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Happy 8th anniversary to the ONLY girl group I love! That's an accurate statement. Even though I have/had many girl group "flings" (I follow more girl groups than boy groups, to be honest!), KARA is the only girl group in which I can't see any superficiality.° Not to say other groups are fake; who am I to judge? But when it's KARA it's definitely a family.


(photo credits: Jelah Ruz @ KARA Philippines)

At first I tried to make a birthday message. If you ever guessed, I've never made any bday tribute to these girls. I thought of a pimp post but that's something to leave to hardcore Kamilias--I admit I am far (still far) to be one. I also composed a dramatic essay but it doesn't fit with my celebratory mood. (Yes. Celebratory in all its glory!!) You know, one thing that makes me fall in love with KARA over and over again is their songs that seem to not run out of energy.° The signature KARA sound that, despite my hate in the beginning (refer to this post), brought the highest levels of hyperness in me and gave me regular urgencies to dance.°  I got my hand movements wrong in Lupin and had the time of my life doing the wrong steps to Step, but at least I've done these... and more! Super thanks to you, gals :">

It is not unknown to everyone that I'm a fan of KARA's Japanese discography. In fact, I listen to it more than I listen to their Korean songs. I'm so thankful for the huge JPop influence in the group, for if they aren't JPop-like sound-wise I might never appreciated them this far.° If they didn't venture into Japanese market I might've not known them anyway. I may be greedy and senseless for thinking this but KARA is a JPop group to me. But no hate, please. ^^ I'm aware that their origins are Korean and never will they be in line with JPop groups. Yet this is another reason to love them: The KPop label and the JPop heart.° It's like seeing two groups, listening to two cultures, and understanding two languages in one. Isn't that awesome?

KARA is called the 'Miracle group'° for a variety of reasons I will not discuss here (I recommend watching these documentaries to satisfy your curiosity xD). The members have been through a lot, and it made them stronger, braver, wiser. It might not be too obvious but they are some of the richest in the KPop idoldom, too! However, it's definitely not cliche to say that their humility is outstanding and one-of-a-kind°. A big part of this is attributed to them being the 'miracle group'.

Like my ultimate bias group, NEWS, KARA has an interesting member line-up changes from the year they were formed to the present.° Originally four, a member left and was replaced by two, making them five for a long time. Then two members left and were replaced by one, making them four again. There's no need to hide your laughing because it's actually hilarious. More importantly, come to think of it, they survived through it all!°

° =  the reasons why I love KARA [the supposed-to-be title of this post~]

KARA Playlist

Since I don't have much to babble about, I'd end this post with a list of song recommendations (mostly Japanese tracks, and you know why!)

Probably you've heard of the song MR. more than you've heard about the group who sang it. (It was such a trend!) But there's more to KARA than their butt dance; here are the songs that caught my attention, became my jam, and many of these belong to my ultra-favorites until now. There are also some ballads just in case you're wondering if they ever sing slow songs.

KARA's vocals were once dubbed as the worst in KPop. I won't disagree. However, I'm still proud of the group's unique vocal substance that gives their songs their own catchy brand.

Here is my recommendation list, not in order (although it tends to). Hope you find the time listening to some!

5-member KARA (2008-2013)
・STEP (super favorite and always in the top of my playlists! It's Korean but there's a Japanese version as well; albeit I recommend the K-version only.)
・Girls Power (the song that brought me to liking KARA)

[video: Girls Power]
・Speed Up
・ゴ!ゴ! サマー
・Ima Okuritai Arigatou (the song for the fans. There are K and J versions; albeit I recommend the J-version only)
・Winter Magic
・Promise
・ Jumping (I recommend both K and J versions)
・HANABI
・Love Is (I recommend J-ver. )
・Rock On
・Love Is Fire
・Pretty Girl (I recommend both K and J versions)
・Jet Coaster Love
・Burn

Original 4-member KARA (2007)
・Break It
・If You Wanna
・Words I Couldn't Keep

New 4-member KARA (2014 - )
・MAMMA MIA (I recommend K-ver.)
・So Good

Whew, I missed making KARA posts! I'm glad I finally got to it again! Along with this is a promise that I'd be a better fan. The type which, can write andwill write a pimp post or even just an appreciation post. Because you are worth the appreciation. <3

Again, happy 8th anniversary. You are a miracle, and meeting you is magic.
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I have a lot to blog for the first quarter of 2015, that the yearender special I decided to set aside. But 2014 was my happiest year in 5 years despite NEWS' inactivity (again), and here are the sentiments I need to let out! (let 'em go, let 'em go, can't hold 'em back anymore~)

Just a fair warning: most of my 2014 happiness came from ze personal life so this might be more of a real-life post than a fandom one.
You can skip the first part and read the second cut (fandom-centered) instead :)

2014 was the year I discovered my true self, my insecurities, and my capabilities. Studying astrology since 2013, I somehow stopped in the first few months of 2014 and eventually I was back on track again. I realized my life as controlled by the 'stars', so I started to try navigating it, with the help of newfound philosophies and some old, tried, and tested beliefs. Where did I get those things?

The power of inspiration. 4 years in the fandom, I really waited for this year to come. Four is a beloved number--you know why--and passing this mark made me feel secure in my place in the fandom world. T'was the year where I felt the most comfortable in making the fandom a part of my lifestyle, morphing into a 'senpai' fan. I don't consider myself a newbie anymore ('coz I still did, in 2013).
If you could call this something as great as divine providence. Or caused by the philosophical depth I've gained. I’ve never stuck to something for more than four years, so having gone through the fourth year in the fandom I knew it was my first ultimate step to--well, forever. I hope so.

Read more.... )

--

Now that I've mentioned my bias it's time for the second half of the post which talks of fandom happenings, even though NEWS itself lacked news in 2014. These are arranged randomly, and some parts would still relate greatly to my personal interests and/or stories. I might be missing out on some things; feel free to comment.

NEWS: Tegomass no Seishun (TMnS) album, TMnS tour, NEWS10th DVD, ONE -for the win-, SEVEN COLORS PV, 4X9.

^ So it looks like a wordy sentence but in reality it isn't. One single. No album and concert tour. A TV show? Yes, a one-episode-and-sadly-it-will-never-happen-again TV show. A DVD. Of a 2013 concert that was expected to be released on that year too. And aaand Tegomass finally did something! They should, after 2 years of letting NEWS adjust their 4-nin stat first. NEWS celebrated their 11 years in 2014, but it felt like their pre-debut year was even more eventful. (I'M EXAGGERATING THO :p)


SEVEN COLORS PV

Read more... )


There are tons of things worth including in this yearender post. The simple details, such as seeing a shooting star twice; the meet-ups with Ria whom I feel very comfortable talking to about any topic (from Tegoshi to Politics to the problems in my family); the times of restlessness caused by a fanfic; the first time I posted a multi-chap. Our calamansi tree finally bore fruit! Our cactus died! I learned how to cook purple yam! And I injured my foot while playing "futsal"--using a snail shell as the ball.

I hope I conveyed it well: why I love 2014. My aim is to make 2015 even better, because having equipped with the experience and wisdom I've gained I think I can now focus on moving forward~


****EXTRA: Memo-memories! (MY) 2014 AWARDS****

hashtag of the year: #てずてってとって‎NEWS
ItteQ scene of the year: snake massage
oops! moment of the year: Tegoshi admitting he's a bi? Erase-erase; it was all a misunderstanding he said
treasure of the year: The NEWS album I won from [livejournal.com profile] sg_paanas giveaway
meet-up of the year: kulitan with MassuDhes
number of places I've been to the first time: 10+
destination of the year: Navotas? Because I got lost big time!
LSS of the year: ETERNAL MIND (Kis-My-Ft2)
non-fandom LSS of the year: Let It Go (Idina Menzel/Matsu Takako)
personality of the year: Heo Youngji
member-ai of the year: THIS QUESTION IS THE HARDEST. I LOVE ALL THE MEMBER AI. But I'm gonna choose an underrated--the subtle Koyashige moment in 1FTW making
Tegoshi hairstyle of the year: the edible pink hair
OTP of the year: Tegoleya as always. Tego x sheep. Don't question my love for Tegosheep.

color of the year: orange
indulgence of the year: chocolate
jamming of the year: bonding and adventures with kuya Christian and Stephen
longest sleep: 10 hours only?
number of Tumblr followers: 595
fave/luckiest months: January, March, July, August, December

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