My Travel Essentials (Light Edition)

I went for a short trip for 3 days and 2 nights last week for an entrepreneurial launching programme.  It was my first time traveling without having ANYONE familiar with me.  So, it was like my little "adventure", as I like to call it.

I will blog about the newly launched programme (1MET: 1Malaysia EnTrepreneur) in a separate post. *Read here!*  Be sure to check that out later because I feel like this programme is a very helpful and beneficial initiative by the Ministry of Finance, Malaysia.

So, I decided to pack light for this short trip.  My plan was to pack just enough items without having to check in any luggage to the cargo.

To Do  What I Do
Prepare a To-Bring List
I'm usually not a big fan of making lists but for the sake of my own comfort and well-being while being away from home, I make it a necessity to write down the things that I need to pack for my travel.  Currently, I'm using a golden notebook that is easy to carry around.

My "golden notebook"

Roll Clothing Items in Groups
I like to be organised in packing my things because it doesn't only help to ensure that all necessary items are included, but it also helps in space-optimisation.  For clothing items, in particular, I prefer to roll them instead of folding them.  And I roll them in groups - tops with tops, bottoms with bottoms, dresses with dresses, pajamas with pajamas, etc.  Apart from reducing the total luggage space used, this will also help to ease the trouble of having to dig up the luggage when searching for a particular clothing item later on.

Mostly rolled, not folded

Check In and Print Boarding Pass
Thanks to the wide usage of technology and the internet these days, checking in for flights is so much more convenient and flexible.  It is always wise to check in the day before and print the important boarding pass(es) at the convenience of own home.  If printing boarding pass(es) is not possible at a certain point of time, just checking in is enough.  However, it is important to remember to choose the options of receiving a copy of the boarding pass(es) through e-mail or/ and receiving a barcode of the boarding pass(es) through mobile phone.  For the barcode, it will be sent to the keyed-in mobile phone number right away and by flashing the barcode at a mobile kiosk at the airport before departure, the boarding pass(es) can be printed through that mobile kiosk.  Apart from web check in and mobile check in, checking in through another kiosk at the airport is also possible.  Like I said, it's very convenient and flexible these days.

[To those who are not very familiar with the whole check in thingy yet, kindly bear in mind that checking in (via web or mobile or airport kiosk) is not the last step that needs to be taken before entering the boarding gate at the airport.  Checking in is one thing, printing boarding pass(es) is another thing, and there is one more important thing - identity verification via airport counter.  Once checking in has been done and boarding pass has been printed out, be sure to go to the relevant counter to verify your document (identification card/ passport/ birth certificate).  At the same time, cargo luggage check in (also known as baggage check in) is also done at the counter.  This is only for luggage that you intend to put in the cargo, in other words, luggage that you don't want to carry along into the airplane's cabin.  Of course, remember to go through security scanning for the cargo luggage before going to the counter.]

Pack All Items
Before leaving home, making sure that all items are securely packed is a must.  Nothing more to say about that.

Since I was traveling light, I only brought a backpack and a sling bag.

To Bring What I Bring
I personally categorise the things that I plan to pack along for my travel.  Especially when packing light is the aim, proper planning is important. Some items may belong to more than one category but putting them in just one of the relevant categories is enough.  Apart from the items in specific categories, the estimated number of each item should also be included.

So far, the common categories that I include are: -
- Toiletries
- Face & Hair Products
- Electronics
- Documents
- Entertainment
- Stationeries
- Healthcare
- Footwear
- Clothing
- Accessories
- Miscellaneous

These are among the items that I have in my "Miscellaneous" category. ^^

Bringing along a passport holder is useful to keep your IC, passport, boarding passes (and handy plasters for me -.-) organised and accessible to yourself.

Having a portable (and charged) power bank is also very useful for traveling.

Well, that's it for my Light Edition of Travel Essentials!

Cheers~

Mystery of the Missing Sellotape

This happened last week.

I was wrapping a new batch of CDs and posters that BTOB fans preordered through the fanclub I'm co-managing.

