#NewClassicILIB

Chapter 6
Program

It was around 2AM when we finished our proposal program plan for the fan gathering event. We actually managed to create a three sets of program, so that there were choices that the management could choose from.

The management gave us at least a week to come up with a plan. Actually, I was planning to meet up with Dawn yesterday, but I couldn't go out. It felt like I was being snowed under as I was busy with my requirements, which deadlines were set at eleven-fifty nine last night.

Fortunately, we just needed to fish out on our idea bank, and Aya also contributed some new ideas. The one that made it difficult for us was to set the activities in the right order and to equally distribute the prizes for each game.

We had games and fun activities prepared for the first half, while on the second half, we would loosen up and chill out. We were given funds that we could use for the event. It wasn't a large amount, but it was just enough. The management also told us that New Classic would be donating thirty copies of signed Kaleidoscope albums―and it would be given as prizes for the games we prepared.

"Saan daw ulit natin kikitain si Mr. Joel?" tanong sa akin ni Dawn habang naglalakad kami sa Eastwood Plaza.

"Sa UCC," sagot ko nang muling binasa ang text sa akin ni Mr. Joel noong Biyernes.

We would have to present the program we planned to him and to the event organizer that they hired for the fan gathering. Everything needed to be coordinated with the management―to make sure that nothing would tarnish the image of the management and the band.

Apparently, there are famous games nowadays, which are somehow sexually suggestive. But of course, we made sure that no such games would be present in our program. We considered that there would be minors, who are going to attend the event. Also, we acknowledged that our behavior as a fan would―most likely―reflect on the image of the band. We didn't want to ruin their reputation in any way possible.

As a fan, we have a job to represent our idols. Unfortunately, most fans are forgetting about that. Toxic fandom culture are everywhere on the internet. The way they bring down others just to lift their idols up―discrediting the hard work of other artists, defaming and slandering, posting unnecessary rude commentaries, and more. It's truly becoming very problematic and alarming.

And yet, every time you try to call out their rude behavior, they would answer you with airy clapbacks, which―they thought―made them look cool. Little do they know, all these toxicities are being incorporated to the image and brand of their idols.

That said, as the team who are responsible for the whole fandom, it's our job to spread kindness and positivity within us and the others. I thought that this way, the members of New Classic would be proud of us.

"Mr. Joel."

Agad naming nakita ni Dawn si Mr. Joel sa loob ng UCC. He was alone, and he was working something on his laptop. Mukhang wala pa ang isa naming kasama sa meeting.

"Oh! You two are here already!" He was all smile as he greeted us. He even stood up to acknowledge our presence.

I smiled and pulled Dawn closer. "Mr. Joel, this is Dawn. She's one of the admins I got to help me with the fanclub."

Mr. Joel extended his hand to shake Dawn's hand.

"Nice meeting you po," Dawn enthusiastically greeted him back.

"Nice meeting you rin," sagot ni Mr. Joel bago sila nagbitiw ng kamay at sinenyas na maupo na kami sa dalawang upuan sa kanyang harapan. "Nga pala! I thought you got two admins. Where's the other one?"

While sitting down, I answered, "Uh, yes, she can't come with us because she's from Cebu."

We invited Aya to come with us to the meeting, but apparently, she said she was from Cebu, so she couldn't come with us.

@dawnramos:
Ikaw, Aya? Makakasama ka ba sa Sunday, ghorl?

@zendayabrielle:
Right, Aya. You should come with us, if you can. Ipapakilala kita kay Mr. Joel. He wants to meet you and Dawn.

@ayalovesmusic:
Sorry, I can't come.

@dawnramos:
Ha? Bakit naman? Sayang! First time sana nating magkikita-kita na tayong tatlo!

@ayalovesmusic:
I'm from Cebu, so I can't go there in Manila just for a meeting.

My lips parted a bit. I had no idea that she was from Cebu. I thought she was a resident here in Metro Manila.

@dawnramos:
Ay ganoon? Sayang naman pala!

@ayalovesmusic:
I'll just do my best to help with the program.

@zendayabrielle:
I understand, Aya. Sayang nga lang talaga.

Just like what she said, she really did help a lot with the program. She also suggested games and came up with questions, which focused on the songs of the band. However, it was still a pity because I was really looking forward to meet her. Though I was sure there were still many chances to meet her in the future.

"Okay, then..." Mr. Joel just nodded his head, then at the same time, his phone rang. Agad niya naman iyong sinagot. He excused himself to us, before he headed out of the café.

Dawn and I started arranging the copies of the programs we prepared. We had prepared digital copy on my iPad, and also physical copies. Nandito na rin pati ang estimation namin sa mga magagastos para sa kakailanganin, lalo na sa mga freebies. Aya and I already contacted a possible supplier for the freebies and asked for quotations. We made sure that there would still be something left in the budget given to us that we could use for future projects―like throwing ads on social media and the likes.

