Cate
I arrived to this country last April. It was a 14-hour plane trip from the little country called The Philippines. It was the biggest move of my life - different time zones, different people, different cultures. I was scared that I might find it very hard to connect to other people or to make friends. For the first time, I felt lost.
On the flipside, I was excited. I could vote for the first time... on American Idol! "Idol at the Movies" was the theme, dated April 14. I am an Adam Lambert fan. He's the ONLY reason why I watched Season 8. I was so happy that my several hundred votes (together with a million more) pulled him through the competition. And I am not going to lie, his talent wasn't the only thing that had me interested. It was through Adam Lambert that I was introduced to Cheeks.
I stumbled upon an article about "Adam Lambert's ex" and how "he's not talking about his relationship with the Idol". In the same article, I found out he also went with the name "Cheeks". Thank technology heaven for Google; a Youtube video was one of the first hits of my search. The video was entitled "7 Things to Hate About Me". I remember watching that video over and over again... just watching/listening to this very attractive man talk. At the end of the video, he posted his Myspace page. I checked that out and added him as a friend, not really expecting anything. (And I got "Take It In" stuck in my head for the first time.)
I mentioned April 14 as being the first time I ever voted on Idol. It was also the first time Cheeks commented on my page. It said, "thanx for the add love. xoxoxo". I was happy he accepted my invite... even happier when he gave me a comment. And it started from there. We exchanged comments, Myspace messages... Twitter, along the way. Then one day, I saw a status message update about a possible TV show. I responded, along with other people... one thing led to another until we finally had our fan board.
The fan board had a chat feature and from the first time I ever logged in (May 26th), I don't think I ever left. I played Moderator on that old board. I met a lot of people there, talked to them almost everyday. I know it is only through the monitor but the "Chatty Cheekers" are my first friends in the USA. I remember something Cheeks said about him being happy because not everything on the board was about him. We talked about a lot of things... ANYTHING under the sun... I mean it. And we enjoyed it. A couple of times, Cheeks joined our chats and it's amazing how that little chatbox held up. Eventually, it broke down and we found a cybercouch at Candy's site. We fondly called the chatroom "FleshChat" - my fault, I misread FlashChat haha.
I was content on being a "Peep", somebody appreciating and supporting from afar. Until July, that is. Cheeks mentioned that a shortfilm he was in was included in the LA Outfest on July 12 and 15. I figured I am 20 minutes away from the venues, might as well make myself useful and VOLUNTEER. I spent a whole day at the DGA during the July 12 screening. There, I made a whole bunch of fun friends. Also, I met fellow Peeps: Joanne, Jamaica, and Tania. And of course, I met Cheeks. I remember praying that I won't forget my English when I'm in that moment. I didn't... but I just... didn't know what to say. It is impossible not to be charmed by him. He is so real and so sweet.
July 16, the day after the 2nd "Lushes" screening, was the Idols LIVE Tour show at the Staples Center. After "polite" persuasion from my mother, she finally let me watch and super thanks to Jamaica, I got good seats. But as Joanne said as we made our way to Staples, "Who goes to dinner with Cheeks and then to an Idol concert right after?" To be honest, I was more excited about spending time with Cheeks than the concert. (It sucks being under 21 when there are afterparties left and right.) I had the time of my life. Dinner, concert, and all the interesting stuff that happened in between... surreal.
Cheeks came in to my life during my big move from the Philippines to the USA and had been there ever since. Through him, I met my first friends and he was there during my first ever night out in town (with people who are not my "relatives"). He taught me how to control - and share - my sparkles, how to believe in myself. He walks into a room and he just exudes confidence. And he is so... REAL. I am so happy and honored to be one of his Peeps, in a group of such wonderful people. And wherever this journey will lead all of us, I am so proud of him and I'm glad to be along for the ride.
Cate
On the flipside, I was excited. I could vote for the first time... on American Idol! "Idol at the Movies" was the theme, dated April 14. I am an Adam Lambert fan. He's the ONLY reason why I watched Season 8. I was so happy that my several hundred votes (together with a million more) pulled him through the competition. And I am not going to lie, his talent wasn't the only thing that had me interested. It was through Adam Lambert that I was introduced to Cheeks.
I stumbled upon an article about "Adam Lambert's ex" and how "he's not talking about his relationship with the Idol". In the same article, I found out he also went with the name "Cheeks". Thank technology heaven for Google; a Youtube video was one of the first hits of my search. The video was entitled "7 Things to Hate About Me". I remember watching that video over and over again... just watching/listening to this very attractive man talk. At the end of the video, he posted his Myspace page. I checked that out and added him as a friend, not really expecting anything. (And I got "Take It In" stuck in my head for the first time.)
I mentioned April 14 as being the first time I ever voted on Idol. It was also the first time Cheeks commented on my page. It said, "thanx for the add love. xoxoxo". I was happy he accepted my invite... even happier when he gave me a comment. And it started from there. We exchanged comments, Myspace messages... Twitter, along the way. Then one day, I saw a status message update about a possible TV show. I responded, along with other people... one thing led to another until we finally had our fan board.
The fan board had a chat feature and from the first time I ever logged in (May 26th), I don't think I ever left. I played Moderator on that old board. I met a lot of people there, talked to them almost everyday. I know it is only through the monitor but the "Chatty Cheekers" are my first friends in the USA. I remember something Cheeks said about him being happy because not everything on the board was about him. We talked about a lot of things... ANYTHING under the sun... I mean it. And we enjoyed it. A couple of times, Cheeks joined our chats and it's amazing how that little chatbox held up. Eventually, it broke down and we found a cybercouch at Candy's site. We fondly called the chatroom "FleshChat" - my fault, I misread FlashChat haha.
I was content on being a "Peep", somebody appreciating and supporting from afar. Until July, that is. Cheeks mentioned that a shortfilm he was in was included in the LA Outfest on July 12 and 15. I figured I am 20 minutes away from the venues, might as well make myself useful and VOLUNTEER. I spent a whole day at the DGA during the July 12 screening. There, I made a whole bunch of fun friends. Also, I met fellow Peeps: Joanne, Jamaica, and Tania. And of course, I met Cheeks. I remember praying that I won't forget my English when I'm in that moment. I didn't... but I just... didn't know what to say. It is impossible not to be charmed by him. He is so real and so sweet.
July 16, the day after the 2nd "Lushes" screening, was the Idols LIVE Tour show at the Staples Center. After "polite" persuasion from my mother, she finally let me watch and super thanks to Jamaica, I got good seats. But as Joanne said as we made our way to Staples, "Who goes to dinner with Cheeks and then to an Idol concert right after?" To be honest, I was more excited about spending time with Cheeks than the concert. (It sucks being under 21 when there are afterparties left and right.) I had the time of my life. Dinner, concert, and all the interesting stuff that happened in between... surreal.
Cheeks came in to my life during my big move from the Philippines to the USA and had been there ever since. Through him, I met my first friends and he was there during my first ever night out in town (with people who are not my "relatives"). He taught me how to control - and share - my sparkles, how to believe in myself. He walks into a room and he just exudes confidence. And he is so... REAL. I am so happy and honored to be one of his Peeps, in a group of such wonderful people. And wherever this journey will lead all of us, I am so proud of him and I'm glad to be along for the ride.
Cate