Thursday, December 30, 2010

Resolutions

Whats your new year's resolution?

I think I can live with my 22-inch, 1680 x 1024 resolution LG monitor screen, thanks.

Oh alright, that joke's already gone stale.

Looking back on last year's resolutions, I wonder how many did I achieve?

1) I will not upgrade my PC any further unless something breaks down.
2) Learn Japanese!
3) Fly to Germany during the summer! (I flew to Japan and Hong Kong instead, so I guess it cancels out too?)
4) Catch Muse live in Singapore!
5) Play more gigs than in 2009!


Anyway, here's mine, for the year 2011

1) Study in Japan during summer! Global Summer Studies!

2) Recover swiftly from ACL reconstruction surgery so that I can go back to playing soccer (don't worry mum, I'll be extra careful!)

3) Win her heart and never lose it again

4) Play more gigs than 2010! (which is kinda impossible, really)

5) Take JLPT 5 (or 4, if I'm ambitious?) and pass it


I realised my resolutions are actually all quite achievable. Not like those vague "I will be more cheerful this year" or remotely possible "I will win Toto $1 million ang pow draw this year".

Although it would be nice if I could win $1 million....

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Top 3 lists of top 10 things of 2010!

Its that time of the year again! That time when people are penning down their resolutions for the new year (mine is 1680 x 1024), when the music in departmental stores start to change from "Jingle Bells" to "Ying Chun Jie Fu", and when school children start dreading the start of school once again...

Yes, its the last few days of 2010. And its time for the annual reflective "Top 3 lists of Top 10 things"!

What have you done for these past 12 months?

Top 10 significant life-changing highlights (oh all right, a lil' exaggeration here)

1) Screwing up my left knee and tearing the ACL
2) Falling out of love and falling in love once again
3) Buying and learning bass
4) QUIS (and all those performances!)
5) Forming Natsukashii
6) Travelling to Kyushu (and doing a YUI stalker tour!)
7) Flipping credit card application forms in an ulu part of Jurong
8) Travelling to Hong Kong to catch SCANDAL live
9) Catching MUSE live in Singapore
10) Learning Japanese

Top 11 Music Discoveries (sorry, had to squeeze in 1 more!)

1) SCANDAL - Temptation Box
2) YUI - Holidays in the Sun
3) Asian Kung-Fu Generation - Magic Disk
4) Fukuhara Miho - Music is My Life
5) The Bawdies - There's No Turning Back
6) Ayumi Hamasaki - Rock 'n' Roll Circus
7) Utada Hikaru - Single Collection Vol. 2
8) Orange Pekoe - 10 Anniversary Best Album Sun & Moon
9) Marie Digby - Unfold, Second Home
10) chatmonchy - Awa Come
11) Olivia Ong - Olivia
Top 10 Gaming Experiences

1) Starcraft 2 (just got it 2 days ago!)
2) FIFA 11
3) Assassin's Creed 2
4) Left 4 Dead 2
5) Mass Effect 1 and 2
6) Street Fighter 4
7) Team Fortress 2 (you can't grow tired of this game!)
8) Resident Evil 5
9) Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening (awesome expansion to the best RPG in 2009!)
10) Bioshock 2

In case you've been a loyal follower of this blog for the past 2 years, you'd have noticed the omission of 2 lists, namely "Top 10 Geeky exploits" and "Top 10 Green exploits", this year. Well, to be honest, I can't really recall anything geeky or green I did this year, other than fixing my keyboard space bar and keeping the air-conditioner off.

Maybe its about time I change the name of this blog once again. Which is highly unlikely, since the name kinda stuck with me already.

Oh well. Guess I'm about to become a not-so-green-and-not-so-geeky-normal-person.

Hope you had a meaningful 2010! Now, on to 2011!

Monday, December 20, 2010

終わった

EXAMS ARE OVERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!

Which means...

Life.

Starts.

Now.



Note:

This is a meaningless post, and it marks my return to updating this blog more regularly, until the new term starts.

Watch this space.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

SCANDAL @ Anime Festival Asia 2010 (AFA X)

Alright I know I should be studying for my finals right now, but I gotta write this out before its too late. The next post is likely to come after Christmas, which is around the time my exams end :((

Warning: Beware of excessive fanboyism.

All wonderful pictures credited to ken0601, from www.ani-culture.net, because my camera phone pictures were really bad.

To start off, AFA X was held on the 13th and 14th on November at Suntec Convention Centre. I didn't attend the past 2 AFAs - I was in India for overseas exercise in 2008 (which I wish I didn't go, because Quis were invited to perform, and had the chance to take photos with May'n!), and wasn't very interested in 2009.

But this round was different. Thanks to the amazing organisers of this years AFA X, SCANDAL were invited to perform for the "I love Anisong" concert!

Needless to say, I snapped up the tickets the minute they went on sale.

Fast forward to Thursday, 11 Nov. News had leaked that the performing guests of AFA were touching down at Changi Airport at 5pm, so I rushed down after class to meet up with a bunch of local SCANDAL fans at the airport, mostly members of SCANDAL-Heaven, an international forum.


First out of the blocks was May'n, AFA's loyal supporter for the past 3 years! She looked really sweet, and waved happily at us even though most of the fans there were waiting for SCANDAL.



and of course, SCANDAL followed soon after!





They looked really tired from the flight, but were all smiles and waved at us. They walked past us rather quickly though, smiling, nodding and waving, saying "arigatou!", but not before Rina took a glance at where me and Eugene were standing (he was holding the placard), acknowledged us with a slight nod and smile, before zipping off into a waiting van :D

First impressions of the girls in real life? Haruna looked pretty cute with glasses (she's really short!). Tomomi as well, and she looked really, really slim. Stick thin D: Rina looked really mature with the pony tail and that jacket of hers, while I didn't really notice Mami, maybe because of the mask.

And so that was it for the red carpet welcome.

Fast forward to Sunday, 14 Nov. Oh wait. Before that, on Saturday, I was preoccupied with project work so I didn't join the gang for the first day of AFA X, but I managed to spot a tweet by Mami (her iPhone's data plan works in Singapore!) about visiting the maid cafe in AFA, so I relayed the news to Eugene. And a few hours later he called back, sounding positively delirious. Apparently they had close contact with the girls at the maid cafe. I was feeling just a tinge of jealousy D:

Back to Sunday. We headed to the convention hall early to catch the screening of the Haruhi Suzumiya movie "The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya". Great movie, even though I didn't understand the inside jokes (didn't watch the anime series beforehand). After the movie, I heard that SCANDAL were appearing on the mini stage so we bullcharged through the crowd towards the stage. And true enough, they were the judges for the Anisong karaoke competition!



