I'm a Fan of BOTH J-pop and K-pop

my very first encounter with the Asian pop scene was after i completed watching 'Hana Yori Dango Final - The Movie' a few years ago, starring Matsumoto Jun and Inoue Mao, together with co-stars Oguri Shun, Matsuda Shota, and Abe Tsuyoshi.  you know how every drama or movie has a theme song, right?  sometimes, there are two theme songs; one is the opening song, and the other is the closing song.  FYI, i was more of a drama addict rather than a fangirl of idol groups at first.  ^^v  'Wish' is the theme song for 'Hana Yori Dango (Season 1)', whereas 'Love So Sweet' is the theme song for 'Hana Yori Dango (Season 2)', and the theme song for 'Hana Yori Dango Final - The Movie' is 'One Love'.  all of those three songs are sung by none other than the group Arashi.

as mentioned earlier, i started to become interested in Asian pop - in this particular case, J-pop - since the final installment of 'Hana Yori Dango'.  in the credits when the movie ended, i saw "One Love - Arashi", well, something like that, i don't really remember the exact phrase or words arrangement.  not long after that, i looked up on YouTube and found the PV for 'One Love'.  [note: in J-pop, PV stands for promotional video, which is a term used to refer to a music video (MV).]  i could recognise MatsuJun right away since he played the main character in Hana Yori Dango.  in the PV, the five of them are wearing white outfits and the setting has a dreamy flower garden thingy going on.  i would show you the PV here but it has been removed from online video-streaming sites that i know of.  speaking of removed videos, it's now super hard to find J-pop PVs or official recordings.  i suppose it's due to the policy or regulations made by the Japanese entertainment industry.  illegal airing and uploading of official J-pop videos are not tolerated.  it might be one of their ways to curb piracy and plagiarism.  so, it's really hard to find PVs of J-pop artistes on any free online video-streaming sites these days.  as sad as it is for international fans, i understand why they do that.  so, if you happen to come across a PV or music show recording that is recently uploaded by someone, watch it right away before it gets removed.  okay, back to Arashi!  from the day i watched the PV, i searched for more information about the group.  instantly, i became a fan!  since Arashi is under Johnny's Entertainment, i also came to know other talents from that agency.  KAT-TUN, NEWS, Ya-ya-yah [this group no longer exists.  it was my favourite Johnny's Junior group.  i miss Yamashita Shoon!  :( ], Kanjani 8, Hey! Say! Jump!, Mis-Snow-Man, and ABC-Z were some of the groups that i had been checking out.  i know that some of the names may sound tacky but the members are talented, alright.  it's the management in their agency who came up with such names.

here are a few Arashi videos that i manage to find (while i'm typing for this blog's post).  watch them before they're deleted!

PV for 'Love So Sweet':


PV for 'Monster':


'Subarashiki Sekai' performance at their concert:


'Be With You' performance at their concert:


'Hatenai Sora' performance in a variety show:


one regular Arashi-hunting day, i casually searched for Arashi-related videos online.  i wanted to see if there was any video that featured their song 'Blue'.  it's a catchy and melodious song that i like very much.  one of the suggested videos was this [thank God this video is still available!]:



i couldn't recognise the guys in this performance video.  what i knew was, they were singing Arashi's song.  gosh, they looked charming!  *easily blinded by eye-candies*  i read comments below the video and figured out that the group is called 'B2ST' (pronounced as "beast") and they're South Korean singers.

