Anyway, this was just not a day I can pass up.....
Hope all "Family" are conducting their own mini-celebrations world-wide!
Care to share?
See ya around......
Thursday, August 28, 2008
08.29.2008
Not been blogging lately (no, really? haha) but glad to report that my daily hour of BYJ joy has been put to use productively...
Anyway, this was just not a day I can pass up.....
Hope all "Family" are conducting their own mini-celebrations world-wide!
Care to share?
See ya around......
Anyway, this was just not a day I can pass up.....
Hope all "Family" are conducting their own mini-celebrations world-wide!
Care to share?
See ya around......
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Right There In Front Of Me
Thanks ladies (I think!) for the kick in the shin :)
OK. Kick received. Shin bruised even :)
I will finish my travel diary. Eventually.
Someday. Even when no one gives a hoot anymore - I will do it.
First...this.
There's been something really important that I've been meaning to do.
Something that I've really wanted to do.
For the longest time, it has been on my priority list.
Haven't any idea why I never got around to it. I think part of me really was afraid, at least a little. Sometimes, the people that you think most highly of are those people you don't want to disappoint. So maybe that's why I've suppressed the urge to do anything about it.
You know, come to think of it, our YJ-ssi has taken me on a worldwind trek around the globe for a little while, hasn't he? Thanks to him, I've had the opportunity to travel to China, cover wide territories over Korea, and now even Japan. Because of him, I've experienced such lovely sights and sounds, and be treated to such wonderful hospitality by Bae-sisters.
Dear YJ-ssi, KOMAPSUMNIDA! You've really opened my eyes in a beautiful way!
But L.A.sisters?
Who? haha
Can't believe I haven't met even one...!
Well...that was before yesteday.
Today is a different story. Not only have I met L.A. sisters, I am still full of excited energy of having finally done so. You've done me good, ladies! :)
Finally after all this time, I had a chance to have a proper meeting with two of the nicest ladies in Baeworld...Baba-san & Jill!
It was a sudden arrangement really. After another crazy work period where I just had to put on my blinders and dig in the trenches, I was starting to scratch uncontrollably with unease... it has taken me far too long to properly express my gratitude for all that baba-san had done to make my Osaka dream a reality. So, out of the blue, I asked baba-san & Jill to lunch over the weekend, and even without any notice, they graciously accepted. Thank you ladies! Now I haven't always blogged about all my meetings with other sisters because ... oh I don't know....I guess because I don't always know if it is always OK with the other person to do so or not...so I hope you both don't mind.
Anyone that knows me privately knows that I am really not that good about emailing people regularly. Sorry, it's another one key pathologic flaw of mine. Friends, just so we're clear, it doesn't mean I don't treasure my pals or am not thinking of them.
So...no, I really don't know these 2 ladies at all. Just that they've always made me feel like part of a cozy warm network for some unknown reason. Without knowing much about me, they've given me the benefit of doubt.
Score 1 for jill & baba-san!
Food? Dim-sum - for baba-san hasn't had dim-sum in one year (wah - talk about self-control! how can woman stay alive with no dim sum in one month, much less a year, huh? Score 2 for choosing something I love! ), for it was the closest good place to go from my workplace, for jill really wasn't picky about letting us make the choice. But it could've just been bread & water (hee, my standard meal [remember?] for all byj-related activities!) or swallowing air even, and we would've been ok.
Time? Noon.
And of course, these 2 take after BYJ (hmmm....learned behavior? haha)- Never late! Score 3! :)
I arrived a few minutes after noon (sorry, ..ummm...work...) and there they were already. In fact, baba-san had a prior arrangement until 11:30 am two cities away, and ...huh? she called me 10 minutes before noon from the restaurant to find out if I was already seated in the restaurant. Double-huh? :)
C'mon..baba-san...secretly....just between us...do you ever drive faster than the speed limit? hahaha :P
Sorry - just joking. I know you own a chopper :)
Ok, ok......I know you left your prior engagement early to get there. Thanks dear!
As I hurriedly parked my car and walked towards the restaurant scanning the crowd, I spotted these 2 ladies through the glass from the back...somehow, I just knew. Yes, the ones with the most welcoming smiles and the animated hand gestures must be them!
I can't describe it, you know. Meeting them was like meeting old friends - there was something very warm about these ladies. Suddenly, my "personal space" boundaries broke down, and hugs came ever so naturally. Truth is - no matter how loving you know most bae-sisters to be, you know there is usually something awkward and nerve racking about meeting new people. But I felt safe and secure from the start - perhaps because baba-san's peaceful and kind eyes had no ounce of judgemental quality to them whatsoever. She just let me be me.
Or perhaps Jill's wide smile never once left her face. Haha - you think YJ-ssi has it tough, smiling for hours on end? Try being Jill for a day! haha - having to smile at this piece of _______ for a few hours! (you fill in the blank haha). Hmmm...more learned behaviour, taking after YJ-ssi you think? Score 4 and 5!
Conversation topic?
Err.........are you kidding? :)
Actually, before a successful conversation could take place, Jill had to commit the brave act of snatching HRH away from me. I was completely distracted by HRH's images in one of Jill's new magazines and my nose was literally to it. She said, "Sorry - BYJ - there you go!" and away he went........tucked away in a bag, not to be bothering us again for the rest of lunch. Haha - sorry, YJ-ssi, are you breathing ok in that bag? hahaha.
What? YJ-ssi , what did you say?
What - you'll give us 2 hours? Gosh - you drive a hard bargain, but ok (!) you got a deal! Away you go!
Yes, of course you are always in our mind, but you cannot expect to be front and center every time, can you ? hahaha. Especially when us ladies are lunching, ok? :)
In fact, we started when the restaurant was just beginning to fill up with the lunch crowd. And ended when almost everyone left! You should've seen the waiters. They had to drop a hint, passing by every so often with that check at the end there and even dimmed the lights in VIP rooms. HINT, HINT! OK. We get the message, but .....err...we're not done! :) Well, I wasn't done anyway, but I hope the ladies' ears weren't ouching with pain from all the yakkety-yak!
My impressions?
I can't say what the ladies were thinking or feeling (snore? haha), but for me, I can't believe how easily conversation flowed, how we jived so well, how Jill would actually complete my sentences for me so many times as if she knew what I was thinking (wow!), how very selfless baba-san is when it comes to her fan attitude towards BYJ (we all have a thing or two to learn from her!), how many times we clapped from excitement, how Jill managed to sneak food onto our plates all the time (huh? errr...jill oh jill, what is this hump on my hips today??), how baba-san's understanding words and nods made me feel some comfortable in expressing myself freely, how? how? how?....!
And also how time could pass so quickly? We really proved once again that BYJ conversations have no limits or endings.
Ohhh....and oops! Almost forgot.
We actually had a surprise visitor in the middle of lunch!
Surprise, surprise - after hearing about our impromptu meeting, we received a surprise greeting call from.....sister Coco from Vancouver?! Wasn't that thoughtful?
Although they've all been friends for a while, it was the first time Jill & baba-san had conversed with her in real-life. So neat to watch the "choum" connection come down in front of me. And so sweet! As for me, it has been so long since I've heard this sister's calming voice - really brings back some good times, you know? So glad to hear you are doing so well, coco!
It never ceases to amaze me how YJ-ssi can forge so many relationships. And if you really think about it, this is really what the real relationships are and should be made of - common personalities, ideals, interests, etc., unimpeded by the superficial stuff such as appearances, skin color, or what bag they carry, right?
Ahhhh.....July 1st, 2008! Will come down in history as one of the more memorable days in my life! As YJ-ssi said in Osaka after the ride around the stadium, boy "I really should've done that sooner!" I've travelled miles and miles to meet Bae-sisters around the world, and there was this precious "family" right here in my backyard, right there in front of me!
Score 10/10, ladies! :) Thanks for a great afternoon!
By the way, how are you ears today ? :)
Well.....actually I take that back. Jill only gets a 9.9! She was naughty at the end, and she knows exactly why!
Thank you, thank you YJ-ssi, for bringing orchestrating such great moments in my life!
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Outrageous Osaka Outing - Take 2
Hi everyone -
Sorry I am so slow - been extremely distracted lately by BYJ and ....... BYJ. I'm sure you all empathize! He's as dashing as ever, no? If he's found a "look" that works, I'm not sure I mind seeing him in it day in and out ! :D
Anyway, a bit of a fair warning. Day 2 was completely "sans" BYJ. I know many of you would choose not to read stuff that is not about him directly, so this is your chance to click out!
************
Hee, "One down! ". Yep, she's been eliminated, yay! Slowly, sis after sis nod off, and ahhhhhh......the room thanks us for achieving peace and quiet in the room at last!
