WWG2014 Public Viewing in SG 29/6PM
The following post is just my personal experience going to Singapore for the public viewing. It does not contain much information regarding the event itself, but not to worry, there are other very helpful fans sharing those wonderful information :-)
I was told that Shaw Balestier isn’t really a popular spot in Singapore, apparently some Singaporeans have never even heard of this place before. Looking for a nice place nearby for meet up and lunch proved to be an impossible task (I wasn’t even the one looking, it was a true blue Singaporean who did all the research for us) since the choices are limited, and most of the nicer shops had actually stopped operating some time ago^^;
We arrived about an hour early by cab, the traffic was pretty smooth. Since we had time to kill, we went to the lighting shop for window shopping XD Many people were already there, dressed in distinctly Arashi-related attires, cladding concert bags, all groomed up in various themes and ready to party. For some reason, a lot of them were conversing in broken Japanese. Maybe it helps them get in the mood, which is nice. For the record, there were Japanese fans, probably residing in Singapore. I met 2 middle-aged women who were not particularly dressed up and were clearly surprised that so many people turned up, but I suppose there were others as well. Upon entry, I overheard a Caucasian father say to his son “since when do girls watch Transformers in such a big group? The hall was quite empty just seconds ago when I got the tickets”. Well sir, you may be surprised to find out later that your hall is just as empty as when you bought your tickets.
Taking of photos were prohibited as usual, those who took photos were asked to remove their photos. Fans were well-behaved and cooperative. Some of the facilitators were Japanese who speak decent English with little traces of Japanese accent. We were briefed on etiquettes during the viewing and we did a few rounds of sound checks because “sorry lah Arashi cannot hear you, let’s do this again”. I am guilty for not responding to any of the sound check calls, I don’t know, maybe because I’m not seated near my friends, it felt really awkward and I was squirming in my seat when others have obviously warmed up to the environment.
English subtitles were provided for scripted parts, no romaji for lyrics. The subtitles were actually okay, but since most of the things they say are not according to the script, I found the subtitles misleading and distracting. The good thing is that it’s not covering up any part of the main screen, so it’s possible to just ignore it. The boys made sure to mention Shanghai and Singapore as frequent as possible, cueing us to form circles by “起立 (Shanghai)” and “please stand (Singapore)”, not realizing that we have already stood up when they said “立ってください”, Ohno thought that we were fast. I was particularly touched by Ohno and Sho’s Singlish/Malay, “okay lah” “terima kasih”. When Ohno taught the right pronunciation of “fire”, Nino said people in Singapore should have absolutely no problem with it. I was rather disappointed that not many people in Singapore were singing the school anthem when it was the audience’s turn, though I have to say it was rather low for a typical girl’s vocal range, when many people sang along to GUTS. I made friends with the girl beside me too but forgot to ask for her contact orz
The transmission was lagging (as we were told to expect), and it certainly contributed to the portrayal of people in Singapore as a bunch of cold fans. During the interaction, our reaction was slow as we were still listening attentively and focusing on the screen when the camera zoomed in on us. The event was a little bit longer than the expected duration, which made it all the better. Wonderful announcements, and I hope the implementation of Friendship Day will go well. It was really wonderful overall, met many people, some I’ve always wanted to meet, some I haven’t seen for a long time, some who decided to stop talking to me, some who I really miss.
The lesson challenge was to go out and make new friends, but as for me, I would first like to make right with my existing (or no longer existing) friends. I do not want to lose even one friend because of something my stupid self might have done unintentionally (or my bitchy self have done intentionally). If I have ever done anything to hurt you, and if you are willing, please talk to me about it and I will apologize directly to you. Please give me a chance to make it right with you.
Thank you Arashi and fellow fangirls for such an enjoyable experience and for making my trip worthwhile. I was in dark green coat, white round-collar shirt and blue jeans, hair tied up in high bun with purple Arashi hairtie, minimal make up and silver fish earrings. If you were there too, do drop me a message if you saw me. Even if you didn’t, you can describe yourself a little and test my memory instead! ;-)
FI-TOUCH!! (fire hi-touch?)
x-posted to my tumblr