Solitary Riot

Last Thursday I got a very special chance to attend Han Geng’s press conference in Djakarta Theatre. Yes, you read it right, HAN GENG. And my heart basically screamed OMG GENG IS ONLY TWO METERS AWAY FROM ME! Invited by Indovision and Celestial Movie, Geng came to Indonesia to promote his debut film My Kingdom, the review can be read in my previous entry, and I got this opportunity to join the press conference after winning a competition from Jagoan Film Asia’s FB account. You have to know that when I got the news that I won, I almost burst into tears (or maybe I did) :p Geng is one of my biases in Super Junior and I thought I wouldn’t be able to see him because his TV appearance was due in the morning and I had a teaching schedule. But thank God I won the contest after composing boot-licking words to praise his appearance in the movie hahaha.



On the day of press conference, I was so nervous I couldn’t have my lunch! I know it sounds really silly but that’s what I felt xD After finishing three classes, I immediately took a cab to Plaza Indonesia to meet my sister and Pia. Both of them were present at a TV show in which Geng was interviewed and saw with their own eyes how one host was being impolite to Geng. Due to that, it was said that Geng was annoyed and requested to be interviewed in a private room. I didn’t watch the TV show so I don’t know exactly what happened, but if Geng (who’s famous as being sweet and nice) was sulking, wow, the host must have acted really inappropriately! Also, because of that incident, the management decided not to have a special meet and greet with the winners. Disappointed? You bet I was! Thanks to you, the ill-mannered host!



However, we’re still allowed to attend the press conference and I still had to be thankful for that precious chance. When we arrived at the venue, it was still quite empty. I didn’t see many fans around. Yet when we went upstairs to the lounge, my student who also came said that the parking lot was already full of Geng’s fans! I could imagine how chaotic it was! What scared me was that instead of supporting Geng as an actor and a solo singer, they would come and bring Super Junior’s attributes. And yes, some of them did that (even Hanchul’s attributes? Tsk!). Well, what could I do? :(

Now let’s get back to the most important business, which was Geng’s press conference! When Geng came into the room, I was astonished because he looked so simple yet so gorgeous with black suits and eye-glasses! These pics that I took didn’t show his gorgeousness but he was, he was! He’s not that tall, or maybe because I’m used to my little bro’s height, but he has this slim-figure of a dancer, which made me go awwwww! And I kept on telling myself that this was the person I often saw on MVs, live performance and TV shows. NOW HE IS IN FRONT OF ME, DAMMIT. During the press conference, he smiled shyly but at the same time showed his professional confidence by looking at the eyes of each journalist who asked him a question. And oh my how he got this comforting and soft stare <3 (okay, this post is getting fan-girlish, can’t help it LOL).



Before Geng came, the MC had told us to avoid questions about Super Junior because it’s a sensitive topic. One TV journalist was stupid though or maybe she didn’t hear the MC’s warning, she STILL asked a question about Super Junior! The MC then told the translator that it’s okay if Geng doesn’t want to answer the question, yet Geng was being polite and didn’t mind answering the question. I don’t remember much what his answer is, but he said he had learned much from his previous group (he didn’t mention the name). I guess that implies that after all he still thanked them, yes? So stop saying that he’s forgotten Super Junior!

To show my support for his solo career, I brought along my Geng Xin DVD and there was one time when a journalist in front of me asked a question to Geng. Since Geng was looking at my direction, I lifted up the DVD above the journo’s head so he could see it. And I guess HE SAW IT since there were some seconds when he looked over the journo’s head. I do hope he saw it! <3 Well personally, and I might be attacked by some ELFs for having this opinion, I don’t want him to come back to Super Junior. The reason is because Geng has this huge talent as a singer and an actor, and by being a solo artist, he has more space to develop his career. I fully support him for that!



The press conference lasted for about 30 minutes, then after that there was a pop-quiz. The winners got My Kingdom poster and got a chance to take a picture of him and even got a hug argghhhh! I wasn’t that lucky, boooo. But I dunno, maybe if I won and stood beside him, I might not be able to control myself. I’m afraid I might hurt Geng LOL. Another highlight of the presscon is when he said ‘Aku cinta kamu’ with his soft voice and I JUST WENT AWWWWW again. Actually it’s kinda funny how during the presscon I was able to control myself, but after that, when I met Pia and Evi the magnae who were waiting outside, I went quite wild and even tweeted naughty naughty things xD Until now, when I watch the fan-cams and see the pics, it still feels surreal that there was a moment when Geng was right there in front of me. Han Geng himself, the man whom I admire for his talent, courage and kind heart :’)



