is spending their New Year’s Eve? They deserve better. I felt dazed just thinking of being in the same square kilometer as SHINee…or perhaps it was from lack of sleep. At some point before the performance, Rosaline told me via text that the MTR would run all night because of Chinese New Year, so I was free to stay as late as I wanted.
I was utterly surprised to see guys sitting and standing among the fangirls. Were they actually fans or were they just taking up space unnecessarily? My question was answered when I heard the guy behind me screaming along with SHINee’s lyrics. I stood there contentedly until the emcee went on stage and I was quickly reminded that the program would be in Cantonese, and I wouldn’t understand anything. This is why I recorded video of most of it, which I will later show to Rosaline so she can translate for me, hehe.
Stage = size of my dorm room
The first performances were by Hong Kong artists, with games in between songs like telephone charades to give certain ticket-holders a chance to be on stage. The whole not-speaking-Canto and not-knowing-the-artists thing made it rather boring, but it gave me adequate time to take down my thoughts on my Blackberry. I thought about how I would tell other people about my experience and could only picture myself babbling like an incoherent idiot.
When SHINee finally appeared, I literally could not stop myself from screaming from excitement despite my best attempts to keep my composure. It was unreal, like seeing gods [which reveals my spiritual illness..]. After my short bout of shrieking, I hyperventilated a bit from the reality of seeing them in front of me. They are incredible in real life.
Jealousss
Like good little fans, the crowd chanted along with SHINee’s songs; the three they performed were “Replay,” “Jojo” and “Ring Ding Dong.” I actually wanted to listen to them sing, but it didn’t really happen. My position was close enough to take video, but not enough to take good pictures or faint from sheer proximity. The boys performed well, of course, and had a translator for the extra bits. I can’t describe how amazing it was to see them with my own eyes when they had previously only existed on my laptop screen. It was also interesting to see the little things that happen onstage that are not usually broadcasted, like Jonghyun wiping the sweat off Taemin‘s face with a tissue, or Onew being his usual dorky self, or the fact that all of the photographers get onstage after the performers leave and take pictures of the audience [I have no idea why].
Sources of HQ photos ^^
I didn’t stick around very long afterward because my back hurt from standing. There was a disproportionate number of females on the MTR, and I sat across from four girls who had clearly just departed from the show as well — they were all looking through the pictures they had taken on their fancy cameras. They looked even older than me, which made me laugh because SHINee is known for having a lot of “noona” fans; that is, female fans who are older than the members of the group. I was glad not to be the only one present…
When I got back to Causeway Bay an hour later, I spent 35 minutes wandering around looking for the correct bus stop. Then, after I successfully boarded it, the bus completely SKIPPED my stop [because I didn’t understand when the driver asked if anyone needed to get off there]. I got off at the next one, half a mile away in the middle of nowhere. I crossed the street to take a taxi back, but the taxi driver took me around on the longest possible route to get back to my dorm — I might not know enough Cantonese to tell him he’s being a jerkface, but I knew enough to recognize the scenic route. I didn’t really care, though, as long as I wasn’t being abducted.
I want more!!!
No matter how many pictures you take, you realize on the way home that it’ll only ever be a fantasy.
A-ONE
November 13, 2009 § 2 Comments
A Chinese boy band that has relatively good music, good vocals, a non-dreadful music video AND is actually…attractive? This kind of anomaly must be documented!
Anybody who reads my blog would probably surmise that I hate all Chinese music, which is not true — my standards are low because of how much the music industry of the motherland has disappointed me. I’m not absolutely in love with A-ONE, but I am pleasantly surprised enough to learn more about them and perhaps download some songs.
One complaint I have is that they all have the same hairstyle, which is detrimental to anybody trying to learn their individual identities. Seriously, a basic element of having a group of less than six is making it possible for the consumer to differentiate between members. I’m mostly irked because I couldn’t figure out the names of the cuter ones. Also, said hairstyle has so much product in it that it doesn’t move, which is unpleasantly reminiscent of the ’50s beehive.
One of the members caught my eye when I browsed other sites in an effort to learn more about them:
Oh my gosh. He — 于洪军 — is absolutely beautiful. I am captivated. Unfortunately, I still had a difficult time discerning which one was him in their group pictures; they need new stylists. The Chinese name of the group basically amounts to “Insect Band,” and they all have insect nicknames. I think his is Butterfly Prince, ha ha ha.
