Never actually thought we'd get here, but I guess here we are.
I said goodbye to this account more than 3 years ago to focus on my studies as a, then incoming, college student. As a matter of fact, that was the only thing that mattered to me. Wala akong ibang inisip kung hindi ang pagbutihin ang pag-aaral ko, dahil alam kong isang malaking pribilehiyo ang makapag-aral sa UP.
As I progressed through college, however, I lost touch with my roots. What I found enjoyable before, no longer translated into what was my present. I started despising my past. I hid away the fact that I used to write religiously on this platform, and deemed it as nothing more than a phase — like puberty. And like puberty, it was embarrassing.
And yet, I was never content. I became a Writing Major during my sophomore year and gained much exposure to different literary works. Some I enjoyed, others I mimicked, because they were Literature (with a capital L) — or so, from what I had initially thought.
Ngayon lamang nakaraang taon ko napagtantong hindi lamang restrictive ang pagtingin kong ito sa literatura, nagbabadya rin itong maging exclusive sa usapin ng panitikan. At iyon ang isa sa mga bagay na ayaw ko.
Oo, may sari-sarili tayong preference pagdating sa mga binabasa natin, ngunit walang ni isang tao ang makapagsasabi na ang isang piyesang pinaglaanan ng oras at kakayanang buuin — hiwalay sa laganap na paggamit ng AI — ay hindi maaaring ituring na literature (o Literatura, with a capital L na rin).
Sa aking pagbabalik sa pagsusulat ng kinalakihan kong YA, masasabi kong bittersweet ito. Una, dahil magpapaalam na ako sa naunang bersyon ko bilang manunulat. At pangalawa, dahil marami pang mga kwento ang maaari kong maibahagi sa rediscovery kong ito.
Gaya ng palagi kong sinasabi:
Screw the literary canon,
and here's to new beginnings!
