Beast 1st Fan Meeting is a dream come true for Philippine fans

Published in Inquirer.net :)

For Philippine fans of multi-awarded Korean boy band Beast, their 1^st Fan Meeting in the country which is organized by Cube Entertainment, Butterfly and All Access Productions, is worth the wait, because after almost 6 years, their idols came back to Manila and gave them a night they’ll never forget at the SMART Araneta Coliseum last March 19, 2016. Thousands of ‘B2uties’ (collective name for Beast fans; pronounced as ‘Beauties’) flocked the Big Dome to see the boys showcase their talents, and flaunt their charisma in a night of musical madness, fan interaction, and entertainment.

Media photo op with Beast! ^^ Thank you All Access Productions and Inquirer.net for this :) If you will see all media photos, Dongwoon and Yoseob has the same pose all throughout. So cute!

Unfortunately, vocalist Jang Hyunseung was unable to attend the event because of some personal reasons. But even with one member missing, the remaining Beast members, which consists of leader, vocalist and sub-rapper Yoon Doojoon, main vocalist Yang Yoseob, main rapper Yong Junhyung, visual and vocalist Lee Gikwang, and rapper and maknae (Korean word meaning ‘youngest member’) Son Dongwoon did their best to return the love of their fans through their powerful performances, high energy level and heartfelt sincerity.

The boys warmed up the night with hits like “Good Luck”, “Yey”, and “I Think I Love You”. The fans were all ecstatic and screamed their hearts out as the boys performed one song after the other. After that, they all bowed and introduced themselves to the audience. Gikwang was all smiles when he addressed the fans and said “Hello to all Philippine B2uties! It’s been a while since the last time we’ve been here, so it’s nice meeting you guys.”

Member Dongwoon, who previously studied English in Laguna, amusingly introduced himself and said, “Hello Philippines! Mabuhay! I’m Dongwoon from Sta. Rosa.” Yoseob went along with him and responded “Hello! Nice to meet you! My name is (Yoseob). I’m from Korea.”

Junhyung assured the fans that they prepared a lot for that night and won’t let them down. Gikwang thrilled the fans even more by saying “Hello! What’s up Philippines? I missed everyone. Long time no see. I love you!” Leader Doojoon followed him by saying “Mabuhay! Enjoy tonight!”

Since a fan meet offers more fan interaction than the usual concerts, some lucky fans were selected via raffle to play games with Beast members. The 1st game was the cup stacking game where each Beast member was paired with a fan. While choosing the players, Beast learned that one of them was celebrating her birthday so they immediately sung a cute rendition of Happy Birthday for her in acapella, and even hugged her.

For the 2^nd game called ‘Kick for Gifts, Beast prepared presents for some lucky fans, which include a Starbucks tumbler, a teddy bear called ‘Yoseob Edition Teddy Bear’, their 2016 Seasons Greetings Calendar and a signed album. Selfies with the members were also included as prizes. The game required Beast members to kick a mini soccer ball into a numbered board that contains the names of the prizes. Since not all the numbers have prizes in them, the members had to try again a few more times, and after several futile attempts, the members started playfully rigging the game to make sure all their gifts are won by the fans.

All the fans enjoyed seeing their idols’ fun and competitive side. They were screaming and laughing at the boys’ crazy antics, and playfulness. The members also impressed the audience with their excellent fan service, enthusiasm, and charm. They interacted with the fans without reservations, hugging fans onstage, singing ‘Congratulations’ songs to winners, and taking their selfies using fans’ cameras while they roam around.

After the games, Beast continued to fill the night with musical frenzy as they performed hits like  “Gonna Go To Work,” “Midnight,” “On Rainy Days,” “Suite Room,” “12:30,” “Beautiful Night,” and “How to Love” for encore. Check out the boys' photos in action (and guess who my favorite member is):

The fans also returned the love they got from Beast by singing and dancing, and waving their rose-shaped light sticks all throughout the night, creating a wonderful sea of dark grey among the audience. They also surprised Gikwang with a special cake as an advanced present for his birthday in March 30, and came up with various banner projects and a special video presentation for the boys.

