8G’s un/lucky one :)

I was one of those people who were already excited for 8G as early as the 7G ended. So when I knew that 8G will be held on May 7, I told myself that I definitely have to go. When CassPH announced the start of meet up in buying the tickets, I went at once. It was so nice of Edward to wait for me until 6pm and luckily I was included in the first 88.

8G’s theme this year was the Carnival so they added a sprinkle of carnival in every booth. Have you tried playing darts? Have you ever wanted to have a photoshoot with TVXQ? And have you ever wanted to go to Quiapo and visit a manghuhula to know your future? Well, too bad 8G has ended already because you get to experience all of those if you were there.

As Early as April, 8G has partially started. CassPH held contests that lasted until the end of April and the winners were announced at the event. Who said @elbowyeish started the egg-trend?! It was actually Kim Junsu; thus the birth of the contest Ang Gintong Itlog ni Junsu video subbing contest. Because I was un/lucky, I wasn't able to know who won nor see the videos. Good thing CassPH posted it here. The next was named as Return of the King: Scavenger’s Hunt contest – the game that made me crazy. :P

LACK OF LUCK

I had no intentions of joining any contest from 8G because for me, attending the gathering was already enough. I was so excited about the gathering that I've always checked CassPH’s facebook page and their other sites for updates. Then I saw a post written as “ROTK clue #1”. I ignored it because I didn’t understand what it was until I saw another clue post again. This time, I had a hunch where the clue was heading. Unfortunately, I was lost with Spudge’s “I will lead you to the king”. I was there but I don’t know where to look further and more importantly, I don’t know WHAT to look for. So with frustration, I gave that clue up and I told myself that I will definitely look for the kings in whatever form they appear.

START OF LUCK

How I was able to find a king was merely out of luck. As I visited my twitter, dbsknights posted an update. I clicked the link and on the sidebar was the sentences “congratulations! You found a king!” and I was “ano daw? I found a king? Ay shet ROTK! ” It’s junsu on a tarot card with a title of a king and a question – exactly how CassPH explained in the mechanics of the game: find the king, the king’s title and the answer to the question. And so I decided to formally join the contest. I got 1/5 kings! XD Jaejoong simply appeared to me through @joejjang’s tweet. Next that I found was Changmin. I think that was the first time I found a king through a CassPH’s clue (yes, I am slow like that, thank you XD). Then Yoochun and Yunho left me hanging. The two were no where to be found and I was desperate to look for them because I read posts and tweets that they only need one more king. And it’s a battle for the first 8! XD (I am so happy this was held in April, else I wont be able to join them like this as I already had to report back to work first day of May ) You don’t know how crazy I was when @yookcheoni tweeted yoochun’s tarot card. “SHET SHET SHET!!!!!! ISA NA LANG ISA NA LAAAAANG!!!!! YUNHOOO!!!!!!!” Then holy week came. I try to restrain myself from using the internet during these time of the year as a form of my abstinence. And so I thought that winning was impossible as I already missed 3 days looking for Yunho. Good Saturday morning, I ended my abstinence. (When you think that you only need 1 more king and you may still have the chance to be included in the winners, do you think I can still abstain from the internet longer? XD) So I checked CassPH’s facebook and the 8^th clue was “go to the city and visit the red house“ AND I WAS SURE IT’S ONETVXQFORUMS—the site I’ve been stalking since I started looking for the kings. I was too excited to find who the king was. I think google knew that I was having a battle against time hoping that the king was Yunho and that I can still be included in the winners. Google was a sadist. I was so excited, in a hurry THEN IT STOPPED RESPONDING. “SHEEEEEET!!!!!!!! NAGHANG!!!!!!!!! TAKTE BAKIT NAGHANG?!?!?!?!?!? AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!“ And as I was a desperate scavenger, I logged out my profile, logged in my brother’s profile, opened firefox (as chrome was not being friendly) went to onetvxqforums, logged in, went to the red house and there was the “congratulations“ word. It was even more thrilling when the king’s picture was taking forever to load until I found out that it was YUNHO! THE EMPEROR!!!! “SHET SHET SHET SI YUNHO NGAAAAAAA!!!!! LEADER!!!!!!!“ As I scrolled down the page to look for the question, I frowned after reading it. “PAK. BAKIT ANG HIRAP NG TANONG?! BAKIT BAKIT BAKEEEEEET?!?!?!?!“ And feeling that I was in a game show with the no coaching rule, I tried to think of the answer myself….and failed. Thankfully, I was able to have an idea by visiting CassPH facebook info page. And having found the five kings, I sent my answers to CassPH.

