A Week Like No Other – Day 6

To Gem – We Shall Miss You Award.  To Tita Ditas – I Will Find Ways Award.  To Ate Naree – Ultimate Ate of the Week Award.  To Feeshda – Keep it Cool Guys Award.  To Louise – Lost in Love Award.  To Che – Voiceless Cheers Award.  To Karissa – Lovin the Dual Personality Award.  To Irish – Dalagang Pilipina turned Hot Momma Award.  To Shine – Who’s Gonna Pick us at the Airport Award.  To Vince – I Will, Shine, Award.  To kat – Jeff’s Cebu Girl Award.  To Kia – Mahal Kita Shrug Award.  To Uriel – Where’s the pillow, who’s the pillow Award.  To Ayra – The Lucky One Award.  To Krizzia and Kim – We’re Lucky Too Award.  TO Ate Maecy – David Does Wonders to my Camera Award.  To Joe – Always by Pet’s Side Award.  To Shen – I love my Royal Parents nbut where is Ian Award.  To Marian – I Need toEat Award.  To Faye – Sobbing on my Pillows Award.  To Petery – Where Should David Sign Award.  (Okay, the awards are nonsense)  To the Yellow Mangoes Club. To my new found friends. To everyone I met.  To the people I have yet to meet!  To the readers who have been patient enough to deal with my story.  To the people who never got the chance to watch the concert or see David in person.

And of course.  To these three people, these special awards go to you.  Take note, this is based on my personal opinion… “You Deserve to Meet David” Award and “David Needs to Meet You guys” Award most definitely go to…

PET.  NETTE.  KRICKET.

The last installment of A Week Like No Other is dedicated to all of you, my beloved friends.  Let us all look back at the memories and remember the day when it ended…  *Here comes the cheesy part!!!*

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5 and 17 have been my favorite numbers.  I don’t know why.  At one point, 3 years ago. I have always looked forward to anything related to 5 and 17.  I would always include them whenever I’d make a list of numbers for the Super Lotto or whenever I would pick a card for Bingo.  LOL.  For three years, I have looked forward to 5/17.  Who would have thought that the lucky number 9 would make my favorite numbers really significant for me.  And so came the 17^th of the 5^th of the year 09.

17 May 09

I woke up at 6AM feeling really really odd.  I guess I was used to the idea that the day would start and I would be going to a something that was David-related.  I lived 5 consecutive days of my life with knowing that he was around, so yeah, I guess I got too attached to the idea that if I knew where he was, I could just go and wait for the chance when he would walk right in front of me.  My goal was pretty much simple, I wasn’t dreaming of getting to spend some 5 minutes with him.  I just wanted to see him up close and be able to say a word before he left.  But his video blog the previous night really broke my heart.  Not only did he say he was leaving “now”, but he also looked really down.  The hardest thing for me at that point, was not being sure about anything.  So to avoid being hurt, I chose to believe that he had already left for California after the concert, and in the US he would live his life the way he had used to live it.  Aaaahhh I can still feel the pains of that morning!

I went downstairs and my dad was already up.  He was stirring a cup of coffee and when he saw me, there was something in his eyes.  Please take note that my parents didn’t approve of me being such a huge fan.  They didn’t allow me to watch the concert until the day before – when they found out that I already had a ticket.  Even after the concert, when I had gone home at around 3 in the morning, they were really frustrated and mad at me.  They said I was overdoing whatever it was that I was doing.  Honestly I didn’t feel anything at all when they were talking to me because I was crestfallen that night.  Going back, my dad had this look on his face when he saw me going downstairs from my room.  Probably I was wearing a very numb face, or perhaps I looked like a disaster in the morning, or I was probably wearing my oversized short the wrong way, but he looked at me with understanding written on his face.  And at that point, tears began to roll. Never did I imagine that I would cry about something that simple in front of my dad!  And he gave me a warm hug as I said (or tried to say), “Pa, he left already.  He’s gone and he looked so sad.  I didn’t even get the chance to say thanks…” *so cheesy bu this is true*  I felt so weak as he hugged me.  That was my first fatherly hug I got that day.

