I've bought some issues of FHM before, but the thought of going to these autograph signing events never came to my mind—until yesterday. The day before, my friend invited me to join him in meeting the covergirl in person. For some reason, I found the urge to go and meet FHM's July covergirl, Alodia Gosiengfiao.
But it's not that I haven't seen her before; in fact, our paths have crossed multiple times.
My pals and I waited patiently for our turn, and while waiting, we were joking about how rabid some of the fanboys there were. Yep, that's our idea of fun.
I let my peers have their turn first. When it was my turn for the signing, I casually greeted "Edjie" with a hello and a smile. She smiled back momentarily, and then she realized that I looked familiar and said, "Uy!" ("Hey, it's you!").
She didn't remember my name, however, so I had to re-introduce myself. At least, she remembers my face. I'm glad that the familiarity remains.
I asked Edjie if she also remembers a character I cosplayed when we previously met. I'm glad that she vaguely recalls Agimat (from Si Agimat at si Enteng Kabisote): Ikaw yung nag-cosplay nu'ng Pinoy fantasy superhero!" ("You cosplayed a Pinoy fantasy superhero!") She even joked, "Hindi kaagad kita namukhaan; siguro kasi, dahil hindi ka naka-costume." ("I couldn't readily recognize you; maybe it's because you weren't in costume.")
I told her, "Naka-costume ako! Kino-cosplay ko 'yung nag-Agimat!" ("But I AM in costume! I'm cosplaying as the guy who portrayed Agimat!"), referring to Bong Revilla. She could only laugh, probably seeing some resemblance.
As soon as Edjie finished signing my copy of the magazine, I asked her if she could stand up for a pose with me. She was game for it, as she asked me for a specific pose, and I told her that we were going to do the pose you now see below.
The line was long, and it's something to be expected of an FHM Magazine autograph signing event. It was only supposed to be from 6 to 8 PM, but they had to extend a bit more to accommodate those who were still in line. I could see her exhaustion by that time, but I guess the adrenaline kept her going, which was good for her. I would've advised that she drink water in between those signings, though.
When the signing had ended, there were unlucky ones who didn't get to have their pictures taken with her nor get their copies signed at all. However, Edjie still posed for her rabid fans just beside the small stage. She just couldn't say no.
At the end of the day, I'd say that the autograph signing was a success. So again, congratulations to Edjie for another achievement unlocked.
What's next for her? We'll never know. As for me, I'm back to regular programming.