Welcome back to our first edition of Soshified Spotlight in the new year.

Just like every other month, we’re once again highlighting a regular member in Part 1, and a Soshified staff member in Part 2.

In Part 1, we featured SNSDrummer, or Mark, a musician, police academy student, and of course a SONE from Toronto. In Part 2, we’re featuring doe, or Claire, a super moderator here at Soshified.

A former moderator who just got promoted a few months ago, Claire may be most known for her profuse tweeting and her obsession with Yoona (but then, who can blame her?). However, there’s more to Claire than just her love for Yoona. You might even call her a student of the world, having traveled to many different places in addition to her interest in Japanese culture, among other things.

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What is your first name?

I wish I had an awesome sophisticated name but it’s just Claire :'(

What would be an awesome, sophisticated name in your opinion? Besides Yoona.

Tiffany or Jessica.

How did you find out about Soshified and why did you decide to join?

Long before I was a S♥NE, I had already heard about Soshified as one of the best and most organized international fan forums out there. That was how big Soshified was when I was still a baby in the K-pop fandom back in late-2008… People were saying things like, “I wish [insert group name] had a forum like Soshified!” So when I finally got sucked into the Gee phenomenon in early-2009, I instinctively headed to Soshified, LOL.

How did you come up with your screen name?

My first screen name was “hikki”, after my all-time favorite Japanese singer Utada Hikaru. Don’t ask me why I named myself after a J-pop singer on a K-pop forum because IT JUST HAPPENED OKAY? After a few months, I guess I realized how bizarre that was and renamed to my current username, “doe”. I like how it represents Yoona (whose nickname is “deer”, but I’m sure you already knew that) and also John/Jane Doe, the placeholder name for a person of an undisclosed identity. Most might know that I’m quite a private person and it creates this ~*~air of mystery~*~ around me… or so I’d like to think.

You say you’re a very private person, but you’re quite omnipresent with your work on Soshified and your tweets, among other things. How are you able to keep this balance?

I get asked this a lot but frankly, there’s no secret LOL. Having a smartphone (I’m practically married to my iPhone) helps a lot in staying connected. I tweet to spazz or post whatever random thoughts I have, and less about personal details of my life. I don’t want to bore people with mundane details or get any weird stalkers :(( Regardless, I try not to overdo it or else people might think that I don’t have a life outside the Internet D8

Where are you originally from, and where do you currently reside (city and country for both)?

SUNNY SINGAPORE! Well… not so sunny at the moment. Currently the land of flash floods, rising cab fares and train breakdowns, but I still love my country.

If we were visiting you where you live for one day, where would you take us? Why are these places so significant?

 

Surreal, huh? That was my first thought when I first visited Gardens by the Bay last month. It’s like a tropical garden right in the middle of the city, almost like what Central Park is to New York City. It’s pretty fascinating and awe-inspiring to walk through the gardens with all these tropical trees and small lakes all around you, while at the same time see skyscrapers and luxury hotels looming in the background.

And also…..

“CHILLI CRAB! PEPPER CRAB!” – Kim Taeyeon, 10/12/11 (Girls’ Generation Tour in Singapore 2011)

The girls made no less than 3 mentions of them during their time here and no trip to Singapore would be complete without tasting our legendary chilli crabs. I’d take you to a certain seafood restaurant (hint: it starts with “J” and ends with “O”) to have the best chilli crabs in Singapore!!

Tell us a little about your life. What do you do full time and in your free time?

I’m currently working at the Embassy of Japan with the cultural events team. It’s cool because I’ve always been fascinated by Japanese culture and I get to be directly involved in lots of different events, from learning about traditional arts to participating in manga exhibitions and anime film screenings. In my free time I do what everyone here does….. WATCH VIDEOS AND SPAZZ ABOUT GIRLS’ GENERATION!

When I’m not spazzing (which is a very rare occurrence btw) I like going to the movies, cycling and gaming. I’m an avid gamer (mom always tells me I play more games than boys…) and before I was a slave to $M, I used to spend all my savings on consoles, games and other video game accessories. I love RPGs (the Japanese ones, not the boring ones like Skyrim– OOPS), arcade shooters and adventure games the most.

