November 18 - I have finally declared my #sepanx for GOT7 over.

I know... four days was quite a long time. But they were really hard to get over with, especially that I purchased my ticket since August and... who wouldn't?

Although this may be irrelevant or overdue, I decided to make a fangirl version of the article I submitted to the Korean Cultural Center's The Krew. Anyway, I have decided to post it here with bonus commentaries that are in a different colored font. I struggled a bit writing the article because I had to keep my fangirl feels at bay. My friend noted that there were a few inserts here and there, but I still tried to keep the objectivity of the fan meeting which happened last November 14 at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.

When my friends and I were lining in front of the SVIP entrance of the coliseum, I honestly felt how old I already am as a K-Pop fan. More so, when the fans screamed when JB, Mark, Jackson, Junior, Youngjae, BamBam and Yugyeom opened the show with 하지하지마 (Stop Stop It) from their first full-length album, Identify. This immediately followed with their debut hit, Girls Girls Girls. Oh my gosh! The screams were seriously deafening! (Mark even acknowledged how loud the Filipino fans were during the press conference.) (They were wearing maroon suits and pants! Yeay! One of my favorite ensembles from their recent promotions. Every lady wanted a piece of you, Mark Tuan, especially after that abs flash. Thanks, Yugyeom.)

As the boys were allowed to take a breather, popular radio DJ and veteran emcee, Sam Oh, kept the excitement going as she introduced the members one-by-one. (She even commented how tall and good-looking they really are.) It was difficult to determine who had the most number of fans among the members as all of the fans screamed on the top of their lungs for everyone. When the boys came back to have a little chat, Jackson made a funny remark on how his chair was too high for his short legs. (But I have to say, he indeed looks short. The two youngest, Yugyeom and BamBam, were the only ones blessed in the group with long legs.) Sam continued to welcome them and asked how they felt being in the Philippines. Despite experiencing technical problems with the microphones, all of the members individually expressed how it felt really good to be back. Sam also asked if the boys managed to try any Filipino delicacies, which Jackson enthusiastically expressed his love for mangoes. (He even made a small chant with the fans about mangoes.) Mark, who hails from the United States, added that he particularly liked dried mangoes. BamBam, who is of Thai decent, mentioned that he liked what he thinks is “Peanut Soup”, which Sam Oh clarified as Kare-Kare. Mark (who cutely let out a scream of frustration for his bad mic) jumped in to add that he also likes what is to him “Pig’s Feet”, which quite caused a confusion until Sam Oh figured it was Crispy Pata. (I want to cry hearing Mark's sexy California English live. I absolutely love his voice.) Jackson excitedly volunteered to share a Filipino sentence he learned - “Gusto ko kumain [ng] mangga. (I want to eat mango.)”, which roused laughter from both the host and the fans. (I have to say, I was impressed with the variety of food that they liked. I don't often here international artists liking Kare-Kare and Crispy Pata. Kudos to the hotel they were in for making them try a wide range of Filipino food.)


The boys resumed their performances with the confidence-boosting Just Right and their latest 180-degree transformation, “니가 하면 (If You Do”). (Ugh... It was so good seeing that fancy footwork live.) In their latest release, the usual fun and bubbly boys of GOT7 transformed into dashing and charismatic men for “니가 하면 (If You Do)”. Host Sam Oh then asked what their initial thoughts was upon hearing the song. Yugyeom, who is the youngest of the bunch and one of the choreographers, said that he had mixed emotions for the song because it was about a man hurting. BamBam, who also happened to be one of the youngest, evoked squeals from fans when he said that he felt sexy upon hearing the song. It was hard to believe they were only 19! (I was like, "But BamBam, you're too skinny to be sexy. Your legs look thinner than mine.") This followed by hilarious individual re-enactments of their iconic scenes from their music video. (I thought that this was really innovative of the boys. They used their own bodies as walls (for Mark), as a car (for BamBam), and as a punching bag (for Jackson). They even used their face towel (for Junior and JB) and mineral water bottle. Good job on being very clever, boys!)

