Meeting Andi and Olivia
Before I start, I would like to you google Andi Manzano first. Lol.
Anyway, I've been a fan of Andi since college. GTWM was my jam in the morning, while I get ready for school. If I get the chance, I'd listen to Top 5 @ 5 too. Multiply.com was at its biggest then, and I remember following the Magic multiply page to listen to their uploads if I'm not able to do so during the day.
When I started working in Cebu, I no longer had time to follow her on social media. She got married and had a baby. Not just a baby, but the cutest, most beautiful baby in the world!
Andi and her husband GP started sharing pictures and #convoswitholivia on Instagram and the fan in me got awakened. HAHA. I became updated of their lives and created an instagram fan page for their baby, Olivia.
Originally, the plan was just to have that instagram account as a dump for Olivia's photos and videos. You see, I download everything they upload so that I have something to watch again when I get bored at work. But my phone memory could no longer handle it all, hence the birth of the fan account.
It became a routine to post daily. I check the account if I get the chance, in-between my work load, and before I go to bed. :))
Other Olivia fans found the account and began following. The influx of followers were overwhelming! I didn't imagine it to blow this big! Andi, GP and their family members noticed the account and how it was growing. They are even following it too! Two years after its birth, it had almost 16,000 followers and is still growing.
(Being the owner of Oli's fan account with the biggest following), Andi invited me to join them in celebrating Olivia's 3rd birthday at The Island. But a lot of things were going on during that time and travelling to Manila was not a priority. Nonetheless, to me, it was a sweet gesture. Imagine, the parents of the baby girl you've been following online has invited you to her huge birthday party!!
She contacted me again after two months. And boy, it was the best news! She told me that they might go to Davao to do a show and asked if I would be able to travel. I instantly said YES without thinking about the budget, accomodation and all that stuff. It's the third opportunity to meet them (the very first was when they went to CDO) and I would not allow myself to miss it again. And so there I was, ditched my Saturday work to travel to Davao.
They did a mother's day show at Abreeza on May 13. I got there around 11 AM since they invited me (and another fan account owner, Jasmine) for lunch. Olivia was playful and talkative and sweet. She wanted to visit the toy store after and that's what we did. Yep, we tagged along. :D While Oli was busy checking out toys, Andi shared that Olivia only checks out the toys and plays with them each time they pay a visit. She doesn't demand for her parents to buy her one when she's there. A disciplined kid, right?
Right after the toy store, they went back to their hotel for some nap before the show at 4 pm. Oli thought that we were coming with her to their room to play. HAHA. I just told her we will play later and said goodbye. She then replied by saying "don't say bye, I'll just hug you." Honestly, that's the sweetest thing I heard that week. lol
During their show at the Abreeza Mall, I was seated at the back of the audience. A bit far from the stage so I have no decent pictures of them. HEHE. But the show went great. Olivia was calm and collected - played a bit on stage. Andi was a natural. She talked about her motherhood experience, how she and GP raised Olivia and the struggles of being a mom. I say it was informative for those first time moms.
After the show, I messaged GP if we could have a photo taken with them before we go home. He replied and told us to go to their hotel lobby. :D We left our Army Navy orders and hurriedly went to the hotel. HAHAHA
Andi, Olivia, Wowa Daisy and the yaya went downstairs and had photos with us (me, Jasmine and another fan with her kid). I know they were tired but still they came down for us. :) Olivia wasn't cranky at all. Still very playful and talkative. She gave us a hug and even did the peace sign when I asked her to do it for the photo.
The whole experience was the best I've had in a while. The only downside is that I only took a few photos with them coz I didn't wanna take much of their time. I know they needed to take a nap before the show, and after the show, they might have been exhausted already. Nonetheless, still thankful that I get to finally meet them, hug them, and talk to them personally. What I see on Instagram is the same energy I got upon meeting them.
I hope that meeting them in Davao wasn't the first and last time. If ever they will have future shows nearby, I'll make sure I'll be there. Lol.
