A very late post but better late than never. :)
The picture from the upper left corner is a complete list of the tours that they've had since year 1. The gaps implied that it was printed separately and manually. And you just have to combine it all as if doing a jigsaw puzzle. A+ for effort again. I've always loved to see the reactions of the people that are not fans but witnessed the event, just like those two kuyas at the lower right corner. While they were setting up the screen one was looking around at the crowd and the other one was watching the guys who were the reason of that gathering. They always give me the "ano-bang-meron-dito-sa-mga-to?" reaction and I love how they're all puzzled about it. :))
Everything that we saw around the gallery was from the fans itself who were kind enough to lend their most precious collections. I wasn't a DB5K fan ever since they've debuted so I only know things from where I became a fan. There in the gallery I saw posters that were out of print already. You know it's old because you'd see scratches on the sides of the poster. It's precious because some of it were signed by the members and most of it came from their tours and concerts.
And because those were things from fans, it was the organizer's job to take care of it no matter what. They placed notices such as "display only, do not touch", "handle with care" but my most favorite was the warning written for the DB5K balloon. It was frightening yet sweet and I find it amusing. To the owner of the balloon, I hope it was returned safe to you. :)
So after the kuyas have set up the screen, they played a concert through it and as soon as it started the people gathered in front of the screen and watched. They didn't care about anything anymore. :p Even some of the cores went there to see and left their post for a little while. It was as if those five guys were physically there as they were enthusiastically watching the concert. And that's not even the private screening that was included in the event. :)
In the gallery, not only can you look at those photos but you can also browse magazines that featured the members. It was seeing what was exactly inside those magazines for real. The attendees were delighted to have held and browsed it. I myself didn't understand what was written in those magazines because they're either in Japanese or Korean but the pictures were the center of the attraction so we need not to understand everything. Some were browsing while some were taking photos of it. That side of the gallery looked like a library where everyone was "studying". If I remember it right there was even a "Silence Please" sign on that area. :)) There at the corner you can also have a free photo with DB5K members. I never liked solo pictures so I asked a CassPH core to join me in the photo. :))
If you get tired of walking around the exhibit and "reading" in the library, then you have Tohocafe to serve you. They serve cupcakes (was it Trisha who baked those? ^^) and coffee. At first, it seemed that the people in charge of the cafe were not expecting of the queue it would have. Until the whole thing became organized. One was taking orders, one was serving and delivering the food, one is the cashier and the other is packing for take out. I think it was Ate Tin who was serving the cupcakes. She opened the door outside and said "Pasok po kayo sa Labas" because the dining area was outside the gallery. Haha :) I wasn't able to taste all cupcakes though I bought a set. As I have a debut to attend to that night and I don't have time to buy a gift anymore, I just decided to give her those cupcakes. :)
The last part of the event (for those who wasn't able to attend Tohonight like me) was the Film Showing. The schedule that I got was 4:30 to 6pm but due to technical difficulties, it got delayed. I think we've entered the viewing room about 5:30 already. As my gallery schedule was done by 3pm, I had all the time to browse the books from Fullybooked. As I was waiting, I heard some of the staffs' comments about the audiences of the Film Viewing. One said "Mga fanatic talaga yung ganun noh. Kahit dvd lang grabe magreact." Other said "Ang ingay sa baba grabe! Yung pinapanood nila kala mo personal eh!" Truthfully, it's a wonder how those screenings can make the fans hype, cry, scream, cheer, fanchant and all. I've been witnessing these moments ever since 7G and I am still amazed. I was seated at the back and as the film showing showed clips from when they're still doing activities as five until now, you can hear sobs, and you can see fans comforting each other. I cannot explain what I felt that time. Should I be amaze of the bond I see from the attendees? Should I feel sorry for us because we can only see them through screens? I don't know what exactly I have felt that moment but one thing is for sure, I wanted Jaejoong, Yunho, Junsu, Changmin and Yoochun to witness what I was witnessing that very moment. Let's face it. Their split brought about many changes to the whole fandom. Some