The storm has passed here in the Philippines, and things have yet to go back to total normalcy. I’m writing this at the house of a friend and I don’t know yet if the power and telephone is back up at my house. Lives have been lost and properties destroyed –- one of which is the house of my cousin back in the province which burned down at the height of the typhoon. Blog Your Novel Month –- BlogYoNoMo –- seems extremely trivial now in the face of this tragedy, but life has to go on. Perhaps creating literature can be one of the ways to cope with this misfortune; writing has always been a cathartic and healing experience and here’s hoping that it can be a form of collective therapy in this case, especially for Filipinos.

Because of my current situation, I may not be able to join you all in time, less than twenty-four hours from now, but feel free to start without me. What’s important is the collective knowledge that we’re all in this together, supporting each other, as we try to contribute whatever we can to giving meaning to the inherent vagaries of life.

Hope that everyone is safe. Happy blogging everyone!