Please, Go Ahead And Faint
Come Back To Me Intro
Apple And Cinnamon + Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence
The crowd was screaming and everyone turned to the door at the back. It opened, and a bodyguard came out, then, after some more people, I could see the perfect figure of a cute little Asian girl with perfect skin and perfectly trimmed hair, glowing with her beautiful smile! U-TADA! U-TADA! She passed by me, with only a shelf separating us. I thought I was going to faint. Everything was so surreal. The Japanese superstar that I admired for so long was standing in front of me. She got up on stage and it was time for some interviews, fan questions, and Me Muero!
Utada's Entrance
U-TADA!
Me Muero
Utada’s Feeelings Towards Being Compared To Mariah
Utada’s View On Twitter
When you acquire a bracelet for the event, you also get a raffle ticket and you get the chance of winning 500 dollars of Sephora store credit. Utada was reading out the winner ticket and the number was 340052. I had 340060 and my father had 340050. I was so excited and when my father showed me his ticket, I wanted to turn back time to get that ticket! It could’ve been me shaking Utada’s hand and taking pictures with her. She was advised not take pictures and to not sign anything, so this only made it harder for me.
Some questions were quite amusing, like this one guy who said “Um… um… I LOVE YOU!” what a great question that is! Another fan was a bit more ambicious and asked “WILL YOU MARRY ME?!” Utada’s answer to that was that she got divorced a couple years ago so she’s going to wait a couple more before she decides to get married again.
You’re A Goddess, Utada!
Utada Speaking Japanese
Utada spent some time talking to the hostess and the fans and I was just mesmerized by her beauty! Her skin was truly flawless, her hairstyle, impeccable and everything about her was just amazing! I couldn’t believe that I was really in the same room as Utada! During the fan Q&A, I kept waving the fanbook up into the air, and I think it grabbed Utada’s attention and the hostess’ attention, but they didn’t say anything and picked people closer to the stage to ask her questions. I wasn’t picked because I was in the middle of the crowd, but if she had picked me I’d say “Utada, we made this fanbook for you all the way from Brazil and I’d like to know if you’d like to have it!” or something like this.
It was all really quick and suddenly, the hostess asks Utada to say her last words for the fans. I couldn’t believe it was ending so early… I thought the event was going to be at least one hour long, like the advertisement said, but it was maybe 20-30 minutes long. Probably because she needed to record her appearance at the Early Show. When she was walking back, all the fans locked outside started to slam against the door and all I could see were hands and flashes coming from that direction. It was pretty scary. All fans standing behind the same shelf as I was started waving albums and papers for Utada to sign, and I was waving the book. I guess I had an advantage because I was taller. Utada was waving at everyone, and looking at the shelf full of her items. When she saw the book, she stopped, a little confused and looked at the security people around her. She was looking at me and I was waving the book at her as for her to come near so I can give it to her. She looked a bit stunned as she came nearer and asked
Is this for me?
and I was shouting
It’s from Brazil!
but she didn’t seem to understand with all the fans screaming, even though I repeated it a few times, but then she took it and said
Thank you!
she looked beside me at a fan who wanted her to sign an album for him, so she did, even though she was advised not to. She’s so adorable. She then left with her red Sharpie and our Brazilian fanbook, kind of confused and thankful… and so beautiful.
Utada with our fanbook and a fan's Sharpie!
Utada signing a fan's album while holding our fanbook!
Utada’s Goodbye + Fanbook Delivery
After Utada had left, the lady in charge of the event was handing out signed Utada pictures to us. There was plenty to go around and my father and I each got one! I’m the proud owner of not one, but two pictures singed by Utada! I couldn’t be happier! We got to talk a little, which was really cute and I loved to share that moment with her! To think that she stopped just to get our fanbook! She’s the best. The trip to Miami was completely worth it and tomorrow I’m coming back to Brazil to show everyone how incredible Utada is!
Autographs + raffle ticket
I LOVE YOU, UTADA!
