My first Final Fantasy Distant Worlds concert!

18th of October was definitely one of the most memorable days for me thus far in my limited concert-attending experience. I finally got to listen to a live symphony orchestra playing music from my favourite game franchise of all time - Final Fantasy!! Not only that, but Nobuo Uematsu himself also graced us with his presence for apparently his first time in Malaysia! The tickets were quite pricey, I paid RM 238 and this was an early bird price and also for the cheapest seats (Upper Silver) available, but definitely no regrets! (maybe a lil, I regret not getting better seats, lol, considering the fact that apparently the Distant Worlds concert had not been performed here since 2014 and 2012; I had no idea that they even have such concerts, it was completely by luck and chance that I stumbled upon the organizer's advert page for this; furthermore it was the 30th Anniversary of Final Fantasy and the 10th anniversary of the Distant Worlds concert!)

So, of course I had to dedicate a post to this special day :) I haven't played many final fantasy games myself, only FFI-IV (courtesy of GBA), FFVIII (my memorable playstation 1), FFX (I had to play this because the graphics were too beautiful, and even specially bought a new laptop to do so this year >.<), Final Fantasy Crisis Core and Final Fantasy Dissidia (courtesy of my PSP) but after listening to some beautiful music from FFVI (the opera was excellent!!) and watched the stunning graphics for the latest FFXV, I have a feeling that I want to play these games now (perhaps I'll invest in a PS when I have my own place!! Finally, being a proper adult where I can do whatever I want whenever I want, one of the perks of getting married -.-", so much for embracing my new role as a responsible wife and possible mom in the near future, I feel like I am regressing to my teenage years..) 

It was such a magical experience listening to music from these games that were such a big part of my childhood and teenage years. In the early years of blogging, I used to set my background music to some songs from FF8, and I downloaded all the orchestral versions of some of my favourite music (I was nearly moved to tears hearing them played live), oh how I wish I could be part of the choir singing to Liberi Fatali and Hymn of the Fayth! Anyway, here's the setlist (from which I found from colourlessopinions.com's blog) for my memory's sake:

1. Prelude (Final Fantasy Series) - this is my ringtone!!
2. Victory Theme (Final Fantasy Series)
3. Battle on the Big Bridge (Final Fantasy V)
4. The Oath (Final Fantasy VIII) - this is the first time it was performed in the Distant Worlds concert!
5. Theme of Love (Final Fantasy IV) -
6. Flash of Steel (Final Fantasy XII)
7. Torn from the Heavens (Final Fantasy XIV)
8. Not Alone (Final Fantasy IX)
9. Apocalypsis Noctis (Final Fantasy XV)
10. Liberi Fatali (Final Fantasy VIII)
- intermission -
11. Opening: Bombing Mission (Final Fantasy VII)
12. Cosmo Canyon (Final Fantasy VII)
13. Searching For Friends (Final Fantasy VI)
14. Fang's Theme (Final Fantasy XIII)
15. Hymn of the Fayth + Zanarkand (Final Fantasy X)
16. Somnus (instrumental version) (Final Fantasy XV)
17. Cinco de Chocobo (Final Fantasy VII)
18. Opera "Maria and Draco" (Final Fantasy VI) - had no idea there could be an opera based on a game! have to play this
19. Final Fantasy (Final Fantasy Series)
- "encore" -
20. Aerith's Theme (Final Fantasy VII)
21. One Winged Angel (Final Fantasy VII) - I liked the Crisis Core version better though

The conductor Arnie Roth is such an engaging conductor! Really liked him... All in all, definitely not an experience to be missed if you're a Final Fantasy music fan like me!! Just need to save more money to get better seats. . . and to buy their merchandise (the cheapest item was still above hundred ringgit... ain't got so much money for that...)

to you

today is your birthday. how are you doing? it's been ages since we last met. we used to be so close, what happened?

we first met, 14 years ago, during our first year of high school. you were the first person to bully me to tears at school, the first person to make me feel so conflicted, the first closest text message friend i ever had, making my phone bill run up into the hundreds just to reply your texts.

even though i left the state and transferred schools, we still kept in touch, up till college, where i met all your classmates. then there was uni, but although we studied in the same uni, i guess that's when we started to really drift apart, caught up with demanding classwork and all. but, we still kept in touch. at least, we never forgot a birthday wish to each other, so much so that your birthday was set as a constant reminder in my phone.

