Sunday, October 9, 2011

Lost In Stereo


Had the craziest gig experience ever on the 6th of October.

Brian and I were not familiar with Wavehouse so when we were trying to find the queue we stumbled into the performance area where The Dirt Radicals were having their soundcheck. Decided to snap a few pics. We found out a while later that we were not supposed to be there. I seriously didn't know though, LOL no one stopped us when we were walking into the venue. Uh well.




During the 7 hours of queuing, I was really annoyed with the big group of fangirls behind me. Step scene kids, really. Even the Caucasian girls in front of us were visibly annoyed. It was quite interesting when they scolded this group of Malays who joined the queue at around 5pm. The embarrassment, really - a couple of them are from TK.

Went to find Nava and Mitch when they came! Eudora wasn't there because she forgot to bring her tickets and she was rushing home.

So at around 6.30pm, the doors opened and there was a mad rush for good spots and I managed to get to the first row! I chose the to be on the left side of the stage - where my favourite member, Jack, was going to be! Just in between the barricades and the stage was a small space for the security and media. But I was crazily close to the stage! Then, the worst happened - it started to rain. So we just stood in the rain for around 2 hours for the opening act to come on but everything was delayed by one hour, which obviously got everyone quite grouchy.

I was quite drenched by the time The Dirt Radicals got on stage but the crowd was revved up almost immediately! A little to revved up though - all the barricades except for the one I was behind fell. Fortunately I  was pulling back the barricade or I'd have fallen too! They had to stop the set for a little while and I got the freaking shock of my life when I saw a pair of legs sticking out from under the stage. It was one of the security guys in front and he lay there motionless while the annoying Mats were shouting at the opening band to get on with the show/get off the stage. What idiots really. But anyway, as I watched the other security guards attending to him I really felt like I didn't want a gig anymore. It was really traumatizing. I hope the guy's okay and recuperating well! :/

The organizers then decided to move the barricades against the stage so I ended up right in front of the stage. TDR then continued with their set with songs like 'Pack Your Bags' and 'Daddy's Disco Days'. Really catchy! And the drummer is crazily wicked!!



And of course, next up was the band that everyone was waiting for - All Time Low!!

When they came up on stage, it seemed so surreal! From anticipating the release of their albums and watching their performances on Straight to DVD via the screen of my laptop, All Time Low has always been a band that I admired and I swore that I would see them 'live' one day and there they were, right in front of me!
It was really amazing! And I can't recall how many times Jack looked at me with those big round eyes of his!








ATL got the crowd crazy immediately and I especially enjoyed 'Damned If I Do Ya', 'Time-Bomb', 'Forget About It' and 'Remembering Sunday'. I recall myself headbanging during 'Lost In Stereo' yeah I was lost in the music most definitely.
I was close to tears when Alex crooned out 'Therapy'. At that point of time, I really felt that my life was complete - I mean, I have already seen all my favourite artistes perform my favourite songs.

Was hoping for a pick from Jack but got a water bottle that he drank from instead.

Yeah it's on my table right now. Don't worry I washed it.

After the gig I managed to get a picture with The Dirt Radicals' drummer, Matt! Hahaha the name Matt always reminds me of Rachy.

Stinky but happy Michy.

And here are some nice shots I found on Tumblr:






Photos belong to their respective owners.

Thank you so much to Rachy's friend, Justine, for going to queue at 7am! We probably wouldn't have been able to be second in the queue and gotten right in front of the stage if not for you!

It was a great night. And the queuing was all worth it! Rian, Zack, Jack and Alex, thank you guys so much for finally coming down to Singapore! Though it would have been better if you guys came before your music hit the airwaves here. So many teeny boppers, omg. And the crowd was so bad. Still, All Time Low was amazing 'live' and I am so glad that I was finally able to watch them up-close! ♥

I'll just be suffering from withdrawal symptoms now. "Cause there's nothing surgery can't do" - I think All Time Low is wrong for once.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Ugly

Time for shameless promotion yet again!


Yup here's my cover of 2NE1's Ugly! If I had to pick a K-Pop song to perform it'd definitely be this song! Hehe.

Whole week's gonna be filled with activities damn it I hope I find the 'feel' to do my report soon.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Paradise

Let's go back in time for a little bit to 23rd Sept! Yup, that was the first day of the Singapore Grand Prix 2011 and you guessed it, I only went for the performances put up by GD&TOP and Seungri. Heh.
We had to start queuing from the afternoon though, and the sun was relentless that day. We spent a few hours in the sweltering heat before we could go into Zone 4 of the race venue.


And as if we were not tired enough, we had to race with other fangirls to the Padang just so that we could be as close to the front as possible for the queue to go into the Fan Zone area. Got to tour around Zone 4 for a bit though and I'd say it was pretty interesting!


Haha F1 fangirl :D

Yes for a $38 ticket this is actually how close to the track you can get if you know where to go!

ALL THESE MCLAREN MERCH SHOULD BE MINE! :(





So at around 7pm they finally let us into the Fan Zone. But as expected, because of some inconsiderate fans who had total disregard for the queue (despite glares and protests from other fans), it became totally chaotic and what could have earned us a first class spot became the third/forth row from the extended stage. Screw you bitches!
Nevertheless I did have fun - despite having a sore arm after that from holding the DSLR up high above my head to snap some mediocre photos. Charice's powerhouse vocals awed me! Somehow I always had the impression that she was more of an acoustic kind of singer but I was definitely proven wrong when she started belting out songs in the pop and pop rock genre - including a Billie Jean segment which she showed us some of Michael's signature dance moves which needed a bit of polishing.




