J-Pop Fandom Part II

Time has passed, so does my exploration in J-Pop fandom. I'm currently not into Perfume anymore regardless of how talented the girls are. It might have something to do with my distaste for their music producer: Yasutaka Nakata. The last album that I have is Cosmic Explorer, and I don't really like Mugen Mirai when it came out. He also seemed like neglecting his own unit, CAPSULE, as their last album was released in 2015. He was busy creating music for Perfume (which I don't really like anymore), Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, and Momo Mashiro. And I really prefer Toshiko Koshijima's voice rather than those two, so I'm pretty much upset that he neglected the unit although they still perform here and there.

MetaFive

I usually read infos related to Nakata from a tumblr page named fuckyeahystk. From the very same blog, I stumbled upon other artists like Towa Tei, Ami Suzuki, MetaFive, and Yellow Magic Orchestra. Ami has a really good voice but she hasn't released anything since 2013. As for Towa Tei, I found that he's a music genius although I admit that it's a bit difficult to find his complete discography. His first album "Future Listening!" left such a good impression on me, and he's one of the members of a Japanese Supergroup project MetaFive. The group is filled with legends like Yukihiro Takahashi (who was a member of Yellow Magic Orchestra) and Cornelius (Keigo Oyamada, who was a member of Flipper's Guitar). YMO was considered a pioneer for Japanese electronic music, and Flipper's Guitar was one of the most successful Shibuya-kei musical group back then. I also happen to like some of YMO's songs, as well as Yukihiro Takahashi's solo album "Saravah!"

Keyakizaka46 Logo

Some times later, I got into Sakamichi series since I was still following the 48G. I have to admit that my favorite Sakamichi group is Keyakizaka. Nogizaka's music is similar to 48G although a bit more feminine and elegant. Another notable difference is that I have never seen them releasing any summer singles with bikini, unlike their "official rival group". As for Keyaki, I really like their concept and their soulful lyrics like Silent Majority, Fukyouwaon, Eccentric, Glass wo Ware, Mou Mori he Kaerouka, and Kuroi Hitsuji (obviously). I'm not that interested in Hinatazaka, which used to be Hiragana Keyaki.

Arashi

I also happen to stumble upon "Shitsuren Chocolatier" when I was watching Waku Waku Japan. I got curious in the main male role, Jun Matsumoto. It turns out that he's a member of Arashi, and I listened to some of their songs from there.

Then there was that time when Produce48 came and AKB released "Teacher Teacher". While some commented that it sounded like a K-Pop song, I figured that the song might fit their mature sister group SDN48, if they didn't disband. I also remember one comment mentioned about another Japanese girlgroup: E-girls as their musical genre usually stays in dance/upbeat genre. I kinda sucks at explaining genres, so please bear with me.

GENERATIONS from EXILE TRIBE

The saying goes by "curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back". I was curious about E-girls; and now I'm pretty much satisfied to find them and their agency LDH Japan (short for Love Dream Happiness). I got to know how talented the groups in EXILE TRIBE & E.G.  Family, as well as their other groups like Doberman Infinity and DEEP (previously known as COLOR). I have a huge respect for EXILE as the founder of LDH, thanking them for debuting my favorite boygroup: GENERATIONS from EXILE TRIBE.

Happiness

Girls²

But I have to receive sad news last year from Flower's disbandment and E-girls is disbanding at the end of this year. I've read comments on how bad LDH is in managing their female artists, but I've read a source which stated that they're disbanding due to creative differences. Not surprising. The group initially has around 30 members and used a certain qualification to determine which members are in the single. Their formation was also intended as a joint project for the initial girl groups: Dream, Happiness, and Flower. 2018 was the first year they released an album as a group with solid 11 members, and they did not disappoint. Maybe it's just their fate. And with E-girls disbanding, LDH debuted a new girlgroup: Girls². I haven't really got into them, but it seems like I have an impression that their concept is similar with Japanese idol groups although their voices aren't like the usual high pitched "kawaii" girls. By all means, Happiness is the oldest girlgroup from LDH.

