Showing posts with label story. Show all posts
Showing posts with label story. Show all posts
The seats of the persons who seek professional help gradually
went empty. They were coming in and going out of the door. I heard a loud cry from
inside the room during those waiting moments. It was a constraint and painful
cry. I felt his pain. He was the guy who was in cue with his grandmother. I
even met a teacher while waiting for my turn. She was a teacher at the elementary
level. She was there with her son. It was game addiction that led them to
seek professional help. I was hesitant to engage in any conversation with
her because she might know someone in the high school where I was teaching. But
seemed to be unaffected by the danger it may cause to my situation. I had
thoughts that she might gossip about me with her co-teachers and I feared for
my reputation as a teacher even though I badly wanted to resign. My mother
freely continued her conversation with the teacher I had no intention of joining
them, yet my mother kept on talking with her until she asked whether I was
still a student or working. I didn't how I would respond, and I didn't want to
lie. My mother didn't answer for me, and the woman seemed to be anticipating an answer from me, so I gave in and told her the truth. I worked at school
and as a teacher. She was surprised and asked how I coped up with my
situation. I explained to her that I had an ST or student-teacher. I was very
thankful that I had an ST during those times. He saved me a lot.
My turn to see the doctor came up and I was feeling cold. I was
not sure if it was because I was nervous or it was the just air conditioner of
the hospital working on my body temperature. I was the last person in the line.
It was just I and my mother. I entered the room alone. I didn't ask my mother
to come with me since she didn't also volunteer. I thought entering the room
alone was a better option. The doctor sat on a chair behind her table. The
room's motif was all white. I sat on a chair in front of her table. There was a
little distance between us.
The doctor asked me how I felt. I couldn't talk properly, I kept
on stuttering due to the cold I felt from the air conditioner. I told her how I
felt sad, I didn't want my job, I always cried, I was very sensitive, that
there was a student who committed suicide at school and people kept on dying
around our area of residence, and I also told her about my father, how he used
to get drunk and hurt my mom, turn our house into chaos, then after doing that
he would just leave us at home. The doctor told me she understood me. She knew
that what I was going through was tough. She also asked me I was into drugs or
alcohol, I answered no right away. She prescribed a medicine for me, an
anti-depressant, and reminded me that I should eat or drink chocolate, coffee,
soda, or anything similar to these foods. But there was one thing that I didn't
tell the doctor. I wonder if I had told her about it, would I return for the
next appointment?
I took the prescribed medicine every day in the morning for two
weeks. It was making me feel better. My emotions were not overflowing whenever
I had taken the medicine. I was getting numb. I lost the desire to talk or
engage in any conversation.
Two weeks had passed since I started taking the anti-depressant, and I went back to school after my 10-day leave. I was calm and collected at home since my encounters were only with my family. Since I returned to school, I cooped up in the school's library as I try to refrain from any human interaction. I had a feeling that the medicine
would work best if I avoid any potential encounter with anyone.
I continued to take the anti-depressant. It was working perfectly fine. It was doing its job precisely. But I felt something unnatural about the effect of the medicine on my emotions. It felt like every stimulus that is responsible for my emotions was losing its function. I thought maybe it was enough. The medicine had helped me already, thoughts that I must take hold of my emotions with my own will and take captive of my every thought possessed me. But how? How would I do that? I couldn't even do it before the suicidal incident of the student what made me think I could.
I stopped taking the medicine regularly after that two weeks. I only took it when I felt uncollected and disconnected. I only took it when I was already crying and I couldn't control my emotions and tears just kept rushing on which was not even prescribed by the doctor. I took the risk of irregularly taking the medicine with consulting the professional, which I do not also advisable for anyone of you to do so.
~end of part 3~
I stayed at home for a week and didn't come to school. I didn't care if there would be nothing left in my salary. I just didn't want to go to school. I didn't want to teach. My thought was what's the point of doing all these when I would just die. Everyone would just die. Why even try to live in the pain was the only thing you can get out of living a temporal life on earth... might as well die. Physical death is gaining freedom. I was also ready to cut ties from my work. I prepared my resignation letter. I only needed to submit it. My mother allowed me to resign in one condition, and that was I can apply for other jobs except for teaching because I really, really didn't want to teach anymore. I might as well be a domestic helper abroad somewhere in the middle east instead of teaching.
