Monday, September 28, 2015

Thoughts of a Silent Fan

I’ve been stopping myself from posting this because I’ve been waiting for September 26 to happen before I sit here and lose a couple hours of sleep, again. Just the other morning I was out with my parents, right after exiting the hospital my mom asked where we should go, whether or not we should eat lunch out; I stared at my clock (11:30am) then blurted, “Uwi na tayo!” The moment I stepped in the house, I dropped all things and turned on the TV. I just gave up the possibility of having a decent meal and chose to eat leftover food just so I didn’t miss the Kalyeserye. WHAT’S WRONG WITH ME!? 




The fact that I don’t have a Twitter account but have been stuck on Twitter for the past week waiting for all things Aldub has certified my position as an official fan of the loveteam. I don’t even watch noontime shows but now I’m stuck staring at the TV screen by 11:30am to the point of not making plans between 11am-3pm. It means that I’ve been hit by their epidemic. HARD. The last time I checked, the last loveteam I enjoyed besides LizQuen because of Forevermore was the Bojo Molina – Mylene Dizon LT of Gimik. Yes, it’s been that long since I felt any kilig for a local onscreen romance, or any human for that matter. Because I’m a vegetable like that. What got me hooked to Aldub? For a hopeless romantic, it’s the whole serendipity thing of turning the whole accident into something bigger than a simple RomCom with a splash of reality TV. We know there’s a script because we’re not fools like that, but we’re also aware that there are a lot of improvisations in between. The script, random as it may seem, gets us because of the ad-libs and the unguarded reactions in between…those stares and giggles is what tugs our heartstrings. In a country full of people who want to make osyoso, this is one of those moments that we actually want to get involved and not just watch.  It’s that unprecise acting, the unnecessary stolen glances, the slight corniness of it all that keeps our heart afloat. What we’re seeing cannot be hidden with cuts and second takes as the show goes on live people—that’s why, as they say—it’s organic, it’s real, it’s raw. Kalyeserye is a light show to watch that gives us butterflies in between and things to think about in the end. The humor gets me, and I never really realized how much I miss slapstick comedy after being engulfed in the degrading humor of insulting sarcasm, it feels light to laugh knowing that no one has been offended. Really though, what I love the most is their back stories...the ones not seen onscreen, there really seems something more than just chemistry at work. 


That face! XD

I could, personally, consider Maine Mendoza to be the Jennifer Lawrence of the Philippines right now. With us constantly being dextrosed with depressing news and presented with cookie-cutter stories and by the same faces in the showbiz industry, then comes in Maine like breath of fresh dubsmashed air. She made us laugh with her pretty face…we fell for her (women included)…then came in Alden that faithful day of July 16, and suddenly everyone became his wingman to catch the woman he never knew he’d cross paths with again after five years. The girl’s on fire with industries grabbing onto every opportunity they could get and make her the face of their product. She’s pretty, she’s fresh, she’s vibrant, able to laugh at herself in front of the camera, has talent, and most of all she’s got it, the “IT” that separates us as being a viewer and being the person behind the camera. She’s a deviation from the norm, and we love her for who she is and how she handles the sudden burden of fame. Like JLaw, all it took was one moment for a horde of people to scream “I love you!” at them, and the invasion of privacy is so bad that it is a little disheartening to think about at times. Their talent is visible, their potential is unfathomable, and they never fail to surprise us every now and then. I won't be surprised when the day comes that her stories will someday get published, or her future album reaches platinum, heck I bet the day will come when she'll even be script-writing/directing/producing a film before she reaches forty—nein—thirty to twenty-ish! As for Alden, he’s now wanted more than ever, to the extent that we friends are now gushing over him, when before he was just okay to us. The darlings of the social media universe’s popularity has spread like wildfire, and it’s not just from Batanes to Jolo that are noticing, it’s a collaborative effort between the viewers and the production team behind the Kalyeserye that is making this whole phenomenon a…phenomenon. In a span of two months, everyone blossomed, the audience including, but most of all the two lead roles. Kalyeserye became the holy grail of the bored, the distant, the hopeless romantics, and at some point experts in sociology, marketing, and psychology had a say on the whole Aldub fanaticism thing, some cashing in on the trend. 


I knew about Maine since April, when a friend posted this in our group.

One of the earlier signs of the Aldub fever.

One of the more advance signs of Aldub fever. And yes, I have my ticket now.