I came back from Utada’s Miami event a few hours ago and I feel so honored! I got there at 12 to get my bracelet and then left for the apartment to return when the event started. I met some really cool fans in line who were going to several wild parties… Which was kind of weird, but they were helping me out to get the bracelet, which was really nice of them! My father was parking the car, so he got his bracelet later. I met some really friendly people in line who liked the Brazilian fanbook I brought for Hikki:
Front and back of our Brazilian fanbook!
The introduction to our fanbook
Utada banner at the entrance of Sephora
Fans waiting to get their bracelets
The lady handing out bracelets advised getting there before 6:30 because it’s when the store opens its doors to the bracelet-wearing fans and after everyone’s in, the people without bracelets can come in. My father and I got there at 6.
He left me in line to park the car and come back. He forgot the fanbook made by us over at Utada.com.br in the car, so he had to run back to the parking lot and bring it to me. When he returned, the fanbook drew quite a bit attention yet again and one of the people in line thought I should just go in because I came from so far away! Imagine his surprise when I said I came from Brazil after he was discussing that people from New York were coming to Miami for this event. After some time talking and making fan bonds, the line started to grow and more fans were coming:
Ahead, the line to get in Sephora
The back of the line to get into Sephora
Some promotion of "This Is The One" for the fans!
The people were really sweet and supporting of my difficult mission. My father and I stayed in line for a while, wondering if they would favor bracelet-wearing people over the braceletless ones, and kept a close watch of the line. The really nice man behind us (To whom I explained about the book) said that we should go to the front of the line and explain it all. That’s we were doing when people started coming in. They were favoring the magical little yellow bracelets we kept wrapped around our arms, afterall! Really excited with the loud music and the rush of getting near the stage, we came into the store.
There wasn’t a way for us to directly go to the stage, across the store, we needed to go around the store and remain within the area where the shelves are located. About half the store was crowded and the rest of the people (Who were late for the event, I think), remained outside, watching us from there. The hostess was really fun and got the crowd really excited even before Utada got there! She told us to put up our cellphones and cameras,
Cellphones and cameras!
(The girl standing out in the picture because of her pink outfit is dressed up as Miracle Hikaru)
because this is not something we’d like to miss! She also said that if we’d like to faint, we should feel free to do so, since it might grab Utada’s attention and we’d get to meet her. This is a great way to meet Utada, only I don’t have the courage to faint in front of everyone like that. The hostess brought everyone’s excitement to the roof by putting on Utada’s new album really loud in the shop, and her interest in the tracks was really exciting too! She gave really good introductions to the songs that got the fans screaming and singing along like crazy! We also made a gang sign for Utada, what was making a U shape with our hands and screaming “Utada” over and over. What a great gang we were!
U-TADA! U-TADA!
After warming us up for some Utada, the hostess says “put your hands together for Utada!” and I completely freeze. It was quite sudden, actually, so I wasn’t expecting Utada’s arrival to be so abrupt. I looked behind me and waited anxiously to see my pop idol come out the door and pass by to greet us.
I hate missing school days. Maybe because I get the feeling that the world is spinning around me and while my surroundings are frozen, my classmates are in school, working hard and I’m missing all that they are doing. At least this time it’s for a great cause and I hope that this event doesn’t make Hikki so real to me as to make me lose interest in her. Sometimes that happens, but I think that with Hikki, it will only light that strong flame even more!
I hope that tomorrow I get to see her and give her the fanbook, and to make sure we’ll get a hold of every moment, my father and I went shopping today (As you can see from my brand new Twitter widget to the left) and my father bought himself a brand new video camera and he also bought me a brand new video/photo camera that has a resolution of 12.2 megapixels! I’m really excited for all the quality we’ll be able to offer to you guys that will be watching the event from the comfort of your homes! I’ll try to get there earlier and get a good spot to make it all easier.
