[ETA: Deadline Extension] [Cloud USA Project/calendar] See You Soon, Soldier: A Yellow Ribbon for Rain
~ Cloud Cover by Terri :-}, Managing Editor
[ ETA: Hello lovely Clouds. This is the first chance I’ve had to update the blog since our trip to SMTown’s Live World Tour New York started. It has been a whirlwind ride and exhausting, but so much FUN. We’ll post about our Road Trip for Rain as soon as we get home (which should be Tues. or Wed., but I didn’t want to let another day go by without letting you know that we’ve decided to EXTEND the deadline for our calendar project, so that more of you would be able to participate.
The new deadline is November 11, 2011.
Since our plan was always to get the calendar to Rain after he has settled in with his regular unit, we think this timeline will work out just fine. A huge thank you to those of you who have already sent us your submissions. If you rushed to get your submission in and would like to add to it, please feel free. Or now, maybe you’ll have time to think of that special one-liner message you’d like to share with Rain, something to make him smile, something to let him know that his Clouds are impatiently (but nicely…) waiting for his return.
Much love to you all.
Terri :-} ]
For many months now, Clouds all over the world have been sighing over rumors of final appearances and last projects in anxious anticipation of the start of Rain’s mandatory military service. Finally, a few days ago, Rain made the announcement that his enlistment in the ROK Army would begin on October 11, 2011.
The vow a soldier makes to fight for his country—to the death, if need be—changes him and those who love him in more ways that you can ever imagine. The separation from family and friends is lonely, physically arduous, and often life-threatening. The experience makes you realize how tenuous ties to the other human beings in your life, and often to life itself, are. Sometimes those ties survive the strain and sometimes they don’t. Either way, both the soldier and the people he/she leaves behind (and to whom he/she returns) changes forever.
Having never signed a peace 
treaty after the Korean War, North and South Korea are still technically at war and share the world’s most heavily fortified border. Rain will be serving in an active capacity for the Republic of Korea’s military for two solid years. So, for me to say that he won’t be in any danger would be ludicrous and patronizing to both Rain and his Clouds.
That being said, however, I would like to reassure you that neither Stephe nor I believe the ROK Army commanders would be stupid enough to put Rain, who is one of their country’s national treasures (like many of the other celebrities who have already served), in any real and present danger. Even though we are sure that Rain would be up to the challenge and would make a spectacular front-line soldier, we are pretty sure that the powers-that-be know he can do far more for their republic as a powerful and popular world star than he can as an infantryman or a gunner. So, there is no doubt in our minds that they will take good care of him while he is under their care.
While Rain is away, we are going to miss him terribly. We sure are. We will miss his smiling face in the news. We will miss his acting prowess on television and on the big screen. We will miss his silly, ego-maniacal tweets (O_o). We will miss the whiskey-smooth voice, the sexy gyrations and the clever conversation of his concert stages.
Then again, Rain is going to be missing a lot too. He will be away from his precious family. He will miss his friends and colleagues (General Hospital, JYP, Kim Tae Woo, Ladies Behind The Man). But most of all, he will be away from and miss performing for you—his Clouds.
We thought about that for a long time. We thought about how much joy an entertainer gets from 
entertaining his fans and how, for almost two long years, Rain will be restricted from doing just that. That’s gotta hurt—in a lot more ways than in just the wallet. So, to help Rain start his 24-month countdown back to civilian life with a smile, Cloud USA has decided to create a two-year, digital comeback countdown calendar for Rain.
Your mission (should you accept it) is to send us digital items to add to Rain’s calendar. As soon as the calendar is complete, it will be delivered electronically to Rain, so he can upload it to the electronic device of his choice (iPhone, iPad, etc.) and then be entertained by his Clouds whenever the mood strikes him.
What will this digital calendar consist of, you ask? Well, that all depends on you, Clouds. Just like with our Cloud USA scrapbook, we would like you to e-mail us items to insert into Rain’s Yellow Ribbon calendar. The items you send should be simple but imaginative, should make Rain smile and should tell him a little something about you—both personally and as a Cloud USA member. Just make sure (like good little soldiers) that you remember to follow the project’s rules of engagement, which are listed below.