Honestly, I think we did a pretty great job with our program proposals.

I caught a glimpse at the coffee shop's door, when Mr. Joel entered again. Ang akala ko ay namamalikmata lamang ako sa unang tingin, ngunit nagulat ako nang makita kong kasama niya nga si mommy.

Absentmindedly, I stood up from my seat.

Don't tell me―is my mother the organizer they hired for the fan gathering?

"Bakit, Zendaya?" tanong sa akin ni Dawn na sumunod din sa aking pagtayo kahit na hindi alam ang dahilan.

My mother only saw me, once they reached our table. She looked also surprised to see me.

Kanina lang ay sabay kaming kumakain ng breakfast. I was aware that she had a meeting with a client, but I didn't expect that she would handle this kind of event. Dapat nga ay ihahatid niya pa ako kanina kaso ay may dinaan pa siya saglit sa kanyang opisina.

"Zendaya?"

Mr. Joel looked surprised when he heard my mother mentioned my name. "You know her, Mrs. Gregorio?"

My mother gently smiled and turned to look at Mr. Joel. "Zendaya is my daughter."

"Oh!" He wasn't expecting that, but then he laughed. "Who would've thought?" Tinuro niya kaming dalawa ni Dawn kay mommy. "Sila ang sinasabi ko sa 'yong admins ng fanclub ng banda. Your daughter is actually the President."

It was my mother's turn to get surprised about that fact. She looked at me in disbelief. "Really?"

Nahihiya naman akong tumango.

She knew that I was so invested in New Classic, but she didn't know anything about the huge responsibility I had. She thought I was just casually supporting a band. Only my brother knew about my position in the fandom.

"Wow! I didn't know that." Mom chuckled. "But to be honest, the reason why I accepted the offer is because of my daughter. I know that she's a fan of New Classic, but I never thought she'd be the President of the fanclub."

Napaawang ang aking mga labi. I looked at my mother, my eyes filled with admiration.

Did she really accept this job because of me?

Bahagyang natawa si mommy. "I even thought I can surprise her and bring her to the event myself."

My heart warmed. It didn't matter that her plan was spoiled. Knowing her thoughts and intentions were enough for me. I never imagined that she would do this for me.

And so, after getting over the fact that my mother was the event organizer and introducing Dawn to her, we proceeded with the meeting. My mother immediately transformed into her professional persona.

"According to the management, the fan gathering will be held at SM City North EDSA Skydome on November 29," Mr. Joel informed us. "Naisip namin na magandang sa araw na 'yon ganapin dahil Sunday no'n at holiday pa kinabukasan. The fans who will come to attend can rest the next day."

Napatango ako. Tama nga naman 'yon para hindi rin nakakapagod. That was favorable to me―as a fan and a student. Kahit pati sa mga working na, alam kong pabor din sa kanila 'yon.

"I handled an event before at Skydome, and its full house capacity is only up to 1,500 pax," sabi ni mommy. "But as it's going to be a fan gathering, rather a concert, we need to keep in mind its capacity. It shouldn't be too crowded. Ilan ba ang naiisip ninyong number of attendees?"

"No need to worry about that. We will keep the number of attendees up to a maximum of five hundred only," Mr. Joel addressed my mother's concern right away.

Alam ko ang tungkol sa number of attendees na balak nila. We already asked for that information because we needed that for our computation. But to make sure we added a hundred of extra freebies. Baka ipamigay na lang namin 'to sa susunod na event o baka magpa-giveaway kami.

"We will open a registration link. First come, first serve basis," he added, then turned to me and Dawn. "Speaking of―we will ask you to post the registration link on your account. Siguro ay maibibigay namin 'yon, once all the details for the event are finalized. Ire-retweet na lang namin 'yon sa official account ng New Classic."

I smiled. "No problem po."

Dawn immediately took note of that. I realized that she was the type of person who liked jotting down notes. Mas okay na rin 'yon para wala kaming makalimutan.

"By the way, about your proposals, can I take a look at them?" Mr. Joel asked.

"We prepared a digital and physical copies..." I trailed while giving out the hard copies. My mother reached out for my iPad to take a look at my plans.

I saw a small smile touched her lips, while she went through the program we had planned. On the other hand, I was silently praying that one of the three would be approved, so that there wouldn't be a need to draft a new plan or make a revision.

"Not being biased, but I think all programs are carefully drafted and planned out." My mother was the first one to give out her opinion. "Though I would have to choose the second option."

Binaba ni mommy ang iPad at tinulak papalapit ulit sa akin. Tiningnan ko 'yon para maalala ulit kung ano ang nasa second option. She chose the one with a much more laid-back style program. That one has the more touch from Aya. Everything was more musically inclined.

