승이, 힘내세요! Please.

It's funny how one occurrence can make the rest of the initially okay day become disheartening. You'd say that it's the circle of life and everyone faces it sooner or later. I know that. Still, I feel so down right now. The smiles and laughter I had in class earlier today are just by gones now. At least, that's how it seems to me for the rest of this unfortunate day. ㅠㅠ I'm so sad right now. It isn't related to my own family or relatives or friends but the person involved is very dear to me.

You know how much of a BEAST's fan I am, right? That's my #1 group. Even though I love all members so much, I have a favourite member and it's Jang Hyun Seung. And it's his father who passed away today. He had a heart attack.

According to reports, the whole Jang family was taken aback by the sudden passing because the father was healthy and no symptoms were shown. It was said that Seungie (the nickname I affectionately call Hyun Seung as) was in the state of shock. The rest of BEAST members cancelled their scheduled activities for the day to join in the mourning. Being an idol singer who lives with his group members and not his family, Seungie hadn't been seeing his father so often. Plus, he's been extremely busy with work like the other members. One of the occasional meetings between Father Jang and Son Jang that fans were aware of was when BEAST's fathers made a surprise appearance on a talk show that BEAST guested on. I remember thinking that Seungie looks like his father. Even my dad saw them and agreed. I also thought that Father Jang was quite a good dancer after seeing the fathers dance to a BEAST's song during the show. Ah! The sad feeling is coming back to me! ㅠㅠ I'm really worried. It's not that I don't believe in Seungie's willpower and perseverance. In fact, I'm confident of how persevering he can be. But having to cope with a family member's death, especially a father's, is not even close to easy no matter how you look at it. Now, Seungie has to continue to persevere and move on with his mother and younger sister. BEAST is getting busier as a sought-after group of singers. I don't want Seungie to feel overwhelmed. Just be strong and stronger, Seungie! ㅜㅜ

I got the news once I got back from campus. As I was entering the car while still at campus, I received a news notification. I could only read part of the title preview that read something like "BEAST cancels activities after Jang...". I knew it was about Hyun Seung because that'a his family name but I couldn't read the rest of the news yet at that time. I was quite in a rush to go back because the weather was turning dark all of a sudden. It was sunny earlier on. In the middle of my journey back home, it rained heavily. Water puddles on the road are always a challenge when driving in the rain, especially for a driver like me who doesn't like to go slow for too long. Impaired view is another. Of course, extra care needs to be taken since the road is slippery.

When I reached home, I checked the related news and my jaw just dropped. "...Jang Hyun Seung's father passed away.." ㅠㅠㅠㅠ I don't personally know him even though I'd always wanted to meet him. However, I felt really sad. I told my family members about it. They were surprised too. Mom tried to make it sound okay by saying that everyone will someday have to deal with such a thing. Yes, mom. But it's still sad. ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

I didn't even feel like updating MYBTOB with new pictures of BTOB (BEAST's junior group) on Mnet M! Countdown. The group was having their 'Wow' performance on that music show as part of their promotional activity. There were a number of adorable and eye-candy pictures but I only posted one, which was a group picture, on MYBTOB page. I live-streamed to watch BTOB's performance. I was so proud of them but no voice or shriek of cheering could come out of me. I just smiled for a while because BTOB did awesome as expected.

God, pour Your love and grace upon the Jang family and the people around them. May Jang 아바님 rest in peace. Everyone, be strong!

비스트, 사랑해요! 추우~

let these photos and tweets tell the story of a beautiful occurrence.

BEAST won 'Song of the Year' with the song 'Fiction' at KBS Song Festival 2011!

 they knelt down and bowed. aww... :')

credit: *as tagged*

photo taken by Choi Jin Ho, director of A CUBE Entertainment (@B2ST74), a sister company of CUBE Entertainment, after the song festival ended

Yoon Du Jun (@BeeeestDJ):

"오마이갓.....,,뷰티짱이다......,진짜로.."

