On First Impressions and Meeting New Faces

So.. this happened last Sunday.

I was invited, ok more like told to go there because I’m required to (hehe), to Enchong Dee’s 23rd birthday party organized by an online fangroup called Only Enchong Dee (OED for short). I was hesitant at first because I didn’t know many people except for the heads, or “admins” as most of the members prefer to address them by, but I went ahead and I did not regret a single second of it when things started to unveil infront of my eyes. :)) (Warning: This is a very, very long entry)

A little bit (ok, possibly TLDR) of info about how I got into this whole Enchong shebang: For the longest time I’ve been a silent admirer of this celebrity. A silent admirer yet a very curious one. As much as possible I tried to keep myself updated with his projects by watching them (mostly the TV shows), but that’s the extent of my support for him and I haven’t done much besides that. I think he’s cool, smart, friendly, and awfully nice (so much that he has so many detractors and issues seems to follow him around like a wounded dog in search of someone to take care of him, the dog lol). I wasn’t expecting this to happen at all, not even hoped of it, to meet him in person. So when I did get to meet him, I’m glad my first impressions weren’t shattered. Actually just the less than 3ft glimpse was good enough for me. =)) Granted he’s not 100000% perfect, but who is?

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Back to the real topic, OED’s party.. you might be wondering by now what the hell was I doing in Enchong Dee’s party, yeah?

I don’t know how it even began but somehow I am the webmaster/admin for their website (tumblr). I was there because I had a purpose, waaaah. 😡 Some badass title that I’ve always wanted to hold onto: Webmaster. =)) Yup, I was in charge with the layout of the website and keeping things shimmy shammy in there. Giving you, fans and strangers alike, sweet sweet eyecandy whenever you go to our little home in the WWW.

I would like to say that all of this wouldn’t be possible if not for Caroline. She was the one who invited me to join, I thought it would just end there, but there were more surprises! Thank you thank you x infinity for everything! :heart: Never in my entire life did I imagine this kind of thing would happen to me. Grateful, blessed, lucky, thankful, those are the emotions I felt during that time.

It was oddly lonely on the day of the party. Strangely there was zero traffic and any sort of delays going to the bar where the party was going to be and it was the same thing when I got back. I realized after that it was because of the Pacman fight (really DGAF about that though), people really take that shit seriously no? :)) Well okay, at least I got to The Lounge right on time.

This was the first time that I have shown up in any OED related event. Luckily when I got there, not many people were there and I got to recognize which one of the people were my co-admins. I remember I approached Mave first and awkwardly told her my name. A few minutes later I changed to pambahay clothes to my party outfit. Eugh, my outfit felt too formal. :

I saw Louise when I got back to the table, and she thought I looked familiar. Lo and behold, we have met before! Hehe. So we tried out for the photobooth since everyone was busy and we wanted some sort of souvenir from the party.

Hey Enchong, if you’re reading this (I know you won’t tho), I just want you to know that I WORE A DRESS FOR YOU, MAN. Yup, ask your brotha; he will either not remember me or remember me as the nerdy short girl OR one who kept wearing jeans throughout college. 😐

Sometime later, people were seriously preppin’ up because Enchong was going to arrive in less than 10 minutes and the place and people needed to be ready for the big surprise. I sat there trying to make sense of what was happening. =)) I took out my camera and started snapping photos of whatever I can find. I took photos of his cake, the cupcakes, and some of the people in there. I found out that my lens was acting shitty a couple of test shots later.

Oh no, am I giving in to the Enchong pressure, too? Holy shit my lens is fucking up! I CANNOT have crappy photos of this event!! Calm yo’ tits gurl, it’s only an actor whom you’re seeing for the first time, no big deal! It’s only like meeting Incubus again!!!

Alright. I was exaggerating a bit on my thoughts while people were dealing with their own panics in that moment. But, my lens did fucked up and I got pissed because of that. Found a fix though. :))

The Lounge fell into deep silence and when the main door opened, there he was, coming in looking fresh and happy. Such a dapper man, that Enchong. Right when he walked in he had that big smile plastered on his face. I felt nervous, happy, and relieved all at the same time. A round of applause for his arrival and another one while one of the guests, Ate Vergie, hold out the personalized cake she had made for him. We greeted him with happy tunes (lol) as he made a wish to himself, and blew out the candles, while some of the kids started snapping for their own souvenir of the moment: Enchong blowing out the candles from the cake.

After that quickie formal birthday moment, the programme started. First part was to introduce the admins. I was introduced first. :doh: Caroline just had to mention the thing with his brother, lolz. 🙁 Then followed by my co-admins: Mave, Marj, Tin, Michiko, Empee, and Arsha. Quick photo op and the programme went on, haha. I think after that, we presented Caroline with a plaque of appreciation (that I made). 😛 Surprised founder was surprised. Lunch break ensued.

The video greeting that featured fans, friends in the industry and his family kept us up and entertained while the bar served our lunch shortly after. It was fun for me to watch the video, because it was new to my eyes. I saw new and familiar faces there, too. To know that these people were deeply inspired by him is just, I don’t know, heartwarming for me. At this point I was like “OMG duuuude if he’s this kind of person these people talk about in the videos then why are there shitloads of gossip talk about him?!?! CREYS” Dunno man, just some weird swarmy marmy hearty feeling that I got while watching that video. He definitely is a genuine person inside and out. Cannot believe this guy is still standing strong despite what others think of him.

Next in the programme was the fun and games! I remember there were (two?) three games, and I took the opportunity to take photos during these moments. Eh, not much photos in the first game I think cuz I had a difficult time picking a position to shoot without hassling the person at the back. I gave up and just cheered and watched from the sidelines lol. Also! Our party was live online for sometime. For people who weren’t able to make it to the party, we hooked them up via the livestream. Sure was rewarding for them to see and interact like they were there being spectators. 😉

I got to take better photos during the last game because there was more space now, haha. After the games, the first half of the gift-giving presentation followed. Quite the lengthy part of the program because he received a lot of gifts from 70% of the guests! Ashamed to admit that I didn’t get to give him anything. Maybe next year tho, hehe. 🙂 The gift-giving part was cut because of the photobooth, then for the next 30 minutes people were hanging out by the photobooth area having their photos with Enchong. I remained in my table, hahaha. Well, they said we would get our chance cuz they organized the people who will get a photo by table.

After the photobooth thing, everything seemed like a blur now and I can’t remember how the events went in order. I remember there was part 2 of gift-giving and then photobooth. This time it was my turn to have a photo with him and probably 5 minutes to say something. Needless to say I think it was partly a fail moment for me. LOL.

When the last person left the photobooth area, he started dancing to that Doughie song as I approached him. I didn’t know how to react because a) I don’t dance, b) we haven’t been formally introduced (demanding much? LOL), c) it was a fast paced moment I don’t even remember him saying a word to me. It was an awkward moment that I refuse to tell the whole story now and will keep it short instead. We did four poses, he “directed” half, and I did half. And I think the only eye interaction we had was from looking at each other from the photobooth monitor. 😐 The most I’ve said to him during the whole day was “hi” and “thank you” after every photo op. HAHAHAHA.. Oh. 😐

Not a decent conversation with The Enchong Dee.

I regret wasting that moment, but okay, a photo speaks a thousand words. I suppose you guys (friends?) felt kilig when you saw the photobooth photos, yeah? Lol. A million regrets later, I decided to just get over it and move on and enjoy what else is there for me to witness. The afternoon is still young, it was only 2:45PM! =)) Oh and I have a trauma meeting this guy now, and yet I have this imaginary goal that I will have a decent and sensible conversation with him someday in the fuchaaa~. Also, that Cali Swag District song will bring semi-horrific memories of awkwardness whenever I hear it. Part horrifying awkward memories, part lulzy memories, only cuz some mates in college actually dance to this song and they do it in a hilarious way. I choose to remember the latter right now.

At least Louie had fun in her photobooth with Enchong moment as evidenced in this photo. :))

After my turn, I hanged out a little bit longer in the photobooth area before I went back to my seat and continue to observe the crowd. At some point chatting to my companion (Caroline’s friend, Louie, heeey gurl! Haha). We both felt rather out of place. :)) We first met during the premiere showing of I Do, she was with Caroline, too. That was the 2nd time I saw Enchong in person, first was in their mallshow in SMB the weekend before. I’m glad she went and that we got to see each other again after a year because I had someone to talk to and hangout with while all the admins were busy hehe. Promise, next time I will assist 100%. Needed to get a look and feel of the situation first before going in. 😳

Apparently the admins had a photobooth photo with Enchong, and I wasn’t included. Hahaha, woz too busy spectating. There’s a photo of us complete though, with him, too, and I’m content with that. Better than nothing. 🙂

There are other versions of this photo since, as you can see, we’re not all looking in the same direction but I don’t have the energy to patiently go thru everybody’s Facebook page right now and check if they have it.

After the last batch of photobooth time, part 3 of gift-giving, the last batch of people to give their gifts and say their message to him. The admins presented a couple of artworks after, one of them will be auctioned off towards the end of the month (November) and the money will go to funding an event slated for December. Take it from me, your money is going to go a long way and will help a lot of children. So if you’re a big big big fan, start saving up cause the artwork is worth it. If my description isn’t convincing enough, how about the fact that it’s a signed artwork + there’s a message, too? :))

Personally, I like the artwork. Especially that it was made from a program that I least expected, cause I thought it was vectored straight from Illustrator. You got skillz, gurl! :cheer:

When the gift presenting was done and everyone who had a gift for him was finished, programme took a sudden sweep and suddenly the stage, dancefloor was cleared out and Enchong gave out his last message. By this time, the party was coming to an end. Time was running out, too, because we were only allowed to be there til 4. I think he has other afternoon commitments so he had to leave early.

After his speech, there was a photo-op for everyone. First was the VIP people, meaning him with his family. Followed by us, the admins, with him (that I already posted a few paragraphs up there). After that were the other fan groups like EDW and FAED and then individual photo-ops. Lastly, one big group photo, which I was not a part of. Why am I always not there when there’s a group photo thing? :

Zomg, cannot believe I have a photo of his family. =)) Wanted: Two missing brothers. (I kid)

In a nutshell, after that group photo. Enchong and his family left, the guests started leaving, too, and by 4PM exactly, the people of The Lounge were putting back the chairs and tables in storage. Wow, that was unusually fast. In less than 10 minutes, it felt like there wasn’t a party in the first place. Like what happened 10 minutes ago was just a dream. And just like that, the event was done. It was a success but it felt like it ended too soon.

I had to leave asap, too, because I was catching the earliest trains and jeep heading home. Didn’t want to get caught in rush hour. This was a really really fun Sunday and definitely a memorable one. I was pleased to finally meet my co-admins, Enchong, and these people. Hopefully this won’t be the last. 😉

POST EVENT THOUGHTS

So many things running around my head when he started talking during that last speech. Conflicting thoughts about certain things, impressions and whatnot. Maybe you’ll find out what I’m talking about sooner or later when that video comes out, hahaha. Otherwise, it’s for me to know and for you to find out. 😉

My final words? Here.

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When he started talking about he’s really grateful that up to now he still has these people by his side supporting him no matter what, how these people, his fans that he considered as his “family”, defended him, I stood there in the background just listening. I wasn’t atat to go in front and steal a shot or two, I kept mum and just listened. Though I did stood up and took a couple of shots at the beginning, hehe. I spoke a few lines to my seatmate, Louise, only cause she was asking me some stuff about what Enchong was talking about.

He admitted that he may be nice, but he’s not all THAT nice. Meaning, anytime soon, like anyone, he can crack and he’ll be really mad. For all we know, if he gets mad, he’ll be the complete opposite and that is a scary thing to see. You do not want to abuse a person who’s awfully nice. Knowing that was enough for me, like that’s all I needed to know and I’m done. I don’t know, all I hear about him is that he’s soooo nice, sure he is, but maybe a part of him is also loko-loko. After all, he’s just like us. He’s not perfect. Though he tries to be, at the end of the day, he’s still human so there will be mistakes here and there. Actually, could it be that the media, and naysayers, are just trying to test his patience that’s why the isyus never end? I’m starting to think that that could be the reason.

Props for you for having patience that long na natitiis mo pa sila hanggang ngayon. I sincerely wish the best for you. (Sidenote: Listen to Blood On the Ground by Incubus, it’s a meaningful song.. hahaha) He definitely does not deserve all the hate and bashing he gets from other people. He really does not. 🙁 It sucks that this is the price you get for being too nice.

In that very moment, he didn’t have that vibe of being an “artista.” All I see is a guy, in his early twenties, talking to a crowd of girls and a handful of guys, expressing how deeply thankful and grateful he was for everything that’s in his life right now. Call it vulnerable, innocent, raw; either way that’s how he looked to me in that moment, too. No, it was not just an act. It was the real thing. Sincere words and emotions, yep they were in there.

For me, that speech of his really did it. After that I was really convinced that every rumor out there is false, a fallacy, a lie. I refuse to believe otherwise. Do I still have doubts? Sure, but at the end of the day I refuse to give any second thoughts about it anymore and just dismiss it and move on. Who are we to say that just because of something bad you heard about him, that makes him automatically the worst person ever? As much as possible stay away from sites like ***.** or *******.***, hahaha. Go make friends on Tumblr or Twitter or someplace else instead of wasting your time feeding your mind with bullshit.

I also would like to point out that if in an alternate world, say he didn’t make it in the showbiz industry, like he’s just a normal guy, I think he’d still get there somehow because he has the looks (that’s top priority, innit?). The talent and skill he can work it when he’s there. Luckily for him, he’s a person raised with great moral values, thanks to his parents. 🙂 There’s a lot to love in his personality and it saddens me that people see him the wrong way. You won’t see a hardworking actor/son who works hard for the future of his family, who tries to be very careful with his spending habits just so he can save enough for them. He is selfless, and prefers to put the others first before him.

But as for the rumors, I don’t think they will die down, because even if he’s not that well-known, (in my opinion) he’d still get mistaken as a you-know-what for being too friendly. 🙁 I personally have friends who are mistaken to be as such and I get pissed off once in a while proving them otherwise. It gets tiring, you know.

Welp, of course, I could be wrong with whatever I am saying here. I have only met and seen him once. And everything I have said here is based from what I saw during that moment. I’m not close or buddy buddy with him, tho, lolz.

Yes, I’m a fan and I support him. I refuse to touch his personal life because unlike other people, I know the difference between reel and real. 🙂

Perhaps it’s the age gap that makes me feel rather indifferent but I really don’t have the energy to get mad over that kind of thing anymore. For the meantime, I’ll be a silent fan. 😛

I totally dig the shirt, btw. Hahaha. Hnnng, Orlando Bloom.

Photos without my watermark belong to their respective owners. Other photos I have used here are either from Eilyn Yatco, Happy Smiles Photobooth (photos c/o Empee), or Mave Co Iñigo. Thank you guys for sharing your photos! 🙂

It’s 30 minutes before 5am. I started this entry around 12 midnight.. god, this post surely beats my Incubus post. It feels like I wrote this post way longer than I have expected. Well, if you even decided to get past paragraph two and somehow reached here, at the very end, give me a holla at Twitter and inform me about it (@faultlines).

My post is totally not PG13 friendly, for that I apologize.