The final calendar will be posted both here on Cloud USA’s blog and on Cloud USA’s website, so that everyone can enjoy it. We hope all of you will participate and will have a great time thinking of creative ways to entertain Rain.
Cloud USA’s “Yellow Ribbon for Rain” Calendar Project
Rules of Engagement
Theme:
Patriotic. Items emphasizing the ROK/USA/Insert Your Own Country Here partnership are encouraged, but are not required. The idea is to show Rain that we support his mandatory military service wholeheartedly.
Items to contribute:
- Photographs: The pictures you submit can be of you, your crew, your family, your pets, your town, etc. Be imaginative. Be inspirational. Be silly. Dress up in uniform. Wave your country’s flag. Most importantly, please remember to have fun and smile.
- Original artwork: You must own the copyright of any original artwork that you submit.
- Messages: Write a brief one-line, patriotic/motivational message for Rain. We will be decorating the calendar with as many messages as will fit.
Note: Photographs and artwork must be submitted in .jpg format. All items will be sized to fit their placement on the calendar.
Feature Photo/Art Competition:
Twenty-four photos will be selected from all of the photo/artwork submissions we receive by the deadline as “feature” photos (1 for each of the 24 months). The judges will be Stephe, Terri, Katie, Jim and Alex. Items will be selected based on:
- Adherence to Project Theme
- Concept
- Artistry
- Originality
Only photos/artwork received by the deadline (October 21, 2011) will be entered into the competition.
Deadline:
October 21, 2011. Because we don’t have enough time to complete this project before Rain enlists, the plan is to have it completed sometime in mid-November and then submitted by Thanksgiving (here in the USA), which is about the time that his basic training period is scheduled to end. Items submitted after the deadline will be considered for inclusion only if there is time to do so and only if there is room left on the calendar. So, please work extra hard to meet our deadline.
How & Where to Submit Your Work:
Please e-mail all of your submissions to letitrain@cloudusa.org. In the “Subject Line” of your e-mail, please include the words: “Yellow Ribbon for Rain Project.”
Restrictions:
- For Cloud USA members ONLY: This project is for Cloud USA members only. You must be both a member of our fan forum at http://cloudusa.lefora.com/ AND a subscriber of our Media Blog at https://cloudusa.wordpress.com/ to participate in this project. So, if you haven’t done so already, please do sign up for both. To find out more about how to sign up as a Cloud USA member, please visit our About Cloud USA Page. Membership is FREE.
- Keep it Clean: Pretty much anything goes, as long as you keep it PG-13. This is not a Playboy calendar, and as much as you like to think you are, you are probably not a Playboy Bunny. So, please don’t even go there.
- Size Matters: Please don’t send us any videos or any really large files. We don’t want the final file to be so large to upload or open that Rain won’t be able to open or use it. That would be completely counter-productive.
♥♥♥♥
Well, Clouds. I can’t think of a better way to show Rain that we’ll be holding down the fort while he’s away, can you? If you have any questions about this project, please comment on this post and we’ll answer them as soon as we can.
In the meantime, please have fun creating your yellow ribbons for Rain.
Terri @cloudusa.wordpress.com :-} / www.cloudusa.org
P.S. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the yellow ribbon tradition, please read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_ribbon for more information. :-}
Cloud USA 
Ladies. I sent you something for the project. Sorry its last minute. Let me know if yall got it.
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Hey, Gigi, we got your submission. Thanks for sending it, gurl! 🙂
Stephe ^@@^
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calling STEPHE OR TERRI
ladies !!
i just sent u Email
already done so please check u Emil
that i have sent u the project along the Message also
i sent 2 Email the second email that is the Pict i want to sent to rain actually please check and let me know everything good and fine to go thank u ladies ASAP
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Hi, Kongsao. 🙂
Thanks for letting us know you sent your project. We can’t go over to check email right now, but we will check it out tomorrow and let you know something then. Thanks for sending it.
