taeyang (from kpop group BigBang) solo concert world tour "rise" in singapore february 8 2015 (pre lude)

11.26am

if you are fans of big bang, which is one of the hottest kpop groups in korea (and probably around the world too), you would know that one of their band members, taeyang (that's his stage name by the way and his real name is dong young-bae or youngbae. taeyang means sun in korean), came to singapore recently (just over the weekend which was on the 8th of february) for his solo concert called RISE. and from what i have been reading online, twitter and from other social media outlets, his concerts in malaysia and in singapore were sold out. he performed to almost 10,000 fans from both countries.

now i know what you must be thinking. since im such a huge fan of big bang's, the million dollar question is, did i go for the concert or not. well my answer is no i didnt go for it. coz not all the songs of his i liked and plus the tickets were a tad bit expensive. hey, im on an austerity drive here ok. housewife remember. im not just going to put my hand out and ask the hubby for money to watch a concert. well not unless its bigbang themselves (all 5 of them or just TOP or GD, then i will definately give it a serious thought). 

just like the YG family concert, not all 5 of them came although TOP and GD did come (but you know its just not the same). on hindsight i wish i'd gone for it. ooh hey remember, i did go to the airport to see them (which technically, i did!) but oh well..no use crying over spilt milk. right, moving along with my story.

this photo that i took was for taeyang's fan gathering at bugis junction here in singapore. as i recall it was a saturday evening when my husband and i were there for dinner and i happen to chance upon this gathering at the courtyard. unfortunately though, taeyang wasnt there coz this was his fans gathering and the organizers for the event i think was doing this to create the hype and get the fans fired up before his concert. oh all this happened like a couple of weeks before concert day. kinda like a prelude, if you know what i mean, a teaser (as we like to call it in the advertising industry hahaha) and fans can win gifts during Q&A...stuff like that. 

now 8 february was a sunday, so the night before i told my husband to follow me to changi city point mall (expo was just next door, where the concert was being held) so that he can hang out there for a bit whilst i go and snoop around at expo and check out what's going on there. plus i wanted to check out the merchandise booth too. oh prior to that, i'd already checked with the organizers what time they would be setting up the merchandise stall and they told me it was around 1pm. anyways, thankfully, my husband was a sport and agreed to go with me. off we went on sunday as planned.

we had lunch at changi point and then i left him at starbucks while i walked over to expo. found the hall (hall 3) where the merchandise tables were being set up as well as the concert hall. 

see they were just setting up their stuff and that was probably around 12.45pm. they werent ready yet so i had to wait outside the hall. lucky it was indoor and air conditioned. 

there were some fans/vips (as we bigbang followers are called) that were already waiting patiently. im telling you, some of these fans really are die hard followers. i dont know if they normally dress up that way or just for the concert day. i dont know man. you will soon see what i mean. 

standee and signages set up just outside of the hall so that people will know where to go. pretty clear directions and organized i think. then, i decided to take a walk outside of the hall to see what was going on there. (coz i could see yellow iron barriers set up outside and i know definately that that was for the concert). 

fans sitting and waiting for the soundcheck party. im not quite sure how the organizers are doing it, first come first served basis (meaning those who are first in line will get to stand closer to the stage or whatever, i have no clue as i've never been to a soundcheck party (which i would love to go if it was for big bang) and i think those ticket holders were VVIPs (which cost damn alot!). but hey, dont quote me on all this ok. im just speculating. but those people sitting in line are there for the soundcheck party and later on, watching the concert as well. i wish there was tickets sold just for the soundcheck party only, then at least if dont attend the concert it will be ok, you know what i mean?

this is what i mean when i say die hard fan. i've seen kpop idols dressing like that when they are performing or doing some kind of promotion etc. but this guy, wow..i give him 2 thumbs up. very bold of him. bravo! kudos to him, coz he stood out. 

soon it was time to get in line coz suddenly a line started to form in front of the entrance to the hall and everybody got up and started queing ( but not those who were sitting outside). thankfully line wasnt long at all. they finally let us in around 1.35pm. 

pretty organized as i said and not that many people yet coz we were all early and being "kiasu" ( its a hokkien and singlish word used to describe people who are anxious, selfish behaviour characterised by a fear of missing out) hahahahaha. the organizers set up a few tables and arranged the merchandise nicely so that everyone can see all the stuff and some fans i noticed had pre ordered their merchandise. wow. 

there was a standee with images of all merchandise that was being sold and also each of us were given a piece of paper with the price list too so that we can tick/check what we wanted to buy and then pass this paper to the organizers mending the merchandise. easy process and fast too.

