Stalking CNBLUE in Manila

After months of hoping and anticipating, finally CNBLUE came to the Philippines. I remember filling up petition forms to bring CNBLUE in the country. I remember dreading that I didn’t have enough budget to get good concert seats. I remember pining to see them up close and not just in the concert venue. And after months of planning, I can say that Operation Stalk CNBLUE is a success!

In three days, (some of) my friends and I spent nothing but follow CNBLUE like sasaengs. Haha. No, we just went to the public places where it was sure that they would make an appearance. Because you see, I wouldn’t be contented on just seeing them in Araneta. I have to see them UP CLOSE (and personal but no touching because really mehehe). I am 23-years-old professional (weh), and there’s no shame in saying that I’m a fangirl through and through.

Anyway, I decided to compile in one post all the stalking I did instead of making separate posts for it. This way, I’ll have an easier time reading them months and years from now. Yes, when I miss fangirling I read old posts wehehe. So, here goes.

ARRIVAL

There are two KPOP fairies in my life. First is Ms. Happee Sy of Pulp and the second is Iris’s father who always get us passes in the airport. Dear Iris’s abohji, thank you for making some of my fangirl dreams come true!

On the 14th, Ate Karen, Jinky, Riza, Iris, Sarah and I trooped to airport early so that we wouldn’t miss CNBLUE. Their supposed arrival was 11:15 and we really didn’t wait long. Everytime I’d see a Korean at the immigration, my heart would beat faster because I knew that in just a few minutes one of the blue boys would finally appear. I’d seen them already a year ago but as a rabid fan, I wouldn’t mind seeing them a million more times. Hehe.

I actually expect them to breeze through immigration like Lee MinHo did but they stopped and got their passports stamped! It’s a good thing though since we managed to ready ourselves for the impending chaos. Haha! I couldn’t control myself though and would utter a little squeal everytime I’d spot a member.

Dugeun dugeun!

They finally came out lead by JongHyun holding a videocam! Now, I cannot wait for that video.

What would you do if one of your oppas suddenly appear filming you? Well, some would hide, but I waved the shit out of it. Seriously though, I was grinning and waving and making pacute.  He seemed to be in a good mood since he was smiling and waving to the fans. JONGHYUN WAE SO CUTE!

Then he’s followed by MinHyuk wearing a cute hat and waving and smiling at fans, too! But they’re probably sleepy or something since they’re all wearing shades. Still incredibly handsome though. Heehee.

I am so sad to inform you but that’s the only decent photo I have. Haha! I was too busy trying to give them my gift which they didn’t accept. Haha. But once they reached the fans, I swear all hell broke loose because fans were trying to get past security and it was just a mess! I think one of the gifts of Boice PH got ruined and it was a bit scary. The security was pretty tight, too, which I don’t understand much. I’m no Psychology expert but I think when security’s a lot tighter, fans get a lot rowdier. If you try so hard to keep them far away, they strive even more to get nearer. That’s what happened, I think.

A lot of fans got hurt, too. Thankfully I didn’t. But the guards did swat my hands away when I was handing my gift. It was a bit sad but I understand that it’s part of their job.

That day, I saw a lot of JungShin. Like A LOT and I’m not complaining a bit. His smile was tersed but he was acknowledging us and it’s enough for me that he could hear me calling his name. Haha! He also waved a bit but it was really getting quite chaotic that they were walking really fast.

Also, JUNGSHIN looks so good in person. I’ve liked him from the start but I know people who find him not that attractive. But wow, in person his skin is just DAEBAK! I guess all those skin care regimen he does works well. His color is very manly, too. Chuuuuuuuu. <3

I called him repeatedly but he wouldn’t look straight at me ahuhu.

But he waved so I guess it’s okay heehee.

Jung YongHwa on the other hand probably woke up at the wrong side of the bed. He wasn’t smiling at all but I can forgive him with all my heart because he’s Yong Choding and forgiving him is what a fan must do. I can understand how tired he probably is! After all, they probably woke up really early to catch their flight, then they were greeted by scary fans (e.g. me). And he sure did look scared! 🙁

I’m the type of fan who’s willing to walk on fire and enter the dragon’s cave if that’s what it takes to get near her idols. But once I realized that Yong was starting to be uncomfortable with the crowd, I backed off. I want to get closer to them, but at that moment it was more important for me that they won’t get hurt and they won’t get scared. Having them get scared of Filipino fans was the last thing I want. Mwahaha. That sounds a lot more serious that I intended. Hehe.

P.S. JungShin tripped in a ditzy sort of way. And it was cute. Haha.