Her band's lead guitarist. He is cute. Yup :)

But of course what really got us crazy was none other than the trio from Big Bang! Their hour long segment started with a really cool DJ set with the DJ spinning hits from YG artistes, namely Big Bang and 2NE1. It definitely pumped up the crowd! But there was this woman beside me (obviously not there for this segment) who kind of started sniggering when all of the fans started singing in Korean. Hello woman I have no idea what you were laughing about - we did come for the K-Pop performance after all. Were you expecting us to sing along in English translation? Thankfully she left halfway or I think I'd have punched her. Haha nah I kid!

Anyway, Seungri took the stage first with VVIP, What Can I Do and Strong Baby! Poor maknae didn't know his fly was undone throughout the whole thing! Neither were the fans though because I believe that everyone was looking at his face and not...there. I wasn't by the way! I only noticed it when saw it on Twitter and when I reviewed my photos later on. He tried his best with his English though and he said something I wouldn't expect to hear from him: "Put your freaking hands up!" and that sent everyone into a frenzy.




And as expected what brought the crowd to an all time high was GD&TOP! They performed Knock Out, High High and Oh Yeah (without Park Bom unfortunately). GD's English was really cute actually but it wasn't very cute anymore when he shouted: "PUT YOUR MOTHERF*CKING HANDS UP!" Everyone just totally went hysterical which was really bad for me because it was already so difficult to take pictures at that time. But well I kind of just let everything go during High High to enjoy myself!



The three of them later appeared on stage together with How Gee! I swear when Seungri was standing in front of us he looked at me for a few seconds!! I think I kind of attracted a bit of attention because I was jumping and putting up the \m/ handsign which was a little inappropriate since that was K-Pop and not Rock but heck it, if it was worth that few seconds of eye contact it was definitely worth it!


We managed to catch them leaving in a car (not a van with tinted windows yay!) and they waved back to us! How nice of them really. And GD's fingers are really slender. Mine are short and stout although I play the piano. Sigh FML.
By the way, I really think Seungri's climbing up my Big Bang bias list hahaha. But Taeyang's still my No. 1! :)


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It was DBS Black Top Party two days later and this time we had Brenda and Xueyan as well! Five's a party, really! What added on to the atmosphere was that it was the last day of the Grand Prix and well being able to drink on the rooftop of Fullerton Bay Hotel while watching the coverage of F1 on a huge screen was a great way to end the weekend!
Pity that this was our last Black Top Party though! Most of the people who went had nothing but good words for the event. Props to the organising committee and of course to everyone else who helped out. Of course, thank you to Stef and her supervisor for the opportunity to take part in these Black Top Parties. I really enjoyed the experience. And the drinks, of course.






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And I have just ended my awesome September on a high note with the end of internship, and also Miss A's showcase!


The tickets are totally cool - they are made of actual card material. Thumbs up!

Despite an annoying cab driver, I really enjoyed myself. I had great company and was treated to performances by four talented and gorgeous girls. Suzy was really really pretty! I'm not even kidding! Even when she cried when everyone celebrated an early birthday for her she still looked flawless! Seriously, life is really unfair!




They had surprise solo stages - Min with a hip-hop dance stage, Suzy with a soothing ballad, and Jia and Fei with a sexy dance performance. I'm really glad I got to hear Good-bye Baby 'live' because to me, that is their strongest single yet! They were amazing and Max Pavilion's sound system did them no justice at all!
The games they played were fun to watch but honestly some of the participants were really... I can't find the right word. But woah if the pair of Ludacris Soul headphones was presented to me I'd be so happy! That's besides the point though!
The four ladies were really lively and Min's cuteness and craziness just got me smiling most of the time. Suzy was too adorable! She was a little reserved at the beginning but she slowly opened up but she still kind of 'amchio-ed' and that melted my heart so many times! Fei was the quietest as usual but her rendition of a cat drove the crowd crazy. Jia on the other hand was really outspoken and I loved how she 'lashed out' at a fan for expressing her love to Suzy when Jia was the one who picked her to come up on stage. LOL but honestly the girl should have given Jia some face!
Overall their personalities are so different but they complement each other so well! Miss A is one of the better K-Pop girl groups right now (at least to me) and although their fanbase in Singapore is still quite small, I believe that they will soar even higher! Miss A 화이팅!!

Fake Miss A, LOL.

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The end of September also marks the end of my 6-month long internship! Relieved that it is over but at the same time I can't bear to leave the place. After all, I enjoyed doing my K-Pop programmes and most of the people there were so friendly. Not to mention, they took care of me really well, just like I was a little baby. Not that I minded though! ^^

To all my colleagues who have taught me so much during the last 24 weeks, thank you so much for giving me a nice experience for my internship. I really appreciate it and yeah, I'll be seeing you guys again in 10 days' time when Jared and I go back for one week of free-lancing.
I'd like to thank Stef too for accompanying me everyday at work virtually (although sometimes you take ages to reply) - without you I'd be one bored Michy! And of course to everyone who has entertained me through the days which I did not have much to do.
And of course, a big thank you to my lunch buddy and fellow intern, Jared! Honestly I was not very sure if we'd get along since we come from different cliques and all but I realized that we are actually very similar in many ways - like how both of us are really lame and how we can talk about football. So yes I'm glad that I wasn't alone for internship. I BET YOU ARE TOUCHED RIGHT YAP JIE REN! But okay you'll probably never see this anyway so see you soon! Hokkien mee! \m/

All right this is the end of my crazily long blog post! Have a well-deserved break everyone! :)