Discovering a Passion for Reading and Writing

Since I was in elementary school, I found myself obsessed with reading books. My parents were strict, so I couldn't even enjoy my childhood playing with other kids outside the house. Instead of spending my childhood years, playing some toy and joining some fun with other kids, I found myself being a bookworm. I became fascinated with a good author's work while reading it, and it inspired me to write when I had unsaid thoughts in my mind that my mouth couldn't speak. I still remember when I was in Grade 4, I wrote my first piece in Tagalog, expressing how annoyed I felt with my friend Joshua, who constantly told me he liked me a lot. Hahaha.

Early Writing Adventures

In Grade 6, eBooks became trendy, and I even wrote my own short story in Tagalog using an unused notebook. I cried a lot when my classmate borrowed it and lost it. In high school, I used to join some writing contests, and I was lucky enough to win, representing my school at a higher level and finishing in the top three among many rival schools.

Writing as Therapy

When I stopped schooling and faced many problems, reading and writing became my therapy as they healed my mind and helped me focus. I'm an avid fan of reading books and Wattpad. After years of reading, I decided to write my own one-shot story on Wattpad, along with a series of jejemon-type stories. However, I left those stories unfinished to focus on family matters. Many years later, I discovered that the writer in me was still alive.

Ma'am @naymhapz, our reading and writing teacher, always gave us essay assignments. At first, she couldn't believe the work was mine due to the prevalence of plagiarism. Thanks to Ma'am @callmesmile, who confirmed and authenticated my work. After that, Ma'am @naymhapz always encouraged me to continue learning in writing as she saw my potential, and she told me to join this amazing community, the Hive community. She said that I would grow here on this platform, but at that time, I was hesitant to join because I was afraid I couldn't manage my time blogging since I'm a busy mom and a student. I also joined school journalism as many teachers encouraged me, and I became the Circulating Manager of our School Publication. In my last school year, I still hoped to continue my role as a campus journalist.

There was an event at school, and our class adviser, @callmesmile, told me to represent our section for the blog writing competition because she believed in my writing skills. She said, "Whatever the result, we're still proud of you. Just be the one to represent our section because no one else will." During the competition, I felt nervous because it was my first writing contest of the year, whereas the previous contests I had joined at Ilihan Integrated School were more focused on science and math. I just wrote what my heart and mind collaborated on, and after writing, I submitted my work without expecting to place because I knew other competitors were good writers, and one of them was my friend @genyrose.

_{Beside me is my friend @genyrose}

During the awarding, I diverted my attention to my cellphone, browsing, as I was nervous and felt sad because the third and second places were already called, and I was proud that my friend got the top 2 placement. I thought there would be no chance for me to be in the top 3 because I felt my blog writing wasn't good enough to win.

_{Me receiving my award as champion of blog writing together with my adviser @callmesmile and esteemed school principal @richdreamer}

The emcee was thrilled to call the name of the champion, and I was confused when Ma'am @callmesmile approached me, congratulating me. At that moment, the emcee called my name as the champion of the blog writing contest. Honestly, I couldn't believe I was the winner. After the competition, Ma'am @callmesmile encouraged me even more to join the wonderful Hive Community. As an active blogger here on Hive, it has really helped me a lot by sharpening my writing skills and expanding my mind when it comes to topics that need to be explored. Reading blogs here has widened my vocabulary as I come across new words.

Enhancing Skills through Hive

Many teachers discovered my writing skills and trusted me to lead the school publication, not in the same role as Circulating Manager, but as the Editor-in-Chief of The Inked Hands School Publication.

Despite handling dual duties in managing a big organization at school, I still managed my time effectively to fulfill my responsibilities.

As the Division of School Press Conference is fast approaching that time, I trained even more using this platform to enhance my skills. I can say that being part of the Hive Community has greatly improved my writing skills, making them better than before.

Thank you for reading my blog post! Stay tuned for more of my upcoming blogs, dear BEEluvs🐝. Any kind of support means a lot to me. Don't forget to always spread positivity and love. Take care and God bless you all! 💕