Hi, I'm Aqueh... and I'm an Addict

(Addicted to Rain, that is... Kekeke)

I was reading through entries in my prayer journal of a year ago and I had a very pleasant realization: WOW, I'VE BEEN HAPPY FOR A YEAR NOW! And as weird as it may seem to most, my euphoric state is basically because of this one Korean fellow named Rain.

Why? How? Let me count the ways...

1. He's an angel sent from above... My Sexy Angel Bi...
Feeling depressed at the start of the year and on my birthday in 2007, I was crying in church with an earnest prayer: "Lord, please send me an angel to turn my life around and get me out of this depression." A week after, an officemate lent me her CD of Rain. And lo and behold, there's my "angel" on the CD cover. My answered prayer...


It was my first time to hear him but I fell inlove with his music instantly. Another week after, the same officemate lent me her "Full House" DVD. I finished the 8-disc, 16 episode series in just 3 days. I just love everthing about the series. It made me happy. That, I would say, started my "Rain Addiction". I was hooked. So, the following week I watched his two other series, "Sang Doo" and "A Love to Kill". And from then, there was no turning back...

2. He keeps me smiling from morning till night...

I eat, drink, and breath this guy... Haha... I am so fascinated with him that just one look at his smile makes me smile...

And his beat and his moves keep my endorphines up... His music is perpetually playing in my ears (literally and figuratively)... My ipod is so full of his music (and any other music that has a connection to him). And now with my new ipod video, even his concerts, performances, series, and videos follow me everywhere. I think I'm the only person who actually enjoys the long commute and the endless traffic in the Philippines. Because two hours stuck in traffic is two more hours for me of Rain-listening and viewing. Hehe... Hey, just this morning, 30 minutes in the FX terminal line, I was the only one singing and dancing...

3. He's my "angel" who has brought me so many "angels" this past year...

Because of Rain, I've met so many new friends this past year, not only from the Philippines but from all over Asia and even the U.S. Rain connected us all. But getting to know them more, I've learned that we share a common passion not only for the artist himself but for life in general. (I don't know... It may be Rain's influence on us because that's how he is, living and doing things with so much passion.)

My "angels" have been keeping me smiling as well. From a simple e-mail to say hi or to share updates, to an invite to meet up and bond, to friends "Rain-hunting" for me from Korea to China to Japan, to receiving packages on the mail from all over of Rain items (DVDs, posters, calendars, magazines, etc.)... Thank you to ALL MY ANGELS... You know who you are...

The other day, I emailed my friend Amy in Malaysia that I am celebrating my First Year Anniversary with Rain... Yes, it is indeed worth celebrating for me to have known this guy... Very few people I know could say that they are truly happy in their lives... Maybe I should advice them to pray for an "angel"... And pray for a sexy one while they're at it...

Fuma Cakes, Anyone?

So, what is so special about these cakes to warrant a space in my blog, you might ask?

Aside from the obvious, you mean? Of me wanting these because Rain is the endorser of this particular brand of cake from China and naturally his face is plastered all over the packaging? (Hey, I'm not an obsessed fan for nothing... keke...)
These cakes are doubly special to me because of how I got them, from where and from who...
These were given to me by two of my favorite bosses in Kao Corp., Hoshikawa-san and Tito Benny... They both know how addicted I am to Rain so it's no surprise to them when my "pasalubong list" from Shanghai had only one item... Fuma Cake. Actually, I only wanted a sample just so I could see and taste the real thing. I never imagined they'd have so much trouble and bring this much back to the Philippines...
After Rain's recent concert in Shanghai, the cakes have practically sold-out. So, Hoshi-san and Tito Benny had to look all over the city for almost half a day for them... They even called to say that they can't find the cakes but that they are doing their best. They added jokingly that they have stopped working and that they have mobilized the entire Kao Shanghai group and the city police to look for my cakes... Hehe... When they finally found a store that sells them, Hoshi-san had to sweet-talk a saleslady to give them a big bag (with Rain's picture on it) for me as an added souvenir... And I can just imagine how Tito Benny had to hand-carry this bag all the way from Shanghai to Hong Kong to Manila...
Aahhh, I was so touched... Now more than the cakes, I appreciate their efforts. Wouldn't you be touched if your bosses would go to all that trouble just to feed your "addiction" and put a smile on your face?

