Captain's Log, Third Week of January

So far, so good. Everything seems to be on the upswing at the moment. My manic episodes are coming back. I have no trouble sleeping too late and waking up too early. When the depression starts, it's hello bed, goodbye world again; but right now, i'm in high gear. I'm probably a above-average-but-not-clinical manic-depressive. (Isn't everyone?)

It's probably all the formaldehyde I'm inhaling. I inhale it five times a week...that's got to be doing something to me. Maybe I'm having a formaldehyde high. All the brains and sharks and cats I've been working on lately. Thinking about it makes me...feel weird and strangely happy.

I've got something I can look forward to. This:

The 1st Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards is accepting
entries for two categories: short fiction (the
Gregorio Brillantes Award) and comics (the Alex Nino
Award).  For the latter, the work must be either
science-fiction, fantasy or horror; for the latter,
the theme is open and all artwork must be in
black-and-white.

For guidelines and queries, please visit the Fully
Booked website at fullybookedonline.com.

Conceived by Neil Gaiman and Fully Booked, the prizes
are 100,000 pesos for the first place in each
category.  According to the award-winning
writer/co-creator of popular comic Sandman, "there is
a strong tradition of realism in Filipino literature,
I want to encourage Filpino unrealism."

Maybe I will write something...just to use up all the mania. And who knows, maybe I'll win third place. I doubt it though. But then again, you never know. This is the reason I started blogging in the first place anyway, to start writing and find my voice. But so far, no clue as to what my voice is. Each time I read something new, my voice gets a radical tune-up. Each time I read something I wrote, I feel like I'm reading a total stranger.

And my CW teacher --the one I always paraphrase. I read her book by the way. No wonder she liked my writing style. It's similar to hers. How pathetic-- Anyway, my CW teacher said something about practicing in order to find my voice or something like that. So this is practice. And my frustrations with writing will get an outlet in the meantime.

I will find my voice.
I will join that contest.
And I will get rid of this excess mania.

Three birds with one stone, not bad.
(It's sad; I'm totally ignoring my academics.)