Must have been very late when the we fell asleep because my sheets were barely wrinkled at all, but we're up early on May 31st for what was expected to be a full day. Weather was kinda gloomy and soupy, and my "looks" matched it perfectly too - I do look astonishingly like a direct descendant of Herman Munster when I don't sleep - face a bit ashen and greenish, hair taking on its own personality, dark concentric hollows encircling my eyes. My sis begs me to do society a favor and stop shunning makeup, but hey, remember, since I don't walk around with a mirror all day, I am not the one that has to suffer the fate of looking at my awful face - haha, pity the world! Anyway our moods were quite the contrary - filled of hopes of the unknown, of rumors of the casts' planned rehearsals and of more great sisters coming into town...!
Anyway, we were up early, but apparently not early enough. Some sis later said that BYJ was seen talking an early am walk around the hotel - aiyo! YJ-ssi, for a smart man, you sometimes really don't act it! (sorry, just kidding!) Sheesh, didn't you know you were supposed to coordinate your schedule with me? :)
Although he was supposedly flagged by his guard, actually it was really a great feeling to know that he's found the time and a way to enjoy the charming views of the riverside walks running behind the hotel! We walked it ourselves later that day, and it was quite possibly the most tranquil and non-oxygen deprived moments of my entire trip. Well done, YJ-ssi!
Anyway, it was a good thing he didn't bump into Munster mishio - or else he would've thought that he was night walking or something...gosh, is it really day or night?! haha. The sight of me by the river is like pure pollution, you know? You should all thank me for not ruining such a rare and precious moment in his life. For the record, I accept your "thanks" in all forms of communication! :)
Anyway, shortly after 9am, we were congregated in the big and spacious lobby of the hotel after gobbling down a scrumptious breakfast(me, so bad!)...... of water and bread! The lobby is quite aristocratic looking, no? Perfect location for a BYJ sorority convention :) which was really what it was quickly becoming. With every passing the hour, we kept bumping into more and more, new and old familiar faces as anyone that visited the Imperial Hotel that day found reason to course through the hotel lobby at least once.
By a gentle hand from above, it was there that I ran back into one of my favorite sisters K - a kind and gentle being who will always take up a special place in my heart for she is actually the first Japanese sister I ever met and befriended. Although we don't communicate as often or easily as we'd like, her caring actions demonstrate the kind of unconditional kindness and thoughtfulness that I never knew humans were capable of. Yes, K - we were meant to know each other, no? Thank you so much for everything!
Amongst many others too many to name, I should mention that we were also in the honored presence of the famous Korachan, whose amazing abilities with the computer graphics and the creative have reduced mature women to drooling children a few times too many. Oh...she is so talented, and so thoughtful too - take a look at these homemade goodies she prepared to us!
Don't they look professionally made? down to the neat and tidy packaging......!
I swear - I don't even have the faintest idea where to start to make stuff like that, much less make it that nice!
My most notable impression of her - well... She is simply a being who's thoroughly warm and comfortable and calm and inviting - all nerves of meeting her simply disappear right away as she puts you at ease from the first moment you meet her! In Chinese custom, I would describe her face as "gut meen seung" - loosely translated as a face full of harmony and good vibes and usually someone expected to be rewarded with a life of good fortune. For everything you do/have done for us, thank you so so so so much, Korachan. The pleasure was all and totally mine!
From Korachan, I found out that one of the donated tickets came from...........fellow L.A. sister baba-san herself! Talk about coming full circle ! I had no idea until then or I would have thanked this lovely sister a lot sooner. Thanks .... your generosity and consideration made another sister's dream come true! She is truly the epitome of the kind spirit of this family!
During one happy moment, our small group of sisters tried to take a group pic - heehee, I line up but hid behind someone on purpose. Sorry, it's another of my diseases, this photo shutter phobia of mine. Hope no one was terribly offended, but I not only dislike seeing myself in pics, I am paranoid of exposure. Sorry to one and all!
Most importantly, with all the sis busy posing their best around the couch, we just flagged...a man, any passing man, to do the clicking duties. This super, super nice and kind gentleman happened to come along and agreed to help without any hesitation. In fact, he really got into it and did his best to move people around until they got a one-of-a-kind shot! So considerate. Haha - oops and guess what? Turned out he's from the upper echelons of Key East! Whoops indeed! Well, give the man an "A+" - he chatted with us briefly, and then even helped a sister with an arm cast to carry her luggage a good distance. wow - does all this goodness rub off of HRH's shoulders or the other way around or both? chivalry - just a lovely sight!
and haha- wonder what he thought of us ordering him around??!! :D And I wonder if these stories - stories of fans having a grand 'ol time because of BYJ and BYJ only - ever trickle back up to the big man himself? He would be so pleased to know that...I should think.
Anyway, let me digress for a moment. The one thing that was different about "official meetings" and other set "dates" of formal meetings with other sisters is the lack of true quality time. Speaking honestly, it was nerve-racking at many times, like there was a pinball boing -ing around in my head. Remember ...we're not beautifully coiffed and dressed in our Sunday's best and sitting down for a carefree lunch, dinner or tea with a protected and unlimited period of time to chit-chat leisurely.
At these official events, we never know how much time we have before we have to run and take our places for whatever we were taking our places for. As expected, we had temporary and frequent interruptions at the hint of this or that commotion - be it Mr. Shin passing through after his breakfast, a sudden rush of movement by a group of fans, a shreek here and there that can mean anything from "BYJ is coming" to "Oh...that was gross" - whatever it meant, it would stop everyone's conversations dead in their tracks and eyes darting around like arrows. Frequent reports would filter through the crowd - regarding the rapidly growing number of crowds outsides, security activities, etc. - enough to drive most brain wires to overheat.
Who's in charge of monitoring such activities? No one officially, but for our group, it was yours truly by default. I think when you travel as a group, each persons' abilities and attributes naturally lead one to assume a certain set role within the group. Some are better with keeping track of expenses, some take marvelous pictures, etc. etc.
My biggest and most wonderful credentials ? ? None other than 2 arms and a pair of willing legs, so I somehow have been chronically assigned to the footwork department :) Won't elaborate, but a playback of the hotel security tapes might be quite amusing - that munster chick must have entered and exited the lobby over a dozen times that morning!
Anyway ladies, mishio says it's time to go line up with the hundreds & hundreds of ladies waiting outside!
I mean, if he were to sneak out just 10 feet away while we were just chatting in the lobby - I think fists would fly and heads would roll. hahaha. Once we assume our positions outside the hotel, the countdown clock officially began. And once you have a prime viewing spot, it is in your interest not to move and lose it. So............mishio's duties as a "runner" accelerates!
"OH..Mr. Shin was said to be in the lobby again - mishio, go check that out and report back!"
ok.
"Oh...Mr. Yang and Mr. Bae (i.e. the new BOFi honcho) have just now been spotting grabbing a bite in the cafe. mishio - go check that out and let us know what's going on inside."
okie.
"Oh...someone said the security is starting to assemble in the lobby. can you see if that's true?"
ay, ay ma'am!
"oh...forgot this and that from the room. Can you run and grab it?"
ay................!!!!!!
my feet start to scream! just you wait ladies - wait till I develop some real skills and I'll quit my "girl-friday" job as quickly as you can say b-y-e! hahahaha!
Actually, it's kinda fun for me since standing still in place is not my forte. And I think you can understand, no? It's so boring to just wait and wait so that when you're inside, you want to know what action is going on outside. When you are outside, you want to know what's happening inside.
Now, maybe you can get any idea why I was so exhausted? And dear sisters that I met casually while congregating outside the hotel...maybe now you can understand why I was so frazzled and distracted and cannot carry on decent conversation....? A big "sorry" to everyone - you see, OMA had a lot of homework for me at any given time... :p
By now, you've read jaime's post about the less than perfect weather conditions and the more even further from perfect "wait" we chose to endure. Yes, us sillies chose to do it by our own accord.
What's more remarkable is how the ladies I wanted to meet...all ended up in the same general vicinity amongst the hundreds of ladies lining the entire long exit path of the hotel.
This looks like a good time to thank our princess once again for being such a proactive and thoughtful switchboard operator. Hee, I saw this outside Softbank's building while on the trip and guess who I thought of? :)
Come to think of it, she is really the glue that holds much of this family together. Speaking for myself, I know I probably wouldn't still be a fan, or would have crept back underground at the very least, if not for her steady encouragement. ( Ummmm....then again, is that a good thing? hahahaha :P just kidding, girl!)