So the Blue Boys zoomed away on their cars and we were left oggling at all the instruments being loaded in one the cars. IS THAT JONGHYUN’S GUITAR? OMG THAT’S PROBABLY MINHYUK’S DRUMSET! Just knowing that the instruments the boys love so much were just RIGHT THERE was enough to make me happy.

Also, YONGEO REPREZENT! You guys are amazing!!!

PRESSCON AT MEGAMALL

Right from the airport, we went straight to Megamall  where they’d be having a mall tour/press conference at 2Pm. We were greeted with screams from a large crowd at the activity center. I heard that some fans started lining up at around 6AM and that’s understandable. It’s a free event and you have the chance to see your oppa really, really closely. If I didn’t go to the airport, I would have lined up really early, too!

Since we arrived late, there really was no chance for us to see them clearly. Hehe. We even grabbed a quick lunch and rest for a while. Airport stalking happens to be really tiring, you know.

The press conference was supposed to start at 2PM but since we’re following Filipino time, that didn’t happen. And that’s to be expected as well since the boys just arrived in the country! They still needed to eat lunch and rest for a bit. And put on makeup and some decent clothes of course. They’re a rock band, but they’re still a KPOP rock band. Haha.

So while waiting, there were games on stage hosted by Ms. Kring. (FYI, I’ve been a fan since her redstar days. Haha!) My friends and I were standing near the stage and there’s this one official-looking girl walking around asking people who want to join the games. Being the Bibo Kid that I am, I volunteered! My friends were all, “OMG NAKAKAHIYA!!!” And I was like, “OMG OMG OMG PERO PANG-VIP TICKET TO! OMG!“

So there I was walking to the backstage wondering what on earth I would do once I stepped on stage. It didn’t immediately occur to me that the mall was PACKED and there was 90% chance that I’d embarrass myself. My friends reckoned that I’d do a little cheer just like what happened in the KPOP Fiesta or something. But thankfully, we only had to greet MinHyk and YongHwa happy birthday! You know the longest happy birthday game? I don’t know what it’s called. Haha.

My face on the big screen. No shame.

Just  so you know, I have stage fright but I think I’m starting to get over it. Or maybe I’m just really willing to do anything for my oppas. Yes. That’s probably it.

So, there were four of us in the game, and I was usually bad at that game. But what do you know, I WON! I don’t know how it happened really, but I did and I was so happy. I was literally jumping up and down the stage. Then I learned that it wasn’t a VIP ticket haha but an Upper Box one, so I just gave it to Ayessa, my fellow Goguma. <3

Photo grabbed from Manila Concert Scene

Anyway. I made a friend that day! Haha. My fellow contestant, Dwayne, was so hyper and managed to convince Ms. Kring and Pulp and everyone else that he deserved a ticket, too. He did it by dancing and doing some cartwheels. Above is a photo of me looking so shocked and Dwayne doing his thang. Haha.

I thought I could stay backstage and wait for CNBLUE but they ushered out. Huhuhu. So after a few more games, the crowd was already getting impatient. WHERE’S CNBLUE! I’M SEARCHING WHERE YOU ARE!!!!!! *clears throat*

So after an hour or so, they suddenly flashed CNBLUE on the screen! THEY FINALLY ARRIVED YAY. I don’t know when they arrived but the important thing was they arrived. Jinri Park went on stage to host and she kept telling us to not scream and to just smile. It was so silly, though. How could you expect people to not scream when they see their oppas. Heck, fangirls are wired to scream whenever they see their oppa. It’s ridiculous how they expect us to keep quiet. She also kept saying that we shouldn’t be too rowdy because the Blue Boys would leave if the security of the boys was threatened. Seriously? Threatened? They held the press conference at a public place then they’d expect everyone to stay still? To not scream and to not try to get closer for a better view? Really?

The boys, however, seriously looked tantalized by the crowd when they appeared on stage! Obviously YongHwa was in a better mood because he was dancing (lololol) while walking. JongHyun had this mesmerized look on his face that he maintained from beginning to end of the press conference. Cutie JongHyun. Huhuhu.

I suddenly wish I work for the media just for instances like this. Just imagine standing next to them without security swatting you away. Haha! Yong was urging the crowd to scream louder! Ha! SEE? THEY DON’T FEEL THREATENED BY SCREAMING FANS. The boys even want us to scream as loud as we possibly could!

I tried to get closer but I couldn’t because the crowd was too thick. I swear it was worse than my Ian Somerhalder experience! Being small at a time like this is not good at all. You can barely see anything even if you tiptoe. That’s why I urged my friends to go to the third floor for a better view but they wouldn’t budge. Huhu.