How did you become so interested in Japanese culture? I hear you’re fluent in Japanese as well?

Before we had the K-wave, we had the J-wave. Up to a few years ago, everyone was into anime/manga/J-pop and I was no exception. I started to take a keen interest in Japanese culture and language after watching so much anime while growing up. I’m not fluent yet, I’ve been studying the language for 4 years but my spoken level is HORRIBLE because of a lack of practice. There’s just no opportunity to use it outside the classroom and you get complacent with what you already know. When you don’t use a language enough, you lose your fluency and start forgetting bits and pieces without realizing it. Worst part is that it’s not only happening to my Japanese, but my German and Chinese T_T

What’s the most interesting thing about you and/or that has ever happened to you?

 

 

I don’t think I’m an interesting person but the most interesting thing I did was to go on exchange to Germany. We had the chance to tour Europe during our summer break and I believe I was in some of the most spectacular places in the world. Medieval castles, grand palaces, stunning forests and the snow-capped Alps all made up for the best experience of my life (yet). We even went to outlandish places like Bratislava and tried all sorts of crazy stuff – caving for 2 hours in Budapest still remains the most physically and mentally-exhausting activity I’ve ever done!

 

Fandom-wise, a rather memorable incident happened when a bunch of fellow S♥NEs and I flew to Korea 3 months ago. We managed to catch Girls’ Generation there on a couple of occasions, but my favorite experience was when we crashed the filming of KBS Love Request. It was a public event but since we were foreigners, we couldn’t donate blood and we weren’t allowed in the building. It was pretty amusing how we got kicked out so many times (3 or 4 times lol) but we kept sneaking back in to ~blend with the crowd~ and catch a glimpse of the girls. It was a 3-hour feast for my eyes and also my first time being so upclose with the girls for an extended period of time. To the security who kept kicking us out, sorry for giving you so much trouble but I think you got sick of our sad faces plastered outside the glass door so you let us in eventually :DDD

I’m surprised security not only didn’t call the police and have you arrested, but actually let you back in. I assume though that your trip to South Korea wasn’t just to see the girls at this event?

It was a public event so I don’t think they could arrest us because it’s not trespassing! And playing the foreigner card while pretending not to know any Korean always works :’) Well in my case, I didn’t have to pretend because I really don’t know Korean… Anyway, we weren’t even aware about the event until a few days before it so no, we definitely didn’t fly in just to attend lol. We tried to time our trip with the release of the 3rd album but because of delays and Sooyoung’s accident, we didn’t get to see them promote. Which was okay since we went for everything we could and managed to tour the country for a bit.

For people who are first meeting you (like most of us), how would you describe yourself?

I might be slow to warm up to you but once I start getting comfortable, it’d be difficult to get me to shut up LOL. I like trying new and fun things (as long as they don’t involve theme parks – I hate thrill rides), so it’s probably best to hang out in places where we don’t just sit around and do nothing…. otherwise it might get awkward for me quick. I like to do things spontaneously and the crazier the idea, the more I want to do it. People say I act like a kid and while I want to insist that I’m a MATURE AND INTELLIGENT person, I’m inclined to feel that way sometimes :(

Tell us some things that most people don’t know about you that you think they should.

I think if there’s something you want to know about me, you should talk to me. I don’t bite!!

Is there anything big in your life that you’re working on? (This can be related to school, career, hobbies, family, friends, etc.)

MARRY YOONA AND HAVE HER BABIES?

Well honestly, I have a lot of “interests of the moment” that I get super enthusiastic about and then forget weeks/months later… My “long-term” goals change frequently but right now, I’m working towards funding myself (and hopefully my parents) another trip to Europe to relive that amazing experience. I’m also working on brushing up my rusty Japanese while learning more about chado (the “Way of Tea”) and other nonsensical past-times I learn at the events I attend.

What are your interests outside of Girls’ Generation?

