Yay, I'm up to the last part of this Fan Meet Story. Sorry it's taken so long! It's hard work being an active fan, going to the fan meet and sorting through 800 photos. But I'm very happy re-living this little adventure :D If you missed the start of this story... you can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here (Part 2 talks about the actual fan meet experience with Jasper Liu and Jet Chao, as well as the rest of the cast. Also, if you liked this fan meet story, read about the first time time I met Jasper, as well as Puff Kuo, Jolin Chien and the rest of the Pleasantly Surprised cast here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3). I'll move onto the fan competitions and good bye hugs and bows here.
Fan Competition
After the signing and meet and greet, they had a bit of a compensation for those who hadn't bought the book....Jian-An said they were going to host a little competition. He got the stars to stand in a line and explained that the competition would be easy and effortless (everyone had a ticket number from standing in the queue. I think I mentioned it before....but if not, mine was 47). The number that was selected by the star would guarantee the winner a small prize, as well as the chance to win a giant poster signed by the whole cast. Jian-An mentioned that they'd never given away such a large poster before and hopefully the winner would have a way of getting it home...
Jian-An: Sara...
Deyn, Jet and Lawrence actually thought it was the giant Billboard! (The one that Jasper and Mandy had taken photos against.) But Jian-An assured them that SETTV never gave out the Billboards (Just how would a fan be able to carry that home?! Maybe I shouldn't ask that. Fan girls, and boys, have crazy powers. Just don't question it.)
By the way, here's some cute pictures of Zooey and Lawrence hanging while Jian-An was talking. They seemed close in real life too as they were always talking or laughing with each other. Haha, developed some real bonds there.
Jian-An picked on Deyn, or the assistant Da Ya, to start with selecting numbers. It was cute because Jasper had chimed in and Deyn was still saying, "Yes, boss?" Haha. Anyway, I'm going to blame Deyn for one thing....which is picking the number 50. He set the trend for most of the cast because they picked in the 50's! When you're there, it's pretty funny because every fan is screaming out their number at the top of their lungs! Jian-An even told the stars to close their eyes and ears to avoid being influenced. Anyway, Lawrence picked 56. Zooey, being the troll she is, picked 240...just to get as far away from other cast number selections. She looked worried in case there wasn't a 240th person there, but there was and she gave an eye-roll of relief. Sara picked 29, Tina picked 100, Gao Meng Jie picked 52 and Jet Chao, also another troll, picked 53...just to get the hopes up of the 50's row. Those lucky people in the 50's row! I should have slept in an extra 15 minutes and I might have been one of those people. But it's ok. I wasn't expecting 47 to be called out, but I would have felt ripped off if I had been 51 or 55, for example....
Jasper picked number 33. If you've read my Pleasantly Surprised Fan Meet Story, you'll know that he picked 33 last time too. Wonder what this number means to him! Here's the lesson if you're going to a Jasper fan meet. Try to be the 33rd person in line to increase your chances of being picked by him! Mandy picked 95 because it had something to do with her birthday.
The competition for the final prize was really short and sweet this time. A simple rock, paper scissors game. I guess this is another reason why I felt this fan meet was more fan based. At the Pleasantly Surprised Fan Meet, the competition took up the bulk of the meet, with most fans who were selected too shy to play. So it ended up being more interactions between the cast members. Which was really fun to watch :) I could really see how close the crew were to each other, and there were more in-jokes and interactions with the main and secondary couples, which suited me because I loved Puff and Jasper. And they spent a lot of time teasing each other and talking about stuff whilst everyone was playing the game. On the flip side of this however, there was slightly less interaction between cast and fans.
This time I felt that there was slightly less personal cast interaction, less down time for say Mandy and Jasper to interact naturally (As Jian-An would direct the cast to do something), but more time for everyone to spend with the fans (along with the fact that they'd quartered the number of people meeting the stars by only allowing 100 books to be bought). Don't worry, as you can see in the footage, the stars were still pretty close when they had the time to be talking and joking amongst themselves! They were totally fun and played on their own cast in-jokes (many seen in the Behind-the-Scenes footage). But I guess they had more 'fan time' to fit in.
The selected fans played each other in like 5 minutes and Jasper's pick, lucky number 33, ended up taking home the prize. But each of the winners got a card with Jasper and Mandy's autographs, as well as the autograph of the person who picked them (So my envy went out to Jasper's pick and Jet's pick). The winners had a few minutes to talk to the stars as they signed their cards. I was sitting closest to Deyn and could see that he was being, as usual, super nice to his winner.
After that, we watched the preview for the next episode together...
Good Bye Speeches
This time I felt that there was slightly less personal cast interaction, less down time for say Mandy and Jasper to interact naturally (As Jian-An would direct the cast to do something), but more time for everyone to spend with the fans (along with the fact that they'd quartered the number of people meeting the stars by only allowing 100 books to be bought). Don't worry, as you can see in the footage, the stars were still pretty close when they had the time to be talking and joking amongst themselves! They were totally fun and played on their own cast in-jokes (many seen in the Behind-the-Scenes footage). But I guess they had more 'fan time' to fit in.