some time after that, there was a commercial on MTV Asia, promoting a pre-debut documentary of a K-pop group.  i didn't give much attention to it because i was not interested in K-pop, really.  however, i checked it out just out of curiosity.  the MTV commercial mentioned that the group's name was B2ST.  yes, the same B2ST who sang Arashi's song in the video i unintentionally watched before.  being oblivious (but i didn't mean to), i wasn't aware of that, not even when i started to watch the documentary on MTV.  told you i wasn't a fan of K-pop.  even when i wasn't into K-pop, i still took the time to watch how the K-pop group members dreamed high and worked hard towards their dreams.  without realising it, i was attracted to the group.  i bet my fangirlish conscience was like "girl...you're falling for them but you don't even know it yet."  yeah..whatever~  after watching several episodes of the documentary, it suddenly crossed my mind that i might have seen the group somewhere before.  my memory told me that the South Korean group was the one singing my precious Arashi's 'Blue' some time ago.  i believed what my memory told me and searched for the same video once again.  bingo!  it was the same B2ST.  somehow it felt like destiny.....i was very much into Arashi (still am), and B2ST sang their song, which video i happened to bump into.  in that performance video, there were five members of B2ST but the group actually consists of six members.  the maknae, Son Dong Woon, wasn't part of the group yet at that time.  "B2ST" means "Boys-to-search-for-the-top", which portrays the desire to be on the journey to become the best.  later, the name officially became "BEAST", which means "Boys of the East Standing Tall".  the inspiration to come up with the name "BEAST" came from an American choreographer (or is it a songwriter??  or what??  IDK.), who commented "that's so beast!" - a phrase that's equivalent to "that's amazing!" - when he was at CUBE Entertainment.

one afternoon in 2010, i was having my lunch break and ended up at a Speedy outlet [Speedy is one of the stores that sell CDs, DVDs, and VCDs.].  my visit to that store came from my habit of frequently checking out if there was any newly released drama DVD that i hadn't bought.  my DVD-buying impulse is under control now, though.  as i scanned through the CDs on the "Featured Section" in the store, one album caught my eyes.  it was 'Shock of the New Era - Asian Version', the second mini album by BEAST.  attached to the CD, were a t-shirt and a showcase ticket.  as if being hypnotised, i bought the CD without thinking twice.  that rarely happened, considering that i wasn't officially a fan of the group and my commitment was solely towards Arashi.  furthermore, the CD costed RM100++!  call me crazy~  i really am.  later, i realised that the CD costed that much because of the ticket that came along with it (might be the t-shirt too).  it was a ticket to BEAST's showcase in KL.  i couldn't be bothered by that ticket at that time, so i just put it aside and listened to the tracks in the CD.  oh yeah, i enjoyed the songs in the CD~  i then proclaimed myself as a fan of BEAST, the first ever K-pop group that i truly like.

it's funny, isn't it?
i started out as an Asian-drama-lover.  ---  a J-drama introduced me to a J-pop group.  ---  the J-pop group led me to a K-pop group.
it's a wonderful (though expensive) fandom-filled life that i'm living.  they make me happy.  :)

Meet...the Fangirl

according to urbandictionary.com, a fangirl/ fanboy is defined as "a person who has a compulsive dedication to a video game series, anime series, and/ or music artist".  here, i would like to introduce to you, a fangirl that i happen to be close with.  ^^  i paid her a visit recently and snapped some photos of her possessions that give clear hints that she's such a fan.  i'm kind of a fangirl too, just so you know.


let the photos tell the story:

OMG..brilliant choice of K-pop group!  ;)  i love this group too!  is this fate~?? xD

she carries this picture in her clear file whenever she attends her classes.   yes, she's still a student.

this is another picture in another clear file.  same group..

a handfan ordered from hyun-seung.com, a South Korean fanclub for one of BEAST's members.

 

Yong Jun Hyung and Jang Hyun Seung~

BEAST (Korean pop) and Arashi (Japanese pop) button badges 

even her wallet has 'B2ST (BEAST)' on it! 

 before you enter her room, you'll be greeted by this 'Welcome to B2ST Airline' poster.

i guess this is kind of like a warning sign for non-fans or those sitting on fences.  like "enter at your own risk".  no biggy, though!

as you enter the room and close the door, there's another poster!

the poster has BEAST on it whereas the 2 little pictures on the right have Arashi on them. 

she's a fan of the CUBE family too!  no wonder we're such good friends!  like..seriously~ 

what a motivating study area! 

Arashi section~ (LOL...section?) 

ow...tok nya beli masa DiGi Live K-pop Party in KL Januari lepas.  aku pun ada tok. 