At the end of the show, Beast thanked their fans for the wonderful night and their heartfelt support. “Thank you for coming tonight…I love you. We will come back. Please wait for us and our songs. Until we meet again,” said Junhyung.

This is the cake that Beast Philippines prepared for Gikwang.  Credit: Beast Philippines

“…I am really happy to meet my Philippine fans after a long time… Thank you guys for being here today. To be honest, we really missed you too. We don’t know when the next time would be, but we’ll try to make that as soon as possible. This time, not just a fan meeting but an official concert. Thank you!” said Gikwang.

Dongwoon also followed and said “Did you guys have fun today? For us also, this will be an unforgettable memory.” He then recalled his experience while studying in Sta. Rosa, Laguna and said, “I’m hoping to see you guys again at a concert and enjoy taho (Pinoy street food made of soft tofu) with you. During my study at Sta. Rosa, I really enjoyed taho… Thank you everybody. Mahal kita!”

The fan interaction did not end there though as selected fans were able to take advantage of meet and greet perks that include a high-touch session, group photo ops, and signed photos which were given by the members themselves.

A day after the concert, Doojoon posted in his instagram account, “Seeing a placard saying that seeing us is a dream come true kind of touched my heart. Thank you so much! Thank you, thank you Philippines. Bye. See you again.”

Note: Photo has been translated already :)

Truly, good things come to those who wait, and in the case of Philippine B2uties, all the years of anticipation only made their reunion with Beast even more special.

Beast first visited Manila in 2010, when they were still rookies, for a charity concert. Despite being considered underrated, the group has proven their exceptional talent and resilience by winning several awards, which includes the Bonsang Awards at Seoul Music Awards, as well as Artist of the Year at the Melon Music Awards in 2011 and 2012.#

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Thank you very much for All Access Productions and inquirer.net for giving me the chance to cover this event and to get to know Beast! I arrived as a mere spectator but came out a fan :)
Please don't forget to credit me when using my photos. Thanks!

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KTO Manila begins search for next batch of Wow Korea Supporters

Wow, how time flies so fast! I can't believe that it's been a year already since I first applied as Wow Korea Supporter 2015. It's been an awesome year filled with a lot of discoveries about Korea's tourism and culture, and I can say being one of last year's 50 supporters was a remarkable experience that made my fondness for Korea more profound.

Just recently, Korea Tourism Organization Manila once again launched their search for the most avid Koreanophiles in Metro Manila, and this time, they will be choosing only 20 Wow Korea Supporters for 2016 (instead of 50 supporters like last year).

Do you have what it takes to be a Wow Korea Supporter? Apply now to find out and you might even get the chance to win a roundtrip ticket to Korea. The qualifications needed are as follows:

1. 1. Must be a Filipino citizen aged 18 and above, residing in Metro Manila
2. 2. Must be an active SNS user
3. 3. Must be a member of an affiliated PKCI (Philippine Kpop Convention) fan club.               Check out the list of PKCI Affiliated fan clubs HERE
4. 4. Like KTO Manila's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/koreatourismmanila), follow them on Twitter (@KTOManila) and  KakatoTalk (@ktomanila)

To apply, just fill out and submit the application form found in this link:  http://goo.gl/forms/soISULzuCd

Once you've passed the form, walk the talk and start being an active Korea tourism supporter (if you aren't already one) by promoting and sharing the announcements, activities, posts and events of KTO Manila on your respective SNS accounts (Facebook, Twitter, blog, etc.)

KTO Manila will be monitoring the accounts of qualified applicants and choose the most active ones from there. Please make sure all your accounts and posts are set to "public" so they can access and track them as well.

The application period as 2016 KTO Manila Wow Korea Supporter is from February 26 to March 25, 2016. The announcement of winners is on March 29, 2016.

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Credits to Korea Tourism Organization Manila for the details in this post. Check out their original announcement post HERE. 

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