These fans, millennials—okay—us fans, including Generation Q, T, W, X, Y, Z and thundercats, and be it in the social classes of A, B, Upper C, Lower C, D, Echoseras, Feelingeras, Kabute, all feel something in the pits of our stomach every time we see the two exchange glances and smile with their eyes. The kilig that I feel is close to being in love. I can feel my stomach turn and my heart beating slow whenever they do something...real. We want more, but it’s the whole bitin thing that makes us go gaga. It’s the little antics and “what ifs” that gets me going, the “assuming close” to the stars, trying to analyze their little gestures and like figuring out whether they deserved each other as if they’re a friend asking for my advice. Although I’m the absolute worst of adviser when it comes to love (I remember my best friend was so down after a heartbreak and all I could suggest is that we go eat lunch.) I admit I’m a sucker for unconventional love stories, and this, like a fanfiction, is unfolding before our very eyes—and the scriptwriters are listening—but the best part is that we’ve grown so fond of the pairing that we are starting to send them best wishes. What kept Kalyeserye trending online at first were because, other than the need to shout out their kilig, was that people kept on dissecting and interpreting every detail of their actions, from the crinkle of her nose to that love-struck stare he gives her. Admit it, a lot of successful loveteams have chemistry, but what they didn't have Aldub managed to experience that we all saw was a spark—yes, THAT SPARK—if-you-know-what-I-meanThe blog, theomelettestation, has certainly caught my attention for this matter as to how so much thought is being put in between the lines. It is for that very reason that I put off posting this entry until I saw with my own two eyes the events which transpired last Saturday. It was then, based on what I saw that I simply stopped speculating and turned to just really be happy at what I was seeing. What I saw was a man smitten by this mysterious girl that is so near yet so far, and a young lady’s once impossible dream coming to reality. Besides the fact that the writers are making a conscious decision of mixing reality into their script (mostly digging up Alden and Maine’s personal life) there are also unforeseen forces at play…like the weather or the lyrics of God Gave Me You and Cry. No one from Eat Bulaga, for certain, whispered to Bryan White and Mandy Moore’s ears when they wrote the lyrics to their songs yearsssss ago. The universe pretty much conspired for this to happen, and I have an inkling that Maine felt this knowing that she’s read The Secret, and Alden finally realized something there too, like everything fell into place in the most unusual of ways. It’s an amazing combination of eventful circumstances plus the genius scriptwriters and cast that makes it work because a lot of things just fit into place without having to try so hard. Destiny has set a grand stage for them; it’s now only a matter of time before we see them play the part—the unscripted part. 


They posted this on their Instagram with just 2 or 3 weeks apart.


They found each other in the right place at the right time. In an age where “walang forever” has become the anthem of this generation, they made us believe in the idea of destiny again…and of course, the proper steps of courtship. An antithesis of the now. Alden became the silver lining on the concept of dead chivalry. Yes, buhay pa si Shibalry! And Maine was an instrument of that realization. Even CBCP approves! Never have I seen before (because I never really knew) a fanbase that is so supportive to the extent of giving an all-out effort for a pair. It’s just tweet after tweet after tweet that would put Tweety Bird to shame! And I’ve been reading a looooot of tweets, and I can attest that for once, we’re learning to be happy for someone other than ourselves. We are sincerely wishing for their happiness (I know I am.) Slowly we are letting go of the bitter concept of “walang forever” and starting to believe in idea soulmates again. Because of Maine and Richard, maybe there is a forever (of course, it’s their choice in the end, it’s just wishful thinking for the fans.) For something so simple and babaw as Kalyeserye, we, in a way, are striving to become better versions of ourselves (people are trying to spread good vibes everyday through the hashtag.) Songs have been sung, articles have been written, art has been made…I for one suddenly found myself typing this down after in hiatus for weeksssss. We are inspired because somewhere deep in our hearts we can sense that two souls meant for each other have found one another and we bear witness to that magical moment of seeing two beautiful people falling in love. And although the downside of the Kalyeseye addiction is me losing sleep (time check: 4:30am) and my laptop overworked, a couple of hours of laugher and kilig six days out of seven makes it all worth it—except if my laptop breaks, then that’s a whole other issue. There are also warfreak fans and haters of the loveteam, but that’s not the point is it? In the end, there is a positive effect happening to us fans, the energy they present onscreen transmits to us that we feel like singing to the songs and jumping the moment we hear Dance Dance Dance Dadance!   

I have no Twitter, so I can’t support you there, but what I have is a TV screen and faith in prayers. Best of luck to everyone!

Let me just end with a quote that Alden said during his PEPtalk interview, “Happy is the person who prays as he waits and never loses his patience; because God’s time is the perfect time.”



No comments: