I was just looking through my list of posts and realised on top of that list was a draft titled "8 years, ありがとう、YUIさん" dated way back in January 2013. I never wrote anything, just the title. I guess all the feels of YUI's "retirement" from music took over and I never got around to actually writing out that post. Who knew she'd surprise us all by forming FLOWER FLOWER? :D But that's another story for another time. As it turns out, I haven't written anything since then. If you noticed, my very last post (before this) was regarding the merits of custom ROMs on a HTC Desire S, which by today's standards, would be considered ancient technology. Anyhow, while I'd love to do a tech-related post, such as rave about my current LG Nexus 5, or extol the virtues of my (sadly) stolen Sony Xperia Z, this blog has really become kind of a diary for my travels and a place to rave about my recent fanboy obsessions. Which, having attended my last concert of the year (probably!), is ultimately going to center on the amazing Japanese techno-pop trio that is Perfume. But in the meantime, a little entry into the tech-diary for 2013-2014 (have I really been away that long?!) would be in order.
Mobile
Upgrading from the aforementioned HTC Desire S to a Sony Xperia Z...
...and promptly had it stolen from me T.T
Having just re-contracted, I ordered the LG Nexus 5 from Google
Running stock Android Kitkat 4.4.4, rooted with Xposed Framework and am happy with it for the moment (waiting for Lollipop!)
Networking
Upgraded to Singtel Mio fibre from Starhub cable broadband (yay for 200mbps!)
The ol' ASUS RT-N15U became a print server of sorts, replaced by the more-than-capable RT-N56U
To boost speeds to my desktop PC in another room, I got a pair of Sineoji powerline adapters - cheap and work as advertised!
Received a spare 2TB WD MyBook Live from an uncle and is currently running as a home server for music, videos and stuff.
Computing
My graphics card (an XFX GTS 250) finally died
Replaced it with an ASUS GTX 750 together with a Corsair CX500M power supply because I was afraid my old PSU couldn't handle the new card. Turns out it could -.-
Sometime in late 2013, the first games that would only run on 64-bit OSes were released. Then in 2014 came the horrible, horrible news that I was dreading... FIFA 15 also required a 64-bit OS (I was running 32-bit Vista - I know, laugh all you want)
And with a heavy heart, I upgraded to 64-bit Windows 7, together with a new hard disk because why not?
To date I'm counting down the days I have left before I need to change my motherboard, processor and RAM in order to play the latest games. Already, Assassin's Creed Unity is out of my reach T.T
... Well, that felt good, reminiscing about all that techie stuff.
Next post will be about my recent 5 day solo trip to Japan to catch Perfume's 5th Tour "Gurun Gurun" in Tokyo, followed by their World Tour 3rd Live in Singapore :D
Last Saturday was the last leg of Perfume's 1st ever overseas tour, held in Singapore at *Scape Warehouse. This was following performances in South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong, and choosing to end their tour here in Singapore meant that we had honor of hosting the event to be broadcast live to cinemas all over Japan and Taiwan!
Big thank you to J-Live Asia and Sozo for bringing Perfume here!
Well, before going into the details of their awesome performance (if you've been reading my twitter), I'll do a quick introduction of Perfume and how I started listening to them :D
From Wikipedia (where else?):
Perfume (パフューム) is a Japanese pop girl group from Hiroshima, Japan, consisting of Ayano Ōmoto (Nocchi), Yuka Kashino (Kashiyuka), and leader Ayaka Nishiwaki (A-chan). They debuted locally in 2001 and made their transition to a major label in 2005. As of January 2012, the group has released fourteen major label singles on the Tokuma Japan Communications label.Since 2003, Perfume has been produced by Yasutaka Nakata, founder of the group Capsule and the man responsible for their electronic dance-pop music.
My first brush with Perfume was a few years back (probably 2009), and like many fans I believe, it all started with the single "Polyrhythm". I remember viewing it on Facebook or YouTube (the beauty of social media), and was quite entranced by their techno-pop music and that addictive "poririzumu poririzumu poririzumu izumu izumu izumu" refrain. I started listening to their albums "Game" and "Triangle" and fell in love with the rhythmic melodies and thumping beats, characteristic of their sound. I wasn't that huge a fan of their dance routines, preferring to immerse in their music instead (which incidentally worked wonders for concentration during exam periods).
Then came news earlier this year that J-Live Asia were bringing Perfume to Singapore as part of their first World Tour, and I just had to go for it! Right, on to the concert proper. Forgive me if I can't remember the playlist or details here and there as I was so absorbed and really enjoyed myself :D
Opening
The girls started off with matching shimmery, silvery white outfits and did some of their earlier songs as well as songs from their just-released Global Compilation "Love The World" album, including Night Flight, Computer City and Electro World. It was my first time seeing them dance (well, with the exception of Polyrhythm), so I was really enthralled by their dance steps. Electro World in particular got the crowd all hyped up! I loved the part where each girl took turns to do the fist punches!