Thanks so much, Tito Benny and Hoshi-san... You're the best! Want some cakes?

Inked for BI

Just want to share this with you... My new tattoo... of BI... hahaha...

Yup, got this one just three weeks ago... And it's real... unlike Rain's tattoos in the CK ads... Haha... Although it's really those CK ads that inspired me to get a new tattoo...

Anyway, it's an ankle tattoo of Bi's name in Korean Hangeul character. Rain has had such a big positive impact in my life and I just want to celebrate him. But, of course, I didn't want to have his face tattooed on my skin. That would have been too extreme. Even his english name, Rain, would be extreme for me. (How would I explain that to my future husband? Keke... Unless I marry Rain himself... Ooh, I just wish... Hahaha) At least the Korean character Bi is more subtle and simpler. Besides I've always find that cool ever since I saw it on the cover of his 1st album.

And if a non-Rain fan would ask, it'll be easier for me to explain. That it means "rain" and it just balances the tattoo I already have on my lower back (2 years ago) of the sun. I love the sun so much because it reminds me of how universal God's love is. The sun shines on EVERYONE - saint or sinner, rich or poor, etc... But now with Rain in my life, I'm all the more reminded that God loves me even if the sun doesn't shine. Rain has been such a blessing to me... Now, rain or shine, I'm happy... (Or I'm actually just trying hard to have a "profound explanation" to this craziness... Hahaha...)

I also had cherry blossoms design around my ankle. I researched it and I learned that cherry blossom symbolizes "spiritual beauty". I'd like to believe that I may not be knock-out-beauty-queen material but deep inside, spiritually, I am beautiful. (Don't I just love myself? Hahaha...)

Who needs Ecstasy when you have Full House?

What is Ecstasy? MDMA or Ecstasy (3-4-methylenedioxymethampheta-mine), is a synthetic drug with amphetamine-like and hallucinogenic properties. It is classified as a stimulant. Users report that Ecstasy produces intensely pleasurable effects – including an enhanced sense of self-confidence and energy. Effects include feelings of peacefulness, happiness, acceptance and empathy...
What is Full House? One of the most popular TV miniseries released in Korea was Full House, based on a popular comic book series. This fun miniseries shows us the difficulties that occur while living together, as well as the funny side of life. From the onset, Full House has been praised for its fresh and saucy take on the love.

So, why am I writing about Ecstasy and Full House in the same post? Because the series, Full House, has the same effect on me as (I would suppose, based on the description above) ecstasy would have on a user.

I've never really been a fan of Koreanovelas (nor of any telenovelas from any country, for that matter). I've always been your CSI-24-Prison Break-CNN type of televiewer. Well, that is, until one of my friends in the office, Tita Nonie (the ultimate Koreanovela Queen and the original Bi-fan), introduced me to Full House.

I was feeling depressed that time and was looking for something (anything) to give my spirits a much-needed boost. So God, in his infinite wisdom, sent me Tita Nonie with her bootlegged, boxed DVD set of Full House (rather than introducing me to some drug pusher with his multi-colored ecstasy pills, perhaps). God is good!

So, that's how it all started for me. It's been 8 months since and I am totally hooked. Call me an addict if you must. I won't care. It's the truth anyway... Keke...

I've seen Full House for the nth time that I've lost count. I watch it almost everyday. As soon as I would finish the last disc, I'd start all over with disc one. I've memorized every scene and dialogue that I can now even watch it in Korean... with out English sub. Oh, and I got myself the original, director's cut, DVD boxed set too... all the way from Korea for a whoping 5K. That is, on top of my 3 other pirated sets. (You can never get enough back-ups...)

I've also totally fallen in love with the cast, especially the 2 main

characters... and especially with Bi or Rain or Jeong Ji Hoon. Full House is also what got me started in my other addiction... my Bi-addiction. I am now a full-pledged, hard-core, high-leveled Rain fanatic... and proud of it! Haha!

