Pic credits as tagged
Ok, I’m going to take a shortcut again. I’ll not be posting a separate fan account, but rather putting my comments on some of these wonderful pics taken from various sources.
To sum up in a few words, the Cri Show ran as expected in terms of programme, and I suppose JKS was very high. To me at the personal level though, the day 9 July can only be described as a day of suffering and disappointment.
When daydreaming and I arrived on Saturday at the Show venue at around 1 pm plus, there were already long queues for the standing zones A to D (we were in C), and we knew there was little hope of getting a good standing position unless we could be as hardworking as the first eel who started queueing at 5 am! …. Chinese eels are very industrious …
The admission queue in front of me …
Also, we wanted to get the new merchandise item, a cushion cover with a new JKS pic from the Jplus photo-book on it, but it had already sold out, so we joined the admission queue, and bought some little snack from the venue’s adjoining supermarket as lunch.
The one thing I’m very grateful for though, is Shanghai’s weather. I almost wanted to cancel my Shanghai trip, for weather predictions had reached a maximum of 37 degrees, and being in a warm place for any time longer than 5 minutes will trigger my skin allergy towards heat. I almost planned to hide in the air-conditioned hotel room or shopping malls. It was extremely fortunate for me that Shanghai was mostly cloudy for the entire duration of my trip, and temperature was fine.
And so it was on Saturday too, with cloudy weather and a bit of rain, which was probably why there were no instances of eels fainting or having a stroke during the long outdoor queue. It was very tiring to stand for hours, and opportunistic Chinese vendors peddled small plastic stools or more durable and foldable stools. So I bought a stool at RMB10 and because another KSC eel was moving around, so she also loaned us her stool, as a result daydreaming and I could sit down most of the time during the tedious long wait.
Below is me on my plastic stool with a JKS recycling bag containing the unofficial JKS merchandise I bought and my bought-in-Shanghai pretty white sandals.
Also outside the venue, various vendors had set up makeshift stalls (i.e. plastic sheets on the ground) with an assortment of unofficial JKS merchandise on it for quite cheap prices. I bought lots of A4 and A3 photo posters and this is my favourite purchase – a fabric bag with a cute JKS cartoon on it.
9 July also happened to be the first day of my menses. I was already prepared with my Panadol, so when the first signs of pain started, I took a pill at 5.45 pm. Usually, the painkiller would take effect after 30 minutes, but I didn’t expect that the pain did not go away, and so I had to take a second one at 6.15 pm. I hope daydreaming wasn’t scared by my condition, but I was in such excruciating pain that daydreaming asked if I wanted to go back to the hotel. Of course, I wasn’t in any state to move at all, and having gone to Shanghai just for the Cri Show, who would want to miss it?
Another lucky thing for me was that the KSC eel who had loaned us her stool had come back to join us in the queue, and besides being one of the leaders from Jiang-su province, she’s a qualified Chinese physician! She’s a very kind, friendly and pretty girl, and I was very touched by her concern. She even helped to press some acupuncture points on my arms and legs in an effort to relieve my pain. It wasn’t very effective but I am really grateful to her for being so kind. Would have to find a way to contact her again to convey my thanks.
At this point, finally the security started to admit people into the venue. Despite requests to enter in an orderly fashion, the mad rush up the flight of stairs to the venue started as everyone was eager to get the best possible standing/viewing position. I told daydreaming to go ahead and I’d join her later. So I moved to one side and waited out the pain, still sitting on my stool. I couldn’t care if I looked pathetic! When the pain had almost gone and I felt like I could move again, it was around 7 pm. I walked into the venue leisurely. As it was an indoor stadium, the ground was actually that of a basketball court. Those who had rushed in earlier were all crowding towards the stage, almost impossible for me to squeeze in, so together with the others who either came late or simply gave up due to the squeeze, I just sat at the back of the rather spacious area and waited for the show to start.