You mean I’m supposed to have interests outside Girls’ Generation? LOL I KID. I was a Cassie before I was a S♥NE, and I still love DBSK (as 2/3/5 or whatever it doesn’t matter to me) with all my heart. I enjoy acoustic music regardless of language but I’m always open to new music, as long as it’s not too “noisy” like heavy metal and crunk. I also love anime films, games and their OST – Joe Hisaishi and Nobue Uematsu are my favorites.

How did you first become a fan of Girls’ Generation?

I wish I had an interesting story for this but I simply stumbled upon a video of Gee and got hooked to the song. It was just a casual liking at first, and I only started to really get into them after I watched an episode of Sang Sang Plus (the one where Yoona did her flatfish face imitation) and realized that these girls were not “fake” like everyone else was saying… and they were actually SO FUNNY AND CUTE? Best part is I got into them AFTER they concluded Gee promotions so I had a whole slew of subbed videos waiting for me to watch. I remember watching tons and tons of different clips from 2007 up to that point for a couple of days straight LOL.

Who is your favorite member and why?

This is an offensive question why are you asking me to pick a favorite when I love all 9 equally??

But if you insist on me picking one, I guess it’s Yoona. It’s never easy for me to explain why I like her because I love everything about her. She might not be the best singer or dancer, but she always puts her 110% into everything she does. This isn’t to say that the other girls don’t work hard because they really do. However, Yoona knows her flaws and works extra hard to improve and I love that quality about her. She’s also incredibly modest about her/their success and always tries to share the limelight with her other members. For arguably the member who gets the most antis, I find it impossible to hate her after you get to know her through interviews and variety shows, lol.

What is your favorite Girls’ Generation song and MV and why?

Favorite song: Time Machine. At the point of writing, the song isn’t out yet but I’m pretty sure that by the time you read this, I’d be LOVING it so much that it has become my favorite song. So yeah, DIBS ON IT BEFORE IT’S OUT.

Favorite MV: The Boys. GIRLS IN SUITS, ‘NUFF SAID.

What is your favorite Girls’ Generation moment and why?

I don’t really have one… every moment of them together is a “favorite moment”, lol. But probably when they won the daesang at the Golden Disk Awards 2010? It was the culmination of all their hard work for the entire year and also a recognition of their success as the highest, most prestigious award in Korea. I think at that moment in time, millions of S♥NEs around the world were cheering for them with the same heart. It was an unforgettable moment where a lot of us cried in front of our computers, myself included.

How has Girls’ Generation impacted your life, in specific areas or even as a whole?

They made me a happier person. After getting into Girls’ Generation, I found a new and different meaning in life. Prior to that, I felt like I was just living a regular life with nothing to look forward to every day after coming home from school. I’m not saying they were my SAVIORS!!!!11 and I don’t want to exaggerate their role in my life (which was perfectly fine; I wasn’t on the verge of depression etc) but they gave me little things to be happy about. A new video, song or CF… it was funny how something so insignificant to everyone else could make me so happy. And the best part is meeting so many new people and having all these friends who feel the same way as you. The happiness you feel is multiplied when you have others around you who get excited over the same things.

Oh and another area they have impacted significantly is my bank account but I suppose I’m not the only one…

What do you like most about Soshified, and why? Any section in particular you’re attracted to?

 Soshified is an extraordinary place where hundreds and thousands of fans across the world converge, and interacting with new people every day is fun. Although we’re pretty huge now, I think we still have a lot of potential to grow and I like being in that process of change. I’ve been with Soshified for almost 2.5 years now and it’s an incredible experience to watch Soshified grow before your very own eyes. Being part of the staff allows me to contribute directly to the community – either through projects or everyday modding – and the results are always worth it at the end of the day.

For sections I like, I particularly enjoy the streaming section. Now we can all watch Girls’ Generation on live shows WITHOUT BEING IN KOREA!! It might sound silly but before we had our own streamers, it was nearly impossible for us to watch videos until they were posted up somewhere. It’s like having our own dream TV channel where every time you tune in, it’s always Girls’ Generation. Thank you streamers for your hard work!

Why did you decide to join the Soshified staff, and why the particular job you have now?

