#amstories

Minsan hindi makapaniwalang boyfriend na ni Jenica ang taong kinamumuhian niya. He also happens to be one of the most attractive doctors in the hospital. It feels like a blessing and a curse.

Jenica and Lorraine are walking to the cafeteria for their lunch. Jenica spots a familiar built at the entrance of the cafeteria. That was her boyfriend talking to a really attractive and sexy female doctor. The woman was chuckling and caressed Jeremy's biceps, which made Jenica's stomach flip. She caught Jeremy smiling at the lady. Now, she wants to throw up so bad.

As much as she wants to grab the lady by her hair, she stopped herself. Hindi siya pwedeng magpaka-squammy dito sa ospital ngayon at baka matanggalan pa siya ng trabaho. But she can't deny that it didn't feel good watching him laugh with someone prettier than her. It made her feel sick.

Nilagpasan na lang nina Jenica at Lorraine ang dalawa. Hindi na lang ito pinansin ni Jenica. Baka pagkain lang ang sagot sa nararamdaman niya. Sana nga, pagkain lang.

Nakakuha na sila ng pagkain at lahat-lahat, hindi pa rin maipinta ang mukha ni Jenica. "Teh, ayos ka lang ba? Ayaw mo ba nung pagkain mo?" tanong ni Lorraine.

Kunot-noong umiling si Jenica. "Wala 'to. H'wag mo na lang pansinin." Kumain na si Jenica kahit na masama pa rin ang loob niya. Kanina pa niya inaabangan si Jeremy na pumasok sa cafeteria.

She thought that when he sees her, he would immediately follow her inside. Boy, she thought wrong. A few minutes later, pumasok na sa cafeteria yung kanina pa niya hinihintay. She looks like a lovesick puppy with what she's doing and she doesn't care anymore. Si Lorraine lang naman ang nakakakita sa kanya.

"Ay, kaya pala parang nagusot 'yang mukha mo, teh!" sabi ng kaibigan niya.

"Kilala mo ba yung kausap niya kanina?"

Napatigil sa pagkain si Lorraine at napaisip. "Isa yata 'yon sa mga bagong intern na doktor. Hindi ko lang alam kung anong specialization no'n."

Tumango-tango si Jenica. Napansin niyang naglalakad papunta sa kanila si Jeremy kaya umiwas na siya ng tingin dito.

"Ay, papunta na rito si Sir Dok! CR lang ako," paalam ni Lorraine. Pipigilan pa sana ni Jenica ang kaibigan pero hindi na siya nakaangal pa.

"O, saan pupunta 'yon?" bungad ni Jeremy sa kanya.

"CR," maikling sagot ni Jenica.

Nilapitan ni Jeremy si Jenica para halikan ang pisngi niya pero umiwas lang siya. Alam na nito agad na may problema. "Ryl, what's wrong?" malambing nitong tanong. Nang hindi niya pansinin ang lalaki ay hinawakan nito ang baba niya saka iniharap sa kanya. "Baby, tell me what's wrong."

"Wala."

Jeremy kissed her hand. "Come on. It's obvious you're angry. Please tell me what I did to upset you," paglalambing niya. He ended it with another kiss on her hand.

Come to think of it, Jenica thought it was ridiculous this time. Mas lalo lang siyang nahiya sa inasta niya dahil lang sa selos. Ang pangit pala sa pakiramdam ang magselos. "Pagtatawanan mo lang ako kapag nalaman mo," nahihiyang sabi ni Jenica.

"What is it then?" He was still holding her hand, never letting it go unless he's sure that she's already pacified.

She let out a thin sigh. "Ang gwapo mo kasi masyado," reklamo ni Jenica. She could see him smirk from her peripheral view.

"And what about it? This handsome face is yours." She rolled her eyes at how good he was with his words.

Pumasok sa cafeteria yung babaeng kausap ni Jeremy kanina sa labas ng cafeteria. Bumalik na naman ang hindi maipintang mukha ni Jenica. That was when Jeremy understood what was happening.

He stole Jenica's attention by holding her chin and making her face him. "You are the most beautiful woman in my eyes, kahit na gusot na gusot na naman 'yang mukha mo. Ikaw ang mahal ko, Airylle Jenica de Leon, soon-to-be Ylagan." He ended his spiel with a kiss on the forehead. "Don't be jealous anymore, hmm?"

