Coffee, and cloudy Seoul sky

I hate to say this but I'm not feeling well today that I could not go to the campus *sighs* Lying on bed, listening to music, eating porridge, and re-reading magazines seemed so boring so I decided to do something else. I watched "The Playlist" on [V]Channel and suddenly thought of making my own playlist. It is rainy season here in Indonesia and the weather is somewhat cold. Rain comes down every day. Sky overcasts. People tend to stay home and get themselves warmed. So yeah, basically I've got inspiration for my playlist, with the hope to be played on the next "The Playlist"

I created a playlist titled "Coffee and Cloudy Seoul Sky", consisting of seven Korean tunes from various genre. Basically the songs are down-tempo tunes. Not so fast, yet not so slow (possibly in the range between Andante and Allegretto). These are the songs I would simply love to listen while enjoying a cup of cappuccino at a cozy coffee shop in a rainy day. You'd probably love to listen to these tunes as well. So why don't we check the playlist out? 

2NE1

Missing You (그리워해요)

At the first time I listened to this song, I thought it would be something upbeat; something that would make people dance (just like "Do You Love Me" or "I'm The Best"). After finished listening to the song, I concluded that "Missing You" is something unique. It is a down-tempo song, arranged in such a way that the chorus part could really give something different, something so melancholic. Accompanied by piano riffs and guitar rhythm, this sad love song is something Blackjacks must have in their playlist. Else, the music video offers melancholic scenes and, to my surprise, CL's naked part (this is actually my big brother's favorite scene). 

Park Bom & Lee Hi

All I Want For Christmas Is You

I admit getting myself teary when listening to this song for the first time. YG, collaborated with Samsung released this single and its music video on last Christmas. I could say I was one of the first viewers of the video. Back then I was home alone at Christmas. My family went on a Christmas holiday trip and unfortunately I could not join for I got to finish my mini-research before the deadline. I listened to this song on Christmas morning and I got myself teary (damned that mini-research project!). Yeah, all I want for Christmas was.. gathering with my family. 

"All I Want For Christmas Is You" is a slow rock tune, exposing the duo's singing skills. In somewhat slow rock arrangement, ornamented with piano riffs and smooth flute melody (you might hear flute melodies throughout the song), this is a really melancholic, sad Christmas carol. I guess this is my favorite version of "All I Want For Christmas Is You", followed by Michael Bublé's version. 

PS: the video cover scared me a lot back then. I thought YG made a horror movie

Big Bang

Blue

This is Big Bang's cooling-down tune that I love the most. The arrangement showcases arpeggio by piano, acoustic guitar strum, packaged in downtempo beats. The music video is another thing I like from this song (and how I wish to ride the wooden rollercoaster seen in the video). 

G-Dragon

That XX (그 XX)

I was staying in my class during lunchtime in a rainy noon. A friend of mine played this song through her phone and the acoustic guitar arrangement immediately captivated me. "That XX" is basically a vocal-guitar performance, played in D major and composed in (mostly) major seventh and minor seventh chords. The chords add soothing feeling, despite of the lyric. Does anyone know what XX refers to? He he

That XX, with XX refers to (I should have not written this actually) 새끼, means bastard in Korean. It is simply a way to censor that cuss word. 

Epik High (featuring Younha)

Umbrella (우산)

I always put this song in my rain-and-coffee stereotype playlists. I don't know but this song and rainy days really fit, so whenever it starts to rain while I'm listening to music on my iPod, I immediately play this song and enjoy the rain. It is a down-tempo, hip-hop music, ornamented with piano riffs and composed in I-III-vi-iv chord progression. I admit loving Younha's voice in this song. Her voice is somewhat soothing, calming. 

Back then I was in a car, on my way to Ngee Ann City in the famous Orchard Road. I looked out of the window, seeing Singapore under the rain while listening to this song. People walking under their umbrellas, running to nearby buildings and bus stops, raindrop drenching in every single leaves. I don't know why but really, the song suits the situation. 

Untouchable (featuring Jinsung from Monday Kiz)

Merry Go Round

This song features melancholic piano melodies, slow strings section, arranged in downtempo hip-hop beats. The chorus part is sung by Jinsung. It is the part where people could find the ballad side of this song. The bridge part connecting to the last chorus boasts its semi-glissando piano melody which brings the song to its climax. Jinsung's voice is awesome, and of course, the rap parts are awesome as well. 

