Adam J. Kurtz in Manila

On my fourth month with ARC Public Relations, Inc., my boss Jenny said this during a meeting with a potential client:

"We have to do things that move our hearts."

and it has stuck with me since then.

... So I took a day off from work yesterday so I could attend Adam J. Kurtz's book signing held at National Bookstore in Glorietta. 

1 Page at a Time, Pick Me Up, and Things Are What You Make of Them, all from Adam J. Kurtz

The event itself wasn't until 5 PM but I intended to come before the mall even opened to guarantee I get the first slot for the book signing, but the spirit is willing but the body is weak. I kept waking up in the middle of the night thinking I was already late, that I ended up waking up late! 

I got the 13th spot when I got to the mall a little after 11 AM. Not bad.

Passing away the time in the mall was risky because there's always the temptation to spend, and I have the willpower of a pillow. In addition to getting Adam J. Kurtz's Pick Me Up for signing I also got The Bust DIY Guide to Life: Making Your Way Through Every Day by Debbie Stoller and Laurie Henzel at National Bookstore (win because it's such a steal at just P399!), a Kuretake ZIG Cocoiro duck egg blue pen body, a Kuretake ZIG extra fine mint green refill, and a Tokyo Finds pink metallic marker from The Craft Central (loss because I already have way too many pens), and a dress from H&M (neutral because on one hand it's on sale for only P300 from the original price of P1,490 but on the other hand I can only wear it when I lose a little more weight). Still, me times like this are rare and far in between so I was also happy. I enjoyed a delicious lunch by my lonesome at Tokyo Tonteki and saw my officemates/ friends Hannah and Mich on my way to the Ayala Lounge in my attempt to steer myself away from temptation (but they were the ones who led me to H&M, heh).

And then finally, the time I was waiting for came!

Adam blessed us with his presence and he was every bit as funny, charming, witty, and adorable as his artworks, books, and Instagram account! He talked about his creative process, his books, and his love for Alanis Morissette, among others. I got to ask him what his favorite movie was and he was stumped, but said he loves movies where old people fall in love. Awww. ♡ My boyfriend took a video of Miss Pam's interview of him onstage as well as the question and answer portion, and you may watch the whole thing here.


I have attended quite a lot of book signing events in my lifetime and this is definitely one of my favorites!

I am so happy!

It was also nice to see one of the people I look up to, Miss Pam Pastor of Super! by Inquirer.

Giddily waiting for my turn for the book signing

Aaand finally it was my turn!

I decided to wear this dress the moment I learned he will be visiting the Philippines because I think it compliments his artworks, and I was so kilig when he complimented it!

My most important takeaway from this is when he said:

Never let not having things get in your way of trying your thing.

This was when he was asked if he has a specific pen or paper he uses to create. He said it's not about the things you use but what you make of them. It was important for me to hear this because when I am faced with the chance to create but fear takes over, I tend to reason that I need specific materials to be in the proper mindset to create that I end up not getting the work done. This also leads to spending too much on materials I think I need but just get bundled away with other things I have hoarded, unused, sad, and gathering dust. In Adam's words, "it's a scam." BUT I am working on using up all the stuff I have collected so far, and I am a work in progress.

This is the part where I give a shout out to my boyfriend for being so supportive. He went to the event with me after his work thing out of town even though he wasn't interested but ended up liking Adam as well. (I mean you can hear his laughter in the video of the entire program, heh.) Thanks, bb!

Special thanks to Graphika Manila for flying Adam J. Kurtz to the Philippines and to National Bookstore for hosting his book signing! My fan girl and aspiring artist's heart is happy and inspired and full. 'Til the next one! ♡