The Fangirl Lane


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The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 553

말하지 말걸 [I Shouldn’t Speak] was the first MBLAQ ballad I completely fell in love with when I began my journey as an A+. You have to remember, I came to the party late and thus began purchasing their albums all out of sync relative to their release. I recall being captivated by the Mona Lisa concept with my newly established bias paying homage to one of my favorite actors, James Dean. I was quite intrigued. Mona Lisa was one of the first albums I purchased both physically and digitally. 말하지 말걸 [I Shouldn’t Speak] was the lone ballad on the album and it caught my special attention. Even though a solid group effort, G.O’s vocals tear at my heart. His voice in the studio version is perfection, filled with all the of longing, pain, and sadness that accompanies the end of a relationship. Hearing and watching G.O sing this song live however deepens the poignancy of the regret-laced lyrics that he brings to heart-wrenching life with every note. A Vocal Virtuosity moment today from the Curtain Call stage back on 30 November 2014. Sigh . . .

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The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 380

Late summer, early autumn 2014 had MBLAQ doing a bit of a concert crawl of sorts around South Korea which was amazing for their A+. From the end of August until the beginning of October, they graced many stages. However, it was during this time that things began to unravel for the group leading of course to the Curtain Call shows and ultimate reorganization of the group. But I don’t want to rehash those difficult times again. I do, however, wish to share a compilation fan cam of our endearing main vocal in the throes of 남자답게 [Be A Man] over the course of August – October 2014 as it is Fan-Camming Friday.

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The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 232

Our charming main vocal would like to call your attention to the fact that he now has UNDER 500 DAYS LEFT OF HIS SERVICE!! Yes, it is true. As G.O completes his 232nd day of service today, he officially has 499 remaining. Frankly, I see the light at the end of the tunnel, and it is growing brighter and brighter each day. For today, I just want to celebrate G.O as seen through my own camera. These are not new and this is not the full collection of what I have been fortunate to capture. Nor are they perfect as I seem to have lots of trouble keeping my camera steady when I point it at him.  So it goes . . .

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The Soulful Countdown to G.O’s Discharge ~ Day 19

 

Sometimes it is impossible to single out a favorite MBLAQ song. But when I start to focus on specific criteria, like written and composed by G.O, for example, it narrows the selection. And even though I love each and every one of his songs in and of themselves that he has written and composed, it is 봄여름가을 그리고. . .  [Spring Summer Autumn and . . .] that I must single out as my absolute favorite.

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[series] 116 Reasons to Love Byung Hee: #10 ~ Undercover Cover Lover

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When you wake one morning and realize all you want to do is sing, you hear music in everything. I have a feeling this is exactly what G.O felt when that realization hit. From that point on, he most likely became an ardent student of music. And although it was no doubt he was hearing his own compositions in his head and perhaps keeping a journal of poetry that would transform into lyrics, the first songs he sang were probably the songs of other artists. For G.O, I suspect the songs he sang in those early days were his guide and his lessons, and the artists themselves, his mentors and his teachers. It is no wonder then he would ultimately pay homage to them by covering those songs that guided him to become the incredible vocalist he is today. The beauty of his education, however, is that he did not limit himself to the songs of Korean artists. His deep respect for music (all music) and his choice to cover many songs that were sung in a language foreign to him (English) are valid and honorable reasons to continue to love this amazing man.

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Subtle, Sweet & Sonic – MBLAQ Takes The Stage As A Trio

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I think this is becoming commonplace for me….I see my bias and something happens. My world gets gently rocked. My mind goes into a flux. I grasp to find balance and try to remain coherent. The thought of putting together a couple of sentences to verbalize (and of course memorialize) the experience escapes me for at least a good month, sometimes longer. Such is the case here, again.

This could be problematic. The further from the experience I get, the possibility of remembering becomes an issue, especially at my age. However, when it comes to the gentle G.O, the one who has unceremoniously laid claim to my heart, those experiences I have involving him tend to leave their mark. Those moments are pretty much imprinted and branded into the memory of that heart, and I am forever scarred. You see, heart memory is strong and true. Like any muscle, it remembers. Therefore, I have faith I will be able to share with you at lease some of those moments I had in his presence this past June when I attended the shows at Omiya Sonic City in Japan.

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The Color for Spring is BLAQ

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Ok yeah, it was a rough autumn and a rather excruciating winter. Coupled with that, the prolonged hibernation of our beloved three MBLAQ teddy bears hasn’t helped matters much either. Yet as we enter spring, it seems they have begun to push themselves through the soil of those darker days and are starting to re-blossom as a music-making trio. With news of a new album in the works, hope does indeed spring eternal.

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Softly Behind The Curtain With MBLAQ

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Twilight drops her curtain down, and pins it with a star.

It has now been two months since I have seen G.O. Two months since I watched his emotion erupt and his heart spill out all over the Curtain Call stage. Now, a new year has begun and I still have not been able to adequately sum up my experience in words and transfer them here to my blog. There are far too many emotions…..still. Frankly, I don’t think I am able to sum it all up. But, I will try. I will try to explain those bittersweet moments watching G.O perform alongside his MBLAQ brothers on those two emotional evenings in late November. I will attempt to describe what it felt like to watch him offer up to us his remarkable talent. I will share how excited I am about his future. And finally, I want to tell you why I am grateful he chose me to be his fan.

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He’s A Free and Gentle Flower…

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On January 16, 2015, G.O had his first stage of the new year and it was a delicate reminder of how truly gifted he is as a vocalist. The Gimhae Arts & Sports Center held its Big Happy Concert on the evening of the 16th, and invited G.O to perform. Fans of this amazing man were indeed hungry to see him even though the effects of the two Curtain Call shows in late November had not yet worn off. You see, once he throws out the line to reel you in and captures your heart and soul, you simply have to surrender to the ever-present urge to want to see him over and over. Trust me, this is a fact. This first stage was special not only for us, but even more so for him.

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When The Universe Conspires – Prelude to the Curtain Call

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I had a plan. It was a good plan. I had the goods. They were nice goods. And, I had a bias (G.O) ready to celebrate a birthday on November 6th. Having given Federal Express a good chunk of my hard-earned change via my MBLAQ Love Package campaign, I figured they would be the best bet to get my bias his birthday gifts, and do so well in advance of the actual celebration day. Best laid plans, right? It seems Fedex along with the Universe (and the Suwon Lotte Department Store) had something else in mind. When the birthday box failed to pass through customs in Seoul and was returned to me, it seemed the only way that darling man was going to receive his gift from my Byung Hee World blog partner, Nelly (MyMyooz) and I, was if I would deliver it to him myself.

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