Girls' Generation

Time Machine

"Time Machine" is actually sung in Japanese. However, I will still include the song to the playlist, for Girls' Generation is a Korean girlband. The music video showcases each members in different places and situations, crying, and eventually 'moving on'. I like Sooyoung's scenes; she's waiting for a phone call and eventually she is seen talking in phone with someone at the end of the music video. And YoonA's scenes! Oh gosh, she is running in (that looks like) a wedding dress in a snowy day. 

Korean Drama/Film Soundtrack - Acoustic Tunes Selection

Here I'd like to share my selection of acoustic tunes, picked from several Korean dramas and movies. Regardless the films or the dramas, (I believe) the tunes offer a calming, comforting atmosphere for melancholic rainy days, quiet sunny afternoons, and calm starry nights. 

Full House (2004)

Paradiso (by Jung Tae Yoo)

Full House (풀하우스) is a Korean TV series, starring Rain and Song Hye-Gyo, aired in 2004. The series focuses on the life of Lee Young Jae (Rain) and Han Ji-eun (Song Hye-Gyo) who set up a contract for marriage, despite their hatred towards each other. However as they live under the contract, both start to love each other. 

"Paradiso" could be found in several scenes (notably in a scene where Yoo Minhyuk realizes Ji-eun's feelings towards Young Jae, he cries in the shower). It is a melancholic tune, showcasing guitar melodies accompanied by piano riff. As for me, this is a perfect acoustic tune to accompany my quite sunny afternoon. Well, better listen to this tune while enjoying sunny afternoon in a quiet beach. 

Haru: An Unforgettable Day in Korea (2010)

Coffee or Tea (by Oh Joon Seong)

Haru is a Korean film released in 2010. It is actually a short movie promoting the tourism of South Korea, starring U-Know Yunho from TVXQ, Lee Dae Hee, Kim Bum, Han Chae Young, Park Shi Hoo, and BIG BANG. The film showcases landscape of Korea, the beauty of its nature, as well as fascinating small towns. The promotion is cleverly packaged through the scenes. 

"Coffee or Tea" is a short piece that could be heard during the scene of Kim Bum chatting with Lee Dae Hee in a train. It is an acoustic guitar piece that plays in D major, bringing sense of soothing. I love listening to this song on cloudy days, for sure. 

Jungle Fish (2010)

Knockin' on Heaven's Door (by Taru)

I kind of like this version of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door", followed by Avril Lavigne's live version. It's basically a vocal-guitar song, with melody of slow, string-section after the second verse accompanying in the second chorus. As you listen to the song, pay attention to the second chorus and you may think that Taru cried on that verse! 

Two Weeks (2013)

The Day You Come (by Yoo Seung Woo)

Two Weeks is a Korean TV series starring actor Lee Junki, Park Ha Sun, Kim Soyeon, and Ryu Sooyoung. Aired in 2013, the series focuses on the life of Jang Tae San (Lee Junki). He is accused of a murder that he is sent to jail. However, he breaks out and has to survive in order to save her daughter within two weeks. "The Day You Come" is a soft, melancholic guitar pop, exposing its guitar arrangement and Yoo Seung Woo's soft voice, ornamented by slow string-section and melodic piano tunes. The song is usually played during sad scenes. 

Heartstrings (2011)
Because I Miss You (Guitar Version)

Original song performed by Jung Yonghwa

This is the solo guitar version from the original "Because I Miss You" (그리워서...), performed by Jung Yonghwa from CNBlue. I refer the song as "a summer breeze kissing dandelions and apple leaves".

City Hunter (2011)

Memories of Love (Guitar version by Park Joo Won)

Original song titled 'Love' (사랑), performed by Im Jae Beom

This version of 'Love' (사랑) is arranged in a guitar solo performance. For those who are looking for easy listening guitar solo tunes, this song may be a good choice (I recommend you listening to this song in a quiet noon, while enjoying cool summer breeze). Better listen to the original song first, and then compare to this guitar version. The solo piano version is available as well in the tracklist. 