I did pity the contestants slightly, because most the attention was on the judges, instead of the stage :P The last contestant was very good though, so good that the original singer of the song that she covered (Angela's Shangrila) came on stage to give support (Angela was coincidentally one of the guest performers as well).

We had a little surprise when SCANDAL's manager Eisuke and staff member came on stage to do a little cameo cover of Dragonball's opening song. The girls were having a fit laughing from their antics!



I think we were the only ones who recognised them, and when Eugene cheekily shouted "Eisuke kawaii!", the girls collapsed into yet another fit of laugher. I bet he's mightily pleased about that.

Team SCANDAL!



One of the guys managed to get Rina to wave at his video cam :D



What followed next was utter chaos, as the girls took their leave to go backstage. When walking past our camping spot (arguably the closest we could get to them), Tomomi and Rina slapped Eugene's outstretched hand. You can guess what happened next. The man was incoherent for the rest of the day.

We hung around the exhibits for awhile before the girls appeared again! This time it was at the handshake booth, where lucky winners could get a handshake with them as well as an autographed poster. I didn't win :(. Anyway, it was nice to have a nice clear view of the girls, and I could've sworn Tomomi looked at me in the eye and smiled on a couple of occasions

Since I've already been to a SCANDAL concert (refer here), I wasn't as pumped up as the rest of the guys. Still, I was pretty excited since they were on performing on our "home soil".

Angela were up first. I wasn't expecting much, but they were pretty good! The vocalist Atsuko has a beautiful powerful voice and it shone especially on their hit song "Shangri-la". Most of their songs were rather techno-esque, and didn't really click with me with the exception of "Shangri-la". But I was impressed most by the guitarist Katsu and his showmanship, doing crazy solos while swinging his guitar around his body - he literally flinged it around-the-world style. The only grouse I had was that his guitar was overpowered by the music track being played over the sound system.

After Angela left the stage, we were speculating if SCANDAL would be up next. And true enough, when the stage crew brought out Rina's signature pink Pearl drums, everyone went crazy. I was screaming at Tomomi's bass stack :P They took some time to set up, with their manage Eisuke getting the usual cat calls from us :D

And of course, when the girls took to the stage, there was this huge roar.

They kicked off with Everybody Say Yeah, and the fun started. They played mostly songs from their Temptation Box album, including Girlism, Aitai, Playboy part 2, Houkago 1 H, Hello! Hello!, and the kickass Hi-Hi-Hi. I was waiting for them to play that song, and when Haruna announced the title I was over the moon. The reason? Tomomi's awesome slap bass solo :D

Throughout the performance Tomomi was practically all over the place, jumping around, walking to and fro (especially to my side of the stage :D), dancing, headbanging and pretty much looking like she was having the most fun on stage. Haruna's voice lost a bit of power during Aitai - she was straining throughout the song - but otherwise she was excellent. And Mami did what she did best, striking epic guitar poses during her many solos and riffs.

Soundwise, they were tight, though not as tight as their HK concert, maybe because most of the songs were new. I think Rina missed a beat during Hello! Hello!, but she recovered pretty well. And there was a technical glitch with Tomomi's bass, but it was solved pretty quickly. Other than that, they delivered a fist-pumping performance!

And of course they did their signature songs Doll, Shoujo S and Shunkan Sentimental, the last of which really pumped up the crowd even though it was near the end of their performance. Everyone practically sang out the whole song together, it was pretty surreal.

Quotes of the day (during SCANDAL's MC)

#1 Haruna: "Next, bass.... TOMOMI!!"
Tomomi: "Hello!!!!......... Hello!!!!!......... Hello!!!!....... *whispers* I love uuuuu~"

#2 Tomomi: "We went to... Night Safari! Hippopotamus... very... great smell. I... die."

I nearly died laughing.

After SCANDAL's performance, I felt drained. Eugene looked dead while Kaito was staring into space.

Not long after, May'n came on stage. We were all absolutely lifeless, but I mustered up enough energy to at least wave the lightstick around.

Still, I was impressed by May'n's performance. She commanded the stage like a pro, and her vocals were very controlled and clear. I've always thought that her voice was one of the most unique around. Even during those impossibly high notes, her vocals came off as controlled and calm, not a hint of waver or near-screaming. She even danced in those crazy high-heeled boots! Its not surprising that she's crazily popular in Japan (and in Singapore too!). And when the intro of her signature song from Macross Frontier "Lion" started playing, I had goosebumps. I liked the song when I heard it on youtube, but hearing May'n sing it live was an entirely different experience.

Too bad she didn't perform one of my favourites,"Kimi shinitamou Koto Nakare", opening for the anime "Shangrila".

She did an encore of her new song, which was to complement a 3D movie/documentary about May'n to be screened in Japan (and maybe Singapore?). Man, a 3D documentary? That only proves how popular she is over there.

And with that, I conclude my AFA X experience. Awesome day.



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Ok I just wasted 2 hours typing this post. GG. There goes my plans for studying tonight.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

ソラニン

And so I've finally watched the movie "ソラニン" (Solanin) starring Aoi Miyazaki.

Refer to: http://thebudgetgeekthebudgetgeek.blogspot.com/2010/03/blog-post.html

This was after 1 week of watching the sad but very inspiring Japanese drama "1リットルの涙" (1 Litre of Tears) starring Erika Sawajiri.

And so I'm currently filled with so many thoughts that I just had to type it all out.

Forgive me, but this post is really just a random, blabbering post. I might use this for writing song lyrics someday :>



We're no longer invincible. When we were kids the world seemed so big, that we could do anything we wanted. That's no longer the case now, but we gotta learn to accept it.

Reality may be harsh on yourself, but living in a world of dreams is even harsher on the people around you.

Strive to achieve goals, but always keep the feet firmly attached to the ground.

Failure is only one reason to keep moving forward.

Limping around is better than staying on the ground after falling. (lol)

Cherish the living beings around you. Friends, family, pets, colleagues, classmates.

Forgive and forget.

Having a choice beats having none at all. Follow your heart and instinct when it comes to making choices. Consider, but not follow blindly, the advice of other people.

Never regret your actions.

Pity and sympathize with others, because it shows you care.

