CUBE and I

Cube Entertainment, or in short, CUBE, is without a doubt my favourite South Korean entertainment agency. It's not just because the first ever K-pop group that I like so much comes from that agency. As much as that influences my favouritism, it's not enough to keep me loyal to the agency. So, apart from BEAST being the reason I'm a K-pop fangirl and CUBE is the agency that manages BEAST, I'm also impressed by the other talents in CUBE. 4Minute, CUBE's first girl group, portrays a bold yet feminine girl power image. G.NA (a.k.a Gina) is such a friendly and talented solo singer. More recently, BTOB (Born TO Beat) managed to capture my attention as a boy group that doesn't only sing well (very well, in fact) but dances well, plays musical instruments, and consists of members who are funny and down-to-earth. I really believe that CUBE is a company that doesn't only pay great attention to its artists' career development but also provides family-like environment. Of course, that would depend on the members' personalities and compatibility, you would say. Yes, that's true. So, I'm marveled at how closely tight the relationship between CUBE members are, especially those in the same group. As the matter of fact, in a poll among K-pop artists this year, BEAST was chosen as the group with the best teamwork. Even BEAST members acknowledged that to a point that they pointed out that they are in fact "too close".  Despite having talented artists (and trainees), CUBE doesn't flaunt too much of what it has got, at least not out front or in an obvious way.  CUBE does it silently and steadily.  So, there's humility in the agency.

But let me tell you this - being a fangirl (or fanboy) is tough. I'm referring to being a devoted or truly supportive fan. It doesn't only drain you financially but emotionally, mentally, and physically too. Financially as in having to spend (or how I like to call as "invest") a wholesome amount of money on albums, merchandises, tickets, donations, etc. Emotionally as in having to feel the exhaustion that the artists go through every day for the sake of showing their best, as well as the emotional challenges that some low-lifers or haters enjoy giving you. Mentally as in having to withstand the psychological games that come along due to (initially healthy) competition with other artists or fandoms. Physically as in having to suffer the night and day right after a concert or airport stanning or hotel stanning or lining up to buy tickets, etc. All of these are common sceneries in a fan's life. What's more is that fans aren't paid to do all that they do for their artists. In fact, fans are the ones that spend their money, time, and energy for the sake of showing their support and love. So, take the time to acknowledge and respect the fangirls and fanboys around you because they've gone through so much and it shall continue. ^^

I often think of how nice it would be if I could work at CUBE someday. I could work in the finance and administration department since that's my major in university. If not, I could be one of CUBE managers since I think I can flexibly adapt to the artist(s)' schedules and routines. Hey, who knows? :D

Apart from my growing fondness towards the talents in CUBE, I'm also flattered by the luck I've been receiving with regards to CUBE, directly or indirectly. Let me tell you about some CUBE-artists-related contests that I've won in the past and happenings that occurred recently. Last year in July, I won tickets to two of BEAST events in Malaysia - BEAST Asia Fanmeet in Kuala Lumpur, and MTV World Stage 2011. I blogged about these two winnings before, so you can read it here.

This year, I've been quite lucky with BEAST's junior group, BTOB, contests.
First, it was the contest by ONE TV Asia, whereby winners would get signed picture along with either BTOB's 1st mini album or official merchandises.  What contestants were required to do was to answer two questions based on footages of BTOB in Jakarta for the launching of ONE TV in Indonesia.  FYI, ONE TV Asia is an SBS (Seoul Broadcasting System)-linked channel for Asian countries besides South Korea.  I was fortunate to have won BTOB signed picture, official sticker card set, and Lee Chang Seob (BTOB's member) official clear file.

I was delighted to receive these all the way from ONE TV HQ in Singapore.

The second BTOB contest that I joined was by 8TV Nite Live.  For this contest, participants needed to complete the slogan "BTOB's music is irresistible because..... (in less than 50 words)".  So, I put on my creative cap to come up with a sentence that I aimed to be straight-forward and intelligent-sounding.  I don't remember my complete sentence but it was something about BTOB being capable of making our hearts beat fast through their upbeat songs and also moving us emotionally through their ballad songs.  So, that was the point that I put forward.  Just the point, not the actual sentence, okay.  About a week after the contest' closing date, I received a message, telling me that I was one of the winners!  I won BTOB's 'Born to Beat' Asia Special Edition album (which I've already bought before, actually) and a poster.

Here's the good news that I received!

Isn't the poster lovely?  The CD+DVD too.

Another occurrence was not a contest.  I preordered BEAST's 5th mini album 'Midnight Sun'.  In every album, there is a random photocard of a member.  We wouldn't know whose photocard we would get until we unbox the album and look for the photocard inside.  Even though I love all of the members in BEAST, I have my bias, a member I especially adore.  A lot of BEAST's fans do, and it's not just the group BEAST, of course.  So, I received my 'Midnight Sun' a few days ago through mail.  I was very excited but also nervous since I don't know whose photocard I was going to get (not that it's a really big deal).  I had two albums with me because I preordered another one for my sister's friend.  I picked up one of the albums without thinking much.  After unboxing the album, I opened it up to see the photocard inside.  At first, I thought I was trolled by CUBE since I couldn't see any photocard in between the attached photobook and CD.  I then flipped through the pages of the photobook and something fell down from between the pages.  Guess whose photocard I got?  JANG HYUN SEUNG!!  And yes, he's my bias in BEAST.  It was such a happy moment for me.  There was a one sixth chance that I would get my bias' photocard and I got it!  That wasn't all.  It turned out that the photocard wasn't the only thing I got.  I also got a Cashbee card with BEAST as the illustration image.  A Cashbee card is a prepaid card used for transportation, shopping, movie, and eating in selected shops in South Korea.  Discounts can also be obtained for some items or activities.  So, it's very useful and quite valuable.  BEAST is the current ambassador of Cashbee.  Only some 'Midnight Sun' albums contain Cashbee card, so I was lucky to get one of them.

How Cashbee card works:

The album and the cards inside it

Cashbee card

I hope my lucky streak doesn't end anytime soon.  Plus, it's not just about luck, you see.  The contests that I usually choose to join are the ones that involve some thinking as well as persuasive strategies.  I want to earn the prizes.