So, that covers pretty much about my current J-Pop fandom. I'm currently still an LDH Junkie since being in the fandom is like going back to my musical taste when I was a teenager. I may also write separate and more detailed posts for LDH and other groups since it's gonna be a long post if I write the detail here. But I haven't really decided on that yet. In the mean time, I'm still on the high for GENE's latest single (Hira Hira) and Sandaime J Soul Brothers' latest single (Movin' On).

A Blessing in Disguise

It has been a very heavy time for us humans lately. We are currently hit by a global pandemic which eventually took a toll for all of us. We have to make decisions which also come with a great consequence. And all of those decisions may depends on the views and conditions in each countries as well. Regardless, I feel like the title of this post suits really well with my thought about this pandemic.

I still remember how fast it all seemed to be, at least in  the country where I live. January was my graduation ceremony from university. February, I went out with my campus' bestie at one of the high-end mall in Jakarta to try Omikuji (Japanese fortune draw) at a Matcha Cafe. It was the end of February, so the beginning of March was still pleasant. I went to retrieve my graduation certificate with the same bestie, where I believe the beginning of the cases were increasing. At that same day, I saw someone wearing a green raincoat (instead of the medical protection suit) disinfecting a train station. Eventually, my neighborhood had a local quarantine at the end of March. And we're still in quarantine up until now.

It wasn't as tight as it is now at the beginning. Perhaps because some people are still fooling around and selfishly hang out just because they're bored. Before wearing fabric mask is a must, I could freely breathe the air whenever I go out to do something necessary. I also had my fair share of being upset toward those who wore mask, surgical mask, incorrectly. Like wearing them upside down or not even covering their nostrils, although I find that surgical mask is way more breathable than fabric mask. I could also still use online motorcycle ride service. But now the service is temporarily removed, and I have to wear a fabric mask whenever I go further than my neighborhood. I don't mind with using public transport, but the only uncomfortable thing about wearing fabric mask is the slight difficulty of breathing freely. Sometimes I have to release my nostrils out of their misery even though I know that the usage is intended for everyone's safety.

Regardless of how difficult the situation is, another thought about this pandemic came to my mind. It is about this planet where us humans currently live in. And how I thought that this pandemic may be, as goes by the title, a blessing in disguise. I remember seeing the sky when I was grocery shopping at that time. The sky was clearer than ever. I also saw the news which stated that air polution had been decreasing in several areas. The Himalayas are also visible from India. My next statement about another blessing in disguise may sound cruel for those who values each and every lives, but I can't help but think about it either. We are over-populating the earth. Death is an inevitable part of being alive. Not to mention that some of us selfishly destroy parts of the earth for their own personal gains and satisfaction. Thus, I had a thought that this pandemic is also a blessing in disguise in a way of how it teach us several things.

Controlling our selfishness. I understand that selfishness is in our nature and is useful for human survival. But the degree and reasons behind our selfishness need to be controlled. To an extent, bad case of selfishness has hurt both our relation with the earth, and our relation with each other. Human relations. And somehow, I also thought that breeding is a part of our natural selfishness to sustain human's existence in the earth. We may eventually got extinct if we stop breeding, but it doesn't mean that we have to do it overly. I strongly believe in quality over quantity. And look where this quantity has brought us to.

Another thing is learn to be more grateful, as this pandemic is something that strike us all of a sudden. Be grateful for everything which happened before this pandemic strikes, be it good or bad. At least we can learn something from all of the bad things we've experienced. Don't take anything for granted, strengthen the positivity of human relation, say sorry to Mother Nature, appreciate all things in life, keep your health and hygiene in mind, you get the idea. And most importantly, bask in all those things we can learn from this pandemic instead of 'saying yes and forget about all of them some times later'.

