KCON JAPAN 2025

Last Friday, I was attended a livestream event broadcast of KCON JAPAN 2025 in CGV (Grand Indonesia). I bought the ticket for Day 1 (09th May 2025) through their CGV app. For me, it is very good decision to be able to see the performance on a big screen. I've been online to watch and follows a several K-Pop artist since Jan 2025. From the livestream I knew that Mnet is having 30th Years Anniversary, and they informed it also a celebration of Korean-Japan 60th year partnership. The KCON Japan 2025 held in Chiba, Japan from 09 - 11 May 2025. On the Day 1 line up, there were many of young artist, but originally I went to see DAESUNG performance. The artist list-up were: INI (Japanese); Evnne (Korean); Jo Yuri (Korean); KickFlip (Korean); IS:SUE (Japanese); TripleS (Korean); and last DAESUNG (Korean).

The artist, one by one performed their songs, there was a special performance by Zhang Hao x Jo Yuri sang "Bad Boy" song. Jo Yuri was mentioned to look forward for her new serial "Squid Game Season 3" that will be aired in June 2025. Not rarely the artist were also mentioned their upcoming release songs/album. Even, IS:SUE also give the listener a listen of their new song "Shining." Special performance in honor of BTS, EVNNE covered the song "Mic Drop." The last performer was DAESUNG. He was invited on stage for special interview by the MC "Han Bin & Gun Wok" between the performance. DAESUNG performed three of his hits, his latest single "Universe"; the current all time trot hits "Look at Me, Gwisun"; and song that loved-by fans "Wings." 

DAESUNG performance was magnetic, and very entertaining by his act when drinking a water bottle, was on shoot by camera. DAESUNG also casually talk some words, remind the fans to singing along to his song, He threw some of pink and blue ball signed by him to the fans pre WINGS performance. DAESUNG come back to release a new mini album last April titled "D'sWAVE." He currently on tour for promoting his new album throughout Asia. His Asia tour will be finished in August 2025 in Macau and Yokohama. Before August there are dates for Malaysia, Taipei, Hongkong, Kobe. If you guys are in town, come and have a look the dates on his instagram (@d_lable_official). 

KCON Japan 2025, Day 1 was ended after DAESUNG's performance, the MC was invited all the artist on stage for ending ceremony, and saying goodbye to the fans who attended the event. I really happy and I guess my week ends so well, thank you KCON. Being able to cheering on someone, is what I kept doing, and this idol / bias culture, for me is very entertaining. I was following BIG BANG since I watched the Squid Game Season 2, yes it is connected with their last year performance in MAMA. I got hooked until now. It is kinda surprising, but I'll go to cheer them up. My current affection is for DAESUNG. Thank you and here to come more moments captured.. 

Here all the moments I captured from my seat in CGV from KCON Japan 2025. 

KickFlip

IS:SUE

DAESUNG's looks on stage before the Drink Act
 

DAESUNG's interview with Han Bin and Gun Wok

Ending Ceremony

Green Day Live in Jakarta

 A 14 year old me would never known this might be happened in 2025. I've been collecting Green Day's album since 2009. I could say that Green Day is my number one band in my life back then, truly am fascinated by them. It started off with their come back album "21st Century Breakdown" after 5 years hiatus. I bought their album in Disc Tarra (bless the shop, now it is closed). I kept collecting until now, and still fanning from afar. I was also deeply in touch with their Indonesian's fan club called "Idiot Club Indonesia (ICI)" for roughly 1-2 years.

My love for Green Day is still massive. When I was enrolled to continue my degree in EU, I was even bought a ticket to see them in Netherlands. It was Hella Mega Tour featuring Weezer and Fall Out Boy (which was post-pone thanked to COVID). It should be in 2020, but then the tour re-scheduled to 2021, and finally realized in 2022. My story most likely to be stopped there, since Green Day almost not hitting the road in Indonesia since 1996. I remembered they were having 21st Century Breakdown world tour in 2009 at Singapore Indoor Stadium. You can imagine, about the price for transport, and all. Teenage me was surely not ready for it.. I could only watched them through paid channel televisions, when they performed in Video Music Awards (VMA). I beg to my parents to rent a hotel with the MTV channel on it, so I could see them on the day they performed. I could say I am very determined in fanning them. 

The Savior album came out in 2024, and it also 20th year anniversary of American Idiot album / 30th year anniversary of Dookie. The wait was over, Ravel Entertainment invites Green Day to come to Indonesia to celebrate the festive moments together with Indonesian's fans. I cried in happiness, not to mentioned on how my emotional energy comes whenever I listened to them. To be seeing them live is one of my lifetime list. Green Day came to have a concert at Pantai Carnaval Ancol, Jakarta on 15th Feb 2025. They performed so well, so much energy, everyone jumps up and down, not so many people also fell down (including me). The energy was super. I can't describe the feelings of finally watching them live. But what I know for sure, my 14 year old me would likely be very happy that this happened. 