After that, we watched the preview for the next episode together...
Good Bye Speeches
And then it was time for the goodbye speeches. Again, they started with Deyn because Jian-An picked on him again. Deyn: "Do I have to start again? Ok" Jian-An. When you've finished speaking this time, it's really the last time!" Deyn was going smoothly, but then got tongue tied when saying the name of the show! This made everyone laugh quite a lot because Deyn is pretty charming when he speaks, but he's also not often in the spotlight...And he covered up his mistakes in a funny way, by saying something to Jasper but still calling him "Boss." Haha, I'm going to miss the whole boss thing between him and Jasper.
I'm going to miss the Pleasantly Surprised connections between the crew too because there's so many actors in Taiwan and so many TV stations and drama contracts going around that it may well be, in the next dramas they take, none of the crew will be together :( (For the Pleasantly crew this year, it was Deyn, Zooey and Jasper in When I See You Again, Jolin, Verna, Yorke and Mason in Murphy's Law of Love and Yorke and Stanley in Bitter Sweet. Sean (in Someone Like You, Bromance) and Lene (in Love Cheque Charge) were the only ones that did dramas without other crew members and Puff has had a year off from acting so far.)
I'm going to miss the Pleasantly Surprised connections between the crew too because there's so many actors in Taiwan and so many TV stations and drama contracts going around that it may well be, in the next dramas they take, none of the crew will be together :( (For the Pleasantly crew this year, it was Deyn, Zooey and Jasper in When I See You Again, Jolin, Verna, Yorke and Mason in Murphy's Law of Love and Yorke and Stanley in Bitter Sweet. Sean (in Someone Like You, Bromance) and Lene (in Love Cheque Charge) were the only ones that did dramas without other crew members and Puff has had a year off from acting so far.)
Good Bye Speeches from Supporting Cast
Maybe I'll just translate the good bye speeches from the video for those who don't know Chinese and then add commentary in between (Apologies for those who do know Chinese). It's the easiest way to tell the story. I don't have much to add for the talking because it is exactly the same as in the video footage. But I will add that in the video they zoomed in a lot to the actor's faces, whereas I took pictures of the entire crew as they spoke...so here's what was happening between the actors as they were speaking individually...
Deyn's Speech
Deyn's Speech
Deyn: Oh right, saying everything really will be saying everything for the last time. Well, today is Saturday. Tomorrow is Sunday. Then tomorrow, what do we all need to do? (He held the microphone out for the audience to shout out "Watch When I See You Again!") This should be the last time we all meet....so....(here he mucks up saying the title of the show making everyone laugh and he jokes)...For the last time, I'm a bit nervous! ...Those who like watching "Second Time" (As the show is sometimes abbreviated....Deyn manages to find a way to say the show name half right!), Those who like watching "Second Time" isn't the wrong way to say it, right?
Jasper laughingly interrupted with a joke to make fun of Deyn for making a mess of the title.
Jasper: The reason Ocean (the fictional company in the drama) is in Danger is because of you!
Deyn, with a snide glance at Jasper: Boss, don't say that!
Deyn, back to the crowd: Hope everyone continues to support us. Thank you! (Bows)
Jasper: The reason Ocean (the fictional company in the drama) is in Danger is because of you!
Deyn, with a snide glance at Jasper: Boss, don't say that!
Deyn, back to the crowd: Hope everyone continues to support us. Thank you! (Bows)
By the way, since Deyn started talking, the studio has started playing GJ's When I breathe, I think of you (呼吸就想你)...The music in the video wasn't something they added on top, they were actually playing it as the actors spoke. I thought that it was appropriate given that it contained the lines, "And I miss you...". Jet Chao made a reference to the song just before giving his good bye speech.
Lawrence's Speech
Jian-An: Lawrence Liu, Speech!
Lawrence: Actually, really (have to) thank you guys for supporting When I See You Again. Extremely happy to have met you guys and to have met such cool actors. And then, there's a lot that's difficult to let go of/ to miss. Hope everyone can continue to do dramas and that you all continue to watch. Is that good? (Crowd yells out "Yes!") I love you guys...Thank you!
Jian-An: Lawrence Liu, Speech!
Lawrence: Actually, really (have to) thank you guys for supporting When I See You Again. Extremely happy to have met you guys and to have met such cool actors. And then, there's a lot that's difficult to let go of/ to miss. Hope everyone can continue to do dramas and that you all continue to watch. Is that good? (Crowd yells out "Yes!") I love you guys...Thank you!
Lawrence was really cute when he said that. I felt a slight sense of regret for not having paid more attention to meeting Lawrence when I had the chance to meet him, though he was talking to the TV and doing an interview, and I was very spaced out, so it wasn't going to work out either way.
Zooey's Speech
Jian-An: Your little sister wants to cry! (From being so touched by his speech.)
