Oh, bring the boys out!

I know this kinda late, but the South Korean sensation mesmerized boys with pretty sways!

It has nearly a month since March 23, but the Hallyu (Korean wave) still lingers… I blame my over fascination towards Yoona, one of the Nine Heavenly Korean Princesses. The gem of my heart, well, if only she's mine (and goes to other guys as well, I believe).

Okay. I won't talk about the Malaysian round of F1 Grand Prix or Scuderia Ferrari's victory, but the side event which happened on the date mentioned at KLCC plaza. Believe me, the Koreans really have a big impact here to pull such a crowd, even with their last-minute confirmation to perform.

I am a big fan of South Korea's top sensation, Girls' Generation [also known as SNSD or SoShi, which stands for their Korean name So Nyuh Shi Dae (소녀시대)]. Okay I know I might sound gaytarded but at first when I listened to their catchy bits and dance of hit song Gee made me drool at once. The group was founded in 2007 and presently the top K-pop girls' group, making them among the biggest hits in East Asia.

Alrite, here goes the account. The F1 concert was supposed to be held in Sepang, if I'm not mistaken with international feats of Kylie Minogue and Orianthi slot to perform, as well as local repertoires. Things went helter-skelter and the organizer had to cancel the event and this is when Petronas, MH (Malaysia Airlines) and other sponsors came in to stage a stunningly hasty concert in a week's time at KLCC plaza with Orianthi and Nicole Scherzinger performing aside local artists. The best thing is, the concert is free.

Anyway, news broke that the new organizer has penned a deal with SM Entertainment of Korea to bring SNSD to town, which went viral over the net. Of course, numerous newswire went crazy with the prospect of SNSD finally coming to Malaysia and also SNSD fan chapters like MySONE and Soshified started to rally fans to welcome the girls and conquer the show. The moment I heard the news, I can't seem not to let go newsfeed of concert info. For the whole week, I engaged in talks to go for the concert and devised plans to (very unlikely) sneaking backstage to meet them. I managed to get their performing schedule and of their travel. Oh my, I was so into it… and I can't believe it.

The rumors were confirmed and I was informed there are tickets to see them really near at the front, which means I must get it quickly or else losing it. Well, I didn't get the tickets as they were sold out pretty fast, but on the day of the concert I got a pair of premium zone tickets from a friend and was so happy! 

My brother came all the way from Melaka to see his idols too. Immediately when the clock struck six, we dashed to KLCC. It was like a sea of SNSD fans that day, so crowded as if we are in a political riot of some sort. And most fans were wearing pink - the girls' so-called official colour - and I noticed that most fans are males, just like us. I was wearing a SNSD-esque clothing: pink tee, skinny jeans, sneakers and scarf - just to get the mood going. There were banners, placards and countless SNSD items everywhere. Man, they really are bringing the boys out.

As we walked to the ticketed zone, I can't help wondering the crowd. Frustrating ticketless fans got to resort flooding the free zone area (with very limited visibility to the stage, but able to see the giant screen). The security was quite tight, and once we got in, there have been thousands of fans. The scene at KLCC was so euphoric that SNSD fans kept chanting So Nyuh Shi Dae! So Nyuh Shi Dae! all the way. The Hallyu (Korean culture wave or fever) was roaring high. Guess the girls might be sweating like hell to their debut mini concert and raving boys on the floor.

SNSD is just like our national football team. Fans could be both passionate and patriotic, singing the same tune, wearing the same colour and talking the same language (in this case, Korean). The spirit of 1Malaysia as envisaged by PM Najib was visible… common interest and passion drove us together. Even during prayer breaks (yes, prayer breaks. Show starts after isya') fans were very tolerant and understanding. 

After a while and the opening act by a local shuffle group, the girls were finally on stage. 

My God, I just couldn't believe my eyes seeing them live on stage! It's like a dream come true and I believed the crowd felt the same too. Seeing through the masses and the giant screen as well, I could see Yoona in her white, leather outfit. It is her!

As only Tiffany and Jessica are fluent in English, they represented the whole team when engaging with the fans. It also noted that Yuri wasn't there due to scheduling conflicts. Nevertheless, both of them (especially Tiffany) wowed fans with flirty interactions and even said "Kami cinta Malaysia!" at their conclusion.

They started the Hallyu craze with their latest hit, The Boys. Wow, what a bang! And the song really described us, the boys to check them out! (B-bring the boys out!) 

Next up, they performed one of their well-known number, Genie (Tell Me Your Wish). The chanting of sowaneul malhaebwa (tell me your wish) soared the plaza.

Run Devil Run was next, and this song was performed darker just like its music video counterpart.

Then it was Hoot and fans imitated the archery dance movement portrayed in the music clip, while sang along to the chants of "trouble-trouble-trouble."

After a while, the group interacted with fans with Sooyoung even mentioned "saya suka Malaysia" which was followed by MR. TAXI to rousing crowd. Most people recognised the original MR. TAXI in Japanese, but the girls performed the Korean version of the song. Well, who cared, we all sang as well.