Sitting on cold tiles while dealing with paper, pen knife, scissors, and sellotape can get tiring if there are quite a number of items to wrap separately.  So, I decided to take a break and leave the things in the computer room.  I just dilly-dallied around the house.  I gulped some drinking water because mom always reminds me how essential it is to drink plain water regularly, flipped from one TV channel to another, charged my cellphone, browsed the internet through my tab..... Okay, okay!  I'll admit it.  Basically, I just procrastinated.  And while procrastinating, I figured out what our three playful dogs were up to.   They were creating a mess at the back area of the house!  Well, this happens from time to time, especially when you have three hard-headed dogs, each with its own personality.

I chuckled upon seeing the mess that the trio caused and played with Bambi, the youngest of the three, who was in the house.

Thankfully, I regained my senses and thought about the fans who must have been waiting patiently for their CDs and posters that came all the way from Seoul.  (BTOB's latest mini album, 'Thriller', is worthy of praise, by the way.  I'm now addicted to the album!)  As I was about to continue wrapping the items, I looked for the sellotape that was supposed to be nearby but couldn't find it.  I kept scanning the room's floor and peeking under desks and cupboards to see if it had rolled its way to one of the locations.  To my dismay, I couldn't find it.  What made it frustrating was that I was very sure that I put it right next to the wrapping paper and pair of scissors, but when I couldn't find it, it was as if it just...disappeared into thin air!  Frustrating and creepy~  I gave up looking for it and took out another roll of a different sellotape.  Without stopping, I was then done wrapping and labeling all of the CDs together with the posters that came along with them.

But that wasn't the end.

I checked out what the dogs were up to again out of habit whenever I'm home, and something caught my eye.  I went outside to confirm what I thought I saw.

This!

Then, it all made sense.

The culprit behind the missing sellotape was this little creature.

Bambi, who has access to both the inside and outside of the house due to her small size, must have found the sellotape and decided to make it her toy.  She brought it outside to play with it but the other two bigger dogs wanted to play with it too.  In the end, the poor, sinless sellotape was torn apart to pieces until it couldn't be recognised easily anymore.

When I thought about it, it was pretty funny how Bambi could sneakily bring the sellotape outside and how the mess outside could camouflage the torn sellotape.  Haih...pets..

[FAN ACCOUNT] 130627 - AIA K-pop Concert in Malaysia

[FAN ACCOUNT] 130627 - AIA K-pop Concert in Malaysia

I went to K-pop Dream Concert Live in Malaysia in the month of May and I enjoyed it.  One month later, I went to yet another concert!  This time, it was AIA K-pop Concert in Malaysia.  What made this concert extra special was the three performing acts who all came from the same company, Cube Entertainment.  My favourite K-pop company!  The three acts were 4Minute, BEAST, and G.NA.  In January 2011, the same lineups came to Malaysia for DiGi Live K-pop Party and I attended that one too with my dad and younger sister.  This time for AIA K-pop Concert, my dad tagged along again.

My dad and I took a flight to Kuala Lumpur on the same day of the concert.  We arrived at Kuala Lumpur about four hours before the tentative time of the concert.  We made our way to the stadium where the concert was held via Light Rail Transit (LRT).  The concert venue was only two stations away.  When we arrived at the stadium, we wandered around the stadium, which was already filled with fans and AIA (M) Berhad's agents, staffers, policyholders, and family members.  The concert was initially planned as a private concert for those related to AIA (M) Berhad only.  After discussing with Malaysian fanclubs and K-pop concert-goers, the company decided to make the concert open to public.  *cough* /Extra revenue/ *cough*  *cough again* /Nothing wrong with that/ *cough again*  I bought the concert tickets for my dad and I through Malaysian BEAST's fanclub, MYB2UTY.  About fifteen minutes before the concert started, we entered the concert area.  Upon hearing songs (which turned out to be music videos) by the Cube artists being played in the concert area, I felt excited and could not wait to see the performing artists live again, especially BEAST!

G.NA was the first performer.  Even as a solo singer, she did not fail to capture the audience's attention with her powerful yet sweet vocal and her friendly greetings.  Her first song for that evening was 'Supa Solo', one of my all-time favourite songs of hers!  G.NA also performed '2Hot', 'Bananas', and the English version of 'I'll Back Off, So Live Well' (in which, B2UTY went wild when BEAST's Jun Hyung came out to perform his rapping part) before performing a two-song medley of Rihanna's songs, 'Take a Bow' and 'Rude Boy'.  Her remaining performances of 'First Kiss', 'Top Girl', and 'Black and White' kept the crowd cheering.  I especially liked it when G.NA mentioned during her talk time that Malaysian fans have been doing great at supporting the United Cube family and asked for continuous interest and support.

