November 2017 promises to be an insane week at work with seven major work events in a month. That averages out to more than an event a week? It’s been a tiring week at work and I feel like I spent my week in a perpetual state of mild anxiety/panic that I forgot to do something. It’s been rushing from one task to another and as usual, nothing gives me more pleasure than checking things off my to-do list.
The downside to this is that now that I’m at the end of the week, I feel insanely tired and drained. I’ve also been slightly more irritable than usual? But to be fair I’ve been going home late also because I hung out after work a few times after leaving office late. Oops so that’s probably on me.
So I was looking through my Gallery thinking of posting something on Instagram because I am a millennial and posting something on Instagram will give me likes which would in turn trigger the chemical in my brain to recharge it LOL. But decided against it because I am also now an informed adult and am aware that such things are temporary hehe.
So I’m here in my space to share my thoughts and also post this photo from my hapz Saturday night last week. It was really rather fun I’m beginning to suspect that not so deep down inside me is a YP raring to emerge.
It’s been over a year since I’ve properly updated about my life in this space and I’m sure we all can agree that all the reviews and ofc the Christmas selfie aren’t rly good indications of how I’ve changed throughout this time.
So much has happened since then. I’m reaching my one-year mark at my first full-time job in about a month, I’ve learnt a lot, been exposed to a world that I never thought I’d be part of, grown (rounder) a bit, made new friends, lost some friends probably, and probably changed a lot. I’m not sure if it’s all good changes and it’s something that worried me initially. Like would I become a different person after working here? I think to some extent change is inevitable but as long as who I am at the core is the same? I was concerned that I’d become a person with a mean heart and harsh exterior. But with my friends and family to centre me, I doubt I would. Harsh exterior maybe though since I need to survive in this difficult ~adult~ world.
I’ll do a proper update soon. Feeling rly fortunate this week because it was my birthday week and I always suddenly get this overwhelming sense of sentimentality because as usual, I was spoilt by my friends and family hehe.
Continuing the pattern from last year’s post, here’s my merry christmas post to my blog and the two people who read it probably LOL
Hope yall had a good Christmas ^^ I spent mine with my extended family for lunch and had dinner w my family. It was a rainy Christmas day but filled w the warmth of family (o m g the cheesiness I cannot) for me.
Buying tickets to AKMU Studio was somewhat of a snap decision. In the period that AKMU’s ticket sale was announced, I think there were at least four other artists also coming in that period of four weeks or so. If I remember correctly, APink, Day6, Got7 already announced that they would be coming.
I really wanted to go for Day6 because I missed last year’s. But it being a fan meeting held me back. Also, I didn’t have any friends who were equally as interested in Day6 as I was, so if I went, I’d be going alone 😦 So I kept thinking that okay I’ll think about it and maybe buy the tickets just before the concert if I do decide to go.
So it was with that backstory that my sister and I decided to get AKMU tickets. Because I was already slightly bummed about not being able to go for Day6, my decision to go for AKMU came a lottt quicker, despite me not really knowing their songs. But I think a big reason why I came to the decision so quickly was having Mei go with me woohoo company. Plus we both knew AKMU would be a great group to watch live, and the tickets weren’t that pricey (as compared to other Kpop concerts) so… decision made.
TBH I actually kind of forgot about the concert as it approached. It wasn’t even like we bought the tickets way in advance. It was probably only about a month in advance? But I guess it’s because I’m not crazy in love with AKMU like I was for EXO and Big Bang so I wasn’t exactly counting down to the concert. But luckily I remembered in time to brush up on my knowledge of their songs. Can’t go to their concert only knowing like 2-3 songs after all teehee.
CONCERT DAY – 9 December 2016
First time going to Kallang Theatre and WOW is that place a throwback into the past or what. The theatre’s been around since 1970s if I’m not wrong. The staircase even has a well-worn red carpet laid out on it, much retro. To be honest, I probably would have walked past it if not for the throng of young people crowding around in its vicinity. Not to mention the enterprising people hawking AKMU wares – from headbands to a fan with the face of Suhyun/Chanhyuk printed on it.
// DIGRESSION: I rly don’t get that though. Why would I want to fan myself with their faces?! Is there supposed to be something poetic about fans fanning themselves w their idols’ faces? Or maybe it isn’t a fan, maybe you’re just supposed to hold it up but then again my question is why??? I mean obviously they know you are at their concert right? Why must hold up their faces L O L. PJ and I had the same logic when we made the page for the One Direction scrapbook that 91.3FM sent several years back. Instead of pasting their faces, we just printed a picture of ourselves HAHAHA. They’d want to know what kind of people are their fans don’t you think??