I’m really nervous because one second of action or non-action can change everything and if I’m not aware of everything that is going on. Even though I booked my appointment, many of the things that happen in the event are independent of that, for example, the getting in. We need to stay in line to get a bracelet, which will be kind of like an entrance ticket. After we get in, the VIPs (People who booked an appointment) will get to take pictures with Utada and get her autograph! I plan on handing the book to her then!
I hope I don’t get too nervous at the time. My father will also be filming her reaction to the book so you can see her response as well as read about it! If Sephora has a Wi-Fi zone, be sure that if you’re connected to Twitter, you won’t miss anything!
I’m heading to the airport right now to leave for Miami! I’ll be arriving there thursday morning and friday I’ll see Utada at Sephora!
I’ve been reading about the Sephora event at Los Angeles and I see that the event in Miami might too turn out to be chaotic, so I’ll try to be there really early to get my entrance wristband and take my pictures, since I booked my appointment with Utada!
The fanbook looks amazing, even though the pages weren’t printed with a picture of Kuma Chang at the back like how it was intended to be, it looks amazing. It’s hardcover so it’ll last long and Utada can enjoy it while she’s in her plane back to Tokyo or New York. I’m so happy and I’ll be posting pictures of the fanbook and the autograph paper. I printed 6 copies of the autograph paper, one for each member of the Utada.com.br staff and the other for a lucky Brazilian fan who might get a hold of our dear Utada’s autograph!
Check out my latest ventures in Miami through my brand new Twitter! I think I’ll be using it a lot in the future, so add me if you want! I’ll be more than happy to know about your lives too!
I’ll publish more later, but now I need to get to the airport!
I stand corrected: Christmas was not predictable, and it was the worst Christmas I have ever experienced. My father is spending his Christmas in São Paulo with his part of the family, so he isn’t here with us, and this really got to my sister. She got really moody and snappy, and I’m not fond of this attitude when everyone else is trying to be happy. When I was about to go up and take a shower, she threw herself on my laptop without asking and just started using it. I got really furious, for she didn’t want to leave or even ask if she could use it. Right when the fight began, the guests arrived (A couple that were friends of my cousin and that I’ve never seen before).
My sister was crying everywhere because she didn’t get to chat with my father on the webcam because the connection is so slow, and my mother was getting really, really mad at me. So, I was upset and angry, my sister was sad and my mother was lonely and really upset. I’m sure the guests felt really awkward, since my sister never smiled on pictures, she stood there, with her arms crossed, making a huge fuss. The air was really tense and I don’t even want to think about what the two guests thought about us.
After the air was cleared a little more, my sister and I took places at the table and tried recovering Christmas. Turns out one of the guests, Denise, was hilarious. We had a great time listening to her stories, but there was still that weird vibe around. At a certain point, I actually wanted to walk under the rain and maybe get sick so we could focus on something else and not on the flop that this Christmas was. All the running around after each other and the clear unhappiness is something to be ashamed of. I feel very sorry for everyone that I made them miss their Christmas for nothing.
Today is that day after a very big fight, where everyone tries to pretend it’s okay and it’s past and we’re all talking nicely and trying not to remember the day that yesterday was, but I do, and this isn’t natural, I just want to redeem myself to others, but I can’t seem to do it to strangers. I’m glad they’re gone, but I can’t act normally to my cousin (Who’s trying hard not to focus on the bad things), since I ruined Christmas for her. That’s how I feel.
Christmas isn’t supposed to feel like this, like death. I just want to go home and forget about how I’m an awful guest, I would do anything to make up for this.
The Days That Remained The Same
The days here in Ubatuba seem to go by really quickly probably because they’re basically the same, but so far, we’ve done something different for each one somehow.
It was all said and done, the sky opened up and this is the second sunny day in a row since we arrived. If it was already hot when it was misty and rainy, it’s obvious that it will just get worse when it is sunny. Here, the weather is always sticky and hot, and for being here for a while, I got used to it.