In actual fact, Zooey was pretty smiley. She was paying full attention to Lawrence when he spoke, as you can see in the pictures. Haha, I could see why they gave her the role of the little sister. She really did look like his little sister at that point.
Zooey: No, la!
Jian-An, in a petting way, as if talking to a little kid: Oh ok, you speak!
Zooey, hesitated: Ahhh...
Jian-An, in the same petting way: Will you be able to let go/miss everyone?
Zooey: Er, that...
Jian-An, still in the petting way: Are you feeling emotionally well at the moment?
Zooey laughs: Very good!...Thank you for your support these couple of months. And then, hope in the future...everyone's other acting projects....you will continue to support them...ok, I like you guys! Thank you! (Bows laughingly)
She was laughing so much from her short little speech. At this point everyone was laughing at her struggles to speak and at Jian-An's tactic of picking on her to speak. Jasper, who liked to pick on her often during the filming of the show, was laughing a lot during her speech (But I've just realised he looked serious in the picture above. I swear he was laughing!) I often think Jasper and Zooey have quite a similar personality and remind me of siblings because they act alike, both in their love of games and teasing, and in their hipster aesthetic tastes.
In terms of her public interaction skills, Zooey is so cute and quiet that I sometimes wonder how she's an actor. But I really do like her! I have to add, at the end of her speech Lawrence did something cute. He put his hand on her shoulder in a supportive way, as if he was Ya Lu and she was Ya En...whilst still laughing at her. Siblings in real life, yeah!
Sara's Speech
In terms of her public interaction skills, Zooey is so cute and quiet that I sometimes wonder how she's an actor. But I really do like her! I have to add, at the end of her speech Lawrence did something cute. He put his hand on her shoulder in a supportive way, as if he was Ya Lu and she was Ya En...whilst still laughing at her. Siblings in real life, yeah!
Jian-An: Sara...
Sara: Extremely thankful for everyone's support towards When I See You Again. Although it was a relatively short period of time, it left all of us with a warm and beautiful memories. And hope that this beauty has left everyone to be peaceful and happy. Thank you everyone! (Bows)
Tina's Speech
Tina's Speech
Jian-An, made a mock cry of dread: Zhi Lin, we have to end work soooon!
Tina laughed: Thank you for everyone's support! Also, thank you for everyone's support by visiting fan meets, making fan art, leaving messages for each actor. Actually, we looked at it. Thank you for accompanying us these few months. Really thank you everyone! Really will miss you/ find it difficult to let go!
Gao Meng Jie's Speech
Gao Meng Jie's Speech
Jian-An: Ok, ok, we will still continue to think of you....(He then moved on to pick on Gao Meng Jie, who was also another quiet one who didn't know what to say!) Hai Kuo!
Gao Meng Jie, bowing after every phrase: Thank you for everyone's support! (Bows) Thank you everyone for liking Jiang Hai Kuo! (Bows and puts an arm up) I will continue to work hard! Thank you! (Bows)
Haha, Gao Meng Jie did his thanks in short and sweet phrases and it was such a testimony to his character and made everyone laugh.
Jet Chao's Speech
Jet Chao's Speech
Jian-An: Thank you Gao Meng Jie! Lastly, this big baddie which everyone loves (or something along those lines)
Jet Chao: Did you know this song, I've also got a copy of it?
Jian-An: Does it have a special meaning?
Jet Chao: I really like this song! This song is really...(Touching? Something. Let me get back to you on that one)
Jian-An: Jet Chao wants to cry!
Jet Chao: At this moment, when this song is on, it really is touching (?) I really want to thank...want to thank each person. Thank you everyone for your support and encouragement for these few months. And then, every one of your comments or encouragements, we have seen them. Thank you, everyone. I hope that, although the drama is quickly coming to an end, this friendship we have can continue on. Thank you!
Haha, Jet really did look rather touched. I'm glad he admitted to liking the song too because I also really liked this song - it was GJ's music that really kept me watching this drama. I thought it really added to the mood between the main couple.
Good Bye Hug Between Jet & Zooey
Before they got to Mandy and Jasper's speeches, however, Jian-An got up to his usual mischief and decided it was time to give out some fan service. I really like Jian-An's cheekiness. He is definitely someone who can make the stars do whatever he wants in a funny way. He also creates opportunities for ice-breaking, and also for celebrities to do things they might otherwise be uncomfortable to do. Like this...
Jian-An to Jet Chao: You acting this way has really made us feel like we can't let go/ will really miss everything. So...we want to see, in real life, a relationship experience from inside the drama. So we'll get Zooey and Jet to hug.
At this point everyone was cheering really loudly... I'm usually silent, but even I felt compelled to cheer. But hey, this was my favourite pairing! And both Jet and Zooey were grinning and looking at each other with a shall-we-do-it? look.
Jian-An: Ok, this is just from the drama. These two, inside the drama, are...ooh!
