Category Archives: Fangirling

Ecstasy and Agony

Sooo… last night the 2nd round of JYJ ticket sales happened. Just like last Wednesday, my friend and I headed to the local PC 방 (faster internet than the crappy connections we get in our building), hoping this time we would be successful, since last week’s venture left us empty handed. I logged in to my Interpark account, and at 8:00 pm on the dot, I tried to pull tickets. SUCCESS! I got 3 tickets in the VIP section within the red oval:

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JYJ concert seating map – Seoul August 2014

Yes! Seats in the area that is encircled by part of the stage! RIGHT NEAR THE ROTATING PLATFORM WHERE THEY WILL PROBABLY SING IN HEAVEN AND DO THAT THING WHERE THEY TURN TOWARD EACH OTHER AND FEED OFF OF EACH OTHER’S ENERGY AND CREATE THIS AMAZING SYNERGY THAT I WOULD SERIOUSLY CONSIDER GIVING A KIDNEY OR PART OF MY LIVER TO SEE UP CLOSE! Yes, those seats!

Life could not possibly get better! Those seats were literally a dream come true for me and I had them in my hot little virtual hands!

I proceeded through the ticket purchase process – something I’ve done at least a dozen times by now, so I can do it quite easily, even in Korean – and got all the way to the screen where you select the method of payment, but for some reason, the list of bank cards wasn’t coming up, and where the ‘Next’ button usually is, it said  잠시만 기다려주세요,  so I waited for a bit. But I also didn’t want to wait too long and lose my tickets, and there was that little ! in the status bar at the bottom of the window that indicated an error, so I had my friend on the computer next to me try to grab a single ticket elsewhere and see what happens if you hit the ‘previous screen’ button. She did and the tickets were still intact, so I decided to back one step and then try again, hoping that when I got to the payment screen, my tickets would still be there, and they were! I was successful!  Yay!

It allowed me to select the method of payment and move forward one step. Then… when it came time to input my card details, there was a notation of an Active X that needed to be allowed. So I allowed it, because otherwise I couldn’t proceed. AND THE DAMN PAGE REFRESHED BACK TO THE BEGINNING AND RELEASED MY TICKETS!!!!!!! And try as I might, I never got them back.

So, now, I’m stuck sitting in the seats within the navy triangle on the map above. It’s a far cry from what I had been in reach of just moments before. Now, unless you’re a  huge, devoted fan of something, the way I am of JYJ, you might not understand how I feel, but let me tell you that my heart literally hurts and tears well up in my eyes when I think of it. So I am doing my best to try not to think of it, and just focus on the fact that we got tickets, which is much better than our attempt last week, and that I will finally, after years of waiting, get to see JYJ together. Live. In concert. Making magic like only they can.

But I needed to get it all out of my system in order to move on, hence the post.

I’ve also decided that I’m going to try to get a ticket for their Hong Kong concert the following week and change my flight for my trip to Japan to accommodate a side trip to Hong Kong… They have general admission floor tickets, and that’s what I’m aiming for. Wish me luck! Maybe third time’s a charm?

Oh, and just in case you want to see what I mean about JYJ’s synergy as they perform In Heaven, you can watch a fancam here. It’s a great performance, and the synergy part really kicks into high gear around the 3:37 mark.

 

Returning to an old love: Naruto Shippuden anime

Because I am a big wimp about things like character death, I tend to procrastinate on watching/reading stories I love if I know that a death is on the horizon. So… about 2 years ago, I got spoiled about a specific character death in Naruto that I… just wasn’t ready to witness, and so I kinda sorta put off watching the show for a while. That while turned into 2 years. But I’m back watching it now and…

Before I continue, I should clarify that I am woefully behind in watching, (ie I’m currently watching episode 86 of Naruto Shippuden) because I put off beginning the anime it for a long time, at first because, based on watching a couple eps of the crappy dubbed version on TV, I didn’t really think it was an anime I’d like, and then, once convinced otherwise, I put it off because I knew that there were character deaths in this series and, as I mentioned, I’m kind of a wimp about that. I didn’t know who died, though, just that some characters that people liked did. That was enough for me. Like I said, wimp.

Anyway, I got back to watching it recently, and the event that I didn’t want to have happen happened. It was just as heart-wrenching as I expected. It had an emotional impact on me, just as I knew it would. But now that the event itself is over, we’ve moved into a portion of the story (still linked to the event, but not centered around the specifics of that event) where one of my very favourite Naruto characters, Shikamaru, is the central figure. These past few episodes have been completely Shikamaru-centric and I’ve been LOVING it. They really highlight how completely ingenious and badass he is.