Anyway, once she found out that my trip was a "go" , despite the fact that there were just a few days to spare before the big event, she worked mighty hard there in the background to connect me up with cloudnine, jaime and tomato99, all of whom touched me so much with their generous offer of assistance while I was in Japan. Gosh - I am such a nobody, and these sweet ladies were worried about me, the foreigner, bumbling around lost in Japan? They were so right of course - I did get lost often, but I did find my way home eventually. Thank you, thank you again ladies - your consideration is just too much! How is it that, before such a grand event and with all the busy stuff you've all going on in your life, you can still all instinctively think of others before yourselves?? Just amazing!
But haha, hopefully by now you know that I'm not much of kidnap target - who would want to lift this sack of potatoes anyway? (haha, ok too much kidding around)
Anyway, slowly but surely, as if destined by fate, one by one these sis just started appearing in front of me. Unlike many fans, with exception of my blog - which is essentially a one-way dialogue, I've maintained quite a barrier of privacy in this byj world. Nope, I haven't ever communicated with any of them before, with the exception of a rare run-in at a blog comment box or on quilt. Without knowing what to expect...it was really nice that the meetings happened without warning rather than planned, so I didn't have to endure a case of nerves.
Most amusing - was my meeting with tomato99.
Now ladies........especially the newbies, please take note! when chosing an id, do choose carefully! Heehee, no offense, but with nothing to go on, my mental image of this superquick superstar contributor on Quilt was.............well...........it was that of a "tomato." haha. What a wrong image that would be - for this statuesque and confident lady that stood before me was everything but the semblance of a ruddy and plump and round tomato! No fair -we are sooooooo misled - kakaka !!
Let's backup a bit, shall we? With my frequent zip ins and outs of the hotel, I had actually lost my prime first row"waiting" location somehow. So, rather than be squeezed to the 3rd or 4th row, I took a quite look around and imitated the other ingenious sis by balancing myself on one of the series of circular short 2 feet posts lining the parking exit, in order to gain a better vantage point. Hee - it was just as I was digging hard for these buried acrobatic skills (i promise, they are there somewhere! ) -trying to balance my both feet on this 6 inch diameter circular perch - when this sleek and modern looking lady came up to me ........ "Hi, I'm tomato!!"
Whoa! Who00000a!
Mishio capsizes! - and with that, I lost balance and had to jump and abandon ship or...err...perch!
Her - all full of grace.
Me - sighhhhhhh.........all full of disgrace :(
To my credit, I saved some face by acting like I meant to get off my step to greet her! :)
Hey, I can act! If tomato99 vouches for that, I can see a role as an "extra" on YJssi's next drama!
(What a lovely impression I made, huh?)
Anyway, over the years of being in the family, I've come to identify certain sis as either possessing "luck" or "no luck" when it comes to BYJ. It's part of every person's destiny that we can try to change but cannot really alter. Certain notable sis - they're golden, as if their life clock beats in step with HRH's. You know what I'm talking about, right? These ladies are the ones that never seem to wait much and they are rarely disappointed. And no, I'm not in that group.
But perhaps tomato is ! ( Of course I don't really know) But after we've been at it for 4 hours, she arrives just a short while before he's almost ready to drive by. Fortunate? or Fate? Haha -
The point being that we never really know if we will see him or not, but given the exact same end result for all hundreds of us, some of us seem to born to be day laborers, if you know what I mean!
Anyway, our encounter was quite brief but pleasant, with me mostly being tongue-tied and in awe . I'm sure we would've had a lot more to say to each other if....ahem....Mr. BYJ had not decided to get jealous (haha!) and decided to divert our attention towards him :P..... But with the heightened intensity around us, she had better quickly zip to find a a good viewing spot herself!
Jaime & cloudnine? I had the pleasure of "bumping" into them after a few tries of coordination by Korachan (sorry & thanks for the running around) who had to work hard to intercept me while I was involved in my various missions in and out of the lobby. We all ended up in the same general area at the end - seriously what a coincidence, huh?
Cloudnine was...........obviously not puffy and irregular like the clouds, either! :D
She is the picture of classic elegance and professionalism in dress and mannerism. How does she manage to not have a hair out of place? I don't have the answers, but she does - it's obvious.
Jaime? The fashionable one, as you would gather from reading her blog entries.
Dressed in a cropped babydoll white jacket, black pleated mini-skirt and ankle leggings with white flats(memory serving me right?), my first thought was...................where were those 4 inch leopard print stillettos she promised? hahahaha :) OK. Wrong date. That was supposed to be June 1st outfit, right Jaime?
I've always said that I am a slave to comfort. Actually, I envy those people that have the sense, energy, creativity, and figure to carry off the season's best trends. I can't and won't try to conduct any more fashion experiments after many years of hilarious and downright outrageousl attempts, that's all. And secretly, I'm glad that she isn't sporting 4 in heels, or she'd be talking to my scalp the whole time. She's kinda tall too by my standards, you know?
Anyway, both cloudnine & Jaime arrived together - you've read her description already. For starters, they didn't frown at the sight of me, and that gives them very very high marks in my book! haha. They relayed some of details of their ride from the am - it was Jaime's first shinkasen ride (what a thrill!) and cloudnine, the reliable guide, made all the arrangements. And we talked a bit about what happened in the am and who we'd met, but again, time was brief and scattered. Although I had to run off to deal with my "busy stuff," I remembered being relieved by the sense of ease I felt with these 2 ladies and how non-stressful it was to converse with them.
After we go back to taking our places, I cannot tell you how much longer it was.....but one by one, those 7 to 8 black vans starting to file out. Once while I was inside, I took note that E Ji Ah was one of the earliest to depart. Knowing that he won't be far behind, that's when I quickly scurried back out to take my place in line. No point, it turns out, as you all know by now that his car passed without a gap in the window. In fact, if the black tinted windows weren't enough, BYJ's car had an extra layer of thick cloth lining the windows. I guess opaque isn't really opaque enough ?
Surprisingly, I wasn't too disappointed. I guess after years of more disappointments than not, my natural and protective defenses have taken over. And sometimes, it is good to take a look around and re-set our gauges. When I get greedy and hope to get a good look at him each and every time, I just have to take a look around me and learn a lesson - On this day, I saw some ladies who were thrilled to tears just to have a chance to send him off with a cheer while others were happy enough at the mere thought of him having seen the fans on the line. That's infinitely more selfless than I am..!
As the crowds disbanded, I found cloudnine & jaime again - they looked pretty involved in making arrangements for their next plans. With some friends coming over to meet us for a bite, we said some quick good-byes and went about our business. Once back in our hotel, I remembered thinking "geez, mishio, how absentminded of you? " How rude I was for not inviting them to lunch? So I convinced the strict Imperial Hotel operator to transfer a call to their room. But...no go. Part of their group had already rushed off to check out Osaka Dome (bad, bad yj-ssi - it was late already!) and the other half of their group had much, much, much better plans in place - so envious lah! Bubble bath already being drawn and a massage to follow? Just heavenly - exactly where I would rather be!! And dinner? Jaime's appointment card is full! They already have plans..... Gee, why can't I ever be that organized? I'm always playing everything by ear.........!
With no time to waste and our stomachs mad as heck (5pm already and bread and water breakfast long dissolved), we rushed off to a nice Japanese seafood restaurant in the hotel complex to meet our local friends.
Unfortunately, talking always take precedence over eating when you haven't seen your pals for a long time - errr...where did all the food disappear to? I ended up appeasing my tummy with a piece of maki or two before we hurriedly took off for the Dome.
The only excitement there was that Mgr Yang, the last one to leave the dome that day, made a quick exit by jumping onto a taxi. With him gone, that pretty much signals that no other big stars would still be present. So, we took our time ,walking leisurely around and checking things out. That's where I took the pics of the busy-bees working inside the dome on my May 31st post - won't repeat myself here.
Along the walk paths to the Dome, we were impressed to see many cute and impressive signs - such as this one. Seems like the local businesses went all out to welcome the event......they took the time to write these to invite BYJ himself & family to come to their restaurant! Sure, the extra business wouldn't be bad either, but it was still a nice thing to see!
Think it was a quarter past 22:00pm when we finally schlepped back to our hotel. Was really worried that it was too late to meet Jaime, but haha - when I called her room and cellphone, this girl is still out somewhere partying! So we found some other pals in the hotel to visit, and by 22:30pm, I began to worry that the lack of an answer might mean that she was already sleeping. At the risk of interrupting her BYJ dream, I decided to make one more call. Surprise - she had just stepped back in, and we hurriedly made plans to meet in the lobby in 15 mins.
To my chagrin, when I arrived in the lobby, cloudnine & jaime were already waiting for me. They were excitedly sharing the story of their lovely dinner and they photo-op with the giant teddy-bear Mr. Shin - good for you gals! His new haircut is pretty becoming and he's really quite cute when he smiles a big one - hope your pics came out great!
And aaaaaaaackkkkkkkk - there was....there was... a mystery honor guest present! OMG! It was pallet! Do you know how many times people have to go to Japan to have the chance to run into her? I can't believe that standing before me was this super talented artist! Faint..........!
Guess this gentle and tender lady needs no introduction. (if you need an intro, ..hmmmmmmmm.....you a fan or not? haha) We've seen her countless sketches that she generously shares with all of us - I was able to finally tell her in person how impressed I was that her drawings not only capture the physical semblance of BYJ but also his spirit! She was even thoughtful to prepare an assortment of her famous drawings - for me??!!! Faint.....! When I saw them, I couldn't believe it - my eyes stretched open so wide they were going to explode. Oh my.....this was a monumental moment (!)....my very own set of truly, truly original sketches by pallet - with her every detailed stroke and filled with all her loving care! Thank you for such a precious, precious gift, my dear pallet, and thank you even more for a lovely chance occurance!
Oops - look at the time! cloudnine & pallet had an urgent appointment with the TV as TSWWG was coming on at 23:00pm, so we literally had 5-10 minutes before they had to run to their dream man! How can blame them? As you can see, at official events, time - the ever precious commodity - is scheduled to the minute - it is that hectic!
Meanwhile, I'm starving (really, really starving by now) and the only place open in the entire hotel + adjacent shopping complex is the hotel pub. With no other options before me, jaime was kind enough to endure through this loud and noisy, smoke-filled room with me (my apologies, and thank you!). As you've read, wenni also joined us and soon, the conversation was directed towards our day's trials and tribulations, with wenni sharing detailed accounts of her previous 3 days in Osaka. There was a loud and boisterous weddng party next to us, while other sisters who knew any one of us in our party were frequently coming to and fro- some tried to join us, some stopped just to say "hello" - it was a bit chaotic over all, with flashbacks of my college dorm hang-out scenes revisiting my mind there for a while. Sorry jaime - we never got off to much of a conversation, did we? I don't know if my rapid eating habits proved the most "intimidating" but promise I'll actually chew properly next time, ok? Thanks for your goodies (!) and thanks more for making the effort to greet scary munster mishio!
Not long later, jaime's fatigue is obvious, and both she and wenni retire for the night. My pals and I stay on ......well, I AM NOT DONE EATING MY DINNER OF NUTS and JUICE - the only food available at this hour!...and as I quickly survey the room, some of BOF's longtime admin/secur staff (not Mr.Shin of course, he had a supremely important task the next day!) were still drinking and chatting the night away at the table next to ours. Now if they don't have a need to turn in yet, why should we? :p As they threatened to close down the place, we had no choice but to file out and call it a night!
As you can see, even with BYJ around today, we can still have pretty full and exhausting days, and I can somehow manage to write pages - thanks to this diverse and lovely family!
Sorry I am so slow - been extremely distracted lately by BYJ and ....... BYJ. I'm sure you all empathize! He's as dashing as ever, no? If he's found a "look" that works, I'm not sure I mind seeing him in it day in and out ! :D
Anyway, a bit of a fair warning. Day 2 was completely "sans" BYJ. I know many of you would choose not to read stuff that is not about him directly, so this is your chance to click out!
************
Well, 4 nights were all I had in Japan, and day 2 came roaring at me a bit too quickly as nights quickly blended into days.
After our 7-11 escapade, we decided to conduct a marathon of jaw exercises by chatting about everything from nothing to the ridiculous. Well...we haven't seen each other in a long time and there was much to catch up about.
We gabbed through unpacking, gabbed while showing off our latest BYJ surprises from our luggage, gabbed with each other even through closed bathroom doors (haha, talk about the most lonely ladies on this planet!) while the other is washing up for the night. You know how that goes - sometimes, it felt like "life on perpetual rewind" for even when there was nothing else to say, we would repeat and repeat the same stories over and over again (good grief - why do we do that?), but it was all good - it's good practice for when we all become grandmamas! :p Bottom line is that we used up our saliva as quickly as we were capable of producing it. (Goodness, if I am already so repetitive like that now, what'll become of me when I get to the retirement home? :p )
How to stop? Hmmm....tough question. Sometimes I think that we're actually secretly competitive with each other and manifesting that as a nightly stamina contest or something, haha! (kidding, of course) Yes,it was like we were daring each other.........to fall asleep! haha. Inevitably, the "weakest" one amongst the few of us will suddenly fall silent and cease to respond all of a sudden - (hmmpt - how rude! :p ). Everyone turns to glare at her, at which point the timing is such that we'll be greeted with....a weird noise ?
Hee, "One down! ". Yep, she's been eliminated, yay! Slowly, sis after sis nod off, and ahhhhhh......the room thanks us for achieving peace and quiet in the room at last!
Must have been very late when the we fell asleep because my sheets were barely wrinkled at all, but we're up early on May 31st for what was expected to be a full day. Weather was kinda gloomy and soupy, and my "looks" matched it perfectly too - I do look astonishingly like a direct descendant of Herman Munster when I don't sleep - face a bit ashen and greenish, hair taking on its own personality, dark concentric hollows encircling my eyes. My sis begs me to do society a favor and stop shunning makeup, but hey, remember, since I don't walk around with a mirror all day, I am not the one that has to suffer the fate of looking at my awful face - haha, pity the world! Anyway our moods were quite the contrary - filled of hopes of the unknown, of rumors of the casts' planned rehearsals and of more great sisters coming into town...!
Anyway, we were up early, but apparently not early enough. Some sis later said that BYJ was seen talking an early am walk around the hotel - aiyo! YJ-ssi, for a smart man, you sometimes really don't act it! (sorry, just kidding!) Sheesh, didn't you know you were supposed to coordinate your schedule with me? :)
Although he was supposedly flagged by his guard, actually it was really a great feeling to know that he's found the time and a way to enjoy the charming views of the riverside walks running behind the hotel! We walked it ourselves later that day, and it was quite possibly the most tranquil and non-oxygen deprived moments of my entire trip. Well done, YJ-ssi!
Anyway, it was a good thing he didn't bump into Munster mishio - or else he would've thought that he was night walking or something...gosh, is it really day or night?! haha. The sight of me by the river is like pure pollution, you know? You should all thank me for not ruining such a rare and precious moment in his life. For the record, I accept your "thanks" in all forms of communication! :)
Anyway, shortly after 9am, we were congregated in the big and spacious lobby of the hotel after gobbling down a scrumptious breakfast(me, so bad!)...... of water and bread! The lobby is quite aristocratic looking, no? Perfect location for a BYJ sorority convention :) which was really what it was quickly becoming. With every passing the hour, we kept bumping into more and more, new and old familiar faces as anyone that visited the Imperial Hotel that day found reason to course through the hotel lobby at least once.
By a gentle hand from above, it was there that I ran back into one of my favorite sisters K - a kind and gentle being who will always take up a special place in my heart for she is actually the first Japanese sister I ever met and befriended. Although we don't communicate as often or easily as we'd like, her caring actions demonstrate the kind of unconditional kindness and thoughtfulness that I never knew humans were capable of. Yes, K - we were meant to know each other, no? Thank you so much for everything!
Amongst many others too many to name, I should mention that we were also in the honored presence of the famous Korachan, whose amazing abilities with the computer graphics and the creative have reduced mature women to drooling children a few times too many. Oh...she is so talented, and so thoughtful too - take a look at these homemade goodies she prepared to us!
Don't they look professionally made? down to the neat and tidy packaging......!
I swear - I don't even have the faintest idea where to start to make stuff like that, much less make it that nice!
My most notable impression of her - well... She is simply a being who's thoroughly warm and comfortable and calm and inviting - all nerves of meeting her simply disappear right away as she puts you at ease from the first moment you meet her! In Chinese custom, I would describe her face as "gut meen seung" - loosely translated as a face full of harmony and good vibes and usually someone expected to be rewarded with a life of good fortune. For everything you do/have done for us, thank you so so so so much, Korachan. The pleasure was all and totally mine!
From Korachan, I found out that one of the donated tickets came from...........fellow L.A. sister baba-san herself! Talk about coming full circle ! I had no idea until then or I would have thanked this lovely sister a lot sooner. Thanks .... your generosity and consideration made another sister's dream come true! She is truly the epitome of the kind spirit of this family!
During one happy moment, our small group of sisters tried to take a group pic - heehee, I line up but hid behind someone on purpose. Sorry, it's another of my diseases, this photo shutter phobia of mine. Hope no one was terribly offended, but I not only dislike seeing myself in pics, I am paranoid of exposure. Sorry to one and all!