Jenica's face softened. It felt like all her jealousy faded away. He sure knows what to say. Hindi nito alam na isang halik lang sa kanya, mawawala na agad yung selos na nararamdaman niya.

Oh, to be loved by Jeremy Ylagan is probably the best feeling in the world.

"Are we okay now?" he asked. Tumango naman si Jenica. "Alright, I have to go now. Liam is probably looking for me."

"Hindi ka ba kakain ng lunch?" Jeremy smiled at how she worried about him. It's the most adorable thing for him in the world.

Umiling ito. "Kumain na ako, Ryl."

"E anong ginagawa mo rito sa cafeteria?"

"I just made sure you'd actually have lunch. I was actually waiting for you earlier then I bumped into one of the interns." Ahhh, maybe that girl from earlier. "Sige, kain ka na. I'll see you later."

"Alright. See you later."

Jenica watched him walk towards the cafeteria door. Halfway from the door, he turns back again and shouts, "I love you, Jenica!" She was so stunned at his loud proclaimation that even the entire cafeteria heard it.

Now, everybody's staring at her. Jeremy just stood there like he was waiting for something. When she didn't say anything, Jeremy repeated, "I love you, Jenica!"

Ramdam na ramdam na ni Jenica ang pagtaas ng dugo niya sa mukha. Sobrang namumula na siguro siya. Paano ba siya hindi mahihiya nito e lahat ng tao sa cafeteria, nakatingin sa kanya?

"Argh! Just say it back already!" Lorraine complained, coming back from the restroom.

Iyon ba yung hinihintay ni Jeremy? "I love you, too," mahinang sabi ni Jenica.

"Hindi kita marinig."

"Sabi ko... I love you, too!" frustrated na sigaw ni Jenica.

"That's more like it," he said like he's so proud of his girl. Nakangiting naglakad palabas si Jeremy. Samantalang naiwang namumula si Jenica.

ERADICATE

When an illness is discovered to be rapidly infecting the population, the world is deemed beyond repair. In an attempt to stop the spread, major cities go into quarantine. Nobody comes in or out. When the people living in a homeless shelter inside one of the quarantine zones realizes that they’ll die if they stay, they escape. Little did they know, the world was much more cruel and devastating outside the walls. The survivors are forced to stick together and attempt to build a life worth living with each other. Together, they look for the simplest thing a person could ask for; a home.

Themes: found family, learning to love, loss, friendship, healing from trauma, finding peace, mental health, choosing one’s destiny, kindness, lgbt

THE WILTED FLOWER

Dinora lives in a perfect town with her perfect family, her perfect best friend, and her perfect boyfriend. But of course, she wants something deeper than perfection. One day the perfection cracks. Dinora wakes up to find the normally bustling town silent, and her father missing. Upon further investigation, she finds everyone else, including her boyfriend has frozen in a catatonic state. She’s alone, until her best friend Fae finds her. Dinora can tell that Fae knows something she doesn’t: Dinora is an android.

Themes: identity crisis, betrayal, lgbt, friends to lovers, autonomy, find an escape, memory loss, friendship, trust, what it means to love

BEFORE THE BLOOD MOON

In a vampire-driven world, one breed of vampires is discriminated against and mass-sacrificed during the Blood Moon festivals. In an attempt to escape his fate, one of these vampires flees and is caught by a group of friends who decide to help him find safety.

Cowriting with @isaacatwriting

FIND ME placeholder title

In a time of war, many people don’t get to meet their soulmates. On a person’s 18th birthday, a birthmark is revealed somewhere on their body and on their soulmate’s 18th birthday, the same exact mark will show up. When two women meet, they feel drawn to each other. They feel the same feelings they’ve always heard of when told stories of two soulmates meeting. When they can’t hide their attraction for one another, they begin a relationship in secret, though they fear it will end sadly as same-sex soulmates are said to be impossible. Despite this, they continue the relationship, counting the days until the younger girl’s 18th birthday. But before they can find the truth about their love, the younger girl is swept away with her family when her brother is drafted for the war. The only thing left to the older girl is a letter from her lover. She decides to push past her doubts and find her love, whether or not they’re soulmates, and sets on a journey to find her.

MARNIE AND THE CHOSEN ONES

When Marnie agrees to help her friend start a Gender-Sexuality Alliance at school, she didn’t expect to be nominated for club president. Between being in the closet at home and trying to keep up with the pressures of high school, it seemed like an idiotic idea. Despite all rationality, she agrees to take on the responsibility. This story follows the lives of the students in the GSA as they navigate identity, high school, discrimination, and the newfound freedom they’re granted and fighting for.

THE OUTSKIRST OF LIFE

Past the outskirts, the lost and lonely can feel free. It can feel addictive, and you may never want to come back in. But the longer you stay there, the darker and deadlier it will become. When a girl, numb from the cruelty and mediocrity of Life, is brought back from the outskirts, she must learn to heal past needing the them.

LACKLUSTER placeholder title

Ana Kumari tried to be optimistic about life, but everything she does seems slightly out of place. She has a new apartment that looks nice but has an odd smell she cant get rid of, a partner who is nice but generally uninterested, and a job that pays well but doesn’t bring her any joy. One day, she decides to get out of the apartment. On her walk, a device falls out of someone's coat and Ana attempts to return it to it’s owner. In the blink of an eye, it’s as if she’s in a whole other world, trapped underground. Strange occurrences threaten her around every corner. Along her journey to find her way back home, she meets others also trapped. They also have the devices and reveal that they lead the wearer to their deepest desire. Not until each of them realizes their desires will they be set free.

Kaninang umaga pa nagrereklamo sa group chat nila si Bela. Up until now, she has repeated the same sentiments. "Bakit kasi hindi 4th year blocks ang nasunod eh! Hindi ko tuloy kayo makulit!"

Migo scoffed. "Buti na lang."

"Hoy, narinig ko 'yon!" Bela exclaimed.

"Napakaingay niyo, alam niyo ba yun?" pangaral ni Thea sa dalawa.

"Why me? Si Bela lang kaya!" Migo defended himself.

Wala nang ibang nagawa si Nico kung hindi ang patigilin sina Migo at Bela sa pagtatalo nila. "Oh, tama na yan. Tara, picture na tayo bago pa kayo magkasakitan d'yan."

They started positioning themselves formally. The two ladies are sandwiched together by the two men.

They all flashed their best smiles for the first photo. They moved closer together for the second one. Nico tried to wrap his hand around Thea's waist. Their heads are leaning on each other.

For the last photo, they put Migo at the center and hugged him tightly. All of them wore their biggest smiles except for Migo. He posed an annoyed face rather.

After their picture-taking, Bela called them in for one last hug. "Thank you, guys, for making my internship year a lot better. You were the best thing that happened to me on my last year in college."

Nico tousled Bela's hair. "Quatro forever?"

YEARLY WRAP-UP

For me, 2022 is an unforgettable year because this is the year when I first released a story related to my profession—Medical Technology. Publishing 576 Hours With You was the best way to start the year because little did I know, I would be known by most of my readers for medical romance stories.

One of the projects I had this year was to bring back my old stories namely, Brownout (Lights Off), OFF LIMITS, and April Fools Day. The unrevised version of these stories made me cringe but it was actually a great learning experience as a writer. Revising and rewriting these stories made me realize that there is still room for improvement for me.

This is also the year when I tried to enter Wattpad Romance PH's writing contest. I was able to write entries for the January and October writing contests namely, Three, Two, One, and Baby Boo, respectively. Despite not winning the contest, writing these one-shots down was still an achievement for me. Besides, it was really a great writing exercise as well.

Last but not the least, and probably my greatest highlight among all of my 2022 stories... You Make Me Sick is my first story within a collaboration series. This is probably one of the most unexpected things to happen to me this year because this wasn't really part of the plan. Nevertheless, I'm not regretting it because this brought me talented collaborators turned to friends, milestones I never imagined for my stories, and a community of readers (despite being small).

2022 HIGHLIGHTS

This year is the first time I collaborated with some writers. First, Tales From The Closet was released by several participating authors for our Write For A Cause project, in order to extend help to victims of the typhoon Odette. It's a privilege and honor for me to use my writing as an avenue to help other people. Through this project, I also discovered underrated gems and gained new writer friends. WFAC writers, I'm glad I met you all!