That's why I applied online to be a DH. I went to a recruiting agency somewhere in Quezon City. I had my agent, she was excited to send me abroad. She even held my passport just to be sure. But as always, it didn't go the way I planned it. My recruiter told me that I needed to renew my passport even though it was still six months before its expiration. She even asked me to entrust her with the passport, and that she would be the one to renew the passport. I didn't like the idea. I was suspicious that she might do something illegal with my passport. I retrieved my passport from her and decided to go home. So I went home defeated, and again, failed with my plans. I guess I really don't have the guts to be a domestic helper. I was a coward, again, more so indecisive, confused in this world I badly wanted to get rid of.
I was absent for a week and thought that I would be dismissed from my job because of my AWOL (Absence Without Leave). Some of my co-workers were asking me if I was alright or what happened to me, but I didn't have the courage to tell them what I was going through. They never got a decent answer from me and I never wanted to talk to anybody during those times. Everyone was a toxic person for me, except for a few sincere persons who had been patient with me. I was grateful to them.
I tried to return to school after a week since I failed in getting a job abroad. But returning to school didn't go well, it was a disaster. I was a subject coordinator and had to attend meetings with my superiors. Some of them had sharp tongues. Reckless and tactless. I was super sensitive during those times. There was a time when I burst out crying during one of the meetings, in front of my co-teachers in the principal's office. My tears wouldn't stop. They kept on falling from my eyes, flowing on my cheeks, I lost control. My emotions were unstable. I got hurt easily. I didn't want to bother others that's why I distanced myself from my workmates. I didn't want to be a burden to them, but I was aware that I was already a burden by the way I was behaving. I couldn't laugh, or even smile. I was always sad, tears in my eyes never ran dry.
I knew it wasn't normal. I was depressed and I needed to seek help. My mother was the same. She knew I needed help. She was supportive as well as my father. I had a friend who had a relative who experienced a similar condition as mine on some occasions. I asked her for help. She was very accommodating and welcoming. She never made me feel like I was going through was a bad case. She understood my situation and didn't treat me like a hopeless case.
I got in touch with the secretary of the doctor through the contact number that was given to me by my friend. I was given an appointment with the doctor. I didn't have any idea of what's going to happen when I face the doctor. I didn't know what I was going to tell, where in fact in the first place I couldn't even put into words what I was going through. It was chaos inside my mind.
The night arrived at the appointment with the doctor and I didn't go. I let another week passed by, I was indecisive. I was in denial of getting professional help. I thought I got this. I could overcome this without any professional help. Then my condition got worse. I filed for a sick leave instead of resigning since it's best to do that due to my loans.
The day I decided to meet the doctor I wasn't included in the list of persons who made an appointment. I was a gate-crasher. The secretary was a bit disappointed. She told us that there was no guarantee that the doctor would see me because I was not included in the list. I told her it was okay and we were willing to wait. I was with my mother and father. It was already dark and there was a cue of persons seeking professional help. My father waited at the parking lot while my mother was with me waiting in the line.
~end of part 2~
When I was just a kid, I thought life would be easy once I become an adult. I guess I was wrong like all the other kids who had the same false idea. Life became hard as I journey to adulthood, being grown-up sucks. And I try my best to fit into the world of the grown-ups, it was never easy. I knew I was different from the other kids ever since I discovered that it was hard for me to acquaint myself with other people or engage in any social gatherings. So, now I wonder how I was able to survive my social life in school. I think my survival from school's social aspect is all thanks to my friends, those who are remembered and some are forgotten. The credit belongs to them, most part the 50% survival rate, 30% from my parents, and 20% from my own effort.
I was perfectly adjusting to adulthood in my 20's. I had a career, stable with good pay, and a promising promotion scheme with my academic credentials. I was never enrolled in a grand and prestigious school. I am a full-blooded public student, thanks to the government. But I was pursuing post-graduate studies and that made me feel somewhat ahead of my co-workers. I was aware that I am full of myself sometimes, but I always chose to humble myself to the point of unconsciously practicing false humility whenever people try to praise me.