Most importantly, with all the sis busy posing their best around the couch, we just flagged...a man, any passing man, to do the clicking duties. This super, super nice and kind gentleman happened to come along and agreed to help without any hesitation. In fact, he really got into it and did his best to move people around until they got a one-of-a-kind shot! So considerate. Haha - oops and guess what? Turned out he's from the upper echelons of Key East! Whoops indeed! Well, give the man an "A+" - he chatted with us briefly, and then even helped a sister with an arm cast to carry her luggage a good distance. wow - does all this goodness rub off of HRH's shoulders or the other way around or both? chivalry - just a lovely sight!
and haha- wonder what he thought of us ordering him around??!! :D And I wonder if these stories - stories of fans having a grand 'ol time because of BYJ and BYJ only - ever trickle back up to the big man himself? He would be so pleased to know that...I should think.
Anyway, let me digress for a moment. The one thing that was different about "official meetings" and other set "dates" of formal meetings with other sisters is the lack of true quality time. Speaking honestly, it was nerve-racking at many times, like there was a pinball boing -ing around in my head. Remember ...we're not beautifully coiffed and dressed in our Sunday's best and sitting down for a carefree lunch, dinner or tea with a protected and unlimited period of time to chit-chat leisurely.
At these official events, we never know how much time we have before we have to run and take our places for whatever we were taking our places for. As expected, we had temporary and frequent interruptions at the hint of this or that commotion - be it Mr. Shin passing through after his breakfast, a sudden rush of movement by a group of fans, a shreek here and there that can mean anything from "BYJ is coming" to "Oh...that was gross" - whatever it meant, it would stop everyone's conversations dead in their tracks and eyes darting around like arrows. Frequent reports would filter through the crowd - regarding the rapidly growing number of crowds outsides, security activities, etc. - enough to drive most brain wires to overheat.
Who's in charge of monitoring such activities? No one officially, but for our group, it was yours truly by default. I think when you travel as a group, each persons' abilities and attributes naturally lead one to assume a certain set role within the group. Some are better with keeping track of expenses, some take marvelous pictures, etc. etc.
My biggest and most wonderful credentials ? ? None other than 2 arms and a pair of willing legs, so I somehow have been chronically assigned to the footwork department :) Won't elaborate, but a playback of the hotel security tapes might be quite amusing - that munster chick must have entered and exited the lobby over a dozen times that morning!
Anyway ladies, mishio says it's time to go line up with the hundreds & hundreds of ladies waiting outside!
I mean, if he were to sneak out just 10 feet away while we were just chatting in the lobby - I think fists would fly and heads would roll. hahaha. Once we assume our positions outside the hotel, the countdown clock officially began. And once you have a prime viewing spot, it is in your interest not to move and lose it. So............mishio's duties as a "runner" accelerates!"OH..Mr. Shin was said to be in the lobby again - mishio, go check that out and report back!"
ok.
"Oh...Mr. Yang and Mr. Bae (i.e. the new BOFi honcho) have just now been spotting grabbing a bite in the cafe. mishio - go check that out and let us know what's going on inside."
okie.
"Oh...someone said the security is starting to assemble in the lobby. can you see if that's true?"
ay, ay ma'am!
"oh...forgot this and that from the room. Can you run and grab it?"
ay................!!!!!!
my feet start to scream! just you wait ladies - wait till I develop some real skills and I'll quit my "girl-friday" job as quickly as you can say b-y-e! hahahaha!
Actually, it's kinda fun for me since standing still in place is not my forte. And I think you can understand, no? It's so boring to just wait and wait so that when you're inside, you want to know what action is going on outside. When you are outside, you want to know what's happening inside.
Now, maybe you can get any idea why I was so exhausted? And dear sisters that I met casually while congregating outside the hotel...maybe now you can understand why I was so frazzled and distracted and cannot carry on decent conversation....? A big "sorry" to everyone - you see, OMA had a lot of homework for me at any given time... :p
By now, you've read jaime's post about the less than perfect weather conditions and the more even further from perfect "wait" we chose to endure. Yes, us sillies chose to do it by our own accord.
What's more remarkable is how the ladies I wanted to meet...all ended up in the same general vicinity amongst the hundreds of ladies lining the entire long exit path of the hotel.
This looks like a good time to thank our princess once again for being such a proactive and thoughtful switchboard operator. Hee, I saw this outside Softbank's building while on the trip and guess who I thought of? :)
Come to think of it, she is really the glue that holds much of this family together. Speaking for myself, I know I probably wouldn't still be a fan, or would have crept back underground at the very least, if not for her steady encouragement. ( Ummmm....then again, is that a good thing? hahahaha :P just kidding, girl!)
Anyway, once she found out that my trip was a "go" , despite the fact that there were just a few days to spare before the big event, she worked mighty hard there in the background to connect me up with cloudnine, jaime and tomato99, all of whom touched me so much with their generous offer of assistance while I was in Japan. Gosh - I am such a nobody, and these sweet ladies were worried about me, the foreigner, bumbling around lost in Japan? They were so right of course - I did get lost often, but I did find my way home eventually. Thank you, thank you again ladies - your consideration is just too much! How is it that, before such a grand event and with all the busy stuff you've all going on in your life, you can still all instinctively think of others before yourselves?? Just amazing!
But haha, hopefully by now you know that I'm not much of kidnap target - who would want to lift this sack of potatoes anyway? (haha, ok too much kidding around)
Anyway, slowly but surely, as if destined by fate, one by one these sis just started appearing in front of me. Unlike many fans, with exception of my blog - which is essentially a one-way dialogue, I've maintained quite a barrier of privacy in this byj world. Nope, I haven't ever communicated with any of them before, with the exception of a rare run-in at a blog comment box or on quilt. Without knowing what to expect...it was really nice that the meetings happened without warning rather than planned, so I didn't have to endure a case of nerves.
Most amusing - was my meeting with tomato99.
Now ladies........especially the newbies, please take note! when chosing an id, do choose carefully! Heehee, no offense, but with nothing to go on, my mental image of this superquick superstar contributor on Quilt was.............well...........it was that of a "tomato." haha. What a wrong image that would be - for this statuesque and confident lady that stood before me was everything but the semblance of a ruddy and plump and round tomato! No fair -we are sooooooo misled - kakaka !!
Let's backup a bit, shall we? With my frequent zip ins and outs of the hotel, I had actually lost my prime first row"waiting" location somehow. So, rather than be squeezed to the 3rd or 4th row, I took a quite look around and imitated the other ingenious sis by balancing myself on one of the series of circular short 2 feet posts lining the parking exit, in order to gain a better vantage point. Hee - it was just as I was digging hard for these buried acrobatic skills (i promise, they are there somewhere! ) -trying to balance my both feet on this 6 inch diameter circular perch - when this sleek and modern looking lady came up to me ........ "Hi, I'm tomato!!"
Whoa! Who00000a!
Mishio capsizes! - and with that, I lost balance and had to jump and abandon ship or...err...perch!
Her - all full of grace.
Me - sighhhhhhh.........all full of disgrace :(
To my credit, I saved some face by acting like I meant to get off my step to greet her! :)
Hey, I can act! If tomato99 vouches for that, I can see a role as an "extra" on YJssi's next drama!
(What a lovely impression I made, huh?)
Anyway, over the years of being in the family, I've come to identify certain sis as either possessing "luck" or "no luck" when it comes to BYJ. It's part of every person's destiny that we can try to change but cannot really alter. Certain notable sis - they're golden, as if their life clock beats in step with HRH's. You know what I'm talking about, right? These ladies are the ones that never seem to wait much and they are rarely disappointed. And no, I'm not in that group.
But perhaps tomato is ! ( Of course I don't really know) But after we've been at it for 4 hours, she arrives just a short while before he's almost ready to drive by. Fortunate? or Fate? Haha -
The point being that we never really know if we will see him or not, but given the exact same end result for all hundreds of us, some of us seem to born to be day laborers, if you know what I mean!
Anyway, our encounter was quite brief but pleasant, with me mostly being tongue-tied and in awe . I'm sure we would've had a lot more to say to each other if....ahem....Mr. BYJ had not decided to get jealous (haha!) and decided to divert our attention towards him :P..... But with the heightened intensity around us, she had better quickly zip to find a a good viewing spot herself!
Jaime & cloudnine? I had the pleasure of "bumping" into them after a few tries of coordination by Korachan (sorry & thanks for the running around) who had to work hard to intercept me while I was involved in my various missions in and out of the lobby. We all ended up in the same general area at the end - seriously what a coincidence, huh?
Cloudnine was...........obviously not puffy and irregular like the clouds, either! :D
She is the picture of classic elegance and professionalism in dress and mannerism. How does she manage to not have a hair out of place? I don't have the answers, but she does - it's obvious.
Jaime? The fashionable one, as you would gather from reading her blog entries.
