RickachuSNSD

Mistake is that one sad song that I really go back to. I don't know, for some reason it really has that appeal to me. I was totally blown away when this first came out and I really couldn't believe it at first as well that Yuri wrote the lyrics for this one. It's such a beautiful song and it really hit me home just perfectly.

 

You want to have that one song that really reflects you being hurt and being a fool in love, this is it.

Donated.

 

Display Name: RickLovesSNSD
Country: Philippines
Amount: USD 100.00
Method: Crowdrise

 

On behalf of the PHSONEs, thank you so much for opening this opportunity to help our fellow countrymates! Hope we get a lot from this one. It's gonna mean so much to the people back home.

 

EDIT/UPDATE: One of our big local broadsheet newspapers just put out an article on the Korean government and KPop fans donating to the relief efforts. Soshified's project is mentioned in the article, which can be found here. Again, thank you so much!

That's really nice to know that an anti finally gets a chance to see SNSD for real and then change their opinions about them. Most, if not all instances are like that, people tend to judge something or someone without seeing it for real. I'm happy that your friend got the chance to SNSD for who they are, live and alive.

 

Yay! Another SONE-in-the-making!

July 20, 2013. 7:00PM. Taipei Arena, Taipei, Taiwan.

 

Just two months after the Happy 4KPop Concert in Nangang, Taipei, I was blessed once again to see Girls' Generation. But this time, it was going to be a more engaging and a more wonderful experience.

 

The 2013 Girls and Peace World Tour.

 

My second Girls' Generation solo concert.

My fifth time to see them.

My first time to see them with a bunch of my friends whom I've been sharing my days in Taiwan.

 

Some people have been calling me extremely crazy, grabbing every opportunity to see Girls' Generation. They thought that I would get sick and tired of seeing them. They thought that I was crazy busting my wallet, expending my energies, putting in a lot of time and effort, to keep on seeing them live and alive.

 

What they don't know and don't realize is that each and every experience was, is, and will always be different. Girls and Peace World Tour was no exception. Even though that this was the third time this year alone and the fifth time overall for me to be with Girls' Generation, this time sure was different in so many ways.

 

Anyways, like I said, I was with a bunch of friends of mine. We were a mixed bunch: three Indonesians, a couple of Thais, one Malaysian, one Czech, one American, and me, one Filipino. It was pretty exciting to go to a Girls' Generation concert this time with some friends, unlike the previous experiences where I was either alone or with just one more companion. Sharing this wonderful experience with other people that I knew brought something new to the table.

 

 

The organizers let us in an hour before the concert actually started. Since this was a solo concert, I was obviously more excited than usual. I was imagining the three whole hours only devoted to the Girls' performances, making me recall the first time I experienced a solo concert back in Bangkok for the 2012 Girls' Generation Tour. The moment I saw the stage, I was already hyperventilating and almost crying. I really couldn't believe that I was inside Taipei Arena, minutes away from my second Girls' Generation solo concert.

 

 

 

Fastforward to 7:00PM. The lights went out, and once again the fabled Pink Ocean filled the Arena, all the way up to the rafters. Seeing the Pink Ocean once again filled me with so much excitement and euphoria that it felt that I was transported to a different place altogether, to a place where I can forget about all my anxieties and worries, even if it was just for a few hours.

 

 

 

 

The Girls started with Hoot. I spoiled myself a bit here, watching the Japan Tour videos beforehand. The hologram performance was pretty impressive, but the place literally exploded when the Girls themselves appeared in the middle of the extension stage. The screams were so loud that I could barely hear the music as Taeyeon, Jessica, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, and Seohyun made their appearance, rising from the elevator platform amidst the smoke and lights. They were all resplendent in their pink outfits.

 

 

 

 

As they performed one song after another, like "Animal", "The Boys" and "I Got A Boy", a huge multitude of feelings and emotions swept over me. On the one hand, this was indeed going to be a different experience. The Girls have grown up so much that they give off a more mature feeling. Although they were still acting like dorks at times, they really are more like grown up ladies now. On the other hand, there were still a lot of similarities. The fanchants, for one, were totally awesome. Being there, right smack in the middle of the Pink Ocean, right smack in the middle of the fanchanting where every single person was going, "Jigemeun So Nyeo Shi Dae, Apuroudo So Nyeo Shi Dae, Yongwonhi So Nyeo Shi Dae!" during "The Boys" and "I Got A Boy", for example, was totally uplifting to say the least. I was so damn proud to be a SONE that night.

 

And then the introductions came. As always, hearing them go, "1, 2, 3, Anneyeong Hasayo, So Nyeo Shi Dae Imnida!" was music to my ears, all by itself. It's a good thing this time around that they were complete, all nine of them. Sooyoung missed the last time out Girls' Generation was in Taiwan, and she said that she missed us. Aww, so sweet. Taeyeon was such a bright and happy dork while Tiffany was being so hyperactive that I really couldn't see her eyes because she was eyesmiling like crazy.

 

 

They continued with "Say Yes". It was quite amusing to see them play around with those oversized makeup props and whatnot, and then tickling Sunny and Jessica with those huge feathered props towards the end.

 

 

 

One of the performances that impressed me a lot was "Paparazzi". Holy cow, the entire concept and production of that performance was pretty good, from the Girls dancing in their respective boxes to the video being showed in the central big screen. It was amazing to watch that performance, even if Yuri wasn't able to wear her black gloves like everyone else.

 

 

 

 

And then came the part where it really got me right there and then. It was that segment of the concert when they all came out in white dresses. Oh man, they were so beautiful that I melted, especially when they started singing "Promise". It lulled me to a state wherein I really couldn't understand and I really couldn't help myself from falling in love all over again with them. 

 

 

 

And then came the moment of the night for me. If during the Bangkok concert "Complete" made me cry my eyes out, this time "Baby Baby" did me in. I listened to this one before when somebody posted the "Baby Baby" performance in Seoul, which resulted in me getting teary-eyed that time and having goosebumps. But now that I was there, and then I heard the first few bars of the intro to the song, that did me in. I was literally crying my eyes out that my friends told me later on that my tears were like waterfalls streaming down my cheeks. Oh my God, this ballad version of "Baby Baby" really did me in.

 

 

 

What made this part with "Baby Baby" even more special and heart-rendering was the fan event. Us on the 2nd floor of the Arena had huge colored papers hidden under our seats, with instructions to lift them all up during this performance. What we ended with was a beautiful row of Korean letters, starting and ending with a heart. There were nine letters, spelling out the first syllable of each of the Girls' names. Needless to say, seeing that made me cry even harder.

 

 

 

 

 

Obviously, the Girls were visibly stunned with what we did. Through my tears, I managed to catch a glimpse of Yoona, Tiffany, Sooyoung, and Sunny looking around the Arena with a surprised, stunned, but happy look on their faces. All in all, words simply couldn't describe what was the feeling and the atmosphere inside during "Baby Baby". In fact, as I write this down, I was beginning to get all teary-eyed again recalling this very precious and beautiful moment.

 

 

 

After "Diamond" and "Express 999", the latter which I really found myself liking a lot, came the epic song, "Tell Me Your Wish". It was epic because it made everybody go fanchanting thunderously like crazy again. At that point, I could barely speak, having lost my voice a few songs back that I couldn't even remember when. But, despite the fact that my throat was hurting like hell, I pushed on, fanchanting like hell.

 

 

 

 

Another fun moment was that mix of "The Great Escape" and "Can't Take My Eyes Off You". Watching them perform the latter was so much fun to watch, especially when Yuri got herself purposely all tangled up with the confetti and ribbons and then trying in vain to get untangled, making Tiffany and Hyoyeon laugh at her while they helped. It was such an enjoyable part.

 

 

 

 

Through the next part with "My J", "Himnae", and "Gee", their cuteness took over once again. At least this part was pretty nostalgic, watching them perform and horse around to "Himnae" and "Gee". And speaking of "Gee", tired and exhausted that I was at this point, the fanchanting poured on so much energy that once again I told myself, what the heck, let's just take this all the way. I was so exhausted at this point, with my throat hurting so much that I really couldn't speak a word, but I kept on pushing. This was, after all, living a dream of a SONE.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then came "Forever" to close the main act. Oh man, that song always gets me as well. I ended up crying again while singing and fanchanting with whatever strength and energy I had left.

 

 

The encore kicked off with one of the most surprising things I've ever seen and heard: An a capella remix intro for "Into the New World". Rising up from the central platform in the extension stage, the Girls made an a capella intro that would make all of those who say that Girls' Generation can't sing shut up completely once and for all. Holy cow, that sent goosebumps all over my body, and more so when they started performing the entire song.

 

 

 

 

 

And in the end, after "Oh!", "Love and Girls", and "How Great Is Your Love", the show ended with "Twinkle". It was so random at this point it was so entertaining. The fans arranged another event, sending to the stage huge, round, plastic bags filled with balloons that it looked like something out of a beach party or something. The fans were tossing it around the mosh pits and onto the stage. Taeyeon and Jessica went around like silly, chasing and kicking some of the bags. Yoona tried to carry one in her arms and tossed it back to the audience. It was so funny and hilarious.

 

 

 

In the end, there was a silly moment when Taeyeon tried to pop a balloon by squeezing it between herself and Sooyoung, hugging her tightly from the back. She failed, big time, much to the delight of the fans. Taeyeon then tried to do it with Tiffany, and failed too. She finally gave up and simply tossed the balloon to the fans. Oh wow, imagine all the sweat on that balloon from Taeyeon, Sooyoung, and Tiffany.

 

 

 

As always, at the end of it all, I was feeling all beat, all worn out, tired and exhausted. As always, I ended up leaving it all out on the stage for them. This solo concert for me felt like going one more step further and deeper towards myself going to another phase of me being a SONE. But right now, I can't even begin to describe what I was feeling. It was like a dream, only I was wide awake and experiencing every single minute of it. I was sad that three hours went by so fast, that's for sure, no question about it.

 

But now, a little over 24 hours has passed as of this writing, part of me still couldn't believe 100% that I was there. Waking up this morning after the concert, I woke up to the feeling that I couldn't believe I was there. I was there once more. I was part of the Pink Ocean, fanchanting, singing, and cheering my body, heart, and soul out for Girls' Generation.

 

At this point, even though it still makes me sad whenever I think about it, living through with the fact that I am just another nameless and faceless SONE filling up the Pink Ocean somehow didn't hurt as much, at least as far as this concert experience was concerned. I thought that as long as I give my all to the Girls, which I did, then I should not have any regrets whatsoever. 

 

I also felt very thankful. I honestly don't know what I did to deserve such multiple opportunities to be in a Girls' Generation concert, solo or otherwise. I just felt so thankful and so grateful for all the chances that I got so far to be a part of the Pink Ocean. And for this particular concert, I'm also thankful to all of my friends who came with me and shared this very wonderful experience that I would obviously carry in my heart.

