It seems that China is not sparing entertainment from its enforcement of One China Principle and “both sides of the Taiwan Strait belongs to One China”, leading to a spat between Chinese and Taiwanese delegations at Tokyo Film Festival.
At the Tokyo Film Festival, the Chinese delegation demanded that the Taiwanese delegation to register at the film festival under the name “Taiwan, China” and that Taiwan enter the red carpet as part of the Chinese delegation. The demand was presented at the last minute of the event. Of course, this was refused by the Taiwanese delegation.
In response, the head of Chinese delegation taunted rudely.
As the matter could not be resolved, the organiser decided to bar both delegations from attending the red carpet. In the press conference that followed, Vivian Hsu tearfully declared that “I am Taiwanese and not a Chinese.”
China regained governance of Taiwan from Japan after World War II, followed by a civil war that led the retreat of Chinese Nationalists to Taiwan in 1949. The peace treaty with Japan concluded in 1951 did not hand Taiwan to any country. Democratisation instituted by Taiwanese President Lee Teng Hui led to distinct social and political environment on the self-governed island, leading to the evolution of separate national identities on China and Taiwan. Separate identities is further consolidated as China rises as a global power.
People’s Republic of China has insisted on the One China Principle for diplomatic relations and opposes policies that lead to separate Chinese and Taiwanese identities, such as “One China, One Taiwan” and “Taiwan Independence”.
In Taiwan, people with singular identification of being Taiwanese are on the rise, becoming more prevalent among the younger generation. Dual identification is declining, and singular identification of being Chinese is only a small minority.
Identity politics is going to affect cultural exchanges across the Taiwan Strait. Judging from the incident, it seemed that Beijing is intolerant of identity politics in all dealings with Taiwan.
Do you hear that? Head of delegation: The Chinese delegation is the sole representative of China in the film festival. The Taiwan delegation is part of the Chinese delegation.
We can see shitty attitude of the female interpreter from Mainland China:
Female interpreter: You are Taiwan, China! Head of Taiwan delegation: I am not. Female interpreter: Are you Chinese? Head of Taiwan delegation: I am Taiwanese. Female interpreter: You are a Chinese! Head of Taiwan delegation: There is no need for this. Don't force me to give in with your mob!
This is how Taiwan Affairs Office of Mainland China responded to the Tokyo Film Festival spat:
Spokesman: The spat may have been caused by lack of communication between two sides. Both sides should refrain from unnecessary conflicts in international settings.
The Taiwan Affairs Office dared not criticise Chinese citizens. Really? It was Mainland China who provoked the Taiwan delegation. The blame should be on the Chinese delegation.
I am now so in love with TWICE just like my partner at MINX Philippines fanbase. TWICE made us crazy.
TWICE members are known for their dorkiness and craziness. Nayeon is dubbed the successor of A Pink's Bomi for craziness. I knew that so much about Bomi's gorilla move already.
Months ago I discovered this group called MINX. They're a bunch of crazy girls too. I see that a lot through their web series, MINX Play. They're a genuine bunch of people made so relatable to us. I can see that the concept between TWICE and MINX is incredibly similar. MINX states that theirs is a mischievous tomboy concept.
It took me a bit of exploration and luck to discover MINX, and I struck gold. Now my job is to convince you I've found a piece of gold. I opened MINX Malaysia on Facebook for that.
Many idols can sing. That's my first pass. Next comes concept. I'm into looking at cute girls.
There I have it! MINX is a cute group. To top it off, they're based on the mischievous girl concept. I don't need to see anymore innocent groups for the time being. We have A Pink, Lovelyz and G-friend for that.
These days, MINX wanted to show us their hardworking side so they uploaded Minx Practice instead of Minx Play. They wanted us to see THEY CAN.
Yoohyeon showcased her vocal prowess in her cover of Urban Zakapa's "Drinking Coffee". No doubt she's the lead singer of MINX. Fans praised her for being such a angel in real life. And indeed she can be dim witted at times.
Whenever I give my photocard people were puzzled why MINX was never heard before. I should just answer, this is my proud discovery and you should check it out. Haha.
TWICE's debut song "Like Ooh Ahh" climbed back up on the charts [1,2] and got to do another round of promotions on music shows. How excited I am when I heard that!
After three weeks of promotion, it seemed that Like Ooh Ahh would fall off the charts. But for some reason, the song climbed back up to 9th place 75 days after releaase. It occupied 10th place twice, on November 10 and then December 26. On January 9 the song is now 1st place contender for SBS Inkigayo.
This is a phenomenon called reverse driving. It happened to EXID one year ago and now it's happening to TWICE. Artists can be called back mandatorily by music programs for climbing back up the charts.
Thanks to ONCEs, TWICE had reverse driving through conventional means. That's also because of a 'vacuum' left on music charts. EXID's case was a more extreme case: months after they finished promoting their track, they shot back all due to a viral fancam.
Now we should treat TWICE 트와이스 for a first place on music shows shall we?
ii.
How the music chart shows of South Korea work is shrouded in mystery to most fans.
The K-pop and music industry is a saturated and competitive field. Artists consists of more than just idols. There are many types of singers competing for the limited space available on music program.
How limited are spaces available on music programs? There are six major music chart programs - SBS-MTV The Show, KBS Music Bank, MBC Show Champion, MBC Music Core, Mnet M! Countdown, SBS Inkigayo. Each show airs for around 1 and a half hour weekly and has space for 20 songs. Each artist promotes for 1 month except for special stages.
The space available for music programs is scarce and choosing which artist to promote is a fundamental problem that must be answered by TV stations.
In the age of Web 2.0, the decision to promote artists is partially democratized. The distribution company (like 1theK, CJE&M, KT Music) uploads the MV on Youtube and music streaming sites. The song is immediately logged onto the music charts, though the information is not shown to the public. When a song reaches a certain popularity, consideration can be made for artists to promote on music chart shows.
How long has TWICE debuted? Not very long is my short answer. Describing their popularity shot up like a rocket blasting into space is not an exaggeration.
I've had so much of their debut song Like Ooh-Ahh - (Ooh-Ahh 하게) in their MV, dance practice and regular music shows - countless videos alraedy. The amazing fact is I never grow tired of it.
They become popular enough to be featured on Weekly Idol. Based on information from the show, someone (Instagram: @jihyo.twice) compiled a chart comparing members of TWICE.
The chart is a good summary of the show, and a very valuable piece of infographic indeed!
The obvious question is of course, the age of the members. The maker stated that "Jihyo (early 97-liner) is friends with 96-liners but Mina born in the next month considers Jihyo as a more senior person". So, why are Mina and Jihyo who are born in the same year are treated differently? And it appear puzzling that Jihyo treats those born in the previous year as people of her age. It appears that this "family book confusion" has no explanation, and Jihyo is playfully named the culprit.
Let me tell you this. There is an explanation for seniority in K-pop groups and it has to be done from an East Asian perspective. Are you ready?
Seniority in South Korea is calculated based not on the Western calendar but the lunisolar calendar. The lunisolar calendar was invented to mark seasons, each lasting two weeks, to facilitate agricultural activities. That's because China and East Asia in general were agrarian societies in the past. Interestingly, the date of each season is fixed in the Western calendar. The new year in the lunisolar calendar falls on 4th of February [in the Western calendar] each year.
What about the date of Lunar New Year? For the purpose of determining a person's age, the date of Lunar New Year isn't used. The same point has been iterated by Chinese Feng Shui masters for determining Chinese zodiacs.
Now look at the chart again. Jihyo was born on 1st of February 1997 and that puts her in the same rank of seniority to those born in 1996.
Next question: How do I come up with this explanation? First off, I am a Chinese and observe the lunisolar calendar. One fact is, East Asian cultures are very similar to each other because they stem from common roots. There are many things of East Asia that do not make sense from the Western perspective, but make a lot of sense to me. While the job of K-pop news sites is to present news stories, but readers are free to judge the stories from their own cultural perspective, which may not be entirely correct. To judge a story accurately, reading commentaries and opinion pieces may help, and the actual key is to have good understanding of East Asian cultures.
Lastly, I must commend the Koreans for preserving the Confucianist values better than the Chinese.
Since year 2015 started, there has been births of several K-pop groups and artists to the point it's not possible to keep track of them. So many in such a short span of time! What's more, the rookie groups are really awesome! They have to be that good, because K-pop is becoming a saturated and competitive market.
It has also come to the point that Koreans themselves are not so interested in their own artists anymore because there's so much of them. When I asked my Korean friends about rookie groups, most of them just answered don't know but I'm in my home watching their artists on music shows almost everyday. Here comes the age that we know Korean artists better than the Koreans themselves!
And, if you assume that I know Malaysian artists because I'm Malaysian, I have to say that I look at my local Chinese artists. I have little interest in Malay artists. (Why? The answer is so obvious!!!) The fact is, entertainment in Malaysia is divided along racial lines. Not that I can't support artists of another race, it's really the issue of interest. Also, not that I'm racist.
There's a recent debut that caught my attention lately. It's this girl group by JYP Entertainment called TWICE.
TWICE is a nine membered girl group. It's a big group. The last time I've ever heard of nine member group was Girls' Generation and After School. Let's hope the members stay together forever.
photo cr: JYP Entertainment
Members of TWICE are selected through a survival show called Sixteen. Actually, I didn't follow the show but I heard there's a Taiwanese who made it to the lineup. Hence, the group got my attention.
When the group debuted, I watched the group for the Taiwanese member called Tzuyu 周子瑜. Being a member of the same ethnicity creates a bond. Otherwise, TWICE will just be another K-pop idol group for me.
A plus point is, Tzuyu is known for her visual appeal.
I look at Jihyo for her voluminous body awesome vocal presence. I look at the Japanese members Sana, Mina and Momo. Sana look like the typical sweet girl, like my lovely daughter, hahaha.
When I first listened to TWICE's debut track, I immediately feel the song was like a mash up of lyrics, and vocals wasn't the main thing. But I kept coming back for the song. Slowly, I like it. You can hear the words sung so clearly. The members danced so well, and I can tell they are well trained in all aspects of being entertainers - after all, this is what you should expect from JYP Entertainment right?
Apart from that, do you know there are Malaysian fanclubs for TWICE? Here're two Chinese (link)(link) and an English (link) ones. Here's the chance for you ONCE to contribute. They're now recruiting staff members, give it a shot, why not?