Dressed in a cropped babydoll white jacket, black pleated mini-skirt and ankle leggings with white flats(memory serving me right?), my first thought was...................where were those 4 inch leopard print stillettos she promised? hahahaha :) OK. Wrong date. That was supposed to be June 1st outfit, right Jaime?
I've always said that I am a slave to comfort. Actually, I envy those people that have the sense, energy, creativity, and figure to carry off the season's best trends. I can't and won't try to conduct any more fashion experiments after many years of hilarious and downright outrageousl attempts, that's all. And secretly, I'm glad that she isn't sporting 4 in heels, or she'd be talking to my scalp the whole time. She's kinda tall too by my standards, you know?
Anyway, both cloudnine & Jaime arrived together - you've read her description already. For starters, they didn't frown at the sight of me, and that gives them very very high marks in my book! haha. They relayed some of details of their ride from the am - it was Jaime's first shinkasen ride (what a thrill!) and cloudnine, the reliable guide, made all the arrangements. And we talked a bit about what happened in the am and who we'd met, but again, time was brief and scattered. Although I had to run off to deal with my "busy stuff," I remembered being relieved by the sense of ease I felt with these 2 ladies and how non-stressful it was to converse with them.
After we go back to taking our places, I cannot tell you how much longer it was.....but one by one, those 7 to 8 black vans starting to file out. Once while I was inside, I took note that E Ji Ah was one of the earliest to depart. Knowing that he won't be far behind, that's when I quickly scurried back out to take my place in line. No point, it turns out, as you all know by now that his car passed without a gap in the window. In fact, if the black tinted windows weren't enough, BYJ's car had an extra layer of thick cloth lining the windows. I guess opaque isn't really opaque enough ?
Surprisingly, I wasn't too disappointed. I guess after years of more disappointments than not, my natural and protective defenses have taken over. And sometimes, it is good to take a look around and re-set our gauges. When I get greedy and hope to get a good look at him each and every time, I just have to take a look around me and learn a lesson - On this day, I saw some ladies who were thrilled to tears just to have a chance to send him off with a cheer while others were happy enough at the mere thought of him having seen the fans on the line. That's infinitely more selfless than I am..!
As the crowds disbanded, I found cloudnine & jaime again - they looked pretty involved in making arrangements for their next plans. With some friends coming over to meet us for a bite, we said some quick good-byes and went about our business. Once back in our hotel, I remembered thinking "geez, mishio, how absentminded of you? " How rude I was for not inviting them to lunch? So I convinced the strict Imperial Hotel operator to transfer a call to their room. But...no go. Part of their group had already rushed off to check out Osaka Dome (bad, bad yj-ssi - it was late already!) and the other half of their group had much, much, much better plans in place - so envious lah! Bubble bath already being drawn and a massage to follow? Just heavenly - exactly where I would rather be!! And dinner? Jaime's appointment card is full! They already have plans..... Gee, why can't I ever be that organized? I'm always playing everything by ear.........!
With no time to waste and our stomachs mad as heck (5pm already and bread and water breakfast long dissolved), we rushed off to a nice Japanese seafood restaurant in the hotel complex to meet our local friends.
Unfortunately, talking always take precedence over eating when you haven't seen your pals for a long time - errr...where did all the food disappear to? I ended up appeasing my tummy with a piece of maki or two before we hurriedly took off for the Dome.
The only excitement there was that Mgr Yang, the last one to leave the dome that day, made a quick exit by jumping onto a taxi. With him gone, that pretty much signals that no other big stars would still be present. So, we took our time ,walking leisurely around and checking things out. That's where I took the pics of the busy-bees working inside the dome on my May 31st post - won't repeat myself here.
Along the walk paths to the Dome, we were impressed to see many cute and impressive signs - such as this one. Seems like the local businesses went all out to welcome the event......they took the time to write these to invite BYJ himself & family to come to their restaurant! Sure, the extra business wouldn't be bad either, but it was still a nice thing to see!
Think it was a quarter past 22:00pm when we finally schlepped back to our hotel. Was really worried that it was too late to meet Jaime, but haha - when I called her room and cellphone, this girl is still out somewhere partying! So we found some other pals in the hotel to visit, and by 22:30pm, I began to worry that the lack of an answer might mean that she was already sleeping. At the risk of interrupting her BYJ dream, I decided to make one more call. Surprise - she had just stepped back in, and we hurriedly made plans to meet in the lobby in 15 mins.
To my chagrin, when I arrived in the lobby, cloudnine & jaime were already waiting for me. They were excitedly sharing the story of their lovely dinner and they photo-op with the giant teddy-bear Mr. Shin - good for you gals! His new haircut is pretty becoming and he's really quite cute when he smiles a big one - hope your pics came out great!
And aaaaaaaackkkkkkkk - there was....there was... a mystery honor guest present! OMG! It was pallet! Do you know how many times people have to go to Japan to have the chance to run into her? I can't believe that standing before me was this super talented artist! Faint..........!
Guess this gentle and tender lady needs no introduction. (if you need an intro, ..hmmmmmmmm.....you a fan or not? haha) We've seen her countless sketches that she generously shares with all of us - I was able to finally tell her in person how impressed I was that her drawings not only capture the physical semblance of BYJ but also his spirit! She was even thoughtful to prepare an assortment of her famous drawings - for me??!!! Faint.....! When I saw them, I couldn't believe it - my eyes stretched open so wide they were going to explode. Oh my.....this was a monumental moment (!)....my very own set of truly, truly original sketches by pallet - with her every detailed stroke and filled with all her loving care! Thank you for such a precious, precious gift, my dear pallet, and thank you even more for a lovely chance occurance!
Oops - look at the time! cloudnine & pallet had an urgent appointment with the TV as TSWWG was coming on at 23:00pm, so we literally had 5-10 minutes before they had to run to their dream man! How can blame them? As you can see, at official events, time - the ever precious commodity - is scheduled to the minute - it is that hectic!
Meanwhile, I'm starving (really, really starving by now) and the only place open in the entire hotel + adjacent shopping complex is the hotel pub. With no other options before me, jaime was kind enough to endure through this loud and noisy, smoke-filled room with me (my apologies, and thank you!). As you've read, wenni also joined us and soon, the conversation was directed towards our day's trials and tribulations, with wenni sharing detailed accounts of her previous 3 days in Osaka. There was a loud and boisterous weddng party next to us, while other sisters who knew any one of us in our party were frequently coming to and fro- some tried to join us, some stopped just to say "hello" - it was a bit chaotic over all, with flashbacks of my college dorm hang-out scenes revisiting my mind there for a while. Sorry jaime - we never got off to much of a conversation, did we? I don't know if my rapid eating habits proved the most "intimidating" but promise I'll actually chew properly next time, ok? Thanks for your goodies (!) and thanks more for making the effort to greet scary munster mishio!
Not long later, jaime's fatigue is obvious, and both she and wenni retire for the night. My pals and I stay on ......well, I AM NOT DONE EATING MY DINNER OF NUTS and JUICE - the only food available at this hour!...and as I quickly survey the room, some of BOF's longtime admin/secur staff (not Mr.Shin of course, he had a supremely important task the next day!) were still drinking and chatting the night away at the table next to ours. Now if they don't have a need to turn in yet, why should we? :p As they threatened to close down the place, we had no choice but to file out and call it a night!
As you can see, even with BYJ around today, we can still have pretty full and exhausting days, and I can somehow manage to write pages - thanks to this diverse and lovely family!
Friday, June 06, 2008
Outrageous Osaka Outing , Take 1 (**minus dialogue**)
Wonder why the "bloggers" have yet to blog about their big outing yet?
Miffed even?
Aiyo....! You don't even understand.......... :D
I've said before that this trip can only be described as "extreme."
Imagine the self-admittedly frenetic and edgy mishio, dashing around at full speed.
Yes, it's mishio on adrenaline blast.
And yes folks, it is a scary sight.
I swear there were times I tried to do so much that my 2 eyeballs were travelling in different directions. Gosh...was it infintely exhausting or what?!
I can't speak for the others, but I'm sure a lot of them are in the same state that I'm in right now - so thoroughly burned out, so emotionally and physically spent that I came home nothing but a complete blank.
Miffed even?
Aiyo....! You don't even understand.......... :D
I've said before that this trip can only be described as "extreme."
Imagine the self-admittedly frenetic and edgy mishio, dashing around at full speed.
Yes, it's mishio on adrenaline blast.
And yes folks, it is a scary sight.
I swear there were times I tried to do so much that my 2 eyeballs were travelling in different directions. Gosh...was it infintely exhausting or what?!
I can't speak for the others, but I'm sure a lot of them are in the same state that I'm in right now - so thoroughly burned out, so emotionally and physically spent that I came home nothing but a complete blank.
