We’re back with Part 2 of this month’s Soshified Spotlight, thankfully before the month has turned.

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 met desmondyoona, or Desmond, a soccer fanatic from Singapore. In Part 2, we return to Singapore, and meet one of the hardest-working staffers around, cedge. Originally starting out as a SoShi Subs Editor, Cedge has taken on more duties around Soshified over the years, including coordinating the Subbers, helping organize Soshified events, and taking care of Soshified’s media outlets. He has a unique taste in fashion, which to be honest he should be commended for, and so far has a penchant for collecting nicknames.

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What is your first name?

Having a unique first name makes it way too easy to Google stalk me :< It's not something I keep secret, but I don't go announcing it online either. :P Hang around awhile and you'll figure it out!

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

Long version or short?
Short version:
1) SoShi Subs
2) YouTube
3) ???
4) PROFIT!!!
(^that’s a meme reference: http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/profit)

Long version:
Like almost everyone else, it started with YouTube and related links. My first encounter with K-Pop was Nobody by the Wonder Girls in late 2008. Here’s how it went: Introduced to Wonder Girls -> Nobody MV -> Tell Me MV -> MTV Wonder Girls & misc. variety shows & inevitably hearing about SNSD -> WG’s cross stage perf of Kissing You on Music Bank -> Soshi’s cross stage perf of Tell Me -> Ooh, interesting -> Just in time for Gee comeback -> Gee MV -> CUTE! -> oh hey what’s this MTV SNSD, that sounds familiar -> oh it’s the SNSD version of MTV Wonder Girls, I should check this out -> SoShi Subs -> LOL THIS SNSD GROUP IS HUGE AND I CAN ONLY RECOGNISE TAEYEON BUT THEY ARE SO FUNNY ON VARIETY SHOWS -> We Got Married (Taeyeon) -> she is so dorky and cute and oh my god I love this show -> Factory Girls -> This Soshified site subbing all these shows is pretty awesome, I should join and have a poke around -> Farewell to life as I knew it

How did you come up with your screen name?

Kind of a hint as to my real name. Basically someone in secondary school (high school) was bored and repeating my name, shortening it, and somehow ended up with cedge. I hated it at first, but it’s amazing how nicknames stick.

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

Born in London, UK! Came to Singapore when I was young and have been living here ever since. Can’t say I remember much of London, sadly. Though I do retain a fondness for British culture.

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

Since it’s just for a day, I should probably state some important cultural destination but well… I’m going to go with Universal Studios Singapore.
I love that place to bits. When the sun isn’t searing our skin. Also when the rain isn’t soaking us. But you know, other than that.

Besides that, FOOD EXCURSIONNNN! There’s so much good food in Singapore, I don’t even know where to start. Maybe Newton Food Centre?
Oyster omelette: http://www.twitpic.com/4i91tk/full
Satay (marinated, grilled meat on skewers, served with sauce): http://www.twitpic.com/4i92al/full
Hokkien mee (stir-fried noodles): http://www.twitpic.com/4i948i/full

Mmm.

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

I work at a telecommunications/ICT company! Not terribly gripping stuff, so let’s not go into that.

Most of my time outside of work revolves around fandom.

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

Most interesting thing to happen recently was probably meeting Kim Jongkook (SPARTAAAA!) by chance in Seoul last year. This is the guy I watched through the years on Family Outing and Running Man, so it was pretty incredible to see him up close in person. I even managed to take a picture with him!

Looking farther back… Getting lost in the jungle past sunset was pretty interesting. It was meant to be a simple orientation trek in the late afternoon, but we were too ambitious and got lost. Then the sun set and yeah FREAKK OUTTTTT. Well at least that’s how I felt inside. Outwardly it was just Keep Calm and Carry On. We eventually got out safely. Compulsory army service is pretty depressing sometimes, but it’s one of those things people look back on years later and go “yeahhhh that was pretty awesome.” Maybe not the supernatural encounters though. Those aren’t quite so awesome.

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

Meeting in person? It really depends on the circumstance… But generally I’d go with “reserved”. Unless the first time you’re seeing me is at a concert.