Good luck for your upcoming projects, Geng! You always have my support <3 <3 <3

Ps: huge thanks to my sis, Pia and Evi for the madness of the day *smooches*

I’ve seen this live performance of DB5K (or TVXQ in Chinese, Tohoshinki in Japan) several times but only lately I realized how AWE-to-the-SOME it is. It’s a performance in 2008 from Gayodaejun event, and DB5K sang two songs, Wrong Number and Mirotic, which is one of my favs ever! I once said I could write a long blog entry about this oh-so-damn-great performance. I’m not sure it won’t be long but I’m pretty convinced it’ll be full of fangirlish blabbering :D

First of all, I wanna say how much I adore their appearance here. For an event like this of course they should look classy and oh my boys, they really pulled it well! I love the combination of the black blazer, the stripey shirt and the white trousers <3 Although their basic outfit is the same, the stylist put a special touch to each member that suits their personality. Junsu’s outfit is the simplest since I think it reflects him. Both Yoochun and Changmin are wearing a bow-tie, which I think fits them well, due to their fresh personality. Changmin looks more classic though with his black shoes. Like Junsu, Jaejoong is not wearing any tie, and his blazer is that long-tail one. And to strengthen his sexy image, he’s wearing a white vest with his shirt unbuttoned. Meanwhile, Yunho’s blazer is long and he’s wearing a red tie. What can I say, each of them is just gorgeous here, they all succeeded in taking my breath away (hahaha my bias is Yoochun, but I must say that I love them all equally). Not to mention they all look best with dark-coloured hair!

I feel like a fashion police in my previous paragraph hahaha. Well, moving on to their performance! They started with Wrong Number, and for the opening, they came to the stage one by one, according to their turn in this song. I love the stage direction which arranges them to come to the stage from different places (too bad the camera didn’t shoot Jaejoong when he appeared from his entrance). Wrong Number was well performed but my favourite is Mirotic. They sang it with a live band therefore it is more more more splendid! Lemme repeat it again with capital letters, SPLENDID! Maybe because if you sing accompanied by a live band, you have more chances to improvise your act and it sounds more natural, yes? I think that’s what DB5K did here. There are some improvisation in several singing and dancing parts! That’s what makes this Mirotic is different with other Mirotics. Also the string section was there, ladies and gentlemen! It has made the song even more grand! I heart this performance so so much you can tell from the adjectives I’ve used <3 <3 After such a sexy performance, of course they had to end it gloriously. And do you have any idea what they did? Watch and you know why I always drool so hard over the ending LOL. Hint: Changmin, Yunho and Yoochun suddenly took off their ties because they had to do something precious :p

The day Dong Bang Shin Ki get back together again as five, I know I will explode like bombs.

On this year’s Eid, our house was packed by our relatives. My granny living in my house is the oldest in the family right now, so all my aunties and uncles along with their children paid some visit. Our living room was really crowded, I can tell you. It was quite fun if only the weather wasn’t that hot at that time. Sadly, some relatives from my dad’s family were not able to come while actually they’re the ones who always make the atmosphere livelier. They’re Manadonese, that’s why :) After the Eid, I still have around two weeks before the new term begins. I don’t have any particular plan, so I’ll just spend the rest of the holiday watching Cowboy Bebop and Detroit Metal City, eating much and lazying around. In other words, I’ll be living the pig’s life until my students won’t recognize me when I come into the class. On the second day I already started my pig’s life though, by drinking lots of sugary beverages and munching lots of fatty food. The weight I’ve lost during Ramadan, I’m sure it’ll be back in weeks *sigh*.


picture from Books Actually Facebook account

Anyway (the easiest way to change the topic of the convo), I recently read a magazine article about chic stationary shops in Singapore. It makes me think how fun it’ll be to run a stationary shop (since I’m a stationary whore, FYI)! The interior will look like Books Actually, a very cool book shop also in Singapore, with some vintage atmosphere. It’ll sell cute notebooks, pencils, pens and other stuffs created by the most creative people in Jakarta. Next to the shop, there’ll also be a coffee shop where I can do my translation while checking the customers in both shops. And you my best friends, you can also hang out there as you like. Awwwww, sounds too good to be true, yes? Even imagining it already gives me this excitement. Now who’s willing to give me much money so I can start my fashionable stationary shop? :D

I recently had a rendezvous with my college friends, and three of them asked me the same question, ‘So, what’s your upcoming trip plan?’. Wow, do I look like someone who travels a lot now? But yeah, now I can say I gain huge happiness from travelling, very different with my old-homey-self. Every trip plan (including to watch a gig abroad) always gets me really excited and gives me more spirit to work harder. And at the moment, I don’t have any trip ahead so life is kinda dull. Boo.

