leerenah

The day that Bench announced that Didi was the newest ambassador for Bench, I knew that sooner or later he would be coming. Months have passed, he was busy filming Ever Night 2, endorsements, photoshoots, Super Penguin, plus a new drama again. Didn’t think he would come anytime soon.

I was in the middle of my Eurotrip, in Amsterdam, specifically, when Bench dropped the bomb of Didi coming. Holy mother of surprises! This was it! It was morning when I checked the news, and I was literally floating the whole day! I had to be a VIP!

The VIP had 100 seats only, and it included a meet and greet! To become a VIP, I had to buy 20k worth of Bench products at their BGC flagship store for just 3 days, July 5-7. It was too sudden, the scheduled fanmeet would be July 20. I would be returning the night of July 6, and for sure good seats were already taken by then. So I asked my sister to shop for me on the first hours of the first day, so I could get a good seat.

I also booked a stay at Novotel Araneta, as I wasn’t sure if my baby would still breastfeed when I get back. Plus, I knew that parking at Araneta during concerts could get crazy, I did not want to waste too much time and energy. I’d rather waste it on the fanmeet.🤪

I was both nervous and excited on D-day! The last time I went to a fanmeet was 2012, and thought at that time I wouldn’t have another energy to fangirl that way again. But here I was again, fangirling to the best of my aging ability!😆

It was a 1 hour fanmeet, which included Q&A, games for lucky fans, and the poster signing for VIPs. I was a little dismayed with how the meet & greet turned out. I thought it would be after the show, where the VIPs stay behind, just like any other meet & greet. But it was included in the program, we all had to line up on stage to get our posters signed by Didi himself.

Oh Didi, if I was not entranced by his presence, our eyes connected as he smiled while he gave me the poster that he signed in front of me, which btw, I was caught in photo smiling from ear to ear I would not forgive the organizers of this fanmeet. Sigh.

Bench failed to disclose the mechanics of the meet & greet, so a lot of expectations were not met. We were expecting a proper meet & greet, have photo ops one by one, maybe some hi’s and hello’s. The bouncers and other security persons on stage were very strict about no phones and always almost pushed us to leave after getting the posters. The seating arrangement of the VIPs were bad too. Two bouncers were in the way of my vantage point my sister picked a bad seat, darn it. And the lucky fans who got to play with Didi on stage were not picked from VIPs as well.

Overall, though I was not fully satisfied with how it went, I honestly did enjoy. Not sure when I would be seeing him again, so its more than enough for me, really. Btw, Didi had a suprise rap while his song played over the coliseum, which was totally not part of the program, the host said. I was also expecting just 1 song from him I also met a nice youngster, my seatmate, and we’re already friends on FB. Also met several people on Viber group, who shared the same fangirling sentiments as mine.

Thank you Bench for bringing Didi to us! I hope its better next time Fangirl dream unlocked! Until your next fanmeet Didi! Or see you again somewhere in China 🥰

OMG, is this the best year yet for fangirling or what?! Lee Seung Gi, yes, THE Seunggi that I followed in Korea and Singapore, whom I loved dearly 9 years ago, is finally coming to Manila! The prayers of PH Airens were finally heard!

He has gotten extra popular ever since Hwayugi, and this fanmeet of his is promo for his new drama, Vagabond. I still follow his projects, liked all his posts on IG, albeit times have changed. Newer and younger actors/ idols come along. Though not as crazy as I was before, I’m still a fan. I will always be proud of him, and what he has achieved throughout his career. Am I coming? THE HELL YES!!! Seunggiya, this noona is coming for you!!

*Thank you to everyone who made this possible!