And by the way, for those who plan to go to any of JKS’ performance in China in future, for your information, let’s just say that all the rules and regulations stated by HS Media before the start of the Cri Show are simply … something you can ignore. What’s that about only the official Cri-J lightstick being allowed in the venue? Everyone could use whatever lightstick they wanted. What’s that about no photography/videography allowed? Many people brought their cameras and the more exaggerating thing is, some brought in their DSLR camera. The security at the door did not even conduct any check at all. After some days in Shanghai and after hearing various experiences from daydreaming who had visited China often, my conclusion is, if you’re in China, don’t bother following “such” stated rules and regulations unless the China police is involved, because rules are there to be ignored. I should have brought my camera too, but I didn’t.
Anyway, back to the Cri Show. The long queue during the day was absolutely needless. Even Ferlyn, Ning and Dorothy who started queueing at 10 am plus could not get a good standing position. Quite a lot of the eels felt that the RMB 1,280 ticket was the worst VIP ticket ever. From my standing position at the back of the area (I tried to squeeze in during the Show to try to get some videos, which maybe I’ll release later as my home internet is down too), I hardly got to see JKS, except for a few times when he moved to the front-most end of the central stage extension when he was about an estimated 5 metres away from me, and sometimes I could not even see the big screen. Well, besides the fact that there were lots of people in front, the other factor is that most of these said girls were all wearing extremely high platform shoes or heels (another necessary equipment if you’re in a standing zone – anything lower than heels and if you’re not a tall person means that your line of vision would be severely blocked). Yes, there were 2 other screens at the side, but they were not as bright as the central screen. I should have gotten the RMB 880 seat which was on either sloping side of the stage; at least I would get to see JKS and the stage clearly.
With the crowd and the multitude of hands / cameras / lightsticks / flags being waved in the air which meant that most of the time I couldn’t see JKS / screen / stage clearly, this is (to me) the worst of the Shows I have attended, even worse than Bangkok with the standing zone. I wasn’t feeling high at all. The whole thing felt like a waste.
The only good thing about attending this Show is that one still gets to hear his voice, his singing etc and what saved this from becoming an entirely fruitless trip is that I got to see and experience again JKS’ little personal touches of consideration. He would do or say something which would make me go, oh he’s soooo sweet …, such as the part below about him taking the initiative to walk out to the stage extension to hear the fan more clearly, trying to contain his laughter at the emcee, hearing him say that he wants to become the Prince of Asia and hoping that all of us will be with him the day that he achieves his dream …. JKS, wherever you go and however long it takes, rest assured because we will be there with you …
(p.s. for those who are not up to long waits / queues, believe me, those of us who were there in the standing zone have all sworn off standing zones and in future, will get tickets with seat numbers)
Demonstrating his shuffle dance
Giving all a sneak peak at his half-naked pics in Jplus photo-book
JKS was laughing so hard when the emcee imitated his character’s lines from the drama. He said the emcee was too “oily”, like ah ahjoshi (uncle).
Hwang Tae-kyung’s cool look
The 1st girl picked by JKS in the lucky draw to answer a question is very tall – she is 1.88 m tall. We spoke to the girl when we were queueing outside too. The emcee joked that she was boy because of her height – terrible of him!
JKS could not hear the girl’s answer because of the crowd’s noise and he was so far away from the girl, so he picked up the lucky draw box and signalled to the other two to walk out to the stage extension so that they could hear the girl’s answer. Isn’t he so sweet and considerate?
JKS asking several fans (in turn) what the waistlength of HTK. Someone hit the answer by guessing 28!
Lounge H
Spraying and being sprayed – the Chinese eels prepared tons of mineral water, haha~!
Before singing “My Precious”
Encore & The End
Laser is the new toy…
thanks a lot for sharing.. i know its hard for due to many difficulties but still you made it. your such a great eel.
nice to hear those words from JKS that he wants to become the Prince of Asia and he hopes that all of us will be with him till the day he achieves his dream.. Absolutely we will be at his back forever, no matter what happens we will never let him down..^_^
aphrael, what a hard trip, isn’t it!? I also have severe cramps, so I can imagine your situation easily…
Well, now that we can get a lot of JKS’ latest news including his Cri Show through different sources, but we can feel more real experience through your fan account. Including your personal experience, we can feel as if I were you. This fan account is a real behind-the-scene of an eel’s Cri Show!!!! aphrael, thanks so much for sharing even if you must be so tired… And I hope before the show you enjoyed your personal trip with daydreaming ^^
thanks for sharing the experience with us..:)
i was actually quite shocked to see such a large group of standing area.. and tot it muz be quite uncomfortable to be have squeezed together like that.. but for sukkie.. think eels will still do it..:)
Hi Aphrael, welcome home! Poor you having to go thru all the inconveniences…. Really grateful for all the updates and as Kaori-chan said, reading your personal account gave us a glimpse of what the atmosphere was like there…
Would like to know though what you felt when Suk cried on stage?
