the david experience..the second time around.

Wow, it's been so long since I last wrote in this blog. :P But the circumstances demand it hahaha so here goes. :P

Exactly one and a half years ago commenced the story of how, miracle of miracles, my best friend Gail and I found ourselves sharing an elevator ride with the man himself, Mr. David Archuleta, at the EDSA Shangri-La hotel the morning after his and Mr. David Cook's epic back-to-back concert at the SM Mall of Asia here in the Philippines. Having watched the concert from the Bronze area (the two Davids looked no bigger than ants), we were having wishful thoughts about how we'd really like to see David (Archuleta) up close. "Oh, that would be so cool, but let's not get our hopes up too high." Little did we know that our prayers will be answered in such a mind-blowing way, so mind-blowing in fact, that all those seconds we stayed in the elevator with David, we managed only to stare at him and smile shyly (when he glanced at us for an instant) and then gush excitedly after the whole episode.

One and a half years later, we still haven't got over that face-to-face encounter. I still keep asking Gail if that actually happened and we hadn't just imagined it all. I'm so, so very grateful to have "met" David, but after one and a half years I still kept thinking, "Dang, we should have said hi to him or even shook his hand and thanked him for the wonderful show they put up that night and the inspiration his music brings." I kept hoping that somehow one day I'd meet him again and do just that. (Can't let the music stop, until I touch your hand..'Coz if I do it'll all be over, I'll never get the chance again..oh no, please let us have another chance..)

Last month, David's sophomore pop album, The Other Side of Down, came out. Imagine my surprise when I learned that one of the songs in the album is entitled Elevator! I instantly loved the song! It's a catchy happy song and the message it tells is just so positive. :) And of course, it has a personal meaning to me from the elevator ride with him last year! Ü

And then, just last week, the long-awaited but totally unexpected news came: David is coming back to Manila! This time, however, it was not for a full-blown concert, but a showcase to promote his new album. Here comes the chance, and I couldn't possibly miss this for the world! There are classes on the day of his show, and supposedly only the first 400 people to buy his CD that day are granted passes for an autograph signing. But I had to try, right? So try I did..

Long story short, after all the ticket inquiries and waking up early and the long lines, my sister and I got hold of VIP tickets to watch his show and passes for the autograph signing after! :D :D :D My friend Gail couldn't come this time because of conflicts with her classes. She told me to say hi to David for her if I had the chance.

The show was just awesome! David is simply an amazing singer and a wonderful person and words cannot say how thankful I am to be there to see him perform! He sang only three songs, Elevator (hooray!), Crush, and Something 'Bout Love, but it was still so worth it all.Ü The crowd was awesome too, and the whole of SM North EDSA Skydome was shaking with screams of admiration and support for the man.

After the three songs, the moment arrived. I am actually going to meet AND greet David! My sister, her friends, and I waited for the line to thin out first. I rehearsed in my head what I was going to say to him. Finally we fell in line, and I cam on stage and handed out my CD inlay to Melinda (his manager from WEG). I said hi to her, and she smiled back. :) And then there I was, face-to-face with David himself! Everything I thought to say seem to have oozed out of my head. I just said, "Hi David!!" with a big smile on my face. He said hello and signed my CD sleeve. I said, "I hope you..enjoy your stay here in the Philippines!" Big smile. He looked straight at me, smiled and said something like, "Yeah, thank you!" (my brain was reeling, I didn't hear properly what he actually said. :P) and then I put out my hand and he shook it! I think I forgot to say thanks and just nodded at him, smiled again, and walked away.

Well there you go. I don't think David had remembered ever having shared an elevator ride with us a year and a half ago, but I do, and I'm eternally grateful to have been given the chance to meet him again and actually greet him and shake his hand and wish him well. :) I just wish I could thank him again properly and maybe even tell him about the elevator ride. (I am very curious as to what he'd say to that. :P) :))

But as David himself said, "You'll never know what you're gonna get, what you don't expect can come and find you." Elevator goes up, elevator come down. 'Til the next ride, David. Ü