About Me — Byron O

I never wanted to be a writer. In fact, I almost became a corporate slave — until I turned down a job opportunity.

During my final job interview, I was asked a question: “Passion or career?” My mind collapsed as if I had been stabbed by the harsh reality that I could only choose one. Nobody taught me that adulting would be this hard. It felt like just a minute ago I was watching my favorite cartoon show, then the next I was in a classroom studying, and now, I’m applying for a job. Time really does fly too fast.

I’m Byron Ocampo, a working student in the Philippines. I’m an undergraduate in a secondary teacher education program and currently work part-time as a tax invoice encoder for an Australian company. My hobbies include going to the gym, listening to music, and watching movies. But most of all — I love reading and writing.

Every story I tell holds a piece of me hidden between the lines — and this is how it begins.

This is me during a summer vacation.

It all began with a single book: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I was in sixth grade. My mother was already yelling at me to turn the lamp off. “Just a minute!” I shouted. You know that feeling when you just can’t stop reading? I couldn’t explain the mix of emotions — excitement, exhilaration, joy, tragedy, wonder. It was unpredictable. It…