Aphrael though is a tough trip for SH show, at least u can still hear his voice & get to see him 🙂 Is fine, another experience in your life abt China rules & regulation. Envy you can get lots of merchandises. I like the bag too, with his singature too 😉 ….. Thx for your write-up & photos.
Take a good rest is the most important thing now. Hope he will be back to KL next year and get a good & comfortable seating…
oh aphrael i understand your situation.. me either can’t stand on crowded places ‘coz its suffocates me.. but anyway another first hand experience as an eel to reminisce.. thanks for the account and sharing these experiences.. 🙂
Dear Aphrael. Hope you are recovering well from the SH trip. I totally understand the pain you went through because I have severe cramps too, sometimes to an extend of vomiting and such. Having said that, I think you are a very tough Eel. I’m proud of you. I’m very happy to read your fans account. As what Kaori-chan said, really feels like I’m phycically there, experiencing what you experienced. The SH CRI show is really very good. JKS seems very high. And yes, I will be there for him til the day he become Prince of Asia. Whatever it is, I will always be there for him.
Thank you for sharing your experience and photos. It gives us a glimpse of what happened. I’m also curious what the eels felt when they heard our Prince cried on the stage. He has come a long way. My admiration for him grew because he has such a tender heart and persevering spirit. His success is certainly not a coinsidence. He deserves it!
Thanks Aphrael, love the bag, sorry for the pain you went through. It makes all the posts of you even more precious. You’re like Sukkie, a tough eel, fighting. I hope the model of Japanese eels can spread all over other areas and countries for eels to learn to respect rules and order, since eels will get benefits from that and Sukkie will love it too. Hope you have a safe trip back home and take a good rest before you head back to work. Thanks again, Gangsangmida!
ahhhhhhhh thanks so much for your awesome account, im sorry that you had to go through so much but im also so jealous that you at least got to hear him live….i wanted to go too but maybe i will have better luck next time, i hope you get more rest and feel better =D
Aphrael welcome home & thank you so much for sharing with us your personal experiences. Reading this article makes me feel like as if i am there with you gals! 🙂
But oh gosh! Feel so sorry hearing all the pain you went through & the extreme long hours you & Daydreaming got to endure! Both of you must be extremely worn out at the end of the day! But i guess it is all worth it right?!
Being able to hear JKS voice again, hear him sing live, see him performed & danced and being so happy that the last cri-show in Asia is a success, all your pain & hard-work are definitely worth it!!
And YES we will definitely support JKS wherever he go and however long it takes!! Cos we eels will always be with him throughout!!! 😀
Aphrael, do have a good rest & take care okie. Btw love your new bag with HTK cartoon character on it! It is sooooo cute! Maybe you should look at your new & cute purchases to chase the pain away? hehe! ;p
JKS is a multi-purpose medicine that can help you chase away all pain. 😀
crazyoverJKS, agreed with u. JKS is one our daily dose to take 😉
Totally agree wit you crazyoverJKS 🙂
Aphrael so sorry to hear that the Shanghai Experience wasnt great but on the bright sight you still got to see our prince!
Aphrael, do have a good rest & take care. And thanks so much for the pic.. Well, you still got to hear his voice live…
Welcome back aphrael77!!! many of us miss u here… something is missing when we don’t hear from u ^_^ I can imagine what u have been through as I saw a few fan accounts from BaiduSukbar for the VIP standing tickets.. and for your situation then was tougher & I’m sure I will faint there & create a scene for sure! (actually.. I fainted a few times for heat, crowd & cramps!) Thanks for sharing the fan account & hope you have a good rest… I’m sure no matter what, you will treasure this one in a lifetime experience with Sukkie ^_^
Here is one “multi-purpose medicine” (quoted from crazyoverJKS) to make you smiles!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tHHExxY_Xc&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
Congrats Aphrael, I’m sorry you couldn’t enjoy it as much as the others show, but I feel still you had a good time! I was in CHina for the Shanghai expo 2010 and I queued for hours and hours (it took me 5 hours to visit the japanese pavillon ugh), all I can say is chinese people are used to queue and very good at it lol and those little stools are very convenient!