Seriously, if they run me through the x-ray machine, they may just end up with a clean black film. Well......on second thought, they might have picked up the giant slice of pizza I hurriedly gobbled down on the way driving home. You should've seen me chow down -- would've thought I hadn't eaten in days. Well...that's almost true :p
With good distance away from that fateful Osaka event plus festivities, I'm just starting to regain perspective. What the heck is it about this man that makes me feel and behave like a reckless 18 year old teenager? (Alas...the organic body proves not so! >< )
Whenever there is any remote possibility that HE may come around, the raw anticipatory expressions on my fellow sisters' faces tell it all. It is one of the main reasons why I am a BYJ fan.
This man - he somehow possesses this unique ability to invoke such positive energy, to inspire hope when there was none, to believe in the impossible, to look forward to something wonderful on the horizon..... And I don't mean just those instances when we're standing around waiting for him to shower us with an appearance. Really - at least for myself, I've found that the attitude carries over to other aspects of my life as well. Yes, that is why I continue to be a BYJ fan.
Moreover in my case, he manages to make me shut my fat trap at his sight - now that's hard! (some of you already know that unlike all the gracefully patient sisters, all I ever do is open and close my mouth to complain while I wait in line for HRH, with my words generally veering towards being quite foul by the 6th hour! - haha, I'm only half-joking, ok?!)
Wah- mishio - so much mouth garbage today? Sorry...forgot to pack oral hygiene rinse! But those of you who visit me here know I am not only wordy (sorry), but sometimes painfully honest (doubly sorry!)...it's my style, so please be forewarned and not be offended. I'll say the good, the bad, the controversial....anything that comes to mind, and no one bother me about it, deal?
Anyway, it's been an eternity since I've done a travel report (there's a good reason :P for that!) - where to begin?
It was just a short trip this one - a trip planned and centered entirely around and for the Osaka Event alone. Ever since the Saitama event, ever since that day I was moved to tears, matching a bucket of mine for every drop YJssi shed himself at that unforgettable event, I had long prayed for an encore event and an opportunity to watch, feel, sense everything for myself live.
People who stand to benefit most from this? My family, of course, who will not have to mop up once again the mess of this emotionally unravelled adult after the event. The other mess? Well, they're happy too that at least our carpet won't ever have to suffer irreversible water stains again. YJ-ssi - you haven't any idea the damage you're capable of causing, have you? :D
Someday....I said to myself. Someday.......
And when this vision of "someday" became almost a reality with the announcement of the TSG Premium Event, I naturally leaped at the chance.
Perhaps it was unrealistic of me...to expect that any moment so special could ever be duplicated again. And it was definitely ridiculous of me to compare a TSG event - meant to promote the drama and the entire cast to Japan - to a fan meeting headlining BYJ alone. Such is the danger of expectations. But.....this is what all BYJ fans fall prey to. Our eyes just glass over at the mention of his name. We are blinded without even knowing. The fantasies we conjure up are immediate and automatic.
Still, even with my 2 feet firmly touching the ground for a moment - this was after all Japan. And with their technical wizardary and superb standards, they do put on fantastic shows and events, don't they? Even if it is not about BYJ and only BYJ, it's surely bound to be something else, I remember thinking.
So, with a heart full of hope, I embarked on paving a path that way.
Tickets? Aiyo...so full of wicked twists and turns. Most importantly, the initial disappointment of losing in the lottery was counterbalanced by the angelic initiative taken by a team of the nicest Japanese bae sisters in the whole wide world (!!!), who just reflexively jumped into action and scurried busily to secure us tickets. Let's just say, my cell phone rang so frequently...I was afraid to pick up at that point. First..."oh no....we didn't get picked in the lottery."
Then, "oh....they found one ticket for us!"
Naughty me, quickly and secretly imagining how to duel and eliminate my friends for that solitary ticket.
Then another call..."it's two tickets, two tickets now they have for us."
And so forth, and so forth. Before the end of one single day, these lovely sis scoured their contacts and squeezed out our whole complement of tickets needed!
Before I go on, did I tell you this? I don't even know these sisters. Never met them. Never communicated with them privately by email.
And........and, and, and............they worked all day like this...for a bunch of strangers?!? Unbelievable...the vast amount of good that's to be found within this family! I cannot even begin to express how touched I was!
Without naming and embarassing you all, you know who you are. Another big "THANK YOU!!!" from all of us!!!
How can we ever repay you for your kindness? TAEDANI KAMSAHAMNIDA!!
And step II - getting the time off work and planning the big getaway? It was touch and go the whole time, and I finally confirmed the time off and airline tickets only a few days before.
You know, I don't have much of an important job or anything...that is, up until certain days which usually coincides with the days prior to me going off on vacation. Suddenly, I become queen indispensable. So uncanny but so true. So, with a 6:00am flight to catch, naturally a huge emergency arose at 2:30 am and I was called to back to work to take care of important business. That's when I thought it was all over. I began to concede that this was not meant to be..... By some stroke of miracle at 4 am, somehow I'm speeding down the freeway to the airport, wrapping up minor details at work on the cell. After filtering through the layers and layers of homeland security proceedings, I barely made it to the gate with minutes to spare. Guess it could've been worse...
Haha, wouldn't you think you missed the plane if you got to the gate and saw this? Wah...all empty already!
With stopovers and what not, I actually arrived at Kansai Airport about 2 and half hours after YJssi and the TWSSG entourage. Planned, of course. After seeing the pics from Kansai airport, I'm sure you know well why. Incidentally, one of my distant acquaintances.....beamed with pride while recounting her story of how she actually received waiting pass #1 at the airport, having put in 2 days and 2 nights of hard labor there... during long periods of time they were only allowed to kneel on the firm hard floor, bathroom breaks had to be individually escorted by the guards and timed (and not to exceed a certain time frame....errr...what if you are slow by nature?? haha), friends were not allowed to come by to visit or even pass you food....however, if you stay within your 2 feet x 2 feet space, you're welcome to do whatever you like! yikes!
Talk about contrast between my lazy butt and her digilent core. And of course, she was fully compensated for her labor - believe she was one of not too many people who stole a glimpse of our HRH, and a premium view she got!
Apparently the videos you've all comfortably watched from home tell a completely different story. He, who seemingly walked so slowly in full view of the fans from the looks of the videos, was actually ushered at a whipping speed down only one of the 2 barricaded walkways he was supposed to pass through.....leaving quite a few disappointed fans behind :( Not his wishes, of course, but security, I'm afraid, has to take precedence, much to the family's discontent.
Can't blame the security folks though...if the standard of security were not set at a high bar early on, things would likely only deteriorate from there. In the end, more than anything, if we are concerned not only for our own interests but truly looking out on his behalf, we would all just want him to have a safe journey unmarred by any further unfortunate events.
Speaking out about self interests, may this big mouth say something? Far be it from me to preach to or teach others, but I've always maintained that as much as we are unsuspectedly curled into a tornado of frenzy at these gatherings, it is always important not to lose sense of ourselves as human beings and more importantly, our ethics. Stories of fans showing up at Kansai Airport in the pm of May 30th and coercing their "friends" to lie and pretend to be "saving space" for them really unnerved me. I understand well the root of the desire........but it's not something I can approve of.
Anyway, and on the subject of security, I heard that YJ-ssi actually left the airport in one vehicle, and must've stopped somewhere to switch cars, since he was seen arriving Imperial Hotel Osaka in a different car. Wow - they thought of everything to ward off tailers, haven't they? Anyway, from onlookers gathered at the hotel, his car apparently drove past and entered the hotel structure from a covered parking lot, so that the fans did not get a chance to catch even a glimpse of him. So sad!
Well...slowpoke mishio doesn't have the benefit of curbside pickup by a shiny black car, so by the time I rolled into Imperial Hotel, it was late and things were rather tranquil. The 19th through 21st floor of the hotel required special card access if going by way of the general elevators, and I heard that the TWSSG entourage occupied the entire 19th floor. Some sisters were able to book themselves a 20th, 21st floor room - from what they told me ... each time when going or coming from their floor, if the elevator doors were to open on the 19th floor, they would immediately stare into the face with some stone faced huge security guard. More security.......a welcome thing, really, especially when recalling back the disturbances caused by fans sneaking up to his floor in the past.
Despite not enjoying a room in those special floors, I had the funky and eery timing of running into HRH's security dudes in the elevator 2 or 3 times running up and down from our room during those few days. It was always the same - elevator doors would fling open, and there was Mr. Shin and friends....after letting out some ridiculous eek noise equivalent of "huh?", my mouth would just roll into a giant "O", ....graphically the size which an Oreo would easily fit through......it was kinda awkward, to get in or not, like it was some sacred space or something?
