Shilla DFS Grand Opening. TVXQ Fanmeet.

BEHOLD THE GORGEOUSNESS!

 

Yep, I got so close to the boys. And I am still having withdrawal from it. *sniffs*

But being the long-winded bitch I am, I have to start my story from the beginning. For posterity's sake. This is a very precious day in my life ok? Feel free to skip till the end if you just want to see the ridiculously handsome Yunho and Changmin. :p

One day, Joey was shouting out for me on forum. She asked me to go shop at Changi Airport for a chance to meet TVXQ. I did a double take at the message. Meet... MEET? OMFG! You mean TVXQ are going to have a Shilla Fanmeet that Singaporeans are eligible to join?

I was beside myself. And quickly messaged Audrey, Serene and Ruth. Ruth was, at the point of time, attending Tistory at Shanghai with Lily. Response to my announcement on the chat group was lukewarm at first. I found out it was because the others could not believe that TVXQ was going to have a fanmeet. HERE. In sunny Singapore. You see, we'd been waiting for them to come for years and had resigned ourselves to the fate that we would not have the boys step foot in our country before they go for their military service. (Which is soon. Boohoooooo) When they realised that Yunho and Changmin were indeed going to land on our tiny island though, they were super excited!

Us four soon set to work. We gathered details and decided we would all sign up as Changi Rewards Members and meet on the following Tuesday morning to shop and gather receipts to join the draw. At least $30 on one receipt for a chance at the draw. 50 lucky winners would get a pair of tickets to the fanmeet. Each of us put in 5-6 receipts. We took care to spread out our registration of receipts to higher our chances of being picked. Our own logic lah. :p

Tuesday morning, besides shopping, Ruth also told us stuff about the concert, the fandom, and passed us gifts from herself and Lily. Serene got all of us TVXQ waterbottles too. And before that, Audrey had made TVXQ loombands for us. Hehe.

Changi Airport FB page organised a flash contest with 25 pairs of tickets to be won. Sadly, we missed that contest by a mere 35 minutes. And seeing how strong the response was, our hearts sank. Suddenly, our chances of attending the fanmeet looked very bleak. I started to diligently stalk Shilla Sg FB and Changi FB pages because I had a hunch there would be another FB contest. True enough, it happened. Once again, we staggered our responses, hoping at least one of us would win.

After a nerve-wrecking week, it was finally time to find out if any of us won. The FB results came later than expected. I can tell you honestly I could not focus on my work that whole morning, refreshing the FB page like crazy. Around lunch time, Ruth announced that she won the FB contest! OMG! We just needed one more pair! One more!

We thought we had to wait till the next day for the Changi Rewards draw results. But during dinner time, Serene messaged us the good news. She won! Then Audrey followed with more good news. She won too! I was jumping around in joy. So so so so so happy! Now we had 2 extra tickets. It wasn't hard to decide who to invite. Lily and Joey from the forum it was! :)

A WA chat group for us 6 was set up quickly. The days leading up to the fanmeet on the 10th were full of excitement and anticipation. Us sg fans have always complained that we are so unlucky. SM acts kept coming here but not TVXQ. They would go Thailand, go Malaysia but have NEVER held a concert here before. To be very honest, I had a few things on my bucket list: Be at a TVXQ con, be at a TOHOSHINKI con, and be at a TVXQ fanmeet. I never ever thought I could cross that last one off the list. NEVER in my dreams. So now, ahem, we sg fans had better stop complaining.

I for one, am not a person who likes to dress and doll up. But to meet the boys in the flesh! OMG OMG. Let’s just say I had a super crash course on prettifying myself from Audrey and Serene. Serene even accompanied me to go shopping for eyelash curler and mascara. She booked me in for eyebrow trimming too. Haha. Something I would never bother to do myself. Thank you unnies!

9th September

Thanks to Lav, we got to know which flight the boys were arriving in. It was not easy but I managed to find a last minute babysitter so I could go with Serene to the airport. Thankfully, we saw the boys! That made me even more hyped up for the fanmeet the following day!


10th September

Messages from the WA chat group were fast and furious that morning. We got an urgent message from Ruth that we had to queue to enter the barricaded zone. And the earlier we were, the closer to the stage we could stand. OMG, it’s like mosh pit. *faint* By 9+am, we were all there, except for Lily who went to check in to her room at Crowne Plaza Hotel.

Here we are!

  

We also shamelessly took individual pictures with the standee. Once beside each boy. 

   

Finally, Lily came. The first thing she did was to hug us. She is a very dedicated TVXQ fan who has done so much for the boys. More than you can imagine. And I don't mean mindless stuff like stalking the boys. She is a respectful fan dedicated to spreading TVXQ's good name and supporting their activities. In the fandom, she is very well-known. The forum we are all involved in, is started by her. 

