Day two of judging is done. We listened to more than 600 commercials each. Many of them I listened to twice, especially the ones about cricket, a sport which I don’t expect to understand in my lifetime. Every hour or so I took a break. I would take the headphones off and stare into the distance, or get out of the room and walk to the terrace and do more staring.
We scored the commercials on iPaqs. Later today we hear what the other team’s chosen, and they’ll hear ours.
Everyone seemed to be out to catch the sun yesterday afternoon. A tanned lady crowned with a bleached ponytail, sporting a baby pink velour jumpsuit and thick aquamarine eyeliner; a chubby granny and her equally chubby poodle; a couple with matching sleeveless black tops and bike helmets; dads pushing prams while their wives peer into windows displaying silver Roman sandals and all manner of filmy sequined scarves. I was in a loose shirt, ink-stained denim shorts and a jury ID on a Microsoft Advertising “Pioneering Creativology” lanyard.
For now, I am enjoying being by myself and having the occasional short conversation with shop attendants. Giving my ears a rest is a necessity.