Help out of the bottom of your heart, not for the sake of anything else.

Love hurts, and only because it shows that we're human.

/end random blabbering

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Tomorrow is Halloween! Have a very frightening Halloween :D

Friday, October 08, 2010

I must apologize for the lack of updates. If you've noticed, statistically, the number of blog posts drops significantly once school starts. Daily lectures, tutorials, projects, lab reports, quizzes and tests - school sucks. Wednesdays are the only days I look forward to, and only because of Japanese lessons :D

I don't have much time to craft out a well-thought out post, plus with the stuff on my mind these few days its impossible to even try to write something meaningful. Hence this pretty short and meaningless post ;(

Its at times like these I marvel at the convenience and usability of micro-blogging. Just a few words and poof, its an update! So, until I find the time and inspiration to type something worth reading, my Twitter will be kept updated. Not to mention with the new Twitter available for preview already, it'll be even more user friendly.

Sunday, September 05, 2010

No Music No Life

How many of you feel the same as me - that life wouldn't be enjoyable without music?

What if one day you find out you won't be able to listen to music anymore?

I really don't wish to find out.

I'm writing this after playing a gig in the afternoon (and listening to other bands). Possibly due to the venue itself, the volume of the whole event was nearly unbearable. Despite that I noticed that many of the audience and band members (many of them close friends of mine) tolerating the high volume without any protection, while I stuffed both my ears with earplugs.

I think some of you might already know this, but I'll relate my story again, just to emphasize the importance of this. The story behind my earplugging-obsession.

I'm suffering from tinnitus in the left ear, that is, the ringing sound in the ear you often get after a gig or a rock concert. For most people, the sound goes away after a few hours, or perhaps in a few days. For me, it doesn't. It stays low most of the time, but reappears after a gig (even with earplugs), once I start to think about it, or when its really quiet. I would say its ever-present, just that my brain has learnt to shut it out under normal situations. As I write this post, my left ear is constantly ringing to remind me of its existence.

How did I end up like this? It all started from a stupid mistake I made back when I was in army. I had my earplugs in alright, during range live firing. Then came an order to relax due to some situation, and I removed my earplugs. In my whole life thus far, thats the one thing I regretted doing. When the order came back to resume firing, I forgot to put the plugs back on.

You can probably guess what happened next. My right ear was spared thankfully because it was pressed against the rifle butt.

I've already gotten used to the ringing sound, but what I'm more concerned with is the prospect of losing my hearing. Ever since that incident the hearing in my left ear probably isn't what it used to be, and the difference between both ears becomes more obvious whenever I listen to my mp3 player.

All I can do now is to protect my hearing, because I want to listen to music until the day I up-lorry. Now you know why my ears are always plugged during gigs and practices, except during MUSE's concert in Singapore and SCANDAL's Hong Kong live - I had a horrible time trying to get to sleep after that. All for the sake of "enjoying music to the fullest".

So what's the whole point of all this?

Wear earplugs. Period.

I know some music lovers have this misconception that earplugs would lessen their "enjoyment" of music during gigs and concerts, or, for the musicians, that earplugs would prevent them from listening to their bandmates or their own instruments and thus affect their playing.

Not true. Yes, it won't sound as powerful, and the sound might even be slightly muffled, but otherwise the music is as clear as it would have been without earplugs, and at a more comfortable volume too. There are even special musician earplugs that cut the volume without sacrificing quality (but these cost more of course)

My fellow musicians, I know you guys love to listen to and play music, and would love to continue doing so for as long as you can. Don't throw your hearing away for the "love of music" - if you love music, you'd do well to protect your ears. Same goes to band supporters and regular concertgoers. If you've experienced that ringing sound before (and I know a lot of you do), some damage has already been done, however minor it may be. It might be reversible over time, but not with constant prolonged exposure to loud music.

So please, wear earplugs. Noise-isolating earphones do the job as well, if earplugs aren't available.
Musicians and sound crew can also do their part to lessen the impact on fellow bandmates and audiences as well by controlling their amp volumes, but ultimately, your hearing belongs to you and you only, so you shouldn't place it in the hands of the people on stage or the person behind the mixer. Wear earplugs.

On the same note, mp3 players are a major culprit of hearing loss as well, so control that volume (loud enough to be heard above surrounding noise). Mine is set to less than 50% of maximum volume and I find it good enough, especially with a good pair of earphones.


For more information and reading:
http://www.ehow.com/about_4597232_do-ears-ring-after-concert.html

http://ezinearticles.com/?Music,-Musicians-and-Hearing-Loss&id=780153

http://ezinearticles.com/?Listening-to-Loud-Music-For-a-Prolonged-Period-of-Time-Can-Actually-Cause-Irreversible-Damage&id=3407105


This site in particular has many practical advice for fellow rock musicians, so do take a look:
http://www.healthyhearing.com/articles/28798-so-you-want-to


If you need a pair of earplugs, any DIY store should sell those foam types cheaply. Music stores too. For the guys, you can get them at E-mart :D

I'm not sure where to buy good quality musician earplugs locally, but I'd definitely want a pair:
http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/er20.aspx

Do spread this to your friends and others who you know attend gigs and concerts regularly.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

夏: SCANDAL - TEMPTATION BOX

Temptation Box, SCANDAL's 2nd full-length album to date, was released just last week on 11/8 and needless to say after a week of listening to it I had to do a review.

In case you didn't know, SCANDAL are a 4-girl pop/rock band from Osaka, formed in 2006. They debuted in 2008 under indie label Kitty Records, went on a US tour, played at anime conventions in France and Hong Kong, before getting a major debut under Epic Records. They released their debut album "BEST SCANDAL" in 2009.

SCANDAL are Haruna (guitar), Tomomi (bass), Mami (guitar) and Rina (drums).


At first listen it doesn't impress as much as their first album, "Best Scandal". I would say this album leans a bit too much to the pop-ish side compared to what I was used to, but then again "Best Scandal" was all out rock. I'd say its a more balanced album that may appeal to the mainstream pop listeners - many of the new songs are definitely radio material.