I wish I knew where to find stalker forums for Chinese musicians so I could find out his age [and favorite foods, address, etc etc…kidding].
[For a miserable failure of a music video, click here. I actually kind of like the song apart from the male voiceover, but the video is completely irrelevant and reprehensible. It’s like Pussycat Dolls dancing to High School Musical.]
The First Step Is Admitting…
October 29, 2009 § 13 Comments
I have an addiction.
I’m not exactly sure how it happened, but there have been hints of it here and there.
“Why do you like listening to music you can’t understand?” people have asked.
Well, there are many reasons for that, but my question for them is, why would that inhibit me? Music is aural pleasure; comprehension is not completely necessary.
When I listen to music in English, I listen very intently to the lyrics — as a vocalist, I enjoy being able to sing along. If I listen to a song too many times, however, the lyrics start to get old, and then I can’t stand listening to that song anymore. Foreign songs, though, present a distinct challenge to learn [if I bother trying], and usually take much longer before fatigue settles in. For example, I’ve listened to the same Lee Jung Hyun songs since middle school and still have yet to evict them from my iPod.
If I like a song enough, though, I’ll look up the lyrics to find out whether my impression of the song rings true. Even if the lyrics turn out to be tasteless and puerile, at least it won’t greatly impact my experience — although I feel like America has the most issue with retarded lyrics.
As much as I love French, Spanish, Japanese and Chinese music, my addiction is specific to Korean pop.
Why Kpop?
I’ve written before that I’ve always had an appreciation for Korean music, limited though my knowledge of the industry was. I don’t like using the term “fangirl” because of the squealing teenage image it evokes, and I’m not nearly as hardcore as some can be.
I attribute LC as my biggest influence in this area; over the summer and even a bit last semester, she fed me with Kpop photos and videos and the like, fanning what had been steady embers into a full-fledged forest fire. I take ownership of my addiction now, but I couldn’t have made it without her.
Key from SHINee: love at first sight
Anyone who assumes that all Asian music sounds the same is stupid. The majority of mainstream Chinese music is wimpy. Some of it is lovely, but I have a very low tolerance for weak vocals and pining lyrics. Japanese music is great too but can get comparatively weird [it’s Japan after all]. Although Korea has been infiltrated by our hated enemy, autotune, they don’t overuse it to the point of giving singing careers to people who clearly can’t sing, and Kpop always has a kick to it — I love music I can dance to.
America churns out lively pop music too, you could argue. Of course: Lady Gaga will always be my hero. But the American music industry as a whole is in a disappointing state right now, with very little originality flowing through. Having watched innumerable music videos, I feel justified in saying that Kpop feels like it’s of a higher quality than its American equivalent. What I hear on the radio sounds like people have simply stopped trying, and I refuse to support their half-assed efforts. I can’t fully describe how refreshing it is to go from the countless U.S. music videos of the singer(s) swaying lamely in a club to actually choreographed, visually stimulating music videos from Korea. Even their phone commercials have ridiculous full-length songs with corresponding choreography!
Kpop stars also seem more charming than the drunken deadbeats we have in the States. The Korean music industry is much more controlling of the lives of their stars [living together in dorms and prohibiting dating is unheard for people of such celebrity], which surprisingly doesn’t make them turn out emotionally unstable even if they start their training young. This also means that they do a lot of fun collaborations, makeovers, and variety & reality shows.
More importantly, it means that these stars actually have talent. Kpop stars can sing and dance, AND they’re attractive! These kinds of celebrities are difficult to find in China, which I am very sad to admit. Knowing all this, though, Kpop can seem very contrived, but for those who really care, there are groups that play their own instruments and many who write their own songs.
When I think about the situation, it’s about quality of product [apart from the obvious aural appeal]. And I have found that the most consistent success in caliber lies within Kpop, so I shall unabashedly air my preference. I qualify that statement by noting that I have not completely given in to Korean culture — I refuse to watch dramas or learn the language. Music is all I want.
To conclude, I leave you with a screenshot of me watching a DBSK mv against my DBSK wallpaper [:D ILU JaeJoong!].
auradis 