I first applied to be a Mod after applications were open in late-2009. This is probably the most unoriginal answer ever, but think almost every staff member joins for the same reason – to help out and give back to the community. Although I was a little clueless at first, everyone helped each other out… a lot of the other Mods in that batch have become my closest friends within the staff, haha. Fast-forward to a few months ago and I’m not sure how or why it happened… but I became a Super Mod ?_?

What exactly do you do? Do you enjoy this position? What do you like about it?

Basically the same work as a Mod with additional duties and responsibilities such as overseeing Mod applications and moderating the forum as a whole. It’s tough work that requires consistent commitment and I think I would be masochistic to say that I enjoy it, but I do like helping out within the community. My love for Girls’ Generation and fellow S♥NEs drives me to do what I do.

What is your favorite project that you’ve ever been involved in?

 

 

The Girls’ Generation Tour in Singapore 2011 project was probably the biggest event I’ve ever been involved in since I became a S♥NE, lol. I think it’s impossible to realize how much work went into the project unless you were there to see how crazily we worked behind the scenes. Sourcing and coordinating orders for 1400 bundles, designing the T-shirt and banners, planning fan projects while trying to liaise with the organizer, printing 8000 message cards a few days before the concert… the sheer amount of work was insane considering how we had less than 2 months to prepare and only 4 people on the team.

And thus, I’m very grateful for all the help we received from the staff and volunteers-alike who helped make the project happen. From the SoCal staff who packed and sent our foam hearts to all the helpers at the distribution points, it was heartening to see so many people offering their assistance. All the hard work paid off when we saw a sea of people at the stadium sporting our T-shirts and waving the foam hearts. The message event turned out to be a huge success and even made Taeyeon and Jessica tear up. I’ll never forget the very moment everyone lifted their message cards when the lights went out at the end of Complete. It was an unbelievably moving experience that sent chills down my spine, tears in my eyes T_T It was my first Girls’ Generation concert… and might well be the best.

LQ fancam of the “소녀시대 makes our lives Complete” message event:
http://youtu.be/1LrVYj5D2A0 (cr. xJonKoox@youtube)

Any interesting experiences when interacting with members?

The occasional serial spammer who pulls out the “FREEDOM OF SPEECH!!” card. You’ll be surprised by how people can insist that spamming “SNSD JJANG!” isn’t spam, but actually their right to repeatedly proclaim their love for Girls’ Generation without any form of logical restraint.

Offline, all the staff I’ve met are too creepy to be interesting :'( I’ve heard weird stories about pubsquash moaning and touching other people while sleeping…. but let’s not get into that.

Is there anything else about you that you would like to add?

I’m trying to avoid turning this into an Oscar-esque speech, but another huge THANK YOU to everyone who helped out with the concert preparations. Regardless of which part of the process you were at – contributing an idea in the brainstorm thread, volunteering at one of the bundle distributions, or even just participating in the fan message project – you made the entire experience so worthwhile that I don’t think the concert would’ve been such a success if it wasn’t for all the help we received along the way.

To everyone on Soshified who has been part of my life at some point in time, thank you for being little milestones in my S♥NE journey. Special mention goes out to my chinhan chingu’s (you guys know who you are) who stuck by me through thick and thin. And to the Tweeps that I’ve talked to on Twitter, thank you for putting up with me and also being all-around amazing people.

I might have rambled too much and made this interview boring but FINALLY. Thank you, the reader, for making it this far. LOL PEACE OUT AND HAPPY 2012 ♥♥

Is there a reason why you always say Yoona is in your bedroom?

ONLY STATING THE FACTS. I have a Yoona pillow so I could even say she’s watching me as I type this…

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Huge thanks goes out to Claire for participating in Soshified Spotlight this month. As usual, you can submit nominations for future Soshified Spotlights if you’d like to participate or if you’d like to get to know a fellow member better. Instructions on how to do so can be viewed at the Soshified Spotlight Solicitation announcement.

You can also read past Soshified Spotlights by clicking on the “Soshified Spotlight” tag below.

Compiled by: residentbenchwarmer@soshified
Images courtesy of: doe@soshified
Graphic by: cioco@soshified

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