wuiiii so many beautiful and big pictures …..Thank You ^^
Thanks, Aphrael, I can’t agree more with the fellow eels here, but I particully like your photo which you was sitting on your stool while you were queuing! so cute! After somedays, you will feel the Shanghai trip was not that bad after all, you have experienced a very truly lifestyle in China. Thanks again for sharing your first hand tour diary!
Sorry, Aphrael, I like to withdraw my comments here! Thank you!
Thanks Aphrael for the fan account – you are great and one of JKS most faithful eels.
Its so touched to hear that he cried while singing “your precious” that song must
have an emotional feeling that really captured his heart.
Felt joy when JKS said that he wanted to be Prince of Asia. For sure he will be
very soon and re-assure that all his eels will be behind him till he achieve his
dream.
Once again Aphrael – komawa and have a good rest.
Thanks Aphrael for the fan account – you’re great and one of JKS most faithful and
hard working eels.
Its so touched to hear that he cried while singing ‘your precious’ that song must have
an emotional feeling that really captured his heart.
Felt joy hearing that Sukkie wanted to be Prince of Asia – very sure he will be very soon and re-assure that all his eels will always be behind him till he achieve his dream.
Once again – komawa Aphrael and have a good rest.
Hi Ivy,
I can totally understand your experiences in Shanghai, chinese behaviours (ie rush, push and crowd everywhere) and general lack of adherence to rules and regulations . Surfice to say that after one independent trip to Shanghai and Hangzhou, I swore to myself that I never want to spend my tourist dollars there again, ever! The place really did not leave any positive impression at all, regardless of what others may say and the country growing rapidly into a superpower.
Compared to the Shanghai FM, it really makes one appreciates the Singapore FM so much more. We got to see so much more of Keun Suk, seated in cool comfort with clear, unobstructed view of him and so, so very near too! Minus the razzmatazz, dazzling lights etc is fine because it is really only him that we wanted to see, hear and feel.
I still think the best place to watch Keun Suk is in the country where he is likely to be most comfortable in – Japan and Korea. I also think his programs there would be more organised and orderly. So how about planning a trip to SKorea for his concert next year?:)
Yup! I also feel that Sukkie feel most comfortable in Korea & Japan as he can communicate with his eels, that is why in these 2 countries, his FM has long interview, even if I don’t understand what he is saying, I enjoy his long talk on stage & the interaction with fans ^_^
Definitely! Just waiting for his event dates! ^^
same here wanna save for it! Save leave and save $!~
Thanks for a nice fan account (as usual). I always enjoy your writing.
wow that was an experience.. im sorry 🙁
i also heard that some eels were throwing oolong tea and orange soda to his face? :((
WHAT! oolong tea and orange soda to his face…. OMG! what will be his reaction? Pity JKS
i know.. there were pictures in weibo of it.. i guess the fans got carried away too much.. poor sukkie
sharing here some very clear vids of Sukkie’s LoungeH at Cri-Show Shanghai, saw in BaiduSukbar the news about the young eel fan who splashed soda apologised & many eel fans in the Sukbar are actually very angry with the action but forgive her after she apologised.. I think this young fan get carried away in that kind of “high” atmosphere..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd11w8J91VY&feature=related
another clear video of his dance…watch carefully at one point..lol..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EABr0QduJZw&feature=related
aphrael77, I was watching his fancam & wondering what was mentioned earlier by the MC which made Sukkie laughed so hard ^_^ This MC sure is a funny one!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FUWrR86MMk&NR=1
Congratulations!!! you did it. wow. aphrael, for next year’s tour then, which cri show is the best? The singapore cri show is the best for me, you can get to see him clearly.:) do you have any idea which month will his anniversary will be? I hope he can announce it before the year ends so we can schedule it already. haha.