By this point, both Jet and Zooey had decided to do the fan service and they both came towards each other for a hug, both laughing. Zooey folded rather neatly into Jet's arms, her tiny frame seriously just reaching his shoulder height as she put her arms around him. They were both grinning as they hugged and then stood next to each other, arms around one another.
Jet Chao, grinning: The couple with the cutest height difference, right?
Jian-An: That's correct! Ok, we really love you both, you lovebirds.
Tina kept teasing by saying: Chu chu! Chu chu! Give us a kiss! Give us a kiss!
Zooey was turning back, grining, shaking her head and saying to Tina: No...
Jian-An: Go on to kiss? But Zooey is shy!
Jet Chao, jokingly: If we kiss again, I think she'll really have a heart problem...
Haha, confident much, Jet? :D Everyone laughed because that would probably be true anyway since Zooey was so nervous shooting that scene and hasn't been able to give any opinion about filming since she's done it.
I want to say that I have fantastic photos of this whole experience. But unfortunately my camera choose that moment to blank out and focus on the background rather than foreground. This is seriously the only part of the fan meet which I regret not getting properly!!! But fear not, if you're a Jet and Zooey/ Yan Ze and Ya En fan, I do have photos. Just not as many in focus ones. But I've fixed as many as I could for here. Good thing Sanlih now records fan meets. There were many moments I didn't get a chance to capture at the Pleasantly Surprised Fan Meet that have probably been lost....but not this precious moment!
Good Bye Hug Between Gao Meng Jie & Mandy
To continue on, Jian An went on to pick on Gao Meng Jie, who like a male equivalent of Zooey was shy when it came to being on stage.
Jian-An to response to Jet: Yeah, that's right... (Turning to Gao Meng Jie) Then Jiang Hai Kuo, who do you want to hug? You should hug An Du Du...at this time, I'll allow you to hug An Du Du, la! (For those who haven't watched the series properly, that's the pet name that Gao Meng Jie's character, Jiang Hai Kuo, has for Mandy Wei's character, An Xi, when he has a crush on her).
Jet Chao to Gao Meng Jie: You should hug An Du Du for a bit
Mandy Wei moved over to Gao Meng Jie, laughing and motioned for him to come closer. But he moved away at her touch, causing her to laugh and hit him lightly on the shoulder. He edged away with a hand on his mouth, as if looking nervous!
Jasper, laughing at Mandy trying to tame Gao Meng Jie: An Du Du says, "Be good, be good!"
Mandy was still laughing and motioning for him to come forward. Gao Meng Jie walked towards her acting shyly, hands on mouth and then turned around in mock fear and walked away again, making everyone laugh.
But finally, he turned back and went in for the kill....
And ended up hugging Mandy :D
Mandy: Jiang Hai Kuo, you man
Jian-An: Finally get to hug An Du Du!
She held him almost in a maternal way, patting his back repeatedly (Haha, Mandy's expression when she's made to hug someone is so funny and cute. Jasper said he felt it was a maternal hug at the last fan meet at Lunar Maria too :D). But this time, whilst Gao Meng Jie was wrapped in her arms, she attempted to lift him up, making everyone laugh.
Good Bye Speeches from main couple
So after the hugs from the supporting characters, we finally got the Good Bye speeches for Mandy and Jasper. I felt sad about it because this really would be the end of the fan meet and series. I was really glad I had made the decision to come to see Mandy and Jasper interact as well as Jet and Zooey and the rest of the Lunar Maria crew.
Mandy's Speech
Good Bye Hug Between Gao Meng Jie & Mandy
To continue on, Jian An went on to pick on Gao Meng Jie, who like a male equivalent of Zooey was shy when it came to being on stage.
Jian-An to response to Jet: Yeah, that's right... (Turning to Gao Meng Jie) Then Jiang Hai Kuo, who do you want to hug? You should hug An Du Du...at this time, I'll allow you to hug An Du Du, la! (For those who haven't watched the series properly, that's the pet name that Gao Meng Jie's character, Jiang Hai Kuo, has for Mandy Wei's character, An Xi, when he has a crush on her).
Jet Chao to Gao Meng Jie: You should hug An Du Du for a bit
Mandy was still laughing and motioning for him to come forward. Gao Meng Jie walked towards her acting shyly, hands on mouth and then turned around in mock fear and walked away again, making everyone laugh.
But finally, he turned back and went in for the kill....
Jian-An: Finally get to hug An Du Du!
She held him almost in a maternal way, patting his back repeatedly (Haha, Mandy's expression when she's made to hug someone is so funny and cute. Jasper said he felt it was a maternal hug at the last fan meet at Lunar Maria too :D). But this time, whilst Gao Meng Jie was wrapped in her arms, she attempted to lift him up, making everyone laugh.
Good Bye Speeches from main couple
So after the hugs from the supporting characters, we finally got the Good Bye speeches for Mandy and Jasper. I felt sad about it because this really would be the end of the fan meet and series. I was really glad I had made the decision to come to see Mandy and Jasper interact as well as Jet and Zooey and the rest of the Lunar Maria crew.
