It’s been a year! It’s a tiring one but it is definitely the best year for me as a fangirl. It’s a year to celebrate the little and huge wins. This is a time when a heart of a fangirl is indeed fulfilled and overwhelmed. Here’s a rundown of how fast I ticked off a lot on my bucket list at the age of 25.
The early months of my 25th year started with strict quarantine measures but ended up as one of the most memorable years for me as a fangirl. It’s a year of transition from virtual events to offline shows. It’s a year that made me realize how much my small fangirling page grew. To be honest, I have no idea how many followings I have because I don’t even check them. I simply enjoy sharing my reviews and memes so much.
Online Events
Still with the “we don’t know when this quarantine will finally end” kind of feeling as we started 2022, I still attended a number of online events. Some of the most memorable online events include press conferences of Netflix’s Little Women, Money Heist Korea; Joint Economic Area, and the All of Us Are Dead Advanced Screening! We also got to attend MustB’s La Señorita media conference where the boys showcased their single “La Señorita.”
Meeting my friends
This year is so memorable because I am finally meeting my friends again. The pandemic made us realize how important it is to meet your friends outside of social media. These are the friends I’ve been with throughout the depressing quarantine days when we were just falling apart. Despite the challenges that adulting brought us, we got each other’s back to cheer up one another. I am so glad to meet my comfort zones once again at the events we’ve always been looking forward to attending one day.
It is no longer a hi-hello online but a much-awaited face-to-face reunion with my circles. This year is a year of countdowns. We countdown the days and weeks before we can finally see our idols again and we can meet up. I love how fans became more appreciative and selfless this year. It’s so cute that we don’t need any occasion to exchange gifts, we just literally give gifts every time we meet. It happened naturally because we are all excited to socialize again.
I don’t think I could survive all the events this year without the help of my friends! A big hug to the team behind Oppa Is Life who are always willing to help me cover events, Denisse, Jao, and. Chiarra, and to our friends who helped us represent the page, Jann, Regine, Marysel, and Ela. Of course, to my blogger friend Ruthleen of A Fangirl’s Heart for always being supportive of my fangirling ever since.
Work
One of the highlights this year is my career growth. Who would have thought that I am actually going to work for brands related to Kpop and Korean merchandise? This year, I started working for a company that runs the BTS Pop-Up store, and in 2022, we opened In The Soop Pop-Up in SM Mall of Asia. Aside from that, I also created promotional materials and announcements for our stores in Ho Chi Minh and Dubai. I still can’t believe that I am working for a retail company now and it is all about merchandise, something that is surely close to my heart.
More so, since we handle numerous brands, I learned a lot in terms of marketing, team play, and more. In 2023, we are bringing more brands and opening stores which totally excites me and I can’t wait to do it again with the team! Also, I had the chance to work in the merch-selling team for the Mamamoo concert.
Events and swags!
Netflix has always been so nice to me and my team so the brand itself deserves a special mention on my list this year! We made it to this year’s online and offline events including press conferences for their major Korean titles. We also made it to swaggin’ Seoul Vibe Garage Party and the spectacular Netflix Thanksmas Party! We also received a number of swags from other brands and I am really grateful.
It’s a poppin’ year!
I can easily say that I attended the most number of events this year compared to any other year. We made it to numerous PPOP events (VXON and G22 media event and PPOPCON), Kpop events and concerts such as Kang Daniel’s First Parade in Manila, Lapillus and TFN Fan meeting, TAN media conference and Fanmeeting, Stacy’s First Fan meeting in Manila, MCND’s Asia Tour in Manila, Be You 2: The World Will Care and more!
We met our OG and new oppas!
It is also amazing how 2022 brought us a step closer to our favorite Oppas (literally!). I made it to numerous fan meetings including that of Ji Chang Wook, Rowoon, and Kim Soo Hyun. Their Kdramas surely made it to my favorite list and I can still feel the excitement I had when I attended their show, while I am writing this blog.
Special Events (My favorites this year!)
I know most of our page followers won’t believe it but the main highlight for me this year is meeting my favorite Thai artists. I also consider this as the biggest plot twist of my 2022 and even my fangirl life. I have a limited number of Thai artists that I love. Since it is super handpicked, I can easily name them. If you are familiar with Lakorn, I only have four artists that I love, Bie Sukrit Wisetkaew, Esther Supreeleela, Nadech Kugimiya and Yaya Urassaya Sperbund who are couples in the dramas that I enjoyed watching with my mom.
Meanwhile, among the young and new artists, I badly wanted to see Bright Vachirawit Chivaaree, Dew Jirawat Sutivanichsak, Win Metawin Opas-iamkajorn, Nani Hirunkit Changkham, Tu Tontawan Tantivejakul and Prim Chanikarn Tangabodi. F4 Thailand, the drama they starred in 2021 made it to the top of my favorite dramas last year so they have a special space in my heart.
At 25, I unexpectedly met our favorite artists in the most special and unique way. A year after F4 Thailand aired, I had the chance to watch the “Shooting Star Concert.” It’s been a while since I felt ecstatic during a show but I am overwhelmed by the fact that my favorite artists are singing the OSTs that brought me comfort.
Right after, we made it to Globe’s Reach 4 The Stars Fanmeeting with no other than F4. But even before the show started. I had a few minutes to meet them and join the media interview. Yes, they answered one of my questions and I am dumbfounded standing in front of them crying. It is not a usual sight for me to break down during an event but it occurred to me naturally on that day.
In the early months of 2023, I also get to cover a number of events including Wanderland Music Festival, Reel-to-Real: Mark and Kimberley Fanmeeting, Moonbin and Sanha Diffusion in Manila and WayV Phantom Fancon in Manila.
Block Screenings
As surprising as it may sound, we also got invites to attend numerous block screenings this year. It took two years for the cinemas to open and I love the fact that we are no longer late in terms of cinema screenings!
One of the unexpected invites includes screening for ‘Emergency Declaration‘ which Im Siwan also starred in. I’ve been a fan of Siwan for a long time but only this year that I get to meet some of his fans. Thank you Yim Siwan Philippines!
Right after, we got invites from Viva International Pictures to watch the films ‘Decision to Leave’ during the Ayala Mall Feed Your Seoul Korean Film Festival and Decibel. I am always grateful for the invitation and I will never get tired of reviewing Korean films! Thank you very much. By the way, I highly recommend the cinema in Ayala Malls Manila Bay! It is super nice.
I still didn’t miss the chance to volunteer for the comeback of Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines’ Korean Film Festival. Since Mall of Asia is the nearest one to me, I managed to volunteer for the screenings! I did participate in a lot of film screenings in the past but it still excites me every time I am volunteering for events like this.
Partnerships, Collaborations, and other projects
This year, I would like to thank all the brands who trusted me with their projects. Thank you so much Apop, Mcdonald’s, Nature Republic, N.CAT, Ninjavan, Kmall Philippines, iQiyi, Netflix, Prime Video Philippines, Viva International Pictures, Neuwave Events & Production, Rise Media Philippines, Wilbros Philippines, Asian Television Awards, Makeitlive and Globe Telecom.
Overcoming traumas and moving forward
It’s a year of learning, forgiving and so on. This is a year for me to learn that you need to step out of your comfort zone to overcome something. It taught me that no matter how afraid you are, greater things are only possible when you pray for it and work hard for it. I am looking forward to a more exciting year at 26 and beyond!
