12.7 Killings

EJK tells the story of a fresh grad nurse who internally struggles after failing to revive one of her first patients, an EJK victim. To ease herself, she daily writes in her journal. If I were to develop this story, I would want to see a development in Carla’s character as she encounters more EJK victims in the emergency room. Will writing still be effective after encountering more victims? Will it she urge her to do something about extrajudicial killings or will she simply get used to it? If given the chance, I would like to to keep the story as realistic as possible as it is very much relevant today. Such stories may not only raise opinions, but also change other perspectives regarding a timely and controversial issue. 

12.6 Oldies

The Perfect Timing is one of the stories that stand close to my heart as it is inspired by the old couple seated beside me in the bus. During our trip, they ate their ensaymada together and shared a medium-sized bottle of water. Since they really caught my attention, I then tried to incorporate it with my other seed blog entries. If I were to develop it further, I would like to build more on the couple’s life before and during their marriage—from the time they met to the time one of them passed away.

12.5 Cardo

Her 13th is probably a story that seems quite familiar to many working fathers. In the story, Cardo fails to make it to his daughter’s birthday for three consecutive years. I then figured that it needs a strong conflict that would really challenge Cardo’s relationship with his daughter. It also requires a good background on both Cardo and the daughter so that the readers of the story will be more attached to characters. The theme of the story shall then revolve around the love and the sacrifices any father would make for his daughter.

12.4 Japanese Lady

Out of all the stories that I came up with in this blog, I think Lady in Emerald Green is one of the stories I believe has great potential as many cultural and historical details can be infused to it—provided that it’s set in a foreign country. If I were to develop the story though, I would like to build up more on the lady in emerald green’s character. She could be part of a royal bloodline, but has preferred to live a simpler life outside the limelight. Unlike her siblings, she is less involved in politics and chose to focus more in the arts. She supports local artists—especially those who try to keep the Japanese traditions alive.

I figured also that the story would be more interesting if it were told from the lady’s perspective as she is the more intriguing character in the story. She could probably react when she sees Adrian and share more about her life.

12.3 Father And Daughter

After reading When In Bataan, I figured that it would be more engaging if the focus was on Helen’s trip rather than her daughter’s. I would develop the story further by setting their trip during Bataan’s Pawikan Festival which they attend and participate in. Another way of developing it is to add a serious conflict. For one, her father held the trip as he knew it was going to be the last time they see each other. He is to return to his first family in the States and cut all connections with her as his family asks him to. This will then mirror the realities most illegitimate children face at some point of their life which hopefully makes the story even more relatable.

12.2 The Unknown Artist

Guhit is too short and simple for a story that revolves around an artistic girl who lost confidence in her works after being bullied by her classmates in third grade. If it were to be developed though, I would want too see Kyla, the artistic girl, in her 20s. She becomes a successful painter, but an unknown one as she prefers to hide her identity to the public. Her secret identity, however, gets uncovered slowly as a budding journalist befriends her. Though he only befriended her to get as information for his special feature article, he begins to see more in Kyla—an apprehensive, pure-hearted girl. He then helps Kyla step out of her shell and feel more confident about herself.

12.1 For A Stranger

Seeing a dead body lying on the ground is no common sight. It may haunt any  man for hours, days and even years. It may even change a person’s mindset, beliefs and lifestyle. An Unforgettable Night then needs more of those stages. If it were to be developed, it should mirror the psychological conflict that may run through an ordinary college student’s mind if she encounters a lifeless sampaguita vendor a few meters away from her house and its effect on her daily life. She could probably strive to know more about the vendor and find out at the end that he was not actually the good man she imagined him to be—that he deserved to die after all. The story will then revolve around the question, “How far will one person go to know more about a dead stranger?”.

11.7 EJK

It is Carla’s third week at work. Like any other day, she wears her white scrubs and ties her hair for another long day at the emergency room. On the last two hours of her shift, she sees a severely wounded man in his late 30s being rushed to the room. By looking at the gunshots near his heart and on his knee, she realizes it’s another EJK victim.

An advocate of human rights, Carla attends to him quickly and calls the doctor on duty. They try to revive him, but the patient’s heartbeat rate declines. At exactly 7:38PM, he dies--making him Cara’s first failed operation. Remorseful and feeling defeated, she contemplates on what she might have done wrong. From then on, she keeps a journal where she writes her insights and daily experiences as a nurse to keep her emotionally guarded.

11.6 The Perfect Timing

Despite being offered a ride by his son, 68-year-old Edgar takes the bus to get home after receiving his monthly pension. He takes the second row and places his old messenger bag beside the newspaper he just bought. He checks his watch and patiently waits for the bus to get filled. Many would pause and approach him for the seat beside him, but he politely tells them that it is occupied.

Suddenly, the conductor plays the radio in the bus. As usual, Tony Orlando’s Tie A Yellow Ribbon plays. Edgar feels relieved as his timing was just perfect. Even at the simplest way he knew, he was able to relive his younger days with his wife--still at the second row, listening to their one of their favorite songs as he goes home.

11.5 Her 13th

After a full day of work as a janitor, 44-year-old Cardo passes by a bakery to buy a round, pink cake. He hands the cashier a few bills and a stack of coins as payment, and requests for 13 candles. He usually rides the LRT and takes the jeep after to get home, but since it’s no ordinary day, he decides to take the FX to get home as soon as he could.