Translation by @mybeastyboys: "Oh my God.....,,B2UTY is the best......,Really.."

Note: B2UTY is the official name of BEAST's fans, in case you didn't know yet.

Son Dong Woon (@beastdw):

"미칠것같애요정말 아직도진정이안되네요 너무고맙습니다 진짜로...꼭보답하겠습니다사랑해요뷰티!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!♥"

Translation by @mybeastyboys: "I'm going crazy, really. I still can't believe it. Thank you so much really...I'll reward you guys back I love you B2UTY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ♥"

Son Dong Woon (@beastdw):

"그리고 기광이형신인상축하해요!!!!!!!아눈물나ㅜㅜ"

Translation by @mybeastyboys: "And also, Gi Kwang-hyung Congrats for your newcomer award!!!!! Ah tears are coming out TT"

Note: Lee Gi Kwang, another member of BEAST, won 'Newcomer Award' at MBC Drama Awards 2011.

Yang Yo Seob (@helloimys):

"아...뷰티 때문에 항상 너무 행복합니다.....감사합니다.....아이쿠...ㅜㅜ더열심히할게요!!!!!!!즐거운맘으로 리허설 꼬우!!!!!사랑해 뷰티♥"

Translation by @mybeastyboys: "Ah...Because of B2UTY I'm always happy.....Thank you.....Aigoo..TT I'll work even harder !!!!!!! Going to rehearsal with a joyful heart!!!! I love you B2UTY♥"

Note: After KBS Song Festival, BEAST had to go for a rehearsal for tomorrow's MBC Song Festival.

Yong Jun Hyung (@Joker891219):

"아... 정말 아직도 어벙벙... 뷰티 너무 고마워요... 뷰티 너무 고맙다구요.. 뷰티 너무 고맙다니깐..."

Translation by @mybeastyboys: "Ah...I'm still speechless...B2UTY Thank you so much.... I want to say thank you so much B2UTY....because I'm really thankful for B2UTY.."

Jang Hyun Seung (@doublev89):

"올해의 노래상 받게해준 우리 뷰티 너무너무 감사합니다 앞으로 더 좋은 무대 그리고 노래 들려드릴게요 새해복 많이받으세요 !!!^^"

Translation by @mybeastyboys: "For getting Song of The Year award, Thank you so so much B2UTY. In future we'll show a better performance and will let you listen to our songs. Have a blessed new year !!!^^"

Yong Jun Hyung (@Joker891219):

"우신이형 호랭이형도 축하받아야해요!!! ㅎㅎㅎ"

Translation by @mybeastyboys: "Woo Sin hyung and Tiger hyung need to receive congrats wishes too!!! He He He"

Note: Ha Woo Sin was the main choreographer and Shinsadong Tiger was the main lyricist for the song 'Fiction'.

Lee Gi Kwang (@B2stGK):

"진짜 미쳐 버릴거 같아요....... 여러분 모두에게 진심으로 감사드립니다................ 지금 제맘을 어떻게 표현해야할지 모르겠어요.... 사랑합니다 곱하기 23334959564616298664434686834646"

Translation by @mybeastyboys: "I'm going crazy........To everyone sincerely thank you.........I really don't know how to express my heart right now...I love you X23334959564616298664434686834646"

Hong Seong Sung, president of CUBE Entertainment (@hongcube):

"뷰티여러분감사합니다 꾸벅"

Translation by @mybeastyboys: "Thank you all B2UTIES *bow*"




this is how grateful they were:

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! ^^

Celebrating Seungie Sweetie

i had a lunch meet-up with a few B2UTY friends this afternoon.  KL-B2UTY was having an open house at JC's residence, so Kuching-B2UTY had a sub-event on the same day too.  we talked about BEAST, Hyun Seung (the belated birthday boy), and K-pop.  it was nice.  i hope more K-pop fans will take part in our future gatherings.  come on, you've got nothing to lose! ^-^

for those who don't know yet, i have a Tumblr account dedicated to Seungie~ click the link at your own risk.

