Book Signing: NBS Trinoma

(Most of the photos are courtesy of @cherrythegreat, but I also grabbed a couple from Kitrich and AshAsh. Thanks guys!)

After the launch last week, we were actually expecting the crowds to be much smaller, therefore the smaller venue. Instead of the usual atrium or activity area of the mall, we had a little set-up inside National Bookstore Trinoma but we were shocked to see a huge crowd, that stretched outside the NBS, and was already snaking outside! Later, someone tweeted saying that 3 full lines left after they announced that the cut-off was already reached. So we could only imagine the actual amount of people who dropped by!

We started earlier last Saturday, since we had a prior engagement that was already set way before the book was launched. Again, our book signing was hosted by the beautiful Cerah Hernandez of Happy Hour (Thanks, Zxerrahh!)! We really tried to make the intro short so that we could start signing and taking pictures at once. In Robinson’s Galleria, the cut-off was 450. Here, it was only 250. Still, the crowd was huge, but like during the launch, they were all in good spirits. Of course the Rushers were there full force, ever supportive of the different signings – we❤ you guys!

They just kept the energy high and the vibe positive. But of course the afternoon had some highlights worth mentioning.

The girl behind me had a star-making incident during the signing. As she was going up the small stage, she stumbled and fell on the wooden platform with a loud thud! I was mortified! I caught myself with my right hand over my heart because the sound was so loud, I was afraid she injured herself. As she picked herself up, and assured us that she was okay, we resumed with the photo-taking. Then we realized our photographer Cherrythegreat was in tears laughing! We berated her for laughing at the misfortune of poor Abigail, but then she confessed that the reason she can’t stop laughing was because Delle was the first one to laugh! OMG everyone started laughing after that! Delle tried to deny it, but everyone in the front row corroborated Cherry’s account! So the ribbing kept on coming. Even manong bodyguard was laughing! We joked that instead of helping Abigail, he just laughed. We also told her that she should’ve been the one wearing shades, and not her friend. It was hilarious.

We also met a friend we haven’t seen in a long time. The guy in yellow is Viudo 58. We met him when his code name was Viudo 45. According to him, when his wife died when he was 45 years old, he was so devastated that he thought that he wouldn’t be capable of laughter again, ever. He was beside himself with grief. He didn’t really know what to do with himself. One day, he chanced upon our radio show, when Delle and I were still starting as a tandem, and he was shocked to find himself laughing out loud. Since then, he always made it a point to listen, end even join in every now and then. He told us that the show became his lifeline to getting back to okay. We had lumps in our throats the first time he told us his story. He brought us a large bag of itlog na maalat, or according to Delle, “itlog na maasim” (What were you thinking, Delle?). Every birthday, he’d graduate his code name into a higher number. It’s always a pleasure seeing him.

Plus, our friends from Summit sent us this picture they took during the signing: they spotted brips under one chair! Hahaha, they didn’t know if it was new or used, or how the heck it got there, mainly because no one wanted to check! Thankfully it looks new, given the way it’s folded. Hay naku, funny.

At the end of the signing, we just had to apologize for the shorter cut-off because of our tight schedule. We promised that in our next stop, in NBS Megamall this Saturday, we would stay way longer than our schedule to make up for the short cut-off. So after we said goodbye, our bodyguards whisked us away to our cars. We had separate rides, so I was taken away first, then Delle after. But what made our exit extra memorable was, as manong bodyguard put his arm around my waist to guide me out, what should come blaring from the speakers? Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You”! And the song came in at the crescendo, the peak of Whitney’s plaintive wailing of love and longing. Ginoboi would’ve loved to be there. It was just so funny. And after our bodyguard brought us to the car, I didn’t know if I should shake his hand or give him a hug, hahaha! The background music was just HILARIOUS. Those are two of our bodyguards at Trinoma.

So again, we’d like to thank everyone who braved the long lines, who stood for 4 hours just to get a signature and a photo, those who came all the way to Trinoma but left because they missed the cut-off, our sincerest gratitude. And we’d like to make it up to those who’ve been missing the cut-off, that this Saturday, at NBS Megamall, we’ll have our next book signing! Registration starts at 1pm, and the signing proper is from 2-5pm. But we promise to stay on for as long as we can, to accommodate any spillovers. Again, thank you and see you next Saturday!