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Sunday, March 25, 2012

Philippin(Awesomen-)es.

Mabuhay from Manila, where awesomeness comes free with a side of oh-my-god-why-don't-I-live-here-or-at-least-vacation-here-more-often?!. (It takes a special place to make me forget the twenty-three hour flight itinerary and a kicking round of jetlag, trust me.)

Yesterday, despite the fact that I was up at the ungodly time of 5 a.m. due to the aforementioned jetlag, was one of the best and most gratifying days of my career. In an unfamiliar city on the opposite side of the world from my home, I found immediate welcome and comfort in the presence of thoughtful, gracious, articulate, and generous fans.

First was lunch with a few lucky contest-winners, hosted by the fabulous National Book Store, where I sampled delicious fried tilapia and curry with fish sauce, among other traditional delicacies, and stayed far away from balut. (If you don't know what that is, trust me, you don't WANT to know.)


I even received PRESENTS from these lovely ladies, including several incredibly moving notes, a beautiful scarf, dried mango (one of the few fruits I love!) and a gorgeous locket necklace. These girls know how to shop! Obviously, I had to have a group hug.

After purchasing a new pair of shoes from the Topshop here, just so when asked I could say, with studied unconcern, "Oh, THESE? I bought these in Manila," we headed over to the event.

And what an event it was. (Scroll down for pics!)

So many fans, so many smart and interesting questions, and a two-and-a-half hour signing line, complete with about one hundred hugs.

16 comments:

Lexie said...

hi! I was here! There at the back row sitting and craning my neck to see you better! :)) Thank you for coming here in the Philippines! And thank you for the HUG! :)

Jeremy Bates said...

So you finally made it here to Manila. Yeah, the long flights leave much to be desired. lol

Ah, c'mon, you have to try balut at least once. (chirp chirp)

If you get a chance, try visiting Intramuros (Manila) where there is the old place where Jose Rizal wrote from and was imprisoned,and even taking a ferry from Manila Bay to Corrgidor (awesome).

Try The Fort in Makati if you are interested in the nightlife. Also, for some decent malls, you might try the Mall of Asia in Pasay City, not far from the US Embassy, and of course, SM Makati City.

Whatever you do, have fun and enjoy!

Edna said...

What a great turn out! So glad to hear you're having a good time there. :)

I don't blame you about the balut. I stay away from it also. LOL.

blah blah said...

Hi Lauren, I was at the book signing! If you remember me, I was the girl who was supposed to sing you a song but asked you if you believed in fairies instead:D

Hope you enjoyed your trip to Philippines! We'll welcome you back if you ever want to return!:))

-@kayladelion (twitter)

Jowana said...

Thank you for visiting the Philippines! I went to the venue as early as 11AM. No breakfast. No lunch. No worries. It was worth it!

Kristen said...

Hi! i was there in your last photo. I am in the font row taking pictures, and the third girl to the right ( holding a bag). It was exciting to meet you. Thank you so much for coming to the Philippines! :D

http://mycolorfulrealm.blogspot.com/

mhello26 said...

it's nice to meet you in person.. i'm the one who has "the craziest camera that you've ever seen?" that's what you said when you saw my cam yesterday.. ahaha i don't know why you said that.. im happy that i meet you and please come back next year when the 3rd book is out :)

nowiehtoffee said...

Hi Ms. Lauren Oliver, you are really awesome and beautiful. Thank you for the wonderful day and memories, no words can express my happiness. I hope that you will return here in the Philippines. We'll welcome you back with our hugs and big smiles. :)

Meryl said...

Thank you so much for picking Manila as one of your book tour stops! I can't say enough how honored we are to meet you and to have our books signed by you. I only wish I got a hug as well, haha! In all my fan girl excitement and babbling, I actually forgot about it. In any case, here's a virtual hug and a link to my entry about yesterday's book signing, expressing love and gratitude: http://oohlalabellavita.blogspot.com/2012/03/lauren-oliver-in-manila.html

Hope the rest of your tour goes well and we'll all be looking forward to your upcoming projects! :)

Natalie~Coffee and a Book Chick said...

I'm so excited to see that you visited Manila! There are so many bloggers from the Philippines who love YA and your books especially, so what a treat! Seeing your pictures and reading your post make me miss my own family there ~ I need to go back and visit again, it's been much too long. And yes, that flight really does kick you in the seat of your pants, and the twelve-hour time difference is wacky! But, well worth it. And yes, definitely don't try the balut, my family refuses to go near it. I don't think (hopefully) that it's not as popular anymore...

So very, very cool that Manila was on your book tour!

Anonymous said...

Hi Lauren! Thanks for the lovely interview -- it's now up on my blog:
http://sumthinblue.com/sunday-with-lauren-oliver/

Hope to see you back in Manila!

Angel Perido said...

Hello, Lauren! Thank you for coming in the Philippines! The event last Sunday is now in my blog:

http://thehomosapiens.blogspot.com/2012/03/no-balut.html

Barduy said...

Lol! You should have tried that deli you shun away from Ms Lauren!

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