There are other trivial stuff we can learn from this pandemic in order to deal with our boredom. We can find new hobbies. Read a bock, knit, play musical instruments, dance, try that recipes which interest us, spend more time with pets, write something. In that case, perhaps I'm gonna update this blog more often during this pandemic. And I'm still gonna write any kinds of topics which comes to my mind.

Not Anymore

Breathing has been an automatic activity to me
There is no enjoyment in breathing anymore
I cannot tell how much dirt has filled my lungs,
But I can feel lots of them in me

Sometimes the sky will turn into a brilliant blue
With fluffy clouds in it
But now, I have to see them through my sunglasses
I cannot even remember when I started wearing it
All I know is my eyes cannot take the burning sensation anymore
So does my skin
As if my physical body cannot find any enjoyment in this place
Not anymore

Soon, my soul follows my body
No enjoyment, nothing

I want to set my eyes free again
I want to set my skin free again
I want to take a fresh air again
I want to set my soul free again
But alas, I cannot do that here
Not anymore

The First Ever "After-Election" Festival of Defeat

The intense moment due to Jakarta's Governor election is over. The current governor and vice governor have lost in the election, thus their period will end this October. Although they have lost the election, they have received tons of wreaths from their supporters. I read the news in the middle of this week; it was hundreds, then a thousand, and now the news said that it has reached around two thousands of wreaths. They were sent to Jakarta's City Hall (near the National Monument (Monas)), but some of them were moved to the sidewalk near Monas because the City Hall was already flooded with them. This is the first time in Indonesia's political history that the defeat of a political leader duo received tons of supports from their supporters by giving them wreaths.

They are Basuki Tjahja Purnama, known well by his nickname "Ahok" who is currently the governor of Jakarta; and Djarot Saiful Hidayat, the vice governor of Jakarta. Originally, the current president of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, was the chosen governor along with Ahok as the vice governor. After that, Ahok succeeded Jokowi's job as the governor because Jokowi has won the presidential election.

Both of the current president and the current governor (along with the current vice governor) have done well in leading this city, which is also my hometown. We, the citizens of Jakarta, have seen a fast and brilliant changes in Jakarta. The two simplest things are the public transportation and the cleanness of Jakarta. Well, not really 100% clean but it's better now cause the so-called "orange army" has been hired to keep this city clean. They have a really strong characteristics in leading this city, and it works well by looking at the result.

Ahok is the first ever double minority in Indonesia to lead Jakarta; a Chinese and a Christian. It's such a pity that some (I repeat, some, not all) of the majority in Indonesia still have minor to zero tolerance towards the minority so they think that they are superior and the minority don't deserve to have high position in this country. I myself is in-between majority and minority, a Muslim and a hybrid of Chinese and Javanese. My race and my religion has nothing to do with my decision to support Ahok-Djarot, because leaders should be seen from (simply) their leadership and characteristics. I'm also glad that some of the majority in Jakarta give their support to Ahok-Djarot (again, because of their leadership). But I'm ashamed when other majority don't support them just because Ahok is a minority. As an Indonesian, I'm quite ashamed simply because I strongly hold on to "Bhinneka Tunggal Ika". We are one despite of our differences.

I must admit that they are quite tough. Ahok has gone through the blasphemy trial, which I think he was only stating a fact and not doing any religious blasphemy; and there was a hoax that Ahok himself bought those wreaths. That is totally unlike him. I mean, wow. He has lost the election along with Djarot but their haters still do such a thing just because they are the ones who received the wreaths instead of the pair who actually won the election.

With my curiosity of those wreaths, I decided to go to Monas. It had been awhile since the last time I went to Monas. I went when the sun was still friendly-warm, and the people are there to do their morning exercise. Jogging, cycling, walking, playing badminton, etc. After an hour of strolling and taking some pictures of the scenery in the area of Monas, I went out to the sidewalk to read the wreaths. I took several pictures of the most unique and memorable ones. Obviously, I didn't have the time and energy to read all of them, so I just read the ones that I've passed.

Of course, there were those wreaths from the brokenhearted. Most of them stated that they can't move on from this duo and said that Ahok-Djarot are their most "wonderful ex".

