Diary || Dan and Phil

I was in the same room as Dan and Phil and it was amazing. 

Like, they weren't behind a computer screen. It was so surreal.

I've been watching Dan and Phil for over 4 years now. I remember a girl showing me them playing 'Would You Rather' in high school and for some reason, I laughed way too hard. From there, I started watching Danisnotonfire, and eventually started watching AmazingPhil. Fast forward a few years later and they are my babies. I'm not one of those girls who claims that they 'saved my life' or anything, but I must admit, I do idolize Dan a little bit. I guess it's just because I feel like we have the same personality. I know I'll never really know him, I'll only know the persona he shows on screen, but that persona is one I identify with so hard - and seeing someone like me being as successful as he is gives me a lot of hope and confidence that maybe things will work out for me too.

the various stages of not knowing what to do with your life from here on out 

I'm really not in a good place financially at the moment, but when it was announced that Dan and Phil were bringing their tour to not only Australia, but Perth, I couldn't not go. Even though the tickets were a bit expensive, I figured that it was better to be a bit more out of pocket and go see my idol as opposed to being poor anyway, and regret missing what will probably be my only opportunity to ever see these guys in real life.
I booked myself and my best friend Cassidy tickets, and it was that easy. Cassidy is one of the biggest Dan and Phil fangirls I know, I couldn't not invite her. Getting not only two seats, but two seats next to each other was an absolute bloodbath - we ended up closer to the back than the front, but neither of us really cared. We've both seen shows in the venue before, and all the seats have a good view of the stage.

After over a month of anticipation, the day finally came. Cassidy and I had booked a hotel in the city, because I had somewhere to be in the city the next day and the show ran way too late to comfortably take the train back home. It didn't seem real until about two hours before the show - we then started running around our hotel room like crazy getting ready and mentally preparing ourselves for what might happen. I'm so glad I could experience this with my best friend, because I would have felt crazy thinking these kinds of things on my own.

The venue was only a 10 minute walk away. It was freezing cold, but we were powerwalking and chattering the whole time, so I only noticed when I saw my hands were blue. We finally got to the convention centre and assimilated into the crowd of whisker-faced fans. There was only a few minutes before the show was set to start, but we saw that there was merch for sale - we made the executive decision to get in line and race the clock. It worked out great; Cassidy got a shirt, I got the matching jumper, and we left the merch booth with 3 minutes to spare before the show started. We found our seats and whipped out an eyeliner pencil (because we forgot the sharpie) and drew each others whiskers. They were a bit wonky, but it didn't matter because the whiskers come from within.

the whiskers come from within... or from an eyeliner pencil because you forgot the sharpie

There was music playing before the show and the whole audience was singing together. It felt so magical. And then, the lights dimmed and out came Dan and Phil. I can't believe I actually cried. I don't cry a lot, I don't know what happened. My mind just didn't know how to cope with the concept of Dan and Phil being in the same room as me and not behind a computer screen where I have to wipe away a dot off their faces or something. I wasn't even paying attention to the first 2 minutes of the show, I was just trying to force myself to appreciate that these specific humans were right there in front of my eyes.

I won't spoil anything about the show, but I will say that it was just as amazing as promised. It was genuinely hilarious and suited their characters so well. I didn't want it to end. I've been on stage before, so I know from experience that with all the lights and stuff, you can't actually see anyone in the audience. Having said that, Dan looked at me twice and it honestly felt like he was looking at me. I know deep down that's most likely not true at all..... but I'm going to say it's true and he looked at me. We had a connection and now we're getting married.

When the show ended, Cassidy and I lingered around the theatre in awe. We didn't want to leave because the first time in our lives, we knew exactly where Dan and Phil were, and we didn't want to knowingly walk away from them. I think a lot of the other fans had the same idea, because after about 15 minutes, the security guards started ushering everyone out.

look into my eyes and see the existential crisis collapse upon itself into the void

And that was it. It was a much longer walk back to the hotel because now we had no reason to hurry. Even though we were both there, Cassidy and I couldn't help but recount every detail of the show to each other. Once we got back to our room, we both sunk into our own existential crisis.

I'm so unbelievably happy that I was actually able to see Dan and Phil live on stage. I'm $150 poorer, but honestly, it was so totally worth it. I feel so grateful that for the first time in my life, I was able to see one of my idols perform - even if it wasn't the kind of idol I expected to see on a stage - and thank you so so so so much to Dan and Phil for travelling all the way to the 2nd most isolated city in the world just so we could see you!

Did any of you puddings go to the show? Where did you see them and what did you think? You know where to find me~