Sad Love Story (2005)

Sad Aria (by Yoon Gun)

The song features soft vox, accompanied by classic guitar arrangement and string section. Opened by guitar melody and dominated with minor chords, I don't recommend you listening to this song while feeling blue (unless you want to have a kind of soundtrack for your blue moment). 

Wedding and Marriage

Well, so far I've come to two wedding parties this year, my uncle's and my friend's. It's so nice to hear that someone I know well is getting married, because it means that there would be a wedding party. Wedding parties! Oh, how I love the decoration, the food and drinks, the music.. I guess wedding party would be one of the greatest parties I'll hold in my life and sure, every time I get invitation to a wedding party it makes think that "Okay, I'm older now. One by one my friends and relatives are getting married and, when will my turn be?" 

My elder brother and I went to a wedding party of my friend, Tami. It was a surprise because Tami had not informed my about her engagement and her wedding party. She told me a couple days before the wedding party so I was like "What? Why so sudden and.. Tami! Seriously, you're getting married!" We went there and came lately, thirty minutes before the party ended. I met my friends at the party. Sasha, Nicole, Jennifer (her name is not Jennifer actually--that's just how she refers herself in front of Fath *LOL*), and others. I saw Tami wearing a beautiful magenta dress, standing next to her husband, being congratulated by the guests. My brother and I quickly came to her to congratulate her. Oh, really, she's so beautiful in her wedding dress. Everyone there was happy. Tami was happy. Her friends were happy. I was happy. 

Then I started to talk to my friends about wedding and marriage. Seeing Tami getting married has made me envious. Gosh! I want to hold a wedding party, too! Yeah.. A great wedding party, with chamber orchestra, jazz band, chocolate ice cream, slices of Tiramisu, Martini, and a grandeur hall decorated in white and beige, and two huge crystal chandeliers hanging on the ceiling. Guest coming and congratulating. Children enjoying desserts. My wife standing close to me, whispering about the food, the drinks, and children who always come back to take slices of cake. Wedding party is a great, grandeur, and wonderful party and I believe every one wishes to have a great, unforgettable wedding party. 

However, when it came to talk about marriage life something like thunderstorm attacked my brain. No! Marriage is no picnic, said Count Olaf, quoted by Violet Baudelaire as a punchline to him. And yes! Marriage is no picnic (well it is not necessary to literally have no picnic in life). By no picnic means that everything would become more complicated than what is seen from the wedding party. Okay. Happiness and laughter, but marriage is something more serious--something you have to handle with four to ten hands. I'll become a husband for my wife and a father for my children and it means that I'm the one who looks for job, works, earns money, feeds children, gives money to my wife, manages the budget, arranges good education for my children, affords a proper house, buys (at least) a vehicle, teaches my children etiquette (as well as basic English, Korean, and Chinese), and.. do I have to include house chores here? 

I remember back then when I was in primary high school, a teacher of mine told something about marriage life in the class, saying that "Three first months of your marriage life may seem beautiful, just like a perfect life. But remember that the months coming later could be a nightmare for you. Girls! Do you think you can bear your husband's snoring and sleeptalking? Do you think you can handle house chores by yourself? Do you think feeding your baby is an easy task? Boys! Do you think you can handle your wife's grumbles and complaints about veggies and jewelry?"

All my friends and I were so.. dumbfounded.

So at last I concluded my opinion about wedding and marriage. Wedding is a welcoming gate to marriage life. Or let's say that marriage is a great country which we have never visited before. The gate is so merry, so beautiful that you can't wait to see what's inside the country. As you step into the country, you realize that things are not as beautiful as the gate looks. You need preparation before visiting the country and that's all...

Wedding party. Is there anyone who'd like to invite me to a wedding party? LOL

Minor characters in our life

So, let me begin by telling you a prologue.

As a pianist, I of course play piano. When performing solo piano play, the stage becomes mine; I'll become the one who is spotted by spotlight. The focus of attention would be--definitely--me. When performing a piano concerto, I'm accompanied by orchestra. However, the grand piano would be in the center of the stage (again, it becomes the center of attention) and the orchestra would be behind the grand piano, arranged in semi-circle lines surrounding the piano. But there are times when I perform with a singer and the focus of attention moves to the singer. Yes, the one who will stand in the front-center of the stage is the singer, not the pianist. The piano would be placed behind, though audience could still see it. Speaking of volume mixer, the trigger for singer would be turned up that the voice of the singer would be heard clearer and louder, and the one for piano would be set in such a way that it would not dominate the music and therefore, piano would be just an accompaniment.

