The last time i updated my skin was on Yochan's 43rd birthday, and a year had passed. I'm glad that his surgery went fine and i hope he's recovering well. Don't neglect your therapy, Yochan, and hope to see you next year in China ^^
God bless your abundantly!!
(o^___^o)
love,
ekkusu
NAVIGATION ELEMENTS for phase 4.1:
TVfXQ - blog entries
Always - chat and wishlist
Keep - blog links
The - profile
Faith - past skins
Ekkusu no Identity
A fan of JRock music and bands. Most favourite band of all time: the legendary band, X Japan.
Loves its leader, drummer, pianist and main composer, Hayashi Yoshiki , usually called Yoshiki.
Loves one of X's guitarists, Matsumoto hideto, or usually called hide, and
one of the best vocalist I've ever heard, Deyama Toshimitsu, or usually called Toshi.
july 2007 marks a time when there'll be a lot of things happening. i never thought that i'll dread the time i have to go back to jakarta, but this time i do. oh well, may i have a great holiday too in jakata.
as usual, i'm not sure of my internet connection there, so if all goes well i'll update once and again, if not, see you all on 31st july~
hana, signing off, 15jul07.
2:41 pm
unspoken words of gratitude....
today's really my last day working at rasa sentosa for, at least, 1 and a half month. i never expected myself to say this but i felt really really sad to be leaving, i'm gonna miss the people a lot. i've only been working for around 5-6 weeks, and the first few days were like really tough, but as the time passes and i got to know more things and more people, it was starting to be really really fun. i'm gonna miss them all so much...
i wanted to say thank you to everyone who've helped me and made my days at rasa sentosa a really enjoyable time, but it felt really awkward to be saying such mushy things to them, it's so not me(!)... so, these unspoken words, i'll just post them here just to tell these people that i appreciate them very, very much indeed.
- firstly and most importantly, harry who've brought me into the hotel and had been so kind as to lend me a helping hand every so often during the (rare) time we were working together. - secondly, and not less importantly, willy, whom, since my very first day, had been my most dependable guide and tutor, street directory (inside the hotel), teacher and friend all in one go. thanks so much for teaching me so many things (written or unwritten, offcial or unofficial) wil! you're still the best barman i've worked with in the hotel!!! ^__^ - kok yong for being a good friend and tutor too, and for always taking things easy and always reassuring that everything'll be fine ^__^ good luck in your fireman duty, kok yong!! - chin for teaching me many things too, including how to set up a table properly on my very first day itself, and for always being wise, calm and steady even during times of urgency, for being the 'father figure' who always give reassurance and put our minds at ease, and for never getting angry (at least not to the point of shouting, and not to me either). it has always been the greatest pleasure to work under you, chin! - uncle weng (sorry, the 'uncle' title just stick to you xD) for teaching me many things too and for making the days i work at rasa sentosa some of the most fun times i've spent in the hotel. eventhough sometimes i'm scared at your harsh orderings when time was pressing, and rather put off by the choice of words you love to use when getting pissed, you're still one who've created the most laughter(either for being the initiator, or the object of the laughter itself xD) and i'm gonna miss laughing at/with you more than most of everything else in the hotel. next time (when i'm rich) buy you a GPS system for your car, uncle ^^ - xiaoying for teaching me everything i need to know about the coffee station, including how to operate the coffee machine and to handle coffee breaks session. thank you also for the helping hand during my 2nd chinese set dinner, and for always be willing to teach and answer any questions that i have regardless of its stupidity. - anges for not getting angry at my very first major blunder made at the hotel (spilling juice) and instead was concerned about my well-being rather than the circumstances surrounding my mistake itself. thank you, i was really relieved and touched. - shavin for being one of the nicer, and more caring and pleasant and approachable, captains to work with and for teaching how to fold hat napkin ^^ - kim for many miscellaneous help given throughout the time i got to know you and for being a very concerned friend and leader. ganbatte learning, ahz, didi! - joyce for always being patient at instructing and for being a very pleasant captain (whether to look or to work with) all the time ^^ - jing-jing for teaching how to fold fan napkin and for always giving the assurance that 'it's ok'. 'see no evil', right, jing-jing? ^^ - ric for being the only steward i can comfortably say "hi!" to and try to talk to, eventhough sometimes we still don't understand each other well, you're the most friendly and unafraid to communicate with me of all the other stewards! - sun, aka wunan, for teaching me many things too and for being a fun friend to talk to and laugh and gossip with ^^ it was a great pleasure to work with you, sun! may we see each other more often in school! - hisham for being a solid dependable senior whenever you are there and for being friendly! it's always good to see another friendly face! - sean aka daniel aka both names, for 'introducing' me to my very first pre-chinese set dinner and for handling most of everything while i cower in the corner. haha, i'm just kidding =P thanks for being friendly and easy-going and for letting the terrified me have an easier time on that particular chinese set dinner. - cairen (did i get your name right??) for being one of the very few tcc guys whom i can depend on for help! - bin-bin for teaching about coffee/tea/hot water station at the back and how to clean them up and for providing answer whenever possible. - and finally, mr C, for being a motivator for me coming to work for the last several weeks (and for being the initiator of my crazy antics of waiting at harbour front for more than an hour waiting for practically nothing) and for being pleasant and for being one of the very few people in the hotel whom i can comfortably (and naturally) speak good englsih to.
i think i miss out some people here and there, people whom i still don't know pretty well or people whom i seldom interact with but i have had interacted with them, and for these people i apologise sincerely and thank you, nevertheless, for being a part of my great working experience at rasa sentosa. will miss you all a lot and hopefully i can come back soon =)
thank you. it was a great pleasure to be able to work with you all!
