Welcome to the September 2011 issue of Soshified Spotlight.  Once again, we have two new Soshified members being featured this month: Rillean and 1.0.  1.0 is profiled here.  In the meantime, we’re spotlighting Rillean, or Brian, in this part.  Brian has a fairly unique background in that he was home-schooled for most of his life until college, when he decided to major in mechanical engineering.  He recently completed his military training for the United States Navy and is now awaiting further training before heading out into the fleet.  Of course, there’s more to Brian than this blurb, so read further to get to know him more.

What is your first name?

Brian

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

I first found Soshified via a Google search when looking for fan sites/information sites about SNSD. I initially did not join because I did not want to bother with a membership. But after hearing numerous times about Soshified on other fan sites I thought I would give it a try and then . . . I just never left.

How did you come up with your screen name?

Haha, I actually stole my screen name from a very famous author. Rillean is a major character from one of C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia books. Most people do not know him by his real name though, which makes it a great screen name. Instead most people know him as the Prince in the Silver Chair, sound familiar?

Do the Narnia books or the Prince in the Silver Chair hold a special meaning for you, thus leading to your decision to choose Rillean as your screenname?

I read the books when I was pretty young and enjoyed them very much.  Did they have a special meaning for me? Not really, other than just being very enjoyable.  My choice of the screenname came about when I got tired of all of my other usernames constantly being taken thus resulting in me never having the same screenname on any two applications.  So I started thinking of names no one else would use and I remembered the Prince in the Silver Chair, who had a name but it was only briefly mentioned.  So I looked it up and have never had any problem with someone using my username since.

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

I am from and still reside in a very small town in the state of Oregon in the United States of America.

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

Hope you like the outdoors. Most of the areas around here that would be worth visiting if you only have one day in Oregon are its parks and forests. If you like doing anything out doors like hiking, fishing, camping, hunting, mountain biking, skiing, snowboarding, white water rafting, etc. you can probably do it here. I have spent a lot of time in these places and would love to share them with you.

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

As of this last week I am now a full time member of my country’s military. In fact I have just earned my freedom, if you will, from the training camp that has been my home for the last three months. Free time? Well I just got my free time back so ask me again in a few weeks. ;p

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

I do not know if it is the most interesting thing about me, but I was homeschooled from second grade all the way through High School. And for you doubters out there I did go to college and earn my Bachelor’s Degree. It was a very interesting way to grow up, but I am so thankful to my parents for doing it. If I was able to go back and put in my opinion when my parents were debating on pulling me out of the public school system I would say; “DO IT!”

What did you study in college? Did you enjoy it?

I studied Mechanical Engineering. It was a very challenging major but it was also very enjoyable.

Was going to college after being home-schooled your entire life a little bit of a culture shock, or were you able to adjust fairly easily?

It was, admittedly, a bit of a culture shock but I had the advantage of knowing it was coming.  I knew to expect changes in the way I had to do things and the way I learned so while I had some difficulty with it I was prepared to adapt and thus did fairly easily.  Some of my classmates came in thinking it was just an extension of high school. They were in for a shock they did not know was coming. So all in all I fared better in someways for being home-schooled.

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

Well let’s see I guess you could say that I am a bit of a nerd. Okay scratch that I am very much a nerd. But I also enjoy getting physical and playing sports, hiking, fishing, hunting, camping, going to parties, hanging out with friends and listening to my favorite music group (any guesses?).

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

I LOVE KPOP! (Okay I just do not bring this up often, even though many people around me know this to be true)

Honestly I try to live a very open life so if you want to know anything about me just ask and I will probably tell you whatever you want to know.

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

As I mentioned above I have just recently joined my country’s military so that has been a big project, and a big change in my life. Other than that nothing really big going on just now as I am still trying to get settled in to this new way of living. I guess I am trying to learn Korean and that is a huge undertaking when no one around you speaks it.

What branch of the military are you in, and what is your job specifically? Do you know where you’re going to be stationed?

I am a proud Officer in the US Navy.  I am designated to be a Submarine Officer but I still have to head off to my advanced training so currently I am not really stationed anywhere.  I will be in schooling for approximately the next year and a half before heading out into the fleet.

Why did you decide to enlist in the military?

I sought a commission in the Navy for many reasons.  But I think the biggest draws for me were the travel, the pay and the experiences I would get along the way.  I have always wanted to travel more and experience other cultures and ways of life and this is a great way to do it.

What are your interests outside of Girls’ Generation?