#winninglogic //
Sissy and I were SO surprised when we walked into the theatre because it was so small. Smaller than… UCC theatre? It was q a small and intimate venue, quite perfect for AKMU we thought. But we bought the cheapest tickets so ofc our seats not v close also. But we were thinking that we’re not rly going there to watch them anyway, more to listen to them, so it doesn’t rly matter where we sit.
LOVED LOVED LOVED the stage set-up. They explained that the set was designed to look like their recording studio but to me, it kind of gave off the feeling of an old records store also? Not that I know what an old record store looks like but I’ve watched enough Taiwanese movies to know hahaha. The brother-sister duo opened the concert with the high-energy How People Move from their latest album Spring. It was so GOOD. Was bobbing my head along throughout hahaha.
As usual I’m not good with remembering what songs they performed and in what order. Plus I don’t recognise the names of their songs so that makes it like doubly hard. But the song that gave me goosebumps and made me sit up and listen was Melted.
I have never heard a more beautiful rendition o m g. I remember so clearly that they had a screen down so the stage was partially obscured and swirly purple patterns were projected on the screen like yknw when you used to listen to music on Windows Media Player there was all that abstract patterns thing going on. Okay my description sounds damn uncool. OH OKAY I found a video that someone must have illegally filmed hahaha pls watch to get the sense of what I’m saying:
Trust me it was SO much better irl – the atmosphere everything SO on point. And their voices echoing throughout the theatre… it was such an ethereal experience.
OK actually the main reason why I am writing this post is because I wanted to talk about the performance of that song hahaha. It really left me in awe because it was so so beautiful. Melted never rly made an impression on me because that same album had Give Love which is more my style (upbeat and happy and easier to listen to). But this rendition of it blew me away and I thought ah, listening to it live is truly different.
There were a couple of segments where the sibling duo were chatting w the audience but they are so awkward it’s quite adorable hahaha. Could tell that they were fumbling with what to say, maybe because of the language barrier? We were pretty amused. Dee Kosh the radio deejay came as an emcee, along with a translator. I can NOT understand why they would get someone who doesn’t at least listen to their music to emcee. I mean okay, I guess these people won’t go nuts seeing the idols irl but then it also makes the interviewing less interesting to watch because the emcee doesn’t really know much about them.
Like there was this part where they were asking for fans to request songs for them and I was SO hopeful that they would sing something impromptu because that would be amazing right. But then because they couldn’t hear what the fans were shouting, Dee Kosh suggested they sing Lucky which was scripted anyway SIGH. I wonder if they would rly have sung the suggested songs?? So I was thinking if Dee Kosh was a fan or checked them out before, he probably could have made out that the fans were asking for them to cover 2NE1’s Ugly/Lonely and ofc Taeyang’s Eyes, Nose, Lips (which they did sing eventually so yay).
Mei and I really enjoyed the concert and I think one of the nicest parts was towards the end when they had everyone stand up and they sang their more upbeat songs again. Everyone was bobbing along and rly enjoying themselves. It was pretty cool being at a concert where a part of my heart wasn’t like longing to abseil down to the stage to fall into their arms HAHAHA. Like I could wholeheartedly enjoy the concert as it was rather than plot ways for them to notice me hehe.
Oh and during the encore, we were SO SURPRISED when the two of them came off the stage to walk along the aisle!!!!! Omg rly when does that ever EVER happen in Singapore during kpop concerts hahaha. If Big Bang did that I think the fans would go insane. Also the security’s so tight sigh. But I guess because AKMU aren’t really idols per say so it was slightly safer for them? So I saw Chanhyuk super up close because he was standing near the end of my aisle woohoo cheap thrill.
All in all, we really really enjoyed the concert. There was this sense of satisfaction like ok that was money well spent because the concert was that enjoyable. Usually at the end of concerts I feel q tired (but also satisfied la) because I spend a lot of my energy screaming my love for the group HAHA. But for this one, I just sat back and enjoyed the music which is a rather lovely experience too.
Soooo Day6 is finally back with Daydream! I’m not one to follow the teaser stage of a comeback (too impatient, just give me the real deal!!) but it’s hard to miss the very tumblr-esque images and feel that they were teasing.
check out the overlay and disembodied hand mysteriously reaching out to the unknown
Does it belong to a hipster tumblr or what!! HAHA. But you cannot deny the attractiveness of the design I think? The font used for the poster also fits in with the theme quite well I think. I cannot identify fonts so all I can say is that the sans serif font contrasts pretty well with the image overlay and contributes to the overall minimalist feel of the poster.
Plus they’re using a teal (seagreen? idk what colour you would call it but I like it) colour theme so I was rather looking forward to their comeback because SO. PRETTY. Is it my ~aesthetic~ (so out of this lingo thing but rly what does this even mean?!)
No idea why the image looks so low-res and actually quite no effort lol but the colour’s so pretty
Day6 debuted with The Day back in September last year with a rather different colour scheme – more earthy colours – probably because it was autumn in Korea? Okay NO idea why I’m talking so much about colours ridic HAHA maybe because I really like the colours they used to tease their comeback this time. Anyway what I wanted to say because the colourful digression was that THEIR DEBUT WAS SO STRONG.
But JYPE adopted some new marketing tactics for them then and they didn’t appear on broadcasts 😦 Means no music shows, no variety shows, NOTHINGGG. Only V-app haha and it wasn’t even their dedicated channel then, they used the official JYP V channel zz. They also did live performances – both domestically and overseas (THEY CAME TO SG WHEN I WASN’T HERE D: !) – I couldn’t really understand this marketing tactic but apparently they were trying to market DAY6 as a -real- band focused on music and all that. NOT THAT I DISAGREE I realise people might read a sense of sarcasm in that statement. I cannot say if it worked or not because I’m OBVIOUSLY not Korean and have no idea how the domestic reaction to DAY6 was. I surrounded myself with positive people about Day6 only hehe.
Not that it was difficult though because really, their debut album was AMAZING. Every song was good and catchy in its own way. And I cannot pick a favourite. Congratulations maybe? Because title song and I’m mainstream like that. But Free하게 is very good too and a great opening track to their mini-album.
They also did a lot of covers that were posted on YouTube! One of my all-time favourite Day6 covers is their cover of their labelmate TWICE’s Like Ooh-Ahh:
I absolutely LOVED their refreshing take on the very bubbly and cheery song. What stood out the most in that cover for me was Im Junhyeok’s vocals and the way he transformed the song (that’s the guy in sunglasses playing the keyboard).
So imagine how upset I was when the news of him leaving Day6 broke T.T There was this thing about how he was accused of dating a fan who apparently wasn’t even a fan of him initially. Okay I’m not going into details because I don’t want this news to be what people think about when they hear Day6 yknw. They’ve GREAT music and they should be famous for that rather than for a scandal grr.
Awhile after that news broke, they announced that they were having a comeback YAY. But without Junhyeok. NAY 😦 Okay obviously without him right lol he left already. Anyway, I took awhile to listen to the comeback because I was busy with school but I’ve finally checked it out so here’s my opinion on it. Disclaimer tho, I’m no music critic and visuals matter A LOT to me because #superficial. So my opinion won’t be that insightful or grounded in musical knowledge/critique of their musical style. (Actually then you will wonder why I bother right lol but I just wanted to blog about Day6)
Okay so here goes nothing my first review of an MV!
Very very helpfully, JYPE has provided closed captions English subs on the video WOOHOO.
White borders frame the MV which frankly annoys me (cf EXO’s Call Me Baby) but I guess they wanted the widescreen thing. I briefly wondered why didn’t they use black borders to frame it. The MV opens with a shot of the band (now only 5 of them SIGH) in shadows. Then OOH PARK JAEHYUNG! (or Jae Park. Seems like he’s going with that stage name meh.)
He starts the song and the camera movement’s pretty interesting in that shot; the way it zooms in and out and you realise that the two people sitting at the ends of the table were both Jae. Okay minor point and I will stop narrating the MV now because that’s lame.
From the outset, the song establishes itself as a letter (or speech?) of sorts to someone. Specifically a someone whom they apparently need to leave because s/he has moved on from their relationship. And the breakup is really because they want happiness for the other party. It’s a bittersweet breakup song where we get to hear one party’s inner thoughts and feelings: He doesn’t want the breakup but then he recognises that the breakup is what the other party needs and is willingly but reluctantly going through with it for the sake of the other party. He reminisces the happier times but recognises that it belongs to the past.
IT’S
SO.
SAD.
Especially because I guess I wonder if it’s not just a simple song about a breakup among lovers but also in part a letter to Junhyeok? Which I would think is a link that most fans will make. It reminds me of the time when 2PM released 1.59PM after Jay Park left actually. But in that case, I felt like it was a bit more calculated to milk the situation. Probably because artists now have a greater creative freedom than back in 2010 so Day6 did play a role in making the song.
I think the song is elevated because of contextual reasons as well. It could very well just be a song about a breakup but because there’s the possibility of it relating to Junhyeok, suddenly the song takes up a far more impactful meaning.
The MV itself deviates from the teal colour theme which is a bit sad lol but then the overall feel fits the song. Unlike Congratulations, there is no storyline in the MV. It only depicts the members performing the song WHICH is another contributing factor to the possible context of the song?? Like if the MV portrayed a broken love story, it would destroy our fantasy that this song is dedicated to Junhyeok.
Love the chorus of the song as well. Title song is beautiful and I hope the rest of the album is as good. So glad Day6 debuted and is bringing us such good music. Also, they were performing on music shows this time!! Hoping they also get to appear on some other broadcasts to promote themselves in a more mainstream manner. I think JTBC’s Finding Sugarman would be a rather nice place of them to perform with its focus on music and remakes of old songs.
Abrupt end to this post because I’m tired and spent too long on this post.
—
Okay because ST also said my end very abrupt, here’s his very pretentious opinion on it. SO WOOHOO please welcome my ~guest blogger~
“Hi it is guest blogger.
Firstly let’s talk about DAY6’s insane talent. Their debut was fantastic. I think the last time I was so impressed with a debut was…………………….. Dalmatian? Ok probably not that long ago but they’re the first boy group that comes to mind.
When we think of bands the norm is to have one person in one role – lead singer, guitarist, bassist, keyboardist etc. BUT DAY6 CAN DO EVERYTHING. In all their songs, all of them sing (very well!) and it seems that they can play other instruments apart from their own ‘speciality’ as well.
The first few seconds of Letting Go start out with amazing harmony. Just an a capella, raw demonstration of their vocal talent which sets us up for the rest of the song.
The first verse has a minimal guitar riff in the background which really accentuates the vocals of the guy who is singing. Sorry I dunno their names yet but if you watch the MV you will know how they look like. In the first chorus the singer changes and more instruments are picking up, adding to the intensity.
The lyrics fit the music well because the relative quietness of the first verse reflects how the presumed couple in the lyrically are sitting silent facing each other, with nothing said between them. In the first chorus, they sing about their own emotions and the struggle they face in needing to let go, let go, let go, as if they are contemplating whether it’s the right decision, and the fragility of this decision is made more salient by the wavering instrumentals.
This only makes sense when we juxtapose it with the second verse and chorus. The second verse talks about their past and how the memories are precious, and this is emphasised with the base line and kick bass. Musically, the listener is beginning to feel riled up. Lyrically, there is a sense of regret that all the good memories are to go to waste. This culminates in the second chorus which – though lyrically the same – is much more decisive and thus painful. It’s like watching a Taiwanese drama where the mother has to abandon her child for some reason (like giving the child away to a wealthier family or something). At first she’s debating whether or not to do it (first chorus). Eventually when she hardens her heart and decides to leave the child behind despite the child crying for her, the combined effect of action and emotion always lead to tears. DAY6 achieves a similar heartbreaking effect.
Continuing the analogy of Taiwan drama mother, the rap is the equivalent of a montage as the mother runs from the child. It’s fast-paced, desperate, reflective and hopeless at the same time, but the ultimate wish is that the other person will lead a better life without them. When the final chorus begins there is a drop in the beat (you know the thing that shows like to do where the character runs and runs and a montage plays and s/he suddenly stops and stares pensively into space? Something like that), and the rest of the final chorus progresses in a way that affirms themselves that their decision was a right one, something that is confirmed by the song ending on a resolved major rather than a hanging diminished.
So step hor I cannot take myself also. But since the theme of this post is obnoxious I decided to let loose HAHA”
Thankies ST for contributing your v long analysis ^^
Oh my I haven’t updated my blog for so long. I could give the excuse of being busy w school (which is true to an extent because this semester somehow seems rly bad) but truthfully I’ve been lazy HAHA and busy watching dramas.
And applying (or thinking about applying) for jobs 😦 Can’t believe it’s my last semester in school now. My last recess week (ever!!) is also ending in a day and it’s q sad. But at least I kept up to tradition by ensuring that my recess week was as unproductive as ever LOL.
Am not ready to be an adult yet sigh. What do I know about expected salaries and whatnot?! Just last year I was prancing around in the Netherlands and now… zzz. BRING ME BACK TO EXCHANGE.
Shall update about my life and my dramas soon!! Hahaha I’ve so much to say about dramas really and I found so many new k-drama friends which makes discussing and analysing dramas so much more fun now. And I’m not as passively absorbing the dramas anymore but looking at it more critically and assessing it from a more experienced drama-watcher standpoint. ANYONE OUT THERE LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO REVIEW DRAMAS??
Just wanted to commerate my first bake of 2016 with this post (also because it’s my first time baking it)
Baked the egg tarts w my sissy and it was rly much easier than expected. The more challenging parts involved pressing the dough for the tart into the tart moulds because we didn’t know how thick or how thin it would turn out.
To my dismay, when I took them out of the oven, the egg tarts looked like mutants omg I was so upset and couldn’t bear to look at it becos they looked so horrific and totally unlike the pictures in the recipe I followed 😥 the custard puffed up and one was even in a dome shape omg. But thankfully they calmed down and looked a lot better after a few minutes. So I would still count this as a success yippee!
Here’s to experimenting more in the kitchen this year and just trying more new things in general! ^^
CHIALALALA 