I was happy. So, I thought so. I am a teacher and I didn't like it before. I didn't want other people to know that I am a teacher, I was afraid that they may expect a perfect human being, and I was far from being perfect even as a teacher. I struggled with how I deal with the students, how to impose discipline without violating CPP (Child Protection Policy). Teaching different subjects and different grade level every school year give an additional challenge in my already challenging life as a human being more so as being a teacher. It was hard, but it was a stable job with good pay. So, I decided to stay and sucked up the system. I was guilty of prioritizing money instead of getting motivated because of my students' bright future.
I started to hate myself. It wasn't fun anymore. The money that I got from my job didn't make me happy anymore. Everything wasn't enough. There was always lacking. I was never satisfied. The happiness I got to feel from time to time was just spurs of the moment and it disappeared like vapor. No mark, no trace left behind. It was an empty form of happiness. Something that is temporal.
As I hated myself, I began to project the feelings I had inside as I hated others. People who are bad enough to be called evil, I hated them, I despised them. People who treat others unjustly. People who lie to make themselves look good. People who say bad things to others. I was angry at them even though most of the time I was not the victim of their doings, I was just a mere witness. As a witness, I didn't do anything to prevent what was happening. I was a coward. The hate that I felt didn't do me any good. It just turned into a hideous form of depression.
In 2019, my breaking point was when a student committed suicide. She was never under my class. I just happened to buy a chocolate milk drink from her parents' sari-sari store whenever I'd like to get a decent cold drink. I had never seen a hint of her being abused. She was beautiful and a bright girl. She was always polite and welcoming whenever I buy from her even though I was never her teacher in any subject. I thought she was just doing fine.
I thought to myself, I could end what I have been struggling with just like what she did. It was easy. I just have to end my life and that's it I can forget everything, every single hint of pain that I have been keeping to myself. All the hurt and bitterness will be gone just like that. I will be free, at last.
I stopped going to school. Confused and overwhelmed by the news about the student who committed suicide, I succumbed to the desire of freeing myself from all of the things that had been holding me back: family, work, pride, what others will think about me, money, my dreams. I must let go of all of these to be freed from the chains that had been dragging me down. Nothing else matters, only my selfish desire to be free from the pain.
My mother consented to my resignation from my work when she realized how miserable I was since I stopped coming to school. There were a lot of times where I tried to convince myself and my parents to allow me to resign and find another job, but we were so against the idea, we thought we're losing a very good opportunity to make our lives a little better out of our poor situation.
~end of part 1~
The Philippines is a tropical country, and the summer season is now hitting the country. So, prep your summer outfit and sunnies and gear up to hit the beach.
Wait, forget what I said.
We're not hitting the beach.
Instead, let's talk about our very own sanctuary of the creatures under the sea, the Laguna de Bay.
Laguna Lake was once a source of clean water for the people from the three barangays in the first district. Caingin, Aplaya, and Sinalhan were located beside the lake and the settlers of the said barangays mostly relied on the lake as its source of food and incoming. They used it for their living, but sadly they never returned the favor.
When I was just a kid, my mom used to tell me how clear the water in Laguna lake, they often used it to wash their clothes and took a bath during the summer season.
Sabado de Gloria was a holiday I always looked forward to along with my cousins all for the reason that it was also our chance to go swimming and enjoy the water without paying any fees. The water in the lake was already polluted during those days, but Sabado de Gloria was a day of a miracle for us. The muddy water became lighter and we could see the stones and dead shells. It was a simple delight we always indulge ourselves in.
Then, something happened.
I saw a yellow submarine.
That day, I stepped out of the water and I stopped going to the lake for a swim since then.
It was poop. For the lake's sake! It was a fresh yellow poop, about three inches long probably.
And as I grew older, the water condition got worse. I had hopes that may be, just maybe the water would turn clear during Holy Week, but it didn't.
I never got a chance to dip my foot in the lake since my encounter with Mr. Yellow Submarine, and I just had this thought that I might visit the lake one of these days. You might want to check out Laguna lake too, and an idea might pop out to save or at least minimize the destruction of Laguna de Bay. Wasn't that a bit hopeful for such a hopeless bay? I think not.