MC
This was followed by an MC section during which Nocchi complained (jokingly of course) of the heat and the sweat. A-chan then identified many guys wearing black-framed spectacles and chatted about her favourite type of guy (black framed glasses, headphones, V-neck and skinny pants lololol). This was all translated helpfully by an audience member called Ume-san (?). Incidentally there was one member of the audience who fitted that description! They talked about eating chicken rice, arriving at Changi at 5am, thanking the fans who went to receive them, as well as a hilarious interview session with a local photographer.
A-chan then split the audience into 3, each with a unique chant - "Ma", "Rai", and "On". I didn't notice what it meant until she called for all 3 together -"Ma-Rai-On = Merlion!" LOLOLOL Japanese and their obsession with our Merlion (and chicken rice). STB, you're doing a great job!
Super High Part
I'm not kidding when I say this was the super high part. They did all their heart-thumping songs in one go, including my favorite song from the JPN album, Laser Beam. The laser light show for Laser Beam was absolutely top class. Half the time I was dazzled by all the laser beams instead of the girls XD. This was followed by Spending all my time, where they did all the complicated hand movements, and a very appropriate track for the tour - Love the World.
The screen from one of the cinemas broadcasting live! Awesome fans XD
Then came my favourite part of the concert - the giant LED screen at the back split into 3 separate screens, and the girls walked out wearing red outfits! This was followed by edge which ranks among my favourite Perfume songs for its sheer untz-untz-untz-ness. The girls danced in front of themselves (on the screens) exactly in sync, and I loved the part where they started swaying and acting all confused. Amazing choreography.
This was followed by Secret secret which again used the lighting to great effect, especially for the opening few seconds. The girls then ended off the segment with Dream Fighter, another crowd favourite! I remember screaming "先まで!" together with the audience whenever the chorus came about. Really inspirational song!
P.T.A Corner
I wasn't familiar with their lives/fanclub so I was scratching my head with regards to P.T.A, until A-chan answered my question - Perfume to Anata - the Perfume official fanclub, which they will be opening to the world next year! A-chan then got everyone to sing along to We Will Rock You (why that, I wonder lol). The girls then proceeded to teach us a dance to be used for one of the later songs! And A-chan actually "tekan-ed" us because we were waving our hands non-stop (i.e. Buddha clap style) and she was asking "You wanna learn the next dance? You wanna?". Nocchi and Kashiyuka were "pleading" with her to teach the next move which was hilarious XD. I wasn't laughing though, my arms were tiring quickly - which says a lot about the girls' fitness levels. They're damn fit!
Finale
They started off the segment with my favourite song off the Global Compilation album - Fake It! The girls really hyped the audience up and Nocchi came over to my side of the stage to urge us on! This was followed by the impossibly cute Nee, where everyone did the hand signal in sync during the chorus! Only after watching the PV for Nee did I realise the awesome tap dance sequence that I missed out because I was at the back :(
On hindsight, I realised I totally missed out on their footwork for all the songs D: Reminder to self - get VIP tickets next time!
Crowd favourite Chocolate Disco was next! It was fun singing along to the infectious chorus of neverending "Chocolate Discos" :D
And of course, they had to end it with Polyrhythm.
Encore
A-chan started off by giving a short, touching speech about the obstacles Perfume had to overcome to stand on the stage in front of us. Perfume never knew of their overseas fans until they attended the premier of Pixar's "Cars 2" movie, for which Polyrhythm was used as a song, and were surprised to learn that people knew their songs outside Japan. They made a decision to switch record labels (from Tokuma to Universal) so that they could go global to reach their international fans (so brave of them, respect!!). A-chan then teared up as she described how they had to bid their staff goodbye (T.T). I was really touched by her speech.
Love their matching outfits! Photo credits to sgcafe.com
They then performed their first single released under Universal, Spring of Life, which was really appropriate :3. I loved the dance routine for this song, especially when each girl took turns to do a mini-catwalk cum hair-flip (Nocchi, in particular XD).
They then did Kokoro no Sports, followed by a special announcement!
So much cuteness in one photo! Pity about the gloomy skies though
A-chan announced that a special guest from Japan came along for the tour - Doraemon! And Doraemon actually walked out! She announced that Perfume's next single, Mirai no Museum, would be used as a theme song for a new Doraemon movie (Nobita's Secret Museum Adventure) next year!