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

I’m hard to get close to, but once someone earns my trust, I’m extremely loyal.
But that also means I get affected particularly badly if someone I trust breaks that.

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

I’m currently organising a screening of SMTOWN documentary film “I AM.” in Singapore. That ought to be fun ^_^

How’s the organization of the “I AM” screening going? Is this a Soshified project, and can you give us any details?

Not too bad. The theatre with capacity of 396 is nearly filled, I think we’ll have a good time watching with other SONEs ^_^
Yes, it’s a Soshified project! The thread is in the projects subforum. The screening will be on 2 June 2012, 7PM at GV Marina.
I thought it’d be nice to watch the movie with other SONEs, so why not book a whole cinema theatre if there’s interest? Made a few enquiries, did a quick survey for interest, and set up the booking!

What are your interests outside of Girls’ Generation?

Gaming and metal music! I used to play a lot (a lot, A LOT) of World of Warcraft. Nowadays I can’t really afford the time needed to keep up with MMORPGs though. Some of my favourite games – WoW, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Grand Theft Auto, Fallout 2, and the Monkey Island series.

Before K-Pop, I was a total metalhead. Wardrobe filled with band T-shirts! My favourite metal bands are Iron Maiden, Blind Guardian and Dream Theater. I still listen to metal, but not as much as before the K-Pop invasion.

I play guitar and bass too, but haven’t been practising in recent years.
My beautiful guitars:
Epiphone Les Paul electric: http://twitpic.com/2ydol2/full
Yamaha bass: http://twitpic.com/2ydo63/full
Samick acoustic: http://twitpic.com/2ydoev/full

You are well known for your flowery shoes. Why did you choose that particular fashion statement?

I got them because of Taeyeon! http://style.soshified.com/2011/06/taeyeon-nike-x-liberty-of-london/
I liked the design and decided to get a pair for myself. Didn’t expect the reactions I got though.

People have mentioned that you have an obsession with Siwon. Could you explain that?

I refute this! Obsession is such a strong word… Let’s go with “admiration”. There, so much better.
I just think he’s very good-looking, with a body sculptured like a Greek god. Beauty has to be acknowledged.

What is the background behind this “cedrina” nickname/personality?

It’s basically a girlified sounding version of cedge.
doe created it as a joke and just like I mentioned earlier… it’s amazing how nicknames stick.

You’re known to be very blunt with people, but looking at your responses you have a really fun side. How do you reconcile these two traits?

Being blunt doesn’t mean I’m no fun :)

I can be impatient and short-tempered. When I see things that I dislike intensely, I don’t make an effort to conceal my contempt for it. Things such as bigotry, laziness and demanding people who have no right to be so.

I’m also very strict with myself when it comes to work on Soshified, and expect the same from others. When I see things that could have been done better, I feel dissatisfied until it’s fixed, or until I tell the person about it.
Perhaps I’m occasionally too blunt… But I think it’s easier all around to be straightforward than to sugarcoat things and leave the situation none the better.

In the past I’ve been overly critical and nitpicky over minor things, but I’d like to think I’ve learned to differentiate between what’s important and what’s not. Live and learn!

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

It was because of SoShi Subs, really. Before watching subbed SNSD variety shows, I was kind of indifferent. Can’t remember where this quote is from, but it stands out in my mind – “Their beauty caught my attention, but their personalities won my heart.”

Who is your favorite member and why?

This is probably THE most frequently asked question whenever someone discovers I’m a fan of SNSD. And my answer for the past few years has been the same. “I like all of them.”
I don’t understand some of the reactions to that answer, though. Occasionally I get the “Hahahah come on, there’s definitely one member you like most”, or sometimes it’s the *dubious look* “Okay, if you say so.”
Honestly, for me it’s just like asking a parent which child he or she loves most. It’s not a question I can answer easily. I love all the members, and though there are some that I have a special affection for, it’s not something I feel the need to announce to the world.
But I can say that my favourite thing is SoShi Bond/OT9.

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

Kissing You!
This is a question I’ve had difficulty answering ever since I truly got into the fandom, so I’ll go with Kissing You, since it was my first favourite song and the first SNSD MV that I watched. I loved Kissing You because of the super fluffy lyrics matched with an upbeat happy tune, and that dance with the lollipops was adorable. It never fails to brighten my mood.