 

Just like the previous concert experiences, Taipei would go down as yet another chapter as to how much I do love Kim Taeyeon, Jung Sooyeon, Lee Sunkyu, Hwang Miyoung, Kim Hyoyeon, Kwon Yuri, Choi Sooyoung, Im Yoona, and Seo Juhyun. Being there yet again, seeing Girls' Generation for the fifth time in this lifetime, it didn't feel old. Just different. I feel that a part of me being a SONE has grown more mature, that for sure that part of me will always love Taeyeon, Jessica, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, and Seohyun, in that special corner of my mind and my heart. In my own little way, I love them.

 

As always, with great confidence, I can say, "I love you, Girls' Generation... and I always will... 'till the day I die."

 

That's me before the start of the show. Against my better judgement, I bought a pair of of pink eyeglasses frames, making me look stupid.

 

With my friends whom I've met while living and studying here in Taiwan. It's their first time to see Girls' Generation as well. Sadly, our whole group got split up because we weren't able to buy our tickets together all at the same time.

May 26, 2013. Nangang Exhibition Hall, Taipei, Taiwan.

 

Four months later after the Dream KPop Fantasy Concert in Manila, I get to see Girls' Generation once more. Second time this year, fourth time in this lifetime.

 

Girls' Generation was headlining a four idol group KPop concert, the Happy 4 KPop Concert, performing with EXO, BTOB, and ZE:A - Five. As it is, Girls' Generation was set to perform last to close the show.

 

It was a short experience, but still sweet. Sooyoung wasn't there, however. She's still busy filming her new drama, but she did leave a video message.

 

And of course, I will be focusing on Girls' Generation in this fan account, as I have with my previous ones.

 

I noticed outside the venue there was an amazing set of standees there. Since my Chinese was really bad, I couldn't understand anything at all. But wow, some amazing fan art right there.

 

 

 

 

ZE:A - Five performed first, followed by BTOB, and then EXO. Apparently, Girls' Generation was the main act, because the video vignette showed the "Happy 4 KPop Concert in Taiwan" scene, and Girls' Generation had a more grand entrance.

 

 

Anyways...

 

Everybody was screaming like crazy when the Girls took the stage. Seriously. The hall exploded when the Girls slowly appeared on stage, kicking off with "Tell Me Your Wish".

 

What really surprised the hell out of me was how loud the fanchants were. Not taking away from the other three idol groups, but Girls' Generation totally owned the crowd. There were cheers and some fanchants during the first three groups, but only Girls' Generation enjoyed a really loud and solid fanchanting all through six performances. I thought that every single member of the audience were fanchanting like crazy. And that is one of the things that I live for when I attend a KPop, heck a Girls' Generation, concert.

 

Like I said, they performed six songs. After "Tell Me Your Wish", they performed "The Boys." Man, again, the fanchants were so loud. We were screaming, "GG!!!", "T.R.X.!!!" and "Jigemeun So Nyeo Shi Dae, Apuroudo So Nyeo Shi Dae, Yongwonhi So Nyeo Shi Dae", and so on and so forth like crazy.

 

 

 

 

After "The Boys", they did their introductions. Hearing them go, "1, 2, 3! Annyeong Hasaeyo, So Nyeo Shi Dae Imnida!" once again never really gets old. It just feels so wonderfully different when you hear it live and alive. For some reason, Taeyeon was such a dork that night, which was quite enjoyable. There was even a moment where she let Sunny speak onto her headset because hers wasn't working properly. It was so funny watching Sunny speak onto Taeyeon's mic which was attached to her cheek.

 

 

 

 

And, like I said, since Sooyoung wasn't there, she left a video message for the fans in attendance. But since she was talking in Korean, and the video was subtitled in Chinese, I didn't understand one word at all. Oh well... Sooyoung still looks so pretty.

 

 

The next song up was "Mr. Taxi". This honestly caught me by surprise. For some reason, I didn't expect them to perform this one. Oh well. Still, same energy levels, same insane fanchanting.

 

 

 

 

After "Mr. Taxi", they performed "Run Devil Run". I had to say, every one looked so darn hot, even if they were all starting to look sweaty. The atmosphere was so charged up that the air conditioning wasn't able to keep up.

 

 

 

They did another short talk afterwards, before prepping up to perform "I Got A Boy".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lastly, they performed their all-time popular song, "Gee". I still felt as giddy as a kid watching them perform this song. Despite their sweaty look, they still managed to look cute and pretty during "Gee".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Afterwards, they tossed some goodies to the crowd. I didn't get any, given how short I am. Oh well. Anyways, they walked around a bit, getting closer to the audience and waving while they said thank you and goodbye. It was a short time, seeing them up close once again, but still sweet. My heart still fluttered seeing their beautiful faces and happy appearances up close once more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And as always, I ended up getting all beat. My feet were killing me by the time I got back to the bus station, especially when the adrenaline wore off. I had the same feeling compared with Manila. I was so worn out when EXO was performing, because we were standing for more than four hours, including the time we were standing in queue waiting to get in. But when Girls' Generation took the stage, I forgot all of my aches and pains. I didn't feel a thing except excitement and happiness, fanchanting, cheering, screaming, and singing all the way.

 

My throat totally gave out right afterwards. Surprisingly, there was also a point during Girls' Generation's performance that I felt fainting, actually feeling light headed, totally drained out my energies. I was afraid for a second there that I would pass out, but I just pushed on. Seeing the Girls always made me push myself way beyond my limits in ways that I cannot describe or understand. During those thirty minutes, as always, I didn't care, as long as I gave at least 100% of myself to them, through all the aches and pains as before.