Tracklist:

1) EVERYBODY SAY YEAH
2) Taiyou to Kimi ga Egaku STORY
3) Shunkan Sentimental
4) Houkago 1H
5) Namida no Regret
6) Hi-Hi-Hi
7) Shoujo M
8) GIRLism
9) Playboy Part II
10) Hello! Hello!
11) Aitai
12) Sayonara My Friend

Notable tracks (as usual, I'll intro the newer songs):
Note: All links are provided to give you a preview, please refrain from downloading and buy the album instead

1) EVERYBODY SAY YEAH
I liked this song the first time I listened to it. It makes for a perfect opening song with its upbeat techno-rock feel, and the chorus is downright addictive. Its quite obvious that they wrote this song for live performances - its hard to not bounce along to the beat and scream "yeah!" every time the chorus comes along. The bass octaves and the guitar wahs interspersed throughout the song contribute to the overall "hell yeah lets dance!" feel. Definitely the best song on the album.

5) Namida no Regret
Its their latest single before the album was released, and probably their saddest song so far. The song itself is simple, straightforward and impactful, with the strings thrown in for the ballad-ish effect. Rather, its Haruna's vocals that shine on this track, expressing the poignant emotions directed by the lyrics, which tells of breakups and moving on. Its no coincidence that the title is translated as "Tears of Regret". The ending "lalala" part may be slightly cheesy to some, but it ends the song pretty well.

6) Hi-Hi-Hi
I'd like to imagine the girls were high on Red Bull and caffeine when they were composing this song. This is probably one of their more technically challenging songs, and I'm not just referring to the instruments - if they sang any faster during the verses I think they'd bite their tongues. Strange title, random "Hi Hi Hi"s and the overusage of synth aside, its one of those in-your-face rock out songs. Heck, Tomomi even does a mean slap bass solo midway through after Mami's done with hers \m/

9) Playboy Part II
Unlike the original Playboy, Part II discards the synth and techno-esque feel (thankfully) and goes back to old-school rock. And when I mean old-school, I really mean it. The verses sound as if they came out of retro Chinese (more likely Japanese, for them) records with the upbeat (as opposed to downbeat) guitar riffs and the super old-school basslines. Luckily, it also retains the catchy-ness of the original. I love this song just because of its retro-ness.

11) Aitai
Another straightforward and simple song. Like Namida no Regret, Aitai also brings out the best in Haruna's singing. The title "Aitai" means "I want to meet you" and you can really feel that in her voice. The vocals do get a bit overwhelmed by the instruments during the verses though, but as the song goes into the chorus the rest of the band chimes in to support. Its songs like these that make you wonder if the girls are moving towards a softer sound in their songs, and I don't necessarily mean that in a bad way. This is definitely one of their more mature works.

And now the rest of the tracks:

2) Taiyou to Kimi ga Egaku STORY
This single was released sometime in June which explains the summer-feel to the whole song. Very cheerful and upbeat, and if you've watched the PV you'd agree with me. Its that sort of feel good song that brings a smile to your face.

3) Shunkan Sentimental
This was probably the single that propelled them to their current popularity (after Shoujo S), which was chosen as the ending song for the crazily popular FullMetal Alchemist. The song oozes power rock from start to end, and probably ranks among one of their most kickass rock songs.

4) Houkago 1H
Tomomi does the singing on this track, and while her high pitched vocals matches nicely with Haruna's lower and huskier singing on other songs, I don't think its suited for a full song, especially not when she piles on the extra kawaii by emulating Hirasawa Yui from K-ON! Still, its bearable and if you look past the squeaky vocals its actually a pretty cute song with cute lyrics.

7) Shoujo M
I thought it'll be a sequel to "Shoujo S", but apparently the "M" stands for Mami, who does the vocals in this track. A rather average track, with Mami's unique voice given a leading role (she usually does harmonies). Too much synth if you ask me (sounds like those robot catching machines), but definitely a catchy song (pun intended) with a nice chorus.

8) GIRLism
This song reminds me of another song by MICA 3 CHU - "I Don't Know". Like "I Don't Know", GIRLism sounds pretty much like a badass girl-power punk song. Definitely headbanging stuff, if not for the questionable lyrics "Yes is no! No is yes!" (?!?!)

10) Hello! Hello!
Nothing special to me, just another typical SCANDAL pop/rock number. Easy on the ear, very radio-friendly, upbeat and cheerful.

12) Sayonara My Friend
I expected this to be a ballad, and it did turn out to be a ballad, albeit a slightly more cheerful one. From the title its probably meant to be a goodbye song, built along the same lines as "Sakura Goodbye" from their first album. The inclusion of the accoustic guitar is a nice touch, and this time the "la la la" parts do sound a tad too cheesy. Still, the lyrics are certainly very meaningful.


Overall I'd say the album is quite well-balanced with a good mix of fast, punchy songs, cheerful upbeat songs as well as slower melodic ballads. In terms of quality "Temptation Box" definitely sounds more polished compared to the raw sound of "Best Scandal", but somehow the songs don't resonate as well with me. For first time listeners to SCANDAL this album might seem a little underwhelming, and for that reason I'd recommend a listen to "Best Scandal". But of course fans of the band wouldn't want to give "Temptation Box" a miss.

"Temptation Box" is now on sale in Japan, Hong Kong and online stores. Singaporean fans, the overseas version has yet to hit our shores, so I guess we'll have to wait a little longer, or order online (I already did :P)

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Just a little update, Quis will be performing as part of the YOG celebrations at *Scape, next to Orchard Cineleisure, this Sunday 22 August, from 4.30p.m onwards. Come down and enjoy the music!


Wednesday, August 04, 2010

SCANDAL live in Hong Kong 2010 - The concert

I decided to include this on a different post after realising the amount of stuff I want to say about the concert. So here it is:

Day 3 - SCANDAL live in HK!

Finally, the day of the concert. Lazy to search for breakfast, so we had dim sum brunch in the hotel restaurant. Not too bad, the har gau, siew mai and egg tarts were excellent.

Photobucket

And quite reasonably priced too, considering its a restaurant.

We then set off for the concert venue, Hong Kong International Trade and Exhibition Centre (HITEC) in Kowloon Bay. Upon reaching the place at about 1.30pm, we spotted a queue that had already formed in front of the auditorium doors D:

Photobucket

We had no choice but to join the queue, or risk getting a lousy seat. So we sat there for 6 hours, fiddling with our mobile phones, trying to hook onto the elusive free Wi-Fi and spam Twitter updates, munching on snacks and hot dogs. Everything was getting stale when suddenly a small crowd walked past, and amongst them were 2 girls wearing distinctive checkered skirts. Haruna and Tomomi were right in front of our eyes! They were smiling at the crowd and Tomomi gave a wave, while I nudged Eugene and stared in stunned silence. In a flash they disappeared through a door, without allowing me time to dig for my camera.

