a-lou-f

[a-lou-f]

I wrote about EXO and their concert in Singapore. This may well be the largest platform where I’ve written anything personal. I hope it’s satisfactory.

[a-lou-f]

simon & garfunkel

Earlier this month, mom brought me to see ‘The Simon & Garfunkel Story’ at the MBS theatres. I begrudgingly accepted knowing full well she had no one to attend the musical with, and that she had accompanied me to see GD earlier in June this year. If I’m being completely honest, I had zero expectations for the show - I had no idea who Simon & Garfunkel were (I’m a late 90s baby, guys) and the performers of the show weren’t even the duo themselves. But by the end of the night, I was a convert. 

I enjoyed myself through the night despite not knowing ANY of the songs (save for the one very popular line from ‘The Sound of Silence’ - hello darkness my old friend); to the extent of streaming Simon & Garfunkel’s music once I got home. According to mom, the cast also sounded very similar to the real deal and based on what I watched, I wholeheartedly agree. Here’s a pic featuring the very lovely cast of the Simon & Garfunkel Story.

I pride myself in having good music taste and having appreciation for good music, aside from the general mainstream pop. Music has no boundaries it transcends generations and time - and Simon & Garfunkel certainly proved that. Much props to the cast who managed to turn a stubborn young adult into a fan of some of the best music there is. I know I’m 3 weeks too late on this post but I urge everyone to go see the show if it’s coming to your country, you won’t regret it one bit. 

Going to end this post with one of my personal favourites of S&G themselves, Homeward Bound.

[a-lou-f]

m.o.t.t.e

PSA: On the 24th of June, 2017, at approximately 8.27 p.m., I finally saw jiyong in the flesh.

A little background info: I’ve been a fan of G-Dragon (whom I will refer to as jiyong) and BIGBANG for the longest time, although I only became a proper, “hardcore” stan during the Fantastic Baby era. Although having listened to their music (both group and solos of all members) throughout the years, I guess you could say I grew up with the group.

Having missed out on so many BIGBANG concerts, I was not willing to give p the opportunity of seeing him this year, especially since he’s due for enlistment in the army next year. Can you imagine the joy I felt when I found out I could attend both days of his concert, as opposed to just one? I mean, already getting to see him got me over the moon, but being allowed to go for both days of his concert here in Singapore? I could die happy.

pictured: from day 2 of the con - the closest i’ll ever get to jiyong, if there’s one good thing about sitting right next to the big screen, it’s getting to see your idol’s face up close - pores, sweat, everything. 

I won’t talk about the things he did, or said, because I just want to preserve my thoughts about the whole MOTTE experience (besides there’s tons of fan accounts and fancams all over the internet; I will say though, he is very, very cute in real life, and I was not expecting any less).

MOTTE was unlike any other concert I had ever been to; Granted, I’ve only been to EXO’s, and one of a local artist’s. However, compared to the aforementioned concerts, MOTTE felt very raw and personal. When my friends asked me to describe the concert experience, I told them it was like going to heaven and meeting God in the flesh. Obviously that was an exaggeration, though maybe not completely untrue :-) I also likened the concert to attending an art exhibition or visiting a gallery, and that said exhibition/gallery was narrating a story, jiyong’s story - I believe this is the more accurate description. 

pictured: from day 1 of the con - had balcony seats but knowing I was in the same space as him and watching him live was still breathtaking enough 

Based on the setlist, the songs were performed according to their order of release, with jiyong’s solo debut hits such as Heartbreaker and A Boy first, followed by tracks from his subsequent albums One of A Kind, Coup d’Etat and his latest, Kwon Jiyong the EP. It felt like a journey, a process. 

It seemed as though I was watching GD slowly unravel his many layers to reveal the man underneath all the glamour, who wanted nothing more than to be a successful idol - jiyong. As the night went on and each act ended, it felt like I was watching Jiyong, and not the GD I’ve known and been a fan of for the past few years. 

vid creds to: alwaysgd (one of the best fansites to ever exist!!) featuring my favourite track from kwon jiyong, superstar

Performances aside, the audience go to see Jiyong opening up about the loneliness faced with the idol life, as well as his struggle of differentiating his persona, G-Dragon, and his true self, Kwon Jiyong via the monologues strategically placed between each act. Here’s one of my favourites:

vid credits to: tingkerbxll

Like I said, the whole concert felt very raw and personal. 