Besides that, Into the New World will always have a special place in my heart. A song filled with hope and promise, the opening notes give me the chills every time. The first time I saw SNSD perform ITNW live at a concert, I totally choked up. It was just a very special moment to see the song that started it all, and think of how far the girls have come since 2007. Also, the roars of the audience… incredible.

What is your favorite Girls’ Generation moment and why?

Another difficult question, since there are SO many wonderful moments. But these two in particular stand out in my mind:
http://i.minus.com/ibq0WxjDbFDrAw.jpg – This picture is breath-taking. Nine girls as one, under the spotlight, holding their hands in silent perfection as the world watches on. I might be dramatizing it a bit, but yeah I love this picture so much.

http://ww4.sinaimg.cn/large/68f1acf9gw1dl1pi6qi2rj.jpg – This is from the concert in Taiwan when they celebrated Hyoyeon’s birthday! Unfortunately, Sooyoung was still recuperating and wasn’t there. Even so, there’s just something about this picture that I absolutely adore. Their smiles captured in a sublime moment of joy.

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

In every way possible, really. I couldn’t even say in what way they *haven’t* impacted my life.

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

A sprawling community website for people with a common love of SNSD <3 I’m grateful that we have Soshified. What would I do without it? I can’t even imagine what fandom would be like.

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

I was really grateful to Soshified and SoShi Subs in particular when I first joined, and wanted to give back, to contribute in some way or another. I applied for the first position that opened where I felt I could succeed – as an editor for SoShi Subs.

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

I started out as a SoShi Subs editor, but my job scope kind of gradually grew…
Some of the things I do now are:
– Subbing (not so much nowadays)
– Subbing coordinator
– YouTube/Dailymotion uploader/coordinator
– Updating video gallery (http://soshified.com/pages/videos)
– Updating Soshified portal video embed
– Soshified social media monkey
– Projects for SONEs
– Probably some things I can’t remember until they need to be done

Subbing requires a massive time commitment, which was fine when I was still a student, but nowadays with work and other things to take care of, I can’t find much time to sub anymore. By the way, SoShi Subs is in need of active translators so apply here if you’re fluent in Korean and English! http://soshified.com/forums/topic/35148-soshi-subs-korean-translator-applications/

I started helping out with Soshified YouTube channels shortly after becoming a subber… the good ol’ days when we only needed one or two channels since they weren’t so heavy on copyright. I’m particularly proud of the ssfclassics/soshisubsclassics (http://www.youtube.com/user/soshisubsclassics/) channel.

SSF social media monkey – I can’t even remember how I got started on that. I’ve been doing it since around the Hoot era, so it’s been about 1.5 years. Basically I keep Soshified Twitter and Facebook updated. Out of all the things, this is probably the most time-consuming thing I do.

Projects – Before the “I AM.” screening, I helped to organise stuff for the support of SNSD’s concert in Singapore. Lack of sleep and an insane amount of stress, that was a pretty rough period.

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

Rather than my favourite, the most memorable project is support for SNSD’s concert in Singapore. The planning and execution were tough but I think it paid off quite decently in the end. Although, if I’m being honest, I’m not sure I’d do it again. If I did, I’d definitely scale down on what we hope to accomplish. Too many things to do in too little time with too few people makes for a crazy ride!

If we’re talking about my favourite project subbing-wise – Invincible Youth season 1 was pretty fun. It was incredible that we kept up with subbing the series week after week, with the insane standard of quality we set for ourselves. I grew really emotionally attached to Invincible Youth over the months. I rarely ever show emotion to the point of tears, but just broke during Ep 32 (Sunny & Yuri’s last ep). Was fine during the episode, but at the last few minutes when Sunny said farewell to Greeny and they showed the cow and Sunny both shedding tears… T_T

Any interesting experiences when interacting with members?

It’s always interesting to meet SONEs.
The Soshified Field Trip to Seoul in 2011 was an absolute blast! I’ll never forget that trip.

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

Thanks for reading! ^_^

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Huge thanks goes out to Cedge 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: [email protected]
Graphic by: [email protected]

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