are siding to the current TVXQ while some are into JYJ. And most of the time, those who support all five equally are outnumbered. And this is the reason why I'm grateful to Cassiopeia Philippines. They showed me that it was not impossible to support all five. Some may think that there's more JYJ than current TVXQ in the whole event or vice versa but to me they've done a good job in balancing the whole gathering. There weren't any restrictions. Whether you're a fan of the two or the three, whoever is your bias, EVERYONE was welcome. It was simply a gathering that you need not think of what is currently happening right now rather it brings you back the good old memories those five have given you back then. When the lights were turned on it was like an enlightenment; that even when half of the fandom world is breaking we still have US. And to that that I bow down to the organizers along side with all the members and attendees. Thank you for a job well done. :)
February 25 2012 marked the 9th Annual Gathering of Cassiopeia Philippines. I've been attending their gatherings since their 7th and this, in my own opinion, was by far the most laborious, time-consuming, exhausting yet the most organized and fulfilling gathering among all that I have attended to. Just seeing the whole thing from start to end makes me feel really proud of being a part of this fandom. :)
The venue was somewhere new and unknown to me. I have no idea how to get there. Many complained that the venue was far from them, it was difficult to go there, this and that. It was no where near my place but I thought, why should I complain when I'll only attend and didn't even contribute to the preparations they've been doing since then? And besides, everything that attendees need to know was provided by the site. I'm really not good at directions so I actually printed the directions they provided. It was fun acting like a tourist not knowing where to go. Even more when you get the directions right. When I saw the Fort Shuttle bus, it was as if I saw TVXQ because I was really happy. :)) The next problem was the stop. I've always had a problem with directions so even if everything was already provided in the instructions, I still don't know where I should go. Good thing there were two recognizable cassies (they were wearing their red cassiopeia shirt :p) who also took the shuttle bus. When they got off, I followed them. I don't know if they noticed me but thanks to them I got to the venue. :)
I wasn't expecting that the venue was actually the Fullybooked bookstore that I know. Going up to the venue was like roaming in a huge library. At one point I actually wanted to stop over and browse the books. The books surprised me but this was even more surprising.
The venue was already filled with a lot of people. Some were buying JYJ's album, some buying CassPH's merchandises while others are buying tickets and waiting for the gallery to open. I was planning to get earlier schedule because I have a debut to attend by night but then all the good schedules were sold out. Good thing Edward, one of CassPH's core was so kind to have actually reserved me a ticket of my choice because I wasn't available on his meet up time.
Bags were not allowed and so they opened a "baggage counter"-- improvised but works the same. You give them your things, they'll give you a number, you give them back the number and they'll return your things to you. The place for the bags, in my opinion, wasn't that comfortable for the people in charge so for this lovely "baggage counter" girls, job well done~ :)
And so the wait was over and the gallery was officially opened. It was literally a gallery. If Hong Kong had Disneyland then I dare say CassPH was able to pull off a Dong Bang Land. It wasn't at the level of what Bigeast's have done in Japan but the effort was no where less than anybody. At one look you'd just think that the gallery was just a huge room with lots of photos, posters and everything DB5K-related. Like this.
It was simple if you'll look at it from a far. But as I took a closer look, I can't express how I was surprised of the labor they did to put up those things. It wasn't just concept-layout-print-post. I'm a teacher and I've always hated decorating the bulletin boards every beginning of the school year. Aside from the brainstorming of the concept that you'll do, it takes MANUAL labor-- cutting, pasting, sticking. It's tiring and very time consuming. And this is what the organizers exactly did with the gallery.
The pictures were not flatly posted around the room. The pictures were pasted to another material to make it embossed. We do this at school for the bulletin titles and headers but we use styrofoam. You can either use a laser cutter or a manual cutter but whichever, it is still laborious. And the material they used was harder than styro so it's more difficult to cut and did you see how many photos were actually posted? Just this part was already amazing. And It's not even half of the whole gallery.
