I Met Kim Soo Hyun!

...or at least that was what I wished. hahaha. On November 2nd 2014, I had lots of fun hanging out in Lotte Shopping Avenue, Kuningan. I had a plan with my good friend to go there and watch two shows in a row. One is the Korean Navy Performance and another is The Painters: Hero.

girls just have to do selfie. lol. As soon as we reached the mall, we can hear the sound of a marching band already. We walked to the main atrium where the Korean Navy was performing but quickly got distracted when we saw the corner to wear free hanbok ^^ we have always wanted to wear one, so we just can not miss this chance (and I just can not wait to wear the RED one!) hehe.

We pretty much do not need to change to wear the hanbok because it is worn as an outer piece. There is one dress with the long green skirt and transparent top. Then there is a long-sleeved yellow blouse and the red outer piece. We can quickly used them just on the spot and it was not troublesome at all. 

So we snapped some more pictures and some mirror selfie. I like the one in the middle where I was tying up my hair haha. My expression looks funny there. And so, after we felt that the pictures are enough, we put off the hanbok and got into the main atrium to catch the performances we left. As mentioned before, the first was a marching band that play some classic marching band songs. But while we snapped some pictures, they started to play several K-pop songs including Gee and Mister if I remember it correctly.

Next up was numbers of navy who were marching to showcase some certain formations. They all looked pretty cool with the navy uniform and the weapon they are holding. Also, they all move in a very precise motion, salute.

Then, these two guys showed up and showed us that navy is not all strict and stiff. They also knew how to pull off an entertainment. They first sang a song from Eru, "Black Glasses". This song has become pretty popular in Indonesia because it was used as a movie soundtrack. Also, Eru has been performing a lot in Indonesia these days. After the ballad songs, they swiftly put on their black glasses (lol, literally) and heated up the atmosphere with the song by G-Dragon, "Crooked". They happily moved around and asked the audience to cheer on the song. Their voice on the other hand is surprisingly good and the performance is very enjoyable.

They ended up the whole show with a Taekwondo performance. They first showed audience some moves including hitting up some wood plates. That looked very dangerous and the wood pieces were flying here and there I came to the point that I should rather hide my camera under the chair. Many of the taekwondo players are girls, and they are strong. After that they finished the taekwondo performance with a happy cutey dance and also their own cover of EXO's "Overdose". Imagine having your favorite song combined with Taekwondo. Now that is amazing.

There, I told you I met Kim Soo Hyun. I am not really a big fan of K-drama but I did watch him in "Man from Another Star" and he is too adorable to not be loved. Anyway, this sums up my experience watching the Korean Navy Performance, I am going to talk about the second show which is The Painters: Hero on a separate post. And I also have a little video about both shows that I am going to put on the next post. See you there, kay?

Cheers, filicia

[Versus] Three Buns, Senopati

Hello everyone! Today we shared with you our new feature called Versus! Well, according to Cambridge dictionary, Versus is used to compare two things or ideas, especially when you have to choose between them. Well, that is what we are going to do in our feature. We did or did not by chance visit one place and compare our experience there. 

On our first installment, we proudly present you Three Buns, a burger and cocktail restaurant located in Senopati, the area that is undoubtedly growing to become a high-end food paradise. While Fili visited the place back on April, when Three Buns have just opened for few weeks, Yelny visited it on September.

The first thing we noticed to be very different is the kind of services that we got. It's not that either of us experienced bad service there but it was the different treatment that we got. As you have seen in the picture, customer is supposed to order in the food truck. After that we will get a queue number, when it appears on the board, we should take our food on the counter then head to our seat. Well, that was what I experienced, as expected from a fast-food restaurant anyway. But for Yelny, since she went there during less crowded time, the waitress guided here to her seat, gave her the menu, helped her to order and delivered it right to her table.

There you can see the huge difference in the ambience. I went there when it was newly opened and also, on Saturday night, so I will leave it to your imagination on how crowded it was. When Yelny went there, the craze of newly-opened-store started to tone down. Also, she went there on Friday afternoon so it was not that crowded. 

One thing that we agreed about the place itself is that it is pretty comfortable. The restaurant has one and a half floor and pretty much a semi-indoor place. The natural light pours through the window and roof. Even if it is semi-indoor, it is not that hot because they have a good air circulation system.

Still talking about the place, you can see on the first floor that is the food truck where customer is supposed to order the food when it is more crowded. Also, on the next picture you can see the bar and a counter where you can pick the food. If you noticed, on the left side of the bottle shelf, there is a board with numbers there. When your food is ready to be picked up, the numbers there will light up, kinda reminds me of playing Bingo.

Well, and that's what we said about having good air circulation. They have enough fans and standing ACs to balance the hot temperature. The interior itself is pretty much dominated with natural wood color, giving a more comfortable feels. Customers can either sit in the kind of seat (on the picture) or regular chairs like what you saw on the first floor pictures.