Not long after the doors finally opened, and we rushed in to get good seats. We ended up somewhere in the middle, but not too far from the stage. It wasn't what I expected, the stage was pretty small for a rock concert, and reminded me of the auditoriums back in my JC and secondary school days. And of course, the concert finally started.

01. SCANDAL Theme
02. Shoujo S
03. S.L.Magic
-MC-
04. Anata ga Mawaru
05. DOLL
06. KOSHI-TANTAN
-MC-
07. Koi no Kajitsu
08. Switch
09. Namida no Regret
-MC-
10. Shunkan Sentimental
11. Taiyou to Kimi ga Egaku STORY
12. SCANDAL BABY
13. Space Ranger

Encore
14. Kagerou
15. EVERYBODY SAY YEAH

I've watched several of their performances on video so I kinda knew what to expect, but still, being part of the audience is a whole different experience. It was my 2nd live rock concert (after MUSE) but I was still taken aback by the loudness of the amplifiers.

Watching SCANDAL do their stuff on stage made me wonder why I hesitated to become a fan a few months back. Whatever doubt that I had of their talents evaporated instantly that night - if you could play as well as they did, dance around on stage like nobody's business AND get the crowd all hyper, then you definitely deserve to be called a star.

As a band they were very tight - all 4 of them knew what each other was playing, and there was this togetherness that they exuded on stage, you could tell from their faces and their eye contact. And most importantly, they looked and sounded as if they were having the time of their lives on stage, which of course infected the audience as well - everyone was waving their hands and singing along to the songs.

Haruna was the main culprit, constantly interacting with the crowd and getting everyone all hyped up with her fist pumping whenever she wasn't singing or playing her guitar. Tomomi was being her usual self, wide smile plastered on her face as she bounced around on stage, flinging her hair all over the place, all while playing her complicated basslines. Rina was stuck on the drums so I didn't really look at her (sorry Eugene :P), but from what I could see she really whacked those drums hard. Of the 4 of them though, Mami really deserves the accolades for that night - showmanship to the max. Every solo was greeted with loud cheers from the crowd, not surprisingly considering how she does them coupled with headbanging, jumping, epic-guitarist poses and of course the guitar-in-your-face move.

The MC parts were hilarious, mostly due to the translator Billy, who reminded me of a dog responding to its owner's calls every time Haruna called him out on stage. The crowd loved him for some reason, despite us not needing his services - most of the audience could understand what the members were saying in Japanese, I could pick out bits and pieces as well. Poor Billy. Oh, and Tomomi said she loved to eat "Yum Cha" when asked what she liked most about Hong Kong :P

Their setlist was quite predictable, most of the songs were crowd favourites like Shoujo S, Doll, Taikimi, Scandal Baby and Shunkan Sentimental, which for some reason (FMA, I believe) was the most popular song for the Hong Kong fans. I think they practically sang the whole song together, and Haruna actually left out one chorus for us to sing.

Surprisingly they also did a couple of B-sides, one of which was Natchi and Eugene's favourite, KOSHI-TANTAN. It was nice to hear some of their older songs like Koi no Kajitsu which I never heard previously, S.L Magic, Kagerou and my personal favourite Space Ranger. They also introduced their new song Everybody Say Yeah during the encore, and despite no one hearing it before, everyone managed to follow along and sing. It was a great song, perfect for lives.

After about 90mins of concert they finally ended with Everybody Say Yeah. It was too short in my opinion, I was expecting a couple more songs for the encore. After the concert ended everyone gathered in front of the stage to take a group photo, and I tried to force my way in by standing on the auditorium chairs. Don't think I could be seen though :(

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After SCANDAL went offstage I whipped out my camera to take photos of the place, while Eugene rushed off to queue for his handshake session, which only those who had pre-ordered their new album Temptation Box could join. I didn't pre-order as I had no way of collecting the album (so was Eugene, but he went ahead anyway - hardcore fan).

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For more pictures and a full account of the concert (in mandarin though) - http://www.anisong.org/?p=1159


After the handshake session Eugene looked like the happiest dude alive.

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Ears still ringing from the concert, we headed back to our hotel where we managed to find some supper. I had a bowl of beef tendon noodles, which tasted pretty good (the beef was very tender and the soup had this spice to it)

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Back at the hotel we blasted SCANDAL songs through the night and celebrated with beer. Our final haul of everything SCANDAL related.

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I bought a copy of their BEST SCANDAL album, while the autographed postcard was Eugene's reward for spending 30 bucks for his 5 seconds of contact with the girls :P

And so that concludes my short trip to Hong Kong.

Mission accomplished!

More pictures on my Facebook and my Photobucket asuna88

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SCANDAL's 2nd studio album, Temptation Box will be released in Japan on 11/8, in Hong Kong on 13/8.

I hope it'll be released here in Singapore, but I'm not too hopeful - its tough to even find BEST SCANDAL here.

Tuesday, August 03, 2010

SCANDAL live in Hong Kong 2010

I had heard news that SCANDAL, a 4-girl Japanese rock band, was coming to Hong Kong to perform for ACG 2010 (Anime-Comic-Game). Staring at 2 plus more months of school holidays and the imminent end of my job back then, I half-jokingly planned out a little trip there to catch them live, with the money I earned for the past month or so. It wouldn't have materialized, if not for the next piece of news that reached my ears - that they were holding their own one-man live concert in HK on 1/8/2010.

Almost instantly Eugene and Natchi joined the "OMG I wanna go!" club.

Who cares about the ACG when you can catch a full-length concert? Plus the tickets were going cheap, around $50SGD. Coupled with a relatively good deal on Tiger Airways tickets and a reasonable hotel price - the decision was unanimous.

It was the first time a Japanese artist that I was following closely was going to perform so near to Singapore (Ayumi Hamasaki did hold a mega-tour in HK 2 years back, but I was in army then, her tickets were crazy expensive and impossible to get) and I wasn't going to miss the opportunity. Exchange trip to Japan won't be for another 2 years, and who knows what'll happen then?

And so after some planning and online bookings, we were all set to go.

Day 1

We reached HK at about 10.30am, after an ungodly take-off timing of 7am. We checked in at our hotel in Prince Edward, Kowloon, before heading off to explore the surrounding Mongkok shopping street areas.

