I Always Want They Get Back Together.

Kuala Lumpur was all gloomy the whole weekend and rain seems can't stop pouring down. As the emotion got carried away, I found myself in good, comfy sleep and the restless week has been greatly paid for.

My mind starts wondering when my iPod starts playing some random old tracks which yours truly almost forgotten way back. If my mind can't even tracking back the singer and the title, my emotion always able to draw and reminiscing the memories associated with the track. And that is why I always thought that is the magic behind music, it gives soul to your life.

And this time, the iPod plays Eternal Place by hiro, out of sudden, out of my lazy, rainy, gloomy Sunday morning.

And I remember very well, how I adore the four girls. They all grown-ups now, with more mature appearance. The girls are one girl J-pop vocal group, SPEED. That's where my interest in J-Pop started (not from Doraemon and anime like everyone else), when I was introduced by these girls by my Japanese teacher back at my boarding school days, Miss Akiko. I know it sounds uncool for guy to like girl bands, but I can't resist the fact that Spice Girls and All Saints was really a phenomenon back then in the West, and so did Japan.

My first encounter of SPEED was the track named White Love, when the music video was aired by Miss Akiko in Japanese audio room back in the year of 1999. I was so instantly hooked up and look for their album when I was in my outing in KL. And there I was, being the great fan. Until suddenly they decided to disband sometime in 2000 and it shocked everyone including me. When they said that they're going solo, I was easily come to conclusion that only Hiroko (now known as simply hiro) or Takako can make it, since only both of them steal the limelight. And seems I was correct.

Hiroko now works solo, appears as a lead role in one movie called Backdancers, and managed to have two solo albums, and somehow have a jazz band named Coco d'Or. She dated Hitoshi Matsumoto (well-known as Matchan, one of the two combination of popular comedian of Downtown), which is 21 years older than her at that time. Eriko, managed to come up with few albums and her solo career goes well until she announces that she was pregnant and going to marry his boyfriend, Shogo, vocalist of 175R. She then gave birth to Raimu Kinoshita in October 2004. Takako, appears in some commercial break, films and dorama, and still kicking until now. Hitoe, unlike the rest, start her art career in New York and live there since the break-ups. She is also getting her certification as yoga teacher.

They had their short reunion few times since they disbanded, but all of 'em never lasts. I was reading Mr. Swifty's blog this morning until I found out they reuniting seriously this time, after 5 years of hesitations and going solo. Some of the blogs I read does give some comment on whether they will make it big this time, since they are getting older (the Japanese entertainment industry really pays big deal with age and maturity, where older celebrity will be seen less popular except if you're in classic/enka genre and a comedian) and the music landscape has truly changed this time (they started mainly in R&B and pop genre, but no idea whether they'll stick with that concept now). But I do hope they remain as the old SPEED I know before.

Tell me how to live without your love
Hoshi wa itsuka moetsukitemo
Anata e no ai kawaranai kara
Shinjite ite eien no basho

Eternal Place by hiro playing endlessly in my mind. Some things are better left unchanged. And so does SPEED.