Mandy's Speech
Jian-An, after the lifting-hug: Ok, Mandy is very cute! In this drama, Mandy has gained many people's support. She has had a hard time with her hair. Her own hair has grown out. Congrats on it growing out!
Mandy: Yep, it has! My own hair has grown up to here (Mandy indicates where her hair has grown to. Oh. So this did happen. I thought it happened in the introduction, but must have been at the end!)
And that represents...represents...
Jian-An: When she started acting (for this drama), she thought by the time the drama finishes my hair should have grown out longer.
Mandy: Yep. In 5 months, my hair has grown out this much (Mandy uses her fingers to show the length). Amazing, isn't it?
Jian-An: Amazing, amazing
Mandy: And then, in these 5 months...Thank you everyone for accompanying us every week. And after seeing the first episode and the second episode, I really want to cry. From the photos. Right. Ok, let's not talk about it, or I'll cry. Thank you everyone!
Jian-An: Talk more, talk more...You really like An-Xi.
Mandy: Yep, I really like An Xi (passes mircophone to Jasper)
Jian-An: What's important to you about An Xi?
Mandy, in a jokingly, higher pitch voice: Ok, ok...I don't want to talk anymore...
Good Bye Hug between Jasper and Mandy
I assume she was getting teary. And this leads to the cutest part of the fan meet for Mandy and Jasper. She leaned in behind Jasper to avoid Jian-An, who was teasing and saying in a high pitch voice, you have to talk, you have to talk. Jasper turned around to look at her and their faces were pretty close. And then Jasper turned around.
Jian-An, jokingly in high pitch voice: You talk, you talk now
Mandy had ducked behind Jasper and leaned on his back
Jasper lightly: Ok, ok, let's not talk about it
Jian-An, jokingly in high pitch voice: Ok, don't cry. (Nudging Jasper). You hug her for a bit.
Jasper grinned and put an arm around her in a pretty matey way, one arm around her.
Jasper, jokingly: Ok, don't cry, don't cry
She titled her head and ended up leaning on Jet's shoulder and then apologizing, she pat him, while he laughed it off.
Ok, don't kill me, but I actually have no photos of this!!! I remember the hug between those two happening real quickly and it was quite difficult to see it happening from where I was sitting...Everything with Jasper and Mandy took place at the other end from where I was sitting...behind Tina, Gao Meng Jie and Jet. Also Jasper and Mandy didn't come forward to hug like Jet and Zooey or Gao Meng Jie and Mandy. So, so sad to have no photos of this :( But you can catch the hug on the Sanlih recording of the fan meet which I stuck into the first of my WISYA fan meet blog post here...it happens at 1:42 on the video.
Jasper's Speech
Jasper: Ok, really happy to be able to film this drama and meet so many new friends and everyone. Many people in the past maybe hadn't seen our projects, so...new friends, I'm extremely happy. Hope after the drama finishes, everyone will continue supporting us. We will definitely continue working hard. Thank you!
Jasper always commands the most attention when he speaks, I feel, because he's very charming, but also quite sincere. I'm not actually sure if I have photos of when Jasper made his final speech because I really just wanted to watch him speak, though I totally regret not capturing the moment. Still sometimes you just have to live in the moment, right? (Turns out I took a lot of small pictures, but was so dazed that I didn't zoom in! Nooo! Well here are the pictures I do have...)
Good Bye Group Hugs with Lunar Maria and the Guys
Jian-An then requested a hug between the Lunar Maria crew because he said he knew that they were close. At this point, Mandy went over to hug Tina, Zooey and Sara. Jet and Jasper were teasing them and saying they looked like they were going to cry. Tina became very teary at this point, as did Sara. Both of them were crying so much, particularly Tina. Mandy and Zooey managed to hold it in though their eyes were shiney. Last time at the Pleasantly Surprised fan meet Zooey got super teary because she was standing next to Verna who cried a lot. Haha, I think she learnt from that experience...
At this point the guy were looking oddly left out. And Jasper and Jet were making motions about how they should have a man-hug, so Jian-An laughed that they should hug too. Haha, Jet Chao got super excited and was motioning to the guys on the other side to come over.
Jet: We guys should also have a hug!...Exactly the same as before (This is an in-joke from a behind the scenes which I translated before here)
The guys had a lot of fun getting all cuddly. Haha, you could really see them enjoying each other's, er, brotherly company. Jasper, Lawrence and Deyn couldn't stop laughing. Jet Chao was pretty excited and Gao Meng Jie got squished in between all his very tall friends. This made Tina laugh as the guys huddled in close, although she was still pouring buckets.
Jian-An teased Tina about crying and she jokingly blamed Mei Wen Jie.
Jasper, joins in to chide Sara: Wei Men Jie!!!
Sara to Tina: Me? You're crying more than me!!
Sara to everyone: Really can't bare to let go, Really can't bare to let go. Thank you for everyone's encouragement!
Good Bye Bow and Final photos and The End...