Lunch was pork chop rice with ham and egg. Sinful, yes, but I was freakin' hungry :P

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Ladies' Market

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We wandered around, looking at random shops and stalls (perhaps still a little woozy from the lack of sleep), before heading down to Tsim Sha Tsui by MTR.

The famous view of Hong Kong Island as seen from Tsim Sha Tsui

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The Avenue of Stars, where HK movie stars get their palm prints encased in concrete. And this here is arguably the biggest of them all

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That famous pose

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We planned to catch the Symphony of Lights at 8pm, so we took a little tea break at McDonald's (where else? :P). I've always been amused at finding non-halal food in overseas fast food restaurants, and here I found the mythical McPork.

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Finally, as dusk fell across the harbour, the lights came on

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The Symphony of Lights was a 15min light show involving the lights of those buildings you see in the previous pictures. Imagine those lights flashing along to techno and traditional Chinese music. That was about it, nothing spectacular, other than the green lasers shooting out from the roofs of certain towers.

We headed back to our hotel, stopping to have the best wonton mee in town for supper

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The noodles were super springy and unique, the prawns in the wontons were huge and very fresh despite the time of the day, and the soup was very satisfying, not too salty and definitely not MSG-laden.

Of course we had to have dessert, and I found my favourite steamed milk

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Day 2

Breakfast was century egg porridge

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We ordered a plate of roast goose to try, and it was damn fatty and oily. I must say it tasted pretty good, if you ignored the feeling of having oil smeared all over your lips.

We then met Teo for lunch/tea break at a traditional HK "Char Chan Teng". We had assorted Bolo buns and some of the best milk tea I ever had. Teh peng super gao gao :P

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Teo brought us around shopping in the Mongkok area, where I managed to find a nice pair of Puma sneakers for a meager $35SGD. It doesn't look fake to me, so I guess its a pretty good deal. We also went to Hong Kong's equivalent of Sim Lim Square where I spotted Starcraft 2 on sale for about $94SGD. I was very tempted, but I didn't buy it.

In one of the buildings we found a very old-school lift!

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After some shopping we headed over to Central on HK island, via the Star Ferry, a surprisingly quick and cheap way to travel between Kowloon and HK island.

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The glitzier feel of the "other side"

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We had tea at another "char chan teng" before going up the mid-level escalators, which is a series of overhead walkways with very long escalators. After the short tour we bade Teo farewell and took a walk to the Peak Tram station for a ride to The Peak. Unfortunately, the tram was swamped with people, and the queue stretched as far as the eye could see. In the end we queued for nearly 2 hours for a 10min ride in the tram =.=

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But the view at the top was worth it

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Next day - SCANDAL live in Hong Kong!

Thursday, July 22, 2010

夏: YUI - Holidays in the Sun

Its been 2 long years since YUI has released an album, the last being "I Loved Yesterday".

2 years and 3 months on, her long-awaited 4th studio album has finally been released on the 14th of July! Including 5 singles, 1 remake and 7 new compositions, "Holidays in the Sun" manages to capture the essence of summer. From the cheerful "Summer Song" to the melancholic "Please Stay With Me", YUI brings you on a roller coaster ride through the ups and downs experienced during the holiday season.

While most of the tracks are pretty much standard YUI fare, she does spice up the songs with a dash of creativity here and there, notably in "Shake My Heart" and "es.car". Its also evident that YUI's lyrics are maturing somewhat, continuing a trend first spotted in "I Loved Yesterday".



Tracklist:

1. to Mother
2. again
3. Parade
4. es.car
5. Shake My Heart
6. GLORIA
7. I do it
8. Please Stay With Me
9. Summer Song
10. Cinnamon
11. Driving Happy Life
12. It's all too much
13. Kiss me

Notable tracks:

1) to Mother
From the title, its quite obvious that this song was written "to mother", and it wasn't a coincidence that the single was released around Mother's Day. The lyrics are exceptionally touching, telling of the strains between mother and child, of taking others' kindness for granted. The song itself is simple and straightforward, and marks YUI's first time playing the piano in a song.

3) Parade
This track really gives off a summer feel, using the sounds of the acoustic guitar and bongos to add to the carnival atmosphere. I wouldn't be surprised to hear this song being played in a beach bar or something like that. The lyrics are surprisingly frank, about wanting to openly display love between 2 people, instead of being shy about it.

4) es.car
I love this track. The opening intro really sets the tone for the song, upbeat and carefree. What really distinguishes this track apart from the rest is the solo - a piano solo, rather than the usual guitars. The accompanying strings also provide a nice touch the song. Interestingly, the title comes from a very long escalator (hence the name escar) on the island of Enoshima. From the song, its not hard to imagine a sunny day spent with a loved one out having fun on date.

5) Shake My Heart
It seems everyone is experimenting with various instruments this season. "Shake My Heart" includes a brass section to spice up an otherwise normal-sounding song, giving that oomph-factor (lol). The chorus is also unbelievably catchy, with a whole choir backing YUI. In an interview she mentions attempting a gospel-esque track, which I assume is referring to this.

8) Please Stay With Me
My favourite track out of the whole album. Its a sad, emotional song from start to finish, and it really struck a chord with my heart when I first read the lyrics.

"If I say I want to meet you, will it cause (you) pain again?
Even though my tears overflow, my love
While we pass each other by, you become more dear to me
Please Stay With Me"


Kanashii, ne? And she sings it with such emotion its difficult to not be moved by the song.

10) Cinnamon
A rather happy-go-lucky track, and from the opening guitar riffs you can already feel the urge to bop your head along to the tune. The lyrics are also written in a somewhat whimsical, sweet and fun way - of the exchanges between a couple arranging to meet up.


The rest of the songs are equally good as well, but these 6 tracks stood out in particular. Note that I chose to introduce her newer songs because I could still form impressions of them. Older singles like "Summer Song" and "again" have been played countless times til' I can't really think of what to write :P

Now for some short notes about the other 7 tracks:

2) again - Opening theme for FMA: Brotherhood. As you'd expect for an OP, a very powerful and deep song. The pre-choruses in particular pack a punch. YUI-style rock at its very best!

6) GLORIA - Released as a single before "to Mother". A very catchy song, especially during the chorus, and was written as a form of encouragement to students taking their exams and pursuing their dreams. I listened to this a lot during my exams last semester :P

7) I do it - YUI originally wrote this song for Stereopony, and decided to include her version in this album. Another one of her classic rockin' songs, alongside "Rolling Star", "Daydreamer" and of course "again".