I have a lot of thoughts and analysis on MOTTE as a whole, as well as on Jiyong’s album, how the two connect and the significance behind the imagery of red and white used in both. How, GD’s persona is reflected in red, and Jiyong’s is in white, which shows in his transition of stage outfits throughout the concert. How, whether intentionally or not, the red paint coming off the USB album could be seen as Jiyong shedding his persona as GD and baring his raw soul to the audience for the first time as Kwon Jiyong. 

I don’t have words to describe how surreal the entire weekend was. All i can say is I was truly lucky to have been a part of the audience and witness the work of one of the greatest K-Pop artists to ever exist.

I’ll end this post by saying: Jiyong is not a mere idol, he is an artist, musically, lyrically, artistically, literally. As a final treat, the title track of the EP,  무제 無題 (Untitled, 2014), courtesy of alwaysgd.

[a-lou-f]

you could say it’s because of the architectural structure, or because of the nature surrounding the modern creation, or the all-too-familiar corridor adorned with household items; but at one glance, i could tell - this is home. so rarely do i see the housing blocks of my country painted in such a beautiful light. this is home, truly

[a-lou-f]

updates

It’s been slightly over two months since my first post on this blog.

What initial determination I had to move my life in the direction of a journalist/writer has fizzled and eventually died. I don’t have any excuse - other than procrastination and endless hoping, wondering, why and how things turned out this way.

Keeping and maintaining this blog was a first step for me to moving in the abovementioned direction, and yet I was unable to take that first leap of faith. Looking back, I was far too caught up in the idea of trying to be a proper, professional journalist. The first post I did? Took me an entire day to craft and edit; whereas his post? a mere fifteen minutes thus far. In my desperation to be a write, I completely forgot the reasoning behind me wanting to become a wriiter - my pure, raw passion for writing.

I don’t know how to keep this blog alive, I don’t know the kind of content I should put out there, I don’t know the least bit about journalism, or writing. Therefore I will do the only thing I know how to do - write. Be it about the mostly mundane or occasional extreme. I will write about them all.  

[a-lou-f]

aloof

/əˈluːf/

adjective

not friendly or forthcoming; cool and distant.

Hi, my name is Louisa. I’m a 20 year old girl residing in Singapore, a country known for having the one of the best airports in the world and the hottest climates all year round. 

I like food, and lazing around, and aesthetically pleasing things. I spend most of my time going through Twitter, Instagram, Buzzfeed, Tumblr, basically anything I can get my hands on. I’d like to think I have great taste in music - K-Pop, the occasional K-Indie, local music, the common culture compilation by Connor Franta (who I believe has GREAT taste in music), Mura Masa, occasional Studio Ghibli soundtrack (also Les Mis, Disney etc), and of course, mainstream music.

I have recently graduated from my school with a diploma in Law. The past 3 years of legal studies have made me realise that while I do love the English language, the same cannot be said for law, or at least the study of it. Upon my graduation, I was at a loss as to what to do with my life. I was adamant on changing career paths and discontinuing my studies of the law; but for the past 3 years of my life, all I had done was legal studies. Where was I to turn to now?

The aforementioned realisation and uncertainty I’ve faced is what led me to make possibly one of the most profound decisions of my life - taking a gap year. 

I’m hoping that within this one year I’ll be able to find myself, pursue jobs related to my interests and hopefully by the end of it, decide what I want to do with my life. And surprise, surprise - my interest lies in writing.

a-lou-f

My dad suggested start a blog to hone my skills in writing and keep for future portfolio-ing. I know, for someone with interest in writing I should’ve done this earlier. Guess I never had the time.

Coming up with a URL was an obstacle because I was aiming for something edgy, but also something ‘me’. (I don’t think I satisfied the ‘edgy’ criteria but I guess we’ll just have to roll with it) And thus, as you may or may not be able to tell, a-lou-f, a play on the adjective and my name, was born. 

Aloof is a word I believe describes me aptly. I’d like to think that I come off as a cold and unfriendly person - at least to the people who don’t know me, yet. Although, deep down, I think perhaps the real reason why I chose aloof as an adjective was because i wanted to distance and detach my image here from my real self.

Choosing a platform to give life to a-lou-f was, in comparison to generating a URL, much easier to do. While I’m aware that Tumblr may not be the most suitable platform to start a blog, I also think that (I’m cringing at myself for saying this) it fits my aesthetic best. There, I said it.

That’s pretty much my entire backstory.

In case you needed a condensed version - TL;DR: girl takes gap year, hopes to find herself, starts with pursuing her interest in writing. 

Hopefully by the end of my gap year, I’ll have some from of awakening, an epiphany, some sense of what I want to do. his blog is only the beginning.

(Seriously regretting the name choice now)