So what kind of traveller am I? The word traveller is somehow identical with adventure, right, and I don’t think I enjoy adventurous trips that much. I prefer strolling around in the city (yes, I do enjoy cities) or walking along the beach. I realized how much I enjoy looking at the architectures, finding a perfect place to sit and just enjoying the whole urban scenery, accompanied by a cup of coffee. Each city has its own sound and colour, and that’s what I always try to hear and see everytime I spend some minutes to sit down.

I’m not a luxurious tourist, but I’m not a budget traveller either. I’m not really picky when it comes to food. I mean, I can eat something from the hawkers (as long as it’s halal and clean of course). But when it is about accommodation, I can say I’m quite fussy, especially the bathroom. It has to be squeaky clean! I don’t want to take a bath in a dirty bath tub after such a tiring day >.< Oh, back to food and beverages, when travelling, my money also always goes to beverages in the minimarket :p I love various tea and coffee and the easiest and the cheapest way to find them is in the minimarket like 7-11. A simple thing but somehow it makes my trip more fun hahaha.

For now, I wanna see the rest of Asia such as Korea, Hongkong, Macau, and Taiwan. I’m really saving hard for that! And as a reminder that I need to see the whole world, I bought this postcard at Singapore Art of Museum.


Cheers for more trips to come!

I can happily say that I’ve done my teaching task for this short term. And you know what time is it now? It’s time for holiday! Hooray! The new term will begin on September 19th, so it means I have free time for about one month. I have no special plan though, and for Lebaran, as usual I’ll be celebrating it in Jakarta with my family. I’m just gonna spend my holiday with good music and funny Korean TV shows. Actually I used to read lots of books during holiday, but I guess my IQ is getting smaller since I suck at finishing books lately! A few days ago I tried to read Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath but I fail to continue reading it. I don’t know whether the book is boring (because the narrator is rambling too much) or just like what I said before, my IQ is degrading ... And compared with my achievement in reading 50 books in 2009, this year I’ve finished only 11 books. Gah, what’s wrong with my brain?!

So! Since I don’t know what to say next, I’m just gonna make a list. This one is the list of my current fav songs. Go check it!



1. Mr. Simple – Super Junior
The band that pushed me to the land of K-pop fandom is back with a new single and a new album. When I first listened to this song, I was like ‘What the ...?’. It sounds like a Pantura disco song! But then I became addicted to this song because it’s just so damn catchy! The MV is visually entertaining too. I love their colourful blazers in it, and the way they play with ropes? I can’t help but thinking dirty harharhar.

2. Heart is A Beating Drum – The Kills
My fav boy/girl duo delivered a dirty and rocking new album this year. How I wish they were really a couple in real life ...

3. Found You – JYJ
The soundtrack for Chun’s drama. A very sweet song about finding your another half in life. I believe I’ll bawl my eyes out when seeing them performing this right in front of me.

4. Monalisa – MBLAQ
I totally like their concept for this mini album, like they’re coming out of a Rocky Horror Show-ish (I kinda forgot the title, sorry) film with Latin-inspired music.

5. Still Life – The Horrors
The Horrors have found their true music, and this surreal song is just too cool. Lemme repeat it, cooooool.

Writing has always been a therapy for me. No matter what I feel is, I always consider writing as the best way to express it. And it always works wonder everytime I feel angry or sad, in particular. It’s like, when my feelings are transferred into words, I experience this huge sense of relief. It might not eliminate the anger or the sadness completely. But it makes me feel way better at least.

Words are also my kind of escapism. Sometimes real life can be boring or frustrating, we just can’t help it. And through words, especially through stories, I create my own world where everything is so much better, everything is much more beautiful. That’s the magic of imagination, isn’t it?

When I make an imaginary story about myself (let’s just say another life of mine), I always think about happy things. Or sometimes things that I wouldn’t do in real life. Some people might think this is one form of mental disorder (hahaha), but for me it’s a kind of imagination trip: where my mind explores all ideas/inspiration that come into my brain. Yes, you can call it an escapism. I don’t mind that.

So it’s a therapy. It’s an escapism. Whatever it is, writing gives me a lot of precious things. And I’ll keep writing. I’ll keep treating words as my best friend :)