9) Summer Song - Her oldest single on the album (it was released in 2008, 2 years ago!), and literally brings out the summer feel of the whole album. Happiest song on the album :D

11) Driving Happy Life - Another of YUI's "happy" songs :P It does fit the title very well, I can imagine zipping down the expressway with the windows down, blasting this song from the stereo.

12) It's all too much - Theme song for the movie "Kaiji". Very very deep lyrics, as well as a very emotional sounding chorus. Beautiful song, beautiful lyrics.

13) Kiss me - Unsurprisingly, a love song by YUI. But the surprising part is how frank and in-your-face the song is, and she sings it with that whispery voice during the verses - goosebumps :P


"Holidays in the Sun" should be released in Singapore soon (overseas version), so if you like what you hear, support YUI by buying the album! :D

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

5 ways to prevent flooding in sunny Singapore

Its been all over the news lately, and following a somewhat predictable pattern.

Rain -> Flood -> Damages -> Complaints -> Reassurances -> More complaints -> Repeat

Its amusing that for something as simple as a flood, the number of things you can point fingers at are aplenty - the PUB, the Barrage, inadequate drainage, debris, over-urbanisation, even the freakish weather.

I'm in no way trivialising the matter, I do know that many people have been affected by this whole flooding fiasco, businesses and homes alike.

But instead of complaining to the gah-men, why not do something about it, to protect your property, your money and your livelihood?

*Do note that the following are tongue-in-cheek and are meant to be a light-hearted joke, so please don't take them seriously*

5 DIY ways to prevent flooding and its effects

1) Learn from the Japanese! Hang Teru teru bozu dolls outside your windows.

Quote Wikipedia - "Teru teru bozu is a little traditional hand-made doll made of white paper or cloth that Japanese farmers began hanging outside of their window by a string. This amulet is supposed to have magical powers to bring good weather and to stop or prevent a rainy day."

Make sure to hang them upwards, as hanging them upside down prays for rain instead.



2) Sandbag your entrance. In many countries, when their rivers are in danger of flooding, sandbags are stacked along the banks to prevent water from spilling over. Cheap, proven and effective solution! Even Liat Towers have dumped sandbags outside the building.

Downside is, your house/shop will probably look like a military entrenchment. Should sandbags be unavailable, trash bags filled with trash will do the job as well, if you don't mind the rubbish-dump image.

3) Dig a trench around your home. Not only will it slow down the water flow, giving you time to save your precious belongings, it also acts as a trap for potential burglars at night. And in the event of an all out war, a trench provides excellent cover from gunfire :D

4) Seal up your home i.e waterproof every single crevice and hole. The most obvious solution! Plus when the floodwaters subside, you can gloat over your neighbours by showing them your dry interiors. Only problem is, you'll probably be stuck inside your home forever, if the seals were to stay.

5) Get a land rover. Throw away that lousy Ferrali/Lambogini/Linguini - when the floods come their oh-so-powerful-engines become a hunk of scrap metal. The land rover on the other hand, can be partially submerged in water

Better still, get a monster truck. No matter how high the flood is, it will never ever reach the engine/cockpit. Or hark back to the olden days and keep a sampan at home, just in case.



I'd love to see that rolling down on our expressways.

Ok this was a totally random post. :P

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QUIS and Natsukashii will be playing at the Blujaz cafe this Friday, 23rd July, 7.30pm onwards.

Do join us for a night of Japanese pop, rock, and some Mando/Kpop thrown into the mix!

The place is at 11 Bali Lane, within walking distance from Bugis MRT, opposite Golden Landmark Hotel.

For more information please visit this website: http://www.blujaz.net/

Friday, July 09, 2010

Summer夏: Asian Kung-Fu Generation - Magic Disk

Summer's an excellent period where many Japanese artists release their albums. Fukuhara Miho, Asian Kung-Fu Generation, YUI and SCANDAL, all have albums either just released or going to be released! It's great to be a fan in summer, and not just because of the heat (ok bad pun)

Amazingly, this will be the first time I'll be doing an AKG album review. I guess it's because I'm having a lot of free time now to just listen to music and allow feelings to develop with the songs. Watch out for more reviews, while the holidays are still ongoing :P


"Magic Disk" is Asian Kung-Fu Generation's sixth studio album, and marks the start of a change in direction for the band's music. Consisting of 13 tracks, including 3 singles previously released (Shinseiki no Love Song, Solanin and Maigo Inu to Ame no Beat), the overall feel is definitely a step in a new direction and a more refreshing change from their previous music.

Its quite evident that AKG have grown over the years, progressing from raw, angsty punk rock in their younger days, to melodic guitar driven rock, and finally to a blend of experimental and mellow rock.

While their previous full-length album "World World World" had the Bleach tie-in "After Dark" and the excellent "Aru Machi no Gunjou" single to boost sales and radio-friendliness, "Magic Disk" is more of the band telling the rest of the world "Hey, we're trying something new, why not take a listen?"

Tracklist:

01. Shinseiki no Love Song
02. Magic Disk
03. Soushiyou
04. Sayonara Lost Generation
05. Maigoinu to Ame no Beat
06. Aozora to Kuroi Neko
07. Kakū Seibutsu no Blues
08. Last Dance wa Kanashimi wo Nosete
09. Microphone
10. Rising Sun
11. Yes
12. Daidai
Bonus track
13. Solanin
Notable tracks:

1) Shinseiki no Love Song
The opening drum beats really set the tone for the entire song. Coupled with the guitar volume swells, delay, complicated rhythm and Goto's half-rapping, this is really one of their most creative songs on the album. It progresses to standard-rock fare halfway into the song and really takes you in, as if you were standing on a cliff facing the new century (ala the PV). Goto's lyrics, deep as usual, speak of adversity and uncertainty, and of humanity's ability to face the darkness with love (no matter how cliche it sounds).

2) Magic Disk
The title track of the album and definitely the most radio-friendly of all the tracks. It shouts AKG all over, with guitar riffs meshing wonderfully with each other and Goto's characteristic vocals given a dash of delay. You get the feeling of being trapped on a spinning CD, with the world rotating in a blur around you.

4) Sayonara Lost Generation
An upbeat, pop/rock flavoured track that gives the lead guitarist pretty much freedom to spice up the song. Goto tries his hand at rapping yet again, giving the song a much needed change of pace right down the middle. Nothing special, yet very friendly to the ears.