After showing their serious acting chops, BamBam shyly treated the fans with a sweet serenade of chorus of Ronnie Liang’s “Ngiti”. His vocals were soothing and his pronunciation was perfect. (Well, Thai and Filipinos are not far from ancestral decent. You can even mistaken BamBam for being a good-looking Filipino! And good choice of a song! I was sort of prepared for another Daniel Padilla cover, which thankfully, he didn't.) Fans hope that all of GOT7 will get to serenade a Filipino song in another visit. But it wasn’t only the fans that were in for a surprise. Local fanclub, GOT7 Philippines, prepared a surprise video message for each of the members. The video also included clips from the countdown event and tear-jerking triple wins from a specific Korean music program. BamBam said he won’t cry but the fans chanted that they want him to, which he laughed off instead. (The video also almost made me cry! The messages were so heartfelt. And then the triple wins! It felt so good to have contributed to their first series of music show victories.)

Yes, Mark. Filipino IGOT7s love you, too.

Series of performances from the boys continued as they serenaded the fans with “Playground” and hyped up the crowd with “Magnetic” and “Bounce”, which was originally the debut song of JB and Junior (JJ Project) prior forming GOT7. (Too bad JB's mic made him sound really bad. I love his singing voice, but it came out really nasal.) When the fans thought it was over, the boys returned on stage with a remix version of “A”. (Jackson and BamBam each got a fan's phone and filmed themselves! Waaaaa!)

JB with a fan for a Telepathy Game, wherein the goal is to raise the same colored flags without looking at each other.

This is me drowning in the sea of digital devices. Thank you for the chance to see you up close, GOT7!

Member Impressions

"14. When you enter a place, take in the surroundings. Don't look at it from a camera lens. Don't confine memories in an SD card. Don't have proof for every emotion you were feeling. If it was important, you'd remember it even if you had amnesia."

I did, and it lingered on me like a hangover. I guess if I had the option to go to another concert or fan meeting of a K-Pop artist, I would love to go back to GOT7.

Until we meet again, GOT7.

Pictures are all mine except for the members' individual shots courtesy of Bruce Casanova for SMART Araneta Coliseum.

I was getting anxious.

I was feeling insecure.

I was becoming desperate.

• I realized that I was unknowingly anchoring my identity on my career, not in Christ. Even though I was faithfully serving Him and studying about Him, I didn't know that I was using all of those to hide the pain that I felt. I wasn't completely honest with myself.
• I also realized that I didn't completely let go of my career dream. I had all of these conditions listed when I pray, when God is perfectly capable of answering MORE than what I've prayed for (a Christian company, a 10-minute walk away from my house, and tasks that tap my creative, administrative, and relational sides).
• Lastly, He is ABSOLUTELY FAITHFUL. His only condition was for me to exercise the same faithfulness to Him as well.

There is a reason I don't talk much about my life back in high school. I could narrate what I have experienced but not into detail. Without realizing it, my brain purposely suppressed the details and covered them with my achievements. I still can remember the names and the faces, but the bits and pieces of the events remain a blur.

However, these stories still make up for who I am now - no matter how hard my brain would try to bury them in the ground.

On the way back home from an urgent talk needed by a friend, I was comforted realizing how God indeed uses both good and bad experiences in counseling other people. This friend of mine needed my advice on deciding if she would quit her job or not. She had the same dilemma as I did, along with certain circumstances. Upon arriving home, she sent me one of the sweetest messages I received from a friend:

It was the most difficult decision I had to make.

It began last December when the management called us for a meeting on the company's new directive to establish a Customer Care Center, a non-threatening name for a call center catering to all of the mother company's projects. I immediately wanted to resign. I felt demoted and limited than I already was in my current function for a specific brand. Even though they were enticing us with the thought of being promoted as Team Leaders, I remained unwavered. I also had this violent reaction in my head, "Is this what I will still be doing for the next five years? Of course not! I can do so much more than just answering e-mails and calls of clients." These thoughts branched out further, including wanting challenge to my intellectual capabilities and worrying about my top priorities.