Disclaimer: This is not a paid review. I am writing this out of my own discovery, and also because I think it's cool!
I was looking for some good morning materials before work, and logged onto RadioShack Malaysia website (link). Never would I know I stumbled upon some hidden gems!
RadioShack is a chain store that caters for technology needs, where you can find cables, batteries, power banks, headphones and speakers. Apart from everyday products, DIY electronic kits are available from them to try at your own too.
If you frequent shopping centres around Klang Valley, I guess you must have seen one of RadioShack Malaysia store. There's one in Berjaya Times Square. Other locations include Sunway Pyramid, The Curve and Mid Valley. The full list of locations can be found here.
The hidden gem I've found is Sphero.
I guess most of you are new to this company! The company has been around for a few years, coupling smart technology with seamless fun.
I was up for an eye opener when I watched the videos.
Sphero 2.0
Sphero 2.0 is a smart ball that I've never thought possible. Now that I'm living in the 21st century, smart items are the in thing now! Basically it's a remote controlled ball that connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth. The ball is controlled by an app. Or you can do it the other way round: Use the ball to control an app!
Watch the video below to see how cool it is! I was fascinated with remote controlled cars earlier, this is way more interesting!
Sphero Ollie
It looks like a two wheeled car, but where's the engine? If you show this to your friend, they'd think you come from the future!
You don't see the engine from the outside. In fact, the engine is housed inside the casing. The guys at Sphero definitely knows what they're doing with marvellous craftsmanship.
The Ollie can handle any terrain.
Sphero BB-8
You're going to see BB-8 in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The robots seen in Star Wars has always lived on screen and our imaginations. Thanks to advancements in knowledge and technology, the team at Sphero has brought our imaginations to life!
The movie is going to be out on Christmas, and here's your chance to have fun with it now! I feel like I'm in the future now. It works exactly the same way as Sphero 2.0, with the addition of a magnet that holds its head.
When I wrote this, this toy is so popular that it has run out of stock at RadioShack Malaysia!
One final question: There's no charging port for the toys, so how do I charge my Spheros? All toys use inductive charging (go and nerd on physics now!). Just place the toys on a charging base, and let science do the job for you :)
That's all and thanks for reading!
Before I forget, you are not limited to controlling Sphero from your smartphone. For the more adventurous, you can program your Sphero to work in other ways, or dismantle the toy and made it into new stuff.
If you'd like to read more, Engadget has news coverage about Sphero (link). You can check out their official website at
On 12 September 2015, I had the excitement of seeing A Pink performing live right in front of my eyes! On that day, I felt young again. It was definitely an experience to remember for a lifetime. It involved a lot of sweat to seeing these lovely girls in my life, and I don't regret it.
#ApinkinMY #worlstageMY #MTVWorldStage
I shall break my post into three sections: Before, During and After World Stage.
Prior to MTV World Stage
The moment A Pink was revealed as one of the performer for MTV World Stage, I was so excited. The last time A Pink in Malaysia was on 29 September 2012, at that time I was busy with my Honours year in Australia. Knowing that getting international celebrities to my home country is very hard, I made sure I didn't miss this chance.
I followed the link to try my luck winning passes, but I had no luck in winning. Fortunately, a Pink Panda (name for fans of A Pink) offered to help winning passes on other's behalf. I put my name in, but at first I didn't trust a complete stranger to handle my personal details especially my IC number. After seeing others praising her efforts, I gave my details upon her request. She won a pair of passes for me and the rest was history.
A Pink Malaysia Community and Team Apink began doing fan projects to show full support for A Pink. I downloaded a fanchant guide to A Pink's songs and memorized them. Elsewhere on the Internet, I saw people selling MTV World Stage passes.
A day before the actual show, I went to Carly Rae Jepsen's fansign at Sunway Pyramid. She was set to perform at the show the next day, and we exchanged a few lines! She asked me about my age, and she didn't believe I'm actually 26! At last, she asked me to support her during her stage. After that, I went to Joyce Chu's appearance for a contact lens launch.
On the day of MTV World Stage
The weather was hazy due to open burning in Indonesia.
I came in the morning to Sunway Pyramid and met up with the leaders of Team Apink and A Pink Malaysia Community (ApinkMY). A fellow Panda asked if I want to join him in claiming the fan gear by ApinkMY. So we made our way to Starbucks, but ApinkMY got into problems with permission to use space around Sunway Pyramid. So, we were issued queue numbers as the makeshift solution. That still didn't help, and we were escorted in droves to a kerb outside of Sunway Hotel. There I got my fangear containing an instruction sheet, a baloon, a placard and a sticker.
I returned to the entrance of Sunway Lagoon only to sense my low blood sugar. I left my phone number with the fellow Panda and then rushed to buy food. In one go, I ate two doughnuts at Starbucks and a plate of fried rice at a vegetarian restaurant. I reserved an extra serving of fried rice just in case I got hungry at the queue.
By 2 o' clock in the afternoon, I joined other fans at the queue for Normal Pass holders. It will be hours of wait before we got to enter the venue, braving the heat of the sun and taming my upset stomach. Hours I sat on the ground, and chatting up with other fans. I was offered a drink because I helped to buy a drink :) A marshal instructed us to not bring food and drinks (not even water) into the venue, so I had to discard the rice I've bought earlier.