Jian-An then asked Jasper to lead the final bow, so he put his arm around Jet, and the rest of the crew did a cute shuffle to the left and they took a final bow, with Jasper taking everyone...and everyone else with a microphone also said thanks.
Then Jian-An let us squeeze in 5 more minutes of group photo-taking, which I thought was pretty generous as last time with Pleasantly Surprised, there was only one section for group photo-taking. Like I said, this fan meet was really for the fans, so everyone got busy snapping their final photos. This time it was more random than the first photo-taking session in that Mandy and Jasper, Jet and Zooey didn't have to pair up and Tina was busy trying to dry her tears. Also there was no group posing, just lots of random actions....but it was good anyway to get some last snap shots. The group posed for the left side of the room and then the right and then it was really time to go :( Mandy left doing cute peace signs. Jasper waved, Jet did a salute, Lawrence, Deyn and Zooey lingered to wave before walking away with the others....
Waiting to See the Stars Leave
Ah, yes. But that wasn't really the end. It never ends with the fan meet itself. It always ends when you see the stars leave the building. Fans gather at the exits of the Sanlih building to catch the stars as they leave. There's two main exits...The front entrance of the building and the back entrance, where all the official Sanlih vehicles are parked. If I had been smart, I would have waited out the back....because from my Pleasantly Surprised experience I should have been aware that the bigger stars leave from out the back. But I think I was still in awe of everything that had happened, and it was hot, so I wasn't thinking properly. Also, you're definitely sure to see at least some stars leave from the front because that's where the taxi loop is (Yes, Taiwanese stars take taxi/cab rides. But not the big stars). But I've never waited out the back because...well, I'm not sure how many more exits there are. And from the sound of things last time, neither Puff nor Jasper exited out that way specifically, though a few other secondary actors did...so fans waiting that way were highly disappointed.
So I waited out the front and saw most of the Lunar Maria crew leave. The first person to exit the building was Tina, who strolled out and said bye to everyone. She was escorted out with a security guard who cleared the way for her. Then next person who left was Sara. She was swamped because she happened to walk straight into the crowd, so people were passing their book to her so she could add her signature. She managed to do a few before a guard helped to get her into a taxi.
Jet Chao happened to stroll into the lobby and looked out at the doors and someone screamed out, "It's Jet Chao!" So then there was more yelling of his name and struggling to see him. He didn't exit out that way...and for his own safety too, I'd say, because he would seriously have been mobbed by teenage girls (and a couple of guys). But he did wave and say "Thank you! Bye!" through the glass doors.
Not long after that, Lawrence Liu came out. He was pretty chill and didn't seem too scared off by fans. He thanked everyone again and a guard got him to his taxi alright. It was difficult to take photos this time of everyone leaving because there were so many people who stayed back to wait as the fan meet ended around 4:00pm, so it was still bright in the late afternoon. But I managed to get a clear shot of Lawrence. After this, there was a long wait with no one else, and the guard said that everyone had gone. So people started drifting off, reluctantly.
Like a few other people, I started heading off to the back entrance, just in case...and then I saw a black van drive out from the Sanlih courtyard with fan girls chasing after it yelling, "Jasper! Jasper!" And I knew that Jasper was in that black, tinted van. This was confirmed even more so when the van was forced to stop at a red light and Jasper, who had his window rolled down, on the other side of the van, waved to fans who was calling his name. Like I said, Fan girls (and some boys) are crazy. So Jasper's van was at a red light because it was turning a corner, but the on-coming traffic lights were turning green. Despite this, FANS RAN ACROSS THE ROAD IN ON-COMING TRAFFIC to go up to Jasper's window to look/talk/touch him. Hahaha! I didn't because I will fly to Taiwan to be part of a fan meet...but I kind of value my life not to run across on-coming traffic. Some of the other fans who watched, like me, were like "Wow, I can't watch... that was horrible!" because it could have ended badly. Luckily the traffic was kind of slow and those kids were fast and no one tripped.
Because of that, it just became amusing. The other person who was in that van was Jet, who was also looking amused at all the fan who hadn't crossed the road and who were waving at him (because he was sitting on that side of the van facing us.) Through the dark glass you could see him taking a photo of the whole scene (So maybe I'm in that photo too...). Jasper, on the other hand, was saying thanks to fans, giving them high fives and waving bye as a whole group of girls swamped his windows. When the lights turned green, the van had a lot of difficulty leaving...so much so that some of the cars behind the van kept honking. Finally, they managed to pull away. Rumour has it that Mandy might have been in there too because they were driving off to do some more filming, as Jian-An mentioned before! And that was the whole of my fan meet experience this time :)
Some Final Fan Meet Notes
It was a great experience and I was really happy coming out of this fan meet and I'm really, really, really glad I went, although this meet was even more last minute and spontaneous than the first one. I can't say either way on whether or not I'll do it again (I really shouldn't because last minute costs are expensive, but if I say I won't, I'll probably jinx myself and end up doing it again. I also just really love Taiwan, so I will pretty much find any excuse to go there), but this trip was definitely worth it.