There were also some Nemo-themed wreaths, since Ahok has mentioned about Nemo during his blasphemy trial.

They even received wreaths from their supporters from the outside of Jakarta!

Those are the rest of some unique wreaths that I had found. As their supporter, I wish them the best after will have done their period this October. As Jakarta's citizen, I'd like to see the chosen governor and vice governor to (at the very least) be able to manage Jakarta as good as Ahok-Djarot. I need real actions, not some "promising words" which really won't solve any political problems in the capital city of Indonesia. Again, thanks a lot to Ahok-Djarot. I wish I could also send a wreath, but I just cant. Also, I'd like to thank any of you who read my blog. 😥

Dimanakah Bhinneka Tunggal Ika?

"Berbeda-beda namun tetap satu", itulah arti semboyan bangsa Indonesia. Semboyan yang telah diperjuangkan oleh pahlawan-pahlawan di masa lalu untuk kemerdekaan Indonesia. Semboyan yang telah menjadi keindahan Indonesia pada masa kemerdekaannya.

Namun, apakah Indonesia sungguh-sungguh sudah merdeka? Secara teknis, mungkin jawabannya adalah iya. Tetapi, melihat kejadian yang terjadi pada tanggal 4 November 2016, 71 tahun setelah Indonesia mendeklarasikan kemerdekaannya, semboyan tersebut seolah-olah menghilang, atau lebih tepatnya dihilangkan oleh orang-orang yang tidak dapat menerima perbedaan yang menjadi ciri khas dan keindahan Indonesia.

Wahai orang-orang yang menodai semboyan Indonesia yang menghiasi Garuda Indonesia,  apa sebenarnya yang kalian "perjuangkan"? Apa sebenarnya yang kalian "bela"? Kalian tinggal di Indonesia, darah Indonesia mengalir di dalam tubuh kalian. Namun, pantaskah kalian menyebut diri kalian sebagai orang Indonesia,  setelah apa yang kalian lakukan terhadap Bhinneka Tunggal Ika?

Indonesia indah karena keberagaman. "Berbeda-beda namun tetap satu", itulah arti Bhinneka Tunggal Ika. Tetapi, kalian telah menodai semboyan ini. Semboyan yang telah diperjuangkan untuk meraih kemerdekaan negara ini. Apakah kalian merupakan orang Indonesia yang sesungguhnya?

Namun demikian, semboyan tersebut masih hidup, walaupun dia ternodai. Dimanakah Bhinneka Tunggal Ika? Dia masih hidup didalam orang-orang yang masih percaya dengan semboyan tersebut. Dia hidup dalam orang-orang yang memperjuangkan arti dari semboyan tersebut. Namun, apakah orang-orang tersebut memiliki kekuatan yang cukup untuk membersihkan noda yang diakibatkan oleh orang-orang yang menodai semboyan tersebut?

Light

Inside this darkness I can't see anything

But inside this darkness I feel almost everything

I was trembling, but suddenly,

"Be the light" whispered into my ears

And suddenly,

I wasn't trembling anymore

A ray of light strikes my soul

And makes my life more meaningful

The light that keeps me alive

Is the strength that I have till the end of my life

-Rossie White

Angelic

I was walking on a castle's rooftop, staring at the starry sky with thin haze. The sky was so magical, it amazed me. Then suddenly,  2 people approached me. The royal couple. They wore medieval royal clothing. We had a conversation, though I forget what it was about.
Suddenly, I asked them how can I get back to the ground. I remembered that I got to the top by a thin circular cloud which could float upward. The man said,"Don't use the cloud. Use your wings instead."
I was confused. There's no way that I have wings. I mean, I'm human!
But then, I saw the woman smiled at me when both of them slowly grew their wings. Then, they flew. Moments after that, I felt something on my back. My wings. I took a leap before I flew. Then I woke up.
What a dream...
It's not a recent dream after all but, that's an unforgettable dream.