Call for Submission of Manuscripts to the 49th Silliman University National Writers Workshop

The Silliman University National Writers Workshop is now accepting applications for the 49th National Writers Workshop to be held 3-21 May 2010 in Dumaguete City.

This Writers Workshop is offering fifteen fellowships to promising young writers who would like a chance to hone their craft and refine their style. Fellows will be provided housing, a modest stipend, and a subsidy to partially defray costs of their transportation.

To be considered, applicants should submit manuscripts in English on or before 19 March 2010 (seven to ten poems; or three to five short stories; or three to five creative non-fiction essays). Manuscripts should be submitted in hard copy and on CD, preferably in MS Word, together with a resume, a recommendation letter from a literature professor or a writer of national standing, a notarized certification that the works are original, and two 2X2 ID pictures.


Send all applications or requests for information to Department of English and Literature, attention Dr. Evelyn F. Mascuñana, Chair, Silliman University, 6200 Dumaguete City.


original post from The Spy in the Sandwich

*pangarap ko kasing makaattend nito. so post post nlang muna ko...hehe.kung feeling writer ka rin, huway nat. :)

Talumpu't Siyam na Segundo

Nagpaalam sa akin yung manager ko.

Sa telepono.

Maski na, ilang metro lang ang layo niya sa kin mula sa station ko.

Na nagresign ng hindi ngpaliwanag sa team kung bakit.

Hindi ko din sure kung dapat nga ba, sa mga pagkakataong ganito eh may pormal pang paalamanan.

Pero okay na rin siguro yung ganun. 

O hindi ok. 

Ewan.

Of Forgiving and Forgetting

Cliché tells us that when we forgive, we must also forget.

I say, you can only do that if you had a bad case of dementia. Otherwise, it’s there, part of all your memories.

If you no longer associate the pain as you remember the person and reason that caused you that pain and sadness—I say you have finally forgiven and "forgotten".


My two cents.

My Space. Very Little Space.

I skipped Comm 130 because I was not able to sleep well. Kesa naman sa matulog ako sa favorite subject ko (no sarcasm), eh hindi nalang ako pumasok. So I thought I should do something nalang to repent for not attending school today. So kinunan ko nalang yung kwarto ko. This is where I've spent 4 years now, since I got back from college, galing Tacloban. Kunwari importanteng tong ipost so here you go, sabi pa ni Amparo:

Ang mga hello kitty. Karamihan sa kanila galing sa McDo at sa Ukayan sa Baguio. Hehe. Ung magkapares na naka-school uniform ay bigay ni Ma-an, na inefortan niang hanapin, kaya dapat lang na banggitin.

Sa likod ng mga nakabalot na Kitty na yan ay sangkatutak na libro, luma bago napakaraming libro. Syangaps, ang nanay ko na ang hobby ang mgpreserve ng mga stuffed toys ang syang ngbalot ng lahat ng yan.

Sila Patrick, Buttercup, Raggedy, Grimace, Courage, Ariel, Bugs Bunny, Cinnamoroll, at kung sinu sinu pang mga entity. Yung ilan, mga bigay, iba binili at yung iba naman ay mga laruang naiwan ng mga bata dito at hindi ko na sinoli. Touch move na.

Mga Happy Meal Toys at sila Betty Spaghety. Orig yan lang ah. yang mga makakapal na libro ay mga books ko nung college pa ako, sa literature at kung anu pa.

Ayaan. an higaan ko. kadalasan, kagaya nung nasa dorm pa ako, hinahawi ko lang yung mga matitigas na bagay sa higaan at matutulog na ako. Walang pinagbago. Buti hindi na clamshell yung phones ko so wala na masyadong casualties.

Tapos na. Next time ulet.

Dancing in Strangeness

I left my house at past 12 in the afternoon for my 1pm class in the university. Normally, it takes an hour and a half to get to UP at lunchtime. So at exactly 12.30pm, I decided to stop staring at my swatch when finally, the bus took the Ortigas ilalim route and waited for more passengers infront of Robinson's Galleria.

I'm not sure how manong drive made it but at 1.10pm, I was in PhilCoa waiting for the UP campus jeepney. At least, I thought, "hindi ako ganun ka-late". I still have time to walk and not run.

I waved as I passed by Oble. I could see from a distance, how the man standing from the main building hesitantly waved back. It wasn't him that I was waving at, but I coudn't blame him because there was no other person standing at that part of the world.