1:50 am
Monday, 11 June 2007
French Open title is Nadal's, again
it's been over a year since the very first time of me watching the final of Federer-Nadal, and the best match of the two that i've seen til today was still at Internazionale d'Italia championship which lasted 5 sets and ended up with Nadal as the winner. eventhough before that i had watched a little bit of tennis here and there, mostly female championships, and i've taken a liking at Federer's playing, it was that particular match that drew my attention to the tennis world more than any other matches had done.
in particular, what i remembered about that match, Internazionale d'Italia, was that: i started the match by rooting for Federer. i remembered cheering him on and feeling jubilant when he scored. and yet, as the match went on, i noticed that his opponent, an unfamiliar (for me, at that time) player called Nadal, was extremely good too, and i was especially impressed by his stamina and the way he kept chasing ball after ball. he's like super energetic on the court, full of energy and vigour, while Federer was the more calm one, the skillful and more arty, perhaps, in his playing.
by the midset, i found myself cheering for both of them, and by the very last set, when Nadal was losing to Federer, i started leaning more towards Nadal than Federer. gomen, Federer!
anyway! both of them are still my favourite players today. some of you will say, "easy for you to say, they're the world no1 and 2, who wouldn't like them?" to which i will humbly agree with, coz i'm really still quite a noob in tennis, though a year had passed since i began paying more attention to it.
however! more recently, i think i'm beginning to root more for Nadal than Federer. no offense for Federer, but i think i like to see Nadal's dynamic games, his jumping and running about everywhere coz it's more physical to see than Federer's skillful and artistic play ^^;;;
a few days ago i made a mental note that today was going to be the French Final, and the 2 candidates that are most likely to meet in finals are my favourite players, and later on it was confirmed so. BUT today and yesterday happened to be the days when i decided to do something incredibly pointless (merry, mira, joyce and harry might say stupid, mad, or crazy, or stalking...) that i became really tired and forgotten all about it. only when koko sms-ed me, "eh French Open Final is now!" that i went, "oh shyt!! i forgot!!! hurry hurry hurry home!!"
i missed the first 2 sets, completely, and they were in the middle of the 3rd when i started watching, thanks to the fact that i overslept on the bus and missed my bus stop >.<
koko kept saying that Federer was making sooo many unforced errors, which i agree too. it was obvious that he wasn't playing at his optimum condition, which is really a pity. perhaps he was under such a great sress and pressure, the pressure to win and add his name to some historical record, the pressure to win against Nadal at least once on clay, or something...
throughout, i was again torn in between the 2. on one hand i wanted Federer to create that history, but on the other, i wanted Nadal to create HIS history too. my brother, of course, was rooting for Federer. he was like saying, "it's now or never, man. next year he'll get older and it'll be harder to win," to which i said, "ah, what's one more year. maybe he'll win next year," and to which he replied, "he gets better but Nadal will also get better, and so will so many other younger players. it'll get harder and harder for him to win. next year Nadal will be 22. around 23-24 he'll be totally unbeatable..."
to which i see his point. this year, Nadal is just 21, and he'd won 3 French Opens (my goodness...) and age 23-24 is believed (by my brother) to be the best age for a tennis player, and i don't doubt that Nadal would be an even more formidable opponent then, with more experience that he gets, and of course the sky doesn't look too bright for Federer then.
and still, knowing that, i still hoped Nadal would win... *sigh* seems like the king on clay is my favourite player now.
Nadal, congratulations!! Federer, you're still the best though ^^
Wimbledon Open, ganbatte to both players!!! may you meet in finals again, and may Federer win his 5th Wimbledon title, or Nadal to win his 1st Wimbledon title!
i'm watching Gokusen, 7 episodes devoured in 2 days. nat, i still don't know which is yamappi... but i know that i'm falling in love with Matsujun in this serial! he's oh-so-cute here, compared to his ugh-disgusting character in Hanayori Dango =P
4:48 am
Friday, 8 June 2007
Jean-Baptiste Maunier et Clemence - Concerto Pour Deux Voix
mini fondue all by myself~~
my auntie just bought a box of strawberries the other day. before that she asked if i like strawberries, i said i like if it's dipped into chocolate ^^)v then she really bought it and asked how to make the chocolate coz she didn't really understand. i said, it's ok, i can make the melted chocolate.
i have some leftover slabs of chocolates that i bought like last year at the airport. great chance to finish them off. i've been having mini fondue party in my room for the last 2 days, dark chocolate fondue and white chocolate fondue... heavenly~~ ^^;;; eventhough there was only strawberries (no kiwis, bananas and apples like when we have fondue at lin's place) it was still heavenly~~
it was really easy to make. just get a big bowl (i used the bowl used to eat noodles) and a smaller bowl (i used the bowl used to drink soup) that can be fitted into the big bowl. pour hot water into the big bowl and put the smaller bowl into it and just put some chocolate pieces into the smaller bowl, crush the chocolate with forks (just to make it faster to melt) and tadaaah~~ you have your own melted chocolate in 15 minutes (depending on how hot yout water is, how heat-condusive your bowl is, and how easy to melt your chocolate is)
i still have some chocolates leftover. maybe i should buy my own strawberries ^^
yosh~ tomorrow have some important mission to do, hopefully i suceed ^^)v merr, mi, wish me luck, ne??? ^______^
been listening to the Concerto Pour Deux Voix, Jean-Baptiste Maunier and Clemence again. nat, this was the song i asked you to download from JB's official website the other time, Song Without Words, that i was so, so so so impressed with when i listened to it, especially at Maunier's voice. his voice is truly what people would call "voice of an angel"!!!
i forgot that youtube exist. you can easily watch the video from there! what surprised me was that there were so many performances of the same song!! O.O i bet it was huuugely popular, this song, when it came out in France! the one that i watched first was with a huuge choir singing at the background, but there are also others with no choir at the background, and their voices both could be heard clearer:
Jean-Baptiste Maunier et Clemence - Concerto pour deux Voix
*fangirlish mode over JB Maunier* if you watch closely, which i think you CAN'T unless you look for the pictures on the web, you'd notice that while Clemence's eyes are turqoise in colour, Jean-Baptiste's are green! *___*
10:44 pm
Thursday, 7 June 2007
JDrama comment: Nodame Cantabile Lesson 5
aaaackk!!!! Rachmaninov!!!!!!!!!! THAT's the piece included inside Yoshiki Selection!!! THAT was the piece which accompanied Yoshiki's drum solo at The Last Live!!!!!!!!!
what i love about this serial, apart from Chiaki's gorgeous drool-able presence, is that i can learn and listen more about classical pieces!!
btw... why is chiaki always in whit shirt and black pants? he looks so working-uncle-ish -_-;; though a drop-dead-gorgeous one at that ^^;;;
i like the S-Oke, i think Mine is really cool =) and i pity the fact that Chiaki isn't inside...
arhhhh i like his deep voiceeeeee ^^
who is richijou? i keep wondering, since first episode, where have i seen her before.... she was playing as..someone's mother, if not some teacher, if i'm not mistaken, from some JDrama... but i can't remember!!!! who is richijou??????
aww.... one chiaki for me too pleasee??? *starry eyed* his narrowed-eyes and twitched lips when irritated is so cuteeee =DD
*gasped* 10,000 yen!!!! to go to a freakin convenience store!!!!!! *grabs chiaki* he's MINE!!! as in MY PROPERTY!!! (not mine-kun) buahahahahaha *evil laughter* XDD
teeheeheeehee his "yosh!!" after thrwing that thing away made me laugh xDDD
it's rather endearing the way chiaki keeps getting mad at nodame but yet at the same time he didn't refuse the movie she made, the food she made, didn't even asked her to go back to her own house but only asked "why are you here" ^^
wooow~~~ THAT was nice!!!
*goes off to classicalarchives to look for beethoven no.7* =DDDD
nyaaaah!! nat, i like him more than your junichi liao bwahahahahaha xDDDDD
... i won't admit it... that black weirdly-accented dirty old man is still annoying!!!
chiaki's really getting cooler by the episodes ^^ i really like his lips =D
anyway, nodame's lemon in honey is so funny xD usually they cut the lemon into small pieces before putting them in honey, but she put whole lemon inside xD how's chiaki supposed to eat???
wah... that guy sure can say some real cruel things at times... though it's the truth... somehow i remember something that Tang said to sniffy that resembles that "if by working to earn school fees in the end making you neglecting the school work itself, what's the use of going to school?"
teeheehee.... VERY anime-lised, really. their reactions, and also the inner-voice of chiaki speaking at such timing =P
okay, i've found my favourite character! that violin guy!!! wahahaha *dun even know the name* he's funny, adorable, not disgusting, not lame, energetic, and simply adorable =DDDD
okay, maybe the second favourite. chiaki's too charming to be put aside ^^;;;;;; and nodame's too idiotic to be put second -_-;;;
and...since the start of the series, i never liked that dirty black old man with accented japanese... evnthough he might turn out to be pretty cool or good in the end, doesn't change the fact that he's annoying me as hell...
i start to see the pattern in the serial. chiaki, who's supposed to be very good at what he's doing and he, too, believes that he's very good at what he's doing, is forced to adjust to other people's not-so-good way of doing things by telling himself that he's "good enough to adjust to whatever" the other person is playing, and by doing so he learns more about other people, abour other styles, and letting his playing style to develop.
well at least that's what i've seen in these 2 episodes =P
overall: i can get hooked to chiaki... his "what am i doing?" and the way he's caring for nodame is very...funny and cute =DDD like when mine suggesting that chiaki would move abroad after graduation and he didn't deny it and nodame went stiff at his back and then slumped sideways, causing him to almost stumble, but he acted as though it was nothing...
this serial is weird... very anime-lised... but also pretty cool =)
first impression: ........... *sweats* ........... *yawns* ............. *shudders at chiaki* ............. *yawn* .............. *looks at the time bar**yawns* ............. i'm not impressed.... can i last a few more episodes???? the guy looks like junichi sometimes (honest, nat, he DOES) but other times he looks plain ugly and irritating....
2nd impression: (at nodame's 1st appearace, her running after stealing food) .... lame....
3rd impression: (at piano performances, chiaki's amd nodame's) nice! i guess i'll be watching the show for the sake of listening to more piano pieces -_-;;
4th impression: (at nodame's 1st face appearance, squatting down beside a drunken chiaki, "nantoka-senpai...") LOL!!! <--- my FIRST laugh! she's very pretty O.O
5th impression: (at nodame's little small heart when she saw chiaki's face) awww, cute =D
6th impression: (at nodame's "senpai!!! beruto!!) LOL! she acts cute without looking acting-cute! i like her!!
7th impression: (at chiaki cooking his nantoka-pasta or macaroni and being pleased at getting praised) LOL! okay, now the show is getting fun =D
wait for more good news! ^_^
edited:
i love the way they include Tchaikovsky's cute piece (if i'm not mistaken it's from the nutcracker, dance of the reeds? or something...) when there's cute scene. MORE TCHAIKOVSKY PLEASEEEEEEEEEE!!!!
japanese female actresses are great in acting cute withOUT looking act-cute (like most local actresses can do extremely well *blehh*) so i generally like them better than the actors =P
teeheehee, i love it when nodame changed the melody of her part of the sonata to sound so sad xD
LOOL i really like it, everytime chiaki goes on doing something caring and ended up saying ... "what am i doing, really...?" xD
... w..o..w.... i LOVE that!! *goes to classicalarchives to look for mozart's 2 piano sonata*
prologue: before watching the show, i've seen the cover of the manga and i saw the thumbnails for the anime, and both aren't gorgeous. moreover i don't like having people asking me to watch something, and obachan and qkho's vehement suggestion that i watch just put my mind further away from the drama =p
however due to tonight's special situation (today's my last working day at rasa sentosa, i guess, more or less...) and due to the fact that crunchyroll website is among the only websites saved (koko's doing, definitely, for i'm watching under his username, just as hany watch youtube under mine) since when i last rebooted my comp (like 3 days ago?) i clicked on it for the sake of convenience and searched for the drama.
i have absolutely no expectation for the drama... might be good? might be bad...? but, i just got nothing to do, despite the fact that it's 4am in the morning, and so i began watching.
before today, i've done most of the things that most waiters/resses had done at least once in their lifetime as a waiter/ress:
- dropping stuff (s) but not spilling anything - dropping stuff(s) and spilling something - dropping stuff(s) but not breaking the thing(s)
and today i've completed the series by doing:
- dropping stuff(s) and breaking the thing(s)
i know my left wrist had been experiencing pain for quite sometime, i guess since i started serving cocktails, and the pain had been building up. but i only realised today that my right wrist is now experiencing some pain too when lifting heavy stuff. which was why when lifting the tray laden with juice glasses i wasn't too steady and dropped some...
some people might proudly announce that they've only broken one thing, others might proudly show off that they've dropped more, but me, i must shamefully bow my head and admit that on this single ocassion, the number of glasses that i dropped was no less than:
roku
o.O --> what the hell?!?!? (for those who understand what it means) o.O --> what the hell?!???(for those who don't understand what it means)
anyway... as i cleared the glass shards, i was reminded forcibly of a scene in the manga Alice 19th when alice broke coffee cup and kyou was there and helped her and it lead to a really romantic scene...
unfortunately, i must add with a heavy sigh, my prince charming wasn't there T__T or, may i hint, he wasn't working. the only witness to my mishap was Ric the steward. he even cautioned me to be careful when he saw my fingers. what a waste of 2 good drips of blood, for i cut myself in 2 places. stewarding staffs, please pardon me if you see blood smears in your broom or dustpan, coz when i was sweeping the rest of the shards i think i smeared my blood everywhere -_-;;;
oh, no big cuts, i can't even see the cut at all right now =p
by the way, i think mira is jinxed by 'the bad fairy of the busy days'... coz when i'm working with her, even during weekdays, it seems like there are a lot of things to do in a rush, whileas when i'm not working with her (like today and monday) it seems like there are a lot of things to do but not in a rush, thus giving the impression that the day was a relaxing one... o.O mi, you need to pray more xD
1:42 am
Tuesday, 5 June 2007
expensive hobby
know what is expensive hobby?
JRock.
just last sunday, during D'Japan Streetfest, i spent 130 bucks on: Dahlia pamphlet (45bucks), X JAPAN RETURNS booklet (45 bucks), FEATURE magazine (edition 1st june 1999) with Yoshiki on cover page and SHOXX magazine (edition march 1997, vol 49) with Yoshiki on cover page to make up the rest. it seem like this JRock hobby of mine is made up of mostly my Yoshiki hobby. but i have a bad feeling that soon Yoshiki and X Japan would no longer make up the bulk of my spending. my JRock hobby is expanding and growing in a slightly alarming rate (would you consider spending 470bucks in 2 weeks on CDs and magazines something normal?)
and you know what hobby that supports the growth of this JRock hobby?
youtube-ing.
it's so easy to listen to new JRock songs from new bands (not to mention most of them are accompanied by PVs or MVs or even live performances!) and to get hooked to these bands and to start wishing for their albums (if anyone noticed, X Japan albums are no longer the top of my wishlist but Raphael's), which are by far more expensive than normal western albums and...
... to discover that...Mana is no longer alone in his goth style... and he's no longer the only one who looks more girl than most girl i know... and he's no longer the only one whose guitar-goth-style i like a lot...
some might know who's the person i'm talking about already... if this person is not a newbie in the JRock world, i'm not surprised, but unfortunately due to my own ignorance i didn't know he exists until i visited Dance Macabre website.
ladies and gentlemen, introducing to you my new-found, more-girl-than-most-girl, fast-goth-able guitarist whose style i really like: HIZAKI.