That wasn't the lone collaboration project I joined this year. Last February, I stumbled upon Gwayne's tweet wherein she wanted to start a collaboration series featuring Medical Technology. Since I love my degree program so much, I took the chance to do so. Few months later, we were able to release our collaboration project entitled, "MedTech Love Stories." Because of this collaboration project, I was able to craft one of my best works I've written so far which is You Make Me Sick. Aside from this, I was also able to connect with my fellow medtech student writers. Despite our busy schedules, I'm glad I have found new friends who I can rant on about my studies and understand it as well.

You Make Me Sick did not only bring me new writer friends but an actual community of readers. More than the reads, votes, and comments, I believe that the actual people who I can talk to is the best gift that my stories could give me. It brought me friends who I can treat like a family, and I'll forever be grateful for that.

NEW NAME FOR READERS

Someone asked me what do I call my readers and I just answered, "readers." Just because I don't really have a name to collectively call them. (I'm so sorry, you guys! Hahaha.) One of the reasons why I didn't want to give a collective name for my readers is that it could easily be mistaken as a fandom. I feel uneasy about that term because I don't want to be idolized by anybody. Besides, I've always wanted to treat my readers as my friends.

Another reason why I haven't established a name for my readers was because I don't really have any good ideas for a name. But since someone already asked for it, I've really thought about it seriously. So if you're a reader of my stories, I welcome you to my community of readers, RNAs, which stands for Readers Ni AM!

In medicine, RNAs carry genetic information and have various functions such as translation of genetic information, regulation of gene activity, and so on. This is a reminder to myself and to my readers to treat each other like family. Since you've read at least one of my stories, I'm hoping that you already have a piece of me, just like a single strand of genetic information. At the same time, you are also a part of me already.

I wouldn't be able to reach this far without you. Thank you for 377 followers on Wattpad! 🧬

WRITING MILESTONES

Last year, I made sure to document my numbers to see my growth statistically. Numbers are undeniably great indicators of growth, thus, this yearly statistics. Looking at my statistics last year, I can conclude that there's also growth in numbers from the number of reads, to the number of stories I've published, and to the number of followers I have in Wattpad.

This was also the year I braved myself enough to apply for Wattpad's Ambassador Program, which I successfully graduated to last July. My job as a Content Ambassador is fulfilling and enjoyable even though it's tiring but it's all for the love of the Wattpad community.

And so another time, here I present my yearly statistics for 2022.

Once again, if you reach this, thank you so much for being a part of my 2022. I hope to see you again next year. Merry Christmas and happy holidays, everyone!

Kagagaling lang ni Jenica sa graveyard shift niya. First time niya ulit na maranasan 'tong schedule na 'to sa Terveys Medical Center. Usually kasi, pang-umaga siya. Nakipagpalit lang sa kanya yung katrabaho niya dahil may emergency raw ito kaya pumayag na siya. Pero hindi niya inaasahan yung ganitong pagod.

Naninibago pa rin si Jenica kahit na nasubukan na niya ito noon. Mas lalo siguro siyang napagod dahil kulang ang tulog niya. Emergency kasi kaya hindi niya napaghandaan masyado.

She opened the door to their apartment groggily, her eyes barely even open. She lazily puts the keys on the key holder. Her shoes were quickly removed by just using her feet. Nilagay na rin niya ito sa shoe rack. The last thing she wanted to wake up to was Jeremy getting angry at her for being so messy.

Feeling so exhausted, she didn't even bother to wash up anymore and went straight to the nearest room she could reach just to get some sleep.

*  *  *

Naalimpungatan si Jeremy nang maramdaman niyang gumalaw ang kama niya. Akala niya lumilindol. Kinusot muna niya ang mga mata niya para malaman kung lindol nga ba 'yon.

But he was wrong. He saw Jenica trying to be comfortable under his blanket with her eyes closed. Their shared calendar confirmed she just came back from her duty. Kaya siguro ito pagod na pagod. Mali tuloy ang kwartong pinasukan niya.

Jeremy was about to wake her up to tell her she came into the wrong room but he doesn't have the heart to. He knew how tired she was and she deserves to rest. Rather than waking her up, he tucked her in his bed instead.

