Westlife and Me

Westlife! What is the first thing in your mind when the first time you heard this word? Handsome? Wonderful? Recycler boyband? It was up to you and your brain cell. 

For me, if I heard word westlife the very first thing come to my mind is a thank you word that I want to say to this great boyband from Ireland. I am a fan of this boyband, even until now after Westlife disbanded I still listening to their songs. Westlife did a very impact to me and my English; and I really want to thank them for this. 

The very first time I knew Westlife was in 1999, at that time I heard their "Flying without wings" song. It was a very great song, even until now it's one of my favorite songs ever. 

When I heard that "Flying without wings" song was when I just started learn English. For me, English was a very hard to learn at that time and I had to make myself enjoy and got more interest in English. I did not like to listen English songs at that time, because I did not understand what were the lyrics saying.

It was when I turn on my television and I watched a music chart program on TV, I saw this Westlife boyband for the first time. I ever heard about them before but I never seen them. At that time they was the first rank of the chart with single "Flying without wings", and I was enchanted by them. And from that day on, I search more about them and then I found out that they also learn English. I, the one who find a hard time to motivate myself to learn English at that time, fine a very good reason to learn English more. Besides, I knew that even my Idol learn it too, I really wanted to know what were they saying on their song. I tried to translated Westlife's songs that I heard. The very first song that I translated into my mother language was "I have a dream" song, since it was the easiest one at that time. 

Westlife was my very first fandom. I collect everything that I could collect about them. At that time, I still did not use any internet so it was so hard to find any news about them. I bought every magazine that had an article about them. I even have my own box, to keep all of my Westlife stuffs. Really, I went crazy over Westlife. Even until now, I still have this Westlife box of mine. It's one of my treasure things. 

As time goes by, and things happened to westlife I did not that crazy anymore. As I grown up and I can used some Internet, I could find more news about them easier and internet also found me to a new fandom, that is Hey!say! JUMP. I still following Westlife news but I got distract and more focus to my new fandom. It's not like that I forget about them, Westlife still my favorite west boyband ever. Westlife did a very great thing in my life. 

When I focusing in my new fandom, no other than Hey!say! JUMP, I got surprised when I heard news said that Westlife decided to disband their group. I searched some news about it and I found it true and I found some gossip about it too. Westlife after 14 years their career decided to disband their band for some reasons. 

Last night, a national TV aired the very last concert of Westlife , Westlife farewell tour concert at Croke Park, Ireland. Nothing change about them, just Mark who getting fat but it's Ok. It was a very emotional concert, even me cried when I watched the concert. It was really full of emotional concert, just like when I watched NEWS comeback concert, full of emotion. The very last song they sang was "Flying without wings", the very first song of Westlife that I heard years ago. When I heard that song, I really couldn't hold my tears any more. That concert was held two years ago, but still touching me. 

A few months ago, I saw Shane Filan in national TV; He came to promote his new album. Shane Filan, still the same, still funny and cute.  

I never regret to have Westlife as my fandom, even some people mocked Westlife, for me Westlife is one of the best boyband ever. 

Even those people are not in Westlife anymore, hope they live they life happily always. I believe friends will always be friends forever. Nothing can't change that. 

Westlife thank you for all this time. 

Fandom

You can’t be like pop stars, but you can be part of their story. You can be their fan

What is your first impression when you see this picture? 

According to you, what makes they could survive until today? Loyal fans?

Fandom is an open member organization that everybody could come and leave as they will. In fandom the member could be anybody from kinds of different backgrounds, educations, countries, and professions with the same interest. You just need to find the suit one for you, with your taste. Fandom has only one purpose that is to support their idol. In order to support their idol fandom could do many things; like saving their money little by little just to buy the Cd’s of their idol, to attend the concert, to buy Dvd’s and any other goodies of their idol.

In fandom you could express yourself, and you could be anybody that you like. In fandom you could meet many positive and creative people. Fandom do things to make their idol realized their existences, some of them write their own stories about their idol, and they call it fanfic, fiction stories made by fans. If you ever read one of them you will realize that they could be a good writer if they want to. To make the stories more interesting they put their idol as the main character of the story. Fandom also a place for sharing stuffs with each other. Some of fans even learn their idol language, so they could do translation from some magazines or even some of fandom make a team unit to do a subbing project about their idol videos. How great fandom.

And what the most grateful from fandom is when fandom do a fan project! There this one of fan project to support their almost broke up band named “NEWS” when they already stopped their activity for more than two years and two of their members decided to leave the group and when all of the members already thought to disband their band; their fans made a fan project to make the band come back. They send card every day to the agency, to show their idol that their fans always support them even fans from overseas joined the project. They bought a specific Cd of the idol simultaneously and placed the idol band at the first rank of the most popular chart in the country. And the result is so amazing! NEWS come back with their new format and they will release their new Album on 15th July next month. Again how great fandom!. 

Another fan project was waratte Nippon project. On last march 11 2011, Japan was faced with two of earth’s scariest calamities. A 9 magnitude earthquake that followed by never ending aftershocks and a tsunami that left thousands of people homeless. A heartbreaking event that Friday happened in the afternoon not only shock japan but the rest of the world into tears also. The aim of the project was to show japan that they are not alone, to collect massages of encouragement from all over the world for people of japan and give hope and courage to those who are striving hard to get back on their feet and to start all over again.

Fandom is a place where you could meet many great, creative and supportive people; a place where you could express yourself.

Join fandom and you could see the wonderful of sharing and supporting. 

How about you? What do you think about fandom?