A Proud B2UTY

i was browsing through some videos of MR-removed live K-pop performances on YouTube. then, i thought of re-browsing BEAST's previous MR-removed performances. [p/s: MR-removed means that a portion of the pre-recorded background music is toned down, so the audibility the live vocals is elevated. through MR-removed audios or videos, you can hear more clearly how well (or badly) the singers sing live.] don't be so critical, though. some songs require them to dance and move around actively, so it should be a little tougher for them to be perfectly perfect in their vocal control.

*newsflash*
BEAST (a.k.a. B2ST) is my favourite K-pop group. the official name for BEAST's fanclub is B2UTY (pronounced as 'beauty').

it's a sad but true fact that some people claim that K-pop artistes have become a phenomenon MERELY because of their mesmerisingly charming looks, and not so much because of their talents or capabilities. =.= now, i'm not completely denying the fact that K-pop idols have their own special charm when it comes to their appearances. however, it's more than their outward lovability (is that even an existing English word? IDK.) that true K-pop fans are attracted to, it's also their skills, talents, and personalities. you can freely choose to believe it or not, but that's how it is to me. they're so much more than 'pretty faces'. give them a chance if you haven't already.

so, here are some of BEAST's MR-removed videos. the original videos are included too, so you can enjoy the whole songs. :)

'Bad Girl'
--- it's their debut song from their 1st mini album, 'B2ST is the Best'. this was their very first time performing live on stage for a music show as an official group, back in October 2009. aww...their debut stage~ ^^

MR-removed:


with BG music:


+ + + + +

'Shock'

MR-removed:


with BG music:


+ + + + +

'Mystery'

MR-removed:


with BG music:


+ + + + +

'Easy' (Sincere Version)

MR-removed:


with BG music:


+ + + + +

'Breath'

MR-removed:


with BG music:


+ + + + +

'Beautiful'

MR-removed:


with BG music:


+ + + + +

'The Fact'

MR-removed:


with BG music:


+ + + + +

'Fiction'

MR-removed:


with BG music:


+ + + + +

'On Rainy Days'

MR-removed:


with BG music:


+ + + + +

'You'

MR-removed:


with BG music:


+ + + + +

so...what do you think? :D
i think the 6 members of BEAST are nothing less than amazing.  they've been working so hard.  we love them for who they are.  i'll post about this group again when their 2nd anniversary comes around in about a month time.

Lucky Lucky Me!

BEAST is currently having their 1st Asia Fanmeet Tour. their first destination was KL, Malaysia. the Malaysia fanmeet was held on July 1st at Sunway Lagoon's Surf Beach. the organisers for the fanmeet in Malaysia were Star Planet & FlyerVision. Imagine TV Network (ITVN) was the official online TV for this fanmeet tour. just like any other events, contests were carried out with tickets to the fanmeet as the prizes. ITVN divided the contest into 3 parts. for each part, participants were required to answer 3 questions & send in their particulars through e-mail to ITVN. according to ITVN, winners were chosen daily based on who had answered correctly AND sent in their particulars. so, i assumed that everyday, for as long as the contest period was on, they selected the first 2 or first 3 who fulfilled the simple requirements. so, i tried my luck & took part in all 3 parts of the contest. hold on...let me copy my e-mail entries for every part.

-----
'Win tickets to meet Beast in KL! (Part 1)' contest

01) How many members are in the band Beast?

- Six

02) On which day will the fan meeting in Kuala Lumpur be held?

- Friday

03) Is Imagine TV Network the Official Online TV for the event?

- Yes

-----
Part 2 – “Win Tickets To Meet Beast in KL!”

Question 1 – What is the standing sequence (from left to right) of Beast’s band members on the red carpet?

