(just like to share the story i posted at our group about our recent meriendacena with Mr. Pure Energy!)
PROLOGUE 
April 27,2004 The Repeat Concert at the Music Museum. On the Man's last song, a lady approached him, took a bow and handed him a letter of Thanks. After the event, the same lady was staring to the Man she met up-close and personal for the very first time, and he was talking about having a "meriendacena"...(back to her consciousness) ...It was Sir Gary Valenciano himself there in front of her, 
smiling and explaining about his ideas of meeting them with the rest of the gang of the Gary V e-group. Afterwards, the young lady went home with a big smile in her face and she was looking forward to something different yet exciting event in her life...perhaps soon!
..Time swept so fast....almost a year after... 
04.16.05 1200H...She woke up with the sound of her cousin's voice telling her to get up!
(Moved slowly…stretched her arms.. yawned…)
That was the day she's been waiting for...The Day she'll meet the people she got to know through e-mails only though some, she already met at certain Gary V. events but most important of all , she will meet again the man who told her a year ago about the meriendacena..Sir Gary Valenciano.
She even thought of what could be in store for her that day. Would it be something fun? Entertaining? Exciting? Heart warming? But whatever it is she can sense that it will be something good…for real..and maybe one of the precious moments in her life.
(With the help of the technologies of transportation she and her cousin was on the venue in no time)
Bread from Heaven Church,Shangrila Mall, EDSA- ßthat’s the place, Saturday was the day, it was called MERIENDACENA and whatever she will be experiencing that day she just lifted it to God.
SMILES. She was welcomed with beautiful smiles. Well, that’s a good start! After registering, she then entered the room, (tremors..her heart’s beating a little bit faster than before and she inhales a lot more Oxygen and exhales Carbon as if exhaling for the last time)
FRIENDS.
She recognized faces, friends she met before and to be friends that maybe in an instance or another have read an email of her in the group.
FOODS.
Bless the food. Where can she get something like this? A day with Sir Gary V for free and please include the free food! Indeed it is true that “Best things in life are still free”
GARY V. This is it. She’s there, sitting on a chair, mingling with new found friends, eating great food and in a few moments MR.PURE ENERGY entered the room (1500H). Simple. Dressed casually in white polo and jeans, wore a great smile in his face and approached their table.
She cannot believe it, Sir Gary V was talking to them, eating boiled peanuts and telling them good stories about his recent experiences. They even found out that some of the friends at the crowd got the chance to attend the almost same gatherings many years ago.
Well, it was just the start.
After eating good food and Sir Gary V going to the different tables to meet everyone, Ms. Pam G, who is great singer too, was the emcee that afternoon. Gary V led the prayer lifting up and thanking God for the event that was going to happen that day.
Sir Mike, who would not know Sir Mike- the man behind the e-group, indeed the Moderator, then welcomed the group and acknowledged each and every one’s presence. That gesture, by the way, was really appreciated by the people there. (THANK YOU) Sir Mike also introduced the wonderful people of Genesis to the crowd and at last everyone meets everyone.
GAMES. 
A good start! They got to know each other a lot better with the games they played. Starting with ‘THE BOAT IS SINKING” ha! That was a tough game. Who would not say no? Sir Gary V was not even exempted from the game and he was not excused of being out of the game after Kristine didn’t joined him on a group of three! Laughter can be heard unto the depths of the room. And the fair lady was blessed enough to win a prize! (Which consist by the way of an organizer with Gary V’s autograph, the limited edition mug of the Xtreme concert and a navy blue K-Swiss shirt..cool stuff ayt!)
After catching her breath and went back to her seat after the indeed extreme yet fun game she had with the group,Gary V took the stage and this time He gets to answer all questions that will be asked by any member of the group.
She was totally freezing in her seat. The lady who seems to be very talkative, zipped her mouth for that moment…well, halfly zipped was a better description. She just don’t know, she cannot ask the many questions that was running in her mind except for Gary V’s favorite color which he answered that it depends on the occasion –Black, or White, Black and White, Black or have he mentioned White?-
Perhaps, she just wanted the others to ask their own questions, and she feels like listening that time. Interesting questions were raised from upcoming concerts and albums, to personal point of views on different matters, to his sugar level, the gatherings wherein he was supposed to sing songs that he forgotten the lines, the story of the ballad song that he just let the crowd clapped their hands with him
(that story was totally hilarious by the way), even about his children or even him going back to school wanting to be a “sound engineer”, whatever questions was asked that day, everything just came so naturally. Only but one statement marked on the young lady’s heart and mind and its about Sir Gary V’s success..