But funny and weird as it may seem to others, for me, having found Full House and Rain is perhaps one of the biggest blessings in my life. It is an answered prayer. (It was another friend, Joyce from London, who told me that is how personal and intimate God answers our prayers. He knows us and our eccentricities so he uses the most extra ordinary circumstances and most outrageous people to answer our prayers. I guess, God knows how weird I really can get sometimes. Kekeke...)

Eight months ago, it seems like nothing's going well in my life - there's nothing to hope for or look forward too. (Clinical depression can make you feel that... But then, that's another long story...) And now, I'm totally happy!!! My life's been pretty interesting and exciting these past few months. I am so full of positive energies. I practically have a perpetual smile on my face. I feel so inspired and hopeful.

I'm living my life with as much joy and passion as I can muster. I'm loving the people in my life as much as I can. I'm doing my best to make my God proud. That he won't regret answering my prayers back in January... with a Koreanovela Queen, an 8-disc/16-episodes-long Korean series, and a Sexy Angel by the name of Bi.

So, who needs ecstasy?

My Bangkok Experience 2: THE Day (June 2, 2007)

Even with just barely 3 hours of sleep, I woke up early the following morning. (Must be from too much excitement.) It's THE DAY... the day of the concert!

Since I slept in Serene's hotel room the night before, I had to rush back to my own hotel to get changed. Without even brushing my teeth, I took a cab to the Bangkok Palace, had a quick shower, went down for breakfast. And off I went again back to Serne's hotel.

We agreed the night before to meet at the Pathuman Princess with Karen and Grace and the 2 girls from Hong Kong so that we can go together to the Impact Arena for the concert. After making arrangements for our ride, we went to the Siam Paragon Center to see the Rain Exhibit there. Although, there was nothing really "extraordinary" in the exhibit, it became a "must see" for the true-blue Bi-ers in Bangkok, especially for us who went all the way from our own countries just to see the concert.

Before noon time, Serene and I decided to go ahead of the rest of the group to the Impact Arena since her ticket's in Standing B and she had to line up early to get a good spot for the concert. Even hours before showtime, there were already a lot of fans at the venue, either lining up or just going around through the different booths set up by the various sponsors, including the booth selling official RWT merchandises. (I spent like ThB3,500 for my Rain souvenirs. Aiishh!) The atmosphere outside the actual concert venue is already exciting and fun enough.

While waiting in line, I finally met a Filipina Rain fan. I got so excited when I spoted this lady in blue shirt holding a Philippine flaglette. Tita Vergie turned out to be a member of Cloud-Philippines, the official Rain fan club in the Philippines. She introduced me to the rest of the members (there were like 13 of them) who also travelled to Bangkok just for the concert. It was really very exciting to finally meet my "kababayans" at the Impact Arena, especially that I haven't met any Filipino fan in Bangkok until then.

At around 7 pm, they started letting people inside the venue. It was so exciting for me just being there. I've been watching the DVD of Rain's World Tour Premiere (in Seoul, October 2006) almost EVERYDAY since February (It's actually my "national athem" as I watch it every morning while getting ready for work)... And I was thinking, "Now I am about to see the show and Rain LIVE!"

Since I've always been a music lover, I've already seen a lot of concerts and live shows in my life. But I have to say, in all honesty and without bias, this concert has got to be THE BEST I've seen so far.

The whole production is so world-class - at par or even better than that of international stars. The stage set up is probably the best I've seen in a concert - with all the large LCD screens and all fireworks and special effects. The look, feel and concept of the stage changes from song to song. It's the kind of stage that you'll enjoy best watching from afar because you just have to see the whole stage with everything on it and not only the singer (Rain's always on the big screen on both sides of the stage anyway). There are even songs when the stage will be so busy - different images on each LCD screen, fireworks, lights and lasers, dancers everywhere, and Rain of course - that you really would be torn on where to focus your attention on. The visuals are so spectacular!