I’ve also been checking on friends through FaceBook and it’s so surprising looking at old friends now and how they have changed! I never thought I’d like FaceBook that much! It’s really fun, actually.
Yesterday I went to the beach, but it was just too much. I don’t like how the sand sticks to everything, how it becomes mud when you come from the water, I hate seawater, I hate sweat and I hate being half-naked around everyone else. I gave up on the fact of peace at the beach and came back in after a long shower and relaxed in the beautiful house where we’ve been staying. It’s right in front of the beach, so I can do so as I please!
The Christmas That Never Was
Christmas is going pretty much forgotten. Ubatuba isn’t like all the big towns, where there are Christmas lights everywhere, lots of ads and everything, it’s pretty much just… beach. It wasn’t until yesterday that I notcied that today is Christmas eve… It basically counts as Christmas itself, and my cousin forgot the decorations (She loves holidays), so it doesn’t feel like Christmas either… I ordered my presents and they’ll arrive in Campinas and my father seems to have bought us awesome ones, but they’re at home too and he won’t tell us what they are, but I love surprises (Considering what happened last year, I’m yearning for a surprise). My Christmas basically won’t be here until January.
I think later we’ll be going to Paraty. This will certainly bring me some Dejá Vus, since our last middle school class trip was to Angra dos Reis and Paraty. It was really fun, and I wish I had all my friends here with me! But considering how large this beach house is, who knows if it won’t be a good idea for future holidays or spring break?
I’m trying to download some holiday tunes, but the internet isn’t cooperating, to contribute to this Christmas. I know we’ll be having a feast though, my mom is quite the cook and she loves making food, so I know that part of Christmas is guaranteed.
To Sum It Up
Christmas will be just like any other day in Ubatuba: predictable.
Yesterday I arrived in Ubatuba, a city a few hours form Campinas, but still in the state of São Paulo. My mother, sister and I picked up my aunt at another town and we were off to Ubatuba. It was a pleasant ride with my iPod, me myself and I. On the backseat of a huge car, just closing my eyes and listening to music. I loved listening to Madonna, though. These days, MultiShow (A Brazilian television program) had a Madonna special (Because of her return to Brazil for the Sticky and Sweet Tour after nearly 15 years [After the Girlie Tour]) and her music videos were displayed many times, lighting that flame of interest in her. I looked into my Madonna records collection and took the time in the car to take a listen. I can’t stop now! I fell absolutely in love with Love Don’t Live Here Anymore and La Isla Bonita, and more songs like What It Feels Like For A Girl, Deeper And Deeper and Cherish. Madonna truly is the Queen of Pop. I love her older music and also her music of the ’90s.
When I opened my eyes after a while, I woke up to a mist. The weather was beautiful, with a gray sky and rainy weather (Even though it wasn’t raining). It reminded me of our trip in 7th grade to Bertioga, when we were on the bus and a really dense mist (We didn’t see anything but the mist) covered our bus and the whole area. We had just watched The Grudge and we were pretty scared. We were driving down some hills that were shrouded in light white mist. The chill of the weather as we reached Ubatuba made me really comforted (Even though I had a pain in my back because we definitely broke the record of luggage possible to a Christmas trip. Even though the car was really big, some stuff had to come with me on the backseat later on). When we arrived, it was a completely different scenario. There was the feeling of the tides and the beach, though it was still misty, and it was pretty hot. The city didn’t seem too clean, but then again, we’re basically at the beach.
We got to the house and turned on the music while we set everything up and had really positive energies while listening to Rita Lee, Sixpence None The Richer and Maroon 5. The weather still wan’t sunny, and we got to see the gray sky turn into a rainy one. We stayed home cleaning everything up and then watching television. As soon as I got in, I tested the internet. It’s still really slow, but it’s workable.
Later at night, we went out to buy the groceries and food we’d need for the days we’d spend here. I think later we’ll be going to the beach, the weather is still clearing up, so I might not be heading there until tomorrow.