Kumuha na lang siya ng panibagong kumot mula sa cabinet niya. Before leaving his room, he took one last look of Jenica up close. He fixed the hair on her face and tucked it behind her ear. He had a strong urge to not do it but whatever! She's asleep now, anyways. He went ahead and leaned forward to gently plant a kiss on her forehead. "Good night, Ryl," he whispered and got up.

He gently closed the door to his room and lied down on the couch instead.

*  *  *

Jenica woke up feeling hot. Ramdam niya ang pawis niya sa noo at leeg. Ang hula niya, kusa na sigurong namatay ang aircon niya. She was trying to reach for the electric fan that is usually at her left side of the bed without opening her eyes. Nang hindi niya ito makapa, napilitan siyang buksan ang mga mata niya.

Much to her surprise, the color of the walls was white even if she remembered having teal-colored walls in her room. Her eyes roamed around the room and she found herself unfamiliar of the things around it. White-colored sheets. Several medical books on the side table and a Breaking Bad Funko Pop on top of it. She could smell the strong scent of Jeremy's perfume lingering around the room.

Don't tell me... I'm in Jeremy's room?!

Erica has been dreading this mini reunion Thea and Nico organized because she knew Trey would be present. Don't get her wrong. She has nothing against him. In fact, he was a real gentleman. He actually still is.

She just doesn't like it when her friends tease her with him.

Pagbukas ni Erica ng pinto ay bumungad sa kanya si Trey. Hindi nakatulong ang pagngiti nito sa kanya. She glared at her friend Thea, who was sitting at the passenger seat, first and then to Margaux, who was sitting on Trey's other side, next.

Trey briefly jumped out of the car to let Erica in. "Para katabi mo si Margaux," he explained. "At saka para makita ni Nico yung likod," dagdag pa nito.

Trey was indeed taller than her. She grumpily sat beside her friend Margaux. Paniguradong walang katapusan 'tong pang-aasar ng mga kaibigan niya ngayon.

Thankfully, the group just talked about how Nico and Thea's internship went. Sa kanila kasing anim, tanging silang dalawa lang ang naka-experience ng face-to-face classes.

"Ang saya, guys! Sobrang nakaka-miss yung laboratory," kwento ni Thea sa kanila.

"Buti pa kayo nakapag-laboratory in person," komento ni Erica.

"You also had internship, right?" Trey asked her. She nodded. "Paano yun?"

"Online lang," Erica responded and continued to tell him about her online internship experience. "Na-a-appreciate ko naman kaso mas maganda pa rin yung face-to-face experience."

And just like that, Erica and Trey had their own little world as they conversed about her internship experience. Tahimik lang na nakinig sina Nico at Alvin sa kwento ni Erica. Samantalang iba na ang sinasabi ng ngisi nina Thea at Margaux. Napansin naman 'yon si Nico. He just chucked at them.

After a while, Margaux interjected in their conversation. "Pasali naman kami sa usapan niyo," she teased, which halted Erica and Trey's conversation.

Erica glared at her, which made Thea laugh.

"Nako, tigil-tigilan niyo kami ni Trey, ha! Nakakahiya sa tao," pangangaral ni Erica sa kanila. "It's never gonna happen."

"Aray, par!" Alvin exclaimed. "Ito, band-aid," sabi niya habang inaabot ang band-aid mula sa emergency first aid kit ni Nico sa kotse nito.

One of the skills that they need to practice as a medical technologist is phlebotomy. However, pandemic took away every opportunity to practice their phlebotomy skills. Kahit sa internship program nila ay hindi sila pwedeng kumuha ng dugo kung walang supervision ng clinical instructor nila. It's not even one of the learning outcomes.

Since Nico moved into his cousin's condo unit near Thea's, madalas nang magkasama sina Thea at Nico. One of them would be at the other's unit and vice versa. This time, they're both at Thea's unit. Habang naglilinis si Thea ay nahalungkat niya ang phlebotomy kit niya nung first year pa lang siya.

After decluttering it, she found a few viable evacuated tubes and a couple of unused syringes. Nandun pa ang blue tourniquet niya. Kompleto pa ang materials niya for a decent venipuncture procedure.