Jang Hyun Seung, Yong Jun Hyung, Lee Gi Kwang, Yang Yo Seop, Son Dong Woon, Yoon Du Jun

Question 2 – How many times did the pyrotechnics flash throughout the video?

27 times

-----
Win Tickets to meet BEAST in KL (Part 3)

Question 1:
What 3 words (English words) did Jun Hyung use to describe the song, "Fiction"?

sorrowful, very good

Question 2:
What 2 words (English words) did Yo Seob use describe their feelings of going on a Fan Meeting Asia Tour in July?

excited, nervous

Question 3:
What 2 things (use the English subtitle) did Doo Joon ask BEAST fans to give them?

support, love

-----

i didn't win the 1st part...no biggie...didn't win the 2nd part...fair enough.....couldn't care less about the 3rd part ('cos it was to be announced on June 13th, which happened to be my first day of working at Hilton Kuching's Waterfront Cafe as a part-timer. i need to post another blog entry about this one. later. maybe.).....but as i got back home from a tiring yet interesting day, i found out that i was one of the winners for Part 3 contest! only God & i know how mixed up my emotions were. exhausted + confused + motivated + shocked + in pain (of aching arms & legs..hihi...) + grateful = ??? somebody, tell me!




i didn't get to go to the fanmeet in KL, though. i cancelled my trip at the last minute. don't ask why...don't want to talk about it. but life goes on~ ^^v


now...
there's another contest for another event. this time, the event is MTV World Stage 2011, scheduled to be held at i-City, Shah Alam, Malaysia on July 24th. Twisties is one of the sponsors. Twisties Malaysia on Facebook posted the question of the contest on their wall on July 4th. i happened to be online that afternoon. it was a few hours before my work shift started & i was just chilling in front of the laptop.

Twisties Contest : Yooo Irretwistable-lites.... The moment you have been waiting for starts NOW!!! Try to name FOUR of Twisties "IRRETWISTIBLE" flavours - the first 20 people to correctly answer this shall win a pair of MWS passes. Please ensure that your account is viewable by the public. Thank you!

when i saw the question, i thought "what the heck...why not give it a try?" so, i went to Twisties' official website to search for the answer. i typed out the answer as quickly & as accurately as i could. i wasn't being so hopeful 'cos many had already answered by the time i gave out my answers. but what i learned is, when you've got nothing to lose, just go on & spare that few minutes to try your luck. no pressure.



after i submitted my answer, i went to the kitchen to make myself some Maggi (too bad there was only chicken flavour left) as i was hungry. i cooked 2 packets of that instant noodle. =p it was A LOT. my youngest sis was startled to see my plate. xD i got back to the laptop & refreshed the page, only to find out this:



it...felt.....wow..~ i know this sounds like a cliche, but i couldn't believe that i had won. :') i'm so thankful. very very thankful..

we'll see what happens next. peace~

Fan Account: Digi Live K-pop Party 2011

 [a/n - VERY sorry for the delay in posting this]

My flight to Kuala Lumpur from Kuching with my family was set to depart in the afternoon of January 12^th.  I was actually tired even before we reached the airport since I had a class in the morning.  Driving a 30-minute journey to campus and another 30-minute journey back home can be draining.  At the same time, I had to keep reminding myself not to forget the important things that I should pack along.  It would be very troublesome if I didn’t remember to bring my K-pop Party passes and identity card, among other things.  I had a clear and simple mission for that particular trip: to attend the Live K-pop Party.

