First 250

[Author's note: First <250 words of a work-in-progress. A novel, maybe? We'll see.]

Biyernes. Alas dos y medya nang madaling-araw.

Ibig sabihin, Sabado na pala.

Ang dapat na ginagawa ko ngayon: natutulog.

Ang dapat na hindi ko ginagawa: binabalikan ang daan-daang palitan ng mga text messages namin ni Jaya.

Pero ganun yata talaga. Gagawin ng katawan ang luyag ng puso, lalo pa’t wala sa wisyo ang katawan at nagpupuyos ang damdamin. At mga alaala ni Jaya ang hinahanap ng aking kasingkasing. Mahirap bigyan ng paliwanag ang katawang hindi makaintindi kung bakit ngayon pa nito napiling magpuyat. Kung kailan ilang oras na lamang ay kukuha na ako ng UPCAT.

Huling paalala ng teacher namin sa huling session ng review ang sinasabi ng lahat ng “exam tips” na nabasa ko: siguraduhing makatutulog nang maigi bago kumuha ng UPCAT kinabukasan.

Sabado, 2:47 nang madaling araw.

Shit.

Kung bakit naman kasi pinili pang makipagbreak sa akin ni Jaya the day before the most important exam of our lives.

Shit shit shit.

Bakit nga ba, Jaya?

Shit.

Sabado, 5:45 ng umaga.

ANO BA THERESE? HINDI KA PA BA GIGISING? TANGHALI NA!

Sanay na ako sa pabulyaw na panggising ng Nanay ko. Pero naramdaman ko pa ring umikot ang mundo ko nang bigla akong bumangon.

Shit shit shit.

Ala sais y medya ang schedule ko sa exam.

Relaks ka lang, Therese. Sabado ngayon. Walang traffic. Kayang-kaya mong makarating sa school in 20 minutes. May time ka pang maligo. Maligo ka. Kunin mo yung saging sa ibabaw ng mesa para may laman ang tiyan mo.

#BoughtBooks2017

I have been on a book-buying spree this year, spending much of my hard-earned money on glorious, glorious books, and not regretting it at all (although I think I really should set a budget for 2018. Haha!).

Here are the books so far.

1. All that Darkness Allows (Multiple Authors)
2. Drift (Written by Nald Tabuzo, Illustrated by Godley Malabanan)
3. Nuno sa Puso 1 & 2 (Bebang Siy)
4. My True Love Gave To Me (Edited by Stephanie Perkins)
5. Tall Story (Candy Gourlay)
6. Every Day (David Levithan)
7. Queens of Geek (Jen Wilde)
8. Tipping the Velvet (Sarah Waters)
9. A Treat of 100 Short Stories (Edited by Gerardo Torres)
10. Laglag-Panty, Laglag-Brief (Edited by Rolando Tolentino, Romulo Baquiran Jr., Joi Barrios, Mykel Andrada)
11. Contemporary Fiction by Filipinos in America (Edited by Cecilia Brainard)
12. The Best of A. Lipin (Jess Abrera)
13. Nimona (Noelle Stevenson)
14. Pinocchio (Story by Carlo Collodi, Illustrated by Francesca Rossi)
15. The Land of Forgotten Girls (Erin Entrada Kelly)
16. Miss Lina's Ballerina (Story by Grace Maccarone, Illustrated by Christine Davenier)
17. Without Annette (Jane B. Mason)
18. It's Not Like It's a Secret (Misa Sugiura)
19. Eleanor & Park (Rainbow Rowell)
20. The Communist Manifesto (Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels)
21. Why We Broke Up (Written by Daniel Handler, Art by Maira Kalman)
22. Looking for Alaska (Story by John Green, Translated by Julz Riddle)
23. By the Light of My Father's Smile (Alice Walker)
24. We Were Liars (E. Lockhart)
25. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (Benjamin Alire Saenz)
26. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (Becky Albertalli)

Audio Recordings of Excerpts from Kasingkasing Press Titles (Part 2)

In 2015, Kasingkasing Press launched 15 books of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry by Western Visayan writers. Below are voice recordings of excerpts from these titles.

Audio Recordings of Excerpts from Kasingkasing Press Titles (Part 1)

In 2015, Kasingkasing Press launched 15 books of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry by Western Visayan writers. Below are voice recordings of excerpts from these titles.

Of Discipline and Inspiration

Many writers I know, especially the prolific ones, will tell you that inspiration is overrated in the writing process. Discipline is what counts, as I often hear in the writing workshops that I've attended, and I am inclined to agree with this.

This is something that I've also heard from one of my math professors. She said that when in the process of proving, say, a theorem, you'd really have to strap yourself to a chair until your proof gets somewhere meaningful. See just how related writing and mathematics are? 😊
***
Aside from my observation that discipline is a requirement in both writing literature and doing mathematical activities, I've found that I am inspired to do one after being significantly immersed in the other.

For example, I've written a lot of poems and stories while being stuck in my linear algebra, operations research, and probability theory classes.

On the other hand, I used to ace exams that I took immediately after practicing the guitar for a significantly long period of time.

Later on, many of the pieces I wrote that got published eventually were those that I wrote while neck-deep in my Master's thesis writing. And words just seem to flow when I decide to write a research article while being stuck in the middle of writing a poem or short story.

Just last night, after having my brain fried for constructing two 40-item multiple choice exams in algebra and precalculus, I was able to write a decent children's story.

So I guess, at least in my case, when one side of our brain gets tired, the other one is in overdrive. We just need the discipline to make sure our motor systems act on these inspired moments.

(Meaning, go get your pen & paper / laptop and just write!)

Bangbangboy

Performed by U. P. High School in Iloilo students Kaye Pauline Larroder and Neil Francis Vicentino during the "Commemorating Miriam Defensor-Santiago's 1st Death Anniversary: A Continuous Advocacy for Women's and Gender Rights as Human Rights" at the U. P. Visayas GCEB Training Rooms.

Bangbangboy
ni Early Sol A. Gadong

Nanay ko, bayaan ta ikaw
Presohon ako karon nga adlaw
Ugaling kon ikaw hidlawon
Laragway ko imo lang lantawon

Nanay ko, kon imo bisitahon
Tani ako imo na patawaron
Ugaling kon ako imo akigan
Akon gid ikaw maintindihan

(Tsip, diin niyo ako pagadal-on?
Dali lang gid, luyag ko hambalon
Pagdroga, indi ko na pagliwaton
Kay nanay, lihog nga ipaalinton.)

Nanay ko, bayaan ta ikaw
Ang aspalto, tuman gid katugnaw
Nanay ko, kon ikaw hidlawon
Laragway ko imo lang lantawon.

(Tsip, anhon ko ang pusil nimo?
Indi ko kasarang magpalagyo
Tsip, diin ako makadto?
Maluoy ka, maluoy kamo.)

BANG!

Nanay ko, bayaan ta ikaw.

BANG! BANG!

4:00 P.M.
21 August 2017
UPHSI, Iloilo City