Okay, so I'm back to my first love - WRITING. It's not that I'm the best writer in town. I don't write the way Emily Bronte or JK Rowling do. My English grammar is not perfect. I don't have a wide range of English vocabulary (nor in other languages). I simply enjoy writing. Period.
Flashback:
Before I discovered the beauty of photographs; before I enjoyed cutting, gluing and coloring pictures on a scrapbook; before I got hooked on cable TV and watched Hollywood films non-stop, I was writing. I write down silly thoughts - three to four sentences max - on a piece of paper. And then, I'll throw it in the trash bin.
My enthusiasm in writing was first noticed by Mrs. Tan, my English teacher back in Grade Six. She assigned the class to write a poem for our mothers. Guess what? She liked it! Although I don't think I've written something spectacular (my rhyming sucks big time), but hey, I got noticed.
She was the one who urged me to join writing competitions. I don't win all the time. But going beyond the school grounds to represent our "beloved" Chong Hua was an achievement for my li'l old self.
Enter High School: D' Plum, the school paper, became the training ground to hone my so-called writing skills. Being a part of a league of highly-gifted students was overwhelming. (Hey, being in a first-name basis with THE Shan Abdulwahid, Anthony Montuno, and Jo Te was I also met Ma'am Aileen, whom I now considered as a mentor and hero.
I can say that my writing did improve. Classmates and friends would casually consult with me during essay questions (not during exams, that is). I wrote scripts and speeches and letters. I could see my future this time.
But that was it. It ended there.
College was a different story. Being in a university surrounded by all the valedictorians and top students in the country could sometimes tarnish one's self-esteem. Being proficient in written skills was only a fraction that the school needed. Students there were really vocal about what they think. So, I decided to beat them through writing. But the more I pressured myself, the more I lose it. I noticed that I only perform better in creative writing. I began to doubt myself. Maybe academic writing is not for me.
End of flashback.
For the past six months, I immersed myself into books and TV series. So much ideas form inside my head. I felt that I need an outlet for these thoughts and feelings. That's when I turn to writing again.
The big problem is my creative juices only flow when I am bored in mid-afternoon. That's the time when laptop and Internet are out of my reach. So, I decided to do a JK Rowling and write down whatever I think or feel on a piece of paper which I'll later transfer to my laptop.
Another problem is when I start writing, I don't know when to stop. So I'll end my entry here. ;p
pHenG and Angelica
2009.04.19