So, we arrived at KL and commuted to our hotel by taxi.  The CUBE family hadn’t arrived yet at that time.  I kept checking updates (on Facebook and Twitter) to know if they had arrived safely.  When I found out that they had arrived, it was thrilling, but the sad news was that Kiki (Lee Gi Kwang) wasn’t with them. It was reported that his schedule for “My Princess” drama recording clashed with CUBE’s pre-planned schedule of coming to Malaysia.  It was a last minute thingy, so he couldn't join the others for the K-pop Party in KL.  How sad~  I felt a little down because BEAST, after all, consists of 6 members and they’re amazing as a 6-member group.  However, Kiki’s absence shouldn’t keep any B2UTY down.  At least the rest of BEAST had safely arrived, together with 4Minute, G.Na, and CUBE managers, staff, and dancers.  The CUBE family was really in Malaysia!  Gratitude, B2UTY, gratitude.  My excitement kind of overshadowed my exhaustion.  I even skipped my dinner.  I was hungry but was also too tired by the end of the day to even eat.

Then, it was January 13^th, the day of the Digi Live K-pop Party.  Dad, younger sis, and I figured out how to get to the venue of the event by using LRT (Light Rail Transit).  So, we bought our LRT tickets and roamed around the area near our hotel with mom and youngest sis for some time before lunch.  We went karaoke-ing for a while but I remembered that I needed to keep my throat safe and okay till the performances later that evening.  So, I sang just a couple of songs.  I had chicken pasta for lunch.  Yummy!  It was delicious (and expensive). After lunch, we went back to the hotel to get whatever we would need for the Live K-pop Party.  Then, off we went to the LRT station.  Just a quick note here: we were not yet used to using the LRT as a mean of transportation but we knew that we would be alright.  Just after two stations, we got off the LRT and walked the rest of our way to Stadium Negara.  We kept walking and didn’t even stop to rest till we reached the venue.  And there we were!   I got the B2ST lightstick that I pre-ordered weeks before the K-pop Party through JC (Iza Yanti) of MyB2UTY.  My sis and I didn’t miss the chance to take some photos.  There were 4Minute’s, G.Na’s, and BEAST’s life-size cardboards.  I even had a duet photo with ‘cardboard Seungie’.   ;)  Then, we started lining up in front of the entrance.  It was around 1.30 PM.   We just sat there on the ground, chilling and preparing to get in for the event.  We had Mentos (one of my usual sources of glucose), drank mineral water, bought souvenirs, and chattered. There was a Meet and Greet session at the same venue before the K-pop Party started. However, I didn't get to go for lucky draws or join any contest that would entitle me to one of the Meet and Greet passes.  There was  going to be a private TV Show recording the next day as well.  Again, I didn't have a pass for that.  I was grateful that I could at least go to the K-pop Party.  :)   Maybe I’ll get to go to the other extra events next time.  So, no point pouting forlornly for what I didn’t get.

The stadium doors were opened about an hour and a half before 8 PM.  As expected, people were pushing in the line, not wanting to wait another minute longer.  I was prepared for that and it actually felt pretty comfortable (?), strangely.  My sis got in before me and we got pretty good seats.  Let me tell you, just sitting there in the indoor stadium made me feel pumped up already.  MVs by the CUBE artistes were being played.  Then I remembered that I should at least inform dad, who was still lining up outside, that the two of us were already in.  So, I sent him an SMS, which was rather a tricky thing to do at that time due to all the distractions, excitement and anticipation.  Some fans screamed out of the blue.  It turned out that they saw BEAST members walking at the upper level of the stadium.  O..M..G..!  They walked from one room to another probably for touch ups or something else.  Minutes later, they walked out of the room.  Fans screamed again.  I did too!  ^^  Two of the members waved at the fans from afar.  Fans went crazy!  One of those two was Yoon Leader (Yoon Du Jun).  I could recognise him because he was wearing a sleeveless black shirt.  I couldn't tell who the other one was.  Who was it?