I crossed the street in a half-walking, half hopping and looked at the drivers' expressions as I did it. I walked past the pavement but decided to walk on the fallen dried leaves. (trees in UPat this time of the year are shedding their leaves, which I'm not sure if it was a good or bad thing) I was wearing my three-year-old Havaianas and as I glide through the pile of dried leaves, I was taken back to my little town of Biliran where these things and the luxury of time abound. And then for an instance, I decided to drop my bag and do the cartwheel! Cartwheel! for heaven's sake! Cartwheel which I have not done in years lest the bones in my arms would not be able to support the weight of my whole body. If I did the cartwheel steady and in a straight line, I wouldn't know. I didn't see myself do it. There was no one around to tell me if I did it right. hah. Did I mention I was alone?

I flew. I danced with the dragonflies. I sang and talked to my slef.

It may sound strange, and absurd for some. But I am strange and I'm queer. And you have to be ok with that.

I arrived 1.30pm for my 1pm class. Dr. Santiago has not arrived yet.

January 13, 2010

comm130

New Year

I was kinda in the mood for surfing and reading the contents of the local yahoo, in my attempt to redeem myself from the recent 2/11 result of my Journ 101 quiz. You see, my professor asks us to read the dailies and from there he would ask random questions to test if we were aware of the current happenings. 2/11. daym. Good thing I was able to answer Peping Cojuangco in his question of whos the chair or president or whatever of the Phil Sports Committee( of which I almost have written "Mikee's dad" because I forgot his nick.) and guessed that GREEN is the proposed color of the new MMDA administration in lieu of the blue and pink to paint the metro. Tough luck. But I was relieved to know that the score to beat that day was 5/11. Based on that standard, my 2/11 was not that bad at all.

This is my new blog by the way. Because it's new year. haha. No, im not gonna put up resolutions because I never ever get to accomplish them but I just thought, amidst 10 call waiting in my avaya phone in the office, maybe I should try something new this year.

2009 was both blissful and gloomy. The first quarter was kind of dark as with the passing of my Tatay Ed, Dr. Edilberto Alegre, of which I found out a month after. No one apparently told me what happened. And then a few months later, granny-aunt Lydia who was suffering from colon cancer gave up her battle. It's the time of the year when the Villegases would gather around to share stories of their lives and laugh at them, sadly, it only happens during funerals--which for 3 years now, we have quite bonded. Three years and four family members became reasons to rekindle the bond among us. Only they were no longer able to respond to the laughters and stories being shared around. They, were the ones being talked about while lying cold in the bronzy caskets.

Work wasn't doing any good either as the account where I used to be part of was being acquired by another big entity after it's decline last year. SO they had to throw out a few supervisors to other accounts, and we where clueless as to what's going to happen. I thought that was the worst part of the year and 2009 was just starting.

I got accepted to UP FIlm Institute. The rest shall be considered history. And seeing my name in the list for successful applicants was even happier compared to seeing my name in the UPCAT passer some 7 years ago.

And about the same time, I got transferred to a new account and started with training immediately. Better people environment. Better management. Finally.

There were only 3 supervisors who started the Manila site. myself, the other one was originally from Baguio and just came here so they could shadow for us, me specifically. The other is actually one of our trainers who assumed a supervisory position later on. That made feel I was becoming a big fish. Everything became magnified, even the division of labor-- as we were to assume different roles and responsibilities because there were only the three of us. BUt we managed. The burden became bearable because even though we were handling 98% call center virgins, we were rejoicing in the fact that they are still hopefuls and idealistic, we never had attitude related-problems. If there were any, most of them were already thrown out during training.

And then there came love, and confusion and identity crisis which even up to this writing I have not resolved. haha. Practically, the second to the last quarter revolved around this thought and this person. But it never prospered, until now, only, I can smell it being taken farther away from me. But really, since I knew it was bound to happen, and I was bound to get hurt anyway, I am understanding it better than before. I didn't say I'm not affected by this separation blues, it actually is more painful than I thought it would be.

That was my 2009. This year, I dunno what's bound to happen. But I am hopeful, as always. I should probably step up, and leave tweeting and facebooking to weekends when I get to surf the net for longer hours. I want to write more and live more. I should probably not let Restaurant City, Farm Town and Cafe World dominate my life anymore. I should probably start counting what I have and let go of the things I cannot and will not have.


I should start getting a life. Better life

posted January 9, 2010