We usually spend Sundays together, because the family never gets to spend any time at all the entire week.  But during that day, I am not very sure what had transpired but I suddenly found myself walking back to EDSA Shangrila Hotel (I live a block away from the hotel, btw, and I was only supposed to pay my hotel charges that’s why I was going back).  I could hardly remember if I talked to anyone or if I understood messages being sent to me.  And when I arrived at the hotel, I had this weird question that I would usually ask anyone who probably knew more than me.  Karissa and Irish were in the lobby near the buffet hall, and I asked, “Where is he?”  Karissa answered smoothly, “He’s there”, pointing at the buffet hall.  And I had to blink a few times before it finally sank.  He was still there.  More importantly, he was some 15 to 20 feet away from where I was standing.  I fought the urge to storm into the buffet hall to grab him.  He was having lunch and I wanted him to enjoy his time off the press and the crowdddd, even during his meal time.  It took me a lot of will power to be able to do that.

Minutes later, we also decided to go to the buffet hall.  And luck of all the lucks, we got the table that was nearest to his.  A glass wall separated us… But the moment we sat on that table, those Filipino bouncers blocked our view and pulled the walls around him.  Heck.  Up to that moment, the only thing possible was to KNOW that he was 10 feet away from us.  But it was actually okay.  I had given him 4 letters and some gifts.  I’m sure he would get to read at least one of them, or use at least one of my gifts.  The thought of him being able to open my gift was indeed okay.  But what really made me feel better was when I got a glimpse of him and he was looking so happy.

And so we just waited outside.  While he was having lunch, an unfortunate incident occurred.  On of us in the group, Kia, suddenly had seizures.  Everyone was panicking, but they told me, Karissa, Irish and Petery to stay where we were because we had the best spot in the hall.  It was a good thing that one of the Angels, Ate Naree, is a doctor, while the other two are nurses, Kat and Shine.  In the end, she had to be brought to the clinic.

While waiting, we also decided to have lunch ourselves.  All we got were some sweets since we needed sugar, badly needed sugar.LOL.  May I just share as well that their banana split was really really good? Amd it was actually very cheap for something that delectably awesome!!!

At around 1:30, the bouncers started to move.  And that signaled that his lunch was over.  Originally, we had planned to make some pleading gestures when he comes out.  But things happened really fast.  In 3 seconds, he was out of that room and I had to think really fast or I would permanently be rooted deeply to the ground.

I grabbed my gift and my two letters (one was supposed to be given during the concert, and the other one was for his last day) and walked as fast as I could to be able to catch up with him at the exit of the buffet hall.  And when he was 5 feet away from me, I don’t really know how I managed to do it but I said his name (probably louder than I thought) and he looked at me… Before I space out, please read this exchange of simple lines.

Jen: David…

I was rather dazzled as I said his name.  He then looked at me and everything else around me had vanished.

David: Oh, hey.  How are…

Jen: *cutting him off, stupid me!* Hi David!

I smiled like a fool

David: Haha, hi!

He was then 2 feet away from me.  Right in front of me!

Jen: Please take my gift.

David: Oh… *he looked flattered*

One of them bouncers tried to stop me as I was probably moving towards him.

Jen: Please take the letters, please?

David: Yeah, yeah sure!

And he reached out to me… Touched my hand… Kidding!  He reached out to take the gift and the letters. But some bouncers could really ruin the moment for you.  He was reaching out to take those himself when one bouncer took the gift and letters from me!  David looked at the gift and the letters and waved his hand at me.

David: Thanks, thank you so much for this!

Joyce: No. Thank you so much David!

And the bouncers pulled him and escorted him out of the hall.  And at that point, I realized I probably ran so fast because Irish and Petery just walked beside me and I looked at them.  Irish said I looked lost and stunned.

Goodness, that was the CLOSEST thing to a proper meet and greet that I got!  And it was our second moment! Some good 17 seconds of my life.  Who wouldn’t look so shocked and stunned and speechless?  But at that point, I realized I forgot two important things (among so many other things): Record that moment on my camera and give him a hug (as I had always planned to).  And as I think back, I found the reason why I didn’t hug him.  I had so much respect for him and I didn’t want to cross the line.

Though I was rather disappointed with myself for not being able to record that moment, that very short moment was more than enough for me.  I actually felt really blessed because I had those rare experiences that others never got and that I never even thought were possible.  Yeah, I had so much to thank for.

