「たのしかった コンサートを みました。」

what i did for one of my Japanese Language assessments.
a sharing of my experience in attending a concert-like event.
simple...but it came from my heart~

link to my actual fan account --> http://pspage2nd.blogspot.com/2011/02/fan-account-digi-live-k-pop-party-2011.html

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! ^^

Yo~~~~

i have another blog now. it's a Korean blog. i set it up to help me learn & improve my Korean language. yes...i'm also learning Korean language. but my level is not up to my Japanese language level yet. even my Japanese language still needs LOTS of improvement. i'm taking my sweet time self-learning the languages 'cos i'm pretty occupied with so many things, being a student, a fangirl, & just me. that's another reason why this Blogger page of mine got abandoned for a few months. so...my new blog is here. check it out! but it's mainly in hangul writing. like i stated, i'm learning the language. since the new blog is Korean-base, i'll still keep this blog. after all, i am more comfortable & confident in using English language, & some of the things i want to blog about might be better elaborated in English. you know what? maybe i should make an Ameblo account too. it's a Japanese language blogging & social networking site. yea..i'll try to do that someday. :D

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/

-----

Serious Oguri Shun and Goofy Mizushima Hiro

finally i watched Tokyo Dogs! and i watched the whole drama from episode 1 to episode 10, all today. with the total of 3 DVD discs, it took me (and my youngest sister) about a quarter of a day to finish watching it. it's a detective drama, with some comedy in it. the 2 main characters have completely opposite personalities.

go on and watch the drama if you haven't already.

^^v

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!

♪♫ 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.

Rudolph, the Red-Nose Reindeer in Japanese

English (Original):

Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer had a very shiny nose;

And, if you ever saw it you would even say it glows.

All of the other reindeer used to laugh and call him names

They never let poor Rudolph join in any reindeer games.

The one foggy Christmas Eve Santa came to say,

"Rudolph, with your nose so bright, Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"

Then how the reindeer loved him as they shouted out with glee,

"Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer you'll go down in history!"

Japanese:

Makka na ohana no tonakai-san wa 真っ赤なお鼻のトナカイさんは

Itsumo minna no waraimono いつもみんなの笑いもの

Demo sono toshi no kurisumasu no hi でもその年のクリスマスの日

Santa no ojisan wa iimashita サンタのおじさんは言いました

Kurai yomichi wa pika pika no 暗い夜道はぴかぴかの

Omae no hana ga yaku ni tatsu no sa おまえの鼻が役に立つのさ

Itsumo naiteta tonakai-san wa いつも泣いてたトナカイさんは

Koyoi koso wa to yorokobimashita 今宵こそはと喜びました

Note to God Lyrics (Re)mixed

The song Not to God by Jojo. Just for the fun of it, I mix the English lyrics with the translated Japanese lyrics. ^^ It's not 100% correct, I think. Pretty sure about that. Nice to see, though.

--

If I wrote a note to God

私は自分の魂の声いただきました話すこと

I'd ask for all the hate to be swept away

オーバーフローの愛のために

If I wrote a note to God

私は、各ページに私の心を注ぐだろう

I'd ask for war to end

平和については、この世界を修復する

I'd say, I'd say, I'd say...

私たちを通してそれを作るために力を与える

Help us find love cause love is over due

そして、見た目の手掛かりを得られなかったように我々が

Need some help from you

グラント私たちの信仰を遂行する

Give us hope when it seems all hope is gone

原因どうやらそんなに間違ったです

On this road we're on

もし私が神への遺書

I would say what on my mind

私は知恵を、この世界の思いやりルールをくれるように頼むだろう

Until these times

もし私が神への遺書

I'd say please help us find our way

エンドのすべての苦しみを、私たちの心の中にいくつかの優しさを

And I'd say, I'd say, I'd say...

私たちを通してそれを作るために力を与える

Help us find love cause love is over due

そして、見た目の手掛かりを得られなかったように我々が

Need some help from you

グラント私たちの信仰を遂行する

Give us hope when it seems all hope is gone

原因どうやらそんなに間違ったです

On this road we're on

いいえいいえいいえいいえ

We can't do this on our own

だから...