Prior to performing their last number, Tiffany represented the group thanking the sponsors, organisers and loyal fans. No longer able to contain fans' excitement, Tiffany asked fans to guess their final song and as expected, it was their worldwide sensation and craze, Gee.

Gee is my favourite of all SNSD songs and I can even do the Gee dance. And singing to the song really made my week... and I can't believe that I joined the fans to sing and dance along with the girls on the plaza. The Gee-Gee-Gee-Baby-Baby-Baby lines were heard across, and became a ringing tune in my head for a few days.

Here's the fancam of Gee. Hear the fans in there.

Upon the conclusion, fans applauded with an encore request, but sadly they had to go.  As soon as they stepped down, a large portion of crowd left the plaza. Wow, the SNSD factor was so great that it could bring fans together in a large number, such as in this debut concert. We got to scrap the plan to see them off at the airport as we struggled to get through crowded underground rail station and cramps on legs.

For me, it was an unforgettable night to see the girls live in their Malaysian debut. I hope that the girls will come again as I believe many others hoping as well. Never ever I saw a large following of a K-pop group such as them, even though there were other groups, most notably the Wonder Girls, already came to our soil for concerts.

Oppareul saranghae!

D is the letter of the day

At school, D is a mark of failure. At work, D is the same.

My thought of the day, when I was asked about the new direction of my organisation:

"Dictation and direction stand on two different definitions and descriptions. A person who directs does not necessarily dictates but a person who dictates does directs those who direct to dictate. A person who does direction and dictation could probably be both dictator and director. Furthermore, a direction of a dictation can be dictated as well as dictation of direction must be directed according to the direction stated in the dictation. Having accomplished such comprehension and execution of these, one may conclude to be either director or dictator; only a few successfully become absolute dictators."

- RS Iskandar, 2012.

Too much of dees as my head is still thinking of uncouth actions that happened lately.

"February was great, a great leap indeed."

The month of February 2012 will soon pass and Malaysian-born Italy player, Rocco Iskandar is more than pleased despite overshadowed by the sudden resignation of his beloved big boss to another corporation, he was happy for all he has achieved. Here are some of his response to our reporters about his views on the departing month. 

"Having a good breakfast with newspapers aside marks a bright start of the day. Turning into each page is like climbing on career stairs, years to years with best performance and achievements. At the end of the day, you'll have a hearty dinner and coming to the end of a page of your favourite book/magazine of the day, you realized that all are completed and you are ready to embark on a new beginning the next day. Thank you for everything, my big boss and wonder how my career steps would be easy as having breakfast."

A multicultural person (he claimed), he spoke about the festivities that occured in February:

"Today marks a special occasion of cherishing and celebrating the life and legacy of our dearest messenger of Allah, Muhammad SAW. Let us praise, remember and love him in our daily lives, prayers and actions. May Allah SWT bless our beloved Rasulullah SAW."

"Oh yes, today is Chap Goh Mei. Yesterday was Mawlid, tomorrow is Thaipusam. For single girls out there, be sure to throw your lokam into rivers and make your dream partner wishes. A week of festivities and all charged for coming working days."

His opinion on hotly debated Valentine's Day wasn't well-received by some quarters, as he described:

"Okay, so today is Valentine's Day, the so-called day to celebrate love at mega scale. So they say. And some friends are celebrating their birthdays today, too. So, happy birthday to them. See, I believe in whatever I believe. I hold none to whatever people say or think but whoever wants to celebrate the day, go ahead (those who aren't, let's cheer up). No one has the right to stop people to celebrate the day. In fact, I can't see why these so-called religious police make a big fuss over media every year... well, too bad. Vices happen everyday, every time, everywhere. It's all depends on you. Anyway, spread the love and care to all... and yes, I need a girlfriend."

At one particular session, he was asked by the media on his way to spend a morning with style:

"Inspired by Milan's victorious 4-0 mauling of Arsenal at San Siro, I had morning run and panting from exhaustion, will jog for a while before running again. Man, this week is quite tough and I love every minute of it. Weight training later on before having light breakfast at home." 

On being asked about his take on social and education problems in Malaysia:

"It all starts from home. It is paramount to uphold to family values and nurture your kids throughout their life. Never stop your children's creativity; let them explore their talents and interests. Teach them essential values of life, survival skills, enrich their knowledge and reach, get their tongue well-articulated to master at least three languages, stimulate their brains with music and mathematics, taking good care of their health and well-being, entertain and answer their questions and curiosities accordingly... all done in your own fashion. I have envisaged my well-designed parental development so my children would grow up appreciating life, culture, social and realism well. They are expected not to be typical Malays. And I believe my long standing 'Go International' motto is my best motivation."

Describing his hectic day of work, he pointed:

"The Copywriting Executive Officer (CEO) of a leading newspaper company (and also part of national media conglomerate) is engaged in few project discussions and client meetings for potential national building, privatization and revenue purposes. Therefore, all communications can only be accomplished occasionally via Twitter or SMS."

He is also a fan of communism (in theory, at least) and his views on communism songs:

"I always have a little fascination towards socialism and communism. Hmm. Listening to communism songs has been my daily dose nowadays."