When it was already 8 PM, the event started.  The MC greeted the audience.  The opening act was a performance by a singer, whose name I didn’t quite catch, sorry.  Then, G.Na performed “I’ll Back Off, So You Live Better”.  Pretty G.Na eonnie sang the song beautifully, causing fans (including me) to cheer so loudly and energetically.  I partially lost my voice and it was only the first song by the CUBE family!  At that time, I didn’t care much about the after-effects of all the screaming.  When Joker (Yong Jun Hyung) went on stage for his cameo in the song, I screamed even more (as expected).  G.Na also performed Rihanna’s “Take a Bow” and her own single, “Supa Solo”.  Gosh, she was great!  The next performance was by the 4Minute girls.  ^-^  All the way throughout 4Minute’s "Muzik", “HuH”, “I, My, Me, Mine”, “Highlight”, and “Hot Issue”, the girls wow-ed fans with their charm and talents.  Cheering and chanting for them contributed to me having a sore throat later. But whatever, right?  ^o^  Two CUBE acts were done with their performances, and there was only one act left to go.   The excitement while anticipating for BEAST was….beyond words.  I couldn't wait to see them perform but at the same time, I was a little worried of the possibility for me to not be able to speak anymore later if I were to really lose my voice.  xD  BEAST appeared on stage with the song “Special”.  Kyaaa~~~!  It felt almost surreal for me to see them perform in front of my own eyes.  Kiki wasn’t with them but they were great, nevertheless.  Go BEAST!  I wanted to cherish every moment.  The moments really were "special", just as the song title suggests.   :)  When the intro music of the song “Oasis” was heard, I cheered in joy.  Omo…  That song is one of BEAST’s songs, which lyrics I’ve really memorised and understood.  Other songs performed by BEAST were “Shock”, “Breath”, “Beautiful”, and lastly, “V.I.U.”.  Their list of performances was perfect for me but I felt like I wanted some more.  :D  The event ended after the CUBE family bid goodnight and goodbye to the audience.

Dad, sis, and I made our way back to the hotel by walking, getting on an LRT, and some more walking. To feel exhausted after the event was inevitable.  It was a worthwhile exhaustion, though.  Absolutely!  :)  I had a wonderful evening, thanks to the CUBE family.  I’m very much sure that everyone who was present at the event had a great time too.  So, please come back to Malaysia when you get the chance in the future.  We love you, CUBE family!

My On-Hold-for-Too-Long Fandom Update ^^

in one of my previous posts, i mentioned that i have a new fandom & it's a K-pop group. for those who know me well enough, i'm an avid J-pop fan & not so much a fan when it comes to K-pop. however, one new group came into the picture. as usual, i give it some time when i hear about a group for the first time. i don't right away become a fan officially 'cos i need to be sure that i REALLY like the group/ idol. of course, there may be a "love-at-first-sight" sense to it but as i said, i give it some time, short or long.

so the K-pop group that i'm now officially a fan of is..........

SO BEEEEAAAASST~~~~

yeah it's Beast, formerly known as B2st, a group that debuted under Cube Entertainment in October last year. "Beast" stands for "boys of the East standing tall" & "B2st" stands for "boys to search for the top".

i knew about them from MTV B2st Debut Story. the first song by them that i fell in love with is Oasis. their debut song (& MV) entitled Bad Girl is great too. the title of their first mini album is Beast is the B2st ("B2st" is pronounced & regarded to as "Best", FYI.). their second mini album was released in March this year. and their third mini album will be officially released this coming September. yay! *\(^o^)/*

my favourite member is none other than Jang Hyun-seung. #.# he's an amazingly remarkable dancer & his voice is mesmerising to me. the other five members are also great. they're all so talented in singing & dancing (perhaps even acting). i salute Cube for having really good songwriters, choreographers, managers, & other staff. if you read more about the members of Beast, you'll find out that these six cuties-also-hotties hadn't had it easy in the past. they faced rejections, downfalls, & hardships before they became Cube's trainees & finally debuted. so, they're my source of inspiration too.

Yoon Doo-joon, the leader

Jang Hyun-seung

Yong Jun-hyung

Yang Yo-seob

Lee Gi-kwang

Son Dong-woon

till next time..."sooo Beast! kamsahamnida~" :D