The picture from the upper left corner is a complete list of the tours that they've had since year 1. The gaps implied that it was printed separately and manually. And you just have to combine it all as if doing a jigsaw puzzle. A+ for effort again. I've always loved to see the reactions of the people that are not fans but witnessed the event, just like those two kuyas at the lower right corner. While they were setting up the screen one was looking around at the crowd and the other one was watching the guys who were the reason of that gathering. They always give me the "ano-bang-meron-dito-sa-mga-to?" reaction and I love how they're all puzzled about it. :))Everything that we saw around the gallery was from the fans itself who were kind enough to lend their most precious collections. I wasn't a DB5K fan ever since they've debuted so I only know things from where I became a fan. There in the gallery I saw posters that were out of print already. You know it's old because you'd see scratches on the sides of the poster. It's precious because some of it were signed by the members and most of it came from their tours and concerts. And because those were things from fans, it was the organizer's job to take care of it no matter what. They placed notices such as "display only, do not touch", "handle with care" but my most favorite was the warning written for the DB5K balloon. It was frightening yet sweet and I find it amusing. To the owner of the balloon, I hope it was returned safe to you. :)So after the kuyas have set up the screen, they played a concert through it and as soon as it started the people gathered in front of the screen and watched. They didn't care about anything anymore. :p Even some of the cores went there to see and left their post for a little while. It was as if those five guys were physically there as they were enthusiastically watching the concert. And that's not even the private screening that was included in the event. :)In the gallery, not only can you look at those photos but you can also browse magazines that featured the members. It was seeing what was exactly inside those magazines for real. The attendees were delighted to have held and browsed it. I myself didn't understand what was written in those magazines because they're either in Japanese or Korean but the pictures were the center of the attraction so we need not to understand everything. Some were browsing while some were taking photos of it. That side of the gallery looked like a library where everyone was "studying". If I remember it right there was even a "Silence Please" sign on that area. :)) There at the corner you can also have a free photo with DB5K members. I never liked solo pictures so I asked a CassPH core to join me in the photo. :))If you get tired of walking around the exhibit and "reading" in the library, then you have Tohocafe to serve you. They serve cupcakes (was it Trisha who baked those? ^^) and coffee. At first, it seemed that the people in charge of the cafe were not expecting of the queue it would have. Until the whole thing became organized. One was taking orders, one was serving and delivering the food, one is the cashier and the other is packing for take out. I think it was Ate Tin who was serving the cupcakes. She opened the door outside and said "Pasok po kayo sa Labas" because the dining area was outside the gallery. Haha :) I wasn't able to taste all cupcakes though I bought a set. As I have a debut to attend to that night and I don't have time to buy a gift anymore, I just decided to give her those cupcakes. :)The last part of the event (for those who wasn't able to attend Tohonight like me) was the Film Showing. The schedule that I got was 4:30 to 6pm but due to technical difficulties, it got delayed. I think we've entered the viewing room about 5:30 already. As my gallery schedule was done by 3pm, I had all the time to browse the books from Fullybooked. As I was waiting, I heard some of the staffs' comments about the audiences of the Film Viewing. One said "Mga fanatic talaga yung ganun noh. Kahit dvd lang grabe magreact." Other said "Ang ingay sa baba grabe! Yung pinapanood nila kala mo personal eh!" Truthfully, it's a wonder how those screenings can make the fans hype, cry, scream, cheer, fanchant and all. I've been witnessing these moments ever since 7G and I am still amazed. I was seated at the back and as the film showing showed clips from when they're still doing activities as five until now, you can hear sobs, and you can see fans comforting each other. I cannot explain what I felt that time. Should I be amaze of the bond I see from the attendees? Should I feel sorry for us because we can only see them through screens? I don't know what exactly I have felt that moment but one thing is for sure, I wanted Jaejoong, Yunho, Junsu, Changmin and Yoochun to witness what I was witnessing that very moment. Let's face it. Their split brought about many changes to the whole fandom. Some are siding to the current TVXQ while some are into JYJ. And most of the time, those who support all five equally are outnumbered. And this is the reason why I'm grateful to Cassiopeia Philippines. They showed me that it was not impossible to support all five. Some may think that there's more JYJ than current TVXQ in the whole event or vice versa but to me they've done a good job in balancing the whole gathering. There weren't any restrictions. Whether you're a fan of the two or the three, whoever is your bias, EVERYONE was welcome. It was simply a gathering that you need not think of what is currently happening right now rather it brings you back the good old memories those five have given you back then. When the lights were turned on it was like an enlightenment; that even when half of the fandom world is breaking we still have US. And to that that I bow down to the organizers along side with all the members and attendees. Thank you for a job well done. :)We've had a concert screening, we've also experienced a carnival and now we're done with exhibit and gallery. All these were made by fans for fans and we will always be thankful to them. I hope the next time we'll be having a gathering it will be DB5K to fans. A tour, concert, fanmeet, or even just any/all of them stepping within the islands of the Philippines will be such a great gift to celebrate CassPH's 10th gathering. And to be able to see these fans happy, I'll keep on praying for that thing to happen. :)
Endless thanks to all the organizers and attendees who have never let go of their faith to DB5K. Though everything isn't being perfect for those five, they are still lucky to have you. Us. Thank you for showing me that it is never impossible to keep the faith no matter how long, no matter how difficult. Thank you. *group hug* :)