AMNOS section~

(AMNOS ya akronim surname sidak members dalam Arashi - Aiba-Matsumoto-Ninomiya-Ohno-Sakurai.  harap maklum.) 

members of Arashi.
BTW, 'arashi' literally means 'storm' in Japanese language.  ya la dalam sigek lagu sidak tok ada line "rollin' rollin' goin' rollin'.. we make storm!".  lagu 'Attack It!'.

her drama and movie DVDs/ VCDs collection...mostly Asian dramas or movies.

another box containing DVDs/ VCDs~ 

this box (bigger than the ones shown before) contains CDs/ DVDs/ VCDs of the artistes she supports.  some are actually imported items from Japan and South Korea, and others are Malaysian or Asian version of the albums.

she's also a huge fan of a British pop group, Westlife.  she has been a fan since she was 12, if i'm not mistaken.

okay okay.....so that 'fangirl friend' of mine is really me.  i knew it would be tough to fool some of my friends or family members/ relatives who already know my fandoms. :)  just wanted to fool around a little.  no harm done, right?  ^^v 


more pictures can be found at my So BEAST~~~! and "rollin' rollin' goin' rollin' we make storm.." photo albums on Facebook.

to whom it concerns, i still keep this UniFruit button badge too! ^^

Arashi's Fans Overwhelm CDJapan Site Again and Again!

copied & pasted from an e-mail message sent by CDJapan. some parts are enlarged & put in bold for emphasis reason.

for some reason, feel proud as an Arashi's fan. :')

-----

Hello!

I'm sending you this email because you are subscribed to Arashi New
Release Mail.

Yesterday, we sent you an email about "Dear Snow" the new single from
Arashi, and I would like to let you know how we processed the
information this time.

Normally, we would open preorders for new releases right away, as soon
as we receive details.

We would inform people about it on our website and then by New Release
Mail.

However, with the past few Arashi releases, CDJapan website always
went down temporarily, because our server was overwhelmed each time as
so many people worldwide as well as in Japan rushed over to CDJapan
and our Japanese website in order to preorder the Limited Edition.

Upgrading the server could not meaningfully improve the situation,
because it was just too overwhelming.

Most people were kind enough to understand the situation, but it was
nevertheless a very inconvenient situation for everyone involved.

In order to effectively prevent our website from going down, we needed
to think of priorities in how we are to inform people about the new
Arashi release.

So, what we did yesterday was to send the New Release Mail before we
informed people about the release in any other way, including our
website.

Our decision is based on our wish and desire to recognize and treat
customers who are subscribed first.

I know that this might not seem fair for people who are not
subscribed, but the purpose was to make our website withstand the
preorder so that at least people are not inconvenienced by our website
going down.

Also, you might have experienced confusion when you visited the page
from the link we included in the New Release Mail yesterday, as there
was no way to get to the page other than from that link.

By the way, there are greater number of people subscribed than the
number of the Limited Edition that the record company is able to provide.

So, you may continue to have the same difficulties trying to preorder
Limited Editions from Arashi, but I hope that you will find the
situation somewhat better from now on.

Please note that Arashi is the only artist that we would handle this way.

Also, the regular edition is still available.

Sincerely,

http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/

-----

助けて!!

i need to make a decision.

i PO-ed Arashi's Scene t-shirt a few weeks ago. PO stands for pre-order, FYI. i made the payment, so, now just waiting for it to arrive in September. since it's an online-shopping, it is pretty convenient to make an order. oh, i'm buying from this LJ seller. check her out. she's great; efficient, friendly, & reliable. her base is in Singapore but she has a place in Johor too, i think. anyway, back to the point of this post, i just browsed through the preview pictures of the official goods. O...M...God..~ the goods are all so tempting! of course, if i had all the money in the world, i would buy all of them. at least one set for each good.

so i narrowed my options to two goods. one of them shall be the add-on item i will (most likely) buy. the two goods are MINI UCHIWA (GROUP) and CLEARFILE (GROUP).

since i couldn't decide right away, i listed down the pros and cons of buying each of them.

hm...decision..decision..

