I've picked the best place to start a blog and I couldn't be happier. Finally I can put an end to my friends' nagging question, "how can someone like you NOT have a blog?". Well this is it. Great place to share ideas, talk about life in my late 20s, and most importantly, do what i do best since i was ten: writing.

I was in 4th grade when I started reading Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, Archie Comics and the Sweet Valley Twins series. I recall clutching those books anywhere and everywhere inside our house, from my bedroom, to the couch, the dining table (where i was repeatedly reprimanded for violating the house rule against dropping everything else when you're having a meal with the family) and even the restroom. To me, our house was a reader's paradise -- you can find everything from fashion and home improvement magazines to pocketbooks, newspapers, encylopedias and dictionaries. I've read just about a little bit of everything while growing up, thus, the love for literature and later on, the pursuit of writing.

Unlike other writers, I don't have big dreams of writing my own book though. Writing is not my one and only interest. I love dancing and speaking in front of a group. I get a kick out of it. yeah. seriously. In fact, there was a time I wanted to be a professional dancer (i did take ballet, jazz and ballroom dancing lessons),haha and there was also a time I wanted to be a teacher because I enjoyed speaking in front of a group. But since fate would have its own way, I have always found myself in situations and opportunities that involve writing. My present job,for example and my first job back in college as a feature writer for a local mag were all "accidents". I have attempted several times to venture into other pursuits, but writing has its way of finding me. So here I am today, presently handling marketing communications for a sales and marketing company. The work involves copywriting, editing, proofreading, rewriting. I thought I'd help out some of you out there who might need any of these "services". Once in a while I'll write about snippets of my life and it shouldn't matter whether you actually like what i write or agree with it (although it would be lovely if you liked it and left me a comment). The point is, I'm itching to write and you can ask me to write or edit stuff for you.

Happy reading!

If you're in need of concise, targeted content for your marketing materials, I can help. Here's a list of things I write for my company that I can write for you too!

1. web content
2. brochure copies
3. email copies
4. case studies
5. news, press releases
6. feature stories - about you, your company, your product, your service
7. anything else by request

If you just want someone to edit or proofread your existing content, I can do that too.

Drop me a line or two if you need my help. =)

My first job back in college was writing feature stories for a local lifestyle magazine. Feature writing was fun. Not only did I get to meet people and go places...I got free food sampling and free tickets to concerts, fashion shows, community outreach events. I will always be thankful for the man who recruited me to work for his magazine, which was run by him and his wife. Here are some of the most interesting (and unforgettable!) people and places I wrote about:

PEOPLE
1. a mountain climber
2. a ballet dancer
3. a hairstylist
4. a local government official
5. an award-winning theatre group and a choir

PLACES
1. Casa Fiammeta, sprawling a ranch style summer getaway estate that boasts of a horseback riding school, horse and carabao driven carts where you and your kids can ride to go around the estate, log cabins for those who want to stay overnight, a restaurant that serves yummy barbecue and a river just behind the estate for kayaking

2. Mundo Ristorante, an Italian restaurant nestled by the river where the owner prepared a mouth-watering spread for me and where I learned for the first time that the best way to enjoy delicious pasta and pizza is to have wine with it

When I was in law school, I still wrote for the magazine, but not as much as I did before. Feature writing taught me to be elaborate with words, to be generous with adjectives in my work. Legal writing was different. Anyone of you who is familiar with legal jargon know that flowery words are a no-no in legal writing, which requires direct simplicity. You have a point, you state it outright. Writing discipline in law school required only the most direct, concise statements. I worried about shifting writing styles, for fear of losing my "touch".

Then came my job as a copywriter which required me to study different business writing styles. My job involved writing content for the website, press releases, case studies and other business communications. At first I had some difficulty adjusting, but later I realized that the shift from creative writing to legal writing did me good because I found myself combining elements of these writing styles today in business writing. Shifting styles can be a wonderful thing after all.

Some people smell their babies, their pets, their favorite stuffed animal.

I smell my new books.

Big or small, these lovely little things of knowledge can give me great pleasure on the most ordinary of days. Aside from having a really good conversation with family and friends, reading a newly discovered book is my favorite thing to do. My bookshelf is home to humor books, action-packed and heart-wrenching novels, law books, essay and short story collections. I even kept some old college textbooks on english literature for reference. I love looking at them and re-reading my favorites. When I can't sleep, I grab any book from the shelf and read the parts I enjoyed.

But the smelling is reserved for new books. Nothing gives me more delight than getting my hands on a new one, paperback or hardbound. (well, eating chocolate chip cookies and dancing is delightful for me too) I discovered that a book and coffee are best during rainy days, and I can just stay home all day happy and comfortable and lost in whatever I'm reading.

Some family and friends find it amusing that I smell my books. I can't help it. They give me a natural high. =)