Anyone can love anybody on a good day.
But what about you’re depressed? Will they love you?
“Yet I also believe that when you do unto others, blessings come to you as well. So if you don’t have a friend, be a friend. If you are having a bad day, make someone else’s day. If your feelings are hurt, heal those of another.”
Thank you Nick Vujicic for those words of inspiration.
K-Pop craze
Unless you have been living under a rock, you should the dramatic influx of Korean Pop Music, K-Pop, in Singapore as well as other countries. Singers with their porcelain and dolled-up faces dancing to the beat of Korean pop music began to infiltrate everyone’s minds. I, myself, has been following the K-Pop music scene and culture of the past 4 years. It has become a hobby that probably took up more of my time instead of studying. Yet i am not the only one to be that mesmerized by it.
We all have that particular K-group / singer that we all love. And among the members in a particular group, there are bound to be 1 or 2 group member that you’ll probably love more than the others. Those are our “bias”.
We love / follow them so much till the extent that their livelihood are more important than our own livelihood and our future. That’s how crazy this Korean music trend has overtaken our minds.
Concerts
Now if you’re an ardent fan of K-Pop, you would have bound to have attended at least one concert with regards to it. Generally, I have been to a few. Namely:
Some pictures I’ve took during these concerts:
Yoona, Yuri, Hyoyeon at SMTOWN SG
Taengoo at SMTOWN SG
Seohyun at SMTOWN SG
BoA at SMTOWN SG
Hyunah at STAR Concert 2012
Hyunah hugging SoHyun at STAR Concert 2012. So Sweet !
PSY at Singapore Social Concert 2013
Cons of attending K-Pop Concerts
By now, everyone knows that MBC Korean Music Wave in Singapore has been cancelled. Due to huge international success of these K-Pop acts, they command a very high fee. Exuberant at times. Being an entertainment company, it takes a hell lot of money to engage them to come onto our shores to perform. Not only do these organizers pay for their appearance, they might have to fork out additional expenses to every whimsical demands from the Korean management side. (P.S. you should know what if you’re a die-hard fan)
Now who is on the losing side of this funny game of monopoly? Not the local organizers, but the fans. Look at KMWSG, ticket prices skyrocketed! Judging that many of us fans are still teenagers that are still schooling, it is hard to fork out those prices just to have a glimpse of our favourite K-Pop biases and idols.
Why would I say the fans are at the losing end, just imagine. By placing high ticket prices, the money garnered would be paid to the Korean entertainment companies, after which further money would have to be allocated for their accommodation and other demands that the management might have. It’s very easy for them to just come down and sing, but it takes a truckload of money to plan and make sure the local organizers cater to their every needs. Money have to come from somewhere, unfortunately it is our hard-earned savings that would help to fund these operations.
Don’t be so harsh on local organizers. They are trying their best to each K-Pop event a success. But it takes 2 hands to clap.
View more of my fancams of K-Pops here on my YouTube Channel 🙂
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Maokong Gondola
Craving for Bak Ku Teh while you’re holidaying in Taiwan? Now you can satisfy your cravings at Raohe Night Market!
Situated just 5 minutes away from SongShan Train Station, Raohe Night Market has a hive of activities. There’s air-rifle arcades for the young at heart to win toys, rows of shops selling various fashion treads and of course, good food. It’s advisable that you go there early, probably about 4pm if you would like to do some shopping before having a meal along the streets later in the evening.
*Now I have to apologize at this part as I do not have any pictures of Raohe Night Market as it was raining when i visited on that particular day :(*
If you do have the urge to taste something that’s rather similar to what’s being sold in Singapore, try one of the plentiful stalls selling herbal pork rib soups!
Look at the generous portion of pork ribs. Only 70NT!
Each night market has their food specialty, and every few food stalls u stop at, you’re bound to see them selling pork rib soup. The aroma of herbal soup was clearly in the air, each stall trying to overpower their counterpart stalls in terms of whose soup is more fragrant.
And for 70NT (SGD $3), you can get a hot bowl of pork rib soup! Rice is not included. But a separate bowl of minced pork rice will set you back another 20NT.
Taste test!
I swear the soup is just so delicious. Not sure what ingredients was included into the soup, but i did see some stalls using wolfberries to make the soup. The meat of the pork rib is not overwhelming, just nice for a munch. And there were almost 15 pieces of pork rib ! You could probably share this with another person!
Not a fan of bak ku teh?
You can try barbequed oysters!
100 NT for about 10 oysters
Or their famous Black Pepper Meat buns
The buns are made on the spot before going into an oven
Overall, RaoHe Night Market was something unique as compared to the tourist-laden Shilin Night Market and it’s something out of the norm. Oh and by the way, there’s a fashion street just a few blocks down but it’s more towards ladies wear rather than mens. Ho hum =/
13 years ago, this was their hit song.
13 years on, after giving us numerous hit songs throughout the years, this song still gives me the teary eye. How far the girls have matured since then.
Ella eventually shed her Tomboy image and got married.
Hebe released 2 solo albums and currently working on her 3rd album !
Selina… She has become stronger after that incident 3 years ago. Sure the physical scars might still be there for a while more, but she has bounced back stronger than ever. Kudos to her “never-say-die” attitude.
Even though each has gone on to pursue individual paths, but they are not complete without one another and without us the fans. This is what made S.H.E
It was so fitting that Singapore was the last stop of their concert tour, there was always something special for the girls. And they celebrated Selina’s birthday with a video collage from the official S.H.E fanclub in Singapore.
It was a night to remember and a fitting end to their concert tour. They played an integral part of my life while growing up, portraying my emotions whether happy or sad. I sure hope they were a part of your life when you grew up too 🙂
*Disclaimer* All videos used here are my own recordings from the concert. Do give credit where due if you’re using the videos.
Do view my blog on How i become a S.H.E-natic over the years here!
hongjieong 