It was a smooth ride as he expected, until the car stops as hundreds of people gather outside the US Embassy for a rally. Cardo hears their protests and sees a few of them wounded. His 1-hour travel time then becomes two and a half, leaving Cardo worried. He finally gets home at 10PM but everything is done—his family has already eaten, the dishes have been washed and Trina, the birthday celebrant, has gone to sleep. His wife comforts him, but he still feels like a failure. After all, he just missed his daughter’s birthday for the third time around.

11.4 Lady in Emerald Green

Adrian grew up watching anime. He raved about every Japanese show and film he encountered—from Mirmo de Pon, Yakitate Japan to Studio Ghibli films. One day, his parents decided to plan a trip to Japan for their 15th wedding anniversary. Thrilled and excited, Adrian watched more shows and movies to learn Nihongo. He read about their culture and tried to write using Japanese characters.

When the day finally came, he took pictures of everything he considered significant and memorable during their trip—his first walk on the Shibuya road, his first ramen in Osaka and his other firsts. On their way back to Tokyo, he saw a lady not younger than 60 taking a nap. As it reminded him of his favorite house help, Manang Yolly, he took a picture of the lady in green.

When they got to their hotel, Adrian realized he’s losing his camera. He panicked and told his parents right away. With the help of their tour guide, they were able to reach the transportation office. Fortunately, he got his camera back. When asked who returned it, the police officer said it was the old lady in green.

11.3 When In Bataan

After a long day at work, 42-year-old Helen calls her teenage daughter, Tricia after her field trip to Bataan. Tricia narrates how she enjoyed everything about the trip. As she listens to her daughter’s story, Helen suddenly feels nostalgic as her father took her there right after her graduation. Over the phone, Tricia hears her mother’s voice breaking. Helen assures her that she’s fine and tells Tricia to get some sleep.

After their phone call, she fixes her desk and prepares to sleep. She realizes that it was her father’s death anniversary which she totally forgot. To keep his memory alive, Helen decides to watch her and her father’s favorite film, It's a Wonderful Life. She falls asleep in the middle of the film and dreams about the Bataan trip she and her father took together.

11.2 Guhit

As a welcoming gift, 9-year-old Kyla helps her mom bake two batches of leche flan for her brother. She serves it to her family after dinner, which they appreciated. As they eat, her brother brings up the accident that happened near his workplace in Ilocos Sur. According to him, two casualties died after a plane crash. Curious and hungry for more details, she knocks on her brother’s door after dinner only to find out that her brother is already in deep sleep.

The next day, Kyla tries to draw the plane crash for her art class. She tries to explain it to her classmates, but her fear of talking in front of a huge crowd takes over. She then gets called names--discouraging her from sharing her work to others. From then on, she never shows her artworks to anyone but her brother. She keeps them in a box and only opens it whenever her brother comes home.

11.1 An Unforgettable Night

It’s the end of a busy midterm week and Serena has been running with only three hours of sleep. Right after her three-hour accounting exam, she takes a jeep to get to her condo, where she and her brother stays on weekdays. The jeep suddenly creaks at the corner of her street. Fearing he might need to take it to a vulcanizing shop, the jeepney driver apologizes and politely asks his passengers to move to another jeep. Serena cooperates and decides to walk to her condo as she’s only 500 meters away from her building.

Suddenly, she hears a gunshot. Confusion, curiosity and fear filled her to the brim. She walks a bit closer to the body and sees a severely wounded sampaguita vendor lying on the ground. She walks away, trying to hold her tears as she’s never witnessed anything like that before. She tells her brother what she saw, but it still haunts her. It keeps her awake for days, wishing she had done something to help the victim.

10.7 First Term

This term’s about to end, but I have so many things to do to get through it. I don’t even know where to begin. It’s at these times when I wish I was allowed to stay in a condo. It would be way easier since I’d have more time to study and rest, but my parents won’t allow me. My driver barely replies pa! I have to call him every now and then to make sure he’s on his way.

When I get home, I guess I’ll just take a quick shower and start reading. I have a stack of papers waiting to be read on my desk and three papers to write. What a thrilling night! It’s another all-nighter for me, with coffee at the side and maybe some chips to keep me awake and alive. Ugh, I envy all the frosh I see right now. They’re still so collected, untroubled by majors. Soon enough, they’ll be in my situation--dreading every second in college, wishing they were back in high school.

10.6 Pancake House

After Mass, my parents are gonna take me to Pancake House. I haven’t been there in a long time, I miss the smell of waffles and maple syrup! As usual, I will get spaghetti and half a waffle with my older brother. He eats a lot. He can finish a 3-piece chicken with rice and a whole waffle--no wonder he’s becoming fat.

Before, they have movie posters placed on walls. I don’t know why they took them out, but the movies they had were my favorites! It had Hercules, Parent Trap and Legally Blonde. Now they’re just plain orange walls. I really wish they didn’t take the posters out.

10.5 Lasallian On A Rainy Day

Out of all the days I leave my umbrella behind, it had to be today. I don’t have a jacket and my cloth of my shirt’s too thin. Our class could have been in LS, but our prof merged his two classes and the only room that’s big enough for all of us is in Andrew. Now I have no choice but to run under the rain.

Hassle! I can’t even hear what he’s saying. We’re 90 in this room and only 20 of us can probably hear him. We’re only on our first hour, but I’m falling asleep—and so is the guy beside me. Dapat pala I slept earlier, but our game last night was so solid! Best game I had in a while, actually. There’s really nothing like playing with your high school barkada.