She wiggled her eyes at Nico when she pulled her phlebotomy kit out of the storage cabinet. Napakamot naman si Nico dahil mukhang alam na niya kung anong iniisip ni Thea ngayon.

"Please?" Thea pleaded. Nico blames her puppy eyes technique. How could he say no to those eyes?!

Walang sabi-sabing nilahad ni Nico ang kaliwang braso niya. "Yaaay!" Thea celebrated and prepared all the materials she needed.

She lightly rested Nico's arm on the table. He felt an electric current as she touched his arm but it seemed like he was the only one who felt it so he chose to ignore it.

Thea leaned slightly forward to tie the tourniquet around his arm. Napasandal naman si Nico sa ginawa nito. She lightly palpated Nico's medial cubital vein. As she palpated for his vein, he watched her face closely. Her round eyes caught his when she lifted her head. For a while they remained like that. Akala ni Nico nakikipagtitigan si Thea sa kanya. 'Yon pala ang technique nito para makapa nang maayos ang vein niya.

When she successfully palpated his vein, she immediately removed the tourniquet and disinfected the site of collection.

With utmost confidence, she reapplied the tourniquet on his arm and said, "Tutusok na ako. Hingang malalim." Nico obeyed her instructions religiously. Hindi namalayan ni Nico na naitusok na pala ni Thea ang syringe sa kanya.

She carefully pulled the plunge of the syringe while glancing at Nico, checking if he's feeling any pain or what. "Okay ka pa?"

He smiled at her to reassure her. "Ang gaan ng kamay mo," he complimented.

After collecting the sufficient amount of blood, she swiftly withdrew the syringe from Nico's arm. "Apply pressure," she briefly instructed as she placed the cotton on Nico's arm. He accidently touched her hand as he replaced hers that was applying pressure.

Thea transferred the blood she collected from the syringe to the purple top evacuated tube. When it was successfully transferred, Thea gave the tube to Nico including the marker she had. "Do you want to be the one to put the label?"

Napangisi si Nico saka tinanggap ang tube at marker na hawak ni Thea. Afterwards, he showed her the label he wrote. It says, "Thea's future boyfriend."

"Malandi ka!" she playfully punched his left arm.

"Teka, aray naman!" Nico winced at the pain he felt.

"Luh, OA? Nasaktan ka?"

"Oo kaya!" he defended himself.

2023 RECAP

I don’t even know where to begin. All I know is that 2023 was a fruitful year for me as a creative. I was able to share with you six new stories of love, friendships, and life.

Last year, it was finally time for me to share some secrets with you through the story of Erica and Trey in Secrets We Can’t Keep. After finding out their big secret, we continued to solve some problems that Lara and Alvin we’re having in Problems We Can’t Solve. Later on, we joined Margaux and Cash in finding out whether they were able to reach their dreams in Dreams We Can’t Reach.

This was also the year wherein we slowed down and enjoyed the mundane things in life like commuting. We enjoyed the ride as we commuted to Project Fate with Tanya and Tep. We also learned the basics of commuting in Commuting for Dummies with Isaac and Clara. Lastly, we enjoyed every Crush Hour despite the heavy traffic with George and Bridgit.

Aside from these, I attempted to write a ficlet per week this 2023 but I wasn’t able to finish this challenge. However, it produced 24 ficlets. I’ve written additional two ficlets for Inkspired Inktober, which is another writing challenge that I haven’t finished.

My goal last year was to be consistent in my story updates, which I was able to accomplish since I have updated every Monday last 2023. It became a routine for me to post something new in Wattpad.

I was given the opportunity to be a part of Miss Yennie’s (halfbakedwriter) Writer Tell-All Space as a guest writer. It was a joy for me to share my thoughts and journey as a writer with my fellow creatives. At the same time, it’s a privilege for me to receive some wisdom they have acquired through the years of writing experience they had.

But 2023 does not stop there. This was also the year where new opportunities opened for me. I never imagined myself to be able to publish a book last year but KPub PH allowed that dream I once had when I was a child to come true in the form of Ardor, a collection of short stories about love. Unbelievable! I cannot believe I had my first book signing event last year. What a miracle it has been!

This 2023, our family has grown to 669 followers in Wattpad. And finally, here’s a quick recap to show the growth of my stories. Thank you to everyone who has read (and read again) and supported my stories in many ways. I don’t think I say this enough but know that I read every comment and message you send.