A lot happened this 2016, it was a year of first times. First April Feels Day, first Heist Club Launch, my first Manila International Book Fair, and first October Feels Day were the highlights in my writing endeavor.
...and I still have a long way to go. Aja!
April
The April Feels Day was the first #romaceclass event I attended and also where I met Elizabeth and Kim. Yay!
June
The Heist Club Launch was the first book launch I was able to attend to. It felt surreal. There were question and answer portion about our books. I was so thankful that I delivered answers during my turn. Heist Club people were amazing, hand-in-hand we could achieve goals set by the group. We also started writing Book 2 of our Heist Club Series and it was set to be launch on the first or second quarter of 2017.
September
MIBF! Finally, I was present during the 37th MIBF. It was a dream come true. Being surrounded by lots of books was like a taste of my addiction to paperback copies.
October
Feels Fest of #romanceclass was a day of kilig and book launch. Once Summer Days was blessed to be one of the books and the 5 minutes given to me at the event to speak about my book in front of readers and writers was nerve-wracking and blissful experience.
I met lots of awesome people because of #romanceclass. Yey! 💕😊
I have 3 self-published books in 2016. Yay! 💕
Chasing an Elusive Dream - August
Once Summer Days - October
None of these would happen if it wasn't for God's provision. More friends to meet! More stories to write and books to publish!
Fighting!
Arlene
Lots of things happened during the recent #romanceclass event #FeelsFest last October 22, at Glorietta 5 Atrium in partnership with Ayala Malls.
Reunited with them... ❤️
#FeelsFest is my second Feels Day. Swooned again by the live readings, still in awe with the performances of Rachel Coates, Gab Pangilinan, Herv Alvarez and Gio Gahol.
Scenes read during live readings were from the following books:
The Hometown Hazard by Dawn Lanuza
Sweeter by the Second by C.P. Santi
Tempting Victoria by Mina V. Esguerra
What You Wanted by Mina V. Esguerra
Save the Cake by Stella Torres
Keep the Faith by Ana Tejano
When Sparks Fly by Ines Bautista-Yao
'Holy kamote! He has abs now.' is a personal fave read by Gab Pangilinan with Gio Gahol from the book, Sweeter by the second of Ms. C. P. Santi, one of the stories in Maybe This Time short story anthology. This part of the live readings was hilarious and kakilig.
New Releases!!!
Me, given a chance to say something my book, fighting!
(Photo taken by Kim Derla, thanks!)
20 books were released and launched during #FeelsFest. How about that! Haha. One of my books, Once Summer Days, was fortunate to be one of those new books. Yay! 💕
Meet and greet, yey! Signing books made me blushed.
(Photo taken by Kim Derla, thanks!)
20 books were released and launched during #FeelsFest. How about that! Haha. One of my books, Once Summer Days, was fortunate to be one of those new books. Yay! 💕
Meet and greet, yey! Signing books made me blushed.
A cup of coffee before the day ended. Cheers! ☕️ Hehe.
Vincent De Jesus’ Changing Partners:
A Lovechild of Heartbreak and Music
Quezon City – The PETA Theater Center houses Vincent De Jesus’ newest production, CHANGING PARTNERS, a torch musical that explores the alchemy of relationships and questions the nature of fidelity and the complex issues partners face regardless of gender.
Opening at the PETA Theater Center in October, CHANGING PARTNERS is an intimate peek inside Cris and Alex’s challenging May-December relationship. Though most people would glance skeptically at May-December romances, they also accept them, depending on the couple’s gender and who gets to be ‘December’ and who gets to be ‘May’.
THE WRITING PROCESS
CHANGING PARTNERS was a staged-reading entry for the 2016 Virgin Labfest last July. A multi-awarded composer and writer, De Jesus has lent his talent to many theater productions and movies in his 33 years in the arts, including the PETA’s hit musicals Skin Deep, Juan Tamad, Batang Rizal, and Care Divas. “Many of my works for theater are commissioned pieces. Producers give me a theme and I work around that theme. Zsazsa Zaturnnah was a musical theater adaptation of Carlo Vergara’s highly popular graphic novel. Himala The Musical was a musical theater adaptation of Ishmael Bernal’s highly-acclaimed movie. Most of my PETA productions required a lot of research because of the company’s many advocacies like Children’s Rights and Women’s Rights. You have to arm yourself with facts and information. You can’t just wing through topics like that.” But this piece is obviously a very personal project for him. Does that mean no research was required? “I’ve lived it. I know the topic very well,” he said, smiling.
It was his friend and mentor, the late Palanca Awards Hall of Famer and Writers Bloc moderator Rene Villanueva, who pushed him to write more. “I used to write only when I have the time or when I’m commissioned to write original material. Rene told me that I should just keep on writing because ‘a writer writes’. That’s what a writer does. He writes. So now, even when I’m not commissioned to write a play, I write. Poetry. Song lyrics. One-act plays. Full-length plays.”
His most personal works focused mostly on LGBT issues, from classic coming out stories of self-acceptance to gay bullying. CHANGING PARTNERS is his first piece that weaves heterosexual and LGBT relationships in the most unpredictable way possible.
His inspiration for the play’s form and content stems from watching a theater rehearsal. “There I was, watching a run-through. The male lead was absent. Naturally, the stage manager, who’s lesbian, read his part. It was a scene between a husband and his wife. The energy and dynamics of the scene felt completely different because of the fact that it was being read by two women. Very interesting, I thought. I could write a musical using this form --- one couple, played in different genders.”
Why call it a torch musical? “A torch song is a love song, a very sentimental love song. The singer usually tells a story about unrequited love or a dying love or a lost love. The term comes from the saying, ‘to carry a torch for someone’, or to keep aflame the light of unrequited love. Hashtag walang forever. Torch is not a music genre but more of a way of singing, a singing style that focuses more on the words and emotions rather than the melody of the song. That’s how I wrote the songs of the musical --- they are more ‘felt’ than ‘performed’.”
De Jesus did not only draw inspiration from his own experiences but also from people close to him as well. “I would go out with my dear friends and I would read them a few pages and get their opinion. I love it when they say, ‘That’s my story.’ They were very generous in discussing some issues and would share their own stories. They were very helpful. Through this musical, I hope to shed light on the fragile nuances of a relationship, the concept of fidelity and honesty, and the tension brought about by the age gap and sexual politics.”
A STELLAR TEAM
Truly a passion project, De Jesus personally called up talented theater friends to join him in staging this production. The musical is directed by Rem Zamora, recently cited for his outstanding direction for Red Turnip’s Constellations in the 2016 Midyear Philstage Gawad Buhay Awards. Lighting design is by Ian Torqueza, also cited for his outstanding lighting design for PETA’s 3 Stars and A Sun.
The musical features an ensemble of accomplished theater, film, and television actors composed of Agot Isidro, Jojit Lorenzo, Anna Luna, and Sandino Martin.
But the real man of the hour is De Jesus who wrote the book, libretto, and music for the play. He will also play his compositions live on the piano while the cast shed their emotional armor and sing their torch songs onstage.
CHANGING PARTNERS will have its limited run at the PETA Theater Center Studios on September 30, October 1 and 2 and on October 21, 22, and 23, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. Ticket prices are Php800 (Regular) and Php1000 (VIP). Book your tickets through Ticketworld or directly at the venue. You may also call (725) 6244 or (0927) 3917379 for inquiries and reservations.
Precious Pelikula
Project Brief
In April 2016, Precious Pages
Corp., the publisher of Precious Hearts Romances, called on amateur filmmakers
nationwide to participate in this momentous project. A total of 40 applicants,
from students to film enthusiasts sent in their portfolio in the hopes of being
able to enter the competition.
Ten applicants were shortlisted.
They chose from a selection of PHR titles on which they formulated a film
concept as out-of-the-box as they could while still maintaining the romantic
personality that Precious Hearts Romances has embodied. From their pitches,
five applicants and a “wild card” were granted a much-coveted spot. They each
were given P15,000 to produce their respective films by August 12, 2016.
·
Marco Mata of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila -
Fallin’ For You by Heide Colette
·
Ian Abaya
of Asian Pacific Film Institute - Her
Own Brand of Hero by Sofia
·
Paolo Pascual of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng
Maynila - Angel Bautista’s Dreams Café 4:
Dream Master
[Can't find it on Youtube, sorry...]
·
Miguel Potestades of Collosus Films - Mga Apo Ni Rustica: The Girl in His Arms
by Rose Tan
[Can't find it on Youtube, sorry...]
·
Richmond Cadsawan of Far Eastern University - Me, Myself and Peregrine by Jamie Black
·
Carl Ruiz of De La Salle College of St. Benilde
- Kensi’s Unconventional Love.
[Can't find it on Youtube, sorry...]
On September 3, 2016, 2pm, their
films will be screened and then uploaded online as the readers are called to
vote for their favorite.
The top three films will be awarded at the Manila International Book Fair on September 18, 2016.
Winners
will also receive the following cash prizes:
· 1st place - P100,000.00
· 2nd place - P50,000.00
· 3rd place - P25,000.00.
· 1st place - P100,000.00
· 2nd place - P50,000.00
· 3rd place - P25,000.00.
Loved the version on paper? Now it’s time to see it for reel. Watch it with us!
Mechanics for the Passes
Complimentary passes will be distributed in Precious Pages
outlets at SM Manila, SM North Edsa, and SM Mall of Asia. Readers only need to
buy any 3 of the 6 books included in the competition from August 19 to August
31, 2016, and they will automatically receive one (1) complimentary pass for
the screening.
Happy that finally, my path as an author has kicked off at the last quarter of this year--better late, than never. So, I'm wrapping up my 2015 with these titles:
•The Awakening (Vengeance Series, Book #1) - A fantasy story finished under #StrangeLit Class. It's part of the #KillerSeasons bundle, available at Buqo.ph.
Blurb:
Cleo Harwite, a simple college student, is aiming for a normal life. A life where she and her family can eat a complete set of meal three times a day. A life to live through simplicity.
Everything is going according to her plan. Graduating on the 4th year of her college is her main objective and finding a job will be her next, but not until Eve appears in her consciousness.
Eve, according to Cleo's judgment, is her conscience. An annoying conscience who is continually teasing and nagging her. Her disposition has lost its equilibrium ever since her existence. She has brought chaos in her life. And just when Cleo thought that there won't be anyone, "AS IN NO ONE", who's more annoying and disturbing than Eve, another one appears. Ikeda Takada.
Ikeda Takada, a Japanese exchange student for a week, has found a way to infiltrate the supposed to be Cleo's "NORMAL LIFE". Aside from being an exchange student, he is a model / actor who is just starting his career in Hollywood. Why would a Hollywood celebrity like him want in a public university? That is insanely ridiculous from her point of view.
With all these chaos and disturbance directed towards Cleo, would she be able to keep her NORMAL LIFE intact?
•The Gung Ho Lady - A crime fiction story under #HeistClub Class, target release date is on January 2016.
Blurb:
Darkness is buried within the deepest part of her soul. A blurry past unceasingly haunts her passive and calm universe and her distorted mind is a burden she can't get over with. Involved in a murder case, will she be able to prove her innocence?
Margaux Dela Cruz has always viewed the world as a place for repentance. A place to pay the debt of sins, a place where humans pay the price of being alive. The price that can never be sufficed by anyone in this world and while praying for the permanency of her everlasting solitude, a man, a creature from another herd, appears and bedlam begins to ensue in her once placid life.
A story of Sins. Repentance. And Love.
•My Hopeless Case (Fangirling Series, Book #1) - A seven-chapter, short story during the #WriteBreakupSongsAbout prompt. It's a RomFan (romance, fantasy), available on Kobo, Smashwords, Amazon, and soon at Buqo.ph.
Blurb:There you have it, I've got three stories to offer bookworms/readers/everyone. I pray that I'll be able to write more stories for the years to come and share them with all of you. Thankful for all the people who have been part of this journey. Grateful to God for making everything possible. That's it--a meaningful and productive 2016 ahead of us! TGBTG!
Seal it with a kiss.
One of the weird instructions from the manual that is engraved on a rusty and old dagger that suddenly turns novel on a drop of a red liquid entity. It is strange, and Arian has no escape from it. She has been bombarded with strange things from the moment she has decided to sleep. Sleep with a dream that may last forever...
A short story for #WriteBreakupSongsAbout.
P.S.
Seeing him...
It all started yesterday. I was all fun and excited because finally, finally, I can go to #MIBF2015. After long years of longing, I can meet my soulmates. Soulmates. Yep. Those books are. But there's one thing I must do along with my friends, we have to pay the fee for our Comprehensive Exams. BTW, I am currently taking up my master's degree, and passing a compre exam is a must to finish my degree with a defended thesis. Can't believe I am on my last semester and hoping to graduate this summer of 2016, in God's will.
It all started yesterday. I was all fun and excited because finally, finally, I can go to #MIBF2015. After long years of longing, I can meet my soulmates. Soulmates. Yep. Those books are. But there's one thing I must do along with my friends, we have to pay the fee for our Comprehensive Exams. BTW, I am currently taking up my master's degree, and passing a compre exam is a must to finish my degree with a defended thesis. Can't believe I am on my last semester and hoping to graduate this summer of 2016, in God's will.
As
I was saying I was all excited and fun, but as the saying goes expect the
unexpected or expects the 'UNKNOWN'. Aware that the lacking requirements in our
application had been processed and we assumed that we are 'Approved' as takers
of the exam, all things failed, and paying the fee wasn't easy as we expected
it. I could scream at the top lungs if only I could. A lacking requirement was
on the verge of preventing us from taking the compre this coming September
25, and it was a defeat, almost. But we won't give up, Arra, Grace, and Jabilah
weren't the type of friends who would let their pamasahe go to waste. Standing in front of the Registrar's Office on the 3rd floor of Ninoy
Aquino Building in PUP Santa Mesa was a struggle. Personnel at the Registrar's
The office was nice enough to deal with our concerns, but it seemed like they
wanted us to go back to Santa Rosa with a failed mission. And coming home
unaccomplished was not an option. It never was. Persistent, we asked if we
could talk to the OU's Director and that was Dr. Castolo. We were positive that
she could help us. But sadly, the man (who was very nice, really) advised us
that it wasn't a good idea. With hopes thinning bit by bit, the Registrar
herself, appeared when we most needed her. Telling her our dilemma that we
won't be able to get a test permit was taken to another level, in a good way.
She allowed us to proceed to the Director's Office and ask for help. That
didn't fail us. Waiting for the Director worth it. She practically solved our
problem. Signing a waiver and exchanging it with the test permit was a long
journey, but at least we were able to accomplish our mission. As a celebration,
we toasted our victory with the taho we bought along with the PUP Campus. It
was almost 6 in the afternoon when we left the campus. And unfortunately,
I wasn’t able to meet my soulmates. The books at #MIBF2015, probably next year,
again.
It
was a long day. By train or bus were the options we have to travel back to
Santa Rosa. The train was cheaper, so in a unison, it won. As if there was anyone who would
argue on that topic, we were frugal. We have waited for 30 minutes for the
arrival of PNR. It was long, but our patience was more abundant than the money
we had. So waiting was by choice. As expected, it was a jam-packed train, but it
was beyond their imagination. Well in my case, I was able to experience a
loaded train car a few years ago. We were practically packed like sardines. Jolly
as they were, I was able to laugh it off, we all did.
It
was one station before Alabang and the train felt conducive and breathable.
What a ride! was written on their faces. Arra who was a bit sleepy, Grace who
kept on texting her boyfriend and Jabilah talked to a Muslim woman, as she always
did whenever she met one, and I who was left alone standing as their asses
enjoyed the seats. It was 8 pm when we reached Alabang station and it was a
chance to fill our grumbling stomach. Refreshing ourselves in the restroom was
part of every woman's routine. Sweaty and smelly, Arra and Grace wore the
t-shirt we just bought from PUP and printed with the pride of our Alma Mater.
Jabilah, who didn't buy one was okay with her blouse and in my case, I just
didn't want to change. We ate at Greenwich and ordered the same meal, A1. Though we
waited for almost 15 minutes, with rice, spaghetti, fried chicken, and pineapple
juice for only 111, it was a feast.
Exiting
Star Mall, we aimed to arrive at South Station for a jeepney ride to Santa
Rosa. We were dead tired and we craved a good night's sleep, but the
market in Muntinlupa City mesmerized us with its wide night market as we passed
by the lengthy overpass. Vegetables, fruits, phone accessories, and a lot more
were on the side streets. Gleefully, we bought some and amazed at the cheap
price. Continuing with our walk-a-thon, Arra and Grace, who loves to dress up,
stopped at an already closed dress shop, but luckily they had clothes displayed
outside the store, so we were able to scrutinize some of the designs. Grace and
I bought high waist pants in different colors, and I thought we were being
frugal.
And
at last, after all those stops we made it to the terminal. There were already
few people inside the jeepney and I couldn't care less what were the looks of
those people, but I usually did. As my friends entered the jeep before me, a
person was looking right straight at me my face as I bent over, our eyes
met. I held my gaze at him as he did with mine, my friends were all sitting on
the left side, and I, alone on the right side still engrossed with our own
secret moments. It took me seconds before I surrendered, I looked away. A smile
kept on sprouting from my lips as I discreetly took a peek at the guy who was
two persons away from me. With the stolen shots I developed from my peripheral side
view, I was able to get worthy details. His tied long hair was a teased to my
hand, I could free those strands and lavishly brush them with my fingers. His face
deadpan and his ears accessorized with those round black earrings. He had that bad
boy aura, but he looked fresh with that fair white complexion. Being
embraced with those strong arms and his legs with solid muscles, he was a
man. A man with a tattooed face of a woman on his leg, it made me wonder if it was
a girlfriend or a wife, but he looked young. He is a young man who had awaken
the woman inside me. Nagising niya ang katuwang lupa ko as what the saying
goes.
An opportunity knocked and
I grabbed it like a rock.
Signing up to #StrangeLit Online
The workshop is one of the few right things I did so far in my life.
That's the answer I had in mind
when the writing guru, Mina V. Esguerra, asked us, the #StrangeLit Writers, to
evaluate the whole experience we had from the workshop during the second
a face-to-face meeting last September 5, 2015, at Summit Media Office,
Robinsons Cybergate Tower 3, Pioneer St. Mandaluyong City.
#StrangeLit is an online writing
workshop that aims to produce stories in Paranormal X Urban Fantasy Genre. The
workshop ran from August 1 to September 5 with two optional face-to-face
meeting (August 2 and September 5). It was sponsored by Buqo. The sponsor,
Buqo is a digital bookstore that aims to promote the digital age in reading
books. It means stories and mags in ebook format. And it was organized by
Mina V. Esguerra along with other people from different fields of
expertise.
#StrangeLit provided activities
and lessons that really helped the estimated 90 writers to meet the deadline in
submitting a finished and edited Manuscript. At the end of the workshop, 41
Paranormal X Urban Fantasy Stories will soon be ready to be downloaded and read
on your smartphone or tablet (very soon... I'll blog it, once they are out on
Buqo store).
Here are the activities and
challenges conquered by #StrangeLit Writers (a Yay for all the finishers):
ü Activity 1 (Introduction and
Reflection on Story Goals)
ü The challenge is TRUTH
ü Activity 2 (Concept)
ü Activity 3 (First 3 pages)
ü
Activity 4 (Last 3 pages)
ü
Manuscript Submission
Resource persons shared them
expertise with the #StrangeLit Writers through the list of lessons below:
Lesson
#1: Characters
ü Creatures of Change and Coherence by Paolo Chikiamco
Lesson #2: Paranormal Romance Basics
ü Basics of Paranormal Romance by Marian Tee
Lesson #3: World Building
ü World Building by Kate
Evangelista
Lesson #4: Starting a series, and visual
storytelling
ü Writing Your First Story by Budjette Tan
ü Writing and Publishing for the International Market by Marian Tee
ü Publishing is Not... by Kate Evangelista
ü Manuscript Submission Guidelines by Ariel Lim
#StrangeLit Online Writing
Workshop with all the challenges, activities, and lessons won't be possible
without the names mentioned above. Kudos to all of us.
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