Moving on to the food now! Woohoo. There are not much selection of the food here anyway. Their main star has to be the burger, definitely, with the mouthwatering patty. Other than that they also had a variety of side dishes and selection of drinks.

Now I apologize that I do not have any proper photo for the actual burger. It was taken at night when I have just bought my camera for a few days, so I hope you understand that I am still a newbie. haha. Anyway, I ordered Foor Floor burgers. Here is the explanation: double prime 100g beef patties, double cheese, triple onions, lettuce, pickles, ketchup and den miso mayo. How does it taste? Oh-so-delicious! It is actually a bit expensive for student like me, but since it is beef patty, well, I gave in. This burger will cost you IDR 125,000 but I think it is okay to spend more for one good dinner every once in a while ^^

This side dish is called Naughty Fries which is filled with spiced bearnaise, beef chili, crisp shallots, parmesan and sesame seeds. This extraordinary fries cost you IDR 55,000 per portion and both of us happen to order it on our visits. I like this fry because it is filled with beef and cheese as well which will be perfect for snacking. But Yelny doesn't like it, she loves it, especially because there are lots of crisp shallots which is rare to find in fries, in any fast-food restaurant. So, though it is a bit pricey, again, the price worth it. And also, Yelny assumed that the fries is made by mashing the potato, forming it into a solid dough then cut into strips. But it is only an assumption, okay?

Now about the drink, Yelny and her friends ordered Mexican Mule for IDR 95,000. It is none other than tequila with lime and ginger beer. This beverage anyway is kind of a hit-and-miss, neither of us is a fan of alcoholic beverage but it is okay to step out of comfort zone sometimes, right? For us, it is a bit weird, and Yelny doesn't like to have a ginger in her drink. So, I guess this is a matter of preference. If you like ginger and tequilla, this might suit your preference.

The next is Cappucino, one that Yelny ordered. She said that it tasted just like an ordinary cappucino. The bitter and sweet in a cup is all in all balanced. And it cost around IDR 35,000.

Well, with the different experience we had in Three Buns, we think that it will be fun to share more perspective that we had when we went to a same place. We are looking forward to post more Versus posts in the future and hopefully give you an insight. We believe that what I think as good is not always good for Yelny or vice versa. Everyone has the right to have the freedom of speech. Therefore, it is okay to have your own opinion.

Yeey, cheers!

Three Buns

Jl. Senopati Raya no. 90

Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta Selatan

12190

T: 021 - 2930 7780

SHINee World III in Jakarta

Since I was a kid, I have always had list of things that I want to accomplish but seems difficult or would take lots of time. Later on, I learn the vocabulary for that statement, a bucket list. Though  I do not always write it down, I remember that list by heart. The list is growing, and ever since I fell in love with K-pop, watching a live concert is automatically on the list.

This day five months ago, June 22nd 2014 to be exact, I can proudly say, I tick one of my bucket list ((insert-happy-tears-emoticon)). I have been a huge SHINee World (SHINee's fan name) ever since their debut back in 2008. I did watch their performance live when Arirang and TVRI brought them for the Korean-Indonesian Friendship Festival in 2010. But they performed only 2 or 3 songs and I was obviously not satisfied, though I was very lucky to win the ticket for free from the raffle.

On the span of four years, SHINee had actually come to Indonesia once more for a special music show and another one for a joint concert with SM Entertainment artists. But I did not go to either one of those concert. I can go and say that I am very patient to wait for their solo concert but on the other hand, I did not have the money to buy the ticket! I was only a high school student (and later a university student), and my pocket money is super duper limited.

But when it is announced that SHINee is having the solo concert in Jakarta, I just, I HAVE TO GO. Moreover, they have just released two albums and one mini album around that year. Insane. But the ticket price is even more insane.

I do not have the money to buy the ticket. So, I went to join all the quizzes with the ticket as the prize. Be it on twitter, instagram, tabloid, whatever. I did not win. And I did not have the money. But I had the will.

Several days before the concert, it is informed that Onew, SHINee's leader has undergone a surgery and had to rest. Therefore, he can not join the concert :( just like many Shawols, my heart was broken. But my strong desire beats everything. So with my dear Kpop fan slash friend, we made a plan, or more likely, I kind of force her ^^

June 22nd 2014 is the birthday of my beloved city Jakarta. As a gift to the citizens, everyone can ride Transjakarta for free. Well, my friend, can you imagine how crowded would it be to get into the bus? And I can not get a taxi because I am saving every penny to watch SHINee. Anyway, I still get into the bus and went to meet my friend in Kota Tua because there was an event and we would like to spend our afternoon there ((post coming soon))

The clock strikes 5.30 when we finished strolling. The concert started around 6.30 PM. But we were not at rush at all. Instead, we patiently waited for taxi that never showed up and we started looking for alternatives, so we asked the people around and finally hopped into an angkot (a minibus public transportation) because it was getting dark. So like after 20 minutes, we were already in front of Ancol and we bought the entrance ticket. After that we got into a shuttle bus and got to down to change into another bus before we could finally reach the concert venue. The venue was Mata Elang International Stadium (MEIS) inside Ancol Beach Mall. Trivia: SWC III is the last concert held in MEIS because after that there was some problems between MEIS and don't-know-who.

