updates

Samuel will soon be seven months old. Time flies, doesn't it? I think my body is starting to get back to normal and my energy and concentration level is improving. We're turning the house upside down...and oh so poetic to be minimizing and getting rid of unnecessary stuff. It reminds me of how writing involves getting rid of the unnecessary.

I am working on edits for pieces from my memoir which will be included in OMF Lit's upcoming book. I'm quite excited and a bit nervous too. I hope I'll be able to do a good job of rewriting and that this book will make a connection with readers both at home and abroad.

This week's mail brought me a lovely acceptance from Corey and Rachael of The Orange Room Review. For family back home, the poem they've accepted was inspired by memories of Uncle Estol and those nights we spent in Mayon Street. I could write tons about that apartment. So much nostalgia in those memories. It doesn't take much effort to remember the sound of jeepneys and buses outside, the black dust that stuck to our noses when we peered through the window screen, the heat at night, and the mystery of the work/sleep place where Uncles retreated to.

So many memories of Mayon. Uncle Lix's volkswagon and the endless refurbishments and repairs it underwent. Memories of Mayon are also coupled with memories of Uncle Haniel and his great booming voice. Ha, ha. Uncle Haniel with his great big bulk of a belly and his goatee that made him look so severe and so very, very impressive. My mother says: But he had a good heart.

Funny how the heart insists on missing these things that remind us of home.