I play video games, listen to music, play sports, hang out with friends and family, and . . . well that is about it right now.

You say you’re a nerd, but you also sound like a jock (or at least someone very sporty). How do you balance the two, or do they not even have to be balanced and are actually quite compatible?

Man you come up with some good questions. I really enjoy sitting around, playing video games, watching tv, MV’s etc and can do so for long periods of time. Sometimes for far too long. But I cannot sit still forever, eventually I have to get up and do something physical. Maybe this is go for a long run, maybe it is do some push-ups or kick a ball around with some friends. So to answer your question I find balancing the two is necessary. I need to stay physically active to stay healthy and to stay happy, and my nerd side demands I give at least some time to my less physical pursuits as well. And hey, without it I never would have found Girls’ Generation so I am not complaining!

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

This one I can answer with two words: boredom and Youtube! It was my last semester in college and I was trying to find every reason under the sun not to be working on my homework. So I go to Youtube and since I had been watching a bunch of random MV’s it was suggesting a bunch of random MV’s. Usually I would just skip over the recommended section as it was still kind of new at the time and was not very good at coming up with what I liked, but that day I was bored enough to try it. Here was this group I had never heard of before: Girls’ Generation. So I figured why not, and clicked on the link. At first I was a little turned off because it was not in English so I could not understand the words, but I soon realized that I was really enjoying pretty much everything else about it. When it finished I clicked on the next one, and the next one, and the next one . . . you get the picture.

Who is your favorite member and why?

This is probably the hardest question on this survey! Can I pick all nine? No? It is not an easy decision as all of them are just amazing. If I had to pick just one it would probably be Sunny. As to why, well first off of course she is pretty, they all are, but she has a way to be both beautiful in a mature way and still be cute. She also has such a great personality, quick with a laugh, ready with a joke but also caring and compassionate. The only two flaws I can really see are you can never be really sure her cooking is safe to eat (i.e. Hello Baby and Invincible Youth she pranks the food) and she lives so far away it would be difficult to ever meet her let alone be friends. ;-)

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

My favorite song up to htis point was probably between RunDevilRun and Star Star Star. The first because it was just so different then everything else they were doing at the time. Now with Bad Girl out not entirely still true but I still think I like RunDevilRun a little better. As for the latter, it just carried its meaning across so well, even without speaking Korean I got what was going on. Then add in amazing vocals and there you have it, one of my favorite songs. As for MV I think I will go with Himnae (Way to go!). It may not have been as professional as the others, but it showed the girls having all sorts of fun behind set, on set, and just about everywhere else. It just made it a fun MV.

What is your favorite Girls’ Generation moment?

Oh there are sooooooooo many great ones how do I choose? I guess I will have to go with a scene from SNSD’s Hello Baby. It was the scene where Tiffany and Kyungsan are left alone in the apartment and are forced, at long last, to confront each other. I think this scene showed just how caring of a mother Tiffany will someday be. At the time at least, she lacked some of the knowledge and skill but she did not lack the desire, the attention or the compassion that would be required to be a great mother. Sure she may have been dubbed worst mom often among the nine members but I think in the future she has the potential to be one of the best mothers out of them all, and I think they will all be great, if not awesome mothers someday.

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

Yes actually it has made me a social outcast! Haha okay so it is not that bad. Girls’ Generation introduced me to Kpop and actually Korean culture as a whole. Now unfortunately none of my friends or family share this interest with me. I am the type of person that likes to share my interests with others, to show them the things I have found and talk about what we like and dislike. So it has been hard not being able to share the joy I find in this kind of music, and more and more so the culture with the people around me. But I am also a very stubborn person so no matter how much people may ever scoff at me I think I am just going to go right on enjoying my music!
Girls’ Generation has also inspired me to learn more about other cultures. I have always enjoyed learning things about other people’s background and stories. This is just the same thing on a much larger scale. Having just joined the military I am sure I will get to experience many other cultures and look forward to leaning many new things.

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

I will answer this question in one word: SoshiSubs! Pink Subs FTW! I love that you all have made all of this stuff so readily available to us all. I would not be able to enjoy Kpop and Korean culture nearly as much if it were not for the many amazing volunteers who help with the sub’ing. Thank you all so much!

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

Nothing I can think of right now but if you have any questions you still have burning in the back of your mind feel free to ask.

Huge thanks goes out to Rillean 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 in the Soshified Spotlight Solicitation announcement.

Compiled by: residentbenchwarmer@soshified.com 
Graphic by: cioco@soshified.com

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