Stephe ^@@^
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yes!!! stephe
that ok i understand no worries
just let me know when u can thank so much !! 🙂
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Okay I will.^^ Thanks, dear. 🙂
Stephe ^@@^
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Can you link me the yellow ribbon for Rain on the facebook? I have tried finding it but it doesnt show up. I have the one for twitter though.
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Beauty,
There is an add to Facebook tab on the twibbon page at http://twibbon.com/join/yellow-ribbon-for-rain, right above the blue box?
Do you see it?
Terri :-}
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Wait….i am not a Playboy Bunny? =( (putting the bunny ears and glitter down)..lol, this is a great proyect im working on this with my sister, awesome idea!
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LOL,
Thanks, Lili. I do hope we get lots of participation. The submissions we have gotten so far are really precious. I can’t wait to share them with you all.
Terri :-}
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Hey Stephe/Terri, I just emailed my submission for the Yellow Ribbon for Rain project. Please let me know if you ladies received it. Thanks!
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Will do!
Terri :-}
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Oh, by the way,
Tell Mr. BiA that he can make a picture for us Clouds anytime he likes. (There. Maybe he won’t pout anymore…) ;-}
Terri :-}
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Terri,
I’ve been trying….I’ve asked him a thousand times, he’s still saying no. I keep getting Why, Why, Why? I’ll keep working on him. (SMILES)
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LOL,
Gosh, he’s a shy one. Let’s continue to work on him with charm and flattery. Surely, he’ll give in at some point, right? :-}
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NOPE, he “ain’t” shy. If you knew him, you would have laughed for making that statement. I’M the shy one! (SMILES) He’s playing hard to get….(SMILES)
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LOL,
Well, he sure is shy from us “Clouds'” point of view. Come on, Mr. BiA! Get with the program!
See, what he really should do is make you take a picture with him for our Yellow Ribbon for Rain project. That way he could stand there all buff and possessive next to you, saying to Rain (with only his manly expression, of course): ‘I don’t care WHO you are, dude. This is MY woman! Hands off!’ :-}
Terri :-}
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BiA,
We got it. LOL. Cute.
Terri :-}
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Working on my as we speak. Hope to submit this coming Monday, Tuesday the latest!
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Yay!
(Now Stephe and I just have to come up with something. Gah…)
Terri :-}
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Okay, everyone…
Please, PLEASE get your entries in as early as you possibly can. The Cloud USA staff needs lots of time to put this together, as it is a really huge project.
Based on some of the early submissions this thing is going to be ABSOLUTELY LOVELY. As Rain would say, “I’m SO EXCITED!”
Terri :-}
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I sended two entries for Rain’s project. I hope you received them and can be used. I used a site for the first time to send them so I hope it worked. You know my love/hate relationship with computers… ^.^
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Hi Mari.
Yes, we got them. Thank you! So cute!
Terri :-}
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Yey I did it!!!! *happy dance* 😀
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hey ladie terri
i have a pict in my car of the flag of my country and took my silly pict witj my glag and and car in i don;t have my uniform from Cambodian i am raise in U.S. it ok for me took a pict as a regular cloth that u wear that show myself with smile and fun with please respond
the Messages: Write a brief one-line, patriotic/motivational message for Rain do u wwant me to write and then EMIL to you right? or
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terri
i am waiting for your answer???????????
it ok for me too took a pict with my uniform of my country and a regular cloth also
i have a pict in my car of the flag of my country and took my silly pict with my flag and and car me took a pict as a regular cloth that u wear that show myself with smile and fun with please respond
the Messages: Write a brief one-line, patriotic/motivational message for Rain do u wwant me to write and then EMIL to you right? or
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Kongsao,
Yes, you can take a picture with whatever you like, dear. Doesn’t have to be from the U.S.
