Paper and Pen

I enjoyed my primary days at Canossa School of Sta. Rosa where I first discovered my passion for writing. I was then in Grade IV. While my schoolmates are playing and socializing in our school yard during break times, I am enjoying the quietness inside the library which served as my writing haven for years. There, I have scribbled my very first untitled short story and poetry.

My father had an accident when I was in Grade VI, leaving us no choice but to sell some of our properties, leave Laguna and move to Camarin. I could never forget the pain of having to say goodbye to my beloved schoolmates. The paper and pen were then the only friends left to me; and using these tools, I would always write down my feelings in literary form.

My secondary days which I spent in Metro Manila College became memorable when my writing talent was discovered and appreciated by Mr. Roxas, the founder of our first school paper and one of the very few people then who trusted my craft. He appointed me as Metronian Penseal's first English Literary Editor.

My writing however did not end on the school paper. When another angel came to the campus by the name of Mr. Francisco, I was rediscovered as a writer and director of school plays, which made me bring home several awards. Yet, college days have been so tough that I had to set aside this craft for a period of time.

The outlet of my frustrations and happiness has always been the paper and pen. I have written more than a hundred poems and several short stories in my late teens which I compiled in a notebook using my own handwriting. I lost this collection when someone snatched my bag while I'm on my way to visit a friend in Novaliches. Having to start again from scratches, I continued writing and have even learned to express myself in novels.