All of us decided to stay in the hotel to wait for him to leave.  We took pictures in the room where he had lunch, and with the utensils that he used (according to the wonderful waiters of Shang)  We were crazy, yeah!  The band members, Jeff and Ray would walk along the corridors so we were pretty much entertained.  I even got an autograph with the rest of the band and Ray, so my CD cover was pretty much complete, except for his signature.  We had some more ice cream (care of Angela and Wincy from HK and Larissa… thanks guys!) as we waited. It was getting late and I noticed that the number of people waiting at the lobby was growing, that by around 5:30PM, there were probably a hundred to a hundred and fifty.

Probably, we shared the same thoughts.  Or maybe not.  But we all waited.  Personally, I wasn’t expecting to get an autograph or a picture with him anymore.  All I wanted was for him to feel how loved he is in the Philippines.  Just that.  So that whatever it was that cvaused him to look so sad in that vlog could be replaced by some happiness for knowing that people in Manila will always love him.

And at around 6:15, Kat and Shine were supposed to leave already coz their flight was at 7:45 or something.  But we were told by Ray to line up as David was gonna sign autographs really really fast. Kia was back and she was on a wheelchair.  She was asked to move at the end of the line so it would be easier for him.  Everybody got so excited and happy to learn this and followed the instructions given by the handlers.  And then, as soon as the band members had gone out, David followed.  The hallway was suddenly filled with a  loud buzz, but everybody behaved properly.  He smiled and signed autographs really fast.  And as the editor of AP, I gave myself a very important task.  I needed to get a shoutout for ArchuletaPhilippines.  As soon as I was next in line, I told him to give a shoutout to Archuletaphilippines.com.  He finished siugning my cd cover before he moved to Kat, glanced at me and said, “I’m sorry?” (or probably it was pardon? I forgot!)  I repeated what I said as he moved to Shine and then he said, “Oh, hi to Archuletaphilipppines.com” And that was it… He moved really fast up to the end of the line.  The whole process probably just took around 5 minutes.

Jeff walked shortly after him and everyone said their thank yous to him. I asked him to sign the CD cover because he was the only one who had not signed yet, but he said, “Oh, you don’t need my autograph.  I am just David’s dad… I’ll just give you a hug.”  And he hugged me, and it felt so nice to receive my second fatherly hug on the same day!  LOL.  Before he and Ray left, I had the chance to tell them to bring David back to the Philippines for a solo concert because the Filipinos love him.  And I got an assurance from Ray.  He will be back.  And D knows that he is loved here.

…

“How do you pick up the threads of an old life?  How do you go on… When in you heart, you begin to understand there is no going back?” – Frodo, The Lord of the Rings and the Return of the King

When he left, I knew it would be difficult to go back to the way things used to be.  For one, I had a whole new notion of belonging in a fan group and being a fan.

Belonging in a fan group is not baduy at all (especially when the fan members are the wittiest, smartest, prettiest and coolest in the crowd). Belonging in a fan group is meeting people, finding friends and having a family.  Being in a fan group requires hard work and patience but all these would never be too difficult to do because you love what you are doing.

Being a fan is loving unconditionally, never expecting anything in return.  Being a fan entails sacrifices and heartaches and disappointments.  Being a fan is being an unsung hero, a martyr, a masochist.  Being a fan is as simple as admiring from afar, listening to news on the radio, working so hard to make things happen on this side of the globe and being happy when everyone else sees the goodness in your idol.

Being a fan is finally being able to tell the world who you are.  That you will no longer hide behind the usernames hp_hg or jen.  Because you really are Joyce, and you are proud of being a Pinoy Arch Angel.

Being a fan is finally being able to realize that our part in the story will have to end.  For six days, we were part of David’s life as much as he was part of ours.  He spent 6 days to entertain fans here in the Philippines.  That is enough to say the he loves the Filipino fans so much.  He could not stay though, and it’s difficult to accept that he’s really not supposed to be here.

But being a fan doesn’t end there.  I did a recap of that week not only because the experiences are worth being shared and not just because I needed an outlet for these emotions left unsaid and unexpressed.  But more because, in doing this, I am sharing my highest hopes.  All these things that I have watched him experience here – could be enough reasons for him to come back.  We look back at all the memories and we find out that the story never really ended because somehow, we had made him happy.  David has been happy here.

And when you are D’s fan, that makes all the difference.

To Archuleta Philippines, I dedicate the rest of the story that is yet to be written!  Let’s get ready for David Archuleta Live In Manila Part 2!  And we will be waiting again.  This time around, we know better!

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