Zhou Yu Min and Yan Cheng Xu in the Philippines

6:30 a.m. I was not really excited when I woke up this morning. The fact that I was going to watch some Taiwanese superstars perform was not much of a big deal to me. I mean, I would rather look at my crush in school! At that time, it didn’t matter to me but to my best friend so I thought I was doing her a favor. Yeah right, Jamie. 7:30 a.m. I left home. 8:30 a.m. I met up with my friend. together with her mom. Nah, her mom was not coming with us. It’s just that she also had somewhere else to go. We parted ways when we were dropped off at Quezon Avenue. We took the MRT and jeezus, it was really full (to think that it was the next station from North Edsa!). Hell, we survived... but we never thought we would experience worse later on. 10:20 a.m. We were one of the first people to go inside the Fort bus. Man, it was like going on an excursion! Eventually, the bus got full so we didn’t have to wait that long. So during the trip, we saw two choppers parked some distance away from the venue. I wondered who were in those big mean flying machines. 10:35 a.m. We arrived at the venue. We lined up at the MTB gate, which was the bronze right entry. A lot of people were already there, lining up. I mean, did they camp the night before? Anyway, we heard Vic Zhou’s music being played out loud. And so we thought it was just the sound system. But then, we heard someone singing along with the song. “Who is that imposter?” I asked myself. “This is not a karaoke bar, you know.” You idiot, Jamie. That was really Vic Zhou! He was having a rehearsal inside. I had a peek from the hole on the wall but the stage was so far away so I had no idea where he really was. He sang 3 songs… actually, just some parts of those 3 songs: Make A Wish Ai Zai Ai Ni Zui Te Bie De Zun Zai 11:00 a.m. We were still lining up. My friend saw a vendor selling these fans with Jerry Yan’s face on side and Vic’s on the other. I discouraged her, saying it was not worth it… and I regret doing so. I mean, if it would make my friend happy, why stop her? It was Jerry’s turn to rehearse. He sang some parts of 3 songs, too: Yao Ding Ni -Another one that sounded so much like a lullabye.. Maybe it was Zhi You Wo Wo Shi Zhen De Zhen De Hen Ai Ni (I Really Really Love You) Some who saw him from their binoculars were saying he was wearing a blue shirt. So?! 12:25 p.m. We were still outside. Goodness, they announced that they would let people in by 12:00! The sky was getting dark. We were afraid that it would rain. Then the lines got a bit thicker because some were just so dishonest. The hell with those people! 12:40 p.m. We already got inside. Inspection was a breeze. Gawd, you could really sneak a camera in (Some did but their cameras were not confiscated. Crap.)! My friend and I ran as quickly as we can to the seats we thought would be best. After all, seating was a first come, first served basis. We were almost near the middle, fourth row from the barricade. Holy shmoly, if you could only see the General Admission area! There were no monoblocks for them to sit on. I really felt sorry for them. At the same time, I hated those who bought the more expensive tickets because they could just get inside later in the evening without losing their respective seats. 1:00 p.m. After settling, I went to get myself something to eat. The following were the only (and supposedly) available food at this time: Siomai (still cooking, though) Siopao (Uh, excuse me, Sir, but where are they in your steamer?) Goto (I must say these first three are so Chowking. Duh, very appropriate.) Hotdog sandwiches (The safe bet) Rice meals in boxes (Sisig, Pork BBQ and BeefSteak. The taste of each was… Blah!) Bottled water (sold at P10 and P15) Gulaman (I’m scared of trying this one) Shawarma (Yucky imitations, and they really don’t flatter the original.) Teasers (Another safe bet) Oh yeah. The commercial said there were supposed to be 80 portalets. I believe there were only around 50. You liars. And the 13 ambulances? Ambulance my butt. ABS-CBN was also selling their Star Records CDs. When you buy 1, you get a Happy 50TV poster. And also they were selling these supposedly offical F4 pin lites the size of a Gatorade cap. Each were sold at P150. Whew. We’re not dumb