The funniest part came when Doraemon said he had to go back to Japan to check on Nobita, and he walked off stage. The Perfume girls then wondered how he was going back, before shouting that they saw Doraemon pull the "Dokedemo (Anywhere) Door" from his pocket and use it! So cute XD!
Perfume ended the show with My Color where the dance moves they taught us came in handy!
After they exited the stage, the fans started singing an acapella version of Polyrhythm, to which the girls (off-stage) replied "Thank you! See you again!" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well its been some time since I last posted :/ Guess I should at least complete my long overdue Japan trip journal xD
22/6 Day 7 - Mitsubachi Fest
That evening, I met Jun to travel to Linus's home to get the tickets for the event. We then rushed down to a live house in Omotesando, Harajuku for Mistubachi Fest!
Short introduction to Honey Bee Management, the guys behind the Fest:
Honey Bee is a Japanese talent management company, under Sony Music Group Japan. They do a host of stuff, from music production, composition, to live production and providing backing musicians. And of course, they have a stable of really great musicians. For many of us (fans of YUI, that is), Honey Bee became "famous" due to e.u.band, which is YUI's live band consisting of bassist Backy, guitarist Kuro-chan, drummers Chris and Mai Mai, percussionist Sakura and keyboardist Arisa. YUI's producer Hisashi Kondo is also from Honey Bee.
How did I get the opportunity to attend the Fest? Well to cut the long story short, Jun and Linus, the YUI-Lover "foot soldiers in Japan", attended several Mitsubachi Kaigi (meetings) in which Honey Bee met with fans and asked for their ideas and suggestions. This led to that, coincidences led to opportunities, and I ended up with a ticket! (Big shout out to Jun and Linus, thanks you guys!)
It was my first ever visit to a live house so I didn't know what to expect. I ordered a beer at entrance and promptly gulped it up on an empty stomach (didn't have time for dinner). No wonder I felt a little tipsy during the first few acts.
I was looking forward to catching Chelsy, but a few other groups and singers were pretty good too! I liked Moss Green in particular, she had really captivating vocals and sounded really good live. And of course, the highlight of the show was Chelsy!
Oh wait, before I continue, more on Chelsy:
Chelsy are a 4-girl band (3 now that their vocalist left, but I'll keep it at 4 for simplicity's sake) under Honey Bee Management, consisting of leader Arisa (keys), Mio (vocals/guitar), Shizuka (bass) and Ami (drums). 4 cute, bubbly girls in a band, playing YUI-influenced music? What else can you ask for? :DD
I was squashed in the front together with a bunch of YUI/Chelsy fans, and was quite amused by the crazy stuff they did while Chelsy were rocking on stage. As for the perfomance? I really enjoyed their songs; they played all originals which were friendly to the ear, including a couple of really rocking numbers. It was quite interesting to see the contrast in personalities - Arisa was cheerfully prancing about her keyboard, Ami was smiling all the way (but you could see the concentration in her expression), Shizuka was coolness personified (I love her backing vocals) and Mio sang with lots of emotion.
I confess that I wasn't too impressed by Chelsy the first time I heard their music (I thought they sounded too similar to YUI), but after that live my impression of them changed :D It also helped that Shizuka was starting to grow on me xD
First, some pics of Chelsy, (I brought my camera, but I forgot to insert the SD card, so I was stuck with 5 internal memory photos -,-)
Chelsy's Ami, Arisa, Shizuka and Mio!
No points for guessing my favourite member!
The line-up for the night! Great talent on display :D
After their set I hung around at the back to catch some of the other acts, which were equally impressive and polished too! To my surprise, staff and members of Honey Bee started streaming in, including Hisashi Kondo, Backy, and the Chelsy girls! We managed to steal a picture with Hisashi, while I got a pic taken with Shizuka and Mio thanks to Jun! (the following photos were taken with Linus' camera).
Linus, me, Hisashi Kondo and Jun! (lol @ HK's expression)
Shizuka and Mio!
The crazy YUI fans!
After the event ended, we took the chance to meet some of the performers for a chat and took lots of pictures! It felt really surreal to be face-to-face with people you've been seeing on stage during concerts, much less talk to them! They were all really nice and approachable, and I managed to exchange a few words with Backy :D
Big sister Mai Mai :D
Super nice guy Backy!
Chelsy/e.u. band keyboardist and MC for the night Arisa!
After Mitsubachi Fest I realised that Honey Bee really tries to connect with the fans, which I think is awesome. There were no barriers between us and the artistes, and they were all very willing to interact with the fans. Of course, credit goes to the fans who were exceptionally nice and respected the artistes (can't say the same for fans of other, more popular groups)
It was late by the time the event ended and I hadn't had dinner so I was famished. Together with a bunch of Japanese fans we headed to a nearby Ippudo outlet for some ramen supper and beer :D Had a long, YUI-and-Chelsy-related chat before heading back to the hotel. On the way back I passed by the live house, and nearly bumped into Arisa and Shizuka rushing out with their bulky instruments (trying to catch the last train, probably?). Guess its tough being a musician eh?