I could say that as a pianist, I sometimes take major parts in a performance but in other times, I take minor ones. I 'sacrifice' myself to become minor part in a performance that somebody else could play major part and become the star. And guess what? It just happens. When I know that I would perform a solo piano play, then I know that I'll be the focus of the attention. When I'm told that I will perform with a singer, then I know that I am the one who would accompany the singer, not the singer who would accompany me. And of course, I would not ask the crew to place the grand piano in the front-center of the stage, and ask the singer to stand right behind the grand piano that I would be the one who is spotted by the spotlight. I immediately know my role; who I am and what I would do. And one more important thing: it is done sincerely.

Actually, the issue I'm bringing up is about minor characters in our life. Back to the prologue, you could see that a pianist could perform as a protagonist (when performing a solo piano play), or a deuteragonist (when performing as music accompaniment). In our life, there are some people who 'sacrifice' themselves that we become the one who take major part in life. I have to call it a 'sacrifice' since it is done sincerely. Though the pianist perform only as a music accompaniment, but he does it sincerely; he does not complain about his position for he knows his role.

Those who sacrifice themselves would be the minor part in life, letting us become the major part. Then, who are they? How do they sacrifice themselves that we become the major part in life? Could I start by saying these: family, relatives, friends. Rings the bell, doesn't it?

Our parents do have dreams and expectations. Yes, they do, for they are human-beings. They have us. We live as human-being in this world, becoming part of our parents' life. Again, we are human-being, therefore we have dreams and expectations. To reach expectations is not an easy thing. You have to work hard and put your best effort in it. Our journey might not be as beautiful as a big cruise ship gliding smoothly in vast ocean; we might be stumbled, we might fall, we might cry, we might bleed. The journey to our destination--our expectation might be so hard that we need somebody to accompany and help us in bad times. So let's say that you want to be a superstar but you know that becoming a superstar is not as easy as winkling your eyes. You would need people to help you and support you. They might be your parents and your friends. You know that your parents and your friends definitely have their own dreams and expectations, but they sincerely put aside their dreams and support you instead that you'll become the superstar. Your parents probably want to buy something (let's say, a car), but they know that to become a superstar, you have to learn about many things so they spend their money for you and put aside the wish of having a car. Your father might go to work by train or bus, because he keeps the money that should have been allocated for the new car for you. Your mother moonlights every day because she knows that her salary might not be enough to support your dreams. Your friends might not help you directly. They might not work hard to earn money that they could buy you nice outfits, but without their support you could not be a superstar. They sincerely support and pray for you that you would succeed.

The people I mentioned, they are minor characters in our life. They sacrifice themselves that we become the major character. I may say that I'm lucky for having minor characters in my life who always sincerely support me, and help me in bad times. In other times, I might be a minor character for someone's life. It's okay. As long as being minor character could help and support him or her, then why not?

There are times when we sacrifice ourselves to help and support other people. But remember that there are people who take one step backward and support us so we could take 'one step forward'.


After all, thanks for Mr. Budi for the inspiration

New Year's Eve 2013

There was a small house-party on last new year's eve and we had barbeque party, too. I was simply disappointed by the absence of my big brother and big sister, but my friends, my relatives, and my sister-in-law came to have a great time with me.

Cool! Elle, my sister-in-law came and helped us prepare for the barbeque. She is an amazing chef. As the result, our satay was good. It was really good. It was so tasty. Erie and Shari came, too, as well as Derrick, my cousin, and Ferry, my high school mate. And it looked like Derrick and Ferry are good satay chef ㅋㅋㅋ

And then the fireworks started blasting, coloring up the dark sky. We went out and saw it from the front yard. But the party did not just end. Koh A Chong and Sebastian came and we had movie-train session from 1a.m to 7a.m. We had had photo session before the movie-train session started.

from left to right: Koh A Chong, me, Derrick, Sebastian, Elle, Shari, Erie

Thanks for coming to the party, guys! :D

Wanna Be Your LOVER

I'm not going to tell you a romantic love story. I'm going to share something about one of my favorite DJMAX songs, "Wanna Be Your LOVER".

Well, I'm so thankful for this song finally comes out on 13th Maxpoint Shop update. Even though it's currently available for Crew Maxpoint only and currently available for Normal level only, but it's such a great start to have funky-disco sensation for one stage.

What makes me so excited is that the song somehow makes me feel like dancing on the dancefloor. Yeah you know, some kind of disco dances, probably with sweet and nice moves. The song reminds me of 80's disco music playing in a discotheque with colorful neon lights and moving gobos. I have a collection of funky disco music and the arrangement of "Wanna Be Your LOVER" is similar the ones in the collection. This song has clean-guitar strumming and melodic arrangement of disco strings, just like the one you can hear in typical of disco music.

And probably there is only one song which has type of disco music in Technika 3. Of all Technika 3 songs I have, "Wanna Be Your LOVER" is the only funky-disco song I can find. Even though compared with "Luv Flow" and "Everything", "Wanna Be Your LOVER" is still the better one to create a funky-disco atmosphere. And personally, I think the one which is equal to be compared with "Wanna Be Your LOVER" is "Elastic Star" by Forte Escape. Unfortunately we cannot find it in Technika 3, but the song is available in DJMAX Portable (you can find the song in soundtrack album "DJMAX Prestige Boxset [L Tunes]" and the remixed version in the "R Tunes").

So, I simply recommend this song to play. And thank God, this song comes in two version, the game version and the extended version which both can be found in the soundtrack album. And yeah, it's worth a try!

DJMAX Technika: Pop Mixing Selection 1

When I play Technika, I mostly play in Pop Mixing mode which lets me freely choose songs I want to play in each stage. And well, there are so many songs you can choose in Pop Mixing, either the ones that are already available or the ones that should be bought from Maxpoint Shop. Furthermore, I can choose the difficulty of the songs by myself. When playing in Club Mixing mode or Crew Race mode, the difficulty (level) of the songs played depends on the disc set itself or someone who registered the course.

And talking about the songs themselves, there are some themes that I can fetch from each songs. Let me give an example: when playing "Heartbeat Part 2", I feel like I'm listening to one of my favorite childhood songs. The song is kind of cute, funny, and kiddie. I don't know if you guys think what I think, but I personally can say that "Heartbeat Part 2" has a cute, kiddie-theme.

I thought about the songs which have similar theme, so I decided to make my own selections for Pop Mixing mode. This is like making a Crew Race course, since we're not able to create our own custom Club Mixing set. But I hope someday there would be an allowance to create custom Club Mixing set. I think it would be fun to let people play the sets we created.

So here are some pop mixing selections I created, based on its theme:

The Epic Story

Is it a tragedy? Or just a dramatic sad-ending romantic story? This epic-theme set boasts dramatic viola melody in "Oblivion", hasty movement of violin in "Propose, Wolf, Flower Part 2" which represents the tension of the tragedy, and powerful arrangement of "Colours of Sorrow".

Preferred level:

• Oblivion [MX - 8]
• Propose, Wolf, Flower Part 2 [HD - 7]
• Colours of Sorrow [MX - 8]

Classical Insanity 

We can find some classical music on DJMAX. This set offers you favorite classical pieces such as Tchaikovsky's romantic waltz "Swan Lake", Saint-Saëns' mysterious "Danse Macabre", and Franz Liszt "La Campanella". And of course, the songs will give you a surprising insanity!

Preferred level:

• Black Swan [HD - 8]
• La Campanella [HD - 7]
• D2 [NM - 8]

Mafia House 

Are you in a pursuit of precious gems? Are you in runaway of police? These songs will make you feel like you're a mafia boss!

Preferred level:

• Enemy Storm [HD - 6]
• The Guilty [MX - 7]
• Showdown [HD - 7]

Last Friday Night 

Do you remember how wonderful it was at the club on last Friday night? You don't need to wait until the next Friday to feel the HEAT of the club, since you can feel the BEAT of the club here in DJMAX. Let's start from "The Rain Maker" that will give you a deep ambiance of Epic Trance. Then you can continue dancing to the melody of "Airwave". And at last, feel the heat and the speed of "Right Back" while giving your best moves on the dance floor.

Preferred level:

• The Rain Maker [HD - 6]
• Airwave [HD - 9]
• Right Back [HD - 7]

Life is about learning

When I log in to my DJMAX Technika account, I rarely check the DJ board. But one day, I checked it and saw a post from a friend of me. She complained her skill of DJMAX Technika. She said that she couldn't play well that she kept failing. She also stated that she often felt nervous whenever she saw someone who played better than her, or at least someone who had higher DJ level than her. She even said she kind of gave up playing DJMAX. 

So I replied her this: 

"Stop saying such things. There's no need to be sad. It doesn't matter whether you play it worse than someone or not, but the important thing is, that you've learnt something. Everytime you play Technika, that's the moment you practice your skill. When you play new songs, even though you fail but at least you learn new patterns of the song. The more you play, the more things you can learn and the better your skill will be. 

Have you ever wondered how the Big-5 ranks started the game? I bet you already know that they, of course, would not play it as well as today. They even started from the very beginning, the easiest level, the easiest song. Sometimes they failed, but they didn't give up. They kept trying their best until you can see them today. They already peak the Big-5 ranks, right? 

Don't feel nervous when you see someone who plays better than you or someone who has higher DJ level than you. Say that your DJ level is level 15 and you see someone whose DJ level is 19. Don't you think that he or she has ever been in the same level like yours? They will never reach level 19 without reaching level 15. Don't be afraid when someone looks down at you. Keep being humble and trying your best. Ignore them who look down at you. Play with no hesitation and be sportive. Failing doesn't mean that you're a loser. And I think that's how you should be as a professional DJMAX Technika player, regardless of your DJ level. 

So don't be sad. Chin up." 

Life is about learning something. Have you ever wondered how you operate the computer? Today, you operate it without any difficulties. Then look back at the time where you really did not know anything about how to operate the computer. You weren't used with the menus, keyboard, mouse, and programs. But you learnt how to operate the computer, even though you made some mistakes. You also learnt from mistakes you had done before. And now, you can operate it well. It's because you have learnt how to operate it. 

All you need to do is learning. Keep learning new things. That's how you understand the life.

Housework Dice

So it was the last day of my visit in Kuala Lumpur. I went to Central Market with my family to buy souvenirs for my relatives and friends. Apart from my family, I walked alone through the corridors of eye-catching shops. I finally stopped at a Chinese shop selling Chinese stuffs and souvenirs.

While looking for souvenirs for my friends, I saw a display full of stuffs. There were also dices with Chinese characters on each sides. I found it unique and asked the shopkeeper about it since my Mandarin is not good (I'm so sad). Then the shopkeeper explained that the dice is purposed to decide housework should be done by each family members.

买菜 [read: mai cai], means buy veggies (grocery shopping)

The dice is called "housework dice" (家务骰子). Well, I think this is such a fun way for a family to decide what should be done by each family members. Sometimes a member refuses the housework he or she is asked to do, and sometimes it seems unfair when a member can be so free meanwhile the other members have to do the housework. So the dice will decide what to do, and it's exciting somehow.

There are six things on the dice:

• Cooking (especially rice)
• Buying veggies (grocery shopping)
• Mopping the floor
• Washing dishes
• Washing clothes
• Doing nothing, which means "relax"

The housework may be vary, but overall the housework on the dice will not be far from the common housework I've explained above. A family can roll the dice weekly, or probably monthly depending on the family rule.

I sometimes roll the dice, just for fun. I'm not ready yet to do it with my family member since the consequences are (actually) not as easy as it looks. I may get "洗衣" (read: xi yi, means washing clothes) or "洗碗" (read: xi wan, means washing dishes) and it's simple thing to do. But since I'm busy with my assignments and classes, so I do not have much time to do even such simple things.

擦地 [read: ca ti, means mopping the floor]

I just rolled again and I got "擦地" (means, mopping the floor). Oh, I hate it!

