K-pop stars and the Pacific Ocean experience

I'm aware that a lot of my visitors stumble on my blog after typing in "Son Sungah, Fiji" on Google. Obviously you're trying to find out whether it's true that Sungah of the girl group Nine Muses did indeed live in Fiji. Well, wonder no more, for the lady herself confirms that she once lived in Suva, the capital city of Fiji, here.

Lately, rumours have been swirling that Sungah is dating Jang Intae (I'll refer to him by his stage name Inati here) from DMTN (formerly known as Dalmatian.)

It's interesting to note that Inati attended Rotorua Boys' High School in New Zealand.

Before taking the plunge the world of K-pop, Inati lived in New Zealand and Sungah lived in Fiji. Those are unusual backgrounds in the K-pop realm as most overseas Koreans in there are from USA or Canada. If it's true that the two are dating, most likely the fact that they lived in neighbouring Pacific Ocean countries plays a significant part in their chemistry. I wonder what they talk about when they get to hang out, when they're not practicing, performing and touring? Very likely it's their experience being Koreans amidst a huge Pacific Islander population...

To Inati, from one New Zealand-educated Asian to another: Kia ora, mate! I totally dig "Safety Zone" - keep up the good work aye!

Ooh that's a familiar face!

A relatively new (released late last year) by Anika Moa, a New Zealand singer of whom I'm a fan. Ok, the skinny blonde chick with thick kohl around her eyes used to be (maybe still is?) a tutor at The University of Auckland. She didn't get to teach me, which was good since she's only a few months older than me (yeah I know how it feels to have a lecturer/tutor or boss who's younger than you!)



She seems to have a thing for musicians. The tutor/musician I wrote about in my June 4 2011 entry is her ex, and right now she's dating another famous musician, another friend of mine. Just like her ex and present boyfriend, she'll remain anonymous because all three are my friends...And yes they do google their names!

Omens...

I believe in omens. Six years ago, as I was finishing my English language vocational degree at UI, I was planning to get my bachelor's degree overseas but I had no idea exactly where I was going. Around March 2004, I came across a forum about The Whale Rider. The Whale Rider is a critically-acclaimed New Zealand movie whose leading actress, then 14-year-old Keisha Castle-Hughes, was nominated for Best Actress in Academy Awards. The forum mentioned that Keisha was half Maori and half Pakeha. I had no friend from New Zealand, I often forgot the country existed, but right then and there I knew what "Pakeha" was. It's Maori for "caucasian". I wasn't so sure it was an omen that I'd move to New Zealand, but I did feel that somehow the country was waiting for me.

One year and four months later, I packed my bags and moved to Auckland, the biggest city in The Land of The Long White Cloud. The Whale Rider, by the way, never screened in Indonesian cinemas.

At home, we have a set of antique Italian-made picture frames. The set consists of one big frame, filled with a picture of Mum and Dad taken circa 1985, and two smaller ones filled with pictures of my brother and me respectively, taken circa 1987. The pictures have hung on the wall of my dad's study since 2001 (after ten years of being hidden somewhere, since we moved from our old house.) Just recently I took the frames off the wall and saw the backsides. On the back of the big frame there's an engraved writing that reads, "A souvenir from Poerwani, Ningsih, Mini and Wasti. Jakarta, 12/1/1983." On the back of my brother's frame is a painting of some 18th century European royalty I can't recognize, and guess what's on the back of my frame...A famous painting of Marie Antoinette! Even if you're not a long-time follower of my blog, you can tell right away I'm a Marie Antoinette fan from the Marie Antoinette and Marie Antoinette the movie badges in my fanlisting columns. This is also an omen. That Marie Antoinette painting has sat behind my picture for about 23 years. I first heard about the ill-fated Austrian princess-turned-French queen when I was 12, in 1995.

Pop songs...

I can see myself blogging properly again. Just like in the good old days of Auckland and its predecessors.

Speaking of pop music, Ellie Goulding is still unheard of in Indonesia, but I can totally see this song of hers become a hit in New Zealand. This just the kind of music that fits the taste of the Kiwi market.