Hizaki Grace Project - Philosopher
i still don't know anything at all about Hizaki except the fact that his guitar solo in the song above made me gape silly and went "...wow!" i admit that the video style isn't too much to my liking, it feels..amateurish and rather silly-Mana-ish, but the song is fantastic! and, Dixanadu fans might kill me for this, but i still like Juka's voice if compared to Seth's o.O!!
Hizaki Grace Project album will be soon added to my CD wishlist, i'm afraid... and, if they don't reinvent themselves soon, Moi dix Mois will be overtaken by Hizaki Grace Project at 4th place of my favourite bands list too, i'm afraid...
7:58 pm
Monday, 4 June 2007
X FANS ROCKED THE YOUTH PARK DURING D'JAPAN STREETFEST 07!!!!
today i have offday, and although the means of getting it wasn't something that i'm proud of *coughlastminutecancellationcough* i feel that i needed it, quite desperately, coz the last chinese set dinner left me pretty drained and quite traumatised *if you have an afternoon free, maybe you could sit down and listen to me lament on and on about being ineffective and incompetent and clumsy and whatnots to handle 2 tables in one go, even with the ocassional help from kind souls around me* yesterday i went to the bar like twice and got nothing from willy, coz i didn't order any, i just needed a few seconds off to shed some of the stress, and then back into the ballroom with a frozen smile on my face. once i was ready to cry, if only there were 2 minutes to spare, which fortunately there wasn't, so i managed to keep on going til the end without breaking down. banzai, hana!
but in spite of being an offday, my body didn't receive enough rest as it should. instead, i was trying to find rest for my mind -_-;; which was why last night, i mean morning, after coming back from work, bathed and everything, i made a cup of coffee, get a bowl of fruits and opened up a new Agatha Christie novel Taken At The Flood, and started reading. it calmed my nerves a lot. next week, bring it on!! i'll be back in full vigour!!
anyway, let me relate what happened today that leads to the title of the update: X FANS ROCKED THE YOUTH PARK!!
today hany's going off. so after reading til around 7-8, i went to sleep for a couple of hours and woke up and send her off to the airport, together with koko too. friday was koko's birthday *HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY KO!!!* *oops, so slow...* which i couldn't spend with him coz i was working (and so was he, actually) so today we went to eat at Sakae Sushi at the airport. harry came with a birthday cake. it was pretty nice of them to let us have a mini celebration inside the restaurant, i guess this is what customers call 'flexibility', huh? cheers for Sakae Sushi! we couldn't finish the whole cake, so we gave like a quarter to the staff, haha =P
hany went off, me, koko and harry took the bus home. slept the whole journey from airport to suntec coz all of us were really quite tired. at suntec, me and koko changed bus, harry went on. when we JUST almost reached the bus stop home, harry sms-ed me.
"hana! got cosplay at somerset! got naruto!"
to which i slapped my forehead and gaped silly. oh shyt!! this is like the 3rd of june! street festival!! D'Japan Party!!!!!!!!!!!! the event that me and joyce had been talking about for months!!!!!!!!! and i absolutely, utterly, completely forgotten ALL about it!!!!!!! goodness gracious me.....
thinking fast... i called the first people that came to my mind who'd MOST probably be able and want to come with me: obachan and joyce. i called joyce, i got koko to call obachan. joyce didn't pick up phone but nata did. anyway koko was trying to get her and qkho to eat dinner at his birthday treat. obachan was like, "huh? i got church at 6, but if i go now can la." to which i was like, "yes!! i'll see you later at somerset!!"
went home, rummaged wardrobe, nothing appropriate to wear, took the t-shirt i made for ina's class and wore it, picked the vest i made for tang's class but it made me looked so fat (koko said) so i kept it in my bag. koko went to westmall to pick his jeans and i went to meet nata.
youthpark, normal place to have D'Japan Party, was swelteringly hot *bleah*. as i walked there i saw a Reita, apparent from his nose-cover, and he was pretty cool! when i reached, i saw so many people cosplaying, much more than the last D'Japan Party that i went in 2005 i guess, but i was in no mood to start asking people to take picture with me. either i was too tired, or i was just feeling too hot, or the combination of both.
i saw a Misa-misa, which i still thought was cosplayed better by joyce, a seemingly-Mana though i dunno for sure who was she cosplaying as, a really eye-catching Ryuk, a party of Bleach shinigamis consisting of a Yamichika, a captain and another shinigami whom i wasn't paying too much attention to, due to the fact that i was completely distracted by the Renji who was carrying his/her own Zabimaru in Bankai form O.O~ wow!
there were some great looking people whom i dunno who they were cosplaying as, and some girls wearing all cutesy dress and excessive acessories in Harajuku-girls style, but other than that i saw nobody whom i'd be desperate enough to ask for a picture, no Yoshiki, no hide, no eye-catching Mana, no one. a pity, huh? perhaps i should've come yesterday too.
anyway, what's D'Japan Party without some music? there were some band on stage, i wasn't paying attention to the songs until they started on Janne da Arc's Shining Ray, followed by Gackt's Wasurenaikara, after which i started feeling lighter and want to rock. obachan went to church and i lingered around, planning to just stay at the back and waved my hands at the bands from a distance when..........
