The rain and my childhood

When I was younger, I love the summer season because I can play all day with my friends and cousins except during meals and sleeping time. And now that I am already in my late twenties, I love rainy season better. Besides, I don’t have playmates anymore like I used to have as a kid. The ambience just lets me rest in my bed and sleep longer. Because there’s no much activity in the house except household chores, I will go out and play as a child. Since there’s just lots of tasks to do as a teacher when I’m at home, the rain reminds me to relax and spend some time for rest, reflect, and remember the good old days of my childhood. 

How to survive the attempt in drawing a portrait?

Need to release this reflections before the internet slows down.

Last week here in MAPAC, I have two choices of modules to attend: ecology or artwork. I chose the latter. For the record, the last time I pushed a pencil and a paintbrush was when I was ten years old.

This week, I have an erratic schedule because of my part-time teaching load, spiritual direction to Ateneo (more on that next post), and this art module. Anyway, I’m not a teenager anymore having problems with managing time so I just let it flow. While I’m doing the art module, I can’t help but to recall the book I read which I just read halfway since I don’t like it (and I gave it away as a gift to the girl I courted before. Hehe!). In that book, I saw two portraits: before and after. The author was no artist but she tried to attend a sketching class in her free time (Maybe it’s because of her Happiness Project). Now I realized that I did like that part of the book: the before and after sketching. Before, decades ago, I was a kid who draws a lot. Until now, I still draw but they still look childish (in a nice way perhaps). In our artwork, we did not just draw but painted and colored as well and I’ll just focus on the drawing part though I enjoyed the coloring and painting part. Going back to the before and after part, I might borrow the idea and practice sketching again in my free time. Gonna buy some lumograph and sketchpad and off I go.

So to answer my question, to survive attempt in drawing a portrait means just drawing. Do not complain you are not a good artist. Every chess grandmaster started out as noobs. Or the other way around will do: complain also. Be angry with your attempt and complain you are not an artist so you will fuel your desire to be better and practice more. Or to paraphrase the hooky song from Walk the Moon, just shut up and draw. Desire and practice and you will succeed in your own way.

When I lost something, I found a hidden treasure (Part Two of Three)

When I was ten, I broke my left arm. I left the varsity since I can’t baseball for two months. Though my left hand is useless, I wanted to be active as much as possible. I didn’t know that with the freak accident, I would discover a special talent in playing chess. In the fourth grade, I started playing competitive chess. Without formal training, our team entered the finals. That’s already a great achievement. Too bad, we just couldn’t win our matches since our opponent blanked us, 4-0. A silver medal? Not bad for a first timer.

During the vacation, the sports coordinator would invite me to join the summer chess clinic. From baseball, I would then join the chess team until I graduate in high school. I would bag medals every year. In studies, I would notice a sudden increase in my Math and English grades. I know there’s a scientific explanation for this.

Years later, I fractured the same arm as a teenager. This would leave its form grotesque and smaller compared to my right arm. That time, I can’t swim or play basketball. So, what did the fifteen year-old boy do when he can’t do extraneous physical activities? Just play chess.

But the following year, I would then give up this hidden treasure that I found. Circumstances would help me retire in competitive chess.

To be continued…

Writing Prompt: Writing 101 — Serially Found (Assignment Thirteen)