Baywatch.

I'm maintaining a haywire schedule with all the meetings and phone calls and projects and it's slowly burning me out.

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I'm still not done with my bat-piece (although a vector version is currently being printed on mugs). I hope it looks decent on ceramic.

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My really old, needs-retiremet Palm V hard-reset itself this morning. (Well, I only noticed this morning. I haven't been using it for a while, except for Text Twist and backing up addresses and phone numbers.) I was planning to leave early for our exhibit at the book fair, but I had to HotSync everything all over again so I didn't arrive at the World Trade Center until after lunch.

(Boohoo. I lost my ongoing Text Twist game which boasts of a 47++ million score.)

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The trade hall was bustling with people-- visitors, exhibitors, publishers. I didn't get the chance to check out the stuff for fear of the contents of my wallet, and some I.n.K.-related inquiries that we've been getting at the booth.

Come 3 p.m. and some of the other InKies show up, almost ready for the portfolio show at 5. Kuya Robert shows up with a trolley full of purchases (said trolley originally carried his huge portfolio bag). That gave me more than enough reason to stay at the I.n.K.-Haribon booth.

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We started the portfolio show set-up at 4. There was this guy at the activity area popping the balloons on the floor-- he was clearing up the previous set-up, which, I assume was a balloon twisting workshop of some sort. We found-- to use Kiwi's term-- a balloon house, and a crazy photo opportunity. Jill, Guia, Bernie and I went balloon-crazy. I caught the balloon-popping guy taking a photo of me jumping around in the contraption. Embarassing. But he let me take the thing home. :-) Jill begged for me to give the balloons to her and tried to convince me that it wouldn't fit in a car (she drove a pick-up). I teasingly said no. Heh heh... I will post pics when I get them from Guia.

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Portfolio show went well. I talked to two potential clients. There were bottomless Oishi potato chips and endless bickering with table-mate Jomike. Nico messaged to tell me he's on his way. Jomike wanted to kick me for being shiny-happy. Heh heh...

Nico picked me up at the tail end of the portfolio show. I didn't stay to talk to this Japanese publisher (but I left my card with Liza) because we had to leave for Nico's gig at the Baywalk area.

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At the parking lot, there was a slight struggle with trying to fit the balloon thing at the back seat of the car. Nico put on his annoyed face. I can almost hear Jill and her sinister laugh.

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We were lucky to get a good parking slot right in front of the Indo Strip entrance, but unfortunate enough to have parked beside an evil-smelling kanal. Nakakasuka. :-P

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The place turns out to be showband country. There was this vox and guitar duo performing a cover of a cover ('Tell me where it hurts, now, baby.' Ugh.) Wassup with that, huh?!?

Then there was this other house band. And there were covers. The vox even jumped off stage, stood up on top of one of the empty tables in the middle and did his pre-evolution impression of Gary V. The bassist told us afterwards that they'll be playing three sets. Errr...

Soapdish was the main act of the event, but the resto management kept pushing Forgetting Luna at the end of the gig-- after Soapdish, after Gish, after all the showbands. And he asked for an 8:30 p.m call time. What. The. Fuck.

(Jon, FL bassist and Chillitees guitarist, jokingly said they shoud start calling themselves Soapgish.)

After forty-eight years of waiting and several jokes about jumping into the Manila Bay, Forgetting Luna takes the stage some time after 12 midnight. I didn't mind the wait. What was more unbearable for me was that beer was f'in expensive (PhP60!!! Tas amoy kanal pa 'yung sidewalk!). Buti na lang they got to play before that annoying house band. Magaling sila, in fairness, but I didn't think I could stand one more song from them.

(I know being in a showband is a perfectly decent way to earn a living, but somehow my creative sensibilities don't agree with it, the same way I don't agree with marketing skin whitening products to a beautiful kayumanggi race such as ours.)

The set was ok. I enjoyed the previous gig more though. Some of the boys weren't as annoyed then. But still, it was all good. :-)