Shikamaru

Shikamaru – my favourite Konoha badass

He’s a character that I liked from the very first moment he had real screen time on the show. There was just something about him that intrigued me. The only character I like more than Shikamaru is Gaara, whom I love more than I can possibly explain, and I think after these past few eps, Shikamaru has moved up and is now tied with him for first. He’s just that freakin’ awesome.

Anyway, there’s no real point to this post other than to gush about my renewed Naruto Shippuden love and how completely amazing the BAMF character Shikamaru is. Really, I should be prepping for one of my classes tomorrow, but I’m playing to my strengths and procrastinating instead.

Before I end this I have to share THIS AMAZING FANART that I discovered when searching for a pic of Shikamaru to include in this post. It’s so gorgeous, I think I may have to start looking for more Naruto fanart to enjoy…

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Sasuke, Shikamaru, Kiba, Naruto

(note: the pic links back to the page I found it on, if you wanna go searching for more yourself…)

Okay enough babbling, back to lesson prep watching Naruto. 😉

Kim Jaejoong is a Rock Star

I want to start off this post by saying I love, love, LOVE MTVK for airing an interview with Kim Jaejoong. It is so rare for us JYJ fangirls to see our boys on any sort of broadcast outside their own YouTube channel, so it makes me over-the-top giddy when I do.

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(Sorry, WordPress doesn’t like MTVK’s embed code, so the best I can do is insert an image and link it to the MTVK page…)

Jaejoong released his first solo mini-album, entitled “I” on January 17th.  He also released a video for “Mine” the album’s lead single. I wasn’t sure what I thought of it at first, but I was also sick and cranky at the time, but after a couple of views, I started to like it. Now, I love it. It’s a solid track and the MV supports the lyrics well. Here, check it out for yourself:

So different than what he’s done in the past, but at the same time, so completely and utterly Jaejoong. I think his voice suits the rock genre, and I get the feeling that he enjoyed the change of pace.  I also love that he was brave enough to step outside the pop idol box and do something unexpected and different. He didn’t stay within his performance comfort zone, and I respect him for that.

I love the entire album and strongly recommend that if you like this song, you should absolutely buy the album. I got my copy from Kpopmart.com, who are super fast at shipping stuff out, and they even send you pictures of your order packed in the shipment box, when they send out your confirmation. YesAsia.com is also a great, reliable source for any Kpop purchases, but not quite as quick with delivery as Kpopmart. Or, if you prefer to do it digitally, it’s also available on iTunes.

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Jaejoong on MTVK

Woohoo! MTVK will be airing an exclusive interview with Jaejoong. They posted a teaser today and my oh my is Jaejoong ever sexy when speaking English. The image below links to the video on MTVK because WordPress doesn’t seem to like MTVK’s embed code…

Kim Jaejoong on MTVK

Jaejoong will release his new single “One Kiss” on Jan 8

This makes my little fangirl heart squee with delight!

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Kim Jaejoong will release ‘ONE KISS’ as a preview track on Jan 8, prior to the release of his first solo mini-album called ‘MINE’

C-jes entertainment official said, “MINE, which is the title song and album title of Kim Jaejoong’s first mini solo-album, was produced together with Kim Bada. A large scale music video for the heavy rock song was also produced.’ONE KISS’ will be released online on Jan 8 around 12 noon. It is a song which features Kim Jaejoong’s charming, husky yet sweet voice and is suited for the cold winter weather.”

Also,”We will release an MV behind the scence cut and MV teaser for ‘MINE’ on Jan 8″, he added.

Pre-orders (both online and offline) for Kim Jaejoong’s mini solo-album will begin on Jan 7. It will be available on offline stores like Kyobo Bookstore and Synarra record store, as well as online sites such as Kyobo…

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JYJ: a group worth falling in love with

Junsu, Jaejoong & Yoochun

Junsu, Jaejoong and Yoochun, the 3 members of JYJ

If you’ve read my about page or scanned through earlier posts, you’ve probably figured out that I’m a bit of a JYJ fan. And within JYJ, Junsu is my favourite of the trio. He is the perfect combination of ridiculously adorable, dorky and sexy as all getout. His voice is unequalled, not only within the Korean music industry but worldwide. Seriously, the boy gives me goosebumps when he belts out a tune. He’s also a phenomenal dancer and the ultimate showman. I was fortunate enough to catch his show in New York City on August 30 of this year and he rocked my world from the moment he stepped onto the stage. I still get a fluttery feeling in my tummy when I think about that show. I’m not gonna lie; I was so overwhelmed by the experience, that I found myself unable to contain my tears by the time he sang his final encore song, Fallen Leaves, which he wrote, composed and arranged himself.