to fall for that. 1:30 p.m. I finished lining up. I was not happy with what I had. Yech. My friend decided to buy from Jollibee, which was a long walking distance from the Fort. I asked her to buy me something edible. Goodness. The stage had a vertical setup. The band was like, positioned on every “floor”. There was also this “elevator” in the middle. There were some neon lights saying “Barbie Xu” and “Dee Xu” and also lights that were formed to look like Vic and Jerry’s faces. By the way, if you’re really curious about just how far we are from the stage, I’d say if I were to see Vic perform at that moment, he’d be as tall as half my thumb. I was relieved that I brought my binoculars along. Actually there was this guy outside selling these big binoculars and guess how much the price is. P1,500! Again, we are not dumb. Most fans were wearing the Bench shirts. It was like the F4 uniform or something. Some wore F4 shirts and some put F4 pins on their bags, caps, or shirts. I even saw someone who had a Jerry sticker on her face. Some even prepared banners. Mostly were written in Chinese. My favorite was the one with Chinese characters of Vic’s nickname, Zai Zai, on it, which was designed with glow sticks. So how did I know it read ‘Zai Zai’? Hehe, it is such a wonder. At least no one raised a banner that says, “CAN YOU BE MY FRIENDSTER? ADD ME! MY EMAIL IS F4FAN4EVER@YAHOO.COM.” Imagine all that in Mandarin. 2:00 p.m. The bronze right section (P1, 500) was half full. 2:30 p.m. My friend returned from Jollibee. Thank heavens. I was beginning to worry about her. She said that the lines were so long. Well, it figures. F4 songs were played at this time. Also some disturbing songs were played: Qing Fei Dei Yi (Tagalog version) Otso-otso -This song from Mahal (She can sing??? She has a song???) 3:00 p.m. I decided to take a walk outside the venue. Scalpers were everywhere. They were discreetly asking anyone to sell their extra tickets to them. Haha, no one seemed to notice these pathetic fellas. I mean, TicketNet was also selling tickets at the left side of the place. How could those guys beat the competition? There were also a lot of F4 paraphernalia sold around the place. Towels for P400, pillows for P250, posters for P60-80, umbrellas for P450. Now some would fall for these. They are overpriced but if it would one’s F4 collection, why not? \ 3:30 p.m. I just came back. It was my friend’s turn to walk outside. Tia Maria’s and Domino’s Pizza were selling their goods by this time. Great! 2/3 of the bronze right section and ¼ of the silver right section (P2,500) were full. What in the world is an “urshers”? This was written at the back of the shirts of the supposedly called ushers. So much for Smart Telecomm sponsorship. 4:00 p.m. A kid named Michael was lost and it was announced onstage. It was funny that the guy using the mic said that the kid was “naka-t-shirt na sando.” Huh? Yeah, like we can take note of that. Apparently, a woman behind us realized it was her son! 4:10 p.m. The kid was brought back by his mom. Haha! It was really funny. The mom was like, laughing at his son or something! Case almost closed. The problem is his caretaker was still looking for him like a madman. Anyway, she’d eventually find out that the kid was back. 4:15 p.m. A while ago, a chopper landed in a distance. Then everybody looked at that direction and was shouting and everything. They were even standing on their chairs. “Si Dao Ming Sz!!” Actually, somebody just made fun of this guy in our section that had a physique much like Jerry’s, but bulkier. He had the F4 hair and was even wearing a “Love Ko Bench” shirt. Everyone in our area made a spectacle out of him and was chanting “Dao Ming Sz!” over and over again at this guy. It was so friggin’ funny! I mean, biglang tumaba si Dao Ming Sz! 5:20 p.m. I slept for about twenty minutes. A few minutes ago, there was already a sound check. The big screens were on. They were 8 of them positioned strategically around the whole damn Fort. 2 were onstage. 2 were at the silver left and right sections. 1 was at the middle aisle. 