The Moment of a Lifetime at the 33rd Manila International Book Fair

THE MOMENT OF A LIFETIME. My very first (of many to come) photo with my favorite writer of all time,
THE GRACE CHONG. Indeed, the finest hour of my life as an aspiring writer.

Last September 13, thousands of book lovers trooped to the SMX Convention Center for the 33^rd Manila International Book Fair. Every corner was filled with worms scanning for their favorite hardbounds, like digging a pile to find the perfect companion for a boring afternoon or coffee time.

I am definitely not one of them.

Weeks earlier, I was given by my favorite writer, THE GRACE CHONG, free tickets to the said event. Since then, my heart has always been filled with excitement, wanting to pull the calendar towards September 13, not with the intention of feeling like a genius surrounded with books but because of my fervent desire to see Miss Grace in person.

I can feel every single heartbeat that afternoon. I can’t believe that I was invited to this grand event by no less that my favorite writer of all time. And the moment to unfold was one of the most exciting highlights of my entire life.

The moment has finally arrived.

I was with my second mom, Gina Tiu, my sister from her, Candy Tiu, our other best friend Julie Delgado, and her favorite nephew Kuya Totoy, who was kind enough to drive us from Laguna all the way to Mall of Asia.

When we entered the Book Fair, my eyes were already looking for the Church Strengthening Ministries (CSM) Booth. She was not there.

I felt sad because I thought she had already left. Then, different things were running in my mind. “Maybe she already left”, “It’s that God-forsaken traffic!”, “Why oh why!”. But being the gentleman that I am, I never mentioned a word to my friends because they were enjoying so much.

Then a text message came, “Ok. Coming 2 giv ur tcket”.

WOAH! Who can ever imagine that THE GRACE CHONG said that to me? Right then and there, I said, “God, you really rock!”

After a few exchanges of text messages, this is it. I rapidly walked to OMF Literature Booth…

“Hallelujah! Hallelujah!”, angels were singing.

There she was. The lady with that recognizable short hair, wearing a sleek and chic white polo embellished with a polka dot scarf that sealed her regal stature.

I was shaking. Terribly shaking. I shook like that for the first time when I saw Jamie Rivera at Forbes Park years ago.

I approached her.

“Hi Miss Grace”, my voice was obviously shaking.

“Oh, are you JP?”, she looked at me endearingly as if I was Mateo.

Me, Ma'am Gina, Brain Bunny, Ate Julie, and Kuya Totoy

I began talking gibberish, and I couldn’t even remember the things I said to her, except… “ Ma’am can we realize the mega photo op moment of a lifetime?”, something that I have been telling her in FB and in our exchange of texts earlier on.

She was so kind. After we took our photo together, she even requested Ate Julie to take a photo of us in her camera.

Now talk about pure awesomeness- like what Po said.

I immediately told Ate Julie, “Isn’t it too awesome? You held Miss Grace’s camera?” she agreed and said, “She’s so kind!”.

Not wanting to be outdone, I said, ‘But it’s beyond awesome that my photo was taken on her camera”.

I patiently waited for her turn to speak at the CSM Book Launching. When her moment came, I snatched Ate Julie’s Mac Book and took her video while talking. She ended her speech saying, “GBU (God Bless You)” and “143444! (I love you very very much!)”, which really looked so cool on her.

Candy, Me, Ma'am Gina and Kuya Totoy

Indeed, Miss Grace symbolizes many things for us. She is the voice of a child that we never outgrew. She is the Tita next door we can run to when our parents become too hard on us. She is the friend that you can invite drinking coffee or sipping tea. She is the mother who constantly inspires us to be at our best. She is the dream that we all want to achieve. Her thoughts are not hers, but God’s, and her story is the story that empowers us to be better people but never let the child in us die.

Miss Grace, no words can express how thankful I am for your spiritual generosity and kindness. I am nobody, yet you treated me like a friend you have known for ages. No wonder God has blessed you so much, because you are a blessing to others as well. Wherever life takes me, I know that I will not be afraid to go against the waves and conquer that storm in pursuit of my dreams. In the midst of life’s darkness, I will never be afraid to lose my path, because I look up to that shining star called GRACE CHONG. THE GRACE CHONG. Xieh Xieh Ni!