And Rain... Well, what can I say? He's just simply amazing! I guess, you'll never fully appreciate the talent of an artist unless you see him perform live. Rain doesn't disappoint. There are not too many artists around who can sing and dance. And Rain does both soooo well. Gosh, makes me proud to be a fan!

But I would say, much of the entertainment value of this concert comes from the fact that the singer dances so well. Just look at these moves...

My favorite parts of the show would be...

"Bad Guy"... Which was given a new take and sound by making it a tango version. I just love the way they danced here... such grace... especially for guys whose specialty is funk and street dance...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uSusvtKac0

The staples of every Rain fan... "In My Bed" and "Nan (I)"... because these two performances showcases Bi's sensuality the best... and not to mention those sexy, killer abs... keke...

Favorite moves of the night... (1) the pumping move in "In My Bed"... with matching close-up shot of his crotch... haha!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4K-CKm1h3g

And (2) the playful pulling down of his pants (way too low) while singing "Nan"... Whoooh... steaming hot!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0bOsnB9U78

"Harudo (Not A Single Day)"... After all the dance showcases (this is the 3rd to the last song of the night), I love that he just stood in the middle of the stage, with just the microphone, no elaborate visuals (except the disco ball on the LCD screen), with hardly any movement at all, and just sang my favorite of all of Bi's songs...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxMJnN1Bv7I

After two hours and 21 songs (which every song, I may add, was like watching an elaborate production number in an award show or something) , it's time to say goodnight with the encore, "Instead of Goodbye"...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HxmYoLG9vc

As I've said earlier, this concert is THE BEST I've seen in my life. The two hours show was definitely worth the ThB2500 I paid for the ticket. Hell, it was well worth my whole trip to Bangkok!!! I am so glad that I came. It truly was a big blessing...

My Bangkok Experience: The First Day (June 1, 2007)

It's been one month exactly today since my first Rain concert in Bangkok, Thailand. And to mark the first month anniversary of my Bangkok experience, I'm re-living the whole thing here. I have told the stories over and over to anyone who would care to listen but I really haven't planted it down on my memory lane...

Bangkok had already been part of my "trip list" since last year, but I've never really seriously planned it. That is, until I read of Rain's World Tour schedule there in a blog site of a Rain-fan friend, Charlie, just two weeks before the actual show dates. Right there and then I made the decision to go and immediately started working on my bookings. I was so excited and passionate about it. I've been watching Rain's World Tour Premiere Concert (the showcase in Korea in October 2006) every morning for the last four months (not to mention watching "Full House" every night and feeding my Rain-addiction with diligent visits to Rain sites on the net everyday). This was my chance to see the real thing, live, in person. I just had to go. There was no stopping me...

I was travelling alone, on my first time in Bangkok and I knew no one in the city at all. But that's just the start of the whole "adventure".

I left Manila on a Cebu Pacific late evening flight on May 31, Thursday. I arrived in Bangkok at 1:00 AM of June 1. By that time, I already made a few Filipino friends from the departure waiting area and even bonded with my plane seatmate, Tita Tessa Jalandoni. I already knew people in Bangkok. They gave me their numbers because they were concerned about me travelling alone in a new place. (Seemingly, they all thought I was so much younger than my actual age. Kekeke... ) From the airport, we were shuttled to our hotel, the Bangkok Palace. I was able to get a few hours sleep, woke up, got breakfast and off to a half-day city tour I went with five other Filipinas I also met from the flight to Bangkok.

After the half day city and temple tour (which was probably my only "cultural and educational experience" in this trip... Kekeke), our group went for lunch at the MBK Center (a huge mall in downtown Bangkok) and then went our separate ways.

That's when I met my first foreign friend in Bangkok, Serene. I was buying Tita Nonie (the officemate who introduced me to Rain and is responsible for my addiction now... Haha) a DVD of "I'm A Cyborg, But That's OK' (Rain's first movie) and when I reached the counter, this lady was buying the exact same thing. As it turned out, Serene, a Singaporean, was also in town, also alone, just for the concert. We hit it off easily.