2024 WRITING GOALS

As I have promised since the beginning, I will continue to share stories to the world as long as I have stories to tell. This 2024, my desire is to continue to write stories that would bring life to those who would consume it. Content all over the Internet may not always be good, but as a creative, I want to put out content that would inspire you, make you think critically, educate you about things you may not know yet, or simply just make you feel things.

As a creative, I admit that I also have comfort zones. There may be themes that I simply am afraid to explore because I doubt my audience would enjoy such things. This year, I’m looking forward to stepping out of my comfort zones by exploring new themes to write, expanding my creative platforms outside of Wattpad, and making myself a little bit more vulnerable to my readers to show that I am a human as well.

Last year was all about consistency because I wanted to prove to myself (and maybe to my readers) that I could post regularly. I may have been successful in one way but I also had to learn the rhythm of creating and resting. If I hustled every single time, I’m afraid I would end up in a creative burnout and it’s the last thing that I want to happen to me. That’s why I’m hoping to find the right rhythm for me between creating and resting. I hope that you do the same. Rest is a precious gift. Please find time for it.

Lastly, I know that I wouldn’t be where I am right now without the readers who kept on supporting every little thing that I put out there online. I believe that there’s a human behind every user that I interact with. You, guys, have a story to tell too! And if you’ll let me, I want to know your stories as well. Aside from the group chat and channels I have in Telegram, I really want to have conversations with you.

WRITING PROJECTS

Before I end this newsletter, let me update you about my writing projects this year. Currently, I’m writing five works-in-progress: 1) License to Lab, 2) Ana & Tomi Part One, 3) Pitik Mata, 4) Bad for the Heart, and 5) NLEX: Ang Huling Biyahe.

License to Lab is the fifth installment of MedTech on Duty. It features a medical laboratory technician who has failed his board exams thrice and tries to take it once again. I’ve been writing this since 2022 and I’m working to finish this already because I want to share this story already. But yes, I’m taking my sweet, sweet time to write this one because I don’t really want to compromise the message that I want to tell for the sake of publishing it immediately. Instead, here’s a little quote that I’m offering for now:

“Is it even possible for hope to be transmitted by just staring into the eyes of the person who believes in you the most?”

Ana & Tomi Part One is the first installment of MedTech on Duty. It narrates the college misadventures of the titular characters—Ana and Tomi. I’m exploring themes of platonic soulmates and found family here, so this should be exciting! This story also allows me to reminisce about my undergraduate years in Medical Technology.

“But what if during the bad times, I don’t even have a single person I can run to? Can’t I really survive college alone?”

For my love of novelette trilogies, I started writing Pitik Mata, which is a three-part series that features a trio of friends who go on a venture of rediscovering their passion in photography. I will be pouring a lot of the things I love in this WIP, such as photography, creatives, and trio friendships.

“Ano kaya ang nakikita niya sa lente ng camera niya? Nakikita niya kaya kung paano ko siya tingnan?”

For those who loved You Make Me Sick, I’m sure this WIP will excite you. Bad for the Heart is written in the same universe as YMMS, focusing on the things that may be dangerous for the heart. We’re going to talk about the heart a lot here.

“It’s fascinating how the heart may be the strongest yet the most fragile organ of the body. From the moment you are formed in your mother’s womb up to your final breath, your heart beats so you would live. It never takes a break. For if it does, you will die.”

Lastly, we’re going on a road trip to NLEX: Ang Huling Biyahe with my new beloved quad! This focuses on four friends who love a good road trip away from the busy city but need to part ways at the end.

“And that was her little assurance. That despite every change and transition that is happening in their lives, they will always have NLEX. They will always come back to the place where it all began.”

That’s a total of five WIPs, but please understand that I won’t be able to publish immediately since I’m currently studying for my board exams. Writing stories will forever be precious in my heart but it is also a part of my dream to work in the laboratory. I may not be as active as before, but I will try to come back every now and then to check up on everyone. Until then, I’m going to write offline for a while. If you want to be updated about my progress, you may join my Telegram channel and check my WIP threads.

Here’s a question for you: Among my WIPs, which of these are you looking forward to reading?

Hanggang sa susunod na kwento.