The audience continued to gleefully scream, shout, and sing when 4Minute came on stage.  The girls appeared on the stage with their stylishly sassy performance of 'What's Your Name'.  They also performed 'Mirror Mirror', 'I'm Okay', 'HUH', and 'Muzik'.  I enjoyed every performance but I particularly liked their emotional balladry song 'Pretend'.  Before stepping out of the stage, the girls performed the bubbly 'Heart to Heart' and the catchy 'Hot Issue'.

Then...the most anticipated (for me, personally) act of the evening...the one, the only, the amazing BEAST!  As expected, the audience, including me, went wild when an introductory snippet featuring BEAST's members was played.  The next thing that came up was Gi Kwang's "Byeol-i bit na neun areumdawoon bam-iya-iya~".  The BEAST's members appeared on stage to perform their upbeat 'It's a Beautiful Night'.  What made the audience (at my area) even more hyped up was the members running towards the front part of the stage from the beginning of the song.  So, my eyes were pleasantly treated to the up close view of real life BEAST's members!  Dear God, thank you very much!  I frantically waved my rose-shaped lightstick and sang along while smiling ear-to-ear.  BEAST is known as one of the groups with outstanding fan-service.  That fact was really shown that evening even from their first performance.  The group performed 'Bad Girl' and 'Shock'.  These two songs are their first two title songs.  So, being able to see them perform those songs and dance the choreography meant so much to their B2UTY fans, trust me.  The other songs that BEAST performed so marvelously were 'Special', 'Fiction', 'On Rainy Days', 'I Knew It', and 'Freeze'.  Right after that, a new but familiar tune was played.  I immediately screamed joyfully when I heard the introduction music of one of BEAST's new songs, 'Will You Be Alright'.  I could tell that a few of the audience members who were near me turned their heads to look at me.  They must be wondering why I suddenly shrieked.  It was another special treat for B2UTY in Malaysia because that was the first time the song was performed overseas, and the second time it was ever performed live.  The first time the movingly sad song was performed was during B2UTY Party event at Maru Park, Seoul, South Korea.  Oh yea, now I remember something!  During 'Will You Be Alright', Jun Hyung missed a tempo and ended up giggling while doing his "Stay with me babe, stay with me babe.. Don't go, don't leave me babe.." part.  It was so cute!  Their last performances were 'Beautiful' and the encore song 'VIU'.  The members had lots of fun on stage, running around and making each other wet by splashing drinking water from bottles.  In fact, the members seemed to be in a very good mood from the beginning of their appearance on stage.  That made fans extra happy.  One of the things that the members said that I particularly remember is Dong Woon's "[Translated] Now I know why Malaysia is so hot.  It's because of your passion."  *o*  Smooth move, Son-Nam-Shin!  Another one is in Yo Seob's advice for everyone to take extra care of their health because of the haze, "[Translated] Please stay healthy.  Because you exist, I exist." *o*  Very sleek, Yang-Yo!

That evening is definitely a memorable evening for me.  I am sure many fans think so too.

We will continue to stand by your side, United Cube!

[FAN ACCOUNT] 130524 - K-pop Dream Concert Live in Malaysia (Cube Entertainment's Fan's POV)

[FAN ACCOUNT] 130524 - K-pop Dream Concert Live in Malaysia

(Cube Entertainment's Fan's POV)

The Evening Before (May 23rd)

My family and I arrived at Genting Highlands, Pahang on May 23rd.  Our flight was delayed for about an hour, so my energy was mostly drained by the time we arrived at the lobby of our hotel.  Before entering our hotel room, I had to first meet up with a few Melodies (Melody = Fan Name of BTOB's fan) to pass them their slogan towels and lightsticks.  (For those who did not know, the slogan towels and lightsticks that I am referring to are the official support merchandise produced and sold by the talent management company.)  The first day of the concert was happening on that evening.  The tickets that I bought for my family and I were for the second day. 

From our hotel room, we could hear the songs that the artists were performing.  Our hotel was right next to the main entrance of the concert venue.  I could particularly hear BTOB's 'I Stole Those Lips (Irresistible Lips)', 'Wow', 'Second Confession', and G.NA's 'Oops!' because when those songs were performed, my family and I were walking somewhere outside, looking for a place to eat. 