Junsu, Jaejoong and Yoochun are all incredibly talented and passionate performers who deserve to be in the spotlight, yet because of an ongoing dispute with their former management company, they are banned from all broadcast stations and have a hard time finding venues in which to hold events. This article in the Asia Sentinel does an excellent job of explaining the situation, so please take a few moments to read it. Perhaps if enough people know about the situation, some sort of solution will be found.

And if you’d like to check out JYJ and Junsu’s music, visit their YouTube page, and then, because I know you’ll love them, here’s where you can buy their albums.

After working with Junsu on Uncommitted, Bruce “Automatic” Vanderveer tweeted some highly complimentary things about him Bruce “Automatic” Vanderveer has also previously worked with singers such as Christina Aguilera, The Wanted, Leona Lewis and more.

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This news made me EXTREMELY HAPPY tonight. Junsuuuuuuu~! ❤ ❤ ❤

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Kim Junsu is bringing his music magic to the Americas and Europe.

On July 16, C-Jes Entertainment revealed Kim Junsu would be touring North America, South America and Europe in a world tour with plans to stop at two or three cities per continent.

The agency shared, “From the beginning we targeted not only Korea but also Asia with Kim Junsu’s solo album and aimed for abroad with the music video. We are in the middle of a successful Asia tour but have continued to receive an outpouring of requests from the Americas and other places abroad and we have thus decided to embark on a world tour.”

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The agency also added plans for a new album saying, “With the world tour we are currently preparing a repackaged album. This new album will include an English single targeting the world and its music video will be produced in the U.S…

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JYJ Acoustic Performance on MTVK in 2010

 

Preamble: How I got sucked in to the wonderful world of K-pop…

I have a friend who is a huge fan of JYJ, the Korean pop group formed by the 3 members of Dong Bang Shin Ki (DBSK) who severed ties with their management company SM Entertainment back in 2009 due to unfair contract terms. I was familiar with DBSK for a few years, having been introduced to them via their Mirotic video. Although I had no interest in K-pop at the time, I really liked that song, and the video… Well what can I say, the video consisted of 5 hot guys dancing really well…

Anyway, although Mirotic had been on my playlist since I first saw the video, I didn’t venture any further into the world of K-pop until I was dragged in, kicking and screaming, by my friend Lisa. I had read a number of her blog entries about JYJ, and admired their good looks in the pictures she posted, but I didn’t really have time to fall into a new fandom, so I resisted checking out their music or their videos for the longest time.  After all, they were K-pop, and I was trying to learn Japanese, so I wanted to stick with Arashi, and perhaps check out some more J-pop. I allowed myself to get distracted enough from my Japanese pop culture consumption (which was, of course, meant to help expose me to everyday Japanese and therefore improve my studies… >.>) when I started watching Korean dramas from time to time. What can I say, Lee Min Ho is just too adorable to resist. But there was NO WAY I was going to start listening to K-pop and get further distracted.

“Oh, but they also sing in Japanese, and have a ton of Japanes songs with DBSK too,” said the evil enabler, Lisa. And, like a fool, I checked out the links she sent me.

BEST. DECISION. EVER! WOW! I loved their music. I loved JYJ and DBSK (beyond just Mirotic). I was hooked.

Fast forward to now, and I’m so firmly ensconced in K-pop love that, last night, I just booked a flight to New York in the fall because Big Bang is playing at the Prudential Center on November 9th, even though concert tickets haven’t gone onsale yet. And I will most certainly be booking another flight to NYC when JYJ return there eventually. (Soon please!) I’ve fallen for a number of Korean pop groups since I giving in to thesiren sound of K-pop, but JYJ and DBSK are still my favourites!

Anyway, that was my long-winded introduction to some JYJ awesomeness that I want to share. These are a couple of acoustic performances they did as part of a secret show for an intimate audience that was filmed for MTV Korea back in 2010. Check ’em out. They’re awesome!

Empty:

JYJ Empty AcousticBe My Girl:

JYJ Be My Girl Acoustic

I love what Junsu does toward the end of Empty when he’s singing “Your heart is empty, empty empty-di-di-di-di-di-di,” and I am completely in love with the acoustic version of Be My Girl. Heavenly.

 

Something great to do in the city this month

I’m very excited about the festival happening at the TIFF Bell Lightbox from now until April 13: Spirited Away: The Films of Studio Ghibli.

Yes, Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli! OMG how awesome is that.  They’ve got Totoro, Nausicaa, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and so many others! Seriously, the king of anime on the big screen! And, and, AND!!!! They’re even showing them in Japanese with English subtitles!  I don’t have to watch the dubbed versions! How friggin’ amazing is that?!?!

Unfortunately, I don’t think they sell passes to the fest, just individual film tickets, but I am going to call tomorrow and check, otherwise, I’ll have to narrow my list down a bit, cuz at $12 a pop, going to all of them is a bit costly!