Wicked Journey: Stephanie Perkins in PH!

So, hello! I know I haven't really updated my blog because school just started and as usual school is such a B with everything.

Last Sunday was the Stephanie Perkins book signing. I arrived at around 6 am and I was number 92 already! Tweets were overflowing the night before that there were already 11 people in front of National Bookstore since 1 pm last Saturday. I'm proud to say that two of them were my friends. And before they opened the store, a black SUV drove by and inside was Stephanie and her husband Jarrod, and they waved to the crowd.

Here are our pictures with the extremely awesome people of the Peculiar Family! (Photos from Eriele and Charm <3)

Prepping up Eriele before showtime!

Eriele aka Lola Nolan and Apolo aka Cricket Bell! <3 Cuties the two of them!

To say that the crowd went crazy is an understatement. I'll let the photos do the talking. It was just crazy.

She talked about how she started as a full time librarian and now she's a full time writer. She shared that librarians are really great researchers. Her first novel, Anna and The French Kiss, is based on her research on Paris. She's just so full of energy! And even her husband, Jarrod was game with everyone. He was seated at the front row too! She also shared that the boys, Etienne, Cricket and Josh were based on her husband. It's the sweetest thing ever! Here's some of my sneaky photos of Jarrod and his back. Yes, that's how near I am to him at the time.

The crowd was gushing everytime Stephanie mentioned her husband and to add to our feels, Jarrod went up the stage and gave Stephanie a kiss on the lips. I mean, *sighs dreamily* such a perfect couple. He reminds you of a young Mr. Fredrickson from UP right? The eight lucky early birds got themselves a copy of Isla and the Happily Ever After, which will be out on August! So watch out for it!

The first book signing in Cebu last July 5, Jarrod got mobbed by fans who wanted his autograph. Being a crazy fan myself, I walked up to him and asked for his autograph immediately after the interview on stage. They set up a table for him too but I didn't line up because the line was just too long. I didn't get a picture with him. *cries* It was longer than the actual line for Stephanie's signature.

When it was my turn for Stephanie's signature, one of my friends, Alia, asked me to ask her what's Etienne's height. All of the fans know that Etienne is two inches shorter than Anna. I think that's been a question on everyone's minds for a while.

Shakily, I went up to her and asked the question. She laughed and said, "Well, you've been wondering that too, huh. You'd have to read Isla to know his height. It's the big reveal." To us the unfortunate who didn't have an advance reading copy of Isla, we'd have to wait for August!

Huge thanks to Eriele and Charm for the photos and of course to the Peculiar Family for spending time with me. Also to National Bookstore for making this happen!

Till the next book signing!

Wicked Journey: Reunited at the #ChalkCampusTour2014

Last July 10, Chalk magazine, in partnership with the Far Eastern University Mass Communication Society, dropped by my school for the Chalk Campus Tour 2014. It was an eventful day filled with so many laughter, beautiful people, ice cream and amazing insights from featured speakers, Camille Co, The Morning Rush's DJ Gino and Chico and Gretchen Ho.

This is also the first time my group of friends were complete. It was sad because we didn't have classes together due to scheduling constraints.

The event was hosted by the university's very own Christian and Andrea. It was followed by a performance of the Institute of Arts and Science's Dance Company and a few words from Chalk Magazine's Managing Editor, Elaine Carag.

The first speaker was Gretchen Ho. Gretchen Ho is a former player of the Ateneo Lady Eagles and now she's a sports commentator and host at ABS-CBN Sports and Action and at Balls TV. She's still playing volleyball, as she's also playing for Petron. She shared how to #LiveGood and to always be passionate in everything that we do. We should take the leap. I agree with everything that she shared last Thursday. She was so full of wisdom and she's just so beautiful in person!

Before the second speaker came on, there was a dating game, featuring one of SM Youth's Fashion model, LA. Man, how I wish I was picked from the crowd, but alas, my friends and I stared at him from afar while three lucky girls got to be with him on stage.

The second batch of speakers were from The Morning Rush, DJ Gino and Chico. The Morning Rush is a morning show on radio on RX 93.1, Mondays-Fridays from 6AM-10AM and hosted by Chico, Delamar and Gino. I listen to them every morning on my way to school ever since I was in high school. They are simply the best radio show for me. They shared the Top 10 Payo sa Sawi (Top 10 Advises for the Heartbroken). Every day, they have a Top Ten list with topics given by their die hard listeners. Their topic last Thursday was perfect for the #LoveHard segment. It was a very loud segment, with others just sharing their love problems and experiences and even sharing the entries from their show that morning.

Another dating game happened, this time with Tommy, another SM Youth Fashion Model. Now, I got a chance to take a picture with him before he went on stage. He's so dreamy! *sighs*

The final speaker was Camille Co. She's a fashion designer, owner of Coexist and a fashion blogger. She's one of my favorites and she's always on the Top 10 of Lookbook. Her fashion sense is just something to be admired of. She shared practical fashion tips, even if our school requires us to wear our uniform (booo! Just kidding!)

To say that the event is a blast is an understatement. I'm still reeling from the experience and the selfies I took with one of the Bright Young Manila Campus Hotties. Visit my Instagram account (@anettethewicked) to see the selfies from Thursday. Many thanks to my friend Nicole for these pictures and the Mass Communication Society for making this happen!

Till the next post! Bye!