New Music on My Blog

Well I've found out that my blog seems so boring without something new. I didn't want to either change the layout or change the background and theme of my blog. So I thought about something that would make another new touch to this old blog. So umh... umh... umh.... *impersonating Sunny's aegyo way of thinking* nah, I got it! Let's apply a music!

Now, you can see at the bottom of my blog, there's a small music player bar. If you wonder why there's only one song playing on my blog, well I've made a playlist for a song indeed *hahaha*

Sop why did I choose "Paradiso"?

Paradiso is a smooth guitar-based instrumental song, taken from the original soundtrack of Korean drama titled "Full House". I recommend you to listen to this song on a sunny afternoon, especially when you enjoy sundown moment at the seashore. It's so romantic!

So I really hope you enjoy music on my blog :]

Merlion Congratulated Me On My Birthday

So, lemme see how long I've been away, eh? Hahaha, I've been away for weeks, I guess. And yeah, now I come up with the stories of my birthday vacation. Vacation? Yup, my parents had actually planned a visit to Singapore before my holiday. As the result, I celebrated my birthday in Singapore, and that was very very great!

So I took a flight to Singapore on May 27th in a very early morning. The plane landed at Changi Airport about an hour and half later. When a lady officer checked my passport, she asked me how old I am. She also gave me hint of my birthday that I laughed and admitted visiting Singapore to celebrate my birthday.  She congratulated me before I left.

And I continued the trip with my tour group. We went to Merlion park to take pictures there. It was cloudy so the day wasn't as hot as if it's sunny. It wasn't my first visit to Merlion park, but still Merlion excited me. It was Sunday and I have to admit it I didn't really enjoy taking pictures there at the day because there were so many people there, I mean, too many people there! It was very very crowded that little children might be lost. But fortunately I could still take some pictures there.

What I regret the most is, that I couldn't visit Marina Bay Sands. I wish I could have swum in the gorgeous rooftop infinity swimming pool :[ but yeah, at least I've visited Merlion. Some believe that a person is not visiting Singapore yet if he doesn't visit Merlion. So I think visiting Merlion when you go to Singapore is a must *LOL*

The last two pictures show photos of me with the view of Singapore CBD as the background. Compared with other pictures above, I prefer the last two pictures to the others. I don't know, it's probably because of the pose (?)

Okay, so I continued the tour, and the next destination was Chinatown. Yeehaw! Chinatown! Well, I felt like home. There were so many Chinese ornaments in red, here and there. I smelled joss-sticks burnt, deep fried snacks, and good-smell perfumes from perfumeries. I didn't buy a lot of things there, but I bought a T-shirt and some keyholders. I had to be aware of pickpockets since the streets were crowded. There are so many stalls and shops selling unique stuffs and gifts, from T-shirts to keyholders, from perfumes to cheongsam. Visiting Chinatown is a must, and certainly, visiting The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple is a must, too!

So, when did I celebrate my birthday? Okay, let's skip several hours until 10p.m, Singapore time. I arrived at the hotel and I took a rest for a while. I shared a room with my father's student whom I consider him as a big brother. Someone knocked the door and it was my father's student named Icha. She invited us to go out and have fun with her friends (the tour group consisted of my family, my father's workmates, and my father's students from EduTech department). So, my seniors and I went out and I told them that tomorrow would be my birthday (May 28th), so they cheered for me and we counted the time while walking around the city.

Our destination that night was Mustafa Center. My phone rang, alarming my birthday. My seniors congratulated me and we sang while walking to Mustafa Center. Some people looked at us but we didn't care. I was so happy and it was the fist time I celebrated my birthday outside. A senior recorded a video of me saying something about my birthday and my wishes, and I'm too shy to upload it (hehe).

We finally ended up chatting and having some snacks at pedestrian cafe nearby Mustafa Center. I bought a can of Pringles, my favorite snack, and some chocolate bars and drinks. We chatted about a lot of things and we also took some pictures.

I got ten dollar from Ka Angga :]

We were celebrating my birthday :]

from left to right: Ka Fanny, Ka Icha, me, Ka Angga

We went back to hotel at 1p.m, and when I arrived at the hotel, I checked my Twitter. So many tweets for me from my friends, congratulating me on my birthday. Wow, thank you so much! That birthday is so memorable and I cannot forget it. Once more, thank you for y'all! :D