the MC announced something about a band *i didn't catch the name at that time but i confirmed later on* called Slapshock and the singer was saying, "because our bassist is a big fan of X Japan and we named the band after him..." after which i threw away my drinks and went to the front. guess what?
it's Lola!! and Ricky!! and the rest of the members were like a blur. i'm so sorry coz i was only familiar with those two and everytime they performed i got too high until all details and looks and faces are forgotten. but there was the same guitarist whom if i remember correctly (though i doubt i did) was there when they were Eden of Rebirth in 2005, though i don't remember the other guitarist. but i perfectly knew they have a new keyboardist, and either EoR vocalist had improved a lot since 2005 or they had a new vocalist too. anyway, details weren't important, what's important is THEY ROCK!!!!! BIG TIME!!!!! and the fans too!!!!!!!
i'm sure if Yoshiki was there, he'd be so proud of X fans in singapore being so united.
as i walked to the front, i saw about 3 cosplaying girls also scurried to the front, and though we didn't talk to each other we were being pretty high there at the back, screaming, waving and all. and i made friend with a girl at my right, shu xin, in the middle of the performance ^^
the vocalist was really good with the audience, he was very engaging, not to mention able to sing really well. he asked us to come closer (about 50? or 60 people perhaps?) to which we obediently did, and then they started rocking, and we started screaming!!
they opened with Rusty Nail. i remembered the last D'Japan party when i was feeling too timid to raise my hand and wave (like the stabbing motion) and people around me were also shy and in the end i felt bad about not giving them my best cheer. this time, i didn't care about whta others might think, some crazy girl with village-girl hairstyle and nerdy specs behaving like lunatics perhaps, i was determined to rock and cheer and scream with them and be as high as their performance could make me. and, man, what a performance! it was brilliant!!
Rusty Nail was a great song to be cheering and waving at, and i did, and so were the other girls around me. it was like a warm-up for the fans to start jumping and throw their timidity aside and to just ROCK!! second song, Weekend, wasn't so fun for cheering, though their performance was still brilliant, and i was still waving. keyboardist, great job! i loved the piano solo, though the sound of the keyboard got a bit drowned in the midst of other sounds. by Kurenai, i was screaming and yelling my voice hoarse and sweating like mad xD i love it!! they just got better and better!!
i was quite surprised when they brought out Endless Rain, pleasantly surprised, of course. during D'Japan Party 2005 they brought out the rock songs, but of course X is not X without their beautiful ballads! Endless Rain was fun too, coz most of the people there started waving their hands to the left and right. some faltered after sometime, but i think we at the back were pretty much steady throughout the song (of maybe just me?) and another great thing was: we all sang together with the vocalist!
"endless rain, fall on my heart, kokoro no kizu ni let me forget, all of the hate all of the sadness..."
we all sang, and i could hear our voice even among the loudness of the music, and it was a fantastic feeling!! singing along to Endless Rain together with other fans was one of those things that i wished i could do, which i didn't believe i could do unless i go to japan when yoshiki organise another X Japan FilmGIG, which sounds pretty impossible so it was more like a dream, and the dream came true just now, thanks to Slapshock!
and, of course, came the climax... the only song throughout the whole entire evening that could unite the spirit of the around-50-people under one shout, one gesture, one jump, one SPIRIT: X!!!!
opening warm-ups. "WE ARE..? (X!!!!!!!) WE ARE....? (X!!!!!!)"
ALL of us, and i meant ALL OF THE 50 OF US (alright, with the exception ONE camerawoman, and perhaps people at my blindspot, meaning: my back) were jumping and shouting X with our X-ed arms up high, ALL throughout the song choruses!!!
it was a FANTASTIC FEELING!! to be able to enjoy X songs, to be able to be with other fans rocking and shouting X together, it was really amazing!!!! super-shiok!!!!!
X FANS IN SINGAPORE ROCK!!!!! and i mean WE REALLY ROCK!!!!
THREE CHEERS FOR SLAPSHOCK!!!!!!!!!! ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL JOB, GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
after that i lingered on for sometime, talked with shu xin and went to congratulate Ricky and Lola on their wonderful performance (hey, they remembered me! i was so happy!). one of the later bands sang only 1 song that i knew: Dir en grey's Ain't Afraid to Die, which happened to be my favourite Diru's ballads. so, though i was at the back, i waved at them, and i seemed to be the only one doing so, and they seemed to be a bit surprised coz before that i was like doing nothing to support them *sheepish grin* sorry guys, i don't know how to cheer if i don't know the song. but it was a great performance, Ain't Afraid To Die, i loved it!! great job!
later on we went to eat at heeren's marche which was no longer marche but something else that i didn't remember and i cannot type anymore coz i need to rest for my work tomorrow and i'll have to continue this some other time or check out obachan's blog at http://natael.blogspot.com if she updates anything regarding the dinner with qkho *sorry about advertising your blog again, obachan*
last words: WE ARE X!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BANZAI X FANS IN SINGAPORE!!!!!!!!! BANZAI SLAPSHOCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*hana goes off to bed still feeling high*
4:45 am
Saturday, 2 June 2007
new arrival!! 1st shipment from HMV
was very very surprised!! my hide Ugly Pink machine File 1 DVD, Jealousy Special Edition, and the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy soundtracks has arrived!!!! they were scheduled to arrive on 5th June, but here it came 4 days earlier!! cool, EMS and HMV Japan!!! excellent!! packaging-wise, i'd still say that cdjapan wins the upperhand. while HMV only uses the normal EMS big envelope together with the bubble protection sheet (i dunno what the heck it is called) for all 5 CDs that arrived today, CDJapan used the bubble protection sheet inside a solid cardbox to ship a single CD. no wonder its shipment cost is more, huh? o.O
anyway. i don't wanna make too long a post, coz i wanna keep my Raphael youtube link open for everyone to see. even when i check my own blog entries, i keep opening the song again and again... I LOVE RAPHAEL!!! I HOPE YUKITO BE SKIN's BASSIST!!! pretty please???? if i can't have kazuki, i'll be happy to hear more of yukito...
