wet

What a wet weekend. While it was terrible going out in the rain (there were these sudden child-snatching squalls), it was a fine time to stay home and write - at least during the day. I battled it out with a trio of stories I was working on, none of which were particularly cooperative. As is my way, I stepped back from them for a while and worked on a completely new one. I finished it five hours later, polished it the next day, and now I think it's ready for submission. I'll let the Lit Critters at it, then tweak it one last time before sending it off. We'll see how this experimental technique I've adopted works with the gatekeepers abroad.

I got a call from Adnan, one of cousins (remember that with my super-extended Muslim family, cousins of up to the fourth degree are considered first degree cousins), telling me that we (the cousins) were meeting at Quiapo. The great thing about meeting my cousins is that I continue to learn more about the part of my identity that is an Alonto. (An amusing digression: Before Nikki and I got married, her father took hre aside and told her to reconsider wanting to marry me. "Why?" Nikki asked. Her father, a general of the Philippine Air Force, said: "He has hot Muslim blood. He will beat you." Nikki rolled her eyes and married me anyway, ready to deal with my "hot blood", LOL). Anyway, I continue to learn that I have cousins everywhere, which is wonderful especially in retail and business - and culture, because I can ask them to tell me stories. Or more properly, I can ask their parents to tell me stories (most of the people of my age or younger, linked to the Alonto clan of Marawi, seem to know less and less about folklore and legends of the South). One of the stories I'd like to complete is something I began and put on hold years ago: "Rasagandang Kairan", a projected series of short stories about a "hot blooded" Marawi princess and her adventures above and underground, with a nasty whirlpool thrown in (ay naku, this list of things to write just gets longer and longer).

I had hoped that today would be declared a holiday because of the SONA, and because I wanted to stay home and sleep and write. No such luck though, but I hope - clients willing - it's a short working day for me.

Stay dry, folks!