Forever an #OTWOL Addict: OTWOLISTA, Bow!
FINALE WEEK!
It’s the finalé week of OTWOL (On The Wings Of Love)! And of course, the whole cast was our guest in ASAP.
We were especially excited to see JaDine because it was the day after they announced they were a couple during their concert the night before. The concert where we didn’t bother falling in line and spending thousands on tickets (SRO) but opted to use Pay Per View instead. First time! Haha just for JaDine, natuto mag-PPV kasi die hard OTWOLISTAs!
#OTWOL CAST IN ASAP!
Oh no! My Abs-Cbn access card wouldn’t work so I had to go all the way around to get to the studio rehearsal. Aha! The souvenir shop was on the way so I checked to see if the OTWOL DVD’s 1 & 2 were available. Finally! After weeks (literally) of passing by for it, they were available. Now I could get them autographed. I already had DVD 3 but I forgot to bring it along that day, shucks!
I also found the OTWOL Bookazine and got one to get autographed as well. Now off to rehearsals! (Hehe inuna pa talaga ang shopping ng OTWOL merchandise no?)
On our way to ASAP Studio10 after rehearsals, we spotted Tatang Sol (Joel Torre) having a smoke on the sidelines. Chance na!
“Tatang Sol! Can we take a picture with you?” To which he gamely posed with all 4 of us back-ups. Hehe Teacher Annie (Quintos) graciously took our group photo.
“Tatang Sol, we are neighbors. Your JT’s Manukan commissary in ______ street is across our house.” O di ba, may I chika pa?
He answered, “Ah _____ street? Taga-dun din sila Isay (Alvarez who plays Nanang).”
Aha! So we’re neighbors with both Tatang and Nanang, naks!
I went back to the souvenir shop to get another Bookazine for my friend, Bob, who is also an OTWOLISTA. This is our chance to get Jadine’s autographs so share the love (adik!).
We went to their dressing room but couldn’t get in because there were a lot of people inside. So we asked Cecile, our kaback-up who was also Jadine’s vocal coach for their concert, to just go for the autograph based on “face value” hehe. Turns out, they were too busy so she just left our bag of “goodies” for autograph with Nadine herself. That’s good enough for me!
LUNCH TIME!
Ang haba ng pila sa catering… We saw Jiggs (Albie Casiño) passing by and we kidded him. “Ikaw ha! Bakit may holding hands ka pang nalalaman sa concert kagabi?” Referring to him and his OTWOL love interest Angela.
He laughed and biglang bulong sakin, “Pampakilig lang sa fans.” Ganun?!
Before you think it weird that we get to kid around with Jiggs/Albie, he’s really game. Lagi namin sya sinasabihan na, “Ikaw, nakakainis ka!” or “Ang sarap mong sampalin!” when his character in OTWOL was still the bad guy in the Clark-Leah love story. He would answer, “Sorry po Tita. Pero babait na po ako, mga 3 weeks pa.” Haha! Inside scoop lagi.
Dahil sa haba ng pila sa catering, we decided to just go to McDonald’s across the street. Because my access card wouldn’t work, they offered to just buy my food for me, bait! So naiwan ako…
OTWOL CAST STALKER!
Pabalik na ko sa studio to wait for the others to come back when I decided, “Teka! Chance ko na to, sayang ang oras.” Haha I decided to hunt down the OTWOL cast for photo ops!
1st Stop: Hunt down Jiggs/Albie in the dressing room! But instead of Jiggs, I found: Axel & Kiko (Clark’s employees), Rico (the poet) and Tatang Sol (again!). They were nakatambay in the corridor, sakto selfie! Si Tatang Sol sumali uli sa picture haha!
May I chika Axel & Kiko na “You guys sing so well. You’re from Rak of Aegis di ba?”
To the poet, Rico, “Ang galing mo tumula grabe! Sino gumagawa ng poems mo?” Sya daw! Galing no? He should have his own show!
When I explained that I was aiming to take pictures with all the cast members, Axel was so bait to point out the others inside the dressing room. As in sinamahan pa ako sa loob. Nandun yung mga kids ng OTWOL: Brent, Gabbie & the brother and sister of Clark (sorry forgot their names). Click!
2nd Stop: Girls’ Dressing Room. Ayun nandun si Tiffany (Bianca Manalo)! Sakto walang kausap, walang ginagawa. She stood up to have the selfie with me so I looked like a dwarf next to her haha!