Any regrets? I wish I'd taken a few more pictures of Jasper though it was not always easy because of where I was sitting and where he was standing, often at opposite ends of the rooms. I would have liked a close up photo, but that wasn't allowed. Not a big regret, but I wish I'd said something different conversationally...but hey, it worked in creating a conversation! If there is a next time, I want to say something interesting, not about home. I have to have a good think! I wish I'd had more time with Jasper, as always, but that was difficult because of the queue. Still, I doubled our time from the last fan meet ...and there was the ever-charming Jet Chao to talk to, which was nice. And of course...I wish my camera had not played up when Zooey and Jet hugged! That's a big one. In fact if I had to name only one regret, that would be it! But otherwise I was really, really, really happy and actually, I have fewer regrets than with my first fan meet experience (Not that there were many there either. But I guess if we have to compare :D)
Someone asked me which fan meet I enjoyed going to more, Pleasantly Surprised or When I See You Again...and to be honest, I couldn't pick one. There's different reasons I enjoyed each meet as I mentioned before with Pleasantly Surprised being slightly more cast based (it was so wonderful watching that chemistry between everyone especially my favourite leads) and When I See You Again slightly more fan based (multiple opportunities for photos and cast interaction if you'd bought the book). I think I loved the excitement of Pleasantly Surprised because it was my first fan meet...
But if you asked which one had better highs, I'd definitely say When I See You Again. With Pleasantly Surprised, I did Hi-5 Puff and Jasper and talk to them briefly, as well as get a free gift (a little heart shaped Jasper coaster) and take a number of pictures. But the perks were better with When I See You Again because I finally have Jasper's autograph across an SPOP magazine and a book, I got a clear opportunity to talk to Jasper and Jet briefly, as well as carry out a handshake with each, rather than a Hi-5 (and this time I have a better memory of the process) and take a ton of photos. Also, Jian-An really did push my favourite pairing together a few times. I wish Jet and Zooey had actually come out together (Not because I suspect anything is up... but because it would have been great photo wise), but they were cute when they were together, so that was happiness enough.
Anyway, Thanks for reading My Fan Meet Story! It's been a pleasure re-living this experience this month. Sorry it's taken so long to write it all down - it's the pictures that take the longest....but I really do hope you've enjoyed everything :) If you've followed me from the start of this journey, thanks for your time...you rock!
Sara to Tina: Me? You're crying more than me!!
Sara to everyone: Really can't bare to let go, Really can't bare to let go. Thank you for everyone's encouragement!
Good Bye Bow and Final photos and The End...
Jian-An then asked Jasper to lead the final bow, so he put his arm around Jet, and the rest of the crew did a cute shuffle to the left and they took a final bow, with Jasper taking everyone...and everyone else with a microphone also said thanks.
Then Jian-An let us squeeze in 5 more minutes of group photo-taking, which I thought was pretty generous as last time with Pleasantly Surprised, there was only one section for group photo-taking. Like I said, this fan meet was really for the fans, so everyone got busy snapping their final photos. This time it was more random than the first photo-taking session in that Mandy and Jasper, Jet and Zooey didn't have to pair up and Tina was busy trying to dry her tears. Also there was no group posing, just lots of random actions....but it was good anyway to get some last snap shots. The group posed for the left side of the room and then the right and then it was really time to go :( Mandy left doing cute peace signs. Jasper waved, Jet did a salute, Lawrence, Deyn and Zooey lingered to wave before walking away with the others....
Waiting to See the Stars Leave
Ah, yes. But that wasn't really the end. It never ends with the fan meet itself. It always ends when you see the stars leave the building. Fans gather at the exits of the Sanlih building to catch the stars as they leave. There's two main exits...The front entrance of the building and the back entrance, where all the official Sanlih vehicles are parked. If I had been smart, I would have waited out the back....because from my Pleasantly Surprised experience I should have been aware that the bigger stars leave from out the back. But I think I was still in awe of everything that had happened, and it was hot, so I wasn't thinking properly. Also, you're definitely sure to see at least some stars leave from the front because that's where the taxi loop is (Yes, Taiwanese stars take taxi/cab rides. But not the big stars). But I've never waited out the back because...well, I'm not sure how many more exits there are. And from the sound of things last time, neither Puff nor Jasper exited out that way specifically, though a few other secondary actors did...so fans waiting that way were highly disappointed.
So I waited out the front and saw most of the Lunar Maria crew leave. The first person to exit the building was Tina, who strolled out and said bye to everyone. She was escorted out with a security guard who cleared the way for her. Then next person who left was Sara. She was swamped because she happened to walk straight into the crowd, so people were passing their book to her so she could add her signature. She managed to do a few before a guard helped to get her into a taxi.
Jet Chao happened to stroll into the lobby and looked out at the doors and someone screamed out, "It's Jet Chao!" So then there was more yelling of his name and struggling to see him. He didn't exit out that way...and for his own safety too, I'd say, because he would seriously have been mobbed by teenage girls (and a couple of guys). But he did wave and say "Thank you! Bye!" through the glass doors.