Update on My K no Arashi's Postcard(s) Project

so, i've reprinted my postcards after making a few changes to them. i needed to edit some parts, like the spacing & size, so that the postcards would be accepted by the post office near my place.

if you've forgotten or haven't checked out on the fans project, do so by reading this livejournal link. *click on the hyperlink*

and the postcards have been stamped and put inside the postbox at the post office nearby. now, i just hope that they'll arrive at their respective destinations safely.

Typed, Printed, Not Yet Delivered

i'm now done with the postcards i'm going to send for Arashi's 11th anniversary. it's K No Arashi international fans project.

i still haven't figured out how many days or weeks it will take for the postcards to reach Tokyo if i post them through regular international mailbox. maybe i'll give it a month time frame.

so, here they are. one is addressed to Johnny's Family Club, and the other one is to Aiba's radio corner.

now i shall post them with love...

Yes, To Be Free!

the official release of Arashi's 31st single, To Be Free, is on July 7th but the full PV is already uploaded.

i watched it and i loved it! it's simple but sweet. nice.

you can watch it here on YT, if it's still available.

and the song itself is great too. it's a mid-tempo pop song with a soothing melody. the meaning in the lyrics is just motivating.

lyrics:

流れる 雲 に 憧れた 僕ら

nagareru kumo ni akogareta bokura
遮る もの など 何 一つ ない

saegiru mono nado nani hitotsu nai
記憶 の 中 に 刻んだ 空 の 色 は

kioku no naka ni kizanda sora no iro wa
あの 日 の よう に, 変わらぬ よう に

ano hi no you ni, kawaranu you ni
(どこ へ 行こう か. まだ 見ぬ 場所 へ)

(doko he yukou ka? mada minu basho he)
時 は 止まらない, 手 を 伸ば して

toki wa tomaranai, te wo noba shite

渇いた まま 僕ら は 駈け出したんだ

kawaita mama bokura wa kakedashitanda
ごまかせない 心 に 気付いた から

gomakasenai kokoro ni kidzuita kara
何 も 飾らず, その まま で

nani mo kazarazu, sono mama de
風 に 吹かれ 行く だけ さ to be free

kaze ni fukare iku dake sa to be free

日差し の 中 で 笑い合った 僕ら

hizashi no naka de waraiatta bokura
無邪気 な 声 が 今 も 響いてる

mujaki na koe ga ima mo hibiiteru
溢れる ほど の 想い は 明日 に 向かい

afureru hodo no omoi wa asu ni mukai
輝く よう に, 変わらぬ よう に

kagayaku you ni, kawaranu you ni
(一人 じゃ ない さ, 涙 拭えば)

(hitori janai sa, namida nugueba)
大切 な もの に 気付く の だろう

taisetsu na mono ni kidzuku no darou

透き通った まま 僕ら は 夢 描いたんだ

sukitootta mama bokura wa yume egaitanda
諦めない 太陽 より 煌めく から

akiramenai taiyou yori kirameku kara
流した 汗 も その まま で

nagashita ase mo sono mama de
光 求め 行く だけ さ to be free

hikari motome iku dake sa to be free

振り返る 事 も 出来ず に

furikaeru koto mo dekizu ni
走り抜けて きた 僕ら

hashirinukete kita bokura
上り 下り 繰り返した yeah

nobori kudari kurikaeshita yeah
それ は 時 に 甘く ほろ苦い

sore wa toki ni amaku horonigai

渇いた まま 僕ら は 駈け出したんだ

kawaita mama bokura wa kakedashitanda
ごまかせない 心 に 気付いたから

gomakasenai kokoro ni kidzuita kara
何 も 飾らず, その まま で (to be free)
nani mo kazarazu, sono mama de (to be free)

透き通った まま 僕ら は 夢 描いたんだ

sukitootta mama bokura wa yume egaitanda
諦めない 太陽 より 煌めく から

akiramenai taiyou yori kirameku kara
流した 汗 も その まま で
nagashita ase mo sono mama de

渇いたまま僕ら駈け出したんだ
kawaita mama bokura wa kakedashitanda

ごまかせない心に気付いたから
gomakasenai kokoro ni kidzuita kara

何 も 飾らず、そのまま
nani mo kazarazu, sono mama de

風 に 吹かれ 行く だけ さ to be free
kaze ni fukare iku dake sa to be free

To be free
To be free

.........................................

translation:

we admired the flowing clouds
nothing at all obstructing them
the colors of the sky we engraved in our memories
are like that day and we hope it won't change
(where should we go? to a place we haven't seen yet)
time won't stop, reach out your hand

we started running even though we were thirsty
because we realized we wouldn't let our hearts be deceived
without enhancing anything, just as we are
simply going where the wind takes us to be free

we laughed together in the sunlight
our innocent voices are resounding even now
an overflowing amount of wishes that face tomorrow
hoping they will shine, hoping they won't change
(you're not alone, so wipe your tears)
i think you'll realize what's important

we painted dreams even though we'd become transparent
because we'll shine brighter than the unfaltering sun
even leaving our sweat as it is
simply searching for the light to be free

unable to look over our shoulders
we ran through to the end
repeatedly going up and down yeah
those times were sometimes sweet, sometimes bittersweet

we started running even though we were thirsty
because we realized we wouldn't let our hearts be deceived
without enhancing anything, just as we are to be free

we painted dreams even though we'd become transparent
because we'll shine brighter than the unfaltering sun
even leaving our sweat as it is

we started running even though we were thirsty
because we realized we wouldn't let our hearts be deceived
without enhancing anything, just as we are
simply going where the wind takes us to be free

to be free
to be free

★★★★★

K の 嵐 2010 (International Fans Project)

click on the image for the whole view.

so, above is the logo for this project. there are a few options and we can even come up with our own, but i think i'll go with this one. nice, isn't it? so, please spread this news!

more details about this project can be found in this LJ post. just read through, prepare your postcard(s), include the introductory context given, also include the logo, then send it to one of the provided addresses.

the postcard should reach Tokyo in the week of 12-18 of September 2010. the exact date for Arashi's debut anniversary is 15th of September, by the way. 2010 is their 11th year! \(^o^)/

so, i've made the draft of what i'm going to write on my postcard. it's in Japanese writing, so i'll include the English translation so that readers who can't read Japanese kanji and kana can understand. the translation is exclusive for this post only. :)

####################

K (国際 ファン の プロジェクト) の 嵐:

もし 私たち が ハガキ を 送ったら, 嵐 は 世界 中 に ファン が いる こと に 気づ いてくれる でしょう か.

心 に しあわせ が ある 限り, 素晴らしい でしょう. それ で, 嵐 の ファン は 最高 です から. ね~? だから, K の 嵐 SUCCESS!

"五人 で いる. ずっと いる." それら の 言葉 を 本当 に 信じる. ありがとう ね. 全 世界 は 嵐 が 大好き です. Johnnyさん と マネージャーさん と スタッフ の 皆さん もう, お疲れさま です. 本当 に ありがとう! 行こう 行こう 皆!

####################

translation:

K no Arashi (International Fans Project):

will Arashi notice that they have fans all over the world if we send them postcards? [--- this is the introductory context that needs to be included by everyone for this project.]

[then, a prediction on the result of this experiment (project) should be written too. ---] as long as there's happiness in your heart, then it's great. plus, Arashi's fans are the best. aren't they? therefore, K no Arashi is a SUCCESS!

"there are five of us. always will be." i believe in those words. thank you. the whole world loves Arashi. Johnny-san, the manager, and the staff have been working hard too. thank you, really! go go everyone!

..........................................................................

the recipient's address:
Johnny's Family Club (ARASHI - Member Name)
Miyamasu Tower B1F
1-10-10 Shibuya
Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-8550

I Fell in Love...

..with Kazunari's hair.

seriously! but then, honestly, he looks good in almost any type of hairstyles. i really think so. and his latest hairstyle just nails it! i still can't get over it even after about a week knowing it.

he looks heavenly. daisuki!

his hair was trimmed ('cos it looks shorter than the time when they shot Monster PV), loosely curled (yes, a little bit like Jun in his Domyouji's days but not that curly), and has dark brown highlights (i really love the highlights!). his hairstyle this time is different than the ones people would expect from him. different in a good way. :)

now he's not only cute and bratty, but also extra 'smexy'! *wink wink*

i love you, Kazu...

you're alright. ;)

♥♥ 嵐 Therapy ♥♥

i finally charged my Windows Mobile that had been battery-flat for days (or weeks, i think). i used to insert a phone SIM card in it, but later i just use it to listen to songs or occasionally watch videos that are stored in it. and i enjoy listening to the songs, mostly Japanese..wait, all Japanese :D, to help me chill and be happy. and more than 90% are Arashi's songs. i can listen to them the whole day! but of course, i can't exactly do that 'cos the battery will be back to 0% after using it non-stop for hours.

jya...i just want to say that it feels nice to have the chance to undergo what i call "嵐 therapy". apart from listening to their songs, i also watch their uplifting, funny videos and have good looks at their gorgeous pictures. but the best is when i browse through their pictures that i have while listening to their songs using the earphone. sono kimochi ga daisuki desu! ^^ all thanks to DVDs, laptops, photobooks...and so on. hontou ni arigatou!

"ROLLIN' ROLLIN' GOIN' ROLLIN'! WE MAKE STORM!"

(from the song "Attack It!")

so, dear storm, please be around longer. when you said "gonin de iru, zutto iru.", i believed you. still do. ra-bu~ ;)

Kazunari's

June 17th, 2010 was Ninomiya Kazunari's 27th birthday!

he loves playing games (currently is obsessed with his Nintendo DS console), loves eating hamburger, loves money, and loves pulling pranks on his friends.

oh..and he's super cute!

My Love for Arashi Is Well-Accepted by My Family ;)

yatta!!

ne~~ in today's newspaper, Arashi appeared (again) in the Asian Celebrities section. that's the only section i look forward to whenever daddy brings home the newspaper. and the headline was about Arashi breaking double DVD sales records. yay! they've reached the highest ever DVD sales, for music concert DVD, and drama DVD. as some of you might have already known, the music concert DVD is for their 5x10 Anniversary Concert Tour. (guess what? i'm one of those who contributed to the sales. ;p) the drama DVD is for their Saigo no Yakusoku drama SP. remember? the drama SP is about a building being hijacked, and the 5 of them happen to be in that building. i didn't buy the drama DVD but i watched it first hand through Keyhole TV when it first premiered in Japan. i loved it! there were no translations or subtitles but i understood the whole story. :D

the front cover of 5x10 Concert DVD

the front cover of Saigo no Yakusoku DVD

my dad was the one who read the newspaper in a bank, and he told me about it. then, he bought the same newspaper. :) *sigh delightfully* yup! it's not a secret that i'm a devotee of Arashi. my family absolutely knew it already. and they've come to like Arashi more and more too! so desu yo! uwa~ sugoi ne~

♪♫ Kaze ni fukare iku dake sa ♪♫

Title: To Be Free

Artist: Arashi [Priscilla's favourite ;)]

ROMAJI LYRICS:

Nagareru kumo ni akogareta bokura
Saegiru mono nado nani hitotsu nai
Kioku no naka ni kizanda sora no iro wa
Ano hi no you ni, kawaranu you ni
(Doko e yukou ka? Mada minu basho he)
Toki wa tomaranai

Te wo nobashite

**
Kawaita mama bokura wa kakedashitanda
Gomakasenai kokoro ni kidzuita kara
Nani mo kazarazu sono mama de
Kaze ni fukare iku dake sa　

To be free

Hizashi no naka de waraiatta bokura
Mujaki na koe ga ima mo hibiiteru
Afureru hodo no omoi wa asu ni mukai
Kagayaku you ni kawaranu you ni
(Hitori janai sa, namida nugueba)
Taisetsu na mono ni kidzuku no darou

**
Sukitootta mama bokura wa yume egaitanda
Akiramenai taiyou yori kirameku kara
Nagashita ase mo sono mama de
Hikari motome iku dake sa　

To be free

Furikaeru koto mo dekizu ni
Hashirinukete kita bokura
Nobori kudari kurikaeshita (Yeah)
Sore wa toki ni amaku horonigai

