I saw Prime Minister Harper today. Twice, to be exact. In a pale yellow shirt and a dark jacket, he stopped to shake hands with a few citizens as he was escorted out of the hotel and again when he returned. There I watched from inside the store – the perks of working inside the Intercontinental :)
^ The Conservatives’ bus was parked outside the hotel when I finished work, so I decided to take a picture of it. I waited forever to get this clear shot without people in it.
After working here for almost two and a half years, my senses have learned to pick up on the diluted atmosphere as soon as I set foot into the hotel whenever there is a VIP checked-in. I call it a “diluted” atmosphere because it is neither intense nor is it completely calm. You usually see a full team of hotel security scattered throughout the lobby for at least half an hour before the VIP makes his/her entrance or exit. If a sports team is in the house, then the lobby is infested by reporters. Sometimes, these guests come into our store to shop (or browse) and if we catch them on a good day, we can usually have a good chat with them.
Speaking of sightings of “well-known” people, we had a special event at Chapters this past Monday evening. Christopher Paolini, popular author of a teen fiction series, was at our store for a book signing. I believe it was the only book signing event he would do in Canada for his new book, Brisingr, and that’s why it attracted a lot of people.
Apparently, we beat the New York event with over 800 attendees. People actually starting waiting in line outside the store at about 11am, even though the event didn’t start until 7pm. it was actually kinda cute how they brought their own fold-out chairs to sit on. I stayed after work that night just to see how everything rolled out for the event (and to skip class!). It was mostly out of curiosity because I’ve displayed so many copies of his books so many times over that I’ve always wondered WHY people were so crazy over his writing. By the time the event began, the line up for the book signing ran around the store and all the way downstairs. It was like another Harry Potter book launch all over again.
It turns out Paolini is just about a year older than myself and has already written three books. He also seems like a pretty nice guy (that’s judging by the fact that he promised to sign books for EVERYONE at the event, as well as an extra 100 copies for the store). I didn’t stay until the end, but I heard that he left just after 11pm without taking any breaks in between (and he’d been signing since 7:30pm). What a trooper!
The Moon festival just passed recently and I’ve been happily indulging myself in moon cakes over these past few weeks. I absolutely LOVE moon cakes. I like mine with lotus seed paste and double yoke. They’re so tasty. I wish they’d make them all year round, though I’m sure it wouldn’t be healthy nor would I enjoy them as much if they were plentiful. Cupcakes are my second love. I don’t get them often either, but once in a while I like to treat myself :)