Terri :-}
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Just to be sure, We can submit more than one entry or yellow ribbon for the calendar, right?
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Yes, Mari, you can submit more than one entry.
Terri :-}
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Okey dokey! Let’s see what I can do. Thanks!! 😀
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how wonderful! You guys great! Rain will be so grateful on this. thank you folks for your hard working for Rain and Clouds. This will be really awesome~ ^__~+
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Thanks followurheart11.
We sure will miss him terribly while he is away. We thought it only appropriate that we let him know.
Terri :-}
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Keep it clean…..seriously. I was such a good girl last time. Honestly, I wouldn’t feel right being my crazy self on project submissions. I hope to participate this time around as well.
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BiA,
You are a very good girl. Please do participate!
Terri :-}
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oh this sound cool
but before i started o this i want to make sure i did it right
Terri or Stephe
1 for photograph it ok form make a funny look and took this pict just something rain will remember and keep him in his heart when ever he bored he can look our photo
2 Original artwork: You must own the copyright of any original artwork that you submit.
not understnd do mean the camera of the photo u took by you or your desing of i confus?????????
3 Messages: Write a brief one-line, patriotic/motivational message for Rain.
IS THAT a separated pager right? Messages:
please answer me this i i will decided to do this !!
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Kongsao,
Hi.
Yes, you may take a photo of whatever you like for Rain. We just want the photos to be entertaining and to remind him of you–his Clouds. Or you can draw some original art for him. You must, however, be the original artist of the art you submit. In other words, you have to have drawn it yourself. That’s what I meant by owning the copyright.
Yes, messages should be written separately from the photos and the art.
Terri :-}
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ok i got i will start those soon
one last thing? for the 3 Messages: Write a brief one-line, patriotic/motivational message for Rain.
is this have to relating on his DUTY or u can brief write rain anything you as long it relating on his duty for example
let say he been their 2 week training and we sent good massage to to rain and told be strong we always looking after you ect… OR !! u or take care only or have to message rain something that related to Military service i never do this before that why i ask well my experience now!!
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Thank you!
It can be anything you want to say to him. It doesn’t have to relate to anything except YOU, one of his biggest fans.
We want these pics and messages to be about all of YOU, not about Rain.
Tell him about Kongsao, please. Let him know you will miss him. :-}
Terri :-}
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terri
it ok i sent all 3 of them together to u email i mean when i done all of it right?
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Kongsao,
I haven’t checked the mail yet, but I will take a look as soon as I can, okay? :-}
Terri :-}
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Awesome project!
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This is a great idea!
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oh my goodness ladies, :putting my thinking hat right now: well at least we won’t have to mail it and it’s completely electronic. that’s very helpful.
As usual ladies you come up with exceptional ideas.
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Lluvia,
Yes, we liked the idea of not having to “ship” a package off for a change. Especially when time is so limited.
Terri :-}
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This is a wonderful idea. I will get started right away!
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Looking forward to seeing your submission, Gigi.
Hey, by the way, we need to discuss my and Stephe’s trip to NYC. I’d love to chat with you about the most economical places and convenient places to stay…convenient to Madison Square Garden anyway…
And I also wanna see if we can meet up with you guys while we are there, maybe for brunch or lunch or something.
I gotta make our reservation soon. So, let’s talk!
Terri :-}
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As usual you guys are on it! I love the idea and concept…., and will also have my Yellow Ribbon in support if JiHoon.
Now I better get my creative thoughts going… and see what I can come up with for the calendar! 🙂
Thanks Cloud USA! As always – you guys Rock!
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Thanks for participating, Chisun!
Terri :-}
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This is interesting, 2 years without him is too much.. I hope I can join this ^^
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Please, please do!
Terri :-}
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A great idea ladies. As always you come up with just the thing to make us feel useful and in touch with Rain. Thank you. Will do with all my heart, anything for baby boy!
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Thank you, Mari. We try. We really do.
Terri :-}
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Very Cool, I’l see what I can come up with. Thanks ladies.
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