WHEN LUCK FLUCKTUATES

So I thought that the gathering itself was the only thing left for me as I was already done being a scavenger. I was just browsing the web when CassPH reminded people that there were still slots for the winners as they were waiting for the FIRST 8. I was really hoping that I was one of them and looked back again on my answers. (FYI, when I decided to join the contest, I copied the format in sending the entry on sticky pad so that every time I see a king, I just paste the info there. Serious scavenger IS SERIOUS. XD) Another reminder from CassPH was to check the answers and the link. I was a little confident with the answers as I found it from cassies sites and from the page of CassPH but the links kept me thinking… “the exact link but not the photo link… the exact link but not the photo link… TAAAAAEEEENAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!! MALI AKO MALI AKO MALI AKO!!!!!! SHET SHET SHET!!!!!!! TAAAAAAKTEEEEE!!!!! BAKEEEEET!!!!!! WAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!“ I really freaked out!!!! Resending the entry was still accepted but wadapak! The emperor appeared Friday night and I just found him Saturday morning and it was already SUNDAY EVENING when I realized that I was wrong! @!$@#%@^#$&@^@#%@ I was ranting my frustrations on my twitter and later that night I received a DM asking me what happened as she was worried about my all caps-raining-with-exclamation tweets. That’s when I realized that I was, indeed, crazy at that moment. I even screen-capped my tweets so that I can have a good laugh at my crazy self. xD I told myself that I will not resend my entry, as I know it wont make any sense anymore. It’s just hours before the deadline and im pretty sure there were already a lot who have found all five kings, answered the questions right and had the correct links…there goes my frustration again. @$@#%#%#%@ But because I was really bothered, I resend my entry; minutes before the deadline. Rising gods of the east, himala naman dyan please~ XD

LUCK LOCKED

It was only a day before the gathering when an unfortunate event happened. My auntie died Friday afternoon and we had to go to Cavite. That’s Friday night and 8G was Saturday. I was so down thinking that I wouldn’t be able to go to the event. “walanjo. Kasama sa first 88 na bumili ng ticket tapos hindi pala makakapunta. Badtrip!” Not that I was blaming my auntie but it was just really…unfortunate of me. You don’t know how I begged my parents for us to come home Saturday morning. They said we’ll be travelling back by 6am. NOT. We traveled back by 10am. While 8G attendees were probably waiting for the event to start, I was still on my way home. HOW GREAT. We arrived at home by 1pm. I just took a bath, grabbed my wallet, my ticket and went directly to starmall. It was already 2pm when I arrived at the mall.

SCAVENGER’S HUNT: EXTENDED

Here’s the funny part. I have no idea where star mall trade hall was. I am familiar with mega mall’s trade hall but that was my first time for star mall. I was smiling while walking thinking that I got lost even in a small place. XD I passed by a sales guy and he was inviting me to their boutique. I smiled at him and he said “thank you ma’am for smiling!” I thought, “thank you ka pa dyan. Hindi ko na nga Makita yung pupuntahan ko.” I was walking for almost 30 minutes in looking for the carnival. It was almost 4pm when I arrived – approximately 2 hours to enjoy the event.