  

the merchandise table up close. 

finally this was a huge hall. black huge curtains surrounded the hall area. i thought it was because there were not many fans attending this concert but i read that at least 4,000 came! wow. again, there were lots of barriers to guide fans where to go ie soundcheck party or standing queue (which if im not mistaken was for the mosh pit area).

so that was that. my sunday afternoon. i didnt spend alot of time there like i did at the yg family concert. took me about an hour in total. didnt buy any merchandise either. not worth it. actually there were only 2 reasons why i went there -

1) for my blog so that i can share with you guys the prelude to the concert and 
2) to have a look see and maybe try and score some freebies (like how i did at the ygfamily concert here last year hahahahaha )

right, i've come to the end of my blog and hope you've enjoyed my storytelling. until next time, stay safe and be kind to one another! (even to animals!)

ttfn


1.02pm

singapore retro eateries .. and then some

11.06am

in my blog today its going to be about some places i've eaten at that i find rather unique, around singapore.  

just last friday, my cousin and i decided to check out this cafe/bar/restaurant over at changi village. its called the coastal settlement or tcs. this place is away from the city so you get to be "closer" to mother nature. lots of greenery surrounds this restaurant. unfortunately, we got there pretty early (before 11am) and they were just opening up the place (guys were busy cleaning the windows, doors etc). luckily they let us in so that we could have a look around. fyi, they serve brunch on saturdays/sundays not weekdays. i had a glance of their menu and it was a tad bit expensive (to me).  i also do not know how big or how small their serving portions are because we never got a chance to try out their food. maybe some other time, then i'll let you guys know ok? but for more info, just google - the coastal settlement. 

now as you can see for yourself, this place is quite cool. its decorations, art pieces, paintings, furniture etc i think, are stuff collected (or bought) from the 60s, 70s, 80s and probably 90s era. gosh i love all the stuff in here. it does bring back fond memories of my childhood. come on, look at the stuff thats in this place! pretty awesome isnt it (if you're into these kinda retro stuff) 

and if you are looking for a place to have say your engagement party or hmm...a small wedding celebration or even a birthday party perhaps, maybe you can consider this place. (no, i aint advertising for these people, but come to think of it, i should get paid since im "technically" blogging about them!) anyways, on to more photos, which im sure you're dying to see!

check out the retro furniture! at my grandmother's  house, (bless her, she passed away a couple of years ago) my uncle has kept this similar retro looking furniture set(although its not in bright orange).  bit too "loud" if you asked me  but this color seems to blend in well with the deco and its "brownness" that surrounds the restaurant. it just pops!

and see here, all these photos, doesnt it take you back in time? vintage dont you think so? again i have to say, im loving this place! look at the vespa (yes, its being revived and i think its cool if done up properly and repainted nicely), the tv set (omg classic!), the record player (turn table) with a couple of vinyl records....etc etc etc... its so nostalgic. things that i've almost forgotten and now i wished my parents kept some of our stuff that we had long ago. i did ask my mom about it and she told me that if they were to have kept even half of the stuff from back in the day (or from my childhood), we'd have to have a mansion! oh-kay, sigh. 

these 2 pictures (above) i took at harbourfront mall. the "kopitiam" (local cafe in other words) has a slight "retro-ish" feel to it. different types of biscuits in tins lined up the walls of the cafe. let me tell you that when i was a kid, i used to munch on these non stop. they're so flavorful, colorful not to mention crispy and fresh. so if you're ever at vivocity/harbourfront, sit down at this cafe, heavenly wang and have a cuppa then try their cookies/biscuits. 

lastly, this is nothing to do with retro but i wanted to end my blog today with something korean (since i love korean food and all things korean). this is a new fast food joint at vivocity called paik's bibim bibimbap that sells basically korean noodles or rice in a healthier  way - more veggies less meat. opened by renowned korean celebrity chef paik jong won (who also is the brainchild behind the  popular korean bbq restaurant called bornga, which coincidentally is just next door). so anyways, i decided to try one of their popular dishes which was the warm noodles with soy sauce and it was perfect. a small bowl of hot broth and some kimchi are also given. really value for money as its affordable and under S$10.00. what more could you ask for?

and now i've come to the end of my blog. hope you've enjoyed it. so if you're ever in singapore and if you have the time to spare, do try out these places if you like. in the meantime, take care and god bless! be kind to one another.


ttfn

12.04pm