She gave us all a WITH charm each. OMG! It's so pretty. I really really love the charm. There's a different colour for each day of the concert tour. She gave us the blue one. <3 I bought SMTOWN Week TVXQ fans for them too. While Joey printed banners and Ruth gave us character figurines.

We also bought food and drinks to share. I was in such nice company. Awww.

One of  the highlights of the day for me was making friends with the Bigeasts beside us. The BEs were soooo cute! We were all noona fans but we squealed louder and laughed more crazily than anybody else in the queue. Attracting quite the attention. Ahem. Joey and Ruth were godsends. They could communicate in Japanese. One of them asked the BEs who their biases were. This lady pointed to herself and her friends and said “Yunho. Changmin. Yunho. Changmin.” And we all started squealing. The Min fans hi-fived one another and screamed CHANGMINNN! Don’t ask me why. Haha.   

Then I pointed out Audrey's and Serene's Yunho bracelets that I reminded them to wear. The BEs started squealing again and gathered around to take pictures of the bracelets. Haha. In short, they squealed over everything and took pictures of anything they could. It was so very fun!

They also talked about Changmin being topless in Heaven's Day, the Shanghai food support that Lily was involved in, the who's who in the fandom etc. One of the Japanese fans also realised she was following Joey on Twitter.You know the fandom is really huge but somehow, everybody kind of know someone whom you know. It's really cool. I've always enjoyed the camaraderie shared between the fans at a TVXQ event, no matter the nationality. Lily and Joey are Malaysians by the way. They flew in for this.

Here's us hogging the standee again. :p

    

 

We took one with our forum banners and attracted the attention of the professional photographer. He took a video of us saying Happy Birthday TVXQ. I don't know if we would ever get to watch that video! 

You realise that the boys were smaller than life-size on the standee. Made our heads look so big and YET they are still taller! UNFAIR!

Finally, we got to register at 12pm. The ladies were very nice to let me and Joey take the front row since we had the cameras. Thank you! You all asked me if I was okay right? Honestly, I wasn’t. I felt like I was going to pass out. Lack of food maybe? And I have low BP. So throughout the one hour wait, I was trying to steady myself.

 

I guess I survived on adrenaline until I got food! The MC tried to ham things up by asking “Do you know which celebrity will be here today?” Fans: “TVXQ!” MC said the boys would be disappointed if our call was so soft, so he asked the question again. And we answered with a deafening “T - V - X - Q!!!!” MC: “Another celebrity will be here today. Do you know her name?”. Fans: *not really bothering to shout* “Angelababy”. And the MC did not bother to make us answer again. Haha. Poor girl.

1pm. Joey was picked to go on stage for the opening ceremony, together with Mr Park, the CEO of Shilla. Oooooh, prestigious. But we all know she much preferred to be picked by the boys. Oh it's a random draw by the way.

 

Then we enjoyed a pretty awesome, I mean VERY awesome show by the South Korean Bboy group - Last For One. I will give credit where credit is due. I know everybody there was waiting for Yunho and Changmin and we did not really want to watch a group of boys breakdance for so darn long. BUT halfway through the performance, I found myself really charmed. They were skillful, charismatic and always smiling! I was very happy to watch them. And I think I will follow them for a while. Been checking them out these days. 

This is my favorite dancer in the group. He was so cheerful throughout. It was such a joy to watch. 

     

Last For One, if I am not wrong, is a world champion Bboy group and I felt privileged to be able to watch them up close. 

Angelababy made her appearance next.

 

She did her lucky draw all 5 at one shot. Quickly took pictures and left. I felt sorry for her so shouted “再见!” as she walked past. She looked at me gratefully and said bye back.

At this point, the excitement in the air was almost unbearable. TVXQ.. TVXQ were going to make their appearance. OMG!

I am thankful for the MC that day. From my experience at SMTOWN SG, I found out our local media doesn’t give TVXQ the respect they deserve. I have always been upset about that. Yesterday though, the MC called the boys Kpop Royalty. Damn right they are!

To welcome the boys, as they walked out on the red carpet, the MC asked “IN CHINESE, THEY ARE?” Fans: “东方神起!” “IN KOREAN, THEY ARE?” “DONG BANG SHIN KIIIIIII!!!” “IN ENGLISH, THEY ARE?” “T – V – X – Q!!!” *screams* 

And I saw them. I SAW THEM! 

 

OH MY FREAKING GAWD! What is this perfection walking towards me? Polka dots suits are like the MOST GORGEOUS suits ever. Actually, I didn't register much. I only knew I was struggling to process how utterly dazzling they were. Their aura hit me like a big wave and I was fighting to compose myself. 

 

When I set my eyes on them I.. I… was speechless. I swear they are the most gorgeous people ever to walk this earth. How privileged was I to set my eyes on them like this. WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS? 

