Let’s Talk About Writing

Hello! It's me again, with another talk about writing. Early last year, my first novel was published and put on the shelves of bookstores nationwide. I have had a whirlwind of a year since then. (Let's not count 2020 as a year!). I had a book launch in May, a moderating gig for a major …

Writing Teen Fiction

Learn about writing teen fiction from the author of Ang Larong Nagwakas Sa Atin!

Isang Buong Pilipino

Isang tula ng pinagmulan-- Isang kapat na Intsik, isang kapat na Kastila, kaunting lahi mula India, dugo raw ng mga Viking mula noon-noon pa— naghalo para maging isang buong ako; diniligan ng taho, sago at arnibal; mami mula sa tabi-tabi lang. Ang sabi sa klase ng propesor noong ako ay nasa kolehiyo; ang pinaghalu-halo na …

Tuwing Umuula’t Kapiling Ang Araw

Isang tulang gumagamit ng terminong pangrehiyonal-- May kinakasal daw na tikbalang sa tuwing matingkad ang araw pero papatak-patak lang kung mahulog mula sa mga ulap ang sariwang tubig-ulan dahil siguro sila-sila rin hindi sila makatiyak mga tao nga ba sila, kakaibang mga kabayo piranggot lang pagkatao, o iba nang klaseng nilalang wala namang ibang hinangad …

Petsa de Peligro

Isang tulang gumagamit ng mga terminong propesiyonal-- Pitong buwan at tatlong linggo ang tinagal ko sa trabaho sa isang kompanya hindi tao ang turing sa mga empleyado ang buhay ng namatay isang sobre katumbas pinasa-pasa mula sa isang mesa papunta sa isa pa petsa de peligro nalaman ko lang nang sumuko na bumalik sa libro …

White Box

At the age of eight I did not know what a hearse was and what it drove. I stood in front of a long, white box but I could not look at you because the last time I saw you was outside my house, you asked to borrow a bottle of ketchup. I called you …

How to Make a Sandwich

I was told this was the way to a man’s heart:   Put on an apron and tie up your hair. Lock yourself in the kitchen for hours on end.   Take out a loaf of bread, and slice it in two. Spread the butter inside, nice and even on all sides. Put the lettuce, …

The Hawk’s Lullaby

And still the hawk believed he was not alone in the treeless jungle he built his nest on for there were beasts of the most unnatural forms speeding and honking and flying and falling all around him.   They cried as he did a cry unlike his, booming and loud and deafening.   They cried …

The Riverdale Pilot Episode is the CW at its Finest

I've read a few issues of the beloved Archie comic book series when I was a kid. I've watched a number of its filmic incarnations. I'm not its biggest fan, but boy did I love the characters and the shenanigans they would encounter. Riverdale is not the Archie I grew up patronizing. However, it is the CW show …

La La Land — a film for the hopeful

I remember being so excited to catch Les Miserables back in 2012, but having to wait until 2013 to watch it in the movie house because in the Philippines, only Metro Manila Film Festival entries play on the theaters during Christmastime. I had a similar experience with Damien Chazelle’s La La Land. The hype around …