Meeting Paulo Coelho...

Damn, I don’t even know how to start.. Okay let me first give you the 4W’s..

When: 16th November 2005, Wednesday, 6pm-10pm
Where: Virgin Megastore, Mercato Mall, Dubai
What: Book Signing
Who: (Ahhh! Wahoo! Yeeeeh! Oh!) Paulo Coelho

My emotions are taking over hehe, I’m having a hard time expressing everything. Ok, calm down, inhale… exhale…

Now, let me start:

The book signing was scheduled 6pm-8pm only, with only 3 books allowed per person. Since Schmuck and I will be coming from work (plus the traffic and the seemingly absence of cabs when you urgently need one), we arrived at Mercato at about 10minutes to 7pm. And the scene that greeted us was overwhelming. A long queue of people (hundreds I believe) was there, media, camera flashing here and there.. It was really uhm.. disorienting.

So I joined the queue while schmuck went around the store to get some chismis, and he found out that by 8pm (em punto!), the signing will stop. I was crestfallen when I heard about it. But still that did not discourage me, as Schmuck always tells me: Patience is a virtue hehe!

(My Paulo Coelho Books!)

So when 8pm came, they announced that Coelho will take a break (to get a hand massage or something hehe) but he will still resume signing after it. (Yey!) We were also informed that there would be another signing session on the 19th in another mall. So some people decided they’ll just go there, but since schmuck and I both have work that Saturday, we decided to stay.

Tummy grumbling (almost 9pm and we haven’t had dinner yet), legs getting numb (I’m in heels), and fatigue finally sinking in, we still stayed. I’ve waited long enough hehe so I might as well wait some more. Though Coelho said he’d try to get all books signed, I still can’t be at peace, not until I’m in front of him. There are still like more than a hundred people in front of me (with 3 books each), and it’s almost 9pm, and the store closes at 10pm.. arghh.. I was actually getting discouraged already but not everyone gets an opportunity like this so.. I stayed.

So after another hour (it’s almost 10pm then) and 3 more hand massage breaks for Coelho, I can actually now see him, it’s like there are now only 20 people in front of me. Yey! Coelho decided that instead of us approaching him to his table, he’d be the one to come to our line. So we open all our books to where we want the signature placed and waited.

Let me first tell you something, at about 7:30pm, since there are too many people who wanted their book signed. Coelho decided on just writing his signature, no more dedications, no more dear blah blah, so he can clear up the queue faster. So when my turn finally came, he’s in front of me na! Coelho as in Paulo Coelho! Hehe! Then his pen runs out of ink! Haha! Blooper! So he asked his assistant for a new pen, so I waited and made chikka. He asked me where I’m from, I was actually thinking of saying I’m from Latin Asia (it’s what a gay friend used to say so that it sounds sosyal haha), but I said I’m from the Philippines anyway. I told him it was really kind of him to extend the book signing, blah blah, and then the pen finally arrived.

Then he suddenly told me something that will forever be etched in my memory:

“You know what, whenever my pen is new, I love writing something long..”

So there I was, my mouth open in disbelief as he wrote something that up to now I still can’t understand. I asked him if it’s in Spanish, he said it’s in Portuguese (stupid me, he’s Brazilian! Of course it will be in Portuguese!). Then I told him that the only Portuguese phrase I can remember is “Boa noite” (Good evening) and “Boa tarde” (Good afternoon), and he laughed at me hehe. Paulo Coelho laughed at me, Ahhhhh! Hehe! Then before I go, he said it was a pleasure meeting me, and I was floating on air since then hehe..

(Coelho signing my books, as people crowd around us)

Everybody crowded around me after, just to see what Coelho had written and telling me how they envy me, ahhh! I was the only one there to get something long written in my book, all of them had only signatures or maybe Dear Blah and that’s it! I was ranting and ranting till the next morning, the giddiness was actually still there every time I remember it hehe.

(Schmuck getting his sis' book signed)

(My signed "By The River Piedras I Sat Down And Wept")

(My "Veronika Decides To Die" also signed!)

(My treasure! My "The Alchemist")

I still haven't translated it, I think it's a religious verse or something.. In case any of you can get it translated for me.. Just give me a buzz!