Today is a special day, as my everyday has always been. I got out of office at around 4pm to deliver more books for National Bookstore in SM Cebu, NBS Ayala-Cebu and Mango Plaza and SM Mall of Asia. With me was Byron, as usual.
We almost got lost. All the while I was thinking that the forwarder of the delivery was “Front Cargo.” So when we asked the people in Edison St. in Makati, they barely couldn’t answer. Front Cargo, we found out, is the NBS forwarder for Mindanao deliveries and it is located in Welcome Rotonda in Quezon City! Nice try!
Joweldon was the one we were looking for. God-willing, we found it! And the show went on. We took the bus to the Mall of Asia, and personally handed the books to the NBS staff. We took a dinner and got back to the bookstore to raincheck if they are already displayed. It’s not yet on display. And so we had to do it ourselves.
We approached the one in-charge on books. She is Jerica. Jerica is very accommodating. She was tranferred from NBS Novaliches. We asked if we can display it in a premium space and we were glad she said ok.
While Byron was displaying the book at the window side, I asked Jerica what the next NBS campaign after Txtciting Matuto, Txtciting Manalo Promo. She said it’s the 5% off thing, a discount on books I think. From there, we thought of our own campaign that will compliment theirs.
I discussed the book and gave some friendly advice to her. And I think she started to rethink and reasses her career life. She’s in NBS for sometime and I said there’s nothing wrong with staying as long as “it has something to do with your ultimate dream, goal and mission.” She cannot agree less.
And then Byron saw Hans Sy, the son of the legendary SM founder Henry Sy. I told him to approach him on my behalf.
Byron reminded him that we were the ones who gave the book to the older Sy the night of IMAX’s launching and it was amazing that he identified us clearly. Byron talked to him for some minutes and then the Hans allowed him to get his business card first before they part ways. That time, Hans ran out of his. His secretary tried to just get Byron’s number but Hans insisted that Byron gets his card. That’s one diffrence between a businessman and a politician. They have a different face of humility.
Getting in a mall as big as three times the Megamall suggests that you wishing to see someone like its owner next to impossible. And there are so many circumstances that could happen for you not to see that person. You can only wish that person were there. That’s it. But our experience was something different.
Last time, when Byron told me about “created destiny,” I could only agree that much. From then, we believed that created destiny has always a divine intervention–an unseen but felt powerful force that helps in getting something. It’s a mystery yet to unveil itself.
Hans told Byron that we can set an appointment sometime next week. And while walking along the boulevard, I got something in mind–the SM Story.