What I remember was they played songs from Savior album, such as The American Dream is Killing Me, Bobby Sox (Encore), Dilemma. They also played from Dookie album (Welcome to Paradise, Longview, Basket Case, She), Warning album (When I come Around, Minority), American Idiot album (American Idiot, Holiday, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Are We the Waiting, St Jimmy, Give Me Novacaine, Letterbomb, Wake Me Up When September Ends, Jesus of Surbubia), 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours (Paper Laterns), 21st Century  Breakdown (Know Your Enemy, 21 Guns), Revolution Radio album (Forever Now), Nimrod album (Good Riddance) as Encore. Still I cried and so emo too by writing this, I am sorry. 

Green Day concert for me is such a memorable, nostalgic, and teary concert ever. The post concert, the Indonesian's fans animo about the concert keeps fawning over the internet for a whole week. I could not deny that Green Day music has connection to my heart forever. Not long ago, they performed in Coachella as the headliner, and last week they got their Hollywood Walk of Fame. Congratulations to Green Day, your music helps my foggy life and I embracing the lack of knowing until now, your music always and will always memorized in my mind. Thank you for returning to Indonesia after 29 years.

Here are the photos I captured from the pit... end words... keep believe in yourself, keep fighting in a good fight! 

Ending Greetings, when Mike shouted "Terima Kasih"

An Old Tear

Nothing in mind, just a rush heart 

Stay calm, stay quiet, 

Happiness is made and not sold 

Blink of an eye, I'm old...

Barely know what's future given 

Bonded with guilt and fears

Questioning deep down within

May you don't count my tears...

Farida, 26 Jan 2025 / 06 Feb 2025

Hardcore Romance Tour - Jakarta

I went to my very first Pamungkas' live show. Long story short, I've been noticing this man right after his song "To the Bone" was booming. My turn over was when I got a change of heart to finally looked up to his music.. It was because, well... not gonna lie that couple of his songs were on my Spotify repeat list. But I will make you clear that this the 5th album of his is slightly a get go why I am listening him in a serious manner. And due to that, I bought his tour ticket in Jakarta, like about two months ago.

His 5th album entitled "Hardcore Romance" from the title we must expect every songs of the album should be talking about love, right.  I expected the lyrics would kind of romanticism in Pamungkas way, it is true. What I did not expect was his music for me is a pure bless. Just listened in a one sit his album, unexpectedly advertised by Spotify, it got me hooked. 

Talk about his live show which was held in Produksi Film Negara (PFN Heritage), East Jakarta. I didn't know how many songs he played though. What I know that the band was played for about more or less two hours. I was there right 30 minutes before the gate open. The queue was started even before 6 pm I suppose. Lot people coming to the show, Pams said for Jakarta it was 800 tickets sold in total. Jakarta is the final venue of the Hardcore Romance Tour, there were 7 other cities. Opener for the show were Jyma and Romantic Echoes. 

All the people who came were singing to the songs. It was my first experience to feel the ambiance of Pamungkas live show. Fans cheered and sang the song, all of them.. such a happy feeling to see.. Pamungkas played all the songs from Hardcore Romance, and others song such as Bambina, Jealousy, (Beep), Wait a Minute, Riding the Wave, Live Forever. He also did a short cover which made me gasped a bit... was he played Queen of California by John Mayer... I must admit that Pamungkas is beloved by his listener, and it mainly mutual in every album he released. 

Apart from the show, he also did a banter.. most of it was to bridging to his next song played.. one moment still stuck on my mind was when he described the love he knew was differ as what he thought it was. He said that the 'love' he viewed was shifted, he was once a hopeless romantic, a provider. His meaning of loving someone right know is when someone gives support on everything. He said the it consists of "I got your back" feeling.

Lastly, I wanna give thanks to Pamungkas and the team, the show was really neat. I don't think I like the bubble though, it is all good hehehe... I bought stickers of him, I'll keep it as souvenirs, thinking of putting up one of the stickers on my motorcycle, but I'll think about it again... Thank you for stopping by, have a great day... 

Pamungkas seems to be cosplaying 'Dark' of Netflix Series 

Bad, Bad Love

Lot of ideas comes and left my mind 

Do believe in dreams yet truly love is blind 

Neither lose or win

Seems it makes you sailing away

Petrified with action comes ahead 

Petrified to be losing you 

My life seems miserable

I hope yours not

End Up Guessing

Flower and a vase 

Flower blooms in certain time 

Vase comes as its shelter

It provides water

You came on and off

As the weather in spring 

Could not stop to think of

Now end up guessing 

Tell Me What's Love Is

Lovers met by fate

The girl may says....