**
Kawaita mama bokura wa kakedashitanda
Gomakasenai kokoro ni kidzuita kara
Nani mo kazarazu sono mama de　

(To be free)
Sukitootta mama bokura wa yume egaitanda
Akiramenai taiyou yori kirameku kara
Nagashita ase mo sono mama de

**
Kawaita mama bokura wa kakedashitanda
Gomakasenai kokoro ni kidzuita kara
Nani mo kazarazu sono mama de
Kaze ni fukare iku dake sa　

To be free

To be free
To be free

-----------------------------------------------------------------

ENGLISH TRANSLATION:

We admired the flowing clouds
Nothing at all obstructing them
The colors of the sky we engraved in our memories
Are like that day and we hope it won't change
(Where should we go? To a place we haven't seen yet)
Time won't stop　

Reach out your hand

**
We started running even though we were thirsty
Because we realized we wouldn't let our hearts be deceived
Without enhancing anything just as we are
Simply going where the wind takes us

To be free

We laughed together in the sunlight
Our innocent voices are resounding even now
An overflowing amount of wishes that face tomorrow
Hoping they will shine, hoping they won't change
(You're not alone, so wipe your tears)
I think you'll realize what's important

**
We painted dreams even though we'd become transparent
Because we'll shine brighter than the unfaltering sun
Even leaving our sweat as it is
Simply searching for the light

To be free

Unable to look over our shoulders
We ran through to the end
Repeatedly going up and down (Yeah)
Those times were sometimes sweet, sometimes bittersweet

**
We started running even though we were thirsty
Because we realized we wouldn't let our hearts be deceived
Without enhancing anything, just as we are

(To be free)
We painted dreams even though we'd become transparent
Because we'll shine brighter than the unfaltering sun
Even leaving our sweat as it is

**
We started running even though we were thirsty
Because we realized we wouldn't let our hearts be deceived
Without enhancing anything, just as we are
Simply going where the wind takes us

To be free

To be free
To be free

i've fallen in love with this song. this honest enlightening song.

and it's the soundtrack for Sho's Mitsuya Cider CM. ^^

Sho...why so angelic?? #.#

To Be Free??

let's forget for a while the fact that my future career isn't determined yet. yeah i can be pretty indecisive sometimes. go figure! but i'll keep my faith and know that i'll find my way eventually (but it better be soon enough).

OK! now onto the fun side of life.....guess what? you know (or you don't) that Arashi's 30th single entitled "Monster" was released on May 19th. and it was a hit! i love it! so i read a recent update on this amazing 5-bunch, and found out that they'll be releasing their 31st single on July 7th!!! that's very soon! is it even possible??? in less than 2 months, can 2 singles be released consecutively?? and rest assure, the 31st single is going to be goooooood as well. it has a catchy pop tune, i heard. i haven't listened to the preview yet. WOW! they just keep it coming.

2 singles in 2 months??? *i'm still in the state of disbelief* oh..the title of the upcoming single is "To Be Free".

here is Arashi~

aren't they lovely? *starstruck*

and you know what? it just hit me...maybe this is some kind of a sign. i mean, the title itself is "To Be Free", so i have this crazy thought telling me that maybe it's time for me "to be free" from something i've been in all this while. maybe i am meant to not move on with this path and "to be free" from what's not meant for me.

the thing is...as i got myself into it from the beginning, i grew fonder towards it. i came to really like the field, even when it's SUPER challenging. also, for some reasons -.-", quite a number of people (e.g. relatives, family friends, former schoolmates) actually knew what field i've been pursuing. and they kept on mentioning it every time we met. well, it's nice but i'm not the kind of person who loves to let the whole world know every detail about me for no reason. i'm just not. but if they HAPPEN to find out, that's another story.

well, anyway...we'll see where i'll end up at. i'm sure i'll be fine. God, continue to be with me and keep me on the right path.

...............

back to the better news, YAY for the highly anticipated single release form my ever favourite J-pop group, "the Storm"! ^o^v

hmm...to be free...

p/s: i'll explain in a bit more details on the future career changing decision in the coming post. maybe the next one.