SMAP to perform at China, and possibly some other Asian countries

SMAP has announced at their Sapporo Dome concert that they will be going to Shanghai after all. They have scheduled concerts at Shanghai Stadium on October 9 and 10, which will be their first overseas performances.

SMAP was originally expected to perform at the Shanghai World Expo on June 13, but the event was cancelled by the Expo organizers due to poor planning and concerns about safety. At the time of the cancellation, SMAP apologized to their fans but indicated that they hoped to have another opportunity to perform in China. Because the Shanghai World Expo concert was canceled just a week before the event, SMAP had already begun rehearsals, including practicing greetings in Chinese.

However, the Shanghai Stadium concerts were not scheduled to make up for the canceled show. It is reported that SMAP was originally planning the concerts at the same time that preparations for the World Expo were under way.

Shanghai Stadium is one of the largest stadiums in China, with a maximum seating capacity of about 80,000 people. It appears that SMAP is planning to have only about 40,000 fans at each concert, for a total of 80,000 over the two days.

In addition to the concerts in China, SMAP is considering holding shows in other Asian countries such as Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. (Tokyograph)
 
Come to Singapore!!! (even though I haven't listened to any of their songs!

AKB48 is coming to Singapore, NMB48 is formed

AKB48 and SKE48 are soon going to get a new sister group. NMB48, named after the Namba area of Osaka, is going to officially launch this fall. The news was announced during an AKB48 concert on Saturday at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium.


NMB48 already has an official website and is currently gathering girls for an audition that will start this summer. The group is expected to start activities in November.

AKB48 also announced that they will perform in Italy this October, followed by performances in Singapore and Macau in November. (Tokyograph)

I've never listened to AKB48 music and I barely know much about their members, but AKB48 itself is already confusing enough, why do they need so many sister groups? I think the individual members are all sweet and innocent looking but they are really annoying in such a big group and how on earth do fans remember who's who? (my personal opinion, sorry if I offended anyone) I wish some other group like Arashi or KAT-TUN could come to Singapore... Maybe if AKB48's concert is a success, other bands will be more interested to come? Okay, Singaporean (and Malaysian) AKB48 fans, go for the Singapore concert if you can! Maybe we'll get more Japanese bands to hold concerts here! :D

I've been in love with Liz Lisa and I've never realised it till now

I saw the label Liz Lisa in a Hong Kong department store, and I remember seeing the salesgirls and the clothes and thinking,"Oh god, this is exactly the type of store I've been looking for!". Unfortunately, my mum wasn't didn't think the clothes were nice (we obviously have very differing tastes) and hence wasn't willing to shell out so much. At that time, I didn't even realise it was a Japanese label (I didn't even remember the brand name), I just thought that it had a very country-style, sweet lolita, kawaii feel to it. And lo and behold, I found some pictures that I loved on the internet and realised that it was from the same brand... LIZ LISA! Check out their site here.

I love the blouse of the girl on the right!

I like her boots, dress, hair ribbon, Starbucks coffee... Everything!

And I like how she looks so light and breezy here.

If Singapore weren't so hot and humid and I wouldn't get too many stares from my narrow-minded fellow countrymen (no, even that is worth it), I'd save up like crazy to buy Liz Lisa. But they aren't in Singapore! Probably realised that no one, no, only one person, me, would buy their stuff. Actually I just did some rethinking and it's actually quite practical to wear in Singapore. I mean, it's not even thick or all long-sleeved or anything, SO WTF IS WRONG WITH SINGAPOREANS' DRESSING SUCH THAT WE CAN'T EMBRACE SUCH PRETTY CLOTHES?!?! I need to learn to stop dissing my country, seriously.

I'm back from HK, and look at what I missed out on when I was away!

I'm back from Hong Kong! And I bought...

• Knee-high boots - YES!
• 2pairs of canvas shoes from H&M
• 2dresses
• Lots of food
• Lots of blouses and shirts

That wasn't a very detailed shopping list, but I guess I'm quite satisfied with what I have. I didn't get my wallet or my bag, though!

On the other hand...

Mmmmm!

I can't wait to go to Hong Kong for all the yummy food and shopping.

Shopping List for HK Trip

These are stuff I MUST buy when I go to Hong Kong in two weeks time:

• Wallet - I want a long purse!
• Bag - Either a fancy knapsack or a gym/ formal shoulder bag, although my mum did promise to buy me a fancy handbag if I score six distinctions in my upcoming exams (err...). I shan't be too greedy though, one bag from this trip is enough!
• Dress - At least one nice dress!

These are the stuff I would like to get:

• Knee-high boots - I don't think I'll get this, though!
• Shorts
• Eyelash extensions - XYZ I think it's reasonable for me to want eyelash extensions I mean HELLO MY EYELASHES ARE NON-EXISTENT. But I highly doubt my parents will be willing to pay the high price for the natural looking one I want.
• New shoes - Sneakers, heels, pumps, anything is fine!
• Tank tops
• A nice jacket.

Okay I'm not really expecting to get anything in my second list since it's such a short trip and all, but it would be nice. :)

Hong Kong

I'm going to Hong Kong soon. :) Hehe I'm excited as I said I'd love to live in an Asian city that isn't Singapore and HK is one of them! I know HKers tend to be rushing all the time and their apartments are god-awful small, I know someone who was so proud that his apartment was the size of the master bedroom in my house, but I love the atmosphere. The weather's lovely too, cold, but you can always rush into the nearest shopping centre if it gets too chilly. And the shopping! I love spending endless hours in thenight markets and street shopping, hahaha it's awesome! Though many people think Hong Kong staff provide great service, I often feel rather intimidated by them. I'm not sure why but my preferred level of service is that the salesperson replies nicely and professionally when I ask them a question, I don't really like it when I walk into a shop and the staff all shout "WELCOME!", or when I'm browsing and the salesperson starts "stalking" me.

Okay, actually the 'soon' in I'm going to HK soon is about a month away, and I might be going to watch the movie "Valentine's Day" this week!