Give us the strength to make it through

私たちの愛が愛を見つけるヘルプ原因を超えている

And it looks like we haven't got a clue

いくつかの助けが必要

Grant us the faith to carry on

なくなったお問い合わせの際にすべての希望だ希望を与える

Cause it seems like so much is goin' wrong

私たちがしているこの道で

If I wrote a note to God...

--

Missing DVDs :'(

You know.....OK, maybe you didn't know but I have some DVDs missing. To be more exact, I've lost track of where they might be at. Huhu...I miss them. Maybe I've misplaced a few but I'm sure there are some that are out there at someone else's place. The problem is, I have no idea with who. So, if you happen to find any of my DVDs, please kindly return them to me. :( And if you haven't watched them, go on and enjoy watching. :)

Here are among the ones that I couldn't seem to find anywhere at my place:

1) Romantic Princess (TDrama)


2) Sonria Pasta (TDrama)


3) Prince Hour (KDrama)


4) Yamada Taro Monogatari (JDrama) *sob* (My two dear Arashi members are in it.)


5) Princess Princess D (JDrama)


6) Gokusen 3 (JDrama)


Come back to me...aitakute yo..onegaishimasu..

A Must-See Story-like PV

Here's something quite new and different from Arashi for their PV (promotional video a.k.a. music video, MV). It's for their new single entitled My Girl. This song is used as the theme song for Aiba's latest drama of the same name. In the drama, "my girl" refers to the daughter of Aiba's character. But in this particular PV, it's a whole different story line.

You see...the story in this PV is that the five of them were brothers. (I know...how cool is that?!! ^o^) Their mom had just passed away. So, they were tidying and packing things up to move out of the house and live with their dad somewhere else. As they were putting away their stuff in boxes, they found the old things they used to treasure so much when they were younger. One of them found a letter written by their mom before she passed away. The important message in the letter was that their mom stated that she would be watching over them at the house even when she was gone. And so...they thought about it and decided that they would rather stay at the house for the moment 'cos they wanted to stay close to their mom...figuratively. So, "my girl" in the PV refers to their mom.

P/S: Mati2 sy ingat drama My Girl mmg psl dorg lima jd brothers o sma mcm dlm PV tu. Rupa2nya lain crita. Huhu...if only the story in the PV really become a drama starred by all five of them. I would really love to watch that. A lot of their fans would! We're crossing our fingers for that. Onegaishimasu..*



So, in the video:

At the very beginning, the background sounds were four of them talking while packing things.

Ohno: You guys, quit fooling around! We have to get things ready before dad gets here.
Sho: We are working!
Nino: We're doing our job well.
Jun: Why aren't you working too? Stop acting like an older brother all of a sudden.
Ohno: Why? You have a problem with that?
Nino: We're just saying that you should work too. Come, carry this!

--


The sign that Aiba took off from near their front door was their family name's sign. They were the Maiga family. Get it?? Maiga = my girl..? It wrote "fifth son...fourth son...third son...second son...first son..." which was, of course, a representative of "Ohno...Sho...Aiba...Nino...Jun...". The age arrangement is just like in real life, right? ^^

--

What Sho, Jun, and Nino were writing on the piece of paper.. The paper was a plan of their new house, by the way.




Sho wrote "second son", implying that the bigger room would be his room.
Jun cancelled that and wrote "fifth son" 'cos he wanted the same room.
Then, Sho cancelled the number "5" and re-wrote "2".
Nino came along and wrote "fourth son" at the smaller room. (Wasn't he sweet??)

--

The photos that were often shown in the PV were photos of their deceased mom. Here's an interesting fact about those photos that could make people laugh or smirk while watching the touching PV. Their mom's pictures were the combination of the facial features of them five. xD






Considering what some have stated, I think it's like this:
The facial outline was Ohno's.
The eyes were Sho's.
The nose was Aiba's.
The mouth was Nino's.
The chin was Jun's.

xD

--




The letter that was written by their mom read something like this:
"You guys were born as our children. You will grow up and move out to do what you want to do. When that time comes, go for it. But I'll be watching over you from this house."

Touching... :'(

--


At the end of the PV, Jun texted their dad:
"Dad, we want to still live in this house with mom. So, we've decided not to move out."

They're awesome!!