Stories... and Telling Them

My brother and I are 3 years apart in age. That means it was very common for me and him to be interested in the same things as we grew up. From G.I. Joe to He-man, Starwars to Centurions (sorry, we were never Trekkies/Trekkers), there were precious few things we did not both enjoy. One of our favorites among all the toys we ever had were our Lego Blocks. Using Lego blocks, we would construct our own fully transformable Transformers and M.A.S.K. vehicles, we would create massive cities which we would then take turns destroying by throwing tennis balls at, we would even eventually invent our own first "reality television show" and build monster trucks, then videotape as we literally SMASH them at each other (first driver of a car that flies off the car loses).

Creativity was definitely in our blood.

And while my brother eventually began to take the path of music in his creative impetus, I much clearly saw mine during my Preperatory years.

There was an Elocution/Storytelling Contest.

My mother penned up a piece for me to narrate. Inspired by the Biblical tale of Jesus calming the stormy seas, my mom crafted a tale of me having a terrible terrible nightmare. And in the nightmare, the story of Jesus and his calming of the rough seas became a story I was to relate in the contest.

So there I was, the sixth contestant in the event. While others quoted "Oh Captain my Captain" and other literary gems written by established writers, I narrated "Nightmare: The Storm" written by my mother (and keen readers would note the title resonates well to my favorite RPG gaming titles now).

I didn't expect it.
I didn't expect it at all.
My competitors were known to be really smart. Among the top ten students of the WHOLE BATCH. They were intellectuals who could carry conversations about politics at that age. They were kids who knew each and every region of the Philippines at heart. They were the kind of kids who made you feel stupid without trying because you realize you couldn't keep up with the conversation.

They were friends however, and they never let me feel like I was stupid.
But again, I didn't expect it at all.

I felt like it was one of the first major wins for me. A shinning moment that gave me a huge "nudge" of what I was good at. And what I should never forget to embrace. Some people learn they have a knack for certain sports. Others have an ear for music. A tongue for food tasting. A witty arsenal of words for writing.


I had an ability to tell a story.

Maybe one better face to face than written down (my blog is probably boring to read) but a small niche in the world which I realized I could proudly admit being good at. Long story made shorter, is it really a surprise my biggest hobby to date is storytelling/roleplaying games? And deep down, my fondest wish is to eventually someday create, write, shoot and release a full length film/television series for the world to enjoy?

Why am I suddenly sharing all these reminiscing thoughts all of the sudden? Frankly, I do not know. Maybe its a way for me to deal with some stress I am going through. Or maybe there's someone out there who needs to read these things to help them get through something they are going through. Maybe I just needed to let it out. Or maybe, I just wanted to share a bit more stories about who I am.

Ultimately, I hope its a good story.
It ain't fiction, after all.