It was about half an hour past midnight and my family members were already sound asleep but I was still up, watching TV.  I then received a text message from a fellow Melody-and-K-popper.  I was supposed to pass her some slogan towels too but we could not meet up before the concert that evening because of my delay in arrival.  We then made a quick appointment to meet up outside of a coffee house near the lobby of the hotel where the artists were staying at.  There are a number of different hotels at Genting Highlands and those hotels are connected by walking paths and buildings.  So, I just followed the sign boards and some directions from that Melody friend of mine to get to our meet up place.  I finally reached the place and I knew that I was at the right place because I could see a number of people gathering and waiting outside of a coffee shop.  At that time, the artists were having a break after the first day of concert at the coffee house.  I met my Melody friend there and passed the slogan towels to her.  We had a little chat and I met some other K-pop fans.  I was told that BTOB, my favourite group out of the performing line-ups, had already gone back to their rooms.  I decided to wait with the other fans to try my luck at catching a glimpse of the other artists who were going to come out of the coffee house sooner or later.  BTOB's senior label-mate, G.NA (pronounced as "Ji-Na"), came out of the coffee house with a manager from Cube Entertainment and  some security guards.  They walked towards my direction, making me feel more excited but I tried to contain my excitement and I took a step back to give way.  G.NA was literally about one metre away from me.  I blurted out "Hi, G.NA~" and she looked at me while smiling, waving, and saying "Hi!" back.  That made me feel so happy and thankful!  She is not only a very beautiful woman, but she is also kind and genuine towards her fans and others.  Not long after that, 4Minute, also BTOB's senior label-mates, made their way out of the coffee house.  A manager went out first with a cake from 4Minute's fanclub.  The girls followed after that, surrounded by security guards.  The girls were all-smiles as they walked pass fans.  Like G.NA, they really looked like porcelain dolls up close.  Apart from BTOB, G.NA, and 4Minute, the other artists in the line-ups of K-pop Dream Concert Live in Malaysia were Sistar and Brown Eyed Girls.  I was not sure if Sistar and Brown Eyed Girls had already gone back to their rooms earlier on or not, but I decided not to wait any longer and walked back to my room. 

G.NA coming out of the coffee house and walking towards my direction(!)

4Minute coming out of the coffee house and walking towards my direction too(!)

The Concert Day (May 24th)

From the afternoon, I joined the other fans lobby-stanning (Lobby-stanning, a.k.a. hotel-stanning, is a term used to refer to fans waiting at the hotel lobby where their favourite artists are staying at, hoping for a chance to see the artists with their own eyes when the artists go out to have a meal, walk somewhere else, or off to a rehearsal or show.)  Of course, security guards were there to make sure that fans did not go overboard and that the other guests of the hotel would not go through too much of a difficult time because of the hoarding of fans.  I felt bad for the other guests because there were times when they had to squeeze their way through the fans to get to the hotel lobby.  Fans were kind enough to make way when necessary but still, the overwhelming number of gathered fans at a hotel lobby can be quite frightening to anyone who is not used to that.  Nobody got hurt, though.  We patiently waited and queued at the hotel lobby for hours.  Our biggest 'enemy' at that time was not the long hours of standing but the cold highland wind that occasionally blew in from the front entrance of the hotel. 

The concert was about to start in a couple of hours, so G.NA walked out to the hotel lobby first, surrounded by an entourage of staff members and security guards.  Sistar and 4Minute then came out one after the other.  My Melody friends and I were anticipating BTOB the most.  We kept waiting.  The authority at the hotel lobby announced that BTOB (and Brown Eyed Girls) would not be coming out soon.  Some even claimed that they were already at the concert venue since rehearsal, but fans knew better that they were not at the venue yet because some fans really waited at the hotel lobby since morning.  Nice try but you cannot easily fool fans, okay?  Fans are extra alert, extra attentive, and extra informative.  Most fans were already on their way back or to the concert venue but a number of fans remained at the hotel lobby area.  I even had some time to briefly followed and 'stalked' managers from the talent management companies, especially Cube Entertainment, when they wandered at the lobby area.  My Melody friends and I wanted to stay at the hotel lobby until BTOB came out but it was already ten minutes before showtime.  We did not want to miss the start of the concert, so we decided to make our way to the concert venue, which was about fifteen minutes away by foot.