After a quick stop at a Buddhist temple, Serene and I decided to spend the rest of the afternoon at the Pathuman Princess (the hotel where Rain was staying). I never planned or even thought of doing that. But since I was alone and had no definite plans or schedule in Bangkok, I figured, what the heck. So there we were at the hotel lobby with a whole bunch of other people (mostly from other Asian countries) we just met, acting like real, true-blue, die-hard fans, just waiting for Rain to show up. (So that's how it feels to be a "stalker"? Haha...) But you can really feel the excitement and enthusiasm and joy in the air. It's like we're in an international convention. Everyone was so friendly (and very hyper at that) even if communication can sometimes be difficult (not everyone speaks English). I guess it's because we share a common passion, and should I say, "craziness" for Rain.

Oh, another interesting thing that happened at the PP... I got interviewed (together with Serene) on Thai local TV. This pretty girl (the reporter) approached us and asked if she can interview us for a late night English news. Of course we said "yes" and without much ado, the impromptu interview began right there at the lobby. We were asked our names, where we're from, how we met. The interviewer was quite surprised to know that Serene and I just met a few hours before, that she commented, "So, Rain brought the two of you together?" She also asked why we like Rain so much and I answered that it's not just his good looks or the sexy body, or even his music, it's the whole package, especially his inspiring character and values. (That may sound like a "practised answer" but it's not... Keke) But the best question: "If you were to come face to face with Rain, what is that one question you would ask him?" To which I gave my best answer in the entire interview, "Will you marry me?" Haha. Of course I didn't mean it. I was just trying to be witty. But looking back now, I can't believe I "proposed" to Rain on Thai TV. Talk about an interesting experience. Hahaha...

At around 6 PM, the lobby started buzzing. Rain is about to come down to join his dancers for rehearsals at the concert venue. We all juggled for the best positions near the escalators. I went up to the mezzanine because I knew Rain would be passing there too and it won't be as crowded up there. Again, I never really planned nor even thought of doing this - acting like some crazed fan. But then again what the heck! I was already there and the experience was something new but totally exciting and interesting for me. All the fans waiting and the guards roaming around were adding up to the anticipation. After another half an hour later, people from one side of the mezzanine started screaming. Rain's there, on his way down, about to pass us (we were all cordoned on one side, by the way). I already saw him from afar. It was my first time to see him in person and I was mesmerized for a while. He had a certain aura about him that really commands attention. Or was it just his height or his built or even his good skin? Whatever it is, it sort of stopped me on dead track for a few seconds as he passed by that I forgot I was supposed to take a picture. By the time I clicked my cam, this bodyguard already blocked my shot. So, this is all I got of him - half the face (good thing I got that recognizable cap and sweet smile) and his hands. Well, at least I can now say I saw Rain up close... (One more check on my to-do-list before dying! Haha...)

Oh, but I at least got pictures with his dancers. That's the closest I could get to Rain himself. Keke.

After that, we met a few more people at the hotel's lobby from Rain-Thailand and two more Singapore nationals (who are now my friends, Karen and Grace). Rain-Thailand invited us to dinner at the Siam Center. And they helped us shop for noodles and yogurt drinks. Yup, you read that right. Well, only Rain-crazy fans like us would buy Mama cup noodles and Dutch Mill drinks (by the dozens, mind you, and in all sizes, flavors, and designs) just because Rain's pictures are on them. After getting back to the hotel, we had a "drinking session" of Dutch Mill in Grace and Karen's room, while talking about our main man of course. It was crazy but so much fun.

At around 11 PM, Serene and I said goodbye with the hope of getting back to our hotel (Serene invited me to sleep over with her at the Novotel which was nearer to PP) in time to catch the late night news and our interview. But as soon as we got down to the mezzanine level, we saw that fans were again gathered around (some were already in their PJs), waiting for Rain. Apparently, he and his dancers are on their way back from rehearsals. But alas, we only got to see the dancers as Rain took a different route to his hotel room. We met a few more fans at the lobby though. By the time we got to Novotel, it was already past 1 AM of June 2.

That ended my first day in Bangkok... And what a first day it was...