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Blog 6 : Let's talk about the APT.

Recently the social media has come with a great wave of APT. by Bruno Mars and Rose, which the song is based of the entertainment game of Korean teenagers played under a situation contains wine and alcohols. Therefore, in the song itself, there are many elements of fun and play vibe been contained.

With a clear idea of music background of this song, and general rhyme of music style the song quickly hits the top of Spotify and TikTok. With the "Trend Hounds" smell that catchy songs to use in their own creation, many TikTok creator started to rapidly use the song over and over, which spread the song like a covid in the 19; quick and unstoppable. The most popular recreate version was from a Indian You tube creator Sandaru Sathsara that not only brings Apt on to the viral again, but also brings the recreation work and the creator benefit. With no harm in the this recreation many of the similar creations had been pop up in the stream.

While you listen to the song the Word "APT" had been constantly been say in and repeated in the songs. which the word comes from the Korean alcohol game I mention earlier. It is a shorten words from "Apartment" which means 아파트 in Korean. which reeded as "A-Pa-Tsu." Using it as the creation background Rose and Bruno Mars had use the song to make you felt been contains in the game while the lyrics been process.

That's Learn about the game "아파트":

The rules of the APT drinking game are very simple. In short, it's a type of stacking hands game. Here's how to play:

Participants sit in a circle, and before the game starts, everyone chants "아파트, 아파트, 아파트" together, then randomly stack their hands on top of each other. One player randomly calls out a number, and then the person at the bottom starts counting while pulling out their hands. When the number that was called is reached, the person whose hand corresponds to that number must drink.

For example, after the players have stacked their hands, if someone calls the number 7, the person at the bottom starts counting from 1 and continues until they reach 7. The person who says "7" must drink, and then the game starts over.

It's a fun and easy game to play, and it's not awkward whether you're playing with new or old friends. Next time you're hanging out with friends, consider adding the "아파트" game to liven up the atmosphere!

[bo-ying]

Blog #3: Break a Leg!

waking up on a casual Saturday summer morning feeling the sunshine hits on my skin and the warm feeling rises from the deep inside my feeling. I start to prepare my Sunday farmers market trip with a list of items:

What to bring:

Water

2. Wallet

3. Shopping Bag

4. Cap & Sunglasses

5. Umbrella (In Case of Raining)

After the quick pack up with excitement on the journey, I realized its getting close by to lunch time. In the mean while my classmate text me to grab a lunch with her. With out any doubt, I left my apartment from Highland Park and scoot to the dorm to met her up. We had dine in the Nagomi Ramen, one of the best place to get some ramen. After a long conversation about everything in life and a fun time of cafe. I tap off the table and went to look for a scooter to return to my apartment.

After a glace around the store I found non Veo-Scooter around that I could borrow with. I, then opened the customized app for renting and search the nearest available scooter around me. With one that takes me 2 minutes walks had displayed. I then found it aside a bushes. After I ride it one I realized the break is a little loosen, yet, without any concern I push the power to maximum and went on a journey that leads me home. With a familiar scene and familiar faces that I can called out with names, some couple unfamiliar faces but seen couple times, and others that are totally new. While I was riding across a gas station and a narrow path, an elder man with the star-banner suit and his bike with two flags on top had comes out from the narrow paths. In my sight it seems he comes from no where and flashes in front me. With such a limit time of reaction, I tried the break. However, it is loosen, in that case the only option for me was to make a 90 degreed turn try to avoid the guy on bike. But poor guy had make a turn on wrong direction. I first hits the edge of the road that bumps up and the scooter had stopped in the sudden, yet I had launch my self into the road, I tried to balanced first but found it difficult, therefore I first land my knee on the road and makes couple rolling on the road to deduct the force.

That happens only in couple seconds. When I gets up and checked on myself, I found some great news and bad news, good news: I am on the middle of the road and I am still alive; bad news: I break my leg cause I landed my knee first. One of my friendly neighbor had saw me with bloody legs and bring me to a convenient store nearby and patch me with sanitizing pad. Once the sanitize pad attached to my knee, the twitches has crawl on my face and the process feel long. with a simple rap up I had drag my foot by foot and lay on my bed while looking at the bag next to my door reminding me of the farmers market trip tomorrow. With a coin been flipped and the tail been shown in my hand. I decided to listen to the band in the market to relax myself as an award.