The managers

On the first day, the order of performing artists was BTOB-G.NA-4Minute-Brown Eyed Girls-Sistar.  I expected the order to be the same for the second day but it turned out that Sistar was the first performing act.  My seat was at the front row and the two seats on my right as well as the two seats on my left belonged to fanboys.  So, I was surrounded by fanboys!  I enjoyed Sistar's performances since I knew some of their songs.  In fact, I was familiar with all of the songs that the group performed that evening.  After Sistar, it was G.NA's turn to perform.  I screamed my lungs out especially when BTOB's Il Hoon came out to perform his part in G.NA's 'Oops!'.  G.NA also performed the English version of her debut song, 'I'll Back Off, So Live Well', among other songs.  Then, 4Minute went on stage to perform their songs.  4Minute is one of my top K-pop acts.  The second last performing act was BTOB!  Woohoo~~!  As expected, I went insane when BTOB came out.  From the first song, 'I Only Know Love', to 'Secret (Insane)', to 'Second Confession', to 'Wow', I gleefully sang along and followed some of the dance moves.  The guy sitting next to me was surprised and asked me, "Waa... You even know all their dance moves?".  I smilingly nodded and continued cheering.  Brown Eyed Girls was the last performing act.  I was not very familiar with some of their songs but I still enjoyed their performances.  During Brown Eyed Girl's turn to perform, the group's manager came to the front of the stage area among the security guards and stood near my seating area.  At one point, he briefly scanned the seating audience area and I happily waved at him.  He saw me and nodded.  

Sistar

G.NA

4Minute

BTOB

Brown Eyed Girls

When the concert was over, I walked to my hotel room, feeling tired but happy.  I simply love it when I can smile after a concert no matter how exhausting the day has been. 

Do you really know 귀요미?

** 귀요미 = Gwiyomi, pronounced as "ki-yo-mi" **

I've been wanting to write about this for weeks (probably a month already) but I've been heavily tied to back-to-back tasks and assignments.  So, here I am, stealing some of my scarce time, to write about an internet phenomenon called "귀요미".  And there's a reason why I want to write about this.  It's because the creator of the original 귀요미, the counting (known as 귀요미 Player), not the song, is none other than someone I adore as a fan of K-pop.  You'll see.

귀요미 is a slang used by netizens to refer to someone cute.  So, I guess you can say that the English equivalent to the word is "cutie".

My purpose of writing this post is divided into these:-

(1) To introduce the creator of 귀요미 to those who had no clue

(2) To distinguish between 귀요미 Player and 귀요미 Song

(3) To justify what 귀요미 is supposed to be about

All in all, I'm doing this because I feel like some individuals are taking it the wrong way and this 귀요미 deserves some justice.  It's my own two cents and it might differ from yours (except for the facts on the creator, player, song, etc.).  So, if you feel that you want to know the real 귀요미 just to get the record straight, read on.  ^o^

--- The 귀요미 Prince ---

K-popper, particularly Melodies, already know this.  The one who first introduced 귀요미 in the form of 귀요미 Player (Cutie Player), the addition counting, is the main rapper of BTOB named 정일훈 (Jung Il Hoon).  He's a charismatic rapper on stage but when he's not rapping or beatboxing, he's such a darling with his boyish face and personality.  In fact, he's the second youngest member of BTOB, born in October 1994.  The first time his 귀요미 Player was publicly broadcasted was in a variety show by SBS MTV called "MTV Diary".  In episode 24, [**Starting from minute 5:50 in the hyperlinked variety show's episode**] which was broadcasted in South Korea on the 9th of August 2012, 일훈 showed the "1 + 1 = 귀요미~" gesture till "7 + 7..." while all of BTOB members were signing their first mini albums at their agency building.  He was then often requested to do the counting in other variety shows or talk shows.  The counting went viral among idols and other celebrities in South Korea.  Then, it became worldwide, thanks to the lovable and addictive gestures in it.