8G: The Carnival | The Final Luck

Just like in 7G, I came alone to this year's gathering. I don’t have anyone with me but there were cassies willing to accompany me in the event whom I met on twitter. (kind fans are KIND. ) The first thing I did was to buy the complete A + B side collection album. I was lucky to still have the exclusive tohoshinki bag tag though my name wasn’t printed anymore as they ran out of ink. The next thing I did was to claim my membership card. I went to the booth and I was given the list of those who purchased the card. I looked for my name and opposite to it was the words “ROTK winner”. “hala!!!! Nanalo ako!!!!” I was really surprised because…well you know what happened. I think I freaked the ladies at the booth as I was really delighted to be one of the winners. That means having the chance to experience the booths and have 2 CassPH merchandises FOR FREE. I have less than 2 hours to claim my prize and so I went from booth to booth.

I can feel that the event was about to end so I had to hurry else my prizes would go to a waste. First I went to get the merchandises. I chose the shirt and the lanyard. I was really smiling while I was pointing them. Next that I did was the photobooth. I never liked solo shots…well it’s not really solo pero ako lang ang literal na buhay so I took Lyn, a friendly junsu-biased cassie who accompanied me in the event. Next to us in the line was jeje-look-alike and core mish. Because I am a random person and I really want more people on the photo, I asked them to join us. At first they didn’t want it but I insisted and won. XD The first picture was blurry as all of us weren’t prepared for it. I even shouted “ate wait lang pause muna! “ to the person-in-charge. XD The second pic was fine though. If you know them, please tell them I am so sorry for being random like that. :p Next stop was the darkness eyes. This was full of HAHA. My aunt used to go to Quiapo and seek answers to her concerns and I never imagined in my life that my future will ever be read to me through tarot cards. It was EPIC when kuya manghuhula asked me my concern—love or career. I thought “kuya ang talagang concern ko lang naman ay magamit yung napanalunan ko. Yun lang. XD” It was even more funny when he told me his readings. I chose love by the way. XD I was taking a photo of the ladies-in-charge of the booth. I don’t know where the bread came but they asked “gusto mo?” and so I took one after which they added 6 pesos isa. (I don’t really remember the price they said XD) It was a joke but I was actually willing to pay for it. :p Then the dongbangspinki booth, the trivia booth and my last was the darts booth. It was at that time when they started showing music videos of dbsk. The people-in-charge of the booth were screaming. She even told me “ate wait lang nood muna tayo ha!” Of course i wasn't a kill joy so I let them watch the videos first.

And there it was again. The same scene i've seen last year when we were watching the secret code concert. There it was again, the people screaming each time a dbsk member does this, shows that, sing. There it was again, the people singing with just what you may call film viewing yet they were doing fan chants: what fans do when the boys were performing live or having a concert. We only have those videos recorded and viewed but the screams, the cheers, the happiness in their faces was not less of a difference to those people who’ve seen the five live. Each time the crowd screamed, I saw the awe in the eyes of people who were there but were really not a fan (those from astroplus and odyssey)- the wonder of how can people be that hyped with just that. Yes, we only have these gatherings. Majority of the fans there weren’t able to see the five perform live. Lucky are the fans of Shinee, Super Junior, 4 minute, 2am and all the other kpop artists who’ve been here for they were able to see them in flesh. Lucky are the fans that were able to wave their light sticks in a concert. Lucky are the fans of groups that are physically whole, with no disbanding and lawsuit issues. Lucky are they, but I believe I was LUCKIER for despite all the lack of luck, the fandom I chose was still always there and never left the boys—supported them even as JYJ or TVXQ. If keeping the faith was a contest, I think we have already won. And whatever the future holds for the boys, I hope the fandom keeps on winning.

This fan account will not be this long if I didn’t enjoy the event. To the attendees, thank you for showing me that at the end of it all, I was still lucky and to the CassPH core, thank you for making me extremely happy and...for making me love this fandom even more. I really hope you won’t get tired of doing this. I know this cant be forever, but I hope this can be for longer. See you at the next event? :)