As the moment approaches, the hosts of the show appeared to give a few interviews and entertained us. My heart jumped when the gates were opened. After going through security check, I ran my way to the surf beach with other fans to secure my best spot for the show. People were filling up the mosh pit quickly. It would be another two hours before the actual performance starts.
The first artist of the lineup was Sekai no Owari! I knew nothing about the Japanese band, so I listened attentively to their song and got to know them. The vocalist was good! The band totally blew me away with their standard and earned my respect. A Japanese girl was spazzing loudly like nobody's business, but I can't judge because I'll be doing the same when my turn comes.
The next was... A PINKKKK!!!! At first, the opening of NoNoNo was played, and I was filled with disbelief... why so soon???? I had no time to reason, next was the members lifted onto the stage, and I had to get into action immediately. It felt like six goddesses descending upon the Earth. The moment came - I told myself in my heart that my sole purpose was to give my best to A Pink and nothing else matters, even if I acted like a fool.
My focus was looking at the members and doing my fanchant like any dedicated fan would. I had to tip toe to get a good view because many were raising their hands to take fancams with their smartphones.
Bomi started singing the first line and I threw my "Oh NO!" into the air. As the song ran, I lipsync to make sure I don't miss my part. I started chanting my lungs out, on the top of my voice.
Then came the short talk by A Pink. Their speech was inaudible due to screaming from the crowd, but I didn't mind. Next up was Mr. Chu. The main part was singing "Mr Chu" and chant "Chu!!" right after that.
Then came LUV. The loud army chant of "L-O-V-E LUV!" was so awesome!
The last song was Remember. I was gradually losing my voice from the intense chanting, but I refused to give up. I gave my best "Hana, dul, set" (Korean for one, two, three) when the part came. I knew it was important because I treated myself as part of the performance, I must made the fanchant audible in the actual broadcast as seen in Music Bank, Music Core and the likes.
Throughout the entire span of the performance, there were confetti filled ballons passed among the crowd. Sometimes they ended up on stage, and A Pink had fun with us! Eunji actually kicked the balloon like a boss during Mr. Chu (I only noticed it in retrospect).
I felt the members sounded a little different from what I usually heard. The infantile tone was heavy during live. I bet it must be on the sound system.
A Pink ended their performance and I bid my goodbye with an "annyeong". An intense feeling satisfaction came to me for seeing A Pink in real life, in close proximity. So far, I've only got to see them on screen all these while, by myself. I felt a sense of community because there were so many Pandas sharing my love for A Pink, and we did all of these together. I felt proud giving my all to A Pink.
A Pink stayed a total of 18 minutes on stage. Given their short song list, they came like a wind, and the whole experience felt like a dream.
The mosh pit was an unfavourable place to be, considering that I went for a few hours without toilet and drink. I made my way out after A Pink finished their performance, and did not return to the mosh pit during Carly Rae Jepsen and Jason Derulo's performance. I've seen my A Pink, and I felt done.
The crowd size in the photo above is 20,000, setting the record for attendance in the history of MTV World Stage Malaysia.
To relive the moment, I'd watch this fancam:
After the concert
It was a time for celebration. I browsed through social media to look for news of MTV World Stage 2015. I read fan accounts and found that some fans were doing #ShoppingwithNaeun at Sunway Pyramid (LOL!). The fans decided to give Naeun a surprise so that she and her manager didn't need to spend a penny on their shopping, and in return Naeun treated each of them a cup of ice cream - so kind of her right??? :)
There were numerous fancams, fantaken photos, press photos and news articles lying around the Internet. Pink Pandas collected them all to preserve this precious memory :)
It's now on Malaysia Day that I wrote this. I refused to wake up from this dream of mine.
I just finished MTV World Stage 2015, and it was fantastic! In my next entry, I shall compile all materials available on the Internet to preserve my precious memory of seeing my idols A Pink in real life.
I have not talked about the song Remember. When I heard of A Pink's comeback for the summer girl group rush in June - August 2015, I was wondering what song would it be. Considering that many girl groups come up with sexy or cute concepts, I really looked for more originality of ideas. I knew their piece would not leave me in disappointment because this song is written by Shinsadong Tiger.
When I listened to Remember the first time, the opening with a music box delivers the nostalgia that's meant to be. The part I felt a little weird was when the transition from Eunji to Bomi takes place. Many fans Bomi's part started with a higher key that made it feels like starting a new song. It turned out that Shinsadong Tiger has a purpose of doing that - Eunji's pre-chorus suggests us to escape to the old times, and the hard transition to Bomi's "Do you remember" pulls us back to the present reality. I was not used to the song on my first few listen, but slowly, I liked it.
They have decided to go for a mature concept at the same time, sticking to the innocent A Pink I have known so well. It is proof that the girls have grown so much during the 4 years since debut, just like what we've seen in Girls' Generation evolution of concept. I see history is being repeated here, and I'm more confident that A Cube Entertainment is able to handle growth in their own way. Oh yes, Bomi's blonde is very gorgeous, and it takes a compliment like "her hair is life" to fit.
Time has passed, and all A Pink wants us to do is to Remember the memories we had.
