One Big Fight

"I see three strains in this essay: 1. Vergara sa the solitary artist, 2. Vergara as a gay writer, 3. Vergara as the writer of Zaturnah. In this draft, not one of these takes center stage. Given the length of the essay, it's best to make one your focus and to use the others as information that falls under your umbrella category. I think you need to decide which strain will dominate the essay and revise accordingly."

- Conchitina Cruz on Unmasking The Real Zaturnah: Carlo Vergara

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"This is a very interesting essay. You did good research here. The grammar problems are quite distracting though, and it gets harder to appreciate the insights when there's S-V agreement, proper tense, etc. to worry about. Another challenge is to shorten the essay to keep to its focus. Write clearer and ensure the clarity in the order of ideas. Please see marginal notes for my comments on this."

- Conchitina Cruz on Riles

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The two essays that serve as my midterm and final exams in Non-Fiction Writing has been returned to me. The drafts are full of comments - mostly on issues of clarity and construction of ideas. Nevertheless, it's a good thing to recieve a heavily marked paper for back in college, it has never happened to me before.

The grammar lapses is something to be concerned about. Lately, I've been thinking how on earth did I finish my course with such a huge technical problem. Is it because my professors didn't really focus on that aspect of writing? Or is it because I am able to get away with it, since the thrust of the program is to gather research and focus on details rather than the organization and construction of the essay itself?

So far, I need to maintain a grade of 2.0 in order to be admitted in the program proper. Though the Creative Writing subject has been secured already, I still have to deal with Mr. Aureus' Literary Criticism in order to pass the final huddle. My midterm grade in the exam didn't even get a passing grade, so I must exert an effort to place a good spot in his finals.

And schmooze with him whenever I can.

As I have said, if there is one thing my re-education provides aside from learning, it is the feeling of growing. And even though attending school takes so much time, money and energy, it has become an important aspect of having a meaningful life for me. The school makes you dream of something else, aside from climbing the long and treacherous career ladder; It makes your life bigger despite having a time, shorter.

The Finals would be in two weeks. So far, I haven't spent even a single hour reviewing my hand-outs in Literary Criticism. At the same time, my two "draft" essays still need a serious revision. I just hope that after all these academic trials have concluded, my efforts would not go to waste.

That I would go on and continue my graduate school program, just like what I promised myself when I am just starting this endeavor.