7.4

Dinah Roma's poetry collection entitled Naming the Ruins is amazing. I've now found a book that I can have a romance with this weekend. Today was the book's launch and I helped in ushering the event. Very early I waited at South Gate for writers and guests to come. Katrina and Anis stayed at North Gate. When two other ushers, Joey and Jeline, came to take my place, I went back up to assist with the registration table. There I saw a fellow lit major. Being under the Bienvenido N. Santos Creative Writing Center for his practicum, he was among the earliest in the room. He said hello. Feeling awkward, I went back down to South Gate. I normally wouldn't, considering the distance from 13th floor Learning Commons to South Gate--ew--and the heat. I just feel really really awkward around him now, I could not figure out why.

Finally, after my stint as a South Gate usher I went back up. The lecture hall was then more occupied than it was a few minutes before. There, I recognized some writers. I dared to start "writer conversations" with some of them, or at the very least listen to them talk, which I did during the pika-pika session. I spent the most of the time talking to Virginia Moreno.

I was assigned to the video camera. My practicumer-friend took pictures.

My very awkward nature gets the better of me a lot of times. During the event, I played "boss" by ordering him around to do things. A naturally kindhearted and well-mannered person, he did as I said. Realization seeped in only afterward when after the event, he looked weary and tired. I said sorry for being too pushy.

Me: There!!! Take pictures of every person or group of people who registers! That's what we do on every event!!!
Me: Count how many people had signed up
Friend: 16
Me: You just missed 16 people!!! Gah.

Me: There!!! Take pictures of the book-signing!!!
Friend: yeah okay...
Me: okay, good job

Weird thoughts ran on my mind that afternoon--thoughts that bothered me and woke me up. To brush those thoughts away, I dared myself to turn around with eyes closed, and at any time I felt like opening them I'd open my eyes and face a writer. The very first writer I see, whether familiar or not, I will approach. The mechanics of the "randomly-walk-up-to-a-writer-and-talk" game was pretty simple, and I needed it.

This made me think of myself as Phoebus who followed Daphne.

When I opened my eyes, I saw Virginia Moreno. At first, I had no idea who the heck she was; I then made use of my stalking abilities to find out who she is and what she did. I do that. I approach her not long after. She ended up telling me all about her life in UP and in America--and heck how I enjoyed listening. Nothing beats the thrill of listening to writers, especially senile ones, talk. I am amazed at how much of their past they can still remember.

Listening to F. Sionil Jose talk to the person from Vagabond Press was also a great stalking experience. F. Sionil Jose said exactly: "Filipino poetry in English is a language of its own."  He sounds exactly the way he writes. He's amazing.