On the very next day with the determination and the honor of mission I walked out the apartment with crumble foot on the left a picnic chair I could sit on, a glass of water, and some bandit in case of emergency. I, then found a spot apart from the crowded crew. I quietly joined the audience set there with my comfy chair and ready for the band to start. With the members individually stand up to the stadium, I can hear a lady scream out with her lunge "Break a lag" which I associate with my leg and found it funny. With that self entertained humor in my mind I found it peaceful and ready to listen to the show.

With a clear opening with violin all the chatters and whispers had gone. Then comes to the accordion that add some joy in there and some drum pits to the gives the temple of the songs. With out any lyrics, the songs give me a vibe that tell me a story to face the difficult with positive attitude. With an image of old cowboy grandpa sitting on a rocking chair, taking a cigarette aside telling wise words to the youngers. That had appears to my head and all in a sudden my negative thought about my knee were all gone and less painful to think about it.

The show had ended before I finished my deep though over there, I was been reminded to go by an uncle, I don't even know how I walked back to my apartment, my thought was all surrounded by the song. I am glad I went to the show and it kind of hypes me up. If I weren't injure I can promised that I wouldn't have such a strong feeling about the song. In that case I guess "break a leg" could be a good thing for me. To really relate and get the emotions from music.

[bo-ying]

As a casual Sunday afternoon texting with one of friends. He brough up a topic that helps me kill some time and found an interesting Album:

Album: 『結束バンド』《ぼっち・ざ・ろっく！》(結束バンド)

Date of Release: Dec. 28, 2022

Price: 4,070 Yen ($28.31 USD)

In side the album: 1 CD, 1 BD, 1 limited time edition sticker

Songs in Album: Total of 14 songs

01．青春コンプレックス

02．ひとりぼっち東京

03．Distortion‼

04．ひみつ基地

05．ギターと孤独と蒼い惑星

06．ラブソングが歌えない

07．あのバンド

08．カラカラ

09．小さな海

10．なにが悪い

11．忘れてやらない

12．���座になれたら

13．フラッシュバッカー

14．転がる岩、君に朝が降る

As an album that origins from one anime that talks about band, once the album had released it has sells 155,000 album out.

I was attracted to the album at first, I was impressed, this is an well done album with story, the story inside the songs seems to be about relationship of friends creating a band. yet, the struggle, the tingling feeling between each members. With that imagination scene appears in my brain. I start to watch the anime of this album.

青春コンプレックス 9.0

The very first song of the album comes from the opening of the anime (ぼっち・ざ・ろっく, Bocchi The Rock), with the quick tap of guitar sound with drum hits, it sudden hype up the audience's emotion while listening to it. After the opening with instruments, the words they used was simple and easy to understand. It's simply describing the main character, ぼっち(Bocchi) - a high school quiet girl that keep herself in her own world, she hides in a hoodie, stay distance with others, but love to play guitar more than anything else. With the simple lyrics and energizing music, this opens up the album.

ひとりぼっち東京 8.5

A song for people travel alone to new place and starts off a new live there, the pondering of loneness, and helpless of alone. With a light happiness beats dropped, representing meeting new friends discover the good food around the hope had shine in the world. Which, matches the story of the protagonist's journey of Highschool.

Distortion‼ 5.0

Its funny that they used Distortion instead of phase changing or any other words to described how Bocchi had stepped out her comfort zone and challenged to met new member in band.

ひみつ基地 7.0

After a long adventure of seeking a band practice room. The achievement of completing a task, the joy of that spreading to your body. Such emotion had express in the song by a strong and engaging melody to show the energy of it.

ギターと孤独と蒼い惑星 10.0

The best song out of this entire album, just by the melody, this song express an emotion of "Determination" to me. This song was dropped in the animation when Bocchi showed her talents on guitar in the band's first performing, that gives me goosebump all over my skin, from the wonder status to one the determine to participate as a guitar hero.

ラブソングが歌えない 9.0

With the success in the first show, the argon of people had shown, the numbers of practices had become less and less, and finally the biff between members had been exploded which was painful to see. However, the story end up with everyone comes back with passion and the love of playing their instruments.

あのバンド 8.0

After the biff of the band, this was on the next show, the melody had shown a strong unbalanced in the performing and less cooperation with each others. But with the song progress, the layer by layer start to seem more mixed up and start to become as a one.

The other songs were also played in the animation, but giving you all to watched the series of animation with the songs. With all of these songs and the story of the anime, this creates an incredible album that been named as the "Best Anime Album of All Time."

[bo-ying]

"WE'RE BIKINI KILL AND WE WANT REVOLUTION!"

is the opening statement of feminist punk band Bikini Kill’s song “Double Dare Ya”, one of their most famous songs challenging girls to always be unabashedly themselves. It’s a line that resonates through every song they’ve ever put out and every show they’ve performed.

Last Sunday, after finishing a horrible calculus assignment, I needed to find something to do with myself before I lashed out at anyone who crossed my path, some sort of way to diffuse my anger at the stupidity of simplifying 42 useless radical inequalities and difference quotients. I saw an Instagram ad for a Bikini Kill show at the Brooklyn Paramount in three hours. I texted every one of my new, cool college Instagram mutuals who I’d maybe met once who I thought may be a fellow Riot Grrrl fan, but nobody could go. I knew going alone was risky, but the ticket was $30. It was too good of a deal to pass up. I went back to my apartment, changed into my plaid skirt and Docs, threw my hair into the coolest claw clip style I could pull off in 5 minutes, and got on the next train to New York City. 

An hour and a half, one face-plant in Penn Station, an out of service Subway line, and a sprint through Manhattan in platforms to the next stop of the D train later, I made it to the venue. It was only 30 minutes before the opener, Sweeping Promises, came on, and I assumed there would be a line out the door. When I just walked right through security without waiting for a single second, I was shocked. I figured I would be squeezing into the middle of that standing-room-only space like a canned sardine, but I waltzed right up to the barricade. Watching people fill in behind me was fascinating. I was under the impression I’d be one of the youngest people there, until I started seeing waves of 13-16 year old girls coming in buzzing with excitement, followed closely by their fathers in vintage punk merch who probably played basement shows every weekend in their late teens and early twenties. 

Kathi Wilcox on bass guitar during "Alien She", shot by me

I started listening to Bikini Kill when I was 13. They were one of the first bands that played “real music” (essentially anything that isn’t top 40 radio pop) that I started listening to. Hearing Kathleen Hanna singing, or more accurately melodically screaming, these songs about everything from feminism to political activism to standing up to sexual harassment over a gorgeously aggressive drum beat from Tobi Vail while Kathi Wilcox shreds on bass, made something in my brain click into place. Suddenly I realized that even at my age, I could be aware of what was going on in the world, and I could start to challenge these issues, even if it was only on a personal scale. Hearing “Double Dare Ya” live, standing five feet from the stage, hearing every girl in the room singing along, feeling the physical energy radiating from all of those people who felt the same, while making eye contact with Kathleen Hanna was possibly the most impactful moment of my life thus far. It’s easy to forget how important it is to let your frustrations out not only by yourself, but in a public space sometimes. In May, Hanna spoke with NPR on the subject. It’s healthy to cope with emotions on your own, but the experience of letting it all out with other people who are right there with you is unparalleled. This public release of anger is one of the things Bikini Kill prioritizes, and it’s highly evident in the electric energy of their shows. 

Throughout the show, the band took moments to reflect on their history, and to appreciate each other, their friends, their inspirations, the people who have supported them, and their fan base. Hanna told stories that have inspired songs and albums, from her experience trying to join church choir as a young girl to the realities of experiencing assault and harassment on the basis of sex to the ways that losing friends too soon has affected her. A moment that particularly stood out was when she spoke on her late friend Mikey, who both she and Tobi Vail had known since they were teenagers. They fondly reminisced on the times they had together, and the shenanigans Mikey often enjoyed causing. Hanna then produced a neon pink fanny pack, and revealed that when Mikey passed five years ago, his mother gave her some of his ashes. This fanny pack goes to every show that Bikini Kill plays and as it turns out, is the vessel for Mikey’s remains. At first, this seemed rather morbid, and was clearly disturbing to some people in the crowd. There were gasps and nervous, shocked laughs around the room. But as Hanna explained why it was that fanny pack, it turned into a heartwarming moment, realizing that this way of honoring Mikey’s legacy, bringing his ashes on tour and keeping him with them not only in spirit but physically, is exactly what would have brought him happiness. This is highly reflective of Bikini Kill’s philosophy as a band and serves as a reminder for why they continue to do what they do. 

Over 30 years since their inception, Bikini Kill has stayed entirely true to their origins. Their sound and the messages they seek to convey haven’t changed since the 90s. Some might claim this is a sort of resistance to change, or a marker of being “behind the times”, but judging by the number of people under the age of 20 at that show, it couldn’t be further from the truth. This July, they made their television debut with a performance of “Rebel Girl”, one of their first songs, on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. 

Authenticity is the defining characteristic of Bikini Kill. It’s their unbridled authenticity that makes it so powerful for them to play a song written in 1993 as their first televised performance 31 years later, because their style and their messages still ring true. It’s that authenticity that makes the environment of their shows so incredible. As an eighteen year old girl who was alone in New York, I had never felt safer than I did in that ~2500 person crowd. Bikini Kill continues to use their music to create spaces where women, queer people, or anyone else who goes against the status quo can come and be themself with utmost support. This is a band that has always catered to the youth with their punk-rock anthems of rebellion and empowerment, and in today’s political climate with reproductive rights and LGBTQ+ issues being at the top of the ballot, that’s more important than ever. They embody the true punk spirit, entirely unafraid to stand up for themselves and what they believe in, without regard to whether or not it’s deemed “socially acceptable”. Concerts like this are the reminders that all of us need to be the “rebel girl” in our community that refuses to be a bystander to social ills, remains honest to a fault, and is uncompromising in her values. These cathartic spaces are a necessity for everyone, and Bikini Kill’s commitment to ensuring their continued existence and the importance of expressing your anger is what fuels their ongoing success and solidifies their place in music history.

[bo-ying]

#Song Recommendation: An Emotional Journey for Everyone

僕がギターを思うように弾けなくなっても 心の歌は君で溢れているよ "Even if I can't play the guitar like I wish I could, my heart is overflowing with songs for you"

This comes from Aimer's Katoamoi(カタオモイ) which translate as "Unrequited Love" in English, it express the bitter, sweet, and pain of single side love. From the very first note of this song, Aimer had used her powerful vocal with the beautiful lyrics to make you vibrate with the story that she is trying to tell.

What truly stands out in "KATAOMOI" is Aimer's ability to convey a wide range of emotions. Her voice shifts from soft whispers to powerful crescendos, capturing the complexity of unrequited love. Non the least, the lyrics, though simple, are poignant and relatable, they speak of admiration to hope that one day, those feelings might be returned.

The song's climax, where Aimer's voice soars, is particularly moving. It feels like a sudden explosion release of emotions that have been held back from the hidden feeling, making it a highlight of the track. Even after the song ends, its emotional weight lingers, leaving the listener with a mix of sadness and comfort.

"KATAOMOI" is a masterpiece of emotional storytelling. It's not just a song; it's an emotional journey of one that had a crush on someone. Aimer's vocals, combined with the simple yet evocative arrangement, make this song a theme of unrequited love. If you've ever loved someone from a distance and interest in Javanese, "KATAOMOI" will be a Must Listen song for you.

Story behind the Song:

"KATAOMOI" (片思い), released by Aimer in 2016 as part of her album "Daydream", collaborate with renowned Japanese composer and producer Masahiro Tobinai, and her passion for expressing complex emotions through music, had bring the master piece in live.

The initial idea for "KATAOMOI" came from Aimer's desire to write about the subtle yet powerful emotions of one-sided crush. According to interviews, Aimer wanted to capture the beauty and sadness of admiring someone, while expressing hope rather than despair. She felt that unrequited love can be painful, yet the complexity of in loving with someone selflessly. These ideas became the foundation to wrote the song.

During the songwriting process, Aimer worked closely with Tobinai to ensure the music and lyrics harmonized seamlessly. Aimer's lyrical style is known for its poetic simplicity, and in "KATAOMOI," she chose words that touch the feelings of admiration, longing, and quiet acceptance. The creation of the lyrics was a particularly personal for Aimer, as she drew from her own experiences of observing love from a distance, which gave the song an authentic and heartfelt tone.

What makes the creation of "KATAOMOI" stand out is the balance between its simplicity and emotional complexity. Aimer and Tobinai's decision to keep the arrangement uncluttered allowed the song to breathe, ensuring that every note and every word carried the emotional weight of the story they were telling. This conscious effort to create space for the listener to connect with the music is one of the reasons why "KATAOMOI" feels so intimate.

To conclude, the final outcome of this song had present the typical narrative of unrequited love. Through careful collaboration, artistic vision, and personal experience, Aimer was able to turn "KATAOMOI" into a relatable and emotional love journey that everyone experienced. With such a broad topic and solid outcome of this song, it has became viral and popular when it first release, that had proved the fact: it is an underestimated master piece in J-pop.

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