Chorus - start
Do you remember, the sun that shone on us
The wide and blue ocean, just like yesterday
In those memories where time has stopped
Verse
Do you remember the day we walked on the white sand together?
Even when the waves came
We didn’t come apart, yeah
(One two three) Now my smile slowly disappeared, without even knowing
(One two three) We’ve gotten so exhausted, we can’t look back or forward anymore
Let’s leave together, in the cool breeze
Let’s forget today and go back to those times Chorus
Do you remember, the sun that shone on us
The wide and blue ocean, just like yesterday
As if time has stopped, just like we always wanted
REMEMBER REMEMBER REMEMBER
Verse
Do you remember the summer night, the red sun setting
The more the darkness covered the sky
The brighter the stars shined, yeah
(One two three) We kept ignoring the sky and only stared at the ground
(One two three) We’ve gotten so exhausted, not even knowing if it’s day or night
Let’s leave together, in the cool breeze
Let’s forget today and go back to those times Chorus
Do you remember, the sun that shone on us
The wide and blue ocean, just like yesterday
As if time has stopped, just like we always wanted
REMEMBER REMEMBER REMEMBER
Bridge
You, why are you still hesitating
You, forget everything and come with me
Throw everything away in the blue ocean
Before it’s too late
Do you remember, those times in our hearts?
Moments that we can feel like it’s yesterday
Chorus
Do you remember, the sun that shone on us
The wide and blue ocean, just like yesterday
As if time has stopped, just like we always wanted
REMEMBER REMEMBER REMEMBER
I've watched this last year and looked for this again because I love A Pink!
Han Love is a Japanese show featuring Korean artists. As part of Japanese "NoNoNo" promotions, A Pink got on this show to tell us a different side of the members away from the stage! I particularly enjoyed the segment when the rest of the members had to say something about a member in question. As human beings they are, I superbly adore the quirks of each member! In the end, no matter the shortcomings of each member, it ended with a shoutout of "we love you!". That was so heartwarming to see.
So I learnt that Na Eun is an indecisive Damsel, gets upset easily and can be... weird. Eun Ji has bad habits of singing habitually (even in the night!) and reluctance to get up in the morning, a known fact that's just repeated in the show.
So far, I could only find Chinese subs for the show. Apology for that.
I had been following K-pop for 5 years now. Wow, five years! The first time I heard of Girls' Generation's Gee and Wonder Girls's Nobody, Korean was an alien language to me. I didn't understand a single word. All I knew was the catchy and repetitive Gee gee gee gee baby baby and Nobody nobody but 'chu. The rest of the song were jumbled up and random syllables.
Down the road, I made an effort to learn the basics of the language and trust me, it really paid off. I'm now able to distinguish syllables in a song, as well as getting the main idea of the song though common words found in lyrics. I'm now able to speak a few isolated words in Korean (Yay!)
At first I was into Girls' Generation. With the help of English K-pop news sites, I got to know Secret, then Girl's Day, and more idol groups.
I was in love with Girl's Day since their Hug Me Once era. The catchy tune and cute vibe drawn me and I love them more each day.
Watching live performances of Hug Me Once on music shows was even more incredible. The girls always look cute on stage!
Hug Me Once M/V
I am so in love with the Girl's Day that I started digging their previous songs. Oh, please ignore their awful debut song.
Twinkle Twinkle M/V
And releases after Hug Me Once
Don't Flirt or Don't Let Your Eyes Wander
Don't Forget Me
Starting from Expectation and Female President, Girl's Day started to get sexy which I'm not really into. Nevertheless, the songs are still good and suits them well.
Since then I did not see cute comebacks from Girl's Day. I really miss the time when Girl's Day was cute!
A few years later, I saw rookie group MINX performing Love Shake. Not only was Love Shake catchy but I was struck by its resemblance to previous work of Girl's Day. Some viewers share my sentiment that MINX reminds of Girl's Day doing cute concepts.
I looked for song credits and found out that Love Shake is composed by Nam Ki Sang - that led to my very own eureka moment! Turned out Nam Ki Sang also composed the big hits of Girl's Day Twinkle Twinkle, Hug Me Once and Don't Let Your Eyes Wander. Female President and Expectation included, all of these songs contain DNA from Nam Ki Sang. The cute songs from Mr. Nam have these in common: an overly cutesy tone and high notes suitable for decent vocalists.
Nam Ki Sang is one of my favourite composer who got me more interested in K-pop with his sugary tracks. I must thank Girl's Day for doing a good job but I mustn't forget Mr. Nam for coming up with good songs!
One last note, a composer must find the right singer for a song to be a hit. I did listen to Dal Shabet's version - strikingly, the lyrics and background vocal are identical, but I feel that Love Shake is made for Minx because they pulled it off in a much better fashion.
How are you all lately? Postgraduate life has been busy for me, hence I'm not able to update! Experiments are long, and my schedules can be crazy.
It's summer in South Korea, and I'm very excited to hear about the stream of girl group comebacks. I can feel the heat of having so many good releases by big names and rookie groups alike, and boy, all of them are good! It used to be called a comeback rush, but the actual scale of it happening is... A WAR.
I randomly watched a stage and found the song to be so catchy! It turned out to be Love Shake by a rookie group called Minx. The members looked so cute I wanna pinch them on the cheeks. The wave dance is also very cute, and it left a mark on me. I just simply can't help it!