“Whenever I go up the stage I just sing from my Heart. I enjoy what I am doing…I am being myself…that makes it different from performing…”
Those simple lines from Sir Gary V, sincere and true, touched the lady’s heart. Well, she’s not a singer by career but the essence of just doing what you like to do and being yourself concept inspired her more on the path she is currently taking. NEVER PERFORM. 
Sir Gary V. ended that segment with a song he composed for his next album. The song, which he quoted as a rough one can be rated with 5 stars!!!
PICTURES.
Everybody loves pictures! After that segment, everyone posed as if in class and whala!!! Smile was pasted on their faces…click..click..click…and after the flashes of light there goes the autograph signing. The lady grabbed that chance, the event is almost once in a lifetime so she wore her best smile in every click and flash of the camera…and let Sir Gary V signed her memorabilias. It was great! Different stuffs were brought to be signed by Mr. Pure energy from tickets that was preserved for almost a decade, pictures taken from different events, cd’s, album labels, even recently finished concerts.. Nobody wasted the opportunity.
Just when you thought it was over, a lot more unexpected things happened….the next games was more exciting…”trip to Jerusalem style” which include some major stunts to be done in order to survive the game, the “PERA OR BAYONG” which tested the crowds capacity to remember the first of the first of Gary V (thanks God, the quite elder friends were there) and even the capacity to guess some answers….(which eventually worked) and of course who can forget the SINGING CONTEST?! It topped the ratings of any other singing competition in the universe! The contestants were all great! Our lady just led the cheering squad but she enjoyed it very much most especially when Sir Gary V handed her the mike for a few seconds! And back to the competitors, they all did their best but only one shall prevail…BENJO!!! Who nearly threatened Gary V with his powerful voice and fantastic moves. Whew!! 
It was superb..it was a blast! The group even got the chance to greet Sir Gary on his 22nd anniversary in Showbiz. EVERYTHING was special. NO SECOND was wasted.
The lady enjoyed every inch of it….the friends she knew, the genesis staff, Sir Gary V..the whole event itself….Perhaps you are asking why I know a lot of her experience that time…of course I do…I just have told you my own Story of the Meriendacena event!
That just felt so good! Its not been a week yet but I already misses the group…the smiles I saw, the giggle and laughter I heard, the bloopers, everything about meriendacena….
As Sir Gary V. ended the event again with a prayer…my eyes almost started to produce tears….i was so emotional in the sense that God really answered my prayer…”THAT EACH AND EVERYONE MIGHT ENJOY THE GATHERING” …Every person who wrote their experience on that very day are telling nothing but the truth, what they really felt that very moment and what they just have witnessed. As everyone went home, they brought a piece of the event or even the whole thing in their hearts and kept it in their precious memories.
IT WAS MORE THAN JUST A FANS’ DAY.
IT WAS MORE THAN JUST PEOPLE GATHERING AND MEETING THEIR IDOL.
IT WAS EVEN MORE THAN JUST KNOWING YOUR CO –EGROUPS.
FOR IT WAS A GATHERING OF NEWLY FOUND FRIENDS. Done simple things such as talking and knowing about each other and looking forward of meeting them again someday! PURE ENERGY was with everyone..
A few lines from Sir Gary’s new song goes like..
MAKE ME and TAKE ME…
HOLD ME…MOLD ME…
AND IF THERE’S NO OTHER WAY TO MAKE ME WHOLE
THEN GO AHEAD AND BREAK ME….
REMAKE ME
This just tattooed on my heart and mind. More than anything, Sir Gary made me realizes a lot of things about myself and about being the true Sweet I want to be.
THANK YOU everyone! You have made my April 16,2005 one of a kind!
“Service to God is beyond fame and shame. It’s beyond pain and gain. It’s beyond comfort; beyond self. The Ability to serve God is a gift in itself” –
Gary Valenciano (a singer,never a performer, a friend)
/gorgeousweet
(That’s not odd in my case) and as I sat down and faced my computer the echoes of the laughter we had earlier is still there. 
or even your chinovela addictiveness. 
From the moment we knew him and her lovely wife which is of course our Mommy Maricel...life in our chapter was never been the same. I myself...was more loved and more cared of. Sometimes, just seeing Mommy and Daddy leaves a smile i my heart. every word they utter is precious and every smile was just simply healing. We thank God for having them as our elders!