The next day I met up with Kevin who gave me a short tour around his town and Toudai (Tokyo University), and got introduced to the delights of tsukemen, which came with an impossibly hearty seafood broth. Think of the thickest, tastiest prawn mee stock, and multiply the shiokness by 10.
Just noodles, an egg, and a bowl of wicked broth
Toudai's clock tower, made famous (to me) by Love Hina XD
I took a train down from Toudai to Harujuku and took a short hike to Meiji-jingu shrine, taking a break from all the heat. Bought a good-health charm for the girlfriend and just enjoyed the peace and cooling breeze blowing through the shrine grounds. I was feeling a little ambitious and walked all the way to Shibuya to pay a visit to the gigantic Tower Records store there. Bought Fukuhara Miho's latest album "Best of Soul Extreme" :D
Spent the night at Haneda Airport, where I discovered the awesome Itoen green tea. Yes, I discovered it only during the last few hours I had left in Japan. Sad that I didn't think of buying a whole crate to ship back home.
Well, that concludes my June 2012 Japan trip! Apologies for taking so long ><
Whoa, has it been 6 months since my last post? It's been too long. To all my friends, 久しぶり(long time no see)!
Why the long absence from this place? Frankly, after coming back from 6 weeks in Hong Kong, I kept wanting to create a long post describing all the stuff that happened over there, but the evil person called Mr. Procrastinate kept pulling me back. Eventually I forgot about it and there you go - 6 months have flown by. I guess last semester was a pretty busy one, and together with my growing usage of Twitter, I've neglected this place :/
Video killed the radio star? No, Twitter (or for some, Tumblr) killed the Blogger!
So let's see, what have I missed out for these past 6 months... you know
how shows like The Walking Dead like to do a recap of the previous
episode? "Last time, on the Walking Dead..."
1) YUI HHITS Live in HK
Words cannot describe how I felt during my very first (and last) YUI performance
2) 6 weeks GSS in HK
Food, food and more food :D
3) Got meself an Android - HTC Desire S
Its an excellent phone. Sleek, compact and very usable
4) Back with the band
For the UK Bound bash
5) SCANDAL Asia Tour in SG
Tomomi!
6) Genting
Nope, didn't win money
And of course, back to the daily grind of school, lectures, tutorials and examinations. Had a really enjoyable holiday in December as well, so I can't complain.
So thats it - 2011 was a very eventful year. Lets hope for a equally eventful 2012 (in a good way, of course). As Ueda in Trick puts it - 「どんと来い！」 "Bring it on!"
Anyway, if you've noticed (or tried to access this place by typing the old address), I've changed the title as well as the blog address. Why "The Budget Geek (thebudgetgeek.blogspot.com)"? Well, for one it'll be easier to type without all those goddamnned dashes. And secondly, I realised I'm not a conventional, at-the-forefront-of-technology kind of geek. I'm more of a if-you-don't-need-it-don't-get-it kind of geek.
I hope to post up budget (or value) suggestions for tech buys in the future, so watch this space.
In other news, Adele's album 21 is the best selling album of 2011. Thank god, real music is still being appreciated. Not trash like *cough* Baby *cough* Friday *cough*
I will be heading off to Hong Kong in about 15 hours' time for GSS (Global Summer Studies) at the Chinese University of Hong Kong! Which can only mean one thing - 6 weeks of awesomely good food! (which is probably the only reason why I go there 8D)
Last time I was in Hong Kong in 2010, (here and here), it was to attend SCANDAL's very first one-man show overseas...
This time, by a stroke of insanely good fortune, I will be attending YUI's very first live outside Japan!!
How fortunate was I?
Her concert will start tomorrow, 26th June, at 8pm. Guess when I will be arriving in Hong Kong?
...26th June, at 10am
MIND-BLOWING! *boom*
Although I won't be at the airport to welcome her (by now she'd have touched down in Hong Kong, as well as touched several of fellow fans' hands D:), being able to attend her live is an incredible lucky coincidence.
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.
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.
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.
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)
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!
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.
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:
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 :(
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).
After the handshake session Eugene looked like the happiest dude alive.
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)
Back at the hotel we blasted SCANDAL songs through the night and celebrated with beer. Our final haul of everything SCANDAL related.
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
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
Ladies' Market
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
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
That famous pose
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.
Finally, as dusk fell across the harbour, the lights came on
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
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
Day 2
Breakfast was century egg porridge
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
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!
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.
The glitzier feel of the "other side"
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 =.=