Asking about how the week will be spent, he added:

"Week 8, 2012 will soon pass. It has been a tremendous week with lots of tasks: management and creative meetings, in-house planning; editing, writing and drafting copies, creative touch-ups and occasional hiccups here and there. The situation is getting better with more ideas and initiatives being undertaken for firm orders and commitments. And I feel so alive and focused after a random weekend, superimposing fun and daily puffy sessions with my girls. Looking forward for a trip to saloon, the AC Milan-Juventus showdown and Melaka retreat. Phew, what a week!"

On the controversial Serie A match between AC Milan vs Juventus in San Siro:

"It was an electrifying, heart-wrenching, high-profiled and controversial game. Should have been a win in our favour, if not for dubious refereeing overlook. Both teams played in fast, organised tempo to outshine each other but forced to settle for a draw. We are still on top with a point gap but the Bianconeri have a match in hand. Despite whatever, the Rossoneri were sparkling."

Phew, what a lengthy interview. And his imaginary girlfriend is bitingly smiling over.

Valentine Ke Apa Ni?

Semalam sebilangan umat manusia yang rasa hidupnya lengkap meraikan Hari Kekasih untuk tahun 2012 ni. Tarikh jatuhnya tetap sama kerana penetapan 'hari bersejarah' tidak memerlukan kaedah rukyah dan hisab. Pelik pula aku sebab dalam bahasa antarabangsa, Hari Kekasih dikenali sebagai Valentine's Day. Kenapa tak disebut Lovers' Day atau Hari Valentine saja (eat that, so-called religious police!) pun tak aku ketahui.

Okay entri aku ni mungkin ada sikit bias dan sedih sikit kot sebab dikala aku menulis aku baru menonton filem Valentine's Day (serius aku suka) dan mendengar lagu-lagu meruntun jiwa dendangan Kate Walsh.

Dulu I used to celebrate Valentine's Day, kononnya meriah sibuk nak berboyfriend-girlfriend. Nak tunjuk sayang cinta segala. Nak mengukuhkan perasaan cinta terhadap yang tersayang. Dari zaman sekolah sampai nak menginjak ke zaman matrikulasi, aku sambut hari yang kononnya penuh magikal ni. Bila fikir balik, bodoh pulak join sekaki kawan-kawan masa tu.

Well, itu dulu. Sekarang aku tak ambil peduli pun. Bukan sebab aku benci atau takde girlfriend tapi aku ada reason tersendiri.

Aku tak nak sentuh bab sejarah atau yang ada kaitan dengan agama. Pada aku itu pegangan masing-masing. Nak jadi macam PAS yang sibuk nak sekat sana sini aku peduli apa. Pandai buat pandailah cover. Aku ni berfikiran sosialis sikit. Sosialis yang berlandaskan agama.

Oh yes, I am looking for a life partner.

(Aku tak boleh tidur sebenarnya ni, hence the writing).

Overdue

It's February and lots of things happened for the past three weeks. Since the end of January, I'd been a bit slow in blogging and wrote a lot in Twitter and notes. I'll put up some thoughts I've written later on.

Okay weeks of long weekends have ended. First off, the Chinese New Year holiday. I wasn't really into Xie Nian Kuai Le this year as I usually did but nevertheless the Year of Water Dragon promises to be something good for me. So it seems. Went for some unplanned, fun East Coast trip sans Kelantan, from Kuantan to Kuala Terengganu. Yes, three years in a row of Kuala Terengganu trip (congrats Isz!) and this time I went with my parents. Driving all the way up and stay at Primula was relaxing but the scorching coastal heat was killing. But somehow the trip was fun; we even had our makan besar a day before Xie Nian Kuai Le at our favorite Muslim-Chinese restaurant at Kuantan (and yes, the Chinese shirt I wore was awesome, at least to myself).

The second long weekend was spent nowhere else but Melaka with family as well. And taking into account that I was quite broke (so early?) and got some creative work to do, the weekend was rather mild. This long weekend, in conjunction with Maulidur Rasul and Thaipusam really got me lazy. Unlike those East Coast escapade, this one was dwelling the same as I usually run into: having ikan bakar at the beachfront, going to city centre and what not. Ending my mild weekend was an ice-cream date with my dear schoolmate over creative discussion and gossips, as well as satisfying my crave for nasi ayam at Keramat.

Work wise, was quite slow. It came to me that after all this while, I could turn my creativity into revenue or profit, should I know where to get them. I began to weigh my consideration to seek other better employment at prestigious advertising agencies to pursue my career further. I do have some disagreements and frustration over some matters at office but still can be managed. After all, I have been working for nearly five years and achieve a lot... but not much.

I have been ranting a lot in my notes and Twitter, lately. Perhaps in one of many entries, I'll post them. And like my friend said, "creativity is boundless; no idea is stupid." 

Well anyway, Happy Chap Goh Mei, Salam Maulidur Rasul and Thaipusam. And hopefully this February promises more luck and opportunities. And get ready for some exciting work-related stress.