Its finally happening!!! #screeaaaaaamm

VIP seat, no less! I’m gonna be seeing you Didi! ❤️

Why are they so addicting? I am now on my 3rd drama, and even though they go up to 60 episodes I stay up late to watch them. The details, storylines and cinematographies are out of this world, the actors are mostly good too. In Kdramas I cannot even go past 20 eps. I hate to say I’m starting to appreciate a little more of China.. 😆

Bench/ has announced that Dylan Wang is their newest foreign ambassador back in December. It was no-brainer that Bench/ will get him, following the other Dao Ming Sis before him that the local brand also brought here, Jerry Yan of Taiwan and Lee Min Ho of Korea.

Wise move, Bench! I’ve been hoarding your products since then – the shirts, pants and sweaters I wear now are mostly Bench/, believe it or not. Even my soaps are from your organic line. This marketing is truly effective for a fangirl like me! And while we’re at it, let me say that Bench/ hunting with Didi on it has since been a favorite past time of mine. 🤩🤩🤩

No guilt, only pleasure as I pose with my favorite boy 😍

… boy, a thousand feelings! 😍

Haven’t fangirled for a while, until Dylan Wang! What a handsome young boy ❤️

Check out Didi’s song and music video which I love so much ❤️

credit: Sharpay Evans

Nostalgia washed over me as I look at Seunggi’s enlistment photos. Where have all the days gone? Is it that time already? 

Can’t help feeling proud that Seunggi has maintained a clean, good boy image through the years. I have picked the best guy to idolize. I may not be an active fan like I used to, but I’m proud of him just the same.

See you after 2 years Seunggi-yah. Make me – and all the Airens – more proud when you get back. ❤️

I know I have expressed my love for BSB several times in this blog, and waaay more in the past, and going to one of their concerts is an ultimate goal of a fangirl like me. I may not be as diehard as I was in highschool, or I may not have their latest album, or I may not even afford their meet & greet, BSB will always hold a special place in my heart and memory that nothing and no one can ever take away. 

Soo, drama aside, the only thing that stressed me out in this concert is the will call process. As excited as I was to be able to grab good seats, I purchased the vip tickets on their website during presale. It was stated there that I will be charged but the tickets will be picked up at the event box office. I was to receive an email on how to claim the tickets 4 days before the concert. 2 days before the event I still haven’t got any email, and I only got a reply when I emailed them one day before, a generic reply with no specific place to claim the tickets. I was desperate because I was charged $353 for 2 tickets already. Anyways, good thing I updated myself with the PH fanclub so I was able to get info that there’s a window in the Arena ticket sales that were for will calls. It was my first time to experience the will call setup, since its not common in PH.  Turned out that those who received emails 4 days before the concert were the upgrades, meaning they have meet & greet / soundcheck. The platinum upgrade is $599 where fans go up the stage, excluding the concert ticket itself. It was amazing how fans would go lengths to be closer to their idols.

  
Well, I still got premium seats, 4 rows from the stage. Maybe I was too close, that my neck ache from looking up the whole time. But who am I to complain, of course. It was not every year that I get to see these boys, still outdoing themselves with their performances. They sang most of their hits from the past, and maybe 4 songs from their new album that I regret that I haven’t listen to yet. It was not yet in Spotify. 

In 2012 NKOTBSB concert, they were just 4. Now Kevin has rejoined once more. They were getting old, lines show from their faces, their moves lessen a bit (except Nick who was crazy as always), and their voices more mature and different like Brian’s (who I think wasn’t too well). But whatever it was, it never mattered. They were the best boyband to ever grace this generation, they are brothers and family, and they make good music from 20 years to who knows how long, for us to enjoy and make witness for the years to come. Its like paying homage to a legacy today. ®

It was all over the news yesterday, that Backstreet Boys will be having another concert in Manila on May 5, 2015!
I was fortunate enough to see them the last time they were here, in 2012. I bought the tickets in Metrodeal that time (and blogged about it too). It was an amazing concert, and now I’m totally excited for their return, that I signed up for a fanclub membership for $20 😁. The members have the privilege of buying VIPs on presale, meaning I have an edge over the non-fanclub of course hahaha! I will splurge this time (no more Metrodeals this time), and for sure this is going to be awesome! ☺️