5) Maigo Inu to Ame no Beat
Infusing a brass band with rock is no mean feat, and they've done it with this track. Amazingly, it blends in well, providing a touch of grandeur to an otherwise straightforward rock song. The lead guitar riffs are spot on as well, matching the big band feel of the song, unobtrusive (except for the solo) and often complementing the brass instruments.

7) Kaku Seibutsu no Blues
Probably the most mellow track of the album, and for once there isn't a single trace of distortion in the song. The clean feel is enhanced by the inclusion of a strings ensemble playing in the background, giving the track a little class as well as proving that classical can mix with rock. The guitar (and strings) riffs during the verses are downright addictive. A nice chill-out song to slow things down a bit.

13) Solanin
You knew this would be on the list right? Its not the most overplayed song on my player for nothing :P Manga and movie tie-in aside, this song brings out the best of AKG. It starts out slow and mellow, before slowly building up to a climax at the end. Emotional and heartfelt, wonderfully blended guitar riffs, beautifully constructed verses and breaks, uncomplicated and simple. Lyrics, even though not written by Goto (by the mangaka of "Solanin" instead), resonate well with the youth of my generation, speaking of regrets, lost opportunities, goodbyes and starting anew. If you've read the manga or watched the movie "Solanin", this song will touch your heart even more so.

The other songs on the album may not be as memorable as these 6 tracks but are equally good. "Microphone" infuses synth, as does "Rising Sun", while "Daidai" gives a nod to their mini-album "Surf Bungaku Kamakura", surfer rock style.

"Magic Disk" will never be able to replicate the success of "Sol-fa", arguably their most popular album no thanks to Full Metal Alchemist, but its definitely one of their more creative, balanced and varied ones musically. A step in the right direction perhaps?

I'll be looking forward to more the next time.

Friday, July 02, 2010

Journey to the South of Japan - Kyushu! #8

Day 10 - Shingu, Fukuoka

*YUI stalker alert*

I woke up super early (and dragged my dad along as well) to make a trip to Shingu (YUI's hometown) for a short beach visit. The train ride was pretty short, and the train itself looked very old-school!

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We cut through a small forest to reach the beach, paying a visit to a small shrine on the way. The pine forest was nicely maintained, especially with the various shapes and sizes of pine trees. Eventually we could see the sea!

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The beach was totally deserted, save for a couple of elderly walking their dogs on the sand. Still, it was beautifully clean and the sea water was sparkling clear. After 2 weeks of driving around and walking on concrete, it felt good to feel the sea breeze, hear the sound of the waves and plod around in the sand. I did get a sunburn though, the morning sun was blazing (even though it actually felt chilly).

We headed back to Fukuoka to meet up with my mum and sis for a breakfast of (guess what?) ramen! Next on the itinerary was a visit to Hawk's Town and Yahoo! Dome.

Hawk's Town is really just a very large shopping centre, similar to VivoCity. Together with the Yahoo! Dome, it forms the home ground of Fukuoka's baseball team, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. And true to the name, I spotted a couple of hawks soaring high in the sky above the Dome.

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Zepp Fukuoka was also located in the area, as well as a Hard Rock Cafe. I was particularly interested in Zepp Fukuoka (a live house) so I went to check out the premises. It had an underground and industrial feel to it, judging from the thick steel doors. One day I'd love to attend a live performance in one of these live houses. The performances for that night went along the lines of "RUDE", with fierce looking bands plastered all over the poster. Not my kind of music :P

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We took a short walk to Fukuoka Tower, located adjacent to the Yahoo! Dome. It was nothing more than a glorified observation tower, but the view from the top was great!

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We then took a bus to Marinoa City, a large outlet mall located on the outskirts of Fukuoka. I didn't have much to see, other than a very interesting shop selling all kinds of random stuff (their version of a chapalang shop). I bought a couple of vinyl stickers for my guitar and bass, and that was about it. I had wanted to get myself a new pair of sneakers, but the prices weren't that great, and those that were cheap didn't have my size. Curse my size 10.5 feet!

We headed back to Tenjin for some more shopping (I headed straight to the music stores), followed by dinner at this really nice restaurant. The waitress looked exactly like Ayumi Hamasaki in her younger days! I wanted to take a picture but she was busy serving other customers and so I couldn't get a shot.

My dad ordered a dish he'd been craving for days - live, transparent squid

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It was still moving D: and the skin kept changing colour whenever something touched it D:
Needless to say I didn't touch it at all. I prefer my food cooked and very much dead, thank you very much.

Day 11 - Fukuoka

The next morning we visited a local seafood market.

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There wasn't much buzz since it was a Friday morning, but it was still interesting to look at all the fresh seafood on sale. My dad, being the "tam jiak gui" that he is, decided to try a live abalone. Unfortunately it was quite tough and wasn't very nice.

We then took a short subway trip to Ohori Park.

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The lake in the middle of the park was filled with HUGE carp! And judging from the number of people throwing food into the lake, I could tell why. We took a little walk around the lake and chanced upon a some Mandarin ducks and a couple of egrets looking for their meal.

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As we made our way back to the park entrance, I spotted a group of kindergarten kids having a picnic in the middle of a field with their teachers! Why didn't my kindergarten school ever organise something like this? ):

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We took a subway back to Tenjin for lunch at Shin Shin Ramen, a ramen place favoured by many local celebrities and bands. *YUI stalker alert!*

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All the walls and every available space above the counter was filled with signatures from various musicians, singers and indie bands! Besides YUI, I also spotted Nico touches the walls, The Okamotos, Supercar, ACIDMAN and many others!

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And of course, the reason for their popularity was their ramen! I can safely say that the bowl of Shin Shin ramen I had could beat all other ramen that I've had during my stay in Japan. Usually most people judge a good bowl of ramen from the soup stock, right? Well almost every ramen I've had had very tasty stock. But this was different. The stock was good alright, but the noodles, an often overlooked ingredient, had a very distinctive taste! I could just eat the noodles by itself!

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I was thoroughly satisfied after that lunch. What a way to complete this Kyushu journey, starting off with a bowl of ramen, and ending off with another bowl of the very best. In a way, this trip can be summarised into a few words - a castle/shrine visiting, jigoku/onsen viewing, ramen tasting, YUI stalking trip.

And so I've come to end of my narration. Hope you guys enjoyed reading it and looking at the photographs! For more photographs visit my Facebook page, or my Photobucket album :D

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Phew, finally done with it. I can now go back to posting random stuff about my not-so-interesting daily life.