2 were placed at the bronze extreme left and right sections. And the last one was placed at the back (for the General Admission audience). All these would display the lyrics of every song performed in the concert so the place would be like a giant videoke bar. Whatever. Anyway, the stage lights were also switched on. 6:10 p.m. There was a “Tanging Ina” film showing. Everyone was intently watching the film. ABS-CBN should be given credit for that great idea. 8:00 p.m. It did not start on time. Anyway, John Lapus was entertaining us all with his (or should I say ‘her’?) funny remarks. She was even dressed as Thalia of the Marimar phenomenon. Hehe.. Sweet really had her moment up there onstage. 8:15 p.m. The show started. Finally! There was a lot of people watching, good lord! Even fans from Korea, Thailand, and other countries were there to watch the F-duo. Anyway, I did not bother to take note of the time anymore. I will just write the order of guest appearances here. Ai-Ai Delas Alas – Performed a production number to the tune of “I Need A Hero”. She sang so many versions of this one. The Hunks and Vhong Navarro as Mr. Suave – Sang “Sana Mama”(?) by Masculados and of course, Mr. Suave. Vina Morales – Had a very long production number. She performed most of Destiny’s Child and Beyonce’s hits. Her sister, Shaina, was at the VIP area. Piolo Pascual – Sang 2 songs from his album and this song called “Kailangan Kita.” I think this is his favorite song. I just want to say he can’t sing this very well because… he’s not good. Even though he boasts of being in the UST Theater group whatever in his college life, he does not give justice to the piece… or any piece at all. Heart Evangelista and John Prats – Sang “Rock Baby Rock”. John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo – Sang “Annie Batumbakal”. Kristine Hermosa and Jericho Rosales – Sang”Awitin Mo.” All 3 love teams (“Puke-my-head-off teams” is more like it!) – Sang “Bongga Ka ‘Day”. Divo – Divo who? King – Sang “Maybe”. Michael “Josh” Santana – The guy who never got away with his Bituin character’s name. He sang this song that everybody seems to know. Well, I’m not interested with this at all. Michelle someone - Who is she? She sang the Tagalog version of Ni Yao De Ai. All – Continued singing the Tagalog version of Ni Yao De Ai. Some people in our section were so boisterous and rude. Well, what can you expect? These are die-hard F4 fans. They would do anything for these guys. ASOS (Barbie and Dee Xu) – .The Xu sisters came rising from the floor. There was these elevators that goes from underneath of the platform. Anyway, they were dressed in these school girl attire reminiscent of the girl band, T.a.T.u. and Britney Spears’ “Baby One More Time” video. Surprisingly, Dee has gone blonde and Barbie, nothing has changed about her. They sang 2 unknown Chinese songs (one sounds so rock) and Harlem Yu’s Qing Fei Dei Yi. Everybody was singing along to this last song and was waving their hands on the air. The two were so cute and lively. I hated it when they had to leave and the people were chanting “MORE! MORE! MORE!” but what can we do about it? Yup, you guessed it: NOTHING. By this time, everyone in our section was standing up. The bouncers cannot do anything about it anymore. Wait, can you really call them ‘bouncers’? But they are so small! “Bounce-off” is more like it! All of us moved our chairs forward so that the security would not be able to pass in front of us. I mean, they should leave us alone, gaddamit! How can we enjoy the concert if we’re just sitting down? And as for those who were at the General Admission area, they should expect that people in front of them were going to stand up eventually. Anyway, there was a big screen for them so they could still see what was going on onstage. Vina Morales (again), Andrew E. and Carlos Agassi (Try-hard rasta) – Sang “Ride Wit Me”, “Dilemma” and “Hot in Herre”. Carlos Agassi (Nakakapurga na!) and Claudine Baretto – Sang “All I Have”. Ai-Ai Delas Alas and Bayani Agbayani (What a surprise!) – “Spaghetti Dance” vs. “Otso-otso”. Dang! This girl behind me was so noisy. She was also dancing the otso-otso. Pakapalan lang talaga ng mukha. AND THE MUCH AWAITED PERFORMANCES: Vic Zhou – He came down from the elevator, which was visible onstage. He was wearing a white polo shirt, dark pants and a brown coat, which was odd because it was bit hot. He sang 3 songs. Make A Wish – This song is really dreamy. Sigh. Ai