i guess things really changed when i went overseas to study, but, we still met up once before that. and then i came back, and started work, and i still remembered that we still met up that one time. but of course, once our mutual friends stop organizing meet-ups, that's when we never met up anymore. and soon, the birthday wishes stopped. i still hoped that we were friends though, i mean, we got over so many things in the past including a 3 month cold war! but it's hard to meet up when you're constantly working overseas, and you never tell when you're back anymore. . . and when you are, you never have time for me because i guess, i was never a priority anymore. you've never noticed any of my fb photos (or perhaps you're just too busy to browse fb anymore), never saved my number, never congratulated me on any of my happy events, yet, i was still naive enough to invite you to my wedding. at least i got a cordial congratulations, and that, was enough. yesterday, i deleted the birthday reminder from my phone, because i realized, that our friendship, although it was once a beautiful memory of the past, but there is no trace and no time for it in the present anymore. perhaps one day we can reconnect, but for now, i'll just take it as a thing of the past, to be kept in my heart and not on my phone.

today is your birthday, but, i'll only wish you in my heart. happy birthday, my once-upon-a-time dearest friend.

谁说 时间片刻变陈旧
全为我分秒亦停留
因我 身边有你紧握我的手

而爱 谁说永不会长寿
陪着你一生到白头
都能 把心中星星闪得通透

*
陪着你走 一生一世也不分
天天编出两双足印 过千山过千海
如果 走到这世界边端
我俩已是无力前行 跟我一起飞去

不相信 时间片刻变陈旧
全为你分秒亦停留
因你 身边有我紧握你的手

这份爱 谁说永不会长寿
陪着我一生到白头
都能 把心中星星闪得通透

Repeat *

谁说 时间片刻变陈旧
全为我分秒亦停留
因我 身边有你紧握我的手

__________________________________________________________________________
1111 post. I love this song.

Change. Adapt. Stay.

every time i think about my half-dead blog, i will make a mental note to myself to start blogging more often as a way to preserve my memories virtually, but more often than not, laziness triumphs.

i suppose superstition plays a part as well, as i almost never write about anything happy (because i don't want to tempt fate by sounding too happy) and when i do write, it's often something reflective or emo (which hindsight would make me regret writing it because said conflict has passed so i delete it). my instagram however, has mostly happy memories in the form of photos. i wonder why? perhaps happiness is much easier to express visually but feelings of sadness and unhappiness can only be expressed more eloquently through the more muted form of words.

so as you would have guessed, today's post shall be a more pensive one.
Change. it's something i dread yet always must accept that it is the only constant in life. the problem is, what if it is an undesirable change?
Adapt. that's the solution. but what if i don't like the idea of adapting?
Leave. but if leaving is always the solution, i'd be constantly running.
what other choices do i have left then?
i guess the trick is to know when to adapt and when to leave if it is a lost cause.

of course, it is early days to know if it is a lost cause, but i fear, if things will get worse instead of better. that the frequency of petty fights will increase instead of decrease. i guess i am too naive to expect that people will stay the same way they are forever, perhaps i am the one who induced the change. but if the change isn't for the better, should i then leave? however, i've made a promise, that i'm in it for the long haul, and i keep my promises. and i suppose if i can't adapt, i can always find a different focus in life.

you have never let me gone to bed sad, yet of late, this has happened with increasing frequency.

I'll miss you

Through the endless daydream
I saw you on the way back
There I walked with you in my arms
Through the blurry darkness
Who’s veiling on the twilight
We’ve been far away from my fears
Somewhere else I’ll see you
Our days be like a blossom
Blooming all around you
so bright
By and by
I’ll miss you
and your laugh like a sunshine
Fading into shadow of tears
All around me is your light
With you
everything so shines
How come we’ll leave all behind
Cause your love is falling
on my heart
And I’m falling for you
Falling with broken wings again
Hush now my angel
I will always be with you
In your pretty smile
in a glow of tears
Out across the frosty night
I’ll be there with you
Maybe someday
you’ll wake up alone without me
But don’t cry again
I’ll be waiting here
Where the moon is on the rise
As the olden days
I could just go with you
between our time
Where they can’t find us
somehow
You could just come away
with me out there
Where we could dream away
All day

its long since I've found a drama so magical again~