So silly! Bet he's tired of wondering why that silly fan with the Oreo cookie mouth keeps trailing him! Thank goodness I'm very forgettable, or I would really hate to be mistaken for a stalker fan or something...
Rooms at the Imperial Osaka are definitely plush and comfy - I was lucky to share a room with friends with a booked reservation there. Having only experienced the closet space rooms that average Japan package tours stuff us travelers in, this was both spacious and luxurious to say to say the least. In our case, after countless straight hours of every mode of travel imaginable that day - car, plane, train, bus and even taxi!, I have never seen so many grown-ups squeal with delight at the sight of a real mattress with down pillows!
But......as midnight rolled around, first things first!
Wasn't that ..... a convenience store that we passed by on the way to the hotel?
Bang, bang, bang! Out the door - we're going to crash 7-11!
What for?
For a midnight icee / slurpie ?
Ummmmm...necessary female toileteries?
No, no....
For this, of course!
Haha - silly me forgot the actual dates that the bento boxes were being offered - nope, not quite time yet. At this time, they were still just taking reservations.
OK. Plan B then. Still, I enjoyed the bit of silliness over snapping up pictures of those ad flyers!
(and I can't find those pics right now; you've all seen them before anyway!)
OK. Ladies having way too much fun at the local mart. Time to calm down and go turn in for the night.
Does day 1 end like this....? So very boring?
Well...yes and no.
Get a group of sis together, and what do we do but trade stories?
OK. Let me try to remember....I think we were discussing how, after all these years,it seems that YJ-ssi still finds it hard to let his guard down with regards to the fans. Probably not intentional and probably a consequence of his extreme consciousness of his image, his mysteriousness and disproportion between what little we know about him and vast publicity he generates, continues to fuel part of our immense curiousity about this special being. You know, at official events such as this, and at random sightings, even when he's smiling at you, you often pick up that sense of reservation and self-imposed distance. So rare, but once in a blue moon, he'll let his guard down and give us a precious peek into his private kingdom of himself.
So, I think, that's why this little story was especially sweet...
OK. Let's backtrack for a minute. I think it was the day before YJ-ssi left for Osaka, on the 29th of May. One of my friends had the good fortune of being amongst a small crowd greeting him outside his beauty clinic. Oh.....so as not to set up any misconceptions that these things come by easily, this was after a 5 hour wait in bright, hot sunshiny weather, apparently.
As he exited the building and walked towards his awaiting Maybach, he was his usual suave self, smiling elegantly and waving to his fans as his chauffer awaited him to board. No...take that back, he was more suave than usual...because...well, because he dressed himself! haha. Like all of you, even though I think he looks super great all the time, his casual outfits fare sooooo much better than the "official" ones imposed upon him, don't you think?
OK. You be the judge!!
Wowie!!!
(Hee, my friend said these pics were taken later that same day at the salon. There were some Korean locals passing by who decided to stay and wait with the curious crowd gathered outside after hearing "BYJ-oppa" was around. Since (in my friend's own words, not mine) "Japanese fans are not allowed to take pictures" for fear of being "black-listed," they asked these 2 kind locals to send them the quick snaps they took with their cell phones if they proved successful! yay - talk about international cooperation :) And I guess they were successful! Haha, for the record, I actually fear Mr. Shin's ferocious finger pointing at me, much much more than any black list!
Yup -that's a loose black sweater over a white t-shirt - yeah, black & white rules! Love how the white peeks out from underneath! Donning a black cap and shades and black cowboy boots with white stitching, he looked so cool carry that double braided straped leather bag over his right shoulder!
By the way, it was the same bag pictured in those Incheon airport pics you already saw. Classic, elegant and understated, it's from the current line of signature bags that I fell in love with at Gucci this season! OMA? please?
Yeessssss m'aaam - I should be so lucky to have rice grains on my plate. Yea...Algessumnida! Sheesh! Sadly, once a window shopper, always a window shopper! Such is my destiny - sob, sob!
Aiyo, mishio, you still gabbing about the peripherals??
OK. Anyway, back to the main point which is about a little episode that took place outside the beauty clinic. According to my friend who understands Korean, as YJ-ssi walked from the door to his vehicle, he took note of a local fan who tried to exchange a few words with him. I think it isn't normally his manner to linger, but perhaps given the small number of well-behaved fans, and probably because of a light mood, he chose this day to do so. Oooh, I know I have weird humor, but maybe you'll find the exchange entertaining too?
Oops.....chuesong hamnida! chingu e chingu e chingu
e chingu (=friend of a friend of a friend of a friend -wow - that's quite a
relay!) believes that this conversation is better left private. Although I
did not find anything wrong with the content, I understand that people have good
reasons for their requests and will respectfully comply.If the prior publication of this dialogue caused any
inconvenience, please kindly accept my apologies!!Chongmal mianeyo!
Fan: "________!"
HRH: "_________!"
(****mishio: hee, hee, hee - as if he's saying, "so what's your excuse?!!" in a joking fashion! Can't you just imagine? He's so so so sooooooo quick and so so so soooo funneeee! Sooooo cute, and soooo loving this too, aren't you? and this is like the 50th time this scenario has been played out in my mind!!)
And with that, he waved goodbye and headed out for the next stop on his agenda!
Heeee...are you all grinning like I am? :D
~~!
^^!
Seriously, I can't tell if I love the fan or YJ-ssi more at this point? Just love to see how natural and easy he can be, even amongst fans, when he lets himself be! Ahhh...but I think these glimpses will remain preciously few! YJ-ssi, please show us more of this side of you, ok? Promise???? :D
OMG! Ohhhhh....to be the fan that can make him laugh like that - stuff dreams are made of, right ladies?
OK. Good place to give my a, b, c's a rest for now. Please be patient with me - I'm not 100% yet, but will write more when I can!
Sleep tight, everyone!
Saturday, May 31, 2008
On the Eve of Something Wondrous
Ladies, we've had an exhausting day.......
We've met new friends, rekindled old friendships, experienced the wind and the rain,
haha -even paid our annual BYJ family dues in full by way of hours and hours of waiting. Yup, yup - filled my quota all in one day - :p (I am sooo bad!)
Well, things are finally tranquil here tonight at Osaka.
And the busy bees at the Kyocera Dome are putting on the final touches to tomorrow's events...seen here, putting together loads and loads of our even freebie bags.
Ya! See all those pamphlets? And the TWSSG plastic bags - man, I swear this is gonna be the one and only time in my life I cannot wait to get my hands on.......a plastic bag. :P
Wah! Looks like we're gonna get some cool literature and souvenir programs to take home!
According to Mr. Shin 3 hours ago, HRH is fast asleep already...(hmmm.........I wonder...but the face value of it does make me content!)
As one by one, even the worst night owls of us have decided to turn in and plop ourselves down on our fluffed up hotel beds,we're undoubtedly hopeful of nothing short of wondrous tomorrow (err...wah, so late? I guess I mean "today" then :)
To all this, I just want to shout:
Yong Joon-ssi, GOOD SHOW TOMORROW!
Putam-i opssoyo!
(oopsies....did my screechy voice wake you up?? Sorry, sorry! :p)
And to everyone of us here - Good night OSAKA!
Leaving you with the beautiful (maybe..his?) night view from none other than the Imperial Hotel...........
We've met new friends, rekindled old friendships, experienced the wind and the rain,
haha -even paid our annual BYJ family dues in full by way of hours and hours of waiting. Yup, yup - filled my quota all in one day - :p (I am sooo bad!)
Well, things are finally tranquil here tonight at Osaka.
And the busy bees at the Kyocera Dome are putting on the final touches to tomorrow's events...seen here, putting together loads and loads of our even freebie bags.
Ya! See all those pamphlets? And the TWSSG plastic bags - man, I swear this is gonna be the one and only time in my life I cannot wait to get my hands on.......a plastic bag. :P
Wah! Looks like we're gonna get some cool literature and souvenir programs to take home!
According to Mr. Shin 3 hours ago, HRH is fast asleep already...(hmmm.........I wonder...but the face value of it does make me content!)
As one by one, even the worst night owls of us have decided to turn in and plop ourselves down on our fluffed up hotel beds,we're undoubtedly hopeful of nothing short of wondrous tomorrow (err...wah, so late? I guess I mean "today" then :)
To all this, I just want to shout:
Yong Joon-ssi, GOOD SHOW TOMORROW!
Putam-i opssoyo!
(oopsies....did my screechy voice wake you up?? Sorry, sorry! :p)
And to everyone of us here - Good night OSAKA!
Leaving you with the beautiful (maybe..his?) night view from none other than the Imperial Hotel...........
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