I’m not sure if y’all remember, since I wrote this in my other blog which I deleted, “Heal Over.” The posts were about the terrible disease I got over there and how I couldn’t even walk without feeling like fainting and I was very sensitive to the climate, if I drank half a cup of juice, I’d be shaking all over and the coldness wouldn’t go away for some time, so I had to cover myself with blankets and wait a while (A long time). The same disease (But worse, a lot worse) affected me again. This morning I had thrown up, I’m dehydrating and I can’t get out of bed and walk two steps without feeling I’m going to faint or so tired that I start to sweat. I don’t know what this frikin’ thing is, but it’s annoying me, and I had to stay half of the day in my room. No television, no music, no entertainment. My sister has it too, and so does my father, I’m so sad that I got a Gatorade bottle next to my bed that had the duty to keep me hydrated and started my way to the television room. I felt so silly, as if I were hiking my own house’s stairs, but I survived.
Here I am, watching “Josie and the Pussycats” (The movie) and feeling so bad. Oh, before I go on, everyone in the planet should watch “Josie and the Pussycats” (The movie) because it’s so funny! Fiona is so the best villain in the world, and I can’t help but notice how much she looks like my oldest sister.
I don’t know how to explain my pain and how I feel to you, and I would never make you hear about how I feel because I don’t wish that to anybody, but I’m pretty bad and I hope I get well soon, at this moment, my only friend is my Gatorade… and now it’s warm. Damn Gatorade.
I have just returned from my trip. I’m very, very bothered by the discomfort of the plane still, but I’m not tired at all. It’s 3:17 in the morning and I’m watching television, since it’s going to take a while to get used to the new time zone. After a very disturbing and discomforting trip, here I am! Finally! I’m so happy to be back and finally rest to test out everything I brought back from the US!
Before I stop writing, I have declare a total revolution in airplane food. Believe it or not (Here it goes) it was the best part of the trip. The food was so good it ain’t even funny. For lunch, we had chicken with rice, peas and some meat sauce over it, salad with a delicious sauce over it, and some apple-flavored cookies. For dinner, we had pizza, brownies and grapes. It was so good that it creeped me out.
Tomorrow I’m returning to Brazil, and I guess I’m so sad and depressed because it means that I’m not coming back here until June and I love it here.It also means that the first phase of my vacation is going to be over, the only part remaining will be the last part, the one I stay home. I’m not complaining, I love staying home, but it means that school is going to be nearer and nearer, and I don’t feel prepared to going back to that again. Yesterday I already packed up my things to help my mom out with all the mess.
Today is the day to rest from yesterday’s walk-and-never-stop marathon which was awful. We went into this shop that ONLY had clothes. It doesn’t seem that bad to just say it, but it is when we stopped at EVERY store possible to just not buy anything. When I felt every nerve in my leg torn apart and I was sure everything inside my legs were no more than a jelly made out of everything inside it, we went into this HUGE outlet full of neverending clothes and I had to watch my parents and sisters shop the whole time and since there were no chairs, I had to follow one until everyone disappeared and I had to join them together before they got lost again. It was a chaotic, restless day for me, but the good part is that I bought an Alicia Keys album at a FYE located at the Bayside mall, and I liked this album! It’s pretty good, its name is “As I Am.”
This trip was very good, I enjoyed it very much, lots of iPod-listening, movie-watching, computer-(whatever it is we do to computers), and most of all, lots of shopping. Of course, there were dark times, but it’s all part of a trip! I got many things out of this trip, not only material things, but also I feel like I bonded more with my parents, which is always great!
Today is being a very sad day, since I don’t hear much talking and happiness going on as in other days when we’re home, it’s kind of an individual day which each one of us is in their own corner and doing what we have to do to pack. Since I have already done that, I’m free to do whatever I wish to do! (And that’s helping my mother organize the apartment and pack)
Now, I’ll leave y’all with the beautiful, much better version of “Umbrella” by Rihanna, and performed by Mandy Moore. Enjoy:
