ONE OK ROCK Ambitions Asia Tour 2018, Live in Singapore!

Hey-ho!

Sorry I haven't post lately (especially about my trip to Japan last year). But now, I have a new trip so I wanna share the story with you all.

Last week was a great part of my life. I went to Singapore for the first time to see a concert, ONE OK ROCK's concert. ONE OK ROCK Ambitions Asia Tour 2018, Live in Singapore! I was so excited! Not only me, but my sister and her friend too! Let's rewind for a few months before.

ONE OK ROCK Ambitions Asia Tour 2018 Singapore

In 2017, ONE OK ROCK released a new studio album called AMBITIONS. It's so awesome! I even bought one when I was in Japan (beside my sister asked me too). And at the beginning of this year, they're holding Ambitions Asia Tour 2018! I thought they would come to Indonesia too, but I was wrong. They didn't even write Indonesia in their announcement T^T *sad sad sad*. So one of my friend, just call her Way, asked me whether I wanted to go to the Singapore (the closest among all). At first I was in doubt. Singapore was a bit too much to attend a concert, I thought. But then she kept asking me and finally I agreed to go to Singapore to watch them! I didn't want to go alone, so I asked my sister, Franksie. She was in doubt too, but then she agreed (like me!). And her friend, called her Djiwie, also interested in my idea about going to Singapore to watch OOR. Then we decided to go! The four of us!

But then the problems came out. Way and Djiwie's passports were outdated. With recent mechanism of immigration, it didn't went smoothly. Way couldn't make it to renew her passport. But Djiwie did. At first her schedule was around 15th of January (so close to D-day). But miracle happened, she got her schedule changed to 2nd of January. So the three of us left, Franksie, Djiwie, and me.

I bought our Scoot airplane tickets to depart from Jakarta. I got quite cheap tickets. It was scheduled to depart on Thursday, 18th of January. Then our return tickets with Jetstar airplane was quite cheap too. Because I got about 40% off from the original price. Lucky us! We planned to return on Monday, 22nd of January. So about 4 days stay in Singapore. We also booked our inn with Airbnb (as always!). It was Meadows Hostel near Lavender Rd. It was a bunk bed hostel, a new experience for us. And for transportation, don't worry! We used a card called EZLink and kinds like that to ride MRTs and buses. Just buy it in any stations or convenience store nearby.

Finally on Thursday, January 18th, we depart from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. Just Franks and I. Why? Because Djiwie was left. She couldn't make it in time to check-in (we couldn't check her in tho). Just about 5 minutes late and the ticket was blew away. So she bought another ticket for the next day. After the two of us landed safely in Changi Airport, we stayed until morning there (slept in a Musholla and got hushed away, lol!).

First day in Singapore, Franks and I went to Garden By The Bay. We walked around there, took some photos and videos, and after that we went to some galleries. Singapore Art Museum, sadly it was under maintenance, and Singapore National Gallery. Singapore National Gallery was cool. It usually cost about SGD 25, but that day, we got it FREE! Because there was a festival for 3 days. We were so lucky! So many great artworks were there!

Marina Bay Sands

In front of Marina Bay Sands Hotel

Big trees at Garden By The Bay

Garden By The Bay with my travel mate

Singapore National Gallery

Finished taking a look at the gallery, we went straight back to Changi Airport. For what? Of course to see ONE OK ROCK arrived! Actually it wasn't my idea. But it was great choice because I could finally see them with my own eyes! After long hours waiting (for about 5 hours!) FINALLY I MET ONE OK ROCK!!! Forget the tiredness of our feet. It was actually gone after OOR walked pass thru us. Beside that, Franks and I got new friends! There were Jo (she waited from 10 am, sick!), Sara (she's awesome, and she's Indonesian!), and two Japanese girls, and the other ONE OK ROCK fans. We were running like hell to catch up Ryota, Taka, Toru, and Tomoya! They're so cool from close. I prepared my CD Album cover to get them signed, but nothing. They didn't take any photos or signed any papers. Sad, but I was happy seeing them closely.

ONE OK ROCK arrived at Changi Airport

Taka and Ryota

Taka entered the van

Second day was lit! We went out from Meadows at about 9 am. Then we met Sara and had some brunch near Teluk Ayer station. I forgot the name of the place, I guess it was Lau Pa Sat? (sorry T^T). Then we went to Stadium at 12 pm. There were a queue already in front of the merch tent. Merch tent was open at 2 pm tho. But, we queued anyway. I bought a shirt and a wristband. Franks bought a shirt, Djiwie and Sara boought shirts and totte bags. At 4.30 pm the queue to enter the venue started. At first the queue didn't same as the number on our tickets. We were little bit upset. But then the officer came and sorted it out. At about 6 pm we entered the Singapore Indoor Stadium. We need to wait for about 2 hours long before Taka cs came out on stage.

Lau Pa Sat, Teluk Ayer

Brunch at Lau Pa Sat Market

Queuing the merch stand

Buying merchs at the venue with happy faces

Before the show

Photo bombed at queue line

And here they came! With Ambitions intro, we started to yell out loud. The second song, Bombs Away, was blasting around the venue. IT WAS AWESOME AF!!! Even tho I couldn't see clearly (because I was behind a tall man, huft), the music was best! The soundsystem, the play, and the music was making me awe. IT WAS SOOO GOOOOD, OMG! The atmosphere was great too! Photos and videos were prohibited actually, but sometimes the crowds were taking out their phones to take some photos and videos. But still, they got their respect for the other audiences. The crowds were live. They jumped, they sang, they waved, and they head-banged continuously. They didn't stop even for a second! BEST!

The show begin

Taka sends love to their fans

Not only the venue or the crowds, but also the band itself. ONE OK ROCK surely a huge and talented band. They were so good on stage. Their skills, their good communication with the fans, OMG I can't stop imagine their perfect live performance last week! And obviously Taka! His voice was so stable. From the beginning until the end of the concert, his voice still so smooth. I didn't expect that his voice was that perfect!! 

ONE OK ROCK played 19 songs in total, including 2 encore songs.

Here was the Singapore's setlist:

1. Ambitions Intro

2. Bombs Away

3. Deeper Deeper

4. Taking Off

5. Cry Out

6. Re:make

7. Clock Strikes

8. Bedroom Warfare

9. Wherever You Are

10. One Way Ticket

11. Instrumental

12. Bon Voyage

13. I Was King

14. Take What You Want

15. The Beginning

16. Mighty Long Fall

17. We Are

Encore:

18. American Girls

19. Kanzen Kankaku Dreamer

So many!! But the 1.5 hours felt so short because the hype was amazing! Beside, Asia Tour was special because they played different setlist than the other tours (like American or Europe tour). They played Japanese old songs more! Afterall my favorite play was Kanzen Kankaku Dreamer because it was so energetic performance from the band and the crowds as well (even it was the last song, they played it amazingly!). But We Are was magnificent too! Argh, I love all of their songs!

Probably bigger than the last time

Inside Singapore Indoor Stadium after the show

After concert

After concert we went home with Aming, another Franks' friend. She stayed at the same hostel as us. We couldn't stop talking about the concert along the way. In the middle of our walking, we met with some Japanese people. They knew ONE OK ROCK for sure and were so amazed because we know their country's band. They kept saying 'KAKKOII' or 'SUGOII'. Moreover, we went straight from Indonesia to Singapore just to see ONE OK ROCK's concert! They were so friendly, we even took some photos with them. SUGOII! ^^

Sara, Franks, Djiwie, and Me posed like ONE OK ROCK

Met new friends

Franks, Djiwie, Me, and Aming posed with Japanese friends

Third day, we went to Sentosa Island. Franks, Djiwie, me, and Djiwie's friend, just call her Citra. She's living in Singapore. That day was her day off, so she took us around. At Sentosa Island, we went to Universal Studios' globe to take photos. Then we went to Madame Tussauds museum. Sadly I bought the wrong tickets, so we could only play the F1 VR game T^T. After that we got out lunch at KFC nearby and then went to Siloso beach. Finished the Sentosa Island's journey, we went to Orchad Road. Because it was dark already, Djiwie and Citra decided to go home, so we seperated. Franks and I went to places that we missed at the first day. Those were Esplanade Park and Merlion Park. The night's view there were so beautiful, and full of people.

In front of Universal Studios Singapore

Candylicious

Couldn't enter Madame Tussauds, but still posed with Jackie

Merlion Statue at Sentosa Island

Wind at Siloso Beach

Trees at Orchad Road

Monument at Esplanade Park

Night Festival at Singapore National Gallery

Merlion Park at night

Forth day or we could say last day, the three of us went to Chinatown, Bugis Street, and Haji Lane. We bought some souvenirs at Bugis Street. The price was cheaper that the other place (they say). And Haji Lane was beautiful for taking photos. We met a cat there! It might be the shortest of our journey because we should hurry back to the airport. The plane was departed at 3 pm from Singapore to Jakarta.

Thank you Meadows Hostel!

Buddhist Temple at Chinatown

Haji Lane Street

Met with a cat at Haji Lane

Then here we are now. It was a short-escape with so much memories. Two more checked from my bucket wishlist. Alhamdulillah...

• Singapore
• ONE OK ROCK Concert 

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A Day To Remember - We Got This [OFFICIAL VIDEO]

Visit Japan Experience (Part I)

As I promise before, I wanna tell you about my precious experience! My sisters and I went to Japan several months ago. It was our very first time visiting Japan, our dream country. Japan is a wonderful country. Literally. I love everything about it, wholeheartedly. And able to go there was like a dream comes true. I was so excited!

Japan Ikuze!

Actually at first, it was a chit-chat between me and Nissa-chan, my twins! (she's my bestfriend yet sister already) She said that she really wants to go to Japan very badly before her internship start. She's a doctor though (back then she's still doctor-to-be). Without any doubts, I agreed to her idea. "HOW ABOUT WE GO TO JAPAN NEXT YEAR -this year-?" Then we started to plan everything.

There're some important things to notice:

1. First, search and buy for round-trip tickets. You'll get cheaper price if you know the right time to buy.

2. Second, if you haven't have a passport yet, then get it. If you do have it already, make sure it hasn't expired then you can go on.

3. Third, visa. You shall apply for visa to Japan Embassy before you enter their country. It's little bit complicated but don't worry.

4. Forth, plan the itenary in details like where you're going to stay and the destinations you're going to visit. Don't forget about the transportations too, it's crucial! You'll waste your time in vain if you don't know the right map there.

5. Fifth, plan the budgeting. How much you're going to bring cash money or cards. And how you spend it in Japan.

6. Sixth, change the currency before departing (few days before is better).

7. Seventh, plan your belongings properly. It depends on your type of journey. You can bring any suitcases or just a backpack, it's up to you. But I recommends bring lighter bags so it will makes you easier to move from one city to another city (you're in a trip, right?) Moreover if you ride a promo-plane, you'll think twice about your luggage's weight.

8. Eighth, keep your body stay healthy! You don't want feel sick there, do you?

Okay, let's check it out one by one.

Passport, it's the main things you should have before leaving your country. Why? Because it contains your identity. I made my passport few months before going to Japan. It's pretty easy in Indonesia to make a passport. I mean it doesn't have any difficult requirements. But, if you make passport in Indonesia, get up as early as you can. I went to imigration office in Jakarta at about 5.30 a.m and it was already filled up with people even the gate was open at 7.00 a.m and the regulations started at 8.00 a.m. After you finish all of the processes, your passport will be ready in about 5 days after the making.

Passport Requirements

Next is visa. Without visa you won't be accepted to enter any country, even though there's some countries that allow free-visa for the tourists. I used travel agent's service to make our visas. At first I tried to search informations as many as possible, about how and what's required to get it. Then I found about "minimum account balance" in their requirements. But funnily, I'd never found it in embassy's web. As far as I know, it just required you to have enough money to stay in Japan. Finally I found a travel agent in my hometown that didn't have that requirement, and of course I applied through it. Successfully. About a week after my submission, my visa had arrived safely at home :)

Visa Requirements

Round-trip tickets. These items required to apply for visa. It will make sure you're going back to your own country. How did I buy my tickets? Like I told you before, it was kind of spontaneous about our trip. I bought my round-trip ticket about February 2017, and it was all because promo! There was Air Asia apps' promo. Air Asia is one of budget flights and it offers you direct or transit route from Indonesia to Japan. I guess it was 20% off, then we decided to buy the tickets. But the worst part was it didn't had free baggage or meals included. If you want to, you'll have to pay more. So sad :(

The most crucial part of your trip is itenary. Try to make your itenary as good as possible. Or you'll get dissapoint! We made our own itenary. All of it. About where will I go in Japan, about how to get there, about where should I stay, and about time durations. It's so important! First, where you'll arrive and depart. We arrived at Kansai (Osaka) and left through Haneda (Tokyo), so we tried to adjust our destinations and time durations. Like on the first day after we safely arrived, we went straight to Nara and Kobe. Next Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya. And finally Tokyo. Complete with the time schedules! We bought days pass tickets (like Kintetsu Rail Pass, JR One Day Pass, Keihan One Day Pass, etc.) to reduce cost and a IC card, ICOCA (similiar to e-money in Indonesia). You can use and top up your IC card in any train stations there. For travelling from Nagoya to Tokyo, we rode night bus Willer Express. Don't forget to bring a map or you can use google maps' feature on your phone. But the second option require a wifi connection. In Japan there're many free wifi but I tried not to depend on it so I bought a pocket wifi that I rent from Wi2FLY.

Budget is also important (everything is important, ha!). Plan your budgeting carefully. I made a budget estimation before going to Japan. Like how much is the homestay, or transportations, or food, or even the souvenirs. My sis, Nissa-chan, is very careful about the budget. So I hand over all about budget to her. And it turned out great. We brought about 70000 yen and we could saved about 5000-10000 yen! Make sure before you depart from your origin country, change the currency first. I changed my money at VIP Money Changer, a trustful one in Jakarta. I had got 7 sheets of 10000 yen. But if you can get the smaller currency like 5000 yen or 1000 yen, go change it too. Even though in Japan you can buy a 100 yen (about 10000 rupiah) drink with 10000 yen (about 1 million rupiah) and still got your change right, it will be better if you have a smaller currency. Don't forget about the exchange rate too! When I went there, the exchange rate was 120. Quite high. Try to wait for the exchange rate down (get a chance!).

Japan Yen

About belongings, I'd say better you bring lighter bag. For the cabin you can bring up to 7 kgs (watch out!), but if you have free baggage then you can bring more. I brought just a backpack and a sling bag. All of them no more than 7 kgs! How come?! Because I only bring what I need. Like just 3-4 piece of clothes, a jeans, 2 sweatpants, and some underwears. For underwears, I bought two packs of dispossable pants (I guess two packs is enough for a week). Actually if you brave enough to bring fewer clothes, it's okay as long as your homestay has a washer (don't care about the iron tho). Some homestays provide toiletries like tooth brushes, soaps, shampoo, and towels. And they provide kitchen too so you can cook by yourself to save money. I used to cook noodles that I brought from Indonesia (Indomie, yeah!). Don't forget to bring a camera! It's a must! Lols.

Shared belongings

Personal belongings

Those are some preparations I made before depart to Japan. I won't say it went smoothly in fact because we're quite flexible (not too tight, but not too loose). But I'd say it was quite success. We satisfied with our plans. Proud of us!

And the story? Not yet written. I will write it next time (stay tune!). Don't worry I'll share about the budgeting plan, itenary, and our spending there. So check it out below!

Itenary

Itenary for applying visa

Budgeting plan

Outcomes

_karin0punx_

Next? Trip to Japan!

I'm going to tell you about my trip to Japan experience next!

STAY TUNE :)



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Meet & Greet with Dragonforce, The Word Alive, and Unearth

Few months ago, I asked you guys to help me share a post so I could meet my idols. And guess what I had got?

I MET DRAGONFORCE!
I MET UNEARTH!!
AND I MET THE WORD ALIVE!!!
FINALLY I MET THEM!

I didn't know how the result came out, but the EO called me. He stated that I won the Meet and Greet chance along with the lucky others (incl. my sister)

When the day had come, my sister and I already prepared some gifts for The Word Alive. Malioboro shirts and Blangkon (the took photos with it after).

Firstly, we met with the friendly Dragonforce members though they only had few moments with fans. But they were really friendly meeting us. They tried to get rid the awkwardness between idols and their fans. Respect! Unforgettable thing was one of their member asked what's my name and said that my name is like his gf's. So he wrote my name on the poster with smiley :)

Secondly, it was The Word Alive time. Main reason why we -my sister and I- joined the Meet and Greet session. We're idolizing them because their great songs, then we had the chance to meet them in person. What a lucky! It was quiet at first and rather awkward, then Tony -the guitarist- started to say "Don't be quiet, it should be Meet and Greet, guys!" and the atmosphere changed in an instant. My sister gave the gifts for them and they were really happy. We could hug them too, of course!

And lastly, Unearth. We didn't quite know them first. But they have good songs. Although the Meet and Greet with them was more quiet than the two before.

Encore, we met with Telle and Vince -the photographer- (that I didn't realize it at first!) at the lobby and asked for some photos and they friendly agreed to our request! Nice dudes!

That's all. My adventures, my experiences. IT WAS AWESOME THO!
And wish I could meet more of my idols.<3 font="">

Thank you JakCloth Summer Fest 2017!

Here are few of our snapshots that day ;)

Meet & Greet Dragonforce session

Meet & Greet The Word Alive session

Meet & Greet Unearth session

Encore at the lobby

The Word Alive was wearing our gifts

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