 

And as always, despite all of the happiness and excitement, deep inside I still felt that same feeling as before. I felt that small, yet strong, sense of sadness, living with the fact that I am just another nameless, faceless SONE swimming in an ocean of pink, just another drop in the Pink Ocean that was there within the hall, just one more voice among countless cheering for them. Despite all the happiness and excitement, that small part of my heart will always ache, struggling to be contented with what I have and what I can do during the concert. It got me before, and it got me again, that I just love them so much and yet all I can do is to watch them from afar. I actually found myself smiling at them when they got closer, but feeling an ache in my heart.

 

But still, this fourth encounter will go down as yet another chapter of how much I love the Girls. As always, loving Taeyeon, Jessica, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, and Seohyun will go down as one of the greatest things that I have ever done with my life. Much like Bangkok, Hsinchu, and Manila, Taipei will galvanize my feelings for Girls' Generation.

 

I've said it before, and I've said it again, I know I cannot do much compared to other SONEs and other KPop fans in general. Despite getting older, getting worse for wear, going through all of that to show all my love and support to Girls' Generation, I'm sure that I'd gladly do it again given another opportunity. Seriously. As of this writing, I'm still reeling a bit from the physical ordeal of traveling to Taipei, standing within a huge crowd, and sacrificing my throat and my sleep, among other things.

 

I have said it once, and I will say it again, "I Love You, Girls' Generation... And I Always Will... 'Tilll The Day I Die..."

 

 

 

That's me before the start of the show. You can see how tall the people are in front of me, and how short I really am. I guess that says much about how difficult it was for me during that night.

 

That's me and my Thai friend before the start of the show. It's his first time to see Girls' Generation in person.

This is still got to be the best FMV I've ever seen. It's a bit outdated, but still captures the very essence of the SoshiBond, especially between SONEs and SNSD.

 

Still. The. Best. 'Nuff said!

January 19, 2013. Saturday. SM Mall of Asia Open Concert Grounds. Manila, Philippines.

Five years. We waited for five years. Finally, Girls' Generation is in the house! Finally, Girls' Generation performed in my hometown.

Girls' Generation was headlining a six-idol group KPop concert called Dream KPop Fantasy Concert, performing with EXO (M and K), Infinite, U-KISS, Tahiti, and Tasty. Of course, the Girls were set to perform last to close the entire show.

But this time around however, there were a lot of hassles during the whole experience that sorta-kinda made me go "meh" and "WTF???". From bad crowd control management to a lot of technical glitches, man, it wasn't really as fun as the first two concert experiences I had featuring the Girls. Oh well...

And as always, I will be focusing on Girls' Generation in this fan account, so I guess it's gonna be pretty short compared to the others that I wrote and posted here.



After waiting for seven hours before even getting inside the venue, and then another three hours or so watching performances from (in this order of appearance) Infinite, Tasty, U-KISS, Tahiti, and EXO (EXO even sang a Filipino song with guitars!), finally, we went bonkers when Girls' Generation was introduced on stage. Five years of anticipation and excitement literally poured out from the crowd, flooding the venue with our very own Pink Ocean, right in the heart of Manila.

After EXO exited the stage and the lights dimmed, we were all chanting, "So Nyeo Shi Dae! So Nyeo Shi Dae! So Nyeo Shi Dae! So Nyeo Shi Dae!" And then went screaming like crazy when we saw the Girls go up the stage.





The Girls performed six songs. The first up was Tell Me Your Wish (Genie). We fanchanted and sang right from the start. I think we surprised the Girls at how much we PH-SONEs went crazy in supporting, singing, and cheering for them. And of course, the highlight of the song was when we finally heard Tiffany say out loud, "Philippines, Put It Back On!!!!!!" Man, at that get-go, it was going to be a crazy thirty minutes. I found myself actually crying once more while they were singing Genie. I just couldn't believe that finally, Girls' Generation is in the Philippines, in Manila, my hometown!

The next up was The Boys. They sang the Korean version, but that didn't stop us from continuing to fanchant and sing along. We really kept the energy up.

And then Hoot was performed. Still, we kept up the energy, fanchanting and screaming and singing the whole time.









A short interview followed. Hearing them say, "Annyeong Hasaeyo, So Nyeo Shi Dae Imnida!" live and alive was particularly special. Tiffany said that they were so surprised and touched to see and feel so much support from the fans. Well, they can't blame us. We waited five effing years to see them perform in our home turf. She also added that they were so touched by our flag event. We were waving flags that said, "We Thought You'd Never Come", with the words "You'd" and "Come" highlighted in boldface before they started performing.

Jessica also gave in to the fans' request of singing a short line of her cover of Nina's "Someday" which she performed during the MBC Romantic Fantasy show. Man, even for those two lines that she sang, Sica sang so beautifully. Nina is a Filipino artist and "Someday" was a huge huge hit in the Philippines last year. Jessica even thanked the Filipino people for coming up with such a beautiful song.






 

 

 

And then Dancing Queen was next. Man, I nearly died seeing that cute cat dance in the flesh. Aya! I felt myself melting.

 

 

 

 

The next they performed was Gee. And it was during this song that they walked towards the second stage, near to where I was standing. Man, I was like three or four feet away from them. That was the closest I got to them todate. I died.







And then to end their performance, and the show, they set to perform I Got A Boy. There was a brief break to let them change shoes and switch to headset microphones for I Got A Boy. And then, BAM!!! By the way, I Got A Boy debuted at Number 1 in our local music charts.

And then I realized something: THIS IS THE FIRST TIME GIRLS' GENERATION IS PERFORMING "I GOT A BOY" OUTSIDE SOUTH KOREA!!! OMG!!!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As always, I ended up with a pair of sore feet, a sore back, a sore right shoulder, a sore neck, and a sore throat. In other words, I was totally tired, exhausted, and sore all over. And I had to walk back ten minutes to the parking lot (I parked at a different area to avoid the inevitable heavy traffic), and then I had to drive another hour to get home, all with a beat-up body. And then, I couldn't sleep well that night, partly because of the adrenaline, and partly because I was really sore. Writing this fan account, I can still feel the aches and pains on my legs and on my back. My throat completely gave out. But man, for thirty straight minutes, it was so totally worth it.

I did have my gripes though. Bad crowd control management. The organizers didn't give us clear-cut instructions until the very last minute before we entered the venue. The lack of instruction and discretion really cause a huge mess that a lot of people complained about it. I pitied some people, especially the high school and college kids there, who lined up as early as five or six in the morning only to find out that they were in the wrong queue three hours before the scheduled opening of the gates. Also, we were shepherded back and forth, causing the queuing lines to break several times. And then the effing bouncers blamed everything on us! WTH!!!

Second, lots of technical difficulties. Infinite, Tasty, and U-KISS suffered sudden cuts in their song when the music suddenly went out. I know how much of a bummer that is and I was really pissed off about it and felt sorry for them because they prepared so hard and then suddenly this happened. Also, Girls' Generation suffered some microphone problems as well. At least the good part about it is that nobody will accuse anybody of lip-syncing that night. That person would be so dumb and so stupid to do so.

But despite those missteps, at least for the last thirty minutes of the show, I was again totally happy. When EXO was performing, I couldn't move my legs and my back at all, standing for almost the whole day. When Girls' Generation was performing, I forgot all of my aches and pains. I didn't feel a thing except excitement and happiness. Fanchanting, cheering, screaming, and singing with SONEs who are also my countrymates, flooding SM Mall of Asia Open Concert Grounds with the Pink Ocean, was a dream come true. I felt especially happy for the members and staff of Soshified Philippines, because a lot of them have seen Girls' Generation last night for the very first time. I was so happy because compared to the other artists and the other fandoms who were there for the other artists, we SONEs showed our artists, our Girls, the best. We fanchanted to every song, from start to finish, from the first song to the last song. We SONEs also showed our support to Infinite, U-KISS, EXO, Tasty, and Tahiti, but we saved the best for last for our Nine Angels.

And as always, at the end of it, I felt a lot of mixed emotions as well. I felt sad as well. As always, they would never know who I really am, they would never know what my name is or how my face looks like. I would just be this nameless, faceless SONE swimming in the Pink Ocean, one voice among the thousands that fanchanted and sang the hell out of the concert venue. I kept reminding myself that I should probably be contented with this one-sided love affair I have with Girls' Generation. It really got me right there that I just love them so much and yet all I can do is to watch them from afar... well, at least from three or four feet away... and cheer for them.

I said before that I was willing to go through all the hardships and discomforts of going through a Girls' Generation performance, and I did, once again, and ended up all beat. At the time that I am writing this fan account, I can still feel the pain on my legs and on my back.

And evenso, seeing them again, for the third time, watching them perform in my hometown, will go down as yet another chapter of how much I love the Girls. As always, loving Taeyeon, Jessica, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, and Seohyun will go down as one of the greatest things that I have ever done with my life. That night, they proved how much power they have over me. I went through a lot of hassle that tested my stamina, patience, and resolve that night. But when they took the stage for thirty minutes, I was completely happy and forgot my anger and my aches and pains. Much like Bangkok and Hsinchu, Manila will galvanize my feelings for Girls' Generation.

 

Being a part once again of the Pink Ocean, cheering once again with all my heart and with all my soul, "Jigemeun, So Nyeo Shi Dae, Apuroudo, So Nyeo Shi Dae, Yongwonhi, So Nyeo Shi Dae!" is and will always be such a magical and wonderful experience that I cannot fully and completely describe how good it feels. But I will always be forever thankful for being able to do so.

And as always, I know I cannot do much compared to other SONEs and other KPop fans in general. But after this, I am now determined that whatever I can do, I will do it wholeheartedly, just for the Girls. I realized that was actually worse off now in Manila afterwards compared to my physical state after the concert in Bangkok and Hsinchu, but if that is what it takes to show all my love and support to Girls' Generation, I'd gladly do it again. Seriously.

I have said it once, and I will say it again, "I Love You, Girls' Generation... And I Always Will... 'Tilll The Day I Die..."


That's me before the start of the show. Carrying the pink lightsabers and the flags.


And then with some of my countrymates at the VIP Platinum block. PH-SONEs FTW!!!

I am loving your new appearances! It's growing on me quite a lot! Gotta admit, at first I wasn't really quite sure. But after a few more times of watching your performances and listening to the song, I am loving it!!!

 

Love the MBC Romantic Fantasy show!

 

KYAAAA---HHH!!!!! Seohyun's so pretty here as well!!!

Forever is also one of my favorite SNSD slow songs. Man, if anybody says that SNSD can't sing, let them listen to this song. I really got goosebumps listening to this one... and then when I finally saw it live and alive in the flesh, I really cried a lot. It's such a beautiful song.

Aya!!! I totally forgot of Chuseok!!! Where's my mooncakes???!!!

Anyways, Happy Chuseok to everyone too!
Gaaah!!! Taeyeon acting all cute again. I love you too, Taeyeon! As you love SONEs, we SONEs love you too (to pieces)!
Yes, it's getting cooler too. Please take care of your health too, TaeTae. You are all working hard so please take better care of your health. SONEs will always be there for you.

