Life Update: The tail end of a thunderstorm

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The present

We moved houses a couple of weeks ago, from the old 1950s bungalow in the oldest subdivision in Quezon City that no one ever stopped living in (until now), to a small, fairly secluded village twenty minutes north. My room is smaller, neater, and less prone to being converted into a laundry room. In the morning, you can hear geese honking/squawking from afar. There are still fan-tailed birds who like slamming into glass window panes.


It's a little hard to commute out of, but exploring new routes and taking jeepneys, trikes and FXes is something I've found a little fulfilling. The only thing bad about it is the smell of smoke that sticks to your newly-washed hair. Also, special trike rides are ridiculously expensive.


Today is, hopefully, the last day of strong rain. I've been passing the time watching a few Big Bang Theory episodes, acquired from the ever-generous Whitewall people. Comments: I've grown to like Amy/Sheldon (I was slightly opposed to it, before), and Raj x Siri = I ship it. I still need to catch up on Shingeki no Kyojin, but there's no rush. 


There have been an abundance of class suspensions, which means my entire family has been home since Monday. To quote a friend, "Sino ka at anong ginawa mo kay Chancellor Saloma?" More than the extended downtime, I'm glad they're considering those who live in the flooded areas. It's disturbing to wake up to the rain beating down on the roof and the storm drain water level rising behind your house. And then you turn on the TV and see footage of a flooded metro and people wading through the flood, trying to make their way to work. 


Dad dropped me off at my internship-place Monday morning, armed with an umbrella, jacket and some pasta I cooked for our weekly potluck. Work was cancelled that day due to the other four people in the office not being able to make it, so I took the train to Dad's office and hung out there for half an hour (revelling in the feeling of being in an office office and being completely comfortable because 1) your dad's ze boss 2) they don't want anything from you: no interview, no cv, no work and you can lounge in the swivelly chair in an empty conference room sipping a cup of hot milo from the pantry). The streets of Makati are still confusing to me; I'm glad I don't work there.


The siblings and I have been making several things in the kitchen because of the suspensions: squash soup, herb/garlic chicken, and pretzels. It should be noted that all three were Abigail's initiatives. I asked Pat what she'd like to eat, and she said chocolate ravioli and pretzels made of ground beef. No.


How to write shorter


During my thesis-writing last year, I discovered my inability to write short, complete things. Short stories bloated into thirty-page semi-novellas, ok as a collection on their own but unpublishable when submitted to anthologies or fiction websites.

So? Tis my "style" isn't it? But I do need to learn to clip my rambling, make my plots concise. It's (part of) my mission to get published in spec fic anthology which usually has word counts for the stuff they accept. You tend you write what you read, so I've been trying to read short stories, starting with Ray Bradbury-inspired ones, and now I'm wading through Borges' collected fictions.

Questions and opinions


Why is everyone glorifying in/talking about being an introvert? Being an introvert is cool because you've got your own universe, your own preferred quietness but it doesn't really make you...special. Or better. It's not like being left-handed (hoho). Maybe it's because introverts = writers = internet content, thus introvert glorification? Extroverts are pretty awesome too, you know. They do most of the work for you. 


Introverts don't need to be "fixed." We just need to be given the chance to adjust a little. Given the chance, I'd express and express and express.


A letter from the past

Last night, I received a letter from August 2012 Hannah, who was wondering if I'd graduated, moved house, and had a job yet. Yes, yes, slightly. Gosh, job-things are stressing me out. No, it's not the internship. What I learned from my past self: 1) Unabridged Hannah is amusing, ranging from hysterical to apologetic to gushy. 2) It is useless to ask so many questions because you can't write back to the past. No more questions for future self, ok? Ok. *shakes head*






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