Bottled ※ Brain

I had so much fun writing the story. The process took me at least two to three months, since I'm a slow writer. I lived in my character's head during those times. After submission (because at some point, I just had to accept that there would always be errors in grammar or syntax, and improvements could always be made), I'd almost forgotten all about the story, the way I would temporarily forget about my students the moment the semester ends and a new one begins. I had, in a sense, already moved on.  Last Friday I received the news from my chat groups that my work is a finalist to this prestigious competition. It was when I'd remembered "Nap9" again.  What amplifies my joy is seeing friends on this list: Dr. Elvie, who had just won a Palanca for a children's short story, and whose poetry I adore; and Dr. Mich, whose novel ("Before High School Ends") I have yet to read. Shipping seems to take a very long time, and I can't wait to read her young...

  (Click image to enlarge. I used a Hermes Baby 3000 to write this.) The first order of business when I return from a trip is to write about it.  I get asked what my favorite travel destination is. I say it's the most recent trip I'd been to. My answer is invariably the same, but also varies depending on what time the question is asked. For instance, if you ask me that now, my answer would be Taipei, because that's where I traveled for the first time with my high school friends. I had been to Taiwan before, but with different people. They were my residency batch mates in PGH Internal Medicine, to celebrate the end of residency, in 2018 I loved those times, and I miss those people. I bought a fountain pen in the city, a piston filler that has cracks now but can still be coaxed into renewed usefulness. This recent trip with high school friends was conceived of during a baptismal party in Marbel. Daphny, Vanessa, and Willie were seated on the same table. I broached the subject...