I've also found out Love Shake was a Dal Shabet song and it took me some time to believe this is a remake. Strikingly, the lyric and background vocals are identical. Minx really did a better job on Love Shake. I have no issue with Happy Face Entertainment deciding to promote the song through Minx (otherwise the song will go unnoticed!), but I expect Minx to comeback with an original song next round. It reminds me of Girls' Day during the Twinkle Twinkle and Hug Me Once era.
I see that Minx is a promising group to come. There are three powerful vocalists whom I can hear them loud and clear. I am eagerly waiting until the next round when the girls have something to call their own. Till then, Minx fighting!
*******
Baby Don’t Let me stop!
U Luv me! Don’t stop!
Take a spoonful of heart pounding feelings
Mix it into my heart
Half fluttering, half trembling
Mix it in and sprinkle it on top, It’s OK
(It looks so Cool!)
This is so sweet
I’m already into it before I had a taste
My love is like whipping cream
I made it for you
Shake it love
Shake it Shake it
Shake it Shake it love
Will you come into my heart
And sweetly mix it up
Make your love and mine into one
Shake it love
Shake it Shake it
Shake it Shake it love
Will you come into my heart
And sweetly drink it?
My love that I prepared for you
Yeah I wanna love shake love
The sweet love
Once, twice, keep shaking, get addicted
Like this yo, hey listen boy
It’s softly melting
Rather than frozen tears
Give me an unbelievable, red kiss
It might go bad if you leave it out for too long
So hurry and take my heart
(It looks so Good!)
I can’t help it if you get a stomach-ache
Because you’re gonna look for me every day
My love is like a strawberry
I’m prepared for you
Shake it love
Shake it Shake it
Shake it Shake it love
Will you come into my heart
And sweetly mix it up
Make your love and mine into one
Shake it love
Shake it Shake it
Shake it Shake it love
Will you come into my heart
And sweetly drink it?
My love that I prepared for you
So precious, you’re so precious
It’s only only you
I love you
Shake it love
Shake it Shake it
Shake it Shake it love
Will you come into my heart
And sweetly mix it up
Make your love and mine into one
Shake it love
Shake it Shake it
Shake it Shake it love
Will you come into my heart
And sweetly drink it?
My love that I prepared for you
April 19th is an important date for Pink Pandas, because it's the day A Pink said hi to us!
I am a proud fan of A Pink! Since their debut four years ago, I've been enjoying my every moment with A Pink whether on music shows or variety shows.
Why do I love A Pink? They are pretty. They are talented bunch of people. They are cohesive. They are professional. They never disappoint me. They mean love to me. I smile whenever I see them on screen. I look forward to their stages. And the list goes on!
Most importantly, they are a group that takes care of us fans. I feel as if I'm interacting with living persons. The members do speak to us and make us feel welcome. They are genuine persons unlike some unreachable gods out there. There is no wall that separates us fans with our beloved A Pink.
What did the members do on their debut anniversary? They did volunteer work with their fans! Tears flow down my cheeks when I heard it.
On this day, fans organised volunteer work in celebration of A Pink's debut. They neither ask for the presence of A Pink, nor were they aware of A Pink actually knew of their work. Then came to surprise! A Pink members showed up to take part in the volunteer work! I must add, they got down to the ground and performed the work with their fans.
Such an act made A Pink more genuine and sincere. That was not even a media campaign. All they had was a pure and willing heart.
Why you should be a Pink Panda? You'll be proud of your celebrity on and off stage. You'll also be proud of their fans too!
Why can’t you get it?
I don’t know why I’m telling you this
You softly smile and keep pestering me
Treating me like an other girl
Man don’t do that
I don’t wanna answer those kinds of questions, no way
How many times did you ask me today?
Baby stop
What are you saying?
I can’t understand a single thing you’re saying
Your attempts make me despair every time
How about you pay attention and look?
Everyone but you can see this signal
Don’t take all day, hurry up
Come here, hurry and come here you
Ah yeah ah yeah ah yeah ah yeah ah yeah
These moments are so typical, it’s making me uncomfortable
Stop asking me those kinds of things
Do what you what, that’s what makes me comfortable
Before this moment passes
Why are you stuttering?
I don’t know what you’re saying
You pretend to be innocent, stuttering your words
Your bad habits are coming out
My head shoulders knees and toes knees and toes
I can predict 100% of it
Why do you have so many questions?
What are you, a child? What is it that you know?
I can’t understand a single thing you’re saying
You’re like a desperate dog
You still don’t understand what I’m saying?
You need to get punished, come out to the back
Don’t take all day, hurry up
Come here, hurry and come here you
Ah yeah ah yeah ah yeah ah yeah ah yeah
This way is typical
This way is uncomfortable
Stop asking me those kinds of things
Do what you what, that’s what makes me comfortable
Before this moment passes
Things you haven’t been able to tell me yet
Before you lose your chance
Tell me before I get tired
Now come by my side
These moments are so typical, it’s making me uncomfortable
Stop asking me those kinds of things
Do what you what, that’s what makes me comfortable
Before this moment passes
Thanks to Hani's viral fancam, EXID is now on my radar for bringing something new to me. I sensed EXID was up to something again when one more fancam of them went viral!