"Hmm..." Mr. Joel hummed a bit. "I personally think that the second option is good, too, but I can't make the decision on my own. I have to discuss this with the management and get the opinion of the members. I will just message you the decision we'll come up with. I'll discuss this with them tomorrow."

Tumango ako. Naiintindihan ko naman 'yon. I really hoped that they would like it, especially the boys. Their opinions weighed the most for this matter.

"Oh, right, Mr. Joel." Mommy faced Mr. Joel. "Will the band also attend the fan gathering? I need to know whether there'd be a need to put barriers down the stage for their safety."

There was a loud and hard thud inside my chest.

"Well, we still can't say that..." Mr. Joel vaguely answered. "The boys are getting busier every day with all the endorsements, promotions, and mall tours. On top of that, they are also busy with rehearsals and writing songs. But if they will have no schedule on the day, I think they can come... I have yet to check."

I pouted my lips.

Honestly, it'd be nice if they could come for the fan gathering. Kahit dumaan lang sila saglit ay ayos na sa akin. Pero okay rin naman kung hindi nila kaya. I knew how busy they were these days. Halos lahat ng billboards sa highway ay puro mukha nila ang nakapaskil.

If you'd ask me, I'd rather they rest if they would have their free time on the day of the fan gathering. Their health and safety are important more than anything.

Natapos na rin ang meeting matapos ng pag-uusap. My mother and I decided to drive Dawn to her condo. It had been a long time since we had the time to bond together, we went to a mall nearby before going home. We talked over dinner outside how interested she was in the program we planned out. Biniro pa nga niya ako na nagmana ako sa kanya pagdating sa pagp-plano.

Overall, it was a really pleasant day.

Nang mag-gabi kinabukasan ay sinabi na sa akin ni Mr. Joel ang desisyon. He told me that the members of New Classic and the management also chose the second option.

We all celebrated because there wouldn't be a need to revise anything. It brought a huge sense of relief, but at the same time, it felt like we were about to enter a battle between our mental and physical health. We became busier as we worked on turning our plans into something tangible.

Dawn was very good with graphic design, so she was the one responsible for creating the designs of the freebies that we were going to give out. She also created mock-ups to serve as teasers for the fans. I wanted to help her, but I had no talent when it comes to using editing softwares. As for Aya, she helped me polish the games we planned, while keeping in touch with some suppliers. She tried her best to contribute, even though she was also busy. Hindi siya madalas makapagreply sa amin at madalas ay tuwing gabi lang ito nagiging active. Pero kapag active na siya, she was definitely making the most out of it.

"Where are you going?" Dad asked me as I came down to eat lunch, all dressed up to go out.

Hindi ako nakapagpaalam sa kanya at kay mommy na lamang humingi ng permiso. She didn't ask more when I told her that I'd be meeting up with Dawn. Alam niya na agad na para iyon sa fan gathering.

"Uh, may kailangan lang ipick-up po para sa fan gathering," sagot ko. "I'll be with a friend."

Dawn and I thought that it'd be better if we pick up the freebies, instead of asking the supplier to deliver it to us. We wanted to make sure that there wouldn't be any defects on the freebies. We would also manually count everything.

Dad raised an eyebrow. "Fan gathering?"

My mother had nothing against my dedication to the band. She told me that as long as I'm happy, she has no problem with it. However, that wasn't the case for my father.

"It's the same fan gathering that mom's organizing for the 29th," I explained. "Sasamahan din po kami ngayon ni Kuya."

Kuya Zedrick was still getting ready in his room. He volunteered to go with us, especially when I'd have to carry home a lot of freebies. Mahirap kapag nagcommute lang kami kaya sasama siya.

"Hmm..." Tumikhim si daddy at saka sumipsip sa kanyang tubig. "Wala akong problema sa paghanga mo sa banda na 'yan, but I hope you're not neglecting your studies. Hindi ba't nasa finals na kayo? You should focus on your studies more."

Parang nanuyo ang aking lalamunan. "Hindi ko naman po pinapabayaan ang pag-aaral ko," sabi ko sa isang maliit na boses.

To be honest, though stress was taking a toll on me, I loved what I was doing. New Classic inspired me to do well on my studies, so that I can continue to support them without feeling guilty. I wanted to show my parents that the band had a positive effect on me. Bago ko rin naman asikasuhin ang mga kailangan para sa banda ay inuuna ko ang mga requirements ko sa school at pati na rin ang pag-aaral. Alam kong nasa tamang landas pa rin ako.

"That's good, then," he simply said and nodded. "But I hope you won't take too much of your time fangirling or something, okay? Your future should always be your top priority."

I pushed down the lump in my throat and forced myself to wear a smile. "Yes, dad..."