By the time we reached MEIS, it is already 7 PM and the concert has started. We did not worry at all though. In fact, we waited until it is a bit later after the concert. Why? Because there were lots of calo (I don't know how you call this in English) who gave you discount after the concert started or else they will loss. Many of those calo sold the tickets to every single passerby, we almost bought the tribune ticket when my friend gently reminded me how far would it be to stand in the tribune.

So, at around 7.30 PM, a calo finally gave in and sold two festival tickets with considerably low price. We rushed into the venue. But we were hold because we both brought camera. I swore that I had no intention at all to take any picture inside the venue with my camera. We brought those cameras with us because we were hunting some pictures in the Kota Tua events. So we went to deposit our camera to a security post in the parking lot and went back and got in and....

my bias ^^

I can not believe I was that close with SHINee!!! They were singing "Queen of New York" on the front stage by the time we reached the venue. We promised earlier that we were going to enjoy the concert with ease, just a little picture and video for the sake of memories and the rest, we will just enjoy it. And that's what we really did. The rest of the concert is very, very surreal or even magical in some ways.

The setlist for the concert is listed below:

1. Spoiler, 2. Evil, 3. Nightmare, 4. Juliette, 5. Lucifer, 6. Like A Fire, 7. Dream Girl, 8. Hitchhiking, 9. Queen of New York, 10. Aside, 11. Sleepless Night, 12. Orgel, 13. Beautiful, 14. 3 2 1, 15. Destination, 16. Dynamite, 17. Ring Ding Dong, 18. Amigo (the song that made me fell into them), 19. Everybody, 20. Selene 6.23 encore one: 21. Sherlock, 22. Why So Serius?, 23. Colorful encore two: Onew's VCR, 24. Stand By Me, 25. Green Rain.

Well, because I wasn't there from the beginning I am not very sure about the first songs. I am still kinda sad because those 3 opening songs are my favorite from their recent albums. But then again, I am beyond grateful that I am able to watch them that close.

Just like I said before, I sincerely wanted to enjoy the concert so I barely take any pictures and even i or my friend did, it was only from our phone camera and the quality is bad, also since they moved a lot, many of the pictures turn out blur. But the vivid memory that I have in my had will forever stay in my mind and heart :')

Seeing them in real life, it truly felt like there are less boundaries between idol and fans. They were glowing and the charismatic aura was overflowing. Also, I stood in Festival A4 that was less crowded compared to other section. The audiences are considerably under control. And without realizing it, we are happily moved from the sixth row to the second from the front >.<

I loved how SHINee interacted with the fans. They danced and sang very sincerely. And yes people, they live singing is soooo breathtaking. They are really good, even Minho. They were so interactive as they ran around the stage many times and they even got down to quickly high-fiving the audience!!!

No zoom! We were that close with Minho. It was the best shot that we got on that day ((thank you kei  for this picture)). I was in awe. I cherish every single moment I had there. Also, I might have breathe in the air that they breathed out. Well, okay I think I should stop rambling by now.

When the VCR of Onew showed up, I teared up. Indonesia is the last stop for their SHINee World III Concert but he couldn't join, so it was a bid saddening. When they sang "Stand By Me", I smiled again. Widely. When they announced the actual last song, "Green Rain", I did not expect it since it was only a soundtrack. When they bid their good-bye, I got emotional and cried again. I cried because I was very happy to meet them, I cried because I was sad they were leaving back to Korea, I cried because my dream finally came true, I cried for so many reasons on that night :')

can no filter hep this picture ^^ I will just leave it like this

And that was the end of the concert. We took some more pictures. I took a bottle of drink they have used for pouring one another ((cough)). We took our camera. We bought some drinks. Then we walked quite far to the nearest exit gate and patiently waited for a taxi that took forever to show up. By that time, it was around 11 PM (the concert ended around 10 PM). It was super exhausting but totally worth it.

Well, there is one thing that I want to tell you guys, I am NOT proud at all that I did not buy the ticket officially. If it is not for SHINee, I think I'd rather not go then buying ticket from calo like this. I felt sorry for the promoter who has done so much to bring the artist to hold a concert in Jakarta and that must be lots of hard work. If you had enough money, please respect the promoter and buy the ticket officially. This time, I apologize I didn't do it the right way but I really just did this because it is SHINee World Concert :( but I am really thankful that you brought SHINee here. Thank you, thank you so much.

Last but not least, sorry this post has subconsciously become my rant. I didn't realize it will turn out this long! Images here are from SMTOWN via facebook. The other pictures are taken either with my phone or my friend's, thus explaining the quality. Please do not use it or claim it as yours :)

Cheers, filicia!