We met by coincidence

The girl has feelings...

Love can be unspoken 

Love may be portrays

Love can be one sided 

But, true love may stays

-------

"Ja byłem tylko jednym ze zdarzeń Twojego życia – i nigdy Ci nie biło serce z niepewności, czy mnie spotkasz. A mnie biło." (Wiersz Jarosława Iwaszkiewicza)

Know More

Tell me more I did know

Tell me more I didn't know 

Sometimes my mind go blanking

When I see you talking 

Long day and night 

Thinking back for awhile 

Please give me a sight

To know you more...

------

"the moon keeps staring back at me, won't you see me too...?"

Farida, 20 Sep 2024

Wind and Water

Wind and water is a friend 

It pushes away to shore 

Maybe it's just an end 

When love is losing it's force 

Wind and water is a friend 

They form a wave 

Life is long, prayers are send 

Your name still recited

----

"say it's adoration; say it's love"

"say it's addiction; say it's shame" 

"wondering all day, waiting..."

"won't you stop the time ticking..."

Mini Review : Ziarah (2016) - Spoiler Alert

Hi, back to a short movie review. I watched this movie on my flight about a week ago. I will not gonna spill lot of facts on it, though... Due to the broken monitor on my seat, I barely hear the dialog, but there was a subtitle on the screen. So today, I'll try to summarized the messages hidden on this movie (under my point of view, obviously). The movie succeeded to describe related scene to our life in general... I can't complained much, but I really like the director's (B.W. Purba Negara) story-line. I found this movie is a bit heart breaking for the people who watch. For the first time, I thought this movie was a little bit like easy-to-watch, truthfully... it is not... hehe uniquely the movie chose to use Javanese language for all the scripts. 

Ziarah means to visit someone who passed away before us... the main character was a young man who currently going to wed his girlfriend... This man has a grandmother (his parents already passed away long time ago). In early time of the movie, it begun with a portrait scene of main character with his girlfriend talking about the design of their future home (which is very romantic, in a way), and continued to the story about the grandma walking alone went for her solo trip to search the grave of her beloved husband. The main character wants to ask for grandma's permission for the wedding, that's why the man was trying as well to find his grandma who often went away.  Long story short, the man found his grandma sitting beside the lake (which was told that it was a graveyard by someone she met on her journey). I feel desperate when, the grandma said "everyone keeps telling there and there, I don't know who I should believed anymore." Which gave me goosebumps until now....

The end of the movie finally the grandma found his beloved husband graveyard alongside with a unknown woman grave who tragically was his latest spouse. During the journey grandma meeting lot of people bad and good, same as in our life... life is a journey. I think a phrase like "you reaps what you sow" is not happening in terms of love, since love I guess a very sensitive and un-logical. I kept remembers the terms of: "you can falling in and out of love with anyone." Love as the 'rights' in social environment. But we could not prevent someone to not falling out from love, as it also their rights on doing that. Grandma on this movie have a very big-big heart. I can't stand my tears when she started to clean her husband's graves, what a role-model. My friend, Evy was told me, terms of love... if you still wanting any returned from him then it is not a love. Love is sincere. That's what's love means. 

No wonder this movie wins three awards and had a big rating (8,2/10 IMDb). Very serious and relate to the life of the audience. I recommend to watch it, if you like a ballad, historical, and quiet mysterious movie. Thank you for reading...

The moment when the grandma swept away his husband's grave 

Right Time

Finding peace in a silent 

While waiting restlessly 

A solid sound of heart

Kept beating aimlessly

Nowhere to hold

Put out other thoughts 

Stay quiet for good

Until the right time comes 

Farida, 21 Aug 2024

A Pitiful Decision

Morning sunbeams

Auburn in colors 

I won't walk away 

Not until you say 

I'll do any

Sounds pity

It won't change your mind either 

So why should I bother?

The signs seems real 

Been neglected many times 

Do I have to seal...

Those eerie feelings?

Far Adore : Finale

Hi guys, welcome back. It will be the last part of Far Adore. You know, it's funny we often feel sad if our hopes not turned to be real. Upon all that, as human being is normal. But want to give some emotional affirmations that everything happened because of destiny, and all of the things happened had it's reason. Keep faithful and understand that we should have been thankful. God knows the best for us. 

Last week my Father had his bday. Also, at this chapter, he was the one who comforts me. Well, in lot of moments he is still there and kept me company. Thank you Bapak. Will always be in my memories. What I want to do is having more moments with my Dad.  

I presented you the last chapter of Far Adore. Thank you for coming and have a good weekend!