Bad id: "yoshikifanatic" (There is no flooble chatterbox with this id. It may have been deleted, or never existed. You can sign up for a new account if you wish.)
THE SUPER IMPORTANT WISHLIST :
Yoshiki - Eternal Melody 1
CD Wishlist
JaeChunSu - The... (preordered) Versailles Philharmonic Quintet - Jubilee (major debut album)
Jejung & Yuchun from Tohoshinki - COLOR~ Melody & Harmony/Shelter Double A single
Tohoshinki - Stand By U single
Dong Bang Shin Gi - Rising Sun album
Tohoshinki - Five in the Black album
Tohoshinki - Heart, Mind, Soul album
Dong Bang Shin Gi - Tri-Angle album
Tegomassu - Tegomassu no Uta album
Tegomassu - Tanabata Matsuri
NEWS - Touch
Tegomass - Miso Soup
Yamashita Tomohisa - Daite Senorita
Hizaki GRACE Project - Ruined Kingdom
Hizaki Grace Project - Dignity of Crest
Within Temptation - Mother Earth or Silent Force
Saint Preux - Concerto Pour Deux Voix
Lord of the Rings Complete Recordings
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Complete Recordings
Raphael (Kazuki) - Forever and Ever
Raphael - Raphael Singles
X - Vanishing Vision Album
X Japan - Dahlia Album
X Japan - Art of Life ~mini album
X Japan - Art of Life ~live
L'Arc en Ciel - Smile
Hyde - 666
DVD Wishlist
JYJ - Thanksgiving Live in Dome DVD (preordered)
Tohoshinki - The Secret Code live in Tokyo Dome
TVXQ - All About TVXQ Season III DVD <--- !
Versailles Philharmonic Quintet - Chateau De Versailles DVD
Versailles Philharmonic Quintet - History Of The Other Side DVD
X Japan Returns Complete DVD 30th/31st December 1993
Versailles - Aesthetics HIZAKI version, with perfume Princess Stairs
Versailles - Aesthetics Kamijo version, with perfume Louise
Hizaki Grace Project - Monsho
Raphael - First
Raphael - Last
Raphael - Raphael Clips
Raphael - Pictorial Poem 2
X Japan - Art Of Life - 1993.12.31 Tokyo Dome
X Japan - Dahlia Tour / Dahlia Tour Final
X Japan - Complete Collection II (which, upon acquiring, will cancel the earlier 2 DVDs mentioned)
hide - Film The Psychommunity Reel.1
hide - Film The Psychommunity Reel.2
hide - Seventeen Clips - Perfect Clips Presented By Hide Museum
hide - Ugly Pink Machine File 2
hide - Alivest Perfect Stage 10000 Cuts Hide Hide Hide
CD In Possession
Tegomasu - Tegomasu no Ai minialbum
Versailles Philharmonic Quintet - Jubilee (major debut album)
Tohoshinki - Bolero/Kiss The Baby Sky/Wasurenaide Triple A single <--- !the perfect single!