As you could see, the girls were supposed to perform their hit Up and Down but the song was without backup vocals. What would you do in this circumstance? Being the graceful singers they are, the girls carried the entire song live. I'm amazed at their intimate and precise knowledge of their song. All members fill up the parts with backup vocal live and I must be impressed by this. This is what I call, professionalism.
I really really like LE, the main rapper for her confidence in handling this! She was like "fuck this backup vocals, I'm gonna kill this!"
What's next? I'm looking forward to what EXID is in store for their comeback due some time in April. Stay tuned guys!
If you have not listened to Mr. Chu it's best to read this before you proceed!
Biorefresher 1: A Pink releases Japanese version of Mr. Chu
Back in January 2015, my favourite South Korean girl group A Pink released Japanese rendition of hit song Mr Chu. You can hear them singing kuchibiro chu. Now what does that mean? The only hint I'm giving you is: the meaning is the same in the Korean version, at the corresponding part!
Biorefresher 2: Got7 covers A Pink's Mr. Chu
Discovered this video of JYP Entertainment boy band Got7 doing a special stage of Mr. Chu! Plus they look cute performing that song.
The other day, I came across a news article of EXID's Hani asking a fancammer out for a meal. That's a news for a fan like me! What an honour wasn't it? However, the fan has declined the invitation. I'm so touched by Hani's kind heart. Hani was quoted as saying, "I'm currently thinking about how I should thank you, and I hope you take care of me in the future as well."
I came to know EXID through their music video Every Night. Although I could see glimmers of talent among members of the group, it didn't catch my interest. And then I found out their sudden rise in popularity, so I'm all wondering how did that come about!
Many would say, EXID become famous because of a fancam by Pharkil went viral and made their song "Up & Down" regained popularity. This is as good as a short answer but not the full answer to the question.
I am going to write you the full answer to the question. Ready? Go!
The original music video of "Up & Down" was released on 26 August 2014. The song didn't gain much popularity among K-pop fans. After the stipulated one month promotional period, EXID wound up activities across South Korean music shows.
In this undated video, South Korean race queen and model Ryu Ji Hye류지혜 danced to EXID's "Up & Down", scantily dressed on her own live DJ show (similar to MFace). The video footage was uploaded by a viewer. Netizens discovered Ji Hye's dancing from a fashion blog site, and almost all male readers viewed the video.
At the end of Ji Hye's dance cover, viewers were suggested Pharkil's fancam of Hani.
Now this is where miracle happened! This fancam, uploaded on 9 October 2014 was discovered from Ji Hye's sexy video. And guess what? Viewers were treated to Hani's 하니 sexy move in tight stage outfits! The song was catchy, and viewers were like why I haven't heard of this before! The fancam went viral and pushed EXID's "Up & Down" up the music charts months after release. This phenomenon is known as reverse driving, by the way.
Seeing the shoot up in popularity, the agency asked EXID to promote Up & Down once again on music shows. Idol groups normally don't get second chance like this, but they were in for real treats thsi time. On the second round, their song was rated HOT stage. EXID even won some shows, a feat they have never dared imagine before.
EXID was in really in luck! Who knew a sexy fancam attracted the interest of many and saved the group.
Watch EXID's reaction to their first music show win to know what I mean!
Hani is eternally grateful for this miracle. It was by random chance they became successful, and it turned out so well for them. EXID rose to fame from the effort of a fan is big news, but Girls' Generation/2NE1/A Pink winning music shows thanks to their large fanbase is no big news. At the end of the day, without fans, there will be no celebrities.
Some have claimed that it was because Pharkil's fancam that EXID became successful, others argued that EXID made themselves successful. Guess what? Now we're presented with a familiar problem. I call this a chicken or egg problem.
Which came first, chicken or egg? The actual answer is: both must come first. EXID worked hard and not gave up in the entertainment industry. Pharkil didn't shoot his viral fancam by chance but he has perfected his shooting over long periods of star spotting. At the right timing, both came together and created a miraculous phenomenon.
So, the moral of the story is, continue doing what you love and reward will find you one day :)
I have known RED People as a teen idol group by Namewee 黄明志 since debut. An opportunity came to meet them in person so I drove to SS2 Mall in Petaling Jaya. It was two days before the event the members posted on Instagram about it lolz.
When I arrived I saw no sign of preparation so I thought to myself, did I come to the wrong place? If I did, then paiseh lor. I made my way to Hometown Coffee to take a break, and there I bumped into Ong Kian Ming, Member of Parliament for Serdang.
When staff members came to set up the stage, I didn't think twice about buying their set of album, T-shirt and calendar because getting them signed is worth it!
RED People finally appeared on stage. Yay moment!
As part of the showcase/fan meet they played interactive games with fans. I entered the first game and got partnered with Charles Tee @ Dato Sai.
The first game was getting blindfolded and feeding the celebrity Mandarin oranges. At first I was reluctant to do the dirty job of feeding Dato Sai hahahaha! I should be fed instead.
Dato Sai assured me he is an easy guy to work with so I just did as instructed. When the time started I just opened the oranges like crazy! I didn't care about the mess I was about the create.
MC Crystal announced that I won the game! I went up stage to have an opportunity of interacting with my stars and never thought about winning. That was a big bonus because I came! Totally didn't regret playing the game.