--- 귀요미 Player & 귀요미 Song ---

So, 귀요미 Player was created and introduced by the main rapper of BTOB.  Since the counting was frequently shown on shows and interviews, other K-pop idols started to do their versions of it.  Then, it spread to other celebrities, including actors, actresses, hosts, announcers, and so on.  On the 18th of February 2013, about six months after the first public broadcast of 귀요미 Player by the 귀요미 Prince, a female South Korean singer named 하리 (Hari) from Danal Entertainment released the song version of 귀요미 and named it 귀요미 Song (Cutie Song).  The song was inspired by 귀요미 Player and the addition counting gesture is also included in the song.  By the time the 귀요미 Song was released, the "Gangnam Style" fever was starting to cool down.  Quite a number of those who came across the 귀요미 Player and subsequently the 귀요미 Song decided to do their own covers of the 귀요미.  On February 24th, Cube Entertainment revealed a video of the male version of 귀요미 Song by the 귀요미 Prince himself.

--- The True 귀요미 ---

In one of their interviews in December 2012 [An interview with 8TV Nite Life in Malaysia when BTOB came for Asia Super Showcase 2012 **Starting from minute 5:10 in the hyperlinked interview footage**], the 귀요미 Prince explained that he got the idea of doing the 귀요미 Player when a trainee friend suggested some time before his debut with BTOB that he should prepare something special for the fans.  He thought of doing something new as a fan service, so he came up with the addition counting in his own style after his trainee friend showed him some 귀요미 moves.  [Note: To non-fangirls or non-fanboys, a fan service is a gesture or a brief action done by an artist or a celebrity to tease or reward fans.  Examples are winking, making heart signs, blowing flying kisses, giving intense eye contacts, showing peace signs, etc.]  Since August 2012, 일훈, and sometimes the other BTOB members, often gets requests to do the 귀요미 counting on stage, during interviews, and on variety shows.

These are BTOB members doing 귀요미 poses.

The member with a cap, sitting in front, in the middle, is the 귀요미 Prince, 정일훈.

[Pictures are from Haru Hana magazine, vol. 16.]

Now, there are many versions and re-interpretations of 귀요미.  It has indeed become viral, especially in Asian countries.  Some covers by various individuals are really adorable and make you go "Kyaa~~!" while some others are unfortunately off track and make you go "Err~~".

Regardless of how people remake the 귀요미 and how the viewers react to it, the original 귀요미 counting is the most brilliant and refreshing to me.  Well done, 일훈!

***** ***** *****

On another note, here's the music video of BTOB's 'Second Confession', a feel-good song that gives a warm and sweet feeling.

[Note: The first member to rap in the early part of the music video is 정일훈, the creator of 귀요미.]

Nice Little Escape

Update 130409 - Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDVI8OYXxCs

----------

A few weekends ago, some of my closest friends joined my family and me on a little getaway.  We booked an overnight stay at Retreat & Training Centre of Siar Beach, Lundu.  I'm glad that we took some time out despite our piling assignments and upcoming midterm tests back then.  I felt like we really needed to unwind for a short while.

Before checking in at the resort, we stopped by at Lundu Town to have lunch.  We also visited the park for a short while.

Taking a stroll along the beach was calming and refreshing.

My friends and I played soccer at the sand-field provided there.  It was all of us girls against the goalkeeper.



During our BBQ session, we made a surprise birthday celebration for two of our friends.

 After an overnight stay, we checked out with tired bodies but happy faces.

I hope that there will be more chances for getaways like this to take place in the future.  It's refreshing, fun, and uplifting.

A Roller-Coaster Called Life

"Life is like . . . . ."

I'm sure a lot of us, if not all, have come across many different versions of the quote above.  Each person may interpret life in his or her own way.  Sometimes, the closest interpretation that we can relate to depends on a particular situation or event.  Therefore, there is no right or wrong interpretation, only relatable and non-relatable ones.

So, one of the quotes about life that I can personally relate to is "Life is like a roller-coaster.".  One day, we're so uplifted that we feel like we're on top of the world, another day, we may feel so down as if there's no possible lower ground than the one we're at.

Therefore, I would like to share this brilliant quote by a pastor/ preacher/ author named Charles Rozell Swindoll (a.k.a Chuck Swindoll).

"Words can never adequately convey the incredible impact of our attitudes toward life.  The longer I live, the more convinced I become that life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we respond to it." - Swindoll, C.R.

In a nutshell, it's not what happens to us that matters the most.  It's how we respond to it.