They were impeccable. Dashing. Ridiculously handsome. It’s just not possible! It’s not real. And omg Yunho’s glare. Yes I was taken aback by his fierce look but it was so seductive at the same time. Somebody save me. *mental breakdown*

As they reached the stage, they were right in front of me. Barely 2 metres away. No obstructions.(except that annoying rails!) Oh my freaking gawd. I want to imprint that moment right in my head. Again I bemoan the fact that I don’t have a hard disk implanted in my brain. What if I forget these moments?

You know that flipping thing in your head. Like for every second, you need an extra couple of seconds to process. So there is this tripping effect in your brain? That happened to me again. Only TVXQ can do that to me.

OMFG their voices when they introduced themselves. *swoons*

 

I know I spent most of the time staring at them with a silly grin on my face. An occasional picture or two and I’d be back to gawking. They looked perfect in every sense of the word. They also looked tensed. Yunho especially looked a bit uptight. I don’t want to speculate why. But he was especially charming that day. Let me tell you, I caught one look of his face that day and I got electrified. (Sorry Min. ) His hair was so freaking gorgeous and those sexy sideburns! *screams internally* His face was omg omg. (sorry ran out of adjectives)  I guess I just totally dig guys with that intense focused look and Yunho had just that that day. 

He had that look that could totally sweep me off my feet. Actually, yeah he did make my legs go weak. And you should seen the way he strutted when he made his entrance. Super manly! I seldom spazz about Yunho one ok. He should dress like that more!

Changmin, on the other hand, was superbly adorable, scanning through the whole crowd. Eyes darting here and there, breaking into grins ever so often. SO CUTE! Seriously, his face, his bambi eyes... I have never seen a more handsome face then that. Ok I screamed his name. Twice. Maybe thrice… 4 times. Who is counting?

 

They picked 5 lucky winners too, but one at a time. Guess who got picked? LILY! 

After the 3rd number was read out, I suddenly heard a piercing scream from behind me (sorry Lily. Haha) and I turned and saw it was her! OMG! We all cheered with all our might. The boys looked over to our side and Changmin started chuckling when he saw who it was. Yunho, suddenly loosened up and looked shy. That expressions on their faces I would NEVER forget. They remember Lily for sure. For sure!

You see, Lily had been face to face with them a few times before. She is definitely not one of those trouble-making stalker fans. Our boys do make it a point to remember their fans' faces. I would bet they even knew her name and where she was from. Anyway, they definitely looked happy and more relaxed to see Lily. If I wasn't there, I would say this is all delulu bullshit, but I was there. I was slightly surprised to see the boys' reactions too. Go look for fancams if you don't believe me.

I snapped this as Lily was making her way up the stage. Look at their warm smiles! Awww.

 

Yunho looked so sincere right? Awww Lily, you must be so so so touched. 

 

She was great. She totally deserved it. She bowed low many times, and wished each boy happy birthday. Yunho gave a V sign while taking pictures. Nobody else had that. Just her. <3

2 more balls to be picked. 

     

Time passed too fast. They said their goodbyes and walked down the stage. As they made their exit, all of us 500+ fans snag a birthday song for them. I was really moved. 

 

The media said it should probably be meant for Changmin since his birthday is coming, on the 18th. But we sang it for both of them. Yunho's birthday was on the 6th!

They didn’t turn back so I wasn’t sure if they heard. So when the MC walked in front of me to leave, I quickly stopped him and said “Would you please tell them we sang a birthday song for them?” He said he would. I hope he really did and that our wishes reached the boys.

We gathered with the BEs again who came to congratulate Lav and squeal and take more pictures. Haha. We took group photos, some of them exchanged contacts and we agreed to meet one another in Osaka for the WITH con.

 

One of the Changmin biased BE said she could not make it for Osaka and she looked so woeful I felt sad for her. Isn't it just wonderful to make friends in the fandom? Friends whom, regardless of communication barrier, could just click immediately with you. Hope we really get to see them in Osaka.

Then, the 6 of us adjourned to Lily's room to spazz.

 

She bought us lunch and then we spazzed and chatted some more in the room. We also unwrapped out gifts. I got Serene to exchange her Changmin's dollarbook with me Yunho's one. :p

     

Finally, it was time for me to go back to being a wife and a mum to two kids. I was missing Yunho and Changmin so much on my way back already. :(

Honestly, I would be lying if I say I didn't feel a tinge a of disappointment at not being picked by the boys, and at the boys' appearance being so short. But looking back at the fun I had and the heartwarming scene of Lily making the boys' tension melt away, I felt really grateful. 

To be close to the boys, has always given me mixed feelings. Of course the exhilaration will be there but the meeting will never fail to remind me how utterly unreachable they are. Yes, you are finally close physically but they will never know you. You will never be part of their lives. *sobs*

To be a fan like Lily, the sacrifices are way too big. I simply cannot afford it. Anyway, I have always been very level-headed so this fangirl-ing business actually irks me big time because I don't want to miss them so much! Sighhhh. But I miss them. I really do.

Anyway, I'll stop moping and get on with my life. Haha. Hope you haven't dozed off with my super long fanacc! :)