June 9, 2012, Hsinchu County Stadium, Hsinchu, Taiwan.

Barely four months ago, this SONE finally got the chance to see the nine blessedly wonderful angels that changed his life forever. And now, again, I was blessed to see them again. I honestly cannot believe that I would have another chance to see Girls' Generation once again, and in such a short span of time.

SMTOWN World Tour III.



This time, Girls' Generation was with their fellow SMTOWN hoobaes and sunbaenims, sharing the spotlight and the stage for the next four wonderful and memorable hours.



But I do admit, I missed them. I missed seeing them on stage live and in person. I missed seeing their bright appearances and happy faces live and in person. And seeing them with Kangta, BoA, TVXQ, Super Junior, SHINee, f(x), and EXO, all performing and spreading so much joy and happiness to so many Kpop fans, made the whole experience so much more engaging and memorable.

And that realization made me realize how much I really do love Girls' Generation. How much I really do love Kim Taeyeon, Jung Suyeon, Lee Soonkyu, Hwang Miyoung, Kim Hyoyeon, Kwon Yuri, Choi Sooyoung, Im Yoona, and Seo Joohyun.

Of course for this fan account, I will be focusing on Girls' Generation...

Happiness. If there was one thing that will and can describe the whole experience, it's happiness. After all the stress that I have been through this spring semester in my studies, it's good to get something like this to get away from it all, even for just four hours.

I was honestly surprised that the venue was an open-air arena. Whoa. I didn't even realize it until I got in. That worried me a bit because the weather wasn't really that nice. It actually rained a bit at 5:30PM, the time the concert was about to start. Because of that, there was a 30-minute delay.

The first I saw was Jessica, performing a duet with her cute and hot little sister Krystal. I really saw how close the Jung Sisters really are. They really looked cute together performing California Gurls.







Fastforward to the first full set. Taeyeon simply blew me away with Devil's Cry, the same powerful performance that she had in Bangkok. That song has become her signature song when she wants to do a powerful vocal performance. Taeyeon can really be a rock star if she wants to later on.



And then came Run Devil Run, Genie, and Kissing You. I was really happy that I heard not only SONEs cheering and fanchanting, but also everybody who was there. The fanchants were so loud that I was really happy. But especially for Kissing You, I was feeling really really happy because it's an old song that carried a totally different concept compared to what they portray now. For a while there I thought that I missed the old Girls' Generation of being cute and innocent. They have really grown up now to be gorgeous, mature, and sexy young ladies.







They were such dorks while introducing themselves after Run Devil Run. For instance, Tiffany's eyesmiles were really to die for. And Sooyoung was just so darn pretty that night. I was happy that all nine of them came, especially from what I've learned in SMTOWN LA that Yoona and Yuri weren't able to join them.











I was swooning and fanboying all over when Sooyoung and Jessica, and Seohyun briefly, went to our side of the stage during Kissing You.





And then I noticed something during the concert. I was also fanchanting and cheering away for the other artists as well. I didn't know their fanchants beforehand, but I was just going along with their fans. I was fanchanting with Shawols and ELFs and Cassies, for example. I was cheering out loud for Kangta, BoA, f(x) and EXO as well. For that time, I felt united with the rest of the SMTOWN fandoms, and it felt really really great. Being able to see yellow, red, blue, pink, green, and purple lightsticks and balloons all waving and flashing at the same time was such a wonderful sight to behold. At least for that night, there were no fanwars going on there.

And then Twinkle came. I admit at first when TaeTiSeo was launched a couple of months ago I was really skeptical, but I am happy that my fears and doubts were put to rest. TaeTiSeo looked so freakingly cute on stage. Tiffany's eyesmiles were to die for again and again and again. And also during the performance of DJ Got Us Falling In Love Again with EXO, man, they really got me going partying looking so darn hot.













Fastfoward once more. And this part surprised even myself. When they performed Himnae, I was actually crying. And they were tears of joy. The feeling of happiness was so overwhelming that I felt my tears roll down my cheeks while singing and jumping along to the song. I really cannot explain why, but hearing that song that night made me cry a lot. The atmosphere was so charged up that yes, it was urging me to just shout "way to go!". And Jessica came to our side again! She's so stunningly gorgeous.







And then Gee came. That induced probably one of the biggest and loudest fanchants of the night. By that time, my throat was already very dry and hurting a lot but I just kept on fanchanting like crazy. Again, I didn't care what happen to myself afterwards. I just wanted to give my all to the Girls. The whole crowd was going, "Gee Gee Gee Gee Baby Baby Baby!" to their hearts content.

The last song that they sang was their latest song, The Boys. Again, fanchanting and singing with every bit of strength and energy remaining in my body, I tried to give my full support to the Girls. At that point I was honestly at the point of exhaustion. Standing for hours on end on the mosh pit under crazy weather conditions, I pushed on, hoping that I won't collapse on the field. I was determined in giving my all.





During the final song, when all the SMTOWN idols were onstage, I really had so much fun also watching Taeyeon and Sooyoung being such dorks playing with the cameras. I was happy that they were happy. I was happy seeing them having so much fun horsing around.

And after that, the concert was over. My feet, along with the rest of my body, were sore like hell. And I still have to travel at least three hours back to Tainan City from Hsinchu (the hardest part was I had to wait for another six hours just to catch a bus - I left Hsinchu at 4:10AM and got back to Tainan at 7:30AM). As I walked -- or rather, painfully hobbled -- out of Hsinchu County Stadium, exhausted, tired, cannot speak properly, sleepy, a flood of thoughts and feelings rushed through me.







In those four hours, I really felt that as a KPop fan, my heart will always and only beat for Girls' Generation. Although I was cheering on the other SMTOWN artists, it is only with Girls' Generation that my heart was filled with happiness and energy. It was only through Girls' Generation that my fatigue and all my aches and pains melted away magically. Sure, I was singing along rather robustly to Superman, Sorry Sorry, and Bonamana. Sure, I was dancing along to Keep Your Head Down and Rising Sun. Sure, I was enjoying the whole time. But it was only during Girls' Generation time on stage that I felt different.

During that time, it was only Girls' Generation that made me cry. That what I felt during that time was something beyond understanding and logic.

Fanchanting to my heart's content, "Jigemeun, So Nyuh Shi Dae, Apuroudo So Nyuh Shi Dae, Yongwonhi, So Nyuh Shi Dae!" was and will always be a dream come true. It's one of the best things that I have ever subjected myself to.

And it was also during that time that I felt a little bit sad. While I was watching them perform, I felt like this lonely, nameless SONE who loves them so much and is now so in love with them, and yet the only thing that I can do is just watch them from afar, to be contented to just love them from a distance. I was intently watching them on, seeing their bright and beautiful faces, but from their point of view, they would never know me, much less see me in that crowd. Like in Bangkok, they would never know that I'm not even Taiwanese, but a Filipino who traveled far and put so much time and effort just to see them (unless a miracle worthy of every Holy Book ever written somehow occurs).

But evenso, going to SMTOWN Taiwan will go down in my own personal stories of how much I love Girls' Generation. Loving Taeyeon, Jessica, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, and Seohyun will be one of the greatest things that I have ever done with my life. And almost 24 hours after the whole experience (as of this writing), my heart has never felt so much for such people. Much like in Bangkok, this experience just galvanized how much I love Girls' Generation.

I know I cannot do much compared to other SONEs and other KPop fans in general. But after this, I am now determined that whatever I can do, I will do it wholeheartedly, just for the Girls. I realized that was actually worse off in Hsinchu afterwards compared to my physical state after the concert in Bangkok, but if that is what it takes to show all my love and support to Girls' Generation, I'd gladly do it again. Seriously.

I have said it once, and I will say it again, "I Love You, Girls' Generation... And I Always Will... 'Tilll The Day I Die..."


That's me before the start of the show. And I noticed that I was wearing basically the same outfit as with Bangkok.


PS. Just like before, I'm still debating whether I should upload the videos I took. Most of them were really crappy because I wasn't looking at the screen when I was taking them. I was looking at them. And they were kind of distracting a lot because I was screaming like a crazy fanboy almost the entire show that it's kind of embarrassing to upload them now that I think about it.

PPS. Now I also understand why a lot of people love Super Junior and TVXQ. Super Junior was simply so darn entertaining to watch, looking cool and confident while performing and being funny during the introductions. TVXQ totally owned the stage with their very powerful and a**-kick performance that it blew me away.

February 12, 2012. Sunday. 6PM. Impact Arena. Bangkok, Thailand.

Finally. After almost two years of waiting, praying, and hoping, this SONE has finally gotten his chance to see in person the nine blessedly wonderful human beings who have changed his life forever.

Some people would have called me insane, foolish even. To fly to a foreign land for the first time alone. To spend so much time, effort, and money just to see nine people who don't even know I exist. But flew to Thailand I did. Sacrificed some comforts I did. Spent a lot of money I did. Made that leap of faith and embraced hope I did.

On that fateful day, three hours before the concert started, I stood there, beholding the imposing presence of Impact Arena. I almost cried already at the sight of it. A really huge building where outside almost every single person that I saw was wearing pink, patiently waiting to get inside.







The gates opened an hour later. Section SD, Seat Number G9 (what a coincidence - "G9"). The first thing I saw was the diamond structure in which I knew they would come out from. I was utterly breathless as a tear immediately escaped from the corner of my eye. I still couldn't believe that I was finally inside Impact Arena, seeing just nine rows away the stage which they will grace with their presence a mere two hours later. As the place was filling up, I slowly began to understand why people would go to so much trouble just for this one night.



Fastforward to 6PM. The lights dimmed, and all I saw was the fabled Pink Ocean. Thousands of pink lights twinkled, danced, and waved in the darkness. I started hearing the cheers as well. It was such a magical and exhilirating experience right from the get-go that would last for the next three and a half hours. It was indeed one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.





After the opening sequence, there they were. For the first time in almost two years my surgically-repaired eyes finally fell on So Nyuh Shi Dae. Kim Taeyeon was sitting at the top tier. Jung Suyeon (Jessica), Hwang Miyoung (Tiffany), and Im Yoona were right below her. And on the bottom tier sat Lee Sunkyu (Sunny), Seo Ju Hyun (Seohyun), Choi Sooyoung, Kim Hyoyeon, and Kwon Yuri. As I realized that Tiffany was looking at my direction, my heart immediately melted.

And the moment Taeyeon sang the words, "Sowoneul Malhaebwa...", that was it. I started singing, cheering, and screaming my head off, frantically waving my lightstick. It was as if I metamorphosed into this crazy fanboy that was imprisoned inside this almost 30-year-old body.



By the time they got into the third song (Mr. Taxi), my throat was already starting to hurt. I didn't mind. I didn't care. At least for that night I said to myself I will give 1000% of myself to them, especially knowing the fact that Sooyoung wasn't 100% and all of them for sure were suffering from some jet lag from their flight from Paris the day before. I felt that it was my responsibility as a SONE sitting there in the concert to cheer for them as much as I can, no matter what. I didn't care what would happen to me afterwards.











The rest of the time was like that. By the time the first half of the concert was done, I could barely speak. My arms were hurting from incessantly waving my lightstick (I alternated between left and right hands waving it - when my left arm felt tired, I switched to the right one, and then back again). My shirt was starting to get soaked with sweat. My eyes were becoming tired from lack of sleep.

At that point I realized why, despite knowing that they are physically tired, the girls kept on going. I saw it in their faces that they were tired. But getting that kind of reaction, that overwhelming amount of love and support, from the crowd was such a huge well of energy that it takes away all the fatigue. I realized how solid SONEs are. For some reason that explained why I didn't care what would happen to me afterwards. I have been praying for this chance to show my love and support to Girls' Generation, and there I was. I wasn't going to falter at that moment. So through the aches and pains I went on with the rest of the SONEs, still singing, cheering, and screaming my head off, my lungs out, and my throat hoarse.

















And then came "Complete". There was a fan-event prepared for this song. At a certain moment, we raised our banners hidden under our seats. One side said, "After 785 days of waiting..." while our side said, "We finally meet". It was such an emotional and overwhelming experience that I was already crying when the song started, way before we raised our banners. "Complete" always made me cry and this time was no different. Finally hearing that song in the flesh, right there and then, amidst all the other SONEs in the Pink Ocean, was something truly indescribable. Watching them perform "Complete" pricked something deep in my heart that I would forever feel from that point on every time I hear this song.

And then, after seeing Sunny, Seohyun, and Sooyoung and even Yuri smiling in tears as well, I let go and just cried my eyes out. It was also obvious that Taeyeon was holding her tears back, just showing that derp smile of hers. I tried stopping myself, but I just choked on my tears.















Simply put, it was an emotional rollercoaster ride the rest of the way. I was singing and fanchating to "Gee" and "Into the New World" with a very rough and dry feeling in my throat that I thought I would permanently damage it. And speaking of "Into the New World", I have never dreamed that I would be seeing and hearing that song live and alive. Watching them sing and perform "Into the New World", the song that started it all, was such a magical and nostalgic experience, and made me regret that I wasn't a SONE from the beginning.

Another song that gave me goosebumps was "Forever". I also cried watching them perform that song as well. Especially on that particular point in the song when the lights went out, with only the spotlights shining on the Girls, and then the lights came on again with confetti bursting out all over the place, that really blinded me with my tears and overwhelmed my heart with so much emotion.

By the time they sang their final song, "It's Fantastic", I was conflicted. I wanted more. And yet deep in my heart I wanted it to end, so that the girls can finally get some rest back in Seoul after all of their hectic activities.











In the end of it all, I realized now how much it takes to be a SONE. To exert that much effort, that much energy; to take that leap of fatih; to give so much of yourself to people who don't even know you; to give your precious time to them; and then don't care what happens to you. I realized that now, I'm at that stage, where chances are that I'll be a SONE for the rest of my life.





And it scares the hell out of me now. 52 hours after the whole experience (at the time of this writing), I'm still emotional about it. Going to that concert, seeing them in person, made me both happy and sad. Happy because I finally got to see their bright faces, their happy appearances, and their wonderful personalities. Sad because the experience was such a short one. And I know that to them, chances are they won't even remember my face, even if they saw it (they won't even know that I'm not Thai, but a Filipino who flew all the way from Manila to see them, hurting at the fact that they haven't been to my country). To them, chances are that I was just one more SONE swimming in the Pink Ocean.

But despite that, I also know that I'd be willing to do it all over again. I'd go through all the uncertainties and discomforts again, and go through the aches and pains again to cheer for them.

Finally being able to shout "Jigemeun, So Nyuh Shi Dae! Apuroudo, So Nyuh Shi Dae! Yongwonhi, So Nyuh Shi Dae!" with all my heart and with all my soul at the top of my lungs was truly an amazing experience. A dream come true. It was only at that time that I realized how powerful and how meaningful that particular fanchant really is.

Going to the concert simply galvanized my feelings for them.

If this isn't love for Taeyeon, Jessica, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, and Seohyun, then I don't know what love is.

And after this, I can confidently say, "I love you, Girls' Generation... and I always will... until the day I die."


That's me before the start of the show.


PS. I'm still debating whether I should upload the videos I took. Most of them were really crappy because I wasn't looking at the screen when I was taking them. I was looking at them. And they were kind of distracting a lot because I was screaming like a crazy fanboy almost the entire show that it's kind of embarrassing to upload them now that I think about it.

I'd say that's rather more than a leap of faith than a random decision --> which actually paid off. It's one of those times when you wait for a ridiculously long period of time just to have a chance at a few precious seconds/minutes to see the girls in person... which makes you a certified SONE.

We're willing to sacrifice our own time and put in a lot of efforts for such a short moment, and yet that moment will be forever etched in our memories and in our hearts. You're blessed! Great job! Lucky you! Congrats on meeting them!

The rewards of being a hardcore SONE. Wow. And from Tiffany too no less. I can see that it was really a sincere effort - you weren't even expecting it and yet she gave you a priceless hug. Tiffany is just soooo nice.

Man, if that was me, I'd start crying (and afterwards, I will never EVER wash the shirt I was wearing when she hugged me - and have that shirt framed maybe).Co

Congrats, man! You got something there now that could never EVER be replaced.