Zai Ai Ni – When he sang the lines “Bu yao ku qi” and “Wo shi shang ai ni”, I thought my heart was going to melt. I didn’t know Vic could be that charming! Zui Te Bie De Zun Zai - The crowd loves this one. What is really cute about this guy is his youthfulness. Like there is so much to expect from this dude in the future. At the age of 22, he has become a hit in television, music, and soon, in film. So young yet so many accomplishments! I think I’d really like to work with this guy. Vic had a moment with Ai-Ai Delas Alas after his performance. Actually at first, there was no one to interpret what he was saying so we did not understand a word he said. But at this time, a mestiza-looking girl was at the side of the stage ready to translate for everyone. Vic was really a stunner. He had this cute laugh-slash-giggle that makes him look adorable. He is really a far cry from his Meteor Garden character, which is dark and aloof. And what was so funny is that Ai-Ai had a piece of his ass! Vic was so embarrassed yet he was laughing. So cute. I also hated seeing him bade goodbye to all of us. Aww… Wo bu yao, Yu Min. Bye bye. (Yeah right. HAPPY 50TV? Happy my butt.) Jerry Yan – This guy just made the atmosphere a little bit serious. Maybe because he is older than Vic is so he acted more matured. He is handsome but I think I like Vic this time. He performed 3 songs, too: Yao Ding Ni– Everyone was singing to this one. The mystery song/ lullabye (Could be Zhi You Wo) – He sang this when he was sitting down. It was hard to follow this one because not all are familiar with the whole song. Wo Shi Zhen De Zhen De Hen Ai Ni – He wanted everyone to sing with him. This one received the most screams. He even shook hands with people at the gold section. Sweet. Jerry and Ai-Ai talked afterwards. This time, Ai-Ai was more careful with her actions. After all, Jerry’s pet peeve is people disrespecting him. Yeah, they talked about the usual stuff like what message Jerry has for the fans or when he’d be coming back. Then there was this instance that he hugged a little girl. He even pinched her cheek. Hehe. Even though people were shouting “JERRY! JERRY! WO AI NI! WO AI NI!” it was still no use. The performance had to end. Seeing him go was not really as sad as I thought. Actually I felt sadder when Vic left the stage. Happy 50 TV cast – Sang a medley of songs. I did not care to take note of each song because the Taiwanese acts were over. After the performances, there was a breathtaking fireworks display going on. It was really amazing. The Fort open field is a good place to watch this event because you could really enjoy the spectacles without the electricity wires or trees around. 10:30 p.m. My friend and I stayed inside longer. We were like on a scavenger hunt because my friend wanted the Jerry-Vic paper fan so much and we were on the lookout. I felt guilty about discouraging her that morning about buying a P20 fan (Hehe, it just shows the miser in me). We didn’t find what she wanted but she was able to pick up a Vic poster that was sold for around P60. 11:00 p.m. All the Fort buses were full. We decided to walk for like 30 minutes and stopped over in McDonald’s. There we saw the imposter Dao Ming Sz guy. Haha he never fails to make us laugh! It even rained. Gawd. We were so fortunate that it rained after the concert. Whew. 11:45 p.m. We already got a ride. 1:00 a.m. We arrived at my friend’s home. 2:00 a.m. I slept. My back and my ankle really hurt. It didn’t matter that I got sunburned. It didn’t matter that I had to hold my piss in because the portalets were awfully disgusting. It didn’t matter that I didn’t eat lunch and supper on time. It didn’t matter that I was at the Fort for more than 12 fuckin’ hours to watch Vic and Jerry sing for only 1. Or maybe less. Well was I really doing my friend a favor when I came with her to watch the concert? Haha, I think I was giving myself a treat instead. Nutso? Maybe. I guess I don’t even care at all. I think I’d even be more enduring if it were a Moffatts concert. **** Want to see some pictures? Visit The Stardust Gallery. Other links: Happy 50 TV and Meteor Fever Merchandise Happy 50 TV news article at Talabis.com Another article at Inq7.net

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