It was difficult to understand the interview since it was sooooooo noisy. But my favorite part is when YongHwa was asked what inspires him and the crowd started chanting SeoHyun’s name! OMG! I didn’t know there are so so so so so so many gogumas in my beloved country. Haha. But it was crazy. I joined in the chanting even though I was the only one chanting in my area. Be still, my Goguma heart.

I didn’t understand most of the interview because I was too busy trying to survive. Lulz.

It was a crazy, crazy day, but it was all worth it even if I only glanced at them for a short time. Like, a second short because it was really difficult to see them through the thick crowd of gadgets. HUHUHUHU. Lucky are those fans who brought their boyfriends with them. </3

I didn’t stalk them at their hotel because I was already so tired and it was raining hard.

AIRPORT DEPARTURE

I’ve been to the airport countless of times to welcome Korean stars. But this is the first time that I actually went to the airport to say goodbye. Just like they say, goodbye hurts. Lulz.

It’s quite weird to already blog about the departure when I still talked about all my feels about the concert. But for the sake of an organized blog, here goes.

Despite having very little sleep because of the concert the previous night, Sarah, Riza and I trooped to the airpot on Sunday, June 16 to say goodbye to CNBLUE. It’s probably one of the hardest goodbyes ever because I do not know when I’ll see them again. But I’m optimistic that they’ll come back next year! So we arrived at the airport at around 9AM since we heard they’ll be leaving at 11AM. But turned out that their flight is actually 12:15PM so yeah, we were quite early.

However, no matter how early you are, you must realize that there’ll always be someone earlier than you. Heck, there were fans who slept at the airport! If that’s not some crazy dedication, then I don’t know what is.

We didn’t know what to do. Should we wait outside with everyone else then just go in once they arrive or should we already enter and wait for them there? After almost half an hour of waiting outside to no avail, we deduced that we should just wait for the boys inside the airport. Besides, the concert staff arrived already so we figured that the boys are probably near, too. I just want to say that seeing their instruments, even though properly kept in their respective containers, made me feel weird. I don’t know. I just had this urge to touch them, to touch the case of YongHwa’s guitar (not even the guitar! haha) would seem so surreal. Heck, just seeing it seemed so surreal!

We finally entered the arrival and prayed so hard that we made the right decision. And apparently, we did! It took CNBLUE so long to get to the airport, I’m not sure why. A manager-looking Korean was getting impatient and was standing near the airport gates for quite a long time. Riza said the girl was at the Blue Moon concert standing in front and blocking as much cameras as possible. I’m not sure what her role is but she seems to be a big shot. LOL. I want her job though.

SO FINALLY CNBLUE ARRIVES YAY. They didn’t enter at the usual entrance but the airport personnel opens another door for them! It was pretty clever since there were so many fans at the airport. By the time they arrived, it was just 45 minutes (or less,I think) before their departure. They head towards the the check-in counter which was already clear of people.

You see, we were standing near the entrance so we had a clear view of the boys! OMG. I now prefer departure-stalking over arrival-stalking. Heehee. I’m not sure why I was incredibly behaved.  I can’t believe I could control my squealing haha! But I didn’t take much photos because I really wanted to give them my gift! MinHyuk and JongHyun came in first, just not sure which one’s first. MinHyuk was holding Team Manila paper bags so I was sure that he accepted gifts from some lucky fans!

JungShin came in next and because he seriously seemed to be the most friendly, I approached him. So I kept calling him again and tried to give him my gift. When he finally looked in my direction YongHwa suddenly appeared and pinched the back of his neck HUHUHUHU. So JungShin suddenly squirmed and went away from me. For a moment, I wanted to kick Yong oppa. Haha! I almost handed JungShin my gift!

But you see, I was glad to see YongHwa smiling and joking around. I realized that I was seeing THE Yong Choding up close! I almost cried. Haha. Also, Yong is REALLY small, huh? But he’s cute. Heehee.

I thought they were still going to the check-in counter but they stopped at the very middle of the airport. It was also the only chance I had to capture the four of them in one photo!!!!!!! But you couldn’t even properly see YongHwa. Haha. After talking a bit with some people, the four of them went straight to the immigration. HUHUHUHU. Sarah told me to hand my gifts to the security guarding CNBLUE because one of them received Riza’s gift but I didn’t know which security. The one I approached chased me away. I cry.

So finally, it’s goodbye CNBLUE but I didn’t want to say bye. I watched their backs until they disappear behind the gates and I wondered when I’ll see them again. It was one of the best three days of my fangirl life so far, and I cannot wait for something like it to happen again and again and again. Philippines isn’t always on KPOP concert tours’ list of destinations but I’m glad that we were part of the Blue Moon tour.

I still have the concert to rave about but for now, this will do. 🙂