Not long after that, Lawrence Liu came out. He was pretty chill and didn't seem too scared off by fans. He thanked everyone again and a guard got him to his taxi alright. It was difficult to take photos this time of everyone leaving because there were so many people who stayed back to wait as the fan meet ended around 4:00pm, so it was still bright in the late afternoon. But I managed to get a clear shot of Lawrence. After this, there was a long wait with no one else, and the guard said that everyone had gone. So people started drifting off, reluctantly.
Like a few other people, I started heading off to the back entrance, just in case...and then I saw a black van drive out from the Sanlih courtyard with fan girls chasing after it yelling, "Jasper! Jasper!" And I knew that Jasper was in that black, tinted van. This was confirmed even more so when the van was forced to stop at a red light and Jasper, who had his window rolled down, on the other side of the van, waved to fans who was calling his name. Like I said, Fan girls (and some boys) are crazy. So Jasper's van was at a red light because it was turning a corner, but the on-coming traffic lights were turning green. Despite this, FANS RAN ACROSS THE ROAD IN ON-COMING TRAFFIC to go up to Jasper's window to look/talk/touch him. Hahaha! I didn't because I will fly to Taiwan to be part of a fan meet...but I kind of value my life not to run across on-coming traffic. Some of the other fans who watched, like me, were like "Wow, I can't watch... that was horrible!" because it could have ended badly. Luckily the traffic was kind of slow and those kids were fast and no one tripped.
Because of that, it just became amusing. The other person who was in that van was Jet, who was also looking amused at all the fan who hadn't crossed the road and who were waving at him (because he was sitting on that side of the van facing us.) Through the dark glass you could see him taking a photo of the whole scene (So maybe I'm in that photo too...). Jasper, on the other hand, was saying thanks to fans, giving them high fives and waving bye as a whole group of girls swamped his windows. When the lights turned green, the van had a lot of difficulty leaving...so much so that some of the cars behind the van kept honking. Finally, they managed to pull away. Rumour has it that Mandy might have been in there too because they were driving off to do some more filming, as Jian-An mentioned before! And that was the whole of my fan meet experience this time :)
Some Final Fan Meet Notes
It was a great experience and I was really happy coming out of this fan meet and I'm really, really, really glad I went, although this meet was even more last minute and spontaneous than the first one. I can't say either way on whether or not I'll do it again (I really shouldn't because last minute costs are expensive, but if I say I won't, I'll probably jinx myself and end up doing it again. I also just really love Taiwan, so I will pretty much find any excuse to go there), but this trip was definitely worth it.
Any regrets? I wish I'd taken a few more pictures of Jasper though it was not always easy because of where I was sitting and where he was standing, often at opposite ends of the rooms. I would have liked a close up photo, but that wasn't allowed. Not a big regret, but I wish I'd said something different conversationally...but hey, it worked in creating a conversation! If there is a next time, I want to say something interesting, not about home. I have to have a good think! I wish I'd had more time with Jasper, as always, but that was difficult because of the queue. Still, I doubled our time from the last fan meet ...and there was the ever-charming Jet Chao to talk to, which was nice. And of course...I wish my camera had not played up when Zooey and Jet hugged! That's a big one. In fact if I had to name only one regret, that would be it! But otherwise I was really, really, really happy and actually, I have fewer regrets than with my first fan meet experience (Not that there were many there either. But I guess if we have to compare :D)
Someone asked me which fan meet I enjoyed going to more, Pleasantly Surprised or When I See You Again...and to be honest, I couldn't pick one. There's different reasons I enjoyed each meet as I mentioned before with Pleasantly Surprised being slightly more cast based (it was so wonderful watching that chemistry between everyone especially my favourite leads) and When I See You Again slightly more fan based (multiple opportunities for photos and cast interaction if you'd bought the book). I think I loved the excitement of Pleasantly Surprised because it was my first fan meet...
But if you asked which one had better highs, I'd definitely say When I See You Again. With Pleasantly Surprised, I did Hi-5 Puff and Jasper and talk to them briefly, as well as get a free gift (a little heart shaped Jasper coaster) and take a number of pictures. But the perks were better with When I See You Again because I finally have Jasper's autograph across an SPOP magazine and a book, I got a clear opportunity to talk to Jasper and Jet briefly, as well as carry out a handshake with each, rather than a Hi-5 (and this time I have a better memory of the process) and take a ton of photos. Also, Jian-An really did push my favourite pairing together a few times. I wish Jet and Zooey had actually come out together (Not because I suspect anything is up... but because it would have been great photo wise), but they were cute when they were together, so that was happiness enough.
Anyway, Thanks for reading My Fan Meet Story! It's been a pleasure re-living this experience this month. Sorry it's taken so long to write it all down - it's the pictures that take the longest....but I really do hope you've enjoyed everything :) If you've followed me from the start of this journey, thanks for your time...you rock!
Will add all the pictures soon!
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