My area was filled with orange juice after I finished
Big thanks to my partner Charles Tee who helped me won the game.
The privilege of the first winner was posing with all RED People on stage!
RED People had more games with fans and performances of tracks from their RED RED Year 红红年 album. And yeah, the video for the tracks has yet to be released on Youtube so we were among the first to heard of their title track "七洞强”.
The time has come for fan sign!! I got two of my posters (one bought, one won) signed by the members and of course, must take picture lah!
This is Charles Tee @ Dato Sai!
Hello Joyce Chu 四葉草 @thecloverjoys ! She's so beautiful and popular. She's the tallest member of the group standing at 168 cm this is how tall A Pink's Son Na Eun/Oh Ha Young is
Hello Stella Chenstellavella, every guys' goddess :)
Yours truly has an attention for detail so I checked the number of signatures obtained. I realised two of the members weren't at the event!
I never thought I'd be so lucky that day but my fun didn't end there because the next day is my test drive with Jane Chuck.
Happy New Year guys! It's year 2015 today. Year 2014 has been a year of growth for me. I really really thank you all of you, be it friends, colleagues and anyone I've met at random for all the opportunities you presented, all your guidance and all the moments you've shared with me. You have made me grown to where I am today. I am so glad to be able to do so many things this year! You guys rocks.
I must also thank A Pink my favourite K-pop girl group for the year! Thank you for Mr. Chu and LUV. All of you make me proud as a Pink Panda; I remember A Pink won the most music show as a group last year with two comebacks! And, the girls won't reach success without the support of Pandas and once again I extend my appreciation to each and every one of you. We love A Pink and we are a family together even though I don't get to interact with all of you. Thanks A Pink Malaysia Community for being so efficient at bringing the latest news of the girls to me.
Watching A Pink's Showtime is the best thing about being a fan because I get to know the members of A Pink more. Some moments made me touched, some made me laugh, some scared me to bits. In spirit, A Pink's Showtime is the Season 4 of A Pink News.
Have you noticed the see through dress? The members are growing and yes, as a fan I'm experiencing growth too. The cutiepies are now sweet, matured women. And maknaeOh Ha Young is coming of age. It's time for A Pink to showcase their sexy side; if there'll be sexy comeback I'll gladly welcome it, all I ask is sexy be done in A Pink's way.
The empty pages of 2015 are ahead of us. I wish you readers have a lot of growth!
Cutie pie Joyce Chu Zhu Ai released her third digital single in early December. The single, entitled Like Me, describes the digital lives of the current young generation - phubbing on one's phone and frequenting essential online serivces Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp to name a few. Over time, these services become popular and their names adopted as verbs.
Not only that, Like Me also mentions about the elation of getting responses for one's social post and interactions on the net.
In response to Joyce's single, a fellow netizen from Penang released Chiak Ha Mi (Eat What?) sung in Penang Hokkien, a dialect of Chinese. Set on a theme of Penang food, he parodied Like Me with perfect rhyming lyrics. Elements parodied includes waking up from the bed, brushing teeth and riding a bicycle.
Netizens praised the parody for its creativity. Joyce Chu watched the video and commented, "Hahaha I'm laughing my ass off!"
Since the video only contained original lyric in its description I shall provide the English translation here.
Translation of the parody:
I wake up early only to grope on my cold bed
I'm only brushing my teeth once in three years
I wake up early only to find that I've forgotten to charge the battery of my phone
What should I do today?
What should I eat today? McD or KFC?
I dream of going to Japan to have sushi
What am I looking at? I can't bear to look at the prices in the menu
I don't have cash, so I can only eat up myself
*1
Hokkien noodles, curry noodles, wan tan noodles
Rice vermicilli noodles, spagetti, tom yam noodles
I don't care it's lo mee or Javanese mee
Add more ingredients, add spiciness, add size and take them away
*2
Eating bread, drinking coffee, take a selfie
They're not cheap and tasteless, so dissapointing!
I don't care [the restaurants] are air conditioned or not, hotel or street hawkers
It's better to eat Maggie mee at home
Like this happy
I want to go out but my butt sticks on the chair
But staying at home there are only expired milk in the refrigerator left
Why I have to take a cab even when I'm penniless?
Today I'm so angry!
Looking at Facebook there are lots of cute girls
Whenever I ask them out they regenade
I gave them a call but they ask me to go f*** myself
I give up so I call for delivery at home
*1
*2
*1
*2
Lo Mee, curry noodles, la mee, Hokkien noodles
Maggie Mee lah
Delivery.....
Model and actress Clara Lee posed for GUESS lingerie #underwear for Nylon magazine.
The photos were originally posted around October (Allkpop, Koreaboo), featured again in December 2014. In the photos, you can see Clara showing off her curvaceous figure with a dreamy gaze. With the aid of sunlight passing through the blinds, Clara delivered a pure and subtly sexy look.
Anyone can say she has a sexy body. Tell me, what else do you see?
That's all for Clara's lingerie shoot. If you want to view more, you have to purchase the November 2014 issue of Nylon Magazine.
[UPDATE] I've discovered additional photos from AppleDaily and can't wait to share them with you for your viewing pleasure.
If you're curious about her cup size, it's a big D.
