Writing

Day 31: Reflections on the End

Alas, day 31. I’ve made it (mostly) through this challenge. I think I might have missed two days, but we’re here.

How was the experience?

• First 10 days: It was a good opportunity to get my floating thoughts down onto paper…

Day 30: Lockdown

The wind picks up the leaves, carrying it across the quiet, eerie streets. The streets used to be filled with people — people with their ambitions, walking around heavy with dreams on their shoulders. But with the lockdown order, freedom is a privilege no longer granted.

Day 29: El Hoyo

A feast. A decadent, scrumptious meal intricately prepared and laid out. Level 0.

The platform lowers one level at a time, and prisoners one each level have a limited amount of time to feast as the platform makes a momentary pause. If everyone only ate what they needed to…

Day 16: The Final Confirmation

Finality. The last nail in the coffin. A door slammed shut. Confirmation that I was right all along, but I let the empty optimism of others cloud my judgement and give me hope.

Day 16: House Arrest

All the doomsday prep shows. All the movies about apocalypses. That’s what I feel like is slowly happening with this coronavirus outbreak.

I wonder if it was this bad when SARS and MERS happened. I was too young at the time to understand the ramifications and the…

Day 15: An Ode to From

I am the tank you built. A submarine ready to head into war, a Boeing airbus ready to weather any storm. I am strong, fierce, and stubborn.

You have molded me with tough love the way a sculptor shapes their art, with commitment the way a body builder curls each…

Day 14: Stories!

Everyone loves a good story. We tell stories all the time, everyday, at work, even when we don’t realize it.

Marketing, branding, advertising — that’s a story. Recounting an old memory, reminiscing in nostalgia — that’s a story. Interviewing for a job, detailing your…

Day 13: Writer’s Block

I feel like I’m hitting a creative snag. Where I’m running out of topics to write about. It’s a mild version of what you might call writer’s block.

This reminds me of Isabel Allende’s talk I was listening to, where someone in the audience asked her how she…

Day 12: Accountability

When there’s no structure, why can’t you stick to the same life style and habits? For example, as soon as I found out I was working from home tomorrow, I slipped into a lazy evening of Netflix and Youtube. The productive drive to read, write, and get my personal work done melted away…

Day 9: Stories

Why do we write? Why do we tell stories? Why do we want to keep the memories alive?

The past half year, I’ve gotten to experience and appreciate many different kinds of storytelling at a more profound level — podcasts, comedy shows, storytelling events, poetry, films. It’s…