Tohoshinki - Stand By U single
Dong Bang Shin Gi - Mirotic album (Platinum edition)
Tohoshinki - T album
Tohoshinki - The Secret Code album
Versailles - Ascendead Master (Reg + Ltd Ed. DVD Type I, II, III)
NEWS - Koi no ABO single (Reg and Ltd Ed.) <-- i'm selling the regular edition, contact me if you're interested (only for beijing, singapore and jakarta buyers only)
Versailles - Prince & Princess single
NEWS - Color album
Versailles - Noble album
Tegomass - Ai Ai Gasa single
Tegomass - Kiss ~Kaerimichi no Love Song single
NEWS - Summer Time single
NEWS - pacific album
My Chemical Romance - I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love
HIM - And Love Said No, The Greatest Hits 1997 - 2004
HIZAKI Grace Project - Curse of Virgo single
Hyde - Faith
Yui - Can't Buy My Love
Versailles - Lyrical Sympathy mini album
Yoshiki - Catacombs Soundtrack
HIZAKI - Maiden Ritual ~experimental edition
HIZAKI - Dance with grace
Raphael - Fumetsuka
Within Temptation - Heart of Everything
X Japan - Blue Blood & Blue Blood Special Edition
X Japan - Jealousy & Jealousy Special Edition
X Japan - The Last Live
X Japan - X Japan on Piano
X Japan - B.O.X (Best of X)
X Japan - X Japan Perfect Best
X Japan - Best Fans Collection
Yoshiki - Eternal Melody II
hide - hide BEST Psychommunity
Malice Mizer - La Meilleur Selection de Malice Mizer "best selection"
Moi dix Mois - Dix Infernal
Gackt - Mars
Dir en grey - Macabre
L'Arc en Ciel - Awake
L'Arc en Ciel - The Best of L'Arc en Ciel 1998-2000
Luna Sea - Never Sold Out
Glay - Speed POP
Glay - Rare Collection vol.1
Glay - Rare Collection vol.2
Glay - Love is Beautiful
Glay - Drive, Complete Best
GLOBE - Level 4
Aikawa Nanase - ID, Best Album
Hamasaki Ayumi - Duty
Every Little Thing - Every Best Single + 3
V6 - seVen
V6 - Very Best I
V6 - Very Best II
My Chemical Romance - Threee Cheers For Sweet Revenge
My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade
DVD/VCD in possession
Versailles - Ascendead Master (mini movies in Limited Ed singles type I,II,III)
X Japan - X VISUAL SHOCK DVD BOX 1989-1992
TVXQ - All About TVXQ Season II DVD Set <--- ♥&hearts♥
NEWS - Pacific Concert 2007-2008 and First Tokyo Dome Concert
NEWS - Never Ending Wonderful Story
Happy Feet Japanese version - Tegoshi Yuya as Mumble
X Japan - Aoi Yoru Shiroi Yoru Complete Box
Yoshiki - Yoshiki Symphonic 2002 featuring Violet UK
hide - Ugly Pink Machine File 1
X - Hamettsu ni Mukatte 'On The Verge of Destruction' Concert
X Japan - The Last Live
X - X Clip 1
featuring: Yoshiki
about: Yochan underwent a surgery to correct his spine, a problem that had persisted since 1995, when he finally started to feel numbness in his fingers. the surgery went fine, thank goodness. hopefully he will recover completely and it doesn't affect his piano playing. as for drums...don't forget your neck braces everytime you drums, yochan!
etc: read below xD i've made too many layouts featuring Yoshiki i don't wish to repeat myself =P
Phase 3.1 (2008)
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v457/arsenalx/?action=view¤t=ekkusu3.jpg
Featuring: Versailles
Background: formed in 2007 by founding member Kamijo (ex Lareine) and Hizaki (ex Sulfuric Acid), they released their debut single Revenant Choir which tells a story about a clan.
Just as like Kamijo's past works, Versailles tells a story through their symphonic metal music and extravagantly elaborate costumes inspired from antique European era.
Members: Kamijo (vocals), Hizaki (guitar), Teru (guitar), Jasmine-You (bass), Yuki (drums)
etc: Versailles beautiful music managed to win my heart totally. saddened by the loss of Jasmine-YOU in 2009, but i hope the 4 of them will still make great music from now onwards. rest in peace, Jasmine-YOU, and watch out for the guys from up there...
Phase 2.0 and 2.1 (2007)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v449/arsenal_x/ekkusu2.1copy.jpg
featuring: S.K.I.N.
Background: Formed in 2007, performed first during Anime Expo at the States in May.
Members: Yoshiki (drums, piano, guitar), Gackt (vocal, piano), Sugizo (guitar, violin), Miyavi (guitar, shamisen)
etc: ekkusu phase 2.0 was lost because i didn't save it in photobucket (because it refused to upload it properly).
and so, from now i'll start my skin from phase .1 instead of .0
Phase 1.2 (2006)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v457/arsenalx/ekkusunostudio1-3.jpg
Featuring: Hiruma Youichi
Model's background: manga character (Eyeshield 21)
More about the model: quarterback of Deimon Devilbats, The Commander From Hell;
the backbone and the brain behind Deimon High School's American Football Club, The Deimon Devilbats.
Icons: various facial expressions of Hiruma, the maniacal, elven-faced leader of Devilbats ^^
Etc: Eyeshield 21 is a sports manga about American Football and it's one of my current favourite.
My rating for them is:
hilarity 10/10
excitement: 9/10
intellectual level: 9/10
drawing: 7/10
characterisation: 9/10
Phase 1.1 (2006)
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v457/arsenalx/?action=view¤t=yoshiki56trialwithrollovercopy.jpg
Featuring: Hayashi Yoshiki
Model's background: leader, drummer, pianist, main composer of legendary band X Japan (1982-1997); leader, drummer, pianist,
guitarist, composer of band Violet UK, debut coming soon.
More about the model: Yoshiki in the early X Japan era in early 90's when he still has long curly locks.
Etc: YOSHIKI IS MY HERO AND IDOL!
Phase 1.0 (2006)
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v457/arsenalx/th_yoshiki46copy.png
Featuring: Hayashi Yoshiki
Model's background: leader, drummer, pianist, main composer of legendary band X Japan (1982-1997); leader, drummer, pianist,
guitarist, composer of band Violet UK, debut coming soon. Born in Tateyama, Chiba (Japan) in 20th November 1965 and currently living in Los Angeles, California (USA).
Head company of Extasy Records, Extasy Japan and Extasy Records International (now defunct). http://myspace.com/yoshiki
More about the model: the faint background picture of Yoshiki was taken in the recent years when he's already cut his hair short and
started the habit of wearing sunglasses.
Icons: pictures taken from Yoshiki's house in LA: his front door, piano in the middle room, dining room and swimming pool.
Etc: I can write essays on Yoshiki, but let's just keep it simple and straightforward: YOSHIKI IS MY HERO AND IDOL!