May I comment pa, “I’m so glad you and Tolayts ended up together!” She smiled and offered, “Nandyan sya ah. Nakita mo ba sa labas?” Bait no?
3rd Stop: Boys’ Dressing Room. Aha si Jigs! “Uy Albie, papicture na nga sayo. Last week nyo na kasi.” (Meaning kung hindi last week e ayaw pa rin papicture hehe)
I had to go back to the studio already coz the guys were back with the food. I had to use the restroom so off I went before our prod.
When I entered the ladies’ room, lo and behold Ms.Angela, Jigs’ loveteam in OTWOL , was there being dressed up! I had to quickly decide if I should get her picture or use the bathroom first hehe. Call of nature won out. But I had to rush so she won’t leave before I finished. Adik!
“Ms.Angela! Bagay kayo ni Jigs…” (etc. small talk) She was very friendly and chatted away.
“I’m sorry, I know we’re in the bathroom but can I take a picture with you?” Haha!
Our 1st selfie pose had the toilet as photo bomber so we had to move a bit. Click! Happy!
I had to run back to the studio, it was our turn to sing. My bathroom chat with Ms.Angela took awhile haha!
BACKSTAGE AMBUSH!
After our song, it was OTWOL’s prod. I positioned myself to “ambush” the rest of the cast for a photo op. 1st up: Tolayts!
“Madilim dito,” he said because it was really dark backstage. But my new Samsung phone had a front flash so selfies were no problem, yey.
Lola Pachang (Nanette Inventor) was chatting with the band members so I had the perfect chance to take a selfie with her. Click!
Then Tita Jack (Cherry Pie Picache) approached us as well. “Tita Jack, picture pls?” Click!
They were called onstage to be given directions by the Floor Director. Bailey and Ylona, who played the cousins of Clark & Leah respectively, were at the fringes of the group.
So I gestured if I could take a picture with them hehe. Click!
Who else do I not have a picture with? Aha, Nanang Rona (Isay Alvarez)! She and Tatang Sol were called to the other side of the stage. I ran to her and asked for a picture. Haha Tatang Sol joined in on the pic once again. He was probably thinking, “Ano ba to, adik na OTWOLISTA?” Haha!
Then it was JaDine onstage! Of course I had to watch their prod on the tiny monitor backstage, OTWOLISTA e. Kilig much!
OTWOL prod finished! I positioned myself once again on the ramp backstage after their prod. Ang tagal! Turns out, the G Force dancers were also taking groufies with them.
Yey it’s finally my turn! I had to scoot down to make sure I didn’t cover their faces. Ayaw maghiwalay ng hawak kasi yun dalawa, yihee!
I greeted them, “Congrats!” And Nadine answered, “Thank you!”
Congrats for their successful concert or for their newfound love? Both of course! As a certified OTWOLISTA, I was very happy for them!
AUTOGRAPHED GOODIES!
At the end of the show, Cecile went back to retrieve our autographed bookazines and my DVD’s from JaDine’s dressing room. Looked like they were in a hurry to sign them because the signatures were blurry. And Nadine forgot to sign my DVD’s (So I will have to get it autographed again next time).
I decided to give Bob the better copy with the clearer autographs. I knew I still had other opportunities to have mine re-signed when they guest in our show. Ang bait?
So there you go, my ever exciting adventure with the OTWOL cast. I will miss watching their show every night. I’m just glad I had the chance to take pictures with them for posterity. Perks of the job!
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- When you’re a fan, you would do anything to get up close to meet, chat, take selfies with, and get autographs from your celebrity idols. But be patient and don’t force your way or else it might annoy them. Or worse, get you into trouble with security.
- When you do meet them, try to be as friendly as possible. Don’t gush and scream and stutter. You’re going to miss your chance to talk to them if you’re hysterical and inaudible.
- If you have connections or opportunities to see them in person, take them! You’ll regret not taking the chance.
- Prepare your camera or cellphone to the proper settings. When opportunity strikes, click! You won’t want to waste time fumbling with your phone or camera while they walk on by.
- Do buy their memorabilia. It’s a keepsake. You’ll want to go through them over and over again. Like now that the OTWOL TV series is done, we’re already planning a marathon to watch their DVD’s this Holy Week hehe.
- Just because I’m a “middle aged” mom doesn’t mean I cannot be a fan. It’s good for mom’s heart to set it aflutter from time to time as a way of taking away the stress of the day. =)
QUESTIONS FOR YOU:
- Are you an OTWOLISTA?
- If yes, what do you do at night now that the TV series is over?
